Celebrating Togetherness Through Big Brother TV

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I'm a reality TV fan. Is that sad or what? However it promotes camaraderie between The Train and myself. He watches Big Brother 13 and Survivor with me. It's amazing how reality TV brings us together and makes for great conversation.

Train: Hey I watched a fight on YouTube between Shelly and Jordan today. Wonder if they'll show it tonight?

Me: Oh I want to see it. I hope they do. Well if they don't I can see it on Youtube too.

Train: I saw an interview with Jeff after he got kicked out of the house. Connie asked him why he thought he got voted out. He said, "Cause I'm Big Jeff." He was joking but I hate it when he refers to himself in the first person.

Me: I do to. It's weird. Did he say why he really thought they got rid of him?

Train: He thinks they're all jealous of his success playing the game.

Then the two of us settled down and watched another episode and I actually got to see the fight between Shelly and Jordan, the fight between Shelly and Jeff. And the fight between Shelly and Adam. Wow was there anybody Shelly wasn't fighting with or lying to last night? Nope not really.

But we love it that Porsche is stepping up her game just like Jeff told her to. If you don't watch or missed it Jeff put Porsche on the block and said he did it to give her the chance to play the game insinuating she'd not been playing up til then. Hey Hey Jeff she played well bud when she won the Power of Veto and left you on the block instead of using it on you. Even under your intimidation and prodding she stood her ground.

Then we watched as Porsche also won Head of Household this week but released Pandora's Box on the house. Although she won $5000 it brought back pairs. Pairs will play the game together, win and lose together for one week. Bad, bad timing for this to come into play.

Celebrating today time with my honey. Love is full of surprises and I never thought I'd see the day I would watch 26 episodes of National Geographic documentaries about WW2. And. Like. It. Even more surprising is the Train enjoying Big Brother with me! God does work in mysterious ways doesn't He?

Safari In Georgia? See for Yourself

Hubs and I went on a short anniversary trip to Callaway Gardens this past weekend. While away we stopped of at a safari here in Georgia. Yes I know it sounds lame and we thought it might be a dud too. But we're getting old and wild animals sticking their heads in our car sounded like a bit of a thrill. We went for it! I'm sharing some of the excitement with you today.

[caption id="attachment_1646" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Love this photo of my babe and me."][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1648" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Zebra wishing he could have more food."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1651" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="We steered clear of this steer."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1652" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Some kind of bull with horns that turned up."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1653" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="My favorite baby in the whole place."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1654" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Three little pigs."][/caption]

Ok so I guess after looking at the pics it looks to you more like a drive thru farm/safari than a wild safari right? Well there was the giraffe and the zebra you saw them and an ostrich which I did not post. And there was an element of danger with that big steer, bull animal coming at us! And the deer and other cows and stuff trying to eat our hands. And the drool was so gross and the big tongues, you did see the big tongues right?! Also what you haven't seen yet is the Walk About part. The animals were all caged but there were tigers and lions and bears oh my! I have pics to prove it.

Related articles

• Any info on Wild Animal Safari in Georgia (wiki.answers.com)


• Pic of The Week - Wild Giraffes or Diamond Head Crater? (runkeeper.com)

The Man Next To Me

This week's prompt for RemembeRed asked us to write about a time that rhythm, or a lack thereof, played a role in your life. And don’t use the word “rhythm.” I'm not really a poet but I like to give it a shot once in a while. Concrit welcomed.



The man next to me is strong, virile and mine,

In his slumber he breathes in and out, slow and loud

I bind my ears with my own hands to silence the sound

But he is next to me, strong, virile and mine.





The man next to me is tall, dark and handsome

He sleeps so deeply he knows nothing of me

Head covered by plush pillows I cannot see

But he is next to me tall, dark and handsome.





The man next to me labors hard to provide

His eyes close at the door of day’s end

Mouth opens and out comes an ear shattering wind

But the man next to me labors hard to provide.





The man next to me is friend, lover and spouse

But tonight I’ve rolled him over, to the door and out of the house.

10 Ways To Respect Your Man

[caption id="attachment_1417" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Aug. 1, 1981"][/caption]

Webster’s defines respect as high or special regard, or the state or quality of being esteemed. If we take this definition literally and apply it to how we treat each other, we’d have some pretty awesome relationships going on out there huh? Marriages would last longer, be revived
or renewed. Families could quite possibly stay together and children would witness what a true marriage should look like.

Respect could revolutionize relationships. So what does it look like? I'm going to list 10 ways a woman can respect her man or vice versa. These 10 have been tested and tried by me in my own marriage and I can testify that respect can change mediocre to marvelous. Along with our willingness to change and God's love, miracles happened in our relationship. Give it a try you might find a priceless treasure where you thought there was only some trash.

1-    When he comes home from a long day at work give him a few minutes to wind down. I know you gals who have been home all day with the kids just want to pass them off to him as soon as he walks through the door but trust me, it’s not a good idea. Usually. Believe me when my kids were young my first instinct was to hand him those precious little ones and run for my life.

2-    Listen to his ideas. I realize you might not agree with these ideas. They may even sound crazy sometimes but just listen. There will be another, more appropriate opportunity to tell him that maybe he needs to rethink these ideas, ideas that will blow your whole savings account. But
for now just listen and let him share his dreams or plans or whatever it is he needs to share with you.

3-    When you feel it's time to talk to him about such things as mentioned in No. 3 do it in a gentle way. There’s nothing worse than making your man feel like his ideas are dumb. Put yourself in his place, do you want him to suggest to you that your ideas are dumb?

4-    Thank him for working hard to provide for you and your family. A man’s identity is often wrapped up in his job and it helps his self-esteem to know you think he is doing well at it.

5-    Put your relationship with him above all other human relationships. Yes even above your children. It took me a long time to learn that this was a wonderful way to show him how much I respected and loved him. Take time away with him every day, even if it’s just a few minutes. Let
him know that being alone with him is important to you.

6-    When you give him what is important to him this shows him respect. It might be “intimacy”, it might be fried pork chops, or it could be providing him with a few minutes of relaxation before he has to be daddy or hubby after work.

7-    Do not degrade him especially in public. If you are with friends playing a game and he doesn’t get a question right don’t make hubby feel like an idiot. He already feels embarrassed because he didn’t get it right. Don’t make it worse. It’s better to say,”That’s ok honey you’ll get it
next time.” Well my husband would rather I didn’t say anything about it at all. Leave it at that and move on with the game.

8-    Don’t make a habit of correcting him in front of others. Maybe he’s telling a story and exaggerates a bit or remembers it different than you, is it really worth it to correct him in the presence of his friends?

9-    Do something to let him know he is appreciated and not just on Father’s Day. One night B got home late from work and I had made steak. After heating it up I cut the steak up for him before I gave him his plate. He said, “Wow, why did you cut it up?!” “Cause I love you.” Sickening
right? Well I thought he’d like it. He did.

10-  This is the most important concept of all. Do unto him as you would have him do unto
you. We all want to be treated with respect. Most of us don’t believe we are respected as much as we would like. One solution may be to teach others how we want to be respected by respecting them that way.

What’s your take on this? I’d love to hear if you have any more suggestions to add.

Don't forget to check out my latest on Grace Full Women, "Can My Behavior Change My Heart?"

What Do Men Want?

I heard a sermon yesterday on my way to church. The pastor was listing things men needed to help them be the best they could be. I certainly agreed with him on most everything so I thought I’d share. There aren’t many men who read my blog but women if you can add to this list please comment, maybe we can write a book. What Do Men Really Want?

1- Men want real food. However they need the healthy stuff like salad, baked chicken and fish, broccoli and lots of water. Today the Train and I will begin our path to eating the healthy stuff. Yesterday we stuffed ourselves on the real stuff, donuts, barbecued ribs and snacks til we went to bed. We love us some REAL FOOD but it’s time to get on the track to a longer, healthier life.

2- Men want recreation. Football, fishing, hunting, computer or video games, etc. Guess what? They need it too! My philosophy is let him do one of these things cause he could be doing something much worse. I did not say his recreation should take every spare minute he has but he needs time to himself just like you do.

3- Men want respect. And as much as he wants it he needs it too. The Bible even tells us in Ephesians to respect our husbands. Obviously it’s something ingrained in them that makes them whole. A man who doesn’t get respect feels taken for granted and used. (Later this week, “How To Respect A Man.”)

4- Men Want To Be Encouraged. You probably won’t find too many men that will admit to needing this but deep down they do. Encourage how? Ask him to do something for you (I am keeping my mouth shut on this one) then tell him what a good job he did. Example: My hubby washed the dishes and put them away. After I woke up from my fainting spell I saw he had not put things in the right spot. I would have never told him he did it incorrectly, no I praised and thanked him. (Another thing, if you ever expect to get him to do anything else like that, don’t criticize.) Also
for encouragement, tell him he’s strong, good-looking, has a nice butt, love his nose, his muscles or notice his haircut.

5- Men want  "intimacy". Actually they need it. It really is a fact cause I asked my hubbyand there are huge statistics that say the same. Men think about it most the time in one way or the other. The Bible also tells us not to withhold intimacy from each other within a marriage unless we are taking time away to pray and agree together to do it. ( I may also right a blog from a woman’s point of view on this subject, because it’s a bit different from a guy’s thinking.)

6- Men want companionship. Ok maybe some of them don’t want it but they need it. He needs the togetherness with a good woman who loves and supports him. She can make him stronger and more effective in life as a husband and father and even on the job. He just needs to let her in to that deeper place he’s kept hidden. Opening up to his woman can open doors to
refreshing, rebuilding, and reviving their relationship.

If a man wants a woman who will walk around the world for him all he has to do is be honest about who he is and what he wants, love, support and respect her, and be a good father to their kids. It really is not all that hard guys. ( tiny bit of joking here)

7- Men want to be appreciated. Thank him for being the provider for your family or helping you provide. Think about the positive instead of the negative. Thank him for cutting the grass, for reading the kids a story, for going to church with you. There are a multitude of things you can thank your man for. On the Father's Day card I bought The Train it said thanks for being my partner and friend and for making me happy. He needs to know how you feel even if he's not able to share his feelings as well as you. You might just teach him a thing or two.

8- Men want God. They may not know it but God created the heart with a keyhole in it. The key is God’s Son Jesus. When he lets Jesus open his heart his life will change. A man of God can change his world, his family and his marriage into something amazing.

Well there you have my little list of what a man wants. What do you have to add?