First Day Hike

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This morning we went on a First Day Hike at Bull Shoals White River Park.

I had never heard of a First Day Hike before but apparently, it’s a nationwide initiative to encourage people to get outdoors and enjoy the benefits of spending time in nature. State parks and other organizations lead guided hikes of varying difficulty levels on New Year’s Day. There were over 40 First Day Hikes in Arkansas alone!

We hiked the Big Bluff trail, a loop trail that is 1.75 miles long. There was a lot of climbing involved in the first half of the hike. We ended our climbing at a bluff over looking the White River.

We were lead through the hike by Arkansas State Parks Interpreter, Jackie. She told us facts about Bull Shoals Dam along the way. It was pretty interesting. I had no idea a conveyor belt had been built to get the concrete to the dam when it was being built and you can still see parts of it today.

Although I prefer to hike on our own, I’m glad we did this hike. It was fun to visit with the other hikers. I was surprised by how many people participated! There were people of all ages and dogs!

It was a little chilly to start but after going up hill for the first half of the trail, I was plenty warm when we finally started going down. At the end we got a sticker!

The Halloween Night Parade

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Back when my mom passed, I took 4 tubs of “things”. I wasn’t sure what to do with them and, because they were all in these tubs, I knew I could go through them when I had time. In one of the tubs I found this poem she wrote for a creative writing class. I believe my mom was a frustrated artist wannabe. She was very creative. She sewed and painted, and wrote among other things.

I took the poem and put it in my top desk drawer where I have seen it for the past several years every time I opened the drawer. I’m not sure why I took that out of the tubs and I didn’t know what I was going to do with it but there it remained for several years. Until last week.

Last week, I decided I would actually turn it into a children’s book. I’m not a huge Halloween fan and that put me off of the idea for a book for a few years but it finally seemed like this was the time to make it into a book.

I used mostly her words. I created the illustrations with AI and I made minor adaptions to the poem to be better understood. The original post talked about Jack the Ripper, Black Bart, and Bluebeard which I though were a little obscure for kids. I also wrote the back cover text and titled it.

I got the book proof yesterday and it’s so cute! Best of all, I just know my mom would be tickled to have a book out there with her name on it. It will go on sale to the public on August 1. 🧡🧡🧡

Book Review: Wild About You

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Just finished reading Wild About You! This book was so fun and I loved the characters.

Natalie is fantastic. She’s funny, warm, and trying to figure out life at 19 . I loved that the story captured the challenges of navigating young adulthood, especially when you might not have the strongest family support. She was FUNNY! I laughed so much.

And, Finn. He’s this gruff-but-sweet guy who adds a great dynamic to the story. Their banter is hilarious, and the way they communicate and work through issues feels realistic and refreshing. No unnecessary drama here!

The setting on the Appalachian Trail was really cool. The author did a great job bringing it to life, and while the reality show element played a role, it never took away from the characters themselves. It just added another layer of interest!

Overall, this book is a great pick-me-up. It’s a sweet romance with relatable characters facing real-life challenges. Plus, it definitely fed my wanderlust for the Appalachian Trail (which I also dream of hiking someday!).

If you’re looking for a fun read with great characters and a touch of adventure, check out Wild About You.

Crawdad Days

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A few weeks ago, I crowned my successor as Ms. Classic Crawdad Days. I had so much fun holding that title last year. First, I was so excited to have won!

I competed in the 40+, Ms. Classic, division. At 62, I was the oldest person in the pageant. I’ve been competing in pageants for 25 years and it was the firs time I’d ever been crowned on stage and it was thrilling. I loved the ladies I competed with. They were so kind and fun to hang out with all day. It helped to wipe out a previous bad pageant experience and even if I hadn’t won, it would’ve been a great experience.

The Crawdad Festival was fun and we hung out all day at the festival, held a baby contest, rode rides, and went to the rodeo. I’d never been to a rodeo before and that was a high point, one I definitely want to experience again.

There is a 5k run for the festival. It was super early and it was COLD last year so I didn’t get to the festival in time for the race. And this year, I didn’t go to the festival at all but I’ve been paying attention on Facebook

On Saturday was this year’s 5K race. Do you know there was not one woman over 60 who participated in that 5K? The oldest woman to run was 58. There were for 60+ men and 2, 70+ men!

It’s things like this that cause me to add to my goals list. I keep a goals list and there are around 50 or so items on it at all times. Big things, little things, but all things I for sure what to do or try.

I have added the Crawdad Days 5K to my goals list. Next year, darnit, there will be a woman over 60 who competes. I actually have the USMC Marathon on my goals list for 2025. It takes place in November so a 5K in mid-May seems more than reasonable.

Who’s going to join me?

Laughter is the Best Medicine

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I love to laugh and I love to make other people laugh. If I can make someone else laugh, even just one person, it will make my day.

Laughing is good for you, too! You’ve probably heard the quote, “Laughter is the best medicine”. There’s no one to attribute it to but if you look at Proverbs 17:21 in the Bible,

A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.

you can see that sentiment. It’s been around a long time!

Recently, I started doing dad jokes on YouTube. The first time I told one, I got so much HATE and engagement that I thought, “I think I’m going to do that some more”. I just don’t understand how you can just groan and go on. Or better yet, if you don’t want to see that content, block it.

Anyway, I reposted a dad joke from last year to facebook and guess what? I got even MORE engagement there! So now, when I do a dad joke, I put it everywhere: Youtube, Facebook, and Instagram. The more people I can make laugh, the happier I am.

Laughing truly is good for you in the following ways:

Stress Relief: A 2018 study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that laughter therapy effectively delays cardiovascular complications of type 2 diabetes. The study suggests that laughter helps reduce stress hormones like cortisol, which can contribute to various health problems [1].

Immune System Boost: A Mayo Clinic article cites research suggesting that laughter may help boost the immune system by increasing the production of antibodies [2]. However, the Mayo Clinic clarifies that more research is needed to confirm this connection definitively.

Pain Reduction: A 2011 study published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that mirthful laughter led to a significant reduction in pain perception in participants [3].

Improved Mood: Laughter is well-known to elevate mood and reduce feelings of anxiety and depression. A 2019 review published in The Permanente Journal acknowledges the powerful connection between laughter and emotional well-being [4].

So why wouldn’t you want to laugh and be as healthy as possible? I know that’s the way I roll and will continue to roll. Laughing in my favorite. How about you?

Female Marine Swag

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I see all kinds of Marine swag and I like so much of it. But I haven’t seen anything created specifically for female Marines so I spent my morning making a few designs.

The cup in this photo shows where the female Marine sisterhood starts. Right on the infamous yellow footsteps at MCRD.

True story: I NEVER GOT TO STAND ON THE FOOTPRINTS! I feel kind of robbed. The six other girls, and myself, who arrived at PISC early in October of 1978, arrived six days early. The story of my life. I’m so terrified to be late that I was even early, WAY early, to bootcamp. LOL!

During that week we got ahead of our platoon mates by getting some of our uniform gear, sewing nametags into our gear, and learning how to march. We were put up, two to a room, in the permanent personnel barracks. I’ll never forget the night before the rest of our platoon arrived and they moved us into the huge, EMPTY squadbay. I’m not sure how much I slept that night. It was just so eerie.

All that said, someone left me a pin with the yellow footprints on my obviously USMC veteran car and I have loved the idea every since. So that was the first cup I created.

Then I decided that we need a red cup. So I designed this one.

On the other side it says, “FEWER PROUDER” because I believe that’s true and I love the saying.

I love how this cup is accented in red but super easy to read the black printing on the front.

Being a female Marine is interesting. Kind of like being a unicorn, there are so few of us. I had a guy at the gas station just stare and stare at me. “I was in the Corps for four years and I never saw a lady Marine”, he said. I know four others in our area and I’m sure there are a couple more that I haven’t met but we are far fewer than our Air Force sisters.

Finally, I did just a simple black and white mug stating, “Lady Leatherneck“. On some of my social media platforms, I go by the moniker Lady Jarhead. I feel like Lady Leatherneck is a nicer, fancier term so I chose that.

So, that’s what I did this morning and I’ll be excited to have swag denoting that not only am I a Marine but I’m a unicorn. I mean, a female Marine! 🙂

Book Review: Stop Waiting to Die

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In her book, “Stop Waiting to Die”, Tammy Pack shows that it’s never too late to head in a new direction in life. I enjoyed reading this book which explains how you have the power to take control of your life and pursue your dreams, regardless of your current circumstances. Through her life, the author has gone through quite a transformation herself. She began her journey as a lawyer, ventured into owning a boutique, tried her hand at running a luxury vacation rental service, and ultimately became a real estate broker. However, it’s important to note that she didn’t have all the answers right from the start, and you don’t need to either. In this exceptional book on reinventing your life, Pack courageously acknowledges that she embarked on each new phase without a perfect plan, gradually figuring things out along the way.

“Stop Waiting to Die” is an inspiring read, filled with compulsively readable stories that tell how one woman translated her mother’s wisdom from the South into a life marked by achievement and contentment. As a person who lives in FOMO, I couldn’t agree more. Two thumbs up!

Book Review: Save What’s Left

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I really hate to give a book a two star review but I have to admit that the only reason I kept reading is because I wanted to see if Kathleen ever got happy.

I’m a really positive person and Kathleen Deane is not. Nor did it seem she wanted to be. I got 73% of the way through the book before I learned that Kathleen was turning 60. I’m 63 and I figured she was at least 20 years older than I am, crotchety, grumpy, with nothing better to do than write letters to government officials and bemoan her life.

I will say that the author is a good writer and I wouldn’t rule out reading another of her books in the future but this book just didn’t do it for me.

Book Review: The Rachel Incident

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For a big part of this book, I was kind of wondering if maybe I just didn’t get it. But I’m glad I kept reading.

Rachel is a 21-year-old college student, sharing a flat with her coworker from the bookstore, James. Rachel develops this major crush on her English professor, Dr. Byrne, but guess what? She might not be the only one after him. Throughout the year of them living together, Rachel and James get tangled up in Dr. Byrne’s and his wife, Deenie’s, lives. Secrets start piling up, and tension keeps on rising among everyone.

I felt by the time Rachel and James grew up and moved away from each other that the story really started happening and I could see where it was going.

This was a good book. A little hard to figure out at first but I liked it.

Book Review: How To Kill Men and Get Away With It

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I wasn’t really sure what to expect with this book. I have a friend who read it and loved it and we usually like the same books so I gave it a whirl.

I didn’t expect there would be actual killings but I still enjoyed the overall story. Kitty Collins, a rich and pampered Instagram influencer seemed content with her shallow existence, despite being aware that there was more to life. She complained about being an influencer, yet reveled in her luxurious lifestyle and the perks that came with it.

Kitty would post alluring photos, frequent exclusive clubs, surround herself with other beautiful and privileged individuals, and had a secret hobby of eliminating men who had harmed women and didn’t deserve to live.

Over the top, unexpected and good story. Solid 4 stars from me.