Tales of the monotonous ...

Good evening and welcome to this edition of Tale of the Monotonous - yes, I had to spell check that word, hope I got the right one.  You can let me know if it's wrong...  Anyway, I'm done washing my face and about to floss my teeth, and I'm thinking about what I can blog about, and I couldn't come up with anything too exciting, so I figured I'd share my feelings about the mundane portions of our life that we trudge through day to day, and although we may be bored to tears by some of these routines, without them we'd probably be less than effective human beings.  For instance, cleaning and laundry.  Boring.  However, we can't ignore these tasks completely or risk being stinky, smelly, sloppy individuals with no clean undies and dust bunnies so large they're starting to scare the pets.  My cleaning and laundry need to be done urgently, by the way.  I think I'm putting it off, because I know what a mountain of unwashed apparel is waiting for me in the basement, and I'm just not sure if I have the courage to tackle it.  The cleaning on the other hand, has never been my favorite thing to do, but is growing on me, as I do love a house that is so fresh and so clean-clean!  On a side note - does it ever bother you when your sock twists at the toe, and you can feel that the seam is no longer on top?  It bugs the crap out of me... excuse me while I fix it...  but I regress.

So, needless to say, my to-do list for this week is slowly whittling down, but "Clean" and "Laundry" have been carried over twice, meaning that those two things which should have been done on Tuesday are now due to be done tomorrow, which for those of you who might be too busy to know what day it is, is Thursday.  It's ok, I wasn't sure either.

Now, having washed my face, brushed my teeth (and flossed - did that while I rambled), I suppose I will stop boring you and head to bed.  I have to grab my iPod and read some Bible on my Kindle for iPod Touch/iPhone (greatest iPod App ever!) and then it's off to snoozeville.  Hopefully tomorrow won't be quite as vanilla.  I need some flavor in my life!  That reminds me, I'm out of ice cream.  Some moose tracks would be really good right now.

Love you so & thanks for listening - if you're out there.
God bless you!

~JRG

A Case of the Mondays...

Hi and sorry I was a no-show yesterday!  It was Monday...  enough said.  However, it was a good day.  Got work done, taught my 5:45 pm Zumba class at Gold's Gym, and it was awesome...  love my class!  We got all of our butts kicked and had a great time.  If you haven't heard of Zumba yet, check it out now!  It's the best, most fun workout ever!!

Last night was another episode of "Kell on Earth" - had to watch it after my sweat-removing shower.  Two people got fired (on the show, of course, not in my shower).  I don't love all the aspects of the show, but I love the pace, the power, and the challenge of it.  "Kell on Earth" nearly rivals "The Rachel Zoe Project" as guilty pleasure fashion Reality TV shows go for me.  They are both, of course, on Bravo - one of my go-to TV stations.  I think being a stylist or in PR in the fashion world would be a dream job of mine.  Either that, or owning my own boutique.  I can't imagine anything more desirable as a profession than owning my own place where I sell things that I love, and getting to go on buying trips around the country (and/or the world) to shop!  And, being able to share my loves with others.  Being a power girl would be amazing, but I think that the likes of Kelly Cutrone and Rachel Zoe have very little to no time for a personal life - something that my husband would not ever stand for.  

I downloaded "The September Issue"  - the documentary of Anna Wintour and her vast Vogue empire.  Love.  I have to say it again.  Love.  Watching it now while I work - and blog.  Fashion just does something to me.  I don't love it for the materialism, or the trends that magazine editors tell you are in, or the ridiculous price tags, I love it for the art and the passion, and the color, and the beauty.  I love how it inspires, and transforms, and takes something so everyday as clothing and makes it into amazing masterpieces of shape, color, and form.  Love.  L-O-V-E.  Love.

God bless!

~JRG

Sunday Ongoing...

Hola!  I hope you are doing well on this wonderful Sunday!  Church was nice today.  My husband and I greeted before first service, and then we helped serve communion.  I got the juice tray - always scary.  I have this recurring vision of beginning communion service, and tripping over something, and flying forward with my tray full of permanent staining grape juice in tiny cups.  The cups go flying, juice goes flying, and my pews get covered.  It's like one of those things I just can't believe hasn't happened yet!  Anyway, I didn't trip, and everyone got their juice (& not on them).  Pastor Bill delivered a great sermon, as always.  And, they even played my favorite worship song, "Revelation Song".  Great church.  Love it.  If you're interested, you can visit our church's website here: http://www.central-assembly.com.  Hope you like the site, designed by yours truly...  it's still a work in progress (what website isn't), but I like it so far!

So, Andy (my hubby) and I watched "The Stepfather" (2009 remake) last night, and it's pretty good if you're in to thrillers.  I thought the ending could have been better, but overall it was a pretty good flick.  Got it from Netflix, and I'm excited to get our next movie on Wednesday - we're getting "The Hurt Locker".  From what I've been hearing, I won't be disappointed!  I love my $8.99/month Netflix subscription!  We only get 1 movie at a time, but that's all we need!  Along with our Roku, we have more than enough cinematic stimulation!  If you haven't heard of Roku yet, you have got to check it out: http://www.roku.com.  Introduced to me by my sister-in-law, it has brought a whole new dimension to our movie library!  You just pay for the player one time for around $99.99, and then you use your Netflix subscription to stream movies instantly to your TV via a wireless Internet connection for FREE!  Just hook up to your TV, and voila!  You can also get channels like Amazon OnDemand, MLB TV, and one of my faves: Pandora!  Plus, they just added a whole bunch of new channels!  Basically, we don't have to leave our house now... and I guess it's a good thing since both Blockbuster and Hollywood Video in Great Falls have gone out of business in the last few years.  I'm still waiting for Apple TV to up the ante, but until then I'm happy with my Netflix & Roku!

PS - If you have a PS3 or XBOX360 you can also stream Netflix movies to your TV using an Internet hookup.
PSS - Find out how to make your iPod Touch of iPhone into a Roku remote here.
PSSS, just one more thing, I promise - My fave channel on Pandora right now is Mambo Italiano - or Pink Martini - courtesy of my mother-in-law!  Great to cook dinner to!

Love ya so & God Bless!

~JRG

The Land of Narnia

Good afternoon from the Land of Narnia!  No, not really, just good ol' snowy Great Falls, Montana!  A friend of mine said she woke up the other morning and said, "Good morning Land of Narnia!  You're beautiful!"  She is so right, funny, and right.  Fresh fallen snow is beautiful!  We've had a lot of it this year, as has most of the upper half of the country.  As for me, I love it but I miss being able to wear cute heels!  My Uggs have definitely gotten some wear so far this winter!

Worked out this morning, need to shower, but feeling great!  Zumba is so awesome!  If you haven't heard of it, or want more info, visit: http://www.zumba.com. You can even find an instructor or class near you!  If you like to dance and get a high-intensity cardio workout at the same time, this is the class for you!  I've been doing Zumba since May 2009, and got certified to teach a few months back.  Love it!  It's a great way to shed those extra winter LBs without feeling like you're working out.  Their slogan says it all, "Ditch the Workout, Join the Party!"  Maybe I'll see you in class...

Love ya & God Bless!

~JRG

February 19, 2010

Hello! Greetings! I would spell out many other ways to say, "Hi", in other languages, but I'm on a PC right now, so I've got no translator on my dashboard, as I would on a Mac. As you can see, I'm getting started early with my opinions... anyways... good to begin my first blog today! Just want to begin with a quick message about how I can't believe it is actually 2010! Yes, I know, it is already almost 2 months into the year, but it still just boggles my mind to think about it! Just saying...

So, this blog (which I must say I was more than pleased to give the name "Dreamed. Designed. Realized.") is really just my notes (some pointless, some beneficial and hopefully interesting) on life. The title (which I still have to say I was very happy that it was available!) really illustrates my zeal for life - ooh I love that word zeal! I hope you don't mind my ramblings, but I have a lot to share! Stay tuned. That reminds me! Quick $30: Do the Nielson TV Viewing Diary (Survey) - just jot down what you watch on TV and get $30 CASH! Gotta love it! Go to: http://diary.tvratings.com for more info.

Love ya, God Bless!

~Me and my ramblings... xoxo