Live Ever After: 2011

Well wishes for the holidays.

>> Tuesday, December 20, 2011

I hope you all have a great holiday filled with love, good health, financial wealth and answered wishes.

We downsized from a three bedroom to a two bedroom apartment to save money. I'm glad we kept the two baths, especially with three "men" in the house. I was in the holiday spirit and decorated the outside of our door. I think I may have over done it, my poor neighbors.

I also decorated our tree with the same decor that has lasted three years now. It makes our new apartment look so warm and beautiful.

Don't worry about the presents. We are in the middle of translating the funds in fun gifts for the kids. Unfortunately, my older son lost his DSI in the movie theater. Of course we will have to replace it. He cried for a long time. I was going to stop him but realized it's the same feeling when we grown ups loose our phone. It was heart wrenching to watch and I could only imagine what he felt, so I let him get it all out.

My husband and I will have to wrap a card that says "Coupon for a DSI redeemable in January 2012". We can't afford it this Christmas but we can when the sales are on. Thank God he is an understanding kid.

I'll have my last blog for the year next week. It will be about the events of 2011, highlights on LEA and behind the scenes of LEA. You won't want to miss that. Until then, "Have a Wonderful Holiday Season!

One & Only-Adele

>> Monday, December 19, 2011

Another great love song by Adele. I am also riding the Adele train to stardom.

"Hope"-Twista ft. Faith Evans

>> Friday, December 09, 2011

My husband and I are putting together a Fundraising Dinner for our scholarship program. Working together can be a challenge because we have such different ideas and ways of doing things. Here we are life partners and we can't even be partners in a momentary task. I'm sure you understand what I am experiencing.

Why did I even decide to do this? My heart is in the right place. But why so much conflict. I expected friction but the other day in the car I said I just can't speak anymore and that's big for me. I love to talk! (Hence my blog as therapy). I'm starting to feel better just having you listen. Plus I didn't mention to you that I have two family members in the hospital and news of another stressful event.

So what drove me to the edge? These stressers and how all along I have been communicating about this event, which is tomorrow. I expected we have been on the same page as there was no disagreement but apparent signs of active listening and participation. So what happens this week? He asked me a question that we discussed earlier last month. Then he made a comment later that told me something wasn't taken care of. It was the perfect scenario to express what I should have communicated a while ago but it came out to the surface.

Now we are at crunch time and I can only Hope it will all turn out excellently and our lives will go back to calmness. Until then I can't stop playing this song. I'll fill you in on how wonderful the Dinner turns out. Until then I am holding on to HOPE.

"Easy"-Rascal Flatts ft. N. Bedingfield

>> Thursday, December 08, 2011

Sometimes this is the truth in relationships.

When it just doesn't work.

>> Tuesday, December 06, 2011

I found out some good friends are getting a divorce. It is shocking to everyone as the husband was so in love with his spouse. After a few years he committed infidelity and the marriage never recovered, even after he initiated and told her. She spoke to me and she made a plan to do the best she could to hold her marriage together. (That way she can say she gave it her all with no regrets).

It just wouldn't work and she refused to live any longer, in a marriage, where she felt unloved. Now she is staying at her parents home and has feelings of shame. I spoke to her yesterday and encouraged her that she did nothing wrong as sometimes victims of abuse and infidelity may feel.

They have no children so it is not as complicated but she is exhausted with the dividing and selling of property and furniture. Another plus is at least they are civil towards each other and maybe the time away will mend the hurts. I came home and told my husband as it is always a sobering time when these things happen. It is difficult to accept but causes you to re-access you marriage.

What are your expectations? Are you happy? Are you doing your part and more? Are you holding a grudge, anger or bitterness? (They are all different). Has you marriage suffered due to your actions and you fail to take responsibility? How much fun do you make it? How often do you use kind words and compliments? How much house work do you do? Do you share the bills or initiate to help? Have you become ungrateful for even the little things or common things? Do you remember special occasions and still give gifts? How's your parenting? How's your cleanliness and organization? How do you greet each other? Are you being honest? How is your forgiveness and grace levels? How's love making? Do you replace the toilet paper roll : ) ?

Are you re-accessing your marriage? I am.

Leave it to Little Brother

>> Tuesday, November 29, 2011

I have been telling this story for weeks and I have decided to tell you as well.

I was putting the boys to bed and was sitting on my youngest son's bed talking to the oldest when he said something that was not nice. I started to correct him to say that is not how you speak to your mother. All of a sudden in the middle of my reprimanding, he looked me in the eye and pushed out gas. Yes, I said push.

My mouth fell open and I was going to give him a scolding when his little brother sat up and gently touched my shoulder with this look on his face that seemed to say, "Don't worry mommy, I will take care of this". My little gentle protector then turned to his older brother and said these exact words:

"That was very disrespectful. You disrespected mommy, you disrespected me, and you disrespected yourself. Now apologies." (With his finger pointing to each person).

I looked at his big brother and he was stunned by his meek little brother's response. All he could say was a sheepish, "Sorry". Little brother then laid down for a good night sleep and big brother did the same.

10 Words Not to Place on Resume

>> Friday, November 11, 2011

Look what I found on Yahoo today. Thought it would be helpful as I recently had to refine my resume and many cover letters before I received my current job. I am guilty of a few of them.

Top Ten Words and Terms That Ruin a Resume

(Yahoo, Monster)

1. “Salary negotiable”

Yes, they know. If you’re wasting a precious line of your resume on this term, it looks as though you’re padding -- that you’ve run out of things to talk about. If your salary is not negotiable, that would be somewhat unusual. (Still, don’t put that on your resume either.)

2. “References available by request”

See the preceding comment about unnecessary terms.

3. “Responsible for ______”

Reading this term, the recruiter can almost picture the C-average, uninspired employee mechanically fulfilling his job requirements -- no more, no less. Having been responsible for something isn’t something you did -- it’s something that happened to you. Turn phrases like “responsible for” into “managed,” “led” or other decisive, strong verbs.

4. “Experience working in ______”

Again, experience is something that happens to you -- not something you achieve. Describe your background in terms of achievements.

5. “Problem-solving skills”

You know who else has problem-solving skills? Monkeys. Dogs. On your resume, stick to skills that require a human.

6. “Detail-oriented”

So, you pay attention to details. Well, so does everyone else. Don’t you have something unique to tell the hiring manager? Plus, putting this on your resume will make that accidental typo in your cover letter or resume all the more comical.

7. “Hardworking”

Have you ever heard the term “show -- don’t tell”? This is where that might apply. Anyone can call himself a hard worker. It’s a lot more convincing if you describe situations in concrete detail in which your hard work benefited an employer.

8. “Team player”

See the preceding comment about showing instead of telling. There are very few jobs that don’t involve working with someone else. If you have relevant success stories about collaboration, put them on your resume. Talk about the kinds of teams you worked on, and how you succeeded.

9. “Proactive”

This is a completely deflated buzzword. Again, show rather than tell.

10. “Objective”

This term isn’t always verboten, but you should use it carefully. If your objective is to get the job you’ve applied for, there’s no need to spell that out on your resume with its own heading. A resume objective is usually better replaced by a career summary describing your background, achievements and what you have to offer an employer. An exception might be if you haven’t applied for a specific job and don’t have a lot of experience that speaks to the position you’d like to achieve.

It's illegal to...

>> Tuesday, November 08, 2011

My son's were eating and having a conversation when they started talking about what they wanted for Christmas. The little brother, knowing his older brother is a December baby, said, "You get nothing for your birthday if you get a Christmas present, right mommy?"

My oldest said, "Mommy I'm getting a birthday present right? Cause you know it's illegal to not give children presents?!"

Thank you for a Wonderful Evening.

>> Saturday, October 29, 2011

Thank you all for coming to my party. Your comments meant a great deal to me. I had lots of fun posting with everyone's different interests in mind. Please feel free to grab the Party Favors at the end of the night.

All together there are three pages (About 30 posts) of treats such as a Personality Tests, Cooking tips, a Fashion Show and more. Just click on "Older Posts" on the bottom of page.

Lastly #50. Where are you? If you follow this site to become the 50th follower, you can still win the final prize. Click the Follow Button and send me an email to liveeverafter@gmail.com

Thanks again for your support and your visit to this site. It was lots of fun.
All the Best!
Live Ever After (Happily)

Happy 2nd Year Anniversary Live Ever After!

Happy 2nd Year Anniversary Live Ever After!

>> Friday, October 28, 2011

We have reached the end of our Celebration. Thank you so much for visiting. Don't be a stranger. I hope you enjoyed the videos, posts, tips, and chance to win prizes. And what would a party be without Party Favors for my guests. These were hard to come by and I did lots of research for them. (Everyone gets one each). Ha, Ha.

Future Me
A cool site. I like to call "stepping stone" to The Secret.

123Certificates
A certificate maker for your friends, children or yourself. You deserve it!

Free Clocks
Free clocks from the clock gallery for your web and blog sites.

*Last year we closed with Beyonce's "Flaws And All" Live Performance. This year we will close out with my sweet girl........

Attempting to teach young people Tennis.

The Big Reveal

I do not have facebook and I signed up for a twitter account just to promote this blog. Also I did not have to add a picture. Last year my picture for this blog was my feet in a pair of new black pumps. So this year I will reveal myself as I have never shown anyone a photo of myself on the internet. (Except Linkedin, which was just last month). I'll reveal myself in the next post.

Number 50?

Are you out there? I will continue looking for the 50th Follower even after the party is over. They will still win a prize. Sign up an email me at liveeverafter@gmail.com

Never Loose Yourself.

In relationships we tend to become one and that is the goal. The goal is to be unified and work in harmony with each other. In so doing, it is important to remember that everything is about balance. One should never, never, for the sake of a healthy relationship, never drop their guard and loose their boundary.

It is dangerous to loose yourself within the other person. When we are in the beginning stages of love we can't help ourselves. But once we take the romance to the next level, there is always that danger of being "sucked in" and loosing your identity.

Who were you before they came along? What is your strengths and weaknesses? What are your long term and short term goals? Are you actively pursuing them? These questions should always be in the forefront of your mind. Especially when you have children. That's a new season and it is best to take your time and nurture your family (which includes your husband). But keep your plans in the forefront of your mind even as a parent.

If you have given up, start fresh, even if you need to tweak your plans due to a change, even if others think it is stupid or it doesn't make money. Have a few goals to hold on to and continue to forge ahead. Do what you enjoy. In hindsight we always see what was better. Use foresight as well. Keep yourself happy by seeing the better you. Stay true to you and don't forget who you are and who you will be. (Write yourself a reminder if you need to : )

Best,

The Advisor MA, PC/MHC

Shameless II

One more hour before the big reveal and last chance to join the site. I am looking for number 50. Who will be lucky # 50 by 12 midnight? Comment or email me at liveeverafter@gmail.com

Let's continue our music with Jennifer Lopez:

Humorous Email

My mother sent this to me in an email this week I couldn't stop laughing. I decided to share it with you as a humorous break. It's called "When Grandma Goes to Court".

(Click on the picture and it will open for you to read).

Personality Test

Why are people so intrigued with personality tests. Maybe we all like to learn about ourselves. There is a popular test among professionals called The Big Five-Personality test. Also known as OCEAN or CANOE I found one online. See what you think. (You probably knew the answer to the results already : )

(Click on sample below)

Sample Personality Test

Up next is Nikki Minaj and friends, Mariah and Lil Wayne.

She can be fun and a little riskee':

Shameless

Yes my title says it all. Join my site and you will receive a prize. I love hearing the winners as the say, "I didn't think it was coming but I got it in the mail".

Thank you Jeanette, a new Follower of "LEA"! (Please check out her site. Jeanette is number 49. I just stood up and did the shake your hips dance.

#50 where are you! I was hoping to have 52 followers by the end of the night. 50 because it is a mile stone and 2 because that's my favorite number.

Follow and email me at liveeverafter@gmail.com for your gift.

If you are already a follower, comment 4 times and you can still win a prize.

*Thanks again Jeanette.

Cooking Tips

This is off the top of my head of ideas I have done in the past that work. As I think of more I will add to it.

1) Once I was out of lemon for my tea and it dawned on me to use powdered lemonade mix (of course do not add sugar). I have to admit it was excellent.

2) I love soup. I realized there are 5 different soup bases for making the best soup; a base of Onion broth with gourmet cheese of your taste in it, Tomato broth with your favorite veggies, Shrimp broth (I honestly like to use the package seasoning from the Ramon soup packages) with of course seafood, Beef broth which you can add stew tomatoes and tasty meat you have cooked separate and then added,lastly, Cream stock with fresh dipping bread and whatever you might want to add like maybe broccoli or mushrooms.

3)I like to make my own sauces, especially for BBQ. You can spice up the sauce you purchase in the store. When I worked in an orphanage abroad, I missed American food and had to come up with my own meals. When we had dinner functions I would roast beef outside on the grill and make a BBQ sauce of Mustard, Ketchup and now I add Worcestershire sauce. It taste great on pork as well. There is also white BBQ sauce. You can use Mayonnaise, Beer and Apple cider. Add salt if needed.

4) My new seasoning of choice for baking or frying chicken is Smoked Paprika. I can't get enough of it.

5) When making a roast of beef or pork try using lots of sage and garlic also fresh cilantro and garlic/onion in paste form, to season under the skin of the meat.

Up next... Sugarland:

As it's about dinner time, give or take, I wanted to touch on a few cooking tips. I am not the best cook, okay I'm good just not great, but I'm known as the woman who could make a tasty meal out of anything left in your refrigerator. We didn't have much as kids, correction, I grew up poor. So I became creative. My poor brother still loves mayo sandwiches from all the contraptions I came up with for us to eat while my mom was at work.

In college the condiments made for spicing up lunch and free water sugar and lemons when you bought a cup for 10 cents. My roommates would send me to the kitchen as they would say, "there's three ingredients in the fridge, go in there and mix us up a 5 course meal as you do". So I will write some quick tips from the top of my head, after this next song........

THE FASHION SHOW

Timberland & Keri

Hi Everyone. I'm Back. Work was good. I have been working with a teenager who is adopted and having a difficult time. I'm working on teaching her how to advocate for herself. She is doing better but you know teenagers, it's all about one day at a time.

Here's the Fashion Show I told you about. One guy messes up the video but otherwise I like the song.

Posting..........

Anniversary Gift for "LEA"-From my husband.

My husband found this video on his forum for computer geeks and enjoys watching it as this dancer is a-may-zing. Enjoy until I return.

Commercial Break!

To see postings for the day scroll to bottom of page and press older posts on the middle right side of page. Here's a commercial break while I'm at work. More to come with music, prizes, fashion show, helpful posts, cooking tips and the.....Big Reveal. Follow this site and get a free gift!!!

liveeverafter@gmail.com

I'm going to be taking a commercial Break soon as I am getting ready to go to work in a little while, for about two and a half hours. I'll be back for the evening segment. Below are two cute videos emailed to me. They are so cute. Enjoy.

These are last years favorites, so I thought I would recycle. Let's keep what works.

Jealousy!

Which one are you?

10 mistakes in parenting

Sometimes we need one.

This is for all the lovers of rap music.There's some music that makes you think. Jin has the ability to do that. Let me know what you think? He's a new artist.

I discovered Jessie J. some time ago. Hope you like her music.

ELLEN!!! Ellen is the first to win our prize today! Thanks for following. Last year I was encouraged by the people who became friends to the site. One person logged in at 11:59 pm and received the last gift of the day. One new member, received her gift and forgot it was coming. She later emailed me from the mid west saying it came just in time. So You really can win a prize for signing up before the cut off time.

Just scroll to the bottom of page and click on Blue button under "Friends". Then comment or email me so that I know you joined: liveeverafter@gmail.com

Thanks and lets return to the music.........

Confidence!

I have been counseling couples for a long time now. After 20 years of helping couples there is always a theme or common thread within the relationship. Everyone talks about communication but I want to speak about the other "C" word.

Through every stage of engagement, more clearly seen in the very beginning, one must always have a no nonsense attitude. It's the reason why we are attracted to those who don't notice us or give off the energy that they can live without you.

They have a certain air of strength about them. They appear worth the catch. Then as the relationship progresses, one should still have that attitude. My favorite saying is from Dr. Phil. "We teach people how to treat us". Is that not true?

Then when we are going along in a few years of courtship we hit bumps. Some are common milestones in every relationship. You are becoming balanced. Commonly at two and around the five year mark. This is the time when you should stay confident. The tendency is to stop everything, no, don't loose it, keep going.

Ever wonder why when you break up with someone they seem to look better especially when they re-date. Why is that? They kept in going and had the CONFIDENCE to love themselves and know they are worthy of happiness-even with someone else. So don't wait for a break up to get confident. Do it because you're worth it.

Have a healthy balance of integrity, apologizing when your wrong, be tender and loving, continue with the gifts, fight to make it work, cry when you need to, but don't leave out the fact that you are a great catch! The healthy balance is that there is no one like you, You're strengths rock and your weakness can be made into strengths, that will work for you.

Stay Confident my friends, stay confident.

The Advisor, MA, PC/MHC

This is for all those out there who enjoy a pick me up from Positive music. These are my current top three artists and songs:

How did "LEA" get started?

I couldn't have an anniversary Shing Dig without mentioning Tessa Souter. She is my former co-worker, Jazz Singer and Blogger Extraordinaire. She started blogging and showing her coworkers all about her gigs abroad. She is LOVED in Russia. You can see her in her essence around New York elites.

One day in the office she heard about my love for writing. Tessa jumped on the computer and helped me start my first blog of three, Live Ever After (Happily). As she was a former writer for ELLE Magazine, I was highly impressed by her. On another work day she was checking her mail when a Tessa laughter shot out at the shock of a young woman who heard Tessa's song and made a video of it. The woman's name is Kara. Tessa found her information and called her to say great job with the video. Kara was so in shock that Tessa would call her; she refused to believe it was her.

You can hear Tessa's songs, "You Don't Have to Believe" and see Kara's version of the song, with video below.

*You can Visit Tessa's Site to see her next performance at tessasouter.com

Here's Vita Chamber's. I'm going to breakfast. Be right back.

PRIZES

Let's get started on the Prizes. LEA is a site on Marriage and relationships. If you follow the site today, by the cut off time, you will be able to win a prize. If you are already a member, make 4 comments throughout the day and you are eligible for a prize as well. To follow scroll to the bottom of the site. Let me know if you are a new follower today by commenting or emailing: liveeverafter@gmail.com

We have a lot more in store for you so stay tuned...

Here's Justin T. & Beyonce'

Happy 2nd Anniversary Live Ever After!
Thanks for visiting LEA's Blog Party. We have a lot in store for you today. We have Music, Prizes, Funny Videos, Awesome Tips, Helpful Posts, and lots more. The line up is all about variety. I have a little of last years favorites and lots of new stuff for your enjoyment. Hope you enjoy the Blog Show. Let's get started with a little music.....

Upcoming Blog Party!

>> Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Anniversary

Well It's almost here! Live Ever After's (LEA) 2nd Anniversary Shing Dig. Last year was a blast with 17 posts! It was a lot of hard work and lots of Fun. Hopefully I will have many more viewers this year. I am keeping what works, like music and prizes. There will be a few new surprises and.....The Big Reveal.

So make plans in your schedule to stop by This Site, next week Friday, October 28, 2011 from 10am to midnight. Get ready for this tons off fun at my second annual virtual party, conveniently brought to you in the luxury of your home and/or work .

Don't Be So Serious.

>> Thursday, October 06, 2011

Don't be so serious. Laugh a little. It's like a yawn it is infectious! (Did you just yawn hearing the word yawn?) When the bills are piling and the kids are fighting and someone at work is talking about you and there are issues with relatives and in-laws and you still haven't been able to do that one thing you enjoy, put a smile on your face and start making fun of life.

Be light hearted, share funny things with your spouse which you read online. My husband shared this caption with me last night: (Picture of a man standing and looking on the inside of a car, speaking to a woman driver). Heading: "Real Male Prostitution" Man: Hey baby, I'll talk with you all night long. (Get it? Women want to talk, even if she has to pay a male solicitor).

He enjoys sharing funny things he sees online with amazing pets and funny lol videos. It really has made me lighten up. It has been infectious and I decided to play more with the kids. I haven't played Uno in some time with my six year old who I let win more times than I want to admit and I enjoyed scaring my eight year old who found it expectant for mommy to be childish. How sad as I haven't been immature for them as often as I used to before they got" big boy" homeworks.

I played a joke on my husband and he was impressed. But repaid me well when he was speaking of all the new things he would get. One of which I shook my finger in his face while he was driving and said as long as you don't come home with a hot babe. He then stated, "What do I need with a hot babe, I have one at home, what I need is a cool babe"!

Have fun, enjoy the moments, create fun times and don't be so serious!

We Became Friends

>> Sunday, September 25, 2011

I am from NY where we don't have to drive if we do not want to. NYrkers have a choice of public transportation and I know that place like the back of my hand.. (wait what's that spot...) Besides the stressful atmosphere, who wants to drive? I sure didn't need it. Not my husband, he is a true cruzer. Every now and then he would give me a lift to work in "Blue Car". Then came motherhood and we got "black car". Black car served our family well until one day; the big 40 came. My husband was turning 40 and his birthday request was to get a car his grandfather had and then his father owned and now he reached a point in his life when he wanted an Audi.

Was he out of his mind! We are parents! Then I remembered how wonderful of a spouse he has been and provider and father and assistant house cleaner.....the evidence was overwhelming. Plus he had never asked for anything for his birthday in the last 8 years. So I said yes. And he was a very happy camper. We went to the dealership he wanted and we saw an A4 and an A6. They also had an A8 but we were not going there. He was not sure which to get so I sat in the back of the car where my children would be and it was clear the A4 had no room for my children's legs. The A6 would do.

(Our new place in Virginia)

We drove it to Virginia, upon our move last year. We have had it for 4 years now and it has always been his car. Well now that we both need to drive he is happy as he was driving the car himself, all this time. I have to say I was not sensitive in the least to him driving, as this was his car and I had my subway. Who would have known this would become a source of marital stress? And when it came to driving, I was out of practice. I wouldn't drive as I avoided stress of the streets and highways, now the same stress crept into my home. Of course I wanted to avoid the stress of resentment for me not driving. I didn't have a choice anymore and that made me angry. And I had no right to be. I knew he had won this one but I needed time.

6 months later and I surprised him for new years and drove him around. But the first time I got in the car, I opened the door and the seat slid forward by itself. I interpreted this as "She did not want me in the driver's seat as it was reserved for "Him". It has a lot of cool gadgets so I eventually arrived at this conclusion. My husband later told me that has never happened to him and found my reasoning humorous. Now I drive her all the time and have become good friends. Parking is always a work in progress and I joke with other drivers how terrible I am at parking and how they may never get out or into their car.

(My favorite place to drive to in VA)

The other day my husband mentioned trading the Audi in and I was surprised at my reaction. "No way!" I said. "You can get a new car. This one is mine". Then I realized the car and I had became friends. At this point there was not resentment from my husband for not driving. As I became friends with his car, he became friends with me. Men can be strange in that way.....

"I Folded the Clothes".

>> Wednesday, September 21, 2011

I remember sitting in my Couples and Marriage Therapy course and one concept led to another that led to another that made me remember the code names my girlfriends and their husbands have for when they are intimate. After class I mentioned it to my Professor as he said this was a great idea and asked permission to use our methods of blushed humor and discretions of married life.

It started when several couples got together for dinner. It was lots of fun. We all identified our personalities to another wife or even a husband. We spoke about differences and similarities, having children, where we grew up and how good the pot luck was. Then one couple talked about going for "Coffee". My husband and I looked at each other. The couple asked us about our abrupt look. We told them our reference is about me "getting my hair done", giving an example of a time when someone complemented me on my hair style and we almost giggled. I told them thank you but when we were out of ear shot range, I teased saying, "I have the best beautician ever". (My husband currently finds much humor in when I really do need to go to the salon. He loves to volunteer his services. lol)

Some couples at the dinner decided to come up with their own phrase. It was a fun evening. We have since had children and scattered to live in different states. So the other day I was doing the laundry when my husband came to ask me if he can help. I told him "sure." He made advancements to which I became aware that he did not come to help with the laundry. When I returned to attending the laundry, I asked him where he was going, reminding him of his offer; to which he said, "I did." "I folded the clothes".

Discover Each Other--Again.

>> Friday, September 16, 2011

Spending time away with just your spouse is a refreshing treat when you have children. If your family really loves you they will care for them during the week you are gone, if not out of mercy for your marriage. Honestly, it was another well needed honeymoon. We used our resources.

We stayed at Myrtle Beach in a posh hotel we got for a good deal. Thank you connections. We drove down the closest street to the beach at night and walked during the day. I have a license but only recently started driving. My husband coached me while I drove on the South Carolina freeways at sunset.

We ordered dinner from the Hotel Restaurant. Of course I ordered this dish with the biggest shrimp you have ever seen and dined under moon light, seated on the outdoor sun chairs with umbrellas, near the pool, while looking at a movie on the laptop. The sound of the waves were twenty feet away. A green frog caught our curiosity and four older adults who had been drinking, decided to all fit in the hammock across from us. They all fell and my husband and I had the best laugh and entertainment than the movie.

We bought great souvenirs after getting a tip from a resident, the shop had amazing prices. Later we met up with a very prestigious friend of ours who took us to lunch at an all you can eat seafood diner. Oh, my, I almost died from overeating. We did have a draw back. Our rental car had a flat tire and we made the most of it telling jokes like:

Me: "Should I stick my bare leg out for someone to stop".
My husband: "Do you think they will stop?" Maybe I should stick my leg out instead".
Me: Playful slap on his upper arm.

Just our luck the rental car company was right at that exit and we drove there getting a better car than the one we had. It was two months ago but we still have such fond memories. All marriages need a retreat. It should be made mandatory even if you have to save up for once a year rendezvous or plan something simple but enjoyable, where you can discover the area and each other.

Mind/Body/Spirit II

>> Thursday, August 18, 2011

BODY

Is your body a reliable vehicle? Is it healthy? The scriptures say to treat our bodies with honor. That means nutrition, hydration, movement and rest. Rest is a big one for many of us because we do not like to sleep and we deprive ourselves of rest thinking we will be more productive but that is untrue. (1st Corinthians 6:19&20, Proverbs 23:7, Proverbs 15:13, Proverbs 16).

Your soul is a tenant in your body. Are you a good steward and property management or are you a slum lord? Is your soul housed in impurity and pollutants or righteousness and healthiness?

Your heart is within your body. How are you treating it? What is in your heart expresses what is important to you? Paul Pears says our heart is a think tank. and it reveals a lot about who you are.

Illustration: There was a conference of medical doctors who were discussing the heart as a think tank in link with the brain. There was a debate among the doctors. One doctor came up to the podium and told this story: She had a patient who was 6 years old who had a heart transplant from a ten year old girl who was murdered. The killer was never found. The 6 year old girl started having vivid nightmares and during the day describe a man who murdered her. The parents took her to her doctor and the local police. The little girl was able to describe the 10 year old's neighbor's height, conversations before the murder, the place and weapon and other details. The neighbor was confronted by police and he confessed to the murder of the 10 year old girl.
What would your heart say about you?

Hebrews 3:12-15 speaks about not having a hard heart. Our hearts are always speaking to us to do the right thing. We can prevent spiritual atherosclerosis. Don't stuff your feeling. Pull it up from the root, the same way you do weeds or it will grow back. The speaker, Candice says she has "self induced labor pains" where she looks at a sappy movie or listens to sappy music to "shed tears" and "get it all out".

SPIRIT

Your soul is a hidden discovery, Ecclesiastics 3:10-11. We should all be prepared to give an account to how we used our lives for good. God gave us our souls, the one spiritual thing we came into the world with, and he said "Use it well". We will have to return it. Hopefully in good condition. A little worn but in good condition. We can focus on improving the mind and the body yet forget and neglect the spirit. Your soul is the one eternal thing you have. How are you taking care of it?

Many people will say, "I got distracted by wealth and power", "I had hatred because of this person", "It's this person's fault why I am this way and did what I did", "I lived in the here and the now of earthly reasoning and knowledge"......and "somewhere along the way, I lost it and I was not able to get it back." Let's do well to take care of our Mind/Body/and Spirit!

* (I will follow up with the classes and the Sunday service in Part 3).

Mind/Body/Spirit

>> Friday, August 12, 2011

"We are not human being having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience." This was the theme of the July 30th Woman's Conference held at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.

Candice (Speaker)
"Mind/Body/Spirit"

Marcia and Kay (Speakers) "Love Your Neighbor".

Classes on "No More Regrets", "Spiritual Detoxing"
"Resilience Training" and more.

Instructor for Zumba Class
of 600 women

Judges for Open Mic

The opening was a Female New York City Comedian who was very funny. I especially enjoyed her Top Ten Women's list. Then there was a dance number to Beyonce's "Get Me Bodied". Candice Started the day with Mind/Soul/Body. She read from John 5:1 and asked us the same question Jesus asked the man who was ill. "Do you want to get well?" She said sometimes we can be at the source of healing and yet not reach out or make a deliberate effort. And so we never receive healing. (John 5:1-14)

MIND
When you travel through life, you need a map to show you clearly where you are going, you need a safe vehicle for transportation and you need fuel to get you there. The mind is your map, the vehicle is your body and your emotions is your fuel.

If you scribble over the map, would you be able to see which way you should go? Some of us have our minds scribed with worry and fogginess causing confusion and blocking us from going where we want to go. We need a clear mind that is at peace. We need accurate vision to where we want to arrive and organization of mind for efficiency. (Continuation on Body and Spirit in part II).

"There's No One Like You".

>> Monday, August 01, 2011

*We have reached the end of the "my friends with their own families who have a blog and welcome you to visit" series. Thank you Lady Jennie-A Lady in France, Monique-Platinum Spa Diva, Inno-NetSecurity, Tonya-La Photographer de Relations, Sirin-New York Blog Photography, Tessa-The Jazz Songstress and Dawit (David)-Addis 360.

*The time finally arrived! I have been waiting a year for a Woman's Conference, here in Virgina called, "Mind/Body/Spirit: "We are not human being having a spiritual experiences. We are spiritual beings having a human experience." I will post the two day conference which ended in an amazing church service of 600 women.

I have been so inspired. Until then enjoy Kirk Franklin's "A God Like You: There's No One Like You". I just can't stop playing it!

Addis All Around

>> Friday, July 29, 2011

Dawit Yoseph has become a good friend of mine. He is a single guy with a daughter who lives in Virginia. His passion is for his culture and he is always welcoming to those interested in his beloved Ethiopia. He started Addis All Around after witnessing the lack of information for visitors to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Today his news site is flourishing and he is swamped with the pouring in of medical, political and arts media information.

The website's blog features a new book release by Anne Marie Ruff called, "Through these Veins":

"Through These Veins weaves together the dramatically different worlds of traditional healing, U.S. government funded AIDS research, and the pharmaceutical industry in an intensely personal, fast-paced tale of scientific intrigue with both devastating and hopeful effect."

Dawit is the type of person that's loyal to his work, his culture and friends. He is always willing to give a helping hand which is a rare find these days. I love his passion and respect his view of education through an informative media source. If you're looking for live theater, sports updates, great resturants or to simply learn Amharic (one of the primary Ethiopian langauges), vist Addis All Around.

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