Thoughts of the Day
My life has qualified me as "experienced" on such topics as Army life, parenting, mental health, loss and grief, multi-tasking, and adapting to all things new (good, bad, or indifferent). I will share my thoughts on these topics and hopefully you will find some calm in the chaos knowing that others have been where you are.
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Guest Post: How New Socks Can Change Your Life
Guest post for Shelbee on the Edge Written by Victoria Barnard Socking it to your New Year’s Resolution Inspiration can come from the smallest things. In January 2016, one of my good friends in an unprecedented fit of New Year resolution excitement found the inspiration to change a downward slide into obesity by making changes to his diet and taking up jogging. He chose to begin the popular “Couch to 5k” program, a running training schedule that purports to take you in around 9 weeks from consummate couch potato to running a 5-kilometer mini-marathon. Well, much to his family’s surprise and joy he did indeed complete the 5k program as…
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New Year’s Resolution for 2017: I Choose Joy
Happy New Year! I am back from my blogging break during which time I spent countless hours photographing merchandise for Shelbee’s Shoppe, taking measurements, and loading the images online for your shopping pleasure! I also reformatted my entire website to accommodate my online shop. Please do stop by and see all the pretty things! I am still adding items every day, so please continue to check back. And do let me know what you think! For my very first post of the new year, I want to share a little story with you all. During the late morning of New Year’s Eve, I was out and about running some errands…
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#SpreadTheKindness Movement (and Link Up) & My New Lularoe Carly Dress
Now more than ever, I believe it is of the utmost importance to be spreading kindness and love wherever we go. The holidays have arrived and while many people feel moved by the spirit of the holidays, there are also so many who feel depressed, stressed, tired, or just angry for various reasons at this time of year. Add that to a time of social tension in our country that has arrived in the wake of a controversial Presidential election and emotions are running high. Many people are edgy to say the least. We are watching people every day expressing their emotions by acting out in cruel and frightening ways. We are…
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A Ray of Sunshine in a Hate-Filled World
If you are friends with me or follow me on Facebook, then you already know that I have been receiving some pretty nasty messages and comments in response to my post about the Presidential election. Toward the end of that post, I stated, “Also know that I guarantee that I will NOT respond to harsh and unkind words. So if you are looking for a debate or an argument, you will not be satisfied here.” Being a person who reserves my right to change my mind, I have done just that. I have changed my mind. And at the end of this post, you will find my response to the…
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My Religion: The Greatest Of These Is Love
I began a recent post My Response to the Presidential Election with the words “I am not a political person. Nor am I a religious person. But I am a passionate person.” The post then went on to discuss my political (or lack thereof) views. And the part about not being religious was just left hanging out there undiscussed. Not wanting to just leave it hanging there undiscussed, I figured now was as a good a time as any to share my religious views with you. They are quite similar to my political views. My feelings are this: if what you believe gets you through the day and the night…
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My Response to the Presidential Election
I am not a political person. Nor am I a religious person. But I am a passionate person. And I am an intelligent person. I am an optimist. I have opinions. And I sometimes pass judgments. For the most part, I will keep my judgments to myself. And I generally will only share my opinions when asked. I mind my own business and I stay out of the business of others. I do not like confrontation. But if pushed too far, I will engage. I am soft when the situation calls for it. I am hard when I need to be. I am compassionate, empathetic, kind, and understanding. I am…
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5 More Life Lessons & Link Up On the Edge #20
In my last post When a Talker Runs Out of Things to Say, I mentioned that I currently am suffering from writer’s block. Unfortunately, it is quite the persistent bout with the block. So here are 5 more life lessons that I have learned along the way (numbers 6 through 10 from my original post), another fall outfit, and a link up. 1. I have learned that all romantic relationships will be the wrong ones until you find the right one. So know that with each failed relationship, you are that much closer to the right one. 2. I have learned that each person will handle and react to identical…
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My New York City Trip and Big Announcement
If you read my last post Something Big on the Horizon then you already know that my friend Amy and I traveled into New York City this past weekend on a secret adventure! Now I am going to tell you all about it. We headed out of Watertown on Thursday afternoon around 4:30 and headed directly to Amy’s mother’s house in New Jersey where we stayed for the weekend. And a great big thank you to her mom and step dad for accommodating us on our last minutes plans. And for sharing in our excitement! We arrived at their house around 10:00 p.m. haggard and tired and feeling kind of…
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Something Big on the Horizon & Link Up On the Edge #17
*I am posting my link up a bit early this week because I am heading off to New York City this afternoon for the weekend. I am super excited about this trip and I will share all about it later! I wasn’t sure about writing a teaser post, but it’s kind of the only thing on my mind lately. So here goes. Prepare to be teased! I am cooking up something big. Really big. Well, really big to me in my little universe. I have shared my scheme with a few close friends and family members, but I am not prepared yet to disclose it to the entire blogging universe.…
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Out of My Comfort Zone: Camo and Floral
Oftentimes, we get stuck in our comfort zones. It’s a natural occurrence and it’s completely understandable to want to stay within the confines of what makes you comfortable. Because, well, it’s comfortable. And who wants to feel uncomfortable? But I have learned that nothing great comes out of comfort…except, of course, comfort. But if we manage to push ourselves outside of our comfort zones that is where great things can happen. And this carries through just about every aspect of life that I can think of from the everyday mundane things like our clothing to the bigger and scarier things like huge life goals. When I was a competitive swimmer…
