Revaluate

Imagine you only had a limited amount of time to do the things you love. What would you cut out, what would you enjoy? I am asking myself this question and finding that there are a lot of things in life that I THOUGHT were important, but in actuality they are frivolous! I vow to spend my free time doing productive, enjoyable things from this day forward. (chores not included :P)

Marriage Expectations

I have been in grooming school for 12 days now and it has been exhausting. I had yesterday off, and I thoroughly enjoyed it with my husband. You know what we did? Absolutely nothing! Well, not nothing because we went to a few of our favorite stores, but we vegged a good portion of the day.

Today, when I had to go back to work, I was sad. I wanted to spend every moment with my husband. This got me to thinking about my marriage. I have always known that I wanted to be a wife. It is just one of those things I have known I wanted since I was a little girl! I always expected marriage to be an amazing thing, two people going through life moving toward the same goal. To be happy no matter what the circumstances.

Life has tested those expectations. Juli and I have been through a lot compared to some, and nothing compared to others. We have only been married for six and a half years and compared to my grandparents who were married for 48, it is just getting warmed up. I like to think that we have grown as people, and a couple because of these experiences. I have learned so much from my husband. I have learned to be patient, to be content, to love life to the fullest. I am proud to be a wife and that sadly has become a lost art these days. I love what Julia Stiles' character in Mona Lisa Smile says about never regretting to be a wife, and that the stero types Julia Roberts was trying to break them of were the same standards she herself was putting on those who TRULY wanted to be a wife.

Did I expect marriage to be wonderful? Of course! Did I expect marriage to be a walk in the park? Of course not! But the one thing I NEVER expected was that one person could impact your life and change it for the good so incredibly, that even if your life was perfect before, it pales in comparison to your life with this person. Those type of expectations are the kind I can look forward to as the years grow sweeter and sweeter!

Do you love your soul?

soul (plural souls)

1. The spirit or essence of a person usually thought to consist of one's thoughts and personality. Often believed to live on after the person’s death.
2. The spirit or essence of anything.
3. Life, energy, vigor.

Your soul defines who you are, whether openly or subconsciously. Those who love who they are, what they do, what they do not do, have such a happy presence about them that you can SEE their soul through their eyes. Do people see who you are when they look at you? Is there any question on what you are passionate about? If not. WHAT are you waiting for? Life is but a vapor. Gone in an instant. My challenge for you is this: Find who you are and embrace it, perfect it, define it!

♪These are a few of my favorite things♪

Snow covered pine trees
Reading a book with a cryptic title and finally figuring it out
Lists
The smell of my husband
Couples who still enjoy each other after years together
Plums
Crawling into a warm toasty bed with a chill in the air
Songs that move me to tears
Puppies
The perfect pair of shoes
Soft socks (who am I kidding....socks of any kind!)
Powerful quotes
Cards
Everything that is Christmas
Tears of joy
Woodsy scented candles
Making a difference
Ice water
Friends who are more like family
Penguins ^-^
Red hair
My husband's laugh
Baby smiles
Roaring fireplaces
Pools

"I know that you are not perfect and nor can I claim to be either, but please believe me, when I say that I want to be by your side, to hold your hand, to treasure you in the morning and in the noon-tide, to be next to you, to be held close to your heart now and for the rest of my living years, to comfort you, dry your tears and calm your most frightening fears, to fight your battles and show no shame to scream my love for you out loud all over the land."
Source Unknown

With a kiss and a smile

Kiss someone you love today and smile! You never know when it will be your last!

Julio and I put together a realistic Bucket List a few days ago. I thought I would share our lists and share the experiences with blogworld!

Mandy
1. Feed penguins in South Africa
2. Go to a fancy restaurant and dance with Juli
3. Shop in New York without worrying about budget :)
4. Try out for The Amazing Race
5. Fit into my wedding dress
6. Travel to Ireland
7. Build a library complete with library ladder!
8. Read all the books IN my library
9. Go to all the museums in Egypt
10. Make my own candle line


Julio
1. Go to Hawaii for 2 weeks
2. Be a successful author
3. Look better than Taylor Lautner
4. Meet Sylvester Stallone
5. Only worry about spending the rest of my life with Mandy
6. Have a place of our own in the city
7. Learn how to paint
8. Travel to Japan
9. Become an amazing cook
10. Meet Josh Groban


If you notice...traveling and meeting people are a running theme in our lists! Although I melted when I read Juli's number 5 :)

I think if I start saving tip money now....I might be able to cross off one or two before I die! LOL!!!!