ROYAL Blue Monday, November 2

WoooHooo from Camp Sunnyside!!! Confession time: I haven't always been a Royals fan. Yes, I am a fair weather fan. But Don't be upset with me. 1) I have been a HUGE fan since last year to make up for it. 2)  I'm not from here originally. I grew up in a small town in the middle of Iowa. However, I have lived here more years than I lived there. So Kansas City is HOME!! And this Team, more than any other team, has been Amazing, Lovable and its Contagious!! 

One thing about growing up in a small town is that I learned how to be a cheerleader and support our Hometown Team. We all got to play sports just by showing up, there were no try outs. Being a part of the team is Magical!! It creates a supportive community around you that rallies when make an error and high fives you for your great job. But when your team goes all the way and WINS the BIG GAME...The celebration is undescribable!! You hug your team, you hug those around you and you feel this event has wrapped your entire community into one big embrace that unites every single person!! This feeling is EUPHORIC!! There is no sleep. Fireworks, texts, tweets, calls, bells and whistles are constantly going off all night. Then in the morning after dreaming about that annoying announcer's voice, you realize, it wasn't a dream!! This Happened!! They WON!! We WON!! We may not have been on the field, and yet, we have been believing, praying and biting our nails while watching every single moment, not wanting to miss anything. We stayed up late to watch the last seconds of each and every game. At the end, there is a FULL BLOWN Celebration!! Screaming, people jumping and noise makers all going crazy. And the parade is coming!!  This is, comprehensible, one of the greatest moments that we will remember forever. We will tell the next generations where we were when this happened. Enjoy this moment. Take it all in. Breathe. This is bigger than you and bigger than you can comprehend.

What if we applied this approach to all areas of our life? Our Business is our home and our co workers are our team.  When we believe in each other and cheer each other on, one person will win, which means we All Win! Celebrate together! The same can be applied with our family, instead of holding a grudge, when someone has a victory, we all celebrate. How different would our lives look if we lived life like we do when we play on a team??

The moral of this story...Surround yourself with a positive team. Believe in them and cheer them on in everything that they do. Celebrate when a member of your teams wins. And then they will believe in you, cheer you on and celebrate with you!! 

And For those of you who think Kansas City is just a "fly over city", it's Time you stopped in, looked around and stayed awhile. You'll find that we are much more than what you would expect. The Kansas City Royals just proved that. 

Thankful Thursday August 13

Good Morning Sunshine!! It's #ThankfulThursday What are you thankful for today?? I'm thankful that We wake up every morning and get a New Day to have a New Opportunity for something Awesome to Happen!!

 Ever been in a Tough time in Life and it seems like nothing good comes your way?? It happens to All of Us!! And When we Awaken Every Morning, we get Another Chance to Try Again, to Find Another Opportunity!! We don't know how many days we get, so when we get another day. We owe it to ourselves to make the Best of It!! We can't always get what we want in life, however,  We Do get to choose how we perceive it!  Yesterday,  something may have been heavy and dragging us down. Today,  we can shake it off and be positive that all will work out for the best!! When we worry too much about tomorrow, we miss out on the Awesome Stuff in front of us today. With that said,  Look for the New Ways to Make a Difference in Another Person's Life and you'll Be surprised how that tough time turns around. May your day be filled New Opportunities Each Day for you to Be Positive, to Be Thankful  and to Make a Difference in Another Person's Life!! Happy Thankful Thursday!! 

Thankful Thursday August 20

Good Morning Campers!! It's
ThankfulThursday What are you thankful for today?? I'm thankful for My Brother who made me this Amazing life-like tree sculpture!! I Love it!! He's so Creative and I'm beyond excited to have a piece of his Talent!! I will treasure it forever!!

This reminds of a poem by Bonnie Mohr... 'Life is not a race - but indeed a journey. Be Honest. Work Hard. Be Choosy. Say 'thank you', and 'great job' to someone each day. Go to church, take time for prayer. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh. Let your handshake mean more than pen and paper. Love your life and what you've been given, it is not accidental ~ search for your purpose and do it as best you can. Dreaming does matter. It allows you to become that which you inspire to be. Laugh often. Appreciate the little things in life and enjoy them. Some of the best things really are free. Do not worry, less wrinkles are more becoming. Forgive, it frees the soul. Take time for yourself ~ Plan for longevity. Recognize the special people you've been blessed to know. Live for today, enjoy the moment.

May you find a Treasure in your Life today and Share your Talents with Others.  It may Empower them to Share their Own Talents and Create something that someone else can Treasure!! Happy Thankful Thursday!!

Processing Sunday August 9

Good Morning Campers!! What are you thankful for today?? I'm thankful for the way we Process new stuff in our life. There is always a thought process of when we receive something from someone new. We think, this can't be trusted. Then we move onto, we need to protect ourselves. Then we try to logically make sense of it. Finally, we give in to our heart's desire and give it a try. As we settle in and get more comfortable, we start to believe and have Faith that everything is going to be Alright!!

Then there are some of us who jump right immediately to the believing and having faith. I am more cautious about life.  While I have Have Faith that everything is going to work out the way it's supposed to, I go through the motions and anxiety of first three steps.


The same process goes when receiving Bad News. We think it's Impossible, then onto the other stages.  What would our lives look like if we first have Faith and believed in ourselves and the other person first?? Would we make Wise Decisions or would we just Learn a Life Lesson and Move Forward?? Giving you a little something to think about. May your day be filled with Faith and Believe that Everything will be Alright!! Happy Sunday!!

Thankful Thursday July 23

Good Morning Campers!! 

 It's Thankful Thursday What are you thankful for today??  In Honor of my Mom's Birthday on Sunday, I'm thankful for This Woman who is my Mom.  She made me Who I am. She has listened to me whenever I needed her to.  She always had home made cookies ready for anyone who stopped by for a cup of coffee.  She makes everyone laugh with witty unfiltered comments. She may have been stern at times and that taught me to be strong. She is tougher than nails. And yet has a very distinct soft spot for people. She gives more than her fair share and has overcome more than most. She is Beautiful inside and out. I am blessed to have her as long as I have and see her as often as I can. She is full of life even when she is sick. She is a fighter. She is full of Grace. Even when she is mad, she still loves us.

If you haven't spoken to your mother in awhile, reach out to her and tell you love her. She Gave you life so Give her grace. May you still have your mother by your side to love on. May you be able to visit her often. May you understand how much she loves you.  Happy Thankful Thursday!!  

Happy 4th of July 2015

Good Morning from Camp Sunnyside!! Happy 4th of July!! May your weekend be filled with Independence,  Freedom and Sparkly Fireworks!! May you enjoy Good Food, Great Family and Friends!! May you Love on each other,  Share some Memories and Make new ones!! May your weekend be full of Laughter and Fun and Play Safe!! Have a Wonderful 4th of July Weekend!!

Thankful Thursday June 25

Good Morning Campers!! It's ThankfulThursday What are you thankful for today?? I'm thankful that for the last 6 months I've been writing this and have gotten Amazing feedback!! I started writing this coming from a place in my life when I was going through tough painful times.  Literally, I had a cyst growing in my body and I was worn out! And every day I woke up and made a choice to ask myself OK what can I be thankful for today?? And I found it!!

  So I started thinking how I could use this as blog to empower other people who are going through unbearable times, to take a moment and look for something, anything to be thankful for and focus on that instead of the negative. As I did this on a daily basis, my life started to change.  People I know were calling me Sunshine and saying that they are Happy Campers!! What the what...this is actually working in other people's lives??!!! Look, Life is Short!! Times will Suck!! Bad things happen to Good People every single day.  Sometimes, there are no words to describe how painful life Can be. And yet,  we have a choice, even if it's for a brief moment,  Look for something to be Thankful for!! We opened our eyes. We are loved by the people around us. We have a choice between positive and negative. The one we focus on is the one that grows, so choose wisely!! And when you see someone else focused on the negative,  reach out and ask what are they thankful for today??

So Thank You to All of You who took a moment to read this and thought about what to be thankful for today!! May your day be filled with Awesome Stuff, Amazing People and Fantastic Opportunities to Be Thankful for today and everyday!! Happy Thankful Thursday!!