"Stop being a butthole wife.."

Wow.. this article is absolutely perfect.

Since we had our son I have noticed that I get on my husbands case ALOT more. And for little, stupid, insignificant things. I don't mean to be mean, but it happens.

It seems to deal with our son recently... don't do that, why is he crying, what did you do, he doesn't like that, don't feed him that, he can't have that, why don't you know these things.. so on and so forth.

I usually justify all of that by saying I'm just looking out for him and doing what's best for our son. I'm protecting him. Whatever makes me feel better, because I KNOW that I am saying all of those things to my wonderful, hard working, loving husband.

This article was EXACTLY what I needed to read.

I think some take an extreme view of this article and think that it's saying that we, as wives, need to suck it up and do EVERYTHING for our spouse and family and just be a slave basically.

To me, it's just saying to not sweat the small stuff. Don't make mountains out of mole hills and find your blessings in your annoyances. You never know when they won't be there anymore and then you will miss them.

I am extremely grateful for all of the hard work and support that my husband has given and continues to give me. I wouldn't be able to get through this mom life without him.

Try to change your thoughts toward your most grueling tasks and turn them into blessings:

Laundry = clothes to wear
Dishes = food to eat
Bills to pay = place to live/car to drive etc.

This week, try to find the blessings in your lives. I promise that it definitely changes your attitude toward those dirty socks on  the floor.

Be Forever Grateful!


http://herviewfromhome.com/stop-being-a-butthole-wife/

I Love my job ❤️

It's been so long since I blogged that I don't even know how to catch up on everything.. So instead I'm just going to start fresh.

We just celebrated my sons FIRST birthday and I can't believe it.

First I can't believe how fast this last year went.. But I also can't believe that I have a ONE year old.
I have always wanted to me a mom. Always. When everyone was picking their careers and thinking of what they wanted to be when they grew up.. I wanted to be a mom.

Of course I had a "job" in mind and I went to college and got a degree, but I can honestly say that for the past year I have been doing my dream job.

It is full time, over time, 24/7, 365 days a year, weekends, holidays and every other negative you can think of... But I absolutely LOVE it.

No my life is not perfect. Actually probably the exact opposite. My house is rarely ever clean, and if you happen to come over and it is clean, then you better believe that I just did the quickest clean known to man before you walked in the door. My hair is mostly dry shampoo. And my make up is probably a couple of days old and only half on. But I LOVE what I do.

My son is my world. And so is my husband. Recently I have found a more positive outlook on things and appreciation for all of the hard and frustrating times. They happen every day, and usually multiple times a day.. But that's ok. And most of the time I'm not the most patient person, and I lose my temper with my son and husband, and that's ok. I am doing my best and all I can try for is to be better than I was the day before.

That's all any of us can do really!

24-Hours to Make a Difference!

This blog is to keep track and tell others my story as I put together this fundraiser! I hope to inspire others to start getting more involved in their communities and in service! 

I am planning and organizing a 24-hour fundraiser that will be held at my parents’ gym in Saint George. This fundraiser is to raise money for a family in need in the Saint George Community and will take place March 11-12, 2013. I have a Sponsor who will be donating $5 for every person who comes in to the gym during the designated 24 hours. There will also be a donation bin out as soon as we start advertising at the gym for those who will not be able to make it to the gym during the fundraiser but would still like to contribute to the cause. The money will then be anonymously given to the family. We will either pay off as much of their debts as possible, or the money will just be given to them in whole and they can use it as they please. This fundraiser is to start raising awareness in the Saint George community of those in need and ways to engage in service. I am looking forward to carrying this project out and seeing the effects of my hard work and how the family can benefit from the goodness of others.

These pictures are all from the fundraiser! I will insert my journal entries throughout the process in here as well! 

My mother and owner of the gym! 

These first couple of weeks meetings went very well overall. I am starting to become anxious and excited about this fundraiser. This fundraiser is that first one that I have been solely in charge of and it has been a great experience so far. All of the budget plans have worked out with the sponsor and my family as well. The staff is more than willing to help and work overnight to ensure that this fundraiser is a success.

The sponsor is more than willing to give the $5 per person who works out during the 24 hours. I think that this fundraiser will be a big success and I will be able to start to do more fundraisers to help those in need. 

 A member working out during the fundraiser! He brought in three friends as well to help donate!

Members love working out at the gym for a good cause! 

At the beginning of the fundraiser, in the early morning! 

            These past two weeks have been incredible! We have started to put up flyers around the gym and other populated places around Saint George. We have also started to spread the news about this fundraiser through word of mouth and the response has been great. I am surprised at how many members of the gym have said that they will make sure to come in during the fundraiser to help out with this cause. It is great to see how many people are willing to give of their time and money when there is a family in need. After these past two weeks I am almost positive that this fundraiser will be a great success and that we will be able to make a difference in the life of this family and help them to have a better life. 

Working out for a good cause! 

 A zumba class that we scheduled during the fundraiser! Everyone had such a great time!

 One of the yoga classes that we had during the fundraiser! 

The fundraiser was a complete success!  We had a total of 450 members come to work out during the 24 hours allotted for the fundraiser. The sponsor donated a grand total of $2,250 to me for the needy family in Saint George. Many of the members that I talked to during the fundraiser told me how much they enjoyed this idea to raise money because not only does it motivate them to come work out but then they are also giving to a worthy cause by just showing up. Not much effort is involved. But also, if they wanted to they were allowed the opportunity to donate what they could. After the fundraiser I wrote a letter explaining what this gift was, gathered the money and delivered it to the family. I doorbell ditched their house and watched them as they read the letter and saw all of the money. They all cried and even yelled out “thank you whoever you are, you are our saving grace!” This was an amazing experience for all involved and I will most definitely be planning more fundraisers to help those less fortunate. 

This fundraiser will hopefully inspire others to participate in, or organize their own! I hope that reading this blog will also encourage others to spread the word about the service that they have either put together or participated in! If we keep spreading the word about service then maybe one day more people will realize that opportunities to serve are all around us. We just have to open our eyes and be willing to give of our time so that someone else will be able to have a better life! 

“You are what you do, not what you say you'll do.” 
― C.G. Jung

Being True To YOU...

Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. Look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true. Think only of the best, work only for the best, and expect only the best. FORGET THE MISTAKES OF THE PAST and press on to the greater achievements of the future. Give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others. Live in the faith that the whole world is on your side so long as you are true to the best that is in you! 
                                                           ~ Christian D. Larson


We live in a world where everyone wants to look the same, and fit in. No one wants to be "unique".. or if they do, they want to be unique.. but only with their group of friends. No one wants to embrace the differences that makes everyone their own being. It is so interesting to hear people say that it's good to be unique and how you should embrace your different qualities, and yet no one seems to want to be the "only one". They want to be the "only one" with their friends... And I can't judge anyone, I have no right to. And I am still like this in a lot of ways. I never wanted to just be me. I wanted to be like them. I wanted to look like her. I wanted do this and that.. but I kept loosing sight of who I really was. And what I am capable of doing. 
We all have so many amazing qualities about us that we need to let others see. We are given certain talents or abilities for reasons. Some of those reasons we will never know. But they are still there regardless. We need to stop being afraid of being the "different" one and just be comfortable with ourselves. We need to show others that you don't have to look like her or him to be happy. You just have to be YOU. Forget about those who think you are weird, or unusual.. they don't matter. Those who matter don't mind, and those who mind don't matter. 
Be the person who makes someone else's life easier. Don't be afraid to be friends with someone just because they may not look like you. They might be someone who can help you out in your life. But you will never know until you lose the idea of what people should look like, how they should act, or what they should do. EVERYONE has something to offer the world. What are YOU offering? 

It's a New Chapter! Let it begin!!

January 1, 2012.. Crazy how fast another year went! I can't believe it, and what a year! This year was a pretty trying one, but with great friends and family I made it! And there is so much more to look forward to, not only with this next year, but years and years down the road!

This year is going to be especially great for me as I go off to college again. But this time it is a little different.. why you might ask? Because I am going to be there alone.. Yes there will be five thousand plus students there with me, but it is going to be the first time that I am attending college without my sister, or other family members being there. My first two years of college she was right there with me whenever I needed her, and then the last year and a half I have been with the rest of my family while she was gone. But this year it is all up to me! It is my year to grow and become my own person and really figure myself out. Which isn't going to be easy, but it will be amazing!

I will be going back to the college that I started at, so I am comfortable there and know plenty of people, but this time around it is a new adventure for me! I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to even be attending a University and getting the education that I want. This past year has taught me a lot about true friends and those who are just in your life for a brief moment, but were there for a reason which was for you to learn something from them. And believe me I have learned so much.

I have been blessed with so many wonderful people who have been involved in my life in some way or another. It is absolutely amazing. I have learned what it takes to become a good friend, what it takes for a friendship to dissolve, how to take others advice, how to give advice, to listen, learn and love.

I am ready for this new year and the new opportunities and trials ahead! I am ready for the chance to have a new slate and to be able to write my own story this year!
Make this year one to remember!!
Bring on 2012!! :)

Life is unpredictable.. I wonder what will happen next..?

I haven't blogged in FOREVER... it's horrible.. and what's even worse, is that I have no good excuses. I didn't blog for so long because every time I went to start a post I froze and couldn't think of anything that I wanted to write, or anything that I thought was good enough to write.. But I decided that it doesn't matter what I write.. this really isn't for anyone else but me.. Yes people read this, but I don't write it for everyone. I write for me. To help me think through whatever it is that I have to think through.. or simply to put it out into the universe and hope that someone is listening (or reading) to this and things will fall into place as they are supposed to.. So here is a post about me. About what I want to do, where I want to go, and my life :)

I have finally got my mind set on the career that I want to at least start out with in life. It took me a while to come to a conclusion on one career that I wouldn't get bored at.. but I found it. I am going to school now to earn a Bachelors degree in Exercise Science, and then I might even move on to Graduate school to get my Masters in Physical Therapy. There is so much to learn in this field, that I will never get bored. I can always be learning something new. The body is absolutely amazing and mind blowing. Everyday that I am in Human Anatomy I am shocked at how incredible our bodies are, and the things that they are capable of. It is unreal.
Even though I finally know what I want to do for a career, I have NO idea what I want to do in life. I don't know where I want to end up, or what I want to do in the process. I know I want to travel every chance that I get. I want to see as much of the world and be exposed to the many different cultures there are. I want to do new things, and explore.
I want to be able to find someone who will love, respect and cherish me. I want to have a family of my own one day, and raise them to not be afraid of change and have a desire to explore.
I want to be the best that I can be. I have been trying to work on this one a lot this summer. I am trying to figure out exactly what I want, believe, and need. I still have a lot to find out, but I have discovered a lot as well. I want to keep figuring out more about myself and become the type of person that I would want to be friends with or in a relationship with.
I know, a lot of this is kind of cheesy... but it's all truth. I have so many things running through my brain all the time.. so many places I want to go, and things that I want to try and do.. hopefully I will be able to find someone to do these things with me.
I have been involved in "relationships" per say that were completely and utterly wrong for me.. Actually almost all of them were.. and I don't write this so that people will feel bad for me at all. I write this for information. I am horrible at finding a good companion. I never look for the long term qualities that I know that I want in someone.. I look for the here and now aspects of the person. Which isn't horrible for right now I guess because I don't want to get married right now.. but it doesn't get me any closer to a goal. It almost sets me back more and more every time.. So I am starting a new goal. From now on, I am going to try to look passed the here and now, and what I want in the moment, and look more towards a long term goal when I look at who is attractive and worth my time, because I deserve someone who wants to be there down there road. I do. Everyone does. You just have to believe it.
Life is so unpredictable.. and it's up to you how your life turns out! :D

Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself!!! 

Gratitude..

    In The Secret, there is a section on Gratitude. It says, roughly, that if you are constantly grateful for the  great things that you do have, that you will attract more great things into your life. A long time ago, before I went to sleep one night, I wrote down all the things that I was grateful for that day. It was a pretty simple and general list, but I barely even scraped the surface. There are so many things to be grateful for every day, and it is important to show gratitude for all of those things. We never know what could be taken away...  
    I am so blessed. So very blessed. And it is sad to know that I don't appreciate the things that I do have as much as I should.
    I am so very lucky to be able to live with my family right now. Although, sometimes it is frustrating to live by rules, or have "restrictions", I know that everything is for my own good and benefit. I love my family with all of my heart. It probably doesn't seem like I do about 98% of the time, but I honestly do. I would do anything for them. All of them. I miss my family in Pennsylvania. I try not to think about the things that I miss out on, but when we only go back once, maybe twice a year, and I can see the differences, and how grown up everyone is, it makes things difficult. My family is the absolute best and they mean the world to me. They are the most caring, and understanding family I could ever ask for. Yes, they are loud and crazy most of the time, but that is just one of the many things that I love.
    I am so grateful to have the opportunity to go to school and to study the subjects that I choose to study.  A lot of the time I get so caught up in the homework and studying and tests, that I really don't think about how many people can only dream about being able to go to school and get an education. I am truly blessed. It is very difficult a lot of the time, but it only helps to make me a better person.
   I have a job. I have a job that I love doing. I love being on that stage and performing for everyone. The feeling you get when you see that little girl smiling at you with big eyes and having the time of her life is priceless. It makes all of the long rehearsals, hot summer days, late/early nights, completely worth it. I am so grateful to work with such amazing talent every night. I am amazed at how talented my cast members are. They are beautiful people, inside and out... as cheesy as it sounds, it is 100% true. I have made some life-long friends this summer and I wouldn't have traded it for anything. I have learned much more about myself from these amazing people than I would have on my own. Incredible.
    I am grateful for me. For my life, and for all of the amazing opportunities that I have been given, and those to come. I am grateful for the beautiful place that I live. My home, yes, but also this area of the world, and this amazing country.  It is absolutely beautiful and I take it for granted everyday. I am grateful for the "Canyon of the Gods" that I work in every night. It is breathtaking.. and yet, I still take it for granted. I am blessed. I am so so grateful for all of my amazing friends who have helped me along the way, and who have help shape who I am today.
    I encourage everyone, well whoever reads this, to think about your own lives and find out what you are grateful for. There are millions of things, so start thinking! :D

BE FOREVER GRATEFUL!