Bird Snatcher

So...I had the best of intentions to write this post about 4 days ago but life happens. Ended up having to travel and work out of a different office for my supervisor Thursday and Friday of last week because they were down an employee and I was sick...thus exhaustion and no motivation to open my computer when I got home. I actually fell asleep on the couch at 7:30pm Thursday night because I was wiped out. Slept for 11.5 hours. Haven't done that since...well, probably a few years..

Anyways, a pretty funny thing happened Wednesday morning while I was getting ready to go to work. When I get up in the morning I usually go to the kitchen door that leads into the garage and let the kitties in. For some reason, that morning no little fuzzy faces were by the door waiting to come in so I jumped into the shower. While getting ready in the bathroom, blow drying my hair, etc. I kept hearing something in the hall leading from the bathroom into the kitchen. I didn't think much of the thumping noise and proceeded to finish getting ready for work. I walked into the kitchen to fix some hot tea and put it in my thermos and opened the door again to see if the kitties were there. Neo and Indy dove immediately in and went into the bathroom. Finally, I walked into the master bedroom to give James a kiss goodbye. As I walking through the bathroom into the hall I heard the noise again. Neo and Indy were sitting in front of the laundry room closet doing their own investigation. I called out to James and said he needed to get out of bed and figure out what was in the closest because I needed to go to work. He must have heard the urgency in my voice cause he jumped right up and may or may not of had the right "essentials" on. I stepped into the kitchen thinking I was at a safe distance as my husband grabbed a broom and slowly opened the door to the closest. As the kitties looked on I stared down at the ground expecting a mouse to run out at any second. But instead...well, the last thing I saw was something flying at my face!!

Yea, it ended up being a cute little birdie. After ducking and having a slight heart attack I opened the back door into the garage so it could fly out. It was perched on the window in the office next to the kitchen. I felt so bad as it kept flying into the window trying relentlessly to escape. But it gets better...

Finally James comes in with the broom to try and push it out of the room. Well the bird had a melt down and kept flying into the window and finally hit the window and dropped to the ground stunned. Leave it to little Indy to try and be the hero. He comes dashing in, snatches the bird up in his mouth and splits from the room.

Now I'm mad. I start chasing him around the house as he gallops through with the bird in his mouth, James following close behind (yea, he still has the broom and is missing some of the "essentials"! LOL). Of course Indy spies the open door into the garage and runs out and goes under my car. James is chasing him now  with the broom. He's trying to knock the cat so he will drop the bird. Indy flies (no pun intended :) out from under the car and tries to dash back into the house. I grab him at the last second and pin him down. Sometime in between dashing from the car and me grabbing him the bird, thankfully, had been able to escape. Needless to say, the bird was safe and flew out of the garage and Indy learned his lesson and hid, scared, under the couch for a few hours.

What can I say, life is exciting, even in the middle of no-where-land Kansas.

A Body's Favorite Beverage

Once you realize that an adult's body is roughly made up of 70% of water and an infant's body is approximately made up of 80% at birth, it's no surprise that a body's favorite beverage is water. I know some people struggle with drinking the suggested amount of AT LEAST eight, 8 oz. cups of water a day, but I bet you feel better when you do. :)

Think about this for a second:

• Muscle consists of 75% water
• Brain consists of 90% water
• Bone consists of 22% water
• Blood consists of 83% water

There is so many good things that result from drinking water:

• You rid your body of waste and toxins
• It helps your body's digestion
• It helps transport nutrients, vitamins, and minerals to multiple body parts
• Helps regulate body temperature
• Helps increase metabolism and can help with weight loss (and builds muscles!!)
• It increases cognitive functioning (makes you smarter and helps with concentration!)
• Helps your joints stay strong and healthy (less pain!)
• It gives you ENERGY
• And the list could go on!!

When you are dehydrated you may experience:

• Tiredness
• Migraines
• Constipation
• Muscle cramps
• Irregular blood pressure
• Kidney problems
• Dry skin

At 20% dehydration, there is a risk of death.

Even when you are taking in a good amount of liquid each day, if it is filled with caffeine, your body is over stimulated and the muscles and heart do not get a break. In the end you may feel drained, wide awake, or have anxiety, lack of concentration and cognitive functioning.

**A healthy person can drink about 3 gallons (or 48 cups) of water per day**

**Hunger: Most people mistake dehydration for hunger**

• Try grabbing a drink of water when your body is giving you signs of hunger
• Drink a cup of water about 30 minutes before you eat to help with digestion

Ok, ok. I know what you're thinking, "what is she doing, writing a research paper?!". But let's get real people! Take a moment to care about your body and at the same time feel good. You only live once. And yes, I know by using that saying, "you only live once", most people would say that they are going to enjoy it by consuming other liquids of their choosing because they want to have as much enjoyment as they can while only living once. Are you really going to let your enjoyment center around a 16 oz cup of a caffeinated beverage? Don't get me wrong, I love a cup of coffee or a soda every once-in-awhile and honestly,I do have those cravings pretty frequently. But I also stop and think for a second about how I am going to feel 8 hours from now. Do I really want to feel sluggish, or not be able to get a good night's sleep? Is it really worth the 30 minutes of enjoyment? I think I would rather skip the drink and go for some water and feel good all day versus enjoying the moment and regretting it later. And honestly, giving my body the water it needs, I may just end up living longer and be able to enjoy more moments. You only live once :)

(If you would like an awesome "recipe" for a lemon/zucchini water detox, visit my "Health and Fitness" tab. Scroll down till you find it)

From a spiritual viewpoint, water is essential for life. From the beginning to the end, the Bible talks about water over 700 times. The second verse of the Bible talks about how God created the water. Before there was anything--sun, moon, stars, plants, animals, humans--there was water. The Bible is full of passages linking God to creating, blessing, sustaining, and saving through water.

Water is a sign of cleansing, not only physically but spiritually. This is illustrated through the Baptism of Jesus and Him calling us to make disciples for Him, baptizing them with water. Speaking about the church, Jesus said, "In order to make her holy by cleansing her [the church] with the washing of water by the word", Ephesians 5:26.

In John 4:14 Jesus says, "But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life". Jesus is the fountain of living water!

The Bible has so much to say about water. Through the reading and research I have done, I've learned a lot and have enjoyed it. If you are wanting some side reading, this is a topic I would recommend.

Revelation 22:17 "And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes to take the water of life as a gift."