The Road to Lifestyle

"I hope I have a robot to remember important things for me when I get old and a monkey to tie my shoes."  - Laura Ceville :)

Only God can turn a MESS into a message, a TEST into a testimony, a TRIAL into a triumph, a VICTIM into a victory. I like the message! The Road to Lifestyle received its 3,000th hit today! :) Yay blog! :)

So Happy...

The almighty Oreo turned 100 this month! The Oreo was born on 6 March 1912 at the National Biscuit Co. bakery in Manhattan NY. Happy Belated Birthday Oreo! To read more about this momentous occasion click on the cookie below!

"Sometimes you must shed your skin to save it." - Emma Donoghue, Kissing the Witch , Old Tales in New Skins

Perched above a desperate face, Strain shakes the fractured moment. Silky fingers reaching up again, Mad canvas of nature's delicious muted consciousness. Color between the edge of desire and ecstasy. The pursuit, the torch of life, Its claim, its comfort, Its active pretension. The vanity of vaporous thoughts. The yenta is silent. - Laura Ceville, 12 March 2002

A haiku... 12 March 2002... edna woke and cooked bacon while her husband dreamed of forgotten loves - Laura Ceville

"Hi.  I hope you are having a great day.  I hope that the happiness inside of you is bubbling over like a simmering pot of stew.  Happiness stew.  My light at the end of the tunnel today is being able to see you.  I can't wait.  Bye." - Message from a Friend, 2004

Happy Sunday Everyone! We have some daffodils in the backyard!

I took my "The God" post from 26 October 2011 and made it into a movie using Xtranormal ... it was super fast and super easy... and free... :) THE God by: cevillely

St. Patrick depicted in a stained glass window at St. Benin's Church, Ireland I hope you have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day filled with: Green Wine,  Green Beer, Green Eggs and Ham, Green Socks,  ... or whatever catches your green fancy!

On of my favorite cartoons from when I was a child...  ENJOY! :)

James Byron Dean "Growing old beats the alternative.  Dying young looks good only in movies." - Regina Brett

Ever dined at The Reserve Restaurant & Bar at Kalahari in Sandusky OH? PORTOBELLO CRAB CAKE Marinated and grilled Portobello mushroom stuffed with a flaky grilled crabcake is laced with sauce remoulade and set atop sautéed fresh spinach, applewood smoked bacon and sweet onion. **This was excellent!  When we asked the waitress what their most popular appetizer was she mentioned the "crab cake."  Taking her for her word I did not look at the menu to see what else was in store for us.  Y-U-M-M-Y!** Next up!   THE SOUP SAMPLER A trio of soups including Loaded Chili, Baked French Onion, and the signature soup of the day. ** Their "soup of the day" was a Beer Cheese soup.  I found the Baked French Onion to be a bit too sweet for my liking... the Beer Cheese was forgettable... but the Loaded Chili was outstanding! ** And the pièce de résistance:  KING OF STEAKS NEW YORK STRIP **This is my favorite steak and was paired with what were supposed to be corn c

"If you aspire to be someone else, you will fail.  The world already has them.  The world needs you." - Regina Brett

"The 8 Levels of Giving" by Jewish philosopher Maimonides ...as shared in Regina Brett's Be the Miracle:  50 Lessons for Making the Impossible Possible : 8.  Give, but give grudgingly. 7.  Give with a smile, but give less than you should. 6.  Give an adequate amount, but only after asked. 5.  Give before anyone asks. 4.  Give when you don't know the recipient. 3.  Give anonymously so the recipient doesn't know who gave. 2.  Give when giver and receiver are anonymous to each other. 1.  Give time, education, or money so that the receiver becomes self-sufficient.

Chrissie Wellington competes during the Challenge Roth triathlon in July in Roth, Germany. In the article "Ironman Champ:  Train Your Brain, Then Your Body," four-time World Ironman champion Chrissie Wellington shares her insights into how to conquer the Ironman , and more importantly yourself.   The following eight points are just as applicable to life as they are to racing: 1.  Have a mantra and/or special song to repeat 2.  Keep a bank of positive mental images 3.  Practice visualization beforehand 4.  Break the race up into smaller, more manageable segments 5.  Remember that training is about learning to hurt 6.  Get people to support you 7.  Mentally recall inspirational people 8.  Consider racing for a cause that is bigger than yourself Chrissie's new book, A Life Without Limits , is set to release in the US on 15 May 2012.

Braden was quoted in Speed News Magazine !   He actually had a lot to say.... see pages 48-49! They spelled his first name Brandon instead of Braden...  But he's still a Childers! :)

"If you want to accomplish the impossible, get busy on the possible." "... I think of that line from Alice in Wonderland when the young girl says, 'There is no use trying; one can't believe impossible things,' to which the White Queen replies, 'I daresay you haven't had much practice.  When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day.  Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." You can cure fear with action, "...by getting busy on the possible, no matter how impossible it seems." Quotes from Be the Miracle:  50 Lessons for Making the Impossible Possible by Regina Brett

"Dogs are Zen Masters.  They know when to eat, sleep, chase, and chill."  - Regina Brett, From Be the Miracle:  50 Lessons for Making the Possible Impossible   Bohdi the Lodge Dog

Ro "drove around with a license plate that read:  LUVUALL." She believed "we're all spiritual beings having human experiences, that we're on earth to learn how to love, to take life spiritually, not personally."  "She never stopped teaching." "She was like the grand finale of fireworks." "She was a spirtual superhero.  She walked through walls." "Ro only grew younger as she aged." Her Ro-isms included: "Hard is okay.  You can do hard." "It's not impossible.  It's just life." "If it was supposed to be different, it would be." "Everything is okay.  In this second, everything is perfect." For Ro, "It was never, 'You will be okay.' It was always, 'You are okay." ...It was.  And it is... Excerpts from Be the Miracle:  50 Lessons for Making the Impossible Possible by Regina Brett

Awesome paper art by Yulia Brodskaya ! These are some of my favorites...

Everyone should read! :) Food art by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers ...

I thought this would be torturous for the poor Blue Jays... but apparently, they are more than equipped to handle the challenge! :)

Megaphone from RACOON_STUDIO on Vimeo . Megaphones (made for the iPhone) by Italian designers Isabella Lovero and Enrico Bosa of En & Is Design

"Poverty is the only burden which is not lightened by being shared with others."  - Jean Paul Richter

On our Friday national call, Barry Clarkson discussed how to communicate as a leader.  He touched on the need to become a student of human nature.  According to Barry, you must realize 10 common traits: 1.  People are quick to jump to conclusions. 2.  People are skeptical--they suffer from the "shaft" syndrome. 3.  People procrastinate--the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. 4.  Most people dream of having great wealth. 5.  People are curious. 6.  People don't think they can sell. 7.  People don't like insurance salesmen--they rank either right before or right after car salesmen. 8.  Most people would love to be their own boss. 9.  Most people would love to have their own business, BUT __fill-in-the-blank__. 10.  Most people doubt that they ever could or would. If you realize these commonalities in your prospective recruits you can be a more effective communicator.  Couple this knowledge with honesty and drop the propensity to exaggerate the opportunity, i.e.

"They say money doesn't make you happy but I'd rather cry in a mansion than I would a double-wide." - Barry Clarkson Vs.

  I Choose... to live by choice, not by chance; to make changes, not excuses; to be motivated, not manipulated; to be useful, not used; to excel, not compete. I choose self-esteem, not self pity. I choose to listen to my inner voice, not the random opinion of others. Amen!