ho Ho ho

Can you all even believe that Christmas is pretty much NEXT WEEK???? EEEEK!!! I am truly not ready with my shopping (thanks snow storms.) I also am feeling rather sad because I feel like I haven't even had time to sit down and enjoy the Christmas season. I haven't really been playing any christmasy tunes, I didn't help mom decorate the tree and I clearly haven't been doing much wrapping. I also have yet to watch It's a wonderful life, and the christmas story. I did however just finish a "christmas story" by walley lamb- FUNNY BOOK!

Life has been nuts as always what would I be if it weren't? :) My little brother has mono and is sick as a dog, yet continues to go out and play with friends on wild crazy weekend get a way's causing me to think about him and pray for him all day. I hope he graduates from highschool at the rate he's going... lol YIKES

I'm working reeeaallllyy late tonight- yep, another emotional Sat/Sun- I love when I wake up at 5:30 and don't get to go to bed until 4 am the next day. But this is the time in life to work these crazy long day's and nights. It will all be groovy once I'm living in my very own house.

I'm going Christmas shopping with m-bear tomorrow after church. I have already informed her that I might be a crabby patty due to lack of sleep. But at least I will get all my shopping taken care of. :) I pray for blessings blessings blessings.

I got to see bry tonight for a very brief half an hour. I sure do cherish the small amounts of time that we get together. Seriously sometimes it's hard to get through the week knowing that Sunday's are my only time with him. That is why I usually opt to do NOTHING on Sunday's, I hate giving up my time with him. However tomorrow M needs me. :)

I am going to go ahead and give a shout out to Taylor the great over at:

http://taylorangulo.blogspot.com/2010/12/tis-season.html

She went ahead and mentioned some pretty wonderful things in her blog that I consider worth reading about... :)))

Love you all, and happy shopping to all in my very same position-

T

Follow up, as promised.

SINUS INFECTION. But of course, because how could I possibly make it through the beginning of a month without one? YUCK, I am SO glad that I already have my app scheduled for the ENT next week so that by the time I am done with this medicine he will be able to start me in which ever direction I need to be started in.

Ok, New topic. SOOO Bryan and I are most likely going to be getting engaged pretty soon and up until last week I had decided that I wasn't going to plan ANYTHING until it was official, as in RING ON FINGER. However we have already decided the month of next year that we want to get married in and it has been stressing me out sticking to my plan. I feel like there is SOOOO much to do and I have less than a year to do it all in. I don't know up from down when it comes to planning all of this stuff. We don't even know who we want to be in our wedding, or who we want to attend it, let alone where it's going to be or what stupid colors to require. AH. Truly, deep down I do semi care about the little things, I just know that they are going to stress me out more than ANYTHING (they already are) so I like to pretend that I don't care so that I won't feel the need to FREAK. I need to find a cheap wedding planner, heck, I need to find a cheap everything. The two big things I care about are my ring and my dress, and I'm hoping the dress won't cost me my first born child, the ring I don't have much control over (I do have a "little" control though lol.) I need lists of people to contact, sites to visit and shops to tour. Any planning idea's would be LOVELY. I am excited to get past all of this stuff so that I can finally just start my life with him. No more once a week face to face dates. I can't wait. :)

Ok- off to bed I go I need all the rest I can get and not a whole lot of time to get it!

Ciao-

Thee art of being sick.

Ive clearly got that one down, so I would like to learn the art of being WELL. Before I start in on all the things that I going wrong lol I would like to inform you of all the things that I thought I was doing RIGHT! I started taking a powder multi-vitamin, and a powder vitamin D. I have been downing the little packets of emergency C in between my clients and I have managed to escape the complete version of the stomach flu that has been getting everyone at work pretty good. However with all the the mind over matter crap, here I am sitting in my bed writing this blog.
 I am home sick from work today on one of the most excited over days this company seems to have. THE CHRISTMAS PARTY. Don't worry, I have already purchased my AMAZING $20.00 gift, wrapped it in pretty lime green wrapping paper (I HATE wrapping presents,) and stuck a big pink bow on top. Looks as though I might be keeping my very own wonderful secret Christmas present. I tried for over and hour to make an app with the doc today and every time I called the phone system just kicked me right off and said they were having difficulty and to try back later. well my consistency has paid off because I have landed myself a 2:45 with a random doctor. At least i'm not driving to still-water's Min clinic which was my back up plan. My ears are throbbing and it sounds like I have huge jets flying over my head constantly. When that happened in October I ended up having a double ear infection. Cool ha? I REAAAALLLY wanted to hold off going to the doc over this one because I have an app with the ENT next Wednesday. I feel that there has to be SOMETHING they can do to fix me, it genuinely is NOT normal for someone to have either a sinus or and ear infection every single month in the winter. The only genuine concern I have is that (and I don't even know if this is a possibility,) it might be my teeth causing a lot of these problems. I know I have a cracked tooth and a couple cavities, but I won't have dental for another 3 months. I am just crossing my fingers and praying that A, it's not the integrity of my teeth, and B, that the specialist can EASILY fix me! Yesterday's events royally stressed me out and this morning I couldn't even lift my silly little head off the pillow, and can anyone tell me how I mysteriously cut the inside of my lower lip and gum????

Jen Jen is home for the weekend and I am pretty excited to see her in only for an hour or so on Sunday. I also have Luie and Sarah to look forward to on Sat, after and before work, as well as knowing that my comforting bear will be there to throw his arms around me. I am SO ready for these next few day's to be over.

On that note I will wrap this puppy up, and because I know you guy's care SOOOOOO much about my well being, I will let you know what Mr. Docky bear say's.

peace oooouuuuuutttt!!!!!

oh and CONGRATULATION'S MATT ZIOLKOWSKI, YOU DID IT!!!!! One of Winona's finest right there! :)

12/1/2010

First of all I would like to shout at the top of my lungs a GIANT happy birthday to my best friend Christina joy dittrich.
Second of all I would like everyone reading this to acknowledge the fact that I am typing this on my I touch and will most likely have many sp errors. HA.
I'm sorry I haven't written anything much in quite a while. I've been busy this Is true, but the real reason is that whenever I sit down to write I get overwhelmed with how much I could write about that I just decide not to write anything af all. This blog will most likely be short and sweet, because let's face it, who wants to blog from their I touch?

Life has been good, rocky, but epiphany filled and really good none the less.

I am most excited for tomorrow. It will be the first day off that I have that is not devoted to my lovers, but strictly to me and my sanity. I will finally clean my room, get my laundry done, get my hair trimmed, perhaps try out a tanning bed. Pretty much I will indulge in all the things the past few months have not allowed me to do. Lino lakes I am happy to spend the day with you old friend.

On that note I will leave you, I know it's not much, but I forewarned you in the beginning.

Love you.

long time no talk.

Hey friends, it sure has been a while. SO SORRY. Ha. :)

Yeah sooo that whole week of being sick has of course trickled its course and dragged itself on. My fun sinus infection has turned itself into a fun double ear infection. As my "sister" Jen has commented, "when it rains it pours."

So that being said, I missed out on a fun night out with my best friend and her husband. lol we had a little din din at their house, but had to cancel our fun plans in DT still for the night. My night in shining armor took me to rent red box movies and we spent the rest of the night snuggled up. HUMPH.

Honestly, aside from me not feeling the greatest, today was absolutely beautiful. Truly how did we get a Halloween with no snow and 50 degrees? Sunshine sunshine sunshine.

I would like to give Taylor swifts new album a shout out. I LOOOOOVE IT. While we are on the subject of T, I accidentally spent $10 on a stupid US magazine all about her today. I needed something to read at the gym and I saw her face on US (anytime I see a mag with T-swift or L- conrad, well, I just can't resist) so I grabbed it and  had bry use my card to purchase it while i ran a quick last minuet errand. WELL WELL WELL, little did I know it wasn't the typical $2 mag. Got me good T-SWIFT, got me REEAALLL good. Needless to say, this magazine will go on my book shelf as if it were an actual book...I spend less on my books via amazon. WHAT A JOKE.


I would next like to give my old friend @ http://jmerry2010.blogspot.com/ a quick shout out. HURRAY FOR YOUR NEW ADVENTURE IN LIFE. Good luck in all that you do, couldn't be more excited for your new start. I hope it turns into everything you had ever dreamed it to be. ADVENTURE!!!

Oh and as a quick insert that should have gone with the paragraph before the last one, I went to the gym today for the first time in a looong long time! I only worked off 400 calories in 40 min..you do the math as to how hard I actually worked out... ;)

Alright, that's all I've got for you. I must get home so I can hand out candy to all the little trick or treaters.


LOVE!

Time management

Ok- I have yet to read through this entire thing...even though it's hardly long. I'm just exhausted. However I will post it for all of you to read through in case it might inspire, and I will read and be inspired later. Enjoy :)

http://www.timemanagementhelp.com/strategies.htm

Time Management Strategies

Building time management strategies is similar to planning a budget. Just as the goal of a budget is to put you in control of your money, your goal in time management is to regain control of your time. The first step in forming time management strategies is to analyze how you spend your time.For one week, list everything you do and the approximate time it takes. At the end of the week, you’ll see how you “spent” your time. Now you’re ready to begin planning. Humans are creatures of habit and chances are you’ll find you adhere to some sort of daily routine.
Examine your routine and determine where you can make changes. Include all of your daily tasks, scheduling them at their usual times and allowing ample time to complete them. If you’re normally five minutes late, schedule your time so that you are able to leave ten minutes earlier. At first, this may mean starting your day 15 minutes earlier, but effective time management strategies soon put you back in control of time that used to fall through the cracks.
Frequently time management brings a picture to mind of a daily planner with every minute plotted from the time your alarm clock sounds until the time you crawl into bed. However, time management experts suggest that you planning only 50% of your time leaves you time to relax as well as time to cope with the unexpected.
Create a To Do List
After you’ve analyzed your time, begin planning by creating a To Do List for tomorrow. Divide the list into classes.

1. Today’s schedule or high priority activities that you must complete today. Be sure to include personal appointments and social obligations like doctor’s appointments. Just as important are activities like promised family outings or playtimes with children.
2. Projects with a deadline beyond today (tomorrow, this week, this month, etc.)
3. When I get around to it. (i.e. clean out the garage, the closets)

Your first inclination may be to put all small projects in the first category, but remember the first part of your list is for things you need to accomplish. You’ll also optimize your time by including some small projects in number two or number three. Secondly, prioritize each of the three sections of your To Do List, listing items first by deadline (e.g. needs to be done in the a.m, p.m. or exact time or date). List Class 3 projects by their order of importance.Class 1: Today’s Schedule
Start planning your day using your routine as a guide. Pencil in times for Class 1 projects, making sure you give each one a generous block of time. If you estimate a job will take 15 minutes, give yourself half an hour to complete it. If you estimate it will take an hour, give yourself an hour and a half. If “today’s projects” are few, fill in the rest of your day with Class 2 projects. Be flexible. As you work through your daily plan, if you finish a task ahead of schedule, either move on to your next scheduled task or work on part of an unscheduled Class 2 project. If a routine break is the next thing on your schedule, reward yourself with an early break, still allowing only the normal amount of time to give yourself an early start on your next task. Also, take advantage of multi-task opportunities. Work on a page of Friday’s report while today’s report is printing. Refill your coffee cup when you pick up the fax from the office fax machine. Fold a load of laundry while the potatoes are boiling. When new things “crop up”, either put them in a free block of time or add them to part two or part three of your list. Also, remember to leave 10 or 15 minutes at the end of your schedule to make your To Do List for tomorrow.
Class 2: Projects With a Deadline
Whenever possible, split up projects with a deadline. For instance, laundry needs to be done this week, but you can divide it into loads and finish it over several days. At work, long reports can be broken into pages. If you finish a task from today’s schedule with time to spare, use the “extra time” to complete part of a Class 2 project. Throw tonight’s load of laundry into the washer or work on a page of the report that’s due on Friday. Cross off any parts of finished projects to avoid repetition and to help you see what you have accomplished as well as to stay focused on what you have left to do.
Class 3: When I Get A Round To-It
As you did with Projects With a Deadline, divide larger projects into smaller tasks whenever you can. For instance, you might want to detail the inside of your vehicle. Washing windows, cleaning the steering wheel, console, dash, upholstery and carpets can all be done separately. At first you may find “round to-its” are a rare breed. In that case, you may want to schedule a Class 3 project or part of one into your day. However, as you become more organized, you’ll be hanging “round to-its” on the wall like trophies, especially if you take advantage or our Time Management Tips.

New slate

Today was quite the emotional roller coaster of day's. I spent over half the day bawling my eyes out surrounded by family at Great grammies funeral, and i spent the other half of the day laughing with them. True bitter sweet-ness. As awful as this sounds, (or maybe it doesn't) I am really glad that it is all finally over. I am glad that it's over for her, and for us. Grammie was so sick and now I know without a shadow of a doubt that she is up in heaven, and finally at peace. And we can all stop holding our breath for when her time was going to come. We wept together today as a family, said our prayers, spoke of her life and of her death, she is finally at peace. I will continue to pray for my family though as she left behind 4 broken hearted children, multiple grandchildren and that many more great grand children. Everyone grieves differently, I just pray that everyone grieves "health-fully."

I did a HUGE camera clean out this evening at Walmart, and let me tell you..."I HATE THEIR NEW SET UP." yes, I quoted myself, that is how passionately I HATE it. I LOVE the kodak kiosk deals where you put your little chip in and go to town with editing and all that jazz. Walmart updated their little picture kiosk's, and they all look super cool, new and fancy, however, THEY SUCK. You have to press SOOOO hard on the screens to get them to work, your editing options are VERY limited, and it takes FOREVER to do anything. :( What was supposed to be a 20 minuet trip (as I was emotionally and physically exhausted from today) turned into over an hour and a half. :( BOOO Next time I do my clean out i'll be heading strait to Target. My bad.

I got both my phone case and my ring in the mail today.

1- LOVE my phone case. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!
2- HATE the ring. HATE HATE HATE IT! there were 4 beads that were broken off of it when I received it, and honestly, it is sooooo UGLY, I would NEVER wear it anyway. lol maybe I shouldn't be soooo harsh towards it, I could just simply say it's not my taste. Or I could give the stupid ring the benefit of the doubt and think that maybe if those 4 beads had not been broken, it would have been cute. Doubtful, however, I am going to keep it because I can take it apart and make something I think brilliant out of it. :)

Any-whoo, I get to go back to work tomorrow (YAAAAAAY) and I so desperately need to get some sleep, so I will leave you with this...

It is Mr. Bry Fred's BIRTHDAY TODAY...the big 22, YAHOOOO!!! So in love with him.

nighty night friends, adore you.

getting better?

WHATS THAT???

This whole "being sick" thing has REALLY started to irk me. Every day I wake up and I think "today's ganna be the day that everything starts to click back into place." HA. Still waiting. My poor head/face is in SO much pain. YUCK! I just want to be myself again!!! :( Why do sicknesses feel the need to stick around for half a month? Truly RIDICULOUS.

Lol...and that's all i'm going to rant about today. I'm spending some time with my pup, than i'm off to work for the evening!


ciao-

New necklace.

I haven't put this baby up on Etsy yet, but I'm sure it will be there by next week. :) I post the link when I do.

online merch and other brainwashing issues

I am having a problem. Literally, I am, an online shopping problem. I can't seem to get away from it, ALL OF A SUDDEN. It's like, I discovered "Ru La La," and everything took its down hill course from there. Why is it that every night, right before I go to sleep I allow myself to just "browse" the daily boutiques going on. I also tell myself I can't buy anything and that I'm just window shopping. Well of course one thing leads to another and here I am waiting for 3 different packages to come in the mail. I AM SAVING TO BUY A HOUSE, not a new wardrobe. What the heck is wrong with me. I am soooo easily brain washed. I am truly the perfect market for online advertisements, or any advertisements for that matter. If I see someone walking down the street with a snickers bar, I think to myself I NEED to have a snickers, and I won't stop until I am at the checkout purchasing that stupid candy bar.
Last night, I was reading through the Ru La La blog, and it mentioned that everyone needed to have a chunky grey ring for this coming season. So I of course went onto etsy in search of a chunky grey ring (because I clearly don't have enough chunky rings as is.) Does anyone thing I purchased a chunky grey ring? NO...I walked away purchasing a chunky WEIRD looking green ring. WHY???? I didn't need this ring, don't even know that it will be cute when I get it, I just did it because, well, the opportunity was sitting in front of me and the "purchase" button just looked so inviting.
I also have a purple zebra face phone case on its way, and a LARGE package (hopefully arriving tomorrow) from forever 21 en route.
And to really place that cherry right smack on top- I have been out sick from work for an entire week...HOW THE HECK DO I THINK I CAN JUST SPEND SPEND SPEND??? Insert online shopping addict "defeated" face. I need some serious reinforcement here. ANY SUGGESTIONS???

On a much lighter note, I FINALLY signed up @ mint.com and started the whole budget attempt, which see above rant, it isn't going the greatest. But truly, it is one of the coolest tools I think I have ever seen on the internet. I really think that once I get the hang of things it is going to ROYALLY help me. And now if I can just get Mr. crazy pants (Bryan) into his bank to set up his online banking, our lives in general could be a LOT easier to work with. PHEW that felt intense to me.

Speaking of intense, this week has been that times 10 (at the least.) Did I mention how sick I have been...SICK SICK SICK, and Ive been seeing through the bars on my quarantined house that it has been GORGEOUS outside. :( "YO Tif's immune system, WAY TO BLOW IT!!!!"

Also Great Grandma Mae past away yesterday morning at the beautiful age of 91. It is a bitter sweet time as I rejoice that she is with Jesus now, and no longer suffering down here. However, I am so very sad for the family that is left feeling empty. Death truly causes you to reflect on life. On the things that matter most, and the things that really don't matter at all. She was such an amazing women, I have heard many stories from her own mouth, and from others about the things that she had overcome. She grew up during the great depression, lived through WWI and WWII. Lived through the death of a first husband, and a second. She was such a brave, determined, amazing, kind hearted lady. The lord sure was gracious to bring her as far as he did. I will never forget her beautiful face. Thursday will be the funeral. I think I might come undone at some point, but it truly is a part of living. We all are given but one chance to live, to breath, to make the most of every minuet. To bless, to touch, to pray, to encourage, to be encouraged. So here's to living life to the fullest, and taking every moment as it comes. God will never give us more than we can handle- he promises.

I hope you all have a WONDERFUL week.

sincerely,

a broke (but highly fashioned) little girl.

My favorite products right now. :)

Yes, sorry Aveda, I think I've moved on. 

My favorite shampoo and conditioner right now is the Ficocello's argan stuff. IT IS SOOOOO MOISTURE FILLED, it's CRAZY! It just came out last month though, so there is no picture for the duo as of yet.

I am in LOVE with Moroccan oil: It protects my hair and makes it smell SO YUMMY!

Sebastion whipped cream: It Truly is amazing, if youve never used it, you should look it up on line and read about it.

The ficocello's rootbooster:

And Sebastion's Re-shaper hair spray! They are normally a little over $20 in the Salon, and currently they have like 7 cans left on Sale for $14 at the training center. SUCH A GREAT DEAL!

I have many other favorites that I like to use on my Clients, but these above are my favorites for my hair right now!!! :)

Enjoy!!

"Friendship Divorce"

So this entire post is SUPER random. I attempted to type in "google" and accidentally stumbled on this "goop" site. I know, WEIRD. However, I have not put much research into it, but after clicking around a couple times, I ran across this really interesting piece titled "friendship divorce. "

The site is: www.goop.com  - again, not sure exactly what it is, but it looks worth checking out.

My favorite quote from this article: "In essence, our friends are the life-affirming fountain from which we drink. Good friends fill us up with warmth, honesty and a sense of well-being. If you feel drained, empty, belittled and insulted by a friend you should acknowledge that this is diminishing your life experience and not enhancing it. In this case, I would move away from this person, honor whatever good you did get from them in the past, and move toward those friends in life that only want to help light your way!"

The article can be found at: http://goop.com/newsletter/71/en/

I'll post it as well though so you don't necessarily need to click on the link!

ENJOY. 

Friendship Divorce “What do you do when you realize that although you may have years of history, and found real value in each other in times past, that you kind of don't like a friend anymore? That, after time spent with this person, you feel drained, empty, belittled or insulted. My father always used to tell me that, ‘you can't make new old friends.’ How do you distinguish if someone in your life makes you change for the better or if you are better off without them?” Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel replies: I appreciate the wisdom in this statement, “We can’t make new old friends.” There is something noble about honoring our history with others. In the context of your question, it also opens a door to an even deeper inquiry: “What does it mean to be a friend?” and “What is our responsibility to others?” I was wandering around the city today. I enjoy interacting with everyone I meet. People are often much easier to be around when we don’t have history with them – it’s fresh. And this made me wonder... It seems that the people with whom we share a history we often have a lot of unspoken agreements with. We have agreements that we will stay the same and uphold certain dynamics that are comfortable for us – that make us feel secure. Such agreements can be insidious; we may not even notice them. We may, for example, share in our relationship a subtle agreement that “Life is hard,” or that “We are the only ones that understand”; or we may agree to share a common enemy. We may hook up with a high school friend on the Internet and agree to relate to them in the same way we did twenty years ago, even though we’ve grown up, have a family, and see the world in a completely different way now. Sometimes in relationships, we agree to deny that something unhealthy is going on, such as substance abuse or illness. Sometimes we agree to take on certain roles in a relationship such as being “the boss,” “the victim,” or “the strong one.” And as part of the dynamic we may have an unspoken agreement to take responsibility for the emotional life of another in a way that is crippling for them — that prevents them from finding emotional independence. Such agreements are challenged when one person starts to change and move ahead in life. The important thing to recognize about agreements is that it takes more than one person to make one. If we see that an agreement is not serving our well-being and the well-being of our friend, it is intelligent to break it... and it is possible to break an agreement without abandoning the friendship. In fact, it is an act of courage and kindness to ourselves and to our friend. We are all looking for well-being and happiness in life. So the purpose of friendship is to support and be supported in our search for well-being and happiness. Breaking unhealthy agreements challenges our tendency to withdraw into habitual ways of being that sabotage this intention. At the same time, breaking unhealthy agreements awakens our longing to grow and experience a sense of wonderment about ourselves and the world. There are many ways of being in relationship and this is an opportunity to learn something new. Of course, there is always a chance our friend may not be interested in working on the relationship with you. That is their choice. But this doesn’t mean we can’t remain faithful to our friend; it doesn’t mean that we have to give up our care for them or our wish for their well-being. There is no need to abandon them. In fact, as citizens of the human race, isn’t it our responsibility to never abandon anyone? If we live with clarity and integrity, how could it conflict with the well-being of others? Our relationship to others has everything to do with the relationship we have with ourselves, as well as the clarity of our vision. In a larger sense, cultivating love and care for all living beings is the only way to live with integrity and purpose. Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel is the author of the upcoming book, “The Power of an Open Question” (Shambhala Publications). Dr. Karen Binder-Byrnes replies: Friendship is one of the most enduring and wonderful gifts of being alive. Friendship is universal in humanity. Young children start friendships with the sharing of curiosities, toys and laughter. As we grow, some friendships develop with us for a lifetime providing companionship, support, and love for each other’s beings. I believe that friendship, throughout our lives, serves as a mirror of our very essence. The love, laughter and concern we share with friends gives us a sense of self which can sometimes be thwarted within our family relations. Our friends become our historians, secret keepers and comrades on life’s journey. In the years I have worked as a therapist, the friends of my patients have filled my practice space with their presence as fierce defenders, continual cheerleaders and often lifesavers. The question this week deals with why friendships change and even sometimes end after long periods of time. We have probably all had friends in our lives who were so involved with us during certain periods that the thought of that person no longer being around seems impossible. However, just like many other human relationships, friendships are quite complicated and can be fraught with conflict and tension at times. There are countless reasons why even some of the more enduring friendships come apart at the seams. On the most basic level, friendships can change when two people grow apart from each other. This can happen when friends meet and get close during certain periods of their lives because they are sharing common experiences together. This may include growing up in the same area, going to school together, being on sports teams etc. As we grow and mature, friends that once “fit” no longer do and we move on. Hopefully, this change occurs slowly and naturally over time and without much stress attached. Proximity is also very important in creating and maintaining close connections with friends. Sometimes, physical distance creates a wedge between friends. The more painful termination of friendships has to do with more complex psychological and emotional issues and are often fraught with anxiety and great distress. Friendships that last a lifetime are those in which the balance between give and take, honesty and support, and a genuine desire for our friend’s well-being are paramount. Unfortunately, as in all human relations, this balance can sometimes shift and no longer benefit one or the other in the relationship. For example, a friendship can go along smoothly until one half of the pair comes into some circumstance where social or financial status shifts. How two friends deal with the change of fortune for one or the other is a delicate mission. Here jealousy, envy and insecurities may arise creating tension where none existed before. As we go through life, we realize that some friends are always there when things go wrong for us but cannot stand it when our luck changes for the better. Likewise, some friendships cannot tolerate the loss of status, position or standing of the friend. Sadly, sometimes friendships are harmed when others in the friend’s life such as spouse, other friends etc., create tension. A more deeply held psychological construct is that of who we pick in the first place to be our friends. Until we become psychologically aware and more evolved, we may pick the wrong people to befriend as a way of working out unresolved interpersonal issues from our pasts. As we become more emotionally healthy, those friendships will no longer be tolerable. For example, when one has low self-esteem, they may pick critical friends as a way of reinforcing their negative self-view. However, if one grows more confident, this dynamic may no longer be acceptable. In essence, our friends are the life-affirming fountain from which we drink. Good friends fill us up with warmth, honesty and a sense of well-being. If you feel drained, empty, belittled and insulted by a friend you should acknowledge that this is diminishing your life experience and not enhancing it. In this case, I would move away from this person, honor whatever good you did get from them in the past, and move toward those friends in life that only want to help light your way! Thank you. Dr. Karen Binder-Brynes is a leading psychologist with a private practice in New York City for the past 15 years. See her website, DrKarennyc.com, for more information. Cynthia Bourgeault replies: “Old friends” and “true friends” are not necessarily identical. Old friends have stood the test of time; true friends are timeless. True friends may have been in your life since your childhood or they may have shown up only yesterday, but it’s from the quality of the heart that you know them, not the number of years you’ve logged together. Most friendships are situational, though we don’t like to admit it. They spring up in the ground of common interests and/or common circumstances. Your “mommy group,” yoga friends, work associates — and going back in time, college roommates, high school teammates and even childhood chums — are all examples of situational friendships. Within these enclaves, we may feel closer to some folks than to others. But as our circumstances change or our life’s journey takes us in separate directions, the common ground begins to fade, and maintaining the connection takes more and more energy — sometimes, just too much energy! That’s nothing to beat yourself up about: situational friendships aren’t “fake,” they’re just “not forever.” Sometimes it’s not only okay but downright healthy to move on. If you’ve just entered recovery, for example, or decided to shed those unwanted pounds by committing to a healthy lifestyle, your old drinking buddies may no longer be the best companions for you. People who embark on a spiritual practice like yoga, meditation, or contemplative prayer regularly report “losing a whole set of old friends and gaining a whole set of new ones.” Couples who suddenly become parents find themselves drifting away from their “swinging singles” friends, while sadly, couples who divorce will frequently find themselves “divorced” from their still-happily-married friends as well. While this can be painful, as all loss of intimacy is, it becomes psychologically corrosive only when you also have to fight your expectation that it shouldn’t be this way. Nobody has failed; it’s just life doing its thing. Still, true friends do exist, miraculously hidden amongst all the situational flux. How do you recognize them? Usually they reveal themselves only after the situation itself has changed. And the results can be surprising: sometimes the people who remain in your life and the ones who fall out are not at all what you would have predicted! But these “friends forever,” however they play out in your particular life situation, always seem to share three characteristics: (1) They have a capacity to grow with you (and you with them) through life’s changing circumstances; 2) They are low-maintenance, rarely-to-never imposing themselves or laying expectations on you; and 3) contact with them, when it comes, is never a duty, but always a gift “heart to heart.” Such friends—always a rare and special breed — have an uncanny knack for being able to stay in tune with you emotionally over huge gaps of time and space. Maybe you don’t hear from them for three years — or thirty — but then the phone rings and there they are again, and it’s like picking up as if you never left off. We can’t command the heart, of course. We can’t pre-screen our friends for potential “forever” status, or impose this expectation as a unilateral requirement. But paradoxically, perhaps, the best way to help all our friendships grow wisely and well is to take responsibility for our own aloneness. No friendship can long survive under coercion and demand. If we seek friends because they “feed us,” or hide us from our loneliness or boredom or fear; if we expect them to “be there for us” because we don’t know how to be there for ourselves, then this kind of neediness is eventually going to translate into demand and duty, and on these rocks many friendships founder. The relationship becomes just too fraught with expectations, hidden agendas, and disappointments, and eventually the barrel runs dry. Whenever either party begins to feel, “This friendship is draining me,” it’s a pretty sure tip-off that an iceberg of hidden expectation is lurking beneath the surface — in which both parties, alas, are partially complicit. The more we can take responsibility for our own emotional well-being, the more we can live comfortably in our own skin, the more friendship can become what it is truly meant to be — whether for the whole of our life or just the miracle of the present: the spontaneous overflowing of our uniquely human capacity for intimacy, compassion, and joy. Cynthia Bourgeault is an Episcopal priest, writer and retreat leader. She is founding director of the Aspen Wisdom School in Colorado and principal visiting teacher for the Contemplative Society in Victoria, BC, Canada. Michael Berg replies: What is the purpose of friendship? Obviously there are all kinds of physical reasons for our friendships- we enjoy someone’s company, they are easy to talk to, they make us laugh – but this is not the true purpose. The kabbalists teach that one of the only true choices we make in life is our environment, and the friends we surround ourselves with. This has a tremendous influence on us because everything flows from there. Consider this: you put an apple seed on the table and water it for months. Naturally, if you were to water it for a million years it still wouldn’t grow to become a tree. But if you put it in the ground and watered it, then it would become a tree. The potential for greatness is true in that seed always, but the environment – table vs. ground – makes all the difference. The same is true for people. The spiritual core reason for a friendship is that it can – and is meant to - help us change and grow. Friends are people who call us on our issues, push us to grow, and support us through this process. We can’t overestimate how important good friends are to our growth in life. As a matter of fact, one of the first things written in the Bible in relation humanity is, “it is not good for man to be alone.” We cannot achieve our potential, nor live a life of fulfillment, without great, inspiring friends around us. Therefore, if we choose to be surrounded by friends who are not positive, or who speak ill, then it’s going to be almost impossible not to fall into that type of behavior. We have to appreciate the amount of influence our friends and the environment we create for ourselves truly has on our lives. Once we know and understand how important it is, we have to assess our friendships. Everything else is secondary to the question, “Does he or she help me to become a better person - does he or she push me and help me grow?” Once we make that assessment, then the answer is pretty simple. If we have a friend that makes us feel worthless, hurts us, or doesn’t enable us to grow and actually makes us feel bad, then clearly that’s a friendship and environment we don’t want to subject ourselves to. We have the responsibility to diminish that friendship. Not only isn’t it serving its purpose, it can have a detrimental effect on us. Now, this does not mean it is OK to cut people out of our lives. In fact, the first thing we want to do when we notice a relationship isn’t helping – or is hurting - is to see what we can do to help them in their process. Maybe if we speak to them clearly and forcefully they will change. It is our first responsibility to help our friend become a better person and friend. But, assuming we have done everything we can and the friendship is still no longer serving its purpose, yes, it is our responsibility to diminish that bond. Please note my choice of words: diminish, not cut. My father taught me that if someone has been our friend, they are our friend forever. It doesn’t mean spending 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with them if it makes us feel bad. But it does mean that whenever there is an opportunity to help, we must. If they were once our friend, then they are our friend forever in that regard. Just because we make a decision that this is someone we shouldn’t be spending a lot of time with, it doesn’t mean we must completely tighten the heartstrings. Assess your friendships. If they are supporting you in your growth and change, then cherish them. If they diminish you, then you diminish them. But, once again, a friend is always a friend. Though they may no longer be a constant presence in your life nevertheless if there is an opportunity to help you should, always be open, for true friendship never ends. Michael Berg is a Kabbalah scholar and author. He is co-Director of The Kabbalah Centre, www.kabbalah.com. You can follow Michael on twitter,twitter.com/inspiringchange. His latest book is What God Meant.

Promise revoked.

yep. SORRY. I just haven't found anytime to sit down and "blog." :(

I truly don't even feel like saying much right now, but I thought it was long over due for something, ANYTHING. I think I am just going to list my words tonight. They will NOT make any sense to anyone else under the sun I am sure, but I just have so much going on up in my head that to not write them down would be a crime of sorts I am sure...


Please excuse the mess I'm spilling,
often I bump things over with these gangly limbs.
It's not very rare of me to take minuscule to heart,
I work my feet off and expect loyalty in return.
I think I'll take your pictures down,
tomorrow perhaps,
it's true they make me sad.
Who wants to remember times before they went bad.
Ive got a verse as my background, I could have used that the night "the duck flew at dawn."
Oh wait, I did, and yet here I am waiting for the right to your wrong.
or is it my wrong? I think what matters most is the white noise coming from mutual corners.
Are we still wearing boxing gloves if we cover them in pink and glue feathers to the tops?
They are still going to break through the other side, not matter how they are disguised.

Let me sleep oh sweet stress, please press pause for the night, mutes even better, could we turn out the lights?
Ive become a random dreamer with meanings unknown and yet all things mean something, could your leave me alone? To many questions, I understand now, answers are rarely in the form of a cloud.
So get back dusty water and remain where you stood, I have no use for you here lingering in my blood.
I don't do vindictive, and gossip is wack, there is a line between need to know and a not so subtle "slap."
I am as loyal as they come, you do unto others as you would want "done." Tell the truth. Apologize, it sometimes hurts to look people in the eyes. Put your big girl pants on, admit when your wrong. well meet in the middle and rebuild what was strong. Or, we can not. I'll go on as need be, taking old pictures down replacing them with the new me.
It is what it is, the grandfather sings, and so on with a smile she hides in her wings.


Goodnight friends, It is well past my bedtime and I have a day of errands ahead of me.

Ciao~

In absence

I am SO sorry my darling friends. I have Been SOOOO busy this past couple weeks with my new job and pretty much just life in general. Little by little I am finding time for things again. I have no doubt once my routine is set and my body is used to it, that everything else will "simply" fall into place.

I truly must get to bed, so I have no time to recap any of the special events that have made up my life as of late, however I will take out some time on my next day off and I promise a full report if not an inspiring "how to."


Until than, know that I love you and I will go a head and give a shout out to whomever purchased one of my yellow daisy's off of my etsy site. I had great pleasure shipping it out to you yesterday. ENJOY IT, and for the rest of you, get your booties on over to my site and click the purchase button. No one is complete until they have a NEA ORIGINAL flower clippie to furnish off their ensemble. :)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/NEAoriginals

Here's to everyone having a BEAUTIFUL week!


CIAO

This feeling

How do I put into words everything I think and feel?? I DON'T!!! And it's probably for the best, I in fact think and feel WAAAAYYY to much in my opinion, well maybe not so much the think part as much as the feel part.

Until my boyfriend came a long (and broke me) I never really cared or let myself feel deeply about much that could potentially hurt me. I mean I cared and felt about friends, family and like God and stuff lol, but nothing more than that really.  Than Bryan and I entered into a "relationship," and everything changed. Suddenly I was not only whipped, but I CARED about every little detail that happened between us. Everything seemed to matter, or make a difference one way or another. Now here I sit on a whole new playing field with him. Looking at rings, doing more than just "talking" about marriage and now all of a sudden, my future is no longer just my future, it's become an "OUR." Kind of scary HA??? YEEAAAHH I know, ME TOOOO!!!! But truly amidst all of the "what if's," and the butterflies, I am really really excited. Sometimes the what if's and the butterflies over take me, but to hear him calm my nerves and explain to me over and over how it's us against the world, I find myself overpowered with the feeling of YES, WE CAN DO THIS! I mean, I don't know how all of the little kinks are going to work out, but I do know that they will. I truly do hope and pray for the best, there are a lot of little things unfolding that I never would have been able to call in a million years, but were rolling with the punches (and I do mean punches lol) and I guess the upside to everything is that it's caused us to grow closer instead of further apart.

So how than am I feeling?

I am feeling excited, nervous, overwhelmed, sad (in some aspects in life,) HAPPY, creative, expectant, fulfilled, purpose-full. I am feeling fall outrageous ie pumpkin spice latte's, skarfs, skinny's, boots, chilly park benches, big bags, over night get away's mixed with new and old music. I am constantly feeling inspired as of lately- so much so that I truly do not have enough time or space on my to do list. HMMMM.
I am SO excited for my new job (and currently the nanny jobs I still possess, as we all know, they make my world go round,) I truly feel so blessed every time I step foot into that Salon. I just keep thinking, now how the HECK did I get this?? The opportunities that this season holds seems endless. I just can't wait. I know that with everything in life, comes a rocky road at times, I am preparing myself for that as well, but seriously, I feel like I'm living in a dream! Hope THAT feeling never goes away. :)


I could continue on in the list but lets just say, for the record, that I Tiffany Nicole am FEELING!


There are certain things in life that I refuse to share in a blog, or online in general. I never want to mention names unless they are in an uplifting manor, or if they clearly are from Hollywood and it makes no difference WHAT i say. So everything in my life will never be disclosed for the cyber-world. We save those chats for mom's, and best friends and boy friend's ONLY. You guy's get the good stuff (for the most part.)

and just because I can, I feel the need to let you all hold me accountable. I am making a hopeful statement that I will not cut my bangs or color my hair dark brown for at least another 4 months. Each piece of that statement is a bit iffy because, although I have been making it a goal to grow my bangs out (they used to be like 2 inches long,) they are the first things to go when I need an instant change. ANNNDDD for those of you who know me, I usually only make it through mid october before my hair is dark brown. My goal is to keep it blonde for just a few more months, and than DA DA DAAAAA- to color it my natural color......EEEEEEE haven't seen that in YEARS!




I hope this autumn air is as refreshing to all of you, as it is to me (minus the allergies.) ;)


Thanks for the ears (or eye's,) and until tomorrow (or whenever) CIAO~

My groupon extravaganza

So for any of you who don't know what Groupon is, it is a WONDERFUL site that gives you random daily deals. Every day it is something new, some of them you will like, some of them you won't. If you do like them than you can purchase.

http://www.groupon.com/minneapolis-stpaul/

This one is clearly for the Minneapolis, St. Paul area, but if you arent in that, search for yours. It is Free to sign up for and I have purchased 2 so far.

My first one I purchased back in May, and it was  $20.00 for a week of unlimited "spa" services at planet beach. My second one I purchased last month for Gap- pay $25.00 for $50.00 worth of merch.

I decided to cash in on these this weekend. Yesterday I went to planet beach and started my week long extravaganza. I really was excited hearing about all of their spa like things, but mainly I was pumped to do the mystic tan. This is the palest I have ever been at this time in the season, I really didn't lay out much this summer, and I quit the whole tanning fad well over a year ago. No one wants skin cancer. So I went in to the salon and they set me up for my first day with the hydration station:

which I actually enjoyed for the most part. It is supposed to ex foliate your skin and what not. They only allow it twice with the groupon deal and you have to spread it out 3-4 days, otherwise it will start to take away your bodies natural oils. The only hard things about it was that it was 20 min, I got a little add/claustrophobic laying in that deal for that long. All in all though, I did enjoy it.

Next they had me do my "facial." THAT WAS A JOKE.

  

This thing sits and semi mists at your face for 15 minuets, I felt like I was eating chemicals, and I didn't feel like it did a single thing for my face. PLUS they signed me up to do it and than made me pay and additional $7 something to cover the "mist" stuff they put into it. Definitely will NOT be doing that one again. I also felt like I was at the dentist the whole time..It smelt like it, and it was aimed right at my mouth. YUCK

Than I went ahead and layed in one of their tanning beds. They told me to wait until my next hydration deal to do the mystic or it will come right off.. SO I figure even though I don't like beds, I already payed the $, I mine as well use it up!

Than finally the joke of a massage bed was last.

You lay on this big purple bed, put the head phones on and expect a nice massage. What you get it kind of the opposite. This bed for 20 minuets just pressures hot water up and down your back. There really was nothing relaxing about it for me. I would NEVER pay $ to have a machine give me a massage. I would much rather throw down $45 and head to Aveda for and hour long massage with an actual person. DUMB

Anyway...That really concludes my experience there. I have like 5 day's left, I'll just use them to tan and get my last hydro/mystic out of it. Glad I tried them though, because now I know I HATE THEM!

On to my Gap purchases. I bought two pairs of jeans there today. They are both pretty basic, but they were on sale for $35 each. I got a dark wash Skinny, and a light wash Skinny.

And scary enough, I purchased them both in a size FOUR with the promise that they will stretch. HMMMM! :)

All in all, because I payed $25 for the groupon, plus $20 dollars today, I spent a whopping $45 on 2 pairs of jeans. I think that's a pretty great deal. :)

That concludes my weekends groupon endeavor's. 

Two more things I would like to share with you not affiliated with groupon is on the topic of lipstick.

I purchased two this weekend. One I am in love with, and the other I talked my way into returning.

Maybelline's nearly there 205. I LOVE IT. Cost me $5.00 and it is a wonderful lipstick. I feel it's the perfect fall color, and it's not super dry or clumpy. 

The second one is targets line of NP SET:

I purchased it in Nude. It was $15.00. The color literally looked clear with a hint of sparkle in it. Yes it was super moisturizing but If I want a look like that, I'll go a head and buy a coco butter chapstick NOT for $15.00. 

Anyway, that is enough on retail for today. Hope you are all enjoying your weekends, and this beautiful weather!

Ciao-

This day

I'm still laying in bed, feeling groggy at 10:00. Ridiculous. I have a TON of stuff I "could" get done today, not sure what the outcome will actually be. I'm going back to Aveda today to turn in my test scores. I had fully intended on showering and making myself look nice...now I think a messy bun sounds great and some yoga pants. WOW.

I have a link to share with you. These are not my hair clippies (although I have a teal polka dotted on from DT. Stillwater that looks pretty dang similar,) however I thought they were adorable and want to share them with you. :)

http://sophielaree.bigcartel.com/product/fabric-flower-hairclip

They are just SO cute!!!


I think I am going to use my groupon today for a massage at planet beach. I might also try one of there spray tans who knows. If I really feel like shopping (since I have 0$ to my name,) I might even break out the gap groupon and take a trip to rosedale! YAY for Friday's!


I hope all of yours is beautiful-

Ciao

CUTE!

New flower clips up on Etsy!

I have 3 new hair clippies up on Etsy! I'll go ahead and do a post on just HOW to purchase on the Etsy site. It seems to be a confusion for a lot of people. It truly is very simple and easy to use, all you need is an e-mail address and a pay pal account. Both of those things are things I would hope that everyone already has in life anyway. :)


Enjoy-


http://www.etsy.com/listing/55858532/silver-and-red-hair-flower

http://www.etsy.com/listing/55859218/pile-of-pearls-pink-daisy-clip

http://www.etsy.com/listing/55859759/elegant-gold-hair-flower

What Ive done with my victory day

A WHOLE LOT OF NOTHING. HA!

I passed my exam this morning with a whopping 97% correct, thats right folks only ONE wrong! WOOOWHOOO!!

I thank victoriously drove over to my boyfriends house, celebrated with a quick sandwich, than drove him to work. Which by the way, he has figured everything out for his drivers diversion program and as of next Saturday if all goes as planned he will be ABLE TO DRIVE AGAIN!!!!  PRAISE JESUS!!!!! I feel a lot more time at home coming on!!

After that I proceeded to spend some quality chat time with his momma, than headed off to Caribou. Ive been here ever since. I had a WHOOOLLLEEE list of things to accomplish this afternoon  such as: look up Mint.com (thanks Taylor), post new hair clippies on etsy (I'm currently working on it,) read my in-style, MAKE NOTE CARDS FOR WORK (HA,) finish my scarf I made last winter, the list goes on and on. All I really did this afternoon was chat with people on Facebook, text messages, telephone calls and twitter (I also went ahead and found a new blog background to depict the oncoming season.) SOOOO Now that I'm feeling brain dead from sitting in Caribou for hours on end...I think it's time to get down to business! First things first, Grab sweater from car- it's FREEEEZING in here!!!

Until later-

Ciao

The "done" list

Tonight as I'm allowing myself to sit here (instead of sleeping in preparation for my test tomorrow,) I am going to write out a "whats been done list." You know, in stead of a "to do" list.

Sometimes (on nights like tonight) I sit in bed at night and feel completely unaccomplished. This however is NOT true. So to make myself feel slightly better I'm going to list it out, than go ahead and snuggle up for bed.

1. Today I started the job of my dreams (this far anyway.) ;)

5 Hours of Color theory crammed in my brain

I feel like I am starting into an internship though that is going to be a CRAZY life altering, adventure stricken, stress and giggle filled TRIP. I truly have no words for how blessed I feel to be where I am. Every time I step foot in the salon I truly think to myself, I can't believe they picked me. So honored, and I can't wait to start doing and learning.

2. Got gas. That's kind of a big deal for me. HA

3. Got some motherly advice. There has been SO much going on in my life as of lately, and if I know one thing for sure I can alway's count on my mom to bring it back to the basics for me. She's one of my foundational rocks, well, more like a foundational boulder. :) I feel so much better after listening to her words of wisdom- hopefully this feeling lasts me through the rest of the week. LOL

4. Got excited with my boyfriend. Things are really starting to come together for him. I truly could not be more proud of him in pretty much all areas in life. He truly has made me smile at least 20 times today, and every time I think about him I just get this overwhelming sense of Joy. He's wonderful. He has helped me study for my big test all weekend long, and it was a LONG weekend. I am nervous to take it tomorrow, but I'm excited to see if all of the hard work will truly pay off!!! :)

5. Did some laundry halfway. Lol there is a load still in the wash that needs to be switched, but whatever.

6. Took my beautiful baby girl for a walk, we even went an extra 10 minuets tonight. She's been nuts ever since my family had guests Sunday night. I swear she looses her mind when new people come over.

6.5- listened to an eaglebrook podcast. LOVED.

7. Studied a LITTLE bit ;)

8. Ate a healthy serving of homemade cheesy potatoes (you can't tell me that's not an accomplishment. )

9. Made 2 new flower clips- pictures will come tomorrow I'm sure.

10. Watched the latest episode of "parenthood."

11. Watched about 11 different youtube video's ;)

annnndd that's pretty much all I can think of at the moment. So that concludes my day's accomplishments...

Stay tuned for the outcome of tomorrows exam. WAAAHHH

pray for meeeeeee

5 ways Google can SAVE YOU. :)

This was on my news feed this morning via Cosmo...:) and I LOVED IT!

Enjoy-

Oh and by the way, as I post this short little blog, please note that it is in FACT my very FIRST DAY OF WWWOOORRRRKKK!!!!! So excited! So feel free to throw up a little (or big) prayer for me, it is sure to be wonderful!

5 Ways Google Can Save Your Relationship

Are the guys at Google reading Cosmo? Or just women's minds? Because damn, they've come up with some brilliant little features that are improving love lives everywhere.

BY CHRISTIE GRIFFIN

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Most of you have heard of Gmail and use Google to search for info on the Internet. But how well do you know all the options and settings at your Googling fingertips? Cosmo talked to Jason Freidenfelds, a communications manager for Google, who revealed some of its favorite "embarrassment reducer" features.

1. The "Undo Send" Mail Option

Ever hit "Send" too soon on an e-mail? Whether you hadn't quite perfected your witty, three-line note to your crush or were writing a message to your man's mom, this option is a total lifesaver. Once enabled, you have about five seconds to click "Undo Send" to rescue your ass.

To get it: While logged into Gmail, click on "Settings" in the upper right. Then select the "Labs" tab and scroll down to "Undo Send." Select the "Enable" button, and then click on "Save Changes" at the top (or bottom) of the page.

2. The Shared Calendar

We bet you’re a pretty busy chick. And your guy gets busy — or just flaky — too, right? Well, instead of trying to remember his work schedule or expecting him to know which nights you have yoga class, try sharing a calendar on Google. You edit the shared calendar from your own accounts, but you can also set specific events to Private so he can't see them. (Say, if you're throwing a surprise b-day party for him.)

To get it: Visit google.com/calendar, or simply click on the Calendar link on the top left of your page while logged into Gmail. It's also under the "More" option if you're on Google's homepage.

3. The Cell-Phone Reminder

If you're like most hot-blooded babes out there, you rely on text messaging more than most other forms of communication. So why not use it to remind yourself of upcoming events? This is an option of the calendar feature (see #2), and what it does is send you a text message alerting you of a to-do that's approaching. If you're one of many who space and forget to pop your daily birth control pill, set it up as a calendar event — then choose the SMS reminder so that your phone buzzes with a text at the same time every day. You can set the SMS reminder farther in advance too...like if you need to nudge your man a half-hour before your date to put down the Wii and come pick you up.

To get it: When you create a new event in your calendar, select "Edit Event Details" and then look for the SMS Reminder under "Options." You'll have to verify your phone number first, though, under "Settings."

4. Chat Off the Record

You know how Gmail automatically saves your chats? That's cool and all — unless you're having a super-steamy session with your man. By chatting "off the record," not only do you prevent the chat from being saved in your account, but it won't show up in your guy's chat record either. It's like doing damage control before embarrassment strikes.

To get it: While in Chat, select "Options" in the bottom left corner of your Chat screen. Choose "Go Off the Record."

5. Mail Goggles

After a few cocktails, a late-night love note (or pissed-off message) might seem like a good idea. But like many things in life, you might regret it the next morning. By enabling this feature on your Gmail settings, you're required to answer some simple math problems (like 72 – 31 = ?) before you can proceed with your e-mail message. Now if only they'd find a way to put this on your cell phone to prevent drunk dialing...

To get it: While logged into Gmail, click on "Settings" in the upper right. Then select the "Labs" tab and scroll down to "Mail Goggles." Select the "Enable" button, and then click on "Save Changes" at the top (or bottom) of the page. Then select "Settings" again to edit which days and times you'd like Gmail to step in and double check that you want to send that e-mail. Otherwise, it defaults to Friday and Saturday night between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m.