Merry Christmas.

Just a quick note to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Spread Joy, Love Plus Peace.

One Little Word.

Thinking Ahead : ONE LITTLE WORD

As we approach the new year I have started thinking about the one little word project again.
I have decided to go with the word FOCUS.


focus |ˈfōkəs|
noun ( pl. focuses or foci |ˈfōˌsī; -ˌkī|)
:the state or quality of having or producing clear visual definition
:focus on) pay particular attention to
:emphasis, accent, priority, attention, concentration

2007 Go
2008 Enjoy
2009 Focus

Embracing Life.

Brrr.

Hello Tuesday.
I'm not even going to PRETEND that it is not way to darn cold to be outside. Do I want to go out in the blustery cold? NO THANKS. NO WAY. So instead on this SNOW DAY
And instead I'm cranking the heat.
And putting on my fleece sweatshirt.
And I'm staying inside.
And I'm drinking lots of hot cocoa with marshmallow fluff!
And I'm being productive. Well, a little bit.

AJT.

A Beautiful Mess.

Despite my inhumanly busy schedule, I am LOVING this holiday season.
Everything feels magical.
Is it just me or is there something special in the air?
Either way, it's wonderful.

Nod, Nod, Nodding On Heaven's Door.

Nodding cuz this baby is sleeping, a sleeping beauty.

On The 4th Day Of December.

20+10+1=31
There are 31 days in most months.
Baskin Robins has 31 flavors.
31 is a betting game played with cards.
31 is the number of people that the new Obama administration has with Clinton administration ties.
31 is a prime number.
Jim Taylor is the best athlete to ever wear an NFL jersey with the number 31 on it.
Mike Piazza is the best athlete to wear the number 31.

Today.

Melodie Beattie : Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.

Rubik's Cube Solved.

I wish you were here... but, I thought about it - and really, I don't.
You are a headache I confused for a heartache - what was I thinking about?
It's better you're gone - so leave me alone - get out of my way - just get out.
Take your lingering anger - take your lies and your hunger - take everything you think and I doubt.
Yeah, that's me in the picture - I'm sad but, I'm waving - see... I've finally figured it out.

It's just time to move on... Let go.

Perspective.

What do you say to taking chances...what are you waiting for? I mean we totally are not getting younger. Life is extremely too short to not wanna jump off the edge and see what is waiting and what could be...so to the people who don't want to grow up and own up...peace be with ya! Walk and talk with me like lovers do, you know, that pure passion that everyone wants to feel. Like the first time you kiss and don't feel it...move on, cuz nine times out of ten, you can't make him feel what you didn't!

Hayden Dawn=2Key

2Key is my dad's way of telling Hayden Dawn that she is totally a grandpa's gal...& she totally smiles+scream when he calls her that!

Recap.

I'm working on posting all the wonderful pics from the holiday extravaganza.
Lots of yummy ones...gotta love the two little ones...they totally melt my heart!

Giving Thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving.

This holiday season, ask the people around you about their lives — it could be your grandmother, a teacher, or someone from the neighborhood. By listening to their stories, you will be telling them that they matter and they won’t ever be forgotten. It may be the most meaningful time you spend this year.

Made By Hand, Not by Machine.

Healing Touch.

So today I decided that I wanted to know my language of love. I had a pretty good idea, but still wanted some affirmation.
My language of love is Physical Touch.

If you know someone who is very touchy-feely, their love language is probably physical touch. It is the hand on the shoulder, the comforting hug and the warm handshake. For that person, touching is a powerful way to communicate and as important as words. A touch communicates acceptance, understanding and of course, love.

Today.

Marilyn Thomsen : And while it takes courage to achieve greatness, it takes more courage to find fulfillment in being ordinary. For the joys that last have little relationship to achievement, to standing one step higher on the victory platform. What is the adventure in being ordinary? It is daring to love just for the pleasure of giving it away. It is venturing to give new life and to nurture it to maturity. It is working hard for the pure joy of being tired at the end of the day. It is caring and sharing and giving and loving…

Hello Tuesday.

Oprah Winfrey- I've come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint – and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.

Merry+Bright

Get ready, I'm getting my craft back on...yum-o! It's going to be a handmade holiday.

Faux Real?

True friendships are not easy to come by. It involves work, trust, love and caring. Most people dont want to put out that much for a friend these days. But in my eyes, that is more important than anything you can ever have. A friend is someone who takes you for exactly who you are at that moment. When you find these people, hold on to them, make sure they are holding on too. Life comes at us too fast to go at it alone.

Silver Lining.

Last night I finally got the finishing vision on my t-shirt line. I know exactly how I what everything to look on my shirts. Whew...what i great big stresser figured out! I am so extremely excited! So now here's a sorta kinda sneak peak. Hope you like, and if you don't, to the left, left, left with ya!

Impossible.

So I thought I was seeing this guy for about 8 months. He used to see me about once a week. We have a lot of fun together and definitely seem to click. Sometimes I feel like he’s letting me in - like when he tells me about his family when he was growing up. Other times he shuts me out - no contact for a day or two cause he says that he is so called busy with work, or he’ll tell me about parties he goes to but rarely invites me along. He admits to compartmentalizing his life.
Since I know how much he values his independence and tends to shy away from change, I hadn’t brought up the "state of affairs" talk in the past…hoping things would evolve naturally on their own. I also know he likes to move slowly but I guess I hit my limit this weekend and told him how I’ve been feeling. I said I would like to get closer and know where he sees this going. He told me that he’s not emotionally in a place in his life for a serious relationship (due to ex baggage, etc), but he really cares for me and would like to keep seeing me. He admitted that he didn’t know where he’d be in the future, but right now, this is all he has to give. He said he knows I deserve to have what I want and that I had a right to walk away but he doesn’t want me to.
I really do care about him and he’s the first guy in a long time i can see myself with…if he actually let me in, that is. I don’t want to lose him but I’m not sure that I can be satisfied having a superficial relationship with him. I don’t have to be his girlfriend right now but I at least want to know that we’re progressing and the possibility is there rather than just heading blindly for a dead end that will leave me even more hurt. Is it silly to hold on to this and hope that one day his feeling will be strong enough change his mind or am I just setting myself up for heartbreak?

Warm Fuzzy.

Look at the warm fuzzy that I received in my e-mail inbox. Nice, very nice!

As I sit here typing, my dog tags jangling against my chest from random movements, its about the only sound I hear in this shipping container I live in. I've read...re-read....and read again your "color me happy" page. Between that and watching old episodes of "Man VS Wild" on my computer, I have managed to soak up the past few hours. You're quite the individual...I must say. I'm deployed and don't really make time for most people's monotonous babbling about things that suck about the world. Take www.blogofman.com for example.
I don't need to be told how many things are wrong with this world. I see it on the deepest of scales everyday where I am. I'm pleased to say you were a breath of fresh air. Which I suppose is the initial reason I began this email. Perhaps that, and also to commend you on it ha ha. Your page even introduced me to the KC Pub crawl! I've never even heard of that in KC! Then again, once I turned 18, I left Kansas City and never looked back. Now here I'm at staring it right back in the face. I'd much rather stare it in the face with a drink in my hand, so I thank you for that wonderful tidbit of info and link to their site!
Alright, time for me to climb back in to sleeping bag and get some much needed rest! Thanks for giving me that bit of positivity. Some days here I just feel completely whacked and I appreciate the pick-ups when I see them!
Be well...

--
Joshua C Davis-Smith
GEOINT

Be Joy-Full.

This quote kicked my ass in the best way today:
George Bernard Shaw; This is the true joy in life, to be used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, to be thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap. To be a force of nature instead of a feverish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am a member of a community and as a member it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can before I die. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch that I want to make burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.

Earwig.

Analyzing Myself, I Adore...

My Family
The Smell a Good Cologne
Soulful Voices
Love
Guess Low-Rise Jeans
Mac Lip Gloss-All of them
Blow Pops
Diet Dr. Pepper
Pink, Glittery Anything
Talking On My Celly Cell
My Graditudes Book
Sol{a}ce...shh for now!
My Pink Nano
Sleeping In On A Cold Rainy Day
Text Messages
My Down Comforter
My iMac
My ibook G4
Men With Good Hearts...
Hugs & I Love Yous
Giving All of Me
Making People Laugh
itunes
Passion Fruit Tea
Making People Smile
Pictures
Friends, Real Friends
Shopping
Lily Belle...

QT.

words, originally uploaded by mandytrei.

Exclamation.

Transformed By Words.

Faith is one foot on the ground, one foot in the air, and a queasy feeling in the stomach.

ReBirth.

I want my
life
work
family
to mean something.

If you are making someone else's life better
and
forgetting about what you need
then I think you are wasting
your
time.

Your life will become better
by
making others lives better
and
to
maybe
just maybe
to inspire.

44th And Not In Line.

Sting Me.

The best bumble bee around is my Ms. Anannah. I love you so much my darling dear!!!
Alannah+Bumble Bee= Sting Me Baby!

I'm NOT The Strong Silent Type.

Silent types tend to be calm and logical, which is good for me because the man of my dreams can help me sort out my problems in a reasonable way.

Happy Halloween.

{A} Feeling Of Excitement.

Passion can grow as a relationship progresses. People used to think settling down meant saying goodbye to romance and passion. But research has found that young married couples are more satisfied in the romance department than their single counterparts are. Familiarity definitely has its perks. Couples who have been together for a long time have probably learned how to please each other and are more comfortable sharing their fantasies and desires to keep the romance alive.

Breath.

This week has been one of the best weeks ever in a long while!
I finally figured out what I want to name my t-shirt line and have been working on the logo.
Yeah I know I'm holding it down.

Still {Me}

Perfectly Imperfect

Back on October 13, 1992 I was fighting for my life after becoming paralyzed from a car accident, I never would have thought that many years later I would be a successful teacher who believes in herself and makes a difference in the lives that she meets everyday!

My situation has led me to discover things about myself that I would not have before. I am proud not only of what my disability has taught me, but also of where it has taken me and whom I have met along the way. So much in my life is because of this injury. No, life isn't perfect, but it wasn't perfect before I used a wheelchair either! Over time I have come to realize... It wasn't me who changed... It was my perspective! Being a gal that uses a wheelchair has reminded me to appreciate the little things in life such as being able to get out of bed each morning and enjoy the fresh air. I have begun to realize, it is not what I do in life that matters. It is who I am inside that truly defines the real me.

Having said all of this, I didn't get here overnight. It took me a bunch of years to come to grips with the gravity of it all. It took a great support system of family and friends, a belief in myself, an ungodly number of margaritas and a deeply engrained sense of humor. All that I have going for me defuses the all-consuming desire to lash out, to find and affix blame. You don't need to walk to fall in love, to get married, have kids, get a degree, go to work or be a successful leader. Whatever you want to do, you don't need to walk to write, paint, take in a ballgame, go hunting, scuba diving, whatever.

Napoleon said, "struggle is a decided advantage, for it awakens within you attributes which would otherwise forever lie dormant."

walking is over-rated

Oh Joy 53 & 24.

And Happy Monday to You! Ok so over the weekend it was my dad's and my lil bro's birthdays. I really honestly thought that my dad's was Saturday, but it was Friday. But it's all good cuz I texted my lil bro to wish him a wonderful day, and he was like, "Damn, you guys are all the same!" Seems as though I was not the only sis that messed the dates up! LMFAO

Me [Today].

I've been traveling on this road too long, and a friend asked me the other day what I really wanted to do. I totally told him and he was like, yeah that is you + all your t-shirts jazz.
Does it really matter if I sleep or not? I really don't sleep much how it is anyways and when I have plans on the weekend they either fall though or are something that I totally would never ever go through again.
I guess I'm just trying to find my way back home where I can win that fight. You see the old me is dead and gone away. The gal that always wanted to go out to the clubs, drink and give out my number. Not me. Not me at all. Now I get it. That part of me left yesterday.
Ever had one of dem days u wish would've stayed home.

365 in 2009.

[365 Days+365 Photos]= [My LIFE]
An attempt to record my life, work, photography, t shirts, travels, gadgets, scrapbooking and anything else which interests me in 365 photos. It should be fun+exciting!

Never.

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

My Creative Manifesto.

do.
create.
be.
play.
pause.
live.
imagine.
try.
admire.
enjoy.
give.
let go.
celebrate.
believe.

Good Words.

Ali Edwards: Eyes open. That is my goal. I want to live my life present and aware with my eyes wide open. Taking it all in. Day to day. Good and bad.

Musing.

The reflection of a 30 something trying to make a difference, find brilliance, wear heals & look fabulous every single damn day!

Today.

Mary Jean Iron : Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return.

Candy Colors.

I love the colors of Fall. Everything about fall is beautiful.
Beautiful leaves.
Beautiful weather.
Beautiful colors.
Beautiful changes.
Beautiful me.

Smitten.

The Quintessential.

Who is the quintessential, well me oh course! What a nice relaxing weekend I had all to myself. It was nice to catch up on some projects, both creative and personal.

The Posh In My Ish.

I always go back to this color. I am in total and complete love with it. It makes my smacker all smiles...this lacquer.

The Posh In My Ish.

And She Laughed Out Loud, Hard.

Actions speak louder than words. According to Marie Claire, there are 10 red flags to consider before taking your relationship to the next level. So do yourself a favor and reconsider if it's worth it for you.
[Bolded are the ones that scream to me right now, hell yes.]

1. You are not on the VIP list for breaking news
Were you the last to learn about this person's job promotion or newborn niece or nephew? Once things are serious, you should be among the first to know about exciting news, or bad news

2. They avoid meeting your family or friends
If they are shying away from meeting your friends/family consistently, then there are problems. Even if they are very shy, they should want to meet those who are important to you.

3. They don't make any sacrifices
Healthy relationships don't require bending over backwards all the time, but a certain amount of sacrifice is necessary in a selfless union. When two of my friends first started dating one another, she demanded that he go to Farm Aid for her birthday, which was also the opening NFL football Sunday. While all the guys gathered to watch the games, he was sweltering on some field attending Farm Aid -- an event he never would have gone to if she hadn't have invited him. Now that's sacrifice.


4. They can't fit in your future
I admit it. When I meet guys, I envision future moments I may some day share with them. Most of my scenarios are him with me and my family at a Thanksgiving holiday or at a summer crabfeast. If I'm really into him, I usually relish the thought. If not, I kinda cringe.

5. They are too controlling
It's scary but I've seen many relationships where guys forbid girls to hang out with certain friends, or wear certain clothes. Major problem if someone is controlling you and not allowing you to be who you want to be within a relationship.

6. The "what are we" conversation fails miserably
Almost every relationship hits that crossroads where you both decide if it's worth taking the plunge into being exclusive and calling each other boyfriend/girlfriend. If they are confused and surprised that you're ready to get serious, the timing is not right, and you should try to figure out how long you want to wait around until they are ready.

7. They talk about plans that don't involve you
My sister has major wanderlust. She's always talking about heading off to Chicago or living in London for a year. She often talks about these things with no regard for the fact that she has a boyfriend at the time. If you find that someone is making plans or talking about far off places without inviting you along for the ride, don't let yourself get too into this person.

8. Your friends or family don't like them
Remember that your friends and family know you best. Don't take their thoughts with a grain of salt. It's one thing if a person or two don't get along with your significant other, but if a lot of them are saying you should reconsider, then do it. Unfortunately, we often find out about how much our friends hated that person after this person is gone.

9. They violated your trust
Whether it's cheating or a little lie that they got caught in, it will be hard to regain trust. Trust is something we don't give away easily, and once it's gone it's hard to get it back. We'll always be wondering about that lie, and doubt will creep in more and more as our minds fixate on that lie. Too often, people take trust for granted and once they lose it they never get it back.

10. You practice "unbalanced dating"
Are you always seeing his friends or doing things that he wants to do? Do you just let him pick the restaurants and events? Or is it the other way around? Relationships are fun when you are both able to contribute. If you're not taking turns creating fun times together, it will most likely fizzle out.

What would you add to the list? Ever been a victim of any of these red flags?

Trust.

This has been on my mind often lately!!
So tonight I really got a lot of perspective from a friend.
Some people really are not worth thinking about.
Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down, it is how we handle them.