Good Morning!! What a beautiful weekend we had. Being that my job is seasonal, and very flexible, I can work as many hours as I want, pretty much when I want including weekends. This weekend I decided to take advantage of the nice weather on Saturday, and get the yard work done. We had one large and one small rock garden that we completely cleared out. So this weekend I did the small one and planted more grass. I watered the other section at the end of the day, and still nothing was happening. Sunday morning I went out to water it again, and sure enough, we’ve got grass!! It literally starts growing over night, so amazing. See FROM THE CAMERA below. Well it’s pretty much officially summer here, hope you are enjoying yours.
I started watching World of Dance, where the judges are JLo, Neo and Derek Hough. I am enjoying this one so much, because it is any style of dance. They had two 16 year old ball room dancers, a lot of contemporary dance crews, duets and solos. This crew was so much fun to watch.
And this little girl!! Such flexibility and passion!! So amazing!!
Hello!! It’s Memorial Day. I find it strange to say Happy Memorial Day when this day was set aside to remember those who died in active military service. This morning I put our flag back out on the flag pole, right before the 21 gun salute went off and shook the neighborhood. I do love those 21 gun salutes. Here they shoot off 21 M80s about 500 feet from my house. I took advantage of the beautiful weather, and finished a project in the yard. We had an area with lava rocks in part of the yard, and we cleared out all the rocks and planted grass. We’ll see how well I can grow grass. The boys finished school on Friday, so we are looking forward to summer!!
A few weeks ago, I went to the Bunco event with my sister and nieces. We had a blast!! Never played Bunco before, but it raised money for our town’s month long fundraising for Breast Cancer. This year we are raising money so that one of the hospitals in the area can get a Mobile Mammogram unit. What a great idea!! Lots of fun for a good cause. There were a lot of prizes that they raffled off, one I really wanted was the pink bicycle. But I didn’t win anything 😦
The weather was a little cool for the Battin’ for Boobies Softball Game, So we only caught the end of the championship game. The boys and I were also working on school projects, so we just took a break and walked over there. Plus, they were raffling off another pink bicycle…that I did not win 😦 But it was all for a good cause.
More things are coming up, Super Hero Saturday again, and my friend is hosting an 80s Live Music Event. That should be fun!!
FAVORITE VIDEO:
This 60 year old High School Dance teach, Shirley Clements, performs with her students at a Hip-Hop competition. #inspiration
Hello!! Hope all you moms had a wonderful Mother’s Day. There are a couple of changes here on my blog. One is the name. I started this blog almost 9 years ago, and the name I had for it fit, but it really no longer applies. Plus…recently I entered a writing contest hosted by Dan Alatorre (I have reviewed his books in the past) and I received an Honorable Mention!! (you can read it here). This contest had over 200 entries, and he liked so many of the stories that he added a 4th and 5th place and two honorable mentions. To say I was excited is an understatement 😀 I also received a critique of the story from Dan, which I would have been happy with just that!! So with that honor, I am embracing my inner writer, and thus the pseudonym, Carrie Ann Alexis. I don’t know how much of my content will change here, but it’s the first step on this journey I have dreamed of for a long time.
It’s that time of year again, where our town is covered in pink and has all kinds of events to raise money for Breast Cancer. Saturday night is “Not Your Momma’s Bunko Night.” My sister, and niece and soon to be niece-in-law are going to go as a team. Should be fun, have never played before. Sunday is the Battin’ for Boobies softball game. Where the reigning champs, the Guns & Hoses (Police & Fire Dept) team will defend their title. There are a couple of new businesses joining in on the fun this year. Fun weekend ahead!!
FAVORITE VIDEO:
This is an actual video that I took a last Sunday. Elijah and I drove through the park on our way home from the store. It was very chilly that day. We were amazed at the waves crashing on the walkway, but we were even more amazed at the two ships that were sitting just at the horizon (at the end of video). We normally don’t see ships like this on the lake, especially not that close. But it gets even better. This past weekend, it was reported that the ship on the left had been abandoned. It had been there for over a week, and when the coast guard went on board, they found a hand written note near some maps, and there was no crew!! Yep!! A ghost ship!! Kinda cool in a creepy sorta way, lol. We haven’t heard any more about it, and it has since been moved. Scooby and the gang must of solved the mystery 😉
FROM THE CAMERA:
One of my gifts for Mother’s Day, a pic with all my kids. I also had Liv do a mini photo shoot, so I could update my profile pics.
Good Morning!! May 1st already!! Only 20 more days left of school, but who’s counting? I have also gone back to my part time job at the photo studio, enjoying it again this year. Busy days ahead. I’m slowly getting my energy back, and have been feeling so much better. Hoping the weather will cooperate so that I can get out and do some much needed yard work. Every year the last weekend in April kicks off the little league season in town. The little league fields are directly behind our house, and they kick it off with a parade, with fire trucks and all the teams in decorated pick ups and it goes down our street early Saturday morning. Every year I forget about it, until the sirens wake me up, and I think that half the town is on fire, but then it dawns on me, nope just the first parade of the season, there will be more. #smalltown. Enjoy your week!!
Good Morning!! So I had a very interesting week. I had mentioned last week that I was feeling under the weather. Well, I did go see my Primary Doc on Tuesday, and she had a blood test done to check my hemoglobin levels STAT, and then referred me to a Gynecologist, which I saw on Wednesday. My Gynecologist did an Endometrial Biopsy, and then after getting the results of the blood test, suggested I go to the ER to get a blood transfusion. My hemoglobin level was at 7.3, down from 13 in November. Normal range is 11 – 16. So yes, that was the cause of the fatigue and light headedness. Not to mention how pale I was even in spite of being so fair skinned to begin with. Just about everyone who saw me in the ER had to mention, “You look a little pale.” Yeah, thanks for noticing, lol. Because I had to get two units of blood, I actually had to stay over night, soooo not the Hilton. I also had an ultrasound done while I was there. I see my Gynecologist on Wednesday to get the results of the tests. I am feeling much better, but still not out of the woods as far as the levels. I will be taking Iron daily for awhile. Oh, the joys of being a woman, things can only get better from here. Hope everyone has a great week ahead!!
Looking for a book that will make you laugh out loud? This is it!!
As an avid romance reader, I am used to stories about 30-something singles finding their one true love. Poggibonsi is not that…it is so much more!! It’s fun, smart, sexy, hilarious and will make you think about your own relationships. This story is about a married couple and explores the delicate act of balancing careers, kids, and marriage itself, which makes it very refreshing. The characters, the situations that arise, and the fact that it is written from the man’s point of view, sharing every thought that the main character has at every moment, makes it straight forward and brutally true. The setting is a small picturesque town in Italy, so the Italian phrases interspersed throughout, used by the Italian characters enhances the story, even though I have no clue what they mean, it intensifies the aura of romance and sexiness that is Italy. While the American characters are fluent in sarcasm; this bolsters the comedic tone.
Dan Alatorre writes some of the best dialogue that I have read. The banter between his characters had me laughing out loud at the sheer brilliance of it at times. He writes characters that are always fun and so likeable, I just want to sit down and have a cup of coffee with them.
In the midst of humor and chaos, this story addresses some serious topics, yet doesn’t gloss over them, but gets to the core of the issue. It is done in such a way that it makes you think, and just might change your mind on how you view certain situations. A story that is entertaining yet offers such introspect is truly a gift. My emotions ran the gamut from laughing and elated to tearful and heartbroken as I read each chapter. This book is chock full of humor and romance. Add in a little sex along with some tender, bittersweet moments, and a shocking twist, and you’ve got yourself a book you cannot put down until you turn the last page.
Carrie Ann Alexis 