A Shout-out to God

"Life is a song, sing it. Life is path, walk it. Life is a 

dance, move with it. Life is a prayer, say it. Life is hope, 

dream it. Life is promise, fulfill it. Life is life, live it." 

(mother theresa)

Sometimes.... when you least expect it, your prayers are answered in a way that is surprising, breathtaking, sudden, and amazing.  At least that's how it is with me.  Once again, I reminded that life is not planned on my time schedule, but God's time. He knows what He is doing, while I often do not know what I am doing day to day.  Thus, I put it in His hands.  Whatever I give to Him, He returns tenfold. And how amazing is that. 

Thanks, God. :) 

(some of) My Favorite Quotes

"The best thing to hold on to in life is each other." (anonymous)

"The biggest mistake is not to tell someone you love them while they are still alive." (unknown)

"Certain thoughts are prayers. There are moments when, whatever the attitude of the body, the soul is on its knees." - Les Mis  ... so true. 

"Eventually everything falls into place...until then, live for the moment, laugh at the confusion, and know that everything happens for a reason." 

"The soul would have no rainbow if the eyes had no tears." -Native American Proverb

" We get one story, you and I, and one story alone. God has established the elements, the setting and the climax and the resolution. It would be a crime not to venture out, wouldn't it?" (Donald Miller)

"When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you. He's merely opening your hands to receive something better."

"Life is a song, sing it. Life is path, walk it. Life is a dance, move with it. Life is a prayer, say it. Life is hope, dream it. Life is promise, fulfill it. Life is life, live it." (mother theresa)

"Only your real friends tell you when your face is dirty."

"May you be in Heaven a half hour before the devil knows you're dead." - Old Irish Prayer

"Distance is not far when your hand carries what your eye has found." - Dispath - Elias

"That's what all of us do, who make things up for a living. We tell the lies that tell the truth." -Neil Gaiman

"Begin at the beginning and go until you come to the end; then stop." -Lewis Carrol

"It's cold outside yet my heart burns as if to melt the whole world."

"Before you, Bella, my life was like a moonless night. Very dark, but there were stars - points of light and reason.... And then you shot across my sky like a meteor. Suddenly everything was on fire; there was brilliancy, there was beauty. When you were gone, when the meteor had fallen over the horizon, everything went black. Nothing had changed, but my eyes were blinded by the light. I couldn't see the stars anymore. And there was no more reason for anything."
-Edward, New Moon

"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."
-C.S. Lewis

"The pen is mightier than the sword if the sword is very short, and the pen is very sharp." 
-Terry Pratchett

there's a little. . . 
truth behind every 'just kidding'
curiosity behind every 'just wondering'
knowledge behind every' i dont know'
emotion behind every 'i dont care'


‎"listen to the mustn'ts, child. listen to the don'ts. listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... anything can happen, child. anything can be"- shel silverstein


 Real love is not a temporary feeling or emotion. Emotions and feelings change, sometimes daily. But true, unconditional love is constant. Love is a decision to want the best for another, nothing less.
-Dana Trudeau

Reflection of Summer

Well, that was a long break from the blogging world.  Basically what happened was life. So much has happened since the last time I wrote.
Some good stuff, some bad stuff- but "life" stuff all the same.


Today I had my first PSL of the season, which (for me) marks the beginning of the end of summer and the beginning of my most favorite season, fall. I am not sad to see this summer go.  I used to love summer when I was a kid.  Summer meant freedom and fun and doing all the fun stuff we couldn't do during the school year. It meant waking up whenever, eating lunch at 10:30, swimming, being creative, being a kid.  I know that growing up means that summers have to change, and that summers no longer mean absolute and total freedom.  I guess, I just have to get used to that.  However, even taking that into consideration, this summer was one of those eras in your life that test your metal. Like I said, I'm not sorry to see this summer go.


That being said, there is one thing that I really learned this summer - one thing that made the summer realllllllly worth it. I am constantly reminded and am constantly reaffirmed in my husband's love for me - and my love for him.  No matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, I am always in awe of my husband's love for me.  Looking back, his love out-shined the sun.... camping in an airfield where he bundled me up in a poncho and aluminum foil blanket. He gave me his hat.  At one point in the night, there was a freak thunderstorm and I thought we were going to be electrocuted or blown away in the windstorm.  I thought to myself, "Well, If I'm going to die here, at least I'm huddled up next to my Dana."  But when the morning dawn broke, I thought, "We made it!"  And somehow, some way, we were stronger as a couple for having braved that night... that week.... that trip.


Other summer events: a 13-hour trip to Long Island - Laughing nearly the whole way, singing songs at the top of our lungs, laughing at silly stories, reading out loud, sharing a banana split.
Multiple trips to the zoo to plan for amazing race.  Those first planning trips were amazing - whole days spent just the two of us, slowly wandering around the zoo, learning facts about animals, strolling hand in hand, being creative with the photography and the planning, hanging upside down in the tree.


Our movie date to see "Water for Elephants" - buying popcorn and icees to somehow justify spending $20 on tickets in the first place.


Maybe..... just maybe.... maybe this summer wasn't as bad as I originally thought. Maybe my sweet Love has given meaning to all the trials and tribulations of this summer.  He is my rock.

There are some things a guy should always do for a girl - the facebook version

I found this list in an old facebook group I belonged to: "There are Some Things That a Guy Should Always Do for a Girl. Period."


Just in case the rest of the world needed a refresher course on chivalry, here you go: 

1. Open doors when possible - whether it be to a building or the passenger car door. the classic example that's stood the test of time.

2. When in a place of worship (or other places that have aisles and pews), if a man is at the end of the pew, when exiting he should stand in the aisle and let all his lady go before him.

3. A man should tolerate the occasional chick flick, musical, opera, or ballet - whatever her preference is - *without* complaining about it.

4. Play one of the songs that would make any woman weep like the little girl she once was (but in a good way). A brief list includes, but certainly isn't limited, to:

"Love is Not a Fight" by Warren Barfield

"Collide" by Howie Day

"Out Of My League" by Steven Speaks

"Just the Way You Are" by Boyce Avenue 

"One" by U2 

5. Talk! The strong & silent bit goes from intriguing to boring quite fast.

6. Find out what her favorite flower is and buy them for her randomly (regardless of the situation you might be in).  (I encourage the women to not allow a guy to "prove himself worthy" through gifts and flowers and such. Trust is a precious thing and it should take a good chunk of time before he gains it back in your heart.)

7. If you miss her, or love her, TELL HER! Even your friends like to hear it every now & again.

8. Remember: the best gifts you can give are usually free of cost.

9. Leave a note (or send a message) just to say "hi".

10. Ask her questions about herself.

11. Dress nice every once & a while. Any girl likes to see her brother/friend/boyfriend/etc. in a well-ironed button-up with some nice slacks.

12. Read the books she likes, and discuss them together!

13. Tolerate small children as best you can. Meaning, put up with the things that can get annoying. They're children, after all. Show them love and care, teach them how to become a better man than you.

14. Learn to dance! There is nothing sexier than a man who can dance really well. If God did not bless you with the grace of Fred Astaire, at least put forth the effort, it will be greatly appreciated. Always slow dance (even if it's just like you danced in middle school). Also, men, sing to a lady. Even if you're terrible, suck it up! They love to listen to it and will not care what you sound like. It's the thought that counts on this one.

15. Kiss her on the forehead.

16. When she's sick, stay up with her. If you can cook (which is *always* a plus), make her some soup. If you can't cook, there's Campbell's soup at hand for you.

17. Hold her hand while you talk, drive, or just for the heck of it (it's the small things that win you big points).

18. Call her beautiful, because that's what she is (or gorgeous or stunning or captivating or...)

19. Offer her your jacket/sweatshirt. (Note: you may not see that particular item of clothing for a while, if ever again).

20. Don't be too proud to apologize.

21. It's not stalking to watch her sleep if you fall asleep watching a movie. It is stalking to watch her sleep if you're standing outside her window with night vision goggles.

22. When she feels at her worst, tell her she looks her best... and mean it! True beauty comes from within...always! The outside reflects the inside, not the other way around.

23. If you're trying to get more than friendship out of the relationship, take it slow and never rush her.

24. Guys - always offer to pay for the date. No matter how expensive it gets, especially if YOU asked HER on the date. [if she is willing to pay now and again, don't let your "man pride" get in the way of her wanting to give back to you. she should understand money can be tight - especially when you're always buying]

25. Always do everything in your power to keep her as happy as you can. And cheer her up in any way possible.

26. When walking on the sidewalk, always walk on the outside near traffic. 

27. At least do everything in your power to keep cursing to a minimum while around her. If you can, cut it out period while around her, or cut it out of your vocabulary. Women don't want to hear it, guys don't care about it, adults don't want to hear it, it doesn't impress employers, and you sure won't want your children or someone else's to hear it!

28. Sometimes you have to take the initiative. Don't always wait for her to come to you, because if that's how it always is, you're going to lose her.

29. If any lady is walking alone to her car in a dark parking lot/garage, or is carrying a heavy load, always offer to help walk her to her destination and carry things, if not the entire load. 

30. If a woman says no, let that be her final answer with maybe one question of confirmation after her first answer. Do not pressure or force her in any way after that. Don't make her give in to something she doesn't want to do.

31. Always be honest with her. No woman wants or likes a dishonest man. If you can't be honest with her, she can't trust you, and shows you don't trust her enough to be honest. Trust, honesty and integrity are just as an integral part of a relationship and just as important as love.

32. A man should always genuinely listen to women; no matter how bored or busy the man is. Actively listening to the woman will keep him from pain (and bring the man and woman closer together). This works best, of course, when both the man and the woman actively and equally engage in conversation (this includes listening). For the ladies reading this, please talk - always talk - especially if you are having problems with the relationship and to also avoid making bigger problems.

Heat Wave ... and exhaustion

Well, it's definitely been awhile since my last post.  My last post was about spring, well.... its 95 right now! We're right in the middle of a heat wave haha. 

There's much updating to be done, but I'm far too exhausted. So far now, just enjoy a current musical obsession of mine...

Spring!

Finally, spring is beginning to bloom!

When you least expect it.....

Love happens when you least expect it.
Change comes when you least expect it. 
Life happens when you least expect it. 


Sense a pattern here?


Well, it's true.  Sure, some things are predictable, but most of life is a surprise.  We may know that change is coming, but we don't know when .... and it usually is when you least expect it. 


That being said, the past month has been a roller coaster ride of surprise after surprise.  Our lives, while not totally changed, have definitely started a new chapter.  My husband got a new job, I got a promotion of sorts, and a few adventures are being planned along the way. 

"Sometimes, it is the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."  - Keri Russell