Attitude.

My wonderful sister sent me this excellent "food for thought" piece and it speaks true in all areas of life. Words to live by...

ATTITUDE

by: Charles Swindoll

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.

And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes."



My thoughts...

I've always been a happy person.

To no credit of my own, happiness has always come very natural to me. Don't get me wrong, I worry obsessively, I'm highly sensitive and of course, a perfectionist. But still, I am happy.

God has placed so many blessings in my life that I constantly worry I'm not givng "back" enough (another blog, another time). But happiness by itself fascinates me. If you think about it, babies are so easy to love and so refreshing to be around because they are simply: happy. It's almost as if a baby is transparent in showing adults the capacity of happiness that God originally gives us. It's never taken away...it doesn't just run out. It's up to us, to know it's there. And that is exactly what the message above is conveying. Compared to most, I have had an incredible life...there is no reason why I shouldn't be anything but happy. And of course, I've had my share of trials...and life circumstances that on paper, seem frightening. Nothing though, with the magnitude to take away my happiness. I'm human and react to things that are miniscule to life's meaning, but again, am human and eventually, move on.

Still, I can't help but recognize that as one gets older, the ability to not only be happy but "stay" happy can be more difficult. The people that have wronged you, the times you were cheated, the times when bad things happened to good people, and the times you weren't appreciated for the good things you did. That weight alone is depressing. It's freeing to know that it's not my job to keep track of rights and wrongs; God knows exactly the person you are and exactly what you've faced.

Maybe if I truly know my capacity for happiness is unlimited, then I can prepare myself, prepare my reaction to remain positive. Whether it be a stubbed toe or the unspeakable, knowing my happiness is in my control, not circumstances, life isn't so scary. And even being a naturally happy person, you cannot avoid life's trials but I have seen the most amazing people in the world persevere over the most heartbreaking circumstances. It's inspiring. So I can't help but say..."this ain't nothin"....

Memorial Day 2010!

This last minute trip turned out the be a weekend to remember! Since Chris and my Italy trip is now postponed until September (our decision), we decided we at least need a little getaway in the meantime. It had been awhile since we had a nice, relaxing vacation! The plans for the trip continued to get better once we learned that Jamie and Jereme would be there! The Brighams AND The Gabels ("Brigabels"!) and Jay and his family :) How perfect is that? Having all these wonderful friends there is really what made our trip. That and the fact that we had the most amazing beach condo that overlooked the ocean. It might as well have been on the sand it was so close.

Friday, Chris and I spent some time on the beach and then walked down to the Brigham casa for an afternoon drink and visit. We ended up going to The Ale House that night for a little date night. It was delicious with an excellent view. Too bad I slipped down the stairs on the way out, broke my Ray-Bans and busted my elbow and made quite the bruise on my butt cheek ;) Whoopsie! I can't even say I was tipsie :/

The next day was wonderful because we got to see Jereme's home (just 5 minutes from the beach!) and he was kind enough to let us try out his Mimo (mini-motorized scooter). The four of us hopped in the car and drove along the coast to Del Mar, which I LOVE and can't wait to spend more time there! We ate at the infamous Brigantine for the most amazing tacos and margaritas. We sat outside and overlooked the Del Mar race track, which is a site to see! That night, Chris and I hosted a dinner and invited all of our friends over. Although our place was tiny and definitely not kid-friendly, we managed to have a great time with everyone! Jereme's friend Jess and Wells (who are incredible) came over and we all ended up hanging out till late in the evening (okay - 10:30 but we were really tired) :)

Sunday morning, we even got to borrow Wells' mimo and the six of us rode to breakfast, which consisted of some morning drinks (I know - intense weekend). And then with James and J, we rode all throughout La Jolla! I love mimo-ing and I love that area! I would love to live there one day...if even for 3 months out of the year!

I had the best time at The Brigham's BBQ that afternoon! The Gabel's were there with their friends and we all had a blast! Unfortunately, Chris couldn't be there which makes me so sad but he had made prior promises to surf that afternoon. Clearly, it's a tough life for both of us! The Brigham's did an excellent job hosting and definitely kept all of us highly entertained!

Now...if only I can get the Brigabel's to Italy!...