Remember When - May 6, 1989

   Twenty-five years ago today, I was a young girl madly in love with a boy who stole my heart. At the age of sixteen, I stood before God, my family and friends and married the love of my life, Jeff.
   When I think about May 6, 1989, I think of the first line in Alan Jackson's song, "Remember When". The words ring so true and sum up how I felt that Saturday afternoon.
    "Remember when I was young and so were you and time stood still and love was all we knew."
   At that very moment, I realized sixteen was too young to be married in most people's eyes. All that mattered to me was the love Jeff and I shared. I believed we could overcome any odds stacked against us because of our age. We were both scared, nervous and unsure of the future. Today, we celebrate twenty-five years of marriage.

Selfie - Vanity or Fad?

   The first time I watched film slide out of my Dad's Polaroid camera, I was intrigued. In only five "short" minutes, our image would appear! No more trips to have the film developed! We had arrived!
   Thanks to the incredible advancements in technology, we can take our picture and see it all in an instant. After all, who has five minutes to sit around and wait for an image to appear on an archaic piece of film? The digital revolution has turned everyone with access to a digital camera or smart phone into a photographer who is an expert in the art of "the selfie". No more wasting film trying for that perfect shot. Out of 50 pictures you take with your smart phone, you might just find one you like. Of course, then comes the editing, adding filters and such. We have to look good, right?

The Odd World of Dreams

   The dictionary defines a dream as, "a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep." Dreams can be both fascinating and frightening. They can be so vivid and real, when you wake up you have to convince yourself it was only a dream.
   There are thousands of websites devoted to interpreting the meaning of dreams. Google dream meanings and you can spend hours upon hours trying to make sense of your thoughts and actions in a dream. Some explanations are quite comical while others are written by fear-mongers who want you to believe you are crazy! Google with caution!
   For the past month, I have had some of the most vivid, bizarre, funny and sad dreams. I wake up a few times during the night and can remember them in immense detail for about 10 minutes. After that, it becomes a bit of a blur.  A friend suggested I begin writing my dreams down in a journal as soon as I had the opportunity. I took her advice and what I found is very interesting.
   Tornadoes have appeared in my dreams lately, which isn't unusual due to the season and what is on the news all the time. The dream meaning dictionary suggests dreaming you are in a tornado means, "that you are feeling overwhelmed and out of control." I can think of areas in my life where I feel overwhelmed and being the control freak I am, not being in control of somethings in my life drives me crazy!

The Bucket List - Top Ten

   I recently had a discussion with a friend about making a "Bucket List". I think everyone has a bucket list stored somewhere, either in a journal or in their mind. It's great to have a list of things you would like to do, accomplish, go or see before you leave this earth.
   I like the idea of actually writing my list down on paper. Somewhere I can see it everyday as a reminder of what I want to do. If it's out of sight, it's virtually out of mind. The whole, "I'll do it later" concept can sneak up on you and before you know it, you are out of laters.
   I condensed my list to ten things and thought I'd share them with you. You can hold me accountable! So, here goes!

Dancing Disaster

   I have a really good friend who has "gently" encouraged me to give a dance/workout class a try. "Hip Hop Hustle" is quite the craze and although I have declined going to the class, I have watched several videos on YouTube. It looks like a really great workout that will melt the fat right off your body. Thinking I would give something a try before I actually performed dancing like this in public, I decided to purchase "Dance off the Inches - Red Hot Dance Party".
   I closed all the blinds in the den, made my family leave the room and popped one of the discs into the DVD player. While the DVD was getting started, I looked at the girl on the front of the box. She looked like she was having the time of her life. She was skinny, wore cute clothes and even had several snazzy bracelets on. If I could look like her at the end of the series, it was well worth the $18.99!
   The workout began with a warm-up geared towards learning the moves. Piece of cake! I didn't even break a sweat and felt like I was a natural born dancer. I thought to myself I should have never asked my family to leave, they might have enjoyed watching such skill and grace. I knew right away this was the workout for me! Where had this been all my life???

It's a GIVEAWAY!

   I've been overwhelmed by the response to my blog, so I thought I would have a blog giveaway! My readers are what keeps my blog going, so now it's time to give back to you!
One lucky person will win a very cool prize!
   The rules are simple: 1. Answer the following question by leaving a comment on Facebook link, or by leaving a comment on my blog. 2. One random winner will be drawn on Wednesday at 7 p.m. (CST).
   Question: How would you live your life if you had a week to live? 
   I'm looking forward to seeing your responses! Remember, make sure you comment by 7 p.m. on Wednesday to be entered to win!

Forever in my heart

In 1955, a vibrant, full of life red-headed woman walked into the Perry Brothers store in downtown Childress to have her picture taken. Twenty years later, she took the photo off her wall and penned a message on the back which read:

   "I was the eldest of 14 children. This picture was taken when I was 33 years of age. I was so    beautiful...I felt beautiful in my heart." She continued saying, "This is to be given to Ginger Ranae Ticer upon and after my death." 

   I was only three at the time when she decided this picture would go to me. Our bond was special from the moment I was born.