Thursday Thirteen #8

Thursday, December 27, 2007



Blame this on my being very hungry right now. This is my list of my thirteen favorite candies.

1. Rolos
2. 3 Musketeers
3. Heath Bar
4. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
5. Caramels
6. Fudge Covered Marshmellow Cookies
7. Cherry lollipops
8. Candy Orange Slices
9. Star Mints
10. Butterfingers
11. Crunch Bars
12. Werther's Originals
13. Twizzlers

What candies would make your list?

Wordless Wednesday #8

Wednesday, December 26, 2007



Santa is now his way to his vacation in the Bahamas. He's tired and full, ready for another year before he has to take his journey again next Christmas.

Merry Christmas

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

In this world so much of the holiday is about presents and making sure you buy the best gift for that someone on your list. Sometimes it is good to remember the true meaning of this day - family and celebration. Being among friends and loved ones. Sharing time and joy with them. We didn't exchanged one gift here in my house, but the three of us are together. We'll share a meal and some conversation. We'll share in memories of those loved ones we've lost or we can't be with today because they are far away. So many forget the true meaning of this day. It is good to remember what it is really about. Merry Christmas from my family and I to you and yours.

Jingle Bells!

Sunday, December 23, 2007

When it comes to the holidays, the best thing about them is the music. Christmas music starts playing something in November. I've even heard it played before Thanksgiving! One woman is trying to spread the Christmas joy this holiday season using her talent and getting people to join in with her in singing. Alisa Apps ventured out this holiday season to one of the busiest outdoor malls in Santa Monica trying to get people to sing Jingle Bells with her.

This reminds me of a similar idea last Thanksgiving, but there it was free hugs that became all the rage. Some join in, and some don't. We all know there are some grinches out there. Alisa has now taken her mission to YouTube. What can you not find on that site? She is now challenging the world to join in with her little sing along. Will you join in? I would if I had a video camera! It is the time of year to be jolly, and while it might not totally be Christmas like this house, I have never been able to resist singing Jingle Bells.



Blogging Your Blessings 12/23


Christmas is only a couple of days away now.  It doesn't truly feel like a holiday though. We're not doing very much this Christmas. Money is tight with all the car repair bills the last month. The fact of the matter though, we are together. I have my father still alive and well. He annoys me at times like no other, but he is still my dad and I love him. I have a brother living here that is a pain in the butt, but he is still family and I love him to pieces. I just want to smack him from time to time. I have this adorable cat who loves unconditionally and is the sweetest creature in the world. I have family far away that are never far from my thoughts. I have friends in far reaches of the world that I know love me and are there in an instant if they know I need me. At the end of the day, I am quite blessed.

Thursday Thirteen # 7

Thursday, December 20, 2007



Thirteen Things On My Desk Right Now

1. A bottled water
2. My keys
3. Various remotes
4. My computer
5. A fan
6. My cup of pens
7. Half eaten bag of Cheetos
8. CDs
9. My hairbrush
10. My day planner
11. My cordless phone
12. Books
13. My calculator

What is on your desk?

Wordless Wednesday # 7

Wednesday, December 19, 2007


The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

The picture is not my own, but it is a beautiful of the place I call home. I've been a resident of Arizona for almost fourteen years now, and while it has its heat and sudden powerful storms, it is a beautiful place, and I am glad to call it home. As for happiness, today is a good day and that quote fits in many ways.

Finding Grey

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

I am a lover of music, and all things musical. Give me a good song with some great lyrics, and I'll be in love. Music is just something that calms and settle me. This is how I've been for most of my life. Today I stumbled upon a video and story that caught my eye. Sam Rader is the daughter of Sally Struthers, a face familiar to me from one of my favorite shows growing up, The Archie Bunker Show. Sam is a singer, and one of her songs has a video up on youtube, and people want to find the people and story behind this video. Listening to the song, Sam's voice reminds me of someone, but I'm not able to quite pinpoint who. It's a great song though! Who made the video though? The world may never know.

Manic Monday #3

Monday, December 17, 2007

What is your idea of a perfect romantic evening? A romantic dinner for two with candles under the stars on a balcony or on a rooftop. Might sound cheesy, but sometimes cheesy works.

Imagine you had to take part in the winter Olympics. What sport would you do?: I've always loved figure skating. I couldn't even begin to imagine doing it, but I'd love to try someday.

What's something that people do in traffic that really bothers you? When I see people talking on the phone, it just bugs me. So many people do that, and it causes accidents. That and the ones that put in make-up. Another one that bugs me.



Blogging Your Blessings 12/16

Sunday, December 16, 2007


Good friendships are truly a rare friend. I'm not one that opens up quickly, and sometimes I open up too quickly and get burned by it in the end. People come and go in my life, and sometimes I walk away from people I've been friends with because things change. People change daily. Life is a journey for all of us, and if there is no change in our lives then there is no growth. I'm 31 years old, and no I'm not a perfect person. I am introvert by nature. I like keeping my own company rather than dealing with most people, but in my life I have a few people that I count on a daily basis. A few that I've known for years, while others just entered my life in the past year.

Each and every day I talk to them, and they make me laugh. They piss me off. They make me smile, and they just help me keep focused and centered on what's important in life. If I'm upset, they help me out. They give me advice and they listen to me rant and rave about life and how much it really can suck some of the time. When people get to me, and I don't understand what they have done it is these select few that I know I can turn. Good friendships are truly hard to find, and I think I've been blessed finding a few select people to call friend that I know I can trust.

Friday Feast #1

Friday, December 14, 2007

I stumbled upon this meme last week when I accidently hit one of the auto-links on someone's Friday Feast last week thinking it was a Thursday Thirteen. Sometimes the mind makes you see things! Anyway, it looked like fun, so here we go.

Appetizer
Snowsicle: A piece of snow that is hard enough to be almost ice.

Soup
The Spill Canvas: Appreciation and the Bomb The Spill Canvas - No Really, I'm Fine - Appreciation and the Bomb

Salad
What’s at the top of your Christmas wish list this year?
iPod/Media Player

Main Course
Name a scent that reminds you of someone special in your life.
The smell of any kind of Mexican food always reminds me of my mom. She was the best cook, and she was always maing Mexican food.

Dessert
Howie Mandel. I've never been a fan of any thing he has done. I tuned into Deal or No Deal for a bit after it premiered, and the series just annoyed me to no ends.

Thursday Thirteen #6

Thursday, December 13, 2007



My Thirteen Favorite Bon Jovi songs

Tonight a friend of mine was asking me what my favorite Bon Jovi songs were, so it got me thinking. This is the result of those thoughts. I love Bon Jovi, and all of their songs in some way, but these are just my favorites. Some of these are lesser known tracks I've found over the years.

1. Wanted (Dead or Alive) - Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet - Wanted Dead or Alive
2. Living on a prayer Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet - Livin' on a Prayer
3. Runaway Bon Jovi - Bon Jovi - Runaway
4. Dry County Bon Jovi - Keep the Faith - Dry Country
5. You wanna make a memory Bon Jovi - (You Want To) Make a Memory - Single - (You Want To) Make a Memory
6. Bounce Bon Jovi - Bounce - Bounce
7. Miracle Jon Bon Jovi - Blaze of Glory - Miracle
8. Just Older Bon Jovi - Crush - Just Older
9. Love 4 Sale Bon Jovi - New Jersey - Love for Sale
10. Queen of New Orleans Jon Bon Jovi - Destination Anywhere - Queen of New Orleans
11. These Days Bon Jovi - These Days - These Days
12. It's my life Bon Jovi - One Wild Night: Live 1985-2001 - It's My Life
13. Story of my Life Bon Jovi - Have a Nice Day - Story of My Life


Wordless Wednesday #6

Wednesday, December 12, 2007


Ugly Betty is one of my favorite shows of the moment. It's different, and it is funny. Betty is the type of character that says to believe in who you are. Be who makes you happiest. She isn't a ten, but she's happy, and that's all that really matters to her. It's a great show with a great cast. I had my doubts about it when it premiered, but here we are into season two, and I don't see it stopping.

Want to win music?

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

I've been talking about wanting an MP3 player for weeks now, and today I stumbled across a contest that might give me that very thing. If you sign up to the Trusted Travel eNewsletter between now and the end of December, you will be entered to win an iPod Nano. The best MP3 player there is according to some. Trusted Travel has tours in twenty-one cities, and I've visited some of the ones they have tours in at some point in the past. One of my favorite memories is the trip I took to San Diego with my mom and dad one summer. We hit all the sights one would go to visit in San Diego. The Zoo, Sea World, and the beach. It was a bit cloudy the day we went to the beach, but it was hotter than hell the day we went to Sea World. I ended up with a sunburn on the back of my neck. I was able to touch a dolphin though, and that made my day. I have this huge love for dolphins. Always have. They are just the most amazing creatures, and the chance to see one close enough to touch was like one of my childhood dreams come true. I always think about going back someday, but that just isn't in the cards right now.

Rain coming down

It has been raining here in the Phoenix area on and off since the weekend. It is raining here again tonight. Today I went out for a walk, which I had been unable to do, and I thought it might start to rain on me while I was walking the distance to the store. Just ten minutes, but if it did I would be drenched. It didn't start to rain though. I think the weather is messing with my mood because with it being so gloomy out I've been a bit on the depressed side myself. It might just be the winter blues. We all get them, but I hate them so much.  All you can really do is wait for them to pass, and I'm hoping that happens soon.

Today, they were working on our cable here in the area. We had an outage this morning, and then my cable went out again this afternoon for a few minutes. I'm hoping that the upgrade to the system here in the area fixes the problems we've been having since I signed up for Cox's Internet service a few years ago. Seems to be the time of year for things to go wrong. A couple of sites I use almost completely died this week. This caused panic and mayhem by their users. Both are back up and running now, but we're not sure for how long. I see the Diva's forum is also suffering some issues this week. Hopefully, it is back up and running soon!

Driving Traffic To Your Blog

We all write in our blogs, and we hope that someone out there will read and hopefully identify with the things we write about. I actually like writing in my blog, and I like when people comment either agreeing or disagreeing with me depending on how the feel. A little conversation and sometimes debate is a good thing. The problem we have as bloggers is once we have our blogs up with a content we believe in is getting readers to the blog. There are many ways to do this. The main one being writing good engaging content that will make people want to stick around and read.

There are sites that can help you get traffic to your blogs. Traffic exchanges such as Blog Explosion, memes in which you join in and talk about a topic weekly with others, and other sites such as EntreCard. This is a site I've just started to use in the past week. You post this little widget in your sidebar, and people pay for a spot on your sidebar for that day for a number of credits. This reminds of Blog Explosion's Rent Your Blog service, but I've found more success using EntreCard in the past week, and I've had it help me find new blogs to read that I've never ever heard of before. Whenever I drop a card, I look around and read a little. Some sites I pop in and check on daily to see what's new. I might not always comment, but I do read. Since joining, I've had 157 visitors to my blog, and I've dropped 157 cards. That is a 1:1 ratio, which to me is a good investment of my time.

Another site I've recently discovered is RSS Hugger. This site will give you a free ten year spot for taking a look at their service and reviewing it on your blog. RSS feeds are a way to get your blog content out there to people where they don't have to visit your site.  They still read every single word you write. It just makes it easier for them. With RSS Hugger and their ways of viral marketing, they are hoping to help you get your blog read by others and more RSS subscribers. The more people that subscribe to your feed the more people are reading. I think its a good concept, but it is hard to tell much about whether or not it will work until you put it in action. Maybe in time I'll give you more thoughts on this system!

Manic Monday #2

Sunday, December 09, 2007

For the holidays, are you a last-minute shopper or do you shop well ahead of time?: When I was younger I used to go with my mother, and she was the type to get things done ahead of time. These days, I'm the last minute type. If I do any shopping at all. Christmas gift giving hasn't been high on the list of priorities in recent years. We spend the day together as a family, and that has been good enough for us.

If you had to pick a new first name for yourself, what name would you choose?: For some reason, I have always loved the name Elizabeth. Another name I have always loved is Alexandra.

What's worse, having expectations that are too high, or having no expectations at all?: I think having high expectation is worse because if you expect too much out of people and they don't follow through then you have more of a chance of getting let down in the end. The let down can set you right on your butt and hurt more than if you expect nothing at all and get something good when you don't see it coming.

The No Good Very Bad Week

Saturday, December 08, 2007

This week has truly and by all means not been the best. The car repairs that were supposed to be around 1300 ended up being 2300. Yeah, that just puts a big whole hurt on the savings. We need a running car. We actually need two, but one is imperative. I actually wanted to just sit and cry yesterday. Every little thing was getting to me, and it just made things hard. I like to keep a positive upbeat out look on life, but some weeks make that very hard for me to do. I keep trying though. That's all you can do. Try.

I've had a headache since yesterday, and my back has been killing me again. I hate having a bad back like I do. I wish I had some kind of massage chair in the house, but do you know how much those things cost? At the mall I go to, they have these massage chairs you can put a dollar into and it gives you a three minute massage. Not nearly enough, but it is better than nothing really. One of these days I will have one in my house. Massage Chairs are really kind of neat. I've seen them around for a long time. They even have stores that only just sell massage chairs and other kinds of massagers. Sounds much better than saying vibrator cause when someone uses that word, people usually think of something dirty. Maybe that is just me and my perverted mind coming into play!

Thoughts on The Other Boleyn Girl

I just recently started reading The Other Boleyn Girl, and I'm not even fifty pages in yet, and I already get the distinct impression the book is nothing like the movie that is set to be released in February. I've seen two trailers for the film, and the book just reads differently. When movies are made from the books that I love, I've always found myself liking the book more. Maybe its because I can better picture the story in my own head by reading the words on the page rather than having some image put into my head by some director or screen play writer.

Perhaps it is because I'm a writer and I like to create those images myself. There are some examples where I've enjoyed the book and the movie equally, but it tends to lean more in favor of the book. Over the summer, I read The Time Traveler's Wife, and I know that book is also being made into a movie with a release date of next year. I'm looking forward to seeing how they handle it. I wasn't completely happy with the last hundred or so pages of that book, but maybe the movie will handle them differently. I guess we will have to wait and see what happens when both movies are released. I know I have plans to see both when they come out.

An Interesting Christmas Gift

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Sometimes its good to think out of the norm during this Christmas season. Today I heard about Jacaranda Style, which is a site that sells interesting and beautiful items from African artisians. Look at this platter for instance. It immediately caught my eye, and it would make a great serving dish or a center piece on any table. JacarandaStyle actually has a large number of items that are quite beautiful. If you take a look at the site, you can see the detail and work that goes into the designs. What is even more wonderful about this site is that part of the proceeds earned from sales on the site go to a good cause, the Ethembeni School in South Africa. Because of this, the site has been mentioned in many high profile publications like The New York Times. The products remind me of some of the things my mother used to buy when I was younger. She always used to like the craziest looking things to decorate with. We had a lot of things similar in style to this around our home growing up. Right now, they are offering a 10% off coupon through December 14th. Just use 'Jstyle' at checkout!

Thursday Thirteen #5



My Thirteen Favorite Christmas Songs.

It is that time of year, so here is my thirteen favorite Christmas songs in no particular order. Nowhere will you find that annoying song my one local network plays every single year. I have yet to hear it this year, but I'm knowing that will change eventually! It is inevitable.

1. Frosty the Snowman
2. We Wish You a Merry Christmas
3. Silent Night
4. Rudoloph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
5. Jingle Bells
6. White Christmas
7. Blue Christmas
8. Please Come Home For Christmas
9. Grandma Got Run Over By Reindeer
10. Here Comes Santa Claus
11. The Little Drummer Boy
12. Twelve Days of Christmas
13. Christmas Don't Be Late

What are yours?

Wordless Wednesday #5

Wednesday, December 05, 2007


I love these things.


Exhaustion has hit

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

I've been really tired lately. That's why I've slowed down on the posts here some. I needed a small breather from posting every day, but somehow I still manage to post everyday. It is kind of weird not having the shows that are usually on to watch not on. At least we have a new Grey's Anatomy and Ugly Betty this week. That's something to look forward to.

All I Want For Christmas ...

Monday, December 03, 2007

No, I'm not singing a song! Although that is thought. Christmas time is here, and now that we're actually in December that means it is time to start really shopping and making your own wish lists. There are contests and offers everywhere you look, and many of the online retailers are offering their best deals now. Free shipping. Low shipping. Low prices. I love online retailers, and I constantly shop at some of them. One that I have been wanting to try is Overstock.com. I haven't yet, but I have this feeling I will soon.

Right now, they are running a contest for Christmas called the All I want for Christmas Giveaway. It is great way to pick up a gift and give something to your friends too. I am dreaming of getting an MP3 player this Christmas. No, I'm not going for the iPod. Not a fan of some of the things I've heard about them, but I would love an MP3 player. I'm not so sure on the Video players they have, but I need my music. My brother wants a laptop. My dad wants a DVD player. I know one of my friends who would love a television for Christmas, and another who has a little boy I can get some new toy for.

You know what though? Too bad Overstock doesn't sell cars! You think I'm joking? We really need a second car. The men sharing one is not the least bit convenient. Until Overstock sells cars though I'd be happy with a few things under my tree this year. I don't ask for much!

Manic Monday #1

Yes, another meme. I'm starting to find that they are a great way of meeting other bloggers and learning about them. This one seemed cute, so I'm giving it a shot. Each Monday, they post three questions, and then we're supposed to write the answers to them on our blogs. Seems easy enough right? These are the questions for this Monday.

What's the longest you've ever waited in line?: I'm thinking four hours. The time we waited to meet then President Clinton was at least that long that Black Friday many years ago.

It's been said that, "The best things in life are free." Do you think this is true? Why or why not?:  I think its true because love is free, and that is one of the best things in the world. If you're paying for love, then you have some kind of problem!

If you could go back in time and re-live one day in your life, which day would you choose and why?: I'd go back to a day my mom was still alive, and spend every moment of that day with her.

Blogging Your Blessings 12/2

Sunday, December 02, 2007


Here it is another month. December is upon us, and soon it'll be the start of a new year. The last few weeks have been kind of really hectic. I'm getting more busy with my writing, but I'm still not writing what I want to be writing completely. I want to write fiction. I love telling stories. I have my writing on here and for various sites, and I also have some roleplay writing that I enjoy as well. It isn't completely fiction though. I'm blessed though because I am able to write. I can share my talent with others, and they enjoy it. I know I need to make some changes in my life when it comes to my fiction. I need to actually buckle down and do something. I always say I'm going to, but then I never do. That is common problem a lot of people face. The muses are fickle, but they are there. They are just really quiet.

This time of year, it is the time when people try to make plans for next year. New Year's resolutions are always popular, but they are hardly ever followed through on. I need to try to make a resolution in regards to my writing this year, and I need to actually stick to it. My personal life is always one to throw a monkey wrench into things. The car payment for repairs is way higher than the original estimate, but we still need to pay it. We need our car back! Both men in the house are sick, and I'm just waiting for me to catch whatever germs they have and come down with a cold. When it comes right down to it though we are blessed just to be alive. That is a blessing all on its very own.

 
 
 
 
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