list

These Are My Confessions…

Posted on November 11, 2010 Written by Tonya

Here goes nothing… a list of all (some) of my weird, embarrassing, illegal and shameful activities. I am sure there are more where these came from, but let’s just start here.

Please don’t judge.

I steal magazines from my doctor’s office.
I let the gas in my car get dangerously low before I fuel up. We’re talking single digits.
I have had the same three Netflix movies for four months. What a waste of $68!
I color my hair and only wash it every three days.
I screen my phone calls.
I make our bed within minutes of getting up in the morning.
I miss working.
I want to rip a person’s arm off if they take food from my plate.
I listen to audio books when I walk.
I cheat at Scrabble, but rarely win.
I let Lucas watch too much TV.
I watch too much TV.
I record Oprah every day and I’ll cry when this season is over.
I have never read one single Harry Potter book, nor have I seen any of the movies.
I don’t like to eat leftovers.
I think there should be a ban on onions. I love the way they taste, but can’t stand the way they make my house smell.
I can’t get one hand wet without getting the other one wet too.
I can rarely listen to a song without singing along.
I can’t stand people that can’t show up on time.
I stole some erasers and gum from a convenience store when I was in the fifth grade and gold charms with my BFF Sophie when we were in junior high.
I use subtitles when I watch movies at home.
I drive over the speed limit and have been know to tail gate.
I’d rather send an e-mail than pick up the phone.
I once “borrowed” a scarf from a friend that I never returned.
I don’t like fish.
I still have thank you cards to send for gifts we received when Lucas was born.
I recently bought a Justin Beiber song on iTunes, of course, if you got your hands on my iPod, you’d think I was schizophrenic.
I floss my teeth (when I floss) before I brush them.

So, there you have it. Well, some of it. What dirty little secrets are your hiding?

This post is forMama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop– Prompt #2: What are your confessions? (inspired by Usher)

post signature

A Whirlwind Weekend

Posted on August 19, 2010 Written by Tonya

Ah, it’s finally Friday!

I am so excited about my weekend that I could pee in my pants. We have not one but TWO Dave Matthews Band shows with my husband’s 20 year *gulp* high school reunion in between.

The first concert is tonight in San Diego and these tickets:

have been on the refrigerator staring at me for months!! I love Dave and the boys and look forward to seeing them every summer. This will be my 18th and 19th show, much to my husband’s chagrin. He has fun, but he’d never admit it.

I can’t really explain why I love the Dave Matthews Band so much. Their music livens my soul, lifts my spirits and makes me believe in hope, peace and harmony for all mankind. Oh, and I think the lead singer is an amazing talent and in the words of my new favorite blogger, Roxanne at Days, “I’d lick his teeth”.

Tomorrow morning, we leave bright and early for the Bay Area for the reunion. Lucas grandparents will watch him while we mix and mingle and then we head home for show #2 in LA.

This second show is not on DMB’s tour schedule because it’s being hosted in someone’s – wait for it – BACKYARD!! Talk about peeing in my pants!! Can you say: once in a lifetime opportunity?! The event benefits the Tuition Assistance Fund at Heschel West Day School in Agoura, California by providing need-based scholarship to students. Heschel West teaches children in preschool through 5th grade “how to do things right and to do the right thing”. I cannot wait to report back on this. 🙂 🙂 🙂 Unfortunately no cameras or videos are allowed. 🙁 🙁 🙁

If you’re still with me, I bet you’re wondering what on earth I have to Flip Off today. Well, true, my life is pretty damn good right now, but I can ALWAYS find something irritating. This was a great week so I only have one teensy tiny flip and that honor is bestowed upon:

PACKING!

I hate packing.

I hate packing for a weekend, a long weekend, a week, even an overnight. It was bad enough when it was just me, but now that I have to pack for a 14 month old as well, I want to pull my hair out.

I pride myself on my ‘To Do’ lists and being uber organized, but when it comes to packing… ugh! Forget it! FLIP OFF!! The difficulty for me lies within the question: How am I suppose to know what I’m going to want to wear there based on what I feel like wearing today? And don’t even get me started on shoes! For Lucas, it’s: What if he has a blow out or gets sick, are two outfits a day going to be enough? Will it be chilly, will the hotel have sheets and blankets for the crib, etc. etc. etc.

If there was a company that would pack for me, I would seriously hire them, without even blinking an eye!

Thank you to Gigi at Kludgy Momfor this fun and very necessary (some weeks more than others) meme. This week she is taking her flips across the Atlantic to Pumpkin and Piglet in the U.K.

I hope everyone has a happy and safe weekend and please be sure to come back next week as I celebrate my one year blogoversary!

The best is yet to be.

Virtual Flip Offs #5

Posted on July 23, 2010 Written by Tonya

I missed last week’s Friday Flip Offs, so bear with me friends, I have a lot of pent up flips to share:

#1 People that have no concept of personal space need to back the hell up and FLIP WAY OFF.

Whether, it’s in line at the grocery store or sitting next to me in a doctor’s office waiting room, my space is mine, not yours and I don’t want to feel you sneeze or smell your breath. I don’t like to be crowded in or touched by anyone that I’m not related to or have known longer than an hour. You give me the heeby-jeebies!

#2 When walking to my car with stroller in tow, I’m going to need several minutes to put my tot in the car, fold and stow the stroller and get myself situated, so for all of you that like to creep behind me in your cars because you think my parking space is 50 feet closer to the entrance, FLIP OFF!!! Park somewhere else and do the extra walking, you probably need it!

#3 My hair deserves a BIG F-you! I am so tired of blowing it straight and flat ironing the hell out of it because it is a wavy mess. We have always had a love/hate relationship and I’m over it! I’m asking for a Brazilian blowout for the next gift giving holiday.

#4 And last, but not least, I have a special FLIP OFF for the navigation system in my car. It usually gets me where I need to go, but I hate the fact that I can’t enter an address or make a change to anything previously entered unless the car is in Park. This is a colossal pain-in-the-ass and extremely annoying. Every other car I have had or been in, lets you be the judge of potentially dangerous button pushing while driving. I really need to look into tripping the system.

A HUGE big thank you to Gigi of Kludgy Mom for developing this much needed weekly virtual detox!

Happy Friday, everyone.

The best is yet to be.

I’m Flipping Off Stuff…AGAIN! #4

Posted on July 9, 2010 Written by Tonya

This was a really crummy week so coming up with this week’s Flip Off list took no time at all. As always, my deepest appreciate to Gigi at Kludgy Mom for developing this beautiful virtual detox meme!

#1 Part of the reason this week sucked was because I woke up every morning with an flipping achy back, stiffness all over and sore neck. We have a Sleep Number Bed and four years ago when we first got it, I loved it. I had found my perfect sleep number (55) and stuck with it without any discomfort, but now the bed does nothing but irritate me and I want it gone!! It has no bounce, no spring and no flexibility. It’s time to go back to a box spring with a pillow top and some give. FLIP OFF, SLEEP NUMBER! And for the record, my husband has had these complaints since day 1. When will I ever listen?!

#2 Stores that have the extra cashiers but don’t utilize them deserve a big FLIP OFF! I walked out of a very popular children’s clothing store recently leaving behind a cute and much needed pile of clothes for Lucas. They were on sale AND I had a coupon! The line of customers was wrapped around the store and out the front door and they only had ONE person ringing everyone up. Several customers, including myself asked if there was anyone else to help us and she was paged to the front but never showed up. I mentioned this was a children’s store, didn’t I? There were just as many kids on the verge of melt downs as there were parents. So frustrating!!

#3 I am pissed off at the entire medical profession this week. I now know why they call it “practicing medicine” because that’s exactly what it is… practicing. Doctors really don’t always have the answers.

I am grateful for medicine, doctors and scientists and the fact that our bodies are such mysteries, but sometimes when there is no rhyme or reason, no medical explanation available and Mother Nature just makes it so, I want to scream at the top of my lungs FLIP OFF!!! Most of the time the logical side of my brain can accept this, but then there are other times when my heart wants answers, facts and proof. I need to know WHY!?

#4 My sister and I inherited our parents home in Arizona and each month we pay the electric, water and phone bills. No one lives in the house so these bills are minimal, but recently I took a closer look at the phone bill and thought that I could remove some of the services and lower it.

I contacted the phone company (to be remain nameless but name is similar to a direction and rhymes with west) to see if they could help me. They said that they could take $10 off the bill by removing the international long distance service. Great! No one uses the phone and the only reason we have it hooked up in the first place is for the alarm system.

I received the next bill only to find it has gone up, not down! What?! I called them back and they said that there was a fee associated with making changes to your service and that the adjusted bill wouldn’t be reflected until the next billing cycle. That’s right, the international long distance service is still on the bill and so is the service fee for removing it. Next. Month. Really? Are you kidding me? FLIP OFF!!

Whew… that was a much needed rant!

Have a super weekend, everyone.

The best is yet to be.

My Buried Life

Posted on July 8, 2010 Written by Tonya

Write it down. Written goals have a way of transforming wishes into wants; can’ts into cans; dreams into plans; and plans into reality. Don’t just think it – ink it! – Author Unknown

Several months ago, I posted The Buried Life about a great show on MTV and promised that I would follow it up with my own Buried Life/Bucket List. Thanks to Mama Kat for making it a prompt this week, here it is:

1. Meet Dave Matthews (and just so there is no confusion… I’m talking about THE Dave Matthews from the Dave Matthews Band).
2. Read all of the books on my Goodreads list – as of today there are 536 titles.
3. Build my family tree and learn everything I can about where I come from.
4. Walk my sister down the aisle at her wedding.
5. Make the turkey with all the trimmings for Thanksgiving.
6. Spend a week or longer in Paris… again.
7. Go camping and sleep under the stars.
8. Be in the audience at the Oprah Winfrey show.
9. Learn how to drive a stick shift car.
10. Live to see A grandchild.
11. Take Lucas (and any subsequent children) on a safari in Africa.
12. Visit Tokyo, Japan.
13. Learn to ski.
14. Fly in a blimp.
15. Visit Martha’s Vineyard.
16. Learn how to French braid my own hair.
17. Travel First Class anywhere.
18. Ride a segway.
19. Go blond, if even for just one night.
20. Learn how to tie a tie.
21. Bowl a perfect round…strikes every single frame.
22. Have a photo that I have taken hung in a gallery and perhaps even sold!
23. Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.
24. Take Lucas (and any subsequent children) to see the Pyramids
25. Sing a solo in front of an audience.
26. Ride the roller coaster at the top of the Stratosphere Hotel in Las Vegas.
27. Visit Cabo San Lucas…again.
28. Bungee jump.
29. Write a heartfelt letter to everyone I love telling them why they are so special to me.
30. Find my husband the PERFECT gift and since he is SO difficult to shop for, this could possibly take the rest of my life.
40. Go vegetarian for 30 days.
41. Give up my phone, computer and TV for a week (yeah, right!)
42. Visit all 50 states (so far, I’ve been to 28).
43. Learn how to apply eye make-up.
44. Get published.
45. Save someone’s life.
46. Attend the Olympic games
47. Sit court side during a Lakers playoff game.
48. Attend a Super Bowl game.
49. Run a marathon.
50. Learn more about wine.
51. Own a family dog.
52. Own a trampoline!
53. Watch a film in French without the subtitles.
54. Watch a film in Spanish without subtitles.
56. Knit something.
57. Run for office, even if it’s just the PTA.
58. Take a cruise.
59. Take a cooking class.
60. Have a re-commitment ceremony with husband.
61. Sell or donate all of my music CDs…. it’s time!
62. Plant something and watch it grow.
63. Establish a family game night.
64. Establish a family mission statement.
65. Call Dr. Laura.
66. Reach at least 100 followers on Letters For Lucas. I’m only 36 away. 🙂
67. Introduce Lucas to my ex-husband and meet his child(ren) too.
68. Milk a cow.
69. Paint a picture and hang it in my living room.
70. Break or set a world record.
71. Find my best friend from 2nd grade on Facebook.
72. Take a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon.
73. Be a game show contestant…preferably Jeopardy.
74. Walk across the Great Wall of China.
75. Ride a motorcycle.
76. Participate in a community play or music group.
77. Throw a huge party for all of my friends.
78. See an active volcano.
79. Throw a surprise party for someone.
80. Appear on the cover of a magazine.
81. Help others achieve their buried lists a la the show.
82. Spend the night at the zoo.
83. Successfully assemble a piece of furniture.
84. Learn to surf.
85. Fix my front tooth; I chipped it in the 4th grade and want to have it re-bonded.
86. Organize all my photographs.
87. Put together our wedding album
88. Celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary.
89. Have one wall in my house painted bright red.
90. Own a navy blue car.
91. Sell my parents house in Arizona.
92. Have my picture taken in a field of sunflowers.
93. Learn to make the perfect margarita.
94. Drive on the Autobahn
95. See a show on Broadway.
96. Take my 21 year old son out for a beer
97. Rent a convertible for a weekend and drive the entire length of the Pacific Coast Highway.
98. Breathe deeply all the days of my life and know that that’s everything is going to be okay.
99. Thank my lucky stars everyday at how blessed I am.
100. Have a healthy second and possibly third pregnancy.

What do you want to do before you die? For clarity and focus, I highly suggest you think about it, make a list and refer to it often.

The best is yet to be.

I wrote this post for Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop – Prompt #5: Write a list of 100 things you want to do before you turn 100. Otherwise known as a “bucket list”.

Flip Off!! #2

Posted on June 25, 2010 Written by Tonya

It has been a L O N G week and I have really been looking forward to Friday Flip Offs:

In no particular order:

#1 Okay, adult acne, I’ve HAD IT!! I had clearer skin when I was 15 and ate junk. Gimme a break already! What is it gonna take? How much tea tree oil can one person use? And by the way, I have seen you pop up on several other Flip Off lists lately, so you might just want to watch your back.

#2 To the birds that have all of a sudden started showing up outside our bedroom window at 2:00 in the morning, let’s just say I’m looking into shot guns. WTF?!

#3 Speaking of being rudely awaken at night, will the case of the hungries, the growing pains, teeth trying to bust their way into my son’s mouth, tempting toys and perhaps even, the monster living under the crib, just FLIP the hell OFF?! Let the child sleep, for God’s sake! More importantly let his mommy (and daddy) sleep… a full 12 hours. Thank you!

#4 No Friday Flip Off list of mine could be complete without me bitching about traffic, but this week it’s my fellow motorists, okay, cyclists to be exact and point a (middle) finger. What the hell are you thinking?! You lycra-wearing snobs aren’t above the law and you don’t always have the “right of way”. Follow the same rules as I do in my car or you’re gonna hit. It’s the law, oh and while you’re at it, FLIP OFF!!

#5 With my (gulp) 38th birthday tomorrow, I would be remiss if I didn’t give the big ole bird to AGE and growing older. I firmly do believe as Honest Abe is quoted as saying In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years, but I would swear since I had a child, I have more gray hairs and more defined crows feet than ever before. Plus, there are new aches and pains cropping up here and there and my mind is not what it used to be. This can’t all be the baby’s fault, so I have drawn my own conclusion that getting old SUCKS!

Whew, I feel so much better and it’s all in part to Gigi at Kludgy Mom for creating this awesome meme.

Happy weekend, everyone!

The best is yet to be.

2010

Posted on January 2, 2010 Written by Tonya

2010?! Boy, does that sound weird. I love a new year and I am really looking forward to starting a whole new decade.

I do have a short list of some of my new year’s resolutions. I rarely enter into a new year without them and they are different each year. What can I say, I’m a realist; if I can’t or don’t do it, I remove it from the list! I am usually successful though. 🙂 This year, I vow to:

Start reading again, at least one hour a day. Oh, how I miss it!
Work out with a trainer twice a week and walk on my own four to five days a week on the quest to get my biscuit back in shape. I am off to a great start on this one; having already walked nine miles in 2010 so far.
Start working on baby #2 (scary thought!).
Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, preferably with you in the BOB.
Use a cloth bag every. single. time. I go to the grocery store. Incidentally, this was my gift to all of my girlfriends this Christmas.
Organize our photos into album, boxes, frames, zip lock bags–something, anything just as long as they aren’t in piles.
Learn to live without so many magazines in my life. So far, I have already let five of my 10 subscriptions go. Yay for me! I should be reading books anyway.
Spend more time in the kitchen cooking (AKA learn to cook). I have collected yummy sounding recipes for years and it is time to try them out.

I am also really looking forward to my sister moving to Los Angeles (today!), selling our parents house (fingers crossed), our trip to Australia and New Caledonia in April and continuing to watch you grow and flourish.

I wish you and yours a wonderful new year filled with much love, laughter, prosperity and vibrant health.

The best is most certainly yet to be.

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

Related Posts:

What I Write About