LOOKING BACK, SOMETIMES PROPELS YOU FORWARD

Recently I have had some blasts from the past, where people from deep in my past have found me after a decade or more. It was very flattering to know that even though I was long gone, I was never actually forgotten and that I somehow left an impression. It's was and is nice to know that as insignificant as life may seem, I have obviously played a significant part in some peoples lives.

It's funny though, how when the past catches up with you and you take the time to reflect and look back, you realize just how far you have come. There have been many times recently that I have been frustrated and felt impatient because I don't feel that I am progressing as quickly as I would like. So when faced with having to remember where I grew up, it made me realize how far I have actually come. It also made me realize that I have to remember who I am and that if I couldn't be held back then, then I refuse to be held back now. I'm not sure if I was born with the strength of heart and mind that God gave me or it was something developed throughout my life to help me survive the trials and tribulations that I  had to endure. Whichever it was, all that matters is that it is the part of me that made something out of nothing. It is also the part of me that believed I could make it when so many thought I would fail. Point in fact... I didn't fail then and I refuse to fail now. I will be strong and I will always push forward to a better place. I will reach my goals and I will achieve my dreams. My past is behind me, but it made me who I am today and today I know that I have a bright future ahead.

Love too you all!

~MJ~

A whole new adventure

I started out a city girl, made my way to the islands and am now I'm hitten the ho-downs in Texas! Well I survived my first week in Texas! Just kidding, Texas is actually pretty cool. I have to admit, I wasn't sure what it would be like here, but so far I really like it. It's definitely a lot different then any place I have been so far, but I have a feeling that everything is going to go great here. It's great to be back around good friends and I will be visiting family too as soon as I get settled in here.

Alexis has started school here and let me tell you, after schools in Hawaii she REALLY had culture shock! Her first impression was in the front office where the receptionist proceeded to dish out corrections to any child not saying please, thank you, yes ma'am or no ma'am. She say's her teachers are mean and I am saying Hallelujah.

It feels great to be back on track. Working out, eating right, sleeping right and feeling really accomplished these days. Now I just need to find my dream job and land it. Wish me luck!

Live life to the fullest!!

Today as I was getting ready to walk into the grocery store when a close friend called to tell me that her cousin (someone we both grew up with) had died. It saddened me to know that yet another person that I knew had passed away. At the age of thirty-one, I know WAY too many people that have died young. I guess that explains why I try to live my life to the fullest and experience as much as I can day by day. I hope to live a long full life with as many experiences as I can, so that someday I can tell my grandchildren stories and none of them will be lame "when I was your age, I walked ten miles to school and back, uphill both ways!" stories. I want to be able to tell stories about far off places and a million faces, about love and yes loss and most of all about adventure and taking the chances and opportunities that life offers you. I hope that someday when my time does come, that I have lived a full life and made a difference in many others. I live each day hoping that in some small way I am able to touch others lives in a positive way. My hope is that for each good deed that I do for someone, that they remember and instead of trying to pay me back,  pays it forward. My hope is that when I am gone that I am never forgotten.

My Prayers go out to Sheila Winslow and her family, may the lord watch over her daughter and be present with her family as they mourn her passing. Sheila, if your out there know that although you have gone from us, you will never be forgotten. Each of us will remember our part of your story and through us your memory will live on, I pray that you rest in peace.

Love to you all,

~MJ~

Gearing up for the next chapter in my life...

Aloha, Hawaii and Howdy Fort Worth, Texas!

After a year and a half in Paradise, I am ready to head back to the mainland where everything is a day drive away. I feel island fever creeping in and have reached a crossroad where I feel it's time to go, but my time here has been so amazing that I may break my rule about living anywhere twice and possibly come back to settle here someday. I have met some wonderful people and seen so many beautiful days here that it's crept into my heart and I have a feeling no matter where I go in the world I will always be comparing sunrises and sunsets to the ones that I have seen here.

So, with that said, I am preparing for my my next destination in the story of my life... Fort Worth, Texas! I am looking forward to being reunited with friends and family and while I don't know what Texas holds for me, I am eager to find out. There is nothing more exciting then moving to a new city and experiencing all it has to offer. It makes each day a new adventure with new experiences filled with new people, new food and more fun. Traveling the world and seeing it from the inside out is like living of the magic of dreams, if you can think it you can do it, the only limits to your possibilities or boundaries to your life are the ones that you impose on yourself.

Love to you all

~MJ~

A little something for singles to check out on Valentines day

 Here is something for all you singles out there on Valentines day, this is book seems great, check it out!!

All the Good Ones Are Gone

Dating Logic 2...

Don't get frustrated if a frog is just a frog....

Next time you "kiss a frog" and he doesn't turn into a prince for you, don't be too angry or upset. Trust me, I know from experience that it can be frustrating, but if you think about it, it was better to find out now rather then later. Besides, just because he didn't end up being YOUR prince doesn't mean he will always be a frog. Someday he may end up being someone else s prince.. and well lets face it..... sometimes he really is just a frog lol. Either way, better to be thankful that you didn't end up with the wrong guy now then regretful that you ended up staying with someone that wasn't right for you later (see note "dating logic" for more details on this situation).

Thanks for tuning in again to my random thoughts :)

Love 2 you all!

~MJ~

A Time For Change...

For those who know me and know me well, of which there are few.. lol. You all know that the last few years have been very difficult for me. Especially in dealing with my fathers illness and recent death. First, I would like to thank all of you for your support and help when I needed it over the last two years... and for some much much longer. Second, I would like to say that I am sorry. I am sorry that over the last few years, I have become such a very different person. Someone almost unrecognizable compared to the person that I always have been. I could come up with a thousand reasons why and a thousand excuses.. but when it comes down to it none of them would matter. The fact of the matter is, that along the way I lost a part of myself that was really a big part of who I am. Ever since, my life seems to have just been spinning out of control with me grabbing the wheel every now and then and wrestling it back in the general direction that I am supposed to be going. Well... all of that stops here. It is a time for change. A time to get back to who and what I truly am at the core. it's time to trudge forward and get back to that place that I have always held. I know that it is going to be a hard road, because it always has been, but I am not afraid of the challenge because I have never been afraid of anything. Not everyone that is in my life now will make it through to the next chapter, but many of you will and I am thankful for those of you that do. So as the changes begin, please be patient with me and understand that I am doing what needs to be done in order to get back to who I am and where I need to be. I know those of you that matter wont mind and those of you that mind.. well it probably doesnt matter because you won't make it through to the next chapter.

Love to you all,

MJ