1) Celebrating my great great aunt's 100th birthday: Although she has a habit of "I'm old. I'll say anything I want" and we both have very strong personalities, I love her. I asked for Feb. 8 off to make sure I was there the morning of her birthday. I can count on one hand the number of people that I'd go to breakfast with at 8 a.m. after being at work from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., but I was up. My mother and I took her to breakfast and then my great great aunt talked me into coming back for a senior citizen party she had at 3 p.m. By the time I went home, I was good and delirious, but it was worth it.
2) Talking my grandfather into coming to my great great aunt's party: Before he was married, he would hit up every "tavern" from Hawaii to Chicago. He'd traveled to so may locations around the world that his map of tacks were crammed together. But at 88, a party animal he is not. I can get him to go to China Hut and occasionally we'll go shopping, but he's not the type to be at big group events excluding his own family reunion. However, he said "yes" to coming with me to her 3 p.m. party. And let me tell you my grandfather is the best date ever! I was glued to his hip the entire time, and we were over on the side cracking jokes and having a good time eating chocolate cake and ice cream. My great great aunt did some mild flirting with him, too, and he threw it back at her. Those two! Wow!
2) Talking my grandfather into coming to my great great aunt's party: Before he was married, he would hit up every "tavern" from Hawaii to Chicago. He'd traveled to so may locations around the world that his map of tacks were crammed together. But at 88, a party animal he is not. I can get him to go to China Hut and occasionally we'll go shopping, but he's not the type to be at big group events excluding his own family reunion. However, he said "yes" to coming with me to her 3 p.m. party. And let me tell you my grandfather is the best date ever! I was glued to his hip the entire time, and we were over on the side cracking jokes and having a good time eating chocolate cake and ice cream. My great great aunt did some mild flirting with him, too, and he threw it back at her. Those two! Wow!
3. A surprise visit/note to my parents: My mother called me and asked me, "When you're mad at people, do you ever talk to them again?" I thought it was an odd question because she knows my track record. Once I'm done, I'm done. I'm not nasty about it. I just feel like life is too short to keep battling the same folks so I leave them alone (as in change numbers, block e-mail addresses, delete accounts). I'm a big fan of peace, and I'm going to get it by any means necessary. But the way she asked me that question immediately made a few people pop into my head and I thought, "If something bad happened to any of them, forget the grudge. I want to know they're OK." What I didn't expect her to say was the name she said or the surprise visit to their door with a note, and I dropped to my dining room floor in surprise. I must admit that I was flattered. This was a different kind of mad, not a tear-the-club-up-mad but more like a stupid-boy-you-get-on-my-nerves-mad. We'll see how that turns out.
4. Setting up my laptop and phone on the fourth floor: I am not the person you want to ask to build furniture, hook up electronics or connect anything. I'm accident prone and hate reading directions. But I managed to move from my fifth floor desk to my fourth floor desk and set up all of my desk equipment, tested my extension, hooked up both computer screens and did it all within a couple hours. My new boss joked that we should charge people $200 for letting me hook up their stuff before the tech team can do it.
5. Stepping on the scale and realizing I lost eight pounds: I just couldn't wrap my mind around why I was gaining weight, but after reading Jennifer Hudson's book "I Got This" I gave Weight Watchers a shot. I had to figure out why it was that I'm a vegetarian who works out regularly but kept going up in weight instead of down. It really is a matter of portion control. In two weeks, I dropped eight pounds, and I'm fascinated with this Points Plus system. I pay far more attention to the nutritional facts on items I eat, and it's made me more savvy with my regular meals. Even better I'm still eating the same stuff!
6. Winning a $25 Amazon gift card from BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois: I got a call last week from a BCBS representative who congratulated me for being the first winner of the "Go Red Fan of the Week" for Heart Awareness Month. I submitted a photo of Faith and I because I loved that photo, plus I was wearing red. I did not expect to win though. I just wanted to help with the cause, but I was pretty happy to use that gift card and be featured on their Facebook page.
4. Setting up my laptop and phone on the fourth floor: I am not the person you want to ask to build furniture, hook up electronics or connect anything. I'm accident prone and hate reading directions. But I managed to move from my fifth floor desk to my fourth floor desk and set up all of my desk equipment, tested my extension, hooked up both computer screens and did it all within a couple hours. My new boss joked that we should charge people $200 for letting me hook up their stuff before the tech team can do it.
5. Stepping on the scale and realizing I lost eight pounds: I just couldn't wrap my mind around why I was gaining weight, but after reading Jennifer Hudson's book "I Got This" I gave Weight Watchers a shot. I had to figure out why it was that I'm a vegetarian who works out regularly but kept going up in weight instead of down. It really is a matter of portion control. In two weeks, I dropped eight pounds, and I'm fascinated with this Points Plus system. I pay far more attention to the nutritional facts on items I eat, and it's made me more savvy with my regular meals. Even better I'm still eating the same stuff!
6. Winning a $25 Amazon gift card from BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois: I got a call last week from a BCBS representative who congratulated me for being the first winner of the "Go Red Fan of the Week" for Heart Awareness Month. I submitted a photo of Faith and I because I loved that photo, plus I was wearing red. I did not expect to win though. I just wanted to help with the cause, but I was pretty happy to use that gift card and be featured on their Facebook page.
7. Not sitting under a beaming fluorescent light: My optometrist warned me that all of those lights were tearing up my eyesight, which is partially the reason I was so happy to move to a different floor for work (look at no. 4). I like the atmosphere, slightly more private desk away and dimmer light that's more comfortable for my eyes. The headaches from being in front of my computer decreased down to almost none.
8. Playing dress-up with Grandad: I know some guys hate it when you call them metrosexual (a co-worker cringed when my boss called him that today) but it just means a guy has style. He's the guy you never have to worry about embarrassing you on a date. He knows how to tie a tie, how to tuck a shirt and wears his clothes just right. In my grandfather's case, it's knowing how to shine his shoes, how to wear a hat at just the right angle and wearing the right jacket and pants. I never get to dress him up, but this one time only (for my great great aunt's party), he let me help him pick out his hat and coat. Although he grumbled about me calling him "too cute," he knew he was smoking when we drove off.
9. First Lady Michelle Obama on the "BET Honors 2012": She's beautiful, classy and I was happy to see her there enjoying the show. Her speech for Maya Angelou was warm, and that red dress she wore was hot!
10. Jennifer Hudson's tribute to Whitney Houston at the "Grammys": I never watch the "Grammys." It's just not my thing, and I rarely watch awards shows (give or take two or three), but I just knew Jennifer Hudson was going to do a great job during her dedication. And she did! I'm sure it was tough for her, but she delivered. I couldn't get into her on "American Idol," but I've been enjoying her voice since "Spotlight" and on.
All right, let's see how the rest of the week turns out for my next five "What are you smiling about?"
Happy Valentine's Day, all!
8. Playing dress-up with Grandad: I know some guys hate it when you call them metrosexual (a co-worker cringed when my boss called him that today) but it just means a guy has style. He's the guy you never have to worry about embarrassing you on a date. He knows how to tie a tie, how to tuck a shirt and wears his clothes just right. In my grandfather's case, it's knowing how to shine his shoes, how to wear a hat at just the right angle and wearing the right jacket and pants. I never get to dress him up, but this one time only (for my great great aunt's party), he let me help him pick out his hat and coat. Although he grumbled about me calling him "too cute," he knew he was smoking when we drove off.
9. First Lady Michelle Obama on the "BET Honors 2012": She's beautiful, classy and I was happy to see her there enjoying the show. Her speech for Maya Angelou was warm, and that red dress she wore was hot!
10. Jennifer Hudson's tribute to Whitney Houston at the "Grammys": I never watch the "Grammys." It's just not my thing, and I rarely watch awards shows (give or take two or three), but I just knew Jennifer Hudson was going to do a great job during her dedication. And she did! I'm sure it was tough for her, but she delivered. I couldn't get into her on "American Idol," but I've been enjoying her voice since "Spotlight" and on.
All right, let's see how the rest of the week turns out for my next five "What are you smiling about?"
Happy Valentine's Day, all!
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