Blessed, not Stressed!

I am {THANKFUL} for: My Family

I am {THANKFUL} for: My Husband

I am {THANKFUL} for: Kickball

I am {THANKFUL} for: SISSYS

I am {THANKFUL} for: My Health

I am {THANKFUL} for:

MY BEAUTIFUL AND FABULOUS BLOG FRIENDS!

Happy Thanksgiving, sweet friends!

With a Joyful Soul and Thankful Heart

Dearest, fabulous friends of mine, THANK YOU SO MUCH for your comments yesterday. I wasn't sure I was going to post it, because it read a bit raw and sad, but I did because I wanted to be real. Leaning on y'all was the right decision, as I still felt weak yesterday. Your words helped me more than you know.

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Thank you for your uplifting words, your kindness, your thoughts and your prayers. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!!!! Y'all are amazing and I'm so thankful for this space and all of you!

I thought I'd also do one of those thankful posts, that I've seen in blog land. But, I wanted to give my own twist to it today. Instead of writing about the normal things I'm thankful for, I decided I needed to give a shout out to those that work hard for us, but are quite often overlooked and under appreciated.

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A quick THANK YOU TO:

Janitors: Thank you for keeping my office clean. Thank you for keeping our schools clean, for rugrats that make messes and don't appreciate you. Thank you for keeping the airports, bus stations, metro stations and gas stations clean, it's nice not being skeeved out when traveling.

Postal Workers: Thank you for bringing me my mail through rain, snow, sleet and El Nino.  I am so sad USPS is continuing to flounder, because I like all you postal workers. Thank you for getting my mail to my friends on time, I love making them smile. Thank you for the stamps, especially the fun ones. Thank you for trudging along, every day on the same route and making our days.

Fedex/UPS Delivery Peeps: Thank you for bringing me my amazing packages. Y'all aren't perfect, but the fact you deal with crazy package people all the time is incredible. I'd love to hug you when I get a package, but I don't want to be reported as a crazy.

Nurses and Pre/post Op administrators: The doctors get all the $$ and all the glory, but y'all are rockstars. Thank you for your kind bedside manner. Thank you for listening to a bazillion questions and making you patients feel better. Thank you for kindly telling patients they need to take it easy. Thank you for the prep, the gentle shots, the work we never see and for caring enough about people, on a daily basis. BIG shout out to those that clean the bedpans!

Toll Booth Workers: Even though you take my money, thank you for being there. On that off chance my pass doesn't work, or I don't have exact change, it's nice to know I can interact with you to avoid a ticket. Thank you working at garages, especially when it's cold and thank you for keeping my car safe. I hope my smile shows some of the appreciate I feel, whenever we interact.

Teachers: I know I normally say thank you, but I wanted to give y'all a shout out too. Thank you for teaching our next generation. Thank you for getting to school early and leaving late. Those that spend extra time, I extra appreciate you. Thank you for understanding your job is not just 8-4pm. Even if parents and kids under appreciate you, y'all keep coming back, ready to rock the class. Thank you for being amazing, I think you are rockstars! #samethingforschoolpsychs

Our Military, Police and Firemen: Thank you is too small of phrase, but I had to include y'all. Thank you for keeping us safe. Thank you for being brave. Thank you for choosing to serve!

Who do you want to give a THANK YOU shout out to, today?

***Big travel mercies to all of those traveling for the holiday. Stay safe!!!***

Sometimes you have to {Surrender}

We think we can do it all. We think we have this thing called life down to an art. Then life rears it's head and hits us where it hurts. It brings sickness, lost jobs, surprise surgeries, broken friendships, breakups, divorce, miscarriages, troubles conceiving, missed opportunities and so many other tough breaks. Life can be hard and sometimes it's hard to manage and keep the smile on our faces, despite how desperately we try to keep it all together.

When I get stressed, I turn {i n w a r d} and try to keep it to myself. I hate admitting I'm not strong. I hate admitting I can't do it myself and I've started to hate crying in front of anyone. I do whatever I can to hide the tears and the sobs, because I don't like showing my weakness. I'm fine crying at a sad story on TV or a sports moment, but acknowledging that life makes me cry is NOT something I want others to see.

Friday was one of those days I barely kept it together. Which is why I left the gym after one set. I felt so beaten down, that I KNEW I couldn't handle another 'defeat' without losing it. Le Husband stayed behind, because I told him to, and I went  home, surrendered to the stress and sobbed in dark, without fear of being found out.

In the quiet of my dark apartment, I found some peace in acknowledging what was troubling me and then I began trying to push through the sadness, to get right again. We all have different ways we handle stress and fear, I personally turn to the Lord and the word. I find that when I can't figure it out on my own, He can help me find my way.

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After some quiet meditation, a text to my BOFF, and some tears in the shower, I felt better and was ready for the rest of the evening. Le Husband did what he could by taking me out on a date and then we met some friends at a bar, which gave me some happy distraction. Suddenly, life was good again and I was back to my normal self.

Sunday I was able to witness a sermon perfectly suited for Friday's problems. The pastor preached on anxiety and the different ways we combat our fears. The scripture felt like it was picked JUST for me and I found comfort in knowing I am not alone in my fears and my anxiety.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. "

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My attitude is better now, but there will be bad days, fears and anxieties about what life brings.  This is a week where most are celebrating family, friends and love, but there are those that dread the holidays. If anyone of you fall into that category, know that I'm thinking of you and praying for you during this season. < 3

Life is far from perfect and I never try to portray perfection here. I hate wallowing in despair or complaining about things I can change, or the ridiculous dramas of life, because that's just silly. However, I choose to acknowledge my bad days, my imperfections and my fears. The bad makes the good that much more sweet, right?

Today, I will face my fears head on and surrender my anxiety. 

Chillin & Illin like a Straight Villain

Here we are, the Monday before Thanksgiving. Holy moly, how is that possible?

Even though I'm in shock we are almost at Advent, I'm also super stoked the holiday season is here. We all know that means hustle & bustle and luckily this weekend I was just able to chill out before everything starts happening super fast. Probably my last slow weekend, until the new year.

This weekend I ::

:: failed at my workout on Friday evening.

:: left the gym to wallow in my failure.

:: had a dinner date night with Le Husband then met friends at a bar. #thingsthatmakemehappy

:: slept in on a Saturday, for the first time in two months.

:: found my new holiday coffee.

:: ran 324038 errands on Saturday afternoon.

:: bought new bowls. #thankyouworldmarketgiftcard

:: caught up on three shows.

:: watched babyspice play guitar at her church service.

:: brought up the Christmas boxes, to begin decorating this week.

:: learned how kangaroos fight. #hilarious

:: fed the laundry monster, multiple times.

:: bought things on sale from VS, woopwoop.

:: finished two books.

:: cleaned up our lil apartment.

:: housed z burger for dinner. #whatprethanksgivingdiet?

How was your weekend?

Linking up with these beautiful ladies < 3

There's Five, Because It's Friday

Morning and happy Friday, y'all! Hopefully this week hasn't been too crazy. Mine's been a bit up and down and I'm just ready for a weekend with NO KICKBALL! That's right, I'll be doing a whole lot of relaxing in the next few days. Before I get to the relaxation, let's get into some favorites!

1] Favorite realization of the week: T.Swift's lyrics to Blank Spaces go "Got a long list of ex-lovers" not "Got a long list of Starbucks lovers". Thank goodness I found this Buzzfeed article, to keep me from feeling too big of a dummy. #pleasesayimnottheonlyone

2] Favorite Pin of the Week: So true, so very true. #youarebeautiful

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3] Favorite Funny of the Week: Isn't he the cutest KEN you've ever seen?!!? #cornybutfunny

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4] Favorite Video of the Week: Yes, I know I posted a picture of the movie yesterday, but the trailer is so much better than the picture. SO EXCITED! #pitchplease

5] Favorite mail of the week: I mentioned on Monday my awesome Sephora goodies and had quite a few people ask for a review of the prodcuts. I've only used the perfumes [both are awesome], the Clinique lip gloss [not too dark, woohoo] and the hydrating mask [love it], but I will let y'all know about the rest once I use them. I thought it would be fun to make a video for y'all, highlighting everything, hope you enjoy! And by enjoy, I hope you love the Dean Martin Pandora station in the background!

Have a fabulous Friday, my wonderful, beautiful friends! < 3

**linking up here, here , here, here, and here this week**

Winnie The Poohing

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… This article and this article really made me think when I read them this week. I suggest you read both and then let me know your thoughts ;)!

… I've realized that my dependence on coffee is very much due to not getting enough sleep. I've been able to go to sleep early this week [since Le Husband has been out of town] and I haven't needed my morning cup of joe as much. I still drink a cup at work, but I've been drinking hot water and lemon when I get up in the morning. #moresleepilovemoresleep

… Despite the lack of sleep, I'm so happy Le Husband is home. He was gone all week for a work conference and I was so stinking excited to pick him up at the airport last night. #myhusbandsback

… I'm 12 kinds of excited for this sequel! #theyrebackpitches #acaamazingandacaawesome

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… I need y'alls help. Our Christmas card this year consists of multiple pictures for all of our travels and I can't quite figure out the wording.  I want to write something along the lines of 'Pictures included from our travels to Canada, Alaska, blah blah' but don't know the best [and grammatical] way to put it. Any suggestions?

… Has anyone watch the new TBS show "Deal With It"? Oh em gosh, I can barely get through the commercials because I'm so bad with awkward public situations. I would die of embarrassment if one of my friends pulled one of those pranks on me.

… Ballet is hard! I was the only one in class this week, so I received undivided attention from my amazing teacher. Holy plies, there is a lot I was doing that needed correction, mostly to do with my posture. BUT, I also received praise for some of my floor work, so I'll take it. I'm going to be sad when class is over, I've enjoyed it so much.

… I just realized that two weeks from TODAY, I'll be packing to fly to my BOFF's wedding. Oh em goodness, 17 days and counting. #myboffsgettingmarriedwoohoo!

Linking up with *Annie*!!!

Things I Don't Understand

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././Why I didn't grow up a princess? I mean, really, my head was made for a tiara ;)!

././ Why my best hair days are on throw away days. I'd appreciate a good hair when it matters, thank you very much. Not when I'm just running to the store.

././ Meddlesome people at work. You have your job, I have mine, why are you sticking your nose in my stuff? Back up, do your job and leave me alone.

././ On the flip side, I don't understand when people DON'T own their job. I'm busting my tail to do mine, so it would be helpful if you did yours, so we both aren't swinging in the wind.

././ Ticket prices. Why is it so expensive to fly places and so inexpensive to fly others? I get the whole 'hub' point, but honestly, everywhere I want to fly is soooo expensive.

././ Why is Kim West still relevant? People complain about her, but, we still pay attention to her. We should just let her do her antics and ignore her. How awesome would the world be without her?

././ The same goes for Miley Cyrus, blech!

././ People that rail against you in a public forum, then proceed to copy your every 'public' move. If I'm that horrible, why are you copying me again? #findyourownfriendsandblogstoread.

././ How I able to recite the lyrics to a song I heard at my sixth grade dance, but I have trouble remembering the name of someone I just met? I'm trying to get better. I've started repeating their name during the conversation, but I still forget more than I remember.

././ Where are the personalized jet packs everyone expected in the 2000s? I watched Back to the Future, I want one of those skateboards, too.

What are some things YOU don't understand?!!?

Thanksgiving Joy & And a Few of my Favorite Things

Morning, ladies. How are you doing today? It's been quite blustery and rainy in my neck of the woods, so you  might find me hibernating at my desk the next few weeks. While I might hate the cold, the changing of the season does remind me of all the wonderful things to come with the approaching holidays.

I'm linking up with some lovely ladies, for their Thanksgiving linkup.

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I know most people want to rush through Thanksgiving, to get to Christmas, but I've always enjoyed my late November holiday. The family, the food and the fun just makes me smile and all giddy inside. We all KNOW we should be thankful every day of the year, but November brings out the thankfulness in everyone and I love watching that joy and happiness. Okay, enough sappiness, on to the good stuff ;)! Here are some of my favorite things about Thanksgiving.

1] The beautiful tablescapes that everyone posts online. I can't wait to have my own home and to be able to host my first Thanksgiving. I already have an idea on what I want to do, but we have at least a year before it sees the light of day.

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2] The cute and fun decor. I'm not a huge fan of Halloween decor, but I love the coziness the fall colors and props bring to a home in November. Pumpkins and pinecones, with hints of rustic tones are easy ways to dress up a home for Thanksgiving.

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3] The food. LE DUH! I love me some Thanksgiving grub feasting. The turkey, the dressing, the green bean casserole, the cranberry sauce, the mashed potatoes, the yams, and of course, the ROLLS! It's always so hard not to snack the morning of Thanksgiving, but I usually am able to be almost starving by dinner time. After dinner it's time to watch the Cowboys game, nap and indulge in the piece de resistance, the chocolate mousse pie. Yum, yum, yum, is it dinner time yet?

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What are your favorite things about Thanksgiving?

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Today, I'm also linking up with some other amazing ladies for a fun Christmas linkup. We're supposed to share our 2014 Wish List and I have to admit it took me awhile to think of some things I want/need. I'm not trying to sound pious, I just don't really have any THINGS that I really want, that aren't ridiculously out there price wise. But, I put on my thinking cap and below is my Wish List for this Christmas season.

wishlist by pinkpersistence

1] Urban Decay glitter eyeshadow // 2] Brown vest  // 3] Monogram necklace  / / 4] Burberry fur hat 
// 5] Chanel perfume // 6] Louis Vuitton purse //

1] Y'all already saw I received the Naked 3, but I still wanted to put it on my list.

2] After seeing some amazing outfits with a brown faux fur vest, I decided it's the next statement piece I want for my closet. Any recommendations? Cheap or expensive?

3] I've wanted an initials necklace with my new initials for a year, but haven't bought one yet. Maybe Santa will bring it to me?! Or Le Husband?

4] A white hat is a must in the winter. Too bad I just decided that now.

5] I want to update my perfume collection and I've heard great things about Mademoiselle.

6] Sigh, Le Never Full, sigh. I want, I want, I need, I need.

What are the must haves on your wish list this year?

The Weekend My Body Let Me Down and I Turned Into A Popscicle

Good morning and happy Monday to you. My weekend was a whirlwind, but I was also finally able to catch up on sleep, which was amazing. Now I'm refreshed and ready to ROCK out the week. #getafterit!

This weekend I ::

:: Painted my nails for the first time in forever.

:: Woke up early on Saturday morning for Turkey trot at my dad's work.

:: Wore six layers, because it was freeeeezing.

:: Played kickball on the National mall from 1 - 5pm

:: Froze my hiney off when the sun went down.

:: Warmed up with homemade chili and hot cocoa.

:: Slept for 12 hours Saturday night. #exhasted

:: Lazed around Sunday morning.

:: Began working on our Christmas cards. #lovethemsoexcited!

:: Teared up watching our wedding video. We hired a good friend of ours, who basically worked for free, so we waited a bit longer than normal for our wedding videos. But, it was sooo worth the wait, we have six different segments, the whole wedding, all of the dances and extras. I'm hoping to figure out how I can share it with y'all because it is amazing!

:: Rejoiced when every other team in the NFC EAST lost this weekend. I know the Cowboys had a bye, but that means they didn't lose. WOOOHOO! #sevenandthree

:: Enjoyed all of my new Sephora products from their killer sale. #yaymakeup

:: Played in my indoor soccer game, despite being sore. #hoorayforsubs.

:: Squealed when Home Alone came on TBS Sunday night. YES, I know it's before Thanksgiving, but I give this movie a pass because it's one of my all time favorites. I like to keep the holidays separate, however I can't turn the channel when Kevin's cute face appears. #thisisitdontgetscared

:: Caught up on reading then went to bed early.

How was your weekend?

Linking up with these beautiful ladies < 3

Fabulous Faves of the Kickball Vacay {San Antonio, TX}

As you all know, this past weekend I flew to San Antonio with Le Husband and the two sissys for the Kickball Championship Weekend. We had a wonderful weekend, despite the fact that we lost. Our coed team played really well, we just didn't have it to beat the team that ended up winning the whole team. I can't argue or complain with that, sometimes it just isn't your day. Unfortunately, our women's tournament was a complete disappointment and something I'm still frustrated about, but hey it's over, what can you do? Even though we didn't win, I had the tournament weekend of my life so I'm feel good about everything. 

Since I didn't recap my trip yet, I figured I'd share my five favorite things about my trip to San Antonio. 

1] Playing a sport I love, with the people I love the most. I love my team, but I love playing with my four favorite people the most. Knowing that my three biggest cheerleaders are also my teammates gives me a ton more confidence when I'm out on the field. They are the first to cheer me on, for a great play or the first to pick me up when I make the wrong move. And I'm there for them either way, too. 

2] We saw family. Our grandmother lives an hour outside of San Antonio, so she came in and hung with us over the weekend. It was wonderful to see her, to see the sights of San Antonio with her and have her on the field while we competed. She wasn't feeling well last week, so it was awesome she was about to come out and see us. 

3] The food. Oh my goodness the food. As I've mentioned before, Le Husband and I are food snobs so when we travel, we do it up right. Of course, that meant Mexican, Mexican, Mexican, with a side of amazing BBQ. We met our grandmother for lunch at the famous Mi Tierra and it was just as amazing as I remembered. As were their dessert, divine! We also stopped at this amazing BBQ joint, Augies, Saturday night and housed some brisket and ribs. Annnd I'm hungry again!

4] The Riverwalk and the Alamo. Obviously we took in the major sights of San Antonio and it was quite easy since our hotel was right off the Riverwalk. Y'all, that place is beautiful and so fun to walk. Or ride, if you take a riverboat tour. Which we of course did. We also toured the Alamo, twice because we wanted even more pictures than the first day. San Antonio is a great city for walking and we made sure we did a ton of it. I was so thankful we had wonderful weather, too. Felt awesome wearing shorts in November!

5] My team. It's been up and down the past two years, with OSC. Personally, I think 2012 was our year, as we won one of the World Championship tournaments and placed second in another. The team was super tight, very focused and played as a team. Things kind of fell apart in 2013, when egos got involved and a lot of focus was dropped and it's been a struggle since to get back on track. We've managed to finish in the final four or better every tournament this year, which is great, but we all want to win. Despite the drama, though, this team is my team and where it all kind of started. I'm thankful for the friendships formed, the memories made and the opportunity to still compete in a team sport. I'm also thankful that I chose to listen to that voice that said "Join that random team, it will be fun" back in 2010. 

1,2,3, O! 4,5,6, S! 7,8,9, C! Let's Go Get 'Em!

**linking up here, here , here, and here this week**

Have a fabulous Friday, wonderful friends of mine!