Hmmm...sometimes good enough really IS good enough... I think that this is true. :) Don't you?
I think that sometimes we as human beings love the idea of perfect, but the truth is that, good enough really IS good enough. I know that I am a perfectionist, and I LOVE it when things go my way or the way that I have planned or imagined them to go, so when things don't go according to how I planned them to, I go bezerk and get stressed super easily.
And this is when I'm reminded that hey, I really am not in control of everything, and that is truly okay. This also reminds me of another quote that a dear friend of mine used to say all the time, "all you can do is the best you can do and that's all you can do." So there it is. It's just fact. Accept yourself, do your best to your ability and you know what, it's okay to sometimes just call it quits in the middle and say that my good enough really IS good enough. Period. :)
And you know, you people out there that are a lot like me, struggling with the perfectionsim complex...it's really okay to let go, because you are not in control of everything, and that's just plain okay. The only thing you can control is you, your attitude. And even then we sometimes slip up. But you know what? That's okay! That's life! Stuff happens! And you know what? It's okay! I promise. :)
So...just prop your feet up, eat a chocholate, and realize the promise of tomorrow, it's a mystery, it's another day, it's another chance. And you know what? It's just life. Learn to be you, live with you, and live your life. :) Your good is good enough, so don't stress about it. It's truly okay. I really promise. :)
So let the other stuff go, just let it go, let the idea of perfect go, and just let your hair blow in the wind. And just be you, be your messy you that you are. It if perfectly okay to do so. I give you persmission. :)
Well,
That's that.
Love your perfectly unperfect Fellow Chocolatier :)
P.S., Do you think that your good enough Is truly good enough? Unsure? Skeptical? Think it over. :)
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 29 "Fill your cup and nourish others from the overflow." Vickie / Middletown, DE
Hey guys! :)
Today was a good day. Lots accomplished and lots to look forward to. Had a good day at work and a good time catching up in class. I feel better already! (I really don't like falling behind).
So yeah, anyway, how was your day? Good, I hope. Oh! And at the end of the day Brian and I went to Barnes and Noble and sat on the comfy sofas next to the fire place. Oh how I love Barnes and Noble! I can live there. Seriously. :) It makes my heart happy, I love the peaceful and friendly atmosphere there and the promotion of learning. I love to learn. :) I'm what you would call an life-time student. :) The day I stop learning is the day I die.
Anyway, today's quote is quite interesting, so it happens to be something that I've been thinking of pretty often, "fill your cup and nourish others from the overflow." You see, this is what I call the "Starving Baker complex." It's like you are a Baker working in your own bakery, and you're so busy making all of these wonderully delicious confections and creations that while you're supplying food for everybody else and feeing everybody else, you are neglecting to actually feed yourself. That is when you become the "starving baker," is when you're so busy taking care of others that you tottally neglect yourself. And it's funny because you are surrounded by food all day long, but yet you don't grab a bite to eat, so you starve yourself to the point of death, i.e., exhaustion. So let's take this example and let's translate it into this; the starving baker is you, if all you do is think about others, to feed others and take care of others whether you are the one that always ends up listening and helping out that one friend, or whether you are a youth group leader and you always are taking care of other teens or whther you are always the one in the family to have the most responsibility, you can become a starving baker. If you don't inturn take the time and effort to take care of yourself, then you will slowly but surely get exhausted, you will break, and will no longer have the strength to keep doing all that you are doing, unless, you take the time to take care of yourself. If you take care of you, and if you take the time to fill your cup, it will overflow naturally and fill others. So, while taking care of others is great, please don't forget to take care of you. Okay? You need some rest & relaxation too alright? You are important, and if you don't take the time to water your own garden, it will wither and die. So take the time k? You deserve good things too. :)
Well,
That's that ladies and gents
Have a very restful night!
-Your Fellow Chocolatier
P.S., remember to "fill your cup and nourish others from the overflow."
Today was a good day. Lots accomplished and lots to look forward to. Had a good day at work and a good time catching up in class. I feel better already! (I really don't like falling behind).
So yeah, anyway, how was your day? Good, I hope. Oh! And at the end of the day Brian and I went to Barnes and Noble and sat on the comfy sofas next to the fire place. Oh how I love Barnes and Noble! I can live there. Seriously. :) It makes my heart happy, I love the peaceful and friendly atmosphere there and the promotion of learning. I love to learn. :) I'm what you would call an life-time student. :) The day I stop learning is the day I die.
Anyway, today's quote is quite interesting, so it happens to be something that I've been thinking of pretty often, "fill your cup and nourish others from the overflow." You see, this is what I call the "Starving Baker complex." It's like you are a Baker working in your own bakery, and you're so busy making all of these wonderully delicious confections and creations that while you're supplying food for everybody else and feeing everybody else, you are neglecting to actually feed yourself. That is when you become the "starving baker," is when you're so busy taking care of others that you tottally neglect yourself. And it's funny because you are surrounded by food all day long, but yet you don't grab a bite to eat, so you starve yourself to the point of death, i.e., exhaustion. So let's take this example and let's translate it into this; the starving baker is you, if all you do is think about others, to feed others and take care of others whether you are the one that always ends up listening and helping out that one friend, or whether you are a youth group leader and you always are taking care of other teens or whther you are always the one in the family to have the most responsibility, you can become a starving baker. If you don't inturn take the time and effort to take care of yourself, then you will slowly but surely get exhausted, you will break, and will no longer have the strength to keep doing all that you are doing, unless, you take the time to take care of yourself. If you take care of you, and if you take the time to fill your cup, it will overflow naturally and fill others. So, while taking care of others is great, please don't forget to take care of you. Okay? You need some rest & relaxation too alright? You are important, and if you don't take the time to water your own garden, it will wither and die. So take the time k? You deserve good things too. :)
Well,
That's that ladies and gents
Have a very restful night!
-Your Fellow Chocolatier
P.S., remember to "fill your cup and nourish others from the overflow."
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 28 "Smile! Today is going to be an amazing day." Lisa / Morristown, NJ
So...today started off as being one of the most depressing days that I've had so far. It was...not fun. Tons of argueing, misunderstandings, and miscommunications. I hate that. And I know that hate is a strong word, I guess I just really don't like relationship ruiners. Ya know what I mean? Well...I was completely depleted. I felt devastated, exhausted from emotion, and just ultimately hopeless, but then...it all turned around.
I came to work, and I found Mark washing dishes, he asked me how I was and I was honest with him, "I'm alright," I said. "What?" He yelled back because he couldn't hear me over the water, so then I decided to be true to myself and I said, "actually I'm depressed and sad." So after repeating that line a few more times, he heard me. And he gave me a big hug that I needed very much. Thanks Mark! :) And then we just talked about depression, life, stuff, and water parks. Yes, water parks, how we got to that subject I don't know and wouldn't begin to tell you where. lol. But it was fun. And then..I went back to the front desk.
Today, I was planning on accomplishing a lot, that is, before I was depressed. So, I just decided to take the day slow and easy. Just chill, you know? I just wanted to be in a peaceful atmosphere. And I just had a great day ahead of me. Everything changed around, strained relationships became normal, forgiveness happened, and lots of love was to be had. And during work, somebody that I'm friends with on facebook, somebody I look up to, have never spoken with, but I look up to them as a role model, left a message on my page saying, "Hey, prayed for you today. Felt the deep love of God for you as I prayed. Doesn't happen often. Hope this is an encouragement. Blessings." And that just made my day. Was the fact that somebody was praying for me, and that they noticed me in my whateverness of the day. God works in funny ways sometime, you know? :) This person is very respected by many and is a great community leader. So...it was just super cool. But most importantly I felt God's love. I really did. And that was cool.
So, also, I stayed up until 3am yesterday watching a super cool documentary called, "The Human Face." If you've never watched it before, then I definitely recommend taking the time to watch it, it's worth it. But anyway, "The Human Face," talks about the importance of interaction, emotion, and expression. We really don't realize how much we communication with our expressions. Our face and body speak louder than our words. The documentary was very interesting. Lots of interesting facts. Really cool. One thing that was emphasized in the documentary was smiling. Did you know that it takes more muscles to frown than to smile? It's more complex to frown (I'm sure you know this by now)..But here's something I bet you didn't know, that if you're depressed, or sad, if you force your self to smile and you hold a smile for 30 seconds, your body will naturally release happy hormones called, "endorphins," cause you see, the funny part is that your body doesn't recognize emotion when you are smiling for real or fake, just because you are smiling and your muscles are forming a smile, your brain simply reacts to the action of the muscles and automatically releases happy endorphins. And your mood will be elevated and lifted right away. Isn't that amazing? It's amazing! And when we smile, our smiles are contagious, others will smile back at you (that's also an old adage, but it's sooo true!) So...today I practiced smiling! :) And you know what? I did feel better! And then I found myself smiling for real! And did you know that there are such things as the smile/laughter club? It's true! There is! There are also a bunch of them over in India! A bunch of community members gather every morning before beginning their day and they do silly exercises and just smile at each other until they actually are truly bursting out with real smiles and uncontainable laughter. Isn't that cool? It's cool! It sounds cheesy but these people's days are better because of their gathering and sharing in laughter! So cool!
And basically, I just thought it was funny that today's quote said "Smile! Today is going to be an amazing day." You know, I opened the quote a bit late in the day, but nevertheless, it somehow manages to match the message of my day. :)
Well guys,
I better do some homework for my Russian Literature class and then
off to snooze land I go!
So g'night! =D
-Your Fellow Chocolatier
P.S., did you notice the picture of "Slippers," the chuaua, with the quote of the day? So cool! Eh? :) As I was taking the pictures, I was hoping that she would yawn and look like she's smiling, and she did! :) Fun! :) Perfect picture to a perfect day.
Love you guys!
Go with peace! :) And crack a smile! :) It's worth it. I promise! :)
Monday, September 27, 2010
Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 27 "Jump at a chance to give." Nancy / West Bend, WI
So my dears,
I opened my dove chocolate late today, and did not have the chance to fulfill it.
But I guess that I kind of did anyway.
Today the quote was to jump at a chance to give.
So, when Brian & I went to The Well tonight (a small group church gathering), we picked up "Katie" (change of name for identity sake). Katie had a great time tonight, except close to closing, she didn't tell me that her mom picked her up and that she left...so Brian & I drove around looking for Katie for half an hour, we drove to her house, knocked on the door, nobody was home, then drove back around to The Well and waited, and drove around again. You see...this isn't the first time something similar like this has happened. So I thought she broke our trust, but little did we know that her mom picked her up and she just happened to kind of slip in thought by not mentioning it to us, because when we came back to her house the second time to tell her parents that she walked off, her brother answered the door, I started explaining, and he said, "wait, Katie is home." So he called Katie and she ran up to the door, she was wearing her p.j.s. She looked at me kind of confused, and I told her that we were looking for her, and that she forgot to mention to us that she was leaving and I asked her to notify me next time. She profusely apologized and gave me a big big hug. You see, I was worried about her. So she said she was sorry, and it was all a misunderstanding, but the bottom line is that she was home safe. Good stuff. I'm glad we didn't have to call the cops to search for her, that would not have been fun, and I wasn't looking forward to having the conversation with her parents. That would not have been fun either. It's funny how dreadful and scary miscommunication can be sometimes. Well...anyway...while we were at The Well, Katie caught me playing the piano in the music room and she just sat down and listened, and we had a small heart to heart talk, and then I taught her a little trick on the piano and she was super happy. She started to experiment more with the piano and she sounded good!
I guess that my "jump at a chance to give," moment happened when I was teaching her a little about the piano, and a huge part of it came to the part of me being able to trust her again because for a moment, because of the miscommunication, I felt manipulated and I had my final draw with her, I thought our trust was surely broken (like I said, this wasn't the first time this happened, last time was even scarier), but, I saw her heart and I knew that she was telling the truth this time. It was an innocent mistake, just miscommunication. She and I have a special mentoring type of relationship, so it was going to break my heart if I would have lost trust with her. I hold her very dear. But I am relieved to say that everything is okay, and that I still trust her, and I guess taht was my "jump at a chance to give" moment. I gave her the benefit of the doubt, and you know what? I have a higher expectation from her. I am willing to give her another chance, and many more chances after that.
Trust is hard to rebuild, so I'm glad that today's mistake was just that, a mistake.
Well dear ones,
Off to bed I go.
Sincerely,
-Your Fellow Chocolatier
P.S., What was your "jump at a chance" moment today? :)
I opened my dove chocolate late today, and did not have the chance to fulfill it.
But I guess that I kind of did anyway.
Today the quote was to jump at a chance to give.
So, when Brian & I went to The Well tonight (a small group church gathering), we picked up "Katie" (change of name for identity sake). Katie had a great time tonight, except close to closing, she didn't tell me that her mom picked her up and that she left...so Brian & I drove around looking for Katie for half an hour, we drove to her house, knocked on the door, nobody was home, then drove back around to The Well and waited, and drove around again. You see...this isn't the first time something similar like this has happened. So I thought she broke our trust, but little did we know that her mom picked her up and she just happened to kind of slip in thought by not mentioning it to us, because when we came back to her house the second time to tell her parents that she walked off, her brother answered the door, I started explaining, and he said, "wait, Katie is home." So he called Katie and she ran up to the door, she was wearing her p.j.s. She looked at me kind of confused, and I told her that we were looking for her, and that she forgot to mention to us that she was leaving and I asked her to notify me next time. She profusely apologized and gave me a big big hug. You see, I was worried about her. So she said she was sorry, and it was all a misunderstanding, but the bottom line is that she was home safe. Good stuff. I'm glad we didn't have to call the cops to search for her, that would not have been fun, and I wasn't looking forward to having the conversation with her parents. That would not have been fun either. It's funny how dreadful and scary miscommunication can be sometimes. Well...anyway...while we were at The Well, Katie caught me playing the piano in the music room and she just sat down and listened, and we had a small heart to heart talk, and then I taught her a little trick on the piano and she was super happy. She started to experiment more with the piano and she sounded good!
I guess that my "jump at a chance to give," moment happened when I was teaching her a little about the piano, and a huge part of it came to the part of me being able to trust her again because for a moment, because of the miscommunication, I felt manipulated and I had my final draw with her, I thought our trust was surely broken (like I said, this wasn't the first time this happened, last time was even scarier), but, I saw her heart and I knew that she was telling the truth this time. It was an innocent mistake, just miscommunication. She and I have a special mentoring type of relationship, so it was going to break my heart if I would have lost trust with her. I hold her very dear. But I am relieved to say that everything is okay, and that I still trust her, and I guess taht was my "jump at a chance to give" moment. I gave her the benefit of the doubt, and you know what? I have a higher expectation from her. I am willing to give her another chance, and many more chances after that.
Trust is hard to rebuild, so I'm glad that today's mistake was just that, a mistake.
Well dear ones,
Off to bed I go.
Sincerely,
-Your Fellow Chocolatier
P.S., What was your "jump at a chance" moment today? :)
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 26 "NO is not a dirty word." Helen / Austin, TX
I am so glad that today's quote is what it is because I sometimes, actually most times, don't know how to say no. I am very bad at saying no. I give in too easily and don't stand my ground like I should. I want to be bold and not passive. It's okay to say no, it's not a dirty word, it's not a bad word, it's not a curse word. I believe that "NO" is a vocabulary that belongs to a healthy lifestyle. I had a looooong and drawn out work day today, but I've been in good spirits. I felt quite accomplished today, I updated membership information, rearranged it, and took pictures of the kids and labeled the pics. It was a pretty good day, but a tiering one at that.
Anyway, I worked 3 1/2 hours overtime today, and I am just pooped right now. I am literally reay for bed and it's only 8:39pm, my eyes are rolling over as we speak. I am about to flop over. Well, there are two awesome things going on right now, Starvation Gulch, which is about to start any minute and is happening right outside our window (I can see it, it's walking distance), and the bon fire at Joel's Place (the place where I work). So it's funny that both of these events are occuring on the same day and same time, because Starvation Gulch is an annual HUGE bonfire, (biggest bon fire I've ever seen), out on the University where all of the University students gather at the beginning of the semester, and Joel's Place is having a fun, fairly-sized bon fire full of smores and other yummies. See, I just came home from work maybe a little over an hour ago, and Brian and I thought that it would be fun to go back to work, (not for working), but to hang out with the kiddos at the bonfire and eat tons of smores, and then later possibly go to Starvation Gulch...but...when we got in the car and drove off campus on our journey to Joel's Place, I realized that I was completely exhausted, and I really just wanted to sleep above all of what was going on. I told Brian earlier that I wanted to sleep, but he encouraged me to go anyway, so as we were driving off, I knew that all I wanted to do is sleep. I know that bon fires are all fun an all, but honestly, I just want to go to bed, and I know if I'm tierd, then I'm not gonna have any fun at all. I mean, what's the point of being tierd, driving out to the location, and the minute you get there you're counting down the time to when you can arrive back home. There's just no point. So I took the next turn and said, "I'm tierd, I'm gonna go home to bed, you can go to the bon fire." So we agreed. And now I am here. Sure, I mean there was a little disappointment, but that's okay.
Sometimes, you just gotta learn to say no. I know I need to. And you know what? It's okay to say NO. No, is not a diry word.
Well alrighty,
Off to napping land I go.
Have a great night guys!
And remember, stand up for yourselves, be true to yourselves, and let your voice be heard! Don't let others push you around and walk all over you. It's truly okay to say what you mean, and mean what you say.
G'night!
-Your very sleepy Fellow Chocolatier
P.S., The thought of smores is what made my mouth water in the first place. :) I wouldn't mind a smore about now. But sleep calls my name. :)
Anyway, I worked 3 1/2 hours overtime today, and I am just pooped right now. I am literally reay for bed and it's only 8:39pm, my eyes are rolling over as we speak. I am about to flop over. Well, there are two awesome things going on right now, Starvation Gulch, which is about to start any minute and is happening right outside our window (I can see it, it's walking distance), and the bon fire at Joel's Place (the place where I work). So it's funny that both of these events are occuring on the same day and same time, because Starvation Gulch is an annual HUGE bonfire, (biggest bon fire I've ever seen), out on the University where all of the University students gather at the beginning of the semester, and Joel's Place is having a fun, fairly-sized bon fire full of smores and other yummies. See, I just came home from work maybe a little over an hour ago, and Brian and I thought that it would be fun to go back to work, (not for working), but to hang out with the kiddos at the bonfire and eat tons of smores, and then later possibly go to Starvation Gulch...but...when we got in the car and drove off campus on our journey to Joel's Place, I realized that I was completely exhausted, and I really just wanted to sleep above all of what was going on. I told Brian earlier that I wanted to sleep, but he encouraged me to go anyway, so as we were driving off, I knew that all I wanted to do is sleep. I know that bon fires are all fun an all, but honestly, I just want to go to bed, and I know if I'm tierd, then I'm not gonna have any fun at all. I mean, what's the point of being tierd, driving out to the location, and the minute you get there you're counting down the time to when you can arrive back home. There's just no point. So I took the next turn and said, "I'm tierd, I'm gonna go home to bed, you can go to the bon fire." So we agreed. And now I am here. Sure, I mean there was a little disappointment, but that's okay.
Sometimes, you just gotta learn to say no. I know I need to. And you know what? It's okay to say NO. No, is not a diry word.
Well alrighty,
Off to napping land I go.
Have a great night guys!
And remember, stand up for yourselves, be true to yourselves, and let your voice be heard! Don't let others push you around and walk all over you. It's truly okay to say what you mean, and mean what you say.
G'night!
-Your very sleepy Fellow Chocolatier
P.S., The thought of smores is what made my mouth water in the first place. :) I wouldn't mind a smore about now. But sleep calls my name. :)
Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 25 "Go out for adventure, go home for love." Ann / Pittsburgh, PA
Wowzers!
Today was a super stressful day at work! And I'm still de-stressing as week speak, 3 and a half hours later..
Had to re-arange things, update things, screaming kids running around, doors opening and closing, tons of interupting phone calls, irritated people, loud skate boards (work in skate park), misplaced papework, and that pretty much sums it up. Anyway...it was a little too stressful today.
Today's quote was kind of a mystery to me. It seems a bit abstract, "go out for adventure, go home for love." But what I think it means for me is to go out into the world and look for adventure, i.e. move, college, explore, travel, and such, but to go home for love is to go home to family. Home is where the heart is. And usually home is where family is. :) And family does not just mean the people that share your blood, but the people that you would give your blood to. Go out, go live your adventures, but don't forget about the ones who loved you through think and thin, have been there for you, nutured you, and will always continue being there for you. I know that I don't want to stay in Alaska forever, while I'm in college I'm kinda situated, but after I graduate, I would like to move to L.A., pursue acting, go see the world, and eventually, the wrap to my plan is to come home to family and live near the ones that I love. I want to share life with them, and it would be a tradgedy to only live for adventure, and never come home for love. The adventure I think is only an adventure for a time being, but and adventure turned over a lifespan is no adventure at all without the restoration of coming hom for love. There has to be a plot, climax, and an ending. But looking forward to an ending makes the climax more exciting. I wouldn't want to live in the climax all my life. I have a home to return to, and a lot of lovin' to go around. :)
Home is where the heart is, go out for adventure, and go home for love.
With home in the heart,
-Your Fellow Chocolatier
P.S, I hope your day was good! :)
Today was a super stressful day at work! And I'm still de-stressing as week speak, 3 and a half hours later..
Had to re-arange things, update things, screaming kids running around, doors opening and closing, tons of interupting phone calls, irritated people, loud skate boards (work in skate park), misplaced papework, and that pretty much sums it up. Anyway...it was a little too stressful today.
Today's quote was kind of a mystery to me. It seems a bit abstract, "go out for adventure, go home for love." But what I think it means for me is to go out into the world and look for adventure, i.e. move, college, explore, travel, and such, but to go home for love is to go home to family. Home is where the heart is. And usually home is where family is. :) And family does not just mean the people that share your blood, but the people that you would give your blood to. Go out, go live your adventures, but don't forget about the ones who loved you through think and thin, have been there for you, nutured you, and will always continue being there for you. I know that I don't want to stay in Alaska forever, while I'm in college I'm kinda situated, but after I graduate, I would like to move to L.A., pursue acting, go see the world, and eventually, the wrap to my plan is to come home to family and live near the ones that I love. I want to share life with them, and it would be a tradgedy to only live for adventure, and never come home for love. The adventure I think is only an adventure for a time being, but and adventure turned over a lifespan is no adventure at all without the restoration of coming hom for love. There has to be a plot, climax, and an ending. But looking forward to an ending makes the climax more exciting. I wouldn't want to live in the climax all my life. I have a home to return to, and a lot of lovin' to go around. :)
Home is where the heart is, go out for adventure, and go home for love.
With home in the heart,
-Your Fellow Chocolatier
P.S, I hope your day was good! :)
Friday, September 24, 2010
Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 24 "Follow that dream wherever that dream may lead." Mary Ann / Inez, KY
Hey theres! :)
Today was kind of a horrible day for me. Maybe horrible is too strong a word. But today certainly wasn't the best of days. Had a lot of drama. And I never have drama. Very rarely. But eh, stuff happens. Right?
Anyway, today's quote is quite an encourager. You see, I am currently pursuing acting. I was in a play this past April that awakened a love for acting/thearte inside of me. I've always had the desire to act, even as a little kid. It's thrilling to me. I love every aspect of it, the stage, behind the scenes, make-up, prostetics - when needed, practice, line memorization, character building, and working with others that are passionate about the same thing. But mostly, I love bringing stories and characters to life. Yes. It's so much fun! And I really do enjoy the psychological part of acting, where you truly have to be the character. You have to be able to think like the character that you are portraying. I get to think what the character thinks of, and really just study who they are. And then I get to act the character out, it's really about bringing them to life. Some characters may be from a different era, then that means I have to assimilate the fears, worries, and joys of that character by studying history on that particular era. How would the character react, think, respond during that time frame? It's just an interesting question. I have to be able to rationalize like the character would. It really gets psychological, you just have to step outside of yourself. I love that. I love imagination, and I LOVE bringing ideas, concepts, and characters to LIFE. I love creating a mood, something that touches people. I love moving people to laughter or tears. I thourougly enjoy it. Well...so yeah..enough about this rant. :) I have a bit more to say though;
As a kid, I so badly wanted to be an actor, but when I told my dad about my dream, he kinda laughed it off, and said, that's fine but it's not a very good profession. It's better to be a doctor, nurse, etc., actors are unstable. Although the usntable statment may be true, the fact that my dad laughted it off, showed me that he didn't have faith in me to do that, which crushed my dreams of ever pursuing acting. So, as a rational thought, I put all foolish silly things aside, and decided to put acting out of my head. It's always been in my heart, but it's been out of my rational head...that is until this spring. Being in the Alice in the Underground play (a darker version of "Alice in Wonderland," a story about homeless youth in Fairbanks with real teen monologues)has completely reawakened my desire, my passion, my exhiliaration, and my dream for acting. And so it has been unleashed. This summer I even auditioned and joined the Fairbanks Shakespeare Theatre for their Annual Summer Outdoor Show. I was a chorus member, dancer and gypsy in their musical version of "Two Gentlemen of Verona." Let me tell you what! LOL! I had no clue what I was getting into. All I knew was that they were looking for more actors, and I thought, eh, I'm not too interested in the play, but I should probably join the cast so I can build my actors resume. I've gotta start somewhere right? :) Well...that somewhere was hard! I know that evey serious actor has to do a lot of freebie acting before they actually get a paid gig, so this to me was my "internship." And so it began...wow! Tell you what! It was INTENSE! It really was! From the middle of May to the middle of June we got together 5-6 days a week, from 6-9pm! One day we would practice as the chorus music, the other we would practice the dance moves, twice a week would do some crazy sweat it all out Cuban Jazzercise - whew-wee, that was crazy! And the other, we would practice different scenes of the play. It was VERY intense. And after all of the grueling hard work believing that it would never end and the results would some day come very far far away then expected, we performed for most of the month of July. We had 14 shows! Crazy! And because my hair was considered too blonde for "Verona," I was the only one they gave a wig to. I have very short pixie haircut and super uber blonde hair, so they gave me a long black wig. And it was a ton of fun! So I realized that I LOVE the entire process! Even the hard and never seemingly ending process of pre-production. But it was all worth it, and it was a BLAST! I don't much care for Shakespeare, but this Shakespeare Production was off the waaazooo! :) It was a lot of fun! I'm not gonna lie, sometimes I wanted to quit, it would get hard, everybody's nerves would get shot, lots of confusion, and lots of learning and memorization. But it all payed off in the end! And, after being a part of the Summer Production of Two Gentlemen of Verona, I had many windows of opportunitess opened to me simply by being in the cast and by knowing people. So since then, I've built up a pretty good resume, and I have learned a lot from my fellow professional actors. I gleaned a lot from them. And next month, even though this is a small step up, I am going to be an extra in "Everybody Loves Whales," a film by Univeral Productions, a first time about Alaska shot completely in Alaska. This is a big deal for Alaska because Hollywood is coming to Alaska, and like I said, it's the first time they are shooting the ENTIRE movie in Alaska vs. say snippets of Alaska and the majority in Canada, Oregon,Washington or elsewhere.
The major actors on this film are Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski, Kristen Bell, and a few others. How exciting! I may not be working with them directly, but I will be able to share the same set with them. So that is super cool! :) You know, I've never been obsessed with any actors or musicians, I see them as regular people, with talents, that happen to be pursuing what they are talented and happy with. But they have fears, insecurities, hurts, frustration, and angers just like you and me. And believe me ladies and gentlemen, acting isn't as "easy" as it seems. You don't just get up there, "pretend" to be another character and get off and get payed the big bucks. The actor is the front face of the operation, but there's a whole crew behing the scene. There are hundreds of dollars that go into the movie and hundreds of hours. Actors need to have patience, be able to be flexible - all the time, have different schedules, long 12 hour work days (which is standard), and they don't always have their say. They have to pay attention to the scenes, not interupt, be polite, know what to do at what moment, build good relationships with their co-workers, pay attention to what the director wants, have uncomforable shooting moments, they have to conjour up feelings and create emotions with other actors, and that can be VERY challenging. It is not uncommon to find actors that are going through counseling, because sometimes the roles we take on are truly psychological, and can come back to haunt us. You have to take it a step at a time.
Well, I was going to say something else, but now I forgot.
So I guess this is it! :)
Gooday ladies and gents,
Sleep peacefully and follow that dream wherever that dream may lead!"
-Your Fellow Chocolatier,
P.S., I am now double majoring in music and theatre! Yeah! :)
Today was kind of a horrible day for me. Maybe horrible is too strong a word. But today certainly wasn't the best of days. Had a lot of drama. And I never have drama. Very rarely. But eh, stuff happens. Right?
Anyway, today's quote is quite an encourager. You see, I am currently pursuing acting. I was in a play this past April that awakened a love for acting/thearte inside of me. I've always had the desire to act, even as a little kid. It's thrilling to me. I love every aspect of it, the stage, behind the scenes, make-up, prostetics - when needed, practice, line memorization, character building, and working with others that are passionate about the same thing. But mostly, I love bringing stories and characters to life. Yes. It's so much fun! And I really do enjoy the psychological part of acting, where you truly have to be the character. You have to be able to think like the character that you are portraying. I get to think what the character thinks of, and really just study who they are. And then I get to act the character out, it's really about bringing them to life. Some characters may be from a different era, then that means I have to assimilate the fears, worries, and joys of that character by studying history on that particular era. How would the character react, think, respond during that time frame? It's just an interesting question. I have to be able to rationalize like the character would. It really gets psychological, you just have to step outside of yourself. I love that. I love imagination, and I LOVE bringing ideas, concepts, and characters to LIFE. I love creating a mood, something that touches people. I love moving people to laughter or tears. I thourougly enjoy it. Well...so yeah..enough about this rant. :) I have a bit more to say though;
As a kid, I so badly wanted to be an actor, but when I told my dad about my dream, he kinda laughed it off, and said, that's fine but it's not a very good profession. It's better to be a doctor, nurse, etc., actors are unstable. Although the usntable statment may be true, the fact that my dad laughted it off, showed me that he didn't have faith in me to do that, which crushed my dreams of ever pursuing acting. So, as a rational thought, I put all foolish silly things aside, and decided to put acting out of my head. It's always been in my heart, but it's been out of my rational head...that is until this spring. Being in the Alice in the Underground play (a darker version of "Alice in Wonderland," a story about homeless youth in Fairbanks with real teen monologues)has completely reawakened my desire, my passion, my exhiliaration, and my dream for acting. And so it has been unleashed. This summer I even auditioned and joined the Fairbanks Shakespeare Theatre for their Annual Summer Outdoor Show. I was a chorus member, dancer and gypsy in their musical version of "Two Gentlemen of Verona." Let me tell you what! LOL! I had no clue what I was getting into. All I knew was that they were looking for more actors, and I thought, eh, I'm not too interested in the play, but I should probably join the cast so I can build my actors resume. I've gotta start somewhere right? :) Well...that somewhere was hard! I know that evey serious actor has to do a lot of freebie acting before they actually get a paid gig, so this to me was my "internship." And so it began...wow! Tell you what! It was INTENSE! It really was! From the middle of May to the middle of June we got together 5-6 days a week, from 6-9pm! One day we would practice as the chorus music, the other we would practice the dance moves, twice a week would do some crazy sweat it all out Cuban Jazzercise - whew-wee, that was crazy! And the other, we would practice different scenes of the play. It was VERY intense. And after all of the grueling hard work believing that it would never end and the results would some day come very far far away then expected, we performed for most of the month of July. We had 14 shows! Crazy! And because my hair was considered too blonde for "Verona," I was the only one they gave a wig to. I have very short pixie haircut and super uber blonde hair, so they gave me a long black wig. And it was a ton of fun! So I realized that I LOVE the entire process! Even the hard and never seemingly ending process of pre-production. But it was all worth it, and it was a BLAST! I don't much care for Shakespeare, but this Shakespeare Production was off the waaazooo! :) It was a lot of fun! I'm not gonna lie, sometimes I wanted to quit, it would get hard, everybody's nerves would get shot, lots of confusion, and lots of learning and memorization. But it all payed off in the end! And, after being a part of the Summer Production of Two Gentlemen of Verona, I had many windows of opportunitess opened to me simply by being in the cast and by knowing people. So since then, I've built up a pretty good resume, and I have learned a lot from my fellow professional actors. I gleaned a lot from them. And next month, even though this is a small step up, I am going to be an extra in "Everybody Loves Whales," a film by Univeral Productions, a first time about Alaska shot completely in Alaska. This is a big deal for Alaska because Hollywood is coming to Alaska, and like I said, it's the first time they are shooting the ENTIRE movie in Alaska vs. say snippets of Alaska and the majority in Canada, Oregon,Washington or elsewhere.
The major actors on this film are Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski, Kristen Bell, and a few others. How exciting! I may not be working with them directly, but I will be able to share the same set with them. So that is super cool! :) You know, I've never been obsessed with any actors or musicians, I see them as regular people, with talents, that happen to be pursuing what they are talented and happy with. But they have fears, insecurities, hurts, frustration, and angers just like you and me. And believe me ladies and gentlemen, acting isn't as "easy" as it seems. You don't just get up there, "pretend" to be another character and get off and get payed the big bucks. The actor is the front face of the operation, but there's a whole crew behing the scene. There are hundreds of dollars that go into the movie and hundreds of hours. Actors need to have patience, be able to be flexible - all the time, have different schedules, long 12 hour work days (which is standard), and they don't always have their say. They have to pay attention to the scenes, not interupt, be polite, know what to do at what moment, build good relationships with their co-workers, pay attention to what the director wants, have uncomforable shooting moments, they have to conjour up feelings and create emotions with other actors, and that can be VERY challenging. It is not uncommon to find actors that are going through counseling, because sometimes the roles we take on are truly psychological, and can come back to haunt us. You have to take it a step at a time.
Well, I was going to say something else, but now I forgot.
So I guess this is it! :)
Gooday ladies and gents,
Sleep peacefully and follow that dream wherever that dream may lead!"
-Your Fellow Chocolatier,
P.S., I am now double majoring in music and theatre! Yeah! :)
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 23 "Dance to music, even if it is only in your head." Diane / West Jordan, UT
Hey guys!
Today was sort of a challenging day for me, long, drawn-out and full of detail!
The funnest part of the day for me was when I was heading up the fundraiser at Glow Putt tonight for a youth event called, "Ignite Alaska," and during Glow Putt I got to play a fun putt putt game with Mark and Brian. I would say that hanging out with those guys was definitely the highlight of my day, oh, and my friend Stacy invited us to McDonalds, said she would pay for ice cream for all of us plus Kelli & John. We agreed to meet up. :) And it was just a fun wrap to a long day. :)
Today's quote, "dance to music, even if it is only in your head"...is kinda funny, because a little soon after I opened the dove for the day, as the wrapper was vividly sprawled out on the coffee table, I was checking my e-mail and singing this song out loud right next to my husband, pretty much in his ear, because we were sitting close to each other. He on his computer, me on mine. I know. Nerds. But that's rather okay with us I dare say. :) So, while I was singing, he happened to look over at my quote and say, "Hey, you have a song stuck in your head, your quote says to dance to the music that's in your head." And I realized, hey! I really do have a song stuck in my head...that's a good thing. Because I had NO CLUE to what I was goin to write today. For real. :)
Well,
Here is the song that was stuck in my head...I love human videos, (basically dances that play out the words of the songs) Here are two videos of the song that was stuck in my head; (You'll have to clink this link to view it) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToDZ9Q2hIBk
And here is the new music video of the song;
Today was sort of a challenging day for me, long, drawn-out and full of detail!
The funnest part of the day for me was when I was heading up the fundraiser at Glow Putt tonight for a youth event called, "Ignite Alaska," and during Glow Putt I got to play a fun putt putt game with Mark and Brian. I would say that hanging out with those guys was definitely the highlight of my day, oh, and my friend Stacy invited us to McDonalds, said she would pay for ice cream for all of us plus Kelli & John. We agreed to meet up. :) And it was just a fun wrap to a long day. :)
Today's quote, "dance to music, even if it is only in your head"...is kinda funny, because a little soon after I opened the dove for the day, as the wrapper was vividly sprawled out on the coffee table, I was checking my e-mail and singing this song out loud right next to my husband, pretty much in his ear, because we were sitting close to each other. He on his computer, me on mine. I know. Nerds. But that's rather okay with us I dare say. :) So, while I was singing, he happened to look over at my quote and say, "Hey, you have a song stuck in your head, your quote says to dance to the music that's in your head." And I realized, hey! I really do have a song stuck in my head...that's a good thing. Because I had NO CLUE to what I was goin to write today. For real. :)
Well,
Here is the song that was stuck in my head...I love human videos, (basically dances that play out the words of the songs) Here are two videos of the song that was stuck in my head; (You'll have to clink this link to view it) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToDZ9Q2hIBk
And here is the new music video of the song;
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 22 "All things work together in the tapestry of life." Christine / Durham, NC
This my dears, is a very interesting statement. Particulary today. :) Funnny how that works, isn't it?
Well...today was day # 2 of staying home sick. I felt worse in the morning, but got a lot better towards the late afternoon. Well..today...I wasn't doing laundry all day, like yesterday, but what I was doing was decluttering the house.
Hoarders. Have you ever watched the show hoarders? "Barried Alive." Is the slogan. Basically I felt like watching a movie on netflix (yes, we have netflix, it's pretty convenient for college life, cheap entertainment). :) Well, as I was picking a movie to watch, Hoarders grabbed my attention. I've watched this show a couple of times on t.v., but never really attentively. Not like I did today. I basically almost watched the entire first season. It's true. :) I was addicted.
The definition of hoarding defined on the show, "compulsive hoarding is a mental disorder marked by an obsessive need to acquire and keep things, even if the items are worthless, hazardous or unsanitary."
If you've never seen this show, I recommend that you watch. Everybody needs to watch this show at least once. It's a mind blower and an eye opener. When my husband came home from school he asked why I was watching the show, and I told him that I am interested in the psychological aspect of it. I'm very interested in the cognitive behavior. It's true. It intrigues me.
So, as I was watching the show today, I was taking notes because I saw myself and my own hoaring habbits a little bit in ever episode. Every advice given by the clinical psychologist even pertained some what to me. It's just good advice in general. So, it was interesting. And off course, after watching these shows I am compelled to clean like no other and like never before. I feel pretty accomplished of all that I have done today. I got rid of things I've been keeping around as habbits, realizing that they aren't very healthy habbits at all. Nope. You see, hoarding runs in my family, and it's not very good, nor a healthy inbit to live in. So today was like after shock, because I realize that I hoard quite a bit. And you know, you never realize that you really hoard because you sorta get immune to the mess around you, and you learn to manuver your way around it, and so then your mind says, "well, okay, that's okay, it's not THAT bad." And then before you know it, "not that bad," get to a little, "well, at least your not like THOSE people," and then not like those people gets to "okay, maybe it is a LITTLE messy in here, but I just can't give my stuff up." And before you know it...all of that's left is a huge aftermath of a tornado, you don't know how it got there or how to begin to unravel the remains and rubbel. You're sinking in piles of stuff, just drowning it it. And it's sad. It's sad to watch these shows. But these habbits are so real. And so pain staken. Hoarding becomes a replacement for reality. A lot of people that hoard have some kind of insecurity, fear, or are suffering from some kind of form of depression, compulsion or hurt. Hoarding is mentally and emotionally attaching, and when you clean you get mentally exhausted, not only physically.
Overcoming hoarding is an uphill battle. The process is difficult and time consuming. And a lot of people don't make it out, it just becomes too much, and people just give up. Most people's reaction when they see a hoarder's environment is to say, "well, just get rid of it, throw it all away, give stuff away, and man, I wish I had a match, cause it's be gone in an instant." ...But not so in the hoarder's point of view. Every item that a hoarder has is attached to a memory, or it defines who they are, and hoarders feel that without their stuff, they are nothing and that they have nothing. It is sad. It really is a compulsion, its' confusion. And rational thoughts are not connected oft times. Lots of people, such as friends and family members think, "Hey, when they go shopping, or on vacation, I'm going to secretly clean their house for them, and they will be so happy, they will thank me for it later." ....Well I've got news for you guys...not so. Infact, you if you try to attempt cleaning the hoarder's stuff for them, you will only make things worse, and it will only be a matter of time, say a month or two, before all of the stuff gets piled on high back to where it was or worse than what it was. You see, you only changed their house, but you didn't help change their behavior. The key in getting a hoarder to stop hoarding is to have the hoarder change their thought process, and only from then on will things get better. And the key is patience, de-cluttering has to go at the hoarder's comfort level, and speed. If you intervene or try to speed the decluttering process, the hoarder may become overwhelmed and give up altogether. It may be a slow trial at first, but keep pressing in and encouraging them, and stand by them. It will be frustrating from the side, but you will really help them. Let them make the choice of what goes and what stays. And if they don't want to give something up, and it's really trevial and should be thrown away, gently point out and ask question such as what will the end result look like if you throw it away? Does this help you in the long run or not? Will you actually make a garage sale? Have you? (If they answer no, then, they probably never will). Intent is a hoader's excuse, but at the same time, intent is he leigh way to keep the item. So gently point out and aske question, get them to process their thoughts so they can go from point a to point b and connect them together. Conectivity is key.
Anyway, many people suffer from hoarding. Fact: as many as 3 to 6 million people suffer from compulsive hoarding.
Well...anyway...that was my big wow of the day. I really connected with the show, and that's because I have some ugly well hidden hoarding habbits of my own. And I am encouarged and fully motivated to get junk out of my life. Literally.
All things work together in the tapestry of life, it's true, every thought process, every item, every memory, they all built and are woven into the tapestry of life, whether it be for the good or for the bad. Lets hope for the first.
That's how my dear, that's how I connected my quote today to my life; hoarding.
Well,
Off I go,
Nighty nighty,
Fellow Chocolatier
P.S., did you know that there are Certified Professional Organizers?
P.P.S, here's a snippet of the show, "Hoarding, Buried Alive."
Well...today was day # 2 of staying home sick. I felt worse in the morning, but got a lot better towards the late afternoon. Well..today...I wasn't doing laundry all day, like yesterday, but what I was doing was decluttering the house.
Hoarders. Have you ever watched the show hoarders? "Barried Alive." Is the slogan. Basically I felt like watching a movie on netflix (yes, we have netflix, it's pretty convenient for college life, cheap entertainment). :) Well, as I was picking a movie to watch, Hoarders grabbed my attention. I've watched this show a couple of times on t.v., but never really attentively. Not like I did today. I basically almost watched the entire first season. It's true. :) I was addicted.
The definition of hoarding defined on the show, "compulsive hoarding is a mental disorder marked by an obsessive need to acquire and keep things, even if the items are worthless, hazardous or unsanitary."
If you've never seen this show, I recommend that you watch. Everybody needs to watch this show at least once. It's a mind blower and an eye opener. When my husband came home from school he asked why I was watching the show, and I told him that I am interested in the psychological aspect of it. I'm very interested in the cognitive behavior. It's true. It intrigues me.
So, as I was watching the show today, I was taking notes because I saw myself and my own hoaring habbits a little bit in ever episode. Every advice given by the clinical psychologist even pertained some what to me. It's just good advice in general. So, it was interesting. And off course, after watching these shows I am compelled to clean like no other and like never before. I feel pretty accomplished of all that I have done today. I got rid of things I've been keeping around as habbits, realizing that they aren't very healthy habbits at all. Nope. You see, hoarding runs in my family, and it's not very good, nor a healthy inbit to live in. So today was like after shock, because I realize that I hoard quite a bit. And you know, you never realize that you really hoard because you sorta get immune to the mess around you, and you learn to manuver your way around it, and so then your mind says, "well, okay, that's okay, it's not THAT bad." And then before you know it, "not that bad," get to a little, "well, at least your not like THOSE people," and then not like those people gets to "okay, maybe it is a LITTLE messy in here, but I just can't give my stuff up." And before you know it...all of that's left is a huge aftermath of a tornado, you don't know how it got there or how to begin to unravel the remains and rubbel. You're sinking in piles of stuff, just drowning it it. And it's sad. It's sad to watch these shows. But these habbits are so real. And so pain staken. Hoarding becomes a replacement for reality. A lot of people that hoard have some kind of insecurity, fear, or are suffering from some kind of form of depression, compulsion or hurt. Hoarding is mentally and emotionally attaching, and when you clean you get mentally exhausted, not only physically.
Overcoming hoarding is an uphill battle. The process is difficult and time consuming. And a lot of people don't make it out, it just becomes too much, and people just give up. Most people's reaction when they see a hoarder's environment is to say, "well, just get rid of it, throw it all away, give stuff away, and man, I wish I had a match, cause it's be gone in an instant." ...But not so in the hoarder's point of view. Every item that a hoarder has is attached to a memory, or it defines who they are, and hoarders feel that without their stuff, they are nothing and that they have nothing. It is sad. It really is a compulsion, its' confusion. And rational thoughts are not connected oft times. Lots of people, such as friends and family members think, "Hey, when they go shopping, or on vacation, I'm going to secretly clean their house for them, and they will be so happy, they will thank me for it later." ....Well I've got news for you guys...not so. Infact, you if you try to attempt cleaning the hoarder's stuff for them, you will only make things worse, and it will only be a matter of time, say a month or two, before all of the stuff gets piled on high back to where it was or worse than what it was. You see, you only changed their house, but you didn't help change their behavior. The key in getting a hoarder to stop hoarding is to have the hoarder change their thought process, and only from then on will things get better. And the key is patience, de-cluttering has to go at the hoarder's comfort level, and speed. If you intervene or try to speed the decluttering process, the hoarder may become overwhelmed and give up altogether. It may be a slow trial at first, but keep pressing in and encouraging them, and stand by them. It will be frustrating from the side, but you will really help them. Let them make the choice of what goes and what stays. And if they don't want to give something up, and it's really trevial and should be thrown away, gently point out and ask question such as what will the end result look like if you throw it away? Does this help you in the long run or not? Will you actually make a garage sale? Have you? (If they answer no, then, they probably never will). Intent is a hoader's excuse, but at the same time, intent is he leigh way to keep the item. So gently point out and aske question, get them to process their thoughts so they can go from point a to point b and connect them together. Conectivity is key.
Anyway, many people suffer from hoarding. Fact: as many as 3 to 6 million people suffer from compulsive hoarding.
Well...anyway...that was my big wow of the day. I really connected with the show, and that's because I have some ugly well hidden hoarding habbits of my own. And I am encouarged and fully motivated to get junk out of my life. Literally.
All things work together in the tapestry of life, it's true, every thought process, every item, every memory, they all built and are woven into the tapestry of life, whether it be for the good or for the bad. Lets hope for the first.
That's how my dear, that's how I connected my quote today to my life; hoarding.
Well,
Off I go,
Nighty nighty,
Fellow Chocolatier
P.S., did you know that there are Certified Professional Organizers?
P.P.S, here's a snippet of the show, "Hoarding, Buried Alive."
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 21 "Here's to something more powerful than chocolate. Hope." Leah / New York, NY
So ladies and gents,
I realize that I have been blogging, but have been struggling with great difficulty to upload a pic everyday of the quote and a random / sometimes related item. It's sooo easy to put that part off. So, I'm going to try to keep up. Cause it's part of the blog. :) The visual, fun part, anyway. :)
Hey! So today, 4 people viewed my blog from the United Kingdom! How cool is that? So cool!
I'm going to try to keep this blog short. Short and sweet. :)
I took a sick day from work today...and I just stayed home, ALL day. I took a nap, whined at my husband a little bit, (I was cranky, good thing he's so forgiving..lol), and then I basically did laundray ALL DAY. With emphasis on ALL. AND, on top of that, the commercial dryer in our apartment doesn't work. So I had to dry each set of laundry 3 times. Each set was 45 minutes long! So I basically wasted pretty much 3 hours on one load. There's still one sitting in the dryer as we speak, but Brian promised that he will go get it tomorrow morning, (since he has class...but I get to sleep in :) ...) Yeah...we're not supposed to use the laundry room pass 11pm, but we used it until 1am. Yep. (Shhh...just don't tell anyone and we'll be alright ;) hehehe).
Well...today was interesting. To say the least. But I did get a lot done. I find that when I move around while I'm sick, I get healthier sooner...maybe that's because I keep myself occupied and I don't watch the clock tick tocking away. Makes the day go by faster. :)
Well...you must know this confession. Lately, I have been infatuated with chicken nuggets. I can eat them ALL day. Weird. Right? I guess it would be one of those food items where if you were to be asked if you can only eat one food for the rest of your life, mine would be chicken nuggets. Yep. I know. Strange obssession.
Well...anyway, I promise I have a point. This morning when I woke up and just lounged around for the first wee hour of the day, Brian came back from class, hugged me, and pulled this little song out of his butt, "You're my little chicken nuggggget. FAT and PORKY! SMALL and DORKY!!! Ta da tun, you're my little chicken nuggggggget." ...First I gave him the look, I mean, what woman wants to hear that, coming from her husband, especially while she's sick, AND early in the morning? But I couldn't help but laugh all the way through the song. It was hilarious! Now...I gotta splain somethin' here. :) Me and my husband, well...we don't have what you call a normal relationship when it comes to this one factor; you know how most people call each other endearing names such as; honey, sweetie, babe, and etc? Well...we don't do that. Nope. We...just don't. We just never have. On the other hand, we call each other names such as these; I call him goober; boogie, monkey butt, gopher, and he calls me; turkey butt, chicken butt, fart knocker, mamby pamby, goonie, dufus, bigimot (which means hippo in Russian), and the classic, "dork." Yes. These my dears, are our ways of expressing love and endearment towards one another. Yes. It's very true.
Anyway...that was why the chicken nugget song wasn't offensive, it's because we do this to each other on a daily basis. I don't know. I guess it's just us. Don't ask why, because I don't even know and I can't even begin to tell you why. And you know...we have tried to call each other names such as sweetie, and babe, but...they just don't roll off the tongue naturally for us...they just don't. lol. It's awkward. True dat. :) Haha.
Well...I guess that's all I wanted to say today.
Oh, wait, no, I lied. I do have two more things to blurt out;
1). I am believing for a quick recovery, so I have hope in that.
2.) I hope to see my family this Christmas (I haven't seen my mom and dad since a year and 2 months ago, my brother I haven't seen since 2 years ago, and last time I saw my sister was 3 years ago). So...I hope to see them soon. I miss them DEARLY.
3.) Without hope, nothing prevails, because we can only trust in what is unseen, believing that greater things will yet come our way. Hope + faith = miracles + love = an unstoppable powerful force that the world to this day cannot comprehend, disect, or take away. So dear friends, have hope, have faith, and pursue love. And everything else will fall into place. I promise. But above all things, pursue love.
Anyway..those are my thoughts,
Yours truly,
Fellow Chocolatier
P.S., You know when you're sick, and you just tend to let your mind go, by kinda letting yourself go, and just totally relax and not think about anything? Well, I did that today! I had some super awesome R & R time. I took a green tea bath (which was AMAZING by the way! I believe that everybody should try it sometime, grab 6 packets of lipton green tea, let the water run, and wa-la! You've got yourself a salon professional treatment right in your bath tub!) ...it was sooo relaxing, soothing, and I've never felt better when being sick like I did today. Made a world of difference, anyway...this isn't what I was planning to say to you, what I was planning to say was I did some mind numbing rest & relaxation today by watching some fun videos of some crazy talent! So here are two of the videos, feel free to watch! These people are truly amazing & entertaining! Pure talent! :)
Hahaha, Mark, this ones for you especially, remember when you said you can't move your neck like the rest of us? Well, check this out! CRAZY!!!
All I have to say about this one is WOW!!!
Monday, September 20, 2010
Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 20 "Wisdom grows with age." Vera / Alexandria, VA
Hey guys!
Well..today has been a..not so great day. I've had better days. I was sick all night, thankful the sore throat lasted only a little bit this morning, I fought it off. But now, I have a runny nose and am congested. That's okay though.
So today, I wasn't planning on going ANYWHERE. I overturned all plans in my head for today and just decided to stay home. But THEN...after taking a half an hour nap and waking up and feeling fresh. I decided to take a shower and get ready for the day. While I was napping, Brian went to Fred Myers to grab whole wheat spaghetti and beef. You see, we were asked two weeks ago to cook dinner for The Well (small group church) about two weeks ago. So, today was our day. Actually, I was asked to cook. But since I got sick and wasn't planning to go anywhere today, Brian took up the task of cooking dinner tonight. (He's a great cook by the way). AND, I think he makes the best spaghetti in the world. I really do. It's always delicious! He has a taste for cookin'. :)
But when he came home from the store, he brought me an Odwalla Supernutrient Food Drink (It's the dark green Odwalla drink...it looks gross, but it's soooo tasty!). It's my crack drink. It's my favorite drink. Brian's favorite drink is the Mango Rockstar, but I LOVE me some Supernutrient Odwalla. And, so when he came home, I was feeling better and was ready for the day. (Usually it's a drag and takes me forever to get ready when I'm sick). So I took a good 2 hours getting ready. But anyway, he brought me the drink and a pizza stick, and I was good to go.
You see, I mjade plans about a week ago to do a free photo shoot today with my used to be high school teacher. :) She's amazing. I asked my friends on facebook if any of them wanted to have a free photo shoot (I'm creating a photo porfolio) so I am willing to do a lotta free photography to get good expierence. People already have offered to pay, so that's cool. But anyway, we made plans a week ago for a photo shoot today. So I was going to cancel cause I'm sick, but then I stuck it through today and when Brian came home, I hadn't canceled the session yet, so I decided to go through with it. As I got ready for the photo session, packing everything that I need, my teacher called me back and said that she would like to reschedule for another day because that would work better for her. So, we rescheduled for another day, and I was partly relieved, because by then I wasn't feel so great again, and I didn't want to spread my germs. :)
So yeah, we ended up going to The Well, and I ended up helping Brian cook dinner. We made spaghetti, Asian stir fry, and whole wheat garlic bread. It was tasty. And we just had a good time at The Well. Today we were talking about Justice and Righteousness and I was just not getting some of the things we were talking about. And I just felt confused and clueless. But then I was encouraged. When I came home I left a comment on my facebook about how my day has been, and some of my friends just encouraged me, and I was just thankful for people that care about me. All three of the comments left on my facebook were made by my older friends, mentors, I should say. :) And they were right. They reminded me that everything is okay, and that everybody has days like these. And it's okay. Tomorrow is a brighter day. And they just left some encouraging words for me to ready.
But basically that was my day...I just needed some encouragement. Sometimes, we all have stupid days like these. But it's okay. We acknowledge it, and we move on. Things will be okay, and tomorrow is a new day. :)
And today, I was also very encouraged by Mark. Mark is 57 years old and he is one of my wise friends. :) I think he's wise (Mark, I know your reading this, so I just want to reassure you that you are wise and are somebody that I look up to, thank you for being a friend, and thanks for all of your wisdom and for taking the time to explain things to me). I love how whenever I complain, have a question, or a problem, Mark answers in the most calm, simple, and gentle way. He doesn't push his opinions, and doesn't make you feel less of a person for thinking the way you do. He is a good friend to have in our lives (my and Brian's). So one day I hope to be like Mark. I hope to grow in wisdom and be kinds to others and have patience and gentleness with others. I know that we all have flaws and I know that nobody is perfect, but I hope to be full of kindess like Mark is. One day I will be. :)
Anyway,
I am just learning things these day, just life stuff. You know?
Well,
I am getting offline,
Hopefully my blog made sense today, I am going to make the excuse that "I am sick and am not in my best mind." :) lol Oi...I feel very blah right now.
So, I'll see you guys tomorrow! At least that's the plan! :)
Yours Truly,
Fellow Chocolatier
P.S., Chicken soup sounds really good about now. :)
Well..today has been a..not so great day. I've had better days. I was sick all night, thankful the sore throat lasted only a little bit this morning, I fought it off. But now, I have a runny nose and am congested. That's okay though.
So today, I wasn't planning on going ANYWHERE. I overturned all plans in my head for today and just decided to stay home. But THEN...after taking a half an hour nap and waking up and feeling fresh. I decided to take a shower and get ready for the day. While I was napping, Brian went to Fred Myers to grab whole wheat spaghetti and beef. You see, we were asked two weeks ago to cook dinner for The Well (small group church) about two weeks ago. So, today was our day. Actually, I was asked to cook. But since I got sick and wasn't planning to go anywhere today, Brian took up the task of cooking dinner tonight. (He's a great cook by the way). AND, I think he makes the best spaghetti in the world. I really do. It's always delicious! He has a taste for cookin'. :)
But when he came home from the store, he brought me an Odwalla Supernutrient Food Drink (It's the dark green Odwalla drink...it looks gross, but it's soooo tasty!). It's my crack drink. It's my favorite drink. Brian's favorite drink is the Mango Rockstar, but I LOVE me some Supernutrient Odwalla. And, so when he came home, I was feeling better and was ready for the day. (Usually it's a drag and takes me forever to get ready when I'm sick). So I took a good 2 hours getting ready. But anyway, he brought me the drink and a pizza stick, and I was good to go.
You see, I mjade plans about a week ago to do a free photo shoot today with my used to be high school teacher. :) She's amazing. I asked my friends on facebook if any of them wanted to have a free photo shoot (I'm creating a photo porfolio) so I am willing to do a lotta free photography to get good expierence. People already have offered to pay, so that's cool. But anyway, we made plans a week ago for a photo shoot today. So I was going to cancel cause I'm sick, but then I stuck it through today and when Brian came home, I hadn't canceled the session yet, so I decided to go through with it. As I got ready for the photo session, packing everything that I need, my teacher called me back and said that she would like to reschedule for another day because that would work better for her. So, we rescheduled for another day, and I was partly relieved, because by then I wasn't feel so great again, and I didn't want to spread my germs. :)
So yeah, we ended up going to The Well, and I ended up helping Brian cook dinner. We made spaghetti, Asian stir fry, and whole wheat garlic bread. It was tasty. And we just had a good time at The Well. Today we were talking about Justice and Righteousness and I was just not getting some of the things we were talking about. And I just felt confused and clueless. But then I was encouraged. When I came home I left a comment on my facebook about how my day has been, and some of my friends just encouraged me, and I was just thankful for people that care about me. All three of the comments left on my facebook were made by my older friends, mentors, I should say. :) And they were right. They reminded me that everything is okay, and that everybody has days like these. And it's okay. Tomorrow is a brighter day. And they just left some encouraging words for me to ready.
But basically that was my day...I just needed some encouragement. Sometimes, we all have stupid days like these. But it's okay. We acknowledge it, and we move on. Things will be okay, and tomorrow is a new day. :)
And today, I was also very encouraged by Mark. Mark is 57 years old and he is one of my wise friends. :) I think he's wise (Mark, I know your reading this, so I just want to reassure you that you are wise and are somebody that I look up to, thank you for being a friend, and thanks for all of your wisdom and for taking the time to explain things to me). I love how whenever I complain, have a question, or a problem, Mark answers in the most calm, simple, and gentle way. He doesn't push his opinions, and doesn't make you feel less of a person for thinking the way you do. He is a good friend to have in our lives (my and Brian's). So one day I hope to be like Mark. I hope to grow in wisdom and be kinds to others and have patience and gentleness with others. I know that we all have flaws and I know that nobody is perfect, but I hope to be full of kindess like Mark is. One day I will be. :)
Anyway,
I am just learning things these day, just life stuff. You know?
Well,
I am getting offline,
Hopefully my blog made sense today, I am going to make the excuse that "I am sick and am not in my best mind." :) lol Oi...I feel very blah right now.
So, I'll see you guys tomorrow! At least that's the plan! :)
Yours Truly,
Fellow Chocolatier
P.S., Chicken soup sounds really good about now. :)
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 19 "Celebrate the small victories in your life." Debbie / Fairfield, OH
I couldn't resist putting both of these pics up :)
(tonight's dinner) Veggie package & chopped chicken nuggets. That's the way to do it. Home made Lean Cusine. Haha :)
How's your day? Mine...it's been pretty good, aside from getting a sore throat and startin' up some sniffles. I feel a bit sick. I'm hoping that's I'll get better soon. I just felt weak today. Yup.
Well...we kinda had an eventful day. It's true. :)
I woke up today, went to the bank, deposited my check, and then went to work. I came to work on time, yay me! :) Then when Tayler came in at 2pm I left for around 3 hours until I had to go back to work, (Tayler had something today, so she couldn't sit in for her full time, that's okay though). When I left at 2pm, I stopped by the Cookie Jar Restaurant and picked up Grandma _____ Quesadilla, and mmmmmhmmm...it was good (and cheap)! :) (Don't remember the name of the Quesadilla, but will find out and fill in the blank soon. :)
So when I came home at 2pm, Brian was sleeping. STILL sleeping. Which isn't THAT much of a suprise, or it shouldn't be. He's a log! lol! If I don't wake him up he'll sleep all day. It's true. He's a strange one, I know. Well, actually, he's just like the rest of 'em. Hahaha. :)
So...I was tempted to eat the WHOLE Quesadilla, but I knew he didn't have breakfast yet...so I left one piece for him (our of 4 pieces). I felt part guilty cause I didn't split it evenly, and part not, because I still wanted to gobble the one piece that I saved for him. lol! For those of you who are single...this is what you get to look forward to later in life...sacrifice...yes, even your food. lol. Which takes me back to the days of being a little kid and brings back the memory of when my dad would buy me and ice cream and then ask for a bite. Parents, lol, they go through a lot with us kids. :) So now I kinda know how my dad used to feel like about sharing his food. :)
Anyway...I thought I was going to clean..but that didn't happen while I was at home, instead, I vegged out in front of the T.V., and just kinda sat there. Had to get some R&R in for the week. :)
So, the day definitley dragged out because I ended up pretty much working two shifts instead of one, and I was cold and jittery the whole time. Although it was slightly warm outside, it was cold inside. I don't know how well I'll do when it comes to winter around here. We shall see. But yeah, right not I have a stuffed nose and a sore throat. No bueno. No fun. No fun at all... :(
So...tomorrow it's Brian's and my turn to cook at The Well (small group church we go to). And I hope I feel better in order for me to cook tomorrow for like 8-15 people. But yeat, after work tonight, we decided to swing by Wal*Mart (shopping is always better at night, in my opinion, no lines to wait on, just grab and go).
But when we finally pulled up to the cashiere, as we were swiping the card, we realized soon enought that we didn't have $$ to buy our grocieries. Apparently, while Brian was swipping my card, the first time that it didn't go through the chashiere asked him to swipe it again, and when he did, it was denied twice. So...that's the first time that has ever happened to us. I was lost, because I didn't know what was going on (I was packing up the food, and the next thing I knew was that we were leaving). So you know, I'm a college kid, and you know what that means. Hah. But I was confused because I just deposited $$ in the bank today...but then I remembered...oh yeah...it takes them a while to process the check. Duh. And I had $$ in my savings...but for some reason it didn't pull it out...I think it's because the amount was bigger than what I had in it. But oh well! Such is life. You sigh, don't look too much into it, see if you can fix it, if not, you go on. Don't get to worked up about it. It didn't upset me, I just was curious about what was going on, cause I had no idea. All I knew was that I was packing up the grocieries and in a moment I was walking out the door. Brian was using my card, and to him it was a frustrating, but that's okay. He told me when we got out the door. Oh well, better luck next time. We'll come back tomorrow. :)
But yeah...anyway...on the way back, Brian asked me a question, something along the lines if I was upset about the situation...but no I was no. He asked me what I was thinking...and I said, "oh, I'm actually thinking about what I'm going to blog." ...and I just found that funny, that during that moment when I could've been really upset...I was thinking about what I was going to tell you guys. Yup. Isn't that funny?
But the whole Wal*Mart situation just made me thankful about the small victories that I have in my life. Specifically these; that I DO have food at home, it may not be much, but I don't lay down on an empty stomach at night. I am not hungry. I have a roof over my head, even though we live paycheck to paycheck, I am okay, I am warm in the winters, cool in the summers, and I have a guaranteed place to come home to and lay my head down at night. I am doing good so far. Don't you think? I've covered the basics, food and shelter. ;) I have a family who loves me, and all of us have good relationships with each other, we would bend over backwards for one another. I work at a youth center and I love my job, it's certainly not the highest paying job in the word, and sometimes not the most glorifying, but I enjoy being there. (Sometimes it's a pain in the butt). lol. But I love it. And I am very thankful that I am employed in such a fallen economy. I am thankful that I am able to get an education and that I have the ability to learn. I am thankful that I am healthy and that alive. And what I am really thankful for is that I have a husband who is caring, loving, and is faithful. That one always gets me. Cause it's hard living in a culture where that's not the norm. I am thankful for our relationship (mind you, it doesn't just come easy, you have to put effort and time into it, but it is worth it, and I am thankful). And I am just thankful to God that he has blessed me in more ways than I can imagine. I am thankful to be alive, to just be sitting here, being able to share these thoughts with you. AND, :) I am thankful that YOU are reading my blog! Yay! It makes my heart happy! :) It's really cool to sit down at the end of the day and check how many people have viewed my blog for that day and from what country it's being viewed! I had somebody look at my blog from India today! How cool is that!?!!! So cool! :)
Well anyway ladies and gents,
Love you much,
Hope you keep reading my blogs (go add yourself as a follower...that makes me really happy! ..if you want...no pressure) =D
And well.. that's about it.
-Your Fellow Chocolatier
Oh,
P.S., and I am thankful for my friends! I think today that I am celebrating the victories in my life by counting my blessings. :) How 'bout you? Do you have any victories in your life? :)
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 18 "Keep moving forward; don't look back." Sally / Griffith, IN
(Making corn on the cob for dinner, so decided to take a pic while I was at it) Why not? :)
I agree very much with today's quote; "Keep moving foward, don't look back." Can I hear an amen? :)
Today...was a little bit depressing. I just felt down today.
You know...thinking about stuff that's happened in the past, or how I'm stuck in the same old same old routine of the everyday life, so it seems, (sometimes I overdramatize things too). But you know what? My feeling are legit. And today..I just felt pooped. (I don't like using that word, but that's exactly how I felt). Just blah. Another word I used which I've used before in this blog, is that I just felt defeated. And that recurring feeling of defeat just sometimes crashes over me like an unwanted wave. And I hate it. So then I fight depression.
But yeah...today, I was just reminded to look forwas, and that even thought today may not be so great, tomorrow is just around the corner, and I shouldn't sit and wallow in pity today, because there is life, love, and opportunities that lay ahead of me and are carved out for me. :)
But it's funny because our carnal minds can't imagine that, we can't imagine that there are better things ahead because we so often feel doomed, just going through feelings of despair. And that reminds me of another thing, not to live out of my feelings. What a dark and dreadful world this would be if I lived out of all of my feelings, if we all lived out of the place of our feelings. We are not meant to live that way, not any one of us. Yes, there are sad moments in life, there is grief, and there may be despair, but those are temporary feelings that go along with those real situations that come along with those feelings, and they are but for a moment. Don't stay there, that's how trouble comes. That's how a lie wraps around your mind telling you that what you are feeling at the present moment is how life will end up being, gloomy and dark, for the rest of your life. It's not true. Better days are ahead. The sun will rise and continue to shine. If it rains, the sunshine will still shine above the clouds (even though YOU can't see it, it shines). Things WILL be okay. And this moment, yes, this very moment that you are in WILL too pass, and you WILL smile again. :) I promise.
Don't allow your mind to play tricks on you by telling you that there is no hope, no hope left at all for you and your situation, because even though it's hard to do, the REALITY is that this will pass. And you WILL be okay. That is a gaurantee. And I'm not disqualifying your feelings either, your feelings are LEGIT, they are REAL! You are going through what you're going through! And that's OKAY! Just don't stay there too long okay? Hang around there for a little bit, do what you must, cry as much as you want, but don't live there okay? It's just time to go! Go and live life, go expeirience new opportunities. And it all starts with you, when you want to, and when you will let it. And don't worry, the world ain't passing you by. Take you time, just don't live the rest of your life out of your feelings, out of the pity, out of the scarcity of the situation, make up your mind and allow yourself to move one. I promise, it's okay to do so. :)
Well, that's about that.
I guess I just vented to myself really. :) I guess I wasn't just speaking out to you (dear fellow blog reader) but I was also speaking to myself.
Live. Laugh. Love.
-Your Dear Fellow Chocolatier :)
Friday, September 17, 2010
Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 17 "Inspire others to be their best by being your best." Christina / New York, NY
Today has been a pretty good day.
Guess what? The melatonin worked! I woke up at 8:30am (brought to you by Brian's alarm), and I was well rested! I don't remember when the last time I was so rested in the last month and a half! It was amazing! First time waking up at 8am instead of noon in a looooooonnng time! I woke up, tried to go back to sleep, but couldn't. So I got up, exercised, read all of my homework, ate breakfast & smoothie, took shower, got ready, went to school registry, fixed FAFSA, arrived early to class, class went great, arrived early to work, and then left early to go to choir practice! That's right, I joined the "Sweet Adelines!" It's so fun! It's really cute, I enjoy it. It's a barbershop choir only for women. There's only one other girl my age and everybody else is 30+, 40+ ..It's a blast! The ladies are really sweet and they are super good at what they do! It's a lot of fun to hear the end product when all four choir parts harmonize together, (we mostly sing acapella). So far so good! :)
Well, today's quote strikes quite an interest with me! I was actually thinking about the concept for the last two days! I think it's funny how these quotes land in my lap just in the nick of time. ;) Coincidence? Maybe not! :) Well, anyway, I agree with the quote word for word. And that pretty much sums that up.
I believe that you are the only you, and nobody else can fill your spot and fill your mold. Your are authentic and unique. There is nobody else in the world like you nor will there be anybody either. There are no copies.
I know that I am called to do a specific thing in my life, I have a purpose on my life that nobody else has with theirs, and so do you! Why you may ask? Well, simply because you are you! Nough said! :)
By you doing what you are passionate about and doing things that are under your your unique skills and creative ideas, you can change the world. It's true! And when you have your niche and are working in your space, things are set right in the universe, because you are dominating something that nobody else can dominate and you are working in your place of the universe that nobody else can work under. Does that make sense? I'm afraid I sound quite jumbled. Sometimes I have trouble expressing EXACTLY what I mean. I have trouble phrasing things, but I try. :)
By you being the best you that you can be, you inspire others to be their best, and it all ends up threading that one quilt we call life. Each person is a thread, and they have their own square to conquer, and sooner than later, if each person focuses on what they are given, together we can create a full quilt that can warm the world. Together, we are stronger, and we are greater, and by doing exactly what we are set to do, can do, are passionate about doing, we are threading the world. And it's in our hands. It's in YOUR hands. YOU, your actions, your thoughts, YOU, are in your hands, and you have the power to affect change by being the best that you can be. It's like a domino affect. If you're doing what you're called to do, and somebody else sees you doing what you do, they can be encouraged to live their life. You never know whose watching you and when. So just live your life and be the best that you can be!
If you're an artist, don't be a doctor, do art! It's what you love to do! And vice versa!
If you're called to be a stay at home mom, then be the best mom you can be in your power. (Your kids will be thankful, and will love you, praise you, and admire you). Don't worry about what other people say when you are called to do what you do! It's you! Not them! :)
If you have passion for acting, then act! Study theatre in school despite what others may say (that's it's a no-go profession). It's not the profession that makes people, but the people that make the profession! You make it come alive! If you have passion and desire for something, then go for it with all your heart! And what you set out to do will come to pass, I mean, there will be some road blocks alaong the way...but don't let that stop you! You might be the next Audrey Hepburn, Elvis, Martin Luther King, Leonardo DaVinci, Michaelangelo, or who knows! Don't try to be a copy, be your original self! :)
Do what's best for you. Simple as that.
Go make your own path, and don't follow anyone else's. Because they're not you and you're not them.
Did you know that if people try to follow the exact path of another, they tend to fail? That's because they are not following their own dreams, disovering their own talents, experiencing their experiences, because they are too busy trying to replicate somebody else's life, and that's not how life is meant to be lived!
Be real. Be yourself. Ok? :) And be the best you that you can be, because you will inspire others to do the same!
Good night friends!
-Your Fellow Chocholatier! :)
Guess what? The melatonin worked! I woke up at 8:30am (brought to you by Brian's alarm), and I was well rested! I don't remember when the last time I was so rested in the last month and a half! It was amazing! First time waking up at 8am instead of noon in a looooooonnng time! I woke up, tried to go back to sleep, but couldn't. So I got up, exercised, read all of my homework, ate breakfast & smoothie, took shower, got ready, went to school registry, fixed FAFSA, arrived early to class, class went great, arrived early to work, and then left early to go to choir practice! That's right, I joined the "Sweet Adelines!" It's so fun! It's really cute, I enjoy it. It's a barbershop choir only for women. There's only one other girl my age and everybody else is 30+, 40+ ..It's a blast! The ladies are really sweet and they are super good at what they do! It's a lot of fun to hear the end product when all four choir parts harmonize together, (we mostly sing acapella). So far so good! :)
Well, today's quote strikes quite an interest with me! I was actually thinking about the concept for the last two days! I think it's funny how these quotes land in my lap just in the nick of time. ;) Coincidence? Maybe not! :) Well, anyway, I agree with the quote word for word. And that pretty much sums that up.
I believe that you are the only you, and nobody else can fill your spot and fill your mold. Your are authentic and unique. There is nobody else in the world like you nor will there be anybody either. There are no copies.
I know that I am called to do a specific thing in my life, I have a purpose on my life that nobody else has with theirs, and so do you! Why you may ask? Well, simply because you are you! Nough said! :)
By you doing what you are passionate about and doing things that are under your your unique skills and creative ideas, you can change the world. It's true! And when you have your niche and are working in your space, things are set right in the universe, because you are dominating something that nobody else can dominate and you are working in your place of the universe that nobody else can work under. Does that make sense? I'm afraid I sound quite jumbled. Sometimes I have trouble expressing EXACTLY what I mean. I have trouble phrasing things, but I try. :)
By you being the best you that you can be, you inspire others to be their best, and it all ends up threading that one quilt we call life. Each person is a thread, and they have their own square to conquer, and sooner than later, if each person focuses on what they are given, together we can create a full quilt that can warm the world. Together, we are stronger, and we are greater, and by doing exactly what we are set to do, can do, are passionate about doing, we are threading the world. And it's in our hands. It's in YOUR hands. YOU, your actions, your thoughts, YOU, are in your hands, and you have the power to affect change by being the best that you can be. It's like a domino affect. If you're doing what you're called to do, and somebody else sees you doing what you do, they can be encouraged to live their life. You never know whose watching you and when. So just live your life and be the best that you can be!
If you're an artist, don't be a doctor, do art! It's what you love to do! And vice versa!
If you're called to be a stay at home mom, then be the best mom you can be in your power. (Your kids will be thankful, and will love you, praise you, and admire you). Don't worry about what other people say when you are called to do what you do! It's you! Not them! :)
If you have passion for acting, then act! Study theatre in school despite what others may say (that's it's a no-go profession). It's not the profession that makes people, but the people that make the profession! You make it come alive! If you have passion and desire for something, then go for it with all your heart! And what you set out to do will come to pass, I mean, there will be some road blocks alaong the way...but don't let that stop you! You might be the next Audrey Hepburn, Elvis, Martin Luther King, Leonardo DaVinci, Michaelangelo, or who knows! Don't try to be a copy, be your original self! :)
Do what's best for you. Simple as that.
Go make your own path, and don't follow anyone else's. Because they're not you and you're not them.
Did you know that if people try to follow the exact path of another, they tend to fail? That's because they are not following their own dreams, disovering their own talents, experiencing their experiences, because they are too busy trying to replicate somebody else's life, and that's not how life is meant to be lived!
Be real. Be yourself. Ok? :) And be the best you that you can be, because you will inspire others to do the same!
Good night friends!
-Your Fellow Chocholatier! :)
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 16 "When you can't control the wind, adjust your sails!" Brenda / Schofield, WI
Hey guys!
Today was a pretty chill day. Woke up late...like always so far. (Bought melatonin tonight, gonna take some before bed..I heard it really helps if you want to adjust your sleep schedule!) So we shall see! :)
I made some mean strawberry / banana smoothies today as well! Except this time I added romaine lettuce (you don't notice it in the smoothie and it adds nutritional value), and Brian added ice. I didn't like the ice in there so much because it made it too cold for me to drink, but Brian liked it.
So, I need to get off soon cause I have a story to read that's due tomorrow for class, so I'm not going to write much today, (that's the plan anyway).
But I really do like today's quote, "when you can't control the wind, adjust the sails." It just reminds me that not everything turns out the way I plan, and not everything turns out the way I want it to. Things sometimes take their own course and I just have to come to terms with the fact that I can't control everything, and that I'm not in control of everything. The only thing I can control is my attitude and the only person I can contol in myself. I can't control anybody else. I am responsible for me and nobody else is. So I guess today's quote just kinda reminds me of going with the flow. We, human beings, love routine and pattern, and when our routines and patterns break, we often times go bezerk. We are such habitual creatures...and I believe the greatest thing we can ever learn is flexibility...or in other words change. Yep change. Change is a constant. I know, it's an oxymoron, but it's true. The only constant in life is change, because life is always changing; time passes, it's never the same, you will never get 5 minutes ago back, it's history. You only get older, never get younger (as an example). So yeah...flexibility is key. If we were more flexible with our lives, schedules, and what not, then I believe life would be a little less rigid and maybe more things would be accomplished. And I don't mean flexibility until the point you break, (don't let lean so far that you snap) I just mean out of the ordinary. When something happens, we make time for it, when we have the opportunity to hang out with others, such as our loved ones, that we don't pass those precious moments up...that's what I think I mean by flexibility. :) I'm not saying to be passive either. That's not what I'm saying, but what I'm talking about is to be more open and making yourself available to life's opportunities, because if you don't let them take place, (key..YOU let them), then they will pass you by.
Anyways..I really like today's quote, "when you can't control the wind, adjust your sails."
And I think that I would like to be more flexible in my life and go more with the flow on certain things. And I lift my hands up in the air and accept the fact that I don't have control over very many things. Over anything actually, excpet for me. :) So, it's alright. No need to freak out over stuff. :) But that doesn't mean that I give up on things either such as my dreams and ambitions. :) I just have to know that things might not go as planned, and that's okay. :) I'll just have to adjust my sails and sail that ocean anyway. There ain't no stoppin' now. :) I'm ready to set sail! Yeah! :) And I might as well let my hair blow in the wind while I'm at it. ;)
Good night guys!
-Fellow Chocolatier
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 15 "Always follow your heart - it's never wrong." Amanda / Deltona, FL
Today was a pretty good day! :)
I woke up, did some last minute homework for my Russian Literature Class, which I really ended up enjoying, reading Dostoevsky's "A Gentle Creature." It was pretty interesting, I think I liked reading his story because his writing is very much scattered like mine. So it was super neat to read somebody else's writing style that is similar to mine. Pretty cool.
I also trained Tayler, a new girl at work, that was pretty fun and chill as well!
I stayed up late last night, couldn't sleep...again. I think tonight what I will end up doing is I will take some Tylenol PM! I need to buy some melatonin...or get super exhausted, and just GO TO BED! Ahhhh!!!
I drive myself crazy sometimes. So anyway, I stayed up till 5:30am last night and was reading my homework assignment. Then I slept in 'till noon. Woke up and started reading my assignment again. I wasn't quite finished with it, but at least I came to class on time. Believe me, that is a HUGE deal for me, coming to class on time. I tend to be late ...TO EVERYTHING. I know...I know. I don't like it, and I'm really trying to change that about me. I guess I'm just not so great at time management. I always tend to overestimate the time that I actually have. I tend to 'strech it out.' Haha...so yeah. But I really am trying. No joke. I have come to terms with the fact that I am a slow mover and it takes me an hour and a half to get ready for the day. It truly does. So, that has got to change a bit. I used to be much quicker about things, and I was one of the only few that was always on time or even early for that matter, but I have no clue what happened. Somehow my time keeping has digressed over the years. So, now it's time to re-learn lessons and by chop chop fast. :)
So...today Heather came over for web stuff, she, Mark, and Brian are partnering together with business stuff. It's pretty neat, and I made Strawberry / Banana smoothies! Yeah! They tasted good! They were 'au naturale.' :) Ingredients; 1 cup of Nancy's Plain Yogurt, 4 bananas, 15 strawberries, half a cup of vanilla soy milk, and 3 table spoons of agave nectar. Results = YUM! :) Heather and Brian both liked it very much. Yeah! Score! :)
While they were doing their web stuff, I was editing pics I took this weekend with Brittany for the photo session! They turned out b-e-a-utiful! :) So happy that I edited them. I love the editing process, messing with the contrast, saturation and stuff such as that. But anyway...today was a good day. I felt accomplished. (Even though accomplishment shouldn't be the only thing that makes a day good or bad in my opinion). Infact, it shouldn't be at all..life isn't based upon accomplishments...if it was, then all the millionaires and pro atheletes would be the happiest people on the planet, nope, life is based upon being alive and living, and loving those around you...anyway...nough of the preaching. :) Bottom line is that I had a pretty darn good day. And class was fun! I didn't expect it to be, but I am most certainly looking forward to class this Thursday! Yay! Oh, and one more specific thing, while all three of us were just sitting there, Brian and Heather on their computers and me editing photos, we felt the ground shake violently for around 5-6 seconds. Guess what? It was an EARTHQUAKE! It's the first time I've ever felt one! Brian and Heather thought that it must have been something else, but sure enough it was an earth quake! The earth / science place said so! So cool! It was a 3.27 magnitude earthquake. I think I felt earth quakes before around 2 years ago when I was sleeping, I would wake up to them, but I wasn't quite sure. But yeah...I finally felt my first consious earth quake! That was exciting! Mind you, I'm glad it was a 3.27 and not any higher. :) I'm sure I really wouldn't like it if it was any bigger, not at all actually...I think it would be devastating...you know what earth quakes do...But yeah, anyway...it was just exhilarating to finally feel my first conscious earthquake! Cool stuff.
So, back to today's quote, "always follow your heart." I agree with the quote by 50 % but the other 50 % of me disagrees with it. You see, I believe that you also have to be careful and examine yourself because your heart might be in a dangerous place, so to follow your heart when your heart is wicked or decieved is deception in itself, especially if your heart is tied up in believing all sort of lies. No bueno. An extreme example; a person may feel led to committ suicide, (obviously they are in oblivion, they are oblivious to the fact that their life is so worth it, and that they are listening to the lies of others, decietful lies, and by believing with your whole heart in those lies, you can be decieved that those lies are the truth, and your heart can follow them...and then it leads to unspeakable and sadening tradgedy). So that is an extreme example. And another I guess would be is if a husband has been arguing frequently with his wife, but then ends up meeting this long legged beautiful gorgeous woman at work and decides to have a seemingly innocent coffee date with her, and as they sit there, they are become quite comfortable and quite acquainted with each other. And so one coffee break leads to another coffee break, which leads to a longer coffee break later, which then later leads to a lunch break (date) and then it slowly but surely starts to spiral down from there...and much sooner than later will you find this man lying in bed with a woman other than his beloved whom he has committed his life to on the day he said, "I do." So you get my drift right? See where I'm coming from on this? ...It's a tricky thing that thing can be called "following your heart." I think leading with your head, and following your gut feeling on a thing is more proper to say then "following your heart." But I think that this saying implies just that, leading with your head and following your gut instinct. I think also that this saying is said and is percieved of a person to be following out of the right, just, and correct intent of the heart. See, the key is intent. Whatever the intent of the heart is, whether it is malicious, kind, spiteful, or thoughtful, is what the person will end up acting upon.
So I guess dear friends, what I'm trying to say is that I beg of you to check your heart's motives, and know your intents, because intention is what we often call "the heart of hearts." It's all about the intent of the heart and the moment. And it's never really a spur. Deep within you lies an intent, and whatever intent it may be, is what will come out of you in tough or exhilirating purposes and experiences. Your intent will shine like the noon-day sun, and it will be warn on your sleeve (because it is your heart). Because when in that moment you decide to follow your heart, what you really are deciding is what intent you will pursue. And replace the word heart with motive, and you will be wearing your motive (heart) on your sleeve. So be careful, check your soul, check your heart, check what really lies deep within you. And know yourselves.
Well that's that.
I'm off to see the be-Ed, that wonderful be-Ed of ours. :) (Tried to sing that to the Wizard of Oz song). Oh boy...I need sleep. :)
So I just want to leave you with this one thought;
Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life. - Proverbs 4:23 (Bible)
So friends, "always follow your heart- it's never wrong." (Let's hope that it's not) :)
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 14 "Enjoy the miracle of friendship." Josie / Little Rock, AR
I haven't been making time for my friends right now, or they haven't been making time for me. It's one or the other. Lately I've been finding myself friend-less. Everybody is just so busy with their own lives you know? So it's really special when someone takes the time out to spend with you because by doing that they are showing you that you are meaningful and have priority over the other stuff that they've got. And you know that they're you're friends when you can just sit in silence, or watch a movie, or just simply be around each other and enjoy each other's company. But yeah, lately...I feel like I'm back in grade school or kindergarten...going through the whole, "friend phase." Like.."we're friends, and we're not." It feels weird to be back at this place again later in life. It feels like though I should be established and rooted in deep friendships. But I'm not. No, not really. I have four friends that I keep in touch with that are super close, but all of them are out-of-state; Carrie, Brittany, Katy, and well, another named MiKayla, but we're not that close, but our friendship is unique. All 4 of these girls have had a great impact on my life. And don't feel sorry for me, I'm not looking for a pitty party, I'm just stating things as they are, as they are from my perspective. And don't get me wrong, I have friends here, but some of them are seasonal. I know I have a few that if we don't work together, or go to school together, once we don't have that class or job together, then the friendship kinda dissipitates. I mean, sure, I would love to keep in touch with them, but once they leave work or school they are hard to get a hold of or they just don't have time to hang out with you because they have other stuff, and really, you're not their priority anymore, it's a seasonal things. And it's sucks, because you would like to really remain friends with them, but it just doesn't work out. And I understand that friends may come and go, it's just letting them go is the hard part. I love relationships, and I guess I would count myself as a loyal friend. I will be there for that person in a heart beat if they needed me. But what I don't like, is one sided friendships. I don't like those at all, and although I want to hang on to them and not let them go, I end up just letting them go. Because if it's a one way conversation (and by that I mean if the person is not pursuing you back after you have pursued them..then just let them go). And if they want to continue the relationship/friendship, it's on their part to come to you. But hunny, just let 'em go! I've been learning to do that lately...and it turns out...that I really don't have very many friends at all! But I'm the type of person that would rather have one very close friend then 30 "friends." I get along better in intimate relationships, and by intimate I mean quality time relationships, where you make the time to hang out together, and your pursue each other. Uggggg...I really don't like friendships where you feel like you're under somebody else's feet, (if you feel like you're always being held to a higher standard, or being judged by that person or not being able to let loose and be yourself around that person...but they call you a friend). I guess those aren't really friendships. Yeah, not at all. They're certainly more like acquaintences.
Oh, this summer I had a really hard pill to swallow...my mentor of about 4 years let me go without telling me, they decided that I wasn't to be mentored by them anymore. I approached this person about feeling left out by them, as though they never had time for me anymore, and they blatantly told me that they don't. And I was heart broken, and I just felt betrayed. But one thing that was hard for me to undertand that I now understand is that even though we aren't spending as much time together anymore, and even though it's not like it used to be, it still doesn't change who we are to each other and it doesn't disqualify ever moment that we've ever spent and shared together. Our deep love for each other as friends is still there, and she loves me very much, and I love her very much (friendship love guys....just to clarify), and even if we don't hang out as much as we used to, that love is still there. Our past moments together don't just stop, now that we're not together as much. Because she still knows me and cares for me very much and we're just on different paths in life now. But time and space shouldn't be the friendship stopper. The lesson learned here was that even if you haven't seen you're closest of friends in years and years, or don't have the time to spend with each other as you once used to, the now doesn't disqualify the then. And if I may only see my friends 20 years down to road, we will still have a place in our hearts for each other, and we carry those people in our hearts. And if and when we meet again, we can pick up right where we left off, that is, If time permitts. It REALLY stunk to learn this lesson, but that was my realization this summer, is that even though my friends are far away, or if we don't talk to each other as much anymore, we are still friends nonetheless. Friendships aren't broken because of time or distance. If you see that person 20 years down the road, you will have the same love in your heart for them.
And believe me, it's still a hard lesson for me to learn, and I'm still learning to accept it. But it's true. Even though I felt devastated, and I didn't want to accept it, I came to realize that it's truth. I just put so much hope and trust in people, that when I do feel thrown away by them, I feel torn, and then I shut down, and I just want to throw it all out of the window, all of it. Ever heard of the expression don't throw away the baby with the bath water? So yeah. My first reaction is to do just that, to just chuck everything out the window. But that's not how life works at all. It's just not.
So right now, at the current moment, I can honestly say that I have only one friend, and that is my husband. Well, that's not true, this Summer both Brian and I have developed a unique friendship with Mark and Heather, and so when we get together, we just hang out, and we be ourselves. It's fun. I enjoy hanging out with them. And it's funny...lol...all of us are so differen't in ages, Brian is 20, I'm 21, Heather is 30, and Mark if 57, but we are all of the closest of friends, we share the same passions, heart ambitions, visions, and we pursue each other. As far as I can tell. :) And I know that there is a season for everything. So, I'm just enjoying being in this season now. Yup. And I still have other life long friends, like my friends in different states and such, but we're just not on the same life path at this point and time.
Well dear ones,
Off I go,
-Your Fellow Chocolatier
P.S., I am enjoying the miracle of friendship, are you?
Here guys, check this video out, it's funny as heck but it is soooo true!
(You gotta watch it all the way through to get the point of why I posted it on here). So, if you're not gonna watch it all the way, then don't watch it aight? :)
Oh, this summer I had a really hard pill to swallow...my mentor of about 4 years let me go without telling me, they decided that I wasn't to be mentored by them anymore. I approached this person about feeling left out by them, as though they never had time for me anymore, and they blatantly told me that they don't. And I was heart broken, and I just felt betrayed. But one thing that was hard for me to undertand that I now understand is that even though we aren't spending as much time together anymore, and even though it's not like it used to be, it still doesn't change who we are to each other and it doesn't disqualify ever moment that we've ever spent and shared together. Our deep love for each other as friends is still there, and she loves me very much, and I love her very much (friendship love guys....just to clarify), and even if we don't hang out as much as we used to, that love is still there. Our past moments together don't just stop, now that we're not together as much. Because she still knows me and cares for me very much and we're just on different paths in life now. But time and space shouldn't be the friendship stopper. The lesson learned here was that even if you haven't seen you're closest of friends in years and years, or don't have the time to spend with each other as you once used to, the now doesn't disqualify the then. And if I may only see my friends 20 years down to road, we will still have a place in our hearts for each other, and we carry those people in our hearts. And if and when we meet again, we can pick up right where we left off, that is, If time permitts. It REALLY stunk to learn this lesson, but that was my realization this summer, is that even though my friends are far away, or if we don't talk to each other as much anymore, we are still friends nonetheless. Friendships aren't broken because of time or distance. If you see that person 20 years down the road, you will have the same love in your heart for them.
And believe me, it's still a hard lesson for me to learn, and I'm still learning to accept it. But it's true. Even though I felt devastated, and I didn't want to accept it, I came to realize that it's truth. I just put so much hope and trust in people, that when I do feel thrown away by them, I feel torn, and then I shut down, and I just want to throw it all out of the window, all of it. Ever heard of the expression don't throw away the baby with the bath water? So yeah. My first reaction is to do just that, to just chuck everything out the window. But that's not how life works at all. It's just not.
So right now, at the current moment, I can honestly say that I have only one friend, and that is my husband. Well, that's not true, this Summer both Brian and I have developed a unique friendship with Mark and Heather, and so when we get together, we just hang out, and we be ourselves. It's fun. I enjoy hanging out with them. And it's funny...lol...all of us are so differen't in ages, Brian is 20, I'm 21, Heather is 30, and Mark if 57, but we are all of the closest of friends, we share the same passions, heart ambitions, visions, and we pursue each other. As far as I can tell. :) And I know that there is a season for everything. So, I'm just enjoying being in this season now. Yup. And I still have other life long friends, like my friends in different states and such, but we're just not on the same life path at this point and time.
Well dear ones,
Off I go,
-Your Fellow Chocolatier
P.S., I am enjoying the miracle of friendship, are you?
Here guys, check this video out, it's funny as heck but it is soooo true!
(You gotta watch it all the way through to get the point of why I posted it on here). So, if you're not gonna watch it all the way, then don't watch it aight? :)
Monday, September 13, 2010
Dove Chocolate Challenge Day # 13 "Indulge in the moments that matter most." Nicole / Williston, FL
I couldn't pick between the two, this one is creative
and this one is much more legible :) Both are tasty though ;)
Indulge in the moments that matter most... :)
So,
We were visiting our family today which live two hours away. (We took a nice long drive to them) ...This is my most favorite time in the year. It's so beautiful! Alaska in the fall time is absolutely unbelievable! I am in loveee! The trees are so gorgeous, the moutains are shot with amber, gold, auburn, and deep red. O what a sight! My my my! (The only downfall to autumn in Alaska is that it goes as quickly as it comes, it only lasts about two weeks if we're lucky). And then one day you wake up and all of a sudden you look around only to see bare branches hanging from the trees, standing tall waiting for the snow to cover them, which it does in a short little while.
Here's what I mean; (pics we took on the way up)
....
click on pics to see close up! So beautiful!
A pic of US! :)
Me!
Look at the B-E-A-U-T-F-U-L fall colors behind me!
....
So yeah, it was a REFRESHING drive up and down from Delta! WOW! And when the sunset hits the moutains and hills, the valley turns to gold, colors seem to burn deep into the horizon. So breathtaking! Yeah!
So...I was planning to do a photo shoot with a couple of my little cousins (me being the photographer), but when I got down to Delta, I found out that the two of them (one is 5 and the other is 10) are both sick, and one of them had a fever of 104* Poor thing!) She was having a SUPER rough day! So I ended up asking my little sister-in-law, Brian's sister, if she wanted to take the photo shoot. I was planning to do a photo shoot with all three of them, but since the other two were sick, it didn't really happen. But that's okay! Brittany and I had a super fun time together! And you know me, I LOVE quality time! If you wanted to hang out with me for a full day, I would be more than delighted to be with you! I love spending time with people. :)
So yeah, as a surprise after church, Brittany ran up to me and showed me her permitt! Yep! My baby is growing up! So weird! I remember the day she turned 13!!! Ahhh! So crazy!!!!!!!!
So yeah, now she has her permit, and later on that day before I picked her up for the photo shoot, I was joking with Brian and Danielle (my other sister-in-law) about how none of us would let Brittany drive our cars, hahaha, Britt can be pretty persistant. So we were just joking about that. No-way-Jose!
But then when I went to pick her up, she was so excited about her permitt, she asked me to drive. And since it really was going to be just my and her day together, I thought, well, why not? I have time. I'm in no hurry. Let's just hang out. And so...we did just that. We drove around Delta to all kinds of scenic locations for the photo shoot, and she was the driver! It was her first time on the road, first time driving with other cars, first moose sighting, bicyclists, dogs, cats, and joggers. She had a bunch of obstacles! :) But she was a great driver! A natural, and it was a lot of fun to pass down the knowledge I have down to her. Teaching her the rules of the road! ;) Uh-OH! No, just kidding! I would consider myself a pretty good, careful, and attentive driver. And I felt pretty safe. So I just passed down the advice that was passed down to me by my dad, aunt, and driver's ed teacher. And I was there to guide her.
So, what did I do today? I endulged in the moment and just lived in it with her. We both had a BLAST! And we took some AMAZING pics! It was just a ton of fun on a beautiful Autumn afternoon. I wouldn't have wanted to spend my day in any other way. It was the best. We both had fun, and we both enjoyed each other's presence. And instead of not letting her drive my car like I joked earlier with Danielle and Brian, I ended indulging in one of life's most precious moments. Loving, mentoring, and just being together.
Well,
I am hitting the snoozer!
Night guys!
And P.S.,
Make sure to indulge in the moments that matter most today!
When you think you're too busy to indulge, that's when you need to indulge in the most!
Make time for your loved ones, or do something for yourself, take a bath, watch a movie, cozy up with your hubby or you're friend, and just indulge in the moment. Or eat a chocolate. ;)
Nights and lates ladies and gents! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)