I love you and I miss you

This morning on the way to work and just now at work, I was reminded to remind others I love them.

First, I was reminded by a memory I have of my mom, hugging me and crying softly while next to my Dad's hospital bed and telling me that she just missed him and just wanted him back.

Then, my amazingly sweet husband sends me a link to this video:

http://www.faithit.com/if-ever-woman-in-the-world-heard-this-message/

It's a man telling women what the bible says, about who we are and how loved are are and how precious we are.

You don't get tomorrow, you're blessed with it. You're not lucky to live this life, you're redeemed. You are more to some than what you know.

And I love you.

To all my family that I don't get to see all the time, I love you and I miss you.

To all the girlfriends I have, young and not so young, I love you and I miss you.

To my husband, I love you to the moon and back.

Life is short. Say "I love you" and "I miss you". Often.

(THANKS FOR MAKING ME CRY MOM & G!)

The Busiest of Bees

I'm not a stay at home mom, heck I'm not even a mom, but I love this article. It is even written by a man, nonetheless! I, hands down, think that being a stay at home mom is one of the COOLEST and BIGGEST opportunities that women see the advantage of- let alone the few women who are able to actually experience the opportunity. Just like the article says, some can do it, some can't; whereas, some choose to do it, and some chose not to. Either way, who cares! Just be a good parent for crying out loud...

You're a stay-at-home Mom, what do you DO all day?

This is my favorite part: "We seem to value our time so little, that we find our worth based on how little of it we have. In other words, we’ve idolized “being busy,” and confused it with being “important.” You can be busy but unimportant, just as you can be important but not busy. I don’t know who is busiest, and I don’t care. It doesn’t matter. I think it’s safe to say that none of us are as busy as we think we are; and however busy we actually are, it’s more than we need to be."

This is a bit of a tangent, I realize the article is about working and nonworking mothers but I'm onto another soap box (seeing as how I don't have the context for motherhood quite yet).

I've known SO MANY PEOPLE (I won't even limit it to women and I won't name names) who think they are just SO BUSY. Their public facebook announcements, cryptic #hashtagpoststhatinvitesorrowandpity, backhanded comments about the free-time of others, have all gone to the extreme - to the point that I have felt compelled to feel sorry for them. But I shouldn't! I won't! Why on earth would you allow yourself to be so busy, then COMPLAIN about it??? I'm confused. You don't HAVE to be that busy. C'mon people.

I am busy. But I am a busy body. And I love it. I will probably ALWAYS be this way. If I have ever complained or made my busy-ness into a pity party, please smack me. I don't want to be that person. Having a consistent list of "to-do's" excites me. I create my own chaos and it makes me feel like I am truly living. I know there is a time to slow down, trust me God has forced my butt to sit still more than once. But in the mean time, I'm going to keep being me. I'm sure there are others out there like me who love to be busy!

Moral of the story - don't bi*** about your crazy life, embrace it. Don't stress because of the length of your "to-do" list because, one day you won't have a chance to complete those tasks. Don't look down on others because they enjoy just being, relaxing, and living their life in a different way than you. Playing the pity card, comparing yourself to others (comparing schedules) and constantly judging others because they do things a bit differently than you - is so not cool.

#endrant #lettheshowgoon

What Newlyweds do...

Being a newlywed is tough work - maybe it's me and my inability to quit crafting after all the wedding fun! 

Since being back to reality I have revamped our engagement picture collage, added more pops of color in our living room, thrown in some fall decor (Hobby Lobby gets me every time), and completely overhauled our bedroom. I have never thought my house would be one that others would compliment me on - mainly because I always feel like I have a ton of stuff everywhere - but thanks to my sweet Husband, we have little to no clutter (except in the spare room!)!  

I love having a home that represents who we are as a couple, our personal style, and that others like too! 

I am especially proud because only 1 or two things were pinterest inspired - the curtains, collage and overall design was all our ideas! 

My next adventure will be putting wedding and honeymoon pictures into photobooks - oh and working on thank you cards! 

Enjoy the pictures! You're all welcome to our home anytime! 

Life as a Newlywed

I told myself, "After the wedding, when things have calmed down, write more in your blog," but that hasn't happened. We have been married for 3.5 weeks - a lifetime for newlyweds (or maybe just us??) - either way it isn't a bad thing. Let's recap, shall we? 

Our wedding was a dream come true. Everything I envisioned during the planning process became a reality. The chairs were full of people (YAY! Most everyone showed up!). The bridesmaids and groomsmen were all where they were supposed to be. The music was cued exactly as I had asked. The food was warm and tasty. The flowers were spray painted the perfect shade of purple. The place settings, lighting and table decor was personal and impeccable. The cakes were huge, over the top, and to die for - just as I hoped! I can't wait to share pictures!

Most all of this was thanks to my detailed and step by step instruction manual everyone received as well as a HUGE thank you to a very good friend of mine who kept everyone and everything on track.... Except one major issue that no one would have EVER anticipated. 

The day of our wedding, G went to lunch with his groomsmen and family, only to find out after 15 minutes of being there - G had his tux, my wedding band, his work bag and my gift to him stolen! I remember overhearing they were leaving the restaurant and thinking, "Awesome job! They are ahead of schedule!" However, when my sister brought me to the other room to tell me what had happened (I honestly thought someone had been hurt or something terrible), I had to sit down before I fainted! My killer "put out fire" mode kicked in and everything was taken care of - thanks to my brother in law and good friend (who I mentioned previously). G's tux was replaced, my ring was repurchased, and we will be able to replace the watch I bought him and photobook I made him. The most hurtful thing that is irreplaceable was a journal I had been keeping for the 8 months leading up to our wedding. It had memories, and thoughts, and words of advice, and notes of encouragement and love written in it. Of course I found out that had been stolen right before pictures so I had to suck it up as best as possible. It's still very sad to me.... 

After all the chaos and running around, a mere 4 hours before the ceremony, the biggest and best reality of all was I married my true prince and knight in shining armor! And thank God nothing else went awry!

Thanks to my trusty insurance agent and second Dad everything will be taken care of and one day it will be a good story - right now we are still a little bitter and hurt! 

After The Wedding came the honeymoon - it was beautiful and perfect and exactly what we needed. St Lucia is an amazing place to visit and if you stay at a Sandals resort, it's true, get a butler! We ate and drank well, saw some of the most picturesque scenery, went snorkeling and sailing, relaxed and lounged, and simply enjoyed calling each other Mr & Mrs and Husband & Wife. We definitely weren't the only newlyweds but it was an incredibly special vacation and one we will remember always. 

Now we have been back to "real life" for about 2 weeks, and it's been tough. Waking up early, fighting traffic, organizing our house, decorating our house, returning gifts, writing thank you notes - it simply never ends. But It is all worth it because, again, I am married! And not only married, but I am married to my best friend - the person who puts up with all my crap and all my messes but loves me more than anyone ever has or will - and for that I am beyond blessed and thankful. We are learning how to be husband and wife, taking it one day at a time, and enjoying just being together.

It's hump day - you're on the downhill - make it an awesome remainder of the week! 

Lessons learned

I've had quite a few jobs in my day - too many - however, I have learned some valuable lessons at each and I continue to learn even now.

 

Learning keeps us young and I plan to stay young for quite some time, thank you!

Job #1 - I learned the value of my position and appreciation from fellow employees only came with tenure. I should have held onto that because since job #1 I have had 6 others since college.

Job #2 - I didn't quite understand doing what you loved was important but I realized that this particular job was not quite what I loved, but I stuck it out for two years anyway. I learned a lot about people at this job - it was the first job where someone openly didn't like me, for no reason. It wasn't until a few jobs later that I understood how unimportant 100% acceptance was.

 

Job #3 - I thought this was the job for me. I loved it. But then I learned the hard way that being a workaholic wasn't very cool. It was a hard fact to face when I still didn't quite understand the difference between being a workaholic and being a hard worker. I got burnt out, landed in a hospital bed, and then shipped by butt back home.

 

Job #4 - I learned that everyone wants to make a buck and sometimes you land in a terrible position because someone made money off of you.

Job #5 - I learned that interviewing your potential employer is just as important as them interviewing you. However, knowing how to sell myself means there are other people who know how to sell themselves. It's a double edge sword - especially when you're faced with an "I CAN'T WIN" scenario - day in and day out.

 

Job #6 - I finally started to get it! I finally started to learn from my past mistakes in job searching and selection. It took four months to find this job, and even in all my desperation, I took this job because I felt it was the right fit for me. Surprisingly, this is where I learned the most about myself, what is important to me, and about being a true business woman. This is where I learned that there is NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING you can do to make certain people like you, let alone tolerate your existence. I still have to protect myself and I don't even work there anymore. I realized that there are people in this world who are truly missing out on what life has to offer because they are so concerned with comparing what they have, or don't have, to some outrageous and unjustifiable standard. I also realized that the "mean girls" in high school, also existed in the real world, and there again, is no explanation for it.

 

As much as I loved and enjoyed the work I was doing, I accepted the fact that I could not do it all, I could not wear 500 hats, and I could not balance 100 plates. End of story. I learned what a Queen Bee was and that I was a victim. Also, that any male boss is likely to be oblivious to the workings of a Queen Bee. Which really sucks. But then I decided that could be another learning point. I learned how to be tough, be a business woman, and let it "roll off like Teflon" as a friend has been telling my since college, and that there is always tomorrow. I learned to control my emotions and the difference between hard work and workaholic (finally!). I learned to do what I could, to do what I knew was right and that God would protect me from any evil doers. I noticed that praying throughout the day, asking God for protection and wisdom, were the ropes that pulled me through each day. And then I moved to be with G.

Job #7 - I don't love this job. I don't hate this job. I am good here. I have a work/life balance. I make a good living. I have Christian coworkers and an understanding boss. I have finally realized that I need to just sit and wait on God. I might be here 6 months or 6 years. There is room for advancement but I won't kill myself getting there. I haven't encountered any Queen Bees and I get to eat good food all week - it is a restaurant group after all.

 

I am in the process of fully understanding what it means to live life to the fullest. I am a dreamer and a planner and an inventor of all things outlandish. My mind never stops thinking about, "what next". What I want for my life one day might change 100 times (thankfully, G is a patient man!). To really take advantage of each day might mean one thing to me, and mean something totally different to next guy. To me it means, spending quality time with G, making time for the fun things (like shopping) and working in the not so fun chores of life (like cleaning), taking each opportunity to see family and friends, to leave work on time, to plan and talk about exciting events in your life (like a wedding, honeymoon, and eventually a new home and babies), to go on dates and eat fancy meals, to get out of town, to dream, and to just be me.

 

Don't let your life pass you by...you only get one of them. It saddens me when people say "I can't do this or that". You're the only person stopping you. You can take a vacation. You can go to lunch with your best girlfriends. You can fall in love all over with your spouse. You can make someone's day. You can sell your stuff and become a gypsy! Take what you learn every day and apply it to the next. Don't stop dreaming and believing that the world is your oyster, because it is, even if all you want to do is sit on the couch and watch TV. There are lots of lessons to learn in life that will shape you into who you are and can help get you to who and where you want to be. Keep living. Keep dreaming. You're allowed.