Spell it with me now, F-R-I-D-A-Y!

So, I'm back and it's Friday. Better yet, it's Friday night. What does this mean to me? Well, let me first tell you what it used to mean. It used to mean that I would be getting dolled up and prettied, sliding into clothes that were waaay too small, so I could head out for a night on the town. It meant stopping by the liquor store to pick up a bottle of wine (or worse, in my college days) so I could get sufficiently buzzed before I hung out with my hubby (or my girls, in my college days). Now, it means that I clean the house, settle down with my hubby and our little girl and have a blast. We laugh, we play, we chat, we have a freakin' fantastic time! Now, if my 21 year old self peeked into her future, I doubt she'd say we were having a blast, but I guess it's a good thing I grew up before I was thrust into such a lifestyle. I love my life. My cup runs over daily, nightly, hourly, and every minute and second that passes.

It's amazing how much your perspective changes over the course of your life. I can only imagine how many more times my mind will change over the next chapter in my life. If I am so blessed to have another 30 years on earth (I'm rooting for 50), I wonder how I'll think when my daughter and other (future) children come to me with some crazy song, or way of life and needs my input on it. That's the cool thing about blogging. I haven't been doing it long, but I can imagine at some point, maybe a year from now even, I'll look back and admire myself in some posts and cringe in others. Then of course, I'll delete those, or then again maybe I won't. It's me, truthfully, so why not leave it on the page as evident of growth?

There's a gospel song that goes like this:
When I look back over my life,
And I think things over,
I can truly say that I've been changed,
I've got a testimony.

Right now, these lyrics envelope my way of thinking. It's amazing how 30 years can bring about such a change. It's amazing how becoming a mother can grow you up. It certainly makes you pray harder. I can't tell you how thoroughly grateful I am that I grew up. Now, don't get me wrong, I still need my mommy. I call her all the time needing advice, a shoulder to cry on, and just for plain old companionship. She can still tell me what to do (well, kind of...) and she knows how to shut me up when I'm being sassy. What I mean is that my priorities in life have shifted.

My younger sister (who's 27) said recently that I act like an old woman. That I act like I'm 60. She might be right, but the point is that I have no desire to 'act' any other way. I like who I've become. I've been in and out of the club scene since I left home for college when I was 17. I had a fake ID (from my older sis) and was out pretending I was 30 (ha!).

So according to her, I am supposed to live like I'm 17. I guess that means I'm lucky that 30 has now become the new 17 . Or is 30 the new 25, I forget ;) Whatever. 30 is good enough for me.

Random Happenings

It's been a while, yes I know. I'm a terrible blogger. But! I aspire to be a great one! Starting today! Um, tomorrow...

It's Friday again. This week was fairly typical at work. Life at home has been great.

Valentine's day was pretty cool I must say. The hubby and I usually go out and have dinner and maybe a movie, but this year we decided to include our little girl. We went to Chuck E Cheese for pizza and fun. We had a fantastic time.

My husband had two job offers this week for a teaching position. He just finished his Master's Degree in Elem. Ed/Curriculum & Instruction and now he's finishing out the semester teaching 5th grade. How cool is that? I might try to slip my middle grade novel into the curriculum. Wouldn't that be a cool extra credit project? Believe me, little girls think my book is the bomb. Little boys, not so much.

So, we filed our taxes this week. Hallelujah! In 10-15 days you might find me at Macys. Scratch that, I might take a much needed vacay. My mom tried to convince me to pack my bags and hit the road with them to the Bahamas. My lil' sis and mom are riding a charter bus to Port Canaveral and then cruisin' to Freeport. I'd love to go, but I don't think I can stand to leave my daughter for a whole entire week!! OMG! I'd die. The longest I've left her was a day and that was for a work trip. I would feel totally guilty leaving her behind to frolic at the beach.

Now, next year, when she's two and talking more, maybe...I can picture me and Dex at the beach under the Carribean sun. Or maybe Maui. I dunno. We'll see. We just got back from Italy and in July we're going to Edmonton, Canada. Of course, Edmonton isn't a vacay destination, but it'll be a relaxing, company paid trip. We'll make the most of it.

I've got some great news coming, but I won't share it just yet. We'll see how things play out first.

Ta Ta for now! It's Friday night, and I just got paid!!

Affect the World

If I had to choose one lyric that enveloped how I feel about the world it's this.

"Gonna make a change, for once in my life.
Gonna feel real good, gonna make a difference.
Gonna make it right.
As I turn up the collar on, my favorite winter coat,
the wind is blowin' my mind.
I see the kids in the street, without enough to eat.
Who am I, to be blind, pretending not to see their need...

I'm startin' with the man in the mirror.
I'm askin' him (her) to change his ways.
No message coulda been any clearer,
If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make the CHANGE."

Do you know this song?

If not, you're too young to be reading this blog! Go to bed! (just jokes, my friend).

Pics for fun

My husband Dexter playing at a Jazz Lounge in DC on January 19th, 2009. There was a musicians jam session that we happened upon. He was geeked!

Me, my husband and my younger sister in DC this January for the inauguration.

Me and Dex in line for our inauguration tickets. It took us four hours to pick them up. The line was wrapped all the way around the federal office bldg. Whew!

This one was of my husband in December when he graduated with his Master's in Curriculum and Instruction with Licensure in Elem. Ed. Go Dex!! Supastar!

Me and Naiah-bean at the graduation. Right after this, she threw up a gallon of oatmeal all over me. The organic milk that we had bought for her was spoiled (even though it wasn't expired!) and made her sick. After she threw up in front of the entire graduating class and their guests, she was back to normal. Mommy, however, wasn't too happy.

Can you tell I love pics?

All work and no play makes me a dull chick

Today is Monday and have I ever mentioned how much I abhor Mondays?

I live for the weekends. Fridays are the best. Why? Because on Friday, at 5:01 pm, it's the farthest away from work that I can get. And not to mention that Saturday still hasn't come yet (which is actually the best day of the week) so there's no danger of it disappearing too fast. Then Sunday comes and although I enjoy church, it's bittersweet. Why? Because Monday is looming.

So now that Monday is nearly over. What say you Tuesday? Will you be as monotonous and uninspiring as your former day of the week? Will you??

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, I might be just a tad bored. Just a tad.

So, right now at work I've got a deadline approaching. I have an abstract due for a meeting presentation that I am doing in July. The abstract will contain results from research I've done over the last 6 months. I am not very excited about it because I wasn't able to add more to it like I wanted to. My instrument was down (not USA made) and it set me back getting the results I wanted. The abstract will suffice (and add nicely to my list of chemistry pubs) but it's not the five star level I desired.

My job can be slightly stressful at times. Of course, we get paid well for the stress, but it can be extremely difficult working in a field such as mine. You always have to be on your toes and your mind is always stretched to the limits. The bottom line is the almighty dollar and not "science for science sake". Science is ever-evolving and therefore, we must be able to adapt. I cherish my experiences in my field, but I must admit there are times when I wish I were a secretary. No offense to any secretaries or admin. assts. out there, but sometimes I secretly wish for a day job where I can just sit and file and answer phones and plan meetings for other people. Whoa is me, right? Yeah, right.

I am thoroughly blessed, this I know. But would I be human if I didn't at least consider the grass on the other side? Is it possible that even if it's not greener, than it smells nicer?