Tracy: Top 10 2008

Tracy's Top 10 Memories of 2008
10. Going bowling with my entire family, including 5-year old niece, Kyra and 8-year old nephew, Sean
9. Pumpkin pie martini's at B.J. Ryan's
8. Detox
7. Lobster bake on Taylor Island with canolli filling birthday cake
6. Garage-side chats
5. Vision board realities...Best Of winners!
4. Sangria and paella in Spain with Andrea
3. The birth of two of my best friends children
2. Summer days and nights in Shelter Island
1. Understanding the meaning of true love, true friendship and of being true to yourself

Happy New Year! Let's all make 2009 SUPERFINE!!!!

Andrea: Holiday Kindness

First I am very delayed in writing this blog but hey at least I am writing it. Second I made the mistake of trying to go Christmas shoppping the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I thougth maybe since I had given it a few days it would not be so bad. WRONG. I don't need to bore you with the trials of shopping on a holiday weekend but I am just going to share with you a few observations that maybe can help us all make the holidays a little less stressed, a little safer and a lot happier.

Andrea's Observations and Thoughts:

Let's all be a bit more mindful of ourselves and the people around us this holiday season by trying some simple little things in our everyday life:

1. Hold doors for the people coming in our before or after us.

2. Slow down for a yellow light instead of speeding up and running a red light.

3. Slow down in parking lots - there are lots more people out and about this time of year - including kids.

4. Smile and wish the people around you a Happy Holiday.

5. Take time to enjoy the decorations and merriment all around you.

6. Take extra precautions when driving, remember you are not the only one on the road.

With a little bit of attention and a lot of smiles, we can all make this a holiday season of love, kindness and saftey.

Happy Holidays!

Andrea: I can see clearly now- through my new windshield

Whenever I would drive in the rain I would think to myself - "wow I need new windshield wipers already! Didn't I just put new ones on the last time it rained? I can't believe how short the life span of windshield wipers are" and then I would go out and get new windshield wipers only to have the same converstation with myself the next time it rained. Well lucky for me, in talking with a friend, I found out my windshield wipers were not the problem but it was my 10+ year old windshield. (I also found out it affected the way headlights relfected off my widnshield making it hard to see when cars were coming at me.) Wow this is great, now I know what the problem is but uh oh now I need a new windshield.

While they were not as expensive as I thougth they might be, they are not cheap but really it has to be done, it cannot be safe for me to continue driving like this. So Plan A - replace windshield. Plan B - My Dad dis ask me what I wanted for Christmas this year....hmmmm Plan C - Call the insurance company, it can't hurt to see if they cover it.

So I call up my insurance company and much to my great happiness I learn that I have FULL glass coverage AND they will replace my windshield! Not only will they cover it, they set me up right over the phone with an appointment for the glass company to come to me the NEXT day and replace my windshield. WOW, that was a very worthwhile phone call (as I am sure my Dad agrees). I could not thank the helpful stranger on the other end of the phone enough. I am not sure she has ever heard someone so excited about a new windshield.

So as planned the next day the glass company showed up, replaced my windshield and now I can see clearly again, day or night, rain or shine. Yippee a driving I will go!

Tracy: Santa Knows Happiness

Happiness comes in many forms. Take today for instance. We play Secret Santa at my job every year for the three weeks leading up to Christmas. This week was the first week of gift exchange and I am always one to try to figure out who has who(m?). When we only had ten people in the office, it was much easier. I even kept a logic table spreadsheet of who could have who(m?). Now that we have over 20 people involved, it's a little bit more difficult. We now use a website called Elfster.com that automatically draws and assigns the names to each Secret Santa/Santee. You can even create a wish list full of hints and ideas that will be anonymously emailed to your Secret Santa/Santee. I can't believe how high tech Santa has gotten!
I had been to the bank at lunch to close an account that had fraud on it and argued with the bank teller for the third time about this account. I then came back to the office to a staff who won't be leaving early today (the day before Thanksgiving) because we've been working overtime. And, the remodeling that was supposed to be finished in the office isn't done yet. But, as I was sitting in my office, thinking about all these annoyances, someone stopped in and brought me a Grande Skim Cappuccino with a sprinkle of cinnamon and cocoa on top from Starbucks! It was a special delivery from my Secret Santa and just put a huge smile on my face :) Thanks, Secret Santa!
You see, it really doesn't take much to make me happy. Simple pleasures are all around. I do not believe that there are any small acts of kindness. Any kindness is BIG. As we head into this holiday season, remember that it doesn't take much to put a smile on someones face. Sometimes, all it really takes is a smile (and a Grande Skim Cappuccino in my case) from you!

Andrea - Finish What You Start

Recently I was asked if I start a lot of projects but don't finish them. Yup I answered, I start lots of stuff and don't finish it. I attributed it to the fact that I have an interest in learning about everything. Therefore I get a taste for something, learn the basics, get slightly into it and then move on. Because of that I have a plethora of items for whatever project I was into that now sit with dust on them. I figure someday I will find a use for the stuff so I am not really worried about that. But after I was asked the question, it was then suggested to me that maybe I try to finish the things I have started. I thought about it for a minute and said okay I can take that project on.

So now my new project is to finish what I have started, including this project or challenge as it may seem to be at times to finish what I start. In the last few weeks since I have started this endeavour, I have finished numerous knitting projects that I have had on needles, finished reading the books I had that I was half way through and got a bunch of other ends tied up. It has felt great. Each night I go to sleep with a great sense of accomplishment for the project I finished that day, it actually creates a nice peace of mind and calm settled feeling for me.

So I am thankful for the advice that was given to me and I am enjoying this new feeling of accomplishment and look forward to all the fruits of my labors and the end results of finishing what I have started.

Tracy: Countdown To What?

We've all seen them, the calendars with the big x's, marking off the days. What exactly is the goal of that countdown? Are you marking off the days till your demise, the end of the world, your last hurrah? It seems a bit morbid to me. Why not celebrate your life and your days and your accomplishments? Those big x's scare me. If you want to put an "x" somewhere, play a game of tic-tac-toe...

Andrea - bad day blahs

well I had a whole blog written about my day yesterday and when I went to post the blog, I received and error message and despite the fact that there is an auto save on this blog, my entire blog that I had written was gone. Knowing that I can't recreate what I had written and thinking that maybe the universe is trying to tell me I should not have published that blog I am not even going to attempt to write that same blog or one like it.

So instead I am going to say thank you to the people that listened to me vent yesterday during a bad day (a bad day for no reason at that!) and for being there for me. I am here to return the favor if ever needed. And Thank You for the good day I am having today.

I hope everyone that reads this has gotten over a bad day and having good days.