Stepping Out

Just wanted to let you know - in case you're actually paying attention over here (lol) that I will not be posting until Monday.

Ya see......my friend is in town.......and I have real live plans........and none of them include a computer!!

But I've still got so much to share so I'll be back on Monday!!

Have a great weekend. I'm planning on it!!!

Brief Note

In case there was any doubt in your mind.....I have 3 goals for this upcoming election.

1) Boxer - OUT

2) Meg Whitman - IN

3) Pelosi - OUT


Oh, there's a lot more I'd *like* to see happen, but if these three pan out?

Yeah......I'll be one happy Californian.**


**something I never EVER dreamed would ever be typed by my fingers.....

I'm starting to see a pattern....

So I had a great weekend last weekend. Seriously. Well, other than having to work Sunday night, but that almost doesn't even register on the "ruin my weekend" scale.

I forgot how much I like to have fun. That's just silly.

This morning I wake up to a the ringing phone. It was a dear friend of mine from Orlando. She's HERE! In Orange County! For 3 whole weeks!!!

Now, she's here for business but she has all of this coming weekend off. And guess what? So do I! Huh.....imagine that.

So, I'll be heading to San Clemente after work on Friday. Saturday will probably be the San Diego Zoo and Sunday? Who knows.....who cares?!?!? We will be together. 2 ladies that have been to hell and back - and a lot of that together.

We have a lot to catch up on, and a lot of memories to rehash. I can hardly wait.

Huh....that will make two pretty great weekends in a row........do you see what I see?

Mama Vi........she still has it!

Wanted to let everyone know that Mama Vi is doing well. She's still just as full of life as ever. She's just a little bored and lonely.

It's hard being so far away. I have to really work to remind myself that I need to call, that she wants to hear what's going on at work. In my life.

I called her Saturday morning from Vegas. She was so mad at me.....seems time had gotten away from me and I hadn't talked to her for about a week. Oops.

So I caught her up on my personnel issues, my travels and my plans. She was amazing.

Full of ideas and suggestions. Words of wisdom and advice. It was a fantastic conversation.

It really brought it home for me. I need to remember that she is the person responsible for who I am today, what I do. I learned this from her! And despite the fact that she may not be a spring chicken anymore, she is still the best resource I have, the strongest support system.

She is.....Mama Vi. One of the most amazing women I've ever met.

Oh - and she said to tell everyone "Hi!"

Livin' The Dream

I love that my employer is now "into" social media. It gives me the freedom to talk about some amazing things we have going on.

And, IMHO, the Pepsi Dream Machine is pretty damned amazing. It's not just about recycling. No....it does a lot more than that.

By utilizing the Pepsi Dream Machine you are not just helping the environment, you're giving our wounded military heroes an opportunity to start a new life. You give them hope. You make their dreams come true.

That's right - a portion of the money made from this process goes to EVB - a program that trains Veterans how to start their own business.

I know not everyone has facebook - but here's the link to their page, in case you do...

And if you don't, or you're too busy to click over, here's an ad from YouTube. Meanwhile - spread the word. Talk about this. It's easy, it's smart, it's a GOOD THING!!!!

I won't kid you - the environmental benefits are a side note to me. Yeah, it's good to recycle. But my main excitement comes from knowing I'm doing SOMETHING for our Veterans.

Let There Be Light

Wow. It's been a while....again, hasn't it? But man oh man oh man has it been eventful. Let me tell you.......

I went up to Chicago and got to sneak in a quick visit with Mama Vi and the family. Cuz even flew up to Chicago and met up with me at the airport. We got that drive back and forth for some quality time that was much needed by both of us. Shopping - with people - cooking, laughing. All very much needed by this weary woman.

Then, not home 2 weeks and I had a quick trip to Palm Springs. It was business but I found a new place I want to run away too. The best part? The quiet. I got to spend a few minutes, sitting on my private balcony, drinking coffee and grabbing a smoke with the sun shining on my face. It was AMAZING.

A couple of huge wins at work then an overnite trip to Vegas to help out Cooking with the Troops at BlogWorld Expo. Spent time with some amazing folks and really started to realize myself. I laughed. I drank. I shared my passion for our Military - and my company as it happens.

I was thrilled to see PepsiCo was a major sponsor for this event. Went over to the booth, talked to the young lady working and let her know how much I'd love to help with this project. Got a few irons in the fire, so we'll see where that leads.

All in all, it's been a pretty great month. And....as if that's not enough, a dear friend will be in Orange County for about 3 weeks so we'll get some quality time together.

So, let's see - time with family, time working and focusing on Soldier's Angels and CWWT, a chance to laugh and enjoy the company of some amazing folks. All Good. All needed so very much.

And it's really made me realize something. I found my passion again. Passion for something other than hitting plan or keeping the trucks on the road. Passion for the stand my employer is making in this world - a passion I can share freely. Passion for our Military and those who support them. My friends and family.....my HEAVENS how I've missed them.

I even made a few connections that will help me do more in this world to fight domestic violence.

Talk about a reawakening.

Long time over due. Long time. I feel alive. I couldn't sleep last night for all I want to say. And Do. And share.

It's amazing. And wonderful. And exciting. I have all these ideas - and really can't wait to share them all with you..........

I think I've finally had a REAL live break thru. And after 21 months of "I hate it here" and another 9 months of "I need a job" I may actually be back to my old self - but this time with new things to say!!!

Celebrate!!!

Wow. What a week I've had. And I had to think last night as I "celebrated" how different life is from a couple of years ago. Back then, I'd have had y'all along every step of the way. Now, as I keep saying, everything is different. I can't Tell All anymore.

But I can sure as hell recap. LOL.

We've had a pretty decent year so far. Overall. Oh, we've struggled to hit plan, and there has been some serious personnel issues. But I had this vision. I knew we'd get thru. The main issue was it wasn't happening as quickly as "They" wanted. Well, that and we'd fix one thing and take our eye off of something simple and basic.

Picture nailing your foot to the wall and trying to move forward. Yeah......I've discovered a new threshold in my ability to deal with frustration.

Anyway - We're now at plan. And kickin' the shit out of that number every single week. Are we doing everything right? No. But again, it's better every day.

So, this week. This week was all about 2011. I had to present my plan for next year to upper management. Now, in this case plan is tactical, not number centric. It's a pretty big deal. And for someone how doesn't like to make empty promises, more than a little nerve wracking. But it's also something I really believe in. Plan your work, work your plan. It's just the whole putting it all down on paper part that unnerves me.

But I did it. And the presentation went better than I ever expected. They asked a lot of questions - and I had answers. Clear, insightful answers. And I had examples of what makes me believe it's not just possible but probable.

And I made it not easy but possible. Something we can actually execute. That's important.

So yesterday I gave myself a bit of a break. Didn't make myself crazy. It was nice. Then I left at 5:00 - another treat - and did a bit of shopping. While I was pickin' up a few things at Target my phone rang. It was one of my favorite people in life calling to tell me that all he'd heard ALL DAY was what a fantastic job I did at my presentation. There's no way I can explain what a huge surprise that was for me. And how important it is in my overall career plan.

But here's the yicky part. My celebration that I treated myself to? Yeah, I called Mama Vi and had a bowl of Lucky Charms. I wanted to go out for a nice dinner, some kick ass drinks and a REAL celebration.

That's the worst part of being out here. When things do go well, when there is something to really celebrate, I'm sorta shit out of luck.

I hate that. I'm so over that I can't even begin to tell you how much I hate it.

But - there's got to be a balance. An up and a down. A ying and a yang.

I just don't like that yang so much.

So we'll just celebrate now. I had a GREAT week. A career making week. A KICK ASS week.

This is a song I just love. Not the happiest of songs, but every damned time I hear it, it puts a smile on my face and gets me moving. So because of that - today I make it my celebration song!

Come on - dance with me........