Archive for the ‘Jessy's Thoughts’ Category

I want to say “YES!” and “Soon!”  We all have been swamped with life.  But you know, there is something great about that.  It means we have friends, family, pets, adventures, a job, challenges, all that use our time…and hopefully a lot of fun gets in the mix of it all.  New posts will hopefully make the list too!

So excited about the new Wind Turbine I had to take a pic on my iPhone while sitting in traffic!

Not only does Kaddy Car Wash kick butt at washing cars, but the owner of this establishment is doing his part to keep this earth clean and is now starting to run the business partly on clean energy.   First off, Kaddy Car Wash reclaims the runoff from the car washing process to keep it from going into our natural water sources.  Secondly, Kaddy Car Wash cleans your car with quality, environmentally friendly products to help the earth and your car.  And Thirdly, and this is so cool, Kaddy Car Wash just installed a WIND TURBINE at the Andresen street location in Vancouver, WA.  I highly recommend any one in the Vancouver, WA are to go check it out, get your car washed and say thank you to the winds for contributing to your shiny car!  And thank you, Chuck Kaddy, for this cool addition!   

Another great gift idea!!  Trees for Life. 

Check out www.treesforlife.org  This organization is helping our world, fighting poverty and world hunger by educating and giving resourceful items, such as fruit bearing trees.  You get to give gifts of empowerment to needed communities.  I want to write more, however, their site is so full of information, it tells it how it is.  Below I give many links so you can check it out!

Go to the Catalog of Gifts and you can purchase a life giving tree (10 trees for $10! what a DEAL), books for the community to educate and empower them, Moringa Trees also known as the Miracle Tree (which is not only highly nutritious, but may also cure up to 300 diseases), help build a library or learning center, etc, the list of items goes on!  I love this site.  I think it is super exciting that we can do this all over the internet.   Plus, what a perfect match for In Honor Of!   You can do all these plus more as gifts, in honor of a friend or family member. 

Keep in mind….This is a fantastic idea to give this as a gift to your child’s teacher who probably has a billion coffee mugs already!

Any readers may recal a post I wrote about the North Beach Paws in Ocean Shores, Wa.  It is just one of the many fabulous groups who help save animals, love them til they are healthy and adopt them out.  I just received an email from Lois regarding a new tenant named Angel.  She is very unhealthy and needs lots of treatment and love or this could be fatal for her. 

If you are looking for one more source to help this holiday season, please consider Angel.  Information on how to help with Angel’s vet costs is within her story at the North Beach Paws site.  Below is Lois’s plea.

Letter from Lois:
Dear Friends, Family and Neighbors,
 
Lee and I volunteer for the local North Beach PAWS organization.  Friday morning we went to the kennels to care for the dogs.  We discovered a new dog that was just rescued by our volunteers and given the name Angel.  Angel is going to require many vet visits and medicine in order to first survive, and then be spayed and vaccinated before she can be available for adoption.  Angel’s story is on Petfinder.com.  Select “dog” and give “98569″ as a zip code and that site will take you to the animals of North Beach PAWS.  Read Angel’s story.
 
It isn’t like to me ask this kind of thing, but she so deserves to live.  All of you are animal lovers.  That’s how you made my list.   Times are tough right now and it’s almost Christmas as well.  However, if you are touched by Angel’s story and would consider a donation to help pay for her medical needs, please send a check to North Beach PAWS c/o Linda Ready, P. O. Box 962, Ocean Shores, WA 98569.  Be sure to state the donation is for Angel’s medical needs.  No amount is too small.
 
I promise not to make a habit of asking for money.  I feel rather like the adds on television, but this little girl just touches my heart and I want to try to help her.
 
Lois Schuster

To those who do not live in Washington State or who did not catch the national news last week, on November 29th, a tragic and unfortunate event took place in Lakewood, WA.  4 police officers lost their lives to a guman who entered the coffee shop where they sat, and took their lives.  The story is horrific for the families, the community and for all of our working heroes. 

To help the families of these 4, the restaurant chain Papa John’s will be doing a fundraiser.  So to all Washington readers, on Tuesday, 12/08/09 and Wednesday, 12/09/09, fourty of  Western Washington Papa Johns Pizza restaurants in KING, PIERCE , THURSTON and KITSAP COUNTIES are donating their profits to the families of the Officers in Lakewood. 

From what I understand, you need to mention you heard about the fundraiser and would like to participate through your pizza order.  I hope they stay true to this!  Let’s see if they do and have a pizza next Tuesday and Wednesday!  So if you are in King, Pierce, Thurston and Kitsap County, remember to check it out!

Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberries and pie.  All worthy of being honored! 

For my family, Thanksgiving can consist of 2-4 thanksgiving dinners all held between 1 to 2 weekends in November.  Lots of driving, lots of artichoke dip, lots of eating.  So when I think of Thanksgiving, the appreciation of the food depreciates just a tiny bit, however, my appreciation for my family grows.  Sadly, without Thanksgiving I do not know how much I would get to see some of these family members.  The holidays get busy, but I never regret taking the time to see my loved ones for Turkey Day.  How lucky are we to have so much family near us to be able to see most if not all for the holidays. 

I want to say thank you to all my family for taking the time to meet together, eat together, drink together.  One feast on the Schuster side has been devoured!  This year, just one more to go.  My love to you all!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU READERS!

One picture says it all.  Fresh eggs waiting to be gathered, sitting 30 steps from the backdoor.  In Honor Of urban chickens and the eggs they lay….I want to say thank you!  Who would have known, that I, someone nervous around all things that fly, would come to like having chickens in my backyard and all the benefits that come along with them, besides the fresh eggs.  So to our special ladies, Josephine, Marshmellow, General Grievous, Tula & Apple “Great job so far.  We appreciate your hard work!”

For anyone interested in urban chickens, check out the 2 links above for great information!

I go in phases during the year where I remember to visit this website daily and wish I remembered all year.  I hope by posting this on InHonorOf I can remind and inspire others to spend 1 minute every day, to go to the website and get Click Happy.  It’s easy.  Go to the Breast Cancer Site , then click where it says “Click Here to Give- It’s Free”.  And voila!…you helped raise money for breastcancer research.  But better yet, click on the Hunger, Child Health, Literacy, Rainforest and Animal Rescue tabs on the top and do it for each organization.  It’s easy and really works!  Get Click Happy!

We have GREAT neighbors.  Actually, FABULOUS neighbors.  And I can say this with conviction. 

This late spring, Todd and I along with our good friends/neighbors, Taryn and Judson, decided we need to get to know our neighborhood community better.  On the street we live on, Maple Avenue, there tends to be a pretty constant flow of walkers.  Some we know, some we do not.  So we decided to start a weekly, casual, family friendly gathering in our front yards on Maple Avenue in order to meet these walkers, flag them down, and to just hang out with our neighbors.  Not only would good conversation with us keep these neighbors gathered, but also a featured cocktail to quench their thirst.  And on our first night of doing so, thanks to the fabulous pitcher of margaritas us 4 shared, we officialy named our group…C.O.M.A., which stands for Cocktails on Maple Avenue. 

Since then, there were I believe 7 more C.O.M.A. meetings.  One a week, usually on a Friday,  from the first week of summer (June 21st) to Labor Day Weekend (with a couple skipped meetings due to schedule conflicts or the threat of rain).  Our first C.O.M.A. meeting was with only us 4 founding members.  Unbelievably, NO WALKERS came by that evening!  But each week since the beginning, the C.O.M.A. “membership” grew due more to word of mouth than by grabbing someone passing by.  At least 1 new person came each week.  And soon, one neighbor, Rusty, hooked us up with a Cocktail Flag to sail on the day of C.O.M.A. so that we knew which house it would be held at that evening!

I have come to know that I have some lovely, entertaining, delightful, and very fun neighbors of all ages.  I feel lucky to have them all as my neighbors.  I am happy they have gotten to know my children better.  I know they will look out for my family’s safety and I will do the same for theirs.  This is a wonderful community I live in.  Thank you to all who came to C.O.M.A., whether it is was one time or many times.  I truly appreciate you all taking the time to say hi, to get to know each other a little better and of course, to have a cocktail on Maple Avenue!

So (in no particular order and sorry for any mis-spellings) here is a one last “CHEERS!” to Taryn & Judson, Vicki & Peter, Jeanne & Mike, Chelyncia & Tim, Jeff & Kathy, Liz and Jeff, Gail and Gary, Zack & Rusty, John & Kris, Dawn, Earl & Rebekkah, April, Kris E., the out-of-the-neighborhood friends who also stopped by and to my husband Todd (plus the 11 kids that come with this group!).  Til next summer!

My family and I just got back from a quick visit to my Dad’s in Ocean Shores, WA  the other weekend.  We boated, we fished, we cooked smores over a fire, we went to the beach and had a fabulous time.  But one thing that stood out to me on our visit, was the glowing effect that took over my Dad, Le, and his wife, Lois as they spoke of their volunteer work they do at the North Beach PAWS.  These two are dog lovers, but I swear, they are even more so after volunteering here at the no-kill shelter.  Their smiles beam as they speak of the dogs that have touched their hearts. 

I learned of Satch, a wolfhound mix, who is up for adoption.  He sounds smart.  Wicked smart.  He not only knows how to open gate latches, but he plays soccer and will pass the soccer ball.  If he doesn’t pass the soccer ball right back to you, he goes and gets it to do it right.  This sounds fabulous!  His soccer skills will definitely out-shine his escape artist talent and find him a good home.

From poop pick-up, interior re-design, kicking or throwing the ball around, socializing the dogs, to building a “freedom fence” to supply the dogs with a spacious outdoor play area, my Dad and Lois along with the other volunteers at the North Beach PAWS need to be recognized and HONORED.  PAWS educates the community, promotes spaying and neutering of cats and dogs, seeks justice for animals who have been abused and provides a welcoming shelter for cats and dogs needing homes.  The list goes on. 

Freedom Fence Complete!

Puppies Waiting to Play!

Thank you for making these animals lives that much better.  Thank you for loving them and giving them the respect a living creature on our earth deserves.  I feel the pride radiate through your stories and know that the North Beach PAWS have some very special people supporting them.  I cannot volunteer alongside, but definitely hope to take a personal tour alongside 2 awesome volunteers and plan on being a supportive donator through monetary donations and/or providing items based off of their wishlist.  Anyone interested in helping the North Beach PAWS can do so off of their website.

Sincere compliments can do amazing things for people.  For me, one single compliment is bringing me back to my spin class after a long vacation from it. 

Since riding the STP, I have slacked in going back to the spin class at the gym.  I’ve been going to the gym, just not to spin class since my training is complete.  Well, I finally went to the class this week and let me tell you, I was SUCKIN’ air, big time.  It hurt.  My legs were like cement, my form felt weak, I felt slouched over with a wussy core and it was just plain hard.  I was done with the class mentally, way before time was up.  I was just constantly hacking myself  in my mind, annoyed that I had lost my biking endurance and form and just felt lame.  It was a boxing match in my head and Negative Nancy had won. 

And magically, here is where the compliment came…after class the instructor and I crossed paths and he took the moment to stop me and my badgering little buddy in me head, to tell me….”You have Great Form.” 

What?  Great form?  Really….Ok…..Cool.  Oh ya, that’s right.  I’ll be back next week.

Ofcourse, like for everything else in life, there is the argument against the positive.  In this case, it is said that compliments can be detrimental, unhelpful, unconstructive especially if they are quick to be said and usually about appearance and not something else with more substance regarding the person.  It is argued that there is an effective way to compliment.  Some people simply don’t care for them. 

I understand it all, but sometimes it pays off to just be “dumb and happy”, skip the annalytical pieces of a compliment and surf the happy wave.   I side more with ”The Compliment Guys”.  They are 2 guys who attend Purdue University who decided to actively give out compliments on campus, just trying to spread some cheer.  They just finished with a 10-city Brightside Tour supported by Kodak aimed completely at giving compliments!  I love it!  

“I can live for two months on a good compliment.”  Mark Twain

I know I could write this as a comment to Jenny Johnson’s Disneyland’s Eco-Efforts post, however, I could not stand the chance that my comment would be missed by others.  Therefore, I decided to dedicate my newest honor post to Jenny as she has changed my life for the better! 

Thank you Jenny for challenging me to stop using paper and plastic grocery bags as I have not only completed the challenge of using re-usable totes for 21-days, but have continued it forward as it has now become second nature to bring my own bags.  Granted, frustrating times at the grocery checkout lines have come where I realized I did not pack my bags and instead re-loaded all the bought groceries into the giant cart to only unload them individually into the car and unload them again individually in my house.  But the thing is, even though I was annoyed, I still did not waste another bag by taking it home from the grocer!  I’ve tried this re-usable tote thing in the past and never followed through with it.  Now, I cannot imagine going back to paper or plastic!  Thank you again, Jenny!

Faboosh (for Fabulous).  Crackalackin’ (as said by Marty the Zebra in the movie Madagascar).  Fo shizzle (Snoop Dog).  Redunkulous (for Rediculous). I love them all.   

I am one who likes to make up words when I am in convo with someone (I totally thought I made up convo, but then found it online).  Usually it is when I am talking with my husband, in a normal conversation and I am spitting out words and wind up making up a word (Not always on purpose.   It is just what comes out sometimes, when I am on a roll and my words keep flowing, but my mouth speaks faster than my brain is thinking for a brief moment) and my husband always stops me and raises an eyebrow to the word I just used.  My simple and logical response to him is,  “Use your intelligence”.  He should be able to figure out my word, my point, and what I mean because I totally know what I am trying to say and in my head at the moment it makes absolute sense and is an absolute perfect word to be used.  So….In Honor Of people who like to make up words, I want to give some credit where credit is due.  Made Up words don’t always make sense, but they make me smile!

Thoughts?  And other favorites?

This last weekend Todd and I, plus 2 friends of ours participated in the 30th Annual Seattle to Portland Bike Ride along side 9,996 other riders.  So, In Honor Of the 10,000 bicyclists out on the road for the STP, I want to give a Whoot Whoot!  A Yee Haw!  A Hell Ya!… for pedaling those pedals for the 202 miles in 2 days and some doing it in just 1 day. 

It was an awesome experience to see riders of all ages (age 5 or possibly younger to 85 or higher), of all body types, on all different types of bikes (unicycles, mountain bikes, road bikes, tandem bikes) all voluntarily signing up for good HEALTH!  The energy is positive as this article in the Seattle Times presents so well, the STP Support Team from beginning to end is faboosh (my new favorite word for fabulous, thank you Perez), and the best part of all for my experience was doing it with my husband, Todd, and friends, Judson and John.  They kept me laughing, pedaling and attempting to sing along to Judson’s 1-man mobile karaoke band.  I not only want to do it again, I am excited to do it again.  Any volunteers for babysitting next year during the training? 

And I MUST say thank you to all of our babysitters, Jenny, Ashley and Nana Jill, who came to watch our babes while we trained and rode our booties off, thank you to my kids for supporting their parents in having a fun adventure together, thank you to the STP staff for all the cliff bars, water and porta-potties a girl could want, and thank you to my Facebook entourage who followed me on my journey through my statuses and kept cheering me on through their comments!  I highly recommend the STP to all, but just don’t take my spot!

The joy of having kids also brings many bugs your way….the germ bugs.  For the past week plus, I’ve been battling the family sickness, dare I say flu, and have ben trying to hold this house together as Todd and the kids have been sick.  (I have yet to catch the demon-germ!!)  Therefore, I have slacked a bit in promoting this site and honoring what’s great around this world.  I will however, be back on track soon!  The STP is this weekend and Todd and I are still planning on doing it (he better get healthy and not give it to me) and I am sure I am going to find plenty to honor on that 202 mile trip on my bike.  It will probably start with honoring the incredible invention of the car!

A quick THANK YOU to all of you, family, friends, and the un-known site visitors, who have helped spread the word of our blog!  It is exciting and yet daunting, when trying to get the word out.  Sometimes it seems too intimidating to continue on thinking “why are we doing this, who’s really going to read this?”, so I want to let you all know, I really appreciate the help and support in passing out this website address and for the words of encouragement.

And just a reminder…..a challenge is still left open!  Anyone want to sign up to be the 6th and last person of the challenge to watch the President’s weekly video address?  Anyone?

My mind took a break, a hiatus, from the forward thinking of “in honor of” and it sucks!
When I did my first honoree post for my mom, I was instantly thinking of what I could do next for an honoree page.  So soon after I felt like honoring smiles.  Guess what?  I was then excited to do another one!  It was a healthy contagious thought process in which I would think about what to honor next, instead of getting caught up in thinking about all the things I didn’t accomplish today as a stay-at-home mom, or thinking about an never ending pile of laundry, or the next grocery shopping trip. 
But then it happened.  The un-needed hiatus from positive thinking.  I let my mind go back to the crazy daily thoughts that un-satisfyingly fill up my mind.  So it is time for me to consciously change my thoughts and bring back the exploding positive power of thinking about what is good.  And at first it has to be a conscious choice to start.  But then, believe me, it is really interesting how your mind then starts to continually focus on the good, not the bad, as you purposely train your thought process.   I am so ready to begin again.

“Change your thoughts and change your world.” – Norman Vincent Pearle

Todd is coaxing Jenny and I to just do it.  This may not be the final product for the website we have planned, but that does not mean we can’t start our Honoree Pages.  And so Todd is right (he doesn’t always hear that from us).  We are going to start posting our Honoree Pages dedicated to Giving to the world, or Inspiring us to do something for a positive change, or simply to Honor someone, some company, or something.   THE WORLD NEEDS TO KNOW!
And if any of you reading this blog decide you would like to have an Honoree Page posted to get the word out to the world…let us know!  We are here to help.  That is our goal.

Sometimes I think I come off as a nonchalant, go with the flow, non-analytical person because I don’t care to get into deeply heated discussions.  But it’s a front. I care a lot.  I have been searching to find that starting point in me, in the world, that lights my fire so that I can help blow out others that are damaging our children, other cultures, our world.  And all of a sudden, there was a spark…THIS IS IT!!  In Honor Of.  When my husband, Todd told me of this idea, I knew I had to be a part of it.  I couldn’t get away from it in my mind!  I immediately stated that if they could see me helping in any way possible, please, let me.
In Honor Of was the initial idea of Jenny, who then approached Todd, who then shared it with me, and my brain envisioned the amazing domino effect this is going to have.  Daily my mind excitedly drifts to In Honor Of and actively thinks about honoring a family member, or inspiring a group of people, and giving to the world WHILE cataloging it online for the world to know.  To break the negativity that can easily be passed on and instead share the CHANGE that can happen, is happening, all over this world to make it a healthy place to live, nurture and grow.  People NEED to know.  It’s time …I am excited!!

And to Jenny and Todd,

I am deeply appreciative to you both for letting my life take this path with you.  Thank you for inspiring me…the spark that will soon help the world!