Manners still taught or not?

My husband and I have been going to the local OutBack Steak House on our anniversary for the past couple years. The service and the food are always excellent. The wait to get in, on the other hand,    
leaves a lot to be desired. We were told it would be thirty-five minutes or less. An hour later after watching others who came in after us get seated before us. Very frusterating!
However to pass the time I people watched, which is a favorite pass time of mine. I found myself wondering where the world of manners went. I watched people come through the door expecting immediate service; it was the body language which gave away the attitude. It is one thing to expect service when you enter a place of business, but it is a whole different thing when you know there are other people also waiting for the same service and feel you are more important than the others waiting.
The other thing as far as manners, what the hell is it with entering a building and not removing your hat. What is that? When you enter a building, manners require you to remove your hat; it is not an accessory to and outfit when it has a bill. I don't care if you are a boy or a girl, you remove your hat to show good manners and respect for others around you. Have manners gotten so forgotten that people think wearing a ball cap while in a restaurant is okay?
Come on, manners are not a style thing, they are manners and should still be just as important as teaching right and wrong. Schools do not allow hats to be worn while inside the building, and that is including country schools. People remove hats in church. Why would it be okay to keep your hat on in a restaurant where people are eating.
Are there exceptions to the manners regarding hats, yes. There is a time and a place for such things as hats to be worn, but while you are in a restaurant is not one of them in my opinion.What are your thoughts on this subject? Do you agree or disagree and why?
Please share your thoughts.

Mowing

Let me just tell you, mowing is hazardous. Especially if you are signing. Bugs flying around seem to target open mouths. lol
No, I refuse to acknowledge bugs as protein.
Who ever said having a push mower for over an acre of land was good exercise, was insane...oh wait, that's right it was me.
Another never ending chore added to the never ending list.
Happy Wednesday everyone!!

Moving Day...

Move In day for college...so excited, not...lol
Early morning, long drive, but college sophomore is back on campus, and all moved in. So excited for my son to be back at school, but sad to see him go. He missed school and his college buddies. Hope this year goes smoother than his freshman year.
I watched as other students and parents moved boxes on top of boxes into different rooms. It was so easy to pick out the freshman students and their parents...the ones like me last year...unsure of what they would need and bringing everything to make sure they have the comforts of home, just in case they might need it.
The ironing board, extra drawers for desk, bathroom or clothing, cause you know when they were at home they so used them...lol Luckily my son already knew we had overcompensated for last year, and so he only took a few things, three boxes, one with clothes and shoes, the other with bathroom needs, bedding needs, food needs and of course some of those pesky things called school supplies. The third box was his actual school books and a few more school supplies. A bean bag chair, futon, TV, game system and of course the most important item the mini fridge.
Ahh moving day...the joys and the pride as a parent...the empty nest again...
What can I say mixed emotions!!!

DeadLines

What can I say, deadlines suck, even if they are self-inflicted. I have set a release time for myself to get the 2nd edition to my first book back out on the market. I know I have several individuals waiting for me to release it, the hard part is everyday life doesn't alway allow for the time I need to do the editing...
I want to meet my own deadline, but just feeling overwhelmed by the end of Aug is coming so fast and I feel the deadline mocking me as each day passes and I am unable to actually sit down and do the final edited draft. UGH!!!
So glad the deadline was set by myself or the pressure would be even worse!!! I really need to set shorter goals to meet the deadline, then it won't feel so overwhelming...I am really good with helping others, but I am really bad at taking my own advice...lol
I so need to start listening to my own advice for others, it seems to work for them, so it should work for me too...DeadLine, you will not beat me!! I'm coming for you!!

Excitement

What excites you?
There are a world of things which can excite a person. Life is full of chances to get excited and have an overwhelming feeling of joy.
Life moves so fast and most of the time people don't stop to experience what gets them excited. You go through your daily routines of getting up, going to work, sending kids off to school, you know the normal everyday stuff.
We all get so caught up in what needs to be done to live, we forget to actually live. Living is about experiencing, getting excited, smelling the roses and loving those who are in our lives.
Somehow we as responsible people have gotten it into our heads, if we slow down things will fall apart, our lives won't become what we are striving for them to be. We won't make the numbers for the work week, which won't make the dollars in the paycheck. Guess what, those numbers and that paycheck can't give you back what you've missed trying to achieve them.
Slowing down won't take away from your life, it allows you to live your life. The bills will still be there, the work will still be there, the stress of everyday life will still be there. Guess what won't still be there if you don't slow down...all those moments which happen if you catch them or don't and all those moments you said, next time, we will do that later. When those moments come and go, they are gone you can't get them back. Life doesn't stop and wait for you to have the time for it, it keeps going without you.
Stop letting life go on without you! Take that extra moment to hug the people you love. Talk to the people who matter to you. Listen to the people who matter to you. Get excited about life and all the possibilities it has for you to be excited. Stop rushing for that next moment, live the one you have right in front of you. Live life, don't just watch it pass you by. Living life is how you succeed at life, not in struggling to achieve more than what you have.
Get excited and stay excited, don't let excitement be something you could have or should have done in the past!

Choices

The end of last month was very hard for me. It was a real eye-opener, to say the least. I lost a family member. I went home to be with the family to grieve the loss. I watched a beautifully put together video of pictures of the life of my cousin. As I watched the pictures flash up on the screen. I saw a man I didn't know; he was my family, but I had no idea of the man he had become. All the memories of him for me were from when we were kids.
I listened to the crying around me of other family members who were present in the photos and knew the man in them. I listened to the minister talk about a person in my family that I did not know. Now it was my choice to leave our hometown and live my life separate from the family. I didn't want to stay in the small town. That was my choice, and I have to say I honestly would not change that choice. I do wish I had not completely stepped away and continued the closeness I had known growing up.
However, my cousin had also made a choice. In most cases of grief, we blame everyone else for the loss. My Aunt blames herself for not helping him enough. My cousin blames the dealer, which I am sure most if not all the family does.
The problem with this blame game, the wrong people are being blamed. The blame lies solely with my cousin and his choice. He made the choice to do what he knew could and would harm him and everyone who loved him. I don't believe he made the choice to end his life; I think it was an accident. His choice was not an accident, the consequences that followed were an unintentional result of the choice.
The man everyone described throughout the day was a kind and good-hearted man who loved his family and was looking forward to the future. A man who wanted things he would have to wait to see happen. A man who used his experiences to help others. A man who would drop anything to lend a hand to someone in need. So as a new choice for myself, I choose to remember the boy I knew and the man they all described.
Everyone makes bad choices at some points in their lives, what they learn from those choices and move forward from those choices is what makes all the difference. If you have made choices you regret, don't regret them, learn from them and make better choices in the future. Moving forward and not repeating wrong choices is how you know you have learned the lesson making that choice taught you.

The Count Down Begins

Well as we enter August we start the countdown to school starting. The rush to get the school supplies and clothes just to start. Then you wait for the official first day of school. For those seasoned school parents, this is just another year closer to the end of pre-college schooling. A year closer to high school graduation.
For the newcomers to this fun adventure called school, the roller coaster ride is not always a fun one. However, the ride will be like nothing you have experienced thus far. The only advice I can pass being what I would call a seasoned school parent. Take lots of deep breaths and don't always assume your child is innocent, but on the same note don't always assume your child is in the wrong. Listen to both sides and since you know your child and their behavior, you will know who is telling you the truth. Always trust your own judgment of the child you know and have raised.
Now, I get to learn the college parent roller coaster. This roller coaster is more of a sit back watching and waiting until they need the help. They are now grown up and responsible, well that is the hope anyway...lol But it is the whole letting go thing, it is hard.
I get to welcome back one of my sons and send one back off to college. I get all three of my kids back in NC, I am so excited.
I wish you all a great week!!!