Diggin' "Out"

Today was one of those days where I struggle to find 5 things that I loved today. Nothing was huge in giving me the "wow" moment but these little things just made me feel good.

1. This morning I had an amazing idea for another bracelet that I will attempt to make. I
2. It's still pretty awesome that I continue to get those fun text messages throughout the day. 
3. Started using Spotify today. Cool stuff. Was jammin' to Sting's new album "25 Years" and Prince's "The Hits and the B-Sides". I'm diggin' it like an old soul record.
4. HAHAHAHA X Factor always seems to make me laugh and feel good when I witness people are working toward their dreams and are passionate about what they love. I love that.
5. I love how strong and courageous this guy is when he came out to his mom.  There are a few similarities for me and well, you just gotta be YOU and love yourself enough to be the person you are.  Living a life of authenticity. Watch the videos here - Coming out to mom  - Coming out to dad

Quotable 5

1.  "I believe that all people, regardless of their personal belief, or religious denomination, would agree that being honest with yourself, your family, and those around you, is a great foundation for living your life. It has been a long, hard journey for me, and I want people to learn from my mistakes, not share them." - Great quote from former MLB Player, Billy Bean!
2. 

Honestly!

1. Today I saw this cool booth for Honest Tea.  It's a booth where you pay for the drink on the honor system.  I put in my dollar and took a drink and then I saw a woman reaching for her wallet, getting out a dollar and putting it in the the clear box.  Such a cool concept for humanity.  There still are some honest people out there in the world.  LOVE THIS CONCEPT!
2. This wine tonight sure tastes fine! VIVA LA CHEAP WINE!
3. Yup - it's official.  NYC is on and poppin'. :0)
4. I'm lovin' the new style of bracelet I created tonight. http://www.etsy.com/listing/82704572/paracord-prostate-cancer-awareness
5.  Getting to leave work early and not feel like I had to be there to do "stuff" felt REALLY GOOD. I haven't been home before 6PM in a while.

Song Binging and Crab Caking

1. Walking to Starbucks on campus with two great women in our office was a nice, yet brief, highlight.
2. That taco salad in a bag by Dole - yeah.. that stuff is delicious.  When you add in the buffalo chicken nuggets it becomes scrumdiliumptious!
3. On another food note - I made rémoulade sauce for my crab cakes. It really wasn't that hard to make!  Very tasty and just what the crab cakes needed. 
4. That new song by Kelly Clarkson, "Mr. Know It All" - I have been song-binging on that tune all damn day!  I love it! So much so that you should take a listen now. REALLY COOL SONG ALERT!
5.  I'm excited about an opportunity to possibly go to NYC next week - even if it's just for a day and a half.  I should know in the next day or so if it'll be a reality. 

Fresh and Clean and More Caffeine

1.  While I find it hard to say goodbye - I always look forward to saying, "Welcome back!".
2. A friend and I ate at a really good El Salvadorian/Mexican restaurant in Eastern Market today. It was featured in Guy Fieri's visit with Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. The restaurant is called Tortilla Cafe.  Really good tasting food. I will return. 
3. I had a good coffee at Eastern Market, too!  It came from Marvelous Market. Just a regular coffee (French Roast) with room for my own cream and sugar.  I used raw sugar and it was delicious!
4. Peace and quiet will be in my house for the next 5 days. YAY! Love it! 
5. As I was preparing to give my dog a bath today, I closed the doggy door so that he couldn't run outside and away from me.  Well, I went upstairs and grabbed a towel out of the linen closet and he jumped into the bath tub all on his own.  WOW!  I guess he said, "It's about time I got a bath because I'm tired of smelling like shit!".  At least I want to believe that. :0)

Do You know Where You're Going to? Do You Like the Things that Life is Showing You??

1. It's always nice to see friends when they're passing through your area. I haven't seen Kyle in about 2 years. I love that when he saw me he said, "Where did you go?" - meaning I lost weight and it's clearly noticeable. :0)
2. I got to see a someone again and that was great. Looking forward to the next time.
3. To almost be able to drive through D.C. without a GPS is something worth loving. I had the general idea of the direction I need to go and I was in the general vicinity. hahaha
4. I never really had a pumpkin iced latte from Dunkin Donuts until yesterday.  Man, those are REALLY good.  I will have to get another one some day this fall. 
5. The movie Moneyball was GREAT!  I wasn't too sure on it when I first saw the previews but then the reviews came out and it looked like a winner.  Don't you just love, when you're in a movie theatre, that the entire audience laughs, cheers and sniffles at the same time? That's the sign of an awesome movie.

Set it Off on the Left Y'all....

1. It's been nice knowing that I can sleep as long as I need tomorrow morning. Like McDonald's, I'm lovin' it!
2. Always nice to hear from my BFF. 
3. Today I felt good about the help I was able to give to others.  Questions were asked and I was able to give answers. I love it when those things work well together. hahaha
4. There might not be much on TV tonight but the movie, "Set it Off" is on.  It's a nice throwback movie. I can't believe it's been 15 years since this movie came out. 
5. One of the coolest products I've seen this year has to be Trader Joe's brownie batter in a bag!

Taking Chances

1.
2. Lots of people on campus seemed to be smiling and happy and that makes me happy.
3. My roommates dad is visiting from Russia and gave me a bottle of TRUE Russian Vodka.  How cool is that? Of course I can't read Russian, but I can make out some of the words. Oh, and the word "vodka" in Russian pretty much looks like BODKA - although the D is a character that looks like an artsy Roman Numeral II or the PI symbol.
4. I got a nice message from a couple of people today that made me smile.
5. Dexter on X Factor sang the hell out of "This is a Man's World".  He's homeless and hopeful.  I'm glad he's getting a shot at getting himself back on his feet.  I love when people are given second chances.

It Got Better

1. I just watched 30 minutes of rough cuts from the “It Gets Better” videos from our campus. Wow… that was intense in some parts. I love how folks put their feelings out there and really opened up themselves to connect with people they don’t even know. AMAZING. It actually made my eyes tear up. 
2. I absolutely love when something is SO FUNNY that you can’t stop laughing about it. The mere thought of it makes you want to bust out laughing. This is what happened tonight at the bowling alley. 
3. I love that the Facebook page for my office has finally reached 1000 likes and that the students are involved with playing a guessing game to win a prize. 
4. I looked at my bank account today and I’m not as broke as I thought I might be. That’s a good thing to love! 
5. I heard a Stevie Wonder song today and thought, man… they just don’t make music like that anymore. You know, songs that “you could name that tune in 5 notes” type of music. I love that about the classics (i.e. anything pre-90s).
   
   Great song to accompany this post: Tom Baxter’s “Better”

You Can't Stop the Beat!

1. Making it to work in the rain without an accident makes is something worth loving. 
2. I love that the new fall tv season has started! 
3. It’s always nice when you know your bank teller by name. I love that she sees me on campus and always greets me.
4. Love these Patty Cake Cats! LOL Too funny. 
5. I love that they ended the first episode of Glee for this season with a song from Hairspray. You Can’t Stop the Beat!

Rainbows

1. A graduate student brought in a cake, that when it’s cut, looks like a rainbow exploded inside.  I loved it and I will try my hand at making one some day.
2. DADT ended today.  That’s good news for the over 13,000 service members who were discharged from the military since it was put into place. This is even better news for all of those who choose to serve our country openly.
3. Meeting with the Hype Squad for campus today was a highlight.  I love their enthusiasm!
4. I loved hearing the appreciation a student had for a staff member.  I know it meant a lot for her to hear and it meant a lot for all of us sitting at the table to hear.
5. It awesome that I get compliments on a shirt that I probably wear every week. Sometimes from the same person. I guess it really IS a nice looking shirt! LOL

"Green" Day

1. To wake up with a plan is what it’s all about.  Today I said I’d wake up, run some errands and buy what I needed for jewelry making.  I finished 8 beaded bracelets.  I love productivity!
2. The word LINDO. :0)
3. While out shopping, I came up with a new way to brand my business. I’ll be using craft and recycled paper. Picked up some print at home stickers too.
4. Homemade guacamole makes my heart sing!
5. I love to hear that my friends are happy with the way things are going for them! Makes me say, “Awwwwww” <wipes tear from eye>

5 Things to Make a Saturday Awesome

1. Waking up in the morning with a smile is awesome! :0)
2. I love how I can now drive around D.C. after 3 years and not really need my GPS.
3. I went to a coffee shop tonight and saw they had books that anyone can take for free. It’s through http://bookcrossing.com  I picked up, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”.  I’ve been wanting to read this and here I am with it for free!  Now I need to find other locations to leave books that I have that I have read.  I love this concept!
4. I ate at a great restaurant today called Ted’s Montana Grill.  Ted Turner owns it and it serves up buffalo meat - which is DELICIOUS.  If you ever get a chance to eat there, be sure to get the salt and pepper onion rings.  The dip that comes with it is AMAZING. 
5. On another note, the server at Ted’s Montana Grill was exceptionally charming and made our day.  If only all people were that happy and friendly at work. Thank you, Ben.

A Change is Gonna Come

1. I love when people show they care, respect, and just have plain ol’ common courtesy to others they don’t know.  Today I was walking to a building on campus and I was a good 15 steps away from the door - far enough to not really consider holding a door for anyone.  This student held the door for about 7 seconds as I walked up to it.  Amazing level of courtesy and commitment to holding that door.
2. Today was a great day to spread the word of positive thinking.  Far too many people like to focus on the crappy things and honestly… it makes no sense to focus on the negative things - it just brings you down. I love finding things that make me happy and smile each day.
3. I saw this quote in an email today, “Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.” -Margaret Thatcher. It’s so true and true for other things, too. I love how simple this is and how it transcends this specific meaning.
4. I love when I have a good reason to miss posting my 5 loves for the day.  I’ve had good reason for two weekends now. :0)
5. The chilly weather has been a nice change of pace.  I love the fall temperatures and I can’t wait to put on a sweater!

The Weather Outside

1. Today one of the nicest women on campus took me out for drinks and dinner with her and her boyfriend to thank me for being so nice and writing a letter on her behalf. It was a nice time and it was great getting to know them outside of work.
2. I loved the way the sunset looked tonight. The stormy looking clouds were a deep, purplish gray with an almost fuchsia color highlighting the undulating clouds.
3. Totally enjoyed a series of messages I received throughout the day. 
4. I gave a presentation today and it looked as though everyone enjoyed hearing what I had to say - it even raised questions.  I guess I really do know what I’m talkin’ about! LOL
5. I loved how the temperature dropped today. Just not ready for it to drop too much further. 

Smile. Your Face Loves When You Do.

1. It’s been one of those days when you hear a voice sing and you just can’t get enough of hearing it.  Thank you Shirley Bassey,  I love your voice! (hear and see her performances here - just as I watched them today).
2. Tonight at work, I noticed that we have nearly 6000 students who have signed up on our Student Organization system.  WOW!! For the longest time I thought it was only about 1000.  What a great surprise and I LOVE surprises!
3. You can have a really trying day with people and there is always at least one person that can make you laugh and forget about it.  I love that about my friends. They have a knack for doing that even when they don’t know that they’re doing it.
4. Apparently my outfit today was looking good. I got several compliments on it.  Gotta love compliments.  It’s like a pay-it-forward esteem boost.
5. I love when I can make a person smile. I love it even more when people and things can make me smile just like seeing The Clark Sisters on the show, Unsung.

Zippa Dee Doo Dah!

1. I woke up this morning and looked into the backyard and saw a hummingbird. My FIRST hummingbird sighting since I’ve lived in this house.  That was exciting. I can’t wait to see more!
2. I might like Peanut Butter M&Ms but I still love Pretzel M&Ms.
3. Sometimes it’s hard to just let things just happen. I can’t say I’m the best at it but I love trying to be that way. 
4. I am REALLY loving this Michael Franti & Spearhead CD! The Sound of Sunshine should have gotten WAY MORE AIRPLAY! Wow.. great uplifting CD. Great music to make for a productive day! 
5. The weather has finally gotten cooler. I love when it’s not so warm out because I can drive around with my windows down.

If U Want 2 Sing Out...

1. I love it when a song pops up on your iTunes JUST when you really need it to.  This song makes me feel good and that I can do anything I want in life. Cat Stevens
2. Whoa… I made some popcorn tonight that tastes JUST LIKE movie theatre popcorn!  I LOVE IT!!
3. I love it when my friend, Risha makes me laugh. She just keeps it real! LOLOL
4. “You is kind. You is smart. You is important. I love that.. and everyone should spread that message to every little kid. 
5. I love that I figured out my budget concerns today.  Luckily it was a Excel Spreadsheet formula that was acting cattawonky! 

5.1 - I love that I’m going to bed so early. I am soOOoo tired.