Translate one Bugbee letter from cursive into regular English. Then, reward with fanfic. Until dad wakes up, that is.

The choices you make upon waking can have a profound impact on your day. If, still drowsy, you hit the ground running, rushing to prepare yourself to face your worldly obligations, you will likely feel fatigued and overwhelmed for most of your day. A leisurely and relaxing morning, on the other hand, can energize and excite you, as well as give you the courage to meet the challenges waiting for you. By beginning your day in a focused and centered fashion, you make it your own. You set the tone of your expectations and choose the mood you will use to respond to your circumstances. A gentle, reflective, and thoughtful morning will prepare you to create a gentle, conscious, and thoughtful day.

The simplest way to eliminate the rush from your morning routine is to rise earlier. Getting children into routines and getting themselves ready as much as possible will also give you more time. Though this may seem like a hardship at first, you will soon grow to love the extra minutes or hours that afford you an opportunity to really enjoy watching the sun come up or connect with your loved ones before you go in your separate directions. There are many more ways you can constructively use the time you gain. A mere half-hour of introspection in which you examine your goals, thank the universe for the richness in your life, and contemplate the blessings you will receive this day can lift your spirit and help you formulate lasting positive expectations. Likewise, you can solidify your day’s intention through spoken affirmations or the words you record in a journal. Or, if you want little more than to enjoy your day, devote a portion of your personal time to activities that bot! h ground and delight you, such as meditation, yoga, chanting, singing, reading, or listening to music. If you feel, however, that there is little room for change in your start-of-the-day routine, try to make each activity you engage in upon waking a ritual in its own right. The time you spend everyday savoring a soothing cup of tea or washing away tension in a hot shower can serve as a potent reminder of the need to care for yourself no matter what the hour.

Your morning is yours and should reflect not only your practical needs but also the needs of your soul. When you center yourself at the start of your day, you will likely find it easier to remain centered during subsequent work, play, and downtime because the overall sense of serenity you create through your choices will stay with you throughout the day.

It feels a bit cold, but I will wait until the temp gets to the lower 40s before I start the fire.

So... it is a tricky thing trying to get everyone back together. I have asked my friend in California to pray for the reunion. It seems like everyone is either getting married or wants to get married. I am going to resume praying for the reunion. Two individuals seemed to drag their feet, but I believe they actually enjoyed it once they were there. Strong friendships take time and effort like everything else.

*distraction AIM*

Well... a person IMed me who I never thought would IM me. She wants me to watch two DBZ videos. I will bookmark them here for later.

With the way this winter is starting off, how can people NOT believe in global warming, regardless of the cause? My late Oklahoma Redbud only got its winter flowers once, and then it died, confused over what season it was in.

The word "home" has a wide variety of connotations. To some, home is merely a place where basic needs are addressed. To others, home is the foundation from which they draw their strength and tranquility. Still, others view home as a place inexorably linked to family. Yet all these definitions of home imply somewhere we can be ourselves and are totally accepted. There, we feel safe enough to let down our guard, peaceful enough to really relax, and loved enough to want to return day after day. However, these qualities need not be linked to a single space or any space at all. Home is where the heart is and can be the locale you live in, a community you once lived in, or the country where you plan to live someday. Or home can be a feeling you carry inside yourself, wherever you are.

The process of evolution can require you to undergo transformations that uproot you. Moving from place to place can seem to literally divide you from the foundations you have come to depend on. Since your home is so intimately tied to the memories that define you, you may feel that you are losing a vital part of yourself when you leave behind your previous house, city, state, or country. And as it may take some time before you fashion new memories, you may feel homeless even after settling into your new abode. To carry your home with you, you need only become your own foundation. Doing so is merely a matter of staying grounded and centered, and recognizing that the pleasures you enjoyed in one place will still touch your heart in another if you allow them.

Your home can be any space or state of being that fulfills you, provided you are at peace with yourself and your surroundings. A person can feel like home to you, as can seasons and activities. If you feel disconnected from what you once thought of as home, your detachment may be a signal that you are ready to move one. Simply put, you will know you have found your home when both your physical environment and energetic surroundings are in harmony with the individual you are within.

this semester has been the most INSANE and Schizoid semester ever, but today felt like a lot of fun… I decided today right after work that I am going to quit my job. It was just all of a sudden "I quit" I'll work tomorrow, but then leave a note saying that was my last day.

Really cuts into my plans for getting my own place, but the manager and I do not get along. She believes I am disrespectful to authority; I believe she is arbitrary. Maybe we are both right in a way, but that seems to be beside the point now.

Words cannot adequately describe this. I am horrified, and what had happened is a horrible atrocity on so many different levels.

Many people, in heeding the guidance of their souls, find themselves contemplating goals that seem outrageous or unattainable. In the mind’s eye, these individuals stand at the edge of a precipice and look out over the abyss at the fruit of their ambition. Some resist the urge to jump, paralyzed by the gap between their current circumstances and the life of their dreams. Others make a leap of faith into the unknown, unsure of what they will encounter but certain that they will gain more in their attempts than they would bowing to self-protective instincts. This leap can be exceedingly difficult for individuals with control issues because the act of embracing uncertainty requires them to trust that surrender will net them the rewards they seek. Yet when you make a leap of faith, believing without a doubt that you will land safely on the other side, you can accomplish almost anything you set out to do.

There have no doubt been times in your life when you chose to go where the universal flow took you. Yet you may encounter instances in which your objectives require you to step outside of the boundaries of your established comfort zone so that you may freely and actively jettison yourself into a new phase of your life. While you may fear what seems to be the inevitable fall, consider that in all likelihood you will find yourself flying. A successful leap of faith requires your attention, as it is the quiet and often indistinct voice of your inner self that will point you toward your ultimate destination. Understand that the leap across the chasm of ambiguity may challenge you in unforeseen ways but you will make it across if you trust yourself.

If your mind and heart resist, you can dampen this resistance by building a bridge of knowledge. The more you know about the leap you are poised to take, the smaller the gap between "here" and "there" will appear to be. Your courageous leap of faith can lead you into uncharted territory, enabling you to build a new, more adventurous life. Though you may anticipate that fear will be your guide on your journey across the abyss, you will likely discover that exhilaration is your constant companion.

It looks like I am getting my reunion! I'm so happy! The group has received 35 emails so far this month. It hasn't been that active since August of 2006! I think everyone is very enthused about it. I might phone LS - my friend in California - and tell her. Because everyone else is happy about this, I might tell her to pray for its continued success. I know they would all love to hear from her as well, so I will probably copy/paste some non-personal pieces of her letter to the group.

As for other news... I am trying to kill a cold before it fully emerges. I knew this would happen when the semester started. All of my colds and illnesses are stress-induced, and I have had a mega-full cup of stress this semester. I am seriously considering a sabbatical from most of my classes to kill the cold and also work on assignments that I have put off.

I think I FINALLY have a thesis for my research paper. I am really cutting it down to the wire, but I think I can pull it off... It is going to be tricky, but I think I can manage.

I hope the Alibates field trip is not today...