Tequila and Salt

I didn't really have anything special in mind for today's post, but I received this from a dear friend and thought it might be fitting for today. I'm not a fan of email forwards, but found that some of this 'advice' does indeed make my day a bit brighter...enjoy! (comments in green are from me)
~K

Tequila and Salt

1. There are at least two people in this world

that you would die for.

2. At least 15 people in this world

love you in some way.

3. The only reason anyone would ever hate you

is because they want to be just like you.

4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone,

even if they don't like you.
(smiles are contagious)

5. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you

before they go to sleep.

6. You mean the world to someone.

7. You are special and unique.
(there is only one ME)

8. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.

9. When you make the biggest mistake ever,

something good comes from it.
(lessons come from the strangest places)

10 When you think the world has turned its back on you

take another look.

11 Always remember the compliments you received.

Forget about the rude remarks.
(harder than it sounds)

When life hands you Lemons,

ask for Tequila and Salt !

Monday Madness

I thought I would try something new today - Monday Madness. I usually scan the news headlines and I typically enjoy some of the most off the wall stuff. It really amazes me what makes the news so here are a few of my favorites.





MSN and FoxNews reported on a traffic sign violation in Oak Lawn Ill. It seems, in an effort to get traffickers to stop they changed the 'stop' signs to other creative signs. "At the time, Heilmann said he thought the remarks would get motorists to pause, if for nothing else, to read the phrases." Did I miss something here-when I went thru drivers ed I was taught STOP ment I had to STOP at the sign, not just pause to read the word?! The signs are being replaced with more traditional signs.

• How would you like to answer your phone to find out that your dead? A woman in Massachusets received just that. "Someone played a cruel prank."

• Irony at it's best is when you pull into the parking lot with a "no parking" sign attached to your front bumper and have no idea how/when it got there. Perhaps you should not be driving either.

And because I absolutely LOVE these...Darwin Award for Monday May 5

37-year-old man was killed trying to cross the Manasota Key drawbridge on his motorcycle. Wearing only swim trunks and sneakers, the man was seen racing at high speed towards the gap as the bridge began to open.

Bridge designers had anticipated such lunacy and invented the crossing guard. The closing gates swept him off his Suzuki and over the side of the bridge, in the water and out of the gene pool. By a twist of fate, the motorcycle continued up the ramp and made it across to the other side!

Happy Cinco De Mio!

White Sangria (pictured above)

• 1 1/2 cups mixed colorful bite-size melon pieces
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 750-ml bottle crisp white wine
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 2 tablespoons Triple Sec
• 3/4 cup sparkling water
• Ice cubes
• Lime or starfruit slices
• Small mint sprigs

DIRECTIONS

Stir melon and sugar together in a large pitcher. Let stand for 15 to 30 minutes to draw out the juices. Just before serving, stir wine, brandy, Triple Sec (or other orange liqueur) and sparkling water (or club soda) into the pitcher. Add ice cubes to 6 glasses. Fill the glasses with the sangria, spooning some of the fruit into each glass. Garnish each drink with a slice of lime (or starfruit) and a sprig of mint.

Running

I ran another 5k today. I started running as a way to boost my mental image of myself, perhaps if I worked towards something and saw results I could get out of my funk. While I've been able to see results (and yes it boosts my mental perception of myself) it is all very short lived.

Maybe it's because of other things going on, I don't know, but lately I've felt very alone. It's a big world and the internet is vast, people everywhere, I can't even be alone in my own house but deep down I am so alone. I'm obviously dealing with something bigger than running and I'm sure it has more to do with other circumstances that I'm not ready to discuss here I just keep thinking if I get thru it it will go away. It doesn't.

Running away or running towards something else - have you ever run so far or so fast that you lost track of where you were going?

Relationship Growth

He cheated! Rebuilding a marriage rocked by infidelity was a headline on msn about a woman who's husband cheated on her with another woman who shared their social circle. It caught my attention as I've been struggling with my own trust issues. No, I'm not saying that my hub is cheating, but recently his ex has begun sending business his way...business that has them spending more time on the phone than before.

I feel silly for even thinking...I mean, this woman doesn't live in the same state as us, not to mention I know my husband loves me. What this did, however was get me thinking about my marriage and how far we've come from where we started(which was a rather questionable place to begin with.) The University of Missouri posted

"Most spouses start out full of hopes and dreams and are truly committed to making their marriage work. Yet as the reality of living with a less than perfect spouse sets in and the pressures of life build, many individuals feel less romantic and do not find as much satisfaction in their relationships."

Less than perfect, of course, we are human. We lead busy lives; both work full-time jobs(he also a has a side job from home), have two energetic daughters, attempt to socialize with friends, and sustain some type of hobby/sport/individual activity. This coupled with balancing a marriage can leave the best of us feeling beat sometimes. I love the hub, but ever since the birth of our second daughter I've felt like things are off kilter. I'm not sexy enough, I'm not focused enough, I'm not fun enough. If only I could be the girl I was 5 years ago then perhaps.....sadly enough I am not, nor will I ever be again.

What has happened is the relationship has changed, we've changed - we've grown. There have been moments where we've grown together and moments where we've grown apart, but we have always supported each other. UofM states that "positivity, empathy, commitment, acceptance and mutual love/respect are the keys to making marriage/relationships last. I agree, this is not always easy for us to do, but we have always been willing to work on it. That much is still true today.

I guess what I struggle with the most is accepting that he loves me for who I am today and not who I was back then.

What have you learned about/from your relationships?

New Beginnings

Today is my 2 year anniversary with blogging - I'm starting fresh, again. It all started two years ago, but I feel like my time has come to spread my wings a little and venture out, maybe even grow. Truth is, that in the past two years I've grown quite a bit, even when I thought I was standing still...I was in full motion.

My blog has watched my relationship blossom from that of a struggling/drowning relationship to a full fledged marriage. He is my best friend and my foundation, I could not imagine my life without him in it. My blog has been filled with the many trials and tribulations that come being a first time parent. Although, I don't believe being a parent for the second (or third, fourth, etc) time become any easier. It's been there for my daughters first day of school, for new jobs, new friends, and even the birth of my second child.

It hasn't always been good - together we've shared the pain of betrayal, the insecurities of being a single parent, the pain of learning to let go and move forward, fear of not being able to control circumstances and just simply - the unknown. No, it has not always been easy to share my thoughts so openly, but for each small step I've grown.

I've learned in the past 2 years that I am not always right, that hind sight really is 20/20, trust is a precious thing that can easily be broken but love can heal. I've learned that giving in does not always equal giving up, that to let the past go you have to acknowledge it's existance, holding a grudge hurts yourself more than you realize and that letting go is harder than saying "I forgive you."

I don't have anymore clarity for what the future holds than I had when I started this such a short while ago, I do however, understand that I am human and I will make mistakes, I will stumble, I will get up, keep going and sometimes, I too, will succeed. There are no guarantees in life, today is my now and I should embrace it because who knows what tomorrow might bring.

So here's to new beginnings...may the next few years be as exciting, adventurous, revealing and overall insightful as the last!
~K