Do you Men-u-do?

Hampton Roads, Virginia is known for many things...The world's largest naval base, Virginia Ham, peanuts, Jamestown, Williamsburg, etc. It is not known for it's Mexican food. :(

I really miss the authentic Tex-Mex food I used to get on a daily basis in Corpus. There is a Mexican restaurant that we frequent here in Norfolk, that is pretty good, but they only do lunch and dinner. No tortas, menudo, carne guisada, or caldo de res. :(

So I was driving the other day, and saw a sign for breakfast tacos at a little hole in the wall Mexican restaurant. HMMMM? Breakfast "Mexican" tacos? Like chorizo, carne quisada, and other stuff? Or would it be a disappointment like so many others? I filed it away, and told Chris that it might need an audition for our restaurant rotation. OMG! When we walked in, I knew it was my place. I asked, "Tiene menudo?", and of course they did!!!! We've been going Sunday mornings to drink coffee and have authentic Mexican breakfast! I've had the menudo, and this week I had the caldo de res. Y-U-M-M-Y!!!
Now when I get to Texas I won't be such a raving lunatic for the Mexican food...no....wait...I probably will be. Because even though I found a great place here in Virginia, everything is BIGGER and better in Texas! I miss my Lone Star State...I'm so excited to be visiting in just a few short weeks!



Can you tell I'm really enjoying my caldo?

Farmhouse Blues

My kids' project for today was to write a story about life on a farm...this is what they came up with! OMG, they are so awesome! How did I get so lucky?

*Don't forget to pause the music on the left so you can hear the audio

Because my kids know...

which one is MY favorite! The Cracker Barrel gift shop is way too much fun!

I can thank the Soviets

It got too late to run outside, so I tried jumping rope on the patio. WOW, jumping, rope, is, no, joke! Thanks to The Killers for providing the musical inspiration for me to continue for 30 minutes. And thank you, thank you, Ivan Drago, for pushing Rocky to train in a heatless cabin in the Siberian mountains. Without Ivan Drago, and the ire he caused Philly's own, I never would have had this scene to inspire me.



I’m not even kidding. This Rocky IV scene is really the scene I kept playing over and over in my head as my feet pounded the concrete and my heart pounded in my ribcage.

Rise Up With Fists

I've been obssesed with aging lately, and not just aging but time passage in general. I wish I could pick a time that I could go back to... and just stop. The perfect time when the kids were still little, I was a size 7, I had all my teeth, etc. But going back to that time would make me miss so many of my accomplishments. So though I am sad that my babies are growing up, and that I have to work VERY hard to get into a size 12, and Oil of Olay and Avon Regenerist are my best friends, I know that under it all I'm still what I was, and that is all mine, no one elses. So, like Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins show, though the lyrics are sad, and seem hopeless at times, there is a laugh track to life's struggles, and that makes it easier.

Vivid and Bizarre

I dream. I dream a lot. And when I dream, it sometimes goes like this.

Cross your fingers!

House Hunt is OVA!



Hopefully all goes well!

Writing on the Wall

I noticed today during my time at the Old Dominion Library that the graffitti on the bathroom wall was very inspirational! "Be yourself", "Be strong"," Your dreams can't come true unless you try", etc, etc. It was refreshing, well as refreshing as writing on the wall can be, compared to the horrible stuff 8th grade girls write on the bathroom walls at my school. It really gives me hope for girls who write on walls in general!

The American Dream

So...we are going to buy a house!!! Who knew it would be so draining though! As excited as I am, it really has been time consuming and...well..just hard. Making decisions about what we want, what we can and can't live with or without, what part of town, what schools, etc, etc is so difficult! I don't want to get it wrong with something this big. So wish me luck...and if you have any advice, let me know!

Pink Bathroom?

Could you live with it?




I kind of like it!

My Claim to Fame

So I was a pretty decent athlete when I was a kid. I ran summer track and did really well in the 4x4 relay, 400, and 800. I went to the regionals many times and even to state one year. I swam too. I was a junior Olympian! I swam on a relay team that was part of the Junior Olympics.

Amy Acuff, Olympic high jumper, went to a nearby school and attended every track meet I did. She has had incredible longevity in her sport, and has even graced the cover of Playboy.


She is tall, blonde, and famous! WOW!

All I can say is that during one of those summers, 1988 maybe, I ran the 200 meters against her...and though I didn't win, I BEAT AMY ACUFF in a foot race! I beat an Olympian 20 years ago! Petty yes, but TRUE!

Check out the blog about her below:

Amy Acuff is a SLOW RUNNER!


Monica :)

Coinky-Dink

So, my friend has a blog that I like to visit. He has a post up about some cool graphics on this quirky t-shirt site. I like t-shirts! (I have aspirations of being a t-shirt artist!) So I go, and the two that I notice first off are spookily reminiscent of a painting I did for my brother a few years back! It even has the same green coloring! Coincidence? I think not! My theory? Creative thoughts are being pilfered through microwaves, and I have been a victim! I'm fashioning a tin foil hat as we speak!!!

No, but really the first two are from the t-shirt site and the last two are my painting. See the resemblance?!

Why I'm afraid of clowns

I don't even have words for the evilness of these clowns...

I used to love me some Bobby Brown in the 80's! I just caught the end of this reality show, Gone Country, and freaked out that Bobby, Dee Snyder, and Sisquo (The thong, ththong, thong thong song) were going to put out a country song! Bobby was my favorite, but the other two were right there with him! They were awesome! I have links to Bobby singing as well as all the performances...just in case you want to enjoy them all. The winner, Julio Iglesias Jr., was a dud, I think it was a set up! The winner should have been Bobby!


Bobby Brown has Gone Country!


Gone Country's final performances

Economics lesson

According to these TV comercials, it's important to know what your credit report looks like. It may bring me down when I find out, but at least freecreditreport.com has cute comercials that make me smile! Here are three in order from my favorite to least favorite!

Rockin in the Free World!

Rockin in the Free World ~ Rock Band Party Pics!

Elaine Benes Tribute

Yes...that is me reenacting ONE of my favorite scenes from Seinfeld. The only difference is...well... there wasn't a dog on the original dance floor! Sorry it's sideways. I made this a million years ago on a webcam, and I don't know how to edit the video. I am a complete idiot, I know, but when I found this on my computer this morning it made me laugh so hard I had to share it.

Elaine Dancing
Elaine Dancing


The Original Elaine Benes Dance-

After a rough week and a bad dream...

...Chris can be so sweet. I needed that. Thank you baby.

10 Things You Can Do Instead of Watching TV

So the chick over at Ten on Tuesday asks bloggers to make a list of ten things every Tuesday.

Here is the list prompt for today:
10 Things I should be doing instead of watching the Boob Tube!

1. Hang out with the family - I heard somewhere that parents only spend 10 percent of their time with their kids. That is sad.
2. Read a book - as an English teacher and an aspiring librarian I can totally get behind that one.
3. CLEAN! Maybe some of you have immaculate houses, but I would rather do anything else than clean. There have been many nights I watch a movie instead!
4. Exercise - I need to start running again.
5. Catch up on school/work - I should be doing that right now.
6. Work a second job - Extra money to pay for cable and DVDs!
7. Cook a homemade meal or dessert - yum!
8. Paint/Create/Write - Wow...I should be doing all of this instead of watching American Idol.
9. Listen to music - But you can get that on TV now too. I so don't mean MTV, either. They stopped playing music videos in the late 80s.
10. Play Video Games???? - Yeah...even though you are technically watching the TV you are getting in some hand and eye coordination!

One Million On Me!

So the chick over at Ten on Tuesday asks bloggers to make a list of ten things every Tuesday.

Here is the list prompt for today:

10 Things You’d Buy If You Had a Million Dollars

There’s no getting by easy on this one like saying “giving it to charity” or “saving it for my kids’ college”. You’ve got a million dollars, and you’ve got to spend it on yourself. Your list can add up to a million dollars, or each of the items on your list could be huge million dollar splurges. Your choice! Be greedy, spoil yourself!

Hmmmm...just for me? Alright this is my spoiled, selfish, Veruca Salt list!

1. Two houses (both big enough to house me, Chris, and the
chiren’) – The main house should be in Texas, Florida, or
Georgia. It will be by water. It will have: one bedroom for each of the
children, a music room for the kids, a Gators/man room for Chris, a
library and a dressing/shoe//walk in closet for me. The second house will be the “ranch”, and it will definitely have to be on 10 acres in Rivera, Texas. Right Chris?

2. Plastic Surgery/ Cosmetic Dental Surgery – Tummy tuck, lipo,
teeth implants, dermabrasion (no face lifts or boob jobs….yet)

3. Start up business - Jewelry boutique, t-shirt boutique, art
gallery, Moe’s, Subway… whatever! I want to be a business woman
because I know I would be fabulous!

4. A personal trainer - I'd get ready for a marathon. No measly half marathon 13.1 miles for me anymore!

5. Vacations somewhere wonderful - Australia, Souda Bay, Paris, Italy, Amsterdam, etc! I could travel for months!

6. Art lessons - My personal art teacher has left me, but with a mil I guess I could hire another to teach me the art of the paint brush.

7. Two cars - A Range Rover to tote the kids to and fro, and a silver Crossfire for times when I need speed and don't need any more than two seats!

8. A New wardrobe to fit my new size 6/8 body - This after the plastic surgery and the marathon training.

9. Expensive jewelry - Rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets! Something to match with all the new clothes!

10. A trustworthy personal accountant - So I can use the money to make more money and never have to worry about money again!

Who knew it was so much fun being selfish and spoiled! (even if only in blogosphere theory) Watch one of my favorite spoiled brats of all time below. Watching this makes me feel a little less guilty about my list!