So in an effort to continue blogging I'm writing to you this afternoon from Runnings Fleet and Farm supply store in Windom, MN. I am on my lunch break of course. You can't have a laptop and blog from the cash register while you are working, at least not yet anyway!
I started Runnings about two weeks ago, so I actually had three jobs with Hy-Vee and Country-Pride also. I have chosen to continue working at both places, so I will still have three jobs. Runnings will be FT, Country-Pride and Hy-Vee PT, however Hy-Vee will be like as-needed. I'm not on the schedule there. Country-Pride has agreed to work with me and schedule me around my hours here, which is really nice, I'm glad they were so flexible because I kinda wanted to keep a part-time job with the FT one. I'm kinda behind on some bills so any kind of extra money helps!
This past week though has been a challenge. Starting last Friday I have been working like 13 - 14 hour days between all the jobs. So right now I am on day 5 and have one more day left of these hours. Thursday I work 8-4 and Friday 8am-2pm, then I have all day Saturday and all day Sunday off! I'm excited about that!
My boys come this weekend too so it will be extra super special to have the entire time to spend with them!!!!! Something I have not been able to do in a very long long time!!!! Saturday we have plans to go up to the cities and spend some time with some friends from Waldorf and their families. Way excited about that too!!!!
I'll have to blog another time about my Waldorf weekend a few weekends ago. It was our 20-year reunion and I had so much fun. Waldorf is such a special place!
But I should get going as lunch break is almost done.
It's been forever, once again, since my last entry. Even though they may be short I need to still blog. I really enjoy blogging.
So recently I found myself stewing over something I have no control over. And tonight while surfing the tv channels I got my answer from God on what I needed to do with it.
I came across Joel Osteen's program and his message was about letting go. Here is part of his message:
This is the information from This Week’s Message page about today’s broadcast titled The Power of Letting Go by Joel Osteen:
We all go through disappointments, setbacks and things we don’t understand. Maybe you prayed for a loved one, but they didn’t get well. Or maybe you worked hard for a promotion, but you didn’t get it. You stood in faith for a relationship, but it didn’t work out. One of the best things you can do is release it and let it go. If you go around dwelling on it, wondering why this didn’t work out, why my loved one didn’t get healed, why I didn’t get that promotion, all that’s going to do is lead to bitterness, resentment and self-pity. Before long you’ll be blaming others, yourself, and maybe even God. You may not have understood it. It may not have been fair. But when you release it, it’s an act of your faith. You’re saying, “God, I trust You; I know You’re in control. And even though it didn’t work out my way, You said that all things are going to work together for my good. So I believe You still have something good in my future.”
Proverbs 20:24 says, “Since the Lord is directing our steps, why do we try to figure out everything that happens along the way?” God has you in the palm of His hand. He is directing you every step of the way. That disappointment may not have been fair, but it’s all a part of your divine destiny. If you will let it go and move forward, then you’re going to come into something awesome that God is about to do; not ordinary like you had planned, but extraordinary like God has planned.
So I have given my frustrations to God and am letting them go!!!! Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding!
Way too long since my last post! So have I been lazy or just that busy? Well, one could say both, depending on how you looked at it. I have certainly had a few down times, however I have mostly been busy, going here and there, moving, working, settling in to my new life, etc, etc, etc.
I turned the big 4 0, 40 on July 22nd. Didn't do a whole lot, the kids and I spent the day and evening with some friends in the cities and went to some stock car races. I think the kids really liked them. They did run late so naturally the kids were getting a bit cranky and ready to leave by the time it was all said and done.
I'm still moving things into my parents house, now home to my daughter and I. It's not so easy trying to settle into someone else's home, let alone trying to have a life when you live with your parents, when you are 40. I take it day by day though, it's an adjustment for everyone. But, you know, it really feels quirky when you have to ask your mother and father if your daughter can have friends over! That I am not used to, and not sure if I like it, but it is their house and we need to respect that. If I were not here I am not sure where I would be.
My puppy Daisy seems fixed on a fly right now, can't take her eyes off of it. It's funny cause she's falling asleep looking at it.
So, here I am, struggling just to get by, wondering when the divorce will be signed so life can go on? Thank God for family and thank God for friends!
As it seems with most of my nights, I'm not sleeping. Today wasn't a bad day per se, but there were many things I never expected, have happen, moments where I found myself struggling to be a part of it. And I'm still struggling.
About an hour ago I saw flashes of light through the window, and shortly thereafter I heard the thunder, so I peaked outside and saw the downpour of rain. The lightning was virtually constant! The only thing I could think about was how perfect this was for my life right now! And then the tears just flowed out like the rain falling onto the ground. I just watched and listened through my tears as the storm passed by,
Then I began thinking about how God brought these storms to us, each show of lightning, every sound of thunder, every drop of water was a gift from him. We all have storms in our lives that we go through, live through, and pick up from. Some are more severe than others, doing more damage and requiring more healing than others, but we all have them. It's really tough to see and feel positive when weathering a storm, when it gets so bad and sometimes scary, but in this storm I thought about the rain and how it nourishes the ground. The water helps the grass to grow, crops to grow, rivers and lakes to flourish. So in all the bad there was something good.
And generally speaking after every storm there comes a time when the clouds disappear, the sun shines again and sometimes you see a rainbow. I don't necessarily feel that part just yet. I'm still very much in the stormy part, struggling to see the good and feel the blessings. I am praying however, for God to show me the way, to guide me through these storms, to give me the strength and the confidence to get through them. I just need to shut my eyes and let him lead the way!
Wow, what a roller coaster of a day! My day began with an early wake up call to go strawberry picking over in Heron Lake to Schumacher's Nursery & Berry Farm Inc. It was 6am when my alarm went off. I pushed the snooze a few times as it goes off every five minutes. After about four reminders I pushed myself out of bed to get moving, trying to get my daughter up at the same time. Neither one of us are morning people so you can imagine the chore it was to get our butts moving along. But, we did and we couldn't have asked for a better morning out, although we could feel the temperature rise as we finished loading our buckets. So here are some pictures of those beautiful delicious red strawberries we picked today:
There were some really pretty ones out there, nice and shiny red, bright red, deep red, just about every color red you could imagine! The last time I went strawberry picking I was probably my daughter's age, 13, and I was with my mom, just as she was with me today, so kind of a flashback in time moment for me.
Then it was back to the house to take care of the precious fruits and after that it was off to help my mother. This time my daughter tagged along as my mother had some projects she could help with. I took care of some personal things before I dug into her work and then at 4:40pm I decided I should check my bank balance because I needed to get paying on some bills that are due.
I just about lost my breath when I saw the negative $203 balance on my account, knowing that I didn't spend $400! I quickly turned to my itemized list of expenses when I saw $387.00 withdrawn from Sirius/XM Radio on July 5th. The irritating part is I usually check my bank account and balance everyday, even on Sunday's, but missed a few days this week. Oh boy did I go into panic mode and anxiety! I called the radio company and was very frank with them in my disgust. There was no notice, no reminder of any kind that this was coming due, nor the amount that would be taken out. So I cancelled my satellite radio and should have a full refund within 2-7 business days and also recorded the fax # to send information to them to cover my overdraft charges incurred because of their huge withdrawal. I sure hope they cover them. I'm gonna be an unhappy camper if they don't.
Thank God for parents, who are helping me in the interim! I seriously don't know what I would do without them in my life!
Oh, I also got my glasses tightened at the eye doctor here in Windom today too! They feel much better on my face now!
And then there's still the drama with the soon-to-be ex husband who continues to share his wonderful opinions on me and my life!
So I will end with a song from a fellow who talks about God and what he has to give. This song fits several people in my life right now. I'll also put the lyrics below the video. The song title: "God gave me You"!
I’ve been a walking heartache
I’ve made a mess of me
The person that I’ve been lately
Ain’t who I wanna be
But you stay here right beside me
Watch as the storm goes through
And I need you
God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
For when I think I’ve lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you
There’s more here than what were seeing
A divine conspiracy
That you, an angel lovely
Could somehow fall for me
You’ll always be love’s great martyr
Ill be the flattered fool
and I need you
God gave me you for the ups and downs Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com
God gave me you for the days of doubt
For when I think I’ve lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you
On my own I’m only
Half of what I could be
I can’t do without you
We are stitched together
And what love has tethered
I pray we never undo
God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
For when I think I’ve lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you, gave me you.
Gave me you.
Today began with me being depressed about life. I have no job, I have no money, I have no marriage, I miss my boys, I miss my Daisy, I have no place to live, and life just seems pretty low right now. I'm living out of a suitcase at my parents house. There are a lot of forms to fill out when filing for a divorce. I would prefer to get this done on my own without a lawyer simply because I have NO money! I quite literally could find something wrong with anything and everything today it seems like.
I've been helping my mother out a bit down at her office. She has her own counseling business and is a Licensed Psychologist. So having your own psychologist comes in handy from time to time, but then there are other times when you wish it wasn't so psychological, if you know what I mean, but she's a great therapist and a great mom. Anyway, in all my wonderful misery today, a person walked in wanting to speak to someone about their depression. I sat and listened for a bit to them talking. I found myself lighting up a bit wanting to make them see their life is worth living and that life doesn't always suck!
This person left and planned to return when my mother was available. I began looking at my own life, trying to find the happiness within it, the reason to continue moving forward. I found a few things bringing light into my world, one of which are my children, my family, and my puppies. It's just really hard to find happiness when you feel like nothing goes right in your life and the only place you seem to be moving is down.
So then comes God and the beautiful phrases we hear so frequently: Let Go and Let God, This too shall pass, and my favorite - the Serentity Prayer.
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
In looking at serenity prayers however, I came across this one that went further than the one we all know and say to ourselves. Here it is and I hope you enjoyed the words as much as I did!
This song by Rascal Flatts fits so perfectly with my journey in life right now that I had to post the lyrics and the video both so you can all understand what I'm feeling and going through. "I'm Moving On" I've dealt with my ghosts and I've faced all my demons Finally content with a past I regret I've found you find strength in your moments of weakness For once I'm at peace with myself I've been burdened with blame, trapped in the past for too long I'm movin' on I've lived in this place and I know all the faces Each one is different but they're always the same They mean me no harm but it's time that I face it They'll never allow me to change But I never dreamed home would end up where I don't belong I'm movin' on I'm movin' on At last I can see life has been patiently waiting for me And I know there's no guarantees, but I'm not alone There comes a time in everyone's life When all you can see are the years passing by And I have made up my mind that those days are gone I sold what I could and packed what I couldn't Stopped to fill up on my way out of town I've loved like I should but lived like I shouldn't I had to lose everything to find out Maybe forgiveness will find me somewhere down this road I'm movin' on I'm movin' on I'm movin' on
Today started early for me, thanks to a dear friend of mine texting me at 5:45am. I took a few catnaps throughout the morning however to compensate for the early rise. I finally dragged myself out of bed around noon. When you don't have a job or anything to really get up for, it's a bit difficult to wake up early, especially when no one else is getting up either.
After I was up I tried to get a few more loads of laundry done, but I eventually found my way back to the bed for some more catnapping. I felt pretty lazy today. I really didn't find myself doing a whole lot. The kids seemed pretty laid back too today so I guess it all fit well together.
I did go on facebook though and connect with some friends. One friend I chatted with was from way back when I was in high school, probably around 10th grade. He grew up in Redwood Falls and we met at a swim meet with our local churches. We stayed friends for some time afterwards but did eventually loose touch after a couple years. So it was really cool talking with him and catching up on like 25 years. Hopefully we'll be able to reconnect in person in the future. He was quite the spunky person from what I remember.
Oh and I had a few texts from other people throughout the day, some more of my friends. It's such a great feeling to have friends in your life to talk to. So often I have felt like I needed to distance myself from them because of the situation I was in, but I've made the decision I am not doing that anymore. I need them in my life and I want them in my life and they are the likely people to help me get through the rough times that I know will surely come my way soon. They are all a blessing and I am very thankful to God for having them in my life. They are special people.
About 30 minutes ago I came across a box with some old journals, from nearly 20 years ago! As I read them I was taken back to that time remembering those events, but some I struggled to remember, names mostly. But most were good times, like Friday, October 13th, 1995 when Joelle and I went with Stephen and Aisling (our Ireland friends) to the Mall of America and the bars that used to be on the 4th floor. We had such a blast at the piano bar that whole night! It was and has remained one of the best nights of my life!! We danced, bull-shitted, and went to the piano and sang with the players. It was sooo much fun!!!
Now there were other events too, some were not so happy and fun, but I did find an underlying message still prevalent to my life today and that is being happy! I know the answer to that question and have known that answer for some time. Then I looked towards the future and my predicted happiness there. It's clear what I need to do, I just need to do it and do it now! I've waited long enough...too long. It's time I get-r-done!
I'm not sure what the future will hold, but I think my happiness will definitely be a beginning to it! I know that I have a lot of people who love and support me no matter where my journey leads and above all them, I have the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I wasn't sure what I would write about today, but I wanted to make sure I wrote. I didn't want it to be another month before my next entry.
My day started off pretty early, getting up at 7am to get the youngest off to summer school. Most of the day I was more or less lazy. It was more comfortable laying in bed than doing anything else. I eventually made it out of bed and into the world, but that didn't seem to last long. I got everyone fed and even did some work on getting the basement a little more picked up, but the energy didn't seem to last.
At 7pm I found the movie Marley-n-Me playing on FX, so the kids and I watched it. It is and absolute must-see movie if you are a dog lover in anyway. The end is pretty sad though as Marley dies, but this is after years of love with the family. Watching Owen Wilson in the room with the dog at the end when the drug goes in and ends Marley's life reminds me of my precious Snicker.
It was 1993 when I found my Snicker at the Fargo, ND Humane Society. She was a Basset Hound/Beagle mix. If I can find a picture I'll post one. She was mostly black with some white and tan. She reminded instantly of a snicker bar and that's why I called her Snicker! They felt she was already a year old when I adopted her. She was with us all the way through June 2006. We had her for 13 years, which is pretty long for dogs. She slept on the bed with me, even under the covers. She was such a great dog. She ended up spending most of her life with my parents due to me moving around and living in places where dogs were not allowed.
I eventually married and had children, obviously, but when we lived in St. James our house had a fenced in yard. I knew I eventually wanted to have a dog and I knew Snicker would finish her time with my parents. A week before Snicker passed away our family added two Basset Hounds, Daisy and Elvis. It turned out to be good timing. We picked up the pups on Sunday and that Saturday the tie had come to let my Snicker go. Even though she had spent the bulk of her life with my folks my dad let me be the one to be in the room when they put her down.
She didn't even know what hit her. I watched the vet get the medicine ready, holding my precious dog who had been a part of my life for the last 13 years and began telling her how loved she was and how much she would be missed. He put the medicine in her leg and within seconds I no longer felt her breathe, she was gone, just like that, instantly, it was over.
Dogs are a very special animal and spelled backwards dog is God! I wonder if there's more to that? They are after all man's best friend! I'm going to leave with some of the final dialogue from the movie:
A dog has no use for fancy cars...
or big homes or designer clothes.
A waterlogged stick will do just fine.
A dog doesn't care
if you're rich or poor...
clever or dull, smart or dumb.
Give 'em your heart
and he'll give you his.
How many people can you say that about?
How many people can make you
feel rare and pure and special?
How many people can
make you feel... extraordinary?
It's been much longer than I anticipated since my last posting and much has happened since then. The biggest this was have carpal tunnel release surgery a few weeks ago on my right hand. I'll have it on my left hand too in roughly five weeks, but my right needs to heal before that happens. Here are a few pictures of what my hand looked like wrapped up and with the stitches.
Here is my hand wrapped:
And here is what my hand looked liked unwrapped with stitches:
It looks kind of icky there, but it was all dried, dead skin. But this is what my hand looks like now:
90% of that dried dead stuff is gone. I've been putting Vitamin E Oil on it to hopefully avoid scarring. We'll see how well that works. My hand definitely feels better and I'm glad I finally did something about my carpal tunnel. I've been suffering from it for several years and it's on my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days, so I can finally check that off the list!
I went home, back to Windom the past couple weekends too, spending time with friends and family. Some of those friends I have not seen in quite a while, so it was really fun to catch up and reconnect with them. One of them I have not seen in nearly 21 years! She was like a sister to me way back when I was involved with her brother. We picked up right where we left off, feeling like it was just yesterday we last saw each other. It was so awesome, made me feel young again!
As for my life, I'm still here in small town USA with my kids, my puppy, and the hubby, looking for a job. Some weeks there are several and others I struggle on which ones to apply to. I keep searching and searching hoping that someday I'll find some kind of employment out there. Until then however, it's apply here and apply there, look, look, and look some more.
Well that's about it for now. Till next time, count your blessings in your life!
It's been a while. I think of many things to write, but I'm never close by the computer to write them, or I don't have the time with the kids, or I'm laying in bed at 3am when the thoughts come to me. But, it's been over two weeks so I should probably write something huh?
Since the Royal Wedding the biggest news has been the killing of Osama Bin Laden, the world's most wanted criminal, who is responsible for the attacks on America on September 11th, 2001. My first thought is "it's about time" and hoping he rotted in hell for all his evil aggressions. I had this thought for several days, but then after watching the news more, learning more, and thinking more I've come to another conclusion, a much deeper one.
You really have to go back hundreds of years to understand. Before America, before England and Ireland, and some of the those other countries, there was the Middle East, regardless of what their countries names were, we knew they were there. We know about them through the Bible. Well eventually the "Western World" came to be and 'western living' began to show up in the Middle East, which they did not like, nor did they welcome.
I just don't understand why we can't just leave people alone? Why can't people live in their own countries and do their own things without everyone else interfering? Why can't we all just get along. If you want us to leave you alone then we'll leave you alone, but return the favor. I understand people sometimes just don't get along, why can't we just agree to disagree. I know we shouldn't allow crimes against humanity, but shouldn't we just let their own people take care of it, let them figure it all out? To some degree it's called the 'circle of life'.
Right now we're at war on terror with the countries of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Pakistan. Now we're considering Syria and relations with Iran are unstable at best. Pretty soon we're going to make this into a third World War! When is it enough? Do we really need everyone to conform to "our" way? It's horrifying to think of the number of people who died on 9/11 and I don't excuse OBL, he should pay for what he did, what he's done, but there is a deeper meaning beneath it all that, in my opinion, we all refuse to really look at.
I guess I just wonder why it's so hard to just get along and respect the wishes of other civilizations?
I managed to stay up all night so I could watch as much as I could on the big event. I did take a few short catnaps however, and I did DVR the wedding on one of the many channels that were covering it, some 7+ hours of coverage.
It was a beautiful ceremony and Catherine looked amazing, William was so handsome in the red uniform he was wearing. Prince Harry looked pretty dashing too, I almost think he was more handsome than William. Their mother, Princess Diana would without a doubt be tremendously proud of her boys if she were alive today and so thrilled to have Catherine as a daughter-in-law. She did extremely well raising her boys in the time she was here. They both have turned into beautiful men and great ambassadors to humanity.
The Queen bestowed the titles Duke & Duchess of Cambridge upon Prince William and Catherine, but I think for all of us the two will always be Prince William and Princess Catherine. Because she is not of a royal bloodline she could never officially hold the title of Princess. She has already begun to follow in Diana's footsteps though, in becoming the Queen of our hearts! It was so neat to see how William and Harry came out the night before to greet members of the crowd. What a testament to what their mother instilled in them!
Here are a few favorite pictures from their incredible day. It was a great day for the entire world!
I cannot even fathom the number of people here, a testament to how important the couple, as well as the monarchy is to their people and people all around the world!
Now husband and wife! They are such a beautiful couple!
On their way to Buckingham Palace, again, so beautiful!
The Southern part of our country has been hit unbelievably hard the past couple of days, from flooding to tornado's. Yesterday alone Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, West Virginia saw approximately 150+ tornado's, while in Missouri they are dealing with flooding. As of right now there have been 249 fatalities and hundreds of pictures of the massive devastation these storms left behind. One picture was so striking to me, so emotional for me the minute I looked at it I immediately began crying. The photo was so incredibly sad. It's a first responder in the back of a pick-up holding the body of a child they pulled from the rubble. The photo immediately took me back to 1995 in Oklahoma City and the Federal Murrah Building, after it had been bombed. The photo there was the firefighter carrying the body of an infant from the site. You can't help but cry when you look at this current photo.
Click on the link above to take you to the Huffington Post article, scroll down to the picture and click it. There you'll see a number of photos of the aftermath of these storms. There are 25 pictures and picture 15 is the most heartbreaking one of all of them. This is the photo of the responder holding the body of a child. It just breaks your heart.
I was a few months from turning three when the Super Outbreak of 1974 occurred, so I do not remember anything about it. That outbreak spawned 148 tornado's and killed 312 people. Yesterday alone spawned some 150+ tornadoes with reports still coming in and killed 250, with more reports of fatalities coming in. It is so unbelievable and the damage unimaginable, it really is beyond words.
I have only seen one tornado in my life, in July of 2000, in SW MN. It was a very brief tornado and was fairly tiny. I have never been in a tornado, so I couldn't even imagine what it's like. I did go into labor with my firstborn on the night that spawned the great Spencer, SD tornado on May 30, 1998. The system was heading to Sioux Falls, but weakened by the time it reached us. I have also seen the aftermath of a tornado, that same year, just two months earlier, March 30th, 1998, the St. Peter, MN tornado. We went through St. Peter a week after it hit and having been to St. Peter quite a bit in my earlier years, I was pretty familiar with the highway going through and parts of the city. Driving through there a week after the tornado hit was very emotional. There was so much devastation I couldn't even recognize where I was at in the town, other than the highway. You could completely see the college, Gustavus College, whereas before, because of all the trees, you could only see the point of the steeple. Very shocking to see how many trees were lost in that beautiful city.
The South will absolutely need the support of everyone in our country in some form or another. If you would like to help contact the American Red Cross to see what you can do. Please keep everyone in the affected areas in your prayers, now and in the future, as they will need them to heal.
Princess Diana was certainly the Queen of Hearts to everyone around the world. Her tragic death was most certainly a shock to all of us. As her eldest son, Prince William, will get married on Friday, his Royal Wedding brings back all sorts of emotions about his late mother, her life, her death, and her legacy. I just wanted to share with you a few of my favorite photos of Diana, along with, what I believe to be, the saddest photo of her.
I absolutely adore this photo with her two boys. Her smile is so pure and enlightening. Just looking at this picture puts a smile on your face. A great picture with her and her boys! They all look blissfully happy. You can sure see and feel the love in this photo.
Princess Diana and Mother Teresa; both are iconic in their own right, and both were great humanitarians!
What a photo, Princess Diana sitting on the floor with her arms crossed wearing her crown. Again, a magical smile that lite up the room. Doesn't she look happy here too?
I love this profile picture of her. She is so beautiful and enchanting, doesn't she have a natural glow about her?
This would be the saddest photo. Anyone with a heart could not look at this photo and not tear up or even cry. Those of us who remember this, will always have this memory etched in our minds, her coffin and the flowers on top, those beautiful white flowers from her children and her brother. Diana's death was such a blow and a tremendous loss for the world. I often wonder what it would be like today if Diana had not died?
I'm not sure if you'll be watching the royal wedding on Friday, but I will be. I find it so fascinating and exciting to keep up with the Royals! This one, with Prince William and Katherine Middleton, is of more interest than others before, with the exception of Prince Charles and Lady Diana in 1981. Prince Charles and Lady Diana, as everyone knows, are the parents of Prince William and Prince Harry. Princess Diana was truly the People's Princess, so beautiful and so present in the world. She did indeed change the make-up of the royal family. Her death in 1997 was overwhelmingly shocking to everyone around the world. For most of us, we remember where we were when he heard the news about her death. I know I had just arrived to work at 5:45am in Preston, MN when a co-worker told me. She also had the news on, after she told me, as I walked in, I turned to the tube to watch and hear the incredibly shocking news. A rush of emotions came over me as I couldn't believe she had died. Diana was an iconic fashionista as well as a Humanitarian. Fortunately for all of us, she passed these great qualities onto her sons. Prince William has turned into a brilliant man and humanitarian himself, as Prince Harry has too.
This Royal Wedding/Marriage however, should last, for what I believe, until they pass away. When you look at photos of the two, they look amazingly happy, but more importantly, comfortable in, not only their own skin, but in each others skin. Katherine herself is somewhat of a fashionista. Every picture of her looks outstanding, from her hair, her hats, her fascinators, and other accessories such as coats, handbags, and footwear. She is dressed to perfection from head to toe! I cannot wait to see what her wedding dress looks like!!!
I love the fact Katherine comes from a Middle Class family, she is a commoner. not of Royal Descent. Having lived a normal life in an extraordinarily loving family is so wonderful for William, giving him a sense of being human and experiencing life as a commoner. It's like the best of both worlds for the two!
I know there are some people out there who are not really excited about the wedding and, quite frankly, annoyed with all the coverage, but it is an historic event. For those of us keeping up with the Royals, there isn't enough coverage. People are even more interested in this because of their mother, how influential she was, and because of her tragic passing so young. Could you imagine what the world would be like today if Diana had not died so tragically that last day in August, 1997? This only multiplies the interest in this wedding.
Only two days left, I for one will be watching as much as I can, and I will be recording what I can't!
There were only four channels: PBS, ABC, NBC, and CBS; and no cable?
To do research you actually had to go to a library and look in an encyclopedia?
libraries used the card catalogue system?
you had the original Atari gaming system?
You remember and watched Schoolhouse Rock?
you watched Star Search and American Bandstand?
I love the following song by Mark Wills. I find myself sometimes wishing we could go back to when life seemed so easy and we didn't have a lot of responsibility or bills to pay. Where family dinners at the table happened everyday and holidays were a big deal with family. Wasn't it so much simpler back then???
Mark Wills - 1970 something:
I saw Star Wars at least 8 times Had the pac-man pattern memorized And I've seen the stuff they put inside Stretch Armstrong I was Roger Stauback back in my back yard Had a shoebox full of baseball cards And a couple of Evil Kinevil scars On my right arm Well, I was a kid when Elvis died And my mama cried Chorus: It was 1970- something In the world that I grew up in Farrah Faucett hair-do days Bell bottoms and 8-track tapes Lookin' back now I can see me And oh, man did I look cheesy But I wouldn't trade those days for nothin' It was 1970-something It was the dawning of a new decade When we got our first microwave And Dad broke down and finally shaved Those sideburns off I took the stickers off of my Rubix cube Watched MTV all afternoon My first love was Daisy Duke In them cut off jeans A Space Shuttle fell out of the sky And the whole world cried Chorus: It was 1980-something In the world that I grew up in Skating rinks and Black Trans Ams Big hair and parachute pants Lookin' back now I can see me And oh, man did I look cheesy But I wouldn't trade those days for nothin' It was 1980-something Now I got a mortgage and an SUV But all this responsibility Makes me wish sometimes Sometimes.... chorus: It was 1980-something In the world that I grew up in Skating rinks and Black Trans Ams Big hair and parachute pants Lookin' back now I can see me And oh, man did I look cheesy But I wouldn't trade those days for nothin' It was 1980-something 1970-something Aw, it was 19-Something
This Friday will mark a transition in my life from reading glasses to bifocals, from wearing glasses only when I needed to, to wearing them during every waking moment. I've had reading glasses for almost two years, but a few months ago I began noticing that some of my distant sight was hazy. I held off for those months on seeing the eye doctor. I made an appointment, but cancelled it. After a suggestion from my hubby I made an appointment with his eye doctor. She was really nice. I was a little stunned when she told me I needed bifocals. The first thing that came to mind were my parents. I remember their bifocals quite clearly growing up, with the separate lens on the bottom and then the rest of the lenses. I was starting to feel old. I'm not even 40 yet. I've gone from reading glasses to now needing bifocals. Not to mention I just started using reading glasses in the fall of 2009 at the age of 38. For 38 years I didn't wear glasses, which is strange because both my parents have them. For some reason though, my brother and I seemed to have good eyesight, not requiring glasses, until now. My brother still is glass-free.
Here is the place where I went for my eye exam and glasses: Howlin Vision on South Western Ave in Sioux Falls, SD.
So now came the task of finding a pair of frames. I tried on a lot of them, but it was this one that both of us, the frame lady and I really liked:
They were a bit expensive, so before deciding this was the frame I indeed wanted, my hubby and I traveled to some other eye places like Lens Crafters, EyeMart, Wal-Mart, and Vision World. I couldn't quite find a frame I liked, that looked as good as we felt that one did. So we went back to Howlin Vision and purchased these frames. We added the anti-glare as well as transition lenses to the prescription. Because we were getting progressive lenses, the kind where you don't see the line, it all just kind of blends in together, the cost was more for the lenses, just like the frames. In all, we spent a shiny penny on these babies. I added the transitions because it made sense to have them act like sunglasses too, since I would be wearing them all day long.
They should be on Friday and I can't wait. I'm excited to get them, even though I feel a little older with the bifocals, but excited for the fact that I will be able to see better all around!
I feel the need to do some clarifying in regards to my "I've had enough" post. Although I critiqued my supervisor in the post I need to say that is isn't necessarily a reflection of her character, but about her leadership skills. I found her to be fairly pleasant most of the time and easy to talk to. It wasn't hard to strike up a conversation with her. There was a point in time when she was very helpful to me, giving me tidbits of information to help me in my job performance. So, just to clarify I was speaking more about her skills vs. her character.
About 13 years ago I was using a brand called Clinique for my skin care needs. I was pleased with what it was doing for me and how my skin looked. One day, while browsing in the mall, pregnant with my oldest, a gal walks ups to me and begins commenting on how beautiful my skin is, what I do etc. I told her I used Clinique. She then went on to talk to me about Mary Kay and how the products and the business could change my life. I, of course, bought into it and signed up. A week or two later I met with her sales director to discuss the products etc. This gal somehow convinced me to order the most expensive package of product inventory stating when you have it on hand people are more likely to purchase it. So I bought the package which was more than a thousand buckaroo's. And once I bought all this product I was on my own, never to hear from the gals again. We'll just say business was not booming, so there I was with an unlimited amount of products to get rid of.
I did manage to get rid of it all, but I think I did it in the non-preferred way, upsetting a few people, which I didn't necessarily know it wasn't the right way. I cut what losses I had and was thankful that I never had to worry about it again.
The past 11 years I have used a mixture of skin care products from Mary Kay to Bjore and Nuetrogena. My make-up became a mixture of brands as well. All the while wanting to get back into using Clinique. So, finally, after years of wanting to get back into using their products, I bought their system, in pieces, through the past month. I am so thankful I did. My skin feels so much better and I'm really loving the way it looks. I have their skin care and their make-up, along with some other products in their line. I have washed my face nearly everyday, twice a day for the past month, missing maybe two or three days of cleansing and make-up.
You can visit Clinique at clinique.com to learn more. I try to purchase my Clinique at Macy's and you can go to macys.com for more information. Below are some of the products I use from them.
Here are the products I use for my skin care. I know it seems like a lot, but the whole process doesn't take that long at all. I start from the left with acne cleanser, then to the pink toner, to the yellow moisturizer, to the repair serum. Next to the blue tube of turnaround concentrate, followed by the medium circle tub of zero gravity cream, to the small circular tub of eye cream. The last two purple containers are make-up and eye make-up removers.
This next package is all about make-up. From powder, concealer, eyes, cheeks, and lips, it's all here to get me glammed up and ready to go out for the day or just to simply hang out here in the house.
All of this works great for me and I'm very happy to be back using their products!
