Happy 18th Birthday, Candy-Cane!

Today my only daughter turns eighteen. I just can't believe that 18 years have flown by so fast.  She is beautiful, inside and out, and being her mother has been the greatest privilege I have ever had.  This is one of my favorite pics of her when she was younger. Looks like a porcelain doll looking up to heaven.

I have been trying for weeks to decide what I was going to say to her when today rolled around and finally just decided to came up with a list of simple things I've tried to teach her that I pray will carry her throughout her life:

I love you more than you'll ever know.

God knew you long before I did.

Remember that God loves you more than I do and He has a special purpose for you in this world that only you can do.

People will disappoint you.  But it's the ones who disappoint you, own up to it and apologize that are worth keeping around.

Choose your battles wisely.  Life is too short to argue with people all the time about everything.

If it feels wrong, don't do it and if you know it's wrong, don't go along with it.  Be a leader, not a follower.

Don't be in such a hurry to grow up now that you're 18 and officially an adult.  Your education is far more important right now. Be responsible.

Think long-term rather than short-term because the decisions and mistakes you make now can haunt you forever.  You don't want to live with that kind of guilt.

Don't be afraid to ask for help.  Asking for help is not a sign of weakness but is a sign of maturity and shows you know your limits.

Keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have.

Don't allow any man to put you on a pedestal to be worshiped because we all know what happens when valuables fall....they break!

Prince charming isn't a fairy-tale, he's a myth and doesn't exist.  Marry your best friend and don't settle!

Exercise and being in shape is a good thing but make sure you put just as much time and effort into being in shape spiritually.

You are beautiful and never let anyone tell you otherwise!

Always trust your gut instinct.  ALWAYS!

And last but certainly not least......welcome to the real world baby, now you're one of us. Ain't it fun! 

Just Keeping It Real

I've had conversations with my teenage children the past few months about that loathsome word "braggart".  One of them was becoming a braggart and needed a reality check and the other was tired of listening to a fellow classmate brag endlessly while trying to impress everyone around them.

No one likes to listen to people who continuously toot their own horns.  Come on peeps don't act like you don't know anyone who fits the bill.  IF by chance you don't work or go to school with any, all you have to do is scroll through your Facebook news feed or Twitter and you'll find an abundance of them.  We all have plenty of friends who appear to be having the 'best day evah' 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. 

Don't get me wrong.  Good things happen to all of us and there are times we want to share those things with our family and friends via Facebook or other social media venues.  I do it and I'm sure you do it as well.  But that's not what I'm talking about.  I'm not referring to someone who genuinely shares their joy and excitement of an experience, award, relationship, etc.  I'm referring to the people who make it their sole purpose to let everyone know how wonderful their life is in contrast to ours.

People that brag just remind me of the 'boy who cried wolf'.  They brag so much that most people tend to shake their head, roll their eyes or not even read their posts and statuses.  So when they actually do have something significant to say none of us will know because we'll just think "it's just another day in their wonderful existence", IF we haven't already hidden their posts completely.

I said all that just to say that I really think some people need to take an extra 30 seconds and question themselves BEFORE posting to social media.  Are they sincere or just seeking approval and boasting?

Grateful

Ever have one of those days or weeks or months? You know the kind I’m talking about. A time period when a whole bunch of little things go wrong and you feel like you can’t catch a break. No one dies. A life altering accident doesn't occur. Nothing like that. But still, if you had to choose between living the day over again or a root canal, you’d consider the root canal for like, a millisecond. That’s the kind of month this has been for me.  No lie.

In an attempt to ease my ‘woe is me’ attitude, I decided it's better to count my blessings than it is to feel sorry for myself. Ultimately, we all deal with circumstances beyond our control so even though I feel alone right now I know there are others who have been through the same things or who have it a lot worse.

Sometimes it just takes hearing someone else's story, seeing a homeless person, a person with a serious illness, people that have been afflicted by natural disaster, children suffering abuse, hunger or all the bad things in the world to make a person appreciate the life that they have.  When I see all the things going on in the world today, I have to praise God for all the wonderful blessings that He has given me.  Sometimes I start feeling sorry for myself because of the struggles that I have had to face and am facing but I soon remember that I am here, alive and healthy.

Therefore big or small, we all need to remember to be grateful for the things that we're blessed with.  Whether it’s good health, an opportunity to have an education, our family, our friends, the roof over our head, or something as simple as an umbrella when it’s raining. Be grateful and thankful for the sounds of laughter coming from the people you love in your life. When you remind yourself what you’re blessed with (rather than what you wish you had), you end up living a more satisfying life.

The Hunger Games - What Now?

I saw the first 'Hunger Games' about a dozen times and have seen Catching Fire 3 times so far.  I never read the books and quite honestly I have no interest in reading them either.  I can honestly say that when I first saw Catching Fire I definitely didn't see that ending coming.  In my opinion though, it was by far way better than the first Hunger Games.

Anyone who is a fan of The Hunger Games has to be wondering what Lions Gate plans to do with Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2 since the tragic death of Philip Seymour, who played the Head Gamemaker (Plutarch Heavensbee) in Catching Fire.  Like I said, I have never read the books and I don't intend to but I have to believe, after seeing Catching Fire, that his character plays a pivotal role in the remaining 2 sequels.  From everything I have read Part 1 was wrapped up but there were 7 remaining days of filming left for Part 2 and one major, emotional scene left to film.  I guess I have to wait til November 2015 to find out how they plan to work around the issue of his absence. Sigh.

Thoughts About the "Biggest Loser" Winner

I'm sure by now you have heard all the controversy surrounding the most recent "Biggest Loser" winner, Rachel Frederickson.  I'm still in shock over how she looks and I believe she went way too far in her weight lose journey.  All for 250k! Ummm, really?  No amount of money is worth risking your health over.

I love the show and have been watching for a few seasons now but am disappointed that NBC is not concerned at all.

When Rachel first walked out on the stage, I thought "You have got to be kidding.  She looks borderline anorexic".   It's like she went from one extreme to another extreme.  She went from being too fat to being too skinny.  I understand that being obese is unhealthy but so is being underweight.

My disbelief of what I was seeing quickly turned to sadness because my seventeen year old daughter was also watching with me and what was the message being sent by NBC to her and all the young girls out there watching who could be struggling with their weight?  My biggest concern is that we are telling young girls that you can be rewarded with 250k for being too thin.  Are you serious???  That is certainly not the message I want my daughter to hear. 

Yes, I am still SMH.  

National Running Day

Happy National Running Day!  

Make it happen people because you can't finish the race if you don't ever start.

Happiest 5K on the Planet

Caitlin, Joshua and myself are now registered for The Color Run in Columbus in July and The Color Run in Toledo in August.  We are super stoked to participate in these fun events.  

Our team names are: 
Dyed For The Run (Columbus)
Colors Make You Krazy (Toledo)

The Color Run Experience