Truly an amazing concept taking pictures of... 

By: Eric Holubow

 rundown buildings that still show their beauty. 

Check out the story on Yahoo!

 

Enjoying my first day of Christmas Break!

Random Thought for the Day

You never know which doors may open,

unless you try! ~ ME

Admiration

Admiration - as I have said before I have been very busy with many different events happening in my life. One that has taken me awhile to talk about is that of a good friend of mine had to head back over to Afghanistan for his second tour of duty. He left close to the end of September and had to say goodbye to his wife of one year. She is one of my best, dear friends and all I can say about her is how I admire her strength. We went with them and their families to see him off at the airport... it was one of those life changing moments to see all the families, loved ones saying good bye to their soldiers for the year.

I am truly grateful for both of their friendships and know that this will get better... each day leads to one more closer to him coming home. One thing that has stuck with me is that her and his family all asked me to take care of her... I am at lost to how I can help. I try to find ways to keep her busy, but I know that nothing could make this situation better. The only answer I have is prayers lots of prayers. They are both truly an inspiration and a great example of how we should not take our relationships for granted!

I also caught this article and this story is truly inspiring... I admire this woman's strength to forgive and to let go. She has taken something that most people can't imagine and let it bring her strength instead of letting the pain consume her. I hope these two stories give you hope through out your day...

Remember what your thankful for even when it is not Thanksgiving season : )

Making it a Habit

One thing that had been keeping me busy was training for my first 5k race : ) From Sept. to Oct. I was trying to "love" running, but let me just tell you there is NOthing to love about running... ha! I was running mostly on the treadmill and I was really trying to stick with it this time. I have not been able get into a running routine before, I just prefer the e-machine. However, I was challenged to do a 5k and I CANNOT turn down a challenge ; )

During the month of training I continued to become frustrated b/c I could never find a passion for it, but I finally accepted the idea that NO one "loves" running, but it becomes a habit. You learn to use that time to think over the day, de-stress, for me talk with the LORD and be at peace. I am proud to say I over came my hatred for running and had an AMAZING time running my first 5k on 10-10-10. I really like the idea of accomplishing something that most people have never even consider doing. I AM A 5ker ; )

P.S. I was REALLY inspired by the half and full marathon runners, but I NEVER plan on doing that! If you ever want to be inspired to run just go watch the ending of their races and cheer them on to the finish line... it is AMAZING! Now I just have to keep up with my running and I definitely plan on doing another 5k run!

I Challenge YOU to take on a Challenge for yourself! 
What have you been putting off lately?

Too Long - Still Inspired

It has been way tooo long since my last post... During summer it was easy to keep up with this and to keep up with my photography. Now with school I get so busy grading papers, preparing lessons, attending small town functions, and READING so many amazing books I never seem to be able to sit down to post. (Currently reading The Host, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda ; ) and The Five Love Languages.)

I will post more updates of what has been keeping me so busy lately... first I would like to share this awe inspiring artist that is working on 50 State Dresses, amazing work and photography. The Willow Creek Dress in Wyoming is AMAZING!

Current Dilemma - What to be for Halloween?

Awe Inspired by New Dress a Day

Check out this amazing journey...
New Dress a Day: 365 Days. 365 New Outfits. 365 Dollars
Inspiring and SO CREATIVE...
I really wish I knew how to sew like that!

BEFORE

AFTER

 

I also love that she loves EAT, PRAY, LOVE which I have 

ALMOST finished!

I hope you are finding things each day that 

inspire your creativity!

It may come in unusual ways ; )

Secret Obsessions

Okay, they may not be obsessions but here are a few things that I just love! I LOVE coffee mugs/travel mugs/water bottles/cups! 

Example my newest addition on the right:

This blue lovely cup comes with an attached lid and straw... I seem to have an obsession for straws as well! The pink one on the the left is my trusty water bottle that I keep filled for school! Tip for consuming more water - add a packet of Splenda to it! I love the hint of sweetness in my water that the Splenda gives it and it keeps me coming back for more WATER! By the way I ALWAYS find these cups on sale like the blue one I found today at Ross for 2 bucks and the pink one I found at Walmart for a dollar last summer when they put all their plastic things on clearance! My hubby did not understand how I could get so excited about a cup : )

Next new found obsession is COUPONS! :) Yes, I am that crazy woman that holds up the line with 10 different coupons, but hey if it saves me a little here and there then I can splurge a little on something else!

The picture below shows how I saved 6 dollars on make-up/toiletry items today... just something small that makes me smile! I love to leave coupons on items at the store when I don't use them/need them right now and the the coupon is about to expire! 

And one more random obsession EMINEM... yes I know, but I have always had a secret love for his music and maybe a little for his "bad boy" image. Do you have any secret/fun obsessions that most people don't know about you?  Also, anyone know of any good coupon websites that are worth my time and effort?

Montego's View

Just something that makes me smile!

Picture from behind Montego towards his Daddy wakeboarding.

Another thing that makes me smile is that last night my husband and I 

went to Dairy Queen and got our own mini blizzards... 

maybe that wasn't such a good find ; ) Means more time in the gym... haha! 

It was the perfect sized treat and we both like different blizzards so it works out where we can get our own and not waste any!

Hope you find the small things to smile about today! : )

August Already

Well, I realized it has been over a month since my last post! Sorry for being a slow blogger! I guess my summer goal of blogging once a week is WAY out of the picture! O Well! I included pics from our Cancun trip... which was AMAZING! We had the opportunity to go with another couple and stay at The Royal in Cancun (HIGHLY recommended). I realized after looking at these pics I must have an obsession with taking pics of my feet, but then it hit me its just My View : )

Enjoying the last bit of my summer since August means the start of a new school year, but a plus this year it means my 1st anniversary with my hubby AND my 25th b-day! The Cancun trip was our anniversary celebration since the couple that went with us will also celebrate their first ann. this Sept., but he will be in Afghanistan by then : ( For my b-day present I got a heart rate monitor watch/chest band to keep me motivated with my exercising!

I guess that is enough for now, but what keeps you motivated to exercise? Are there any really fun workouts that just keep you going?

Sweet Treat

Another rave goes out to a new peanut butter I have tried from Peanut Butter & Co. I first tried their Dark Chocolate Dream and used it with bananas in my Green Monster for a sweet twist! After trying this flavor out in their sample/individual sized squeeze pack I decided to invest in the White Chocolate Wonderful in the full size. LOVE LOVE LOVE it! At 180 calories for 2 tablespoons it is similar if not better than normal peanut butter. I have chosen to use this on my Bagel Thins in the morning and it is a nice change to regular peanut butter. So, if you are looking for something to tame that sweet tooth or you are one that likes fluff-a-nutter sandwiches check this out!

I promise my next post will be about something other than food and I will include better photographs ; ) Hope you are enjoying the "sweet" life!