We’re Still Here

Today’s blog post challenge is a photo of me and I will get to that in just a minute.

Well we’ve finally made it to Wednesday of this very strange week.  It feels like it should be Friday already.  My work place is closed but management is still coming in to handle calls, paperwork, and anything that needs to be taken care of while there is not hundreds of people coming through. We are actually getting quite a lot done and lots of things done that we don’t always have the time for.  It is so quiet here.  There are only three or four of us here at the most and we are very spread out so it is very surreal.  I miss all of the other workers.  It is sooooo quiet.

Our grocery store in the area is staying pretty well stocked except of course for tissue paper and paper towels and canned goods.  I think I was more worried about the babies having enough to eat than me and Mark.  I have been going to the grocery store, when I need to, early in the morning on my way to work to avoid any crowds.

This being Wednesday it is Sister Lunch Day.  Me and my two sisters, my sister in law, my niece and occasionally a nephew or two will meet for sister lunch at a favorite restaurant in town.  We have been doing this for more than 10 years.  I did a blog post about Sister Lunch here if you would like to read about it.  Sometimes there is only three of us and sometimes we have 6 or 8 people.   Anyone who wants to come just joins us at noon on Wednesday we have a standing date.  I have had friends tell me they want to come to Sister Lunch and I tell them to come on.  The more the merrier.   The waitress already has our drinks coming when we walk in.

No Sister Lunch today.  With the suggestion of social distancing and no groups of larger than ten we decided to cancel sister lunch today.  We know that we will be back together very soon and it will be better if none of us get sick.

So today’s blog post challenge was to post a picture of me.  I posted two.

The first one is when I was about 3 and the next one is a current photo.  When I was a toddler I had blonde hair.  It actually didn’t get darker until I was about 6.

So how is your week going?  Have you made a lot of changes in your work or going out or whatever?  Hang in there I believe it will all be better soon.

Always remember,

Love your day your way!!!

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A Few Of My Favorite Blogs

Hello hello friends. In keeping with my blogging challenge today I get to share with you some of the blogs that I like to follow. I love reading blogs and that is why I got into blogging myself over two years ago.  I know I know there are vlogs, and Instagram stories and and YouTube and all of that and I love those too but I still love my blogs.  

So here are a few of my favorites and what I like about them. You might want to check them out for yourself I think you will enjoy them.

  1. Lorrie, Loving Your Shi*t. Lorrie has become a wonderful friend of mine over the last couple of years. We email and text regularly even though we live no where close to each other. We bounce ideas off of each other and it is wonderful. She has become a great friend of mine. Her blog is all about self healing with style. This lady has it going on. Check out her blog and her newly published book.

    2.  London Life with Liz. I haven’t been following Liz for a long time but I have fallen
        in love with her blog posts.  If you have ever been to London, If you ever 
       wanted to go to London or anything you think you might like about London, Liz is
        your woman.  You will love her and her posts about London.   

      3.Enhance Perspective by Julie Krupp. Another blog that I haven’t been following for 
      long but I love it and I love reading Julie’s posts.  She has such a wonderful outlook on
      life.  A mindfulness community where practical meets mystical.  Don’t you just love 
      that?  

     4.Life and Random Thinking by Dfolstad  And another blog I haven’t been following
       for very long.  I love this man’s blog. He has a way of looking at life that always seems
      optimistic.   We also share something that makes us kindred spirits.  

     5. Daily Plat of Crazy. This post features lively discussion on women, relationships,
         parenting, society and healthcare.  So you can see it is a plate of crazy.  I love it!!!

     6. Posie Gets Cozy.   I have been following this post for several years and I love it. This
         special lady writes about life, love and all things crafty.

     7. Curvy Girls Guide to Style and Life. I love following this girl.  Being a curvy girl
        myself it is a great way to keep up with current styles and fashion.  

     8. Fabulously Overdressed.  Emily lives in Orlando and really knows how to style an
         outfit.  You will love her posts.

     9.Yarn Harlot. I have followed Stephanie Pearl McPhee for years.  She is a knitting 
         guru.  She has published several books.  I think I have them all.  If you are a knitter
        or have ever thought you might like knitting check out her blog. 

     10.Pumpkin Sunrise.  Karen is a knitter, reader and lover of life.  I have followed her 
          blog for years.  I love it!!!  and her!!!  

So you can see what the blogs that I follow mean to me.  I feel like I know these people, I feel like they are friends.  Please check them out I think you will enjoy their very wonderful style of writing.  

Always remember,

Love your day your way

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Motivation Monday

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First let me say welcome to day 16 of my 30 day blog challenge, WHAT??  Are you still with me?  If you are I will have to give you a medal.  Who knew when I started this challenge that the world was going to go crazy!!!  So I have been feeling a little out of sorts with all of this virus news.  The challenge post today was about, My Thoughts on Education.  I will get to that in just a minute. But first, my motivation.

I got up this morning and watched the news.  It was scary but it actually made me feel motivated.  A plan must be done for my workplace.  I think I have mentioned many times that I work at a tourist attraction.  We see approximately 150,000 people a year.  So of course with all the spring breaks going on around the country we are busy!!!

Now, do we act like business as usual and have all of our staff come in and proceed with the day as we usually do? or do we heed the warning of the CDC, our local government and President and practice this “social distancing” that we know we need to be doing?

So here was the plan: We started the day with reduced hours, this only pissed people off, we reduced the number of people being let into our attraction, this really pissed some people off, and finally we shortened tours.  This was just the final straw for most people and they were not happy.  It was easier to explain to people that we were closed than try to explain all the other.

I had a one hour conference call with about 20 other attractions that are in our southern area. I am so grateful for them.  After hearing their decisions, well most of them, to close their businesses it made our decision a little easier to just go ahead and close our attraction for a couple of weeks. We really hated to do it but felt it was the best all the way around.   No I do not get a two week vacation.

So needless to say, what a day!!!  I felt like I was a zombie going into my house, feeding the babies, walking the babies, feeding me, etc.  I think I was on auto pilot.  Calgon take me away!!!! (Only those of you who are old will know what I mean by that ha ha) I actually did a post about Calgon if you want to check it out here.

So here are my thoughts on education.  I believe that education is so important.  I live in a rural Appalachian area where education, unfortunately, is not always the most important or the most sought after goal.  I was actually 28 years old before I finished my college education.  I didn’t have money growing up, my parents didn’t have money to send me to college.  I had to work my way through and I did.  Sometimes working 40 hours a week and carrying 22 hours at school.  Oh and let me throw in there, I was newly married so I really didn’t have a clue.

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I believe in getting all the education  you possibly can if that is what you want for you.  I have also seen many of my young employees not know what they want to do and go into college directly after high school, without a plan, and fail.  I think it sometimes takes age to know exactly what you want.  I do not regret being older and being in college.  It helped me to know exactly what I wanted or didn’t want to do.

I don’t think that everyone is meant to go to college.  There are wonderful trade schools out there.  Many people are happy with doing specialty classes and learning a trade.

So my thoughts on education are, use your judgement or let your child be able to make a decision that may benefit them for the rest of their lives.  If they truly feel that they are not ready to further their education, then they probably aren’t going to, and a lot of time and money will be wasted. But the true fact is, education is learning. Learning something every day. So never stop learning. Learning is powerful!!!!

My thoughts only,

Always remember,

Love your day your way!!!

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Where Do You Want To Be In 5 Years?

Happy Sunday,  I have been the laziest of lazies today.  I think we all need a day like that sometimes. And at the time I am being my laziest I think, oh how delicious is this?  And then a couple of hours go by with not getting anything done and tomorrow is Monday and I have to go back to work, blah, blah, blah.   But you know, like I said sometimes lazy just feels too good to be anything else, ha ha.


 I took this picture several years ago at the Missouri Botanical Gardens.  I love the Chihuly exhibits they are so beautiful.  This was almost 5 years ago and it seems like yesterday!!!

 

So today my blog topic for day 15, of the 30 day blog challenge,  is where I want to be in 5 years.  Do you think long term like that after you get to a certain age?  Do you know where you want to be in 5 years other than alive and healthy.  Here is what I think for myself:

I hope to still be working at my job at the same capacity I am now.  People, 5 years will fly by faster than a Romulan Warbird.  Sorry my Trekkie came out in me.  Now 10 years might be a different story but I will have to see about that after 5 years goes by.  I am not saying I am not preparing for my future with a retirement plan and savings and such.  I am just saying at what point will I want to dip into that.  I have more than 12 years before I can draw full benefits from Social Security.  If there still is Social Security at that time.

If something should happen to my job within 5 years or God forbid illness prevents me from working then I will regroup and look at it. So as far as a job goes in 5 years that is where I want to be.  Now here are a few other things I hope to be doing in 5 years.

I would like to write a lot more than I do now.  I would like to freelance and maybe even have a group of writers to work with me.  I would like to publish a book or two or maybe more.  I have a Children’s book in the works. I hope to have that published soon.  I have a few ideas for other books.   I would like to be in better shape, physically, be stronger.  I would love to be able to make money creatively.  I love to make lotion bars and bake and knit and do lots of things like that.  I would like to take that to another level, whatever that may be.  I would like to be able to volunteer more for a good cause.  I visit my mother in law at the Assisted Living Center a few days a week and I see people who never have any visitors.  They go weeks, months or forever without anyone coming to visit and talk to them and just spend some time with them.  I would really like to make this something that I do on a regular basis.  My husband and I want to travel to several countries that we haven’t visited.  We also want to travel to parts of the United States that we haven’t been. I WANT TO HAVE FUN!!!! I love learning new things.  I think the more you learn, at whatever age, your brain will have to stay active.

So that is a few things for me and gives you an idea about what I would like for myself. Now, how about you?  Where would you like to be in 5 years?  Anything different from what you are doing now? Nothing is too big or too small if that’s what you want.

Always remember,

Love your day your way!!!

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