Ready for The Betty....

I am so ashamed to say that the cliche of getting drunk while on a business trip is alive and well! Hmmm...I just got back from spending the past 5 days in Las Vegas for a major national tradeshow. Crazy! 5 days is too long in Vegas...at certain point between dinner and cocktails you begin to actually feel your liver pickle. I can't remember the last time I drank so much, consistenly for multiple days in a row!! On the plus side, with age has come a freakish tolerance, that allows me to drink ALOT. And for those of you who remember the curb incident of 2008, there was no repeat accident.

Being "stuck" with co-workers for 5 days is a little weird. Your relationships start to take on a different dynamic, in other words sometime you learn more about people than you wanted to. On the other hand sometimes you are pleasantly surprised by the things you learn. Alcohol can spark deep introspection and lead people share stories of life, love and disappointment. What is weird is that all of the shared experiences/lessons you discussed the previous night are never talked about in the light of day. I guess it is one of those what is discussed in the bar, stays in the bar....Strange bedfellows in deed.

While I enjoy my co-workers, most are really good people, I do not know that I would willingly spend 5 straight days with them if I were home leading my normal life. Yet in Las Vegas, they were my best friends, unable/unwilling to make a move without them. We were like an old gang, a demented version of the Sharks or Jets from West Side Story and it didn't help that we were all wearing the same company jacket everywhere we went!! Thanks Becky! Oh yes there was dancing, but nothing Jerome Robbins or Bob Fosse would be proud of. There were definitely some embarrassing moments, but all in all it was a good trip, but I don't know if I will be making eye contact with certain people for a while and I am still not sure how much work was accomplished. I am jsut glad to be home. Being away makes you appreciate what's waiting for you at home.

2010 - New Year

Happy New Year! 2010, another year the beginning of another decade. Or is it? They are still debating it, so who actually knows. So this is the time of the year when you take stock of your life, make changes, committments to do better, be better. So I am curious, how did I do....my number one resolution is always to lose weight. So far I have lost 30 pounds, give or take the day. Sometimes it's 30, other days it's 27 other days it's 32. But no matter what, I finally have put myself on the road to weight loss. Still need another 10 pounds gone and then I can concentrate on firming everything up. My goal is to wear shorts this summer and not feel self-conscious. I think that is an attainable goal. Everything else, all of the other goals, kinds of a wash. No better, no worse than last year so I guess that is good in some respect.

My focus for 2010 is learning how to relax and be present. I spend so much time worrying about the next thing, that I never really enjoy the moment. I am going to work really hard at this, because with a small child all of the fun happens in the here and now. If I am constantly worrying about tomorrow I am going to miss all of the really cool things that Ben does and is! The other thing is I have to let go of my desire to be the "good/fun" parent. I let Mike play the heavy role too often. I have to make sure that I am reinforcing all of the lessons/discipline that Mike is trying to instill. Besides that, I want to recommit to my faith and making it a priority as well as realy focusing on my family and those who love me. I am going to try and let go of all the pettiness that has been a focal point of my life for so long. Big goals...i don't know if all of this is attainable, but if I am on path working towards them then that is progress.

I love a good sale!

To know me is to know that I love to shop! My true passions are shoes & accessories, but let's face it, it doesn't really matter. I can get the same high from shopping at the grocery store or CVS that I get at the Macy's one day sale, as long as the items are on sale. Now if I have a coupon, all bets are off because I am in overdrive. Recently I have decided to channel my love of retail into something positive, like saving money for my family. So yes, I have become one of those crazy coupon Moms and I am damn proud of it! Anytime you can go into the supermarket and buy chicken, pork chops, bacon, cereal, milk, bread, fruits, veggies, miscellaneous snacks and spend less than $50.00!!! Yes I am a coupon clipping MOFO! Since I started doing this I have been able to reduce our weekly grocery bill from $100.00+ per week to less than $60.00 per week. Hey, in this economy it adds up. I love it. I come home from the supermarket and put my register reciept on the refrigerator right next to my son's art projects from daycare. These are my gold-stars for the week.

Now I can't lie, my next big sale target will be at Parisian this week. They have the Goodwill sale going on right now, which means for every donated item of clothing they will give you a 20% off coupon. I have already been to the sale and maximized my old clothing inventory. However, I just found out that for the next 3 days they are offering double coupons on all purchases!!! (THANK YOU SUE FOR HOOKING ME UP WITH THE INFO). So I am taking back all of my receipts from last week's shopping binge to see if I can get an additional 20% off all my purchases. I added up all of my receipts and if they give me the additional 20% that is a nice little chunk of change that could send me back to the shoe and accessory departments again! :) Pray for me!

Flip Flops...Not Appropriate

Okay so this is a continuation of my earlier Cultural Anthropolgy blog, sort of. As I have been walking around Washington DC, I have been struck by the number of women who think that flip flops are appropriate footwear that go with all outfits. Let me be the first to say, they are not! I get the whole comfort thing, especially when you live in a walking city, being comfortable is key. And lord knows I don't support the whole sneakers and power suit look, (Think the movie Working Girl) but at least sneakers have support for your feet! Being a person who is sort obssessed with bad feet, I am amazed that more women have not realized that the lack of support and cushioning in a flip flop, will lead to corrective foot surgery in their later years. I am not a medical professional but I have common sense enough to know that a 2 mile walk in flip flops is going to make my feet hurt worse than if I wore sneakers or flats! And don't even get me started on the whole hygiene thing! Don't get me wrong, I love the flip flop, I own at least 5 pairs but I don't think they are acceptable for all purpose use.

I guess I just don't understand, there are so many cute styles of flats, that wearing flips is just a cop out. Anybody who knows me knows that I never met a high heel I didn't like. I not crazy, no 5-6 inch heels, mostly 2-4 inches. (I look thinner when I am taller!) But even I have given in sort of to the whole flat/ballet slipper craze. Well sort of...I just bought two pairs both have a little bit of heel (approximately 1/2") but that is flat for me.

I would also like to give a shout out to the crazy women trying to walk around in 4-6 stilletto heels! These even more than flips, were not made for walking around a city! These are shoes that go from home to the car, to the bar, where you promptly sit down, cross your legs and allow everyone to admire your shoes from a seated position! Again I say why, when there are so many cute flats!

Fallen arches, bunions, calluses, split/cracked heels, etc. this could be your future.

By the way, after random comments from people, I am going to start carrying my digital camera with me so that I can post more photos and random pics. It should definitely liven up the blog! :)

Our Nation's Capital

So I am in Washington DC for the next few days attending a conference for work. While here I decided to take advantage of the alone time and power walk through the city. I have been here countless other times but I dont know that I have ever been here by myself. This city is wonderful! It is truly awe-inspiring...from the monuments to the park greens that populate the city this place showcases all that is good about city living. I love the fact that the downtown area is designed as a walking city. Everywhere you look there are people walking...old, young, tourists, city residents. Not having an actual city in Detroit really makes you appreciate a real city when you visit one. What is really cool is that cars actually respect/defer to pedestrians here! They wait for you to cross the street!! Being from the New York/New Jersey area, I am used to a survival of the fittest contest when it comes to crossing city streets, so this is a definite change of pace.

Back on-line....

POS work laptop crapped out on me this week. I didn't realize how dependent I was on my work computer until it crashed. I am definitely going to have to invest in a new laptop and I already know what I want...now I just need the cash. Which unfortunately is in short supply right now...hmmm...I will figure it out, I always do. Which brings me to my newest endeavor, I am starting my own business! I think??? It's all very murky right now, without a clear direction, but I do know this..I will never have the freedom financially and emotionally that I need if I continue to work for others. I have to take control...find my own path.

Losin It

So that is the name of the company weight loss challenge. By company I mean, a contest run byt he sales guys to see who can lose the greater percentage of weight by the National Sales Meeting in December. It's a $50.00 buy in and the grand prize is almost a $1000.00! So of course, I wanted in. Getting in this thing means that I had to publicly disclose my weight to everyone in the contest...a prickly endeavor for any woman. But I rationalized to myself that the momentary embarassment that I would face for broadcasting my weight would be worth the money if/when I won. So four days into this contest I am having buyer's remorse. Men can take a crap and lose 5 pounds! Me, I am going to have to starve and work out like a dog for 2-3 weeks to lose 5 pounds...what was I thinking??? I was blinded by the thought of using the prize money to buy a new MacBook Pro laptop that I became a little delusional. What I have on my side is that this contest lasts 3 1/2 months and the men like most men, will start out hard and strong in the beginning and by the end they will limp weakly to the finish line. At least now I have a reason to get refocused. I fell off the wagon so to speak in July and have had a hard time getting back into gear. The thing about the wagon is, it is very slippery. Apparently mine has been coated in french fry grease :) So here it is, a new day in my blogging as a write down for all to see that my starting weight is 173 pounds...God that hurt. But hopefully that will be the last time I ever see that number unless there is a baby growing inside of me...though at almost 41 I don't know that, that will happen again either....but that is a topic for another day. Wish me luck and stay tuned! Something tells me that the next 3 months will be interesting.