Lessons learned from the radio...

As I sit here listening to my new favorite Amos Lee station on Pandora, the songs that fill my speakers are all about life, love, and appreciation. None of the songs are complaints, or sound like poor me, why me, why that etc. I admit, I'm gaining perspective and apparently am in need of an attitude adjustment. Maybe it's the weather? Gray day after gray day is getting to be a bit overwhelming. Or maybe it's the people all around who aren't aware of their surroundings and can't seem to hold doors open or say please and thank you! (For those of you who know me really well, know that these are all huge pet peeves of mine!) But the more I think about it, the more I feel myself blaming everything around me and not really looking to myself and how I'm handling certain situations or not looking at things any other way but negatively. So, I just need remind myself not to get caught up in the madness, to keep a smile on my face, surround myself with good people, and always wear a warm coat! Things are what they are, people are who they are, and there is always beauty to be found in it all....we just have to look for it! 

Fresh Mountain Air...

Well, I finally made it out west! This past weekend Jason and I headed to Colorado to visit his best friend Jason. I was so excited to see the mountains, and just like everyone told me I would...I fell in love with them!

My flight there was nice and smooth, and the airport was amazing! (Rachel, you were so right!!!) I'm a dork, and took pictures inside! (There is a small one in the collage.) Jason and Barry picked me up from the airport and we made our way into Denver! Jason Mejeur helps coach the men's basketball team at Colorado Christian University, so we went to support him and the Cougars! They played a great game and we had a lot of fun watching Jay in action. He's extremely dedicated to the team and is making a positive impact on the guys, they are so lucky to have him!

Saturday morning we grabbed a delicious breakfast at this little place called Snooze. What a great name for a breakfast joint isn't it?! I had the best pancakes I've ever had, and the company and conversation was a great way to get the day started. Jason and I drove around for awhile in downtown Denver, just checking things out and "getting our barings" as Jason likes to call it! (a.k.a. not wanting to ask for directions) Then we made our way to Boulder to do some sight seeing, and beer tasting. The drive over was gorgeous! (The picture in the very center of the collage was taken on the way.) Mejeur told us we had to go to Pearl Street and walk around so we took his advice and headed that way once we were in town. The street was lined with shops and restaurants, and we had lunch at The Mountain Sun, they had great food and we tried a bunch of different kinds of their beer! My favorite was the Black Cherry Wheat, Yum! After lunch we drove to the the Avery Brewing Co. We got to taste 10 different kinds of beers and WOW were they different then what we're used to here in the Midwest! We only finished three of them...they were good, but a couple of them were very strong and to be honest tasted a lot like pine needles! We headed back to Denver to take in another basketball game (Cougars got a W!) and went downtown to a great mexican place called the Rio Grande and had an amazing dinner with lots of margaritas!

Sunday morning, we were up early to get ready for our Sunday Mountain Adventure as Jay called it! We started with a coffee and baileys and jumped in the car and headed toward Breckenridge! The weather was a bit rough on the drive, it was snowing pretty good, and was very overcast, but as soon as we got to the trail it cleared up and the sun came out. We hiked up Spruce Creek trail for about 2-3 hours and boy was that an experience! Everyone kept telling me that the altitude would get to me, and boy did it ever!!! I was out of breathe quickly, but I kept pushing myself and Jay was pretty proud of me. We made it over 10,000+ feet and it was amazing. We took pictures on a frozen lake we came across and the scenery was breathe taking. I felt so incredibly small...and it really puts things into perspective.

Jason has always told me that when he's in the mountains that's when he really is at peace and that is where he feels God's presence that most...I can now say that I know what he means and I completely agree. It's so quiet, and peaceful, and untouched. We took a moment and said a prayer, thanking God for all that he does, and for all that he has done for us. It was a perfect moment and I'm so happy that we were able to share that together!

Overall it was a great weekend, too short of a trip, but wonderful nonetheless! I can't wait to go back and try skiing or snowboarding...Jason should be ready to go next winter as his knee is healing really well, so we'll  have to try out the bunny hills!

Next up is a trip to Florida to visit my mom and stepdad! 28 days and counting!!!

Good reminder...

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.  ~Anthony J. D'Angelo

Here's to you...

The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.  ~Elisabeth Foley

I love this quote! It's such a simple thought, but I find that it's incredibly accurate! I have said this many times, but I am so blessed to have the friends that I do...the people that I've grown up with, the people that love me despite my faults, and the people that I know are always there to share all of the good times and help me through the bad. 

A couple of those people were visiting recently! Last weekend the girls came Chicago  so that we could celebrate Jenny's 26th birthday! We had a great day full of eating, shopping, talking, sipping wine, and as always we laughed till we cried on several occasions! We've all known each other for years, and as life does, its taken us all down very different paths and far away places. The most unique thing about getting together like we do (not as often as we'd like) is pick up right where we left off. We can talk about everything that's new and exciting, but the best part is reliving some of the best times we've ever had and 9 out of 10 times it involves all of us being together! Laughing about college, or high school, and sometimes even middle school, and as many times as we've told the stories before and laughed, it seems the older we get the funnier the stories are and we can't help ourselves and before we know it we're laughing so hard we can't breathe. It may sound funny, but in those moments, I'm alive, filled with love, and I'm humbled because I realize just how lucky I am to have these women in my life. I wouldn't be the same person without them and the beautiful, life long memories we've  created. 

As time quickly passes these trips together unfortunately seem few and far in between, but we have such a strong bond that the time and distance can't break it. Within the last couple of years so many exciting things have happened to us all, and there are many, many, many more exciting things to come! 

 

What a lucky girl I am!

"Love is a noble act of self-giving, offering trust, faith, and loyalty. The more you love, the more you lose a part of yourself, yet you don't become less of who you are; you end up being complete with your loved ones."

Monday mornings are always rough, but my Monday started out perfectly yesterday! It was MLK day and I had to go into work (sometimes I really miss those bank holidays!) Jason had the day off, but still managed to get up early, make my favorite coffee, and drove me to work so I didn't have to brave public transportation in the cold! As if that wasn't wonderful enough, when I got home from the gym last night, Jason picked me up, and had made homemade Italian chicken noodle soup, salad, bruschetta, and had a bottle of white wine waiting! It was amazing!!!

I am a very lucky girl, and am so blessed to have found a man that loves me for me, and with these big and small acts of love, he shows me just how much he cares!

I love you Jay:)

Wordle...

Jason found this yesterday and I think it's amazing! It's called "Wordle" and you can create your own word art using poems, stories, lyrics etc. :)

(To see a bigger image click on the picture!)

www.wordle.net

Praying for Haiti

As tragedy strikes it comes down to one thing...who is willing to help, and how? Watching footage, seeing pictures, and reading articles is horrifying and gut wrenching. I was at the gym running on the treadmill and about lost it right there at my 2 mile mark...tears stung my eyes, and goose bumps littered my arms, and I said a prayer. A country that already had so many issues is now in rubble, and the dead bodies all over the streets...so overwhelming...I cannot imagine what it must be like to be there. I would like to be there. Helping. Doing something, anything to heal or just give the smallest bit of hope and comfort to someone in need. As time and life would have it, I am not in a position to do that and have 110% respect for the men and women who are giving aid to all of the people in need.

We are so fortunate to live in a country that has a stable government (although some may disagree) and we have health care, medicine, and jobs. We're able to provide ourselves with shelter, food, and clean drinking water. I think these are things we all take for granted daily.

I know I do! When the days seem long and something doesn't go our way, we tend to get upset and let the small things interfere with the things that are truly important.

I am so thankful for the people in my life, the roof over my head, the job I have to go to everyday, and all the opportunities that have been presented to me. I am overwhelmingly blessed.

Pray for Haiti!

Oh what a New Year's it was...

I finally uploaded my pictures from NYE! We had a terrific evening! It was very low key, filled with lots of laughter, amazing food, lots of drinks, and sing star! Scott, Hannah, and Mr. Chris Froelich came to visit and we were so happy to be able to spend the evening with them as well! Ringing in 2010 the way we did was a perfect start to the new year!!! We love you all! Thanks to Mike & Luke for hosting, and Aaron for cooking the most amazing food!

Make a Smilebox greeting

Crossing my fingers...

"The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bare the deepest wounds and scars of war."
General Douglas MacArthur

As most of you know my little brother, Davey, has been stationed overseas for the last 5 months and I sit here crossing my fingers, so tightly because he may be home in just 10 short days!!! Now, the ARMY isn't as organized as one would think (as they don't often know the exact dates of departures or arrivals) but for this exciting news, I sure hope they are spot on! It would be the best answer to my long months worth of prayers for my baby brother to be home safe and sound! I am so proud of him, and can't wait to hug him, smell him, hear his stories, see his smile, and most of all I can't wait to thank him for putting his life on the line everyday so that we can sleep safe at night and breathe free in the morning!

Shout out!

To all of you who I love and trust...
To all of you who support me day in and day out...
To all of you who have forgiven me when I've faltered...
To all of you who accept my flaws and try to see the beauty in them...
To all of you who may not always understand me or the things I do, but respect me...
To all of you who have changed my world and made it better...
To all of you who are near and far away...
To all of you...You are beautiful to me!

My mom always told me...

With the new year here and a clean slate before me...I sit here thinking of what I need to focus on and what kinds of things I can be better at, and also hope that the people around me will be inspired to be better too! Then everyone wins! One of the biggest things that came to mind is actually so small and simple but can make a world of difference in a persons life.

Being Kind!

My mom always said "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all!" I'm sure we've all heard this, and we've all failed constantly! The important thing is that we try, and try again! I know that I'm very guilty of letting my tongue slip and it's come back to haunt me a time or two, but I admit my fault with my sincerest of apologies, and am continuing to make a big effort to tame my tongue! When I hear people making unnecessary comments, back-handed or just unfiltered it's pretty irritating! Supporting family and friends and having their support and positive reinforcement makes for a happy attitude so why not focus on that?!