It's a Beautiful Life

Look! I made my first snowman!! Well, it kinda looks more like a snowwoman wearing a skirt. I've gotta find her a wig. :) This Christmas was so wonderful! After spending the last two Christmas's in Florida, I finally got to be home for the holidays. I love being with my family and taking in all the little moments. For instance, on Christmas Eve my three younger brothers and I stayed up past midnight playing board games. There was one point when I got laughing so hard that I woke up my parents and got in trouble! I'm 26 years old but I felt like I was 6 again, trying not to giggle after my parents went back to bed :) Hehe.

Wanna know my favorite gift I got for Christmas? Getting to see Shanam every day :) He lives close by now, so it is a dream come true! And let me tell you, this man is so amazing...he knows how much I love getting gifts, so he made sure my Christmas was extra special. I couldn't be happier with all his sweet surprises!

For the new year, I changed my header to "Live Beautifully." Every day is such a blessing. Every moment is something cherished. My life is beautiful and I'm going to live it beautifully!

See the man to the left? Yeah, he entered my life about a month ago, and it's one of those things where I have to keep asking myself, "Is this real? Can someone so wonderful really think I'm so wonderful, too?" Just look at him! So adorable and so...good. I was telling him the other day "You are such a good man." And he asked me, "How do you know?" I responded, "Because when I'm with you I feel good. It's just that simple." Isn't that how it's supposed to be? It feels so comforting to have nothing lingering in the back of my mind, no red flags, no doubts, just feelings of goodness. It's beautiful!

So let me introduce you. This is Shanam McGaughy. Yes I know, interesting name. His first name means peace and his last name is pronounced McGoi. He was born in California and has moved around quite a bit, attending high school on the east coast, college on the west and ending up here in Florida. He actually lives about an hour and a half away which makes our relationship that much more interesting. We met at a dance out in Tampa and it's kinda been a whirlwind since then. Just ask my roommates. I think they're all tired of hearing about it all :) But really, I can't help it, he just makes me so happy.

Catalysts

I'm sure you've all experienced what I'm feeling. Every once in a while it feels like your life gets completely flipped upside down, or inside out, or just plain squashed. For me, it always seems to happen when I get too fixed on the future. When I can see my life before me in one easy straight line. When I feel like I'm in control, on the right track to achieving my goals, hopes high, and then WHAM! The ground is pulled out from under me and I find myself flat on my back looking up into empty space. The natural response is ...Why? Why does this happen to me? Why can't I just have what I want?
My mom gave me a book for Christmas called "The Other 90%: How to Unlock Your Vast Untapped Potential for Leadership and Life." This is what the author says,
"No matter how many times the pundits hail human progress, much of everyday experience still remains difficult and even mystifying. We face immense uncertainty and complexity. We are challenged at almost every turn. Yet, by design, we have the capacity and responsibility to learn and grow from every one of the obstacles, inducements, incitements, provocations, and stimuli--I call them catalysts--that life sends our way. Catalysts are a special kind of gift: they challenge us to reach farther, search harder, and discover more ways to make every moment count. During times of change, we must summon increased confidence. From our stumbles and mistakes come unexpected lessons. Each setback or failure yields a measure of ingenuity or wisdom, enriching our lives in ways that our successes alone never can."
God designed us to not only experience challenges, but to learn and grow from them. It seems like a "duh" statement, I know, but often it's the simplest concepts that contain the most meaning and are the hardest for me to learn :) So, my responsibility now is to stop gawking at the empty space above me, grab the Hand that is always stretched out to help me back up, and "reach farther, search harder, and discover more ways to make every moment count."
Thanks to the example of some of my best friends, especially Bre, they have inspired me to start this blog. I thought a lot about what I wanted this blog to be about. The obvious answer is...me :) But since I'm still learning everyday who I am, this blog is more a discovery process. My greatest desire is to fulfill the measure of my creation, to figure out what I was put on earth to do. My hope is that this blog can also be an inspiration for others to do the same. Because what's the point of life if we're not seeking to find the point of our personal existence? I know God will help me. I just need to ask the right questions :)