Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays y'all!!!!!

Thanks for stopping by even though I haven't been around. I'm going to try to get around and see everyone.

I miss you guys.

Peeking back in

I've been on hiatus. That's how it is with us rich folks. We just can't be counted on for any sort of continuity. It's sad.

Actually, I've been really busy this summer traveling here and there. I haven't purchased that second abode yet but still looking.

Work has been stressful and busy. I wonder why I still do it. I think because I'd be a neurotic person with too much time on my hands.

I'll be making my rounds to say hi to everyone.

I've missed you all. xoxoxoxoxo

Busy, Busy, Busy......Thank God for Laundry

Yes...I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Crazy! So many appointments. Travel arrangements (for work). I am trying to catch up on things and may I say.....I'm showing some success.

Today I don't have any big appointments. I do have a date. A date with mounds of DIRTY LAUNDRY. Guess what? I've never been glad to see it! It gives me the perfect excuse to stay home!

By the way, if you haven't rented Music and Lyrics with Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore, you are missing a great movie. Not great as in Oscar, but great as in extremely funny, witty, clean.....great for the whole family! Hugh Grant's witticisms kept me laughing .....I could barely recover from one laugh before he was delivering another funny line. Oops......the washer is off. Time for the next load. Have a relaxing day!

What is going on?

After a week of very poor sleep, I took a pill before bed last night. Which, of course, immediately threw me into a panic attack thinking of Anna Nicole Smith and all of her drugs. See, I am a bit of a hypochondriac as it relates to poison, medicines, etc. I used to call Poison Control regularly worrying that I had taken too many Tylenol, etc. I've grown out of that a bit. Anyhow, I think I'm about to OD on Anna Nicole -- despite the fact that I have AVOIDED all the coverage.

Moving on, so I settle down to sleep. I'm determined not to watch any criminal shows or disturbing or thought provoking TV. What does that leave? I'm not really sure. I drifted off fairly soon with last night's dream recurring. There I was again, the husband, two kids, work, bills, taxes. The oldest child, a son, had suddenly taken to fits of meanness with his younger sister. The oldest being a true teenager and the youngest being a tween wasn't exactly optimum emotional state for discussion. I noted he needed a haircut, and she looked tired. I seemed to be reflecting over their dinners the past week and wasn't exactly pleased with my role or lack thereof in that. Perhaps that's why the tween girl looked peaked. And she did. Then I was consumed with this familiar feeling - worry. But it wasn't about me. It was about her. What was going on with her? It appeared that she was struggling with her extracurricular activity and of course her fellow tweens. The older boy seemed fairly uncommunicable but tired from his activities. The husband too was stressed about work and traveling. I decided (apparently) that everyone would benefit from filet mignons (!!! yes with all those bills) and a big dinner. We all slumped over dinner, talking but exhausted whereupon everyone retreated to his/her corner to work, homework, watching TV. Just when I thought it was all over, I found myself waking, preparing breakfast, dressing hurriedly for carpool (yes!! carpool) and noticing the gasoline level was on "E." This occurred as I realized that I was about to run down the son's Chemistry/Cross Country Coach in his new car. Dropoff quickly occurred and soon I was gassing the car up. Suddenly, I found myself at home - ALONE! The morning seemed to pass quickly with my work and then a quick break for lunch. I seemed HAPPY to prepare a grilled cheese sandwich and fat free (me worry about calories??) chocolate pudding while DANCING to Justin Timberlake in the KITCHEN. Suddenly the phone rang, and I sat up in bed. Whose life IS this?

An Important Day

Today I have a wonderful privilege - a windfall moment. I am meeting my first soldier from Iraq who I served as an angel for during her second deployment. We're going to dinner. She's getting married in April. She ships out for her third deployment in June. She's been to Iraq twice before. She may be headed there again. She told me that she thinks our paths were meant to cross. She has a young daughter that she's been away from almost half her life. How can this be right? She's my hero.

Promotions and Teasers

Lately, it has been really hard for me to post. Why? It's hard writing about my life as a "windfall woman" who keeps working out of fear, who suffers from bouts of depression and migraines, has a love/hate relationship with mama, a love relationship with daddy, finds anonymous ways to donate to deserving people and flits off on anonymous vacations to unspecified places.

Shouldn't I be brimming over with exciting stories? Exotic travel? Spending sprees? Or could it be that I led a lonely and boring life? Or that life without a mate or children isn't really rich? That spending one's life worrying about losing material things really isn't much of a life at all?

More to come.

P.S. I was promoted on Tuesday. I now have a title I've coveted for several years and a hefty salary increase. Imagine that. The good luck continues.

What if?

What if........you were able to fire one of your company's executives? Would you do it?

Getting back on track

Hi there! I'm on the road to recovery. Thanks for the well wishes. My vacation was actually really fun. Nowhere really exotic....just to the beaches of Florida. I stopped off and spent some great time with my daddy.

One of the best times I had was sitting on the floor going through his yearbooks from high school and college. He was something else! It's interesting getting a bird's eye view into your parents' pasts. I found out things about my dad I never knew (how popular he was). Things that surprised me (how irreverent he was about his studies). Things that didn't surprise me (his atheleticism). Things that amazed me (how many school transitions he made). Things to be expected (how popular cheerleaders have ALWAYS been). All in all, it made me want to go back and look at my own yearbooks. What did people write in my yearbooks? What would people surmise about me? What would yours say about you?

A cold, an anniversary and a blessing

I have a nasty cold. My throat feels like I have a brillo pad in it. I have an occasional cough. Yuck. I just got back from vacation and was counting on two days to get my house in order before I go back to work tommorrow. I'm just sort of bumbling around not seeming to get much accomplished.

Today is the anniversary of my grandfather's accident. He literally probably never knew what hit him. That day set in motion a series of events that changed so many lives forever. I've never been exposed to grief like that. I hope I never am again.

What's the blessing? It's a gorgeous day outside. I know I'll get over this cold. I'm rich (sorry to be crass mentioning it). It will all come together.

A Letter From Meredith

Dear WFW,

I heard you are a major fan of Grey's Anatomy and all, so I decided to look you up. I'm struck by how many things you and I have in common. It's sort of spooky. Perhaps those crazy writers are setting up another story arc with me running into you.

You write about your mom, and believe me, I know how that is. My mom told me that I was "ordinary." Your mom told you that she never wanted a daughter like you. So we share that mother-daughter angst thing. Seriously, don't let it get you down like me. I almost let myself drown it got me so "dark and twisty."

Even though you aren't a brain surgeon like I am, your job sounds pretty crazy and stressful. I think I'd rather perform surgery and handle blood and guts than corporate politics. Perhaps my messy job is a metaphor for all the corporate crap you deal with on a day to day basis.

Interesting that you are a blonde as am I. Do you have a McDreamy in your life? I don't see you writing about one. He needs to have really great hair to be a true McDreamy. Your writing reminds me of our show's writers because you are awfully coy about things like men and stuff.

Well, I've got to get to the hospital. No, wait, I'm IN the hospital recovering from drowning and hypothermia. I'm still dealing with my near death experience as Derek is cuddled up behind me on my hospital bed. I'm going to rest now. These last three episodes have drained me so to speak.

By the way, thanks for begging the writers not to kill me off. I'm sure it helped, and from reading your blog, I guess you could say it was a windfall moment (again). See you on Thursday night?

Love,
Meredith Grey

This 'N That + Valentine Windfall Moment

First, let me thank everyone who provided advice on publishing unpleasant comments. I really was curious as to how different people handled it. I opted NOT to publish the comment for several reasons. #1 - I'm fairly certain I know who it came from and I wouldn't want to embarrass him. #2 - I'm fairly certain all of you would figure it out too (if you gave a rat's patootie) because he left subsequent comments somewhat explaining himself. #3 - Despite the fact that he didn't care about my feelings, I don't want to embarrass/hurt him. All nobleness aside, let me address a few things.....

I may be a Brittany look-a-like, and I may be blonde, but I sure as HELL am not a dumb blonde. If you don't like my photos, GET OVER IT! And fasten your seatbelt, because you've pissed me off now (pardon my unladylikeness here).....so you really may NOT like the photos I post for awhile. Now, some of you may really enjoy them ..........wink wink........

You probably are "getting" why the photo is posted above......yes, I'm on a soapbox. I get really sick of people who judge ANYBODY for the way they look. In fact, I'm pretty sick of those who judge others anyway. Enough about all this.....

I had a very nice Valentine's Day, but probably the best part was my windfall moment. I was at my local grocery store (not a 7-11 by the way.....inside joke there). My cashier was a sweet young girl. She noticed my bottle of Cetaphil that I use as a facial cleanser and asked me if it worked. I told her that I have delicate skin, and it is very gentle and inexpensive (old habits die hard). She then said, "I need something for my face (she had terrible acne bless her heart), and I can't afford my Proactiv that's about $50." She smiled and said, "I'm going to try this." I thought to myself -- what a brave young lady she was to say such things to a stranger.

Luckily, I had been to the bank. I pulled some big bills out of my wallet, sealed them up in a valentine addressed to "Sandy" with a note and took them over to a sleepy Customer Service Rep. I slipped out of the store smiling. Some days it's particularly great to be Windfall Woman.

Thank you and Ideas for a Friend

First, I want to thank all of you who voted for me on 25peeps. My time came to end early this morning. Secretly, I accomplished what I set out to do. My goal? To make it on the site long enough to earn a spot in their "Hall of Fame." (I'm number 48 out of 100 right now.) Why? I said several times that I wanted to prove that a clothed individual writing a blog about something other than sex would be read and revisited. Please understand that I am not judging the half naked/naked/sex blogs featured. I simply wanted to prove that blogs OTHER than those are interesting to people in the blogger world. Enough said.

NOW.....on to the interesting stuff......a great blogger friend of mine - Big White Hat - has lost his job. He is my hero responsible for assisting me with my blogroll and making my "Rich Reads" tag which sits over on the left side of my blog. Anyhow, he commented jokingly that maybe I could write about 25 new jobs for him. That got me to thinking....if I lost MY JOB.....and I didn't have the windfall......what would I do? What do you think BWH should do? Oh and......if I get 25 job suggestions for BWH, I'll probably post them.