(43-46) What You Choose to Believe

On October 7, 2009 I wrote, in "A Friend In Need;"  "September, someday between the 10th and 12th (I have blocked the day out of my memory) marked the 23rd anniversary of my Mom's passing."   Well, a few weeks ago, when the kids and I were doing our cleaning overhaul; I happened to find the guest book from my mother's funeral, and it confirmed that in fact, my mom had passed away on September 11; which makes today the 24th anniversary of my mom's passing.  After much consideration, I chose not to sit at home and and mourn; but to go out and live life to its fullest, on her behalf; so Rachel, Luis, the kids and I took a drive to Sedona.  Although my family had been to Sedona several on several occasions; today was a day of discovery for us as we went to a part of Sedona that we had never been to before.  We took a picnic to Crescent Moon Ranch and had THE MOST amazing time.
After we got done with our lunch, Luis and the kids were taking pictures and playing by the creek.  Lyndzi told me that Nicky had spotted a dragon fly and that it had been following them around.  Luis then showed me the pictures that he'd taken and I was delighted because I've always admired dragonflies AND butterflies and I've even considered getting each as a tattoo; if ever I was to get one, (which I honestly don't EVER see happening; since I often suffer from buyer's remorse, not to mention my INSANE fear of needles.)  Nonetheless, once I got home I felt compelled to look into the symbolism of dragonflies and I discovered that in almost every part of the world, the dragonfly is a symbol of change.  The dragonfly is synonymous with changes in mental and emotional maturity.  The Dragonfly’s scurrying flight across water represents an act of going beyond what’s on the surface and looking into the deeper implications and aspects of life.
How profound!!   I can honestly say that these are changes that I believe I'm in the process of; but the dragonfly wasn't around me, it was around my family; so I choose to believe that the dragonfly's presence signifies a change in perspective for my entire family.  We are ALL growing, evolving and maturing; and I think it's simply wonderful that we are all doing so at the same time.

The kids wanted to go exploring further and although I'm NOT Queen of the OUTDOORS; I couldn't pass up the opportunity to experience a vortex and enjoy natures beauty.  We walked along a short trail and came to an alluring creek.  None of us had our swimsuits and the water beckoned us to come in; but we resisted.  We were charmed by the view and we all agreed that this was a spot that needed to be revisited soon.  We walked further and even though there was no sign that alerted us to the vortex, once we got there; WE KNEW IT!  The temperature immediately dropped a few degrees, and  although the path had been serene; the stillness of the area was remarkable.  I stepped out onto the vortex and instantly felt as if a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders and my breath came easier.  We all stood in silence taking in the majestic site; and no one spoke of what they had felt at that moment. 

We followed the path further until the red rock met the water and the sight was spectacular.

Luis and the kids took more pictures and put their feet in the water and I just observed and took in the scenery.  I thought of my mom and I didn't cry.  I remembered how lucky I was to have her for a mother; even though it was for a very short time and I hoped that she was in a place that was even more beautiful than the one that I had been appreciating.

After a significant amount of time had passed, we happily walked the trail back to the picnic area and as we left the path we were greeted by a Monarch butterfly, that was fluttering in the grass.
Once I saw the magnificent Monarch, my mother was again very much on my mind.  I somehow felt that the butterfly encounter had something to do
with her; and I asked Luis to take a picture of the splendid creature.  Upon my return home I investigated further; and found (according to Wikipedia) "In different cultures butterflies are symbols of rebirth, regeneration, transition and love. In Native American legend, butterflies also represent grace and the ability to accept change; and some people believe that when you see a butterfly go by (and especially if it hovers around), you are receiving a cosmic message."  HMMM??  I BELIEVE, I BELIEVE!!

Wikepedia went on to say "The butterfly is a reminder to make changes when the opportunity arises. Change and transformation are inevitable for us all, but it does not have to be traumatic. Butterfly symbolism is also closely tied to the idea of spirits and souls. It has been used in many religions and cultures. In the western world, the symbol of the butterfly stands for freedom, fun and joyous times. It is also symbolises a state of naturalness and purity."  WOW!  Did I need this butterfly today or what?  I've quoted Freud's "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar" before;  and so surely I recognize  that sometimes a dragonfly is just a dragonfly and a  butterfly is just a butterfly; but sometimes we CHOOSE to believe whatever brings us peace.  It certainly soothed my soul to conclude that there was some connection between the presence of the dragonfly, the butterfly and the memory of my mother.  I regard these sitings as signs that I shouldn't dwell in sadness; but move forward.  I have faith that it was a sign that I'm on the right path and that my mother approves.  And I take great comfort in believing that my mother is with me ALWAYS.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

Photos by Luis Ramos

(43-45) Restaurant.com

Tonight's post SCREAMS "Greater Good!"  My wonderful friend Rachel K, is visiting us for the weekend; and as if enjoying her company wasn't enough; tonight she introduced me to Restaurant.com  and I am so excited to share what I've learned with you.
Admittedly, I am NOT the Queen of TECH BARGAINS; and it's fair to say that I'm not always Jenny on the spot when it comes to being in the know; so if you've heard of or used Restaurant.com before, perhaps you can comment and let us know about your experience.

Restaurant.com  is a website that will sell you gift certificates for participating restaurants at EXTREMELY reduced prices.  They are currently having an 80% off sale, so you can purchase a $25 gift certificate for JUST $2.00  (A more regular price may be $10 for a $25 gift certificate; which is STILL a good deal in my book.)  Now this is a little confusing to explain and in my inimitable style I may just make matters worse; but I'm going to try and make this as clear as possible because this opportunity truly is TOO good to pass up.

So, you buy the Restaurant.com gift certificate (and you pay far less for the certificate than its actual value.)  You DON'T need to buy a gift certificate for a PARTICULAR restaurant now (unless you want to.)  You can just pay for your gift certificate(s), and Restaurant.com will provide you with code(s) (which won't expire) so that you can use then when you know which restaurant you want to dine at.  Once you have chosen a restaurant and enter your code, you will then be able to print out the actual RESTAURANT gift certificate.
It should be noted that the restaurant will require you to make MORE of a purchase than the value of the gift certificate; but each restaurant will list their criteria for using the certificate on the website.  For example, The restaurant may allow you to use a $25 gift certificate on a purchase of $35 or more.  So if your bill is $35 and you use the $25 gift certificate, REALLY you've only paid $12 for the meal.  $2 that you had paid for the Restaurant.com gift certificate and $10 for the difference in price on the bill.
Tonight Rachel used a $50 gift certificate for which she had ONLY paid $4.  The restaurant stipulated that the $50 gift certificate could only be used on a bill of $100 or more.  So, if our bill was $100; Rachel paid only $54 ~ now how can you beat that??
I would recommend reading each restaurant's details carefully, before using your Restaurant.com gift certificate to purchase the RESTAURANT gift certificate; this way you'll know if the restaurant will automatically include the gratuity and if so at what percentage. Tonight we ate at Rock Bottom Brewery and although the website advised that 18% gratuity would be included in our bill; we found that no gratuity had been included.  Had we not checked our bill to make sure that the gratuity had been included, we wouldn't have left a tip and that would have been a shame; since we had an exemplary waitress.

Trust me when I tell you that I haven't been going to many restaurants lately and that I'm well aware of how bad the economy is; but this is EXACTLY why I'm telling you about restaurant.com
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-44) Friend Or Foe

I am off track; I am DEFINITELY OFF TRACK!  My weight has been an issue for me, hmmm, well my ENTIRE life; and if you've been following "The Bumpy Ride" for a while or you've known me for more than 2 years; then you know that about 2 years ago I was actively going to the gym, I wasn't eating carbs at dinner and I had lost about 30 lbs.  The picture in my profile was taken during the height of my weight loss; and I can honestly say that I thought I looked good.  I was pleased with my appearance and I had every reason to believe that I was going to continue losing weight.
WELL, life happens; and although my weight loss was a priority; other priorities superseded it.  With Luis working a second job, I found that I had less time to go to the gym, but I continued to avoid carbs at dinner; UNTIL I went on vacation to Puerto Vallarta in May.

Now when I'm disciplined, I'M DISCIPLINED; so the fact that I was going on vacation in and of itself, was not a reason for me to disregard my diet; but I hadn't been eating carbs at dinner for over 2 years; and I wanted to allow myself some time off.  To quote Julia Roberts in "Prettty Woman;" "BIG mistake; HUGE!"  Although I don't think that I gained weight in Vallarta, eating carbs at dinner there was certainly the beginning of my end.
Upon our return home, slowly but surely carbs worked their way back into my dinner menus.  In the 2 years where carbs were absent from my dinners, I continued to make them for my kids, (and didn't eat them) but once I'd hate a taste of my forbidden fruit, as addicting as carbs can be; I was hooked once again.  I haven't stepped on a scale in months, but I'm sad to say that I'm probably very close to being right back where I started from.

I had thought that once my kids went back to school, I would go back to the gym.  But then I found several reasons (OK, EXCUSES) for prolonging my return.  My diet has completely gone to hell with itself; and as I said in the beginning of this post, I am off track; I am DEFINITELY OFF TRACK!

I don't think that I've ever met a carb that I didn't like.  Pasta, rice, breads, potatoes, desserts, I'm an equal opportunity carb eater.  In fact, I'd have to say that carbs are my favorite food group; however, today I overdid it; I DEFINITELY overdid it.  I typically  go in to my office on Thursday's and I customarily stop and pick up a bagel on my way in; and that's exactly what I did today.  At lunch time I had a child's size personal pizza, and I'll admit that as much as I love carbs; shortly thereafter consuming my second meal of the day, I knew that I had made a mistake.  I became more tired than I remember being in quite some time, and my body felt disgusting.  I wasn't sick to my stomach but I could tell that my body felt overwhelmed.  It was then that I knew that enough was enough; that the carbs I adored were not my friends, but truly my foe.

It is time!  I am ready to get back on track.  I do want to lose the hundred pounds that I mentioned in my "To Do" post and I've got to start somewhere.  Am I ready to go back to the gym?  Now that I'm still not sure about.  But the carbs at dinner; starting Monday, that's my plan! 

It's just like I wrote yesterday, in "New Beginnings," "It's never too late to start over.  I'm re-committing myself and I'm up for the challenge.  Between writing my blog every day, exploring my religion and losing weight, I think I've  got a full plate; and carbs won't have any room there; ESPECIALLY at dinner time.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING