Relationships

2024: Mid-way musings

Posted on August 17, 2024 by emjayandthem

It’s officially mid-year; we’re busy finalizing 2025 work goals and budgets ~ leaders are talking targets and reviews. Well, given that, here’s my random mid-year recap:

1 ) Pace cars vs. Packs: At work, each team is given metrics we’re measured against and my team &I are in the lead. Why? I’d rather be the pace car than the pack, choking down fumes. Zoom Zoom!

Outta my way, peeps, I’ve got places to be!

2 ) Throwbacks: Sorting through old photos, I came across this ’90s gem, taken on a camera using real film:

That’s me in the NY Harbor w/ the Twin Towers in the background. Surreal.
An Emjayandthem (C) photo

3 ) Ch-ch-changes: Several of my long-term colleagues recently retired or otherwise left the company; it’s weird to be one of the “last men standing,” (ahem, women). I do think about retirement, as it’s coming sooner than not; I view (and hope) retirement will be an extension of my weekends – daily walks, daily reading, cooking, Church, time with Hubbs, kids/grands, friends, and pets – and free time to pursue interests I’ve not had time for. I’ve had a wonderful career and many adventures, and am thankful for all of it. But there are also parts I can’t wait to leave behind (calls, video calls, and more calls, blah).

4 ) Grown-up stuff – This week, Hubbs & I formalized – and paid for – our funerals. Just typing that is sobering. Here’s the thing: he’s retired, I’m working, so why not lock in costs now? So we did. What’s not surprising is this: while we grew up in two different countries, we share the same values. We both chose cremation, a time of visitation, a Church funeral with a “church lady” luncheon after. We own a plot in the family cemetery that the two of us will share when the time comes. One less thing for our boys to worry about; pre-planning can help eliminate confusion and strife while grieving. And, surprisingly, neither of us were creeped out by the action; instead we feel relief.

5 ) Keep it coming, Love: Finally, at the top of my walking playlist is this song, “Keep it coming, Love” by K.C. and the Sunshine band. It’s a fun, fast-paced song that I walk briskly to. I’m sure I get some looks as I saunter along but who cares? So fun! We saw them in concert years ago; I never sat down once. Whee!

And how was your week? Any ch-ch-changes coming your way?

Categories: Faith, Family, Growth, Home, Life Lessons, music, Opinion, Personal, Relationships, Seasons, Thoughts, Women, Work | Tags: Books, changes, church, fun, funerals, goals, habits, KC and the Sunshine Band, Keep it coming Love, luncheons, music, New York, old photos, Pace cars, race, Reading, seasons, songs, twin towers, work | 4 Comments

Sisters, Sunshine, and words

Posted on May 4, 2023 by emjayandthem

I’m back from a much-anticipated vacation with my sister, my ears still ringing from the “hum” that comes with travel. I landed 5 days ago.

Lots of loud talking, phone-obsessed people on the plane and in the airport ~ Girls on bachelorette trips, teams heading to conferences, elders traveling alone. A Mom with 3 under 3, who needed 6 more hands than she had. A doctor, a student, a cowboy, a nurse. I met them all.

It’s weird, traveling post-pandemic. There’s freedom and movement and hesitations. Someone coughed in front of us and everyone looked. Sorry, not sorry.

We met in Phoenix, enjoyed a week + in Scottsdale and, aside from the many conversations two takeaways for me were these:

Sunshine. Daily. Plenty of it and
Oranges. Local, fresh off the tree ……………. so delicious!

The golden hour.

The most delicious oranges I have ever eaten!

We carefully applied our 70F and – gasp – didn’t burn – but we quickly learned that morning sun was best, afternoons were too much for two Scandinavian/Irish lassies!

10am sunshine

We laughed, we shopped, we chatted. I found a desert Church we could attend and together we cried throughout the service, so meaningful.

I noticed things, being together a week – she mutters to herself… I hum. I drive, she navigates, announcing everything, trying to be helpful. We laugh hard, so hard tears run down our faces, and we choked and sputtered mid-laugh.

I’m on Eastern time, she’s on Mountain, so I was always up/awake first – off to get coffee for me and tea for her and then sit on our beds and talk like we did as girls.

We say things Mom would have said. We miss her, man do we miss her. We talk about the family – how siblings drifted even further apart once the glue was gone. We get it, we don’t like it, but we move on.

It’s been 5 years since I’ve been to the Canada farm/land – Distance and a pandemic separated the two of us for 3 years. We vacationed together last Fall and again this week and yes, we are making up for lost time. Time moves on and the things that really matter rise to the top, like a beach ball in the pool.

We talked and talked and never ran out of things to talk about; we talked in the dark, in the morning, and late at night. And there were times we just sat together, quietly delighting in the fact that sisters don’t need words.

Me and my sister 2023

Have you traveled post-pandemic? What are your takeaways?

Have you a sibling you’re extra close to? Tell me more!

Categories: Attitude, Confidence at any age, Faith, Family, Gratitude, Joy, Life, Relationships, Thoughts, Travel, Uncategorized, Women | Tags: arizona, down time, family, journey, Laughter, oranges, relaxation, simple pleasures, sisters, sunshine, travel | 6 Comments

5 Randoms – Upgrades, peopling and sister time

Posted on November 19, 2022 by emjayandthem

Here we are, so late in the year. How did I miss so many months without reading all of your posts or writing any of mine? Life continues at warp speed. Here are 5 *randoms* from my crazy corner of chaos.

1 . Reading affords me a sanity safety net. Every night, after my 12 hour work day, I step back from all screens and into my “reading lair.” Doing so strips away the “noise” of the day & affords me a peaceful reset before bed. Ahh.

2 . I met up with my sister a few weeks ago for a long-overdue visit/vacation together ~ due to distance, costs, CVD, pandemic lockdowns, Canadian/U.S. border closures, etc. we endured the roller coaster disappointment of multiple trips being cancelled. Not anymore. We both were bawling as we hugged, we started talking and never stopped. We talked in the morning, during meals, at night, in the car, at a show, in the dark, every day, all day. It. Was. Wonderful. We treated ourselves and each other and savored each and every single moment. How lucky are we?!

Airport reunion! Sisters ~ an Emjayandthem (C) photo

3 . Looking ahead & back, and thinking about time off yet to take and how to fit it all in ~ I am surrounded by colleagues letting their time off “expire.” Not me. If all I do is shut down the laptop and silence my phone, that’s enough. I don’t need a trip, adventure, escape room or climbing wall. I need quiet and space without anyone in it!

4. Upgraded my (work) cell phone … from an iPhone7 to an iPhone14. The Sales Rep was courteous and professional, and I chuckled when he quipped, “wow I’ve never seen an iPhone that old …” Whippersnapper. He knows I travel a lot for my job and added thoughtfully, “and it has great safety features that even alerts 911 in the event of an accident or a fall……” Jeez Louise.

5 . It was a long week … 70+ hours of work after 2 weeks off. 70lbs of sausage in a 2lb casing. I’ll be in my reading lair 😉 .

So … what’s new in your world? Any upgrades, visits or whippersnappers? When’s the last time your face betrayed you? 😀

Categories: Books, Confidence at any age, Faith, Family, Fun, Home, Joy, Life, Personal, Relationships, Uncategorized, Women | Tags: expressions, facial expression, habits that support life goals, introvert, margins, peopling, quiet, Reading, sisters don't need words, stepping away, travel | 4 Comments

On reaching

Posted on August 8, 2021 by emjayandthem

“We can learn a lot from trees: they’re always grounded but never stop reaching heavenward.”

Photo from my walk today ~ It’s hot (90F), hazy and humid (88%).

The triple H’s ~ heat, haze, humidity – but it’s August, whaddyaexpect?

My hair is hot, curly and wide.

My arms glisten with sweat.

I walked anyways, praying, listening, thinking, striding.

Thoughts swirl but movement comforts and grounds me.

The steadiness of the trees steady me.

Life happens, life tugs, pulls, pushes, strains.

Life gives. Life takes.

I move with it, walking keeps me grounded and moving forward.

What started as a break for stress relief, early in the pandemic, has brought me back to what I loved as girl ~ being outside.

So I walk.

I walk, and as I do, my soul reminds me I’m grounding and reaching heavenward.

Photos from my walk today ~ and Emjayandthem (C) photo

What habit(s) sustain and comfort you?

Categories: Attitude, Faith, Life, Quotes, Relationships, Uncategorized | Tags: faith, growth, health, journey, keep reaching heavenward, life, self-care, stress-management, trees, walking | Leave a comment

Random 5 Friday ~ Soup, Social Distancing & Life Lessons

Posted on March 27, 2020 by emjayandthem

It’s Friday, the first Friday of our “stay-at-home” COVID-19 order. I hope this finds you all safe & well ~ Here are my random 5 for today~

1 ) Being home is fine with me & Hubbs ~ we are both more introverted than not and home is our happy place. He’s wandering around, suffering from sports-withdrawal and is our resident news hawk. Reading is my escape. When it all gets too much, and it does, I turn off the 24/7 coverage and jump head-first into a book.

Lesson: both of us being home full-time has been a good practice run for retirement.

2 ) It’s been a week since I got sick, and 10 days for Hubbs. We’re still coughing and appetites are slowly returning. We’ve noshed on soups and omelettes, fruit and coffee. Beef noodle vegetable was on the lunch menu yesterday and, because I come from a family of 7, I made enough for us, neighbors + some to freeze. 🙂

Lesson: Yeah I could pare it back but neighbors are happy and the freezer is stocked. All good.

3 ) I feel for the parents, home now full-time with kids, while worrying about safety, finances, job security, etc. I say build a fort, play a board game, draw pictures, and cook together. Let them get bored, it’s OK. Kids don’t need to learn a new language or master advanced math right now, they just need you.

Lesson: Do what you need to do & keep a sense of humor – for the best parent tweets about Social Distancing click here .

4 ) Benefits of staying home:

It takes me no time at all to get ready for work 🙂
- I’m working longer hours and on back-to-back calls
  - Cough cough
No need to pack a lunch, I’m only 15 steps from the kitchen and the cook’s pretty good 🙂
- Trying to avoid the “Quarantine 15”
Lesson ~
- I love being home, I still enjoy working, and I miss being able to go out when I want
  - The lesson for me is that there’s always a lesson in there (Thanks Mom)

5 ) It’s a crazy, scary surreal time. We’ll get through it. After all, many of us grew up using this:

Lesson – we are a (mostly) hearty bunch and a strong nation ~It might take a while but we’ll come back from this.

So how are you holding up?

Categories: Attitude, Blogging, Confidence at any age, Determination, Faith, Family, Food, Growth, Home, Humor, Life, Life Lessons, News, Opinion, Personal, Random observations, Relationships, Thoughts | Tags: Books, comfort, COVID-19, food, grateful, humor, lessons, news, pandemic, random 5, rest, retirement, self-care, shelter-in-place, soup | 19 Comments

The heart has no wrinkles

Posted on February 14, 2020 by emjayandthem

Happy Valentines Day! 💖💖💖

Recovering from dental surgery (an extraction & bone grafting to prepare for a future implant, ye-ouch), I feel the love from hubby – otherwise known as “he who doesn’t cook”- the same man who bought omelettes we could warm up. He heats them just so, then cuts everything so I can eat it. (I had made soup but it’s too painful to slurp…)

I awoke with a start at 4 a.m. today and lay in bed thinking about the Valentines of my youth .. and remembered to being young/newly married, when we still bought gifts and cards and did all that “stuff” and I compared it to the love we share now.

And I smile my gap-toothed smile appreciating that “Real love” is hubby telling his wife – the one who looks like a goalie on the losing team “it’s not that bad” & then asks “is there anything I can do for you?”

Real love is hubby asking “what book are you reading now?” even though he’d rather watch sports or politics than talk books. 📚

Real love shows up, checks in, accepts the bed hair, mismatched jammies and fusses to make sure all is well. Real love turns up the heat, warms up the leftovers, scolds with a finger point reminders to take the antibiotics and pain meds on a regular basis. Real love does the best he can.

And that, my friends, is all the Valentines Love I need

I hope you are feeling loved today – be it self-love, partner love or pet love! XO

1970s punch-out Valentines; google.images.com

Categories: Attitude, Beauty, Growth, Love, Men, News, Opinion, Personal, Relationships, Romance, Thoughts, Women | Tags: heroes and valentines, leftovers, love stories, mature love, Real love, the 3 sides of love, the heart has no wrinkles, true love, Valentines Day | 11 Comments

Random 5 Sunday – Roasts, Pizza, Closets & Carpe Diem

Posted on September 22, 2019 by emjayandthem

It’s a rainy September Sunday … time for a quick random 5 from my corner of the world. Ready? let’s go!

Randoms!

1 ) Pot Roast – Rain. Dark. Cool. Roast in the Crock-pot. There’s been at least 15 Kitchen visits by Hubbs … with commentary .. “Sure does smell good in here,” “is that roast going to be ready for supper tonight?” “man what a perfect day for a roast!” Yep, my man likes himself a roast of beef. The “pot roast” has been simmering all day ~ I’ve prepped mashed potatoes for him and oven-roasted vegetables for me (sweet potatoes, carrots, onion, yellow potatoes tossed in olive oil, rosemary and garlic .. yum) + steamed broccoli, a salad plus fresh rolls with butter. It’s raining and cool .. and we couldn’t be comfier.

#SundayAhhs

mmmm Pot Roast

2 ) Pizza – The man-who-loves a roast also loves him some Pizza. LOVES it. Could eat it 3-4x a week and has. He’s always scouting for the best tasting pizza — a normal to thin crust, light sauce, pepperoni, ham and bacon with extra cheese. He decided to try the “take & bake kind” last night, and bounced around my kitchen while cooking it “to perfection” last night. He served himself two pieces and settled in to enjoy it but reported back with a problem: no. sauce. Not light sauce, not heavy sauce, no – they forgot ALL sauce. Hubbs got cheesy-bread & was not happy about it.

#Pizzafail

this is what he hoped for …

3 ) Scales never tell your whole story – I regularly weigh myself but also take measurements 1x a month. Another reason to (mostly) ignore the scale – in the past 30 days I’ve lost 2.8 pounds but also 11 inches. I’m in between sizes again. If I had ONLY been paying attention to the scale I would have thrown in the towel 2 weeks ago, grabbed a snack and said to h*ll with it. Yes the scale can be helpful but inches tell your WHOLE story.

Tip – If you’re just beginning a health/wellness initiative first measure neck, chest, waist, hips, each thigh and each bicep. Measure again 1x a month – SO helpful!

#MeasuringTapesMakemeSmile

4 ) Closet Clean out – Measuring today gave me the incentive I needed to, once again, clean out my closet. I’ve been talking about this for a few months now, and wanting to get to it, but lacking motivation. Today was the day – I started by pulling out every bit of clothing that:

I don’t wear
I don’t like
doesn’t fit
I don’t want

Soon I had a big stack covering my bed, wow.

Next, on one side, I sorted & grouped career wear- blazers/cardigans, blouses, sleeveless tops, shirts, skirts, and pants. On the other side I sorted casual wear into 3 sections – 1) golf, 2) date night and 3) around the house.

That stack on my bed soon doubled in size. Wow!

Of course I got distracted once or twice, don’t we all? But, in the end, the closet looks 2X the size it is, I kept WHAT I WEAR and packed away or donated the rest.

#HappyClosetHappyMe

Truth

5 ) A work event last week afforded me the opportunity to meet Joyce, a volunteer at a Senior Community Center where our event took place. Her sparkling blue eyes drew me in, but it was her “joie de vivre” that kept me there. Chatting amicably, she whipped out a flip phone to show me what she uses to text ~ I noticed her screen saver that read “Carpe Diem.” Sieze the day.

Joyce is 93, about 95 pounds, an active volunteer & a going concern.

Joyce is #GOALS.

How about you?

What’s cooking at your house?
What kind of pizza do you like?
Measure vs. Scale – your thoughts?
How’s your closet looking?
CARPE DIEM — seize this – and every – day!

Categories: Attitude, Family, Food, Fun, Growth, Home, Joy, Life, Opinion, Personal, Relationships, Seasons, Uncategorized, Wisdom, Women | Tags: Carpe Diem, cleaning your room, closet cleaning, distracted cleaning my closet, donate the rest, donate what you don't wear, food, goals, inches lost, joie de vivre, lessons, measure, measure vs. scale, new sizes, people I admire, pizza, pot roast, scales lie, shopping my closet, sieze the day, Sundays at home, wear what fits | 8 Comments

Random 5 Friday – Elvis, Frankie, and Fall

Posted on August 16, 2019 by emjayandthem

It’s Friday, and time for some randoms … ready? Let’s do this!

1 ) Elvis my Elvis – 42 years ago TODAY the world lost a legend with the passing of Elvis Presley. I was at horse camp when I heard the news and still remember the sorrow and disbelief felt. There’s never been a time when I wasn’t a fan but if you asked me to pick my favorites from his music, I’d pick this:

an MJ favorite; image from amazon.com

2 ) Seasons – School hasn’t started yet but Halloween displays are going up. Slow down already, wouldja?

google.images.com

3 ) Home shopping – I love a good deal — some “finds” have been duds, but others have been bang-on. This is one of my top finds, ever – a luggage set by Samantha Brown (of HGTV fame). Well made, well organized, well structured, well … everything. I’ve never been complimented on luggage before owning this ( bought in burgundy). Really really well done.

4 ) Fall – We’re starting to see signs of Fall here ~ after a wet spring, it’s been dry of late so certain trees are turning color already. Mornings are a smidge darker, nights a bit shorter. There’s been a nip in the air some mornings. I know we’re in for more heat waves but, in the meantime, I’m leaning in…. because I LOVE FALL!

Our Frankie loved Fall!! An Emjayandthem (C) photo

5 ) Golf – Hubbs and I were talking golf strategy last night, with me asking questions about certain clubs ~ He assumed I “didn’t like” a certain club which I hardly use until I explained I hadn’t yet been taught how to use it – for me, golf lessons have been great but a bit like being parceled out individual chapters to a story you’ve not yet read. I want to jump ahead and know how the story ends! (Patience!) In the midst of our conversation I asked, “Did you ever think we’d spend an hour talking Golf?” and he laughingly responded “No, did you ever think you’d get me to talk this much?” HA!

We are enjoying this new adventure together! 😀

How about you? Are you an Elvis fan? Seeing signs of Fall? Take up any new past-times lately?

Happy Friday!

Categories: Animals, Confidence at any age, Faith, Family, Life, Men, music, News, Opinion, Relationships, Thoughts | Tags: Autumn, Elvis Presley, Fall, find new passions, Frankie, golf, grow together, halloween, HSN, hubby, leaves, music, relationships, Samantha Brown luggage, seasons, set new goals | 8 Comments

Sunday Random 5 – Golf, Joe Friday, Wedding Bells & Good Tired

Posted on June 23, 2019 by emjayandthem

Here we are nearing the end of June ~ it’s time for 5 Random Thoughts from my world. Ready? Let’s do this.

1 ) Golf – who knew I would have this much fun golfing? Even the lessons are fun! I tell him this all the time so I’ll tell you, too: Hubbs was right. You cannot golf and work. Beyond being together and being outside, disconnecting from my job is something I’m enjoying so much. I like what I do, but no one needs to do it a-l-l the time! 🙂

2 ) Good tired. We both worked around the house & yard yesterday and I went to bed early ~ It was a “good tired,” the tired that comes with aching muscles and sore feet but the knowledge you accomplished something. Then, to no surprise, I found myself awake at 4, then 5, at by 6:10 I threw the covers back with a “oh just get up already.” Laundry’s done, coffee’s hot and Salsa Chicken simmers in the crock pot ~ I’m enjoying padding around a quiet house on a sunny summer Sunday.

3 ) Joe Friday – Heading to another corporate conference this week ~ there have been even more organizational shifts with senior people leaving and new folks coming in. The bench is deep and the talent is impressive. And, as we’ve done before, we were asked to complete the Myers-Briggs personality test. I’ve taken this test many times over the course of my corporate life and I always get the same result – I’m an ISTJ —

ISTJ – The Inspector (Introverted, Sensing, Thinking, Judging) ~ Quiet, serious, earn success by thoroughness and dependability. Practical, matter-of-fact, realistic, and responsible. Highly capable and decides logically what should be done and work toward it steadily, regardless of distractions. Take pleasure in making everything orderly and organized – their work, their home, their life. Value traditions and loyalty.

I’m Joe Friday! Google.images.com

However, the test is only as accurate as your answers are honest. And like we’ve all seen, there are some who “play it” up for the big cheese(s), sit in the front row, hang on the leaders’ every answer, and kiss the ring. These are the same people whose profiles never match up to who they actually are. I’m fine with my results because I know exactly who I am – the good, bad, and the ugly. And that’s exactly why such trips are so taxing!

4) Wedding bells – Our youngest son is getting married in just a few weeks! 10 minutes ago he was this little. But he’s not so little anymore. He still has the same laugh & love for life ~ and now he has a beautiful partner by his side, someone to call his very own. The love between them is palpable and we couldn’t be happier!

Corporate Family picnic, an Emjayandthem (C) photo

5 ) Summer Vacation – After this week’s conference ends comes 15 – count ’em – 15 days off! I’m leaning in for time with Hubbs, time with my sister, trips to the beach and Casino, visits with our boys & their girls, a happy wedding to enjoy and dance to, grilling out, grand-kids, grand-dogs, Golf, sunshine, sunscreen, watermelon, flip flops, tank tops, down time , new books and more good tired.

So, what’s new in your world?
Do you enjoy the feeling of “good tired?”
Ever taken a personality test?

Categories: Attitude, Beauty, Faith, Fun, Growth, Home, Joy, Life, Love, News, Opinion, Personal, Random, Relationships, Romance, Thoughts, Travel, Work | Tags: Beach, coffee, conference, corporate travel, fun, golf, golf lessons, good tired, happy, ISTJ, Joe Friday, just get up already, kiss the ring, Myers-Briggs, personality test, sister time, sleep, tee it up, unexpected delights, Wedding bells | 8 Comments

Random 5 Friday ~ Mothers Day, Coincidences and GPS

Posted on May 17, 2019 by emjayandthem

It’s Friday and time for a few randoms from my corner of the universe. Ready? Set? Go:

1 ) Mother’s Day as a child meant 3 things: a) Church/Sunday School, b) a family get-together and c) Homemade cards/gifts for Mom. Like they’ve done before, my boys asked to take me out for “a nice lunch.” They know this is the one thing I want more than anything from the store – time with them. We met up – they gave me their gifts and cards with notes of love and appreciation and I savored the moment. We laughed till we cried and I beamed with the love I feel for them. In my view, the greatest gift a Mom can ever get is children who grow up to be people you want to be with! We ate, we laughed, we leaned in. I felt the love then and still do. ❤

2 ) Whenever I have a “big” meeting or presentation to do I “bring” Mom with me – by wearing a piece of her jewelry as her reminder to “go get ’em, kid” – She’s met the Governor, Congressmen/women, Leaders of state, Senators, House Reps, congressional pages, Mayors & more ~ she’s with me every step of the way. And if I encounter any “nonsense” I’m not afraid to use my firmest “Mom voice” which of course I learned from her!

Just a couple of Mom’s rings – Peridot & Padparadshca Citrine ~ she loved her “right hand rings” from the shopping channel.

3 ) In meetings earlier this week I had one of those moments we’ve all had where you know the answer to a question not yet asked. Tingling and trying not to jump ahead I listened closely; when I shared my thoughts later the speaker pulled back, her eyebrow went up and a smile filled her face. “How did you know that?” she asked. “Because sometimes I just know.” We talked about coincidences and serendipity and how sometimes we find ourselves right where we’re meant to be; it’s up to us to recognize it when it happens. The more I acknowledge it when it occurs, the more it occurs for me.

Fate’s like that, I find.

4 ) Saw this and laughed out loud because 1) it is so true and 2 ) I admit that I often still revert to “old school GPS” – read on ~

5 ) I’ve been traveling weekly these past few months; one day easily rolls into the next, weekends have been full and a Tuesday morning can feel like it should be Saturday already. Memorial Day is next week and – gasp – it’s been 3 months since I woke up to this:

Winter 2019 – an Emjayandthem(C) photo

So, what’s new in your world? Experience any coincidences lately? Do you remember “70’s GPS?”

Happy Friday! 😀

Categories: Attitude, Blogging, Confidence at any age, Fun, Growth, Holidays, Home, Joy, Life, Love, Mom, Opinion, Relationships, Seasons, Travel, Wisdom, Women | Tags: 1978 GPS, coincidence, fate, GPS, instincts, intuition, Mom's rings, Mother's Day, motherhood, seasons, serendipity, Spring, travel, weekends, winter | 4 Comments

Random 5 Saturday ~ rooms, fasting and fools

Posted on April 27, 2019 by emjayandthem

It’s nearly May and *gasp* I’ve hardly been here. As in, on the blog. I’ve driven to and been in meetings all over this state – an excess of 2,500 miles logged in the past 5 weeks. I’ve woken up and thought Monday was Saturday. I’ve wondered where I was – hotel or home? Too much, too much. I’m ready for some down time and soon. So, with that, I do believe it’s time for 5 Randoms from my world. You ready? Let’s go.

1 ) This room: I can feel myself, coffee in hand, meandering my way to that white patio chair ~ birds signing and me humming, you?

2 ) I accepted a last-minute speaking request Monday for an event on Wednesday. 150+ in the audience in a City I’ve never been with people I’d never before met. One had been in the audience for a presentation I’d given at a neighboring conference so that happenstance created the opportunity for this one ~ Motoring there, tunes up, I remembered this quote:

“Great things never came from comfort zones.” …

And I smiled at how much I welcomed the “break” in my ‘routine.’

3 ) Miss Kitty Kitters (neighborhood cat) visited us earlier in the week ~ Spring’s arrival means she moseys by and stops in for a pet or five. I don’t know where winter holds her, but she sure is happy to be out walking ~~the~~ her beat again.

She looks like this and is even cuter!

4 ) Something I’ve noticed working 5 days a week – office or home – I tend to eat on schedule. And sometimes, I think I eat because it’s time to, not b/c I’m hungry. ( It’s that old fear of low blood sugar shakes returning that causes me to do this, I know.) On weekends, I’m up early – between 6 and 7am – but I don’t eat until ~1pm… I mosey through the house, straightening this, cleaning that, and sipping coffee all the while. I eat around 1 and again at 6 or 7pm & then I am done for the night. And I’m just fine, not starving. Not one bit.

An epiphany — I’ve been “Intermittent Fasting” without even realizing it – this. is. how. my. body. prefers. things. to. be. A light bulb went on – I’m gonna give IF a go during the work week, too — for more info on the benefits of Intermittent Fasting (eating in a window only), read Gin Stephens’ “Delay Don’t Deny” – reading now .. and yeah, wow!

Most of a fast happens when you are asleep … hence break-fast

5 ) At a meeting several weeks ago a seemingly mild-mannered individual suddenly turned. Red-faced and angry, he snarled, looking for a fight. I didn’t take the bait. In that moment, I remembered these words, and I might have even said them out loud, I’m not sure. See I get angry, too, and I refuse to be bullied or talked over. The meeting soon ended, he’s likely still angry and Jimmy Cracked Corn!

And how was your week? Any AHAs recently?

Categories: Animals, Attitude, Beauty, Growth, Joy, Life, News, Opinion, Personal, Relationships, Self Discovery, Uncategorized | Tags: arguing with a fool only proves that there are two, coffee, Delay don't deny, Donkey, dreamy rooms, eating, fasting, food, Gin Stephens, great things never came from comfort zones, health, healthy, Intermittent Fasting, Kitty Kitter, public speaking, tunes up | 12 Comments

Random 5 Sunday ~ Cows, gifts, dogs and Bradley Cooper

Posted on March 3, 2019 by emjayandthem

It’s the first Sunday of March, yay! I’m gearing myself up for several weeks of business travel and heading into some of the coldest temperatures of the year. Time for some Randoms from my world.

1 ) This picture describes this winter!

2 ) Lately my Facebook feed has been filled with political posts by well-meaning friends ~ I admit to having snoozed” a few ( to avoid seeing their stuff for 30 days) because I can’t take the rants. Give me pictures of your babies, kids, dogs, cats, casseroles or cakes. The other stuff I’d just as soon pass over. But this one, now this one made me laugh:

3 ) I asked our youngest boy for just a little bit of his co-worker’s “homegrown honey.” This is what he gave me. Nothing says love like a year’s worth of amber deliciousness~!

An Emjayandthem(C) Photo

4 ) Maybe it was the cold or just being home and inside but this year I watched the Oscars. Haven’t watched in years! Hubbs and I were “dog-sitting” our oldest son’s dog, Roscoe, and he watched the Oscars with me. It was a cold & stormy night (sounds like something Snoopy would write) and the winds were howling (the Bomb Cyclone was underway). Between us, we decided Roscoe-Doggus should have been nominated (and won) in the most dramatic category: