Happy 21st Birthday, Felicia!

Happy birthday to D's niece!  It never ceases to amaze me how fast she grew up before our very eyes.  I have known her for most of her life.  She's a beautiful young woman with a heart of gold.  We are very proud of her!

I'M BACK!

As the title of my post indicates, I'm back!  I've been gone for a long time.  After Mom's passing last year, I did not--could not--find the desire to write.  It seemed futile.  I have had too much on my plate to think about writing.  Now, we're nearing the close of 2012 and approaching a new year:  2013.  In view of 2011 and 2012, I wonder what 2013 will bring.  Many are biting their nails thinking about the number 13, but I have never been the superstitious sort.  I think the year--any year--will be what you make of it.  

We often blame circumstances for our place in life rather than looking at the one thing we can control no matter the circumstances.  Think about the song "Hotel California" by the Eagles for a minute.  There is a line in the song that goes “You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave."  People "check out" of life when they stop having a passion for life and put their lives on “automatic pilot.”  They have “checked out” but still function waiting for the next event or the next day.  I am reminded of how my colleague put it.  When she was referring to her life, she said:  "I'm only existing, not living." The unfortunate thing and also the wonderful hope is we can check back in!  

Remember Victor Frankl!  Who is Victor Frankl?  Frankl is the famed psychiatrist who wrote an inspirational book, "Man’s Search for Meaning.” Frankl was a prisoner in the Nazi concentration camps. He had been separated from his family with little hope of ever seeing them again.  The conditions brought him near death and he saw those around him marched to the gas chambers. What drove him to survive?  In Frankl’s situation, he had a burning desire to do two things:  be reunited with his family and to disprove a theory by Sigmund Freud. Freud theorized that if you strip away everything that makes us human--our identity, family, our hope--we will revert to an animalistic state.  Frankl refused to believe this theory.  He believed that there was a power within each person to want to help and make a difference and he saw it throughout the camps.  The most powerful statement in the book was:  “When everything is taken away from us, the one thing we can control is our attitude in any given circumstance.”

So what is “the one thing” you need?  It is your ability to choose how you will react to the failures and difficulties in life.  You can blame them on others, on luck, or destiny but in truth it really does not matter.  You can control the outcome by never “checking out.”  If you were passed over for a promotion, demoted, divorced or faced uncontrollable circumstances, you still had the ability to believe in your own future and to be the architect of your own life.  Remember, you are the master of your fate through taking responsibility for your life and working to be the best!

The new year is almost here.  Resolve to make it the best year yet.  

With the new year, there is always a new baby.   Take a look at the latest addition to our family!

Remembering...one year later...

R.I.P. Terrie (January 31, 1967-May 30, 2011):  Last year, on Memorial Day, my former life partner took her own life.  She was 44-years-old.  The tragic news shook my world.  I still find it disheartening.   It makes me sad that you felt totally hopeless with no will to live. 

Lots on my plate...

Last Friday, I was offered a job and I accepted.  It's a contingent job offer.  A background check has to be conducted.  It definitely pays better than where I'm working now and the benefits are good.  It's kind of bittersweet though.  For now, this is all that needs to be said.

The San Antonio Spurs are doing great.  After sweeping the last two teams in the Playoffs, they are now competing against the Oklahoma City Thunder.  The Spurs won the first game of the series last night.  It wasn't pretty, but it's a W nevertheless and I will take it.  The Thunder is a team not to be taken lightly.

The next game is played May 29th.

Alex is almost out of school.  Her high school graduation is this Saturday, June 2nd at 4:00 p.m.  I'm disappointed because I don't get to attend since each family is given a certain amount of tickets.  I understand that she wants her aunts to attend, but I'm still disappointed (but not surprised).  After all, I have attended more of Alex's school functions than any of her aunts...Field Day, choir performances, award ceremonies, UIL competition out-of-town, joined the PTA year after year, the Book Fair, the Xmas Shoppe, dressed up as Pooh and read a storybook to her class......and at least one aunt is lucky enough to have the one spot I would love to have.  Oh well.  No sense in stewing over it.  I guess it really doesn't matter what one does.  In the final analysis, I'm proud of her.  She's graduating from the better high school.

There's also strife in D's family.  Some people just don't get it...never have...never will.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CATY!!

Happy birthday to our wonderful cat who is 5-years-old today (37 in human years).  Converting between cat years and human years isn't as simple as using a factor of 7 (as some people erroneously think with dogs, and sometimes cats). The main reason is that cats mature quickly in the first couple of years of life. To convert cat age to an equivalent human age, an accepted method is to add 15 years for the first year of life. Then add 10 years for the second year of life. After that, add 4 years for every cat year. This means that by year two, a cat has matured to about the same as a 25 year old human. According to The Cat Calculator, she is 37 in human years!   

A few interesting facts: the longest-living cat was 34 years old according to some sources. The Siamese and the Manx breeds are the longest-living cats on average. And keeping your cat indoors typically doubles its lifespan! So I guess we will be having Caty in our lives for a very long time since she is an indoor cat.