WHOOPS!.....

Well when your having fun......time really flys......in my yesterday's blog I listed 67 years ago I was married.....it was really 57 years.  Maybe it just seemed like 67 years!!!! Any way life goes on.

I always thought when a person loses their mind....they lose all of it.  You know wake up one morning and get the paper in your underware--blishfully unaware that your funchioning member of society card had just expired.  But, it seems it starts kinda slow and sneaks up on you.  Maybe for everyone it is different.

Struggled out today and went to a funeral of a dear neighbor, met a friend for coffee and bought dog food and by then I was dragging.  I heard on the five o'clock news some cucumbers sent in from Mexico to the west had sent some people to the hospital with solminella poisoning...I've been using them in my green drink I blend everyday......I wonder if that could be the problem?  I don't have time to be sick.   Life should be about splurging on experiences.....not things!

67 years ago........

Interesting what can happen to you in 67 years.  This day 67 years ago I was 24 and excitedly getting ready to be married in my home town of Mancos Colorado.  My father walking me down the isle.

And then 30 years into the marriage he walked out on his family......But, that's OK.  We pulled together and showed him he would not destroy our family by leaving.  I was so angry for many years he would do this to his girls....but I have lately forgiven him because it was a blessing to have 27 years of freedom from his truancy.  I got half...... so he has provided well for me since he dumped me and I have been able to to do nice things for his children and grandchildren.  He is lonely and old and has a lot of time to think about his choice.......HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BETTY.
Had a miserable stomach bug all weekend and not got much done but sleep......but had three good baby tenders.  Marley has not left my side.

LIFE GOES ON.......

Well, my last blog was about my three oldest grandchildren and what cute, cute little ones they were.  Each so different but special in their own ways. You watch them grow to adults and wonder which paths they will take in life. Seems like yesterday I was going to Challenger pre-school to watch the Halloween and Christmas programs where only a proud grandmother squatting on the "little chairs" crowded into the play room could feel your grandchild was the cutest and smartest one preforming!  You can see from this picture what great people they grew into.....I like to think I helped along the way shape them????.....but we are all good friends and are still making memories.  I hope all through their lives they stay close and good friends and share memories with each other to the end.  Looks like a quiet weekend at my house....just me, Marley, Izzy and Gigi.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW???

Opra has on her program some times...people she knew back when and then what they are doing now.  Well, I look at this picture of Tiffany, William and Nicole many years ago when all we were worrying about was getting William potty trained, Nicci losing teeth and Tiffany's braides or curls. Every day was a new chapter and interests changed very often, the main thought was just keeping them well and getting them raised. BUT......guess what?  They grew up and are great people. Tiffany graduated from college, has a good job at the Univerity of Utah, has been married a little over 2 years.  Nicci graduated from college and went on to get her masters and is working for General Mills, she is engaged and getting married in September.  My baby Will......is graduating from college next Friday, from the University of Utah and has already started working a new job.  I say to Pam and Rob, a job well done!  So much fun for so many years and Oh the memories I have.  Tune in again in a few years and we will continue to follow them!!!!

Tending Marley and Izzy for the weekend while the Cooks zip off to Baer Lake for the weekend.  Hope the weather stay nice.

THIS OR THAT......

I love this picture of Nicci with that fun looking banana she is about to eat.......should she or shouldn't she?  The Journal Psychological Science reports if your indecisive....STANDSTILL.  Can't choose between two equally good options---like which phone to buy or where to eat---or what to eat.  Stand perfectly still and you'll come up with the perfect choice faster,  When trying to make decisions, subtle body movements---like swaying from side to side---encourage the brain to continue wavering back and forth between the options, while standing still tells it to decide!

More good advice; Snack on chocolate-covered pretzels...Yes!  The salty-sweet flavor is just what you need to keep your focus sharp.  That is because it prompts your taste buds to send contradictory signals to your brain, and that mixed message jolts you out of any sluggishness, making you more alert!....I didn't know that.  I need to be sharp today because I'm off to play bridge with one of my favorite groups.  Friends, especially old friends, are so wonderful.

Life's Challenges.......

Good news, bad news.....went to the dermatologist, no cancer but a couple of months of rubbing my face with some ointment to get ahead of it.....never a dull moment.   Still cold and I am dying to plant some flowers, but I guess I better wait another week or two.

Why is it, when you are young, life challenges come at you with such speed that it becomes all we can do to deal with each new situation.  But, as we handle each challenge according to our present abilities or circumstances , we mellow and new things become less of a challenge.  I find at my age not many things tip over my wagon....I guess health becomes our biggest issues, but if we take it one day at a time we realize we can survive most anything.  

"Why brace yourself for the worst when you can embrace the best?"           

MY HORSE STORY........

I don't Deni that horses are beautiful creatures, I have a beautiful horse picture above my fire place......my three daughters all went through a stage of loving horses.....but I need a little space when I see a horse......well really a lot of space!  I did try riding once but....it's like this..... I decided to try horseback riding even though I had no lessons or prior experience....I mounted the horse, unassisted, and the horse immediately sprang into action.  It gallops along at a steady and rhythmic pace, but I began to slip from the saddle.  In terror, I grab the horses mane, but cannot get a firm grip, I try to throw my arms around the horses neck, but I slide down the side of the horse anyway.  The horse gallops along, seemingly impervious of its slipping rider.  Finally giving up my frail grip I attempt to leap away from the horse and throw myself to safety.  Unfortunately, my foot became entangled in the stirrup, I am now at the mercy of the horses pounding hooves as my head is struck against the ground over and over.  I am mere moments away from unconsciousness when to my great fortune, Frank the Walmart greeter sees my dilemma and unplugs the horse......AND that's my story and I as sticking to it!!!!

I look forward to Mondays because that is the day I hear from my two cute missionaries.  Sherrie called and is feeling a little better but thinks Brayden is getting what she had and Ken is just getting over it.  Been a long week for that family. One more week and April 2013 will be history......people enjoy everyday because life really flys by.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEN......

Happy Birthday to Kennedy, my eighth grandchild.  This is a picture of him with his Gram when he received his Eagle Scout certificate a couple of months ago.  As you can see he has out grown his Grammy by a head or more ....at 15 he is 6 ft. It is scary to think he will soon be driving.  He loves swimming, scuba diving and all kinds of mammals.  He is an expert when it comes to building with "Lego's".  He and I love to dance together.....in my kitchen....he loves chocolate anything....pudding, milk, ice cream. It seems only yesterday he was this tiny little thing with blond curls and big blue eyes......I love you Kennie. 
How would I like to be remembered?  Well, I like the word "magnanimity".....which doesn't mean you have to be rich or famous, just 'the best of the best' in your life and circle. To me it has to do with people like "good" church leaders and the pope, in the good things people do for others and the world to make it a better place for many.  I don't see it in the president or political leaders as anything good they do will be for their own benefit regardless of how it hurts the people they represent. Yes, magnanimity is a big word and is a big responsibility if you want to be known by it. 
My Sherrie has been REALLY sick with the flu and I wish her well today.  Sick is no fun for anyone.

I'M WITH ROBERT KIRBY......

I have been reading Robert Kirby's column for many years.  I love the way he looks at things and expresses them so understandingly.....

"We met for a reason, either you're a blessing or a lesson."  Think about how true that sentence is and you can answer so many questions.

Now to Kirby: A lady complained how little faith in the church Kirby had and he said, "I sent the woman a copy of LDS apostle Jeffrey Holland's recent conference talk  ("Lord, I Believe"), in which he said, "I am not asking you to pretend to faith you do not have.  I am asking you to be true to the faith you do have."........He says, "If that isn't recognition that people aren't the same when it comes to faith, I don't know what is.  What I do know is that it's OK for me to have doubts as long as I focus on what works for me." "It took a long time to figure out that faith is a deeply personal matter, and I  could drive myself nuts trying to fit someone else's circus under my tent.  So I stopped......I didn't stop being faithful.  I stopped stressing about the things I didn't have much faith in and focused instead on what did it for me.....Ironically, I don't just get this zero tolerance, everybody-the-same-all-or-nothing faith logic from fellow churchgoers." This is so the way I feel, I believe deeply but don't agree on everything.  How can you go on without faith and love, it would be a sad and lonely life.

ONCE UPON A TIME......

Once upon a time 81 years ago there was a baby girl born in the little town of Mancos, Colorado. That was me........... so Happy Birthday to me!  So many wonderful Happy Birthday wishes from my Facebook friends and family. I thank them all. Lot of phone calls, cards and a fun lunch with my birthday group today.  Tonight dinner out with the families, Panniers and Cooks, my sweet Sherrie is home in bed in Vernal with the flu and Darren off to Mexico with his father.  Sherrie had planned on coming in to help me celebrate and let Kennedy celebrate his birthday Sunday with the family.....darn flu bug.

What have I learned in my many years on earth well.......money cannot buy happiness, but it's more comfortable to cry in a mercedes than on a bicycle......forgive your enemy, but remember the assholes name.......alcohol does not solve any problems, but neither does milk......don't look back with regret, but look forward with hope......there are two things you should not waste your time on, things that do not matter and people that think you do not matter......even the right answers can raise new questions and silence is sometimes the best way to be heard.....for just a few!   OH YES, I didn't get old cause I wanted to, IT JUST HAPPENED! Now, I am ready to tackle next year and get even older.

DESERVING.......

 "The smallest key can open the largest door".........
I look at this picture with interest and curiosity.  Is this lady being wild or is this just something she does every day of her life? Yes, we deserve to live a wonderful, wild life if we choose.  As I have a 81st birthday tomorrow I begin to wonder if I should be a little more wild?  We deserve wildness.  Wildness can be as simple as wearing tall boots when none of our friends do or talking to all kinds of strangers (which my children warn me against doing constantly) or visiting an expensive hotel for just a cup of tea...(which my friend Marlyce and I did in London and it cost us $35.00)! Do whatever takes us out of our daily routine and give us a little interior spark. 
Growing up we were taught to always put the crayons back in the box.....yep, I taught my girls that....don't talk too loud and ladies keep your knees together and don't point. Ha!  However, at 81 I question.....why not?  The way I see it, no matter if your tame or wild we eventually all die, so just remember you only go around once and once is enough if you are just a little bit wild.
So excited....Jose and Salvidor are putting in new sod in my back yard.....it was so muddy for Gigi and she loves Karrie's grass.  I am working on the flower beds and counting the days until it is warm enough to plant some flowers.  I am not traveling this year so I can concentrate on my patio......bought new furniture......and taking care of the back yard.  I spend my time checking Pintrest for ideas.  It's all good.

SAD BUT TRUE.....

Sad but true, but every day finds each one of us a little older!......But some of us are older than some of you.  Monson talks about charity which seems to relate to aging.  Yes, living with older people does take having more patience.......they are slow, forget they already told you that same story a dozen times, can't remember the names of the children or grandchildren. They are having to adjust to all this as do their family and friends.

I love Robert Kirby and have followed him every day in the paper.  Today he was bemoaning the fact he will soon soon be six decades and he has over heard his daughters comment on his doings as "Yeah, he's getting weirder.  We have to watch him closer." They give him a WRTTEN list before he goes to the store, then calls him at the store to be sure he hasn't lost the list?  When he tends the grandchildren, his daughter asks them " has Papa been good while I was gone?" indicating they were tending him.......People will tell you that age is just all in your mind? Well I have noticed age isn't just in my mind, when I get up each morning it is in my back and in my knees and in the mirror when I brush my teeth. As long as I am still handled with respect.....not just handled.....I will welcome each birthday and take what each day brings, and thank God for it.   I don't use the word old, but elderly.  I am more patient with slow drivers, slow walkers, people who can't make up their minds or remember a word or name......been there done that!  I love all my friends because we can laugh about it all and realize we are not alone in our funky, weird elderly ways!

Today's news still the awful bombing of the Boston Marathon and our weather is 15 degrees colder than normal for this time of the year and we are all getting tired of it........

I AM WHO I AM.......

Love Facebook as so many people contribute such up-lifting thoughts and pictures that make your world so much more interesting........and good recipes.  Some where I read the following: 'I might not be some one's first choice, but I am a great choice.  I might not be rich, but I am valuable.  I don't pretend to be someone I'm not because I'm good at being me.  I might not be proud of some of the things I've done in the past, but I am proud of who I am today.  I may not be perfect but I don't need to be.'......... I know I am not a perfect mother, but I am a good mother.  I may not be a perfect friend, but I am a good friend.  I may not be a perfect neighbor, but I am a good neighbor. I just am who I am and we should not judge unless we are perfect........and I guess I don't know anyone who is.

"If you are going the wrong direction......turn the car around.  Same in life!"

Yesterday was a sad day in our country......someone set off two bombs at the Boston Marathon, killed 3 and wounded 176.  We must find out who did this and punish them. Our prayers are with those families hurting.  It is still cold and rainy today.

INCOME TAX DAY........

The most dreaded day of the year is here.....I start stressing right after New Years about doing my income tax but usually don't do anything about it until about the first of March.  Papers, receipts, etc. covers the dinning room table a couple of weeks and then I finally get it to Mike my tax man by the end of March.  He is very efficient and I got my tax in a week ago!!!!! April is a very busy month for my family.....The twins birthdays, mine, grandson Kennedy, little brother Jim and favorite cousin Lucille on the same day.....oh yes, was also my anniversary.....in my other life. Good luck to all you "last minuters"......

A good thought:  Silence and Smiles are two powerful tools, Smile is the way to solve many problems. and Silence is the way to avoid many problems.

Seems I notice as the birthdays keep coming my life is more enhanced by "Treasure Hunts"....everyday I am faced with hunting something so I wrote this poem......

Treasure hunts, Treasure hunts.....what can I say?  Seems to be how I spend my days.  Car keys, house keys, a bill that is due, phone numbers, hearing aids, cell phone.......I haven't a clue.  They all have a place they should be, not hiding as you can see.  But, I know as time passes, I'll find them all.....As soon as I find my glasses!  Bettie Ree 

Oh joy, it is snowing right now, big fluffy flakes and forecast to last most the week..........

THEY GROW UP......

What a handsome man......and he is mine!  Do I remember when I was a junior in high school and how exciting the Prom was......yes I do!  I just don't remember going to the prom with someone this cute. Brayden don't break to many hearts.........in your very own tux yet.

I have to stop and say....."Yes, I have been there and done that", and moved on through many years of life.  Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not.....remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for......like living past eighty, being healthy and loved by my kids and friends. As I count the years I say be wise enough not to be reckless, but brave enough to take a risk.

Every test in our life makes us "BITTER OR BETTER".  Every problem comes to "BREAK US OR MAKE US". The choice is ours whether we become "VICTIM OR VICTOR".

I guess the big news is Brayden took 18 of Sherrie's hen house eggs to school and put in an incubator for some project and guess what.......she has 18 new baby chicks....two little black ones are my favorite.  My family is full of surprises. Did some weeding while the sun is shinning.

MY PRAYER.......

Is there anyone who doesn't want to change something in their life?   "Holding a grudge is letting someone live rent-free in your head".....you can change this.Forgive them and move on. I think the following is very good advice:..THE KNOTS PRAYER......Dear God, Please untie the knots that are in my mind, my heart and my life.  Remove the have nots, the can nots and the do nots I have in my mind.  Erase the will nots, may nots, might nots that may find a home in my heart. Release me from the could nots, would nots and should nots that obstruct my life. And most of all Dear God, I ask that you remove from my mind , my heart and my life, all of the 'am nots' that I have allowed to hold me back, especially the thought that I am not good enough......Amen  Oh so many times I have been guilty of thinking I can not, I should not, I might not. I must not continue thinking I can not change, I can not do that anymore ....I will try is better.   Cold, rainy and windy today.....will Spring never get here to stay?

MY TWO HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRLS......

Patty and Ruth came over to coffee this morning and I ask them, "Do you know what I was doing 45 years ago today?".......I was having twins!!!! What a great day, our family had waited so long for a baby sister, then we hit the jackpot and got two. This is Sherrie and Karrie with baby Marley.  I can't even tell you the fun of having twins......especially identical twins who are mirror imagine .....one left handed and one right handed. I am so thrilled they still love each other....and me....so many stories of twins competing and ending up enemies.  Their 6 children (3 each) adore each other and their mothers.  Yes, people still get them mixed up and they sometimes end up wearing similar outfits.  Thank you GOD for these two beautiful girls so Pam had some sisters...... being an only child is no fun......... 

I have found when nobody else celebrates you, learn to celebrate yourself.......If nobody else compliments you, then compliment yourself......It's not up to other people to keep you  encouraged.  It's up to you.  But, encouragement should come from inside.

Sherrie and Darren came by and we went to lunch for her birthday, and Karrie came by and I got to wish her a happy birthday.  Pam called......her last day of work at the U....... and was off to their cabin with the good news William has a job!  When you can talk to or see all three girls the same day......LIFE is GOOD! and the sun is even shinning today!

FED UP.........

You know I thought after the last presidential election I would settle down and accept my fate that the Obama's will put upon us BUT for some reason every day I say WHY?So with some Final words I say.........' You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy into the poorhouse.  What one receives without working creates slothfulness, while the person earning it becomes resentful of having others live off of their labors. There are few who resent helping those who can't care for themselves,but many have no use for the scores of pretenders, most of whom actually understand that you cannot multiply wealth by dividing it, but don't care as long as they get their handout without putting forth any effort. So when 1/2 the people get the idea that they do not have to work, because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the working half gets the idea that it's labors are for naught because someone else will reap the benefits they so diligently earned it is the beginning of the end of a nation?  It only stands to reason that when a government begins giving freely to the slothful, the hard earned money off its workers, the government can just as easily take away whatever from whomever, it chooses at any time for any reason, appropriate or not,,,,,,,,,ISN'T IT TIME TO PULL OUR HEADS OUT OF THE SAND AND SEE THE LIGHT?'

My prayer is that I can live long enough to see our country change back to the people in charge. Sooooo, I will take the good I do have in this day, love of family, friends and good health and ENJOY IT!!!!

DOGS........

What can I say about dogs?  I don't remember having a dog growing up but after I got married we had a dachshund named "Von Blitzen Storm"....Stormy dog, my oldest daughter, an only child for 11 years loved him. Then there was a big red dog I don't even remember his name, then there was Chauser, a wonderful golden retriever, that my X wanted visiting rights to after he left.  Then a little black dog, Stanley, the kids got me, I never really fell in love with and then......and then.....I got Maximillion LaFe Et"....Mr Maxx!   He was a little Yorkie, but got run over and then the girls got me "Madam Mosel Geesel"....little GIGI, a great little roommate.  Then we add my hairy grand kids......Sherrie has Macy and Lillie.....Karrie has Marley and Izzy....Pam has Drake and Bree.  I have tended all of them......remembering good times and bad times.  Why do I love dogs well;

IF you start the day without caffeine......IF you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains.....IF you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles.....IF you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it.....IF you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time.....IF you can take criticism and blame without resentment......IF you can conquer tension without medical help......IF you can relax without alcohol......IF you can sleep without aid of drugs......YOU are probably the family dog!

In my next life I want to come back as one of my families dogs!  I see how easy their dogs have trained them!!!! I have to mention one granddaughter has Captain and one has Ollie, on our family dog tree.

'If you can't eat it or play with it, pee on it and walk away"   .....well put.

DON'T CHANGE......

Who are we really?  I am not a name or a height or a weight or a gender.  I am not my age and I am not where I am from.  I am my favorite books and the songs stuck in my head.  I am my thoughts and what I eat for breakfast.  I am a daughter, sister, mother, grandmother and a friend, I am a 1,000 things but everyone choose to see the million things I am not!  No, I am not where I am from, I am where I am going and the person God made me to be......I am still searching for his reasons though.

"To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance"....Oscar Wilde

Moving fast into the middle of April and we got an all out warning of a huge storm moving in last night.  Winds 50 to 60 miles an hour and to tie down everything.  The Cooks came by to see my new patio and we dismantled it so nothing would blow away, today the sun is trying to shine but it is freezing cold outside.  Oh where is Spring?

The three C's in our life;  CHOICES,...CHANCES....CHANGES....You must make a CHOICE to take a CHANCE or your life will never CHANGE.

LUCKY CHARMS......

This is one of my lucky charms.....my granddaughter Nicci. Nicci works for General Mills and this month there is a big push on Lucky Charms Cereal and Nicci seems to know" Lucky" very well. I consider all my 9 grandchildren as my lucky charms......each one has given my life so much to be thankful for. "Happiness is found along the way of this journey we call life, not at the end of the road."

There is no tomorrow to remember if we don't do something today. As the saying goes, "you pile up enough tomorrows and you'll find you've collected a lot of empty yesterdays."  Don't let the most important things pass you by as you plan for an elusive future.  Instead, FIND JOY IN THE JOURNEY......now.

I love my blog and have always loved journaling because we write to taste life TWICE....now and in the days to come.  Blogging and journaling freeze time.....good times, bad times, hard times, happy times, sad times.  We need all these times in our lives to round us out.  We won't appreciate the good times unless we have had some bad times.  From our bad times we learn to do and be better so we won't have to experience them again.  I have been through them all but because of so many wonderful LUCKY CHARMS in my life there is one thing I have learned......life goes on.

QUIET WEEKEND......

Do you ever stop and ask yourself this question?  The people that missed a flight or couldn't get a ticket for it.... and it crashed......was that a coincident or was there a reason for it?  I feel God is in charge of all things and we should not question these things but thank God for being with us.  Sherrie called and they were able to fly home from LA safely, I always worry.  Karrie called and Annie's cheer team won the National championship competition in LA.this morning.  Last night Pam and I went out to dinner and then played cards awhile, a nice quiet evening, Rob had gone to Idaho and Will off to a sorority prom.  Off to Panniers for Sunday dinner.  It is trying to rain, but always does on conference days.  There were a lot of people in Salt Lake this weekend. Wrote emails to both my missionaries for P-DAY tomorrow......miss them.

MY MISSIONARIES.......

Today is  the 183rd Church Conference in Salt Lake and there is a lot of talk about missionaries and the many young people who have signed up to go on a mission......and yes it is raining......we couldn't have conference if it didn't rain or snow!  My two missionaries are much on my mind, are they well, are they safe, are they happy?  I can only wonder what is on a missionaries mothers mind the two years their kids are gone......and so far away.  My one sister had three boys and they all went on missions, one to Japan, one to China and one to Canada.  I am afraid I wasn't much comfort to her not realizing now what I feel. Alex and Richard were such wonderful boys before they left.....how could a mission improve them? I guess only they left boys and will come home men who care.  Alex told his mother when he left his last assignment he didn't get to tell one young man that was interested in the church good-by, so he wrote him a note and left him one of his white shirts and a tie so he could feel comfortable going to church....the people in Brazil do no have a lot of nice clothes some times.  I am so proud of Alex. Richard is in a small village in Mexico, water is hauled in to bath and do laundry.  He has ants crawling on the wall. Four nights the members had feed them fish or fish soup.......he didn't eat fish when he left home....Oh happy day? I am very proud of them and what they are doing is good.

NEW BUCKET LIST.......

I have done my share of traveling, over 100 countries, six of the seven continents and 48 of the 50 states, but I have discovered there are many places I have yet to see! "PLACES OF IMAGINATION"......so I have a new Bucket List.  Some of our most beloved places started as figments of someone else's imagination, yet feel so real we daydream about visiting them. The people who are responsible for these great places are doers, believers, thinkers and dreamers that have given us many hour of pleasure.  I would love to visit Atlantis, Camelot, The Emerald City, Gilligan's Island, Narnia, Neverland, The Secret Garden, Shangri-La or Sleepy Hollow.  There are many more the list is long.......I would love to visit Bedrock and have lunch with Barney. Gilligan's Island always looked so much fun and had some interesting people that lived there......back then.  And the chocolate Factory.....I did visit Hershey, Pa, and they had Hershey candy everywhere, but no real Chocolate Factory! Not too crazy about visiting Jurassic Park, not into dinosaurs. But as you can see there are many places in our world.....real or imaginary that I still have to visit.

Calls from Disney Land confirm everyone is having a good time. Now Disney Land is a destination of some one's imagination that I and many have been able to visit.......  Sherrie made me a disk of Alex's first year on his mission.....I cried all the way through it, I didn't realize how much I miss him!!!! Stay well and safe my sweet missionary.

"SUCCULENT"

Here I am livin' it up at the Red Onion Saloon in Alaska!  If you would ask my grandmother what an 80 year lady should be doing......it wouldn't be having a Bloody Mary in a saloon.  Notice I am wearing my garter on my arm...not leg! Succulent is an interesting word. ....choosing deliberate acts of personal revolution. It means waking up embracing your true stuff, studying your patterns and letting out your most alive self!

When you think of succulent you think "young, wild succulent women".  Well, I have news for you there are also

"old, alone and succulent women!" If you fling back your head or hair, wear something that all your friends raise their eyebrows at or dance alone in your kitchen to your favorite "oldie"......you are  an "old, alone and succulent person".
If we give in to our fears, being old and being alone....we come up with a terrifying phrase "old and alone, yet, why is it so terrifying?  Every day, everyone gets older.  One day you wake up an old woman.  We can be a fabulous old women or a crabby, unwilling old women.  It's your choice.  If age brings health challenges we can meet the challenges with love and resistance, allow or reject.  Not always easy.  There are great parts of being alone......welcome any alone-ness and magnify the goodness in it.
Yes, I will always be a succulent wild woman, no matter my age.  Beautiful day with the next four days forecast to be raining and cold.  Took Annie and two friends to the airport, they were going to LA for cheer competition.  Karrie, Rich and Scottie drove all night to get there......the Christensons flew their plane down yesterday to meet them. Oh, those good ole days at Disney Land are over for me, but I have many memories from way back when we took Pam a couple of times a year when it first opened.

GIVING THANKS.....

HELLO......does this tree have something to be thankful for or not???  Somehow it decided to grow where it was planted, seems the two big rocks are there to protect and sustain it.  I think I have felt like I was barely hanging on before never realizing I had big rocks taking care of me.  I am sure it is very thankful as we should all be with what we have.  They say people who document what they are thankful for reap a host of health and emotional benefits.  For instance....1. Commit to Happiness. Journaling is more effective if you first make the conscious decision to become more fulfilled and more grateful.  I have also found blogging helps me think seriously about things. 2. Go for depth over breadth.  Elaborate in detail about a particular thing for which you are grateful....today the pharmacist took time to be sure I was aware of the side affects of my new medicine, he could have just said.."read the directions." 3.  Make it personal.  Focus on people you are grateful for not things.  Reflect on what your life would be like without certain blessings.  4.  Savor Surprises.......Record events that were unexpected or surprising, as these tend to elicit stronger levels of gratitude.  A surprising note thanking you for something can  boost your gratitude.  5.  Turn your gratitude list into a regular routine, not just occasionally.  6.  Teach your children to be grateful, they seem less grateful because they have never been without or had less.....so they have nothing to compare then and now with as most of us older folks do.  "REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY, GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL."

THINK ABOUT IT......

Silence and solitude are so necessary to balance your life, thank goodness I have both in my life.  You start with one thought and soon you have traveled far in thoughts from where you began.  I was just thinking this morning of the many people  that I have met through my almost 81 years and my travels around the world.

"Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson or to help you figure out who you are or who you want to become.  You never know who these people may be...a roommate, neighbor, co-worker, long lost friend, a lover or even a stranger.....but when you lock eye with them, you know at that very moment that they will affect your life in some profound way."

Sometimes things happen to you that may seem horrible, painful and unfair at first.....my divorce......but in reflection you find that without over coming those obstacles you would have never realized your potential, strength, willpower or heart.

Every thing happens for a reason.....just believe....Nothing happens by chance or by means of luck.  Illness, injury, love, lost moments of greatness and sheer stupidity all occur to test limits of your soul.  Without these small tests, whatever they may be, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere. Yes, it would be safe and comfortable but dull and utterly pointless.  My life has not been dull, a new challenge every day....today my new challenge is to arrange and finish cleaning my patio with my NEW PATIO FURNITURE that I gave myself with my income tax rebate for my birthday in a couple of weeks......and the sun is shinning!

 

APRIL FOOL'S DAY.......

April Fool's Day fell the day after Easter this year and today was very busy.....This was my roommate on the cruise to Alaska last year, we had a lot of fun!  That was not an April Fools Joke.....Off to mail my bills early, pick up my income tax and buy some patio furniture!!!! It's all Pannier's fault they were looking at new furniture for their cabin's patio.  I decided I had had the big round table and 8 chairs long enough and they took up too much room and I never used them anymore, now the grandkid's are grown and not around much.  I bought some wicker and have lots more room on the patio.....I love it already..... Had a doctors appointment, then called my sweet grandson and asked if he would help his dad pick up and deliver my new furniture, he was right on it!  Now I can hardly wait for the weather to stay nice and I can start using it a lot. Oh yes, my sister told me she was moving from Winslow to Mesa and I am thrilled, a month in the sun every winter would be fun......Well Happy April Fool's Day to everyone, it was a special day, I got emails from both my missionaries!

HAPPY EASTER.....

Do we get caught up in all the colored eggs, stuffed bunnies and Easter candy or do we stop and  and say thank you to Jesus for why we are celebrating?  I have always loved Easter, but when I look back what I remember most was mother always made us a new Easter dress....I say us because she always made one for Jo and one for me just alike!!! We went to Grandma's or Aunt Frankie's for dinner and compare Easter baskets with our cousins.  We did always go to church that day, but not much the rest of the year.  This Easter I got to go to Idaho with the Panniers and we had a fun dinner before coming back to Salt Lake.  One of my favorite songs goes:  WHEN HE COMES AGAIN.......I wonder, when he comes again, Will herald angels sing?  Will earth be white with drifted snow, Or will the world know spring?  I wonder if one star will shine Far brighter than the rest: Will daylight stay the whole night through?  Will songbirds leave their nests? I'm sure he'll call his little ones Together 'round his knee, Because he said in days gone by, "Suffer them to come to me."