A Week Of Instagram

On one of the days in my week, my cousin and I decided to have a picnic inside of a trail. It was gorgeous around there! Everything was so luscious and green. It felt like we were sitting in a forest. We both enjoyed being outside for a change.

I love this cute, quirky shirt that I purchased from Walmart. It's so cute AND SO TRUE. Haha Coffee really does own me, doesn't it? It was only five dollars, so I had to snag it. 

I made Basil Chicken Pasta for my family. I have never made this recipe before and I thought I'd try it out. I found it online and just added my own little twists to it. It turned out surprisingly well!

Ah...Coffee...I could probably post a picture of coffee every day for this week. Like I said. Coffee owns me. ;)

I hope your week has been grand! If not, I hope it gets better. Thanks for reading my little blog! 

The Importance Of Family

"You never know what you got 'till it's gone." I never realized when I was younger just how true that statement was. You know how children are. They typically think about the here and now. They only see as far ahead as tomorrow. They don't really think about other people's feelings and needs except for their own. As they get older and become more mature, the light inside of their head goes off and suddenly, "You never know what you got 'till it's gone," is as real to them as ever. They suddenly become aware of the people in their life. They become aware of their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, and so on. They become more aware of other people's thoughts and feelings. They realize that their family isn't in their life to be there on every beck and call, but that they love them unconditionally.

I realized that everyone was not blessed with a good home life, but I took my own good home life for granted. When I got older, I realized that too. I became aware of just how blessed I was to grow up in the family that I have. It is often very easy to take those you love for granted. In your mind, you assume, that they'll always be there. The truth is, your family won't always be there. Things happen. Life is short, but it goes on. We have no clue what tomorrow will hold. So many things can happen in the blink of an eye.

I've always loved my family, but I didn't really know what it meant to fully appreciate them and spend time with them. I had always wanted to spend time with my friends instead. I'd go spend the night at my friend's house when my dad was off from work instead of spend time with him. 

How completely and utterly foolish I was. 

When I got older is when I realized that spending time with my family is one of the most important things that there is. I love my family more than anything and would do anything for them. They have done so much for me that I could never repay. No matter how much I may fuss and fight with my brother and sister, I love them so much! Besides God being number one, my family is the most important thing in my life. It's a change from when  I was younger, isn't it? Oh, if only I would have spent more time with my siblings, parents, grandparents, etc... 

The thought of family being important hit me again hard. Real hard. My granny passed away on July 19, 2013. It was heartbreaking. She was and still is the best woman that I have ever known. She was the definition of a Christ-like lady. She never once spoke a mean word about someone. She treated you like you were wonderful and special no matter who you were. Even if she didn't know you, she was the kind of person that made you feel loved. She was a prayer warrior. She was all of these things and much more. 

A while after she passed away, I learned even more things about her. She apparently used to keep journals filled with funny little things that we (her grandchildren) would say and little things like that. I've always been close to my granny and papaw. There were still so many things that I didn't know. 

When she still had her mind, she would tell me things about her siblings and things about people that she knew. She would take me in the bedroom and show me beautiful black and white photos of her family and people that she knew. Granny always LOVED photos. There isn't a room in the house that doesn't have a photo in it. Photos were special to her and she treasured them like gold. In fact, her exact words to us were always, "You are more precious than gold!" She loved her kids, grandkids and great grandkids so much. 

I was always shy, and I still am, but I'm so much better than I used to be. I wouldn't talk a whole lot and ask her many questions. If I knew then what I would know a while into the future, I would be talking to her as much as I could. I didn't realize how special and wonderful it was for Granny to have her mind. She would always remember to put a piece of cheese on my sandwich and she knew how I liked my food. She knew what I liked to play and what I liked to do. I took everything for granted. The thought of Granny one day not knowing who we were half of the time never crossed my mind. 

I feel sad to think of all those times that I did not sit there with her and appreciate her beauty more. She was always smiling, never judgmental, and always comforting. When you're a kid, you don't stop and appreciate things. It's heartbreaking, but you just don't.

All of these reasons are why family is so important. You may think that your parents will always be here and that you'd rather spend time anywhere but with them. Please don't think this way. One day, you will look back on all those times that you never got to know your parents. All those times that you never spent any time with them. All those times when they were excited about something and you could care less. You WILL look back on everything and feel sad when you realize that you had a great, wonderful thing. Too bad you didn't realize what you had 'till it's gone. 

So, do what you can with your loved ones. Appreciate them. Learn from them. Care about their feelings and needs. Talk to them. Love them, because life is short and nothing is promised.

5 Ways To Relieve Stress

Stressing. It happens to the best of us. Everyone at some point in their life has been stressed about something. I know for me personally, that when I'm stressed out, I just feel plain bad. I come off a lot snappier than intended, I feel constantly ungrateful, I want to scream to the top of my lungs, I complain about every little thing, and all I want to do is be on a beach somewhere listening to the waves and smelling the crisp ocean air. Well, unfortunately, there is no way that I can transport to the beach since I'm not magical and all. Where's Wizards Of Waverly Place when you need them? 

Although stressing is a part of life, there are ways to relieve it. I am going to be telling you about the stress relievers that work for me. They're tested and tried. We're all different, so something that helps one person isn't necessarily going to help the other. This is just my 5 things that calm me down and relieve my stress. Here we go!

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1. Listen to music. I think that listening to your mp3 player while laying on your couch or bed is very relaxing. It helps to get your mind off of things and just drift away into the lyrics and music. You could listen to a song that describes the way you feel or one that is very peppy and makes you want to dance. It's all up to you. It is very therapeutic. Music definitely can change your mood from bad to good. 

2. Take a nap. Sometimes you are stressing out because your body is so tired. Taking a nap is a good thing to get yourself rejuvenated. You can sleep away from all the stress for a while and drift into subconsciousness. A lot of times, when I wake up, I'm relieved and feel ready to take charge of whatever it was that was bothering me.

3.  Watch a movie or T.V. show. When you're focused on watching your favorite movie or t.v show, you aren't thinking about how stressed you are. I recommend watching a comedy! It's very uplifting and gets your mind off of all your troubles. Any chance that you can get to laugh, take it! Laughing is a lot like medicine. Laughing sometimes keeps you sane. It really does help. Try it!

4.  Read a book. Just like watching a movie, reading is also very beneficial for stress relieving. It can take you to many places without leaving your room. There are so many good books out there. Find one that interests you so much that you'll be swept up in it and your stress will begin to fade. You'll forget all about it as you read chapter after chapter!

5. Last, but certainly not least, pray. It's hard to pray sometimes when you're stressed out, but do it. Tell Jesus about all the things bothering you. If you feel like you can't talk to anyone else about it, He always understands and listens. He always has time for you even when no one else does. Unlike most people, He wants to hear about your troubles so that He can help you. Trust me, I know what it feels like to not want to pray because of all of the stress, but it's one of the best times to pray. He loves you through the good times as well as the bad. He will help you. 

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:28-30

I hope these five little tips helped you! Do you do any of these things to relieve stress? What works for you? Let me know in the comments!