It’s the first day of May! That means summer is right around the corner. Spring is always a beautiful time of year filled with hope and beauty as the flowers start springing to life. May is the month of transition into summer.
“May is the month of promise and the sweet beginnings of summer.”
– Unknown
Photo by Kaizen Nguyễn on Unsplash
I have always loved reading and writing. I enjoyed reading books when I was younger, especially Sweet Valley Twins and Sweet Valley High by Francine Pascal. I also loved Choose Your Own Adventure books. I thought it was so cool to choose the path the main character would take. I always read in bed with the dim light from the hallway to guide my way.
Since I was a little girl I have kept a journal. I needed a place to write my thoughts about my family, my friends, and my life. In high school, I wrote poems for my boyfriend and my family. Looking back they were pretty cheesy, but I didn’t care, I enjoyed it. I believe there is a folder of them in PA. Maybe I will publish some or rewrite them now. Just wait for it 🙂
Looking back, reading and writing have always been a big part of my life. Since I can remember I have wanted to write a book. I don’t know why, but I want to be an author. As you know I had a session with Jake the Medium last year and he said I will have books published. I am glad he has faith in me because I just don’t know where to begin so I am putting it in the atmosphere. I have so many ideas and thoughts but I can’t figure out where to start. But I WILL get there one of these days!!
Sometimes people turn their noses up at self-help books, but I think they are wonderful. They give you a perspective. They inspire you. They let you know you are not alone in the struggles you are going through. Although many, many books have helped me along the way, there is one author that I believe is truly inspiring and uplifting. Her name is SARK (Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy), and I discovered her right after college through a friend’s recommendation.
Her books are colorful and fun. Just looking at the cover makes you smile. They are uplifting and inspiring. Two of my favorites are “Succulent Wild Woman” and “Make Your Creative Dreams Real“. If you need a little pick-me-up in your life then PLEASE order one of her books.
SARK also has a website. Her latest post is about her birthday month, which is April, just like mine. She celebrates all month just like me. She turned 70 this year and decided to call it Level 7. I love it! How exciting to reach the next level!! I cannot wait to reach Level 5 in two years. (P.S. I am kind of thinking Arkansas is where the party will be!)
Anyway, it is the last day of April and my birthday month is over. But I think the celebration should continue all year long. SARK proposes that we pick one or all of her 70 Miracle Missions of Love & Kindness and do them throughout the year. What a wonderful way to improve ourselves and spread cheer to others throughout the year. Cheers!
Photo by David Iskander on Unsplash
After a long, dark, and dreary winter, spring brings beautiful flowers and a world of hope. Spring shows us what God can do to the world around us. God also can bring beauty and hope to us after we are in a world of depression and darkness.
“Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world.”
~Virgil A. Kraft
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
I am sure everyone out there has one pet peeve or another. According to the online Dictionary, a pet peeve is “something that a particular person finds especially annoying.” My pet peeve is people leaving their shopping carts all over the parking lot.
I am not sure why, but when I see a shopping cart in the middle of a parking lot, up on a curb, or anywhere other than in the return cart area, I get so mad. It seriously drives me bonkers. I don’t understand why we as Americans are so lazy that we cannot take a cart back to the store that we literally just walked out of. Is it going to cost you that much time? Can you not walk 20 feet to return the cart to a safe place? Seriously, you just walked out of the store. You can’t walk back in?
Whenever we park and I see a cart in a random place, I take it in with me or to the return cart area. Personally, I don’t want a gust of wind to take that cart and run it into my car or someone else’s. Do people not think of these things? Do they not care about their automobiles or those of others? I don’t have many pet peeves but this one drives me nuts.
Our neighbor came home from Home Depot recently and told us a shopping cart had hit his truck. He happens to be a dent repair specialist so he will be able to repair his automobile. But what about others who are not as lucky? I blame the individual who left the cart first and foremost, but I also blame Home Depot. They do not have a lot of safe places for people to return their carts to especially further away from the store. I mean why not put rails up to keep customers’ cars and trucks safe?
I do need to give kudos to Kroger. They have return carts areas about every five parking spaces. I understand this does cut down on parking spots, but I was relieved that my blood pressure didn’t skyrocket because of carts in random places because they were all safely in the return cart area!
It helps a little when the person at least secures the cart on a curb, but it drives me crazy when it’s four parking spots away from the return cart area!!! For example, these two carts are on the curb and the cart return is right on the other side of that truck. FIVE spaces away.
Anyway, whatever your pet peeve is I hope you find a way to get through it. I know it’s hard because my blood does boil when I see this. I try to give the person the benefit of the doubt. Maybe the person was injured or had an emergency and didn’t have 48 seconds to return their cart. I try to put good karma out there by taking as many random carts as I can back to the proper area. I hope this will inspire other people to do the same and maybe we can curb this random cart pet peeve of mine!
Life is short. Be sure to live it to the fullest. Love with all your heart. Find happiness in all you do. Find beauty in the world around you. Because we can’t get this time back.
“A life without love is like a year without spring.”
~ Octavian Paler
Photo by Mark Tegethoff on Unsplash
Spring is coming and that means so are the flowers. The sign of spring. Flowers seem to always make people smile. It gives them hope that summer is coming. Flowers make people happy.
“Flowers always make people better, happier, more hopeful.”
~Luther Burbank
Photo by Ioann-Mark Kuznietsov on Unsplash
Monday, April 1, was my birthday which always happens to be April Fools’ Day! And I love it. Many people would find being born on April 1 annoying, but I have always found it so much fun. My mom tried to get me out on March 31, but I am glad my little body decided to stay in there until 12:06 midnight 48 years ago.
April has always been the best time for a birthday. It’s springtime and the weather starts getting better. It doesn’t fall around Christmas or Back to School Time so you get presents throughout the whole year for all the special occasions 🙂 Sometimes it falls around Easter, but that just makes it more special.
But here we are, another trip around the sun for me. Some people fret about getting older, but I think what I have learned from my dear family members who have passed away at the young ages of 38, 60, and 63 is that celebrating a birthday is a magical thing that you should feel blessed to be celebrating.
Although it is hard to believe that I am TWO years away from turning the BIG 5-0, I am excited about it. I hope I make it, and I hope I get to celebrate. My goal has always been to make it to all 50 states by my 50th birthday. If I haven’t made it to all 50 states by 50 (I’ll be close), my birthday party may end up in Arkansas! I am not sure what there is to do in Arkansas, but I will have to think of something if that happens to be the last state on my list.
This year, I was blessed that my late sister’s family was in town for Easter AND my birthday for the second year in a row. I hope the Spring Break tradition continues. I was so excited to spend time with my brother-in-law, his girlfriend, my niece and nephew, and my bonus niece and nephews. It was a packed few days with nine of us running around the house. We made it to church, had a delicious brunch, afternoon pool time, and an Easter dinner on the pool deck. The next few days were filled with boating and spending time on Fort Myers Beach. If you have visited us in Fort Myers then you probably know of our favorite ice cream place called Love Boat. My Prince and I continue to follow the tradition of my late grandfather which started over 20 years ago. Just like he did, we take all of our visitors to the Love Boat for ice cream! And I haven’t found one person who doesn’t love it! The rest of our time together was spent playing pool, ping pong, and games around the fire.
Anyway, as I get older I try to look at the positives. I don’t need anything materialistic for my birthday, just a few good wishes and some time with family and friends. I also realize that birthdays don’t need to be celebrated on the exact day which is perfect for me because I love celebrating ANYTIME around my birthday with ANYONE willing to celebrate!!
So the next birthday you have, live it up and be proud of whatever age you are celebrating! Celebrate YOU and YOUR day! You made it and deserve to be proud of your age, accomplishments, and life. Cheers to you!
P.S.
If you do want to try to reverse time, check out my new health and wellness business at www.skinlikestacy.mynuskin.com, and let’s get rid of some of those fine lines and wrinkles together!
While each season is relatively short, we also need to remember that we are only here on this Earth for a short visit. Be sure to enjoy every moment. Stop to smell the roses and find the good in all there is.
“You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry. Don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.”
~ Walter C. Hagen
Photo by Ruslan Zh on Unsplash
I wish this quote for all of my friends and family. May you learn from your past and look forward to all of the good times in your future. Make the changes to see the positive in all you do and see.
“May the best day of your past be the worst day of your future.”
~ Irish Blessing
Photo by Astrid Schaffner on Unsplash
As you all know My Prince and I travel A LOT! It seems we are Never Home, and if we are home, we have company. Some people think it’s amazing while others are exhausted just looking at our pictures and reading my posts. Other people don’t understand why we can’t stay in one place for any length of time. Sometimes we feel like we are being pulled in so many different directions. It seems that everything seems to happen on the same day. Having the FOMO (fear of missing out) that I have, I wish there was a way to be in about three places at one time!
We have had several people say they live vicariously through us. They love seeing our pictures and our adventures. They are always looking forward to see where we are going next. Some say they don’t have to travel because we do it for them. Many are excited that they get to see different places without going anywhere.
My Rock and I love traveling. We love our experiences, the people we meet, and the sites we get to see. We travel at least once a month if not more. Sometimes to Virginia to visit family and sometimes to different destinations to go skiing. Even though my hubby flies for work he still enjoys the personal adventure of the places we get to go. We are blessed to have flight benefits through his work, therefore, we can travel for less money. The problem is sometimes we have to run from one gate to another to try to catch that flight home. Or we have to stay an extra day because the flights are full. These are the frustrating things people don’t see. And sometimes it can make for a very long day. I just try to see it as an added adventure. It’s always fun to see where we will end up 🙂
Over the Christmas holiday, My Valentine and I were talking with his brother. We were talking about the new virtual reality glasses and how real they make everything look and feel. I am not sure how I feel about this new phenomenon. Yes, you can travel vicariously to the Eiffel Tower without ever leaving your couch, but is it the same as actually climbing those steps to the top? I guess I like the idea of the glasses for those who are limited by physical or mental impairments and cannot travel. To see them would probably be very cool. But I am nervous about the impact it will have on our society. Will people quit traveling? Will people quit interacting with others? Will people lose their desire to see the world? If you wear these glasses you don’t have to go anywhere, walk anywhere, or do anything. You just feel like you are wherever you want to be. I would rather see things with my own eyes, be there in my own spirit, and feel the real world around me, but maybe I am different.
My husband and I just spent 18 days in Europe. We went skiing in Chamonix, France, Zermatt, and Lenzerheide, Switzerland, and then ended with three days in Zurich, Switzerland. We were amazed by the wondrous mountains and the amazing views. We skied for 10 days with beautiful scenic drives in between ski towns. What a beautiful countryside. Once in Zurich, we walked thousands of steps, trying different shops, and going to different restaurants. I couldn’t imagine doing this vicariously through some virtual reality glasses and not being there in person.
I know living vicariously through other people or glasses can be fun. I love seeing pictures from other people’s travels. But I grew up with a desire to see the world. I want to BE in as many places as I can and EXPERIENCE as many different worlds and cultures as possible. I hope if you have a place you would like to go to you find a way to take that trip. Don’t wait for the right time or wait to have the right amount of money. Where there is a will there is a way. Make it happen and turn the vicarious into reality!