b l e s s e d

Okay everyone, let's get real about life. It isn't easy, there are so many things that can get you down, it sometimes doesn't work out how you thought it would, and there is always some kind of plot twist in the mix. Even though there is a lot of stuff that can get you down, there is so much to be grateful for! Lately I've been bugged that no matter how hard I try to make things work out perfectly, something almost always has to go wrong. Life can be tough some times, but it doesn't mean you can't be happy. ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING.

(me and my cute mama)

Let's get real here. Have you ever had a day when people just do little things that really bug you? Do you ever have those days where it seems that one bad thing after another keeps happening or you just feel that stuff keeps piling on top of you and you're unable to handle it any longer? Sometimes those days happen on a weekly basis! Life is rough. However, it doesn't mean it isn't doable. Sometimes I just feel so sorry for myself and then I realize that I'm an idiot for doing so. There are lots of other people that have rough stuff happen to them and they still remain optimistic. Take my mom for example. This lady has Chron's and other crazy health problems but is one of the happiest people I know. Every time I come home to visit, she greets me with the most gorgeous smile wanting to know how I am doing. She is awesome. I'll call her up during the week to see how she is doing, and even when she is hurting and battling some other kind of sickness, she always says, "I'm just fine!" It amazes me. She is truly remarkable and I love her a lot. The thing that makes my mom so wonderful is her attitude, smile, and her ability to radiate happiness. I love her and want to grow to become like her! She knows that by being positive, life is a whole lot easier.

Just remember, when a bad day just seems to be getting worse, ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING. Keep going, keep smiling, don't stop looking for the sunshine! Remember how incredibly blessed you are for being able to live in such a wonderful world. When you start loving life, it can't help but love you back.

xoxo

janitor

When you ask somebody their occupation and they reply with "custodian", there is usually a cringe, a pause and then a dash of sympathy. Nobody wants to clean up after other people. Being a janitor isn't a 'respected' job. It's not practicing law or medicine-- it isn't a dirty job that gets congratulated like being a CNA or something like that. Let's face it, janitorial work is field of work that nobody wants to do and hopes that they never have to. Well guess what, folks? I AM A JANITOR. (I feel like this is kind of an alcoholic anonymous thingy :) ) I work for the university and help prepare venues for events. I'm technically Event Operations, but I basically do cleaning similar to what a janitor or custodian would do. The people I work with are phenomenal, my supervisors ROCK, and this has definitely been one of my favorite jobs so far. I'm not planning on being a janitor for the rest of my life. It isn't my life calling, but as of right now it is a really good, steady job that I actually enjoy. I'm not saying that I like to clean up after lazy slobs, but my job has given me a lot of experiences that have proven very helpful in my day to day life. I'm learning SO many skills that I will use for a lifetime.

This is kind of a weird post, right? I promise I'm going somewhere with this. But before I get to my main point I want to tell a story:

So a few weeks ago I was at one of the venues we provide just making sure that things were going well for this one group that rented the place. I was there to check that the bathrooms were stocked and also to be there in case there was an emergency. So the event goes smoothly, and then it is time for the clean-up group to come in and clean the venue. I'm waiting for the group to come together and this woman comes up to me and snarkily asks if I am the 'janitor'. I said yes and asked her if I could help her with something and she told me that there was a popcorn spill that she really wanted to get on top of. I told her to sit tight because there were rules and directions that I needed to go over, and let's just say that after that moment, everything went downhill. I'm not exactly sure why these people were so frustrated; they knew what they were supposed to do, but from that moment on they called me a janitor like it was some kind of insult. It honestly made me feel awful. It was a rough night and I was already feeling super down from a crazy, stressful week. I didn't know these people personally, and what they said shouldn't have bothered me, but it did. They were making assumptions based on my job and judged me for it. It honestly sucked. I came home to my hubs and he had to talk me up and tell me a million times that what they said didn't matter, that I would most likely never see them again, and people that you don't know don't matter. It was what I needed to hear then. 

It wasn't until the next day that I remembered an awesome blogger Al Carraway. She is an amazing example of "don't judge a book by its cover". This thought hit me like a brick. IT MADE SENSE! These people were judging me because they didn't know me! They don't know all of the things that I've done, they don't know the stresses and hardships that I have dealt with or am currently dealing with. They don't know who I was or what I want to become. They don't know me. 

How many times have you judged someone you don't know? I know I have wrongfully judged people. Most of us have. We are continually making maps of people, trying our best to make sense of who they are, but many times our assumptions are wrong. We are all human, we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father. We all have the ability to be nice, so why not do it? 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that we shouldn't judge people. Don't treat someone badly because of their work, religion, beliefs, or just because you can. You never know who is having a rough time, so just be nice. It's always fun to be the person that brightens somebody else's day. 

xoxo  

General Statements

*DISCLAIMER*

This post may or may not be about marriage... again.

I find it hilarious that everyone is deciding to blog about why they aren't wearing leggings, or why they are happy they didn't get married young. It seems that everyone has an opinion and no matter what it is, they are right and if anybody thinks otherwise, then they are uneducated or inept.

So today I was scrolling through my Facebook feed, and I came across an article that my old dance teacher posted that said something along the lines of "What parents are teaching their daughters wrong... blah blah bad parenting..." I agreed with a lot of it. Seriously, we should start teaching young girls to be independent. I loved that it said to teach your daughter to have an opinion, to go to school and gain a quality education, to not dress in a certain way just to grab a boy's attention, and even some small things like not eating your feelings, then it came to one "rule" that I absolutely despise, "Don't allow your daughter to get married young".

What. The. Blank.

#1- AGAIN with the not getting married young thing? I seriously thought we were done with this.

#2- ALLOW? Since when do you allow your ADULT daughter to do something? There is this thing called independence that you aren't letting your daughter to have and practice if you are not allowing her to make her own decisions. 

I've been thinking about blogging about this topic for quite some time now, but every time I do I always convince myself that I don't want to be one of those fanatical bloggers who write about topics like this so passionately that people who have an opposing opinion don't dare to say anything because they are afraid of the blogger and their faithful followers' backlash. However, I am very passionate about this subject and want to show a different side of it.

I got married when I was 19. That is really young. I didn't even finish my first year of college before I met, dated, and was engaged to my husband. Everyone looked at me weird when I went wedding dress shopping. Many people I encountered seemed doubtful of my relationship lasting. It honestly hurt when a lot of people who I thought were my closest friends didn't support my decision. I knew the risks (I even took a marriage and family university course that explained them extensively), but whenever I thought about not having my husband in my life, I knew I would regret that decision forever. 

My parents were very supportive of my decision. They loved Chad the minute they met him, but they never forced me one way or another. They said that this had to be MY decision. Everyone else decided to give their opinion on what I should do with my life. Some of my friends said that I should date Chad longer, others said that I should get married fast, Some people thought that I should break up with him and travel or "discover" myself, but every time somebody gave me their opinion, I didn't want to listen. My parents encouraged me to think about the commitment I was about to make and to make sure I was ready. They didn't think that I needed to travel, or wait to figure out who I was to make my decision. I knew I loved Chad and that we would be able to balance each other out and make a healthy relationship work.

I don't know why people think you need to figure out who you are in order to get married. That is the biggest joke ever. People change. I feel like I have changed a lot over the last year. I'm not the same person I was when I first came to college and I don't think I will be the same person in five years. I became very comfortable with who I was my junior year of high school, but for some reason I felt like I didn't know who I was and I couldn't wait to "discover" myself in college. The whole act of "discovering" oneself seemed so interesting and that once I achieved it that all of my problems would be solved and I could live happily ever after.. ladeedahh whatever. THIS CONFUSED ME SO MUCH. I came to college, and for the first half of the fall semester I kept trying to discover who I was but it only made things more difficult. I just kept thinking that I was supposed to be an entirely different person,but what I really learned is that you don't need to figure out who you are or become a new person, you need to be comfortable and confident with yourself and then other things will fall into place.

What bothers me most is that people say "you shouldn't get married young" instead of "wait until you are ready to get married". There are some very good reasons for a person to not get married young. Some don't feel ready to have a serious relationship, others are not ready for the commitment and responsibilities. You need to be ready to make important decisions and have a mature relationship. Life is rough and marriage just adds more responsibility to it, but it doesn't mean it can't be a wonderful and joyful experience. MARRIAGE ROCKS. However, if you are not ready for marriage and what it entails, wait a little bit longer.

Even at our wedding receptions, people seemed to doubt that we would last very long. I remember receiving several comments that doubted our maturity and ability to make a relationship work. At the reception in Boise, I remember one man asking me my age. I thought to myself, "Oh no, not another comment on how young I am, or a lecture about making a relationship work takes a lot of effort." Instead this guy had the HUGEST smile on his face and said to Chad and me, "That's so great! You two get to grow together. You both are going to have a lot of adventures and get to enjoy each other when you are still young. You two aren't completely set in your own individual lifestyles and it makes it easier to blend them together. You'll love growing closer as you grow older." Bam. That was exactly what I needed to hear. Somebody who knew that you could have a successful relationship even if you married young.

I guess what I'm trying to say overall is that there is no 'right' age to get married at. Some people find their sweetheart in grade school, some find them their first year out of the house, and others might not find them until later in life. Whenever you find the person who makes you better, happier, person, that is the right time. Don't wait to get married because other people think you should, but don't rush into things if it doesn't feel right. Make sure it is YOU making the decision.

xoxo