Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Knowing When to Hold On and When to Let Go

Pin It We all have things we want and need in life. Identifying our wants and needs is a good thing, because it means we are always striving towards better things...always seeking out a happier life for ourselves.

But ultimately where does this leave us in the end if these wants and needs don't happen {or take longer than we desire}?? We are left with wants and needs, simply unmet. Unmet wants and needs can lead to feelings of hurt, anger, helplessness and sometimes obsessive behaviors.

Wants and needs are such a catch-22. We all should have them, but if or when our desires aren't being met...then what? Do we just give up? Tell ourselves that we no longer want or need "these things?" The answer is...well...yes. It's one of the harsh ironies of life that no matter how hard we attempt, push, fight, and even obsess over our wants and needs...sometimes we simply must let them go. When the pain of desiring our wants and needs outweighs the benefits of continuing to want them...it's time to simply give up.

Now, giving up isn't as simple as it may sound. Why would you want to give up on something you're certain will make you a happier, more content person?? The answer is, because if you don't give up...eventually you'll drive yourself crazy. After all, the definition of insanity is "doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results." You can't keep staying on the same cyclical path...going round and round, and expect it to just finally happen. Yes, it still may...but why not learn to be happy without it.

I've always been someone who has known what they wanted and needed. Even at a young age, my parents told me how relentless I was regarding something I wanted or needed. Now, wanting my belly button pierced at 14 and wanting a tattoo at 15 is very different than needing something in your life...perhaps more intangible or external that is less out of your control {although I did end up getting my belly button pierced at 15 and got my first tattoo at 16...see? Told you...relentless.}

I've also been this way towards friends, family, and relationships. I couldn't make a person be loyal to me if they choose not to be, I couldn't control my families dysfunctionalities and I couldn't control being treated poorly by significant others. I simply could only control my own desires within these relationships.

As I've gotten older, my desires for certain things in my life have only continued to grow. I know I want to be a wife and a stay at home mom...I know these things. But when these things continue to not happen, I only am left with frustration, sadness, and an overall hopelessness.

I obsess, crave, and almost morn over desires that simply aren't being met right now. The more I hope for something and the more I don't get what I hope for, the more unhappy I get. It's a vicious cycle that too often I find myself getting caught in.

Letting go is the only option to find some peace of mind when our wants and needs aren't being met. But the ironies of life always seem to prevail. That the only way to get what you desire is to simply let go.

Letting go is part of what we must do to get what we desire!



skydiving two years ago. complete and utter freedom. letting go was the only thing i could do....

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Where Did the Weekend Go?

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Per usual, this weekend flew by...
which is surprising, considering Andrew was gone for the second weekend in a row... {ugh}
but I was busy busy with sports, family, and friends! 

Here's what I've been up to.... :)

Friday night was softball. Unfortunately we lost...like...horribly. We've been undefeated until that game. I'm not sure what happened, but we failed...epically. Regardless, it was still a lot of fun! Afterwards, I went out with friends to a rooftop bar in downtown Minneapolis. We drank, danced, and laughed. It was a good time!

go team go!
we not only bring beer to the games...wine is also provided. awesome, right?
my boyfriend's best friends...super proud. aren't they lovely? ;)
andrew's best friend's pup {the guy above on the right} mav is the man!!
jeff and i pre-bar.
christy and i {the lucky man above's gf} :)
jen and i ...cabbie pics of course. 
Then on Saturday, I went to the mall with my best friend to find her a dress for her Bridal Shower that's coming up next weekend! After that, I met up with my parents who were in town for my brother's 33rd birthday {Happy birthday bro...I love you!!!} 

caribou with my parentals :)
my momma and the girls hanging out at my place. they LOVE their grandma :)
all ready for dinner with my beautiful mamasita!
i LOVE my papa!
my beautiful children :)
Today consisted of a lot of cleaning and organizing the condo. I then went to grab some apps with my best friend, Anastasia, before I went to the airport to get ANDREW! :)

our kitchen spic and span!
zo zo wanted to make an appearance ha
bathroom clean. CHECK!
throwback photo of andrew and i...always BELIEVE IN FOREVER :)
I couldn't be happier that Andrew is back! 
There's definitely certain times that I miss him more than usual...
and this weekend was one of them! 
We took the girls for a walk {who were beyond excited their daddy was back!}
then ordered sushi take-out, 
and are now watching the Olympics {while I blog of course}

I'm a happy woman :)
park time!
my family :)

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Wisdom Wednesday

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happy wednesday...
i'm exhausted, 
but before i call it a day,
i thought i'd share some words of wisdom that has inspired me this week :)

one of my new favorite quotes...because this is so me. my heart constantly craves whatever it wants.
i'm blessed to have found someone who knows me...all of me...and loves me all the same.
although i don't have kids yet, this is a great reminder....i need to emulate who i want my kids to become :)
resentment is ugly...and it's something i've had to work on my whole life. thankfully, i've been able to let go a lot of it as i've gotten older. 
i'm such a believer in this.
andrew would appreciate this quote, because let's be honest, sometimes i'm just utterly ridiculous {i can't help that i'm such a passionate person ;)}

have a beautiful night.

Monday, July 23, 2012

My Super Low Key Weekend

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I had by far the most low key weekend in months...
I loved and hated it at the same time.
Andrew was away on his annual "guys trip" 
and all my friends were either gone or busy {it always gets that way in the summer}

Friday night I had softball again {a double header}


Andrew was happy to hear that we won both games and are undefeated!! 
Softball is always a blast, but playing really well and winning really sweetens the deal!

The rest of the weekend consisted of a lot of snuggling with my girls, getting my hair done, walks, reading, and relaxing. {I did end up meeting up with a girlfriend and got some bloodies at one point...yummy!}

walking with my girls. i love my backyard :)
bella putting herself to sleep, per usual. i also tried to get her to help with laundry...no such luck!
enjoyed some delicious popcorn and a movie with my babies :)

It was great having me time, but I definitely missed Andrew.
We're really each other's best friends...
or as he put it last night,
"we're each other's companions." 

Last night we made tacos and snuggled with the girls...

bella was really happy to have her daddy back :)

Well, until The Bachelorette Finale started...
in which I proceeded to stare at the tv for 3 hours, 
crying throughout most {I'm such a hopeless romantic!}

Friday, July 20, 2012

My Life Through Instagram

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It's FRIDAY!! 
It's been a long week and I couldn't be happier the weekend is here...

I've been lacking on here with updates on my life,
 so here's some photos of what I've been up to. :)

zo zo and my "it's FRIDAY bitches!" picture ha
"my dog winks at me sometimes...and i always wink back in case it's some kind of code." hehe
after doing the gel nails it unfortunately made my nails really weak and frail. they're finally starting to grow again. my latest self-mani.
my lucky mom got to go visit my brother and his family. she sent this ADORABLE photo of her and my niece, isabella. she is just to diiiiie for, isn't she??
andrew and i went out to dinner with his grandparents...but first grandma liz showed me her herb garden. yummy!
i've been on a serious health kick. fresh fruit, pita bread, hummus, asparagus, tofu, couscous, and fresh basil from andrew's grandma :)
being sassy for some reason HAHA
bell and i have staring contests all the time...that's normal, right?
bella also sleeps with her mouth open sometimes. such a weirdo.
snuggles with my baby, per usual.
hung out with my best friend, her brother, and her nephew. my second family :)

Well, I'm off to a double-header for softball...
wish me luck!!

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Wisdom Wednesday

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Here's your weekly dose of Wisdom Wednesday...

it really is never too late to be the person you've always wanted to be.
amen. 
this quote really resonates with me... despite the trials and tribulations i go through, i always find a way to be happy nonetheless.
i have the power to choose how i live my life. i may not be able to control everything, but i can control my behavior and the actions i take each and every day. 
my friends remind me every day that goodness really does exist in this world. they are the most incredible and remarkable individuals. i would be completely lost without them.
well put!


Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Bloggers 411 Link Up

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I've been very much neglecting my blog lately...
I'm going to blame it on summer and also not feeling the best lately {booo!}

But I'm back... :)

Today I'm joining up to From Mrs. to Mama's Blogger 411 Link Up...




1. How long have you been blogging? And what got you started on blogging? Has your blog changed?
I've been blogging just since February of this year...although I've started and stopped blogs for at least a few years. Blogging is very therapeutic for me. It's a way for me to get out my thoughts and emotions, while being able to express myself creatively. I feel as though I'm not as attentive to my blog as of late...I definitely want to start dedicating more time here, because it's a big part of what I love to do!


2. Did you go to college? If so where, and what did you study?
I went to the University of St. Thomas {I'm a very proud Tommie!}


3. Where have you traveled?
I've traveled mainly in the U.S...I've driven through a lot of states to get to a destination. But I've actually spent time in Missouri, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington DC., California, Colorado, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana, North Carolina, Arizona...and probably more that I can't think of right now...and I've also been to Mexico and Ecuador. I can't WAIT to travel to many many more places!


4. If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you would buy?
A vacation with all my family and friends!


5. What are your 3 biggest pet peeves?
Honestly, I try not to have "pet-peeves", because it really only bothers/annoys myself...I try to be tolerant...but if I had to choose things that definitely do get under my skin it would be, overly cocky or conceited people, exaggerators and liars {they tend to go hand-in-hand}, and although we have an ice machine now...I used to get super annoyed when the ice trays were empty and no one filled them up {I put ice in everything.}


6. What is your favorite movie?
This is always a hard question, because I love movies. But one movie that has always been a top contender is Independence Day!


7. What is your drink of choice; wine, beer, or liquor. Or Water, Soda, Tea?
I'm definitely a wino {pinot grigio is my fav} but I also love vodka/sodas with a lime. If I'm not drinking alcohol, it's water all the way {jasmine green tea isn't far behind though!}


8. What is something you enjoy to do when you have me time?
Blogging, reading, taking a bath with a glass of wine {my new favorite thing}, cleaning {weird, I know}, or listening to music while laying outside.


9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, which store would it be?
Ohhhh tough. If we're speaking clothing, it'd need to be a department store, Bloomingdale's etc., because I don't have just one type of style. But right now I'm craving some new furniture for the condo, so I'd love $10,000 to spend at West Elm {love this place!}


10. Share with us an embarrassing moment of your past? Or present.
I have a horrible memory of my childhood and I'm sure I have tons of embarrassing moments...but I can't think of any right now. But when I first met Andrew {back in January of 2006} for some reason I became a huge klutz. Not just stumbling on the sidewalk or anything...I think I fell down the stairs 3-4 times within a few weeks of knowing him {both sober and drunk} I have no idea why, because I've never been a klutzy person. But nonetheless, I felt like a major idiot!


11. What day would you love to relive again?
Meeting Andrew again. Corny I know, but I wish I could relive it again and know how important he would be in my life {although we both had a severe instant connection the first day we met...we even kissed the first day we met...which I never do. Although vodka was involved...haha}



12. If your life was turned into a movie... what actor would play you?
Rachel McAdams


13. What are the jobs you had in high school/college/the early years?
I've had a lot of jobs {starting work at the age of 12} but the main jobs I've had were bartender, waitress, VIP server, Marketing Intern, Leasing Agent, and then I got into Advertising.


14. Show us a picture from high school or college.
since the first day of college in 2005...friends ever since :)
15. If you could travel anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, where would you go?
Think the book, Eat, Pray, Love...everywhere she traveled!!!


16. Show us the most current picture of you or you, or your family, or anything of meaning to you.
our most recent softball game. a double header and we won both! {whoop whoop!}
17. Where do you see your life 5 years from now?
Being a wifey and a momma...that's all that matters to me :)