365 Days of thanks...Day 6

Day 6: I am thankful for NFL Football!

I love that every Sunday during the fall, my love and I sit on the couch watching every possible game! While I bleed Green and Gold (GO PACK GO), he is a Broncos fan.  Growing up watching football and seeing people in church in Packers jerseys put a love the game in my heart!

Day 5: I am thankful for the smell of fall.
Day 4: I am thankful for Starbucks coffee.
Day 3: I am thankful for my love.
Day 2: I am thankful for my furry friend, Audrey.
Day 1: I am thankful for the chilly fall day.

365 days of thanks...Day 5

Day 5: I am thankful for the smell of fall. 

There is a certain smell that fall has and I absolutely adore it!  While I was riding my bike this morning, the smell was amazing.  Combine it with the sun shining through the gold and red leaves and I am in heaven!

Day 4: I am thankful for Starbucks coffee.
Day 3: I am thankful for my love.
Day 2: I am thankful for my furry friend, Audrey.
Day 1: I am thankful for the chilly fall day.

365 Days of Thanks...Day 4

Day 4: I am thankful for Starbucks coffee.

I have a change of scenery today and I am sitting in a Starbucks working on various things.  I love their coffee!  Sitting here sipping a cup of dark roast is pure bliss for me.  I am also a people watcher and this is the perfect spot.  The founder of Starbucks also went to my undergrad!  I think that is pretty cool! :) 

P.S. My thanks each day are random and are in no particular order. :) (someone asked me that the other day)

Day 3: I am thankful for my love. 
Day 2: I am thankful for my furry friend, Audrey.
Day 1: I am thankful for the chilly fall day.

365 Days of Thanks... Day 3

Day 3: I am thankful for my love. 

Almost three years ago, I met this man who has changed my life.  He has become my rock and someone who I don't know what I would do without him in my life.  I wake up next to him in the morning and I am so thankful he is mine.  I love him more each day.  We have our differences but we work through it.  We are partners on this journey we call life and I could ask for a better partner. 

Day 2: I am thankful for my furry friend, Audrey.
Day 1: I am thankful for the chilly fall day.

Who You Are

Tonight, I went to my Krav center to take a crossfit class.  I take both crossfit and Krav Maga classes.  In tonights class, I had to do 100 pull ups, 100 situps, 100 push ups and 100 squats.  I am going to be sore in the morning.  It pushes me to stay in shape and really is a nice motivator being with oher people. 

But on the way back from the class, I was listening to Jessie J.  If you don't know who she is, look her up.  There is a song at the end of the cd called Who You Are. The lyrics spoke to me tonight.  The chorus of the song says:

Don't lose who you are in the blur of the stars!
Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing,
It's okay not to be okay.
Sometimes it's hard to follow your heart.
Tears don't mean you're losing, everybody's bruising,
Just be true to who you are!

 

After hearing these lyrics, I realized I had lost sight of who I am in my last job.  I was trying to fit in when I should have been who I was and stood out.  I laughed at jokes that were not okay, I took part in conversations that were not appropriate (or okay to me) and I socialized with people that I disagreed with on the basic human level. I asked for forgiveness a lot in those three years.  I lost sight of who I was. Being away from that and having the time to rediscover who I am is the greatest gift I can give myself. 

 

I am a strong, smart, creative, christian woman.  I was raised by amazing parents who as I got older, I realized just how much they sacrificed to do everything they could for my brother and me.  I am blessed to have them as my parents and I wouldn't trade them for the world.  I have this awesome older brother who even though we have had our issues as kids, we have grown into a relationship I can count on.  These three people have had a major influence in my life and I don't know what I would do without them. 

 

I have made a promise to myself to never let myself lose sight of me.  I know who I am and have worked hard to get to be this person.  There are so many people out there that love and care about me for who I am, not the one that is try to fit in.  Where ever I end up next in my career, they will except me for the awesome person I am and not ask me to compromise that. 

 

I am still a firm believer in love in all things.  "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love"

365 Days of Thanks...Day 2

Day 2: I am thankful for my furry friend, Audrey.
Audrey and I have been together for six years now.  She has lived with me in four different states, curled up with me when it is cold and has given me a companion through all the good and bad times.  She is a little sweetheart with a crazy side!





Day 1: I am thankful for the chilly fall day.

365 Days of Thanks....

I have decided to start a new project.  On top of some normal blogs, everyday I am going to add in something I am thankful for.  It is my way of looking on the optimistic spots in life and when I am having a bad day, I can look back at all the things in my life I am thankful for. 

Day 1: I am thankful for the chilly fall day.
   Fall officially started on Saturday and today is the first day that feels like it.  It is my favorite time of year.  To celebrate, I am making some yummy southwestern white chicken chili with some white wine for my sweetie.  I think it is the perfect way to bring in fall.

Prayers for Strength...

This past weekend, I did my first ever bike race.  I biked around the city of Denver and realized just how beautiful my new home is.  The 22.5 mile journey through the city got me really excited for the next step in my life. 

The search for a new job is proving to be tougher than I thought it would be.  I have been turned down for jobs that I thought I would be perfect for, and having trouble getting interviews for others.  I refuse to downplay my education either.  I worked hard for my Masters and I don't want to deny I have it. 

I have been asked why don't you find a job in another state?  I have found my home here in Colorado.  I have found a love that I don't want to lose and he is here.  For the first time since I was 18, a place is home. 

I know that everything will be alright, I just feel tested sometimes.  I am a firm believer that God does not put you through anything you can not handle.  I have been put through a lot but I know I have been given the strength to get through it.  I know that the next job I get will be one that I meant to have for awhile. 

I keep praying that God will put the right opportunity in front of me when it is meant to.  I am just hoping it comes soon....

Love is strength....

Certain People....

I am a firm believer that people come in and out of your life when you  need them. They are there for you when you need them for good reasons or bad ones.  They take steps in your journey to help with your next steps.

The best people in life stick with you through it all.  I have a friend who I have known since high school.  Over the past few years, we have both been through so much (her more than me) but we have kept in touch and every time we see each other it is a wonderful reunion.  It is nice to know that no matter what we go through in our lives, we will be there for each other.  I am looking forward to one day when I get married, she will be standing by my side as my maid of honor.

Then there are those people who came into my life who I know I will never see again, and I am okay with that.  There were in my life for a short time or perhaps years, but I am happy to let them go.  I don't wish them harm by any means, I never could.  I am not that type of person, but I am just happy they are out of my life. 

My favorite people in my life is my family.  Throughout my life, no matter what was happening, they were there.  We have had our ups and downs but they have always been there.  I realize over the years and all the places I have lived, I can always count on them to be there.

The best relationship you can have is with yourself.  If you don't know yourself, how can you give your heart or your friendship to anyone?  I have changed a lot since I was a teenager, but I have learned so much over the years.  I am happy in the ways I have changed.  I am the only person who will be the only one with me throughout the whole journey. 

It is exciting journey I am on and I am happy for those who come and go on that journey.  I am happy I have a man who I adore to share it with, friends who laugh with me and a family who sticks me with it all. 

Love guides us all. 

The sound of crunching leaves

One of the perks of being unemployed is being able to spend more time working out and spending time outdoors.  I took a 10 mile bike ride through the greenbelt today and the weather was perfect.  I could feel fall coming through the trees as the sun shone perfectly on the path in front of me.  The leaves were slowly falling in perfect time with each pedal of my bike.  It was calming and reassuring at the same time. 

As I continued to ride, I felt the crunch of leaves underneath the tires. The wind picked up in some spots, but I pushed through.  Towards the end of the ride, I came across three men standing on one of the bridges.  They were older and looked like they had so many stories.  One had a walker and was mentally handicapped. The other two were hunched over the railing watching fish as they swam by.  I said a good afternoon to them, and all three of them said hello back at the same time.  The one with the walker had the biggest smile on his face and waved.   I asked how they were and they said they were thrilled to be outside and saying hi to everyone.  I wished them a great day and continued on my way.  This interaction, although short and sweet, made my entire day.  I may never see these men again but they made an impact. 

Fall is always a time of renewal for me.  Many people see Spring as that renewal but Fall has that calming effect on me.  I can curl up in a sweater with a hot cup of tea and a good book.  It is the perfect evening for me.  I am hoping this Fall will be the ultimate renewal for me.

As I have said before, it is all about the love.  May Fall renew love in the world!!

I wish...

A lot of changes have been happening over the past few months and I was advised to start a blog.  A friend of mine asked me, "if you could do anything, what would you do?".  I immediatly said "a writer".  I love to read and research.  I would be thrilled to spend my life in the stacks of the library and traveling to do my research.  This is my start...

Through everything that has happened, I have seen the truly horrible side of people and the most wonderful side of others.  I have left a toxic environment and I am searching for a more optimistic one.  I have left people behind me who no longer have purpose in my journey.  But through all of this, I wish the best.

I wish the best for the world as a whole. I would love to see a world without hate or violence, but that will never happen.  I wish for a community where a simple hello and a smile will change someones day.  I wish the best for those who I love but I pray for those who I don't. 

I wish for more love in the world.  Anyone who knows me understands that I am all about the love.  I don't like to dislike someone unless I am pushed to it. The list is very short, but there is a small list of people I wish to never speak to again.  But the list of those I care about in my life is so much longer. 

So these wishes, whether small or large, make me a part of who I am.  A small wish can make the world go round, as long as love is behind it.  I am thankful for my family and the support that they give me.  I am thankful for my love who is my rock and a constant support through all the hard times.  I am thankful for friends who I have known for years or those I have just met.  Without all these people, I wouldn't be the person I am. 

Thank you for listening to my musings.  I hope to write daily, but I am not going to promise.  Thoughts may come to me and I might have a lot to share. 

I always remember....sometimes, all you need is love!