Marriage Ramblings

Some people marry. And divorce. And remarry. And divorce.

That's not for me...
When I get married, if I get married, it's going to be right. All of it.
Which is why I've yet to be married.

I think people take their marriage vows entirely too light-heartedly. Seems like marriage is simply a slightly more committed version of a relationship. It's no longer for life; it's 'til you get on my nerves, don't spend enough time with me, cheat, or...whatever. I'm not into diving into things with a we'll-see-what-happens mentality. And, while it seems all my friends (and exes) are getting married, having babies, etc, I wonder when my happily-ever-after's gonna happen. I feel a little out of the loop--not that I'm not happy for them, but I do think most of the "commitments" I see are mistakes. Blaring mistakes. But, well, we all have to make our own mistakes and move forward from there.

Anyhoo...(here's the part where I get to the point of the blog, bear with me) while the rest of the world moves on and I feel like I'm treading water, I see this story and know I'm doing the right thing. Waiting for your soul mate sometimes takes a century, but (as they say) the best things come to those who wait. So I'm going to wait patiently, with a smile on my face.

Weekend Plans are Coming Together

Looks like I'll be spending both my Friday and Saturday nights in downtown Memphis.
Friday = Kiera's birthday celebration
Saturday = Fireworks over the river

It's been a long time since I've spent any time downtown, and I'm really looking forward to both nights.

Soooo, for anyone looking to avoid my path, I'd suggest you steer clear of downtown altogether this weekend.

Just a tiny little head's up from your friendly neighborhood (downtown) diva.

Live from New York, it's...

Waking up to a world one step closer to equality makes me :) and sing an Ahhhhhh to the sky.
New York is now the 6th state in the nation to legalize gay marriages.
Kudos, New York, kudos.


 B.

(Check out The Commercial Appeal's story here.)

[Does Birthday Dance]

Kiddo is 14 today! :)
I had intended to post a poem that my good friend James wrote for Kiera when she turned five. Well, I think it was when she turned five, although that seems too long ago to be accurate).

Anyhoo, I couldn't find the poem. Darn it. I'm pretty sure I have the paper copy at home somewhere, but the electronic copy...well thats MIA. Currently. I don't think Yahoo archives that back (or my storage isn't capable of it, anyway.).

Birthday dinner tonight, lake all day tomorrow and Jana's party Sunday are great ways to celebrate a birthday weekend. And next weekend, when Kiera's friends are back in town, we'll do the requisite drive-mom-crazy birthday/slumber party.

I always hate leaving her at home on her birthday while I go to work, but I always try to make it special for her regardless. Here's her post on this year's effort:

Wow! Haha. Great birthday so far(: Woke up to 13 text messages, a colorful "Happy Birthday" message on my mirror, a mcfrappe, and a birthday set-up in the kithcen, which includes a banner, confetti, a crown, and beautiful pink roses with a baloon!! (Thanks mom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

I'd say that was a success. I love to make her happy...as I'm sure all mothers do for their kids!
Of course, with my new workout schedule, it took a pre-5am wake up to get it all done. Now that's serious love!
Anyhoo, that is all for today. I'll post the poem if I find it (and the time) later.

Hug your babies...they grow up too fast!
B.

8WC Update

I'm starving.
I mean, I'm eating constantly all day and still starving.

And, no matter how much of your diet consists of fresh fruit and veggies, a calorie is a calorie; if I'm eating all day, that amounts to a massive intake of calories.

So I call the bestie and ask: What the heck is going on?
Tina has been on a straight and narrow path towards better health for about a year now.
She has a personal trainer, has done every imaginable aerobic/weight "class," and has become a bit of a nutritional guru, so she's well versed in anything I inquire about.

Tina's answer: Protein.
Pure and simple.
I'm missing it and my body desperately needs it as it's burning through my calories too quickly. (It's no wonder I was craving steak yesterday!)

To market to market to buy a fat...chicken?
Sorry, don't do pork.

We shall see...

 PS. Two more workouts since yesterday's blog! :)
[Hums Snap's "I've Got the Power"]

Semi-Rant Regarding the Rediculousness of Pop Culture Values (aka shut up already about Ryan Dunn)

At the risk of sounding insensitive, I’m beyond tired of hearing about Rynn Dunn’s death. It amazes me the number of blogs, FB posts, tweets, etcetera in memory of him, and I find myself asking: why?

He was a reality-series celebrity and a human being that, to my knowledge, didn’t make one positive contribution to society.

But half of FB feels it necessary to “RIP” him.

Evidently, he was driving at speeds in excess of 130 mph with a BAC of .196, more than twice the legal limit of alcohol in Pennsylvania. He killed himself AND his fellow passenger, and this wasn’t unusual behavior for Dunn. Over the past 13 years, he’d been cited at least 23 other times for reckless driving, speeding and driving with a suspended license.

Seriously, folks, this is the person we mourn? Ignore the humanitarian efforts worldwide and honor a “Jackass” star whose 15 minutes of fame was the result of doing as much harm to his penis as possible?

Seriously?

This is why I sooo do not get the human race.
Or maybe it’s just the American race.

Either way, please shut up about it.

Sincerely,
Bonnie’s fragile psyche

Eight Week Challenge Update

"Eight week weight-loss contest" just doesn't have a pleasant ring to it. And, after all, the ultimate goal is to achieve better overall health, so let's refer to this as the "eight-week challenge" from here on out.

Since it began on Monday, my schedule's looked a little like this:
Work, Home, Workout, Sleep, Workout, Work, Workout, Home, Sleep, Workout, Work.
Exciting stuff, right?

I don't know how long I can keep these two-a-days up, but I do know this: I'm the smallest person in the contest by a pretty good bit, so I'm going to have the hardest time losing weight. I thought two-a-days would pretty much seal the deal until I realized another "contestant" is doing two-a-days too. WTF, Steve? Grrr.

I'd like nothing more right now that a med-rare filet (and I don't even like meat!) and a loaded baked potato.
Mmmmm, maybe I'll reward myself with a meal at Ruth's Chris at the end of this thing--win or lose. After all, we're all winners if we end up healthier than we started.

'Cept for Steve. He's always going to be a loser. ;)

In keeping with my healthy-lifestyle concept...

I suppose it's time to quit procrastinating and finally get to the lone "catch up" item on my list: Jana's walk/run.

For those of you who don't know Jana, she is a third-party "vendor" from work (for lack of a better title), whom I have grown to absolutely adore! I wrote about her in my Thanksgiving blog (yes, I know it's been a while) and have grown even closer to her since then. Without doubt, Jana is the most inspiring person I've ever met--she makes me want to be a better, more generous, compassionate and selfless person, and she does it all while battling stage 3 multiple myeloma cancer.

But enough gushing about Jana, the woman; let's talk about Jana's event!

At lunch several weeks back, Jana informed me and another friend (so very nonchalantly) that she has decided to put together "The Jana Stressel Miles for Myeloma Walk/Run." Okay--well the title may be a bit deceiving as we won't actually be honoring the cancer so much as raising money for a cure/treatment. We've had very little time for planning (Jana, unfortunately, has been going through intense chemotherapy for the past several months and has been very sick for most of that time), but Kiera and I received an invitation for the The Jana Stressel Walk/Run Kick Off Party for Sunday, so hopefully this will be a time for Jana's "fans" to get together and divvy duties! Count kiddo and me in!

Aside from the fact that we will finally get the planning ball rolling and aside from just being happy to get some face time with her, Jana loves to entertain and is an amazing hostess. I imagine this soiree will be one Kiera and I won't ever forget! And I imagine the walk/run will be no different.

I will expect support from all of my family & friends and hope that those of you not able to contribute financially will be able to donate your time or, at the very least, help spread the word. I'll write more on Jana's story in an upcoming blog to give you a more intimate view of what she's enduring and how she manages keep a smile on her face in spite of it all.

Toodles!

Jana (top, middle) and her fans at Kiera's Southaven Idol performance

Eliptical Goddess? Yes, please.

A couple of coworkers and I have decided to engage in a friendly little weight-loss competition as of...today!
The wager? $10/wk each for the next eight weeks (or $240 for those of you mathematically challenged) and infinite bragging rights.

As many of you know, this isn’t my first competition. At my prior company (aka “hell”), we had a similar contest with a prize just short of $1,000. There were nine people in that contest, which made it an entirely different kind of play, but nonetheless, I won... and by a long shot. Then, in keeping with my luck, I broke my foot the very next month. Since then I’ve slowly regressed to my former non-athletic, pillow-top potato, carb-craving self. But, having done it before, I know I can do it, no problem. I just have to get back in the saddle, hope my still-injured foot holds up, watch what I eat and make it happen.

I’ll need a little inspiration along the journey (as if practically living in my bikini all summer on Tommy’s boat isn’t enough), so feel free to comment with any helpful hints or words of encouragement, and (of course) I'll blog along the way with updates on my progress. :)

Sorry for the lapse, faithful correspondents...

...
...
...
...
But I'm afraid this week has been and continues to be far too hectic to to discuss the number of things that caught my atttention over the past five day. But, on the bright side of things, at least I'm not this family. Some things are just better left unsaid and some of us know we aren't interesting enough for the world-at-large to genuinely care--it's a little self-important and pretentious for my taste. I prefer my intimate network and crowd.

But hey--to each his, hers or its own.

That's right, Bonnie is synonymous with Awesome.

If Merriam-Webster wrote it, it has to be accurate.
Here's an excerpt from my online lookup of Bonnie at http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bonnie.
I'll highlight a few of my favorites:

Synonyms: A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, excellent (also bonnie) [chiefly British], boss [slang], brag, brave, bully, bumper, capital, choice, classic, cool [slang], corking, crackerjack, cracking, dandy, divine, dope [slang], down [slang], dynamite, fab, fabulous, famous, fantabulous [slang], fantastic, fine, first-class, first-rate, first-string, five-star, four-star, frontline, gangbusters (also gangbuster), gilt-edged (or gilt-edge), gone [slang], grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-class, hot, hype [slang], immense, jim-dandy, keen, lovely, marvelous (or marvellous), mean, neat, nifty, noble, number one (also No. 1), numero uno, out-of-sight [slang], par excellence, peachy, peachy keen, phat [slang], prime, primo [slang], prize, prizewinning, quality, radical [slang], righteous [slang], sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-flight, top-notch, top-of-the-line, topping [chiefly British], top-shelf, unsurpassed, wizard [chiefly British], wonderful


Antonyms: atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched
 
Proof positive. :)
 
Now take a few minutes and look yourself up. You may be surprised at what you see.
Although I certainly wasn't.

FB²

As per the May 17th blog, my FaceBook page is now up and running.

The slew of friend requests on the Bonnie Faye page after Saturday's reunion was the final inspiration and ultimately beat out my reluctance.

As of this moment, I'm glad it's up. I've gotten dozens and dozens of welcome back messages, which makes me feel LOVED! :)

If I'm not already you're FB friend, shoot me a friend request and, if I actually know you and you're not on my "short list," I'll welcome you to my (other) virtual world. :)

FB²

As per the May 17th blog, I have reluctantly reactivated my Bonnie Rook FB page.
The reluctancy was, of course, because of the problems I've had in the past, but I decided I wasn't going to let that hinder my ability to express myself and connect with people any longer.
From here on out, when someone betrays me and forwards my information, I'll simply find them (and the solicitor) and beat the hell out of them both.
Because-let's face it-girly as I am, I can still get down like the boys when provoked for long enough.
If you ask for or receive said information, I'll assume that means we have a contractual agreement and will hold you to it.
That is all.
You may now return to your meaningless existance.

Fifteen years, what?

There isn't much time left in the day leading up to blog item #5, so I'd better go ahead and get this out here, even if it's short or choppy or inarticulate...

Let me preface this by explaining that my high school was (and continues to be) dysfunctional. Not your typical every-high-school-is-dysfunctional variety of dysfunctional, but overall completely dysfunctional. We walked through metal detectors, experienced a coup when prom votes were rigged and had a rock fight outside after the fire alarms were pulled for the um-teenth day in a row. We never did things by the book, there was never any great sense of pride in the school and most of my classmates had essentially disappeared prior to the social networking trend that began a few years ago. Since then, however, there have been several get togethers for KHS students. Most of these were pretty informal--meeting at Fox and Hound, The Flying Saucer or Shelby Farms, but tomorrow we will be meeting in a (slightly) more formal fashion at Spaghetti Warehouse in Memphis. Now, I get this isn't an all out formal reunion, but it's as close as we'll ever get to one, complete with old high school memorabilia, photos, decorations and catering. So I'm pretty excited about the whole thing.

As a pre-game to the reunion, I was fortunate enough to meet up with one of my oldest and dearest friends, Sabrina, today and have lunch with her and her three beautiful girls (visiting from North Carolina). Sabrina and I became best friends somewhere around diapers (her family lived beside my dad), and we stayed glued at the hip until jr high school, where we developed into our own separate characters, always knowing that we had each other's backs, no matter what the distance (both emotional and physical). It was clear from lunch that that mentality has not changed, which is refreshing. I have no doubt Sabrina would be the go-to friend if I ever came into a "Goodbye Earl" situation. And she would handle it flawlessly.

But back to the event...
Hopefully there will be a good crowd there. I splurged in a little retail therapy with Tina last night and found an ah-mazing dress and heels for the event...and I'm stoked. Genuinely excited (which to be honest with you, I wasn't feeling even as recently as last week). As an added plus, I'll be spending all day (and night) with Stephanie (whom I've also known since diapers). I'll  be sure to take plenty of pictures and post an update after the reunion with all the good news for those of you that won't be able to make it.

I'm still shocked that it's been fifteen years. Fifteen. Seriously? Wow.
Now back to feeling old but looking great. :)

Google Doodle Doo

I Google pretty much daily. Even on my days off. It's more than my go-to search engine; it's a confidante, GPS and mentor, all in one. And I've noticed, especially lately, how creative Google has been with its Google Doodle--you know, the catchy little "Google" spelled out via doodle above the search engine box.

Yesterday's doodle (in honor of Les Paul) caught my eye and I breifly thought about sharing it via blog, but didn't want to go into blog overload.

Imagine my surprise when I realized that the Le Paul doodle didn't change today, as it normally does. Of course I had to find out why. So what'd I do? Well, I googled google doodle, of course. :)

Enjoy the article.
And thanks, PC Magazing online.

P.S. As this particular Google Doodle is interactive, you'll need to go to Google.com to enjoy it for yourself.

Blog Neglect Pt. 2 (aka Shout out to the Fans)

Wow! I had no idea you all were so eager to have me catch my blog up.
A quick check of my stats tells me I had 30+ visits yesterday.
I knew my writing was amazing, but I never expected it to take me worldwide.

I'm sooo feeling like Kanye today.
[bounces head to beat while mimicking stank face]

My Cup Runneth Over (aka Memphis in May BBQ Fest)

For anyone who has not experienced the beautifully glutinous world of the MIM World Championship Barbecue Contest, you have GOT to check out this annual event.

I was initially saddened that this, my rookie year, happened to coincide with a flooded Mississippi River. And though the location of the event was changed, the vibe clearly was not. In fact, every single commentary I’ve read since the fest has been in favor of a permanent stay at Tiger Lane. Evidently the loss of the riverfront also equates to a loss of the mud, an abundance of cheap parking and a more efficient system/location for the cooking teams. Okay, yes, you lose your view, but geez—it’s the Mississippi River—not that great a view to begin with.

I could go on and on about the fest—particularly how elaborate the themes are, but I’ll stick to the team that hosted us. Sow Luau had a tropical paradise theme going on in its oversized lot. Think: Margaritaville, complete with the twinkling lights, walk up bar and...wait for it...dance floor. We fully embraced the “eat, drink, be merry” mentality and completely enjoyed ourselves. Even the weather was agreeable, which is a hard thing to come by in May.

A big thanks to Rick and the rest of the Sow Luau Team for the hospitality.

I’ve got photos...somewhere...around...here.
Egh, maybe I’ll find and post ‘em soon.

Next year you can find me at the same fest in the same lot but sans the kiddo.
She said once was good for her. :)



Just stole this from kiddo's FB page! :)



Thursday's Note to Self

When carrying monstrously large Coach bag, do not throw more than one set of keys in the bottom at a time. And most certainly do not throw three sets of keys in the bottom. The likelihood of your retrieving necessary keys in a timely manner, sanity in check, is slim to nonexistent.

Thank you,
Your self.

Favorites (Action Item 4 Semi-Completed)

Favorite t-shirt:
Give my piece a chance
[submitted by 2ME]

Favorite bumper sticker
When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.
[as posted on EmT's car--gotta love a hippie teacher]

As Promised... (Action Item 1 Completed)

The hunt for our new home is moving...slooooowly.

As I said several weeks ago, we put a bid on a house Kiddo and I both love. And, well, since then, we've been waiting. And waiting.

I knew a short sale would work this way, so I had already put the I-want-things-my-way-when-I-want-them in check before we began the process, and that's really paid off in the form of patience. It also helps that I really want this house.

On the flip side of things, I have another constant voice in the back of my head reminding me that *if* I don't get the "dream" home, and I've waited too long for an answer, I might also lose the 2nd home on my list. I've got people throwing the whole "If it doesn't work out it isn't meant to be" cliche at me, but I'm a firm believer in making things happen (as opposed to thinking there is some greater force in the universe dictating what is/isn't meant to be), so I know it's simply a matter of timing. And of pricing. Since we put the offer on dream home, the asking price on the 2nd home has been lowered, which worries me a little more.

Just when I start wavering in my decision and think about withdrawing my offer, I remember all the things I love about the "dream" home and I am reminded to stand firm.

I'm just going to continue that...just plant my heels and wait for an answer from the banker (I feel like I should be standing beside Howie Mandel) and see what may come.

If I lose the 2nd home, there will be another...and another...and another.
Just have to exhale and remain calm. :)

[Keep your fingers crossed]
(++)

As promised... (Action Item 2 Completed)

Chicago...

Ahhh, where to begin?

It’d take far too long to go over all the details of our trip, so I’m going to cap myself at ten minutes and see how far that gets us. And, since a picture’s worth a thousand words, I’ll supplement via pics.

The trip:
I was a little apprehensive regarding the Amtrak by the time we made it to the station thanks to a multitude of horror stories from my co-workers about the passengers, the delays, the ride, the stench (yes, I said stench), the air conditioning (or lack thereof) etc. Initially, my fear felt founded as I stared at my fellow-passengers, but all went well and the train was a much more comfortable ride than I’ve ever had by plane. It was not ideal for sleeping though (as I was hoping). We arrived on time to and from Chicago and didn’t experience a single problem (nor stench).

The hotel:
One word: Amazing! It’s located right in the heart of the loop of downtown Chicago, which meant we were able to take the El everywhere. The service was impeccable (they even let us check in five hours early), amenities were bountiful and the entire hotel was beautiful—not to mention full of history.



And, since it’s taking forever to compose this amidst the interruptions, I’ll finish out via photos

The sights:

The Willis (formerly Sears) Tower, 103 stories high above Chicago
These plexiglass ledges made my stomach go crazy, and I'm not even remotely scared of heights.



Picnic Lunch at Millennium Park with DJ Ron Trent

This was one of the best pieces of art I've seen (and is housed in Millennium Park)

Aragon Ballroom & The Script in concert

We were right beside the stage.

Check out my YouTube or FB for some awesome videos before YouTube flags and removes 'em.

 

Sailing on Lake Michigan

Kiera even helped lift a sail!

Funhouse Maze on Navy Pier

(With the most wicked optical illusion I've EVER experienced)

Rainforest Cafe

Cheesy, but it was kiddo's picked and she totally bought into/loved it!

Shopping at Magnificent Mile

This was the (ten story tall) Macy's where we indulged in a little summer dress shopping

7-11

(Yes, I know, but don't underestimate the value of a 7-11 (and Slurpee) to two girls who lost access upon their move back from California. It was right across from the hotel and we were there constantly!)

Well, that about sums it up. Obviously there are a million other pics (all on Kiera's FB if you're interested), but these are the highlights.

The trip was a blast and we had loads of fun (thanks to all who have inquired).
(++)
B.



Blog-Neglect

I know I owe you all quite a few blogs and I have a running list in my head:

1. House Update
2. Chicago Trip Details
3. Jana's Run
4. Favorites
5. Class Reunion
6. Memphis BBQ Cooking Championship

Not necessarily in that order, but I'm getting to it. Soon...
[Note to self: Must cut sleep to 5 hours/night]

I really need a cape. And a tiara.

Sometimes, when I'm right on the brink of caring, I realize I'm dealing with a sub-standard and vastly inferior adversary. And then I simply exhale and go back to being marvelous.