There is nothing more powerful than an inspired, dedicated heart. That feeling of purpose, focus and excitement that lights the fire of action to get you going. That is exactly how I feel right now.
Since Alexandria made her Grand Entrance 9 months ago, my life has been a crazy roller coaster. I left my 9-5, took a leap of faith into my business, moved twice, managed family issues, wiped up lots of boogies & spit, learned how to administer infant breathing treatments, packed and moved again.
And right now, as I sit here in my brand new apartment, with my young family, with this swarm of butterflies in my stomach and a marathon of thoughts treading through my head. Business. Home. Photography. Design. Non-Profit. Pizza. Closets. Baby. ::yawn:: Most of the thoughts have something to do with one of the above words. But the task of organizing all of them is just downright exciting.
And it’s all thanks to this sweet little old lady I had the pleasure to serve at Bonefish… after forgetting for the THIRD time the butter (on ice) she asked for I sighed and apologized – “It’s been a long day. I’m so sorry, I’ll be right back with that”. I tried so hard to hide that my brain was about to explode from all the stress. Worked till midnight the night before, Chech was up at 6:30, moved all morning to head to the restaurant by 5pm… it was already 9, and I was mentally waving my white flag of defeat. If I was J.D. from Scrubs, the camera would’ve zoomed to me standing on the bar, mop with a white towel tied to the end, just waving back and forth.
When I returned, she asked me if everything was okay, and without going into to much detail I just replied “Life is wonderful, just working hard to keep it that way”.
“You’ve heard what to do when life gives you lemons, right?” She asked.
“Make lemonade?” I replied, curiously.
“Exactly.” She stated. “Everyone loves lemonade. But everyone loves lemonade in their own way. Some like it really sweet, some like it sour, some like it with lots of lemon juice, some like it a little more watered down. Make lemonade the way YOU like it, and you’ll be grateful you had the lemons to begin with. And if you have vodka, add a little of that too. It never hurt nobody.” (#Kairos.)
Cue the cheesy music, let’s start the montage of footage where I finish out my shift floating on rainbows and where every table left me a 25% tip…. okay back to reality.
I’d heard that fluffball saying 6,000 times, and just thought “ugh, ok ok stop being so damn perky.” This was the first time that I actually realized that I should be grateful for my lemons. Be grateful for all of the lessons. The Stress. The heartache. The pain. All of it – because all of it is adding the perfect amount of ingredients to my lemonade. In the end it will be just the way that I LIKE IT.
So, in Honor of sweet little “Mrs. B”, Check out my new screensaver. 🙂
Thanks to my little inspiration from last night, and my amazing new space, I’m excited to start the next chapter in my life. Back to work effectively, Back in Downtown Fort Lauderdale – Me, My Javy and My Checha.
Have a happy Tuesday everyone. <3
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Bonus!
With all this talk of Lemonade, I figured I’d share with you a delicious “special mint lemonade” recipe I re-pinned on Pinterest from a Fab blog called “Sugar and Charm”.
Recipe (makes 6 mason jar cocktails)
1 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemonade1 cup sugar or a sugar substitute (you can add more if you like sweeter lemonade 😉6 cups water6 shots of Vodka (Amart here: I’m a Grey Goose fan, so I may be using this instead – just a personal preference)Handful fresh mint leavesIn a saucepan heat the sugar with 1 cup water until it’s fully dissolved. Let the mixture chill in the fridge until cold. Once chilled muddle the handful of mint in the sugar mixture. Pour the fresh squeezed lemon juice, sugar mixture, vodka, mint and the rest of the water into a large pitcher and mix well. If you want, you can add the vodka to individual drinks too. Add ice to each glass or set some aside in a self-serving bowl next to the lemonade for your guests to hand-scoop. You can also garnish each glass with a lemon and a skewer!Thanks Sugar & Charm!
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