Weekend Review

Well, as most of you know, over the Thanksgiving weekend, my hubby and I went to Houston, Texas for a 3-day weekend. We actually stayed in The Woodlands - which we always do when going the Texas Renaissance Festival. The original plan was to attend the TRF on Friday and Saturday, then on Sunday, see Beowulf at the IMAX 3-D. We left early Friday morning, having arranged for a couple of good friends to house and dog sit for us over the weekend. After arriving and checking into our hotel - we opted to not wear our costumes since we were unsure of the weather - then headed out. We arrived around 2, and immediately begin the search for food... we hadn't had lunch yet and were anticipating the usual so-so food, at exorbitant prices... but oh so worth it! After consuming lunch, we hit the shops. We both had ideas of what we wanted to add to our costumes so we immediately headed for our favorite shops. House of Dra, in particular! I ended up with a cloak... dark brown corduroy, lined in black with a hood - very warm! Hubby ended up with some awesome pants, black with tiny white pinstripes - very cool. After that we scoped out more shops with plans to make the rest of our purchases the next day. Hubby looked at a few really, really nice walking staffs that conceal a very, very sharp blade... and I scoped out gift ideas! After spending several hours, walking around in the damp, cold, we decided to head back to the hotel to warm up. On the way out, bought the prerequisite TRF T-shirts then made the endless walk back to the car.

Oh The Holiday's

Well, the holidays are just around the corner... Thanksgiving, is tomorrow... and Christmas will be here in a nano-second. At least that's how it feels to me... sigh.

Every year I talk the "Big Talk" about having my shopping done early but, it never seems to work out that way. I ask for gift ideas, usually pretty early but have a hard time getting answers from folks... but, I can't talk... I'm the same way! It's amazing, all through the year, I see things that would be perfect gift ideas for myself and yet, come December, can't remember a blessed thing! I even started carrying around a note pad to jot down ideas - and yet, the pages remain blank.

I know our holiday celebrations will be bittersweet... since our niece, Leah unexpectedly passing away earlier this year. Having someone so young and vibrant, with her whole life ahead of her pass away with no warning, has really made an impact on many of us. It adds a whole new depth to understanding how precious life truly is...


Of course, in all the sadness, we have blessings to count too... here are a few:

Leah's older sister, Kelly is expecting a little girl... and given all she's been through, this is an awesome blessing.

My step daughter, Emily, her husband, James and their daughter, Hannah have moved into their first "real" house! They're living in Tennessee now but will be home for the holidays! Their house is beautiful and they're having a blast decorating! They and their 2 cats also welcomed a new addition to their family in the form of a new puppy! OMG! WHAT WERE THEY THINKING! LOL!


My stepson, Josh and his girlfriend, Heather, have bought their first house as well... and have done an EXTRAORDINARY job of remodeling it... plus they recently added 2 new family members to their happy household - by way of the canine type! Can you tell we're all big-time pet lovers!

My niece Tara, is about to wrap up school... and well probably begin a career in the real estate business. She still finds time for horseback riding and has been helping her Paw Paw train a new horse.

My hubby, Ken is busy writing - just finished another script... after staying up all night! It amazes me how fast he can crank out these wonderful scripts, even while thinking of the next story idea! I don't know how he does it - must be a big brain inside that big bucket-head! LOL!

Anywho... these are only a few of my blessings... didn't want to overload anyone with holiday gushiness!

Which Goddess Are You Ruled By?

Each of us has aspects of all seven goddesses in her personality. Some women may have more Demeter than Athena, some more Aphrodite than Hera, but to achieve a healthy balance we all need to integrate characteristics of each of the goddesses into our lives. By identifying the qualities of the goddesses in yourself, you can recognise needs you have left unfulfilled. By attending to those needs, you can become more self-confident.

You scored 25% Hera

You possess many of Hera's qualities, you tend to find fulfilment in relationships and look on marriage as a permanent union. In marriage, you feel no sense of frustration or resentment, because you are an equal partner with your spouse. You are confident and have no trouble asserting your authority in and out of the relationships. You seek men who are self-confident and successful, because you are comfortable with the concept that you can be fulfilled through him (and him through you). As long as your partner honours the marriage as much as you do and appreciates you, you will be happy. If he doesn't, you must concentrate on your own growth and discover an identity independent of him.

You scored 16.7% Hestia

You scored 16.7% Aphrodite

You scored 16.7% Athena

You scored 8.3% Artemis

You scored 8.3% Demeter

You scored 8.3% Persephone

Want to find out which Goddess you're most like... follow the link below:

http://quiz.ivillage.co.uk/uk_relationships/tests/goddessquiz.htm

Habits

What is the most annoying habit you have? Have you ever given any thought to that question? I really don't know what habit(s) I have that others find annoying but, I'm fairly sure I do. I get kidded a lot because I'm a bit OC (Obsessive Compulsive) - which is okay since I don't believe I fall into the extreme category of OCD folks.

I know I annoy my husband when I bite the skin around my fingernails - but I don't actually bite my nails... and as a child I would "pick" my upper lip (and I still do), especially when stressed or worried... but I don't think that annoys anyone... I used to think I was always right, but I've since discovered that I'm not. :-( I know being a Know-It-All is annoying... but what else? What other annoying habits do I have that really tweak someone else's nerves?

Not that I'm asking for a mega-lists of faults but it would interest me to see what habits I have that others find odd, weird, strange, annoying, or just downright rude. It's possible that whatever I find out, may just be something I change about myself - of course, there's no guarantee! But maybe, just maybe, I will...

So, having blogged my Tuesday Habit spiel... would you like to know if you have any annoying habits?

Personality Dragons

I found this interesting website that talks about what keeps some people from being successful and thought I'd share what I found:

Personality dragons are habits, behaviors and personality traits caused by underlying fears that keep people from being successful. There are seven dragons.
When out of control, they become self-fulfilling prophecies:

Greed — Lose everything you want
Impatience — Slows you down
Arrogance — People judge you
Stubbornness — Brings authority down on your head.
Self-Deprecation — Others put you down
Martyrdom — Provokes others to hurt you
Self Destruction — Lose control ultimately.

Today's lesson is all about GREED!

The Greed Dragon

How you may feel or react when encountering someone with this dragon:
You may feel sorry for them and keep trying to give them things to compensate for them never having enough, especially when they panic, run out of money, lose their home, their car breaks down, they don’t get enough attention, etc. Or, you may want to keep things from them — not leave valuables around, not allow them to attend meetings, not tell them things, feel invaded by their neediness, etc.

How it hurts the person:

Greed tends to fixate on something — money, time, attention, food, things, etc. Symptoms can be hoarding things, binge/purge, anorexia/bulimia, lack of pleasure in what is accumulated, constantly looking for “more” of whatever they are fixated on. People seem to look hungry all the time.
If they fixate on money, they may accumulate a lot, then lose it somehow. They may always be asking for loans, cannot seem to pay their bills or may have credit problems. If they fixate on food, they may be the first in line and last in line, always take the biggest piece, try to keep others from having what they want, etc.
People with Greed slide to Self-Destruction occasionally.

How it affects the workplace:

Poor decision-making, lost opportunities because they push too hard or want too much, low morale, lack of responsibility, bankruptcy, never being satisfied no matter what is given (time off, money, promotions, more influence, etc.), never being grateful for what they do have.

How to improve communication:

A person with greed is always afraid they will be left out, so may show interest even when they are not really interested. Include them when it is appropriate. Make sure they do not dominate all the time in meetings or grab all the attention. They need firm limit setting. Say no if appropriate. Make them follow the usual procedures for advancement and not expect special treatment. Treat them with respect and kindness, just like everyone else.

Thought provoking... I know some of these Greedy Dragons!

The Anatomy of Aggravation

On occasion, something happens that is so aggravating that you just have to tell someone... therefore, this post.

To get this story rolling, you must understand something about my personality - I am, for the most part, compulsively neat! Others describe me as Obsessive Compulsive (I won't name any names - they know who they are!).

Anyway, continuing on... I'm a very "helpful" employee, keeping our kitchen clean and tidy... washing the dishes that no one ever seemed to do for themselves... wiping down the counter top, scrubbing out the coffee pot, etc... you get the idea, right? Well, since my accident, I mean, incident, with the bleach (my eyes are still healing) here at the office, I've foregone my usual cleaning sprees, only succumbing once, when the filth was beyond belief. My refusal to clean has gone on since October 10th... and not once during this time frame has anyone suggested to the rest of the faithful employees that they wash their own dirty dishes and clean up after themselves.

Until today... and it was passed along by the one individual who would raise a stink about the mess... basically spouting to all, "I'm not your momma, everyone needs to wash their own dishes" blah, blah, blah. (as per the boss)

So, I basically cleaned up after all the little piggies for approximately one year... with only a comment or two from one or two fellow employees as 'thanks'. Must be true that a squeaky wheel gets more attention! Not that I plan to start "squeaking" or anything... if anything, quieter may rule for moi!

Grrrrrr... so very aggravating!

P.S. I no longer work here. What a blessing!