Last week was a good week for me. I started to work out again. I found that I didn’t lose much strength in my two weeks off from working out. Other than working out, I tried to cook some new, healthy foods. I incorporated whole wheat flour, brown rice, and more vegetables in my dishes. In my opinion, the foods taste better now that they are healthier. Nothing really interesting happened this past week. I did get a new cell phone though, a Samsung Trance from Verizon Wireless. It was a little annoying when the FedEx delivery guy missed my house when he came to deliver packages. I spent all of Tuesday last week trying to figure out all of the features and such. I really am enjoying this new cell phone. Last week was just like any other week of my life, but with a little more excitement.

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My granddaughter loved the special attention to the point of embarrassment. I dropped her and grandma off at the mall and went to my doctor’s appointment. Health care has become very expensive. Back to the mall. Pick up the girls and go grocery shopping. My granddaughter went to the Tot Spot. I sat and read the Wall Street Journal for one half and hour. I should have bought Freddie Mac stock, up 200% from the time I thought I should have bought it. Get the girls and groceries packed up and off to a kennel. The owner will take the Border Collies while we try to find them homes. My granddaughter gets to pet the owner’s horses. She says, “This is a great day!” When we got home, Trixie had been picked up. I played games with my granddaughter until supper. Supper is done. The news is watched. Grandma’s time with the granddaughter is now. I write. Another long and satisfying day for a tired grandpa.

Last night I went to my dad’s house for dinner like I do every Tuesday night. He told me he had a surprise for me. When I got there he had prepared a whole turkey. We also had turkey stuffing, macaroni and cheese, and mixed vegetables. The turkey had been cooked in a roasting bag in the oven for three hours with garlic on it. It was really juicy, not dry like most baked turkeys. Dad cooked all this because he knows that turkey is my favorite but having 6 kids, it isn’t something that I get a chance to cook a lot. It was a very delicious dinner and very enjoyable to have with my dad. We have the tradition of meeting for dinner every Tuesday but this has to be one of my favorite so far.

My favorite T.V. show of all times would have to be Friends, no contest. Since 1994, I have enjoyed watching them on Thursday nights and never missed a single episode. It is a very funny show that is about 6 well-rounded friends with everyday problems and they are always there to help one another out in time of need. I have bought every season on DVD and watch them almost everyday. I can tell you about any and every episode. I can even reply line by line of the script as well. Friends became a very big show in its time. I’m sad, and I know many other people are too, that the show came to an end in 2004. It was a sad time for a lot of people. I wish they would come out with one last movie to show how all the friends are doing and what they have been up to since the show has ended. I think I read, though, that a few of them do not want to come back because they think they ended the show on good terms and that there is no reason for them to make a movie. I think they would make a killing. There are so many people who wish to see them just one more time. I know I am one of those people.

Trying to come up with what I think of as my strengths was a bit challenging. I think that in different situations and environments, I have different strengths. However, two that seem to stand out in most situations for me are being hard working and having perseverance. The two go hand in hand pretty well. I have the motivation and drive to work hard at most everything I do, and I have the perseverance to continue to push through when things prove to be more difficult. These are strengths that serve me well in pretty much everything I do, and will continue to serve me well into the future. Hard work will gain you a lot of things, and can open a lot of doors to new opportunities. Perseverance when things get tough is also very valuable – it allows me to push through and get things done even when things are stacked against me and it doesn’t seem like I will be able to accomplish what I want. All in all, I think that these strengths are things that can get me through tough times and should be valuable attributes for me for a long time to come.

My past week has been great. My oldest son celebrated his second birthday, and it made feel so proud. I can’t believe how big he’s getting. He peed on the potty three times the other day, I’m so proud of him. He is proud of himself as well; he claps and gets such a big smile when he goes! My youngest son, who just turned one, last month, started walking all on his own this week. He also gets such big smiles when he knows he’s doing something we’re proud of. He has not only started walking but walking across the room already. He has also started sleeping better at night, which is a blessing for my husband and me. My cousin got married and we had a lot of fun at the reception. Her sister was in the wedding so we got to see her again. She lives out of state so we haven’t seen her in years, and she finally got to meet my husband and my kids. This has really been a great week; I hope the rest to come can top it!

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I woke up at 4 A.M. this morning with the feeling of a bug crawling on me. Not the most pleasant way to wake up. I knew I should go back to sleep because I had a long day ahead of me. Last night I drove to the Mississippi River and picked up a stray dog. She was young and beautiful, but full of energy. She whined and cried all the way home. The drive back was interesting enough: fifteen white-tailed deer and one albino. When we got home, the new dog wrestled all night with our other foster dog. They were both so tired, that they slept through the night without problems. I had to arrange a new home for her and two Border Collies the next day. I had a doctor’s appointment and had to pick up my granddaughter for an over-night visit. I finally got up at 6 A.M. The dogs were fed and I kept them busy while my wife fed the cats. I watched the news and took a nap. A shower and a check of my stocks and we were off. The animal control officer had been informed to pick up the new dog that I named Trixie, while we gone to the city. We picked up my granddaughter, hugged and kissed the twins and off for a special lunch.