The great dating experiment, update #1

I’m not sure if I mentioned it on this blog or not, but a couple of weeks ago, I signed up for eHarmony (again!).  Third time’s the charm, right?  I paid for a 6-month subscription because I figured that I should give it a good shot this time around.

This first dating update is actually about a date I went on with someone an acquaintance of mine set me up with, so he wasn’t someone I met through eHarmony.  Our mutual acquaintance thought that S and I had a lot in common, similar backgrounds, etc. and thought we’d really get along.  She asked us both if we were interested in meeting, and we connected through Facebook.

That was back in April.  S and I exchanged a couple of emails, but he never asked me out, even for coffee.  I wasn’t overly thrilled with the idea of going out with him because he wasn’t attractive to me, based on the pictures he had of himself on his profile.  Also, he and I have different political philosophies, which is a pretty important thing for me when looking for a serious relationship. At this point I should mention that the acquaintance thought we’d have lots in common because we both went to the same Catholic grammar school, were both Italian, and both had weight issues.  The stuff great romances are made of, right?  I seriously don’t know if I should be insulted or not, because this guy is definitely not what anyone would consider remotely good looking.  Which  may be completely superficial of me, but while I have a ton of weight to lose, I know that I’m a pretty girl, and I’m not as desperate as this acquaintance seems to think I am.

But, regardless of the misgivings I had, a couple of weeks ago, right after I signed up for eHarmony, actually, I decided to contact S one last time just to see if there was anything there.  I sent him a quick and very direct message on FB asking him if he was still interested in seeing whether or not our acquaintance was right in thinking that we’d have a lot in common.  He responded fairly quickly to say that he would love to, and suggested that we meet for lunch or coffee sometime.

We met on Tuesday at a Starbucks that was close to each of our houses, because Starbucks is such a safe first meeting place.  A cup of coffee can’t last that long, right?  Tuesday just so happened to be my first day of school, so I thought that I’d have a few funny stories to tell in case there was a lull in the conversation.  Little did I know that there was no need for me to worry about adding to the conversation.

No, it’s not what you might be thinking – that we had such great rapport that we didn’t have any lulls to worry about.  It was that S talked and talked and TALKED the entire time.  I’m talking literally for 1 hour straight!  And not about something that was interesting, but complaining about family politics, bragging about how much money they had, how he’d had weight loss surgery (but still needed to lose about 75 pounds), and then saying that he was glad he’d never finished his undergraduate degree because he didn’t even need it.  Um, hello?  I’m a teacher. Do you think I might put a value on education?  Instead of impressing me, he was a complete turnoff.  The entire time he was ranting and raving about himself and his family, I just kept wondering how long I’d have to keep this up. I didn’t really say anything the entire time we were having coffee, which is incredible if you know me, because I can talk to anyone about anything, but he simply never stopped talking long enough to give me a chance to share a thing.

Then, just when we were going to leave, he said, “say, do you want to grab a bite to eat at that restaurant right there?”  At this point I think that something took over my mind and body because I actually said, “sure, that would be great.”  WTF?  Why the hell did I just agree to spend more time with this self-involved bore?  What the heck was I thinking?  I’m convinced it was penance for some past indiscretion I’ve committed.

We made it through dinner (which was way more calories than I should have eaten, and is probably the reason the scale showed a 2-pound gain this week), but not before he started bragging about his mafia connections.  For some reason he thought it would be impressive to say, “you know, in a snap of a finger, I could ‘get rid of someone’ if I needed to.  I know who to call to get it taken care of and I know just where to put the body so that it would never be found.”  Way to smooze the ladies, S.  Puleeze.  The thing is, my family actually had some organized crime connections, although we don’t really discuss that too often, so it was hilarious to me that this guy was such a poser.  I can almost guarantee you that he didn’t know any local mafiosos, mostly because my family knows who they all are.  In any case, there was absolutely no point to him saying any of that, whatsoever!  Was I supposed to feel safe that he could have someone “taken care of?”  I’m still not sure what his point was.

Now, beyond his looks, it was truly his attitude that left me wishing I could click my heels 3 times and teleport myself out of the restaurant.  He was smug, fake, a braggart, and one of those people who make themselves feel better by putting other people down.  Such a sign of insecurity.

So, the date finally ended with a quick hug.  I told him to have a good night and he mentioned that he hoped to see me at an Italian festival that was happening this weekend.  Ugh.  So he was obviously hoping we’d see each other again. And why wouldn’t he?  I was a great listener!  LOL.

When he called on Saturday to see if I wanted to meet him at the festival, I let it go to voicemail and didn’t call him back.  Rude, I know.  I felt a bit guilty this morning, so I sent him an email through FB letting him know that I was really busy yesterday and didn’t have a chance to call him back or go to the festival.  Then I told him that while I thought we had a ton in common, I didn’t feel the chemistry was there.  He responded saying that he agreed about the chemistry (right, man, that’s why you invited me to go out with you again), but that he hoped we could be friends.  I haven’t replied.

It was definitely one of the worst first dates I’ve ever gone on, and I’m hoping that the next date (whenever that happens) will be much better now that I’ve gotten a bad one out of the way.  There’s only one way to go from here, right? 😉

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Feeling heart-warmed and stupid, all at the same time

Yesterday I had a fantastic Saturday:

• Zumba in the morning
• Headed to Los Gatos to pick up our latest wine club offering at Flemming Jenkins with Ish.  We stayed for a free tasting, just because.
• Lunch at Willow Street Pizza to have their amazing summer salad special – skirt steak with peaches and goat cheese on mixed greens with a balsamic vinaigrette.  Yum!!!
• A quick trip to Benefit to buy some new lipsticks.
• A trip to Walmart to look for workout clothes – more about this on Bella on the Beach.

I was gone from 1:20pm to 6pm.  I was so tired when I got home, but as soon as I drove into the driveway, I noticed that my back door was open.  Not just unlocked, but OPEN!

At first I thought someone had broken in, so I quickly went through the duplex and saw that nothing was out of place.  (Well nothing that I hadn’t left out of place to begin with).

Which means that I left for hours without locking my door!!!  Stupid!!!!

I know exactly what happened, thinking back.  I was running late to meet Ish and I was trying to put the windguard up in the back of the convertible so that I could have the top down on the freeway without ruining my hair.  I couldn’t get the darn thing up (gotta read the manual) and I finally said, “F-it, I’m so late as it is, I need to go NOW.”  I remember putting the windguard in my little pantry area, and I thought I closed the door, but I definitely don’t remember locking the deadbolt.  One of the “tricks” with my back door is that it doesn’t close unless you really pull it.  I must’ve thought that I did, but I obviously didn’t.  When I looked at it, the bottom lock was “locked,” but that doesn’t really work unless the door is closed.

The thing is, I always lock my doors.  Always.  Always have.  Growing up, we lived in a really affluent area of the city with a very small crime rate, but we always locked the doors as soon as we came in the house.  Even in the middle of the day when we were all home.  I continue that habit at my own house, and always have.  Better safe than sorry.

Now what’s heart-warming about what happened yesterday is that even though my house was wide open and asking for someone to come in and steal the many valuable and expensive things I own, no one took a thing.  I live in a neighborhood that has a ton of foot traffic, much of it by homeless types who look like they’ve just gotten out of some sort of halfway house.  Some of them look crazy (literally), but they’re generally harmless.  Still, I make sure to keep things locked up, because you never know. It was such a relief to know that no one came in and took anything.  People respected the house.

I’ve always felt safe at home, and now I know that I truly am. That said, I still plan on locking the doors, just to be sure.

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Exciting Possibility

Ok, so I should tell you right up front that I’m not going to reveal too much of what’s been going on because I don’t want to jinx anything.  Not that I’m especially superstitious or anything.  But, I am someone who has been accused of oversharing. Go figure, I’m a blogger, of COURSE I  overshare.

That being said, I did want to tell you all that a job opportunity has presented itself this past week.  It’s a position that I’ve been wanting for over 3 years, and it would have a huge impact on my life, my career path, and my future.  I am completely qualified for the position, and have a really good shot of getting the job.

The downside?  It’s so close to the start of the new school year, and if I were to take the position, I would feel as though I was leaving my classes and my colleagues in the lurch.  Sort of.  Not the English classes so much, because that is an easy position to fill, but the yearbook and journalism classes, because for some reason, there aren’t a lot of people out there who want to take on both of those duties.  I LOVE teaching those classes.  In fact, those classes are what keeps me sane as a teacher.  I am actually going to miss teaching those classes if I get this new position.

The new position itself?  I don’t want to give too many details unless it comes to fruition, and then I’ll probably bore you with the minutae of the job descpription.  It is still in my school district, and it’s obviously still in education.  What it isn’t is being an English teacher.  Which means that I will no longer have any essays to grade, should I get the job.  The pay is more or less the same as I make now, although I will get $2400 less per year, before taxes, because I won’t receive two of the stipends I currently receive.  But in thinking it over, I’d gladly take a $2400 cut if it meant not having to grade any essays.

So, I’ve turned in my cover letter, resume, and 3 letters of recomendation.  The position is posted until July 29th and interviews will take place about a week after that.  My hope is that they make a quick decision so that I can figure out my next steps.  If I get the position, it means I have to clean out my classroom.  10 years worth of materials and files and decorations.  Ugh.  But thankfully I have a huge basement to store everything in.

So, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I get it, but if I don’t, I will hold true to my belief that everything happens for a reason.

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Update: Getting a Life

Ever since I started my weight loss blog, I’ve been writing much less frequently on this one.  Because weight loss is my main focus (almost like a part-time job), it makes sense that I have more to write about that topic than any other.  Still, sometimes I feel badly that this blog, the one I started blogging with, gets pushed back to second-class citizen status.

One thing that seems appropriate to write about here is how I’ve been doing on my quest to “get a life.”  Last August, I wrote a post where I vowed to take back my life and stop living to work instead of just working to live.

I’m happy to report that I am now a reformed workaholic.

It wasn’t easy.  At first I felt like I was really sloughing off on my duties at work.  “I really should go to the play this weekend.” “The students would really like it if I went to that football/basketball/soccer game,” etc.  Instead of feeding into this guilt trip I was laying on myself, I just said no.  I took myself off of the numerous committees I had been serving on and kept only those that I felt were the most important.

Did I feel like I was out of the loop?  Yes.  Did I crave being “in the know” the way I was when I served on lots of different committees and attended tons of school events?  Sure, sometimes.  But that feeling of being slightly out of the dialed in group was well worth the time and energy I found now that I wasn’t spending so much time and effort at work.

It was a strange year for me because CTLB, my best friend at school and one of my best friends in life, left.  I felt a lot lonlier than I had in the past 4 years, when were were “joined at the hip.”  But before you start feeling too sorry for me, I do have an amazing group of friends at school, and we all eat lunch together every day, so it’s not like I sit alone in my classroom and grade papers while I eat a stale sandwich.  (That would never, ever be me, by the way).  We also had a new principal this year, and that made for a lot of changes.  Good changes, but still, there were a lot of things going on this year that left me feeling out of sorts a lot of time time.

But my life outside of the work day was fantastic!  I found that I had tons of free time, and I used it to try new activities, reach out to old friends and make some new ones, spend lots more time with my family, and just enjoy myself by doing whatever I wanted to do – riding my bike, reading a great (or trashy) book, watching movies, cooking, etc.

It seemed idyllic until the school said they were looking for someone to teach a “summer school after school” class.  I saw dollar signs and knew that if I taught the class I would have the money I needed for a down payment on my new car AND I wouldn’t have to work this summer.  So, beginning after February break, I gave up 60 hours+ of free time and taught the class.  (This may not sound like a lot, but this is on top of teaching 5 other classes.  Not to mention grading and prepping for 6 classes).  It is something that I’m glad I did (for the money), but will never do again.  It’s just not worth giving up that much of my life.

All in all, I loved having my life back.  I felt like I was a better teacher because I could look at things from a well rested, happy point of view.  I plan on doing more of the same this coming school year.  Actually, it should be even better because I’m only teaching one honors class, which will dramatically cut down on my paperload.  Can’t wait.

Ok, enough writing, time to get out there and LIVE!

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Bella, reporting for duty

Babysitting duty, that is!

Thursday my sister roped me into babysitting tonight.  You know those conversations that start with, “So, what are you doing on Saturday night?”  My pat answer is usually, “well, I have a few things going on, why?”  Just to see what the other person might suggest.  That way, I don’t have to commit to something without knowing what I’m getting into.  But, since it was my sister, I said, “oh, not too much.”  To which she replied, “oh, good, then you wouldn’t mind babysitting for T & E while R and I go to my friend’s house for a party.”

Wait a minute!  Are you telling me that the married-with-2-kids sister is going to party and the single, devil-may-care sister is going to be home on a Saturday night babysitting?  What’s wrong with this picture?!

Not that I don’t love my nieces, because I do.  I like spending time with them.  I like to think of myself as the “fun aunt.”  They love Zia (Italian for aunt) because I like to play dolls or watch movies with them.  But usually at my parents’ house, and usually only for a short amount of time.  The thought of being completely responsible for them scares me for some strange reason.

I mean, it’s not like I didn’t babysit when I was a teenager, because I did.  But that was before I had a car, or friends who had cars, and I wanted money to buy that future car.  It was fun to get out of my house and be in charge.  When LC first asked me, I was hesitant.  I’m not sure why.  I guess part of the reason I’ve decided not to have kids is because I don’t want all that responsibility.

Then I reminded myself that it was only for 4-5 hours; not even overnight.  I could deal.  Plus, we could make it fun and say we were having a pajama party.  Which is why I’m in my comfy, cozy pjs as I write this at 6:35pm on a Saturday night.  That’s right, it’s a rockstar lifestyle, aren’t you jealous?

I have popcorn and hot cocoa, so we’re all set on the snacks front.  LC’s bringing DVDs – I heard mention of a My Little Pony movie and The Bee Movie.  And I think she’s going to pack a board game in the bags somewhere, too.  My youngest niece is only 17 months, so she’ll go to bed fairly early.  My 6 year old niece and I will have a great time, I’m sure.

Plus, I think it will be good for me to see “how the other half lives.”  You know, the half that is selfless, and puts others needs in front of their own?  Ya, them.  I’m not usually one of them, so this will be an interesting experiment.

I just hope we all make it out unscathed.  😛

________________________

Update: It’s 10:20, and both kids are sleeping.  T (6 yrs) fell asleep after playing with magnetic paper dolls (very cool!), having some popcorn, sugar free hot chocolate, and lots of School House Rock.  My sis told me that T had been talking about coming over here all day.  She was so excited to go to Zia’s house.  🙂  That really just melts my heart, you know?  Fun times.

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3 Cheers for 2009!

2008 was quite a year, wasn’t it?  So many challenging things occurred around the world and here at home, but we made it through.  Some of us just barely, but we ARE here to live again another day.

Personally, 2008 was a pretty good year for me.

• I started on a serious weight loss journey that involved trying the South Beach Diet, medically supervised fasting, Medifast, and finally Weight Watchers.  I lost a lot of weight, but more than that, I gained a whole new perspective about how I wanted to live my life.  I decided I wanted to live in a healthier, happier way.
• I graduated with my Masters in Educational Leadership in May.
• I bought a beach cruiser and rediscovered how much I love riding my bike.  It doesn’t really matter what the destination is; it just makes me feel happy to feel the rush of wind as I pedal as fast as I can, or slowly cruise by.  I love looking at life and the things around me at a bit of a slower pace than normal.  It’s like I’m taking time to breathe when I’m on my bike.
• I went to CTLB’s wedding in Connecticut in August, and I was able to travel all over Massachusetts (Cape Cod, Boston, etc).  It was a trip I had been looking forward to for at least a year and half, and it was awesome.  I can’t wait to go back to  visit CTLB and her new hubby at their new place in Southie (South Boston).
• I made sure that my life had more balance.  I left work at work, which was HUGE for me.  Never before in my life have I had the sense that work is just work (although I love it), but that there is so much more to life than your profession.  I am still working towards figuring out how to define myself past what I do, but I know that will come in time.
• I started cooking for myself. All the time.  Delicious, healthy dinners.  And along the way, I discovered that I not only enjoy cooking, but that I’m really good at it.  I can’t wait to try out a bunch of new recipes (at least 1 a week) in 2009.  (I’ll be writing about those on Bella on the Beach, if you want to check them out).
• I started reading again in earnest, once I no longer had grad school books to read.  I’ve borrowed a ton of books from the library since May, and truly, it has been one of my greatest pleasures.  I even started a book club with some friends, something I had always wanted to do.  I really like the discussions we’ve had about the book choices.  Plus, it’s a great excuse to get a wonderful group of ladies together for an afternoon.
• I organized my life.  Top to bottom.  Floor to ceiling.  I feel in control, at ease, and happy.

Even with all of the positive things that happened to me in 2008, I am really looking forward to 2009 even more.  I have a terrific feeling about this upcoming year.  For myself personally, I think it’s going to be MY year, filled with many new triumphs and discoveries, capped off in October with my 20th high school reunion.  But thinking in a more global sense, 2009 means change.  Change in political leadership in our country, change in our perspective about how we should live our lives, and change in the way we deal with nations and people around the globe.

Tonight, New Year’s Eve, I am a bit sad that I don’t have that traditional “date,” but I know all good things will come in time.  HE is out there, I just have to wait and not settle for the Mr. Maybes of the world who might distract me from HIM.

As we welcome 2009 tomorrow, what is the thing you’re most looking forward to?

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Wherein I lost my mind at JFK Airport

What trip would be complete without a tale or two of problems with flights?

CBCB arrived at Logan Airport in Boston around 1:30, in plenty of time to make our 2:35 flight, since we had checked in online. When we got to the counter to check our bags, I was overjoyed that my bag was 49 pounds – no overweight charges on this leg of the trip. Plus, because we had booked our flight back in March, we were allowed two checked items of luggage, so I wasn’t charged the $20 fee for my second piece of luggage. I thought we were off to a stellar start. Oh, how wrong I was.

We boarded the plane in Logan and would have a quick flight over to JFK before heading back home. As we got comfortable in our seats, the pilot came on the loudspeaker and announced that we would have to remain on the runway for a while, because of thunderstorms at JFK. We sat there, on the plane, for an hour. It was miserable and uncomfortable, but just a small prelude to what we would find at JFK.

We got to JFK, and I quickly went outside to have a smoke. I knew we had an hour and a half layover and then a 5 1/2 hour flight home. If only I had seen a bit into the future, I would’ve had another couple of smokes.

I went through security to get back to the terminal without any problems. I met up with CBCB at our gate, and again, no problems. Until we heard a clap of thunder and the heavens opened into a full on storm. Great. An announcement was made that our flight would be delayed due to the lightning and thunder and the storms. Inconvenient, but not a problem. At least we could walk around, get food, and go to the bathroom while we were in the airport. Ah, but this situation was going to go from inconvenient to terrible in a matter of minutes.

We were told we had to board the plane, even though the flight was not cleared for takeoff. What? We’d have to wait on the plane? Trapped like rats for who knows how long? Ugh. The pilot explained that we were “in line” for takeoff, as soon as we were cleared and our turn came up.

We were on the plane for 3 1/2 hours without moving on the tarmac. I can’t tell you how awful this was. Unless you’ve experienced it for yourself, you have no idea. It was hot, stuffy, and utterly claustrophobic. Not to mention the fact that when we finally did take off, I knew we’d have another 5 1/2 hours in the air before we got home.

The upside? I finished an entire book. The downside? My poor dad had to pick us up at 1:45am. We were both tired, and speaking for myself, not in the best of moods. Oh and the icing on this very bitter cake? I broke two nails getting the bags from the luggage carousel. Perfect.

Still, at least we made it home safely, and I knew that my own bed was waiting for me.

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Last Day: Swan Boats & Boston Public Garden

All good things must come to and end.  On Thursday, August 14th, our last day of vacation, CBCB and I had to catch a flight from Logan airport at 2:35pm.  Which meant we needed to be at the airport by 1:30, since we had already checked in online.

With some time to kill, we left The Cape around 9:30, with the thought of going to Salem to see a couple of exhibits at The Peabody Museum.  As we were driving and hit a bit of traffic, CBCB and I looked at each other and realized we probably wouldn’t make it.  It would take us at least 2 hours to get to Salem, which didn’t leave us much time to see the museum.

We decided to stop at a Starbucks along the way, and saw a sign for The Christmas Tree Shops.  We changed our itinerary on the spot.  If you’ve never been to a Christmas Tree Shop. I highly recommend it.  This one, in Shrewsbury, MA would be the third one we’d hit on our trip (we’d also been to the locations in Falmouth and Hyannis).  Each one is a little bit different, and although the main merchandise is the same, each store has different offerings, depending on where it’s located.  I picked up a new lunch bag (and one for my sister) and a Cape Cod t-shirt, although if these were in CA, I would’ve bought a lot more.  They have a lot of great deals on all kinds of home decorating items.

After shopping, CBCB suggested we head into Boston and try to go on a Swan Boat tour of the Boston Public Garden. It was one of the things we hadn’t done yet on our trip.  Sounded like a plan to me.

Once we got in the general vicinity of the Public Garden, we immediately found rockstar parking!   Plus, the weather was gorgeous, so we knew this was a sign that we were meant to go.

The Public Gardens are beautiful.  Majestic trees, a lagoon filled with ducks and swans, and fantastic vistas of Boston.  A perfect way to end our stay in one of the best cities in the country.

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Plimouth Plantation & The Mayflower II – Plymouth, MA

CBCB and I got a late start to our day on Monday when we left her cousins’ house in Stratford, CT and headed to Plymouth, MA. (As I found out on this trip, CBCB likes to sleep! She took a little nap after taking a shower, because, hey, that can be hard work, sometimes).

I have to admit upfront, I wasn’t at all looking forward to going to Plimouth Plantation. CBCB really wanted to go, so I acquiesced. After all, we went to Salem because I wanted to, so this was the least I could do.

Photo taken from Plimouth Plantation

Plimouth Plantation is set up with “role players” who reenact what it would’ve been like during those first years in Plymouth. I learned that the spelling of the plantation uses an “i” because that spelling was the one most widely favored by the magistrates at the time. (Apparently at some point along the line, the spelling was changed to using a “y”). The most interesting part of my time at Plimouth Plantation was getting a chance to talk to Wampanoag Native Americans who are dressed in traditional clothing, but who talked about their ancestors from a modern-day perspective. I definitely got the feeling that these people are finally empowered to discuss the tribulations their forefathers suffered at the hands of the early colonists. So, my final verdict on Plimouth Plantation? I wouldn’t go there again, but it wasn’t as boring as I thought it would be. I know that sounds pretty negative, but I guess we all have different interests and things we’d like to do on vacation.  I figure I earned some good karma points by going, and I did learn a few new things, too.

Once we left Plimouth Plantation, we headed to the Plymouth Marina, to take a look at the Mayflower II. The Mayflower II is a reproduction of the original ship that took the colonists from England to Plymouth, MA. It was built in the 1950’s and took its maiden voyage in 1957. The ship is majestic and really gave me a good sense of what those poor people went through just trying to make it to America. No wonder so many of them died on their way over – the compartment where 102 people were housed during the trip was so small, I can’t believe they all fit there. Not to mention the seasickness, scurvy, and other diseases they suffered through.

The mast of The Mayflower II

The Mayflower II, in the Plymouth Marina

After seeing the ship, CBCB and I headed for a really early dinner with her mom’s best friends, Aunt Mary and Aunt Judy. We had a great dinner at Isaac’s on the Marina. CBCB asked me afterwards if I was feeling alright during dinner. I told her I was feeling fine, why did she ask? She said it was because I was so quiet. I told her that with Aunt Mary and Aunt Judy, there wasn’t much room to get a word in edge-wise. 🙂 These two ladies were quite a kick. It was a lot of fun getting to know them.

After dinner, we walked back to our car and found an impromptu tour that I knew we had to join…

(how’s that for a teaser?!)

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Precious Life

Today I had a huge wake up call about how precious life is.

I was out to lunch with the team I’ve been working with for my summer fellowship.  The phone rang during lunch, and I saw that it was my mom, but because we were at the table, I thought it would be impolite to answer the call.  I did wonder why my mom was calling during the day, because she never does that.  We finished lunch and headed back to the office.

When I got to my desk, I listened to my voicemail, and heard my mom’s message:

Bella, this is Mom.  I’ve been in a terrible car accident! {She was crying hard on the phone while saying this}.  The car is totaled.  I can’t reach Daddy.  Please get in touch with him so —-

And then the call went dead.  My heart sank and I couldn’t even think straight.  Was my mom ok?  Was she hurt?  Where was my dad?  And the biggest guilty question of all, “Why didn’t I just answer the damn phone when I rang?”  Now my mom was all alone, scared, possibly hurt, and who was there with her?

I tried calling my dad, but he didn’t answer, so I called my mom’s cell.  My dad answered it, and he said that he was following my mom, who was in the ambulance.  He said he didn’t know exactly what had happened with the accident, but that the car had burst into flames.  My mom was ok, though, and had been joking with the firemen and paramedics, so she couldn’t have been too badly hurt.  He said they were taking her in just to make sure she was ok, and that he’d call me once he knew more. I asked if he wanted me to go to the hospital, but he said, no, just stay and finish my day at work and meet them at their house later.

Those next two hours at work were hell, not knowing exactly what happened or how my mom was.  I called my sister and a few of my friends who are close with my mom, and just prayed.

I met my parents at their house and heard the full story: My mom had been driving to work, and wanted to change lanes.  She said she saw a gray van, and then the next thing she knew, she had hit a light pole.  And then the engine was smoking, and she knew she had to get out of the car, but she couldn’t.  The airbag went off, and she hit her head on it.  She said she was crying, but no one was stopping to help her.  She was so scared.  She said she thought she was going to die.  She was sure of it. She couldn’t even reach her cell phone, because it was spilled onto the floor.  Finally a man came up and helped her. He told her to open the door, and when she told him she couldn’t he somehow pried her out of the car.  Then he put her in his car and told her to stay calm, that she was alright and that the car could be replaced.  He asked if there was anything in the car he should get, and she begged him to go back and get her purse, which he did.  Soon afterwards, the engine caught fire, and the entire car was in flames.

My mom was hysterical, but told the man how grateful he was that he saved her life.  If she would’ve been in the car even 3 or 4 more minutes, she could’ve been dead, or badly burned, at the least.  He told her that he had a child who was killed in a car accident 2 years ago, and he wished someone would have stopped to help him.  This man was like my mom’s private guardian angel, and I will forever be indebted to him.  My mom got his address in southern California, where he lives, and she’s going to send him a gift as a small token of her esteem.

I cannot explain how relieved and grateful I am that my mom is still here with us.  She could have easily been killed in the impact of the car, or in the fire that ensued.  We are so lucky that she is alive and only has lacerations and bruises.  She is in a lot of pain, but those wounds will heal, and she’ll be around for a lot longer.

I told my mom that there is a reason that she was saved, and that she must have more to do on this earth before her time is up.  I told her that she should make the most of her life, and not put off things like vacations to Italy or buying something that she wants.  You never know when you might not be here, so you should enjoy life and the people you love while you still can.  She said she agreed, and also that she felt like her brother (who died a little over a year ago) was with her, and sending her a message to slow down and appreciate life.  That this was like a warning from him to take it easy, but that he was the one who was watching out for her today.  I think this idea gives her a lot of comfort, and I’m glad she’s found a peaceful way to think about the whole situation.

I think we’re all in a state of shock about what could have been, and still thanking God or whatever is “out there” that my mom was given another chance at life.

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The Smile Award

Geggie gave me the Smile Award.  I was completely surprised, and I have to say, when I read her blog and saw that she’d given it to me, I did smile from ear to ear.  So sweet!  I have learned so many things from reading Geggie’s blog – I found Goodreads.com, a simple way to make homemade body scrubs, and too many scrumptious recipes to count.  

These are the characteristics of the Smile Award, and I feel so great knowing that Geggie thinks this about me.  

1. Must display a cheerful attitude. (not necessarily at all times–we are all human)
2. Must love one another
3. Must make mistakes
4. Must learn from others
5. Must be a positive contributor to blog world
6. Must love life
7. Must love kids

And, now I get to pass it on!!

These are the rules:

1. The recipient must link back to the award’s creator (http://www.geggieblog.blogspot.com/)
2. You must post these rules if you receive the award.
3. You must chose 5 people to receive the award after receiving it yourself
4. You must fit the characteristics of the recipient of the award, as posted by Mere.
5. You must post the characteristics of a recipient.
6. You must create a post sharing your win with others.
7. You must thank your giver.

And the Smile Award goes to…

Joy because she is a friend, not just a blogging buddy.  She remembers my birthday with e-cards, and we’ve always enjoyed a special bond.  When I get to NYC someday, I definitely want to meet up with Joy for coffee or a drink!

Cammy because she is one of the most positive bloggers out there.  She shares so many wonderful tips, and always checks in to my Bella on the Beach blog to check out my weight loss progress.  She’s a great cheerleader to have on your side!

Jen Lancaster because she is sassy, amazing, hilarious, and I can relate to so much of what she writes about.  I know she and I would be friends if we lived near each other.  (On a side note, the other night DRMK told me that Jen Lancaster’s writing style reminds her so much of mine.  I was blown away and very flattered by the thought, although I think Jen is a much better writer than I am.  Still DRMK’s comment inspired me).

Kalyn is an amazing cook, and an inspiration to me as I take on this weigh loss journey.  Her site offers so many cooking tips and delicious recipes, whether you’re following the South Beach Diet or not.  I look at her site several times a week to figure out new ideas for dinner.  

Michelle because I think it’s so cool that she moved to Italy and lives with Italian man whom she met when she moved there.  Plus, she always posts such interesting stories, beautiful pictures, and just seems like a wonderful person.  And the name, Bleeding Espresso?  How can I not love her blog?!!!

So, go check out these bloggers, because once you do, you’ll be hooked!

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A delicious surprise

Yesterday BFF and I planned to go shopping for a few essentials and splurges (see my previous post). When I got to her house to pick her up, she said she had a surprise for me.

She opened a box from Amazon.com and handed me the new Hungry Girl cookbook! How cool was that? I had been wanting to get it, and since I was the one who introduced her to the Hungry Girl website, she decided to get it for me.

I glanced at it quickly, and the recipes look really good. Of course, I didn’t spend too long at it, because it’s hard to look at delicious food when I’m on this fast. 🙂 I can’t wait to try some of the recipes once I’m done fasting.

The funny thing is, earlier in the day I was at Starbucks and thought about getting her The Art of Racing in the Rain, which is a book narrated by a dog, but I wasn’t sure if she really wanted it or not. She said she’d love to get it, but hadn’t yet. So, after our shopping expedition, we stopped at Starbucks and I got it for her.

The book looks really interesting:

The Art of Racing in the Rain Video Book Trailer (Extended)

It’s so fun to give (and get!) surprises like this.

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Put it out there and it will come

No, this isn’t some weird Field of Dreams reference, it’s actually an allusion to The Secret.

I have actually read or watched The Secret, but I’ve heard enough about it to know that one of the main concepts is that you have to put out there in the universe those things that you want and need. If you do this with your whole heart in a positive manner, it will come to you, eventually.

I haven’t really tried this philosophy too much, until recently.

This month has been a bit tough for me financially. I’ve had to put out $900 for the fasting program — start up costs, monthly lab and doctor’s fees, and the food. I also spent quite a bit of money in Napa for CTLB’s bachelorette party weekend. (I won’t mention exactly how much, because CTLB reads this blog frequently, and that would be pretty crass). It was well worth it, but the timing of spending this money was a bit difficult this month.

With all my normal bills and expenses ($2100), this month was going to be bad. Considering that I’m a teacher and don’t make a lot of money, I knew I was going to be in the hole, and had no idea how I was going to make it until the end of the month. I was getting pretty stressed out, but I’m so proud and hate asking people to borrow money.

I finally broke down and asked BFF if I could borrow $100. She said that she would love to let me borrow the money, but she just didn’t have it. I was so worried about what I was going to do, and almost called my parents to ask for the money. I was hesitant to ask them, because I knew I’d hear about it: “you’re 36 years old, why don’t you know how to manage your money better?”

A couple of hours after my first call, BFF called me back and told me she could loan me the money. I asked her if she was sure, because I didn’t want the loan to put her in a hard spot for the month, but she said that she could do it. As a thank you, I gave her a gift card to Macy’s that I had gotten from one of my students for Christmas. I thought of it as “interest.” She tried to refuse it, but I insisted.

Whew! A bit of breathing room. I’ve been really budgeting my money for most of the month, and trying to make the gasoline last as long as possible, but with prices at almost $4/gallon, you can only go so far, you know?

I don’t get paid until Thursday, and I was wondering how I was going to make it until payday. I’d already almost spent all $100, and had to drive quite a bit in the upcoming week.

So, I decided to take a chance and ask the management company that handles my duplex if there was any sort of referral fee for finding someone to move into the duplex next door. (I’ll write more about my new neighbor in another post). They wrote back and said that they didn’t have any sort of official policy, but that they thought it was a reasonable request, and they’d be mailing me $100 by the end of the month!

What great news! They could’ve just said that I could pay $100 less on my rent next month, but that wouldn’t have been very helpful to my current situation this week. I was so relieved that they were going to mail me a check. I’ve been on pins and needles all week wondering when it was going to come, and it finally arrived today!

I’m not sure if all of these are little coincidences or not, but I think the money was able to come to me this month, when I needed it the most, because I really put it out there in the universe that I needed help. Oh, and by the way, I don’t plan on having anything like this happen again. I hate living above my means, and this month was a good reminder of what can happen when you overextend yourself.

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The Good Karma is Flowing!

Yesterday was one of the best days I’ve had in recent memory. I must be living right, because the good karma is flowing for me.

• I had a phone interview for the summer fellowship program that I applied to. The position is at a research company in Palo Alto and is called, “Employee Communications Blogger.” How perfect does that sound?! The job entails web design of the employee intranet page, along with blogging about the “hot news” about the company. The page is going to serve as a way for the rest of the company to understand what the marketing department does. The best thing is that in the paragraph that I had to write to show my interest in the job, I wrote that I thought this job was custom made for me. When the woman who would be my boss called me for the interview she started off my telling me that she thought this job was custom made for me, too, and that she thought I’d be a perfect fit. Talking to her was so refreshing because she was so real. She has great energy and spirit, and I think we’d work well together. She wants me to come in and meet the people I’d be working with, which is a great sign. I’m 98% sure that they’re going to offer me this position, and I am tickled pink. This is my top choice of the positions I’ve seen, and I really hope I get it.
• CBCB told me that because her father travels 3 weeks out of the month for work, he’s going to be able to get us free hotel rooms and a free rental car for our trip back east this summer for CTLB’s wedding! What luck! This is going to be a huge savings, because we would’ve been spending at least $400 each in hotel rooms for the week. Now this allows me to spend that money on doing some fun things while in Boston/CT, and I can’t wait. I told CBCB that BeachGirly and I would definitely buy CBCB’s dad a nice gift certificate as a thank you for being so generous.
• In other east coast trip news, last week CBCB had to fly to Massachusetts unexpectedly for her uncle’s funeral. It was so sad, but one of the bright sides was that she got to reconnect with lots of her cousins who live in the area. The cousins were very excited to hear about our plans for the trip back east and said we could stay with them the week after the wedding. So, it looks like CBCB and I will be able to go to Rhode Island, Cape Cod, Stamford CT, and another town in Massachusetts (I can’t remember the name). Beachgirly won’t be able to join us because she’ll be leaving a bit earlier, but she’s going to be going to visit friends in NYC the week before, so she’ll have a great time on her solo part of the trip before joining us. This whole trip is something that I’ve been looking forward to for so long, and now it’s going to be even better than I imagined.

I felt like I had hit the jackpot yesterday with all of the great things that happened. It was such a nice feeling to know that so many things were going right.

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Got the January blahs? I’ve got just the thing for you…

Today we’re having our first major rainstorm of the year.  And this isn’t just any little rainstorm.  The winds are about 35-40 mph with heavy rains.  I woke up at least 3 times last night because of the wind and the sound of tree branches falling all over the place. Wild, I tell you.

I love the rain, and love to be inside during a storm, but some of you out there may be feeling a bit of the winter blahs, right?

Well, I’ve got just the thing for you.  Go to Geggie’s blog and enter her Pay It Forward contest.   Be sure to tell her who referred you.  I love the idea of a Pay it Forward contest, because it just spreads good karma.  Plus, it seems like a great way to get your blog out there for people to see and comment on.  So many people “lurk” on blogs but few ever take the time to write a comment.

So, take a few moments and go enter the contest.  While you’re at it, why don’t you leave a comment or two on my blog, too!!

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