Raise Your Hand if Your Mom is Your Best Friend

Let’s recap. This past weekend was Mother’s Day. A special day it was because we get to show extra love to our moms out there. And they deserve it!

I took my mom and grandma out to lunch at Texas Roadhouse and then we shopped till we dropped at the mall next door. It’s the simple things… food and shopping. It goes a long way! And then later on at night, I took Mom to get frozen yogurt (she was in Heaven).

Not everyone has that mom or grandma they can they love and are super close too and I hate that for anyone having those difficult relationships. I am grateful, however, that I was blessed with loving, supportive females in my life. I wouldn’t be able to survive without them!

You need those people in your life to point you in the right direction… to pick you up when you fall, to show you that you are smart and will go far. It’s so important.

So thank you, Mom and Grandma, for being in my life and always standing by my side through the good, the bad, and the ugly! It doesn’t go unnoticed or unappreciated!

I wrote a poem in honor of Mom’s Day…

Moms are Precious

By, Chea Kostbar

A loving mom strives to guide you,

Starting from day one.

They love you to the moon and back

They devote their lives to helping you

Molding you into the best version of yourself.

Moms are special, aren’t they?

They are beautiful inside and out

Precious creatures full of love.

Thank you, Mom, for being you

You who showed me kindness and adoration

You who taught me to grow and work hard

Yes, that’s you— my hero— my best friend.

Till the day I leave this world

I will love you

Always & forever

1 Lazy Day Per Week

Imagine, for a sec, if we lived like dogs. Sleep, eat, repeat. Sounds kinda nice, doesn’t it? No worries, just living life one day at a time and keeping it super simple. I wish! But of course… it might get a bit boring after a while.

I think as people, we should at least do one lazy day a week. Just one day to recharge by doing absolutely nothing and sitting at home in the comfiest pjs you can pull from your dresser and fuzziest slipper socks and biggest bathrobe.

A few ways to have a super relaxing day…

1) Binge watch a comfort show and throw in a rom com movie

2) Take a few long naps throughout the day

3) Have a cup of herbal tea

4) Do yoga

5) Read a book

6) Eat yummy snacks

7) Paint your nails

8) Journal

9) Take a warm bubble bath

10) Play a video game

11) Listen to self-care podcasts

12) Sleep in bed late (set no alarms)

13) Listen to your favorite playlist

14) Light a few candles

15) Have a glass of wine

16) Call a friend

17) Clean around your home

18) re-decorate your home

19) Cook yourself a big breakfast… pancakes, bacon, eggs… the works

20) Turn your phone off for the day

Don’t skip having a day of rest to re-charge! You need it, I need it, WE ALL NEED IT! Once a week. Mark it on your calendars.

Fav Brands

What are your favorite brands and why?

I have a few brands I really like and tend to choose the most when I walk in the stores. Why, you may ask? I’d say it’s the quality and the look of it on me. These brands speak to me and have me buying more than one thing from it. If I feel good when I wear something… I want to buy more of that specific brand, because I already know I like it. And I like feeling cute in a top, sweater, jeans, shoes… you name it. I think it’s important. Otherwise, it will sit in your closet and rot till the end of time.

I adore a cute lil Betsey Johnson purse. Betsey always has colorful, bold designs and lots of floral prints, making it safe to say you can never have a boring bag of hers! Same with my guy, Steve Madden. He tends to design super chic handbags and shoes. And, I notice, I like to venture over to Victoria Secret for cozy sweats, under garments, and sweet- smelling body spray.

It’s hard saying I have one specific go-to brand because I really have multiple ones I enjoy. I mean… who can really narrow anything down to one, anyway?

A few of my top go-to brands

1) Betsey Johnson

2) Steve Madden

3) Puma

4) Victoria Secret

5) Jessica Simpson

6) Bath and Body Works

7) Rae Dunn

8) Calvin Klein

9) CeCe

What can I say… I’m a shopaholic. I live for cute items and shopping till my car is stuffed with bags of item after item. So, yeah… I have many fav brands I LOVE.

What Makes Me Nervous? Hmm… Everything

What makes you nervous?

You know, most people only have one or two things that make them sweat a little extra and cause the heart rate to go up. But for me, I get anxious over, well, EVERYTHING. I’m nervous if I’m late to work. I’m nervous when prices go up. I get anxious if I have to talk in front of a group of people. My stomach hurts if I have to call a client at my job who’s angry. So, you know… life is stressful. That pretty much sums it all up.

We all get nervous. Some of us have a few things that give us anxiety, while others, such as myself, believe the sky is falling over the smallest of problems.

I think the important thing we all have to remember is that nothing is ever going to run perfectly smooth. That’s just how it is. We need to accept how life is and look for ways to not get so upset.

I choose, personally, to go to God when I need His strength during those anxious moments in my life, and to reflect on verses in the Bible such as this one… “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” – Psalms 56:3

I also go to therapy and take anxiety medication. I know I can’t handle my worries and frustrations on my own. So, I work at it. I get help and keep going. Everything makes me nervous, but that’s OK. I can do this thing called life. God will help me overcome the obstacles because I choose to trust in Him.

Now… will I have bad days where the nerves overpower me and I feel like I can’t breathe? Yes. But will I do everything I can to avoid those extremely overwhelming moments? Absolutely.

Taking it one day at a time!

Taylor Swift & Her New Album Comes to Mind

Jot down the first thing that comes to your mind.

Swift’s new album: The Tortured Poets Department came out today!!!!! So…of course, Taylor Swift instantly popped in my head. It’s been on my mind since midnight when it was released. Taylor Swift, her new album… it’s giving me good vibes only this lovely Friday morning!

All her songs on the album are by far… AMAZING! A few of my favorites on it are: “Clara Bow,” “Florida!!!,” and “ThanK you aIMee.” They each are so full of power and meaning and story telling. I love it!!!

Taylor is so intelligent to write all these songs and base them off of people in her life. I mean… look at the savagery of “ThanK you aIMee?” (LOL I wonder how much Kim Kardashian likes the song).

I love her music. I love how she pours her heart out into every song. She’s incredible… which is why she’s the first thing that came to my mind! 😉

Sometimes We Meet Special People

Describe a random encounter with a stranger that stuck out positively to you.

I’ve interacted with so many interesting people over the years from working in customer service. But, I can remember one instance, I was working at Sketchers, and this older lady needed help finding good-quality shoes.

The lady needed shoes that could slip on easy and be comfortable to walk around in. I showed her our hands free slip-in sneakers. They’re expensive, but I even tried a pair on one time, and it’s a great shoe (I should have bought a pair myself). Anyway, you know why she was getting the shoes? She had breast cancer and was getting surgery in a few days for a double mastectomy.

I felt sorry for her. I can’t imagine going through that, no matter what age. She had such strength in her. She wasn’t crying or getting upset (which would have been completely understandable). No, she was smiling and content and just wanted a good pair of shoes. She thanked me and found another pair she liked better in another section of the store.

It amazes me that she had strength and didn’t crumble. She found her shoes and was grateful I took the time to shop around, ask her questions, and stay by her side, helping her out.

You never know what someone is going through. Even if you can help out in a small way, like helping someone find shoes… it makes a difference.

This lady affected me. It was about a year ago, and I still think about how she had the strength to remain content and accept what was happening to her. Now maybe she got upset behind closed doors… maybe… but I saw this look in her eyes that day. It was this look that showed everything would be OK… whatever happened.

It reminds me to be positive and have faith even in the darkest moments of my life.

A Weekend with Etta James

Etta James… so many things I can say about this adorable pup! She is sweet, silly, happy, lovable, cuddle bug… an actual angel. Absolutely nothing bad to say about this dog.

For the whole weekend, I got to snuggle, eat snacks, nap, and play with a pup who couldn’t stop smiling and wagging her tail.

Etta James has been through the worst of the worst and still… she has this joy in her heart that she has to spread to those around her. Sweet Etta had her leg amputated and has to hop around with only three legs. She has tumors all over her and is suffering from mass cell cancer. She doesn’t have a lot of time left, and while it breaks my heart and I hate this for her, she still keeps going. She doesn’t dwell on the sad parts of her life, and instead, she gets excited about everything.

Her face when she hears someone in the kitchen

She lives to hear the fridge opening. Her ears go all the way up and she listens so intently, hoping for a snack of any kind. Mom got her chicken nuggets from McDonalds, gave her cheese crackers, and we made her eggs. She had cheese bacon flavored dog ice cream and doggie cookies too. She was eating to her hearts content and nothing less the entire weekend (she also couldn’t stop passing gas lol).

And what’s so adorable… she loves to lay in your arms and be pet endlessly. She requires lots of pampering and I have no problem giving her all the snuggles. If anyone deserves it, it’s Etta James!

Mom and I even got to take her for a car ride to say hi to my grandma and go for a ride in the PetSmart cart around the store and outside in the parking lot, taking in the fresh air. It was one of the best weekends I have had in a long time. I wish I could permanently foster her, but unfortunately, no one in my family is home all day to do so.

Etta needs someone home for the most part to help in case she needs it… especially with moving around. It’s so hard for her hopping around on the three legs with her little body. She is such a trooper though!

I will be taking Etta for many weekends coming up. I plan on giving her as much love as I can and picking her up just about every week for as many days I can be home with her. I want to give her so much attention. She needs and deserves it. I will do everything I can for this sweet, kindhearted animal with the biggest heart.

Thank you Emma and Sedona for sending miss Etta James my way. 🙂

Fostering Dogs :)

Mom and I are going to foster a dog for the weekend. I get excited just thinking about having a sweet, furry creature to cuddle and give love too. I’ve missed having a dog in the house to follow me around and be my best friend. Sedona has been gone since January and I haven’t felt the same since then.

I bought the dog we are fostering for the weekend a stuffed animal… Biscuit. It’s not very long at all, that we’re fostering, but the rescue organization we got Sedona from said we could foster for a weekend or a week… any time. It helps dogs that have been there for a while get a break to relax away from the other dogs in a safe, cozy environment. So, Mom and I agreed to do it for the sweet pup, and I knew a little stuffed animal would make them smile as well. And so… here we are… about to get a dog and have a little present to make the pup feel welcome in our home. It’s exciting. I’m so happy to do this.

I’m not sure which dog I’m fostering… just yet, but I will find out tomorrow. It’ll be a surprise and I love that. I don’t care what breed, what age… I just want the saddest, loneliest, in need of the most love, pup. ❤

Dogs are so special. Even if you can help a dog for a short amount of time, it makes a difference to them. They’ll appreciate it. I would save all the pups if I could.

Since I was little, I’ve always had a heart for dogs. I would read to them at library events, play with my uncle’s dogs, want cute doggie stuffed animals. I loved them since day one. I can’t wait to continue this journey of helping sweet dogs out and giving them the happiness and contentment they deserve in a warm home with a soft bed and all the stuffed animals to snuggle with.

Always remember… adopt or foster… don’t shop!

Let’s Talk Favorite Characters Shall We?

If you could be a character from a book or film, who would you be? Why?

I have so many favorite characters, movies, books… it’s hard to narrow down to one. But, I will. One of my favorite characters from a book is Kya from Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.

I love Kya, for her strength… for her kindness towards nature… for her ability to handle isolation… for her intelligence, resilience. Kya carries so many amazing qualities. She handles life with dignity. She struggles, sure… but she keeps going, even when it feels like all hope is lost.

Kya is the main character in Where the Crawdads Sing. She is abandoned by her entire family and left to live near the marsh in a small cabin like house. She has to adapt to living in isolation with occasional trips into town where the people mock her and call her “the marsh girl.” I mean, imagine going through that? Isolated and forced to become an adult and provide for yourself as a child with no one to look out for you, protect you. It’s a nightmare. And then she goes and learns how to read and write and gain knowledge with the help of Tate… one of the few that doesn’t judge her.

Kya falls in love with Tate, gets her heartbroken, allows Chase, the popular guy in town, to fill the void, gets destroyed by him and almost raped, gets accused of murdering him, arrested. All the bad things happen to this girl. She goes through it all and still comes out on top. It’s beautiful. It’s heartwarming her strength, her character. There are so many moving parts in the story, beautiful quotes. It’s a good book and I would 100% want to be Kya. I would want to be her because she teaches us how to accept the life that is given to us and make the most of it. She’s an awe inspiring character. Someone we can learn so much from.

I love, too, how she is able to get her drawings and poetry published. I can relate to her character with how she is passionate about drawing and writing. I love writing and can get lost in it, enjoying it as I see the story come to life… just like Kya does with her drawings and writings. 🙂

“ I wasn’t aware that words could hold so much. I didn’t know a sentence could be so full.” — Delia Owens

Hole Me Closer, Tiny Donut

I was out this morning taking care of a work related task, and as I’m getting ready to head back to the office, I discover a donut shop. A small, hidden gem kind of place. You wouldn’t expect it to be this yummy and full of delicious donuts by looking at the outside. But when you step inside, a whole other world. Rows of donuts on the wall. Fruity pebbles, red velvet (a big scoop of cream cheese frosting on top), strawberries and cream… the list goes on. They had coffee, egg sandwiches, ham and cheese croissants… lots of good items to pick and choose from.

I was in donut heaven. I chose the red velvet donut and had an iced caramel cold brew. Did they disappoint? Not one bit. I would rate the donut and coffee 10/10. This quaint pink building is called K-May Donuts and Bagels. The only draw back I would say, only plain bagels. I thought there would be a variety of bagels, but sadly, no. That’s OK! The donuts won me over… that’s safe to say.

My Thursday was brightened with the cute donut shop I just so happened upon. Moral of the story… don’t be afraid to check out new places, even if they don’t look super exciting from the outside. You never know what it will be like until you walk through those doors. Exploring is fun. Especially exploring new food places!

Donut worry, be happy when you go check out this hole in the wall sweet shop. 😉