Simple Abundance Friday, Jul 10 2009

This is what it's all about.

I love when situations or people surprise me– in good ways.  I’m not fond of times when people surprise me in bad ways or when people do things that I am shocked about or disappointed in… but I love when I am caught of guard by a good deed or a nice gesture.  For example, a friend of mine did me a favor right before I left my old job and went on to work at a new company– she wrote something for me that was better than I ever could have written and I could tell she put so much thought and time into making it unique and personal.  This meant a lot to me.  I’m not sure that she realizes how grateful I was/am for that, but I have thought about it quite a few times since.

I think that it’s so easy to get caught up in the monotony of everyday life that you sometimes need a surprise to wake up you again and remind you that life isn’t always predictable.  The beauty of life is that you never know where it will lead you.  Sometimes people that you thought you’d never see again end up playing starring roles in your life years later.  I hate to say it, but sometimes people that I have doubted at one time or another go on to surprise me and make me realize that I shouldn’t have doubted them.  This reminds me never to doubt people unless they give you a reason to do so…and to never sell yourself short.

The other day I got home to find a package waiting for me from my dad in Alabama.  Since he didn’t tell me he was going to be sending me something, I was excited to see what was in the box! 

Well, I opened it and saw that it was a hard-cover journal he found that I had given my grandma (Grammy) in 1998 for Christmas.  It was a gratitude journal with pages that were meant to be filled in by the recipient.  She certainly did a good job of adding detailed entries with little highlighted sections and scraps of paper when she had no more room.  She wrote down a lot of little things in her life that were going on… the people that came by to visit her, the things she did, what the calendar dates signified (like anniversaries or days she lost loved ones), the temperature outside, and even highlighted over the days that I called her next to a little smiley face she drew in (which was almost every single day).

I was so glad to get this book.  It is now one of the most special things I own– one of the things I would grab if there were a fire.  I love that my dad knew it would mean a lot to me and sent it, I love that he held on to it, and I love that he didn’t tell me he found it before he sent it.  Getting it in the mail made my day (maybe even made my week).  I was tempted to sit down and read the whole thing, but am forcing myself to read it slowly and enjoy the fact that the little things were enough to keep her completely happy…100% content with her beautiful, simple life.

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Organized on the Inside… Thursday, Apr 23 2009

I like to consider myself “organized on the inside” but not necessarily organized on the outside.  What do I mean by this?  My desk at work and my room at home may not be the neatest and most organized (I think that living a life obsessed with color-coding, organizing, and labeling is hell on earth anyway), I make a point to remember important days that mean a lot to me and have a mini-celebration to honor people and moments passed. 

People that know me realize that I love to celebrate everything and anything I possibly can.  I also love traditions.

Examples:

• I like doing little things on Mark’s half-birthday for him.  Nothing crazy, but it’s always fun to celebrate milestones of all sorts.  I call it his “birtha-half day.”
• Heaven days: on days where close family or friends went to heaven, I do something to honor them.  On my Grammy’s heaven day, I wear her ring and I drink from her crystal glasses at dinner.  Sometimes I eat things that I know she loved to honor her.  On my friend Ryan’s heaven day, I will try to be as lazy as possible (I know he would encourage this) and focus on enjoying nature and animals.  On Nellie’s heaven day, I try to laugh as much as possible, enjoy my favorite shows on television, and try not to let anything bother me the whole day. 
• Engagement and dating anniversaries.  Mark and I don’t make a huge deal out of either of these two days because we now have a bigger (and better) anniversary to celebrate– our wedding anniversary.  We still make a point to acknowledge these two days though… and talk about fun moments we had in New York before, during, and after we got engaged.
• Mother’s Day.  I know almost everyone and their mother (hah!) celebrate this day, but I really like to get creative.  I think doing something interesting and unique every year is always appreciated more than I realize.

This is us in the middle of the night...

• Valentine’s Day Elves.  This is something that Mark and I started 2 years ago.  I’m sad that my dad no longer lives near me (he moved to another state about 3 years ago) because he hasn’t been able to experience the magic of the Valentine’s elves.  On the night before Valentine’s Day, we make gift baskets for our moms (and my step-dad Charlie) and we sneak into their houses after they are asleep to deliver them.  This way, when they wake up in the morning, they have a beautiful (and often delicious) assortment of goodies to start their day off with.
• m&m Christmas: every Christmas morning I must incorporate milk chocolate m&m’s into my breakfast.  This means m&m pancakes, m&m brownies (yes, brownies for breakfast; anything goes on Christmas), or just handfuls of those little gems.
• “Vacation-mode”: When I’m on vacation I allow myself to do whatever I want and simply blame it on vacation-mode.  Sleep in until 1:00pm?  Eat crap all day long?  Drink a bit too much?  It’s okay, anything is allowed when you’re on vacation.

I think it’s fun to come up with new traditions, develop new ways to celebrate, remember people you love, and always remember the times in your life that define who you are today. 

So, what was I doing 2 years ago today??

Getting engaged here!! Gramercy Park, NYC

…Because forgetting about days and people that made your life what it is means forgetting about what you are here to do…

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Remember the Good! Saturday, Apr 4 2009

I’m not sure how everyone else feels, but I am so sick of hearing about the economy and how bad things are (and how freaked out the world is).  I feel like even the most optimistic people could become depressed after weeks and weeks of hearing about job loss, foreclosures, and loss of faith in America.

Yes I do!!

I was doing some thinking this morning about the people that I have known who I would consider the “happiest souls” I’ve ever met.  I know I blog about her often, but my grandma (Grammy) was ridiculously awesome when it came to seeing the bright side.  She was content with everything she had– even though it wasn’t much.  She thought relationships and experiences were far more important than money and possessions.  Although she lived on very little, she never felt deprived and wasn’t ashamed of admitting that she didn’t have much.

Even though Grammy can’t be here to witness the economic debacle of today and tomorrow, I always think about how she would react to what’s going on.  I think she would laugh at the chaos of it all, make jokes about being glad that she doesn’t have much money to lose, and focus on what she does have in life that she is thankful for. 

Some of Grammy’s famous lines:

• “I’m so thankful for…” (insert one of her classics: my microwave, my VCR, learning how to use email, to be together for the holiday’s, my Bose radio your dad got me, or Klondike bars– to name a few).
• “Yard by yard, life is hard.  Inch by inch, it’s a cinch.”
• “I’m not going to worry about anything I can’t control.”
• “Life is too short to collect stuff.  I collect love!”

Here’s an old email I found from her a couple of weeks ago that made me happy:

From: Gladys Groome
> > > Date: Friday, February 13, 2004 8:18 pm
> > > Subject: Re: Hi Grammy!!
> > >
> > > > Hi Krissy. So glad to know that you think about me. I really think
> > > > of you every day and miss you so much.  Love, Grammy

I think that it’s important to hear about the things that are going on in America and to understand the real impact of our economic situation.  I also think that while it’s important to listen when you can, it’s also important to just turn off the TV and stop reading about it all every now and then.  Sometimes you just need a break in order to stay sane.

In moments where I feel that I may lose my sanity, I remember the people who are important to me, and try to see this whole mess as an opportunity to spend more time learning how to prepare financially for things in a reponsible way.  Hopefully the preparations will never be needed, but if they are, I’ll be ready.  In the mean time, I’ll be closer to what really matters in life– people and experiences.  Houses, lost retirement income, and savings accounts don’t matter if you die tomorrow of a heart attack from being so stressed about the “what-if’s.”  When all is said and done, what matters is the type of person you have made yourself into.

…Because money is just paper!…

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Breakfast Desserts and a Great Trip! Wednesday, Feb 18 2009

I sampled fudge like this and it was amazing!!

I got back from my weekend trip  (a.k.a. “mini-vacation”) to my favorite small town in the world last night and was sad to leave the fun but glad to be home once I got here.

Nashville, Indiana has quite a few adorable restaurants with great food– but the selections certainly aren’t the healthiest of choices.  The  Bed and Breakfast Mark and I stayed at in Nashville was adorable, and we were greeted with a huge candlelight breakfast every morning at 9:00 am (early for us, but worth getting up for… for sure). 

Here is what was on the menu each morning for us at the Olde Magnolia House:

Morning #1: Scrambled eggs with chives and cheese, strawberries and cream parfaits, apricot scones, sausage links, and Cindy’s (the in-keeper) specialty “breakfast dessert” for the day (yes, every morning she made us a dessert for breakfast)– oatmeal raisin pancakes with hot caramel sauce.  The pancakes were amazing and I asked her for the recipe.  I’ll post it with other trip pictures soon!

Morning #2: Egg omelet with mushrooms (they were on the side and I opted out), a bowl of fresh bananas, cantaloupe, and blueberries, “snuffins” (a cross between a scone and a muffin), fresh granola for the fruit, and a breakfast dessert of cherry strudel cake.

Morning #3: Scrambled eggs with cream cheese mixed in (I told you it wasn’t the healthiest morning meal), a bowl of bananas, blueberries, and pineapple, homemade banana nut bread, sausage patties, and a special breakfast dessert for our last day: cream brulee.

These breakfasts were so good but I tried to be careful with my portions since I knew we would likely be eating lunch and dinner at nearby restaurants and I didn’t want to overdo things too much.  Plus, what’s a trip to Nashville, IN without a trip to the Candy Emporium for handmade caramels, a stop at the Caramel Corn Cottage for kettle corn, and a sample (or two) of amazing fudge from Schwab’s Fudge and Sweet Shop?? 

So yes– not the healthiest of trip but I enjoyed it VERY much.  To counteract all of the crap I ate, I watched my portions and had salads for lunch whenever possible.  I also ate small dinners and we got a ton of walking in each day.

I love big cities, small towns, and traveling abroad– but no bed is as comfortable as my own.  It was good to get home and start getting back into my regular (and much healthier) routine.  My bowl of pumpkin oats (thanks to Jenn from Eating Bender for the fabulous recipe) tasted just as delicious as I remembered…

…Because you can’t have the best time unless you’re with the best person…

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In Honor of Valentine’s Day… Saturday, Feb 14 2009

“Love is love. All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. Everything is, everything exists, only because I love.”

~ Leo Tolstoy

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People Motivate Me Tuesday, Feb 3 2009

A big part of enjoying life, for me, is learning from other people.  Whether it’s learning from their mistakes, their advice, or their experiences, nothing motivates me more than people who refuse to give up. 

Everyone loves this part of the movie...

On that note, I have always been a fan of Patrick Swayze.  I know there are tons of people out there who say they are fans of him and obsess over his every movie and memorize every little fact about him– his favorite food, favorite band, and favorite color.  I’m not that kind of a fan.  I have respect for him as an actor and as a person.  I’m not sure of exactly how many movies he has been in or where he was born, but I do smile when I see him and appreciate his work.  I am a fan of the type of person he is. 

Because I have always loved him, I was sure to record his Barbara Walters interview (it aired last month).  I have been extra worried about him since I heard he was battling pancreatic cancer. 

It was really sad to watch Patrick and his wife Lisa talk about the horrible things the cancer has put them through as well as the things the process has taught them about life– as individuals and as a wonderful couple.

The willingness he had to talk openly, to share his feelings of nervousness and uncertainty about the future, as well as his plans to fight the disease amazes me.  When he found out about his diagnosis and learned that many people with the same type of cancer he has die within 6 months, his response was, “Watch me!  You watch what I pull off.”  I don’t know that I could ever have the ability to respond to something so jarring the way he responded.  I would probably be tempted to go home, cry, and start giving up.  His story taught me about the importance of hope, strength, and selflessness.

I like this picture because he looks so healthy!

Other things he said throughout the interview that really stuck with me:

• “I keep dreaming of a future, a future with a long and healthy life…not lived in the shadow of cancer, but in the light.”
• “I have no greater respect for any other human being on this earth like I have for her [his wife of many years]. Part of me says I couldn’t have made it through without her, but, of course, the other part of me says I could have, but not nearly as elegantly as I have.”
• “I don’t know what’s on the other side,” he said. “It tests everything I believe in … that here is something unique in all of us that does not, does not die.”
• “What winning is to me is not giving up, is no matter what’s thrown at me, I can take it,” Swayze said. “And I can keep going.”

After the interview was over, I was surprised at how great of a human being I learned he was; not just a great actor.  His positive outlook was truly inspiring.

While I hope I never have to go through anything as frightening as what Patrick Swayze is going through, I hope that I will remember his strength and his passion when I am in need of a little inspiration.  Plus, a headache and an upcoming trip to the dentist seem like ridiculous things to complain about when you see how bad it could be.

…Because the glass is ALWAYS half full…

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A Little Bit of Loyalty Goes a Long Way! Friday, Dec 12 2008

Throughout the years I have learned, more and more, the importance of loyalty. 

Being loyal to friends and family is something that will always be treasured and become a true representation of a persons character over the years.  This doesn’t always mean being the best at keeping up with daily emails or having constant visits with friends and family; things come up and life gets in the way.  It means that showing people what they mean to you, defending them when necessary, and proving to them that you will ALWAYS be there is the key.  Knowing that you have a network of “true” friends as well as family that will never give up on you is something that everyone would wish for. 

You should try every day to be the person you dream of being.  After a while it will become habit and you will realize that you ARE that person.  Family should always come first and you should try to make family a priority– no matter how annoying and unpredictable your crazy aunt can be.

Be as loyal as this guy!!

…Because having a few good friends is better than having a thousand bad ones…

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An Article I Love… Friday, Nov 14 2008

 I was reading Oprah’s November 2008 edition of O Magazine and saw an article that I thought was wonderful.  Every month she ends her magazine with a “What I Know For Sure” section and I always make sure I read it carefully because she typically has very insightful advice and comments that are worth listening to. 

The November issue is a compilation of her all-time top 20 answers to the question, “what do you know for sure?”  Usually my posts aren’t this long but I don’t want to leave any out since they are all so great…

Oprah’s Top 20 Answers: “What Do You Know For Sure?”

 

1. What you put out comes back all the time, no matter what.

2. You define your own life.  Don’t let other people write your script.

3. Whatever someone did to you in the past has no power over the present.  Only you give it power.

4. When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.

5. Worrying is wasted time.  Use the same energy for doing something about whatever worries you.

6. What you believe has more power than what you dream or wish or hope for.  You become what you believe.

7. If the only prayer you ever say is thank you, that will be enough.

8. The happiness you feel is in direct proportion to the love you give.

9. Failure is a signpost to turn you in another direction.

10. If you make a choice that goes against what everyone else thinks, the world will not fall apart.

11. Trust your instincts.  Intuition doesn’t lie.

12. Love yourself and then learn to extend that love to others in every encounter.

13. Let passion drive your profession.

14. Find a way to get paid for doing what you love.  Then every paycheck will be a bonus.

15. Love doesn’t hurt.  It feels really good.

16. Every day brings a chance to start over.

17. Being a mother is the hardest job on earth.  Women everywhere must declare it so.

18. Doubt means don’t.  Don’t move.  Don’t answer.  Don’t rush forward.

19. When you don’t know what to do, get still.  The answer will come.

20. “Trouble don’t last always” — sort of like one of my old favorites: ”this, too, shall pass”

…Because successful people give good advice…

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Happy Would-Be Birthday Ryan! Thursday, Oct 16 2008

Today is a good day overall– it’s beautiful outside and I have a lot to be thankful for.  On the other hand, it is a difficult day for me. 

Today would mark the 26th birthday of my friend Ryan Hoffa, who passed away in an unexpected accident on a Sunday morning in August.  He was too young and it shocked everyone; I still find myself forgetting that he’s gone.  While I think of Ryan every single day, I am trying my best to learn something from all of the sadness.  Everyone has heard the “life is short” lecture a million times; and while it is true, I think there’s a lot more beneath the surface.

The main thing I have learned from Ryan’s life ending so abruptly is that I shouldn’t be afraid of death.  I have always secretly been a little bit scared and have pushed the idea that I could suddenly die at any moment to the back of my mind.  I didn’t like to think about it.  I have always thought, I’m young… I’ll think about all of that later.  I can’t do that anymore.  I need to live a life that I am proud of, and know that at any point in time I am happy with the choices I have made and the way I have treated others.  This is the way I should be living anyway– but now I realize this more than I ever have. 

Ryan helped make me a better person.  He helped me realized that I should thank people for the things they do for me, let people know I appreciate them, and tell people how much they mean to me and how they make my life special.  I have found myself transform into a more sentimental person than I thought I was before because I appreciate the events and situations that make me happy a lot more.  This is really what life is about.

It’s easier for me to step outside, take a deep breath, smile, and realize how lucky I am– to be alive and to be living a life that makes me fulfilled.  Thanks Ryan.  I miss you!

This is a silly picture my friend Andrew took at my wedding that ended up being one of my favorites. If you look in the background to the right, you can see Ryan studying his lines before he presented a reading at our wedding. He did a wonderful job and I am proud that he was a big part of the day.

…Because you can learn a lot from friends even if they are no longer here to teach you…

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Anniversary #1 Tuesday, Sep 16 2008

One of my favorite pictures

This is a really special day because I married my best friend exactly one year ago today. 

The wedding was exactly what we pictured and the day was perfect.  We can’t believe it’s already been a whole year and look forward to every single day– forever.  We have a lot to look forward to and a lot to be thankful for.  

I think it’s safe to say that we have both learned a lot and have shared a lot of wonderful moments.  It’s always important to look back on past memories while looking forward at the same time.  This way, you live and learn.  Happy Anniversary Mark!!  Love you!

…Because sometimes you just know.

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