Remaining Faithful...Hopeful...& Positive

There seems to be so much happening in the world around us.  Some of it is affecting us directly and indirectly.  Needless to say, we are being affected.  These last few months seems like I have been surrounded by death.  Just about everything that I see on the news is NEGATIVE!  And let's not begin with social media.  All of these events make it extremely easy to lose faith, hope, and anything positive.  Sometimes it's hard to focus on the positive things in life when so much negative surrounds you.  I'm learning to surround myself with positive people and thoughts daily.  Life is much easier this way.

Death... My attitude about death changed a while ago.  It's the inexplicable and inevitable.  We know the time nor the hour.  All I can do is make each day count.  This life here on earth isn't guaranteed.  This is easier said than done, depending on the circumstances.  Remain faithful, hopeful and positive.  Cherish your loved ones.  Make memories as no one can take these away from you. Say I love you! But don't just say it...Show them that you mean it!  It has been 27 days since our (my family) world was turned upside down.  I can get through some of my worst days because I have memories of Corey.  Good, great, awesome memories. These things matter.  Send text messages, make phone calls and just cherish each other.

Negativity... I don't know when it became cool to be so negative.  The media, television and social media are draining the life out of people.  That is IF you LET them.  Don't get sucked into the drain of negativity.  Be that sprinkle of faith, hope and positive energy someone needs for the day.  We don't have to ALWAYS be attracted to the negative and the drama.  Spread hope and positive messages.  I like the fact that there's a challenge on FB to post three positive things for seven days on your FB page but also tag three different people daily.  I have found it to be refreshing and a good time for me to reflect on the positive that has occurred during the day.

There's so much to stress about, worry about, fret over, and all that other stuff BUT you can choose to focus on the positive things in life.  A lot of people will say it's hard to do when you have so much going in your life.  Your life could always be worse.  Nothing will change about your situation until you change your way of thinking.  No one has a perfect life.  And if they lead you to believe they do they are LYING! Things will happen...You may lose your job, house, car, loved one, etc but you have to make a decision to remain faithful, hopeful and positive.  Overcome the obstacle(s), learn from your experience, and share it with someone else who needs a little hope and positive energy!

Thankful Thursday! I'm thankful for it all.  I am stronger! I am smarter! I am wiser! I am more faithful! I am more hopeful! I am positive! I know for certain all my NEEDS are being met! #ThankfulThursday

Grown Up Purchases...House Buying & Ish!

First off, I have totally missed blogging.  Life started happening so quickly and then I was consumed.  Oh wait that sounds like an excuse but it's really what happened.  Here's a quick update on what I've been doing... Running and working out of course.  Running has been my saving grace.  I traveled to Canada to run my first international half marathon <-- blog coming soon.  I celebrated my birthday and had a blast... Then I bought a house! *SIGHS*

I guess I really grew up quickly.  Nothing has made me feel more grown up than signing my name on 90+ pages of documents.  So, it really wasn't my intention to purchase a house so soon and quickly.  I've been waiting for a good time to purchase but I never really thought it was a good time.  So, it went like this... On the phone with a friend and we're talking about an associate of hers that's a loan officer.  I give her a call and she tells me I'm pre-approved. What the what??? Really??? Then my process began.  I wasn't being picky or anything like that I was still amazed that I was even considering.  My first realtor sucked...Like she was horrible! So, she got left behind.  My new realtor was awesome.  She lined up more than enough showings and quickly.  I had already made up my mind that I didn't want to be house poor so I had a set amount I was willing to pay regardless to the pre-approval amount.  I was on a tight deadline... My lease was up on my apartment on June 30th.  So, I had about five weeks to make something happen.  Then I traveled to Canada and everything happened...

Needless to say, I closed and moved in one day! I LOVE my house... It's a little too much space but I'm loving making it MINE!  These little DIY projects are not really my friend but I'm learning to cope.  I spend a lot of time in Lowe's and other places.  So, expect pictures to come sooner rather than later... Before and after pics!  In the meantime, here are a few things I learned.

~Be realistic about your money will buy you
~Know your must haves and what you can compromise one
~There will always be unexpected things
~The small things add up
~Research your neighborhood or area
~Plan for everything and anything to happen during the process
~Enjoy your new house...Make it yours!