As my 24th birthday draws near...I wanted to write a post about my upbringing and how it has made me who I am today. This is a picture of my gorgeous mother. Her face says it all...she looks so happy, but slightly stressed that she now has two at once to take care of! She is a woman of grace, I tell you. Somehow her and my dad figured it out...
We grew up with so much joy and laughter...I've been truly blessed. I always say, "My cup runneth over." I have the best older sis-EVER by the way!!
I couldn't get this picture flipped the right direction...oh, well. I admit...people may view my upbringing as sheltered and that I don't have a very broad understanding of the world. My response would be...that is what your 20's (and beyond) are for!! Stay in that protected world as long as possible. I was taught manners, values and discipline on Miller Farm. Cue the Mellencamp lyrics: Well I was born in a small town And I live in a small town Prob'ly die in a small town Oh, those small - communities
All my friends are so small town My parents live in a same small town My job is so small town Provides little opportunity, hey!
Educated in a small town Taught to fear Jesus in a small town Used to daydream in that small town Another born romantic that's me
But I've seen it all in a small town Had myself a ball in a small town Married an L.A. doll and brought her to this small town Now she's small town just like me
No I cannot forget where it is that I come from I cannot forget the people who love me Yeah, I can be myself here in this small town And people let me be just what I want to be
Got nothing against a big town Still hayseed enough to say Look who's in the big town But my bed is in a small town Oh, that's good enough for me
Well I was born in a small town And I can breathe in a small town Gonna die in a small town Ah, that's prob'ly where they'll bury me I also was taught fun and shenanigans as well :) I love my childhood...and I love that I get to pass these lessons and values on to my children. Thanks for strolling down memory lane with me. Thanks to my family, who've supported me with enthusiasm my whole life. I'm a lucky, lucky girl :)
Something you may not know about me, is the fact that I love movies! I will watch dramas, comedies, thrillers, war movies--you name it. One genre I've been straying away from lately is romantic comedies. I'm not more cynical than I once was...just more realistic. These types of movies aggravate me, in that they are so predictable and you almost ALWAYS know who is going to end up with whom. I guess you just have to be in the right mood to watch them. A movie that breaks the mold of romantic comedies is, Jerry Maguire. Dude-tested, woman-approved--it is in fact a romcom, but it also incorporates real-life emotions. Also, the main two characters take you on a roller coaster--you can't really predict how their romance will end! Okay...maybe you can see it coming...but they make you (the viewer) root for them to work it out. What I'm trying to get at, is this movie is raw and it has something for everyone in it, not to mention the numerous "quotables" I like to call them: Jerry=Tom Cruise Dorothy=Renee Zellweger Rod Tidwell=Cuba Gooding Jr. Jerry Maguire: I am out here for you. You don't know what it's like to be ME out here for YOU. It is an up-at-dawn, pride-swallowing siege that I will never fully tell you about, ok?
Dorothy: Look at me Laurel, I'm the oldest 26 year old in the world. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rod Tidwell: Anyone else would have left you by now, but I'm sticking with you. And if I have to ride your ass like Zorro, you're gonna show me the money. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rod Tidwell: You are hanging on by a very thin thread and I dig that about you! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jerry Maguire: Have you ever gotten the feeling that you aren't completely embarassed yet, but you glimpse tomorrow's embarrassment? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dorothy: I love him! I love him for the man he wants to be. And I love him for the man he almost is. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dorothy: I just want to be inspired. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dorothy: Maybe love shouldn't be such hard work. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jerry Maguire: We live in a cynical world. A cynical world. And we work in a business of tough competitors. I love you. You...complete me.And I just... Dorothy: Shut up, just shut up. You had me at "hello".
Jerry Maguire: That's more than a dress. That's an Audrey Hepburn movie. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jerry Maguire: Help me... help you. Help me, help you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sign in Locker Room: A positive anything is better than a negative nothing. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rod Tidwell: You bet on me like I bet on you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sign in Locker Room: Success consists of simply getting up one more time than you fall.
Cutest kid in a movie--EVER! Humor me...this is a GREAT scene. I invite you all to watch it. Guaranteed laugh :) I apologize for the profanity...
This clip has Spanish subtitles, however it's not delayed. We should all laugh like this child--dorky smile and wild abandon :)
Thanks for listening...maybe I inspired y'all to watch this movie! Tom Cruise is in his finest, I do believe.
This picture makes me smile. It's important to remember the great days in the mist of our busy lives. That is why documenting your life in pictures is so IMPORTANT! I need to do more of it. I don't know how many times I look at pictures of friends and family to liven my spirits. Facebook can be used for good, too I suppose :)
On with it then...remembering to SMILE when life wants to make you frown. This is so important...& the answer lies in those around you. It's okay to laugh at yourself...& at others...& at the old man in aisle 4 who wore a Hawaiian shirt in the middle of winter :) Just laugh...these happenings are placed in our lives for a reason.
Co-workers are a God-send. I will stand by this statement because I rely so much on them to allow me to vent/laugh/joke around so we can shrug off uncertainties or arduous tasks the day has to offer. Thank you to those friends who might be reading this post!! I am thankful for them...AND the work that I'm having the opportunity to do.
This quote sums up what true friendship is...I hope to be there for people in my life like they are for me. Another quote that hits close to home comes from a certain pirate movie:
We all have attitude problems from time to time...my goal is to not let these instances wreck my ability to learn. That is what we are placed on this earth for. The "take-home message" is far more important than shutting yourself off to confrontation. It's going to happen...no one can escape it.
Remember this:
Ecclesiastes 7:14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other.
...there is a time for everything--as we learned from Kevin Bacon in Footloose--thanks Kevin :)
I'm not trying to be preachy...just using this blog for selfish reasons as well as sharing kick ass recipes!
We started our Holiday season with a Straight No Chaser concert!!!!!!!!!!!!! You've all got to see these guys sing together live!
I am in the spirit of Christmas now! My Straight No Chaser Christmas CDs play in my car every morning on the way to work, I've already had TWO Starbuck's Peppermint Mochas & the tree is hung up at home (parent's house).
That Spirit of Christmas, is the one played in the background as Clark Griswold reminisces about Christmases past. He gets stuck in the attic (movie-National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation) and ends up making the movie more sentimental than you would imagine. As weird as it sounds, the song is one of my favorites of the season--originally recorded by Ray Charles. It forces you to REMEMBER & REFLECT on memories & how we preserve them in our minds as a heightened, wonderful emotional experiences--one we re-visit every holiday season eagerly. Each year we all try hard to keep the momentum going with our traditions.
NOW...for my segway/transition to my next random thought: STAYING CREATIVE. Every December we try to cram in as much as possible, & I say...switch it up this year! Make NEW traditions...but keep the old, of course ;) Here is a recent find that was posted in one of my favorite blogs, Fitnessista:
As you can tell, this has very little to do with the Christmas season SPECIFICALLY, but it may give you a few ideas to switch up your way of thinking at the moment :)
#1: It's okay to make lists--brainstorm about what you wish to give your loved ones this year! That way it is easily documented, & YOU don't feel like a CRAZY person.
#4: Get away from the computer--this is a big one for me!! You lose so much of the ambiance, as well as the atmosphere, that is created by physically going outside of your home to shop. Shop Main Street...shop the mall...shop local. All of these places provide you with so much joy on their own...I'm a sucker for lights & decorations strewn everywhere. You don't get the same effect of the hustle and bustle on the couch!! There is also less urgency...which is fun to experience. Impulse buys are always great to make fun of later :)
#6: Don't beat yourself up if you don't get to all of your Christmas traditions this year...it will make them all the more special when you get to them NEXT year!
#7 AND #9--Take coffee breaks...with a loved one!! Go ahead and include some Christmas cookies in there to nibble on.
#8--PLEASE sing Christmas tunes...in the shower--I DO!! Great acoustics...just ask Will Ferrell (ELF reference-hehe).
#21-COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS- can be referenced to White Christmas: "Count your blessings...instead of sheep...& you'll fall asleep counting your blessings!" So true.
#30: Skipping right along--it is important to write ideas down...namely new recipes to try! Peppermint flavored EVERYTHING. Confession: I still haven't given pumpkin up for the year.
#33--Whatever your priorities are this season...make sure and do them wholeheartedly. It is better to COMPLETE a few SELECT activities--WELL--than to try and run yourself ragged and doing them half way.
I hope you take time to realize the "reason for the season" as well. That little baby was born in Bethlehem...our savior...Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Have fun celebrating and hug someone who means a whole bunch to you!
