3.31.2011

Superwoman Blogger.


HAPPY SPRING!


"Learn to be what you are, and learn to resign with a good grace all that you are not."
- Henry Frederic Amiel


Are you wondering about my New Year's resolution to be a better blogger?
Hmmmmm.  I for one am disappointed.
I had envisioned posting weekly.
And each post would be thought provoking and uplifting.
Filled with stories, experiences, ideas and pictures.
But...I believe I have fallen a bit short!

My excuse?
I can think of a few.
I am so busy.  
I don't always have thought provoking, uplifting things to share.
I haven't picked up the camera very often.
There are so many out there that do it better than me.
Blah blah blah...




I'm making peace with the fact that I am not superwoman.
Or superwoman blogger.
I do what I can do, and that is all I can do.
Not to say that I am giving up!
Hopefully I will find a good blogging flow again.
Meanwhile, I have laundry to do, tears to wipe, dinners to cook, errands to run and tennis to play.

snuggling with a sweet sickie

 And if you want to hear all about those things...
make sure to check back.
I will blog about it just as often as I am able...
Thought provoking or not.

3.22.2011

Star Struck at Indian Wells

Click to play this Smilebox collage
Create your own collage - Powered by Smilebox
This free collage made with Smilebox


We are back from our get-away!
WOW!
It really WAS just what the doctor ordered, and I feel much happier now!

If you are a tennis fan, you will probably enjoy the above collage.
These are some of the tennis "stars" we got to see up close and personal,
taken with our little camera!
If you are NOT a tennis fan, you can just skip the collage
and maybe just enjoy the photos below.

We were in Indian Wells (or Palm Springs) California.
BEAUTIFUL and HOT!
(kind of like Federer...did I just type that?)
We got to watch the first week of the BNP Paribas Open.
And I admit, I was starstruck.  Seeing all those tennis greats was just so amazing.
We went with our awesome friends who also happen to be our neighbors
(we are so lucky).



Me, Trev, Justin & Joanna getting ready to watch Dulko & Pennetta play doubles.


On the practice court behind us is Maria Sharapova.
And yes, she is loud.  We could hear her scream from a few courts down.


Oh.  My.  Heart.  Be.  Still...
This was my first glimpse of my fave, Roger Federer.
Just hanging out on the practice courts.
Waiting for me to wave.
And faint.
He's just as heavenly in person.
And wait till you see his legs...


And sitting right behind us in Stadium One were his darling twin girls.
Kind of fun to just look up, and Oh...There they are!

And then Gwen Stefani walked out.  She is beautiful.
She & her hubby are good friends with the Federers.
Just a little tidbit for ya.


Hot & sweaty, but enjoying every single minute.
We survived the heat with lemon ices.
Thank heavens for those!


Hi John! 
John Isner was right there on the practice courts.
All  6 feet 9 inches of him.


Trev waiting to get John's autograph.
Sam Querry is sitting to the left of him.
Trev is the best dad...He carried that ball everywhere and waited here and there
to get it signed for our Skoogles.
She was thrilled!!!


Jo & me.
I think we were watching Roanic here.


And...here they are.
I like his legs.
What can I say?
Sigh.


Not the most flattering picture of me, but I believe it captures my
immature giddiness in seeing Roger play.


Trev and Julia Georges, a fairly new up-and-coming German tennis player.
She was fun to watch, great mover.



Me with Vania King!

Enjoying watching the Bryan Brothers play


Here is Novak Djokovic on the practice court.
He was a hoot.
He ended up winning the Open for Men's Singles.


And here is Caroline Wozniacki on the practice court.
She is so strong and smiley.  What a great combo!
Love her!
She ended up winning the Open for Women's Singles...YES!


Such a relaxing enjoyable time.
We might bring the kids next year!

And the fun doesn't end here,
another amazing vacation is again right around the corner!!
For the whole family this time.
I'll keep ya posted!

3.07.2011

Paint chips, arm pain & Roger the great.


Isn't it funny how at times your most well laid plans can take a back seat
because life steps in and just kind of takes over?

I have been wanting to paint some walls in our home for some time now.
So I started the tedious process of paint chip collecting.

Do you know how many different shades of blue there are?  
Or even worse, yellow?
However, it didn't take me long to find the perfect aqua for my office!

It is called Vintage Map, and as soon as I rolled it on, I was in love.
It's the perfect brightness, and just the right mix of green & blue I was looking for.
Okay, that one was easy, and yes it's such a huge sample square because I couldn't stop rolling the paint on!
It will be a lovely accent wall!

So on to the yellow for the kitchen/dining & family room area.
I am looking for a cheerful sunny yellow.
So with colors like squish-squash, popcorn kernal, golden honey, 
corn chip, humble gold, and honeysuckle beige, I just knew I would find the right one.

 
But I am finding that yellows are HARD.
Too much green, too much beige, too gold, too fluorescent.  Ack!
SO I am still on the hunt for the perfect yellow.
If you know of any good ones, LET ME KNOW!
I am steering away from the beige like yellow I currently have.
I need it a bit more cheerful, & more of a statement!


The bedroom will be done as well, but I am SO stuck on that one.
I have no pictures to show you, and not much progress with the paint chips.
I think I want blue, but the shade eludes me.  Not too dark, not too pale.
Why is it so hard to pick the perfect color?  :)

Anyway, I figured  I could go ahead and get an estimate for someone to come paint.
Trevor HATES HATES to paint.
Yes, I meant to put two hates in there in all caps.
So he said I could find someone to do it.
He hates it when I do it and he watches me
and feels guilty, and then ends up having to help me.
(He also gets carpel tunnel when he paints, so there is a legit excuse as well).
After the first outrageous estimate, I decided I could do it myself.

But then my body decided I probably should hire someone after all.
During the final match of my last tennis tournament,
my arm rebelled against me.
It decided it could not hold a racket any more, let alone take the impact of a ball hitting it.
I'm happy to say we won the match, but I knew I would need to see a doctor as I walked off the court.

I just started physical therapy.
I really like it, but am definitely sore afterward.
They tell me it should take about 4-6 weeks, so I am hopeful.
Especially since USTA team tournaments start at the end of April.
I'm crossing my fingers!!!
Because yes, I do plan on playing.

I know it sounds silly, but the whole elbow thing really stressed me out.
You know what else stresses me out?
When my kids are stressed out!

Do you remember being a teenager and having to go through all the crap?
Boy crap, friend crap, body image crap, self-esteem crap?  ETC...
I don't love using that word so much, but it really is the right word for it, right?

When your teen suffers you suffer.
Yes, she looks happy here.
And that is because she IS happy here.
After many talks, and late nights, we are seeing more of this happy.
Thank goodness, because she sure is beautiful when she is happy.
Inside AND out.

And so the house painting is at a stand-still and the arm aches.
At least my girl IS smiling more.
I do feel a bit emotionally & physically exhausted though.

I can't help but think about our upcoming trip.
Just what the doctor ordered, and it's right around the corner.

Here is a hint.
It's all about THIS...


And if I could just SEE Roger play, I just KNOW
much of that stress will melt away, and I can be a completely happy girl once again.
For me Rog?  Please?


Thanks buddy.
See ya there!