Blessings

Today was so full of blessings that I just had to share...

1. I woke up this morning - alive, able to walk/see/hear, in a cozy bed under a non-leaking roof
2. I had hot water in the shower
3. I had electricity to iron the clothes I was lucky enough to have
4. I passed a big insurance test this morning
5. I had a job to go to today
6. When I got to work, I had 106 emails waiting for me and tons of work backed up from me being on vacation last week - job security
7. I was able to eat lunch with 2 friends
8. I got to talk to a friend from Florida that I rarely get to see
9. I laughed more than once today
10. I was able to drive home from work with my windows down because it was cool enough outside
11. I cranked up the radio and blasted some good hip hop and heavy metal tunes on the way home, with my windows down and hair flying all over the place
12. I saw sunbeams in the sky, which is a special thing between me and God that means He was just thinking of me and wanted to send me a little love note
13. I had a home to come home to at the end of the day
14. My dog was excited to see me when I got here
15. I enjoyed a nice little chat with my neighbor. We both pondered why my grass is dying. I have grass to die
16. My house is nice and cool because I have air conditioning
17. I am going to have chocolate cake for dinner
18. I just got to talk to my ex-roomie on the phone
19. My dog is standing with his 2 front paws on the arm of my chair, wagging his tail and wanting me to play with him
20. I am going to get to spend some awesome time with God tonight - just me & Him
21. You are reading this and will stop to think about all the things that blessed you today

The end and the beginning

Well, several of you have asked me for updates on the big move... We survived with minimal bloodshed. Okay, so there was no bloodshed. Things actually went pretty well - except for the U-Haul truck rental. I almost made the news at that place. We got there promptly at 8:00 AM (the time they were supposed to open). By the time 8:30 rolls around I was beyond livid. The yahoo that runs the place comes strolling up 30 minutes late as if he's living in a Disney movie with animated blue birds dancing and singing around his head. Little did he know he was stepping into more of a Friday the 13th kind of environment.

By the time he shows, there are 3 angry women waiting for him. Yet he remains "clueless," which is an entirely different debatable topic all together (I've discovered that men take classes when they are 14 to fine tune the art of the passive fight. They are somehow able to look you right in the face at the most heated climax of an argument, shrug, and act completely unaffected and disinterested. Aaaahhhhhh.) Anyway, this guy was valedictorian of that class. He bops around like the Easter bunny, turning on his computer, getting settled. Then came the pinnacle. In the middle of the rental process, he turns on the TV.

In completely American Psycho style, I morph into fantasy mode and imagine myself leaping across the desk, taking Yahoo by the throat and banging his head into the putrid paneled wall behind him. Alas, I was not able to remain in fantasyland for long. I decided it would be better for me not to speak. I was so angry that I feared turning into Julia Sugarbaker if I allowed even one word to escape. BTW, did I mention that he reserved the wrong truck for us? Yes, we reserved a 14 footer, but got a 10' instead. Don't get me started.

Whew. Sorry for the rant.

So the move went well. I have been busy re-arranging, painting, cleaning and throwing stuff away. Now I can run and leap through the house like a true Broadway star - singing at the top of my lungs if I like. What fun! And the room, my goodness the room! Ahhh. I am in the process of setting up my studio. I am hoping to get backdrops and lights this week. YEAAAH!

I am on vacation this week and am having a blast, but I know I must crack down and inject some discipline very soon. I do believe that this new leg of my journey is a specific time of preparation that God intends to use to teach me some new things I will need for my future. While I am enjoying the new freedom, I must be careful not to waste it - which would be so easy to do with no one to hold me accountable. Unfortunately discipline has never been my strong suit - so I am going to have to make it a daily focus. I know that a lot of spiritual hard work lies ahead, but the growth and benefits of it will be astronomical. I can't wait to see what this new chapter brings!

How to use the left lane...

OK people, obviously we need a refresher course. For all the fruit loops out there who find it necessary to jump into the left lane on the freeway (or ANY 4+ lane road for that matter) and kick on the cruise control doing 20 mph less than the speed limit, this is for you (I have hi-lited the sections that may have some of you confused)...


(Click on the text to enlarge)












If you need further assistance, this was taken directly from the Alabama Driver Manual. PLEASE click on the link and print a copy. While you are whippin' down the interstate at a whopping 38 mph, maybe you can squeeze in a read...






















For manuals from states other than Alabama, go here.