bieber fever.

one week ago, the kids met justin bieber {thanks to my mom who won a contest!}.

he visited n.a.s. oceana {which is where the meeting took place}.

this reminds me of the time i met vern yip.  okay, maybe not.

even better than free.

{source}


'free' by zac brown band.

accompanied by jimmy buffett.

mixed with van morrison's 'into the mystic.'

l♥ve, l♥ve, l♥ve.

this song makes me happy, too.  can you tell?

you & me.

this song makes me very happy.
very, very happy.
and happy is very important right now.

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want to pack your bags

something small

take what you need

and we'll disappear without a trace

we'll be gone gone

moon and the stars will follow the car

then when we get to the ocean

gonna take a boat to the end of the world

all the way to the end of the world

oh and when the kids are old enough

we're gonna teach them to fly

you & me together
we can do anything baby
you & me together yes yes
the two of us together
we can do anything baby
you & me together yes yes

you & i we're not tied to the ground
not falling but rising
like rolling around
eyes closed above the rooftops
eyes closed
we're gonna spin through the stars
our arms wide as the sky
we're gonna ride the blue all the way to the end of the world
all the way to the end of the world
oh and when the kids are old enough
we're gonna teach the to fly

you & me together
we can do anything baby

you & me together yes yes
the two of us together
we can do anything baby
you & me together yes yes

we can always look back at what we did
always the memory of you & me baby
but right now it's you & me forever girl
you know we can do better than anything that we did
you know that you & me we can do anything

you & me together
we can do anything baby
you & me together yes yes
the two of us
together...

lyrics by david j. matthews

career?

you guys know about my job & my commute.

it's no secret that, while i was thankful to find a job, i reluctantly accepted the position due to the pay cut, part-time hours, killer commute & lack of benefits. it's also no secret that, despite loving the job, i was also very overwhelmed & maybe a little intimidated. after all, this was a bit of a career switch for me {key word being 'career'}.

i'm 99.99% certain i've found my forever job. my career. i don't know where it will take me. i don't know if it will entice me to learn more about the field of work i'm involved in {shipbuilding}, but for now i'm happy doing what i do. and, i'm happy doing it for an employer who appreciates me, who says 'thank you' to me, who tells me that i'm doing a good job, who listens, who cares.

and, what makes me even happier than doing what i do is knowing that i will be doing it full-time!

my boss asked me on tuesday {my anniversary, no less!} if i was still interested in working full-time.

duh!

so, for now, i'm enjoying every bit of having monday's & wednesday's off because starting march 15th {adam's birthday} i will be working five full days a week. yay! i'm still waiting on when they will let me move to the office that is 15 minutes from my home, but i'll gladly keep making that commute throughout the week. for now, the mere thought of having freakin' health insurance excites me {but, this is what happens when you & your family have gone without health insurance for over two months...}. oh, and the paid vacation days, paid holidays & flexible working schedule aren't half-bad either.

random glee.

during my bout of wallow & self-pity, i neglected to focus on what's good & what's important. duh. so, here i am, doing just that...focusing on good, important things. things that matter...

those two kids pictured above. what a candid moment. on the beach in hatteras, nc circa 2005. they are my greatest joy.

speaking of those two kids:

• aidan passed the first round of screening for the gifted program. he will be tested again in march to see if he just might be able to enter our school system's gifted program next year as a second grader.
• malia turns n-i-n-e next month! she's heading into her 'tween years quickly. i think we are going to have a bowling party for her. she's also doing ridiculously well in school. she's busy with the s.c.a. and tech club. and, she totally rocked her ancient greece project and got a A+ on the comedy & tragedy masks she made.

{source}

happiness really IS a warm puppy -- and i've got the best lil' puppy by my side, frisco. he's currently snoozing in his teeny bed {his big bed is in his 'house'} while i get some blog posts scheduled.

the fact that it's snowing outside is pretty exciting. three times in three weeks! that never happens here in coastal virginia! it sure is pretty to look at...i feel like i'm living inside of a snow globe! on the flip side, i'm quite thankful that we're not getting walloped like my parents did {and are...again!}. they are digging out of over 2+ feet of snow and they only live 2.5 hours away from me in fredericksburg. my mom wished for snow...i guess you gotta be careful what you wish for!

{today's snow so far}

my new desk & craft area is pretty awesome if i do say so myself. it's still very messy & in need of some good organizing, but it's coming along nicely. it's opened up this room quite a bit and i can't wait to get the rest of the room cleaned up this weekend. what would make me happy is if we could find a nice, cozy chair & side table. hmm...

our good friends, matt & steve, helped adam with every aspect of constructing the new desk from making the executive decision on which laminate counter top pattern to pick {because, really, what guy would pass up a trip to lowe's?} to making saw cuts to spray painting the pvc pipe legs to installing the ginormous desk onto my muraled wall!

this weekend there is a lot to celebrate:

• v♥lentine's d♥y
• the daytona 500
• chinese new year {it's the year of the tiger!}

coincidentally, all of these things fall on the same day - february 14th. so, on sunday, i'll be wearing a red shirt, sporting my dale earnhardt, jr. cap & eating peking duck.

and, after this weekend's fun festivities, this guy & i will celebrate eight years of wedded bliss on the 23rd:

{our happy little family in bah-ston, september 2009}

i found out recently - as in yesterday - that i will be moving to an office closer to home {as in, my 45+ minute commute will become maybe 15 minutes} and that i will become a full-time employee. when that will all take place...i don't know. but, it's guaranteed to happen some time this year. woo hoo!

oh, and did i mention that i have an etsy shop now? it's up & running. it's still very much a work in progress, but at least i did it. i hope to add more items to the shop this weekend. i have a feeling that i will be leaning more towards the pet paintings & painted glassware. however, if you want a custom topiary piece, please let me know!

---

so, i guess that even with all of my complaints, life really IS good.

happy, happy, joy, joy

Molly Lou is one of my favorite gals & I'm totally stealing her post idea. With the way things have been lately, I need happiness in my life...even if I have to force it upon myself {and, well, upon you, too}.

Technically, Molly Lou was tagged by a fellow blogger & then she tagged everyone, so I'm considering myself part of the 'everyone' and I hope that you'll do the same because, guess what, I'm tagging everyone too. Ha!

So, here we go...TEN things that make me happy:

1. Starbucks. Need I say more? OK, I will...venti peppermint mochas, cafe lattes, their morning bun and their gift cards. Everything about Starbucks makes me happy. My bank account? Not so much.
2. My kidlets. They are my pride & joy. They are my legacy. They were created out of love between the hubs & I. They truly ARE my heart beating outside of my body.
3. Playa del Carmen, Mexico. I wish I was there right now. If you've been there, you should know why it's a happy place. If not, you need to go. White sand, crystal blue water, good food, culture, romance...
4. My parents & my sister. MY family. Aside from the hubs, these three people are the only three people in the world who will love me, support me and be there for me 100% of the time...without a doubt. Blood is thicker than water, people.
5. Pedicured toes. And, sadly, my feet have not indulged in a pedicure in a long while. It's time to change that.
6. A good sale. It's no surprise...I l♥ve to shop. 'Nuff said.
7. My fur babies. With three cats and one puplet in the house, there is no shortage of squeaky toys, shedding hair or messes to clean up...but the purr of a happy kitty or the smell of puppy breath is worth it. So worth it.
8. Wine. Lots of it. Even though drinking it gives me one yowsa of a headache the next day...well, it all depends on exactly how much was consumed...but it's so worth it. {No, I'm not an alkie.}
9. The hubs. He takes care of me. He cooks for me. He hugs me when I'm sad. He is my rock. Our relationship hasn't been perfect, but it's our kind of perfect. I can't imagine my life without him. Although, it would be nice if he stopped snoring.
10. Myself. As conceited as it sounds, I make myself happy. I stand tall {not always strong} with my convictions. I make no apologies for the things I've said or done. I am who I am...take it or leave it. If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.

So, what makes you happy? One thing? Ten things? Tell me.

It's The LITTLE Things That Matter The Most

My good friend (in the real world and in the blogosphere), Becca, from One Day At A Time has tagged me with a fun little "challenge" -- name SIX unimportant things that make me happy. How hard could that be, right? All I have to do is mention who tagged me, list my six things and tag six more bloggers.

So, without any hesitation, here is my list of SIX unimportant things that make me oh, so happy...

• The crisp smell of autumn in the air - you know, the cool air mixed with a touch of smoke from someone's chimney...yeah, that's the smell.
• Sandy toes - especially if they are my children's sandy toes.
• Being lazy on a hot summer day - I really need to buy a hammock.
• Beachcombing - it doesn't matter if I'm at the beach here, in North Carolina or in Mexico...I will walk the beach for hours picking up shells & other fun things from the sea.
• Putting on a pair of jeans fresh from the dryer - oh, so warm!
• Seeing a rainbow after a rain shower - now where's that pot of gold?!

Now, I know I'm supposed to tag six people, but it's always so hard to choose just six people! So, I tag all of you reading...if you choose to participate, please leave me a comment and let me know so I can check out your six things! Enjoy!