I feel like I'm already there...

This morning a co-worker brought in a hot breakfast for all of the staff-crisp bacon, fluffy scrambled eggs, buttermilk biscuits and cheesy hashbrowns. As the smell made its way down the hall from the kitchen to my office, I began to feel like I was already there.

"There" is in bed in the morning at my grandmother's house. Country sausage crackling in the skillet, eggs being whipped up in the mixing bowl, homemade biscuits rising in the oven, cream gravy soon to follow...a little bit of heaven right here on Earth. My grandmother loves to cook. She uses her knack for flavors and creations in the kitchen to show her love. Cooking is one of the few joys that she feels truly, truly good at. All my life, I have eaten my grandmother's food and felt the love in every bite of her food and in every sip of that Southern sweet tea.

I head to Houston next Friday to spend some time with my grandmother who, in honor of my visit, will undoubtedly bake something sweet and sinful, cook up something hearty and tasty and feed me until I am headed home again, feeling loved and fulfilled. I feel like I'm already there...

Doesn't this photo speak a thousand words?

Sun, Fun, Beach, Sand, Pool, Relaxation, Heat, Tan, Friends, Cabo...

Ahhhh...I could go on and on.

A wonderful four days with nine lovely ladies that truly know the spirit of fun, friendship and working together to have a great vacation.

Aside from traveling in pure class and style, gifts all around, the beautiful view and the outstanding accommodations, we also enjoyed the utmost service from two very attentive concierges (Victor and Eton we will never forget you!!) and a very happy housekeeper. It was more than we could ever have hoped for and I am now officially spoiled against a vacation that is any less of wonderful.

Looking forward to the next tropical haven vacation!!!!

Sand and Sun, Beach and Fun!

Cabo, here I come!!!

See ya next week!!

Team Work and Strawberry Soup

What do team work and Strawberry Soup have in common?

Last night, my husband cooked, as he does a couple times each week, for his moonlighting gig. He made the usual tomato basil soup (a fan favorite) and a yummy Greek chicken salad. Then he proceeded to concoct one of the yummiest things I've ever eaten. It was cool and sweet, a little bit tart and creamy and it was the perfect blend of flavors...Summer Strawberry Soup!!

My husband is the most creative, most hard-working person I know. He works more than a full day's work then comes home to make food for his second job and many times follows up with menu planning for his third job all while managing our personal finances our handy work around the house and the yard, as well as handling all of his own laundry and dry cleaning. Granted most of this extra work-work leads back to his passions as a professional chef, but it is still all hard work.

At times I feel as though I have little to offer my husband when it comes to these work endeavors. I DO NOT cook, I can hardly read a recipe (fold in versus whisk?? who knows!) and I don't know much about the restaurant industry. But my husband has found a way for us to be a team no matter what. That has always been his wish-for he and I to be a strong team together. So, what do I do to help? I clean dishes, I pull things out of the cupboard for him, wrap food in cellophane, cut strawberries, write down all of his original recipes and act as the official Taster. In the meantime, I am beginning to learn so much more about food. I am also growing more and more respect for the artform that my husband practicies and strives to master. (I think he already masters it, but he would disagree!!)

So, what does Strawberry Soup have to do with team work? Very little. But I just had to tell you about that yummy concoction and it made for such a nice title, didn't it? :0)

"Don't take anything personally. Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering." -Don Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom

I have written about the Four Agreements many times and I even have them hanging in my office so that I can see them at any time so as not to lose sight of them. This (above) is agreement number three and, for me, it can be the most difficult one to live by.

Last night I had a reality check involving this very agreement when I was confronted with the insults of someone that is part of my family by marriage, but whom I do not consider family. I handled it well at the time, thinking that she was obviously affected by her overindulgence in scotch and that I really had nothing to say to her in response as her words were so off-base and ridiculous. But after the situation ended, I was torn up about it. I kept hearing her words over and over again in my head, thinking how incredibly rude she was and how completely out of line she was and I was even defending myself in my mind. Drunk, or not, it was uncalled for. So, I did what any grown, adult woman would do when faced with this type of turmoil...I called my Mommie. :0)

My Mom was very supportive. She got just as mad and upset as I was and made me feel better simply through her sympathy. She even wanted to take action in response. I was tempted to allow that to happen and then thought better of it. Though taking action would probably make me feel better at first, probably a lot better, it wouldn't change the fact that what this person said and how she feels toward me can only affect me if I allow it to. What reality looks like in her world is not at all what it's like in my world, but I can't change someone else's reality, especially when they've not been willing to try and get the story straight from the beginning. So, I told my Mom that I thought it best to let it go. Allow the other person to wake up this morning feeling whatever she was going to feel without either of us playing a part in it. A tough choice, but the right one.

Later, as I lay in bed last night trying desperately to go to sleep the words were again running through my mind and I was playing out a scene where I was able to respond honestly and heatedly toward my verbal attacker. After several minutes, I suddenly closed my eyes and prayed. I prayed and asked God to please help me be at peace with this situation. I prayed that I would sleep and wake renewed knowing this was not something I should take personally and I prayed that my mind would stop racing. Not five minutes later I was asleep, having not thought once more about it.

Moral of the Story: The agreements are valid and useful and necessary, but, at the end of the day when you're all alone in that place in your mind that no one else can see or hear, I must have the help of God to keep those essential agreements with myself and to find peace in something so unnerving.

I haven't had much time to sit and reflect this week as I've been busy with work. I notice that when I am busy with work, and the work is somewhat stressful, I don't sleep well, therefore I don't feel as well and I don't take as good care of myself as I should. It's the same cycle that I get into every few weeks, or so.Thankfully, I am able to realize the cycle before I become so over-stressed that I become ill. I got a great night's sleep last night, woke up feeling refreshed and got a lot accomplished at work this morning. At lunch, I went and ran a couple of errands and picked up a yummy sushi lunch, which I am now enjoying as I blog. The fresh sushi lunch is a simple reminder of the week ahead. My week in tranquility, lying by the pool or on the beach, listening to the ocean lull me into relaxation. A week of rest and celebration and no worries. A week in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

I have said many times this week that the anticipation of the trip is almost as much fun as the actual trip. I love thinking about the plans, doing "travel laundry," deciding on the wardrobe options, packing my things, making sure everything is in its place. I enjoy buying a new, steamy beach read, airplance snacks, sun screen and travel size toiletries. I have always enjoyed traveling, getting away and seeing something new and different. It renews your sense of self, centers you and reminds you of your sense of home. So, as I look forward to five days in paradise with some of my closest friends, I think of how wonderful my time there will be and I think of how much better I will feel when I return home, as well.

Interesting thoughts for the day...

A clear conscience is often a sign of a bad memory.

Winners do what losers don't want to do.

When you get to thinking you are really important, try giving orders to your/your friend's cat.

If you speak when you are angry, you'll make the best speech you'll ever regret.

Love your enemies-it makes them furious.

The one who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely the one who dropped it.

Never cut what can be untied.

Never miss an opportunity to tell someone you love them.

Old Friend

Last week I received a phone call from a blast from my past. A girl that I was connected at the hip with all through high school. She was my very best friend for so long. We shared everything. Once in college, we remained friends, but she stayed in Houston while I went away to school in Dallas. She visited me there and I spent as much time as possible with her when I was home in Houston for summers and other vacations. But before long, we drifted apart. I don't remember now why or how, especially the "how" since we were so, very close, but it happened.

Not long after both me and my friend got married (she was married on Oct 18 and I on Oct 25 of 2003), my friend and I began e-mailing. About a year later, I saw my friend for the first time in years. She was about five months pregnant, I believe, and I was overjoyed to be with her again. We laughed and caught up. We reminisced and laughed more. It was a wonderful time. Then we went back to our own lives, we e-mailed occasionally and she sent me pictures of her too cute baby boy. But we didn't reconnect on a regular basis, or even just by phone.

Last week she called me with that old familiar giggle in her voice. She left me a voice message saying she'd heard one of our favorite bands, Aerosmith, on the radio and that it made her think of me. She had to call and tell me how much she misses our carefree times from high school. Times when our hair, make-up and clothing was more important than much else. Times when we didn't have bills to pay. We didn't worry about buying a home, paying taxes or high interest rates. The boys we liked came and went, but our friendships remained always. And as I heard that giggle in my old friend's voice, I could see us there, in that time and place, once again. The car windows down, the radio turned up, arms waving in the air, singing at the top of our lungs...not a care in the world. I was happy and sad at this vision all at once. I miss my friend. I miss those times with her. But I think we can try and have that feeling again together but in a new way and for new reasons.