Thanks for joining me at the Ultimate Blog Party! WELCOME!

A little about me:   I’m a life-lovin’, photo snappin’, crazy-about-family brand new momma.

I’m a diet breaker, an exercise slacker and a chore hater. I’m forgetful; I’m spontaneous; I’m a people pleaser; I’m random. I choose play over work, saving over spending, and staying up late over waking up early.

I’m a game enthusiast, driven to win, and before I die– I WILL fulfill my life goal of being on a game show. All shopping is detestible, but I have made grocery shopping into a game so that it’s at the very least, tolerable–After all, I suppose my family has to eat!?!?! I rarely follow a recipe 100% and can count on one hand the times I’ve grocery shopped with a list.

There are many times that I wish I were normal, but I’ve relinquished that dream for membership in the “It’s Okay to be Peculiar” club. Join me, I dare ya!

Here are the links to a few posts so you can learn more about me:

Click here to be redirected back to my home page. Thanks again for visiting!

(Prizes I would love to win: USC60, US112, US8, USC37, USC15, USC3, USC49.)  If those are all taken, I’ll take anything!  I just love to win!

Blah. Boring. Monotonous. Tedious. Dull. Uninteresting. Uneventful. Humdrum. Mundane. Though many average people describe their life with these words, mine—by choice—is an abundant life. By living an intentional life, I inspire others!

Through one form or another, a life of ‘hard knocks’ frequently comes to visit all of us—whether it’s through a physical ailment, a broken relationship, or by an unexplainable devastation. In 2004, I experienced a life situation that shook me to my core. It was a relational issue, but it left me feeling deserted and fragile. As I picked up my pieces, I realized that I could not change my crummy situation. I could not change what had happened to me. I could not change the actions of others. But what I could affect was my reaction to the situation. I discovered that the ONLY thing over which I had control was my response to my difficulty. In that situation, I chose forgiveness, joy, and peace. My response helped me to persevere through heartache and inspire others to do the same.

By choosing joy when life seems joyless; hope when life seems hopeless; love when life seems loveless; laughter when life is not laughable; and by deliberately finding and appreciating simple things in life, I inspire people.

My sister claims that I have childlike enthusiasm. I find joy in winning a board game, in simply being with others, by telling a corny joke, by skipping down the hall at work, by learning something new, or by googling something that makes me snicker. Life is too short to take too seriously, and in my simple approach and appreciation for life, I inspire people.

When I discuss my blog with others, the most typical immediate response is: “Well, I don’t have anything interesting to write about.” I could easily say the same about my life! The difference is  about perspective. I intentionally strive to find ways that my ordinary life is extraordinary, fun, enjoyable, and WONDERFUL–then I share those moments with others. I’ve adopted a personal approach to find fun in everyday living. Sometimes life can be blah. It can be boring. It can be monotonous. It can be tedious, dull, uninteresting, uneventful, humdrum, and mundane. But it’s our response to those moments which take us from average living to inspirational living. And that’s what I’ve chosen to do.

Winning this competition and absorbing information at Amy’s workshop would be icing on my life’s cake!  For several years now, I’ve enjoyed snapping pictures of family, friends, and of life’s little blessings.  Though I’m by no means a professional, attending this workshop would energize me to continue to capture the blessings of life through photographs and to cherish those memories in my heart.  Who knows?  If I win, I may just be seen skipping down the halls at work.

(This post was written for a contest at www.iheartfaces.com in response to the following:

“Amy wants to know your story. How do you inspire others? She’d like you to share your inspiring story that would encourage others and also share how winning this giveaway will help you in your photography journey.

Tell us how you love, serve or inspire other people in your life, and what attending the workshop might mean for your photography journey. You don’t need to have a business to enter. Whether you are a pro, semi-pro or hobbyist with an SLR, I am so, so excited to hear your story!”)

I’m getting ready to post an essay that I wrote for a contest over at Iheartfaces.com.  The topic was “How Do you Inspire others?”  Um, a definite challenge to answer!  So, if you read it and think, “Man, this girl thinks too highly of herself,” then hopefully this post explains that!

I’ll be back to my normal activities for my next post–just wanted to explain the essay before posting.  (I’ll let you know when I win!  *wink*) Happy Wednesday…