Angels in Strangers

I almost lost my phone tonight. Mom and I were out shopping getting some groceries when we got back in the car I noticed my phone was gone. Now I knew I had brought my phone with me because I was trying to send a picture message to a friend with one of the photos I took during my trip to Asia. Mom and I looked all around the car and couldn't find it. So now I was in a panic, my cell phone isn't just any ordinary cell phone but a PDA which held pretty much my schedule, contacts from work and abroad, etc. When we got home the first thing I did was call my cell and this guy answers. Now my occupation has trained me to handle situations like what I went through tonight and I knew that it would be a slim chance I would ever get my phone back much less without paying something. But the guy on the phone seemed sincere and we agreed to meet at the gas station near the store where I lost my phone. As soon I arrived at the gas station (my dad in tow since mom didn't want me to go alone and meet some stranger!) I called my phone back and this guy drives up and just hands it back. NO money asked, no getting out of his car (I was outside my vehicle but pops was right behind me) and just hands it over, we exchange words of gratitude and he was gone. How nice was that! And here I was thinking the worst case scenario about what could happen, how evil people are etc and this guy just hands my phone back without asking for anything in return. He certainly taught this cynical gal a lesson tonight and I got reminded of what the Bible says about being aware of 'angels who may be strangers unaware'.

Wii Fun

My brother got himself a Wii gaming system for his birthday and last week we had mom play bowling on it. I could hear my brother's groan from my room as mom beat him twice on her first try! So the other night I challenged mom to a game and boy did I get a beating. She beat me good twice! My brother who was watching us decided to play too. So the next round all three of us were playing. My brother was just sitting on the couch using his hand to play while me and mom were up and moving around. It was so much fun! And this time around I beat them both, so that was double fun for me. LOL but overall a great way to spend the evening. My dad was just watching us on the sidelines and laughing. And I must say that the Wii gaming system is so totally worth it, they have all kids of attachment including a Wii Fit that helps you with some exercise move. I'm still thinking about getting that Wii Fit though, they are a bit pricey!

In other news. . .

I got a haircut on Friday and now my hair is back to being short. My hairdresser also cut is so that the back is shorter and the front is longer sort of like a "v'" but angled at a 45 degree. It is different but then that is the look my hairdresser was going for. She said that since I lost so much weight (which is true I've lost 19lbs since hitting the gym with my trainer in September) that a new look would be good for me to try. She also mentioned putting in highlights to my hair but I won't let her do that. From what I've seen and herd once you start coloring your hair, you can't really stop and frankly I like my black hair. Then last night I washed my hair and it went back to being all wavy and curly again! My co-worker was calling me "curly Sue" since I had such a fluffy head of curls. =) Guess that means I will put my hair straighter to work again.

Blessings

I got some good news Friday night. I've been promoted! Earlier this year I had taken a test to apply for a new job position and then there was the talk of a hiring freeze going around the Department, so I figured even if I did well on the test I still wouldn't get the new job position because of the freeze. Shows you how much I know! God is so good and I got the official word on Friday that I've been promoted. I knew it was happening sometime this summer because our Lt. talked to me about it when he got the word that our Division could hire some more people but it wasn't official and I decided not to say anything until it was official. This new position will be another challenge for me since I get to work with the deputies directly. I have to go back into training come end of June and I also lose the 5 years of seniority but I get a pay raise. So it will all work out in the end, that is if I can complete training successfully. Please keep me in your prayers as I start this new position and go back to training.

My cousin's comedy routine

How I spent my weekend

We went down to Los Angeles to attend my cousin's graduation. So that was a 12 hour drive, 6 hours going to LA and 6 hours coming back. We had to be home in time for Mother's Day at the church. Then we took my mom to this awesome but pricey restaurant in Vallejo called The Dead Fish. Their food there is so delicious, fresh seafood and meat. But it was an hour's drive from home and since we were so near San Francisco. We headed over to the Vista view side of the bridge where you could see a great city view. So for the most part we spent the weekend driving! But it was nice to spend so much time with family and with my job I don't get that a lot.

Scrapbooking Party

A friend from work had a Scrapbooking party tonight. I've never been to one before and it was kinda fun. Usually I work on my scrapbooks at home or bring it to work and just do it in between phone calls. So having a few solid hours of the evening to work on scrapbooks with friends and all was very enjoyable! I got about 6 pages done on our Hawaii Vacation Scrapbook that I was working on. My mom thought I was nuts to think about bringing in my suitcase full of scrapbook stuff but when I got there with just my beach bag full of items and saw the other's things. I realized that what I had was too little. You basically have all the stuff put around the center of the table and just share tools, stickers, etc. It was fun though there was only four of us and we were pretty quiet since we were all concentrating on our various scrapbooks. But I got to see the different styles and new gizmos that the others had with it. Scrapbooking is definitely a hobby I plan on doing for a long time, what with all these cool gadgets and stuff they keep coming out with. Plus you get to use all these cool stickers, which I've always loved playing with stickers! So it was a great way to spend a night, hanging out with friends, getting stuff done while looking back on some wonderful memories.

Lavender

"lavender, sweet lavender;
come and buy my lavender,
hide it in your trousseau, lady fair.
Let its flovely fragrance flow
Over your from head to toe,
Lightening on your eyes, your cheek, your hair."

~Cumberkand Clark Flower Song Book 1929

"Lavender's blue, dilly dilly,
Lavender's green.
When you are King, dilly dilly,
I shall be Queen." ~The Ordinary Princess, M.M. Kaye

I had my mom plant some lavender this spring and last year too. There is just something so soothing about the scent of lavender and in out of my favorite books, The Ordinary Princess, there is that quote above. So this afternoon I went into our garden to gather up some Lavender that I plan on using as scents in the house and potpourri. A little research online showed me what I needed to do. After cutting the flowers with a good length of stem so that it would be easier to tie them together with a rubber band, the bunches were hung in a cool dark spot that has good air circulation. The instructions says to wait 30 days for the lavender plant to dry completely and the put it in a satchel or glass jar. I can hardly wait!

The plant from last year's which didn't get harvested, so it looks frailer.

The plant in full bloom in the garden.

Hung in the coat closet where it is cool, dark and yet has some air circulation.

Trader Joe's

There is this store down the street from my house called "Trader Joe's" and let me just tell you how much I love this store. If I could buy everything on their list in the 'Flyer Express' (Their newsletter that they send out every month) I so would. This store is totally awesome! They have all these wonderful organic, so good for your health food. I never feel guilty for purchasing anything from this store!

Here is what they tell you about themselves from their website www.traderjoes.com

Just what is this thing we call Trader Joe’s? Well, we’re a grocery store, sure, but really so much more. Our shelves are stocked full of delicious foods and beverages from the basics like milk, bread and butter to more exotic fare like imported cheeses, organic produce and hand-tossed pizza from Italy. We taste every product before we decide to sell it, and we guarantee you’ll like it.

You might expect indulgences like these to come with unbecoming prices. But at Trader Joe’s, we’re as much about value as we are about great food. In other words, we keep our costs low, cut out the middleman whenever possible and pass our savings on to you in the form of terrific everyday prices. So you can afford to be adventurous without breaking the bank.

Aussie TV Shows

Okay I'm going to admit it, I'm addicted to Aussie TV mini-dramas. I don't know why but I just am! It all started when I was just surfing around youtube looking up shows this one Australian actress was in and that was when I discovered McLeod's Daughter. Which is a television drama set on an Australian rural property with two half-sisters running the property inherited from their father with an all-female workforce. This show was filmed in Southern Australia and set in a fictional farm called 'Drovers'. Just seeing the scenery of the rolling hills where the farm is set was enough to capture my attention, the plot was also pretty good about strong capable women dealing in a mostly men's world of farming. So that was my first glimpse of Aussie TV. =)

Then Nickelodean had introduced a new show this Spring called H2O Just Add Water and when I did a little more research in found that it was set in the Gold Coast. I mean just looking at the background made me want to jump on a plane and fly down to Australia to swim! But the plot is this: Emma, Cleo and Rikki are sixteen year old girls growing up on the sun-drenched beaches of the Gold Coast. Emma is confident and athletic, Cleo is slightly insecure and awkward while Rikki is the aloof and rebellious new girl. Because of Rikki, the girls find themselves stranded at sea one day, floating towards the mysterious Mako Island. The three girls find themselves exploring the eerie jungle-covered island before becoming trapped in an ancient cavern under a volcano. Discovering an underwater channel, they decide to swim to safety. As they enter the pool, the light from a full moon illuminates the water, creating a mysterious glow. Emma, Cleo and Rikki get off the island as fast as they can and back to "normal" life. However, the girls discover life is never going to be normal again; ten seconds after they touch water, they turn into mermaids. After further experimentation, they find they have supernatural powers; Emma can freeze water, Rikki can boil water and Cleo can turn a drop of water into a bucketful and mould it into any shape. The girls enlist the help of their friend Lewis, who considers himself a scientist, and he attempts to discover the secret behind their transformations. Everyday situations turn tricky as the girls struggle to cope with their new-found powers, which have numerous advantages and disadvantages, while also trying to keep them a secret from everyone else.

So now I was hooked to two Aussie TV shows but that isn't the end. While looking around youtube for more glimpse of those two shows I found a third Aussie TV Show called Blue Water High. Blue Water High is an Australian television drama series. Each season follows the lives of a young group of students at Solar Blue, a high-performance surf academy where several lucky 16-year-olds are selected for a 12-month-long surfing program on Sydney's northern beaches. Now I came in on season 3 of this show but so far from what I've read and seen, it looks really good. Made me wish I could swim so then I'd be able to learn how to surf!

I've found these Aussie TV shows to be wholesome, fresh and yet maintain a decent plot compared to some of the TV shows they are currently showing in the US. But of course watching all these shows has already gotten my travel bug desiring to really see and experience the world 'Down Under'. So perhaps my plans of not hitting Australia for a few more years may have to change. Anyways, next year I was planning to head West since this year I'm headed East to Spain! Who knows? I'll just keep you all updated. =) But for now I'm open to learning more about shows set around the world to keep my travel appetite going!