Counting Your Blessings – A Challenge for All of You

On the blog over at SPP this week, Veronica wrote about how important it is to count your blessings, especially when times seem dark. And then she challenged not only our readers, but specifically called Sean and I out to take part as well. Challenge accepted. J

It was kind of funny because she came to me, looking for potential blog topics. I tossed a few her way, and this is the one she chose. So very timely! This week has been especially stressful for me for a number of reasons, and I’ve been feeling pretty down. You know that feeling, where you feel like nothing is going right and you’re not sure how things are ever going to go right again. (I know they always DO, but it doesn’t always feel that way). Yep, that’s been my week. We’re going to ignore the fact that it’s only Wednesday.

So here goes, a list of my blessings:

1. I have a home. It’s small, and I complain about my neighbors, but I’m pretty blessed to have a comfortable home that fits my needs.

2. I have an amazing family, especially these two. This is my brother Alex and his girlfriend, Michelle, and we’re all super close. I really don’t know what I’d do without them most days. They’ve been there for me through thick and   thin, and even as I write this, my brother is detailing my car. Why? Because he wants to. He’s pretty awesome like that.

3. I have a job. I might complain about it sometimes, but it’s definitely one of my bigger blessings, and probably should have been mentioned before #3. I’ve been here for 13 years, my entire adult life. We are more than just coworkers, and more than just friends. We are family, and like my real family, we’ve seen our shares of ups and downs through the year, but we always stick by each other. My bosses are incredible, and more like parents than bosses. What more could a person ask for? Oh yeah .. that’s right. I get to spend my day around beautiful flowers. Amazing, right?

4. I’m in fairly good health. I stumbled a little bit earlier this year when I had to have my gallbladder removed, and I’m still adjusting to that, but for the most part, I’m pretty healthy. If you don’t count the fact that I develop a sinus infection from hell every time I book an airline ticket. Seriously, body, get a grip. Vacations are a GOOD thing, really.

5. I have AMAZING friends. Like…you don’t even know. Be jealous. Everyone should have the awesome support that I do. I don’t know what I’d do without my girls in my life. No matter what’s going on, or how long its been since we’ve seen each other, when one of us has an issue, we’re all there, no questions asked. That’s pretty damn cool.

6. This guy, right here. Sean. They say that everyone comes into your life for a reason, and I firmly believe that. Such an odd and random chain of events brought us together, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Not only is he one of my closest friends, but he’s a killer photographer and I’m proud to be joining him and building SPP into something truly amazing. He also should have been listed somewhere before #6, but I guess I was saving the best for last. I’m really, really blessed to be on the path that we’re creating for ourselves. 🙂

So .. when all seems dark and you think that life just isn’t gonna get better, take a few minutes to remember all the ways you’re still blessed. Better yet .. right now, take a few minutes and think about all the ways you’ve been blessed. Leave your list in the comments, and then pass this along. Challenge your friends to count their blessings as well. The world just might be a little happier if we all took the time to do this.

The one where I couldn’t come up with a topic

So, I’ve been kinda busy lately. Between the flower shop, home, SPP, and Scentsy, there hasn’t been much time to think of things to blog about. So, I decided to click the  “Inspire me!” button that WordPress offers. Complete duds. I don’t even remember what they were.

But this sparked a thought. Maybe there’s a list of topics on Google somewhere. Better! I found a topic generator. And I’m giggling my butt off. I wouldn’t actually write anything about these topics, except to list them all out and pick on them, lol.

Suggestion #842- “How do you feel about Algeria?” …really? Someone would see this and be inspired to write about Algeria? Fair enough, maybe. Not me. I’ve got some pretty neutral feelings regarding Algeria, if you must know.

Let’s see what happens when I push the button again.

“I love Sunny Day Real Estate” …mmmkay. I don’t know what that is, but good for you. 🙂

Let’s give it another shot.

“A review of hair gel” … ooh! I could totally do that one! Okay, let’s save that one for later use.

Next up.

“You know what/who is better than NYPD Blue?” … Um…all of the things. *shakes head*

And .. last, but not least.

“Here’s what infuriates me about Nuclear Proliferation” .. I think the person who has strong feelings about Algeria might be able to help you here.

So, I guess this generator didn’t actually help me with a legit topic, but it sure entertained me. I will give it a little credit: It sure make me feel better about the topics I come up with on my own.

Day 16 of the 31 Day Blog Challenge – My Biggest Accomplishment

I struggled with this for a little while this afternoon, but finally decided that where I am in my life is a pretty darn big accomplishment. I talked with a few friends today, looking for input. And while I haven’t accomplished what they have (I don’t have a college degree, I’m not married, and I don’t have kids), I think I’ve come a long way from where I was when I started. I’d mostly planned on writing about my career at the flower shop, but I’m gonna step it back on more notch.

My confidence and the fact that I’ve pretty much beaten the level of shyness that I used to have, is a pretty big accomplishment, maybe even bigger than everything I’ve done at the shop. They probably goes hand in hand, since without confidence, I wouldn’t be half of what I am in that regard. I was the girl in English class who took a zero on her oral reports, just so that she didn’t have to speak in front of people. Bet most of you didn’t know that, eh? 😉

I started at the flower shop fresh out of high school, and completely shy. I wasn’t sure how I was going to manage to keep this job, since it involved talking to so many strangers on a daily basis. The thought scared the hell out of me, but I needed a job, so I stuck with it. I’ve come a LONG way since that shy sales clerk. I’m now the head designer and assistant manager of the shop. Next month will mark my 13th anniversary with them, and the more I think about it, the more I realize what I’ve accomplished through the years. I’ve gone from shy sales clerk to designer, to lead wedding consultant, to assistant head designer, to head designer/assistant store manager. After I’d been there about a year, they started training me to design. I picked it up very quickly, and progressed  to a wedding consultant in no time. I’ve had no “formal” training, everything I’ve learned, I’ve learned right at the shop. Two years ago, I stepped into the head designer position, and had to learn some management skills REALLY fast, lol. I thought I’d known what the job entailed, since I’d been the previous head designer’s assistant for a few years. Wrong! I’d been in charge of ordering things before…not in charge of people. I’m guessing I have a knack for it, since I was bumped up an assistant manager position soon after, lol. I’m gonna share a few of my designs from the last few months with you.

And now, my confidence and sales abilities are leading me in a new direction in life … photography. I’m sure I’ll have more accomplishments to write about in a couple years. 🙂

Day 15 of the 31 Day Blog Challenge – 10 things that make me AWESOME!

I’ve given this post some thought today. I don’t like to come across as conceited. So, this maaaaaay have been written tongue in cheek. Or it may not have. I’ll let you decide 😉

10 Things That Make Me Awesome

1. I have amazing hair.

2. I’m a loyal and true friend.

3. I have wicked sales skills.

4. I’ve managed to bring extreme amounts of organization and order to the design room at work.

5. I have a pretty good sense of humor.

6. I have an uncanny ability to read peoples moods, leading back to #2.

7. I like cats.

8. I have an incredible amount of inner strength.

9. I transferrred eleventy billion blog posts over to the SPP Blog Page last night

10. My rear looks pretty darn good in a pair of Levi’s 😉

Day 10 of the 31 Day Blog Challenge – Daily Routine

My daily routine is not at all routine, LOL. I think that’s part of what I love about being a florist. No two days are the same. Even if you somehow manage to have two days where the number of arrangements are the same…the day still isn’t the same. The arrangements are different, the circumstances surrounding them are different, and the customers placing the orders are different. But, for the most part, this is how my days go(when I have to work. Days off, are a free for all)

Wake up, jump in the shower. I don’t typically take a long time waking up in the morning, I jump right out of bed and start my day. Head for work, and pour myself a cup of coffee, and assess the day. As I’ve said ….each day is its own creature. Unless it’s a holiday, I never really know what the day is going to bring. Sometimes I’m desiging all day, sometimes I’m doing paperwork all day. Some days I’m stuck modifying the website. After work, depending on the day, usually involves dinner, blog reading, catching up on TV shows, and gaming.

Oh…one thing I forgot, that happens every day, nearly like clockwork. My partner in crime and I plot to take over the world. Or…at least part of Northern Virginia. 😉