SoBe World

Ok... those of you who know me, know that I don't do "designer" drinks... you know drinks like "Monster", "Red Bull", etc. I don't drink coffee; not even the flavored stuff from Starbucks/CC's.  I don't like "Gatorade" or any of those types of drinks, either. I just haven't been able to tolerate their taste much less their increased caloric-content in many cases.  Well I finally found one that I just LOVE!  It's called SoBe lifewater.  It's a zero-cal, vitamin enhanced, flavored water.  Now I'm starting to sound like a commercial! No they haven't employed me in any way.  Anyway, while at Target the other day, I bought one at the register just to give it a shot... after all it was no-calories & it looked so refreshing.  Crazy enough it has a lizard on the bottle!  What a lizard has to do with water, I have no idea.  It was great.  I saw a display of them at Walmart the other day, so I  picked up a couple of different flavors to try.  My favorites are Yumberry Pomegranate & Fuji Apple Pear, although I don't know what the hell a "yumberry" is... it tastes yummy-licious though!

Love the Fall (Halloween, too!)

Although our days of "cool" weather are few in number, it is so exciting to get a day where the temp drops below 70 (even if it is only for the evening/early morning hours).  Along with the cooler weather, Halloween preparation makes for more excitement.  Erin's a bit old for traditional trick-or-treating, and Dylan is approaching the "too old" age, too, but we still have fun with it! We took them to shop for costumes yesterday.  Erin's determined to make her own costume this year... she wants to be a nerd and is convinced that the thrift stores will have "nerd-wear" like suspenders, glasses, & pocket protectors.  Dylan opted for a spooky joker character. Very cute! WD & I are even getting in on the action, but we aren't revealing our costumes until the Eastside Halloween Party which Erika & Ray so graciously have offered to host at their house. I can't wait because it is rare to get WD to play dress up :-)

Another fun thingy for us & the kids is getting "boo-ed"! Last night while watching the Amazing Race, the door bell rang wildly... ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong... really fast & quick.  Of course Chewee was up barking & rushing to the door.  WD was like, "Who the hell rings a doorbell like that?!?" Erin opened the door to find a precious little Halloween gift bag on the doorstep.  It had a sign to post in our front window, letting the neighbors know we've been boo-ed, and in the bag was fun little trinkets & candy! Very cute! We get to "boo" two other neighbors within the next couple of days.  I can't wait!  I've gotten the treats together & now need to print out the signs/directions.  I'll leave the running, dropping the treat, & ringing the bells for the kids to do!  Happy Halloween, everyone!

Martha Jane Murray Cutrer (1930-2009)

This weekend was very long. WD's grandmother passed away.  She was known to us as "MawMaw Cutrer". Although we didn't have a deep relationship with Mawmaw (she was Mom Aleta's mother), watching other family members grieve the loss was emotionally draining.  I pray for each of them now... may God grant peace & joy in knowing that one day we will be reunited with Mawmaw in Heaven. I know that this temporary season of grieving will fade away to an eternal hope.

Mawmaw was obviously a caring & compassionate woman... she raised her own children & then even raised a couple of her grandsons, too.  The thing I recall most about her were her yearly Christmas cards.  She would send Dylan & Erin their own card every year which would just thrill them (they loved getting mail addressed specifically to them). I'm thankful for having known her & hope her legacy makes a sustainable impact on her children & grandchildren. You can read her obituary here.

I've Got a Great Life...

     As I look around at the world, I see so many people hurting & struggling in life. It makes me feel guilty when I dare start to complain or become negative about the minute little details in my life that are sooooo obscure & non-essential. Yes, I have bad days (hell, I'd say I've even had bad years), but I am blessed.  To combat whininess/pessimism, I've decided to list the great things about my recent days...

• WD - he's such a hard worker, fantastic "daddy", & most excellent husband. He's handy around the house, intelligent & is very, very tolerate of my shortcomings.
• Erin- she's such a beautifully tender-hearted person who is so responsible & smart (which is difficult to handle sometimes when I do dumb things or am irresponsible :-)
• Dylan - he's definitely one of my life's "joys"... he makes me smile/laugh daily.  Dylan is God's way of reminding me that I am not a perfect parent... I need to rely on him to raise this boy.
• I have some of the greatest friends in the whole world. My scrapping "sisters", the "Eastside" gang, coworkers, and believe it or not, family members who are the best friends a person could have.
• I get to earn an education beyond what I ever thought possible (yeah... graduation in December!).
• I have a job that makes me feel valuable (& I get to earn a paycheck while trying to help people find jobs & prepare to become teachers which in turn will change the world!).
• My home, although it needs a little work here & there, is lovely & comfortable.  I just finished getting the furniture for the scrapbooking/office room.
• My mother-in-law & I were able to hang out together at Corks n Canvas for a fun time together this past week (checkout photos on FB). How did I get so lucky to have such a fabulous mother-in-law?!? 
• I get to enjoy a hobby that will leave a legacy for my children & grandchildren... I love to scrapbook!
• We are going on vacation for 11 days at the end of November... NYC a few days, then onto a cruise ship to cruise down to the Bahamas for a couple of days, then over to Port Canaveral for Thanksgiving in Universal Studios, & then cruising back up to NYC. I get NYC (Broadway show, sightseeing, shopping, exploring new places), cruise ship (entertainment, sleeping/reading while laying back in a deck chair, eating great foods), Bahamas (tropical paradise... what more can I say), & Thanksgiving with kids & WD in a new place...Universal Studios!
• My PT Cruiser is still kicking! I have no car note & although it's not the peppiest or classiest of rides, it has been reliable & affordable (gas & insurance are cheap)!
• I am keeping up with school work, kids' activities, making it to the gym everyday, plus I was able to get to the all day crop with my "girls" & take Erin & her friend to the movie all this weekend!

Guess I better get a shower now (hot water at the tips of my fingers & fabulous smelling body soaps to choose from), pack my work out bag (comfy work out shoes along with multiple options for workout attire), pack my lunch (selections from a full pantry with all the good foods I like), & climb into my bed (king-size with fluffy pillows/comforter) to go nighty-night so that I can start my wonderful life all over again tomorrow!  I'm not bragging.  I'm just grateful... after all, I give thanks to God, because without Him, none of it would be possible!

Ghost

Upon hearing about Patrick Swayze's death, I thought immediately of one of his best movies ever... Ghost!  I made plans to rent the movie as soon as possible.  I stopped by Blockbuster to rent it, only to find that the shelf had a "special" movie box that redirected me to a special section in the store. Blockbuster set up an end cap display of many of Patrick Swayze's movies. I sat totally engrossed watching the whole movie from beginning to end (plus watched the bonus features on the DVD), quoting lines from the movie as they came up like... "Ditto", "Molly, you in danger GIRL", and many of the other lines in the movie that made me laugh out loud (Whoopi played Oda Mae brilliantly!) & tear up with compassion. I loved the movie so much when it came out, I attempted to pull off the short haircut Demi Moore worn as "Molly" in the movie. I just didn't have the features of Demi to wear the short boy cut, but she sure made me want to be her... maybe it was the "love story" that I wanted when I was so very young! Yep, Patrick Swayze playing Sam Wheat was just wonderful... his character was all a girl could want... honest, handsome, passionate, caring, protective, and did I mention handsome?!? If you haven't seen Ghost, you must see it... call me & I'll come watch it with you! If you have seen it, watch it again just for the fun of it!