March to the Arch

Yesterday was September 11, 2011. It was the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Back in July my friend Cindy told me about this event taking place on Sept 11th called March to the Arch. It sounded cool, but I wasn't quite sure that my schedule would allow me to do it. The week before the event, Cindy reminded me and I said "I'm in". As it was the 10th anniversary I really wanted to do something besides avoiding any and all footage of 9/11.

March to the Arch is a 21 mile long walk starting in Chesterfield, MO and ending at the Gateway Arch. I know my limits, so I decided that walking a portion of the 21 miles would be good enough. There was no way I would be able to walk all of it. So the plan was to meet up with Cindy at Art Hill in Forest Park. However upon arriving in Forest Park, parking was insane. So Cindy suggested I park and meet them at Mike Duffy's off of Clayton and Big Bend. I ended up walking from there to the Arch. It was a bit further than I originally planned, but whatever. I'm really glad that it worked out that I started out at Mike Duffy's. I was part of 400-500 people to walk up Art Hill amid all of the flags there. St. Louis did a memorial for the 9/11 victims by placing a flag for each person lost on Art Hill. What made it unique, is the fact that on each flag pole was the name, photo, their age, where they were working and the home town of each person. Words can not describe the emotions and feelings that were running through me when I walked towards Art Hill and seeing the flags in person. Walking up the hill was an amazing feeling and about half way up people started applauding us. I really didn't feel worthy of the applause then, I hadn't walked that far. The people who had started in Chesterfield, were definately deserving of the applause. At the top of the hill a small ceremony was held to place two flags; one to represent firefighters and the other to represent the workers lost. The first few miles weren't that bad. I had a few twinges but I was in continuous motion so it was easy to push it aside and focus on the walk. We were lucky in that we had beautiful weather, a bit hot but nice and sunny. The closer we got to the arch, the harder it was keep walking. I soo wanted to quit at Union Station. I won't lie; I was really tempted to hop on the Metro Link at Union Station and take it to the Arch. However, Cindy and I made a deal; neither one of us would let the other quit early. However, what kept me moving was the the thought of the firefighters and first responders charging into the burning towers, running up stairs amid toxins and smoke. The pain they willingly endured in order to save the lives of others motivated me to keep moving and ensured me that the pain I felt was for them and was worth it. I stayed hydrated (2 bottles of water and 2 12 oz of gatorade), and enjoyed 2 bananas to keep up my energy. I also had some twizzlers for sugar intake. All of that helped, believe me. Keeping hydrated really helped my joints. Once we got to the Arch grounds we followed the Marine Corp. Color Gaurd down to the Arch and were rewared to more applause. This time I felt worthy of it. Once we reached the Arch we were allowed to relax. The guy who started this march gave a short speech and another man sang The Star Spangled Banner and another moving, inspirational song (beautiful voice). Then we all sang America the Beautiful...then we were allowed to touch the Arch. Touching the Arch after that walk was an incredible feeling; I did it! Bad knees and all! I still can't believe I did it. A school bus took marchers back to their cars. It felt sooo good to sit and enjoy the ride. I came home starved, sweaty and exhausted. Most of all proud. Today I woke up with my left knee swollen and my right ankle tight. So I wrapped the knee and put the ankle in a brace. I am achy and sore, but it was worth it. So no matter how much I complain of the pain, I do not regret what I did for a second. I was able to honor those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. So for now I'm "Zombie Walkin" for the moment. I'll be fine in a few days; rest and hydration will help. For more information on March to the Arch, click here http://www.marchtothearch.com/.

10 years later

T/m is the 10 year anniversary of 9/11. 10 years ago, it was Sunday night and I was recovering from knee surgery I had had on Friday. Mom was helping me get comfortable for the night at the hotel we were staying in; I was a new student at SMS, but I wanted mom around to help me for a few days while I got back on my feet. My biggest worry for the next day; how I was going to a) make it all over campus on crutches and b) make it to all of my classes. I had no idea of the horror that awaited. I woke up September 11, 2001 around 8:30 AM, my first class wasn't until 10 AM, but showering was going to be an ordeal. I remember coming out of the shower and seeing smoke coming out of a building on tv. I asked mom what was on TV, at the time she thought it was some action flick. It wasn't until we were sitting down to breakfast we relized it was live tv. We saw the second plane approach, I remember saying "There's another plane" and watching it crash into the tower. I still went to class, one let out early, I got out in time to see the towers fall. I remember that all of my classes except for math were either cancelled or let out early. My math professor was horrid, we asked him "Do you know what is going onout there?" and he replied "That's not important right now, this class is important" and kept us the entire time. I was in shock. Then I heard that a plane had crashed into the pentagon. I wanted mom to call my dad and brother and have them leave St. Louis. I didn't know what was going on, but I wanted my family out of a major city. Mom said they were fine where they were, St. Louis wasn't big enough to warrent an attack. I heard later that a friend of mine's father was supposed to have been in the pentagon that day, but for some reason (I forget) he wasn't. I remember worrying that my friend in basics was going to be called out and sent to war. I see now it was an unreasonable fear, but at the time I wanted all of my friends and family in one location: I don't know for sure, just somewhere safe. I can still close my eyes and see that second plane crash into the tower, and then see the towers fall. There is a movie out based upon the heroic actions of some of the firefighters on that day; I haven't watched it. I can't bring myself to. I close my eyes and change the channel whenever images from that day come on. T/m I am joining my friend Cindy Almon at Art Hill for March to The Arch in rememberance of those lost that day. The plan is to walk from Forrest Park to the Arch...we shall see how far I can make it. I have seen pictures of the flags that are on display at Art Hill, it is a sight to be seen. T/m is not going to be an easy day. My thoughts and prayers will be with those who lost loved ones that horrible day. Our flag is already on display out front. I will never forget the horrors of that day. I will never forget the emotions of hopelessness and sadness I felt that day. I will never forget 9/11. I hope and pray that one day justice will be served for all those who lost their life then. Until then I will continue to support our troops and remember. Always remember 9/11.

Meet Puppy Noel pt 2

So our new baby is called Tina Turner for now. We will be changing her name to something that fits her personality better. What that name will be, I have no clue. So for now we call her the baby. Since we met baby on a Monday I suggested the name Luna which is Spanish for moon. Lunes is Spanish for Monday, so Luna for short. Other name ideas: Sahara (if she drinks like Loki does- that's her name for sure), Raine (it might rain t/m), Madrid, Dakota, Jubilee, Arizona, Pandora, and Persephone (Perrie for short) - in keeing with the goddess names. Now will we pick one of these names? No clue. Watch we come up with a name not even mentioned. We usually let our animals name themselves as dictated by their personalities.

Ex: Climber-adopted at shelter, cat was climbing the gate to get eye level with us

Sparkle- her eyes sparkled at me when we adopted her

Shadow- silly girl scared herself when she saw her reflection in the dishwasher

Loki- she was/is constantly mischievious.

Hints as to her personality: very curious, loves belly rubs, loves to be craddled like a baby, gives kissies, loves to play hard, was very sleepy/calm when we met her and when Loki met her.

What does that mean? Not sure. However, baby will have a name soon enough. Mom took a lot of pics when she and Loki met, so those will be posted on facebook soon enough. I can't wait until she comes home and joins our family! And now the Noel family is a family of 6!!

Meet Puppy Noel!

It's official! We are adopting another dog! She comes home t/m. About a month or so ago, mom decided she wanted to adopt another dog. Dad finally agreed/ caved (however you want to look at it) So began the great search for a puppy. Mom wanted a chocolate labrador retriever, she didn't care if it was a pure bred or not. Dad still wanted a pure bred. So I began looking on the internet for puppy. Eventually, dad decided that adopting from a shelter was fine. It was decided that we would not get puppy until mid- August. This would be after mom and dad's Canadian vacation and boyscout camp. However, after some discussion, we decided to adopt a black lab puppy instead of a chocolate. As soon as I changed the parameters of our puppy search, I came upon Patti LaBelle on Adoptapet.com. Patti was a black lab mix puppy, solid black and absolutely adorable. I immeadiatly texted mom and told her I had found our dog. Mom e-mailed the shelter, which is located in St. Charles, stating that we wanted to meet Patti. So that afternoon mom picked me up from work and we drove to Five Acres Shelter, formerly the St. Charles Humane Society. We arrived there and saw some black lab puppies hanging out in the back of a truck with some people milling around it and talking. We initially went over to the truck and met Tina Turner, a black lab mix with a splash of white on her chest. When mom picked her up, she grunted...Loki grunts all the time! We learned that Patti LaBelle was inside, however someone had arrived a few minutes before us and had picked Patti. So we went back outside to take another look at Tina. Within a few moments we knew this was our puppy. She was a black lab yes, however unlike our previous Black lab Shadow; Tina had a splash of white on her. Which made her different and we didn't feel like we were replacing Shadow. Tina loves to be held/cuddled like a baby. I held her while mom filled out the application. Then we had to head home not knowing if we would be approved. The next day, mom got a phone call stating that granted our dog, Loki and the puppy got along, Tina was ours!! Unfortunately, Tina didn't have all her puppy shots yet. So we would have to wait two weeks before we could set up a meet and greet between Loki and Tina. Fast forward 2 weeks to August 29th (today), we had an appointment to meet with puppy at 5:30. I was so worried that the two would not like eachother; I was worried that Loki would eat/ attack the baby. However, when mom and dad took Loki to meet Tina, they ignored each other! Tina was more interested in sniffing his foster dad's shoes and Loki was more iterested in the foster dad. Tina and her siblings were fostered at a home instead of staying at the shelter. Loki didn't even react when dad picked up Tina an cuddled her. So that made it official. T/m morning they will spay Tina and she gets to come home at 5pm!!!!

New Look

So I was bored and decided to change things up. Wonder if anyone will notice the changes besides me? Oh well. I think all the littel changes I made are more me. I stuck with the water background and colors; I am obsessed with water.

Highlights from NVC

The drive there:

Cindy and I rocking out to her Disney playlist and chatting about all sorts of things.

We saw a UFO!

The conference:

Learned a lot of new stuff that I can take back to my students

Howl at the Moon!!

The drive home:

Cindy and I rocked out to my Boy Band playlist. Cindy's highlight- O-town! My highlight- Backstreet Boys!

Saw a sign for Churchill museum (this will be a road trip later) in Warrenton, MO...although I don't think the museum is about our beloved Region 8 Director Jenn Churchill :(

"Hot Tasty Butts" very interesting billboard

My life lately

It is already mid- July. Good grief, where did this summer go? Time really seems to be flying by. I've been pretty busy, even though I've had time where nothing is going on. So here is what has been going on:

*Baseball: So far I've been to 4 Cardinal games! My record is 2-2. (2 wins-2 losses). I have gotten to go to these games w/ really cool friends. My last game I got to reconnect w/ my little brother from Alpha Phi Omega! It was awesome. We were in a suite, which it self was really cool, but even cooler was Rob and I got to chat and see an awesome game! Pujols hit a homerun and Tony Cruz hit a double to win the game in the ninth. All in all it was a good time.

*Metrolink- I have become quite the Metrolink traveler! So far I have used it on 6 seperate occasions. I have used it for transport to all baseball games, to check out Marine week (which was amazing!), and to see the Maroon 5 concert (which was cancelled- boo). Next week I am heading downtown again to see Barenaked Ladies for Live off the Levee. I'm excited! I like traveling downtown and am sort of getting to know it better. Don't quote me on that tho, I still could (and probaly will) get lost downtown. LOL- I have no sense of direction.

*Alpha Phi Omega- I have been able to do activities with both my chapter and my alumni group. I attended a BBQ/ meeting for my chapter. So far Gateway Alumni Association (my alumni group) has only done a May event (June was too busy, and so far July is so busy and really really hot). However, it looks like we have an August Event; trivia night for Sectionals! The Railroaders have an event too; going to the zoo! I am super excited about both and hope for a good turnout for both activies.

*National Volunteer Conference (NVC): Only 12 more days I am off to Independence, MO for an exciting conference just for alumni! 3 1/2 fun filled days w/ some really awesome brothers I haven't seen in a while. Conferences during the day, and at night? We shall see! I am really excited and nervous about the one workshop I'm doing, but I am feeling more confident about it as the days go by. I am really excited about the roadtrip there and the conference itself! I can't wait! I get to take a mini-vacation for 4 days! Whoohoo! Have I mentioned I am excited?!

*Loki: Loki is awesome and being mischievous as always. She has only gotten to go swimming once (so far!), as LVL has been way crowded.

*Weather: Oh my what a spring/ summer it has been! First we had all the tornadoes (which we are not done by the way) and now we have intense heat. There is an excessive heat warning until Friday at 8 PM! Temperatues in the upper 90's and Heat Indexes in the 100's. So glad my work and home and car have A/C. Loki has wanted to play retriever, but I only let her fetch a few times as it is so hot and she doesn't know when to quit and I really don't want her to get overheated. I would love to take her on walks at night but it is too hot for either one of us. So for now it is retrieving toys in the house will have to do.

Rising Waters

St. Louis has been through some rough weather lately. And it doesn't appear we are going to get a break any time soon. Since my last posting about the tornado I have learned more about it. I found out that the tornado traveled 22 feet and was a 1/4 mile wide (the width of my street- two lanes plus a nice shoulder on each side). This tornado made the one that hit Sunset Hills and Fenton back on New Year's Eve look like nothing. Not to diminish what happend then, its just this tornado inflicted a lot more damage. Miracuously no deaths! KMOV did a fantastic job of covering the storm and it seems like everyone had a lot of warning and a lot of information about the storm! Obviously that helped. I keep reading and hearing more about the tornado. The one thing I heard that made me soo happy was that of the volunteers coming out and helping everyone! I love hearing stuff like that, proves that there are caring people in our city. Some people have been helping by reaching out to friends and asking for things. Every little bit is appreciated I am sure. Times are going to be tough, but I think we are going to come out of this okay. It appears that there really are some wonderful people in St. Louis.
Now going to the title of my post: Rising Waters. It has been raining constantly since (and even before) the tornado it. (did St. Louis turn into Seattle and I missed it?) The ground is saturated from previous rainfalls so there is nowhere for the water to go. So the rivers are cresting. One levey, in Poplar Bluff, has already failed. One road by my house has been closed because it is under water. I heard that the levey gate in Valley Park was going to close, but it remains open. News casters are saying that the Meramec River is going to crest t/m at 24 ft. I would imagine that before that the levey gate in Valley Park will close. I am really worried about this flooding. My house will not be affected; I live on top of a big hill. If my house floods somebody better be building an ark and collecting 2 of each animal (except for squirrels and geese). What I am concerned about is 141 at 44 going under. If that happens, I can still get to work, it is just going to take a lot longer to get there. I really don't want that to happen- and call me selfish if you want- I just don't want to have to use all that gas considering the gas prices! I mean really, do the oil companies think we are made of money?! All we can do now is wait and hope for the best.

EF4 Tornado Hits St. Louis

Friday night, April 22nd, Good Friday, St. Louis was hit by an E4 Tornado. Lambert Airport and surrounding areas suffered the most damage.
Tornados are graded on the Fujita scale from 1 to 5. They are measured by how much they "eat" aka destroy. The higher the number, the greater the damage. This link gives you an idea of how they grade each number.
St. Louis suffered incredible damage; houses were leveled, Lambert international had a roof taken off, windows blown in, and a teriminal flooded. Debris littered the halls of Busch Stadium. The pictures of the damage I have seen are enough to break my heart. Miracuously though, there were no fatalities. All that damage and not one life lost. God was truely watching over St. Louis Friday night. Even those of you who do not believe in God, you have to admit there was something greater watching over us. I was fortuate in that all of my friends and family are safe and unharmed by the storm. Others were not as fortunate.
President Obama has promised Federal Aid to the victims. This and insurance will help. Let me repeat HELP... but not solve all the problems. It takes a long time for insurance claims to be processed. It will take time for the Federal money to arrive and be properly distributed. In the meantime, people will have to rely on the strength and love of their friends and family. The generosity of strangers will also be a booon to them. Those with Tornado insurance will have advantages of being able to rebuild faster, the insurance will provide them with money to get a hotel, get food and clothes. This will HELP, not solve. And it will take time for insurance to get the money to its customers, and while they are waiting they will have to use precious funds for the basic necessities just to survive. I am not saying all this to be cold or rude, nor am I minimizing the situation, as it has been suggested to me. There are some amazing people out there who have already stepped forward and are helping the vicitms. A friend of mine is reaching out to her facebook community and asking for small donations to help a friend of hers who lost her house. She is not asking for a lot, just small things; gift certificates for food and clothes, and donations of diapers. It may seem small but in the long run it is a lot. Remember that the tiniest ripple in the pond can produce the largest waves. Translation: even the smallest acts of kindness can make the biggest difference. KMOV asked for stories of people doing good for a special segment on Monday, so I submitted what my friend is doing. The news needs to highlight more stories like this more often. I am impressed and awed by what people are doing to help out. There are truely some amazing people in St. Louis. For those of you who want to help, click here for ideas.

Bienvenido a 2011!

So 2010 is over and 2011 is here! 2010 was one of my best years ever! I got a job, a new car, got active w/ my chapter, Sigma Alpha, again, went to National Convention (will go into detail about that on a later blog), and just really felt like this was my year. I loved 2010 and am even more excited to see what 2011 has in store for me! So Happy New Year, Feliz Ano Nuevo and Welcome to 2011. Beinvenido a 2011!!

2010 in Review

2011 is right around the corner- literally! One more week and it will be a new year. 2010 has been an amazing year for me. Sad to see it end, but really excited to see what 2011 has in store for me!

*January: My assignment at Portafab Corporation is extended. Mark turns 26. I take my first session of Zumba- love it love it! Lose a great friend: Tom Meyers Jr. Spend a few days in the hospital thanks to gastritous (all better now).

*February: Loki celebrates her 4th birthday on the 8th! Attend Jenny's Baby Shower. Enjoy the fact that my assignment w/ Kelly Temps at Portafab has been extended yet again.

*March: Portafab hires me on! 2 days later I get a new car. I make my biggest purchase to date: a 2010 Ford Escape in Sangria Red. I call her Ruby! Enjoy time w/ friend Sarah (who lives in Cali) when she visits St. Louis by getting our nails done. Get to meet her beautiful daughter, Hayden for the fist time.

*April: Froggiegirl & Gimlet (aka Jenny & Tom) welcome their beautiful daughter Jillian Nicole into the world on April 5th. I get to meet her a few weeks later. I attended a wonderful sectionals held by Alpha Phi at Washington University.

*May: I turn 28 on the 5th. EMAA holds a meeting at Ted Drews where I become the Vice President.

*June: EMAA holds a great bbq. Jillian is baptised on the 5th, and a party is held in her honor at the Kyle house. Get to spend more time w/ Jillain :) Attend a baseball game w/ JR. Start taking Pilates w/ mom and friends

*July: Pilates finishes up at the end of the month :( See Titantic at the Muny w/ Amy Rose & her mother. Start up Zumba again. Slip and fall, landing on my knee after a drs appt at St. Clares- end up dropping Zumba :( Parents leave for annual gambling trip next day.

*August: Dad celebrates his 61st birthday. Mom and dad take a road trip to the Smokey Mountains. Parents celebrate their 39th wedding anniversary! Attend a Cards/ Cubs game w/ Dad.

*September: Mom celebrates her 39th birthday (she began counting backwards once she hit the big 5-0). Mom & I check out the Hispanic Heritage Festival downtown, plan on making it a yearly tradition. Attend my 3rd (and last) Cardinal game w/ a friend, Michael Mulqueeny. Cards (finally) win (they had lost the other games I had attended)

*October: Hispanic Heritage Month!! I attend my first Taste of St. Louis w/ Jennifer Francis & Friends. Take care of the Kyle's Chinchillas as they take a roadtrip to Chicago for a wedding. Hang out w/ Erin & Kelly at Erin's new apartment and celebrate their birthday- get to see some friends I haven't seen in a while. Friends Veronica & Kyle celebrate their 2nd wedding anniversary.

* November: Celebrate Jenny's b-day at Chipotle w/ friends. Start attending weekly meetings for my chapter, Sigma Alpha. Participated in SIUE's Fall Service Day. Participated in Scouting for Food Collection Day. Attend Guns 'n' Hoses (Cops vs Firefighters) Boxing Match w/ JR. Experience a white Thanksgiving (we only got a dusting but it was pretty). Enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving w/ my family. Grateful for another year together and yummy food.

* December: More snow fell on St. Louis on December 12th. Experience the shortest elections in a long while with Sigma Alpha. Mark falls and breaks his elbow, and has surgery (doing fantastic). Enjoy a lovely evening at Zia's w/ EMAA. Then enjoy Tilles Park's Winter Wonderland w/ Andy K, Sonalee, and Stephanie. Mom recieves the Vigil Award for Order of the Arrow (the highest award). Possibly going to enjoy a white Christmas. Enjoying my first real vacation in four years. Going to fly on a plane for the first time in 4 years on the 27th- super exciting. Flying to Atlanta, GA to attend my 2nd National Convention for my Fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega.

Nationals 2010- Atlanta, GA

Nationals are 5 days away. In 5 days I will take my first flight in 4 years! I am soo excited! Dad got my suitcase down from the attic. Took awhile to find it. We looked in the attic, found mom's which is similar to mine, looked downstaris, and then looked in the attic again and found it. It was partially covered by a white trashbag. Why? I don't know. I have my luggage tag and ribbons on it. I also put a ribbon and luggage tag on my laptop bag which is my carry-on. Went out this afternoon with dad to complete his Christmas shopping; people were insane! They were not at all in the Christmas spirit. It was all me, me, me! Cars would block the intersection just so they wouldn't have to wait for the next light. The shopping areas were nuts. Apparently everyone is out and about today getting those last items. Snow is coming- we might have a white Christmas! They are saying that we will get anywhere from 2 to 4 inches. All I care is that Sunday afternoon (when I get my nails done) and Monday morning (when mom & dad take me to the airport) the roads are nice and clear!
Christmas Eve is t/m. Where has the time gone?! Here is some stuff that has occured since I last blogged:
* Congress passed the (much needed) Bush Tax cuts and Obama signed it into law.
* Congress also passed the DADT (Don't Ask, Don't Tell) Bill. Finally!
* I have unofficially been working at Portafab Corporation for a year. This time last year I was working as a temp and praying my assignment would get extended. March 1st will be my year anniversary there! I love my work! My co-workers are really nice and I like going into work everyday. Although by the time 4:30 rolls around I am ready to go home! I am extremly grateful for my job. Portafab is closed today and t/m (of course), and then closed again on the 30th & 31st. Thanks to my job, I am able to take my first vacation in 4 years. My first day of vacation started off wonderful- I slept til noonish :) Monday morning I fly to Atlanta and return to St. Louis on January 1st.
* Last Wed, we got a glazing of ice. This made our driveway a skating rink, and unfortunately my brother discovered this when he slipped and fell and broke his elbow. Mark had surgery yesterday morning and it went great. He is doing really well. I am suprised by how well he is doing- he is actually out with a friend! Instead of a hard cast his arm is wrapped in an ace-bandage which allows him to move his elbow. Suprisingly the more he moves his elbow, the better. So his recovery should be a lot shorter than we orginally thought. Which would be fantastic!

Products I love!!

Sometimes I run accross a product that I absolutely love and just have to share with others. A lot of the products are name brand- I usually buy them on sale or use coupons. I hate paying full price.

Deep Water Bath by Better Bath
This gadget I am absolutely in love with!! You place it over the overflow drain on your bathtub and you are able to get a few more inches of water in the bathtub. Hence deeper water :) I love taking long hot bubble baths. This is my ultimate de-stresser. Now I can get the water up to my ears. The product advertises that not only does allow inches more water, the water stays hotter longer. I'm a bit skeptical of this...however in according to physics (yes I'm using physics) the larger the body of water it is the longer it takes to heat up or cool down. So since you are able to add more water, it takes longer for the water to cool down.

Aromatherapy Luxery Bath in Lavender Chamomile by Bath and Body Works
I love, love, love this bubble bath! It is a very soothing refreshing scent and creates amazing bubbles that last a long time. At little bit creates a ton of bubbles! Right now Bath and Body works is having their Yellow Sale- where everything is on sale and all aromatherapy items are buy 2 and get 2 free! The only downside to this product is that it is in a glass bottle, other than that its amazing!

Pantene Nature Fusion Moisture Balance Conditioner
This stuff is amazing. It smells clean; not a floral scent. It aslo leaves my hair shiny and soft. Very happy with this product!

Haircare
Bed Head TIGI Maxxed Out Hairspray-It has amazing hold & smells like grapefruit. no helmet hair feel. I bought new hairspray sometime last spring and two hairsprays were packaged together (buy one, get one free deal). Just finishing up the first bottle, so the product lasts a long time.

Garnier Fructis- Fiber Gum I use this stuff to hold my part and add some volume and texture to my hair. I love the fresh semi fruity smell. It also helps against frizz and helps hold your style. I just use a tiny bit and it goes a long way- I've had the original container for over a year now.

Fekkai Glossing Creme-I put this in my hair before I dry it. Cuts down on the frizz big time! Gives hair a smoother texture. Again a little bit goes a long way- you just use the amount of a pea. Lasts a long time so its worth the price. Of course having coupons for Bath and Body works helps a lot too! Especially those buy one item and get a 10 dollar item free! I love those coupons!

Eyes
Opti-Free Replenish Contact Solution-My eye doctor got me hooked on this. I just put my contacts in this solution and they are clean. Last year I got a ton of samples from my eye doctor so I haven't had to purchase this stuff in over a year!! Also, if you do buy these most of the time inside or on the box its in there is a coupon for a dollar or so off the next purchase.

Blink Eyedrops-I got this sample from my eye doctor and the past few weeks I have been very grateful for these! My allergies have been acting up (thanks to an outrageous mold count), and these drops help stop my eyes from feeling on fire. This is particulary great b/c its sensitive enough that I can use it w/ and w/o contacts.

Beauty/ Cleansers
Olay Daily Facials Express Wet Cleansing Colths (Sensative skin)-My mom and I use this to take our makeup off at the end of the day. It gently removes all the makeup and dirt accumulated during the day. We prefer the sensitive skin formula b/c my skin is extremly senstive- all of my face wash stuff has to be sensitve otherwise I break out. Your face feels clean and fresh after using them.

Clinique- 3 step-I love Clinique- personally I think they make the best makeup. They also have a really good skin care line. I have been using this for years and am very happy with the results. My skin is clean and clear. The Dramatically different face lotion has been ranked consumers fave face moisturizer for 5 years in a row! The main reason I love clinique so much is b/c it works with my sensitive skin. I've tried other products and they have caused rashes or break outs.

Clean & Clear Deep Action Cream Cleanser- just switched to this for the winter, love how my face feels "cool" after using it.
Clean & Clear- Morning Burst- My other face wash- like it b/c it wakes me up (could be the shock of water on my face) and its sensitve enough for me.
St. Ives Apricot Skin (gentle)- I use this exfoliater once a week, really cleans my face and gets rid of dead, and dry skin. Again my skin likes this.

Milk-Bone Dog Biscuits- Loki loves these! We usually get no name brand, but then I found out that Milk-Bone donates a percentage of their profits to an organization that helps pair people with helper animals. So we alternate b/t no name and Milk-Bone (Loki doesn't know nor does she care).

and finally:
QuikTrip - how could I not include this?! I love QT- this is the only place I go for gas. Their stations are always well lit, clean and the workers are very friendly. Plus I love their 32 oz fountain drinks :)

For those of you who read the entire blog: thank you- hope it wasn't too boring and helps you out; giving you new products to try or a good laugh.

All in a Day's Work

After a lazy start to the weekend; I sleept 'til about 11:30 AM, I suddenly got motivated. So I donned my bikini and washed my car. Not only did I wash it, I cleaned all the windows, and vaccumed it. Then since I was on a roll and wanted more sun (I did put sunscreen on) I washed my mom's car. I gave it the same treatment as mine; it is now clean inside and out. I also frebreezed her car. My car still has the new car smell and I like it so I didn't febreeze mine. After cleaning up outside, and putting both cars in the garage -bring it on rain- my cars will stay clean! :) I continued laundry-which I had been doing while cleaning the cars- I am a multitasker! :) I made my bed, then vaccumed the living room, the office, my room and Loki's bed. Loki even helped; for those of you who are wondering "How did the dog help?!" Loki's version of helping translates to following me around everywhere, getting in my way, and trying to trip me up. Loki did not help wash the cars. Loki loves water, and since she just got groomed on Wed, I so didn't feel like washing the dog and then dealing w/ wet puppy. So now the house is clean. The last load of laundry (excluding the whites which I will bleach t/m) is in the washer and I have tri colored rotini noodles on the stove for the Pasta Salad I am making. Loki was such a good dog, she waited patiently for both her meals today- first she let me sleep in (thank you- I apparently needed it) and then she let me clean and then feed her. Now she has her cow- Frankenmoo and is squeaking him while trotting around the house. Now she is showing her towel who is boss- yea Loki take it out on the towel... I have to go out later and get broccoli and cauliflower. I am feeling the after effects of cleaning 2 cars and the house.. I am tired but happy. I feel accomplished. I love how I feel when the house is clean- plus it looks good. Leftover Yellow Chicken and rice for dinner and then I'll hit the grocery store. It's all in a days work! I love the weekend! Normally I would clean on Sunday's but as I have a baptism to go to and then the after party, I won't get a chance, so I took advantage of the sun.

Personalized Plates

One of the things I wanted to do when I got a new car was to get personalized plates. I decided to get Cardinals plates, as I am an avid baseball fan. So I submitted the forms and necessary paperwork and so forth. My first choice was Bear82- combining the nickname given to me by my father when I was 5 seconds old and my birth year. If I couldn't get that I chose JOSO82- Oso is Spanish for bear, so it would have been (in english) JBear82. My third choice (and ultimaley the one I got as the other two are taken-boo) was 82Bear. I have also put up Birds on the Bat decals on the back two windows, a Darwin decal and a Cardinals atena ball. All that is missing is my APO sticker...had one but lost it (after I put it in a safe place so I wouldn't do that). So I have to order the one I want off the National website. I have had my car for 3 months now, and I am loving it! I love sitting higher up and feeling more secure. Almost 3000 miles on it (probally will have that by June). One thing I don't like about my new SUV: paying the monthly bill. Le sigh, such is the price of a new toy.

My new Car

I have a new car!! Last night, I bought my very first car! I am now the proud owner of a 2010 Sangria Red Ford Escape!
I didn't tell anyone about the possiblilty of getting a new car b/c I wasn't sure it was going to turn out like this. So I kept quiet about it. Here is the deal, we played a game of musical cars. My brother's car (which was my mother's originally) was a 1999 Chevy Cavalier and on its last legs. So we traded in the 99 Cavalier and my brother now has my 2000 Chevy Cavalier. So now I own a SUV, which I've been dreaming about for a few years now- one of my dreams came true!
My Escape has keyless entry (a pointy- clicky thing as I call it)- a first for me, power windows and locks-again a first for me, a sunroof (one of my must haves), solar tinted back windows (standard if you can believe that), and an iPod jack (again standard!). For me this car has everything I wanted. I am shocked that I now own a Ford (after years of badmouthing Ford). I was shocked by the things that are now standard on cars. So the only thing I got on my SUV that isn't standard is the sunroof. I got my SUV at Dave Sinclair Ford- I highly recommend them. They found the red, dark interior, SUV w/ a sunroof- exactly what I wanted. Even tho the day I came out to look, they couldn't find it. They looked for an hour and still no SUV. Apparently my SUV was in the body shop! The mileage on the SUV when I got it was 22.2- 2 is my fave number so I took it as a sign that it was meant to be!
Other relevant news: I got a job!! I work part time (for now, could gain more hrs later) as an Admin Asst at Portafab Corporation in Chesterfield. The company is really good and the employees are awesome. The drive is nice, and I know back roads in case the highways are bad. The back roads mean a longer drive, but its more peaceful.
So far 2010 is appearing to be my year. It is only the 3rd month and I have a job, and a new car. I wonder what else is in store for me this year. I am hopefull that I have more good things coming to me.

Twitter and other updates

*Okay so I am officially entering the 21st Century....I am going to start texting and tweeting. Aye! I found out I can upgrade my phone so I will upgrade my plan upon getting my new phone. I am highly suprised that I haven't had any major probs with this one. I will miss my red phone. Le sigh, but hey I have a red iPod so it's all good.
*Missed another Zumba class due to my stomach. I am going to attend my last class next Tuesday and then instead of signing up again as planned I am taking a break until my stomach and gastritus are under control. This makes sense as I don't want to waste money on classes I am unable to attend. I'm not happy about making this decision but sometimes you have to be an adult and make decisions like this. Once my stomach is back to normal I will sign up again, as I love Zumba.
*The water is starting to call me. I want to go swimming soo bad, but with my stomach I can't. Hopefully I will feel good enough this weekend to hit the pool and do some laps... I can use my new goggles (I broke down and bought new ones a few months ago- the old ones had scratches and were begining to leak-so yea I had to get new ones). Gotta remember to bring a bottle of water and my pull bouy.
*Baseball season is around the corner!!!! Pitchers and catchers reported to Jupiter this Monday :) I can't wait for the season to start. Thank goodness for the Olympics which allows me to get my sports fix. Otherwise I'd be going batty or watch hockey....which I'm not to fond of. The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to have a good team this year. As long as our players stay healthy I think they stand a chance. As always I hope they win lots of games and for the Chicago Cubs to lose lots of games and NOT win the World Series...hehehe.
*Speaking of the Olympics, I have been highly entertained. My favorite moments so far have been watching Apolo Ohno on Short Track and watching Shawn White decimate the field on the Snowboard Half-pipe. Shawn White's first run in the finals was amazing, he got massive air and landed all of his tricks clean. Then his second run, which was his "victory" lap as he knew he had the gold before he snowbaorded, was even better. He did his new trick which was soo cool. The thing I like about Short track is how fast they can go and then how they defy gravity by nearly getting horizontal to the ice. Of course, the ability to skate fast is impressive to me as I can't ice skate. I prefer to be in the water, than on the water. So go Team USA!!

Zumba Week 5

No, I didn't slack off and not blog about week 4. I didn't make it to week 4. I didn't make it because I was sick/ still recovering from my bout with gastritus. Gastritus is where everything in the stomach is inflamed. I ended up going to St. Clare's ER)Thursday night (Jan 21) for shortness of breath and nausea. I ended up being admitted to the hospital, got up to my room (a private suite!) a little after midnight. I was released around 4 on Saturday. Unfortunately, I missed Friday's work b/c I was in the hospital, thankfully my employer understood. Long story short: I am all right, and am doing better.
Okay now to Zumba. Well the class I missed last week, two new songs w/ new moves were added. Lucky for me I pick up choreography pretty fast, so I had few problems with the new routines. My fave songs were still there. I had a lot of fun even tho the class worked me over big time b/c my energy level is still not at 100%. Only 3 more classes left :( I am definately signing up for up for another class. Our Zumba instructor told us that she is being certified in AquaZumba, which is Zumba in the water and that Riverchase (where I take Zumba) is interested!! So AquaZumba might be featured there around May or June!! I seriously hope so!

Zumba Week 3

So I was a little late Zumba due to spacing out before class, but I came in before the first song ended. I got an even better work out as I finally caved in and wore my left knee brace. I have a love/hate relationship with knee braces.....I hate wearing them with a passion, but I love the support they provide. Next week the music is changing up a bit, so the routines that I have now got down (minus a few steps) are are going bye-bye. Oh well, I am sure that I will enjoy the new music and new moves. Some I can add to my dance moves :) Tuesdays are definately becoming my favorite days. I get excited on Mondays thinking "Zumba t/m night!!". Tuesdays I am almost dancing around chanting "Zumba, Zumba, Zum-Ba!!! Zumba, Zumba, Zum-Ba!!" . I am definately signing up for another session, I am having soo much fun and want to continue. Plus I love how I feel after class, even though I am all hot and sweaty, I am tired but its a good tired. Also condsidering exercise releases endorphins which makes you happy. Its also a good escape from the "real world" for an hour. Everyone could use that! Come on Tuesday! I want to Zumba again!!

Zumba - Week 2

Well I survived my second class of Zumba. Once again I had a blast and it kicked my butt. Learned some more stuff 1)Bring a larger bottle of water (worked up a big thirst), 2) apparently there is a clock in the room...however it is analog so I can't read it, 3) Still need to get those songs to download. Concentrated more on my abs this time, keeping them contracted and imagining my belly button pushed against my back. So as a result, they are a bit sore. But its a good feeling. I am exhausted, but feel awesome. Tuesdays are becoming my favorite days! I get so excited about class! The class was a lot smaller this time, I'm guessing some ppl thought it was too much. Yes it pushes you but thats what you want. You are supposed to work up a sweat and be tired. I would love it if Zumba was twice a week :) Tuesdays and Thursdays....that would be awesome!! However, I'm going to start swimming on the weekend to get more exercise.