Chance to win a sweet lamp on my friend Christine's blog: Great Oak Circle

It's here!!! Your big chance to win this hot little number.  Thanks again to CSN Stores who let me give this great prize away to one of my lucky readers!

So..here's the deal...you must live in the US or Canada, and you can only enter between NOW and THURSDAY at MIDNIGHT!


http://greatoakcircle.blogspot.com/2010/02/lamp-giveaway.html

The Alabama Blizzard of Feb. 2010

Ok, it wasn't a blizzard, but it was beautiful.  It came and went pretty quickly, but at least my Little One got to experience her first snow.  I wish I could feel what it's like for her during moments like this....to experience things for the first time with no expectations, no hype, no let-downs, just the pure joy of being in that moment seeing snow for the first time.  How cool!  If we were only capable of realizing how great it was to be a child at that time.  Well, for the record I personally had a great childhood and I know that many people weren't as fortunate. For those people I have deep sorrow!

They say yesterday was the first time in recorded history that the lower 48 states had snow on the ground at the same time.  CRAZY!  Really?  Seems hard to believe, but I imagine it's probably true.  Congratulations lower 48  on your new record!  The scary part about this record is "they" also say it's due to global warming.  The globe warms & we get more snow?  What.....uhhhh, is that possible?  I'll let you sit around and think about it, but I'm just glad the Blizzard of Feb. 2010 happened!

Snowly Cow!

The theme for the week is snow wrecking havoc on my travel plans.  Again, the possibility of getting out of town tomorrow is looking like it might not happen.  The family is supposed to be going to Mobile (AL Coast) in the morning, and the NWS is predicting 2-5"s of "heavy snowfall".  For some of you that's nothing, for those of us in the south, SNOWLY COW that's a lot!  I've decided that my wife's grandmother's 80th birthday party isn't worth risking the 4 hour drive in a southern blizzard.  My wife agrees for the record.  So, Jack Frost do your worst....we're not scared of your fluffy flakes in this household!

Side note**My dad, who's lived in Dallas for over twenty years, reported more snow that he's ever seen in TX (shown above for proof of legitimacy to this blog).  On the other hand, my friends in the Rockies have complained about "craptastic"snow levels most of the winter.  What's going on Mother Nature?**

A Change of Plans, Doctors, Lunch, & Jazz Dancing...

I was supposed to head north this morning to Louisville, KY on a business trip.  However a massive storm system moved in over the last 24 hours and started dumping snow in that region.  Trip postponed for 2 weeks- -bummer, but I had a full day none the less.


First a trip to the pediatrician, which is always a chore.  Every time my daughter sees somebody in scrubs she gets very skeptical to say the least.  We got a couple of meds to fix her up and we were on our way.  So long snotty nose and sleep depriving cough.  We won't miss you!


Immediately following the Dr.'s office we met Mommy for lunch.  It was a nice treat since we don't get to do family lunches mid- week very often.  It's the little things that can completely change your day.  From a canceled flight to lunch with my beautiful family..... I can't complain!


The little one was asleep in the car no more than three minutes after departing from the eatery.  That's a sure sign a long winter's nap is right around the corner.  I was right.  SIDENOTE** I miss childhood nap times and fully believe the siesta should become commonplace in American culture!**  

To wrap this up my point is this: even though plans can change in a hurry, it's not a bad thing to end up dancing in the kitchen with your daughter to some NOLA jazz!!!  In fact, I can't think of anything more productive and rewarding!!!   
On that note I suggest: WWOZ 90.7 FM New Orleans   They have their own iphone app, how sweet is that?  Enjoy, because it's Mardi Gras time and you should be dancing with the ones you love most (in your kitchen)!

The makings of a bad day & it's Remedy

What really makes a day bad?  When I really stop to think about this I get confused.  Confused in the sense that any day spent alive should be appreciated for just that, but often times certain days bring  elements to the table that are just plain WRONG.  As much as I try to remind myself that these things will pass, I still find it hard not to concentrate on them from time to time .  This has got to stop!

In order to eliminate this occurrence I've decided that you've got to have passion in your life to make the most of it!  Whether its family, work, friends, hobbies, talents, or whatever you want to add to the list, without passion you lack desire to actually make the most of the day you've already been given.  WHAT A WASTE, and I'll be the first to admit I'm guilty.

This was pointed out to me by my friend Arra Glare (stage name), well not directly, but I knew what he was getting at.  Arra saved the day yesterday.  It twas a "bad day" until he stepped-up to get me out of a BIG hole.  **Thanks Facebook,  for letting Arra know of the situation so quickly!  Your social platform really brings people together!! **  I'm passionate about our friendship, and in hindsight yesterday was a prime example of what I'm talking about.  Even if he hadn't been there for me, at the end of the day I'm still fortunate enough to have family, true friends, work (in progress), talents, and pretty decent health.  These are the things that matter....these are the things to focus on in times of mayhem....these are the things to throw your passion into!! One of my favorite quotes goes like this--  "The best form of exercise is reaching down to pick someone else up". True dat, right?

So the moral of this rant is:  A "bad day" can only be as bad as you let it, and your "bad day" is nothing compared to some of the other ones out there.  So I'm challenging myself to this- - when I see one coming, I'm gunna find something to throw some passion at.  KER-SPLAT...You've been hit by a big batch of "bad day" remedy!