Sunday Confessions

I confess that I didn't go to Church today because the kids have been absolutely awful lately.  The thought of taking them in public gives me anxiety. They tend to scream any time someone hugs us, and in light of what has been going on in our lives lately, hugs were anticipated. 

I confess that I have lost 8.5 pounds!! Yay! I still have quite a ways to go, though...

I confess that I'm super spoiled in regards to my sleeping habits; I have a sleep number bed with a memory foam mattress topper.  Let me tell ya, it's heavenly!

I confess that I have been very anti-social lately and I apologize for that. I'm trying to get back into the groove of things, but it's proving to be rather difficult.  

Awkward and Awesome Thursday

AWKWARD
Prepare yourself for some creeper pics...

What is up with her shirt? Did she randomly sew two shirts together?!

Those are some massive gauges! I think I could have fit my hand through them (not that I would want to test that).  Side note: these always remind me of my mom's stories from when she lived in Africa--she said that the locals would put sticks through their ears to gauge their ears. haha

Please ignore the girl leaning against the pole...the point of this picture is to show the random girl wearing fleece Thumper pants to a baseball game. WTF? Who does that? I don't even know if those are appropriate for the bedroom, let alone public...

This guy was leaving little to the imagination. Also, please note how none of them are paying attention to the game.

AWESOME

This tattoo. I want it! Not on my finger, though. 

Diamondbacks game!

My beautiful "thinking of you" flowers. Definitely what I needed to lift my spirits this week!

P.S. Y'all are awesome! I got so many sweet emails from you guys this week. I appreciate each and every one of you!  

September Blog Hop, Part Two

Update: Thank you all for your kind words last week! Unfortunately, my grandma passed away Friday evening. It's comforting to know that she is no longer suffering. 

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My grandma's funeral is today, so I don't have time to write a post (nor do I feel like it). Instead, I'd like you to go visit these lovely ladies:

If you're interested in swapping buttons for the month of October, please contact me! 

I Believe In...

No Awkward & Awesome Thursday this week--I know you're thoroughly depressed.   My grandma has been doing really bad this week (they aren't sure if she'll pull through), so I don't have it in me to be try to be funny today.  Instead, I'm linking up with Erin for I Believe In...
I believe in...working your butt off in hopes that, someday, it will pay off.
I believe in...life without facebook, twitter, pinterest, or instagram. 
I believe in...long distance relationships.

I believe in...being a creeper taking pictures of complete strangers.

(Speaking of, I have some good ones for you next week)

I believe in...my ability to do anything I set my mind to.

I believe in...the friendships I have made through blogging.

I believe in...the unceasing love of a family.

I believe in...retail therapy.

I believe in...spoiling myself. Someone's gotta do it, right?

I believe in...education.  Even if I have to sell my firstborn child to afford it.

I believe in...big bows. Little girls should never leave the house without a bow in their hair.

I believe in...long hair.

I believe in...bobby pins, sock buns, and spin pins. 

I believe in...setting my cruise control at 4 mph over the speed limit. 

I do not believe in my ability to get out of the ensuing speeding ticket.

 I believe in...disposable plates and silverware.  Screw washing dishes. 

I believe in...myself.

I believe in...mascara.  Seriously, I don't know a blonde who doesn't!

I believe in...the power of heels...even if they are painful.

I believe in...laughing until you cry. 

I believe in...memories.  I will cherish the times I had with my grandma, and I believe that when she passes, she will know that she was loved.  I will never forget her (always) red lips, her heels and handbags, her love of jewelry, her spunky attitude, or her willpower.  I love it when people tell me I'm just like her--it's quite a compliment!

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September Blog Hop, Part One

While I'm enjoying my time in Phoenix, you should go check out these lovely ladies:

 I've turned the comments off so that you can go leave them some love!  

Awkward and Awesome Thursday

AWKWARD
Have you ever noticed that men shake hands when walking into a gym?  I guess it's kind of like how karate people bow to each other before a match...? "Hey buddy, I really don't like you and I can TOTALLY bench more than you, but I'm going to act like I respect you and shake your hand."  I think us girls should establish something cool like that...maybe we should flip our hair at each other when we walk into a gym!
On that note, why do people grunt when lifting weights? You'd think you were listening to a tennis match!  It doesn't impress me--if anything, it does quite the opposite.  
Knowing that I have student loans I could/should be paying on, but not knowing who to contact. You'd think they would have already been in contact with me to get their money! 
Strapless bras. Does anyone else have issues getting those suckers to stay up?

AWESOME
Getting away for the weekend. A LONG weekend. I'm heading to Phoenix tonight and won't be back until Monday!  
Spray tans.  I love having a tan without damaging my skin. The price tag isn't pretty, though...
Being able to help make dreams come true. Someone told me I was like God the other day. I told her that was a very unfair comparison, but she said that her reasoning behind the statement was that only two people held her fate--God and me.  It was kind of a culture shock for me to realize that I do have the ability to make or break dreams. 
Space heaters.  They provide me with the ability to make my office nice and toasty while the rest of the office is freezing.  Everyone gripes when they walk into my office, but I love it!

We Will Never Forget

Here I am, on a Saturday night, watching documentaries about 9/11.  No matter how many times I watch them (every year), I always see something new and it never ceases to make me sick to my stomach.  This particular documentary is about the actual airplanes and the people inside of them.  This aspect hits incredibly close to home, because I travel so much. I cannot even imagine how the people on those flights felt and what they were thinking. I don't know whether I'd be hysterical or numb and speechless. 
I will never forget what I was doing on 9/11.  I was in school and they turned all of the televisions on so we could watch the news, we watched as the second plane crashed into the towers, and as both towers collapsed. All of us were in a state of shock when they said it was an apparent terrorist attack. Then to find out that there was a third plane that crashed into the Pentagon, and a fourth that was headed to the Capitol, but was crashed into a field instead.
Who could do such a thing?  Why would someone do such a thing?   How could someone have so much hate for our country?
At that point in my life, I was still naive--I don't think I fully understood the implication of what was happening.  Other than the Murrah Building bombing, I had never experienced a hate crime of this nature.  So many INNOCENT people were hurt and murdered. So many families were broken. Yet, other countries were cheering and celebrating.  These events changed America forever. It still leaves me speechless to this day. 
On my last trip to NYC, they were still building the Twin Towers Memorial so I wasn't able to see it; however, I did go to a Twin Towers Memorial Museum that had pictures and mementos from that day.  

We will never forget the events of 9/11 and I don't think that gut-wrenching feeling will ever go away.  Today, my thoughts are with the families that were forever impacted by the events of 9/11.