Moving Day in Four More Days!

Sunday, August 22, 2010

I think the hardest thing to committing to a person when you are a mature person (at 71 I hope I'm "mature") is that one of you has to move. Now if it's just a little apartment, it may not be so bad; but if the person moving has been there for five or more years there can be a serious rat-packing problem and we all know what that means!

In the last couple of days I have thrown away about 20 pounds of magazines that I have never even opened the covers on, numerous blouses that I have not worn for at least 2 years, shoes that are no longer even in style, enough phone and other electronic connectors to start a small store (don't know what half of them even go to) plus I have taken books to donate to the Library, filled 2 boxes for donations and for the big stuff, I have Big Brothers/Big Sisters coming on Wed. with a truck! My garbage can was so heavy it barely rolled out to the curb!!

Hearing all of that you know who the one is that's moving. Of course on the other end of this two-some is George who is frantically sorting through scads of HIS stuff, knowing I will have "stuff" that needs to be stored also. And throughout this chaos there is the dread in his heart that furniture is going out, furniture is coming in -- he doesn't know which or where, but it's happening. At this point he doesn't care if it sells, or if he has to give it away -- he just wants it gone!

I asked him if it was OK to paint the master bedroom before bringing my bedroom furniture over (it's too heavy to move once it's in place) and he got this pained look on his face and asked carefully, "What color were you thinking of? It's not going to be something crazy, is it?" I assured him it was not "crazy" but a very soft Seafoam -- which of course, being a guy meant absolutely NOTHING! Men always wonder why we use words like mauve, chartreuse and violet; why can't we just say pink, green or purple!

Today I moved one really big, really heavy sofa off the carpeted area and into the tiled area of the great room; then moved the sofa table (glass with a marble pedestal) and one leather easy chair -- getting ready to vacuum and then using the carpet cleaner my daughter had given to me last year. It does a terrific job and everything will be fresh and clean. Got that all done, it is now dry and I just vacuumed it. Now to move the sofa back in from the garage that I had last year (which will be fine for a rental -- I was just tired of looking at it). Needless to say the movers went through the front door when they put it there, but being one fairly small person, there was no way I could maneuver it through the front door. My only hope was to go through the garage door leading to the great room. I measured the door and it would fit if I went through sideways -- and with super human strength I got it through (determination ladies!). I also moved 2 more of the dining room chairs over to my BF house along with 2 end tables. I brought back 2 of his end tables and a lamp, so it's starting to shape up.

I also reached the same mover who worked so hard for me last time and he said he could be available on either Thursday or Friday -- perfect. Whew! Four more days to go -- I'll keep you posted.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

FOOFYDEN 8/23/2010 11:58PM

Congrats for your new beginning,,,,Don't hurt yourself too badly with all that moving,,,,hmmm been here forever,,,it scares me the amount of "STUFF" I have accumulated...best of luck to you,,,,,,,,hugs Report Inappropriate Comment

BLESSED2BEME 8/23/2010 2:31PM

Moving is a lot of work - hope you are tracking your "exercise" minutes with this process! Report Inappropriate Comment

CATLADY52 8/23/2010 2:00PM

You are certainly going to need a rest when this is finished. Good luck and stay cool. Report Inappropriate Comment

PSMITH3841 8/23/2010 12:03PM

Oh geez....I can't even begin to imagine moving....(30+ years in one place makes for a lot of stuff) Sounds like you've got things pretty well under control, just don't hurt yourself while you're being Wonder Woman! Good luck with the move... Comment edited on: 8/23/2010 12:04:20 PM Report Inappropriate Comment

VITCHY-VICKI 8/23/2010 7:57AM

Good Luck on the Move Vicki Report Inappropriate Comment

SEPTEMBERSPIRIT 8/23/2010 6:01AM

The great thing in all of this is two fold... you are de-cluttering and moving in with a 'love'... new beginnings are great! Best of luck on your move! Report Inappropriate Comment

LIS193 8/23/2010 12:05AM

You are busy! Good luck and hope all goes well and fits where you want it to. Report Inappropriate Comment

JUDY1676 8/22/2010 11:40PM

Good luck on your move! Report Inappropriate Comment

BRITTVFAN 8/22/2010 11:13PM

Wow are you busy or what. Report Inappropriate Comment

For All My "Faceless" Friends

Saturday, August 21, 2010

I recently received this in an email and it reminded me of all the good friends I have acquired while on Spark People. So to all of you that I correspond with daily, and to those I don't hear from or write to as often, you are all thought of frequently, and you've enriched my life tremendously!

Though your face
I've never met
and your "given name "
I do not know
There is no room for doubt
of our bond
We're more than friends.
We're family, ya' know?
And not one of you
would I erase
for family is a permanent thing.

We are more than friends.
We're family
and that's a blessed and glorious thing!

I love U !

I wake up in the morning ,
And can hardly wait to see
If I've received a mailing,
Addressed from you to me.

I get my 'puter running
And much to my delight,
our poems, jokes and other things
Come quickly into sight.

Please keep those emails coming,
They are so enjoyable you see
Funny things, friendly things
Those things you mail to me.
But most of all the fun of it,
Is knowing that they came.
From you, my friend, to me!

I give this little tribute to all my friends in Sparkland and to others (if they happen to see)! I appreciate your friendship!!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

HAPPYONE331 8/22/2010 3:36PM

So very true........you just can't have too many friends! Report Inappropriate Comment

EPIPHANYANGEL 8/22/2010 12:51PM

That is so great. Report Inappropriate Comment

LACEEJO11 8/22/2010 11:13AM

Many of us can relate to and identify with this poem...me for one! Report Inappropriate Comment

SEPTEMBERSPIRIT 8/22/2010 10:57AM

Love it! Thanks for sharing!! Helene Report Inappropriate Comment

VITCHY-VICKI 8/22/2010 7:25AM

poem Report Inappropriate Comment

LAFFLOTS57 8/22/2010 1:11AM

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CBEVNOW 8/22/2010 12:55AM

Oh that is so true, i feel just like that poem. I must copy this. Thanks for this blog. Caroline Report Inappropriate Comment

SARABETH_60 8/21/2010 10:25PM

Amen!! Report Inappropriate Comment

DESERTFLOWER8 8/21/2010 9:20PM

Oh my gosh! This is exactly how I feel, too!Thanks to whomever wrote it, and to you for posting! Report Inappropriate Comment

FLUFFYFLOUNDER 8/21/2010 8:25PM

That poem is awesome. Thats exactly how I feel! Thanks for sharing that! Report Inappropriate Comment

PURPLESPEDCOW 8/21/2010 8:04PM

I hope everyone reads this. I feel like stealing it! Thanks for sharing. Report Inappropriate Comment

Haven't Reached My Goal Yet -- but it's closer

Thursday, August 19, 2010

If you expected to join Spark People and reach your goal in six months, that's great! But expecting it (wanting it) and doing it are two different things. I have been on here for a little over two years and I'm not quite there yet.

Yes! I've made a lot of progress! I feel so much better, I look so much better and I feel that I am healthier. I'm certainly smarter, the articles and blogs are terrific to teach you things you needed/wanted to know. I know that I eat much healthier foods than I ever did before. And some of the foods (habits) that I indulged in before Sparks are not even in my mind any longer. I don't think about them, I don't crave them, and I never eat them! To me that alone is a big step toward progress!

I have watched some of the newcomers when they first join, and the pounds come rolling off and I'm impressed. But perhaps what I should do is check back on them in six months and see how they're doing. My motto is "Never Give Up!" not if you binge, backslide, not even if you quit completely. Pick yourself up and get back on that horse -- think of it this way; two steps forward and one back. That way you can forgive yourself if you backslide a bit. As long as you are better than you were you are making progress!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

LIS193 8/21/2010 11:06AM

Great blog! We all start off great but at some point we slow down or even stall, depending how close to goal we get or if our body needs a "breather". The important thing is that your lifestyle has changed and you're feeling great. Report Inappropriate Comment

CATLADY52 8/20/2010 1:18PM

So you want to lose weight? Think back at how long it took to put on the weight. It wasn't put on overnight. Just work on it a little bit at a time. It'll come off slowly but surely.. It shouldn't be but, I WILL DO IT! Report Inappropriate Comment

PSMITH3841 8/20/2010 11:10AM

Two steps forward, one step back....just dance steps... as long as you keep moving you'll reach that goal! You're so right, Never Give Up....keep on moving! Have a great weekend! Report Inappropriate Comment

SARABETH_60 8/20/2010 9:34AM

You are so right. For me, it's been harder and harder to lose weight and I'm thinking that just maintaining is a victory. I've been hanging out at Spark for about 2 years and really have been up and down - right now I'm down, but will that last? I love your motto, never give up! Even if I drift away from eating healthy and exercise, I know I'll wake up one morning and get back to it. Thank you for the good thoughts. Report Inappropriate Comment

VITCHY-VICKI 8/20/2010 7:32AM

So True I have been here for 2 1/2 year and have lost 30 and gain back 5 take off 5 but someone told me here at Sparks as long as your trying your still on track. Plus I have made so many friends here and when I am having a bad day they help with kind words and they give me will power to keep trying. So thanks for the blog and making everyone feel good and not to give up one step at a time. God's Blessings Vicki Report Inappropriate Comment

SEPTEMBERSPIRIT 8/20/2010 4:59AM

This is very true for me in that I've been here for 4 years and although I've lost weight, it's not coming off as fast as thoe 6 month success stories! I agree with you when you say we must never give up - thus my own signature about persistence being key! I agree that no matter what the numbers say on the scale, we have become healthier in our awareness of what it takes to make it! Have a superb Friday! Report Inappropriate Comment

CJJANISS 8/19/2010 10:43PM

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If It Wasn't For My Dog, I'd Be FAT!

Saturday, August 14, 2010

If it wasn't for my dog, I'd be fat. She is the biggest motivator I have in my life. She looks at me with expectation and love in her eyes first thing in the morning. What she wants is to go for a walk. And she's not the type that dilly dallies along, sniffing at anything and everything -- no, sir! She steps right along, so I work up a sweat before we get back home (her legs are short, but so are mine) lol

She keeps a close watch on the clothes I'm wearing, but especially on what shoes I put on. And when I slip on my tennis shoes she begins to get excited; by the time I reach for her leash she is beside herself, barking and running in circles! There are times I wish I had her enthusiasm for a walk, and sometimes, on those rare days, I DO!

She also has the bad habit of begging food from me, but every morsel that slips into her mouth is one less that goes into mine. And you know what? She eats every little snip and morsel of fat that adorns a steak or a chop. Now, I ask you -- what kind of loyalty is that?

When I give thanks for all the good things in my life before going to sleep, believe me, Amber is at the top of my list. You DO have a dog, don't you? Don't miss out on one of life's greatest relationships -- get one! And come and visit me at "I Love Dogs" -- I'll even let you join my Team!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

JANET552 8/17/2010 6:43AM

What a great dog Amber is!! I have two and they are my walking partners too. Report Inappropriate Comment

SARABETH_60 8/16/2010 6:34PM

Love your dog's photo - gorgeous is exactly the right word. Pets are so wonderful - I've had dogs, cats, and dogs and cats. They love you no matter what (of course, the cats don't show it). Glad your Amber keeps you on the straight and narrow:-) Report Inappropriate Comment

THPEAKY 8/15/2010 5:54PM

As the "dogmom" of 3 mini dachshunds all I can add is : DOGS RULE! However mine are very old and don't go for walks on the leash any more....but they STILL rule. Report Inappropriate Comment

PSMITH3841 8/15/2010 11:26AM

My Zoey is one of the best workout partners I've ever had...she too sets the pace when we walk, plus, where else can you get a slurpy kiss with every successful crunch or pushup? Report Inappropriate Comment

LOUMARG 8/15/2010 9:43AM

Great blog. I do not have a dog anymore but did enjoy the one I had. Report Inappropriate Comment

VITCHY-VICKI 8/15/2010 6:16AM

no dog here unless the Grand dog comes to stay and I love when she does for then we go for walks but I do walk with the neighbor for she has a dog and without her and her dog Sally I wouldn't get as much walking in as I do. So I am thankful for my neighbor and her dog I would love a dog but hubby said NO but that is ok I have the neighbors Keep walking with the dogs and have fun doing it Vicki Report Inappropriate Comment

BLESSED2BEME 8/15/2010 1:00AM

Life wouldn't be the same with out my dogs. Or my cats. Or the dogs and cats at the shelter where I volunteer. Best thing in life! Report Inappropriate Comment

ALICIA214 8/14/2010 10:29PM

I have a dog,her name is Chica and she loves to go out walking. She knows exactly what is happening by what I pick up from my kitchen table, if I just pick up my keys she goes ballistic,but when Igrab my shopping bag , she just lies down. Report Inappropriate Comment

LAMBIERABBIT 8/14/2010 9:57PM

Yes, I have a dog--but he's the world's laziest walker--so much so, that I bought him a stroller so he wouldn't hold me back on MY walks! However, his sister, Daisy (also a Shih-tzu), is ANOTHER story! if you say WALK, she goes crazy with joy! she dances around me, then goes to where her leash is kept and looks up at me expectantly! She can walk for hours without tiring! she is a real trooper! Love these dogs! Report Inappropriate Comment

LUNADRAGON 8/14/2010 9:56PM

Your dog is gorgeous! What a great walking partner. I have cats, no dogs (sorry, I am allergic to dogs.) One of my best friends has a black scotty dog. I love my cats, and one of them follows me when I walk to the end of the dead end street and back. Report Inappropriate Comment

ADANA2009 8/14/2010 9:53PM

my dogs know my workout shoes too! they are great motivation! Report Inappropriate Comment

Happiness Comes From Within

Saturday, August 14, 2010

When you wake up in the morning YOU can decide if it's going to be a good day, or a bad day....... it's really as simple as that! Sure there are things that can make us grit our teeth, or shed a tear, and momentarily even stamp our foot -- but in the long run, YOU control whether you are happy or not.

I'm sure you've all met people who had lots and lots of medical problems that still seem to always have a smile on their faces. You've also met those that seem to have everything a person could want, and yet they are still grousing around about this and that.

So how do you accomplish being happy? How do you work up the energy or attitude that makes you decide "I'm happy with my life, satisfied with what I have or don't have, I'm just glad to be alive." First of all, practice the art of not comparing yourself to your friends, relatives or neighbors. Envy can work itself into your system and make you feel dissatisfied with your life. Unless you walk in another person's shoes you never know how they feel inside. And the outside that is presented to the world can be whatever they decide; it's those feelings that are inside that are all-important. And, by not comparing yourself, it is so much easier to be happy with yourself. Perhaps the second most important item would be being satisfied with what you have. There is an old saying "It's Easier to go from Poor to Rich, than to go from Rich to Poor." That is indeed true, for to look back on what you had and lost is hard. But if your life is nicer, richer, or happier than it was a few years back; isn't that something to be thankful for?

One little way of reminding ourselves of how lucky we are is to give thanks at bedtime of what we have in our lives that is good. Did you have enough to eat today? Do you have a home to live in? Clothing? Love? Then there are those little intangible items we seem to ignore. We can talk, hear, see -- all of these are blessings!

Tomorrow when I wake up, I'm going to choose HAPPINESS!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

CATLADY52 8/14/2010 2:31PM

Be happy and you wll find hapiness in everything. Be sad and you won't find it anywhere. Report Inappropriate Comment

SARABETH_60 8/14/2010 2:13PM

I loved this!! Be grateful not grumpy! And to think that I am sitting here on my computer in a cool room in the middle of hot August communicating with you -- that alone is a lot to be thankful for. Thanks so much for the good thoughts! Report Inappropriate Comment

PSMITH3841 8/14/2010 11:35AM

Me too! The way I look at it, I opened my eyes, put my feet on the floor, I've got this day knocked!!!! That makes me happy! Report Inappropriate Comment

HAPPY-DESTINY 8/14/2010 7:58AM

I have travelled a lot in my life..the best place I have ever been is being 'Happy' in the moment! Great blog! Report Inappropriate Comment

VITCHY-VICKI 8/14/2010 7:26AM

Blog to be alive Thanks Vicki Report Inappropriate Comment

THPEAKY 8/14/2010 6:45AM

I agree: happiness is a decision you make and the FEELING follows. Report Inappropriate Comment

CBEVNOW 8/14/2010 2:44AM

You are so right. Every day give thanks for what we have. Home, heat, air, car,job, food, we can worship as we please, etc. And we must not forget our dear sweet dogs. Im thankful for my sweet Lexy. Caroline Report Inappropriate Comment

RENA1965 8/14/2010 12:29AM

blog! I had to learn this and now accept it to find happy.. Comment edited on: 8/14/2010 12:29:53 AM Report Inappropriate Comment