My Bucket list: a work in progress

This post will change and be updated as inspiration or insanity strikes. With me, there's not much difference. My creative genius doesn't understand boundaries so read at your own risk. Definately check back on this one often! And by the way, these are not in any particular order... 

Dance with my son on his wedding day.  

Teach my grandchildren to call me Sugar instead of Grammy Tammy. This is NOT  going to be Cheyenne approved so it will be completely on the sly. 

Heights are my greatest fear therefore to overcome this, I want to skydive...while strapped to a hot guy. I figure it's a win win situation for me. If I make it safely to the ground, it will no doubt have nothing to do with my own abilities,  so I can say I have been saved by a hot guy. If, heaven forbid, we die while doing this, then my eulogy can read, "she died in the arms of a hot guy". Either way, a hot guy will be required. 

Go to Vegas and be involved in an Elvis wedding...even if it's just as a wedding crasher. 

Complete an Ironman triathlon. Alive. 

To be debt free, for at least 24 hours, preferably before I attempt to sky dive. 

Write (and have published) a book. A romance novel I think, loosely based on my daughter's journey to finding Mr. Cheyenne Casey. And of course it will be written under my pen name and the names of the characters will be changed to protect the innocent....and my own hide when she figures this out. 

Get a tattoo, an Ironman tattoo, and have it placed on an area of my body least likely to be affected by gravity. And if I die as I cross the finish line, my friends and/or family must promise me that they will haul me to the tattoo parlor before depositing me at the morgue!

Go on a road trip with my daughter. No agenda, no itinerary, just get in the car and drive. 

Do something that will make the world a better place!

Go to the Texas State Fair and eat something deep fried, on a stick and preferably wrapped in bacon.

See my best friend marry the love of her life ;)

Watch both of my kids graduate from college. 

Learn a foreign language other than English! If you have to ask, you just don't get it!

Meet Mike Rowe and star in an episode of Dirty Jobs. This man is brilliant, I want to be him when I grow up! Oh, and definitely sign his S.W.E.A.T Pledge.

Live long enough to see a TRUE AMERICAN president in the White House who's only agenda is to uphold the constitution.

In My Honest Opinion...the Fault In Our Stars

I recently saw The Fault In Our Stars. Let me just say, I did several things wrong prior to seeing this. First, I didn't read the book before seeing the movie which is a BIG no-no for me. I always read the book first, unless of course I lack the imagination to understand said book. Such was the case with the Harry Potter series. I so wanted to be a cool kid and talk about those books but I just couldn't do it. Second, I made the huge mistake of reading some of the reviews on said book and some of them were negative so I went with a less than positive attitude about the movie.

After seeing it, by myself I might add, this was the text I sent to my daughter before even leaving the theatre: You know that pain you get in your tonsil area and the stingy feeling you get in your nasal passage right before you start blubbering and snot is dripping profusely from your nose and then you get the hiccups from holding your breath so that you don't make a scene? Yeah, so I just did that. Now I have a headache from trying to hold it in!

Yep, it was that good! I am definately gonna go back and read the book! My lesson learned from this...everyone has an opinion, and that's ok. But remember, they are just that, opinions.  As I've said before, different things mean different things to different people. Don't become a victim of contempt prior to investigation. You never know what will light a spark within you so don't let someone else's opinion become your own. Learn to be you and LIKE that person!

The Journey of An Ironman

One of my favorite movies of all time is Forrest Gump. Forrest just has a way of putting complicated things into a simple perspective. I can appreciate that because we live in a pretty complicated world, although mostly of our own making. I like the line in the movie where Forrest asked, “What’s my destiny, Mama?” and she replied, “You’re gonna have to figure that out for yourself.” Simple question with a simple answer, right?
Well, let me tell you a story about of friend of mine, Paul Reynolds. Now many of you know him. He’s a local physician, lived in Coleman for the past 19 years and has come to be known as, “that Crazy Dr. Reynolds” by quite a few folks around town mostly because he has a somewhat crazy philosophy about his exercise. If you live anywhere around here, chances are you have seen him running, sometimes in the middle of the night with a light strapped to his forehead, biking all over the county or swimming back and forth across Memory Lake, thus the “crazy” reference.
Why on earth does he do these crazy things? Because he asked himself one simple question, “What’s my destiny?” And the answer, “You are gonna live your life as healthy and happy as you possibly can!” You see, what many of you don’t know about Paul is that he has diabetes and hypertension. These are two of the leading causes of death today, especially among Americans both male and female.1 http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/lcod.htm Paul came to realize that he had one of two choices to make. He could either live, or he could die. He chose to live, and live to the fullest.
Recently Paul was interviewed by KRBC in Abilene. They did a story on him for his efforts to educate our community about fitness and active lifestyles. The reporter unknowingly made a comment that we (his office family) have come to torture him with. The reporter said, “He isn’t a Small Man”. Yes, I admit, even I have dealt him misery over this statement. But what Paul has recently proven to me is this: He might not be a Small Man, but he IS an Ironman!
In case you don’t know what that means, let me explain. Paul recently completed the 2013 Florida Ironman Triathlon. This was held on November 2nd in Panama City Beach Florida. There were approximately 2,800 athletes participating in the race. According to a press release from IRONMAN, the Florida race is one of more than 30 events in the global IRONMAN Series. It featured a two-loop, 2.4-mile swim in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The one-loop 112-mile bike course took racers out into the surrounding areas of Panama City Beach. Spectators filled the roads along the 26.2-mile run course which paralleled the shoreline through local neighborhoods to the turnaround in St. Andrews State Park. All of this had to be accomplished in less than 17 hours.
Now because some of us are more “visual” than others, I recently explained this Coleman, Texas style. Imagine swimming across Memory Lake to the tower and back about 7 times. Of course this will be minus wind and waves! Then, trudge out of the water and hop on a bicycle and ride to Abilene and BACK. Yes, round trip guys! Then you slap on some shoes and run all the way to Brownwood. Now let’s not forget, this must be accomplished in less than 17 hours and yes, it will take some of the athletes almost 17 hours!
The participants of the Florida Ironman included professional triathletes, Royals from Bahrain as well as amateur triathletes. The overall times ranged from the top professional triathlete finishing in 7:53:12 which broke a personal best as well as other records for him to the last legal finishing time of 16:59:53. Paul’s time was 14:26:45. There were hundreds that put in a valiant effort but were not able to complete the race within the time limit or were unable to continue in their race due to exhaustion, fatigue, and/or injury. For every single person that crossed that finish line, they were rewarded with the announcement, “Congratulations! You are an Ironman!” No sweeter words have ever been screamed through a microphone!
Now you might be asking, what does one do after accomplishing such a monumental feat? You see, that’s where the real beauty of this whole story comes in. The answer: REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT! After so many years of training, such a huge change in diet and lifestyle habits, Paul can now say he LIVES like an Ironman! Just as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Life is a journey, not a destination”. There is no ending, only a lifelong journey of health and happiness, living life to the fullest! And the best part, Paul gets to be a living example of what he tries to educate his patients about every day! He gets to “be the change he wants to see in the world”.
In conclusion, Sister Madonna Buder, also known as the Iron Nun, was quoted as saying, “We have all been given different talents. We have to dig deep to discover them. And when we find them, we are obligated to use them for the greater good.” Paul gives thanks to God for giving him an illness that allowed him to dig deep and discover his talents and he gladly shares his wisdom with the rest of us in hopes of us too living a healthy and happy life as long as possible!

Definition of a Dad

For all of you Fathers out there that step up to the plate....thank you!

To tell a man Happy Fathers Day has great meaning to me. It's more than acknowledging that he is a procreator, it's acknowledging that he is a decision maker. He has decided to be a provider, to selflessly give of himself to his children. He has decided to impart wisdom and knowledge that will help to mold his children into our future. He has decided to be involved in his children's lives and support their loves and curiosity's. He has decided to be patient when his patience is clearly at its maximum capacity. It is having a special love that can't be contained and will even overflow to children that don't belong to him. It is a decision to respect his children's mother, for respecting her is respecting a part of who they are. It is a decision to be committed to a relationship that will continue to grow and change and last for a lifetime. Being a father isn't easy if it's done correctly, but it's the most important decision a man will ever make. I know many men who deserve to be told Happy Fathers Day and I am greatful for each and every one of them!

My Mini-Me on her big day!

20 years ago, I was the very first person to tell you happy birthday. So, I'm telling you happy birthday a day early today....cause I always want to be first in your life 

A poem written for my daughter on her 20th birthday….

I see you

The world’s idea of beauty is skewed. It says you must fit into a box that is perfect….perfect hair, perfect size, perfect person, perfectly lonely. Although you have beauty in spades….I see you.

Your beauty is not in the color of your eyes, the size of your body, your ability to regurgitate the answers the world is expecting. Your beauty is what lies within those eyes. What resides within that body. What your answers really mean. These are the things that distinguish you from most of the world….I see you.

You see, when I look into those eyes, I see hope, excitement for the things yet not experienced, compassion for others, peace that can’t be broken, love that has no rules….I see you.

When I look at your beautiful body, I see a young woman that is comfortable with her person. I see someone who shows her real face, confident in her imperfections because she is aware of her worth, someone with a heart so big, it causes the world to smile….I see you.

When I see the way you embrace life, I see a young woman full of passion. Passion for your reading and old movies, passion for your future, passion to be the best you can be. I see the love you have for your family and friends and know that in your eyes, you have everything you will ever need….I see you.

When I am in your presence or even when I see you from afar, I am overcome with pride at your confidence. A confidence that is derived from knowing how to speak, a confidence in knowing that you don’t need to be the center of attention, a confidence that comes from knowing you don’t need the approval of others. You radiate with security and poise….I see you.

When I look at you, I see something special, something uniquely you that can’t be duplicated. It’s something rarely seen, it’s the epitome of beautiful. It’s that something special that will forever elude the world but will be constantly sought by the souls that don’t have it….I see you.

45 and wise enough to stay stupid!

Please be patient with me as I attempt to get all of my previous blogs posted here! I promise to write some new stuff soon and if you haven't read these yet....I hope you enjoy them!

In honor of my 45th birthday on December 10th, I’ve decided to share 45 things I have figured out in life. They are in no particular order, just random…..like most of my thoughts are nowadays.
1. God does not Lord over me, He lives in me. When I finally came to realize that every thought, every action, every emotion, every feeling I have also affects Him, I realized the importance of the life that I am living here on earth. It’s quite profound if you actually think about it!
2. Everyone should know the joy of being friends with a Bird-Bird!!! The amount of entertainment that she provides could be put on an American Express commercial. Priceless!
3. Your children’s voices never change from the day they are born. The face looking back at you does, the words coming out of their mouths do, their personalities do, but the voice? Nope.
4. In order to be a truly beautiful person you have to possess 3 qualities: Love, forgiveness and acceptance. Without any of these, you are mediocre at best.
5. Confidence is sexy!!! I have come to realize that I will never see myself the same way as others see me. I just need to have the courage to trust that they can see things that I cannot. So I do not have to take a self-portrait of myself with my cell phone while standing in the bathroom mirror to get your attention!
6. You can learn a lot in this world if you will just keep your mouth shut and your eyes and ears open. This is really hard to do if you feel the need to be RIGHT all the time. I have learned that it is OK to Not be RIGHT all the time!
7. I love that I went to school with the same people for 18 years and even though I don’t see them often anymore, it still feels like we have been together all this time when we run into each other.
8. Finding a career that you love is like going on a mini-vaca every day from 8-5! After almost 20 years at my current job, I can honestly say that I still look forward to going to work every day.
9. You are never too old to better yourself! Never say you are too old to go to school, too old to start working out, too old to change bad habits or learn new tricks. You are not a dog, you are a human with a brain…use it! I was 30 when I went to Nursing School. I thought I was gonna be the oldest in the class, until I met my good friend Lynn who was 54 who rode to school with me every day!
10. If you get lucky enough to find your best friend in life, hold on for dear life! True friends are few and far between and much more valuable than any of your other possessions. They are also the cheapest form of therapy and entertainment!
11. Do something that scares you every once in a while. Not only does the adrenaline feel good, but it keeps you from becoming mundane.
12. Never pass up an opportunity to embarrass your children! This is one of my most favorite things to do and I hope to improve upon those skills daily 
13. It is hard work to stay married to the same person for over 25 years but don’t worry, a little hard work never killed anyone…..yet.
14. Facebook should come with a disclaimer, “for mature audiences only”, although, I’m afraid there wouldn’t be many people I know on there. Evil loves anonymity and what better place to lurk than on the pages of a social network. Stop the madness people!!! This is supposed to be for entertainment!
15. Gravity is not my friend. I don’t have a single body part that is in the same place that it was 20 years ago! What the heck? Was childbirth not enough of a punishment for Eve???
16. Artificial hormones are my friend! If you don’t believe me, just ask my husband, my children, my friends, my coworkers…. Nothing says you’re getting older than having your loved one ask, “Did you take your pill today?” Ummm, really???
17. You can pick your friends, you can pick your seat (at the movies of course), you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your family and you can’t hide from them forever either so you might as well get over it, grow up and get along.
18. Different things mean different things to different people. WTH?? For example, we like to spend Christmas day at the movie theatre watching back to back movies, eating crappy theatre food while others like to spend the day at home or in Church. Try not to be judgmental. Only YOU can put out wild fires!
19. Having a sense of humor is a gift. I know some people that need a few extra “gift-getting” opportunities to come along, lol!
20. Be unique! Barbie and Ken belong on the shelves at Wal-Mart!
21. Whatever you are doing, learn how to enjoy doing it. Life passes by too fast to live with regrets.
22. Travel a lot and don’t have a fear of getting lost. Memories can be made in many ways. And time is never lost when you are having fun.
23. Listen to all kinds of music and learn to appreciate all of it. Getting out of your box is healthy.
24. Make money, spend money, save money, lose money. But don’t forget to share money. That is the only importance that should be put into money!
25. Never be ashamed to admit that you are country. I personally tell myself that everyone in the world is jealous of Texans and they would do anything to be right where I’m at. Don’t try to tell me otherwise cause I just won’t listen!
26. Home is where your heart is and my heart lives in Coleman so you should know that if you don’t like living here, move. Hopefully you wouldn’t poop on your own kitchen floor and you shouldn’t do it on mine either! I don’t like to hear or read about how bad it is here. I choose to have a good attitude and see the things I want to see instead. Be a part of the solution instead of part of the problem. That is all!!
27. Dance every chance you get! Even if you aren’t any good at it, which I am most certainly not. You can at lease burn a few calories and entertain small bird-birds!
28. Take care of business, in every sense of the word.
29. Don’t wish your life away. Enjoy every minute of every day because it’s a gift.
30. Become a Ranger’s Fan for God’s sake. You have no idea what you are missing if you are not!
31. Figure out how to retire on a cruise ship! I’ve checked the prices at a nursing home and I think the month to month cost is going to be pretty comparable. That’s my plan as of now anyway!
32. When you feel the need to do something, just do it. That little voice that we call conscience is usually God’s way of getting our attention.
33. Sleep when you are sleepy, eat when you are hungry, cry when you are sad, laugh when you are happy and gripe when you are grippey. Just don’t do any of it to excess. Well-balanced people are a beautiful sight.
34. Read, read and read some more! Not only will it increase your IQ, but it will also expand your imagination and take you to places that you may never get to see. And while on this subject, always read the book before you see the movie. Your imagination is wayyyy better than anyone else’s!
35. The Dude really does abide…..just sayin’.
36. Robin Williams was, is and always will be the funniest person in the world. Truth.
37. Do nice things for people in secret so that you can really enjoy them. Recognition is highly overrated.
38. If you are gonna own a Bird-bird, invest in a good water gun. Take my word for that one!
39. Do not let your child get a dog while he is in college unless you are ready to have a grand-dog. Another truth.
40. Spend as much time with your kids as they are willing to allow. One day they will have their own lives and their own families and they will hopefully be doing the same thing. Circle of life and all that yada-yada.
41. Make it part of your MO to tell other people good things about themselves. Some people never hear them and they need to…as much as you need to be the one telling them.
42. Don’t take others for granted.
43. Find a church and make it your second home. You might not always like what goes on there but hey, you don’t always like what goes on in your real home either but you don’t just move to another house every time you get disgruntled.
44. Coping skills are good for you, just like bacon! You can never have enough of either one!
45. Who you started out to be doesn’t have to be who you end up being. You are in charge of more than you think. So blaming your parentals, your circumstances, your past, etc. just doesn’t fly. Be the change!!
Welll, there you have it! I don’t blame you one bit if you didn’t read it all. It’s really for myself anyway. I could have gone on. I guess that’s a good thing. I hoped that I would have learned a few things by now! Being 45 is pretty darn awesome. I’m not even half way through and things just keep getting better!
c

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