Sweep!!!!

Woo hoo second time in three years Giants won the world series baby!!!! The Tigers’ fate was sealed in the bottom of the10th inning, when Sergio Romo, of the Giants’ for the last out, he set down Miguel Cabrera, with an 89-mile-per-hour fastball, right down the middle of the plate. Romo clenched his fists and pumped them in front of his chest. Within seconds his fellow Giants surrounded him. San Francisco is gearing up for a ticker-tape parade to celebrate a World Series victory for the Giants. Yay buddy!!!!

Vote for Coco - The Cutest Pet Contest

Here at Casa Abston we think Coco is the cutest pet EVER!!!!!!!!!!!! So if you are Coo Coo for Coco than please vote!!! Click on the link and than click on the vote tab. Click on Coco's picture and than type in the code and hit enter. I want to thank you all in advance for voting for our baby!!!!
Vote - Cutest Pet Contest

Unpredictable Moments

     Yesterday I woke up feeling fabulous. Woke up before the alarm went off, which I LOVE!!!! I hate waking up to the sound of a shrilling alarm clock going off in my ear. Anyhow the sun was out and it was a beautiful gorgeous day! Played with Coco off to the Gym butt dancing in my car to “Drunk on You”  www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpFaI0dKAHcgreat song. Had a great work out, felt invigorated, and my day was all planned out. Which I  love because I am a planner! Then listened to my voice mail, my mom is sick has pneumonia Dad needed help so my plans changed. Not complaining…just my life…&  me being a loving  & supportive daughter. 

     I received an unexpected and heartfelt text message. It was both weird & wonderful. It was sweet, eloquent, made me smile, and it was an aweee moment. And it was an unexpected and unpredicted text from what was now my new routine. It caught me off-guard, nevertheless, in my hectic day one of those unpredictable moments happened. 

     Of course I didn’t stop rushing. I had too much to do. Had to rush to do the laundry, rush to the grocery store, rush around my parent’s house, and tidy up and prepare them meals for the next few days.  And rush to tend to my home.  I didn’t stop to enjoy my unpredictable moment. My awweee moment.

     I am happy to report that I did reflect on my unpredictable awe moment. I reread the text and I was now sporting a silly grin. We need to remember to be present. Be available in the moment. There are infinite possibilities for what can happen in a moment. Infinite possibilities come “before” a moment and all the infinite possibilities that can take place because of a moment. The question to ask yourself is “am I going to let this moment pass me by”?

     Remember to be present in the moment.Unexpected & Unpredictable occurrences come on rather quickly and just as quick as they occur they can evaporate. In a split second, with the blink of an eye, in an instant anything can show up.?

   

 Allow yourself to experience the moment & let your new reality unfold!!

Counting down the days until my high school reunion

Guest post written by Brenda Fox

I was so upset to miss my 10th high school reunion a few years ago, so you can imagine just how excited I was to find out they were putting on a 15th one and that it was on a weekend that I could actually attend! My friends were very sad when they found out that I wouldn't be attending the last one. I hadn't seen many of them since graduation, so I was obviously very saddened by that too.

But not this year! We've already started making some plans outside of the designated reunion activities. While I was searching for some good restaurants or activities, I saw some information on debt consolidation and once I looked through it a little bit I decided to check it out some more to see how it might help our family.

My high school reunion weekend is going to be jam packed with all kinds of fun, so I think that I'm going to take a few extra days off so I can spend some adequate time with my family too.

Job & Health Care

I will be providing free chair massage on, May 6, 2012 at Antelope Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church. This is the 3rd year that Antelope Hills is hosting this event. It is located at 4219 Antelope Road, in Antelope, CA 95842. The church is hosting a Job & Health Care Fair for the community of Antelope. Just some of the services offered are free denatl exams, free hair cuts, free chair massages, and nutrition &  diabetes information. It will take place in the Fellowship Hall from 11am to 5pm. Hope to see you there!!!

The Perfect Mother's Day Gift

Do Mom a favor this Mother’s Day and help her set aside time for pampering with a relaxing massage. The demands of motherhood can be overwhelming so take charge and make a stress-relieving appointment for her today. Let her know just how much you appreciate her selfless love with the stress-relieving gift of massage. Schedule a massage for Mom today! Call Christine at Catch Your Breath Massage today!!! (916) 410-7691.

Coco for Coco Puff

I would by no means say owning a dog is the same as having a child. It obviously is not. Nevertheless, there are undoubtedly similarities between caring for a child and having a dog. Pet owners absolutely go through “child-like” experiences with their pets. My baby’s name is Coco. Coco is a Chug and was welcomed to our family on Mother’s Day of 2008. When I brought Coco home to my daughter, Jennifer, just like a jealous sibling, she did not welcome Coco with open arms. In fact, she wanted me to take him back. Her arguments were that dogs are A LOT of work and that I did not know how much time and effort there was in raising a puppy. Coco is the first dog I have ever raised. I finally stated to my 21 year old that if I could raise her I surely could raise a dog! Upon the realization that Coco was here to stay, Jennifer gave a disclaimer that she would not be picking up dog poop or walking him. This reminded me of the grumblings of an older sibling who would protest to babysitting.

When Coco was a puppy, I woke up in the middle of the night to have him use the facilities. I actually set my alarm every day for 5 a.m. The time that Coco’s bladder had to be emptied. This process continued for 6 weeks until he was potty trained. No, it’s not the exact same as midnight feedings, nonetheless I did loose A LOT of sleep. And just like an infant, I had to provide toys for him to play with, feed & bath him, and most importantly offer a safe & loving home.

Yes, I often put Coco’s needs before mine, just like a parent does for their child. I may not always have the money for a monthly pedi, but I make sure Coco gets his nails trimmed monthly. Yes, it is socially acceptable to leave ones pet home all alone. A parent would NEVER leave a child home all alone. When I leave the house without Coco I feel guilty. I refuse to leave Coco unattended for more than 5 hours. I actually will drop him off at my parent’s house for them to babysit their Granddoggie.  I look forward to picking up my baby! No, Coco doesn’t need braces or a college education, but we do provide for him.

Just like parents loving their children and children loving their parents, We love Coco and Coco loves us! I give Coco unconditional love just as I do for my daughter.  Similar to children bringing joy and love to their parents, my dog has brought much joy and love to my family. I’m proud to admit that Jennifer did come to love and adore Coco. We often squabble over who Coco sleeps with at night. And yes Jennifer does pick up dog poop and has taken Coco for walks!

Someone That I Used To Know

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UVNT4wvIGY 

It is so fascinating how lyrics can be so generic and applicable to everyone! How a nonspecific, verse can feel SO specific to yourself/situation at the same time! I just heard this song while on my way to meet some friends for dinner and instantly fell in love with it!!!! I actually had to pull it up on the internet and play the song for them while in the restaurant. I KNOW I can't be the only one that thinks about an ex whenever I hear the song “Someone that I used to Know” by Gotye. I can't stop playing this song.

To me, this song is about clinging onto an illusion of an old relationship. You thought the two of you were perfect for one another, and now they are “just somebody that I used to know'. After the death of the relationship you are still unable to let them go because your illusions clash with reality. You have an internal struggle between your heart and your head. Your brain is telling you to accept who they are and your heart is clinging onto who you thought they were. It is about that tiny little fiber in your body that cannot erase the memory of them. That ache in your heart that still yearns for them is what causes most of the conflict.

Your voice speaks and says that you shouldn’t be hung up over a person who can just cut you off completely. How crazy is it to be hung up over someone who treated you so badly when it ended, and yet, the entire song is dedicated to the memory of that person and the damage that they caused you. I am caught up on his illusion of what I thought was my soul mate. I thought I found “the one” my happy ending. I thought my search was over. I wanted so badly to be his everything as well.  

“But you didn't have to cut me off Make out like it never happened And that we were nothing  And I don't even need your love But you treat me like a stranger And that feels so rough… Now you're just somebody that I used to know”   

These lyrics resonate with me because my ex abruptly ended our relationship. I thought he was my soul mate he obviously wasn't. My soul mate wouldn’t have dissolved the relationship without an explanation of why. Obviously the relationship wasn't meant to be.

"Told myself that you were right for me, But felt so lonely in your company." For me this verse is me trying to move on from my ex, being in a new relationship because I NEED to move on but cannot and therefore am lonely in the company of another. I am still hung up on my ex and chances are I will continue this cyclic pattern.

You are hung up on them!!! That is the quarrel between your voice of reason and the left over feelings you still hold in your heart for them. I think that might be why there is such a huge play on body parts in the video clip. The assortment of colors for each body part represents all the different emotions the wounded party feels. The thoughts that keep running through your mind that are contradicting each other. He starts to paint himself and her in the same colors, trying so desperately for this to work and for her to be what he wants her to be. In the video he's naked at the start and in the end it shows the new girlfriend being hurt. I think it's describing a relationship where one person is damaged from a previous relationship and then takes it out on the new partner.

Usually a song is biased to one person’s interpretation. I love how both sides of the story are represented in the one song. I love how her response shows her perspective. How her reply differs from all the other verses and the chorus. This song is so clever!! Truly fantastically written and portrayed! I SO LOVE THIS SONG!!!

Practice being grateful!!

Gratitude means thankfulness, counting your blessings, noticing simple pleasures, and acknowledging everything that you receive. It means learning to live your life as if everything were a miracle, and being aware on a continuous basis of how much you’ve been given.

People tend to take for granted the good that is already present in their lives. If you are having trouble being grateful I suggest you start small. Keep it simple, look at the little things that make you smile or just make your life easier. Find joy in the small things. This will help you to appreciate life more fully and help you to see things in their proper perspective.

When you give thanks to others this can shift your focus from what your life lacks to the treasures that is already present in your life. This can change your reality. Being grateful will create brightness and cheerfulness in your world.  As well as, help to strengthen your relationships, improve your health, reduce stress and ultimately help you in achieving your personal goals.

When you have a bad day remember that difficulty carries within it, the opportunity for you to be great!   In the face of difficulty ask yourself: “What’s good about this?”, “What can I learn from this?”, and “How can I benefit from this?”

Once you become accustomed toward looking for things to be grateful for, you will find that you begin to appreciate simple pleasures in your life that you previously took for granted. Gratitude should not be just a reaction to getting what you want, but an all-the-time gratitude, the kind where you notice the little things and where you constantly look for the good even in unpleasant situations. Today, start bringing gratitude for your experiences, instead of waiting for a positive experience in order to feel grateful!!!

My email address

So, if you are someone I email than you know my email to be whackurpond. My daughter, my dad, and any boyfriend hates it. Most people assume my email address is sexual. So, I am explaining for all to read why I choose whackurpond.
Scientists conducted an experiment involving a little frog. In their lab was a vat of steaming, boiling hot water. They wanted to determine how the frog would react when dropped into the vat. They held the squirming little frog over vat. Focusing intently on what they were about to do they dropped the frog … ZING!!! Faster than a bolt of blazed lightning that little guy burst into the air!

"Hmmmmm," the scientists murmured amongst themselves. They did it again. Same frog, same vat of steaming water and … Same result.

They then took that same frog, and held it over a different vat of water. Only this time the water was lukewarm, not too cold, not too hot just right. They dropped the frog and … NOTHING!!! The little guy just laid there, floating lazily; arms and legs splayed gently on the water's surface. You can just imagine the frog's thoughts: Man, this is all right! This is perfect. The frog laid in the water contented, happy, and relaxed. But - What the frog didn't know was that underneath the vat was a raging fire. It was slowly, but surely, heating the vat of water. The contented frog, oblivious to the changing temperature, boiled to death!
End of story. You're probably thinking to yourself: what a terrible story.

Think again. Apply this story of the frog to that of your own life right now. If any of you are like me, then you've probably come to a startling revelation. If you are really serious about being successful in achieving your goals in life, you need to make some changes. If you're not moving in the direction you need to go in order to realize your visions, your dreams, your aspirations in life guess what? You'll end up like our little frog. You'll die in your own complacency, mediocrity and contentment.

So, don't be afraid to whackurpond!!!! Do not settle in your relationships or the way you live your life!!!