Motivation and Inspiration

We all go through times in our lives that are difficult, painful, disappointing, or a combination of all of the above.  Nobody can get through that by themselves.  I am so thankful that I don't have to deal with that alone either.  The size of my support system amazes me.  I am incredibly thankful and lucky to have been able to surround myself with amazing, supportive, caring people - especially in difficult times.

Another thing that always helps me is to find motivational, inspirational, positive quotes.  Being a bit of a quote-junkie anyway, this is a bit of a natural thing for me to turn to, but it never fails to help.  Here are a few that I have found lately that make me re-evaluate where I stand in certain situations.

“We are not put on earth for ourselves, but are placed here for each other. If you are there always for others, then in time of need, someone will be there for you.”

You are somebody’s reason to smile.

Life isn’t about finding yourself.  Life is about creating yourself.

Though no one can go make and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.

Unless it’s mad, passionate, extraordinary love, it is a waste of time.  There are too many mediocre things in life.  Love should not be one of them.

“In your life, you meet people. Some you never think about again. Some, you wonder what happened to them. There are some that you wonder if they ever think about you. And then there are some you wish you never had to think about again.”

“Throughout life people will make you mad, disrespect you and treat you bad. Let God deal with the things they do, cause hate in your heart will consume you too.”

“Find a guy who calls you beautiful instead of hot, who calls you back when you hang up on him, who will lie under the stars and listen to your heartbeat, or will stay awake just to watch you sleep... wait for the boy who kisses your forehead, who wants to show you off to the world when you are in sweats, who holds your hand in front of his friends, who thinks you're just as pretty without makeup on. One who is constantly reminding you of how much he cares and how lucky his is to have you.... The one who turns to his friends and says, 'that's her.'”

“No man is worth your tears, but once you find one that is, he won't make you cry”

Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option.

A woman has got to love a bad man once or twice in her life to be thankful for a good one.

Some people come into your life as blessings; others come into your life as lessons.

The longer you wait for something, the more you’ll appreciate it when you get it, because anything worth having is definitely worth waiting for.

Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets.  So love the people who treat your right, forget about the ones who don’t, and believe that everything happens for a reason.  If you get a chance, take it.  If it changes your life, let it.  Nobody said it would be easy; they just promised it would be worth it.

Don’t fall for just anyone.  Only fall for the person who can prove that they are worth it.

Sometimes we need to forget some people from our past because of one simple reason - they don’t belong in our future.

You’ll never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.

Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it. (Groucho Marx)

Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony.  In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity. -Albert Einstein.

Everything happens for a reason.  People change so that you can learn to let go.  Things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they’re right.  You believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself.  And sometimes, good things fall apart so better things can fall together.

Laugh when you can.  Apologize when you should.  Let go of what you can’t change.  Kiss slowly.  Play hard.  Forgive quickly.  Take chances, give everything, and have no regrets.  Life is too short to be anything but happy.

Every story has an end, but in life, every end is just a new beginning.

I don’t need someone who makes my heart whole.  Instead, I need someone who will never let me feel broken.

Find someone who can make you smile, and never give up on them.

“Why compare yourself with others? No one in the entire world can do a better job of being you than you.”

To all of my amazingly supportive family, friends, and co-workers - Thank you!  You are the best people I have ever had the honor of having in my life.

Love the Holidays

It's finally started to cool down in North Texas.  It's even cool enough now to consider it getting closer to the holidays.  And then I had a genius idea.  I'm going to cook Thanksgiving dinner for my whole Texas family.

Yep.  The whole thing - for six people.  Let's hope I don't screw this up.

Of course, the part that worries me the most is the turkey.  The quintessential centerpiece of the Thanksgiving meal - the bird.  Just to clarify, I don't think it's particularly difficult, but it is intimidating.  If I mess that up, we eat side dishes for dinner that night.  And let's face it...as deliciously wonderful as those sides may be, it's just not quite the same Thanksgiving experience without the turkey.

I do have a few tricks up my sleeve, though.  Don't worry.  But still cross your fingers for me, please ;)

A Trip Home

As much as I like a change to a routine, I really like consistency too.  So I'm now determined to make this my consistency.  My goal:  to write at least once a week.  And, I'm starting now by blogging about a return to a place where you can fall right back into a routine - a way of life - that you once left.

A few weeks ago, I returned to Indiana to stand beside one of my closest friends as she got married, which is obviously a very special honor.  But before I journeyed north a few hours for the shin-dig, I spent a few much-needed days at my old home, falling right back into the comfortable niche of small-town, country life.

As soon as you enter the county and then the city limits, it's almost as if you are transported back to the time when you lived there.  It becomes simple again.  And I, for one, fall right back into the cozy routine that has always been there.  A few things are different, but the mind-set is the same.  Driving down the main highway, I spotted some God-awful, bright yellow rocking chairs on a porch and immediately wonder who thought that would be a good idea.  I couldn't fathom why someone would tarnish my cute, little town with those hideous monstrosities on their porch.  That, folks, is a prime example, of the little country town mind set - that sense of connection to everything in the town.

I continued on, speeding down the country back roads.  They are those familiar roads that you just have to drive fast on, hugging the curves of the hills that you know like the back of your hand.  Then, you pull out of that blind curve to come face to face with a Sheriff's cruiser, which I never thought twice of before.  But, suddenly, I remember, I'm driving in a car that those deputies don't recognize anymore with Texas plates, which look suspiciously similar to Ohio plates.  And let's face it...a Buckeye on Indiana backroads is a red flag to a deputy.  I may as well have had a flashing, neon sign coming out of my sunroof saying "GIVE ME A TICKET!"  Luckily for me, the deputies in that quiet town still have no desire to write tickets.

One routine that I didn't fall back into seamlessly was the one that gives the ability to spot a deer near the road from a mile away.  I lost my deer-dar.  You know, that's like radar, but for deer.  I'm clever, I know.    Those extremely sneaky, ridiculously stupid animals sneak out of the corn fields just as you reach that point when it won't really matter if you slam on your brakes - if they decide to jump at you, they're committing vehicular suicide.

But, hey, at least they go out with a great view of the stars.  Oh, those stars.  That's definitely one thing I miss by living in the city.  You can see every single star in the night sky.  The only thing that makes a clear night sky better?  Having a bon fire, especially with one of your best friends on a crisp, fall night.  You know, the kind that you need to wear a warm sweatshirt to be comfortable.  That is the epitome of a night in small town America.

For me, a typical Sunday in that same area is watching football with Dad, and falling asleep on the couch.  It never fails.  I can be wide awake, talking and alert, and before the second quarter, I pass out.  It's just a given.

The most consistent parts of home are the familiar faces - family and those friends that are so close they are family.  They're the kind that you can go years without talking to them regularly, but you can catch up with them one night and it's like you never missed a day.  They're the kind that know not to knock on the door, but just walk in, instead.  They're the ones that fit into the family, easily.

There are certain things that never change in small town America.  Those are the things I love the most about it.  And it just goes to show, you can always go home.  Just don't speed too much with out-of-state license plates.

Oh, and the wedding was beautiful!  Congrats to the new Mr. and Mrs. Undercoffer :)

SHARK WEEK!!!

Duun nuh....Duuunnn nuh...Duun nuh...Dun nuh, Dun nuh, Duh nuh, Dunnah, Dunnah, Dunnah....

C'mon, use your imagination.  It's the Jaws theme, duh!  I'll wait while you re-read that line so it sounds right in your head...ok, ready?  Read on :)

If you can't find me the first week of August each year, check in front of the TV.  I'm more than likely camped out terrifying myself from ever stepping foot in the ocean again by watching shark specials on the Discovery Channel.  Even though it's horrifying, I love it!  I have shark-shaped cookie cutters.  I bought a shark squeaky toy for my Beaux Beaux.  I even have a shark scrubby-holder in my kitchen.  And all so I could feel like it's Shark Week all year round.

I'm obsessed.  But more importantly, I'm unabashedly ok with it.

The first day or so of Shark Week, I'm extremely gutsy and brazen about the idea of sharks lurking in the waters where we swim.
[You know, the day when they show all the shows about how the sharks eat seals, fish, and everything else sharks are supposed to eat]
All I can think about is when I can go diving in a shark cage, even with Great Whites.  I'm brave to the point of stupid, I know, but it sounds like an awesomely exciting idea at the time.

Then, they begin to show the specials about shark attacks in the shallow waters near the beach.  Or the shows where the experts with 20 years of experience dive in a shark cage - exactly like the one I, the non-expert, just wanted to dive in - and almost get eaten by a Great White shark.  Or the slightly dramatic and overly terrifying show depicting just how closely humans and dangerous sharks really are in the ocean.  After I see all of those shows, despite how incredibly interesting they are, I become a giant chicken all over again.

So then, I begin to think that maybe, just maybe, I was a bit over-zealous about swimming with the [really big, really strong, really sharp-toothed] fishies.  In fact, I begin to rethink ever stepping foot in the ocean - or any body of water {read:  river, lake, pond, pool, puddle, bath tub} - ever again.

I get over it in a few days, or at least by the next time I go to the beach or want to take a bubble bath.  But the process repeats itself every, single August.

Happy Shark Week!

Beaux Beaux ♥

My dog is cooler than yours.

Case in point.

He is awesome.  Why, you ask?  How could this spotted dog be any different than any other dog?  Lots of reasons.  Here are a few...

He is always happy.  And I do mean always.  His tail wags even in his sleep.  If you think I'm kidding, you'd be wrong.  When he's awake, his tail cannot be captured in a picture - it's just a white blur.  What makes him even happier are:  anyone scratching his belly, anything chicken flavored, going for a ride in the car, running laps, and seeing Jon, Devin and "his girls," (B, T, & M).

He is a special puppy.  He was rescued from the pound on his last day.  They told me that if he didn't get a home that day, he had to be put to sleep.  Now who, in their right mind, could let a face like that one, be put to sleep??  If that wasn't enough, they also said that he had been found on the side of the road after someone had thrown him out of the window of a moving car.  He had a wound on the back of his neck that was almost completely healed when he came home with me.  Now, you'd never know anything traumatic had ever happened to him.  Plus, I cannot imagine why anyone in the world would even fathom throwing any dog, but especially my Beaux Beaux, out a window.  See?  Special.

He snores when he sleeps.  Really loudly.  Seriously.  He rivals my father and grandfather, two of the loudest snorers I've ever heard.  Other dogs may snore, but my dog snores.  Good thing it's endearing, well, and that I've been de-sensitized to snoring from said family members.

So, overall, he's one of the highlights of my day, every single day :)  How could this little guy not make you smile or make a bad day better?  He's a little miracle.  And the best puppy in the world.

Joplin

I've never known anyone in Joplin.  Actually, I don't think I've ever known anyone from Missouri.

Still, I feel especially horrible for the people of that area after the recent tornado.  Obviously, the damage is devastating.  And something unescapable.  Those poor people had such little notice, and even if they had had more time to prepare, it wouldn't have made much difference.  They were face to face with a monster 7 miles long and 1 mile wide.  I did a 5K on Sunday and realized that's not even HALF of the length of the tornado that tore through Joplin on the same day.  I can't even fathom a storm that large.

I want to do something.  I don't have money to just throw at them.  I don't have the time needed to go help on the ground.  Yet, I desperately want to help the victims of this horrific storm.

What can I do?  Make stuff.  I can make blankets, quilts, bags, anything of the like.  But where do I send it?  If anyone has any contacts in Joplin or nearby (as I'm sure mail is quite hindered), please let me know.

Obviously, it won't be much, but it's something.  And I encourage you to do something too, if you can...or help me!

You know what....

Writer's block sucks.

I really don't like the times when I want to write a blog post, but I can't think of anything to write about.  I suppose this one will be free-styled tonight.

While the last week or two have been pretty uneventful, the months coming up are going to be busy!  Not that you're interested, but since I am not able to think of anything else, you'll be the lucky audience to hear about my summer-and-beyond plans :)

First plan - Leah is moving to Dallas!  That means a realllllly long car ride for Megan as Devin and I bicker at each other for all 14 hours of it.  Sorry, Meg!  Then, we all get the joy of packing up Leah's crap to drive it all back to the big D.  And then, of course, after all that is said and done, she'll take us all out to a nice dinner.  Thanks, Leah!

Second plan - Another trip to the Hoosier state for Manda's nuptials!  There will be lots of celebrating for the happy couple :)  And maybe even a little for my 25th birthday!

Third plan - Ashley comes to visit!!  That's about all that needs to be said.  It'll be an awesomely-fun weekend with one of my favorite people!

Fourth plan - Indiana-bound again for Chad and Danielle's Indy wedding!  A little bit of traveling and a whole lotta fun with great friends!

The next few months should be very busy, but very fun!  I can't wait :)

Not too shabby for starting off with no idea of where to go in this post, if I do say so myself :)