From Last Year to Now

This year I had the senior photographer take a matching picture of Sam to go along with last year's picture of Jordan.  The pictures turned out great; last weekend I framed and hung them.  Very nice!

TGIF!!!

Although it was a short week, it was a busy one!  Returned on Tuesday from being gone a week then scrambled to get caught up before I was busy all day Wednesday and Thursday with both learning and presenting training.  It will be nice to have a breather Friday in order to finish up projects on the back burner and get done before the weekend hits. I'm still battling a sore throat and cough but hopefully the end is near for that virus.  Weekend weather predicts no rain so my plan is to simply relax, relax, relax.

Enjoy your weekend Divas!!!

On a Serious Note....

This video offers an important message that may just touch one of you out there. I've been in situations where you need to get someone mental health assistance and you simply aren't sure where to turn.  Below the video is a list of help hotlines for your reference, if you or someone close to you needs help.


 

Help Hotlines

Below is a list of national hotlines that provide anonymous, confidential information to callers. They can answer questions and help you in times of need.

• Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline
  Phone: 800-4-A-CHILD (800-422-4453)
• Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
  Phone: 800-826-3632
• Boys Town National Hotline – Crisis hotline that helps parents and children cope with stress and anxiety
  Phone: 800-448-3000
• Hopeline
  Phone: 800-442-HOPE (4673)
• Mental Health America – For a referral to specific mental health service or support program in your community
  Phone: 800-969-NMHA (6642)
• National Alliance on Mental Illness – Provides support, information, and referrals
  Phone: 800-950-NAMI (6264)
• National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders
  Phone: 847-831-3438
• National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
  Phone: 802-296-6300
• National Center for Victims of Crime – Multi-language service available
  Phone: 800-FYI-CALL (394-2255)
• National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Hotline – Treatment referrals
  Phone: 800-662-HELP (4357)
• National Domestic Violence Hotline
  Phone: 800-799-SAFE (7233)
• National Eating Disorders Association Information and Referral Helpline – Support services, help, and guidance to people struggling with eating disorders, their loved ones, and families
  Phone: 800-931-2237
• National Domestic Violence Hotline
  Phone: 800-799-SAFE (7233)
• National Runaway Switchboard
  Phone: 800-RUNAWAY (800-786-2929)
• National Sexual Assault Hotline
  Phone: 800-656-HOPE (4673)
• National Suicide Prevention Hotline
  Phone: 800-273-TALK (8255)
• Postpartum Support International
  Phone: 800-994-4PPD (4773)
• PPD Hope
  Phone: 877-PPD-HOPE (877-773-4673)
• PPD Moms
  Phone: 800-PPD-MOMS (800-773-6667)
• S.A.F.E. Alternatives
  Phone: 800-DONTCUT (800-366-8288)

Memorial Day 2013

Happy Memorial Day 2013!  I've spent this long weekend nursing a sore throat and cold...ugh.  Thankfully, I've had enough energy to clean my room and do three loads of laundry.  Here's to a day of remembering our service heroes!!
 

Ahhh...If Only!!!

TGIF!!!

Home last night from my work travels! Thank you Michael for giving me a ride home from the airport, even though you are fighting a cold. It was good to be back in my own bed!!!

 

 



 

Goodbye Madison and Hello 20 Jordan!

Today is my final day in the great state of Wisconsin.  It has been a week filled with imparting process, procedures and system skills on to a junior colleague, which has been wholly fulfilling.  The mall, the capital, Wisconsin food favorites, and the time lag....all memorable.  One more half-day at work and I'll be flying the Delta skies for home, just in time to celebrate my son's 20th birthday today!  Here's to conquering another state!!

Happy Birthday Jordan!!!

Work Day One in Wisconsin

Here's the view on my way to lunch today - the Madison capitol building!  Ate lunch at one of the town favorites, The Old Fashioned (apparently the drink of Wisconsin.)  Enjoyed a grilled veggie sandwich, cheese curds, haystack onion rings, and mac and cheese - all yummy and too much of a good thing. 

After work I drove to the West Towne mall to see what Madison had to offer.  Other than a "Charming Charlie" accessories store, the rest of the shops were the same as in Washington/Oregon.  I did score a $2 sweater along with logging in some walking mileage so it was all good!

Alarming to Say the Least!

After snuggling into bed and getting ready to watch Mad Men, all of a sudden lights began flashing and a loud alarm began ringing.  WTH??  This gave me a flashback to my first work visit in Grapevine, TX when there was a fire alarm.  Obviously, where Diva travels, alarms follow!

I made my way down the stairs and outside to wait out the alarm.  Apparently the fault lay with a party in the large conference room - someone had blown out a huge amount of candles or set off a fog machine, which in turn set off the alarm. 

Thankfully, we were soon released to return to our rooms and I was back in bed, falling asleep after watching Don Draper's vitamin shot mishaps on AMC.

Conquering Madison

It makes for a long day when a person rises at 4:30am!  Rousing myself out of bed, the shower called while my Michael made me a steaming cup of coffee.  Staying at his house last night shaved an hour off of my commute to the airport, which was greatly appreciated this morning.  

Checking in at the Delta counter after being dropped off, my trip turned out to be surprisingly smooth.  The security line went quickly, although, after removing my belt, the female transit guard had to run her hand around my waistband to ensure nothing was being smuggled.  At least she didn't "pinch an inch" during her inspection!  Passing that test, my first stop was to obtain my seating assignment (39!) before making my way to a close Travel Mart to grab another cup of Joe. 

When they gave me 39, they meant 39 - the last row on the plane.  To top it off, my assignment was the middle seat....ugh!  At least I wasn't missing out on a window seat because, due to it being the last row, there was no window to be found; if I craned my neck there was a slim sliver of sky available as my view.  To top it off, Mr. Balding sitting in the seat in front of me immediately cranked his seat back at the same time I was digging in my carry on to find my new Allure magazine. Bonk!  Right on the top of my forehead!

Thankfully the flight was smooth.  Trying to read was out of the question due to my sleepy eyes dropping, dropping, dropping and gone.  In between napping I chewed on a few peanuts along with an orange juice/Sprite mixer, courtesy of Delta. 

The one thing about being in the back row was the view I was given of everyone going to the bathroom.  Some travelers should have been given frequent flyer mileage based upon the number of times they popped into the airborne john. 

After three hours (or was it four - the time change confused me), I departed the plane in order to make my connection in Minneapolis.  Awww, Minneapolis...home of the Mall of America.  Alas, it was not my destiny.  Normally when I have a connecting flight, my off boarding plane arrives at Gate A7 with my departing flight leaving from two hundred gates away.  Leaving the plane, I was amazed to see my arriving flight was Gate F10 with my connecting flight at Gate F13.  Yippee!  I had time to use the restroom before shuffling back onto the flight bound for Madison, Wisconsin.

My connecting flight once again involved a seat toward the end of the plane, squeezed smack dab in the middle of two passengers.  Ugh.  At least the final leg was only about an hour. 

Arriving in Madison, I made my way to baggage claim, where I met up with Jen, the gal I will be training.  We picked up the rental car, then I followed her through the scenic route, which included the capital building, to the hotel.  After checking in, we parted ways.  Entering my room, I was happy to see there was a fridge, coffee pot, microwave and stove top available for my use.  After putting my things away, I drove over to the local grocery store to grab some staples for my stay - coffee, creamer, and vegetables since I can't seem to go a week without my beloved veggie sandwich.  After picking up a Panera panini for lunch/dinner, it was back to my room once again.

After a satisfying sandwich, it was too early to simply hang out in my room so, directions in hand, back to the car I went.  I decided it would be best to find my way to my local office so I wouldn't be flustered in the morning.  Aside from an on-ramp detour, it was easy-peasy to find my way to the freeway with a hop-skip-and-jump to my destination.  Returning to my hotel locale, I cruised down the main road to see what was in the neighborhood.  Walgreens.  Pizza Hut.  Longhorn Restaurant.  Not too much so it's a good thing directions to the nearest mall came along with me for this trip.  I'll venture toward that tomorrow after work.

Arriving back at the hotel, I'm now relaxing for the evening.  And coming to grips with the two-hour time difference.  Perhaps watching Cupcake Wars will lull me to sleep.  Although Mad Men is on tonight, staying up too late may mess with my two-hour earlier waking time.  Here's to a peaceful sleep!!!

View from my room!

Bring On the Cheese!!

This Friday night I'm doing laundry, painting my nails, and getting organized for my trip on Sunday to.....Wisconsin!  While it's not a trip to the Bahamas, it's still a nice getaway albeit for work.  My flight takes off from Portland at a very early 6:55am; I'll be staying in Wisconsin until Thursday evening, which is actually Jordan's 20th birthday!  Following my return, I will be blessed with not one, not two, but four whole days off to recuperate and relax before returning to work after Memorial Day. 

Yesterday we celebrated Sam's successful senior presentation, which earned him 59/60 points!  After work today I swung by and picked up his printed pictures so my days off will also be spent stuffing, addressing and mailing his graduation announcements - with his help, of course!

I'm so close to having fulfilled my motherly role - to have my two sons graduate from high school and begin their adult lives - that I'm bursting with pride.  There have been fun times, there have been trying times yet all times have been filled with love.   As a single mom who had to shoulder all of the responsibility to raise these two young men, I'm pretty proud of myself as well.  

Retail Reality

There has been some recent retail news that is fairly disturbing, as follows:

First, there was a recent interview with Mike Jeffries, CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, where he shared his thoughts about the type of customer his store is coveting - white, cool, and thin.

As far as Jeffries is concerned, America’s unattractive, overweight or otherwise undesirable teens can shop elsewhere. “In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids,” he says. “Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely. Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, old, fat, skinny. But then you become totally vanilla. You don’t alienate anybody, but you don’t excite anybody, either.”

Mike Jeffries.....60 year old wishing he was 15 again

In 2004 A&F paid $40 million to settle a class-action suit brought by minority employees who said they were either denied employment or forced to work in back rooms, where they wouldn’t be seen by customers. While A&F denied any wrongdoing, Jeffries said the suit taught him a lesson: “I don’t think we were in any sense guilty of racism, but I think we just didn’t work hard enough as a company to create more balance and diversity. And we have, and I think that’s made us a better company. We have minority recruiters. And if you go into our stores you see great-looking kids of all races.”

In another recent settlement involving another junior's clothing store, fashion retailer Wet Seal Inc. agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by a Pennsylvania resident who claimed the retailer discriminated against African-American employees because they did not fit the company's brand image.  In a three-year investigation, the commission found evidence that Wet Seal corporate managers openly stated that to be profitable the retailer had to retain workers with "the Armani look" — meaning thin, blond and blue-eyed.  One high-level executive sent an email to underlings in 2009 pointing out that the dominance of African American workers was a "huge issue." "Managers were instructed to make employment decisions based on race," the agency said in documents made public Monday.

_____________________________________________

I'm happy to see that Wet Seal is getting hurt in its pocketbook and that A&F stores are being boycotted by customers due to the CEO's outlandish statements. The days of thinking your customer is "thin and white" are long gone; people want to be embraced based upon whether or not they can pay for your clothing, not based on their size or ethnicity.

Monday Frustration Kicked into High Gear

After a wonderful weekend, Monday has once again reared is ugly head.  Celebrating Mother's Day all weekend, which included a lovely dinner with fabulous conversation Saturday night followed by an awesome barbecue on Sunday, it was hard to lay my little head down to sleep last night, knowing this morning would mean returning to work. 

Today was one of those days when my personal aggravation kicked into high gear.  Even after numerous years of seeing people behave in weird and unusual ways, it still surprises me to see the lengths individuals will go for their own sense of personal satisfaction.  Sigh.  I can only say "Forgive them Father for they know not what they do." 

Here's to a much better Tuesday!!

Too Ugly to Strip

I passed by this poor soul today and couldn't resist taking a picture.  His sign stated "Too Ugly to Strip"....gave me a chuckle.  I guess the cardboard entrepreneurs have to get creative when they are begging for bucks!

 

Prom Night 2013

Son Sam mentioned today that he was going to the prom with his friend Kaitlyn, who sprang for the tickets, flowers, and dinner.  She stopped by today with her friend to pick Sam up; their next stop was to change into their dresses then off to the local lake for pictures.  Her dress is funky and fantastic so Sam kept his outfit low key.  Here's to having a successful evening!!

Before and After - Worth the Effort

Perhaps due to my creative nature, my artistic calling, or simply my own ego, I enjoy using makeup.  In fact, I am obsessed with cosmetics; with primer, foundation, eyebrow pencils, colorful shadows, twelve shades of pink blush, and an endless variety of lip gloss.  As most women (along with a few drag queens) know, makeup makes a person look better.   For example, see Diva Exhibit I below. And yes of course I had to give everyone the very best "Before" picture - see how sad, tired and miserable I appear?  So much happier in the After, don't you think?!!

AFTER



BEFORE

Sunshine on My Shoulders Make Me Happy!!

I absolutely love me some sunny weather!!!  There is nothing like sunshine and blue sky that can instill a sense of happiness and contentment that normal gray, rainy skies don't provide.

After cleaning the kitchen and mopping the floor, the backyard beckoned to me.  Grabbing the mower,  my energy was spent picking up the backyard then mowing it to within an inch of it's life.  My first action was to remove the mower bag....too slow.  Yard trimmed, I then rearranged a few of the yard decor before examining a pile of branches from last year that simply shouted "craft project!"  These branches were dried and appear similar to grapevine branches so there had to be some type of project that could be easily completed using them.  Grabbing a few branches, I inserted them around the top circle of my metal gazebo, which provided a rustic touch. 

When the branch project was completed, my attention turned to the back porch.  Removed the gnarled blinds along with the floor rug then swept and swept and swept some more.

Yes, both weed eating and edging could be performed; however, sunshine continues to be in the forecast so perhaps these tasks can be tackled tomorrow.  After finishing up a nice, healthy veggie sandwich, my next task may simply be to undertake a relaxing nap!

 

 

TGIF!!!

A Day of May and Kleenex!

Happy May Day!!  Back in my youth, the elementary school teachers would have us all prepare a floral arrangement for our mother's.  We would then arrive at home, place them at the front door, ring the bell, then hide.  The vivid memories of my mother exclaiming her surprise and happiness at finding the surprise flowers are embedded in my mind.  She was just as surprised when her seventh child delivered May Day flowers as when she received flowers from her first born. 

Unfortunately, May flowers brings about spring allergies, which hit me full force this morning.  Sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes....arrrggg!!!  Work was fine, including learning that a trip to Wisconsin will soon be in my future.   Thankfully my boss let me skip out a little early because my allergies had just drained me.  After stopping at Walmart for a few groceries then Target for a prescription, I arrived home and thought "what's the best way to fight allergies?  Mow the lawn!"

Yep, pulling out the lawnmower I made quick work of the front yard, saving the back for one of the other adults in the house.  Although my allergies are still in place, mowing the yard took my mind off my blocked sinus passages. 

Here's to many more sunny, spring days ahead that will hopefully be allergy-free!!!