Sermon in a Sentence

If you judge people, you have no time to love them. ~Mother Teresa

Photo Hunt - Hands

A different kind of helping hands...

30x5 Challenge Report

To all of you joining in on the 30x5 Challenge, welcome, good job, keep it up, keep going, keep moving, and all that encouraging stuff!

I had to chuckle when I started this post and started to type in labels/tags for it. When I typed in the "ex" for exercise, what popped up as the first choice was EXCUSES! Dang, even Blogger knows I lack willpower!

Yesterday I spent 30 minutes on the treadmill. ( 1 day down, 4 to go for week one)

Today I did 15 minutes of weights followed by 15 minutes on the treadmill. (2 days down, 3 to go for week one)



Probably back to the treadmill for my 30 tomorrow and then I'll take Sunday off since to me exercise is W.O.R.K.

Sky Watch

Bristol - Among the Clouds! It was way to easy to see these things from our seats high above the track! Go here to join in!

Thursday Thirteen - When I Grow Up

This unexpected unemployment has gotten me thinking about what I really want to do with the rest of my life, career wise anyway. I've been talking with friends, taking quizzes, reading "What Color is Your Parachute", and other things to try to figure out my next step. So far, I haven't come up with anything that has made me shout YES. THAT'S IT! Therefore, today's 13 is a list of things I've thought about being over the course of my life. Remember, some of these were from when I was younger and more foolish - or is that younger and more full of dreams and endless possibilities?

1. A ballerina (then I realized why my Mother didn't name me Grace).
2. A zookeeper/elephant trainer.
3. A poet (Hey, I did that - I had one poem published once, that counts, right?).
4. A teacher (it's a family occupation but I always did like to be different - I did substitute for a while).
5. A nurse ( then I volunteered at the hospital and realized I couldn't stand the blood or the smells).
6. A babysitter (seemed like a good idea when my kiddos were little but I really didn't like it-it really is different when someone else's kid throws up on you).
7. A hard hitting reporter (I really didn't have the heart for it).
8. P.R. person for a non-profit or mid-size company (that's the one I went to school for).
9. Counselor (loved my minor in psychology - too much work to get a useful degree).
10. Travel agent.
11. Jigsaw puzzle tester.
12. Great American novel writer.
13. Independently wealthy travel writer and photographer.

So, what do you think I ought to "be when I grow up"? I've got to say that I never dreamed I'd be trying to figure this out at almost 50!

Wordless Wednesday - It's Bristol Baby!

Two for Tuesday - yadeusT rof owT

1.

I'm taking on this challenge! To find out more and to join in visit Linda over at Second Cup. Hope you'll join us.

2.

I had a great time this weekend at the NASCAR race in Bristol. The weather was perfect and the seats were amazing (one my legs quit shaking from the height).

Have I mentioned that I'm afraid of heights? It is a fear I have worked very hard at overcoming and I am proud to say that this weekend I overcame. I'm pretty sure that being able to sit with nothing between me and Heaven but a chain link fence qualifies! There will be lots of pictures tomorrow, but for now, here is a picture looking down from my seat - those are my tennis shoes you see in the bottom of the photo. Check back on Friday for my Sky Watch post to see how close I was to the parachuters and the plane that did the fly over. I can honestly say it was closest I've ever seen a plane that was in flight!!

Sermon in a Sentence

It is important to be careful who you ask for directions

on the journey of life.

Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." - I Corinthians 15:33

Photo Hunters - Yellow

First Signs of Spring!










A gift from a sweet friend to cheer me up!

Sky Watch

WIDE OPEN SPACES

Thirteen Things I've Learned This Week

Here are 13 things I have learned (or been reminded of) this week.

1. Life can change in a matter of seconds.



2. I am not good at being still.



3. Shutting off the lights does not shut off the thoughts that run amuck in my head.



4. Balance is something I need in my life - it always seems to be so "all or nothing".



5. I am blessed with many wonderful RL and bloggy friends.



6. Sunshine and fresh air make everything look more hopeful.



7. Worrying doesn't change anything.



8. Controlling, planning, and being pro-active are three very different things.



9. It is confusing trying to figure out how people expect you to respond to bad news.



10. It is time for me to look for a job I really enjoy - not just the first thing that comes along.



11. The dog really likes me being unemployed!



12. When I was working and it was really slow - all those things I kept thinking I could be doing if I were at home - ya, well, I've only actually done one of them so far this week!



13. Everything happens for a reason, everything happens for a reason, everything happens for a reason.

Wordless Wednesday

Now that's something you don't see every day...

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Luck? I don't know anything about luck. I've never banked on it, and I'm afraid of people who do. Luck to me is something else: Hard work -- and realizing what is opportunity and what isn't.

- Lucille Ball

Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

I'm a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.

- Thomas Jefferson

Monday, Monday

Okay, to be honest my head is so full of so many things bouncing frenetically around my brain that I'm having trouble thinking of anything clever, creative, funny or helpful to post about. Therefore, today you will get someone else's thoughts off or a t-shirt I bought in Hawaii a number of years ago. I know some were good thoughts for me to ponder today. Maybe they will be for you too.

MAUI RULES

Never judge a day by the weather.

The best things in life aren't things.

Tell the truth-there's less to remember.

Speak softly and wear a loud shirt.

Goals are deceptive-the unaimed arrow never misses.

He who dies with the most toys-still dies.

Age is relative-when you're over the hill, you pick up speed.

There are two ways to be rich- make more or want less.

Beauty in internal-looks mean nothing.

No rain - no rainbows.

Sermon in a Sentence

The mind of a man is the battleground on which every moral and spiritual battle is fought.- J. Oswald Sanders

Photo Hunters - Four

Many things came to mind when I considered today's prompt - then my world shifted a little...

You could say that my financial house of cards fell...

So now I am trying to get my ducks in a row - and in line with the Almighty duck.

I'm going to spend a little time figuring out what I really want to do next...

And I will be reading this verse each day and reminding myself that I know it is Truth and that I have experienced this very Truth before.

Philippians 4:12-14 (The Message)

Content Whatever the Circumstances

Actually, I don't have a sense of needing anything personally. I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. I don't mean that your help didn't mean a lot to me—it did. It was a beautiful thing that you came alongside me in my troubles.

Sky Watch Friday

Go here to join in!

Thursday Thirteen - What To Do...

Sooooo....

There was a "reduction in force" at work today and I am now among the statistics of the unemployed! Here is my list of 13 things to do when you unexpectedly lose your job.

1. Do a Thursday Thirteen post about it.
2. Try to figure out what to do with all the junk important things that have been accumulating in your desk drawers over the last 6+ years when you get home with them.
3. Try to do as many fun things as you can while pretending like it is a snow day rather than a permanent, scary situation.
4. Try to ignore that urge to throw up.
5. Plot how you're going to take over the company someday with the funds from your penny stocks once the market goes back sky high. (Ha!)
6. Try to remember everyone that you should let know about the situation so they aren't shocked when they call/come by where you used to work.
7. Check out the themes for Photo Hunters for the next several weeks since you'll have plenty of time to find creating things to photograph for them.
8. Try to find out where the unemployment office is since you've never been there before.
9. Contact your son, the accountant, about what to do about your 401K.
10. Pray congress does something very,very,very soon about health care since you will have no insurance in two weeks.
11. Start figuring out a plan of attack for cleaning closets, drawers, and all those other things you've been meaning to do for months but didn't have time. Then straighten your bookcase and put all those unread in "read next" order.
12. Be grateful for how supportive and encouraging your husband, family, and friends have already been - that's something that can't be taken away.
13. Assure your blog readers that you are okay, that this hasn't really sunk in yet, but that God is good and has always had something better for you "in the wings" when a curtain closed. Remind them, and yourself, that He knew this was coming even though you didn't.

Wordless Wednesday - Sepia Self Portrait

Project 365 - Weeks 9 & Part of 10

It has been a hectic couple of weeks as you may have guessed from my rather sporadic posts. So today I am starting to catch up on my Project 365. There will be extra photos next week too.

Sermon in a Sentence

Guilt is a healthy regret for telling God one thing and doing another. - Max Lucado

Sky Watch Friday

a little closer view



Go here to join in!

13 Things To Do on a Staycation

Due to economic circumstances many people will be opting for a staycation this year. If you are unfamiliar with the term, this is where you take time off and do things close to home rather than traveling to a distant place. If you get creative, these can be great fun. The trick is to remember you are on staycation! So, put your mail in a pile, your laundry too, and eat lots of meals out until you get "back". After all, with no airfare or hotel costs, you can spend a little extra on food and admission to local attractions. Here are some fun ideas.

1. Pitch a tent or sleep one night on your deck, patio, or balcony if possible. Cook on the grill only. In other words, go camping in your own back yard! Got kids? Challenge them to notice things in your yard/neighborhood they usually take for granted. Have a contest for who can collect the most different species of leaves or flowers.



2. Have a camera scavenger hunt in the nearest town/city. Make a list of "things" to find and be creative. A church steeple, someone in uniform (keep in mind this could be a statue), something historic, something unfinished - you get the idea. You can use throw away cameras and one hour developing so you can all share your entries and the day's events over dinner.



3. Have a progressive restaurant dinner. Start early to allow for travel time and to let your food settle between each course. Pick a different restaurant for each course - appetizers one place, salad/soup at the next, entree at another, and dessert at a fourth.



4. Take day trips and visit area attractions you've never been to before. I had lived in Indiana for over 30 years before I ever set foot in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway! Think amusement park, water park, museum.



5. Spend a day hiking at a state park. Some have other fun ammenities available like horseback riding or swimming.



6. Take one day and just "go for a drive". Remember when people did that? Anyway, don't have a destination planned, just get up in the morning and pick a direction in some random way (coin toss, etc.) then head out. Take highways and back roads (no interstates) and keep going in that general direction until lunchtime or a little after. Then head back home trying to find a different route.



7. Pack an old fashioned picnic and go to the park. Take a Frisbee. Swing on the swings - yes, you, the adult! Take a tablecloth so you can eat on the ground and then use it to lay on and read after lunch.



8. Spend a day getting pampered. Either go to a day spa and get the works or just do it yourself at home. Trade massages with your partner. Give yourself a facial, a manicure, a pedicure. Got daughters? Trade manicures and pedicures then do each others hair in some new way.



9. Sign up for a class in some art form you've never tried before. Who knows, maybe you have hidden talents just waiting to be discovered. Check local art museums, cultural centers, libraries, and universities for possible options.



10. Go to the local mini golf/go cart place, a bowling alley, a skating rink, a laser tag place or a local festival. There is at least one going on almost every weekend in most areas.



11. Go to the farmers market in your town, or a nearby one, and shop. Take time and enjoy being outside and all the different bounty the vendors are offering. Try making dinner that evening with nothing except what you purchased at the market that day.



12. Have a movie marathon. This is great for a bad weather day. Rent lots of movies or go through your collection and pick ones you haven't watched in ages. Let all family members pick at least one flick. No meals today, just have snack type foods to munch on all day. This doesn't have to be unhealthy - think veggies and dip, hummus and flat bread, salsa and chips, cheese and crackers, lunch meat rolls, and, of course, popcorn!



13. Go to a local race track, minor league baseball game, or a county/state fair. Introduce your kids or yourself to something they've never done/seen before.

With a little planning and a commitment to remember you are on staycation (no falling into your normal routine) you may have more fun than if you'd vacated!

Wordless Wednesday

God's Artwork

Sermon in a Sentence

We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about. ~Charles Kingsley