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“Each of us is responsible for how we feel, what we wish for, and how we decide to approach life’s challenges.”

“Happiness is something that we look for, strive for, perhaps even struggle for.  Happiness is something that we try to find, or, more likely, something that we try to buy.  Joy is something that we are.”

“It is your destiny to play an infinity of roles, but these roles are not yourself.”

“Desires kept in the heart come true faster than those we constantly broadcast by talking about them or putting demands on others.”

“Real spiritual growth changes a person in a paradoxical way.  It brings understanding at the same time as it preserves innocence.”

“You can see as far as your vision permits.”

“Be very careful what you set your heart upon, for you will surely have it.”

“No one is a success who doesn’t feel successful in his or her heart of hearts.”

That’s my aunt, Bette Killion.  She’s the best aunt a person could want.  Please don’t tell the whole world, but she’s always been my favorite.  Aunt Bette’s house was a magical place to be.  For one thing my favorite cousin, along with her brothers and sisters lived there.  I lived out in the country on one acre, but Aunt Bette had the whole outdoors at her house, including a creek and woods out back.  One year I got to spend the summer at Aunt Bette’s.  Nancy Jeanne and I spent hours playing out in the woods and the stream with nothing but each other and our imaginations.  Inside the house was magical, too.  There was a piano and I got to “play” it.  I’ve always loved pianos and still want to learn to play.  I finally took lessons while in Bible College, but that’s another story. 

One of the most precious gifts Aunt Bette gave me was the love of writing.  She talked to me like I was a grown up person instead of a kid who wasn’t even close to being a teen yet.  She talked to me about her writing and encouraged me to become a creative person.  Aunt Bette was writing and selling stories to magazines at the time.  She progressed to a newspaper column of her own.  Then on to writing stories and poetry for children.  Today she is an author of children’s books.  I have three of her books here in front of me, Treasury of Fairy Tales, Just Think! and The Same Wind.  That’s what was available at my local library.  Check out your library and see part of why she’s so special.

Aunt Bette and I both have writing roots in the Brazil High School newspaper, The Student.  I’m working at it, Aunt Bette.  Some day, God willing, I’ll be published.  You started me out a long time ago, and you’re still my inspiration.  I’m so lucky to have Aunt Bette in my life.  Do any of you have an Aunt Bette in your life?  Share her with us.

I’ve met another of my financial goals for this year.  I made it only four days past the deadline I had set for myself.  I thought about it for awhile this morning while reviewing my finances, and decided to step out in faith.  I paid off my car and will trust God for groceries the next two weeks.  I know I have enough in the freezer and pantry to make it.  I also could transfer some money from the savings to the checking, but I’m not going to do it.  On May 2nd, I wrote about having my 2008 goals nearly met already.  You can read it here in 2008 Financial Goals Nearly Met.  At that point I had to come up with a new time line for my car pay off plus another goal for the remainder of the year.  Now that my car belongs to me and not the credit union, I am focusing on eliminating my credit card debt by the end of this year.  I will add the car payment to my monthly credit card payment and snowflake as often as I can.  I learned about snowflaking at I’ve Already Paid for This Twice.  It works.  It got me to my goal quicker than I anticipated by about five months.

After a random draw of the giveaway entries last night, the winner is……

commenter 22, Audra Marie, with the following comment:

I enjoyed reading Sweeter Also Than Honey. I love photography, paper crafting, regular crafting, cross stitching, would love to learn how to sew for and with my kids, quilt, etc.

Thank you for your entry.  You will receive a flat rate box of books to assist you in the pursuit of your interests.

She’s also a blogger.  Visit her at A Dash Of Sassitude.

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name.

For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime.

Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

Psalm 30:4,5

And I apologize.  Today is another Seamless Saturday, but next Saturday get ready to Tie One On.

Asking for a pay increase of 27% seems a bit wild to me, but that’s what happening in my neck of the woods.  This is what the pilots in our area want.  The pilots I’m talking about the pilots who guide the large ships into Tampa Bay.  It seems that $262,392 isn’t cutting it for them.  They made $336, 292 in 2006 and they don’t like the pay decrease.  It doesn’t matter that the economy sucks and every one is hurting.  They are crying about a decrease of $73,900.  Okay, everyone who wishes they had $73,900 yearly income, raise your hand.

A pilot’s job isn’t an easy one.  They have to be very skilled in guiding the ships into port.  These guys work 14 days on and then 14 days off.  They do not get paid a salary.  After expenses such as office expenses, staff salaries and upkeep on the boats that take them to and from the ships they all split the proceeds evenly.  I didn’t even know there was a job like that where every one got an even split of the profits. 

The pilots do have an exacting job requiring skill and knowledge.  The Tampa Bay pilots are paid 90 to 150 percent higher than any other port in the state.  They also have to navigate 42 miles from the Sunshine Skyway bridge to the port.  This can take as long as seven hours.  I know.  I’ve been up on deck to watch us go under the Skyway as we came into port during the night so I could see the lights.  There was always time to go to bed and get five or six hours sleep before arriving in port the next morning.  I usually took the pilots for granted, but at times remembered why we have that bridge now.  The only time going into port was a bigger headache for our captains was when we were headed into New Orleans.  The New Orleans pilots should really get a bundle!

The reason Tampa Bay pilots are having to tighten their belts another notch is because the the cargo shippers and cruise lines are struggling with high fuel prices and the fallout from the weak economy.  Hey, guys!  Think about this a minute.  If the ships are already struggling and the economy is already weak, what will happen when you jack up port fees?  Hello!  If the rate hike passes, it looks as if it might be sayonara to Carnival Cruise Lines.  And what about the talks Tampa has been having with another cruise line to bring in a new build in 2009?  Not going to happen.  Have you ever heard the saying about shooting yourself in the foot?  Maybe you might want to put down the gun and learn to manage your money a little better.

There are many tips about travel that I can give you, but today we are going to focus on traveling when you have a chronic medical condition or are on medication for a short term problem.  The first thing to do if you have a chronic condition is to plan thoughtfully.  Does this vacation or holiday you are planning fit your needs and abilities?  If you have difficulty with shortness of breath and walking/climbing, rethink going to Tulum to visit the ruins or Ocho Rios to climb the falls.  If you are traveling to a foreign country, please consider travel insurance.  Even if you are in good health, accidents can happen.  Even traveling on a cruise ship with a doctor, nurses and well stocked infirmary, you may need to be airlifted out for medical care.  Cruise ships are not equipped the same as a hospital, but they are able to stabilize you and get you to where you need to be to have the treatment you need.

The second thing to do is have a check up about one month before you plan to travel.  At this appointment, you and your physician can discuss any concerns regarding your upcoming trip.  Will you need any vaccinations before you go to that interesting out of the way spot?  Do you need to take a short medical history with you?  If you take medication (by mouth or by injection) be sure to have a prescription for the medication, syringes, etc that not only tells what you take, but why you take it.  If you have any surgical implants such as a joint replacement, orthopedic pins or rods, or a pacemaker, have that information on a prescription blank from your doctor.  The same is true if you need portable oxygen. You may need this documentation to get you past airport and cruise ship terminal security both in the States and in other countries. 

Be sure to take an adequate supply of medication in the original bottles and other medical supplies with you.  Never assume that you can purchase this somewhere along the way if you run out.  Also, do not pack any necessary medicines in the luggage you will be checking through.  Keep ALL this in your carry on bag.

Another consideration is the climate at your destination.  Some places are hot and humid.  This can greatly limit your activities and mobility if you have any kind of respiratory or cardiac problems.  This weather as well as a location that is extra cold can put a strain on your body.  High altitudes can also create problems.  You might need to go slowly to reach your high altitude destination.  Allow for extra time. 

Will you need accommodations in order to fit your wheelchair, walker, scooter or what have you through the door not only into your room or cabin, but also into the bathroom.  Is the bathroom large enough?  Will you be needing a shower chair or any other adaptations to the bathroom?  This all needs to be arranged before you book.  Make no assumptions that what you need will be available upon your arrival. 

If you are in your last trimester of pregnancy, please do not take a cruise.  Yes, the doctor and nurses can deliver your baby, but the ships do not have the capability of caring for the needs of a baby who is born prematurely or with immediate health care needs.  If the pregnant mother or new mother has unexpected needs, the ship is not always going to be able to handle that either.  Also, it is impossible for a ship to carry blood for transfusions.  Once again, it is an infirmary, not a hospital.

If you have a terminal illness and want to fulfill a dream of taking a cruise, please let the cruise line know when you are booking your cruise.  They will do everything to accommodate you and make your dream cruise happen.  If you have a living will, please be sure you take that along with your health care  surrogate papers.  Take advantage of the ship’s library if you do not feel well enough to go out in port.  The one thing you do not want to do, is to try to hide your condition from the cruise line.  What can happen in that case is you become too ill to continue the journey and end up in a hospital in the Bahamas or a medical clinic in Cozumel. 

May your journeys be safe and enjoyable.

Good morning and welcome to my sunny little island.  I’m a little late getting a posting up for the Bloggy Giveaway carnival, so I will be holding my drawing for the winner at 9:00 p.m. EST Sunday night, August 3rd.  I have books, magazines and leaflets covering various needlework and crafts.  This will be open to residents of the U.S.A. and will be how ever many books I can cram into a flat rate box.  Please go to my archives, read an article and then leave a comment telling me what article you read and what your two top areas of interest are such as, “I read Worst-Case Scenario and I’m interested in clothing construction and knitting.”  I have available books re: clothing construction, children’s clothing, knitting, cross stitch, fabric painting, quilting, crafts and more.

“Congratulations! Thank you for taking our conservation quiz and for using this bag to help protect the environment.”  This was the information on a flat package I received from Earthbound Farm Organic.  I was one of 80,000 people who won a reusable grocery bag from them.  Since I’m in the process of building up my supply of reusable bags, this was much welcomed.  Then I opened the package and pulled out the bag.  Purple!  My favorite color.  That definitely provided me with a smile.  But my goodies didn’t stop with the bag. 

They included a couple nice coupons and a guide to which conventional fruits and vegetables are the most likely to carry multiple pesticide residues.  Many of us are not able to afford a total switch to organics all at once.  This guide provides a very good starting place.  Choose organic for the following items, especially for infants and children:

• apples
• bell peppers
• celery
• cherries
• imported grapes
• lettuce
• nectarines
• peaches
• pears
• potatoes
• spinach
• strawberries

Choosing organic not only protects our bodies, it also protects us by keeping potentially dangerous chemicals out of the environment.  Organic is also nutritious as well as delicious.  Many organic foods contain higher levels of antioxidants than non-organic foods. 

Let’s meet at the produce counter and celebrate a healthier lifestyle.