To the Greatest Woman Alive

Obviously one of these women is me and I am not about to write about how I am the greatest woman alive. The other woman is my mother and today is her birthday. 

For the longest time I always thought my mother's birthday was on October 3rd. 

Why? I have no idea. I just could not get it in my head it was the 2nd of October.

And then I moved away and I never forgot the date again.
Life is weird sometimes.

Anyways, back to the woman above.

I know we all think we have the best mother, but here's why mine is THE best!

1. Hospitality.

There cannot be anyone else more hospitable than my mom.

She has taught me how to throw an awesome party, how to treat people when they come into your home, and how to give them the best goodbyes.

Thanks to her my friends only wanted to have parties at my house which made my house "the cool house."

Oh, we also always had a freezer packed with pizza rolls and fish sticks.

If you haven't had those together, go to the store and try it!

It's awesome!

2. Confidence.

My mom is 5 foot, if that.

But her confidence makes her taller than she seems.

This woman instilled in me to stand taller than I am, think smarter than I am, and be better than I am. She taught me that I determine where I stand, not others.

Thanks to her I do not get walked all over by people.

3. Love

Some people think love means being supported, cared for, desired, etc.

And yes, it does mean that.

But my mother taught me a type of love that I think some never experience.

My mom taught me to love from a distance.

She allowed me to make my own mistakes, to learn how to say "I'm sorry," and to learn how to ask for forgiveness. 

This is love people.

Love cares, desires, hopes for, and pushes you to learn.

I could go on and on, but these are the top reasons why the greatest woman alive is my mother and is the reason to celebrate her today!

Happy Birthday Mom!

I love and miss you tons!

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To My Brother

Today is my brother's 21st Birthday!

We are 3 years apart which means we still fight even though now we are both technically adults.

But I still love him all the same.

He sends the best snapchats that crack me up or make me wonder if he is still alive.

He is ridiculously funny to the point of bringing me to tears.

And though we are siblings, he is one of the best gifts God ever gave our family even if he was supposed to be a girl (Long story, ask him).

Happy Birthday baby brother.

Continue to pave your path, live life the way you want, and discover more of the wonderful qualities of you.

Love you!

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Things I Learned From My Parents

With graduation right around the corner and my move to Seattle, I have been reminded of all that I am thankful for. My parents happen to be in that category so I thought I would write about the five things I have learned from each of them.

 

Mom

1.) Hospitality-This woman knows how to throw a party and welcome anyone into our home. I appreciate that this rubbed off on me. I think it's one of the reasons I am a great hostess and why I love to have parties with people over.

 

2.) Stick your ground- You could say we are both stubborn. We get stories wrong, but insist our version is wrong. While stubborn is seen as a negative characteristic, I see it as a positive in this case. She has taught me stand up for what is right and to have standards.

 

3.) Royalty- I always joke how my mother thinks she is the Queen of England mainly because she likes fancy things and is from England. Never did I realize she was reminding me that I am the daughter of a king and that I am royal. From this, I always strive to be treated right by any human being and help others to do the same.

 

4.) Comfort when needed- I used to get so upset when my mom would not comfort me when I was crying sometimes. I could be having the worst day, crying in my room and she would just let me be. Little did I know, it taught me how to overcome struggles on my own and how to accept comfort when I don't want it. She is the woman who hugs me when I say no and leaves me to be when all I want is a hug. It sounds twisted, but I appreciate it so much. She doesn't let me dwell on things too long and when she thinks I need to spend time crying it out she hugs me and makes me cry. The woman is sneaky!

 

5.) Find a man who will laugh at all your quirks- My father is my mothers second husband. It may have been a rough road to find him, but she did and it is evident how much she loves him even though he drives her crazy. I love when they start laughing because of the silly every day occurrence's and when they can't stop kissing each other despite how grossed out my brother and I am. She has taught me to wait for a man who will treat me the way my father treats her.

 

Dad

1.) Leadership- My father taught me a lot of leadership qualities over the years: know how to listen, be reliable, lead when least expected, remember who the number one leader is. He has led me and that leadership has allowed me to lead others.

 

2.) Work hard- My dad is passionate for music, an industry that is difficult and rocky. He continues to pursue his dreams and it has rubbed off on me. My work ethic is crazy ridiculous and I think it has to do with the fact he makes me pay for the things I really want.

 

3.) Financial Stability- Despite how much I hate these talks and always leave in tears, his obsession with finances has helped me be a better steward with my money. Sure, I still have a lot of room to improve on this, but I am much better than I was 4 years ago. He has taught me the value of money and the effects it can have on you when you do not use it right.

 

4.) Creativity- He and I two-peas in a pod. We love music, we love art, we get crazy ideas. He has allowed me to find a love for music on my own despite it is his passion. Our creative minds connect us.

 

5.) Room to make my own mistakes-Sometimes all I want is for my parents to tell me what to do, yet they still make sure I am the one who makes the decision. It can be frustrating, but it has made me the person I am. They trust me and have faith in me; especially my dad. My mom is the advice giver, but he is the one who listens and gives you that nugget of knowledge every once in a while.

 

I wouldn't be who I am today without the love and support of these two. They are my number one fans and accept me for me. Love you mom and dad!

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14 Years of Long Distance Love

There is a special man in my families life who has been loving us from a distance for a while now.

He is a man I remember through the memories of others as I was too young to retain the time we spent together. Though death has separated us it is funny to feel like I know him so well. I see him in my brothers face, I hear his personality from my nan, and I see his love demonstrated through my mother. 

 

I remember the day of his death as the words "He's gone came" out of my grandmother's voice. You could hear the defeat, sadness, and loss in her voice. You could see the pain in my mothers tears. But my grand-dad's love shown down on the day of his funeral. I remember the snow falling and creating snow men with my uncles. At the time, it seems so wrong to find beauty and fun in a day that mourns death, but I am reminded on the first of February each year that life should be celebrated. Tears may come and longing will succeed, but his life will always be cherished and remembered so lovingly.

 

We are all thinking of you today grand-dad!

Can't wait to join you some day!

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Welcome Baby Green!

I have been MIA this week because....

I am a new aunt to this cute little boy!

Quinn Alexander was born Monday at 11:08 p.m. after my sister spent 23 hours in labor!

He came out bright eyed and continued to look at everyone as we left; he also came out with a mo hawk and has thus worn one every day he has been alive. I can already tell he is going to be a Ladies man.

In other news, I have been thinking a lot lately about a lot of things. One of those things of course has to do with boys. Who would have guessed?! I have just been trying to figure out this growing up thing. In high school, I was all about not dating unless I really got to know the guy first and if we were friends, but now that I am older and entering into my last year of college, I realize that mind set may not be right any more. I still believe in a lot of it, but is it wrong to date guys without having that strong friendship first? So many questions that come with this next year and I am just not ready for them. I have found I have been super procrastinative lately and it has to do with things I wanted to get done before school starts, but I just don't want to do it. There is just a lot I have to learn this next year.

In regards to my Senior year, I have also been thinking a lot of what the year is going to consist of and I have thought of a few things that would push me out of my comfort zone, but also be things I am interested in.

1.) Singing at chapel. It will happen!

2.) Try out for encore again?

3.) Go Evangelizing. I have always been a critic to evangelism, but after meeting some evangelists at the fair my curiosity has increased and I would like to go and try it out at least once.

4.) Enter into a Karaoke contest. I love singing and karaoke. Why not compete?

5.) Say yes to blind dates or dates. No I am not asked out on dates or blind dates often, but I want to be open-minded to them.

6.) Give a friendship a second chance? This one is way up in the air, but it is something I have been considering.

7.) Get crafty again! I was always wanting to do crafts when I was in school, but now that I actually have time to do them I don't. I blame it on the android.

8.) Be the outgoing person I know I am. Around my friends, I am loud and talk and not weary of what people will think of me, but in the real world I kind of clamp up sometimes. I want to be that outgoing person I know I am without worrying what people will think of me.

9.) Go red for a little bit. This shall happen in October!

And I am sure the list will go on and on.

Health wise...

this week was a slip. With the baby and work and my sleeping schedule off, I did not workout once, nor did I eat as healthy as I should have. Here's to this week and hopeful improvement!



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British Invasion

The invasion has begun!

My grandmother arrived this afternoon and is staying for two whole months!

I wish I could express how excited I am for that.

She has always been a woman close to my heart and whom I laugh with non-stop. She's only been here for 3 hours and I am already laughing too much.

She's witty and blunt which is just the way I like her.

I cannot wait to share stories of her with you all because we always find a way of getting lost, discovering random fun, and making the most of every moment.

She also does not let me get away with anything so be prepared for my complaints about her, but realize I appreciate all she does even if I do not always express it.

Yay!

(So much excitement in that phrase!)

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Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my father's birthday and I believe he is turning 49.

In honor of him, I will now post some reasons why I love, appreciate, and admire him!

1.) That head of hair! Still rocking it to this day!

2.) Your faith; always so strong and so trusting of God.

3.) Marrying my beautiful mother. She was a lucky pick!

4.) Music: I may joke about it a lot, but I really do love your sound and your passion for it.

5.) Our love of biking; thanks for always being my biking partner!

6.) Christian example; you have shown me how a man should treat his wife and family.

7.) Persistence: you never give up and keep trying.

8.) Me! Without you, I would not be here so thank you for giving me life!

9.) Servant Heart: you are always giving of your time (especially for me) and truly care for others.

10.) Stories; I hear them all the time, but I secretly love hearing them and laughing at them.

11.) Food: we share the same taste in food which calls for some wonderful lunch dates at Roscoes or Los Tapitios!

12.) Challenging: you have always pushed me to be a better person and challenge me in my faith.

13.) Strict, but in a good way. You have always showed me that there are consequences for my actions and that I need to think them through.

14.) Forgiving: through all my mistakes you still welcome me into a hug and let me know how loved I am.

15.) Loving: You show me love in so many ways whether its by paying for something, disciplining me, or by taking time and spending it with me.

16.) Trusting: you are one of few people who I trust with everything. I find myself wanting to come to you when I make mistakes because I know I can trust you.

17.) Encouraging: while you always make sure I see both sides, you always tell me to trust myself and encourage me to take the chance and risk.

These are just a few of the reasons why I love this man, but let me go a little more in depth with why.

Dad, I don't think I can explain how much I love you. We've had a pretty rough year and a half with the whole church thing, but your strength through it all has amazed me. I spent multiple days crying while I never saw you shed a tear. You were the backbone for our family and continued to keep us looking for the light at the end of the tunnel.With all of that, you still never gave up on your dream. You continued to play and let God use you through the storm. What an example of a godly man! You have given me an example of what I search for in a husband: a man who will continue to support his family, lead them spiritually, and love them constantly. Thank you for being this man. Thank you for also being the dad who forgives constantly. I know you don't necessarily love all my decisions (nose ring), but thank you for still loving me through them and allowing me to make my own path in life. I love you dad!

I hope you have the happiest 49th birthday a dad could have!

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A Very Thankful Daughter

My dad has been on my heart lately. Since being at home, I have been able to see the life my family has been living. I knew that we were struggling, but now I can see it the faces of my parents. My mother is trying to be strong and supportive and my dad is trying to trust God. I respect my parents so much after being with them this week. A time that has been stressful and down right horrible, they have been able to love, laugh, and live. They are real; they struggle with God, question Him, trust Him, and wait on Him. Their strength is beyond words; it is so strong.

I broke down in tears at multiple times today as I am doing right now because of my family. We could have let this situation affect our lives in a negative way. We could have let it beat us down and break us, but all of us have chosen to rise above. Yes, we have all had our bad days. The days when we say we want to give up and that we don't trust God, but at least we are being real and honest. Our faith is messy, but so was Peter's and Paul's.

I am just thankful and very appreciative of the parent's God has blessed me with. My mom has a heart that is beautiful. Her laugh, her smile, her goofiness; I just love everything about her. My dad's contemplative-ness, trust, and faith is admirable and inspiring.

"When the clouds are heavy, the rains come down. When a tree falls, whether south or north, there it lies. If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done. " Ecclesiastes 11:3-4 If you wait for life to be perfect, then your going to miss it. Be thankful for the hard times, for the trying times, and for all the times in between. Pin It