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Old dog- new tricks! 

I found this on Pinterest and I'm in love! Long haired dog and winter baths are kind of a hassle. Especially since my pup is now 15 and she gets chilly easily. With this she looks great, smells even nicer and the house doesn't smell like couped up dog! 

Equal parts corn starch and baking soda (for this size container I used 1/4c of each) 3-5 drops lavendar essential oil (whole foods for $7) place in new (this part is important the corn starch will absorb old food scents) cheap Ziploc container. Mix it up with a fork. Drill little holes in the lid and viola! You now have doggie dry shampoo in a convenient little shaker! 

I wonder if this would work on the horses... :-)

it is the saddest fact of life

As I look back on past events both personal world-wide I see that too often we live in a world that finds it easy to hate and distrust. We live in a world where it is believed best to be selfish, rude, hurtful, isolated, partisnal, arrogant, stubborn, demanding and pius.  

Familys are being torn because of  tragedy in the world. Fights, riots, and muttered statements are blooming from this seed of pain. 

This world needs love. Peace. Understanding. Compassion. Care. Patience. Hope. Faith in human kind. 

Please, let us work to make this world a little better. Let us look into our hearts and dig out the jaded, ripped up and mangled pieces and find ways to heal them. Let us search for peace. Let us strive to share goodness. 

The only way to save the world is to start sharing love with those around you. And as they spread that love to others it will reach very far. The only way to have love to give is to be given love. Give, share, hope, love. 

It is the trouble with the world

You know what the trouble is? That NO ONE just loves. What is love? Love is patient, love is kind, love forgives, love keeps loving. Why is it that people who believe in love are so judgmental? Love is not judgmental. If people just focused on forgiveness, compassion, grace, kindness, wouldn't this world change? We would have no war in the Gaza Strip, we would have no ferguson, mo, we would have no child soldiers of darfur. Stop splitting hairs, stop hating, stop juduging just love. L O V E. 

Is it a fear of life?

My mother once told me I would always find a reason not to be happy. Which of course angered me seeing as that I am a very happy person. But as I grow older I find that she may in fact be right. Do I fall into the stereotype of looking for greener pastures on every side? Do I look for misfortune or does misfortune befall me? I was unhappy at home and with my measly job so I moved across country and LOVED the beach but was so discontented with the life I was leading there. I got a promotion at work and I LOVE my job but I disagree with company ethics and practice. So now I yearn for my measly job that allowed more freedom than the bureaucratic life I lead now. Do I in fact search for these misgivings?

 Tonight as Christmas nears and the day to be thoughtful asnd thankful has passed I have found myself pondering about my life. Do I like where I am? Who I am? The answer is (right or wrong) sadly no. 

So what is holding me back from living the life of my dreams? Fear. Plain and simple.  Fear that I will not be happy once I have it. Fear that I want something I couldn't ever possibly grasp. Fear that I will never be happy. So should I just learn to shut up and settle?

  See the great thing about Mom is that she taught us to dream. Reach for unattainable, unimaginable things. It is a blessing....and a curse. (Monk, ma for you ;-)) As I quest for the perfect life, am I holding myself back from enjoying this one? Or should I keep striving and searching for my spot in this vast world? 

Happy be-lated birthday Mommy!

It took me a bit to sort out what I wanted to say but I think I've figured it out. 

When I go out with my mother no one ever guesses her age. Yes, I hope I got that part of the genetic gene pool but it's not just genes she takes incredible care of her skin, her routine and products are precise and followed out to the T. (No this isn't a sales pitch.) My point is her loyalty and dedication are impressive. I hope I learned that from my mother :-). Another thing I hope my mother has taught me is bravery. At this moment my 64 year old mother has traveled to Israel. And she went kicking and screaming, but she went. And she's enjoying herself despite riots and demonstrations. It's true she didn't want to go because of fear but once she's  there in the face of it, she never shows fear. I hope I learned to be able to stare something I am most afraid of in the face and find away to enjoy the life around me. I love my mother and am so proud to be able to call her that. 

Mom- obviously this year is bringing new expierences and I hope they create magical memories. I love you! 

it is your heart

 An employee was talking about a girl he had a crush on a few weeks ago and how they were just friends but she's been hinting at something more....but she has a boyfriend. He said he wanted to see if it could turn in his favor. I told him to be careful and to have more respect for himself than that. He asked why I thought sex was bad? That's not what I said I said respect yourself, meaning don't put yourself in a situation that could lead to heartache, loss of friend, hurting someone else etc. He said "oh". Yesterday he told me he had sex with that girl, "I don't know how I feel about it but I'm afraid I made a bad choice." 

When did it become ok to allow your heart to be broken? When did it become ok to break someone's heart? It is our right to protect out heart, and it is our duty to protect others' hearts. We shouldn't feel guilty for standing up for ourselves, defending our honor or simply walking away. We also shouldn't take advantage of someone's weakness, exploit kindness, or trick someone into loving us. We only get one heart, the more it breaks the harder it is for us to open up to truly good things that may come our way. My father once told me a sin is an action that hurts us or someone else. Stop hurting each other, stop hurting yourself. 

It is our path

I am often fascinated by the way life takes us, by the things that influence our thought and by the people who teach us lessons. But most fascinating of all is how our brains process this information and make us, us. 

Happy Birthday Daddy

You know you've done well in life when the people who surround you are full of smiles, laughs, stories and shared joyous memories. Truly a testament to a solid man who I am proud to call my father. Happy birthday Daddy :-) 

5k #9

Great Midwest Balloon Fest 5k 41:20 not my best but better than the last!

Happy Father's Day

If I have learned one thing from my father it is persistence. 

He persistently loves

He persistently hopes

He persistently tries

He persistently works

He persistently believes

He persistently cares

He persistently listens

He persistently teaches

He persistently learns

He persistently leads

He persistently gives

He persistently explores

He persistently enjoys 

Thank you papa for teaching me to be persistent in all things in life and that the world is better when you do 

Love you!!!!

it is a vast world

I found this photo today and was taken by surprise at the dark spots in the world.  The poles make sense seeing as they are mostly uninhabitable but the vast dark spaces in Australia and Africa surprised me. Not that they were there but that they were so large. So the next time you feel like the world has been discovered and the world is small look and remind yourself. 

it is throw back Thursday (lol)

As I'm unpacking and tracking in my new little house I have come across several old photos. It just so happens that today is thrusday so I felt the urge to post an amazing #tbt! As I'm king through these pictures I'm struck with a thought of nostalgia, I will forever be grateful for the horses in my life, they have brought so many memories of friends and families that I can never replace and would be less without them. 

And it is I who is the worst of all 

Forgive me world for my imperfections, my selfish thoughts, my inproprieties and my undoings. 

Accept me please for my uniqueness and my contribution.

Allow me the chance to grow and learn and love. 

And please above all else grant me the power to accept myself and learn to love and grow from today forward. 

28

Always celebrate

5k #8

Almost to lucky number 10. Hopefully by then I will actually be good enough to stick with a training program. I haven't run in 2 months and this was my first race of the year. Only can go up from here! 

Chiefs 5k 5/10/14 

Finish time 43.47

Drinks Vol6

My favorite hot toddy!

1.25oz Woodford Reserve

1tsp honey

1 or 2 dashes all spice

6-8 oz hot water

it is 7.046 billion

I like going to eat at places where I know no one. It reminds me there are millions of people that I don't know or understand. 

it is a puzzle

Everything about our life is a puzzle. Some pieces fit, some we shove, some don't work at all. At the end of your life don't you want your picture to be seamless? 

27

It is not the mistakes we make that define our lives it is how we deal with them that does.