Year End Reflections

10 Highlights- Accomplishments. Best Memories:

1.         Selling a $3 million deal at work

2.        Walking out of a building and feeling utterly free

3.        Paying off a debt and seeing “zero balance” on the screen

4.     Watching the reaction of my Mom & sisters about the latest addition to the family

5.       Seeing the joy of my nephew when he saw Mickey at his 1^st birthday party

6.      Telling Shrek that he was going to be a father

7.       Being able to provide for my family in a time of need without hesitation

8.      Meeting new friends and growing friendships

9.      Finding a niche at work to make my position irreplaceable!

10.Figuring out who I am and what I want out of life. It took 29 years, but I’m just about there!

8 Disappointments-Failures. Missed Opportunities:

1.         Continuing on a full load of classes and finishing up my degree

2.        Making the best out of my 2 months (total) in Rome & seeing what I wanted to see

3.        Learning as much as I could at work & gaining the workforce knowledge

4.     Taking that promotion with a big management company

5.       Having the chance to teach Sunday school to the kiddos

6.      Valuable lessons on why a “perfect” marriage does not exist

7.       Not listening enough to my inner self about the truth

8.      Wasting my time on those who aren’t worth it

3 Game Changers- Unexpected Events That Shifted My Priorities:

1.         Ending an era of  “Stout” & learning to be independent again

2.        Finding myself again with Shrek and thinking “this is right”

3.        Hearing the doctor say: “You’re pregnant!”

3 Things I Focused On- What I Put Most of My Time Into:

1.         Fixing up my new house

2.        Mapping out paying off ALL debts

3.        Finding a “forever” job

3 Things I Forgot- What I Didn’t Get Around To:

1.         Hitting the gym as much

2.        Finishing my master bathroom (sooooo not my fault)

3.        Scanning in ALL of that paperwork to my cloud

Life has given me such a lesson this year in letting things "waddle waddle" and just roll off my back. Like the Buddhist believe (and the OHM on my back), everything is created, nurtured and destroyed. Therefore, we must strive to keep happiness, rejoice that sadness will dissipate, and recall that a storm will always run out of rain.

Take joy in 2015 and the new adventures that we will encounter. For me, I know that 2015 will be the year that my life completely changes, and my goals in life now shift towards my baby girl, who I get to meet in April. May the roads be peaceful and full of thrills for you all.

Any thoughts and goals for 2015 on your end? 

Thursty (ok so it's not) Thursday

Jingle bells, jingle bells, roudoulph  laid a what?!?!?!?!

Usually those holiday sounds are simply a back tune to the delicious holiday fizzy’s that cloud my brain and accompany all the great food. However, as Baby K approaches, there are no alcoholic drinks entering THIS body.

Thursty Thursday came and went, but hey, being preggos makes you a bit lazy! The awesome ladies Kristen of Hopelessly Ever After & Jess of Livin On Sweet Tea are co-hosting their fav drinks. And since I can't readily partake right now, I'm saving those bad boys for the months ahead when I'll really need them!!

So, still trying to keep it festive and cheerful (and baby friendly), I have found the wonderful world of “mocktails”. Granted, there’s no extra BUZZ floating around when I drink these, but I’m on Cloud 9 anyways these days, and that’s enough to keep my party going for a while.

So, mix, drink and ACTUALLY remember all the funny holiday nonsense & share your drinks! Cheers!!!

You Never Know

Tonight, I share something with a heavy heart.

Through our company’s typical mass emails, we were alerted that a dear co-worker had been diagnosed this past weekend with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). Treatment starts with a fierce round of chemotherapy for the next couple of weeks, leaving him out of work. Working off commissions, that’s a bleak outlook for his wallet. 

 With the holidays right around the corner and his insurance only covering 1/3 of the hospital cost, his teenage son started a “GoFund Me” page (without telling his Dad) to help relieve some of the costs.

Ralph is an extraordinary man, full of life and love. He would give the shirt off his back to anyone who needed it, and I firmly believe it is a time to pay it forward to give back to him. If this world took the smallest interest in those around them, kindness would spread and hopefully make it back to those who need it the most.

Dear friends, I am asking you to please reach into your heart and donate (even the smallest amount helps) to this special cause. He’s a young man that has a small family and a BIG heart. He CAN BEAT this! But, to make sure that his family does not take a downward spiral, he needs YOUR HELP.

Please visit this LINK and help a family that just had their lives turned upside down. After all, kindness will always find it’s way back to the loving individual who willingly gave it away in the first place. Remember folks, any bit helps, even if it’s just sharing this post.

Ralph, if you happen to see this, know that we love and support you. You’ve been SUCH an inspiration to me these past two years, and our thoughts, prayers and well wishes are with you every step of the way.

Much love amigo.