I was a participant at The Murder Mystery Dinner at work Wednesday. We all had a super fun time. My character name was "Sabrina Devereaux" and I was part of a crew doing a documentary about Casino Life. I was to find out who the mysterious mobster owner of the hotel was and the Mysterious Mr. X and The Back Panther jewel thief. We had a fun time and it was awesome getting to know the Members at the Crosby on a more playful level for the evening. I think I'd rather be a member than a staff employee anyday! ;p

Confession of a Shopaholic...

My mom belongs to a book club and I decided to read her latest one, "Confessions of a Shopaholic". It is a littl entertaining read and am wanting to see the movie now. But in the book this girl is a Reporter/Writer for a Financial Institution, her name is Rebecca (just like mine) and is in debt up to her ears (not like me). The fun thing about this book is that when she is at work her mind is thinking of how people are dressed, what she has on, etc. and not much about her work. It seems that she does her job with ease without even really thinking about it but her love is really for fashion and she loves to shop. I can kind of relate to her because when I am at work I can easily get my work done but my mind is constantly thinking of other things besides just work. And of course I'd rather be shopping too...but I know better than to go into debt as in the book. Just wish I had money to be able to buy things any time, any where! Now that would be sweet!

Our world mirrors who we are back to us...

I was reading today about how our world mirrors who we are back to us. When we get upset by something outside of us, our reaction shows us that we have an inner wound to be healed.
Just as we can be unconscious of our wounds, we can also be unconscious of our strengths. If you are really drawn to the positive qualities in another person, you are being invited to own those same qualities in yourself.
The people we are in relationships with are always a mirror, reflecting our own beliefs, and simultaneously we are mirrors reflecting their beliefs. So our relationships are one of the most powerful tools for growth... if we look honestly at our relationships we can see so much about how we have created them.

EASTER!

For some reason it doesn't seem like the 'traditional' Easter for me. I didn't get a chance to dye eggs with the kids or prepare a big spread for dinner. Thankfully we live with my mom and she has picked up the slack. I have been busy with work and doing stuff for the Club for Easter and my hours at work are such that I felt like I had no time...sigh...just have to make time! Even now I am at work for the Easter Buffet we had for our Members. I get to go home in about 30 minutes and spend the rest of the day with the family.
I am excited to be home tonight instead of working! I think that my sister, brother in law, nephew and my kids will be dining on ham and all the yummy stuff that goes with it. I think that my son Seabury and his wife Alex will be there too. It will hopefully feel a little more 'traditional' and more like what I am used to doing on Easter....being with family, eating good food, playing games, eating candy, playing games and just enjoying life.

I love SUNSHINE!

I can't help it...I just love sunshine! It brightens up the day, brings warmth to my soul, and helps me feel even more happy...ahhhhh...there is sunshine in me today!

Addicted to CHOCOLATE...

I am seriously addicted to chocolate...I could eat chocolate all day long and that would be my diet. Sometimes I feel like that is what I do too...I eat something with chocolate in it for breakfast, have to have a piece of chocolate after lunch and then dinner I like a treat AND THEN before bedtime I drink hot chocolate with marshmellows! ...perhaps I could make a chocolate diet book and make money selling the idea that chocolate is the best diet food. I think that one of my friends told me that he saw a 'new' chocolate chip cookie diet and supposedly its working! LOL!
Actually I do eat healthy foods too but somehow, someway I have been addicted to chocolate..I think it must have started in the womb! Or at least when I was a little girl...my parents used to have Hershey's Milk Chocolate with Almonds candy bars and had to hide them from me..they said that I would ALWAYS find the candy bars and could smell chocolate. There ya go..addicted from my youth...to CHOCOLATE!
I think I will go have some now! yummmmmmy!

Color test....

I took a 'color' test to see what color personality I have...the results are below:

Congratulations, REBECCA, you are a YELLOW personality with the driving Core Motivation of FUN. This does not mean that you are constantly looking for a party (although you usually do know where to find one!). You are instinctively happy and gravitate to people and situations that provide carefree adventure and playful interactions. Even under the most serious of circumstances or daunting tasks, you and your YELLOW (buddies/girlfriends), will seek an element of personal fulfillment and spontaneous enjoyment in the experience. Spontaneous play and genuine "in the moment" FUN are not merely important to you - they are as essential to your very being as eating.

As a YELLOW, you are inviting and embrace life as a party that you're hosting. You love playful interaction and can be extremely sociable. You are highly persuasive and seek instant gratification. YELLOWS need to be adored and praised, especially by their partners. While you are carefree, you are quite sensitive and highly alert to others' agendas to control you. You carry within yourself the gift of a good heart, and are happy to share it with your significant other.

As a YELLOW, REBECCA, you need to look good socially, and friendships command a high priority in your life. You are happy, articulate, engaging of others and crave adventure. Easily distracted, you can never sit still for long. You embrace each day in the "present tense" and choose people to be around who, like you, enjoy a curious nature.

You are not a boring person. In fact, you are often the life of the party wherever you go and whatever you do. You always have something to talk about, and you are constantly getting yourself into unbelievably funny situations. Potential partners love this about you because they know that there will never be a dull moment and that they will never have to worry about a lack of entertainment.

One of the greatest gifts that you have to offer is that you have an amazing heart. You tend to reserve it for those by whom you feel adored, but you give it so freely when you find that special someone. Not only do you have a great heart, but you are able to create romantic moments and memories. You are easy to fall in love with just as you love easily and openly. Your partner will know that you would do anything for them, which is very endearing.

Because you do have a sense of flair and flash, you don't want it to go unnoticed. Your partner's opinion is especially important to you, and you want to know that they see what you're doing. The worst possible thing for you would be to get involved with a man who ignores you. You would be devastated.

You have a tender heart and so you protect it from being hurt by hiding your insecurities. You guard them only loosely, however, and are willing to reveal if you know that your partner will be gentle with you. Look for somebody who makes you feel comfortable in this arena, because the emotional connection and rapport that is created when you open up is not something you want to miss out on.

YELLOWS wake up every morning happy. You don't like to dwell on unpleasantries, or spend time with people who pull you down. Find a partner who you can support your lighthearted nature but who helps you confront the negative aspects of your life in a positive, upbeat way.

Looking within...

"You wander from room to room...Hunting for the diamond necklace...That is already around your neck!"

Peace, joy, health and well-being can only be found inside us. They exist within us now, waiting to be discovered. Yet we tend to look to the outside world to satisfy our needs and longings.

Our outer life reflects back to us the way we think, feel and behave. The outer world is all effects. Go to the source inside for all of life’s treasures.

Time with the kids in Soledad, CA

Over the New Years holiday my daughter Hannah had to have an emergency operation and get her appendix removed. So the kids and I decided to pack it up for a few days to go be with her and to visit with Lydia, Colt and Caden.

While there visiting we decided to spend some time at the Aquarium in Monterey and loved it!

Lydia and Colt are awesome parents and we all loved doting on Caden. Sometimes I can't believe I am a grandma...but it sure is fun being one. Watching and playing with Caden brings me great joy!

Hannah is doing better and has returned to work as if she didn't even have an emergency opeation. I am glad that she wasn't too seriously sick or injured. If we hadn't gotten her to the Dr. when we did her appendix could have burst. She was definitely being watched over. I was grateful that her big sister Lydia so lovingly took care of her and got her to the hospital for me. It's hard to not be right there when kids need me! I love all my children so very much!!

Filling up my tank...so to speak

“How do we keep our inner fire alive? Two things, at minimum, are needed: an ability to appreciate the positives in our life – and a commitment to action. Every day, it’s important to ask and answer these questions: ‘What’s good in my life?’ and ‘What needs to be done?’”--

I have found there’s a very different quality to my action when it springs from a sense of abundance as opposed to a feeling of being impoverished.

When I sense I’m not good enough or that I don’t have enough, I feel driven to be better and to have more. Whatever I do takes effort – there’s an element of struggle involved. And this makes sense because there’s no fuel – I’m working on an empty tank.

When I’m feeling abundant, I act out of my own inspiration. I’m rich and full and so the energy flows naturally. This action at times feels almost effortless.

It's important to remember that we don't need money to be abundant. All we need is appreciation of all that we have.

...what I focus on in life is what I get. And if I concentrate on how bad I am or how wrong I am or how inadequate I am, if I concentrate on what I can’t do and how there’s not enough time in which to do it, isn’t that what I get every time? And when I think about how powerful I am, and when I think about what I have left to contribute, and when I think about the difference I can make on this planet, then that’s what I get. You see, I recognize that it’s not what happens to you; it’s what you do about it.

Common Sense...

While driving to work today I was listening to the radio as I always do and instead of changing the station to find the next song playing I decided to listen to the DJ's bantor and carrying on...they were talking about something that had died and one of them said he was in mourning and then read aloud this Eulogy:

Today, we mourn the passing of an old friend by the name of... Common Sense.

Common sense lived a long life but died from heart failure. No one really knows how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He selflessly devoted his life to service in schools, hospitals, homes, factories and offices. He helped folks get jobs done without fanfare and foolishness. For decades, petty rules, silly laws and frivolous lawsuits held no power over Common Sense. He was credited with cultivating such valued lessons as to know when to come in out of the rain, the early bird gets the worm, and life isn't always fair. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn), reliable parenting strategies (the adults are in charge, not the kids), and it's okay to come in second.

A veteran of the Industrial Revolution, the Great Depression, and the Technological Revolution, Common Sense survived cultural and educational trends including, body piercing, whole language, Ebonics and new math. His health declined when he became infected with the "If it only helps one person it’s worth it" bug. In recent decades his waning strength proved no match for the ravages of overbearing federal regulation. He watched in pain as good people became ruled by self-seeking lawyers and enlightened auditors. Common Sense knew the end was near when schools endlessly implemented zero tolerance policies, reports of six-year-old boys charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate, a teen suspended for taking a swig of mouthwash after lunch, and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, when schools had to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a student but cannot inform the parent when the female student is pregnant or wants an abortion.

Finally, Common Sense lost his will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses, criminals received better treatment than victims, and federal judges stuck their noses in everything from Boy Scouts to professional sports. Common Sense drifted in and out of logic but was kept informed of developments, regarding questionable regulations for asbestos, low-flow toilets, smart guns, the nurturing of Prohibition Laws and mandatory air bags.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason.
Three stepbrothers survive him: Rights, Tolerance and Whiner. Not many attended his funeral unfortunately, because so few realise he is gone.

Wow! I think its time to start using some good old fashioned common sense again...