Aspire to Inspire

I started this blog for a reason, I want to share the things in this world that I love with everyone else. I want the things that inspire me to be more than just things. I want to share those incredible things with everyone else. 

But this post isn't going to be like any other thus far. Today I have no recipe to share or book that might brighten your day. Today I only have the words streaming through my head to share in hopes that you too might be inspired. 

We are given one life. We have this one really big shot to take it all in and experience it all. So why do so many of us choose to live it in fear and weighed down?

The future has been a constant thought treading the paths of my mind. But it isn't a heavy thought. Before I can begin to take a step forward I've had to stop myself and consider what I want. When it is just me laying in bed what will make me happy? What do I dream about having?

Some day I want a family to come home to. I want someone to share my life with. But I don't want to live for the some day. 

Every day you converse with another person you leave a mark on them. The words that we speak to others can breathe life into them or tear them down. And somewhere, at some point, someone is going to be watching us to see just how we are doing it. 

We do it every day. We unknowingly compare our lives to others. We consider what they have in accordance to what we want or think we need. 

So today I challenge you to do more. Share grace and love with the world. Don't take a second of life for granted. If you can dream it go for it. Don't spend your life wishing you had someone else's. Go for it. 

We have an incredible chance. And every second we are still here is a chance to do more, change more and live better. 

Dream big, laugh often and love with a capacity that knows no bounds. You'll not only bring a light upon your own life but you'll help shine one on someone else's.

Promise yourself to live your life as a revolution and not just a process of evolution.

- Anthony J. D'Angelo

Melody or Melancholy

I am quickly exhausting all my initial ideas. And thus the cycle of what new thing to write about will begin very quickly. However, while I am still at the beginning phase of this blog I figure why not post a ton. 

I've wanted to find a piece of music to recommend to you all. But I realize that I would be branding myself in a way with that particular artist. And I also realize that my musical selection is far too large to narrow it down to one. So before I get lost farther in this stream of consciousness I will step back to what I do want to share. 

Have you ever thought about what you could learn about a person just by merely looking at their top 25 played songs on itunes? Now I do have to say that for me it isn't always the most accurate count of what I listen to during the day because I have a sleep playlist that generally takes charge on top played. But besides that point, it says a lot about a person. Five minutes reading this playlist would tell you far more about where a person is in their life vs. a five minute conversation.

Don't believe me? Check out some of the celebrity playlists on itunes. You would be surprised. Some of the playlists spoke more volumes than a novel ever could and were very disturbing at that. 

We surround ourselves with our emotions. We search for the things we can relate to in our place of life. Our choice in novels, movies, friends, music all relates back to who we are as a person. A part of who we are becomes the reflection of what we surround ourselves with. So I'll share with you my top 25 played tonight. Some of the songs are my happy music, others represent the melody I love, and some just happen to be played more frequently in the sleep cycle that others. But it is your peek into something else. 

You want to know someone, know what they surround themselves with and then take a deeper look.

Food = Art

The first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one. Well today I have a confession to make: I am a Food Network addict. Well I feel much better now. But in all seriousness I do love food network. As I am writing this post the food network channel plays in my peripheral vision. 

I LOVE to try new recipes though. And I have two male best friends that are my willing guinea pigs. So today I want to share a recipe with you that I am in love with. 

The other day Paula Deen did a segment on desserts. And this dish is one I recommend: White Chocolate-Coconut Cookies. Now I make A LOT of desserts. It is really rare though that I find one that I am in love with. This is one of them though. It is so simple to make. The only I had a little issue doing was melting the white chocolate for dipping. I recommend a little kyro syrup to make it smooth and a little water if it gets too brittle. I also warn that it's best to use a fork or only dip one end in the chocolate because it gets really HOT as I learned the hard way. But these cookies make for a nice, decadent snack. Good with tea, coffee or a small after dinner sweet-tooth quencher.  So that is my recommendation for the day. However, if you are trying to lose weight do not make these; you won't be able to stop eating them. =)

Laugh a little, or a lot.

There are some days when I just want to get lost in a book. I want to escape the ever crowding reality that is my own life and release my mind into the world of another. So I grab a book off my bookshelf, start a pot of coffee, curl up into some pillows and place my phone on the opposite side of the room (sorry kj). 

Picking the book can be hard. Sometimes I'm ready to dive into a new story. I long to meet new characters and challenge my mind to imagine a world new to its boundaries. Other days, well I just don't want the newness. There are those days that I just want comfort because I need to know how it all ends. On those days the world doesn't make since there is one particular series that always makes me smile.

 
The Lauren Hollbrook Series by Erynn Mangum is most certainly one of them. Miss Match is the first in this 3 novel series. And you can ask my roommate from freshmen year, I was laughing from the beginning. Mangum writes a very witty but relatable girl with Laurie. The novel is a mix between Pride and Prejudice and Emma. What girl couldn't use a little Jane Austen to brighten her day?
Laurie has taken on matchmaking tendencies as a hobby, all the while inhaling coffee at every chance and figuring out that maybe she doesn't know as much about God as she thinks.  Erynn Mangum did a great job writing this novel. She leaves you with a smile on your face and an urgency for coffee or something chocolate laced. 
So for any girl who needs a pick-me-up or a modern relation of a Jane Austen classic this is my recommendation for today. Grab your coffee or dr. pepper (or water if that is all you drink like my best friend) and dive into the "the fast-changing and multifaceted world of Lauren Emma Hollbrook". Trust me, you'll feel better. =)

The Place

I am a Panama City native. Born and raised in this tourist town. For me that means I LOVE local places. If I have a choice between a Starbucks or a local coffee place (like our recently closed Rabbit Hole) I try to pick the local place. This really goes for restaurants. "The Place" is no exception to this rule.

"The Place" is my recommendation of the day. It's located in a historic downtown with a feel that I absolutely adore. This local restaurant has been one of my favorites places to get a good and reasonably priced meal since high school. They make incredible sweet potato fries. Or if you are picky like some of my friends the chicken melt is always a plus.

Today I got their Jenks Burger (bacon cheeseburger for all of you non-locals). It was the monday special. My meal with tip was less than 10 dollars which is in my budget. =) It is the first time I've tried their burgers, and I was very satisfied with my order. And so far I haven't had a meal I didn't like.

The First Line

Every story has that first line. The one that enthralls you and keeps you coming back for more. Every writer wants their first line to find that space inside the read that just resonates bringing them deeper into the heart of the characters. Well this is that story for me.

I'm a writer, a reader, a daughter, an artist (in a loose sense of the word), a lover (of God and all his creations which is too long to list)... I could continue this pattern but you don't have all day to read now do you? I want the world to be my playground. I want to live every second of this life with all I have.

So that is where you dear reader come in. I want to share it with you. This isn't my first blog. And what exactly this blog will be is not something I'm so sure of yet. But I want a place to share everything I love with the rest of the world. No guarantees though.