Company

This afternoon my friend Victoria & her friend Andrea came in for Tribal Alchemy this weekend. They got here about 4:30ish, and needed caffeine, so off we went to Starbucks, then over to Sam Moon, because my most favorite shades, also a Sam Moon purchase, broke yesterday, and I'm unhappy about this, because I loved my Pirate shades. Vicki had never been to Sam Moon, and we spent an hour, easily, in the store, looking at various stuff before we went next door to the Sam Moon Luggage store to find me some shades. Of course the ones I had are no longer available, but I did find some other cool ones that I'll get pics of one of these days. Eventually I'll get photos added of the other funny shit I found in there, including the flask I NEED which says "Old enough to know better, young enough not to give a rat's ass" Once we finished, in there, we headed back toward the Stockyards to hit Byblos for dinner. They have an awesome buffet, and I tend to forget about them, mostly because I rarely get over to that part of town. I also forget how much I like a really good, GENUINE Feta. And by genuine, I mean made from goat and/or sheep's milk, not cow's milk. Yeah, I could have stuffed myself on just that, thankyouverymuch. In the end, I had a bit of vermicelli rice, a bit of beef, a chunk of the kebabed chicken, and a wonderful pita to go with my Feta. And just a note, unless you like a good dose of VERY rich chocolate, you'll want to limit your Baklava choice to not the chocolate. It was tasty, but, as much as I LOVE chocolate, I couldn't eat more than one bite. The plain was AWESOME though. My house is still a wreck, well, parts of it are a mess, but that's life. Tomorrow morning we're going to hit British Emporium and see what trouble we can get into before they head for Ft. Worth and I head for Sheffield, and ultimately on to Ft. Stockton for the sesquicentennial. It's late, and I'd better get off here and get some sleep with the driving I've got in store for me tomorrow.

Waving out last year, welcoming the new one

2008 was a banner year for me. I learned that sometimes, hard as it is, I have to stand up for myself and put ME first. I learned that as much as it hurts, sometimes a friendship has run its course, and ends, and that’s ok. I learned that as much as I want to, not only can I not save someone, I can’t make them want to save themselves either, and that’s ok I learned that sometimes the best way to be a friend is to say no. I discovered that I have more inner strength than I thought I did I discovered that the age of the friendship has little or nothing to do with the depth of the friendship. I discovered that while patience has never been one of my virtues, it is something I can learn. My world changed a lot in 2008, mostly through people who came in and/or out of it. Some was bad, some was good. Since I’m focusing on positives instead of negatives, we aren’t going into the bad, because, well, it happened, it can’t be changed, and I’ve put it behind me. Early in the year, I decided that I was going to just relax and enjoy the ride that is my life. As a result of that decision, I believe, several wonderful people either came into my life, or became a bigger part of my life. Each of them has made a wonderful, positive impact on me, and I am truly grateful for their presence. In the coming year, I am planning to continue on the path that I’m carving. My doctor tells me that my activities have to be limited until February 1st, when hopefully, my only unhealed incision will be healed. At that point, I can rejoin my bellydance classes and head back to the gym a couple of days each week. Since the surgery, aside from being sore and more easily tired, I honestly feel better than I have felt in years! Who knew that the removal of my uterus would be quite so life-changing. I mean, everyone I know who had already had one told me that I would feel better and never regret it, but WOW is all I can say about the change. I will admit that I’ve been moody, cranky, and downright bitchy, probably for YEARS longer than I was really conscious of, simply because, well, I didn’t know that the way I was feeling during my period and the days leading up to it was abnormal. It WAS normal to me, so I just tolerated it, and God bless all of you who just loved me through it! Now, I have no doubt that there is still some adjustment to happen, but I am confident that it will be fine. I am in a good place, and I hope you are in a good place as well. Have a blessed and successful year ya’ll!