Quote of the Day

Find people who love you unconditionally, surround yourself with them, and bring them the same level of intensity. - SEAN STEPHENSON

If you're a bird, I'm a bird

"No bird soars too high, if he soars with his own wings."
-William Blake

Soar with your own wings today my loves. 

Not with those of others. 

For yours are far too beautiful to be conformed. 

have you been grateful lately?

Seriuosly.

Have you?

When was the last time you told someone thank you and seriously meant it?

When was the last time you were thankful for someone in your life?

(love)

"Friends and good manners will carry you where money won't go."

Margaret Walker

why i have haven't been blogging lately... plus a quote. of course.

Hey everyone,

Most of you have noticed my lack of blogging the past.. errr 5 months; the last couple months especially. I made some really amazing connections in this little blogger world and I feel as though I have abandoned those connections. For that, I truly apologize. I have not forgotten you though and I promise, once I get back to the states with constant internet use, summer break, and there's not a "departure date" loaming ahead of me, I fully intend to rekindle those connections! I have been so busy living up every second of my time in Ausrtalia, but I promise you guys are still on my mind.

2 weeks left in Australia guys... TWO WEEKS. I can't believe it. Where have the last 5 months gone?

this is my WTH face...

Quote of the day:

"A friendship can weather most things and thrive in thin soil; but it needs a little mulch of letters and phone calls and small, silly presents every so often - just to save it from drying out completely." -Pam Brown

Rain

I adore the rain... It's trickling down outside my room right now, hitting the window sill, and so softly hitting the ceiling. It's times like these I just have to look to sky and whisper, "thank you." 

"Cause' tomorrow's another day, and I am not afraid.. So bring on the rain."

Jo Dee Messina

i'm rubber and you're glue, whatever you call me bounces off and sticks to you!

Someone done you wrong........?

Don't stoop to their level. Vent to a friend, let your emotions out, and move on. You anger is only poisoning your mind, body, and soul. 

"How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours."- Dr. Wayne Dryer

a girl of few words today.

Inspiration Station & a birthday collaboration

First off, 

Happy Birthday to Miss Kendra 

{well, technically Mrs.} 

but yeah, 

Happy Birthday! 

And on a Friday too, how awesome is that?! 

You should go drop in at A Grimm Tale and wish her a happy day of birth :) 

 Ah, the brunette Sam. 

Glad my hair lady puts up with my constant need for hair changes.

Today's inspiration station is pretty simple.... 

KEEP IT SIMPLE!

While talking to Kendra a little earlier today, she said she was keeping her birthday, "simple" this year. 

That got me thinking about things and just kinda reminded me, that we really need to have that mind frame everyday. Why complicate things? I think I am the worst at this. I always worry, over think, get uptight, stress out, yada yada yada... What's the point? It's so unnecessary and exhausting. 

In honor of keeping it simple, I'm gonna keep this post short, sweet, and to the point. 

"simple is blissful"

"The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak."~Hans Hofman

Have a very 

happy

good

simple 

weekend my lovely friends

I HEART YOU ALL

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Elizabeth Berg

"Women do not leave situations like this; we push up our sleeves, lean in closer, and say, “What do you need? Tell me what you need and by God I will do it.” I believe that the souls of women flatten and anchor themselves in times of adversity, lay in for the stay.” –Elizabeth Berg

Gratitude

Gratitude. It’s recognizing, even in times of struggle, that you have all you could ever need, that there are moments every single day that ask you to notice, and to celebrate. It’s in these moments, for me, especially the small ones, where gratitude lives.

Amen.

The Gingham Dress

A lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a Homespun threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Boston , and walked timidly without an appointment into the Harvard University President's outer office.

The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business at Harvard and probably didn't even deserve to be in Cambridge.

'We'd like to see the president,' the man said softly. 'He'll be busy all day,' the secretary snapped. 'We'll wait,' the lady replied.

For hours the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away. They didn't, and the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president, even though it was a chore she always regretted.

'Maybe if you see them for a few minutes, they'll leave,' she said to him!

He sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone of his importance obviously didn't have the time to spend with them, and he detested gingham dresses and homespun suits cluttering up his outer office.

The president, stern faced and with dignity, strutted toward the couple. The lady told him, 'We had a son who attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. My husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere on campus.'

The president wasn't touched. He was shocked. 'Madam,' he said, gruffly, 'we can't put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery.'

'Oh, no,' the lady explained quickly. 'We don't want to erect a statue. We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard.'

The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the gingham dress and homespun suit, then exclaimed, 'A building! Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? 

We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical buildings here at Harvard.'

For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. Maybe he could get rid of them now.

The lady turned to her husband and said quietly, 'Is that all it costs to start a university? Why don't we just start our own?'

Her husband nodded. The president's face wilted in confusion and bewilderment. Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford got up and walked away, traveling to Palo Alto , California where they established the university that bears their name, Stanford University, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about.

You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who they think can do nothing for them.

-A TRUE STORY By Malcolm Forbes-

Compliments

Have you ever noticed how much we search and yearn for compliments from others but yet, we rarely seem to give them? Think about it. When we change our hair or get a new outfit, we'd like someone to notice and say something to acknowledge it. But do we do the same for others? Or not even only when they have a noticeable change...

• When was the last time you told a co-worker how nice they looked? 
• Or the last time you told a fellow employee or a friend good job on something? 
• How about your mom, dad, grandparents, siblings... When was the last time you told your mom how beautiful she is or how that outfit makes her eyes pop? Or let any family member know how much they mean to you and how you wouldn't have been able to get through this, or finished that without their assistance? 
• Or told someone how much you appreciate their hard work? 
• Maybe a spouse/dating partner how hard they work to make sure you're happy?

Sometimes we all need a little pick-me-up. You may never know how much your words are needed when you say them to someone, or how much they will mean to that person. It could brighten up their whole day, and stay with them for a long time.

So... Be a blessing to someone today. Instead of searching for or expecting compliments and acknowledgement, give it!

A little reminder, a little inspiration, and a whole lot of love.

I stumbled across Michael's blog after seeing where his girlfriend Paige, an old high school friend of mine, posted the link on her facebook. After reading the first sentence I was filled with excitement as Michael talks about their engagement. I had NO idea they had gotten engaged! Hooray. As a lot of my friends know, I just LOVE engagements. 

Then after reading the entire blog, I begin to cry (good tears) because I was reminded of how truly amazing love can be. And how God will always take care of us as long as we have our hearts open to him and to love. I'm so incredibly happy for them both and am excited to see what God has in store for them. Reading this has inspired me to reach for more in life, to be the best I can be... So one day, I can be pursued. 

"Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting." - Ephesians 5:25 

Find Michael's amazing story here. 

Congrats Guys!

Tuesday Love

phil 4:13

WOW.

 I don't know if I have ever had a more ridiculous week like this last one has been. I don't want to say it was "bad", parts of it were great, but it all was just too much for a 5-day span.

• Two tests, one project, one quiz. 
• Two of my close friends in Fayetteville moved this week. Horrible, horrible. 
• JAIME CAME HOME! 
• Busted lip from playing with Jackson. Nothing says, "I love you mom" like a hit in the lip with your head. Fat lip does NOT suit me well.
• TV goes out. 
• Unable to attend certain events going on in Oklahoma this weekend due to work conflicts. EXTREMELY upset about this. From what I've heard, it's going to be a lot of fun. 
• And finally... We were informed on Wednesday that we would be getting a new/random roommate to fill the empty 4th room in our apartment. She moved in yesterday. 

Now, don't get me wrong, Caitlin (new roomie) seems awesome. We all had drinks and play time last night to get to know each other a little more. AND she is a die hard Office and Twilight fan... I think we will get along just fine! She also brought an adorable/giant bulldog along with her named Junior. However, I just think my body and emotions have been on overload and right now, things to just be going through the motions. I literally just want to curl up in bed, in fear of more things happening. With my last week of school ahead, going through the motions is the last thing I need to be doing.

Phew. I'm done kids. No more complaining. Here are a few pics from the week...

Footprints

Last night I had a dream. I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one belonged to me, the other to the Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that at many times along the path of my life, especially at the very lowest and saddest times, there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.  “Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, You’d walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me.”

The Lord replied, “My son, my precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of suffering, when you could see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”

Memorial Day Weekend

Here's to the 3 day weekend ahead! 

May you find yourself surrounded by safety, fun, and too much sun.

All my love. 

Hour of Existence

Hour of Existence

Life is about the little things,

So make sure you always have a song to sing!

Hard times come and go,

But every morning the Sun continues to glow!

When the wind is rushing around,

Take time to listen to the freedom in it's sounds.

When the sun and the horizon kiss,

Read the story that is told through a single star’s bliss.

When everyday seems to have no meaning,

Always know that there are magical secrets hiding and waiting.

And for all of you going through times that get harder and harder,

Just remember, Love is always right around every corner.

And what you always see on a rainy day,

Should never, ever stand in your way.