Sunsets

Sunsets excite me. I see them as being kisses from God. Little things make me happy, but few things make me really happy. Sunsets make me really happy. Enjoy the pictures I've taken over the past few year from sunsets I've seen (including my heading which is a picture I also took).

October 2010

  

November 2010

 

June 2011

 

July 2011

 

September 2011

Dream Wedding: an Irish wedding

I am in complete LOVE with this wedding. I love wellies, they will now be used in my wedding. I love the color scheme. The flowers. The dresses. The suits. The beer. All of it. Dream wedding for sure. I used to say I would get married on the beach, but after seeing those pictures, I will either get married in the mountains or in Ireland.

Elegant Irish Wedding

Miss America 2011

Miss America 2011... wow. My adrenaline was going out the roof last night. In case those of you that follow me do not know, I am very involved with pageants, specifically the Miss America Organization. I completely adore the organization and what it does for women/America, as well as how it has made incredible differences in my life.

I am in love with the newly crowned Miss America, Teresa Scanlan. Watching her last night, I didn't have her picked out as the winner. Sure, she had an awesome talent (she won talent preliminary earlier in the week - go pianist!), her SS was good, OSQ was outstanding, EG was great, and she was gorgeous. Compared to the other top 5 competitors, however, I had her as 3rd runner up (course, what do I know?!). Yet after reading her blog this afternoon I found out why she was clearly the next Miss America... She has a heart of gold. And the judges did see this.

The interview portion of pageants is the hardest. This is where you make it or you break it. While in the MAO, talent scores higher than interview, the interview is where you make your impression on the judges. If they don't like you in there, you can pretty much guess that they will not look at you very much the rest of the night. Only the judges and the contest know what goes on in the interview. You, as a contestant, want to try your best to share your passion and platform during interview. You want to show the judges why you should be the next Miss so-and-so, leading up to being the next Miss America. You want to let them know why and how you are different than the rest of the girls, and why you would be the best at the job you are interviewing for (keep in mind that Miss America, Miss state, Miss local are all first and foremost a JOB). After ending the night with a crown on her head, sash on her chest, and the title of Miss America 2011 now next to her name, Teresa showed the judges that she was indeed different than the other 52 contestants, and she did have what it take to become the next MA.

After reading her blog, as I said above, I am in love with this young lady. Teresa Scanlan is loving life. She has integrity, passion, and passion. Her platform is incredible; being in the pageant world myself, I know it is an issue that needs to be addressed. She is a wonderful example of what a role model really is. She is an amazing definition of what the MAO is all about.

Anyways, with all that being said, my best wishes, prayers, and blessings are with Teresa. I am excited for her year as MA2011. I am excited about the many lives she will be impacting for the good. She has some amazingggg opportunities and experiences ahead of her :-) Check her blog out.... it is certainly worth looking at! http://teresastravelsandtidbits.blogspot.com

xoxo, SLR

Thanksgiving

 This Thanksgiving was quite different and very interesting from any other Thanksgiving I've had in my life. First off, I wore shorts for the first Thanksgiving yet. As silly as that sounds it actually was upsetting. Judge me for being cheesy or whatever you'd like, but wearing cold weather clothes (at least long sleeves, long pants, boots, and a scarf) for Thanksgiving is important to me. Its like a mark of the season or something. Unfortunately the southern United States seems to be wanting to bask in warm weather. I honestly hope this changes before December rolls around.

  Secondly, my family and I celebrated the holiday at some of our friends' house instead of our own. This can be accredited to our glass cooktop being shattered and our oven fan going out. It would only happen to us right before Thanksgiving. Actually the cooktop has been out since April, but that is another story for another time. It is what comes with living in a family of 12...haha. While it was highly enjoyable not having to do so many dishes or cleaning (lol) and spending time with them I still slightly missed my home.

 Thirdly, my two older sisters, both of whom are married, were unable to be here this year. One lives in OK and is not visiting until Christmas, the other was at the hospital with her husband who was diagnosed with Susac Syndrome recently. I know people get older, move out, get married, and the like, but sometimes it is hard to accept change.

 So you see, it was not "normal" as I would have liked it to be. In spite of all of the above, however, it was an amazing Thanksgiving. I think more than anything else all the "abnormality" of this Thanksgiving helped me to see things in a different perspective and gave me more appreciation of things we all, me especially, take advantage of. Change really is alright. I am SLOWLY, and I do mean slowly, coming to realize this. The change that has taken place so far this past year has been really good in the long run. Sure there are many days, such as today, and events that happen where the good that is coming out of the change can only seen once you step back. Yet even when you have to step back it almost takes your breath away to see what intense and beautiful work is going on... and that it is all for the better. I would have never guessed that the year would have turned out like it has so far; I would have never expected to be where I am at, doing what I am doing, or be who I am. I have so many plans and goals for my life... when I step back occasionally to look at them I can see that they have been changed so many times; but that's great. If I would have wished for the same things or longed to do the same things I would be such a different person. And really, that would not be a good thing. Now do not get me wrong, there are several things God has directed me to do in life and to accomplish. I will strive my hardest to put everything in what He has called me to do. At the same time I shall do my best to keep in mind that change is okay... not just change that I am willing to accept, but all change. I look forward to the future with much anticipation for the glorious, wonderful things in store.

 In light of the holiday spirit and the different perspective I had the chance of gaining today let me list a few things I am incredibly and deeply grateful for. While some are obvious they are all very important to me:

* God and Jesus Christ

* My parents

* My siblings

* My best friends Jessi, Woody, Megan, Emily, Jonathan, Lindy, Megan, Hayley, Joe

* My health

* The ability to run  - as far and as long as I wish

* My bosses

* My job 

* My circumstance, house, school

* My opportunities

* My everything

* The Miss America Organization

xoxo, SLR

Two of my bestest friends and I... so excited they have won preliminary titles and will be going to state!!

-- kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com --

[http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/] 

Do visit this site. It is touching.

"That if we really love Him with all our hearts and all our strength, NOTHING will feel like sacrifice in light of the promise that one day we will get to be with Him forever. Automatically, we will help those in need, we will give our all, we will love our neighbor as our self, because our heart is aligned with His. But so many don’t. This then begs the question: If we are not walking in the words of Jesus, do we truly know Him? Do we really know and believe in the Jesus of the Bible. Because if we do, if we believe what He says is true, our lives will be powerfully, unimaginable, radically different than the lives of those around us. He requires EVERYTHING."

Simplicité

Here we are in the middle of the college semester for young people my age and I am currently sitting on my bedroom floor, robe & running attire on, books all around me, pageant interview material sprawled out all over the floor, and computer running full speed. This is quite a sad sight. Yes, I am being some-what prolific and getting small things taken care of. However, this is far from the busy life I wish I had right now. I love staying busy and keeping my mind and body active with many activities. A small break is refreshing, but being back in school would be wonderful. I find myself constantly worrying about what I can do next, or what needs to be done that week, or how I can be prepared for this or that. Being prepared, active, ready, and busy is important, but I find myself obsessing over it far too much. Yet this morning I was reminded of a something that turned my "ungratefulness" of this break into more of a sense of amenity. While it is very uncomplicated to understand, one needs to STOP, backup, and sit down to full take it in, or better yet, to even see it; Simplicity.

See? Not complicated in the least bit. Ha, or is it? I am committing to live these next 3 months of my break to living more simple, more appreciative of God's mercy and grace, and becoming more aware of how blessed I truly am in more than one way. Sure, this is quite simple enough... but that is just it; its simple. People do not know how to be simple anymore. Its all about the go, go, go and less about the extraordinary, created life and wonders all around the normal life. So try it - be simple for a day. Stop running around, being pulled in all directions, being prepared for every LITTLE thing, and just sit down. Relax for a bit. Take a sporadic adventure into the woods to enjoy some solitude solo time between you and God. Leave the phone/computer/iphone/blackberry/tv/ipad/any technology alone! And while I understand, in the world we live in this has gotten rather hard to do it can still be done for a short time.

Side-note: Si je pouvais, je laisse tout tomber et je faisais du stop avion pour l'Europe et de passer une année là-bas avec peu à faire. Bien sûr, ce n'est pas la réalité et est beaucoup plus facile à dire qu'à faire. J'aimerais bien

Those who fill my life with happiness:

Adore Woody :-) He keeps me sane while M is gone.

I took this while JPyle's camera while helping him with a shoot. 

Love sunsets <3

Jon-Jon and C!!! COOLEST people I know :-)

Excuse my nastiness. These are 3 of my amazing brothers.

Haha, my daddy - He is wonderful and I love him!!

One of my sweet little sisters ... girl date with big sis ;-)

Stephanie Joy's wedding. One of the sweetest people on the entire earth.

You bette believe, J'aime Paris

Why I do pageants

Awesome bunch of women. Changing what pageants are all about. Changing their societies, communities, and the lives of those around them. They're not in it for the fame, glory, or just a title. They're incredible and give Miss America her true meaning <3

The Winning Crown

It’s not the title, nor the crown that counts.
It's not the weight that's lost that really amounts.
It's not the makeup design, or the gown that you wear, or the shape of your build or the length of your hair.
You see, the growth of a Queen is all done inside.
Its nothing support hose or makeup can hide
The real preparation is done in the mind.
Its leaving your fears and your faults behind.
Its lifting your soul to a place that’s far seen.
Its molding a woman to the height of a Queen.
Its hard and its work, its not easily done.
But when it is over, you’ll know who has won.
When the pageant is through and the lights are turned down you’ll know you’re a winner and you’ll have your crown.
You see, all crowns are different, it’s really an art.
Yours can be rhinestones or the growth of the heart

101 small pleasures you can enjoy every day

Yes, so I "stole" this list off Yahoo's front page... however, it was way too good to not share. I agree with just about every single thing on this list. These are some things that put smiles on my face. God is number one on the list though... He never fails to put a smile on my face. 

1. coloring (yes, grown-ups can do it, too)
2. crisp cotton sheets
3. soft skin
4. old family recipes
5. the first daffodils of spring
6. sleeping in
7. an exercise endorphin high
8. window boxes
9. a perfect cup of coffee
10. a genuine compliment (giving or receiving)
11. the way babies smell
12. a handwritten letter
13. waking up in a good mood...for no real reason
14. singing in the shower
15. finding a couple forgotten dollars in your pocket
16. doing something nice for your neighbor
17. a home cooked meal
18. laughing
19. movie theater popcorn
20. playing hookey
21. a bubble bath
22. swimming
23. an afternoon nap
24. street musicians
25. your favorite song
26. saying thank you
27. helping someone in need
28. old fashioned photo booths
29. fresh whipped cream
30. inspiring blogs
31. a glass of wine
32. rainy afternoons
33. the funny things kids say
34. a novel you can get lost in
35. finding the perfect piece of clothing...on sale
36. clean laundry
37. the wind in your hair
38. treating the person behind you at the drive-thru
39. sharing an umbrella
40. the smell of lavender
41. a long walk that clears your head
42. a bear hug
43. The Beatles
44. smiling at a stranger
45. eating with chopsticks (Chinese food optional)
46. butterflies
47. staying in your pj's all day
48. singing along to the radio and knowing all the words
49. fresh herbs
50. ordering in pizza
51. happy endings...even if they're fictional
52. flying a kite
53. puppies
54. root beer floats
55. holding open the door...
56. ...or having someone hold the door for you
57. fountain soda
58. white, fluffy towels
59. sunshine
60. spending an afternoon at a museum
61. really great advice
62. green lights all the way home
63. the sound of rain hitting the windows
64. sitting in a booth
65. holding hands
66. a great hair day with no effort
67. building a fort with your kids
68. when someone falls asleep with their head on your shoulder
69. fireflies
70. the perfect taco
71. geraniums on a windowsill
72. slow dancing
73. the smell of fresh-baked bread
74. cheesy, uplifting musicals
75. great stories
76. the smell of gasoline
77. the cold side of the pillow
78. love letters
79. old friends...
80. ...new friends
81. a pull-through parking space
82. a baguette -- crisp on the outside, airy on the inside
83. when a dog licks your hand
84. sitting at the counter at an old-fashioned diner
85. using your favorite dishes
86. reading your child a bedtime story
87. Girl Scout Cookies
88. flossing
89. kissing someone you love
90. the smell of onions and garlic cooking
91. hot chocolate
92. jumping in puddles
93. old photographs
94. birds hopping on the sidewalk
95. Ella Fitzgerald
96. a spoonful of peanut butter straight from the jar
97. your softest t-shirt
98. a new magazine in the mail
99. fireplaces
100. having exact change
101. bacon and pancakes cooking on Saturday morning