365 Days of Thankful ~ Day #33

Day #33
Today I am thankful for the battles ...
Serving God does not mean that we no longer have difficulties in life. We are still on the battlefield, but we never have to fight alone.

365 Days of Thankful ~ Day #32

Day #32
Today I am thankful for the FREE gym across the street from our house ..
One of my New Year's resolutions this year was to lose a few pounds & work out 2-3 times a week for my general health.  I was REALLY slack about it last year & a new research study (http://blogs.psychcentral.com/adhd/2010/05/how-long-does-it-take-an-action-to-become-a-habit-21-28-or-66-days/) suggests that it takes SIXTY SIX days of doing something before it becomes a habit !! SERIOUSLY ?!  I don't know if the ADDer is gonna accomplish this goal, but I'm sure gonna try !!

So, I did Zumba fitness 1 day for about 20 minutes.  Another day, I did about 5 minutes of Zumba fitness & 45 minutes of Dance Central with Nicole (and if you have never played Dance Central, it is a SERIOUS work out !! LOL).  So, today was my third day of exercise.  30 minutes on the Elliptical at the FREE gym in our neighborhood, which just happens to be conveniently located right across the street from our house !! SCORE !! Makes me MUCH more likely to keep up the good work !! GO ME !!

365 Days of Thankful ~ Day #30 & Day #31

Day #30
Today I am thankful for my FABULOUS, soft electric blanket that my mom gave me for Christmas a year ago ..
It is the greatest electric blanket EVER !! It's made out of this really soft material & it has been so comforting on these freezing cold days we've had this week !! I absolutely LOVE it !! Thanks, Mom !! <3


Day #31
Today I am thankful for the difficult moments because they have made me stronger ...
When life is difficult, try to close your eyes, put your hand on your heart, feel your breath, feel the earth underneath your feet and say thank you. Feel the difference and say thank you again.

A New Year & A Few "Resolutions" ...

Well, 2011 wasn't by far the worst year I've ever had, but it wasn't the best either ... 

I have dealt with a lot of health problems (some old, some new & scary), found out that some people that I thought were my friends (my BEST friends) really were NOT (THAT was a pretty devastating blow !!), and a few other things that I really just would like to leave back in 2011 ...

I don't make New Year's resolutions ... EVER ! This year, however, I felt that some things needed to change & that maybe if I broke my rule & made some "resolutions," perhaps I would be more apt to stick to them !!  So, here goes:

#1) My number one, first & foremost resolution is to let my light of Christ shine brighter than it was last year !!

#2) Get my "fitness" on !! 

I was super, super, super slack with working out in 2011.  I have made a vow to work out 2-3 times a week at least.  If I can do more, then I will, but with my health so up & down some days, I decided I should start slowly !!

#3) Cut myself some slack !!

I'm my worst critic !! I always have been !! I'm harder on myself than anyone else could EVER try to be ... Ask my mom !! I have always pushed myself & when I couldn't live up to the hype I created in my mind, I belittled myself beyond belief, tore myself down & flat out let myself have it for not being "perfect." Well, newsflash for anyone who thinks otherwise (TOTALLY joking here ...), I'm not perfect & I never will be.  So, resolution #3 is to not be so hard on myself when I fail.  I inevitably will fail.  I'm human.  Time to accept that it's okay.

#4) Read my Bible every day. 

I was doing really well with this & then I stopped.  I have no excuses.  I need to do it & so I will.

#5) Try not to be so judgmental.

It was hard for me to acknowledge this one.  I like to think of myself as open-minded.  I'm not. Okay, well verbally I am, but inside, I'm just not.  I think things & feel things that I may not say out loud, but they are still there nonetheless.  It's not something I am proud of & I have vowed to strive to think good thoughts & not automatically see the worst in people.  Focus on the good & good things will happen.

#6) Let go & let God ...

This should probably be up there with #1 ... I am really bad about praying & asking God to take control of a situation that I have not fully given to Him.  While I may not know a whole lot about some things, I am certain of this : God takes charge of the wheel & does not need me as a back seat driver.

#7) Change the way you look at things & the things you look at change ...

You can't change other people & you can't make them do what you want them to no matter how much you want to or how much you love & care about them.  But you can change the way you handle things & the way you look at them.

Enough said ...

#8) Do a better job of keeping my 365 Days of Thankful Blog Project on track.  

I got a little behind with the holidays ... I'm a natural born procrastinator, but I am trying to make a more conscious effort to do my blog entries every day & not have to make them up !!

#9) Spend more time with family !!

Life is SHORT !! As a child, you think that people will live forever.  So, the first time someone passes away, it is a totally devastating blow.  Not that it isn't a devastating blow EVERY time someone passes away, but the first time is most definitely the worst ... Losing my cousins, my grandparents ~ that was hard.  Losing my father was a loss that I don't think I will ever fully recover from even though I know that I will see him again some day in Heaven ...

For some reason that I will never be able to explain, the inexplicable feeling of doing everything in my power to see my family at least once a month from here on out (unless I move to another state again) came over me during the holidays.  I want to make the most of my time with them, because you just don't ever know ...

So, those are my New Year's resolutions for the year.  Pretty tall order, huh ? Well, as I said, I set pretty high expectations for myself & I very rarely do anything small.  I know I can do it, though. I believe in me, and with God's help, I can do ANYTHING. 

365 Days of Thankful ~ Day # 23, Day #24, Day #25, Day #26, Day #27, Day #28 & Day #29

Day #23
Today I am thankful for Choice. 
I love that every day I can choose to be happy. Fabulous! 


Day #24
Today I am thankful for Blogs. 
I love writing mine and I love all the blogs I read on a regular basis.


Day #25
Today I am thankful for Fun. 
Who doesn't love a little bit (or a lot!) of fun in their lives ?!


Day #26
Today I am thankful for Change. 
It scares the crap out of me sometimes, but it can be a wonderful thing.


Day #27
Today I am thankful for Quality Time. 
When you get to spend really quality time with someone whose company you enjoy, it's SO fabulous !!  


Day #28

Today I am thankful for Films. 

A movie that leaves you feeling moved -- priceless!   

Day #29
Today I am thankful for Inspiration. 
There's nothing quite like coming across something that inspires you !! 

365 Days of Thankful ~ Day #21 & Day #22

Day #21
Today I am thankful for being able to act "as if" ... 
I remember learning that if we "act as if" we already have something we want, "act as if" something is already occurring in our lives (even if it's not), or "act as if" we know how to do something (even if we don't) -- we create the conditions for it to manifest in our life with greater easy and probability. 

"Acting as if" is about believing in things that don't currently exist and that there may not be much evidence for. This is about living a "faith-based" life, not an "evidence-based life." The term "faith-based" often gets used in a political, social, or moral context when talking about initiatives or organizations that are connected with the church or some specific organized religion. However, being a faith-based person, while it can and often does encompass our religious beliefs and our spiritual practices, is even broader than this.

When we choose to live with a strong faith in things not seen, not proven, and not guaranteed - we tap into the power of the possible and we supersede the literal and predicable.  

Wayne Dyer wrote a great book a number of years ago called You'll See it When You Believe it. So many of us, myself included, live important aspect of our lives with the silent mantra of "I'll believe it when I see it" and in doing so we hold ourselves back, limit what's possible, and negate the power of our mind, imagination, and intention to allow and create things, situations, experiences, and outcomes that are new, unpredictable, and even miraculous.

We often get exactly what we expect - which is a pretty powerful concept if we take time to let it in and live with that awareness. Instead of waiting to see how things turn out, hoping that they will get better, or simply allowing the circumstances and situations in our lives determine how we feel - what if we acted as if we had everything within us and around us that we need to be successful, happy, and fulfilled already - which we do, by the way!

Day #22
Today I am thankful for timing ... 
God has a perfect timing for everything. Learn to wait on Him. This brings Him honor, and it brings you peace. (see Psalm 27:14)

365 Days of Thankful ~ Day #18, Day #19 & Day #20

Day #18
Today I am thankful for family ... 
We have our ups and downs, but they really are my foundation. 


Day #19
Today I am thankful for the birth of Jesus Christ !! Happy Birthday, Jesus !!


Day #20
Today I am thankful for my sweet, thankful children ...

The kids told me multiple times yesterday  what a wonderful Christmas they had & how thankful they were for their gifts & how much they loved them.  Maddi even went as far to say that this was "the best Christmas ever," even though we weren't able to get her the bike she wanted ...  We weren't able to do a whole lot this year, but I think we did pretty good considering.  It warmed my heart that my babies were happy with what they got & didn't whine or complain or act ugly b/c it may not have been exactly what they wanted ... I am truly, truly blessed !! <3