Journey & Adventure

I’m not a fan of costumed characters - never have been.     Mascots of any type could easily warrant a kick from me if they stray to close and want a hug.     Photos are not an option.   As much as I like Walt Disney World, the costumed characters roam a little too freely for my liking (sorry Krystyn ) and I want no part of them.   I don’t like clowns either.   Yes, apparently I have issues. So imagine my dismay, when Kraft changed the bears on their label.   This is the one I know and love.   Non-threatening right? I eat a lot of peanut butter with toast, but now I’m not sure I can stick with Kraft peanut butter any longer.   These bears freak me out… I’m not sure if they truly intended to go for the “stalker vibe”, but honestly that’s what I’m feeling.   Guess it’s time to find another less threatening breakfast treat.

Over the course of the past month, I’ve taken the following series of photos of the wildlife here surrounding my work building. We actually are located in the middle of the city, but on a large landscaped property with beautiful courtyards and a manmade pond out front - a perfect haven for some wildlife. Can you spot the kildeer?  She made her nest amongst the tiny pebbles/gravel.  I would walk by her every morning and would have a hard time finding her. The large planters typically make great nests for the Canada Geese; however this year our custodian decided to kybosh the idea and strategically placed sticks in the majority of the planters. If you look closely you can see a planter in the background with the sticks. This goose however was one step ahead. Then, last week...I came to work to see this little surprise.  She had 6 babies (goslings). Then by the next day...they were moving out of the planter, into the world beyond. Da...

By the end of this week, we will be pretty darn close to checking two major items off of our “house to-do” list.     The major work on the spare room is almost complete.   We still have to paint, install closet doors, light fixtures and new carpet, but in my opinion those are minor items compared to gutting, wiring, dry-walling, mudding and sanding.   The other major item almost accomplished this week has been the removal of 4 very old pine trees from our side yard.   The trees have been there a long time and were quite large; however because of their age, they had started to die from the bottom up and had become a very large eyesore.     Knowing I would be losing my privacy once those trees were removed has caused me a great deal of anxiety this week because our back yard is now visible from the road that runs alongside our house. *sigh*     Here are some before and after pictures.   There’s still a lot of cl...

While creeping the internet and investigating potential places to call home once our early retirement kicks in, I have stumbled upon some blogs, featuring amazing people, doing amazing things in places I hope to one day visit, or perhaps settle down in the future. Somewhere I can also make a difference. One particular blog, I would like to share with you owned by a young, fearless couple currently making a difference in the lives of many children in Nicaragua. Jonathon and Quinn operate LOOTB ( Life Out of the Box ). What is LOOTB? Well, according to their site: “Life Out of the Box is about pursuing your dreams and doing what you love by stepping out of the typical box and making it happen no matter what. It’s one thing to be able to think differently, but it’s another to actually act on those thoughts. We want to inspire people to be a doer, not just a dreamer. It’s also about giving back to the world while making your dreams come true. Life Out of the Box wants to ...

I’m constantly perplexed at how I could have possibly made so many bad career choices over the years that I am now once again sitting at the crossroads of disconbobulation and quagmiredness. Yeah, I don’t know what it means either, but it pretty much sums up how my job has been making me feel for at least the last six months. Oh well, life goes on and I’ll manage to get through this. It helps knowing that it’s only a means to an end… Perplexed Definition: (i) filled with uncertainty; (ii) full of difficulty; Disconbobulated Definition: when something odd happens and you get an indescribable confused feeling. Quagmire Definition: (i) soft miry land that shakes or yields under the foot; or (ii) a difficult, precarious, or entrapping position;

There’s an old saying “Know what you don’t know”. There’s also a saying “know when to keep your mouth shut”. Today, I’m surrounded by people that have obviously never heard these sayings. Everyone is offering up their opinion on how things should be handled. If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand times “if I were you…” I’m all for taking advice when I ask for it and I’ll even accept it when I need it and haven’t asked for it. I’m not one for unsolicited opinions on topics that these so-called “experts” know nothing about. There is nothing wrong with simply smiling and walking away – it makes you look intelligent and keeps people guessing what your next move will be. “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” – Mark Twain

I owe all the credit for this blog post to Chloe Carter from LearnStuff.com .   I find it fascinating how we have all become so consumed with "getting the job done", that we forget to stop and take time for ourselves and this unhealthy work habit is slowly condemning us to an unhealthy lifestyle.  I am so guilty of this...