Summer is in Full Swing!

Hello.

It's been a while, I know. But as I sit here with a head cold and a sore throat and procrastinate working, I'd thought I'd give ya an update.

To finish my last post, an old friend from Ohio reached out and found me online! She and I were bff's up until 3rd grade when she moved away to Arizona. It wasn't until she said via email that she lived in Casa Grande that it hit me. I vividly remember writing her letters (remember when we did that? We should to talk to someone about bringing that back!) addressed to "Casa Grande, AZ" and my imagination was filled with scenes out of an old western movie complete with horses drinking out of a water trough on a dusty road as I put those letters in the mailbox. She used to ~ and still does ~ do barrel racing. So Stacey has 2 kids and has been married for 10 years. We exchanged pictures and got caught up and are throwing around the idea of a reunion. Hey, I now have 2 newly reunited old pals that live in Arizona...why not go out for a visit?

What else? Brian and I have made an offer on a lake house in Michigan. There were 2 that we liked but of course we both liked different houses. I opted for the turn-key immaculate smaller house with a two story gorgeous deck and a brand new dock that comes with no toys.....Brian opted for the the bigger house that needs a lot of work, all walls are covered in dark wood paneling with a small deck and crappy dock, choppy layout but comes with LOTS of toys. I call it the "Polygamist House" because it currently sleeps 18 or 19 ~ the place is filled with twin beds and baby bassinets. We made an offer on the Polygamist House. I agreed because I have personally witnessed magic moving from Brian's brain to his hands when it comes to home renovation. The man is a visionary in that sense so if he tells me he can make it not only nicer than the other house, but better, then I'm on board.

We went out to Michigan a few weeks ago and Mike and Carolyn, the owners of the clean house, took us out on their boat and gave us a tour of the lake and the adjoining lakes. They are GREAT people and now I know why it's never a good idea for buyers to meet the sellers ~ because emotions are involved. They bought a bigger house on the same lake and they are waiting to move in until they sell their 1st house. Mike actually called Brian and said 'What's up, buddy? I gotta get my wife out of here! Let's make a deal!" He really needs to sell. Then the realtor called Brian the next day and said "I've got something to tell you. Mike wants to make YOU and offer. He dropped his price and is throwing in the brand new dock and the bar." Ain't that some shit?? Have you EVER heard of a seller making an offer to a buyer??? Crazy. Gosh we'd LOVE to help them out but we need to do what's best for us and our situation. Mike and Carolyn will still be on the same lake so I do look forward to hanging with them more. I hope they just want to hang with us if we don't buy their house!

In other news, I'm training for the Chicago Marathon again this year. Haven't run it since 2004 as I got into the sport of Triathlon for the summers of 2005 and 2006. Last year I took a break and used wedding planning as my excuse, but that's all it was. I just needed a break. Training is going well and we're already into Week 3. Brian's best friend and Best Man is also running it this year so he'll be making the trip here from Virginia so that'll be fun. Too bad he runs a lot fast than me. He'll finish in about 3:30. I'm hoping to beat my last time of 4:09 and run the race in under 4 hours.

Well I need to stop procrastinating and get to work. I'll try not be such a stranger here this summer!

Google Alerts are the best!

Do you all have Google alerts out there on yourselves? I do. I get Google alerts on some friends from High School, the Marines and many of my clients. How great do I look when my clients launch a new product and I call them up the same day and say "Hey, I heard about that new natural chicken sausage in Kroger!" Basically, it saves you the time of having to Google them. Google does it for you and if a new entry pops up across the net, you get the email informing you.

I received an email today with my name as the alert. I thought maybe my company removed my name from their website (I resigned a week ago), but this is what I found:

Google alert for http://www.zabasearch.com/.

Original Message:
Message Sent Monday, June 2, 2008 11:05 pm (Pacific Time)From: , , USArea Code: UnknownZip Code: Unknown
To: DEANNA S***R Deanna, I am looking for Deanna S***r that lived close toon Johnny Cake in Mayfield Ohio or around that area. I moved to AZ when I was in 3rd grade. Just wondering how you are. Please contact me.
Email the person who wrote this Respond to this message Leave a new message Email this message

So of course I replied back but the person doesn't say who they are. The only friend I can remember that moved away was Casey Hubbach, but she moved to Tennessee.

Who is the sender!?!?!

Stay tuned!

Why, yes, yes I do!!!

Love black people, that is. And brown people and yellow people and shit, if there are green people out there that I have yet to encounter, I'm sure I'll love them, too.

Who don't I like? It's a short list, but it includes:

1. Lowlife racist pigs who treat other people with no respect and spew hatred from their mouths.
2. Americans who make other Americans look bad when traveling abroad (seriously, their passports should be revoked!).
3. People who don't know how to have 1 conversation without cussing or raising their voices.
4. People who don't take responsibility for their actions and continually play the blame game.
5. People who aren't supportive of their loved ones through hard times.

So next time you want to call me an "N***** Lover", don't look so suprised when you are wearing my drink.



It all comes back to Karma. I've definitely seen that what goes around comes right back around two-fold. All I can do is hope that you learn how to become a miracle worker...because there are so many wounds on every single person you have ever crossed paths with. It's time to start the healing and put an end to the hurt you've caused every day of your life.

No Extra time for me!

So I saw a sneak preview of the Promotion last night ~ you know ~ the movie I was supposed to be in with Seann William Scott and John C. Reilly.

Our running scene was in the first 3 minutes of the movie and they showed a total of 2.2 seconds of it. I wasn't in it. I did see my friend, Angelle, and another friend, Kelly, was standing next to Seann in a scene that took place on the El.

My review of the movie? I give it 1 thumbs up....it's a definite renter. But since no one has seen one single preview of the movie that is supposed to be out this Friday, I'm sure it'll go straight to video.

Hey, at least I got paid 100 bucks to be an extra!

Happy Memorial Day

I was going to finish the 2nd part of the last post this weekend, but I'll have to do it later this week.

My step-sisters found out their Mom has stomach cancer 2 weeks ago and she died on Thursday. It's really so sad.

2 freakin' weeks and that's it.......she's gone.

I'll be headed to Ohio on Monday for the funeral services and back in Chicago Wednesday eve.

Until then, I hope you all enjoy your Memorial Day holiday and get to spend some quality time with your loved ones.

The Butterfly Effect Part 1 ~ Cleaning out the skeletons

So where to start this one??

I recently reconnected with an old Marine Corps girlfriend through the miracle of MySpace. She tracked me down right before my wedding and we recently chatted on the phone and we've been emailing. She brought a few things from the deep confines of my memory "black box"....you know, the place where you store things that, for whatever reason, you don't want to remember.

Turns out some mindless things I did as a 19 or 20 year old really affected more than a few people. When I was 19 I got married to a guy I was dating for only 4 months, but I'll go into that in my next blog. After that ended, almost as quickly as it started, I began dating a guy who was also going through a divorce and had been separated from his wife for some time. The military took note of this and had warned us to stay away from each other until our divorces were final. Ha! Little did they know we were already living together in an apartment off base. So we had to play it very cool and try not be seen together in town while we waited for the divorces to become final.

Now this is where my memory stores were just dusted off.

During this time in the Marines, my 20 year old girlfriend, Cindy, the one I just reconnected with, had apparently confided in me that she was dating our 41 year old Battalion First Sergeant. Now as you can imagine, if the Marines didn't want 2 people who were separated from their spouses dating each other, do you think they wanted a female E-3 dating a male E-8 (those are pay grades)? Hell no...that's blatant fraternization and can be punished by Non-Judicial Punishment in the military.

So I guess I was questioned by our unit about Cindy's relationship with 1st Sgt Hall (this I still do not remember) and I spilled the beans that yes, they were indeed dating. Looking back at it now, I'm pretty sure the motivation of this was to take the spot light off of my relationship with Tony and put it on someone else. A selfish short-term fix to MY problem turned out to be a very long-term consequence for Cindy and 1st Sgt Hall (Jason).

Now what does the Marine Corps motto "Semper Fidelis" stand for? It's Latin for "Always Faithful". So who exactly are you supposed to be faithful to? Your fellow marines? Your unit? Your leaders? Your Country? I'm still not quite sure of the answer but all I know is that now, 13 years later, I'm embarrassed of that decision to narc on my friend and her boyfriend.

Turns out that Cindy was punished through NJP (Non-Judicial Punishment) and she decided to get out of the military with an Honorable Discharge. 1st Sergeant Hall ended up retiring and they both moved to Phoenix, where they continued their 13 year relationship which ended almost 2 years ago.

Tony and I? We still ended up being punished for dating. We, too, were NJP'd and our punishment included a month of restriction to the barracks and our pay was docked for a few months. I got out of the Marine Corps a few months later and stayed in Arizona for about a year and continued my relationship with Tony.

So could I have kept my mouth shut and saved Jason's 20+ year career in the Marine Corps? Yes. Would it have changed the outcome of mine and Tony's situation? No. Did I learn a lesson about loyalty? Yes, but ONLY because Cindy reached out and reconnected with me. Otherwise, that memory would still be locked away in the little black box.

It still blows my mind that 13 years later I'm just going through life, living in Chicago, married to a great guy and back in Arizona are 2 people who's lives were MAJORLY affected by MY actions. Actions of a stupid 20 year old that didn't know shit about shit.

I guess I've come a long way.

Cindy DID tell me though that after I spilled the beans, I was bawling my eyes out in the bathroom and apologizing to her for it. I do remember that, albeit a bit fuzzy, but it is comforting to know that I felt remorse for my actions. I'm happy to tell you that she does not hold a grudge and we're even planning a reunion trip. I guess her motto is "Semper Fi" and ya know what? I think a lot of people can learn from that, including me.

...to be continued.

The Promotion

So I was an extra in a movie over TWO years ago and it's FINALLY coming out in June! I'm pumped!

There is even a shot of one of our scenes in the trailer. We shot in a few scenes with Seann William Scott (aka Stiffler) where we are running in his marathon training group along Lake Michigan.

Check it out!
http://movies.aol.com//movie/the-promotion/33211/video/trailer-no-1/2120893

I heard it supposed to be HIGH-larious!

If you do go see it at the movies, I’m in the very front row of the running group as we run towards the camera in the center. You can't miss me seeing as I was a good twenty pounds heavier at the time!

Why spray tanning isn't always the best idea

Here is a picture of Mariah Carey and her new husband, Nick Cannon.

The person in charge of her tanning airbrush should be fired.

Oh No She Di'nt!

My friend Lisa just posted a comment about BE. She gets her on Ebay for like half the price!

I went to Ebay myself and sure enough, I got a few $13 eye shadows for 6.99. She also pointed out that that I can my super-duber expensive Dermalogica products there, too!

I'll never pay retail again! Thanks, Lisa D!!!!

Here's the Cyst-uation

I had my 6 month ultrasound today with my reproductive endocrynologist to see if my ovarian cysts came back. I've had to go every 6 months since my surgery to remove them in December 2006.

I'm very happy to report they have not returned and my ovaries look good. Yay for me!

My doc, who always always pushes Brian and I to have kids NOW, even said that I don't have to come back for a whole year. A whole year! He wanted us to get pregnant before we were even married and had us a bit worried about the fact that we might not get pregnant in the future if we wait too long. I'm 33 and I really want to enjoy life with just the two of us for a year or two.

I sorta feel like I just bought a year with Brian. :)

And since it's Friday, here is a funny little tidbit: I was telling my coworker about going for the ultrasound and he asks, "So is your stomach going to be covered with that cold wet stuff they use?" I said, "Well, no. They do my ultrasounds internally". Long pause (he's obviously drawing a picture in his head). "What? How?" I said, "Well, they use this plastic probe and put a condom on it and they lube it up". He says, "No way! They use condoms? Seriously?" I said, "Seriously! There is a bowl of Trojan Non-Lubricated sitting right there on the table." He replies, "Shut up!!"

So I took a picture with my cell phone to prove it:

Yay for Minerals

Allow me to speak to the girls for a minute:

I recently switched to Bare Escentuals mineral makeup. I admit....all the hype and advertising peaked my curiosity and I gave in. I bought the foundation, blush, mineral veil (it goes over the foundation) and recently, I bought some eye shadows.

I was skeptical at first as I didn't really think that a powder could give the same coverage as a liquid, but I was quickly proven wrong. When the guy at the store was going through the many reasons why minerals are better than the rest, he mentioned that these minerals actually help improve your skin. I thought, "Yeah, right, keep selling me".

After 3 months using this makeup, the jury is in. My skin DEFINITELY looks better. It's not only clearer, but overall, it's the same tone and not as blotchy as it used to be. I normally suffer from breakouts once a month (every 28 days or so if that tells you when it happens), and recently, I didn't have any breakouts during that time of the month. Now I'm left wondering if my breakouts are from skincare of from hormones.

Secondly, this makeup is SO much easier to apply and saves a lot of time. This is a HUGE bonus when getting ready in the morning. I also notice that the eye shadow stays on longer than your average drug store brand, but it's in line with the quality of Mac.

Thirdly, this makeup is so much lighter. I don't feel the makeup and it feels much more natural. I'm pretty sure this is the main attribute to why my complexion is better. It's breathing again! When I used liquid, it would sort of "fill" those fine lines around my mouth and you could see it. Eww...I don't want to point out the fact that I'm aging!

Finally, I don't have to worry about if my makeup matches my skin tone. Knowing that I'd be tan in Mexico, I bought a few different colors and they are all easy to blend, if need be.

The only downfall is that it's messier than liquid. I have to wipe down my bathroom counter every few days due to the various powers of foundation, blush and shadow.

After 3 months using BE, I just tossed my old Almay liquid foundation.

As seen around Chicago

I was witness to a few things over the past few days that have stayed with me and make me ask the question, "What if?" more than a few times.

The first situation: I was driving down Webster on my way home from running a few errands. I spotted what I thought was a bald runner sitting on a front stoop, catching his breath from a tough run. His long lean legs were spread out and his elbows were on his knees and his head was down. As I approached a stop sign and was slowing down, this 30-something guy raised his head and I instantly noticed that he had no eyebrows. I looked down and between his legs was a big puddle of what can only be described as "his lunch". I couldn't take my eyes off this guy. He tried to stand, with the help of the brick wall behind him, and then he leaned over to pick up 3 grocery bags, swaying the entire time as he was completely off-kilter. It took him a few seconds to gain his balance and find the strength to pick up these plastic bags from the ground. I wanted to stop, pull over and offer to carry his bags and lend a hand to help him get to his destination. Just as I was playing my moves in my head as to not offend him in my offer, he slowly walked around the corner and into a building. I guess he was home.

Obviously this young man was going through some kind of treatment to treat some kind of illness. Here I was....just mindlessly running my errands, probably irritated at the traffic and wondering what I'm going to have for dinner....all while this young guy is literally fighting for his life. For a few days after that and even now, I wished I had stopped to help him.

The second situation: I was sitting on a curb waiting for Brian to pick me up from the Metra train that I take to and from work about 3-4x a week. Our meeting spot is a 7-11 convenience store parking lot that is smack dab in the middle of an industrial area of Lincoln Park. As I was listening to an audio book on my iPod and appreciating the fact that the sun was warming my back, a man in his late 30's who was accompanied by a young girl who couldn't be more than 9 or 10, walked in front of me. I noticed that he was opening a box of Banquet fried chicken that he apparently bought in the 7-11. They started eating the frozen chicken right out of the box as they crossed the street. I noticed that they were both pretty dirty and their clothes were stained and worn. The man was eating ferociously. From the time he walked past me to cross the street was no more than 5-10 seconds and by the time he crossed the street, he was already throwing a bare chicken bone into the street while he reached in for another.

If I was a betting woman, I'd bet that this was a homeless father/daughter duo walking back to the spot they called their "home"; probably in an empty warehouse or factory.

Talk about seeing things that tug at your heart strings! Let us all be grateful for our health, the roof over our head and our livelihood.

And if I see someone else in distress, next time I'm going to try to help.

The Wedding Reception is on YouTube

Yes, I'm serious.

I don't mess around. What better way to share our special moments with those who couldn't join us than to post them on YouTube?

www.youtube.com/djstoer

5 Year Itch

I don't know if it's just that it's still 39 degrees in Chicago on April 28th and less than 2 weeks ago I was enjoying the hot weather in Mexico, but I definitely have the itch again to move.

I want to be in the warmth.
I want to be in the sunshine.
I want to jump up out of bed and go for a run or a swim or a bike ride and not put on a coat first.
I'm sick, sick, sick of the cold!!!!!!!!!

Let's take a look at where I've lived and when:

(I left for the Marine Corps when I was 17. )

1993 - 1998 Yuma, Arizona

1998 - 2003 Cleveland, Ohio

2003 - 2008 Chicago, Illinois

Do you see the trend here? Why is it that once that 5 year mark rolls around, I want to get the F out?

Please give me some sunshine and warm weather, God, please!

The Wedding

I know this is long overdue, but since we've been back from Mexico, it's been REALLY, REALLY nice to just come home from work, go the gym if I want to or stay home if I want to and just walk the dog.

Not having anything to do.....heaven!

But I thought it was only fair to at least post a little somethin' about the day I've been blogging about for a year.

The whole week in Mexico was filled with the hot sun, smiling faces, flowing drinks, never-ending buffets, tequila shots, volleyball games in the pool, beer drinking contests and best of all, happiness.

Cue the "awwwwwwww".

The main reason I wanted a destination wedding is this: every wedding I've been to as a guest, I've barely spoken to the bride and groom. You could see the whirlwind they were surrounded in and you just knew they'd barely remember it all. I wanted time with my guests. I wanted to savor the experience. I wanted something that they remembered. And all I can say is....SUCCESS!

B and I got to Mexico on Tuesday. This was great for all but one reason: I had to eat buffets 3x a day and watch everyone sip daiquiri's, margaritas and cerveza's for FIVE LONG days before my big day. When we arrived, I was down to about 17% body fat and 125 lbs. Every morning, I got up at 8am and threw on my running shoes and was out the door with my iPod. After a 30 minute jog, I was in the jump for another 30 minutes of calisthenics. I'm very happy to report that I was STILL 125 lbs on my wedding day...thanks to the fact that I barely touched alcohol the previous 5 days.

Okay, so, yes. I have some body-image issues. But they are mine and I'm okay with that.

Every day B and I would meet and greet our arriving guests. Almost everyone got there by Thursday, we had 3 couples arrive on Friday. I think we were able to sit down and chat with almost every single guest, one on one. That was the great part of Mexico.

On Thursday, a few of us were heading inside to the lunch buffet and in the lobby I was greeted by one of my bridesmaids, Loretta. We hugged and kissed and she told me she had a surprise for me. Low and behold, there was my girlfriend, Carmen, who was supposed to stand up in the wedding but found out she was expecting. The baby was due 2 weeks before the wedding but he came 5 weeks early. So she got a plane and left her 8 week old baby with his Dad and she surprised me in Mexico! Oh my God did this moment rock. I cried and cried. It was one of my favorite moments of the week. How blessed am I to have people like this in my life?

Thursday we had a Meet and Greet Happy Hour in one of the bars so that our guests could all meet one another. It was awesome to see everyone bond instantly. There is just something about vacation that allows you to check your stereotypes at the door and allows you to be happy and carefree.

We lugged 50 lbs of gifts to Mexico. That was no fun. We gave everyone a yellow beach bag with a yellow and white cabana towel in it. We filled them with disposable cameras, candy, candles, sunblock, chap stick and the like. The bag proved to be very useful as EVERYONE used theirs when they were there, so it allowed people to spot those in our group very easily. If Uncle Bob didn't know my friend, Loretta, they spotted each others bags and struck up a conversation. Nice.

Friday was so fun. We got out early and reserved a spot by the Activities Pool (aka the crazy pool with the loud music and beer drinking contests). Most of our friends had arrived by then and we all gathered at this pool and hung out, drank and played a nice game of volleyball in the pool.

Afterwards, everyone cleaned up and we met at the Rehearsal Dinner. I shared a wonderful moment with my Mother-in-Law. She pulled me aside and looked like she was going to burst into tears. She told me how happy she was, how beautiful I looked and how excited she was to have me in the family. It was a tear-jerker.

Game day:

I thought I'd be nervous as hell on Saturday but I wasn't. I waited for it to come, but it didn't. It was right. All was right in my world.

I had sent my dress to be steamed and it still hadn't been delivered to my Mom's by Saturday morning. My MOH took charge of the situation and she called my wedding planner and found the dress.

I met my bridal party for a nice breakfast and then hit the salon for a mani/pedi. We went back to the room to start getting ready. I was so lucky to have my girlfriend, Holly, there who does hair and makeup for weddings. She brought her airbrush and all of her makeup down and did everyone's makeup. I got a little teary eyed while we were getting ready; every time I'd make eye contact with my MIL or my Mom.

When it came time to head out to the beach, my heart fluttered but I still felt really good. I was just happy, I can't really explain it. I wasn't nervous at all. A golf cart took us to the beach. My Mom walked me down the aisle where I met a weeping Brian. I was shocked that he was so emotional but it was so touching. I thought I'd be a mess, but when I saw him crying, I think it gave me strength. I wanted to comfort him.

The officiant was great. Everyone told us what a great job he did and how touching his words were. The ceremony only last 20 minutes and we all enjoyed champagne on the beach before we took pictures.

After pictures, we headed into the Theater bar, a bar open to the ocean, and enjoyed cocktails for an hour. The reception was poolside and started an hour later. It was great...everything was beautiful, the weather was phenomenal and the food was the best we had while we were there. So far I was a happy bride!

The only real glitch that day was finding out our DJ didn't speak a word of English. So we had to pull a guest to MC for us. He introduced us for the first dance and he MC'd the garter and bouquet throws. The first dance was great....Brian and I took lessons for the Foxtrot and we weren't nervous or anxious...that part was great.

My FIL, Best Man and MOH all gave toasts/speeches. They were all fantastic but I'm happy we got them on video because I, too, gave a speech and I was rehearsing in my head while they were talking (rude, but necessary). Now let's get one thing straight: I had public speaking. I always get real nervous and sweaty and I can usually hear my heartbeat in my ears. When it came time for me to speak, I stood up and told Brian I'd be back (he had no clue I was giving a speech) and I took the mic. I had a full 8.5 by 11 piece of paper filled with one paragraph after the next, but I read it so many times that I didn't need to use my notes (even I was surprised by this) and I was able to look at each person I was speaking to. My strategy was to say it so many times over and over that it would just be one word after the next and I could get through it without crying. Easier said than done. I was able to get through it with minimal tears but I was still shocked at how easy speaking in front of my loved ones was, but what I wasn't expecting was everyone to be crying with me. I thanked our guests and said a few words to my friend Carmen, my bridesmaids, my MOH, my new in-laws, my parents and then, Brian. That moment was awesome. Brian looked like a deer in the headlights. He didn't know how to react to my speech. I loved it.

We all danced the night away and after the reception we went to the Hacienda, which is a disco at the resort that opens and 11pm. Most of us were exhausted so it was still an early night. I think everyone was back in their rooms by 1pm.

Sunday Brian and I went with my MOH and her boyfriend on a zip line tour. We mountain-biked to each of the three zip lines and then swam in three cenotes (pure Mayan water-filled caves with century old hanging stalactites). It was gorgeous there. It was also nice to spend some one on one time with Laurel, too.

Sunday night the hotel delivered a chocolate cake and champagne to our room. It was a pretty decent sized cake and you know what? I ate it all. haha....I did! We were watching our wedding videos and I was eating one bite at a time...I looked down and it was gone. But damn did I deserve that cake!!

Monday we hung at the pool and just relaxed. I ate and drank whatever I wanted. And then I ate some more.

We got back to Chicago on Tuesday and headed back to the grind by Thursday. Now we get to enjoy life as newlyweds ;)

More wedding pictures!

We were very lucky to have a semi-pro photographer as one of our guests. Click here to see his awesome photos of our wedding extravaganza!

I'm back!

Well I'm trying my darndest to get back into the swing of the things at work, but so far, I'm unsuccessful in my efforts.

So I thought I'd post a few pictures from our week in Mexico. I don't have many of the actual wedding day since we just handed our camera to people and asked them to snap away.

This is my favorite picture with my girls!

We had 53 people total who made it to Mexico. Unbelievable!

Almost there....

My clothes are laid out.

The limo is arranged.

Our dog/house sitter has her directions.

My wedding dress gets picked up tomorrow.

By this time next week, I will be Mrs. Deanna O'Connell and I'll be sipping the fattest margarita known to man with my new husband!!

Sleep tight, internets. Sleep tight.

Scorpion Dreams

So the crazy dreams continue.

This time it wasn't about my wedding dress being stolen by my photographer. This time it was more personal.

In my dream, I was at my Mother in Law's house sleeping on her couch. The scene was actually the living room in the house I grew up in. My Aunt Marcia (well, technically, Brian's Aunt Marcia) was sleeping on the couch across from me.

From the other couch she whispers my name in a frantic voice trying to wake me up. "Deanna! Deanna!!!!" I open my eyes from a deep slumber and look over to her and she continues her loud nervous whispers. "Look at the floor! LOOK AT THE FLOOR!"

I look down to find scorpions, yes Scorpions, all over the place. And these weren't your average 2 inch scorpions that I used to see in Arizona. These suckers were like 8 inches long! So in my dream, I turn on the light that is next to the couch and all of the scorpions scattered all over the place...under the couch, into the walls, out of the room.

What in the WORLD could that dream mean??

I looked up "Dreams about Scorpions" and this is what I found:

To see a scorpion in your dream, represents a situation in your waking life which may have been painful or hurtful. It is also indicative of destructive feelings, "stinging" remarks, bitter words and/or negative thoughts being expressed by or aimed against you. Your dream forewarns of a self-destructive and self-defeating path. The scorpion is also a symbol of death and rebirth. You need to get rid of the old and make room for something new. Alternatively, the scorpion may also represent a person who is born under the astrological sign for Scorpio.

I guess if I really wanted to do a deep dive into my inner-psyche, then it would point to the fact that I am walking down the aisle in 9 days and there are probably all kinds of feelings emerging from my subconscious. When a bride walks down the aisle, she is usually accompanied by her father. But not this bride. This bride will be accompanied by her Mother because her father hasn't been in her life for many years due to all of the pain he has caused (and when I started talking in 3rd person, I don't know).

And guess what? My good ole Dad? He's a Scorpio.

I think the fact that I was in my MIL's house and was warned by Aunt Marcia was symbolic of feeling protected by my new family from the scorpions. So while the dream might have been crazy, I think it shows me I am ready for the death of the relationship with my Dad and the rebirth of my new extended family.

Does anyone agree? Or am I just losing my mind the week before my wedding?

One week until Mexico!

I know I haven't really blogged lately about the going-ons of day to day life. What can I say? I leave for Mexico in a week and I'll be married in 12 days!! I can't even believe how fast it's crept up!! My family and B's family seem to be very excited for the trip and the event.

It's been nearly 5 weeks since I've been on my "wedding program" (I use that term because I hate to say diet). I abandoned Jenny Craig and got back to real foods ~ very boring foods ~ but real, nonetheless. I must say that my body is responding very nicely. I'm under 20% body fat now and I'm at 125 lbs. I haven't been 125 lbs since I was in my early 20's. I always used the excuse, "I'm all muscle" but I've had the sad realization that that's all it was ~ an excuse.

So we still have the daunting task of figuring out how we are going to get 27 gift bags, each filled with goodies and a 60x30" cabana towel, to Mexico. The box the towels came in was about 3 feet high and a foot and a half wide. I don't even have a suitcase that big and that's JUST the towels. Ugggh. I think we're going to box them up in a cardboard box and put the bags and goodies in a carry on and give that to a very helpful family member to bring with them. We were going to FedEx everything but our wedding planner advised against it. She said she's seen one too many times gift bags showing up 3 weeks after the wedding. Mexico Customs is the hang up...there is no rhyme or reason to their process.

I've started having nightmares about possible wedding scenario's that could go awry. Last night I dreamed that it rained, the night before I dreamed that my wedding dress was stolen from my hotel room ~ by our photographer, no less. I guess it's just par for the course and hopefully completely normal. I should probably be taking a Tylenol PM every night but since I'm doing cardio every morning at 5am, I fear that I wouldn't be able to get out of bed.

Oh speaking of this morning.....

I was pulling in to our development from the gym at 6am when I spotted my neighbor walking his two Siberian huskies. One of them went #2 in my neighbors yard and the guy just waved at me and smiled and kept on walking when his dog was finished with his business. This infuriated me to no end! Because either 1. he forgot doggie bags ~ but seeing as he has 2 dogs, I think that's unlikely or 2. he thought walking his dogs under the guise of the morning darkness means that no one would see his dogs go #2...so why pick it up?

Either scenario is just plain messed up! If you are a dog owner, you should PICK UP AFTER YOUR DOG! Period.

God Bless my friend, Ayca, btw. She's staying at our house the entire time we're in Mexico and she'll be taking care of Cooper. I really hate leaving him for more than a few nights at the dog kennel so this was a fabulous option. She can keep him company and make sure he gets plenty of exercise. Thanks, girl!!! You rock!