ON THE ROAD AGAIN ;-)

            Wow! It took a long time to get the med - that caused the uncontrollable coughing - out of my system...Coughing night and day since mid-January until now. My body was tired and keeping up my exercising was difficult and quite challenging - push -ups - squats - planks   but I huffed and I puffed in determination of getting through this, hey, I am a stubborn Icelander after all and I am finally getting almost back to my "normal" self....As I was told numerous times in growing up "One  of these days your going to break your foolhardy neck!" But oh the freedom of enjoying life!!!

 We all realize that life is not for the dead but for the living, so I enjoy it to the best of my ability. Raising ten kids meant we didn't have the luxury of riches - money :-) but going to the lake was free, running and playing at the school and parks playground was free, jumping rope and juggling balls was free, running after my kids-exercise was free!

Over the years I have had one habit that has not changed: On a gloomy day -actual or emotional - I go through my clothes and pick out the gaudiest, most colorful top that I can find put on make-up as if I was going on a date! Worked every time, partly because after awhile my husband caught on, and we'd have a date of sorts...Now I sit here, remembering, with a smile on my face like the proverbial Cheshire cat :-)

As I journey through this life I remember "A journey keeps going, a destination is the end." Therefor I will keep going, and  moving till the end ...But  then I'll just fly away. Hello!

It only takes a small change in the word "impossible"..."I'm possible..." don't remember who said this but I think it's worth repeating :-)



In "Over 50 and Fabulous with Purpose" recently posted "An elderly woman loses 120 pounds walking in her one- bedroom apartment." There  you are - where there is a will there is a way!"


This is the day the Lord has made, I WILL rejoice and be glad in it!

WHAT A GUY! I LOVE YOU MORE!

Last week my F/B friend, Inetta Tucker-Graham posted this question; Those of you that have been married 5-10 years do you still require roses and candy for Valentines Day?

There were several answers, all very good - there are some really good guys out there:-) That made me want to share:

My husband of 70 years marriage never missed celebrating Valentines Day, even at the very beginning before I knew there was such a day in America. Over time we had some ups and downs and not much money - we became parents of ten children and Del felt called to the ministry, starting new churches in particular. In those lean times we made candy and shared heart-shaped cookies that he helped the kids to decorate...I was served my coffee in style!

As time went by and things got easier (our children growing up and getting jobs) we started going out for dinner to celebrate, at first just anywhere, but then Del realized that my favorite food was shrimp and we started going to the Red Lobster for our Valentines celebration. Later, he found a local men's quartet and had them sing during our supper. Sweet memories!

 February 14 of 2015 Del was in the hospital on Valentines Day, in secret he arranged for one of our daughters, Marian, and three of his nurses to surprise me with the biggest celebration yet! The large sheet-cake  was shared by many on his floor. The room was loaded with balloons, flowers, teddy bear and a card with his very shaky handwriting, totally precious.

He went to his Heavenly home two weeks later, February 26, 2015.

What a guy :-) "I love you more."

SO I WENT AND BOUGHT ME A JUMP ROPE...

So now what?

When I had the stroke - November 1, 2016 - I was put on a blood-pressure medication. I do not tolerate medications well and I have been very fortunate in not needing but one, needless to say my expenses in that regard are minimal.

As many of you know I have traveled quite a bit and was in Iceland last June where I went Paragliding - Zip-lining and tried ice-cave climbing. That was my first indication that I was not as strong as I thought I was, I expected hacking into the ice would be a piece of cake! But I was breathing a little hard for what seemed to me a fairly short trek across the tundra to the opening of the Katla cave.

All through 2017 I traveled as usual, enjoying life to the fullest, hiking in Colorado - Moab, Utah .
Visited in Minnesota, Florida, Arizona, Texas...Then I began to hear "are you wheezing, Mom?"
"you are breathing hard,Mom" ....Fast forward to the first week of the new year; Had a checkup and found out that the medication for the blood-pressure had resulted in C.O.P.D.  That was changed to another med. which lasted one day. I wasn't able to tolerate that one!

Okay, let's try another one...this is BAD! Three days later I got this horrible cough that so far is still keeping me up at night hacking away! And now other drug for the cough!

Tried the usual water and vinegar...honey...honey and water...still hacking away! "Cough-drops don't help as this is in your blood and will go away in time " :(

This has not kept me from hopping -moving-jumping...

So now what? I went and got me a pretty, new jump-rope as my old one is in my car in Minnesota!
You should have seen the face of the young man when he found out the rope was for me!!! He said "I want to visit your Iceland!" I really cracked up LOL.

With perky steps this chronologically gifted woman got into her daughter's elderly Cadillac and sped out of the shopping center huge grin on her face!

I have every intention of keeping on enjoying life. It really is wonderful!

                                                    ***********
My daughter had a great idea for my breathing exercise: Start playing my harmonica again!!!

" GRANDPA, WHAT EXACTLY IS A "VIKING"? "

Growing up in Vopnafjörður, Iceland, Grandpa always said "Viking kids don't cry," One day I said "I'm not a Viking, what I have heard they were mean people!" 

Grandpa looked at me and said: "Vik, in Icelandic means a bay, inlet or a fjord. 

So anyone who lives by a fjord could be called Viking or Vikingur which means "One who comes from the fjords."

s

"As many Icelander can tell  you  living by a fjord is not for the faint of heart  and don't cry over small stuff.  We learn to toughen up at young age, that's what I am teaching you: Kids from the fjords don't cry, they can stomp their feet yell and holler but don't whine and cry." Grandpa frowned and then said "In the old days there were many that went berserk and went raiding other countries but that's a different story. So, Diddamin, I repeat Viking kids don't cry!"

NICE SURPRISE!

Hallgrimskirkjan.

                  STANDING TALL!

ICONIC CHURCH IN REYKJAVIK, ICELAND.

After living here in the united states since 1945, (when I
came as a WW.II War-bride) only in 2012 when Eyjafjallajokull erupted and got in the news, was my country, Iceland, really recognized, at least in central Illinois :-)

Before that, I usually got a blank look when I answered the, inevitable, question about my accent. Now it seems like so many have either been there, have a friend or a relative who has been there, or have Iceland on their bucket list!

Going back to my "nice surprise"; I was in Red Wing, Minnesota in October for my youngest grand-daughter wedding. As we were leaving the Motel I picked up a local magazine called "Generations of Today."

Later I was browsing through it and came across theses delightful photos and information!

I love surprises like this!

NINETY THREE AND STAYING FIT - THIS IS HOW I DO IT!

I don't need to go to the gym - no special equipment needed.

                          ***********

My routine; at least ten sit-ups before getting out of bed. Use a wall to stretch as high as possible, fingers spread, then stretch more! Stand on tip-toe stretch again! HIGHER!

Next, do hamstring stretches.

                                     Now do the plank and hold to count of thirty (or more)

After the plank, do the "dog" stretch, again for the count of thirty or more, same  for the "cat" stretch.

"Dog"  stretch     

"Cat" stretch.

Kitchen is a  good, safe place to exercise and do the microwave hop! While the  microwave is on the count-down  hop - dance- prance, then clap your hands!!!

     

Good exercise for strengthening legs and for balance!

OUR ONE AND ONLY, FOREVER HOUSE.

Over our younger years my husband and I  moved several times, like so many folks. The first few years it
was all rental apartments.  We did as many other

renters did; cleaned, washed windows, painted when allowed to do so...took good care of the property.

When, in later years we bought our first house, moved and started fixing up; painting the rooms according to our taste, putting in better insulation and so on...

The lawn was mowed, bushes trimmed... Again we were not alone in this desire to take care of our dwellings. 

What got me to thinking was how many of us are so careful to take care of our temporary living places, even though we'd know that we would likely  move again and again... 

But we are not so careful to take care of the one permanent dwelling we don't get move out of, and  get a new one...

Our bodies is the one and only permanent house we'll ever have and it must
last as long as we live! Just think of that for a minute...Are we really as aware of the need of taking good care of this "one and only forever house"  as we are on with our temporary homes?

With the house comes the need for power tools - lawnmowers, perhaps a truck, a car...All oiled - checked for good operation...

But what about our forever house? The one that has to last as long as we breathe...? Hmm?