Thankful for Tragedy

This week has been filled with numerous job applications, phone calls, LinkedIn profile updates, emails, and more job applications. 

Along with job searching & marketing myself, my days have been filled pretty heavily with some deep thought and reflection. 

My quiet time this week has mainly focused on Thanksgiving. I've been really overwhelmed lately, but this week marks a 9 year milestone that has helped me decide to cut the negativity out of my life. I have countless things to be thankful for, so I've been praying especially hard this week that God would take my hand and help me change my point of view. Nobody likes a negative Nellie, so from this point forward I'm going to do my best to not be one. My goal is to take every setback as a lesson, and to be thankful for everything. I'm human though, so if you catch me being negative, call me on it!

Today, and every day, I'm thankful for tragedy.

trag·e·dy

noun

an event causing great suffering, destruction, and distress, such as a serious accident, crime, or natural catastrophe.

This week marks 9 years since my car accident which has got me thinking about many things, but mostly about how life can end at any second, so we need to make the most of it!

As you can see, it's by the Grace of God that I'm alive today. This week, I've realized how thankful I am for wrapping my car around a tree when I was 16 years old; these are just a few examples of what I'm thankful for:

1.  My life.

2. My ability to walk. Being in a wheelchair was an incredible learning experience no matter how much I hated it at the time. 

3. My pain. No matter how frustrating it can be, my chronic pain is something I've come to be especially thankful for. It's a daily reminder of how lucky I am to be alive.

4. My scars. I wouldn't change any of them for anything in the world. They are beautiful, plus they are a great way to tell kiddos how important seat belts are.

5. My mom. She is the strongest woman alive; God has blessed me so much more than I could ever explain by giving me her as a Mom. 

6. My family. They are the best support system there is.

7. My friends. They are just wonderful.

8. The Cordova Dragway Staff; for being gentle and wonderful to my mom.

9. Scott Manon. Thank you for holding my hands and keeping me calm, you are a wonderful man and I will be forever grateful.

10. Volunteer Fire Fighters/EMS workers. I crashed my car at about 1:30am, so a 12-minute response for being in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night is amazing.

11. All the doctors/nurses that put me back together.

12. All the physical/occupational therapists that helped me realize my calling. Before my accident, I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, after the accident I decided to go to school to be a physical therapist, which lead me to social work. I wouldn't give that up for anything. Not to mention, this led me to Clarke University where I met my other half, so I'm super thankful for this one :)

There are a million more things I'm thankful for, but I'm getting pretty wordy ;)

Walking with a walker isn't just for grandmas!


If you're still with me, I'd also like to share a few things I learned, these aren't as deep, but I'm sitting here smiling thinking about them, so whatev ;)

1. Getting on your Doctor's good side could cut your hospital stay significantly; batting my eyelashes got me out of the hospital in 12 days instead of the 4-6 weeks I could have been stuck in there ;)

2. Slacking off in Physical Therapy will get you nowhere, especially if your mom goes to every appointment and pushes you harder than the physical therapist.

3. Gaining 1 degree of movement in your knee, sounds like nothing, but is one of the best feelings there are.

4. If your nurse forgets to take you to therapy, push the call button, don't walk yourself; your nurse will get into trouble, and you will get scolded by your mom, doctor, physical therapist, and everyone else responsible for you.

5. Be nice to your nurses, they are amazing individuals.

6. If you freak out and cry before surgery, they will shoot you up & put you to sleep super quick. 

7. If you refuse to eat the hospital patient food they will give you a cafeteria menu, which is much better, trust me.

8. Ben & Jerry's is the best ice cream around, even if you forget about it and transfer to a different hospital.

9. Tostitos & Cheese will forever be my favorite snack, even if I get called Tostito butt ;)

10. If you're tired while driving, PULL OVER. It's not worth it to drive. No one realized how tired I was, including me, but this lesson hit home & will stick with me forever.

God has big plans for this lady, which means I have no time to be negative! 

So, I've put my positive panties on and I'm ready to get this positivity train a rollin'! Today I'm starting the 100 Happy Days Challenge, I'd love it if you joined me!

#100happydays day 1! Pool Day!

XOXO,

S.

Not that anyone reads this, buuutttt...

Long time, no posting. I figured since we're done with our moving and almost done with the settling in, I had better get back to it. I don't think anyone actually reads this, but even still, maybe when we're 50 I'll look back and laugh at myself. 

Not to mention, I started this thing to help hold myself accountable. I'm currently failing, as I've completely fallen off the accountability train. If you're reading this, stay with me as I try like hell to get back on. 

So let's see, what's new with my fitness journey...?

I started working out once we got here in the small gym area of our complex. I started a 12-week program {found here}. Man, was I on a good role! I stuck with it for the first whole week, which is absolutely nothing. I had every intention of sticking with it and finishing strong, until day 5. Day 5 was leg day for me. I was going strong until my third and final circuit. I had to modify my lunges as my left leg was giving me some trouble during round 2. Well, as you probably already guessed, during lunge round #3, my left leg gave out and to the floor I went. I'm glad no one was in the gym with me for a bunch of reasons, but mostly because I yelled, fell to the ground like a big sissy, and started crying while saying, "Son of a...followed by a long string of profanity.." I hobbled back to our place and decided I'd better give it a rest until I can get to the doctor, which is proving to be a whole event in and of itself. 

On a more positive note, our complex has a pool, so I've been swimming laps, which is amazing. 

Back in May I posted about my 2014 reading list {read about it here} I finished Bossypants, which I loved. Next up on the list is Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office by Lois P. Frankel. 

We found a cute little place here in Sunny Southern California to call ours. We're absolutely loving it here, especially since we're in a very walkable area. Pretty much anything we could ever need or want is a walk away, it's pretty incredible. 

There's a million things to do here, so we've been pretty busy. I'll leave you with a few snapshots of the fun we've been having!

Padres Games

Pride Parade

{one of the most amazing things I've ever witnessed}

 Our nephew, Z, turned 1! 

{E wasn't able to take leave, but I went to Houston for a week to celebrate}

The White Buffalo in concert

{check them out here}

hot dog date

Family has been asking to see pictures of our new place, so stay tuned for a tour!

XO,

S.

control freak

As I've said before, I'm a bit of a control freak. 

I'd like to think that all of this down time and reflection has helped me relax and be better at giving up control, and it really has. But, now we're getting ready to move across the country, and the OCD control freak monster has come out full force. 

This is our first PCS move of E's young career, so neither of us had any idea what to expect. We were used to filling the car/moving truck on our own and getting on our way.

To put it nicely, that is absolutely not what is happening. However, we are incredibly lucky that everything is working out for us and things are falling into place quickly. 

Since I have absolutely no control over scheduling or planning anything related to our move, I channeled my inner OCD beast to focus on the things I can control; cleaning and organizing the house so we're ready for the movers. 

I created a color coded system for the movers, organized each room, and labeled everything with its coordinating color post-it. Since we have a big garage, I kept the majority of the boxes everything came in, so everything with its original box is packed & labeled ;)

The moving company came today to do inventory..  The girl walked in and said, "you know it's the movers' job to pack your things, right?" and then chuckled. I gave myself a pat on the back when she left though because she said that our house is the most organized house she's ever done inventory on.  So even though I've done more than I technically had to, I feel more at ease and the moving company is appreciative, so that's all that matters.

A while back E & I started our first DIY project together & we finished it last night {just in time to move} and I'm so excited to share pictures with you! 

We got this table & chairs for $80 online; a little sanding and refinishing, and it's gorgeous if I do say so myself ;)

 

lot's of TLC :)

Table Before & After.

When we started, the table & chairs were all black. We sanded them all down, added a few screws to make the table more stable and then started refinishing it. As you can see, we painted the bottom of the table and chairs white. 

The top of the table was stained using Rust-Oleum stain in Dark Walnut {2 coats}

Chairs Before & After.

After sanding and painting the chairs, we decided to add cushions to the seats. 

I used these directions from a cute little blog I found.

E's not head over heels about the fabric choice for the cushions, but I think it really ties everything together.

Overall, I'd say our first diy project as an old married couple went over pretty well! Kudos to our dad's for teaching us a few things!

Until Next Time,

S.

2014 Reading List {part 1}

Reading is something I thoroughly enjoy to do. 

I've decided to challenge myself to read books that will help me grow in all areas of my life. I'm currently reading "Crash the Chatterbox" by Steven Furtick which is helping me to grow in my faith. 

Such a great book so far! 

These 10 books will hopefully help me explode with my career! I found this list floating around on Pinterest, which lit the spark for me to challenge myself. 

source

I don't plan to read these books in any sort of order, however I'm starting with Tina Fey's "Bossypants" since I found it on sale at Target, not to mention I love Tina Fey! I want to finish all of them by the end of 2014 with a few books sprinkled in here & there. 

What are some of your favorite books?!

Have a fabulous day!

Sadie

In Honor of Mother's Day {a few days late}

I've tried writing out how I feel about my mom, but I've decided there aren't enough words to describe how incredibly amazing she is and exactly how grateful I am for her. But, since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'll just go that route. 

moth·er

noun

"a woman in relation to a child or children to whom she has given birth"

"bring up {a child} with care and affection"

"look after kindly and protectively, sometimes excessively so"

This is my mom, Bobbi. She is the most amazing woman I know. 

She is fierce, selfless, and all around incredible. 

She's been there for me through everything. 

Thick, thin & everything in between. 

Thanks Mom, for teaching me the importance of hard work and persistence.

If it weren't for my mom, I probably wouldn't have went for & completed my Masters degree. 

Not to mention I probably would have ended up either in jail or in a mental hospital for having a complete mental breakdown. 

Thanks Mom, for teaching me to stand up for what I believe in, in a calm & effective way.

Thank you for stepping up and wearing a million hats at once to be the most amazing woman I've had the privilege of knowing. You really are my favorite, mom ;)

Thank you for being there for me through everything. Thank you for believing in me and pushing me to do my best. And most importantly, thank you for never giving up on me. I know it hasn't been the easiest job to be my mom, what with my totaling of two cars & being arrested and all.

Thank you for absolutely everything, mom. 

I can say, without a doubt, that I wouldn't be the woman I am if it weren't for you. 

Thank you!

Mom, 

Thank you for being you.

...........................................................................................................................................

Abraham Lincoln said it best, 
"All that I am or hope to be, I owe my mother."

Truer words have never been spoken. 

I love you Mom!

xoxo,
Mercedes

Saturday Soul-Searching

soul-search·ing

noun

1. "deep and anxious consideration of one's emotions and motives or of the correctness of a course of action."

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   While I've been mindlessly sanding our diy project today {post on that when it's finished} I've done a lot of thinking about my life, where I'm at currently, and the decisions I've made leading me here. While sanding, I tuned out everything and was really able to sink down deep and think. After a few hours, I can honestly say I've had a few epiphanies; it's amazing how clear things can become at times. I'm not ready to announce the conclusions I've come to, but for now I'll just tell you that for the first time in a while I've been reminded of my "why" and am feeling confident in my goals and the direction of my life. 

   
   

   

   
   

   
   

   Lots of thinking, lots of sanding, and a few epiphanies later I started feeling a bit nostalgic thinking about life leading me to this point. I went through a bunch of old pictures and videos, got reacquainted with my why, and reaffirmed my current thoughts. 

   Life is good, my friends. 

   
   

   Have a fabulous evening!

   xoxo,

   Sadie

Quick Pick-Up.

Boom! Just wanted to share this with you all.

Have a fab Tuesday!

xoxo