Happy Friday everyone! This week was long. I'm excited for the weekend for some much needed rest and relaxation.

Lately I've noticed a trend, maybe it's just a blogging trend, but it's definitely 2016's trend. It seems like everyone is picking a word to describe 2016. Acceptance. Forgiveness. Say no. Say yes. In the spirit of resolutions or maybe in the spirit of getting rid of resolutions - picking a word to focus on seems to be the popular thing to do this year.

I for one, didn't pick a word for 2016. I totally agree with the idea of it, but when I sat down to think about what my word would be I drew a complete blank. How could I possibly pick one word to describe or focus on for an entire year.

That was until this morning. I woke up at 5am and all I could hear was patience - trust the timing of your life. It was like God was speaking right to my heart.



Happy Friday everyone. Let's do good things.

You know when your heart is so heavy but you cannot even begin to speak the words to express that feeling? That is how I feel about everything that happened in Paris this past weekend and everything that is happening around the world. As a blogger, having a loss of words is a detriment, but today I think it's a blessing.

My heart breaks for everything going on in this world. All the hate spewed daily, the constant fear that so many people live in. It's devastating. I have no ideas on how to solve this, no words of wisdom to heal the broken hearts of families who lost loved ones. All I know and all I can do is pray. I'll pray for the ones who lost loved ones, the ones who feel pain and the ones who are afraid.

Today there will be no funny jokes, no recipes, no stories from the weekend. Today is dedicated to Paris and everywhere else dealing with daily acts of terror, days filled with fear and grief. My prayer is that we all come together and figure this out. How? I don't know, but that's what my prayers are filled with today. May God Bless and continue to bless all those lost, Paris, the United States and everywhere else.

On Wednesday I told you that Thursday was a big day. Well everyone, it's Friday. Thursday has come and gone and that big thing I was wishing for resulted in a fail. Yes, I'm being cryptic, so take your guesses at what it was, that's fine. But all you need to know is that on Thursday, I was told I failed.

I hoped I would never have to write those words, but here we are. This post might seem all over the place, but I hope you find a little nugget that maybe you relate too, maybe you've felt, or maybe your life is awesome and you've only read about failure in others. Regardless, today I go back to my blogging roots, today is one of those posts where I just write.


Failure is such a funny thing. Maybe funny is the wrong word, failure is so ironic. Failure sucks. Failure is a mean word. Failure is discouraging. Failure is inevitable. Failure creates strength. Failure creates motivation. Failure creates success.

It's amazing the feelings you feel when you fail at something, especially when its something you really wanted.

My first emotion was, oh shit. My second emotion was to cry, because failure is feeling let down, but failure is also learning how to come to grips with a new idea. My third emotion was utter frustration. How, why and no were all in my thoughts. My fourth emotion was anger. How could I possibly fail. I worked so hard. My fifth emotion was what's next? Where do I go from here, what do I do? Where do I stand.? How do I stand? My sixth emotion was peace. 

Want to know the worst thing about failure? It's so dang embarrassing. I cannot tell you how much I hate calling my family and friends and telling them I failed. I mean, luckily for me, they're the most supportive people in the world. But I hate feeling like I let them down. I hate having to tell them I failed. And as much as I need their support I hate the feeling that they have to text me or call me and voice that support. I wish I could call with exciting news and celebrate with them.

But, like I said on Wednesday, the funny thing about my plan, that I'm finding out, it's almost always not God's plan for my life. One of my most defined characteristics is that I plan my life out like you couldn't imagine. I know what I'm doing next year, swear, ask me what I'm doing in June. I had this upcoming weekend planned out last year. It's in my genes. But then God has this plan that usually seems to contradict what I have planned. I'm not gonna lie, I've fought Him several times and sometimes I win! (or at least I think I win). And then I realize that while I 'won' in the short-term, God's plan is what wins and it's the life I'm living.

Yesterday sucked. It was not what I planned. But today, I'm realizing that when I don't have a plan and I trust in Him, things are so much better. So yeah, it's safe to say, I'm struggling a little. But luckily for me, I have the best husband, family and friends imaginable. They pick me up when I fail and I'm ready to succeed for them and me. I can't wait to share with all of you the good things that will come out of yesterday. It might not be for another 6 months, but it's gonna be great and it's gonna be so much better than what I had planned. I'm never going to stop moving forward.

So for now I'm going to head to Omaha to spend the weekend with those fabulous friends and family of mine. I'm going to celebrate my niece turning three, I'm going to sing at the top of my lungs at the Taylor Swift concert and I'm going to enjoy this unknown part of my life. I'll keep ya posted.

My emotion now is contentment.

"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 13

 2. 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." -OTH

5. 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.