Journey: Week Eighteen

Stop holding grudges. 

"Don’t live your life with hate in your heart.  You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate.  Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.”  It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.”  Forgiveness is the answer… let go, find peace, liberate yourself!  And remember, forgiveness is not just for other people, it’s for you too.  If you must, forgive yourself, move on and try to do better next time."

I could blame and hold grudges against a lot of people for a LOT of things that (I feel) have "gone wrong" with my life. But, ultimately as I've learned over the years, the definition of "gone wrong" is simply another opportunity to grow. I learned this at a very young age and am a very lucky woman that I did so.

Through my eventful youthful years I have experienced several agonizing situations. And you  know what? I have become the person that I am today because of those experiences. So, in short, what I'm really trying to say is that there is no way I would ever hold a grudge. If it weren't for those situations, those hard times, those lessons learned.... who knows where or what I'd be in life today. And today, I can say with absolute certainty and confidence that I have already achieved many of my dreams and goals. Today I am one happy girl with a beautiful healthy son and the most wonderful friends.

So, the bottom line is, in a way that I don't even want to admit (especially to a select few people), I am really saying "thank you" to all of those individuals for helping me become a better person.

On a side note, I'm going to be 23 in  one hour and fifteen minutes. How did THAT happen!? 

Until next week....

Journey: Week Seventeen

Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself.

 

"Life’s curveballs are thrown for a reason – to shift your path in a direction that is meant for you.  You may not see or understand everything the moment it happens, and it may be tough.  But reflect back on those negative curveballs thrown at you in the past.  You’ll often see that eventually they led you to a better place, person, state of mind, or situation.  So smile!  Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be."

Guilty as charged!! I wallow and complain and whine and cry about past situations and I'll be the first to admit it. After reflecting on the past several years of doing just that I've realized it has only ever gotten me to a deep dark pitiful place. Sure, everyone needs to vent and talk about past situations, but wallowing in that pity is a whole different story. 

I am of the belief that everything happens for a reason. At some points I screamed "IT'S NOT FAIR!!!" to the Universe, but let me tell you,  hind sight is always 20-20. I've slowly but surely learned that every situation is a blessing in disguise. 

No matter what I've walked through, good or bad, I've been blessed to have learned from it, grown, moved on, and become a better person than I was. Those lessons and strengths have been the only thing that has gotten me through the past five (almost six) years. 

If you're going through this same thing, good luck! And trust me, I'm preaching to the choir on this one! It's a daily battle.

If  you're reading about my Journey the first time and are wondering what the heck I'm talking about, click here. 

Yep, I'm in love

I’m completely, utterly, head-over-heels in love!!!! I knew at first sight that it was meant to be. Perfect and wonderful and everything I’ve ever wanted!!

My new blog design, that is!!! I mean, just look at it!! It gives me warm and fuzzies every time.

If you recall, last year in September Katie from Priceless Design Studios revamped my blog. Well, I was itching to change it up around here and yet again she has absolutely amazed me with her work.

So, welcome to my new look!! Hope you love it as much as I do!!!

And please, please, please, check out Katie at Priceless Design Studio if you ever need anything! She is a miracle worker!

Journey: Week Sixteen

Stop being jealous of others. 

"Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own.  Ask yourself this:  “What’s something I have that everyone wants?”

Well, that was pretty loaded. Of course everyone is jealous of something or someone at any given point in life. Would I love to be a successful individual who lives to where money wasn't an issue? Or envious of others who don't have to bear the burden of single parenthood? Or jealous of certain friendships or relationships? Hell yes! Do I drool over their lives and try to live vicariously through these people by watching reality TV, pouring over tabloids, or sitting around daydreaming about "what if that were me"? Absolutely not. I have way too many other things that demand my time and attention than to waste energy doing that. 

I have no clue what I possess in life that anybody else would want but honestly it doesn't matter to me. My son and I live comfortably, we always have food on the table, and we're happier than ever. Life is too short to focus on envying others, live and let live.

If you're reading about my Journey the first time and are wondering what the heck I'm talking about, click here. 

Journey: Week Fifteen

Stop trying to compete against everyone else.

"Don’t worry about what others are doing better than you.  Concentrate on beating your own records every day.  Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only."

The only thing I can think to share for this week in regards to the particular theme is a quote I just recently read out of Bethenny Frankel’s book Place of Yes, “Life is easier when you settle for less than your dreams, but "good enough" is not good enough for me." In my opinion, those are words to live by and as long as I'm going after my dreams, while I hope for the best for others, I'm too focused on my path to worry about how I'm doing in comparison.

In other news non-related to this week’s theme, I wanted to share some pictures of my recent trip to Virginia/Maryland. I was blessed to be able to go on vacation the entire week and I had an amazing time catching up with old friends and family. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip:

PJ at the park

My first wine tasting!

Meeting Jill!

Spending time with my sisters Madison (7) and Dani (25)

And I got to come home to a wonderful belated Easter dinner. This steak was so incredible, and the picture is too awesome not to post.

Clerks 2

It's been WAY too long (7 months to be exact, yikes!) since my last pop culture update, so I watched Clerk 2 yesterday! And the verdict is....I'm drooling over this movie! I absolutely loved it. So much that it’s probably in my top 5 favorites of all time!

I laughed from the beginning scene through the entire movie. This is also the only movie I’ve ever seen that was able to successfully balance crude humor, romance, and deep sentiment. Kevin Smith did a phenomenal job.

A few favorite things:

• Pillow pants. Now THAT is funny shit.
• The Lord of the Rings references/jokes. "One ring to rule them all" LOL!
• I think it’s awesome that Kevin Smith played the role of Silent Bob… “I got nothing”
• I think it’s even more awesome that a lot of the cast were friends of Kevin Smith’s from college and they all got together to do the movie.
• Rosario Dawson. Need I say more?
• Sometimes I just sat there thinking "What the F?!" but in a way that was something I really loved about this movie--there was always a twist! Kelly and the stud, anybody?

Ahh, I’m so excited to have watched such an awesome movie. I’m going to watch Clerks soon, too.

21 down...69 to go....
The List:

12 Monkeys
A League Of Their Own
Airplane
Akira
Aliens
American History XAnimal House
Best in Show
Better Off Dead
Big Trouble in Little China
Bill & Teds Excellent Adventure
Blade Runner
Blazing Saddles
Boondock Saints
Bull Durham
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Caddyshack
Casino Royale
Clerks 2Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Daze and Confused
Deliverence
Evil Dead II
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Field of Dreams*
Fight Club
Fletch
Ghostbusters
Glory
Goldfinger
Gremlins
Heathers
Highlander
Jaws
Lethal Weapon I
Life as a House
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
My Blue Heaven
Naked Gun
National Lampoon's Vacation
Office Space
Pale Rider
Planes Trains, and Automobiles
Platoon
Policy Acadamy
Porkys
Predator
Primer
Pulp Fiction
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Rainman
Rambo: First Blood
Raw Deal
Red Dawn
Reservoir Dogs
Robo Cop
Run Lola Run
Say Anything
Scarface
Sixteen Candles
Spaceballs
Stand By Me
Star Wars: A New Hope
Star Wars:Return of the Jedi
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Terminator: Salvation
The 6th Day
The Big Lebowski
The Breakfast Club
The Godfather
The Golden Child
The Good the Bad and the Ugly
The Goonies
The Jerk
The Karate Kid
The Natural
The Professional
The Shining
The Three Amigos
The Usual Suspects
The Warriors
Top Gun
True Lies
True romance
Unforgiven
Untouchables

Young Frankenstein

Is this your first time following my Pop Culture Challenge? Read what it's all about here

Journey: Week Fourteen

Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work.

"In life you’ll realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet.  Some will test you, some will use you and some will teach you.  But most importantly, some will bring out the best in you."

I’m traveling this week so I apologize for the delay in getting this post up! 

Taking a step back looking at the big picture, I absolutely agree that every person comes into your life for a reason. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting some incredible people (recently and in the past) and I’ve also had the misfortune in getting mixed up in some bad crowds. Whatever the situation, I’ve found that every person brings something to the table whether it be a learning experience or love and laughter, there is a purpose for everyone.

It’s very eerie that this theme has fallen on this particular week given the context of some recent events. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting an incredible person who has brought a lot of light and laughter into my life. It has been absolutely terrifying and exciting at the same time. I’m trying to keep an open heart and mind while staying in my “safe zone” and laying low like I said I would in Week 12. Fate has a funny way of twisting things though, so we’ll see what happens. 

If you're reading about my Journey the first time and are wondering what the heck I'm talking about, click here. :o)