Count Your Assets

March 11, 2013

Good morning Mintdom

I have the BEST, most generous family and friends. I am so grateful for all who helped me celebrate my 60^th birthday. You all or as some of you say, Y’all made me feel so very special. I spent so much of the weekend trying to come up with the words to say thank you. No words seem adequate. If I go along with Robert Quillen’s theory, and my family and friends are my assets, than my profit is sky-high! Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. ::::whispering:::: and I got a Coach bag:::::

“If you count all your assets, you always show a profit.” – Robert Quillen

Speaking of birthdays, I want to wish one of my favorite assets, my friend Ben Heisler a very happy birthday. Ben is one of the smartest, funniest, hardest worker, most loyal, friends that I get to call my friend. Happy birthday, stalker… err friend – I hope you have an awesome day!

AffirMINTions: I am 60 and loving it!

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

What are you waiting for?

Life is good!

A Mini Minty MoMINT

My mom says…being happy is a choice… and I LIKE IT!

Life is Minty Fresh!

 

xoxo

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Our Golden Hours of Life

I dedicate this post, with love and prayers, to Bobby who tragically passed away on Sunday at 33 years of age.  He will be missed by many. Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers.

04/05/2011

Good morning, Mintdom

Wow!  I have barely come to terms with the year being 2011, and it is already April!  My mom used to tell me that the older you get the faster our lives seem to go.  Was she ever right! Time really does fly the older I get.  I just heard on the news that yesterday was the 43rd anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King.  (Shaking head) I totally remember that day.  I was 13 and at a babysitting job (for 50 cents an hour) when I heard the news.  It does not seem like yesterday, but it also does not seem like 43 years ago.

In addition to the Martin Luther King anniversary, I have my 40th class reunion coming up in August.  I do not know if I am going to go. I did not have a great high school experience.  I skipped many days of my Junior and Senior years.  I had an older boyfriend (who later became my husband, now ex-husband) who did not go to my school, hence the skipping school. Our class has a page on Facebook, and I am telling you – they ALL look like adults! I wonder what happened to them.  LOL!

“Lost, yesterday, somewhere between Sunrise and Sunset, two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward is offered, for they are gone forever. ~ Horace Mann

I think what I am trying to say is that life is precious, and I need to relish every moment. I need to appreciate those around me, and take advantage of every moment on this earth. We are all here for just a short time to make a difference.

I want to take a moment to thank you all for all the wonderful things you bring to my life – I am grateful. 

AffirMINTion: I make the most out of each day – appreciating and loving those around me.

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

What are you waiting for?

Life is good!

A Mini Minty MoMINT

My mom says that she loves me every day… AND I LIKE IT!

Life is Minty Fresh!

Happy First Birthday Minty April 3, 2011

xoxo
Minty at 2 Weeks – Now 1 Year Old

Sneaking Back for a MoMint!

*Interesting Note – The last time I posted was for the birthday of my other sister!

08/31/10 – 8,757 steps

Good morning Mintdom!

I am still on my little break, but will be back full steam after the Labor Day holiday. I have been filling up on some good reading mostly about how to live intentionally. I have also enjoyed spending nice time with Minty (my puppy for those who are new) in the mornings.  She is doing very well and yesterday, I gave her all the living area for the first time. Overall, although I have missed you, it has been good and I have come to appreciate my life even more!

“To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.” –Thomas Campbell

I had to write today because today is a VERY special day.  My sister Becky is celebrating her 50th birthday. The first word that comes to my mind when I think of Becky is beautiful.  Becky is beautiful from the inside – out.  When she was a toddler, and I was in elementary school, I remember standing in the lunch line (lunches just went up from .25 to .35 cents) at Our Lady of Lourdes School. I said to my friends, “I have the most beautiful sister – you should see her, and I am not just saying it because she is my sister.”  When she was about 6 years old, Becky had very long, light-brown hair with these little blondish ringlets at the bottom.

My (our) dad used to work in downtown DC and he went to work very early to miss the traffic. I remember Becky would get up and send him off with hugs and kisses, standing on the stoop as his car pulled away saying oooo ah oooo ah (hugs) until dad was out of site.  Becky turned out to be a beautiful wife, mother, sister, and friend. Happy birthday, Becky, I hope your day is as special as you are!

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

What are you waiting for?

Life is good!

A Mini Minty MoMINT

My mom and Becky took me on a walk this morning and I liked it!

xoxo

Happy birthday and you live in my heart too!

I Was a Busy Beaver Last Week + A Birthday Wish

05/01/10 – 6,231 Steps

One Hour of exercise 

Welcome to a Weekend Edition of Mintdom,

I had a great week last week. There was a lot on my plate at work and although I did not get everything done that I wanted to get done, I was very productive and accomplished a lot. That was on the work side.

 On my health side, I have exercised for 3 hours, and burned 1182 calories and I have until Wednesday to get my 5 hours and 1700 calories in for the week. I am hoping to go over that.

On the personal side, I had my family over for a cookout on my new grill that my dad, brother, and nephew put together. The only down side is that, that was the last dinner of the season with my parents as they just traveled to their home in Minnesota until late October. I am already counting the days until they return.

In addition, I attended a little birthday happy hour for a friend of mine; it was a lot of fun, and I met two women who are single and live in my area. I am looking forward to getting to know them.

As you can see, I was a busy beaver last week http://tinyurl.com/BusyBeaver

I was NOT like these folks who were busy doing nothing http://tinyurl.com/BusyDoingNothing

How was your week? Are you satisfied with what you accomplished? Do you think it was a balanced week? For me, I do not see how I could have accomplished more at work unless I had a couple more hours in a day! I think it was a fairly balance week. – All in all, it was an excellent week for me.

AffirMINTion: I lead a balanced life.

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

What are you waiting for?

Life is good!

A special birthday wish goes out to my cousin, Billy. Billy’s mom is my godmother and I spent some great summers in Minnesota. Billy and I stayed up most nights until morning playing the card game, Smear. It really is not a two-player game, but we sure had fun playing it. I do not remember what I drank, but Billy drank Dr Pepper all night – no wonder we stayed up all night. Billy is one of the nicest, thoughtful, and fun people that I know. He has the BEST sense of humor of anyone that I know. Billy’s life has not been without adversity, but he deals with it with a sense of humor and always seems to get through it gracefully.

Last summer while I was traveling to visit, my parents Northwest/Delta Airlines (two bad airlines merging to make an awful airline) stranded me in Minneapolis. Even though it was close to 11:00 on a weeknight, Billy did not hesitate to pick me up and bring me to his home. Although we did not stay up all night playing cards, it was fun reminiscing about those days.

Happy Birthday Billy and I wish you many more! http://tinyurl.com/HappyBDayBillyD

 

Fail to Prepare – Prepare to Fail!

04/28/10 – 8,865 Steps

04/29/10 – 7,907 Steps

1 hour of exercise

Good morning Mintdom,

I took the advice of a friend of mine and did not throw out my pedoMINTer, and now I am happy to report that it is working again! Whoo hoo! My pedoMINTer’s little toilet experience however, showed me the need for a back up. In addition, I now have a clip for the times that I do not have a belt loop.

“If you fail to prepare, you are prepared to fail.” – Mark Spitz

Part of preparation is planning, and my planning skills are improving each day. This is in all areas of my life, but planning for my health is at the top of my list, because without my health, I have nothing at all.

This song came to my mind as I was writing. If you substitute your health for ‘the man’ in this song, it brings a completely new meaning to it. http://tinyurl.com/NothingWithoutYou

AffirMINTion: I prioritize my health every day!

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

What are you waiting for?

Life is good!

 

PS Before signing off I want to wish two friends of mine, a very happy birthday. Coincidently, they are both Laurens! Maybe it is in the name, but they are both very sweet people.

 

Lauren C: I have seen you go through adversity with grace and humor. You are a thoughtful friend. Happy Birthday – thanks for being my friend in health, as a neighbor and as a fellow Café World owner! I am looking forward to the opening of our pool this summer!

 

Lauren L: You and I share so many of our views on life – you are one smart cookie! LOL I love your open mind, caring heart, your keen business sense, and your view on the world! Happy Birthday today and I am looking forward to celebrating you, this evening.

I Have Something in Common with Michaelangelo – You Do Too!

04/08/10 – 6,950 steps

1 hour of exercise

Good morning Mintdom, 

I think I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning because all I can think about are complaints. I am having a difficult time keeping up with my life. Have you ever felt that before? Maybe it is my time management, but I just do not have enough time in my day to do all that I want to do. I feel like life is not only flying by – it is flying by a rocket speed! I am not sure what that is about but I will think about it this weekend because I do not have time to do it now! LOL I am cracking myself up. 

“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Theresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.” – H Jackson Brown

 I wish that these folks were still alive for me to ask them how they did it. Hmm… I bet they did not play Facebook games! LOL

 AffirMINTion: I appreciate my life and use my time wisely

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

 What are you waiting for?

http://tinyurl.com/WhatchaWaiting4

Life is good.

 Oh… one more thing before I go. Yesterday was my dad’s birthday and I would just like to take a little time to say how much I love him. He is the BEST father in the world.

When I was a little girl, my dad would come home from work and hang his jacket on the back of the dining room chair and my brother and I would each take a side, reach into the pocket and pull out a treat of some kind. 

When I was a little older, he traveled a lot for business. Somehow, he made it seem like he was never too far away and that he was always thinking about us. When he got home, and unpacked, he would lay out all sorts of important trinkets on his bed like pencils, pads, paper clip holders while my mom looked on and smiled. You know all the stuff you can pick up at conventions. LOL

My dad is my hero. He is one of the best roll models I know for integrity, dedication to his family, and discipline (he can still fit into his army uniform). Lastly, I will be eternally grateful that my dad sent MINTy Mouse and MINTor to the big forest in the sky!

Happy Birthday, dad – I love you xoxo

Great Day to Be Here, Great Day to Be Alive!

03/10/10 – 3,931 Steps

Day 10

Good morning Mintdom,

I know my step count was low yesterday, and it was because I spent most of my day planted in my chair at work. I am helping with an event today, so I imagine that I will make up for it today!

One of my sister-in-laws sent me this video yesterday. Interesting how things work out because I was just speaking to a friend of mine about having a positive attitude, and how it is a choice. I know that I am a positive person, but this person is amazing. He is a Christian, but you do not have to be a Christian to get the message. The video is almost 10 minutes long, but it is worth every second.

“If you don’t think every day is a good day, just try missing one.” – Cavett Robert

AffirMINTion: I choose to make it a GREAT day!

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

What are you waiting for?

Life is good!

I want to wish special Happy Birthday to my friend, Ben. Ben makes the most out of each day. People that know him say that he is an old soul – he really is. He is wise beyond his years with good common sense, and if you are his friend, you can trust his loyalty. Ben has a lot of energy with a great work ethic. He works hard and plays hard and his sense of humor is disarming. Happy Birthday, Ben – I hope you have a GREAT one!

http://tinyurl.com/GoodToBeAlive

They Say It’s Your Birthday – Well It’s My Birthday Too!

3/1/10 – Today is first day of the rest of my life!

Dear Mintdom,

I have been very remiss in keeping track of my activities as of late; however, today is my birthday and I it is a GREAT day to start tracking again. I am having a slow start this morning – I slept through my alarm; however, I DID get my morning exercise and reading in. I might be a little slow, but I am off to a good start – excited and eager for my day.

I do not want the day to go by though without letting you know how much you enhance my life. I appreciate all of the stories you share with me, you all of your encouragements, love, pats on the back and for holding me accountable. You lift me up when I am down; you are generous with your time and your help and advice. How blessed I am to have each one of you in my life.

A special shout out to my Dad and Mom who are the BEST parents in the whole world. Thank you for giving me my life! To the rest of you – thanks for being in my life, and for putting the life in my years!

 “And in the end, it is not the years in your life that count; it is the life in your years.” –Abraham Lincoln 

I used to have a whole door devoted to the Beatles when I was a teenager, and somewhere in a box, I still have some old Beatle cards. I cried when I Want to Hold Your Hand was number one song of the year. Of course, I just HAD to give you this song by my beloved Beatles

 http://tinyurl.com/TheySayItsYourBirthday

 AffirMINTion: I am grateful for my life! 

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

 What are you waiting for? 

Life is good!

Time ManageMINT & Birthday Wishes

09/06/09 – 10,560 (another 10,000 step day – whoo hoo!)

Food Journal – Yes

White Food – Yes

9/7/09 – No Data

Food Journal – Yes

White Food – Yes

Good morning Mintdom!

I have to confess that I had to go out twice on Sunday night to get my step over 10,000.  It tells me that I need to be more conscience of moving during the day.  Yesterday, I had issues with my pedometer (this is my third one – I should start putting them in a box lol) so I have no real data; however I do not think that I reached the 5,000 step mark.  My friend Michelle would tell me that I just took the day off – so Monday was my day off!

“One always has time enough, if one will apply it well.”
– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I need to fit 5 days into four – actually, if truth were told, I need to fit 6 days into four this week!  This morning, I almost skipped my walk.  First, it was dark and raining when I woke up and I REALLY wanted to stay in bed for another hour. I got home, showered, turned on the computer and the first thing I looked at was my work e-mail.  The next thing I knew, I was formatting a section of a brochure that I need to do.  Yikes – I need to be focused on getting things done at work without losing focus on my health. The good news is that it did not last long and I knew Mintdom was waiting for me!  I do not know how I got along without all of you for so long!

Today I am committing to 6,000 steps, keeping that dreaded Food Journal and to stay focused at work while I am there!

AffirMINTion:  I have time for my priorities.

Today is my good friend, AnnBeck’s Birthday!!! I am so happy to know Ann.  She is one of the most wonderful people that I know and she has the most energy of anyone I know.  If we could harness and sell AnnBeck’s energy, there would be no energy shortage, and we would ALL be rich!  AnnBeck goes above and beyond in her real estate life, and in her home life. AnnBeck is also one of the most thoughtful people I know.  She is smart, capable, and so much fun!  She does all this AND STILL finds time to take care of herself; although, I think she gets up at 5:00 to get to her personal trainer – yikes!  AnnBeck is truly a blessing in my life – Happy Birthday, Ann

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

Life is good!

PS  When I woke up I got this text from UmbrellaToday.com that said I should take my umbrella today.  I just love that!  Now I need to have one that says that I should go for a walk today.  LOL!  Check out the site www.UmbrellaToday.com.  All you do is type in your zip code and your cell phone number and you are all set.  You never hear from them unless it is going to rain.

Planting The Mint!

08/31/09 – 3,054

Food Journal – yes

White Food – yes (I stayed away from white sugar, flour, rice, pasta)

Good morning Mintdom!

“When the root is planted deep there is no reason to fear the wind.” –Chinese Proverb

Yesterday was the first day for keeping my food journal.  I am not counting calories or points yet.  I just want to get in the habit of doing the journal first.  One of the issues I have had in the past has been to look up points or calories when I kept a food journal.  I am good the first day or two, but once I get a little behind, I quit.  When I saw this quote this morning, I realized why I failed so many times to keep up a food journal.  What a relief!  Obviously, that root was not planted very deep so for the first 21 days of this journal, I will just write down everything I eat and drink.

Change is difficult for most of us; it is for me, and that is why I write my goals down on paper.  I also keep them in front of me in different ways.  I have my list hanging on my bulletin board, I have the top five on an easel with everyone’s goals from my office, and I have a vision board.  The vision board is now hanging in my garage so I see it every day when I l come and go. I also took a picture of it and it is on my computer.  I just changed it from my desktop.  I need to check my goals against the Chinese Proverb and either plant them deeper or pull them up from the ground, and throw them out!

I think I will start a new vision board too.  It is a nice thing to do, and not difficult. I just took a LOT of magazines, and started tearing pages from them of pictures that matched my goals or that I just liked.  I did not use everything.  Then I began cutting them out and pasting them on a small poster board.  I am sure you can get fancy and shellac it or frame it, but I did not. Here is the one I have on my computer.  You do not have to do a vision board, but I STRONGLY encourage you to write down your goals and/or revisit them often.  It is a GREAT feeling to check them off as you accomplish them!  At the end of last year, I bought the palace that you see at the top of my vision board – while it might not look like the one in the picture to you – it looks JUST like that picture to me!

Before closing today, I want to wish a very Happy Birthday to my sister, Becky.  I remember when you came home from the hospital; you were so tiny.  When my dad (and your dad too!) put his thumb over your wrist, it covered it and then some!  I also remember that when I was standing in the lunch line (hot lunches just went up from 25 cents to 35 cents) and describing you to my friends.  I told them that you were the most beautiful baby in the world, and I was not saying it because you were my sister – it was a fact!  You were beautiful then, you are just as beautiful now – on the inside as well as the outside, and I am not just saying that because you are my sister!

AffirMINTion:  I have a vision for my life

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

Life is good!