My Own Boxing Gloves...

After using my trainer's boxing gloves for the last several weeks, I decided I needed my own pair.  His gloves are too big for my hands and, well, it is kind of cool to have my own pair of gloves.  I tried out my new training gloves yesterday for the first time.  Pink is not my color and I know that it is a bit "girlie," but some of the profits go to raise money for breast cancer research.

After renting Million Dollar Baby this past weekend, I have decided I will just keep my "boxing career" at the training and conditioning level.  I have no desire to get hit in the face, swell up in the eyes and bleed profusely through my nose.

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I love these quotes by Holyfield and Ali.  These apply to the everyday!

"A champion shows who he is by what he does when he's tested. When a person   gets up and says 'I can still do it', he's a champion." Evander Holyfield

"There's nothing wrong with getting knocked down, as long as you get right back up." Muhammed Ali

"Don't count the days, make the days count." Muhammed Ali

"He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life." Muhammed Ali

"To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If you're not, pretend you are." Muhammed Ali

Have a blessed day!

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Quotations to Stir Heart and Mind...

There's no shortcut to anywhere worth going.

Experience is a hard teacher.  It gives the test before the lesson.

A friend walks in when the rest of the world walks out.

The more we thank God for what we have, the more we have to thank God for.

Advice is free.  Only the wise profit from it.

Talk only if you can improve the silence.

If you want the rainbow, you've gotta put up with the rain.

Have a blessed day!!!

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Bald, Horned and Barred...

Visited the The Audubon Center for Birds of Prey in Orlando last week.  There are some beautiful birds housed there.  My favorite is the Snowy Owl! It amazes me that owls can turn their heads all the way around!

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New Year's in Tampa

We spent the New Year's weekend in Tampa with my sister and her husband.  They flew down from Knoxville for the Outback Bowl where UT played Penn State.  The weather was perfect until game day where it rained most of the day. Despite the weather, we dressed in our "orange and white" and sang Rocky Top with the rest of the Vol fans.  Charlie Daniels sang The National Anthem.  It was a good day even though we did not win!

We finished the weekend with dinner and a movie. I recommend We Are Marshall.  I am a huge fan of sports movies like this one!

Happy New Year to all!!!

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Wishing You...

Wishing You a Beautiful Holiday Season and New Year of Peace and Happiness!

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A Journal Assignment...

I found this great book titled How You Do Anything is How You Do Everything and it has provided some great thought-provoking exercises when I have needed some for my journal writing.  This page reflects one that I used recently. I have listed the questions below so you can answer these and use it in your journal. 

Answer these quickly without "thinking."

1. I'm happiest when...
2. Someday I'm going to...
3. When I'm really down, what I want to do is...
4. I feel anxious when...
5. I'm afraid that...
6. I like people who...
7. All it takes to make me happy is...
8. What I really want to do is...
9. I wish that...
10. I don't like people who...
11. A person really should...
12. I just hate it that...
13. I have everything I need, however...
14. If I could do whatever I wanted, I would...

Have fun!

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I Need...

Missing my pop today!  No matter how many years pass, it is still hard.  It is sad to know that I can't just pick up the phone and make a call and speak with him about my day or ask for advice or to just tell him that I love him.  Give your dad a hug today or call and tell him that you love him.

Have a blessed day!

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Sneak Preview

I've been working on designing new rubber stamps, which will be released through Paperbag Studios sometime in February!  This image is called Home.  More to come later!

Audrey Hernandez has designed a few awesome samples with this stamp.  Visit her blog at "Small Creations" to see them.

Have a blessed day!

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100-Feet Tall...

Those of you who know me, know that I am afraid of heights.  Those of you who know me, also know that over the past year or more I have resolved to challenge myself to get out of my comfort zone by trying new things.  With this new outlook comes the need to face this fear of heights.  I am going on a cruise in January with four of my girlfriends and have decided that this trip will be the first step in doing just that!  Now, I could simply climb the rock wall or maybe parasail, but no, I plan to take on the "Lost World Canopy Tour and Rappeling." 

•Enter a cavernous tunnel which leads to a primeval rainforest encircled by crevassed rock walls more than 100-feet tall, for your tour of the Lost World Cave. There are five traverses, ranging from 105-500 feet apart taking you across the fallen ceiling of this enormous cave. Your guides will outfit and provide you with a detailed safety briefing. Soar from platform to platform above the floor of the densely populated forest. Your last traverse takes you to a rock shelf protruding from the side of the large tunnel-like entrance to the cave, ending with a rappel to the floor.

I can only hope that I will not chicken out!  Putting this out here for all to read will help keep me accountable to my goal.  I will keep you posted!

Which brings to mind this thought:

"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." ~St. Francis of Assisi

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Every Sunset...

"Know what you want to do, hold the thought firmly, and do every day what should be done, and every sunset will see you that much nearer the goal.” 
~Elbert Hubbard

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Curvy Boot Cut...

Like most women, I dislike trying on jeans!  It amazes me that I have to try on, say 50 or so, before I find one that really fits well!  I got lucky and found a new style at The Gap that fits great!  This new style is called Curvy and it comes in Boot Cut Curvy and Curvy Flare.  Several washes are available and you can get them in petite as well!

Happy shopping!

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Too Many Days...

"Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than you think."
~Benjamin Disraeli

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On This Day...

Have a blessed day!

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Jab, Cross & Hook...

Tried something new today!

"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power."
~Alan Cohen

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Dryads Dancing...

"It was the barn for the square dance on Saturday night
It was the front porch to rock on
It was the trim that said
the hard work paid off...

The only thing worse than tearing down an old building is not re-using the wood that created its beauty."

These are the words attached to the beautiful hand-made frames I found at Renningers in Mt. Dora, Florida this weekend.  I usually make the trip for photos and ephemera, but was pleasantly surprised to find some artists there.  These hand-made frames are from a company called Dryads Dancing out of Chamblee, Georgia.

The frame on the left is made from old wood and the one on the right is metal.  It is hard to appreciate the craftsmanship and textural beauty of these gems from a photo.

Have a blessed day!

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