10 Life Lesson from Buddy the Elf

Lesson #1: Spread cheer (Christmas and otherwise).  
"The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear."
I know it’s not always easy to be cheerful, but you can tone it down on the Grinch-y attitude and embrace the beautiful lights,

Lesson #2: Make smiling your favorite. 
"I just like to smile! Smiling's my favorite."
For real, people. How much effort does it take to smile? I know “resting bitch face” is kind of a thing now, but get over yourself and smile at a stranger. You very well could make their day. And according to a health blog I read the other day, apparently it only takes 26 muscles to smile vs. 62 to frown.

Lesson #3: Be yourself, even when it's hard to know who you are. 
"Actually, I'm a human, but I was raised by elves."
Never shy away from who you are. Being genuine is one of the best things you could ever do for yourself and those around you.  

Lesson #4: Give out compliments freely.
"Deb, you have such a pretty face. You should be on a Christmas card!" 
As a huge fan of giving compliments, I wish wish wish more people would do it. I know you THINK them, so tell that girl in the elevator that you like her dress. Or tell that guy that parked next to you that his truck looks nice. Just do it!

Lesson #5: Take risks.
"Papa says my real father lives in a magical place far away... but the thing is, I've never left the North Pole."
Want good things to happen to you? You have to take risks. Doing something different -- breaking out of your comfort zone -- is a great way to find new and exciting outlets for positivity in your life.

Lesson #6: Don't give up.
"I passed through the seven levels of the Candy Cane forest, through the sea of swirly twirly gum drops, and then I walked through the Lincoln Tunnel."
Perseverance… I realize it’s easier said than done. But how rewarding when you’ve accomplished that ever-so-daunting task. #worthit

Lesson #7: Speak your mind. 
"If you can sing alone, you can sing in front of other people. There's no difference."
Speaking the truth without hesitation is something most are afraid to do (myself absolutely included). I definitely commend people for standing up for themselves and for others.

Lesson #8: Let life excite you. 
"Good news! I saw a dog today!"
We all could benefit from recognizing the little joys in our life each day. Let life excite you! Buddy inspired me to take another look around and see the wonder that really is all around me. Too often we get caught up on what all we have to get done and we forget to stop and really be present and enjoy the moment.

Lesson #9: Show affection. 
"Does somebody need a hug?"
How often do you show affection to the ones you love? I do what I can to be affectionate, but I can honestly say I'm no match for the ever-affectionate Buddy, who is always giving hugs and spouting words of love. Showing affection in whatever way you are comfortable is a great way to connect with others and make their lives -- and yours! -- more positive.

Lesson #10: Do what you love. 
"First we'll make snow angels for a two hours, then we'll go ice skating, then we'll eat a whole roll of Tollhouse cookie dough as fast as we can, and then we'll snuggle."
If there's one lesson to be taken away from the film, it's this: do what you love. Life is too short and too precious to not be living a life that you love.

You know how I know

You know how I know I’m an adult….

•  I water my yard. I water my freakin yard, people. Wait, the fact that I even have a yard with living things should count for something.
• No party, no matter how fun, is as great as being in my bed.
• I constantly find myself doing things that my mother does – ie, laughing too loud at inappropriate times, nagging my brother about his homework, eating a gallon of ice cream, etc.
• I keep a written account of my money situation at all times – it is both useful and depressing.
• I change my oil every 3 months or 3000 miles.
• My hangovers last all day. And sometimes even into the next day.
• I no longer use Facebook to overshare – I use it to make myself seem smart and cultured and just the right amount of fun.

You know how I know I’m still not an adult….

• I still sometimes have no idea where my money goes. Seriously, do fairies take it? I bet it’s fairies.
• All of my clothes are never clean at the same time. I definitely don’t have that many clothes, yet somehow I ALWAYS have a huge pile of laundry.
• My idea of cooking is reheating Summer’s leftovers and adding Tabasco.
• When a new series season comes out on Netflix, you won’t see me for an entire week.
• I still sometimes buy two-buck chuck. And drink the entire bottle by myself.

Addicted to fluff

Who doesn't love a little fluff? I can tell you right now that my wedding dress will have TONS of fluff and when it comes to dogs, the fluffier the better. Whether it be a fabulous yet unnecessary new outfit, a juicy story on ESPN that they won't shut up about, or real life marshmallow goodness, our lives are full of fluff.

And it can be quite distracting. Lately I have noticed all of the irrelevant shhht around me and honestly, I’ve become quite annoyed. There’s that person on Facebook that posts 500 times a day but I don’t dare delete them because it’s too demoralizingly entertaining - and if you think I’m talking about you, I PROBABLY AM so go check yourself! Then there’s the preoccupation with the silly NFL that I let myself become obsessed with (yep, I’m a Cleveland Brown now).

And as I’m about to enter one of the craziest 6 months of my life, I’m trying to get a handle on all the fluff in my life. I’m going to try to forego checking what so-and-so is up to for the 15^th time today and maybe only read ¾ of the stories that come out about Johnny Manziel. I need to prioritize and remember what’s important and what is motivating me to work this hard.

Liiiiiiiiiike the fact that I'm the newest Loudest and Proudest Member of the Fightin' Texas Aggie class of 2014. Whoop! I'll finally complete my degree in December and get that d*mn Aggie ring I've wanted for so long. Lucky for me, I work for the coolest company with the coolest bosses in the entire world that have been nothing but supportive and encouraging when I first told them I wanted to go back to school. THE END IS IN SIGHT, ya'll! And when all is said and done and I have that perfect little gold piece on my finger, then I can deservedly have my fluffy duff lifestyle back :)

Thanks and Gig'em,
Carla Neal
Proudest Member of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of '14

Viva la vida

Well, I did it. I bit the bullet, took one for the team, went all in (literally). I finally went to Vegas. I know, I'm the oldest newbie in the world, but it was time to face the music and see what this shhht's all about.

I've been asked "Was it everything you thought it would be?" Hello, I have no idea what I thought it would be. I had absolutely no expectations besides what I'd seen in the Hangover, and I could only pray that my experience wouldn't be anything like that... prayers aren't always answered. Ha. Just kidding, kinda. Anyway, my observations are below.

-I'm not a pool person. While getting fed oranges and spritzed with Evian sounds fabulous to some people, it sounds quite arbitrary to me. Needless to say I was NOT excited about our plans to hang by the pool every day, but I was mistaken (THERE Summer, I said it). We got to hang by the VIP pool where I laid on my huge oversized pool chair under my huge oversized umbrella and finished the 3rd Divergent book (which is so terrible, by the way). I wasn't hot, I wasn't cold, I wasn't self-conscious (nobody should be self-conscious in Vegas), I wasn't bored. A+ experience, orange slices and all.

-I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about seeing these huge lions and tigers in cages. A year ago I would have thought they were fantastic, but now that I'm all into whales being free, I thought seeing any animal in a cage would probably pull at my heartstrings a little. Lucky for me, the caged lion exhibit at the MGM closed down. And although I probably would have been mesmerized by the cool looking shark tank slide, I refrained from that as well.

In any case, the Mirage volcano, the Eiffel Tower, the Bellagio fountains and the NYNY roller coaster were plenty beautiful and fun. Much better than seeing caged creatures. I hereby stand firm that all cetaceans should be free. #ThanksButNoTanks

-There are tons of interesting characters on the Vegas strip. Considering there are minions and princesses and Chewbaccas on every other block, I don't know why seeing Captain Jack Sparrow buying beer at the corner CVS would shock me.

-And then there's my love/hate relationship with gambling... For example, I am in love with the whale slot machine that I found...

But I hate that it took my $20 and gave me back 32 cents. I also am not a huge fan of black jack. I thought I might be, I thought there would be a possibility that jack and I would be friends since we got along at Winstar, but no such luck. He hates me. You know who loves me though? Johnny Manziel. I faithfully put my $$ on #2 in roulette all week long, and on my very last attempt on the very last night of my trip, my loyalty was rewarded and it landed on #2! #cashoutking

-The food was pretty amazing as well. Although we ate hot dogs in the MGM food court our first night (don't ask) and I don't remember the supposedly incredibly sushi we had at Sushi Samba on the second night (I said don't ask), the rest of the food I consumed was amazing. The crab legs alone paid for my Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace; the filet and smores at N9NE Steakhouse at the Palms were above and beyond; even the eggrolls from the pool and the crepes from the cafe at the Bellagio were outrageously good.

I could list tons more, but I'll stop because I know not everyone has 30+ minutes to spend on my super entertaining blog. Just know that my Vegas experience was fantastic. And I owe most of that to my fantastic friends S + A, my roomie Michelley, and Johnny Manziel, of course (who we all know also loves Vegas).

Thoughts from the treadmill

Once upon a time I was skinny. No, I've never sported a real 6-pack, but I could fit into whatever I wanted and run wherever I wanted (without wanting to die) and didn't even know what love handles were. What happened? Where did that high school metabolism go? Was it something I said drank? Oh, right. Beer and wine. And margaritas. Did I say beer? I did? Oh. So maybe it's not that big of a mystery after all...

Anyway, here's what I've decided after 26 years on the planet. My worth is not tied up in my waist size. And while I can Pin every cool workout, healthy recipe and hott skinny girl motivational picture to my Pinterest page, I'm slowly realizing that maybe it's time to embrace what my mama gave me (thanks again, Sue).

Could I go to the gym more, run marathons? Sure. And sometimes I do. Other days, like today, I already have a 12 pack in the fridge... and guess what? That's ok! And I'm not trying to bash all of you health conscious, motivated people. I realize that it takes hard work, dedication and discipline to lead a health-driven lifestyle and I salute you. The point of my post isn't to take anything away from being healthy or to encourage laziness, but instead to take some of the pressure and focus off obsessing about your earthly body.

Moral of the story, LOVE YOURSELF! Whether you're in a newly fit body, one that's sporting an exaggerated body part (wassup love handles), or growing a new person (here's looking at you baby mamas!), it's YOUR body. And it's just that, a body. You are a soul. Take care of your soul first, people! That's what we should all be attracted to first anyway, right?! If we're friends, I know you don't love me for my body, so it must be something else.

And as I sit here today on the other side of "whose body is this?", I'm happy with what I see.

All the small things

This is an experiment. I'm going to write about something very broad, S U M M E R  T I M E. And maybe by the end you will have caught onto my theme and you will raise your glass to my cleverness.

Here are a few of some of my comments on sunshine and summertime:

• Always wear sunscreen. You can certainly get your shine on, but in my next 30 years, I don't want to be wrinkly, I want to be one of the beautiful girls.
• Go on vacation. Go see waterfalls, just dance in a fancy night club, drive across the fly over states, spend a milli in Vegas, get drunk on a plane, and live like you were dying.
• Don't forget that you are an adult now - know your limitations! Don't pull an "Oops! I did it again". I stayed out all night drinking gin and juice in my red solo cup somehow forgetting that I wasn't 21 anymore.
• On the other hand, live it up. This is also the time when all your bosses are on vacation and you won't have to pretend that your hangover is anything other than your old ass body telling you to slow down; you can just be sick and tired and have a bad day.
• Friends, avoid SeaWorld if you want us to remain friends. Don't go to splish splash and see the poor whales swimming around their concrete tanks. It's demoralizing and so sad.
• Back in the summer of 2009, I wore stiletto pumps every night, my favorite line was "hey bartender", I thought I was Miss Independent, and I had some friends in low places.
• To all my faraway friends, when you come down my way to Dallas, I promise I'll show you a good time! We'll go out in the glamorous Uptown, we'll take a photograph, and we'll stay up and talk like there's no tomorrow.

By now, you oughta know what's going on here. If you do, speak now. Bye bye bye.

Credits: Raise Your Glass by P!nk; Sunshine and Summertime by Faith Hill; Get Your Shine On by Florida Georgia Line;  My Next 30 Years by Tim McGraw; Beautiful Girls by Sean Kingston; Waterfalls by TLC; Just Dance by Lady Gaga; Drive by Incubus; Fly Over States by Jason Aldean; A Milli by Lil Wayne; Drunk on a Plane,by Dierks Bentley; Live Like You Were Dying by Tim McGraw; Oops! I did it again by Britney Spears; Gin and Juice by Snoop Dog; Red Solo Cup by Toby Keith; Live it Up by J-Lo; Sick and Tired by Cross Canadian Ragweed; Bad Day by Daniel Powter; Splish Splash by Bobby Darin; Stiletto Pumps by Crime Mob; Hey Bartender by Lady Antebellum; Miss Independent by Ne-Yo; Friends in Low Places by Garth Brooks; When You Come Down My Way by Eli Young Band; Glamorous by Fergie; Photograph by Nickelback; Like There's No Tomorrow by Justin Moore; You Oughta Know by Alanis Morissette; Speak Now by Taylor Swift; Bye bye bye by N*Sync

Gold

I am going to attempt to write about a topic that can be frustrating for some of us... singleness. I have thought and prayed about writing about this topic because I want it to come from a heart of gratitude and love, not from anywhere else. Hopefully if you are single, you can be encouraged. If you have single friends or children, I hope this helps you know how to pray for them.

I've always prided myself on being independent. In my early 20's, a lot of my friends were so depressed when they didn't have a boyfriend, and I never understood that. Of course I want to get married, but I have never even come close to experiencing that kind of love before, so I guess my heart doesn't ache for it like others might. That being said, I do have my moments of weakness where I'm bitter for not having that yet. There are good and bad days, just like married couples have good and bad days. And those are the times you have to remember that He is preparing your heart each and every day for the person that will come in and make it all make sense. And until then, you put on your high heels (or boots ;) and have a fabulous night out with your WHOO friends (How I Met Your Mother reference.. anyone?!)

God has given me a gift right now in my life, the gift of singleness. So for those of you reading this that are single... it doesn't have to be a negative. And it is ok to be frustrated with your situation. But remember that the Lord redeems all that He allows. One day you will be thankful for all this time you had to yourself to grow and become that much more fabulous :) And for those of you reading this that are married with single people in your life... pray for them! Pray that they can be content and that they can see themselves how Christ sees them.

Gold by Britt Nicole
This is for all the girls, boys all over the world
Whatever you've been told, you're worth more than gold
So hold your head up high, it's your time to shine
From the inside out, it shows, you're worth more than gold

I looked at my kingdom, I was finally there

Whoa! Fast forward 2 years and WASSUP 2014! It still feels weird saying 2014 and thinking that 2015 is next year. Where on earth did the time go? After reading all my previous posts and being so tempted to go back and delete edit all of them, I can only hope that time has somehow made me a tad bit cooler. HA, fat chance!

To quickly sum up what I was too lazy to write about, here it is.

I started working at Velocis Partners at the end of 2012. I run the office there and am treated like gold because I know how to use Outlook and can make a quick spreadsheet. I have fantastic bosses and the work life of a queen and looking back, I'm still in awe at how beautifully the situation came together.

I took a solo trip to Paris in April 2013. I researched, planned, prayed, saved, got my wine tolerance up and enjoyed the most fabulous and relaxing week in Paris. It was definitely the most exciting and exhilarating thing I've ever done and if I could speak a lick of French, I'd move there in a heartbeat. But I'm already planning my next worldly vacation in 2014 since I'm such an experienced and expert traveler now.

August 2013 marked 1 year in remission. It didn't come without its fair share of roughness, but I've come out unscathed and healthy and love the excuse to celebrate another milestone every year. Plus the friends I gained and the strength I never knew I had make it a unique part of my testimony that I wouldn't trade for anything.

Well, that's all the big stuff... or at least all of the "life events" from my facebook- HA. I really am going to attempt to write more in this silly thing. While I feel like I've grown up a ton, I'm still awkwardly figuring out this whole adult thing.

Au revoir,
C Sue Neal

Now, this is a story all about how
My life got flipped-turned upside down...