Merry Christmas !!

I cannot believe that Christmas is just about to arrive for 2011. Where has this year gone? Except for a few bright spots, and a couple of quiet times, the past 6 months have been fairly overwhelming to me with kids, cars and school. I am hoping for a nice Christmas and a calm New Year!

Wishing you and yours a Very Merry Christmas as you celebrate the birth of Our Savior, Jesus Christ!

xoxo

MAUI ! ! !

My body may have returned to Oregon, but my brain definitely still wants to be in Maui, and I feel as though I have surely left a of piece of my heart in Hana.

I had the most wonderful vacation with my bestest buddy in the whole wide world! I plan to post my entire trip on another blog, with all my pictures and videos. My friend will be sending me her pics also, so there will be a bunch to look at :)

I will put the address of that blog

HERE

when I've got it up and going.

ALOHA

Defining

A defining moment is a point at which the essential nature or character of a person, group, etc., is revealed or identified.

Allowing a single moment to define us is differnt, and totally manangable by our own person.

9/11 is characterized as a defining moment for our country. It revealed our collective nature as a whole. A defining moment might happen at the grocery store when you are given back too much change - how you handle the situation at that moment, may define your character. These might be similar but not totally the same as "aha" moments when you discover something about yourself or a situation... when you finally get it.

However, there are moments... &$@# happens... we make mistakes...

But do we allow that moment to define us, our year, our lifetime? We can make that choice... it doesn't just happen to us. An event may happen to us, but how we handle ourselves after that event - we choose.

Do we feel bad? Come to a place of forgiveness of self.

Did we hurt someone else? or their property? Apologize, perform restitution.

Anything else we can do? If so, do it. If not, apply one or both of the above, and then move yourself along.

Most importantly, contemplate what you can learn from the situation... change the way we do things, make new and different friends, try something else in a similar situation. Become a better person because of it.

Older folks have had several situations like this so far in their lives; younger folks may experience this for the first time and feel unsure as to how to handle themselves.

The best thing is to forgive, and do better.

:)

Catching Up

I feel like I need to catch up before school starts next week, so I thot I would jot down a few happenings.

After my two vehicles blew engines, my son got a new car (new to him,) and he is jazzed.

And I got a new car (new to me,) and it gets me back and forth to work.

We walked through the Gate of Honor on a Memorial 5k for our town's 9/11 Rememberance gathering.

High school team has played two football games so far: 1 loss (slightly expected) - 1 win (phenominal against local rival)

Other son is about to come home from a 2 1/2 week job of feeding firefighter crews up north on the High Cascades Comples fire. Good money.

Both have changed their previous life plans in the last week (sheesh)

I need to register both new cars, check to see why my school doesn't have my online class schedule, make the last payment on my Treehouse accommodations for Hawaii (end of October) along with making the car rental reservations. Lots to do, always.

:)

Monday

Today has been a monday with Capital "M" !!

Normally I am not dissuaded with this day of the week, just as I am not paralyzed by Friday the 13ths. But after relating my morning to a friend, she suggested I go back to bed and try again tomorrow!

I was awakened at 5:25 by my son, who needed to use the little blue borrowed car to take his friend to work. Since this car is a blessing from friends to get me to work while my other TWO vehicles have blown up (within a week of each other) and I am awaiting the bad news on them, I am not allowing anyone else to drive it, as promised. He actually just wanted to use it to help jump another friend's little truck that was not starting. (Both of these friends stayed over here last night.)

So, I went back to bed and they tried to jump the truck. At 20 to 6, they woke me up again because the truck still wouldn't start and the friend needed to get to work. So I drove him to his house to get his stuff, and drove him to work.

I went back to bed, and when my alarm went off, I set it for snooze and went right back asleep. When it went off again, I dismissed it and fell asleep again, and woke up at the time I had planned to be at work! So I called and someone was able to cover while I got ready and got to work late.

Today I was working at the prison, and you can't take a cell phone in with you, and I hate to leave it in a hot car so I left it at home. I also try to take a minimum of things with me, so I only take a car door key in.

When I got out of work, I was trying to get to an appointment and discovered I did not have the car door key... I had the trunk key! So I had to go back in and call a friend - they were busy and wouldn't be available for 45 minutes. I would have called my kids, but I figured they were somewhere where they couldn't get a call, so I started walking! Hey it's only 4.5 miles to town!

Luckily, someone from the prison, a mom of one of high school girls my kids know, stopped when she recognized it was me, and took me into town. I had missed the appointment, and then used another person's cell phone to call my kids. They were getting food at a place, and made it by in a short while.

At home, I couldn't find the correct key until about an hour later. Geez.

Got a ride back from the friend whose little truck didn't start in the morning, but did start later, and went to get a second set of keys made!

Now I'm going to take a cool shower, and go back to bed before anything else goes wrong! Tuesday is bound to be way better!

:)

A special thank you to all my friends that helped me out today... you are truly appreciated!

My Mind's Eye

Back when my son left for his year abroad, I had the brilliant idea to lose some weight. "He would really notice" I thought, his having not seen the transformation over the year.

I also had added inspiration, after new years, when I decided to meet my best bud in Hawaii for a "getaway from it all."

Ah yes, the dropping of about 20 to 40 pounds. 20, minimum, and fairly realistic... 40, gallantly idealistic, but probably needed.

Well, you know, life just gets in the way, and it's always something! Changes in situation and routine, stress, the blahs and "who cares", other things that just take more attention. Needless to say, it's now about 2 months before my Hawaiian takeoff, and guess what!? I haven't lost a single pound! Probably have even gained a few... too scared to find out! And I will probably hate myself when I get there that I didn't put forth better effort.

In my mind's eye though, I am slimmer and healthier. I'm still young looking, and basically in decent shape. I think I can bike and hike endlessly into the sunset, but in reality, a 1/4 mile down the path, I'm huffing and puffing.

Now that we've hung the mirrors in my son's room across the hallway, I catch a glimpse of myself every time I walk into my own room, and think... Ack! Is that really me?

I know I need to quit wasting my 50's !! Too soon I'll be in my 60's and hopefully 70's and I will be really old and on a half dozen medications, and I'll have lost the opportunity to ever really be in shape.

But it's difficult to consistently keep that point of view so that you turn away from the ice cream, eat better foods, turn off the TV, get off the couch, and go outside for a walk, even if you are going to get a little sweaty in the warm weather, or need to bundle up for the cooler weather.

Why, why, why, is it so difficult?

Since my high schooler will be having a hectic schedule and we're not too sure about meal times, we have decided that making casserole and crockpot dishes would be best, so that he can come in at any time, warm up a dish and eat decently. Although I have a list of recipes that I already make, I am now in search of healthier alternates so all of us will eat better.

Got any good ones to share? Please comment and leave me a recipe!

Thank you! :)

Another New Word

co·gent [koh-juhnt]
adjective
1. convincing or believable by virtue of forcible, clear, or incisive presentation; telling.
2. to the point; relevant; pertinent.

There were perfectly cogent reasons why he should be told of the mayor's impending return.

Origin:
1650–60; < Latin cōgent- (stem of cōgēns, present participle of cōgere to drive together, collect, compel), equivalent to cōg- ( co- co- + ag-, stem of agere to drive) + -ent- -ent Related forms

co·gent·ly, adverb
The film makes its point cogently.

co·gen·cy, adverb
The film makes its point with cogency and force.

non·co·gent, adjective

non·co·gent·ly, adverb

un·co·gent, adjective

un·co·gent·ly, adverb



I've been reading lately... can you tell? :)