Stupid Happens

 I took my first stress test today. I have always wanted to have one done. I'm not sure why but I just thought it may tell me if I am fit enough to live another 25 years or so. So it got me thinking...what is stress? And why do they call it a stress TEST? Are they really checking my stress level? Or are they just checking my heart? I know the answer ...its just seems funny that they call it a Stress Test when in reality...I get my stress level checked everyday at work. If I don't die from stress during the day...I passed the daily stress test. :)
At work, I have a high level of stress everyday...with having to deal with so many people and trying to get things done to meet deadlines and customer requirements, it makes me stressed with every task. It would seem like if they really wanted to call it a "stress test"...they would come to my place of work and when I finish talking to one of the "Stupid"ones....or when I find out that one of the "Stupid" ones screwed up and we cant ship parts because they did something stupid  (thus the "Stupid" name).....that's when they should check my heart. That would tell them at what level of stupidness my heart can handle and then I can avoid it if I can when that stupidness level becomes to high. With all the High Tech gadgets that they have to check your heart.....you would think that they could come up with a stupid-o-meter or something. I could carry it around and hold it up to the people before I speak with them and it would register the stupid level of said person. I could then avoid the stupid conversation or the stupid question they were going to ask and walk away. (And who ever said that there is no such thing as a stupid question....obviously worked alone...just saying)

The problem with stress is that you don't realize that its happening to you until it actually happens and then its to late. Your heart rate increases rapidly, your blood pressure rises and then you are left with the "ARRGH" feeling it leaves you with. So what do you do then? I usually take a few deep breaths and let my heart rate decrease and BP go down. (and I hope that another Stupid situation doesn't happen while I'm doing this)   They say that exercise reduces stress....ummm...I just don't get that. When I exercises...my heart rate increases and my blood pressure rises....its alot like work. In fact... just thinking about exercises  makes me stressed. So I surely cant understand how that helps reduce stress. So I will stick to my breathing exercises to rid the stress from my body. But lets be honest here...we don't really get rid of stress do we? No...we just forget about it. And to be really honest....until they event that Stupid-O-Meter....breathing is all I have.

The Gift that Gives Back

I stated in in my "Wish Bucket" blog that I would like to give away a large amount of money to someone. (No...I don't have that "Large amount yet" just in case you were thinking I hit the lottery. )
But I did something last weekend that made me feel really good. And reminded me why I have that listed in my "Wish Bucket".

I played in a golf tournament to help support Make a Wish Foundation last weekend. I played the previous year with the same team (Wonderfully Good People) and we came in 2nd place....and as always ...we gave the money we won back to the Make a Wish Foundation. This year we came in 1st place and again gave the money back to the foundation. It always feels good when you "give". Doesn't matter what its for, whether its a gift for Christmas, or helping a someone out when they need it, they all make us feel really good on the inside.

So I cant help but think how that not only pleases our own hearts, but I also think God makes us feel good when we give because its what he wants us to do...our reward so to speak. And of course that's why it feels so good :) So yes..one day I wish I could give away a large amount of money to someone in need and then just walk away with that wonderful feeling of giving.
But...you are probably thinking that by us giving the money back to the Make a Wish Foundation was the thing that made me feel really good...well...yes it did but it wasn't exactly "The" thing I was talking about. After the tournament there were many gifts for silent auction....and since I also won the 50/50 drawing...I decided to spend it on the donated gifts. I ended up getting a "Earth" video game, a die cast model car, and a pair of ear rings. (no..the ear rings weren't for me..I bought them for Kim...just saying)
The video game I will give to me niece and nephew...who happen to know by name, just about any creature on the earth...so I thought it was fitting. But the die cast model car????? I had no idea what the heck I was going to do with it...so when I picked it up...I thought to myself....Self? (cause that's what I call myself) Why did you buy that? I immediately had visions of this sitting in my closet collecting dust right next to the other useless stuff I have in there. So...as I picked it up and had those thoughts, I saw the father of the Little Girl that last years Make a Wish event sponsored.(She went to Florida to swim with the dolphins) Along with him was his son. It only took a split second for me to spit out the words...."You like Cars"? The boy looked at me with wonderment in his eyes and said "yes". "Well here ya go then" and I handed him the car. The look in his eyes when he said "Really?"  just made my day. I said..."You said you liked cars...so enjoy it" And I walked away.

I came home and gave Kim the ear rings (which I still don't know if she liked them...but she did say thanks) Then we went to a wedding reception which we gave also...so really it was just a day of giving. And I just cant think of a better day than that. The Gift of giving is so powerful... and what I realized was that the gift doesn't have to be a Large gift....even a small gift can be just as rewarding as a Large one. God rewards us for all of them just the same. :)
  

My Rock

Today I wanted to write about My Rock. And like all rocks they are always the same, you can move them anywhere you want, however they are still a rock. They dont change, and they can give you that stronghold you may need when you are slipping. No, I am not going to post about the rock I found when I was a kid and still have...I am posting about the life rock I have.... my wife Kim. I have always wanted to post about her because of the importance she has had on my life.

I met Kim in High school when I was a sophomore. She was a cheerleader and was making posters for the basketball game coming on that Friday with her sister.  Kim has a identical twin sister named Kelly (very identical) Well, myself and my Best friend Paul and the rest of the wrestling team were running in the halls as we normally did, when we ran by these hot looking chicks. I had seen them from a distance before but they didn't really interest me...you know being freshmen and all. :) But once we started flirting with them...that changed...a lot!!!

I immediately fell in Love with both their smiles and personalities.It was love at first site! But wait.... it couldn't be that much of a story book romance right? Well it wasn't...Kim started going out with Paul, and I started going out with Kelly a while later. And after awhile when Kelly wouldn't "put out" (sorry Kelly) , we broke off that short lived relationship. Kim and Paul continued their dysfunctional relationship for a few months later and finally that came to an end as well. They fought alot and Kim would always get mad at me because I would have Paul's attention more than she wanted me to. lol

I was consoling her one evening after they broke it off, and she was sitting in my car at Hadley elementary school parking lot (not sure why we ended up there...but I think it was because I was trying to take advantage of her...um condition)(What can I say...hormones was running wild at this time in my life) So that's where I first kissed her and that was when she also told me that she was still in Love with Paul...OK so after that stellar announcement, me and my hormones took her and dropped her off home.

After playing hard to get...which only lasted about a week...because she finally came to her senses...lol We started dating and only broke up a few.....dozen OK.. hundred times throughout our 5 year dating time. But we always seemed to find a way to forgive and forget about each others faults and found ourselves back in each others arms.

As I said earlier...I was very much attracted to Kim's smile. But she also had other features that I was attracted to as well. (Besides the obvious one) She is such a kind person...even more so now that she has grown out of her high school jealousy stage (well most of it anyway :) You can usually tell when someone is genuine...and I saw that she was. I also believe you must be physically attracted to your mate and its the core of any relationship...but there must be more to a person in order for you to live the rest of your live with them. Humor to me is a trait that is a MUST ...and Kim had that...she had the ability to make me laugh and smile at will. You don't get a great smile like hers without the ability to laugh alot.  Needlessly to say.... falling in Love with Kim was easy.

So I know you are wondering...Well how did you propose to her Ian? Truth is...I didn't. She pretty much proposed to me. Here's how it went down. I had just got a job working 3rd shift at the same factory that I am still employed at. I had only been working for a couple months and was still adjusting having to sleep during the sunlit hours of the day. I had needed new work boots and being the good girlfriend that Kim was....she offered to go buy some for me if I gave her some money to do so. I gave her sixty bucks and off she went. I was sleeping when she came back and walked in my room. I woke up but still a little groggy when she smiled and told me what she had used my sixty bucks for. Even today when Kim buys something that she really shouldn't have she always starts out the conversation with this statement: "You aren't going to believe what I bought". Nowadays...I just answer..."Oh Yes I will".... but at the time I just answered...."Boots I hope".   Smiling, she told me "No", but she had put a down payment on a wedding dress. Huh? And being in the groggy state that I was in...all I said was....So, what? Were getting married then? And that my friends...goes down in history as the worst proposal ever!! And whenever I get the chance...I always throw this line out : "Hey Kim...have you seen my work boots?....Oh that's right ... I never got any"

But in the overall scheme of things...who really cares how we got married...the more important thing is  we did. It changed my life for the better and I still cherish the fact that we are still together. Being married for a long period of time is never an easy journey. And without the ability to forgive and forget...it will never work.(and yes...I have tested her many times on those ability's). I am so fortunate to have her in my life. Seriously...I don't think I could find a better wife, mother or friend. The amount of Love that Kim has inside her is nothing short of inspiring to me.  She cares for me when I'm ill, she works her tail off at work and at home. She cared for my children. She also knows what I like, and what I dislike And most of all... she Loves me. Lil ole Me!! She is the one person who I know who will care for me when I cant care for myself. (in a few more years of course)  She tells me whats on her mind (even if I don't want to hear it) But she is always honest and sincere.
So when I pray every night...I always thank God for Kim. Without her...I am confident that my life would not have turned out so blessed as it is today. Aside from God...She is my Rock! Her Love does not falter (yet anyways), I look forward to coming home each day, mainly because I know what I am coming home to each day.,..a beautiful, loving and very blessed wife. I Love You Kim!!!!

They ARE Family

We all Love our pets...right?  And most of us have experienced the loss of at least one pet. It never ceases to amaze me how much our pets can change our lives. When I got home today, my brother Dale was there to bury his long time pet Max. They had to put him down because of a tumor that was surrounding his bladder. Max was a Beagle, springer spaniel mix. What a terrific mix of breeds. He was so gentle and loving and obedient. Whenever you fed him he would ever so gently take it out of your fingers. (as opposed to my dog that will take the food and your fingers in one gulp). Max would go to his bed when he was told. He could even rest a piece of food on his nose until Dale told him to get it (I mean he would not move at all) I'm talking for like...3 minutes if Dale waited that long before telling him to "Get it". What more could you possibly want from a Pet?  Pets change us somehow. They make us a more loving and fun people. Pets should make us realize that being trusting, Loving, and obedient is really not just a dog trait...it also a Godly trait  too. If we can trust in God, obey God, and Love the way he loves...I mean....That's all he asks isn't it?     :)

 

In my household we cherish our pets as much as we cherish each other. And in case you didn't know....that's a whole lot of cherishing. We now have 2 dogs, 4 cats, and now 1 bird (Thanks to Taylor)...but we could not love any of them more than we already do. I have had to bury 2 of our Pets. My first dog Levi who lived 16 wonderful years and blessed us with a whole lot of barking and blessed 2 people with bites to their ankles. (Yorkie mixes are a little snippy sometimes) And also our first cat named Moses. He was a very LARGE cat....which was a little ironic to how he actually died. And when I tell you this... try not to laugh..OK? Here goes ...he was closed in the hide away bed in our basement sofa....I know...I know....your asking how in the heck did that happen? Right? Didn't the cat screech or anything? Truth is...no it didn't.We didn't hear anything and it was under a blanket that was spread out and we never saw him when we closed the bed up. We thought the cat ran away for like a week. That is.....until Kim and I were laying down on the sofa watching TV and I said....what the heck is that smell....yeah... I think you know what happens next...I unfold the couch and I saw him...and immediately I told Kim to leave...and at that point she knew too. So....although the way the cat died was nothing short of unique...and yes even a little funny...(allot of jokes have come from it since then)....but at the time it was  still very difficult to lose our pet especially knowing that we are the ones who killed it.

We cry and mourn whenever we lose pets(no matter how they pass) because they are (as we all say) "They are like family" and the reality of it is...They are Family!!  They live in the same household as us, they love us, argue with us, they eat with us, and they also sleep with us. the only difference from our family is ....we choose our pets...and that means we choose to love them too. That means taking care of them even when they cant take care of themselves. (just like we do with Family) So as we say goodbye to our longtime furry or feathered friends...we also say thank you for enriching our lives and teaching us what is really important to life....Love !!!!!