Scandal at McDonald's

Today is Ash Wednesday... in the past, McD's had a special on Filet-O-Fish that started on Ash Wednesday and the discount pricing would be effective every Friday through Easter.

This year we went to 5:30pm mass. As always, after mass we went to McD's drive thru. Lent is the only time of the year we eat their Filet-O-Fish sandwiches. Imagine our shock to find out they were full priced and NO promotion was going on - WTF???

There are greater things in life to be upset about... but I have to confess that I'm a little pissed that McDonald's is taking advantage of the Catholics this Lenten season. Argh.

I Used To Wish....

I used to wish...

... That I was a little bit taller. Anything over 5' would have been great. But now I've come to accept my height and love myself the way I am. Plus I have a ton of awesome shoes that compensate for my vertical challenges in life.

... That I had bigger boobs. Don't all girls at some point wish for this? Anyhoo, through the years bra manufacturers have made some great inventions. On top of that, I've learned some simple tricks on how to wear certain items in my wardrobe to flatter my "petite upper body". It's not a concern for me anymore. I'm happy with what I've got... however let's revisit this one 10 years after I have a baby and breastfeed (LOL!)

... For more jewelry. Through the years I've built a great collection of sparkly and shiny stuff. Yes, there are still some items I desire, or some pieces I'd love to upgrade, however I'm happy with what I have now. Don't get me wrong - I will never decline another piece from Tiffany to add to my growing collection, nor will I ever decline any pieces or upgrades my husband offers, but I am happy to say that right now, I'm good. (Of course I say this after I received my chocolate pearls last Christmas!)

... For siblings. I grew up as an only child and always wanted a brother, sister, or both. Now I have some of the most fabulous friends, who are like sisters, and brothers, to me, and I feel so blessed to have them in my life. In addition, my husband comes from a big family with lots of first cousins, who all live in the U.S. (most of my family is still in the Philippines). Thankfully we all get along great and I love them just as I do my own family.

... For Mr. Right. I found him and have been happily married to him for over 11 years. Even though we may disagree or fight from time to time, I still love him and couldn't imagine my life without him.

... For a big house with pillars. For whatever reason, I've been obsessed with houses with pillars since I was a kid. I think it has something to do with the big houses in teen movies (Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, etc.) We moved into our first single-family home three years ago, and I can't complain. There aren't any pillars, it's not a McMansion, but it's nice and big enough for me, Mr. Right, my parents, and baby-to-be. What matters is that we have our own walls, our own front and back yards, and a fabulous walk-in closet with cabinets and shelving that we designed and put together ourselves.

... That I would quickly and successfully climb the corporate ladder. Two years ago I took a job that is (1) not in the company's corporate office, (2) not a management or leadership position, (3) requires me to work in the field and see clients face-to-face, and (4) I have no one that reports to me directly. I never thought I'd make a change like this... I was in management for so long and was so eager to be the first female, minority, (insert-big-title-here) at a large corporation. Pfffft, whatevers, I'm good. I'm happy. I like what I do and I make good money.

... That I could speak several languages. Man, I tried. I took German from the 4th grade through senior year of high school - no success - can't speak the language at all. I took Spanish senior year of high school and four semesters in college... I used to be able to carry a conversation with customers when I worked retail, but since I don't use it that much anymore, it's a struggle. I bought some tapes to learn Arabic (since I was really into my Islam classes in college), but other than "Marhaba" (sp?) I don't know how to say anything else. I never took a formal class in Tagalog, just learned it from my parents, family and friends through the years. I get by pretty well - but I wish I had bigger vocabulary. I figure I'll focus on this one so I can teach my kid how to speak it too. Hopefully I can better master this one soon.

I used to wish for so much more... I could go on and on... but now I count my blessings and remind myself to thank God for my health, my husband, our family, and our friends. For the love and support that we are surrounded with constantly. And for so much more... I am thankful.

My only wish, is for the son I'm currently carrying... that he may be healthy, strong and live a happy life :)

Things I Recently Discovered (In no particular order)

1. Ducks are not yellow. I have no idea why I used to think this (probably from the ugly duckling in Tom & Jerry and yellow rubber duckies.) But for real, up until about a couple of years ago, I seriously thought there were ducks that were yellow.
2. While it's really annoying, my husband insists that we keep a checkbook register. No, not the electronic kind, the old school kind where you write in EVERY transaction. Through the years I've found it to be a pain, however recently I've discovered that it's quite helpful. Had it not been for the register, I wouldn't have been able to prove that I made a couple of payments online and for some fluke reason they didn't go through and got lost in cyber space.
3. You can check out DVDs from the library... for free! Yeah, it's been a while since I actually checked something out from a public library. Imagine my surprise that they have videos there - that's so cool!
4. You can donate books to a public library and it's a tax write off!
5. Cinnabons are pre-made. The people that work there get them in a box and they just pop them into the oven. I was disappointed to see this - I honestly thought they made them from scratch... the way some of the pretzel places make pretzels from scratch.
6. I have waaaaay too many hotel towels. Yeah, I admit it, I take towels from hotels. Through the years I've accumulated too many and finally purged my collection.
7. All pets are welcome at Petco, as long as they're on a leash. They mean it, all pets. I once saw a lizard on a leash and thought that was funny. Today I saw a cat on a leash - WTF???
8. The best days to go to Costco are Thursday through Sunday. Those are the days that the roadshow vendors come out and when you can score the most free samples.
9. Also at Costco, if a price ends with a "7" then it's a clearance price. That's the lowest price an item is going to go. So if, for example, you see a Lenox crystal vase for $12.97 or Scrapbook paper for $9.97 and you're debating whether or not you want to buy it... get it, because most likely it won't be there tomorrow.
10. Coach makes awesome umbrellas. My girlfriend gave me one for Christmas. It rained a lot this week and I got good use out of it. I was impressed - and it dried quicker than any other umbrella I ever owned before!

Rainy Day

It's raining.

Back in 1990 the song "It Never Rains (In Southern California)" by Tony! Toni! Tone! was on the top of the charts. It didn't mean anything to me then, but now that I've been living in SoCal for the past 9+ years, I get this song. It's true, it rarely rains here. When it does rain:

(1) Drivers go crazy on the roads and traffic is a mess because - People either (a) drive like they're invincible, going fast and then braking like the road isn't wet, or (b) they forget how to drive, going really really really dangerously slow.

(2) Stores dust off their back stock supply of umbrellas and bring them out onto the sales floor (if they have any). Cashiers and customers then have a long conversation (no less than 5 minutes) about the rain - discussing how it rarely rains here, when the last time was that it rained, where they were, what they were doing, how we need the rain, etc.

(3) People get moody. Seriously. Everone is cheery and in good spirits when the sun is out - but as soon as it gets cloudy and rainy - folks get depressed, irritable, cranky, and just not pleasant to be around in general.

(4) Everyone outside looks like a wet mop, because honestly, hardly anyone has an umbrella in their car. I think we have a couple in the house - they were free gifts with purchases and they're small. We used to have nice ones in our cars, but they've mysteriously disappeared.

(5) If they can avoid it, people don't go outside. It's funny, whatever plans someone has for the day are shot because it's raining and they don't want to go out anymore. This is actually a perfect time to get a mani/pedi, go to the DMV, go to the post office, go to the mall, and go just about anywhere that's usually crowded. Usually the employees are really bored, because it's a slow day for them, so they're really happy to see you and you'll get the best customer service ever!!!

(6) What's also weird is that it's not unusual to wear sunglasses when it rains - it was the oddest thing when I first moved here to see the sun out while it was raining.

What's really funny is that the "rain" here is nothing like it is back East. I'd compare it more to the sprinkles I experienced in Chicago and Boston. When the wind blows, it's tolerable, not the kind where the rain feels like ice pellets on your skin or the wind chills your bones. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I shouldn't complain... it really isn't that bad. I just might dig out my raincoat in the back of the closet - I bought it 2 years ago and I think the price tag is still attached!