Have you ever written yourself off as a lost cause?  Given up hope in yourself?  Disappointed yourself one too many times?

I have.  And it hurts.

This quote means a lot to me because I’ve been there and I’ve given up on my dreams before.  Sometimes I gave up on them with a shrug and the muttering of a disappointed “Oh well…”.  Other times it was as a reaction to some unforeseen circumstance becoming an obstacle making my dream too hard to accomplish.  And still other times there were dreams that I readily gave up on because I never thought they were meant for people like me. 

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

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Each weekend I am going to start posting a quote from SparkPeople that I find to be motivational or inspiring.  I will share with you how I relate to the quote or what meaning I take from it.  I would love it if you all would share your thoughts and interpretations as well!  Or if you have a quote, Bible verse, or comment that you find particularly inspiring, please share it!  I’d love to see a potpourri of motivational snippets.  (Using the word potpourri makes me feel so domestic!)

I would like to kick off the first Weekend Wisdom with a quote that I have found to be so completely true and also one of the keys to living a fulfilled life.

 
  
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Have truer words ever been spoken?  This is something that I have always known in my head.  I’ve heard it a million times in many forms and I’ve always believed it to be true.  But knowing something is much different from living something.  For many years of my life, I wasted time spinning my wheels trying to use external things to “complete me” or to bring me peace and contentment inside.  Things that made me feel like my life was fulfilled and that could give me that feeling of just being satisfied.  I chased that feeling hard and it lead me down paths I never would’ve imagined possible.

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Sometimes things are just good and they don’t need analyzing, explaining, deep-exploration, or extra thought.  Sometimes, life just is.  And I am enjoying that! 

I think I am at a place in my life now where I am actually just happy (gasp!).  No, everything is not perfect.  (But we all know what I discovered about being “perfect”.)  And yes, life is still life.  Laundry still needs to be done.  Dishes still waiting to be washed.  Food journal just waiting to be logged.  And To Do List is still as long as ever.  But…

I’m happy. I’m content. Life is just good.

I’d really love to bottle up this feeling and store it in my pantry for when I eventually feel differently.  But rather than do that (as if it were possible, duh) I am just going to enjoy it and be grateful. 

Grateful that I’ve been feeling this way a lot lately. 

Grateful that I am finally getting to share in my weight loss journey with my hubby now.

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This is my first meme tag!  Jojo tagged me last week.  I’m not sure what meme actually means so maybe someone could enlighten me?  Anyhoo, here are my answers!   

Four jobs I’ve had:
1. Manager at Dairy Queen (accounts for at least 10% of the weight I need to lose!)
2. Camp Counselor
3. IT Assistant for a Law Firm in CA
4. Order Processor for a Photography Studio

What are four ways you know you are living your life’s purpose?
1. One of my life’s purposes is to be an awesome wife and mom and to strive to build a strong family.
2. To continually work on strengthening my relationship with God.  That’s where all my guidance and direction comes from.
3. To learn how to live a healthy life (mental, spiritual, physical, and emotional) and to give my daughter every opportunity to live a healthy lifestyle herself.
4. Learning how to just be.

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Per Cammy’s request, here is The Epcot Story.  (There’s not much to it, just me being silly!)

Hubby, bro-in-law, and myself decided to spend the day wandering around while my parents-in-law stayed at the hotel with my daughter and did fun stuff there.  The day was hot.  Very, very hot (and mind you it’s only MAY in Orlando!). 

If you aren’t familiar with Epcot Center, it’s somewhat of an “educational” experience in that the park is dedicated to cultural and technological innovation (as described by wikipedia). The World Showcase features pavilions that represent 11 different countries. 

We started in Mexico and had some lunch.  After fueling up, we kept making our way around from country to country.    By the time we reached Morocco (more than halfway through the showcase), we were thirsty!  You know that “I’m hot and sweaty and have been walking a lot, please-give-me-something-cool-to-drink“ kind of thirsty?

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Well, we are going to be in Disneyworld this week gallivanting with the likes of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck!  I hope you all have a wonderful week and wish me luck on eating healthy during the trip and getting in plenty of exercise!!  Until I get back, here are some ADORABLE Disney glitter pics to give you something pretty to look at.  Aren’t they SO cute?!

We’ll start with Donald Duck, my all-time favorite!

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I will not be posting much this weekend.  We are taking a family trip to the beach Saturday to enjoy the beautiful weather we are finally getting!  I suppose I will call this a wordless weekend.  I hope you enjoy yours and make it a healthy one!

I find it funny how easy it is to assume that once I reach my goal weight, everything will be “perfect”.  It’s truly laughable that there is a part of me that actually believes that!  But then again, is it really that surprising?  I mean look at the way society is set up. 

“Take this pill and feel like a million bucks!”  “Buy this magazine and you can look like her!”  ”Try THIS fad diet and you can be skinny too!” 

 Why is it that we are so desperate to find a way to make ourselves different and so willing to believe that outside things are what will make us happy?  My whole life I have tried to use things or people to find peace and contentment.  I had put my faith in those things only to find myself bitterly disappointed and frustrated over and over again.  I’ve heard it said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. 

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    Check out this article I found today that discusses the benefits of giving to others.  The article primarily focusses on financial giving and how good people feel when they give money or gifts to others.  Kinda like that great feeling I get when I find the “perfect” gift for someone at Christmas and watching their face light up when they open it.  Seriously, that feeling can be captured year round!  Giving of yourself provides huge happiness benefits!  Don’t believe me?  Try it. 

    Better yet, try it when you are pissed off about something.  Try it when you are having a crappy day.  Try it when you are feeling blue or just can’t seem to make anything go right one day.  Take the focus off of how YOU are feeling and put it on what will make someone else happy.  You’ll love the results.  Now go on, dang it, give and be happy!