50 is great

I was thinking while walking into work this morning of how great it is to be of an age where I am free of all the social pressures our youth face today. I now have the freedom to wear what I want without wondering if it's "in style" or not. Now, I'm not saying that I don't enjoying wearing the latest trends and styles. BUT if I chose to wear my hair up in a banana clip or wear leggins with my skirt and tennis shoes, I'll do it! And I'll walk with pride not caring who is staring or snickering behind my back. It is an enormous feeling of freedom to be able to put on what you feel like in the morning and with or WITHOUT makeup and still feel beautiful and confident. I feel I've earned this and I hope the youth of today can experience this feeling, too, and hopefully before they are 50 years old. Be independent, confident, not afraid to be different and PROUD of it!!

A loyal and special friend

She was my rock. A bright pair of golden brown eyes and wagging tail to look forward to at the end of the day. She never asked for much....just a few treats (a day) ha!... some water & food and a scratch behind the ears. We understood each other. Well we should have after 15 years. I knew her longer than my husband or kids. She was always there for me if I was down or depressed. She would sit and listen as I rubbed her soft fur and talked to her about my problems. We spent a lot of time together and I taught her a lot of tricks. She was a smart dog. I swear she knew what I was saying 75% of the time.

Well, her time came to an end this last week. She was old (well over a 100 in people years) and tired. I had the difficult choice of deciding whether to put her to sleep or try and prolong the enevitable a few more days. I decided I owed her peace and comfort. I could not prolong her life (or what life she would have....not much since she couldn't get up anymore to eat or go to the bathroom) just to satisfy my own selfishness. I owed her more especially after everything she had given me.

She will always be in my heart. She was a special dog and for those of you that have had them, you know exactly what I mean. She is now resting peacefully in the same location that she used to lay and watch the traffic, the lake and our cattle out in the pasture. She is at peace and I'm sure she will be waiting for me at the Rainbow Bridge when my time comes. Goodbye Brandy. I love you and miss you. And I will never ever forget you.

Attitude

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.
Attitude, to me, is more important than facts...It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, then failures, than success, than what other people think or say or do.
It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.
It will make or break an organization - a school - a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.
We cannot change our past - We cannot change the fact that people will Act in a certain way.
We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play on the one String we have.
And that is our attitude - I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.
And so it is with you -

- Charles Swindoll

Mojo weekend

Another successful Annual Runnebaum partyfest! Due to the heat we didn't have as long of a poker run as usual but it was still a blast! We even stopped off and surprised Eric at Mid-America Harley for his 50th birthday. We had good food and lots of fun. Already looking forward to next year.

The fish are bitin'

Greg's first fish he caught out of our lake. Pretty good size bass. He stayed out until about 10:30 catching more fish for dinner tonight. He and the boys LOVE to fish. I'll just stick with cooking them up. ha!

Beautiful Advice

I asked God to take away my pain. God said, No. It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole. God said, No. Her spirit is whole, her body is only temporary.

I asked God to grant me patience. God said, No. Patience is a by-product of tribulations; it isn't granted, it is earned.

I asked God to give me happiness. God said, No. I give you blessings. Happiness is up to you.

I asked God to spare me pain. God said, No. Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow. God said, No. You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life. God said, No. I will give you life so that you may enjoy all things.

I asked Got to help me LOVE others, as much as he loves me. God said......Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.

Finally....

Well, the clubhouse/swingset is finally up. It's been a long time coming. We had this same playset back at our house on Wendy Lane when we first moved to Boonville. We originally bought it from one of Greg's nieces in Olathe. The boys loved it when we were at our old house. When Mark Ficken said he wanted to get rid of it because his kids had outgrown it, we jumped at it. Well, I jumped at it. Greg just saw it as more work he'd have to do. Which was right but it was all worth it. The boys love it and are so excited! And Greg even made a special place for it in our backyard. This picture is really deceiving. The swingset is actually off the ground and Greg is moving it with the tractor with the boys sitting on the swingset. They really enjoyed it while I walked along side them until Greg his a high spot in the yard and the swingset got caught and I yelled WAIT! STOP!! ...and the boys bailed. Quick movin' boys!

The finished product. Well, almost...we still have to put a coat of stain on again, put down pea gravel and put the canvas covers on. But it's as good as done. Yeah!

Tired daddy taking a dip....