attitude of gratitude...

day 4:

so grateful for the privilege and freedom to vote!

today i made a difference.
today i know that i live in a country that gives me this freedom.
today i allowed my voice to be heard.
today i realized that we as a nation want to see a change.

truly grateful and my attitude was changed all because of the freedom that i have knowing i can vote.

i hope you voted today?

attitude of gratitude...

day 3:

i am grateful for medicine.  yep, you read that right!!  i think sometimes we forget the small things that can make a big difference in our lives.  i am one that suffers from allergies and it is NO fun at all when i can't stop sneezing, my eyes are watering and swollen and i just feel like crud.  i have done pretty good this year without having to get a shot or take much medication.  though when i got home today...i thought i was going to pass out from all the sneezing that i couldn't even catch my breath.  i am truly thankful for those that research and make these medications to help people like me who suffer dearly.

it's the small things people...it really is, lol.  grateful for my allergy medicine. {and any other kind that makes me feel better when i don't feel so hot, oh nyquil is another...}

find something today that you are grateful for.  it may be something you just have never thought of before.

attitude of gratitude...

day 2:

tOdaY i am so grateful for laughter.  you know they say it is the best medicine and i truly believe that.  whether i am alone, with someone, watching tv, listening to a joke, reading something that makes me belly laugh or just being silly, i can't help but burst out in a smile and laugh.  there have been many times in my life that laughter has truly healed my soul.  having inside jokes with others have been great reminders that we all need to laugh a little bit more in this life.  that no matter what our life is like you can ALWAYS find something to change your mood and allow yourself some laugh time.  i am grateful to share many inside jokes that keep me smiling and laughing, even when everyone else isn't.  i am reminded by this picture how much fuN and how many times we just laughed...

mona, leah & me! jerome, az.

today i hope someone or something just makes your day and you smile big while burst out loud in laughter!!  try it...it's great medicine.

what is something that truly makes you laugh? 

 

for me...it's my inside joke about bowling! 

 (no one has a clue why i'm smiling big, except you) ;)

 

 

{{hugs}}

connie

attitude of gratitude...

day 1:

i am so grateful for the month of november.  it is a great month to remind ourselves of all the things {big or small} we should be grateful for.  i hope you will take this challenge with me. write, blog, facebook, journal, create or whatever you wish, just commit to the 30 days.  it's never too late to start.

today i am so grateful for this beautiful soul!! 

her name is marcie roberts and we have been friends for over 25 years.  we have had our share of ups and downs.  though we have always been there for each other.  we have laughed, cried, sang "pour some sugar on me" at the top of our lungs, been there for each others marriages, important events, birthday dinners and for girl time.  not sure what i would do without her in my life.  she is so funny and talks so stinkin' fast that sometimes you have to ask her to repeat what she said, lol.  she makes the best rice krispie treats!!!  my life has been truly blessed because she is in it.  thank you marcie for never giving up on me or our friendship. 

 

tOdaY what are you grateful for? 

{{hugs}}
connie

happy birthday baby girl...

it's hard to believe that 18 years ago today at 2:30 A.M. my one and only little girl was born!!! where have the years gone?  i can not imagine my life without you in it!!  thank you for choosing me to be your mama.  i love you boo to the moon and back and then some!!!!

it was just yesterday when i was told you were going to be a little girl.
it was just like yesterday when you were born a few weeks early.
it was just like yesterday as i laid in the hospital bed holding your wee little 5 pound, 9 ounce body.
it was just like yesterday when i took you to get your ears pierced just to remind myself i had a girl.
it was just like yesterday when you sat up all by yourself.
it was just like yesterday that you were calling me mama.
it was just like yesterday that your first tooth popped through.
it was just like yesterday that you were letting me rock you to sleep.
it was just like yesterday when i held and kissed you when you got a booboo.
it was just like yesterday when you were learning how to ride a bike.
it was just like yesterday when you took 2nd place in the cinderella pageant.
it was just like yesterday when you started kindergarten.
it was just like yesterday when you allowed me to do your hair and put you in a dress.
it was just like yesterday when all you wanted to do was play ball and get a trophy just like your older bothers.
it was just like yesterday when you fell in love with dogs and treated them like your baby.
it was just like yesterday when you lost your first tooth.
it was just like yesterday when you started to become little miss independent.
it was just like yesterday when you would fall asleep anywhere.
it was just like yesterday when you wanted to cut your hair and donate it to locks of love.
it was just like yesterday when you made your own choice to switch schools.
it was just like yesterday when you made the jv soccer team as a freshman.
it was just like yesterday when you blossomed into a beautiful young lady.
it was just like yesterday when you asked me to teach you how to shave your legs.
it was just like yesterday when you got your braces on.
it was just like yesterday when we got your first make-up.
it was just like yesterday when you learned how to ride a quad.
it was just like yesterday when you said "mom, i'm not a little girl any more".
it was just like yesterday when you got your braces off.
it was just like yesterday when we were going to your first concert.
it was just like yesterday when you first learned to drive.
it was just like yesterday when you and your brothers became really close.
it was just like yesterday when  you became a senior in high school.
and it was just like yesterday when I was holding you in my arms for the first time welcoming you into this world.

happy18th birthday haleigh nicole.  you will forever be my baby girl!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

{i am courageous}...are you?

i found this wonderful quote on my friend, kelly's facebook page.  i though it was amaZing and just what i need to remind myself daily to keep moving forward.  to keep putting one foot in front of the other.  even if i take two steps back, even if i fall, even if it's just not a good day.  that no matter what may be going on in my life, that i will continue to have {COURAGE}!!

 

COURAGE to face the day and know that i gave it my all that day. 

COURAGE to stand up for myself.

COURAGE to know that my dreams are important.

COURAGE to keep having faith in all things.

COURAGE to stay strong even in my darkest moments.

COURAGE to get me through my pain.

COURAGE to love those that aren't always nice.

COURAGE to stay focused on what makes me, ME!!

 

 

 

 

please share your courageous heart tOdaY!!  we all need each other.

{{hugs}}

in the middle of my little mess,

i forget how big i'm blessed!!!  

                                      ~andi burgos

 

 

i am so extremely blessed to know that no matter what, god is always with me.  that he gives me such wonderful ways of showing all is good.  that i have much to be grateful and blessed for.  whether it be a lesson or a blessing i am thankful for all my life experiences.  each day is a new day.  each day is a new start to make my life all that i want it to be.  to make me realize that no matter how messy things are and can get in my life, there are so many more blessing.  today, i am loving god's aRt!!  this photo reminds me to see the blessings that were given to me so i could experience this wonderful masterpiece.

 

what is one of your blessings tOdaY?

tell me how i will know...

 

tell me how i will know when it's ok to cry.

tell me how i will know when it's ok to feel.

tell me how i will know what love feels like.

tell me how i will know that i'll be safe.

tell me how i will know that you will never leave.

tell me how i will know that you will never hurt me.

tell me how i will know when it's time to be strong.

tell me how i will know that it's ok to be weak.

tell me how i will know it's time to go.

tell me how i will know that it's ok to let go.

 

tell me how i will know.

 

the next chapter...

i can't believe it's been 20 days since my last post. life has been pretty busy. not busy where i am not taking the necessary time for myself. just busy as a lot of changes are taking place. my chapters are changing. the story is being written differently than i had planned.

have you ever looked at your life as a story?  as a book that only you can write.  lately, ok this past year has been a true eye opener to me.  I have made some changes that have rewritten my story.  it's ok to make the changes.  sometimes if you don't, you may get stuck in a chapter that is not healthy for you.  you may get stuck in a place that seems too familiar and that it's time to turn the page.

this year i took a look in the mirror.  i started not liking who i had become.  who i was changing into.  yet, it was ok.  it was comfortable and i could handle it.  at least that is what i thought.  i thought everything was fine.  i thought everything was O.K.  it wasn't, i noticed i put on my mask again and just stayed in a place that was "comfortable".  who was it comfortable for?  me?  my family?  my friends?  i thought so.  i thought all was well.  little did i know that a part of my story was ending.  apart of the life i had written was starting to fade and the pages weren't making sense.

this chapter of my life that i had known for 5 years was ending.  no re-do or trying to write a new path for this chapter, just ending.  how could this be happening?  how could this be HAPPENING?!  i thought all was well.  i had my eyes close to what i knew and forgot to look at each day anew.  then someone else wrote a chapter i wasn't paying attention too.  i feel as though i was blindsided by what was happening.  i feel like there were no answers to my questions.  i felt that it wasn't going to change or i wasn't going to be able to rewrite the story. 

with that being said, i knew this chapter of my life was now over.  how could it be?  how could i not have noticed?  how could i have been so "blind" to what was right in front of me.  maybe sometimes when you are in love you don't want to see all the writing on the wall.  all the writing that could take it all away.  my heart now was shattered and it was tested, again.

i am not afraid, i am not ashamed and i am daily reminding myself...it's not all my fault.  how can it be?  i know nothing of to why it is ending.  when one person is willing to move forward to change the past and the other just wants to start over, there is no way to be on the same page.  the story, the chapter can not be written.  you have to take a closer look at what will be written now.  how will it end and what steps will be taken to close this chapter and start again.

i have finally accepted that this chapter is over.  that i can not change others and even though i would do whatever it took to keep the story going and alive, it takes two for this chapter to be written.

so how do i start this new chapter?  how do i pick up the pieces when the pages have now been ripped apart?  how do i begin to heal so i can write the next chapter? 

just that... pick up a pen (or computer) and begin!



happiness & depression

"there is no difference between happiness and depression.  they both have the same process.  it is just the content that is not the same.  both will come and go.  the major difference between them is what we do with them.

 

we are always seeking happiness.  when we see it coming we say, "ah, come here, I see you.  stay with me always."  happiness laughs and says, "oh, she's seen me, I can leave now."  and it does. 

 

with depression, we see it coming, and we say: "go away, I don't want you.  not me."  and depression sighs and says, "here we go again, I'm going to have to get bigger and bigger for her to hear me and learn what I have to teach."  so it taps us on the shoulder and says. "over here, over here!" until it gets our attention.  then it leaves.

 

both happiness and depression have something to teach us.  both will come and go.  both will return.  it is our response and openness to learn from both that makes the difference".

 

"my happiness is a gift.  my depression is a gift.  both are like butterflies in my life."

 

~Anne Wilson Schaef

 

i am reading a meditation book and this was what i read the other day.  it hit me like a ton of bricks.  most of you know that i have struggled with depression all my life.  when i read this i realized how true the words were while i read them.  i have been making huge strides in my life this year.  one being that i would no longer be on antidepressants.  i can happily say...i am medication free!!!  my world has brought me so many happy times along with some trials and struggles.  what i have learned {and continue to learn} is i get to decide if i choose happiness or depression. 

 

i {choose} happiness!!!

 

photo credit: Teresa Collins

 

wishing you all much love, kindness and happiness always. 

may you choose each day to be happy. 

may you choose each day to find the peace you are longing for. 

may you choose each day joy through the hard times.

may you choose love over hate.

may you choose life over death.

may you choose kindness.

 

love and hugs,

connie



photo credit: conniecapron2012

"we must be willing to let go of the life we planned

so as to have the life that is waiting for us".

~E. M. Forester

“The moment will arrive when you are comfortable with who you are,

and what you are – bald or old or fat or poor, successful or struggling –

when you don't feel the need to apologize for anything or to deny anything.

To be comfortable in your own skin is the beginning of strength.”

                                                                                                        ~Charles B. Handy

my aunt sherry shared this on her facebook page and i wanted to share it with all of you!!  truly amazing words and pictures.  as i am often reminded by family and friends, i must put my trust and faith in the lord. 

enjoy!

 

have a blessed day!

 

love and hugs

 

"don't make hasty decisions based on emotion.

  when dealing with fear and loss,

give yourself time before acting."

~author unkown

she is enough!

my heart aches as i just finished reading another blog on how mental illness has taken control over someone's life.  this sweet girl McKenna, only 18 has discovered that she has BPD {BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER}.

 

{photo credit}

 

i can not say enough about how BRAVE she is.  please read blog and share her{ story}.  the more people know, the more they understand.  if only i knew what she is learning now, how much better and easier my life could of been.  this young lady is wise beyond her years and i am truly proud to say i know her family.  i hope she knows she is NEVER alone and that she IS ENOUGH!!!

 

 this life is a true test and adventure, what we learn from it only makes us better and stronger.  remember, we don't wear signs and we don't know what others may be going through.  show love, be kind, give a smile, a hug or simple gesture to acknowledge them.  we are all struggling with some kind of trials in this large big world, please don't make it harder on someone else to make yourself feel better.  he never said it would be easy, he only said it would be worth it.

 

may is BPD awareness month and it's a great time to learn more, share more, help more and love more.

 

{here} you can read my post i wrote over 2 years ago.

 

love and hugs

connie

how are you today?

today i am struggling.

i know it's been awhile since i have blogged.
a lot has been going on in my life since my aunt went home to heaven.
i find the days  and nights difficult.
i know this will take time...i know this, but it's hard.

i do believe i AM a giver.
that no matter what is going on with my life, i take the time for others.
i have been taking this class soul restoration from the brave girls club.
it has made me REALLY dig into my soul.
into my ENTIRE soul...
the good.
the bad.
the ugly.
the sad.
the happy.
the scared.
the funny.
the confused.
it's been really hard for me to allow myself to stir up these emotions.
after doing so...i am to see them for what they are and then move forward.
to not allow my past to hold me back anymore.

have you done this?
i tell you...
it is very HARD!

i realized that for most of my life i have been...
afraid
ashamed
scared
misunderstood
unloved
in pain
lost loved ones
lonely
mistreated
depressed
lost friends
been alone
misused
judged
angry
abandoned.

i know at times being alone is ok but feeling really alone is down right scary!
i know that NO ONE can make me happy.
i know that things won't make me happy.
i know that without loving myself FIRST...
i CAN'T be happy.
i won't feel loved!

have you ever thought about what it is that holds you back?

what holds you back of truly being happy?

what is it that makes you sad or feel alone?

"be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle".

~author unknown

thanks for stopping by. 

i do love you, ALL of you!!!

{{hugs}}

connie

navyformoms!!!!

so excited to join this site!!!  you might want to check it out if you are a navy mom. i think i am about ready for this new adventure in my life. i get to see my boy, trevor in 17 days before he is off to boot camp. i am so thankful, blessed and honored to be his mom.


Visit Navy For Moms

has it really been that long????

i can't believe it has been over a year since i have blogged!!!  wow, a lot has happened and that i guess has kept me away. 

i am going to try and write a least once a month.  if i write more, YAY for me.  this has been a place of holding many stories, many memories, trials and happiness.  a place where i share a little about me and what i go through in hopes i may leave a story.  sometimes those stories even help others. 

here is to making a goal for myself on leaving small stories of my journey...keep checking in as the rest is still unwritten.

love and hugs,
connie