The Best 38 Seconds You'll Spend Today

I saw this for the first time on the news last night on WCCO, channel 4.

When I found the video on YouTube, I was surprised it was originally posted in 2008.

It doesn't matter. Love doesn't know anything about time. Thank you Capt. Andrew Schmidt and Gracie, and his wife Jen for this wonderful example of what true love really is, and thanks especially for your service to our country.

Lessons From Aunt Keener

Here are some of the things I learned from my Aunt Keener:

1. Family is number one. Especially, your kids.
2. Good coffee is simple: good coffee, and good water. Don't settle for anything less.
3. Surround yourself with lots of green and growing things. (The picture above is from her garden.) And watch the birds.
4. When you get the blues, do the "Happy Dance".
5. The Sesame Street song, "My name is Fred. They call me Fred. When I get up I put a hat upon my head. My name is Fred."
6. Tomato macaroni and fried potatoes is a meal fit for a king.
7. One man's trash is another man's treasure at the dump grounds.
8. Give lots of hugs.
9. Go to the doctor, even if you don't want to know what's really wrong with you.
10. Tell everyone you love them.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

In honor of Valentine's Day and to keep the Love and Happiness flowing, here's my Tip Sheet on having a Fabulous Valentine's Day with your Sweetheart!

10 Ways to Make Valentine’s Day Fabulous

10. The 10-second kiss.
When your sweetheart leaves for work, take 10 seconds and give them a kiss they will remember all day long! Then do it again when they come home! It might last longer than 10 seconds.

9. Decorations.
Fill balloons with notes of reasons why you love your sweetheart, then blow them up, hide them and the night before, put them in the car (really fill it up if you can), and then leave a large pin with a note and instructions.
Or write how much you love them on the car with a bottle of car window ink, the kind you see on the windshields at the car dealer with the prices, etc. It comes in all sorts of colors, so go wild! You can find it at a party supply store or a hardware store.

8. Give them the royal treatment.
Make them King (or Queen), for the day with a crown, a declaration on parchment paper, and then cater to their every wish. You won’t be sorry!

7. Surprise, surprise, surprise!
Come home early, (before the kids get home, if you have them), and show your sweetheart how much you love them. Make sure you lock the doors and unplug the phones!

6. Look out Emeril and Rachel Ray.
If you can’t get a reservation to your favorite restaurant, then plan to surprise your sweetheart by ordering their favorite meal via take out and plate it up like you cooked it yourself. If you plan waayy ahead, then take a cooking course and make that Steak & Lobster Thermidor yourself. Not only will your sweetheart appreciate it, but you will feel a sense of accomplishment and confidence as well.

5. Draw a nice warm bath.
Nothing relieves stress better than a nice, hot bath. Draw the water just before you know your sweetheart is ready to hit the water or it will be too cold. You can put rose petals or heart shaped confetti down on the floor or carpet leading the path to the bath. Make sure to scrub the back and rub the neck and shoulders area.

4. Make the world go away.
Shut it all off. No electronic devices, no television, no cell phones, or other things that ring or clack or will disturb the intimacy of you and your sweetheart and your quality time.

3. Go Ahead! Eat Chocolate!

2. Bring out your inner Shakespeare
Express your love in the written word, in your own words. If you have trouble finding the words, then find a poem or have someone help you write it.

1. Run away from home.
Take off for the weekend. This one will have to be planned out since there are over a zillion reservations made for Valentine’s Day, or if you want to avoid the holiday rush, then celebrate the weekend before or the weekend after. Enjoy all the time you have together.

"Thank You God For All The Blessings I Have, and All The Blessings I Am Receiving"

The quote above is my own sort of mantra. I say it when I get up in the morning before my feet hit the carpet and I say it before my head lands on the pillow when I go to bed at night.

I found that little gem in a book called "Spiritual Marketing" by Dr. Joe Vitale. If you have the opportunity, whether you are into marketing or not, I highly recommend reading it, several times. It was a quote that resonated with me and I feel immense gratitude when I say it, twice a day. It forces me to stop, think and reflect on what is truly important in my life and be thankful for all of it.

The reason I am sharing this with you, is this is the season of Thanks, and of Giving. In this time and space in all of our lives, it is not the presents under the tree that will be important this holiday season, no matter what holiday you celebrate. We all have begun to take a moment and decide what is truly important in our lives, and it isn't accumulating more "stuff".

I received a gift on Tuesday evening that was "priceless", as the commercial says.

It was a snowy evening and I had been trying to reach LOML (Love of My Life), QH, for most of that day. I drove to work and knew that with the snow and the wind and the way the roads were shaping up, it was going to be a bad commute home for my honey. I wanted to let him know that there were several cars in the ditches on the way to work, and that the snow was sticking to the roads as the temperatures dropped dramatically. We went from 38 degrees ABOVE ZERO, and would be at MINUS 3 degrees before the end of the night.

Minnesota weather, gotta love it! :)

So, after several tries at the office and on his cell, I thought he might be over helping his Dad plow out, and thought, "I'll call him later," and went about working. Around 8:00 pm, I decided I would try one more time at home and if he wasn't there, his Mom & Dad's house. I was sitting at the table where we trim and inspect parts when I saw QH standing next to me!

"Hi, honey! What are you doing here?" I was thrilled, and felt like the good old LOA (Law of Attraction) was really working!! I had him on my mind all night and here he was!

"I brought you a present!" He said, and I saw a little sparkle in his eye. I followed him out into the warehouse and when I turned the corner...

There he stood, in his Navy Blues, and it took a few seconds for my brain to register it...

My son, Alex, home for Christmas!! And two days early!!!

Or so I thought! Turns out, he and QH and my dear brother (Kudos, to Andy for not letting the secret out!!), had been conspiring about this since the weekend before Thanksgiving when QH and I took Thanksgiving dinner to Illinois for Alex.

"It's Not Thursday!" I blurted out. What the hell was wrong with me? My son is here!! He's Home!!!

"Did I say Thursday? I meant Tuesday!" he said, grinning. I went over and hugged and hugged him and kissed him and hugged him. Was this real? Is he really here? God, if this is a dream, please don't let me wake up yet!!

I looked behind him, and there was QH, and I could see he was trying to look away at us, and I think I saw a tear, but that could have been something in his eyes (like the size of a boulder !) ;)

I went around the plant and introduced him to the other people on my shift, and then they were off to my parents house to give them a heart attack. I hugged QH and said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you," and he was gone with Alex out the door.

I made my way back to the clean room, and in the darkness of the warehouse, the tears began to stream down my face. The shock had passed, and the waterworks were going. I looked up and said, "Thank you God for all the Blessings I have and all the Blessings I am receiving." I felt a part of my heart open up, and felt love. Pure love. And Gratitude.

I wiped the tears, blew my nose and went back to work. I knew my Mom would be calling soon, and I was right. The joy in her voice was perfect, and I knew my Dad would be more cheerful now that his "buddy" was back in town. We tried to surprise my sister, but Dad let the secret slip, but that's ok. She was excited to see him on Thursday. Cannon got to see him on Wednesday, and remembered who he was, and was a little shy at first, but by the end of the day, he was Alex's shadow.

It's the best Christmas present I ever received, and I am in awe of QH for pulling it off. The thoughtfulness, the love, he demonstrated, I have no words.

All I know, is that man deserves a Harley!! Some way, some how, I am going to make that dream manifest.

With a big red bow! And then I will be standing back with a "boulder" in my eyes!!

Until then, he has my heart, my love, my undying gratitude.

Thanks, honey.