Quote for the Day

"The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time" Bertrand Russell

Summer is the perfect time to lay in the sun with a good book or sit around a bonfire with your family. Sometimes the best memories come from wasted times!

Lists

I have been thinking about lists lately. We have To-Do lists, Honey-Do lists, Grocery Lists, etc that can overwhelm our days. I recently read a couple books that dealt with lists. In Twenty Wishes a group of widows create lists of wishes that they want to do or accomplish like take belly dancing lessons, fall in love again, travel to Paris, or volunteer. In The Next Thing on My List a woman finishes the list of the passenger in her car who was killed. Her's was a list of things to do before I'm 25 such as lose 100 pounds, wear sexy shoes, change someone's life, and run a 5k. Also, several years ago, Oprah got many people started on writing a gratitude journal, or list of items you are grateful for. My sister-in-law Julie started a Thankful list of things she is grateful for. So, it got me thinking, what am I thankful for, what do I want to accomplish, what do I need to get done. I went and purchased little square journals from Barnes and Noble. In one, I keep a list of the books I want to read and keep it in my purse, so if I am out and and see one, I can grab it. I also thought it would be great to write down ideas for future gifts as I see them. In another I keep next to my bed and write down the things I am thankful for. I don't do it every night, but try to do it 3-4 times a week. I used to keep a gratitude journal back in my single days and ran across it a few months ago. I enjoyed reading through it and noting how different my life is now as a mom and a wife. Then in another book I started the list of things I want to accomplish. I didn't put a time frame on it...just in my lifetime. I would like to share that list and maybe it will inspire you to work on your list of wishes as well.

1. Own a 2nd home in Colorado
2. Take our kids to see the ocean
3. Wear my wedding dress again
4. Learn to knit
5. Own and run a bakery/cafe
6. Pay back my parents for all the bills they paid for me while I was single and struggling
7. Be a Grandma

If I come up with more, I will continue to add to my list and cross them off as I accomplish them. Who knows what lies ahead of me, but I sure hope it includes a few of my wishes!

Iowa Flooding

This is a view of downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The building on the right is where my husband and I had our wedding reception. My husband's office is about 3 blocks to the left and also has water in it...just don't know how much yet. There are many many people who have lost everything to the flooding in Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Iowa City, Coralville and many numerous small towns including Palo. Please say prayers for all those who are suffering and ask God to watch over them, give them strength, and show them there is still hope. The devasation will be long lasting and the cleanup will take months. They are going to need your prayers for weeks and months to come. But, the people of Iowa are strong and we can get through this.

The Girls

Last week my friend Tammy and I attended the long awaited opening of "Sex and the City" in theaters. We were able to go on opening night along with hundreds of other excited women. For days many news broadcasts stated they were unsure if "women alone" could make a movie a top seller. Ummmm....Yeah! I think so. At the theater we went to, every showing was sold out...women standing in line before being allowed into the theater....some dressed up to fit with the image of those NYC girls (including me!) Obviously the mall wasn't prepared for the flood of women to converge on their mall. Afterwards, all the bathroom stalls were out of toilet paper! We then went to the great little bar for appetizers and I had to have a martini (dry ice and all). The critics of this movie said it was only about sex, but for me this movie is about relationships and friendships. My favorite line from the movie for me was the counselor asking Miranda and Steve...."Do you love each other enough to put the past behind you and make this work?" Gosh, isn't that so simple yet so difficult? I have struggled with a few relationships and I have continued to hold on to my bitterness or pride and let them slip away. Did I not love that person enough to make it work? Did I want to be right more than I wanted have them in my life? I am struggling with someone very close to me right now and can see our relationship slipping away. Do I love this person enough to put the past behind us and move forward? Do I value my pride and judgment of her choices more than our relationship? It isn't easy, but I am working through it and I have to keep asking myself..."Do I love her enough to put the past behind us? Of course this has to be a two way street. For Miranda and Steve, it was meeting at the halfway point of the Brooklyn Bridge if they were willing to move forward. Where is my halfway point? Will she show up if I go? I'll keep working on it if you'll keep praying for me. Make your relationships with your family and your friends a priority. You will be rewarded.