Monday, September 19, 2011

Cr@p My Mom Used To Say #263

I'm not quite sure what type of little girl I was looking back, besides being a sassy-r0yal-pain-in-the-you-know-what
But by the time I reached my high school years, after some pretty awkward (you know what I'm talking about!) stages.
I emerged no braces, a few extra curves, and basically a lot more confident than my baby fat, tomboy face of most of my life.
(I am such a baby here!!)
er


I always joke with people that I'm going to make a book titled, "Crap My Mom Used(&Still Does) To Say." Because truly, my mother is one of a kind (in an amazing way). Straight up, she says some of the most off the wall stuff, and she has pretty much been that way since as far back as I can remember. 

The point here is, regardless of my emerging swan time. My mom would constantly nag me about smiling.
Not the in cutesy, how you would imagine a loving mother kindly nagging her daughter about the importance of smiling;
But sometimes we'd be at the grocery store and I'd be checking my pager (Yep, thats right..If its maja hit me on my paga!!) and I would hear her, 

“Smile please. You look so ugly when your face is like that…No, I’m not saying you’re ugly. I’m just saying,  when your face is like THAT, it makes you look ugly." 

Back to me rolling my eyes, wondering when I'd be able to return my page (haha!!)

Here's the thing though, some of you may not understand how a mama could talk like that. Thankfully, I do. & I love and appreciate my mama soo much! 
Thankfully [Insert life altering event here] and I learned the hard way that smiling is the most beautiful, cheapest, accessory I have to offer the world. Straight up (also like my mom says) the most beautiful girl in the room could be the ugliest if she isn't smiling.

Thanks mom, needless to say, I smile a lot now. :o) 

So look at all your rings, your necklaces, your make up and realize the most beautiful thing you can wear today is your 
Smile 



Smile or don't but as my mom would say,
You probably look ugly if you aren't!

To REAL Curves,
Valerie

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Stronger Saturday's

Good Morning 

You ever have those days, that you wake up, and just know it's going to be the best day ever?
You roll out of bed on the right side, You hear a voice whispering, "Today's a new day.
To laugh
To love everyone in sight
To  expect the unexpected
To dance even when people ARE watching." 



If you aren't quite there yet today, 
Shake it off. 
Refuse to give in to circumstantial joy.
Let strength arise; let the Light of God in and make all that junk hide. 
Leave yesterday behind, and always worry about your tomorrow's Tomorrow. [Think about that one ;) 


Here's to a Better Day than Yesterday, 
Valerie

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Watch Out World, We Bustin Out!!






As some of you may know, but most of you do not, one of the small victories I’ve had this year is I’ve become a runner. 
Yes, FOR PLEASURE. (I know right, pure insanity.) 

I hated running.

With a fiery passion, I couldn’t stand even the thought of running. 
But in May of this year, I stood in front of a treadmill and decided I had enough. I would no longer be beat by convincing myself out of “wrong thinking” attitude about what I am capable of; so I said a little prayer asking God for strength and I ran 2 solid miles the first day. (Yeahhh boy!!) 

Several months later, I’m happily averaging 4 miles or so when I run, which is GREAT compared to ANYTHING I ever thought I would be able to accomplish!! & To be honest, I was pretty comfortable with what I was doing. I was satisfied.


I recently joined a new gym in my area and decided to take a class they have called " Tread and Shred" (Basically a running version of the royal-kick-in-the-bum-death-cycling Spin class) . I was unsure of what to expect and I hopped onto the treadmill last night and was placed next to a female marine. Oh yes, competitive side arising!
We ran 30 minutes straight, mainly on 8-9 mph ( I had only been averaging 6-6.3 MAX!) So I was needless to say, A HOT MESS! But I was doing it! How in the world?!... I have never ran at that pace, in those intervals, and for that duration EVER.
Don't get it twisted ya'll, it wasn't a breeze!!!
Yet there I was, placed right next to someone who kept hollering over to me, " You CAN do this!! You CAN DO THIS!!" And I did, I pretty much owned that treadmill!!

My blogs won't always be about pushing, stretching, and thriving; but it's hard to avoid the topic when I feel like that is what life is all about.
So today I personally challenge all of you who are in a comfort zone with who you are, what you have accomplished, to up your game; Because I KNOW you CAN. As much as we complain about people putting us in a "box" we often do the same things to ourselves. What box are you putting yourself in? Don't be afraid to bust out and proclaim, "Watch out world, I'm not done yet!!" Believe you are capable of greater things than what you've settled for.





Happily-Bustin-Out'-My-Box,
Valerie

Monday, September 12, 2011

The Untold Tale of the Legendary Onion Conquerer.

“You wanna know something’ about this salad?”
                                               “Mmmm, oookay, sure?”
“This salad has red onions.”
                                              “……That’s amazing.”

“No...You see, I used to HATE red onions, but one day I just decided…I love EVERYTHING else about this salad..and darn it, these little red onions are not going to ruin the whole thing for me.. SO I ATE IT!!!”
“….I think this just says a lot about what an over-comer I am........”

              “Wow.”  

My wonderful, very compassionate friend Suzan laughed and shook her head, “Wow.."
(Suzan awkwardly eating my leftovers!)



       I giggled as I mumbled out, “..Seriously though.” And I looked out into the ocean and scanned the open sea.
Even though Suzan knows SO MUCH about me and my story...No one quite knows another’s stories, failures and victories other than a the person who has experienced them his/her self.
The joy, the pain, and the “onions” of life are what keep us walking on; Though we rather do without the pain (or rancid smell) but it’s what forces us to stretch because, well, s t r e t c h i n g is quite frankly the only thing left to do.
& No one other than myself and God will ever know what that moment was like......I realized I was eating red onions. It sounds silly, insignificant mostly, but I realized all my small victories (like these) were leading me to greater ones; and I had been so caught up changing and pressing on I hadn't even realized it!!

Needless to say, as Suzan lay tanning with her headphones on, I couldn’t stop smiling over my salad.
I chomped, probably pretty cheesy-like, and enjoyed the crap out of that salad that day :o)

So if you actually stopped to read this, please don’t stop celebrating your small victories. Because we feel small sometimes, we think everything about us is small.
That’s a lie.
Celebrate your small victories and be encouraged only greater  ones are to come! (Please feel free to comment and share as well!!)


Make YOUR victories legendary ...Even if it's just in your own book :o)
Blessings

Valerie