Friends & Family

Anything and everything that has to do with my family.. immediate family (furry felines), my Utah Family, and my Friends who are like family.

Procrastination At Its Best.

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Procrastination:  refers to the act of replacing high-priority actions with tasks of low-priority, and thus putting off important tasks to a later time.

The excuses begin valiantly with some exercise.  I just got back from a run with C-Licious.  It’s a gorgeous 75 degree day with a slight breeze.  I should be lounging by a pool in my new polka-dot string bikini, but alas I am not.  I’m still building demo scripts….. and not feeling that compelled to jump back into it.

So, today is your lucky day.. I feel like writing about a few things..

Harold and his desire for a 25-year-old.  Watching Harold make an ass of himself on Millionaire Matchmaker has stuck with me. Maybe it’s because I’m not 25, or maybe because its one of the stupidest things I’ve heard lately.  I’ve seen two things about older men dating younger women in the last two days:

  1. AskMen.com has something to say about it too.  Article is a fun read, clarifies the point that a relationship between an older man and younger woman is probably not ideal.   Obviously Harold missed it.  Someone should alert him that it is NOT actually easier to date a younger woman.  
  2. A rerun on MTV, a show I’ve never seen, part of a series of True Life – I’m Dating Someone Older.  Check out Amber and Bobby.  She’s 25, he’s 47…   He is busy working, she is immature and needy…  sounds/looks like a great situation all around.  It bounces in and out between two couples, but focus on this couple.  Better yet, someone send the link to Harold.  Doesn’t seem easier to me at all…

Secondly, a few weeks ago a  local dating service called and offered me a complimentary membership – they said that I was an ideal match for many of their paying members.  I went to their office and discussed the opportunity… and this week I just signed all the contracts and finished my profile.  So, apparently there are men out there that have PAID a service to find someone who is older, career-focused, fun, and fabulous (not to mention attractive and sexy!!).   It’s an old-school dating service – meaning it’s not online, they are about knowing their clientele.   So, they will present me with a few candidates, I get to pick the one I want to go out with …. Yes, I get to pick.  I cannot wait to see who they present me with, I’m pretty excited about it.  My profile is pretty specific…   Maybe, just maybe I will find that tall, handsome, successful, confident, compassionate, well-to-do man I’ve been looking for.

Thirdly, Girls night was last night.  What a great group of classy ladies.  We had so much fun…  I love these ladies, all successful, gorgeous, and fun.  We had drinks and dinner at a great Restaurant (food is fabulous, service is not good, I’ll be letting them know via Yelp), then walked up the street to this new bar/restaurant that was Fabulous!  One of the gals I was with knew the owner… and  just like that we were in. 

Lastly, I had an early morning this morning.  HulaHoops came over this morning, we played a bit of ping-pong in my woman-cave (otherwise known as the garage), then had berry-mango shakes to cool us down…  I drove her to school, where she ran off to the Fun House. Today is water day… she gets to play with water all day (she said  her favorite was buckets… I guess you get to pour a bucket of water over your head…. I wanted to stay with her ….. but alas, I was responsible and came home to work..

And this day is not over… I’ve got a date tonight….  which I will begin to get ready for in about 2 hours.  It’s so warm out, I will wear a dress and some sexy shoes… knock his socks off..  😉

O.k. Now I really have to get back to work….   Thanks for reading!

What a GREAT Weekend.

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So you would think that after my Friday travel day disaster that my weekend would be wrecked…. not so.  I had a fabulous weekend.

I usually do not plan anything on the weekends that are directly after my work travel trips, largely because I do not know what I’m going to need to do (work, run errands, etc..).  This weekend, everything I did was impromptu, and it was fabulous.

On Friday, as most of you know,  I missed my flight home and spent the day in Atlanta and Milwaukee.  I did not get home until 1am on Saturday.  The entire day at the airports sucked, big time. It definitely ranks up there as one of the worst travel days ever.  I was so hung over …. could not get comfortable, and when I finally found a place to sleep, didn’t feel safe enough to actually fall asleep. I was absolutely exhausted when I got home…

My girlfriend FreeBird stayed at my house and watched the little ladies (cats).  She obviously took great care of them because they were indifferent to my return.  I love FreeBird.  When I woke up on Saturday, she and I hung out, caught up, and enjoyed a bit of time together.  Then just like FreeBird, she was off to enjoy the weekend with friends and family.

On Saturday,  I cleaned up my room and organized my closet.  FreeBird has helped me update my wardrobe… and I couldn’t be more pleased. FreeBird is so put together, so stylish… so cool.  She has now made me look fabulous and cool… She has totally set me up to meet the higher caliber men I want to meet (and feel super confident that I look awesome when I’m out!!!). 

Saturday night, GFP came over, I fed him some of my chicken parmesan, we watched a few episodes of Curb Your
Enthusiasm after smoking a bowl…  It was so mellow and fun.

On Sunday, I had lunch with a very good friend of mine and her son, My favorite 4-year-old in CA EVER!  Her name is Spicy, and her little man’s name is Little Flirt. He is just darling, and loves his Paula!  Spicy is giving birth to a daughter in a week, a week!!  She is the coolest chick ever…  I can’t wait to see her again, Little Flirt, and the new little lady!

After lunch, I ran a few errands and went to visit C-Licious.  I haven’t seen her in 2 weeks AND she and her dog are sick. I stopped by to see if I could help and to offer my help with Zeke, Black Magic/Sausage….  he loves me .. I love him. We had a great get-together, caught up on the goings-on over the last couple of weeks.  Oh, and she turned on the BBQ and cooked two packages of chicken mango sausages for me (its one of my addictions, but she supports it).  Gotta love a gal who can operate a BBQ.

Now I’m home, blogging about my great weekend, deciding if I should take the time to fill out a “complimentary membership” to a local, “exclusive”, dating service…  Apparently there are men in the area that are looking for a woman just like me – Fun and Fabulous (older, no kids, with a career, and still attractive).  I’ll keep you updated on this activity…

Lazy Days Of Summer.

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Zoey Napping

Sophie In Her Catstand

I love the summertime. I love the weather, I love the clothing, I love going out, staying out with friends. 

Today was an extra warm day for those of us in California.  Certainly not “hot” by South and East Coast standards, but hot for those of us whose blood has thinned because we don’t experience extreme temperature differences here near the coast in beautiful CA.

Anyway, the cats have been lying around all day… lethargic.  Here are a few pictures I snapped of them living it up here in Sunny CA!  And even though I’m being just as lazy, I did not take a pic of me…

Random Great Day – Run, Hula, and Roku.

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What a day.. .I did everything I wanted to.  I worked a few hours…  but after all the focus and dedication to the demo, it was nice to concentrate on something that doesn’t require so much brain power.

After working this morning, I went for a run. The weather here in Northern California was amazing – sunny, warm, with a slight breeze.  I went to the Bay and did my 40 minute run alongside the water.. combined it with a bit of cross-training (push-ups and triceps lists)…  I could have gone longer, but it was good to not over exert myself in the heat ….. it was a perfect day  and the perfect amount of exercise (and I’ve got it all on my FitBit).  I’ll write later on how much I love my FitBit. Obsessed with it really. I wear it everywhere, even to cocktail hour

Second, my Roku came and I set it up ALL BY MYSELF!  I am in loooooooooooooovvveeee with this new toy.  It allows me to stream movies and TV shows from Netflix..  I’ve already got 30 movies/shows in my “Instant Queue”.. I’m so excited.  I no longer have to wait for my DVD’s.. So, not only can I watch movies/shows from the comfort of my living room, I can watch from the road on my laptop and potentially my cell phone.  God… I’m never going to be “out of the know” on recent shows.

Lastly, I had some hula-hooping fun with my friend’s daughter, Hooping Queen.  We hula-hooped for an hour, then went to dinner..our favorite place with lots of beans (we are both bean girls).  She is such a cutie pie (turns 7 next week!!!).  She taught me a few things, like how to hula hoop from my neck (yes, it definitely hurts). I taught her a thing or two, one being the Cowboy Lasso…  fabulous time.  We made plans for a sleep-over.. should happen sometime this summer.

Honestly, its days like this that make me appreciate my job and what I do…   Every now and again I get one of these “free days”…  and I do not waste a single second of it.  I do the things that are important to me, that recalibrate me..  God I’m so lucky.

So, off to bed I go, with a smile on my face and as happy as can be…  Yay me!

Much Better.

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Today was a fabulous day…  I picked up my Grey Goose, returned a skirt to Banana Republic without a hassle, and then went to my favorite restaurant and had a salad and glass of wine…  I took my book with me, so I really took my time, enjoyed my lunch, my drink, the sunshine.  It was a slow time in town, it was 3pm ish..  It was nice to soak up the sunshine and a great meal during a relatively calm time during the day.

The bonus is that a girlfriend, Feisty Filly joined me for a quick bite and drink!  Totally unexpected, it just worked out, but we caught up and it was just the thing I needed…  a friend.  She of course told me I looked fabulous (and much younger than my age)…  and that Mr. Meat Market Texter is crazy stupid).  Here here sister!!!  🙂

So, I’m almost done with my pity party.  I get it, life sometimes is a box or rocks…  I’ve opened the box, I don’t like what I see, I’ve now closed the box…  and tomorrow, the box is off to its new home at the Goodwill. 

I have a great weekend planned… I will be hanging with  my fabulous friends and am scheduled to drink just a tiny bit too much on Sunday (Customer Appreciation party at my favorite restaurant…. gotta go!!!)..

Lastly, I didn’t get much work done, which means I have to get up very early tomorrow to get it done.  It’s a small price to pay for the time spent today re-energizing my mind, body, and soul.

Salt Free Beans For a Year.

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So, I’m sure your question is, what  is this single, foot loose and fancy free woman writing about … salt free beans? What IS there to say about salt free beans????

Everything I tell you.  I had a date tonight. Date #2 with a guy…(I don’t think he is going to be around enough to give him a nickname)  my first date with him was last week, tonight was the second.  He is cute enough… charming enough.. interesting enough.  He is totally into me (which is flattering).  He took me to what I consider the nicest place in the town – great food, great atmosphere, and it is not cheap.    He didn’t dress up (I did, and I looked hot!!).  All in all, it was a nice evening, certainly nothing to complain about.

 But I have to say, I would take this evening and gladly trade it in for a year of salt-free bean dinners/evenings with my My Mr. Big.  We would find recipes to experiment with ….  enjoy each others company, talk, laugh.. have great sex.  All things I miss dearly.  I know that I’ve got to stop comparing potential candidates with the love of my past.  Tonight I finally realized that I’m actively seeking someone to replace him… and nothing/nobody can do that. He was something special – we had something that just worked.  

I get it – the goal is to find someone new….someone that is available,  that is interested in spending time with me, AND that I’m interested in spending time with.   I’ve not been able to do that yet…..  Anyone have advice on how to do this?

So with that, I will bid you good night…   and will write my next entry about the live bird the cats brought in 5 minutes before my date showed up….

I’m Back.

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So, I arrived back in CA a week ago with a virus…  I was sick, down and out until Friday.   Thank god I started feeling better, I had a lot of stuff I wanted to accomplish…   I didn’t get most of them done, but hey, I had a great weekend!  The one thing that I crossed off my to-do list was organizing my office – I picked up, assembled, and organized my new bookcase.  Check it out, isnt she gorgeous?  Unpacked a few boxes and sold a few unneeded pieces of furniture on craigslist. 

I also had 2 dates this weekend, both were attractive and interesting, I’m definitely going out with both of them again.  I don’t know how it happened, it just did.  Just residual/leftovers from the dating website (which I suspended a few weeks ago).   Spontaneity at its best I tell ya.

On top of it all (I know, busy busy!!)  I had dinner with my friend Feisty Filly and her hubby Money.  I love these two – so much fun every single time.   The other was a spontaneous evening out – my new man girlfriend (from my roster)..  the clouds disappeared, he called, we went to Half Moon Bay to have Bloody Mary’s and walk the beach.  It was awesome.

But alas, the 3 day weekend has come to a close and its back to work for me.  I have a big work week ahead of me…. BUT I have so much to share… like last night, after dinner with Feisty, I was driving home, and about a block away from my home I see a cat bolt across the street.  I could tell by the body shape (my little shiny sausage) and walk that it was my Sophie!  A block away, darting in front of a moving car.  I stop the car immediately, open the driver’s side door and call out to her… and she came sauntering to the car.. hopped right in.. and I drove her home!  She is so damn funny – it was like calling in a teenager (except she listens).  I wished I had recorded it, it’s a classic “Sophie is really the boss” moment.

O.k. I’ll share more…  try to do a story a night .. and I’ll post when I’m flying to/from my prospect meeting (yes, airlines now have wi-fi!!).

Winding Down The Family Weekend.

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Here I sit, in my bed, ready for sleep, thinking about my weekend…  here it is, in a nutshell.

Today, Sunday was a great day.  I went with my mom to our favorite thrift store and found my favorite pants in my size.  So I lost weight last year, and my girlfriend FreeBird told me I had to get rid of them…  I gave them to my mom this weekend. She loves them.  I was sad to part with them, but happy that they fit my mom and she loves them.  So, we go to the thrift store, and what do I find…. the EXACT SAME PAIR of jeans IN MY SIZE.  Honestly, I have done some very good deeds to deserve something like this to happen to me.   Oh, and they cost $8.  I know! Awesome.

This afternoon was my great-niece Mayonaise’s 4th birthday party.  She officially turns 4 next weekend, but we celebrated it this weekend.  I’ve attached a picture of her here – how adorable is she?!?!?!   She received the usual – shoes and sidewalk chalk from great grandma, clothes from grandma, coloring books from mom and dad, these bracelets from her cousin, and of course you can guess what I got for her – hula hoops!!  Yep, we went outside and I showed her the ways of the hula… she was adorable moving her round little belly around trying to keep the hoop up.  Just adorable.

Yesterday, Saturday, I spent the morning with my mom, lunch with mom and dad, a long nap, then dinner and drinks with AbFab and her hubby.  We ate at Red  Lobster.. I had Maine lobster with 2 glasses of wine… Fantastic company, great food, superior service.  The only bummer is that the evening ended too soon. 😦

And on Friday I worked all day, then had a fabulous dinner with my realtor.  Learned that 47% of all Utah properties on the market are distressed…   which means that I won’t be selling my condo anytime soon.

All in all, I was able to relax a bit, spend quality time with family and friends, and still manage to get my work done.  How great is that?

No Results Yet.

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My mom still doesn’t know whats wrong with her.. Except that she is exhausted all the time, the sharp pain in her arm, shoulder, then head is very painful, and she is learning to like pain meds (I told her it would happen!!)… 

Doctor was out of the office, only works part time. And apparently Friday is a day off for him. Great.  A doctor on semi-retirment. I support it UNTIL it effects me.  My mom suggested it might be time for a new doctor…  yeahhh, I think so!!.  One that works full time and realizes that people are actually anxious about test results… and waiting for 3 DAYS (thru a long weekend) to find out the results is UNEXCEPTABLE.  Gees.  My mom said its a “bit frustrating”….   You think so? I’m pissed!!! My mom is so patient…

So, Monday is the earliest we will find out what is “wrong”.  What I do know is that my mom is tired… she doesn’t know whats wrong, Is ready to chalk it up to a pinched nerve…..   I want to know and I want to know right now. Knowing whats wrong means that we can fix it.. make my mom all better.  Get her back to “good as new”….  

I’m just frustrated with the lack of information and the lack of urgency on the doctor (and their offices) part …   Seems so callous, so uncaring, so removed…  bugs me.

Date With My Utah Realtor.

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I’m in Utah now.. a different world.  Completely different world.  Its so interesting to me – that 2 hours flight from my home in the beautiful Bay Area brings me to a world that I  barely know/relate to.

Tonight I went out with my realtor.  He’s a 70+ year-old man… I’ve known him since 2003 when I purchased my first rental property from him.  I’ve bought and sold a half dozen properties thru him. We are friends, and I see him every time I come into town. We are the same in the sense that we support our family members…  He has daughters/nieces/nephews that he cares tremendously for…. I have the same.  We compare war stories… we laugh about our “single” lives, make fun of our married friends, the provo/Utah Valley “bubble”… you know, we connect. 

Tonight we met for dinner. 8 years of friendship.. life changes, life tragedies (divorces, death of his mother, etc), acceptance, new friends.. etc..  the full cycle.  I assumed it would be the same as it always was.  Nope. Not tonight.  We didn’t have the same ‘”as it always was night”…  For whatever reason, he couldn’t even look at me. He said I was too pretty.  He kept looking away. He asked if I lost weight….  He couldn’t pin-point it.. but something was different for him.  We got thru the night and enjoyed each other, but it was awkward at times.

I have not lost an ounce  since I saw him last… done nothing different… I showed up tonight in a casual dress with a sweater, casual makeup, big smile, and happy to see him attitude.  The only difference between tonight and 6 months ago – me being more comfortable in my skin.  Thats right, no weight loss, no dramatic changes…  just me. Me at 40.  I’m different, I’m better.  Yes older, but so consciously happy and comfortable with where I am.  I know, I have no man, no prospects of a man (society must be ready to hang themselves). But I have great friends, a job I love, and in general, a very good life. 

So the picture I’ve added is of us.. without our faces.  He always wears the same outfit – jeans, long sleeve shirt, and a lizard/gator vest.   Cracks me up – I dont think I’ve ever met up with him and he didn’t have it on….  He never leaves home without it.  This, I know, will never change — The Vest.  Here it is, in all its glory.