What's just as good as a night with a great friend, dinner and wine?? Seeing a movie about great friendships, great loves and great moments together.

I saw "Sex and the City" the movie for the second time last night and it was just as good the second time around. I laughed out loud again, cried again and felt that rush of emotion that only a movie with so much truth about love, fashion and friendship can cause. I so, so, so enjoyed the film and I can't wait to own it and watch it over and over. Here, some of my favorite movie moments:

Carrie's '80s fashion show - good friends enjoying champagne and memories. Makes you nostalgic for sure.

Charlotte's Poo-kipsee...one of the best laughs of the movie.

Famous lines not easily forgotten, and a note to say I may not remember exact lines but you get the point:

"What does your gut tell you?"

"When I color, I use every crayon in my box!"

"You might never know... But do you love each other enough to take the chance and move on together?"

"I think I'm ready to come out of my Mexicoma."

"I curse the day you were born!"

Cosmopolitans - "Why did we ever stop drinking these?" "Because everybody else started."

"Cheers to the next fifty years..."

Stronger - Part II

I recently reported that I am getting stronger in my weekly Fitness Five Class with four of my co-workers and I now have the proof to show for it! After five weeks of working hard twice a week, I am now able to do 88 sit-ups in a minute without resting (I could only do 48 before); 28 push-ups before exhaustion (I could only do 5 before!); my blood pressure and resting heart rate are both down; my arms and legs are stronger; I am more flexible; and overall I feel like a real champ!!! We have a week off from official training next week and then we come back strong the week after July 4. My goals for the next session are to lose weight and increase my cardio strength. Can't wait to see what this next five weeks will bring...

I recently finished reading Emily Giffin's latest book, "Love the One You're With," and found it funny, engaging and enjoyable, which is what I expected. What I didn't expect was to learn a few lessons about life, love and marriage through the fun story of a young married woman who is faced with the choice of whether to commit wholely to her marriage or give in to the passion of an old flame. A wonderful story that I highly recommend to any woman who loves her husband and can appreciate that old flame. Cheers to the unexpected that this book has brought to me and to the great friends who pass along these great stories and important lessons. Thank you, Lauren!

Lessons Learned:

"...maybe that's what it all comes down to. Love, not a surge of passion, but as a choice to commit to something, someone, no matter what obstacles or temptations stand in the way. And maybe making that choice, again and again, day in and day out, year after year, says more about love than never having a choice to make at all."

"...how close I came to losing everything...I hold that day deep within myself, as a reminder that love is the sum of our choices, the strength of our commitments, the ties that bind us together."

Stronger

I'm getting stronger every week alongside several of my work colleagues during our Fitness Five circuit training. It's been five weeks now and I must say that I look forward to this time when I test my strength and my endurance and I enjoy seeing the progress I've made thus far. I find now more than ever in my life that it's less about numbers on a scale and more about how I feel - challenging myself, making and sticking with my commitment, watching my body work for me. I am so proud of my re-defined and newfound muscles. I am overjoyed at how much better I am sleeping and how these workouts lead me to want to do other healthy things for myself. One strong step in the right direction just might lead to a whole new journey...

I've learned so much this week!

I've learned...

---that true love is more about who you are for one another than what you do, and once you are that special someone for your spouse, you will always be that special someone for them.

---new and interesting facts about my Father's side of the family during the two-day funeral activities in Lubbock, Texas.

---that my brother, sister and I share the feeling that our Uncle Jack was our favorite uncle, and that his death is a loss for all of us in a shared, special way.

---that I definitely look more like my Dad's side of the family than my Mother's side.

---that I definitely act more like my Dad's side of the family than my Mother's side - my Dad's side of the family are all generally happy, laid back, fun, open and honest, salt-of-the-Earth kind of folks.

---that bad news seems to come to us in large doses so that maybe it's easier to swallow and so that when even the smallest bit of good news comes, we are completely, utterly grateful.

---no matter how near or far your family is, or how many years have lapsed between seeing them, you can feel like a little piece of you is always with them and a little piece of each of them is always with you.

"One half of knowing what you want is knowing what you must give up before you get it." — Sidney Howard

This quote comes at a time when I have been doing a lot of thinking about what I want. It's a wonderful place to be in when everything feels so settled and so good that I wonder what the next stage in my life will be. I can see beyond the here and now because the here and now is so clear and bright. There are two things I know I want: to continue advancing in my career and to start our family.

I think about career advancement opportunities and the fact that to take on more responsibility I might be giving up the freedom I have in my current role to make my own way, not deal with much of the bureaucracy, "fly under the radar" and other things that make my current role so perfect for me, like traveling, making new connections for the University, not having to manage a staff and having the leadership of someone who is wise and who protects from some of the unwanted "BS." I also think about how much time I have in my current role versus what I might have should I advance. Time is integral for other life plans I am thinking about...

Beginning our family is very much my priority. To begin our family would mean exchanging free time for family time, shifting our priorities from marriage and career to marriage and child. A baby in the house would mean new responsibilities, new worries - less sleep, more work and a forever commitment. It would mean less spontaneity, less selfishness and more concentrated effort to make a happy, healthy home.

In both cases - a new career path and a new family addition - I can see myself being very happy even with the big and small sacrifices, but I do wonder whether I'd be overwhelmed should both life changes happen at one time. If these things happen all at once won't I just muscle through not knowing the difference? Not to say that both will happen either at the same time or at all as I have little control over either life situation, but these changes have definitely been on my mind as possibilities. I've enjoyed toying with the different scenarios and the various ways in which I might approach the outcomes. Again, it's a great place to be in my life when all I really focus on are the possibilities, opportunities and dreams. I find this quote, which came to me today, just perfect for what's been on my mind lately and I wanted to share.

Doctor Love

I had one of my mini break-downs last night where I was laying in bed and my mind was racing. I was thinking about things that make me angry and hurt and I was having conversations running through my mind that had my heart rate up. It's not a good place to be in.

When Greg arrived home and I described my state of mind, he simply sat down next to me and began to listen and talk me through it. The best thing about him, and this may be a "male thing," is that he doesn't allow for my pity party. He gauges the situation and then dives right in with what he believes are the most important things about what I'm saying. He whittles the situation and the problems down so they seem very manageable and then he "bottom lines" it for me. In essence he shows me that it's never as big or bad as I think it is; never as long-lasting as I think it is; and he gets me to focus on the positive of it all. Who needs therapy when you've got Doctor Love in the house?

Eating Like a Queen

My husband might like me to relay some of the excitement surrounding his new career through the who's who clientele - Angie Harmon, Katie Lee Joel, Ashley Olsen, First Lady Laura Bush and the Secret Service, just to name a few.

I would prefer to tell you about the feeling you get when you walk through the door at the T room cafe ( http://www.fortyfiveten.com/). It's an exhilarating feeling. When you walk in you feel special all of a sudden, like you've stepped into a room set perfectly for you. The intimacy and the quiet music are the perfect elements for what will be a wonderful, joyous meal to satisfy all your cravings. Plus the mystery of all of the baubles and wonders that lay merely a few feet away in the boutique adds to your experience. But, ultimately, it's about the food...

From the homemade soups made with only the freshest ingredients to the crisp green salads with a myriad of toppings including various flavors of yummy chicken salad to the warm panini sandwiches on fresh crusty bread dripping with cheese and featuring your favorite veggies and meat of your choice. The experience is divine - the tea is flavorful and the desserts are decadent.

Now why would I want to talk about the famous clientele when they're no more special than I am when I walk into that T room for lunch? They all know as I do that this experience is more than soups, salads and sandwiches - these lunches are a work of art made especially for me each time I'm there.

Like First Lady Laura Bush and all the others, I get a thrill going to the T room because I enjoy feeling special and eating like a Queen.

My thoughts this morning...

I want to play tennis.

I think it's a sport I could actually get into and it's one that Greg and I can play together. Not to mention the cute outfits you get to wear and the fact that of all the celebrity crushes my husband could choose, he always seems to have the hots for a certain young, blond tennis star.

I want to take dance classes.

I've loved dancing my whole life. I've never been the most graceful or had the best technique or skills, but it's always been something I loved to do. I always worked hard at it. I'd like to feel my body move in different ways than it usually does. Dance helps with posture and confidence and overall fitness.

I love watching my husband work on our home.

Yesterday, bright and early, Greg struck out to find flowers, trees and greenery for our front landscaping. I've learned that he has an eye for beauty and order and design unlike most I've ever seen. Before I would insert my "two cents" only to find that his ideas and his vision were, once again, the best. So, I now step back and just enjoy his work because nobody does it better than my man.

Favorite quote from the weekend:

"You are the exclamation point on my creativity"

In complimenting my husband on how well he sees and does things from his work as a chef, to his brilliant ideas at home and at work, to his awesome abilities with home improvements and beautification, he is by far the "Creative Genius" in our household. When I told him this, he argued saying I am creative in my writing, I said "Thank you, but I don't hold a candle to you in the creativity department." His response was the lovely compliment mentioned above. Through my little touches here and there when he has completed his work and through my excitement and admiration of his work, Greg believes I provide the "exclamation point" to my husband's creativity.

Why do some of the best people who have so much to offer the world have to leave us so soon?

The father of two of our very best friends died this weekend. He'd struggled with a somewhat short, but terrible battle with cancer and finally succumbed to the disease with dignity, respect and love from his wonderful family and friends. A doctor himself, he knew when he first received the diagnosis that there probably wouldn't be much time before the inevitable. So, he went about readying his family. I can only assume that over the last few months this family spent time talking about all the good memories and spent time making sure they each knew how they felt and how much he is loved and how much he would be missed. I know Dr. Shuff was a good man, a wonderful father and grandfather, and I know he spent his life helping others, what I don't know is why now? All I can do is thank God for all he was to all those who knew him, be grateful that I was lucky enough to know him and be grateful to him for helping to raise two of the very best men I know.

I want to follow through on the dreams that I have for myself and my family. Like Dr. and Mrs. Shuff, I hope to raise strong, loyal, caring children who are respectful and who love their mother and father. I want my husband and those closest to me to always know how much I care for them because we only have today.