S,T,U.......Friendship!

Right about now you are probably asking yourself-what is wrong with this lady? Where did she learn how to spell? And maybe even thinking....the frigid temperatures in her northeast town have seriously frozen her brain!

No.....no....no...I promise if you stick with me you will see exactly where this is going! And you might even enjoy the trip!

So as you may know, last week I decided (with wise advice from a friend) that I was going to post my letter "Q" post despite the fact that our BlogHop was on letter "T". (In case you missed that awesome word...CLICK HERE!) Which in turn led to this wonderful quandary (oooo....look another Q word...before I move on!) of S,T,U....

If you know my brain at all, you know that I immediately had this thought in my head:
"S...T...U... Stu....the cockatoo is new at the zoo"  WHAT???? How in the world does someone's brain come up with that phrase when doing a BlogHop and what in the world does it have to do with the letter "U" (which by the way IS the letter we are on this week!)

Well, I am a quasi-Big Bang Theory fan (hehehehe...there's that pesky letter "Q" again) How many of you have seen this episode? Here's the clip!!

Sheldon's dilemma in this clip...wanting to know how to make new friends...is one we all struggle with at some time or another in our lives, yes, even as adults we do. So how does an adult go about making (age-appropriate) friends? After all I would hope I'd have a friend like Leonard who would help shoo me away from something that could be deemed sketchy, in my innocent brain! ;)

I thought about being silly & posting something a little off beat, but then I thought about it a little bit more in light of what my blog is about...Relationships. And I thought better of "mocking" a real issue when relationships are so important to me. So I did a little digging. (that internet...it is a plethora of information)

Like this wikihow with pictures: Make-Friends (little bit anime in style, but good stuff nonetheless)

or this one from HelpGuide: How to Make Friends (This is a great albeit long article that I will be going back to read in full...it acknowledges how social media has "changed" the definition of friend...and why it's important we understand the difference between acquaintances & close friends, it addresses Unhealthy friendship & what makes a good friend, without any anime pictures though)

Lastly, from Succeed Socially: How to Make Friends and Get a Social Life (this one seems to have ZERO pictures and is pretty long too, but seemed to be pretty on par!)

Those were the top 3 in my google search. The list went on for miles...but pretty much they all shared the same things:

Obviously, making new friends starts with a smile & an approachable demeanor to others. If I am sulky faced, I will most likely attract more sulky-faced people. Something I don't necessarily want in my close friend space. Make yourself available to make friends-in other words...get out & spend time face to face with people. Whatever you do, don't get stuck in Sheldon's infinite loop in his Friendship Algorithm...seen below! Enjoy the chuckle...I know I do. And if you do get stuck, I hope you have a friend like Howard who inserts a loop counter for you.

As for me personally, below is probably the BEST (besides Jesus' words recorded by Luke..."Do to others as you would have them do unto you.") I've ever read about Friendship & TRUE Friendship (which you will notice starts with a "T"!!). 

It is written by Sheri Rose Shepherd in her book His Princess: Love Letters from Your King (that's a link in case you missed it!) Entitled: Let Me Build a True Friendship. It may be addressed to a princess, but I am certain that it can be addressed just as easily to a prince :)

"My Princess,

I want you to look for a true friend-not just any friend. Find someone who brings out the best in you-a girlfriend who is a gift from Me. My love, it takes time to build a strong foundation with a true friend, so choose your tools wisely.

The first tool you'll need is Transparency...the ability to see within each other's heart-your strengths and weaknesses.

The next tool is Truth. I am the way, the truth, and the life for you. You will discover the rewards of real friendships when you speak truth and bring refreshing words of encouragement to each other.

Finally, your friendship will need to be sealed in love, girded with Trust, and encircled with prayer. Remember, My princess, you must become the kind of friend you desire to have.

Love,
Your King and True Friend"

"Some friends don't help, but a true friend is closer than your own family."

~Proverbs 18:24, CEV~

And with that I say this....

TADA! S,T,U....Friendship! lol

I hope you enjoyed this little journey with me & maybe we even learned some things about friendships & relationships today! Have a fabulous weekend and maybe start making a new friend :)

P.S.  I actually was able to cover all 3 missed letters in key parts of this post...can you find them all?
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Q...quondam

Well now there's an interesting word, don't you think? Especially sonce "Q" was a few weeks ago & I missed it. (A blogger friend told me that I should write what needs to be written...so here it is)
Quondam (adjective) [kwon-duh m, -dam]  
         former, one-time (his quondam partner)

Now I am sure some of you are wondering why I chose this particular word for this A to Z Blog post?
It is a very odd word indeed! Well, let's see...the thought process went a little something like this!
1. Q is a hard letter to decide what to write AND have it be original-not your standard words!
2. It is Tuesday now, which means my post is several days late.
3. Which led to a dictionary.com search.
4. Quondam is a kind of second cousin synonym to the word 'late'!
             'Bygone',  'erstwhile', 'former', 'old', 'once', 'past', 'sometime' & 'olden' are all synonyms to                    'late' to which 'quondam' is a\THE ONLY synonym that starts with a Q... there is not another!
5. Voila! Q...quondam for the A to Z blog post for a late letter Q.

I do hope that we can all find a use for this fun word in our daily verbiage (or adjectiviage-I don't think that's really a word, but I do like the concept!!) at least once in the week ahead.
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Prayer

Prayer (verb) 
1. a devout petition to God or an object of worship.
2. a spiritual communion with God or an object of worship, as in supplication, thanksgiving, adoration, or confession.
3. the act or practice of praying to God or an object of worship.

Prayer has been around for a very long time, by many religions. This LINK to wikipedia shares the history of Prayer as related to Christianity.

I am a prayer (noun) a person who prayers. I believe prayer is an integral part of life. Just as breathing is critical to our physical life (it IS the lifeline!), so too is prayer to our spiritual life. Which to me-is everything.

I could not imagine doing this thing we call life without the personal relationship that God wanted with me...He wanted it with me! So much so that He (Jesus) left the perfectness of heaven to come to this place He created, to live fully as a human so He could ultimately lay down His life to restore that broken relationship that sin caused. Knowing He would do that for just me, well....it's mind blowing!

Except He didn't do it for just me....He chose to die a gruesome death on a cross for ALL OF US! A gift unlike any other we can or will ever receive. A gift that oftentimes gets put on a shelf and forgotten, because the worries, stress, fun & frolicking of this life here on this earth so distract us from what truly really ultimately forever matters. Eternity...with Him or separate from Him.

And He loves us so much, that He will NOT force His desire on us. He allows us to choose whether we wish to accept the gift He freely gives or reject it. He desires nothing more than that all men, women & children from all ages & eras know Him personally. Accept His gift. And not put it on a shelf somewhere and forget about it.

Prayer...it's how we communicate with the ONE who gave everything up for us. To build that most precious relationship with Him, communication is a MUST! Reading His Words recorded for us and talking to Him (prayer) that is always a great place to start. I am so thankful that God, the Creator of it all, loved me so much that He was willing to leave heaven, life as a human and die to restore my relationship-through forgiveness of those sins that so easily entangle me. How could I not be a prayer (noun)?

Do you know Jesus? Not the historical figure as written about in the Holy Scriptures or history books...but the real person, the man who loved you so much He chose to leave heaven, live as a human and die to restore your relationship through forgiveness of those sins that so easily entangle you? Do you know that man? That heart? If not, and you are interested in meeting him...would you let me know, I'd be more than happy to introduce you to Him. I promise it's one meeting you will never regret! He really is awesome!

And if you have met Jesus, has life gotten so crazy distracting that perhaps He has become that forgotten gift placed on the shelf covered in dust? If so, why not take some time today to talk to Him...see what He might have to say to you that might inspire you to remove that gift from the shelf & clean up the dust, you might just find that it really is the best gift you've ever been given! He is waiting for you, remember He loves you so much He will NEVER force His desire to be with you on you, He will ALWAYS allow you to choose to spend time with Him.

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Olfactory

Such an interesting word to say...olfactory (ol-fak-tuh-ree OR ohl-fak-tree). It is an adjective meaning of or relating to the sense of smell

Smell is such an important part of our lives...one we don't always take time to appreciate, that is until we can't smell! The past week I have suffered from a horrible head cold that left my head feeling like it was the size of our friend's hot air balloon!

That stuffed head left me drained (both literally, my nose was draining & figuratively, my body was worn out) and in the process I had no appetite. I am a person who LOVES the smell that accompanies food (or hates it....depending on the food) but needless to say, I taste with my nose! (I don't know if that's scientifically true but it's true for this girl.)

I think that was a big part of why I wasn't hungry. Well, I had moments I was hungry...but no appetite.  I didn't truly enjoy much of what I did eat, had no desire to cook (I probably shouldn't be cooking for anyone else the way I was feeling anyway.) I couldn't smell my candle burning or even a pretty flower. What a feeling of disconnectedness from the world around me.

It isn't until I was without my olfactory sense that I realized how much I take that for granted. What else do we take for granted? Let's think about it before it's gone, so we can appreciate it while we have it....or perhaps more importantly it should be 'who' that we think about.

Hbe a great week!
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N is for....

Nothing, Nada, Nein... 
Today, I came to my blog with the letter N in mind & in all honesty nothing came to mind to share. 
So in hopes of something coming from nothing, I headed over to the dictionary for my weekly definition... here's what dictionary.com had to offer in the way of a meaning.

As usual, the first definition would probably stretch my English teacher's definition of acceptable as it isn't using the actual word as the definition, it just got a bit creative... wouldn't be a King'sMountain definition without an "improper" one popping up now would it? I digress... here you go.

NOTHING means:
Noun
1. no thing; not anything; naught:

• to say nothing.

2. no part, share, or trace (usually followed by of):

• The house showed nothing of its former magnificence.

3.something that is nonexistent.

4.nonexistence; nothingness :

• The sound faded to nothing.

5. something or someone of no importance or significance:

• Money is nothing when you're without health.

6. a trivial action, matter, circumstance, thing, or remark:

• to exchange a few nothings when being introduced.

7. a person of little or no importance; a nobody.

8. something that is without quantity or magnitude.

9. a cipher or naught:

• Nothing from nine leaves nine.

10. (used in conventional responses to expressions of thanks):

• Think nothing of it. It's nothing. Nothing to it.

Adverb

11. in no respect or degree; not at all:

• It was nothing like that. Nothing dismayed, he repeated his question.

Adjective

12. amounting to nothing, as in offering no prospects for satisfaction, advancement, or the like:

• She was stuck in a nothing job.

Idioms

13. for nothing, free of charge. for no apparent reason or motive. futilely; to no avail:

• They had gone to a great deal of expense for nothing.

14. in nothing flat, in very little time:

• Dinner was finished in nothing flat.

15. make nothing of, to treat lightly; regard as easy. to be unsuccessful in comprehending:

• He could make nothing of the complicated directions.

16. nothing but, nothing other than; only:

• We could see nothing but fog.

17. nothing doing, Informal. emphatically no; certainly not. no activity, inducement, advantage, etc., present to the eye:

• We drove through the town but there seemed to be nothing doing.

18. nothing less than /short of, absolutely; completely:

• She was used to nothing less than the best.

19. think nothing of, to treat casually. to regard as insignificant:

• He thinks nothing of lying to conceal his incompetence.




Who knew a word meaning "not anything, naught, no trace, nonexistence," could have so much to say? I hope you enjoyed my post about nothing which actually did turn into a little something after all. Have a fabulous day!

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Lights...Camera...Action...MOVIES!

Stop action animation at it's best! It's the time of year when I pull out all of my favorite Christmas movies. I am a HUGE Rankin-Bass fan. I just love the memories they bring back... the stop motion is just great!
But before I get into that too much: What is stop motion? Here's the wiki definition
Stop motion (also known as stop frame) is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object or persona appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence.

I love the regulars...Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer & Frosty the Snowman, I mean who doesn't like these classics, right? But my favorites to pull out are the ones that make my guys just roll their eyes! Obscure, uncommon Christmas Classics. Jack Frost is great too! Kubala Kraus is a great villain with his Keh-nights, iron horse & side-kick, Dummy!
  

The Year Without A Santa Claus & the not so old A Miser Brother's Christmas...what's not too love! Ya got the Miser Brother...Heat & Snow! Mother Nature makes an appearance or two. Then add in the Jay Leno inspired North Wind & well...it's Lights, Camera...stop motion animation!
Enjoy!


















Or what about Rudolph's Shiny New Year? How many of you have seen that one? Father Time & Baby New Year plus a crazy old bird...all happening in the Archipelago of Years.
If not, here's a link to watch the whole special on youtube: Rudolph's Shiny New Year. You won't be sorry, you might even sing along a little bit.

Now let's change gears a little bit to some classic animation from year's gone by:
How the Grinch Stole Christmas...no doubt everyone has seen that one! It is a great story, I think I might have wanted to be Cindy Lou Who when I was little.
[And of course, A Charlie Brown Christmas...who here hasn't recited the true Christmas story when Linus does his monologue? I know I do it everytime. It was how I memorized Luke 2 :) ] added 1.3.15

What I really want to know though...how many of you have seen these obscure classics?
The Cricket on the Hearth...click HERE to check that one out!
The Leprechaun's Christmas Gold, can be found HERE. I mean seriously, it's Christmas time who doesn't think of Leprechaun's, right? ;)
And this one is an actual family favorite (I don't get too many eyerolls when I put this one in) Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. Check him out HERE. Anyone recognize this side dish?


I hope you enjoyed this little jaunt down memory lane. Perhaps you have discovered a hidden treasure amongst these classics. OR maybe you always wondered if this lady at TheKingsMountain wasn't a little bit off her rocker, only to have that thought solidified in your mind by this crazy off the wall post. No matter what, I hope this post at least made you smile...for a moment!

Lights...Camera...Action...what are some of your favorites?

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