Category Archives: Positive

The Life of My Dreams?

Good morning!

“Who you’re meant to be evolves from where you are right now.” ~Oprah Winfrey

Since I have have to get going to class today, and am not sure how mentally exhausted I am going to be when I get back, I thought I would take some time to blog this morning!

After breakfast, this morning, I have spent some quiet time reading the latest issue of Oprah’s magazine. I picked it up in the airport yesterday because the headlines plastering the cover were exactly the same things that I have been questioning a lot lately.

“Find Your True Calling! A Guide to Discovering Who You’re Meant to Be”

“O’s Self-Awareness Workbook”

“Tired of Being Tired? 5 Ways to Bring Yourself Back from Burnout”

These are all things that I have been seriously searching for answers to!!

I have just finished one article where the woman, Today Show anchor, Ann Curry. I won’t tell you her whole story, you will have to pick up O to read that yourself, but something in her story has really struck a chord with me:

Ann had found a lump in her breast, and after going to her doctor and finding out that she did not have cancer, that was not the end of her physician’s news. He said, “Every day I have to tell a women she’s got a disease that might kill her. Each one of them says, ‘I didn’t get a chance to do this,’ or ‘I should have done that.’ I don’t want you to be one of those women.”

He then proceeds to tell her that no matter what is going on in her life, she needs to start by taking one full day to take care of herself, to make sure she was taking that time to do whatever fulfilled her.

At the very end of her story, Ann says, ‘I’ve learned to be deliberate about how I spend my time on this Earth. I choose to fill my days with that I’m passionate about, and live with purpose. In the end, I want to be able to say, “My life was what I made it.”

WOW!!! This really resonated with me!! Here I have been complaining about where my life is heading right now, and I realize that I have power to redirect the entire direction of my life, one decision at a time!

So this has now led me to more questions,

If my life is what I make it, what the heck do I want to see in it?

  • A strong spiritual connection to my creator
  • Loving and healthy relationships with family and friends
  • Adventures in traveling and experiencing different cultures firsthand
  • Giving back and making a contribution to the world around me
  • Helping others see and realize the potential in their own lives

The question is, how the heck do I go about making all of that happen? Ok, I guess I have already answered this question – by being mindful in every decision I make! That is going to be easier said than done, I am sure! 😉

Anyway, I am g0ing to go enjoy some more quiet time before my class gets underway, oh that, and checking in with the office to make sure that I am not missing anything urgent!!

Have a FABULOUS day!! 😉

A Day of Flying!

Good evening!

I am in Madison, Wisconsin this evening! I feel like I have either spent the whole day flying or waiting around in airports, no wait – that is EXACTLY what I did!! 😉 I am out here for some more EPIC computer training for my job, so I will be here for the next couple of days!

I have finally gotten to my hotel room, and I have to tell you, I am a sucker for a yummy hotel room!! This one has a living room and a separate bedroom, with a kitchen nook, and a great big bathroom! There are two tele, which I must say, I am not sure what I am supposed to do with two of them, but this room is very nice. It feels like a mini apartment!! It is clean, decorated nicely, and there are bits of peices of it that feel like my style – so I feel like I can relax! YEAH!!

I have just ordered myself so room service for dinner. I am going to have some chicken alfredo with salad, and a diet Sierra Mist! YUM! What more could a girl ask for! Call to order dinner, have dinner delivered, and dirty dishes taken away!! OH SWEET BLISS!!! As spoiled as I am at home, I DO NOT get that service there!!! ;-

(I STILL LOVE YOU ANYWAY, SWEETIE!!!)

This evening, I am going to go take a walk out around the grounds here – I hear there are fireflies, and as many times I have been out for EPIC training, this makes time #4, I still have never seen a firefly!! WOULDN’T THAT BE AWESOME??? So, besides being some good for me exercise, spying my very first firefly is a great excuse to get out there and walk too!! 😉

Is there anything else? Well, not really! I did get myself two magazines at this last airport so I would have something to read this evening. I purchased the new Oprah magazine, and a copy of Fitness! Both, I thought could be helpful in my current goals at the moment!! Plus I thought I would spend some quality time doing some journaling!! I didn’t get my normal morning pages in this morning (since I got up at 4 am!) 😉

I will keep you posted how class goes, but right now I am just going to LIVE this hotelling experience up!!!

Have a FABULOUS evening! ;-)

My Weekend!

Good evening!

I thought I would take some time this evening to share some pictures that I was fortunate enough to take from my relaxing/rejuvenating overnighter at the coast!! We got the opportunity to spend the night over in a little tiny town called Neskowin, Oregon.

Here are all of us girls! Jennifer, Ronita, myself, and Lynette! We are standing on the balcony of the beachfront condo!! (Neskowin Shores.)

Check out this SPECTACULAR view!!!

Next up were  manis and pedis!!! These are mine fingers! 😉

These are Lauren’s!

This is Megan waiting for her finger and toenails to dry!! This is the pose of the PERFECT LAZY DAY!! 😉

Here is Lauren waiting for her digits to try too! She is just getting so big! 😉

After sufficiently drying, it was time to go down to the beach and get some playing done!!! 😉

The KIDDOS!! Morgan, Jason, and Megan! We were all so wet and sandy when we got back to our apartment, but we really had such a FUN TIME! 😉

Morgan investigating the barnacles!! Heaven forbid if he actually touched one though!!! HE SCREAMED LIKE A GIRL!!!! EEEK!! 😉

This environment was so beautiful, it put me in such a zen place.

AAAAAAH!!

I can NOT wait to get the opportunity to visit this mini coastal town again! It really was such an invigorating overnighter, and it came at the MOST PERFECT TIME!! Jason and I have decided that this is our new coastal vacation spot!!

Tomorrow, when I will be blogging again, it will be from Madison, Wisconsin – yep, more computer training!!! WHEW!!! I will be heavily medicated, because I still HATE flying, but I am going to pretend that I am on an adventure!!

So, until then…

Have a FABULOUS evening! ;-)

Chunky Dunkers!

Good evening!

Tonight is Chunky Dunker night, an online fitness/weight loss support group. We are always happy to have visitors so please feel free to stop by the comments section and let us know how you are doing with you weight loss/fitness goals, and please feel free to share any hints/tips/ideas that you have found helpful in getting closer to your goals!! The more the merrier!!

I have done pretty well this week. I am down a little over a pound since last week, and honestly, right now – every little bit counts!!

Anyway, this week’s topic is: Trying Something New!

This may be more of a lesson that I am personally needing in my life right now, but it is still a lesson that I think we can all learn from. Be brave! Try something new! Just for the sake of doing something new!

Come on peeps, WE CAN DO IT!!!

Have a FABULOUS evening! ;-)

It’s My Birthday!

Good afternoon!

Happy BIRTHDAY to me!!!

Yes, it was 36 years ago today that my parents were blessed with ME – thier first and MOST FAVORITE DAUGHTER!!! LOL! 😉

In honor of today being my 36th birthday, I thought I would do something a little bit different and come up with 36 goals to do for thirty-six-year-young-girl’s year. A plan of what to do with my one and only life before I turn 37!!!!

My 36 things!!

  1. get a passport
  2. jog a mile
  3. blog every day for a year
  4. go to Women of Faith with my sisters
  5. take 100 pictures of historical buildings all over Oregon
  6. take a decorating class
  7. make homemade marshmallows
  8. plant a garden
  9. take the train
  10. go camping
  11. blow bubbles out the car window
  12. go for a walk in the rain
  13. clean out the garage
  14. get out of debt – again
  15. hike the longest trail at Silver Creek Falls
  16. go on a walking tour of downtown Portland
  17. take a cooking class
  18. get a tattoo
  19. pick strawberries
  20. get my nose pierced – again
  21. bake homemade cinnamon rolls
  22. take an art class
  23. set up a website
  24. teach myself how to take a picture using manual camera settings
  25. make at least 12 pieces of art
  26. lose 32.6 pounds
  27. put at least $1,200 in savings
  28. visit a ghost town
  29. teach an online class
  30. make homemade yogurt
  31. read the entire Bible
  32. crochet a queen-sized blanket using a difficult stitch
  33. volunteer at a homeless shelter
  34. take a French class
  35. make a wild dance mix playlist. dance to it.
  36. carve pumpkins with my niece and nephew

Have a FABULOUS day – I know I am !!! 😉

A Night of Rest!

Good evening!

I am very happy to say that my sisters and I made it home safely from Women of Faith. We had a marvelous time – to say the least!! I would love to tell you about everything that has gone on today, but we are all so tired, and ready to call it a night!

We watched an amazing performance by Selah, we heard motivational stories from Patsy Clairmont, Lisa Whelchel, Brenda Warner, Sandi Patty and Marylin Meburg!

I ended up leaving with a few treasures:

  • A Women of Faith Devotional Bible
  • A Women of Faith Over the Top DVD
  • and a spur of the moment purchase 2 Selah CD’s (I am going to SOOOO LOVE listening to that in my car!!)  😉

The lessons that I am taking away from this weekend is that we are all uniquely made by God for a specific purpose on this Earth, and that even as a child you are somehow drawn to that purpose, intuitively. I have also learned that even with your biggest dream for yourself,  God has an even bigger one for you, and that literally every tiny action we take to move towards that goal, that tiny action can cause a ripple that could change the world!

Isn’t that exciting!?

I really needed this weekend! I feel like I have found my faith again! and for the first time in a VERY LONG TIME, I feel like everything truly will be alright!

We already have plans for next years conference – I ALREADY CAN’T WAIT!!! 😉

Thank God for all of the participants of Women of Faith!!!

Have a FABULOUS evening! ;-)

 

Waiting! Waiting! Waiting!

Good evening!

I am very impatiently waiting for my sisters to get here this evening. Patience has never really been one of my virtues, and this is proof positive that it still isn’t!

You see, my sisters and I are all traveling up to Portland, first thing in the morning, so that we can all attend Women of Faith together. I have gone to Women of Faith, I think about 5 years in a row, my sister Jennifer has gone three years, and I think this is Trina’s second year – I think! I may be off one year for all of us!!

Anyway, we are all very excited about it, and have been talking about it for months!! For me the scariest thing is that I will be the one responsible for driving us there. Driving is fine, but we have to leave while it is still dark, and THAT is not so fine!! So, us girls will be saying an extra prayer before we leave for Portland so we will get there and back quickly and safely, all while having a blast and learning a lot during all of the shows!! 🙂

Every year Women of Faith have different speakers and entertainers, and this year the lineup is pretty impressive:

Mandisa
Selah
Marilyn Meberg
Patsy Clairmont
Sandi Patty
Lisa Welchel
Brenda Warner
and Deborah Joy Winans

Hands down my favorite speaker is, and probably always will be Patsy Clairmont. There is somthing about her that just resonates with me. Here is her story:

The theme this year is OVER THE TOP!! and this is what the Women of Faith website says about the theme: God loves us more than we know. He gives us more than we can ask or dream. He’s unrestrained… excessive… outrageous… Over the Top.

I hope to be able to share a ton of pics with you, not only of us girls, but also of the weekend! We always come away feeling freshed, and rejuvenated, and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for us this year!!! 😉

Have a FABULOUS evening! ;-)

Chunky Dunkers!

Good evening!

I know I am running behind this evening! I had an appointment at with Lauren, my lovely hairdresser this evening! So, yes, I have gotten a haircut! I am not sure if I like it yet or not – I will know after I wash it and let it go curly!! However, I am REALLY LOVING my bangs!! I am a girl that REALLY NEEDS HER BANGS!!! 🙂

Anyway, tonight is Chunky Dunker night, an online fitness/weight loss support group. We are always happy to have visitors so please feel free to stop by the comments section and let us know how you are doing with you weight loss/fitness goals, and please feel free to share any hints/tips/ideas that you have found helpful in getting closer to your goals!! The more the merrier!!

After a few weeks of not doing so hot on my own personal fitness goals, this week I have done much better. I have been eating more fruits, veggies, and whole grained foods – a special thank you to my sweetie who has been doing a TERRIFIC job packing my food for work every day again!! THANK YOU!!  😉

Also, now that I am not having any more foot pain, I have even started walking again, and as winded as I am now getting when I start to walk, I REALLY NEED IT!! I am starting to dream of the day that I can ride my bike through the street, while all of the Fall leaves are starting to change their colors!! MY FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR! 😉

Since I am so late this evening, I usually post at 7pm-ish, so without further ado! I will see you in the comments section! 😉

Have a FABULOUS evening! ;-)

An Homage to My Past!

Good evening!

Saturday evening, my dad, his wife Trudi, my sweetie, and myself all went over to the Salvation Army’s Kroc Center to watch the Seattle Temple Brass Band and Songsters perform.

The band was really terrific. They reminded me of my youth growing up in the Salvation Army myself. Some of you may not know this, but I grew up going to the Salvation Army. One of my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE part of all those years was singing, and playing cornet in the brass band.

I remember picking up a cornet to play for the very first time in Portland, Oregon, when I was something like 6 years old. It was very slow going, with a lot of squeaks, squawks,and blats, but little by little, I got a little better, and a little better, and pretty soon I was having the time of my life trying like the dicken’s to play with the big guys!!

I played all through middle school, junior high, high school, and I played until I was about 23 years old. I ended up playing in marching bands, symphonic bands, pep bands, and brass bands alike. We traveled all over the west coast doing performances just like the one we were watching! That was quite a while now, but listening to this band play made me think about picking up my cornet and start playing again!!

Oh the memories!!

I still have my cornet, bright, shiny, and ready to play at a moments notice sitting in my closet. Not to say that I WOULD be able to play again at a moments’ notice, that would take quite a bit of practicing, and possibly some relearning too!

You know I have been busy these past few months searching for my new art medium?? Well, it sometimes amazes me to know that I had an “art medium” all that time, and never once went looking for it, it just seemed to find me! Music is something that had always seemed to come naturally to me, although I am sure that it really helped being born into a musical family. Most everyone in my family either played a brass instrument, or could sing.

I wish I could do that all over again, knowing what I know now!! I am not sure I would have ever given it up!!

Anyway, we really did have a fun time, both the band and the songsters were amazingly talented and extremely fun to listed to – and Jason even impressed himself by not even remotely falling asleep once!! LOL! 😉 I was just dissapointed that we couldn’t purchase a music CD of them playing – that would have been GREAT!! and I am sure I would be busy driving Jason crazy with it playing over and over again in the car!! GOOD TIMES!!!

Have a FABULOUS evening! ;-)

Do You Have a Dream?

Good evening!

I have had an Ah-Ha moment this evening. A couple of weeks ago I had picked up a copy of a book called The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson. It was one of those purchases that was unplanned and kind of random, but I had read one of his other books called The Prayer of Jabez, and loved it so thought, why not? Well, for some reason, I decided to carry it around with me today. I just had this strange feeling that I really needed to read this book, and NOW!! Well, as I got home from work today, I sat right down and started to read.

WHAT AN AMAZING LITTLE BOOK!!

It is basically a little story about a very big idea. This modern-day parable tells the story of a man named Ordinary, who dares to leave the Land of Familiar to pursue his BIG DREAM.

This book, in a very interesting, and compelling way shows you how, with Faith, and some truths that you learn along the way,  you too can leave your own Land of Familiar and pursue your big dream, the one that God had made you for, too!!

This book starts out with Ordinary living his life day in and day out going to work, coming home, watching the tele, going to bed, going to work, coming home, watching the tele, going to bed, etc. Sound familiar to anyone out there? Well, Ordinary starts to become sad as he realizes that there has to be more than life to this. Sure it is comfortable, but he is not content to live the same life he has been living for so long. So he embarks on a journey to go towards his big dream. What an awesome little book. I truly believe that it was serendipitous that it almost literally landed in my hands that day!!

Anyway, before I leave you for this evening, I thought I would share some of the pics that I had taken from my dad and his wife’s visit with us this past weekend!

This is my sweetie and my dad “cooperating” to have their pictures taken!! I couldn’t get them to look at the camera, and when I told them to scootch closer together, they literally just leaned there upper bodies towards each other while hiding behind their menus! Thanks guys!! 😉

Here is a book set that Trudi found at a large antique store we were in, she said she had this set as a kid. I want this set as an adult!! 😉

Here is Jason’s dream find of the day! It is a Dutch cast iron Aebelskiver pan. Aebelskivers are like Dutch pancake balls – they are truly very DELICIOUS!! Here is a recipe in case you are interested! 😉

Here is a Shriner’s tunic my dad found. Is what really cool! I love the colors and the designs of this!!

We went to a brass band concert on Saturday night, and I will share pics of that with you tomorrow!! 😉

Have a FABULOUS evening! ;-)