Destiny

When I sit and think about where I am right now, where I thought I would be and where I want to be, I have to also think about what I've learned so far in life.  Here are a few conclusions:

Never regret anything.  If you do, you'll spend your entire life wondering if things would have been different and/or better.  Most likely not so don't dwell on it. Everything happens for a reason and I have a hard time believing otherwise.  Life is filled with too many coincidences to even consider that we are wandering pointlessly through life.  I don't doubt for a minute that right now I am exactly where I am meant to be.  I just wonder where I am going to be.

Forgive quickly.  Life is too short to hold grudges.  Nobody is perfect.  People will let you down.  I've learned the hard way that if I have too high of expectations in others, that I am eventually setting them up to disappoint me.  That's not fair to them and it definitely causes me a lot of unneeded misery. 

Stop trying to plan happiness.  Some of the most wonderful memories I have were totally unplanned and completely random. 

Don't let people who don't matter matter.  It is very hard to not care about what people think.  I know this too well.  But think about it…. Why cry over someone who won't cry over you?  Why care about what people think about you, if what they think about you isn't true?  Why let someone who isn't worth the trouble cause you any?

Look past people's mistakes.  People do change.

All Things Work Together

I'd really like to take the credit for the amazing children in my life, but truth be told, I am likely more responsible for their flaws than anything.  Just like I do (quite often I might add), I know that God must shake His head at me and wonder how it is He created such a thick headed woman.  I am, however, so very grateful He chooses to take my mistakes, attitude, brokenness and pain and manages to use those things to mold some pretty incredible human beings who make me proud to be called "mom".   

I eagerly look forward to what He will do with them in the near future.  In the meantime, I will continue to muddle along as their mom, making mistakes, loving them and doing what I can; knowing that I am confident God will use it to work all things together for good.

Transforming Lives

After a very long, tiring and emotional week, I had the privilege of helping to feed those less fortunate than most of us today.  When most people think about being homeless they immediately think of bums.  That couldn't be further from the truth in a lot of situations.  People base their lack of knowledge strictly on looks.  Granted there are those who may have dropped out of high school, those who may be mentally ill or even those who may be addicted to illicit drugs that are homeless.  But the truth of the matter is that being homeless doesn't mean you have specific traits or attitudes.  You could be sitting right next to someone at work or school who is homeless and you wouldn't even know it. Most people in this country take for granted the fact that they come home to a warm bed and have plenty of food to eat.  If it weren't for the grace and mercy of God, it could be any one of us at any given moment.

For me there is no greater feeling in the world than helping someone in need.  It's most certainly a life changing experience.  Here are a few pics from today.

No gathering is complete without some basketball!  :)

www.sassywolverine.etsy.com @truewolverine68

QA Process Rant

I've worked in development and implementation for almost 15 years now and because of that I am always critiquing products.  I can do that because I have been both a QAT and a QAC so I have the background and knowledge to know what I'm talking about when venting about something that makes no sense.  With my job, sometimes the push back works in my favor and other times it doesn't work in my favor.

Today was one of those days.   I have been leasing vehicles from one of the big three automobile manufacturers for about 5 years now and have told them on more than one occasion that one of these days I will be working in their QA department.

One of the main reasons I lease is because I want a new car every 2 years.  Yes, I will always have a car payment but that's the price you pay when you want a new vehicle every 2 years and I've accepted that fact.  Anyway, the vehicle I have now is only 1 1/2 years old and has less than 25k miles on it.

Today, when taking one of the twins to work a light came on and the following conversation commenced.

Me:  "What in the world is that supposed to mean"? (Image with no words)

His smart little self:  "Mom, it's the check engine light".

Me:  "I know what it is but what part of the engine am I supposed to check? "

He just shook his head after that and then my rant started. 

Me:  "This is the 21st century ya know and I'm not driving a 20 year old vehicle.  My vehicle is smart enough to have features that tell me when I need an oil change, when my coolant is low, when I need washer fluid, can read my text messages to me, tell me when a door is open, blah blah blah.  Yet, when it wants to tell me that something is wrong with the engine all it can say is "Check Engine".   Ummm, really?  What part of the engine would you like me to check?  There are many parts to an engine so if you (my car) are smart enough to detect that something is wrong with the engine you should also be smart enough to tell me WHY you feel I need to check the engine.  Because all I am going to do is open the hood, check the engine out and close the hood.  At that point I did exactly what you told me to do.  I checked the engine. "

I have dealt with the same sales rep for as long as I have been leasing vehicles and every time I go for a new one I always tell him things that they could have done better, features that don't really make sense or don't work the way I (as the end user) feel they should and the features that should replace some of the useless ones.  He is such a cool guy and knows me well so we always joke about it but in the end his response when I say "One of these days I am going to be working in the QA department here" that it's probably going to happen.

For now, I just really wish they would get some 'real' end users in these vehicles when they are testing them.

The End.

Happy 18th Birthday, Candy-Cane!

Today my only daughter turns eighteen. I just can't believe that 18 years have flown by so fast.  She is beautiful, inside and out, and being her mother has been the greatest privilege I have ever had.  This is one of my favorite pics of her when she was younger. Looks like a porcelain doll looking up to heaven.

I have been trying for weeks to decide what I was going to say to her when today rolled around and finally just decided to came up with a list of simple things I've tried to teach her that I pray will carry her throughout her life:

I love you more than you'll ever know.

God knew you long before I did.

Remember that God loves you more than I do and He has a special purpose for you in this world that only you can do.

People will disappoint you.  But it's the ones who disappoint you, own up to it and apologize that are worth keeping around.

Choose your battles wisely.  Life is too short to argue with people all the time about everything.

If it feels wrong, don't do it and if you know it's wrong, don't go along with it.  Be a leader, not a follower.

Don't be in such a hurry to grow up now that you're 18 and officially an adult.  Your education is far more important right now. Be responsible.

Think long-term rather than short-term because the decisions and mistakes you make now can haunt you forever.  You don't want to live with that kind of guilt.

Don't be afraid to ask for help.  Asking for help is not a sign of weakness but is a sign of maturity and shows you know your limits.

Keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have.

Don't allow any man to put you on a pedestal to be worshiped because we all know what happens when valuables fall....they break!

Prince charming isn't a fairy-tale, he's a myth and doesn't exist.  Marry your best friend and don't settle!

Exercise and being in shape is a good thing but make sure you put just as much time and effort into being in shape spiritually.

You are beautiful and never let anyone tell you otherwise!

Always trust your gut instinct.  ALWAYS!

And last but certainly not least......welcome to the real world baby, now you're one of us. Ain't it fun! 

Just Keeping It Real

I've had conversations with my teenage children the past few months about that loathsome word "braggart".  One of them was becoming a braggart and needed a reality check and the other was tired of listening to a fellow classmate brag endlessly while trying to impress everyone around them.

No one likes to listen to people who continuously toot their own horns.  Come on peeps don't act like you don't know anyone who fits the bill.  IF by chance you don't work or go to school with any, all you have to do is scroll through your Facebook news feed or Twitter and you'll find an abundance of them.  We all have plenty of friends who appear to be having the 'best day evah' 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. 

Don't get me wrong.  Good things happen to all of us and there are times we want to share those things with our family and friends via Facebook or other social media venues.  I do it and I'm sure you do it as well.  But that's not what I'm talking about.  I'm not referring to someone who genuinely shares their joy and excitement of an experience, award, relationship, etc.  I'm referring to the people who make it their sole purpose to let everyone know how wonderful their life is in contrast to ours.

People that brag just remind me of the 'boy who cried wolf'.  They brag so much that most people tend to shake their head, roll their eyes or not even read their posts and statuses.  So when they actually do have something significant to say none of us will know because we'll just think "it's just another day in their wonderful existence", IF we haven't already hidden their posts completely.

I said all that just to say that I really think some people need to take an extra 30 seconds and question themselves BEFORE posting to social media.  Are they sincere or just seeking approval and boasting?

Grateful

Ever have one of those days or weeks or months? You know the kind I’m talking about. A time period when a whole bunch of little things go wrong and you feel like you can’t catch a break. No one dies. A life altering accident doesn't occur. Nothing like that. But still, if you had to choose between living the day over again or a root canal, you’d consider the root canal for like, a millisecond. That’s the kind of month this has been for me.  No lie.

In an attempt to ease my ‘woe is me’ attitude, I decided it's better to count my blessings than it is to feel sorry for myself. Ultimately, we all deal with circumstances beyond our control so even though I feel alone right now I know there are others who have been through the same things or who have it a lot worse.

Sometimes it just takes hearing someone else's story, seeing a homeless person, a person with a serious illness, people that have been afflicted by natural disaster, children suffering abuse, hunger or all the bad things in the world to make a person appreciate the life that they have.  When I see all the things going on in the world today, I have to praise God for all the wonderful blessings that He has given me.  Sometimes I start feeling sorry for myself because of the struggles that I have had to face and am facing but I soon remember that I am here, alive and healthy.

Therefore big or small, we all need to remember to be grateful for the things that we're blessed with.  Whether it’s good health, an opportunity to have an education, our family, our friends, the roof over our head, or something as simple as an umbrella when it’s raining. Be grateful and thankful for the sounds of laughter coming from the people you love in your life. When you remind yourself what you’re blessed with (rather than what you wish you had), you end up living a more satisfying life.