Blink of an eye

Blink of an eye... a saying that holds some much life meaning. Yet you don't realize just how powerful it really is until you find yourself in a moment where you say my life changed in the blink of an eye.

How often do we go about our lives in a routine. We are use to doing this and then this... going here going there. Seeing so and so and then seeing someone else. We get use to life being well life. And we don't mean too but often find that we take for granted life and esp the people that are in it. Tomorrow is promised to no one yet we talk everyday like its a for sure thing. The truth is tomorrow just might not happen for you or for me or for so and so. When was the last time you called up the people in your life and told them the meaning they have brought to your life. When was the last time you made time out of your day for someone you love just to let them know how much you love them. We are busy. We have work. We have a to do list. We have a house to clean-supper to cook and child to raise. But if you stopped for one moment and thought about it...in the end it all doesn't matter. It all comes back to the people in our lives and the love we have for those people. Today...TODAY they are here. Today they are smiling laughing breathing and living...TODAY... and tomorrow well they just might not be. And usually we only discover such a life secret once its too late. Once that person is gone. The person we thought would always be there tomorrow. So don't wait til tomorrow what can be done today. Don't wait to see your life change in a BLINK of an EYE.

***My thoughts and prayers are with Jamie and Tom Petrie and their family...esp Grandpa Bob. I pray that you are granted the time to just be with Bob and fill his moments with lots of love.***

Family Time

Sometimes the best moments and best memories are made by doing simple everyday things. For us we can escape to Paradise and its only minutes away. We put on our swimwear, some spf and pack a cooler and head out the door. We fish. We chat. We laugh. We tell stories and jokes. We make memories. We just hang as a family. We burn a little with too much sun. We take a few photos and just sit and relax. Its the way life is suppose to be.

Its easy to forget about life when you are floating on a boat in the middle of the water on a calm summer sunny day. Your troubles worries and stresses don't know how to swim so they are forced to stay ashore. I hope you are able to find such moments in your life. Today I am wishing you simple moments in your life that you can relax. enjoy. smile. and find yourself at peace.

a new chapter

They always say you will remember when you reach a point in your life where you know it will all change. That life will never be the same as it once was. That the person who you once were is now gone and thou parts remain a new part of you forms. They say things sometimes have to fall apart to fall back together right. They say you aren't given more than you can carry. They say the strong will carry on. They say some have to be slapped across the face to wake up to see what life is really all about. They say that some have to struggle and suffer for others to learn life lessons around them. They say alot of things. And I agree with it all. But I have something also to add... Its just a new chapter of the book of life if you ask me.

My new chapter began when Cancer became apart of my family. You find yourself all around people who's story is changed by this deadly killer. But until it becomes your story you just don't realize how precious life is. You don't realize all that comes along in its carry-on... the worries, the wonders of what will be and the list goes on. Or sometimes you find yourself living this life that seems like its yours but its not. But thats just because it takes awhile to adjust to realize this is reality now. So what do you do when you find yourself in a new chapter...that you don't want to be in... You keep on living. You keep on loving. You keep on believing. You keep on hoping and keeping the faith. You keep on walking and climbing without knowing where you are going. You keep on laughing. You keep on smiling. YOU just KEEP ON. What I found to be the most touching and yet overwhelming feeling is that yes we all find ourselves walking in the dark unknown but never did I think we would find so many in that dark unknown walking with us. Its these amazing people that hold in their hands the candle of hope that will lead us into the light once again. And it will be then a new chapter will start once again. Thou now we don't know where this journey will take us we trust it will lead us just where we need to be.

Living this Life.

We all find ourselves wrapped in life. We get in our daily lives and sometimes it seems like there is a bubble protecting us from the real world. So we go about our lives trying to make sure that bubble doesn't pop. But what we don't realize just how easy it can happen and how fast it can happen. Life can slap us across the face at any moment and awaken us to its reality that usually comes in the form of change. And often this such of a change is not one we like to embrace or even show the smallest signs of welcoming it into our lives.

Life can change in the blink of an eye and open our lives up to a new reality. a new life. a new journey. Sometimes we plan for such things. Sometimes we welcome them with heavy feet that don't want to start the new walk but slowly we take the steps and soon embrace the new reality of life. And then sometimes we hide from life's reality and beg for it to not be. Whatever they be we carry on. We trust in life's journey. We trust that it sees things that we can't. We trust there is a plan and a meaning that if we embark on such a journey we will one day find it and truly understand. But for the mean time we take it moment by moment. Then day by day. Until what was once not our reality becomes our life.

We are truly amazing beings the things we can adapt to. The things we can overcome. The way we can live this life and the way we can carry on. Because the truth is if we don't life will be a waste. And who knows maybe the new reality that we don't want to face and accept just might be better than the one we are living in right now. Change is funny like that... how its so hard to embrace at first but then there comes a day where the change is just a part of you almost like that was the way it always has been. So ya life can change in the blink of an eye but maybe just maybe it will open up a whole new world we never knew was even out there or even possible to live in... I guess thats what we find out along the journey... I guess thats what we find out by living this life.

LG

Today I wish you millions of simple moments of happiness. I wish that the glass of life is always half full. I wish you countless smiles and endless laughter. I wish you a life journey that takes you thru the ups and downs - happiness and sorrow - darkness and light so that you find yourself truly living each and every part there is to this life. I wish that you find yourself surrounded by supportive - down to earth people that will show you understanding and compassion during your life trials as well as celebrate along with you in your successes and happiness. I wish you a heart that is filled with love from others and for others. I wish you many more running miles on those stick legs of yours. I wish you life moments that will help you to learn to grow and to become the person that you now are and still will become. I wish that you find the beauty that surrounds you....ALWAYS. That you can see this beauty as much out your back and front door as you would in the places that you travel to see. I wish you a simple life that is filled with moments that you never would even dream of having or living.

Today I hope you trust your journey in this life. I hope you realize that you being just you is and always will be enough. I hope you find reasons everyday to LOVEthisLIFE... not just in moments of sunshine and happiness but in darkness and sorrow as well. I hope one day you will know the greatness that lies in your soul. I hope one day you will know of the difference and meaning you have brought to so many lives. I hope one day you will know just how loved and cared about you are.

Today we celebrate you, Lindsey Graham. Know there truly aren't words to fully speak my thoughts about you my friend. "Thoughts too deep for words." Sums it all up. All I can say is that I am grateful. I am thankful. I am blessed. I am lucky... to call you my friend.

Happy Birthday!

just watch me...

Sometimes I think of all the things I want to do. see. feel. experience. I think of the journeys I want to travel on. The person I want to grow into and become. I think of all the places I want my eyes to taken in. Of all the things I want to capture behind the lens of my nikon. I think of all the people I will someday meet and of all the people in my life that I want to see and spend time with.

It can get a tad bit overwhelming - thoughts of not being able to do this or that drive me completely crazy! And I will not allow such a thing like you can't do this or that cross my mind. And being told such things is surely a fast way to upset me. Instead to get by I think of the things that I will get to... In this life and the rest will just have to wait for the life to come. But don't think I won't try to do any many of those to do's that I want to do see feel and experience.

I am always on the go even when I am taking it easy I never fully just stop the truth is I find no relaxation in doing nothing. And if anything doing such a simple task actually is one of the few things that sparks stress in my life. So I run around with my head cut off tryin to do this see that meet up with so and so write this blog take this photo edit that one plan this dream of that drive here go to work clean organize and clean again call text laundry ski ski ski ski make a call to those I love and then think of all of the other things I need and want to do.

Its in my blood to never stand still. And if I reach the end of my days before the end of my to do's it will be okay. Because I will know I didn't waste a single moment. I packed as much as one ever possibly could in this life. I didn't limit myself to this or that I simply just did what I could do and not let such words as can't won't don't cross my mind or block my path. I am here to live! And trust me I will spend all my days on this earth living this life to the very depths of my being. Trust me when I say I will live my motto fully and completely... I will LOVEthisLIFE... Just watch me

to my Alaskan friend

I will never forget my thoughts when I heard she was moving to Alaska. Most everyone thought she was crazy and the rest didn't want her to go. I thought wow good for you - DO it!! Why not!!? Well that and minus the comment I made about moving cross country for a boy.

Whatever it took for you to make the move and now be in Alaska I am grateful for! You say you don't like change this may be true but you don't realize just how truly amazing you are at adjusting carrying on and living. You don't truly see your very own strength and just how strong you are. You are grounded in who you are and you know who you are yet you look right pass the greatness that lies in you.

Change is never something humans fully embrace no matter what kind of change it may be... Whether it be minor or major heartwrecking or the top shelf change we wish would always come our way. We look at it and say why! Well because no matter what change is in our path it forces us outside our comfort zone. It forces us to think live and simply be different than weare use to. But what we don't see is that with every change we learn alittle grow alittle and become alittle more. And what we once thought was our comfort zone just got a tad bit bigger... Until the next change comes along and repeats this action of events... Its never ending!

All I can say is now look back at the small comfort zone you once had soo very long ago... Back in the days you were just getting to know who you are. Back in the days of being a Miner. Thinking of all that has happened and all you have done to get you to where you are now. You my friend have always pushed yourself beyond what you thought were your limits. You challenged and pushed yourself to live outside your comfort zone. Moving to Alaska is case in point. Having friends like you in my life are a constant reminder to me that I am capable of living beyond the limits I see before me. You inspire me to soar in this life.

Thank you my Alaskan friend, for breathin the fresh nature air into my life and helping me realize there's soo much to this life to do see think and feel --- and most of the great stuff is found --- outside my comfort zone --- and in the result of change that never wanted to be fully embraced in the first place! That's usually how life goes. So trust your journey! Trust life... Its plans for you are even better than what you had in mind... And in order for you to get there you have to let go and yes my friend... Embrace change! I can only imagine what it has in store for you to come!!