stormy weather.

Last night the angels in heaven were having quite the bowling tournament. Pins were falling left and right. I swear I heard one of them shout, "STRIKE!" And all the while, my poor, sweet, little Arabella was petrified. During thunderstorms she tends to never leave my side, wants to be held, shakes with fear, and just overall looks like a scared cat.


I remember when I was young, my parents and I would cozy up in the basement together to watch a movie and weather the storm. Having them around provided me a sense of security to know that it would pass and the sun would return. And, we always were quick to run outside to check for rainbows. 


All of these spring showers lately have made me think about weathering my own storms. It's a constant struggle to remind myself when I'm in the midst of one that behind the clouds, the sun is still shining. My grandpa used to say, "You can't get a rainbow without a little rain." 


While, thankfully, I'm not in the eye of a storm, so to speak, at this exact moment, I'm still working through some scattered showers. And, like Arabella last night, sometimes I just have to be reminded that the darkest days often have the best silver linings. 

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thankful thursday.

Am I the only one who is thankful that it's Thursday? I'm so ready for the weekend...just keep swimming!

1. Laughing out loud when reading my new book.
2. Winning a pair of Chanel sunglasses in a silent auction to benefit OneSight.
3. Having the courage to sport my new red jeans. I'm liking this bold color trend!
4. Learning new breathing and relaxation techniques.
5. Finally finding cheaper tickets to visit my grandma! Can't wait to see her pretty face again soon!


What are you thankful for this Thursday?

my real smile.

I may have mentioned my real smile once or twice on this little blog. My real smile doesn't come out too often, to be honest. I smile a lot, and it's actually something I really like about myself. There's something about a smile...what do they say, it's universal? No matter the language you speak or the mood you are in, a smile says it all. Personally, I take pride in my pearly whites. But my real smile, well, that's reserved for really special moments. See for yourself:





Now that warm weather is here, and hopefully to stay, I have a feeling my real smile will be making more appearances. Not just because of the warm weather, but just the hope that spring brings. For longer days. For after-dinner walks. For catching fireflies. For sundae fundays. For sandals and sun dresses. For all those moments that I've been patiently awaiting.

For good things to come. For wonderful things to come.

When was the last time you smiled your real smile?

metamorphosis.

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Just something to remember on days when you think you know what is coming next. Who's to say that what's around the corner isn't better than what you might expect.

Could be!
Who knows?
There's something due any day;
I will know right away,
Soon as it shows.
It may come cannonballing down through the sky,
Gleam in its eye,
Bright as a rose!

Who knows?
It's only just out of reach,
Down the block, on a beach,
Under a tree.
I got a feeling there's a miracle due,
Gonna come true,
Coming to me!

Could it be? Yes, it could.
Something's coming, something good,
If I can wait!
Something's coming, I don't know what it is,
But it is
Gonna be great!

perfectly me.

I'm going to make a statement about myself. Then, I'm going to take a deep breath. Next, I'm going to say a few things about that statement. And finally, I'm going to recognize that I am me.

I'm a perfectionist.

:: deep breath ::

Ever since I can remember, I've been this way. I even chose a profession that strives to focus on attaining perfection in the written language. You won't catch me using the wrong "your/you're" anytime soon.

I'm the young woman who needs to follow the same exact routine each morning to feel like I'm making progress. I can't brush my teeth before I put my contacts in; I must put my contacts in first. I can't put my blush on after my eyeshadow; I need to focus on the eyes first. To me, these seemingly mundane and little tasks are important--and in a very weird way, they help me to feel like I'm getting closer to my ideal self. My perfect self.

But the truth of the matter is, I'll never attain perfection. Sure, I'll come close when I pick out the perfect wall color for my bedroom. And from time to time I do seem to succeed at gift giving. But for the most part, those are tiny things.

My skin will never be flawless. My hair, never thick. I probably will never be able to stay 100% on key when humming a tune, and I always have a hard time remembering how to spell maintenance (even now I had to use spell check).

To me, having flawless skin, thick hair, singing on key, knowing how to spell every word, saying the right things, giving the right gifts, offering the best advice, being quick to forgive, never getting angry, and remembering everything I needed to remember would mean I was one step closer to attaining perfectness.

But honestly, sometimes I really love my flaws. I love that part of me that gets all fired up when someone talks bad about a friend of mine. I love the part of me that might not have gotten your birthday card out on time, but made the effort to get it to you regardless. I love the part of me that musters up courage to sing a song outloud to someone...by myself.

Each of us have those little quirks about ourselves. What may not look perfect to some, will most certainly look perfect to another.

When I was 21 I got chicken pox. The only scar I have on my entire body is an indentation below my left eye on my left cheek. I'm really not a fan. It feels like a crater on my face, and I even visited a plastic surgeon to see about fixing it. To me, it takes away from the perfection that is my smooth skin--it's a hollow depression that will never go away.

Until my mom told me that it was an angel kiss. And that Demi Moore had one too.

I have resigned myself lately over to the fact that I'm not, nor will I ever be, perfect. Instead, I'll just be perfectly me. Just the way God intended.

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