Saturday, January 23, 2010

Living Life Cheerfully

My financial advisor sent me a letter about creating an LLC - not the Limited Liability Company that you think of but about Living Life Cheerfully in a depressed economy.  Living life cheerfully doesn't mean you need to be rich or spend a lot of money, its about values and living in a rich & fullfilling lifestyle - whatever that may mean to you.

Here's a partial list of what was on their list of ideas of operating a LLC:

  • Feed someone's parking meter
  • Walk a dog - borrow one if you have to (I have two)
  • Hug someone
  • Write a letter of appreciation
  • Pay a true compliment to someone that annoys you
  • Prepay the person's bill behind you in the drive-thru lane
  • Visit local museums and monuments
  • Volunteer at a homeless shelter
  • Watch an old 'feel good movie'
  • Donate blood
  • Design an "I remember when..." activity with family (a great way to capture memories and pass value down to the next generation)
  • Don't get hung up on the things you can't change - stay focused on the positive
Here's a few of my suggestions:
  • Take a hike - in the mountains, along a river, in a community park
  • Pick up the trash you find along that hike and pack it out
  • Read a book
  • Clean out closets, storage sheds, etc and donate items you no longer use/need
  • Visit a senior citizen in a nursing home and LISTEN to what they have to say
  • Volunteer at an animal shelter
  • Plant a tree (native to your area of course)
  • Smile at everyone you meet
  • Call a family member or friend and tell them what they mean to you - don't miss the chance
  • Live, Laugh & Love
What are some of your LLC moments?

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

It's Wednesday and I Got... Nothin'

I've been trying to come up with some thing clever or interesting to post but just can't seem to pull it together enough to write anything...

I went to Grandpa's funeral last week, we left Tuesday morning after I took a test and came home Thursday afternoon so I would be back for my clinical assignment on Friday.  The funeral was Wednesday, 1/13 - it seems weird that he's gone and has been gone a week.  I was able to have a local florist there make a flower arrangement in the shape of Grandpa's brand - the "cross lazy h' - that brand has been in the family since 1925 or 27.  It turned out really well I thought, very simple - like Grandpa.



As hard as it was to see him so miserable this past year it was just as hard to say good-bye.  I can still remember (barely) him helping me make a playhouse out of card tables and sheets/blankets. He'd crawl right in and play house with me, I'm sure it wasn't comfortable for him but he seemed to have as much fun as I did.   He always had a carton of malt-balls for me when I got there and money when I left...  I guess I sort of got a cost of living increase because every couple of years I'd get a 'raise'.  :-)

Grandma & Grandpa live(d) on a ranch in Eastern NM - pretty much in the middle of nowhere but for a kid it was heaven!  You could go anywhere and do just about anything with no worries (other than rattlesnakes) - Mom's never had to worry about us getting 'kidnapped' or hit by a car...  I could ride my bike or walk to my hearts content.  The only way it could have been better was if they had a horse... who ever heard of cattle ranchers without horses????   I learned how to drive a stick-shift out there - no worries, nothing to hit but an occasional cactus... and maybe a cow or two (which I never hit, thank you very much).

It was good times.  My cousin and I would spend a week or two out there every summer - feeding cows with Grandpa; and Grandma always had a couple of craft projects for us to do.  And once a week we'd head into town for groceries and a burger and shake at the Tastee-Freeze.  I'm gonna miss Grandpa.

Let's see... what else?  Bryan is still job hunting.  He got laid off on December 17 so he is back to the streets looking for work - in a 4 state area. And no wonder NM's unemployment is seemingly lower than the rest of the US - you can't get thru to the unemployment office.  Bryan has been calling several times a day since Dec 28 and hasn't gotten through yet.  I've heard similar complaints from people at school too...  FRUSTRATING!

He is headed to North Carolina to help one of my sisters & her husband move to San Angelo, TX.  He is driving their truck back to Mom & Dad's house while they drive their other vehicle and moving truck to SA.  hopefully the weather will hold out and he won't run into any storms.

I am doing well - a bit discombobulated after missing 3 days of class last week but slowly getting back on track.  Clinicals are going well - I LOVE this!  So much so, that I am no contemplating continuing on to get my Physician Assistant's (PA) degree once I've completed my RT work...  we'll see.  It's a two year Master's degree program and I'll have some pre-req's so probably 3 years for me...  so we'll see.  I just need to worry about the upcoming year and getting my RRT credential first!!!

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Good-Bye Grandpa

JT Toombs
Pep, NM
August 28, 1917 - January 10, 2010


You will be greatly missed Grandpa!!


















Thursday, January 7, 2010

Pet Peeves

Here's some of my pet peeves in no particular order - although if hard pressed I could give you my top 2-3.  Or maybe you can guess them.  :-)

  1. People who don't pick up after their dogs.  I don't care if your dog is some little ankle-biter that weighs a 1/2 pound.  Their poop still stinks and it still makes a mess on my shoes.  Don't ruin it for the rest of us... If your dog poops - you scoop!
  2. People who don't place there hand/hat over their hearts during the national anthem.
  3. People who sleep in class
  4. People who are disrespectful to others, especially their elders - Hello, you too will be old someday.  Do you want some little punk-ass 'kid' treating you the way you just treated that senior?
  5. People who try to exit when you are trying to merge - reduce your speed and get behind me, don't speed up & pass me just to slam on your brakes so you can squeeze in between me & and the car in front of me.
  6. People who text - in a meeting, while driving, in class, while in a conversation with someone....  this list could probably be longer.  
  7. People who think telling their kids to (shut-up, come here, stop that, don't interrupt, quit, etc etc) 150 times in a progressively louder voice is HELPING.  Whack the kid on the butt and see if they mind you better, worked for the rest of us when we were growing up.
What are some of your pet peeves???  

Happy (1 day late) Birthday New Mexico

98 years ago (yesterday) New Mexico was inducted as a state into the United States of America - January 6, 1912!!!

I realize that the territory or idea of New Mexico is closer to 400 but as a state - HAPPY BIRTHDAY NEW MEXICO!

Monday, January 4, 2010

Christmas in Dallas

After spending a few days in Pep visiting with my parents & grandparents, we headed east to Dallas to visit with Bryan's family.  We left Pep on Dec 23 around 8 AM (CST) and whoo-doggy, is that a long road to Dallas.  We made it just in time to hit all the Dallas commuter traffic... in the dark.  Lovely.  We planned on camping at Lake LaVonne, just a few miles from Anita & Jay's place in Richardson.  We thought with the dogs, this would be a great place to be - being able to let them romp a little. Silly us, we didn't factor in Texas' crazy-ass weather!

So we got in around 7:30 PM and set up camp.  Tried to walk poor Hannah & Maggie but the ground was so wet & soggy it was nearly impossible.  Then the rains & wind came.... lots of wind and lots of rain.  The next day dawned cold, cloudy, wet & windy - the ground surrounding the camper looked like we'd missed our campsite and set up in the lake.  Water everywhere.  Yea!

We made it to Bryan's families house around 8 or so that morning and luckily Jay had the foresight to 'puppy' proof the garage so Hannah & Maggie had a dry & warm place to hang while we visited.  They weren't super-thrilled with being cooped up but it beat being outside in the wet (& eventual snow) and the didn't tear up anything.  I'm so proud!!!

Usually I'm a picture taking fool but not this go-round.  I didn't take any photos at Mom & Dad's for some reason and just a few here.  Oh well, here's a few from Christmas Day.


Rest stop somewhere in TX


Hannah & Maggie





Miss Julie getting a bath


Bryan & Melanie


Melanie on her bike from 
Aunt Mona & Uncle Bryan - can't pedal
it yet but she'll get there.





Melanie & her hopscotch rug


Irene (mom-in-law) & Raymona


Christmas chaos


Bryan





Somewhere outside of Bowie, TX on our
way home - Dec 27