Pleasing Everybody

I received a quote of the day recently and it really hit home with me. Take a look:


"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody."- Bill Cosby


It was one of those days where I looked at the screen and said WOW. That couldn't be more true about me most of the time. I know life is busy, it is for all of us. We get busy with everyday life and sometimes forget we are supposed to take time to stop and enjoy life for a bit. I fall into this category at times. My time at home is very limited and with daily routine of feeding the kids, baths, getting homework done, doing daily house chores done, it leaves little time. I do make a point each day to spend some quality time with them and ask how their day was, and help them with whatever they need.

I am also the people pleaser. I want to make sure everyone is taken care of and has everything they need. That also comes along with being a mom/parent. I have to make sure my kids have what they need before my needs are met. I make sure they have their food, drinks,napkins, forks, spoons, etc. before I even think about sitting down to eat. I take care of them first because I want to. I also take care of many other things before I take care of myself. Sometimes I have to be told to sit down and take a break, or that it's my turn for a change. I have always been a self-achiever and I will get the job done no matter what it takes. And I don't always try to put myself on the backburner, but it's life and it happens.


Back to the quote - to me, the most important words of that phrase are "the key to failure is trying to please everybody." So in my thought, does that mean if I try to please everyone, I will fail? Yes, yes it does. It is next to impossible to please EVERYONE in a group setting. Each individual has their own preferences so it is difficult to make everyone happy. I personally deal with this on a daily basis. And even though sometimes it can be frustrating, it's a part of life. One person cannot please everyone, no matter how hard they try. There always has to be that one person that wants to argue and create controversy.

There comes a time in life where you have to choose what is important and what is not. Will it really matter if the floor doesn't get swept until the next day? Will it really matter if the laundry doesn't get folded right then? Those are just a couple questions that come to my mind. I'm such a busybody and have trouble sitting still, so it seems as if I'm always cleaning or doing things around the house. But I also realize that not everything else is as important and some things have to be put on the backburner. What is important is my girls, my family and my friends. My kids are the most important thing in my life and they always will be. And they grow up so fast so I better take advantage of the time I can spend with them while they are still young. Sure, there are alot of important things that have to get done, or cannot be put off until later, and those all get done in time. This also applies to material things. After all, things are just things. If a tornado or flood comes and destroys our house, our things will be destroyed too. Things can always be replaced, no matter how important they are to us.

There also comes a time when you have to make decisions about who is important and who is not. Remember, you are the only one who can decide who you let into your life and who you do not. There are always people we have to tolerate whether we want to or not, but the decision of how much you let them into your life is yours. This goes back to the quote - you cannot please everybody. There are people who will tell you how you should live your life, what you should do (or not do), and people that do not agree with your decisions. But ultimately you have to live life as you see fit, and do what is best for YOU. And if people cannot accept things you do in life, then let them jump off the bandwagon. I despise judgemental people (people who judge others). Absolutely DESPISE people like that. The sad thing is if people cannot accept decisions you have made in life, it is their loss, not yours. There comes a time when you have to walk away from the people who have turned their backs on you, no matter how hard it may be.

"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody". I believe the key to success is living life to the fullest each day, and to your best ability. Pray for guidance, follow God's word and signs when he sends them to you. Listen for direction and then go with it. Just live. Be happy. And most of all, be yourself. Do not be someone you are not because it will only end up hurting you in the long run. And I do believe the key to failure is trying to please everybody, because it is impossible. Unless you are a programmed robot and not a human being, pleasing everyone is out of the question. So please the ones who matter most, and do what it takes to keep yourself happy. It is best to keep yourself happy because if you aren't happy, then those around you will not be happy. Do what is best for you, and do not let others run your life. Make decisions that best suit you, not everyone else. Remember life is short, make the most of it while you can!

I Am Thankful For...

November is the perfect month to remember the things that we are thankful for. Since Thanksgiving is the main holiday of the month, it reminds us that we need to be thankful for the blessings in life. I have been thinking that there is so much to be thankful for. I have compiled a list of 30 things that I am thankful for since there are 30 days in November. So here goes...

1. First and foremost, I am thankful for God. Without God, this world would not exist. I would not exist. You would not exist. You get the idea! God forgives us for our sins and mistakes. I thank God everyday for my many blessings He has given me!

2. I am thankful for my beautiful daughters. They are the light of my life, and without them, I would have no idea how to function. They keep me going each and every day. They are both so unique in their individual ways and I love them without end.

3. I am thankful for my daughter Mindy who is in Heaven. Even though she was only given to me for a short period of time and has been gone for 7 1/2 years, not a day goes by that I don't think of her. I know she is a beautiful little angel that watches over us each day. We love and miss you Mindy.

4. I am thankful for my JM. He loves me unconditionally no matter what. He is a good man, and my daughter tells me that all the time. He has changed me in little ways, and I have done the same for him. But only for the better!

5. I am thankful for my job. For me, it is a privilege to have a job I love, and people that I can help. I was molded for this job, and it was molded for me. A perfect fit I guess you could say. I am also thankful for some of "my farmers." There are a select few that are "mine" and I treasure their friendships.

6. I am thankful for my SUV. I love my car! It gets me where I need to go, and it has all the options I love (except a sunroof) but I can live with that!

7. I am thankful for my close friends. I love each of my friends dearly, and in their own individual way. There are some I've had for years, and others I've only just met. But I appreciate each friendship that I have!

8. I am thankful for family. Sometimes this is difficult, because family can be stubborn. But, ultimately I have to like them because that is who God chose to put me with for this life on earth. And after all, blood is thicker than water.

9. I am thankful for weekends and downtime. I don't get many days to relax or take a break, but those select few times that I get to, I really enjoy it.

10. I am thankful for quality time with my girls. They grow so fast and it's hard to keep up! I try to make the most of the time I have with my kids. They may not appreciate it now, but looking back someday, I know they will.

11. I am thankful for my animals. My cats, my horses, and our dog are a very big part of our lives. They keep us entertained, and snuggle with us when we need it. I could not live without animals in my life.

12. I am thankful for Wal-Mart. Yes, I think I just wrote that. I guess I feel an obligation to feel thankful to Wal-Mart. That store receives a big portion of our paychecks every month. But I guess since they have the best deals, I have to appreciate that fact!

13. I am thankful for our church. Our church has grown tremendously the last few years. And I love our pastor; he is a wonderful guy who is down to earth and keeps the sermons humorous.

14. I am thankful for past mistakes I have made and the lessons that I have learned from them. Every thing that has happened in my life up until this point has made me who I am today. And I am very proud of the accomplishments I have made and the person I have become from all the ups and downs in life.

15. I am thankful for computers and the internet. Even though they can be annoying at times, they make the world go round. Things that used to take weeks to complete only take seconds in today's world. And I have met some great friends through the computer. Life would be boring without the internet!

16. I am thankful for text messaging. What in the world did I do without texting? I have had texting almost 3 years now, and I don't think I could ever go back to not having it. That is how I communicate with so many people these days. It's so much easier to text rather then call for something that only takes a second to tell someone.

17. I am thankful for blogs. Even though I don't get to write as often as I'd like to, it's still something I love to do and that I can call mine. And I love reading other blogs! It's as much fun to read other blogs as it is to write at times.

18. I am thankful for my horse. I know I already said I was thankful for animals, but this one is dedicated to Sunset. He is my baby and has been for almost 20 years. He is up there in age, and we have to baby him. It will break my heart in two when that horse leaves me someday. For now, I am grateful that he has taught my daughter to ride, and will teach my other daughter how to ride. He has always been a good horse. I can pull him out of the pasture after not riding him for 2 years, and he needs no warm up. He is ready to go without any worry of him hurting someone. I rode him when my daughter was 2 months old, and she is now 10. I trust him with my life, and my kids' lives, or I wouldn't allow them to ride him. So I am so thankful God brought this horse into my life nearly 20 years ago!

19. I am thankful for my home. I love having a place I can call my own, and I love living in the country.

20. I am thankful for our military men and women who fight for our country. Some have lost their lives in the battle. Some are away from their families for months or years at a time. I am grateful for those who are brave enough to fight for the USA.

21. I am thankful for pizza. What else can I say? I love pizza! And cinnamon stix too. Now that is a yummy combo. I just can't eat it everyday.

22. I am thankful for exercise. When I eat pizza and not-so-good-for-me foods, I must exercise! I love my Wii fit. I like my treadmill, not really love it, but like it. I love to go walking! I just don't get to do that as often as I like. So when I am unable to walk outside, the treadmill takes the place of that.

23. I am thankful for my boots. Yes, my boots! They are so comfy. Not only do I get to wear them with jeans, but they are great to throw on with pajama pants too. You know, for that quick run out to the car, or the quick jog next door. Those boots take me alot of places and are well broke in. I'll be sad when I have to replace them someday :(

24. I am thankful for all of my clothes. The dressy clothes for work, the casual shirts and jeans, and especially the comfy around-the-house pants. My problem is that I have too many clothes for my closet. I know the solution to that is to get rid of some things, and I do on a regular basis. But I need a bigger closet! That is in the works though...

25. I am thankful for music. I absolutely love listening to music. Country, classic rock, Christian, whatever I'm in the mood for really. I have a habit of cranking up the Sirius radio on my TV and listening to it while I clean. Or blast my Christmas CD with my favorite tune of Two Steppin' Around the Christmas Tree. Love my music!!

26. I am thankful for pretty jewelry, real or fake. I love to accessorize my outfits. I am very involved with a jewelry maker, and I love the new designs that are made when the time allows to make the pretty jewelry :). I have a beautiful array of necklaces, earrings and bracelets! Oh, and I like diamonds too!! :)

27. I am thankful for my cell phone. Yes, I am very addicted to it. I cannot live without it! I'm not as attached as I used to be, but I'm still very attached. And so is everyone else for that matter... It's normal for my kids or the man to fight over it. They want to play on the internet, they want to play cards, they want to play Angry Birds, they always want something and it involves my phone. LOL

28. I am thankful for Facebook. It may sound silly, but it's true. I think it's fun to read status updates on people. I love to see new pics of my friends and family. I don't always like the drama that people post on FB, but it's humorous to read at times!

29. I am thankful for Zumba and line dancing. I love to do both! Zumba keeps me toned and in shape. Line dancing is a favorite of mine, and has been for 16 years. They both are a good way to burn calories, and enjoy it while doing so.

30. I am thankful for the clock on the wall. With each passing minute, it lets me know I am still alive and well. I do like that clock on the wall more at closing time then early in the morning. It always speaks a friendlier tone when it nears the end of the day! Plus, it lets me know it's time to go home and see my family and spend some quality time with them.

I could go on and on about the things I am thankful for because to be honest, the list does not end. God has blessed me abundantly in life and I cannot complain! Some of these were funny, some silly, some serious, but overall I had fun compiling my thankful list. Tomorrow is another day and another month. Wow, Christmas will be here soon! Now it's off to dinner with a great friend I haven't seen in quite some time...

The Time The Well Ran Dry (Literally)

This certainly has been a wicked year for weather. 2010 started out fairly normal, but then around springtime, the clouds took over and we had several gloomy days. And rain! We had enough rain to last us what I thought was a long time. That thought sure was wrong. It then turned from too much rain to not enough. And then that became a drought after 4 months with hardly any rain at all. The grass turned brown; we went from mowing at least once a week to maybe once a month. The ground was so dry. Just to look at it was a sad sight. It was as if the ground was screaming "I'm so thirsty, PLEASE water me!" The weatherman would tease us with potential rain in the forecast. And on those days it was supposed to rain, it did not. And if it did, it was barely enough to even make a dent in the drought like conditions everyone experienced.

The drought like conditions also affected us on a personal level. Our well, which has been fine for years and years, took a hit and decided to run low on water. Low enough that we ran out of water in our house. The first time it happened was late August. We were fortunate to have a fire truck dump 6000 gallons of water in the well for us. 8 days later... DRY AGAIN! In just 8 days! That meant no more laundry to be done at home, no more long hot showers (which wasn't a problem for me but my kids love those long hot showers!), no more wasting water of any kind. We are not a family that wastes water by any means, but it meant cutting down every place we could think of. No more allowing the water to run while brushing teeth, filling the sink only half full to do dishes, little things like that. And it also meant turning off the water softener because it was draining too much water. So after we ran out of 6000 gallons of water in 8 days, we were blessed to receive another 6000 gallons from the fire truck. But that would be the last load of water we could get like that. Our blessings from the fire station were great, but were complete.

Let me say the best thing happened in September. It finally rained! Even just a little bit was better then nothing. And then guess what? It rained again in October. What a wonderful blessing God decided to pour down on us! But it was short lived. I think I heard thunder a time or two last month, but I almost forgot what it sounded like since I haven't heard it for months.

So last night I am getting ready to do dishes, and all of a sudden I saw something I did not want to see. My faucet stopped dripping water; it was done. Oh no, out of water AGAIN! My good mood I was in quickly turned to frustration and irritation. I am a positive person most all the time, but that was enough to dampen that concept for a few minutes. Thank goodness we have a truck and water tank we can haul water to our well. Let's just say it made an evening trip last night! And probably will again tonight, and tomorrow, and this weekend...

They always say the third time is a charm. Well, I'm not really sure how I can apply this to my well running out of water for the third time. Is this the charm that we aren't going to let it happen again? That we will just keep hauling water from now on? I really don't know, but there has to be some charm to this. One thing is for certain - I have decided our next house will have a pond and the chances of running out of water will be slimmer! I am thankful that I can do our laundry at my nearby relative's house. I am thankful that we have enough water for our showers, and to do dishes. I think I would have a mental breakdown if I could not do dishes after a long evening of cooking. Call me a clean freak because I am overly obsessed with keeping my house clean 24/7, but it would drive me up the wall to not be able to wash those dirty dishes. Ugh yuck!!!

This situation is where being a laidback, easygoing person really helps. I could have acted out of control and have been so upset from having no water. But what good would that accomplish? Yes, it is/was frustrating, but it is one of life's little hurdles that I have to jump and not let it get me down. I always find the good in every situation, and you might ask what the good in this situation is? I really have no clue, but there has to be something positive that can come from our well running dry. Maybe it's the fact I have decided to dig a pond at our next house site. Or the fact that my patience was tested not once, not twice, but three times, and I handled it with a good attitude. Why get mad over something I have no control over? There is no point. But I will say I have been praying for more and more rain since it ran out the first time!

The expression of "when the well runs dry" is often used as an analysis, or at least I have heard that phrase in the past. I guess it's along the lines of "when the money runs out" or "the cow runs dry." I have heard all those. Funny thing is that our well literally ran dry. But that does not mean my faith will run out or any lower. In fact, it will be just the opposite. I have faith that the Lord will provide everything we need. I have faith that the Lord will provide us with water when we need it. It might be an inconvenience to do laundry elsewhere or cut back on using water, but I am hugely grateful for the fact we have a way to haul water and that we are able to still take our daily showers, etc. I will not let this major inconvenience defeat me. Instead, I will roll with it and find ways to accommodate the nuisance of less water. Before too long, that winter "s" cussword white stuff will be here. I am never a fan of s..sn... (I can't even say it)... s-n-o-w, BUT if it will snow and then melt and help the ground receive the moisture it needs, then I am a fan of that wholeheartedly. I probably just jinxed myself and we will receive like 5000 inches of snow this year. No, but in all seriousness, I do pray for more rain on a daily basis; not only for myself, but for everyone else around here that needs us. Lord, please send us inches of rain if you can hear me :) (And I know You can!)

Adios to October!

Did I really flip my calendar over a page yesterday? Why yes, yes I did. That means we say goodbye to October and hello to November. And October, I am extremely sorry, but you did not receive a blog post! I have been so busy with everyday life that I neglected to post at least something in October. So for that, I am sorry. Please forgive me!

With that said, let's move on! October is one of my favorite months of the year. The beautiful colors of fall are at their peak. The summer air moves out and brings the chilly fall winds. Harvest season is in full swing. You can't drive by a field on a nice day without seeing a combine harvesting the corn or cutting the beans. I will always have an obsession with combines. To me, there is no greater scene then seeing the crops our farmers work so hard to plant in the spring ready to come out of the ground and move on to production. It's a sweet sight! And don't forget the pumpkin patch. Our family has an annual tradition to visit a local pumpkin patch and pick them out each year. We didn't get around to carving them this year, but that's ok. That means they will last longer and look pretty on the front porch for a few more days! And then there are the days where you freeze in the mornings with the heater cranked and by afternoon, you have shedded your jacket and run the air conditioning on the way home. That is just good ole Indiana weather there! We had a great month of October this year. My dear other half hit a milestone birthday and was blessed with a surprise party hosted by a great party planner. And I'm happy to say the surprise went off without a hitch! We also spent a few days in Tennessee and had a wonderful little vacation. My girls had the time of their lives, and it was nice to relax for a few days. And then, there is Halloween. Oh yes, I just LOVE Halloween! Next to Christmas time, it's my favorite holiday. The girls received enough candy to feed an army to last until they are fully grown. And who is going to eat it all? Not them, not us, who knows! I have already spent about 3 hours sorting it all out. You know, putting the "good" candy bars in one container, and the "junk" candy in another. You all know what I am talking about! The kids come home with a huge variety of candy and you pick through and get your favorites, and some others you might eat once a year. Then the kids can take what they want. But parents must get their favorites first! After all, it was the parents who bought the costumes, drove the kids around, and walked to every door with them. (At least that's how our Halloween happens every year). So it's only fair that parents get first pick, right?!?! Actually, I am not a big candy eater and I never will be. I will eat a mini snickers or reese's cup, and I am content with that! But there is nothing like candy for breakfast on November 1 every year. I think that's another tradition that rolls over from October annually ~ and not so much for me, but any parent who takes their child trick-or-treating.

Some people start Christmas shopping in October too. I am one of those people. I don't go for the big purchases, but I do pick up little things here and there. To me, it's easier to purchase gifts along the way so you don't have such a big expense all at once. Some people can shop all year and I think that's great, but I could never do that. My kids interests change from month to month, sometimes week to week. And it's hard to return something bought 9 months ago!

With November brings other changes to our lives. A job change for the better, a new pony joining our family, and cold weather :( are just a few. We are in a time where God has been gracious in His blessings, and I cannot wait to see what happens in the near future. With God on our side, life is good and full of happiness! We have learned that when we do our best day in and day out, and truly live for God, good things will happen. All God wants His people to do is to live right, be kind to one another, and live for Him. Things will happen in His time, not ours. And they do. You just have to have faith and believe!

Even though November is not my favorite month, it is here. The days will soon told colder, that white stuff will hit the ground sometime in the next few months, and the cycle of winter will begin again. And the blahs will hit! Make the most of today, tomorrow, and each day that follows because there is a blessing in each and every day. Sometimes we just have to look for it!

Too Late to Take it Back

I was just reminded of an incident that happened a few years ago. I said something without having total knowledge and it bit me in the rear end. But it made me think about how often we say things that we probably shouldn't. How often do we speak something out loud before speaking it in our head? If we thought it to our self, or said it to our self before it hit our tongue, we might save ourselves embarrassment or hurt in the long run.

So what was it that happened to me? Well, this is my 5th year of being a girl scout leader and my last since my oldest is moving to another school next year. About 3 years ago we had a girl in our group who was brought by a lady in her late 50s (or so I assumed). Well, the girl was sweet, the lady was nice and always pleasant. So later in the year, this girl and her dad attended the father-daughter girl scout dance. I should also add that her parents were divorced so I had not seen her dad much of the year. Hang tight, this is where my assumption gets me in BIG trouble. While speaking with the girl and her dad, I told her "I saw your grandma today in Wal-Mart." Both of them looked at me with the most puzzled faces and said "Grandma????" Yeah, wait, uh, oh no, uh, ok... needless to say, I quickly realized the grandma figure that brought the girl to every single meeting was actually her MOTHER. So there I was staring at both the girl and the dad who was also the ex-husband. Let me just say he had the biggest laugh of his life at my expense. That has had to be my biggest foot-in-the-mouth moment of my life.

So because I assumed this lady was her grandma, I now have to live with the consequences of that assumption. I never could look her in the face again after that incident. There were only a couple more months of the school year left, but I was still humiliated every time she was there. And if you hadn't already guessed, the girl never returned to the troop again. I still hang my head every time I see her at school events.

Looking back on my mishap, I do have to laugh just a little. I was sorry that the whole incident happened, but it also taught me a lesson. I don't make assumptions now without knowing all the facts. That is how we learn - from our mistakes. And now I know to keep quiet when I don't really know the whole story.

This story is one where it was an honest mistake. I didn't intentionally call the lady a grandma, because obviously if I had known she was the mom, I would have referred to her correctly. But it makes me think about how often we say things before we think. Has something ever slipped off your tongue and then it was too late to take it back? Often times, we say things in the heat of the moment or when we are angry, and then those words cannot be retracted. It takes just a second or two to cause a painful sting to someone because of our words. So no matter what the situation, this is just a reminder that we should always think before we speak.

We are all guilty of it and sometimes we don't even mean to say things that we do. If we just had a filter that would take the thoughts in our heads and control what our tongue says, life would be good. But we don't, and we never will so we must learn to control what we say. Remember that we should talk about others like we would want them to speak about us. Unfortunately there are many people who like to gossip and bad mouth others, but then will be nice to those very faces they just spoke so terribly about. I have a philosophy that I won't say anything about someone that I cannot say to their face. Because if I cannot tell that person what I just said, then that is a problem. I would not want others to speak negative about me, so therefore I will not speak that way about others.

Just remember - say what you need to say, do what you need to do. Life is too short to sit around gossiping and seeing what dirt we can dig up on others. You may not always agree with others, but that does not give you the right to talk badly about them. God only wants good and kind words to leave our mouths, remember that little saying. You also cannot rewind what your mouth projects, so make sure not to say things you should not say. Think before you speak and it will save you alot of turmoil! Have a splendid day...

Are You Looking in the Rearview?

What is the first reaction you have when driving down the road and a cop passes you on the opposite side of the road? Is it look in the rearview mirrow or look straight ahead? I am going to guess that at least 90% of Americans would say "the rearview." It's just a natural instinct to look up and see the cop behind you. Is he still driving the other way? Is he turning around? Does he have his flashing lights on? These are all questions that run through our minds when this happens. And here is the funny part ~ we do all this even if we are not driving in excess of the posted speed limit, or doing anything else wrong for that matter. Even if we are being a good, obedient citizen, the temptation to look is too great and we do it anyway.

Think about this for a moment ~ I want to live my life so that when I pass a cop while driving, I do not have to look in my rearview mirror. In other words, I want to live my life looking straight ahead and not looking back or over my shoulder.

So when the cop passes your car and your head instantly turns to the right to see the rearview, and you see the cop still driving the opposite direction, do you breath a sigh of relief? Yes. But if the cop is turning around and coming towards you, do you panic? Yes. He might not even be coming after you, and you still have a moment of panic. I was driving down the road a few months ago one beautiful morning, and the cop did pass me heading the other direction. You know what I did? I looked straight ahead because I knew I was driving the speed limit (or under) and had nothing to worry about. Then I quickly realized that I could use this analogy for life just the same.

So many of us get hung up on the past, or what has happened to us, or one certain incident that we cannot let go of, and so on. We want to relive the past when it was good, or go back to a certain time that was fun and we were comfortable. But reality says we cannot do that. We must always look ahead and keep moving forward. The days, minutes or seconds do not stop for us. Each second is here for that long and then gone. Each minute is here for that long and then gone. You get the idea. Time does not stop for anyone; it only moves in one direction -> ahead. Looking in the rearview signifies this very well. What do you see in the rearview mirror? What is behind you. What just passed you. What was just in front of you. Life is the same. Once the time has passed, the time is gone. There is no going back to redo something or relive in the moment. Time passes and brings new times so we should appreciate every moment while the time passes, not after the fact. We should live in the moment while it is here because just like everything else, once something is gone, it is gone.

Think for a moment about a wonderful moment in your past. You were happy and loving life at that time, weren't you? You thought things would be like that forever and you never wanted things to change. Next...

Think about a time that wasn't so good for you. Life was rough, times were hard, you wanted to crawl under a rock and hide, or even worse, you wanted to die in that moment because you felt like you couldn't move forward. Now that wasn't as much fun as remembering the good moment, was it?

My point of remembering both moments, good and bad, is the fact that time moved on and we have all had good and bad moments in our lives. Good and bad times. Sometimes they last for a few minutes, other times they last for months or years.

I personally choose to look ahead and not in the past. And I do that with a smile and an open heart because you never know what changes will come ahead. I want to look straight ahead when that police car passes by, because I know that I was doing the right thing (obeying the law and the speed limit) and I have no worries about being in trouble, or the cop catching me for something I did wrong. How are you living your life right now? Are you looking over your shoulder all the time? Are you doing something you know is wrong and that you know you should make right? Or are you right where you want to be? Are you right with God? Are you in a good place that makes you happy? These are all very good questions we all need to ask ourselves. Some words for the minds to chew and think about. If you know you have to look in the rearview of your life and constantly worry about what will happen next, or who will catch you doing something wrong, then it's time for a change. If you can look straight ahead and know you won't be in trouble when that cop passes you, then you are doing what you need to be. God wants us to live our lives fully, healthy, and with a happy heart. He wants us to live the best we can, even when we want to look in that rearview. He wants us to look straight ahead even if we do not want to.

So today is a good day to start. Do what is right, obey what He wants us to do, be a good person, help others, lead a good life, be an example for others. That is all God wants us to do. He wants us simply to follow Him and listen for what we are meant to do in this life. Good luck on your road of life; just remember looking ahead will get you so much further than looking back!

Things That Annoy Me...

Boy, do I miss blogging! The idea for a blog of things that annoy me hit me yesterday while shopping. So here goes... my list of things that annoy me (and I know some of you can relate to some of these):



1. The squeaky shopping cart (and also what triggered this blog). Yes, the cart that squeaks and weebles and wobbles all throughout the store. I was the lucky recipient of THAT cart yesterday. The one that nobody ever wants to get because you are the center of attention. And not by choice, but chance. Of all the carts to choose from, I chose the one who was the loudest of all. It felt like I was in a parade with all the stares I received from people thinking to themselves 'Yep, glad that isn't me this shopping trip!'



2. You are leaving the grocery with stuff in the cart that cannot be bagged and get stopped at the front door because they "need to check your receipt." Ok, I understand that not everyone is totally honest and people try to get stuff for free these days. But I am not one of those people, and I hate the fact that I have to prove I have paid for my items. This happened to me twice in the past 4 days! And I never get stopped when I am on leisure time; it's always when I am in a hurry!



3. People. Yes, I just said that people annoy me. Do people annoy you? I'm guessing that they do. Now, not everyone annoys me. But I am set in my ways so I tend to get annoyed with people easily. I also know no one is perfect, and we all make mistakes. But sometimes there is a limit to what you can tolerate. So now for a list of the kinds of people that annoy me:



Conceited people - God created us all equally so why do some people think they are high and mighty and that their poop doesn't stink? We all know someone like this, or maybe you fit into this category. People who are conceited and arrogant are no better than others; they may think they are but that's just to boost their ego that much more. There are definitely people who have made alot of themselves or make more money then others, and that's great and all, congrats to them; but it does not mean they are actually better then others.



Lazy people - this is one of my pet peeves. I am very active and constantly doing something, whether it's at work, home, or for recreation. I don't see how people can sit around and do nothing for hours or days on end. It's nice to have a lazy day every now and then, but God didn't create us to be like that 24/7.



Slacker people - oh yes, we all know someone like this. Unfortunately we have to deal with them whether we like it or not. You know how these people are - they float and do the bare minimum that is required. They let others take charge and sit back and don't do their fair share. They are the type to sit back and watch instead of jumping up to help and taking initiative. I could go on and on about this one, but enough said!



Not dumb, but not overly intelligent-people (did I word that nicely without sounding conceited??) - You ever heard the saying "so-and-so has the brains that God gave us a goose." That's what I think about when I think about these kinds of people. There are those out there who are nice and good people, but sometimes they just don't make the best decisions. They may do things they know are wrong, but don't worry about the consequences until it's time to pay up. You get the idea here!



Mean people - some people are just plain mean. They do things to hurt others, they aren't honest, and they make fun of others. Remember the bully on the school playground? That person was mean then, and probably still is. It's sad but people are mean for no reason often times.


Overtalkative people - you know the kind. You see them calling your phone and then you check your watch to see how much time you have to talk. Because once you pick up the phone, you won't get a word in for 30 minutes. And even then, it might be 2 words. Some people just talk too much and don't know when it's time to shut up.



Braggy people - which can also be overtalkers. Yep, their son or daughter did this, that and even more crap that you don't give a care about. Oh, and you must know the latest and greatest on what the person's latest accomplishments are! It's all about ME, ME ME ~ know someone like this? Someone needs to invent an on/off switch for overtalking braggers because then you could shush them at your convenience. Now that's a thought for an invention...



Gossipy people - no explanation needed here. Gossip brings nothing but trouble to all those who are involved in it.



Dramatic people - come on now. Once you hit the age of 18, drama should cease to exist. Drama is brought on by gossip so they go hand in hand. There are some people just born drama queens (or drama kings), and they love every moment of it. They want to be center of attention and make a massive deal out of the smallest issues. I despise drama and steer clear of it, and if people were smart, they would too.

Really happy morning people - and don't take offense if you are one of "those morning people." I am not a morning person, and I doubt I will ever become one. I like my sleep, I like sleeping in even though it almost never happens, and I don't want to be bothered first thing in the morning about anything. No joking, no serious talks, no complaining or any of the sort first thing in the morning! NO! I cannot handle it. And I'm not one that must have my coffee because well, I am not a coffee drinker. It usually takes me a couple hours after waking up to really be awake and happy. Sometimes more, sometimes less. But anyone that knows me knows not to bother me with nonsense first thing in the morning. Or they might not like the response they get!


That's just a start on people that annoy me! Now back to the list...




4. How about when you turn on the radio station and catch the very tail end of your favorite song? Darn radio stations should be in tune with my schedule of when I start my ignition! LOL



5. When I am in a deep sleep and get woke up by something or someone (usually my youngest one). And then there is initial jump of being woke up and then the head rush when you realize where you are and what just happened. And then the fact it's impossible to get back into that good sleep. Sigh...



6. That I can NEVER seem to be to bed before midnight. Oh, I can try my best, but it never happens. It's as if the clock beside my bed has a magical power that refuses to let my head hit the pillow before 12:00 AM. Some nights it's generous and maybe I am down by 11:30 PM but there is still something that must keep me awake. Maybe the new day wants to greet me personally or something. I just don't know what it is, but I have come to the conclusion that bedtime before midnight just doesn't happen for me. Maybe one of these days I will get back in the habit of getting to bed at a decent hour!



7. Voicemail. Yes, voicemail gets on my nerves. I'm such a texter these days that I don't talk on the phone much. Unless it's a lengthy or important conversation, I'd rather text anyday! Let me clarify something ~ I don't mind voicemail if I do not know the phone number. That is fine; that way I can check to see if I even want to return the call or not. It's when I receive a voicemail from someone that knows I will call them right back. You know the old "Hey, I was just calling to talk. Give me a call back as soon as you can." Why take the time to leave that on a recorded message? I think most of the time people don't even check voicemail before returning a call anyway. I don't the majority of the time. So that is my thoughts on VM!



8. How about when you are driving in a parking lot and some idiot cuts across the parking lot the wrong direction that the aisles run? OMG that gets on my nerves! And normally these people are not checking aisles as they cross them. They believe they have the right of way and you must abide to them since they are the parking lot masters! Or people who drive the wrong way in an up or down lane. I am in the habit of looking both ways before I back out just in case. And I couldn't count the number of times it has happened. The driver is going the wrong direction in an up or down aisle, and you have to wait on their not-so-smart self to pass your vehicle, then you hope and pray they go the correct direction down the next aisle they pick. It happens way too often and can cause an accident over someone's stupidity. I just think some people need a bumper sticker that labels them as "Stupid Driver Aboard."



9. This could fall under the people annoyance category. But how about when you say something to another person and they don't respond? Nothing, nada, zilch! You sit there wondering if they even heard you, and if they did, why don't they take two seconds of their time to respond? It's like having a one-sided conversation. I have been around people where I will say something of great importance or of little value, and they don't answer. Not only is it just plain rude, but it makes the "talker" feel like what they said doesn't matter and is not worth discussing. I will at least acknowledge someone if they speak to me, even if I am not in a chatty mood.


10. When my checkbook balance is off, even just a penny. Yes, I am anal in that sense :)



11. Anyone else ever use Redbox? I do but not all that often. I barely have time to do all the necessary things on a daily basis so my movie watching time is very limited. But when I use a Redbox, I want the thing to work! There have been a few occasions where it doesn't. Or they don't have the movie I really, really wanted to see. BOO! That is what online Redbox is for and I learned that a few months ago



12. How about the fact there are not more than 24 hours in a day? I think we could all agree to this one. But even if there were more hours in a day, we would still find time to fill those hours and then complain that there still wasn't enough time. I have written it over and over, there are only 24 hours in a day and we must make the most of them. On a good day (that I go straight to work and straight home), I am still gone almost half of the day. Throw in a few hours to feed the kids, bathtime, homework, playing with them, and all the extra activities you do every week, that leaves little time for sleep. I am happy if I get a full 7 hours sleep per night!



13. What about when we are working on something and can't get it to work properly (this could be alot of things), and then someone else walks over to take a look at it, what usually happens? It works the second they walk over there. Yep, always works that way! It could be a computer problem, a jar that won't open, really anything. But as soon as another person's eyes are on the problem, it is not longer an issue. Murphy's Law, I guess! This has happened to me alot at work; something is wrong on my screen or the computer is acting up. As soon as I call a co-worker over to look at it, it works perfect! GRRR.....



14. For those who have kids, you will understand this one! Kids love to play toys so they drag out this and that and before you know it, the whole room looks like a tornado went through and dropped down baby dolls, blocks, barbie, etc. But that is not the worst part. That comes when it's time to clean up their mess. "But I'm tired" or "help me" or "these are too heavy" or "but I really want to go to bed" or "Sissy played with these too so she has to help me" excuses ~ that is what really gets on my nerves! They can play and play to their little hearts desire, but come time to clean up the mess, they never want to. And they always think since you are the parent, that comes in the job description that you must help them. The rule in our house is that they can get one collection of items out to play, but when they are ready to move on to the next thing, those must be picked up first. At least that's the way it's supposed to happen. Our floor has been covered in Littlest Pet Shops, Barbies, kitchen items, and whatever other random miscellaneous crap junk they find to drag out. When it gets to the point I can't see my floor, there is a big problem and Mommy isn't happy! My kids are pretty good about picking up, but they must be reminded and re-reminded at times. And yes, I usually end up helping because I am just a sucker. Not to mention it's late and I want to go to bed, so I do help them sometimes. But there are also times I don't too so it all balances out!


15. My best friend and I just talked about this one a few minutes ago -> How about when your jeans or pants don't fit as good as they used to? You know, you pull those pants out of the closet and try to button/zip them up only to find out they have shrunk since you last wore them? It's not you, NO. It's the pants, blame it ALL on the pants! How dare the shrinking fairy put a spell on them when you hung them in the closet. In all fairness, that may be true. Sometimes we wash clothes in hot water or dry them a little too much, and they do shrink. At least that's the excuse I like to use :). Or it could be the alternative, and we have put on just a bit more body mass than we used to have. I'm not as thin as a stick, but I can't complain. But even I have some pants I would love to be able to wear again. Something about turning 30, metabolism slows down, not enough hours in the day... But I do have to workout at least 3-4 days a week or I go nuts. I must say I am a fan of Zumba and would love to do it 7 days a week if I could! I even have my daughter loving Zumba too!



16. Crowded places and I do not agree. I hate to go somewhere I know is going to be crowded. All of those people in a confined space, yucky, germy, you can't breath without smelling someone else's weird scent. Crowds didn't used to bug me that much, but they do now. If I don't have a clear path to walk somewhere, I don't want to be there!



17. What about the times you are trying to watch one of your favorite shows (or a movie) and someone keeps interrupting you (normally kids yelling), and it makes it impossible to see and hear the show? I am not a big TV viewer anyway and rarely watch movies (see #11 above), so this doesn't pertain to me often. However, there are a couple of shows that I love to watch, and when I actually get time to watch them once every 3 months if I am lucky, I want to be able to see and hear them. That's normally about the time the friend you haven't talked to in awhile calls, or someone will stop by to say "HI." Or your kids will not allow you to watch the TV. Ever notice how that works? During their shows, they are in tune with the TV, and we parents do not exist. We can say the same thing 5 times and they will still not hear it! Oh, but when it's time for Mommy to watch the TV, they can't be quiet enough, or they need this/that right now, or they decide they want to have a long talk at the moment. It's always something, happens every time a show of mine comes on! But they also know that if I don't get my 15 minutes of TV time per week of something I really want to see, they will be in trouble. Therefore, I have signed all rights to my TV over to them until they are grown. Cartoons are destined to be on my screen for a very, very long time!



18. When the power goes out. Yes, when the electricity flickers off even for just a second. Want to know why? Because it makes every single clock in the house blink 12:00 when it comes back on. That means resetting every.single.clock back to the correct time. I guess I only have 4 clocks to reset which include the oven and the microwave so that isn't bad, but still a pain in the side when you have to do it. And when the power flickers more than once in a day and you have to reset the clocks you just reset, don't even get me started on that one! LOL

19. My current annoyance: the fact that summer is almost over :(. It has been a great summer with my kids, but it flew too quick. My kids are growing too fast. Time moves too rapidly, but it always does. I absolutely love summer because of the warm sunshine and beautiful days. I refuse to say goodbye to summer because that soon means hello winter. And I must say winter is the most annoying season of them all! Maybe I should just move to Florida where the weather is warm all year around. Thinking, thinking, nah! I think I'll stay here in great ole Indiana and complain about the cold snowy days in a few months. At least I have a 4x4 truck to get around this winter :)

20. Twenty just seems like a good number to wrap up my annoying list. Hmmm... well, I love to blog. Just don't get enough time to write. But I haven't had a comment in a long time! And that is ok, but it is nice to get a comment now and then on my fabulous writing ability. Ha! Just kidding. But I do love to get comments so keep that in mind, blog readers :).

I hope you enjoyed my list of annoying things. I am sure there are many more, but that is what came to mind while writing. Enjoy your day and remember to do something nice for a loved one today :)

Goodbye Summer, Hello School Year

I must say summer really flew this year. I know we all say that every year, but it did! Normally by this time of year, I am beyond ready for my kids to go back to school. Well, guess what? Not this year! I feel like the summer slipped out from under my feet and just flew away. So how did summer fly by so fast?

I sure would like to know the answer to that question! The length of any given day is 24 hours, no matter what season the day falls. But it seems like the entire summer was over in 24 hours. Maybe I can say that now that our fair is over. Oh yes, the fair. Our family usually loves the fair every year. But this year was a little different. Why? Maybe I shouldn't say that it was different, I guess it's the fact that my daughter can now do any 4-H project that she desires. But some projects take much more time than others. Like... the dog. Don't get me wrong; I love the dog, and I love the fact my daughter loves her dog and that dog is her ultimate favorite project. BUT when you add on the goats, the sheep, the horses, (and don't forget the guinea pig), it makes for a very busy summer. With an average of 3 nights of practice a week, most often 4 nights a week between Monday and Thursday with all the different animals, it made me a very tired mommy and two tired little girls! On a positive note though, my daughter did very well with all of her projects and with all of her animals she showed so that made me the tired, but very proud mommy! On a second positive note, it's all over! No more practices with animals until next year... Well, except for the State Fair practices this week... Grrrrr!!!! *Grin!*

With the ending of summer break comes the beginning of the school year. The kids are always excited, nervous, scared, glad, happy and sad all rolled into one! Glad to see their friends again, sad that summer has come to an end yet again. This will also be a year of big change for me ~ instead of one child in school, it will double and make it two kids in school. ='( ='(. Yes, it saddens me just a little. I have always said I would be so glad when they both went to school, but I am recanting those words at the moment. I know it's all part of kids growing up, but it's still hard when the "baby" goes to kindergarten. No, she is not a baby, but yet she is still "the baby." The youngest is always the baby no matter how old they are! Can I get an amen?!?! At least for now, she is still the baby!

Let's do the math here. Since my youngest is in kindergarten, add on five years and that makes the oldest in 5th grade. Here at our school, 5th grade rules the school. So she is excited about being the top dog this year! Let's just see if she can have yet another year of straight A's and get her name engraved on the plaque hanging in the school hall again :). I am just grateful for the fact they will be in the same school one year together and big sis can guide little sis and show her the ropes of the big, scary school.

As another summer comes to a close, we will soon welcome fall and all that comes along with that. Our kids will turn another year older, and so will we. It's just another reminder that we get older each and every day. We may not feel it (and we might some days) but it's the truth of reality. I am that happy our family had a wonderful summer even though it may have been stressful at times. I am glad my girls were able to have fun and soak up some summer sun. Once school gets back in session, I will eventually find the gratefulness in school days again. At least the routine will be back. Oh, but with routine comes the homework. And since I will have double duty this year, I will say a prayer that we can accomplish homework successfully and in a timely manner this year. That is to be determined, I suppose...

Good luck to all the kids out there who have gone back to school and those who soon will. Before I know it, I will be writing the fall and winter blahs blogs again! LOL. I know my kids will be fine in school this year, but I will probably shed a tear or two after the school bus leaves. I think that's just a Mommy thing, but it's ok because I know God will take care of them while they are not in my care! Have a blessed day, adios for now :)

Another Reminder of Our Blessings

Well, well, one of the last times I remember writing was over the fact I was ready for spring. Now summer is here, and already half over it seems like! Time just flies so fast anymore. We age just a little each day, but yet it doesn't seem like it. Our kids grow a little more each year, each month, each week, each day and before we know it, time has really flown by and they aren't babies anymore. Yes, time flies whether we like it or not. Life has been so busy for me lately that I haven't had time to blog. I miss it; I really do! But as the old saying goes, when all is well, there isn't much to say. Life is grand, kids are great, job is booming as it always does, and everything else is just swell.

I was reminded recently of how important life really is and how we should live each day to the fullest. I love making the most of each day. Sometimes that's easier said then done. I love summer, but then again, I don't like it. We are gone almost every night of every week doing some 4-H activity, or something. It's fun but it's tiring. And at the end of the day most days, I am beyond ready for my head to hit the pillow. Life is short and I want to make the most of it, but sometimes relaxation is nice too. An acquaintance of ours was killed in a motorcycle wreck a few days ago. He was 45 and left behind a wife and 3 kids. It shocked me when I heard even though I did not know the man very well. He was driving down the road I live on when he died. I was not a witness to the scene; nor would I have wanted to be. That would involve a wrecked vehicle and that is just not something I can look at without flipping over the top. But the point is, he was here that morning, and gone by the next morning. Life can change at the drop of a hat, and we must accept what comes our way whether we want to or not.

I thank God every day that I have been blessed with all that I have in my life. And I also know that if something is in God's will, it will happen when the time is right. One of the greatest things about the future is the unknown surprises that God has in store for us that we do not even know about yet. Or we could call it God's blessings of the future. Even if you have your "future" planned out, things can change. Life changes all the time and we must roll with it to stay sane. That's just my little reminder for today. As I always say, life live to the fullest. Love is one of the greatest treasures of all. Do not take life or love for granted. Appreciate all the blessings in life because you never know when those might be gone. Good night and God bless!

It Was Quite a Rude Remark!

Have you ever been guilty of putting your foot in your mouth? Have you ever said something you wish you could take back? Or even worse, have you ever said something not-so-nice about someone, and then it get repeated to that person? Unfortunately we have all been there before. We have all said things that we wish would have never said. We have all made comments that we wish other would have never heard. And how have you felt when you were the one that said something and couldn't take it back? Probably not real great. This very scenario happened to me a week ago; however, I was on the receiving end of the hurtful comment.

School is coming to a close for the summer (thank God)! It has been a long year and all the students, parents and teachers are ready for their well deserved summer break. At least my daughter is! Well, with the end of school comes the close of extra curricular activities for the year. I was in charge of a girl scout troop that has been together for 4 years and will be for one more year. We were in the midst of celebrating our year end awards party. We all had a nice pitch-in dinner to start the evening, followed by a couple girl scouts activities, some games, and then the long awaited ceremony to receive their badges and prizes they have earned for the year. Things in the girl scout troop have been a bit stressful the past couple of years, but I felt like this year had been a success. Our troop is very low key because of busy students and parents that are just as busy. I loved our little group of girls and they had a ton of fun together this year. Well, all was going well until one little girl spoke up and notified me that she would be switching troops and then proceeded to tell me a not-so-very-nice comment that her mother had said about me. I will not reveal what the comment is because that is irrelevant. The point is that I have devoted alot of my personal time, gas for driving all over the place for various reasons this year pertaining to troop related activities, fundraisers, etc, and alot of hard work into the troop this year. When the words rolled off the girl's tongue, I froze for a minute and had to let what she said sink in. Because the comment she made does not describe me at all. I was deeply offended and had to walk away from the group of girls for a moment to collect my thoughts and to keep my cool.

Even worse, the comment came from a mother who has been with the troop the entire four years, and who has not done a whole lot to contribute to the troop. This person stays at home and has tons more time than I who works 9-10 hours everyday at my job on top of everything else I do. So not only was the comment extremely rude and offensive, but for the person who put not much effort forward to the group to say such a horrible thing, it was pretty low. Very very low. So there it is, one of my biggest pet peeves ~ someone being judgemental. Judging others is a sin, and I despite people who judge others. Until you are in someone else's shoes and know EXACTLY what their life is like or all that they do, I think people should keep their mouths SHUT and not made rude remarks until they have been there and done that and can relate on a 100% level.

I am proud to say I made it through the rest of the meeting all the while biting my tongue (and it hurt a bit to bite it but I accomplished it), and didn't say a word to the mother that made the rude remark. I understand people have different views, but what was said was uncalled for and was extremely hurtful to me who took the negative comment personally. I guess I should add that I was not at all upset with the girl who told me what her judgemental mother said. I was upset with the mother for saying such a mean thing, considering she hadn't made a fraction of the effort I had all year long. I was always open to suggestions and ideas but she didn't seem to have many to add throughout the year.

The mother was sitting a few seats down from her daughter when the comment left her lips. I do not know if she heard her daughter tell me the negative news about what her mother thought or not. And personally, I don't care. It would have been wonderful if the daughter would have said it with the mother by her side, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. There were several girls and other parents that heard the comment, so I'm sure she knew before the night was over what her daughter had said to me. I have a strong feeling she knew but was too chicken to apologize to my face. Isn't that funny how that works ~ it's so much easier to say something behind someone's back, but not to their face? We are all guilty of that, just some more than others.

My point of sharing this story is to make others think before they speak. You might think negatively about something or someone, but be careful what you say or what you write because once mean words leave your mouth, it's hard to take them back. I'm just advising, take a couple seconds to think about something before it's too late. It's fine that the mom felt that way, she is entitled to her opinion. However, it was not ok to blab to her daughter (who tells all anyway) and then humiliate me in front of everyone else. It was very hurtful and I have to admit I resent the mother for what she said. I will not stay hung up on it or lose sleep over it, but the scar is there. As far as I am concerned, I have no use for her and don't really care if I ever talk to her again or not. However, I do hope she learned her lesson from this whole incident and learns to keep her mouth shut before blabbing her useless opinions of others while she sits on her butt. It's like the saying goes ~ if you think you can do a better job, than do it! Don't gripe about how someone else does something if you haven't even made an effort to begin with.

So today's lesson: think before you speak or act. It just might save you from tasting your foot in your mouth and save someone else's feelings from getting hurt. This doesn't only apply to this scenario, but life in general. We all say and do things in the spur of the moment, and then later on sometimes regret what we have said or done. But we can't take it back. We just chalk it up to lessons learned and move on and try to apply what we learned in the future. It's simple really: If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. We always tell our children that, but maybe there are some adults that need to be told that to.

Until next time, live and love happy!

That Day Comes Again

Wow, how life has been busy lately! Just like you, I am consumed with work, kids, and everyday life. I have missed blogging and I hope to start blogging more. I need some inspiration! I need some ideas! Send me a title and we'll see what blog comes of it! It may not happen for a few months, but it could eventually become a blog. All in all, I cannot complain. God has blessed my life abundantly, more than words can say. I am just thankful for each and every day that I am given a fresh start. I am thankful for all the blessings he has given me over the years. But most of all, I am grateful for the chance we have at eternal life. When we turn everything over to God and trust in Him completely and wholeheartedly, amazing things happen. We grow in our faith more and more and we worry less. Well, the day I celebrate every year is here again. I celebrate the birth day of my daughter even though she is not physically here to celebrate it with me. She is smiling down on me from Heaven Above. She knows how dearly loved and missed she is, even though she is in a much better place than we are here on earth. Mindy Grace would be 7 years old today. It is hard to believe it has been that long because it seems like just yesterday. I have moments forever frozen in my memory of my time with her.

God was good to bless us with Mindy. God is good all the time even when good things don't happen. We just have to look for the good in all aspects of life. I look back on these 30 years of my life and realize how truly blessed I have been. I am grateful for all things that have happened to me; I am grateful for where I am today. Just like everyone else, I have been through alot in life. Some times were wonderful and other times weren't so great. But I made it through! I found the silver lining in every cloud of every storm and made it through to see the sun shine again. These last two years have taught me alot about life. It's funny how I can look back at where I at 3 years ago at this time, 2 years ago at this time, and 1 year ago at this time. My, oh my, how I have changed during each of those years! Not only have I gotten 1 year old each year, but I have learned enough to last me a lifetime. But the best thing of all, is that no matter how much I went through, or what I have learned, there is still so much more to explore, accomplish and learn along the way! There are so many things that God has planned for my life that I don't even know about yet. I just have to pray and wait to see where my path leads me. I have a pretty good idea of where I'm going to be, but only time will tell what will happen...

I attended a fashion swap at my church this past weekend. There was a guest speaker there who gave a very uplifting and warm message. One thing that she repeated numerous times was "I am a unique, unrepeatable miracle of God." She made every one in the room say it over and over throughout her talk with us ladies. Try this, say it aloud, right now. Don't worry about who is around, say it so you can hear your mouth speak the words: I AM A UNIQUE, UNREPEATABLE MIRACLE OF GOD. Now for those of you that just read it and did not speak it out loud, go back and say it! If you are in an environment you cannot talk to yourself because people might think you are a little nutty, at least write it down and say it to yourself out LOUD before the day is over. Since you are fortunate enough to be able to read my blog, at least do it for me!

I am a unique, unrepeatable miracle of God ~ that I am. That you are. And every unique individual that God created is. A unique unrepeatable miracle of God. Every one has their own mind, their own body, their own life, their own family, their own friends, their own car, their own email, their own favorite things, their own everything. Yes, people share things all the time, people share family members and friends. But there is not another person that has your name, your likes, your dislikes, your look, your voice, your smell, your hair, you get the idea. There is no exact replica of YOU because God created us all to be different in our own unique way. For those of you that have a Facebook account, their is no other person that has the same list of friends that you do! Want proof of that? You cannot be a "friend" to yourself on FB so therefore, no other person can repeat your list of friends exactly.

So there it is folks! We are all different from each other, but yet we are alike in so many ways. I am thankful for the friends I have; the friends that compliment me, the friends that listen to me, the friends that I can meet for lunch, the friends that know me better than I know myself, all the friends I have. I am especially thankful for the bestest friends that I have, there are just a select few. And I thank God for helping me find my best friend, that I can tell everything to and be who I really am, just last year.

So I hope you understand my point. Every one of us is our own person. We all see, hear, touch, feel and smell the same thing, but the end result differs in everyone. We don't always think alike, and we never will. If we all thought alike, how boring would that be! Everybody has their own "thing" they like to do. Everyone has their own interests. I love to go for a ride on tractors and combines but most people do not share that same spark of interest as me. So next time you are having a rough day or hard time, remember that you are a unique individual that is unrepeatable.

God makes each and every one of us for a different reason; a different purpose. Have you ever wanted to be famous? Be an actor or a famous singer? Well, God has chosen a select few to carry on those roles and entertain us. We all have a reason, or multiple reasons that we are put here on earth. We just have to pray to Him and ask what it is that He wants us to do. We must ask God where he wants us to go. We should ask God what he wants us to be in life. If we seek guidance and follow what He wants us to do, then God is pleased. For when we follow Him, He will bless us with we need. He will never leave us. He will provide us during our times of need. But we must keep the faith and know that He will provide for us when the time is right.

The other message our speaker wanted us to remember was that "God loves me." God loves me, God loves you. God loves everything He created. No matter what we have done, no matter where we have been, no matter what negative things our past holds, God still loves us anyway. He will never turn His back on us. He is there at all times. But again, you have to believe in Him. Remember to always believe and trust in the Lord.

I will conclude this post by saying this: Life is short. God is good. Count your blessings and be thankful for what you have. Give credit to the Lord for all good things because those are blessings from Him. Seek guidance in storms of life, and during the good times. He will never steer you wrong. Love others as you wish to be loved. Be happy and give to others. You would be amazed at how blessed you feel when living happy and being a positive role model for others.

If you have any blogs you would like to see written, leave me a comment! No promises, but it could happen. Have a blessed day. Laugh, love and live happy because that is what we are supposed to do! And Happy 7th Birthday to Mindy Grace in Heaven. You are never forgotten, and I am so thankful she is in the best place of all and has eternal life. We Love You Little Girl.

Cruising on the Speedboat or the Sailboat?

First of all, I would like to officially welcome spring! I am so glad it is finally here. The warmer temps are on their way and so are all the leaves and pretty flowers. I can't wait to see all the pretty scenes of spring!!

I received a very awesome message at church this past Sunday. Our pastor was talking about living life right and knowing our Lord and Savior through the Holy Spirit. Well, one phrase that I loved was that those who go through life while sailing are often more happy and at ease then those who speed through life. Take this example: if you had to choose between a sailboat and a speed boat, which one would you choose? The majority of people are going to choose the speed boat, including myself at times. The speed boat is the quick route, the fun route to get to where we need to be. The sailboat requires time and patience because you must set your sails to whichever direction the wind is going in order to move anywhere. And the sailboat is obviously going to move at a much slower pace than a speedboat would.

That is a perfect example of life. So many times we move full speed ahead when we get an idea in our head or follow a direction we want to go. Rather than stopping to listen to God and what He wants us to do, we pick a point, set our sights on that point, and do whatever it takes to get there. Sometimes we hurt others or knock people out of the path along the way, but as long as where we get to where we want to be, that is all that matters. Let me say that is a very selfish and negative approach to the way people should handle life and everything that matters to each person. So when we are riding the speed boat, we are bumping over the waves fast and furious and missing alot on the ride we are taking. However, there is a solution if you are riding on a speedboat in your life...

Take a look around you and decide that you would like to take a stroll on the sailboat. Decide that you are ready to follow God's path for you and not YOUR path for you. The sailboat might take awhile to get to where you want to go; it may seem very slow but that is ok. When you are riding on the sailboat, you have an opportunity to relax and enjoy the slow rhythm of the waves. You don't have to worry about hitting a big bump and getting thrown off the boat. Because when you sail, you see so much more than when you are cruising fast. You are able to appreciate the little things, see things with detail and not blurred as if you were flying by. The sailboat is actually the best boat to choose because you are not in control of the direction you go. You set sail and see where the wind takes you. Just like in life ~ let God be in control and see what direction it takes you. Let Him be the wind that guides you and you will go so much further in the journey of life.

Ask yourself this ~ which boat are you riding on? Are you moving in fast forward and cruising fast and furious at such a pace that you cannot control? Or are you moving slow and steady and letting things happen as they will? I pray for each person that reads this blog, that they are riding on the sailboat of life and not the speedboat. It's so much prettier, so much more detailed, so much more peaceful, and the ride that God wants us to choose when we are on the sailboat. So slow down if you are moving too fast and appreciate those little things of life. Take time for things you enjoy. Stop running at an excessive amount of speed; take time to stop and smell the flowers. Riding on the sailboat is so much better then riding on the speedboat. The speedboat might give you a thrill for a short while but eventually the thrill ends and you are back at the dock, back at the beginning where you must start over. But enjoying life on the sailboat will send you travelling farther than life on the speedboat. Take my word for it. Try it today! You will never know what you are missing until you slow down enough to take a cruise on the sailboat. It's what God wants us and needs us to do in order to get to our destination in this world. May God Bless You Today and Everyday! And I pray you choose to sail on the slowboat of life.

COME ON SPRING!

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the month of March. It certainly has been a long and dreary winter with very little sunlight for what we normally are given. Or at least it seemed that way this year. I read somewhere that the sun was only out 6 or 7 days in the month of February. That statistic just seems crazy to me! I didn't actually count the days we had bright sunlight but it was very few.

Spring is in the air and it's just a few days away. I can almost smell it, it's so close! But not close enough! I, like most of the world, am quite sick of the long winter days and am ready for some pretty and sunny ones. I just have to remind myself to be patient and the sun will soon shine bright enough on the majority of days we are blessed to have. Not only am I looking forward to the sunshine, but I am especially excited about the warm weather that will be here before we know it. I am ready to kick the long sleeves back in the spare closet and wear all of my lovely warmer weather clothes! Just a few more weeks.... GRRR! (Patience is virtue, I know.)

Along with spring will also come the birds singing again, the trees blossoming, the flowers sprouting out, the whole look of pastels and pretty colors again. I am also ready to see the mud dry up from the thousands and gazillion feet few feet of snow that dumped on us in February. That was just some crazy snowfall if you ask me! HOPEFULLY we are on the upper end of that and won't be cursed with any more snow until next winter. (Hint, Lord, Please!!) But soon enough all will be perfect and pretty again in the lovely outside world.

So here comes the countdown...
16 DAYS UNTIL SPRING!! ONLY 16. And tomorrow when we wake up, it will be 15 DAYS UNTIL SPRING. Even better!!! I'm just happy the temps are supposed to bring the 50 degrees mark this weekend. They cannot come fast enough for me!!!!

So join me in counting down the days until spring. We will all welcome spring with wide open arms in 2010. At least I will! Until next time, God Bless!

Life is Good Today; Life is Good

There was a phrase I had stuck in my head last week and for some reason, it still remains in my head today "Life is good today; life is good." Now people will look at that phrase and probably think they cannot say that every single day of their lives. But I am here to say, yes you can say that every day of your life, starting today! Life is full of blessings, but sometimes we have to look for them or be reminded at times. Yes, some days are harder than others, that is just life. But there is good in everyday if we search for it.



Life is good today and is good everyday we are blessed here on this earth. This popped into my head one afternoon while I was at work. It had been a busy week and a busy day especially. And I am one that loves to stay busy. Give me work and more work and I will complete it as fast and accurate as I possibly can. But this day wasn't so much about completing paperwork, it was about helping others. I had a few customers that day who really brightened my day even though they did nothing out of the ordinary. I love being able to help people, whether it be at work, family, friends, a complete stranger, whomever. I absolutely love helping others. And I thank God each and every day for the opportunities he has given me in my life. I have the most amazing daughters, a good family, wonderful friends, a great man in my life, a job that has turned into my ultimate dream job, the list goes on and on. But something hit me that day and just really made me realize how much I am truly blessed. I get paid to do what I love, and in return I get to help others everyday.



Sometimes even the smallest gesture can make such a big difference in someone else's day. I was at a meeting the other night of a group I have been a leader for 4 years. One of my new girls this year handed me a little box and said "Happy Valentine's Day." It was a small box of chocolate cracker treats with sprinkles on them. It was truly sweet! Even though it wasn't a big gesture from the girl, it made my day to know that what I do for the girls is appreciated. I never expect any type of gift for volunteer work because I like to do what I do; otherwise I wouldn't put forth all the effort that I do. But that was the first time in 4 years I had ever gotten a small gift from anyone in the group. I am happy even if I get a "thank you" at the end of the year. I am not a leader or take on extra roles because I want some glory or fame. I do it for my daughter, and for those kids who I have the privilege of helping and getting to meet. I always try to be the best positive role model that I can, and pray that I can help others in some way, even if it something small. But my point is that small gesture that the member of the group made put a big smile on my face and brightened my day. And it made me think of something that is common sense but now always spoken. Maybe if we each took the time to do something little for others once in awhile, we would brighten others lives or make them smile. Think about it ~ when is the last time you made a small gesture of kindness for others? It's kind of like the pay-it-forward theory. Do something nice out of the kindness of your heart just because. You don't always need a reason to do something nice. It would make you feel warm inside and benefit the person on the receiving end as well.



Life is not always easy, but there is something in each day to be thankful for. Even if you have the worst day ever, be grateful for at least one thing in your life. I am grateful each night that I get home because I am with the two lights of my life ~ my kids. Even if I've had a not so great day, or I'm trying to get things done around the house, or the kids are squabbling, even in the most hectic times, I am still grateful that God chose to bless me with my little girls. I am grateful for the house I come to that I call home, for the car that I drive each day because it enables me to travel, for the endless people that have come into my life whether it be for a season or for a lifetime. I am thankful for all the blessings in my life. I just wish more people would see that my theory on being grateful and thankful for what we already have and not for what we do not have.



I have written a couple times about a lady I met in my office who had cancer. She was given a couple weeks before Christmas to live, but God blessed her with a few more days and she peacefully went to be with the Lord on January 6, 2010. Even though I wasn't close to her, I went to pay my respects and express my condolences to her husband and family. Her husband is such a sweet man whom I've had the privilege of meeting through my job. He said he was right beside her when she left to be with Jesus and she was ready. She had finally come to the realization that she could not beat her cancer and so she wouldn't fight it anymore. Then he laughingly said she didn't want a big fuss during her viewing/funeral, and that she didn't want people to have to get out 2 days just for that, and that nobody would even be there. Let me just say the parking lot was full and we waited in line for at least an hour before talking with him. The first thing he said to me was "she must have really made an impact on you" and yes, she certainly did. I can remember she told me to take extra time for those "little things." Again, it comes back to the little things in life, not the giant monumental things that we go through.



Life was good the last few days because I was blessed to have a couple of snow days to stay home with my girls. Don't get me wrong, being cooped up in the house for two days because of snow, then leaving for a day for a normal routine, then being cooped up another two days can drive us all a little nuts. So 4 out of 5 days we were all snowy blanketed in our house together, but you know what? It was wonderful and I wouldn't change it for anything! We got to play together, eat together, bake cookies together, just have fun together! I hadn't played playdough in years (I think I forgot how). We completely cleaned out and revamped my daughter's room so she can enjoy having friends over next weekend for her birthday. We spent quality time together and that's what counts. So yes life was good yesterday, life is good today, and Lord willing, life will be good tomorrow.



I will say it again "life is good today; life is good." But I should change it to say "life is good everyday" because it truly is. Let's count our blessings today and thank God for what we have been given. Let's stop worrying about the future so much and live in the here and now because we miss so much of life if we live in constant worry or planning every step of life. The truth is we really can't plan every step of our life the way we think things will happen. Life just happens whether we are ready for it or not. We have to be prepared for whatever life throws at us. We should be grateful for our blessings. It's simple really. Be happy with what you have and try to roll the best you can in life. Life is Good Today, Life is Good <- Notice it doesn't just say "today" but the phrase ends with "Life is Good." And yes it is, Life is Good. Have a wonderful day and a wonderful week!