Seeing Ourselves Clearly

"And why is it that we can see our friends perfectly, but when it comes to ourselves, no matter how hard we look, do we ever see ourselves clearly?" ~Carrie Bradshaw

What a great quote. I have heard it before, but recently I thought of it again. One of my friends, who shall remain nameless in the blog, called me and during our conversation I was reminded that we really don't see ourselves the way other people see us. She was talking about herself, and it was completely different from the person I see! This was completely ridiculous because she's so fantastic---she's beautiful and smart and funny and someone should be telling her these things every single day!

When we see ourselves, we see the bad things---the extra 5 pounds (or more for some of us!), the blemishes, the designer jeans we don't have, the failures or the pain or whatever issues we're dealing with. When our friends, at least our true friends, look at us, they don't see any of those things. They see people who they care about---people who are beautiful, despite any of the things mentioned above. People who are smart and funny and who they love unconditionally. Our friends see the good things we do, the kind hearts we have.

I really hope you have people in your life who see you this way....and who tell you about it. Because you know what? If you are ANY of my friends, or anything like them, you are great and deserve to be told that by someone all the time.

So think about the people in your life. Do any of them need to be told today that they are beautiful or important or whatever else? Think about who probably doesn't hear that enough. Maybe some of them have someone to tell them these things every day (darn happy married people!) ;) But probably, some don't. Send them a card. Give them a hug. Write a text message. You will make their day and maybe you can help them see themselves the way you see them.

And nameless friend, you are a ROCKSTAR and anyone who is too stupid to see that is someone who doesn't deserve to be in your life! :) I heart you!

Correction for Cousin Kevin

"There are three kinds of people in this world. Those who can count, and those who can't."

Oh my dear Cousin Kevin. He has informed me that my blog last week about our family Thanksgiving was misleading. I didn't tell the truth about the quantity of meat he cooked in his smoker. In his words, "If you can't get the truth from your blog, where can you?" In an attempt to try and make him happy, I have decided to blog all about Cousin Kevin on Thanksgiving. I hope to provide enough detail that he approves.

Meet Cousin Kevin and his family. He has four of the coolest kids you will ever meet. He's okay too...

When he arrived at my parents' house on Friday night, he prepared the meat for cooking. Here he is glaring at someone in the kitchen. I do not know who he was glaring at or why he was glaring. Don't want to be misleading about that, so I won't speculate.

So here he is on the big day with the cooker. He shows up at the house at 5:15. AM. Yes, AM. What does he do? Calls me for coffee. I'm not some Starbuck's barista, yet I get out of my warm, comfy bed, but on three layers of clothing, get his coffee and go hang out with him in the freezing cold. Anyone feel like I should be the one getting more of the attention for being such a great cousin?

Finally everyone else showed up and Baby Cousin was on Kevin-sitting duty. You see Kev here, thinking. I believe he is doing the math to figure out how much food to cook. So, here is the grand total......mind you, this was what I was incorrect on the first time, so I was sure to be right this time: 3 briskets, numerous sausages (jalapeno and otherwise), 7 (yes, I said SEVEN) racks of ribs....

......and two chickens. You can see why I tried to gloss over the actual amount of food. It's embarassing. My family has an eating disorder....it's called being pigs. (Mind you, this is the same family that mocked me endlessly the night before when I ordered a salad for dinner because I was trying to save room for the next day).

Now, some of you may be thinking, "Poor Cousin Kevin, he had to work cooking, slaving over the cooker all day." Don't feel bad for Cousin Kevin. He says that in order to make good ribs, one must drink a lot of beer. The ribs were excellent. You do the math.

And because he was not full from ribs and beer, he had cake. Not only his piece, but mine too. Again, I'm the giver. It's in my nature. He should blog about that.

So it is my sincere hope that this blog has corrected any misconceptions that Cousin Kevin merely cooked 5 racks of ribs. Indeed, I would hate for anyone to have the impression that our family ate such small amount at the yearly Family Dinner.

P.S. ~ I love you Kev....don't be mad anymore. :)

We Weren't Born To Follow.....

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." ~Thomas Jefferson

Great song by Bon Jovi.....except for when it comes to my blog page! :) Several of you have said you want to become followers, but it won't let you. Here's the deal.

Go to my blog page and at (or near) the top right, you'll see my list of followers. You can just click on the FOLLOW button.

Then when it asks you what account, say google account. It's okay if you don't have a google email---I don't have one even.

You just go to the page where it lets you sign in and on the left you can create an account for free. Just enter in your email address (any works....I use my hotmail) and create a password.

Then you can become a follower! I know there are some people who read the blog that don't follow, so let's get you signed up so you get notified when I make a new post! :)

And, because I'm apparently too dumb to install a site meter correctly, I can tell how many people actually read my rantings! :)

GUEST BLOG by Stefanie!

"You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." ~Pooh's Grand Adventure

I've known Stefanie for about 9 years or so...since she was a little pipsqueak picking out show lambs at Mr. Franklin's house. She's like a litlte sister to me and I'm so glad she's in my life! She's all grown up now...a senior in high school....which makes me feel insanely old! You might have seen her kicking everyone's butt in the sheep show ring, or breaking hearts outside the ring. :) She's fantastic and I'm so glad she's guest blogging!

So....here's Stefanie!

Life's biggest challenges make for a sweeter victory.

Well, I couldn't think of what I should write about. I feel like I need something that all of Tiff's friends could relate to. So after I pondered a while, I decided that Tiff missed her calling....She should definitely be a therapist. But, I suppose a lawyer will work too. Just with the circle of friends we havein comon, she is doing us all a favor either way. By the way Tiff, umm do you think you could get my ticket shaved off? JUST KIDDING! :)

Tiff has always been such an inspiring and helpful friend no matter how silly or how deep the problem. So, as I thought about that....Bingo. I found my blog topic.

The challenges we face today, the simple ones or the ones that really have detrimental impacts on us, are all a part of wht builds and binds our character. I don't know about you all, but I use to hate the saying, "it builds character" and yet, here I am using it. (What a hypocrit!) "It builds character" was my mom's sympathy for any complaint I honestly believe. But really it is true. Think about it.

It can be a simple challenge such as a competition, the more intense the competition and the more effort you dedicate to it, the sweeter the outcome or victory. Along the way, you will develop character, good or bad, you will obtain it.

If you are hte one who has faced or is facing (do you realize in life it seems like you are always facing challenge of some sort?) one of life's interrupting challenges, sadly, it will build character too. Probably it will even help define you. And at the same time, it may seem detrimentl. But as time heals the wounds, or Tiff works her therapist magic, you will find yourself stronger and the victory worthwile.

Think about some of your greatest heroes. Chances are they they didn't find that special place in your heart the easy way, did they? As I think of my greatest hero, Pops (Jerry Franklin), some of his most inspiring and motivational impacts on me were how he coped with Lou Gehrig's disease. Even as something so tragic impacted his life, he didn't let it impact his character in a negtive way. It just grew more positive each day. He strived on with faith and leadership, just like he taught so many of us. He definitely set the ultimate example of heroic character. Through his struggle he excelled with grace, which left a sweet victory on so many. We even found an unborn character and strength within ourselves as we went through such a loss.

I honestly beleive we are all stronger than we know, and though we are tested from time to t ime, we "CAN DO IT!" By "doing it" and facing the challenge, whatever it may be that life presents us with, we will be building in ourselves, character, and preparing for a sweeter victory.

Keep on keeping on....when the going gets tough, you gotta get tougher.

Throwback Thursday #5: Chocolat et Formage (Part 1)

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." ~Marcel Proust

So I realize that I promised a blog about our day of Chocolat et Formage....but there was just too much to say and too many pictures for one blog! So, I'm breaking the day into two parts. This first blog will be about the train ride through the Alps and the Chocolate factory (the "Chocolat" portion of the day) and next week I'll finish writing about the day with the cheese factory and wonderful village of Gruyere (the "Formage" portion).

This was a big day for us....Whitney and I were on our own as it was Monday and Cousin swiss Mister had to go to work! Here was our self portrait in front of Cousin Swiss Mister's apartment building (also served as a reminder in case we couldn't remember what street to go down on our way home!)

We made our way to Montreux and bought train tickets to ride up through the Alps first to Broc, where the chocolate factory was located and then to Gruyere, home of the cheese factory. The train had such BREATHTAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL views! Here are just a few pictures...

On the trip, we saw lots of churches and cows. Now, I am very passionate about agriculture and religion....so I took a lot of pictures. My cousins decided I snapped a shot of every church and every cow in Switzerland. I sure did my best. :) Here are just a few of my collection....

In fact, it sort of turned into an agricultural tour of the Alps....in addition to the cheese factory and cows, we saw sheep, vineyards, a corn field, several dairies....not surprising this was my favorite day of the entire European Adventure!

The above picture is sheep we saw in a village. Below is a painting of a shephard and his sheep that was on a little Swiss house.

So we arrived at Montbouvon, Switzerland, where we had to change trains. What a cute little Swiss train station, huh? You will also notice the rain. It was FREEZING all day. We were dressed in short sleeved shirts and shorts, thanks to cousin Swiss Mister's promise that "It's hot here every day!" Yea....

Luckily, the next town had some stores, where we bought hoodies and an umbrella. That hoodie cost me 30 francs, but I would have paid 100 at that point, I was so cold! We re-boarded the train much happier (and warmer) campers!

After that little detour, we arrived in Broc, Switzerland. Hope of the Callier chocolte factory.

We took a picture of Henri Nestle, to say thanks. He started Nestle chocolate, the company that over 100 years later gave my cousin Swiss Mister a job in Switzerland, which gave me a couch to sleep on and a reason to come visit!

Then it was time for the taste testing!! There were probably 10 different types of chocolate down this long glass case for everyone to try. Because I believe in giving it my all, I think I tried 8/10. By the end I was getting sort of picky....

We walked around the village as we were waiting for the train. So peaceful and pretty! This was me doing the spinning dance to "The Hills Are Alive....With The Sound Of Music" song.

From here we got back on the train to Gruyere....maybe the most beautiful village I saw in Europe....stay tuned next week!

Thanksgiving Weekend 2009

"Family traditions counter alienation and confusion. They help us define who we are; they provide something steady, reliable and safe in a confusing world." ~Susan Lieberman

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with my family back home at the ranch. We have some great family traditions (which will hopefully remain unless Emily gets her way....) :) that happen on Thanksgiving. Here are just a few snapshots of the fun.

Tradition 1: Bedlam football game
Okay, let's just get it out there. The Bedlam game was more than a nightmare. My cousin took this picture, and I'd say it pretty much sums up my game watching experience. That's all I have to say about that.
Tradition 2: Dinner out on Friday night
We always go eat out with the whole family on Friday night. This picture is of me and Baby Cousin. He's the one who was drafted by the Giants. Had to tippy toe a little to be as tall as him. As you can see, I'm still waiting on my growth spurt to catch up with him. One day I won't need the chair.

Some of my and my brother's best friends from high school joined in for dinner. Not sure they realized exactly what they were walking into.....screaming and chaos and the night ended with Carly setting off the fire alarm. They love us at a restaurant!

Tradition 3: Saturday family lunch

So becuase we don't eat enough on Thursday and Friday, we binge again on Saturday with ridiculous amounts of food. Seriously, we had like 5 racks of ribs. It was disgusting. We also have a lovely tradition of taking group pictures as people are leaving in the yard. Here you go.

This one is all my first cousins and their kids. We're missing four people. We're a big family. My brother and I are bringing down the average.

Tradition 4: Gathering cattle on Thanskgiving to preg check

For those of you unfamiliar with the cattle business, it means what you think....we check to see if they are pregnant. If so, they get to stay. If not, you'll see them soon at a sale barn near you.

We decided to end the day with a family photo for the Christmas card. No, seriously.

Anyway, there is just a quick look into Thanksgiving with my family. I think I say it a lot on here, but I could not have asked for a better one. We're loud and crazy and probably a little strange, but I wouldn't expect it any other way.

86,400 Seconds.....

"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending." ~Author Unknown

I recently heard the song "Live Like We're Dying" by Kris Allen. Here is just a portion of the lyrics.

We're all staring down the barrell of gun.
So if your life flashed before you,
what would you wish you would've done?

Yea we gotta start looking at the hands of the time we've been given here,
this is all we got and we got to start picking it,
every second counts on a clock that's ticking,
gotta live like we're dying.

We only got 86,400 seconds in a day
to turn it all around or to throw it all away.
We gotta tell them that we love them
while we got the chance to say
gotta love like we're dying.

If your plane fell out of the skies,
who would you call with your last goodbyes?

I think it's such a great message. Most of you who know me know that I've dealt my share of loss in my life. I've seen friends die far, far too young. People I've loved have died without any warning whatsoever, and I've also watched someone very close to me die before my eyes from the most horrific disease imaginable.

You know what I've learned from these experiences? No matter how we go, we're all dying. And we all have a chance to look at our own lives, and the things and people in them, and make changes that need to happen TODAY.

We have right now to tell people how much they mean to us. And we need to do that...not just for us, but for them. It doesn't matter what we say or how we say it, but it does matter that we let the people who we care about know. This is something we can leave behind. When you are gone, it will be so helpful for them to know they mattered to you.

We also have right now to look at our lifes and see if we are living them the way we want to. Are we doing the things that really matter? Have you discovered what you believe in? Have you found forgiveness for yourself and offered it for others?

If your life flashed before your eyes, would you like what you saw? If the answer is no, make the changes you want to see, TODAY! We have 86,400 seconds today. What will you use them for?

When I'm Married I'll......Christmas Cards & Trees!

"So plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers." ~Veronica A. Shoffstall

So.....it's almost the Christmas season again! This got me thinking about some of the holiday things I'm doing this year, and the story behind them. I thought I'd share.

So we all know I'm not married yet...shocking news, I know. Last yer, I remember getting a picture Christmas card in the mail from some of my good friends. They are married and had great pictures of them doing cute things together. I thought to myself, "When I'm married, I'm totally sending out cards like that."

I sort of have this motto----anything I think "When I'm married, I'll...." about, I do right now. I should not have to wait until I trick some poor sucker into marrying me to do the things I want to do in my own life!

So, sending out the picture Christmas card became a tradition last year. Now it's time for year number two. 2009 has been a crazy year for me....so many things have happened.....which is another blog upcoming for my year-in-review. But I had tons of pictures to choose from! My dear friend Myranda designs and prints custom cards, so she's been super helpful and has come up with an awesome design that I love!

Anyway, this year I've had a similar situation occur with having a Christmas tree. I had the same "when I'm married...." thought cross my mind, so I jumped in my car and went Christmas tree shopping! I figure if I own my own home, there is no reason why I shouldn't decorate for Christmas, even if it's just me living here! I'm super excited about my beautiful tree and wreath and soon to be nativity set that will hopefully all be up and decorated by next weekend. Pictures to come....I'm sure. :)

Oh, and if I don't have your address and you're expecting one of these Christmas cards in your mailbox, you probably better send that info my way!

When Grandma Goes to Court

"The older you get, the more you tell it like it used to be." ~Unknown

I got this great email from my friend Fern, a grandma herself! So here's a little legal humor for your weekend!

*****

Lawyers should never ask a Mississippi grandma a question if they aren't prepared for the answer!

In a trial, a Southern, small-town prosecuting attorney called his first witness, a grandmotherly, elderly woman to the stand. He approached her and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know me?" She responded, "Why yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I've known you since you were a boy, and frankly, you've been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, and you maipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you're a big shot when you haven't the brains to realize you will never amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you."

The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?"

She again replied, "Why yes, I do. I've known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. He's lazy, bigoted, and he has a drinking problem. He can't build a normal relationship with anyone, and his law practice is one of the worst in the entire state. Not to mention he has cheated on his wife with three different women. One of them was your wife. So yes, I know him." The defense attorney nearly died.

The judge called both counselors to approach the bench. In a very quiet voice, he said, "If either of you idiots asks her if she knows me, I'll send you both to the electric chair!"

Guest Blog Friday.....Me!

"The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart." ~Elisabeth Foley

So guest blog Friday this week has a little twist.....because I was asked to do a guest blog! Yay!

My dear friend, Crazy Canadian, invited me to blog at her wonderful website, Copper West. Robyn and I judged together at Dodge City Community College for a year back in the good ol' days. She's one of the most AMAZING people you'll ever meet in your life! She started Copper West as a way to showcase and share ideas about western living and style......and it's a great website! Check it out at: http://copperwest.ca/blog

So now that I've shared my opportunity to guest blog.....I'll be returning to our regularly scheduled programming next week. I have several people who are soon to come...Denton, Stefanie, Shane, Elizabeth, Myranda.....it'll be fun!