I Am Her

she promised herself adventure, new places, different views, a chance to get lost. she infuses her day with newness and wonder. she bring a camera everywhere, notices the little things, takes the long way home. she discovers so much unexpected joy. she's begun to love the journey.
she gets goosebumps from tiny, perfect things. seeing the stars. fruit trees in bloom, the scent of dinner from a neighbor's house, a phone call at the right time,a bar of exotic chocolate. 
she speaks her mind. she is a parcel of boldness and grace, all wrapped together
she wants to be beautiful, wants a flash, a spark, a rare and wonderful spirit that everyone sees. but befre all of that she wants to respect herself. as is. even the shaky parts. because even the shaky parts have a shine to them that doesn't fade. she grows ever stronger in the life she has made.
she doesn't do so well at standing still. she plans big, she rolls up her sleeves, she has faith in her own momentum. she knows that change doesn't happen all at once, but she welcomes it, she prepares for it, she gives it fertile ground.
she wants to learn how to live and how to love and how to hold her own in this world that is so wide and wonderful.

Who is she? 

she is me.

Sara Haze-Lovely by Jypseocrash

2 Years On A Jet Plane...

Brock + Casey from Bret Nowell on Vimeo.

I found this little gem today.

 2 years ago this was my life. 

young & in love

now 2 years later and 6,031.72 miles apart,

I've finally realized the important role he played in my life.

I've been bitter about it for a long time, 

but I decided its time to move on.

He brought me to where I am today.

& I'm in the best place, with great family and amazing friends.

While thinking about Brock and other past relationship, I've come to this conclusion...

Before you can grow up, you must fall in love three times.

Once, you must fall in love with your best friend, and possibly ruining your friendship. This will teach you who your true friends are, and the fine line between friendship and more.

 Once, you must fall in love with someone you believe is perfect. You will learn that no one is perfect, and that you should never be treated as anything less than you deserve. 

And Once, you must fall in love with someone that is exactly like you. This will teach you about who you are, and who you want to be. 

And when you’re through with all that, you learn that the people who care about you the most are the ones that you hurt, and the ones that hurt you are the ones that needed you the most. But most of all, you learn that love is only a concept and is not something that can be defined, it is different to each and every person on this earth.

Life lesson:

Live. Learn. Love.

When A Heart Breaks - Travis Ewing Covers by TravisEwingMusic

Any Given Day..

Sometimes, I feel alone. 

Some days are long and hard.

 But when I look out into the world, I am struck by the impossible beauty of it all.

 Those billions of magnificent accidents that lead us to where we are today.

Mistakes

 Trials

 Relationships

 & Moments,

 that have lead me to now.

 When I think of all the small perfections of the world, I have faith that my time will come. I have faith that someday, a warm light will flood over me, and I will find peace.  
 

Ben Rector - Moving Backwards by Jeremy Larson

It's Not All Butterfly's And Rainbow's...

It’s not about the labels or becoming official.

 It’s about getting to know someone well enough to develop genuine feelings for them. 

It’s about being understanding and forgiving when situations are at their worst. 

It’s about loving someone, not for what they have to offer, but for who they are. 

It’s never about blaming your significant other for not treating you like how you want to be treated, it’s about how hard they try to keep you around.

 We all want to believe that love is this magical thing that fixes our problems and makes things perfect.

 We look for the love that we see in movies and fall for all of Hollywood’s lies. But the truth is, love will never be like that. Love is something you have to work at and fight for. 

It’s not always pretty and it’s definitely not magic, because not even love can keep two people together if they don’t try.

I often catch myself getting caught up in the idea that love should be perfect. 
& many times I've lost the opportunity for love because of this childish idea.
but the truth is..... 
If he.. makes you laugh. kisses you. says he's sorry. makes an effort. works hard. attempts to understand you.

 then believe it or not.. he's quite perfect.
Don't waste your time counting imperfections.
[love is unpredictable. let it surprise you.]

Brandi Carlile - That Year by confusionists

Young, Wild & Free....

"I don't care how long it takes me I'm going somewhere beautiful.."

that's the dream.

I'm making it happen one step at a time...

SPRING BREAK MEXICO 2012

I want to live my life to the absolute fullest. To open my eyes to be all that I can be. To travel roads not taken, to meet faces unknown. To feel the wind, to touch the stars. I promise to discover myself. To stand tall with greatness. To chase down and catch every dream. 

LIFE IS AN ADVENTURE. 

It was a week of sun, smiles, and laughter.

An escape from reality and chance to set myself free from the boring daily routine.

New friendships were made...

Others simply made stronger..

Memories were made..

& more are yet to come..

 

The greatest thing about this week, was the fact that it was absolutely unforgettable. It was a reminder of the wonderful people I have in my life, and a reminder of how many incredible opportunities I've been blessed with.

I'm not lucky.

I'm blessed.

The Paper Kites - Bloom by paperbacks7

Kony 2012

I got on Facebook today to see the name Kony posted everywhere.

After some research I found the project & this video.

If you haven't seen this, watch!

It's nice to see people still believe that this world can be a better place. 

SUPPORT

because this world is bigger then you and i. 

KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

COVER THE NIGHT

April 20th 2012

lets turn the system upside down.

A Life To Remember..

Grandma Cookie

A Daughter, Sister, Mother, Grandmother, and Friend.

A woman of love and laughter.

Strength and Courage.

Faith and Virtue.

I spent a good portion of my childhood in her loving arms. I remember begging mom and dad to let me sleep over, just so I could stay up late and watch old movies, and "I love Lucy" with her. Then waking up the next morning to cereal with lots of coolwhip and "The Price is Right". 

 She's a woman I look up to for many reasons..

For the way she raised my dad, and for playing an important role in making him the man he is today.

For the love she shared so willingly.. especially through cooking.

And for being a woman who was not only beautiful.. but strong and independent. A woman who didn't rely on a man to take care of her.

I sat outside tonight to clear my mind, and in hopes that I'd somehow makes sense of everything in this crazy world. The sky was big and vast, and full of wonder. And it occurred to me that perhaps they aren't stars in the sky but rather openings where loved ones shine down to let us know they are happy.

Even though you have left this earth, you are still apart of this family. A family that..

Learns & Laughs

Prays & Protects

Apologizes & Appreciates

Dreams & Discovers

Fights & Forgives

Teases & Trusts

Gives & Grows

Believes & Belongs

                           Loves & Lasts......Forever

You are with us every step of the way.

 As you stand at Heavens gates, I hope you feel the love and gratitude from those of us left behind. I hope we showed you the love and respect that you always showed us. I pray that you will be my guardian angel throughout my life. I still need that blunt opinion on boys. I need that humor and joy and you brought to everyone around you. And I need that brave woman to help me be strong in the face of my trials.

Thank you for the legacy you have left behind.
We love you and miss you.

Rascal Flatts - My Wish by lavonna_ecu