Ok.  So the news said that January 17, 2011 is going to be the most depressing day of the year and June 17, 2011 will be the best day of the year.  So, who decided that?  We now have someone sitting somewhere deciding what our moods will be on any given day?  I say–hooey!  Apparently, I really didn’t pay attention to it last week when I first heard of it, because I forgot to be very depressed yesterday.  In fact  I spent much of the day doing what I love best—LAUGHING!!!   When I watched the news at 11 PM, I realized that I had failed to do what was predicted, I forgot to be depressed because they told me to be!   I love to laugh (ok – you Mary Poppins fans, go ahead you know you want to sing those words when you see them!).  I find laughing both healing and contagious.  So, that is what I’ve set out to do this year.  Both to laugh more myself and to get more people laughing!

Growing up, I remember always being the clown in the family trying to get people to lighten up.  Maybe it was because it could get pretty tense in my home.  Somewhere along the line, I just felt the joy when people were laughing.  I regularly laugh at myself, too!  In our home, the three of us laugh on a very regular basis.  Sometimes with each other and sometimes AT each other!  Oh, don’t get me wrong, we have our fair share of frustration—we are, after all, three only children living together!  Now THAT’S something to laugh about…..three only children living together…..all three always right!  If laughter weren’t in this house, someone could be dead!!  Joking!

Seriously, when was the last time you laughed – no, I mean REALLY laughed?  You know the kind, you laugh so hard your cheeks hurt, your sides are killing you-reminding you that you really should do more ab exercises to tighten up those obliques?  It’s really a good feeling, no really!  The pain in your sides and your face is so worth the effort!  Think back to that time of deep laughter, and even now as you’re remembering it,  doesn’t it still make you smile?  I bet so.  I have so many memories of great, deep and super hysterical laughing that I can’t help to smile reliving those times.  I hope you can too.

So – for today here is my challenge to you.  Yes, it’s mid January in Ohio, and yes, maybe your bills are coming in from an overspent December but do this one thing.  LAUGH.  And I mean really laugh.  Then find someone to share it with.  I bet just getting your giggle on, you can start someone else to laugh along  with you.  I dare you…..no – I double dog dare you!

As for me – I’m heading out to meet one of my bestest, long time buddies for lunch.  AND I promise you we are going to laugh and laugh some more!

…and that’s all I have to say about that!

Tammy

Seriously, as I get older I no longer find the fun in snow and all that it entails.  I’m not a ski bunny or snowboarder, but think those that do those things probably have a ton of fun.  Me–I’ll stay indoors thank you very much.  However, with being sick the first 10 days of 2011, it has garnered me much couch time and, well, much thinking time!  So, a rather funny memory came to mind the other day I thought I would share with you. So, here goes….

Back when I was a freshman in high school, my Dad got a hold of an earthmover intertube and thought my two boy cousins and I would love to “take it down the hill a time or two”.  What WAS he thinking!  Have you ever stood beside one of those bad boys??  Well like I said, I was freshmen and so was my one cousin (R) and the other  cousin (B) was an 8th grader.  So we just thought my Dad/Uncle Don was the coolest ever, cuz nobody else had one of those! (May have been a good reason!)

So, we threw that bad boy into the back of my Dad’s pick up (of course it’s hanging over the side and getting lots of looks!) and head for Goodyear Metro Sledding Hill.  After the effort of unloading it and dragging it over to the top of the hill we were ready to go.  Uh, except we now have a huge crowd staring and asking, “Hey, how you gonna get up on that?”  R & I always the smart (alec’s) said, “No, problem, it’s great – you’ll see.”  As we both shoot a glance more like—“how the heck do we know!”

We gather close together and say – “Yeah, how we gonna do this thing?”  After a few minutes of discussion – we come up with a plan.  I’m not pointing fingers nor will I ever admit I suggested any part of it…but let’s just say – B being the younger brother and always wanting to do ANYTHING we did – we decided we would stand it on it’s side, put B in the middle and roll it down the hill.  (Just to see if it would roll of course!!!)

Ok – so loaded and ready, B is curled in the center and we are ready to send it and him down the hill.  PUSH…………and off he goes.

Now, you notice there has not been any mention of steering, brakes, getting it back up the hill or anything remotely smart about this whole ordeal up to this point!

Halfway down the hill, as B is wiping out anyone who’s getting in his way-not on purpose mind you, a nice adult came over to offer his opinion.  “Uh, kids, how is he going to stop or better yet, how is he going to get that back up the hill alone?  And were you counting on running over the little kids on the hill?”   Uh oh, gulp.  No.
But what happened next was hilarious, well later and to this day, but not as it happened.

B stayed upright all the way down the hill and thus picked up speed.  And he finally gets to the bottom of the hill at the tree line and guess what happened?……wait for it…..yep, he bounced off the trees and came back up the hill – again wiping out those in it’s wild and crazy path!!  So funny…..(again, later!)  He manages to make it halfway back up the hill, then heads back down for the trees again.  Well, we panic and start running down the hill and realize we have a whole bunch of kids running behind us laughing as well.  The intertube does this a couple times, each time only coming a little further back up the hill until it loses its momentum and finally falls over.

With what seemed like forever, B finally comes crawling up and out of the center, commando crawls over the edge and tries to stand up.  Let’s just say, super drunken sailor comes to mind.  He said nothing.  R & I are feeling the swats we are going to receive at home knowing he’s going to tell on us, again.  When he finally can stand up sort of,  he yells, “I wanna do it again?”  Whew……punishment avoided.

But now, we have tons of new friends!  Uh oh, one intertube.  But, then again it took about 12 of us to push it back up the hill.  Uh, Dad – a rope for pulling it up would have been nice!!  Just saying.  We didn’t do the roll again, but we figured out with all the folks that wanted on it as long as we had 6 pushers, we could get it going and then everyone just jumped on, were pulled onto it or yelled—“Look out, here it comes again!”  The sledders parted to the sides to allow it to pass knowing they would be able to take a turn too.  It ended up being a super fun, play in the snow kind of day!

So, I guess the moral of this story is…..When God gives us lots of beautiful white snow—go intertubing or sledding and make a bunch of new friends!

…..and that’s all I have to say about that!

Tammy

So, it has finally happened!  I have finally sat down long enough to try my hand at starting a blog.  Since I love to write and/or talk, my family has told me for quite a while….you need to write again! My daughter has consistently said, “Stop talking about it and just do it!”  Yeah, ok, easy for her to say since her age group who has grown up with computers hooked to them like a new found appendage!  So, I figured why not try my hand at blogging-it is after all a new year and time for a new me!  E-gads – I’m actually doing this!

Then of course there’s all the questions that surround a blog.  Should I keep it to one subject?  If so, which subject?  Should I make it like a diary and just give my thoughts?  Who would want to hear those?  So, which is it?  Heck – I dunno!  I think I’ll follow a wise young girl’s advice and “Stop talking about it and just do it!”  I believe I’ll just let it become what it is meant to be.  Let God take control of it all.  Whew, imagine that…sitting back and letting God be in control (not like He’s not anyway!).

So as I begin this new journey, I hope someone will eventually come along with me as I share some heartfelt thoughts and ideas.  I hope in turn whoever reads this will also share theirs with me.  I love to hear people’s stories…where did you come from, what was it like for you when you were growing up, etc.  I will share my stories with you as well.  I’m also getting into other stuff as you can read in my profile, I love to do a lot of things, so I will share about those as well.  Like what project I’m working on, what book I’m currently reading etc.

Glad you’ve made it this far.  I hope you’ll be along for the journey!

…that’s all I have to say about that!

Tammy