Butterflies and Goosebumps...

WOW... I need to be pinched, seriously... like now! My blessings are on overload today; I don't think a scalpel could get this smile off my face right now. Corey and I closed on our new home and the next chapter of my life has officially begun; this is an awesome feeling. 

I am amazed...thoroughly amazed at what has happened in my life in the past two years. In July of 2010, I felt like my world was crumbling on top of me, I was struggling to keep things going after making the decision in September of 2009; seven months pregnant with my fourth child, to ask my husband to leave; I wanted a divorce. It was a tough decision but hands down the best one I had made up to that point, and with what has happened since then... I know it was the right one. 

I was at the end of my rope, hanging on for dear life because everything I had tried led me to another wall. I had nothing left in me... so I made the choice to ask God to take it all into His hands. DON'T stop reading because I mentioned God... I am not going to "preach" to you I am simply telling you my story, and if you can't appreciate that then I don't want you reading my blog anyway ;) Okay ... back to the story. So I was on empty, no more fuel and I distinctly remember praying and asking God to "take the wheel." This was the second time in my life I had asked for such a thing and it worked the first time, so I figured it would not hurt to ask again. This day came about a week before I started my book; I was trying to occupy my brain with writing instead of my crumbling walls, and it worked.

 I am stubborn; REALLY stubborn and being type A personality, I tend to like to hold the wheel myself... I am telling you this in case you can relate, it's HARD to let go.

The next day I felt a sense of peace, my world was still crumbling, but I woke up feeling different somehow. That night before bed I took out my Bible, dusted it off and opened it to Proverbs. I began to read, and although I cannot recite the exact scripture right now my "Ah-ha" moment came when I read a verse that said something to the effect of "a man stricken with worry does not have faith" . This one REALLY made me think for weeks, it hit home. I thought about how much less stress I would have in my life if I stopped worrying and had faith that it would all work out... but I couldn't do it, at least not until I took my mind off my worries and began to write my book. As the words poured out like rainfall, I made the decision to truly let it all go... and stop the worrying, I needed to write, to share my story with others. It was that moment that my life began to take a turn.

Now... nearly two years later, my life has changed direction by 180 degrees. The day I stopped worrying about what was happening to me, I allowed myself to wonder what was going to be... I began thinking of what COULD be and my whole mindset changed and my life followed. A million blessings in disguise have finally allowed me to open up the best gift of all... happiness, contentment and thankfulness for everything I have. It is no longer what I want in life, it is now what I am going to get out of life... it's made all the difference in the world.

I am laying my head down tonight with butterflies and goosebumps after perhaps the best day of my life up to this point. It's not because we closed on a house, but because I have grown as a person through all of this and I know that I am now a better person because of it. Be grateful... stop the worrying and have faith that your life will turn around when you let it all play out exactly as it should. 

"Stop fighting what is meant to be, because your Happy Ending could be right around the corner."

~S. Giard ©2012~

xoxo 

~Shells~

Cover of my book

https://www.facebook.com/INeedTheHappyEnding

The next chapter of my life begins NOW! 

The Bullies, The Fakers, and the Trouble Makers

I am all grown up now, and one thing that I have gained because of that is wisdom. I have lots of "been there, done that" scenarios and learned all of my lessons the hard way. Unfortunately I suffered a lot of grief, anger, worry and sadness to get where I am today... MY HAPPY PLACE.

Throughout my life I always KNEW what it was I wanted, I had set career goals as a high school Sophomore and never let them leave my mind, even when people thought I was crazy for thinking that I could accomplish them. I was bullied, made fun of and surrounded by nay-sayer's and I will admit that in some instances I let them sway me; but when it came to my dreams after school ended, nothing  people said or did to me affected what happened... in fact, it only fueled me more in the long run.

I will never understand why people, (most often females) cannot be happy for you when you are doing good, when you are happy, when you are beaming with excitement; yet they will roll around in the dirt that may come up in your life from time to time and act like they care about you then. We all make mistakes, we all go through tough times, we all have defeating moments and feelings of inadequacy, but when we are up, we are up.... "on top of the world looking down on creation" and cloud nine just makes us want to hop on over to cloud 10...11... and 12. Support is nice, but when you are up far enough... not even the lack of it can bring you down; at least that SHOULD be the case.

You see, what people say does not matter... unless it's true. If it's true, then you must look at the situation and decided if you should work on it or not. If it's false then the truth will eventually show it's face and they will look like flaming idiots, leaving you with the truth badge. It's why karma... or God's wrath (whatever you choose to call it) is so much sweeter than any revenge, argument or fist fight I can conjure up. Have I ever wanted to smack someone around, beat someone up, or rearrange the mouth the lies are coming out of? Sure... and I actually did once, (the only fight I ever got in) and it did feel good, I won't lie; but it solved nothing.

 These types of people... the bullies, the fakers, the troublemakers, have an agenda... and that is to bring you down to the bottom where they are digging trenches. That IS why they do it ya know; they are miserable, unhappy, and jealous of your happiness and accomplishments and instead of getting off their duff's to make "happy"  part of their every day they would rather bother those of us who are working hard to fulfill our dreams. Why? Well, because it's easier than getting off their duff.

I wrote this blog tonight in honor of two friends that are dealing with similar issues right now, both are VERY good people trying to do something BETTER with themselves and I, as a true friend and beaming with pride for BOTH of them. Unfortunately, not everyone is cheering them on. Girls... keep on keeping on. Only you and what YOU stand for matters... their words will only affect the outcome of your dreams if you give up, believe they are right, and begin digging trenches with them.

Goodnight! 

xoxo

~Shell~

Compelling Cab Ride... Influencing people wherever you are

I just love moments that are cool, you know… the ones that are supposed to happen to you all along. I call those defining moments… they are the moments you will hang onto all your life, the moments that make a difference because they influence behavior or emotion in you. After a 5-day business trip to DC for Photoshop World, (AKA PSW), I am now sitting in a restaurant at the Baltimore-Washington Airport waiting for dinner before my flight and I had to type this blog post about my cab ride. Although my hope was to fly straight into DC, the flights were ridiculously high even three weeks out, so I found a better priced flight into Baltimore/Washington International and booked it. I figured spending $170 round trip for the cab ride to and from my hotel was still better than paying $450 more for a flight into D.C.

When I got in the cab today I began a conversation with the driver trying to negotiate a deal for the ride to BWI; I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try and being that I typically negotiate like a master, I thought it may work. He was entertained to say the least at my attempt to finagle a discount of at least $10 and it started up a conversation about what I did for a living. He said I struck him as a great business woman. I told him that I did makeup, hair and wardrobe for print, TV and special events and the conversation continued from there. He found out where I was from, how many kids I had, that I wrote a book, and a blog, that I am twice divorced and he even asked me which husband I liked the most, which made me laugh. This brought on a more compelling conversation, as I told him that both marriages had good things and bad, but what I could say most definitively was that I learned more lessons from the second one and had no regrets for either one, despite their negatives.

I found out he was from Ethiopia which brought on a very interesting conversation, that he was 42, and had been in America for 10 years. We talked the WHOLE way to the airport, not one silent moment; from laughing to intense conversation about psychology, goals and racism in America. I gave him a “pep talk” when I found out he went to school in his country to be a teacher. This guy was smart… VERY smart and he drove a cab. Cool thing is he has DREAMS of being a business owner, and I told him he could LIVE those dreams.  I let him know that waking up every day he could decide to be happy… to be happy that he could drive in order to support his family, to be happy he woke up with food; being from Ethiopia he knew what being without it was like. I told him to wake up every day and tell himself that he was going to be a better driver today than he was yesterday…. and to never take his mind off of his goals.

I told him that making the choice to be happy while keeping your mind on your goals, and being thankful for where you are, even if it’s not where you hope to be, will help you live out your dreams. He stopped me after I said these things and said “Shelley, you are one amazing lady, you have totally inspired me, you should be a speaker, you are SO good at this” To which I smiled and said “Well, that is MY ultimate goal, so you saying that inspires me!”

As we pulled up to the terminal he asked me if I would send him a book when it was out, and of course I said yes. He gave me his email address and helped me with my bags. He probably would have given me that discount… but I decided the ride was worth the $85 and I tipped him another $5.

The moral of this story?

Never underestimate anyone because you never know who will inspire you; or who you may inspire… you simply never know who will make an impact in your life. I encourage you to pay attention, talk to people… and listen to what they have to say. I cannot wait to send him my book and I have no doubt that he will become a business owner one day!

If you are reading this blog, Thanks Getiyek… that was a compelling cab ride!

On my way to DC I Met Mrs. Obnoxious!

My intention was to post this last night, but after arriving at the hotel starving having not eaten since 2, I decided to grab a bite in one of the hotel restaurants... saw some of my photographer friends whom I joined and before I knew it it was 12:30 am... too pooped to be a coherent blogger. So.... I grace you with my presence this morning, sorry for the delay, I will make this story worth the wait :)

Airports are likely the most entertaining places on earth in my mind if you open yourself up to your surroundings. I have always been a fan of curbside check-in as a convenient and swift way to get things done when you arrive; I am not a fan of lines. Being that I was flying alone and had way too many bags it seemed like the perfect option for me yesterday, however the line was unusually long. Oh well, I thought, it will go fast. Little did I know that Mrs. Obnoxious and her friend were the cause of the hold up.

I am not negative... I steer clear of this toxic emotion as much as possible, but getting irritated is not beneath me and blast it as I may, it happens. Here we all are standing in this line at curbside check in and Mrs. Obnoxious is talking to the attendant about all of her fabulous travels in a VERY loud and boisterous voice. While they are laughing and chatting away we are all looking at each other saying "really?" But as irritated as everyone was nobody would speak up. She had questions about her ticket, the gate, her seat, and this was all in between her storytelling. Finally I lost my cool when she pulls out one of her bags, opens it, steps to the side and proceeds to pull out this huge blanket of some sort to show this attendant. She had apparently been visiting Florida and began to show him what she bought while here. NO, I am NOT kidding. At this point being that the attendant was totally engaged in this woman's antics, I said diplomatically but with a somewhat irritated tone... "Um excuse me, can you not see that there is a large line here?" everyone smiled at me. The attendant looked at me and said "there is no line inside ma'am if you'd like to go in there." To which I replied, "I was checking in curbside for a reason, that reason being that I had a lot of luggage that I had hoped not to have to awkwardly lug in."

After another few minutes with no movement I finally went inside, had my baggage checked and boarding pass in hand before Mrs. Obnoxious was even finished. Unbelievable! Needless to say I had a few people follow me inside. I got to my gate, sat down, relaxed and began to people watch. (great stuff).The best was a lady with a hot pink outfit on wearing a red ant antenna hat, kind of resembled the "bugs life" hats you see in the Disney stores. The guy beside me laughed and said "wow" to which I said... (being the optimistic one) "there has got to be a reason" and the guy across from me said "can't be a good one."  Free entertainment at it's best!

After boarding the plane and all seated, it was quiet until... LOW AND BEHOLD Mrs. Obnoxious boarded the plane and her boisterous voice broke the silence. I won't give all the details because this would not be a blog post anymore but a short story... but let's just say that everyone had experienced Mrs. Obnoxious by the time we landed in Baltimore, especially the guy she hit in the head opening all the overhead bins when we landed. HA!

Have a great day everyone and smile .... IT'S FRIDAY!

xoxo

~Shells~

Finding My Rainbow in a Stressful Week...

As I end this CRAZY day and my hectic week at home (off to DC tomorrow for Photoshop World), I am exhausted given all that had to be done in the three days before I left. I woke up this morning with a full heart and a warm smile because it was World Down Syndrome Day and I get to celebrate the beautiful little life I created two and a half years ago because of it. March 21st (3/21) is the day we recognize that our little bundles of joy were born with 3 of the 21st chromosome (Trisomy 21) which causes Down syndrome. 

We have come along way... because as little as 30 years ago, these little bundles were institutionalized at birth because they were "no good" and considered blasphemous to society as far as doctors were concerned and most parents were told they had to put them away; the average life span was about 10-15 years. In my opinion, it was neglect  that killed them. Without love and proper care we are all dead. Every time I think of this I want to cry... so many children like my sweet Abrielle were tossed into hulls and considered crazy... they were called Mongoloids, retards and many other horrible things just because they were "different" never to be thought of again.

I have news for anyone out there who thinks this way... they ARE different, you are right about that! They love with no limits, give hugs with no end, laugh at things we don't recognize and smile as big as rainbows. They are unconditional, wonderful human beings, and the reason they are so special is because despite their disabilities they bring life lessons to anyone who comes into contact with them. 

So... on this tired day, I will lay my head down on my pillow knowing that I am blessed, I have a reason to smile every day and she taught me that. I no longer take things for granted... and cherish every small hurdle, every tiny accomplishment because regardless of how small they are it is forward motion towards a goal or purpose. I also learned to never sweat the things I cannot change.

To my precious daughter Abrielle... You are my sunshine, Mommy loves you with all her heart and all her might and I hope to be here when you graduate from college because I know you will. You have many cheerleaders, and your determination will get you there! You AMAZE me my little "Brie!" ~love Mommy~

IN HONOR OF MY DAUGHTER ON THIS DAY, I share her very first you tube video with you, which was posted last October. If you have already seen it watch it again... it will make you smile! 

MY AMAZING BRIE  <<< CLICK HERE

 Watching Mickey Mouse 

 Her brother calls her HIS baby... only 14 months apart

 At 6 months old...

 She finally discovers putting things in her mouth

 She loves eating her hand... if you look at the reflection, her brother is watching out for her as always

Shortly after she was born at only 4.5 lbs she stated in her sleep what she was here for "PEACE"

XOXO

"More alike than Different!"

~Shells~

Embrace the Dreamer....

"All successful people men and women are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or purpose."

That quote is by one of my favorite motivational speakers, a mentor, and mastermind of success coaching: Brian Tracy.  I agree with that statement wholeheartedly and have LIVED it every day since I graduated high school. It's been a long journey thus far and it's a good thing that I like roller coasters, otherwise I would have ended this ride years ago. Hills and valleys are fun... right? Yeah well, maybe not when you are speaking about life; but a roller coaster IS much less boring than a straight and narrow road with nothing to look at but wheat fields even if it does make you barf. (And what do we do when that happens? we get back on and do it again.) That's how I look at life... and because of that the wrenches I am thrown are just big hills to me, and I know that on the other side of that hill is a fun and effortless ride .

I have realized through the many people that I meet everyday that there are people who no matter what you say, they cannot be motivated... brought out of their dungeon of turmoil simply because they don't know how to change. It's sad, and I want to erase their hard drives and start over fresh... "if only I could save the world." I have to accept  the fact that not everyone can or wants to change... that does not mean I will stop dripping on them.... I just have to realize that sometimes my drips will fall to the ground without "touching" them. That is hard when you are someone like me, but I do my best to keep it subtle... even though I want to shove a motivational book down their esophagus and say life CAN be better, you just have to ERASE your hard drive and only save the good stuff from now on; the rest needs to go straight to the trash. I know... for I have lived it.

I was always a dreamer, I had crazy goals... mad passion and drive that could win an Indy race in seconds... I got mocked, eyes were rolled, comments were made to try and kill my spirit, did I let that stop me? NO, I let it fuel me because DREAMS are REAL and they CAN become your reality, all you have to do is believe in yourself. I don't give two seconds of thought to people who doubt me... as long as I don't doubt me THEY don't matter. It has proven well for me, and it will for you too.

Embrace the dreamers; they are the people who change the world!

DREAM BIG, and WORK HARD to make it your REALITY; you WILL get the results you seek... That's a promise!

HOPE ~ DEFEAT~ FEAR

Sitting in the Dr's office today I overheard a man next to me talking to a family member on the phone about his wife having a negative cancer check up and that "it was back." During the conversation he said many times, "we will get through this it’s not the first time, we will be okay and hopefully she will go into remission...again."  It is amazing to me that so often if you open up your ears  to other conversations when you are in public, you can hear things that will inspire you, things that make you feel blessed on days that you may have woken up feeling cursed. Hearing a story such as this where a man was so determined to get his wife through this again positively hoping for the best when everything about his body language said he was tired, sad, hopeless and afraid spoke very loud to me so I had to pull out my Ipad right after the appointment and write this blog post.

It is something that I often talk about... your attitude during times of adversity will likely give you the will to keep going and has everything to do with the outcome. Despite his obvious fear, this man was allowing hope to take over, and me being me... it made me smile. When he hung up the phone, he put his face into his hands... head down, on the verge of tears. He then suddenly breathed deep looked up and over at me, and said... "it shouldn't be too much longer of a wait I have been out here waiting on my wife for an hour... it makes you feel they don't think our time is important, but it certainly is."  I smiled and nodded in agreement as he patiently waited for his wife. A few minutes later my name was called and I felt blessed for the short wait I had.

I will tell you this my avid readers, life is much more fulfilling when you remove yourself from the equation sometimes; think of others, give to others, listen and be there for others... when you do this...whatever is going on in your life that is bringing you down is no longer your forefront clouding your vision and you will likely end up feeling that what you have going on isn't so bad after all. Hope is the opponent of fear and hope often wins because it causes different actions, it will not always bring you victory in the fight, but if you must go down, you will go down in flames!

"You gotta face the clouds to find the silver lining" 

(quoted from one of my favorite inspirational songs) 
http://youtu.be/7elxC8LXfzE