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The familiar saying, of course, is…when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. I must say, though, if anyone lives to 100 years and beyond, they most definitely turned their lemons into some awesome lemonade and deserve to celebrate with a nice cool glass of it, as well.

These days we're living longer and getting the chance to enjoy it fully and positively. I was recently inspired by a story of a 100-year-old woman who teaches exercise class at her senior living community. Now there's a lady that turned her lemons into lemonade. She expressed that her motto is, "moderation, attitude and gratitude."

This is a great motto to live by, but additionally, if you're blessed with good family DNA, it could avoid having your lemon picked before its time.

My family lemon tree has some genuine longevity and I'm banking on my DNA not denying me of my big glass of earned lemonade!

Not long ago, my grandmother celebrated her 96th birthday and, unbelievably, her mother lived to be a wonderful age of 104. See, good DNA! My parents are just kids compared to this, so I'm depending on them being around for a while too! They eat healthy, live a positive lifestyle and definitely turn life's lemons into lemonade!

This positive attitude doesn't fall far from the lemon tree, not just with me, but with my kids, as well. In fact, when my daughter was in sixth grade, her class was given a project to write their life story, which included their own obituary. Yes, really, their OWN obit! I thought this was the most unusual project for a sixth grader. If you've never read an obituary written in the spirit of a 12-year-old, then let me fill you in.

Her obituary read that she had her own successful designing TV show, which included designing a fabulous dream home. She had three wonderful daughters and married the man of her dreams. This all sounds about right if I were forecasting my perfect life. However, the best part of this obituary was that she held the world record for being the longest living person at 118 years old!

The sunniness doesn't end there. Of course, not only did she live a long and dreamy 118 years, but she died peacefully in her sleep with a smile on her face! Yes, a SMILE on her face!

Well. I don't know what you're thinking, but I'm thinking she must've had some pretty fantastic lemonade!

- Laurie Oien

Laurie Oien is a wife and mother living in Minnesota and determined to uncover the second half of life with zest and zeal. She has a background in marketing and accounting for the last 25 years and recently discovered that one can't live by adding machines and numbers alone. Therefore, she created an easy meal and humor written lifestyle blog. Laurie is a food enthusiast, loves comedy and enjoys writing and creating a story with a humorous twist. Bringing a smile to others might be her true calling. Visit Laurie's blog, A Square of Chocolate, and join in for a smile at http://www.asquareofchocolate.com/