Movie Review #2

OK - rarely do I manage to rent one good movie in a weekend - but let alone...two? Well, I managed to rent two great ones. I already mentioned The Bucket List. The second one is August Rush. I liked it so much, I might just watch it a 2nd time!

For those with children, it is a family movie with a very good story line about having faith. And, the music is awesome! I'm going to look for the soundtrack!

Two Thumbs Up! :-)

A Spectacular Show!

Wow! For those of you who missed it, I'm sorry. Today's airshow at the airport was wonderful! I was very impressed at the caliber of the event. The stunt flying was spectacular, as was the dogfight between the bomber and the two Russian Mig's. And the weather turned out to be absolutely beautiful! We had a fabulous time. We were even fortunate to sit with my sister and brother-in-law, Pat and Gil. It was fun to watch the crowds and see people that I hadn't seen for a while. The only drawback was waiting for the buses at the end of the event - that could have been planned a little bit better, but I'm sure they'll chalk it up to learning and make better arrangments for the next airshow that hits town.

Congratulations to everyone that planned the event! It was the highlight of the weekend!

Thought for the Day: If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun. - Katherine Hepburn

Well....

Today is a fine how-do-you-do! For the end of June, the weather today stinks! It's cold, typhoon-like winds, and it's raining off and on. I can handle the rain, but the other stuff needs to stop....NOW! ~hahahaha~ Today was supposed to be packed with activity at the local airport for the airshow. But, with the weather such as it is, it has been postponed until tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and the show will go on without a hitch.

So, what am I doing instead? After my last June Gentle Flow (Seniors) class this morning, I hit the gym for about an hour. I'm finding that I'm not getting there as much as I need and I need to start rectifying that situation or I won't fit in to my britches any more (insert very unladylike snort here!).

I've worked so hard to take the weight off and I want to keep it off, but unfortunately I'm in that age bracket where the ghastly middle aged spread starts to creep up on a person if they're not careful. I'm not there yet (hopefully). Doing Yoga and Pilate's certainly helps and I'm ahead of the game in that respect. However, there is no substitute to sweating on a treadmill or elliptical machine, getting the heart rate up to 80% and "feeling the burn." I used to be able to run at 6mph 2-minute intervals. Not anymore. So, to get back to my original question of "What am I doing instead"? Well, I'm setting up an diet and exercise plan for the next month to include interval work on the machines which will hopefully get me up to the 6 mph/2min I was back in March - as well as going through my Body Sculpting Bible (don't laugh! There IS such a book!)and working up a free weight program that I can do at the gym or on my stability ball. I need to ramp up my exercise routine and not rely solely on doing Yoga/Pilate's three nights a week plus my mini-morning Yoga practices.

I'm also doing the domestic diva routine - otherwise known as housework! ~hahahaha~ I like the sound of domestic diva, don't you!? After a long week, sometimes it is gratifying to stay home and do the chores that need to be done. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of cleaning and such, but I crank up the tunes (today's music fest includes Poison, Bon Jovi, and Boston) and let my mind shut off for a while whilst I work my magic around the house.

Oh..Oh... movie review here. You have GOT to see "The Bucket List" with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. Very fun movie and quite touching also. That leads me to my next poll question: Do you have a Bucket List??

Thought for the Day:"There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it."-Mary Little

Thoughtful Words

I don't know who said it, but I like it...

"I will not die an unlived life. I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire. I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible, to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise. I choose to risk my significance; to live so that which comes to me as seed goes to the next as blossom and that which comes to me as blossom, goes on as fruit."-Author Uknown

Just Chillin'

Hey...whassup? Me? Nuttin! (Ha)

Literally - I'm not doing much of anything today. My day yesterday - Saturday- was jam packed though! I started out with my own Yoga practice, then went in to town and did my Seniors class at the AC. That went pretty well. The group was especially chatty though - which is good cuz it means they're comfortable with me.

After that, I went up to the high school to watch my best friend's daughter play in a volleyball tournament. She's quite good! I couldn't help noticing how much she's grown up since I've known her. My oh my what a young lady she is. I got to spend a little time with Becky while we watched the game. Though we work at the same place, we seldom get to see each other. What is worse is that between her and her daughter's schedule, and my yoga teaching schedule, we don't get to see each other near enough. She's still my very good friend, but darnit, we have to make more time for each other.

After that, it was off to do grocery shopping, the Wal-Mart run (Hey, I got a BIG hug from my nephew Blaine! Now THAT absolutely made my day!) then run home to put everything away and clean house! (I HATE That part!) But, I cranked up the tunes (yes, you guessed it - JOURNEY rocks!) and set about to setting the house straight. I even found time to make an Italian salad (yum!) and cut up some cantelope.

The rest of the evening was spent finishing a book that I'm reading. We watched the movie Dan in Real Life. I was quite suprised as I'm not a real Steve Carrell fan, but I like this movie alot.

Today, I decided to sleep in as much as I could (until 7 am - sighs~ my internal alarm clock is set wayyyyyyyyyyy to early!) then set about to doing some things around the house.

Other than that, just trying to get my head in the game for work tomorrow. We have a staff member out on annual leave, so I'm backing her up on some of her work. Remember earlier I said that Becky and I needed to get together more often? Well, we've made plans to meet on Monday after work. She's going to grab the Mike's Lemonade (LOVE that stuff) and we're gonna sit up by the dam and just chill! I'm so looking foward to spending time with my buddy! :-)

Not much else to say. I'm listening to tunes, catching up on emails, playing with the blogs, and just chillin. Will head outside for a walk later this afternoon.

Oh yeah, and Blaine said that my brother made it hope from Germany OK. (Welcome home brother!) :-)

OK...now I'm really outta here!

Later folks!

Thought for the Day:
I've dreamt in my life dreams that have stayed with me ever after, and changed my ideas; they've gone through and through me, like wine through water, and altered the color of my mind. - George Eliot

My gift to all of You...

This is simply beautiful.

This is beautiful!! Take a few moments to really watch and hear this....



Click on the link below.



http://www.hasanyonetoldyou.com/

Thought for the Day!

Great minds discuss ideas;
Average minds discuss events;
Small minds discuss people.

Helpfull Hint #232

When making coffee in the morning, it is always advisable to make sure that the carafe is actually IN the coffee maker to collect the freshly brewed coffee!

Random Thoughts

Friday night was the local Relay for Life event in our area. This is the 3rd year that I've been involved with the team through my Church - albeit this year not quite as involved as I should have been due to my schedule. It never ceases to amaze me how everyone turns out for this event. It has steadily grown in the past few years. It's fun to walk the track and run in to people that I know - walk a few laps with them and then run in to someone else - and walk with them. The money raised was outstanding! We have big hearts around these parts and something like Cancer doesn't stand a chance! Something to be said for the northerners spirit!

As I walked the track though - and read the names on the luminaries, something hit me like a ton of bricks. I know - or have known - too many people with cancer. Family, friends, co-workers, acquaintances..... 15 people in all. Far too many to my liking. Hopefully the money raised is going to good research on a cure for this nasty disease. I don't want to see any more people affected by it. As much fun as the Relay is....I'd rather not have a reason to walk at all, know what I mean?

I didn't stay all night as I had a Seniors Yoga class to teach this morning. I needed to be somewhat lucid for that! (Ha) I have five wonderful ladies in my class and it's a joy to spend my Saturday mornings with them. After class, I did some errands and ended up at the new Wal-Mart in town. Gracious sakes is that thing huge! Could get a good workout walking laps in that place. I have mixed emotions about something like that coming in - as it is going to hurt the other retailers in the area. But, competition is always good too, isn't it? I'll still buy my groceries at the local markets, but it's nice to know I can pick something up there if I need to.

Homeward bound after that to clean house! Yuck! My schedule the past three weeks has been horrendous and my poor house shows it. I dove in though and did a really good job at surface cleaning everything - even scrubbed the kitchen floor which desperately needed it! I could take a week of vacation and devote it to doing housework and still not get everything done. Am I the only one that feels overwhelmed? Oh the life of a working woman, huh?! ~hahaha~

Father's Day is Sunday - I'd give my kingdom to have my Father alive so that I could wrap my arms around him and wish him a Happy Fathers Day. Someone asked me the other day what my father was like. My father was warmth and gentleness. I don't think he had an enemy in the world. When he laughed, he had this belly shaking laugh and silly grin that was so infectious that you couldn't help but laugh with him. He was all about family. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do for us...and very seldom did we go without. He always used to say, "the chickens are layin,the cows give milk, the crop is growin - what more could we want." Which meant that we weren't going to go hungry. I miss him and his gentle spirit. I miss my father. So Dad, if you're listening, Happy Father's Day......I Love you!

Rockin Photographer

Hey Everyone!

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She currently works under the name of Paurus Designs, but as of July 1st, the name officially changes to Smash Dog! Kewl, huh? Check out this link and see what she has to offer.

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Thankful for the Rain!

Wow, what a difference a week can make, huh? A week ago things were so bone dry that we were getting a little worried on the ranch, wondering if we were going to have enough hay this summer to sustain our herd through the fall and winter. I mean, we'd walk across the grass and it would crackle under our feet because it was dry and brittle. But no more! We received 3.5 inches of rain in the last 24 hours and I believe 1.5 inches last week Thursday/Friday. It's wonderful! Things are greening up nicely and I can't help but say "Thank you God for answering our prayers!"

Today, Thursday, is a good day so far. "T" is a happy camper with the rain, the livestock even seem to be frolicking around (doesn't that visual just bring a smile to your face!) and the sun is shining! Yeah!

Plans for today are Yoga.....go home and visit with my young newlywed neighbor who is bringing a friend over to view T's arrowhead collection. I didn't lay anything out for supper tonight - so it might have to just be a "chicken" kind of night! ~L~

Well, best be going. You all have a FABULOUS day now, ya hear?! :-)

Later Peeps!

Attitude

I am so thankful that I am a relatively positive person. Some would call it a flaw of mine as I'm typically looking at life through rose colored glasses. I've been through enough hard times in my life to know that life isn't always fair or easy. I've also learned that how I choose to look at things can make a big difference...not only in me, but in others as well. How sad it must be to go through life unhappy, negative, and always complaining about things. Really...does it make you feel better? No. I would imagine that it would only succeed in making you feel worse. It can be hard to change your outlook on life....but as I've heard a famous motivational speaker say once, "If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."


A few years ago, I read a piece about "Attitude" that really makes sense to me. I want to share it with you. It's worth revisiting when you are having a particular rough time with your attitude - or those of others around you.

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.
Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company ... a church ... a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play on the one thing we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you ... we are in charge of our Attitudes. – Charles Swindoll

It's a Monday

T and I learned that a close friend of T's - who has been suffering with cancer the last year - has been given a less than favorable prognosis.

Doctor's apparently told Ron that he has a month to live. Quite sad, and I hope untrue. My heart aches for the family. No-one deserves news such as this. Miracles do happen though and I hope, through the strength of prayer, that one finds it's way to this family.

It's Monday and I can tell it's going to be a busy week. I have something going on every night this week. I'm already tired just thinking of it! Tonight I have a party to attend that is a mini "spa" for the aching dogs. Really, I'm just going cuz she's serving wine! ~LOL~

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday is Yoga....and Friday is Relay for Life. Saturday is Yoga. Sunday I'll sleep (in theory!) Ha

The wedding on Saturday was great. The groom was handsome, the bride was beautiful and the ceremony was touching.

The breakfast bake for Sunday turned out OK - but all my work was for nothing as it didn't get used. Grrrrr! ~L~ Had lots to eat and unfortunately the hubster isn't a fan of the breakfast bake stuff.

I was so tired on Sunday afternoon that I took a 2 hour nap. I should have been doing a lot of things around the house, but the body didn't have the "get up and go" to...get up and go! I made "hobo hamburgers" for supper and then sat down and vegged by reading a book (my favorite pastime).

It was proposed at work today to perhaps go to 4-day work weeks (10 hour days). At first I was guite excited at this prospect, but after thinking about it for a while, I'm not so sure that it would work for me. With teaching Yoga during the evenings, it would get to be an extremely long day. They want my thoughts by tomorrow, so I'll have to think it over tonight.

Other than that, no news. A long week ahead - which is alright.

I found it!

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 eggs
10 slices French bread (regular bread works ok too), cut into 1-inch cubes (1-inch thick)
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup fresh blueberries or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup chopped nuts
powdered sugar
blueberry syrup or maple syrup

Directions

1 Generously grease a 2 1/2 quart casserole or 9/13 baking dish.
2 Beat flour, milk, sugar, vanilla, salt and eggs in a large bowl by hand until smooth. Stir in bread cubes until coated.
3 Pour bread mixture into pan. top evenly with cream cheese, blueberries and nuts.
4 Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
5 Uncover and bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
6 Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with syrup.

Ok - What's Next?

Have you ever had one of those days when it seems that the "To Do" list never gets anything crossed off and things just keep getting added to it?

Jeeez! I woke up this morning and realized that I had better be pretty darn efficient with time management today or I wasn't going to get anything accomplished.

Today was the first day of my seniors yoga class, so I woke up rushing around because I realized that 1) I didn't have my registration list compiled (in my head - yes; on paper, no) 2) I didn't have registration forms made out for the anticipated number of participants 3) I had the class sequencing in my head, but needed to put it down on paper. So, on top of rushing around because I overslept, I had to do all of the work that I should have already had prepared. Choices - it's ALL about choices! If I hadn't gone out to Burger night last night with the hubster, I'd have had it all done. The price we pay for having fun! ~LOL~

I packed a gym bag with shoes and MP3 player because - if everything worked out right, I'd have approximately 1/2 hour I could spend doing cardio work before I had to get home and get lunch started for T. I did manage to fit in approximately 33 minutes of cardio - but why is it when your time is limited, that is when the workout seems to be effortless and it feels like you could go on forever???

I ran home and made lunch and checked two things off my TO DO list, only to realize that I need to make two pans of blueberry french toast bake for Church tomorrow. Geeez! Hope I have all the ingredients. Not to mention the reciepe - which is why I'm online ~L~ I'm actually surfing for the reciepe - can't you tell???!! Thought as long as I'm here, I might as well jot down a few words to every.

So, I have to get the blueberry stuff done - slide through the shower and get gussied up again cuz I have a wedding to attend at 6:15pm this evening. During that time, I'm going to try and get a load of laundry done, sweep the kitchen floor, iron my slacks and try and paint my nails. ~L~ Maybe I should just paint my nails first cuz then I won't have to do any of the other stuff (might smudge the nails you know!) ~L~

Ok - enough - I have to get going!

Later peeps!

Sometimes You Gotta Roll With It!!

I'm back!!!

I just survived a four day trip to Minneapolis!! Oh my goodness did I have fun with my girls. Ok....my girls AND Matt (my neice's hubster). Oh wait, slide Amy in to the mix too (she's my other neice's roommate). So, the cast of characters are Joan, Matt (he's married to Joan), Karen, and Amy (she's Karen's roommate). We all set? Ok, good.

I don't know why I get so hyper about driving to the cities. I used to drive all over the place for crop insurance (Minneapolis, St. Louis, Kansas City, Billings, Colorado, etc.) and some of that driving time took place in the dead of winter - and alone at that. But, I haven't done it for a while and I guess it's no longer part of my comfort zone. But, I made it and followed the instructions to Joan's and Matt's place with flying colors (Joan's directions were outstanding!). The whole weekend is kind of a blur, but I believe the first night I was there, we went to the Big Ten on U of M campus. Oh, those subs were delicious!!! My conference started on Thursday morning so we didn't make a long night of it, but it was good to see Joan, Matt and Karen.

I don't think I slept at all on Wednesday night as I was so excited for my conference on Thursday. I had forgotten what rush hour traffic was like in downtown Minneapolis, but Joan navigated it like a pro and got me to the front door of the Hilton in record time. I was very excited to check in and meet everyone that would be in my classes. I found that I had people from all over the midwest as well as a few people from other countries, Japan and the Falkland Islands. I was impressed that they would travel that far for training/certification. Classes went well and needless to say that, at the end of a 9-hr day, I was quite tired and stiff (the ole' bod ain't what she used to be!). Matt, the girls and I went to this pizza place on U of M campus (sorry, I can't remember what the name was) that had the most awesome pizza. Unfortunately, Matt and I got our wires crossed with Joan and Karen and we ended up ordering double pizza. Know what? We ate all but 2 large pizzas! ~LOL~ We were a HUNGRY crew!

Friday was quite interesting as it was just us girls as Matt had a Twins game to go to at the Dome. The girls and I went to this absolutely fabulous place on campus called the Village Wok. The atmosphere isn't the greatest, but the food is 10-star! I can see why my sister Peg has to go there everytime she visits the girls. By this time, day 2 of the conference, my body is screaming at me in low volume intervals but nothing a few extra-strength Tylenol couldn't handle.

Saturday is another story! Oh gosh, just trying to get out of bed (ok...off the couch) was sheer torture and I wondered how I was going to do another full 9-hr day of yoga. It was by sheer will and determination that I was able to get dressed and at the Hilton for the next phase of classes. All went well though and as I worked through the day, I became less stiff and sore and managed to keep my headache in check. I met some fabulous people during this phase of certification and I was quite impressed with the openess and willingness to share. I guess that is what conferences/trainings/certifications like this are all about.

Karen was on deck to pick me up at 6pm and she had Amy with her. Amy is a beautiful young lady with a heartwarming smile and this little glint in her eye that makes her absolutely adorable. Her warmth shines through with every smile she flashes at you. They took me to an Italian place in uptown Minneapolis called the Leaning Tower of Pizza. I absolutely adore Fettucini Alfredo and I have to honestly say that theirs is the best I've ever had (even that of the Olive Garden, I kid you not!) I enjoyed the time I spent with Karen and Amy. The third day was rather tough on me though and I asked Karen to take me back to Matt and Joan's (they were at a game at the Dome) so I could crash - which I did.

Sunday, the last day of the conference proved to be my most challenging. Though I'd been able to stave off a migraine headache, I wasn't so successful on Sunday. A migraine started at the base of my neck and I could feel my whole body reacting to it. Although I did the 3-hour class of poses, I probably shouldn't have. There was a physical therapist on hand in one of the other class sessions however, and my instructor sought him out during one of our breaks to have him do some gentle massage on my shoulds and upper back. That, and massive doses of caffeine, certainly helped and I had it to a dull roar by the afternoon. We went out to eat at a place called "The Bad Waitress" on "Eat Street" in Minneapolis. It's unique in that you fill out a card with your order from the menu, take it up to the till to pay (essentially making you the waitress), and return to your table to wait for the food to arrive. It was great food and afterwards we drove back to Karen's area of the city and ended up walking to quaint icecream shop. The night was beautiful and it was good to see the neighborhoods upclose and personal. Joan and Matt took me on a tour of Summit Ave. in St. Paul - which houses some of the most beautiful mansions I'd ever seen. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour. It's always good to see how the other half live! :-)

This morning we shoved Matt out the door to work (he's a Spanish teacher) on his final week of school and Joan and I (Ok, mostly Joan) poured over weather and road reports trying to determine when the rush-hour traffic would be less congested so I could take off. Her directions were once again superb and we were out the door at 9:30am and I ended back at the ranch by 2:45. Good time, huh?!

I enjoyed my time with the girls and Matt so much and I can't possibly express to them how much they mean to me!

The conference was awesome and my head is still swimming with all of the information that was thrown at me. I'm excited to get in to class to show some enhancements to poses.

The hubster was glad to see me, as I was with him. I'm getting ready for my classes tomorrow night but just wanted to share my trip with all of you.

I'll leave you with this parting thought: Nothing is as powerful as the moment a person learns something new