One Day At A Time

Entry for October 22, 2007" THE TIME OF MY LIFE"

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 05:10:56 GMT

I HAD A BLAST!!!!!! I AM HOOKED AND CANT WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE!!!!! LOL Here is a link to view a slide show of my cruise photos. My son, Marc, and I , had a wonderful time. Labadee Haiti was our first stop. Jamaica was our 2nd stop, Georgetown,Grand Cayman was our 3rd port, and Cozumel, Mexico was our last port. We spent two days at sea, and the weather was never too bad. Heard from family, upon our return, that we had been sandwiched between a couple hurricanes, but we were quite unaware, There are 2 photos I took, while we were docked in the cayman islands, that look as if maybe one of the hurricanes was in the far distance, but it could've been just a big storm. Who knows? The ship was a wonderful, magical , place to be, at any given moment, There was always something going on, or something fun to do. The shows were great! I met so many wonderful people from all over the world. Our table mates, at dinner, were from Norway, and they were lovely people indeed! I never imagined that it would have so many people from different countries, but it was truely incredible. Even the crew of "Freedom of the Seas" were from all over the world. I loved every minute! Marc had a haed time with sea sickness, but it affected me very differently than him. It made me feel drunk all the time! So needless to say, I didn't have to spend much money on booze, because i was already intoxicated! LOL

Some of the photos may appear a little blurry. That is a result of my crappy choice in cameras, and also because I was always in motion, lol. Even after coming home, I still found myself swaying from side to side, while sitting at my computer. It took about a week for that to go away, lol. I hope you all enjoy the photos. I hope I get another chance to cruise again. I am so addicted now! I think it is the only way to travel!!!

http://vmphoto.photobox.co.uk/slideshow/viewer.html?c_album=6814093

Entry for September 01, 2007

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 18:14:52 GMT

I love this story so very much, I cry
every time I read it. Just try to make a difference in
someone's life today? tomorrow? just "do it".
Random acts of kindness, I think they call it.
"Believe in Angels, then return the favor"

THE PERFUME

As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the
very first day of school, she told the children an
untruth . Like most teachers, she looked at her
students and said that she loved them all the same.

However, that was impossible, because there in the
front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named
Teddy Stoddard.

Mrs Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and
noticed that he did not play well with the other
children, that his clothes were messy and that he
constantly needed a bath . In addition, Teddy could be
unpleasant.

It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually
take delight in marking his papers with a broad red
pen, making bold X's and then putting a big "F" at the
top of his papers.

At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was
required to review each child's past records and she
put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed
his file, she was in for a surprise.

Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright
child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and
has good manners... he is a joy to be around."

His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent
student, well liked by his classmates, but he is
troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and
life at home must be a struggle."

His third grade teacher wrote, " His mother's death has
been hard on him He tries to do his best, but his
father doesn't show much interest and his home life
will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken."

Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is
withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He
doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in
class."

By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was
ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her
students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in
beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for
Teddy's .

His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown
paper that the got from a grocery bag.

Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of
the other presents. Some of the children started to
laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some
of the stones missing , and a bottle that was
one-quarter full of perfume . But she stifled the
children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the
bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the
perfume on her wrist . Teddy Stoddard stayed after
school that day just long enough to say, "Mrs.
Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to."

After the children left, she cried for at least an
hour.
On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing
and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children.
Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As
she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive.
The more she encouraged him , the faster he responded.
By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the
smartest children in the class and, despite her lie
that she would love all the children the same, Teddy
became one of her "teacher's pets."

A year later, she found a note under her door, from
Teddy , telling her that she was still the best teacher
he ever had in his whole life.
Six years went by before she got another note from
Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school,
third in his class, and she was still the best teacher
he ever had in his whole life.
Four years after that, she got another letter, saying
that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed
in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate
from college with the highest of honors . He assured
Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite
teacher he had ever had in his whole life.
Then four more years passed and yet another letter
came. This time he explained that after he got his
bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further .
The letter explained that she was still the best
and favorite teacher he ever had But now his name was
a little longer....The letter was signed, Theodore F.
Stoddard , MD. The story does not end there. You see,
there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said
he had met this girl and was going to be married. He
explained that his father had died a couple of years
ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree
to sit at the wedding in the place that was usually
reserved for the mother of the groom .
Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore
that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones
missing. Moreover, she made sure she was wearing the
perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on
their last Christmas together.
They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in
Mrs. Thompson's ear, "Thank you Mrs. Thompson for
believing in me Thank you so much for making me feel
important and showing me that I could make a
difference."

Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back.
She said, "Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the
one who taught me that I could make a difference. I
didn't know how to teach until I met you."

(thank you David)

Michele

Entry for August 26, 2007 BON VOYAGE!!!!

Sun, 26 Aug 2007 18:58:44 GMT

Well, it's finally going to happen. I am going on a cruise to the Caribbean, and there is the ship we are sailing on! Isn't she something? At the moment, she is the world's largest cruise ship. She is named," Freedom of the Seas", and we set sail september 30th, out of Miami. I am so excited about it that I can barely contain myself!! This may not be anything new, or special, to many of you veteran cruisers out there, but for me, it is a dream come true! My son,Marc, is taking me, and I am thrilled beyond imagination!!! I admit that, when I dreamed of going on a cruise, I imagined it would be a romantic holiday with that special man in my life. Well, I am still single, and so the special man is my son....but he was always special anyway!! I will just have to put the romance on hold for now, and just have all the fun I can possibly squeeze into 7 days!!!!! The ports we will be visiting are: Labadee,Haiti..... Ocho Rios, Jamaica..... Grand Caymen, Caymen Islands..... and Cozumel, Mexico. I plan to take lots of photos, that I hope to share with all of you, in a blog, after I return. Just had to tell everyone how I feel!

Michele

Entry for August 23, 2007

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 21:05:45 GMT

I received this email today, and when I read it, I was moved deeply by the display of patriotism, and the amout of pride shown, for our country. I wanted to pass it along to everyone, in hopes they might feel a little of what I felt, as I read this heartfelt story:

From: Chaplain Higgins in Iraq

"I recently attended a showing of "Superman 3," here at LSA Anaconda. We have a large auditorium we use for movies, as well as memorial services and other large gatherings. As is the custom back in the States, we stood and snapped to attention when the National Anthem began before the main feature. All was going as planned until about three-quarters of the way through the National Anthem the music stopped.

Now, what would happen if this occurred with 1,000 18-22 year-olds back in the States? I imagine there would be hoots, catcalls, laughter, a few rude comments; and everyone would sit down and call for a movie. Of course, that is, if they had stood for the National Anthem in the first place.

Here, the 1,000 Soldiers continued to stand at attention, eyes fixed forward The music started again. The Soldiers continued to quietly stand at attention. And again, at the same point, the music stopped. What would you expect to happen? Even here I would imagine laughter, as everyone finally sat down and expected the movie to start.

But here, you could have heard a pin drop. Every Soldier continued to stand at attention. Suddenly there was a lone voice, then a dozen, and quickly the room was filled with the voices of a thousand Soldiers, finishing where the recording left off:

"And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave, O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?"

It was the most inspiring moment I have had here in Iraq . I wanted you to know what kind of Soldiers are serving you here.

Written by Chaplain Jim Higgins on 5/14/07. LSA Anaconda is at the Balad Airport in Iraq , north of Bagdad .

Remember them as they fight for you! Pass this along as a reminder to others to be ever in prayer for all our soldiers serving us here at home and abroad... For many have already paid the ultimate price....

Laws we wish did NOT exist !!

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 18:42:57 GMT

Murphy's First Law for Wives:
If you ask your husband to pick up five items at the store and then you add
one more as an afterthought, he will forget two of the first five.

The Salary Axiom:
The pay raise is just large enough to increase your taxes and just small
enough to have no effect on your take-home pay.

Miller's Law of Insurance:
Insurance covers everything except what happens.

First Law of Living:
As soon as you start doing what you always wanted to be doing, you'll want
to be doing something else.

Weiner's Law of Libraries:
There are no answers, only cross-references.

Isaac's Strange Rule of Staleness:
Any food that starts out hard will soften when stale. Any food that starts
out soft will harden when stale.

The Grocery Bag Law:
The candy bar you planned to eat on the way home from the market is always
hidden at the bottom of the grocery bag.

Lampner's Law of Employment:
When leaving work late, you will go unnoticed. When you leave work early,
you will meet the boss in the parking lot.

AMAZING SAND SCULPTURES !!!!

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 15:40:44 GMT

Beneath the last photo, on each page, is a link to the next page of sculptures. Some
of these are truly amazing. Enjoy

http://funnies.com/sandcastles2

Entry for June 15, 2007

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 20:54:47 GMT

I JUST COULDN'T PASS THIS ONE UP! IT WAS JUST TO GOOD TO PASS AROUND IN AN EMAIL ! The women will love and relate to this....and so will a few of the fathers, but most of you men will probably have a new found respect for mothers everywhere!

FATHER'S DAY "SURVIVOR" SERIES

Six married men will be dropped on an island with one car and 3 kids each, for six weeks.

Each kid will play two sports and either take music or dance classes.

Each man must take care of his 3 kids; keep his assigned house clean, correct all homework, complete science projects, cook, do laundry, and pay a list of 'pretend' bills with not enough money.

In addition, each man will have to budget money for groceries each week.

Each man must remember the birthdays of all their friends and relatives, and send cards out on time.

Each man must also take each child to a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment and a haircut appointment . He must make one unscheduled and inconvenient visit per child to the Urgent Care (weekend, evening, on a holiday or right when they're about to leave for vacation). He must also make cookies or cupcakes for a social function.

Each man will be responsible for decorating his own assigned house, planting flowers outside and keeping it presentable at all times.

The men will only have access to television when the kids are asleep and all chores are done.

Each man will have to make an Indian hut model with six toothpicks, a tortilla and one marker; and get a 4-year old to eat a serving of peas.

Each man must adorn himself with jewelry, wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes, keep their nails polished and eyebrows groomed. The men must try to get through each day without snot, spit-up or barf on their clothing.

During one of the six weeks, the men will have to endure severe abdominal cramps, back aches, and have extreme, unexplained mood swings but never once complain or slow down from other duties. They must try to explain what a tampon is for when the 6-yr old boy finds it in the purse.

They must attend weekly school meetings, church, and find time at least once to spend the afternoon at the park or a similar setting.

He will need to read a book to the children each night without falling asleep, and then feed them, dress them, brush their teeth and comb their hair each morning by 7:00 . They must leave the home with no food on their face or clothes.

A test will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each father will be required to know all of the following information: each child's birthday, height, weight, shoe size, clothes size and doctor's name. Also the child's weight at birth, length, time of birth, and length of labor, each child's favorite color, middle name, favorite snack, favorite song, favorite drink, favorite toy, biggest fear and what they want to be when they grow up.

They must clean up after their sick children at 2:00 a.m. and then spend the remainder of the day tending to that child and waiting on them hand and foot until they are better.

They must have a loving, age appropriate reply to, 'You're not the boss of me'.

The kids vote them off the island based on performance. The last man wins only if...he still has enough energy to be intimate with his spouse at a moment's notice.

Entry for June 14, 2007**** SEVEN NATURAL WONDERS

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 18:11:00 GMT

DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE SEVEN NATURAL WONDERS OF THE WORLD ARE? I realized that I didn't, and figured that there are probably many other people like me, so I decided to share it with you.

The Seven Natural Wonders of the world are suggested to be...........

1. Mount Everest, in Nepal/Tibet

2. Victoria Falls in Zambia, Zimbabwe

3. Grand Canyon, Arizona

4. Great Barrier Reef , Australia

5. Northern Lights

6. Paricutin Volcano, Mexico

7. Rio De Janeiro Harbor, Brazil

I hope this was informative, and enjoyable. I hope you like the pictures.

Entry for June 05, 2007

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 06:14:58 GMT

I AM WORTH A LOT

In a brief conversation, a man asked a woman he was pursuing the question "What kind of man are you looking for?" She sat quietly for a moment before looking him in the eye and asking, "Do you really want to know?" Reluctantly, he said, "Yes." She began to expound... "As a woman in this day and age, I am in a position to ask a man what he can do for me that I can't do for myself. I pay my own bills. I take care of my household without the help of any man...or woman for that matter. I am in the position to ask, "What can you bring to the table?"

The man looked at her. Clearly he thought that she was referring to money. She quickly corrected his thought and stated, "I am not referring to money. "I need something more. I need a man who is striving for perfection in every aspect of life. "He sat back in his chair, folded his arms, and asked her to explain. She said, "I am looking for someone who is striving for perfection mentally because I need conversation and mental stimulation. I don't need a simple-minded man. I am looking for someone who is striving for perfection spiritually because I don't need to be unequally yoked...believers mixed with unbelievers is a recipe for disaster. I need a man who is striving for perfection financially because I don't need a financial burden. I am looking for someone who is sensitive enough to understand what I go through as a woman, but strong enough to keep me grounded. I am looking for someone who I can respect. In order to be submissive, I must respect him. I cannot be submissive to a man who isn't taking care of his business. I have no problem being submissive...he just has to be worthy. God made woman to be a helpmate for man. I can't help a man if he can't help himself. When she finished her spill, she looked at him. He sat there with a puzzled look on his face. He said, "You are asking a lot. She replied, "I'm worth a lot."

Entry for June 01, 2007

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 21:48:39 GMT

On Getting Older.

1.) Just before the funeral services, the undertaker came up to the very elderly widow and asked, "How old was your husband?" "98," she replied.
"Two years older than me."
"So you're 96," the undertaker commented.
She responded,
"Hardly worth going home, is it?

2.) Reporters interviewing a 104-year-old woman: "And what do you think is the best thing about being 104?" the reporter asked. She simply replied,
"No peer pressure."

3.) The nice thing about being senile is you can hide your own Easter eggs.

4.) I've sure gotten old! I've had two bypass surgeries, a hip replacement, new knees, Fought prostate cancer and diabetes. I'm half blind, can't hear anything quieter than a jet engine, take 40 different medications that make me dizzy, winded, and subject to blackouts. Have bouts with dementia. Have poor circulation; hardly feel my hands and feet anymore. Can't remember if I'm 85 or 92. Have lost all my friends. But, thank God, I still have my driver's license.

5.) I feel like my body has gotten totally out of shape, so I got my doctor's permission to join a fitness club and start exercising. I decided to take an aerobics class for seniors. I bent, twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for an hour. But, by the time I got my leotards on, the class was over.

6.) An elderly woman decided to prepare her will and told her preacher she had two final requests. First, she wanted to be cremated, and second, she wanted her ashes scattered over Wal-Mart. "Wal-Mart?" the preacher exclaimed. "Why Wal-Mart?" "Then I'll be sure my daughters visit me twice a week "< /FONT>

7.) My memory's not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my memory's not as sharp as it used to be.

8.) Know how to prevent sagging? Just eat till the wrinkles fill out.

9.) It's scary when you start making the same noises as your coffeemaker.

10.) These days about half the stuff in my shopping cart says, "For fast relief."

11.) Remember: You don't stop laughing because you grow old, You grow old because you stop laughing.

12.) --- THE SENILITY PRAYER : Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.