Start NOW

"Walk with the DREAMERS, the BELIEVERS, the COURAGEOUS, the CHEERFUL, the PLANNERS, the DOERS, the SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE, with their heads up in the CLOUDS and their feet on the GROUND. Let their SPIRIT ignite a FIRE within YOU to leave this WORLD better than when you FOUND it." Its amazing to look around and to see that so many allow themselves to be passangers in their own life. Its dumbfounding to me how many settle to be unhappy when they have the power to simply be. HAPPINESS is not a destination it is a state of mind and YOU have the choice to be or not to be. How do you view the world? How do you view your life? Is your glass half full or is it half empty. Are using what happens and what is happening in your life as a stepping stone to better your ilfe to better this world or are you using it as a road block. If you don't like something change it... and maybe just maybe all you need to change is the way you are looking at it. I allow others to be apart of my life my world I learn from them I let them inspire me I let them support me encourage me... and when I learn from others when I allow others the honor of being apart of my world I find it is ME who is gaining. Its time that more of us move over the the sit to the left of us and take over the wheel - start being the driver in your life. Take responsbility for your actions, your words, your life, your happiness... focus the attention on YOU if your not happy... For once you focus your attention to the right source its there you have a power to make a change. Start NOW... "This is YOUR WORLD... Shape it of someone else will."

Too Much

I spend my summers living with my cousins during what i call wedding season since i come back to North Dakota to take photos. My cousin Travis is married to Jill and they have four kids... Sabrina, Sadey, Sharlotte (who i call my monkey - is also my god-daughter) and Luke. Its always an adventure in this household something is always going on. And I love spending time with this cool and hip family. Of course being the godmother of a two year old is always a ball esp when your godchild is Sharlotte. She is 53% naughty 47% funny. 100% cute. The kid cracks me up because she is always doing something. She can not say Michelle so I have a special name... Moo - How. To say godmother like godchild ummm just might be dead on. She is about as wild crazy always on the move like I am. She can usually be found dumping all of her toys on the floor, demanding she needs something like Moo-How I need gum... Moo-How I need duice (juice)... Moo-How I need ... She also hates going to sleep at night... she fights it because we can already tell she's going to be a night owl. She is also mad about bandaids... she always needs at least one stuck on somewhere of her body at all times. She has some gangster in her because when she wears her pj pants her left leg pan must be ushed up above her knee - we aren't sure why. I believe I have to use the word gentle with her at least 20 some times day. She like me to pick her up and she proceeds to take her hands and snap my face in a play like matter which usually turns into a full out slap if i dont say Monkey Gentle. She is also ALL about questions and no matter what you say she will ask the same question over and over and over and over and over again usually will go like this Moo- How where's my daddy at i will answer only for her to ask again and I will answer she will ask again. Once i was in the basement editing photos she yells as she's coming down the steps Moo-How what you doing...I say editing pictures this convo of asking and answering proceeds for at least 5 mins finally I start saying I am buying a ticket to fly to asian. Shar goes back up stairs and then informs Sadey that Moo-How goin to Asia...

I ask her if anyone has seen my monkey and her response is to hide her face in her hands and wait for me to find her.... no she doesn't actually hide the rest of her body... it will go something like this i will come up the stairs she will be playing in the middle of the floor and i will shout out has anyone seen my monkey - she will bring her hands to her face and FREEZE and be dead silent like she has disappeared. I usually pretend to look around for her for at least a couple of seconds and then say... oh there she is. She will look at me with a huge smile on her face and say something like me moo-how's monkey. She is two years old and well has sun bleached blonde hair she appears to be somewhat bald looking but the hair is slowly coming in but she is the cutest kid ever... she has most of her family and extend family wrapped around her finger. She calls my older brother Paul...Money - no idea... and she calls my younger brother Jacorian - torian. I am also beginning to notice that Moo - How will prolli end up sticking since now most of my family is calling me Moo - How. The things we do for the love of a 2 year old. Back to the main reason I decided to blog about my wild completely cute sometimes naughty two year old monkey. at night she comes to say goodnight to me and give kisses and hugs... i am not sure why she usually is up still for the next hour or so and then gives kisses and hugs again but we go thru this every night anyways with hopes she will actually go to bed..who are we kidding... anyways she jumps into me arms gives me a bear hug and kisses my face and brings her face close to mine so we are eye to eye. She says Moo-How me love you. I say back monkey do you know how much I love you...she looks at me with a grin and says... too much. I smile and say yup too much.. I kiss her forehead she jumps out of my arms and runs off (in a way that you can tell she is sooo not tired). TOO MUCH ... well Sharlotte years from now you may cause too much trouble. you may be a little too wild. you may be a little too much naughty but i promise you i will never love you too much to be enough. You and Me we will always be two peas and a pod and when you cause all holy hell and get way over your head in a situation you come see your Moo-How because I am positive I will understand... alittle TOO MUCH 0

Burnt Biscuit

"When I was a kid, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage, and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his Biscuit, smile at my mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget what he said: "Honey, I love burned biscuits." Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Your momma put in a long hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides... a burnt biscuit never hurt anyone!" You know, life is full of imperfect things... and imperfect people. I'm not the best at hardly anything, and I forget birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else. What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each others faults and choosing to celebrate each others differences, is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship. So...please pass me a biscuit. And yes, the burned one will do just fine! And please pass this along to someone who has enriched your life... I just did! Life is too short to wake up with regrets... Love the people who treat you right and forget about the ones who don't. ENJOY LIFE NOW - IT HAS AN EXPIRATION" I read this and thought yup this is my blog post for today... Lesson Learned.

Perfect Fall

Today is one of those days that remind me just why I love the month of September and why I am completely taken with the Fall season. God do I ever just love to be outside with a sweater on the fall sun shinning on me and the fresh air filling my lungs. Everything about a typical fall day makes me want to be outside. I hope it finds you wanting to do the same!!! Get your butt outside and enjoy this day!

Taking the High Road

I have found sometimes ok ok all the time when you have the best of intentions in mind for another or when you take the high road and be the bigger strong person most often it comes from your expense. Because once you decide to put someone before yourself when you decide to focus on their feelings you are automatically pushing yours aside. It tough to put someone before you but it always is the biggest example of caring and love you can show. Yet often is also one of the hardest things you can do. In the end though it tends to be worth it when you know because you did such an act that they found happiness that they found success that they found love that they found peace... That's that's when it is totally worth it.

Hail the BISON

What a great weekend to bleed green. What a great time to be a Bison but when isn't it a great time to be a Bison come to think of it. Nothing like fresh road kill and a Bison victory.

We can be tougher

No one ever said Life was easy. No one ever said that lessons in life would be a snap to learn. That change would happen so quickly you wouldn't even notice when it would happen. That loss in life will not effect your life. Wouldn't that be awesome if that were the case. If we were able to just put ourselves on auto pilot or respond in a robot matter. But then again what fun would that be. Sometimes that's just how life goes. Sometimes you just have to deal with it and accept that this is your reality. And to remember that this moment doesn't last forever that the tide will turn and you will be off to something else you just have to hold on. I remind myself that with each moment I am given a chance to learn to grow and to become. Even esp in those moments you find yourself in that you would rather fast forward thru or to forget completely.

Moments in life can be tough but we can be tougher.

FALL

What happened to August?? Where does the time go?? Yesterday marked the first day of two of my favorite things... The first day of FALL and the first day of September. This would be the time I would love it to be all year around...Fall. I love the changing of the seasons, needing a hoodie while bumming around outside at night, being able to wear shorts on most days but needing that super cute knit sweater that was just bought from JCrew or Land's End. I love the colors of Fall and I love to over play James Taylor's September Grass on repeat only to be followed my October Road (another favorite month of mine).Life is good - to me life is perfect in the Fall. Granted I love me some sun in the summer, rain in the spring and snow in the winter....duh I am obsessed with skiing and mountains... but its Fall that has captured my heart. I am wrapped up in the leaves changing and hearing them crunch beneath my feet when I am walking. I hope you are taking in Mother Nature's work some of her best work can be found today. So get out there and LOVEthisLIFE...you only get one... well at least that I know of...