Day 4 of love and inspiration

This goes with the whole theme of my "31 Days" challenge - which is staying positive and focusing on the good.  Life is good; my life is good; your life is good. Yes, things do go wrong and not everything goes our way, but overall we all have a lot to love and be thankful for.  

I know I sometimes get caught up in thinking that life will be better when...

Camdyn starts sleeping through the night

John and I are making more money

My home office is complete

The weather cools down

etc etc etc

If I focus on that, I'll not only miss out on today's moments but also probably drag myself into a world of wanting more.  My goal is to be happy with what I have, and to enjoy this life that God has given specifically to me.

a thankful list

a happy, beautiful baby who brings me joy each and every day

the ability to stay home with her while working part-time

a house to call our own

my two work-from-home jobs

the wonderful friends i've made through blogging - you guys have become my main form of socialization lol :)

a husband who loves me through thick and thin

my family that lives close by and always makes me laugh

my bestest friends who are always there for me, and me for them

My mom has been telling me to make one of these for awhile, and I'm glad I did.  Hope everyone is having a nice day :)

Day 2: Gary Allan-spiration

Most of you know I'm a bit obsessed with Gary Allan.  I actually just found out he's playing in Vegas for New Years Eve.  Oh how I would LOVE to go!!  Why do hotels have to be $300/night on New Years?! :(

For today, my inspiration comes from his latest single, "Every Storm."  All of his songs are incredible to me, but I just so happen to love songs with depressing and meaningful lyrics, haha.  

"Every Storm" is about knowing that everything is going to be ok in the end.  Time heals all, and all things (good or bad) will come to an end.  Here's a copy of the lyrics:

I saw you standing in the middle of the thunder and lightning
I know you're feeling like you just can't win, but you're trying
It's hard to keep on keepin' on, when you're being pushed around
Don't even know which way is up, just keep spinning down, 'round, down…

Every storm runs, runs out of rain
Just like every dark night turns into day
Every heartache will fade away
Just like every storm runs, runs out of rain
So hold your head up and tell yourself that there's something more
Walk out that door
Go find a new rose, don't be afraid of the thorns
'Cause we all have thorns
Just put your feet up to the edge, put your face in the wind
And when you fall back down, keep on rememberin'

Every storm runs, runs out of rain
Just like every dark night turns into day
Every heartache will fade away
Just like every storm runs, runs out of rain
It's gonna run out of pain
It's gonna run out of sting
It's gonna leave you alone
It's gonna set you free
Set you free

Every storm runs, runs out of rain
Just like every dark night turns into day
Every heartache will fade away
Just like every storm runs, runs out of rain
It's gonna set you free,
It's gonna run out of pain,
It's gonna set you free

Listen to this song here.

Camdyn lately

Camdyn is almost 4 months old!  I really can't believe how fast time is going by.

My parents got her a walker last week.  Though her feet don't touch the ground yet, she has a lot of fun playing in it.  I push her around the house and let her hang out with me in the kitchen when I'm cooking.  She laughs so much and really is a very happy baby :)

She's currently eating formula only.  I would guess she has 32 oz per day.  I gave her rice cereal last night mixed with formula and spoon fed her.  This was probably the funniest thing I've ever witnessed!  She made hilarious faces at me the entire time, and ended up spitting most of it out.  I'll probably try again in a few days, I don't want to force her to eat if she's not ready.

John and I are getting ready to go to Laughlin for the weekend.  I'm super excited to get out of town and see Gary Allan in concert!  John and I are both huge fans.  My favorite song of his is either "The Best I Ever Had" or "Life Ain't Always Beautiful."  

My mom and sister will be babysitting, with the exception of Saturday where they will both be at work.  That means my dad will be watching her!  Hopefully this goes well, haha :)

Here's to a good day!  And for some encouragement:

Remember, happiness is a choice.  Only you can choose to focus on the good in life and be happy.  If you want to be very happy and satisfied with life?  Do it!

Don't let a bad day...

Happy Labor Day!  I hope everyone's had a great holiday weekend!  

John and I spent the majority of the weekend repainting our master bathroom (correction: John spent the majority of the weekend repainting our master bathroom).  It started as a dark mauve/purple color.  I didn't totally mind the color but John hated it!  He said it looked very old-ladyish, haha.  I sorta am an old lady so that's probably why it never bothered me :)

Anyways, we painted it a light grey.  It looks amazing.  A million times better than I expected.  Thanks, love <3 Pictures to come soon!!

So, today's encouragement is in regards to having a bad day.  We all have them.  I have to remind myself that just because I have a bad day that results in feeling depressed, fighting with my husband, not sleeping, and everything and anything in between, my life is not bad.  Bad days will happen, and it's important not to let them get the best of me.  

My mom always advises me to write a "Thankful" list.  Here's mine for today:

• My husband who provides for me and Camdyn
• Camdyn's adorable smiles and laughs
• A beautiful home to call our own
• My dad for changing my oil and inviting us over for dinner twice this weekend
• My sister for helping out so much with Camdyn and being a great friend to me

When you stop and think about it, life is pretty good.  The ability to breathe and walk is a gift.  Life is so short, so it's important to try and make the best of it and be happy with what you have (I'm mostly speaking to myself here, but I hope I'm encouraging someone else as well).

So now I ask: What is it that you are thankful for?

Encouragement Series

So I thought it'd be cool to start a series where I put an encouraging quote / phrase / photo / thought etc on my blog everyday (Mon-Sat).  I know that I've had rough days and then seen something that's turned my day around.  Everyone could use a little encouragement now and then :)

This quote touches home to both my husband and I.  My husband works for himself and can have periods of down-time just like anyone working for themselves would.  I tend to jump to the "Well maybe you should get a regular full-time job" conclusion quite quickly.  The thing is, my husband loves what he does and he's really good at it.  Being slow doesn't mean quit - it means thinking outside the box and coming up with different advertising strategies.  It means finding a solution, not giving up on his dream.

For myself, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I'm meant to by Camdyn's mom.  That is my purpose.  I'm also extremely blessed in that I can work from home writing, which is something I absolutely love way more than I thought I would.  I don't make very much money, but I'm hoping to grow in my field and get more job opportunities.  Writing is honestly the one job I've had that I actually really like (well, I did really like being a server, but unfortunately that would require me to take Cami to daycare).  I like it so much that it doesn't even seem like work.  Isn't there a quote "if you love what you do, you'll never have to work a day in your life"?  That's how I feel about writing.  

So again, "Never let the odds keep you from doing what you know in your heart you were meant to do.