Happy Thing Of The Day- layers of soft sweaters (taken from thingstobehappyabout.com)
Today's post is short and sweet- enjoy the little things.
The reason I didn't post yesterday and why I am so late tonight is because I'm enjoying life! I've realized you've got to live, and it turns out it was worth it. Maybe God was trying to tell me something.
Before this new journey, Wade and I were so worried about money, getting enough hours at work, just making ends meet was on our minds constantly. After having a big bill to pay for a truck repair, we realized how well we were doing, and decided we needed to look at things differently. We have enough money to pay our bills, and maybe our "fun" time should include less money spending (like playing N-64, score!). So, I decided that I needed to be less stressed about getting the hours, finding the new job, cleaning the house, everything just needed to slow down.
So last night I decided to let myself be pampered and after work I went to a Mary Kay thing and got a make over from my friend Natasha. Then made a delicious dinner and shared it with my wonderful man and his best friend....didn't get home until midnight because we were having so much fun. Then today I enjoyed hanging out with Wade (even though he was sick) and then had a late dinner after work.
Apparently God was trying to make a point, because I was given more hours at work, and offered a new part time job....SCORE!!!
There is always a plan, we just don't know what it is!!!
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Monday, January 28, 2013
Be Content With What You Have
Happy Thing Of The Day: old fashioned grilled cheese (taken from thingstobehappyabout.com)
Are you content with what you have, or are you always craving more? Are you one of those people that constantly needs something else? I don't feel like I am (or was) the extreme of this, but I did always want more in a way. Rather, I wanted what I wanted not what God wanted.
I am reading this book called "Live Loved" by Max Lucado. The first passage is about Jeremiah and his lamenting to God. Jeremiah is complaining, blaming God for everything wrong in his life, and everything he doesn't have. But instead of focusing on that, he decides to depend on God, realizing that He hasn't betrayed or abandoned him, rather he needed to realize that God has a plan.
The passage was what inspired the song "Great is Thy Faithfulness". It is one of my favorite hymns because it reminds us that every morning is new, and every morning we need to give it to God and let him decided where our lives are going..."morning by morning NEW mercies I see." Every morning, EVERY MORNING, He has a new beginning, a new idea for our lives. We all need to remember that God's plan is going to end up so much better than the one we plan for ourselves.
We also need to remember that He will provide what we need but not necessarily more than what we need. "All I have needed Your hand has provided" Maybe not getting that new job means their is a better one waiting, or someone needed it more than you. Maybe that lost job is just God pushing you in a different direction. Maybe we all need to have a little faith and know that God will not lead us astray and He will always be there for us when we need Him and when we don't. Great is His faithfulness, and so should ours!
Are you content with what you have, or are you always craving more? Are you one of those people that constantly needs something else? I don't feel like I am (or was) the extreme of this, but I did always want more in a way. Rather, I wanted what I wanted not what God wanted.
I am reading this book called "Live Loved" by Max Lucado. The first passage is about Jeremiah and his lamenting to God. Jeremiah is complaining, blaming God for everything wrong in his life, and everything he doesn't have. But instead of focusing on that, he decides to depend on God, realizing that He hasn't betrayed or abandoned him, rather he needed to realize that God has a plan.
The passage was what inspired the song "Great is Thy Faithfulness". It is one of my favorite hymns because it reminds us that every morning is new, and every morning we need to give it to God and let him decided where our lives are going..."morning by morning NEW mercies I see." Every morning, EVERY MORNING, He has a new beginning, a new idea for our lives. We all need to remember that God's plan is going to end up so much better than the one we plan for ourselves. We also need to remember that He will provide what we need but not necessarily more than what we need. "All I have needed Your hand has provided" Maybe not getting that new job means their is a better one waiting, or someone needed it more than you. Maybe that lost job is just God pushing you in a different direction. Maybe we all need to have a little faith and know that God will not lead us astray and He will always be there for us when we need Him and when we don't. Great is His faithfulness, and so should ours!
Friday, January 25, 2013
Not Knowing is Okay
Happy Thing of the Day: enjoying the aroma before your first sip- pg. 411
I have noticed recently that when I don't know what is going to happen, I get very anxious. I noticed this as one of my favorite shows of all time came to an end (Private Practice). The series finale was full of ups and downs and I had NO idea what would happen in the end. I was so nervous, anxious, just straight up uneasy not knowing how this amazing show would end. Luckily they ended the show absolutely perfect and I was thrilled and my nerves finally had time to rest.
I think a lot of us feel this way about our future. When we don't know where the future will take us, what it will hold, who will be there with us, how it will end, we get frustrated, nervous, uneasy. I am, for the first time, at a point where I have absolutely no idea what will happen even in the next 6 months. I have never felt so lost in my life. I always knew what the next step would hold, where I would be, as much as I could I knew what was going to happen. I have NO CLUE, and it is unnerving, or at least it was until this last week. My boyfriend doesn't plan, it irritates the hell out of me. But his view is so short sighted, that when things come up, it doesn't rock his boat as much as it rocks mine. He knows what he needs to know, and then whatever else happens, happens.
He and I were talking, and I wanted a date and specifics for everything. I saw the same irritation in his eyes as I felt. He just looked at me and said the things we want to happen will happen, but when they happen is dependent on too many things, so all he could tell me is that they would be a reality. I decided that I needed to look at things more like him (gosh can I pick 'em).
Rather than setting up a timeline, why not just have goals? Have a list of things you are certain will happen, but don't put a time limit on them, let them RUN THEIR COURSE! Why not trust that God has a plan, and that trying to make your own is just not going to go well. God has a timeline, but it's one that He wants you to trust not know.
So, I decided that I needed to make a list of things I knew would happen, and whenever they happen, they will happen. It's sort of a reality check list. These things will be my reality, but I cannot put a timeline on them, when it is time, they will happen.
My Reality Check List:
I WILL...
I have noticed recently that when I don't know what is going to happen, I get very anxious. I noticed this as one of my favorite shows of all time came to an end (Private Practice). The series finale was full of ups and downs and I had NO idea what would happen in the end. I was so nervous, anxious, just straight up uneasy not knowing how this amazing show would end. Luckily they ended the show absolutely perfect and I was thrilled and my nerves finally had time to rest.
I think a lot of us feel this way about our future. When we don't know where the future will take us, what it will hold, who will be there with us, how it will end, we get frustrated, nervous, uneasy. I am, for the first time, at a point where I have absolutely no idea what will happen even in the next 6 months. I have never felt so lost in my life. I always knew what the next step would hold, where I would be, as much as I could I knew what was going to happen. I have NO CLUE, and it is unnerving, or at least it was until this last week. My boyfriend doesn't plan, it irritates the hell out of me. But his view is so short sighted, that when things come up, it doesn't rock his boat as much as it rocks mine. He knows what he needs to know, and then whatever else happens, happens.
He and I were talking, and I wanted a date and specifics for everything. I saw the same irritation in his eyes as I felt. He just looked at me and said the things we want to happen will happen, but when they happen is dependent on too many things, so all he could tell me is that they would be a reality. I decided that I needed to look at things more like him (gosh can I pick 'em).
Rather than setting up a timeline, why not just have goals? Have a list of things you are certain will happen, but don't put a time limit on them, let them RUN THEIR COURSE! Why not trust that God has a plan, and that trying to make your own is just not going to go well. God has a timeline, but it's one that He wants you to trust not know.
Jeremiah 29:11
New International Version (NIV)
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
So, I decided that I needed to make a list of things I knew would happen, and whenever they happen, they will happen. It's sort of a reality check list. These things will be my reality, but I cannot put a timeline on them, when it is time, they will happen.
My Reality Check List:
I WILL...
- Graduate From College
- Get Married (to Wade)
- Move away from Wyoming
- Have a steady full time job
- Have extra money in my bank account
- Get a new car
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Knowing Who You Are Helps
"There's nothing more badass than being who you are."
~Darren Criss
Happy thing of the Day: Changing self-defeating behavior. Pg. 198
Who are you? What kind of person are you? If Webster's dictionary needed a definition to put next to your name, what would it say? Realizing who you are is a huge part of being hopeful and positive. It is so difficult to be positive when you are trying so hard to be someone you really aren't. Putting on an act to satisfy others only leads to massive amounts of discouragement. It's so hard to follow your dreams and live up to your potential when you are wearing a mask. All that mask can to is stifle the person you really are, and that person wants to jump out and be seen. That self defeating behavior is holding you back!
In high school I made a discovery about myself. I was trying to be someone I was not, and it was holding me back. I was trying to fit in with a group who didn't need me to put on a mask, they really did enjoy the "real" me (at least most of them did). Going through my "tool kit" from this group (called Life 101), I found this list that my teacher Wendy had us write. We had to write a list of how we define ourselves. We of course analyzed it afterwards, but I vividly remember while we were writing I was sitting next to her, and when I wrote "attached" she thought that would've been higher up on my list (it was number 16). She was right, it should have been, and we had to write our top 5. At the time mine were :
1.Dancer
2. Musical
3.Unique/Creative
4.ORANGE (written in all caps)
5. Attached
She knew me well enough to realize that I wasn't very proud of the fact that I was so attached to things and people. She helped me realize that it was a good thing, something I needed to embrace just a little more. Because I got attached to people, it meant I could be closer to them, have deeper relationships, and that my being attached meant I could have more life-long friendships (of which I have quite a few from this group). She used to call me "Sunshine" because I was always so bubbly and had quite a lot of energy, and apparently I could turn anyone's frown upside down. According to many of my friends, I still have this super power. And for so long, I tried to stifle it behind a mask because some people thought I needed to calm down on the bubbly-ness. Doing so put me into a HUGE ditch, one that took years to climb out of. Some amazing people helped me do this- Wendy, some great friends from this group, and God. I learned to lean on those who appreciated and valued who I really was. I was bubbly, energetic, and I wanted deep, meaningful friendships in my life.
So I decided as part of being positive and finding that hope I have been longing to seek out, I should probably figure out my top 5 again:
1. Follower of Christ
2. Attached
3. In Love
4. Future Teacher
5. Orange/ Bubbly Beyond Belief!
What are your top 5? What will help you live your life to the fullest? Who are the "Wendys" and other friends in your life to point out that something you think is negative, is really something bright that shines inside of you that you need to share with the world? Find those things and let them scream out of your body and echo forever. Being you can give you the hope you are seeking, I know that it has always helped me.
p.s. Thanks Wendy!
~Darren Criss
Happy thing of the Day: Changing self-defeating behavior. Pg. 198
Who are you? What kind of person are you? If Webster's dictionary needed a definition to put next to your name, what would it say? Realizing who you are is a huge part of being hopeful and positive. It is so difficult to be positive when you are trying so hard to be someone you really aren't. Putting on an act to satisfy others only leads to massive amounts of discouragement. It's so hard to follow your dreams and live up to your potential when you are wearing a mask. All that mask can to is stifle the person you really are, and that person wants to jump out and be seen. That self defeating behavior is holding you back!
In high school I made a discovery about myself. I was trying to be someone I was not, and it was holding me back. I was trying to fit in with a group who didn't need me to put on a mask, they really did enjoy the "real" me (at least most of them did). Going through my "tool kit" from this group (called Life 101), I found this list that my teacher Wendy had us write. We had to write a list of how we define ourselves. We of course analyzed it afterwards, but I vividly remember while we were writing I was sitting next to her, and when I wrote "attached" she thought that would've been higher up on my list (it was number 16). She was right, it should have been, and we had to write our top 5. At the time mine were :
1.Dancer
2. Musical
3.Unique/Creative
4.ORANGE (written in all caps)
5. Attached
She knew me well enough to realize that I wasn't very proud of the fact that I was so attached to things and people. She helped me realize that it was a good thing, something I needed to embrace just a little more. Because I got attached to people, it meant I could be closer to them, have deeper relationships, and that my being attached meant I could have more life-long friendships (of which I have quite a few from this group). She used to call me "Sunshine" because I was always so bubbly and had quite a lot of energy, and apparently I could turn anyone's frown upside down. According to many of my friends, I still have this super power. And for so long, I tried to stifle it behind a mask because some people thought I needed to calm down on the bubbly-ness. Doing so put me into a HUGE ditch, one that took years to climb out of. Some amazing people helped me do this- Wendy, some great friends from this group, and God. I learned to lean on those who appreciated and valued who I really was. I was bubbly, energetic, and I wanted deep, meaningful friendships in my life.
So I decided as part of being positive and finding that hope I have been longing to seek out, I should probably figure out my top 5 again:
1. Follower of Christ
2. Attached
3. In Love
4. Future Teacher
5. Orange/ Bubbly Beyond Belief!
What are your top 5? What will help you live your life to the fullest? Who are the "Wendys" and other friends in your life to point out that something you think is negative, is really something bright that shines inside of you that you need to share with the world? Find those things and let them scream out of your body and echo forever. Being you can give you the hope you are seeking, I know that it has always helped me.
p.s. Thanks Wendy!
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
The Little Things
Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.
Robert Brault
While I was in high school, one of my teachers had a book next to the couch (yes the couch) in her classroom. It was called 14,000 Things to be Happy About. Some of the older kids decided that we would have a "happy thing of the day", so we would all look through it and find that one thing and write it on the board. It was something to look forward to every morning. Writing it on the board, making that my happy thing of the day, even when I had nothing else to be happy about, that thing on the board could change my out look for the day. For Christmas my sophomore year that teacher gave me a calendar of the 14,000 things to be happy about. So that every day, even when that thing wasn't on the board, I had something to look forward to. I still have a lot of them, and use them as little note papers or reminder notes. It's nice to have those little things.
I think that's something we all need to remember. To have that one little thing, even on the worst day, having one thing to be happy about. This blog is a journey. A one year journey of staying positive. So today I decided to crack my own copy of 14,000 things open and make myself be happy about one tiny thing every morning. So that even if the day goes completely wrong- nothing in the apartment gets done, my paycheck isn't a good as I wish it was, Wade and I have a fight, I forget something important, or EVERYTHING just goes wrong, I have this one thing that I can be happy about. So, every day when I post, I'm going to share the happy thing I found. We used to do it by picking a random page, and then the first thing you see on the page (unless it was something that wouldn't make you happy or a repeat). Luckily today, I think God had a plan for me opening my book, because my happy thing today was truly the happiest thing I should remember every day!
Happy thing #1- Falling crazily, I'd-kill-or-be-killed-for-that-man in love. Page 411.
So maybe this being more positive challenge should start with being happy about just one thing every day, because I know it will lead to being happy every day, even when I don't have that one little thing. So I challenge you to be happy about one little thing every day, and go buy this book, because it is most definitely worth the 9 bucks!!!
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Making Lemonade
"When life throws you lemons, make lemonade."
How do you make lemonade out of your lemons? Making something positive out of something negative is exhausting, and it's not my favorite activity. Sometimes I want to throw my hands up in the air and say "I give up," but that isn't going to solve anything.
Lately I've had some bowling ball sized lemons thrown my way. Not getting enough hours at work, which makes paying bills not so easy. Not being able to move like we wanted to. Taking a break from school and trying to figure out what the next year will hold. Life is completely up in the air, and the other day I took it out on the person I love the most. I was ready to give up and yelled at him for it.
When I was in high school, I was in this group called Life 101. One of the biggest lessons I learned was called "the cup". The cup was basically your mood, your life, in a cup you carry around with you. If your cup was nasty, full of bad attitude, not letting go off the bad things, letting them rot in your cup, making your cup the nastiest substance ever known, you could make someone else's cup that way too. What if you bump into them, and spill your cup into theirs? They aren't going to have a great cup either. That's what I did to my boyfriend. I spilled my cup into his, and his cup turned rotten too.
I needed to filter my cup, or throw it away and get a new one, rather than holding onto my rotten mess. Instead of holding onto the bad stuff, focusing on that, I needed to make lemonade. I left my lemons in my cup and let them rot to the point they were unrecognizable. So now, I'm making lemonade. I took my lemons, and added sugar, strained out the pulp, and decided that having lemonade in my cup was way better than rotten lemons.
Do you have lemons you are letting rot in your cup? Maybe you are struggling, lost in the unknown of your future, or wishing you could do something different. Make some lemonade, sit down, and decide you're going to be positive. I promise, it helps. You control your cup, you decide what you carry with you. Wouldn't it be nice to have delicious lemonade?
p.s. I promise every day won't be about lemons!
How do you make lemonade out of your lemons? Making something positive out of something negative is exhausting, and it's not my favorite activity. Sometimes I want to throw my hands up in the air and say "I give up," but that isn't going to solve anything.
Lately I've had some bowling ball sized lemons thrown my way. Not getting enough hours at work, which makes paying bills not so easy. Not being able to move like we wanted to. Taking a break from school and trying to figure out what the next year will hold. Life is completely up in the air, and the other day I took it out on the person I love the most. I was ready to give up and yelled at him for it.
When I was in high school, I was in this group called Life 101. One of the biggest lessons I learned was called "the cup". The cup was basically your mood, your life, in a cup you carry around with you. If your cup was nasty, full of bad attitude, not letting go off the bad things, letting them rot in your cup, making your cup the nastiest substance ever known, you could make someone else's cup that way too. What if you bump into them, and spill your cup into theirs? They aren't going to have a great cup either. That's what I did to my boyfriend. I spilled my cup into his, and his cup turned rotten too.
I needed to filter my cup, or throw it away and get a new one, rather than holding onto my rotten mess. Instead of holding onto the bad stuff, focusing on that, I needed to make lemonade. I left my lemons in my cup and let them rot to the point they were unrecognizable. So now, I'm making lemonade. I took my lemons, and added sugar, strained out the pulp, and decided that having lemonade in my cup was way better than rotten lemons.
Do you have lemons you are letting rot in your cup? Maybe you are struggling, lost in the unknown of your future, or wishing you could do something different. Make some lemonade, sit down, and decide you're going to be positive. I promise, it helps. You control your cup, you decide what you carry with you. Wouldn't it be nice to have delicious lemonade?
p.s. I promise every day won't be about lemons!
Monday, January 21, 2013
When life gives you lemons...
“I believe when life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade...and try to find someone whose life has given them vodka, and have a party.”
― Ron White
Sometimes, lemons happen. The metaphorical lemon that everyone encounters, sometimes on a regular basis, and the one no one wants to find. If you are one of those select few who life has literally thrown lemons at, I am so sorry for the bad encounter you had with this citrus fruit. But what about these metaphorical lemons is so bad? Let's face it- they are painful. Even though you aren't being bruised by a small yellow fruit, you're being bruised by something far greater- a situation you didn't ask for. A terrible time when life slams you into a brick wall and says, nope, your day is going to be awful. Why can't we bounce back from these little yellow bombs that exploded into our day?
Have you ever tasted a raw lemon? Sure we like them in our tea, or in a pie, and who doesn't love lemon poppy seed muffins? But a truly raw lemon is so bitter, sour, and is definitely not my first choice for an afternoon snack. These lemony situations can feel the same. Maybe your lemon was getting fired from a job, missing out on a great adventure, a friend moving away, the list could go on and on. There is a reason when cars break down consistently they are called "lemons", something bad just keeps happening over and over again.
But what are you DOING with your lemon? I personally love Ron White's idea...a party sounds like the best solution. Make a party from your situation, find the light at the end of the tunnel, find the HOPE. Fired from a job? Maybe that means it's time for a fresh start, a new job, a different career path, or even a new city to explore. Maybe missing out on that great adventure means there is a new one around the corner. These little yellow fruits may not be the best thing that ever happened to you, but why not make lemonade? Why not throw a party? Be patient, maybe God threw that lemon for a reason...maybe you just need to be patient, that lemonade could be the best thing that ever happened to you.
― Ron White
Sometimes, lemons happen. The metaphorical lemon that everyone encounters, sometimes on a regular basis, and the one no one wants to find. If you are one of those select few who life has literally thrown lemons at, I am so sorry for the bad encounter you had with this citrus fruit. But what about these metaphorical lemons is so bad? Let's face it- they are painful. Even though you aren't being bruised by a small yellow fruit, you're being bruised by something far greater- a situation you didn't ask for. A terrible time when life slams you into a brick wall and says, nope, your day is going to be awful. Why can't we bounce back from these little yellow bombs that exploded into our day?
Have you ever tasted a raw lemon? Sure we like them in our tea, or in a pie, and who doesn't love lemon poppy seed muffins? But a truly raw lemon is so bitter, sour, and is definitely not my first choice for an afternoon snack. These lemony situations can feel the same. Maybe your lemon was getting fired from a job, missing out on a great adventure, a friend moving away, the list could go on and on. There is a reason when cars break down consistently they are called "lemons", something bad just keeps happening over and over again.But what are you DOING with your lemon? I personally love Ron White's idea...a party sounds like the best solution. Make a party from your situation, find the light at the end of the tunnel, find the HOPE. Fired from a job? Maybe that means it's time for a fresh start, a new job, a different career path, or even a new city to explore. Maybe missing out on that great adventure means there is a new one around the corner. These little yellow fruits may not be the best thing that ever happened to you, but why not make lemonade? Why not throw a party? Be patient, maybe God threw that lemon for a reason...maybe you just need to be patient, that lemonade could be the best thing that ever happened to you.
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