Author: chrissy

Pray for the people have COVID-19.

Pray for the people that don’t know they have, but do.

Pray for the people who have it and are quarantined from their loved ones.

All week I’ve wondered what my word of the week would be.   There wasn’t a single word that rang true for me.  I wanted to have a positive word, but there really isn’t a lot of positive out there right now.  The word, pray, came to me early yesterday morning.

Pray for the people who have passed on or who are dying.

Pray for the loved ones of these people.

Pray for healing and a cure.

On Facebook there was this cartoon that shows the United States in a hospital bed wearing a mask.  There are five or six countries looking through a window at the U.S. Three countries are holding a sign that reads:  Get Well Soon.   Sad but true.  The U.S. is very sick right now.

Pray for our beautiful country:  The United States of America.

Pray for all of our people no matter what race, creed or color they are.

Pray for our health and well-being.

We need to listen or ourselves more.  In our busy lives we forget to listen to our bodies, our hearts and our intuition.  The way we live has drowned this out.  We need to slow down and breathe.   I believe this pandemic is a wake up call.

Pray for the elderly and others with compromised immune systems.

Pray for infants and toddlers.

Pray for everyone that cares for them.

My heart goes out to the Vegas Strip.  My second home.  Seeing the pictures of the Strip dark and empty breaks my heart.  Its lifeless.   I never thought I would see the day.  I”m sad.

Pray for the companies that had to close.

Pray for their employees.

Pray that they can find their back to a new normal.

What will the new normal be?  No one knows.  No one can guess.  It’s like a bad dream.  I wish I could wake up and life would be normal, but then I realize I am awake and this is life.  All we can do is take one day at a time and be thankful for what we have.

Pray for pharmacy workers, hospital and clinic workers, doctors and nurses, grocery store and retail workers.

Pray for the truckers who keep this country running.

Pray for pharmaceutical companies.

You know I’m not a political person.  I’m not into politics.  Never have been.  Today I’m suspending the few views I have.  I’m neither a democrat or republican.  I’m not for or against anyone.   Today I’m just a person who hopes the people in power make the correct choices for the good of the people.  All people.

Pray for President Trump.

Pray for all of the Mayors and Governors.

Pray for all people in goverment.

I’m not a very religious person either.  I’m more of a spiritual person, but I think I’ve prayed more in the last couple of weeks than I have in a long time.  I’m not going to lie.  I’m scared.  I’m scared that I or someone I love might get the virus.  I’m scared about my job.  I’m scared of where this country will be on the flip side of this virus.  I’m not freaking out.  I’m just scared.  I find that sharing this fear with God (my higher power) helps to lighten my load and I feel less scared.

Prayer helps.

I don’t have a drawing today.   I didn’t know what to draw.  I’m like Vegas.  Empty.

Please pray today.  The world needs you to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I went to six different stores today to finish shopping for what I need for the possible state shutdown of Wisconsin.

One store had the Lysol wipes I was after. The local hardware store (go figure) had Lysol spray. I wasn’t out and I didnt hoard. I bought one spray and three wipes.

I had to go to the local meat market for hamburger.

Three and a half hours later I have what I need and I am ready for the possible shutdown.

I don’t ever think we had this much food in the house at one time but if we are on lock down I need it.

My husband is on the road and won’t be home until Thursday or Friday so I might be lock down by myself.

Tonight I am going to write a list of what I want to do during the shutdown. I’m hoping to get some things crossed my finishing the unfinished list.

I cleaned out the basement refrigerator and freezer this morning. Another thing off of the list. There wasn’t a lot in the fridge. A forgotten pizza and ham in the freezer. Butter and soda from my step daughter’s graduation. Two years ago. Yeah. We don’t use it a lot, but we will now. The freezer is full. I just need to put soda and water in it.

I guess we are just waiting for Governor Evers to get the National Guard in place and then the state will be lock down. That’s just what I heard today. That person could be wrong.

I dont know.

All I do know is that I’m planning to go to work and I’m planning not to go to work.

Whatever the case may be, I have food. And wipes, which I will be taking one canister to work.

My department is almost out and I dont know if the company has any more.

Better safe than sorry.

This great idea to clean out a cupboard popped into my head when I was lying in bed two Saturday mornings ago.

Since I wasn’t felling the best and wanted to rest I thought I would clean out my cookbook cupboard as I sat in the chair and watched tv.

This is what my cupboard looks like. I dont know why I have so much stuff in there. I don’t really cook alot and when I do it’s something I’m good at making.

No. I don’t go outside of my comfort zone. No. I don’t like to try new things. No I’m not a good cook.

If I’m honest with myself I haven’t tried a lot to be a good cook. My husband and I dont like the same foods so it doesn’t make things easy. Did I mention I dont like trying new things?

So if I don’t cook alot then why do I have all of these cookbooks and cooking magazines and recipes (this is what the blue file is full of) you ask?

I don’t know. Probably because I wanted to cook more I just didn’t take the time. The time to do it. The time to learn. The time to push myself out of my comfort zone

Learning how to be a better cook is on my list of things to do for 2020. It’s not high on the list but it is on the list.

This is how I divided the items in the cabinet.

I’m getting rid of the items on the left and keeping the items on the right. The church is having a garage sale so the cookbooks and magazines are going there. The rest is going in the trash.

This what my cupboard looks like now.

What a difference!

I feel great! I have a starting point that I can build from. A starting point that is who I am right now. Instead of the past and who I thought I should be.

With this Corona virus going on I may end up trying some new recipes sooner than I thought. I actually went to the store last night and stocked up on things for the new recipes and I bought staple items for my pantry.

I know! Look at me.

I told my husband that if we go on lockdown we can learn how to cook together. He laughed. He doesnt cook very much either.

Maybe it won’t be so bad. I think the main reason why I’m afraid to try new recipes is that what if it doesnt turn out and or tastes like crap.

I guess I’ll give it a shot. I dont have anything to lose.

There is always pizza in the freezer.

I have a bin that I have been throwing blog ideas, half written posts and finished posts in.

The bin is full.

The bin in 9 inches high and 13 inches wide.

Theres a lot of stuff/crap in there.

I thought I would take a day and go through it.

That day is today.

I’ve been putting it off. There are many different reasons or should I say excuses. I really don’t want to. I left it go for too long necause I don’t know where to begin.

So I’m just going to begin.

Fast forward a couple of hours and here’s where I am at.

Let me explain. The lower middle and right are finished blog posts. The upper right is paper to be thrown away. The lower left and middle is half written blog posts or ideas. The upper left is books and articles about blogging.

Yes, I have a mess, but I feel much better. My mind is clearer. I feel lighter. I feel good that I finally tacled it.

I have a lot of work to do.

I’m throwing away pieces of paper that I dont know why I wrote what I wrote . Theres a lot. Some are dated 2017. Some papers only have two words it. Wtf? Out with it.

I’ll look at the books and articles and figure out what I need and want to keep.

I have a stack of half written blog posts that I want to work on.

I have a stack of half written blog posts that I will work on later.

I haven’t organized these papers and I dont know why. It’s funny (not really) because I have folders that I was going to file these in. I just never did.

My goal this week is to organize this mess.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

I went for a walk today. I haven’t walked that far in a long time. I’m guessing it’s around three and a half miles. My Fitbit is dead so I didn’t wear it. Next time I’ll wear it and measure.

My walk was beautiful. Nature and silence.

Silence.

This is my word for Week 10.

I call my walks my walking meditation. I walk and breathe. I look around as I concentrate on my breathe.

In and out. In and out.

Random thoughts comes in. I acknowledge them and let them go.

My walk was very peaceful.

My meditations aren’t perfect. Today something that made me angry come up. I talked it through in my head, screamed a bit and let it go. Good thing was I could scream. Not a lot of house around. It felt good to scream.

I would like to start meditating more but that is another post…

Here some pics I took. Yes I sometimes got lost in the beauty surrounding me.

This last pic is the same river as the first pic maybe a mile down the road.

My favorite is the farm pic. You can see the cows by the barn. I love it. Thank you farmers!

I didn’t realize how much I missed my walks. I sometimes walk around the college but it’s not the same.

There’s nothing like walking on a country road. The birds are chirping. Chipmunks are climbing trees. There’s nothing around except farm fields and silence.

It’s so calming.

I love the river. I have driven over the bridge 50 times on my way to the dump, but never looked at the river. It was so pretty glistening in the sun.

I’m not drawing a picture today. Instead I’m giving you a real country road. And, yes, the hill was a bitch to walk up.

Silence in God’s Country.

“You’re going to Vegas again?” One of my coworkers asked me a couple of weeks ago. “Dont you get sick of going to the same place?”

No. I don’t.

I’ve been thinking about why we go there three or four times a year. We’ve talked about going to the Florida Keys or a cruise or to Hawaii, but we always end up in Vegas.

There are a couple of reasons why I keep going back. The reason that keeps popping into my head is this:

Vegas inspires me.

It’s always changing. There is always something new to see or do. I never am bored when I am there.

Inspire is my word for Week 7.

Vegas inspires me.

Sir Paul McCartney has performed in Vegas. Aerosmith. Brooks and Dunn. Reba. Britney Spears. Cher. Lady Gaga. And hundreds of others.

Gordon Ramsey has his own restaurant in Vegas. So does Giada. Wolfgang Puck. Guy Fieri. Guy Savoy. Emeril.

Harley Davidson has stores in Vegas. M&M has a store. Starbucks. Hershey’s. Coca Cola.

President Trump has Trump international Hotel in Vegas. Steve Wynn has Wynn and Encore.

Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill is in Vegas. The Wahlburgers have a restaurant.

All of these people started with a dream. A vision. They made it happen.

The Venetian Hotel has the gondolas. Paris Paris Hotel has the Italian restaurants along the cobblestone walkway and the puffy clouds painted in the blue ceilings that makes you think you are walking in Paris. The Bellagio hotel has the beautiful Botanical Gardens. Each hotel has their own theme. Their own mark. Each hotel started with someone’s vision.

Coach has it’s own store. Gucci. Louis Vuitton. Brighton. Pandora.

There are a ton of art galleries that showcase local and famous artists. It’s so cool to see how people put what is in their head on paper and other mediums.

When I think of the things above I am in awe of how many people are living their dreams. Singing songs they wrote. Creating food they love. Designing hotels that soothe peoples souls. Or maybe just mine.

Vegas inspires me to be creative. To live my dreams. To get what is in my head out.

Each time I go there I am reminded to keep moving forward. To keep being me. To keep searching, growing and developing myself.

Most people that have never been to Vegas think I go there to lose money.

They are so wrong.

I go there to get inspired.

As I walk through a art gallery i noticed a painting of a field of beautiful purple wildflowers that takes my breathe away.

As I walk down the strip I stop to watch a group of young men singing and throw $5 in their pail.

I see people living or going after thei dreams everytime I am there.

Of course I’m going to Vegas again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

There will not be a picture with this post and that will make me caught up with my Word for the Week.

Yeah! I did it.

Have a great week everyone.

I am off to the doctor to see what he can do for this sinus infection. Wish me luck!

As you may know I count down the months from December to February. These are the hardest months of the year for me when it comes to snow, ice and winter crap.

I’m happy to say that this winter has been very mild. Not a lot of snow or ice. Very mild temperatures.

It’s been a nice winter.

I’m happy to say that hopefully spring will be here soon.

The temp was 54 today. This scares me. It’s too early for 54. I hope that it doesn’t mean that we’re going to have a hot summer.

Side note: I realize that my last two posts didn’t allow comments. I checked and the allow comments was on. So I’ll try again.

It seems like this is going to be an ongoing problem. 😫

Reminder: I wrote this the week of Kobe’s death and am finally publishing my post today.

This is my word for week 4. It’s not the word I planned for the week nor is it on my list of words.

Sunday changed everything.

I am surprised at my reaction to Kobe’s death. I knew the name. I knew he was basketball player, but I couldn’t tell you what team he played for or if he is still playing or not.

I am deeply saddened by the news. Maybe because he was so young. Maybe because it wasn’t drug related. Maybe because of the nine people lost. Mothers, fathers, siblings, aunts, uncles, friends… Maybe because they all had so much more life to live and more to give.

And Poof.

They are gone.

It’s hard enough to lose one person, but to lose a husband and daughter or a wife and daughter. I can’t even begin understand the pain these people are going through.

I was glued to the tv on Sunday. I learned a lot about a man I knew nothing about.

Here are the lessons I learned in Sunday.

1. Live your dreams. Kobe lived his. I had no idea he wrote a book or was a producer. I had no idea Mamba even existed.

I used to think it was easy for rich people to live their dreams because they are rich. They have the money and people around to help them. I’ve realized that some rich people aren’t living their dreams or fulfilling their purpose. They are just rich.

The rich people who are living their dreams are doing so because they pursued their dreams. They have a vision. Day after day. Week after week. Year after year. They keep moving forward. They don’t let fear or any other obstacles get in the way. They keep going.

2. Achieving your dreams takes sacrifice. For some reason I didn’t realize fully what this meant until Sunday. Realizing your dreams takes time. You have to give up something. Maybe seeing less of family and friends. Maybe giving up watching tv or playing video games. Each person is different.

I always thought playing Candy Crush was relaxing after work. It helped me wind down and get ready for bed.

After Sunday I realized I could be writing to relax after work. After I write, as a treat, I could play my five lives on Candy Crush and go to bed.

Overall, I’m probably not using my time as wisely as I could.

3. Family. The most important people in our lives are sometimes the most neglected people on a day to day basis as we navigate our busy lives. Work. Appointments. Kids. Aging parents.

Kobe found a way to utilize his time and to shorten his commute. This is why he used a helicopter.

It makes me wonder if there a way I can do things differently to have more time with the people I love? I’m such a homebody lately. I love to be by myself in a house the wraps me in love. I love to be exploring my creativity. I have to remind myself that I need to go out and connect with the people I love.

4. It’s ok to cry. I was so happy to see grown men crying on national television. Both commentators and men interviewed.

Crying shows so much. It shows you’re human. That you love. How much you care. That you’re in touch with your emotions.

I love Emerson Fittipaldi, not for his Indy car driving skills, but because he wasn’t afraid to say to no to the interviewer that wanted to interview him after he won the race so he could take a couple if minutes to hug and kiss his wife and wipe away his tears.

I applaud these men for crying openly and showing the world how upset they really are. It takes guts. It helps them heal. It helps everyone heal.

On Sunday Kobe was my mentor reminding me through stories, words and video clips that if I want to achieve my dreams I have to keep at it every day. Something that sometimes gets lost in the day to day hustle.

I’m trying to figure out how to hustle less and live more. Work less and write and be more creative more.

It does take time. Lately I feel like a hermit when I’m at home I’m writing and being more creative. It takes time to explore but I get lost and time flies. It fulfills me and I’m the happiest I have been. In my own little way I feel I am living my purpose.

I will be buying Kobe’s book, researching and watching videos of how he achieved greatness.

Lessons.

I still have a lot to learn.

Thank you Kobe. Even in death you are helping people.

Drawing a basketball seemed appropriate this week. I wanted the word, lessons, to look like a signature on a basketball. I pushed the word past the boundaries of the basketball because all of the lives lost were more than just about basketball.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the people involved in the crash and their family and friends and students.

Why am I still writing this?

I’ve thought about giving up on my Word of the Week a hundred times over the past month or so.

My life hasn’t been easy these last two months. My mom’s situation and all that has entailed. My trip to Vegas. All of the mandatory overtime. The sinus infection I currently have that won’t go away. It’s been 10 days and I still feel like crap and am crabby.

Last night I was playing catch up. I was proofing Week 4 and I typed Week 7. There must be something wrong with my internet because Week 4 didn’t upload and Week 7 vanished into thin air.

Fuck!

Breathe Chris. Breathe

My word for Week 8 is foward.

I’m not giving up because I’m behind and I dont know when I will catch up. I’m just going to keep moving forward.

I don’t write my blog to make money, for fame or fortune or to get a book deal.

It’s for me.

I’m doing the word of the week for myself. I want to see what I create over the course of a year and I want to see how my drawing improves. I want to see how I grow. I want to get out of my comfort zone.

It’s my blog. I make the rules and one if my rules is is that it’s ok if I slip up. Get off track. Wander away for a bit.

I know you guys don’t care if I’m on time because you know what I’m dealing with. I know I should cut myself some slack. Stuff happens and I just need to get back on track.

I know I need to be more gentle with myself.

Humoringthegoddess reminded me of this when she commented this on one of my posts: take care of yourself along with your mom. We need both of you.

This is why sat in the chair yesterday and will do the same today. Obviously I need to heal.

I have to admit it feels good to hunker down with a blanket in my husband’s recliner and relax. It’s been a long time since I have done this.

I will keep moving forward, but I need to take care of myself first.

This is so frustrating.

The comments button is on. It should work.

Emphasis on should.

It sucks that the isnt any other way to check if the comment box is there unless you post something.

And then if that doesn’t work….

Hopefully this works.

Otherwise back to the drawing board.

Wish me luck.