Careers- Health Care

The nurses weigh the newborn babies to make sure they are gaining weight

Above, Nurse Jaden gets ready for her day in the nursery.  Below, Nurse Morgan arrives at work and heads to the sink to wash her hands.

Above, Nurse Morgan makes sure the X-Ray machine is in working order

EMTs Jaden and Morgan head to an emergeny in their ambulance

Museums are always fun for us.  This museum was no different- so much to see and do! 

Jaden and Morgan LOVE the sections of the museum that offer a look into real life (i.e. mini grocery store, hospital, etc)  Of course, if they have dolls in the exhibit, that is even more exciting!

Jaden and Morgan took care of the babies in the hospital nursery, gave them baths, weighed them, gave them X-Rays, and made sure they were healthy. 

Then, they got into the ambulance to help an injured person far far away.

Doctor's Visits

I took the girls with me to my bimonthly checkup. It is always a challenge to keep them entertained in the room. I spend the time showing them the model "brain", the charts on the wall, and anything else I can find. Every experience is an oppotunity to learn!

This time, the next day, we were right back in the doctor's office again! Jaden was complaining of a sore throat, and they both had allergy drainage for a week and a half or so. Morgan wasn't complaining about anything in particular hurting, but she was in a very BAD mood! Turns out they had strep, even though their throats showed no sign of irritation. All 3 of us girls walked out with an antibiotic.

A New Pair of Eyes

I got this from a friend, and decided it was too powerful not to pass on:

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her.

She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see the world, I will marry you.'

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her.

When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.

He asked her, 'Now that you can see the world,will you marry me?' The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind.

The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.

Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying:

'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.'

This is how the human brain often works when our status changes. Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.

Life Is a Gift

Today, before you say an unkind word, – Think of someone who can't speak.

Before you complain about the taste of your food – Think of someone who has nothing to eat.

Before you complain about your husband or wife – Think of someone who's crying out to GOD for a companion.

Today before you complain about life – Think of someone who went too early to heaven.

Before whining about the distance you drive Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.

And when you are tired and complain about your job - Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.

And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down - Put a smile on your face and think: you're alive and still around.

Anti-social

I feel so run-down & anti-social right now. I went to an interview on Monday for a new job. I am praying hard that I get it. I can't do this photography job much longer. I have been working every day, and when I get my pay check, there is hardly anything to show for it. The job was supposed to be a great commissioned job, but now, with the economy, not so much. It is hard to get people to buy pictures now. Almost everyone is saying they can't even afford our smallest package of $29.95, which incidentally, I would get a commission of $7 for!!! Now, since everyone in the district's sales our down, all of our checks are down. If the hourly rate is higher than the commissioned rate, it reverts to hourly... The hourly rate is the minimum wage for the state!!!

Because of all of this, I am not feeling my best. I am worn down & broke. Looking for a better part-time job to have more time with my kids and more money to pay the bills.

A wild surprise

http://http://ilovemykids08.blogspot.com/2008/12/christmas-for-those-in-need.html

You may or may not remember one of the things that my girls got involved with around Christmas time last year. I put the blog post link above, just in case you missed it... Jaden, Morgan, and I packed up Christmas presents for children with HIV/AIDS and took them to a non-profit that works with these children and their families. A month or so later, I received a magazine from the organization. I didn't even look at the magazine. I put the magazine in the pile of junk mail. 5 months later (today), I decided to flip through it and was surprised to see our names in an article about Christmas items they received. In the picture above, you can, also, see our brown lunch bags that we put Christmas decorations on. We are not pictured (thank goodness!! I mean, thank goodness I'm not!!) If you have trouble reading the small words, you can click on the picture above to maximize the attachment.

I wanted to mention that I have begun a new book that is inspiring. It is giving me many more ideas of how to help people, and include my children. Maybe we can even start a non-profit! Whatever we decide to do, we won't be doing it to get our name in a magazine, though. I hope that we can make at least one person's life better, but I believe we can do more than that (with the help of others).

It is DEFINITELY still winter!!! Brrrrrrr!!!

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Tuesday was pleasantly mild. As you can see by the dresses that the girls were wearing (we are so lucky to have a grandmother who buys them such pretty, matching outfits!). Wednesday, however, was nasty! It was only 40 degrees, but it was raining & windy. That combination made me feel like I was freezing. It is still raining off and on today, and even colder. That' what I get for saying it feels like spring... Well, it still feels like TEXAS!!
Yesterday was Morgan's first official day in the dance class. She was so excited to be a part of it... While it looks like Jaden is over it. I wonder how it would go if Morgan did the dancing & Jaden watched from the sidelines? She really doesn't seem interested in it any more, but I think it would upset her if Morgan continued and she stopped. Hmmmmmm... Watch the video & see her reaction. Tell me what you think.

Jaden does this one OK (they do this at the beginning of class)


This is a new dance that she is teaching them, but Jaden doesn't seem interested to me. Of course, Morgan isn't doing all of the moves nor is she paying attention to all of it... But, she is two, so I don't really expect her to.

Laid off or soon to be? Need Insurance?

I just read this today, and so I wanted to pass on the information to any of you who may need it. You can now get help paying your COBRA insurance premium. This would have been very beneficial to us back in September 2007, but it wasn't available then. Insurance would have cost us over $1400 a month for our family of 4. Here is what's new:

However, under the newly adopted stimulus bill, the government will pick up 65 percent of the premium for the first nine months for qualified unemployed workers. To be eligible, you must meet all of these requirements:

•You were laid off between Sept. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31 of this year.

•Your individual or family income for this year does not exceed the cap. Eligibility begins to phase out at $125,000 for individuals and $250,000 for families, and stops at $145,000 for individuals and $290,000 for families.

•You are not eligible for other group health coverage, such as on a spouse's plan or Medicare.

(from www.dallasnews.com)

Money Saving Tip #11~ Fancy bath foam

To make bath-time fun, there are all kinds of products on the market you can buy for your kids. My girls enjoy the foam bath that I make for them, and it hardly costs a penny (plus, it is educational). This is what I do. Before their bath, I put a dab of their bath soap in a squeeze bottle & fill it up with warm water. Next, I get two different colors of food coloring, and put a different color in each bottle. Now, here comes the educational part... Jaden gets one bottle and Morgan gets the other. Today, Jaden's was red and Morgan's was yellow. They found out that after they both washed up, red and yellow make orange (the color that the bath water turned to when they were done).

My loving girls

In case you haven't read the article about Jaden and Morgan on the Children International web-site yet, you can check it out here:
http://www2.children.org/en/us/News/FeatureStories/2009/Pages/SponsorshipExperience-AFamilyAffair-2-17-09.aspx?sid=108CBC7-EDA9-458E-9D2B-BBFD0D7CB51F1

It will probably be up for just a few more days. Jaden is already 1/4 of the way into reaching her goal of buying beds for all 4 children with HIV/AIDS. She raised $125 to send to the Dominican Republic to buy a bed for Dulce. Next on her agenda is to raise $160 to buy a bed for Jonathan in Ecuador.
She has a million other ideas that involve helping others, and she wants to do them all (some of the things she will be able to do without spending money, but rather time). Every day, her show of compassion for others amazes me. Morgan sees what Jaden is doing and automatically wants to do what her big sister is doing! What a great example she is to her little sister (and to others)!

A Family Affair

The article about Jaden and Morgan is now live & will be up on the Children International web-site for the next 2 weeks. Enjoy:
http://www2.children.org/en/us/News/FeatureStories/2009/Pages/SponsorshipExperience-AFamilyAffair-2-17-09.aspx?sid=F22461C-840F-4BFE-9097-ADAF89036C931

Moments that take our breath away

I got this in an e-mail, and had to share:
A Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that :

We have taller buildings but shorter tempers,

wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints.

We spend more, but have less,

we buy more, but enjoy less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families,

more conveniences, but less time.

We have more degrees but less sense,

more knowledge, but less judgment,

more experts, yet more problems,

more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly,

laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry,

stay up too late, get up too tired,

read too little, watch TV too much,

and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.

We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life.

We've added years to life not life to years.

We've been all the way to the moon and back,

but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor.

We conquered outer space but not inner space.

We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.

We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice.

We write more, but learn less.

We plan more, but accomplish less.

We've learned to rush, but not to wait.

We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever,

but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion,

big men and small character,

steep profits and shallow relationships.

These are the days of two incomes but more divorce,

fancier houses, but broken homes.

These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers,

throwaway morality, one-night stands,

overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill.

It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom.

A time when technology can bring this letter to you,

and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

George Carlin

Message for the unemployed

I just saw this today. If you are looking for a job, here are some companies that are still hiring!:
1. Edward Jones ~ Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): 1,040

What they're looking for: Financial advisors and branch office administrators.

2. Google ~ Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): 350

What they're looking for: Engineering, marketing, product management, people operations, legal, sales.

3. Wegmans Food Markets ~ Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): 2,000

What they're looking for: Store positions. In addition, three new stores are scheduled to open this year (in Fredericksburg, Va.; Collegeville, Pa.; and Leesburg, Va.).

4. Cisco Systems ~ Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): 500

What they're looking for: People in engineering disciplines and customer advocacy.

5. Genentech ~ Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): 585

What they're looking for: Commercial, product development, manufacturing, CFO group and legal.

6. Methodist Hospital System ~ Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): 400

What they're looking for: Management, nursing, clinical professionals, non-clinical professionals (such as IT and HR), entry level support services (such as housekeeping and dietary) and administrative/clerical jobs.

7. Whole Foods Market ~ Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): 800

What they're looking for: Retail and non-retail. Positions range from administrative jobs like accounting and IT to store-specific jobs in all departments.

8. Microsoft ~ Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): Thousands

What they're looking for: Microsoft announced Jan. 22 that it would be cutting up to 5,000 jobs in the next year and a half. But it's still looking for software design engineers, financial analysts, human resources, administrative and marketing and sales talent, particularly in online ad sales.

9. Burns & McDonnell ~ Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): 400

What they're looking for: Engineering, architecture, construction management.

10. Ernst & Young ~ Number of job openings (as of Jan. 13, 2009): 2800

What they're looking for: The firm plans to hire around 2,400 experienced professionals and nearly 5,000 students from campus for opportunities in the U.S. and Canada (roughly 2,800 full-time staff hires and 2,100 interns) for fiscal year 2009. Openings are in assurance, tax, and several of the advisory practices. ****
**** Openings in Dallas, TX!!!

(Brought to you by CNN Money) More jobs will be posted tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Morgan's birthday present from Aunt Anne & Uncle Jeff

Morgan got a new car seat from my brother and his wife in California. As you can see, if you look at the seat next to hers, it matches Jaden's car seat (she, also, got a car seat from them for her birthday). Morgan's car seat arrived before her birthday, but it has just taken me awhile to put it in. I don't like installing car seats because every car seat is different~ and I HATE to read through pages of instructions. This seat really wasn't that hard to install. Unlike other seats we have used in the past, it has locking mechanisms on the inside of the seat to lock the seat belt in place. Also, instead of having to rethread the harness, the yellow thing in the back slides up and down for adjustments. Very cool!

My new venture~ Baby Pictures

First, I will start with Morgan's stats that we got from the doctor yesterday. She is 23 1/2 pounds (every half of a pound counts), 33 1/2 " tall, and she has an 18" head circumference. We are having her party today, so she is very excited about that. I got up at 5AM to get some things ready (some play dough and a few other activities).

We are leaving the house at 8AM because I have to be at work at 9:30AM! I am starting a part-time weekend job (to do along with the other stuff I do). I am hoping it will be fun and bring in some extra cash. I will, also be able to take on extra days during the week as needed. I like that kind of work because it allows for flexibility. If no one can watch the girls at the time that the extra shift is offered, then, I can't take it~ but, if I can find someone, that helps us make ends meet. So, it will be every weekend for sure that I will work, and then, during the week they will call me as they have extra days.

Hopefully, it will be a fun job that I will learn something from. The picture that I put on this post is a few of the picture poses similar to what I will be taking as a newborn photographer at the hospital. Now, they provide 4 days of training, so I guess, in that 4 days I will learn everything I need to know (*cringe*)

Anyway, I am anxious to start the new job, and hope that it helps provide for my family.

Books by Jodi Picoult

Publisher's weekly:
Picoult bangs out another ripped-from-the-zeitgeist winner, this time examining a condemned inmate's desire to be an organ donor. Freelance carpenter Shay Bourne was sentenced to death for killing a little girl, Elizabeth Nealon, and her cop stepfather. Eleven years after the murders, Elizabeth's sister, Claire, needs a heart transplant, and Shay volunteers, which complicates the state's execution plans. Meanwhile, death row has been the scene of some odd events since Shay's arrival—an AIDS victim goes into remission, an inmate's pet bird dies and is brought back to life, wine flows from the water faucets. The author brings other compelling elements to an already complex plot line: the priest who serves as Shay's spiritual adviser was on the jury that sentenced him; Shay's ACLU representative, Maggie Bloom, balances her professional moxie with her negative self-image and difficult relationship with her mother. Picoult moves the story along with lively debates about prisoner rights and religion, while plumbing the depths of mother-daughter relationships and examining the literal and metaphorical meanings of having heart. The point-of-view switches are abrupt, but this is a small flaw in an impressive book.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Publishers Weekly
Fans of Picoult's fluent and absorbing storytelling will welcome her new novel, which, like Harvesting the Heart, explores family dynamics and the intricacies of motherhood, and concludes, as did The Pact, with tense courtroom drama. In the small town of New Canaan, N.H., 33-year-old Mariah discovers that her husband, Colin, is having an affair. Years ago, his cheating drove Mariah to attempt suicide and Colin had her briefly committed to an institution. Now Mariah's facing divorce and again fighting depression, when her eight-year-old daughter, Faith, suddenly acquires an imaginary friend. Soon this friend is telling the girl how to bring her grandmother back from the dead and how to cure a baby dying of AIDS. As Faith manifests stigmata, doctors are astounded, and religious controversy ensues, in part because Faith insists that God is a woman. An alarmed Colin sues for custody of Faith, and the fear of losing her daughter dramatically changes meek, diffident Mariah into a strong, protective and brave woman & one who fights for her daughter, holds her own against doctors and lawyers and finds the confidence to pursue a surprising new romance with TV atheist Ian Fletcher, cynical "Spokesman of the Millennium Generation." Though the novel feels a bit long, Picoult's pacing stabilizes the increasingly complicated plot, and the final chapters, in which Mariah fights for Faith's custody in court, are riveting. The mother-daughter relationship is all the more powerful for being buffeted by the exploitative and ethically questionable domains of medicine, media, law and religion; these characters' many triumphant transformations are Picoult's triumphs as well. Agent, Laura Gross.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


***I have read several books by Jodi Picoult. They are hard to read sometimes, as they deal with tough issues. However, they always show the other point of view that you never thought about. For example, in her book "My Sister's Keeper", a baby was born in order to give a transplant to her sister. The child/donor decides, when she turns 13, that she wants the rights to make her own decisions about what can and can't be done with her body. She was the baby that was born solely to keep her sister alive, and she wants to not have to do it anymore. It is much more complicated than that, of course. That is just a synopsis. From my view, I automatically think who could sit back and watch their sister die, knowing that they have the organ inside themselves to keep that sister alive. So, like I said, it shows another point of view that you usually don't think about.

As for the books I have posted above, the last book I read "Change of Heart", is equally as hard to read. It kept me up at night. Very disturbing. I did learn some new things, and the twists and turns kept it interesting.

I put "Keeping Faith" on here, too because a couple of the characters from the "Keeping Faith" book wind up in "Change of Heart", so you may want to read the other one first (though, it's not necessary).

Anyway, I think I will go read something about gardens or lullabys now... I am beyond disturbed. I don't want to give any of the details away, but "Change of Heart" is a good book. I will just leave at that.

Nap Nanny

Wow! I saw this in a magazine... Perfect for when your baby is sick and has trouble breathing laying down. Where was this when I needed it 4 years ago? Great for preemies that need extra care (feeding tubes, etc) This is such a great idea, but is kind of hard to see just by looking at the picture. You can see the web-site here: http://www.napnanny.com/ordernap.html

If I were any better, I would be twins

I got this in an e-mail, and I just have to share it. I know this is probably just a fictional story, but it has a great moral to it. So, here it is, along with some more pictures of our Easter bunny:

John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good
mood and always has something positive to say. When someone
would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, 'If I were any
better, I would be twins!'

He was a natural motivator.

If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee
how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked
him, 'I don't get it!

You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?'

He replied, 'Eac h morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two
choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or ... you can
choose to be in a bad mood

I choose to be in a good mood.'

Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or...I can
choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it.

Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their
complaining or... I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the
positive side of life.

'Yeah, right, it's not that easy,' I protested.

'Yes, it is,' he said. 'Life is all about choices. When you cut
away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to
situations. You choose how people affect your mood.

You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your
choice how you live your life.'

I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower
Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often
thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of
reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident,
falling some 60 feet from a communications tower.

After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released
from the hospital with rods placed in his back.

I saw him about six months after the accident.

When I asked him how he was, he replied, 'If I were any better, I'd
be twins...Wanna see my scars?'

I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone
through his mind as the accident took place.

'The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my
soon-to-be born daughter,' he replied... 'Then, as I lay on the
ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or
I could choose to die. I chose to live.'

'Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?' I asked

He continued, '..the paramedics were great.

They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled
me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and
nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'. I
knew I needed to take action.'

'What did you do?' I asked.

'Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me,' said
John.
'She asked if I was allergic to anything 'Yes, I replied.' The
doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply.
I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity'.'

Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Operate on
me as if I am alive, not dead.'

He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his
amazing attitude..... I learned from him that every day we have the
choice to live fully.

Attitude, after all, is everything .

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about
itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.'

After all today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

Money Saving Tip #7~ Eat at your favorite restaurants for FREE!

No, this is not one of those SCAM/SPAM e-mails. This is real :0) We are able to eat out about twice a month (sometimes more, depending on which assignments we feel like taking) for free. This is how it works, there are hundreds, possibly thousands of companies that are set up to evaluate customer service. These "mystery shopping" companies each have their various clients. You can find a list of 112 mystery shopping companies here: http://www.ratracerebellion.com/jobs-mysteryshopping.htm What you do is you sign up for the companies that you want to work with. If you like On the Border, you would pick the company that has them as a client. If you like Furr's, Golden Corral, Buffalo Wild Wings, etc you just find the company that has them as a client and you watch out for shops as they come available. They even have "Three Forks" as a client, so you can go to upscale places, too. Now, you have to follow their guidelines EXACTLY. If they reimburse $46 (like our dinner did last night), make sure to stay at or below that amount. You have to pay for your meal upfront, but some of these companies repay pretty quickly. We'll get our $46 back from last night in 2 weeks.

Money Saving Tip #4~ Block Cheese

Block cheese can be a pain, but it can save you several dollars a month (depending on how much you use) over shredded cheese. In order to make it to where it isn't so much of a hassle, this is what I do:

1) I buy about 6 to 10 pounds of block cheese at a time (you will want to compare prices to make sure you are saving over shredded). If it is on sale, I will buy more.
2) I cut out time in a day (about 30 minutes needed) to work with the cheese all at one time.
3) I shred all of the cheese at one time, but I have them separated according to the package they came out of. For instance, I grated 8 pounds of cheese today, but they were in 2 pound packages. Each package had a different expiration date, so I did not mix the cheese.
4) I put the shredded cheese on paper plates and put it in the freezer uncovered for 10 minutes.
5) After 10 minutes, I take it out of the freezer
6) Then, I put the shredded cheese into pre-marked ziploc freezer bags (with the type of cheese and expiration written on the outside)
7) All of the bags then go into the freezer for another 30 minutes.
8) After the 30 minutes, I take one of the bags out to be available in the refrigerator. The rest of the bags stay in the freezer until needed.

I guess I made a New Year's Resolution

I never make New Year's resolutions. It is not intentional. When I was younger (in my teens), I used to make them. They always started out the same way (with good intentions). I truly believed I would be able to "stick to it this time". I stopped making them without really realizing it until after the year started, and then, I just didn't believe I could bring my resolution into reality.
Now, I have made a resolution without realizing it until now (5 days into the new year). You may have noticed my posts about little things you can do to save money. While looking for the ingredients that I needed to make my own laundry detergent, I signed up for an e-mail newsletter called "Everyday Cheapskate". Today's e-mail was called "What Do You Need to be Happy?" (found here: http://www.moneyrulesdebtstinks.com/ ). I clicked on the link, and then, I saw the post labeled "My Year to Stop Being Wasteful" (found here: http://www.moneyrulesdebtstinks.com/?p=431 ) That is when I realized that on 12/28/08, I had already started my New Year's Resolution ( http://ilovemykids08.blogspot.com/2008/12/living-amish-like.html ).
This is a true milestone because I KNOW this resolution will actually happen. There is a BIG difference between this resolution and the ones that I made in my teens (this is, also, something that I just discovered). This is my first resolution that is not superficial. This is about changing the me inside of me. This is about doing something that I can be proud of and believe in. This is a RESOLUTION REVOLUTION! This isn't about losing weight, or getting tan before summer. This is about a change that lasts a lifetime!
In the article "What Do You Need to be Happy?", you can find this:

When people say they want happiness, what they’re really looking for is contentment, that feeling of satisfaction that does not go away once the carpet is a few months old, the car has lost its “newness” or the holidays are over. He went on to suggest that happiness is the result of a “happening” and when the event is over, the happiness goes away. The contentment we seek comes with satisfaction and fulfillment that are not tied to specific events but rather based upon things that do not change, like warm family relationships, connecting to God and expressions of sincere gratitude.
(for this and more: http://www.cheapskatemonthly.com/ed_cheapskate.asp?ID=39220 )