Zemeks' Updates

Almost Lost It!

Karen & gerard — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:08:49 GMT

Yesterday coming home from work on the bus I called Gerard on my cell phone as usual when I got close to home so he knew it was time to come meet me at the bus stop. This way he doesn't waste his time standing there if the bus is late or if I miss the bus. (This was the only reason we finally got cell phones for Christmas last year!)

I was getting off at the back door and pulled the cord to signal the driver to stop. I happened to look down and there on the seat was my cell phone! Yikes! I quickly grabbed it and put it back in my pocket. I had dress pants on with the slit pockets on the side, and apparently it fell out after I had put it back after making the call.

I love how God watches over me: (a) the seat I chose to sit in was right across from the back door where I was standing waiting to get off, (b) I looked back. If I had been in any other seat, I wouldn't have noticed it! What caused me to look back?

I thanked the Lord as soon as I hopped off that bus for his help in avoiding what would have been another one of life's little hassles.

Oh No! Lost A Section of my Blog on PNN

Karen & gerard — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:40:51 GMT

Today I had a very aggravating experience which put me three hours behind. I was going to set up another section on my PNN blog for TV shows, but when I added it, I lost my "What We've Just Read" section.

The ironic thing is that I had just drafted a post on my Karen & Gerard Zemek blog at http://www.zemeks.blogspot.com about how easy PNN is to use and how I especially like the navigation bar and the ability to create different sections and rearrange them easily. HA! It is easy, as long as you don't go over 11 sections. I found out the hard way.

However, God is good! Even at these stupid times, God watches over us. I like my re-created page better than my original one! Fortunately, is was one of the easiest pages to re-create because I had the book reviews posted in other places as well. Whew! What a morning.

Need to Walk More Than Ever Now

Karen & gerard — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:28:27 GMT

Yesterday I moved to a new cubicle which is closer to the attorneys who I work for, the copy room and the Friday donuts! I used to be on the other side of the floor from the donuts so at least it was a bit of a walk. Now they are only two cubicles away--uh, oh! Although my new location is much more convenient, it certainly does not help my activity level any,.

Since I am a secretary with a very sedentary job and am addicted to the computer both at work and home, I must make a real effort to move. Now more than ever, I'll need to do that, so perhaps I will try to take the long way around when I go for my donut. That way I'll be able to let my friends from the other side of the floor know when they arrive and also keep up my same amount of walking, at least on donut days.

I do take the stairs rather than the elevator and in nice weather force myself to walk outside on my 20-minute breaks. I just made a doctor appoint yesterday and have a feeling that I may have to rejoin Fitworks to stay in shape. I've really been enjoying my chocolate marshmallow ice cream and the fudge we got at Cedar Point lately.

Having a Bad Day?

Karen & gerard — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 20:57:37 GMT

If you think you're having a bad day, watch this--It's the one called "stop for just a minute":

http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh289/Impish_Dragon/?action=view&current=Untitled.flv

My cousin sent me this link. It's a very good video worth watching (even if you're not having a bad day).

Could We Get A Dog Now?

Karen & gerard — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:44:27 GMT

Every year Gerard and I enjoy going to "Meet Your Best Friend" at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Many different shelters bring their adoptable dogs and cats all at one time in one place. We enjoy seeing them all and it's always tempting to bring a dog home with us, but no one is home all day so we plan to wait until one of us retires. We still enjoy visiting them all and rejoice when we see some get adopted.

This year when we went, we saw 5-6 medium sized dogs that we both liked and once again, were so tempted to bring one home with us, but ahh, we didn't bring any money along which is a good thing. It kept us from making a impulsive purchase. However, one of the volunteers did suggest that perhaps getting an older dog would work for us since it wouldn't be as active and need as much attention as a younger one. Plus, not many people adopt the older dogs, they usually wind up dying in the shelters. She suggested we get a big crate that it could go in during the day while we aren't at home. Hmm. something to consder. It would be nice to let an older dog live out the end of its life in a loving home . . . like ours.

The questions we must think about are:

1) will it get along okay with the cats?

2) do we really want to put ourselves through the hurt when it dies?

3) do we want the additional expense and responsibility of owning a dog at this time?

We'll have to think about it some more.

What do you think? Should we get a dog now? Please vote on the widget on this page.

Seminary Donuts--A Great Illustration

Karen & gerard — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:51:28 GMT

Sometimes certain emails stand out that I get and I can't forget about them. One that was forwarded to me (I forget by whom) was titled "Seminary Donuts."

It was long, but a very good read about a teacher of a Seminary class in Utah who used an object lesson that really illustrated God's gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, His Son. I deleted the email, but looked it up on the Internet and found it in several places actually.

Here is the link where you can find this great article: http://www.billyspeer.com:

I Married Mr. Wonderful!

Karen & gerard — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:24:43 GMT

I was a very satisfied, happy single for a very long time. Gerard and I didn't get married until I was 43 (he was 44), so we were both set in our ways by then. Although our daily schedules were quite different, I am so thankful that God let us find each other through Great Expectations (more about that in another post). August 30 will be our 11th anniversary and neither of us regret getting married. When I was considering it, I really wish there was some sort of guaranty, but there wasn't.

Gerard's been very supportive, patient and understanding about me spending so much time on the computer blogging, so I thought it's time I write about him and us.

I thought I'd share just why Gerard is my "Mr. Wonderful" so other husbands can pick up some tips:

1) He usually meets me at the bus stop when I come home from work and we either walk if it's nice or he brings the car if it's cold or rainy.

2) He lets me be my own person. I let him know before I was married I didn't cook and he never expects me to. (He said he's used to cooking for himself anyhow so he didn't mind continuing to do so.)

3) He always opened doors for me before we were married (car, restaurants, church) which at first I thought was silly, but it was nice to be treated so nicely. He still does this if I don't rush ahead and do it myself.

4) He helps me with my jacket or coat when we're out together.

5) He does ALL the cleaning--some everyday, including the basement! He has a weekly schedule that he adheres to no matter what--even if he is sick. Once in awhile, I'll take care of cleaning the computer.

6) He does the laundry every Friday.

7) He takes care of the yardwork. Sometimes, if I get in the mood, I'll pull some weeds or trim a bush, but he really does it on a regular basis. He lets me have the fun of picking out the flowers to plant in the spring, then he waters them all summer long and I watch them grow!

8) He helps me carry things. Usually on Sundays since I teach Sunday School, I have a lot to carry and he'll load the car ahead for me.

9) He does the grocery shopping, usually alone. Sometimes I'll go along with him but not too often since we got the computer.

10) He surprises me with unusual presents and has great taste in clothes for me. Ninety percent of my wardrobe are clothes Gerard bought for me! I let him know what I like and don't like in clothes and he remembers EVERYTHING!

11) He listens to me!

12) He reviews the TV schedule and alerts me to shows that he knows or thinks interest me.

13) As he reads magazines and the newspaper, he'll share articles that he thinks I may enjoy or find interesting.

14) He lets me make out our budget and have complete control of our finances! What trust he puts in me! I'm so glad he doesn't like fussing with banking or investing, because I do. (Before we were married, he was in some credit card debt--I never was in credit card debt so this was a concern of mine. More on this in a future blog).

15) He is a neat freak, which I prefer to messy. He keeps our house in perfect order as much as possible with me in it.

16) He is kind to our pets and is just as attached to them as I am.

17) He is easy to get along with--as long as he has music or a talk show on the radio or is watching one of his Boston sports teams, he's perfectly happy.

18) He lets me make decisions concerning repairs, decorating and social engagements.

19) He's faithful and a steady worker.

20) He loves me!

Blogging Is Fun

Karen & gerard — Sat, 31 May 2008 14:05:09 GMT

I have discovered the fun of blogging, since I like to write. I am still amazed that people actually spend time reading what I write, but they do.

I started here on PNN but since have also discovered Blogger and have set up two more blogs: http://www.zemeks.blogspot.com (created by accident) and http://www.karenzemek.blogspot.com. I am learning so much as I go along.

One thing I discovered from one of the forums on blogger about increasing traffic to your is to get an EC card. What is that you ask? So did I. Here's the answer:

In a nutshell, once you sign up for an entrecard, you can "drop" one on anyone who also has one. When you look at my blogs (I have 4) you'll see an advertisement for whoever happens to be advertising for a blog at that moment. Each time you drop one, (click on where it says to drop) you get a credit. Each time someone drops one on you, you get a credit. And, finally, if anyone advertises on your blog, you get a tiny percentage of the ad cost. The cost is determined by how many advertisers are waiting to advertise on your blog. The ad is just the little widget above the drop bar.

When you sign in, at the top of your dashboard (just click on it after you sign in) you'll see icons for anyone who has dropped on you. I usually go to them first, and return the favor. I find about a third of the cards I drop get someone to return the favor, but it doesn't matter, I get my credit for the drop no matter what. Sometimes, when I get bored, I'll click on campaigns at entrecard, and just find interesting blogs and drop a card on them. It helps me and them.

There is an E-book which tells all about how entrecard works which I printed out and read through. Here's the link for it: http://entrecard.com/static/entrecardofficialebook.pdf. I used one of my own pictures of my cat but didn't know how to get it to the right size, but the Creative Nerd did it for me. Thank you, Tina! For a nice selection to choose from (which I found too late) go to http://free125cards.com/main.php.

I suggested to PNN that they make it possible for us to use Entrecard on here and was told they'd look into it. I sure hope it happens. I definitely has increased traffic to my blog.

Check out my www.zemeks.blogspot to see what it looks like.

Laying Down Your Life For Your Friends

Karen & gerard — Sun, 25 May 2008 23:59:47 GMT

During this Memorial Weekend, I want to recognize the following four soldiers who received the Medal of Honor in Iraq posthumously:

Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor

Marine Cpl. Jason L. Dunham

Army Pfc. Ross McGinnis (19-yr. old)

When I read in the PLAIN DEALER about how Ross McGinnis jumped on a grenade that blew up and killed him in order to save his four friends, I teared up. The following verse came to my mind: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. --John 15:13 (KJV). This is exactly what Ross McGinnis did and what all our soldiers did who have died serving in the military.

We think, wow, what a great unselfish thing to do! But do you know that someone laid down his life for you so that you can be delivered from eternal death? Jesus Christ did that when he died on the cross while we were still sinners according to Romans 5:8 which says: But God Commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (KJV)

It's not enough to just know Jesus died for you. Each of us must trust in his death and resurrection and call upon him to be our Savior according to Romans 10:9-13:

Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses--declares openly and speaks out freely his faith--and confirms [his] salvation. The scripture says, No man who believes in Him--who adheres to, relies on and trusts in Him--will [ever] be put to shame or be disappointed. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. The same Lord is Lord over all of us and He generously bestows His riches upon all who call upon Him [in faith]. For every one who calls upon the name of the Lord [invoking Him as Lord] will be saved.

For more about the soldiers who received Medals of Honor, go to: www.history.army.mil/html/moh/iraq.html.

For more about Jesus, the Son of the Almighty God, go to God's Word, the Holy Bible and read the gospel books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. (If you're Jewish, you may also find the book of Hebrews very helpful and interesting.)

Memorial Day/Weekend

Karen & gerard — Sat, 24 May 2008 00:39:55 GMT

We just want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to all who are currently serving in all the branches of our military and remember all those who have died while serving the United States of America. It's hard for me to imagine what families go through every day who have loved ones in the military away from home and often in danger constantly. No one in my immediate family was in the military so I have no first-hand experience, but I would think it would be a constant focus.

I appreciate so much the freedom we have in the United States and pray for the safe return of our soldiers out of Iraq. My husband says every American should read "House to House." Here is Gerard's review of this book:

"House to House" by David Bellavia and John Bruning (6 STARS)! Outstanding Book! This is a true story about the war in Iraq. It grabs you from the first page and does not let go until the last page. You find yourself cheering for those soldiers and learn the real sacrifices these men and women are making over in Iraq. Every American should read this book. I salute you, David Bellavia, and all your fellow men. THANK YOU!

Another book I recommend, although fiction, is Hannah's Hope by Karen Kingsbury about a girl looking for her biological father who is in the armed forces service in Iraq and how prayer made a difference. In the back is a list of suggestions of things people can do to encourage our servicemen.

Let's keep our troops in prayer.

Remembering Mom

Karen & gerard — Sun, 11 May 2008 23:07:54 GMT

Her name as Lenore. She was a wonderful mother and I loved her so much. Although I wrote "My Funny Dad, Harry" about my dad, I was actually closer to my mom. We always got along well, even through those teenage years. Growing up, I thought my parents were over protective, but looking back, I see they just couldn't help it--they loved me so much.

It was my mom who encouraged me to try new things. She got me a puppy to get me over the fear of dogs, paid for piano lessons because she never was able to have any, taught me how to do puzzles, play games (she especially liked scrabble and Canasta), shared her love for reading and baseball with me, and watched movies and Guiding Light together too. She was my biggest supporter and gave me good advice about what classes to take in school. I took business classes along with the college prep track and after trying teaching for a year as a sub, became a legal secretary which is what mom thought I should do all along.

I remember we'd stay up late and talk and talk about everything (sometimes until 2 or 2:30 a.m.)! She was very easy to talk to and always was a good listener. She let me lean against her like a big pillow. I wish I started reading books sooner because now as I read, I wish I could discuss them with her. She never used a computer, but when I go on pogo or Shelfari, I always think how much she would enjoy those sites as well.

She was always a Sunday School teacher as long as she was physically able and I saw her love for the Lord. We lived in a suburb and moved to the city to be close to the church so us kids could be active in the youth group since she did not drive and my dad worked second shift. I was on the reserved side personality wise but when the youth group started a quiz team on books of the Bible and quizzed against kids from other churches within our denomination, it was my mom who again encouraged me to participate. I loved it and was good at it! Later, when I was a youth group leader, I got quizzing going again and was the "coach."

She let me be her helper when she did crafts with kids in our hobby club at church and later when she worked with Jr. Highers, again she let me assist her.

We were different in many ways. She was heavy set, I was always thin. She was very emotional and sensitive, I was more even tempered. She could sing, I couldn't carry a tune. She loved to read, I only read what I had to for school, if that. She sewed and did needlepoint, I wanted nothing to do with it.

On the other hand, we were usually on the same wave length and would laugh at the same things. She would have some fun with her false teeth by pushing them out sometimes, just to make me laugh. She always talked about writing a novel but never did, I am the one who wrote the book. I teach Sunday School now just like she used to.

There's so much more I could write, but I don't want this blog entry to become a book, so I'll just stop here. I still think of her often, especially on Mother's Day, but really just about every day.

Mom died of congestive heart failure Dec. 2, 1999 at age 75 which I include in my book "My Funny Dad, Harry" to show what a wonderful husband he was. I am truly blessed to have had such good parents and I miss them both, love them always.

Well, Happy Mother's Day! Be sure to be nice to your mom and cherish the time you have with her.

Trust That GPS

Karen & gerard — Thu, 01 May 2008 01:24:33 GMT

I got a GPS for Christmas and just started using it. I started off by learning how to use it by setting it for a place that I knew how to get to, just to build up my confidence. I used it for a strange place for the first time when I went to be baby shower a couple weeks ago. I didn't take any map along and didn't look at it ahead to plan the route in my mind. I just decided to trust my GPS to get me there one step at a time.

As I was following the directions, it dawned on me that trusting God should be like this. We should put our total, complete confidence in Him to direct our life and not have a back-up plan "just in case" but surrender ourselves completely to Him and follow His will. Maybe as I use my GPS more, I'll be able to really trust God more as well.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." (KJV)

--Karen Arlettaz Zemek, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"

Bible v. Cell Phone

Karen & gerard — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 23:11:16 GMT

Bible vs. Cell Phone
> I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we
> treat our cell phone?
>
> What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
>
> What if we flipped through it several times a day?
>
> What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
>
> What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
>
> What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
>
> What if we gave it to our kids as gifts?
>
> What if we used it when we traveled?
>
> What if we used it in case of emergency?
>
> This is something to make you go....hmm...where IS my Bible?
>
> Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don't have
> to
>
> Worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus
>
> already paid the bill.
>
>
>
> And no dropped calls!

(this is not mine but don't know who original author is--copied it from an email I received)

Family Video of Daughter Dealing With Cystic Fibrosis

Karen & gerard — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:58:05 GMT

On May 17, Gerard and I participated in the Great Strides walk to help raise money for Cystic Fibrosis research at the Cleveland Zoo. A friend of ours has a daughter with this disease so we are walking on their team. Much money was raised with our Cassidie's Crew raising almost $9,000!

View the video using the link below to find out about one child with Cystic Fibrosis.

A personal message from Trent:
Hi, here's a montage I created online. Click on the picture or link below to see it. You don't need to have an account.

See Cassidie's Crew Great Strides2008 online.

Give Thanks

Karen & gerard — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 01:12:07 GMT

In everything give thanks for this is the will of God concerning you. (I Thessalonians 5:18) I thank God for:

1) Life

2) Jesus dying for me!

3) Forgiveness

4) Salvation

5) Plentiful water

6) plentiful food

7) nice home

8) wonderful husband

9) pets

10) good church

11) friends

12) holidays

13) good job

14) technology

15) Answered prayers

16) good health

17) warm clothes

18) sleep

19) Christian parents

20) sunshine

21) God's protection

22) Eyeglasses

23) Trash Collectors (http://www.junkdrawerblog.com/2008/07/god-bless-the-trash-haulers.html)

24) AAA for coming to our rescue when we have car troubles