News about my EPIC road trip coming soon!

Ice Needles!

How "cool" is Minnesota? So cool that a phenomenon called, "ice needles," occurred. Check it out:
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/cool-ice-needles-beach-minnesota-145517702.html?vp=1

Lover's Day and World Book Day

I love Barcelona/Catalonia even more. Today is "Lovers' Day" and "World Book Day," or La Diada de San Jordi (St. Georges Day). It is the largest festival and a widely celebrated day in Barcelona. It is to celebrate love and literacy. People give books and roses to loved one on this day in Barcelona. It's similar to Valentines Day in the US, but it focuses on intelligence not just lovey dovey stuff.

Apparently, St. George killed a dragon to save a princess and out of the dragon's blood a rose bush blossomed. He picked the most beautiful of roses from the bush and gave it to the princess. This the reason roses are the favored flower to give on this day and Valentine's day.

World Book Day began in the 20th Century and commemorates the simultaneous deaths of Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare in 1616. More than 4 million roses and half a million books are sold on this day in Catalonia.

Kitties with Thumbs

Cats with thumbs, or extra digits, are called polydactyl and the writer, Ernest Hemingway, had many of them. That is why polydactyl cats are often called, "Hemingway Kitties."

This baby cat has 6 little piggies on each paw... count 'em!

HAPPY EARTH DAY!! and first day of spring with 

snow on my car this morning!

Siberians - My Max

My favoritest cat was Maximus. I named him after I saw the movie, Gladiator, because though my Maximus was itty-bitty and I had to bottle feed him - he was big and bad in loving me! I loved him so much and miss him toooo much. His breed, the Siberian, is where all long haired kitties originated from.

Shortest Sentence

The shortest complete sentence in the English language is: I am.

Chicken!

I am not chicken of chickens, BUT I had no idea there were more chickens in the world than people! That's scary! How is that possible with all the chicken I have eaten in my lifetime!?

Weight... Wait!

A pound of steel a pound of feathers are the same weight, but WAIT: the quantity to have a pound of each of these is what makes it look like one weighs more than the other!

306th Birthday

Today is a major birthday IF the man was still alive! Mr. Leonard Euler introduced the world to the most modern mathematical terminology and would have been 306 years old today! Google honored him with a doodle that moves. Here is the static one:














For more information on Mr. Euler click on the link below:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/apr/15/leonhard-euler-honoured-google-doodle

It's also tax day AND supposedly certain establishments give freebies! http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Saving-Money/2013/0415/Tax-Day-freebies-Curly-fries-Cinnabon-and-document-shredding

Underwater Sonic Boom!

The Mantis Shrimp is "wonderfully and fearfully made." (Psalm 139) I learned at church today that the Mantis Shrimp uses is two claws as protection by being able to punch faster than the speed of sound! It can crack open an oyster shell with a "whack! whack!" of those claws! ALSO, they can see sooooo many more colors than humans because of the rods in their eyes giving them the capability to see so much better and more vividly!

JC Penney

On this day in 1902, JC Penney opened his first store in Kemmerer, WY.

Happy Birthday!

Today in 1947 David Letterman was born, and a short 3 years later my crush, David Cassidy, from The Partridge Family, was born. Two Davids, same birthday = crazy! I think I may have liked David's brother Shaun better! "Da Do Ron Ron Ron, Da Do Ron Ron!" This whole time I thought he was singing, "da do RUN RUN RUN, da do RUN RUN!!"

Play Ball!

On this day in 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African-American in modern major-league baseball.

AND a movie about this comes out tomorrow!

Safely Pin It

The Walter Hunt Safety Pin of 1849 - The Sewalot

On this day in 1849, the safety pin was patented by Walter Hunt and he sold the rights for a mere $400.00!

Mae West's debut

On this day in 1828, Mae West debuted in NYC in the daring, new play, Diamond Lil.

Venus on a Shell?

On this day in 1820, the Venus de Milo was
discovered on the Aegean Island of Melos.

Booker T. Washington

On this day in 1940, education pioneer Booker Taliferro Washington,
was the first black to appear on a stamp.

Cartoons!

On this date in 1906, the first animated cartoon was copyrighted.

Refreshing "Water"

Helen Keller's amazing teacher, Anne Sullivan, teaches Helen the sign for "water" on this date in 1887.

"Can't Buy Me Love"

On this day in 1964 the Beatles' single, "Can't Buy Me Love," goes #1 and stays #1 for 5 weeks!

April and July

April starts on the same day of the week as July in ALL years!

April's Name

There is uncertainty of how this month got its name. It has been suggested that it may come from the Roman word, Aprillis, meaning, "to open." OR it may come from Aphrodite, the Greek name for the goddess of love.

April's Fools

In 16th century France the new year was celebrated on April 1st. Then in 1562 Pope Gregory decided the new year needed to be wrung in on January 1st. The people thought he was kidding and since then jokes and the like commemorate the 1st of April and are known to have the saying, "April's Fool!" bellowed when the trick goes over well.

Holy Toledo!

We got the saying, "holy Toledo!" from Toledo, Spain when someone looked up at the beautiful ceiling in one of the cathedrals and exclaimed it!

It was also the original capital of Spain, the home of El Greco AND had a period of religious tolerance unique in that time period up until they expelled the Jews and Muslims in 1500.

Madrid, Spain

Madrid has been the capital of Spain since the 17th century and the highest capital city in Europe.

Gaudí

The amazing artist, Antoni Gaudí, from Catalonia, Spain was inspired by nature. 

He had rheumatic fever as a child and spent a lot of time alone. The solitude and 
nature influenced much of his art work and this lead to his beautiful mosaic work 
as seen below.

The "Streets" of Barcelona

The most famous street in Barcelona is called "La Rambla." However, it is NOT just one street but five boulevards, or las ramblas (as it is called by all), joined to make one long promenade. It starts from Placa Catalunya and ends at the Columbus statue by the waterfront.

Best Beaches in the World

Barcelona is considered the "best beach city in the world" by
National Geographic. Crazily enough the beaches in Barcelona
were not used for leisure until 1992!


















This is a photo of the Mediterranean Sea, in Barcelona, Spain.

Barcelona's Origins

I learned that is it disputed how Barcelona originated. One legend says it was founded by Hercules 400 years BEFORE Rome. BUT it may have been founded in the 3rd century BC by the Carthaginian Hamilcar Barca, father of Hannibal.

Spinster at 15...

Apparently, it was normal to get married by 12 or 13 during the 18th century... however, Marie Antoinette of Austria, who married Louis the XVI of France, was 15 and he was 16. It was an arranged marriage and they didn't have their first child until 7 years after they were married when she was 22. Supposedly, Louis the XVI was faithful to her, even though it was de rigueur for the kings to be unfaithful to their queens.

No Privacy

I learned while visiting the Palace of Versailles that the Kings and Queens never slept in the same room. SO, if the King wanted to have "conjugal" or "married people" relations with the Queen he had to have his pillow delivered to her in the morning. EVERYONE knew what was going to happen that night because everyone saw the pillow being delivered and knew what it meant. Additionally, if the people didn't see the pillow, it was announced for all to hear: "Tonight the King and Queen will have sexual relations!" WOW, can you imagine having NO PRIVACY AND being a King or Queen without it??

Shine Bright Like a Diamond

While on a hillside with students in France's idyllic Montmartre, I was able to see the Eiffel Tower explode in shiny brilliance. I honestly thought that maybe all the tourists who were on it were taking pictures at the same time and that's what I was seeing, BUT what I was actually seeing was the hourly shimmering of lights that Paris gets it nickname: "the City of Lights," from... for 5 minutes every hour after dark, the Eiffel Tower twinkles with sparkling light and it's quite a sight to see! It was one of my favorite moments in Europe... and being in Montmartre was quite wonderful and romantic too!

Party for the Bible... in France?

On this date in the year in 1457 the Gutenberg Bible became the 1st printed book.

and in 1594, since I'm on my way to France, there was a King Henry IV festival in Paris... not sure if it was the first one, but somehow it's significant. 

On This Date in 1851...

Yosemite Valley in California was discovered... didn't know it needed to be "discovered." I thought everyone just knew of its existence.

On This Date in 1852...

Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin was published.

Whale Fall

I like the way it sounds... graceful: "whale fall." The crazy thing I learned is that the corpse of a whale that has died falls to the floor of the ocean and provides "a rich habitat of food and shelter for deep sea animals years after they have died." There is this one worm that is mouthless that feasts on it... WITHOUT A MOUTH?? I think they are called the zombie worm.

Check out more about this "circle of life:" http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2295672/Antarcticas-whale-skeleton--NINE-new-species-living-it.html

Earthquakes

A "lost" tectonic plate was found. It had been lost for 500 million years!!! Wow, WHO was still around from the family of that tectonic plate to step forward and say, "find my tectonic plate! Please!"

http://news.yahoo.com/lost-tectonic-plate-found-beneath-california-114057417.html

Blue St. Patrick's Day

The actual color of St. Patrick is blue:

"...the use of green on St. Patrick's Day began during the 1798 Irish Rebellion, when the clover became a symbol of nationalism and the "wearing of the green" on lapels became regular practice."

Below is the badge of the order of St. Patrick... notice it is blue.

Don't Choke on this Berry

Aronia Berries: Tart, taste like wine, medicinal SUPER-fruit-berries!
They are pretty too, but they are also called,
"CHOKE BERRIES." They are called that because
while they are chocked full of anti-oxidants, they don't
taste good right off the tree.

http://aroniaberry.org/

http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/aronia-berries--the-new-antioxidant-super-fruit-195008315.html

The Ides of March

This quote appears in Shakespeare's Julius Cesar: "Beware the Ides of March." AND Shakespeare invented the words, assassination and bump. So was Julius Cesar assassinated or bumped off?

Alphabetical Order

ALMOST is the longest word in the English language that is spelled in alphabetical order.

Thank you Noah P. for this fun fact I didn't know!

Confession

I'm a confessionalist... nah, that's a lie.

See, I confessed!

Life

Everyday is a dream even when there are nightmares.

Badges

It is a fact that if a police officer loses their metal badge they get suspended for a day and lose pay! Most of them leave their badges in their lockers. I don't blame them!

Dragonflies Die

         A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours.

Almond Joy

Almonds are a member of the peach family.

Words for Birthday

There are only four words in the English language which end in "dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous and hazardous.

I hope to have a tremendously stupendous birthday that is not horrendous or hazardous to anyone involved!

Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech!

The longest one-syllable word in the English language is "screeched."

That's A Savings

American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first-class.

Rule of Thumb

The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb.

Oh, Barbie!

Mattel's Barbie's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts.

Don't Speak

In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak!

Bert & Ernie

The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra's, "It's A Wonderful Life."

Continents

The name of all the continents end with the same letter they start with:

N. America
S. America
Europe
Asia
Africa
Australia
Antartica

Over the Moon

February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.

Pop!

You are more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than by a poisonous spider.

No Rhyme, Nor Reason

No word in the English language rhymes with orange, month, silver or purple.

Magazines

There are multiple meanings for the word magazine. It can mean the clip you put into a gun that holds the bullets that are fired AND it can mean a publication like US or People.

Here is a poem I wrote using the two different meanings:

A magazine hidden in

A magazine holding it together

Are 2-D bodies air-brushed

To perfection - angry at not

Having one, so gonna take

Some out-of-this-world with

A click-clack sound of 

Emptying the clip with

The pleasure of squeezing

The trigger happy trigger

Gat-gat-gat is a gun

For fun - it's not a video game -

They won't come back after

You shut down and reboot -

Shoot! You didn't know that?

That magazine held

The magazine that

Held the bullets that

Took out a generation...

Virtually.

For real.

Breathe Right

If you can't breathe well, maybe it's because God gave humans only one nose and slugs four noses!

Horse Express

There was not a single pony in the Pony Express, just horses!

Less Than a Penny

Hummingbirds can weigh less than a penny!

Afraid of the Dark

Thomas Edison, the inventor of the lightbulb, was afraid of the dark!

Eyebrowlessness

Mona Lisa did not have eyebrows because in Renaissance Florence it was the fashion to shave them off.

Iwo Jima

On this date in 1945, United States Marines landed on the tiny Japanese island of Iwo Jima and were met with heavy resistance.

4 Stars

Having lived in Chicago for almost 4 years, I feel I should know some facts about the city I have been trying to call home. The four stars on the municipal flag stand for: Fort Dearborn,  the Chicago Fire,  the World's Columbian Exposition, and the Century of Progress Exposition.

Also, the blue stripes represent the Chicago River and Lake Michigan.

Strangers...

Strangers in your dreams are actually people you've seen in real life. "The human brain is responsible for many complex creations, but it can't invent the image of people."

SMILE!

Smiling takes 5 to 53 muscles!! Sounds like a friendly facial workout to me! Get to smiling, folks!

Stop Graupeling

Now it may sound like grovel, but it's really "graupel." And who knew there were so many different kinds of precipitation and snow?! I surely didn't. However, "graupel" is what happens when "supercooled droplets of water are collected and freeze on a falling snowflake." HOW COOL IS THAT? "Supercool!" So stop your groveling about what the winter does to your social life and get out there and be amazed at the graupel. It can also look like those little polystyrene balls found in cheap carnival prizes or the Dippin Dots ice cream you can get at carnivals!

King of Hearts Card

"The King of Hearts is the only king without 

a mustache on a standard playing card!"

HAPPY VALENTINE's DAY!!

Not Trying to Be Gross...

http://now.msn.com/sea-slug-has-regenerating-penis

WOW! God's creatures are amazingly complex! They certainly are, "...fearfully and wonderfully made."

I'll Do That In A...

JIFFY!!

"A 'jiffy' is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second."

Popeye's Nephews

"The names of Popeye's four nephews are Pipeye, Peepeye, Pupeye, and Poopeye!"

Royally Flown

This is very interesting:

"Should there be a crash, Prince Harry and Prince William never travel on the same airplane as a precaution."

Set Me Up

I really enjoy words and their meanings, BUT I didn't know this:

"Of all the words in the English language, the word set has the most definitions!"

Nutty Squirrels

"It is estimated that millions of trees in the world are accidentally planted by squirrels who bury nuts and then forget where they hid them!"

That's Greek to Me

Who knew that China has more English-speaking people than the United States.

Clam Chow-Duh

I was born in Massachusetts and I have never seen this, EXCEPT the tomato-base New York clam chowder:

"In Massachusetts, it is against the law to put tomatos in clam chowder."

Pantless

Donald Duck comics were banned in Finland because
he doesn't wear pants.

Housecoat?

Now I'm not sure what constitutes as a "housecoat," but being raised in California and sometimes being lazy on a Saturday, I probably violated this:

"California law prohibits a woman from driving a car while dressed in a housecoat."

Philly Pretzels

I used to live in Philadelphia and didn't know this and I can't remember if I ever violated this law/act:

"In Philadelphia, you can't put pretzels in bags based on an Act of 1760."

Notice the one above is on a napkin.

Black Mold

I had no idea that black mold could grow in a freezer! I learned that because it is a moist environment it is the prime location for mold to grow.

Football Fields

I thought a football field was simply 100 yards. I learned otherwise. The end zones add an additional 20 yards to the field. SO when Jacoby Jones ran 109 yards during the Super Bowl I was confused because I didn't realize that there were more than 100 yards on a football field to run! What a feat he accomplished.

Snowflakes

Snowflakes are quite beautiful. I was able to see them up close as they came to rest on the window sill of my car window. I was also able to watch them alight the rest of my car as I was stopped at a red light. They ARE all very different and just simply beautiful... it made me feel special. I am and we are all like these magical little flecks of fluffy, light crystalline water: unique and only here for a short time.

Rocky's Pope

On this date in the year 772 Adrian I began his reign as Catholic Pope. Maybe this is why Rocky screamed, "Adrian!" when what he really needed was some Divine Intervention.

JAWS...

"...there's no way to tell the age of a living shark - a dead shark's spinal cord has rings that can be counted, much in the same way the rings of a tree can give away its age."

Who knew? I didn't until today!

http://www.upi.com/blog/2013/01/31/Real-life-Jaws-spotted-off-Hamptons/4031359642955/?spt=mps&or=1

Dolphins Save

Amazing! I knew the dolphin was an amazing creature, but who knew they were capable of having the thoughtfulness to try and save one of their own that was suffering:

http://news.discovery.com/animals/whales-dolphins/dolphins-create-raft-for-one-of-their-own-230130.htm

To Err...

Now I don't know if the guy is a pope, or it's just his last name - BUT I have only heard this quote quoted partially:

"Good-nature and good sense must ever join;
To err is human, to forgive, divine."
~Alexander Pope

He should be sainted for this wonderful truism. Forgiveness IS DIVINE!

ARGO

On this date in 1980 - Six Americans who had fled the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran, on November 4, 1979, left Iran using false Canadian diplomatic passports. The Americans had been hidden at the Canadian embassy in Tehran.

And in 2012, Ben Affleck directed the amazing re-telling of this incident in the movie, ARGO.

Green

Coca-Cola was originally green!

Dirt...

People have been paying a lot of money to eat DIRT!!!

http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/japanese-eatery-serves-110-dirt-meals-183947338--abc-news-Recipes.html

The English Language

         Let's face it: English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant or ham in hamburger, neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
         English muffins were not invented in England or french fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies, while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.
         We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. And why it that writers write, but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce, and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So, one moose, 2 meese? One index, two indices? Is cheese the plural of choose?
          If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
          In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? Park on driveways and drive on parkways?
          How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and wise guy are opposites? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell another?
         When a house burns up, it burns down. You fill in a form by filling it out and an alarm clock goes off by going on .
          When the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I end it?
          Now I know why I flunked my English class. It's not my fault; the silly language doesn't quite know whether it's coming or going.

by: Richard Lederer

Death

"Everyday above ground is a good day."

Don't know who said this, but I liked it when I came across it and had to share it as something I learned.

Once

You only live once?
FALSE, you live everyday;
you only die once.

Funny

The difference between the cuteness of gaga and gag is one little letter!

That explains a lot when it comes to how the gaga'ing of a baby can often make one gag if you're not in the least bit maternal.

OR if you're like me; I dislike Lady Gaga; she makes me gag!

Lame Dream

So I went to serve on this day of service in remembrance of the late, great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and an African-American speaker/comedian, Aaron Freeman, spoke on the day and what it commemorated as well as shed some very interesting light on Dr. King's dream I would never have considered. He said that the Dr.'s dream was lame. You read that correctly. Mr. Freeman said Dr. King's dream was LAME. He said, "think about it. Dr. King's dream, at the time, did not include women, Hispanics, gays, etc. And that's LAME!" He even went on to insult the audience by saying all of our dreams would appear to be lame when looked back on in retrospect... I guess there's some truth to that... dreams are often fulfilled and when they are there's this sense of, "That's it? That's all there was? What's next?"

That. Is. Lame.

Planting Seeds

"The tree is already in the seed; it just has to be planted in the right soil in order to grow into what it is intended to be." Anonymous

Form...Less

Formless means without formal order! Why didn't I know this?

Bed Bugs...

Chicago is #1 on the list of cities with the highest incidents of beg bugs!! AGH!!! Now I REALLY WISH I DIDN'T LIVE IN CHICAGO!!!

Broken Hearted Blessings

So I was talking to a friend and I was crying about my broken heart... the one I feel has resided in my chest cavity since I decided I desired my own true love and children and have gone without for what feels like forever.

Often times, people with good intentions ask me, "Why aren't you married?" Most times I don't have a good enough (to the person asking) answer and often respond with, "It's just not what God has allowed at this time..." Then these, well-meaning people state,"...but you're soooo awesome," and, "OOOH, I know just the perfect person for you..."

A lot of times, these men that are "perfect" for me are not interested in God or don't even go to church. This is a HUGE factor for me in choosing a life-partner. My conviction is that I MUST be with a man that God chooses for me that I WILL find/God directs me to, IN my church family circle... this has meant I have gone without a husband for over 17 years in my church. Don't get me wrong, I have had 3 boyfriends that have attended my church; it's where we met... but they didn't result in anything past 8 months... SO, in this conversation where I was stating that should I even get married in the next 6 months (highly unlikely) and got pregnant on my honeymoon - I would still be an old mom, even IF I was able to get pregnant at my advanced age. I know, I know, there is Sarah and Abraham as a Biblical example - BUT we are way beyond living and bearing children as nonagenarians, etc.

So, the fact remains, that I will probably never bear my own child. This is a painful fact for me to swallow... I have tried to console myself with saying things to myself like, "phew, I don't gotta give birth so I won't have to mess up my body now!" OR, "I am in touch with my selfishness and don't need that burden and loss of sleep." BUT the truth is I can't seem to truly believe those lies I tell myself so the sacrifice of my dreams for God's will for my life, doesn't hurt as much... and then this friend who was patiently listening used this scripture I have heard A MILLION times:

 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:26-27

Then he said, "you see, you have "hated" your own FUTURE children and own life to do the will of God." That probably sounds horrible to some of you reading this, BUT it set me free! That's what the truth does... for some unknown reason that scripture never helped until this point in my life. I saw that because I made the trade for the eternal I appear to hate my own life and the choices I could have made WITHOUT God's direction - but I have decided to be God's disciple and follow Him... I can't without having made these decisions as painful as they have been and seem...

Faulkner's Time

While watching the TV show The Walking Dead I heard this and thought it thought-provoking:

"I like what, uh, a father said to son when he give him a watch that had been handed down through generations. He said "I give you the mausoleum of all hope and desire, which will fit your individual needs no better than it did mine or my father's before me, I give it to you not that you may remember time, but that you may forget it for a moment now and then and not spend all of your breath trying to conquer it." William Faulkner

Strawberries...

Unfortunately, because of all the chemicals that are put on strawberries in the fields they are grown in, they are not as good for you as you thought! Organic is the best way to go with berries of any kind. Because of the thin skin of berries the pesticides go right into the berry making it impossible to clean it off. Think before you pop one in your mouth - is this berry worth it?

Choose to Recycle

I am all for recycling because I was raised in the eco-conscious California. AND I have heard that there are no original ideas, but I was told that we do NOT have any original thoughts - we just recycle them over and over and a lot of times the negative ones are the ones that get recycled. So the negative thoughts I know I have rehashed/recycled over and over are from decades of self defeating thoughts - now must be discarded because they are no longer original, and they are out of date/style and need to be gotten rid of (like those nasty florescent clothes from the 80s) and replaced with new ones. Everything is a choice. I must choose to reduce, re-use, and recycle better and more choice thoughts.

As the Bible states, "...take each thought captive and make it obedient..." and "...be TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your mind..."

Make those unoriginal thoughts obedient to the trash heap they will be thrown onto and burned (like those clothes from the 80s)! AND like a phoenix which rises from the ashes, so will new, positive, godly, faithful thoughts rise and dominant your thoughts... the choice is yours.

Mariposa

I know butterflies orginate from caterpillars... but when a girlfriend and her family shared their testimony at church today, what she shared about being both a caterpillar and a butterfly, really blew my mind simply because I hadn't thought of it in the light she shed upon it...

She said she once was a squishy caterpillar... this can be equated as a fallible human, filled with weakness and sin - but NOW she views herself as a beautiful butterfly because she was TRANSFORMED from a squishy caterpillar to a free-flying-full-of-faith-forgiven butterfly. What she also shared was that the butterfly and the caterpillar share absolutely NOTHING in common except that you can't become a butterfly without being a caterpillar (i.e. going through ugly phases) first. Also, she never wants to go back to being a caterpillar - and who would when your transformation means you can fly!?

King/Dom

I love words and I have learned some really cool things in a Sunday morning Bible Bootcamp I have been attending for a few weeks:

Kingdom means:

King over a Domain!

God is King and we are His subjects and citizens of his Kingdom with all the rights and access to His Kingdom that the privilege of citizenship provides.

Abuse...

Abuse... the actual meaning of the word:

AB = abnormal

USE = kind of self explanatory... means USE...

Put it together and what do you get from ABUSE = abnormal use!

When we ABUSE anything we are ABNORMALLY USING it!

Perspective

I have been learning a lot about perspective and well this photo says it all:

Not Everyday...

Nine days in and as I seek the "hey, you DO learn something new everyday,"moment to document, I am discovering I do NOT learn something new everyday... well, not in the way of an "AHA! moment!" OR how when I get the ones that feel like when they do come and I declare," YOU DO LEARN SOMETHING NEW EVERYDAY!" HMMMM... well, I will continue to look for something new and exciting to document... because I LOVE learning and seeking wisdom.

Gettin' the Boot

So the shift plate in my car broke today and when the tow truck driver drove me and my ailing car to the shop he told me why cars get booted and how and what happens after they are booted.

A car only gets booted when the owner has too many outstanding parking tickets, etc.

Then there are people that, as a job, drive around all day in a specially equipped car that finds these deep-in-ticket-debt cars anywhere and everywhere and then boot them.

After that, the man that towed my car said he gets a call to then go and pick up these cars and then he tows them to the impound yard!

Moral of the story from what I learned: "Let NO debt remain outstanding except the continuing debt to love one another..." Romans 13:8

Nice...

When I was at the gym I learned, "it is better to work out moderately over a longer period of time than to work out too intensely for a short period of time."

I was a beast today. I did my first one hour work out of the year - and I did it moderately. YAY me!! :o)

13

I'm not superstitious... anymore, but I was afraid of this new year because it is 2013. I used to LOVE scary movies and the day Friday the 13th - somehow, something shifted and I have become suspicious of the number 13... well, I had until I learned today that Biblically 12 means completion and 13 means new beginnings. I am excited for the new beginnings this year will bring... regardless of my former trepidation of the number 13.

Bond

James Bond was an orphan. Apparently, orphans turn out to be the best agents that can be had in MI6.

H2O

"Water, water everywhere - not a drop to drink!"

A friend said this when we were out and discussing life over drinks. She was referring to her wardrobe. You know you've had those moments when you open your FULL closet and can't seem to find a thing to wear. Since I had never heard this saying before, I thought it brilliant and noticed how it could be applied to many different situations: job opportunities, relationships, etc. We look for what is often right in front of our faces, and yet seem to miss it when it's that close.

You Will...

You WILL get what you talk yourself into...
positive or negative it will come to fruition!

Why? How?

Today I learned that it is better to say, "HOW?" instead of, "WHY?" HOW and why? Read on...

For instance, stop why-ning with questions like, "Why haven't I had a meaningful relationship that has resulted in marriage?" OR "Why do I have such challenging roommates?" and turn these questions into, "HOW do I get a better relationship that goes the distance?" OR "How do I find better roommates or a better housing situation?"

That's the WHY and HOW of the whys and hows! WOW! You really do learn something new everyday!

The first day of 2013

January 1st, 2013 fell on a Tuesday.

I learned that sometimes I don't remember the new thing I learned - and in that case I will write what I am grateful for: NEW BEGINNINGS!!!

OH, and I learned that my friend, Amy G. studied in Bordeaux, France for six months!!

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I have decided to back track and come in here and update this already because I want those that decide to join me on this journey to get the full picture of why I am doing this blog. As my dear friend said in the comment below, "she gets nervous when she forgets," so do I. I don't want to forget what I learn. We do often have those semi-aha moments when we say, "you do learn something new everyday." Because of this, and because I get nervous when I forget what feels like such juicy, Heaven sent messages of insight and help, I want to document them for posterity's sake.

As I age I find it gets harder to remember the good and is so easy to focus on the negative/bad. 2012 ended with so much tragedy with various shootings in our nation that it really took a toll on my psyche. I started feeling like I live in a world of hopelessness and despair that can't be touched. Looking at that thought made me realize I was focusing on the wrong things. Even though tragic events affect us all, some directly and a lot of us indirectly, I had to decide to look elsewhere. I decided to "look up." This is a phrase another Amy friend of mine and I started almost 20 years ago... I will decide daily to "look up" to Heaven and look around me for all the good that is and can be found. As the Bible states, "Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow." James 1:17 With this fact of faith in mind and heart, I will proceed on this journey with the faith that what I document will benefit my heart and my readers.

Thank you for stopping by. I am grateful for any and all comments and feedback!