BC Day 6 - What Are You Afraid Of?

Blogger challenge, Day 6:  What are you afraid of??

Hmm... this is an interesting challenge.  I am afraid of a lot of things, some physical, and some not. I try not to think of my fears, but just for today I am letting myself.

First and foremost, I am afraid of not making heaven my home, and never seeing The Father, or Jesus. I'm afraid of never seeing my Dad and my other family, friends and loved ones that have gone on. That is something I have to work on every day. I want to be there with them in the end!

In addition, I'm afraid of living my whole life and never really knowing God. Does that make sense? I don't want to just have a religion. I want to have a relationship with God.

I'm also afraid of living the rest of my life alone. I absolutely hate being single. I can't imagine never again having someone to share my life with. That being said, I'm terribly afraid that I will meet someone terrific, and that in itself is a whole other issue.

I'm afraid that I haven't taught my kids everything I should have. I'm afraid they are going to go out into the big, bad world out there unprepared for what life has to bring them.

I'm also afraid of letting others down by my choices. I know that I should get over that, because this is my life. Mine. And I can do anything I want to do. I am trying to conquer that, slowly but surely.

In the physical sense, I'm super afraid of dogs. I was trapped on a porch by a little yapper back when I was a kid, and it has scarred me for life. If I know a dog, then I am okay. Or, if you have a dog, and you tell me it is friendly, then I will believe you. Other than that, I won't even get out of a car at a house where there is a dog if no one is outside to save me from it.

I'm also afraid of swimming in water that I can't see the bottom in. You never can tell what kind of scaries are in there. No. Thank. You.

Add to that list snakes, spiders, scorpions, mice, rats and any critter that Sophie brings into my house that is still alive. Yikes!!

And tornadoes. Let's not forget tornadoes. I have gotten over my fear of storms as I have gotten older, and now I like to stand on the porch and watch them happen. But tornadoes? No. Still very afraid of them.

And thankfully, God has helped me to overcome my fear of sleeping in my house alone at night. These days, when my kids stay overnight at their friends' houses, I'm okay, and I am very thankful for that.

So, interesting challenge. It has really made me think.

What are you afraid of??

BC Day 5 - My Proudest Moments

Blogger challenge - Day 5 - My Proudest Moment

Geez... this one is really hard. I have thought and thought. I have so many moments that I have felt really proud of myself, my kids, my friends... I just don't know where to start. And I'm not sure what this challenge is really asking from me. So, that being said, I'm going to break this down a bit.

First, my kids. Oh man. I am so proud of them so many, many times. I feel such pride when someone tells me what a kind, caring son I have. I love that other people see what I see in him. I feel such pride in my daughter when someone tells me how she has stood up for herself, or overcame something that was so hard for her. I am so proud of both of them when I see the really good "kids" that they have grown into. I love them both, so much!

My family. I am so proud of my Mom for keeping the faith and striving to carry on without my Dad. Being alone sucks, really. I feel such pride in my sister, for being true to Dad, and striving to take care of the family since he has been gone, as he requested of her. I am so proud of my brother to see how he stepped in and took such good care of my Dad during his last days. I am so proud of my brothers-in-law and my sisters-in-law because when they married in to our family, they stepped in whole-heartedly and loved all of us as their own. 

My friends. I have so many good friends that have went through such troubling times in their lives, and I am so proud at how they have handled themselves. Every time, it has helped me to see their amazing examples. In addition, I have a lot of young friends, that I am so proud of the way they conduct themselves in this world.

And myself. Wow. This one is the hardest for me, because I never think in those terms, "I am so proud of myself because..." I have always been taught not to be prideful. "Pride goeth before a fall", etc. It is hard to change my way of thinking. But here are my thoughts: 

To some, this may sound crazy, but I am proud of myself for sticking with a troubled marriage for 17 years, and for being in it for the long haul, even if he wasn't. And afterwards, when I could have laid down and just given up, I'm proud of how I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and carried on. Although I've definitely had my "not so fine" moments, I'm proud of the Mom that I've been to my kids. I'm proud of the friend that I am and the employee that I am, even though I am by far not perfect.

When I say I'm "proud" of myself, please note that I am really just saying how thankful I am that God has helped me to keep on keeping on. I surely do have my moments that I am not proud of me at all, but with God's help, I can shake those off and move forward.

Like. A. Boss. 

BC Day 4 - My Dream Job

Blogger challenge - Day 4 - My Dream Job:

Well this is an easy question! What is my dream job? What would I truly love to do, every single work day? 

O.R.G.A.N.I.Z.E. !!!

I can't help myself. I just love to organize things. Drawers, cabinets, closets, garages, etc. etc. etc.

My dream job would be to own a home organizing business, specializing in closets.

However... reality bites.  I am 43 years old.  And I already have aches and pains.  I am just too old to start a physical job like that.  Plus... no money. Bummer.

As a random side note, I would love to own a coffee shop/bakery/bookstore.  Really.  So, if any of my friends ever wants to open one here in Cushing, I'm your girl!

But, at the end of the day, I truly do love the job I have.  Recently, I have been blessed with another job within the school system.  And I am loving every single minute of it.  I am so thankful!

What is your dream job??

BC Day 3 - My Favorite Quotes

Blogger challenge - Day 3 - My favorite quote:

Some would think that today\"s challenge would be easy. Everyone has a favorite quote, right? 

Oh yes, me too! Except that... I have a whole bunch of them! Yikes! 

Hang on to your hats friends... here goes...

"Just like the butterfly, I too will awaken in my own time"

(Thanks to my friend, Chera, for introducing this quote to 

me... I just love it!)

I\"m getting stronger... even on my weakest days ♥

(Sara Evans)

Life may not be the party we\"d hoped for, but while we\"re 

here we might as well dance...

(from Mrs. Howard)

Sometimes the dreams that come true are the ones you

never even knew you had...

Those are my true favorite quotes. However... I have a few 

jewels from Pinterest that I just have to share with you all, 

even if my sister says that is cheating! Haha!

And, as a tribute to my Dad, and my Polish heritage, a Polish proverb:

Not my problem! LOL

Happy quote day! Feel free to share your favorites with me.

BC Day 2 - 20 Facts About Me

Blogger challenge: Day 2: 20 Facts About Me

1. I am the baby of my family, and I have always loved every single part of that.

2. I absolutely love to organize. I just can't help myself. It is truly a compulsion.

3. I am comfortable spending time alone, but I hate to be lonely. Two totally different things.

4. I have been to, or through, all 48 continental states. I love to travel!

5. Someday, I hope to go to Ireland. I don't really know why, but I even dream of it sometimes.

6. I love to watch sports on tv almost as much as any guy. And I mean, all sports. Even golf. I love me some Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson!

7. I love to decorate my home, and have a secret wish to be an interior designer/home organizer.

8. My favorite movie of all time is Grease 2. My second favorite is Gone With The Wind. I can't imagine two more different movies. Lol

9. I am very insecure, but I hide that fact with jokes and laughter.

10. I am terrified to swim in water in which I cannot see the bottom.

11. The first concert I ever went to was Rick Springfield when I was 13. The last concert I went to was New Kids On The Block when I was 43.

12. I would love to write a book that became a best-seller. Maybe a funny one.

13. When I was pregnant with Wade, I craved margarine and would eat it straight out of the tub with a spoon. That would explain the 54 lb. weight gain...

14. I love celebrity news and information. People is my favorite magazine. Haha!

15. I have broken my right pinkie toe... 5 times!

16. I love to make people laugh.

17. I am a "people person", but don't feel like I have many "people".

18. I secretly want to do community theater. I mean, since Broadway isn't an option...

19. If I could pick the "perfect guy", he would look like Keith Urban... and I'd take the accent too (and no, that does not mean I am looking! Lol)

20. If I won the lottery, I would have a hard time not giving all my money away to my friends and family.

Those are my 20... anyone else want to share 20 facts about themselves?

Blogger Challenge Day 1 - Your Blog’s Name

At the risk of "blogger overload", in addition to my 30 Day Ab Challenge, I am also going to participate in another 30 Day challenge for bloggers... just for fun.

So, Day 1:  Your Blog\"s Name

I am assuming they are asking why I named my blog what I did? Well, it is kind of self explanatory.

You Might As Well Make Lemonade

As we all know, life happens. And sometimes it just sucks. Bad things happen to good people all the time. And I figure, I can lay down and cry about the bad things, or I can pull myself up by my bootstraps and just go on. Everyone has heard the saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade". My blog name is usually my response when I hear that phrase. Why not? You might as well make lemonade. It won\"t do you any good to just talk about it.

These two quotes pretty much sum it all up:

So, I\"m choosing to make lemonade, each and every day.

Getting My Yoga On

Well... it rained tonight. Just as I opened the door to go for my walk, the skies opened up and let it go. Since we really needed the rain, I decided not to complain, and took it as a sign that I should start implementing my new exercise routine. On the days that I get home too late to go for my walk, I\"m going to start doing yoga.

Now, let me say this:  It is not a pretty sight. That is for sure. And, oh my gosh, I must be the most inflexible person in the world. 

This is what yoga should look like:

But, I definitely looked more like:

...except that I can\"t even bend that much when I do these. Lol

That being said, I\"ve been doing face yoga (which I can actually do) and I love it. Here is a link to a face yoga page. You should try it!!

http://www.stylecraze.com/articles/10-yoga-exercises-for-slimming-your-face/

All in all, I had a really fun time. I am so glad that my kids weren\"t home to see me try this. I would have been mortified. 

So... BRING ON THE RAIN! It won\"t bother me. I\"m going to be over here getting my yoga on!

Color Walk - Orange!

Day 31... Orange Day!

Yeah, yeah, I know that yesterday was the color orange. Today should have been something different, but since I totally forgot to take pictures yesterday during my walk (I still can\"t believe I forgot), I decided to make today orange day as well.

But... orange is hard! Who knew? I was really surprised, but I did manage to find a few orange things. Now, I had totally prepared myself to take a picture of something OSU, but honest to goodness, I didn\"t see even one Pistol Pete out there. Not even a painted curb address. Sorry Cowboy friends!

Here are my orange pictures:

Orange Fire Hydrant

Orange Terra Cotta Pots 

This Robin (Red-breast) isn\"t so red... His belly is totally orange. 

Orange hose 

Orange ATV 

Orange electrical sign 

Orange property boundary marker 

Orange wagon wheels 

Orange flowers 

A weird orange light coming from inside the house. 

And... as usual... I have a little surprise at the end. This could possibly be the strangest thing I have found on my walks yet!

This is a fork. A fork, that is wound around itself. So strange!

Happy Orange Day Ya\"ll! Now go drink some orange juice :-)

Color Walk - Day 30! Orange!

I made it!!! 30 days of walking, without missing even one day! Really, I can\"t believe it. I\"m not sure where my motivation came from, but I am thankful for it. I\"ve had my ups and I\"ve had my downs. I\"ve learned a lot about myself these last 30 days. 

Now what? 

Well, I\"m not stopping now! No way. And, as promised, here are my after pictures. I don\"t love them. I can\"t tell much difference in how I look. But, I do feel much better, and that was the whole point in the first place. The rest is just gravy.

So, here is my commitment for the next 30 days. I may miss a day here or there, but I will walk at least 5 days a week.  4 weeks from today, I will post before and after pictures again.

And, after all that, I forgot to take pictures when I was walking today! Ugh. I just can\"t even believe it. I walked in Stillwater after work, because I had to finish Sheridan\"s birthday shopping. So, I walked at Boomer... and didn\"t take a single picture. And it was ORANGE day too. Lol. I couldn\"t have found a better place for orange clothes! 

Oh well... tomorrow is another day. I will make it an orange day as well.

Thanks for sticking with me these past 30 days. I appreciate you!

Color Walk - Royal Blue

Day 29. And the first color day! I have put a ton of different colors into a cup. Every day, I will draw out a color and that will be the color of things I have to find on my walk. Can you guess what today\"s color was?? 

R.O.Y.A.L.    B.L.U.E.

It was fun! You know what is odd though? I have been walking, every day for 28 days, and for all that time, I rarely saw colors. Instead, I saw letters. Letters, letters, everywhere! But tonight, as I was walking, I was completely aware of all the colors surrounding me. I loved it!

That being said, here are my ROYAL BLUE things:

Dumpster

Blue planter 

Spinner 

Basketball goal 

Trashcan 

Handicapped sign 

Carrier brand 

Car 

Playground equipment 

And, just like always, there was something unique...

A shopping cart. Way far from any store. Obviously they are hiding it. Lol

And that is it for my first color day. I can\"t wait to see what color I get to look for tomorrow!

Alphabet Walk - Z

Zippa dee doo da! Zippa dee day! My, oh my, what a wonderful day! Plenty of sunshine, headed my way! Zippa dee doo da! Zippa dee day!

Well, Z day was a success! I am at the end of the alphabet. I actually still have 2 days to go to get to the magical 30, but I know I can do it. Thanks to some awesome friends, I have not missed even one day during the last 28, and Lord willing, I will make it 2 more. And then I will be up for a new challenge.

I haven't noticed much weight loss, but I have lost inches for sure. And regardless, I know I'm healthier, and my Dad would be so proud of me for that.

Z was a super hard letter. I actually took 3 Z pictures, but one didn't look very "appropriate", so I'm only posting two. But, after that, there is a surprise!

There are ZigZags all over this water.

 Zip Tie! Woo Hoo! This was definitely a surprise find.

The other picture was a zipper, but well, it just didn't turn out as I had hoped.

So, that being said... make way for...

Ziva and her babies: Zoey, Zach, Zion, Ziggy and Zellie!  (Zoey is hiding behind her mama)

Such cuties! 

These little sweeties totally made my day!  

Happy Z Day... the end of the alphabet challenge. A special thanks to everyone that has stuck with me through this and has encouraged me the whole way. I appreciate you guys!