Quote Corner

…there was light…

“Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while… and hope returned to him.
For the thought pierced him that in the end the shadow was only a small and passing thing:
there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach”

~J.R.R. Tolkien
Return of the King

These words of Tolkien are so powerful and especially touching at this moment in time because he reminds us that there is strength in the darkness. Hope is never lost, and there is still so much beauty in the world beyond what we can see right now. Better days will come, and the light will always shine in the end… Never forget that.

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Life Happenings

And then, there were ten

As I mentioned in a previous post, my family recently moved into a new house, and many exciting opportunities came with the transition… like hatching baby chicks. It was so wonderful to experience, and it has been so neat to watch them grow. We did not expect them all to hatch, so it was a great surprise to end up with ten!

It has been quite an eventful past couple of weeks, and many big projects are underway as we prepare the chicken coop and construct a fence for the goats that we will be getting as well… Overall, it has been a nice change of pace, and this new lifestyle is very fitting for us. My siblings are still so young, and living out here allows their curiosity to run wild in the great outdoors. I am going to make the most of every moment that I have here and cherish every memory… I love my family, and I love this place. Thanks, mom and dad.

Life Happenings

4th of July, 2020

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Hola,

I hope you guys had a fantastic 4th of July!

The Fourth is my family’s biggest celebration, and we typically host a huge party with friends and neighbors. This year was quite different, however, but we still had a great time! Although the pandemic took away our party, it did not take away our annual firework show… Every year, neighbors contribute to a massive firework pile that never fails to blow me away (literally).

There is something special about that burst of color against the night sky, and I look forward to it every single year. As firecrackers, sparklers, and fireworks filled the night, all of my worries kind of faded away, and I was able to truly live in the moment. I especially needed that this year, so it was awesome! How did you celebrate?

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Happy Independence Day 2020!

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Golden leaves

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do you hear that?

the echo of the trees

conversing among each other

dispersing messages in the breeze…

 

do you see that?

the array of golden leaves

painting the earth’s canvas

 letting beauty run free…


I was walking to class the other day, but I had to stop to take a picture of this beautiful moment. It also inspired me to write a poem, so I thought I would share it with all of you.

Also, I am loving this song.

I am in the process of putting together this month’s playlist, so be on the lookout for that as well. I hope you all have a great rest of the week, and thanks for reading!

Do you have any plans for Thanksgiving? What are your thoughts on this post? Did you like the song? Has anything inspired you recently? 

Poetic Thoughts

my old friend

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Autumn,

I have awaited your arrival since the start of September.

Upon your return, you bring soft hues

that warm my soul through the chill of October.

There is so much to tell you, and a lot on my mind.

The leaves are falling as am I.

Acoustics drift through the silence

as cider steams from my hand.

On the porch, I have been waiting for you.

Hello, my old friend.


Just a little bit of free verse this morning to welcome my favorite season… What are your thoughts on Autumn? Did you enjoy this post? Happy Fall!

Quote Corner

Breathe Easy…

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Small problems have a tendency to invade our minds as we obsess, overthink, stress, and worry about them… Over time, it becomes hard to stop these negative thoughts, and the small problems ultimately end up feeling much bigger than they actually are. However, I have realized that most of the things that are stressful right now wont even matter in a few months, and our brain often over-analyzes situations that are actually quite simple. Everything will be sorted out the way it is suppose to with time, so don’t allow these thoughts and situations to create unnecessary chaos in your daily life. Instead, remind yourself that most of the stress that you are feeling right now is simply a cluster of small problems that the brain has manipulated to feel much bigger than they actually are.

“90% of what you are

stressing over today won’t

even be relevant in a year.

Breathe easy.”

~Wesley Snipes

What are your thoughts on this? Was this post helpful to ease some of the tension in your life? How do you deal with stressful situations? Happy Friday!

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– September –

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“I can smell autumn dancing in the breeze. The sweet chill of pumpkin and crisp sun burnt leaves.”

~Unknown

September has arrived, and the first day of fall is right around the corner. I always look forward to the cool evenings, savory spices, and vibrant colors every year. The “small things” like falling leaves remind me to pause for a moment and breathe in the midst of all of the chaos. The fall semester is certainly stressful, but the autumn season really helps offset that tension because it is so beautiful.

I have created this month’s playlist for you guys, so I figured I would just release it now. I hope you enjoy, and happy September!

  • Dark Green by Children of Indigo
  • Rollercoaster by Bleachers
  • It Goes On by Zac Brown & Sir Rosevelt
  • Good Things Fall Apart by Illenium & Jon Bellion
  • Next Year by Donovan Woods
  • So Far Away by Staind
  • That Old Truck by Thomas Rhett
  • More I See by S. Carey
  • Suit and Jacket by Judah & the Lion

What are you listening to this month? Do you enjoy autumn? What is your favorite thing about this time of year? Can you believe 2019 is almost over? Thanks for reading!

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Starting a Blog?

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Within the past few months, several people have come to me with questions about blogging, so I thought it might be beneficial to share my insight for all new/existing bloggers out there. I have been blogging for several years now, so I am very happy to share my personal tips and advice… Whether you are considering your own site, just starting off, or have had lots of experience, I hope this post is helpful!

1: It’s what you want it to be.

Embrace your unique style of writing because your blog is whatever you want it to be. Don’t feel like you have to follow strict guidelines because there is no right or wrong way to do it. Your blog is very personal, so be creative, have fun, and enjoy writing about anything and everything you want!

2: Be aware of your audience.

The entire world has access to your site at any given moment, so the publicity of a blog (without privacy settings) is pretty immense. Therefore, it is very important that you are aware of the information that you post and pay close attention to photos to ensure that your location isn’t outwardly revealed unless you want it to be. Blogging is one of my biggest hobbies, but safety is always taken into consideration before I hit the “publish” button. I don’t mean to discourage you; I just want you to be aware of your audience and make smart decisions when you post.

3: It takes time to grow.

One of the most common concerns that you may have when you first begin a blog is the lack of readers because it takes a while to become recognized in the community. Don’t become discouraged, but use this time to improve your site and become familiar with certain blogging techniques. I recommend that you engage with other bloggers by following, liking, and commenting on their sites, and it also helps to promote your blog on existing social media platforms. With time, you will gain more followers and your status/traffic will continue to grow!

4: Quality over quantity.

I think one of the worst mistakes that you can make as a blogger is forgetting that the quality of posts always overrules quantity. Don’t rush the writing process just to post something because this will lead to poor quality posts that will bore both you and your readers, so write when you are inspired. Your posts do not have deadline, so you can take as long as you need (days, weeks, or even months.) Whatever you do, you must always maintain quality over quantity.

5: Respond to readers.

When people take time to comment on your posts, it is always good to like and respond to them even if it is a simple ‘thank you.’ They made the effort to reach out to you and express their thoughts and appreciation for your writing, so don’t let that go unrecognized.

6: Research writing prompts.

There are going to be times when you really want to write something, but you just don’t know what. Whenever this happens, I honestly Google writing prompts to get my creativity flowing again. That is my little blogging secret…

7: Why not?

Blogging has really given me the opportunity to express myself, share my passion of writing with the world, meet hundreds of inspiring people, and document memorable moments of my life that can be revisited in the future. If blogging has ever crossed your mind, I really encourage you to at least try it because why not? You can always delete your site if you hate it, but you will never know unless you try. My blog has really impacted my life, and I don’t have a single regret. I am so thankful for all of my readers, and I hope to continue posting for many years to come.


Please feel free to drop any individual questions in the comments section because I am happy to help you begin/continue your blogging journey! A few months ago, I released a post that provided a small overview of my experience on WordPress so far, so be sure to go check that out if you are interested. Thank you so much for reading, and good luck blogging!

What are your thoughts on this post? Do you have any tips or advice? Are there any questions that you still have? Ask away!

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Why Worry?

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We worry about if we made the right decisions yesterday. We worry about our ability to do everything “right” today. We worry about what will happen tomorrow…

That is a lot of unnecessary worrying, and these thoughts are often followed by anxiety which is detrimental to our health. It can be so easy to detach from our faith as we allow these unsettled thoughts to invade our minds, and we often forget that God has a plan. Hence, if we make a wrong turn somewhere down the road, things will always straighten out way that they are suppose to and lead us where we are meant to be. As hard as we try, we will never have complete control over our lives because most things are beyond our control. So why waste so much time worrying? Think about it: We can spend all day worrying about the past, but it will never change. We can spend all day worrying about the future, but most of the things we worry about don’t even end up happening anyways. Be fully present in this moment, and trust in God’s plan for your life. Never be afraid, and don’t worry.

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Matthew 6: 34

“For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”

Isaiah 41:13

This is something that I am really going to work on this semester because I was so lost last year… I spent so much time trying to figure out how to overcome my stress/anxiety, but I think I have finally found my answer through faith. I hope that I can keep my eyes on Him, and not allow distractions to pull me away again no matter how hectic life gets. This is my goal for this new school year.

What is something that you are working on? Do you struggle with anxiety? Are you guilty of allowing worry to overtake your life? Feel free to share your thoughts on this in the comments section, and I hope that you all have a fantastic week (worry free).