THANKFULNESS

I really honestly believe that I am thankful.

I like living simply and being generous, so I always feel like I am doing "good" in the thankful and non-selfish department.

Haha...that's funny.

...you know how Nick and I just recently bought our first house in June?  Let me just be honest here....yes, I LOVE having my own house.  BUT, I want it renovated...decorated...Pinterest ready.  This takes TIME and MONEY, so that's what I think about...planning how I will get my dream home. I am constantly thinking about the future house that I WILL be thankful for, not my present house that I SHOULD be thankful for.

I grew up overseas...I've seen the poor and the homeless.  But, I don't see it often anymore and so I forget what it looks like and how much I have.

Until Monday night.

I went with a group of girls to Whosoever Church to serve dinner to the homeless.  After driving to a less than safe side of town, I pulled up and would NOT have gotten out of my car if I had not seen my friends standing on the Church porch.  We walked inside and I immediately noticed that the hot air was on high and the smells were not pleasant.  My group leader did a short devotional and then everyone filed through the kitchen to eat fried chicken, green beans, mac-n-cheese, rolls, brownies and sweet tea.  Many of them came back for seconds and even thirds and some took plates home.  They were SO kind.  No one was pushy.  Everyone was grateful.  One man even said "God bless you" to each person who put another thing on his plate.

As we were cleaning up, I learned that we had served many of these people their ONLY meal that day.  And that some of them had no where to go and would be sleeping on the uncomfortable wooden church pews that night.  I KNOW that people are homeless and starving, but until I see it with my own eyes, it doesn't seem real and hardly has an effect on me. 

When it was time to leave, we got in our nice, heated cars and drove over to Redbone Alley and shared appetizers and desserts that we all could afford to pay for...then we all went home...I walked into my warm house, had a hot shower, put on clean clothes, snuggled up in my comfortable bed, talked with Nick and enjoyed the safety of it all.  

Over the years, God has reminded me over and over again of "giving thanks in all circumstances" and I want to do that NOW and stop waiting for my "perfect" life.  I ALREADY have a life that many people would die for and I should be Thankful EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

Well HELLO THERE Facebook!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I decided to bite the bullet and get a Facebook Like Page for my Blog!!!!!!!

I REALLY want to get to know my readers better, buuuuuttttttttt I haven't found a good way to do that yet...emails are great...and blog comments are great...but Facebook is THE BEST!!!

So, please head on over to my BRAND NEW Facebook Like Page and LIKE ME!!!  I plan to keep you up to date on my blog posts there...AND my daily life!!!

I'm hoping that this will help us get to know each other better!

Click HERE...see you over there!!!!!!!!

Hallelujah

     Christmas was just around the corner and my daddy thought that it would be a fun, bonding experience for us to sing in the choir.  He and my sister, Mary Ashley, have pretty good singing voices so it was a piece of cake for them, but I was not blessed in that department.  However, in the name of family (and Christmas), I signed up too.

     We had practiced for a few weeks and were improving with each rehearsal.  There were so many songs to learn and we had to sing them over and over and over and over.  I remember thinking, “Why do we practice so much?…It’s not like we don’t know how to read the words and open our mouths and let our voices exit.”

     At one of our final rehearsals, we had quickly warmed up and practiced a few songs.  It was time to sing “Hallelujah”.  This was one of my least favorites because I felt like we just repeated the same things over and over and that the pitch was higher and harder to reach with each new line.

     So, we sang through most of the song and I was thinking that we would never get to the end.  Oh my word.  It just kept going and going.  Forever and ever.  I sat there staring off into space, not really paying attention because I already knew the words.  I didn’t need to look at the booklet or the director.  I knew this.

“And He shall reign for ever and ever,

for ever and ever,

King of Kings,

and Lord of Lords,

King of Kings,

and Lord of Lords,

and He shall reign for ever and ever,

King of Kings,

and Lord of Lords.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!”

(side note - this is where the song ends and EVERYONE else stops singing)

HALLELUJAH!

(additional side note - this is where I continued singing one “Hallelujah” TOO many)

      As I was screeching out the additional Hallelujah, in a voice that should have killed the other singers, I realized too late what was happening.  Everyone.  Every single person.  They all turned around and looked at me in sheer horror.  The music had stopped.  The singing had stopped.  You couldn’t hear anything, except my breathing turning into hyperventilating.  All of a sudden, all I could think about was that Kyle Wasser was turned around staring straight at me in shock and that I had been terribly wrong…I actually DID need the words AND the director.  

Lesson Learned.  

But, the biggest lesson that I learned was to NEVER again sing in a Christmas Choir.  

Hallelujah.

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BFFs

I LOVE blogging...

     I'll just be minding my own business and then BAMMMM...I am inspired to write.  I sit down, start typing and the story comes to life, leaving me laughing or crying at my own adventures.  After my post is written and shared, I get to enjoy feedback from my readers.  

But you know one thing that I NEVER imagined I would get from my blog?!?!?!??!?!

Friendships.

    Katie found my blog, we began emailing back and forth and became Facebook friends 1-YEAR-AGO TODAY!!!!!!  And you know what they say...it's never official until its Facebook official.

Today is our 1-Year-Friendaversary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

     During these past 12 months, Katie and I have:

1.  camped at the Young Living Lavender Farm in Mona, Utah!!!!!!

2.  attended the Young Living International Convention in Dallas, Texas!!!

3.  attended FUEL Chicago together!!!!!!!!

     The MORE we talk, the more we find out how much we have in common and the more I love that we are friends!  And not only are WE friends, but our men have become friends too!  Friends are HARD to come by and friends that our men are ALSO friends are even HARDER to find!!!  

     Katie, thank you for reaching out to me!  Thank you for drinking the kool-aid and jumping onboard the essential oil freak train.  Thank you all of the messages and phone calls and giggles.  Thank for for always having my back.  Thank you for your friendship.

Heres to 1 YEAR and MANY MORE to come!!!!!!!!!!!

I love you Katie!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Limiting Beliefs

I had NO IDEA how much I was talking to myself every day.

     I have LOTS of Big Goals for my life and in some ways I believe that they will happen, but at the same time, I also know that they will NEVER happen.  Do you ever have those moments?!?!?!?!

Recently, I had a specific goal that I had been working towards for a LONG time.  I was working HARD!  But, every single time I thought about this goal, I would think thoughts like:

-It will NEVER happen.
-I can't do it.
-I'm not as good as __________.
-I'll probably fail.
-People won't like me.
-I don't have what it takes.
-I'm not a leader.
-I'm too shy.

The list goes on and on and on.

     So, on one hand, I would give myself a pep-talk and tell myself "YAY YOU CAN DO IT"...but at the same time, I would secretly be thinking, "I can say it, but it doesn't mean it will happen".

These doubts, fears and disbeliefs actually come from something deeper and more intense...

So, when I dug a little deeper, I found these beliefs:

"It will NEVER happen because I can't do it and I'll fail 

because I'm a quitter, I'm not good at anything and I never 

finish anything well."

WOW.

"I will NEVER be as good as _______ because I'm shy, easily overwhelmed and usually anxious and can't handle any type of stressful situations because I don't have the right personality/characteristics to be successful and make something of myself."

OH MY GOSH.

"I will NEVER fit in because I have always been the outsider/foreigner and no one will ever like me, accept me or invite me into their group because they can tell that I don't belong."

Yep.

So, I talk to myself like this ^^^ and then wonder why I don't feel confident...my past is now affecting my present and future!!!

So, what can be done?!?!?!?!?

     Since, I have identified my Limiting Beliefs about myself...I can create powerful opposites!

So, here is what I have:  I am a hard worker and always do the best that I can do at the time!  I have many gifts, talents and strengths that help me do things that I enjoy.  I have a group of friends that I love and they love me and accept me for me.

     What are YOUR limiting beliefs!?!?  

-You need to identify them

-Create powerful opposites

-Write those ^^^ down 10 times each per day 

-See how you feel about yourself after two weeks!!!!!!!

"The most Influential person you will 

talk to all day is you...be careful what 

you say !" - Zig Ziglar

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