Yeah, I'm a League Bowler

Mondays are one of my favorite days. I know, I know...pretty much everyone else in the entirety of history HATES Mondays, but I look forward to them every week. Why am I so insane? Well, for starters I don't work Mondays. :) But, more importantly, it's my bowling night.

This is the third full season I've bowled in a league and I LOVE it! It's probably one of the few hobbies I can say I truly have. I'm not super competitive, but if I were, this would be it. Now, I'm no Olympic qualifier here but I have significantly improved each season and I'm becoming more and more satisfied with my performance. 

Here are a couple of pictures from last night's festivities: None of me but these are my two teammates. Enjoy the view. ;) 

This is Gayree (Gary). We've been partners for 3 seasons now! I think he was about ready to dive with this one! 

And this is my boyfriend Jack. He joined our team this season. He does some great dance moves with his release. ;) 

I've got the best team in town. I can't begin to say how much fun we have together and with everyone in the league. I highly suggest checking out your local bowling alley for leagues if you enjoy bowling. 

To Dress or Not to Dress: The Halloween Dilemma

So, it's Halloween! Happy Halloween all! :) Boo!

I hope everyone is having a spooktacularly wonderful day so far. It's beautiful weather down here in Georgia...at least for the time being. You never know if that will change at any moment!

I have a dilemma here: do I dress up for Halloween or no? I am going to a Halloween party tonight that is starting pretty much right at dark, so does this mean it's more of a celebration than a dress up party? Idk. Unfortunately, I no longer have any past costumes in stock. I know, I threw them out stupidly.

This is where I need help! I need to at least have ideas of something I can pull from my closet to make something but am at a loss of creativity in this moment. I LOVE dressing up but I've let this year slip up on me.

Who out there has some creative but simple ideas? And maybe some ideas for a guy that can be put together from the closet selection. Couples ideas are not out of question at this moment. :)

Thanks loves.

Cup 'o Tea for Ya

I love hot tea. There's no doubt about that. But I not only love tea for all the herbal remedies it provides or the yummy flavors you can try. I love teas because one every time I brew a cup of Yogi tea I get a little nugget of inspiration.

This was my morning inspiration today:

"To be calm is the highest achievement of the self."

Finding true calmness and peace in any moment or within yourself truly is a high achievement. It is so difficult today with all the distractions available to find true calmness on a daily basis. There are a a lot of people who are quiet, but that does not equate to calmness. The mind may be going a million miles a minute inside. Calmness only comes from awareness and choice. Awareness of what is distracting you and choosing to focus on what makes you calm. Time and patience lead to calmness but it is a beautiful place to be in. And I say all this to remind myself of this lesson as well.

So, if you're ever down or feeling funky, pick up a cup 'o tea! It will soothe the mind and body!

Words of a Stranger

As I was standing next to my car this afternoon pumping gas, I was interrupted by a complete stranger. And I don't think I fully appreciated the comment made in the moment.

I was simply rushing to get my gas and get to a doctor's appointment when a lady from the car next to me walks by and stops and stares. I look over at her and she makes one statement, "You are beautiful". I stare at her for a split second before responding with a simple thank you. I thought, maybe she isn't talking me, I'm the one standing here with a full face rash that makes me look like I'm permanently ready for Halloween. But then she says it again. I was perplexed. How could someone see me right now and think "that's beautiful"? She then makes another statement saying "You have eyes like the ocean". I kept saying thank you trying to decide if I thought she had some sort of mental issues going on.

With a final thank you, and relief that I was finished pumping gas, I hopped into my car and pulled off. I rushed to the doctor, most antsy to figure out what was going on with my face, and didn't give this kind stranger a second thought until I was home later.

Once I took the time to think about it, I began asking some questions: Why was I so put off by this stranger's kind words? Why am I being so vain? Why don't we all just give compliments to strangers when we feel compelled?

It was certainly a humbling experience hearing her words today. It was also encouraging once I let it be. I was more worried about people being put off by the way I looked when the only comment made was by someone complimenting me.

I think this was a lesson in humbleness and thankfulness. We should never be so consumed with our looks. And we should all begin to give compliments when they pop in our head. You never know, maybe that person is having a rough day and your kind words are exactly what they need to hear. So, before we worry about ourselves and what others think, let's realize what we think about others and share.

Be Easy, Be Happy

A beautiful Sunday morning posted up on the dock with a cup of joe and typing away. This is a wonderful way to start my Sunday, or any day for that matter. I can hear a few motor sounds in the distance, but I don't see a soul out here. Granted, I am tucked away in a cove but there is decent view of a good part of the open lake. This is peace.

I'm taking this time to be intentional. Not so much with myself with any thoughts in mind, but intentional in paying attention to my surroundings. I am being. In this moment I can hear every fish plop its head above water, every various bird cawing or singing away, every tree limb swaying in the breeze and every wave that hits the docks. This is life. Not "the" life (even though this is a pretty awesome way to live), but life. The life all around us that all too often goes unnoticed.

In this moment of being I feel happy. A friend of mine always says "Be Happy". To everyone. It's his motto. And every time I see it or hear it from him I recognize what he is saying, but I don't think I ever take the time to stop and really just tell myself, 'be happy'. It's really so simple. Just be. There's no trying. Just be. Try it!

Another saying I try to remind myself of is "be easy". I've never heard anyone say this until a few months ago but Jack [boyfriend] says it all the time. And with as much time as he spends out on this dock and lake, I understand it after simply being in this moment.  We all make life way too complicated way too often. Most things in life are a result of decision and the majority of the time we are choosing to react or respond in a certain way. No report or paper is innately stressful, no appointment or meeting is so crucial we will die if something goes wrong. We put the weight of these feelings into them. Life can exist without the ridiculousness of deadlines and making impressions. Just sayin. :) If only we could convince bosses and coworkers of this. ha.

I urge everyone out there to try out these wonderful philosophies. ;) I promise you life will be much more enjoyable.

Be happy, be easy, be you.

Bye Loves.

Rock My World

I had a conversation yesterday that rocked my world. Literally. Let me tell you why.

I've heard and been a part of many conversations over the past few years regarding the generational clash of Milledgeville. There are many wonderful people who are from here and their families have been a vital part of this town for numerous years. They love this town and want to preserve its rich history and heritage. Then there is the group of young adults, some from the area but many who come here as college students, fall in love with the quaintness of the town and decide to find work and stay. They too want to preserve the town. The issue here comes from a differing interpretation of what it means to preserve the town. Many of the older, rooted group sees the preservation as keeping things exactly the same. The younger generation sees it as maintaining the architecture and sense of community but building it up by allowing new businesses and the such. 

This is certianly a simplified viewpoint of the situation, but it gives a very general feeling of what's going on. 

With two groups so passionate and willing to give back to the community where is the balance? How do we allow this town, so clearly loved, to continue to grow while maintaining a sense of history? It all starts with support and collaboration. Both parties need to see the other's strengths and be able to support growth. 

This is the conversation I had yesterday with one of our city aldermans. I called her on behalf of a friend who offered to aid her in her campaign for city council elections coming up. I was trying to set up a meeting to begin work on her social media enterprise and she ended up telling me how supportive she was of the younger generation because we are the future of this town. She has stood up for a group of local, young professionals trying keep Milledgeville alive through business collaborations numerous times lately and I believe this is the type of relationship we need to see being fostered. 

The moment I heard the excitement in her voice about working together in support of each other's challenges and goals, my heart was beaming with happiness! This is the beginning of what Milledgeville needs. This is the beginning of seeing this town flourish due to the hard work and love of BOTH generations. 

Technology Smechnology

This be cray! I'm writing a blog post on my phone! Call me behind the times, but I just now downloaded the blogger app on my phone. I don't think I could write every post like this but having the ability to take a picture and directly post it to my blog is beyond delightful. 

So, here's to figuring technology out more and more every day and trying to act like I know what I'm doing sometimes. :) 

Tiny Dreamer

Okay, so maybe I'm still young according to the world's standards and the average lifespan of Americans, but I feel like I've reached a crucial milestone: the dilemma of where to take my career. I'm 24 years old and have a full time job in the field in which I studied in a beautiful and quaint little town. Sounds golden, right? Well, no matter how many times I hear people tell me how awesome my life seems on paper, I can't help but think in the back of my head, something's missing. I wish I could tell you what's next, but I don't always even know myself.

What I do know is that I need something in my life that is for me. Solely for me. I need something to be selfish about. Come on, we all need that something to be rightfully selfish about at times. It's called a hobby, not to be confused with obsession. Well, for me, I want to figure out a way to turn a hobby into work. I'm not the type of person who can do work just to do work and make money. I have to enjoy what I'm doing 100%. Am I a product of generation y? Yes. Does this mean I don't know how to work hard?  Hell no....it just means I'm a free styling, whimsical, free spirited dreamer that wants to enjoy life in every moment.  And I intend to figure out how to balance what I enjoy with a way to make a living.

What's next now? Setting up conversations with executive coaches, executives and just some good ole friends. I like to try and get as many varying thoughts as possible, not for anyone to tell me what I should do but maybe various ways to achieve something different. Brainstorming if you will.  I have ideas of what I'd like to end up doing at some point and potentially in the near future, but shhh...they're a secret. ;)

Life is a boggled mess of wonderfulness, just take the bull by the horns and see what happens. Set goals but not expectations. Let life surprise you and go with it. And when you get to a stump like me, just take some time to figure out what might work for you and start some conversations with people. You never know what someone might know that will be of benefit to you. Keep dreaming loves.