I found this and thought I'd share.

1. She has a positive attitude. There's no energy that can mimic what's released when a positive, high-stepping woman enters a room. A positive attitude is the fuel needed to drive us from idea conception to realization.

A positive attitude takes conscious effort on your part. Arrest negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones. Listen to the things you're saying to yourself in your mind. Deliberately use words that focus on constructive, affirming truths about yourself.

To help you stay positive, surround yourself with people who'll encourage, inspire and believe in you. If you have a positive attitude, you'll be able to see the potential that lies within you.

2. She can overcome obstacles. Women who've struggled in their lives tend to have amazing inner strength. Use adversity to your advantage. At the end of a struggle, you're a better, more valuable person. Helen Keller said, "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved." Find what you're meant to learn in a struggle, and you'll see that it isn't as fierce as it appears to be.

3. She is strong minded. Strong minded doesn't mean that you're rude, conceited or destructive. On the contrary, a strong-minded woman displays confidence. When you're strong minded, you're empowered, possess a healthy self image and take responsibility for your life. The entrepreneurial spirit, by its very nature, requires us to consider possibilities that most aren't brave enough to.

4. She is soft hearted. Charity and compassion allow us to reach beyond our cookie-cutter lives and make a difference in the lives of others. By reaching out to others, we grow as individuals. A woman with a compassionate heart has great influence

5. She has integrity. You don't need to leave victims in your path to be victorious. You don't need to step on others to step to the next level. Integrity must be the very core of your character. Always put honor before dollars and live by your convictions. As you gain respect and trust, your company will grow. People seek to do business with those they trust.

6. She has balance in her life. Our lives revolve around four major categories: family and friends, health, wealth and spirit. These areas must be balanced to lead a fulfilled life. Evaluate your balance continually. A balanced life allows you to think clearly with imagination and optimism.

7. She sets goals. Goals are dreams with a plan for realization. Commit your short- and long-term goals to writing. Record how and when you'll achieve them. Post your goals in plain sight and review them often. Record the reward when the goal is attained. Remember that you can't hit a mark you can't see, and continual success demands a plan.

8. She is driven by a cause. Looking for the hole in the market is a strategic move in every entrepreneur's plan. Find the needs in your business ventures and pursue those causes with passion.

9. She is a teacher. Great woman teach. People want to know what you have that ignites that flame within. We can help mold the great women of tomorrow.

10. She's focused on the next step. The greatest point of resistance is just before breakthrough. We must have a stubborn resolve to see ourselves to the other side. When challenging circumstances seek to derail us, if we just take that next step, we'll find that we've made it.

Agree or disagree?

Do you ever get tired? I'm not talking about physically tired where you require a nap. This is a little deeper then that.

I am really tired of giving and giving and never getting what I need in return. Just because I never ask for anything (and I never do) that does not mean I don't need.

I may not need your money, I may not need a place to stay, I may not need to borrow your car but I need your support and understanding. That is all I ever "ask" of those close to me.

It gets a little disheartening when you need someone to just be there and they are not. It can hurt.

I am a very strong, self reliant woman and I really don't need anything from you materially speaking but just be supportive and that goes a long way.

When I had my surgery last year The Analyst took really good care of me but the only one of my friends to actually come and visit was R. I have known her for 30 years and she has been the constant mainstay in my life. I never held that against my supposed friends here in Maryland, not even my "friend" that lives in PG County which is 50 mins from my house whom I would bring food to because she was too distraught over her boyfriend being in Iraq to eat and then spending the night with her when her grandmother died but you better believe I never forgot.

The Analyst is a good man but he has some issues that have forced me to break off the relationship recently. Sure, he calls regularly and tries to get me to reconsider but I haven't heard anything from him that would suggest that things would change.

There were many times in the past when I needed his support and he was nowhere to be found. I never held that against him but, again, I never forgot. But over time the things that upset you begin to fester and build and build until you can no longer overlook them.

For some reason he asks alot of me and I give and give but it never seems to be enough. He still wants me to continue to be put out more and more and it's frustrating.

I'm the one that is still living in a small one room hotel that only furnishes you with 5 channels on the TV. I am the one that does not have my DVD's, my clothes, my furniture, my soft bed, my cable, my computer with all its software, my important paperwork while he is living in a HOUSE with his parents with all the luxuries I am temporarily without and he still expects me to give and exert myself yet further.

I love my life. I have a great home (whenever I am living there, lol), I have a few really good friends (a couple of them live outside of Maryland and that sucks), I love my job and the people I work with, I am not hurting financially (which is a lot to be said in THIS economy) but when will enough be enough? I am just tired.

I hope I am making sense because I just needed to vent.

I have a question I’d like to pose to all my blogging buddies.

Let’s say that you were hosting a party at your home and you had about 35 people in attendance. Also in attendance was your lovable Labrador Retriever named Roxie.

All of your guests are fine with the dog but one guest seems a bit skittish around Roxie. Obviously not a dog lover.

Would you ignore your guests’ uneasiness and let Roxie continue to roam freely around the party or put Roxie in the house as your guests are outside by the pool?

What would you do?

My friend Tracy, whom I had dinner with on the Sunday chronicled in the previous post told me the most incredible story that I'm still shaking my head behind.

She has a really good friend named "Sherry". Sherry is married to "Victor". Sherry and Victor have two little kids whom they absolutely adore. My friend Tracy has no children.

Tracy was visiting Sherry and Victor one day when Sherry out of the blue says, "Tracy, you should have a baby!"

"I don't know, maybe I should be MARRIED before I have a kid." was Tracy's response.

"Oh come on Tracy! I'll help you raise the kid."

"Uuumm, I think I need a man first." Tracy says.

"You can use Victor's sperm. I'm done with it. We're not having any more kids." Sherry says as she looks at her two sons.

"What? Are you kidding me?" Tracy says befuddled and trying to stifle a guffaw.

"No! I'm totally serious."

Tracy then looks over at Victor and asks, "Are you OK with this?" to which he simply shrugs.

"Do it Tracy!! We'll be family!" Sherry squeals.

I have never in all my life heard of any woman offering her husband as a sperm donor to a heterosexual woman. I am still shocked.

Could any of you women ever pimp out your husband's sperm like that?

OK, so my weekend started off pretty normal. My plan was to meet some girlfriends for a movie then dinner. We met at the theater and saw a great movie then decided afterward to go to a restaurant close by for dinner. Not a problem. As we are eating and enjoying ourselves we notice that some people had walked in and started setting up for what looked like a birthday party.

Of course me being as nosey as I am had to ask the server what was going on. She informed us that a group had rented the place for a private party and they were charging admission. We were like 'OK, whatever.'

We finished our meal and was waiting on the check when we noticed a half naked man walking past our table! We looked at each other and the obligatory high fives were going around and the decision was made right then and there to stay our asses right there to see what was going on.

Then a few minutes later a couple of girls dressed in lingerie started walking around as well. Hmmmmmmmmm.

As it turns out this group was a sensual pleasures group who sold adult toys and they were throwing an appreciation party for all their freaky patrons. Hmmmmmmmm...

They gave us all gift boxes with condoms in them. Condoms, lingerie, dildos and nipple clamps. Damn skippy we stayed to observe the festivities. This only happens to me. lol

That was Saturday. Sunday I met another girlfriend for dinner. As I was approaching the restaurant in Columbia MD, I witnessed a Howard County police officer race up, jump out of his car, run up to this kid and knock him off his bike, Then a few more cop cars barrel into the parking lot and they all converged on this kid and began to rough him up. My blood began to boil.

I stood just outside of the restaurant and watched the entire thing. If I was thinking I would have videoed it with my cell phone. Dagnabit! Anyway, there was this one cop that started walking away to retrieve the kids bike and I was so pissed off at how they were handling him that I screamed "Cops are fucking assholes!"

This jerk stops in mid stride, walks over to me and says,"Keep it up and I'll arrest you for disorderly conduct."

I looked at him and said "Disorderly conduct?"

He says,"Yes, for cussing in public."

I said, "I'm here." As if to say I'm here, what's stopping you? The jerk didn't scare me. Puleeze! He just turned around. I turned to walk into the restaurant but my rage got the better of me and I turned back around and walked back out side to prove to that jerk he did not scare me.

There was another lady standing out there as well and I said....loudly..."That guy is an ass! I'm not scared of him!" She was standing there cosigning everything I said.

Then a gentleman walked out of the restaurant to have a smoke and he inquired as to what was going on. I told him.....as loudly as possible...that the cops across the street were roughing up a kid. Then I added...loudly of course... "That ass over there thinks some one is supposed to be scared of him. I'm not scared of him!" I even pointed at that jerk for good measure. He might be able to scare most people but he didn't scare me. Jerk.

He caught me on the wrong day.

I have a really good friend that I've known for 30 years. I'd do anything for her because she has always been there for me. When we were kids we'd fight like sisters would but always made up because that what sisters do. She had a baby last year and due to medical situations he was never circumcised. She had decided to put it off for a year.

Well a year has come upon us and I asked her recently if she still planned to have her baby son circumcised and she informed me that she had changed her mind.

I know this is between her and her husband but I seriously feel upset about that. I feel she is doing him a serious disservice by not having him circumcised.

Women like a circumcised penis. It looks aesthetically more pleasing plus it's easier for the man hygienically speaking. It's just a win win situation. I know I shouldn't be this upset but I really feel they need to have that boy circumcised.

How do you all feel about circumcision? Women, do you prefer a man that has had this done? Men how do you feel on this subject?

I attended a wedding this weekend. My little cousin got married and it was a lovely event. His aunts and uncles and grandfather made the drive to Maryland from South Carolina for the nuptials.

His aunts and uncles are my cousins and his grandfather is my aunts husband. It was great seeing all of them since I hadn't seen them in about 7 years or so since my aunts death.

Although I was looking forward to seeing them I was also a little apprehensive. You see, I never hear from them at all but they periodically call my younger brother Kevin.

When they arrived on Friday, they called Kevin but I didn't hear a peep from them. My brother drove over and hung out with them but no one thought to call me.

I have a few other cousins that live here in MD that I only see during family get togethers but yet again, they are in constant contact with both of my brothers. I found out at the wedding that they had all arranged a get together where they all hung out and had a grand ol' time but no one thought to call me. Hmmmmm....

The more I thought about things the more I began to feel as an outsider in my very own family. I have a younger cousin named Ann that seemed to have cut herself off entirely from the family. No one has seen or heard from her in years. I personally hadn't seen her since my fathers death in 93. Thinking about her last night I totally understand her now.

Is there no wonder I will not look back ONCE when I leave MD? I think I will do just what Ann did and just cut everyone out when I leave.

Have you ever felt like an outsider in your own family?

Summer oh Summer how I love thee. Our time together is always too short. It seems as if you show up, then 3 months later, you're gone again. There are so many things we hadn't done together like camping, hiking and swimming. Who the hell am I kidding, I don't do any of that crap but you get the gist of what I trying to say here.

Summer, we hadn't even gone on vacation yet and you are abandoning me already. In just a few short weeks you will gone again. Never to be seen for an entire year.

Sure, you give me a teasing glimpse of you during Indian Summer but that just proves to make me angrier because you are playing with my emotions and you know I hate when you play with my emotions.

Oh Summer. Winter is not as much fun as you are so I am getting a little more anxious with each day.

I thought we had something special but yet again you do this crap to me. You leave me every damn year... year after year and I accept it...year after year.

Your twin brother lives in Florida. It's always great there. He never leaves. I think I'm going to have to leave you here in Maryland and move to Florida. Sure it's full of old people with sun visors, sandals with socks and peddle pushers but that's a small price to pay to be warm and sun filled every day.

I hope you understand but this back and forth every year is wearing me down. I have to leave you once and for all. Florida here I come!!