The Best is Yet to Come

and I pray, that you will hold me dear
while I’m far away I’ll whisper your name
Into the sky, and I’ll wake up happy!

What a fabulous weekend! Spent some quality time doing some gardening with my mother, spent the night in my childhood bedroom and recharged a bit. Comfy bed! Then visited with my sister and my sweetheart nieces, they ARE the apples of my eye. I can’t ever say enough positive things about them, and consider myself blessed to have two such beautiful and smart girls in my life. I cherish every moment that I get to see the world through their eyes. Spent some time teaching my sister how to use her email - yes, she’s VERY computer illiterate! But quite smart, just a little stubborn. Gee…..guess that’s in the gene pool!

Then I spent the rest of the day shopping with my girlfriend’s 20 year old daughter, who is a cross between daughter and girlfriend for me. Helped her pick out some supercute clothes and bought her lunch. We had a great time, and it’s nice to see how well she’s maturing and making the transition into adulthood.

I also tried on the CUTEST Halloween costume….it was Little Red Riding Hood….

After that, I hooked up with yet another girlfriend, Heather, at a great little bar on the east side of Milwaukee for some shits and giggles. Had fun, I really miss her!!!!!

Going to catch some zzzzz’s, and dream of handsome CEO’s.

If you’re young at heart
For it’s hard, you will find, to be narrow of mind
If you’re young at heart

You can go to extremes with impossible schemes
You can laugh when your dreams fall apart at the seams
And life gets more exciting with each passing day
And love is either in your heart or on it’s way

Don’t you know that it’s worth every treasure on earth
To be young at heart
For as rich as you are it’s much better by far
To be young at heart

And if you should survive to 105
Look at all you’ll derive out of being alive
And here is the best part
You have a head start
If you are among the very young at heart

So I guess I’m happy that I don’t look or act my age…..being young at heart has served me pretty well up to this point in time! Life’s too short to be serious all the time. Laughter truly IS the best medicine, in addition to being great for your abs….I consider myself very fortunate to have so many people in my life that make me laugh and laugh with me.

I hope that he, turns out to be………someone to watch over me.

Yep, sorry, I said it. I’m just an old-fashioned girl at heart - but I’ll pass on the white picket fence, never been a big fan of them, thankyouverymuch. Give me a nice high-rise condo with no lawn to mow and a nice view instead.

Don’t get me wrong, I am quite capable of being independent and standing on my own two feet, and actually find great satisfaction in doing so. But, there is part of me that just wants someone else to deal with the hassles of the daily grind so that I can focus doing the things that I’d really like to do. Man, I am SUCH a typical Cancerian!

Cancer is the fourth Sign of the Zodiac. After the exploration of Self, the physical world, and the intellectual world by the first three Signs, Cancer people turn to nurturing the family group. They are emotional and traditional, interested in heredity and ancestors, and this is reflected in their desire to care for relatives and propagate the family line. Their lives are generally centered around the home, including hereditary property and "family roots." As the fourth Sign, Cancer also rules the fourth House: the House of Home.

The Sign In Depth

The Astrological Symbol of Cancer is the Crab. Like the Crab, Cancerians go through life with a strong shell around them that is not easily broken. If necessary, they can retreat into their shell until it’s safe to come out, but sometimes they become moody and refuse to leave. They can, quite literally, be crabby. In general, Cancerians are the first people to express emotion in any given situation — the first to laugh and the first to tears. In this way, Cancer exemplifies the Cardinal Quality assigned to it. They are strong willed and persistent, and the rare occasions when their sympathy and kindness doesn’t get them what they want they aren’t above using emotional manipulation — tears or sulking — to get it. Within the Zodiac, Cancer is opposite Capricorn, the Sign of Social Status. While Capricorn is about how the world perceives you, people born under Cancer are more interested in their family and home life. They tend to be very protective of loved ones. They usually aren’t ambitious, preferring the gentle and passive side of life.

Cancer is ruled by the Moon. In ancient times, the Moon was perceived as the Great Mother, responsible for nurturing all life. It represents fertility and instinct. The Moon controls the tides and all water on Earth, and it has a strong effect on human emotions. People born under Cancer tend to be more sensitive to the movement of the Moon through the Zodiac than other Signs are, their moods changing with the Moon’s passage. They may be brooding or touchy when the Moon is passing through incompatible Signs, but strongly intuitive when the Moon is in a favorable Sign. Because of the maternal aspect of the Moon, Cancerians tend to have a strong need to protect themselves and their families. Generally domestic and peaceful, they have strong emotional drives and won’t sit still when loved ones are threatened. Despite their general timidity, they can be patronizing when people cross them.

The Element associated with Cancer is Water. Water Signs are emotional: they tend to respond to the world through emotion, rather than physical action, practicality, or intellect. Cancerians are very intuitive, and emotion is a key part of their lives. They may be sentimental, often becoming collectors of things that remind them of family or the past. They need to be careful not to hoard things, however, and they can be possessive of what is theirs. They are thrifty, and dislike wasting money on frivolous things. Because of their strong emotions, people born under Cancer may tend to live in the past. They are easily hurt, so they attempt to protect themselves from the emotional stress of the present by rehashing the past instead. Their warm and caring nature is very sensitive to other people’s harshness. It is important for Cancerians to learn not to jump into self-protective mode at the first sign of trouble, because their need for security can prevent them from discovering new things.

Because they are the nurturers of the Zodiac, people born under Cancer have a strong association with food. Additionally, they are very imaginative and sensitive, making many Cancerians excellent amateur chefs. Some go on to make a career out of cooking! They also tend to be more patriotic then other Signs, largely due to their strong emotional attachment to the place of their birth.

In their leisure time, Cancerians tend to enjoy physical exercise, finding that sweat helps them counter the stress inherent in their emotional natures. They often enjoy team sports because of the feeling of family within a team. Water sports also appeal to them. Artistic endeavors, written or on canvas, allow them to channel their swirling emotions into productive output. In love relationships, Cancer is caring, devoted, and romantic.

Cancer rules the breasts and stomach. People born under Cancer may suffer from stomach and digestive problems more often than people born under other Signs. The Moon is silver and white, and these are Cancer’s colors as well.

The great strength of the Cancer-born is in their devotion to family. Their emotional orientation to life help them understand the difficulties their loved ones must work through. Their affectionate natures make them among the most caring characters of the Zodiac.

Yup, this morning I was all ready for work and got in my car, turned the key and OOPS!!! Nothing. I’m assuming it may be time for a new battery, since I didn’t leave anything on that would have drained it. Looks like Peter will be giving my car a jump this time! LOL - guess I shouldn’t have laughed so much when his BMW didn’t, since the karma is coming right back around at me!

Cubs sucked last night…..and I forgot to eat dinner. Heck, I forgot to eat breakfast too. Somehow, I managed to remember lunch. Geez, I never thought that I’d have to worry about NOT eating ENOUGH! But, alas, I screwed up yesterday. Oh well, better today, except that I’m just now downing a protein shake and still drinking my first cup of coffee. Yes, I know…..I can’t skip breakfast, and will make sure that I get plenty of sleep so that I get up in time to make some at home in the morning.

Like a damn itch that needs to be scratched. Where’s the freaking Benadryl?????

I’m not at all comfortable and have no qualms bitching about it. I am the person who reads the last page of every book, just so I don’t get surprised at the ending. I am the person who will watch a movie, and if you’ve already seen it, will ask what happens next and how it ends (drives me nuts that people REFUSE to give this info out).

I like happy endings…and still believe in fairy tales. I feel in my heart that Prince Charming really DOES exist, it’s just that my opinion of who fits that description is bound to be different than the next person’s ideal.

I’d much rather be hopeful and optimistic about the future, but when the present has me all jumbled up, it’s sometimes an uphill struggle. This not knowing stuff freaks me out a bit, and really drives me nuts.

I pulled this quote the other day and am trying to wrap my brain around it:

"Some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity…" – Gilda Radner

Well, I ain’t seen my baby since a night and a week
He drank so much at the game yesterday, he could hardly speak….

But he still called me! LOL….that was priceless. Sometimes drunk dialing is funny as hell when you’re on the receiving end of it. Too bad the Bears lost - wait, WHAT???? Go Pack Go!!!!!!!

I have no problems cheering for the Cubs, but man, I have to draw the line at the Bears, Cowboys and Vikings. Green and Gold loyalty goes bone deep and it’s not something that can be changed. Ever. Never before have two uglier colors been paired together to make such a beautiful combination. I think I’ll pass on wearing it down here, though. I’d hate to get lynched.

Work is great, life is beautiful, I’m still making progress toward my goals, and I’ll be in my new place within 3 weeks…..the man part? well, I’m a little unsure there, but it is what it is.

What more could girl want?

Leg day today: Squats, Leg presses, calf raises, hamstring curls, leg extensions and cardio, cardio, cardio!

Screw the sugar, I think that’s partly where the damn headache came from. That and the secondhand smoke and cats.

I vote for coffee to go with my Sudafed….hopefully I will manage to keep my eyes in my head. It feels like they’re going to project across the room at any given moment.

Somehow, I shall manage to give the impression that I’m actually being productive today….this should be fun. Let’s hope my brain stops hurting before I have to make the drive back down to Chicago. Ugh.

Oh when you smile at me you know exactly what you do
Baby don’t pretend that you don’t know it’s true
Cause you can see it when I look at you

I must say that I’m really happy that the soundtrack running through my brain these days is pretty perky and happy. Much better than some of the old tunes that I used to hear constantly……Don’t get me wrong, I love Melissa Etheridge and all, but one can only handle so much angst and despair. I’ll take the hopeful optimism any day over that! But (here you go Jean-Paul)…I am grateful to have known the lowest lows in order to fully embrace and appreciate the highest highs.

If I had not lived and experienced anxiety, sadness, complete and utter devastation…I would not be able to see the beauty that lies within possibility. Nor would I be able to see that within that possibility lies the joy of a thousand dreams yet to be realized.

Tonight is back and shoulders…..deadlift, bent over rows, lat pulldowns, front and lateral raises, db military press followed by some fun and wonderful cardio. Think I’m going to run at home instead of hopping on the elliptical.

TGIF!!!!

You only get one chance to live today and embrace it for the gift that it is. Don’t blow it.

I’ve got a wonderful feeling
Everything’s going my way!!!!!

It’s a beautiful day out, I had a great workout yesterday and slept well last night. Cubs won. Life is good.

I’m very much looking forward to moving next month…and can’t wait to have my own bathroom all to myself once again. Aaahhh, sheer bliss.

It will also be quite nice to have my kitchen all to myself….I can’t wait to try out some new recipes (apparently, I’m supposed to learn how to cook authentic Colombian food - that should be very interesting indeed). Of course, I’m looking forward to adapting some of my old recipes to make them a little healthier.

And morning coffee on the balcony in the trees? What a way to wake up……

Today’s a cardio day, so I’ll be lacing up my tennies after work for a 3 mile run.

Hi Liss!!!! How long have you been looking at your little sister’s blog?

I love you! Can’t wait for you to come visit next month and see my new place…it’ll be fun to have both of my big sisters and my favorite little girlies in Chicago…Slumber Party!!!!!

Oh, and here’s how I spell it:  Otchy Crotchy Belotchy…..and who could forget the Egg Foo Young!

(uh, hope you weren’t drinking anything, and if you were, I hope you didn’t make a big mess when you spit it out!)