I want to wish my mother a very happy birthday and let everyone know that she is celebrating today!

I called Mother yesterday to see what plans she has for celebrating her birthday this year and to make sure she got my gift in the mail. She is going to be flying to London to meet up with my dad, and he is taking her out to dinner and a show. I’m sure she’s already on the plane right now, on her way. So I’m glad I got to call and talk to her before she left and I wished her a very “Happy Birthday!”

To be honest, I’m pretty much tapped out on cash. With the divorce last year and all that drama, it was all I could do to get through Christmas. Here I am facing Christmas again in just a couple months.

I’ve been thinking about getting a new credit card or maybe even a small personal loan. Selena told me about a site that helps find bad credit loans and credit cards for people like me. If that works out and I get some extra cash, then I can get that new ski gear and I’ll be styling on the next ski trip!

Lately I have been turning off the TV instead of leaving it on 24/7 and not watching the crappy shows that are on. I used to leave it on just for the background noise, and every once in a while I would see something interesting. But most of the time I find that the shows just annoy me with their third grade humor and predictable story lines.

So I’ve decided to turn it off except for the couple of shows that I want to watch (like The Amazing Race!), and after those shows are over I turn it off again. That’s a big step for someone of my generation that is used to having a TV in every room!

Did you know that if you miss an episode of The Amazing Race, you can go to the website and watch the previous shows on the internet? Just go to this address and scroll down to the part about watching the latest videos:

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race

Now I find myself listening to music instead of the TV. It puts me in a better mood overall. I find myself humming along and tapping my feet. While listening to deep cuts on the albums, I’ve found several new treasures that never got airplay, but I really like them.

Did everyone have as much fun on Labor Day as I did? It was PERFECT weather to be out on the water. My boyfriend and his roommate took me out on the sailboat for the entire day. We even grilled steaks over the side on their little grill and drank wine all afternoon. Not enough to get drunk, mind you! But enough so that we were all totally relaxed and having a wonderful time out on the Lake.

We should have good weather for at least another 6 – 8 weeks. I’m really looking forward to more sails on the Lake and such nice, relaxing days to get my personal batteries recharged on the weekends!