My Granddaughter is Getting Married

It seems like only yesterday that she was just a baby in my arms. Now she is all grown up and getting ready to marry her childhood love. How time flies...

Speaking of time, here's our countdown clock to the big day!

Exciting News! Our New Venture and a Bright New Path Ahead!

A lot has happened since my last post. Ken and I are teaming up to form Golden Rule Professional Speaking and Coaching. We are both so excited about these developments, not just because we are finally starting our business, but also because we are teaming up and starting this venture together. We are partners in every sense!

Life is good, and I am grateful!

My Hubby's Winning Speech at Toastmasters: Life is Like a Trip to Disneyland!



Everyone has natural talents of some kind. My hubby is natural-born communicator. He writes, speaks, and expresses himself with a lot of charisma. Below, is the speech he wrote and won in a Toastmasters contest. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Life is like a trip to Disneyland

Most of us have heard the quote from the movie Forrest Gump, "Life is like a box of chocolates." I believe that life is like a trip to Disneyland.

Life is like a trip to Disneyland. With ticket in hand, we pass through the turnstile and we are ready for our visit. There are ^{two ways our lives begin, natural birth and Caesarian section. Interestingly, there are two ways to enter Disneyland. A tunnel to the left and one to the right. Either tunnel brings us to Main Street, Disneyland U.S.A. Main Street represents our everyday lives. There are shops, theaters, a fire house and a city hall. We can learn from listening to President Lincoln or just by conversing with the citizens on Main Street. Main Street has several modes of transportation, buses, autos, and a trolley car. Main Street is clean and almost crime free. There is a parade or celebration on Main Street everyday and we should celebrate life every day.}

 

Life is Like a Trip to Disneyland...


The first land we visit as a child is Fantasyland. Here we let our imagination run wild. One minute we are slaying dragons and saving the damsel in distress, the next we are riding the range or chasing down bad guys. We can be pirates, soldiers, fire fighters or police officers. Maybe we are Prince Charming or we are the princess waiting for our prince. In Fantasyland, the sky is the limit.

The next land we visit is Adventureland. We have matured a bit and we are ready to spread our wings. This may be taking our bikes around the block for the first time or spending the night at a friend’s house. This is our first camping trip or the first time we drive the car to the store alone. It is graduating from high school and college and moving into the new frontier or Frontierland.

Frontierland represents the new frontiers in our lives. These can be the new job, the new husband or wife, the new baby or any other significant change also called life changing events. These events cause us to change direction and explore the new frontiers in our lives.

Tomorrowland is the land of the future, the land of goals and dreams. Tomorrowland is where we experiment, and reach for the stars. We set long term goals, make plans for a new business or career or even retirement. To quote from the former Tomorrowland attraction The Carousal of Progress, "It’s a great big beautiful tomorrow shining at the end of every day, it’s a great big beautiful tomorrow and it’s just a dream away." Tomorrowland is for dreaming and making those dreams come true.
Of course, Disneyland, like life has its bumps and disappointments.

The lines to get on a ride may have a wait time of an hour or move. But have you noticed that our attitude in a line at Disneyland is much different than sitting in rush hour traffic. At Disneyland, we are much more patient because we know we will enjoy ourselves when we reach the end of the line. We should have the same attitude while sitting in traffic because most of us come home to a comfortable home and a loving family at the end of the trip. Broken attractions also frustrate us but we just regroup and move on to something else not allowing this to ruin our visit.

We need to do the same thing in life. Some of us have been fired, laid off, or had a business fail. These setbacks allow us to regroup and move on to another "attraction" and in many cases a better "attraction."

Last but not least we cannot forget about the nightly fireworks. The fireworks are the major events in our lives. The first kiss, getting married, the birth of a child or grandchild… The big bang events of life.

I challenge each of us to live life like a trip to Disneyland and you will always be at the happiest place on earth.

A Maxfield Tradition: Flowers Every Month for Thirty Years!

I cannot recall exactly when this tradition started, but I believe it was during the second year of marriage that I have been getting flowers every 2nd of the month from my hubby Ken. I must confess that I never get tired of receiving them. I read somewhere in a book that the success of a marriage depends on courtesy with each other. I know this to be true.

Be kind. Be well, and be happy. :-)

Brayden's First Trip to Disneyland!

My grandson Brayden is a bundle of joy. He recently went to Disneyland for the very first time. I love the way the strap is stuck in between his two little chins. LOL! This is SO cute. I had to share this. What can I say? I love all my grandkids to pieces! :-)

Welcome!

My name is Carmen, and I would like to welcome you to my new blog.

Set the Mood for Love!