Wednesday, June 30, 2010

I'm not a Germaphobic

The other day, I was sitting in the waiting area at the doctor's office, while Sam finished his visit for the YEAR. ( If you are a people watcher, this is the perfect place to be.)

It seemed as if it was taking forever, so I started looking for something to read.  I might say, the choices were very limited.

Let's see........There was a Car and Driver magazine, or I could have chosen to read one of the 10  Sports Illustrated magazines that was sitting around.  Oh wait, there was a Popular Mechanics and a Hunting magazine as well.   I really had a choice didn't I.

I am sure that all of these are good magazines (For Men) but not for me.....

In speaking of magazines that you pick up and read while patiently waiting at a doctors office............Have you ever taken the time to think about the FUNK that lives on those things?

I know that they do not hand clean all of those magazines every day (or should I say, NOT ANY DAY)

I'm not a germaphobic or anything like that, but I can only imagine the hands that have thumbed through each one of those pages.  And how bout those that have to lick their finger to turn each page!

As a matter of fact (No kidding here)  there was a rather large women sitting a few chairs down from me and she had a couple of kids with her.  Her little girl had a bag of Cheetos and the mom was constantly reaching in the bag for her share of the snack.  She would stuff a Cheeto into her mouth and then after licking her finger, she would give it  that extra little wipe each time she turned the page on the one and only PARENT magazine in that office. 

I knew for sure that I wasn't going to pick up and read that magazine!!

I could tell by looking, that some of the reading material had been there for a very long time.  A dead give away is when the date of the magazine is April 2008.  That would mean that it was two years old.  Over 730 days and I am sure it has been in that office for at least 500 of those days.  If only 5 people a day looked at one single book, that would mean that at least 2500 hands have thumbed through those pages.

Makes me kinda glad to know that there really was not any of my kind of reading material available.  Now that I have taken the time to think about it, I will be taking my own book to read or maybe I had better stick to people watching.  That is really the most fun thing to do!

Shug..............

Optimism is a happiness magnet.  If you stay positive, good things and good people will be drawn to you!

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Kid Talk

I absolutely love to hear kids talk!  They say the cutest things and they usually speak right from their heart.

Yesterday, I was in my bathroom fixing my hair, and Carson was in there with me just piddling around.  He said "Shug, Your Still Up And Running."  I had to think for a few seconds and then I said, "Well Carson, what does that mean?"  He proceeded to explain to me just exactly what   STILL UP AND RUNNING MEANS...

For those of you who do not know, then let me take a few minutes to explain.  He taught me that it means, Shug and Pops are not like other people our age!  Wow.....that could be good, or it could be bad.

He said that other people our age just sit in their rocking chairs and watch TV.  They don't want to exercise everyday.  (Like Sam and I exercise every single day....NOT)  Other people want to be lazy and they don't get up every morning and cook for their grandchildren.  They sit around and drink coffee every morning that tries to wake them up.  All coffee does is cause you to get fat!  (Now please understand that these are his exact words.  I just happened to have a pen and piece of paper near by and I jotted down what he had to say)

People our age don't care for their grandchildren very much.  All they want to do is play games on the computer and then go back to their old stinky chair.  All they want to do is knit and take a nap....Sometimes they forget to take a shower.  (I can't imagine where on earth he would get something like that)

They don't come to watch their grandchildren play baseball and they don't wear sunglasses.  Sugar, do you know what happens when they don't wear their sunshades?  They get wrinkles and their skin is very white.  They don't get a tan like you and Pops do.

Other people your age just give their grandchildren a dollar for Easter each year and they don't even play games with their grandchildren at Christmas.  They don't want their grandchildren to be happy like you and Pops do.

(This is my favorite one)  Once you get older, you have brain problems and it causes you not to be able to hear and you can't think.  Their brain just tells them to have gas all the time.  They just sit on the couch, they get bigger and bigger...

I love it!!!

Now how bout that......Just think of what all you have learned today and what you have to look forward to in future years.  This 8 year old sure knows his business, but I can truly say that I am so thankful that Pops and Shug are not like all the rest of those people our age.....This made my day and every hour or so I get a real chuckle. 

Shug.........

Want some good laughs?  Set some time aside to have a real conversation with your grandchildren.  They speak the truth!!

Monday, June 28, 2010

Why do we wait?

It is a part of God's plan that we all shall die.......

Just a couple of days ago my uncle J.C. Moffeit took that journey that we all must take.  God called him home.

Uncle J.C. was my mom's oldest brother.  He was my uncle and my friend. 

Through the years, Life has it's way of separating us from relatives we once knew very well.  In our hearts we know that somewhere deep down there is that family bond, yet we sometimes allow ourselves to become way too busy to visit or to make a simple phone call just to say "Hello, or "I'm thinking of you today."


I was reminded of this last night as we attended the family visitation at the funeral home.  I was so apprehensive to open those doors, because I knew that on the other side was a family that I barely knew.  

I was re-introduced to several of my first cousins.  These are cousins that I have memories of from when I was young, but days have passed and many years have come and gone since we last saw each other.  I would say close to 40 years to be exact.

Even though this time was meant for showing respect and for comforting my uncle's family, it was also a quite, gracious reunion that my heart welcomed.  Not only was it great to see my uncle's family that I have not seen in all these years, but it was also great to visit with other family members that I seldom have the chance to sit and talk with.   

During this short visit, I could see the faces that spoke of sadness for the loss of this husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend.  But, I also saw faces filled with a smiling thankfulness of love for one another.  Every word shared, every memory of times past, seemed to bring a comforting joy to each of us. 

Why do we wait so late?  Why do we put off this time of fellowship with our cousins, aunt's, and uncle's?  Why must we only gather at the death of a loved one?  This brings a tear of sadness to my face.  I want to know these people now.  I don't want to wait until death comes and we are brought together once again to say goodby to another loved one.   Why should we allow life to separate us from having that family bond that so many long for?  

Life is for the living and we must take the time to know one another and to be proud that we are family!  Even if time only allowed us to get together once ever two years or so, then this is something that we all should do. 


We all need to take the time to reconnect with one another.  We  never know when there may be a time of need in each of our lives.  It would be great to know that we had each other to lean on and that we were that family that stood beside each other no matter what.   

My uncle lived a very quite life, and I am sad that he now is gone, but I am sure it would have brought him great happiness in knowing that we all were together again.............

The world may never notice If a flower never blooms, or even pause to wonder if a petal falls too soon.  But every life that ever forms, or even came to be, touches the world in some small way, for  all eternity.


Shug........................

Don't let time pass us by, grab hold of tomorrow and lean close to your family..........Blessings

Sunday, June 27, 2010

What a DAY!

Yesterday, Saturday.....was a day in the heat, or was it.  Sam and I get up early to head to the ballpark for Trey's 8:00 game.  We took our lawn chairs and set them in the perfect spot.  The shade would soon be covering us.  It was pretty comfortable until about 8:10 because by that time (IT WAS HOT OUTSIDE.)    Even though we were in the shade, there just was not enough breeze.  So, I sweated!

I came home and took a fresh cool shower and even washed my hair AGAIN.  I wasnt' really feeling well, so I decided to stay home the rest of the day.  WELL, Carson was playing in Mineola and Trey was playing in Edgewood, AND Sam wanted to go to the games!  He somehow convinced me to get dressed and go to Carson's game with him. 

I was keeping Mylee, so that meant she would be going with us.  We start to get everything loaded in the bug and realize that the lawn chairs will not fit in the back of the bug. (just a minor thing) Sam decided that we would stop at walmart and get us a couple of those canvas lawn chairs and they would be the chairs we would take each time we went in the bug.

Ok, it's 11:30 and time for lunch.  We stop and eat at subway.
Time to load up again.  We take off and when we get to Mineola, we have to go further into town to get the chairs than what we thought.  Sam stops at a ACE Hardware.  Last two chairs they had, but we got them.  Oh, and they even have a top on them to keep the sun off of us.  YEA! 

After a couple of turn arounds, we finally find the ballpark.  We pay $5.00 each to get in the park.  Get our stuff unloaded, (including Mylee) and head out to watch the game.  We got to see an inning and a half and then the game was over.  WE WON!   Here we go again.......we load up (including Mylee) and start to leave.  Sam, he stops at the gate and ask the guy if he could sell the tickets back to him since we didn't get to see much of the game.  Guess What?  He bought them back....

Ok.....Trey's game has started, so here we go.....headed to Edgewood.   We get there just in time....(JUST IN TIME FOR THE GAME TO BE OVER)  Can you believe that?  So, that little red bug turns around and we head home.  We make a few stops to let Mylee play at McDonalds while we sip on our favorite beverage.  (Carmel Frappe')  Time to load up again.

Head for home this time......Stop at Mylee's house and let her take a dip in the pool.  I couldn't hardly stand it.  She was in that cool refreshing water and we were sitting there watching her.  I just wanted to jump in, clothes and all!  But I didn't...

Ok, we are finally home and it is time to just relax for a few hours.  I felt like I had fever, so I took my temp. and sure enough, I did.  (Guess that is why I didn't feel good yesterday morning.) Fixed dinner and then guess what?  It's time to head to the ballpark to watch Tyler play against the number one team "Red Storm."  Fever or not, I wasn't going to miss this one! This team has beat us every time we have played them this year, but not last night.....WE WON THE GAME!!

The game was over around 10:00 and even at that time it was hot outside.  I came home and took another shower and washed my hair again.  I should really be clean by this time!
It was finally time for bed and I must say I was so thankful.

Not sure how many hours we spent out in the heat, but I think we spent the equal amount of hours in the car, going from ballpark to ballpark.  I love to watch all of them play ball, but yesterday was the best....Get there just in time to see each of them win their game, and then, to end the night we have the best win for the year.........That's all I've got to say about that!!!

Shug.............................

Follow your grandchildren....Let them know how important they are to you......(even if you are hot!)

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Jeezer Wheezer




Jeezer, wheezer......I have made a huge mistake!  I CUT my hair.

I know that I ask for everyone's advice, and guess what almost everyone said?  "Don't cut your hair"

But, did I listen?  NO, I did not..........
I woke up one morning determined to cut my hair.  (It must have been a bad hair day the day before)
I made it a point not to tell anyone that I was doing this.  How unusual of me.  I don't do sporadic things!  I knew that if I told them, they would try to talk me out of it.

I already had my mind made up as to what style I thought I would like.  So, when I got to the shop, I told her what I wanted and she started cutting.  This all sounds premeditated doesn't it? I didn't even look on the floor and I barely looked in the mirror.  I really didn't want to see that I had murdered my hair!!


I really did like it when she was through, and it did look great.  The problem was the next day when I washed it and tried to dry it out.
My hair has been longer for some time now, so how was I to know that it decided to turn curly.  Oh yes, it is very curly in the back.  So now I have this short, thick hair that curls in the back. 

This is kinda how I feel now......



I just want to scream!!!

What have I done?  Is it ever going to grow back?

If I go outside and get the least bit warm, what do you think happens to all those curls?  That's right....The Texas heat does a job on them.  My hair ends up going ever which ways and It looks like I haven't brushed it all day....

What am I going to do?  I am very hot natured, so it doesn't look like that is going to change.  I love to go to all the kids games and I don't want to miss them, so I don't think that is going to change, SO..........it's either going to be, wear a cap or shave it off.....


The next time I ask for advise, I'm going to listen very carefully to what people are saying.  In the mean time, I guess I will double up on the vitamins and hope that it grows back REAL SOON.

Shug....

I know it is just hair and it will grow back, so I'm not going to sweat the small things of life.  Well, I am going to sweat, but you know what I mean!!

Friday, June 25, 2010

Wrinkle Free or Where Will They Be?

What if you could choose where you want your wrinkles to be?

Do you think this is a silly question?  Maybe it's NOT!

As we age it is quite obvious that a day will come when we all will

get our first wrinkle.  Actually, most all babies have them when

they are born.  As they start to grow, those little wrinkles turn

into good healthy skin. 

How nice it would be if the only wrinkles
we ever had were those we have when we are first born. As we grew older, the wrinkles would disappear and our
skin would become firm and we would stay totally wrinkle free FOREVER!

That would be so cool..It would be GREAT!!

But, as we all know, that is not the way it happens.  Wrinkles

are what happens.  People everywhere are paying big dollars

to have facelifts, tummy tucks, botox, breast implants, and

anything else that can make them look and feel young.   This is a

billion dollar business.  Enormous amounts of money are being spent

on wrinkle free products and just think of the money the doctor's

make.  We all know that wrinkles are not something that are easy to

ignore.  We simply can not pretend that we don't see them when we

look in the mirror.  Wrinkles are just a way of life as you age.



However, we can choose some of the places that our wrinkles are

going to appear.  It depends on our reactions in life.  Do we go

around with a frown on our face all the time?  Do we smile ever

chance we get? I want my wrinkles to show that I have a lot of

positive expressions in my life.  Since I know that I am going to

someday have them,  then I want to have what is called

 Smile Wrinkles.  I definitely do not want my

face to exhibit wrinkles caused by frowning all the time.  NO

FOREHEAD WRINKLES FOR ME PLEASE......NO DOWNWARD WRINKLES AROUND MY

MOUTH PLEASE!!! 

I hope that the only wrinkles I get are from having lots of JOY in

my life.  When my grandchildren look at my face and ask,  "Shug

what happened to your face."  I want to be able to proudly tell

them, "I smiled too much"

Shug............

Let your wrinkles tell the story of your life.  Smile a lot!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Bloggy Blues

Sorry, but I have the bloggy blues today.....Not sure why, but my mind is cloudy and my thoughts are in some distant place.    

 I write because I love it, but I want other people to enjoy reading what I have to say as well.........Comments are always good.  They let you know that what you have to say is interesting.  I know, I know, it is Summer and people are too busy to make comments. 

That's my sad saga for the day, so I guess I will move on.

Tomorrow will be a new day and I hope I wake up in the morning with my mind refreshed and eager to post the thoughts that come to me.  It's not possible for the bloggy blues to hang around long...I have too much going on and I have way too much to say to let the BB's keep me down....

Shug............

I love blogging!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Look in the Mirror, what do you see?

The topic I chose to write about today is  "Believing in your own Beauty"

In today's world, we mainly focus on the beauty that we find in magazines.  It is amazing how everything is based on ones beauty.  Young people are obsessed with trying to look like the models in these magazines or by what they see on TV.

It is hard to see real beauty...Beauty that is seen in unrecognized places.  Beauty that lies within each of us.  All we have to do is to let our minds take us to the place that allows us to be appreciative of what is all around us.

We must remember that our Beauty is about the way we invite people into our hearts.  It's about the way we allow other people to be a part of our own life.

Beauty does not have to be about a face with no blemishes.  It doesn't have to be about having the perfect eyes and perfect lips.  So much emphasis is placed on the perfect shape of our bodies and by what we wear. 

The true gauge of Beauty should be recognized by a person's energy, hope, courage, grace, honesty, kindness and compassion for others. 

You don't have to look in a mirror to second guess your own beauty.  If you really want to know your own beauty, then look at the way you live your life and the way your treat your friends.

Believe that you are a beautiful person.  Be wise - reach out to those in need.  Embrace others, Love yourself.  Be radiant in your personality.  By doing these things, we create a vision for others to see the beauty and uniqueness that is ours.

Shug.............

I am so thankful for the Beauty God provides in me.
It is my job to use what He has provided in order for others to see my true beauty!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

The metal helmet

My, how things have changed!!!!




Curlers and a set please......... Of course, a shampoo as well.  The most relaxing thing of all was to sit under the giant metal helmet and experience the warm air as it circulated all around you.  The noise of the dryer was so loud that all you could do was imagine the conversations going on right there in the shop.  

Occasionally you would ask for a manicure that included the heated lotion and a little nail polish.  Can you imagine how pampered a lady must have felt in getting their hair and nails done at the same time.  I really doubt that many women ask for pedicures, but who knows.  

The lady under that metal helmet was my grandmother.  I know that she must have thoroughly enjoyed going to the beauty shop and taking some time to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.    

Check out the plugs and the lights.  How interesting to see all the different ways they had of plugging things in.  I love the ones running up to the light fixtures that are hanging from the ceiling.  And how cute is the display cabinet filled with all kinds of beauty stuff.
I would be willing to bet that there was even some of that hair powder that they used way back then to fluff up your hair so it wasn't so oily.   (When I was little, mother would let us look in a chest that was full of my grandmother's things.  I can remember playing with her box of hair powder.  It even came in colors!)


Isn't it amazing how we have come so far?  I can't help but wonder what my grandmother would have thought if she had the opportunity today to experience the pleasures of going to a salon.  Especially one of those that greets you with a smile and sometimes a glass of wine.

Salons today have pleasant music playing in the background and you are able to make the choices of having a massage, skin care, make up, hair, nails, pedicure.......whatever it is you want.  These people are there to make us feel great.  From the time you walk in, until the time you walk out, it is all about making you feel pampered. 

Life was so simple back then, and I would love to be able to slip back for one day and experience that simplicity of life?  But, I certainly do appreciate all the pleasures we have today.  What we have are Blessings that way too often we take for granted. 

I am sure that the next time I am treated to a nice pedicure, I will think about this old picture I found.  I will think about the comforts that surround me and I will know just how Blessed we really are. 


Shug.............        


Enjoy life and all that it brings.  Enjoy the Blessings of this day.................

Monday, June 21, 2010

P R I D E

How often do you stop to think about the word PRIDE?

What is Pride?  Is it a good thing or is it bad?

To have pride in our country is a great thing!  I do take pride in our country and I have a lot of pride in knowing that our country was built on God and Country. We are a Christian nation even if there are those (in leadership positions) that want to believe otherwise.

I believe that Pride is particularly useful when it comes to helping us maintain our standards.  Having Pride is important because it allows us to have dignity and values in our own lives.  I am proud of our daughters, I am proud of my grandchildren, I am proud of my church, I am proud to be a christian.......these are things that almost all of us can say.....
So,.... Pride can be a good thing.

It is what we do with Pride that can cause it to be harmful or bad for us.  I have thought about this quite a bit and I have discovered that this word becomes dangerous when we add the suffix (FUL)
to the word. 

When we are prideful, we sometimes want recognition for everything we do.  For instance, some of the jobs we do are not going to be highly visible to other people.  Seldom does anyone want to do the DIRTY work because we are too full of ourselves and we feel that these jobs should be left to the so called LESS FORTUNATE....The important thing to remember is that the dirty work is what is most valuable in getting a job done.  We need to respect that the true motivation is to get the job done, not to do a job for our own recognition. 

I know that so many times, we strike out at blameless people who get in our way.  We do this because we are embarrassed and our pride is hurt. We want to take credit for all the good and when it comes to things that do not turn out so well, then we want to blame others.  For reasons such as this, we should guard ourselves against letting pride lead us into hurting others.

It is very difficult for us to say "I was wrong" or "I need some help."  These phrases require some humility on our part and that is something that most of us are not good at.  We need to learn to be open to advice from others and we need to learn to admit our mistakes.  Who wants to see someone else succeed in something that we have been working so hard to accomplish?  We do not want to look like a failure, so we allow our Pride and insecurities to take control.  

Our spiritual Pride blinds us to our own faults and it magnifies the faults of others.  This can cause our christian values to be disregarded as we struggle to paint a different picture of ourselves.
We should never allow our Pride to keep us from serving God or from understanding His word. 

We are to humbly THANK GOD for what he has done and we should allow ourselves to encourage others in their FAITH.  There may be those whose are struggling with life and need to know that they are not the only ones going through whatever it is they are going through.  We need to make sure that our Pride does not keep us from sharing a testimony with those that need to hear it. 

Nothing we do comes from our own strength.  God gives us strength, He gives us wisdom, and without Him, we would be nothing.  Throughout scripture we are told about the consequences of PRIDE......Proverbs 16:18-19 tells us that "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.  Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud."

Search my heart God and know my ways!  Remove any pride that is harmful to myself or to others.  Help me to see the Blessings in my life and help me to realize that these Blessings come from you, and not from anything that I do.  Help me not to be critical of others and help me to show love in everything I do....

Shug..................

Give God Glory in everything you do!

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Father's Day



Father's Day.....Today is Father's Day!  Sam and I are extremely Blessed that both of our dads our living.   His dad will be 81 in July and my dad will celebrate his 80th birthday in December.

Our father's deserve Honor and Respect.  First of all they deserve it because the Bible says we are to honor our Father's and Mother's. 

Sam and I both have WONDERFUL dads and we place a lot of value in our relationships with them.  We recognize the goodness in their hearts and we recognize the love they have for their families. 
We honor them because we love them.....

We would like to wish them a wonderful Father's Day, filled with health, happiness  and love........

In saying all of this, I can not forget to give honor to Sam for being the father of my children.   One of the most important things he has done as a father is to love me.  What better gift can a man give to his children than to love their mother?

I can truly say that the characteristics that he has in his life definitely qualifies him for the "Best Father" award.    He is devoted to his family - his daughters.  He loves the Lord and he has always Trusted God to lead him in being the head of our home. 

He is honorable and he reaches out with great love to help others that have needs.  He has always placed the needs of his family before anything that might be of importance to himself.  We all have seen days where his job rewarded him with his hands full of callouses and his feet seemed to find no relief.  I can honestly say that he has worked hard to provide well for us and has never  complained. 

He is an excellent leader and his character is always found to be outstanding.  He has been a teacher to our girls, he has been a counselor to our girls and he has never failed to be a special friend to them.  Sam has never had to tell Trista or Shanda how to live because they were taught by watching him and by seeing the way he lives his own life. 

He has always been a person of honesty and a man with integrity.  By faith and hard work he has been an excellent example of simple eloquence to our girls.  He is a father that deserves our honor.  He is my husband and friend, but he is best described as DAD to Trista and Shanda.  


HAPPY FATHER'S DAY....SAM
We love you!!!

Shug...................


Honor your Father today.....If he is living, honor him with your actions and by your words.  If he is no longer here, honor him by focusing on the special memories you have of him....


Saturday, June 19, 2010

Tickets are Free




Hey, come take a trip with me.
I thought we might take a trip down memory lane for a day or two.  Tickets are free, and there will be a lot of laughter, so hop aboard and lets travel.......

Our first stop is going to be a fabulous place.  See if you can guess where we are going.


You are exactly right.  Hawaii....
Sam and I had the wonderful opportunity to take a trip to Hawaii about eight years ago.  Our kids made arrangements for us to celebrate our 30th anniversary in Kauai.  We loved it, loved it, loved it.

Surely, all of you know by now that Sam and I always have those CRAZY happenings everywhere we go.  To start with, our trip was booked well in advance.  We had no idea, until the week before,  that one of Shanda's very best friends would be on the same trip, and the same hotel as us.  We attended her wedding on Saturday, the day before we were to catch our flight.  When we get to the airport, Starla and Grant are there waiting to catch the same flight and believe me, we laughed quite a bit.    Would you believe their seats were about eight seats up from ours.  (What a way to start their honeymoon)

Next thing is...when we land in Oahu we realize that we forget to check our luggage straight through to Kauai.  Sam and I are totally lost.  What are we to do.   Who comes to our rescue?  Starla and Grant.   Thank goodness!

Finally, we get to our hotel and both of us are exhausted.  When I am totally exhausted, I always get a severe headache, and that day, I had the worse headache of all times ...It had to be the 8 hour trip, plus the time change.

I think I slept for the next 24 hours.  (isn't that great, take a trip to Hawaii and sleep the whole time)  You know that Sam had to love that!!
 
The next day, Sam and I schedule a helicopter tour so we could enjoy the scenery of the entire island.  Just as the pilot took us over the first set of mountains, I could feel how clammy Sam's body was.  Yes, he was sick, very sick...
He kept his eyes closed for all of the tour, and the moment he stepped off of the helicopter, his stomach emptied.  Wow, I am so glad that I was not the one behind him!  The propeller blades were still going and what do you think happened to all of his throw up?  It went flying everywhere.   We had also scheduled a trip to go out on a  catamaran, but that was quickly cancelled because Sam was still sick.

 
 By now, Sam was feeling better but we decided it would be good to stay around the pool and just relax for a couple of days....The weather was so nice and the pool was absolutely beautiful.  We knew we would still have plenty of time to do all the other things that we had planned to do.

Ok....we had a couple of bad days, but that was all behind us now, Until.......Sam decided to sneak off and buy me a gift from Hawaii for our anniversary.  Supposedly, he was going to go around the corner and get us a snack (is what I thought), but he had other plans that turned out to be a little further away from what he originally thought.   Would you believe, he was barefoot and his (just around the corner) turned into a mile walk.  Seems that the concrete and the sun was a little too much for those bare feet.  He came back with a blister the size of  a half dollar coin.  It was so bad, that he could barely walk on it.  



The rest of the week, we had a terrific time.  We thoroughly enjoyed the luau and we enjoyed driving around looking at all of the beautiful scenery.  Sam even took a little time to pose with the other dummy statues on the island.  Believe me, there were a lot of them, everywhere!




Then it was time for us to catch our flight home.  I am almost positive that I was awake the entire trip, and since there is such a big time change from Hawaii to home, I was double exhausted...The good thing was that I did not have a headache this time.  BUT...when we got home, Sam ask me to back the car into the garage so he could easily unload the luggage.  The last thing I remember is putting the car into reverse.  I don't know what happened to my foot, but my brain and my foot were not cooperating with one another.  I backed right straight into the back wall of the garage.  Oh, it knocked the wall in, but at least it didn't do any damage to my brand new washer and dryer!


We called the builder and he told Sam that he could come that afternoon.  Sam told him just to fix it, but that we were going to bed.  When we woke up, the wall was repaired and it looked the same as it did before I ran over it!!


I know that it sounds like this was a bad trip and you are probably asking how we could have possibly enjoyed it.  The truth is, we had the BEST time.  The things that happened are things that we are use to, so no big deal...It is a trip that neither of us will ever forget.  WE HAD A BLAST spending time with one another. 

Ok, unpack your bag for now and next week we will take another trip down memory lane.  I can assure you that it will be exciting. 

Shug............

Relax, everything doesn't have to be perfect.  Enjoy the one you love!!!

Friday, June 18, 2010

My "Heart, Soul and Courage List"

Sam and I went to see "The Bucket List" when it first came out.  I must have been experiencing a senior moment at the time, because I could not figure out why they titled it the bucket list.  How could I not know that it meant things you wanted to accomplish before you KICK THE BUCKET (so to speak)

We all have things we would like to do, or see accomplished before our time ends.  The thing is, I don't like to put my list in perspective to wanting to get them done before I die.  What do I mean by this?  On my list are things that I look forward to doing and then I want to live a long time to be able to share these adventures with my children and grandchildren.   
                                  

I call it my "Heart, Soul, and Courage List."  The reason is because all the things I want to achieve come from deep down in my heart and soul.  I just have to find the courage to carry them through.  These are goals that I want to someday reach and be able to complete.  There are some pretty big things on my list.  Some of them are way out of my reach, but I'm not going to take them off just yet, because who knows what tomorrow holds.  It could be that a day will come when I do have the opportunity to do them.  If so, I want to be excited to be able to draw a line through them and say "Look what I have done"

I just feel that if I call it my bucket list, then I have set a time line for myself to complete all the task.  By saying my Heart, Soul and Courage list, it allows me the freedom to enjoy what I am doing without the sadness of knowing it's just one more thing marked off before the big day...


Here are just a few of the possibilities that I look forward to someday.

Learn to swim
Learn another language
Become an amazing writer
See our loved ones and friends SAVED
Go fishing in Canada
Run a marathon
Go on an Alaskan Cruise
Ride in a Hot Air Balloon
See the Northern Lights
Do public speaking
Be healthy
Earn a masters degree
Be an artist
Play the fiddle
See another falling star
Lead someone to the Lord
Volunteer at Hospice
Become a chef
Learn to say NO
See my grandchildren graduate
Lose weight
Ride Space Mountain
Raft down a river
Jump off of a diving board

I think this is a great list......and it is a list that would definitely challenge me.  I know that there will be other things that are added from time to time, and there may be some things that will be removed.  For now I am going to take life ONE DAY AT A TIME and if it is God's will for me to fulfill all the things on my list...then that will be great.  If I am only able to complete one thing on my "heart, soul and courage list"  then that will be great as well.  My heart is full, My soul is content, and by trusting God, my courage will come......

Shug.....................

Be content in all things!!!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

A beautiful thing called Summer

WOW.....Summer is here!  Summer brings so much excitement and it promotes a lot of happiness for all of us.

Our moods seem to be lighter when we wake up refreshed and start to enjoy the crazy, lazy, days that summer brings.

There is something about summer that opens up our hearts to enjoy life.  It is a busy season that is filled with so many happenings.  Birthday's, Anniversary's, Road trips, Ballgames, swimming and all the fun things that brings laughter to our days.

Nothing is better than wearing flip flops on a beautiful sun kissed day.  Kicking back with your feet propped up and enjoying the warmth of the summer sun as it beams down to give your body a beautiful brown glow.  Iced tea or a glass of fresh lemonade allows us to relax and soak up all of the relaxation that our hearts desire. 

You see kids dashing out to play in the dirt and then they reappear with dirty hands and dirty faces begging for a cold Popsicle to bring a sense of refreshment to their little hearts.  No school, no homework, only the thrill of what the day will bring.

No worries of buying a bag of potpourri and wondering if the fragrance will last.  We can enjoy our own gardens of freshness.  Beautiful flowers that release the perfect smell and the sweetness that we long for. 

The farmer's market has to rank high on every one's list.  Fresh fruit and vegetables.  The smell of blackberries, peaches, strawberries and the sweet taste of watermelon, what can beat that?  Oh, and I can't forget about fresh peas, and some good ol' pear relish with a pan of hot cornbread.  How about fresh tomatoes and jalapenos for making hot sauce!  I'll bet your mouth is watering this very moment. 

I love "The fourth of July" with all the fireworks and the thrill in our hearts of knowing we are celebrating our country's independence.  We should all be thankful and we should all take the time to reflect on the true meaning of independence. 

Yes, summer is a busy time, full of family reunions, BBQ's, picnics, concerts, weddings, vacations, ice cream and snow cones.  But, it is also a good time to reach out to our family and friends and share our love with one another.  It's a great time to share God's love with those that do not know him. 

Shug.........

Let the summer sun's rays make you shine!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Happy Anniversary Sam!


Happy Anniversary to my Wonderful Husband!

I get so tickled when I look back at our pictures...
Hey, this was 1972, and technology was not near as good as it is now!  (Like you couldn't tell)


Check out the tux on all the guys!!  They look great! What?  You don't see them?....I didn't either.  And, how about that RED shirt?
Is that not funny?  I guess things like that were not important, way back then...These pictures speak for themselves.  Life was a lot different in the 70's.  But, those were some very good days.     



Sam was 19 and I was 18 when we got married.
Wow, that is young!  But hey, we started going STEADY when we were only 14......Never broke up, not once!!

I told you earlier about how I keep everything.  I dug all my letters out yesterday and in doing so, I found these funnies....Sam is probably going to love me more when he finds out that I posted them on my blog....



How cute!  How Sweet!  We were only 14 when he sent these to me!!



Tyler is fourteen now, and he seems so much more mature than what we were at that age.  Probably not though.  He just is not in Love  yet!!  Thank goodness he's not. I am still laughing at these cute little notes, but back then, they meant everything to me.........

I was not able to post one of them, but it went something like this:
       
Dear Anita:
I missed you so very much today.  I wish you only knew how much I love you and miss you when you're away from me.  I hope you're proud of me cause I didn't flirt abit today.  How many ribbons did you win?  I hope you had fun.  Did you see any of those boys I told you about.  I hope not.  Well gotta go.  Love always and forever, Sam -n- Anita

Do you like the song "Never My Love", I dedicate it to you!  You are pretty and you are mine!



We have been married for 38 years and, if you count the years we were together before we got married, that would make 42 years that we have been together.  (I  feel like I am only 49 years young, so hey, I am doing pretty good here.)  



God has been good to us and we truly have a lot to celebrate.  I am thankful to have someone that loves me so very much....For the past four nights, when I pull the cover back to get in bed, he has placed a beautiful card on my pillow.  That is sweet and that is love!   This is also what you call "spoiling me"

He is my closest friend, and my TRUE LOVE.  He is always there for me in all the ways that matter the most...  For this, I am Blessed!

Shug.......

We started with dreams and blind faith, and over the years our love grew.  We also learned by making mistakes, but never without saying " I love you." 

Sunday Thinking

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