Live your life from your heart.
-Melody Beattie

Stop hearing
and start listening.
Stop touching
and start feeling.
Stop looking
and start seeing.
Stop existing
and start living.

What makes life so wonderful
is that we're all given the opportunity
to have a wonderful life.

Letting go of your past is easier to do when you're focusing on a brighter future.

I'm not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.
-Helen Keller

For every beauty there is an eye somewhere to see it.
For every truth there is an ear somewhere to hear it.
For every love there is a heart somewhere to receive it.
Ivan Pain

You only have this day once,
You can make it wonderful and memorable;
or you can treat it just like any other ordinary day.
It's all up to you.

"Truth only means something when it's hard to admit."

"Sometimes you have to be apart from people you love, but that doesn't mean you love them any less. Sometimes it makes you love them even more."

Jonah: "- Do you want a cookie?
Ronnie: What?
Jonah: - A cookie. Like an Oreo. Do you want one?
Ronnie:- No.
-Jonah: How can you not want a cookie?
-Ronnie: I just don't.
- JonahL Okay, fine,let's say you did want a cookie. Let's say you were dying for a cookie, and there were cookies in the cupboard. What would you do?
-Ronnie: I'd eat a cookie?
-Jonah: Exactly. That's all I'm saying.
-Ronnie: What are you saying?
- Jonah: That if people want cookies, they should get a cookie. It's what people do.
- Ronnie: Let me guess. Dad won't let you have a
cookie?
-Jonah: No. Even though I'm practically starving to death, he won't even consider it. He says I have to have a sandwich first.
- Ronnie: And you don't think that's fair.
- jonah: You just said you'd get a cookie if you wanted one. So why can't I? I'm not a little kid. I can make my own decisions.
- Ronnie: Hmm. I can see why this bothers you so
much.
- Jonah: It's not fair. If he wants a cookie, he can have one. If you want a cookie,
you can have one. But if I want a cookie, the rules don't count. Like you
said, it's not fair.
-Ronnie: So what are you going to do?
- Jonah: I'm going to eat a sandwich. Because I have to. Because the world isn't fair to ten-year-olds."


"Life, he realize, was much like a song. In the beginning there is mystery, in the end there is confirmation, but it's in the middle where all the emotion resides to make the whole thing worthwhile."

What I live for:
for the feeling when you're 100% happy with your life
for a big bowl of my favorite ice cream
for pleasant surprises
for tears of joy
for making memories
for a warm breeze
for going barefoot
for silly pictures
for the beauty of flowers
for the sweetest good morning texts
for happy dawns and warm dusks
for really GOOD hot chocolate
for summer strawberries
for the sunshine beating down on your skin
for making homemade cards
for friends
for having a full day to myself
for green grass
for scarves
for wearing sundresses
for sprinklers
for sparklers
for post cards
for long night drives
for getting mail
for ice cream cake
for catching lightning bugs in the middle of the night
for people watching
for the future love of my life
for the current loves of my life
for beach days
for picnics
for holding a newborn baby
for thrift store shopping
for the kindness of strangers
for sleeping with my window open to the sound of rain
for the morning after camping when your clothes still smell of campfire
for feeling; whether sadness, or anger, or overwhelming joy
for heartfelt "i love you's"
for getting dressed up and feeling gorgeous
for moments right after waking up, with no make up, messy hair, and all - and you still feel totally gorgeous
for decorating the christmas tree, baking christmas cookies, listening to christmas music 24/7, and christmas present shopping
for giving
for my brothers
for watching sunsets..and sunrises
for waking up at 5 am every morning just to talk with my mom
for good songs with meaning
for smiling
for making other people smile
for singing
for best friends who know exactly how to cheer you up
for the smell of bonfires
for talking to random strangers
for going on long aimless walks
for listening to the waves
for anything chocolate!
for a good cry
for warm summer rain
for candles
for play-dough
for his goodnight kisses and perfect hugs
for his singing in the car
for jumping in puddles
for seeing old friends
for summer days when i can sit on my front porch swing, reading a good book and drinking green tea
for coloring books and 64 packs of crayloa crayons
for laughing til it hurts and you have tears streaming down your cheeks
for nights you want to never end
for the smell of a baking cake
for french vanilla, perfectly sharpened pencils and paint all over my hands
for friendship and quiet nights in
for music, movies, and little household chores
for thunder, stars, and sunny days
for summer, spring, and fall
for cuddles in winter, and warm hot chocolate
for homemade cookies, soft kleenex, and old teddy bears
for books
for everything
for nothing
to live
for driving without a destination
for trips to apple orchards and pumpkin patches
for apologies
for dimples
for sarcasm
for forehead kisses
for nachos
for warm blankets and lots of pillows
for french onion soup
for freckles
for my kitten
for the late afternoon sunshine streaming through the blinds
for fresh sheets
for guys driving trucks
for variation
for fireflies
for living up to your own expectations
for tan lines
for self-control
for unexpected hugs
for missed calls
for bouquets of flowers
a warm sunny day, laying in the grass
for the smell of autumn
for old couples still in love
for learning about the past
for following my heart
for spectacular dreams
for being brave
for people who love me for me
for unlimited texting
for the cheerful sound my phone makes when i get a message
for surprise presents
for crunchy apples
for finding heart-shaped rocks
for the changing of seasons
for feeling not alone
for anxiously awaiting the next month's issue of my favorite magazine subscription to come, finally getting it, reading it cover to cover like 3 times, and then ripping out all of my favorite photos and ads and quotes from it
for waking up to the sound of birds chirping
for an ice-cold glass of chocolate milk
for water rides
for movies that make me laugh
for movies that make me cry
for people who give more than they take
for warm towels or clothes right out of the dryer
for bonfires with marshmallows, hot dogs, and s'mores
for honest smiles
for an old, broken in, favorite pair of jeans
to touch other peoples' lives
for rainy days full of magical sounds & for inspiration
for brand new books
for the combination of wind and sun
for going places that have dippin' dots carts..just for the dippin' dots
for moments you realize how blessed you are
for connecting with others from all over the planet and learning that deep inside we're all the same
for the future
for sweet kisses
for long hugs
for trees
for clouds
for swimming
for photography
for contagious laughter
for puppies
...and kittens, and all other baby animals
for sunshine on your face
and sand between your toes
for sleeping late, and then making pancakes
(especially chocolate chip banana pancakes:))
for days when it feels like it will rain and it doesn't
for rainbows
for random smiles from strangers
for post-it notes
for SO SO much
for the people you'd trust with your life 200%
for honest talks with my mom
for the reality that everyday is a gift
for listening to kids splashing in the water
for waking up early and staying up late
for inspiring people
for cd mixes
for road trips and traveling
for discovering new things to fall in love with
for waking up everyday knowing that i have the world to be thankful for
for listening to other peoples' reasons to live
for loving and living and laughing and smiling and then waking up and doing it all over again