Optimism with a smile :)

So you know how all those little annoying negative things pop in our lives?

I just wanted to share some quotes and positive views on circumstances. :)

"Heaviness in the heart of a man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad (Proverbs 12:25)" 

"One nice thing about being imperfect is the joy that it brings to others (Curtis Hutson)" 

"Pride is the most peculiar disease known to the human family; it makes everyone sick except the fellow who has it (Hutson)" 

"Old age is when you get it all together and forget where you put it (C.W.H.)." 

"Both optimists and pessimists contribute to society. The optimist invents the airplane and the pessimist invents the parachute (Hutson)" 

"The Sunday school teacher said, 'Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt.' One of her students said, 'That's nothing! My mother looked back and turned into a telephone pole." -Hutson

 "It takes less time to do things right than to explain why you did it wrong." ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

  "When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder, a second seems like an hour. That's relativity." - Albert Einstein. 

 
 

blond shopping!

     You can take the girl out of the country, but you cannot take the country out of the girl. 
I wonder if I could win an award for blondest moments as a brunet. While we were celebrating Christmas at my grandparents, some of my family headed out to do last minute shopping. Walmart was our last stop, but no one wanted to go in with me. 
So I loaded up on the items I needed which included a gallon of milk and two bags of ice. I made it through the register and through the front door. 
As soon as the cold air hit me, I wondered if I had made a good choice in carrying milk and ice. The idea to grab a cart never crossed my mind. So here I was freezing and then I could not remember where I had left the car. My phone was also in a clever place- the car.
If you have ever gone shopping in someplace large, you can probably recognize why they number the parking rows. However, all I could do was walk back and forth, holding two large bags of ice, and hoping to see the car soon. 
Well, the bell ringer finally got tired of seeing me pace back and forth, and asked if I had lost my car. He then offered for me to leave the ice with him while I searched. 
As I walked away, I heard him talking loudly to people about what I was doing and why I had left my ice. 
ANYWAY, I did finally find my car (where my family waited patiently). 
        Moral of this story: If you go shopping in a large city... 1. pay attention to where you park, take your phone, and make friends with the bell ringers.

The Christmas road trip

Round two of "girl trips" came this afternoon as me and my younger sisters piled in my car and headed off to our grandparent's house. We were driving right along when several trucks decided to splatter the windows with mud. Snow was piled along the side of the road. I went to turn on my wind shield wipers and discovered that I was out of windshield wiper fluid. So the dirt spots soon turned to dirt lines and smudges. Then the sun began to shine- more like blare- right through the windshield.

I felt like I was driving like a blind person. We finally found a stopping point where we could wash off the window. However, the gash station did not have liquid in the window washer bucket, and to make it worse, there were no paper towels.
Here I was in my boots, slipping around on the ice, and battling the wind. Then out of the blue (truck), a man came over to where I was. He was looking for the same items to wash his truck window. I decided to give the brush a chance even if it had little liquid. Then I turned around and saw that this gentleman had walked across the ice to another pump to gather some paper towels. He came and offered me some before heading back to his truck.

Who says angels cannot drive trucks!! :)
Be safe traveling out their y'all!

Front Porch Tales

However, all of the beauty did little to lift Victoria’s mood. As soon as she walked through the immaculately carved doors, she found herself swept in to the bright colors of gowns and decorations. Laughter and voices mingled with the orchestra of music. Jonathan and Peter were waiting with their parents in what looked like a welcoming line. “I am so glad that you ladies could join us this evening.” Victoria had to strain her ear to hear the pleasantries exchanged. Following Marie’s lead, she smiled politely and gave a short curtsy. Alice apparently still preferred a hand shake for a greeting. ‘We will be starting momentarily. Feel free to acquaint yourself with the refreshment table.”

Jonathan and Peter took their father’s comment as a cue to escort the new arrivals to the large table that was positioned near a window. “Mother had a large cake made for this occasion. You will notice that a large section has already been eaten, and no doubt by these hungry ranch hands.” Jonathan smiled at Victoria as if she should understand his joke more than the others. As if to prove Jonathan’s statement, a large man, probably near Jonathan’s age, came up to the tale and placed three large slices of cake on his plate. Just as he shoved a bite in his mouth he seemed to notice that he had and audience. His full mouth and wide eyes made a very hilarious picture, and Victoria had a difficult time keeping the smile off of her face. She distracted herself by grabbing the glass of punch that Peter handed her. She had no sooner taken a drink when the large man moved away from the table toward the other side of the room and called for everyone’s attention. His voice was loud enough to silence the room. “Tom is going to come say a few words, but before he does I want to say thanks to his lovely wife for putting this wing-ding together.  Applause erupted in the room and Victoria saw Anne standing near the door entrance smiling appreciatively at her guests. “Of course,” The attention returned to the big man. “I don’t know why she insists on cutting the cake pieces so small!” Laughter filled the room as Tom made his way toward through the crowd. “Well not everyone has the large mouth that you have, Lucas.” He fondly slapped the large man on the shoulder and turned to face the crowd.

“Welcome everyone! We are pleased that you all have come for this annual Christmas party. Our wonderful musicians will begin to play some of our favorite dances and waltzes. So without any further ado, grab a partner and enjoy the evening.” Applause followed Tom as he made his way back to his wife and twirled her onto the dance floor. Everyone quickly began to choose partners and follow their host’s lead. Victoria made her way to a chair that sat against the wall. She soon realized that the dancing was more chaotic than beautiful. Each couple seemed to be dancing their own style and there were more than a few collisions. She began to feel her mood lighten even more as she listened to the laughter. Several young men asked her to dance but she politely declined. It seemed to her that this disordered sort of dancing would only serve to frustrate her. She preferred rather to grab some more refreshments and stay hidden in a corner.

She was nearly to the table when the music to the song ended. Some couples moved toward the refreshment table but quickly changed their minds when a gentle sound came from a single fiddle. Victoria had not heard the fiddle before this song, but she was fascinated by the clear and precise notes. Victoria moved along the wall so that she could avoid the couples and still see the front of the room. She was shocked to see Philip was the one playing the fiddle. He wore a suit which was completely different from the outfit he had worn when he had picked Marie and her up to take them to church that one Sunday. Victoria felt herself drawn the music and began to sway back and forth.

Rise to the need!

This picture flashed across the nation with the horrifying report that an elementary school in Connecticut had come under attack of one gunman and possible two. 

The story tore at my heart. I had just returned home from a classroom of children, and felt the attack close to home. So many individuals are speaking up about reasons and about solutions; however, I think right now it is necessary to think of the families. 

The Christmas season will be so difficult for these families.  Many times when a tragic event like this happens, people are aware for a short time and then continue with their own lives. 
In order to keep these families in our minds, especially over the busy holidays, I want to encourage you to make a special ornament for each child on your Christmas tree. My Sunday school class this week will be doing that for our tree. 
This small action may not seem like much, but every time you look at your tree you will remember to pray for those who are hurting. 
http://www.mariegracedesigns.com/marie_grace/2008/12/our-favorite-clay-ornaments.html

The link above will take you to a very easy recipe for ornaments that look great when finished. You could also use paper ornaments or even buy some especially for this purpose. 
 

 

Christmas means?

So you know how Christmas is such a calming, thoughtful time of year... 

Well, right now I am more like....

http://studysuccessful.com/have-a-nice-christmas-break/

Schools out!!!!!

So I survived another semester. This one was super exciting since I got to be fingerprinted at the police station and have a background check. Today, I finished up with a class in first aid and CPR. So I spent much of the day dealing with dummies and pretend emergencies. But now it is time for a little freedom and fun with the Christmas season. :) I have some Christmas gifts to get finished- well more like started. We finally got our tree up an decorated so it is time to get this thing started.

Do y'all have any big plans for this season?

True Love stories

 I have noticed that many of my Facebook friends are making it public that they have fallen into some amazing new relationship. Over thanksgiving, my granny and I were discussing the fact that it must be the season of love. :)
 In the past I have written some things on the topic of relationships, but today I want to share a little on the idea of true love.

"A young couple stood before the preacher. The sunshine peaked through the church window giving a slight glow to the bride's already shining face. They had finally made it! 
The preacher had them exchange vows, and it was easy to say "in sickness and in health; 'til death do us part". At that moment it seemed nothing would ever go wrong because they would live happily ever after. 
Years went by, trials came their way, and suddenly they were faced with the greatest challenge in their marriage. Cancer suddenly swept through his body. The pain, disillusionment, and  fear attacked them with a new force. It was at this moment that they realized the true meaning of "In sickness and in health; ' til death do us part". 
They could truly say that they had lived happily ever after because they had dreamed, grown, and loved through the times when others would have given up." 

Recently I read that a couple actually changed their vows to say ' til love do us part.
If we were to go by that alone, we may find that love gets disguised and hidden by other feelings at times. The love of the couple above is something that is purer and stronger.
This Thanksgiving and Christmas, the couple above is facing a difficult time and yet their love will hold them. True love walks down paths others would not walk, waits longer than other would wait, and gives more than others would give.