Cool periodic table showing the importance of different elements for SEO ranking:

Another great thought piece from Pastor Steven Furtick:

"I was recently reading a book and came across a quote that grabbed me:Every step is an arrival.

What the author meant is that it’s great to have goals. Aspirations.But the problem is that we can be so consumed with the end game that we forget that every step we take is not just a means to a distant end. It’s the arrival at an end in itself. Even if a temporary one.

For example, if you’re an addict, the end goal is to be free of your addiction. And it should be. But every step you take on the way to that goal is itself an arrival at a desirable destination. And that’s because it’s a step further away from where you don’t want to be – engrossed in your addiction.

I wonder if the reason so many people give up on their goals and aspirations is that in their lust to arrive at the end, they’re blind to the fact that they’re no longer at the beginning. And when they don’t get to the end quickly, they conclude it’s a fool’s errand. Or at least a task they’re not qualified to complete.

These people miss the truth we must grasp if we don’t want to give up:Every step you take is a victory. A chance for celebration. A small goal that must be achieved before you can ever think about getting to the larger one.

Every step is an arrival."

I need to learn to focus on baby steps, not always giant leaps.

This is an awesome list of weird words that PR Daily shared the other day.  Apparently I am ulotrichous - Belonging to a group of people having wooly, crispy or curly hair?! haha.  Definitely read on for a good laugh, and acquire a little random knowledge:

Agastopia (n.)

Admiration of a particular part of someone's body

Boondoggle (n. and v.)

n.—Work of little or no value

v.—To deceive or attempt to deceive

Cabotage (n.)

Trade or transport in coastal waters, airspace or between two points within a country

What it's not: To sabotage with cabbage and/or Vermont Cabot Cheese

Doodlesack (n.)

Bagpipe

Erinaceous (adj.)

Of, pertaining to, or resembling a hedgehog

Although she won't know what it means, never tell your date, Erin, that she is "looking quite erinaceous this evening."

Firman (n.)

An edict or administrative order issued by, or in the name of, a Middle Eastern sovereign

Gabelle (n.)

A tax or excise; a French tax on salt abolished in 1790

Halfpace (n.)

A platform of a staircase where the stair turns back in exactly the reverse direction of the lower flight

Impignorate (v.)

To pawn or pledge something

What it's not: To impregnate a pig

Jobbernowl (n.)

A stupid fellow, a blockhead

Kakorrhaphiophobia (n.)

Abnormal fear of failure

This is the last word that someone with kakorrhaphiophobia would want to encounter in a spelling bee.

Lamprophony (n.)

Loudness and clarity of voice

Macrosmatic (adj.)

Having a good sense of smell

Ninnyhammer (n.)

A fool or simpleton; ninny

Oxter (n.)

The armpit

What it's not: A creature that is half ox, half otter.

Pauciloquent (adj.)

Uttering few words; brief in speech

If you had to figure out how to use this word in context, you probably wouldn't say much either.

Quire (n.)

A set of 24 or 25 uniform sheets of paper; four sheets of paper folded once to form a section of 16 pages.

Ratoon (n. and v.)

n.—A small shoot growing from the root of a plant.

v.—To put forth or cause to put forth ratoons.

What it's not: The offspring of interbreeding rats and raccoons

Salopettes (n.)

Quilted skiing pants that reach up to the chest and are held up by shoulder straps

Turducken (n.)

A boned turkey stuffed with a boned duck that is stuffed with a small boned chicken, sometimes also containing a breadcrumb or sausage stuffing.

This word was recently added to the Oxford English Dictionary, as mentioned here.

Ulotrichous (adj.)

Belonging to a group of people having wooly, crispy or curly hair.

First time you've heard this word? It's probably a good indication that you don't have wooly or crispy hair. Or that you do, and nobody uses this word anymore.

Valetudinarian (n.)

An invalid, or someone who is excessively concerned about his poor health and ailments.

Think "the valedictorian of hypochondriacs."

Winkle-pickers (n.)

A style of shoe or boot with a pointed, narrow toe, popular in the mid-20^th century

Xertz (v.)

To gulp a beverage enthusiastically, heartily and quickly

Yarborough (n.)

A hand of cards containing no card above a nine

Zoanthropy (n.)

A mental disorder in which one believes oneself to be an animal

I am loving the new USDA "My Plate" that is now replacing the old-school food pyramid we all know so well.  

The new design makes it obvious just by looking at it how much of each food group should be part of your daily meals. Easy for kids, and even adults who may not have taken the time to really think about how the food pyramid breaks down into each meal. Let's be honest, who eats food off a pyramid? Ok, maybe Egyptians...but still, I'll take the plate!

With the official start of summer less than a week away, people are getting ready to hit the road to seek the beach, the mountains, wherever.  

My family got our beach vacation in a tad early this year and last week I spent some good hours in the car getting to and from Hilton Head Island. While cruising, attempting to eat my Dairy Queen Blizzard (a talent in itself), and listen to some jams, I thought about some of my favorite roadtrip music.  

Here are my top 3 albums that keep me going down the long and winding road:

Kenny Chesney, The Road and the Radio

The Beatles, One

Gloriana, Gloriana

and sometimes, just for kicks and flashbacks to awkward middle school dances...NSYNC*

What are your faves? I'm open to suggestions!

"Today I will make a difference. I will begin by controlling my thoughts. A person is the product of his thoughts. I want to be happy and hopeful. Therefore, I will have thoughts that are happy and hopeful. I refuse to be victimized by my circumstances. I will not let petty inconveniences such as stoplights, long lines, and traffic jams be my masters. I will avoid negativism and gossip. Optimism will be my companion, and victory will be my hallmark. Today I will make a difference.

I will be grateful for the twenty-four hours that are before me. Time is a precious commodity. I refuse to allow what little time I have to be contaminated by self-pity, anxiety, or boredom. I will face this day with the joy of a child and the courage of a giant. I will drink each minute as though it is my last. When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever. While it is here, I will use it for loving and giving. Today I will make a difference.

I will not let past failures haunt me. Even though my life is scarred with mistakes, I refuse to rummage through my trash heap of failures. I will admit them. I will correct them. I will press on. Victoriously. No failure is fatal. It’s OK to stumble… . I will get up. It’s OK to fail… . I will rise again. Today I will make a difference." - Max Lucado, Shaped by God

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to bloom" - Anais Nin

Photo credit: bosela from morguefile.com

I recently finished up Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller.  I read his book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years and loved it.  A Million Miles is based around the making of the movie for his book Blue Like Jazz, so I decided to check it out.

Miller has a very abrupt and honest writing style skipping from short stories about himself and others, to philosophical tidbits about Christianity.  Lots of great takeaways.  Here is just one of my favorites: 

"There is a lie floating around that says I am supposed to be able to do life alone, without any help, without stopping to worship something bigger than myself.  But I actually believe there is something bigger than me, and I need for there to be something bigger than me.  I need someone to put awe inside me; I need to come second to someone who has everything figured out."

- Don Miller, Blue Like Jazz