Category Archives: Friends

18 years and we still got it!!

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18 years ago, my 24-year-old self became a June bride.  My husband would turn 25 on our honeymoon in the Dominican Republic.  It was the “Year of the Wedding”…not just ours but with many of our friends getting married as well.  We joked we belonged to the Wedding of the Month Club.  It was a fun time.  Expensive, I’m certain, but at 24 who really dwells on that?  I certainly don’t remember losing any sleep over it.  For our own wedding, my girlfriend and I attended a bridal show and I won the GRAND PRIZE as we were leaving.  It consisted of a wedding gown, tux rentals, limo rental, wedding cake, hotel room, flowers and a bunch of other stuff.  All I know is…… SCORE!!!  (and boy were my parents happy!)

Fast forward 18 years, 4 kids, 1 townhouse, 3 houses, 2 dogs and 1 cat later.  We are but a glimpse of the smiling young couple you see above.  Not in a bad way.  In a roll-with-life way.  Kids change you.    Growing up changes you (NOW finances can cause you to lose sleep!).  Jobs change you.  Life changes you.  For us, I am happy to say that we still enjoy each other’s company.  We still laugh.  We still fight.  We still love.  So much has changed and yet, most days, in my heart, I still feel like the bright and happy 24-year-old.

Anyone that’s married can tell you, it’s not easy.  And either no one tells you that before you get married or you choose not to hear it from those cynical old biddies.  After you’ve been married awhile you see the humor in the jokes and understand what those people were trying to tell you.  It’s worth it though.  A marriage requires an effort.  A marriage requires TWO people to be engaged.  If you are in it for the long haul, be sure to pack some humor, compromise, forgiveness, hope, dreams and lots of love.

It’s been quite the ride and I’m looking forward to the rest of it…achy bones, graying hair and all!!

1 Corinthians 13:13

13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the [a]greatest of these is love.

All good things must come to an end….until next year!!

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Thanks to The Treasure Trove (Lynnell), Dance Mommy’s Odyssey (Laura), Sempiternal (just call me AJ), The General (MB) , Redefining Normal (Brite), The Eagle’s Nest (Amanda), and Blog it ALL (Lea) for this month’s “Blog-Every-Day-in-May”.  Or most days.  Or some days.  Or whatever you felt like days.  It was fun and all good things must (PRAISE GOD FROM THE ROOFTOPS!!!) come to an end. (I know my Hubby is happy, too!)  So we will all now return to our regularly planned blog schedule or non-schedule and I thought I’d wrap it up with what I gained from this little exercise Bloggapalooza.

In no specific order:

  • I gained new “Followers” this month….these lucky people automatically receive an email each time I post a new blog, so they never have to worry about missing one single minute detail of my life.  Lucky, right?  Well, in case you want to be lucky, too…just click on the “+Follow” in the top left of the screen…..see below….other handy-dandy tools, “Like” if you enjoy the post and “Reblog” if you really like it and want that to be your post on your blog.  I didn’t even know what that WAS until Sempiternal “Reblogged” me…very cool indeed!
  • I found several new blogs along the way, one to encourage my fitness and health journey AND encourage my Faith walk like Clare @ Peak313Fitness.  The woman loves her some Jesus and keeps the workouts fresh to constantly keep that temple humming and wondering what in the heck is coming next?!?
  • Ellie @ Emerald Pie.  Her life in Ireland is fascinating to me, a world apart and yet no different in her daily life, challenges and busy-ness as a mom and wife.  Her Irish scenery is AH!MAZING!!!!
  • Ex-pats and their very interesting lives in Dubai @ Circles in the Sand and Three years and home in Switzerland.  Witty, insight and photos into other parts of the world, customs, differences in their “normal” lives and how they adjust and roll with each day.
  • A gem of thoughts to teach our daughters (though us parents and sons would benefit, too) from One Joyous Heart . Witty, dry, sometimes right on the edge of cracking, raw observations on motherhood and life to two very young and very close-in-age cutie-pies, Camp Patton (I see glimpses of myself when the girls were so very young at this stage….I want to hug her and tell her, keep taking pictures, take videos…they grow up and you. will. survive!!)
  • I’ll be keeping my day job.  The only time I want to write is first thing in the morning…that 20 extra minutes or so (the “or so” often sets me running behind!) after my Quiet Time.  I don’t think I’ll get a Nobel in those 20 minutes.  Probably.  Apparently you need to write often and enjoy it..another strike.  Soooooooooo…..just press “Follow”…you’ll know when I update.
  • You can get lost for VERY.  LONG.  PERIODS.  OF.  TIME.  on the internet.  You might think I learned this from Facebook.  Child’s play.  There are so many flippin’ blogs out there.  Thank goodness for my Reader, but then I often get sidetracked by hyperlinks to other blogs, then add them to my reader and boom….there goes another hour.  CrAzAY!!!!
  • Stepping out of my comfort zone to share something I feel passionate about usually brings out my best writing.  Over the next couple of months as I move my old mac blog over to WordPress (an EXTREMELY time-consuming process–one would think as “user-friendly” as apple generally is, that “THEY” would have made it easier to transfer blogs once they decided to no longer support mac blogs–but that is a whole other venting blog…) I will also add a page of “The best of….according to Hubby”.

This month I’ve celebrated Mother’s Day internationally, my birthday, my sister’s birthday, the end-of-the-year chaos, enjoyed new baby pictures, witnessed the ups and downs of a NICU baby doing her best to grow big and fat and go home (and won a T-shirt!), remembered the joys of maternity leave and the heartbreak of it ending, new house pictures, great words of encouragement, learned about Broadway plays, enjoyed recipes from new gardens and a world of LIFE happening.

So, this month comes to a close, but the blogging goes on.  Maybe not everyday, but it goes on.  Like life.  So get out there and enjoy it!!  And THANKS for visiting!!

Friends, the icing on the cake

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When we lean on friends, the saying goes, “Sorrows are halved and Joys are doubled”.  We are not meant to carry the burdens of the world alone.  The blessing of friends helps to make the journey easier.

Sometimes it’s so hard to ask for help.  We want to be the ones who LEND the hand, not receiving it.   However, when we don’t ask we don’t allow others the opportunity to “give”.  It’s humbling to receive, it’s life altering to give.  It’s meant to go full-circle.

Yesterday, I was able to see my husband on the giving end to a friend.  Guiding, offering friendship and understanding in a most vulnerable place to a most precious person.  It is the beginning of a journey for this friend and what a blessing to witness.

Yesterday, a friend revealed to me His newly diagnosed cancer, His Faith and His trust in God’s plan.

Yesterday, I delivered a message in love to a friend and we’re still friends.

Yesterday, I shared life’s sorrow as a dear friend’s mother deals with her husband’s Alzheimer’s disease.

Life is hard.  Friends make it easier.

May we all cast our cares upon the One who can remove the burden of the world.

Matthew 11:29-31

29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

 

May bloggers and one more day!!

Laura

Lynnell

Apurva 

MB

Brite  

Amanda 

Lea 

40 and FABULOUS!!!

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Today is my little sister’s 40th birthday!!!  Sounds “Old”.  My kids tell us it’s “Old”.  I’m pretty sure we are still the same two goofballs laughing over Brady Bunch and Peter’s “Pork shops and applesawce...”.  Neither of us can make or eat that dish without saying it just like Peter!  That’s swell!!

Here’s a few pics of my sis growing up!

What a little cutie!!!

She always did love animals.  Still does.  They have a revolving door of pets now!

Man.  Look how long our hair WAS!!!  Sis is on the right 🙂

Cheerleading!

Visiting me at my apartment Halloween in the 90’s….

Graduating high school!  Phew!  LOL!

All grown up!  Hot mama in her short hair, black dress.  She’s an awesome mama of 2 sweet boys.  Paralegal.  Definitely the fun aunt and the awesome sister!!

Happy birthday, Tam!  We love you!!!

The Golden years

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We live in an area that is EXTREMELY popular with the retirement-aged people.  EXTREMELY.  So much in fact, that during the winter when the “snow birds” descend our church offers TWO Masses on Saturday evenings to cover the additional population in the pews.  It makes for interesting living, driving and working.  Our children learned early (and are still learning) to be more patient, helpful and kind with older folks; watching out for canes, walkers and holding doors for lots of people.  Practice makes perfect, right?  They get a lot of it.  Our youngest refers to them as “elders” rather than elderly, it’s sweet and we don’t correct her.  Unfortunately, our kids also see a lot of selfish behavior from this generation, judgemental comments and looks and rude actions mixed in…..these times lead to GREAT teaching moments and life observations to hopefully better prepare them as they grow and age.  I certainly get a lot of lessons at work from these “elders” as well, let me share:

  • The “Golden Years” are not for sissies.  If I had a nickel for every time I heard that, I’D be retired…seriously!
  • The people who age the best, enjoy life.  They eat, they drink, they dance, they laugh, sometimes they even smoke.  I ask.  This is a pretty common response!
  • Moderation.  They eat, they drink, they dance (those hip replacements ain’t as flexible as the real deal ya know!), they smoke….in moderation.  Because they laugh.  A LOT.  Enjoying life.
  • They exercise.  They play tennis.  Softball.  Bike.  Walk.  Hit the gym.  Dance.  Swim.  Yoga.  Regularly.  It’s like breathing.  They just do it.  It’s physical.  It’s social.  It’s routine.
  • They volunteer.  Now in my age group we may feel those little kiddos are graying us prematurely, but in reality, they keep us young.  All those activities and extracurriculars?  They keep us moving.  Off the chair.  Off the couch.  Cheering.  Inspiring.  Encouraging.  As a side benefit kids are exhausting and we sleep well as a result (generally), and sleep is important!
  • They have Faith.  They have friends. They combine the two regularly.
  • They accept life’s tragedies.  They expect them.  They cry.  They move on.  They live.  They enjoy the memories.  Life is for the living.
  • They make the most of each day.  None of us knows when it will be our last.  So enjoy it.  Put on a purple hat and a red dress.  Don’t be so serious.  Enjoy!
  • They face their problems head on.  It’s not going to take care of itself.  Que sera sera!! Whatever will be, will be.  You can read the rest of the lyrics HERE.  It’s true.  There’s so little we truly have control over; we do have choices though.

At our outpatient facility, in our department alone, we perform anywhere between 40 and 60 cases daily.  Roughly every ten minutes (we have two scan rooms).  It’s a busy day.  Unfortunately, it leaves us little time to actually talk with our patients…it’s more of a cattle call some days.  On the occasions we DO have time to chat, those conversations are a blessing.  We have WWII vets who share their pictures of youthful soldiers and uniforms filled with medals (Presidential, Purple heart, etc), stories of battles fought, friends lost, injuries and healing and a life lived.  We have patients with second homes in Kentucky who regularly attended the Kentucky Derby.  Patients who sang with Frank Sinatra and the boys (OK, not all the stories can be verified, however, this 90-something’s voice is AH-MAZING!!!).  Patients who travel back and forth to their native countries and will give you the blow-by-blow on their travel deals and the wonderful food and adventures they enjoyed.  They share the stories of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren’s weddings, babies, deaths, cancer.

And so for the other money maker…if I had a nickel…..for the countless times EACH DAY we hear, “Don’t get old”….my standard answer…”Well, there’s only one option.”….it’s inevitable. May I take with me the gems of the older generation and make them my own.  Love.  Live well.  Laugh often. We only get one go around, so let us make the most of each day, regardless of what it brings.

Blessings!

Here’s the rest of the crew:  only one week left of daily May blogging!!

Laura

Lynnell

Apurva 

MB

Brite  

Amanda 

Lea