Memories....like the corners of my mind

Memories.....we all have them. "A moment lasts all of a second, but the memory lives on forever". So true and sometimes the simplest item will trigger a memory.

Who would think that this could conjure up a memory.....but it did!



I can remember being 12 years old in the 7th grade. We were living in New York at the time and I can remember Saturday was always grocery shopping day. Now if we were good and my mother was lenient that day -- we got a little individual sized box of Cheezits (19 cents per box). What a big deal it was to get that little box of crackers, because we didn't get those kind of treats very often. So as I ate a little plate of them this morning I remembered back to how good they tasted when I was 12 and how I looked forward to that grocery trip each week.

Another treasured memory from childhood is when I see a drive-in movie theater. Not many of those left around anymore, but they certainly have provided lots of memories before those mega theaters took over.



Going to the drive-in movies consisted of my mom making a big brown grocery bag full of popcorn she made fresh on the stove (way before microwave popcorn bags). We'd grab a few of those small bottles of coke and the five of us would pile into whatever vehicle my dad had brought home from the car lot that day. Of course Tucson summers in the backseat of a car with your brother and sister sometimes wasn't the best of conditions, but we did is somewhat obediently. Although we did have to constantly duck our heads around our parents heads so that we could see the screen. Needless to say, the kid in the middle always had the best view of the screen! Intermission not only brought those quirky boxes of popcorn and paper cups of Coke dancing with each other -- but gave us the opportunity to go to the snack bar and get an ice cream sandwich and a trip to the restroom.

So many memories to share, but we'll save some for another time!

The meaning of life....MINE!

You know the old sayings -

"Life is a bowl of......."



and that "When life gives you lemons - you make....."



And then I saw a recent quote by Grandma Moses

"Life is what you make of it. Always has been, always will be."

She's right. It's no secret that my life is FULL of the pizza business. I feel like I can't stop because there is so much to do. While I'm working I do nothing but dream of the things I wish I could be doing. Recently there have been a series of events thrown at us (firing manager, low sales at new store, living on a shoestring), that cause much stress.

From this moment forward I am determined to get over these last stressful humps and start enjoying the simple pleasures of life!

Life is REALLY what we make it -- and I'm making mine GREAT!
I invite you to do the same..............



P.S. the feet used in this picture are NOT mine! Since it's been WAY too cold here in Texas to go to the beach -- "stunt double" feet were borrowed for this picture.

A teeny tiny vacation!

Well we did it. We had to. We just needed a day away and not think about the business. Although the three hour drive there and back -- we did nothing but talk about the business. We took off for Lake Charles, Louisiana at 3pm Tuesday and returned at 5pm on Wednesday. Went to our favorite close casino and immersed ourselves in throwing away our money! However, the time away was nice, the hotel was cheap ($11 a night) and the beds were SO comfortable. Now that we've had our 24 hours of rejuvination -- it's time to tackle the "load" and get some marketing done.



I only hope that our next vacation comes soon and lasts a little longer!

I wish.............

.....that I could sleep at night. I must be a vampire since I get my best sleep in the daytime hours.

.....that we could take a vacation and not have to worry if our stores are running properly.

.....that we didn't have to work all the time because people don't show up

.....that we can make plans to do something fun and not have them cancelled because someone didn't feel like working that day (which meant we had to)

.....that my husband and my sons can find peace and harmony and get along again. It's tough being the person in the middle all the time.

.....that my house would stay clean, the laundry done, and all the paperwork caught up and I'm not the one that had to do it all.

.....that I could find the time to read, cross stitch, exercise, or do something for myself every once in awhile

.....I could write that novel that I've always talked about



Stay tuned.....next time will be my "I'm Thankful for" list.

Wasting Time

Well we finally had it! We've been working too hard, too many days, and still have too much to do. So this morning we decided to take 1/2 day off and just get away from everything.

Of course a big stress reliever for us is to take a trip across town (20 miles) and go to our favorite store!



Of course, I am really blessed to be married to a man who loves to shop! In fact, he spends longer in the kitchen sections of the stores than I do. Don't ever take him to the Container Store......he could easily spend an hour in there! So this was how we began the first hour of our day, lazily strolling the aisles of IKEA and purchasing all those items that we just can't live without!

The second part of our lazy day took us a little farther into town to eat one of our favorite cuisines - Greek food!



So after a relaxing lunch of delicious Greek Salad and Beef and Lamb Gyro -- we finally had to get back into our real life: the independent pizza owner.

But as you can see -- I still haven't quite gotten back into the mental mode of working yet -- I had to stop and blog about the fabulously relaxing, albeit short, day I spent with my honey!

Little bird leaving the nest!

This post comes with mixed emotions. The youngest child is leaving the nest and moving into his first place! While I know that it's time for him to get out on his own and learn what life has to offer him I feel sad not to be a part of his day to day life any longer. Although I'm sure that I'll still see him and hear from him (he's only moving 2-3 miles way), it won't be the same as I've had him under my roof for 23 years now.

So now my youngest child -- go out into the world with all that I have taught you and be a big success! I'm proud of who you are and the direction that you are heading. But I'm still gonna miss you!

Learning Faith

Well I have to admit the last month has been very stressful. Working 15 hour days trying to get our newest business off the ground has really taken it's toll. I'm not complaining.....just stating the facts. Each day is met with WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT HAS TO BE DONE TODAY? Doesn't matter if the laundry is stacked sky high (dig around in your drawers until you find something to wear) or that the house really needs cleaned (doesn't matter -- no one is coming over today)! To make it into my office.....I have to step over piles of paperwork -- and I swear that I know what's in each one of them!



I am really being tested by my chosen word of the year:



But now, it's working. We are seeing results. Last night we FINALLY had a $1000 night at the new store (if we did that at the first store on a Friday night we'd croak!) All those hours stuffing envelopes, pasting stamps, printing and reviewing every piece of information we can find on creative marketing is starting to see some results! I am on a renewed adventure and ready to tackle what needs to be done. I have FAITH that we can handle all of this and come out better on the other side. However, today I think I need to tackle the laundry and try to get some cleaning done!