I Did It! Week 14

We had our grandchildren with us for a week and decided to take them to the Upper Peninsula.  One of the places we visited was Tahquamenon Falls.  I haven’t been there in years.  It’s such a beautiful waterfall.  There are viewing points along the path.

But to get to the brink of the falls, you must descend 94 steps.  That means coming back up the 94 steps.  And I did it!  It was well worth it.  Wouldn’t you agree?

Why not play along with us.  You can join as well as find other players at I Did It! Monday.

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Tedi-abs

Don’t you just love the super soft, huggable teddy bears they make these days?  I sure do.  And I learned a new word yesterday.  Tedi-abs. 

Tedi-abs is a wonderful word.  And it fits me!  It describes my abs.  Tedi-abs.  I have abs like a teddy bear.  Soft and squishy.

OK.  Truth.  It isn’t a word at all.  tediabs was in the word verification box when I was leaving a comment yesterday.  But I think I may adopt it into my vocabulary.  I love soft squishy teddy bears!

Two Weeks of Thanks

Because of our vacation, I wasn’t able to post my Entrecard thanks last week.  So I’ve put both weeks into one post.  As always, thanks so much for advertising with me!

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Flag Friday - Greece

Symbolism and Colors:

The stripes represent the number of the syllables in the phrase: Eleftheria i Thanatos (Liberty or Death). Liberty or Death was the motto during the years of the Hellenic Revolution against the Ottoman Empire in the 19nth century [Others claim that the stripes reflect the number of letters in the Greek word for Freedom Eleftheria]. This word stirred the heart of the oppressed Greeks, it created intense emotions and inspired them to fight and gain their freedom after 400 years of slavery. The striped pattern was chosen because of its similarity with the wavy sea that surrounds the shores of Greece. The interchange of blue and white colors makes the Greek Flag on a windy day to look like the Aegean Pelagos (sea). Only the quaint islands are missing! The Hellenic Square Cross that rests on the upper left-side of the flag and occupies one fourth of the total area demonstrates the respect and the devotion the Hellenic people have for the Greek Orthodox Church and signifies the important role of Christianity in the formation of the modern Hellenic Nation. During the dark years of the Ottoman rule, the Greek Orthodox Church helped the enslaved Greeks to retain their cultural characteristics: the Hellenic language, the Byzantine religion and generally the Hellenic ethnic identity, by the institution of the Crypha Scholia (secret schools). The Crypha Scholia were a web of schools that operated secretly throughout Greece and were committed in transmitting to Greeks the wonders of their ancestors and the rest of their cultural heritage. Today, Christianity is still the dominant religion among Greeks. Therefore, the significance of the Cross is justified.

The colors of the Flag

Blue and White. These two colors symbolize the blue of the Hellenic Sea and the Whiteness of its restless waves! According to the mythic legends, the Goddess of Beauty and Love, Aphrodite (Venus) emerged from these waves. In addition, it reflects the blue of the Hellenic Sky and the White of the few clouds in it. There are some who speculate that the blue and white symbolize the similar color of the clothing (vrakes) of the Greek sailors during the War of Independence.

The above information is from this site.

The following information comes from the Flag Counter widget in my sidebar.  There is much more to be found there about geography, government, population, economy, and military.

Greece achieved independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1829. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories, most with Greek-speaking populations. In World War II, Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and subsequently occupied by Germany (1941-44); fighting endured in a protracted civil war between supporters of the king and Communist rebels. Following the latter's defeat in 1949, Greece joined NATO in 1952. A military dictatorship, which in 1967 suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country, lasted seven years. The 1974 democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. In 1981, Greece joined the EC (now the EU); it became the 12th member of the European Economic and Monetary Union in 2001.

Population:
10,737,428 (July 2009 est.)

Languages:
Greek 99% (official), other 1% (includes English and French)

Government type:
parliamentary republic

Capital:
Athens

Independence:
1829 (from the Ottoman Empire)

Currency (code):
euro (EUR)

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Annie Wins For Most Inventive Putting

MWH and I  took the grandkids to play Adventure Golf yesterday.  On the 17th hole, Annie had the wildest putt you’ve ever seen!  There was a shortcut; a stone ramp to launch the ball over some water.  The rest of us chose to go around, but Annie chose the shortcut.  Unfortunately, the rock was set about half an inch higher than the green.  She actually listened to her brother and followed his advice to “Hit it hard so it won’t land in the water.” 

The ball hit the rock and bounced straight up about 10 feet.  It came down in the rocks and bounced a couple more times before ricocheting off the sidewalk and landing in a great location on the green.  She got a 2 on the hole.  Awesome!

Wednesday Hero

Sgt. 1st Class Donald Johnson


Sgt. 1st Class Donald Johnson, the electronic warfare officer of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Multi-National Division-Baghdad, talks with local Iraqi kids while on a patrol.

Photo courtesy of United States Army
Taken by Pfc. Evan Loyd

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Thursday Thirteen – Things About Vacation

1.  Kids and Grandkids – We met up with them at my in-laws home on a small lake near Traverse City on Wednesday.
2.  Daisy – She’s my youngest grand-dog, an English bulldog.  She’s so sweet!  She came with the family.
3.  My In-Laws – They’re great!  That’s why MWH is so great.  He’s just like his folks.
4.  Walking the shore of Grand Traverse Bay – It was sunset when we arrived there.  We walked all along the waterfront near the marina in West Bay.  A perfect night.  The colors of the water and sky ranged from black thru dark blues and grays to light blue where the last of the light was fading.
5.  Rain – We didn’t make it to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore because it rained all day today.
6.  Shopping – We went in all the galleries and half the gift shops on Front Street.
7.  Pop-kies – Flavored popcorn.  ‘nuff said.
8.  Mackinaw Brewing Company – We had lunch there and it was fantastic.  Wonderful burgers in a restored building.  It has brick walls and a very high tin ceiling.
9.  Peegio’s Pizza – We had pizza for dinner tonight.  They make some of the best around.
10.  Guido’s Pizza – This one is in Lansing.  They do gluten free so we had them make a pizza which we froze to bring up for my daughter, Mikki, who has celiac’s disease.  She loved it.
11.  Moomers – Voted the best ice cream in America on Good Morning America Weekend.  The kitchens and shop are right next to the farm.  As you eat the best ice cream ever you can watch the cows who labored to make the milk that goes into the ice cream.
12.  Teaching my granddaughter to knit – My mother-in-law is a very, very good knitter.  When Annie asked to be taught to knit, Mom and I were thrilled to teach her.
13.  It’s not over yet! – Mikki and Jim go to other commitments tomorrow and the grand-kids get to stay with us.  I’ll have more fun things to report in a few days.
Since I wrote this on Thursday, we’ve done so many interesting things.  I’ll put them in another post.  We have high speed internet at the hotel so I’m getting this up when I can.  

Vacation!

Please don’t give up on me if I don’t show up in your Entrecard inbox for a few days.  We will be on vacation for a few days and I’m not sure how much access I’ll have.  I’ll drop when I can.  But I’ll be more interested in kids and grandkids.

I Did It! Monday - Week 13

Once again, this is not something I did, but something I’d love to be part of.  You may want to close your eyes as you listen.  It sounds just like a rain storm.  But peek!  It’s amazing how they make the sounds.

Head over to I Did It! Monday to find more wonderful accomplishments!

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Cleaning the Deck

MWH took on a major task today.  He power-washed the deck.  It was a couple of years overdue and living backed up to a wooded area hasn’t helped.  Now we have to let it dry for at least 48-72 hours.  It may be two weeks before we get to the sealing/staining part.

Here he is working hard.  Our deck is not tiny.  To make it even harder on him, he did my sister’s deck when he had finished ours.  Isn’t he wonderful.

There’s a lot of reflection from the water but you can see how dramatically different the before and after are.  It really looked great as it started to dry.  More pictures will be forthcoming when we get to the sealing/staining.

Entrecard Advertisers

Here’s a big thank you to those who advertised with me this week!

  

     

  

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Flag Friday – Falkland Islands (Malvinas)

Symbolism and Colors:

The first flag of the Falkland Islands was adopted on September 29, 1948. It was a Blue Ensign with the Union Flag in the canton and the coat-of-arms superimposed upon a white disc. In 1999, the size of the arms was increased and the white disc removed to create the current flag.
During the Falklands War, when Argentina occupied the islands, the flag was banned and in its place the Argentine Republic's flag was raised. Currently, Argentina maintains that the islands are part of the Tierra del Fuego Province and considers the province's flag to be the islands' flag, although it has never been flown on them.


The above information is from this site.

The following information comes from the Flag Counter widget in my sidebar.  There is much more to be found there about geography, government, population, economy, and military.



Although first sighted by an English navigator in 1592, the first landing (English) did not occur until almost a century later in 1690, and the first settlement (French) was not established until 1764. The colony was turned over to Spain two years later and the islands have since been the subject of a territorial dispute, first between Britain and Spain, then between Britain and Argentina. The UK asserted its claim to the islands by establishing a naval garrison there in 1833. Argentina invaded the islands on 2 April 1982. The British responded with an expeditionary force that landed seven weeks later and after fierce fighting forced an Argentine surrender on 14 June 1982.
Population:
3,140 (July 2009 est.)
Languages:
English
Government type:
NA
Capital:
Stanley
Independence:
none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
Currency (code):
Falkland pound (FKP)

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Thursday Thirteen – Things That Begin With T

1.  Tornado – Check it out!  Two for the price of one.

2.  Truck – Trucks come in such a huge range of sizes.  MWH used to have a cute little S10.  And then there are the semis that carry so much.  But the really big ones are used for mining.  And guess what!  They’re all driven by women because we’re safer drivers.

3.  Train – MWH and I took the train to Washington, DC last year.  It was so cool.  This is my favorite picture from the train.

4.  Traffic – My daughter and son-in-law went to college in the Seattle area.  It’s the third worst traffic in the country.  After they graduated, they moved to the DC area.  The second worst traffic in the country.  I told them I hope they don’t move to LA!

5.  Tulips – Remember Tiny Tim?  Tiptoe thru the tulips…..

6.  Topaz – Who knew it came in so many colors.

7.  Thanksgiving – Shouldn’t be confined to one day.  We should be thankful every day!

8.  Tractor – The funniest scene in the movie Cars was tractor tipping.  I laugh every time I think of it.

9.  Thunder – As much as I love watching the lightening, I love listening to the thunder.  I always count to see how far away it is.

10.  Turtle – Not so crazy about snapping ones, but I do love the caramel and pecan ones.

11.  Turquoise – The thing I like so much about turquoise is that it’s so beautiful while it’s imperfect.  Just like I’m imperfect but God and MWH think I’m beautiful.

12.  Trip – For me this can be anything from a drive across the country to a failure to lift my feet properly.

13.  Teeth – Do you grind your teeth?  I clench my jaws together so tightly that I sometimes think I’ll crack my teeth.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!

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Wednesday Hero

Yeoman 1st Class Timothy Gilbert


Yeoman 1st Class Timothy Gilbert, assigned to Headquarters Company of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB 74), donates blood during a blood drive for his six-year-old daughter at the Naval Construction Battalion Center base chapel. Gilbert's daughter has been diagnosed with atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor and is receiving chemotherapy at Tulane Childrens Hospital.

You can read more about Yeoman Gilbert and his daughter, Timia, here.

Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ryan G. Wilber courtesy of United States Navy.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Do It Now - Intro

I came across a note the other day about a website called Now Do This.  It’s a task manager that gives you one task at a time to perform.  In the course of finding it, I came across this article by Steve Pavlina.  It’s too big a subject for me to digest all at  once, but I want to share it with you.  So here’s a little intro.

Pavlina decided to set a goal for himself to graduate from college in only three semesters instead of four years.  It’s unbelievable that the college would allow him to do this.  Most schools have classes that build upon each other year after year.  Here’s an excerpt of what Pavlina had to say about it.

I determined I'd have to take 30-40 units per semester, when the average student took 12-15 units. It became immediately obvious that I'd have to manage my time extremely well if I wanted to pull this off. I began reading everything I could find on time management and putting what I learned into practice. I accomplished my goal by graduating with two Bachelor of Science degrees (computer science and mathematics) in just three semesters without attending summer school. I slept seven to eight hours a night, took care of my routine chores (shopping, cooking, etc), had a social life, and exercised for 30 minutes every morning. In my final semester, I even held a full time job (40 hours a week) as a game programmer and served as the Vice Chair of the local Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) chapter while taking 37 units of mostly senior-level computer science and math courses. …  I graduated with a 3.9 GPA and also received a special award given to the top computer science student each year.

What’s even more astonishing is that Pavlina says he was not considered a gifted student.  I for one want to know how he did it.  His article goes on to detail 15 things that helped him accomplish this monumental task and continue to help him in his business and his life.  I’m just going to list them here, but come back next week.  I will be presenting a short series exploring the 15 strategies.

1. Clarity is key
2. Be flexible
3. Use single handling
4. Failure is your friend
5. Do it now!
6. Triage ruthlessly
7. Identify and recover wasted time
8. Apply the 80-20 rule
9. Guard thy time
10. Work all the time you work
11. Multitask
12. Experiment
13. Cultivate your enthusiasm
14. Eat and exercise for optimal energy
15. Maintain balance

I can already see several areas where I need some work.  I’m looking forward to studying these 15 strategies.

What strategies do you use to get things done?