Sigh of Relief !

Have you ever had a test you didn't feel prepared for and got really stressed about? Well then....you know exactly how my week has been. It's literally been chaos at my work and, although I'm not the kind to get headaches a lot, I've definitely had more than my fair share this past week. Knowing this test was coming up was a major stress factor but, it's part of becoming a loan officer and moving up in the career path at America First Credit Union. I took the test on Friday morning and......passed. Whew!

Simply Pleased & Easily Entertained

Have you ever seen the commercial where the baby is given a toy but then discovers the box to be more entertaining & is entertained for hours. That was me!!! I was the baby!!!! Ok..ok so it wasn't me but I could've played the part. First of all, I was a really cute baby and second, I've always been easily entertained! Although my siblings would beg to differ....I swear I'm my mom's easiest kid! Being the 2nd child of 5 I got a lot of hand-me-down clothes, toys, and other accessories but then as I grew up, I helped take care of my younger siblings. I just had to make due with what I had. It's because of these experiences I'm so simply pleased & easily entertained. I usually end up being the entertainer! As I sat reminiscing today about some of my experiences I thought I'd just share some prime examples of being easily entertained.

Age 3: In NY, we lived in some wooded area near a pond. One day, my parents left my sister, my brother, & I with my dad's coworkers. While everyone sat watching t.v., I slipped out the back door, down the stairs & headed toward the pond. There were a bunch of people who had set up tents & were paddling canoes around the pond. Needless to say, I made new friends that day. By the time I was done, I returned home just in time for the search party.

Age 7: After everyone fell asleep (excluding my mom because she always worked late nights), I would sneak downstairs to watch infomercials while doing homework & eating all the freeze pops (a.k.a. otter pops) I wanted. I would sneak back upstairs as soon as I saw my mom's car headlights pulling up. That soon ended after I almost got caught. I was too sneaky though & they still don't know to this day.

Age 11-12: In the winter I collected icicles & in the summer I collected reptiles-usually frogs & salamanders. Of course, the reptiles were more entertaining. Especially when my friend & I had a sleep over & forget to put the salamanders back in their cage. We got to play hide & seek with them the next day. My mom was not happy. I'm sure it brought back bad memories of the time I collected caterpillars & left them in the car. On the next car ride, when she put down her visor, there was one crawling along the top of it, which in turn drew our attention to a couple more crawling around the car ceiling. I'm also sure my mom would've preferred me sticking with icicle collecting.

Looking back at these memories brings lots of laughs. And so it continues...even up till now there have been several other times where I'm simply entertained. I wish I had pictures for those past experiences. I had to use substitutes. At least I have pictures to show you for some recent experiences which are of taking pictures of myself, enjoying time with my nieces, and filling balloons with different items. See if you can make out what's in them. There's a story behind the filling the balloons but that will have to be continued....till next time.

Look on the bright side...

Looking on the bright side of things isn't always easy! Throughout my life I've considered myself a pretty positive person but I have to admit...it's due to great examples! These are just a few of the friends and family I admire for their positive outlook on life. Even when life is hard they are persistent in making life better or at least finding some good in the midst of bad circumstances. Don't be fooled...it's not just the shades that are helping them to look on the bright side. =0)




Other than these friends & family, there's a short story I got from Peter Breinholt that helps with having the right perspective on life. He spoke at an institute activity right before my mission & said that he got this from a youth speaker. It's called:

HOW I FINALLY TAUGHT THE BIG GUY A LESSON

I did not provoke the fight so I feel no remorse for what I was forced to do. We were arguing, and seeing that I was right and he was wrong, he decided to fight to cover for his stupidity.

He swung at me first, but being in the top of condition, I was able to act quickly and block the punch neatly with my head. Whereupon I jumped to the ground knocking him down on top of me. Then I placed my ear in his mouth and poked his finger several times with my eye.

His teeth hurt so from the strength of my ear that he became irate and tried to kick me, but I cleverly blocked the onslaught with my ribs and face. I scrambled to my feet and ran to my car in hopes I would get away and save this man from my deadly hands.

Before I could start the car, he pulled me from the still open door. I then proceeded to swing at him, but only managed to hit myself in the head. Then I said: "What's this? Two against one?" That was the final straw--I lost all control. There will be no mercy!!

Taking him in my death grip, I pounded him in the knee with my stomach then hit him two or three times hard in the fist with my teeth! He had had it! I could tell. After that he didn't even try to pick me up off the ground. He was too chicken!!!!

PERSPECTIVE IS EVERYTHING!!