Spin the wheel

Tonight was School spirit night at the local Chick-fil-a. It is always a fun time for me and my rambunctious 8 year old son. He is always eager to turn over .50 cents to spin the wheel and earn free Chick-fil-a items.

Well, to be honest...he is mainly after the coveted milkshake coupon but what kid besides those allergic to dairy aren't after the milkshake?

Spencer usually takes about 4 turns on the wheel each time we visit Chick-fil-a (luxury of being an only child).

Spinning the wheel on spirit night means the school receives a $2.00 donation from us and Spencer earns free food (fruit, fries, diet lemonade, cinnamon rolls and of course, the favorite milkshake).

Tonight was no different. 4 spins equaled a diet lemonade, a fry, a cinnamon roll and thankfully, a cookies and cream milkshake. Score!!

The Chick-fil-a school spirit night gives us a chance to have a meal together that isn't rushed and semi-affordable considering fast food is quickly becoming over priced. The number 2 combo and a bowl of soup was just shy of $11.00 tonight.

Last month, we visited Taco Bell and literally spent more at Taco Bell for less food than we receive at a genuine Mexican restaurant but I digress......

Anyway, tonight at the local chick-fil-a we met an elderly man who was full of life and laughter which as a social worker for the elderly and the disabled does my heart a world of good to see.

Spencer and I had just sat down to eat our meal when the gentleman began a conversation by showing us a drawing of an odd shaped school bus with 4 windows and asked us which way the bus was heading..right or left?

Spencer observed the paper intently and stated "left." The jovial man said "yes, but why?" Spencer responded saying something about the windows but the man clarified that there wasn't a door showing in the picture; therefore, the bus was traveling left. We all laughed.

The elderly man mentioned that he frequents the Chick-fil-a several times a week mainly for the company.

I asked him if he ever plays bingo and he let me ramble on for a few minutes and finally interjected that he doesn't care for bingo. We all laughed again.

Who thinks bingo is just for the elderly? Granted there are plenty of seniors playing a mean game of bingo somewhere in this country every single day but I have to admit I find the game fun and habit forming myself. I guess we all want a chance to win the coveted milkshake any way we can win it.

During our conversation with the elderly man he mentioned his deceased wife 3 times. He admitted she had passed away 19 years ago from emphysema.

Spencer, the elderly man, and I had a wonderful conversation about every day living, math, brain teasers, and dieting.

Dieting? Do we ever stop worrying about our weight? He admitted he has been only eating half of his meal at one sitting and saves the other half for the next meal. He said slowly but surely he is losing weight. The gentleman told me he has a daughter that is 61...did you catch that? 61! His daughter is 61 and he is worried about losing weight. I should have just spun the wheel and won a milkshake for myself...darn milk allergies!!!

As much as the dieting conversation and a couple of the brain teasers dominated our talk, I could not help but to focus on how many times he talked about his wife.

He added that he had begged his wife to stop smoking but she always said it was too hard. I commented that it isn't as hard as what he has endured. He grinned and shook his head and offered up another brain teaser.

Life is funny, isn't it? You never know who you are going to meet or who will touch your heart. You never know what lesson you will receive or what blessing you will offer someone. It is much like that wheel with the  coveted milkshake.

You see, I was running late to pick up Spencer so we made it to Chick-fil-a late but had we been on time or early we might have missed the elderly gentleman who shared many life lessons with us in a short window of time.

We have some new brain teasers in our arsenal that I am certain a few third graders will hear up close and personal tomorrow from one rambunctious kid and one new math brain teaser that I still don't get but hey I did mention I am social worker and not a math whiz.

So, what lessons did we learn? Of course, an obvious lesson is....Don't smoke!

Another lesson is....we will always worry about our weight. Blah!!

A hidden lesson is to always have a smile on your face so you are approachable and open to new acquaintances and life lessons.

Most importantly, life is short and love is rare!

What wheel shall you spin? What milk shake will you strive to win? How open are you to new acquaintances?

Until next time, my friends...may your days be filled with milk shakes.
Rhonda

The life of ONE Groovy chick!!!: Penguin hunting....

The life of ONE Groovy chick!!!: Penguin hunting....: Penguin hunting...Gentoo penguin hunting that is... No, I am not talking about hunting with bows and arrows or guns or any other weapon un...

Penguin hunting....

Penguin hunting...Gentoo penguin hunting that is...

No, I am not talking about hunting with bows and arrows or guns or any other weapon unless you count the heart as a weapon.

I have been on a quest to find my Gentoo penguin for many years. Gentoo are a type of penguins who typically mate for life which I find very endearing.

Can you imagine finding one true love and spending the rest of your life with that person?

Recently, there was a couple in the news who have spent over 80 years together. They definitely found their Gentoo penguin. How beautiful? How rare? How special?

I, unfortunately, will not make the news headlines for spending 80 years with the same person because my path to find a penguin has not been pleasant. Instead of dating a gentoo penguin, I thought I would date a few frogs, snakes, and basically grub worms which are generally referred to as root-feeding headaches for the turf pros. I think that about sums up my dating life - root -feeding headaches!

How many of you have also been on this path? Hunting for your penguin only to find a grub worm?

Are you on this path because all of the "good guys" are taken or because there aren't any good guys left?
Or are you on this path because of how you feel about yourself?

For a while, I thought all of the good guys were taken but I have come to realize that I was finding the grub worms because of the way I felt about me....the way I perceived myself...not because the penguins are all taken.

I am confessing to a horrible dating life based on my own feelings about myself even though I wasn't aware of them for a long time. I am offering this confession because I am hoping to help other ladies realize there are better days ahead of you.

How do you feel about yourself? How do you perceive yourself? What light are you projecting?

A person cannot feel down about themselves and reflect a positive light to others. You can't fake it till you make it on this one, folks!

When your light is on but the container is weak and flimsy, the light can be snuffed out by everyone else.

In the dating world, others can spot that flimsy container a lot easier than you realize. They can even spot an unsafe wire even if you don't know the power is flickering. The ones who are drawn to your light because they need or want to be fixed or because they want to take advantage will zone in on you and will drain every bit of electricity from your light and leave you in a dark and lonely place.

My advice to all of you ladies in the dating world is to be aware of the light you project. Know yourself. Know what you want and believe you deserve better than to be used and abused.

Put a beautiful ceramic fixture around your flickering light. Allow your light to grow bright and strong and it will guide you on your path to find a Gentoo penguin.

Happy hunting!
Rhonda

Believe

It seems so long ago that I attempted to start a blog.

Last year was a difficult year for several reasons.

Most of last year I had the picture of the little dog
bracing in the wind with BELIEVE written in bold
hanging on my wall where I could see it every day.

Last year was tough but with faith and prayer and praise,
I made it through 2012 and welcome 2013 with open arms.

This year, I hope to blog on a more consistent basis.
I hope you will give me a chance and BELIEVE in me.

2013 will be a great year!

Wait and see....Keep BELIEVING! :)
Rhonda

Follow my friend and her new blog: Cornerstone of Strength: Humble Acts Serve A Purpose

I know I have not blogged in a long time and I hate it but I plan to get back to being a regular blogger.
I have inspiration from my friend, Kimberly Hemric, and her new blog. See below. You will not be disappointed.


Cornerstone of Strength: Humble Acts Serve A Purpose: I read a true account of a little child whose sister needed a blood transfusion. If she didn’t receive one from the best possible donor mat...

Glass slippers - half full or half empty...

2012...a brand-new year!

Well..new by 15 days...Side note..I have bills due today. Ugh!

What does a new year mean to you? Does it mean a chance for new adventures, an opportunity to say goodbye to old habits and a chance for a new start? Does it mean it is just another day that has no significance or value? Does it mean it is time to be with your special someone to share a kiss at the stroke of midnight? Does it mean you get a pass if you party a little too hard because all will be forgiven when the clock chimes 12 times? Does it mean you turn back into a pumpkin?

A new year for me means a chance for new beginnings. It brings me hope of  new beginnings with loved ones as you move forward in life together. 

I enjoy spending New Year's Eve with loved ones and special people in my life as we say goodbye to one year and hello to another year. The new year brings a feeling of new opportunities and new adventures...a fresh start!

In a way, I view the chime of the clock at midnight the chance to go from a pumpkin to a princess instead of back into a pumpkin.

Sometimes, we all are guilty of feeling a bit deflated and beaten down by the ugly step sisters of the world so I like to go into the new year with a new attitude saying this new year is going to rock!! Rock, I say!!

The end of 2011 was no different! This time I had a choice just like we have every day! I had a choice to let the ugly step sisters of life keep me down or put a smile on my face and wear those glass slippers with pride.

It was a choice to be happy or a choice to be sad.

This New Year's Eve, I put on glass slippers in the form of bowling shoes. Yep, bowling shoes! I had the pleasure of spending time with my son and his buddies bowling while enjoying music, laughter and a great time. I would not have missed it! Watching a bunch of 6 and 7 year olds and one 2 year old show off what life is all about was the best way to put a smile on my face. We danced and laughed and bowled and ate pizza and made great memories.

I could have said no when I was invited to attend the festivities but I said yes. I would have regretted
not going because my "special someone" was spending the night with others. I made the decision...the choice to make myself happy!

After bowling, I traded my bowling slippers for a pair of running shoes. I joined my best friend and his girlfriend to get back on the workout track. We did a 5K at Tanglewood at midnight! What a great way to start out the new year.

As the clock chimed midnight the gun fired and all the runners took off even if some of us were walking rather than running.

We were doing it together. We all had a common goal...start out the new year with a healthy activity and a goal of staying up and moving during 2012.


Jim, Tina & I kicked that 5K's butt...well it sorta kicked ours when it came to the hills but we did it and did it together!
  
Afterwards, we had a 2am breakfast at Waffle house. It was the best greasy spoon meal ever!

The night may not have ended with the happy ending of my prince riding in on a white horse but it did end and with friendship and family and a renewed motivation to live life to the fullest regardless of what life throws at me.

So in 2012, I may be minus my prince (or penguin which I will explain in another blog) but I am not minus my son, my dear friends, or my new attitude that 2012 will rock and I will reach my goals...one bucket list item at time.

One goal is to run a marathon in 2012. I think a 5K at the very beginning of 2012 was a great way to get to that 26.2 miles.

I pray you all have some goals in mind for this year as well. I want you to tackle them one at time and share them with me. I want to be here to support you and cheer you along and if you want to run I want to run with you. Get up off that couch and get moving with me and my bff! We are going to run that marathon this year and sport that 26.2 sticker on our cars!

When the clock chimes midnight this year...God willing....we will be together smiling and making memories and starting fresh again with new goals in mind. Come join me! us!

Until next time......Rhonda

Breast Cancer Awareness Month and what it means to me

Breast Cancer Awareness Month always makes me think of my grandmother who battled cancer for many years.

Nanny, the name I called my grandmother, was 40 when she was first diagnosed with cancer.

It is difficult for me to recall a time when I was growing up that Nanny wasn’t sick. I desperately try to remember moments when she was not in pain or sick but the moments are few and far between.

However, I did manage to salvage a couple of good memories. One of my favorite memories with Nanny when she wasn’t sick or in pain is about the time we would spend together after school each day when I was in second or third grade. Nanny was determined to teach me how to tell time with a funny teapot shaped clock on her kitchen wall. The clock frustrated me because the numbers were roman numerals but Nanny would tell me to visualize the regular numbers but more importantly focus on the hands on the clock and their positions.

Even though the clock frustrated me, I enjoyed the time we spent together learning to tell time. I think it is ironic that I remember a moment about time when time is what Nanny had in short supply.

Another lesson I realized later is that we see one thing like the roman numerals but should look beyond what we see on the surface and visualize the bigger picture.

Over time,  Nanny continued to decline as her cancer would spread from one organ to another always resulting in another hospital stay and the removal of another cancer riddled body part which brings another memory back to life.  The memory will forever be etched in my mind. It was the time I spent the night with Nanny a couple of years after both of her breasts were removed. I remember she changed into her nightgown and I saw that her breasts were gone. In their place were two sunken in areas.  I stared at her chest and as a child will do I questioned what happened to her chest. Nanny allowed me to touch the area that used to be her breasts and explained to me that cancer had taken her breasts away from her but she was alive and able to spend time with me which was more important to her than her breasts.

I can see clearly now how strong willed and determined by grandmother was and realize it more and more in my own self especially considering I am now 1 year older than Nanny was when she was first diagnosed with cancer.

I do fear that I will develop breast cancer one day but I pray if that comes to pass I will be able to be as strong willed and determined as Nanny was and that I can show my child that strength and perseverance.

Nanny died at the age of 60 after another long hospital stay and the removal of more cancer riddled body parts. My son never had the opportunity to meet his great grandmother but I know she would be proud of him for his actions last week when he, a boy age 7 who has always thought pink and purple were for girls since he was 2 years old, decided on his own that he would wear a pink shirt to school. The pink shirt had the pink ribbon on it and stated it was for breast cancer awareness.

Spencer, my son, stated he didn’t care if the shirt was pink or not because he was going to wear it to show his support for cancer awareness.

I, of course, agreed to let him wear the shirt because he too is strong willed and determined and who could resist such a stance and say no to his overall awareness and compassion?

At the end of the school day, Spencer informed me that one of his classmates, a girl I am sad to say, told Spencer he was  embarrassing wearing a pink shirt. Spencer stood up and told the girl that he didn’t care what she thought because he was wearing the pink shirt to show his support for cancer awareness and that his great grandmother died from cancer.

My heart beamed with pride for my son who at age 7 is so much wiser than I was at age 7 sitting in Nanny’s kitchen learning to tell time. I know Nanny smiled proudly that day in heaven as she heard her great grandson say he was wearing pink in her honor.

Thank you for allowing me to share a tidbit of my story about the importance of breast cancer awareness.

Rhonda