sisterhood of another kind

weird, right? Outfit of the day on thursday! haha yep..no rule following much around here this week and that's ok! Even my friend Sue backed me up on that and that it's ok to not feel obligated to do such and such...we don't need any added stress..just blog when, what, where and have fun!

So one thing i'd like to say is with blogging as I've learned is that sisterly bonds are formed between women who blog. One example, I can say that this is true and a wonderful result of blogging. I was fortunate to receive some suggestions and positive feedback from you about what color/type of shirt to wear with my orange rusted striped skirt. See, that's the next best thing to me stopping by your house & asking what should i wear with this? as we look in your closet to see if there's something that I could borrow. Granted we were the same size/s. :)

Most of you recommended a grey or navy blue solid shirt. which as you will see, I FINALLY got one: a navy blue slug baseball tee from the Gap. It arrived in the mail over a week ago that I happened to snag for around $9.

Here's my outfit of the day with the same skirt as last week where i paired it with a printed shirt.

girl needs to color her hair!

So back to the sisterhood thing. I am thankful to have a sister. I love my sister J! No doubt I love my brothers too, but there is a special bond among sisters. Even if you don't have a sister, there is sometimes a  sisterly bond with other women, your friends, co-workers, neighbors or bloggers!

Before this week, I was feeling sort-of blah. depressed. going about my life ho-hum. I sometimes feel stuck in a rut, same routine, same faces I see and voices I hear (not that that's bad), it's just I'm dying inside for some break-up of the monotony. I came across this quote somehwere while surfing online yesterday that said something like:

"set up your life so that you don't feel the need to escape it."

First thing that popped into my mind was: vacation.

That's how i view vacation. a time to get away from my regular life. a time to relax, be nearly stress-free, to enjoy nature and see sights that aren't part of my every-day, have fun & take a more than necessary amount of pictures!

Now, my life, situation and living dynamic is much different than the average person.  
Hello!! being on a ventilator and having limited mobility! haha, but it got me thinking that attitude plays a HUGE role in the overall happiness and peace of my life.

Introducing a phone conversation I had with my friend Val a couple nights ago just really made my week so far.

Talking with her for over an hour just filled my spirits with joy, thankfulness and appreciation for her being in my life. She helped me throw my negative nellie mindset in the dumpster! A couple months ago we re-connected after about 5-6 years (never stopping being friends), but again we just jumped in and picked up right where we left off. I see a theme here lately, reconnecting with dear friends & family. I should quickly note that I'll hopefully see my cousin Richard in early June. He lives in Connecticut and one of my fave persons ever! 

So Valerie and I talked & laughed about many different things and things that only women deal with. After my phone completely died while we were still talking, I became quite aware at how God has blessed me with having a close connection with Val. I seriously believe God gave & created the gift of sisterhood for us. Sisterhood helps us deal with issues,  share our troubles, laugh together at the ridiculousness of things, and gives us the ability to love, serve and learn from each other.

Val is not my sister by blood, but I certainly think of her as my sister. Younger she may be, yes, but she's a true sister in heart.

What I've re-learned this week that'll help me set-up my life for peace & happiness:

I clearly see that I do need close connections and heartfelt convos even if/when i don't feel like it.
I clearly see that I do need time to myself to write, read, pray, reflect.
I clearly see that I do need to keep an attitude of gratitude.
I clearly see that I do need to be creative in some way expressed daily in: makeup, what I choose to wear, crafting or writing. let me dream!

But i still want to go on vacation!! lol.

What about you? Do you have any sisters? Who do you consider a sister even if you aren't related? What's the best thing about your sisterly bond?

Shirt: the gap
Skirt: Target
Earrings: Oldnavy
Headband: F21
Eyeshadow/Hard Candy Palette: Walmart

newlyweds: A & E

A couple weekends ago, after six years, A & I saw each other. She and her husband E,were visiting from Florida. They are both brilliant in the accounting field. They wed in Hawaii last summer and moved shortly thereafter to Florida for their jobs.

I had never met E before, but heard good things about them since they started dating in 2008. From what I remember, A told me about E in 2007, when they had first met and were just friends.

A & I met in our early days of college. We quickly became best friends as I also befriended her sister W. A & I spent alot of time together because of our involvement with our college's honor society chapter PTK(Phi Theta Kappa): meetings, fundraisers, community service events, etc.

Us three ladies were always hanging out, meeting for lunch or shopping. Her & her sister used to pick me up together literally, into their little suv and then pick up my electric wheelchair into the back of their car. We'd crack up because they were skinny winny's but still had muscle!

I remember one time probably in 2005, as my health was declining, I wasn't feeling well enough to leave the house, so W & A brought me a salad from Wildflower, chocolate cake & some Godiva chocolate to celebrate my birthday. That is just ONE example of what good friends they were to me.

Ever since I met A, she has been such a bright light in my life. She'd call me flirt & all sorts of nicknames.

but after she graduated from college & well I got sick...and time passes and life happens.

We have kept in touch, but don't communicate as often as we did in college. but that's ok.

Seeing A&E and how happy they are together made me smile so much. I've missed A so much & felt so thankful that she & her hubby wubby had time to come see me.

I wasn't even nervous about seeing her or even meeting E for the first time.

I think that is a testimony to how well A & I click.

When E first walked in, he gave me a hug. He gave me a hug when they left too and by the time they left, I already knew that I considered E to be my friend too.

He says A is the princess of the house. I can tell how much he adores her. He is such a good, caring guy. A just beams with happiness.

They have such a cozy home, perfect for them! E showed me pics on the tablet. He also showed me photos of their two cute dogs, Lucky & Spock. I relate to Lucky because he has scoliosis too! Those babies are in good hands because A & E are wonderful pet parents to them & love to spoil them. A wrote me in an email one day last year they they feel that their dogs were sent to them to prepare them for children! haha

With them still being newlyweds, I asked A, what was the best thing about being married?

She replied, "just knowing that you always have someone there. someone on your side."

It was great catching up and just visiting. Three hours was not enough. The time went by so fast.

They brought me a gift. A pretty sparkly, pink Swarovski star keyring. it nearly matches my tattoo!

I wrote to A and told her thank you and that this keyring will hold the key to my future home with my husband, wherever & whenever that may be, or (maybe just my home?)

A & E's love story certainly inspires me.

 it is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid [silly] with them.

---Ralph Waldo Emerson

I love A & E and can't wait til they visit AZ again!

*silly (my words)