How lucky can you get?

 Spent the afternoon at the races with all of my favorite people! 

(And a couple of fantastic martinis!)

 All friends from high school, Dave, Lorraine and Mark. And our friend Steve's jacket!

And, of course, my favorite sister, Gina (Shh...don't tell the others!)
Honestly, I'm the luckiest girl on earth...I've already won the prize.

Glove Story

A(nother) Sweet Call to the Post

When we went to look at this horse back in August of last year, she was owned by a group of lawyers who were disbanding and had put her up for sale. At that time, her name was 'In Contempt', and, having pretty much been neglected and ignored, she had quickly gained a reputation for being mean and mad...actually they told us she was a 'bitch'.

Interestingly, from the second we met her--that very first day--she was so sweet and so kind and OH so affectionate to us! As if it was meant to be, we all fell in love with her instantly.

We made the lawyers an (almost ridiculous) offer on 'In Contempt'

...and she became our little girl.

Of course the first order of business on the docket was finding the perfect new name for our sweet little lucky girl.

Juju means "A supernatural good luck charm" or "magical power" 

And, well, the 'Sweet' part was a given.

She has absolutely lived up to her name. 

 Saturday, Sweet Juju will be in her second race. 

Wish her Sweet Juju

Frugally yours truly

I know it's silly...but I had to share my most recent Edison bill with you.
Yep. Less than eight bucks.

I seriously can't stand spending money on utilities so I have a running game that I play with myself where I try to get my water, gas and electric bills down lower and lower each month! I take shorter showers and hold off until I have a full load of laundry in order to keep the water bill down. I wear a sweatshirt and socks and put another blanket on my bed rather than turn on the heater to keep the gas bill low. I wash in cold water, line dry my laundry, use the ceiling fans instead of the air conditioner, AND, as my dad used to tell us when we were little kids...I 'turn the lights off in rooms that I'm not using!' (He used to say, "Who do you think I am, Mr Edison?")

So what do I win?
A seven dollar and 80 cent electric bill.
And to me, that's quite a prize.
I'm so good at this game!

"Tension is who you think you should be.
Relaxation is who you are."

~Chinese Proverb

It was time...

How beautiful is THAT?!

After a six month absence, I finally ordered cable at my home again.
There are just a few things in this world that I REALLY love...and baseball is definitely one of them. I'll admit, it was actually kinda painful trying to make it through opening weekend without being able to watch the Dodger games on TV. I didn't even realize how much I'd miss being able to TALK about the games with friends and with people at work. 
I realized too, that I really missed the comfort of having Vin Scully in my home...calling every pitch, telling sweet stories of back in the day...and saying, "It's time for Dodgers Baseball!"
 

Welcome Home Fox Sports West!

Interestingly, Van, the guy who I talked to at Cox today, quoted me a $9/month cheaper price than Gordan, his co worker did on Friday!

 

Van even threw in HBO and Showtime FREE for three months 

(it was that or a free land line...really?)

At that price, I can afford to buy a Schlitz or two!

Oh how I've missed you my friend...
I feel better already!

(PS Pops--I still plan to mute during GBA.)

Two and a half years later...

'Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.'

~John Quincy Adams