A Little Giveaway...

"If you look for the good, you will find it." ~Sweetness Itself Blog

My sweet friend, The Crazy Canadian, posted the following on her facebook page last week:

2013 Inspirational Pay It Forward:  The first five people to comment on this status & re-post, will receive in the next calendar year, an "inspirational" gift or surprise from me...you never know what you will get! If you're 1 of my 5 lucky friends, I'll need your address if I don't already have. The catch is that you have to be willing to post on your page and do the same for others (creative, inspirational (like me) or whatever is authentically you)! Let the posting begin! 

Well, I couldn't pass this up because if I know my friend, it's going to be something awesome she gives to people!  So....I'm joining in the fun.

The first 5 people to comment on this blog will get an inspirational gift from me sometime this year!  And, as you know from my 30 by 30 list, I'm all into this do-it-yourself craft business right now, so it could get interesting!

And, because I hate posts without pictures, here are a few inspirational gems for your Thursday.

Friday Inspiration #1

"The minute you start enjoying yourself and the person you've become, when you walk into a room with your head held high, the minute you wake up and are glad to be you, the possibilities and opportunities will come knocking at your door." ~Author Unknown

This is going to be some quick randomness today...because as you know, I'm currently on a plane headed for Chicago for a little mini-vacay! See ya Monday, friends!

Today I'm linking up with Sarah for Inspiration Friday!

1. How proud am I of my dear Baby Cousin? And how darn adorable is he?? He's currently 21 years old and in Arizona pitching at Spring Training. Not bad, huh? He's with the Giants organization and he has been working really hard in the off season. Word on the street is that his pitching has really improved over the winter! (Probably thanks to pitching to me over Thanksgiving!) Two of my friends are headed out to watch some ball this weekend and I may or may not have sent a sign for them to hold up and instructed them to cheer like maniacs for Baby Cousin. He may or may not be excited....

2. For over a year now, it's been one of my goals to write something that made my friend Crazy Canadian's quote ticker on her blog. Well, over 500 blogs later, I finally accomplished my goal. Check it out...I made the ticker!
The quote comes from this blog all about responses to people asking me my all-time favorite question.

3. As much as I love blogging, sometimes it can sort of make me depressed about my life. You know, when you see people with their perfect husband and amazing house and dream job and vacations all over the world, you can think, "what the heck am I doing with my life?" Well yesterday Jenni posted the following quote that I absolutely love: “The danger comes when you look around and see everyone else’s best and think it’s their always.” Um...wow. It's so true. We look at other people's lives and we see what they put out there for us to see--their best. We don't see their always and realize that they go to work and some days that sucks and sometimes they are too tired to hang up their clothes after work and they leave them in the middle of the floor, and they eat wheat thins for dinner some nights...just like me!

4. I've been loving everyone's photos of State Tournament that have been posted on facebook all week. I thought I'd share one of the craziest ones with you:
What a disaster that was huh? Please note the ref calling no foul. As I told someone yesterday, the upside of this was that my friend #13 didn't foul out of this game...so on balance, I'm okay with the no call!

5. Y'all know those "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters that are everywhere? Well there is an amazing story behind the posters. They were created during World War II by the British government to try and keep spirits up in the face of such a horrible time. Apparently the poster was saved for invasion or other very serious events and was actually never used during the war. It was not until a few years ago a bookstore owner found an old box of the posters and hung one up that they became known. And now they are all over the world. So goes that "one man's junk" saying, huh? To see the whole story, click here.

6. Yesterday, my friend Blonde Oklahoma Girl wrote a beautiful blog about why she participates in Relay for life. As I've mentioned before, I met the Oklahoma Girls through our mutual friend, Pink Boots. Four years ago yesterday, she lost her battle with cancer. Blonde Oklahoma Girl is out to make a difference...for our friend and for all of those who are battling cancer today. If you want to be inspired today, read her blog.

Meet the Cast Monday #27: The Crazy Canadian

I know that y'all have patiently been waiting to officially "meet" The Crazy Canadian after reading about her so often on this blog....well today is the day! She and I met in junior college when we were both members of the livestock judging team. Leaving that school with her friendship (and Flintstone's...don't want to listen to his whining if I don't include him!) made the entire experience worth it!

She lives in Alberta, Canada with her amazing Texan Husband and her new baby boy, Braxton. She is (and trust me, I'll leave stuff out here...) an Arbonne consultant, an author, a blogger, a life coach, and a self-described "enthusiasm expert." You will never meet a person with more energy or a better outlook on life. So today, it's my pleasure to introduce you to....

The Crazy Canadian!

What is your favorite junior college judging memory?
Our entire trip to Louisville, KY! I love to travel, so getting to visit Churchill Downs and the Louisville Slugger plant were highlights. Driving by the gorgeous horse ranches with the perfectly landscaped grounds with gated entries and beatiful fences are vivid scenes in my memory! The judging contest was so high caliber and I was so pumped to have my best competition.

If I'm smart I'd stop responding to this question now... as the post-contest festivities got a bit out of hand. Thankfully there was another woman on our team that nicely took care of me - thanks Tiffy - oh the memories. {Oh if I could only share stories....that was quite the night for everyone on our team!} Overall, my entire livestock judging experience was amazing. I'm so blessed that our paths crossed, even it took both of us moving to Dodge City, KS - as I made a lifelong friend in YOU Tiffany!

Was it hard to keep Braxton's name a secret? Why did you decide not to tell anyone until he arrived?
It was very hard! Texan Husband & I decided on Braxton's name just after we found out he was a boy. So for nearly four months, we talked to Braxton by name in the womb. We'd talk about him as if he was already born. It got really tough when our baby conversations were in ear shot of more than just Texan Husband & I! We decided to keep it a secret, as it was the only surprise left. Once we learned the gender of our baby - which I'm guessing probably only 50% of my Canadian friends do - the name was the only unknown. Naming your unborn child is not common in Canada at all - whereas it's way more common in the United States! It's an interesting mix to have both sides of the border represented when making decisions! {I wrote this question when I was DYING to know what his name would be. I'm far less shocked by their approach now that he's here. :)}
What is the best part about owning your own businesses/working from home? The worst part?
The best part is being able to choose your hours and where you work! With Texan Husband traveling for his job - I've been able to work from my home office, on the road wherever he is headed, from my parents 3 hours away, from a Starbucks, the beach, you name it! The worst part - PRE-baby was being a workaholic - I was terrible at managing my time. Now POST-baby, I've had to work in the nooks and crannies of my day. I'm slowly learning how to balance being a Mom and Mompreneur! When you love what you do, you never work another day in your life.

What has been your favorite travel destination?
Oh it's so hard to pick! Our Mediterranean Cruise that we took for our honeymoon, that stopped in 7 places in 3 European countries was a trip of a lifetime. I also LOVE Sedona, AZ - it's one of the most breathtaking places I've been to. I'm also slightly addicted to Las Vegas - 7 trips in the past 8 years! My last trip when I was 4 months pregnant, Texan Husband informed me that I better get it out of my system before our baby arrives - I begged to differ. I love the bright lights and am secretly planning a trip to run the half marathon during the NFR and awesome Cowboy Christmas shopping...in a couple years! {I'm totally in for this...let's get Miss Canada on board and it will be the perfect girls weekend! Yes, I just invited myself on her trip. She won't mind.}

You're the only person who I know that has ever eloped. Tell us why you decided to do it and how it worked out!
Texan Husband and I had been dating nearly two years and knew we were going to get married. I didn't have a ring on my finger yet, but we had picked a date for the next summer and even booked a hall for the reception! With our families 3000 miles apart, we knew either way that one side would have to travel depending on whether we married in Texas or Alberta. Honestly, Texan Husband causually suggested we elope in hopes of taking an Option B route to getting him into Canada. I jumped at the opportunity and his informal proposal and 3 days later we had a secret wedding! Eloping was absolutely perfect for us and I would do it over exactly the same way (with Texan Husband of course!). {I will never forget getting that call in the hallway of the law school getting ready to go into class....she asked if I was sitting down. I asked if she was pregnant. Ha!}
What do you know about life now that you didn't know when you were 18?
This is a tough question Tiffany! The first thing that comes to mind is Credit Cards are the devil!! {Amen to that, sister!} Ha ha... I wrote in my book that I read recently that it in order to make a million, you have to spend a million and that I was right on track. I don't regret anything in my life - I am blessed by the opportunities I've been given and experiences I've learned from. Honestly, I don't think I knew 10 years ago that life would be THIS amazing! {Told you guys she had the best attitude ever, no?}

Where is your absolute favorite place to go clothes shopping?
Oh geez - I don't have a favorite!? I'm more of a browser of many stores and when I see a WOW piece, I grab and run! My outfits are made up of my favorites, thrown together - with a splash of accessories. I'm addicted to Silpada jewelry! I also fear being on the "What Not To Wear" show for my shoes - I would almost rather bathing suit shop than buy footwear. Ultimately, if money grew on trees, I'd have a personal shopper! {I asked her this because I distinctly remember a huge fight starting between her and Flintstone while we were in college. We were in her dorm room and for some unknown reason Flintstone was going through her closet. He found a couple of things with the tags still on them and flipped out on her about buying too much stuff. She flipped out right back on him for not going to class and I had to enter in as the peacemaker. Good times!}
You recently wrote and published your first book. Will there be a second book?
Yes! One day...in the meantime I want to work on marketing my first book! {Yay! You can purchase her first book, Live an Amazing Life here. And while we're waiting on her second book, I totally recommend you check out her series of posts on her blog that chronical her love story...Swept Off My Feet By A Texan.}

What is one (or more) item(s) on your bucket list?
Take both of our families (Our Texas & Alberta parents, sisters, brothers & kids) on separate trips full of experiences!
Travel to Australia - visiting wine country to the penguins marching, cattle stations to the Sydney Opera House and everything in between
Be in a balloon during the Albuquerque Balloon Festival! Wonder if I'll have a place to stay ;) {Not only will you have a place to stay, but I think College Roomie may have the hook up on a balloon to ride in!}

This One's For The Girls

“Nothing but heaven itself is better than a friend who is really a friend.” ~Plautus

I was talking to a friend of mine this week and she made the comment that she didn't have very many girl friends. This really got me thinking. My first instinct was to think "me too." I have always been better friends with boys. It's not that I didn't have girl friends growing up because I did, but as far as really good, hang out all the time, talk every day, trust them with your life kind of friends.....I had always trended toward boys.

Even now, I would probably say I have more guy friends. And the guy friends in my life are great. I mean seriously, I love them to death. They have awesome compliments for me, given me places to stay, managed not to kill me in a canoeing incident, taught me to give real hugs, always been there with awesome advice and ice cream when needed, use football analogies to help me understand life....you get the idea.

However, there are just some things girls are better for. BFF and Flintstone really do their best to help me with clothing issues, but do you think they actually know what they are talking about? No. I go to BFF and Cousin Kevin with guy drama.....and while I know they both love me, neither one has a sympathetic bone in his body. Nomad is awesome to talk about politics and religion and books with, but he doesn't know anything about hairstyles or nail polish. Brett-Brett and I talk most days, but he's so freaking random and crazy that having a serious conversation about something is probably next to impossible. You get the point.....these boys are great, but sometimes, a girl needs girls!

What I realized from her comment, is that I have been SO blessed to find my group of girl friends who have broken my trend. I now have these girls in my life who fall right into that category of really good friends. And as much as I love my boys, and I do, I know that I would be lost without my girls as well!

When you find the right girl friends, you will have people in your life who love you and who support you, who have your back no matter what, and who would give their right arm and first born to see you happy. If the girl doesn't fit in that category, don't waste your time. I've been lucky enough to find these girls in my life.

Girls who will always have a "If he doesn't like you, he must be gay." or a "Your ex's new (or old) girlfriend looks like a horse." in their back pocket. Girls who you can analyze boys with for hours one end one day, and then call them up just to be reminded that said guys are still jerks, lest they seem nice and you forget. Girls who make any random situation the best time of your life and can make you laugh so hard your drink comes out of your nose. Girls who understand you, even when you don't feel like you understand yourself. Girls who inspire you with their lasting faith and amazing strength even in difficult times. Girls who make you want to be a better person just because of their kind hearts and love toward other people. Girls who motivate you to do things you never thought you would be able to by the amazing things that they do. Girls who show you how to manage life and love and friendship and still have time to send you homeade gifts in the mail.

It's hard to find them......sometimes it takes years to meet them. Sometimes, it takes years to realize that they have been there all along. And they may not be who you'd expect--sometimes, they will seem like your long lost twin, while other times, you'll be completely opposites. But I'm here to tell you, it's worth it. When you find them, you'll end up finding yourself.

So....today I'm thanking my girl friends. I love all of you so much and thank you for helping me find the person who I want to be. I would not be the person I am without each of you in my life.

Photos of The Week: Week 2

So far I am LOVING this photography challenge thing. I carry my camara with me in my purse all the time now, and I find myself looking for photos in my every day life. It seems like looking for photo-worthy moments is something that everyone should do all the time, so I'm glad that this challenge has gotten me on that track.

I like it so much, that I have added a couple of new challenges to my list....which means more weekly photos for you to see! Here are my pictures for the week:

Theme: I Was Inspired

This past week, I got two awesome packages from my girl friends, The Bride and The Crazy Canadian. Both of the contents were inspiring, so I knew I had to shoot them together for this theme! The Bride sent me a calendar, made of photos that she took over the last year. She got into photography not too long ago and, as I wrote about previously, inspired me to try these challenges! The second item in the picture is the audio version of The Crazy Canadian's book. She had aspirations of writing this book for about 10 years, and it was published in 2011. Safe to say, she inspires me to go after my dreams, because they can come true!

Theme: Ship

When I saw this theme, I almost had a panic attack. Shockingly enough, there are not many ships here where the desert meets the mountains. So I spent a while racking my brain, and then remembered that I still had the luggage tag from the cruise I took a few years ago (Throwback Thursday blog on that coming soon!) Phew! I drug that suitcase out of the closet and threw in my passport to spice it up a little. Crisis averted.

Theme: Breakfast

The photo challenge that didn't have a theme has now come up with an optional theme list. So I'm going to do my best to follow their themes. I snapped this picture when I was home for Thanksgiving one cold, cloudy morning when we went to feed the keeper heifers their "breakfast." Check out all of the other pictures from actual photographers on the project page.

Theme: A City Thing

I titled this photo "A San Francisco Thing." I took this when I lived in San Francisco in 2008 at the Escape from Alcatraz Triathalon. (Sidenote: I uploaded this to the project page on flickr and got my first comment on photo from an actual photographer! That was a big moment!)

Theme: Round Like Circles

Last weekend I cat-sat for Brett-Brett and his girlfriend. They have a beautiful house, so I took the chance to snap a few photo challenge pictures while I was hanging out with Casper!

Butterflies Into Boxes

"Quit hanging on to the handrails . . . Let go. Surrender. Go for the ride of your life. Do it every day." ~Melody Beattie

Well.....The Bride outdid herself on my Christmas present this year. Seriously---she always has the best, most creative ideas! Here's the deal....

About two weeks before Christmas, under the guise of creating her own, she asked if I would email her my bucket list. Now, I sort of have a policy that I don't talk much about list items until they are checked off, but I certainly don't show anyone the WHOLE list. But, because I thought she was using my list as inspiration for her own, I emailed her my list.

Turns out, The Bride is sneaky! She used my list to create my Christmas present! She took each item on my list and wrote it on a little butterfly. (Thanks to her for taking this awesome picture below....check out more of her photography talents here!)

Then she sent me the butterflies so that I could put them up somewhere to have a visual reminder of my bucket list. When I accomplish a goal, I will take the butterfly off of the board and put it into a little keepsake box. (Actually I got a jar, but "Butterflies Into Boxes" just had such a good ring to it...)

Now....even though I hear tons of people talking about how important visualizing goals are (The Crazy Canadian is a huge proponent of this in her book), I have never really taken this up. But now, thanks to The Bride, I've got my bucket list board ready to roll for 2011!

Here's to all of us putting butterflies into boxes (or jars!) based on our own list this year!

Throwback Thursday #44: A Decade

"The days are long, but the years are short." ~Gretchen Ruben

Sometimes I'm oblivious to obvious things. Okay, a lot of the time. :) But until I returned from our family ski trip on January 2 (blog on that coming soon!) and read another person's blog, I didnt' realize that January 1, 2011 marked not only the beginning of a new year, but also the beginning of a new decade.

As I thought back on the 10 years that were 2000 - 2010, I realized that this time frame will likely be the time where the greatest number of changes occurred in my life. Don't get me wrong here---I think that I still have some pretty great days ahead of me (so keep reading the blog). But the sheer volume of changes that occurs between the time a person is 17 and 27 is unbelieveable. With that, I'd like to take a little Throwback to some of the important things that occurred in the last decade!

2000: My team won the State FFA Dairy Judging contest and were Reserve National Champions, I won my first Grand Champion Lamb banner at the county fair, learned that sometimes "friends"will stab you right in the back.
2001: Thought Mr. F was crazy for making us judge poultry, won my second Grand Champion Lamb banner (and watched Gran almost get into a fight with another grandmother in the process), won State Star Farmer, enjoyed my senior year of high school. 2002: Played in the state basketball tournament, went on a great senior trip to Dallas, graduated high school, started college at Dodge City Community College, met two amazing, important friends (The Crazy Canadian and Flintstone), placed in the top 10 at my first 5 college judging contests, learned that sometimes life doesn't work out like you had it planned. (Sidenote: I tried to find a picture of graduation, but digital cameras didn't exist yet, so this is the only picutre of my last semester of high school I could find....I'm sure The Bride loves getting included!)
2003: Left junior college and headed to OSU, moved in with College Roomie having no idea I was making a best friend in the process, began what would be 3 of the best years of my entire life, loved my student tickets to OSU football, met SoulMate Friend in a very round about way.
2004: Lost my Gran in June and three close family friends on back-to-back days in October/November, changed majors to Agriculture Business, joined the Pre-Law Club at Oklahoma State, watched OSU make it to the Final Four.

2005: Took the LSAT, applied to and was accepted to law schools, managed to survive calculus with my GPA still in tact, went on my first real vacation and fell in love with San Francisco!

2006: Enjoyed my last semester of college at OSU to the fullest, took a Spring Break trip to the east coast with College Roomie and Cousin Whitney, had a Calf Fry Weekend that could only be described as epic (HOW have I not blogged abou this??), graduated from OSU, got mono and thyriod disease over the summer, took an amazing trip to New York City to see Teacher Friend, started law school.
2007: Went on a fantastic cruise, worked my first summer of law school at my current law firm, survived a broken heart, applied on a long shot and somehow got a job offer with a great law firm in San Francisco for the folowing summer.
2008: Welcomed College Roomie home from a year in China, had the time of my life working as a summer law clerk in San Francisco, had an amazing girl's weekend with the Cashmere Mafia, made the stressful decision of which job (and life) I would take out of law school. 2009: Bought my first house, graduated from law school, studied for the bar, took the bar, escaped to Europe for a much-needed post-bar relaxation with Cousin Swiss Mister and Cousin Whitney, started my first job, was a pall bearer for one of my favorite people in the world.
2010: Continued to travel around to visit friends all over the country (lots of weddings and babies), ran 7.5 miles at Bay to Breakers, celebrated 100 years of owning my family's homestead ranch, survived my 1 year review at work, took in a football game at Notre Dame while getting to reconnect with and see great friends before and at the game!Clearly I've seen a lot of changes in the last decade---some good, some bad. These last 10 years have made me into the person that I am (and hopefully into the person that I'm meant to be). I'm excited to embark on a new decade and see where life takes me next!

Word for 2010: Awestruck

"Time is the same for everyone. We all get the same twenty-four hours in a day, the same seven days in a week, and the same 365 days in a year. We get to choose how we want to fill those days." ~Anna Greenlee

About a month ago, I read a great blog about the writer coming up with one word to describe her experience in 2010. (Click on the link above and read it--seriously, it's that good!) Because you know I'm a sucker for any year in review type projects, I knew I had to think of my own word.

I have decided my word for 2010 is "awestruck" which is defined as full of awe (thank you, dictionary, for that insightful definition) and as having a feeling of mixed reverence and respect and wonder.

This year, I was awestruck when:

I saw SoulMate Friend's face as I walked through the door at her baby shower to surprise her and she exclaimed, "What are you doing here? This is Oklahoma" before saying she thought her sisters' surprise might have been a stripper.

I watched George Strait walk out of the tunnel into the very room where I was sitting and my hands were shaking so bad from excitement that my pictures were blurry.

I got to hold Little Linebacker and Little Princess for the first times. For someone who doesn't consider myself a baby person, my opinion changed in about .2 seconds.

The Loud Oklahoma Girl's birthday party ended with mimosas in a hot tub. It never ceases to amaze me how much fun I have every time the four of us are together.

I crossed the finish line at Bay to Breakers after 7.5 miles and countless naked people. I hoped I could do it, but actuallyknowing I ran the entire race was an awesome feeling.

That my whole family came together to celebrate 100 years on our land. Sitting around visiting and listening to Great Uncle play the piano and dancing until all hours under the tent was one of the most awesome times of the year.

"Aunt Tiffany" got the call from the Crazy Canadian announcing that she was pregnant with the baby we had all been praying for (and I'll now be booking a 2011 trip to meet this little one!). There was a lot of screaming right into the mama-to-be's ear....

When a group of friends who didn't know each other all came together to celebrate my birthday. It's so great to know that you have people from different parts of your life who all care about you.

I set foot into Notre Dame Sadium. And fulfilled a dream I have had since I was 5 years old.

We only get one shot at living our lives. I plan to do my best at making every year the kind that can be summed up with a word like awestruck. Here's to an even better word in 2011!