Day 15: Share a moment, phrase, or song that has changed your life the most.
Luckily for me, this was an easy prompt to answer. This blog was started because of the phrase, "Wheresoever you go... go with all your heart. -Confucius." I started this new blog at the end of my senior year, right before I graduated college. I was confused, stressed out, with no plans past tomorrow and I heard this quote, and once I heard it, it was as if everything made sense. In a world where nothing meant anything, I found myself through this. This quote made everything simple again. Wherever I go, go there with my whole heart, go there with me, do it based on my heart. That's it. There isn't much more to it. This quote has challenged me. When I set my mind on something, I think about where I'm going and I make sure my heart is in the right place. Law school...server at Oreganos, moving home, boys, friends, anything in between, if my heart is there I'm going to be okay. So, with starting law school in 3 weeks, I'm going to do everything with my heart (maybe a little head-game in there too) but I'm going to listen to my heart, because with that as my leader I can't go wrong.
Day 14: Post a video or link to the best mash-up you've ever heard.
Day 13: Describe a moment that never fails to make you laugh
I've been failing when it comes to keeping up with this blog challenge. But I'm creating a new challenge for myself. I leave in 20 days for my law school adventures, so I'm making it my goal to finish this blog challenge before I leave. 20 days...17 blog prompts... I think I can do it.
Back to the moment that never fails to make me laugh.... this is gonna be a throwback. It was the summer of 2003 and it was Coti's 16th Birthday party. We went to the Pointe Hilton at South Mountain with me, Coti, her mom, Summer, Alex and Ben. We got picked up in a big white (1980's) limo, which was awesome, and drove to the resort. We spent two days lounging in the lazy river, swimming in the adult pool (because at 16, we were totally old), drinking virgin margaritas, taking over 200 pictures and enjoying the summer. The first night we went to Rustlers Roost where we got these AMAZING hats (embarrassing is probably a better word).
From the minute we walked in, we couldn't stop laughing. If you couldn't guess from the name of the place, it was somewhat of a cowboy, rustic joint. Well, it reeked of sawdust and babies. I'm pretty sure this is the restaurant all the families go to just because you get hats, lots of coloring projects and at the end of the meal you get a dessert bigger than an infants head. It's quite the celebration place. Here comes the part I'm referring too. Once we were done with dinner, waiting for the colossal dessert I had to run to the restroom. After twenty minutes being gone I finally returned. Everyone at the table at thought I died, or something of the sort, but I told them I couldn't determine the difference between the 'Bulls (men)' or the 'Heifers (women)'. But I pronounced it 'heefers.' Well apparently that's not correct and the fact that I had to wait 20 minutes just to see what gender came out of one of the doors was quite amusing to the rest of the gang. After 15 minutes waiting for them to catch their breath, they told the waiter, everyone who walked by and even made me take a picture by the door.
To this day... 7 years later, every time I go to the bathroom when Summer and Coti are present, they make sure I know that I am a 'heefer', not a bull. I wish voice-notes were available via blog, because its the way it was said that makes the story. But regardless, this story always brings back memories of laughing till your stomach hurts, spending time with best friends, summertime and birthdays which are my favorite holidays.
I'm taking a break from blogging until next Saturday (gasp!) but I'm on vaca and I'm plan on spending every minute of it outside and not worrying about this thing called a blog. So, enjoy this picture, act as if you're here with me, and I'll see you all on the other side. Happy vacationing.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. -Phil. 4:6
"There are moments in our lives when we find ourselves at a crossroads. The choices we make in those moments can define the rest of our days. Of course, when faced with the unknown, most of us would rather turn around and go back."
Summertime is my most favorite time of the year. It's full of BBQ's, birthdays, outdoor concerts, numerous days spent lounging at the pool, trips to california, tahoe, michigan, lots of books to read, movies to watch and things to blog. Summer always brings life and laughter back to everyone, it's the perfect season. And even though Arizona's blazing temperatures might seem unbearable, it's those steamy nights that make Arizona summers perfect. This summer has been different though... don't get me wrong, there have been birthdays, concerts, pool parties and everything in between, but this summer comes with the looming thought that everything is changing once it's over. Last night I had my very last night of work, at a place that has been my security blanket for the last 9 months. I said goodbye to my regulars, managers, friends, cooks, everyone who's made coming to work enjoyable. It was a bittersweet goodbye marked with Corona light toasts and lots of reminiscing. It's hard enjoying summer when everything is marked with 'the last time before you go...' It's coming, I'm moving, it's inevitable. I'm so excited to, but it's easy to get bogged down in the idea that I'm missing out, or that I will be missing out. It's hard when plans are being made that you know you wont be around for. It's hard missing birthdays, parties, events, things with your loved ones. But I'm doing this for me, Oreganos will always be there, those people will always be in my heart, and they'll always be here when I come back. This just means that I have 37 days left, enjoying the best summer I can. It means even more pool parties, concerts, birthday celebrations, nights out, nights in and constant celebrations. I'm not looking back, only forward, I'm ready to enjoy this last summer, who's with me?
One of my favorites, Paige, from work.
Friends are those rare people who ask how we are
and then wait to hear the answer.
- Ed Cunningham
It's time for you to come back Whitney....
Day 12 - Write about your favorite musical artist's life story.
I've stood at the bottom of some walls/ I though I couldn't climb/ I felt like Cinderella at the ball/ Just running out of time/ So I know how it feels to be afraid/ and think that it's all gonna slip away/ Hold on, hold on
Carrie Underwood - Crazy dreams
Ever since spring of my 8th grade year, when American Idol first debuted, I have been in love with the idea that one show can make a small town girl go from nothing to instant celebrity status. Introducing Carrie Marie Underwood, winner of season four on May 25, 2005. For Underwood, hearing the words "Welcome to Hollywood" would be the first time she would be able to venture west from her small town home of Checotah, Oklahoma (current population 3,481). Being the youngest daughter of two older sisters, she was raised in a home where her father worked in a sawmill and her mother, an elementary teacher. She grew up singing in her church, Free Will Baptist Church, at local town events, her high school choir, and she even performed in Northeastern State Universities shows. She graduated magna cum laude in 2006 with a bachelors degree in communication, just one year after her victorious win on the AI stage. In her hometown, Underwood was a local celebrity, little did she know that within one year of her 2004 audition, Underwood would reach world-wide celebrity status.
Carrie's vocals are undeniably the best vocals to ever grace the American Idol stage, but it wasn't just her pipes that sent her to the finals, it was her sweet spirit, love for music and faith in God. She stole the judges hearts as well as those in American she during her performance of "Alone" by Heart, judge Simon Cowell predicted Underwood as the winner as well as the highest selling artist of all AI winners.
For Carrie, American Idol was just the start of her career. After appearing on AI, she returned numerous times singing for 'Idol Gives Back,' joining other fellow contestants as well as shocking the audience with a surprise duet with Randy Travis. Her debut album 'Some Hearts' was the biggest debut country album since 1991 and won her countless awards including a Grammy, Best Female Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Video of the Year and many more. After her second album, "Carnival Ride" debuted, Carrie was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry which, for country music fans, is the highest honor possible, also making her the youngest member. Now onto her third album, "Play On," Carrie continues to own the charts, win all the awards and still manages to do it with class, dignity and humility.
The thing about Carrie that intrigues me, is her relentlessness to be the absolute best, without jeopardizing who she is. She proves that through hard work, determination and love for the music, anything is possible. She deserves everything that's been given to her, I've been a fan since the beginning and I'll be a fan until her last album.
Whitney and I at Carrie Underwoods concert in May 2010.
Day 11: Post your favorite picture ever taken of yourself.
This picture evokes a lot of emotion for me. It represents one of the happiest times in my life, graduation. It reflects on the happiest place I've ever been, Malibu. It exudes pride in myself and my accomplishments. It shows contentment, excitement, joy, thankfulness, honor and success. However, it was not a selfish moment, it was a moment I got to share with the people I value most in my life, my family and my friends. It was a moment of celebration. Whenever I look at this picture it instantly brings me back to Malibu, the joy of attending a university like Pepperdine, the immense gratitude I will forever have for my parents, the love of my friends and my relationships and the pride I took in myself that day. That day was a great day. This picture represents all of that.
Day 10 - Elaborate on a dream you had this past week, described in detail.
I'm not a dreamer, I never have been. I've always been jealous of those people who have these vivid dreams, or people like David who can interpret those kind of dreams. I'm lucky if I dream once a month. But, I did have a recent dream, that I'm not sure if it was subconscious or not, was about law school, Nebraska, and all my fears regarding the subject, I don't think I need David to figure this one out.
It was last week and it all started on the back patio of my parents house. We were having this huge cookout, hot dogs, hamburgers, watermelon-seed spitting contests, cold beer, water fights, basically your average Englert pool party. Everyone I love was there....mom, dad, Tommy, Erin, Cami, Coti, Whit, Lauren, all my college friends, Car, Cal, Bree, Kate, a ton of my sorority sisters, the boys from EX, all my new friends in AZ, Cami's sisters, all my family, it was a HUGE party, the backyard was full, full of laughter, flashes from the cameras, musics blasting, it was a party for the record books. Just as we were about to cut the 'going away cake' I had to leave for Nebraska. I had to catch a flight, I had to leave the fun, the excitement, all the people I love and move away from it all and no one was allowed to go with me. I just remember crying and moving to Nebraska. I started school and law school was hard... but I did it. The three years was a flash and all of a sudden I was back at the same party I left three years earlier, my heart was full again with laughter, more pictures, everyone I love and it was as nothing had ever changed. And then I woke up, in a cold sweat, but with a reassuring feeling. I'm scared of leaving, I'm scared of the change, but I know that the relationships I have here are forever, I know they're going to last. So, I know that I can go away for a couple years, do my thing and come back, be back, and it'll be as if I never left. I have confidence in that. So, for not being a dreamer, I know this one was for a reason. It was one of the best dreams I've ever had.
"You may say that I'm a dreamer...but I'm not the only one."
Omaha, Nebraska. Home sweet home?
Wanna know what I've realized? Life is messy, life doesn't always go the way we've planned in it in our heads. Sometimes the life plan we've made for our lives isn't the 'right' plan. Sometimes God says, 'Stop, I'm in control, let me handle this.' That's what I'm realizing right about now. Wanna know what my plan was? My plan was to move to Malibu, go to school, meet a boy, get married, start a life, start a career, move to Arizona, or stay in California, start a family, done, done and done. Wanna know what God's plan for my life has turned in to? I moved to malibu, I went to school, I met a boy, I lost the boy, I moved home, I got into law school (hooray!) I'm now moving to Nebraska. I'm lost, uncomfortable, seeking security, I'm trying to make a new home, find new friends, locate new hangout spots, relocate while finding new everything. I'm trying to hold on to everything I have in Arizona, while subconsciously letting go in efforts of grasping on to what Nebraska holds. Life is messy. Life doesn't follow a prescheduled plan. But that's the exciting part. Life moves with us as we move with it. It's like the Malibu waves, it changes, it pulses, it stops... it flows, it's choppy, it's life. I've decided as long as I try my best to ride the waves, I'm going to be just fine. As long as I hold tight to what I know, family, friends, my God, I'm going to be okay. Stay focused, stay honest, stay me, I'm going to be okay. God's never going to give me something so impossible that I can't figure it out. So, here I am, 23, with no plan except to try my hardest. I'm going to succeed, I'm going to have a plan, I know I can do it, but that doesn't mean things aren't going to get messy in the process. But, I'm ready, a little mess is fun sometimes. I'm going to stop waiting for life to take me with it. So, ready....set....go. I'm jumping in to my life, even if I get a little messy, feel free to join me.
Day 9: Discuss five things you wish to see change.
1. I want people to learn to love with wide abandon, and to not be scared of love- for it is the greatest of these.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a shild, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we can see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." - 1 Corinthians 132. I want people to be happy because they're actually happy, not because of material things, or jobs or anything else. I want people to be happy with who they are. I want people to be content with themselves, with who God made them to be.
3. I want people to stop blaming others, it's time for us to take control of our own lives.
4. I want people to believe in themselves and to believe in their own miracles. The world is full of magic.
"You just have to believe in it. So make your wish. Do you have it? Good. Now believe in it, with all your heart." -OTH5. I want people to have faith. Faith in God, faith in themselves.
He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you." - Luke 17:6"What'cha gonna do with the 36 cents, sticky with Coke on your floorboard
When a woman on the street is huddled in the cold, on a sidewalk vent trying to keep warm
Do you call her over hand her the change, ask her a story ask her her name
or do you tell yourself....You're just a fool, just a fool, to believe you can change the world.You're just a fool, just a fool, to believe you can change the world.
What'cha gonna do when you're watching t.v. and an ad comes on, yeah you know the kind
Flashin up pictures of a child in need, for a dime a day you can save a life. Do you call the number, reach out a hand. Or do you change the channel, call it a scam...
or do you tell yourself...You're just a fool, just a fool, to belive you can change the world. You're just a fool, just a fool, to believe you can change the world.
Oh, the smallest thing can make all the difference
Love is alive, don't listen to them when they say, you're just a fool.
Love is alive, don't listen to them when they say, you're just a fool."
Thanks Carrie.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons