Treasured MoMINTs

Good morning, Mintdom!
 
Leading a healthy lifestyle is not only the physical; it is also about being healthy in my spirit, mind and my heart. This weekend, I had my fill of all three! It was beautiful – not only did I get to spend it with my two sisters, but also the three of us drove to Richmond to visit GREAT friends and attend their church.  It was one of those times where I felt like I was really living my life. . 

This weekend filled me up in so many ways. On the way to Richmond, we ran into a torrential rainstorm. The rain came down in sheets! Not only did it slow us down; it showed me the power of Nature, and how little control we have over life.  Saturday night we met with our friends for a fabulous dinner.  It was great food and even better conversation.  Sunday, my sisters and I ‘bloomed’ with coffee and went down for a delicious breakfast.  Our friends picked us up for church. The message was on the book of Ruth in the Bible. After church, we our friends took us to their home for a fabulous lunch. Their home was so warm and inviting. I think almost everything in it had special meaning to them.  They are truly special themselves.  She is a philosopher and a writer. He is a musician and they both work together in real estate.

Laughter and deep conversation filled the car on the way home with my sisters. It was such a precious time for me, and one that I will treasure for years to come.  We are very fortunate to have each other. I think we all need be purposeful about taking time out of our busy lives for moMINTS like this. I know that when I am in the throes of work or keeping up with my life, I will have this time to draw on. Can you remember a special time that you have had – a time that you treasure? If not, my strong suggestion is that you take some time out and create your own treasure.

“God gave us memories that we might have roses in December.”  ~J.M. Barrie, Courage, 1922

AffirMINTion: I make time for precious moMINTS!

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

What are you waiting for?

Life is good!

A Mini Minty MoMINT

My ‘uncle’ Bob and his friend Lauren took care of me while my mom was away and even though I missed my mom, I had a GREAT time. My mom says that it is nice to have treasured moMINTs to remember… AND I LIKE IT!

Life is Minty Fresh!
       

On my way home

        

Visiting is Fun AND Exhausting!

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Happy Father’s Day to ALL the Dad’s!

Happy Father’s Day to all the GREAT Fathers in Mintdom,

I know there are some great dads out there and I would love to hear from the sons and daughters about their dads.  Please feel free to share your dads with us here.  I do not think that Dads get as much recognition as they should get, especially these days. So come on… celebrate your Dads this week! 

Of course, I think that I have the BEST dad in the whole world.  The top five words that come to my mind when I think of my father are Integrity, Dutiful, Family, Provider, and Courageous.  

My dad spent most of his career in the association business. His career allowed my mom to stay home with us (five kids) growing up. I think one of the best things about my dad is that I always knew that he loved his family. Even though he traveled a lot, I never doubted that he was thinking about us. I cannot remember a time that he went on a trip and did not bring us all some little trinket.  After attending a convention, he would make us stay out of his room while he spread out all sorts of doodads on the bed and then call us into the room to let us take turns picking things out until they were all gone.  It was so much fun! 

To be perfectly honest, things were not smooth sailing for my dad and me.  We always had family dinners together.  Now my dad did not get home until about 7:00 most nights.  I do not remember that dad had a lot of time to decompress between work and coming home to five kids, and to be perfectly honest, things were not always smooth sailing at the dinner table when I was a teenager.  I can remember many times, my dad saying something sarcastic that would send me flying away from the dinner table in tears, stomping up the stairs and slamming the door to my room. My dad would make me come back to “finish the nice dinner my mom made”. Things eventually evened out at the dinner table, probably because I grew up or maybe it was something that my dad showed me years later when I had my own children. That is when he gave me a book that he said helped him a lot. It was called ‘Between Parent and Child’ by Heim Ginott. As I was leafing through it, I saw paragraphs that my dad marked that talked about how harmful sarcasm could be.  There was also a note in pencil that said something like, “I will stop sarcastic remarks”. 

One of the most dramatic moments, I had with my dad was when he sat my brother, Jon and I down one evening and told us that mom had cancer. At that time, just the word cancer meant probable death. He said that she had gone to several expert doctors (one said that he would amputate her arm). The doctor that they chose was going to cut the cancer out.  My dad and my mom had five kids at the time and I think that the youngest was only two years old. I could tell that this was serious, but my dad was so reassuring that I did not realize that mom had the worst kind of cancer you could have. He never let on how scared he was. That before the age of 40, he could be a widower with five kids.  It turned out that mom had malignant melanoma and she was her doctor’s only surviving patient with that kind of cancer for over ten years.  Thank God, my mom is still healthy and happy today! 

On a lighter note – I have always felt that I could go to my dad with almost anything.  For instance, I went to my dad to ask him what a ‘wet dream’ was.  I figured that it happened to boys so he would be the one to ask.  I do not know how my dad felt about it, but he barely skipped a beat and just gave me the answer. 

My dad shows his love to his family and country.  My dad votes every election, he has definite political leanings, yet he allows all of us to share ours. My dad is still active in his 82nd airborne group.  He still takes mom on romantic trips to Europe. It is so nice to see them both holding hands and going out on dates together.   

Today, dad is out fishing with my cousin all day.  I sure hope he catches his limit – he deserves it!

AffirMINTion: I am grateful to have the BEST dad in the world. 

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to. 

What are you waiting for?

Life is good! 

A Mini Minty MoMINT 

I love my mom’s dad too.  He takes me for walks and brings me treats when he is home… AND I LIKE IT! 

Life is Minty Fresh

Hanging Out and Waiting for a Treat!

xoxo

Small Beginnings Again :)

05/23/2011
 
Good morning Mintdom,
 
Minty and I had a rough night last night as she was sick and I had hot flashes – what a duo! I did want to get this off to you this morning, as it has been a week since I wrote, and I am trying to be more consistent in my writing.

I did go swimming again yesterday.  It was a week since I swam too.  Rather than beating myself up for not going more often last week, I decided that it was a baby step to getting back to exercise.  I guess some might think that this is a justification and perhaps it is a justification, or rationalization. I can tell you though, I feel like it was an accomplishment, and I am looking forward to doing two days this week rather than feeling bad about myself.

“All great things have small beginnings.” – Peter Senge

My plan for this week is to attend water aerobics on Thursday. What sort of things do you do that help you meet your goals, especially big goals?

AffirMINTion: I take small steps each day towards meeting my goals.

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 I will feel better soon… AND I LIKE IT!

Life is Minty Fresh! (Still)

Tummy Ache 😦

 xoxo

Obstacles Are Good!

05/18/2011
  
Good morning, Mintdom,
 
I planned to go to the pool this morning and write to you afterwards, but I overslept so I am writing you now. My new plan is to bring my suit to work and stop off at the pool on my way home.  I am choosing to be flexible today!

http://tinyurl.com/NoLegsArms

I received this Nick Vujicic video from my cousin after my last post.  I have seen a couple of his videos before and each one, I feel more charged to go for my goals! I have no excuses for completing my goals – only choices. We all have obstacles in the way of reaching our goals.  Nick inspires me to continue reaching my goals – If Nick can do it, I can do it!

Who inspires you? What keeps you motivated? How do you handle the obstacles in your life? I would love to see your answers here!

AffirMINTion: I can do anything that I set my mind to.

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

What are you waiting for?

Life is good!

“If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.” – Frank A. Clark

A Mini Minty MoMINT

My mom says… I can do anything that I want to do… AND I LIKE IT!

Life is Minty Fresh!

xoxo

 

 

 

Right now, I want to play with my new toy!

The Things Mom Taught Me!

Happy Mother’s Day 2011

Good morning Mintdom,
 
I have the BEST mom in the world; this is not to negate that you have the BEST mom too! My mom taught me so much over my 58 (yikes) years. 
 
My mom taught me how to hold a baby.  I am the first born of five kids (#1 – was then, am now, will always be #1 LOL).  When my brother Jon was born, I was 2 1/2 years old – too young to walk around with my new baby brother, but not too young to want to. My mom sat me on the sofa with a pillow in my lap.  She instructed me to put my arms on the pillow and she placed my brother in my arms making sure that I “supported his head”.  I think it lasted about 30 seconds and I was done and satisfied that I held my new brother!
 
My mom taught me how to curl my hair. My mom used to curl my hair with sponge rollers until I was about 5 or 6 years old.  She would wash my hair over the sink or under the tap in the tub (did we not have a shower?) and then would carefully comb it out and roll it up in the curlers.  That is until I was about 5 or 6 years old – THEN – my dad came home one night and told my mom that my YOUNGER cousin, Roxanne, was curling her OWN hair. Jeepers – I decided that I needed to do that too (I had to keep up with my cousin, especially since my parents (dad) thought it was so great) so my mom showed me how to do my own.  When I complained about sleeping on rollers, my mom said that we had to suffer for beauty.  I took that little instruction to heart because when I was 16 years old, I used to roll my hair up in soup cans (juice cans were too flimsy) and sleep all night on them using my pillow to brace my neck.  Thank God for pillows!

My mom taught me how to wash walls. My mom is a GREAT housecleaner! I remember her washing our walls.  Do people still wash walls? In case they do, my mom taught me to start at the bottom and work my way up – I am still a little confused as to the reason, but that is how I always did it when I did it!  Mom also taught me to wash windows with vinegar and newspapers.  It works well and is cheap to boot!

My mom taught me to stay calm in a crisis. My mom lived through serious illness (including her own cancer (the worst kind you can have) during a time when the word ‘cancer’ meant death), accidents (major and minor), divorce, and death. When my son Michael was 2 years old, Patsi was 6 years old and I was 7 months pregnant with Kelly, I drove to Minnesota (without husband) to visit my mom and dad for a month.  On the way, I stopped at my aunt and uncle’s house in Wisconsin.  Michael sat on a stool as if he was riding a horse and ripped the inside of his thigh with a tack.  I was VERY calm when I told my aunt that I thought Michael was going to have to get stitches.  We took him to the emergency room where he received 65 stitches! The next day, I still had a four-hour drive to the lake.  I will tell you that I was very calm until I arrived at the lake, walked into the cabin, and saw my mom. The moment I saw her, I totally broke down.  I was safe! I hope my kids feel that safe with me!

Of course, she taught me so many other things in my life such as how to be a woman, wife (even though it did not last), and mother. My mom taught me to respect others and myself. My mom taught me that you do not have to go to college to be smart – my mom did not finish college, and is the most well read, well rounded, best-informed woman that I know.  I love you mom – thank you for teaching me how to be the woman that I am today.

I am sure that you learned those things and others from your mom too.  I would love to hear what you learned from your mom. Feel free to post the things that your BEST mom in the world taught you.

AffirMINTion: I love and appreciate my beautiful mom.

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

What are you waiting for?

Life is good!

PS My dad taught me never to refer to my mom as she. (smile)

“If the whole world were put into one scale, and my mother in the other, the whole world would kick the beam.”  ~Lord Langdale (Henry Bickersteth)

A Mini Minty MoMINT

My mom says that her mom taught her how to be a mom… AND my mom would make the world kick the beam too…AND I LIKE IT.

Life is Minty Fresh!
 

My Mom Knows My Favorite Spot!

 

xoxo

 

 

 

My favorite spot!

A Light Goes Out in the World

I dedicate this post to my Dad who lost his beloved sister Barbara on Tuesday. I know he will miss her. I love you, Dad.
 
05/07/2011
 
Good morning, Mintdom,
 
We have had another death in our family. I do not care how old or sick someone is, to me, it is always unexpected. My Auntie Barbara is my dad’s sister.  She suffered more of her life than not, yet she lead a full life AND was full of life. Auntie Barbara had MS since her 30’s.  She also had rheumatoid arthritis. She was especially sick and in and out of the hospital in the past years.  She was at death’s door several times and always rallied until the other night. What a strong spirit she had!
 
I have few actual first hand memories of my Auntie Barbara as she lived in the state of Washington after she got married. She was one of my dad’s younger sisters and I remember her as a young adult.  Her apartment was the first apartment I had ever seen, and I thought it she was so cool for being on her own – and she was wearing penny loafers and not tennis or saddle shoes. Many years later after I was married, she came to the east coast and visited my house.  I think she had just started using a wheel chair. I can still picture her sitting at our table eating crabs! I cannot tell you how much I admired her, how beautiful she looked, and how much fun she was. That had to be 30 years ago.

My Auntie Barbara was frugal. I remember my mom telling me that she would lay out a paper towel after she used it (I imagine for a non-gooey spill) to dry so she could use it again.  I tried that for a few months, but I guess I am not the frugal type.  I have thought about her often over the years when I through one away.

“Watching a peaceful death of a human being reminds us of a falling star; one of a million lights in a vast sky that flares up for a brief moment only to disappear into the endless night forever.”  ~Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

I swear that life is shorter, the older I get and that on Tuesday, a bright star in our family disappeared into the endless night, but remains forever in our hearts.
AffirMINTion: I love my precious life

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

What are you waiting for?
tinyurl.com/WhatchaWaiting4

Life is good!

A Mini Minty MoMINT

My mom says that I am precious…. AND I like it! I like it and I know it – AND I am cute too!

Life is Minty Fresh!
 

xoxo

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

How to Be More Resilient!

Good morning Mintdom,
 
Yesterday, I heard something is very useful to me. It is three things that I can do to be more resilient. I can apply them to any of my work or personal goals.  When something in my life does not go the way I want it to go, or when something happens that might normally knock me off my path, here are three things that can help:
 
1. Immerse myself into a project that I am passionate. This redirects my thinking into something positive.
 
2. Call on my support system.  These are people that I am close to, people that I can be honest with, people who are honest with me and people who I know have my best interest at heart.
 
3. Take extra good care of myself.  Make myself a nice meal, take a nice hot bath, get a pedicure or manicure (if it is in the budget ha, ha), go with a friend to coffee, and of course, play snuggle with Minty.
 
“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.”  -Helen Keller
 
AffirMINTion: I am an overcomer

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

What are you waiting for?

Life is good!

A Mini Minty MoMINT

My mom says… she loves to cuddle with me and buy me toys… AND I LIKE IT!

Life is Minty Fresh!

I Love Lots of Toys!

 xoxo
 

 

 

PS I snuck in the part about buying me toys. Shhhh don’t tell my mom!

Health – Our GREATEST Wealth

Good morning, Mintdom!

I got back from CA last Thursday at 5 am and I have been in bed (except for a trip to the dr.) since due to a virus.  Today will be my first day back at work.  I will tell you that I learned how important health is, and it has given me a new resolve to stay on my path. 

I learned a lot while I was away – both business wise and personal growth wise, and I will be sharing with you as I look over my notes and digest it all again. The one thing that really stands out to me is how grateful I am to be working for such a GREAT real estate company. 

Each year, at the end of the convention, there is an Inspirational Breakfast.  Our Vice Chair, Mo Anderson, heads this event. There are inspiring stories and speakers, and I love that, but one thing really struck me was something that Mo said.  She said that Keller Williams is striving to be the most honorable and ethical real estate company in the world.  I am so proud to be part of a company that strives to be honorable! 

Anyway, I want to share with you one of the speakers that was there. Rhema Marvanne is 8 years old and she lost her mother when she was 5, I believe.  Her mother was a songwriter and a singer and Rhema honors her mom through her own voice.  She just completed her second album.  Wait until you hear her.

 http://tinyurl.com/awesome8yrold

 AffirMINTion: I am grateful for my health

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

What are you waiting for?

Life is good!

A Mini Minty MoMINT

The greatest wealth is health.  ~Virgil

My mom agrees with Virgil… AND I LIKE IT! 

Ps. here is Rhema’s story in her words http://tinyurl.com/SingsforMom  

xoxo

Waiting for Mom to come home

Intentional Happiness

01/27/11 – 10 Minutes of Exercise – Strength Training Legs – H2O – 8 Glasses – No Step Data – 20 minutes of shoveling driveway

Good morning Mintdom,

Yesterday, I asked the question, “Is happiness genetic?”  I told you that I would let you know my opinion, and here it is. I believe it is a combination of genetics, circumstances, self-awareness, and choice.  I think choice is the biggest factor.  Genetics and some circumstances are out of your control. I do think that no matter what happens in your life, it is more about how you handle your circumstances that contributes to your happiness. I am also intentional about surrounding myself with positive people; I read positive books; and I listen to positive music. 

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” – Herman Cain
 
Here is my happiness question for today:

Do you make time each day for complete silence?

Studies show that just 10 minutes of sitting and breathing each day will give you a happiness boost.  If you believe these studies, would you be more inclined to practice sitting quietly each day?

AffirMINTion: I enjoy my quiet time each morning.

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

What are you waiting for?

Life is good!

A Mini Minty MoMINT

My mom says… watching me, play makes her happy, and I LIKE IT!

Life is Minty Fresh!
xoxo
http://tinyurl.com/HappyMinty