What should I do? I'm so confused!

These Chocolate Peanut Butter Dream Bars that I'm supposed to make look so yummy.... but I'm also supposed to walk off 15 pounds using the Easy Fat Blasting Plan!

And then I only have 31 day to get to a healthier me! Oh my goodness, I just don't know what to do.

Should I eat the Dream Bars first and just go ahead and get fat and then worry about walking off the 15 pounds? Or should I walk off the 15 pounds first, to make more room for the Dream Bars?

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What's a girl to do?

pressure pressure pressure.....

Good morning peoples!

I haven't been around much lately because mu husband and I have been going through some big changes.

For personal and financial reasons, we decided to leave Bonita Springs, Florida and move back to the Philadelphia, Pa area.

I won't go back into the guts of why. Truth be told, it really doesn't matter. It is what it is. God has a plan and we need to do the best that we can do. Roll with the punches, right? (If you are so inclined, you can read about it here.)

The biggest changes have been for me. At this time, I am not pursuing my Real Estate license here in Pa. I have decided to go back to the mortgage industry. That's where I came from.

I would like to introduce my DH, John Young. We have been married for 33 years now! And yes... we are happy! Praise God for the good things in life. (But I digress)

John has been a loan officer and broker for 20 years now. He has always been the type to do what was best for the client and not to "get a loan". Being the type of person (maybe a bit of a romantic) he is, he is specializing in Reverse Mortgages. John has a talent for working with seniors, and really feels good about helping them. A few times, he was able to get folks out of bad situations and allow them to save their homes and improve their lifestyle.

But that's not what this post is about. That can be for later.

I am now working with John's company, Ivy League Mortgage. It has been quite a culture shock the last few months, adjusting to a different lifestyle, not to mention the COLD! But I am blessed that the people we are working with, are a group that we have known and worked with (at various times) for many years. They have all been in the mortgage industry FOREVER, and are simply the best at what they do! We couldn't be working with a better group of people!

So, even though most of my posts tend to "fluffy" ... such as pictures of sunsets and clouds in beautiful Bonita Springs, Florida ... from now on, they will be "unfluffy" pictures of Bucks County Pa. ;-) Such as the one above. Oh ... and some mortgage stuff once in awhile!

BTW ... what's the opposite of 'fluffy"?

Just yesterday I said "Happy Thanksgiving" to a woman, and she gave me such a look. It said that she wanted to cry and rip my head off at the same time. Something was mumbled and she turned away.

I felt bad for upsetting her. But all I said was "Happy Thanksgiving"!

It made me remember that for a lot of people, this is one of the toughest times of the year.

Spiritually, emotionally, financially.

So many people are broken, spiritually, emotionally and financially. Especially this year. Our economy is restricting most of us as never before.

But it's THE HOLIDAYS! It's time to be happy, be merry, spend money, work hard and make it all look easy! Eat tons of food and still be skinny! Decorate your home and be jolly! Smile and get along with Uncle Ed and Aunt Marge as they finish off that fifth and get louder and sloppier.

Don't get me wrong folks. Deep down, I am NOT bah-humbug. Really...I'm not. This is one of our toughest years ever. We are in a place that we don't want to be. But I have accepted our circumstances at this point in our lives and I am ready to move on! I'm smiling. I am. Honest.

Our children are grown and we don't really "do Christmas" anymore. Not like when they were kids. I was a Christmas machine back then! My home was always decorated within an inch of it's life! We knew how to do the holidays. But the older we get, the more laid back we are. And it feels right.

Our grown children and granddaughter will be over today for Thanksgiving! It's the first time in over three years that we all get to be together, because we were living in Florida.

I am very happy and excited about being with my girls! (Tofurkey for everyone! ) ;-)

So anyway, my point is that I do wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. And I do pray for everyone, especially the folks that feel the pressure and depression that can come this time of year.

I would say not to fall into what is *expected* of you. Instead, do what feels joyous and comforting. Give thanks to Lord for all the little things that still make this the greatest country in the world and Americans the most blessed!

Take time for yourself and give time to the Lord Jesus Christ this holiday!

Be blessed, Sharon

Mondays skies are full of grace ... the grace of God!

I know, you *must* be sick of me by now. So if you can't take beautiful skies... then quickly look away! Click fast and move on!

I believe I could come up with a better blog, but to me, there is nothing better than this daily gift from God!

So those of you who like a good sunset and sky, then please enjoy. I like to think of it as a gift. Like a bunch of flowers and a box of chocolates to all my friends here at Active Rain. It's my way of waving hello.

And remember, these are SOOC! Seriously. You will see telephone poles and power lines and mud puddles, because I did not touch these photos.

Does this not look like the sky is literally on fire!?

Photos by Sharon Young

Have you ever read anything or heard about how dogs can sniff out disease such as cancer in humans? How they can be used to predict blood sugar drops or seizures in diabetics?

Back in the medieval times, "physicians" used small dogs as tools. The patient would be laid out flat and the dog allowed to walk on them from head to toe smelling and searching until they "found" something.

Do they really have the ability to detect disease in us?

Well, I have a little story. Last year I was dog sitting for a big black lab named Libby. Libby is a Katrina rescue dog and VERY special! I knew that from the first moment I met her.

I was at her house spending an hour with her. When I sat down on the couch and leaned back, Libby jumped on me and pinned me down and looked me square in the eye. This caught me off guard because Libby and I are good friends. I wondered what the heck is going on? OK, I was a *little* nervous.

Instead of ripping my face off, which made me happy, she started intensely sniffing and snorting every inch of my upper torso. I mean inhaling my skin. Inch by inch. Line by line, from the top down and back up as if she were reading a book.

Libby finally zeroed in on an exact spot at the very top of my right side rib cage. She proceeded to dig and push her snout into me so hard that it hurt and I tried to put her off me, but she kept at it. I had to roll out from under her to get away and then distract her with treats.

How did she know that I had been sick for months and that 4 days later I was having my gallbladder removed?

Honestly, it freaked me out. Now I know that the canine nose knows!

The next night I was with Libby again and I was taking her out for her bedtime latrine visit. When we got to the corner of the street, an SUV with tinted windows slowed down right in front of me and started driving in circles in the middle of the intersection. It was clearly meant to be either threatening or just some punk kid being macho, but it was unnerveing considering that it was pretty late and no one else was around.

Libby froze! Every hair on her back stood up and she ever so slightly hunched her shoulders down and I could feel every muscle in her body coiled like a spring. The lowest meanest most primal growl came from her belly. A sound I had never heard before. I knew, without a doubt, that if anyone came near me, Libby would kill them.

I tried to get her to move away and come back to the house, but she was planted like a tree until the SUV left. She then looked at me as if to say "ok" and then trotted happily back to the house.

Now...how did she know that a car driving in circles was a threat to me? Dogs are a gift from God and they rock! That's how. <grin>