STRONGER - Learning A Hard Lesson From Life

When life hands you lemons…

When life hands you lemons, the best thing to do is to make lemonade, or a lemon tart, or lemon cupcakes.  But do something constructive and delicious with those lemons.  And then, go Market the HELL out of those tarts, and cupcakes, and show the world that you can turn a negative into a positive.

Today I am grateful for:

A Wonderful Family

A Beautiful & Healthy Niece

A Great Group Of Friends

A Loving & Healthy Dog

A Great Job That Challenges Me Every Day

A Roof Over My Head & Food On My Table

A Life Full Of Wonderful Experiences

Music That Moves Me When I Listen To It

Having The Strength To Ignore People Who Are Negative!!!

So much more…

Today’s Saturday Song Lyrics – Dated 2/8/2014

This Moment Is Mine – Dion Roy

This moment is mine
This moment is mine
And not for you
Gonna lay it on the line
This moment is mine
And not for you

Little Victories – Matt Nathanson

This time I'll be sailing
No more bailing boats for me
I'll be out here on the sea
Just my confidence and me

And I'll be awful sometimes
Weakened to my knees
But I'll learn to get by
On the little victories

This time I'll have no fear
I'll be standing strong and tall
I'll turn my back towards them all

Original – From the Television Show SMASH

A girl so scarred, a pain so real

A life so hard, becomes a song you feel

She wants, she wants, she wants to be original
She will, she will become something remarkable
Who cares, who cares, who cares what stunt she has to pull
She'll be remade as somebody original

You can wipe away everything you are
Wake up tomorrow as a star

There was a girl who blended in
That was the way her life had been
'Til she decided to be someone else

A Thousand Years – Christina Perri

Heart beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave?
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?
But watching you stand alone,
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow.

One step closer

Time stands still
Beauty in all she is
I will be brave
I will not let anything take away
What's standing in front of me
Every breath
Every hour has come to this

One step closer

And for the ones out there in the world that make me stop and think about the changes I want to make in my life, and that I do implement, I thank you.  Every day people like you make me stronger and stronger and stronger.  But it’s taken a lot for me to get here, that is definitely true.  However, here are three of my favorite sayings that inspire me to keep going!...

"Slow and steady wins the race."

"You first must finish a race to win a race." 

"Slow in, fast out. Fast in, backwards out."

All In My Head – Nick Lachey

Satellites blasting through the universe, it's out of sight
It's all in my head
Saw your eyes sending me a message for the last time

Here alone holding on to something that I have never known
It's all in my head
And I've crossed the line, there's no going back and there's no future
Tell me this isn't happening

Stronger – Kelly Clarkson

You know the bed feels warmer
Sleeping here alone
You know I dream in colour
And do the things I want

You think you got the best of me
Think you've had the last laugh
Bet you think that everything good is gone
Think you left me broken down
Think that I'd come running back
Baby you don't know me, cause you're dead wrong

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn't mean I'm over cause you're gone

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me, myself and I
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone

Thanks to you I got a new thing started
Thanks to you I'm not the broken-hearted
Thanks to you I'm finally thinking about me
You know in the end the day you left was just my beginning
In the end...

I Knew You Were Trouble – Taylor Swift

Once upon a time a few mistakes ago
I was in your sights, you got me alone
You found me, you found me, you found me
I guess you didn't care, and I guess I liked that
And when I fell hard you took a step back
Without me, without me, without me

And I realize the blame is on me

'Cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now
Flew me to places I'd never been
'Til you put me down, oh
I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now
Flew me to places I'd never been
Now I'm lying on the cold hard ground

Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble

Saturday Morning Song Lyrics

Saturday Morning Is Meant For Listening To Music

I’m starting a new tradition. “Saturday Morning Song Lyrics”.  Whether I actually do this every Saturday is yet to be seen.  And since I don’t have many other posts I don’t want this to become the only thing people see and read, so I really should get back to my Advertising Roots and get some more Consumer Decision blogs up here, Definitely will try to write one about the Super Bowl Commercials.  Anyhow, back on topic….Here is where I am at this Saturday Morning. 

The idea being any one of these lyric excerpts were inspired from a “moment in time” and could have come from any day or moment of my life from the past week (or two), but I won’t say which goes with what experience.  The interesting part of this is depending on the day or the situation, the lyrics from the week could contradict each other, but then again sometimes my mind does tricks on me, so that is the reality.  Bottom Line, the reader has to have something to try to figure out and analyze.

Here goes with today’s “Saturday Morning Lyrics” – Dated 1/25/2014

Original – From the Television Show SMASH

You can wipe away everything you are
Wake up tomorrow as a star
There was a girl who blended in
That was the way her life had been
Til she decided to be someone else

She wants she wants she wants to be original
she will she will become something remarkable

I Have A Dream – ABBA From the Motion Picture Mama Mia

I have a dream, a song to sing
To help me cope with anything
If you see the wonder of a fairy tale
You can take the future even if you fail
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream

I have a dream, a fantasy
To help me through reality
And my destination makes it worth the while
Pushing through the darkness still another mile
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream

I have a dream, a song to sing
To help me cope with anything
If you see the wonder of a fairy tale
You can take the future even if you fail
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream

Reach For Me – From the Television Show SMASH

I can tell you're unprepared
For what will happen next
Nothing now could change my mind
Or make me want you less

Sparks Fly – Taylor Swift From the Album “Speak Now”

Drop everything now
Meet me in the pouring rain
Kiss me on the sidewalk
Take away the pain
'cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile
Get me with those green eyes, baby, as the lights go down
Give me something that'll haunt me when you're not around
'cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile

I Don’t Want To Be – Gavin Degraw From the Album “Chariot”

I don't want to be
Anything other than what I've been trying to be lately
All I have to do
Is think of me and I have peace of mind
I'm tired of looking 'round rooms
Wondering what I've got to do
Or who I'm supposed to be
I don't want to be anything other than me

Life Is A Show – Cassie Steele

When I hit rock bottom,
And then keep going down,
And I'm talking to the mirror,
With no one else around.
When impossible to maybe,
Is as far as I can see,
I keep hanging in,
'Til the world believes in me.

All this drama drags me down,
And drives me insane,
But nothings gonna keep me out of the game.

I know you gotta dig deep,
And prove it everyday,
Some people leave you feeling,
Used up and tossed away.
I tried and came up empty,
When I gave it everything,
But I never lost the reason why I sing.
Everything that knocks me down,
Is making me strong,

DO FORWARD GIRLS FINISH LAST?

Wow I just realized its been such a long time since I wrote a blog post, It has been close to a year, and I really must get better about this, but what can I say my life is busy.

O.K. so the subject of tonight’s blog is related to dating but mostly online dating. The reason I decided to write this blog post is because I’m tired of being silent about the challenges of dating in your 30’s.  I am 4 days away from turning 34 and since about December of 2011 when I moved back to VA from CO, I’ve struggled to meet “the one”!  Back when I was in college when I met my ex husband I actually asked him out the first time.  Of course he claimed he was going to try to find my number from our mutual friend but in the end, I made the first move.  I guess that’s when it all started with me being forward and going after what I wanted.

Online dating these days is such a challenge, heck dating in general is a challenge and I particularly feel like it’s a challenge for Women in their 30’s but also for a Woman who shall we say, “knows what she wants” and “goes after it”!  There used to be an old saying of, “let the man chase you”.  I don’t know if that still exists today but I am posing the question, “Do Forward Girls Finish Last”?  You could say I am doing a comparison to that good old saying “Nice Guys Finish Last”.  Lets start with the later question before we get into the first one.

DO NICE GUYS FINISH LAST?

My personal opinion on this one is NO.  And of course I will explain why I think that. Nice Guys are the ones that open doors for women, they might offer to pay on a first date, they surprise you on your Birthday or Anniversary or Valentine’s Day with Flowers, they will cancel a night with the guys if your not feeling well so they can stay home and take care of you.  They are the ones that are your friend as well as your partner, they are sensitive, loving, and caring, and will always put you before the “bros”!  In my opinion those men are a CATCH!  And I don’t know many Women who do not want those Men.  So my response is, where are those Nice Guys, because I’m not finding many on the online dating sites!

On to the next question:

DO FORWARD GIRLS FINISH LAST?

Here is what I think, and I will give many reasons why.  I do think that forward Women finish last.  If you are a forward woman, you are:

1.              The one sending the emails to the guys on Match.com who Wink at you. 

2.              You’re the one who is giving that guy who is interesting in your number. 

3.              You’re the one asking the men out on the first date if you are chatting on Tinder or Hinge because you are interested in the guy and you don’t want the moment to pass you bye.

4.              You’re the one sending the first note after a speed-dating event because you really are interested and you are taking the event seriously.

The experiences I have had recently with online dating have been average at best.  And I have had a lot of people not stay engaged in a conversation after I ask them out for coffee or a beer.  I have had some people say we were interested in different things because I was asking a lot of questions.  When really I was trying to get to know the person, which is the whole freaking point of online dating.  I had one person recently tell me I seemed “ice cold confident” and that it was “intimidating”.  Dude, that one threw me for a loop, because he meant it as a compliment but in the end I have never had anyone tell me those things.  And so it made me wonder:

1.              If you are more of a “wallflower” and not “forward” will you get that smokin’ hot guy at the party?

2.              If you give the guy your number will he call you?

3.              If you’re “Forward” will you always “Finish Last” in dating?

I used to think those online dating apps were the best concept.  Now, I am very weary of them, even though I do use them.  I try not to take the whole thing so seriously anymore.  Which one works the best, I can't answer that because they all have positives and negatives, and recently none of them have worked!

However, if you are reading this blog, then one of two things happened, either you found it through my Facebook page, or I gave you my business card with the blog address on it, and you were curious.  But if it’s the later, I will say this, it is probably a good chance that if we were at a social gathering, it was my way of telling you I was interested in going on a date.  So I hope you want to, even after realizing I am pretty forward but apparently now I know that’s a sign of confidence.

Here’s to being 34!