Fill Your Cup with...an Ambitious Glow!

It is with a saddened heart that I'm focusing on what my fills my cup today, as a dear friend of mine has passed away. She was a lover of all things -- especially her family, fashion, and ice cream -- a mother, a wife, a daughter, as classy as a southern woman comes, a dreamer, and a blogger...which made her and so many other people ambitious blondes (or brunettes, red-heads, etc.)! She is who inspired me to start my own blog, so as I'm coming to terms with reality, I'm filling my cup full with the glow she brought to this world -- this one's for you, Leslie!

Leslie Sisti and I met seven years ago when we were dating brothers. I was in college, Leslie was living in Bentonville, and we formed a friendship immediately that lasted long after the brother bond ended. Life changed for us both, but we kept up with each other thanks to Facebook and never lost our passion for the little things and doing what we could to make those little things make a big difference in peoples' lives. If you've looked at my list of blogs I follow, Leslie's is the first on the list because she sure did that every day through her kind heart, wise words, and the glow she shared with the world through her blog -- A Blonde Ambition.

You can see so much of her fun personality, passion for life, and the beautiful love she had for her family and friends in every single one of her posts...and it is evident from the words being shared about her after this tragic news that her family and friends loved her right back. Two precious little girls, a husband, parents, siblings, grandparents, in-laws, and so many people are grieving because of losing Leslie. Please take a moment and send prayers, happy thoughts, and love to every single one of them because it is needed.

We don't always know why things happen, and this is one of those times. It can really put life in perspective though, and Leslie would want that to be what we all take away from this. Live what you love, call your family and friends to let them know how important they are to you, find core values and be true to yourself, and never stop dreaming. That is something Leslie never stopped doing -- no matter where she was or what she was facing. And knowing that her dreams have left such a wonderful legacy for so many people fills my cup with the warmest glow there is.

I've been thinking about all of the blessings Leslie brought to my life today, how many people she touched, and that she is now watching over all of us with her shining light that glowed so brightly here on Earth. Let that glow, wherever you find it, fill your cup. I know Leslie is...and hopefully she's filling her's with some ice cream, too!

You can find Leslie's obituary here.

Leslie Sisti
December 3, 1984 - July 27, 2015

This is a hard one to sign-off with my usual ending, but I know Leslie would want all of us to have a cup always filled with joy, love, and happiness!

-Anna

Fill Your Cup with...the Climb.

Happy Summer! I hope it's going absolutely wonderful for you and that you're getting to enjoy some fun in the sun! Mine has been a little all over the place...which brings me to this post.

Starting with a big update -- I'M MOVING TO IOWA!!! After over a 3½ year long-distance relationship, Joe and I will finally be in the same place! What?!?! Yes, it's actually happening, and I can't believe that it's actually here! But, come this Thursday, I will be a resident of Des Moines, IA! I have a new dream job as the Assistant Director of Development for the College of Engineering with the Iowa State University Foundation (Go Cyclones), and there's no denying that a lot of excitement is ahead!! 

Part of that excitement has been moving my stuff! I made my last trip ever back to my favorite little apartment in Fayetteville from seeing Joe after taking a big load of stuff up to Iowa this past weekend, and thanks to SiruisXM radio in the big dodge ram truck I rented (sorry if I scared anyone I passed on the road J) to pass the 12-hour round trip, I heard Miley Cyrus' "The Climb" and had such a moment of reflection that it brought me to tears.

They were good tears, they were tired tears, they were scared tears, they were thankful tears...and I realized so many things in that moment that have filled my cup over the last 3½ years that are all reasons I'm where I am today -- it's the climb.  

The climb of my journey to be in the same place as Joe has been nothing short of an amazingly hard adventure! While that adventure might not have always been one that I realized filled my cup, at the end of the day, it was always Joe and me, even from afar...and that always made the amazingly hard challenges worth it. I didn't always remember that in the moment, but reflecting back on this climb has helped me see that. What challenges are you facing in your climb? It's normal to feel defeated, helpless, and lost...but don't let that cloud your vision of seeing the positives...because I promise you, there are so many! Find them and let them fill your cup!

You might also be feeling like your climb is taking a long time...and I know exactly how that feels! You're working hard at whatever you're doing and trying wholeheartedly everyday to get a little closer to the top...but sometimes, we're forced to be patient. Whether it's because of unforeseen circumstances, a physical inability at the time, or that maybe it's just not the right time, tell yourself that God has this! I know it's easier said than done, but as long as you have faith bigger than your fear, you're going to keep going and you're going to get there! It wasn't always easy for me...waiting...for something that I felt got further and further away every day. But, Joe and I never forced our moment to finally be in the same place, and we know that God's timing is perfect in this situation...as it is and will be for you!

We're all climbing our own mountains for different reasons. It will bring challenges, it will take time, it will possibly bring you to tears, and it will make you push yourself harder than you ever have before. It's not always easy...but remember this is your climb for a reason. While I feel my current climb will be the end of an era come Thursday, I know there will be many more mountains ahead, and I'm so excited to face them stronger, braver, and more confidently than ever before because of all the things I've learned about life, about love, and about myself through this journey!

The great Ralph Waldo Emmerson said it best himself -- "Life is a journey, not a destination." May we all remember the great journey and climb we're on to one day meet our Heavenly Father face to face...and how we've climbed our mountains here on Earth will determine where our final destination is.

Here's to your climb and it filling your cup full of the many moments in your journey that make it worth it!

                  

May your cup always be filled with joy, love, and happiness!

XOXO,

Anna

Fill Your Cup with...Reality.

"Hello, world -- it's a new day!" That's what I've been trying to start each day telling myself...key word: trying. Because the reality of life isn't always easy...and that's just reality!

Things have been a little nuts lately in my life, and while I know every thing happens for a reason and remind myself that God's timing is always perfect, sometimes it's hard to just wake up and believe that when nothing has really changed day after day. I feel weaker than I do strong, sadder than I do happy, and lonely more than I feel loved. Have you ever felt these things...for whatever reasons you may have or situations you're dealing with? When you feel this way, it's hard to find things that fill your cup and bring happiness to your life...because you're not getting to live the life you want -- it's as simple as that.

I'm right there with you right now, and while I do find it hard to keep going sometimes, the reality of whatever situation we're dealing with is that it's out of our control. In the grand scheme of things, we can't control the entire reality of our lives. That's a hard concept to grasp, but it's what I've found to be the reason I'm feeling weak, sad, and lonely...and reality is that life isn't supposed to be lived feeling that way! The little things we have in life and can do in life every day make us strong, happy, and loved!

It's easy to get caught up in the things in life that make it hard -- like I said, I'm struggling with that right now. But what about focusing on the things we can control? What we eat for breakfast, how we treat others, if we take the time to do something for another person, or what we expose ourselves to in the news and things happening in the world are all things we can control. And, if we look at those smaller things versus the big picture, reality doesn't seem to be too bad.

My situation right now is that Joe and I are still not living in the same place. It's hard, and every day I wish we could just come home to each other...as does he. Right now though, that's not the reality we're able to live. So instead of wallowing in that fact and missing him (or just feeling sorry for myself), I can control what I do each day to let him know that I love him...even if it's from afar!

This post from a friend really helped put things in perspective for me, and I hope it can do the same for you:

I want closure in the sense that I am finally able to open up my hands and say to God, “You get all of it. You can have all of it. I will not try to hold onto it any longer.”

I forget that everything belongs to God. I forget that on too regular of a basis. I am a faulty human who wants so badly to just control and keep everything. - Hannah Brencher

It's okay to have bad days...that's part of reality! But, don't let the situation that's out of your control jade you of what is in your control and the things that can fill your cup! Hang in there...and remember that every day is a new day!

May your cup always be filled with joy, love, and happiness!

Anna 

Fill Your Cup with...Inspiration!

Hello November! Where has the time gone? Even though I'm through with grad school, I still operate on the semester timeline at work...and it seems like we JUST started the fall semester a few days ago. The calendar (and temperature -- brrr!) say it's definitely November though, so what better way to start a new month than with some inspiration to fill your cup!

I love quotes, and this is one I received not too long ago from The Foundation for a Better Life:

MAKING-A-DIFFERENCE Making-A-Difference is to make a positive change in the world.

Get inspired:

“And that is how change happens. One gesture. One person. One moment at a time.”

Libba Bray (born 1964); Author

                                 http://www.values.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=libba+bray

It made me think "what am I doing?". Any gesture, person, or moment -- big or small -- can be all it takes to make a difference...so now, the question is "what am I waiting for?".

We have opportunities each day to make a positive impact in someone's life, our communities, and the world. Whether it be volunteering at a nursing home, posting a simple hello on a friend's facebook wall, or holding the door open for someone, I hope you can fill your cup with inspiration to make a difference...because one moment is all you need :)

May your cup always be filled with happiness, joy, and love!
Anna

Fill Your Cup with...a little bit of Fear!

Well, hello! It's no surprise when I say it's been a while, but I'm wholeheartedly back and ready to continue sharing the little happies of life that fill my cup!

To move forward with this, I've had to be honest with myself about why I neglected it for so long. Starting this blog was a dream and fear of mine at the same time. Over the past few months, I've had many things that have filled my cup every day, but because of the lack of time I've had to contribute to sharing my cup-filling moments with you, that fear has grown into a feeling of failure. You may feel this way about some things, too -- you've started a new experience, you're excited, it's going fantastic, and then...well, life happens and you have to decide how this new experience fits into all of it. When this happens to me and I let it fall under other things, that small fear of starting something new becomes scarier and scarier...and then I just stop. But, not anymore, and you don't have to either!

Life is busy, but it's also too short to live with thoughts of "what if" and regrets because we're scared. A quote that comes to mind when I think about this is from the movie Chasing Liberty with Mandy Moore (now considered an oldie, I'm sure, but definitely a goodie J), when she said: "The things you're scared of are usually the most worthwhile" -- and isn't this so true after we actually conquer a fear? 

While we feel fear for different reasons (and we need to listen to what our gut instinct is about that feeling), if it's something we know is happening because we're honestly scared, then what good are we really doing ourselves? Whether it's applying for a new job, starting a conversation with a new person, moving to a new place, trying out a new hobby -- the list could go on and on -- I think it's good to be a little afraid every now and then. That tells me we're passionate about what it is, and while things may not work out the way we originally hoped (because I know there's really no possible way I can post on my blog every day J), life is about knowing that we're living it every day to the fullest. And taking on that feeling of fear will help us do just that! 

May your cup always be filled with happiness, joy, and love (and a little bit of fear, too)!

Anna 

Fill Your Cup with...Cabury Mini Eggs!

Doesn't this picture just say it all...

The amount of joy I find inside this precious package is absolutely too much to describe! Joe would say I could turn into one of these eggs because I eat so many of them...but seriously, they're just so delicious! And while the excitement of finding them fills my cup every year, I have to be careful about how much I actually fill my cup with them because I probably would turn into one if I ate as many of them as I'd like to! This goes for all Easter candy though! I think there's something about the color of pastels in the Easter candy isle that entice people to crave it more than anything else, or maybe the sensible shape of the eggs. Whatever it is, I hope you filled your cup with one of my favorite parts about Easter :)

My most favorite part about this day is remembering the reason we all even have a cup -- because Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again so we can live an eternal life with Him. While I talk about the little things we find in our lives that fill our cups, it is because of the love from the Lord that we have the blessings we do, and His love is the greatest thing that fills my cup every day!

Happy Easter! I hope you had a wonderful day and enjoyed it spending time with family, friends, and the many blessings that fill your cup!

May your cup always be filled with happiness, joy, and love!

Anna

Fill Your Cup with...Encouragement.

I know it has been a while...a long while actually. SO sorry -- life has been busy, busy lately, and I've just let time get away from me. It's funny how I have a moment of realizing how full my cup is just when I need it though, especially since things have been so crazy lately, and encouragement is exactly what did that for me today! 

April is always an exciting time because so many wonderful things are coming up! I've been so caught up in thinking about the present and focusing on the challenges that I've overlooked the big picture and forgotten how beautiful life is. I've also been so busy that I just now realized the calendar in my apartment was still on March - HA! I turned the page to April and this is what I found:

What a perfect piece of encouragement that reminded me everything is going to be okay! No matter the current happenings in life, we are experiencing them for a reason and will have something positive come from them -- even if we are so busy juggling what feels like a million things with personal obligations, work, and general everyday to-do's. Taking time to remember this with a little encouragement is so important...because it reminds us how full our cup is :) 

So if you're needing some encouragement to keep on keeping on right now, know that it's all worth it, we won't have anything put on us we can't handle, and we always know what to do...we just have to believe in ourselves! 

I have to give credit to my sweet mother for giving me this calendar! Mommas always know what's best :)

May your cup always be filled with happiness, joy, and love!

Anna