Disney World Christmas 2011

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15 Things to Give Up in Life to Become More Happy

I came across this article from a friend and thought it would be good to post so I can remember it. I find myself struggling with some of these things periodically in life and always try to catch myself in the process. I think by writing it down so I can see it, I will be much more accountable to it!

Here is a list of 15 things which, if you give up on them, will make your life a lot easier and much, much happier. We hold on to so many things that cause us a great deal of pain, stress and suffering – and instead of letting them all go, instead of allowing ourselves to be stress free and happy – we cling on to them. Not anymore. Starting today we will give up on all those things that no longer serve us, and we will embrace change. Ready? Here we go:

1. Give up your need to always be right.There are so many of us who can’t stand the idea of being wrong – wanting to always be right – even at the risk of ending great relationships or causing a great deal of stress and pain, for us and for others. It’s just not worth it. Whenever you feel the ‘urgent’ need to jump into a fight over who is right and who is wrong, ask yourself this question: “Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?” Wayne Dyer. What difference will that make? Is your ego really that big?

2. Give up your need for control. Be willing to give up your need to always control everything that happens to you and around you – situations, events, people, etc. Whether they are loved ones, coworkers, or just strangers you meet on the street – just allow them to be. Allow everything and everyone to be just as they are and you will see how much better will that make you feel.

“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond winning.” Lao Tzu

3. Give up on blame. Give up on your need to blame others for what you have or don’t have, for what you feel or don’t feel. Stop giving your powers away and start taking responsibility for your life.

4. Give up your self-defeating self-talk. Oh my. How many people are hurting themselves because of their negative, polluted and repetitive self-defeating mindset? Don’t believe everything that your mind is telling you – especially if it’s negative and self-defeating. You are better than that.

“The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.” Eckhart Tolle

5. Give up your limiting beliefs about what you can or cannot do, about what is possible or impossible. From now on, you are no longer going to allow your limiting beliefs to keep you stuck in the wrong place. Spread your wings and fly!

“A belief is not an idea held by the mind, it is an idea that holds the mind” Elly Roselle

6. Give up complaining. Give up your constant need to complain about those many, many, maaany things – people, situations, events that make you unhappy, sad and depressed. Nobody can make you unhappy, no situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow it to. It’s not the situation that triggers those feelings in you, but how you choose to look at it. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.

7. Give up the luxury of criticism. Give up your need to criticize things, events or people that are different than you. We are all different, yet we are all the same. We all want to be happy, we all want to love and be loved and we all want to be understood. We all want something, and something is wished by us all.

8. Give up your need to impress others. Stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not just to make others like you. It doesn’t work this way. The moment you stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not, the moment you take of all your masks, the moment you accept and embrace the real you, you will find people will be drawn to you, effortlessly.

9. Give up your resistance to change. Change is good. Change will help you move from A to B. Change will help you make improvements in your life and also the lives of those around you. Follow your bliss, embrace change – don’t resist it.
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls” Joseph Campbell

10. Give up labels. Stop labeling those things, people or events that you don’t understand as being weird or different and try opening your mind, little by little. Minds only work when open. “The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.” Wayne Dyer

11. Give up on your fears. Fear is just an illusion, it doesn’t exist – you created it. It’s all in your mind. Correct the inside and the outside will fall into place.
“The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

12. Give up your excuses. Send them packing and tell them they’re fired. You no longer need them. A lot of times we limit ourselves because of the many excuses we use. Instead of growing and working on improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck, lying to ourselves, using all kind of excuses – excuses that 99.9% of the time are not even real.

13. Give up the past. I know, I know. It’s hard. Especially when the past looks so much better than the present and the future looks so frightening, but you have to take into consideration the fact that the present moment is all you have and all you will ever have. The past you are now longing for – the past that you are now dreaming about – was ignored by you when it was present. Stop deluding yourself. Be present in everything you do and enjoy life. After all life is a journey not a destination. Have a clear vision for the future, prepare yourself, but always be present in the now.

14. Give up attachment. This is a concept that, for most of us is so hard to grasp and I have to tell you that it was for me too, (it still is) but it’s not something impossible. You get better and better at with time and practice. The moment you detach yourself from all things, (and that doesn’t mean you give up your love for them – because love and attachment have nothing to do with one another,  attachment comes from a place of fear, while love… well, real love is pure, kind, and self less, where there is love there can’t be fear, and because of that, attachment and love cannot coexist) you become so peaceful, so tolerant, so kind, and so serene. You will get to a place where you will be able to understand all things without even trying. A state beyond words.

15. Give up living your life to other people’s expectations. Way too many people are living a life that is not theirs to live. They live their lives according to what others think is best for them, they live their lives according to what their parents think is best for them, to what their friends, their enemies and their teachers, their government and the media think is best for them. They ignore their inner voice, that inner calling. They are so busy with pleasing everybody, with living up to other people’s expectations, that they lose control over their lives. They forget what makes them happy, what they want, what they need….and eventually they forget about themselves.  You have one life – this one right now – you must live it, own it, and especially don’t let other people’s opinions distract you from your path.

Texas Bluebonnets 2012

     It is time when all the bluebonnets pop up everywhere and you see everyone on the side of the highways taking pictures. I'm not a fan of stopping off the highway, but I do like to get some shots in the Texas Bluebonnets! Sunday after church we ate then went home so Caden could take a nap. After he woke up we drove out to the spot I picked out and took some pictures. We checked thoroughly for snakes because they like to hide. I also brought a chair so we did most of the pictures on that. I can't believe the difference a year makes with Caden. Last year he was so little and this year he was so independent. He just wanted to take off through the bluebonnets and pick them for Mama. I have one sweet boy : ) He enjoyed smelling them, and even tried to kiss one of them. It was a rather warm day so we didn't stay out too long. Overall they turned out great!

Reflecting on the past.....

Last year at 6 months old!

Different day, but the bluebonnets weren't as bright anymore.

Sweet bot! I love him : )

Possibly 15 Tornadoes in One Day

     Yesterday started out like any other day. The only exception was Casey was home. After we ate lunch Casey's mom called telling us tornadoes were headed our way. His parents live in Cleburne so they had already had a small glimpse of what we would be getting here in Arlington. Casey's grandma lives in Lancaster also. Casey thought she was joking because it looked fine outside. When she made it clear she was not joking Casey turned on the tv and sure enough where we just moved from was very close to the tornado spotting. After watching the news for awhile the weather started to look bad and sirens started blaring from across the street. Caden started running back and forth whining a bit because he had no idea what was going on. I just picked him up and let him know everything was ok. The weather showed how bad everyone was getting hit and people that were about to get hit. Judging the hook of the storm, it was headed right towards our house. I immediately got up and went to pack some things that could not be replaced like Caden's baby book and memories, my laptop with all of our videos and pictures on it, and Caden some snacks, clothes, and diapers. Caden sat still on the couch by Casey and didn't say a peep the whole time. I have never seen him be so still and quiet. He may have not known exactly what was going on but he knew something was wrong. Amazing what an 18 month old understands. 
     Casey got a softball helmet with a mask out for Caden incase anything started to happen and we needed to protect his head. When it finally looked like it had cleared our area and missed us, more spottings had occurred and we started getting hail, heavy winds and rain. By now Caden had went to sleep on my chest. Seeing all the tornadoes pop up on tv with 18 wheeler trailers flying like leaves I couldn't help but feel a bit scared. You never know what you will feel like until the tornado is close to your backyard. You could actually hear the surrounding tornadoes from my front yard. Finally when everything had cleared the area, we were so grateful for God's mercies and wiliness to spare our lives and homes around us. When Caden woke up he was back to his normal self and happy as can be. That night seeing all the devastation that was caused for many people I couldn't help but ponder how incredibly blessed we are. Reports say that they were possibly EF3 tornadoes. 
     On April 3, 2012 as many as 15 tornadoes tore through North Texas on Tuesday, ripping roofs from homes and businesses, tossing trucks into the air and leaving flattened tractor-trailers strewn along highways and parking lots. Dozens of buildings were damaged, but there have been no reports of deaths. Baseball size hail fell from the sky and many people lost their homes. Please remember to keep these people in your prayers. I know I wouldn't want to be in their shoes. 

Here are some pictures from the storm. I didn't take all of them, but just looking at them gives you chills.

What the storm looked like at first

Hail

The size of the first hail

The biggest size of hail we got

Ready to go

18 Wheelers Flying 

Lancaster, TX

Some people got baseball size hail!

Road sign off 287

Upside down tree

18 Months

Waiting at the doctor for my 18 month check-up!

Caden is now 18 months old! I can't believe how fast time has passed. When I realize how much he is growing and learning it makes me stop every chance I get and cherish these little moments I have with him. Even if it's something that nobody else would think is special, I love it! Caden's 18 month check-up went as expected. Doctor Gold said he was too skinny. This is something that has been a concern since he was a little baby. We feed him pretty healthy, so what can you expect? He just has a high metabolism and is extremely active. We do give him good stuff like cookies, Cheez-its, etc, but he just loves fruit! The doctor said we need to fatten him up in any way we can. She said give him pudding, ranch with his veggies, and to try some Pediasure. Other than that Caden is a sweet, fun, little loving boy. He enjoys his favorite cartoons and loves Mickey Mouse and Disney Cars. He is very sentimental and doesn't like if someone is upset. I love my little man!

Here are his check-up results:

Weight: 21.2 lbs. - Did not register on the percentage scale
Height: 33.3 in. - 75th percentile
Head Circumference: 19 in.

Here are some things about Caden at 18 months:

Clothes size: 18 month shirts, 6-9 month shorts, 12 month Levi jeans with adjustable waist band.

Shoe size: Current shoes are size 5, but new sandals will be size 6.

Diaper Size: 3 Huggies

Teeth: 8 front teeth and 4 molars. Another front tooth seems to be breaking through. Total of 12 teeth as of right now.

Hair: Blonde and now needs some gel to tame it.

Favorite snack: Cheese, fruit gummies, and M&M Minis

Favorite food: Hamburgers and chips

Least favorite food: Green beans

Naps: You take one 2 hour nap a day.

Biggest Accomplisment:
You say poo poo when you need to be changed. We have introduced the potty to you, but you enjoy playing with it rather than using it.

New words you can say:
-car
-door
-block
-duck
-cat
-blue
-girl
-bath
-hair
-tries to say Mickey Mouse
-tries to say M&M's

New things you can sign:
-milk
-more
-dog
-eat

New things you like to do:
-Playing outside is your favorite thing. You could live outside. You love to go to the park and slide down the big boy slide all by yourself.

-You love to play with cars. You call them car cars. It doesn't matter if it's a small toy car, your cozy coupe, or a big car. When you ride in the red truck you expect us to let you drive first or it will be a fight to put you in your car seat.

-Dogs are currently your other favorite thing. You call them dog dogs. When you see a dog you get so excited and immediately want to chase after it. You like to pet them and give them hugs.

-You love to build with blocks. You call them bocks.

-You love to have bubbles with you take a bath. You say baf when you are ready to take one.

-You love to play with balls. You call them ball balls.

-You love to spin in circles and dance to music.

One Rough Day...

Driving the "car car"

A good end of the night 

Little silly and I

     Yesterday was hopefully my only bad day of the year! Yesterday after church my truck had a flat tire which resulted in me having to leave it there. Thank goodness Casey was on his way home from work and was able to come get Caden and I. Casey has been working 12 hour shifts this week so he hasn't been able to help out with much. The next morning I dropped my mom off at work and borrowed her car to go get my truck's tire fixed. I bought a air pump that plugs into the cigarette lighter. I had it running about 15 minutes and the tire wasn't airing up so I just figured it had too big of a leak. After I realized I needed to jack up the truck because the air was leaking out of the rim, it aired up just fine. Did I mention it was sprinkling a little? Caden was a good sport and enjoyed driving the "car car" white we waited. After it was all aired up I took it to Cedar Hill to a small place that has used tires just to see if they had one to fit. We needed to replace all of the tires, but didn't want to spend that much money because we don't use the truck too often. The shop didn't have the tire so I went to discount tire and was quoted a price over $500 for all 4 tires. Some discussing went on about the tires then Casey told me just to go eat until he found out if he could get some tires cheaper. Well, I pull into the parking lot to eat and Casey calls me and all Caden wants to do is drive the "car car". After we were done eating I search for the keys in my bag and immediately I knew I left them in the ignition. That just topped everything off...my babies car seat was in there so I couldn't have someone pick me up to get my spare key, and I didn't want to drop $50 on a lock smith. I did cry a little, but Caden can make everything better with his laugh and smile. He had been up since 7:30am and normally gets up at 9:30. He did not give me one ounce of trouble that day. We walked around Hobby Lobby and then I took him to Toys R Us and got him a bouncy ball that lights up. "Ball balls" are his other favorite thing besides car toys. It finally dawned on me that my mom had AAA which made it able for me to call and add myself as a family member to her plan for $25 for the year. That was such a blessing because the lock smith was there within 15 minutes and was also able to air up my tire for me that had again gone flat. After I got in my car, I put Caden in his car seat for the millionth time it seemed (if your a mom you know how much work getting a baby and all his stuff in and out of the car can be). I just thanked the Lord I was able to get in my car finally. I went straight to Discount Tire and ended up getting a better deal on tires but still cost $415 which wasn't what we wanted to spend but we had no choice. By now it was 4:30 and Caden finally was able to go to sleep in his stroller while we waited. When it was all said and done I went home and just sat down and pondered life. I know sometimes we can go through struggles that seem like we can't get through them or it's too hard, but God always has your back and will take care of you no matter what. Just keep trusting him and putting your life in his hands. I'm thankful to serve such an awesome God and have such a loving and caring husband and son.