Life's Little Successes

I am truly blessed...

The question is.... What does this even mean to me? Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the moments, feelings, and the realization of feeling "truly blessed" that I don't even acknowledge the Source of those blessings. And, I find myself using my faith as a blanket (only a means of comfort) rather than a shield (a means of protection from sin and "bad" decisions) in my life. How does it really feel to be blessed? Is it that feeling of satisfaction or accomplishment? Is it that feeling of knowing I am "okay" when something is going wrong? Or is it that feeling when I look around at my life and realize I wouldn't want to change a thing in it? Honestly, I cannot begin to describe or list the blessings that have built me up into the person I am becoming, but I want to take the time and acknowledge God and all his angels I am surrounded by. I love my life.

Everything Happens for a Reason...

Here are some random thoughts on what I have learned about life, specifically throughout the past couple of years:
Sometimes people come into your world, and you know right away that they were meant to be there... to serve some sort of purpose, to teach you a lesson or to help figure out who you are or who you want to become. You never know who these people may be but from the moment you lock eyes with them, you know that they will affect your life in some profound way. And sometimes things happen to you at the time that may seem horrible, painful and unfair, but in reflection you realize that without overcoming those obstacles you would never realize your potential, strength, will power, or heart. Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by means of luck. Illness, love, lost moments of true greatness, and sheer stupidity all occur to test limits of your soul. Without these small tests, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere safe and comfortable but dull and utterly pointless. The people you meet ultimately affect your life in some way. And you affect theirs. Everywhere you go, you leave a mark saying, "I was here." With every person you meet, you have left some impression -whether good or bad. Not all footprints are visible, but they are there. The successes and downfalls that you experience can create whom you are, and the bad experiences can be learned from. In fact they are probably the most poignant and important ones. If someone hurts or betrays you... forgive them because they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart. And, when you do trust again... you will have made the right choice. If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because they love you, but also because they are teaching you to love and open your heart and eyes to little things. They make you a better person than you were before their existence... creating a sense of self-worth and serenity that you never knew could exist. Stand up for what you believe in, but know that you can always sit back down. Make every day count. Appreciate everything that you possibly can, for you may never experience it again. Give what you can give, but always remember that it's okay to take every once in a while. Don't give, always expecting something in return. Figure out what is important to you, and prioritize your life accordingly. A cup of hope will take you far. An ounce of faith will take you even further. Do not settle for average (know that this term has a muddy definition in the measurement of LIFE). Find your passion & your inspiration.... then light a firecracker under your butt & soar. Don't get in your own way of your dreams. Set realistic goals for yourself. Learn to celebrate the little successes in life. Ask for help every once in a while. Talk to people whom you have never talked to before, and actually listen. Let yourself fall in love (It is, by far, the best thing to ever happen to me.). Tell those you love that you love them on a daily basis (if not more) because you honestly never know when you will miss that "last" opportunity. Nobody likes regrets. Hold your head up because you have every right to. Tell yourself you are a great individual. Believe in yourself, for if you don't believe in yourself, no one else will believe in you. Strive to be your best simply because that is good enough. Only you determine what your best is. Live your life because nobody can do it better than you. :)

I love you, Mom.

I will never stop telling my angel mother that I love her. To me, it's never too late. Mother's day was tough for me this year... probably because I was alone. Then, seeing everyone's happy, "I have the best mother in the world," facebook status updates made me want to throw my computer across the room, LOL! I cannot believe it has been almost six years since my mom passed away. So much has happened in this time that I wish she could have been here to experience with me. Even more so -I wish she could be here these next few months to plan my wedding. She would be so happy for me to have finally found my prince. I have no doubts she would LOVE Jason. Then again, who doesn't?!? I wish she could be there to dress me up and give me away on that very special day. I appreciate the memories I have with my mom, but I just wish there were more to be made. What really scares me is that I am starting to forget little things. I had to stop and think for hours the other day what the last movie I watched with her was. I was so upset that I could not remember & sulked like a baby. I eventually remembered it was The Notebook -only because I pictured her sobbing beside of me while I laughed hysterically at her and knew it had to have been an uber-sad chic flick, lol. I just worry that I am starting to forget these details because that’s all I have left of my mom. Once those memories are gone, I have nothing. I miss her so much. I wish I could call her and tell her all about my day and how happy I am.



If only I could receive one of her annoying phone calls again at 6am wondering where her back scratcher or glue gun is…… LOL!

I am happy. I am learning about life. I am learning about what I want in life. I am excited to see what God has in store for Jason and I. Although, I know it will be something great. I can't wait to be HOME! :)

PATIENCE. PRAYER. POSITIVITY.

Some of the most incredible things in life are ones you have to wait for.... ones you dream about your whole life.... then they turn out to be way better than anything you could have ever dreamt up.... they are so much more.... and it was so worth the wait.

I've learned a lot about patience in the past couple of years (more specifically, months).

I've always considered myself to be a pretty patient person. My positive attitude in life (overall) helps with that because "waiting" for something when you expect a positive outcome is much easier than waiting for something you expect might go wrong... or even the UNKNOWN. Eeek, there's that word again! (Refer to my earliest posts). What people (I'll admit it, even myself at times) often forget is that waiting coincides with praying.

I'm learning to live by the 3 P's: PATIENCE. PRAYER. POSITIVITY.

The 3 P's are all contingent upon one another and require full investment of the mind and soul. I'm not saying it's easy. I'm not saying I've mastered it. I have, however, taken my ability to put my entire self into something that I believe and trust in to a whole new level -allowing myself to reach a state of ease and happiness. I've learned not to sit back and do nothing while I wait for life to turn out picture perfect. By doing that, we miss out on so many opportunities (which leads to possible regret and the feeling of "what if")... Time is precious, so I choose to use mine wisely.

Trying to teach patience to a child is very difficult. It's quite funny because in the (teaching) process, we often become impatient ourselves -wondering why that child cannot grasp the concept of "WAIT" when we want him/her to. Well, this is because patience is not just something we learn in Kindergarten and carry over (like how to tie your shoe) for the rest of our lives. This lesson is one we continue to learn as we grow... with experiences... this is a lesson that we as adults are all still trying to master.

For me, the result of this is faith. So, what's the equation? It's rather simple (hah!):

PATIENCE + PRAYER + POSITIVITY = FAITH!

There are struggles, of course, but the end result is faith. I'm okay with that result. It has gotten me through the past several months and brought me to a point where I am ready for God to bring me closer to Jason... and for Jason to bring me closer to God. I need them both, and I need them close. I'm almost there.


A long-distance relationship is by no means easy. However, it is possible. It is true. It is beautiful. It has molded me into a woman that, on this day, I am very proud of. The man I am madly in love with lives approximately 2500 miles away... but there is no space at all between our hearts and our minds. The only thing that sits between his heart and mine is FAITH. If faith is the key to a long-distance relationship, then any fully invested couple can make it work. I am lucky to have a man who loves and adores me, everything about me, and allows me to be just that -ME! I am ME and in love!!!! Distance can honestly be a barrier for some couples, but for us it is a bridge. On both sides of this bridge are different roads, and even though we don't know which roads exactly we are taking -we do know that we will take turns crossing to the other side... and eventually we will meet right in the middle and walk together down one of those UNKNOWN paths. Hmmm, that word is not so scary now! :) We will walk by faith.

Faith has given me love. Faith has given me my dreams in reality (ON STEROIDS)! I've never felt more comfortable in my own skin. I'm happy. And it feels GOOD.