I bid you ADIEU!

Today I would like to (and NOT like to) say Goodbye...
Farewell.
Adieu.
So long!
.....to soooo many things!!

First of all...... I have some baggage that I need to get rid of.
Some resentment.  A few hurt feelings.  A little bit of bitterness.

All tied up with a pretty little bow!
Letting someone hurt you should only happen one time.  Right?!

And once it is over... Its happened.. you've been hurt... It's OVER

And the longer you carry around that hurt and bitterness... The longer you are in turn hurting yourself.
Self-inflicted.
There are several people that are IN my life and some that are LONG GONE that have hurt me.  Whether it be big or little.... it hurt the same.  Sometimes it was ONE single small incident.  Sometimes it was REPEAT offenses that just kept coming!  

But in the end... all that was left was me being let down and hurt.  Disappointed.
And rather than leaving it there... I have carried it. 
I packed it up in a pretty little ANGRY package and I just drag it around with me everywhere I go.
I remember.
Sometimes I unpack it and hold it and roll it around and play with it..... and remember.
And I let it HURT me all over again.

I'm tired of being angry and hurt.  

I'm tired of putting faith in people who have let me down. 

I'm tired from carrying around all that baggage. 

Secondly .... I would like to say goodbye to people who I once thought were my friends.  As it turns out they were just there out of circumstance and not by choice.  They didn't choose to be my friend, they chose to speak if the opportunity presented itself but that is about as far as it went.  These are people I will now refer to as circumstantial acquaintances.  My biggest problem, or what I've been harboring you might say.... is when they were no longer associated with me... I took it personal. Like I wasn't a good enough person for them to be my friend by choice.  They befriended others but conveniently stopped having time for me. And it hurt. And I've gone on wondering what I could've or should've done different.  And I've carried that with me.  

Today I say goodbye to those circumstantial acquaintances and accept the fact that you can't be friends with someone who wasn't your friend to start with.  

And I will vow not to take it personal.

You see, contrary to popular belief, I am somewhat sensitive.  LOL
Because you see when I am your friend and loyal to you - I consider that a forever thing.  I consider you to be my friend FOREVER.  Not just my friend by convenience.  Not just my friend when certain things are certain ways... or whatever.

Anyway - long story short - I am giving up those bags that I've been carrying around with me.  Throwing them in the river and walking away.
I refuse to let other peoples decisions be personal to me.

And finally - the other thing I'm seriously considering goodbye to......
.... is my blog.
I love my place to run and vent and scream and yell and cry...  and to share and motivate and inspire.
But as of late it seems my place has gone stale.
I don't know why.... but I feel like it's stagnant here.  Like no one reads or cares anymore.  And even if they do stumble by to read... it's really of no value.

I don't feel like I motivate or inspire people here anymore.
I don't feel like people come here when they've had a bad day and say... "Thanks Tammy - I feel better".

Maybe I WAS carrying around too much bitterness and resentment of my own to BE inspiring?
Maybe I still do.......

I feel good about ME.  I am happy with where I am and who I am right now.
I am proud of my motivation and how far I have come and the things I have survived.
But for some reason.... it doesn't seem to be inspirational to anyone anymore.
And that was my goal for this blog.
To share my life.
The ups.... the downs.... the wrongs.... the rights....
To give people hope when there is none.
To show people you CAN survive and you CAN do anything......

But I don't know.....
lately I just don't feel like I'm very inspiring.

So I often wonder..... what good IS my blog.

Has it run it's course?
Is it time for a good old fashioned farewell here too......... time to walk away?
Another chapter closed?

Because for me....... if it's not inspiring.... if it's not uplifting..... if it's not sharing things with YOU that make you better or make you see things better... I've lost my purpose here.

It's not about what you accomplish... it's about what you INSPIRE!

So when I started my blog years ago - I named it "Every Day in Gray" in honor of all the gray we are each faced with day in and day out. 
The scary "UNKNOWN"
The not really yes - but not really NO situations that you face daily.
The " I like you but I don't know if I want to be with you forever" decisions.
The "I got the job but I don't know if it's for me"
The "I know what I should do - but it doesn't match what I want to do"

The GRAY

I hate the gray.
or at least I did......
or I do....
some of it...
the indecisiveness.  the wavering.  the what ifs. 
Yes then No.  Up then Down.   I'm gonna change; no I'm NOT. 
I'm better today... then I'm not.

It drives me crazy!!!

Which is precisely why today I have been putting a lot of thought into my blog.

My every day in GRAY thought VOMIT!!!

And I feel like it's lost direction.
Maybe some meaning...
(and definitely some followers!)

Some days I write.
Some days I don't
Some days I WANT to write, but I'm not sure what to talk about...
Some days I just DON'T want to write.  At all.  (those are the days I probably NEED to the most!)

Anyway - as I'm thinking through my blog today, it struck me as quite ironic with the whole gray thing.

Years ago - when I started blogging, I had a direction.
And I worked and tried so hard to get followers... those faithful readers.
When I look at my number of followers on blogger today - it's the SAME exact number as it was years ago... when I lost track of where my blog was going.
But the number of people who comment is next to ZERO
Do people even read?  or care?!!
And why do I want so bad for them to?

So I wondered... if maybe I need a new direction
and a new following.
Some of my faithfuls still follow along and I'm so thankful for that
But I wonder if my lack of direction has led people to bore of reading my dribble.

So I thought about "The gray"
And it's direction...

And I realized where my direction has gone!!!!!!!

THE IRON!!!!!
my new POSITIVE GRAY!  (no... not Christian Grey.... though that would be positive too!  HA)

I strive to motivate people.... to inspire people.... to give people hope
To BE that ray of sunshine.
I strive to be the one that you find when you are at the end of the your rope and you're falling off...
I strive to the be the KNOT that catches you and keeps you holding on and fighting to pull yourself back up.

It's what I was born for.
To drive
To inspire

For my son..... for my family...... for my friends..... for my patients... and for people whom I don't even KNOW!!!

So I'm wondering if I could start posting my workouts here.
My gym work outs... my LIFE work outs.... my goals... my diet... my inspiration.

Could I give people somewhere positive to go every morning to motivate them to do ONE thing positive that day?  Just one!!
For yourself?  For someone else...  

Because you see...... although I know there will always be haters out there who look at what I'm doing as ridiculous... (ESPECIALLY at my AGE!); I also know there will be people who WANT to be better and do more... whether it be in the gym or out??
And let me tell you - if I... me.... little "toothpick" Tammy can pick up a bar with weight on it and put it on my back and squat it to the floor and back up  --   let me just tell you -   YOU who follow along can do ANYTHING!
I am living proof!!!

My goal for my blog is to be MORE inspirational...
to inspire those who follow me
and to provide a positive inspirational environment that drives people to WANT to follow along every day and see what is new in MY GRAY little world.....
in the gym AND out!

What do you all think?
Seriously.
Do I close the blog up as a place that has run it's course?
or Push it to new levels of being inspirational and focusing more on fitness and pushing ourselves PAST our limits??!!

Thoughts?!!
Comments?!!
Followers?!!
UNfollowers?!!

Cause it sucks to be inspirational.... to NO ONE.

Motivational Monday ~inspirational weekend~

Once again - a day late.....but I'm still just as excited and inspired as I was on Monday when I started writing this!!!
 

What a great inspirational weekend!!

The next several weeks are going to be a bit BUSY at work - so I hope the high that I got from this weekend, and the will and inspiration that is burning inside me, will carry me through!

Here's how the weekend went....
We left at midnight Friday night AFTER work out (because why would we leave town before getting our scheduled work out in?!!!)
We then drove all night. (don't worry - we showered after working out so we didn't have to smell each other on the way there!)
Stopped and got some post-workout grub (you KNOW power lifters GOTTA EAT!!!) and then arrived in OH around 6:30 am.
Once we found a place to park, we spent the entire day at the Arnold expo.
(Side note - there were SOOOOO many people there... you couldn't move!)
BUT
I will over filled with power lifting and surrounded by health and fitness

I met Brandon Lilly (the creator of the Cube Method which we are doing right now!)  He is SUCH an awesome dude!!

I met Caitlyn Trout - a fellow female power lifting BEAST!!  So adorable and a lifting LEGEND in the making!!!
















I saw the whole Lilliebridge family lift in the Animal cage.... Can you SEE the size of these BEASTS??

I SAW Dana Linn Bailey (I did not get to meet her.... booo)  There were SOOO many people there to meet her legendary butt, that you could barely get through...  (but B-rad got a fist pump!)

I DID however meet Rob (her husband) - who is pretty much AWESOME!!!















All in all - it was a GREAT success of a trip!!!  (albeit QUICK!)

And the iron bug chews away....

So alas.... around 6 pm, we began our journey back home.
*keep in mind we are all still up from Friday morning going to work*
By this time, we were REAL rays of sunshine.
Thank goodness we were FULL of starstruck adrenaline!!!  (and maybe a little delirious as well!)
We stopped to eat somewhere, I don't even know where.....
And eventually made it home around midnight.... ish... going into Sunday morning.

Needless to say, we spent the day sleeping on Sunday!
wheeeew
Quick trip away filled with pure AWESOMENESS!!!! 
And that awesomeness has to be the ONLY thing that drug me back to the gym on Sunday night... for REP squat night... One of the HARDEST nights on the program!!

And even though I didn't get to MEET or WORK OUT with Dana Linn Bailey.... I STILL feel like I got the BEST end of the stick and everything happens for a reason.....

More to come about that tomorrow!!!

I'm SOOOOOOO excited to share that with you!!!

OH - SOOOOOOOOO excited

I can hardly contain myself!!!

Don't be upset about how far you still have to go; be EXCITED about how far you've come!!!
It's a journey.... not a Sprint!

Being a grown up SUX!

I don't WANT to grow up!!

I hate making responsible decisions.
I hate it
Can I go back to being... Oh I don't know, 16??!  So I can drive but still let someone else be responsible?  And someone else can pay the bills and make decisions... that way when they are bad decisions - I can blame someone else!!!  Yes - perfect!

Why were we all in such a dang hurry to grow up anyway??

My plans were to drive to OH this weekend to the Arnold. I wanna meet Dana Linn Bailey. Did I mention that?!!
So I entered that contest and if you won, the training with her would be Monday the 4th. Right after "Arnold".
the perfect... irresponsible weekend

But alas.... I did not win

I knew the odds were slim
612 people entered

But it still hurts. 

It's still disappointing

To lose

To know someone was more "motivational" to work out with than you...

Blahhhhhh

What?!!  I'm not bitter!

sigh.........

So, in my disappointment, I thought, I don't have the extra money to run off to OH for the weekend anyway
I don't have my money tree up and growing so I really should stay home anyway
And go do my own inspirational work out

I really SHOULD be responsible

Right?!!

But I still wanna meet her!!!
And I still wanna see Caitlyn Trout lift. And Brandon Lilly. And the Lilliebridge's.  and on... and on.... and on.....

So... My compromise? (as Brad put it...)

Get up at the crack of dawn Saturday morning ( I'm sooooo not a morning person ) and drive to Columbus. Spend the day getting my fill of body building and power lifting, AND MEET DANA LINN BAILEY... then drive back home. It eliminates hotel expense. Which was adding up quickly!!!!

So I guess I could use this disappointment to sit at home and pout all weekend OR use it and turn it into DRIVE to push harder and do MORE.... right??

I want to SEE gains!
I want to be inspirational... (stomping foot!)
I want other people to look at me and be inspired to push harder

Hey....I know!!!!!
How about I punish myself enroll in a boot camp on top of my already scheduled gym sessions!

WHY NOT!????!

So for 6 weeks (at least)  - I'll work out SEVEN DAYS A WEEK
Look out summer - here come my ABS!!!!!

Work
Hustle
KILL yo!!!!!

Motivational Monday :)

Some days you're the windshield, some days you're the bug....
Today -  CHOOSE not to be THAT bug!!!
Don't let life run you over!
Hold your head high and face Monday with PRIDE and a big ol' smile!!!

I have recently spent a little time in my pit. (in case you hadn't noticed from my last few posts!!)  ha!

I read a book some time ago that I have lent out several times called "Get out of that pit" by Beth Moore.  Oh how I love her story... and that book in particular.
Anyway - she speaks of things in her life that should and could very easily break ones spirit and leave you in a pit... where you wallow around in self loathing and pity.
I myself have found myself in that pit from time to time.  Whining about what life (God) has "let me" go through.  Complaining because I don't have this or can't have that... Taking things people say way too seriously and letting those things break my spirit.

As I read my daily devotional - it reminded me of who I really am... and the things and people I have in my life to be THANKFUL for!!!  It reminded me of how far God has brought me and what he has given me and blessed me with.  It reminded me of GRACE!
And I got out my ladder and stepped back out of that stupid pit I had fallen into.

I would like to share my inspiration with you today!

Grace be with you.  I Timothy 6:21
Without sharing the entire story with you - I just want to share the line that moved me.
"What has happened has happened.  You can face it all with bitterness, or you can face it all with grace"
And with that - I realized... I have made mistakes, and I'll continue to make mistakes... in parenting, in friendships, in my daily walk, and in life!  People have hurt me with words and actions and sadly - I have done the same.
All that is left to do is forgive those who hurt me and most importantly - forgive myself.

And each day vow to pass along....  just a little bit of grace... a little bit of caring.... a little bit of blessing.... a little bit of hope... a little bit of inspiration....
THAT is what this blog has always been about.

Some of life's best gifts come in small undramatic moments.

This is a new day;  Face it with Grace!

Motivational Monday - on Tuesday!! :)

.... I've already been forewarned about posting this video....
YES, you might just think it's a bit cheesy
BUT - I will tell you....
NO - I will challenge you
Watch it.... watch the ENTIRE video and tell me it doesn't touch something inside you.
I can't watch it without crying
EVERY time.... I swear.
So moving.

The clip is from the movie "Facing the Giants"
it was a low budget movie and it wasn't advertised much... there is no one "famous" in it - so it's likely that you have never heard of it.
My son and I went to the theater to see it and I'm pretty sure if he could have gotten up and moved away from me during the movie, he would have.
and I'm SURE I looked like a HOT MESS coming out of that theater.....
But it's SUCH a moving, inspirational movie.

Anyway - the clip I have posted below is from the movie.  The coach is challenging one of the players to step up.  There are TWO important points to note in the clip.
#1 - the blindfold.  Coach makes him wear this during an exercise. 
#2 - the coach.  What a pivotal role he plays...




The reason this is so touching and inspirational for me is how practical it is to apply to our every day life.

The Blindfold.  How far do you think the boy would have gotten without that blindfold.  He would have set up his OWN limitations and never pushed himself to his FULL potential.  We do this EVERY day.  We all have hopes and dreams and things we want to accomplish.  But we're so busy looking around, setting up boundaries that we can't see ourselves to our FULL potential.

Put on a blindfold and stop worrying about what you can't do and just DO IT.  Don't let other people or things distract you.  If you want it bad enough and put your HEART into it - it can be done.

The Coach.  One word.   Inspirational.  The entire time he is pushing the boy, he is telling him "you can do it.  give me all you've got"  He's inspiring him and more importantly - he BELIEVES in him and tells him so the whole time he's pushing.   Some people have friends and family that play this role.  Some people are blessed with people in their lives that believe in them THAT much, no matter what the goal is.  If you do have these people, you are BLESSED and be very thankful for that.  Just remember, to someone, you are that pivotal person too. 
Push your friends and family.  Inspire them.  BELIEVE in them!!

Back when I was going to the gym (oh how I miss that), my trainer had us carrying a punching bag from one side of the room to the other.  I asked how many times and he said everyone so far had made it across the room 3 times.  So I PUSHED myself to do it 3 times.... it hurt like CRAZY and I was pretty sure I'd never make it.  BUT - everyone else had done it, so far be it from me to not try.
I did it.
And guess what - NO ONE had done it three times before me.  My trainer believed in me enough to PUSH me.  If he had told me one time, I would have done 1 time.
So anyway - Thanks David - I still remember that day.  Even though you may have told EVERYONE that - or you may not even remember - know that you inspired me that day.


And above and beyond everything else.... remember you have a God that created you and has BIG plans for you beyond what you can even imagine.  He is ALWAYS coaching you on and telling you and showing you how much he believes in you.  Don't overlook that.  Be thankful for that and use that constant believing in you to get you through every day and to reach goals that without him would be impossible!!

fairy tales do NOT inspire me - YOU inspire me to write my OWN fairy tale!

People come into our lives...
and people run out....
You never know how long someone will stay, so treasure every moment you get to spend with your special friends, with your family, with ALL the ones that mean so much.  You never know when time will move on and their presence in your life will be done.
You just have no control over the big picture.
But remember this......everyone you surround yourself with should inspire you!
Surround yourself with people that make YOU better... or make you STRIVE to BE better!
Fill your life with joy and happiness and people that make you want to smile all the time!
and most of all - PUSH YOURSELF to inspire someone else!

I haven't talked about T much on my blog lately - so I figure a good GAG session is due here.  I know all my squishy gushy lovey dovey friends will appreciate this.

I dated a guy some time ago who tried to convince me that the reason girls are so unhappy today is that we are all looking for a fairy tale.... that doesn't exist.  That we all have some false expectation that we expect men to live up to... like in the movies..  you know the ones I speak of - those tear jerking romantic comedies.   In fact, at one time, I had this blog in progress about the whole Disney persona and how it's SUCH crap.
Guess what.....
HE IS WRONG!!!!!

I don't care WHO you are, WHAT you've done, or WHERE you have been
you DO deserve a fairy tale, and I promise you, if you will just stop trying to MAKE your own fairy tale and let life happen, you will not be able to fathom how your very own fairy tale will play out.

I HAVE met my prince. 
NO - it's not all sunshine and rainbows 24/7.  We've had our moments.  But the beauty in a real life fairy tale is not that he saved me from a dragon or kissed me and woke me from a deep sleep.  WELL - not those things physically....  BUT in a manner of speaking - he DID.  He saved me from myself.  He showed me that we are ALL special and ALL deserve to be treated just like someone right out of a fairy tale.  OUR OWN fairy tale.  Every one is different and every story will be different - but fairy tales are REAL. 
It's all in how you look at it.
What I have with T is not what I thought my fairy tale would be.
it's EVEN BETTER.
I just had to stop looking for what I thought was my story - and just let go - and let someone love me.
So many times as single girls, especially when we've been single for a long time, we shut people out.  We block.  And then we sit back and wonder "where our prince could be"
Let go.
Let somebody love you.
Stop judging everyone and take people for what and who they are, NOT how they measure up to some false standard you have built up for yourselves.
Let somebody love you....  and make sure they inspire you!
You never know when that someone might be the prince that you never expected.

I still today find myself tempted to try to write my own story instead of just enjoying each day.  Over this past weekend, T and I had some pretty serious talks.  And we had some very special moments.  Moments and words that I will NEVER forget... There are some really big things that are about to happen in our lives...... and I realized at the end of the day, I had fallen in love with him ALL OVER AGAIN.  Ya know - that take your breath away, heart racing out of your chest IN LOVE feeling all over again....  (how did I get so lucky?)
He inspires me.  He makes me want to be BETTER.  He pushes me.  He believes in me.....even on days when I don't believe in myself.
And I can honestly say - I have never wished for more happiness and joy and love for anyone ever in my entire life.
Some days that feeling is just overwhelming.

"When silence fills your world, I'll be the one that knows what you're thinking; And when passion burns like fire, I'll be the one bathing in the light; When the curse of darkness falls, I'll be the one who offers a candle; I'll even be the cushion for things that go crazy in the night" ~enjoy the song below~

I love you T  :)
and thank God for you EVERY DAY!

I wish for you ALL love, joy, hope & peace... but most of all - I wish for you ALL inspiration in your life!!
I am so thankful for all I have been blessed with and if there is anything God can give me to pass on to you - I am here... ready and willing  :)

~~35 THINGS TO DO BEFORE I AM 35~~

I visited a new blog today, http://momyawp.blogspot.com/ , and on her blog, she has a list of things she wants to do before she is 26.
I thought - what a GREAT idea.
I just turned 34....
35 will likely be a tough milestone for me.......I mean wow.... it's so weird to think back and remember as a child when you couldn't WAIT to be 16, and you couldn't WAIT to be 18, and then 21...  and then what?!!

STOP!!!!!!!!

no more!!!!!

I never imagined myself as a 30 year old!!!!
and now......well I'm knocking on 35!!
next comes 40!
WOW
it's just almost surreal when I think about it sometimes......

SOOOOOOOO - with my positive little sunshiney motivational happy go lucky attitude in hand, I'm going to attempt to make a list of things I want to do before 35!  :)

Here we go!
(in no particular order...)

1.  Get another tattoo.  One that is relevant...
2.  Skydive AGAIN - this time - WITH video (first skydive was 5/2009)
3.  Be completely (with the exception of home and car) debt-free!  ~NO more credit card charges!~
4.  I have my motorcycle license - but I want to be comfortable enough to get on and ride anywhere.  (need to log some miles!!)
5.  Re-paint and re-decorate my living room.... RED!
6.  Have my kitchen and laundry room tiled.
7.  Give my testimony at least once (I have a MAJOR fear of public speaking)
8.  Start a website (anonymous) for good Christian advice or just someone to talk to...  ~still brainstorming this one....~
9.  Meet someone from blog land that I follow and admire!
10.  I would like to find my waist and abs... this is an ongoing battle
11.  I want toned arms  - like I want people to say "wow, you have GREAT arms!"
12.  Go on at least one "girls only" trip - even if it's just for the weekend.
13.  Make at least ONE trip to the beach
14.  Get started on my secret scrap book project
15.  Go to a Beth Moore conference
16.  Have a will
17.  Know (be told) that something I have done or said inspired someone else....
18.  Actually have money in a savings account
19.  NOT be living paycheck to paycheck
20.  Get accepted into Sonography school
21.  Run another 5K (hopefully running the entire time!)
22.  Run a 5K with Preacher T & Z-man!  (wonder if that's on T's list!  HA)
23.  Commit to memory scripture that has impacted my life
24.  Read the bible all the way through....can't tell you how many times I have "started" this one
25.  Volunteer for a local charity or event
26.  Go through my closet and REALLY take out things I don't wear.  Donate to charity.
27.  Work on going to bed earlier  (this could be the hardest one!) and getting up with time to get ready and not RUSH through the morning.
28.  Be comfortable praying out loud... (ok - THIS may be the hardest one)
29.  Stop impulse buying, only have what I need and not what I want.
30.  Learn to play at least one song on a musical instrument that interests me.
31.  Get up one day and take off to an unknown destination just to see where the road takes me without a map.
32.  Take a dance class
33.  Tell at least one person what  a difference they have made in MY life!
34.  BE physically fit.  period.  not "working on it" or whatever, but actually BE healthy.
35.  Plant and grow something that I can eat or use to cook.... tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs...  (better get on this one!)

What do you think?!
do you have a list of things YOU want to do???
Mine is going on the fridge! 
and I'll keep ya posted on my progress  :)

Motivational Monday (because I need ALL I can get today!)

Well........welcome back to Monday.
I'm not real sure how impirational I will be today.
It's Monday.  It's cold.  It's raining...
but I'm trying....

So I'm going to share some (what I hope to be ) good news regarding my puppy.
If you missed the previous post, Puppy Love, my dog has a slipped disc in her back and I found her Thursday afternoon after work with no use of her hind legs at all.

When I left work on Friday - Bailey had YET to relieve herself in any way. And it had been at least 24 hours. When I spoke to Mr. Vet Friday afternoon he advised that if she had not gone by Saturday morning, we would need to put in a catheter. This is NOT what he was hoping for and NOT good news.
Friday night I went to see Chris Knight in Nashville.  (blog to come regarding the show!) When I arrived home at 2 AM - Bailey has relieved herself ALL over the place!!  LOL
now - at 2 AM, this was the LAST thing I wanted to be doing.  But I can't tell you how HAPPY I was to see the mess.
Mr. Vet had told me that the same nerves that controlled her back legs also controlled her bladder, so the fact that it was now working meant HOPEFULLY she is getting some flow back to those nerves now.  THIS is good news.

Since then, I'm still keeping her in her cage and carrying her out to use the bathroom.  She continually goes on her own now and is even now beginning to try to use her back legs.  She still doesn't have much balance and still is very wobbly when she walks.  But the fact that she is at least TRYING gives me hope.

We will continue with the daily steroids for another week, gradually tapering back off and hoping for continued improvement.  We really won't have a definite answer until the time has passed and medication is complete.  Until then, we will just keep hoping and keep praying that she continues to improve at the rate that she has been improving.

Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.  My son was having a REALLY had time with it Friday night.  In fact, he had an overnight field trip on the horizon that he told me he wanted to cancel because he didnt' want to leave Bailey.  With her improvement, I convinced him he should go, and we would be just fine and she would be waiting for him to come back.  I just hope I am right ...

Thanks again for all of you who left comments and have kept us in your thoughts and prayers.  I can't describe the feeling of knowing people all over the United States are thinking of us.

I just had a conversation last night with someone about how God brings people in and out of our lives for reasons....  There is always a plan, and although we don't always know what it might be, God will take care of us and he will bring people into our lives to get us through no matter how hard the situation gets. 

I truly believe this.

Just remember, while God is bringing people into YOUR life - he is also bringing YOU into someone else's life. 

Live like someone needs you.... because they do!  :)

Motivational Monday :)

OK - If I can remember to do this (because I'm old and suffer from STML - ha ha) I would like to try to make Mondays a little brighter!
Every Monday - I am going to try to post some sort of inspirational quote to start the week.  (AND hopefully a song - today's is GREAT!  more Lady Antebellum)
This week's quote I received in an email from a very good friend and I couldn't wait to pass it on...
Wishing everyone a beautiful Monday and a great week  :)
mwahhhhhhhhh

God doesn't give you the people you want;

He gives you the people you NEED...

to help you, to hurt you, to leave you, to love you

and to make you into the person you were meant to be.

I have said it before and I will say it again - everyone that crosses through your life is there for a purpose - we never know at the time, but there is something you will gain from each relationship that you form.  Even the bad ones you will grow from!
You are who you are thanks to all the little foot prints through your life's journey!
 
SMILE and be happy for who you have become and the journey that got you here!
Enjoy the song and listen to the words!