Severe Weather! Be prepared!!!

Well today is another day, fantastic day at work. We laughed until we cried!. We currently have a tornado watch until 4:00 a.m. Severe weather is creeping up on us.  This evening, I would like to start a series on severe weather. Now please keep in mind I am not a meteorologist, storm chaser nor do I have a degree in anything relating. I am just an ex-deputy sheriff who worked the morgue for several days after a major F5 tornado that wiped out half of out community just over five years ago. that killed 161 people. There were many hero's out of this tragedy. There were also many lessons learned. Thank god for the federal government coming in to help. It was chaos. It was one of the worst possible nightmares you could live through. I will attach a link in the blog for reputable information from people who lived it. I was one of them.....

The purpose here is to raise awareness for safety. Do you know how many stories I have heard where people where standing outside watching the weather? I have done it too. Multiple time. However, I am a little more prepared now because none of us were. Now keep in mind the casualties were in cars, buildings, they  sought shelter and yes quite a few were standing outside watching the storm.  As a member of the sheriffs office who worked the front lines for several days, we got a bad rap. The media came down and was just awful to the deputies and we received multiple death threats. The sheriff had a job to do. Which was to get those people home to their families. The only way to do that was an extensive investigation with DNA testing, artificial limb replacements and dental testing. That took time. If you think for one second we enjoyed having semi-trailers full of bodies, you are nuts!. It was horrible beyond words. The Sheriff did a great job. Even though we had a falling out and went out separate was, I still will always thank him for keeping us safe. Thank you Sheriff Dunn!

Now back to weather safety.... Please be prepared for inclement weather. There are multiple sources for information from experts that can help you for free on preparation. Please take the time to store some water, a little extra food,  batteries and a few other items. Make a plan, have a meeting place in the event something does happen. Make a code word with your kids. Have your pets chipped. Please...don't forget the fur babies!!!. Know where to go in your home for a tornado, have an escape route for a fire. Practice. It makes a fun educational night for the family. This is not stupid or fear mongering. Just ask the families of 161 people in our community. Please be prepared! Don't become a statistic!  Please, read the article from the Joplin Globe and do a little research. Its very important to be safe and educated. In the next day or so, I will do a more detailed in depth blog of the tornado. So please, check back.

 http://www.joplinglobe.com/news/local_news/gallery-storm-descends-on-joplin/article_680cd050-c19c-5309-bf83-a830d6141891.html


http://www.redcross.org/get-help/prepare-for-emergencies/be-red-cross-ready


Love,

Melissa
XOXOXO

Please don't forget to visit Show Me Custom Designs and Live, Love, Re-Purpose by clicking the links below.

Live, Love, Re-Purpose

                                                                           Show Me Custom Designs

Live, Love, Repurpose

So today started out as any other. I got up, got ready for work, went to work for what seemed to be the longest day of my life. I was totally unfocused. My mind wondered aimlessly. Thank God, today was repeat videos of required training I have seen several times over the years, nothing new. All I could think about was I did NOT like my blog name. Life and Family. How generic is that? That's what everyone comes up with. So I thought and thought....nothing. I came home from work and went to dinner with my husband to a very nice Greek restaurant named Mythos. Its fairly expensive but so delicious! They have a Spicy Feta Cheese dip with homemade chips that are to die for. If you ever go to a Mythos, please try it.. Then...please let me know!!!  It doesn't happen often on our budget but when it does...we so enjoy the experience. After a fine night of dining, we went to Books-A-Million, which I think everyone does don't they? We looked for blogging books, marketing and home based business books. We found seven we were very interested in. We took them over to the coffee shop "Joe Muggs" and took a look inside. We found some great information we thought hey, we can really use that. Just a piece of advice... if you are looking for any book about technology in any form, check the copyright date. What we learned... was these books were written in 2010 - 2012. In the world of technology... these books were ancient. We dug deeper in the books and discovered, yep, they were so outdated it was awful. So just remember... just because you buy a book brand new from a large bookstore chain, it doesn't mean you are getting the most updated information. Anyway... we ended up at Wal-Mart for a few hours shopping for some needed items for the business. (www.showmecustomdesigns,com) We have a super cute message board coming up so follow us on Facebook to see all of our new products. Here's the link!!!
https://www.facebook.com/showmecustomdesigns/  

We finally get home, my husband passes out on the couch with the dog and here I am. trying to think of a new name for the blog. I finally came up with Live, Love, Re-purpose. YES!!!! This is it!!! I LOVE it! Now for the meaning of the name.

Live... Live every day to the fullest. Live like its your last, Live because that's what we were meant to do. Travel, explore new places, learn new things, Soak up this beautiful earth we have the privilege of living on. We are super lucky. We all have days where we don't feel it. But..... go look in the eyes of your children, look outside at the trees clouds and grass. We are LUCKY.

Love...Love like you never have, put your everything into your family. You will only have this chance once... make the most out of each and every day. There is so much hate and discontent right now in the world, its you and me, one day at a time that can change this, There is really not much to say on this topic. It should be a given. Its our nature and what we were meant to do. We have drifted away from it. I hate to see the human race has to dig so deep inside to find something that is so easy. Just remember a kind act, a kind loving word could potentially save a life. Prevent a suicide. How many people can say they helped or they have saved a life? Be one, its a feeling you'll never forget.

Re-purpose... Well this means so much more then redoing an old dresser. This means re-purpose your life. Most people intended their life to be very different from the way it turned out. We were all going to be successful physicians, lawyers, astronauts and politicians. What did we become? We became nurses, gas station attendants, cops, waitresses and stay at home moms. All of these are much needed careers and wonderful!!! Absolutely nothing wrong with this. My point is.... our life took a different direction. I was going to be an astronaut and walk on the moon. I became a police officer then a nurse instead. Here I am re-purposing my life from a nurse to hopefully, God willing... a successful small business owner doing what I love. Making things. I am not asking for millions. Just enough to live and travel a little.

So tonight, what did we learn?

1) Mythos has a delicious appetizer called Spicy Feta Cheese Dip.  I am no food critic but I am a VERY picky eater and I give it a solid 10.

2) Live, Love, Re-purpose.

3) Check the copyright dates on new books.

4) Show Me Custom Designs has a new super cute message board coming out.

Be sure to follow my blog as my next one will be something special and a personal experience.

See you later,

Melissa

 

My First Blog

Wow! What a ride life is. I am 45 years old and decided to really focus on starting a business. All the technology available... social media, blogs, email and the holy grail the web page with a shop. I spend hours a day updating Facebook, Tweeting and updating the website. This doesn't include the research for new ideas and looking for old furniture to re-purpose. All while I work full time. You see, I am a nurse by trade....I have been for almost 15 years.That is all I have known. And now.... My wonderful husband, who just happens to be the most supportive man I have ever met... has continually supported me in all of my crazy ideas from day one. I love redoing furniture.... I love to sand, paint and stain. I love to turn something old and discarded and make it new again, give it a new chance at life. Which is perhaps, why my specialty is geriatrics. I have seen so many people dropped off and forgotten.  I have sat and heard stories about wars, the dust bowl, prohibition and the great depression. I have learned home remedies, depression recipes, caning and so many other things. The elderly are a wealth of knowledge if you just take the time to listen. I have sat and listened, held hands, hugged patients and families, I have been there when they went home and passed away. I have thought a lot about the direction of my life and career. I have decided to go the direction of becoming a small business owner. We have opened Show Me Custom Designs.Its a custom t-shirt business. We also do vinyl decals and signs. I have set up a Facebook page, Twitter, Google plus, Etsy, Shopify and a few others I cant think of right now. I have had the website for months and just literally went live last night!!! I am not even kidding!!! So how does this all work? How does it get out there? This is a waiting game for those of you who don't know. We do have 82 likes on our Facebook page!!! Each and every like is like winning the lottery. I can't express to you the realization of rating the success of your business by how many likes we have on Facebook. I run and hunt my husband down and tell him about the new like. So as if one home based business is not enough, I now introduce to you... MK Custom Designs, Carthage, Mo. I am asking for punishment.I know. But please, take the time to give my Facebook a like, re tweet our tweets and visit our website.  www.showmecustomdesigns.com https://www.facebook.com/showmecustomdesigns/  @showmecustom  Thank you for reading my short intro. Have a great night!!!