I Hope You Dance

Lee Ann Womack really said it all in her song, "I Hope You Dance". When I listen to that song, I have mixed emotions. First, I wished I'd danced. Second, I really wish I'd learned to dance.(joking, of course)

Seriously, the song delivers a great message about not sitting back & missing out on the great things that life has to offer. That is a lesson well learned...

So let's just dance...

Our Anniversary

The first time around, I had a big wedding in a church, with a big reception following. That didn't last. I always said, I would never marry again until, I moved 1424 miles away from home and met Pete. He was annoying. Always in my face & never left me alone. No matter where I was when I looked around, there was Pete!! (go away!)

Over a period of several months, everytime I went out, Pete was there bothering me. One Friday night, I finally agreed to meet Pete the next evening which was Saturday, if he would go away. Pete agreed and I thought I was in the clear. Then on Saturday...I was bored and decided to go after all, even though I was more than an hour late, he was anxiously waiting for me! We have been together ever since! How hot is that??

The first week I really new Pete, he told my BFF that he was going to marry me! I completely rebelled. No F'ing way was I going to get married again! Well...

We got married on my parents anniversary, which was February 16th. I figured that date worked well for them...so it should really shine for us. And it has!

I love you Babe, Happy Anniversary!!

"Beads...give me Beads!!!!"

Well, here it is, a day or so after the big game and the Patriots lost the Super Bowl...oh, CRAP!!! I heard all kinds of crap at work, but I will always take it with a grain of salt.

Then, all of a sudden, it's Mardi Gras, YEAH!!! Wooo!! Hooo!! There's a parade and celebration. "Beads, give us beads" rings out from the crowd; I'm not talking 'bout New Orleans, but Dunedin. I brought my daughter & her friend to the parade, then we met up with my bff & her family. My strategy for getting beads was just holding my arm up.

We all had a great time...Yelling, "Beads...give me Beads!!!!"

all-time record

Well, it's finally here, Game Day!


The Patriots are going to play against the Giants in the Super Bowl! Our main objective is to win the Super Bowl. If they fail, then at risk would be the all-time record.


If the Patriots win, then they become the best team ever!

If the Patriots lose? Sorry...but not an option!

One Game Away!!

I grew up in Newtonville, Massachusetts. I am the youngest of five, attended Catholic school, and learned from my Dad the art of snoozing in front of the TV on a Saturday afternoon watching the Red Sox. To this day, watching baseball on TV knocks me out.

I am a strong person, my mother taught me that. I stand up for my beliefs and I cannot stand for any injustice.

Though I live in Florida now, the Patriots are and have always been my team. As with the Red Sox, I used to watch the Patriots with my Dad, but back then it was only for away games, as they never sold out the home games so they never were on TV. Talk about a sorry *ss team! Then when they finally made it to the Super Bowl, as a wild card team, they played Chicago. It was horrible! Even Refrigerator Perry scored a touchdown!! It was pitiful!

Now, the Patriots are rocking! We are one game away from football history. I proudly wear my Patriot's shirt & display patriot decals on my car. Every week I hear, "The Patriots suck!", "I hate the Patriots" or "They cheat". Before, when the Pats sucked, no one ever said anything. So I ask myself, "Where were these insulting people when, during the super bowl, Refrigerator Perry was running across the goal line?" Did they say the same thing about the Patriots then? NO, I don't think so!!! They were probably were laughing at the Patriots!!!

One game away!! One game!!

So, who's laughing now?????

This is life...It's either 'what the f...?' or 'Thank the Lord.!'

This is my life. Everyday I thank God for the life I have, then say, "What the f...?"

I thank Him for my loving husband, then say, "What the f...?"

I praise Him for blessing me with intelligent, healthy & sensitive children, then say, "What the f...?"

I rejoice in my Grandchildren, then say, "What the f...?"

Everyday I revel in the knowledge that I will always cherish this moment, then say, "What the f...?"

So, Thank the Lord for what the f...!!!!!!

"Mom, why did you do that?"

Well, it's 2008 Woo Hoo!

Earlier tonight, we went to a child friendly block party. Every year we go to the same block party and we have a blast. The kids run wild, and the adults have fun.

Well tonight, there were a lot less people there than usual, so my attention was fixated on my daughter (10yrs old) and her friends, who are starting to become 'boy crazy'. They were all chasing the boys around in the dark, as usual for New Year's Eve. There I am trying to monitor where each girl was located in comparison to every boy! What an outrageous task! I made quite a few busts, and I know that my mission was accomplished...because my daughter complained, "Mom, why did you do that?"

Awesome role models...NOT!!!

My daughter is a tween. She watches the Disney channel & Nickelodeon . I have always believed that those are the channels that she can watch without restriction. The programing is tween friendly. Then I hear about nude pictures of Vanessa from "High School Musical" on the internet. After that, I hear that Jamie Lynn Spears, the star of "Zoey 101", at age 16, which is a show that my girl loves to watch, is pregnant. OKAY! Awesome role models...NOT!!!


It's scary now-a-days having a young daughter, whom I know that no matter how much I tell her to be good, careful & watch out for the "Big Bad Wolf", will exert her independence, which is one of the personality traits she inherited from me. I have to make sure that she is careful & watches her actions.


First it was nude photos of Vanessa, then it was Hannah Montana concert tickets at no less than $200 a pop, and now Jamie Lynn Spears, 'Zoey 101', is pregnant???


Welcome to the Magic Kingdom of W-T-F!

Holi-days are melancholy-days...

At least that is what they should be called, and for a good reason. It is a time for love, peace & joy. A time to remember all of your loved ones; your family & friends. And I do remember...Courtney, for example. She would be 23 this year.

As a child, I remember waking up early on Christmas morning...seeing the tree with presents under it. I remember the excitement of ripping open the paper and getting the one doll or toy that I really wanted. Then the other present was always pajamas or some other clothing. There were usually 2 gifts each, most of the time, not including the stuffed animals, and the gifts were cherished!

This is the time of year that I miss my parents the most!

I love you & miss you Mom & Dad!

...and so this is Christmas...

"...So this is Christmas, and what have you done, another year over, and a new one just begun... And so this is Christmas, I hope you have fun, the near and the dear ones, the old and the young.
A very merry Christmas, and a happy New Year. Let's hope it's a good one without any fear."

John Lennon was cool. He always openly professed his beliefs to the world and used his celebrity to help broadcast his messages of peace and love. Besides that, he was my favorite Beatle...

During the holidays, please remember to be kind, patient & courteous.

His message was LOVE!

Let It Snow!

"The competition is on!"; that should be the motto where I work. We are competitive when it comes to obtaining clients, and even more competitive when it comes to internal contests.

Now, this year my department "Rocked" the Halloween decorating contest, we ruled (No-one else even came close), so I figured, we proved our point, we never have to compete again. But no!! 'Tis the season', which means, of course, that there is a contest at work, the "Best Holiday Decoration Contest". I work in corporate accounting. My department is full of analitical people. We think. We have ideas. We obsess. We are perfectionists. So, obviously, as always, we will overcome (when will they learn?)

"WWWHHHHHAATTTT?"

A typical answer to an ordinary question on any given day..."WWWHHHAAATTT?", "WWWHHHYYY?" or...silence...

She is 10. She hears what she wants to & ignores everything else. She says she is a tween. She watches the Disney channel & is influenced by some of their programs, I am not.

If she is on the phone with a friend, & I interrupt to tell her to do something else, she whines, "OOOKKKAAAYYY".

I can't stand the attitude, I don't want the tween, but I love the daughter, to death.

God Bless Jan

On 11/29/00, my remarkable mother passed away. I was there by her side, with both of my sisters, one of our brothers & our sister-in-law.

There are so many reasons why my Mom was remarkable and I want to share a few with you. Not only did Mom work full-time, but she also managed to dedicate a great deal of her time assisting, organizing & planning events for Girl Scouts & Catholic Daughters. She was very dedicated to service. She was very involved in numerous church activities. She was liked & respected by a wide spectrum of individuals.

For me, the best thing about my mom was that she was always there. I might not like what she had to say all of the time, but she was dependable, my go-to person, loving & supportive. She wasn't a "saint", trust me, we were so much alike it was scary; but she was without a doubt an awesome person. (I still miss her so, sob...)

God Bless Jan

Procrastinator...Sometimes!

I am an organizer, a planner, a go-getter; I like to be in charge. I thrive on a challenge. If I am told it is impossible; I embrace the opportunity to find a way to make it happen. That is the synopsis of the way I handle my work life on a daily basis.

So, why oh why would I choose something different now? Well, truth be told, it is always easier to put off to tomorrow what you do not want to do today! I am definitely down with it!

Hello, my name is Flleenie and I'm a Procrastinator...Sometimes!

Time Marches On

"Time marches on"...as the saying goes...although only a saying, it is true. Time is the one thing that we can not control in our lives. Yet time is so important.



I have to be "on time" when I go to work. I have to be "on time" when I bring Ry to school. I have to be "on time" for everything no matter what. I have to be on time, no excuses! No matter who I am going to see or where I'm going to go!



Time is my best friend but it is also my worst enemy...



So to be on time, I need a schedule!

Shopaholic

I have to admit, that for the last 7 years, I was one of those idiots that got up at 3:30am the day after Thanksgiving to go shopping. I thrived on the 'power shopping' & the 'money saving' aspects of the experience. I bought items just because they were on sale.

This year, I hit all of the pre-pre-holiday sales with specific gifts in mind. I am almost completely finished with my Christmas shopping...only 3 more people to go. But, I still can't wait to see the ads for the day after Thanksgiving. The 3 items I want will probably be on sale somewhere, & I will be up at 3:30am that day to go shopping!! okay..."Hello, my name is Flleenie and I'm a 'Day after Thanksgiving' Shopaholic"

Can I have a refund...please?

Right now, it is way too cold, at least it is where I live, in west central Florida. OMG...bbbuuuhhhrrr...

We aren't even through hurricane season yet! Not that I am complaining, but hurricanes thrive on warm temperatures, right? Well, I think the season is over...cool, literally!!!

Now, may I please have a refund on my Homeowner's Insurance? HA, HA, HA...Good joke, huh?...(but honestly, can I have a refund...please?)

PATRIOTS RULE!!!

The game against Indy last Sunday was hard for me to watch...The Patriots were down most of the game. They got a butt load of penalties, over 144 yards, I think. Every time I started watching, the Colts had done something good! Then late in the 4th quarter, the Patriots showed their true colors. They scored 14 unanswered points to win the game.

Go Pats!!! PATRIOTS RULE!!!

Time, is it on my side?

When I was a child it seemed like it took forever to go through a year. Every year felt like a decade. Time dragged on & on. There was always time.

Now, as I get older, I know, there is never enough time. There have been too many happenings in my life to believe otherwise.

I mean, I feel like, I just bought Christmas gifts(for '06), yet they already have some ('07) black Friday ads online. And, actually, this evening I went to a Toys R Us sale with "Door buster" items, though I was disappointed as they were out of some of the items I wanted even though I got there 1hr & 10 minutes into the sale.

So, do I think time is on my side?

The Devil Made Me do It

Today at work my department won the 'Halloween theme' contest. We rocked!!!

Usually, our department never participates in these things. We are corporate, a non-income earning department, that the company obviously feels can accurately function, keep the auditors happy, send out wires (payoffs), balance all of the MANY accounts, & handle every/all other banking/accounting issues... with only 4 Indians & 2 Chiefs...

When the email came out about the Halloween contest, one person in my department said, "I want to do it. Let's dress-up as something scary" So I answered, "Well, if we're going to do it, let's do it to win, and we did! Our theme was "Accounting Hell".

Everyone in my department went 'Balls to the wall'. I work at a title company in the corporate accounting department...funny thing...all of the other departments were amazed at our creativity & attention to detail. We weren't. We work in the ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT ...ATTENTION TO DETAIL IS OUR MAIN CONCERN. When wiring funds, our hands hover over thousands & thousands of dollars...one wrong click & poof...money's gone!!

Anyhow, we won the contest. First time competing...and a win!! Then my 'Big' boss said, "Now I expect you to win every year."

I replied, "No, we already won. We don't have to prove anything. Haven't you ever heard of quitting while you're ahead?"