2010 Realizations and 2011 Resolutions

I remember landing after 13 hours of haunting anticipation of being in a foreign country, looking out the window down at the city lights and feeling so far from home and my familiarity. There was a constant thought of how life was going to change forever and how my next 6 weeks would be as if I was living out a Hollywood movie; an adventure. Amsterdam was breathtaking and an Adventure that I could never sum up in a sentence, paragraph, or any words for that matter. I would never be able to describe the experience in the way it deserved to be scripted. How could I describe Shane, the Irish Hippy in Vondel Park, or the Dutch exterior demeanor of Pride and Power with a pure touch of genuine love and compassion?

I grew. My heart grew to be ten times bigger. It started to beat ten times harder. There was life that had been missed and covered by my regular routine in America. In life routine takes over us and we become robots of slaves to our comfort zones. Busyness can cause us to miss small treasures or conversations with strangers that we would normally dread. With busyness we put up walls and are closed to anything but familiar people, places, and situations.

So my new year’s resolutions are set around being less busy.

1. Walk My Dogs, Play Fetch, and Take them to all Their Vet Appointments- Gods little creatures deserve good loving too.
2. Paint More Paintings- Be inspired and utilize the Gifts God gave me.
3. Photographs- Take more pictures of Gods Blessings, people, memories and nature.
4. Write- Write from the heart about the journeys and adventures that led me to a fulfilled abundant life.
5. Love- Show my family and friends how much they really mean to me, and how I am blessed to have them in my life. Make more time for them.
6. Talk to strangers- Open up my heart to new people and leave my comfort zone. Feed more homeless people, help out more, and give back to those in need. (The Least Of These- My Passion)
7. Health- Decrease the large amount of sugar, fried greasy food and replace it with drinking more water, eating more vegetables and fruit. Our bodies are a temple. If my health is good I can stay strong to take care of those who are ill, sick, and weak.
8. Read Inspirational Books- Wisdom is learning from others, reading more books means learning more from other people that have “been there and done that.” I want to read educational books, practical books, and flat out creative books.
9. Soccer- Learn how to Bend it like Beckham (Amazing soccer player), work hard and give 100% in ever game, learn new moves, and Coach my little 9 year olds with patience.
10. Dave Ramsey- Put it to use. Print Coupons, look for deals, never pay full price, save, budget, and invest. Live like no one else…so I a can live like no one else.
11. Tip the Sonic Waiters and waitresses.

So there you go, let’s make 2011 a great year!

Dandelions and Lady Bugs

This blog was inspired by a childhood memory. It was inspired by an emotion brought on by change of something unknown. It was inspired by fear, more specifically the overcoming of fear. The picture of a slide represents a challenge that I learned was more of a joy then something to be feared. The slide stood tall and mighty, in my grandparent’s back yard with slightly rusted white paint. I realized the fear of something unknown was far less important then the overcoming an obstacle. Fear is what stopped me from truly living life as if it was a playground. Life is not always filled with joy and ecstatic moments of bliss, it can be a challenge of fear and pain, which we must learn to face.

A child does think about divorce, murder, theft, war and death. Their thoughts are racing with excitement at life’s simplicity. Their heart skips a beat at the thought of a lady bug on their finger, dandelions, and playgrounds. At first I was scared to venture up on the steep ladder of the slide, but in my head I was not thinking of how I may fall and plummet to my death. I climbed up trusting that my grandmother said it was safe, and jumped in. So with much thought, I have decided that I would like to adopt this mindset that life is our playground where though there are obstacles, they are far worth overcoming. So after overcoming fear, pain, and hard ache as a young adult I learned to adopt forgiveness. I have vowed to enjoy life from deeper understanding of a Childlike Heart. I hope you enjoy my blog. I will try hard to keep you entertained but hold on tight because… Life is an adventure.