I am a Christian! I believe this is the most important distinction I can use! How about you? Do you have a faith to lean on? Are you searching for meaning in your life? There are three words that come to mind today - GOD IS LOVE. Oh, and how about these three? HE IS RISEN!
When we go through Holy Week, we are reminded that it started with great exultation. Next we are amongst Jesus' friends who are destined to betray him. We pray that we may be spared from the punishment that is meant to come. We watch as our Lord is beaten and crucified. We experience the darkness that followed. And then we are given the most glorious gift that God can give. We awake to Eternal Life! HE IS RISEN, and He loves us!
I think this Holy week is a parallel to our own lives. Each of us is celebrated upon our birth. We go through our lives with friends that may betray us. We might be the betrayers ourselves. We pray that we might be spared from a punishment that might banish us from Heaven. We all experience times of darkness in our lives. And then we are given the most glorious gift that God can give. We awake to the knowledge that we will have Eternal Life! HE IS RISEN, and He loves us!
My hope for each of you is that you understand that we must go through the darkness to get to the Light - and what a glorious Light it is!! Our journey going forward is to SPREAD THE WORD - that all it takes is those other three words: GOD LOVES US!
Many Easter Blessings to you and your families!
Sharon
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Back in business - rants and raves!
Well, it's been two weeks since I posted and I've got a lot to talk about! I had to start making a list so I wouldn't forget what's been on my mind. So, let me go back a week or so... to elections.
Will someone please tell me why we had to pay for two separate elections in my area - just 2 weeks apart? Everyone's always griping about spending - and we do this? My ballot had ONE issue on it the second election. ONE! I just can't stand the fact that we can't get ourselves together to have just ONE election day to pay for! Alright - that was my first rant!
How about a RAVE!? Do any of you watch "Army Wives"? I love this show! I wanted to just give a shout out to the writers, for starters. This season has been so real (at least to a civilian) - more so than even the past seasons I loved. The depth of emotion from these characters is wonderful. The next shout out - and the MOST IMPORTANT - is to the actual men and women who bravely serve our country. They only represent about 1% of the population, but what amazing sacrafices they make for the other 99%! I am humbled by the service of these individuals and hope to find a way to do my part to help them. I know that the First Lady and Jill Biden are working with a cause to help military families - JoiningForces.gov I'll have to try to find some opportunities for service there.
I've been busy working on launching a new business. I'm finalizing a website and getting all of my ducks in a row. I've wanted to find some legitimate online business opportunities for several years now. My mom has been finding different programs for us to investigate, but none have been a good fit for either her or me. Until now... I have found a couple of different things that are so easy - one is FREE - that I can't wait to get my site up and share it with you all! I've been on such a huge learning curve over the last few months - I'm trying to take the hard part away from those of you who may be interested in a home-based business yourselves. It can be a daunting task to learn how everything works online - and can be expensive. I didn't want to be selling something in the healthcare/beauty industry (that's just not for me) and I didn't want to have to beg friends and family to have parties, etc. But I HAVE done that. Not anymore! These business opportunities are actually fun and easy. Stay tuned for more in a couple of days on this matter.
So, I'll save another rant and rave (lots left on my list) for tomorrow.
Until then.... I'm thankful I live in a country where I can have the opinions I have!
Sharon
Will someone please tell me why we had to pay for two separate elections in my area - just 2 weeks apart? Everyone's always griping about spending - and we do this? My ballot had ONE issue on it the second election. ONE! I just can't stand the fact that we can't get ourselves together to have just ONE election day to pay for! Alright - that was my first rant!
How about a RAVE!? Do any of you watch "Army Wives"? I love this show! I wanted to just give a shout out to the writers, for starters. This season has been so real (at least to a civilian) - more so than even the past seasons I loved. The depth of emotion from these characters is wonderful. The next shout out - and the MOST IMPORTANT - is to the actual men and women who bravely serve our country. They only represent about 1% of the population, but what amazing sacrafices they make for the other 99%! I am humbled by the service of these individuals and hope to find a way to do my part to help them. I know that the First Lady and Jill Biden are working with a cause to help military families - JoiningForces.gov I'll have to try to find some opportunities for service there.
I've been busy working on launching a new business. I'm finalizing a website and getting all of my ducks in a row. I've wanted to find some legitimate online business opportunities for several years now. My mom has been finding different programs for us to investigate, but none have been a good fit for either her or me. Until now... I have found a couple of different things that are so easy - one is FREE - that I can't wait to get my site up and share it with you all! I've been on such a huge learning curve over the last few months - I'm trying to take the hard part away from those of you who may be interested in a home-based business yourselves. It can be a daunting task to learn how everything works online - and can be expensive. I didn't want to be selling something in the healthcare/beauty industry (that's just not for me) and I didn't want to have to beg friends and family to have parties, etc. But I HAVE done that. Not anymore! These business opportunities are actually fun and easy. Stay tuned for more in a couple of days on this matter.
So, I'll save another rant and rave (lots left on my list) for tomorrow.
Until then.... I'm thankful I live in a country where I can have the opinions I have!
Sharon
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Something you may never have thought of...
Today, I'm talking about something you may have never thought of... eating out for FREE! For about 10 years now, I have been a Mystery Shopper. You may have seen emails about this or a small ad in the newspaper about shopping or eating out for free. I'm here to tell you that it does exist, and it is real!
So what exactly is Mystery Shopping? There are hundreds of online companies that hire customers to write about an experience at a retailer or restaurant. Sometimes you are simply reimbursed for the meal(s) you bought. Sometimes you receive just a few dollars for a shop that doesn't require you to make a purchase. Sometimes you get both a fee (taxable) and a reimbursement (not taxable). All you have to do is complete a report describing the experience. That's it.
I have had SO many different shops over the years in SO many different industries. I have eaten at every type of restaurant from Taco Bell on up to The American Restaurant. I have taken pictures of toilets at convenience stores. Yes, that's true! I don't really do many of the shops requiring photos anymore, but with the fact that everyone pretty much has a camera on their phone - it's really easy to do! I used to use a tiny camera that fits in the palm of your hand - about the size of a package of gum. I have loads of funny stories about other customers reacting to seeing the camera. Very rarely did a store employee ever see this, but it happens occassionally.
Other types of shops I've completed are test drives at auto dealerships, hotel shops (where you stay overnight and review all the employees in different areas of the hotel), casinos (yes, I've gotten money to gamble with), automotive services (free oil change, car washes, etc.), bowling, movie theatres, and jewelry stores. I've shopped at Home Depot, Joann's Fabrics, Target, Walmart, JJill, Coach, KCI Airport, The US Post Office, Bed Bath & Beyond, Walgreens, and Harley Davidson. You name it, I've probably at LEAST shopped in the industry! It's been really fun, and I see no reason to really stop. At one point, I was registered with about 50 different companies, but now I'm concentrating mostly on the higher end shops. Having said that, I just did a shop at Taco Bell last week and have regularly eaten at Sonic.
You can't get rich on this type of employment (actually you act as an Independent Contractor), but you absolutely can eat out regularly for FREE! Most companies will require you to pay for the meal and then reimburse you. Most use PayPal to get you your money. Some use direct deposit, while others send you a check. I have NEVER, once, had ANY problems getting paid. It's easier once you have been with a company for awhile, because you start getting paid regularly and it doesn't feel like you're putting out money up front anymore. Sometimes the reports can be a bit "hairy" - I'd suggest starting with shops on the low end so you don't have a high-end restaurant report denied. I think maybe once in my 10 years I've had a shop completely rejected, but fortunately it wasn't one where I had to purchase anything, so I was just out for my time.
I hope this has been interesting to you - it's been fun for me and I'm off to The Capitale Grill on the Plaza for dinner... with a $150 budget! If you want to know more about the companies I work for, just email me at ShrnLT8-blog@yahoo.com. I'll hook you up.
So what exactly is Mystery Shopping? There are hundreds of online companies that hire customers to write about an experience at a retailer or restaurant. Sometimes you are simply reimbursed for the meal(s) you bought. Sometimes you receive just a few dollars for a shop that doesn't require you to make a purchase. Sometimes you get both a fee (taxable) and a reimbursement (not taxable). All you have to do is complete a report describing the experience. That's it.
I have had SO many different shops over the years in SO many different industries. I have eaten at every type of restaurant from Taco Bell on up to The American Restaurant. I have taken pictures of toilets at convenience stores. Yes, that's true! I don't really do many of the shops requiring photos anymore, but with the fact that everyone pretty much has a camera on their phone - it's really easy to do! I used to use a tiny camera that fits in the palm of your hand - about the size of a package of gum. I have loads of funny stories about other customers reacting to seeing the camera. Very rarely did a store employee ever see this, but it happens occassionally.
Other types of shops I've completed are test drives at auto dealerships, hotel shops (where you stay overnight and review all the employees in different areas of the hotel), casinos (yes, I've gotten money to gamble with), automotive services (free oil change, car washes, etc.), bowling, movie theatres, and jewelry stores. I've shopped at Home Depot, Joann's Fabrics, Target, Walmart, JJill, Coach, KCI Airport, The US Post Office, Bed Bath & Beyond, Walgreens, and Harley Davidson. You name it, I've probably at LEAST shopped in the industry! It's been really fun, and I see no reason to really stop. At one point, I was registered with about 50 different companies, but now I'm concentrating mostly on the higher end shops. Having said that, I just did a shop at Taco Bell last week and have regularly eaten at Sonic.
You can't get rich on this type of employment (actually you act as an Independent Contractor), but you absolutely can eat out regularly for FREE! Most companies will require you to pay for the meal and then reimburse you. Most use PayPal to get you your money. Some use direct deposit, while others send you a check. I have NEVER, once, had ANY problems getting paid. It's easier once you have been with a company for awhile, because you start getting paid regularly and it doesn't feel like you're putting out money up front anymore. Sometimes the reports can be a bit "hairy" - I'd suggest starting with shops on the low end so you don't have a high-end restaurant report denied. I think maybe once in my 10 years I've had a shop completely rejected, but fortunately it wasn't one where I had to purchase anything, so I was just out for my time.
I hope this has been interesting to you - it's been fun for me and I'm off to The Capitale Grill on the Plaza for dinner... with a $150 budget! If you want to know more about the companies I work for, just email me at ShrnLT8-blog@yahoo.com. I'll hook you up.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Family and Friends
I got to thinking after yesterday's blog that one thing that might be keeping us from staying in touch or being connected with old friends for many years is our FAMILIES.
Now, families can keep you distracted from life in both good ways and bad. We all have the family of origin - well I guess the majority of us do - and feel a need to be forever connected to them. How many of us go to activities with families out of an obligation, and THAT keeps us from having a large social group of friends. Do our new relationships as we age come from groups that include the parents of our children's friends? Or from our work environment? But how many of us exclude those groups because we think we should be focusing on our primary relationships with family?
I'm being more philisophical than making any statements. I just wonder whether our generation is still as connected with our families as we were 30 years ago, or are our primary (adult) relationships with friends. What is our priority outside of taking care of the kids? I, personally, have moved into being more connected with an aging parent than with friends. I'm not sure I prefer it that way, but that's the way it's played out in my life. I'm seeing more and more of my friends that are starting to think about aging parents and getting the kids through school, than I see of my adult friends maintaining those adult relationships.
They (whoever 'they' is) say that we are in the "sandwich generation" - where we have both our parents and our children to consider in making life decisions. There aren't that many good and economical options for caring for the older generation. Do any of you get stressed because of these decisions? Are you struggling with finances of both college tuition AND elder care? Since I don't have kids, I'm only on the elder care side of things. So far its working out fine, but longterm is what I get stressed about. I'm afraid I have truly allowed adult friendships and "fun" to be overshadowed by other life events and situations. I'm starting to rethink the priorities, but I'd like to know what others are thinking about these issues.
Now, I KNOW there are a lot of you reading this - I can see that on my blog files - but nobody has had any comments yet. SO, I'm just gonna keep on writing about whatever comes to mind, and hope you're enjoying at least some of it!
Until tomorrow....
Now, families can keep you distracted from life in both good ways and bad. We all have the family of origin - well I guess the majority of us do - and feel a need to be forever connected to them. How many of us go to activities with families out of an obligation, and THAT keeps us from having a large social group of friends. Do our new relationships as we age come from groups that include the parents of our children's friends? Or from our work environment? But how many of us exclude those groups because we think we should be focusing on our primary relationships with family?
I'm being more philisophical than making any statements. I just wonder whether our generation is still as connected with our families as we were 30 years ago, or are our primary (adult) relationships with friends. What is our priority outside of taking care of the kids? I, personally, have moved into being more connected with an aging parent than with friends. I'm not sure I prefer it that way, but that's the way it's played out in my life. I'm seeing more and more of my friends that are starting to think about aging parents and getting the kids through school, than I see of my adult friends maintaining those adult relationships.
They (whoever 'they' is) say that we are in the "sandwich generation" - where we have both our parents and our children to consider in making life decisions. There aren't that many good and economical options for caring for the older generation. Do any of you get stressed because of these decisions? Are you struggling with finances of both college tuition AND elder care? Since I don't have kids, I'm only on the elder care side of things. So far its working out fine, but longterm is what I get stressed about. I'm afraid I have truly allowed adult friendships and "fun" to be overshadowed by other life events and situations. I'm starting to rethink the priorities, but I'd like to know what others are thinking about these issues.
Now, I KNOW there are a lot of you reading this - I can see that on my blog files - but nobody has had any comments yet. SO, I'm just gonna keep on writing about whatever comes to mind, and hope you're enjoying at least some of it!
Until tomorrow....
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Staying in Touch
I got to thinking today about whether I'm the only one who hasn't really stayed in touch with old friends, or is it inevitable that we move on from relationships that started when we were growing up?
I had a nice "chat" with someone yesterday from my graduating class that I really didn't know all that well. He messaged me while I was on Facebook, and I was genuinely surprised! We started asking each other about each other's significant others in High School, and sort of pieced our memories together from there. It was interesting to me that he and I share so many common childhood events and we didn't really know each other at that time. Then those that I DO have memories of, I not even still in touch with.
I don't think it's because I've forgotten the bonds, or that I'm uninterested, I just think we've all moved in very different directions and simply drifted away from being so important to each other. When you're in the thick of High School (and even sometimes College) it seems as if you'll NEVER be out of your friends' lives. You have this deep connection because of the activities you've shared and the perspective of youth sees it as a life-long bond. I suppose in some cases it remains untouched, but mine have definitely drifted. I think when we see someone from the past again, the bonds are still there - sometimes feeling as though no time had passed. But that's not really the same and staying involved with those friends and seeing them through all the generations of life.
Another thing I find myself thinking about is that our perception of the way others see us is different from the way they REALLY see us. I think we perceive that we, ourselves, are the only one who's aged - gotten grey - put on a few pounds - when in reality, it's our age that makes us all see the PERSON we remember, and NOT the physicality. I could care less if someone is grey-headed, bald, overweight. But somehow I don't think we give others the credit for seeing US that way. Does that make sense?
I've been afraid to connect with others from the past because of what I THINK they'll see me as - rather than perhaps what they really see in me is ME - not the physical. I need to be able to accept myself more and trust that others are interested in reconnecting with me despite how I perceive my life and situation.
What do you think? I'm wondering what others are thinking about reconnecting with old friends - or are you all already connected and I'm just not a part of it?
Until tomorrow....
I had a nice "chat" with someone yesterday from my graduating class that I really didn't know all that well. He messaged me while I was on Facebook, and I was genuinely surprised! We started asking each other about each other's significant others in High School, and sort of pieced our memories together from there. It was interesting to me that he and I share so many common childhood events and we didn't really know each other at that time. Then those that I DO have memories of, I not even still in touch with.
I don't think it's because I've forgotten the bonds, or that I'm uninterested, I just think we've all moved in very different directions and simply drifted away from being so important to each other. When you're in the thick of High School (and even sometimes College) it seems as if you'll NEVER be out of your friends' lives. You have this deep connection because of the activities you've shared and the perspective of youth sees it as a life-long bond. I suppose in some cases it remains untouched, but mine have definitely drifted. I think when we see someone from the past again, the bonds are still there - sometimes feeling as though no time had passed. But that's not really the same and staying involved with those friends and seeing them through all the generations of life.
Another thing I find myself thinking about is that our perception of the way others see us is different from the way they REALLY see us. I think we perceive that we, ourselves, are the only one who's aged - gotten grey - put on a few pounds - when in reality, it's our age that makes us all see the PERSON we remember, and NOT the physicality. I could care less if someone is grey-headed, bald, overweight. But somehow I don't think we give others the credit for seeing US that way. Does that make sense?
I've been afraid to connect with others from the past because of what I THINK they'll see me as - rather than perhaps what they really see in me is ME - not the physical. I need to be able to accept myself more and trust that others are interested in reconnecting with me despite how I perceive my life and situation.
What do you think? I'm wondering what others are thinking about reconnecting with old friends - or are you all already connected and I'm just not a part of it?
Until tomorrow....
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
The very first one!
Hello everyone! I'm starting this blog for a couple of reasons. First, I wanted to address issues that are probably of interest to my generation (motivated by my 30th Class Reunion). Some of those topics: Marriage and Divorce, Retirement, Education (ourselves and our kids), Parenting, Becoming a Grandparent, Earning money at home, Saving money, Taking care of our parents, Getting along with our Siblings.
I will also address some current events, movies, TV, Broadway shows, radio, weight, fitness, politics, and even Religion. Oh no! I'm gonna go there! And I want this to be interactive - I want to hear your stories that will likely be very different from mine. I'm just gonna let this be what it wants to be, letting it evolve and grow. If there's something YOU want to talk about - we'll do that, too!
I have been so excited by getting to see so many people from high school on FaceBook. I have also, however, had a difficult time with it. As you can see, I have put on a substantial amount of weight. I deal with chronic back pain that has caused me to require spinal injections (steroids) to relieve the pain. Unfortunately, I've had to make the choice between pain relief and adding about 5-10 lbs everytime I have one. I am now on the downhill side of not needing any for a while - and I'm slowly losing the weight. I have not wanted to post any photos - I just don't have my picture taken very often. Having been SO tiny way back when - and being a model - I haven't wanted to see anyone or show myself. But I'm coming out of the shell and really WANT those connections again.
So I guess today I want to hear your stories about connecting with old friends again, or how you've stayed in touch all these years. I really haven't stayed in touch with anyone from high school - some college - but not much earlier than those. I think during the college years we try to forge somewhat new identities - separate from our families and young friends. Sometimes those friendships don't fit in when we "come back home" after college.
One of the things I noticed the most from past high school reunions (I only went to 5 and 10) was that at 5 years, we're still finding ourselves and everyone was crazy. Alot are just getting married, finishing school, finding a career, and starting families. At the 10 year reunion, we were all a lot more mature and settled in our lives. How did this effect you? I just thought it was interesting to see how we had all changed. And now at 30 years, I see our kids finishing high school or college, getting married, having babies! Are we really old enough to have grandchildren?
This blog is NOT just for my high school class - I just thought that would be a jumping off place. So please come back if you're not in that group.
That's enough for today - let me hear from you!
I will also address some current events, movies, TV, Broadway shows, radio, weight, fitness, politics, and even Religion. Oh no! I'm gonna go there! And I want this to be interactive - I want to hear your stories that will likely be very different from mine. I'm just gonna let this be what it wants to be, letting it evolve and grow. If there's something YOU want to talk about - we'll do that, too!
I have been so excited by getting to see so many people from high school on FaceBook. I have also, however, had a difficult time with it. As you can see, I have put on a substantial amount of weight. I deal with chronic back pain that has caused me to require spinal injections (steroids) to relieve the pain. Unfortunately, I've had to make the choice between pain relief and adding about 5-10 lbs everytime I have one. I am now on the downhill side of not needing any for a while - and I'm slowly losing the weight. I have not wanted to post any photos - I just don't have my picture taken very often. Having been SO tiny way back when - and being a model - I haven't wanted to see anyone or show myself. But I'm coming out of the shell and really WANT those connections again.
So I guess today I want to hear your stories about connecting with old friends again, or how you've stayed in touch all these years. I really haven't stayed in touch with anyone from high school - some college - but not much earlier than those. I think during the college years we try to forge somewhat new identities - separate from our families and young friends. Sometimes those friendships don't fit in when we "come back home" after college.
One of the things I noticed the most from past high school reunions (I only went to 5 and 10) was that at 5 years, we're still finding ourselves and everyone was crazy. Alot are just getting married, finishing school, finding a career, and starting families. At the 10 year reunion, we were all a lot more mature and settled in our lives. How did this effect you? I just thought it was interesting to see how we had all changed. And now at 30 years, I see our kids finishing high school or college, getting married, having babies! Are we really old enough to have grandchildren?
This blog is NOT just for my high school class - I just thought that would be a jumping off place. So please come back if you're not in that group.
That's enough for today - let me hear from you!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)