One adventure I can live without

I was out the other day just driving around and came upon this snake sunning itself on the road. Snakes are not my favorite thing but this is a King snake, good for the garden, etc. So I waited while he slithered off the road and then we were both on our way.

Go For It! The 7 Keys to Success

I was fortunate enough to be invited to participate in a seminar this weekend put on by the Go For It Foundation. The founder, Judy Zerafa was the speaker and it was an incredible experience. The whole program is aimed at young kids in an attempt to change the way they see themselves and provide them tools for a lifetime of success. The principles are some I already practice, but are critical for adults (those of us who didn't learn them when we were young). I'll share the 7 keys with you, what you should know is that in her research she interviewed 35 of the most successful people in the world. The one question she asked each person was this... "What do you think you know that know one else knows about achieving success in your life?" The pattern of the responses boild down to these 7. Of the the 35 people interviewed, most only knew 3-4 of the keys and only one person knew all 7. That person is Oprah Winfrey need I say more. So here are the 7 keys...

1. A Positive Attitude. Most of us think we have one, but if you stop yourself every hour and ask these 4 questions, you will be surprised. What am I thinking? What am I saying? What am I doing? What am I feeling? It is the negative self talk that is the most defeating thing we can do to undermine our success. Find a way to change the negative to a positive.

2. Believe in yourself.

3. Build positive habits. This is a little harder, so I'm going to give you the gift she gave us. You have to reverse the negative images that have built up in your subconscious mind over the years. The way you do that is #1 stop the thought from coming in and #2 get yourself some 3x5 cards. Take some time to think specifically about those things that you sincerely want to change. On a card your declaration goes like this "I Ann Anderson, am always on time" The first word must be "I" the next 2 words should be your name so your subconscious gets that you are talking about yourself. The 4th word to give it power must be "am" it puts it in present tense and set it in motion. 2 other powerful words are "always and only" then the rest is specific to the behavior or goal. "I Ann Anderson only crave healthy food and drinks." These postive statements you should read just before going to sleep and then again when you wake up. It has a lot to do with the brain being in the Alpha state. You can do it any time during the day but the end and the beginning of the day will have the quickest and most impact. You can do as many as you want and as many as you have the time to read. Email me if you want help with this one.

4. Make wise choices. Every choice you make produces a result and a consequence. Think about the choices you are making and make sure they are in alignment with the result you want.

5. Set and achieve goals. If you aren't physically sitting down and writing your goals, you really are just wishing for something to happen. The critical part of setting goals is the writing and reviewing of them. If it is hard to write, get a poster board and put pictures on it of what you'd like to achieve, it's called a Vision Board and it is highly successful. Once you achieve a goal, celebrate it and replace it. Work toward a goal by doing something everyday.

6. Use creative imagination. Act as though you already are the person you want to become. The term for this is experiential visualization. Close your eyes and think about what it would mean, pay close attention to how you feel and let yourself experience a successful end result.

7. Be persistent. Never give up. If you falter today, forgive yourself and start again, but do not give in to defeat. Remember to look for improvement, not perfection.

Good luck, I hope you'll give this a try. It is very powerful and if you do it and set the example in your homes, you will change the outcome of all of those around you.

http://www.goforitfoundation.org/

Just for fun

She's my buddy and constant shadow...

The 777 Tag - Thanks Nik!

7 things I CAN do

1. Bake awesome bread

2. Sew

3. Rock Climb

4. Belly Dance

5. Fly

6. Tell stories with the best of them

7. Climb trees, skip and get through the rails on the fence

Bonus - Do anything I put my mind to.

7 Things I can't do

1. Give up

2. Stop remembering

3. Quit hoping

4. Eat fish

5. fail

6. stop loving my family (all of them)

7. wondering what might have been....

7 things that attracted me to Bruce

1. his cowboy boots

2. his eyes

3. the goofy way he dances

4. safety

5. he likes me just the way I am

6. his story

7. he looks a little like Richard Gere!

7 things I say most often

1. Here's the deal

2. AWESOME!

3. Incredible

4. Let's rock this thing!

5. Git er' done

6. You ROCK!

7. WHAT?

7 People I admire

1. and the 3 folks I admire most are the father son and the holy ghost, they caught the last train for the coast, the day the music died....(sorry, couldn't help myself!)

2. My brothers, Dan, Tim and Barry

3. My friend Susan L.

4. Oprah (most of the time)

5. Moms

6. Richard Branson (Virgin Atlantic)

7. The strong females in my life, sister's (that includes the in-laws) and nieces.

7 Favorite foods

1. Chips and Salsa at Medina's

2. Green Chili and the burritos at Medina's

3. Fresh fruit in season

4. Gnoochi

5. raw nuts, especially round pecans

6. hot homemade bread with honey

7. Berries and whipped cream

Taggy Poo!

I am...unstoppable

I think....all the time about crazy and wacky stuff

I know...that there is a purpose for my life

I miss....my dose of Trish

I fear...running out of time

I feel....incredibly grateful

I hear....a tractor in the distance

I smell.... I still need my morning shower!

I want....to travel

I crave....family

I cry....over all that's been lost this year

I search...for the meaning to all things and usually everything else I misplace

I wonder...what the point is sometimes

I regret....more than a few things

I wish....I could have had children of my own

I love....flying

I care...about my family

I always....seek to forgive and be forgiven

I have...an incredible life

I worry...about everything

I am not....willing to give up

I remember...camping at Oak Grove

I believe....that there is good in everyone, you just have to look hard enough

I sing...off key and usually to Hannah who runs growling from the room

I argue...a lot just for the sake of making my point

I write...emails to friends from High School that I recently reunited with

I lose...my train of thought sometimes (can you say, Where is Springdale?)

I listen....but not always as good as I should

I don't always....get it right or just get it, period

I don't understand....why things happen the way they do

I can usually be found....hanging out with the critters

I need...to be needed

I forget....half the stuff I start out to do everyday

I am happy....when I am busy

Tagged: Karen, Misty and Peter

November 373 Whiskey Delta

My big adventure last week was a bumpy flight in Whiskey Girl. Some of you don't know the story behind my tail number, so here is the short version...373 are just lucky numbers but the WD or Whiskey Delta is a tribute to my Grandpa Dev who also flew a Cessna. His name was William Devenish. Shortened down she won the tag of Whiskey Girl. The N at the front designates that it is a plane registered in the United States. N373WD ready for take off!

AAAAHHHHH the colors of Fall!

It is so beautiful here in Colorado right now, crisp days and nights cold enough for an extra quilt on the bed. I took a walk yesterday and these are just some of the images I captured. Enjoy!

Farm Update

I took Booner to the vet last week because he was moping around, he had gained a lot of weight, was acting a little depressed and when I comb the shedding hair on his back, there was a huge bald spot. Overall you could tell that he just wasn't feeling himself (can any of you relate?) The vet checked him over good, drew some blood, weighed him - a whopping 148 lbs! The last part was the urine sample, it was silly following him around with a cup on a stick while he sniffed the trees and bushes, but it worked. When the tests came back they revealed that his thyroid was low and that he had crystals in his urine (that should be a good thing right?) which had the probability of turning to stones, YIKES! We put him on antibiotics and thryoid tablets and he is like a new dog, frolicking around and the spark in his eye is back. He needs to lose about 10 lbs, same as me. So we are working on it together. Something tells me he will win but it is great motivation.

Part of the daily regement is walks (brisker now), ball throwing and a dip in the pond. Check out Sadie, she looks like a coyote when she's wet. She LOVES the water and don't try to take her ball away, I bent down to pick it up this morning just as she lunged for it. Her hard head connected with my jaw and I saw stars! That will definitely leave a mark.

Life on the Ranch

2 part post today and sorry about duplicating the tree shot below :-) just some more great shots of places on the lower 40.

Fall in the Country

We are having an incredible Fall this year. 3 weeks now of clear skies and temps in the high 70's. Looks like rain (fingers, toes, legs and arms all crossed) this afternoon. I just went to town, yeah, the big metropolis of Kiowa to pay the annual registration on my car, and decided to take a little drive to look at the colors. I drove south to Elbert, stopped into the convenience store for a little refreshment and then turned east on a dirt road.... many twists and winds later, I made it back to civilization, it was pretty, but dusty. The pictures are all from a recent walk with the dogs, hope you enjoy! Wish I could capture the way it sounds and the way it feels, it is like heaven!

New Logo

My new company logos! The bands will be the red color printed with black. There is also a pop of bright yellow just in case you were thinking Hurricane High School colors! The molds are being created for the bands as I write, I should have proofs today or tomorrow. The band is the exact size to fit around a few credit cards and some money. As soon as the insert card is approved which should be today, I'll post that as well so you can actually see how this works. But picture a guy who is holding all of his stuff with a rubber band, like a lot of the younger guys do. This is a better, hipper way to do that and it's great for those guy who have huge wallets in their back pockets, you can get rid of that unsightly bump on their buns. This should carry just the essential stuff, and can be put in a front pocket so it doesn't get picked. All that other crap they carry can be left at home or in a brief case. Bruce is a convert! Let me know what you think.

Tribute to Butch Cassidy

Paul Newman died from cancer yesterday. He is and always has been an American Icon. Handsome at any age and timeless at every age. I loved him in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and who can forget the great scenes shot in our own Grafton? If you haven't seen the movie Message in a Bottle, he plays Kevin Costner's dad and he is awesome. Be prepared with tissues, it is a tear jerker. Rock on Butch!

TAGGED!

This is the first, of what I am sure to be many, blog tags. Check it out and if you are 'tagged' at the bottom then you need to answer these questions on your blog.

3 Names I Answer To:
1 - Annie
2 - Spike
3 - Bird

3 Restaurants I Like:
1 - Olive Garden
2 - Colima's
3 - Cafe Rio

3 Trips I Have Planned For The Rest Of The Year:
1 - Hurricane, Utah
2 - Palm Springs, CA
3 - Maui!!!!!

3 Things I Really Want:
1 - Our Leeds property to sell
2 - To be fit (and not so jiggly and wrinkley)
3 - To be insanely happy

3 Pets I Have/Had:
1 - Hannah
2 - Max
3 - Tessie, Booner and Sadie (they're a package deal!)

3 Things I Did Yesterday:
1 - Made Raspberry Jam
2 - Took 2 long walks
3 - Watched General Hospital

3 Things I Ate Today:
1 - Hot biscuits with Raspberry Jam - YUMMY!
2 - Sliced peaches, raspberries, blueberries and bananas covered with yogurt
3 - Chips and Salsa

3 Fears I Have:
1 - Snakes
2- Failing
3 - Puffy white clouds when I'm flying

3 Things I Plan On Doing Today:
1 - Flying
2 - Getting my business license application done
3 - Studying for my college course

3 Things I Plan On Doing Tomorrow:
1 - Calling my brother
2 - Working out
3 - Reading!

3 Holidays I Love:
1 - Christmas
2 - Halloween
3 - Fourth of July

3 Beverages I Like:
1 - Lemonade
2 - Tropicana Juice Waters
3 - Dr. Pepper

1. Karen Mendenhall
2. Nikki Turner
3. Misty Owens
Tag, you're it!

Castlewood Canyon

Today was the big Noel-Levitz annual staff picnic in Castlewood Canyon. This beautiful canyon is only about 25 minutes from us so it was a short trip and a fun afternoon. The company I used to work for used to own NL so I got to know a bunch of the people there as friends and colleagues. Bruce is the handsome guy in the picture. Of course when we took the long hike down into the canyon, I didn't take my camera. We had a great time wading in the icy cold Cherry Creek.

My Secret Obsession

I LOVE Il Divo! These guys are so HOT and their sound is so awesome! Check out their last performance at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG2EDdlrcUA incredible! Their new cd The Promise is set for release 11-18-08, you can bet I'll have my copy pre-ordered. Saw them up close and personal in Victoria BC a year or so ago, it was unbelievable. Need I say more?

One Stinking Night!

There is nothing like living on a farm. We have had problems with skunks and raccoons for the past couple of years. I am a soft heart when it comes to animals so I'm always trying to keep the little critters moving on, but sometimes the battle turns ugly. Yesterday evening, I went out to the barn to feed the dogs, Sadie started barking uncontrollably at the tack stall door, and sure enough when I climbed up and looked over the wall there was a huge skunk in there. And then the undeniable scent of the polecat #(&*$%@^!! Sadie got it straight on and I got it just by being so close to her. The fight was on. We hated to do it, but the skunk crossed the line of barn etiquette and had outlived his (barely tolerable) welcome. We backed him into a corner, the hollow wall between the stall and the barn and that is where he met his maker. It was sad and I still need to get him out of there and give him a proper send off, but the skunk is no more.....hopefully he didn't have relatives. Let me just say, it is still a little stinky around here particularly if the wind is blowing the wrong way. R.I.P.

Life on the farm...

About a month ago I heard a tiny meowing in the barn, it was a kitten that had been born and abandoned by it's mom, about a half hour later I found a second kitten... I launched into the mission of finding some way to keep the 2 kittens alive long enough to find another moma kitty that would adopt them. I wrapped them in my shirt, took them to the house, gave them milk through an eye dropper and then armed with my flashlight, searched every nook and crannie (what is a crannie anyways?) until I found where Dirty Nose aka Callie had just had her kittens. They were back behind the hay so it was going to be an operation to get the abandoned kittens back there and then there were no guarantees she would take care of them. I moved some hay bales and then rigged a parachute kind of thing with a towel. I put the kittens inside and lowered them as far and as close as I could, about 18 inches away from Callie. Then the rest was up to the kittens and their instinct to survive. Today, Callie (she only responds to Dirty) relocated 5 kittens to the tack room, including the 2 white kittens. It made me really happy to see them and they are all pretty tame so I took pictures and fed them milk, this time from a bowl.

Remembering....

Here is a link to the site that walks through the timeline of that day. It is worth the time to look back and remember.

http://www.september-11th.us/

May we always remember....

Super Sarah!!

It's refreshing to see how such a breathe of fresh air makes all the little boys sweat!

Day 5 Excedrin FREE!!!!

I'm a recovering Excedrin junkie, it's been 5 full days since my last fix! For those of you who have known me for awhile, you know that I struggle with headaches almost every day, mostly caused by tension and a little thing called stress. I've tried to kick this habit a few times before and although I don't take the excessive amounts that I used too (4 of these bad boys at a time!) it has still been hard to kick the habit, gee must be the caffeine or something. So I'm determined to get 'er done this time but it has been a little rough! Today, I have a dull headache, but I'm heading out for a long walk with the dogs and that should help. If you talk to me or get an email that seems a little more "direct" than usual..... If I can make 2 weeks, I'll be in the clear. I'm really trying not to replace the caffeine either, I don't drink soda (well maybe 1 Dr. Pepper a month) but I have had to resort to a little bit of dark chocolate to take the edge off, but that's healthy right? So I look at this as my Everest to climb right now, what's your Everest?