The undiscovered 'Gladiator' in me . . .

So at first, I was not a fan of the 'Gladiator Sandals.' Not in the sense that they made me want to bang my head against a wall for an hour (which burns a lot of calories, by the way).

They did, however, make me want to drape myself in an artfully tied toga (believe it or not, I made 30+ togas in college once) and start running around in the movie Troy trying to find Achilles (as long as he was still played by Brad Pitt ;-D ) but . . . some of them have made me start reevaluating my earlier judgement. They can be worn with shorts, skirts, capri pants, etc. Plus the fact, they just look cute and comfortable! ( ha ha Maybe I am just wanting to break the toga out of storage and give it another run! Am I crazy?)

What do you think?

Liar, Liar

I lied. I said I was going to try to blog more and I have failed. Miserably. So I apologize for being a horrible, dirty liar!

Lately I have felt like that odd little chicken who is running around with no head on his frail little body, still trying to get things accomplished. All in a couple of months, we bought our house, bought a car, and I changed jobs (which also includes 10 weeks of training out of state)! Definitely makes for interesting times but it also can wear you down fast!

So much has been happening with me but at the same time, I feel like I have gotten nothing done. My Mom came to visit right before I left for training (which was amazing of her, by the way) and we got in a really good visit! She is the type of person to totally bend over backwards for other people so, of course, we had to go shopping and start outfitting the new house with all kinds of stuff! It is exciting to walk into the house and see everything all put together and know that it is ours! (of course, knowing that whatever goes wrong is also ours kind of stinks! haha)


Which brings me to our first big deal as homeowners! The sellers kind of screwed us! Actually, they did screw us but I guess they did woo us with granite countertops and hardwood floors before the official 'screwing'. The said 'screwing' is mainly the master shower. The guy who put it in, did so wrong and now the shower leaks down into the laundry room. I believe he knew it was done wrong because a piece of plywood was put right below where the leak is, almost to catch the water that falls down. E says that we are going to have to tear out the tile (I love that tile) and put in a new pan. It all sounds like fun to me! (Totally being facious right now.) I guess that is just one of the issues that comes with buying an older home. (And honestly, if that is the worst thing that happens right now, it is not too huge. I just hate feeling like he got one over on us!)


Back to the new job. Even though I am only in training at this point, I am really enjoying the experience. The actual in class 'training' is pretty boring but since everyone has to go through the same thing, it is not that bad. We only have two more weeks left in Kansas! (Yes, I started this blog on June 2nd and am finally finishing it on July 1st!) Crazy how fast it has gone! My training group is from all over the region and one of the more diverse groups I have been in! It definitely makes it interesting! I think it will be fun next year when we meet up again for the New Employee Orientation that we all have to go to within our first year. Kind of like we actually know people outside our little world! ha ha


Hopefully, after I finally get home, we are going to be hosting a Homewarming Party where we get to show off our new digs! I will try to post some pictures after we work all that out!


Hope everyone has a great day!

Change is inevitable!

So, it has been FOREVER since I posted and though I have been really busy, that is really not a good excuse. I have had some life changing events going on but I should have taken the time to update any and everyone reading.

First off, I got a new job!!! While I did love working in the magazine industry, it was extremely hard knowing that I was not going anywhere with it. I was stuck in a mudpit, spinning my wheels in the worst kind of career blah. Don't get me wrong - I loved the people and company I worked for. But there was no future with it so I finally had to chalk it up to what it was- a great first job out of college and a learning experience. I met some wonderful people, had some great times and got job experience out of it as well. I could not have asked for anything more. Well, I guess I could have but in fairness, the things I was wanting, I don't think they were able to give me. So, I got a federal job with Social Security. It was kind of odd how the whole thing went down so I will spare you details. With the current state of the economy, I really feel that this is a good move for me at this time. I am going on my third week with the new job and honestly, I am really loving it! Of course, there are the people who call or come in that just kind of leave you shaking your head, but I am pretty used to that part of it. What surprised me was how much there is to learn!! I actually leave to go to training in Topeka, KS for about 10 weeks starting in May. The amount of knowledge that these people have is astounding but that just makes it even more interesting to me. I get as excited as a kid a recess when I actually know how to do something and at this point, I can only see that feeling growing as I learn more and become more comfortable with the many (many, many, etc.) different parts of the job.

Next up . . . E and I bought a house!!! Wowzers! Talk about feeling like a real adult! In total honesty, we were not even really looking hardcore for anything, this one just kind of found us. I told E that if I got this new job (since the stability is awesome) we could start looking. I found our house probably a week and a half/two weeks later online. I called our agent on Friday (who we knew from thinking about buying in the past) and asked to see it. We did a walk thru on Monday and put an offer in on Wednesday. We went back and forth a little bit with the seller but ended up getting a really great deal on it. Personally, I think that my bargaining comes from learning how to talk the talk at flea markets and in Chinatown (when I was in NYC). To me, the battle for ownership is half the fun! Okay, anyway, back to the house! It has almost everything that we have said we wanted, (no walk-in closet for me ;-D ) but we figured that those upgrades would be some great improvements to either 1)look for in our next house, or 2)think making to this house later on. On the other hand, it has some really sweet upgrades that we didn't think we would be able to afford at this stage in our life. The kitchen (probably one of my favorite rooms) has stainless steel appliances and granite countertops. The shower in the master bath is really cool and is made of that stone tile. It is one of those walk-in deals so that you don't even need a shower curtain. The entire upstairs is original hardwood floors (and since it was built in 1965, that makes them pretty nice and pricey). In the last six months, the sellers put new siding on it, a new roof, added a 3rd garage, and a new deck. Of course, the tax credit that we are getting is not hurting the process at all! I am going to try to attach some pics of the house so you get an idea of why I am so excited!

Last but not least, we got E a new car! Well, it is new to us! haha He got a white 2004 GMC Yukon Denali. It is really, really nice and for the price we got it, it was a steal! It also has the dvd player and the heated seats in the back. I told him that he could just start driving me around and I would just watch movies in the back! Hmm not sure that went over so well! But I do know that he loves his new toy (and it works out cheaper than the lease he had before! Always a good thing!)

Okay, well I am going to try to be better about posting but we are closing on the house next Friday so I can honestly say that I am going to be pretty busy for the next week or so!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope that everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend!!

Is enough ever really enough?

I spoke to an old friend last night and it made me think of an interesting topic. When did enough become never enough? It seems like our generation is always wanting BETTER. Better partners, better jobs, better pay, better homes, better benefits, etc. The list literally could go on and on.


I am not faulting anyone for wanting to better themselves and their current situation as I am guilty of the same 'Betterment Disease,' as I call it. It feels like no matter what I have in my life, I always start thinking about what else I can do to improve it (with one exception of course ;-D my awesome husband.) But before I met E. the guy situation was also lumped into the growing pile of what could be better in my life.



My friend shocked me when she said that she blamed her parents for her lack of happiness. She claims the reason behind this is that they were the ones always telling her that she could have anything she wanted, be anything she wanted and do anything she wanted.

When did our generation become one who always has to blame someone else for what they don't have? Why can't we dig deep and find it inside ourselves to do what it takes to make ourselves happy?

Never knowing what's in store

Every once in awhile, you meet someone you believe to be special. The stars align and things just sharpen for you. The sun shines brighter, the flowers are more fragrant, you feel quite literally that you are on cloud nine. You just know . . . he's the one.

Of course, that is not exactly how I met MY husband. That story (from his view) goes more along the lines of . . . "so we were all tailgating, it was noon and I was already a case of beer in. Then I saw this girl just standing there by herself, kind of looking pathetic because her friend had walked off to talk to a guy. So, being nice, I decided to introduce myself but she blew me off and walked away."

Yes, that is seriously how we met. My better half. The love of my life. The man I will spend forever with.

I. blew. him. off.

I mean, honestly. From my view, I was completely justified in how I behaved. Picture it: I was walking around with a friend of mine and she just waltzes off to talk to some guy, leaving me standing by a random RV, where I knew no one. Then, this drunk (but very nice) guy (we'll call him E.) just comes up to me and introduces himself. Around that time, I saw someone I knew walking around so I said my goodbye to E. and went to talk to my friend.

It wasn't actually until later that day I found out what a really nice guy E. was. My friend (the deserter) and I ended up taking him and his friends (one of who was the guy I was deserted for) to my brother's party. E. walked outside with me and we got to talking. He found out that I would be moving out of my house soon and offered to help me since he drove a truck. So, I am thinking . . . "Wait, really? You would help me? But you don't know me AND I blew you off earlier!" E. assured me that he was serious and that he would definitely help me. Wow, okay. E.- 2, Toni -0.

When my friend and I left E. and his friends, he didn't ask for my number. I assumed this was merely an oversight and decided to make the first move. I did blow him off after all. It was only fair that I made the first move in establishing any kind of friend/relation ship away from the group. So, I did what any adult 23 year old would do. I had my friend call his friend to give him my number and to find out if he was really interested. Mature, I know.

So, here is the half of the conversation that I could hear . . ."So Toni really liked E. and thought he was really cute. Oh yeah, really? That's funny. Yeah, I had fun with you too. Oh, I am getting 'the eye' from Toni. Better get back on topic. So she was wondering if maybe E. wanted her number? Oh, seriously?" (then she whispers to me) "Umm he says that E.'s phone is dead. Can he get it later?" At this point, I was sure that it was my turn to get the brush off. So I say, "Yeah, that is fine, I guess. You know what? Never mind, don't give it to him. Just hang up the phone." So she says, "Well, I guess she is being a little dramatic now. She says never mind. Hey! How about I just give it to you and then when his phone is charged up, you can give it to him? Okay, it is 555-5555. Yeah, okay (giggle, giggle) alright, well I will talk to you later. Bye!"

All that was on Saturday. He didn't call on Sunday. So being the fun-loving chica I was (and not wanting to sit by the phone), I said 'forget it' and left for a casino trip on Monday (yes, skipping school) with a friend. Little did I know that the cell phone gods were working against us the whole time! Apparently, he called me on Monday but in the casino I had no service, so I had no idea. When did I get the message? Ohh about 12:58 am on Wednesday morning while I was heading back from the casino. Never even stopping to think that most normal people would be bed at that time, I called him back. He wasn't thrilled to be woken up by some crazy girl he barely knew, but I asked him out and we made plans to have lunch the next day.

The rest, they say, is history.

My point in telling this story is that you never really know when you are going to meet someone who will change your life. What if he had taken my lead and never bothered to try to talk to me after I blew him off at first? Would we have ever run into each other again? Maybe. Maybe not.

E. has changed my life in so many ways, it is hard to imagine my life without him in it. In my opinion, sometimes some of the best things come when you are least expecting them.

No, we didn't have a fairy tale beginning but so far it has been a fairy tale ending. I am so happy that the guy who I blew off to start with, stuck around and was THE ONE to blow me away.

Yeah? So? Maybe I am stuck in middle school!

So these little things are all over facebook and usually I pass them by, but I have to admit . . . I actually like filling them out! I know, I know. It's totally a middle school thing to do. I figure that part of the reason I have a blog is to tell people things about me and most of these are things that might never come in one of my blogs. If that makes me a middle schooler . . . I guess I am okay with that! ;-D

Place an (x) by all the things you've done and remove the (x) from the ones you have not. Then answer the questions below. Send it to your friends.This is for your entire life! (My personal spin on it is to write a little description for the things you actually HAVE done that you check off)

( x ) Been to Europe - My Dad was in the Army and we lived in Germany for 3 years. My mom made a rule that we did not travel back to the states while we lived there so we went all over!
( x ) Been on a cruise - Senior cruise to the Bahamas!
( ) Gone on a blind date -
( x ) Skipped school - Probably a few times but one really sticks out to me. Sixth grade in Kansas. The bus never came so we went to this 'older' guys house where they were drinking and smoking and who knows what was going on the bedroom. I literally sat in the corner by myself (I was that naive at the time) until about 1pm. Then I walked home and called my Mom crying. I got in SOO much trouble!
( ) Watched someone die
( ) Been to Canada
( x ) Been to Mexico - Cancun Summer 2005. Right before I met my husband. Yeah . . . no story needed. ;-D
( x ) Been to Florida - I went to high school an hour north of Panama City Beach. We were there all the time!
( x ) Been on a plane - Way too many times for any one story.
( x ) Been lost - I am always lost! My husband finally gave me navigation for Christmas because one time I called him from the ghetto, lost at 11 pm. (We have only lived here a year! It takes me awhile!)
( x ) Been on the opposite side of the country - Many road trips while growing up.
( x ) Been to Washington,DC - Yep. I have an uncle who lives there.
( ) Been to Vegas - No, but I really, really want to go!
( ) Climbed a lighthouse
( x ) Swam in the ocean - We lived in Hawaii for 3 years, what do you think?
( x ) Cried yourself to sleep - Well of course, and I am sure it was over some loser too.
( ) Been Sky Diving - Not yet but going this spring! I promised my husband forever ago I would take him!
( x ) Seen the Cherry Blossoms in Washington , D.C. - They are so pretty!
( x ) Flown a plane - Ha! Surprised? I took a flying lesson for an article when I was in college. My husband (bf at the time) sat in the back of the very small plane and prayed the entire time! I was proud of him for even going! By the way . . . I nailed the landing! ;-D
( ) Owned a boat
( ) Watched grandchildren grow
( ) Recently colored with crayons
( ) Been to the Kentucky Derby
( ) Been to Key West - No, but my brother got me a shirt from there . . . does that count?
( x ) Been to a rodeo - Ha ha! I finally went this past fall! It wasn't anything big but I enjoyed it. I wanted to be a little kid so I could go mutton bustin'. Ha ha
( x ) Sang Karaoke - This only happened one time and it involved great amounts of alcohol.
( ) Paid for a meal with coins only?
( x ) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? - Oh, hasn't everyone?
( ) Made prank phone calls -
( x ) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose - FYI . . . it hurts.
( x ) Caught a snowflake on your tongue - I figured it was better than licking them off the ground.
( x ) Danced in the rain - I loved when it would rain in the south! It would be warm rain!
( x ) Wrote a letter to Santa Claus - Yep, I used to leave him cookies too. He always ate the cookies and left my brother and I each a silver bell!
( x ) Been kissed under the mistletoe - my husband!
(x ) Watched the sunrise with someone - My husband & I watched one on our honeymoon in Jamaica! It was so beautiful!
( ) Seen the green flash at sunset
( x ) Blown bubbles - I blow bubbles for my dogs! Ha ha They are bacon scented and they love it!
(x ) Gone ice-skating - When I was younger, my Dad used to take me all the time! It was one of our 'date' places.
( x ) Gone to the movies - We go all the time!
( ) Owned a convertible

1. Any nicknames? (most of these are from my mom) Tone, Tonibell (I wanted to be a southern belle when I was little. My Mom said I could be her Tonibell instead), 2% (She had 2% of ever having kids so I am still her 2% miracle baby.)
2. Mother's name? Carole Linda (but she goes by Linda)
3.Were you named after anyone? Both of my grandfathers. My Dad's father's middle name was Anthony and my Mom's father's first name was Anthony.
4. Is your name short for anything? I get this alot. No, my full first name is just Toni.
5. Birthplace? Texas
6. Ever been to Hawaii ? Yep, we lived there for 3 years and I was a natural blond! The sun does wonders! Ha ha
7. Ever been to Africa ? no
8. Ever eaten just cookies for dinner? Yes, sometimes it does a body good to be bad.
9. Ever been on TV? When I was like 10 my girl scout troop was on the news. Ha ha
10. Ever steal any traffic sign? Umm not that I remember . . .
11. Ever been in a car accident? Yes. Senior year of high school I was rear ended by a semi. Ruined my scholarship and totalled my car!
12. Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? Only 4 doors for me! (That is what saved me in the accident mentioned above so now I will only get 4 door cars.)
13. Favorite number? 13, my high school softball number
14. Favorite movie? currently - Twilight . . . all time - North & South
15. Favorite holiday? Christmas. I love the family time!
16. Favorite dessert? Either brownies or white cake with rainbow chip frosting. Yummm.
17. Favorite burger joint? Burger King. We go all the time (which is horrible for us).
18. Favorite food? Either steak or sushi. My husband doesn't like sushi so it is a treat for me!
19. Favorite day of the week. Probably Friday (the weekend has so many possibilities then).
20. Favorite brand of body wash? Basis. The only one that doesn't break me out.
21. Favorite smell? various perfumes (Happy, Bright Crystal . . .), sweets baking, Christmas trees
22. How do you relax? Reading or vegging out on the couch.
23. How do you see yourself in 10 years? Hopefully we will have a few kids by then and my husband will have opened his own business.
24. Furthest place you will send this message? With a blog, there is no telling!
25. Who will respond to this the fastest? ??? YOU!

No longer the Party Animal

So, I haven't posted in awhile and I apologize. (Technically, I don't know if anyone really even reads these, so chances are, I am just apologizing to myself. But, I think it will make me feel a little better so I am putting it out there anyway.)

Things have been rather hectic for me with my younger brother getting married in December and then deploying to Iraq in January. Those two events resulted in me taking a couple trips (aka adventures) out of state.

The first was to New Orleans for my brother's wedding. It was insane! It was fabulous! It was trouble! Our hotel was literally two blocks from the infamous Bourbon Street!

Day one started out as a normal traveling day for us -- meaning the alarm was buzzing before it really should have been and we were up before the rooster could crow. I had on my trademark 'traveling outfit' which is really just a velour jogging suit, but it makes me feel comfortable and sassy at the same time. And, I figure if I am going to be walking through an airport and people are going to be silently judging me with their eyes, I might as well add a little pizzazz to it.
So the first thing we realized after landing in LA is that we were way overdressed for December in New Orleans. Forget the fact that we just came from Nebraska and negative temperatures! Apparently, winter months have absolutely no affect down there (and I am from Alabama! Even we had cooler weather!). So, now that I determined that majority of the clothes I brought were useless, we arrived at the hotel to encounter a minor tragedy. My mother had lost one of her new diamond earrings and, of course, had no idea where. She and my grandmother had just changed rooms so we ran off to search high and low in the previous room before one of the cleaning ladies could get there. Pillows were flying, bedsheets were billowing and the room looked like a mini hurricane had hit it. No earring. Shoulders hunched in defeat, we were about to leave when I decided to check the bathroom. Out of the corner of my sleep deprived eye I spied something shiny . . . a diamond earring. Sitting. in. the. drain. I started taking deep breathes to calm myself as I reached for it because deep down I knew that if my hand slipped and I sent the earring spinning down the drain, I would be the one to deal with my mother's wrath. My mother is full Portuguese and let me tell you, there is nothing quite like a Portuguese temper! Thankfully, my breathing exercises paid off and instead of the villain of the story, I emerged the hero.

The rowdy and ridiculous bars on Bourbon St. beckoned to us like a siren to an ill-fated ship and like the ship, we floated straight into the welcoming arms of what would surely be our demise. Alright, that might be a little bit dramatic but we did have a few rough mornings as we came to the realization that we could no long "party" like we were 21.

The wedding was gorgeous. Perhaps what made it even more beautiful, yet bittersweet to me, was that it was MY little brother committing himself to the woman he loves. The little brother who used to play Barbies and G.I Joes with me and would get so mad when I would make them kiss. The little brother who got very overprotective and would inspect and try to intimidate any possible suitor I had in high school, once my dad moved out. The little brother who, even though we fought like cats and dogs, had become my best friend through all the military moves we made as children. He is the one person (not counting our parents) who always had my back, no matter what kind of bonehead move I made. And now, he was moving forward in his life with his wife. Please do not misunderstand me and think that I am not bursting at the seams with happiness that they found each other and are now starting their life together. I love my sister-in-law, I have since I met her and knew she was the one for him. I can't wait until we all get together and our children (once we all get on that same page, of course) play Barbies and G.I. Joes together. When they can fight like cats and dogs and Patrick (my brother) and I can look at each other and laugh. He has been my rock, thru both calm and crazy waters, and though I know he will continue to be there for me, things will change, just as they are supposed to. I just hope he knows how lucky I consider myself to call him my brother.

As I mentioned above, we experienced a few "rough" mornings during our time in New Orleans. I suppose none were quite as difficult as our last morning there. Our flight was supposed to leave at 8 am (not a good idea when we didn't get back to the room until 4 am) so of course, we woke up at 7:30 and still had to pack. Needless to say, we missed our flight. The airline personnel were an absolute joy to work with. (If you could see my face right now, you would see the look of utter disgust on it.) They could not even give us the possibility of getting out until the next day and it might not even had happened then. So my husband, the realistic one, decided that we should drive home. We live in Omaha. We were stuck in New Orleans. Two very hungover people + 14 hour drive = not very happy campers at work on Monday. Looking back, the story IS pretty funny and it put the perfect cap on our weekend, but at the time . . . we were definitely not laughing.

Originally, I had planned on this entry featuring both adventures out of state but as I think about it . . . I will just save the other for next time.