At the end of this week, Americans across the country will gather with friends and family to celebrate our nation's birthday. The Fourth of July is America at it's best - I love this time of year. It's the time when we come together for backyard cookouts, pool parties with the neighbors, local parades featuring the fire department and high school band and to wave sparklers back and forth once the sun has gone down. Sure it's hot and humid, and there are bugs everywhere, but the outdoors and the 4th just seem to go together. Whether you watch fireworks at the local park or from the cooler comforts of your TV in the living room, there's just something about celebrating our country once a year that reminds you how proud you are to be an American.
Every night I watch the news, and I see all the terrible things that happen at home and abroad. But I still say to myself every night, "I'm so blessed to live in this country." We have our problems, we have our fears and we have our shortcomings. But we have freedom. We have life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We have family and friends to share out lives with. And this is something we have every day, not just on the Fourth of July. So, break open that cold beer this Friday, and roast up another hot dog while the kids and the dogs run around in the back yard. And as you take a drink to cool off from the heat of summer, remember that nothing tastes as good as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Happy Birthday America!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Race for the Cure
Today I participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure at Meredith College in Raleigh, NC. A group from the office gathered for the race, and we had a great time.
Race for the Cure is an event I look forward to every year. This is my fifth time walking in the 5K.
We had a great time (it's always a little hot though) and it's neat to see all the people that come out to race and volunteer their time to help find a cure for breast cancer. And, as I saw written on racer's T-shirt: "A breast is a terrible thing to waste."
:)
Saturday, June 7, 2008
One Hour Away
We're on vacation.
A much needed break from the daily routine of work, taking care of the house, the dogs, and chores.
We're a million miles away, except that we are only one hour away.
We're at the O.Henry Hotel in Greensboro, NC for a long weekend. And I'm loving every minute. A much needed break, during a much needed time, should help restore the sanity of my husband and I.
In fact, we're off to dinner in just a few minutes. I'm dressed up (well, a little)! I went shopping today! I went to the pool this morning! Last night, we had the best pizza and went for ice cream. And we thoroughly enjoyed our cable TV and 65 degree air conditioning in the room. Hello, relaxation. I have forgotten what you looked like, but I do love you so very much.
Tomorrow's agenda: breakfast, pool, nap, lunch, movie, dinner, TV, sleep.
If only EVERY day had such an agenda...
A much needed break from the daily routine of work, taking care of the house, the dogs, and chores.
We're a million miles away, except that we are only one hour away.
We're at the O.Henry Hotel in Greensboro, NC for a long weekend. And I'm loving every minute. A much needed break, during a much needed time, should help restore the sanity of my husband and I.
In fact, we're off to dinner in just a few minutes. I'm dressed up (well, a little)! I went shopping today! I went to the pool this morning! Last night, we had the best pizza and went for ice cream. And we thoroughly enjoyed our cable TV and 65 degree air conditioning in the room. Hello, relaxation. I have forgotten what you looked like, but I do love you so very much.
Tomorrow's agenda: breakfast, pool, nap, lunch, movie, dinner, TV, sleep.
If only EVERY day had such an agenda...
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Redemption
I hate people. Pretty strong statement, right?
"Melanie, how could you hate people? I mean, you have family, right? A husband? Friends? How could you say that? You're so mean, so thoughtless - maybe you say that you hate people because people really hate YOU!"
OK. I don't really hate people, but I do get really frustrated with the general public from time to time. You know what I'm talking about - you're driving to the mall and some teen cuts you off in her Lexis (I'm sure it is her parent's Lexis and yes, this did happen to me yesterday). You're in the check-out line at PetSmart and some woman puts all her items on the counter while you're still trying to finish your transaction (yes, this happened to me a couple weeks ago - she even backed into me and didn't even realize it). You walk into the common kitchen at work and realize that someone left the counter a complete mess-napkins and crumbs everywhere (I have witnessed this several times). I could go on and on with countless other incidents that happen on an almost daily basis that make me say to myself "I hate people."
But yesterday, I found myself reconsidering this phrase that I say to myself so often lately. After I finished loading my car with my groceries in the grocery store parking lot, I turned to walk the cart back to the front of the store (I was parked closer to the store than to one of the parking lot cart returns). As I was walking with my cart, a nice man smiled to me and said "I'll take that from you, I need one anyway." I smiled and said "thanks!" There was something about the nice way he offered to take my cart that made me smile and think, "gee, that was nice. He was pretty friendly." By taking my cart, he not only saved me the time from wheeling it to the front, but he of course got the cart for himself.
Later in the afternoon, I was at another grocery store (another story all together). All I wanted was ice cream (my downfall). I picked out two cartons (caramel for my husband, chocolate for me). Of course there were only two lines open (despite a lot of people in each line - I hate when stores don't open up more lines!) and I got behind a couple that had a week's worth of groceries in their cart. The woman happened to look back at me and said, "oh, you should go in front of us since you only have a couple of things. Your hands will freeze if you hold that ice cream for too long!" How nice of her! I thanked her twice and moved ahead in line. I had forgotten my very important customer card, and asked the cashier if she could look it up by my phone number. The same couple behind me overheard me asking this of the cashier and offered their very important customer card to me so that I could use it. How nice again! I thanked them again, paid for my ice cream and left the store.
"Redemption" I thought to myself as I drove home. Of all the jerks in the world, all the selfish people I run into on a daily basis that make me cringe, groan, yell and shake my head, I had two very pleasant interactions today with complete strangers.
If only it was like this ALL the time. If people actually came out of their bubble and cared about their neighbor, the stranger at the grocery store, the driver next to them or their co-worker. What if people actually...gasp!...were not rude, but kind to one another? I think you'd find a lot more happy people in the world, and I think you'd find a much better world altogether. The daily routine of life just might not be so bad. And you wouldn't find me uttering the phrase, "I hate people" at all. Forget going green - I know how you can change the world: be nice to one another.
"Melanie, how could you hate people? I mean, you have family, right? A husband? Friends? How could you say that? You're so mean, so thoughtless - maybe you say that you hate people because people really hate YOU!"
OK. I don't really hate people, but I do get really frustrated with the general public from time to time. You know what I'm talking about - you're driving to the mall and some teen cuts you off in her Lexis (I'm sure it is her parent's Lexis and yes, this did happen to me yesterday). You're in the check-out line at PetSmart and some woman puts all her items on the counter while you're still trying to finish your transaction (yes, this happened to me a couple weeks ago - she even backed into me and didn't even realize it). You walk into the common kitchen at work and realize that someone left the counter a complete mess-napkins and crumbs everywhere (I have witnessed this several times). I could go on and on with countless other incidents that happen on an almost daily basis that make me say to myself "I hate people."
But yesterday, I found myself reconsidering this phrase that I say to myself so often lately. After I finished loading my car with my groceries in the grocery store parking lot, I turned to walk the cart back to the front of the store (I was parked closer to the store than to one of the parking lot cart returns). As I was walking with my cart, a nice man smiled to me and said "I'll take that from you, I need one anyway." I smiled and said "thanks!" There was something about the nice way he offered to take my cart that made me smile and think, "gee, that was nice. He was pretty friendly." By taking my cart, he not only saved me the time from wheeling it to the front, but he of course got the cart for himself.
Later in the afternoon, I was at another grocery store (another story all together). All I wanted was ice cream (my downfall). I picked out two cartons (caramel for my husband, chocolate for me). Of course there were only two lines open (despite a lot of people in each line - I hate when stores don't open up more lines!) and I got behind a couple that had a week's worth of groceries in their cart. The woman happened to look back at me and said, "oh, you should go in front of us since you only have a couple of things. Your hands will freeze if you hold that ice cream for too long!" How nice of her! I thanked her twice and moved ahead in line. I had forgotten my very important customer card, and asked the cashier if she could look it up by my phone number. The same couple behind me overheard me asking this of the cashier and offered their very important customer card to me so that I could use it. How nice again! I thanked them again, paid for my ice cream and left the store.
"Redemption" I thought to myself as I drove home. Of all the jerks in the world, all the selfish people I run into on a daily basis that make me cringe, groan, yell and shake my head, I had two very pleasant interactions today with complete strangers.
If only it was like this ALL the time. If people actually came out of their bubble and cared about their neighbor, the stranger at the grocery store, the driver next to them or their co-worker. What if people actually...gasp!...were not rude, but kind to one another? I think you'd find a lot more happy people in the world, and I think you'd find a much better world altogether. The daily routine of life just might not be so bad. And you wouldn't find me uttering the phrase, "I hate people" at all. Forget going green - I know how you can change the world: be nice to one another.
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