.....peace...........

peace lies not in the external world...  it lies within one's own soul.............

This week mine and Nicole's word is peace....  WOW!!!  I LOVE this word!!!!  It is probably my favorite word....  and something that I try to inject into everything that I do...  I really just want PEACE in every aspect of my life....  whether it be a conversation, interaction or a relationship....  THIS is what I'm after....  PEACE!!!!  Maybe this is why I really have such a hard time with folks who are obsessed with creating DRAMA!!!  There is NO peace in drama....  which means there is NO place for someone else's drama in my life!!!!  I actually shot this photo for my Picture Inspiration prompt for this week....  the prompt was "circle of life"....  and as I looked at it I realized how perfect it was for my interpretation of the word peace too.....  It is a shot full of symbolism....  and all the things that are most important in my life!!!   The foundation of my photo....  which is also the foundation of my life....  is my bible.....  the Word of the Peace Speaker.....  it's where my morals and values come from....  it is what makes me who I am!!  Then there is my wedding band....    it is sacred to me....  ALL things in my life come back to THIS circle..... this circle holds my heart (seriously....  how AMAZING is it that the shadow of my wedding ring forms a heart!!!).... it gives my life meaning and perspective... it makes me whole........  and then as I looked just a little closer at my shot I noticed that the binding of my bible and the shadows formed a peace sign inside of my wedding ring!!!  AWESOME!!!!!  yep.....  THIS is where I find my peace!!!!  And for all of these things, I am grateful beyond measure.....  be sure to head over and check out Nicole's shot for this week too!!! 

.....sweet............



A kiss that is never tasted, is forever and ever wasted...........

 

okay......  here is last weeks shot!!!!  yep....  last weeks :(  The REALLY sad thing is that I took the photograph last week.... I was super excited about it because I could use this shot for my Big Picture Color Connection prompt too.....  and then POOF!!!  Time just disappeared!!!!  Had the photo.... but no time for my blog....  The whole fly across the country, run 26.2 miles, fly back across the country deal (right before Christmas) did me in!!!  But in a good way!!!  :)  And then the working and the cooking and the present buying and wrapping took over and before you know it....  well.... here I am!!!  Sooooo......  sweet is our word!!!  Now I picked these little kisses because they are soooo stinkin cute.... not my favorite thing to eat.... which is reason #2 for picking them.....  less temptation!!  heehee  Plus... I LOVE how the light reflects off of the foil wrapper....  soooo.....  this shot has no profound meaning or evoking thought attached to it....  I just like it...  yep that's it....  the short and sweet of it!!!  :)  be sure to head over and check out Nicole's shot for this week too!!!  :) 

.....space..........

there is enchantment right in front of you, waiting for you to notice........

Space.......  holy cow what a tough word to capture in a photograph!!!!  When I think of space I don't think of NASA kinda space....  I think of wide open space....  uncluttered space....  and the breathtaking beauty of something much larger than me.... ironically, space is also the thing that we seem to ignore the most in our lives....  it seems that folks these days have lost all sense of space....  personal space.... yep....  folks have really lost touch with that one!!!  :)  people seem to think that my space belongs to them too....  never stopping to think that ya can't just TAKE someone else's space and expect them to be all warm and fuzzy about it!!!!  I really think that peoples inability to recognize the need for space causes them to miss soooo much of the beauty this world has to offer....  every single day we are blessed with the beautiful creation of breathtaking sunrises and sunsets....  they fill that wide open space of a sky with colors that truly cannot be reproduced in a photograph or a painting.... but most of us are too busy with the meaningless nonsense that we fill our daily lives with to notice....  we never make room for the beautiful space that God creates for us EVERYDAY!!!!  We never pause to notice the sparkle of sunshine reflecting on rolling green hills.... or the whisper of the wind blowing through the trees....  we never make space in our lives for silence either....  WHY???  are we afraid of silence???  afraid that if we don't fill our space with THINGS and NOISE that we might have to take a real look at our lives???  that we might just discover that our lives are filled with clutter and nonsense....  that our "full" lives are really quite empty....  void of real meaning....  clarity....  purpose....  yep.... we might just notice that there is something out there that is soooooo much bigger than us!!!  This year I have really been working on simplifying my life....  getting rid of the clutter of THINGS that rob me of what is most precious.... my TIME!!!  And in doing this, I have gotten a glimpse of how important space really is....  and I'm not just talkin about closet space.... heeheehee!!!  I'm talking about the space in my head....  yep.... with simplicity comes space....  and with space comes clarity!!!!  I have become increasingly aware of the importance of the REALLY BIG little things!!!  Like this A-MAZING sunset....  breathtakingly beautiful....  so vast and majestic that you could almost hear the sun as it appeared to sink into the ocean....  a sight that I will remember FOREVER.... and one that I could easily have been too "busy" to notice!!!  HOLY COW!!!!  I'm sure glad I didn't miss this one and I'm EXTRA glad that I was able to share it with my guy!!!!!  :)  and while my life is still a work in progress.... and I guess it always will be.... I really feel like I am evolving in the right direction.... a direction filled with clarity, peace and a greater appreciation for space!!!!  :)  be sure to head over and check out Nicole's shot for this week too....

.........purpose............

we join souls for a purpose far greater than our own..................

This weeks word for Nicole and I is purpose.......  I think that there are sooo many layers to the definition of this word....  It's a pretty intriguing word!!!  But the thing that keeps coming to mind is.....  what is MY purpose in this life!!!???  And what I find most intriguing is that I've never really been sure what my purpose in this life was???!!!  Nope....  when I was little I didn't dream of going to the moon or finding a cure for some disease....  I don't even really recall what I wanted to be "when I grew up"!!!!  I mean I think I wanted to be a movie star..... but didn't we all???  :)  And I have never really struggled with the fact that I really just don't have a clear idea of my purpose....  nope.....  I have ALWAYS been perfectly content with just seeing what each new day brings and going with it!!!  Now.... don't get me wrong.....  once I set my mind to something.... well.... look out....  I take great pride in finishing what I start.... in reaching my goals..... once I decide what they are!!!  :)  And that's where Rick comes into the picture........  he can talk me into pretty much anything!!!!  Example....  about 2 years ago I started running....  to drop a little weight.... clear my head....  get healthy!!!  And I would have been perfectly content running my little 3-5 mile neighborhood route forever!!!  :)  BUT NO!!!!  Rick comes up with the idea that we should run a Half Marathon.....  now I had NEVER run a race.... much less a 13.1 MILE race!!!  But he convinced me that I could do it..... yep.... he talked me into it!!!  He created a goal for me that I would have NEVER created for myself!!!   He helped me find purpose in something as simple as running!!!  and HOLY COW.... that is just one example of way too many to talk about!!!!  So....  when I started thinking about this word and what it means to me.... well....  HE was what I thought of first!!!  It's not really that he gives me purpose.....  it's that he kinda points me in the right direction!!!  :)  Yep.... I believe that my purpose is to LIVE.... LAUGH.... and LOVE my way through this life with my guy!!!!  I believe that God sent him to me... on purpose (heeheehee)....  to help me be the person that I was meant to be.......  to help me step outside of what is safe and comfortable......  and no matter what life may throw my way.... I know that he will be by my side....  and that we will find our purpose in each day of this life.... together!!!!  Be sure to head over and check out Nicole's shot for this week too!!!!

.........tasty..............

It is the simple things in life that really matter.........

Mine and Nicole's word for this is TASTY....  I REALLY thought about a trip to the local bakery for this one but reconsidered!!!!  Instead, I decided to capture the simplicity of what I define as tasty these days!!!  For about the last year I have REALLY tried to reconnect with the simplicity of true nutrition....  and I have worked REALLY hard to put food in perspective....  it fuels my body!!!  YEP....  sound all psycho I know....  but it is sooooo very true!!!!  I have spent the last few years working VERY HARD on my physical self....  logging in countless running, swimming and biking miles....  and for what????  So I could feel like I deserved a cheese burger or a donut????  It really became painfully clear to me after I ran my first marathon that if my nutritional effort didn't equal my physical effort I would NEVER see the results that I was working soooo hard for....  kinda like only putting together half of a puzzle....  I mean really.... what is the point??!!!  Sooo....  I began to reevaluate my choices....  I decided that I was the ONLY one responsible for what I chose to nourish and fuel my body with....  and more importantly... I decided that I REALLY needed to place VALUE on my food!!!  Yep....  here's a little perspective for ya....  1 chocolate chip cookie equals 78 calories.... and 1 mile of running burns about 100 calories.... sooooo is ONE cookie WORTH 1 mile????  and more importantly....  can I only eat ONE cookie???  usually the answer to that is a big FAT no!!!!  The flip side of this is that 1 whole apple equals 80 calories!!!  and the BEST part is that it is LOADED with nutritional VALUE!!!!  yep....  it is GOOD FOR ME!!!!  Chocolate chip cookies....  not so good for me.... NOPE!!!  NOT AT ALL!!!!  So that is how I got started......  and then......  I took this thinking one step farther....  I have chosen to eat as cleanly as possible!!!  As organic as I can!!!  It's actually pretty simple.... and not as expensive as you might think!!!  My philosophy is....  if you peel it.... it doesn't HAVE to be organic (like bananas or cucumbers).... BUT....  if you don't peel it....  go organic (like lettuce, tomatoes, apples and such) This is not a scientific thought!!!  heeheehee!!!!  NOW.... what does any of this have to do with the word TASTY????  Let me just tell ya.........  when I started this little lifestyle change I discovered....  well.... I discovered TASTE again!!!  Yep.....  my first organic tomato was AMAZING!!!  took me straight back to my childhood........  and I realized that I had NOT actually TASTED a tomato since I was probably 12 years old!!!!  HOLY COW!!!  How sad is that????  I had been eating watery no taste tomatoes for years... and wondering why I wanted to eat a chocolate chip cookie instead!!!  This change has reintroduced me to TASTE and natural flavor!!!  It inspired me to actually grow some of my own little organic goodness....  had a sweet little box garden with lettuce and tomatoes...  and they did pretty good until 2 months of 100 degree temps!!!  :(  gonna give it a shot again next spring!!!  :)  NOW....  with all of that said.... let me say this....  I still have a cheat....  I still love chocolate....  but I don't deserve a treat EVERYDAY!!!  SERIOUSLY!!!!  Nobody is THAT good!!!  :)  and treats and cheats are a barter!!!  It goes something like this...."I can eat that Snicker bar which I will INHALE in 5 seconds flat....  for 271 calories which means I will have to run 3 miles to burn the little devil off.... and still be starving AFTER I have eaten it.... PLUS I will feel like CRAP because I ate it OR.... I can eat a banana which is LOADED with potassium and goodness... only about 100 calories and soooooo much better for me"..... sometimes the Snicker wins..... but not very often!!!!  I am happy to report that I embraced this healthy change... and I have managed to stick with it!!!  AND it has give the word TASTY a whole new meaning.....  in a REALLY good way!!!!  :)  Be sure to head over and check out Nicole's shot for this week too.....

..........fragile..................



Never allow anyone to rain on your parade and thus cast a pall of gloom and defeat on the entire day. Remember that no talent, no self-denial, no brains, no character, are required to set up in the fault-finding business. Nothing external can have any power over you unless you permit it. Your time is too precious to be sacrificed in wasted days combating the menial forces of hate, jealously, and envy. Guard your fragile life carefully. Only God can shape a flower, but any foolish child can pull it to pieces.............



Last weeks word for Nicole and I was FRAGILE.....  and I'm blaming the whole late post thing on the Thanksgiving holiday!!!!  :)  I was busy cooking up the turkey that the UPS man delivered to my house (best thing that I EVER discovered was the the UPS man would deliver my Honeybaked turkey right to my stinkin door!!!!  WOOT!!!)  and I was running around like a headless turkey myself!!!  Note to self.....  December marathons may not be such a good idea.... BECAUSE.... ya gotta train for them!!!  Yep....  this time of year I always find myself overwhelmed and pressed for TIME....  so making time for 2-4 hour long runs is a little tough.... and stressful!!!!  Sooooo.... I found fragile to be a pretty self describing word.... and very fitting for how I feel around this time of the year.....  If you know me.... you know that I REALLY try to keep myself focused and on task and 95% of the time I manage....  in my own weird kinda way to do so!!!  BUT then there is that other 5%....  that moment when I become frayed and stressed beyond my limit....  that moment when everything that I have worked so hard to keep together just unravels and I feel exposed.... out of control.... fragile!!!!  And in that moment of vulnerability.... when most would melt into a puddle....  those closest to me witness me loosing my mind FIRST....  THEN I melt into a puddle!!!!  YEP....  before I succumb to the fragile side of myself....  I generally ALWAYS go full blown Linda Blair!!!  And after 45 (I am 45 right Rick???) years of being me and trying to figure out WHY I do some of the JACKED UP things that I do, I have decided that the the crazy psycho moment.... just before I wilt and cry.... is my weird silly way of trying NOT to show my fragile side....  my way of not giving in to what I see as a weakness!!!  CRAZY RIGHT!!???  and because of that... "fragile Shelly" only comes out at the end of a loooooong argument.... or alone in a dark room late at night.......  or on a REALLY LOOOONG RUN!!!  (hey....  maybe December marathons are a good idea after all!!!  :)  )  The above quote really spoke to me on sooooo many levels!!!  You know... without even trying or wanting to know... that some folks are FRAGILE.... and NOT in a good way!!!  They are the eternal dark cloud....  the giant wet blanket....  and they want you to be just as broken and miserable as they are!!!  "NOTHING external can have power over you unless you permit it"!!!  WOW... now THAT is profound!!!  What I have found is that these folks who scream to the top of their lungs about how terrible their life is and are professional singers of the "oh poor pitiful me" song NEVER stop for a second to realize that the folks who appear to have it all together....  are dealing with their own issues....   Yep..... we are quietly navigating the peaks and valleys of our own life.... even while enduring the emotional hijacking so selfishly inflicted by others!!!!  And just like the little flower bud in my shot (gotta love a Knockout rose bush that is blooming in November!!) we guard our fragile life CAREFULLY!!!!  with layers and layers and layers we protect our fragile side......  exposing it only when necessary and only to those who are closest to us!!!   But just because we prefer to keep our weak moments private ones doesn't mean that we don't have them!!! Soooo..... now that I think that I have this whole "fragile Shelly" thing figured out....  I'm gonna work on embracing the fact that it's okay to have a fragile moment......  OCCASIONALLY!!!!  :)  And I'm gonna work on omitting the whole Linda Blair thing BEFORE the fragile thing and see how that goes!!!!  I'm sure that my VERY tolerant husband would appreciate that!!!!!  :)  :)  :)  nothing like a little photo blogging to identify areas for self improvement huh!!!!  :)  be sure to head on over and check out Nicole's shot for this week too!!!!

.........tangled................

Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive...................

HOLY COW!!!!!  Can't believe that it is almost Thanksgiving.... and Christmas is just right around the corner and then 2011 is gone.....  this year has really flown by faster that I wanted it to!!!!  The years seem to get shorter as I get older!!!  :)  This weeks word for Nicole and I is tangled.......  and the first thing that came to my mind was the quote above!!!!  I have always tried to live my life projecting the true me....  I am what I am....  like it or not..... take it or leave it!!!!  Someone much wiser than me once told me... "be careful what you say and do....  because the lie that you tell today will become the life that you have to live tomorrow!!"  And over the years that has been proven to be true....  I have experienced that in my life.... and witness it daily in the lives of others!!!  I really have no time to tangle my life up in deception.....  but lately I seem to be surrounded folks who apparently NEED to deceive....  they embellish..... stretch the truth soooo much that they have lost sight of who they really are!!!!  They have become so tangled in their own lies that they have lost track of what is truth and what is deception.......  and just like the ol black widow in my shot........  they try to lure those around them into their web of lies..... tangle them up in their drama and mistruths!!!  I don't really think that their intention is bad.....  I actually think that they are searching.... for happiness....  acceptance maybe........  and they feel that they have to be deceptive for others to like them.... accept them....  when in reality....  it is the truth and ONLY the truth that will set you free!!!!  I believe that a simple truthful authentic life is the key to happiness....  no stress....  no getting all tangled up in trying to remember what lie you told to who....  Yep.... I believe that God means for us to live a tangle-free life!!!!  A life where we embrace and accept the path that He has planned for us!!!   Be sure to head over and check out Nicole's shot for this week too!!!