More Intentional

"To be intentional is to act purposefully, with a goal in mind and a plan for accomplishing it," Ann Epstein.  After feeling I had wasted much of last week, I decided to be more intentional this week.  I wanted to keep in mind all the areas of my life: my social, spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, personal health, recreation, friendships, relationships, pets and anything else important to me.  And I wanted to try to nurture these on a more regular basis, maybe not daily, but at least several times a week.  Annie Dillard said "How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives."  This is an excellent reminder that "every day is a thread that weaves the fabric of our lives.  Each thread is just as important as the next in creating the life we imagined."  So each day I need to think about planning a perfect day and consider what would make an ideal week.  Top priority right now, are my workouts, horse, walks, friendships, and nutrition.  Also high up is caring for my family, pets, yard and house, personal hygiene, and still have time for recreation, relaxation and rest.
I also know I need to put God first.  I need to get more intentional.


Saturday 2/24 - I was up with the sun and quick to get the dog out on a walk because rain was coming.  Since rain was very likely all day long, I was very intentional about trying to get my cruise blog done.

Seen left, the view from my desk, where I sat much of the day.  Maggie is looking out the window, Monita playing in the shoebox, and Stevie smelling the pot of my Norfolk Pine.



Seen right, dog toys and Monita in her new box toy.  I am glad the purchase of the black K-Mart tennis shoes, that I don't really care for, wasn't a total loss.

Actually Monita played in the shoe box, off and on, all day and that's the only photos I took the entire day.  She is so stinkin' cute.

I did take a break before lunch and go to the gym.  I was very intentional about my workout and was there 2 1/2 hours, counting my shower.  It felt good to tax my muscles, including heart and lungs.  How quickly they get weaker.

Other breaks from blogging included meals, dog walks, pet care, and snuggle and play time with the cats and dog.

  

  I can't get a photo to move up into this space!

Joe sent this photo and said that he had made it to Nashville from Alabama, and that he took Courtney and Mike out to dinner.  Next he was headed to the Eagles concert with Courtney and would stay with her for the night.













Popcorn and one episode of Fixer Upper finished my day along with a devotional reading before bed.

I intended to sit here all morning Sunday until I got my Cruise blog finished.  More shoebox play continued.  At one point it got flipped over and Stevie was just sure there was something under it.  And of course Monita had to take a look also.





Just before noon I finished my lengthy Cruise blog, published, and posted it!  What a relief to finally get it done.  After lunch I took Maggie on a 90 minute walk.


Then I went to the barn and rode around with Jan.  We rode bareback and stayed close to the barn because it was very muddy out and looked like it could rain.  In this photo, Zorro had come up to the gate to see Amiga.

Joe got home as I was eating dinner.  Then we watched both of the taped Survivor shows.

This is a look at the backyard from across the creek and then while on the 17th green.

Monday I did a little rowing before Ballroom Aerobics then lifted weights afterwards.  My back was a little sore from riding bareback the day before.









I went to the barn at 1:00 and rode for 90 minutes, letting Amiga graze a lot of the time.  The bean field was still a little too soft to ride in, so I took Amiga on the Holly Trail, which wasn't too bad.  We rode down to the creek (video), where we turned around and then went back up the hill towards home.  We passed Jan on the trail as we were heading back to the barn and she was heading out.

After getting Amiga untacked and turned back out, I worked at rescuing some Nandina bushes that had been dug up to make room for this new building where the office is going to be moved to.  All the bushes were too heavy to lift except one, and I struggled to get it up into the SUV.

I had also filled some bins with old manure to use in the transplanting.  I got the new bush planted and pruned way back once home, but my back was now really feeling strained.

When done in back I put some corn out for this pair of Mallards who where hanging around.  They have become quite bold, unlike the wood ducks who flee when I am in sight.

Joe and I ran to Food City together and picked up some food items of our preference in addition to getting salads from the salad bar.  

My back was really hurting by bedtime, so I took a sleep aid with pain reliever.

Each morning while my tea steeps, I walk the dog and hang out the bird feeders.  Maggie always goes out on the deck with me to 'help' with that process.  Tuesday morning she alerted me to this little bat that was hanging from the kick board beneath one of the stair treads.  Look at it's cute little toes.  I kept Maggie away from the bat.

I think Stevie (who is too big to fit) was envious of Monita napping in the shoe box.








My devotional the night before, by Debora Coty, was titled "Choose Contentment."  The point being, to be thankful for what we do have, to be upbeat and positive rather than complain and gripe.  She started it with "Intentional choices, if practiced enough, become habits."  Awh, being more intentional.  She ended her commentary saying "Purposely thinking and talking like you have a grateful spirit will actually produce one." 

The day began grey and gloomy, but I was thankful that my back was feeling a little better.  I worked much of the morning on a document I wanted to share with our contractor Steve, when we were to meet later in the week, about putting in a sunroom.  I had 40 photos to sort through, organize, and put into a word document with captions.  This would hopefully convey my desires in as short a time as possible, plus give him visuals.  A picture is worth a thousand words.

The sun did peek through the clouds occasionally during the day.  After lunch I started on this project.  I wanted a tree to decorate for the different holidays and seasons.  I found this cutting in the woods and had to whittle the end to get it to fit into an old artificial tree, tree stand I had saved.  

I got the base of the branch to fit in the stand and stand up-right finally, but didn't have time to hang lights and Easter decorations because I needed to get to the barn.  I was concerned the cats would knock the tree over, so anchored the middle of it to this stool that Stevie loves to sit on and look out the balcony window.


I arrived at the barn plenty early so was tacked and ready to ride when Jan got there.  I took Amiga up to the larger, farther field, that is past the old ghost town, and let her graze on the winter rye.  This is a view of the barn.  The mare pasture is to the left and the geldings to the right.

I had met this large group that Judy was leading on a trail ride.  The barn has and will be busy this week because it is spring break for a lot of schools.

Once Jan and Cash joined up with Amiga and I, we rode into the Glade taking the Holly Trail.  It wasn't slippery, but with the leaves covering the rocks, it is a little tricky.  We just take it slow when the footing isn't ideal.


At one point Amiga got a stick caught in her tail.  She drug it for a long time, not bothered by this 'thing' following her.  Jan got such a kick out of Amiga's 'tail extension' she had to photograph it.  Ha ha ha.

We rode the undeveloped roads in and around the back nine of Dorchester.  At one spot where we take a paved road, there was a big sink hole in the cart path.  Yikes.


The stable staff was finishing up their last of three wagon rides when we got back to the barn.  I had been in the saddle 2 1/2 hours.  Once untacked, we sat around the bonfire with several of the guests.  I had gotten chilled out on the trail, so the fire felt great.

I stopped in at Shirley's to do cat care on my way back from the barn, so it was almost 7pm by the time I got home.  Joe had fed the pets and made soup and grilled cheese for us.

Wednesday morning I took time to decorate the balcony tree with lights and Easter decorations.  My helpers were right there as usual.  In the second photo, Stevie thought about altering the placement of a few eggs and I had to scold her.  

I tried out my new K-Mart shoes when at the gym for Ballroom aerobics and lifting weights.  They were actually quite comfortable.  I had to push myself to get through a regular weight workout, I just felt so tired.

After lunch I took Maggie on a long (2 1/2 hour) walk, although part of it was spent talking.  We walked to Patty's and I helped her move a table and grill out to her patio.  Then we walked to Ken and Linnea's.


They weren't home, so I took a photo of Maggie at their door and was just typing a text message when they pulled in.  It was so good to see them.  We ended up chatting for quite awhile too.

I continued our walk home, but Maggie was pulling quite a bit because I think she sensed a storm coming.  It did look like it could rain, but it never happened.


I got rehydrated and then Patty picked me up and we went to the barn.  I brushed Zorro and she brushed Gov, who is really shedding a lot.

Zorro was easy to clean up and I also did some hoof care, thrush prevention, since the ground has been so wet.

Easter lights at night.

It was poker night for Joe and a quiet evening at home for me with our fur babies.  I was pretty exhausted from the day of activity, but felt relaxed and stress free.  I watched an episode of Fixer Upper before bedtime devotionals.

I got word Thursday morning that Steve would not be able to make our 11:30 scheduled appointment.  I guess the sense of, 'oh, now I have the morning free,' was enough to cause me to waste most of it here at my computer.  I did work on Duolingo Spanish and got a load of laundry done.

This  puzzle came in the mail from Teresa.  It is 250 piece with nice thick, interlocking pieces, and I love the picture.  GO HAWKS!   

Mid-afternoon I went to Shirley's for cat care.  Patty and I have been alternating days and she said she takes a book and sits and reads and this allows Miss Kitty to feel comfortable.  So I did this and soon the cat was wanting belly rubs and to play, which we did.  I hit the gym on the way home, doing 20 minutes of rowing, 30 of elliptical, and then the one hour stretch class.  After cooking, eating, and cleaning up dinner, Joe and I watched both taped Survivor shows.  

It was quite wet out Friday morning, after all the rain we had had over night.  After computer time, I did some cleaning and then started re-organizing a few things in my closet until Steve arrived.  After 30 minutes of consulting, we had pretty much agreed on a design for the sunroom.  He suggested we look at one he recently put in.  So once he left we did.  Arriving back home, I spotted Maggie up on the balcony; a no, no.  We'd only been gone ten minutes.

Well, I loved the sunroom we saw, and it confirmed I wanted floor to ceiling windows.  But then I decided we would not have enough natural air flow with the few windows we could open.  I want to feel like I am outdoors, to see, smell, and hear nature.  So I sent Steve a quick text message to hold off on ordering windows, I wanted to tweek the design.

I got in a great weight workout, came home and finished my closet cleaning, and talked with Steve on the phone.  He decided he needed to come back out to talk design with me.  We set up a meeting for next week.



I'd had enough sitting home alone while Joe is out playing poker, so texted some friends to see if any would be at Reds.  Ed and Pat are the only two who responded.  So at 8:00 I joined them.

 Seen in upper right photo, Terry singing and to the left, Pat and I with our Michelob  Ultra's.

Alice and the girls came in a little latter and we all had fun singing and dancing.  After Pat and Ed left, I joined the other group.












As always, I had fun singing and dancing with everybody!