Summer Blog Challenge

I am not, as you may have noticed, an assiduous blogger -- some of you miss my posts and some could care less. But it is time to catch up. My dear friend Fonda has issued a challenge... a "Summer Blog challenge". I thought, this would be as good a time as any to start blogging again.

Our first topic... WHAT SAYS "SUMMER" TO YOU?

Summer means so many things for me. One of them to say the least is sadness. Every time around this year, for the last 13 years, I have been reminded of that fateful day when Paul passed away. The pain of losing him is gone, but in a strange way it's still there. I still miss him. I don't think I will ever forget the day I found him laying unconscious on our front-yard. I never thought I would lose him like that, so suddenly... so abruptly. Even though his death certificate says July 14, 1997; In my heart and mind, he died July 13, Sunday.

I am grateful to God for the many blessings He has given me. My life with Paul, a beautiful daughter, and now my life with Doug. Thank you, Lord!

In Loving Memory

Paul Rene Saunders
May 5, 1959 - July 14, 1997

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints."

~Psalm 116:15

I could not stay another day,
To love, to laugh, to work or play;
Tasks left undone must stay that way.
And if my parting has left a void,
Then fill it with remembered joy.
~ Shannon Moseley, “Don’t Grieve for Me”

LIFE IS A THEATER - Invite Your Audience Carefully!

Not everyone is healthy enough to have a front row seat in our lives.
There are some people in your life that need to be loved from a DISTANCE.

It's amazing what you can accomplish when you let go of, or at least
minimize your time with, draining, negative, incompatible,
not-going-anywhere relationships/friendships.

Observe the relationships around you. Pay attention.
Which ones lift and which ones lean?
Which ones encourage and which ones discourage?
Which ones are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are going downhill?

When you leave certain people do you feel better or feel worse?
Which ones always have drama or don't really understand, know or appreciate you?

The more you seek quality, respect, growth, peace of mind, love and truth around you...the easier it will become for you to decide who gets to sit in the front row and who should be moved to the balcony of Your Life.

"If you cannot change the people around you, CHANGE the people you are around."

Remember that the people we hang with will have an impact on both our lives and our income. And so we must be careful to choose the people we hang out with, as well as the information with which we feed our minds.

We should not share our dreams with negative people, Nor feed our dreams with negative thoughts.

It's your choice and your life... It's up to you who and what you let in it.

~Author Unknown

Burrowing

It’s hard to write, when there is so much you *don’t* want to write about. Too many things to think about and plan for. All I want to do is curl up in bed hoping everything will be done and fall into place. Alas, I must get up and get on with life!

Change

I decided to change the look of my blog. I'm not sure how long I'm going to keep this design. I think it's a little busy for my liking. On the other hand, I love the new look on my Project 365!

I do like that this design is more personalized. See the little sticky notes on the side? :)

Technologically Speaking

 I just finished reading my friend Fonda's blog post and it got me thinking about the Internet, social media and this whole technology thing.

Where was I technologically speaking, 10 years ago? 15 years ago? Maybe even 20 years ago. Let's see...

I remember Paul's cellular phone, it was so big that it has it's own bag and it needed to be plugged in the car for it to work. I remember him having a pager for work and I thought he was all that (this was before we were married). In those days, only doctors have pagers!

If I remember correctly, I got my very own cellphone in 1996 or 1997. It was gigantic candy bar style cellphone compare to the size of the phones now a days. I know it was a Nokia, because I remember thinking what a strange name and that it would be great to invest in the company if I had the funds to do it. I wish I did!

In 1998, I created my very first website called "What's Up?" (very creative, huh?) when I lived in Rockford, Illinois. I had to learn and teach myself HTML, back then you had to know how to write HTML code to publish your own website. Not so anymore. I remember one of the members of my family being upset because I had posted DD and my pictures on the world wide web.

It's so strange to think how far we've come, technology speaking. We have the internet at our fingertips, we blog, we twitter and facebooking is now a verb! We can surf the internet, send email, take pictures and even make movies with our cell phones.

I wonder what's next? What about you? Do you remember your first cellphone or computer?

In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb

February has come and gone. It has been a very mild winter, but I have heard that March is known for coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb. I'm hoping it will be a lamb this year. I hope we don't get any snow since I've already started taking down the plastic insulation over our windows. Apparently, this winter has been the least snowiest on record.

My spring flowers are starting to come up, I'm excited to see the bulbs I planted last Fall growing. I mentioned to DH I needed to get my tomatoes and other vegetable seedlings I want to plant this year. But, he is not as enthused about it as I am. He has put in for a couple of bids out of Washington so we are kind of up in the air right now. Regardless of were moving or not, I will have my tomatoes, eggplants and herbs this year!

I started going to a work-out class called Zumba on Tuesdays and Thursday... very fun fitness program! I have much to do as far as "Spring Cleaning" goes, I'm editing a lot of our stuff in our house. So much to do!!!

Meet Brutus

Our new baby... a 4 1/2 pound Shima!

I have been wanting a designer doggie for a long time! For the last couple of years, I have been looking to get a Yorkie-Poo. Tonight, DH and I decided to get a Shima, it's a cross between Shih Tzu and Maltese. He is such a cutie!!! Don't you think Brutus is a perfect name for our little fur-ball?

Brutus needs a haircut!

Ode to Autumn

This is one of my favorite times of the year. Green leaves gradually changes color to vibrant reds, oranges and yellows, transforming the natural landscape right before our eyes. What better way to celebrate the season by sharing this poem with you!



Ode to Autumn
by John Keats

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;
To bend with apples the mossed cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o'er-brimmed their clammy cell.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reaped furrow sound asleep,
Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers;
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cider-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings, hours by hours.

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,--
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir, the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft,
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

Somewhere over the Rainbow

I've been feeling melancholy lately... I don't know why. So I decided to make a playlist for one of my favorite songs.

This is a collection of many different versions of Somewhere over the Rainbow. From the classic & original Judy Garland, the blues sound of Ray Charles, the Hawaiian style of Brother Iz, sweet voice of 6 year-old Connie Talbot, to the rock and roll version of Jimi Hendrix and every thing in between.

I'm looking for Norah Jones and Whitney Houston's version. If you have it or any other version please let me know. I hope you take time to listen to Connie Talbot's version, she's a 6 year old singing sensation.

Enjoy!

Summer Round-Up

Summer is quickly coming to a close and fall season soon to begin! I'm sorry to see summer gone but I am ready for the cooler weather and I am ready to end my hiatus from updating my blog!

DH had to work a 6-day week pretty much all summer. The extra money from over-time was very nice. But we weren't able to do our favorite activity which is to go on road trip on weekends, to visit nearby towns and check-out festivals around the area. Although, we had a chance to go and explore the Olympic Peninsula while visiting his parents in Bremerton.

I have lots of photos to share, and DH just bought me an external hard drive (1Terrabyte) so I can organize my pictures. I will try and upload some photos soon.

Celebrate Growing Older

48 life lessons for my 48th birthday.

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
18. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
19. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
20. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
21. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
22. The most important sex organ is the brain.
23. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
24. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
25. Always choose life.
26. Forgive everyone everything.
27. What other people think of you is none of your business.
28. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
30. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
31. Believe in miracles.
32. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
33. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
34. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.
35. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
36. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
37. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
38. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
39. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
40. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
41. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
42. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
43. The best is yet to come.
    
44. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
45. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
46. If you don't ask, you don't get.
47. Yield.
    
48. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

I would like to take credit for these life lessons; but this was written By Regina Brett, a Columnist for The Plain Dealer in Cleveland , Ohio. It is the most-requested column she's ever written.

Dropping By

Sorry if updates in my blog is kind of slow (more like non-existence) but time is not on my side as I juggle to finish commitments and everyday chores.

Anyway, just drop by to say that DH and I are doing well and will try to get an update soon!

In Loving Memory

Paul Rene Saunders
May 5, 1959 - July 14, 1997

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints."
~Psalm 116:15

I could not stay another day,
To love, to laugh, to work or play;
Tasks left undone must stay that way.
And if my parting has left a void,
Then fill it with remembered joy.
~ Shannon Moseley, “Don’t Grieve for Me”

I Feel Good

Whoa-a! I feel good, I knew that I would, now
I feel good, I knew that I would, now
So good, so good...

You know when you've accomplished something and it makes you feel good about yourself... that's how I feel right now.

Last week, I've been working around the house to get the boxes unpack and put away. The boxes in the living room are all gone! The kitchen, living and dining room area are organized. My china and crystal are safely put-away in the china cabinet. My Christmas Village collection is displayed, pictures and painting are hang on the wall. My house is starting to look and feel more like home!

Next week's project: the family room and the office.



Today I joined an exercise class from our church... I have been thinking about exercising and getting to know the women at my church and this was the perfect opportunity. After class, I went with two other ladies for a protein smoothie and brained stormed for some ideas for the Women's Ministry. Our church is a small congregation and they can used some help; so I think will jump right in with both feet. I figured it would be a good way to get to know these women and get involved with the church.

My week has been busy and fulfilling. I hope yours was too!

Should We Worry About The Swine Flu?

Today I sneezed and made a comment about getting the swine flu!

Well, DH was not very happy about what I said and told me that the swine flu is very serious and people are dying. So, somewhat chastised I decided to do a little research on flu pandemic.

According to what I found online, the last great flu pandemic to hit the world was in 1918. That flu killed 2.5% of all people it infected. This new swine flu is killing 6%.

So why not worry?

Think about 1918. There were no anti-flu medicines. There were no widely-available face masks. There were no quick diagnostic tests. There were no governmental early warning systems. There was no widespread knowledge of how to avoid infection, or quick access to medical personnel if one did have an infection.

Today, people — even in the relatively poor country of Mexico — are being screened weeks earlier, preventative measures are being taken, quarantines are being put up when they can still be effective, and information about this situation and how to prevent it is a knowledge that pretty much everybody on the planet now possesses. We are a cleaner and healthier race than we were 90 years ago, and the immediacy and quality of our medical care is vastly improved in even the poorest corners of the planet. The United States alone handles millions of flu cases per year, and while the swine flu is a specially bad version of the flu, it is still the flu.

Can a disease still come along that will again wipe 40 million people? Possibly... but if it does, it will be something new and unexpected to which the tried and true methods of infection avoidance prove to be ineffective.
_________________________________________________

A little swine flu humor added in for levity's sake:

Spring has sprung!

In spite of Old Man Winter's grip, spring has sprung! Fuzzy buds are unfurling from the tips of our bushes, flowers are budding and tulips are poking through the ground.

To celebrate spring DH and I went to Seattle for a few days last week to visit his parents and sister. Sarah took us up to the viewing area of where she works; Columbia Center, Seattle's tallest building. We had fun looking over the city and had a great time.

Of course, you can't really go to Seattle and not stop at Pike's Market. On the way to his parents house, I got my M-i-L a bouquet of spring flowers and I got some for myself on the way back home.
While on the Ferry, we saw the USS Abraham Lincoln on it's way to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton. The Ferry actually stopped and let the ship through the channel first. The USS Lincoln is huge; it was an awesome sight!
On the way back to Spokane, we stopped to take pictures at Columbia River and the Wild Horse Monument.

Thanks mom and dad, we had a very nice visit!

This and That

Writing about the weather seems to be an easy subject when I can't think of anything to say. I will do my best to not focus on the weather since I can't really do anything about it. Although it's been warmer and sunny the last two days, it's still too cold to work in the yard.

I have been kind of in the dumps lately. I just haven't had the motivation to get these boxes unpack. Believe me I have the plan on how to do it, what I don't have is the motivation to get going. Every day I tell myself: "August, you need to unpack these boxes. Start with one box!" But when I see the mountain of boxes in the living room, family room and garage, it's just so overwhelming!

I think I know what's bothering me... it's the possibility of moving to Texas. DH hasn't heard anything from them, but he did tell me that they sent his boss some sort of "evaluation questionnaire" so they are looking at him. At this point we don't know anything yet. It's the waiting and not knowing that's so hard!

Last week DH and I went to Outback for dinner and the service was so poor that the manager didn't let us pay. I felt sorry for him because they ran-out of a lot things and he was going from table to table explaining and probably giving them a free meal as well. He told us because of the weather their delivery truck was stuck on the other side of Snoqualmie Pass. Our date wasn't a total loss, we still had a nice time talking with each other.

Because of the economic downturn, DD (darling daughter) lost her job and got-laid off. So yesterday, Sunday, she moved in with us until she figures out what to do. This is going to be a big adjustment, she hasn't lived with us and had her own apartment for the last 3 years. Come to think of it other than summer and holiday breaks, she really hasn't lived with us since she left for college in 2003.

Wow, I didn't think I have that much to say! I guess I better stop for now before this becomes a big wall of text.

Until then,

Spring, where art thou?

The gray and cold weather is starting to get on my nerves! Today, I woke up and there's frost on the ground! Weather forecast for snow today and tomorrow. Grrr!

I've been having a very bad cabin fever for the last week. I want to start my vegetable garden but it won't be frost free until May 15th. So, I must wait until then.

To my friends down south, won't you please send warm sunny days in my neck of the woods!

Adoption Update

I hired an attorney to help me with the adoption. I was interviewed several times by the local social workers who will be handling the case. They came by the house to do a child and home study report. Consent papers were signed, and when I left the Philippines, my attorney was ready to file the petition for adoption. He told me, it's going to take 6 to 12 months for the final hearing.

I need to get a home study report done here in the US and I was given a number to call in Seattle, so as soon as I get that done, I need to send the report to my lawyer and the Social Worker who's handling my case.

So far, it's looking good!

Once she is legally ours and we have the birth certificate to prove it, we can file the necessary paper work for her visa so we can bring her to the US.

In the meantime, DH and I continue to provide for her financially and we talk to her on the phone at least once a week.

Please continue to pray for her, for the adoption process, and that our hearts and home will be ready for her.

Here are some photos of her to enjoy!

at the beach...

girlie tent & a new doll...

say cheese..!

my new bike...

mommy and me...

Computer Virus, Spyware & Malware

This week I had a really bad computer scare! My system was infected with Spyware Protect 2009. It happened the day that DH left for Florida. So I had to deal with it myself. DH told me what I needed to do while waiting for his flight. So with the help of Spybot Search & Destroy and Ad-Aware, I managed to remove it from my computer.

I've always known NOT to click on any unknown pop-ups. But Spyware Protect 2009 looks very legit. Regardless to say, I learned my lesson the hard way. I'm just glad my computer is working now and it is virus free at the moment.