"The best things in life aren't things." -- Art Buchwald

I will never forget the day that I saw this quote on a bumper sticker.  It is amazing how such a short quote can be so profound, but it has always stuck in my mind.

Materialism is running rampant in our world.  This is nothing new.  Materialism has been around for ages.  After 28 years of living, I am starting to get really tired of hearing about things!

Just like I am making a conscious effort not to be egocentric, like those that disgust me by being so.  I am also trying to be conscious of not taking what I have for granted.  I do not require much and I do not need things to make me happy.

In comparison to other couples our age, Jon and I are slumming it.  LOL!  We live in a modest apartment and are not that concerned with decor. 

Jon and I have had to work really hard to get where we are in life.  We are just so content with being married and being together that this is all that really matters to us.  We have finally made it to our life together and we couldn't be happier.

Painted walls, matching living room sets, HD TV's, etc. are just not that important to us.  This is NOT the foundation of our marriage and our life together.  While all of the above are nice things to possess, they can wait. 

Maybe that is it!  Most people want it all now.  Society most definitely tells them that they need it all now, because everyone else has it all.

Jon and I have each other and that is all that we need.  Everything else will take care of itself!

New Orleans Soiree

Greetings from BR! Vita and I had a wonderful trip to New Orleans this week. I had a few days off from school and Vita was fortunate enough to get some time off also. We got to spend Thursday and part of Friday in the French Quarter. I really loved it! We got to visit three fun bookstores (including the Faulkner Library) and I bought a book about my favorite composer, Richard Wagner. We got to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe, Fiorella's, and the Mona Lisa. All three restaurants were great, but all very different from each other. My favorite was the Mona Lisa because it was the first place Vita and I got to go as a married couple. We also got to go on a Haunted Tour. It was very interesting. I enjoyed getting to hear the ghost stories. I hope to get to go for the Vampire Tour and the Haunted History Tour (it was voted the best tour in New Orleans) sometime in the future.

All in all it was a really fun trip: Vita and I really got to spend some wonderful, quality time together and I got to experience some of the fun places she remembered from her childhood and teen years. I can't wait to go back!

Jon

New Orleans

Jon and I made a short trip to New Orleans.  We had a great time.

It was our first time attempting to park in the public parking lots.  It was a pretty smooth drive in to the parking lot.  I thought it would be more of a challege to find a place to park, but it was not difficult at all.

Once we got the car parked, we had lunch at Hard Rock Cafe.  It was my second time eating at a Hard Rock, my first time being in San Diego on our honeymoon.  I have walked past the place countless times, but had never eaten there.  I always wanted to eat there, but just never got around to it.

After lunch we went for a walk around the French Quarter.  We started by making our way to the French Market.  It pretty much had the same old junk that they always sell.

We made our way back to the car, so we could get checked into the hotel where we spent the night.  We stayed at the Place d' Armes.  I chose this hotel, because it had gotten really good reviews on Trip Advisor.  It was #9 of the top ten hotels in New Orleans.  It was also in a great location.

The pictures and the website looked great, but it was very disappointing in real life.  The person working behind the desk was quite unfriendly.  We didn't really notice anything else, until it was time for us to go to sleep.  The bed was very uncomfortable and the pillows were lumpy.  I've never been so uncomfortable in a hotel.

I was reminded why I like to stick with major hotel chains.  My most favorite being Embassy Suites, but it is a bit pricey.  We really just needed a place to sleep and bathe.  It was in a great location, but that was really the only good thing about this hotel.

Last night we went on a Ghosts and Spirits Tour, which was fun.  I've been on better ghost tours, but I figured we'd give this one a try.  I was glad that Jon enjoyed it, because he was really excited about it.  We are going to go on another one with a different company next time.

After the tour, we had dinner at Fiorella's Cafe.  My family and I have eaten at this place for many years.  It is now under new management, so it is not the same.  I was sad, because I miss the old Fiorella's.  The food was so much better back then, however the atmosphere is much better now.

After dinner, we decided to go on back to the hotel.  We were tired, after a long day of walking.

This morning, we got up and had breakfast.  We checked out of the "hotel from hell" and brought our things to the car.

We rode the streetcar to the Riverwalk Marketplace.  There were still some cool shops there, but many of the old favorites are now gone.

We took a walk down Canal St. to Chartres St. and stopped in Crescent City Books.  This was a fun stop for both of us.  It's a really fun shop.  Our favorite out of the three bookstores we visited today.

We walked a little ways down Bourbon St., then found our way to Royal St.  We had lunch at one of my favorite places, Mona Lisa Cafe.  We had a great lunch!

After lunch, we walked around the French Market again.  I found some sunglasses.  Unfortunately, they are no longer 2 pairs for $5.00.  Many vendors are selling knock-off's of designer sunglasses, which does not interest me.  I want a pair of sunglasses that does not have these "wannabe" designer logos.  I was happy to find a pair of black cat eye's for $5.00.  They are perfect!

We had a great afternoon just walking around and enjoying the sights.  We stopped by Central Grocery and got a muffaletta to take back with us to Baton Rouge for dinner.

We made it home safely.  It was a great trip!

Exercise Routine

I think that I may have finally established an exercise routine!  Yesterday marked my first week of dedicated exercise. 

After many attempts, I think I may have finally found something that works.  I usually get bored, and exercise is just not fun for me.  I have started listening to my audio books while exercising.

This has been a source of motivation for me.  I love audio books!  I listen to them while in the car, and sometimes at home.  They are great to listen to while getting ready for the day and doing housework.  I have also started listening to them while I cook, since I don't have an open kitchen with access to the living area. 

My husband, Jon, has also been a very good influence on me.  As long as I have known him, he has had a regular exercise routine.  He has even gotten more strict with it, since he was having blood pressure issues.  His blood pressure has gotten much better, but he still makes sure he gets his exercise.

I have been doing 30 minutes on the treadmill.  I have 6 laps by then which equals to a mile and a half.  On Saturday, I started using the weights on my arms to give myself some upper body exercise.  I do this for about 5 minutes, because I don't want to over do it.

I am really hoping that I can stick with this program.  I hope to start seeing results real soon.

New Orleans

Next week we are going to spend a night in New Orleans.  I have been wanting to get away for sometime.  We cannot go on my weekends off, because Jon has to play for church on Sundays.  I figured it would be good to take most of Thursday off, and spend some time in New Orleans.  I have to go back to work on Saturday, so it is going to be a quick trip.  Jon will be in the middle of his fall break, so it was just a good time for both of us.

We are going to get there as soon as we can on Thursday, and spend some time in the French Quarter.  We are going to go on a ghost tour that night, and spend most of Friday there.

I am so excited!  Can't wait!

Wow!

I almost can't believe it, but I am blogging to you from work!  I was able to sign in.  It's only been a month and a half!  We shall see how long this lasts.
I hope everyone that is lucky enough to have a long weekend will enjoy it.  I have to work today and tomorrow, but will enjoy that Monday off. 

I have not been happy about working all weekend, but we can't always get what we want.  I do think that the library should close for the weekend, since most people leave town anyway.  If I had the weekend off, I would be so glad to get out of Baton Rouge.
Public library hours are very crappy for library employees.  Not so much for library patrons, because I do enjoy going to the library late in the evening.

I finally have a car again!

Yesterday evening after work, we stopped by Richards Honda.  I wanted to test drive a Honda Civic. 

I had been thinking about this car purchase for a while, but decided that I did not like the Fit as much as had thought.  It was a little smaller.

Jon and I realized last week that we needed another car.

I had originally planned to wait and buy the car on Friday, but I changed my mind for several reasons.  First, "my" car was on display near the road for everyone to see!  It was the last one in atomic blue metallic!  The last of 4 Civic LX's.  The only colors left were two red and one grey.  I did not want a red or a grey car.  I wanted atomic  blue metallic!

I drove "my" car and just fell in love with it!

Jon and I talked about it and I decided that I wanted to get it! 

When we pulled we back in to the dealership, I told the salesman we wanted to buy it!

Two hours later, I was the owner of an atomic blue metallic 2009 Honda Civic LX Sedan!  I am so happy to have my own car again!