The Days Later Band playing in Moundsville, West Virginia last week. I am sure a fun time was had by all who were there. To see where they are playing next or to book them for an event please visit their site at www.dayslaterband.net

Today I have been working with some companies to create affordable sales and marketing strategies. It was a long process and I was starting to have a mental meltdown. No ideas were perculating. Then I received an e-mail featuring the following idea for a Fire Alarm, no batteries needed. I laughed. It was just the jumpstart my own imagination needed so I can finish my project. Thanks Stephen for sharing.

Bertha Belch, a missionary from Africa, will be speaking tonight at Calvary Methodist. Come hear Bertha Belch all the way from Africa.

Announcement in a parish bulletin for a national PRAYER & FASTING Conference: "The cost for attending the Fasting and Prayer conference includes meals."

"Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don't forget your husbands."

The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been cancelled due to a conflict.

Remember in prayer the many that are sick of our community.

Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.

Miss Charlene Mason sang "I will not pass this way again", giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.

Barbara remains in the hospital and needs blood donors for more transfusions. She is also having trouble sleeping and requests tapes of Father Joe's sermons.

The Rector will preach his farewell message after which the choir will sing "Break Forth into Joy."

Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.

Eight new choir robes are currently needed, due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.

Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles, and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.

Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.

A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.

I am not one to mourn someone's death as much as celebrate their lives. I tend to forget the date they died but never forget their birthday. That is when I have a special celebration of memories. I do this on my Mom and Dad's birthday and the birth dates of other family members and friends that have died.

Today I celebrate David Hallal. We definitely had a unique relationship. I heard about David before I met him. He was a travel agency franchise owner in Cleveland, Ohio and was engaged to the franchise's trainer, Kristi. I was working in the marketing & preferred supplier deparments at the franchise headquarters. The company had a rule that said the trainer couldn't be married to a franchisee. No nepotism. This was ridiculous as the CEO's wife was a Senior Vice President in the company. In any case that was the "rule". Consequently, Kristi decided to quit her job and move to Cleveland and help David run his agency. That was the plan BUT after having no success replacing Kristi the announcement was made that her fiance' was going to be the new trainer and they would live here in Florida.

My first thought at hearing this was, how is he qualified? Did he get the necessary skills by osmosis from sleeping with Kristi? It seemed strange. Turned out that David had been a teacher before purchasing his franchise and was on the franchise advisory board and was a qualified choice. Kristi was happy because she could stay in Florida.

I had been teaching some of the Travel Agent classes so when David came onboard we met and I was given additional workshops to teach. It was a busy time being split with 3 areas of responsibility working as a trainer, marketing and with our preferred suppliers. As the next 10 years went by my job and responsibilities constantly evolved but I was always involved as a trainer and prepared curriculium for workshops and training programs.

David and I tagged teamed many classes. Although he was my boss, in the classroom we were an amazing team. Our reviews always referred to Batman and Robin or the dynamic duo. If one of us was down the other could pull them up. Sometimes you are blessed to find a professional partner to work with and everything clicks. We enjoyed that unique chemistry in the classroom.

Our friendship grew as a result of the trust we had in each other professionally. Personally our characters were very different. To this day I am amazed at some of the things he did.

We were there for each other during good times and bad. David Hallal became best friends with David Logan and the 3 of us enjoyed movies and fun together. I loved going to watch the 2 Davids play racquetball together. Sunday mornings the 3 of us shared brunch after they enjoyed yet another game of what I called pinball racquetball. Those guys hustled around the court!

After the franchise was sold David moved back to Cleveland and started his GNC Franchises and was once again very successful. Although David and Kristi never married (she went on to a fantastic job for ASTA in DC)David was always the lady's man. I can't explain it. I never could, but ladies were drawn to him like flies to sugar. Thankfully, I never had that type of relationship with David. I saw how he was with his ladies and was glad we never had that type of chemistry.

We were friends the kind of special friendship that doesn't expire because of geography or even death. We were always there for each other. We were each other's cheerleader. Happy birthday David. I am glad you were born and that our life journeys crossed.

It seems that life gets "busy." Everyone is tired or has "have tos" and "should dos" on their plate. It seems that romance has become hard work or something that requires planning, time, money and attention. Maybe it is us that makes it difficult and turns it into a task?!? I'm not sure.

I do believe though that the world would be a happier place if people spontaneously enjoyed the moments they share with the people they love.

Maybe we could all learn a lesson from the dogs. Below is one of my very favorite romantic scenes from any - and I do mean any movie. I hope you enjoy. Perhaps it will inspire you to relax and enjoy a spontaneous romantic moment with someone special in your world.

They replied, "Yes but motivation doesn't last very long." They are exactly right and I was trying to think of something to reply. Thankfully, I remembered a quote from Zig Ziglar when he was confronted by a participant in one of his seminars for Travel Agents International. "You are right. It doesn't last very long but niether does a bath. You have to submerse yourself regularly and often."

Words have probably gotten me more misunderstood and in trouble than any actions I have taken. I know my mouth is a size 7 because my foot fits in there perfectly. All too often my brain doesn't seem to be synchronized to my tongue.

On the other hand it is the words of others that I find the most inspiring. They can make a remarkable difference in my day, my attitude and my thought process.

Below are some quotes that I hope will inspire you today. Maybe they will jump start your imagination or reconsider what you thought to be absolute fact. May you have a terrific Tuesday.

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.
Martin Luther King

You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.
Zig Ziglar

Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.
Ronald E. Osborn

Regardless of your lot in life, you can build something beautiful on it.
Zig Ziglar

Decision is the spark that ignites action. Until a decision is made nothing happens.
Wilfred A. Peterson

Never lose sight of the fact that the most important yardstick of your success will be how you treat other people.
Barbara Bush

If you don't think every day is a good day, just try missing one.
Cavett Robert

Growing up summer actually arrived Memorial Weekend but according to the calendar and the summer solstice it has "officially" arrived.

I remember going to the public pool. Trying to learn how to dive off the diving board. I nearly drowned myself when I wore a sweatshirt to practice diving backwards. My back was hurting from all my attempts that landed in kerrsplat so "I thought" a sweatshirt would protect me. I nearly drowned it got so heavy when it was wet. Over the years I've learned many of my "great ideas" are best left on the drawing board.

I remember running to get ice cream from the Good Humor Man when he came around. Although I loved ice cream, still do. My favorite cool down of choice during summer was the popsicle. Orange and banana are still my favorites. Instead of getting the 2 together, now they sell them packed individually. I liked the challenge of trying to seperate the 2 parts without breaking them.

I remember using cardboard to slide down the bank in our front yard. I remember going to visit my Nanas. One lived in a fancy apartment in New York and the other lived at the lake in Pennyslvannia. Anyone that knows me well, knows that my Nana in Pennyslvania was my favorite person when I was growing up. Memories of her and my Uncle Carl still make me happy. I was certainly lucky to have such great grandparents and that my parents let me share so much time with each of them as I grew up.

I remember spending the first 2 weeks in August at Beverly Beach. I had my first crush there. I won a drumset there. I had a super duper bike accident there.

I remember growing up with fun times boating. Sometimes there were disasters but mostly fun as we went from a sppedboat to cabin cruiser to houseboat when my parents moved to Tennessee. No wonder I love the water so much, it is part of my happiest moments.

I remember catching lightning bugs and playing outside until the street lights came on. Even now I love being outside but find myself drawn to home when the street lights come on.

I loved summer. I still do. I have had some awesome summer vacations. I have had some challenging not so fun summers BUT I love the long days. I love the way people seem to get out more and it may be my imagination but they seem more family oriented and happy.

Welcome summer. i am glad you are "officially" here.

It was a long time ago when I took my sons to Mrytle Beach. Now they are taking theirs. I think that is terrific.


I hope that Tom, Shelia, Hope and Noah enjoy their fun summer vacation too. Yeah Summer!

Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

Why don't you ever see the headline, "Psychic Wins Lottery".

Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice".

Why does the rain drop but snow falls?

Why is the word abbreviation so long?

Why do I need to click "start" to turn off and stop my PC from running?

It is fun to let your mind wander and contemplate the strange and fun rather than always concentrating on the "have tos and should dos," of our busy lives.

May you enjoy the fantastic week that lies ahead.

Relay for Life Washington County

Event Date and Time
June 12-13, 2009

Event Location
Indian Trails Middle School Track

It isn't too late to contribute. Go to http://simpleabundanceyoga.com

A special thank you to all that have given and are about to participate. I've done the Relay for Life here in St. Pete and it is a great night of community, fun and walking in the "hard dark."

My neice, Jasmine, sent me a fantastic spray. It is part of "Bath & Body Works" True Blue Spa collection. It is called "Calm, Cool and Protected." It is a cooling sunscreen mist with SPF 25. I love it.

It makes any aches you are feeling less hurtful. It cools your body in such a way that it helps to evaporate anxiety. I gave a bottle to a friend who was struggling with hot flashes and she loves it. She can even take it to work and spray herself when she gets an attack there. It doesn't have a strong scent. It is just clean and refreshing. It is great for men too. Some of my friends have achy shoulders, knees and hips. Spraying helps them feel better. It isn't medicinal and doesn't remove or eliminate the pain. It just makes you feel better and feeling better is a very good thing.

Right now Bath & Body Works is having their big semi-annual sale. It is a perfect time to stock up. I am confident that if you try it you will love it.

Staying the Course
By BJ Gallagher

Our journey of life is about progress,
not perfection.
It's not about doing one thing
100% better -
it's a matter of doing 100 things,
1% better each day.

Progress is evolutionary
not revolutionary,
and most days we measure our progress
in inches,
not miles.

What matters most
is showing up for your life
whether you feel like it
or not.

Ask yourself,
"What two or three little things
can I do today
that would move me forward?"

You'll be amazed
at how much distance
you can cover
by taking it in increments.

The little things add up;
the inches turn to miles;
and we string together our efforts
like so many pearls.
Before long,
look what you have -
a whole strand!

Ah... beautiful.

"A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery while on a detour."
Author Unknown

Wishing all my readers a truly joyous weekend.

During my life time I have made many mistakes, wrong choices and not always succeeded when attempting something. That is probably why I love the quote above by Peter Drucker and the following quotes.

Each of them serves as a reminder that life isn't about the oops or failures. It is about the trying, learning, daring to take a risk and exploring possibilities.

Thomas Edison's is one of my all time favorite responses when someone was trying to make him feel bad. "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

Theodore Roosevelt gets credit for this one. "It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows achievement and who at worst if he fails at least fails daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat."

Dare to keep doing. Be encouraged. Sometimes expanding your comfort zone can lead you to astounding success.

Is this year turbo powered? Am I going to see it spotighted on the BBC Show, Top Gear? I can't believe it is June already.

Proof positive that time does fly!