Abraham Lincoln

I am once again in complete AWE of Abraham Lincoln.  (we just spent a day in Washington) His words which are so beautifully written, convey so much thought and depth. Something so very hard to find in any individual these days. Truly an amazing leader. In spite of adversity he forged ahead and followed his belief. Regardless of what half of the country he governed was saying.

To do what you believe is right and true in the face of such obstacles.  To send men to war and know THEY are making the ultimate sacrifice.YOU are the one who made "the call" and sent them there. Talk about guilt.

It really does make one step back and rethink a lot of things in ones lives.  Situations where your ego gets in the way. I read something recently that said, most arguments are the result of ego.  A person does not want to "feel" less a man. So instead of backing down in an argument or admitting they could be wrong they hold their ground.  If only they realized that you are a bigger man by realizing that your ego does not rule you. Do what is right in your heart. Very hard pill to swallow for some.

As well, this comes in to play in everyday life and the effort we put into our everyday tasks. Do what you do and do it well.  In the words of Lincoln:

 Every man is proud of what he does well; and no man is proud of what he does not do well. With the former, his heart is in his work; and he will do twice as much of it with less fatigue. The latter performs a little imperfectly, looks at it in disgust, turns from it, and imagines himself exceedingly tired. The little he has done, comes to nothing, for want of finishing.


If you love what you do, you will do it well, because your heart will be in it.  Why do we not incorporate that philosophy into our every day. Why don't we always try to do our best so that we can be proud of what we do.  Just try.


That being said, here is another line from a book I was reading while we were away this week.  


"What is more numerous than blades of grass in a lawn?" 


 "The thoughts in a man's mind" 


 Here is your photo of the week.... my men in deep thought!  :)

and one more of Lincoln of course!!!

What to wear for your engagement shoot?

I found a great link with some wonderful advice as to what you should wear for your engagement photos! Here is the link:  http://applebrides.com/2011/04/01/what-to-wear-for-an-engagement-shoot/

Sports

Sport.  For me, the only way to keep my butt in shape.  If I don't plan at least one Triathlon over the summer to race in I WON"T get out of bed in the middle of the winter to go to the gym! I recently went to see my niece play hockey.  She was in the "Championship" for her house league team.  Not Rep... House League.  The BEST part about this is the comment from the coach after the end of the game (they did win).  He said " they kept saying how much fun they were having, and I had to keep reminding them yes, it's fun but we do want to try to win the game too" :)  How awesome is that! True LOVE of the sport! It was a really nice "throw back" for me. Remembering the days of going to the rink for both of my kids. I think we lived there for many years! Made lots of great friends along the way!

Here is a great quote that I think can sometimes be lost in sports.... "My responsibility is getting all my players playing for the name on the front of the jersey, not the one on the back." Team sports develop such wonderful traits in our kids! They learn so much, the joy of winning and that you really can't "win them all". Teaching our kids to be "good losers" is just as important.


That being said, here is a really great Mickey Mantle quote "During my 18 years I came to bat almost 10,000 times. I struck out about 1,700 times and walked maybe 1,800 times. You figure a ballplayer will average about 500 at bats a season. That means I played seven years without ever hitting the ball."

~Mickey Mantle~

Funny, no one is perfect, but doing your best at every game you will always make yourself happy.

Here is my favourite photo of the week, the moment the game is won and the gloves are being thrown in the air!! :)

Holidays

 I did not write a blog last week as I was away on holiday.  It was fantastic one of the most beautiful places in the World and we were spoiled!

I have the ability to see some stats on my blog which are pretty cool...  I can see I have over 550 "all time" views, where in the World people are viewing my blog from, and where most were directed, for eg. Facebook. It is pretty neat to see people from all over the world have read my blog!

That being said,  I have a lot on my plate this week. We are going to try to sell our cottage because we bought an RV....  yes,  I am going to be travelling the roads of Canada and the US over the next little while. My husband and I are both very excited for this new adventure and stage in our lives....  HA, and now you are wondering.... HOW OLD IS SHE?!?!  True, I am not the average age of the typical RV'er (sp?) BUT, we have always loved hitting the road in the car and driving across country.  The Road Trip truly begins when we leave our driveway. It is all a part of the experience and always an adventure!

This will be interesting. ;) I bet you can't wait for the stories!!

We had our first "fill up" which took approx. 20 minutes.... yes, 20 minutes sitting at a gas station.  At least we have our own toilet!! :D

Bob said, "We'd better like where we stop for gas, looks like we'll be there a while!"  A lot of people came and went during that time and Bob (being the friendly man he is) talked to a few as they wondered "how much it cost to fill?"  His response with a big grin, "we DON'T know yet!!!"

The final total was $325, and that was filling on the reserve, it was 10 cents cheaper per liter.  ;)

Here are 2 photos for "Photo of the Week," we stayed at the Four Seasons Resort in Costa Rica, lot's of Wildlife!!

Kony 2012

Facebook and social media have been on fire with the Kony 2012 campaign. Everyone is jumping on the "band wagon" trying to help support a cause where they feel they can affect change with minimal effort.  It is very easy to "share" things on facebook, twitter etc.

I just read an article about the "Invisible Children" group, posted by my son on FB.  Here is the link in case you have time to read it.  It does state quite a few very good facts about the Kony 2012 campaign as well as the state of things in Uganda.

http://ilto.wordpress.com/2006/11/02/the-visible-problem-with-invisible-children/

 Here is my problem with the article:

Although he has some points as, "it is old news"... he also still confirms Kony is on the lamb and that there is still fear in the people from Uganda that "violence may return". Kind of similar to the "Bin Laden situation" is it not? Doesn't that mean it is still a great reason to find him and make sure he CANNOT start up another rebellion? This man has commited terrible "war crimes" he is NOT a nice man. What can be wrong with rallying people to show the World that those who try to kill, rape and hurt others will be brought to justice. The World cares!

True, making people reliant upon aid is bad, and I do believe that things should change. BUT, this is not the cause that the Kony 2012 group has picked. It is to capture Kony, so that he cannot do what he has done in the past. What kind of a World would we live in if we didn't show that we cared and believed in causes other than ourselves ?

Why jump to "knock down" someone who is clearly making an effort. Especially when you have not done anything yourself....  Just like out parents used to say, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

 Just my two cents ;)

Keeping with my promise of a photo every week, here is a picture of my son.  Thank you Robert for keeping your Mother "in the loop". I love that you have the ability to believe in a cause and can hope for the power of ONE.

The Leg

I am not sure in my years of watching the Oscars I have quite felt the incredible hilarity that I felt when Angelina Jolie sauntered up to the podium to present an Oscar last Sunday.  I watched in awe and shocked horror as she tried and tried again to pose herself JUST right so that her right leg would be exposed outside of her gown.  Now, when she walked across the stage we all saw her leg out there.... that was ok... very attractive.  When you stand like a Flamingo and make it so ridiculously OBVIOUS that you are trying to stick your leg out....  because you think it looks good..... that was just OVER the top!

Here is an article I've copied so you can see "the leg".... THE best part here, when the Oscar was announced the winners came up to the stage and Jim Rash quite HILARIOUSLY exposed his leg... well, sort of!  I almost fell off the couch!!! Apparently her leg has become a twitter sensation!!! I love people!!!

Here is the article:

In a sea of black garb, the toned and trim leg – visible from ankle to thigh – was hard to miss, thanks to the actress’ exaggerated pose. And as if it weren’t visible enough, the appendage took to Twitter to call attention to itself. @AngiesRightLeg was quickly set up by an enterprising viewer, tweeting calls to Oscar watchers to “look at meeee” and “check me out!”

Angelina Jolie's Leg @AngiesRightLeg

Check out this leg over here!

26 Feb 12

ROBYN BECK / AFP / Getty Images

Jim Rash, at right, strikes an Angelina-esque pose while accepting an Adapted Screenplay Oscar with Nat Faxon and Alexander Payne

By the end of the show, the just-launched account was quickly closing in on 10,000 followers. Since Angelina’s dress was rather boring, we had to have something to talk about, right?
And the leg laughs didn’t stop once the red carpet was rolled up. Jolie ascended the stage to present an award, stopping conspicuously to pose with her leg jutting out. Noting this, screenwriter Jim Rash, upon accepting the best adapted screenplay award for The Descendants, struck a pose like hers. Fortunately he showed no skin, but the comparison was unmistakable. Next up: the Oscar for best supporting limb?


Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/02/27/angelina-jolies-leg-an-oscar-breakout-star-gets-a-twitter-account/#ixzz1o9zSVqPq

Now if you've happened to read all the way to the bottom this week you will see my 52 week challenge photo of the week! One of my favourites :)

Coca Cola CEO Speech

I was browsing on facebook and read a link in my news feed that I thought needed to be shared a little more than just adding it to my facebook page.

 It reads:

“Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them – Work, Family, Health, Friends and Spirit and you’re keeping all of these in the Air.
You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back.
But the other four Balls – Family, Health, Friends and Spirit – are made of glass. If you drop one of these; they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for it.”

WORK EFFICIENTLY DURING OFFICE HOURS AND LEAVE ON TIME. GIVE THE REQUIRED TIME TO YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS & HAVE PROPER REST.


Hard to believe these are the words of a man "at the top" of the business world. 

As I "juggle" day to day life I live knowing that for all of us, time is limited. I start every day trying to remember "Life IS good" and "Don't sweat the small stuff"! (a good book too!) 

 If I hurt others, I make amends, apologize and move on.  If I am fearful, I consider doing what I am afraid of and if it does not put my life or health at rish, I take a chance.  Like swimming in Triathlons!

Just like my dog Finnegan who greets another dog 10X his size, he doesn't stop to think or worry.  He greets the other dog with a friendly attitude and no fear ;)

LIVE LOVE LAUGH! <3


Here is a picture of happy go lucky Finnegan ;)