Thought Invoking Thursday #2

Life-altering moments. Must they occur before we are able to see the error of our ways, a wakeup call pointing out gaps of time wasted, or that we have possibly been taking a loved one for granted- who no longer wishes to fill the role of complacency for you?

A very good friend of mine recently found himself in this position. A moment had come and gone in his life leaving his world chaotic and unfamiliar. How had this happened? 

What could he do to fix it? There was no easy answer. It was much more complicated now and the simple phrase, “I can change” would no longer fix it. What were his options? Accept the situation, learn from it and move on, or fight harder than hell for what he wanted. Refusing to settle for the hand he was dealt or playing the role of the static character, he persisted on. “I can change” quickly turned into “watch me change.” Actions speak louder than words in my book. Girls are used to hearing the empty promises, exposing themselves to vulnerability, only to get slapped in the face with hurt and angst in the end.

**Digression: Why do girls love romantic comedies so much? Aside from the typically hot, shirtless guys casted, those men put themselves, their ego, their pride on the line; they risk everything to show, not tell the women how they feel. Are woman suckers for believing into the big romantic gestures/hype of those movies? Not at all, many women are suckers for not requiring it from their men in reality.

Back to this friend of mine, he figured it all out. In the past few months, I have had the privilege of listening and really hearing him evolve into the man he wants to be, the man he knows that she deserves. He put himself on the line to prove to the only girl he will ever want that she is everything to him, and he will do whatever it takes to prove that to her. Regardless of the outcome, I could not be more proud of my friend.

So my point is this, don’t let it come to the life-altering moment before you take note that there is a problem. Don’t be left heart-broken and in disbelief. Take control of the situation before it becomes unfixable. How do you know if this applies to you? Answer the following:

-Take a look back at the last 5 years of your life. What do you see? What has changed? 

-How much have you accomplished, and grown as an individual, as a couple?

-Are you happy with the present picture in your mind? If so, congrats!! It’s a very gratifying feeling.

-If not, what are you going to do to change it?

Thought Invoking Thursday

Many of you have probably seen this floating around the internet. It's my first post onto Thought Invoking Thursday because it motivates me in a new way each time I read it. Read it over. Take it in. Apply it to your life. Stop complaining about worthless things. Make the most of yourself!!

I have been featured!!

I have been featured at Handmade Showcase for their back to school week!! Stop by and check out all of her fun handpicked items! Plus, don't forget I've also added a cute clutch to the Rug Bag line, seen below!



Grace Potter & the Nocturnals

My mind is becoming a bit fried due to all of the first-year lesson planning & preparation I have been undertaking this past week. In much need of a break, I find it extremely ironic that I immediately jumped to writing instead of vegging out on the couch or taking on some other mindless activity.

I just couldn’t wait to share! Last week was absolutely amazing; we caught 4 separate concerts in one week with two more on the way this weekend! This wasn’t on purpose; it was neither our vacation nor our stay-cation, it’s how the summer concert schedule fell. After surviving Bonnaroo and still having enough energy left-over to anticipate it again for next year, I thought I was ruined. I mean really, how can any show compare to 125 amazing bands spread across multiple stages for 4 straight days? The answer: it can’t, but going to see the band I instantly fell in love with at Bonnaroo play a show only an hour away from me, for FREE, now that is definitely enough to ban my musical pretentiousness.

As we walked into the Hartford Amphitheater an hour early, we realized that we came completely unprepared. This was an outdoor show within a huge amphitheater that resided in a local park. People had set-ups that looked like they came straight out of the Cleveland Browns Muni lot (spot for tailgating pros only). There were pop-ups for shading with buffets of food, endless supplies of alcohol, people of all ages, and numerous dogs eating up all of the attention, along with plenty of forms of entertainment: music, cornhole, Frisbees, hillbilly golf, and hula-hoops. I’ve now come to realize that no concert is complete without hippies awing the crowd with their hula-hooping skills. With everyone in our surroundings so well prepared, we looked around at our group. We had nothing in the aforementioned statement; we did not even have a blanket to throw down and sit on. I have never been one for planning. My spontaneous nature reverts me back to childhood when anything fun is on the brink of happening. My brain turns on repeat screaming, “I’m excited, let’s go now!!” Not ready, not prepared, living by the motto: I’ll figure it out!

And we did just that, making our way through the sea of people down to the perfect spot, front and center. As the show was scheduled to start, thick, black clouds threatened to give us quite a down pour but as the band came on stage, any worries of rain quickly disappeared. Everyone became immersed into the music, on their feet, dancing, singing, and jumping (the local cop even threw the beach ball back into the crowd when it landed in restricted territory, “the coolest thing a cop has ever done” noted my boyfriend, Nick). With my Nikon DSLR in tow, I snapped away stealing moments for myself to enjoy the peaceful surroundings and amazing music being shared by thousands. Grace Potter & the Nocturnals’ set lasted for over 2 hours, included multiple jam sessions and left all in attendance exceedingly pleased. Still jumping around, we left the concert area after the 2 song encore ended with my favorite “Medicine Man.” As we trekked back up to find the car, I found that my cheek muscles were aching terribly. It reminded me of the first time I went to Disney world as a child; the home video showing me smiling ear to ear every second of the day. That first night in Disney, I was very serious when I asked my grandmother (while making the craziest of expressions) why my face was so sore? She responded, “because your happy, Ashley, and if you’re lucky, you’ll have many days when your face hurts just like this!”

Giveaway!

The wonderful Lauralee over at Shabby Life is sponsoring a giveaway for my Etsy shop! What's up for grabs?? ANY 8x10 professionally matted print in my The Inspired Lens Etsy shop! Check out the shop for all of the details on the photos and to pick your favorite!



More details on how to enter at Shabby Life!! Please show some love (and gain multiple entries) to win by following both of our blogs as well as checking out the merchandise you'd like to win!! Closed as of 8/4/11- winner announced at Shabby Life, you have one week to claim your prize!!