Grave's Mountain Apple Festival

“Lost time is never found again.”
~Benjamin Franklin~

"Nestled deep in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains near the end of the road in Syria, Virginia", is a wonderful place that Alyssa and I found eleven years ago. After moving to Virginia, we went on day adventures in order to have priceless carefree timelessness and this was one of the first places we visited.



The drive through the countryside is absolutely beautiful especially since the leaves are ablaze with the colors of Autumn. When I'm in such beautiful surroundings, I love to listen to the peaceful sounds and take lots of photographs. We also leave everything behind us which helps the conversation to flow freely.

During our first visit to Grave's Mountain Apple Festival in 2000, we fell in love with everything especially the apple sauce and apple butter. That was the beginning of our obsession. Each year we enjoy Brunswick stew, cornbread, apple sauce and apple butter in front of the big fireplace.

We eat lunch in the covered picnic pavilion and sit so that we can see the rushing river just a few feet away.






We also watch the other people who are milling around or eating outside. Dogs wearing bandanas and children wearing orange tutus find the experience enjoyable too.





In the distance, we also could see the pumpkin patch and more colorful foliage.





The Country Poor Bluegrass band twanged as we enjoyed the delicious food and cool weather. Yes, that is the name of the band and they are very, very bluegrass. But the important thing about the group is that they know how to pick out the right color shirt for their performances.





Oh, please! You know that red is your favorite color and you love bluegrass.

Is it possible to brainwash people by using blog posts?

Anyway, we enjoyed the fresh apple sauce...





And the magnificent apple butter which is rich and thick and so very smooth..





When you can't decide which you like the best, there is only one thing to do - You eat the apple sauce and apple butter at the same time!





I'm sure you're wondering how they make that delectable apple butter.

Let's see if I can explain it to you...

You git a big ole black pot and startcha a wood fire goin' under the pot. You gotta surround the pot with cinder blocks to hold stuff and to keep the wind from blowin' the fire too much. It also keeps the not so smart people from walkin' in the fire.





You gotta keep stirrin' the secret apple butter recipe with a big ole' paddle while someone else keeps the wood blazin' hot with a metal contraption that looks kinda like a golf club. The secret is to have a bunch of men who don't have anything better to do, gather around the big ole' black pot and stir the apple butter for hours while they talk about cows, hay, trucks and pretty women.

The men really don't mind doin' it because it makes the women folk quite happy. They learned a very valuable lesson a long time ago. If Mama ain't happy, then do somethin' to git her happy or life is just gonna be miserable.





As long as the men keep the pot stirred, the women folk don't really care what they talk about around the fire.





Actually, the men and women folk don't bother each other until the apple butter is canned, the people are gone and the sun sets behind the mountains. That's when they do what all tired country folk do...they hit the hay.


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Blogging Is Like Ice Cream

There are not many things that I enjoy as much as ice cream.

This weekend I was a bit under the weather, so I had to take it easy. That meant that all those chores I had on my "To Do" list went undone. You don't really think a teenage daughter is all that motivated to do them for me do you?

Alyssa did keep me company and chose great movies for us to watch. Getting lost in the movies only made me move my eyes, so that wasn't physically strenuous.

I also ate a lot of ice cream in the form of chocolate milk shakes. Totally not on any kind of diet, but eating didn't require me to break a sweat either. I can't get enough ice cream no matter how much or how often I consume the glorious concoction.

That is the same way I feel about blogging. I have been immersed in designing my new website this weekend. Every new thing that I learn or create makes me want to shout it from the roof top. As the weekend ends, my new template has me totally pumped with adrenaline.

I don't want to sleep.

I don't want to do anything until it is finished.

I'm going to have another giveaway for the grand opening!

I can work on the blog every day, all day and it still doesn't tire or bore me.

It is an obsession!

I just love all the nuances of HTML, writing, blogging and creating something new on the web.

Blogging is like ice cream because I have very little self-control to restrain myself from getting too much!!!

Over the next couple of weeks, I am going to spend more time getting my new blog completed. If I seem to spend less time chatting, forgive me. I will either be deep into web design or consuming more ice cream. Look at the bright side...I'll be happy!

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A Temporary High

When I sit down to write my blog each day or night, whichever the case might be, I do not feel like it is work. Instead, I feel a sense of relief and relaxation as I get into the mode of typing my thoughts.

The first thing that greets me on Albert, my computer, is the desktop picture. This has been my desktop for quite a while and it brings me a sense of peace whenever I look at it.

I can feel the silence that prevails when surrounded by that much snow.

It's almost magical and majestic.

Silence like that found in snow covered nature is peaceful and evokes introspective thinking. I feel that people do not take the time to hear themselves think enough any more. There are so many distractions with the television, telephone, radio, activities and other people.

With that much snow, it is usually really cold and the air feels cleansing and smells fresh. Taking a deep breath of that kind of air seems to fill the body with renewed hope for a new start.

Albert the computer, Bella the puppy and I usually sit in silence at least for an hour or two each night. The only sound is Turtle the turtle digging in his rocks and the water from the tank trickling. I'm able to let go of the day and all the things that have cluttered my mind.

After a few hours of silence, sometimes I play a song over and over...and over and over...and over and over again. Right now I'm listening to Kenny Chesney sing "Somewhere With You." It's probably about the thirtieth time for the evening.

Every now and then the post that I've composed in my mind during the drive to work, while I'm grocery shopping or cooking dinner isn't what I feel like writing. After I refresh my mind by removing the messiness of the day, the earlier thoughts sound stale in my head. However with a blank slate, there is always a thought that pops in my mind that becomes my post for the evening.

I don't know if you are going to jump over to YouTube.com and listen to Kenny Chesney's song, but part of the lyrics are:

But It's just a temporary high
'Cause when I close my eyes
I'm somewhere with you,
Somewhere with you

How much of our lives are just a temporary high?

Are we actively engaged in activities that add value and worth remembering?

Do we take the time with loved ones for granted and waste opportunities to share the joy of our life experience and draw the comfort we need from each other?

Will we regret our squandered time as we approach the end of our lives?

Are we making the most of it or do we spend too much time on a temporary high dreaming of being somewhere else or with someone else?

Waste your money and
you're only out of money,
but waste your time and
you've lost a part of your life.
~Michael Leboeuf~

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Things You May Not Know About Me

"He who knows others is wise.
He who knows himself is enlightened."
~Lao Tzu~




I thought that I would share with you a few things that you may not know about me. Some funny. Some serious. All honest.

Mom told me about the birds and bees when I was 14 years old. Until then I had no idea that sex even existed. I thought it sounded gross and told her that I wouldn't ever do it. Love and marriage changed my opinion.

Spaghetti with meat sauce is my favorite food and I think my recipe is the best. Alyssa thinks so too. Obviously I'm a professional at brainwashing.

I like to slurp milk shakes when I'm alone.

Thimbles are really the only thing I collect. I would love to have some from countries all around the world.

I ate a banana sandwich in one bite at lunch with my friends when I was 17 years old. It started out with seeing how many bites it would take and who could hold the record. Each day we ate our sandwiches in one less bite. I was the only one that succeeded with the one bite attempt.

I like music so loud that it rattles the windows.

I've always been proud of my mother who has beat the odds more times than I can count. She is a phenomenal woman.

Being in the of service of others makes me feel good about myself.

When I was 20 years old, I ate a quarter pound cheeseburger and two triple scoop banana splits from Braum's for lunch at least three times a week. I never gained weight.

My first husband and I were both virgins when we got married. I know it made me feel more secure with myself because I didn't feel I was having to compete with a memory of another woman in his past.

I hate that my body requires me to sleep.

I love washing and folding white towels.

Cooking brings me true happiness. I love everything about it especially watching other people enjoy the food I have prepared.

I'm an extreme romantic. I believe that fairy tale love can exist if two people are unselfish and work at it every day without losing sight of the little things that made them fall in love with each other in the beginning.

I could stare at the sky and watch the clouds float by for hours.

I fall asleep in 30 seconds.

I've read over 3,000 Harlequin Romance novels. It is my book of choice because the girl gets the guy, they get married and live happily ever after. Even though I know the books have a happy ending, I always read the last page first.

My favorite car is a Bugatti Veyron and will be something that I will never own because of the huge price.

When Alyssa was young, I used to get up each morning and bake fresh bread from scratch.

I want the library that The Beast gave Belle in Beauty and The Beast.

Every time I hear The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, I cry. It is one of the most touching and passionate songs ever created.

My feet are allergic to grass, so I can't run barefoot in the lawn.

I get air sick, sea sick on a docked boat and car sick while driving.

I would love to live in a cabin nestled in snow covered mountains where I can sit by a crackling fire in the huge fireplace while blogging and writing all day.

My daughter, Alyssa, is the light of my life. I love her to infinity and beyond for eternity. I'm pretty sure that one didn't shock you.

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Happy Birthday Mom! You Are So Beautiful

My Mother, Teresa
(Lookout point at the Shenandoah Valley)

I've always known that my mother was a special woman. Perfect? No, but she doesn't have to be perfect in order to be loved. I've also thought that Mom was beautiful not only physically, but inside her heart. Mom loves the Lord and her family. Everything she does revolves around one or the other while she strives to be her own best person.

You know what?

Mom is a great person with a beautiful heart filled with love and compassion.

I have billions of memories filled with Mom as does my sister, niece and daughter. She has been there for all of us at one time or another in different capacities loving us as we grew. Seeing Mom with Brittany and Alyssa makes my heart feel so full of happiness because I can see a part of her in each of them for which I am thankful.

I have always loved you, Mom.

One small story...

I distinctly remember laying across the front seat of the car with my feet in Dad's lap and my head in Mom's. It was the weekend and we were taking the ritualistic two hour drive to my grandparents. The sun was shining really brightly and they both were talking.

They thought I was asleep.

Actually, I had been asleep and was just barely awake. It is so hard to wake up with the warm sun beating down and the hum of a moving car.

With my eyes still closed and listening to their talking, I thought about how much I loved my parents. I could feel Mom softly playing with the curls on my head. She always twirled her own hair between her fingers abstractedly. I found this habit intriguing and somewhat of an enigma. In this hazy, sleep filled thinking, I felt so much love for her.

Thankfully, I can remember being very, very young. As a matter of fact, I can remember being two years old which is how old I think I was in the car that day. My parents were very young - around 20 years old. Like I said, they were very young with dark hair and smooth, unwrinkled skin. We all grew up together in many ways and I am so grateful for such wonderful memories.

On January 23, Mom was born into this world. It is truly a blessing to my sister and I that we are the people that can call her Mom. I am also very thankful that she has loved her grandchildren and has made an effort to always be in their lives.

My Niece, Brittany and my Mother, Teresa

My Daughter, Alyssa and my Mother, Teresa
Love the green gum in you mouth Mom (hee hee)

A Sonnet for My Incomparable Mother

I often contemplate my childhood, Mom.
I am a mother now, and so I know
Hard work is mixed together with the fun;
You learned that when you raised me long ago.

I think of all the things you gave to me:
Sacrifice, devotion, love and tears,
Your heart, your mind, your energy and soul--
All these you spent on me throughout the years.

You loved me with a never-failing love
You gave me strength and sweet security,
And then you did the hardest thing of all:
You let me separate and set me free.

Every day, I try my best to be
A mother like the mom you were to me.

By Joanna Fuchs

Because I can't help but think about you when I hear this Mom, I am dedicating your favorite song by your favorite singer to you. As a side note to everyone else, Mom actually has the mannerisms and moves the same way Snow White does in the video and her beautiful voice can always be heard singing the wrong words to a song (wink). Mom even had the same hairstyle as Snow White when she was in 8th grade.

"I'm Wishing" that you have a Happy Birthday Mom!

No written word could ever express the depth of my love and thankfulness for you Mom. Thank you for being a wonderful daughter, sister, mother and grandmother. We all love you dearly and forever.

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Life Sucks And Then You Die

Most of the time I offer positive, inspirational and uplifting blogging messages for several reasons:

• When my daughter reads my blog which is basically my journal writings to her, she will have my comfort even if I am no longer living on this earth.
• I believe that if I hear, read and speak positive thoughts then my attitude will help me make it through the more difficult mountains in life.
• I want to positively inspire my readers to believe in their inherent value as human beings and let them know that they are never alone - I too have suffered and understand far more than I have even blogged about thus far.
  

With that said, I sit in front of my computer monitor feeling like an alien from another planet, completely out of oomph and inspiration. This posting is really for my family because I know at this point they are speechless and do not know how to help me. So if you don't want to know the darker side of The Redhead Riter, there is that little "x" in the top right hand corner that is beckoning your cursor to click it. Otherwise, here I go with the raw emotions...

Let's start with Alyssa's tragedy. Having Alyssa's life hang by a thread for five days in the middle of May changed me as I know it has changed my family in one way or the other. I think as my child lay unconscious in the intensive care unit, a piece of my mind went insane, jumped off a cliff and died.

I was already struggling to financially support my family because my husband was without work, so the financial strain along with the medical tragedy of my only child, proved to be too much for my mind to handle. Even when she was out of the woods and lived, my mind was still in a foggy mess somewhere in another uncharted galaxy.

But...I pushed on and continued to try to be and do my best in all areas of life. My family often wanted me to SNAP out of it and the lecturing has been endless because they don't know what else to do, but it just really made it worse in many ways.

Personally, I think I have failed miserably, but that is irrelevant at this point.

Then in August, after almost a year, my husband gets hired by another firm and I start to feel the weight and responsibility of all the financial obligations lift from my shoulders. I even begin to genuinely feel happy without faking it. I started to make a concerted effort to help my brain get over so much trauma.

It appeared that life just might be stable and be easier.

Appearances are deceiving.

Every day I talked to my Dad a minimum of twenty minutes, but often he would forget that he had already told me of his latest antics or new joke and he would call me back in a few hours to repeat it all again. I was always happy just to hear his voice since I was deprived of that relationship for so many years. So when he called or vice versa, any conversation was better than none. I usually hung on his every word like a first grade little girl. Pathetic isn't it?

I do know that it was Dad's choice to leave me out of his life for so long, but forgiveness means that you simply let it go. I did and that is why I enjoyed years and years of very wonderful phone conversations and visits with him. Forgiveness is so freeing to the heart, mind and spirit.

At that point of my life, I was able to talk to Mom and Dad every single day. I finally felt the healing powers of parents that love me. It is a priceless gift. Something deep inside me was "fixing" itself with each communication.

But my happiness was too short lived and even though my mind was still foggy and shaken from the "Alyssa experience," I was thrust into the fearful and agonizing world of Dad having cancer. Not just any cancer, but two of the most aggressive cancers which manifested in his lungs and bones.

I got on my knees and cried, screamed and agonized with "God's will" which is far over rated. I couldn't pray the "right" Christian prayer. Since Dad was going to die and there was no way to "cure" him, I begged God to take him quickly. I didn't add "thy will be done" to the prayer because I simply wanted Dad to die quickly and not suffer or I wanted a complete miracle.

My soul was tormented with pain. I ached inside with the pain from knowing I was losing Dad and losing the opportunity to make up for lost time even if it was just a notion in my head. All that was heaped on top of still suffering the trauma (diagnosed as PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Styndrome) from Alyssa's near death. Although I desperately wanted to be selfish and keep Dad here on the earth, I just couldn't pray for him to stay longer while in agonizing cancer pain.

Two months after the cancer diagnosis Dad died. I believe his spiritual body stepped out of his mortal body as he left me behind to cope with the huge gap in my life that only he could fill. All hopes of Dad living with me some day were shattered as he took his last breath. I can't ever lift the phone and hear his voice tell me anything nor can I put my arms around his neck and smell Old Spice. I can't hear him share excitement over cooking a new recipe or laugh at a prank he pulled. I can't make him another Christmas present.

Gone. He is simply gone. Memories in my heart aren't enough and that is all I really have now.

Before I went to Dad's funeral, I put all his clothes in bags to bring home. With his funeral service a few hours away, I lifted clothes that he once wore. They looked like him. They smelled like him. With each piece of clothing, my heart wrenched a little bit more. All I knew was that I needed his clothes more than anything else he owned. I am going to make my sister and I quilts from his clothes so that we can wrap ourselves in all that we have left of him. It is as close to his hug as we will have again. Maybe it will help my heart heal.

The pain of losing Dad has truly been unbearable. I can not find comfort from anyone or anywhere.

I feel hollow.

But it doesn't end there. Oh no, a reprieve was just too much to ask for, I guess. Next, my husband was laid off...again.

It has to be an evil, vicious joke, but I didn't cry or scream. I was really in too much shock and already in a foggy, hollow state, so it just didn't hit me.

Well, it didn't hit me until last Saturday when I decided that "Life Sucks And Then You Die," and I also concluded that God has me on the black list of less desirable children. Since He is an omnipotent being full of grace and light, there is no way that He can "hate" me, but He can surely put me on a black list which is akin to being the black sheep in a family.

I'm sure my mother and all my Christian readers are flipping through their scriptures to tell me differently, but I am not Job and I do not have his strength.

Anyway, two weeks prior to Tom's job loss, Alyssa's dog decided that she would chew off Alyssa's bra strap. Bella already had been caught chewing on underwear, shorts, shirts, plastic, walls, carpet, toilet paper, paper towels...need I continue? We kept looking for this bra strap because it still had both metal clips attached.

Remember, this little dog is LITTLE. Bella is still under six pounds and is a toy poodle in all senses of the word. She just looks like a ball of red fluff.

Never in our wildest dreams did we believe that she could swallow the entire bra strap, but that is what happened. Apparently, it had been in her stomach and then decided to try to take on the rest of the digestive route. So first one metal clamp passed from her stomach into her intestine followed by the strap material. However, the clamp on the other end got hung up at the opening of the stomach. Bella's intestines kept trying to pull it through slowing turning everything into a knotted mess of intestines and stomach.

Bella was dying.

We rushed her to emergency surgery where they had to cut open her stomach and her intestines through a very long incision on her under belly. No one was sure if she would live or die. Bella's intestines didn't want to work and she kept throwing up stomach acid, so it just added to the whole dilemma.

Each moment throughout the week, we have been fearful of her death. Alyssa, of course, also suffers guilt since it was her bra that was eaten. Obviously, Alyssa was freaking out.

Now it is Friday evening and Bella is home...alive. She appears to be out of immediate danger because she has not developed a temperature, continues to eat, drinks from her bowl and best of all, Bella can poop. I guess the proper term is defecate, but I never use that word and Alyssa hates it. We both think it just sounds nasty.

Don't get me wrong...I am very grateful for so many things such as:

• both Alyssa and Bella are alive
• my mother is still alive
• my dad died quickly and didn't have to suffer years of agonizing cancer pain
• my family loves each other
• I have a great brother-in-law who loves me like a sister which is huge because as we all know, in-laws don't always treat you like family and it is the basis of many jokes especially the mother-in-law jokes
• my daughter has a great work ethic and loves her job and career path
• I work for a good company
• I have a roof over my head, clothes on my back, shoes on my feet and food on my table
• I know why we come to the earth and where we go after we die

Those are some major things to be thankful and I am very grateful for them all.

But.

I am worn out emotionally.

I just can't take any more trauma because I feel like I'm going to lose my mind.

Dad popped into my mind today and I thought, "I bet he is having a great day. He might even be laughing and talking to my grandparents. Dad is happy and I feel like life sucks."

Yeah, I know it could be so much worse and that is my fear. I'm afraid to know what terrible tragedy is going to happen next. I don't want to have to cope with anything else.

I want to be off God's black list. Aren't I as good as other people who are breezing through life happy, healthy and financially strong? Doesn't God want to help me? Do I deserve this much pain? I know the "right" answers to those questions, but I sure don't feel like any of it applies to me.

My advice is that I don't have any advice. Right now I am clinging to the things my mother taught me when I was a young child...


Matt. 6: 19-21

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

So my dear family and Alyssa, I'm having a very tough time just existing. I can't do or be all that I used to do or be...yet...I hope. I am trying desperately to believe that God still loves me and that I am not doomed to live a life of constant turmoil or unhappiness. I apologize that I can not do it all any more and that I might be somehow failing you. I feel so inadequate and defeated. I feel as though I have failed you. I feel as though I have failed myself. I have no idea why I feel this way, but I do.

Alyssa, please remember the many miracles that saved your life and Bella's life. There were many undeniable and unexplainable things that happened. Your Father in Heaven loves you and keeps on blessing your life.

I'm tired. I am very, very tired.

Thank you for being my family. I love you all very much.

My dear readers and friends...Please let me say thank you for being there for me with hugs, lunch, snacks (shhhhh), emails, messages, phone calls and chatting on Twitter, Facebook and in my community. I know you all care and appreciate your efforts on my behalf.

Please know that I am trying very hard to "be myself" again. I feel so lost and empty.

Matt. 5: 3-12

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

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First Big Bath

Bella's thoughts on her first big bath...


"Hmmm, I think I like this stuff."





"I wonder why Alyssa is wearing a bathing suit?"





"I feel like a drowned rat.
I wonder if I look that way too."



"Why won't she leave my face alone!"



"Finally, that bath is over!
I feel so soft.
What can I get into now?"



"Paper!"



The life of a princess dog is just so hard...
Not!

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Tell The Truth Thursday - Sex

Welcome to "Tell The Truth Thursday" where the question that has been posted in my right side bar gets answered by me and you! Did you prepare your post and are you ready to drop your URL into the McLinky so that we all can follow? I hope so!

The question this week has several parts around a main theme:

Is there anything anyone could have told you that would have made your first sexual experience better? Do you think you would be better off if you had waited longer to have sex? If you had started earlier? Was sex what you imagined it to be?

I've talked to my daughter many times about this subject and not only the questions mentioned above, but other questions around this topic. Actually, I am more comfortable talking about sex with my child than I ever thought I would be as a mother. These Tell The Truth Thursday questions will help to put some of what I have expressed to her in writing in hopes that it willl be helpful to not only her, but maybe my grandchildren and their children some day.

I was twenty-one when I married Alyssa's father and our wedding night was the first sexual experience for both of us, so obviously we waited. I don't regret waiting at all because as I see it, what did I miss?

1. Boys talking behind my back in the locker room.
2. Diseases and/or viruses.
3. Teen pregnancy.
   
4. Emotional attachment heightened by sexual intimacy which upon "breaking up" would cause an even greater pain because of the close physical bonding.
   
5. Picking out the wrong person to be with because I let my lustful body think instead of my intellect.

I read lots of books about sex right before I got married (I guess that proves I'm a nerd), and I had read romance novels for years and years. I had an expectation of what the experience would be like and because I hadn't ever had sex before, I wasn't disappointed. How could I be disappointed when everything was new and exciting? We were both dumb or I should say inexperienced, so we didn't know anything one way or another and we learned together. I also didn't have to wonder if he was comparing me to anyone else in his head because there hadn't been anyone else for him either. That gave me a peaceful feeling of freedom. I feel it also contributed to our ability to relax and enjoy love in the relationship and our physical lovemaking.

I wanted to be a "virtuous woman" that had only been with my husband. That makes me "old fashioned" in today's morals, but old fashioned is sometimes better. Choosing a companion and spouse is hard enough without trying to ignore the physical attachment we begin to feel the moment we have sex. I believe that waiting is worth it.

I also believe that love and sex should go hand-in-hand. I was taught abstinence before marriage just like many other people of various religious backgrounds. I still believe that couples should wait. Does it always happen? No. Do I think everyone who has sex before they are married is going straight to Hell? No-o-o-o-o, of course not. I just believe that if a person can practice that much self-control before marriage, their commitment is easier to believe and there is less to worry about after they tie the knot.

A man and a woman, who have never met before, find themselves assigned to the same sleeping room on a transcontinental train.

Though initially embarrassed and uneasy over sharing a room, the two are tired and fall asleep quickly - he in the upper bunk and she in the lower.

At 1:00 AM, he leans over and gently wakes the woman saying, "Ma'am, I'm sorry to bother you, but would you be willing to reach into the closet to get me a second blanket? I'm awfully cold."

"I have a better idea," she replies. "Just for tonight, let's pretend that we're married."

"Wow! That's a great idea!!" he exclaims.

"Good," she replies. "Get your own blanket!"

Of course, there's a whole lot more in a marriage than just sex, but we can talk about that later!

So what are your answers to the Tell The Truth Thursday questions and your thoughts on the subject of "shhhhh" sex?

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Which Face?

Today I was very happy for no apparent reason. Well, Alyssa's revelation helped me feel more positive, but I had an overall feeling of peace and contentment with myself today.

Maybe you've seen the commercial that shows unhappy people and the voice says, "Depression hurts." If not, the commercial itself is depressing. Like millions of people who have suffered depression, I too have experienced that feeling the Gmork describes as "The Nothing". I feel blue sometimes, but then the problem or situation will pass and the happy rays of sunshine come back into my life.

When I was a General Manager at a hotel, I would tell my employees that even if they didn't feel happy to fake it by smiling at the customers. When someone smiles, their face is immediately welcoming and their voice becomes lighter which is why people who market on the phone are taught to smile even though no one can see them. Being around happy people boosts your spirit to a higher level of happiness too! Happiness smiles!

Part of being happy is attitude. When you open your eyes in the morning and leap excitedly out of the bed...If "She must be kidding" just passed through your mind, you're right, however, there are people who upon waking are immediately happy. Anyway, when you get out of the bed, do you feel a zest for living life? Are you eager to go and do everything planned for the day? Do you notice the little things and feel appreciation for the vigor of life? If not, only you can change your attitude and outlook about existing on this planet. I have to keep telling myself this all the time because I know it is true.

Decide that you want to be happy and fake it until you can feel better. If you have a chemical depression, see a doctor for help. Don't think that you have to remain depressed. Be as vigilant in finding and feeling happiness as you are to buy gas for your car when the "no gas" light turns that wicked orange color. You ARE worth the effort. You CAN be happy. You possess talents and experiences that are valuable. You are needed, wanted, cared for and loved by many people.

Tomorrow is a new day. Wake up, leap out of bed (in my case, slowly roll out of bed) with a new found excitement. Put on a genuine happy face or fake it until it becomes real.

"Being happy doesn't mean
that everything is perfect.
It means that you've decided
to look beyond the imperfections."
What about life is giving you that happy feeling today?

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Higher, Higher, Higher

Image: Mumbai Daily Photo



"If you want to
lift yourself up,
lift up someone else."~Booker T. Washington~

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Giveaway WINNER - Here All Along, Lori Newman

The Winner of the Giveaway for
Here All Along written by Lori Newman is #11

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