Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Rule #7: Separating from the Pack

"Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else."
-Judy Garland-

I think this rule is good just in general, mainly because whether it be in business or with your kids or your marriage, you have to find what's right for you instead of what "society" says is normal or right.

I've never been a follower, well, as far back as I can remember anyway. I do have leadership qualities that tend to come out when need be, but I can also be part of the Indian crowd. Somehow I do still separate from the pack when I have my Indian hat on. Separating from the pack is solely based on the idea that you do what's right for you, not anyone else. You find the qualities you have to offer that differ from everyone else and you capitalize on them. Focus on the things that make you different and use that to find success.

I see this a lot at work (mainly because everyone's really young). For example, when one person quits, the whole social circle does. Why in the world would you do that? But they do. I think you either have it in you to be a leader and know what's right for you, or you don't. Sometimes it takes people longer to figure their inner leader that allows them to separate from the pack.

"I believe that separating from the pack is the reason why my career has been so precisely my career. Each person's life unfolds in a unique way, but the best way to let that happen naturally is to take your own path, not anyone else's. It's your career, your health, your relationships, your journey, your blueprint, your life, so why should you ever act like anybody else and miss out on what could happen for you?"
-Bethenny Frankel, A Place of Yes-

Sunday, June 12, 2011

All about Avery


This weekend my parents kept Avery so Jason and Jenna could have a little alone time, so we took full advantage of all the time we got to spend with Avery!

Saturday night we went to go eat at Aspen Creek (our "sister" restaurant) and had a great time! Avery did great at dinner. Mom came prepared with lots of food for her to nibble on. We had such a great time watching her.

Sunday we went back over to my parents for a day of swimming!

"I'm ready for the pool!"






I LOVE this picture. She looks like she is just thinking away.......

And then it was nap time! :)

She is such a sweet baby. It takes her a minute to get used to Dave though, but once she does, she figures out he is pretty fun!

I love you Avery Grace!

Friday, June 10, 2011

Go for Yours: Rule #6

"Going for yours is about pursuing something with such a singular focus that you put all your energy into getting there. You'll have to sacrifice some thing. It might be tough, tiring, the hardest thing you've ever had to do. But if you keep rule #6 in front of you like the proverbial carrot in front of the horse, you'll be developing a valuable skill-a skill that can bring you success."
-Bethenny Frankel, A Place of Yes-

It's funny how this part of chapter six stuck out to me above almost anything else in the book. I feel like sometimes, people (me) loose focus on what it is I want to achieve because it is hard and takes longer than I want.

The majority of successful people reached success because of hard work and dedication. Very few are successful simply because they were in the right place at the right time, although this does happen.

I think back to my college days and know that if I would have kept that goal as my number priority, I would have finished in the typical four years versus eight. That's not really here nor there but it is true. If I would have put my all as a Service Manager, who knows where'd I be today. I feel like things happen for a reason because who's to say I'd be happily married right now if I had? That's the real reason why I don't regret any of it, I could have married some guy who really wasn't meant for me and be incredibly unhappy right now.

Bethenny talks about desperation noise in this chapter too, which goes so well with going for yours, don't you think? Mainly her explanation of desperation noise is that when you go for yours, make sure to be realistic about what it is you are going for. Are you setting out to achieve the unattainable? For example, some people become so desperate to be rich they sacrifice everything for something that really won't make them rich in the first place. She does say though, if you are following the first five rules, chances are you won't be doing something that's wasting your time anyway.

"Losing is the price we pay for living. It is also the source of much of our growth and pain."
-Judith Viorst-

Life is full of all types of lessons. Marriage, patience, money, education, friendships........you name it. I always ask the kids at the work (high school kids) what they learned at school today and their response is always "nothing." Seriously?? You were in school for 7 hours and learned nothing? I think about that alot, what have I learned for today?

The quote above really makes me think, if we never do anything that allows us to live, what do we really learn?

I've learned through my recent miscarriage that it's okay to be sad. I'm typically a very private person (and I blog, I know), by private I mean, I'll talk about what is going on in my life but I try to remember that people get tired of hearing about "stuff" (good or bad). I was talking to my sister last week and we were discussing how you can get sick of reading about people's lives who seem perfect and easy, so it goes both ways I guess. I also learned that through this healing process, it didn't just effect me. Dave is still struggling with our loss, my friends and family worry about me, and I've changed. I'm becoming a much more compassionate, tolerate person. I'm seeing life in different ways I never thought possible.

I was talking to my boss today and he just kept saying "It's okay to be sad and allow others to know you're sad Brooke. You don't always have to be strong." That really stuck with me today, I guess because it came from him and it made me realize I haven't talked to anyone at work besides telling them what was going on.

I'm also learning that this is my time. Go for mine. Seize the moment. God uses certain circumstances to allow for growth. I truly believe that, maybe I wouldn't have ever gotten another to chance to chase my dreams/goals. So, to sum it up..........I'm going for mine. :)

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Aren't babies the best?!

Remember when I told y'all about my dear friend Amanda? I got to go see her today and visit sweet little Maddox Cooper!


Maddox was born very early Tuesday morning. He is such a precious little baby and looks just like his brother (who is a spitting image of his dad)!

Amanda is doing well too but ready to get home and out of the hospital.

I also got to visit my friend Heather and Landon yesterday! Landon is just adorable and looks like his daddy in my opinion. Funny how moms carry the babies but somehow they turn out looking like their dads!
I'm glad we are so close to them because I can visit whenever I want!

I'm glad I have so many friends with babies to cure my baby fix! :)

Good read for today

I know the majority of you read There's No Place Like Home, but make sure you read her post today.

I've never quite thought about miscarriage in that way. Maybe that's why God gives glimpses of heaven to certain people, so they can share their experiences with us!

There's not a day that goes by I don't think about it. When I see a pregnant lady I think about what I would have looked like 9 months pregnant, how far along I'd be every week, when I hold newborns and think about how that would've been me in December.

But, time is healing my wounds and with lots of prayer, I'm seeing the positives about all those things. I get to get my hair done again, I'm not gaining weight, I get to drink a Skinny Girl Margarita every now and then, and when I hold all my friend's babies, I get to give them back. LOL.

Find the silver lining. There's always something to be thankful for. :)

Monday, June 6, 2011

All Roads Lead to Rome. Rule #5

"There's no getting around it. Sometimes, in life, if you take risks, if you go big, you're going to screw up. You're going to do the wrong thing. And the beauty is that sometimes, the wrong thing can lead you straight to what's right, even when you think there's no hope, or that you're going completely in the wrong direction."
-Bethenny Frankel, A Place of Yes

I have had many times in my life that I took the long road. The much more challenging journey opposed to the straight and narrow. My biggest example of this would have to be the 8 year journey to finish my college degree. It was a long lesson and one that I am proud of because it was something I needed to learn on my own. It took several years of hard work and a meaningless job that got me back on the road to "Rome" in order to finish my degree. But, I'm incredibly happy I did it. And I did it on my own. It was difficult. And challenging. And rewarding.

I think there is something to this chapter, about how even if you do take the longer road, eventually you will get where you are suppose to be.

Bethenny enrolled in culinary school mainly to avoid her fiance at the time and give her something to do. She had always loved cooking and so she thought this would be a good way to {one} pass the time {two} learn more about something she was interested in. Did she ever think she would end up making a career out of healthy living and eating well? Absolutely not.

Bethenny shares her rise and fall of Bethenny Bakes, a cookie company she ran solely by herself and how her great idea failed. She worked hard to make healthy cookies by renting out the kitchen of a near by restaurant, packing and delivering them (in a $500 Blazer), along with marketing them to some big name/mom and pop stores in the business. She put her all in this business but evidently she couldn't keep up with the physical demand of it all or the inability to make a profit. Her problem? Bethenny says she never had a plan, wasn't able to move on to a bigger market or hire a real crew.

But she eventually found her great idea. And eventually made it. The point is, she found her "Rome" and learned alot along the way. And while she took the longer road, she still somehow ended up where she needed to be. With a little bit of extra knowledge too.

This makes me feel a little better about my road to Rome.

"Winning isn't everything, but the will to win is everything."
-Vince Lombardi-

I am learning that if you don't give it your all, if you don't go for your's, if you sit on the sidelines and wait for good things in life to happen to you, you might possibly be waiting your whole life. You may miss out on so many opportunities and lovely mistakes that your family and friends will remind you of forever, but isn't that what makes life interesting? :)

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Our. Weekend.

{Friday}

Headed up to the Roadhouse in McKinney to do a Teacher Appreciation luncheon and afterward met up with my sister and Avery for a little dinner action.



How cute is this little girl?!!!

I got home to find our neighbors having a party and a parking lot in front of our house. Boo.

{Saturday}

We woke up and had some yummy french toast and then went to watch my nephew play some baseball. It. was. hot. We then had to hurry home and get ready for a wedding! But not before eating the best hamburger in the world!



We also got to meet Erin! She is Corey's new girlfriend and is also getting her graduate degree from Texas Tech. She is very smart.

{Sunday}

Went over to my parents for some parental time and a little pool action!

**this is Leslie by the way. LOL!*

All in all, a really good weekend!!!!!

What did you do this weekend?!