Meet Me on Monday

 

Java is inviting us to join into her blog hop! Here is what she says about "Meet Me On Monday" :

 

Welcome to the 33rd edition of "Meet Me On Monday!"


Blogging is a funny thing...we tell our most intimate thoughts for all to read and yet most of the time I find myself sitting and wondering, "who is this person!?" I know them...but yet I don't know them! I want to know who the person is behind all those words so I thought of a great way for all of us to "meet" each other!

So time to answer her questions:

Questions:

1. What do you put on your hot dog? Without a doubt - mustard, ketchup and lots of onions. I LOVE hot dogs. My favorite hotdog of all time is a Nuway Hotdog. You can only get them in Middle Georgia.

2. Do you play Sudoku? Uh... no. Doesn't it involve math? Count me out. Numbers are not my thing. Unless it is my paycheck. :-)

3. What is your favorite vegetable? A Potato. Maybe it's the irish in me, maybe it's the starchy goodness.. but I love them. Not to sound like Bubba from Forrest Gump - but I like them: boiled, fried, peeled, steamed, scattered smothered and covered......

4. Do you color your hair? Ummm.. yeah. I do. Guilty as charged. Once every 6 weeks. If not, I would be salt & pepper. I am totally serious. I am a lot older than you may think. ;-)

5. What is your favorite brand of clothing? Hmm.. well, if I were super skinny and had a few extra zeros in my bank account.. I would love Prada, Dolce & Gabbana.. but for now, I will stick with my tops from DKNY, and my jeans from LEI. My two favorite articles of clothing are one of each. :-)

Okay.
Want to try this? Link up, answer the quesitons. But before you leave - drop me some comment love and click that little tab on the right under google friend connect.

THANKS!

Last Sunday

It finally hit me last night. No really - it hit me.

I have been telling everyone I am actually excited about the egyptian moving to NYC.. (well, to be perfectly honest.. he has been a jackass the past week or two.)

But the truth is...

It sucks.

Because THIS time.. I am not sure when we will see each other again.

That sucks.

Yes, we have plans to reconnect in NYC. Or if a miracle happened and I was able to land an amazing job (I don't expect that to happen.) Heck, I'm really not even trying.

Why? Because there was one little thing the egyptian told me..

I asked him, "Hey - are you taking all of your things?" He replied, "No, I am only taking my winter clothes, nothing else."

Hmm..

Perhaps he just wants to get it out of his system. Perhaps he just wants to save a little money.

He changed his tone after I mentioned (about a week or so ago) - that worse case scenario, he could always stay up there through spring, save all of his money - come back and he would have enough for a car. He replied, "Yeah.. that's a good idea."

Yep, it was THAT easy.

See, it's not that I DON'T want to live there. I think it would be waaaay cooler than awesome. But I DON'T want to move up there and be.. well.. poor. The cost of living is ridiculous and the job market is extremely competitive. I'm for it.. just not now.

I have a different plan in my head. Which I will reveal in due time. But for now... we will wait and see.

That takes me back to my moment of truth last night. I went to bed before him, and just lay there staring at the ceiling. Suddenly two tears just rolled down my cheeks (really more off to the side of my head, since I was laying on my back.)

Yes, he can be an a$$hole. But he is my a$$hole.

:-)

Just another day.. another dollar!

Today was the day of the BIG Go Red For Women Connection Event.. this is me (with very little sleep) about to head to the event

My coworkers - Laura, Paige, Aaron & Jamie

They were handling registration

This little person is Kalee Dionne - she is actually the morning Meteorologist on CBS 42

Kalee is an amazing volunteer for us!

Kalee with Aaron (our VP of Development)

This woman shared her story with us - She Goes Red for her granddaughter (who has already had 2 open heart surgeries.)

PJ is one of my volunteer spokespeople and survivor. (Her story is in the video below)

This lady drove all of the way from Jackson Mississippi to share her story. Her husband dropped dead from a heart attack at 46.. she has 4 daughter and does not want them to ever have to suffer.

This woman was 25 when she had a double bypass/heart attack. 15 years later - she sits right here, hoping to be selected as one of our national spokespeople.

CBS 42 came out to cover some of the stories

Marcia with CW21 passing out goodies

The "team"

Laura, me and Jamie - taking a moment to BREATHE.

Laura is going to have a baby - this is Veda Jane (waiting to be born!) Laura goes red for her!

The one in the chair is my intern. She stopped by with some of her friends.

Just us - relaxing..

Later - I popped over to the Party Hearty - a Zumba charity event to benefit Go Red For Women. It was put together by my Zumba friends/instructors.

PJ and her husband joined in on the fun!

ZUMBA!

Meg giving the rundown on Zumba

Zumba is a national partner with Go Red For Women

Each year gets better and better!



PJ sharing her story







Remember me telling you about my SUPER energetic Colombian instructor? That's her with the bandanna on the left.. her side kick next to her is my other instructor. Cristina & Ashita)



Where ever you live - please try to find a Zumba class or a Go Red Connection event!

No Way in.. No Way out..

Looks like things have heated up to the point in Egypt, that there is no traveling to the area. For US citizens in the country, they are urging them to not leave their hotels.

Crazy.

I know for most of you, this does not mean anything at all. I get it, when I hear about far away places that I have no connections to, it is hard to feel a little freaked.

My husband spoke to his mother on their "land line" this morning. They are worried about violence and how the government will react. Rightfully so. Alexandria is one of the cities that they are asking even the residents to stay inside.

For more information - http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_5256.html

If you are the praying kind, keep our family in your prayers. If you are the activist kind - feel free to visit Amnesty International for ways to write a letter to the Egyptian government.

For more information:

Egyptian Revolution

In case you do not follow the news (which, honestly - when I ask people if they have heard about this, they say.. no.) - Egypt is embarking on it's own little Revolution.

They are taking their country back, and trying to overthrow their dictator, Mubarek, that has been in power for 30 years. 

At first, this news made me a little uneasy. People will die, innocent victims may loose their homes, you know.. basic "war" stuff. Because folks, that what this is - a

civil war. Now, you may be thinking - so what. Yeah.. but my family is there. My in-laws, and many people who have become good friends with me.

I am excited that FINALLY the country came together to take a stand against the government. (If only now the WOMEN would come together and take a stand against the men.. lol)

I am going to cut and paste a story about yesterday's protests - and catch you guys up. The most amazing thing - it all started with Facebook. Seriously:
(From Yahoo News)

Police fought with thousands of Egyptians who defied a government ban on Wednesday to protest against President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year-old rule, firing rubber bullets and tear gas and dragging away demonstrators.


In central Cairo, demonstrators burned tires and hurled stones at police. In Suez, protesters torched a government building as protests intensified in other parts of the country.



Two people died in Cairo as protests unfolded but security officials contradicted each other on the circumstances. One told reporters a protester and a policeman were killed in clashes. But another official later said they died in a traffic accident.


The scenes, rare in a tightly run nation with a fragmented opposition movement, follow the overthrow two weeks ago of another long-serving Arab strongman, Tunisian leader Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, in a popular revolt.

Emboldened by the Tunisian uprising and frustrated by corruption, poverty and repression, protesters in Egypt have demanded that the 82-year-old Mubarak step down.



"The people want the regime to fall," they chanted. On Tuesday, the first day of rallies known as the "Day of Wrath" among activists, three protesters and a policeman were killed.



Security forces have arrested about 500 demonstrators over the two days, an Interior Ministry source said. Witnesses said officers, some in civilian clothes, hauled away people and bundled them into unmarked vans. They beat some with batons.

The coordinated protests were unlike anything witnessed in Egypt -- one of the United States' closest Middle East allies -- since Mubarak, a former air force commander, came to power in 1981 after President Anwar Sadat was assassinated by Islamists.

Trade Minister Rachid Mohamed Rachid canceled a trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos. He gave no reason.


Police fired shots into the air near the central Cairo court complex, witnesses said. In another area, they drove riot trucks into a crowd of about 3,000 people to force them to disperse.



One anonymous protester in Cairo told Reuters: "The main tactic now is we turn up suddenly and quickly without a warning or an announcement. That way we gain ground."



Prominent reform campaigner Mohamed ElBaradei, who lives in Vienna, has decided to return to Egypt on Thursday, his brother said. Baradei, formerly head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog authority, is a vocal advocate of political change. But the exact purpose of his trip was not clear.



TWITTER AND PROTESTS

Social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook have been a key means of communications for the protesters. Egyptians complained Facebook and Twitter were subsequently blocked, but many accessed them via proxies. The government denied any role.



Showing their determination to continue, a new Facebook group was created calling for a weekend protest on Friday. It secured 18,000 supporters within hours. A Facebook spokesman in London said it had not seen any major changes in traffic from Egypt. Twitter confirmed its site was blocked on Tuesday.



The United States said Egypt, the most populous Arab state, was still a "close and important ally." But U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also urged the government to allow peaceful protests and not to block the social networking sites.



"We believe strongly that the Egyptian government has an important opportunity at this moment in time to implement political, economic and social reforms to respond to the legitimate needs and interests of the Egyptian people," she said.



Analysts said the United States probably wants to avoid adding to political uncertainty by abandoning Mubarak. Egypt's peaceful if chilly relationship with Israel is, for Washington, a bulwark of stability in the unsettled region.



Elections are due to be held in September but few had doubted that Mubarak would remain in control or bring in a successor in the shape of his 47-year-old son Gamal.


"Mubarak never experienced this level of public anger and such a rejection of his legitimacy in 30 years of power," said analyst Issandr El Amrani. "This looks quite bad for him."



Father and son both deny that Gamal is being groomed for the job but the Egyptian street does not believe them.
 "Gamal, tell your father that Egyptians hate you," protesters yelled in Cairo on Wednesday.

POLITICAL DEMANDS

Hundreds of demonstrators had gathered early on Wednesday outside the morgue in Suez, at the southeastern end of the canal which links the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean. They demanded the release of the body of a protester killed there on Tuesday.



"The government has killed my son," the Suez protesters chanted outside the morgue. "Oh Habib, tell your master, your hands are soiled with our blood," they said, referring to Interior Minister Habib al-Adli.


Hundreds also gathered outside Cairo's journalists' union. Police beat some with batons when they tried to break a cordon and protesters on buildings threw stones at police below.

Demands posted on Facebook included the resignation of Mubarak and Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif, the dissolution of parliament and formation of a national unity government.


The prime minister said the government was committed to allowing freedom of expression by legitimate means and said police in Tuesday's demonstrations had acted with restraint.



Egypt's population of 80 million is growing by 2 percent a year. About 60 percent of the population -- and 90 percent of the unemployed -- are under 30 years old. About 40 percent live on less than $2 a day, and a third are illiterate.



Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, a former Egyptian foreign minister, said reform was needed to address Arab citizens' demands for better lives.



"The Arab citizen is angry and we feel broken as citizens. Reform is the name of the game, and reform has to happen now all over the Arab world," Moussa told Reuters in Davos.



Investors fretted over the instability. Egypt's stock market, shut on Tuesday for a holiday, fell 6 percent on Wednesday, the Egyptian pound hit a six-year low against the U.S. dollar and the cost of insuring Egyptian debt against default rose.

(Additional reporting by Dina Zayed, Marwa Awad, Sarah Mikhail, Tom Pfeiffer and Patrick Werr; Writing by Angus MacSwan, Edmund Blair and Maria Golovnina; Editing by Alastair Macdonald)

Concentrating on the Happy Things

From time to time, I take stock of the best things in my life. You know, the items that make me smile, bring me comfort, or brighten my day.

Since I am terribly busy these day, and super stressed about the change in living conditions, and can't think of a single thing to write about (outside of cardiovascular disease and stroke) - I would make a list.

Lists make me happy. I can also control it a little better. Plus, if I see the number heading toward 20, I know it's time to slow down and wrap things up.

So - without any more delay, here is my

Top List of Happy Things/Moments in my life - Version January 2011

1. My laptop desk. It is black, has an attached clip board, and the bottom is made just like a little beanbag. I bought it at Barnes and Noble as a Christmas gift (for myself.)

2. My snuggie. I actually got a snuggie for Christmas from my younger sister. The color is coral (a color I would not normally pick out) - but it works for me. It is sooo soft, and I am always wrapped up in it when I am at home.

3. My new glasses. I LOVE the frames. That are super cute, and I see so much better now.

4. My Zebra pillow. It is HUGE and fluffy and works great as something to lounge on when I am reading or watching movies on my computer. As soon as the egyptian leaves for NYC, that baby is coming to bed with me!!

5. Balsamic Vinegar. I put it on everything. I literally purchase items to poor it over to eat. LOL

6. My Mary Jane's. (Black shoes.) I found some cute ones by Naturalizer (of all brands) and they are sooo comfortable and cute.

7. Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks. I can't help it. ;-)

8. My blog and my blog followers. I really and truly look forward to your comments. It makes my day. I begin to believe I am actually 'connecting' with others.

9. Zumba. If you have not taken a class - please find one- http://zumba.com/

10. My scarf collection. I dread the winter months leaving us - I don't want to part with them. Winter ends down here around the end of February.. (literally starts getting warm) - It makes me sad to part with my scarves.

11. My niece. That little devil makes me laugh.

12. My VW Beetle. Fun little toy car to drive.

13. My ipod. Still.

14. My Nikon.

15. My laptop.

16. My coffee maker (a gift from Lisa DeHart) for my wedding.

17. My stacked coffee mugs

18. My twisted sense of humor.

19. My fabulous, quirky, menagerie of friends

20. Finally - my belief in God.. and his super cool son - Jesus.

Thelma & Louise Hit the Road

"Thelma: You said you 'n' me was gonna get out of town and for once just really let our hair down. Well darlin', look out 'cause my hair is comin' down! "

That's right my dears, Nicole (aka Thelma) is going to be hitting the road soon and it will be a good old-fashioned Tour de Delta. My side kick Telisa (aka Louise) has nicknamed our trip "Down With Love," since we are going sans men.

Yes, my dear egyptian flies the coop on Feb 5th, and just a little over week after that I have a business trip. (Did I mention a birthday?) Yes - my birthday is February 16th, and I am very fond of celebrations for everyone.. including myself. This year not only will I be alone, but I have to work. Yes - WORK. Our Research Reception is that evening.

You can imagine a week or so ago I thought the situation was hopeless,  that I would be lonely, no birthday cake or hug or presents AND I have to go to an adult science fair. Geez... Then I found out I have a business trip the very next day...

Hmmm.. That's President's Day weekend.. and guess who is off? My dearest friend for the past 27 years?? Yes - Telisa. Sooo.. she is hoping to drive up on my birthday or early the next morning and join me on this little trip down the coast.

I have meetings in Pensacola, Florida & Mobile, Alabama. THEN we are heading over to New Orleans on Friday and driving right back here on Saturday night.

I told Telisa - we need a theme. She came up with - "Down With Love" - and I added a Tour de Delta... and now.. an overall cast of characters of Thelma (the married one) and Louise (the free loving single girl) - and off we go!


The funny part is - we want a "Down With Love" scavenger hunt. Seriously. I made a joke about us being Thelma & Louise, and she said - sure  - if Brad Pitt is there. I said - that's it - we will find a Brad Pitt stand in and take a pic with him in NOLA... then the idea was born - a SCAVENGER HUNT.

So here is the itinerary:
Pensacola, Florida on Thursday - Mobile for 1/2 the day on Friday - New Orleans the rest of Friday- New Orleans on Saturday (and don't forget, we drive THRU Mississippi) and head back to Birmingham, AL. (She is coming from Georgia.) What I would LOVE - is ideas for the scavenger hunt - from YOU! What we plan to do is take the pictures in each location (as many as we can) and post each night - HERE.

YOU can help us go on this adventure.
What we need is crazy stuff (within reason) - like in New Orleans: Go to the Crescent City Brewhouse on Decatur Street and have your picture made underneath the 'Oyster Bar' sign. (Maybe add - eating an oyster or holding on...) Or even having a Hurricane at Pat O'Brien's (home of the first Hurricane.) Silly stuff like that.

Here is where we need ideas for:
Pensacola, Florida
Mobile, Alabama
Somewhere along I-10 in Mississippi
New Orleans, LA
Birmingham, AL

Come up with good stuff - or insane stuff like - filling out an employment application at a bowling alley, or finding the craziest hat... all of these to be documented through pictures.

How fun.. right?

I mean.. with all of the stress I am under.. if we don't have the scavenger hunt - it could very well end up like THIS. (Make sure to click that link.)

Send me your ideas in the comment section or email me!!

Growing Up

Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. ~Samuel Ullman

This is me, my mom and my sister - circa 1977. I totally dig my shirt!

One of my favorite things was for my dad to push me around in a wheel barrow. I am on the left, my friend on the right. This is our front yard. Doesn't my dad look like a hillbilly? LOL

/

I loved trying to mimic my dad. Here I am "holding the baby" sitting in my chair and smoking my dad's pipe. Where is social services? Also - what's up with the evil doll?

Here is my very pregnant mom (dressed in toile) with a child witch. (Me!)

My dad was teaching me how to drive at a very young age.

I was CRAZY for yoga balls at a young age. LOL Check out the furniture! LOL

Sultry Nicole in Stripper shoes.

The apple of my eye - my papa and I - I am not sure what we are doing.. but I am very interested.

I am screaming - GOAT CHEESE.. please!!!

My Zen moment - stopping to smell the gardenias. The dog pin is behind me. LOL

On my mom's side of the family - my cousins. (all are 3rd cousins or 2nd cousins - since my mom is an only child.)

I am in the front on the right - not smiling. My sister has on the jazzy red pants. That is my great grandmother.

This is my cousin Cathy and I at my Granny's house. This was the LAST sandwich I ever ate with mayo.. long, traumatic story.

Getting that Christmas love from my mommy

Sooo.. my birthday is two days after Valentines Day - sooo.. I get lots of heart paper! LOL My cousin Cathy is looking over my shoulder.

Six Flags in Atlanta - my dad, me, my cousin cathy, and my great grandmother - Granny!

Did I mention I am a flirt?

I do know how to share - with my mommy

I was really wanting to climb! My dad was trying to teach me how.

Another birthday - again, with cousin cathy right by my side.

I suppose I wanted to show off my Mickey Ears and Gardenia

Here is the proud older sister (me) with my little sister - Heather

Easter time - with Dad in the fly 70's suit with my little sister. Don't you just LOVE my dress?

Here I am demonstrating the proper use of eye lash curlers

At my house again - this time - my papa (mom's dad), me, my cousin cathy, my great grandmother, then the back row has my grandma (mom's mom) and Great Aunt Willie-Mae (Cathy's mom)

Me and Papa skating together. He was my heart

I hate those type of smiles little kids give and apparently, I did it to.

I tried on my Mrs. Beasley glasses - hanging in dad's chair

At my grandparent's house- dressing up in plastic crap!

With my dad at a Halloween party. I suppose I am a princess.. he is a pirate or gypsy.

Check out my cool cap

I LOVED my red tricycle

I suppose I am 5 here (possibly 78)

Just me.. chilling..

Another birthday - with my cousin. THIS time - an etch-a-sketch. Would someone please get me one for my 38th birthday? I loved that thing!

What? You don't like my look?

The moment I fell in love with my bike!

I am guessing this is my birthday ... loved my toys! I was saying - stay away! These are mine!

My dad was a milk man.. I wanted to be just like him.

I was telling my neighbor - "Whatever, BOY. I have 3 wheels b/c I am cool.. your two wheels are soooo lame."

What is THAT?

At my grandparent's home - I was saying.. "Uh hello... I AM THE PRINCESS." Yeah.. I did not warm up to my sister... well.. ever, actually. hahahhaaa

The fam. Check out my single pocket look. It's coming back - just wait.

Lord have mercy. I look like some little redneck kid - bare foot, no pants and my mickey ears (which btw - were my idea of wearing a hat.)

Little Piggy.

I think is our official first family pic done professionally

At our home... Our house was very "gothic" and dark. LOL

That's me with my dog Rebel. He loved me.

I was 6 and in my first ballet - Alice in Wonderland. I played the part of a butterfly

I suppose I road my bike in the living room too. LOL

Nap Time

My first roller coaster with my dad!

At my Grandparent's house. My Great grandmother, grandmother and grandfather (mom's side.)

Watch out bitches!

7 year's old - Ballet - Pinocchio - I was a Maid of Pleasure Island. Check out that point! LOL

Watch as I color my eggs.. geez..

LOVE dad's shirt lOL

I am Queen of the World!

Finally - my playboy pose. LOL Look at my sister - she is still a monkey

"Kids: they dance before they learn there is anything that isn't music." ~William Stafford