HAPPY BIRTHDAY GEORGE

We had a great time in Nashville.  I love Nashville.  I really do.  We lived there for almost 7 years and it's always fun to go back.

The kids really made their Granddad's birthday special.
  
 
Hugs from the beach,

Kat

"Father, please let me be a blessing to someone today."

NASHVILLE BOUND

So excited!  Our bags are packed and we're on our way to see our son, daughter-in-love and grandchildren!

 
Hugs from the beach,

Kat

"Father, please let me be a blessing to someone today."

I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM, I JUST LIKE IT

I have an addictive personality.  Yep, me.  There...I said it.

Now, "they" (can't you just hear your Mom saying WHO IS THEY?) say that people with addictive personalities often turn towards addiction to help them deal with the stress and issues that they endure in their life. 

That not me.  I just get addicted to stuff because it

1. taste good  (food and drinks)
2. feels good  ( like exercise, pedicures, etc.)
3. is fun  ( like playing  computer games, etc.)

You get the idea.

Actually, I don't know if addiction is the right word.  It's more like I get "stuck" on something and stick with it and then...

 
...one day I just find something else that becomes my favorite.

You know, like I might be C.R.A.Z.Y about pita chips with roasted red pepper hummus, but then I get tired of it and move on to be in love with vanilla yogurt with walnuts on top (yum).

It's actually kind of nice to love love love something and then find something else that I love love love.

Lately, I'm stuck on:

tennis (not new, but for some reason it's more fun than ever)
watching old DVD's while I exercise
water (seriously I can FINALLY FINALLY say I love water)
mini Simply Caramel candy bars
finding new flip flops 
playing Words With Friends (want to play?)
donuts (? not sure why this has cropped up)

And that's just a few. 

Thank you Lord I've never smoked or taken drugs...never ever... and although I love my wine and dark chocolate, it's not a problem.

What are you into?      

 
Hugs from the beach,

Kat

"Father, please let me be a blessing to someone today."

LOVING MY SPORT

I'm sitting here tonight frustrated a bit trying to work on the tennis schedule for May.

Somehow/someway I was designated years ago as the one to make up the schedule for my group.  I keep asking for someone else to do it, but no one volunteers :-)

It's not hard to make up the schedule, it's just hard to get everyone to give me their availability.  And once they do, it's hard sometimes to "weave" it all together.  

But somehow, it always works out.  I'm reminding myself of that tonight :-)

I love love love tennis.  Watching others play is fun too, but I especially love playing it.  

I'm a lucky girl.  I play 2-4 times a week with some really really good friends.  And living where we do, we play year round.  It's great exercise and great fun.

I've been playing for almost 23 years.  I hope I can play for 23 more.  Hey, it's do-able :-)

  

I love tennis! 

What's your love?

 
Hugs from the beach,

Kat

"Father, please let me be a blessing to someone today."

BITTEN TWICE

 I  HATE bugs!

But for some reason bugs seem to LOVE me!  No kidding.  And no matter what kind it is, I have a reaction.  Even a normal mosquito bite will swell huge on me and last for days.  Grrrr.  And bee stings have sent me straight to the doctor for a shot and then days of steroid.

Anyway, last Monday I got bitten about 10 times (while playing tennis) by biting midges...locally we call them "no-see-ums".  Tiny little biting bugs that you can't even see.  I think all the rain we had a few days before then brought out those bad boys!  The bites hurt like "you know what".  They've driven me C.R.A.Z.Y!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Friday, I got bitten by another kind of bug .

The Spring Cleaning Bug :-)

Even though our maid service was coming the next morning, I started cleaning like crazy.  I think I was on a sugar high because of the two donuts I had for breakfast.  LOL  Anyway, I literally worked from morning until almost 9:30.  I cleaned baseboards in every single room, fan blades, the tops of armoires, plantation shutters, etc.  Like a crazy person.  But I left all the yucky stuff...like toilets, floors, etc. to the maid service.

Anyway, my house is clean top to bottom and it feels good.  More than good.

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It doesn't happen very often...at all...but I'm feeling pretty caught up on lots of things.  In the last few days, besides getting the house all spiffy, I had my car cleaned, I got a haircut, I did my manicure & pedicure, I bought some new Spring clothes, I stocked the pantry, caught up the laundry and watered the plants, etc.  

In a few days, things will start to pile up again, but for now I'm feeling good.

 
Hugs from the beach,

Kat

"Father, please let me be a blessing to someone today."

MISSING MY DAD

It happens often that I hear something or read something or see something that reminds me of my Daddy.  Or more specifically, it reminds me that I've spent the majority of my life without him.

Sometimes, it hits me hard and I'm overcome with sadness.

This time it's a book I'm reading.

And once the sadness hits, almost everything...commercials, songs, photos in magazines, etc...remind me how robbed I was to not have him in my life longer.

He was such a sweet, loving gentle man.  And he made me feel that anything was possible.

I miss him.

I wonder how different my life would have been if he had lived.

I miss him.

 
Hugs from the beach,

Kat

"Father, please let me be a blessing to someone today."

OLE

It sure was nice to have a free day to just do "whatever".  Of course, I had plenty of things that need to be done, like cleaning dusty baseboards that I noticed as I lay on the floor doing leg lifts yesterday, but THAT can wait.  

Sometimes a girl just needs to sit with a friend, sip a margarita, have lunch and solve the problems of the world.  Know what I mean?

I don't usually have a drink at lunch unless it's a birthday or special occasion, but every once in awhile it's okay.  Luckily, the place where we went is surrounded by lots of fun places to shop, so we don't have to get in the car right after lunch.  One of them is my favorite boutique in town and they always always have something that calls my name :-)  Four somethings today, to be exact.

I'm so thankful for girlfriends, good food and girl talk.  Oh, and shopping too.


 
Hugs from the beach,

Kat

"Father, please let me be a blessing to someone today."

NOBODY'S PERFECT

I don't know about you, but I have to remind myself of this all.the.time.  I'm a bit (or a lot) of a perfectionist.  I drive myself crazy :-)

And it's damn near impossible to make anything, much less everything, in our lives perfect.

Trying to do all the things I need and want to do means I'm dropping the ball constantly.

But you know what?  That's okay.  God doesn't expect us to be perfect.  He just wants us to do our best.

And I'm trying.....


 
Hugs from the beach,

Kat

"Father, please let me be a blessing to someone today."

TWO POST IN A ROW!

Gosh, can you believe it...two post in a row?!  I'm seriously back :-)

(taken in our "backyard" on March 28th using my iPhone)

 So glad it's beach time again.  It's been a cold, windy, rainy winter.

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I planned this afternoon to catch up my blog on what I've been doing since I was last blogging on a regular basis.  I've got lots of photos to share, including those from our trip to California.  We had a wonderful two weeks.  But, like so many of you, I spent the afternoon glued to the TV....... sigh!

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I'm so sad about what happened today in Boston.  Unbelievably scary, sad and senseless.

The first responders amazed me and made me proud.  True heroes!

NOTHING will take away our American spirit!

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

 
Hugs from the beach,

Kat

"Father, please let me be a blessing to someone today."

MAKE ME AN APPOINTMENT

My name is Kat and I have a problem.  
Seriously :-)

I love my iPad, but it's definitely made it easy to stay away from my big computer.  I can do almost anything I want using my iPad...from anywhere.

Except blogging.  It can be done on the iPad, but it's not easy.  So, I've been away for far to long :-(

I wasn't even sure if anyone out there still cared that I wasn't blogging anymore until I started getting emails from some of my readers to check on me.  That made me happy.  And...it made me realize how long I've been away and how much I miss my blogging friends.

I've got lots of catching up to do, but right now I'm off to see what YOU'VE been doing......  

 
Hugs from the beach,

Kat

"Father, please let me be a blessing to someone today."

A VALENTINE GETAWAY

So excited! Just one more day.
Marco Island here we come!  Just me and my Valentine :)

Happy Valentine's everyone!

I hope yours is extra special too! 

 
Hugs from the beach,

Kat

"Father, please let me be a blessing to someone today."

TIME FLIES

 He smiles all the time.  Love his dimple.

I had such a good time!  Can't believe Daven is 16 months old now.  Time really does fly.  What a fun age!

I'm back home and I'm already missing him.  And our other 9 grandchildren.  If only, we all lived closer to each other.   It's pretty impossible to get them all together in one place at one time...even during the holidays :-(   

Wish I had a private plane.  And the money for gas.  LOL

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We leave for our Marco Island trip a week from today.  Can't wait.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I think I hyper extended my knee last week exercising.  It's been sore, but I "keep on keeping on".  

Hugs from the beach,

Kat

"Father, please let me be a blessing to someone today."

CAN'T WAIT

Packing tonight because I'm leaving in the morning to go see Daven!  Can't wait!

See that "sugar" on his chin.  I want some :-)
I want some snuggles.
And giggles.
 

Thank you Lord for grandchildren!


 
Hugs from the beach,

Kat

"Father, please let me be a blessing to someone today."

A HANDBOOK FOR US ALL

As you can probably tell from my post yesterday and this one today, exercise and healthy eating are important to me.  A little more each year.

Loved this cartoon.  I actually don't go to the gym (but I do the Jim...lol).  I prefer exercising at home.  When I tell most people that, they always say "I'm not disciplined enough unless I go to the gym."  I've never had that problem.  I enjoy exercising (most of the time), but I like doing it in front of the TV where I can catch up on the news or watch a movie.  Plus, I like being able to stop for a bit to run put something in the washer or dryer or to check on things in the oven, etc.

~~~~~

I saw this recently in an email and thought it was a good list to keep close at hand:


HANDBOOK 2013                                                           
                                                                          
 Health:                                                                  
 1.       Drink plenty of water.                                    
 2.       Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
 3.       Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
 4.       Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.           
 5.       Make time to pray.
 6.       Play more games.                                                 
 7.       Read more books than you did in 2012.
 8.       Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
 9.       Sleep for 7 hours.
10.      Walk for 10-30 minutes daily. And while you walk, smile.
                                                                          
 Personality:                                                              
 11.    Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
 12.    Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive,  present moment.
 13.    Don't overdo. Keep your limits.
 14.    Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
 15.    Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.   
 16.    Dream more while you are awake.                   
 17.    Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
 18.    Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.          
 19.    Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
 20.    Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
 21.    No one is in charge of your happiness except you.          
 22.    Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.  Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.                    
 23.    Smile and laugh more.                                     
 24.    You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
                                                                          
 Society:                                                                 
 25.    Call your family often.                                           
 26.    Each day give something good to others.                           
 27.    Forgive everyone for everything.                                   
 28.    Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.    
 29.    Try to make at least 3 people smile each day.                 
 30.    What other people think of you is none of your business.          
 31.    Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.                                                     
                                                                          
 Life:                                                                    
 32.    Do the right thing!                                               
 33.    Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.       
 34.    GOD heals everything.                                             
 35.    However good or bad a situation is, it will change.              
 36.    No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.             
 37.    The best is yet to come...                                         
 38.    When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.            
 39.    Your inner most is always happy. So, be happy. 

40.  (Added by me) Read your bible every day.  It's an invaluable source of comfort and wisdom. 



 
Hugs from the beach,

Kat

"Father, please let me be a blessing to someone today."

I'M KEEPING MY RESOLUTION. ARE YOU?

 I actually enjoy exercising.  How about you?

 
Hugs from the beach,

Kat

"Father, please let me be a blessing to someone today."

MY CUP RUNNETH OVER

 So very true!

   Thank you Lord!

 
Hugs from the beach,

Kat

"Father, please let me be a blessing to someone today."

SWEET AND YUCK

 SWEET!

I was getting dressed for a tennis luncheon this morning when George came back from the gym.  He said "I need to make a confession.  I've been doing something behind your back."  

Hearing something like that can give a girl a heart attack.  LOL  

He went on to say that he's been planning a surprise Valentine's get-away to Marco Island.

How sweet is that?!  Very!

We love visiting Marco, especially during January and February.  It's much warmer than here on our beach and we're hoping to get a little color before we leave for our California trip.  So excited.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
YUCK!
I hate eating crow!

Well, @#$& !!!
After my last post, I hope none of you hurried out and ordered the mini trampoline I mentioned.  There's several things that bothered me so I returned it today.  I definitely don't want to mislead anyone because I wouldn't want anyone to mislead me.  Here's the problems I found....
1.  As soon as we opened the box, there was a strong almost toxic smell.  I thought it would go away once it was out of the box and assembled.  It made me a bit queasy that night, but I truly thought it would pass.  I left it out in the middle of our guest room (that's where I do my exercising...in front of the TV).  The next morning it was just as strong, maybe more.
2.  I found that one of the springs was loose....probably happened when it was packed.
3.  I found a tiny slit in the "skirt" that covers the springs...probably caused when the spring came loose.
4.  When I was out shopping yesterday I literally walked past a display of mini trampolines and one very similar by another well known company was displayed and the cost was less than half what I paid.

Soooo...I bought one. When I got home I packed the first one back in the box and took it back today with no problem in returning it.  I  used the new one today and love it.  In all fairness, I loved the first one too, but who want to pay more, plus deal with a very strong toxic smell AND have to wait for a new one to be delivered because of a loose spring and a rip?  Not me.

I'm still doing my floor exercises, jogging in place, playing tennis, etc., but the mini trampoline is a new addition and one that gets my heart rate up :-)

Sometimes things just don't turn out like we think they will.

So, here I am, totally willing to admit I was wrong, eat a little crow and enjoy my new purchase!        

 
Hugs from the beach,

Kat

"Father, please let me be a blessing to someone today."

IT MAY BE JANUARY 21st, BUT IT'S NEW YEAR's DAY FOR ME

It's January 21st, yet it feels like New Year's Day to me!  Why?
Well, it's the first day this year that I've felt good and I'm home and free to do what I please!

On New Year's eve I was in the bed and sick as a dog.  I ended up spending the next 10+ days at home in the bed or on the sofa feeling weak and sick.  Not sure if it was the flu or not, but it took two rounds of antibiotics and lots of rest to knock it out.  I left pretty much the first day I felt better to go to Nashville to keep three of our grandchildren, so my son and his wife could travel to be with my ex-husband who was having heart surgery....triple bypass and a valve replacement.  Thank you Lord - the surgery was a success.

I loved loved loved spending so much time with the kids....just the three of them and me :-)  Awesome kids!

  

I arrived home last night around 9:00 pm to a big welcome from George and Miss Daisy ;-)

So.... I'm feeling great and I'm ready to do all those things I planned to do once the holidays were over.  Things like - getting serious (again) with my fitness and diet; reading more; traveling to see family more; blogging more, etc., etc., etc..........

We've got our annual two week trip to Palm Desert, CA coming up in March so I definitely want to be ready for a swimsuit.  Gulp!  George has been busy making all the plans for our trip.  Our friends Bob and Jenn are going with us this year for both weeks.  We're all so excited.


When I was sick, I watched soooo much TV.  At some point, I ended up watching one of those shopping channels and saw a program on a mini trampoline.  It looked like fun, so I ordered one.   I found it to be really fun.  I like that mine came with a stabilizing bar to hold on to...at least in the beginning. 

(edited to add....see my 1/23/13 post...I ended up returning it and getting a different brand.) 

I ordered mine from Wally World though because I like that it's easy to make returns if I'm unhappy with a purchase.  Mine arrived while I was gone last week.  Today I used it for the first time.  I think I'm gonna love it.  It really got my heart rate up.  Between that and my tennis this morning, I'll sleep good tonight.

I'm off now to see what YOU have been doing. 

 
Hugs from the beach,

Kat

"Father, please let me be a blessing to someone today."