Christie Matthews

I recently read an article called ” Secrets Of A Happy Couple” and I am happy to say that my husband Jeff and I practice most of what is on the list. Of course everyone has an “off” day now and then… lol! Thought you might enjoy reading it. I printed it off and posted it on our bathroom mirror to serve as a reminder.

10 HABITS OF HAPPY COUPLES

1. Go to bed at the same time
Happy couples resist the temptation to go to bed at different times. They go to bed at the same time, even if one partner wakes up later to do things while their partner sleeps.

2. Cultivate common interests
Don’t minimize the importance of activities you can do together that you both enjoy. If common interests are not present, develop them. At the same time, be sure to cultivate interests of your own as well.

3. Walk hand in hand or side by side
Rather than one partner lagging or dragging behind the other, happy couples walk comfortably hand in hand or side by side.

4. Make trust and forgiveness your default mode
If and when they have a disagreement or argument, and if they can’t resolve it, happy couples default to trusting and forgiving rather than distrusting and begrudging.

5. Focus more on what your partner does right than what he or she does wrong.
If you look for things your partner does wrong, you can always find something. If you look for what he or she does right, you can always find something, too. It all depends on what you want to look for. Happy couples accentuate the positive.

6. Hug each other as soon as you see each other after work
Our skin has a memory of “good touch” (loved), “bad touch” (abused) and “no touch” (neglected). Couples who say hello with a hug keep their skin bathed in the “good touch.”

7. Say “I love you” and “Have a good day” every morning
This is a great way to buy some patience and tolerance as each partner sets out each day to battle traffic jams, long lines and other annoyances.

8. Say “Good night” every night, regardless of how you feel
This tells your partner that, regardless of how upset you are with him or her, you still want to be in the relationship. It says that what you and your partner have is bigger than any single upsetting incident.

9. Do a “weather” check during the day
Call your partner at home or at work to see how his or her day is going. This is a great way to adjust expectations so that you’re more in sync when you connect after work.

10. Be proud to be seen with your partner
Happy couples are pleased to be seen together and are often in some kind of affectionate contact - hand on hand or hand on shoulder or knee or back of neck.

Okay, so I have to brag on my beautiful daughter Abbey. She is in the 6th grade at Brookland Middle School and participated in the Little Miss Bearcat pageant on Saturday night. She was named First Alternate. I don’t think she would have been anymore excited if she had won. She truly is a beautiful child inside and out and Jeff and I are so proud of her!

Danny Gokey returns to the Idol stage tonight to perform his new single ” My Best Days Are Ahead Of Me” . I had the pleasure of meeting Danny last week while I was in Nashville and hear him perform LIVE. He truly is a gifted artist. His new album is out now and there is a song on there called ” I Will Not Say Goodbye” about his wife. WOW!!

Someone should fire the Russian magazine Oops! art department who obviously did a really horrid photoshop job on the lovely Taylor Swift. This doesn’t look a thing like her. OOPS! is an appropriate name for the magazine. The inside photos look normal…. makes me wonder if someone’s joke ended up on the cover.

Today I got an exciting peice of mail from little Madie Pelt. Madie attends school in Greenwood, AR near my hometown. Madie’s first grade class just finished reading the story of Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown. For those of you who don’t know the story here’s a recap.

One night as Stanley is sleeping a huge bulletin board falls on top of him. He is not injured, just flattened! Stanley soon finds that being flat has a lot of advantages. He has many adventures such as sliding under doors, being a kite for his brother, and he even poses as a painting to help catch some sneaky art thieves! When Stanley’s parents can’t afford a plane ticket for Stanley to visit his friend in California, his dad decides to mail him in a large envelope. Madie’s class decided to make their own Flat Stanley’s and send them to someone special. I feel honored that Madie would think of me! Madie’s mom Angie and I have been friends for over 20 years!

Stanley will be hanging out with me and my family for a few weeks. He’ll be “on the air” with me on Mix 106.7 and will also accompany me on a trip to Nashville next week. So if you see me coming with a camera in one hand and Flat Stanley in the other….just smile because you’re part of Stanley’s exciting adventure in Northeast Arkansas!

Jeff Presley from E-911 Dispatch sent these tips for driving in our little winter wonderland this weekend. Be safe!

Use slower acceleration and slower speeds. Avoid heavy steering and braking. Allow extra time to reach your destination during inclement weather. It is not worth putting your own life or the lives of others in danger to save time.

Drive with your headlights on.
Don’t get overconfident with four-wheel drive. It won’t help you stop any faster.
Winter road conditions often result in longer stopping distances. Give yourself room. If you have anti-lock brakes, press the pedal down firmly and hold it. If you don’t have anti-lock brakes, gently pump the pedal.
Slow down when approaching intersections, off-ramps, bridges or shady spots. These all have potential to develop black ice.
Avoid abrupt actions while steering, braking or accelerating to lessen your chance of losing control.
Look farther ahead in traffic. Actions by other drivers will alert you to problems and give you extra reaction time.
Trucks take longer to stop. Don’t cut in front of them.
Avoid using cruise control or overdrive. Don’t let your car make a bad decision for you.
What to Pack…
Jumper cables to restart engine
Cat litter or sand for tire traction on snow and ice
Shovel to scrape snow away from tires
Ice scraper to clear windshield
Warm clothes gloves, a hat, sturdy boots, warm jacket and even a change of clothes
Blankets to keep warm inside the vehicle
Flashlights and extra batteries for increased visibility
First aid kit also pack necessary medications incase you are stuck on the road
Food pack items containing protein such as nuts and energy bars, also canned fruit and a portable can opener are good additions
Water bring enough for each person in your car and any pets
AM/FM radio to listen to traffic reports and emergency messages
Also consider…

Bring a cell phone if you have one with a list of emergency numbers.
Fill your gas tank
Baby formula and diapers if you have a small child.
If you find yourself stranded, be safe and stay in your car, put on your flashers, call for help and wait until it arrives.

This is one of the kindest things you may ever see. It is not known who replied, but there is a beautiful soul working in the dead letter office of the US postal service. My friend Anna passed this along to me. She knew we had lost our beloved Petie a few months ago and thought it would bring me comfort. It did. If you have lost a pet, I hope you find that same comfort.

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey.. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.
I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.
Love, Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, ‘To Meredith’ in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, ‘When a Pet Dies..’ Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey &Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,

Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away. Abbey isn’t sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don’t need our bodies in heaven, I don’t have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by. Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I’m easy to find, I am wherever there is love.

Love,
God

Today would have been Elvis’ 75th birthday. We’re celebrating it all weekend on The Mix by playing your favorite Elvis tunes. Text the initials TCB and your request to 77000 and then listen all weekend. ( Standard Messaging Rates Apply)

The newly engaged Carrie Underwood is trying her hand at acting!
The country singer –who became engaged to NHL player Mike Fisher over the holidays — will be appearing on the CBS show How I Met Your Mother, playing a mysterious pharmaceutical sales rep named Tiffany who becomes a love interest for Ted (Josh Radnor), People.com reports. The episode is scheduled to air in March.

Tonight is the season premiere of THE BACHELOR: ON THE WINGS OF LOVE (7p on ABC) — Airline pilot Jake Pavelka, who was rejected by Bachelorette Jillian Harris, gets a chance to hand out the roses himself. In the 2-hour premiere, Jake meets the 25 bachelorettes and Jillian and Ed help Jake eliminate 10 women.