Write a Letter to a U.S. Military Hero

FACTS:

• Over 2.9 million active, reserve, and civilian men and women in the U.S. military.
• Hundreds of thousands of American troops are deployed indefinitely in remote parts of the world, including the Middle East, Afghanistan, Africa,  the Korean Peninsula and on ships throughout international waters.
• U.S. service members are deployed for long periods away from home. They love receiving good wishes and words of appreciation and support, even  from total strangers.
• Letters are the most requested item by U.S. military men and women.

TAKE ACTION TODAY

• Select a soldier you know or one who is related to someone you know.
• If you don’t know a soldier, ask a friend, fellow student, co-worker, pastor, or military chaplain to help you make a connection. Make sure they provide proper mailing instructions.
• Grab some paper, an envelope, and a pen.
• Write a letter from your heart that expresses your gratitude, shows your support, and provides encouragement. Share a little bit about yourself as well as ask questions about the person you’re writing. Avoid such topics as death, killing, and politics. Send a free postcard to soldier.
• Send an email to soldier.
• Send mail to an anonymous soldier.
• Donate a book to a soldier.

Include your e-mail or mailing address in case the recipient wants to write back. You could even include a self-addressed envelope.  Send the letter.

YOU MATTER: Our military protects our nation’s freedom, and, regardless of your political affiliation and whether or not you believe in war, these brave men and women need to know that we appreciate their sacrifices and service. With a simple card or letter, you can brighten the day of a soldier who is overseas ensuring your freedom. Your letter might be the only thing that makes that soldier smile that day. (http://everymondaymatters.com/7/)

Best Biking Trails in the Indianapolis Area

In the Indianapolis area, there are a several nice biking trails. These trails cover many miles. Most are connected to other trails or parks in the area. New trails are in development & planning. In the next few years there will be even more choices for biking trails in Indy!

The best and probably the most popular biking trail is the Monon Trail. It connects downtown Indianapolis to Hamilton County. The trail covers over ten miles and connects to the Monon Greenway in Carmel that is an additional five miles. The Monon Trail also connects to the Fall Creek Trail and the Central Canal Towpath.   Further connections are planned to extend the trail. Along the trail are plenty of places to stop with trail services in Broad Ripple and Nora. The trail is paved and wide, though it is often very busy. While being the best trail for biking, it is also the best for walking.

On the city's eastside is another trail that is excellent for biking. The Pleasant Run Trail connects Ellenberger Park in the historic Irvington area to the city's oldest park, Garfield Park. It also passes Christian Park. The trail connects with newly added bike routes on New York and Michigan Streets for easy access to downtown Indianapolis. The Pleasant Run Trail is about seven miles long. The trail will also connect to the Pennsy trail that is under construction giving access to more of the eastside. The only downsides are that there are a few rough patches and some busy intersections to cross.

The Fall Creek Trail is another of Indianapolis' best biking trails. It is also about seven miles, though future connections will make it longer. The trail follows Fall Creek on the northeast side of Indianapolis. The trail is scenic with trees and wetlands. Like many of the other trails, Fall Creek Trail is paved.

In the downtown area is another trail that is one of the best for biking. The Wapahani follows along the White River & is about 5 miles long with plans to extend it in the near future. It will eventually connect to most of the other trails.

The Central Canal Towpath is just north of the downtown area and connects to the Monon Trail in Broad Ripple. This trail is about five miles long. It follows along the canal. This trail is not paved but has a surface of crushed limestone. It is a scenic trail with historic value. (http://voices.yahoo.com/best-biking-trails-indianapolis-3698858.html)

Strawberry Tiramisu Trifle

Here is a yummy and impressive dessert that will make good use of our local strawberries that will be in season in a few weeks!

Ingredients:

• 1 qt fresh strawberries
• 1 1/4 cups cold milk
• 1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) instant vanilla pudding
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese (softened)      
• 4 tbls. strong brewed coffee, room temperature, divided
• 2 cups whipped topping
• 1 pkg. (3 oz.) ladyfingers, split 6 squares (1 oz. each) bittersweet chocolate, grated

Directions:

1. Set aside three strawberries for garnish: slice the remaining strawberries. In a bowl, whisk the milk & pudding mix for 2 min. Let stand for 2 min. or until soft-set.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth; gradually beat in 2 tbls. coffee. Beat in pudding. Fold in whipped topping.
3. Brush the remaining coffee over ladyfingers. Line the bottom of a 3-qt. trifle or glass serving bowl with half of the ladyfingers. Top with half of the slice berries, grated chocolate and pudding mixture; repeat layers.
4. Cut reserved berries in half; place on trifle. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.  Yield: 12 servings Yield: 12 servings.

What Is Your Mother Worth To You?

But each year the folks at the website Salary.com try to put a monetary value on what moms do for us, and the results are worth noting in this month of May which celebrates Mother’s Day. They do it by compiling data from thousands of mothers about what they spend their time doing.

This year, they found that a typical stay-at-home mom puts in a nearly 95-hour work week, including the obvious: 15 hours as a housekeeper, 14 each as cook and day-care teacher, nine hours as a computer operator and more than six per week doing laundry. Van driver, eight hours per week; psychologist, another eight hours, and the list goes on.

Then Salary.com applies the median national salary for those occupations, and comes up with the, in my view, meager totals for all of mom’s work: less than ten grand per year for all that cooking, cleaning and tending the kids, nearly 15 grand for the psychological services, nearly 18 grand for my favorite job description: facilities manager. Total annual salary: about $119,000.

We could go on all day about the mother’s work that this survey didn’t pick up on – things like nurse, lawyer, batting practice pitcher and crime scene investigator.

But if you’re lucky enough to have a mother who’s always been there for you with unconditional love and support, then you know that mom’s real value transcends all of the above.

Who can you hire at any salary to wipe your tears away when you fall, and kiss the scrape to make it feel better? Who can you hire for any amount who will go to bat for you, show you the ropes and cheer your successes the way your mother will?

Good dads are priceless too, and we’ll get to you guys in June. But for all the moms, we don’t need just May or Mother’s Day to tell you the truth – to us, you’re worth a lot more than 119k.! (Adopted From http://boston.cbslocal.com)

Smiling: A Simple Way to Feel Good!

Smiling changes your attitude, raises your confidence, and makes you more attractive.  As we rush through our busy days accomplishing our tasks—work, kids, shopping, cleaning, and eating on the go, we often complain that we don’t feel good. There is a simple, quick, and effective way that you can feel better throughout the day and also be more attractive.

All you have to do is smile more.  Smiling changes your attitude, whether you realize it or not. If you have any doubts, next time you feel down, start smiling and thinking positive thoughts and see what happens. You can’t help but have a better attitude when you smile. Smiling also raises your confidence.

Smiling affects our emotions because of a brain-body connection. It triggers scientifically measurable activity in the left frontal cortex—the area of the brain where happiness is registered.

In fact, there is science dedicated to the study of facial expressions and responses called FACS – Facial Action Coding System. Your face has 44 muscles between the skin, cartilage, blood, and bone that  you contort, flex, and move. This lets you make over 5000 different types of expressions. That’s a lot of expressions! And each will have a different affect on your feelings and those looking at you.

Admit it, when someone is smiling aren’t you drawn in? Don’t you enjoy that person’s company more?  We all do. Smiling is a very important part of connecting and getting to know someone. 

Let’s do it again but this time breathe in through your nose, let it out through your mouth and smile as you let the air out.  Doesn’t that feel good? The breathing is very important. Your nostrils are attached to the limbic system. The limbic system controls your emotions, and when you breathe in deep through your nose it has a calming effect on you.

Let’s add a final touch: “positive thinking.” It doesn’t hurt to get excited and say out loud to yourself, “I feel good and I am taking control and finding my opportunities!” Go ahead and do it. Feel that positive energy in your body and the release of tension. 

Now that you know how good smiling is for you, make a conscious effort to use this smile exercise a minimum of six times throughout your day. When you smile remember to breathe in through your nose and think positive thoughts. This I guarantee will make a positive impact on your day and in your life.  (Adopted From www.beliefnet.com)

In fact, the result from this simple exercise will have a huge effect. Here’s a basic fact about energy: it is attracted to energy of a similar frequency. So when you smile not only will you make yourself feel better, you will also attract positive energy into your life. So smile! (Adopted From www.beliefnet.com)

Fixing A Fearful & Un-Socialized Dog

Dog who act skittish and insecure around people and other dogs, were usually not socialized when they were young. Often puppies that were taken from their siblings and mother before they were 8 weeks old never learned how to “be” around members of their own species without being anxious. And without the guidance of their canine mother, these pups often grow up to be adults without     conflict resolution skills, or the confidence that they can handle whatever situation they encounter. If a dog is kept in the sterile    environment of a backyard or kennel, they can also become extremely nervous when they are finally exposed to everyday sounds and movement considered a normal part of the outside world.

Because this type of social deprivation occurs during a dog’s formative months and years, it often takes a long time to resolve, but it can be done. Be patient and mindful that your dog’s rehabilitation will be a “process,” not a quick fix.

As a pack leader, your job will be to control the interactions your dog has with other humans when you’re walking her. People often try to “negotiate” with shy dogs, and move in to them with affection when the dog isn’t ready to meet them. This only pushes a fearful dog back. Instead, politely tell others that your dog is “in training,” and ask them to ignore her. This means no touching, no talking, and no eye contact. This will allow your dog to relax because she doesn’t fell pressured to make friends with a stranger.

If you continue to socialize with your friends in a non-threatening manner to your dog, she may eventually begin to move closer to them or begin to smell them. This is a very positive sign, and the natural way for dogs to meet others—“nose first.” Remind your friends that this is not the time to reach out and pet your dog, because that can send her right back into her shell again. Remember, just because she is ready to smell, doesn’t mean she’s ready to be touched.

Since you can’t control the type of dogs you might find at a dog park, consider meeting up with friends with balanced dogs instead. Practice walking together without pushing the dogs to become friends right away. Allow your dog to experience the ancient ritual of migrating with other canines. Try to practice this several times a week.

When your dog hears noises that startle her, don’t nurture her fears by comforting her. Continue moving forward—you are a pack leader migrating forward with a member of your pack—in control and in charge! When you project this kind of energy, rather than address your dog’s nervous state of mind, she will begin to trust you more and more. The more    leadership you show her, the sooner she’ll become a balanced and confident dog!(Adopted from www.cesarsway.com)