Update #1

This has been a CRAZY 2 weeks!!!!  I have made several dents into my goals for 2011.  Over the MLK weekend I travelled to NYC with 3 of my childhood girlfriends  :)  We went shopping, ATE, took a helicopter ride, ATE and chit chatted.  Seriously, I ate a LOT.  From sushi, to curry shrimp, to chicken parmigiana and chicken & waffles, I ate 2 weeks of my caloric intake in 3 days!  I definitely need to detox.  So this week, I have planned out all my meals.  By the way, those frozen vegetables by Green Giant are the BEST!  Not only are they tasty, but I get my green vegetable intake and can prepare them in less than 10 minutes.  lovin it :)  I am trying out a new recipe this week, and hope it turns out better than my lobster pasta from the past week.  In my defense, it wasn't that awful.  I didn't have all the necessary ingredients to make it work and I was snowed in so I couldn't run to the grocery store once I started.  But I did learn something new, Rotel is an EXCELLENT sub for fresh diced tomato; much quicker and easier with the same great taste.  I just needed another can or some tomato paste to thicken the sauce. 

I have to register to get a certified copy of my freedom papers this week.  They have been working me like a slave; like they did not get the notice that I have been set free.  It is a BUSY time for me as we are in the middle of planning out our fiscal year.  It should slow down in the next week or two and then pick up crazy again as we try to finish off the present fiscal year. 

So I have made some progress on travelling, logging some pictures, trying out a new recipe and I even went to the gym 2 times this week.........but I failed on getting in good cardio and have only put a dent in my book club selection.  The dating story is actually pretty funny this week.........so I was macked by a pastor.  Yep, you heard it right, a pastor tried to holla at me in the Harris Teeter parking lot.  So here's the scene..... I had just checked out of the self service lane and was heading outside.  An older man in a 3 piece gray suit smiled and said, "you know they have shopping carts".  I smiled back and said "yeah I know, I really wasn't planning on buying this much " and left the store.  I had to do some re-arranging and look up directions in the parking lot so I was still outside when he left the store.  Of course he proceeds to my car and starts to chit chat some more.  Then comes the killer; he asks if I am married and then proceeds to ask why not.  Which is a foolish question to me;  why don't I have red hair?  why don't I have black nail polish?  That's just not the situation right now.  But on this day I chose the answer that God hasn't sent him to me yet.  Well then he starts to say that we did not meet by chance and this was divine because he is a pastor at a church up north.  Now, he didn't have a chance in the first place - not that I am superficial person, but he had on a 3 piece, long jacket suit and was NOT born in the 70's !!!!  But he definitely was out the picture now that he announced he was a pastor.  Is that wrong of me?  I am definitely looking for a spiritual mate who is looking to grow in faith, but I don't think I can date a pastor.  I drink wine, I dance, I like secular music, and I detest long praise and worship programs.  Pray for me!

My Vision Statement for 2011

Yesterday, I went to an event entitled "Dreams" that is hosted by my friend every year.  It is meant to help a group of women focus on their goals and vision for their life in the upcoming year and beyond.  It challenges us set a plan for how we want our life to be.  So, on this snowy day, I have developed my vision statement and list of goals for 2011.  I may not accomplish them all but I think its a good start.  This year's blog postings will be about my progress on these goals  (and of course other randomness : ) So here goes..........


I AM THE CEO OF ANDREA NICOLE HARPER ENTERPRISES.  I HAVE THE ABSOLUTE AND SOLE AUTHORITY TO FIRE ANY EMPLOYEES/CONTRACTORS THAT I DEEM TOXIC TO THE WORKPLACE, ARE UNPRODUCTIVE, OR THAT EXCESSIVELY USE BENEFITS WITHOUT RECIPROCAL PERFORMANCE.

I ALSO HAVE THE ULTIMATE RESPONSIBILITY TO HIRE EMPLOYEES WHO ARE ALIGNED WITH THE COMPANY'S GOALS AND VALUES; THOSE WHO ADD VALUE TO THE BOTTOM LINE.  I AM IN CHARGE OF ASSIGNING ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE COMPANY TO THOSE EMPLOYEES WHO I DEEM FIT AND CAPABLE.  I WILL NOT APOLOGIZE FOR DECISIONS MADE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE COMPANY AND WILL NOT RECRUIT/RETAIN EMPLOYEES WHO DO NOT WANT TO BE A PART OF THE TEAM.

I AM AN EMOTIONAL, COMPASSIONATE,  AND INTROSPECTIVE WOMAN WHO HAS BEEN CAREFULLY AND PURPOSEFULLY MADE.  I AM PLEASED AT THE WORK BEING CREATED IN ANDREA NICOLE HARPER ENTERPRISES.


In 2011, I will:
Be open, thoughtfully
Give my body the things it needs to work well
Be the primary source of my confidence

And finally, my list.  I may not do them all, some have no rhyme or reason, many were suggested by "friends" and some are just for fun!

31 Things to do Before I'm 32
1. Read 32 books
2. Blog weekly
3. Run five 5ks 
4. Run an entire 5k
5. Log 140 hrs. of cardio
6. See my niece dance
7. Get my shoes fixed
8. Ski/tube
9. Visit fam in Memphis - August tix purchased - they moved :(
10. Finish vision board
11. Create my lounge
12. Create my guestroom
13. Write mission/vision statement
14. Travel to Asheville
15. Volunteer at high schools
16. Go on 5 trips -
17. Log 300 pictures
18. Become more than financially active in my sorority
19. Get my JP Morgan statement & P&G shares in an account
20. Get clothes down to one double hamper
21. Kiss passionately
22. Make 1 recipe a week ....46 Total - prob 30 :(
23. Make all medical appointments
24. Take advanced swimming lessons -
25. Try 10 brunch spots
26. Go to painting class
27. Visit my uncle 3 times
28. Host 3 things at my house
29. Go to Bobcats game alone
30. Go on 4 confirmed dates
31. Babysit for a mom

New Year's Resolutions

I hate going to the gym in January.....it is waaay too packed.  Filled with people who have made new year's resolutions to work out more and lose weight.  You can never get on the machine you want and there are a lot of lollygaggers.  By February it calms down and all is back to normal.  Not that I am against people making resolutions to get back in the gym, it just makes my time in there longer which I am totally against.  I don't like to spend a second longer than necessary in the gym.  Sooo many other places I would rather be.  
A few years ago I made my resolution to work out on a consistent basis, and i have kept that up pretty good :)  Yay me!  Now I need to take it up a notch.  This year I need to get more serious about my cardio.....and committ to 4 hrs a week.  I need some help on keeping me accountable........I hate cardio :(
I also resolve to become more than financially active in my sorority.  I will join some committees and give service to mankind.  I resolve to keep in better contact with loved ones........even if its just a text or quick email.  We are not promised tomorrow so let's cherish each other while we can.  And last but not least, I will not get my priorities confused with my options  :)  Concentrate and focus on what is best for ME, and whateva for the rest!

The Holidays

It's  been a long time......I shouldn't have left you........   :)  But I'm back!!!!!  And so much foolery and nonesense have occured in the last month I don't know where to start.  From altercations at a club,  running a 5k, to chastising homeless people in Las Vegas it has been a whirlwind month.  Plus to top it off, I had my 31st birthday  :)  But we won't get into all that (to protect the innocent.......namely ME)  I want to discuss buying Christmas presents.  I want to discuss this because it's EXPENSIVE!  There are 21 kids on my list this year.......and none of them are mine.  WTF?  why the face?  I enjoy buying presents for people and always try to purchase something I know they will like, but really.....if I have 21 people to buy for no one is getting a great gift.  It's definitely going to be the thought.  I think in 2011 I will focus on buying birthday presents instead.  That way, each child will get a nice gift at least once a yr. and get some stocking stuffers for Christmas.

Ok, so here's my ultimate thought.  As a parent, it is your responsibility to make your child's Christmas great and memorable.  I know that family makes it special and being around love and all that is priceless, but YOU are Santa.  Don't expect extended family members to purchase Santa gifts for you....that's for the parents and then grandparents and such..........not for cousins and aunts, etc......Just my thoughts.......

Wake Up!

Today’s posting is about absolutely nothing.  I am just typing so I will not fall asleep in my office.  I wish naptimes were mandatory for adults.  A good 30 minute cat nap would do me a world of good right now.  I took a 15 minute doze in the car right after lunch.  I couldn’t get comfortable though. 

I REALLY need to pay a visit to my shoe cobbler soon.  I have 3 pairs of shoes that are in need of repair, but he closes at 6:00 and I can’t get there in time after work. 

I am buying myself a sewing machine for b-day/Christmas present.  Another one of my big ideas……….but I would like to be able to sew my own hems in my pants.  Do you know the cleaners charge me $12?  And apparently I’m short because all of my pants have to be hemmed.  I know I spend close to $120 a year on hems, buttons and ravellings!!!! 

I’m going to ask my optometrist to give me my contact prescription so I can get it filled at LensCrafters.  I thought it would be easier for the optometrist office to do it, since they are closer and have all my info, but it has been over a week since I ordered and they have yet to call me and tell me they are in.  LensCrafters always had them in stock;  it just took them forever to ring up.

I already have my Christmas tree up.  Since I spend most of the Holidays travelling or in Mississippi, I don’t get to enjoy decorations at my own house.  So this year I put them up early so I will have some time to celebrate  J

I am getting false eyelashes today; it will be my first time trying.  Just want to test it out.  I hope it doesn’t become like waxing eyebrows and getting nails done……those things used to be a novelty for me.  Now it’s part of my regular beauty routine.  That adds up to close to $100 a month.  Ridiculous.

I am addicted to Diet Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash.  I wish they sold it throughout the year and not just around the holidays. 

I can’t text pics with my iPhone.  I really need to have the iPhone/AT&T people check that out. 

I am really thankful for people who have served our country in the military/armed forces.  And to their families who have made the sacrifice with them.  I don’t think I could do it. 

How did I get a credit with Piedmont Natural Gas?  I think they have made a mistake.  Hadn’t paid a bill in 2 months and it still has credit.  I am scared of the day they find out it was a mistake and try to make me pay back. 

I would go back to school to get my PhD if the stipend wasn’t so low.  My living expenses/bills/lifestyle can’t sustain on the pay cut for those3 to 5 yrs.   Why aren’t there part time PhD business programs? 

Politics

I have always been interested in politics.  Local politics was frequently discussed in my house when I was growing up.  My mother worked for many years in the mayor’s office and my Dad was an armchair pundit.   I wasn’t so much engrossed by the issues as I was the game of politics and the characters involved.  It taught me that for some people, POWER and access was just as important, if not more so, than money.  Because believe me, you aren’t getting rich off of being in local government in Jackson, MS…………….well not by government alone.

Which is why the political events over the last couple of years have been so fascinating to me.  Politics is now telephone/chit – chat conversation with my girlfriends.  Facebook statuses are filled with commentary and opinions on the political landscape and even Hollywood has become vocal about political issues.  They call it a “movement” a “surge”.   I call it reality. Some leaders became complacent because when the system was working for them, they didn’t feel the need to create a better system for everyone else. As a result, portions of the population suffered in near silence until it was brought mainstream, and a few people worked to change it.   Now the system isn’t working for anybody and we are all up in arms.  Maybe this pain will bring about some solutions for our transforming society; Transforming because we are entering a new economic era.  The growth industries of the future will be scientific.   We can no longer hold steadfast to the financial, health and education systems or even the life expectations of what we have been taught.  They will have to be redesigned with what the future will truly look like.  Here are a few things to ponder:

More than likely, we will not retire early                                                                                        When the United States passed a social security law, the avg. life expectancy was only 61.7 years; meaning if you were lucky to live past the life expectancy, you deserved a couple of years off J   With better quality of life and expectancy at 80 now, the social security system is not built to sustain you comfortably for 20+ yrs. I plan on becoming a greeter at Wal-Mart or work at the DMV

You will average 7 jobs/companies in your career                                                                               my Dad was a CPA and worked for the same employer his entire career; I’m on company number 2 and still can’t describe what I do

Facebook is the 3^rd largest population in the world                                                                     Justin Timberlake did a great job in “Social Network”

Some jobs will never come back                                                                                                                                                            a computer stole my job, that heifer!

People under the age of 40 don’t check their mailbox every day                                                                                                                                                              The U.S. postal service is in the red and petitioned Congress to stop Saturday deliveries to help mitigate costs;  I don’t think I would notice ~ I only check my mailbox 2x a week at most

Flexible Work Arrangements/Job Sharing will not be so uncommon                                                                                                                                            maybe I can go back to working in my pajamas;   I was more productive

Trick or Treat

I bought my Halloween costume at the beginning of October.  I honestly wanted to borrow somebody’s child and go trick or treating, but I soon discovered that they were trick or treating on Sunday, not Saturday as I reasoned in my mind made more sense.  So where to go and what to do?  I received tons of flyers for parties that were being thrown by event planners that are popular in the city.   I knew that the crowd at these parties would be grown & sophisticated Charlotte young urban professionals.  I would fit in perfectly, but they didn’t quite pique my interest.  I wanted to be more laid back and relaxed.  So a friend and I, who had been planning on hanging out for quite a while but our travel schedules never allowed us to, decided that Halloween was the night.  We found a completely random down home party, thru a friend of a friend, who said the same party the year before was off the chain!  So we head off, not knowing a soul at the party, or so we thought J   Did I mention I was random? 

First of all, our crew of 4 turned into a duo thru random & last minute events.  This party only leaves me with a list of Questions:  Where do you stand at a party where you don’t know anyone?  At the bar?  Go to the dance floor? 

Where do pics taken of you by people you don’t know end up? 

What do you do when your costume gets more attention than you expected?  Stand against the wall like a flower?  Or say to hell with it, you don’t know these people and play your confidence up? 

 What do you say to a guy who finally has enough liquid courage to ask you for your phone number when you are really not interested? 

How do you manage dance requests?  Does it go in order of approach?  And how many songs do you give each guy?  Do you have to look at the guy you are dancing with? 

What do you do when the last person you thought you would see is right in front of your face?  Have you invaded their territory?  Are you a stalker? 

What age is it when dancing changes?  Why do people in their 20’s dance all up on each other while people in their 40’s do a box 2 step?  Why don’t women in their 40’s dance by themselves and have to have a male partner?  Why does it take the 40 crowd dj forever to warm up? 

When will the perculator get old?  Does anyone know how to do the perculator? 

Why do I try to be nice to people who could care less? 

Why can’t I look away? 

Why do I smile all the time?  And why does that smile tell all the crazy people to come talk to me?

How do you make friends at a party?  What if you meet someone interesting and want to learn more about them, how do you approach?  Would they think you were weird?   Do you say, hey, it was good talking to you, not trying to hit on you or anything but really want to expand my network of associates and friends, how can we keep in touch?  

Do you have your church dress on or a costume? 

Are you dressed as Nikki Minaj?  Have you worn that on a regular night? 

Coming soon..........Do you have isotoners on?