Dear Govenator

I'm writing to call you out on your bad parking. Not so much the way you park your car, but the way you skip out of parking tickets. It seems to be running in your family too. While I agree that being Governor should have perks, I don't think this is one of them. I'm thinking more along the lines of a VIP parking space. Not so much parking illegally in a red zone.

The citizens of California are helping keep the state a float by paying our outrageously expensive parking tickets* and higher state taxes, I think you should too. Next time you are parking in a red zone and the parking meter comes to give you a ticket, take it like a man.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Oh and feel free to park anywhere, it will be a FREE DAY!

Regards,
Michelle

* Parking ticket for an expired meter in the City of Oakland is $70.

Read the full story here.
This is my favorite part: The governor spent the first part of the segment talking about his commitment to promoting green cars (a category which definitely does not include Porsches), and became noticeably hesitant when Leno asked him how long it's been since he's gotten a speeding ticket. "Not in the last six years," Schwarzenegger said, which is the amount of time he's been governor. Good thing Jay didn't ask about parking tickets!

High. Low.

Last night I was scheduled to babysit R and E, but their mom A stayed in not feeling well. With the decline of babysitting was an offer of dinner. Not only did I get a delicious home cooked meal, I had the pleasure of sitting down with them. They'd mostly finished up dinner but I'd arrived just in time for high lights/low lights of the day. I immediately knew what they were talking about. You see I've played this many times before. My twinner taught me; you go around in a circle and each person says the high of their day, and the low of their day. The twist to the version I played last night was that they "stack the deck" and do two highs and only one low. I really liked that!

In the moment I quickly thought of my highs and my low - great lunchtime work out class, getting to see pictures of this cutie and unfortunately I missed a meeting with my boss, ugh. Looking back, the highest high of my Tuesday was dinner with them playing high/low. It was fun to remember our positives, sympathize with the negatives and most importantly have a quick chance to recap the day.

The perspective of the kids was nice to hear. R's low was not getting to wear her Uggs to school, I can completely sympathize because I wish I could wear mine everyday. E's low was when his mom turned off the lights to conserve energy. I could not sympathize on this one but had a good laugh. I told him some might think of being energy conscious as a positive!

I challenge you too take a moment or two at the end of today to recap your highs and lows. It's amazing how many positives you can find, even on a bad day. Oh and definitely don't forget to stack your deck!


Note: In true twinner fashion, Kaci and I were blogging about high low at THE SAME TIME without knowing it. And that my friends is why we are twinners!

Puppy love

Meet Reese Wiedner.
He's the newest addition to the Weidner clan.

I haven't met him in person but just seeing pictures (specifically this one) melts. my. heart.

I can't wait to get a dog, some day. Just on Sunday Brian and I talked about dogs. He asked what I'd get if I could pick any puppy and I said Golden Retriever, hands down. Later that day I talked with Marisa who was ironically on her way to pick up this cutie.

Perhaps just having puppy on the brain is why I'm so in love with this picture. In reality, when we get a dog we'd try to adopt. There are so many cute, lovable dogs in need of a good home. I'd definitely keep my eyes peeled for a Golden Retriever; hoping a cutie like Reese would come running my way.

Hope this adorable photo brightens your day like it did mine!

They're baaaccckkkkkk

Cuties are in season! Picked up my first sack last night; enjoying one as we speak.

Happy snacking!

Paper Dolls

Last week while babysitting the cutest kids in Piedmont, I had the pleasure of making paper dolls. Not just ordinary paper dolls, but Paper Source paper dolls!

Per our usual routine, once I put E (3 yr old boy) to bed, R (almost 7 yr old) and I have about 45 mins of girl time. We usually play a game, read books or I braid her hair. This time she said, "I have an idea!" I'm thinking...checkers? Monopoly? A book I won't pronounce the character names correctly?

And then she busts out this awesome paper dolls kit...

I was beyond excited as she showed me the dolls she'd already made, the variety of fun paper you can use to create the perfect outfit and accessories, and finally the easy to use stencils.

R and I made twin dolls. It was so fun to see her in creativity in action. She even suggested we use pencil to trace instead of pen, easier to erase. Girl after my own perfectionist heart!


If you are looking for an interactive gift for a young girl in your life, check these out. It's a gift that's fun for everyone! Orrr maybe just paper lovers/kids-at-heart like myself :)

*photos from Paper Source website

Goals are Good

I'm following in the foot steps of my bestie who inspired me by setting monthly goals on her blog. I always have a running list of goals in my head for the day, week and month. Most of the time the daily and weekly goals are accomplished. Monthly goals, not as easily. Since I've been in a bit of a blogging slump, this feels like a good step to getting back into it. Hoping this will help me be accountable to these goals since, you know, it's out here in the blogosphere :)

Here goes, November Goals:

1. Be a bargain hunter - Research and find a good deal on: holiday plan ticket, new tires for car and ski helmets. I'm cheating a tiny bit on this first one because its almost complete. But we are 8 days into the month so maybe I'm right on target. Phew! However, being the start of the holiday season I'm continuing to remind myself to search for a bargain, not just make impulse purchases.

2. Run Like a Girl - Sign-up for a half marathon and begin training. It's been a while since I've trained for something. I miss it, a lot. Since moving to CA I've run a few 5Ks, even a few all by myself. I'm dedicated to working out at the gym. Well, it's time to set the bar higher. Every Super Bowl Sunday Kaiser holds the KP Half Marathon and 5K. What a perfect way to spend a Sunday - run 13.1 miles and then celebrate with food, drink and fun commercials. I'm one week into "training" and so far, so good. My long term goal is to run the San Francisco Nike Women's Half Marathon. Their theme is "Run Like a Girl." I can soo do that!

3. Be professional - update resume and LinkedIn profile. Ok, so I am totally professional. However, I recently took a look at my resume and found it was in desperate need of updating and revamping. Never know when a great opportunity could come my way. I'd hate to be stressed about updating my resume AND crafting the perfect cover letter.
I've heard from reputable sources (friends who work for Career Builder ) that LinkedIn is the latest and greatest in professional networking. My profile leaves a lot to be desired. Like a photo for starters and also my professional experience, education and all that jazz.

4. Floss - Everyday for one month. I'm reminded of this every time I visit the dentist. It's been noted. On my bathroom mirror to be exact. Hoping that one month straight will get me in the habit of doing it on a regular basis throughout the year.