Ok, 1 more

Last one, I promise! This is a classic...

My favorite video

This is awesome. A trip down memory lane. Ok, that's enough videos for today!

Funny Panda

I didn't realize I could upload videos.. I'm going to be hooked now..

Shirley Q

I had forgotten about this until a friend sent me a link yesterday. Hope this doesn't offend anyone!

Happy birthday, sweet baby!

Welcome to our world!

I can't wait to meet you!

FlyLady wisdom for today

I have not posted in so long and have so many wonderful updates, but never make the time to write. (And I’m still not really going to… sheesh..) :O) I just wanted to share this.. I found this SO good this morning…The FlyLady deposited this into my e-mail inbox this morning. She is so wise…

Dear Friends,

There was a time not too long ago when hostages were being held in various parts of the world. There are probably people being held prisoner right now somewhere in the world. Please keep these folks in your thoughts and prayers. These innocent people are subjected to all types of torture.

We have all heard the horror stories about being deprived of food, water, and sleep as well as being bombarded by noise and physical and mental abuse. These poor prisoner's bodies are forced into survival mode by the stress of this situation. They begin to lose focus on what is real.

You are incensed that people would treat other human beings with this kind of disrespect. Did you know that you are one of those hostages? Your jail is PERFECTIONISM and your jailer is TIME! Yet when I tell you to take care of yourself you say, "I don't have time, there are too many other things that need to be done." So as a result you are taken hostage.

It all started many years ago: Since the day we were born we have been told that if you can't do it right; don't do it at all and the other side of this perfectionism coin told us that we were women and we could do it all and have it all. No wonder we thought we were superwoman.

Well superwoman, we're not! That didn't stop us from pushing ourselves to the physical limit. Our first little home had to be perfect; you know this attitude. We could pull it off when it was just us. Then add into the mix a new husband and his stuff. We still wanted to have the perfect home. But guess what we did it. Only a few
times did our perfectionism rear its ugly head and we put things off because we didn't have time.

Then we found out we were pregnant. During our pregnancy we were waited on hand and foot! This is when we first started losing sleep; some nights the heart burn and leg cramps kept us jumping up and down not to mention being uncomfortable in our own skin. At least we could nap if we got a chance and not feel guilty. This is also when we fixed up the nursery and let our perfectionism go into overdrive. The
rest of house fell into CHAOS, but it was OK because we were pregnant.

After the baby arrived we prided ourselves in being the perfect mother. Then reality happened: Night feedings and losing even more sleep; not to mention the hormones running amuck. Throw into the picture of this perfect little family a new mom not eating properly, drinking enough water and getting very little sleep. This perfect picture is no longer feeling perfect to this mom. So she starts beating herself up because every thing seems so much harder now. Now some new moms can continue to hold it together until the second or third babe comes along. Then things start to fall apart.

I believe that you can never catch up on lost sleep. Sleep refreshes your body and heals. If you have to drag yourself out of bed; your body has not gotten its "nap out" like my granny always said. A good judge is how many times you hit the snooze button in the morning. Your body is begging for sleep! Then add in not eating right or drinking water along with perfectionism pushing you into crash and burn fatigue. Your body shifts into survival mode; you are being held hostage. Imagine being pushed into a pond of ice cold water. We have heard about children falling through the ice and when their core body temperature is lowered their little body starts to shut down. This is what happens to us. Our bodies think we are about to starve to death; unessential functions for our survival are turned off. Our hair gets thin, we are cold all the time, we get sick because our immune system has been depleted by the stress, we gain weight even though we are not eating that much, we feel depressed and we are so tired that we can barely move. All the while we keep pushing ourselves instead of listening to our inner voice say something is wrong.

When we finally do go to the doctor we are looked at like we are nuts. Aren't you superwoman? Or they pat us on the hand and say there there; Bless your little heart; Take two of these each day and you will be fine.

So how do we get out of this perfectionism jail that time has imprisoned us in. The strange part is that there are several keys that unlock the door to your jail cell. Sometimes it takes a combination of keys; you just have to start turning them one at a time.

1. Start going to bed at a decent hour and getting the sleep that your body is craving.

2. Eat food that is good for you and eat smaller meals more often. This keeps your body from feeling attacked and in survival mode. Please drink your water!

3. Set up small routines to keep from being stressed out by daily life. Your routines put your home on automatic pilot. You don't have to think; it just gets done and your stress is relieved one babystep at a time.

4. Catch yourself pushing too hard with the perfectionism. Stop and tell yourself it is OK. Housework done incorrectly; still blesses my family.

5. Remember that you can do anything for 15 minutes and then you get to rest.

6. Don't allow yourself to be beaten up by those superwoman voices in your head.

7. Find a doctor that will not patronize you and will listen. Ask questions. Have them check all of your thyroid levels. Check your body temperature. You may be in survival mode and your body is protecting you.

You would not treat another person the way you treat yourself. This is why the golden rule is so important; Love your neighbor as yourself. You can't love anyone else until you love yourself.

I want you to find the peace that I have! It came from taking care of me and listening to my body. Are you ready to FLY out of this perfectionism jail that time has imprisoned you in?

FlyLady

Update on JBS

J wrote me several weeks ago to let me know that it wasn't cancer after all. Thanks to all who remembered him! What a blessing...

Perfection not needed

Striving for excellence motivates you;

striving for perfection is demoralizing.

Harriet Braiker

I LOVED this quote today; and desperately needed it just today, as I've been beating myself up for the past 20 minutes. I seem to strive for perfection; why, I have NO clue. But I realized (through the help of the FlyLady) that, many times, people who are "lazy" are actually perfectionists. At first I thought that was crazy, and then it made a heck of a lot of sense to me. It's like, "If I can't do it perfectly, then why try?".

Well, I know that I'm getting lots better. I know that I'm becoming more domestic every day. I know that I'm becoming a better wife every day. And the silly mistake that I made today? I haven't made it in a long time… So, as the old song says, "pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again"…

Be gracious towards yourselves, friends…And I will strive to do the same!

Quote

I received this quote via e-mail today and really like it…

Although the world is full of suffering,

it is also full of the overcoming of it.

Helen Keller

FINALLY!!!

I am SO glad that Sanjaya is GONE! For true American Idol fans, and those that are musicians, I'm sure you'd agree with me that Sanjaya has been a JOKE. It makes me wonder if some things are rigged on the show. He sure got lots of attention. I hate that he lasted longer than Gina. Personally, I loved her.

In memoriam

My husband called me at work today to tell me that there had been another shooting; the worst in history. No words can bring comfort to this school, the parents, the spouses, the friends, the roommates... My heart grieves with you all. May the Lord bring you peace, VA Tech.

Last day of tax season...and a tad weepy

You think I would be glad! But for some reason, I'm a tad melancholy today. I guess all change is difficult at times. Even the positive changes.

I checked out ancestory.com today and started researching my family tree. I came across these obituaries for my loved ones... I wanted to honor them by listing them here...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------


James Dillard
Mauldin

James B. "Jim" Dillard, 67, husband of Mildred "Millie" Dillard, of 313 Poplar Lane, died Feb. 15, 2005.

Born in Carrollton, Ala., he was a son of the late Chester A. and Annie L. Adams Dillard.

Mr. Dillard was a graduate of Howard College (Sanford University), and worked in insurance sales. He was a member of Augusta Road Baptist Church for over 39 years, where he served as a Deacon, choir member, Sunday school teacher and Sunday school director.

Surviving, in addition to his wife, are his son and daughter-in-law, Brian Keith and Sharon Dillard of Michigan; his daughter and son-in-law, Alicia Beth and Mark Lippard of Denver, N.C.; his grandchildren, Mikaela, Rachel, Victoria, John, Haliny, and Derek McCord II, all of Suwanee, Ga., and Adam, Jordon and Noah Dillard, all of Birmingham, Mich., and Coley and Braxton James Lippard, both of Denver, N.C.; his brother and sister-in-law, Bruce and Kay Dillard of Greenville; and a sister-in-law, Delores Dillard of Pelham, Ala.

He was predeceased by a daughter, Bonnie Rebecca McCord; and a brother, Wayne Dillard.

Services will be Friday at 11 a.m. at Augusta Road Baptist Church, with the Rev. Chris Cadenhead and the Rev. Toni Pate officiating. Interment will follow in Graceland East Memorial Park.

The family will receive friends tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. at The Mackey Mortuary.

In lieu of flowers, those desiring may make memorials to the Adult Choir of Augusta Road Baptist Church, 1823 Augusta Road, Greenville, SC 29605.

The Mackey Mortuary, Century Drive.

Published in The Greenville News: 02-17-2005

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Bonnie D. McCord
Suwanee, Ga.

Bonnie D. McCord, 32, died Thurs., Sept. 14.

Daughter of James Borden Dillard and Mildred Hearn Dillard of Mauldin, she was a graduate of Berry College in Rome, Ga. She was to have entered the mission field later this month. She grew up singing in groups with her family and was a missionary in 1985 to the Philippines.

Survivors: parents; husband, Derek McCord; daughters, Mikaela Rebekah McCord, Rachel Hannah McCord, Victoria Grace McCord, all of Suwanee; brother, Brian (Sharon) Dillard of Detroit, Mich.; sister, Beth (Mark) Lippard, Charlotte, N. C.

Services: Noon Monday at Mount Paran Church of God - Central, with burial in Cheatham Hill Cemetery, Marietta, Ga. Visitation: 11 a.m. until time of service.

Memorials: Alaythia Ministries, 700 Rosebury Lane, Suwanee, Ga. 30024. -- L. W. McDonald & Son Funeral Home, Cumming, Ga.

Published in The Greenville News: 09-17-2000

A lesson learned

In my work over the past several months I have encountered two different people with the same disability of cerebral palsy. Both seemed to be pretty mild cases. Both were able to hold jobs. However, they were disabled. They were different. One was married, one was not (but informed me with a smile that he was looking).

Both of these gentleman had something in common besides their disability. They seemed to have deep joy. They were jolly, kind, funny. This has stuck with me over the weeks/months. So many of us complain about our circumstances, about the things we are currently facing. However, these gentlemen have something that cannot be changed, and they seemed genuinely happy.

One of these men was a cashier at a local store. I had forgotten my check book and had to run get it. Although it was close by, I realized I was inconveniencing him and apologized. He replied with "tell me when we have a real problem". I thought that was the neatest reply. I encounter so many people who are ungrateful, who complain at the smallest inconvenience (One man came to me to do his taxes. When he told me that he was filing joint, although his wife was not with him, I informed him that I would need his wife's signature before I could complete the return. He was mortified and stated that he'd always done it without her signature. I informed him that I did things the legal way, and that it was illegal and against policy for him to file without his wife's signature. He was so upset that he took his paperwork and left saying how inconvenient that was). How is it that these individuals with disabilities that I've encountered can be so kind, joyful, patient, without complaints, when they have to deal with the inconveniences of being different, being stared out, not being able to do some things that others can, etc...

I learned a lot from these gentlemen. Those of us without disabilities have much to be grateful for. I know that I take my health for granted. I pray that I will always remember these men and the lessons that they taught me.

Exciting things in our household!

My hubby and I have some very exciting things going on. I won't disclose all on here at this time, but will share a bit. We have a possible opportunity coming up that will allow me to become debt free AND possibly allow me to stay at home! Those of you that know me know that I SUCK as a housewife (although I've gotten lots better over the past few months; as they say, practice makes perfect!). Part of this is because I'm trying to manage working full-time, studying, cooking, cleaning house, yard upkeep, working out, and taking care of a hubby and a dog! Whew! That makes me tired just thinking about it! BUT if I'm able to stay home, that will make ALL the difference in the world. I can focus all my attentions on the house and on my schooling....

OH! And speaking of... My schooling has gotten lots better over the past months and my grades have improved dramatically. My most recent grade was a 98!! I got this email from my instructor today:

You did an EXCELLENT JOB on [your] test. Congratulations! Your GPA to date is 94% which is very good. Experience has shown that M-TEC premier grads with a GPA of 93% to 95% or above have few, if any, doors closed to them from employers on our [job boards]. Keep up the great work.

WOO HOO! Man it feels good to hear that. My first few tests in the course were 87 and 86 (with below 86 as failing!). So needless to say, this feels pretty darned good. I am almost 75% of the way finishing; BUT the last 6 sessions are the hardest in the course. I just hope I can keep my GPA up until the end. I had absolutely no clue how hard this course was going to be! But I am loving it and am anxious to begin my career.

I told my friend today, I sure hope it doesn't sound like I'm bragging, or boasting, but it is just a miracle to me that I've done this well. I emailed my instructor back and told her that I still pretty much feel like a "wannabe". So it's wild that I actually have a 94. This is actually a very high B. M-TEC has VERY high standards, which I guess they should since medical transcription involves people's medical data.

Anyway, I have digressed. Just wanted to say good things are on the horizon! Keep us in your thoughts/prayers. My hope/prayer is that all will work out as I think it will! I'll keep you all posted!

Good is good!

Please remember JBS

Many of you may remember my friend JBS, whom I was dating at the time of Hurricane Katrina. He lived two blocks from the beach in MS, lost everything, and lived with my folks and me for several months until he was able to get a FEMA trailer (there are posts regarding all this on my blog in the fall of '05). Although we aren't dating any longer, we have kept in touch some. Oddly enough, we both got married the same week.

I received an email from him a few days ago stating that his endocrinologist believes that he has a tumor on his pituitary gland. I feel so badly for him. As if losing everything in Katrina wasn't enough! I pray that the results of his test on Monday will show that is not cancerous. If it is, I pray that it will be able to be reduced/eliminated by treatment. I hope that if you are praying person that you'll pray the same with me.

I wish good things for him.

Thanks for your help in this.

Goodbye sweet Wilma

I've had my first experience in management in the past few months. I had one lovely employee to manage. On Saturday, April 7, she had a massive heart attack while driving home from work and died immediately. I found out Easter Sunday and cried half of the day. She was such a special lady. She was such a joy and made management SO easy for me! She was faithful, a hard worker, flexible, made me laugh, and was such a precious lady. She will be missed immensely.

Godspeed, sweet Wilma.

Flixter

Ok, so there is a part of me that is just like a 13-year-old girl. I have come across this Flixter site and LOVE it! I've become addicted. It's great mindless entertainment for me.

See side of screen for my favorite movies!

Very belated entry

Hello friends! This post is LONG overdue. My good friend (and my former most faithful reader; I'm sure she's long given up on me now!) once said that I really only posted when I was unhappy. So I guess these months of silence have been a good thing! It's amazing how much your priorities change when you get married! I don't have nearly as much free time on my hands as I used to!

My days have been very full with working full time, attempting to study full time, learning to be a good wife, learning how to be domestic when I TOTALLY stink at it! I think I'm getting better every day though.

I am loving TN but miss my family and friends a whole lot. It's really amazing how content I am; the only people in my life are my hubby and my sweet dog. I have made no friends yet, however I am strangely content! I know that SAM cannot meet all of my needs and that I will eventually need to meet some folks, but for now, life is great.

I will try to post more often if I can! Hopefully my readers haven't given up on me!

Much love to you all...

Traci M

The best phase

I haven't written in so long. I've had so much going on and life has changed so very much! I have turned in my notice at FPC and my sweetheart and I have decided to marry and move to the lovely state of Tennessee. My heart is so full as I think of so many exciting things that are soon to happen!

My 4 1/2 years here in Hattiesburg have been such a learning time for me. I have learned how to be my true self and to stand for what I believe. I have learned not to fit into a mold but to discover what I am, who I am and be true to just that. It is hard to be different. But I feel braver and stronger for it.

My road to love have been long. These past 4 years or so, I have made so many dating mistakes. I've had some special relationships, and those I will never regret. JBS and PJA are still my special friends and I wish so many wonderful things for them. Before this most recent phase of my life, I spent 10 long years in a relationship that turned into divorce (8 years dating, 1 year married and 1 year separated). In all actuality, our marriage should have been annulled and I just waited too long. I regret much of those 10 years. I sat outside tonight in the chilled air and thought about all my friends and family that gave me wedding gifts several years ago. I almost whispered "I'm sorry" out loud. Then I thought, "what am I sorry for"? I realized what I was sorry for. I am sorry that SAM will not be my first husband. He is everything I've wanted. But, the good news is, I've found him! Or better yet, he found me. He is so kind, gentle, giving, patient, loving and smart. He takes such wonderful care of me. He is broken, like me and we are perfect for each other. I'm so grateful that our paths have crossed and I cannot wait to start our family!

God is good. And he offers second chances, and third, and fourth - onto infinity... I pray that SAM and I will be gracious to each other always. That we will be kind, even when it hurts. That we will forgive, and believe, and continue to laugh and laugh and laugh. I pray we will be honest, even when it hurts. I pray that God will bless us with children that we can teach, nurture and raise into fine adults. I pray that we will get healthy and stay what way. I pray for many years for both us - especially for my sweet SAM who is a tad older than me. I want us to have 30+ years together! But, no matter how many days we have, I pray that they will be precious ones. I believe they will be. Every day I've had with him have been so precious already. I appreciate and enjoy the most mundane things with him (I once heard that marriage is living the mundane together. I love that idea. And I love the idea of the mundane with SAM!).

I have never known love to be like this. I smile when I think of him. My coworkers call me blushing bride as SAM and I talk several times during my work day to touch base and remind each other that we love each other.

Another phase is soon to begin. In 5 days I will move closer to the mountains, closer to an area that actually has 4 seasons, and closer to the love of my life. I know that this will be the best phase yet and words cannot express my gratitude.

Grateful

I seem to do a lot of posts on gratefulness. I guess because I realize that we can't complain when we are grateful. We can't focus on the negative when we are focusing on what we are grateful for.

A friend of mine has used the word "messy" with regards to life and I really like that. Life can be messy. Relationships can be messy. But we do our best to learn and clean up the mess until it gets messy again. I really like this quote I encountered recently. . .

Being grateful for what we have today doesn't mean we have to have that forever. It means we acknowledge that what we have today is what we're supposed to have today. There is enough. . . And all we need will come to us. -Melody Beattie

No matter what, we are blessed. Let us focus on our blessings.