Hi everyone - as promised, welcome to our Fall 2016 Challenge. :)
It's been two years since I've had a group challenge on our forum - so, it's time to get back into the challenge mode.
These challenges are open to all our members - the more that participate, the merrier. :) I realize not all challenges are something people want to participate in - and that's fine - however, please don't ruin it for those of us who do wish to participate. No Debbie or Steve Downer's please.
So . . . here we go. Our Fall 2016 Challenge is a "Good News" Challenge. It seems for some time now there is so much negativity, so much sad, depressing news bombarding us each day on the news or social media. There are few uplifting, feel good, encouraging news stories.
They say "good news" doesn't sell - the tabloids and media are full of drama, name calling, senseless acts of violence, weather tragedies, etc.
There's got to be some "good news" out there - news that warms your heart and inspires us - that leaves us feeling good, not depressed.
Here is your opportunity to share some "good news" - whether it is something local to where you live, something at school or work, or maybe, something personal in your own life. It can be whatever you want it to be. (Just keep in mind, that what you post on the forum goes out into cyberspace for all to read - you might want to keep names of people or towns omitted from your post to protect your identity.)
Maybe it is something you observed in your day-to-day life, a good deed someone did without expecting something in return. Or, perhaps, you can create a "good news" situation for someone.
Part of the challenge is for you to come back here, and share your "good news" with us. :D
As Anne Murray's song goes . . . . "we sure could use a little good news today". I'm looking forward to hearing your "good news".
Bucky
"Along your pathway of life you will observe that you are not the only traveler. There are others who need your help. There are feet to steady, hands to grasp, minds to encourage, hearts to inspire and souls to save." Thomas S. Monson
Hi,
I'd definitely like to participate 😀
Jo.
Nice Challenge Bucky! :)
I'm in. It's something I've been trying to work on for myself the past few weeks, as I realized had gotten into a funk of "my life is yucky".
Having read this early this morning ( it's 1:30 PM now) I've found myself actively looking for "good news" and that has already made my day so much better than it might have been!
Nothing earth shattering has happened, but the temperature climbed rapidly from 0C to a balmy 14C, the sun is shining and the autumn colours are coming into their own, so the next few weeks should be amazing!
(http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t309/smileyface131/good_news__sal_cabanillas_hernndez.jpeg)
Day #2 - "Good News" Challenge
Hi everyone - I'm glad to see we have several people who are going to join in our group Fall challenge. :D Anyone reading this can join in our challenge at any time. (I haven't determined how long this particular challenge will be yet - it could be two weeks, or possibly longer - we'll see.) Linda - nice picture you posted (which I know you made -and by the way, you are the adventurous one, I thought maybe you would join in!)
Last night on the national evening news I was pleasantly surprised they had two "good news" pieces - good for them!
I have a friend that lives in South Carolina. Sherry's children attend the same school system that experienced that tragic, senseless shooting of two innocent children and a teacher last week. One of the children died from his injuries.
Such a tragic loss of life for a little boy named Jacob, who was 6 yrs. old.
Yesterday was Jacob's funeral. They had a Superhero themed funeral for Jacob. Sherry wrote, "The school asked everyone to wear their superhero shirts. So sad, but heartwarming to see a community, really the whole state, respond in such a loving way for this boy and his family."
I saw pictures of Batman (driving a sweet looking batmobile), Spiderman, Captain America, Wonder Woman, and a Mutant Ninja Turtle and many other people dressed in superhero outfits.
A community taking a very sad situation and turning it into a celebration of superhero's to honor Jacob and his family.
What piece of good news do you have to share today? Have a good day!
Bucky
"Good deeds, create good will, which opens the heart to the good news." Eric Swanson
Hi All,
My good news is that a colleague I have worked closely with for the past 3 years has secured herself a terrific new job.
Its better hours and pay and importantly should be more rewarding. I am thrilled for her.
She will be running a project to assist disengaged young people into training.
Cheers,
Jo 😀
Today a friend came over for lunch. She offered to drive to my place, and I said yes (always hard for me to take help).
We had a nice time, talked about what's happening in our lives, about our (adult) kids.
It was a good day.
Day #3 "Good News" Challenge
Hi everyone - happy Friday to y'all!
Are you finding any "good news" in your day-to-day life? Something that puts a smile on your face, encourages you, and makes you feel good?
Jo - congratulations to your colleague on her new job - it sounds like it will be something positive for her. Warmwaters - lunch with a friend is always good.
I got to be a part of a "feel good" moment yesterday when I was out shopping. I had decided that I was going to take some birthday money I had gotten a couple of months earlier and get a few new pieces of clothing. It never fails, when I have the extra money to make a purchase, I can't find anything I like.
I had found a top I liked, so I was standing in line to check out. There were two people in front of me. The one gal was checking out and had quite a bit of infant clothes the cashier was ringing up. After totaling this ladies merchandise, the clerk told the gal she owed more money (I'm not sure if she had paid part of it with a gift card or what). The lady got out her checkbook and wrote a check for the balance of her purchase. The clerk tried entering her check several times in her computer with no luck. The clerk mentioned that she had had a problem with personal checks earlier going through the system.
The lady checking out didn't have any cash or credit card with her, so she told the clerk she would put some things back.
I'm only hearing bits and pieces of the conversation from where I was standing.
Next thing I know, to my surprise - and without hesitation, I step up and ask the clerk how much more she needs for her purchases. She told me $30. So, I take $30 of my birthday money and pay the clerk. The lady checking out tells me, "you don't have to do that - I'm sorry, I don't have any more checks" . . . and I told her I wanted to. She gave me a big hug and told me, "I will pay forward your kindness to someone else".
You never know when an opportunity will present itself for you to reach out to help someone when you least expect it. I bought several pieces of clothes that day - just not all for me. Birthday money well spent! I probably felt better paying her bill than the lady felt receiving a gift.
What good news do you have to share?
Bucky
"Sometimes the strength within you is not a big fiery flame for everyone to see, it's just a tiny spark that whispers ever so softly, "Keep going. You got this!" One Spark Foundation
Hi :)
I have good news today. Had a partial knee replacement 10 years ago and was told its life span is between 10 and 15 years. Went for my 10 year check up today and everything is just fine. Yay!
next check up - 5 years down the line.
Take care - Scottie :)
Bucky - love your good hearted impulse! Really nice.
My good news for the day is that a couple of months ago I signed up for a college student mentoring program. It's online, and you write a little bio and describe what kind of help you'd be willing to give. I already have one student I'm helping. I was contacted by another today, and he wants help figuring out if he chose the right major. He thinks maybe he made a mistake. I'm so excited to hear more about his situation and to try to help him figure out whether it's just something currently happening, or if he really needs to make some changes.
I like talking with people, and I like helping people. So I'm happy to have a chance. Plus talking with young people, I learn what's new these days.
My good news for today started with a potentially sad story 9 days ago. In the northeastern part of the province where I live, a small pod of dolphins had stranded themselves in a deep water area, some distance from open water. Seven dolphins appear to have swum into the area at high tide and would not leave the safety of the relatively deep area near the town's bridge. Unfortunately, one of the pod died since the dolphins were stranded. To reach open ocean, the dolphins needed to swim through a kilometre-long, shallow channel.
Today, with the assistance of fishery officers and experts from Marine Animal Response Society, the six surviving dolphins were herded to open water. Five boats with fishery officers, MARS experts and volunteers used a combination of acoustic sonar, bait and placed a weighted barrier wall behind the dolphins.
The dolphins were herded from the harbour to the sandbar and some of the dolphins were able to swim over. A fisheries officer said the dolphins that were unable to do so were moved to open water with dolphin stretchers.
Fisheries officers are continuing to monitor the pod, to see if they leave the area.
Day #4 "Good News" Challenge
Hi - Happy Saturday!! :D
Scottie - what really good news that your partial knee replacement is doing great after 10 yrs. Yay for you!
Warmwaters - the student mentoring program sounds interesting. I'm sure both of the students will benefit from your insight and help. Thanks for sharing your talents.
Linda - how fortunate for the dolphins that all those people helped them get back to the open water. Swim away, swim away. Whenever I see a dolphin, I always think of the old "Flipper" show.
Yesterday at work, we had a guest come that is a retired high profile government person. On the news, you sometimes see important people who are diva's and expect special treatment, who don't associate with the "common" folk, and think more highly of themselves than they should.
Not everyone is like that.
This person didn't have any bodyguards or secret service personnel with him - it was just him a friend playing some golf. He was cordial and friendly and even talked with us "common" folk. :) He's been to our place before, and I'm sure he will be back again.
I definitely live a different lifestyle than this person does - I don't have all the money and all the things money can buy like he does, I don't know all the celebrities and important people he knows - but, in the end, as different as we are, we both put our pants on one leg at a time! ha ha He's a good, down-to-earth kind of person. He even said hi to me when I walked past him (which I did on purpose, as I heard him talking just outside my office . . . hehe).
Have a good weekend . . . keep those good news stories coming in. To those of you who are just reading here . . . come on, join in the fun . . we'd love to have you.
Bucky
"Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don't know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!" Anne Frank
I don't know how it got to day 4 already lol.
Many months ago we made arrangements to have my sons (Anthony) 21st at our favourite Chinese restaurant on the 5th November. He wanted it the weekend after as his actual birthday is on the 8th but for some reason I knew it would be better to have it on the 5th.
Found out today that Brigette (his girlfriend of over 4 years) has clinical placement for her nursing degree starting on the 7th November. If we had the party the week after the 5th she would not have been able to come. Good news 😀😀
It's really great to read all the good news from everyone.
Keep smiling,
Jo.
Day #5 "Good News" Challenge
Hi - Happy Sunday!
I hope everyone is having a good weekend. Our thoughts and prayers to the people living along the East Coast in the U.S. as they deal with the effects of Hurricane Matthew this weekend.
Jo - planning ahead does help, doesn't it? I'm glad Anthony's 21st celebration will also get to include Brigette. (My son turns 21 in Dec.)
Today's good news is about a local heart transplant survivor who is celebrating 20 years of life with a new heart!
The organ donation gift that a grieving family gave of their sons heart so someone else could live.
Kent has taken good care of his new heart - he has coached his children in sports, he's physically fit, loves the outdoors, and is enjoying life to the fullest.
Does anyone else have some good news to share? We have almost 1400 members on this forum (granted, not everyone comes to the site all the time), but surely there are more of you who can join us in sharing good news.
Enjoy your Sunday - do something fun today.
Bucky
"Train your mind and heart to see the good in everything. There is always something to be grateful for." SimpleReminders.com
This is our Thanksgiving weekend in Canada. Our whole family is gathering here tomorrow for good food and great company. The little guy is eight months old, the girls are ten years old - the grandchildren, I mean. Much to be thankful for!
The snow blew in on Friday and may be here for the long haul. That's good news for the granddaughters, but not so much for their grandma!
Today I read on Facebook that Ann Hauser Busch is stopping production of beer and bottling water for the hurricane victims, free of charge to them. Great to know some companies are helping them.
Hope if anyone on here lives in that area they are all okay. Prayers for hurricane victims!
Great challenge Bucky.
Hi everyone?
My good news for today is that I have finalised organising a pottery workshop for myself and 5 friends. We are doing it to just have some fun and leave our realities for a few hours. We are going this coming Saturday and will "do" lunch afterwards.
I'm hoping to make a fruit bowl in purple and white ... my kitchen colors. Really looking forward to it 😀
Cheers,
Jo.
Day #6 "Good News" Challenge
Hi - here it is, another new week - a chance for us to look for good news stories to share, or share our own good news stories.
In years past, I have had several group challenges for our membership each year. This year, each time I planned to start a group challenge, it didn't seem like the "right" time. People were dealing with massive wildfires and floods that destroyed neighborhoods, homes, and businesses. There were extreme weather patterns causing so much destruction worldwide. Even as I started this current group challenge, Hurricane Matthew wrecked havoc in the Caribbean, Haiti, eastern Cuba, Bahamas, and the southeastern U.S. Also during the year there were so many shootings, riots, acts of violence, and senseless loss of life.
As I sit here at my computer today, I don't know what to say. It saddens me with all that is happening in our world. Today's world is so much different from the world I remember as a child growing up in the late 50's.
With all the above (^) mentioned things happening in our world, it would be so easy to walk around harboring negative feelings about everyone and everything. However, I won't do that. It is my choice not to do that. Yes, unfortunately, bad things happen to good people. For the most part, I think mankind is good - and that's what I try to focus on.
With that being said, I am thankful for all the people and organizations who step up to offer help and assistance when disasters happen like the one with Hurricane Matthew. All the first responders and rescue people who without hesitation go into areas hardest hit to help the people. All of the utility men and women who come from many surrounding areas to offer help to restore power to people. The meals that are provided. The money that is raised to help people get back on their feet.
As Cricket mentioned in her post, companies that step up to help like Anheuser-Busch who is sending canned water to help those needing drinking water. For myself, having Sjogren's, water is important to me - I have to have water daily to be able to eat my meals, to swallow, to talk.
Jo - your pottery workshop sounds like fun! Enjoy!
Happy Thanksgiving today to Carebear & Linda and the rest of our Canadian members. :D (Carebear - snow?? Yuck - please keep it up there in Canada.)
I hope you all have a good week - keep looking for the "good news" to share.
Bucky
"Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more." Tony Robbins
Today is officially Thanksgiving here, but since my "retired" hubby has taken on a part time job (saving his sanity and my own) and has to work, we had our family gathering yesterday. My Daughter was invited to a harvest gathering, Saturday, and as a result our granddaughters had a sleepover with Nanny and Grampy, and were here all day Sunday to help me decorate and prepare supper, and their Mama arrived mid afternoon rested, and ready for their hugs and games.
The "good news" and that for which I am most Thankful, was a fun filled, busy day, with a delicious Turkey dinner with all the trimmings as a result ( yes, I'm tooting my own horn here LOL). The "best news" and something I'm sure all my sjoggie friends can identify with, was help cleaning up, and an early departure of our guests, resulting on a quiet evening on the couch, and an early bedtime for me!
My theme this Thanksgiving is "Just one day on the Calendar, but daily in our lives" and I'd like to make the pursuit of good news the same thing, just looking for good news lifts the spirits as we anticipate what we can find. Bucky mentioned the various natural disasters our old world has faced recently, and I thought of a beautiful video I watched, produced by the people of Wood Buffalo/Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada for Thanksgiving. The communities could have been totally destroyed last May, when wild fires raced through forcing evacuation of more than 80,00 people who had no idea if they could ever go back, or what they would go back to if they did. They posted a Thanksgiving video on their Facebook page, thanking everyone for the support and help offered quickly and without thought of personal risk or gain, and highlights the good that can rise from bad.
Had a really nice thing happen to start my Monday. Like many of you, I wear a FitBit. I do find it interesting to see how far I walk each day or when I hit 10,000 steps..and get that surge from my
Fitbit that feels like neuropathy. But what I love about it most is that I use it for a flashlight at night for my many restroom trips. I noticed a couple of weeks ago that the rubber is pulling away from the plastic area.
When I called this a.m. to see about the warranty, I was told that the warranty just expired in August. :-( The young man was so nice...perhaps it had something to do with him asking me if I had been rough on it with an intense activity like kick-boxing...and I burst out laughing. In any event, he told me he would check with his supervisor to see if they could do anything. He came back on & told me that they would send me a replacement..but that my model is not made anymore..so they would have to upgrade me to the newest model with a variety of colored changeable bands...was I okay with that? Wow...yes! I asked where to send the old one to..and he said just keep it or utilized Best Buy's recyclable program.
He was so nice and just friendly. He didn't have to make the extra effort to help.
Makes me smile!
SjoDry
My bit of good news actually happened the end of last week, but I hadn't noticed this challenge until today.
My husband and I have 2 miniature poodles that are about 19 months old (brothers). When I get up for work, I let them out into the back yard, and open the dog door so that they can come back in when they're ready. They usually come back in within a few minutes.
As I finished getting ready for work, I realised that I had not seen them return yet...they had been outside for almost an hour. I tried calling them, and got no response. It was raining out, and I need crutches to walk any distance which makes holding an umbrella a challenge. I couldn't see them anywhere in the yard from the porch. So I grabbed a single crutch and an umbrella to look.
What I found was that they had pulled the end of a puppy fence away from our back fence. The back yard behind ours is lower than ours, and between all the rain we've had this year making the soil a muddy soup and the ground falling away along the fence line, they had managed to dig a hole into the yard behind ours.
The houses in this area were built in the 60s, and a lot of the fencing doesn't appear to have been replaced since then. So there were several missing boards in the fence between the house behind ours, and the house next door to ours.
I called for them again, and the larger of the two dogs came running back across our next door neighbour's yard, hopped through the gap in the fence to the yard behind ours, then tried to come back through the hole they had dug. But instead of just being able to slide down like he had to get out, he had to arch down to get under the fence and then arch up to get up the hole - and he kept panicking part way and backing back out. It took a lot of encouragement, and a half a dozen tries before he managed to pull himself back through. I took him inside.
Throughout all this, the smaller of the pair hadn't responded at all. He loves to squeeze into tight spaces like under the couch, so my fear was that he had managed to get out a hole in the neighbour's fence that the larger dog couldn't fit through. Having retrieved one dog and made him safe, I walked through the house intending to hunt outside for the other one.
We live on a fairly busy road, and it was getting to the beginning of peak hour morning traffic, so I was terrified of what I may find. But as I got to the front door, I heard him yapping nearby. I was so relieved to open the front door to find him standing at the door yapping to get our attention to let him in!
So my good news was firstly - they did this when we were still home rather than a couple of hours later when we would have been at work. And secondly, that neither of them got hurt in their escapade (other than eating something that they shouldn't that made both of them throw up later). There were so many possibilities for things to have gone badly wrong, but they were lucky.
There are a couple of bricks filling that hole now, and the puppy fence that was being used to try to keep them away from the bottom of the real fence has been extended and braced so that they don't repeat the exercise.
Hi,
I have great news. Brigette (my sons gf) has been offered her first nursing job today. She completes her degree in November and will start her job in January 2017. She is soooo excited and I'm so proud of her.
What are your poodles names Dawnmist? I have a 13 year old Maltese x called Zoe. SjoDry thanks for restoring my faith in good customer service.
Jo 😀
Quote from: Bigleyj on October 11, 2016, 02:08:02 AM
What are your poodles names Dawnmist? I have a 13 year old Maltese x called Zoe. SjoDry thanks for restoring my faith in good customer service.
Fred and George, after the twins Fred & George Weasley from Harry Potter. When they were very young, we joked that they should be called Fred and George Weesalot. :D
George is the larger of the two, and was born missing the end of his tail (a natural bobtail). They're both silvers, which means that they are born black and fade out to pale grey ("silver") by the time they are about two years old. At the moment they're very pale on legs and belly, with darker grey on the ears and a dark grey stripe down the middle ridge of their back - their feral stripe *grins*. Kind of like a natural mohawk.
Day #7 - "Good News" Challenge
Mmmm, do any of our Canadian members have any yummy Thanksgiving leftovers to share? The other day my husband was saying that our holidays need to be spread out more - they are too close together (Thanksgivings / Christmas).
Today, I will be sharing some good news as I am shipping off a surprise box to our son and his roommate that are away at college in another state. Nothing real special in the box - two coffee mugs, some hot chocolate mix, two egg rings (so they can make their own Egg McMuffins at home and save money), some Halloween decorations for their apartment, Halloween cards, a jar of peanut butter, some goodies and two gift cards . . . and sealed with a momma's love! :)
It's always nice to get something unexpected in the mail (as long as it isn't a bill!! :D )
My other good news is today my hubby and I are driving an hour away from where we live to meet up with a potential buyer of our car we have for sale. We're really hoping to sell it ASAP, so we're keeping our fingers crossed.
Linda - it sounds like you had a lovely Thanksgiving with family. I'll have to check out the video by the people of Wood Buffalo / Fort McMurray.
SjoDry - lucky you, you get a new FitBit!
Dawnmist - I'm glad you had a happy ending to your dogs little adventure around the neighborhood. It is s good thing you found them before they had been missing all day.
Jo - congrats to Brigette on a new job offer.
I hope everyone has a good Tuesday and finds good news along the way.
Bucky
"People don't always need advice. Sometimes all they need is a hand to hold, ear to listen, and a heart to understand." Searchquotes.com
I like to give my son little surprise gifts too Bucky.
Awww Dawnmist your poodles sound lovely. I have to admit that I have never watched a whole Harry Potter movie. Just 10 minutes here and there.
My good news for today is that I am getting new glasses. Had my eye check today and only slightly worse than 3 years ago so that's quite good. When I got new glasses 3 years ago I used the frames that I got 20 years prior so I'm treating myself to new frames.
Cheers,
Jo 😀
Day #8 "Good News" Challenge
Hello - happy Wednesday to everyone!
Yesterday, my husband and I met with a potential buyer for our car that we have for sale. The people liked it, test drove it, but didn't buy it. :( Are we disappointed? Sure, we were hoping that they would buy it. Oh well . . . back to the drawing board.
We didn't sell our car, however, on the return trip from showing the car (we drove an hour to meet them)- we got to enjoy seeing the farmers out in the fields harvesting the corn and soybeans with their big combines and farm equipment, saw herds of cows grazing in the lush green fields, saw lots of wind turbines with their blades rotating in the wind, we saw people out taking walks on a beautiful fall afternoon, saw several roadside stands selling pumpkins, and we stopped to eat dinner out (yay, no cooking on my part and no cleaning up afterwards). So, all in all, it was a good day.
By the time we got home, it was already dark outside and as we pulled into our driveway we see a big truck and the combine out in our field harvesting the soybeans. They weren't there when I left the house at 2:00 p.m. I think the farmers were really working hard to harvest the fields as we are expecting rain today.
This morning my alarm didn't go off - yikes! I just happened to wake up two hours after it was suppose to go off! Thankfully, I had some "extra" time padded into my time by having my alarm set early. I'm fortunate that I have flexible hours at work and I only live 10 minutes from work. I still got dressed, fed the cats, stopped at McDonald's and made it to work within an hour. Whew . . . what a way to start the day . . . but, all is good! ;)
Jo - enjoy your new glasses with new frames . . . I think you deserved new ones! 8)
I hope each of you has some good news in your lives.
Have a good day!
Bucky
"I am thankful for this beautiful day and the infinite possibilities it holds. I know something good is going to happen!" John Assaraf
My good news for the day is that we found a replacement car on the weekend, and my husband picked it up this morning. I've been having a lot of trouble due to SFN, and had reached the point where I could no longer manage the clutch on my manual car.
We've spoken to our normal mechanic about the prospect of selling my old manual car - and he thinks he may actually already have a buyer. Another of his customers is looking for a cheap car to drive while his car is being repaired (expected to take a month or two to get all the parts in) instead of having to hire one.
So the new car is an auto, has a few nice features like heated seats, dual zone climate control, etc. My manual car wasn't used all that often - my husband likes driving, so his car was our primary car. The new one will now be our primary - I get to keep a nice automatic stationwagon for driving to doctors appointments during the week instead of the old manual hatchback, and together we get to drive in a Volvo XC90 with plenty of space in the back and a lot more airbags and safety features. :)
Day #9 "Good News" Challenge
Wow - it's Thursday already - the days sure go by quickly!
What kind of good news have you seen in your local newspapers or communities, or something happening with yourself?
As a parent - you always hope that the years and years of trying to guide your children sinks in. The countless opportunities of talking with our kids about different situations and how they could handle them. Last night as we were talking to our son on the phone (he lives in an apartment building and he usually goes out on his balcony when he calls home), he mentions that he sees this girl walking down the street and this car following her. She yells to the person in the car to quit following her and to leave her alone and she turns the opposite direction. (This is the part I'm not sure on, as our son was talking fast.) I'm not sure if the person in the car stopped the car and got out and followed her on foot, or if he turned around and followed her in his car. Anyhow, our son tells us he'll call us back that he's going to call 911.
He calls 911 and reports what he is seeing and hearing. Our son calls us back and as we are talking with him he sees the police drive by and then put on their lights. It was a little ways down the road, but he could see the police car with lights on, but he wasn't sure if the people were there or not.
I guess we'll never know what really happened, but we're proud of our son for stepping up and notifying help for this girl.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have decided that we'll continue this "Good News" Challenge through this coming Sunday, Oct. 16th. So if you are reading this and you haven't joined in yet, it's not too late to join in and share any "good news".
Dawnmist - congrats on the new car - enjoy! That would be great if you are able to sell your old car too - good luck!
Have a good day! :D
Bucky
"There are some things that money can't buy . . . like manners, morals and integrity." inspiremotivatequotes
Well, I dropped the ball for a few days, but let's try to pick it up again.
Earlier this week, my partner had his birthday. It was just 3 of us to celebrate, but we had a very nice time. All of his gifts "hit the spot", and he's feeling very pampered. Yay!
I mentioned I'm mentoring a college student. He and I have been exchanging emails this week about his summer job search - yes, you have to look for a job for the summer in October! He's a nice guy, I hope he'll find something interesting.
Just ordered up a bunch of books from the library. This is an ongoing pleasure for me. I live in a fairly big community with lots of libraries. I can go online to library's site, find books I want, and then ask that they be sent to the library nearest me. It's like Christmas every time I do it. And it saves me energy to be able to go to the nearby library with good parking, rather than the huge downtown library with little parking.
Ok I have really good news and I'm really quite proud of myself.
I had approached my supervisor, the CEO, 2 years ago about my pay. I thought I was being underpaid and explained that I would like it checked and I would like backpay if it turned out I was correct. I explained I just wanted what I'm entitled to and not asking for a pay rise willy nilly. It didn't go down too well and it has taken him 2 years and lots of reminders to him from me he has finally had it checked and I was right. I am to be paid the new correct rate and will get back pay. I found out today. I really feel like this is a win for all employees and for women ... Stand up for your rights!
Have a great day everyone.
Jo 😀
Day #10 "Good News" Challenge
Woohoo . . . it's Friday!! :D I'm ready for the weekend.
Warmwaters - you've had several busy days with a birthday celebration, mentoring, and library books (think of the money saved by borrowing them versus buying them!). When our son was little he liked to watch the kids show Arthur on TV. Arthur had a song "having fun isn't hard, when you've got a library card" . . . I use to sing it to our son and he hated it!! LOL
Jo - yay for standing up for your rights in the workplace and getting the pay you deserve! Party time!!
I'm looking forward to sharing some "good news" soon as yesterday at McDonald's I bought three of their Halloween Treat Packs ($1 each) which are 12 coupons for free items at McDonald's for children 12 and under. The coupons are good for a bag of apple slices, small apple juice or milk jug, small vanilla cone, or a hamburger.
I'm not going to use these for Halloween, but I'm planning on giving these coupons out to kids I see who are being good when I'm out and about. They can be used from 10/31 to 12/31.
It will be fun to give them to 36 unsuspecting little ones. ;D
If your local McDonald's is selling these packs too, feel free to do the same thing . . . share the joy!
Have a good day . . . enjoy!
Bucky
"The bad news is, your life will never be perfect. The good news is, you don't need a perfect life to be happy." PictureQuotes.com
Day #11 "Good News" Challenge
Happy Saturday to everyone! :D
We're winding down our group challenge - today and tomorrow are our last days. If you have any "good news" to share, we'd love to hear it.
Last night on ABC World News "Person(s) of the Week" were two high school boys who were attending a high school cross country race in Iowa along with 900 other runners. One of the runners, Adam - who is a junior that has epilepsy & autism became confused during the race and got off track. Another runner, Evan - who is a sophomore, realized that Adam was confused. In a display of true sportsmanship, Evan went back and ran beside Adam getting him back on track, and they held hands for the last mile-and-a-half of the race, where Evan kept telling Adam that they had this, that it was only a little farther to go. Together they crossed the finish line, where Evan made sure that Adam crossed the finish line before he did.
Evan's parents can surely be proud of their son as he reached out to another person in a gesture of kindness. I'm sure both boys, and those spectators and other runners who were there and witnessed all of this will remember it for a long time.
It only takes a small gesture of kindness to make a huge impact on someone.
Have a good day - I'll see you tomorrow as we finish up our "Good News" Challenge.
Bucky
"For what it's worth: It's never too late to be whoever you want to be. I hope you live a life you're proud of, and if you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start over." F. Scott Fitzgerald
Day #12 "Good News" Challenge
Hi - Happy Sunday to everyone. :D
Today is our final day for the "Good News" Challenge. Thanks to those who participated in our group challenge.
I hope you find good things to celebrate each day.
Yesterday was a beautiful fall day here in Central Illinois. It started out with a light fog and windy, but as the day wore on, it became sunny and windy.
My husband and I had planned on attending Punkin Chuckin' 2016. We got up early, ate breakfast and watched as the branches of the trees were swaying in the wind. When I went outside to feed the cats, there was a little mist from the fog. When it's really windy out it really bothers my eyes and I'm not fond of being chilly sitting in the wind (been there, done that with sons sports in school). The weather wasn't good for taking photos, which my husband planned on doing, so we didn't go. :(
However, we ran some errands (big mistake to take hubby grocery shopping), and I even got a short nap in - so it was all good. Yay!
What is Punkin Chuckin' you ask? Here in the Midwest it's our little form of entertainment - ha ha. Well, - there is a big farm that each year has a Punkin Chuckin' contest where they toss, catapult, or shoot pumpkins out of machines. It's all about the distance that your pumpkin sails through the air. There is usually some sort of target out in the field (old car) that is the goal to aim for. I don't know if they win any prizes or anything - it's mostly the honor of bragging rights that you won! People come from surrounding states, etc., it's a big deal.
Here's a video that explains it (scroll to the bottom of the page): http://www.mortonmagnet.com/punkin_chuckin.php
I hope you each have a good Sunday today. Keep looking for the good things in each day.
Bucky
"Surround yourself with people who make you hungry for life, touch your heart, and nourish your soul." ~~Unknown~~
My last few bits of "good news" to share for this challenge:
A friend who is on a hiking expedition in Bhutan and Nepal had mentioned how the heavy rains had washed out roads and left the remaining roads quite unsafe. He let us know that he has continued travelling, remains safe, and has found the entire journey enriching and fulfilling in so many ways!
A friend who was in Bermuda when Hurricane Nicole hit, was safe the whole time and is now home with a great story to tell.
Friends travelling in Nevada told tales of what the wife called a "terrifying few days" as her husband explored right along the edge of the Grand Canyon, in an area with no safety fences, and they read warning signs about "rattlesnakes, lizards, spiders, centipedes, scorpions, etc...". They are now home safe and sound as well, and as she says, there's no lace like home!
Not sure if the good news challenge is still on or not?? But I am going to share anyway...I had the most amazing day this week.
First,my PCP retired this past September, which necessitated me calling to get a copy for all of my records (I had been going to this doc for over 10 years). The office has a policy that if a patient moves to another doctor, they will send the records for free to the new doctor. In my case, however, I have so many other specialists and a great Rheumy who will cover most of my prescriptions. Also, because my case is so complex...I wanted to take my time researching to find a physician to handle all of my needs. I will add that when my doctor moved from the first location I started seeing her in, she inherited a very snarky and snippy staff. They were so rude and nasty on so many occasions, that I contemplated leaving a number of times, but liked my doctor and stuck it out.
But back to my story...I called to let them know I would need a copy of all of my records..their first response is, who is your new doctor? Well I explained that I do not have one yet, and want to take my time finding one. I told them that I wanted them to please send me the a copy of all of my files The lady sniped that I would have to pay for them. I asked if they charge when they send them to new physicians? No they don't. I said well okay...please let me know the cost. She sniped that I needed to sign a release..so I did and faxed it over immediately. I waited for at least 2 weeks or so before getting a call-back.
I missed the call but called her back as soon as I heard the message. The lady informed me that I would need to send them a check (for almost $150.00). I said Wow..that seems like a lot..I expected a $30.00 or $40.00 charge..but that seems a bit excessive. She became very nasty and spat well, that's what it is. I said..Geez..is that even legal (I didn't mean to say it out loud)..this really ticked her off..she practically screamed into the phone, Why of course it's legal. I told her I would be in touch. I immediately did my research to see if there are limits to what a physician's office can charge for a patient's medical records. For PA., this office was charging me the maximum amount that they can charge.
Now granted..truly...$150.00 in the big scheme of things is not much...but when you are carrying lots of medical debt, pay $950.00 a MONTH for insurance..have my expensive IVIG infusions and all the rest of it...well you get it. This made me decide to research & see who owned the medical office. I found the doctor's name & continued to research. I knew if I sent him a letter at work, he would never see it. So I found his home address & sent my letter there explaining my situation. I told him that I am perfectly happy to pay for the records, that the amount just seemed a bit high and almost felt like punishment in the way the lady snarled at me.
And...so there you have it the lead up to my good day call from the medical office. A very nice woman said the doctor had read my letter & felt terrible about it. They are going to copy my entire record without any charge. I asked if they would call when it was ready for pick-up. She said, Oh no, we will send it to you.
So my patient advocacy paid off.
That is part I of Sjodry's very good, excellent day.
SjoDry