THE SECRET

The Secret
One day, one friend asked another,
'How is it that you are always so happy?
You have so much energy,
and you never seem to get down.'


With her eyes smiling,she
'I know the Secret!'
'What secret is that?'
To which she replied,
'I'll tell you all about it,
but you have to promise to
share the Secret with others.'



'The Secret is this:
I have learned there is little I can do
in my life that will make me truly happy
I must depend on God to make
me happy and to meet my needs.
When a need arises in my life,
I have to trust God to supply
according to HIS riches.
I have learned most of the time
I don 't need half of what I think I do.
He has never let me down.
Since I learned that 'Secret' I am happy.'



The questioner's first thought was,
'That's too simple!'
But upon reflecting over her own life
she recalled how she thought a bigger house
would make her happy, but it didn't!
She thought a better paying job
would make her happy, but it hadn't.
When did she realize her greatest happiness?
Sitting on the floor with her grandchildren,
playing games, eating pizza or reading a
story,a simple gift from God.



Now you know it too!
We can't depend on people to make us happy.
Only GOD in His infinite wisdom can do that.
Trust HIM!
And now I pass the Secret on to you!
So once you get it, what will you do?



YOU have to tell someone the Secret, too!
That GOD in His wisdom will take care of YOU!
But it's not really a secret...
We just have to believe it and do it..
Really trust God!


Just Pass It On!

I LOVE MY PETS!!!

To be posted VERY LOW on the refrigerator door - pet nose height...

Dear Dogs and Cats:
The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your20food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bath room for years --canine or feline attendance is not required.

The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough!

And, to pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:

To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Pets:

1. They live here. You don't.
2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it 'fur'niture.
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, they are an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly.

Remember: Dogs and cats are better than kids because they:
1. Eat less
2. Don't ask for money all the time
3 Are easier to train
4. Normally come when called
5. Never ask to drive the car
6. Don't hang out with drug-using friends
7. Don't smoke or drink
8. Don't have to buy the latest fashions
9. Don't want to wear your clothes
10. Don't need a gazillion dollars for college, and...
11. If they get pregnant, you can sell their children

ESKIMO

BEAUTIFUL CREATION

OLD OAK TREE AT HUNTINGTON BEACH STATE PARK

LUCKY TO BE ALIVE!!

JULY 22, 2008 CRASH

MY DAD WAS IN A HORRIBLE WRECK IN EASLEY. HE WAS PRETTY BANGED UP WITH ONLY A BROKEN THUMB. HE IS LUCKY TO BE ALIVE!!!

TROPICAL NIGHTS

Blueberry Pie

1 8oz Cream Cheese
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 Cup Powder Sugar or Splenda
4 Cup Blueberries
2/3 Container of Cool Whip
2 Graham Cracker Crumb Pie Shells


Mix Cream Cheese, Sour Cream and Sugar into Cool Whip
Fold in Blueberries

Put mixture into Pie Shell

Top with remainder of Cool Whip

Chill in Refigerator until ready to eat.

GREENVILLE, SC--- CHEAPEST GAS IN US

As hard as it is for drivers to believe when they are bleeding cash to fill up a vehicle, the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson metro area had the cheapest gasoline prices in the nation Thursday, according to the AAA motor club.


The average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline was $3.836 here -- up 2 cents from a month ago and $1.11 from a year ago, dwarfing the half-cent overnight decline.

Stewart Spinks, chairman of Greenville-based Spinx Oil Co., said he expects gas prices to stabilize somewhat. Motorists have seen slight declines in gas this week. Nationally, supply and demand seem to be working, he said.

"Supply is increasing and demand is decreasing," he said, as people are driving less and reducing their speeds. "The fundamentals indicate the price should go down."

Statewide, the average price Thursday was $3.898 a gallon, down from $3.903 a gallon Wednesday. Missouri had the lowest average price at $3.896, while Alaska had the highest at $4.613. Twelve states reported average statewide prices of less than $4 a gallon.

A major reason South Carolina has relatively lower gas prices is the state and federal tax burden -- 35.2 cents a gallon, fourth-lowest in the country. The highest tax burden is found in California at 74.9 cents a gallon.

The national average of state and federal gas taxes is 49.4 cents a gallon, according to the American Petroleum Institute.

When looking at worldwide gas prices, the United States is far from the most expensive country.

Drivers in Oslo, Norway, spend $9.85 for every gallon of gas they buy, according to a survey by Associates for International Research Inc., a Massachusetts relocation consulting firm. In Paris, gas is almost as expensive at $9.43 a gallon.

But in Caracas, Venezuela, the price of gas is 12 cents a gallon and in Tehran, Iran, it is 41 cents a gallon.

MONEY

DayDreaming Again About Early Retirement


There’s nothing like going back to work on a Monday after a nice long holiday weekend to make you daydream about leaving the rat race behind. I would like to think that I am already on the path to early retirement, but I often like to hash out “The Plan”.

Ages 30-45: Live simply. Buy a home you can afford with a 15-year mortgage. Yes, you can get approved for a larger loan with a 30-year amortization. Homes are a huge expense, and just because someone will let you doesn’t mean you should take on that much debt. If you artificially restrict yourself to what you can afford with a 15-year amortization, you’ll end up with something that can easily be paid off early.

Yes, taking advantage of low fixed interest rate for 30-year mortgage can be argued to be advantageous on a mathematical level. But I am still enamored with the simplified cashflow situation once this huge monthly expense is taken away. Right now, a full 2/3rds of my monthly expenses go towards housing costs.*

Live frugally, try to save regularly for retirement, advance in career and get pay hikes, raise kids, still enjoy life, yada yada.

Ages 45-65: Find consulting or part-time work which will cover remaining expenses. Now, after 15 years, I will only have to pay for everything else - property taxes, car, utilities, food, etc. This should only run about $35,000 a year. Lower required expenses means lower required income, which means I pay a lot less in income taxes. Split between my wife and I, we’d only need to find jobs that pay about $25,000 gross each per year. (Numbers will need to be adjusted for inflation.)

This opens up so much flexibility. Despite my beach bum aspirations, I already know that you can’t spend all day at the beach. There are so many alternative business and job ideas that we would enjoy doing, but currently wouldn’t dream of doing because we make so much more money doing what we do now. Jobs with less hours, less commuting, less dealing with stupid people. The money that we have saved up in tax-deferred accounts should remain untouched, and we will still add as possible.

Ages 65+: Work as possible based on health, start taking Social Security, withdrawing from retirement accounts I know that most young people are skeptical of Social Security, but in reality I doubt it is going to go away for people with moderate incomes. It will simply be too critical a safety net in the age of self-funded retirements. I can see there being a phase-out for high income earners (it’d be very difficult to phase out based on net worth) - but again, without a mortgage, we won’t need a high income. The current average Social Security check is $1,000 per month, or $12,000 per year. If both of us received that, that would already cover 50% of our expenses.

These are all rough numbers and you never know what life will throw at you, but it’s nice to have goals.

* No, you don’t necessarily need to buy a house to retire early. But it fits into my Plan nicely.

LIFE'S TIPS BEFORE IT IS GONE

Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

Enjoy the simple things.

Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

Surround yourself with what you love , whether it's family, pets,
keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5th GRADER?

Today is Independence Day, when we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of our nation. We all know what happened on July 4, 1776; we learned it in elementary school.


But how much more do you remember about the American history lessons you learned?

Greenville County fifth-graders get an in-depth look at American history, from post-Civil War Reconstruction to the present.

Here’s a sampling of questions from the South Carolina Social Studies PACT test for fifth-graders. See how much you know:

1. Why did General Robert E. Lee agree to lead Confederate troops?
A. He was born in Virginia, a Confederate state.
B. The Union did not ask him to serve in their army.
C. He had argued with President Lincoln about strategy.
D. He thought the practice of slavery should be defended.

2. Why was the Battle of Gettysburg an important victory for the North?
A. Both sides agreed to end the war immediately.
B. Confederate troops were prevented from advancing into the North.
C. There were no Union casualties.
D. All of the Confederate troops were captured and taken prisoner.

3. What happened as a result of the Boston Tea Party?
A. Samuel Adams formed the Sons of Liberty.
B. The British government passed the Intolerable Acts.
C. The Stamp Act was repealed.
D. British soldiers carried out the Boston Massacre.

4. Why did the colonists use the slogan, “No taxation without representation”?
A. To demand that property and income taxes be lowered.
B. To request that Great Britain choose colonist leaders to govern the 13 colonies.
C. To protest the fact that the colonists had no one to represent them in the British government.
D. To gain support for the colonists’ efforts to dethrone King George III.

5. Why was tobacco an important cash crop for Jamestown?
A. Native Americans were paid cash to grow tobacco.
B. Profits from exports of tobacco helped the colony grow.
C. Tobacco smokers paid huge fines.
D. Tobacco was imported from England in large amounts.

6. On what issue did Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson disagree?
A. The strength of the national government.
B. Property rights for new citizens.
C. Relations with Great Britain and France.
D. The effects of westward expansion on Native Americans.

7. Why was it a problem when Missouri asked to be admitted as a state in 1819?
A. There were not enough people in Missouri to form a state.
B. It would upset the balance of free states and slave states.
C. Land gained in the Louisiana Purchase could not become a state.
D. The people needed to vote for or against slavery.

8. Where in the United States were women first granted the right to vote?
A. New York
B. Illinois
C. Kansas
D. The Territory of Wyoming

9. What major factor led to the Spanish-American War?
A. Spain imprisoned thousands of Americans.
B. The USS Maine was destroyed in a huge explosion, killing 260 Americans.
C. Spanish newspapers insulted the United States Senate
D. Spain destroyed United States-owned businesses in Miami.

10. What was President Wilson hoping to accomplish by entering World War I?
A. He wanted to punish Germany.
B. He wanted the United States to gain control of European land.
C. He wanted to maintain the United Statesí policy of isolationism.
D. He wanted to make the world “safe for democracy.”

Answers:
1. A; 2. B; 3. B; 4. A; 5. B; 6. A; 7. B; 8. D; 9. B; 10. D

HAPPY 4th OF JULY

RED, WHITE AND BLUE PATRIOTIC PIE

Prep Time:
20 minTotal Time:

2 hr 30 minMakes:

8 servings

1-1/2 cups boiling water
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Brand Berry Blue Flavor Gelatin 1 cup ice cubes,
1 HONEY MAID Graham Pie Crust (6 oz.)
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Brand Strawberry Flavor Gelatin, or any red flavor
1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

STIR 3/4 cup of the boiling water into dry blue gelatin mix at least 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of the ice cubes; stir until ice is melted. Pour into pie crust; refrigerate 5 to 10 min. or until gelatin is set but not firm.

MEANWHILE, stir remaining 3/4 cup boiling water into dry red gelatin mix in separate bowl at least 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add remaining 1/2 cup ice cubes; stir until ice is melted. Cool 5 min. or until slightly thickened.

SPREAD whipped topping over blue gelatin layer; cover with red gelatin. Refrigerate 2 hours or until set. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED!!!!!!!

Biggest Pool in the world in Chile

If you like doing laps in the swimming pool, you might want to stock up on the energy drinks before diving in to this one.

It is more than 1,000 yards long, covers 20 acres, has a 115 ft. deep end and holds 66 million gallons of water.

Yesterday the Guinness Book of Records named the vast pool beside the sea in Chile as the biggest in the world.

But if you fancy splashing out on one of your own - and you have the space to accommodate it - then beware: This one took five years to build, cost nearly 1 billion and the annual maintenance bill will be 2 million.

The man-made saltwater lagoon has been attracting huge crowds to the San Alfonso del Mar resort at Algarrobo, on Chile's southern coast, since it opened last month.

Its turquoise waters are so crystal clear that you can see the bottom even in the deep end.

It dwarfs the world's second biggest pool, the Orthlieb - nicknamed the Big Splash - in Morocco, which is a mere 150 yards long and 100 yards wide. An Olympicsize pool measures some 50 yards by 25 yards.

Chile's monster pool uses a computer- controlled suction and filtration system to keep fresh seawater in permanent circulation, drawing it in from the ocean at one end and pumping it out at the other.

The sun warms the water to 26c, nine degrees warmer than the adjoining sea.

Chilean biochemist Fernando Fischmann, whose Crystal Lagoons Corporation designed the pool, said advanced engineering meant his company could build 'an impressive artificial paradise' even in inhospitable areas.

'As long as we have access to unlimited seawater, we can make it work, and it causes no damage to the ocean.'

I LOVE JEFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul. "

THE ROACH FAMILY

Create your own family sticker graphic at pYzam.com

SUCCESS

Philippians 4:13 --- I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

The road to success is not straight. There is a curve called Failure, a loop called Confusion, speed bumps called Friends, red lights called Enemies, caution lights called Family. You will have flats called Jobs. But, if you have a spare called Determination, an engine called Perseverance, insurance called Faith, a driver called Jesus, you will make it to a place called Success.

May God continue to bless each of you!

Pretty Place

A beautiful place to get away and think of all things that God has given us.