Four...

Four years of high school all came rushing back to me as I sat back quietly watching the other members of the class of 2000 during our visit to the park today. We had a great bbq lunch while the boys tossed washers, the girls sat around gabbing, and the kids ran around playing. About a third of the group that showed up brought kids. It was quite interesting to see how the kiddos are shaping up to be just like their parents, sometimes a good thing, sometimes not. A few awards were handed out, like most marriages, most kids, furthest traveling distance, and most unchanged (which went to my best friend by the way).

After a big group picture, everyone began to slowly disperse to rest up for the fun night planned at the karaoke bar. I took a little time to get ready; after all I don’t go out very often. I have to say that this was my favorite event. Everyone was having a great time, sharing memories, laughing, and talking about the future. It was kind of funny having drinks with these people, seeing as the last time we were together, it was illegal for us to do so. Most of the group only graced the dance floor to do the electric slide and only one person got up to sing, but we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless with just sharing our stories.

By the end of the night, we all felt reunited. While most of us still keep in touch through Facebook, it was nice to all be together again at the same time in the same place. As Justin and I headed back home, I felt grateful that I was able to break away from the times that once held me back, and look ahead to the success that I have found.

I now realize that success is the best form of payback…

Three...

Three events over the course of two days made up the Class of 2000 Reunion. The reunion was a lot of fun, but at the same time made me realize that I am so grateful for my life and what I have made of it. Most everyone there had been successful in some way with a career, children, and/or a spouse. It’s amazing to see how no one has really changed in ten years, but everyone has matured. Naturally, the events progressed as no time had passed with everyone flocking to their high school cliques.

The first event was a gathering last night at the Homecoming football game. It was fun cheering for the home team, resulting in a win for us. I spent the time catching up with my best girl friends in school. My very favorite part of the evening was spending time with such special friends. After the game, we had a bonfire with smores at the home of the married high school sweethearts. It was great fun to visit with more friends and catch up on what everyone was doing.

That evening I came to several conclusions: the jocks were still throwing the football around, the smart guys were talking about their intellectual jobs, the less ambitious ones were talking about their jail-time, the stuck-up girl was still acting rudely, the sweet girls were still sweet, the kids that partied all the time were still partying, the quiet kids were still quiet, the loud ones were still loud, and everyone that was married, married someone that complemented their personality.

It’s funny how no matter how much older I am, more confident I am, or successful I am, when put back in that atmosphere, my insecurities come flooding back to me. I felt out of place often in school, always feeling like the kid on the outside of the circle. I fit in right where I am in my life now, and I’m very happy, so none of that stuff even matters to me anymore.

To Be Continued…

Two...

Two months ago, I was completely clueless and unsure of what was in my future. My faith told me everything would be okay, but my human emotions told me I might never find success. Every time I have set a goal for myself, God has led me to the finish line. The thing about this race is that it only ends when we have come to the end of our life. So, I keep making goals for myself and simply start a new race as soon as the previous one ends.

The first goal I remember setting for myself outside of high school activities was a college education. It took me 9 years, a lot of ups and downs, many sleepless nights, and naturally a lot of perseverance. God was definitely by my side guiding me.

Ever since Justin and I were married in 2003, we have accomplished the things we have set out to do, mainly due to our faith and patience. We’ve worked hard to get each other through school, keep our heads above water when times got tough, and stay out of debt. Every year of our 7 years of marriage has brought some sort of challenge.

This last year has been very trying for us both, not knowing what the future would hold and being stuck in an unchanging limbo. Within a few weeks, our lives have been turned upside-down in a great way! We’re finally reaping the benefits of all of our hard work over the past 10 years or so.

In just the last month, I have finally gotten a job that will help us move on down the road in regards to a career, home, and family. We have joined a new church where we can serve the Lord and grow as Christians. We have been fortunate enough to be able to purchase a wonderful new vehicle.

I hope that if nothing else, I am able to inspire people to keep going in life and to never give up. There is no doubt in my mind that God rewards those that strive to live their lives according to His will. Our life has definitely turned 180 degrees in the last two months, and we’re loving every minute of it.

An excerpt from my favorite hymn, “Sing and Be Happy”

“Sing and you’ll be happy today
Press along to the goal
Trust in Him who leadeth the way
He is keeping your soul.”

Never stop looking ahead to the finish line…

One...

One day in a land far, far away, there was the absolute perfect car that Justin and Erica had always dreamed of. It just so happened that the stars aligned that day because Justin and Erica drove that perfect car home.

Justin grew up loving Fords, and Erica grew up loving Chevrolets. However, when it came time to look for a new vehicle for the family, Chevrolet did not offer the car that Erica wanted. So, unfortunately, Erica’s GM mechanic father would just have to sulk.

Justin and Erica drove the “Banana-Mobile” (their old yellow car) to the car dealership that was over an hour away late this morning. After several hours of paper work and negotiations, Erica drove away with the car of her dreams. Who would have thought in two weeks time Erica would have a new job and a new car? Certainly not her!

Justin and Erica celebrated at one of their favorite Cajun seafood restaurants, Razzoo’s. Their fried pickles are to-die-for. After the drive home and a nap, Justin and Erica decided to take the car out for some family bonding at the local Drive-In Movie Theater. It was so much fun for them, sitting in the back of the SUV with the hatch up. They both beamed with pride at the awesomeness of their choice and purchase! They look forward to cooler weather with no mosquitoes. They still had fun nonetheless!

The light blue 2008 Ford Edge includes the following awesome qualities: the coolest color ever, leather interior, lots of room, a giant sunroof, exquisite cup holders, a 6 disc CD changer, SYNC (which allows Erica to tell the car what she wants it to play from her IPOD as well as talk on her phone hands free through the car), a smooth ride, 20” chrome wheels, and lots of other special features that make this car ah-mazing!

Justin and Erica are very happy with their decision and hope to have many happy years in their new-to-them car. Erica feels so lucky because she got the boy she wanted, the education she wanted, the job she wanted, and now the car she wanted! Erica is a strong believer in working hard and is having a wonderful time enjoying the benefits that come from that hard work!

If at first things don’t go your way, give it time. Sometimes patience is the only answer…

Purple...

I think it’s fitting that I wore a purple peasant top to work today not even thinking that I would be writing about ‘The Color Purple’. When I think about this color, I always think of the cheeriest dinosaur on earth, Barney. In addition, Prince not only dabbles in songs about red; he also has a song called ‘Purple Rain’.

Enjoy some fun purple stuff… I’ve pretty much decided I don’t have enough juice to do my blog justice 5 times a week. So, after this week, you can expect the old fascinating, witty, and exciting posts on the weekends!

Watch out for the one-eyed, one-horned, flyin’ purple people eater…

Red...

Today’s color is red! I’m looking for something in red…I found a few things. Here goes…

Red Songs:

The Red…Chevelle
Little Red Rooster…Rolling Stones
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer…Gene Autry
99 Red Balloons…Nena
Lady In Red…Chris De Burgh
Red Red Wine…UB40
Little Red Corvette…Prince





Red Stuff:

Ruby Red Slippers
Red Watermelon
Red Traffic Light
Red Delicious Apple
Red Tomato
Read Newspaper…haha
Little Red Riding Hood
Red Dawn (the movie)
Red Lobster
Red Hat Society
The Red Cross
Red Hot Chili Peppers (band)

I think I might paint the town red this weekend after I’ve read a good magazine with a glass of red wine and a slice of red-rind cheese followed by painting my toenails red while listening to ‘Little Red Corvette’ and dabbing on some red lip gloss.

This is a cake...wow!

If you mix red and blue together, you get purple…

Brown...

I haven’t always been a fan of brown. It’s probably my least favorite color. However, here recently, I’ve really been loving browns and beiges. I don’t really like to wear it unless there is a pattern or picture that accompanies it. I do really like brown shoes, though. I think one thing I really like about browns and beiges is the naturalness of them. Things that come from nature are often brown. Some of my favorite brown things are: seashells, chocolate, wood, trees, sand, and coffee.

Since I continue to be extremely tired when I get home from work, yes work!, you will continue to get blog posts that are easy for me to write with little thinking involved. Maybe in the future I can get back to the witty and fun posts. Or maybe, I’ll trade off five mediocre weekday posts for three outstanding weekend posts. We’ll see which way the wind blows. For now, enjoy some of my favorite brown things.

“If I stand here, I can see the little red-haired girl when she comes out of her house…Of course, if she sees me peeking around this tree, she’ll think I’m the dumbest person in the world…But if I don’t peek around the tree, I’ll never see her…Which means I probably AM the dumbest person in the world…Which explains why I’m standing in a batch of poison oak.” –Charlie Brown

My favorite brown thing is…definitely…chocolate…

Gray...

After briefly looking through some fabric books at work today, I was inspired by gray. I hear it’s the new neutral. Funny thing is…before I ever heard that I had already purchased a short-sleeve gray cardigan that I wear with everything and a pair of faux silk flats in the color gray. I think trend predictions may be in my future! Good thing I got this creative job in fabrics.

It’s always been said that life is not all black and white; there are definitely gray areas. This really just means that your life is a bucket of dirty mop water, which just happens to be kind of gray. I feel like I just got a clean bucket of water. It won’t be long before it’ll dirty again, but for now, I’m enjoying the fresh stuff.

The included images are some fabrics from the collection of tens of thousands that we carry at work. Can we say employee discount? I can! These are not necessarily my favorites, but the best ones I could find before passing out before bed.

I think it is possible that this blog may end up being all about fabric in the future. I think it may become my life…

Orange...

Orange you glad I didn’t say banana? Haha! I got nothing. I’m so tired from trying to learn how to juggle home and work again. I had another great day at work. I’ve started learning and retaining things at this point, which is nice. Also, I’m able to find answers to my own questions. It does get annoying, even for me, to keep asking the girls questions. They are super patient though. I love how nice everyone I work with is. Even when I switch departments, which I’m really, really looking forward to, I’ll still see and work with the girls. I’m really looking forward to having lunch tomorrow with the creative department (which consists of my super nice boss, one other really sweet lady, and in a couple of months, me).

Colors are fun…

Black...

What I’m about to tell you is a true story. Be warned; some people have all the luck. I’m not one of them. If I weren’t so tired, I would laugh about it though. It all started with a buzzing cell phone alarm clock. That was this morning at five o’clock. I drug my butt outta bed and got myself ready to work out. My body was still sore from the work out the day before and my arm was still tender from the hot olive oil splatters the night before. In addition to these ailments, my finger was throbbing from the teeny tiniest splinter. I made it through what felt like the longest work out ever, only to go pry the splinter from my aching finger.

I got myself showered, dressed, and ready to go to work. Aware that I was about to venture into a monsoon outside, I pulled out the trusty rain boots. Nobody likes those pesky wet pants legs. I gathered up my stuff and ventured outside into the pouring rain at about 7:15am. That’s when I noticed my almost flat tire. I backed my car up a smidge to double check that it wasn’t just stuck in the mud. Justin came out and confirmed; I had a flat. (Yes, this is only my second day of work.) My super wonderful husband put air in my tire with our compressor. He was soaked by the rain, while I sat just a little wet in the car. I have such a great husband!

Next, the low gas light came on. Yes, I did have to stop for gas in this torrential downpour. The wind decided to shift suddenly as I exited the car. There is nothing like cold rain in the face early in the morning. Finally, I was on the road. The drive seemed to take longer than usual. I couldn’t see anything out of my back glass and traffic was moving at about 5 mph a good portion of the way there. I happily made it to work on time. Unhappily, the wind shift blew the rain sideways. I attempted to keep myself semi-dry by holding my umbrella against the side of my body. Unfortunately, I just watched it flip inside out. I made it in the building alive but looking like a wet duck. The rain boots proved to be pointless. Again, everyone else was late.

The day went along just fine. The rain subsided on my way out; however came back to visit again sooner than I’d hoped. I was making my way to the tire shop when the slowest traffic ever known was my next obstacle. I was stuck along with a jillion other cars being forced to treat a very prominent intersection as a four-way stop in 5 o’clock traffic. Apparently, there was some sort of problem with the traffic lights. At the tire shop, I was told it would be an hour-and-a-half to get my tire fixed. Whoop-pee! As I was standing outside talking to Justin on the phone, the rain came back and down harder than ever.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, all of us in the tire shop were warned that a tornado was quickly approaching our location. This thing had actually touched down and was seen only a couple of miles away. Oh, great! The sirens went off, the guys told us the safest place to go, and several folks went outside to see the action. (Yes, really…) The good news is: the tornado missed us, my car was done in an hour, the dude that helped me with my car looked a lot like Jude Law, and I was able to meet Justin close to the house for dinner. You’re out of your mind if you think I was gonna cook after a day like that!

Here’s to God for continuing to bless me with good writing material…

Yellow...

It may have been raining today, but the day couldn’t have been brighter for me! My first day at work was kind of like the first day of school, except I got there in a yellow car instead of a yellow school bus. I got up super early to exercise. It’s part of my lifestyle; I gotta do it. And, I definitely know better than to try and do it after work. It won’t happen because I will always be too tired. The traffic was a nightmare, as I knew it would be, but it didn’t faze me one bit.

I actually got there early when everyone else was late…Gold star for me! I learned a few things about reports, purchase orders, and reconciling shipments today. I will be working with a great group of girls for a couple of months or so to learn the ins and outs about the purchasing department. Then, when I’ve got a good foundation, I’ll move into the creative department. From what I’m told, the departments work closely, so this training will give me a great understanding of the relationship. There are currently only two folks in the creative department right now. I look forward to being a key player in the group.

The super nice head of the purchasing department treated me to lunch today. She’s a great lady that’s been employed by the company for over 30 years. She only has great things to say about it. I hear the company provides us with breakfast every Wednesday…(I know, right?) I’ve always heard good things come to those who wait. Of course, I’m super tired now, but I really enjoyed the day. I look forward to everything else I will learn.

I only see good things ahead in my future. As long as everything goes right, this job means the pot o’ gold at the end of the rainbow for Justin and me. We will finally be able to do everything we’ve worked so hard for, starting with the purchase of a new car and supplemented with buying a house and starting a family. I’m excited to see all of the possibilities unfold. We won’t jump the gun just yet. I plan to proceed with caution; but at the same time, I can’t help but get excited. I’m looking forward to tomorrow, the next day, and the day after that.

It’s a new beginning, and I just can’t put the book down…

White...

I guess since it’s Labor Day, we’re not supposed to wear white anymore. Isn’t it funny that many Americans think this day is only about the ending of summer? Actually summer doesn’t end for several more weeks, and this is really a very important day that I wanted to investigate further. In a nutshell, this day celebrates the American worker.

Labor Day is meant to be a yearly acknowledgment of the contributions that workers have made to further the prosperity of America. Planned by the Central Labor Union, the first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City. By the year 1894, everyone in America was celebrating Labor Day on the first Monday of the month of September. They celebrated the day with parades and high ranking speakers.

Labor unions have dwindled in popularity over the years, but they are so important. It is known that there is strength in numbers and organized labor does just that. It’s harder to tell a group ‘no’ than it is a single person. Unions are responsible for the 40 hour workweek and minimum wage. So many things that we take for granted as workers in America are all made possible due to organized labor. Organized labor unions were behind the starting of the holiday, as well as the main focus. Labor unions fight for fair treatment, wages, and benefits. Somewhere along the line, they’ve gotten a bad rap. I am quite proud to be the wife of a union member. I can honestly say that if it weren’t for the union, we wouldn’t be where we are now.


I fully respect this holiday, and at least take a moment to think about the history of the American worker in this nation, since even this nation wouldn’t be where it is today without the union…

Pink...

I am tickled pink today! I was able to get a taste of my new work environment, and it tasted very sweet! The people I met were super friendly; I even got a hug! I can’t imagine how much working with nice, kind people (and lots of them) will change my life.

For the last year, I’ve pretty much been a recluse. I’ve gone out to buy groceries, to run errands, and for the occasional miscellaneous outing. I have depended greatly on my two pets to keep me company. I think I might have lost my mind without them. It does get awful lonely when you have no human interaction all day until the hubby gets home. He was usually the only person I talked to all day.

Things are different now; I see everything through rose-colored glasses. My future looks bright; it makes me want to wear shades! Those endless possibilities I’ve talked about before are now within reach because this opportunity has been opened for me. I’m very excited to get started learning something new.

“Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Did I mention I get to wear jeans to work every day if I want to?...