Thursday, May 30, 2013

#TBW Vogel Girls

I know, I know..I'm a day late on my #TBW post, but I promise I have a good reason! I had a real craptacular internet connection last night so I put it off until this morning!

Nonetheless, the Vogel girls are Florida bound in less than 48 hours to celebrate my Aunt Jeanne's "30th" Birthday and I thought today's post should reflect our last girls trip! 


We sailed the high seas and found ourselves in the Bahamas! 


I can't wait to spend a couple of days with five of my favorite women...sand between our toes, margaritas in our hands. Sounds like perfection to me!

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

26 at 26

As I was scrolling through Pinterest the other day, I saw a pin for “60 Quotes that Will Change Your Life”. Well, as you might know by my Be Inspired page, I’m a sucker for good quotes and so I took the plunge and clicked. I definitely saw some great quotes, but what really caught my eye was a post called 26 Life Lessons Learned by Age 26. After reading their list, I thought why not try my own…so here’s my attempt. Enjoy!

 1) A good attitude can make a world of difference.

2) Happiness is a choice (and not always an easy one).

3) Some of the best moments in life cannot be planned, be spontaneous.

4) Opportunity is everywhere.

5) Change is inevitable, don’t fight it.

6) Take plenty of advice in all that you do, but make decisions for yourself.

7) Cliché or not, the little things really do mean the most.

8) You will never get far in life if you aren’t willing to work hard.

9) Don’t fall into the habit of being “too busy” or “too tired” to workout or improve your health in some way.

10) Own your mistakes.

11) Don’t be afraid to stand out on your own.

12) You are a role model to someone, regardless of what you might think.

13) Ignorance is not bliss.

14) Take pictures, journal, blog, whatever…just do something to document your life.

15) Step out of your comfort zone sometimes.

16) Think before you speak – you can’t take words back after they’ve been said.

17)  Do not be intimidated by those smarter/more skilled than you…use them as a learning tool to educate/better yourself.

18) You cannot please everyone; I don’t even suggest you try to.

19) Keep an open mind.

20) Don’t try to live beyond your means.

21) Important conversations need to take place face-to-face, if possible. Not via text or email.

22) Be confident in all you do.

23) Never be ashamed of who you are.

24) Experience what the world has to offer – travel to new places, eat different food, meet new people.

25) Laugh…it’s the best medicine.

26) Don’t take life for granted, it really can change in an instance.

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 I think the best reads are the ones that make you think and that is my hope for this post. Whether you agree with all of the things on my list or not, I hope that it makes you think and ponder that if you had 26 life lessons to share, what would they be?

#TBW The Valley

Every fall when I was growing up, I couldn't wait to head 16 miles southeast of Bucklin to see the leaves of all the trees turn at one of my favorite places ever. It was a tradition I loved and one of the most beautiful sites. 

Unfortunately on May 23rd, 2008 the valley, where our family's ranch is located, was hit by a tornado. My brother rode out the storm in a hayshed and luckily came out with just a few scratches, despite his pickup being lifted completely off the ground.





This week's devastation in Moore, OK makes me realize how incredibly lucky my family was just to incur property damage five years ago. 

My thoughts and prayers are with the community of  Moore. May they find the strength and courage to triumph in the wake of disaster.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

#TBW Best Friends for Life

In honor of our upcoming girls' trip to Florida, I thought I would dedicate the next couple of posts to two of my best friends...the girls who I know I'm guaranteed to have a great time with, the girls who can always make me laugh, the girls who will always be by my side.

My cousins - Ashton and Jill



Us Three, circa 2007

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

#TBW Pomp and Circumstance

People often ask me what the most memorable MWKS event that I was able to participate in and while every event was special in their own way, being asked to be the commencement speaker for Bucklin High School's 2012 graduating class tops my list. Now, as the Class of 2013 prepares to walk across the stage on Sunday, I thought it would only be fitting to dedicate today's #TBW to my most memorable experience.



I was more than honored, as well as humbled, to know that of all people they could choose for their commencement speaker, the 2012 graduating class chose me. (Don't forget how extremely nervous I was as well!) They gave more the opportunity to not only address them with my story and "words of wisdom", but they gave me the opportunity to address our community - the community that has supported me throughout my entire life.

It was an event of a lifetime for me and one I'll never forget...but if for some reason it has slipped your memory or you weren't there, check out Cap and Crown for the details of my day and my speech that I had prepared. 

Friday, May 3, 2013

Secret Society

A couple of weeks ago I attended a wedding and as we were leaving the church, I noticed another woman a few rows back who was also in a chair. I smiled and thought nothing of it, but as soon as we got out the doors of the church I was asked, “Who’s that other girl in the wheelchair?”

 “No idea, must be a friend of the bride and groom,” was my response and the subject was dropped. A little later in the evening I actually had the opportunity to meet the “other girl in the chair” and get to talk with her and her parents a little bit. It was a brief conversation and we spoke about driving and accessible vehicles among a few other things, but it wasn’t like we sat and talked for the rest of the evening.

 The next day I was talking to someone who also attended the wedding when they asked me, “So, what’s the story of the other girl in the wheelchair from last night? I saw you talking to her for quite some time.” Once again I said, “I’m not really sure, we really didn’t talk that much.”

 After the second inquisition, I was a little peeved so I’m going to let you guys in on a little something – I do not belong to some secret society where rolling on four wheels is a prerequisite and everyone knows everyone else. This is no sorority with a secret handshake or a frat that holds wheelie parties every night.

 Now, I will have to say that although I don’t know everyone in a chair or what their story is, I know we’re connected. We share a unique characteristic…we stand out in crowds…we have a mutual respect for each other. We can relate to each other and perhaps that’s why there is this misconception, but I learned a long time ago that one should not assume anything and this is no exception.

 As I step off my soap box here, I must say that even if there was some sort of secret society going on, I could probably never pass the requirements to get… with the finger movement I have, I’d fail the secret handshake in a heartbeat!

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

#TBW Life's a Garden...Dig It

Although today's weather doesn't show it, but it's springtime around this place and for the past few weeks we have been talking about if we should plant a garden and what would we plant if we did. Well, we finally decided. Tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, squash, peppers, okra, and watermelon it is...and hopefully I can talk mom into some spinach!

I get excited every year about planting a garden and having fresh produce to eat. This year is no different, but I'm not certain that I'm as excited as these two were while watering their corn back in the day!


(Scott and Jason)