Rap Melody by Aries Spears

DANG!!!!!!!! You go Aries Spears! This video was forwarded to me by a friend who ironically enough isn't even into this kind of music...hahaha! Thanks Tisha!

If I Had My Life to Live Over - by Erma Bombeck

(written after she found out she was dying from cancer).

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner." There would have been more "I love you's" More "I'm sorry's."

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute...look at it and really see it .. . live it and never give it back. STOP SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF!!!

Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more, or who's doing what. Instead, let's cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us. Let's think about what God HAS blessed us with , and what we are doing each day to promote ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally. I hope you have a blessed day.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

"We all have so many things to be thankful for! Hoping we can all see them shine through any difficult times we may be having and know that God has a greater plan for each and every one of us!:)"

this was a quote from an email a friend sent me....definitely needed to hear this this week...thanks amanda!

thankful

i think it's pretty cool that there is 1 day every year devoted to the people and things in life that we should be thankful for. you would think that because it is every year that we would be thankful for the same things over and over again...but that's not entirely true. i believe that although there are a few things that remain constant throughout each year, there are different reasons that come up for why we are thankful for either that person or thing.

i'm thankful....

....for the man who has been my hubby for the last 5.5+ yrs, mybest friend for the last 17+ yrs and my soulmate for the last 24+ yrs. (all the same man, mind you!) i have truly tested his patience in 2006 and look...he's still around! hahaha

...for my good little boy whose smile brightens up every morning and makes me proud to be a mommy. he has grown into this little man in a short period of time!

...for my parents (whose anniversary is today) and siblings that have been and continue to be soooooooooooooooooooooo supportive in everything we have done, especially this year!

...for our friends, near and far, who keep us laughing, who we have learned everything from "9 and 1" to the do's and dont's of parenting, the same friends that keep us busy on weekends and that give us reason to drive all over northern california...=)

...for my PP girls, who keep me young and on my toes

...for the new friends that i've made in the recent years that actually seem like we've known each other forever

...for the roof we have over our heads, the food present at our table, the cars so that we have a means to get around and the jobs that we have so that we can have the roof, food and cars =)

....and most importantly...we are thankful for having God in our life and in our hearts.

everyday contains a blessing and is a blessing...be thankful.

naive about the people in this world

i've been told many times that you should trust no one but yourself. i chose to look the other way and gave people the benefit of the doubt, whether it be friends or strangers. in most cases, it is a positive thing but on occasion you run across a situation where it's not. some people may think i grew up sheltered and unaware of my surroundings...naive in the notion that somewhere, somehow you will get burned by someone. i learned that lesson recently and am not really sure how to handle it or how to feel. i can take blame in the portion that was my fault but why do people do the things they do?

my mom, a very sensitive and very wise woman tells me that no matter what to always look for the good in people. if they choose to go the wrong route and hurt you in some way, that they get what they deserve later. her words to me this morning...."whatever they have taken from you, you will get back one day" i translate it even further to mean...."not necessarily in the form that it was taken but justice for the principle that was violated..." ....i believe her....

it's friday!

yippee! omg, it feels like it's been the weirdest week! hubby's back from business, just picked him up from the airport and man, where is he now? golfing with his buddies! does that sound right? it's ok, no hard feelings..we were suppose to hang out for the rest of the day but then i had to go back to work to finish some stuff up.

i've accomplished quite a bit this week especially with ramel being away. my good friend, wena reminded me that the days do go by fast because you get so much done while your spouse is away...things seem to take less time to complete! she was right! you prioritize better i guess because it's just you dealing with the work, the house, the kid(s). the cutest thing had to be tj repeatedly asking me "daddy on errplane, mommy?" and that i shouldn't be scared because he's there to protect me...awww, i mean seriously right? =)

so i'm taking a quick break from work right now. we had a huge turkey feast brought in and i'm seriously ready for a nap! most of my coworkers are vegetarian so it's been interesting to see alternatives to the traditional thanksgiving feast. either way you go, the grub was yum!

instant messaging

don't cha just love IM? some don't, some do...i totally DO! it's the fastest way to get a hold of anyone just to share a quick update, a funny joke or just to bug the s--- out of them cuz you're hella bored! thank goodness my work doesn't block it, otherwise...aack!

i do have a few friends that have found a way around it though by using something called MEEBO (www.meebo.com) i think they said that it's kind of similar to trillian. having IM has been great, i know to some it's distracting but if you know how to hide your windows it actually isn't. maybe it's more of a preference, do you really want to be that accessible or would you rather lay low and get back to people when you're ready? i guess in that case i can see the point.

for the most part, i enjoy using it...my IM buddies keep me entertained on a daily basis!

hmmm...

...ok so now what? hahaha!

when i was younger i kept a diary. i was religious in writing in it but hated my handwriting the whole time! i eventually stopped for that reason. yeah, lame i know! at last though, a solution...blogs!

i know i'm like way behind in starting one of these but this is a little different right? with a diary you can write and hide it away somewhere secret and no one would know unless they were helping you clean your room or something. with a blog, it's sooooo public and the thought about people reading about what's going on in my life seemed a little scary at first. but then i realized that aside from being a great outlet for what seems to be tons of random thoughts going through my head these past few months, it is also a great tool for friends and family to keep them posted on what's going on in elle's world. =)

i get to share my thoughts with whoever is interested in reading about them and even those who say they're not interested but really are! (yeah, you know who you are - if you don't, i'm sure it will eventually spill into a future post...hahaha) who knows, you may occasionally see updates about our online business, Precious Paperie too!

so here it is, my first blog entry..it was painless :)...and at least i don't have to worry about my handwriting anymore!