crisis averted

my 'I hate traffic' face.

so yesterday, on my way to class I hit a butt ton of traffic.  grrrr. I don't like traffic. but I was going to live. I cranked up my music. opened my can of mt. dew. I'm cruising along then my dreaded gas light turns on. 

:o yeah, I panicked. 

lalala trying to keep my cool I called M. cause duh he was going to fix the situation from afar. Well he did. he told me to relax. get off the next exit & get gas.

wow! now why didn't I think about that... 

crisis averted. 

this post has no title

it's been a helluva week.

i worked 50 hours {yes FIFTY!} this week. feels like i haven't been home. like i haven't seen the family i live with or the dude i share a bed with, cause i've basically been at the office all day everyday. but that's the least of the worries. my mother-in-law got her updates on her cancer. it's confirmed the cancer isn't in her throat - only in her stomach. that's a huge relief. but treatment won't begin for another three weeks & it's not official that she will be accepted for this specific treatment.

ugh, cancer & its crap. it all just sucks.

- - - - - -

i'm not usually one to write a pity story on my blog. it's just not me. maybe it's because i'm trying to find the good in everyday life & that's what i enjoy focusing on. but as i sat down to finally write a post this week i couldn't find anything uplifting to type. i looked for pictures that masked the true feelings of this week but couldn't find a single one. & for a while i've struggled with trying to fake this blogging thing {sheesh i sound awful}. seriously though, it wasn't until i read this post that i got the courage to vent. i want my readers to know that i view life as half full. that i'm an optimistic person. i love my life, family & my God. but sometimes things suck & you have crappy weeks that seem to never end. you find yourself in funks that you try to shake off but can't.

that's how this week has been. it's been a rough week over here in the brotherton household. i'll be glad to see it over. #endrant

thank you for those who continually send support & kind words for my mother-in-law. it's been a long battle & we're hoping this is finally the end. xoxo

a little pick me up

as you can see these pictures have no flow to them. but they make me smile & laugh as i think about the moments just before or immediately after taking them. & that's exactly why i'm posting these pictures, because i'm in need of a serious pick-me-up. just when we thought we could use the word "remission" my mother-in-law was diagnosed with another form of cancer. she's going on her fourth year of battling this awful sickness. cancer isn't fair & that makes it hard to talk about it. so in order not to talk about it, & to simply make me feel better, i'm sharing these goofy pictures from last week's adventures. 

eff you cancer. 

live first. blog later.

i've been a very bad blogger lately. to the point where i stopped checking on my stats cause they are that bad. & somehow this past week turned into an accidental no-technology-week. i did think about publishing a post once or twice last week. you know, just so i'd have something for readers to read. also so they wouldn't forget about me. but instead i wanted to do something else, like spend time with family or go to the movies with friends. there was even a day where M & i watched close to four episodes of Dexter {that was a good day}.

last night i had to remind myself that blogging is a hobby. it's a hobby i love, but simply a hobby. i know for many bloggers it's more than i hobby, it's their way of making a living. but, right now this little blog of mine is just a fun way for me to share my life & connect with others. & i truly love! but i've noticed it takes a lot of my time. time that i could have been doing other things, like watching a silly movie with my father-in-law or taking my pups outside for a walk. i know these all seem small & maybe trivial things, but it's those things that i want to remember about my life -- the small things. & i believe that i need to remember to live my life first & blog later. this blog has become a huge part of my life, actually one of my favorite things to do now, it's just sometimes it's all i tend to focus on. so forgive me if i'm absent a lot.

xoxo
-L

thank you to those who emailed me in regards to my absence. i'm not gone, but tried removing technology for  a whole week :) y'all are the best.
i can't be the only one who struggles with managing my time; if there's advance you're willing to share i'd love to hear it!

moment of peace

i'm 23 going on 24. yeah, that's young. young enough to still learn, make mistakes & grow. i've barley scrapped the surface of this life & i know that. i also know that my God has plans for me. plans specifically designed for me. but what i don't know is just that. what are His plans for me. what does He want me to do & what am i supposed to be doing? it's frustrating, you know?!

well, i'm returning to school this fall {yay! round two here i come!}. after my cousin died in a fatal car wreck last month, it put everything into a clearer perspective for me. it's been heavy on my heart to do what i love; not just what i want to do, but what i truly enjoy doing. & that's simple -- i LOVE taking pictures. so this fall i'm returning to school to get a degree in photography. i've prayed & fasted about this upcoming change & you know what? it feels right. i'm excited about this & it feels good -- almost peaceful.

you never know with Him, sometimes you think you've got it all figured out, then He laughs & throws you in the other direction. so maybe this isn't meant for me, & if not, i'll not return to school & do another post like this ;) i'm still young, i have time.

-L
image source

update

last post was friday which feels like ages ago. we've been trying to catch up on a few things over here -- sleep for one thing. we both took today off {almost sounds romantic}. we figured we needed the extra day together to simply relax. it's currently beautiful outside. sun shining, wind slightly blowing, the ducks & geese are in the yard, & the water is calm.

 just got back from petsmart, where kodi & maggie tagged along. naturally we stocked up on goodies for those two munchkins. even stopped by redbox & picked up a movie to watch... well, any minute now. gonna curl up in bed with the man of my dreams & probably be really confused by the plot. anyone seen looper? previews alone make it seem like i'm going to be asking a lot of questions {M hates it when i do that}.

i hope wherever you are, you are having a wonderful wednesday!
xoxo

awkward moments

picture has nothing to do with the post. it's just weird which sometimes can mean awkward.

for instance, yesterday i'm in the shower {this should be good} mentally writing the grocery list -- eggs, milk, bread, creamer, RAVORS {always needing those} & i hear the girls barking. that's usually a warning sign. see we live on a beautiful property. surrounded by woods & a lovely lake. we have no neighbors, which sounds a little creepy but really nice actually. you can't see the road from the house, that's how far back the driveway goes. so with that being said, we don't see many passerby-er's.

well i hear the girls barking like mad. i'm immediately trying to remember if the front door's locked because, like i said, we don't have to worry about people. then i'm telling myself {literally talking out loud} that M decided to take a sick day {another story}. well the girls are still barking -- getting louder too. so i panic. get out of the shower. wrap up in a towel & head to the front door...

phew! it's only the UPS man. well then i panic again. do i answer the door naked? yes, i did. super awkward moment got more awkward when he stared at me & said "oh gosh! i'm so sorry! you don't look like philip stewart." i assured him i was not mr. stewart while he stared at his feet then ran away.

i laughed to myself & thought "i should tweet about this." {cause that's everyone's initial thought after something awkward these days} i finished my shower & headed to the grocery store.

no longer thinking about UPS guy, i'm walking into the store with my list in hand when i notice the UPS truck parked out front. i laugh a little about this morning & then BAM! there he is! he steps into his truck when we make eye contact. he had his mouth open & i think i blushed a little. i mean what are the chances?! that's when i thought "i need to blog about this."

let's share our awkward moments with each other. is there a link-up for that? if not, there should be. i'd have something to write about every week ;)

xoxo