10 things that I am thankful for that has happened last year, and will continue to happen in years to come.
1. Life - I know that this is a pretty generic point, but if you think about it, it's by far the most important. If it wasn't for life, where would I be? Exactly. Life is everything, and the essence of being. I wouldn't even have a list to write, if it wasn't for this major point. Life is all around us, and it only takes a moment to truly open your eyes and look at it. It's in the air we breathe, in the food we eat, and in the people around us, even those we don't necessarily like. We can make life easier by helping others enjoy it while they can. Life is too short sometimes, even for ourselves. Not only do we help others, but we need to make sure that we are taking the necessary time for ourselves. If we can't help ourselves, we can't help anyone else.
2. My husband, Mike - Right up there with life, is the love of my life. I have done so much because of him, and will continue to do things because of his unending and unfaltering love, support and words of encouragement. I often wonder where I would be today, if it weren't for his help. He has guided me through some of the worst and best moments of my life and has never held any of it over my head or with the threat of leaving me to deal with it alone. He has been my major support since the day that I met him, and has continued to do so without question. He has helped me find my path in life, and has helped me grow into a person that I am proud to be. Without Mike, I don't know how much of my life would be as fantastic as it is today, and will be in the future years to come!
3. Family - Even though we all have those days where we would rather not be a part of our crazy family, we all know that they are the spine of our lives. They help us when we need it, they are there for comfort when you are in desperate need of comforting, and not all families are blood related. If it wasn't for family, you wouldn't know what you'd like to change for the betterment of your children, your marriage and your life. Plus, you wouldn't be here, if it wasn't for your family...a la, your parents. You may not like your parents somedays, but they did the best they thought and felt they could at the time, so let it go and just be happy you are one of the fortunate ones.
4. Freedom - Again, this is a pretty broad topic. Freedom can be characterized into many different fields of interest. In my case, it's not just the freedom of the country, but the ability to be able to open life's doors to all of the possiblities that I may be interested in. A few years back, I started getting into photography, and more...this year, the doors before me are endless as I find more and more things that I want to dip my feet into to see if it is something worth pursuing. I have been granted this freedom by being with Mike, which is why he is at the top of my list. Without him, and without the freedom he has given me, I'd not have been able to tell you who I am. I have that ability of freedom to be able to discover and develop who I am and where I want to go.
5. Friends - I don't have a lot of friends, but I know that the small, select few that I do have, mean the world to me. Some of them even fit into the family category, and some haven't quite made it that far. I don't tell many people much about me unless they ask for it, but there are some that I feel so incredibly comfortable with that I can tell them anything without any repercussions of what I have said. Those are the friends that I love and want to keep close for as long as possible. It shouldn't matter how long you have gone without seeing or speaking to them, as long as you are able to pick up where you left off as if you had just spoken or seen them yesterday without feeling uncomfortable or awkward. I love that about the small amounts of friends that I have, and I hope to one day make more friends who share the same views that I do about this subject matter. I can only be the best person and friend that I can be and hope that I get the same with the ones that I have.
6. Strength - I found recently my strength that I didn't realize that I had in me. There are some days that I feel stronger than I have ever felt, but I have my days that I feel that I'm weaker than a small piece of hay, easily broken, easily forgotten, but I've never realized exactly how strong I can be. This past year, I have faced so much and have been able to keep my head held high and not allow things to get to me. I've found my voice and people have started to see me in a new light. They don't treat me in the way that they used to, because they know that I will not put up with it any more. I'm no longer that polite little child that sits quietly in the corner awaiting orders. I'm still nice and polite, don't misunderstand me, but I don't allow people to use me as a doormat any more. I think those people, if given the chance to see me again, wouldn't recognize me.
7. Life - I know what you must be thinking...I already used this for my number one. I did, but this is a different sense of the word. I used Life before in the sense of being. This time, I use it in the sense of living. Looking back over the three years of marriage, I've seen how different I've become, the experiences I've had, and the adventures I've been on. I've tasted new foods that I never thought I'd do in a million years, I've met people that I didn't think existed, and I've seen places and things that I've only dreamed about. Each day is a new day full of possibilities and new adventures with no mistakes in it. I often look back on how I used to be, with the people I used to be with, and I know for a fact that my life would have been completely different if I had stayed with those people, doing those mundane things. I've never regretted a single moment of how my life has turned out and how much I went through to get here. Things have never been so great for me, and I have Mike and Life, as well as God, to thank for shaping my future into something as fantastic as this. I know that I may not stay in Colorado for the rest of my life, but I don't fret about it either. I look at it as an adventure that is just around the corner. What new possibilities await me in my life and future? Only God can tell, but I look forward to how my next chapter unfolds.
8. Patience - If I have learned anything over this last year, it's patience. People often pray that they learn patience, and they wait almost a lifetime before getting the ability to practice it. I've been one of the fortunate ones that have learned this early, but never really put it into play until this last year. I know that I will be allowed to grow and become even more expert with this, but for now, I'm content to know that I'm getting somewhere with it at an early age. Throughout the year, I've been able to show patience with family drama, friend drama, things going on at work, waiting for the photography business to pick up, and the stress and emotional turmoil that goes on while trying to start a family. Through this whole last year, I faced depression in the face and said no. Things don't go your way, and sometimes they do. It's rare that things go your way when you want them to, but honestly, I don't think that I've ever thought about patience in the way that I see it now. God gives you what he knows you can handle, and sometimes you feel like it's more than enough, but there is a reason he does it. It's his way of providing you situations in which to be patient in. Yes, the road to get there can suck and you may get depressed, but that is also his way of bringing you back to him. I guess I should also add Faith behind patience on this one, because they are almost the same. I try to live each day as best as possible without losing hope/faith/patience in what I am doing, because it is the major lesson in which I have asked for this entire year past. I think I've started to learn the lesson and use it to the best of my natural abilities.
9. Confidence - This is still something that I am working on perfecting. I've decided to take the necessary steps in my life to make sure that I can build that confidence to where I need it to be. It's never over, as you are always trying to keep it up, and finding new ways to help boost that confidence. It's a lifelong lesson and goal, and I'm prepared to face it head on this year. I sort of pushed it to the back burner last year, and have regretted it. I don't really regret much in my life, as I am a firm believer that the things you go through, shape who you are today, and have never felt resentment or anger towards those that have caused me harm or distress, but I do regret putting this task off for so long, but no longer. This year, I am willing to face this issue and fix it. One step at a time...
10. The Unknown - There are so many curveballs that life throws your way. It's never how you deal with them that is the issue, but how you react when they finally come to your doorstep. There is no way to ever truly know when these things are going to show up, but when they do, you have to be prepared to deal with them, as gracefully as possible. Soemtimes, it's your reactions that can cause the ripple effect and cause harm to others without your knowing. The curveballs aren't always bad, they can be good too. You just need to be able to take them as they come, deal with them as best as you can, and move on. I don't know where my life will go once this is posted, and I don't know how life will become but I do know that I have the power to make it as positive and as enjoyable as possible. I have people that will support me, who will help me when I feel that I am drowning, and I have that love that will help carry me through it. If you have that, then you've already succeeded. If you don't, then that is already a curveball that you're dealing with...but the question isn't if you have that curveball, it's how are you reacting to it? Life has it's way of being unpredictable, and it's only a matter of when it happens to you. If you keep your head held high with a smile on your face, even through the bad times, people will ask you how it is you are able to smile through times like these, and you'll be able to pass on a little bit of hope for those people...who knows, maybe by doing that, you'll end up making the world a better place...one smile at a time...
Friday, January 6, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
New Year
Hello everyone!
Sorry, once again, for not writing often...even though I've made numerous comments about getting better at doing so...seems that I haven't kept up my end of the bargain.
Christmas has come and gone, as well as the New Year celebration...though, we don't really seem to celebrate the new year. I was in bed by 9pm. The year before, Mike and I stayed up to see the fireworks go off on the top of Pikes Peak, but they were so pitiful, that this year, we didn't bother. Not to mention, Mike had to work the next morning early, so it didn't really appeal to us. I found out that the fireworks this year were spectacular. Figures, right? Oh well. We heard more than our share of fireworks, starting at 5pm, and sporadically throughout the night and early morning. Maybe one year we will try it again.
So...let me see if I can play catch up with an entire month of inactivity.
In December, I had two photo shoots for members of the same family with their extended families. It was a good shoot, for the most part, and I can see that my talent is improving. I even took pictures of one of our frost storms after dropping Mike off at his PT appointment one day. Mike and I had talked about possibly making a trip out to Estes Park on one of the weekends that he has off, but we will see what happens. I've never been, and I've seen pictures. It looks so pretty!
My mom has moved into her house. She seems to be very happy with it. I've visited her often, and her cat loves seeing me. She always makes joking comments to me about how nice and lovey is his with me, yet I see how he is with her, and I know that he is her cat.
On Christmas eve, I went to my mom's house to meet up with her and my brother, Josh and his daughter, Willow to do our gift exchange since we were all busy with different schedules and what have you. Willow opened one of her gifts from me, on my mom's lap, and the other on mine. It was so cute! She is such an amazing little girl, and so easy! I can only pray that my children, when that time comes, will be as easy!
Mike and I had a pretty quiet Christmas Day. We got up early, and after opening all of our gifts (Thank you all again!), we spent the entire day, playing all of the new board games that we got. There was one game that we had to YouTube a tutorial in how to play because the rules were a little confusing, but we finally figured it out, with no help from the online tutorial. Go figure! One of the games, I took over on New Years and taught my mom, brother and sister in law how to play. They seemed to have enjoyed themselves, and since then, I've brought it over to play with my mom on numerous occasions. The game is called Killer Bunnies. It's a card game, and once you start playing, it's fun and easy. If someone is trying to explain all of the individual cards, it can be confusing, so we started by playing the first game open handed, and everyone caught on pretty quickly...for the most part!
We've enjoyed all of the wonderful games and gifts that we have gotten, that even Mike was a little jealous of the Kindle Fire that his parents gave me. (Thank you again!) I've successfully finished about five books so far. Mike laughs at me each time I tell him about the latest book that I have read. Turns out, that my grandmother got one this year too! I guess it's a pretty popular gift! There are too many books that I want to read, and need to pay for them. I'll most likely pick one to purchase each month, and spread them out a bit! I'm a bookworm, always have been, so it's dangerous for me to read books and end up buying a ton of them! But, I like reading and writing, so I'm ecstatic!
I've been writing again, and I have a friend who is willing to read through the latest creation, and provide me feedback so that I may make changes, and continue on with it. If it turns out to be a good story with all of the corrections made, I might look into getting it published! One step at a time though...one step.
Mike has been getting better with each day. His work is hit and miss. The more that I hear of the things that go on there, the more I really hate that organization and makes me seriously consider going to Penrose for any medical procedures because I don't want my money to go to a place that treat people like they do. I've mentioned to Mike on several occasions that I wonder if it would take someone to die in the hospital and have it be pharmacy's fault in order for things to change, but we both laugh, because what they've done in the past is promote those people so that they can do more harm. I've wrapped my head around the idea that the reason that I was treated the way I was and kicked out was because I was saving people's lives and not killing them. I really do hope that the city's population votes to turn Memorial into a University hospital. Not only will that help with our city, but I have a feeling that the organization will make a turn for the better. At this point, I don't think there is a place that can be as bad as this one. I'm so glad that I'm no longer there!
A couple of weeks ago, I had a bad allergic reaction to something that I ate at Whole Foods Cafe. I ended up covered in hives for a couple weeks. Finally, they are almost healed! They look like old bruises now...and that is a relief! I'm still not 100% sure as to what caused this, but I'm not going to be eating at that cafe anymore. Shopping there is a different matter, but eating the things that have been prepared isn't for me anymore. Makes me worry a little if it is a food allergy, because I'll have to have it again in order to determine what caused it, and I'd rather not. I think what I'll do if this happens again, some place else, is write down everything that I had to eat, and start eliminating those items that I have often.
Our weather has been bipolar. We had a bad snow storm in December, but now it's warm, beautiful clear skies, and honestly, if it wasn't for the snow and ice patches that are still melting, I'd swear it was Spring. I'm sure that the Spring and Summer is going to be a hard one this year, given how our Winter is going. I'll enjoy this while I can, and deal with the repercussions when they happen! People are out in shorts and skirts and tank tops...in January! That's crazy!
This year, I'm planning on making our garden happen! Last year, I wanted to do it, but by the time I got the seeds and started to find a place that could work in the yard, it was too late to do anything. So I will be heading over to a garden shop and to my aunt Deborah's house to look at her hutch to see what makes the most sense for what I want to do. I have no idea what is in store for us when I start looking, but I am excited to get a garden going. We go through so much onions and peppers...vegetables really that it makes sense to start one. We also love fresh pesto! In order to make fresh pesto, you need basil and I was wondering for the last week if there was a basil shortage as no store had any! I finally found some, but it wasn't enough for us to make a lot to freeze. So, we have basil seeds and that is a priority for us! I'll keep you posted on the garden front!
My aunt Deborah, is in the middle of her pregnancy! She should be finding out the gender of the baby soon! It's all very exciting, and I'm not the one pregnant, so I can only imagine how they feel! I honestly, cannot wait to meet the newest member of the family! I'm praying that one day soon, it will be Mike and my turn!
I started my P90X workout, but then I got the hives, and I stopped. I am planning on getting a kick start on that and moving forward with my goals. I have the support that I need from Mike, and once he gets into the place he needs to be with his shoulder, I know that we will be working out together. I just hope that I don't blow my knee out once again! Once I hit my goal, I'll post pictures. I had the before already...lol.
Not much else has been going on, that I can remember anyways. This is the season for the beautiful sunsets in Colorado, and I hope that they keep improving so that I can get some great shots! Speaking of photos, if you haven't, I'd love it if you'd take a look at the site and see how much better it looks, and the new photos. Of course, feedback is always nice too, but there is no pressure.
So, I think that pretty much sums up everything...at least, everything that I can mention or think to mention! I won't be promising to write soon, as we all know how that works out for me!
Until next time!
Sorry, once again, for not writing often...even though I've made numerous comments about getting better at doing so...seems that I haven't kept up my end of the bargain.
Christmas has come and gone, as well as the New Year celebration...though, we don't really seem to celebrate the new year. I was in bed by 9pm. The year before, Mike and I stayed up to see the fireworks go off on the top of Pikes Peak, but they were so pitiful, that this year, we didn't bother. Not to mention, Mike had to work the next morning early, so it didn't really appeal to us. I found out that the fireworks this year were spectacular. Figures, right? Oh well. We heard more than our share of fireworks, starting at 5pm, and sporadically throughout the night and early morning. Maybe one year we will try it again.
So...let me see if I can play catch up with an entire month of inactivity.
In December, I had two photo shoots for members of the same family with their extended families. It was a good shoot, for the most part, and I can see that my talent is improving. I even took pictures of one of our frost storms after dropping Mike off at his PT appointment one day. Mike and I had talked about possibly making a trip out to Estes Park on one of the weekends that he has off, but we will see what happens. I've never been, and I've seen pictures. It looks so pretty!
My mom has moved into her house. She seems to be very happy with it. I've visited her often, and her cat loves seeing me. She always makes joking comments to me about how nice and lovey is his with me, yet I see how he is with her, and I know that he is her cat.
On Christmas eve, I went to my mom's house to meet up with her and my brother, Josh and his daughter, Willow to do our gift exchange since we were all busy with different schedules and what have you. Willow opened one of her gifts from me, on my mom's lap, and the other on mine. It was so cute! She is such an amazing little girl, and so easy! I can only pray that my children, when that time comes, will be as easy!
Mike and I had a pretty quiet Christmas Day. We got up early, and after opening all of our gifts (Thank you all again!), we spent the entire day, playing all of the new board games that we got. There was one game that we had to YouTube a tutorial in how to play because the rules were a little confusing, but we finally figured it out, with no help from the online tutorial. Go figure! One of the games, I took over on New Years and taught my mom, brother and sister in law how to play. They seemed to have enjoyed themselves, and since then, I've brought it over to play with my mom on numerous occasions. The game is called Killer Bunnies. It's a card game, and once you start playing, it's fun and easy. If someone is trying to explain all of the individual cards, it can be confusing, so we started by playing the first game open handed, and everyone caught on pretty quickly...for the most part!
We've enjoyed all of the wonderful games and gifts that we have gotten, that even Mike was a little jealous of the Kindle Fire that his parents gave me. (Thank you again!) I've successfully finished about five books so far. Mike laughs at me each time I tell him about the latest book that I have read. Turns out, that my grandmother got one this year too! I guess it's a pretty popular gift! There are too many books that I want to read, and need to pay for them. I'll most likely pick one to purchase each month, and spread them out a bit! I'm a bookworm, always have been, so it's dangerous for me to read books and end up buying a ton of them! But, I like reading and writing, so I'm ecstatic!
I've been writing again, and I have a friend who is willing to read through the latest creation, and provide me feedback so that I may make changes, and continue on with it. If it turns out to be a good story with all of the corrections made, I might look into getting it published! One step at a time though...one step.
Mike has been getting better with each day. His work is hit and miss. The more that I hear of the things that go on there, the more I really hate that organization and makes me seriously consider going to Penrose for any medical procedures because I don't want my money to go to a place that treat people like they do. I've mentioned to Mike on several occasions that I wonder if it would take someone to die in the hospital and have it be pharmacy's fault in order for things to change, but we both laugh, because what they've done in the past is promote those people so that they can do more harm. I've wrapped my head around the idea that the reason that I was treated the way I was and kicked out was because I was saving people's lives and not killing them. I really do hope that the city's population votes to turn Memorial into a University hospital. Not only will that help with our city, but I have a feeling that the organization will make a turn for the better. At this point, I don't think there is a place that can be as bad as this one. I'm so glad that I'm no longer there!
A couple of weeks ago, I had a bad allergic reaction to something that I ate at Whole Foods Cafe. I ended up covered in hives for a couple weeks. Finally, they are almost healed! They look like old bruises now...and that is a relief! I'm still not 100% sure as to what caused this, but I'm not going to be eating at that cafe anymore. Shopping there is a different matter, but eating the things that have been prepared isn't for me anymore. Makes me worry a little if it is a food allergy, because I'll have to have it again in order to determine what caused it, and I'd rather not. I think what I'll do if this happens again, some place else, is write down everything that I had to eat, and start eliminating those items that I have often.
Our weather has been bipolar. We had a bad snow storm in December, but now it's warm, beautiful clear skies, and honestly, if it wasn't for the snow and ice patches that are still melting, I'd swear it was Spring. I'm sure that the Spring and Summer is going to be a hard one this year, given how our Winter is going. I'll enjoy this while I can, and deal with the repercussions when they happen! People are out in shorts and skirts and tank tops...in January! That's crazy!
This year, I'm planning on making our garden happen! Last year, I wanted to do it, but by the time I got the seeds and started to find a place that could work in the yard, it was too late to do anything. So I will be heading over to a garden shop and to my aunt Deborah's house to look at her hutch to see what makes the most sense for what I want to do. I have no idea what is in store for us when I start looking, but I am excited to get a garden going. We go through so much onions and peppers...vegetables really that it makes sense to start one. We also love fresh pesto! In order to make fresh pesto, you need basil and I was wondering for the last week if there was a basil shortage as no store had any! I finally found some, but it wasn't enough for us to make a lot to freeze. So, we have basil seeds and that is a priority for us! I'll keep you posted on the garden front!
My aunt Deborah, is in the middle of her pregnancy! She should be finding out the gender of the baby soon! It's all very exciting, and I'm not the one pregnant, so I can only imagine how they feel! I honestly, cannot wait to meet the newest member of the family! I'm praying that one day soon, it will be Mike and my turn!
I started my P90X workout, but then I got the hives, and I stopped. I am planning on getting a kick start on that and moving forward with my goals. I have the support that I need from Mike, and once he gets into the place he needs to be with his shoulder, I know that we will be working out together. I just hope that I don't blow my knee out once again! Once I hit my goal, I'll post pictures. I had the before already...lol.
Not much else has been going on, that I can remember anyways. This is the season for the beautiful sunsets in Colorado, and I hope that they keep improving so that I can get some great shots! Speaking of photos, if you haven't, I'd love it if you'd take a look at the site and see how much better it looks, and the new photos. Of course, feedback is always nice too, but there is no pressure.
So, I think that pretty much sums up everything...at least, everything that I can mention or think to mention! I won't be promising to write soon, as we all know how that works out for me!
Until next time!
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