It has been over a year since I started this blog. During my year I have posted 47 (now 48) blog posts. I re-read all of them and it is crazy to see how far I've come in just writing out my feelings in this blog as an outlet. This blog has been a lot of things to me and in my reflecting I thought it would be fitting to reflect with all of you. Those posts helped me and hopefully helped some of you. I found it to be fitting to recap on them with just quotes I've said that really stuck out to me in the posts I've done...feel welcome to go to the blog entries and read on more.
8/12/11-Heartbreak Can Be Healed.
"Weathering through the storm seems like a impossible mission, God is the best way I found to be kept dry. But the clouds cleared, I laughed more and smiled constantly and the tears stopped flowing. I feel stronger and wiser and ready to face the world and be open to the possibilites for the future. Pray, keep faith, hold your head up high, allow your heart to open again. You can survive it. Heartbreak can be healed:)"
8/12/11-As Good As It Gets
"I guess the point I'm trying to make, is we make plans, we get caught up in things that don't matter, we think that life is as good as it is going to get, but we are wrong on all accounts. God creates the plans, God doesn't want us to be worrying about things that are out of our control, and God is the number one reason why the best is yet to come, we haven't seen anything yet!"
8/13/11-Simple Things In Life...♥
"Why is it that we focus on the things that we don't have, or we focus on the things that drive us crazy...in a bad way? Why is it that we tend to look past the things in our lives that make life great?"
8/13/11-20 Questions With Jennifer Taylor
"I know a girl who is beautiful, smart, caring and a great person to know. You won't find her on TV, hear her song on the radio or see her face on a tabloid, she's an extraordinary young adult who is just like you and me. She wears her heart on her sleeve, and because of that she was willing to do this twenty questions with me to share with all of you..."
8/15/11-Soundtrack Of Kody
""I give you all my pieces broken, in Your hands there is nothing you can't fix"
I know this song was meant to be about finding someone to love who heals you, but this is my song to God, He healed me!"
8/16/11-Anger Turning Into Happiness
"God gives us people in our lives that will challenge us. He sets us up to go through trials, tests and heartbreaks. He doesn't do this to make us suffer but He does this to make us grow. Make us grow in our faith and trust in Him and His plan."
8/18/11-Season 2 OTH Quotes That Meant Something...At Least To Me
"I was weak and vunerable and I didn't even realize it at the time. I'm glad I lost that self. I don't want to go back to that self. I am going to step outside of the person I've been and remember the person I was meant to be. "
8/21/11-Home.
"I was one of those people who took after their parents in the fact that they are involved in everything they can be, when you are in a town like Hilmar it is truly a community, its not a town, its a community, you could even say its a family."
8/21/11-Kindness Matters
"I saw all the great things she did and how she reached out to more people...and with her celebrity she obviously can reach more people, but what she said inspired me, inspired me so much you are actually able to read this blog, get into my thoughts and heart."
8/22/11-Appearances,
"If we are all created equal don't you think we all deserve the right...no matter if you are black, white, female, male, gay, straight, quiet or loud to at least have a chance? A chance to get to be known by others by who we really are? We shouldn't have to be shunned against for being different, because if you are different than others it doesn't make you wrong."
8/23/11-Better World.
"Remember, you can make the world a better place just by being in it. Just being there for someone can make all the difference, and its not what we take when we leave this world behind us its what we leave behind us when we are gone."
8/24/11-Change the World.
"In this dog eat dog world we find ourselves thinking its all about us, and we have it all wrong. If you want to believe it or not we are wired to help each other, and in doing so its a chain of goodness, the "pay it forward" mentality we most of the time don't even realize we are actually doing. "
8/24/11-Two Sides To Every Story
"We all have our own side of a story. Is it right for us to throw someone's name in the mud? What are you really accomplishing when you do that? "
8/25/11-Settling
"You deserve to be loved and you deserve to give your heart to love. You deserve to be treated like a king or queen. You desereve to feel like you are the best thing in the other persons life. You deserve to feel beautiful. You deserve to feel fireworks. You deserve to feel passion. You deserve to have someone you can trust. You deserve to have someone loyal. You deserve someone who makes you laugh. You deserve someone who makes you happy. You deserve someone who won't try to hurt you. You deserve someone who doesn't only look out for themselves. YOU DESERVE EVERYTHING."
8/26/11-Hilmar
"Hilmar is my home. Hilmar is where I grew up. Hilmar can't be found on most maps, but its in my heart."
9/3/11-Inspired By Love
"Because love is what it is all about. Love is something that is so special and we should be so thankful God has given us that emotion to feel. I heard a quote from my favorite TV show and it was "The day you start thinking that love is overrated is the day you are wrong"
9/11/11-When The World Stopped Turning I was 11 Years Old
"The bravery that was shown that day, and the years following amazed me and amaze me more looking back... People risked their lives for this country and still risk their lives today. "
9/14/11-You Can Be Hurt By Love
"Because lets get serious, if the worst thing I did in the relationship was TRUST the person I LOVED and GIVE it my all, well I can still hold my head up high."
9/16/11-My List
"Now I have opened up about my list of things to do in life, some of them I know are far fetched and most likely will never happen and some of them seem so simple...but hey its my list :)"
9/16/11- The Only Chance You've Got
"I was focusing on the bad things they had done and looking back in the rear view mirror is clearer than when your driving in the current moment. I know that the people that are currently in my life are the people that are meant to be, and the ones I've loved along the way will always hold a place in my mind and heart, but we've only got one life and we can't live it in the past "
9/20/11-Change Takes Courage
"Change takes courage, we all get scared to make changes especially when we've gotten in our routines and painted this picture of how we are, but how we are isn't necessarily how we should be or who we are meant to be."
9/27/11-Compliments
"I think we get caught going to fast to forget about our neighbors, we all are in the same boat, am I pretty enough? Does this shirt look good? My hair look okay? We pick ourselves apart and we are our own biggest critics, and by being critics we turn negative toward other people, and that is a shame."
10/10/11-Where Anger Leads Me
"So when you are having a heart that is filling up fast with anger and you are writing angry letters, or wanting to punch them square in the jaw, turn to this verse, read it and let it calm you down. Let the verse work in your life, and remember, God has your back:) "
10/16/11-Who Will Be There?
"The only thing we leave behind with the ones we love when we go are the memories we have with them. Would you rather only have memories during the highest of highs and lowest of lows or memories thoughout life, bad, good, and normal. "
10/19/11-Stay Shining!
"You have a bright light inside of you which shines for the life that you lead, a life full of love and happiness surrounded by many good people. Shine your light for yourself and especially shine it for God."
10/23/11-Middle
"I've been inspired because I'm guilty of lulls and going through the motions. I want to live the life that she sings about in the song."
11/8/11-Love Is
"I know I've been all over saying what I want, but honestly, I want this love for each and every one of you. A love that is not perfect, but a love that is true and pure and something worth holding on to."
11/23/11-Where Money Ranks
" Money comes and goes and the things that you buy while you are on this Earth are only temporary but the relationships that you hold with God, Family and Friends those last forever."
12/6/11-Hilmar Owned The Night
"Thank you Jackets for letting me be a part of something greater than myself, and for giving me a memory that will last my lifetime."
12/7/11-In Pieces
"Its been said when you have a broken heart you lose pieces of yourself along the way that you never get back, and I say that is true. God keeps the pieces and He mends them and fixes them and makes them stronger than they ever were before, and He wouldn't give you the old pieces of yourself because who you were when your heart broke isn't who you are now."
1/1/12-Surrounded By Love
"No hate should be built up that big in your heart for someone God put in your life to be your family. Today would be a good start to forgive them and move on. Spend your moments happy with your family and thankful for what you do have."
1/8/12-What I've Learned Along The Way
"I learned that we put people up on pedestals because we look up to them and think they are worthy of more attention than others, and I realized that was ridiculous to do. We are all human, we all make mistakes, we all have sins, we all have imperfections, and yet we hold people up so much higher than everyone else. I learned that God was the only person I should be holding on the upmost high."
1/16/12-Remaining Constant
"Things are going to always be changing, so instead of looking at what is going to be happening next, think about who is standing next to you."
2/8/12-Ready For It
"Don't lose faith, one day you will realize you are stronger than you think and your past will no longer be the black cloud over your head, you will see the sunshine and feel the warmth of life!"
2/16/12-Amazed And Appreciative
" If you perceive the world is out to get you and nothing good comes out of anything you do, that will be your reality because that is the way you choose to view the world."
4/1/12-Kelly Inspired
"Let love find you when love is ready to find you, don't force it"
4/5/12-Good Night Tree Hill
"One Tree Hill was a special show that went where no other show has gone before...it hit close to the hearts of the fans, and it has the most loyal fan base I've ever seen and I'm proud to be a part of it. "
4/24/12-What You Do Matters
"You never know what moment God will need you to talk to someone, but He will put you there to help...Be open to serve God's plan and help the people in need."
5/31/12-The View From Here
"I realized that I was at my happiest times when I truly loved myself, every part of myself, especially my imperfections."
6/11/12-No Plans.
"I think we try to make our lives fit what we see to be as the perfect plan, we make check lists of houses that we want, or jobs we think we need, or significant others, and in the end those are all lists limiting opportunities."
6/20/12-Not Proud Enough.
"We have to put our best self forward, we don't need to carry around the baggage of our past. Our past doesn't define us. The people who we've been in the past aren't the people that we are."
7/25/12-One.
"God shapes us without us even realizing it. Our happiest of highs with the ONEs of the moment and our lowest of lows with them are all making us better ready to be the type of person who fits perfectly with the ONE God created us for."
7/28/12-Good In Goodbye
"Its hard to think that our lives will ever move on past those friendships and relationships. But there will be the full circle moment day when you feel like Carrie is singing these lines straight to you."
8/8/12-With Every Child Comes The Message...
"The gift of life is so precious and babies are miracles God placed on this earth and each and every one of us is a miracle that God graced earth with. Every child needs love, just like every one of us needs love."
9/10/12-Quietly Changed
"We recover from who we were and the negative feelings we felt toward ourselves and.toward others. Without realizing it we figure out that grudges and sour thoughts are truly worthless. We realize that God has made us into better versions of ourselves. He takes the hate out and the pain and replaces it with love, kindness and thankfulness."
9/10/12-Remember Me
"I don't only write this blog for me to get my release, I more importantly write it for you. No matter how insignificant something may seem do it... Nobody else will."
9/18/12-Present
"And in this moment I feel so fulfilled. I feel like I am the luckiest girl in the whole wide world. I have never felt better about myself and life than I do right now."
And I find it to be fitting that with my last blog entry I came full circle. The person who I was when I started writing this blog was pretty lost and dark who was desperately trying to stay optimistic about life. I thank all of you who have read one of these 50. I'd love to hear from you if one blog really spoke to you, or if it helped you, or what ever feed back you may have.
And to make this an even longer blog I figured I might as well tell you why the title is named what it is..."Laugh Always. Be Kind. Drink Milkshakes. Thank God."
"Laugh Always." Ironically I started this blog when I was in a place where I didn't laugh as much as I normally did but I put it there in the beginning to remind myself that I needed to laugh always and encourage others to do so. We aren't supposed to be miserable and we are supposed to laugh always. Life is too short to be taken so seriously sometimes.
"Be Kind." Kindness is something that I believe is in all of us we just forget to show it to others. It serves as a reminder that kindness matters. I have mentioned kindness in the majority of my blogs because I value it so much.
"Drink Milkshakes." This one may seem out there to most of you. But for many reasons I included this in the
title of my blog. Mainly because my best friend and I say that a milkshake can turn your day around. When we had our worst days we would drink a milkshake to temporarily feel better. Also I say drink milkshakes because I think people take the dieting stuff way too seriously and deprive themselves of special treats. I don't think people should drink multiple milkshakes in a day or every day but there are definte necessary times to drink them. Treating yourself or someone else to a milkshake is such a happy thing!
Well you may have figured out while reading at least one of my blogs that God is very important in my life and thanking Him is something I do often and should even do more and want to remind everyone to do. Hints why it ends in "Thank God" because that is what I do (or try to do) every night.
Can't wait to share my next 48 inspirations with all of you(:
