My Love

Well, it has been a really bad week and I just haven't been in the mood to write posts. But when I saw that today's prompt for The Thankful Project was "something about your significant other", I had to do it. I do not normally talk about my boyfriend, but I knew that writing about him would bring me great joy and the prompt gave me an excuse to. 

He doesn't like photos so I have to sneak them. 

His name is Nathan and he is the man that has completely stolen my heart. We are nearing 3 years together and that is pretty exciting, but seems like forever. He is my best friend. He is smart, kind, hysterical and, basically, a gem. Although, we do not get to spend very much time together, due to the fact we go to different schools, we always find ways to make each other a priority. 

He is the balance in my chaotic life. There are many things I appreciate about Nathan, but there is one thing, in particular, that means a lot to me. I am someone who is very stuck in preparing for the future and focusing on what will come. On the other hand, Nathan is a live in the moment kind of guy. I am so thankful for that because without that perspective I would be missing a lot of awesome things that are happening right in front of me. 

Overall, he is a fantastic, lovable guy who has made a tremendous impact on my life. We have been on a long, hard journey through some crazy stuff, but we have made it through; which has only made us stronger. And one more photo because it's fun! He played dress-up with my younger siblings and this is him losing his wig. Makes me laugh every time. 

playing dress up with my sisters

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So Many Choices

Today, I am continuing with the blog challenge, The Thankful project, with Kenzie at Chasing Happy. I haven't done it every day, but I found today's prompt interesting: 'A Choice'

Every stage of life brings new and, sometimes, more difficult choices. That was no exception when I had to decide where I was going to attend college. From sixth grade until my senior year of high school, I thought I was going to THE Ohio State University where I had dreamed of being a Buckeye and a member of The Best Damn Band in the Land. My family is full of die hard Buckeye fans who supported me through the whole process.

I applied to the main campus and got in, but things took a turn late in the fall of my senior year. My senior year, I worked as an assistant in the school office. Our office brought in representatives from colleges all over Ohio to speak with perspective high school students. There was a booklet where you sign-up to speak with the recruiter. As I was flipping through the book, I saw a school that had no one signed up to speak with them. I felt bad that they would drive all the way to my school and have no one to talk to so I signed up.

It was a small, private liberal arts college located outside of Cleveland. The day the recruiter came in, her and I talked for almost two hours and I was excited about this college. The next day, I booked a tour at the school. On the tour, I was blown away by the community and inviting atmosphere. After already being accepted at OSU, I applied to Baldwin Wallace University.

I was accepted to BW and was faced with the choice to go to either OSU or BW. Ultimately, I chose BW and I could not be more proud of this decision. Yes, it is going to cost me more money in the long run, but I LOVE my university. I am just far enough away from home, there are a surplus of opportunities, professors are approachable and helpful, and I am a person, not a number. I learned that you can't always plan things in your life....well, you can plan, but life may not go according to your plan and that's ok. 

What choices have you made that you are thankful for?

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Weekly Wishes

My littlest sister, Sophia. She has grown up too fast.

Hello, pretty! I hope you are gearing up for a fantastic week and looking forward to a great Thanksgiving holiday. Can you even believe that it is almost Thanksgiving? Where has this year gone? If you are feeling a little overwhelmed or have a lot on your plate, I would suggest you take a moment and write down. Melyssa's link-up, Weekly Wishes, is a great way for you to reflect on your goals and help motivate you throughout the week. I hope accomplish all you need to to get through the week!

Last Week's Wishes                                                                                                                        

As I get closer and closer to the end of the semester, I think my life gets busier and busier. I accomplished a few of my goals, though! I wanted to continue training for my Turkey Trot, but I only ran 1 of 3 days. Oh well, I will do it this week. I wanted to explore Cleveland. I didn't get to explore as much as I would have liked, but I found an excellent movie theater that has midnight showings of 80's movies on Saturday nights. One of my housemates and I saw About Time (seriously a beautiful movie) and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Lastly, I wanted to write some letters to family and friends. I sent out 4! 

This Week's Wishes                                                                                                                        

Start research paper. I have a very big research paper that I have not started, yet, and it is due in two and a half weeks. I really need to get on it so I am not trying to do it over Thanksgiving break because it just won't happen. 

Contact a professional. I would really like to connect with a professional in my hometown to conduct an informational interview over Winter break. I hope that I can find one, at the very least.

Brainstorm Christmas gifts. Christmas is coming. Christmas is coming! I am super excited, but not sure what to get anyone. I don't really like to give gifts, but rather a date. I want to spend time with the person, creating a memory with them. I need to figure out what I want to do or do with for each person on my list.

What are you hoping to accomplish this week? How are you gearing up for Thanksgiving?

Happy Monday!

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Carabox Exchange Reveal

Gift exchanges are a great way to get to know other people and make a fun, well thought-out, gift box. I heard from my blog friend, Lisa, about a great one, Carabox, started by Kaitlyn at Wifessionals. I participated over the summer in a nautical themed box. During the exchange you "meet" your partners through email exchanges to get to know them. One partner sends you a box full of goodies and the other sends you a box. It went ok the first time; which made me unsure of doing it again, but I decided to give it another chance.

I'm so glad I did! I sent a box to Chloe over at All That good Stuff. I really enjoyed making her box because fall is the best season; which allowed me to get creative and crafty! Getting to know my partners and sending a gift box is only half the fun, I also received a box! My package full of goodies came from Elise who blogs at Books, Bottles, and Bags. I could not wait for the package to arrive in the mail. Every day, I would check my porch to see if it had come. I was especially excited because the package was going to be fall themed and fall is my absolute favorite.

Last Thursday, after a ridiculously long day, I came home to it sitting by the door! I didn't even wait a moment to get to my room and open the box. My housemates also helped me open it to see what was inside, as they knew, I had been anticipating the box for a while.

Contents:

Woodland Creature Stickers. I told Elise in our conversations that I love squirrels because they are my sorority's mascot. She said she was unable to get anything that had squirrels on it so she bought me the stickers! They are so cute!

Hair Ties. I love these hair ties. I have been wanting to buy some, but never wanted to fork over the money to buy them. When I opened my box, I was happy to find them inside. They are also OSU Buckeye colors; which I love! Go Bucks!

Ohio State bow. Handmade gifts are the best. Elise did not make it, but it is a handmade bow from etsy. I think it makes a great addition to my collection of Ohio State stuff.

Glade Pumpkin Spice Room Spray. fall+pumpkin= perfect combination. I enjoy making my room smell nice, especially with fall fragrances.

Pillsbury Perfect Pumpkin Cake mix. I have not made these, yet, but I am looking forward to it. My housemates and I are having a Thanksgiving get together meal and I plan on making these. I want to hop over to the store and pick up some cream cheese frosting, too.

Ideas Grow Here notebook. I love to write and use journals to jot down my  daily reflections on life. The notebook is perfect. I have already used it for class, blogging and meeting with a professional. It is just the right size and complimented by an inspirational quote on the front.

Big thanks to Chloe and Elise for being great carabox partners!! I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I have. If anyone is interested in doing the exchange, check out Kaitlyn's blog for information on the next one. she will post a sign-up sheet on December 2.

Have you done the carabox exchange? If so, what do you think about the new changes? If not, what are your favorite fall goodies that you would have loved to receive in your carabox?

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Fall in Love with Cleveland

I don't know if I can really stress how awesome it is to have a bloggy friend in real life. My real-life blog friend is Lisa who blogs over at Ameliorer la Vie. She is wonderful! I can talk to her about all kinds of blog related topics that people who don't blog do not understand. She is always on top of the latest blogging trends, link-ups, blog hops, giveaways, sponsorships, you name it, she usually knows about it and is kind enough to pass it along. 

Lisa is back in my hometown and I am, currently, in Cleveland attending college. Last week, Lisa had a rare Sunday off and came to visit me. We were lucky enough to catch a break in the rainy weather and enjoy a beautiful fall day together. For lunch, we headed to a quaint cultural spot in Cleveland, Little Italy. I knew she would love it because Lisa lived in Italy for some time as a nanny. Over at Presti's bakery, we enjoyed stromboli, soup (not Italian, but it was delicious), gelato, cannolis, and raspberry almond thumbprint cookies. 

 After lunch, we headed to University Circle to The Botanical Gardens. It was too fun. The gardens inside and outside were beautiful. There were birds, butterflies, tortoises, etc.  My favorite part was outside where we could enjoy all of the changing colors of autumn: the reds, oranges, and yellows. We had a great time talking about life, soaking up the sunshine and enjoying a few of Cleveland's gems.

What do you like to do in the Fall?

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Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Still plugging through The Thankful Project with Kenzie at Chasing Happy. Today's prompt is 'an opportunity.'

I was going to talk about my study abroad adventure, but I thought I would choose something a little different that I don't really talk about much. When I was in high school, I loved marching band and playing percussion. My junior and senior year, I became the section leader and could not have been more proud. My goal for an extremely long time was to play in The Ohio State University Marching Band (The Best Damn Band in the Land). 

At the Skull Session (where the OSU band plays before the football game), I heard about The Macy's Great American Marching Band, a band composed of high school students from all over the counrty. I didn't know what it was, but I knew I wanted to do it so I could meet the director of the OSU Marching Band. That weekend, I contacted my percussion instructor (who was on the OSU drumline) and told him I wanted to audition for next year's band. Come Spring, I was on top of my music and video audition preparations. By April, I found out I was going to be a part of The Macy's Great American Marching Band in The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade my senior year of high school. WHAT?!?! My mind was blown. My family watched the parade every year on Thanksgiving morning at my grandma's house and I was about to be in it!  I was also going with my friend, Hannah (flautist), and sister, Caitey (banner carrier).

The first few days we were in New York, the organization gave us tours and free time around the city. After settling in, it was time to get to work and learn our routine that would be performed on live television. We had 3 days-ish to get it all together. It was so impressive how it came together in a short amount of time.  

The day of was INSANE! We had a dress rehearsal for NBC at 4 a.m.....yes, A.M., people. It was quite the experience. It really seemed so surreal. When it came time to start the parade route, I could not believe the sight of all the floats and balloons. I never thought in a million years I would ever have the chance to see the parade in person, let alone, be in it! I don't think I have ever seen so many people, especially at a parade. 

We marched through the streets of New York City until we arrived at the performance area that would be filmed on live television. We held up the back end of the parade, right before the Santa Clause entrance. Let me tell you, as soon as it was our cue, I played my little heart it. I played as if it were my last day to ever play cymbals. I was overjoyed and thrilled for such an opportunity. I knew all of my family was watching and I wanted to make them proud. Afterwards, my legs were jello and I needed some serious recovery from the 4a.m. rehearsal and adrenaline overload. 

Overall, it was an incredible opportunity and I am unbelievably thankful. Every Thanksgiving, I look forward to watching the band, knowing they are having the time of their lives. 

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Weekly Wishes

Seville, Spain

Hello, lovely! I hope you had a fantastic week and an even better weekend. I had a great week, busy, but great: networking events, seeing speakers, going out to dinner with my housemates, and trying to do homework. I loved every minute of it. 

Blogging always seems to be my way of relaxing and doing something fun in the middle of chaos. I am always happy to be a part of Weekly Wishes every Monday. Melyssa always has fun stories to share, some motivation, and beautiful pictures to help boost the case of the Mondays. She also does participant art with a different theme each week. This week's theme is 'hobbies'. A hobby I cultivated while I was abroad in Spain last semester was an obsession with the sky. I love fun clouds and my heart melts with every sunrise and sunset. The sky, with its stunning colors and unique clouds, captivates me and brings me great joy. 

Last Week's Wishes                                                                                                                        

This week was insane, but, I feel like my weekly wishes posts keep me accountable for the things I would like to accomplish, despite life's craziness. Well, I was able to find a 5k turkey Trot for FREE on Thanksgiving morning. I also started to train for it...oh yea (this took a lot of motivation). Last night, I finished my book, The Happiness Project. Totally, recommend this book! Such a fun and happy read. My goal last week was to start saving money. Well, if putting a quarter in my piggy bank counts...So I kind of did the complete opposite of save. I bought Cleveland Browns tickets and tickets to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I see them as investments (one of them is a Christmas present :). I will have to continue working on this one. 

This Week's Wishes                                                                                                                        

Run. Yes, I have to make this my goal, again. I feel more accountable for it by making it a weekly wish. And I don't really want to die during the Turkey Trot so I need to train for it. 

Explore beautiful Cleveland. I only have 4 more weeks left in my program this semester. Next semester, I will be back on campus. I want to continue doing and seeing as much as I can in Cleveland, especially this week because finals are coming quickly. 

Write some letters. I am working on the Thankful Project blog challenge with Kenzie from Chasing Happy. I have been reflecting on some sweet moments. You can check them out here, here, and here. It has really opened my mind and heart to think about moments and people I am so thankful for. I want to send out a few letters this week to people I am truly thankful for. 

Happy Monday!

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A memory

Happy Sunday, friends! I hope you have had a wonderful week and a few moments to reflect on your life. If you need an excuse to reflect on life and pay attention to the things you are most thankful for, check out Kenzie at Chasing Happy's The Thankful Project Blog Challenge. The purpose of the challenge is to cultivate an attitude of thankfulness through daily reflection. Today's prompt is 'a memory'.

I probably should be working on a big paper I have due Monday, but I really enjoy the project. It makes me happy to write posts like these and think back on some pretty awesome things in life. At first, this prompt was a little difficult. I really wanted to dig deep for a memory in my childhood that I was really thankful for, but I couldn't, because of a childhood trauma, a lot of my memories are repressed. That aside, I had to recall a recent memory to mind.

Just like I said in yesterday's post, I talk about my study abroad experience in Spain, a lot! I can't help it, but it is probably the happiest, craziest, most awesome time of my life and it happened recently....so of course I talk about it! Today's post is no different besides the awesome memory I am going to share.

I have a lot of memories from my experience that flood me when I think about that unbelievable time abroad. One part of my time over there really stands out in my mind, my host parents, Carmen and Miguel. They are fantastic human beings!!

Celebrating Miguel's 69th birthday with his favorite pastry! 

They knew, even from my nervous beginning abroad, that I wanted to dive into the culture, be with Spaniards, and learn Spanish. They did their best to help me navigate life in Seville and helped me learn the language. One huge part of the Spanish culture, especially in the Southern Spanish city I was in, they celebrate, Feria de abril. It is a genuine cultural event celebrating the coming of Spring. The event is celebrated for one week in April. It is a huge deal, there is even a special part of the city reserved, all year long, for this one week event. 

The dirt patch is prepared over 3 months for this event. By the time it arrives, the area is covered with casetas, or little, tent houses, vendors, and an amusement park-like spot with rides for kids and adults, alike. This part of the city is shut off from cars, bikes, skate boards, etc. and filled with pedestrians, horse-drawn carriages, and people riding horses. The men and women are dressed in traditional Spanish garb, i.e. suits with a short jacket and Flamenco dresses. Families from all over the city dress up and come out to drink, eat, and celebrate. The casetas are where they dine, dance, and laugh the day away. The casetas are mostly private and they have to pay a hefty fee to get in. 

beautiful host mom

In front of the portada, the entrance, to the festival

So here is the awesome memory, my host parents are members of a caseta and have lots of friends who are members of casetas, as well. I wanted an authentic feria experience so I asked them if I could go out with them and their friends. We left a little after lunch time and met up with 3 of their friends. Feria etiquette is to take your friends to your caseta, feed them tapas and drinks, then, they take you to their caseta and do the same. 

We went to their friend's caseta, first. I could barely wrap my mind around the happiness I was feeling being totally immersed is the beautiful display of Spanish culture with my favorite host parents. The caseta we were in sat on the corner of an intersection in the conglomeration of casetas. We saw all of the action: the horse and buggies, the people dressed in traditional clothing, the sites, the smells, everything. I sat at the table feasting on tapas and tinto de verano, surrounded by 60-somethings chit chatting in Spanish. It was too perfect. 

sitting inside the caseta with their friends

Then, as if it couldn't get any better, a drummer came into the caseta to play a traditional flamenco tune, a version of Sevillanas. My host mom jumped up and started dancing. I was blown away by her soft, but fierce movements with the drummer's beats. Her and I had been practicing this dance at home because I wanted to learn so she invited me to dance with her. The paleness that came over my face when she asked me to join her probably made her think I had died. I was petrified to dance in front of Spaniards who have this dance ingrained in their heads since birth and I was going to be the gringo attempting to do it. Oh boy, but I decided I needed to live in the moment and enjoy that special time with her. Because.... when would I ever have the chance again to dance a traditional Flamenco dance with my host mom during a genuine cultural festival in Sevilla?....probably never. 

That was the epitome of embracing the culture, the people, the food, the language......everything and more that I had hoped to gain while I was abroad. I am so incredibly thankful I was able to go to feria de abril with my host family and share that memory with them. 

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Capturing a Moment of Thankfulness

A little behind on The Thankful Project blog challenge, the week's busyness kind of blindsided me, but I'm back! If you do not know what this is, check out Kenzie at Chasing Happy to get started on your Thankful Project! Today's prompt is 'a photo'. 

I do not think I could pick a photo more meaningful and important in my life, right now. I feel like I say this a lot on my blog 'last spring, I studied abroad in Seville, Spain.......", but it was a BIG deal. I talk about it a lot because it is such an important aspect of my life and one of the biggest events in my life, thus far.

             

This photo was taken in Seville, crossing the bridge over the Guadalquivir river, to my neighborhood, Triana. I fell in love with the view of the sunset over the bridge. It was breathtaking and always captured me in those moments. For whatever reason, I always felt a sense incredible thankfulness for the opportunity to be abroad, to be accomplishing my biggest dream, and to be fortunate enough to see such a beautiful view. 

I sometimes feel like I overuse this photo in everything; social media, this blog, sharing my study abroad experience, but it is my favorite and brings back a flood of wonderful memories. This photo captures my love for that incredible city and place that I call, my second home. I am thankful I have a picture that captures the single most meaningful and awe-inspiring part of every day in Seville.

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Oh, Venice...Who knew you had 2 Airports?

Still so excited about Kenzie from Chasing Happy's blog challenge, The Thankful Project. It is seriously a joy to think about the things I am so thankful for. Well, today is Day 4 and I am reflecting on an experience I am thankful for and get a quite a chuckle out of. 

Last Spring, I studied abroad in Seville, Spain for the semester. Over Spring break, one of my friends, Kassi, and I decided we wanted to explore Europe for the 9 days we had for break. After about a month of deciding where we wanted to go, what we wanted to do, our route, and arranging our flights, we set out on our 9-day-cross-Europe-adventure: Athens, Rome, Venice, Prague, Zurich, and Lucerne.

Where I thought Kassi was going to slip and fall into the water

Our journey to Athens and Rome, went off without a hitch. By the time we were in Venice, it started to get very cold (snowing, raining, sleeting, the whole shebang.....yuck...). We were getting a little drained and tired from our travels. We tried to rest more in Venice because it was so yucky outside and we couldn't do the one thing we wanted to do, ride a gondola (oh well, just means I have to go back again!). Our time was used to mosey around the city and enjoy Italian pizza and wine.

The closed gondolas... *tear

With 8 flights from city to city, something was bound to happen. The night before we left to catch a flight in the morning from Venice to Prague, we checked our tickets and made sure we got up in enough time to catch a bus out of the city to the airport. Everything went smoothly, we got to the airport with an 1.5 to spare. We arrived at the airport and searched around for our airline, but couldn't find it. We went to a guest service desk and asked where the airline company was. One glance at our ticket and they knew we were at the wrong airport.....EXCUSE ME? What do you mean wrong airport?? Their are two airports for this tiny city??? We just happened to be at the wrong one... and had the wrong time of our flight. In our tiredness the night before, we looked at our boarding passes for our Prague to Zurich flight instead of our Venice to Prague flight! (*begin mini humongous panic*)

We had one hour before our flight took off. We took off outside the airport and ran to a taxi outside to frantically tell him we needed to get to the other airport ASAP. The taxi drive told us 50 euros (roughly $75) to get there and it would take 30 minutes. Well, we had no other choice. So if going to the wrong airport, our flight leaving in just one hour, and an expensive taxi cab wasn't enough, I realized my bag did not fit the bag restrictions for this particular airline (cheap European airlines have really strict bag restrictions.).

When we got there, I had to wait in another line to check my bag and pay another 20euros to take it on the place. We arrived to our boarding gate with 15 minutes to spare. I don't think I have sweat, freaked out, or worried more in my life.

I am so thankful for that crazy experience. First of all, it makes for a hysterical memory, as Kassi and I were in major panic mode. But I also learned a few things: taking time for rest during a strenuous trip is important, the little details are probably some of the most important details, double-checking/ triple-checking/ or quadruple-checking is never a bad thing, and take time to laugh about a crazy situations (it makes things much easier). 

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Weekly Wishes

Hello world!! You know what day it is...Monday. And you know what that means? Weekly Wishes with Melyssa at the Nectar Collective...oh yea. Well, a part of motivating link-up is participant art (the above picture) based on a theme. The theme this week is warmth....I thought I would do some explaining of this...umm..weird picture.

The picture was taken in Cordoba, Spain outside of the Mezquita (mosque). It was kind of chilly that day, until the sun decided to grace us with its presence. I was collecting my 'Spanish glow' as my friend captured the picture. Laying outside with the warmth of the sun shining on my face is probably one of the most enjoyable things.

Last Week's Wishes                                                                                                                        

I promised to post a picture of my Halloween costume. I had way too much fun with costume! So back to weekly wishes....Last week was a success. I wanted to create a bedtime routine to have a more relaxing sleep. I now take a warm bath, use Bath and Body Works Sleep lotion (love it!!), and read before bed. It is something I now enjoy doing and have to be conscious about making time for it. I also wanted to visit the Cleveland Public Library for the first time. Our professor was sick on Wednesday which made for a perfect day to go to the library and get a library card. It is a beautiful library! Lastly, I wanted to swap blog buttons. I was able to make 2 swaps and have one more lined up. If anyone is interested, I am looking to do more!

This Week's Wishes                                                                                                                        

Pick a 5k/start training. Sometimes I get on these kicks to crazy, spontaneous things....like running a 5k in the winter. Well, I hope to pick one out this week and start training for it, as well. Any tips for not hurting myself while running in the cold?

Start saving money. Well, I have two huge money suckers coming in the near future. I have payments for a service trip to Nicaragua in May and paying for my ticket to see Wicked in December! Yay so exciting, but not excited about spending horribly huge amounts of money.

Finish my book + Start a new one. Currently, I am reading The Happiness Project. I am in love with it and I would love to finish it this week because I have another book I would like to move onto, 20-something, 20-everything.

Happy Monday! 

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Seville, Spain: A Special Place

Continuing in The Thankful Project blog challenge with Kenzie from Chasing Happy. Today is Day 3 and the focus is 'a place'...

I couldn't think of a more special place that I am so incredibly thankful for. Spring of this year, I traveled to Seville, Spain (yes, like ht Barber of Seville). I had wanted to travel to Spain for almost 8 years by the time I finally arrived. I cultivated a love for Spain through my Spanish classes in middle school, high school, and college. As soon as I got to college my freshman year, I walked into the study abroad office and said, "I want to go to Spain. How can I make it happen?" A year later, I was there. 

Torre del Oro

The place I am most thankful for is Seville. It is a vibrant city located in Southern Spain. The people are laid back and always up for a good time spent with friends and family over a mug of beer or a glass of wine. I was overwhelmed by the culture that floods the city. I learned so much about Spanish life in Seville and Spanish culture: churros, architecture, flamenco, tapas, tinto de verano, siestas, bread with every meal, bullfighting, the list could literally go on and on. 

The city taught me so much about the Spanish language, culture, but most of all about myself. Studying Abroad is a great time to learn about yourself and really find direction in your life. It was the first place I was kind of 'out on my own' and really fending for myself. It was my first big....well, HUGE adventure. It has instilled in me a passion for travel, cultures, stepping outside of my comfort zone, wine and languages. I long for the next time I may be able to visit again. I am smitten by Seville and it will forever hold a special place in my heart and my memories. 

What place are you most thankful for? 

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On Having 8 Siblings...

My step-dad, mom, and siblings.

Half-sisters, Sam and Sophia

Today marks Day 2 of The Thankful Project blog challenge with Kenzie from Chasing Happy. The goal of her challenge is to cultivate an attitude of thankfulness, especially leading up to Thanksgiving. Today's theme is 'a role you've played'....

Well, family is something that is extremely important to me. I value relationships with my parents, siblings, and extended family. My family is a little complicated, but that makes it all the more interesting. I come from a blended family. I have step-parents, step-siblings, and half-siblings. No matter how complicated the family can get, I am proud of my family and love each one of them very much.

I think the most significant role I have played in my life so far has been, being the big sister to 8 younger siblings. Aside from the number of siblings I have had always fluctuating, I have always been the oldest. The oldest sibling carries a great deal of responsibility.

It has been an adventure with its ups and downs, fights, 'tattle-taling', and some of the best memories. I am thankful for each one of their unique personalities. I know that no matter what I have a friend to confide in, a bear hug, and someone to always have my back. As they also know, they are truly loved and I am proud to be their big sister. I hope that I can be a positive role model for them and that they may learn from my mistakes as I head into the thick of life ahead of them.

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My Grandma aka An Incredibly Amazing Woman

November begins The Thankful Project blog challenge with Kenzie at Chasing Happy. It is a 28 day blog challenge to cultivate an attitude of thankfulness, especially leading up to Thanksgiving. I have wanted to do a blog challenge for a while and I thought this would be a great one to work on. Her topics are real and the first one especially had me in a place of gratitude.

Today, is Day 1 of the challenge and the topic is 'a person.' It took me know time at all to know exactly the person in my life that I am most thankful for. She is kind, smart, strong-willed, loving beyond anything, and my grandma.

I look up to her. She has dealt with some incredibly terrible situations in her life, but has been strong and persevering. I really admire her strength. Not only is she incredibly strong, but has a heart of gold. She would do anything for anyone at the drop of a hat. No matter anyone's needs, she will be the first to help.

She has been a solid, foundational person in my life. No matter what venture or ambitious I set out to achieve, she was behind me 100%. She would come to my games, band concerts, pageants, and so on. If I had a sewing project or a crafty need, she was there and more than willing to help me and extended her creative thoughts.

I am not really sure she knows the impact she has had on my life (she will now, she reads my blog). She is always there and always steps up when I need someone in the hardest times. Grandma, you truly are a gem and I am immensely thankful for your tremendous love and compassion. You inspire me daily and I hope that I may one day be a grandma as great as you.

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