Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Grateful for my Nephew

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Dad, family, Girl time, Grateful, Gratitude, Mom, Nephew, vacation

I picked up my nephew and his girlfriend from the airport today. Boy, are they a cute couple. My nephew will graduate this year from ASU. He’ll be heading to medical school or a Master’s program next. He’s on track to do great things.

His girlfriend was a real sweetheart, too. She was amazed at all the green in Michigan. She is a native Arizonian, and they are used to the desert, where everything is brown, save for the cactus and scrub brush. There are trees there too, but not to the extent we have them in Michigan.

It always tickles my Mom and Dad pink when they have visitors, especially my Mom. When no one is here, she has to put up with two guys (My Dad and I) and we are not talkative. I’m buried in my work and reading, while my Dad, who has dementia, has lost his ability to have a two-way conversation. So Mom is stuck without another woman to chat with. Sure, she has her Facebook friends that she video chats with from time-to-time, but it’s not the same as sitting down with another woman over a cup of coffee and just talking. So, I’m glad my nephew’s girlfriend is here. She and Mom hit it off great.

Well, that’s it for today, folks! Have a great Thursday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Schedule

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Brother, Christmas, December Schedule, family, Good Food, Holidays, vacation

Hey all! My brother is coming into town on December 20, 2019 to hang out with the family. I’ll be shutting down from the 20th – 29th while he’s here to maximize time with him. I’ll be back up on the 30th, just in time to provide you my end-of-year autopsy and put out my goals for 2020.

I’ll announce this again on the 19th, but wanted to give you a head’s up.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Ted Talk Tuesday

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Break, Brother, Family Time, Hang out, Ted Talk Tuesday, vacation

Hey all, I’ll make this one brief. I only post Ted Talks I’ve watched and don’t want to shortchange you during my brother’s visit. So, no Ted Talk today. Between my brother’s visit and my Mother’s cataract surgery, things have been busy here. I’ll be back up and running on Thursday, after my brother’s departure to Phoenix tomorrow afternoon.

 

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Workout Routine – Playing Hooky

Tags

Consistency, Life Happens, No excuses, Sticking with it, taking a break, Time off, Truth, vacation

Image by David Mark from Pixabay

You see the gym picture above? No one is in it, including me. I just wanted to touch base, since it’s obvious I’ve been out of the gym for a bit. I wanted to keep myself accountable by writing in this special section of Daily Ramblings because I like the added pressure of putting myself out there. Between dentist appointments, vacationing with my sister, and now returning for a day and getting ready for my brother to come out and visit for a week, I decided to take some time off. I’ll be starting my workout routine again on the 1st of June.

It’s so easy to beat yourself up when something you’ve committed to doesn’t happen. I figured it was a little rude to go to the gym when I’m at my sisters for a few days, rude to miss time with my brother when he’s here to help out with my Mom’s cataract surgery on the 3rd of June, and all the rest. Is this an excuse? Sure. I’m not going to give myself a break when I fail to meet my expectations. Is it life-ending? No. I’ll be back in the gym on the 1st of June and continue to push forward with my physical goals.

Taking a break is a personal decision, but one that does not need you to guilt trip yourself over. If you need a break—take one. Then pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get back in there and pound on yourself again. Weightlifting is a marathon, not a race.

See you at the finish line…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Vacation

Tags

family, Grateful, Happy, Little Moments, Relaxed, Thankful, vacation

Image by Ryan McGuire from Pixabay 

It’s always nice to visit my sister in Plymouth, MI. I arrived last night. We caught up, watched a movie, and had some good food. It’s nice to hang out with her. Today is a relaxed day. Sis is working on her upcoming online business and I am working through my daily list of to-dos.

Today, I am thankful for my family. I am thankful for God. I am thankful for my health. I am thankful for my ability to learn new things. I am thankful for my ability to contemplate and plan. I am thankful for my friends and colleagues. I am thankful for our pets. I am grateful for my wife and stepdaughters. I am grateful for the little moments.

Our lives are composed of a string of moments. Moments where we feel something profound. That moment we blow out the candles on our birthday cake. A moment when we kiss someone for the first time. A moment of cuddling with a glass of wine and some cheese, with romantic music playing in the background. The moment you get a promotion. The moment you enjoy the quiet while you read a good book. We store these moments, like photos in an album, or pieces of newspaper clippings in a scrapbook. It’s these little moments that comprise our lives and what we remember when we reminisce about the great moments in our lives.

I don’t remember a lot about my childhood, but I remember the important moments that were meaningful. I moment when I was in the back of the family car waiting for my Dad to get off work. It was my birthday, and I was so happy and loved that I hugged my Mom from the back seat and cried because I was so happy in that moment. It was a moment that still affects me today. I remember these moments because the meaningful ones, filled with emotion, are the ones we hang on to. We never forget them.

While on vacation I neglect most of my to-dos to get a breather. I enjoy taking time off from my day-to-day things and just watch shows or play games or read. It is a nice respite from my daily routines. It keeps things fresh. I’ll be on vacation until Saturday and then I’m back to it. I hope all of you are having a great week. If you haven’t done this before, take a few moments and think about what you are grateful for in your life. It is a nice exercise that puts things into perspective.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Bonus Content – Happy Easter!

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Easter, family, Friends, Holiday, Relaxation, Religious, vacation, Worship

Today is Easter! For those of you who celebrate, I wish you a terrific Easter Sunday! I love holidays because it’s the one time during the year we can celebrate together with family and friends. My sister is visiting and Dad and I are having a great time with her. My Mom is in Minneapolis this weekend for ECKANKAR’s Springtime Seminar. She enjoys going to the major seminars to reconnect with friends she has made on Facebook and to pitch in on discussion round tables that are held at these events.

I wish all of you a terrific day wherever you are in the world. If you have any Easter memories to share, please do so in the comments below.

Until next time…

Dave

 

Daily Ramblings – Bonus Content

Tags

Bandersnatch, family, Netflix, Relaxation, Sister, vacation

I’m up late and felt like writing a bit.

It was a great four days spending time with my sister at her new place. We ate some steaks, watched television shows, and relaxed. It was a great time hanging out with my sister.

We watched a movie that was awesome. The title was Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. If you haven’t watched this film yet I highly recommend it. This movie allows you, the consumer, to make choices with your TV controller throughout the film which affect the outcomes of the movie. It was so much fun!

I hope all of you had a nice day off yesterday with the Martin Luther King Holiday. We’re scheduled to get some more snow tomorrow. It’ll be a nice slow drive home. I am really loving the snow right now. It is so clean, crisp, and awesome outside. The sky, the last few days was so clear.

Well, that’s it for now. I’ll get my Ted Talk posting up later today.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Phoenix – Day 12

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2136 trilogy, Amazon, Barbados, Netflix, Phoenix Trip, Relaxation, To-do List, vacation

My brother and nephew took off this morning for a week in Barbados. I have my brother’s house to myself and looking forward to just relaxing and doing nothing but knocking out my daily to-dos and watching some shows on Amazon and Netflix.

Yeah, I know. It’s lazy, but that is what vacations are for. I’m also going to get in some reading today. I’m reading the 2136 trilogy and for an Indy writer it is really good. Well, that’s it for today.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Phoenix – Day 10

Tags

Brunch, family, Friends, Fun times, Loved ones, Phoenix Trip, The Windsor, vacation

I met with one of my gal friends for lunch at The Windsor. It is a nice place with a active, bistro atmosphere. We had a great time catching up.

I have learned a few things about friendships since I’ve been back. Some say they want to meet and don’t. This was a good indication of who was really a friend and who was sort of a friend out of convenience.

Anyway, the gal I met with (I withhold names to protect their privacy), was so nice to talk to. I like hearing other people’s stories and the things they have had to deal with. I find it really interesting to hear other people’s stories because their experience is so unique. There are always lessons to learn, insights to gain, and connecting with someone is really nice.

Anyway, the food was amazing. I had an Egg Benedict and a Bloody Mary. We talked for a few hours. It was a really nice time and I will try to hang out with her again before I leave Phoenix on the 13th.

Now I am back home, hanging out with my brother. We’ll get back to playing Shadow of the Tomb Raider and hanging out. He got sick a few days ago and is fighting either a cold or the flu but he is getting over it. He is headed to Barbados on the 11th with his son for some vacation. I’ll be staying at his place while he’s gone.

Well, that’s it for today, folks.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Phoenix – Day 9

Tags

Beer, family, Friends, Good company, Good Food, Phoenix, Scotch, vacation

Yesterday, my brother and I played some more video games. We also finished up the series Patriot on Amazon. Last night we connected with some friends and met up at one of our favorite cigar bars. I had a beer called Pie Hole Port. I ordered this simply because I liked the name.

It was great reconnecting with my friend who is a computer programmer. I really enjoyed last night. My brother and I also went to one of our favorite restaurants for dinner. He had fried chicken, while I had the meatloaf. It was really yummy!

Today, I’ll be meeting with one of my old managers for lunch. Then it’s back home to work through Shadow of the Tomb Raider some more.

It’s raining in Phoenix. This is typical this time of year. Arizonans welcome the rains because they are a welcome respite from the heat of summer and fall.

Until next time…

Dave