mom

Dear Mom: HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

by Courtney on May 9, 2010

Ok, I know I may be a bit biased, but I really think you’re the best mom in the whole wide world. I don’t even know where to begin in describing how amazing you are as a mother; and how much I just really, really like you! But I’ll do my best…

Growing up, I always looked up to you. I know you’re my mom and that’s kind of natural. But it was a little more than that. I remember thinking it was so cool seeing you dressed up in suits going off to work every day. You always looked so pretty and sophisticated! I mean, truth be told, I was always jealous of my friends who had stay-at-home moms. But seeing you striving for success and being good at what you do, yet being home by the time I got home from school, being a phenomenal cook, AND making all of my basketball games was quite the example of a woman “doing it all”. And you showed me that I could too.

Can’t nobody get you down!

I wasn’t always in awe though. Sometimes you did drive me nuts! For one, you were a little too positive! That sounds funny, but you were like, over the top about it! Driving around in the burgundy Ford Taurus listening to positive affirmation tapes is where I draw the line! But, even when I didn’t realize it, your positivity was pulling me through some of my down times as a kid. When I was a chunky middle-schooler, crying about the fact that I couldn’t see my toes when I looked down, you told me to tell myself that I was the most beautiful girl in school – and one day I would be! And although I wasn’t the most beautiful girl in school, I definitely grew from the chubby short girl to the tall athletic one. Off came the braces, straight went the perm, a fashion sense developed – and suddenly, I wasn’t doing so bad!

Geez Court, you're making me wish she was MY mom too...

In fact, however annoying this; “I think I can, I think I can” attitude of yours was to my bratty teenage self, it somehow rubbed off on me. And today, I’m a bouncy ball of optimism! I’m never down for long before I bounce right back up and keep on going!  And once again, this has pulled me through some of my tougher times as a young woman trying to establish and grow my career.

I’ve never met a more driven and hard working person than you, Mom. In sales, you were always finding new ways to market yourself and your business. And in the past several years, you took that drive and innovative spirit and taught yourself all about this new world of social media and blogging. In fact, you’re the one who got me started on this whole blogging thing and you encouraged me until I finally broke down and tried it out. Now a year later, I’ve developed a deep passion for writing and creating this little space that is all my own. And I have you to thank for opening up this whole new world of ideas and opportunities for me, and if nothing else – an extremely addicting hobby!

Mostly, I want to thank you for being the most supportive person in my life for the past 30 years. You’ve made me feel like I can do anything I set my mind to – no matter what. You listen and you don’t judge when I admit failures and cases of poor judgment. And most recently, in the days when I annoyed everyone in my immediate circle with my “Twilight” obsession, you listened to me! You let me go on and on – and you even read the books and fell in love right along with me! Ahhhh, now that’s love!

So on this Mother’s Day, I just wanted to say thanks for being my mom; my biggest cheerleader, and my shining example of what a mother should be. Oh and, thanks for being the best best friend I’ve ever had!

I love you. Happy Mother’s Day!

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My BIG Lent sacrifice…

by Courtney on February 18, 2010

Being the good non-Catholic that I am, I’ve given something up for Lent every year since 2008. You see, my husband Jeff is a shopping cart strict Catholic and so I do this for him. Last year I even gave up chocolate and I only cheated a couple of times in 40 days, so that’s not bad for a non-Catholic. But this year I think that it’s time to step it up a notch. It’s time to give up something that’s seriously going to hurt.  After all, it’s not a sacrifice if I’m not bitching about it daily, right? Well my friends, I’m giving up Diet Pepsi. I should say Diet Coke too just to be clear.

This is going to be mucho difficult because I don’t drink coffee. And, I NEED THE CAFFEINE! Hell, I usually go to bed at midnight because I’m constantly up late blogging or screwin’ around online, so what else is going to get me through the AM? I’m just going to have to suck it up and get used to flavored water or something.

To lay it all out there; I have between three and four Diet Pepsis a day. I feel like a total sloth just admitting that. The facilities manager at work told me today that he’s thinking of signing me up for a 12-step program to wean me off of Diet Pepsi. Basically, he’s sick of calling the vending machine guy to refill the damn machine! Oh I’m so embarrassed!

It’s not my fault really. My mom put Pepsi in my baby bottle. JUST KIDDING, MOM! I know she’s going to call me as soon as she reads that. She didn’t put “Pesi” (what I used to call it as a baby!) in my bottle, but I believe I started drinking it around age 3! In fact, around that age I remember begging my Granny to let me have some Pepsi as she stood firm in front of the out-of-my-reach cabinet saying a definitive “N-O!” And then we heard my brother scream bloody murder from outside as he had just stabbed a giant tree trunk with a humongous construction nail causing a pack of bees to come out and swarm his head. Granny raced outside and I raced up the countertop to grab the Pesi. Hmm…victory never tasted so good!

And so the story goes; my name is Courtney Rice and I’ve been a Pepsi-holic my entire life. And I know it’s SO not good for me. I drink diet to avoid the calories but then there’s Aspartame which is supposed to suck for you. Of course we’re always hearing about how researchers are claiming that diet soda intake can be linked to cancer and stuff, etc. etc. But the most compelling reason to quit diet soda is that I hear you can actually lose weight! Imagine that! I guess you eat more when you’re drinking it and you also feel bloated from the carbonation.

So anyway, I’m blogging about this because I feel like if I say it to the world (or my three readers) then I’ll have to stick to it. I’m going to hate it and I might be pissy here and there, but I’ll deal. I like a challenge – never tell me I can’t do something because I’ll show you I can!

So alright all of you Catholics out there, whaddya giving up for Lent? Now come on, it’s got to be something good. No, it’s got be something that’s going to suuuuuuck for you! I don’t want to see anyone cheating and giving up something they never do/use/eat/drink. For example, Jeff told me he was giving up ice cream. He probably eats ice cream like once in a blue moon. What happened to his usual 40-day ban on hard booze? So c’mon, if this non-Catholic can do it, then surely the real ones can! But hey, I encourage all the other “nons” out there to do what I’m doing. Give something up that’s going to be a healthy change for you and just blame it on Lent! The good ‘ole Catholic guilt will pull you through!

It’s going to be a long 40 days and 40 nights, but we can do it people. I’d love to hear what you’re giving up if you are indeed participating in this annual sacrifice!

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