Vegas or bust. The catch phrase is used when people are fully invested in reaching a destination. So much so, they will either succeed or go broke trying. Last weekend, my 9-ball pool league played in the city tournament in Birmingham, Alabama. Our goal? Make it to Vegas, but we were busted by a surprise shark attack. You see, we finished first place at the end of our regular season and then went on to beat two teams in the City Cups Tournament. We were thrilled to be one of 64 teams competing in
Read more →Archive for the Just Another Mary Monday Category
Last week, I was in Houston on business. Houston is about 100 times the size of the town where you’ll find my office (Bessemer, Alabama), meaning that the traffic is about one million times more intense. As a visitor on unfamiliar roads, it was even more challenging, merging in and out of lanes at the direction of my annoying know-it-all co-pilot, the female GPS voice. I witnessed many instances of road rage (and may have participated in one or two of them myself!). It seems that road rage is all the rage these days.
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This week, I’m headed to Texas to visit some of our clients. I love business trips to Texas because I also get to see my brother, Scott, who lives in Houston. He’s not just an amazing brother; he’s also an amazing artist. When he was in the military, he took a clean sweep (1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes) in a nationwide Armed Services art contest. Monsters from classic movies often serve as his inspiration. For years, I begged my brother for a piece of artwork to hang in our family’s game room. Scott drew
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For my kids, this past Friday marked the last day of school, and they couldn’t be happier! My oldest son, Denver, is content to have his class ring on his hand and his new status of “Rising Junior”. My youngest, Timothy, is over the moon after an awards ceremony where he raked in the honors including: A/B Honor Roll for the entire year, a Social Studies award, a fitness award and an accelerated reader award. His teacher sent a PowerPoint presentation to all of us parents, with photos highlighting field trips, school projects, holidays,
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In Friday’s Thought for the Weekend, Bob shared a joke that reminded me of the old saying: “Some days you’re the pigeon, and some days you’re the statue.” This got me thinking about pigeons. The birds are almost universally hated, but it’s no wonder! They poop everywhere, they carry diseases, they travel in gangs, and they work as thieves and thugs, swooping in to steal your last French fry or waiting for the perfect moment to use your head as target practice. I mean, let’s face it Angry Birds isn’t nearly as fun when
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Mother’s Day is a time to reflect on family. When people think of the word ‘family’ do they still conjure up scenes from Leave it Beaver, where June Cleaver cleaned the house wearing a dress and pearls? Ward never had to work late and always made it home on time for June’s home cooked family dinners, which the entire family enjoyed while conversing civilly at the dinner table. If you look at the back of minivans and SUVs, you might think this is still the norm. Those perfect little stick figure families are everywhere! At
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There I was sitting at a red light, with a 6-foot Power Ranger mannequin stuffed into my four-door Dodge Stratus sedan. His feet were touching the back window, his head butted against the front windshield, and his groin sat nearly parallel to my head. Some people are lucky. Generally speaking, I’m not one of them. You see, whereas others win free trips to exotic countries, $500 from scratch-off lottery tickets, or even dinners for two at fancy restaurants, I managed to win a 6-foot Power Ranger. Back in 2001, Toys R Us sponsored a
Read more →It rarely happens. But occasionally, I make a mistake. A couple of years ago, I told you about my favorite day of the year. No, it wasn’t Christmas or my birthday, or Super Bowl Sunday. I said that my favorite day was the first day of school. While there is no disputing that the first day of school is indeed a blessed day, I now realize that there is another day that trumps it. That day is tomorrow, and it involves donuts. Have I got your attention? I thought so. You see, tomorrow is
Read more →Matchmaker Logistics is adding a new member to our team, and I’m involved in the hiring process. This means that in addition to my regular duties, I am now spending a considerable amount of time listening to job applicants as they respond to questions like: “Tell my about your yourself.”; “Where do you see yourself in five years?”; and “Why do you think you are the best candidate for this job?” It’s been more than fifteen years since I was last on the job market, and let me tell you, times have changed. Between
Read more →On Easter weekend, I cooked up a storm, making ham, ham rice, homemade potato salad, deviled eggs, beans, and homemade banana pudding. When I say ‘homemade’, I mean it. There is no instant pudding and Cool Whip happening at my house! I make an old-fashioned banana pudding from scratch, the way my grandmother taught me- real vanilla custard cooked on the stove with whipped meringue to go on top. Everyone at our house enjoys banana pudding, including me. In fact, I had to give a few bowls away because it kept calling my name
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