Day 2 of the 10 day Challenge

Wow - having to pick just two songs.....I'm going to cheat on this one and pick two artists instead because there aren't "just" two songs that represent me or that I love.

1. Anything by Barbra Streisand
2. Anything by Linda Eder

Both have similar styles - Showtunes, music you can hear the words to - stories in song - lyrics about life.  Their songs touch my soul.

What about you?

Day 3 of the 10 day Challenge

Ohhh - I was waiting for this one!

1. Brigadoon! My all time favorite movie - it's an old musical with Cyd Charise and Gene Kelly.  Gene Kelly is a hunter who comes across a small town in the highlands of Scotland that appear in the midsts once every one hundred years. Of course he falls in love with Fiona (Cyd Charise)...and well - rent it!! I really believe somewhere in the mists of Scotland love does conquer all!
2. The Wizard of Oz - a girl, magic and ruby red shoes..what more can you want?
3. Miracle on 34th Street - the original one.  I guess everything I love has a bit of magical thinking to it.  But isn't that what movies should do? They're supposed to take you away and transport you...

So what's your favorite movies? 

Day 4 of the 10 day Challenge

Four books...

1. Illusions by Richard Bach is my all time favorite book.  Reading it my freshman year in college changed my life and my perspective. 
2. A Course in Miracles - it's actually a set of three books - a text, a workbook for students (365 lessons) and a manual for teachers.  It's probably not what you think - but again -it was  life-changing for me.
3. Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People.  One of the best books ever written.  I always say that his human relations principles were nothing new and not rocket science (hmmm we've all heard "smile" before)  but he was unique in that he put them all together in one place and packaged them well. 
4. Conversations With God - the whole series was sooo fascinating.  What if ... just awesome.  And I listened to them on tape so it was both a male and female voice alternating.  Loved those books. 

What books do you love?  

Day 5 of the 10 day Challenge

Five foods - I supposed there are other foods in the world besides chocolate huh?

1. Is it any surprise... yes I love all Chocolate! Truffles so amazing and rich that the taste lingers on your tongue, hot cocoa that feels like it swirls in your mouth, fudge that you eat with a cold glass of milk...you name it -chocolate!  Just don't ruin it with fruit, or coconut or glazes - I'm a purist!
2. Cheese - I love most cheeses - even stinky cheeses!  I don't think I've found too many I don't like.
3. Steak - Yum! Medium-rare please.  I love Morton's Steak House Filet that literally cuts with a butter knife -oooohhh!
4. Vanilla Creme Brulee - ok I know -odd for a chocolate gal to have vanilla on the list - but a really well made creme brulee can almost make you forget about chocolate...almost....
5. Lobster bisque - I search for the best lobster bisque and order it where ever I go.  It has to be thick but not heavy, and have just the right balance of cream and sherry and a hint of pepper.  Some of the best I've had is at Legal Sea Foods or Morton's Steak House. 

What's your food favs?

Day 6 of the 10 Day Challenge

Six places... not sure if it's places I've been or want to go or what, but I'll make my own rules :-). 

1. The highlands of Scotland.  I believe in Brigadoon and I'm a hopeful romantic.  Someday I want to go to the highlands of Scotland, and see the heather on the hill. 
2. The Kingdom Of Wisdom from The Phantom Tollbooth.  Although I enjoy Harry Potter and am transformed by Hogwarts like today's kids, I grew up reading different books and this was one!  The places this took me to: Dictionopolis, the Mountains of Ignorance and more, helped me grow and learn.
3. The Emerald City - Oz - who wouldn't want to go there?
4. Greece - all I can think of is Blue and White and amazing history!
5. Stonehenge - what a fascinating place  it seems to be - how did those stones get there?
6. While I don't want to go to this place too early - unless I could visit and come back - Heaven.  Wouldn't it be awesome to know what it's really like to be there? 

How about you?  What are your places? 

Day 7 of the 10 day Challenge

Seven wants...wow I never thought past 3 magic wishes!

1. I want to enjoy exercise - everyone talks about how great they feel when they are done and how I should love it, but no matter what I do (walk, run, elliptical, bike, even dance) when I am done I'm exhausted, ready for a nap, and in pain!  I want to have that "high" and great feeling everyone has so that I "want" to exercise, cuz I really don't enjoy it.  OK I love dance - but even that causes me pain and I'm soooo tired when I'm done - never energized like people say. 
2. I want to like healthy food.  It would be so great to order like a normal person in a restaurant - eat veggies, eat balanced meals.  I'd love to eat fruit and have healthy snacks.  But I literally gag on that stuff.  
3. I want my hair extensions back!  For years I did Great Lengths and then SoCap hair extensions and loved them!  I enjoy having long hair - granted it took longer to get ready, but I felt better about how I looked and I think it made me look younger.  They are too expensive though, and my hair is soooo baby fine that I can't do clip in extensions even if I tease it.  So I have short hair now. 
4. I want to find someone to share my life with.  It really is a "want" not a "need". I am OK on my own - I am very independent and self-sufficient.  It would be nice to find a man who can, communicate, is intelligent, who understands life and love and who can love me for who I am and not feel he has to be "needed" but is happy to be "wanted". 
5. I want "enough" money so I don't have to worry.  I don't have a number for that - maybe that's my problem is I can't quantify it - but it isn't a number.  I just want enough - to pay my bills, to dance, to pick up the dinner tab when I'm out with friends, to do for others, to not have to ask myself if I can afford something if I want it.  Whatever that number is - that's it - just enough.
6. I want knowledge and books.  Knowledge comes in lots of ways - from people, from the internet, from animals, from experience, I love to learn and never want to stop learning.  A dear friend once said to you "you are either green and growing or ripe and rotting".  I want to stay green and growing. Books (traditional and audio) are a way to gain grow and learn and be entertained and transformed.  When I don't have time to read, I listen to audio books - I want to always have books in my life. 
7. I want that ever elusive pair of incredibly gorgeous heels that fit my feet like a glove, that I can walk in for hours comfortably, easily and without pain, and that go with every outfit.  <sigh>

What do you want?  

Day 8 of the 10 day Challenge

Eight Fears... hmmmm

1. Spiders and crawly things... yuck!
2. Scary movies - I don't understand paying to be frightened!
3. The dark - yes I still have at least one light on at night.
4. Revolving doors - OK I know it sounds silly but I've gotten stuck in them more than once! 
5. Trains -they are much tougher to get right than airplanes - at a busy train station you only have a minute or two to figure out what track to run to and get on the right train and although someone is supposed to check your ticket, I've ended up on the wrong train! I can laugh at it now and call it an adventure - but I admit I'm afraid to travel on them alone.
6. Failure -sometimes I won't try something because failing is too scary.
7. Success - sometimes I won't try something because succeeding is too scary...hmmm starting to see a pattern here...
8. Rejection  - like me.. me please..

So tell me - what are you afraid of? 

Day 9 of the 10 day Challenge

Time for Nine Loves- as promised, these will be a bit lighter!

1.  Shoes.. do I even have to say that? High heels, flats, you name it I love'em.
2. Chocolate....even though I can't have it anymore, I still love it.  I gave it up because I don't have an off switch- literally, I start and never stop - so I gave it up.  But I love it so much I dream about it!
3. My dogs: Morgie is 12 partially blind, has arthritis, and is afraid the water monster lives in her water bowl, but she is the sweetest old gal! Lacey is 7 and lazy; she prefers to be put on a red wagon and taken for a ride instead of walked! Sadie is just about to turn 2 and she loves shoes as much as I do; in fact when I first got her she ate one of my coveted Louboutins! Good thing she is adorable!
4. Ballroom dancing - I've never worked so hard at something to be mediocre in my life - and I love every second of it!
5. My sister-she inspires me, makes me laugh, keeps me grounded and makes me a better person.
6. My friends - I am blessed with people in my life who are there for me; thank you!
7. Fall - there is something magical about that moment when a leaf that changes color drops off a tree and floats to the ground and the air is cool and crisp...mmmmm.
8. A hot cup of tea (I'm a Salada gal) in a great big cup.
9. Musicals - especially the old ones!

So what about you?  What are your loves? Leave me a note!

10 Day "You" Challenge: Day 10

As I was doing a blog hop, I came across this 10 Day You Challenge at Spilled Milkshake; and really enjoyed getting to know her.  She came across this post by Dayna of Great Beauty Buys who got the idea from Mom-A-Logues and Laura at Cocoons 2 Butterflies, so it seems it is spreading. While I don't know all these ladies (I should say "yet" as I plan to go back and read their 10 day challenges). 

I thought this was an awesome way to get to know each other better! So I'm going to do it - starting with 10 and working my way back.  I might not post every day but I'll add it to the topics so you can find them if you want.  If you decide to participate, leave a comment with your blog so I can get to know you too!

1. I love my heels but my feet really hurt when I wear them - I suffer for "beauty".
2. I'm a pharmacist by training but I don't want to work as one because the fear of making a mistake (a med error) that could hurt or kill someone freaks me out!
3. I feel like I'm a big imposter and one day, someone will look "behind the curtain" and see that I'm not "as good", "as smart", or "enough of" anything people think I am - and then everything will fall apart.
4. I've never felt pretty.
5. My dad died when I was 14, and I miss him - I hope he's proud of me.
6. I've had some amazing ideas in the past (such as Preggo Products - a line of inexpensive humorous novelty gifts for pregnant women) but I wasn't able to bring them to market and later saw "less than" versions done by others.  I regret letting go, and I'm so afraid the same thing could happen with If The Shoe Doesn't Fit if I can't make it successful.
7. I was hit by a truck walking across the street with my dog in 1989 and essentially had to learn to walk and talk again.
8. I've had 6 dogs (3 beautiful golden retrievers now) and love them all.  My first dog, Suddy, a golden, was special; she was with me when I had my accident and all during my recovery.  She was more human than dog.  I lost her in 2000 and I still miss her every day.
9. I'm envious of my friends who are such awesome dancers - I love ballroom dancing and work soooo hard at it - but I dance from my head and wish I knew how to dance from my heart like they do.  I really want to.
10. I care what people think; I want them to like me.  I'm working on getting to a place where I can let that go - but I've spent my life as a people pleaser and it's a hard thing to break.  

Ok - so brutally honest and a little more serious than I planned - but hey - you'll get to know me.  I'll keep a lot of the others lighter.  I think the topics lend themselves to different material.  But 10 real secrets - well - if it was the fluff stuff everyone knew, it wouldn't be  a secret now would it...


~Ellen