"I'm Fine"...NOT

Do you ever get to the point where you just feel like you're completely in a funk and you don't know what to do about it? I feel like I have been that way for a little while now. It's a complete roller coaster. I'll be completely fine and then all of a sudden I'm back in my funk. I think part of the problem is that all I do is overthink things. As I've gotten older, it just gets worse and worse. I know people say that I should talk to a counselor, however, I've tried two or three of them and it really hasn't helped at all. I'm not at the point where I am ready to try again.

What do you do though when your funk is being noticed by your boyfriend and you don't really want to talk about it, but you also don't want to lie to him and tell him everything is alright? My go to is just saying "I'm fine." I'm well aware that it doesn't always help and that I should just be upfront with him, however, I feel like I need to figure it out on my own.

I'm just so tired of feeling this way in general. I'm tried of being stuck in my brain and I'm tired of feeling like I just want to ball my eyes out. I just want to feel normal, whatever that means. I want to be out of this funk and enjoy my relationship and not analyze every little thing.

I feel like I'm going through life by just doing the motions sometimes. I'm really good at faking how I'm feeling and that everything is alright. Some people are able to tell right away, like my best friend Katie and apparently Rob, but I'd rather hide it than actually have to talk about it. If I can't explain why to myself, how on earth am I supposed to explain it to someone else.

Anyone out there have any advice? It would be greatly appreciated!

If You're Happy and You Know It Clap Your Hands

I’ve decided to take a writing challenge, hopefully I can stick to it, and today’s topic is 10 things that make me happy.

Before I get into my list, here is a disclaimer…my friends, family and boyfriend make me extremely happy and being able to spend time with them is one of the things I treasure most. However, in this list I tried to think outside of the box and come up with more specific things.

1. Watching snow fall on the ground. There is nothing as peaceful as sitting on a couch or standing by a window and watching snow fall. You feel like you are in a snow globe. The world around you just disappears. Your worries, fears, and stress are gone. You are just mesmerized. Everything in that moment is perfect.

2. Christmas. This has to be by far been my favorite holiday. There are points where I feel like I enjoy it more than my birthday. There is nothing like the magic of the season. Shopping for loved ones, baking cookies, decorations, having dinner parties, doing our annual trip to the city, visiting Santa and of course the Christmas movies. Plus, I love the Christmas story. It just touches my heart every time I hear it. No other season has magic like Christmas. I have already started my countdown until Christmas is here.

3. Cuddling with my boyfriend. I love my boyfriend with all my heart. He is the most incredible, patient, amazing person I know. I love being able to spend any time I can with him. One of my favorite things to do though is to just cuddle with him. Whether we are watching baseball on the couch, watching a tv series or just laying around, there is no place I would rather be. When I am in his arms everything is okay. There’s nothing that can hurt me. All the anxiety and worries are gone. I can relax knowing that I’m safe and with someone who loves me. For me those points are some of the happiest I feel during the week.

4. Coloring. I’m in love with the giant coloring pages that Crayola has come out with. I have about 4 books at home. Not only is it relaxing but you also allows you to be creative. Plus, you are so focused on what you are doing you can zone out and just relax. I could color all the time if I had the option.

5. Playing with puppies. Who doesn’t love playing with puppies? They are cute, cuddly, and adorable. I don’t have a dog at home so when I need my fix usually I go two doors down to my aunt’s house and play with her dogs, or I go to Petland. You can play with as many puppies as you want. I usually come away with wanting all of them and sending pictures asking if we can get one. The answer is always no…

6. Cuddling on the sofa with my mom. No matter how old you are, you will always need your mom. Sometimes the best thing is to just lay on the couch cuddle with her and not even talk. Moms usually make everything better and even if you don’t talk it’s just a relaxing time.

7. Family game nights. We rarely do this but at points we will play bananagrams or Uno as a family. There are so many laughs and memories made. It’s some of the best times.

8. Giving gifts to people and seeing their reaction. I love to buy/make people gifts and see their reaction. I love seeing their enjoyment and excitement when they receive something special or something that they want.

9. My birthday. Who doesn’t love their birthday?! It’s the one day a year, unless your me and it lasts a month, where it is all about you. No matter how old I get I will always be excited to celebrate my birthday.

10. Walt Disney World. All I can say is it’s the most magical place on earth! Where else can you go to act like a kid and relive all the magic Disney created? If I could I would be at Disney all the time or even live at Disney on Main Street USA. A part of me will always be a child at heart, and never outgrow Disney .

These are the 10 things that make me really happy. I could go on, but I figured I would follow the rules and only list 10. What are some things that make you really happy?

Recap since February 2016

I can't believe how quickly time flies by. To think that my last post was in February 2016 is beyond me. So much has happened since then.

For starters I traveled back to Australia for the second time. It was absolutely amazing to see all of my family again and get to know everyone even more. I miss them so much and wish that I would be able to see them more often. I keep hoping that they get to the U.S. sometime soon. As much as I wouldn't mind going back there, a 26 hour flight is not on the top of my list. However, family makes it all worth it.

Speaking of family, since the last time I blogged I have 3 new cousins. Lucia, Bennett, and Luke. I love spending time with Lucia. Bennett is very much a momma's boy and I don't really get to spend a lot of time with them. Hopefully at some point he will get used to me. Although he is almost a year and a half. I don't have high hopes to be honest. Then there is Luke. I have yet to get meet him. My cousin Angela lives in South Carolina so we only get to see them about once or twice a year. It makes me sad because I really loved spending time with her and we don't really talk that much right now. I honestly need to make more of an effort to talk with her.

I am still at my current job, although I am now a Marketing Lead. Things are just more stressful now, but that's normal right?

The biggest news is...I'M OFFICIALLY TAKEN!!!! That's right. I officially have a boyfriend. his name is Rob and he is the most amazing person that I have ever met and I am head over heels in love with this boy. He is Italian, Catholic, makes me smile, is funny, smart, hard working, caring, strong, and so much more. I truly can picture my entire life with him. I can't wait to see where the future goes and what is in store with us. Sorry, ladies this man is mine so hands off!

There has been so much change and crazy things that have been going on in a year and a half, it's safe to say that this life has truly been one magical adventure!

What does it mean to care?

What does it mean to care about someone? I don't know if the world knows what that means anymore. I sit here thinking about life and I realize that there are people that I care about but have no idea if they care about me. Honestly...probably not. There are people that I have in my life that I put so much effort into our relationship and yet nothing is given in return.

Don't get me wrong I'm don't expect someone to drop everything that they are doing for me. But it would be nice to know that someone is thinking about me or care about me. Yes, I know that I am using the word "care" a lot but the reality is that there is really no other word to use to describe.

In my daily life there are many people who I think about and would be happy to go out of my way for, but would those people do the same for me. I can't confidently say yes they would. The world has gotten to a point where they are more concerned about themselves than others. I understand that we have to be able to think about ourselves but there should still be concern for other people.

I'm tired of putting in the effort and not having it returned. People say all the time that I should only care about myself and screw the other people who aren't supportive or won't go out of there way for me. Unfortunately, I am not wired that way. I will always care too much. Then it hurts when people don't care enough but yet I still put my heart out there, even when I try not to.

A little back story I have always tried to not let people in. I figured if I don't let people in then I won't get hurt. Well it works for a while but then you begin to start caring about people or let your guard down. Somehow I always seem to let my guard down with the wrong people...which yes I will take full responsibility for. As much as I try it seems like I don't learn my lesson. Yet, I don't know how I find these people or how I get to the point where I can't get them out of my life because I care too much.

For example this guy in my life right now. We are just friend but yet I still care about him and sometimes he is amazing but other times it's all sexual and he can give two craps about me. For example last night, I didn't want to talk about anything like that and he was like you could go straight to sleep. Then today he was amazing and showed he cared and even said he cared. I get we are not in a "relationship" but I would still like to feel like he cares. Please note I did not ask him if he cared or not.

Then tonight I was out to dinner with high school friends and everyone was talking about this girl Lauren who is in rehab for the 100th time. Mind you, I am all for people going to rehab and getting better but when it is seen as a joke that is when I stop caring. Also she has done some pretty bad stuff to me and has stolen from my family so you can see that I really don't care. Anyways, they were also talking about her and her twin's (my best friend) birthday. I wanted to be like hello, my birthday comes first, does anyone care what I'm doing for mine. I don't mean to be selfish, but I NEVER get thought about with these girls. I just don't, and for once it would be nice to be all about me.

I guess the moral of my post tonight is...why can't we live in a society where people care about one another, and while looking out for yourself is important, why can't people put in the same amount of effort as someone else does in a relationship or friendship?

I was talking to my best friend Steph about this and she had the best note back which is what I needed to hear and how I will end this post. Here it is:


"Hold onto your values and what you believe in...it's what makes you you and be proud of that! You're an amazing woman! Even though things are tough and it might be lonely at times, you deserve a man who loves you for you. Don't ever forget that! You shouldn't change for someone to love you."

R-E-S-P-E-C-T...Find Out What It Means To Me

Sitting here today I started to think about respect. What happened to it? Let's face it, we can all say that we have respect for others but is that really the truth? If you were able to see yourself during the day would you be happy with how you treated others? Would you be okay with the way you acted? For some of us we show respect to others, whether we know them or not, but for a majority of us we preach one thing and do the exact opposite.

As time goes on, and I continue to grow, I've come to realize that respect for others have diminished and it is rare that you find some that lives by their values. Whether you are working or out with friends the reality is that respect goes right out the window when it isn't convenient for someone. Don't get me wrong, I do believe that there are a lot of good people out there, and I'm blessed to have many in my life, but I'm talking about the world in general.

Growing up I was taught to always have respect for others. I was taught that you should always be respectful in the way you act and talk no matter who it is. It doesn't matter if you don't have respect or like the person, you still act respectful. Today's world is so self-centered that respect doesn't matter anymore. Think about it...when you send someone a text message asking someone a question and they don't reply at all but you know they saw it, how is that respectful? Don't you think the respect that the person had for you is going to go straight out the window? Or if you decide to embarrass someone at work or in public, when the respectful thing would be to talk to them one on one or not say anything, how do you think that is going to affect your relationship with them.

Everything now a days is "when it is convenient for ME" or "ME, ME, ME." People don't think about others. Look back at relationships that you've lost, respect probably had something to do with it. As adults if this is how we plan to continue to act, I feel sorry for the younger generations and our future kids.

My sister and I taught Religious Education at our church. We had a class of 2nd graders. The way that they would take to us and each other was completely disrespectful. If any of you know us, that didn't last very long. We put a stop to it right away and created consequences if they were going to act that way. These kids were learning about respect from their parents. It was clear that the parents didn't even care what their kid was doing, or that's how they acted in their lives.

If people are rude and disrespectful to us, why do we keep them in our lives? Sometimes we don't have a choice. They are co-workers, family, or maybe a friend who you have known for years. No matter how we justify it to ourselves, when they do something that is mean or disrespectful, it still hurts. Even though we are hurt from it, face it, do you really think the other person cares, and even if you tell them you're hut, are they going to change their ways? Probably not! So why keep them around?

One of my best friends, Jenna, is truly an inspiration when it comes to this. She has cut people out of her life who are rude, disrespectful, and don't have her best interest in heart. I wish I could tell you right now that everyone who has been disrespectful to me, I've cut out of my life. The reality is, that I haven't. When I've had the choice to get rid of them, I have. It might not have happened right away, but we all eventually get to our breaking point and can't handle it anymore.

I'm dealing with a situation right now in my life where there are people that I want to cut out of my life, but the problem is that I don't have that option right now. If I had my perfect world, I would love to cut them out and then show them how they have been acting or give them a taste of their own medicine. It isn't in my personality to be rude or disrespectful to someone in return. Sometimes you just have to be the bigger person, and hope down the road they get what they deserve. We've all heard that saying, "Karma is a Bitch." It's only a matter of time until people get their karma.

We all make mistakes and can be disrespectful at times. It's a matter of learning from what we have done and then trying to change the way we act. People are going to make mistakes, no one is perfect. But learn from your actions, and try to show respect to everyone that you come in contact with. Why should anyone be treated less? What makes you better than the person standing right next to you?

All I'm asking is for people to show respect to one another. You never know the difference you are making in someone's life.

Have a magical day!! 

If I Could...

It is finally the weekend! All week I have kept praying that Friday would come around, and now it finally has. I hope everyone out there will be doing something fun this weekend. This weekend I have my cousin's bachelorette party. We are going to a hotel and then spa on Sunday. It will be so much fun and I can't believe that  she will be married soon! It's coming so fast.

Since it's Friday, I figured that I would do a fun question blog. Check it out below...

IF I COULD...
Travel anywhere, where would it be? I'd go back to Australia.
Meet anyone, who would it be?  Walt Disney
Bring anyone dead back to life, who would it be? Nana
Be anyone for a day, who would it be? A famous actress
Get anything for free for the rest of your life what would it be? All insurance 
Change one thing about your life what would it be? Some decisions I've made
Have any superpower what would it be? Either read minds or snap my fingers and be anywhere
Be any animal for a day which would you be? Dog
Date anyone who would it be? Jonathan Toews
Change one thing about the world what would it be? No war
Live in any fictional universe which would you choose? Neverland
Eliminate one of your human needs which would you get rid of? Acceptance from others
Change one of your personality traits which would you choose? Stubbornness 
Be talented at anything instantly what would you choose? Be the best wedding planner 
Erase an event from history (make it so it never happened) which would you choose? Losing my Nana
Have any hair/eye/skin color, which would you choose? Maybe green eyes
Live in any country/city, where would you choose? Venice, Italy or Melbourne, Australia
Change one law in your country, which would you change? Everything has to be hands free
Be any height, which would you choose? I like my height
Have any job in the world, which would you choose? Community Relations and Marketing for a sports team
Have anything appear in your pocket right now, what would it be? Winning powerball lotto ticket


What would some of you answer for these questions? Have a great weekend everyone!

Wedding Season Times Eight

This has been one crazy year. Between a new job, planning church events, and trying to balance a social life and possibly find a boyfriend, weddings seem to have taken over my life. What do I mean? Between August 2014 and March 2015 (except for February) I have had a wedding every month. Out of those 8 weddings, I have been in 4, attended 1, went to Disney for 1, and declined 1. Weekends have been packed solid with bridal showers, bachelorette parties, wedding planning, and the actual wedding.

Even though my bank account is not very happy with me, there is something special about being able to stand up there with the people you love and truly care about. It's a wonderful feeling watching two people stand there, giving themselves to each other in front of God and their family and friends. Each bride looks like a princess, every groom look likes prince charming. That day is the beginning of their "Happily Ever After" (or so you hope). One of my favorite things to watch is the groom's face when he first sees his bride walking down the isle. That look says it all.

I feel like I have been around weddings for years. When I worked at North Central I would help our office out with all the weddings. I would help them set up the rehearsal, get everything organized, assist the bride and groom on their special day, and eventually help the bride down the isle. Some brides were definitely bridezillas, but most of them were on cloud nine.

Being apart and working so many weddings always makes me want to plan my own wedding. Not only that it makes me think about what my wedding would be like. As little girls we always dream about what that day would be like and who we would marry. As time has gone on I have definitely changed how I imagine my wedding. When I was in my high school floral design class, one of the big projects we had, was to design our wedding. I have that project stored in my room. As I look back I wanted my colors to be pink and silver and I wanted a spring or summer wedding. I had a ballgown dress and my bridesmaids had long dresses that touched the floor, and I thought I knew exactly who would be in my wedding party.

The one thing I have no idea about is who I want to stand up with me. Some of the people that I thought would be in my wedding will definitely not be standing up for me (they may be attendance however). People come in and out of our lives so quickly, I want to pick people who are going to stay in my life forever and who hold a special place in my heart.
After being in so many weddings and seeing what people have done I have definitely changed my mind on many things and until I walk down the isle it will probably change with every wedding I am in or attend.

There are some things I know for sure about my wedding. It will be in the Catholic Church, my sister will be my maid of honor, my engagement ring and wedding band will be my Nana's (the one she left me), my dad will walk me down the isle, and I plan on honoring all of my grandparents one way or another. Let's face it though, I'm single and don't have a ring on my finger so I have plenty of time to plan all the details.

My sister and mom joke with me that by the time my wedding comes around I am going to know exactly what I want and don't want. They think that their will be very limited planning with it because I'm going to know everything I want. It's probably true. Who knows I might be the most stress free bride anyone has ever met.

First things first I need to find that special guy who is will to take that journey with me. Who knows what 2015 will bring. Let's face it...life is one magical adventure!

Where There Is Faith, There Is Hope!!

Hi all, sorry for the delay in a new post. Between the start of wedding season, and a church picnic that I am planning things have been a little crazy. Anyways, I am truly going to make an effort to post consistently now...I promise.

While at work today, I was thinking about my life and where I thought that I would be right now. My mom always tells me, "We make plans and God laughs." God knows how my life is going to end up and what I'm meant to be, however, at the old age of 26 I feel like life isn't what I thought it would be. I don't have the job I want, there's no guy in my life, and I haven't done nearly all the things I want to do. Add on trials and disappointments and you can build yourself a road. Life doesn't turn out how we want or plan. I've had amazing adventures, experiences, and moments in my life that I thank God for everyday. It's easy to have hope and faith during that time in your life. The hard part is, how do you keep the faith and hope when life sends you one curve ball after another.

What do you do? If you're anything like me, I might freak out, have a few tears or meltdown, but then turn around and work on picking myself up. Life goes on, and you just have to learn to go with the flow. Trust me that is easier said than done, and I am the first person to admit it. We are all human, and unless you have a "whatever" or "I don't care" mentality, like me, you dwell on it and you doubt what is planned for you in life.

That's where faith and hope comes in. I have to believe in my heart or hearts that there is a reason why everything happens. There is a reason I didn't get the job I was praying for and I'm at a different job, a reason why prince charming hasn't turned up yet, and a reason why curve balls are being thrown. Without hope that one day things will all fall into place, life would suck and be miserable. There's a quote that says, "You can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air...but only for one second without hope."

Even when we get down on ourselves or don't know how we are going to get through an obstacle, we have to turn to God and ask for help. We have to have faith that he knows what's best for us and hope that there will be a brighter tomorrow. It's easy to forget all the blessings that we have been given when you are in that moment of hurt or turmoil. I'll admit I make that mistake too! We have keep in mind the big picture. We are all meant for great things, we just might not achieve it when we want to, but we have to believe it will happen.

Faith and hope are hard to keep. I'm fortunate enough to have amazing people in my life who are there to remind me when I forget. They are there to remind me to keep the faith, that their is always hope, to always pray, and to fight for what I want. I'm so blessed to have them in my life. They are there when I need them. Things are going to happen whether we like it or not. We can fight it or we can learn to accept. Either way faith and hope are the only way we are going to get through this magical adventure called life!!

A New Chapter

Happy almost Friday everyone!! I hope that you are all having a good evening. I know that I haven't blogged  in a while, but after some thinking I have decided to start back up again. Writing is something that I truly enjoy, and something that I want to keep up with. What better way to do that, than to blog.

I don't want you to think that I haven't been writing or blogging in two years, I actually was writing a blog for the Chicago Steel. I ended up having to give it up in June, because I got a new job. I won't lie when I say leaving and letting go of the blog was one of the hardest things I've had to do. Either way...here I am!

My plan is to keep posting about some of life's adventures that I have/will experience, but also talk about the different curve balls that life faces you with. If you decide to come back day in and day out that's awesome and I'm excited to have you share this magical adventure with me. Ultimately this blog is for me. It's a ways for me to keep track of this crazy adventure we call life, and hopefully connect with people about issues that are important to me and relateable to others.

So much has changed and happened within the past two years. Looking back I've changed and been able to grow as a person. This post starts a new chapter in my life. One that I'm looking forward to sharing with all of you. I hope you'll join me on this life's magical adventure!!

Weekend Movies

Happy Hump Day everyone! So this past weekend my sister and I hung out and watched a ton of movies. However, two of the newer movies that we watched was "Think Like A Man" and "The Lucky One." Both movies were absolutely amazing.

"Think Like A Man" was absolutely hilarious. The actors were great, and there was a happy ending which we all love to see. Jeremy and Dominic were two of the hottest guys in the film. Watching the movie, it made you think about how hard it is for men to think like women, and vice versa. But I'm not going to lie, it would be nice to have a book that told women what men were thinking. Yes, I know that it is a movie and that ironically each girl was dating someone who was described in this book, but seriously it would be so nice to have a guidebook. Especially for those of us who are into a guy but are too shy to say anything...a.k.a. me. But that's a different story lol. The bottom line is that if you are looking for a comical romance that both you and your significant other will enjoy...this is the movie!!

 

Now "The Lucky One" is definitely more of a romance movie. It was inspired by the Nicholas Sparks book, which was phenominal! Zac Efron was hot as usual and seeing his tattoo, whew. The connection between Beth and Logan (the character's names) was hot and undeniably fun to watch. It made you wish that you were the one with Zac in the movie. I was also impressed that the movie pretty much followed the book, which is something I am always worried about, especially with Nicholas Sparks books. I always seem to fall in love with the book and I just hope the movie will live up to my expectations and won't be ruined for me. The one thing that I was a little bit sad about was that the movie did not show the relationship between Logan and Zeus, the dog. Also they don't show the relationship between Logan and his friend who he lost at war, Victor. I really wished that these were portrayed in the movie, because they were so important in the book and really brought it to life. However, I think this is totally a movie worth watching, but you are going to wish you had a love story in your life like this lol.

The moral of the story is that if you are look for some amazing movies this weekend, here are two. Otherwise if these two don't appeal to you go to your local Family Video, or use netflix/redbox whatever, and find a movie you haven't seen yet. You never know what movie you'll find!

One Fabulous Weekend

As I promised I am back this week with a ton of fun posts, or at least I think they are :). Since today is Monday, I figured I would give you a weekend recap. This weekend was filled with a ton of family parties, and a whole lot of time spent with my sister.

Kathleen, is at UIndy, and to say that I miss her alot is the understatement of the year! She is my best friend and the person that I do almost everything with. She is the one person that I am able to be real with because no matter what at the end of the day she loves me.

I know, I know I'm getting all mushy. But with her moving away to Indiana it has been really hard. Well she had to attend a wedding this weekend so she was home Friday and Saturday! We had a blast. We watched a ton of movies, went out to dinner, and just hung out and talked. I definitely missed her.

She has a job interview at an ice rink today. Needless to say that doesn't surprise me. We have both grown up around the sport of hockey, and we have watched our brother, John, play hockey for over 16 years! Hockey is in our blood, and we love it! If she gets the job at the ice rink, I think it will make her feel more at home. I mean, come on, how can you go away to a school with no hockey team and be okay with that?? LOL. So GOOD LUCK TODAY KAT!! You'll rock your interview!

On Sunday, we had two family gatherings. My Uncle Mike and his girlfriend, Robin, were in town for a wine tasting. They live in Rockford for 3/4 of the year and Arizona for 1/4 of the year. Anyways, I haven't seen the two of them since April so it was nice to see them. We went to Home Run Inn, and let me just say it was absolutely outstanding!

My Uncle Mike and Robin are on the far left

After that we were off to my Aunt's house because we had family in this weekend from California. She ended up having a get together. It was so much fun! I got to see some of my cousins and two of my little cousins. Plus, I got to practice playing Mario Cart on the Wii. As you can assume I wasn't very good at it, but it was so much fun!



My Aunt and her family

  Well that's all for today folks! I hope your weekend was as fabulous as mine! Until tomorrow!

My Apologies...

Hi Everyone, sorry I've been MIA for the past week. I will be back tomorrow with a weekend update and then I have some fun posts for this coming week! Have a good rest of your weekend and be back tomorrow!

Believing is Seeing

This week's theme seems to be believing in the impossible and miracles. So I figured that I would end the week off with another post about believing, however I am going to start with a quote for this one.

In the movie, "The Santa Claus" Judy the elf tells Scott, "Seeing isn't believing, Believing is seeing." When I was younger I never really understood what that meant. As I've grown up though I always think about it Christmas rolls around. Do we all have to be convinced and see something before we can believe it. Take one of the easiest examples...Santa Claus. We might not see him, but does that mean he isn't real? Yes, I know the secret about Santa Claus, but at the same time who's to say he doesn't really exist.

In the classic 1897 New York Sun article, "Yes, Virginia There is a Santa Clause," Francis P. Church replies to a little girl who asks if there really is a Santa Claus. In the article he says that he does exist and he is as real as love and generosity. Show me the proof, if you believe there is not some kind of magic in this world. You can't prove something like that does not exist.

Which brings me to my next point, you might not be able to see everything, but you can feel it. Helen Keller once said, "The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart." Believing in Santa Claus, in God, in love or kindness can't always be seen. We feel it with our heart. Think about it. People are told all the time that God is always with us, but they don't always believe it. But think about what would happen if they started to believe. I know from personal experience there is a sense of comfort and constant love by having God in your life. I might not be able to see him right now, but I can feel it. I know I am loved and I know that he is always looking out for me.

It's the same with Santa. I might never see him, but feeling during the Christmas season, it's magical. For anyone who has felt that magic, I don't know how it is possible to say that you could never picture there being a Santa.

So why do we need proof that something is real before we believe it? When we are kids we are willing to believe in the impossible, in magic, but then why as adults do we push it all away as we grow up? Society seems to tell us, if you aren't a child then seeing is believing. Do we agree with it, maybe yes, maybe no. We don't seem to do anything about though.

Holding on to that magic and believing in something bigger than us keeps us young. If you are able to hold on to that magic and faith that are primarily meant for kids, you have been given a gift. You get the best of both worlds. You the fun of being an adult and yet you get to keep the heart and the excitement of a child. In my eyes that is one of the greatest gifts we can be given.

In about 85 days the Christmas season will begin. This year make it a point to BELIEVE and feel that spirt of Christ and love and even Santa in your. Once you start believing, that is when you will finally begin to see.

Happy Friday Everyone! Have a magical weekend!

The 1980 Miracle

Since I mentioned yesterday that one of my favorite movies of all time is "Miracle" I figured that it is only fair to dedicate a post to it. For those of you who don't know, in the 1980 Winter Olympics the United States Hockey Team won the Gold Metal. The big rival that year was the Soviets. Since 1954, the Soviets had won every world championship or Olympic game. They were the team to beat. 

The U.S. team was made up of ameteur and college players. They weren't professionals, and no one believed that they would get very far. The boys were coached by Herb Brooks, in my opinion one of the most inspirational and best coaches of all time. Brooks made his men work hard. He was determined to get the boys in shape so that they could be conditioned enough to keep up with the Soviet for a full three periods. Furthermore, he made sure that they understood that they were a team. They didn't play for the individual name on the back of the jersey, they played for the name on the front.

When the U.S. was matched up against the Soviets everyone tuned in to watch. It didn't matter if they understood hockey or not. It was the fact that they had something to believe in. America needed that at the time. The game went back and forth and the U.S. ended up coming from behind to win it. Michael Eruzione, who was also the captain, had the game winning goal. One of the most memorable parts of the entire game for fans was when the announcer scream, "Do You Believe In Miracles?!"

I grew up with hockey all around me. My brother started to play hockey when he was 5. I have watched him play now for 16 years. I understand and love the game. The excitement that you feel when you watch a good game is undescribable. Needless to say when we bought the movie Miracle my sister and I made it our movie. I think we have actually watched it so much that we know almost every single line :)

 The nice part about the movie is that every play you see is the actual play from the game. This movie is one of the most accurate sports films that you will see. Every time we watch it, it is like you are watching it for the first time and experiencing all of the games for the first time. You feel the excitement that they felt when they score a goal. You fall in love with the players, and you feel their triumphs and defeats. You understand Brooks's coaching style and why he acted the way he did. This movie is beyond phenominal! If you haven't seen it, I would recommend it!

Below is ending of the movie, it will show you the excitement that you will feel if you get a chance to see it!

Anyone else have movies that never get old? What movies are your absolute favorite?

Happy Hump Day!

This week seems to just be flying by. I have completely lost track of this entire week. So I figured that I would do a mid-week recap about the past few days (minus mentioning that I worked 2 jobs everyday lol). :)

On Monday, I was excited to go and babysit my little cousins Nicholas and Becca. Nicholas is 5 years old and in Kindergarten. I couldn't believe that when I heard it. Where has the time gone?! And Becca is 2 years old and is a ball of energy. I love hanging out with these guys, they are so much fun and we always have fun.



From Left to Right: Nicholas, Becca, and Treyson



 

We ended up playing X-Men, baseball, watched Scooby-Doo, and just ran around. It's fun getting to play with them because you forget everything that you have to do, and you get to be a kid again. I can't wait to babysit them again in 2 weekends!

Now yesterday was a complete 180 kind of day. My friend Katie and I decided to go an check out a health club (a.k.a. Blast Fitness). I have been looking for a health club because I want to keep my strength up. I was talking to my brother before I got there and he said that I should stick with insanity and not sign up for a club. Initially, I was ready to sign up and excited to do so, however I started wonder if he was right. It would be cheaper if I just bought my own weights and did the same exercises that I would do there at home. Plus we do have insanity at home.

I guess the night part about the club was that I was going to do it with my friend, which would make me liable to go, but the reality is we probably would be going at the different times so that plan was shot. So I've decided I am just going to have to motivate myself and keep myself on track. I have made a calendar and I am determined to stick to it! I'll keep you all posted.

So instead of working out, Katie and I indulged in our favorite dessert...ICE CREAM! We went to Colonial Cafe and let me tell you it was absolutely amazing!

When I got home, I had to give Kevin, my adorable beta fish, a bath and clean my room. However, we did watch Miracle as we did it, which made it go fast. Plus who could pass up such an extraordinary movie!

I hope everyone has had a good week thus far, and are able to get over and survive hump day! Until tomorrow friends! :)

My New Obsession

Okay so it is no secret to my friends and family that I am obsessed with Hallmark...more specifically cards. I absolutely love sending out cards for the holidays, and I don't mean just Christmas. I send out cards for Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, the 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. Plus you can't forget anniversaries and birthdays. Needless to say I seriously need to buy stock in Hallmark. I mean walking into Hallmark is so exciting, I can spend hours there! The main reason that I love sending people cards is that it brightens their days and they have something to look forward to!

I've come across a problem though. Since I won't be in the country for Halloween, I need to buy my cards early, and would really like to fill them out early as well. I've been searching a million sights and trying to find cheap Halloween cards that are cute.

Well as luck would have it, I came across this amazing site...and the word amazing is an understatement. It's called VistaPrint. You are are able to design cards, journals, pens, invitations, stamps, etc. I could seriously play on this site all day. Well I started to design a Halloween card but just for fun because I figured that by the time I got to the checkout it would be a crazy price that I wasn't willing to pay.

With a custom design and writing inside plus envelopes and shipping, I paid about $28! I was able to get 20 cards too. Now I'm sure you are thinking that it isn't a deal, but the reality is that I probably spend about $30 each holiday sending cards to people. To make matters even better, they were customized and a design that I wanted. For that price I was sold. At this point I was sold. VistaPrint is my new it place.

To make things more exciting, they have a ton of free items that you can buy. I got an e-mail last night that gave you the chance to customize notebooks, pens, and journals for free! So I created a calendar and a journal as Christmas gifts for my parents, and I even ordered myself custom cards. The only price that was charged was $4.99 for the picture fee. So for a total of $12 I had two Christmas gifts ordered and customized.

If you have not gone to this site, I guarantee that you will love it, especially if you love to customize gifts or send to card like I do! I hope you all check it out!

Has anyone used this site before? What did you guys think of it? Did you fall in love with it like I did??

Jason and Luke

Happy Friday Everyone! Sorry I've been MIA recently, this week has been crazy. This is a little late but I have to tell you about the Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan concert last Saturday. I went with my sister and her best friend. It was at the Tinley Park Midwest Ampitheatre. We were so excited to be going to this concert. I mean come on two hotties in one place how can you turn it down. Plus this was going to be the concert of the summer. So in true fashion we got ourselves dolled up and hit the road.

Our seats were amazing! We were in a box. Now none of us have ever been to this venue so we didn't know what our seats were going to be like. This was the view from our seats...pretty awesome.

Luke Bryan came out first and man did he look cute! Plus I love his songs so I was excited to hear them live.

While Luke was on the stage, we had some drama in our box because 4 girls came in smashed and were getting in everyone's way. Needless to say they were completely annoying the whole night. We didn't let that stop us from having fun though! Jason Aldean was next and he rocked your socks right off you!

The concert was truly amazing, however, the venue was horrible. Kathleen and I both agreed that we would never go back to this venue because it was the most unorganized place we had ever been to. They had no system for getting people in the door, no system for buying shirts, and definitely no system for parking or getting out of the lot! We both agreed that the only time we would ever go back was if it was an once in a lifetime concert!

Overall, it was a perfect final outing with Kathleen and Laura before they headed off to UIndy!

  

Anyone see any amazing concerts this summer??

Turning a New Leaf

Last night I started to do some thinking about relationships. I've come to the realization that many girls, including myself at times, will fall for the "playboy" or "jerk" because they give us attention or make us feel wanted. But why do we do that? The reality is that at the end of the day we know we are not going to end up with them. They are a fluke, an inbetween stage until we find the guy who treats us well and we shows us that we deserve better.

However, we give up the search to find that good guy because we believe that they don't exist. The other problem is that when we find that good guy they want to just remain friends. So we attempt to settle, thinking that we can change the jerks and shape them into our ideal person. Yet we know that they aren't going to change. So why do we put up with it? Why do we put all our effort into the jerk and blow off the guy we should actually go for?

I won't lie. I am guilty of this. My good friend, Craig, tells me it all the time, and I realize it. But do you think I do anything about...no! I know I should. There have been some guys in my life that I wish I would have taken a chance with, but I was too chicken to do anything. So I ended up going out with guys who had an ulterior motive and who pursued me. What makes it worse is that I'm not stupid, I knew what they want, even though they weren't going to get it.

Well last night, when I was attempting to fall asleep, I started thinking. Why do I put myself through all the crap and "heatache" (if you even want to call it that)? It's not worth it! No playboy jerk is worth wasting my thoughts or time over. I would much rather try and develop the relationship with guys who I actually like and care about. Plus maybe find some courage to do something about it.

We all get tempted with boneheads every once in a while, and they honestly might seem like a good guy at first. The reality is that their true colors shine through quick enough for you kick them to the curb! So I'm done with the idiots. It's not worth my time. I can be using that time to text a good friend and catch up with them, or work on pursuing a guy that I like. From this moment on no jerk, player, idiot is getting my attention. Period!

Anyone else feel like they have been stuck in a rut and need to make a change??