Hi, it's me.

What a stranger to my own blog I have certainly been! Life has been busy recently. The end of this month and May will continue to be busy, actually. I just got back from a XanGo Las Vegas Regional convention last night. It was quite the show, really. When I got home yesterday morning, I was absolutely beat, which is evident by my early departure to dream land at 6:30pm and rise at 7 am this morning. Loved every moment of it. Tomorrow I leave for Charlotte on a surprise visit to my dear nephews Gavin and Ryan. I don't get to see them enough, so I fully plan on a week of hugging and kissing their heads off!
Later in the month I leave for a work trip to Frankfurt. It'll be a busy trip, but nice to be in a new place.
Anything else? I think not. Just wanted to let you, my faithful public know that I am still here :)

The Weather, Spanish peanuts, and Rochester

So, I have writers block...or something. You know, I don't feel the need to write something clever in each and every blog. I want to be real and just write the things that are on my mind. But sometimes the words simply won't come. Are you picking up what I'm putting out? Ah, ok. Lemme try, then...

Today it snowed. It snowed a whole heap of a lot! I don't mind the snow. I don't mind that it snowed late in the season either. I know many people have issues with it, but I rather like the drama in weather and the very unpredictability of it. My favorite part of the 'crazy' weather was the rain beating down on the house and on my window pane last night. It's romantic to me. I believe my parents influence has me on this one yet again. Each time it would rain growing up - especially when we moved to UT (Hawaii was always rainy anyway) my mom would buy vanilla ice-cream, Spanish peanuts and chocolate sauce. Perhaps it was the lack of rain storms in UT that provoked it. Anyhow, we'd then watch "Little Women" (just the girls). I should also note that my dad is every bit of a romantic and likes to curl up with his book and a fire whilst a good rain is falling. I suppose that is what feeds my craving for the weather experienced last night. I bask in it like I would bask in the sun on the shores of Mexico! Truly.

I love period films. I am at this moment watching "Jane Eyre" from the new Masterpiece Theater performance, and oh my! This isn't the first time watching it. I've seen it a handful of times, but with the weather, it was one I had to pull out. That Mr. Rochester, that dear Mr. Rochester. Would that there were a 'Mr. Rochester' for me. Bless him for filling my heart with romance on this overcast day. We all need a little romance in our lives, do we not?

The dawning of the age of Aquarius

I am an Aquarian. I don't always know what that means, but nonetheless, I find it very interesting. My life isn't guided by my sign, but horoscopes do tend to amuse me. Each day I receive a new horoscope by email. I don't always read it, but when I have a moment I’ll peruse over the specifics of the horoscope and see how it fits into my life. It usually doesn’t fit, but today it went a little something like this...

Your freedom is more important to you than anything else in your life. It is often very difficult for you to get involved, whether personally or professionally. Nevertheless Erin, today you may have to think about it. Could it be that your thirst for freedom is just an escape? You may feel it necessary to think about this question today. Who knows? You may just decide to take the leap!

I thought it interesting that it brought up my freedom. I've been thinking about that a bit lately. I often feel the need to get out and spread my wings, which is usually in the form of travel. Travel is a definite escape for me. But beyond this one thing, I have thought about my many “quirks”. Some of my closer friends know this about me more than others. So, let’s begin this.

I have issues answering the phone. My brother-in-law Ryan pointed this out to me the other day when he tried calling. I wasn’t avoiding his call – since it was on quiet. Anyhow, when I called him back a few minutes after realizing I missed the call, he said “are you so controlling that you can’t answer the phone, and have to call me back on your own time?” He was laughing about it of course, but it got me thinking. Now, I’ve known that I’ve had a “fear” of the phone for many years. Yet, the one thing I love about having my own cell phone is that I don’t have to answer it until I want to. I can let voice mail get it, and surely if that person wanted to talk to me badly enough, they’d leave a message. Isn’t it the greatest thing?! But yet I get crap about it all the time! Usually when family calls I don’t mind picking up, because I can say “Hello, what’s up? You need me to do such-and-such, or blah, blah… ok, bye”. And it’s done. There is no pretense to it. I don’t even feel bad cutting the conversation short if I’m busy, and they don’t care either. They are perfectly fine with it. On the other hand…

I have great friends; lots of great friends. The friends that know me best (bless their patient hearts) know that if they call me, I usually won’t pick up. This isn’t because I’m trying to avoid a call or don’t want to talk to them. The reason I do this is because I want to find the time to have a long conversation without interruption. For obvious reasons, I wouldn’t be able to chat it up while I’m at work. I don’t like chatting about personal things in the store, or anywhere else for that matter. The “safe” chatting zone is in my car or in my room. Do you get me? Yeah, quirky I know, but true.

So, maybe it’s not all about freedom, but more about control, eh? Hmm…

In short, I cherish my freedom. I will probably change when change is required, but for now, I think I’m going to hang on to my freedom. Oh, and a good thing to know, I’m GREAT at texting!

How does any of this have to do with being an Aquarius? No real clue, actually. It could be that Aquarians are generally those that are constantly looking to spread their wings, and experience difficulty settling down. What does that have to do with fear of the phone? Oh, I don't know. It's just a blog, people!

Me gusta cantar

So, here I am singing. You'll notice the microphone wasn't working so well.
It has been so long since I sang a solo, people. It feels good to get up and do something I love. Ahh... it's nice.

Red Mango

So, I went with Rob and Vicki to this new, hip yogurt joint last night called Red Mango, which apparently is all the rage in Asia. Yogurt is not a new concept for me, but once I got to the front of the line and said "I've never been here", the guy on the other side of the counter started spouting the benefits of yogurt, which are: 100% all natural, fat free, rich in calcium and protein, and contains live and active cultures which are good for the body. Sounded good to me. I asked for a medium pom yogurt with sides of fruit and graham crackers. It was delicious! I was so excited to have found such a yummy treat, and one so good for me too!

One hour later... my stomach was not happy. I woke up at 2 am with my stomach in knots, KNOTS I tell you! It was very upset. I don't know why it affected me so much. I don't eat much dairy at all, so I figured that the live and active 'cultures' were probably trying to find their place in my acidophilus-free stomach. Seriously, I was so excited to have a new found favorite treat, but the stomach ache was almost too much to bear. It finally went away after I popped about 20 Rolaids at 3 am.

Am I the only one who has had this reaction to the delicious Red Mango yogurt? Do share if you have any insights.