Thursday, July 2, 2009

Summer Stories

So I hear that some of you are actually reading my blog?! Well hot-dog, how about that, thank you! I was about to give up on it until I got some feedback. Embarrassingly enough, my last entry was at Easter time. I guess semi-annual blogs aren't real popular, ehh?
What's new for me is that I am drifting down that lazy river called "Summer". I love this time of year where my bedtimes are subject to change, and my greatest responsibilities revolve around my "domestic duties". I begin to relax and let go of that "I ought to" feeling that chases me around for the rest of the year, and sits on my shoulder like a vile "Jimminy Cricket"! I got up the other morning and remained in my pajamas after breakfast, reading a book that had thoroughly absorbed my interest. There was a temporary niggling of guilt, telling me I should be doing something useful with my life, but I got over it!
This makes me think of the tale of the ant and the grasshopper. In the story, the ant was virtuous and made the best of his time by planning ahead for the winter, while the grasshopper was "Mr.-don't-worry-be-happy". Then woefully the lazy, fun loving grasshopper finds himself starving to death in the winter, because of his lack of forethought. Mr. "goody-two shoes, the ant however has plenty of food stored up for the winter and is fine. What the story doesn't tell you is that the ant died of hypertension, because after running around being so busy, he didn't know how to let go and relax when the time came to do so! What I really think should have happened in this story is that the two might have helped each other out. The ant could teach the grasshopper how to plan ahead, and the grasshopper could teach the ant how to loosen up and enjoy life!
That's probably enough of the revised Aesop's Fables for now, but check in again with me soon. In th e meantime, relax, it's summer!

Friday, April 10, 2009

Easter Already?!

It is so strange to see a posted date and realize that a month has past since my last blog. I must confess that I got caught up in facebook and it is very suited to we "short attention" types. So much has happened since my last blog. I will attempt to catch up.
Spring break, which I was so looking forward to is already two weeks behind me. It was a lot of fun. My sister-in-law, Lynn rode up with me to Chipley, and stayed there to visit with her mom, while I went on up to Dothan, AL to visit with my daughter-in-law, Abby. She was there with her mom on their spring break, visiting "Aunt Pam". It was definitely a "girls week" which included lots of shopping and eating out and road tripping!
It was interesting getting in touch with Jenny's (Abby's mom) and Pam's family background. I got to see where Pam and Jenny grew up, went to school...etc. Dothan is quite a town! I even got to meet three "mature" aunts and uncles over a wonderful fish dinner at a "mom and pop" restaurant with authentic southern food. The aunts and uncles were great folks, and I enjoyed hearing their stories. It rained the whole time we were up there, even flooded dangerously in places, but God kept us safe through it all.
Lynn and I had quite an adventure on the way up. We got to talking and enjoying ourselves so much, we missed the turn-off for I-10. This only dawned on me when we saw the "Welcome to Georgia" sign. Then I didn't count on getting stuck in a traffic jam through road construction outside of Tallahassee, which wouldn't have been so bad if we weren't "yellow lighting" on the gas gauge, and having to go to the bathroom, really badly! What seemed like an eternity probably only lasted an hour or so, but once again providential grace brought us safely to a gas station, "whew"!
It has been exciting to stay on track with the diet and exercise, (even on spring break). Abby was kind enough to get up in the mornings with me and do the "work-out" I had on dvd. It probably would have been too embarrassing doing it alone. She's a great gal! To date I've lost about 18 lbs. and Joe has lost 20. I am planning to "fall off the wagon" when we take our cruise in mid May. I'll push myself harder with this mindset, the more I lose between now and then, the less I'll feel bad about what I'm sure to gain on the cruise. "Pre-meditated gluttony!"
So much for now my faithful blogger reader. I hope you have a blessed Easter. My next blog will probably tell of the pain involved in turning 49! "Ouch!"