Thanksgiving DAY!!!! Day 1!

I am thankful for being able to spend time with my family! ALL of my family!!! Including (but not limited to) my brother Dave and his family who were here visiting from Colorado Springs! I got the pleasure of hosting them at my house for a few days and I am SO glad I have a house big enough for them all to fit! I am glad that the cousins could all get together and play for the short time that they had available for them to do so. I am glad the my youngest brothers baby who fell and bumped her head is okay. I am glad Megan & Justin and Ford were all able to be there. I am very glad that we do not  live next door to each other! :) I love spending time with my family, but it is also nice to be able to just go home! :)
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!

Day 2 Thanksgiving countdown....

I am going to be completely honest here....I am glad this count down is almost over! No really, I have enjoyed it as always, but not quite as much in years past. Perhaps it is the place I seem to be in my life, perhaps it is because I honestly wanted to think of new things I have never used before and found it difficult to do, without sounding totally lame to myself (let alone anyone else who might read it). Perhaps it is because I would wait till the very end of the day when I was tired and my poor brian had already been thinked to death for the day.... who knows, but this count down has been harder for me than every before. I am glad there is only one more day to go!

Day 3 Thanksgiving countdown....

Thankful for living in Utah. I really never thought I would say that and mean it like I currently do. I still think, given the opportunity and perfect circumstances, I would move out of Utah, if even for just s while. Just to see what it is like. For now though, in my current situation I am completely content to just sit back and love where I am living! I love the mountains, I love the scenery, I love the diversity of the people, places and things about Utah. I even for the most part love Utah's crazy weather, although the snow is becoming more and more difficult for me to tolerate with every passing year, but every once in a while you might get me to admit that it is okay to look at. ;) I am thankful to live in Utah.

Day 4 Thanksgiving countdown...

I am thankful for Memories! All of them. The good ones and the bad ones. While i have been typing out some of these entries, I have been thinking back on some of the things that have helped shape me throughout my life. My memories! No, not all of the memories have been happy, nor will all of the ones to come in the future I am sure. But without the bad memories I would not appreciate the good ones the way I do. They would simply be things remembered. Not anything special. Not things that make me smile.
Thinking about the things that I have been taught by my parents and things I remember doing with them and as a family when I was a child. Thinking back to the day I got married or the days I had my own kids....those feel good memories that came with challenges and lessons to be both taught, and learned! Give and take, happy and sad. I am grateful for memories! I certainly hope there are many more to come, and many more good memories than bad! :)

Day 5 Thanksgiving countdown....

Thankful for My Mom! For the good example she is and has been. For teaching me compassion and the value of hard work. For teaching me that caring for ones self is as important as taking care of those around you. If you fail to take care of yourself eventually your ability to care for those around you becomes weaker, until you take the time to care for yourself! Even though she has almost always worked outside the home, she is a great homemaker. She always tried to do things with us as kids, when she was home, to make things fun and or memorable. She always sewed her fingers off making us great clothes, or jammies, or whatever! She didn't like to cook (I found this out much later in my life), but taught us to not only do it, but to do it well! She taught us the importance of keeping a clean and tidy house, and having clean clothes! (especially underwear (; )
Thank you Mom for not being perfect, but for teaching me to always try my hardest and do my best at whatever I took the time to put an effort in. I love you!

Day 6 Thanksgiving countdown.....

I am Thankful for my feet! They carry me everywhere I need to walk to, and for the most part they don't hurt! I have some friends whos feet hurt more often than they don't. They wear special shoes or inserts for their shoes so they will help their feet not hurt as much, but their pain even though it may lesson, it never really stops. I am glad my feet still work the way they always have, and without pain! I will be running in a 5K this Saturday and I am glad my feet will be able to cary me through the race. I hope they will help me a s I try to better my personal time from last year. Even if only by a few seconds! I am grateful for my feet!

Day 7 Thanksgiving countdown....

I am thankful for mountains! I am thankful that I live as close to them as I do! I am thankful that I can look out each day and see them and watch them in the different cycles of the seasons. From the spring when things begin to green up, summer when it is green and cool, to fall when the leaves change and winter when the snow caps the tops or covers them all up! I love driving in and through then or looking at them from a distance! I love the mountains!

Day 8 Thanksgiving countdown...

I am thankful for my mind! The way it works and the things I think (most of the time anyway). Glad that I have the ability to reason and think things out. To figure out how to fix things a lot of the time when they break, without Having to have someone help me. Glad that I have been blessed with more common sense than a lot of people seem to have been. I do know that it might not work as well as it did a few years ago, but I am glad I have it all the same!

Day 9 Thanksgiving countdown....

I am thankful for Clothes! I am glad we aren't all running around naked! After all there are very few perfect bodies out there, and I am even glad they are covered up as they would only serve to make feel more self-conscious about the imperfections with my own body.
Clothing can make me feel fancy, churchy, ready to exercise or dance. AND I am glad I have it to cover up all the things I wouldn't want anyone else to see! :)

Day 10 Thanksgiving count down.....

I am Grateful for water! Yup! Water! Water to bathe in, water to wash things in, water to make things green and grow. Most of all, water to drink!!! It has become my favorite thing to drink. It quenches my thirst and refreshes me. It cools me off when I am hot, and just makes me feel better in general! Yep! I love water!

Day 11 Thanksgiving countdown...

I am thankful for music! The way it can energize me or calm me! Make a good day even better, comfort me when I am sad. It can take me back in time, or mark a day to the point that I know I will never forget it! I LOVE music!

Day 12 Thanksgiving countdown.....

I am grateful for Megan being willing to come down and do some work around the house for me!
She and Justin are currently out of work (she just got a job, but still has no money), and since she is still on my phone plan, she owes me money, and so she has been coming down to earn her payment. It is helping her out, but it has helped me out more than she could even imagine!
She has mowed the lawn, blown leaves and mowed leaves. She has folded countless towels and wash clothes. She has ironed shirt after shirt for her Dad! The time she has saved me, and the things she has accomplished have been to me, well worth the pice of her phone bill!Especially when these things came during a time, where if she had not been there to help me, I would not have been able to get them done on my own. Thank you Megan for being willing to earn your way! You are growing into a fine adult! Wether you like it or not. ;)

Day 13 Thanksgiving count down....

I am thankful for driving! For having a car to get me from point A to point B and back again, or to no place in particular. I was driving home from work on the freeway and I realized I was totally enjoy the time I was spending just riding down the road.
For some reason it is relaxing to me! Since before Chet and I were married, if we were having problems our working it out ALWAYS involved a car! Probably because I couldn't just leave while we were driving down the road... There was much time spent and much fuel wasted if you and to look at it that way. I however; choose to see it as fuel well used. Because here we are today, still getting in the car when we need to spend time talking without having anyone hear but us! Not to mention all the other times we spend in the car/truck out of sheer enjoyment! We love to go for rides and the like. So I am grateful for driving!

Day 14 Thanksgiving count down....

I am thankful for good news!
Today I had to go in and have the second mammogram in a a three week time period. Why one might ask...well, most must really know the answer already. The first test came back with an unknown mass. :( Very scary stuff! When they called me to tell me I needed more views taken I almost got sick.
With my Mom being a breast cancer survivor, when you get the call that they want you to come back, my first thought was immediately that I had cancer! Then after the initial shock wore off I started coming up with possible reasons why it wouldn't be cancer and everything was going to be just fine.
The girl that did my first screening had asked me if I had lost a lot of weight since my previous scan. I had and told her so. SHe said that she figured I had both from looking at the last scans and then trying to get my skin to lay flat while taking these most recent scans. She told me that there were a couple of places where she thought the skin might have folded over after being squeezed.
Well, that is exactly what had happened, and it had made a spot that they wanted to be certain about. So I went in today thinking that it would be days before I would find anything out. The girl took the scans then told me the scan reader would review them and they would let me know if everything was good or if I needed to set up an appointment for an ultra sound. (when she said that it really shook me up) But I waited as patiently as possible for her, and when she came in she had me step into the dressing room and she closed the door and told me everything looked fine, did I have any further questions for her? I did not so she said I was good to go till next year.
After she left the dressing room, I started to cry. I was so completely relieved. I just sat on the floor and cried for a couple of minutes before I pulled myself together got my things and left.
Chet I think was almost as relieved as I was. I did not tell my Mom or Dad as I didn't want them to worry about nothing, but I do want them to know they were in my thoughts the whole time!

Day 15 Thanksgiving count down....

I am thankful for my eyes today! Well, everyday, but I was reminded of this fact this morning on my way to work as I got to enjoy the beautiful sunrise! There are so many things of beauty and wonder to see and I am so grateful to be able to see what I do. (most of the time) ;)
I am grateful to see the faces of people near and dear to me. So much to see, so little time!

Day 16 Thanksgiving count down....

I am so very grateful for my Daddy! He calls me often just to check up on me and to chat! There doesn't have to be a long time spent, but I know that he thinks of me and cares for me a ton!
I do call him too, just not as often as I should. I am grateful for fond memories I have of time spent. I am grateful he is a good example to me and my family, and that he and my Mom are working so hard! That too is a complete example to me! Thanks! :) There is so much more he has taught me. Thanks again Daddy I love you!

Day 17 Thanksgiving countdown...

I am thankful for my kids! They make me laugh! They are smart, well rounded people, who have grown very nicely into themselves. Despite, myself and lack of educated parenting skills. Or perhaps because of them and the need to self preserve. Just kidding... Jeeze!
I am also grateful that they are finally learning how to love each other for how they are and learning how to help each other out, with out anyone nagging them to do so! I hope at some point they can be great friends! That is truly what I wish and hope for them!

Day 18 Thanksgiving countdown.....

Today, I am thankful for the freedom I enjoy each and every day. The freedom to run errands, to go to work and better my personal situation and my families, grateful to be able to worship and believe in my Lord and Saviour the way I feel is appropriate.
Grateful for all those who have sacrificed so much my in this great countries behalf so that I might be able to have all of the freedoms that I so often take for granted!

Day 19 Thanksgiving countdown....

Grateful for the weekend. Those couple of days at the end of the week where you get to cram every thing you needed to do during the week but couldn't, into tow days. But really I am grateful for them. Without them, without that two day "break" I just might go crazy. Because even with all the things I spend doing trying to play catch up, there is still time to unwind and prepare for the next week to begin again!

Day 20 Thanksgiving count down...

Today, even though I am really questioning myself, I am grateful for the snow.
There is almost something magical about the first snow of the year. I am still as yet not sure what it is that makes it so magical. Maybe it is the feeling in the air when the snow begins to fly, or maybe it is because I have always associated the snow with Christmas time, and the magic made in a child's mind. I don't know what it is, but I suppose it is that little bit of magic that I feel when it starts to snow for the first time tha I am truly grateful for.
There are so many things about the snow that I don't like at all,  that they almost always out weigh anything good that might come of the snow. So this time instead of thinking of all the things I don't like about the snow, I am trying to find the good things. Maybe this way I will make it though the winter with a better attitude than I usually do.

Day 21 Thanksgiving count down....

Today (even though I am a day late) I am grateful for a comfortable bed! Really, you might say...
And to that I would have to say, Really! Have you ever NOT had a comfortable bed? Well, for many year Chet and I had foam pads that we had purchased for camping that we fit into our bed frame, because our mattress we had, in storage was stolen. I won't go into that, because it still makes me very angry.
Anyway, for years we slept on foam pads we "cut down" to fit in our old waterbed frame, because we could not afford a new mattress. Finally, we decided that our backs and our nights rest were more important that a few other things and we finally paid good money and bought a sleep number bed! I have to say for the money we spent on it, it has been a very wise investment! We bough a refurbished unit with a shorter warrantee, but all the amenities. There is nothing worse than tossing and turning on an uncomfortable bed, that you know is not going to get any better.
So, I and my back...and I am sure Chet's back are SO grateful for a good bed to sleep in at night!

Day 22 Thanksgiving count down....

Today, I am thankful that we only have to deal with one day at a time! Sometimes in the hustle and rush of trying to get everything done that needs to be done and most of us trying to make it all fit in one day, sometimes it can get a bit overwhelming just to think about facing the day.  I can only imagine if we had to deal with more than one day at a time, and do it without the hope of a new day to start again with tomorrow. 
That is probably one of the biggest reasons I am grateful for one day at a time. The promise of a new day and a chance to do better tomorrow than we perhaps have done today!
One day at a time....and may we not take life so serious that we forget to enjoy that day. The here and now. Because once it has past, it is forever gone!

Day 16 Thanksgiving count down...

Today, I am glad for things going smoothly when they could always have gone otherwise.
I am subbing this week at another school for a manager who is taking training at another school. I have worried about it all weekend, and when I got there this morning, the door was locked to the office and no one there had a key. All I could see if things just spiraling out of control from there out, but things managed to even out and went fairly smoothly after all was said and done. I got all the orders in and the regular manager even came in and checked on me right at the end before I left.
So a day that I had been fairly worried about ended up being not so bad at all. I am so glad.

Day 17 Thanksgiving count down...

Today, I am thankful for beautiful warm weather!! It is November and should in all essence be very cool if not right down cold! However; today being my last day of break off, before going back to work tomorrow, and I was hoping for a nice day.
Well, I got one! Today was an absolutely beautiful day! Almost short sleeve weather! 
I got to enjoy sleeping in, spending sometime with my sweet Chet and also my sweet son! Too bad there are not more hours in the day. I missed seeing Megan and Justin. That is all that was missing from today! :) Good days! I am glad for those as well...but that's another post I think...   ;)

Day 18 Thanksgiving count down....

Today I am thankful for Lazy Sunday's! That's all that needs to be said!! Truly! :)

Day 19 Thanksgiving count down...

Today I am grateful for Chet's parents. My in laws.
Yep, you heard/read right. My in laws...(duh, duh duuuuu) 
I LOVE my in laws! They have always been SO good to me! They have always taken me with the grain of salt that is often needed to be able to deal with some of the things that I say and the way I often behave. I am not perfect, but I often take issue with the fact that other might also be as imperfect as me, and sometimes I am, oh so vocal about it. I don't mean harm or injury, but I can see looking back how it might often be taken as such.
My in laws or my "other Mom & Dad" have always loved me even though....

 I am so grateful for them and the parents they were to my sweet hubby! I am so blessed to be part of this wonderful family! I love you Mom & Dad Parker!

Day 20 Thanksgiving count down...

Today (yesterday technically) I am grateful for good wholesome entertainment! It seems to be sadly lacking so much these days, but it does still exist. Chet and I went to the show tonight for the first time in a long time, and it was quite entertaining. It was a cartoon, so it was geared more towards the younger crowd, but for Chet and I that works just fine! Maybe that's because we have never really grown up! ;) EIther way, it was fun to go and get lost even for just a little while in someone else's imagination!
P.S. The movie was Hotel Transylvania. Thanks for the date Babe!
Okay, so I know I was tired when I made my last post...but how funny is it that I would make the same post two days in a row, with out even realizing it.
This was suppose to be the next days post....

Ok, I know this may sound  very trivial, but I am thankful for entertainment! Yes, you read right. Entertainment!!! The opportunity to lose ones self for a period of time, in someone else's imagination, is a great and wonderful thing as afar as I am concerned!

To be able to leave the here and now, if only for an hour or so and forget that there are worries that you have that must be taken care of at some point. It's just nice to have an out every once in a while.

No matter what that out might be. Be it, books, TV, movies or whatever suits your fancy. It is nice to have something to take you away from the here and now, if only for a moment in time.

Day 21 Thanksgiving count down....

I have a headache today so badly I can hardly think. I will be very grateful for when it goes away! I will try to post about being thankful for boobies tomorrow...  ;)

Day 22 Count Down to Thanksgiving....

Today is Halloween. And I must say that I am grateful both that my kids are grown and if they go out for Halloween I don't have to do anything for it, and that I live on a busy street that most people stay off of for trick or treating! I haven't had to purchase candy for the last 2 or 3 years! It has been wonderful!
I really am grateful for this!

Day 23 Thanksgiving count down

Today I am completely overwhelmingly grateful for "Indian Summers". That's all. Plain and simple! That time in the year where one might be fairly certain all the warm days have gone for the year, and out of nowhere...the warmth comes again for those last few days. To remind us that it will come again. The last few days have been absolutely perfect! This at the same time that they are having huge storms back east, makes me even more grateful than I already was. (And that was a LOT!)

Day 24 count down....

Today, I am grateful for great friends and the opportunities that I/we get every once in a while to hang out with them. We do tend to get to see some of them more often than others and I do miss the others muchly, but am ever so pleased and excited when I get to spend time with any of them. I am also grateful for FaceBook in the respect. Yes, FaceBook! Because of FaceBook I have a good number of friends now that a few years ago I didn't even know! And to tell the truth, some of my newer friends seem to value me a bit more than some of my older friends. I am so glad to have them all though! Friends make life worth while! :) Thank you Friends! Love you all!

Day 25.....

Today (everyday) I am grateful for my Chet! for all the things he does for me and our family, for putting up with me, especially when I have bad days! For being the good man that he is! For being willing to help anyone he can even if it is not convenient or easy at the time. for being so willing to share with those he can. For being such a good Dad, even though he doesn't think he is. Thank you Chet, for choosing me time and again.

Day 26 count down to Thanksgiving....

Today, I am grateful for slow days. You know the kind of day I am thinking of....the kind of day that almost seems to draaaggggg on. The kind of day that if you had something you were looking forward to, you would be completely annoyed with. The kind of day that you really don't have any one thing in particular that you have to do or accomplish. THAT day is the day that I am grateful for.
They don't usually happen when you want them to. That kind of day is rare indeed!
Today though, we were blessed enough to have one of these very rare days! It was so very nice to just lounge about with nothing pressing that HAD to be done right now! Gave Chet time to take his time with what ever he wanted to do. Which wasn't really a whole lot of anything. Which I was very glad for. I was really glad he took some slow down time. Even if it was just for a day. Who knows about tomorrow, but i truly am glad for today! (It didn't hurt that I didn't have to go to work either) ;)

Day 27 Thanksgiving count down...

Today, I am SO grateful for the very incredible miracle of modern medicine and the amazing things they can accomplish!
I was thinking of so many of them as I sat in the waiting room today while Chet went through the surgery on his arm. His broken radius bone to be exact.
 I was thinking of all the things that the Dr. had said to us while seeing him in his office just two short days ago. Thinking how badly it had frightened me when he said they were going to have to replace the end of the bone! It really turned my stomach for a minute when I thought of that. Talking with him though, he made it sound as though it was just like an everyday sort of thing and that it really wasn't a big deal at all. In fact he would be going in the same as he would have were he just going to be screwing things back together!
The magic of pain medication! I can't imagine back in the days when they had none! Watching Chet today while they were trying to get his pain levels "managed". I have no idea how they managed without them! Seriously! And all the things in between that have gone on. From the initial X-ray to the first meeting with one Dr. and then the next. To going for MORE x-rays to the scheduling of the surgery, to the administering of the anesthetic, the the wheeling of Chet out the door. Then to the meeting with the Dr after the surgery where he told me it had all gone pretty much like he thought it would and that we would see him again in 5 days. Poof...Just like that....

The one thing that doesn't change is that the waiting is the worst part! However; I will wait for as long as it takes for Chet! Thank goodness the miracle of medicine has been able to continue to fix the things that he seems to continue to break! :)

Thanksgiving count down day 28

Today, I am grateful for the sweet soft power of the priesthood! If one ever wonders if God is aware or them or one that they love, just listen to a blessing delivered by one who is simply a messenger in the here and now.
Chet was give a blessing tonight in preparation for the surgery coming in the morning. That really is all that I need to say, at least for anyone who knows what a priesthood blessing is and honestly has faith, that the Lord is sending you a message just for you. For anyone who will read this, who doesn't know.....there really are no words that I could use to explain the peace and comfort that one of these blessings can bring. So grateful for this am I!

Thanksgiving count down day 29

Today I am thankful for small miracles that at the time, you don't realize how BIG they really were. We just found out today that what we thought was a simple broken arm for Chet will be turning into major surgery. They will be having to replace the end of his radius bone.
Now this might now sound like it is NOT a miracle at all, but compared of how bad this whole thing could have been especially after seeing his helmet and what could have been.

So looking back at the "small" miracle of a seriously broken arm, I have come back to the thought of how much worse it truly could have and likely should have been, I am SO glad that this small miracle is so much bigger than it appeared in the beginning.

Thanksgiving 30 countdown...Day 30

Well, it is time for me to sit back and reflect on things I don't always remember. The things I am grateful for. Not to say I don't remember them ever, but sometimes in the day to day, it is easy to get caught up and forget some of the things I have been blessed with most recently or even distantly for that matter.
Megan, stared doing it on FaceBook today, but I don't think everyone wants to see me post for thirty days. So if I post here, and you are reading it, it is because you came here looking for something to read. So....read on :)
Today, I really am thankful for my job! The flexibility it provides me and all the other perks that go along with it! I love the hours, I loved that when my kids were young I was on the same schedule as they were and home on the days they were. I LOVE having the summers off!!! I love getting to work with the kids. Especially in a way that doesn't leave me wanting to strangle them or their parents. Lunch time is almost always a good time for the kids, and thus a good time for us to get to see them when they are happy. 
Today and tomorrow due to the flexibility of the job, I was and will be able to go with Chet to a couple of Dr apts, and then to help him do some things he is not currently able to do on his own right now due to his arm injury. Although it is only two days, it is better than having no time at all!! So grateful!!

Another notch in the marriage belt ;)

Well, who would have guessed? I mean really? Some people even had bets as to if we would even make it through the first year! And look at us now! Two kids, several rough patches and 24 years later here we are!
I am glad to say that I think we are better than ever too! Still working on stuff, but as long as we are working together I find that to be a good thing!
We find more reasons that we like spending time together all the time. During the summer when I am off work I still look forward to going to work with Chet and spending the day with him. I am so grateful for the time that we have to be together!
Here is to the rest of forever with my eternal companion! The Lord knew you were what I needed Chet Parker! I love you! Now and always!

Rain is suppose to mean......

So It's officially over! Yay! Megan and Justin's wedding party has come and gone!

I have to say coming from a non-planner type person, (that would be ME) This wedding stuff is stressful! And we didn't even have a full blown wedding! 

I think I would have died of a heart attack if it had been the whole thing! Just sayin!

Anyway, I had a bit of a melt down the morning of, because it was going to rain. Of all the freaking luck! We didn't have the party in May, because we were afraid it was totally going to rain, so they pushed the date back and what happened? We ended up getting the rain that would have been reserved for them in May in August instead! Oh, and back in May...it didn't rain on the day they would have had their party!

Anyway, I had a huge melt down the morning of the party, and my family rallied around me and sent up some prayers in mine and Megan's behalf. The day cleared up and was looking beautiful, and I thought we might just have pulled it off without the down pour I had been worried about, but...it was not to be so.

Just as we, (and by we I mean my family who had come to rescue me) had put the finishing touches on the decorations and the first guests had begun to trickle in, a breeze began to tease and toy with us.

Within then minutes the breeze had turned into a pretty good gust, and the rain started to fall. At first there were just a few huge rain drops, then it stopped. I thought okay, if that's all it's going to do, I am fine with that. 

Much to my disappointment, that was NOT all it was going to do! 

Mother Nature let loose with a deluge!

We were scrambling to move everything we could out of the down pour. 

The saddest thing is, that ALL of the decorations from the hanging decor to the table coverings were paper! Yep,paper!

We had hung paper lanterns from poles with fishing wire, along with fluffy paper balls, and the tables had dark blue paper covering them, with white crayons on every table, for the guests to leave a note for the couple. People had just gotten started when the rain came. At first people tried to hang out with a brave face, but then it started to come down harder! People fled to our shed, and our garage! While we all scrambled to get the desserts, cake and guest book out of the rain. (good thing Chet decided to clean the garage at the last minute, the day before!) I opened the door to the family room, moved the couches around to open up the area inside so people could visit, while they brought chairs in from outside to line the sides of the garage with! CRAZY!!

Really though, all in all it turned out to be a great time for us and those who were able to come. There was a great turn out despite the rain, and people continued to show up until after nine! :) Then some of those who were there didn't leave until around midnight. Truly a good time!

Megan and Justin got a lot of great stuff and some much needed cash to help them on their way. I am so grateful for everyone that came to support us all! :)

All through out the night people kept telling Megan and Justin, that Rain on a wedding day is suppose to mean good luck for the couple. We will take it!

Oh, a last thought, the paper from the tables dried out and there were some very special notes on the paper that Megan and Justin are going to cut out and save! Including one drawing from Justin's Grampa, which he referred to as EPIC!! :)

Have to say....

I has been a little while since my last post, and not a whole lot has been happening besides getting ready for the long awaited "Wedding Party". That's right Megan and Justin's Wedding Party is in a weeks time! I will be more than a bit relieved, when this gig is all said and done! I MUST send out a huge Thank You to my sister Christi for all of her ideas and willingness to help me try to plan this get together! Without you C, I would be a shambles! :)
Anyway, this last week we got the tables and chairs reserved, the back yard almost complete, the cakes ordered and fortune cookies purchased!
We have been working on getting the patio ready, but that is still a work in progress! I got the back door primed and ready for a coat of paint, that is has badly needed for at least two years or more now. Funny how things that you can put off forever, finally seem to become very important, when you know "other" people are going to see them! Haha.
 The other thing we have been working on, on the patio, is rusting it. Everyone I have said this to, asks me if I don't mean staining it? The honest answer is no. I truly mean "rusting" it. It all began about 7 years ago, when I parked my inherited truck on said patio for temporary storage. Well, temporary turned into 7 years. The truck had several major oil leaks, so during the time it sat out there, we had placed metal pans under it to catch the oil (at least some of it). 
Long story short, Chet got the old truck up and running for me this year, and when we moved the old pans from underneath they had left some very major rust spots. Try as we may, we could not get them off! We got the to lighten, but that was it! I really liked the look of where it had rusted and I told Chet I wish we could do that to the whole patio. From that, the idea of "rusting" the patio was born! :)
We got metal filings from the local tire stores around town and wet down the patio and sprinkled the filings all over it. Then over the next few days, we just continued to wet it down. Almost like watering a garden. Oxidization has been doing the rest. So far so good, and I love the look it has given the patio! Now if there was just enough time to actually sit out there and relax for a minute or two. :)
    During this whole time, my focus on my fitness has not been front and center. Not that it has fallen to the wayside entirely, but it definitely has not been a main focus! My former daily workouts have been reduced to 2 or maybe 3 times a week, if I am lucky! 
Part of this has been due to the wedding, but a good deal of it has to do with the fact that, I spend a great deal of my summers on the road with Chet. This is time I am not willing to part with, so, there are a few things that tend to suffer, like my garden and my workouts. I finally figured out a way for me to get some sort of work out in while I am riding around with Chet. Even if it is not a traditional, workout, I decided that some kind was better than none. After all, I am always telling people to move their bodies! Any movement is better than none! So, I put my 3 pound weights in the van and every time we stop, I get out and if I am not helping Chet, I try to do some sort of exercise. Be it with the weights or just something like jumping jacks or high knees maybe even crunches if there is grass nearby.
I have to say, that when someone tells me they have noticed something about how I have been working, or how I have given them something to work for, there is just something about that, that makes my WHOLE day! I had someone tell me just today, that they think my arms look great, and I have made them realize that they need to do something for themselves and would I please be willing to work with them. :) I am not a trainer and I have no schooling or training in this area but for someone to look at me and want me to help them makes me feel fantastic! Especially when I look at myself, and see so much that still needs work. There is a quote I have seen on Facebook, and Pintrest, I don't know it exactly (and I'm not going to look it up right now) But it goes something like "first they will ask you WHY you do it, then they will ask you HOW you did it. More and more I am finding that to be true! Any way, I have to say this is a good time of life for me right now! :) Happy Summer!

WebRep

currentVote

noRating

noWeight

Why is it???

Had a conversation with my son today, that left me wondering...Why is it, that the things that we remember the most, about the way people treat us, and how they interact with us; Why is it, that the things we remember most and more quickly than anything else, the bad stuff! It is human nature, I think, to see and hear the bad things,people say and do, before hearing anything good that they might do or say. We also remember the bad stuff longer, and more frequently than we do the good stuff. Why is that? What makes our minds work that way? Why can't we examine things clinically, logically, before we automatically jump to that all encompassing statement "all you ever do is tell me what I do wrong!" Knowing full well, at least some where in the backs of our minds, that this statement is not entirely true! WHY DO WE DO THAT??? Don't get me wrong either, I am not pointing fingers at everyone else. I am just as guilty as anyone! My mind often jumps, in times of offense, to the mind set of "well, you did, or you said" even if the thing that I am thinking of was a long time ago. My quandary, is why do we as people do this and how is it that we might over come this tendency to want others, to feel as picked on or insecure, as we do at that given moment? I really want to know. This is in the forefront of my mind right now because of Ford, and the conversation I had with him this very afternoon. Telling him, he was not going to just go to work and sleep! There was more to life than that, and if he can't obey that rule of my house then he needs to go somewhere, where I won't be there to get on him for that. Thus, making him very upset with me, to the point that he said and I quote " I am done with this conversation! All you ever do when you talk to me is make me feel like shit! Well, not ALL the time, but mostly." Both of my kids have laid this guilt trip on me at different times. Mostly since they have been older, that is for sure. Why is it though, that they can't seem to remember, any of the good stuff, why something wrong is pointed out? I know that NO ONE likes to be told they are doing things wrong, or incorrectly, but at some point, you would think, that if they truly don't like the things being pointed out, that they would finally take some stock in what is being said, and do SOMETHING to change it. At least that is how I see it. It is for sure not an easy thing, and it takes lots of work. Sometimes a life time, but why else are we here, but to learn and improve ourselves? I hope that there will come a time in my kids future, they will be able to see that Through out their lives we weren't just yelling at them and picking them apart. I hope we were helping them to become better people. Better husbands and wives. I hope anyway.

Just a personal update...

So just a personal update for myself. Especially for me since no one else seems to be reading them anymore. School/work has been out now for two weeks, but it seems to be going way faster than that! I have been able to be on the road a lot with Chet, and when not on the road I have been helping him run the tractor business that has allowed us so many extra things in our lives over the last few years. Ford is officially out of high school, but officially enrolled in Adult education at the ATC, in route to achieve his adult education diploma. Where life will take him after this remains to be seem. He is currently looking for new employment, as he has tired of Carl's Jr and his current manager, who has become increasingly difficult to work for and with. Megan and Justin have been married now for 3 months and have lived in their own place now for a month and a little bit. I must admit this move has gone completely different than I ever expected that it would. I really thought Megan would be calling me daily and that I would be sick to my stomach with worry about them getting up and to work and such. After the first few days however; this worry has dimmed to a very fleeting thought! They are proving themselves apt and responsible adults, (no matter how unwilling) :) It almost makes me slightly proud that in spite of me and my short comings as a Mom, my kids seem to be well on their way to becoming successful contributing members of society. THREE CHEERS for some small measures of success as a parent. The planning for Megan's wedding party seem to be going very slow. I am sure this is my fault since I am SO not a planner, let alone a party planner! I have been working like crazy on the yard and the garden :) both of which seem to be coming along nicely. It should be a summer full of memories I hope to look back on with fondness. Perhaps I will update as we go, or maybe not! Maybe it will just have to wait till it is all over and done. Then with a huge sigh of relief I will be able to relive it in my mind for the blog.

My fitness journey

So I was reading an article, in an online fitness magazine, I subscribe to today. The topic was brought up by one of the readers, talking about her personal Aha... moment. The one when she decided for real, to be committed to getting healthy. She asked if anyone else had had one of these moments. This question sent my mind racing back in time. My personal fitness journey began, November of 2009. However; it didn't become a life change, until January 2010. That moment in time will stay with me forever. Although I would not like to relive that year of my life, I am ever so grateful for the "kick in the butt" to fitness that it has given me! I went from 160 pounds and a size 12, to 116 and a size 4. Not only do I feel great, but I love to exercise and have learned to eat more health and be responsible for portion control, which back in the day, for me meant stopping after my second or third helping of what ever tasted the best. Today, I keep track of my food intake and physical fitness. I can't imagine just sitting around and sucking down the sweets any more. So, no matter what it is that gives you that aha... moment, or when it comes to you, I hope you will take hold with both hands and your heart(this part is a must) and use it to your advantage! I know you will never regret making that change. You might just wish you had done it sooner! Here's to being fit! :D

Well...it's been a week...

Well, it has been a week since my girl got married! Nothing has changed, but nothing is the same at all. Seems like I have said this before, but it is totally relevant now just in a new and different way.
The biggest difference is, that my girl and her new "hubby" have now decided that if they think I shouldn't be in their space that they have the right to lock me out....
I have not as yet decided as how to approach this, as they are NOT paying me enough rent to be able to tell me when I can or can not enter a room.... Still, I do believe they need their space and privacy, not to mention the fact that there are just some things a parent does NOT want to know about their child! Especially thier married child! Trust me!
Either way, we will figure out a way to make this all work out till August 1oth. After that I hope they will have developed a really good game plan, cause no matter what, they are NOT coming home!!!!
Good luck Megan and Justin! May you meet life head on!!!!

Time....

Time is supposed to be this great magical healer. Well I am just here to tell you that if you buy into that myth, then you should plan on disappointment if you are just sitting back waiting for things to change on their own! Things rarely if ever change on their own! It takes a lot of waiting prayer and work to get things to start in the motion of change! AND then, sometimes there is that unexpected rock under the wheel of motion that is not expected! Then you have to work even harder to get things in motion again for the magic of time to begin! Never can you just sit back and think it will do it's thing without doing your fair share of the work to make sure that it is in motion. Even then, there is NO guarantee, that things will go in the direction that you think time should go. In times like this you must just hang on, and know that there is a bigger plan at work that we just simply do not understand. That is really all I have to say about that! And yes, this is from my very own experience. And again, NO I do not claim to know it all...or even a portion of it. It just so happens this has been very near and close to me in recent moments. Doing the best I can to enjoy this ride we call life!

Birthday Smirthday....

Well, another year has come around and went already. My birthday has also come and gone. This year it has led me to some contemplation however.
I was asked by one of my very closest friends, who said "I already know the answer to this, but I have to ask...do you feel any older?" To which I replied, "NO! In fact I feel if anything younger than I have in years! I am in better shape and I am healthier than I have been in probably ten years!" Which I a very accurate statement I think. Which lead me to thinking about WHY had I waited so long for my health and fitness and well being to become such an important part of my life. The only answer I could come up with was that I had simply gotten lazy and complacent. Life was going well and I was comfortable. Since that time I have spent the last two years trying to undo the damage I had done to myself both physically and mentally over the time I had spent being lazy. So NOT worth being lazy I have decided! I will never again look at myself in the mirror and because of a choice to be lazy wonder what I have let happen to myself! I lost a part of me during that time of laziness, and I am not sure I will ever get that back. I will for sure be growing in other ways that will help compensate for whatever it was that I lost though.
So this year I say Birthday Smirthday! Let them come, let them go! As long as I am healthy and taking the best care of myself that I can, it doesn't matter! :)

Tweaked the attitude....

So, I went through the first week with a new manager in a funk. I was so dreading the next week, until Chet helped me out with a wake up talk. He basically told me that I had set myself up to have the bad week I had had by over thinking it, before it even began. I had kept saying how hard it was going to be, and how nervous I was, but then I would say it was going to be good and it would all work out fine. He said that anything positive I had put out had been defeated by all the negative stuff I was putting out too.
So, I decided this week, I was going to head into it with a totally different attitude. My new boss, although he could make life a bit difficult for me, he can't fire me himself, and though I may not like some of the changes he is making, I still have a job, that for the most part I like. I still work with a great group of ladies, and I serve some of the best kids! So I was determined to have a better week. I even told all of the ladies in the kitchen, that it was my intention to have a great week!
Not only was it a better week for me but the whole kitchen seemed to pull together more and we ran a little more smoothly than we had the previous week.
I know that attitude is everything, but I forgot how deeply attitude really goes. Thank you to Chet for giving me yet again a gentle reminder.
And here's hoping that we can all tweak the attitude a little for the better everyday. :)

A simple update...

Well, I made it through week one with the Czar! Who knows HOW I did it without totally losing it?
I know that the new manager does not like me much and he is asking coworkers questions about me and the way I say and do things. He does not like how "aggressive" I am as he puts it. Yet at the same time, if there is a question about anything that needs to be done around the kitchen, I am the one he comes to find. I just don't get it. If you don't like me and the way I am leave me alone and I will leave you alone and just do my job. I am frustrated beyond belief! I have 5 more months till school is out, I am not sure I have the self control to make it that long without saying something he really won't like. Because I am sure I already have without even meaning to.

Everything changes...

The only thing that ever stays the same, is the fact that everything changes! For me this year has started out with a major change. I worked my first day with a new manager today.
First am foremost, let me tell you how much I miss my former manager Dixie! I missed her even before I didn't have her there to work with!
This new manager is ALL about coming in and taking over and making things flow the way he thinks they should. Some of the things he wants to change are really no big deal. It is all just a matter of preference. But some of the things he wants to change, are just a total and complete form of control from the way it appears to me. I hope I can keep working without making him upset and or angry. Keeping my opinions to myself has never been something I was very good at. I have gotten better over the years, but still find it a challenge.
So here is to making the best out of changes I can not control! :) I will do my absolute best!