Tips for a better life, some secular, some Scriptural

Judy R.!!!! So many of these things make me think of you!!!!!

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
3. Buy a DVR and record your late night shows and get more sleep.
4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to __________ today.'
5. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
6. Play more games and read more books than you did in 2007.
7. Make time to study God's Word and pray. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.
8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.
9. Dream more while you are awake.
10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.
12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
13. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.
14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, OR issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the NEGATIVE BLUES away.
18. Life isn't fair, bu t it's still good.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
25.Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'
26. Forgive everyone for everything.
27. What other people think of you is none of your business
28. REMEMBER GOD heals everything. He, as Christ, paid it all.
29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
30. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
31. Get rid of any thing that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
32. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
33. The best is yet to come.
34. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
35.Do the right thing!
36. Call your family often. (Or email them to death!!!)
37. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: 'I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________. '
38. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
39. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

A very busy week for me

Again the sun is playing games with me, poking out from behind grey clouds. In fact, everything looks grey from a distance--the water, sky, clouds, horizon. Only the palms up close are in color which would make for a great painting, but I don't have time for that right now. I need to paint with words as I have two newsletters due out by the end of the week. Yikes!

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I've already been busy around here, getting things in order for the housekeepers to come and do their thing. The sheets and towels which were in place for leaks are swishing around in the washer right now while the dryer tumbles some of my traveling clothes. It seems more clothes than I actually took, which is true by one pair of jeans and a top. I had to wash my new top already since I wore it for the flight home, and dripped mayo on it while enjoying a hot dog at the airport.

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On the Chicken Noodle Network (CNN), according to Neal, a poll shows one party is blamed two to one for the financial problems being addressed these days. The records actually show that one certain party in Congress has repeatedly voted down reforms which would have prevented this debacle, in part because of the demands for more affordable housing and low-income mortgages being made available. But, no one is really interested in the facts when it comes to pocketbook issues. It will be interesting to see what comes from the big meeting taking place at this writing between Bernanke, Paulson, and the GOP leadership regarding the bail-out. Ugh, I hate this mess!

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The sun is warming my arms when it peeks out and I am tempted to close my doors, which just happened to be open all night long, because the breeze is cool on my feet. I could possibly put my slippers on and keep the door open so it's cool for the cleaners. The dredgers are still at it in the basin area outside my windows and I can't help but wonder what is taking them so long to get their job accomplished. One of my neighbors was out there in his boat and taking measurements, as he has an interest in getting this marina in place ASAP. He reports little progress after all these months.

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Oh, no, I guess I'll have to go live in a home........I did something stupid! I just went to check on my sliding doors, which, as I mentioned earlier, had been open since yesterday late afternoon. The screen doors were not closed all this while, which means I could have had birds and other wildlife taking up residence in my home right under my nose. How in the world did I not notice they were opened?????

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Just when you think it can't get any weirder in this world, you (I) read an article on Drudge about PETA urging Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream be made using breast milk instead of cow's milk........I'm rushing right out now to buy some B & J's Ice Cream. NOT!!! While they purport to be advocates for the family farm, now they are being asked to by-pass the cow's milk for human breast milk. I wonder how often the nursing mothers will have to line up to be milked like cows do? What next? Those two loons are goofy enough anyway, they might just do it!

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Well, now the sun is completely disappeared so my arms are no longer being warmed. A Fish and Game boat just successfully scooted through an area normally closed by sand, but since the river is quite high and not a little bit wild, the boat was able to get through. It looks like it did during the tropical storm in August except it isn't raining at all--yet. Last night at Bible study, I received a lovely book mark from Leanne, who is currently president of my fan club, it seems. She'd watched the funeral video with me a couple weeks ago and remembered the comment I'd made regarding Pastor Prange's use of the verse from Psalm 46 where God tells us to just "be quiet", "I have everything under control". She went in search of this passage on a book mark and found one. "Be still, and know that I am God."

More rooster humor

Yes, I am up to my old, nasty habits of watching afternoon TV! My radio programs are done for the day so I am "entitled" to some down time. Down time from down time, imagine that!

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Other than getting used to the time difference again, I am attempting to re-familiarize myself with some of the items in my house, including the TV remote control and my own computer keyboard. The buttons are not located in the same places on either my desk top computer or on this laptop as they were on my mom's, so I keep moving things which don't need moving or putting funky symbols where I meant to put numerals. The same with changing the channels on the TV---instead of turning up the volume, I am fast forwarding through my recorded programs. Mom's remote controls are different than mine, which I learned to use without looking.

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I did manage to find a recorded episode of "Seinfeld" which I'd not seen before, "The Statue". Kramer pretends to be a cop in order to steal back a statue assumed to have been stolen from Jerry's apartment by the housekeeper. It was so funny. Now there's an episode called "Little Jerry" where Kramer has purchased a so-called chicken in order to get fresh eggs. It crows at sun up which disturbs Jerry's sleep, and Jerry has to break it to Kramer that Little Jerry is not a hen but instead, a rooster! "That might explain the low egg production." Little Jerry is now going to be in cock fight at the store where Jerry's bad check is posted, and if Little Jerry takes a dive, the bad check will no longer be posted on the cash register. Jerry helps Kramer "train" the rooster so his check will be taken down. His parents heard about the bad check being posted and are insisting on sending him money, begging him to go into advertising and give up on comedy! He is screaming at them to not send money but his mom laid the phone down and can't hear him yelling. George walked into the apartment and hears the screaming, and asks, "How's the parents?" and Jerry calmly replies, "Oh, they're good", as if nothing was happening. So, so funny!!! Gotta love those rooster stories!

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Today I have my doors opened and the wind is blowing through. It sounds like a tropical storm out there, the way the trees sound. The sky is still cloudy but not overcast at all. It's a decent temperature now, too, cool, but not long pants weather. Tomorrow is expected to be in the low 80's which might not exactly be pool weather but could easily be warm enough to sit pool side! Our low temp tonight is predicted to be 66 which is chilly by our standards. Our temps are showing to be lower than average, with rip tides and rough surf taking place for some reason. Some sort of frontal system moving through, I guess.

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My neck is itching me from my haircut earlier. I should have changed shirts right away but it didn't seem to bother me at first. After the beauty shop I stopped at the bank, McDonald's, and then Great Hang Ups. As I walked in the door, Julia told me the radio was playing "In the Arms of the Angels" and said my timing was perfect. They didn't realize how long I'd be away, even though they knew. Somehow saying two weeks and experiencing two weeks are quite different. We had a great catch-up visit and Dee told me to get out to the Thrasher-Horne to see the Art Guild display, to see my picture in the show. I'll have to see what Martie can arrange, because she wants to go, too. Perhaps Thursday will work for her, since she's off work, I think. I'll take a picture of my picture so I can post it on the blogsite. It's not been inside my home since I painted it, since it went right to Island Realty for display after I had it framed. It's wonderful to go to Hang Ups and have my spirit renewed, built up, as it were.

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Oh, goody! It's going to get back up to 87 by the weekend! Life is good!

Presently there's a lake wind advisory and surf cautions in place at the beaches. The winds are at 25-30 miles per hour. I wonder what's causing this, other than the front moving through. Or is that enough? Maybe it's time to figure out the remote control and change the channel?????!!!!!!

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On the 19th I'm invited to an Open House given by Julia and another artist, Donna Grasso, at Donna's home. It works out that the Jags are on a Bye Week that day, so yes, I accept! Julia is going to show her ceramics alongside Donna's paintings, and should be a fun time! I really miss my friend, Joanne, who's been out of town tending to her father for many months. When I last spoke with her, she thought she'd be coming back this month, but nothing yet. I'll give her a call later to see what the plans are. I'd offered my spare room to her since she had to move from her rental home before it was foreclosed upon, but she's made other housing arrangments already. She's lived with me on several occasions in the past and knows my door is always open in case she needs a port in a storm. Joanne has lots of storms, and it sounds like I need to change this channel, too!

Catching up...

....on some things left unsaid. Really? She left something unsaid???

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Jill told me the other day that the lady whose photo I'd taken at the ice cream parlor, posing with the garishly dressed giant cow, came back to ask Jill if her sister was still in town because she'd hoped to return the favor by taking my picture before the cow was "undressed" again. Jill was surprised, but shouldn't have been, that this lady came in asking for me! I tell everybody I see in Manty about Jill being the manager of the ice cream parlor by the big cow, so it's no wonder this lady knew to come back there.

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I've gotten a number of e-mails from friends welcoming me back home again. One in particular arrived this morning from Leanne: "...YOU'RE HOME!!! I HAVE MISSED YOU BIG TIME. I HAVE CANDY CORN FOR YOU. IT REMINDS ME OF YOU EVERY TIME I SEE IT. I'LL BRING IT Sunday. I CAN'T WAIT TO HUG YOU. LOVE YA" It's great to be home again! We will see each other at Bible study tonight, "Angels and Demons" as our subject matter. I missed on Sunday and we cover the same material during the week in the evening for those who aren't able to make study on Sundays. What could be more perfect?

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Rosalie and her Internet is up and running again, so things have somewhat returned to normal for her in Houston. Thank the good Lord for sparing my friends from tragedy! The President is going to speaking at the UN at 10:30 but I'll be in the beauty shop when he does so. I can catch it on the computer or a replay later today. At this moment Neal Boortz is interviewing Sen. McCain on his radio program, and before he's letting him go, Neal is asking him about supporting the Fair Tax. Neal just asked him to do lunch after he's sworn in so they can go over the Fair Tax and get it into place....oh, that Neal, like he'd be invited to lunch at the White House. Yes, he's been to lunch and meetings at the White House during this present administration! He thinks he has a standing invite now!

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Time to dress for the day. The sun is playing peek-a-boo with me but I did wake to a clear sky and bright sunlight. During the night there was heavy rain because I woke enough to hear it. I think I heard dripping in some part of my house but wasn't interested in going to check on it. My towels and sheets are still in place so it's okay to let it rain. I should write a song called "Let It Rain".....oh, wait, someone already did!

Muggy takes on a whole new meaning

I am sitting here in my happy place! Hey, it's great to be back home again after two weeks in WI. And I am weary as can be! It feels so wonderful to be sitting here in my family room on my love seat with my feet up. Ah....The room is a bit of a mess as it's still in prep mode in case a storm came our way while I was gone. The house keepers are due on Wednesday so I'll have things put to right again before they come.

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On the downside, I have the sniffles and am looking forward to a good night's sleep in my own bed tonight. I did sleep some last night in the hotel but not soundly at all, having to get up every now and again to go potty. I must have had six or more sodas at dinner (Luigi's with the Hackmann families). There was no noise from the airport, and I mention this because Lynn wondered if it would be noisy from the planes, being that close to the airport. Not one bit, but, of course, we have the TV on all night long. The Packer game was a huge disappointment and we decided to just roll over and go to sleep rather than watch the humiliation on the field.

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Okay, so let's recap: I wrote briefly about the surprise party for Lynn on Saturday. Most never even knew about it because I didn't dare write anything in my blog about it since Lynn is one of my regular readers (thanks, Lynn!). There were leftovers from the food, needless to say, so it was taken back to Mom's where it was divided between the girls who could put it to use. Mom will eat good off some of the food, too, which is good to know.

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Sunday we went to church where the order of service was the Morning Praise, our favorite. It's not the one from the hymnal, it's original to First German, and includes several we've sung at Good Shepherd. One was a song I've sung as cantor at G. S. and another a te deum that simply lightens my spirit. "You are God, we praise you; you are Lord, we acclaim you..." Thanks to Pete for introducing me (us) at G. S. to these hymns of praise! "Oh, God, you are my God for you I long..."

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After worship Mom, Lynn, Alayna and I went to Bible study while Justin and Kerry went back home, Justin under the guise of packing...this didn't occur but he did get to hang out with his auntie for a bit without other peoples around, which is great. A bunch of us went to breakfast after study, but Kerry headed back to Oshkosh instead of coming with us. Jill and Danny came, too, after she opened up the ice cream parlor for the day. I had the most delicious pot roast dinner with peas mixed in with the meat and a side of corn plus a baked potato. Usually I have the potato pancakes at Perkins but I had them twice this visit so opted to have lunch instead of breakfast. I saw several people there I'd gone to high school and/or grade school, including the fella who'd come down to our church to help us figure out if we're ready for an elementary school or not.

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Lori and David were also there with his mom and step-dad so we got to say "hi" to them once more before they headed off to Kewaunee to get an antique table from her sister-in-law and then they were going to the Packer game. David's boss gave him the tickets so they couldn't refuse! It's too bad the game didn't go well but just being at Lambeau Field was a real hoot for them, to be sure. Their son, Dusty, didn't make it to Lynn's party because he was working so, sadly, I didn't get to see him at all this visit. I will at Christmas time when we're back up there....Man, we just got home and already planning a return trip!

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Our travel today was a mess but manageable. We'd stayed at a hotel in order to get some sleep and avoid driving like a couple nuts from Manty to MKE, particularly after staying up "late" to watch the game. The hotel was near the airport so in only moments were had the rental car returned. Bravo to Justin for suggesting curbside check-in rather than standing in the long lines indoors. As far as I know, I wasn't charged anything extra for having my luggage over weight, which I am absolutely certain it was! Without further ado, we found our cheese curds for our friends and Justin's father, and through security lickety split.

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Once we boarded, seated separately due to having a full plane, we took off for Memphis. No sooner did we get air underneath us than the smoke alarms were going off in all the bathrooms. I could tell we were "slowing down" especially after hearing the gear drop and the flaps were down. Sure 'nuff, we had to return to the terminal, only to be met by assorted fire fighting equipment. I was not scared at all, since it was obvious we were not ablaze. Justin was near the flight attendant's seat and had the inside info as to what the problem was. Evidently a new A/C system had been installed and perhaps shorted out or something. All the passengers had to "de-plane" and get re-booked on different flights. Justin and I ended up going home much later than 6:22 a.m.! First, we flew to Minneapolis on the 9:10 flight and then to Jacksonville, getting back to Florida by 5:00 pm. He'd wanted to take his friend to a job fair at UNF but that plan was scuttled by the delays.

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Other than that little glitch, nothing else was missed other than an afternoon poolside! Oh, wait, it's overcast, drizzling, and humid as can be! You can cut it with a knife..........is that original or what???

We did it! We pulled off the surprise!!!

No one blabbed, no one let it slip---amazing! Our family successfully pulled off a surprise birthday party for my sister, Lynn, who turned 60 last Monday. She never even guessed or was suspicious that all (almost all...) my sisters were in town, not to mention Justin coming up for no other reason than to visit with me! We did it! Of course she wept a bit, some of us helped her cry, because she was so blown away. Lori gets the credit of putting it together, not without a few bugs, because she lives across the state and was not around ahead of time to manage things. Other than a few communication glitches (always a problem!), Lynn was surprised by a roomful of family, friends, and church family wishing her well on her big 6-0 birthday!

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Her gifts included gift cards to various places around town, many of her favorites, plus a printer so she can print her photos. Tommy and Linda got her a toot-toot horn for her bike, plus reflector lights and headlight so she can ride safely at night. Lisa's boys made Grandma Lynn molds of their hands and feet, a true treasure! We got to see our aunty and cousins, and some of the attendees were able to make use of the swimming pool, including Lori, who opted to jump in, clothing and all. David made us all laugh by speculating whether or not she had a "back-up" bra along or not. Oh, that guy, he's always good for a chuckle!

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After the party, some of us adjourned to Mom's to play a game of Apples to Apples, including my auntie, Marie, who is in her high 80's. She's a real good sport. My cousin, Barb, was here, too, which it all the more fun. After folks had headed for home, Justin and Alayna made a quick trip over to the Green Street to get some good WI perch and cheese curds, because Justin didn't want to eat the same thing he had for lunch. Is he spoiled or what????

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Now the house has quieted and I am feeling ready for sleep, too. We are going to early church in the morning and then to Bible study afterward. Justin and I will pack our stuff before heading over to see Arno and the rest of the Hackmann's. We might have a quick dinner with Nancy and the kids before we drive down to Milwaukee to our hotel and to watch the Packer game. I'd rather drive down the night before than break our necks in the morning, wee hours of the a.m., before catching our flight. The hotel cost is about half the cost of changing one of the tickets so it's worth it to me. And a good night's sleep? Priceless!!!!!

Good news! The sun is out and it's getting warmer!

...and all is right with the world! Wow, something must have happened to me if I am considering 71 degrees above zero to be "warm"! It's a far cry from the dreary, rainy weather this past weekend, residual effects of Hurricane Ike.

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Speaking of Ike, Monday I got a phone call from Rosalie, my friend in Houston, and she gave me the brief rundown of their situation. The worst of it right now is being without electricity and as far as damages go, part of their "old" fence came down, so no major losses. Once the power comes back, she'll be good to go again.

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My luncheon with Linda and Joanie yesterday was wonderful, and typical, with the occasional tears running down our faces mixed with heavy doses of laughter. And, of course, the food was great, such good onion rings! Both ladies had appointments so they went their ways and I came back to Mom's.

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Later in the afternoon, Linda came back here to watch "The Bucket List" with Mom and me. Nearly 3/4 of the way through Alayna popped in and watched the end with us. I guess Tuesday was a good crying day because all of us were weeping when it ended. Lynn arrived just as we finished watching and was glad to have missed it. She rode her bike down to Mom's so had to go home on the bike and I picked her up as we drove to Covered Wagon for supper. Mom opted to stay home and have a cookie and milk instead of going with us. We brought a piece of pumpkin pie back for her, as requested. She had thought about going to a Visitation Committee meeting but since Alayna borrowed the car, she had no ride. Instead of asking others for a lift and not being all that excited about venturing out Mom opted to stay in.

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After dinner, Lynn and I went shopping at Shopko. We each came away with a couple of clothing items, Lynn's being dramatically discounted. My cousin, Cheryl, works in the optical department so we had a nice chat with her before checking out. By 8:00 pm I'd dropped Lynn off at home and was back at Mom's. I was so weary, mostly my eyes, probably from all the weeping, so went to my room about 9:00 pm. I talked on the phone with my sister-in-law for a bit, making plans to meet for breakfast in Valders, where she lives.

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I got settled in for the night, finding "Seinfeld" on at the odd time of 10:00 pm. I always forget to take the time change into account here, being an hour earlier than in Florida. The episode was the famous Kenny Roger's Roasters one, we'd just spoken about it Sunday when at breakfast with Jachimstal's. Matt is a fan of the program and he referenced "Roasters" as being a favorite. I had to laugh once more when Kramer excitedly told Jerry about his rods and cones being out of whack! Love that! He poured tomato juice on his corn flakes because he couldn't tell it was red. I fell asleep before the next episode began so don't know what I missed!

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This a.m. Justin called between job sites and we had a nice chat. I had checked with the airlines about perhaps changing our departure time on Monday, since he dropped his class that day. It proved to be too expensive, $180 per ticket plus any fare changes, so we've opted to stay overnight in a hotel in MKE the night before in order to catch our flight on Monday. When he left here after his grandma's funeral, his ride was late in arriving and he barely made it to his gate in MKE, and then discovered there was a delay of some kind, requiring him to make other travel arrangements. He absolutely hated all that stress of getting there in time, and then to have the mess at the airport.......We'll handle it our way this go-round and not allow for any drama.

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I've heard from a couple people from church and the condo since I've been away, which is heart warming. Martie called this a.m. so we chatted awhile before I left to have breakfast with Nancy. We are going to take an art class together in October and get back on track with our painting. Her work schedule has changed so our usual day together is not going to cut it right now. She's involved in a Bible study at her church about the Psalms, which sounds quite interesting. I hate missing the Bible studies at my church, but go with Mom, Lynn, Alayna, and Linda on Sundays.

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I got to see Nancy's home in Valders before we had breakfast next door at The Diner. Yup, that's the name of it! She's going through some stuff right now so this was good for her to have an ear and to receive some counsel, whether wanted or not! After leaving Nancy, I went to the local lumber yard to see some friends of mine, one of whom was our partner in Florida when we first moved down there. Nancy's cousin works in the office there too so it was old home week for me. The owners of the yard are regulars at the Green Street so I see them often, at least when I'm up here and at Green Street! Justin wants to go to Green Street on Friday when he gets here so I'll probably see them once more before we leave!

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Off to have an early dinner with my friend, Dolly, who is coming to Manty to see her chiropractor. It couldn't have worked out any better for us for getting together. I am looking forward to some more perch and eagerly looking forward to spending time with my friend, Dolly!