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Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Where Do I Begin?

My heart is so extremely heavy today; I've felt an overwhelming need to write out my feelings and to share my sadness. I can sum up my distress in one single word and most of you will understand.

Orlando.

Y'all - this fallen world we live in is so cruel. That old adage "tragedy occurs in three" is slapping us all in the face this week. 


The politics surrounding the massacre at Pulse nightclub in Orlando  is quite frankly disgusting. We all have the right to our own views regarding equality, gun rights, or any other issue but at the end of the day, we lost people

People like you and me. People with families, and careers, and dreams. Things like the Orlando shooting shouldn't happen...but they keep happening. In a world so full of hate, all I can think is that we should just love one another. I know that is somewhat idealistic but honestly I don't care. 

I could spend hours ranting about gun laws, gun safety, terrorism, immigration, mental health...none of that will change what has already happened. So instead, I'm praying for Orlando. I'm praying for the victims and their families. I'm praying for the LGBT community. I'm praying for the shooter. I'm praying for peace and comfort. 


A horrific nightmare has been unfolding over the last 24 hours at Walt Disney World. A two year old child was dragged into the Seven Seas Lagoon by an alligator on Walt Disney World Resort property Tuesday night. The media is reporting that the family was on the beach area of the Grand Floridian waiting for either the nightly fireworks show or outdoor movie, both official Disney activities. The child was "wading" in the water with his parents nearby when an alligator grabbed him and pulled him into the water. 

The news of this attack is gut wrenching. My first thought is to this sweet baby and his parents. I can't even imagine the terror and torment of this happening to one of my children. I have been saddened to see attacks on the parents in the comment sections of most news articles or social media posts I've read.

I've never been to Disney World or even to Florida but being from a coastal state I know about the dangers of gators and I know that they are prevalent in Florida. However, I never once thought about the fact that there would be alligators at Disney World. I had no idea that Disney World was built on swamp land or that the man made lakes and lagoons are connected to natural water ways. I honestly assumed that dangers like that didn't exist at Disney. Ridiculous in hindsight, but it's the truth. I've also learned that while there are a lot of "no swimming" signs in the waters at Disney, there aren't so many "look out for wildlife" type signs. I have heard from 100s of Walt Disney World patrons (in Disney vacation planning groups that I'm in) that have said that they have done the exact same thing this family was doing when the attack happened. They too have let their children or grandchildren put their feet in the water or wade in just a bit. They honestly had no idea of the risk. It may seem like common sense to Floridians but for people visiting from other areas of the country or other countries entirely - they may not have a clue. 

 It is my understanding that attacks like this are very rare; I pray that moving forward there will be changes made at Disney to protect patrons and that visitors will be more aware of their surroundings. 

#prayforOrlando
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Sunday, October 25, 2015

Time To Catch Up

I have been on a blogging hiatus of sorts for the last 9+ months. It used to be that my blog was one of the most important things in my life, second only to my children. I would stay up late at night working on posts and get up early and do it again all day the next day. This blog was my baby. 

When Chris and I got together, I slowly did a 180 and my blog became less and less important. Eventually, I stopped posting all together. I didn't realize it at the time, but I needed a serious break from blogging. I put a lot of pressure on myself when it came to my blog because it was my business and I wanted to be successful. The last post that I published was on January 4th of this year, my birthday. I quit posting on social media except for personal use and even that tapered down to a trickle. I just shut it all off and enjoyed what was going on around me. For months, I didn't even log into my blog. I didn't drown myself in stats, PR inquiries, design, posts, editorial calendars, etc. I just didn't care about any of that anymore. 

Over the last few months, I have found myself missing this space, this community. I made so many friends while blogging, became a part of this community that is pretty fantastic. I miss that, a lot and I miss expressing myself in this space, writing about whatever the hell I feel like writing about. I miss my readers (and I'm hoping there are still some of you hanging around!), and I miss the great opportunities that I was presented with because of my work on this blog.

I'm approaching blogging a little differently this time around; I have to remember that this blog is my part time thing and not my full time, only thing. 

So much has happened in the last 9 months and I can't wait to catch y'all up!

February: I accepted a job in the oil and gas industry. The company I work for is only a few years old and is growing like crazy. The opportunity was a really exciting one that I just couldn't pass up. I love being a part of something that is developing and expanding all the time. I currently supervise the most awesome team of billing coordinators and I sincerely L.O.V.E. my job! 

May: Chris graduated from UTI! Oh, what a long road that was! I am so proud of him; he worked so hard and stayed focused. He pushed through, even on the days that he didn't want to and he finished. It was definitely not easy most days, but we made it through together.

Also in May, we got married :)  I'll be doing a full post on the wedding at a later time, but y'all, it was perfect! 



June: In June, I had surgery. I'll be doing a more detailed post on my surgery at a later date, but for now I'll say this: I'm fine

July: My company moved it's headquarters to the Greenway Plaza area of Houston. For those of you who aren't familiar with Houston or where I live - that's a 45 minute drive from where I live, on a good day. I had to change my schedule in order to avoid major traffic issues so now I wake up at 3 a.m. in order to make it to work by 6 a.m. The struggle is real y'all. I'm learning to love it and the area that we work in is pretty hip. Also, I do have this awesome view from my office: 



August: I became "softball mom" to the cutest little 8U softball player I've seen! 




We made a big move in August also! We moved into our "for now dream house" (because our real dream includes a lot of land in the middle of no where!). We really  lucked out with this house; we love our neighborhood and our neighbors, the kids have tons of friends on our street and within the neighborhood, and our home is pretty much amazing! Chris and I still look at each other sometimes like, "Is this real?"



Then, our "baby" started his first year of "big kid school" and our little lady started 2nd grade!




The kids are both doing fantastic in school and they are loving every minute of it! I was worried that James would not adjust well because he is more on the shy side, but he has done so awesome! 

October: Our beautiful little girl, who is not so little any more, turned 8.



She's so sassy! :) 

There are so many other moments over the last 9 months that I would love to share with you, but it would take me another 9 months to recount them all. I hope you'll be satisfied with the highlight reel! I'm so excited to be back in the writing "saddle." A big thanks to all of you who hung on while I was on my little break!
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Sunday, January 4, 2015

A New Title.

Fiance. 

Chris popped the question on Christmas Eve! He really caught me by surprise; I knew that he was going to ask me to marry him, but I had no idea when!



It was the four of us, Chris and myself and the kids. I remember every single word he said and the look in his eyes while he said those sweet words. I can hear his voice asking me to be his wife. 

His proposal was sweet, sincere, and honest. I won't deny that tears were shed and my smile was so big that it didn't take long for my face to start hurting!

Chris chose a beautiful ring that I am completely in love with. It is so beautiful and photos just don't do it justice. 



We are both so excited about pledging our lives to one another and becoming Mr. and Mrs. We've waited a very long time and now, finally, it is our time. We haven't set a date yet, but hopefully soon!


The holidays were a total whirlwind this year and because of our engagement, held a special significance. I've always thought getting engaged on Christmas or Valentine's Day, or some other holiday is kind of cheesy, but Chris has proven me wrong once again. Our engagement was completely perfect and I couldn't imagine it any other way. 
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