Friendship

I have this friend that I've known for almost 15 years. I adore her, and value her more than I can say. I tear up thinking about how full my life has been because of her. What a blessing it was that God gave her to me. We have stood by one another though life altering events. We've prayed for each other and been there for each other when times were tough, and I mean really tough! God has used her in my life so many times, He uses her to speak truth to me when I can't see it for myself, He's used her to encourage me when I need it most. I pray that I have been the friend to her that she has been to me, there are times where I have had my doubts about that! There is not enough space to write about what we've watched each other go through. But through every difficult season of the last 15 years I've always known that I have Rachel, I have Rachel to stand with me as I face whatever crisis came my way, and whatever crisis she faced I stood with her.

Rachel is also my hero, in so many ways, really. She and her husband Kevin have just gotten home from China, they adopted a little 6 year old boy that they named Hudson, after the British missionary to China, James Hudson Taylor. What's better than that is that 9 years ago they adopted a baby girl that they named Holly. This child has stolen my heart since the day I first saw her. David and I have so many pictures of her when she was little, precious!

We now face another season of life, Rach needs me to stand strong in prayer with her. Our little Holly is really struggling with adding a little brother into their family...... My gut feeling is this, she is first and foremost a very tenderhearted little girl, I know that there are many things that an adopted child goes through that I will never understand, but what I do understand is that she wanted this little boy in their family, I know that her mom and dad have taught her what is means to care for orphans and what God says about how He would have us do that. She knows that her mom and dad have loved her and worked very hard to rescue her from an orphanage when she was an infant. This is a hard time for her,,, and for her mom and dad as they watch her process this journey, knowing that the only thing that they can do is to reassure her that she is wanted and dearly loved.

Now, about Hudson... He is a precious little 6 year old boy! What a breath of fresh air- today when I met him he graciously approached me, he wrapped his little arms around my waist and hugged me. I melted like butter. He didn't understand me when I cupped his little cheeks in my hands and told him how precious he was. He didn't know how full my heart was when I looked at him and thanked our awesome God for giving him to Rach and Kev.

Time

Sometimes I feel like time is going by so fast- like, unusually fast! Seems like our little granddaughter Layla was just 6 months old and we were teaching her all kinds of fun stuff. She's 4 1/2 years old now, and teaching me all kinds of fun stuff:) she reminds me of what's really important in this life.

Don't even get me started on how fast my children grew up- honestly, I could weep about that! Somehow I didn't seem to understand how fast our time would go with them.

Now, here's the real kicker- The first 6 months of 2011 will likely be spent wishing the time would go faster. My husband will be leaving the country to work in Uganda, Africa for 6 months. If all goes well that time may be shortened, we'll see!

I do have a plan to help fill my time while I'm alone for 6 months. I'm taking a photography class, a weight lifting class, and volunteer at a local hospital or nursing home. I plan on having my little Layla spend many nights, oh, and my little niece Katie has already asked to come and spend the night when Uncle David is gone. I will definitely be having dinner with friends and lunch with my precious daughter, and most likely dinners with my son,,,, as long as I'm buying!!

I'm thrilled that we'll be able to talk on the phone and that we have skype and email, and of course we can text for 5 cents. I'm praying that the time will go faster than ever until he returns home... but not when it comes to our little Layla growing up!

This is no time for ease and comfort. It is the time to dare and endure.
~Winston Churchill~

I LOVE Thanksgiving!

I'm feeling a bit obsessive about Thanksgiving! I'm obsessing about what everybody is doing for the big day. I keep asking "so, what are you doing for Thanksgiving? What is your favorite food? What's your favorite thing about Thanksgiving?" Seriously, that's me... It's all I've talked about all week, and Thanksgiving isn't for another week, hope I don't drive everyone around me too crazy!!

I just love this day, this day where we come together and laugh and visit, where we make new memories that last us until the next year. I love that we live out the traditions we've developed for our family. There is nothing like a group of people that come together every year and know exactly what to expect, they know that there will be turkey, mashed potatoes, and my perfect gravy (that my mother in law taught me to make, kudos to her), greenbean casserole, rolls that are perfectly browned on top with real butter, and of course pumpkin pie with whip cream, and my new fav that my daughter has made for the last 3 years .... the now famous...must have every year from now on.... Peach Cherry Pie with lattice crust that she makes from scratch, and is perfect every single time! Oh my goodness, it's amazing and I wish everyone of you could try it. She actually made it for me for my birthday this year because I love it so much. Really, there is nothing like Thanksgiving..... Well,  Christmas eve is pretty darn close! I get pretty excited about my sister in law's cream cheese tortilla rolls, and her husbands banana bread, and his no bake cookies that he calls "unbaked" cookies, oh and their decorated sugar cookies and their famous peanut butter cookies.... Then there's breakfast the next morning, well- I could just go on and on.... I love to anticipate a day filled with everything that we have had for as long as we can remember- Memories- it's all about making memories, isn't it?

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts.  No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving. 
                                    ~H.U. Westermayer~

Know What I Love... and Hate?

So, for those of you who don't know me, I manage a large dental office with about 17 women. Probably nuff said, right?

 Most days there are a handful of them that are in full on "selfish mode" meaning... kiss my a-- because no one matters but me and what I want!! Which is not good for a business that relies on patients who return and refer their friends and family because they love the service we provide... It's at this point that I want to start firing people! Why is it that people think they should have the right to come in an spread their nasty attitude to staff and patients? It's a cancer, and if I had my way I'd fire 6 of them tomorrow. They are not bad everyday but what makes it worse is that they are unpredictable from day to day. Not all of them have a bad attitude, some I'd fire some just because they are not good at their jobs, sad but true. Some I would fire because they aren't team players, they are out for themselves- be gone!

But then there's this one employee, she is willing to do whatever you ask.... and above all, she does it with a smile. She always has a smile on her face, even when she doesn't feel like smiling. She always has a kind word for our staff and our patients, even when someone has just chewed her out. She makes my day! I want a whole office full of women like her.

People, just fake it until you make it, cry in your car all the way to work and all the way home if you must, bite your tongue until it bleeds but keep your issues in check and don't bring them to work.
 
~ Work harder on yourself than you do on your job~ Jim Rohn

Now I'm Irritated!

Enough already about breast cancer, I get it! I get that for every woman who dies to breast cancer, 10 die to heart disease, that is what I get! My question is, does this country really care about women, or just our breasts? Or, perhaps the ugly truth is really that the breast is the "sexy cause" and heart disease is basically just not all that attractive? I firmly believe that breast cancer is tragic and that many women and their families have been devastated by this cancer, and I'm thankful that the women in my family have not had to go through it, but several had heart disease! Just sayin' that there are so many other tragic diseases that deserve equal time. When will some of these other cancers be as important as the " breast"?

I'm not a football fan, but it's on in my house all the time now. What the heck is with the NFL??? Really, these guys are all wearing pink, pink bands, pink shoes, pink caps! The money that was spent on this makes me sick, the NFL should have just given all that money to cancer research. But the truth is that they want some sort of accolade for being so sensitive to the plight of breast cancer, trust me, breast cancer did not need that exposure..... we're pretty much saturated with their " awareness" program!

FYI- Every 15 minutes a woman dies of breast cancer, just to compare- in Africa alone, someone dies every 15 seconds to malaria, which is 100% curable.Who's talking about this? No body!

Never, never, never give up.
~Winston Churchill~

Bacon!

If you don't like pork don't read this post! Really, just stop now, I don't want to offend any of you pork haters.

I love pork, seriously, I love pork! And I'm so excited because we are going to go pick up our freshly butchered hog tomorrow. To make the whole process even better, my niece Lena raised our hog, she's 14. She's also raised a turkey and a lamb that we've eaten, isn't that cool?

I have to say that bacon is at the top of my favorite food list. If you like pork you must go to www.cafepress.com where you can buy t-shirts that say things like "I love Bacon" and "Bacon is meat Candy". You know, sayings that you can really stand by, with passion... and dedication :) Let me warn you now though...the government will most likely be adding a fat tax to those of us who love pork, ya, I'm one of those!!! I"m joking, but not totally... a local grocery store here has posted that effective July 1st 2010 that there is an added tax on all candy and pop.... I'm sure bacon will be our next tax!

I have a new wish item on my bucket list, a friend of mine went to Chicago recently and she went on a bacon tour in the city! A real bacon tour, can you imagine? I hate the thought of the calorie count in all that bacon but I'd find a way work it off. Unfortunately, she had a little too much to drink and she wasn't really able to remember the tour. Maybe she should go back with me:)

I have a pork recipe that is one of my all time favorite comfort foods, and I know that every time I eat it that I will eat too much.... and then I'll eat the left overs too....

Pork Chop, potato and mushroom gravy.

4 pork chops- with or without bones
4 potatoes- peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 to 1 cup milk, just to enough to get the right gravy consistency you like.
Vegetable oil
Salt and Pepper
Flour

-Peel and slice potatoes and layer in the bottom of a large baking pan, salt and pepper.
-Heat oil in skillet. Place flour in bowl, add salt and pepper and mix, coat pork chops in flour and brown in   oil. Make sure they get a really nice brown color. Remove chops and place on top of potatoes.
- Add soup, sour cream and milk. Add salt and pepper.... and any other seasoning you might like. Heat through and pour over pork chop and potatoes. Cook at 350 for about an hour, or until potatoes are done.

Now..... enjoy one of my favorite comfort foods:)

Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity.  ~Voltaire

Time

Time is an interesting thing, isn't it? When it comes to things like work, cleaning the house or having an awkward conversation with some woman in line at the grocery store who gives you her life story in 2 min, 37 seconds...painfully slow...  Anyway, it's times like this that time seems to move incredibly slow. Or how about when you've spent months preparing for a trip and everything is all set.. and you don't depart for another 4 months.... time creeps by!

I just want to know how to slow time down with a few things:) ridiculous I know. But if you have any tips I'd be interested in hearing them. Mostly I thinking about my granddaughter Layla. She's is with us this weekend and I've done everything I can to make sure that she has my undivided attention so that she and I don't have any regrets with the time we've had together. For the last year or so she has said " I need to stay 2 nights, 1 night is not long enough". So, this weekend she's staying 2 nights, and she has been such an amazing joy. But here we are, it's Saturday night and she's fast asleep, we'll have her for a few hours tomorrow and then it will be over, we'll make some memories tomorrow morning and she'll come to church with us, but then it's over. Time has gone way to fast!

Here's a few Layla quotes from the weekend
While on a walk last night. -
-"Nana, don't pick that up, it's trash"
-"I love you Nana"
-"You're the best Nana ever"
-"Nana, these flowers are so beautiful, can I pick them for my mommy"?
-"Nana, I'm going to remember these beautiful pink clouds in my heart forever"
-" You get what you get each day with clouds" Saying that they are different everyday...so precious!
-"Nana and Papa, I've told you a hundred times, that is not a Lama, it's a Lamb, a Lama walks on two legs but looks like a Kangaroo"..She was dead serious and spoke with amazing conviction, and hand gestures!
There were so many more precious things she said, and next time I'm going to write everyone of them down!

Pure joy!

Grandchildren are God's way of compensating us for growing old.
                              ~ Mary H. Waldrip~

27 years

We were married on August 20th 1983, so this last Friday we celebrated 27 years of marriage. Man, I can't help but think that if we've been married that long that we must be old! Good thing I don't feel old!

As I look back on 27 years I am amazed at how God has worked to heal two really screwed up people. We fell in love and without any examples to follow we struggled, but we worked hard to make the best marriage that we possibly could, wasn't always easy....

There were some really tough years, but God's grace was always with us. We decided early on in our marriage that we would never get a divorce, it just wasn't going to be an option. The hard years for us were when our kids were young, all our energy was focused on them, but by God's grace we were able to continue to work on our marriage and by the time they left home... well, one has come back home now, but by the time he was headed for college we actually felt like we had done the work to build a strong marriage and now was our time to enjoy each other. 

We love hanging out, going out to eat and going to the movies- we love having friends over and taking naps whenever we want (okay, I love taking naps whenever I want). We love traveling and making new memories that are just ours. 

My advice, have your kids while your young and not too set in your ways:)
  
Chains do not hold a marriage together.  It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads which sew people together through the years.  ~Simone Signoret

Passionate People!

Was there a song called Passionate People?

Well, I love to hang out with passionate people, unless they're passionate about themselves, in which case I generally avoid all contact with them at all costs! I have no use for people who are self absorbed!

Most of the time I really don't care what you are passionate about, it could be your faith, exercise, food, your job, your family, almost anything.... 1 exception might be the crazies who are obsessed with the pink ribbon representing breast cancer (a very deep rooted issue of mine, previously posted!) But other than that, I love people who stand for something, people who believe in something. I'm seriously annoyed with people who are "tolerant", who never want to offend anyone. I'm a big talker right now..... I don't really want to offend people, I don't desire to make enemies but if the situation calls for me to speak up then I do it.  I'll always find a way to say what I think, hopefully in a kind and loving sort of way, but that's how it always goes... Once at a Bunko party, I had had enough of this stupid woman carrying on about how she'd let her teenagers have parties at her house and that she'd be the one handing out condoms... So, I pointed my finger at her, in front of a table full of other women and proceeded to tell her how stupid she was, I even had statistics on std's and loads of other information for her.... it got pretty awkward and I was not invited back to Bunko!!! Makes me laugh now! Stand for what you believe in. Don't compromise, don't waffle, just be true to who you are!

I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.
                            ~Albert Einstein~

Vacation

I know, you've heard me whine about needing a vacation! Well, I still need a vacation. In a big way... But instead of a real get away we're leaving on Saturday for our family cabins. Though it's still in Colorado it's about 4 1/2 hours away and it will cost as much as a cruise to the Caribbean! Which is seriously annoying to me. I'm letting that go though- I'm not going to be bitter!! The cabins are a wonderfully peaceful place and I do love it there.


The things I love the most is that we go with my brother in law and his wife. They are just like us, really! We love spending time with them, they love good food, they love each other and they think like we do! They both have a great sense of humor and we will laugh the whole week. It's going to be a really good time. And just like us, they think that going to the cabins is a lot of work. We'll all spend way too much money to get there- and I kid you not, it's a lot of money. We'll all spend way too much money on our meals and little trips into town. Then there's the fee we have to pay to the family to make sure that our aunts and uncles are able to pay for the insurance that year. I guess it's a sacrifice that will provide memories for us that are priceless! So, knowing all that~~~~~ I still want to be on a huge boat in the Caribbean! Thing that may happen in October.... Hurricane season!! God have mercy!

5K

So, okay, I know that running a 5K is no big deal for most people! Sometimes it's not a big deal for me, and sometimes I'm certain that I'll not make it to the end. Today was very interesting-
The race was in a small mountain town at about 8000 ft. I thought that I'd be fine with the altitude, umm, not so much- didn't see that coming! I knew the race was going to take place on a ranch that is not open to the public, beautiful! Why did it not occur to me that there would not be a trail, or that the hills could present some challenge? Then there was the rain, it made all the challenges worth it, a constant drizzel of refreshing rain- complete JOY! I wish I could say that I didn't walk once- I walked several times for a few minutes at a time. I still finished in 39:04. I ran with my boss, she's fun, smart and in better shape than I've ever been in! Oh, she did beat me by a few minutes, I tell myself that she is 10 years younger than me...

My Favorite Things

Oprah is not the only one who has a few favorite things! Obviously, I'm not Oprah and I don't have her recourses to purchase some of the finer things I'm sure would become "a fav" if I could afford them! But I do have a few favorite things.


Some of my favorite things cost nothing. Like hiking or running in the cool morning air. I love getting up early (though it is hard to get out of bed at 5:10 am) 5 minutes into my run I'm wondering if this is really going to work out... and before I know it Tom Petty has gotten me through the tough part and my muscles are beginning to loosen up and I'm in the groove, a groove where I not only listen to more of Tom and some Santana and of course there’s a lot of Elton going on~ the run is coming to an end and I feel like I've done my old body some good for the day. I love that feeling!

I do love to sweat! Sounds gross doesn't it? But there is nothing better for me than to sweat. Although, I do sweat at some rather inappropriate times recently. Like at the garage sale this weekend.... Why is the biggest question! That's a whole other blog! TMI I'm sure~ sorry!

I love Saturday mornings at home, doing a lot of things and doing nothing... then making tuna sandwiches for David and I for lunch, gotta have Lays potato chips with it, that's a complete Saturday morning for me.

I love a mid week matinee's with my husband. I love movie popcorn with so much butter that it's dripping off my fingers- and of course I have to have a large diet coke and a bag of M&M's. That's the perfect mid week pick me up!

I love dinner with a great glass of wine with my husband after a long day of work.

I love it when my little Layla say's " I miss you and I love you"

I love that my son has an odd admiration for my brothers- the same men I worked so hard to keep him away from when he was a child! Now they have had a huge impact on his life, in a very positive way.

I love that today could have been a really bad day if I hadn't chosen to trust God, but because I made a conscious decision to trust Him and not be in despair, He blessed my mind and heart... I love that!

I love that no matter what disappointments I have in this life I can trust that God see's it all. He knows my heart for my marriage and for my kids and ministry. And that He will work it all according to His will. Nothing will slip by Him..... I love that!

I love food- I'm a serious foody. I am passionate about food, I love a fantastic meal! Especially a great dessert:)

I love people who are passionate, and it really doesn't matter what they are passionate about. Seriously, no matter what your beliefs are, I respect conviction and passion. So no matter what you do in this life, be passionate and committed to what you believe in.

I'd love to know what you're passionate about.

“Nothing great in the world has been accomplished without passion”
                                   ~Georg Wilhelm~

Technology Is Definitely My Friend!

I'm fascinated by technology- there is very little that I understand about it, but I love it! I don't understand how text messaging works but I usually have about 900 a month, I totally enjoy texting! Not a fan of talking on the phone- and just incase you're judging me for it just know that I love hanging out with those same people I text with and talking in person.

I have no idea how email really works, but thank God for email, it saves me tons of time not talking on the phone. Email has changed communication by leaps and bounds, I now communicate with family members across the country, and with people in our ministry in Africa. It's amazing how email has connected third world countries to the rest of the world, mind boggling, really!

Consider this blog- I'm a poser, not a real writer, I'm certain that my sentence structure and punctuation is a mess, and yet because I'm able to figure out how to set a blog up and even upload a pretty little background (all for free), I get to have a blog. How amazing is that?

The other tech mystery to me is Skype- how do I call my parents home phone number and instead of them answering the phone they answer the computer and we are face to face with the help of the "web cam". So crazy, so cool!

Having said all that-
Technology... is a queer thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. ~C.P. Snow, New York Times, 15 March 1971

A Rant!

Here's my rant- Why are some people not capable of biting their tongue? Why do some people think they should say everything that is on the end of our tongue? Just because it's a thought doesn't mean you should say it, it really isn't your right! Everyone is responsible to think before they speak, not the other way around! Why do some people think that it's their right to assault others with your hideous words and attitude? You've had a bad day? SORRY~ But you being a A-hole to me isn't going to somehow make your life okay.... Here's a thought, try giving instead of taking, try being a blessing instead of a curse, try biting your tongue until it bleeds, but stop saying everything you think.

Ahhh, feeling much better---- think I may have just said everything I think!!! And didn't hurt anyone in the process......

“Never miss a chance to shut up”
           ~Will Rogers~

It's an interesting thing!

David and I bought a house on April 30th. We've been renting for the last 5 1/2 years because we thought the Lord was going to move us to Africa. That door has been closed for the time being. So, for tax reasons we needed to purchase a home. Moving has been a nightmare, and why wouldn't it, really, we have almost 27 years of "stuff" and one of us has accumulated more "stuff" than the other.... and it's not me! I have decided that I want to be a minimalist, you know, "down size" in a huge way. It took us 3 days to move everything into this big house, (we had a lot of help) and then we had to clean the old house, in total it was a 5 day ordeal, and I only took one day off work to do it! I'm not recovered yet!


I say to myself, really... is this what I want, is this what we want, is this what we thought empty nester should be? There's a part of me that could live in a little house on a quiet street, that would allow for a lot more free time (the yard maintenance alone in this house is astounding, it's 1/3rs acre) and it would no doubt allow for more vacations, yeah, yeah~ which is what I'm all about at this point in my life. Honestly, I suspect that this is the beginning of the Lord finally being able to move us into the place we're meant to be at this time in our lives. Having said all that, I do believe that this is where we are supposed to be, for now! Everything is a process; it's all about timing! I love that!

Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.

~Brian Tracy

Moving On

In about two weeks we will be moving - I should be excited, but I'm not! Not one part of me is ready to leave this place, to leave the neighborhood that I have ran in for the last 5 years, to leave the only house my granddaughter has ever known us to live in. To leave the trails nearby that I love to run on! Which is really interesting since we've been looking for a house to buy since October.... of 2009! I should have been prepared by now, right?


My not wanting to move hasn't completely taken my husband or me by surprise--- It's a fault in my personality... and it's getting really annoying! I'm 45 years old; it's a fully developed "issue" now. I've been down this road a million times- I had this same problem when we moved in here! I can't fully commit to the big stuff...well, honestly, I can't commit to buying clothes, shoes, dishes..... whatever... I'm just sure I'll regret it, but it's okay to regret buying clothes, shoes or dishes because I can return them. But a house isn't quite that easy to "return"! Darn it!

I know that God is molding this serious personality issue of mine - The house we're supposed to be moving into is a foreclosure and the bank has not done the things they are supposed to do, and the things they have done need to be redone! Needless to say, this is not within my comfort zone!

I have learned a few things that God is trying to teach me during this whole experience, the most important being that I need to trust what I cannot see! Now, this is certainly not the first time this concept has come up with me... Oh, He's brought it up many times, but I always seem to rely on what I know, or what I can figure out.... But this time seems to be different. There's something very different going on now. It's a turning point, and I think I'm turning! Bout time!

A New Season

I love that we live in a place that has 4 seasons! I love that it was 81 degrees here today. It is supposed to snow later this week! Love that too.

My husband and I were talking this weekend about how much our lives have changed over the last several years. I'm not enjoying this season. I have enjoyed parts of it; I guess...I've enjoyed having time to figure out what brings me joy. I love that my husband does all the cooking now, which he didn't do when our kids were young, and which I hate!

The things I miss the most are when our kids were young and we were running them to games and events and hanging out with family for hours on end. Going to Broomfield Days with my sister in law every year for what seems like a lifetime. Watching my kids play with their cousins. I miss family camping trips with friends over a long weekend, the kids staying up late and getting too much sun, and eating too much junk food. i miss volleyball at church with friends and dinner afterwards. Volleyball with my brother in law and sister in law....winning trophies and feeling like "athletes", man, those were fun times!

The kids are grown now, one has a child of her own, the other is still at home but not for long! Nothing is as it was-- and some days I just really miss it.

So now we move into a new season- A season without running our kids all over the place. The season of camping with all those friends is over. Family's have moved or moved on. It's a new season, one that I could have never anticipated!

But life goes on, doesn't it? I have a plan to move into this new season. I'm so afraid my husband and I will turn into couch potatoes if we don't make a plan.... oh, and I do love a plan, too bad he doesn't love a plan! Thankfully he does love to make me happy:) The plan is to buy kayaks and spend sometime finding things to do together that we both enjoy. He will never run with me, or go hiking with me but he might ride a bike while I run. It's all good, because there's no going back. Time to make new traditions for just the two of us.


"Like all parents, my husband and I just do the best we can, and hold our breath, and hope we've set aside enough money to pay for our kids' therapy."
---Michelle Pfeiffer

Day Dreams

If you're a daydreamer be proud! Keep it up- I've always been a daydreamer because it's worked for me. I don't get too disappointed when the daydream doesn't come to pass. It's really a bit of a coping mechanism. It's given me a sense of hope at times in my life when I had very little to be hopeful for, especially when I was young, but even now I'm day dreaming about a few things.... when I have time!

I remember when I was in the 4th grade my teacher told my mom at conferences that I was "just a day dreamer", like it was a really bad thing or something! (remember the scene in Uncle Buck where he goes to see the principal and she tells him that his neice is a waste, a silly heart, and he throws her a quater and tells her to take it and go down town and have a rat naw that wart off her face? that's what someone should have told Mrs. Mills for the way she treated me) Look, I knew I was a talker, but I really couldn't help myself :) (No guilt here) but why make a girl feel bad about being a daydreamer or a talker? I'm certain that God made us girls that way, we're communicators, nurturers, made to be passionate about relationships and everything that concerns us, we have to talk about whatever is going on in our lives, and talk about it to whoever will listen. But. Mrs. Mills was a cold-hearted woman, she obviously had no concept of how God created boys and girls. My brother was in her class the year before me and she really liked him, he was smart and wanted to please her and do everything that was expected of him. I remember passing notes to Tracy Whomble to see if she wanted to trade shoes for the day. Mrs. Mills would pull my hair and hit me over the head with a yard stick.... Sounds like a law suite today doesn't it? It probably contributed to the reason I was so determined to put my kids in private school, in retrospec I probaly didn't make the best decision on that one either but at least my heart was in the right place so no regrets.
I will continue to daydream about our next vacation... and the house we’re hunting for at the moment.... And whatever else, but I will NOT feel bad about it.

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”

Harriet Tubman

All In A Day

Some days are just hard! Today was one of those days. I started off just not feeling like myself, feeling a little anxious because I knew David was going to be doing our taxes, afraid we might have to pay…. And we do! Work was full of interruptions- like every day, but today I just wasn't coping like I usually do. I felt like I didn't do anything well! I fixed computers and posted help wanted ads, sifted through resumes—I’m convinced that some of them had to be a joke! Listened to a few employees complain about something they know nothing about. Served our assistants an appreciation lunch (which I enjoyed)! I dealt with employees who weren't following protocol, at least that was the appearance! Which leads me to the one part of my day that finally brought some much-needed closure to a 13-year mystery. So, for all these years this man has called our office and every time he calls I think he's a woman until he say's "this is John". Now, John looks like a man, but sounds like a woman...it's always really confused me because he's also sooper flamboyant, to further confuse me he's married to a woman! Having said all that, I must tell you that she, the wife is confusing too. She's a woman, but she's unusually butch for a woman that's married to a "man". I'm guessing you're getting the whole picture now, which took me 13 years to figure out. Interestingly enough, John has been on testosterone for the last 10 plus years. Hmmm, John was likely born Joanne, right? So, to sum this up, John and the woman they call "the wife" are lesbians. What the heck...why did it take me so long to figure this out? Mostly, why do they have to be so confusing? Wanna be gay? Fine, great- whatever… just leave all the wacky crap out of it, because the truth is, you look like a confused lost mess!!!
The good news is that my day ended with complete bliss... I came home and ran for 40 minutes on the treadmill, sounds weird but this is so relaxing, and brain numbing, work didn't enter my mind one time. When I got off  I got to see my lovely daughter and her sweet Layla, and the biggest blessing was that they brought my sweet Minna with them, love those girls. To complete this perfect evening David made grilled chicken, baked potatoes and the perfect salad, oh and a yummy glass of wine! Probably should have been on that treadmill for 2 hours to burn off all that food....

Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person's physical, emotional, and mental states.
~Carol Welch
Well, it works for me!

I Need A Vacation

I've said it a million times- "I need a vacation" Today, I need a vacation like no other time in my life! My stress level seems to be at an all time high! So my vacation daydreaming begins...My idea of vacation is an all-inclusive resort or a Caribbean cruise. I think we'll do a cruise this May. I love the sushi bars, every cruise line has a sushi bar-- and the fancy dessert bars, I eat whatever I want on a cruise, well, I eat whatever I want most of the time but I feel guilty about it, when I'm on vacation I never feel guilty- I especially love laying in the sun reading a great book and sipping my ice water with lemon. I love getting up early and finding my way to the top deck to run laps. The ocean and the breeze are soul soothing and so rejuvenating. Then there’s the midnight buffet- which I've only managed to attend one time.... and we've been on 2 cruises, but if I could stay up that late, or eat that late and not feel like crap the next day I'd do it every night of the cruise. I love people watching, and even meeting some of those people! I love the water, that clear blue water is probably the single most calming thing I've ever experienced. I love to snorkel and eat different food at each port. I love buying silly trinkets for my family and taking silly pictures of David and I. I even love to throw away 20 bucks playing bingo, and spending 8 dollars on that silly drink they hand you when you board. I kind of enjoy watching those people who have had a drink in their hands since they stepped foot on the boat just about faint when they go up to the pursers desk to pay their tab and realize that they've spend 800 dollars on alcohol for the week. Too funny! I'm ready to go on my vacation. NOW! Maybe someday I'll be able to go two times a year!

A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you've been taking. ~Earl Wilson


What's your idea of a vacation?

Alone Time

I don't know about you but there is a time everyday that I need my alone time. Time that I can be alone with my thoughts... or not, sometimes that alone time is really just a time when I don't have to hear anybody talk! I love that time everyday when I get to do something brain numbing, like go for a run, or take the dog for a walk- or going for a hike in mountains. I just need a time to not be "on". When I'm at work there is not a minute of my day that I am not "on". It's exhausting, really. I'm a people person, I like to engage- but by the end of the day I'm tapped out because a lot of my engaging is energy sucking! How is it that people can go through the day being life suckers and not life givers, how is it that day after day they complain about the same thing- always saying and doing the same thing and expecting a different result!


I thank God that I have a bunch of life givers in my life. First of all, my husband is my biggest fan, my mother is a very close second- He loves to buy me whatever I want, he loves to cook for me and get my breakfast for me everyday. He supports me in whatever I want to do, he prays with me every night and believes that I can do anything I set my mind too....he believes in me even when I don't. My daughter is also a life giver, she's always mindful of other people and is kind and loving, she's an amazing mother and daughter, she's everything I could have dreamed for in a daughter, and more. And she's equally beautiful on the outside! My son is my keeper right now, since my husband is away. He is very different than the rest of us...he's driven to know everything about whatever interests him, he's driven to be successful in life, he believes that his tithe is a priority because he knows that it all belongs to God. He's way too smart for most of us, and isn't shy to remind us of how much he knows. Luckily, he only shares that side of himself with us... but the core of him is just like his father, which makes me very proud.

This family of mine is what gives me the strength to be a good wife, mother and employee- Somehow I need to find a way to thank them!

Here is a beautiful quote-

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow" ~ Melody Beattie

Go With Your Gut!

I spent last Friday at the Rockey Mountain Dental Conference. Which in years past has been a complete waste of time- this one turned out to be no different! But because I respect my bosses and I want to set a good example to those that I manage- I braved the traffic and headed for down town Denver to the RMDC!


I take being a manager very serious, I really believe that God has put me in this unique position and I have a responsibility to be the best I can be and to lead with purpose and integrity! So off I go to "The Lioness in You" seminar. I've heard this speaker before but nothing really stands out about her. I've been to many seminars and conferences that are meant to inspire and motivate- and they've done just that! I've read amazing books- one recently called, Leadership and Self- Deception! It's put out by the Arbinger Institute and I would highly recommend it to anyone- even if you're not a manager! This book and many of the seminars I've been to have been so enlightening. But the Lioness in you had me very irritated and left me with pages of doodling and notes that said things like- Seriously, you're getting paid for this, my bosses paid money for me to sit here!!! More and more doodling.....Then I saw an old friend in the audience and wrote her a note--- Finally, break time and I get to go talk to my old friend! I was checked out, present till the end- but mentally checked out!

I'd like to give you a picture of what I sat through- in a nutshell-
The premise- you're truth is your truth and whatever works for you is what's right.
Go with your gut- Your head will lead you down a path of long conversation and debate, but the gut is usually right and it's always a very short conversation, it says "do it" "don't do it" "delay" (This was the only part of her talk that I did agreed with)

But then she moved on to her recent divorce, she began to spin her "truth"- and then used her theory that if she had just listen to her "gut" that she would have been divorced a lot sooner. She'd been married for 30 years and the last 10 years she knew that she should not be married. Long story short, her point was that now that she's divorced she just "SO HAPPY", and her and the x are friends, and the kids just wished they'd done it sooner- WHAT! Are you serious- How is this inspiring leadership?

First of all, she was totally out of line to even speak of her personal live in this forum, but the spin was what really annoyed me. You don't want to work on a 30 year marriage- fine, but don't lead a bunch of women to believe that if they aren't happy they should just listen to their gut and get a divorce, because after all, it's their truth, and then life will be all they thought it would be, perfect!

I'll be emailing the conference facilitators tomorrow!

"It is in the darkness of their eyes that men get lost" - Buck Elk

Running

I ran track when I was in middle school and then in the 9th grade, I loved it, and I was actually pretty good! I did the 880 relay and ran hurdles, I had long legs and that was about the only time I appreciated those long legs. I think with more encouragement I would have been really good those track events. I remember my mom always said that I was faster than both my brothers- I don't ever remember anyone ever saying that I was good at anything, except running.


This last spring I started running again and now I wonder why I ever stopped- oh, ya- 2 knee surgeries....- Which made my knees as good as new! PTL!

There is a peace I experience when I'm running that I cannot find anywhere else. It's a time when I escape the stress of work and the thoughts of the day that can often consume me. It's a time when God encourages my family and me to be the best I can be, for me.... Through each step He somehow soothes all the things that concern me that day. I finish feeling like I've done what I needed for the day. It's a restoration of sorts. I've somehow convinced myself that I can only run every other day - I'm re-thinking that-

I admit that some days I struggle to get my running shoes on- but 15 minutes into my run I'm speaking positive sentence to myself, like "Kim, you are making your heart and body strong. You can do this, you've done this hill many times, just get to the stop sign and it's down hill.....until.... that next hill. You can do it! And I do. The right music is imperative- It's mostly classic rock; I wish I could get into some Christian rock, I just can't, or maybe I just don't know the right songs.

My niece just ran a 1/2 marathon under 3 hrs, I'm so proud of her- Honestly, I have my doubts as to if I can actually complete a 1/2 marathon.... my goal is to do at least 2 5K races and then a 10K before I do a 1/2 marathon. I'll keep you posted-

Pink Ribbon/ Red Ribbon

"If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you to go on in spite of all. And so today I still have a dream."
Dr. Martin Luther King

Isn't that beautiful? What an amazing man- wish I could have a conversation with Dr. King!

Have you noticed that everywhere you look you see pink ribbons? You know, to bring awareness to breast cancer! I think that's great- really, I do. Mammograms are a wonderful tool and I'm thankful for them. Even though is seems almost inhumane when you're having one!

You can show your support through a variety of ways, from running a race to buying chicken noodle soup! There has been a lot of money put into bringing "awareness" to breast cancer. Having said that, I do think it's pretty obvious that our society is obsessed with breasts- and so is Hollywood. The implant business is booming- even in this economy- I know a lot of women that have spent their hard earned money on implants-

A recent study shows that for every one woman who dies of breast cancer, 10 die to Heart disease. When I heard that I have to tell you that I was really angry, seems to me that everyone is concerned with our breast and not our heart. Maybe if our heart were deemed as important as our breast those statistics would be a lot lower!

Celebrity Wisdom - Oxy Moron for sure!

I'm wondering why celebrities have so much influence over our society, why do Americans hang on every word of a celebrity? I'm thinking it's just because they are visible, they're on tv, and somehow we assume they must know what they are talking about, right? NOT, please be careful who you listen to- evaluate who they are and how they live their lives before you decide to agree with them. I am curious what others think on this subject- so please weigh in if you have time.


I'm still unsure why we would assume that they have a sound perspective on politics or religion- their lives tend to be full of excess, self-centeredness and greed. These people are as out of touch as most of our politicians.

I see very few that actually make any sense when they speak on either subject. I do have to admit that there are a few who I think do a good work around the world and yet somehow keep their personal views out of what they are doing. I appreciate that. I bet you know who they are...

On a lighter note- we went to see the new movie with Denzel Washington this weekend, The Book of Eli- the best part of the movie was the popcorn with way too much butter and m&m's...my husband would recommend it, I would not. It's just too sad! The entire movie is in shades of gray- it gave me anxiety and there were parts that I just couldn't watch. But if you're curious you should go!

My big excitement in life will start again this week- my daughter goes back to school and we get to watch our precious granddaughter, Layla! Thanks Jenn:)

I do realize that this isn't the most interesting post- hopefully they'll get better the more I do it..

Until next time I leave you with a quote I heard today:

I’ve noticed that everybody that is for abortion has already been born.
RONALD REAGAN, 1980

A blogger, me? We'll see~

I have two nieces that write the most amazing blogs- I check in every few days to see if they've posted. They are smart, funny, thoughtful and most of all, silly, oh, and both are absolutely beautiful. Somehow they have inspired me. But let me warn you now, I'm not like them!!

So, it's a new year~ 2010, not sure if I’m going to say 010 or twenty ten! What say you?

Every year I consider making a new years resolution...I've been thinking about all those years I made new years resolutions! They usually involved two areas...exercise and God time! Not one year did I ever feel successful in my "resolution". So, needless to say I'm not a fan of the new years resolution. In fact, it is probably one of the most ridiculous ideas ever created. I don't think I know one person who made a resolution and followed through with it. It's a formula for failure! I think I'm finally able to let myself off the hook and do the best I can everyday.

I have a few life philosophies that I have lived by since the birth of our daughter 23 years ago. One of them is that I want to live each day in such a way that I won't have regrets when I'm old. That's not to say that I don't have any regrets, I do~  but what I do have is the peace that I did the best I could do each day, and God's grace is sufficient to cover all those areas that I messed up.