From Chaos Comes Happiness

I am so very blessed for this life I am living. For this sometimes stressful, sometimes frustrating, sometimes exhausting, sometimes aggravating, but 100% blessed life. Because even when the going gets tough . . . and yep, sometimes it does get tough . . . I still know how damn great I've got it. And this year, I am trying to do it as often as possible - trying to take those moments, the Thankful and Grateful Moments, and soak them up. Because I have many of them. Tonight, I am sitting at my computer looking through the photo from a recent trip we took to this January to Puerto Rico. I decided to get back to good ol'fashioned scrapbooking and want to start with this vacation, and sitting here looking at these photos - I am feeling my heart swell with gratitude for this trip. I would love to share a little bit of it with you. Like, this view . . . right here . . . Sometimes you see something and you think, "this can't be real" - almost like there ...

It's 3:30AM, and I am wide awake. The hubby is half way through a long business trip. The wind outside is heavy - with the vibration of the siding along the bedroom wall being so strong right now, I become more and more awake with each rattle. Ella lays next to me, deep asleep. I know it is not a good idea to let her continue to lay with me at night when daddy is out of town, but I have to admit - the company warms my heart. Although, tonight I envy her sleep. I have been doing better with my sleep in recent weeks . . . my dear friend Peggy gave me an essential oil diffuser at Christmas, with a wonderful sampling of some lovely oils that have helped me find peace each night. I created a little "intention corner" in our bedroom ( ok - it's really my night stand with a few little nic-nacs, but i think 'intention corner' sounds fancier, don't you? ) I do find myself taking a few minutes each night to enjoy the space - reflect - relax - breath - all t...

A friend of mine posted this quote on Facebook this week, and the moment I read it - it was as if a stadium of people stood up in my head and cheered, " YES !" and " THIS !" and " BRAVOOO !", each exclamation repeating over and over in my head as I read and re-read the quote all week long. Written by the  most brilliant and giftedly insightful Anne Lamott, it sort of became my instant mantra . . . so much so, that I immediately shared it with my Facebook friends.   I can imagine a large art piece with this very quote hanging on a wall in our home. . . not that I want to entertain visitors with thoughts of my jiggly thighs or comfortable tummy . . . but because the meaning behind it all is so damn near perfect. "Don't let that happen," she tells us. "Don't forget to live that big, juicy, creative life." YES!! I think it is so fitting for me right now, because at some point during the last year - I thin...

December 4 I sat down to write my blog this morning and wanted very much to keep it light and positive - with no mention of challenges or anxiety. Then I realized in doing that, I wouldn't be true to me. And if I want to do anything in writing daily, it is wanting to remain true to what I am feeling each and every day. And some days are harder than others. So while I am sitting here trying to find my words, I decided to click through some of my dear online friends blogs and see if  could find the inspiration I needed to pull the happy out of me. I stumbled upon a blog post of a dear art friend, Kelli May-Krenz, and it hit home. It's about anxiety . . . and her strong unending determination to love life, even when it is hard (you can read her post here ,  if you'd like.) OH, that genius Kelli! Today, she pinned the tail on the donkey for me. 110% Because I do love life - truly and deeply. But today, it is...

                                My honey (PG, the husband, the one who makes my heart full) returned home last night from what I believe is his last trip of the year. I think. (😳 maybe I better confirm.) He travels for his job, a lot.  Some trips I welcome - I can tell when he is getting antsy and needs a change of scenery, and the space does us both some good. But this fall - his trips have been a bit challenging for me, seem to have fallen on the very weeks when I am SUPER busy with life, and I have missed him terribly.  I sleep better when he is home.  Ok, just confirmed . . . One more overnight mid month, then we are done.  I can handle that.  It's funny - I always say that when he is gone for a longer period of time, the adrenaline kicks in and I am super organized, get the housework and chores and work and kids stuff done, and go into some sort of autopilot mode. When he comes...

  December 2 What a cathartic morning.  Truly.  I didn't wake planning on making such a move. But the universe called me to do it . . . and it felt so good. Going through a stack of books I intend to donate today, I came across one that was gifted to me by a couple of former bosses many years ago - at least 5, I am thinking. I worked for a healthcare consulting company at the time, and the more I think about - the funnier it is (that I was working for a healthcare consulting company, and this was what the bosses distributed to all of us. Not a book on business practices, or a book on job focus, organization, or skill building. No.) They gave a book by Iyanla Vanzant. A book about spiritual strength and personal growth.  Now, I am not here to slam Iyanla - I think she is brilliant. Truly. An inner peaceful and soulful person who has changed the lives of MANY - a woman who has even said things that have changed mine . I l...

December 1 I want so much to stop the clock this month. To look. To take it all in. To BE in the moment. To LIVE the now. And NOT think about the tomorrow. Because I don't know where the past 11 months have gone. This morning as Ella and I sat at the kitchen table before our day began, Ella watching a Minecraft Video on her iPad and me catching up on my Yahtzee game, it felt as if time stood still for a brief moment. I stopped. I took it in. It was her breath that did it. It caught my attention and caused me to pause. This beautiful little soul that I brought into the world. My daughter. The sound of her breathing in and out softly, as she did her thing, brought a calmness over myself that I haven't felt in what seems like years. I grabbed my phone and snapped a photo of her, and then just sat there watching her. Hugging her Teddy. Her very best friend. She's changed so much this Fall. Glasses. Braces. Growing like a weed. Each day I watch her blo...