Pictures!

Crystal Weber

12/16/12

 

I am really having fun taking pictures, it is so therapeutic! I can't believe how beautiful our world is.  Take in the vibrant colors and smell the fragrant aromas, we are blessed to live in such a place.  Let us not take it for granted.

 

THERE IS A REASON FOR THIS SEASON

Crystal Weber 12-13-12 

I am so excited for Christmas to almost be here!  It is easy to get caught up in all the things we “have to do” such as Christmas cards, baking goodies, parties, buying presents, and so on and on and on… until we come to a point where we are so busy we wake up and it’s January 1^st and we missed the whole season because we were too busy to enjoy it.  Slow down and breathe in the sweet aromas of pine and cookies and gingerbread men.  Don’t get so wrapped up in your wrapping that you are distracted from the real reason for this season.  He is born this season and because of this we get to enjoy this life and all it has to offer – so please, go ENJOY it J

I  definitely urge you to go out and experience all the season has to offer, after all, who doesn’t enjoy that amazing peanut butter fudge or the look on your parent’s/kid’s/friend’s face when they open that perfect present? And the twinkling lights of Christmas decorations in the house and Santas waving in the mall can’t help but fill me with a warmth and joy.  Therefore, go and find out the best the season has to offer.

If you are one of those people that find the holidays difficult to endure, take heart – you are not alone, in fact the holidays are the darkest time of the year for many a person indeed. I know this doesn’t make it any easier for you but just know you are important, valid, relevant.  Try and find happiness where you can and know that with every period of darkness eventually there comes a light and yours is coming soon. 

So, I bid you adieu for now and am off to continue with my holiday preparations.  Keep in mind that time flies by even faster when you are having fun, so don’t forget to look up from your shopping lists and stringing of lights and appreciate your family and friends and live each and every day to the upmost celebration and live well and in love.

WHAT - WHERE DID THE SUMMER GO?

Crystal Weber 09-28-12

I blinked – big mistake! Summer was gone was already.  What a fun, wonderful summer it was J  But I can’t believe how fast it went. Every year seems to go by faster and faster…and faster and faster.

"Count your age by friends, count your life by smiles." Author Unknown

"Count your age by friends, count your life by smiles." Author Unknown

"Live your life and forget your age." Norman Vincent Peale

I have been so very busy enjoying the flying-by summer with my family and friends and spending time on my many hobbies.  For today, just enjoy some quotes:

It's a strange thing, but when you are dreading something, and would give anything to slow down time, it has a disobliging habit of speeding up. ~J.K. Rowling, "The Hungarian Horntail," Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 2000

Time is the only thief we can't get justice against. ~Terri Guillemets

Time is what we want most, but... what we use worst. ~William Penn

Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you. ~Carl Sandburg

Don’t waste your time – spend it wisely as it is not unlimited and it does run out.  I bid you adieu for now as I head back to the guitar to work on some more songs to sing. Rock on!  ~

 

INSPIRATION TIME!

Crystal Weber 06-08-12

So I know that facing the unknown future is scary - we as humans like to control our surroundings and know exactly what is going to happen next.  We need to relax and enjoy the journey. Take life a day at a time and see where the ride takes you.  I urge you to not miss out an opportunity just because you are afraid of change.  After all, change brings about growth and development.  Be courageous and face head-on the changes with the confidence that all things have a tendency of working out for the best if only you have a little faith.  So next time life asks you to step out into the dark abyss, take a deep breath and take that step - for chances are what you will find is an even more amazing life than you had even thought possible.  For you are awesome, uniquely formed, and capable of an incredible future and life well-lived. 

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.
Henry David Thoreau

Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.
Pamela Vaull Starr

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.
Harriet Tubman

So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains
And we never even know we have the key.Lyrics from Already Gone, peformed by the Eagles for their 1974 On the Border album
It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link of the chain of destiny can be handled at a time. ~ Winston Churchill

Some men give up their designs when they have almost reached the goal; while others, on the contrary, obtain a victory by exerting, at the last moment, more vigorous efforts than before.
Polybius

There are two things to aim at in life; first to get what you want, and after that to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind has achieved the second.
Logan Pearsall Smith

The future is an opportunity.
J. F. Ware

Do not suppose opportunity will knock twice at your door.
Nicolas de Chamfort

The best way out is always through.
Robert Frost

Bless you! You have so much potential and so believe in yourself and enjoy your life! :)

PICTURE TIME!!

Hi there, I am really enjoying taking some original photographs with my digital camera.  I am still having a lot of fun with it.  I love creative outlets of all kinds (my favorite is music) and think it is so important to take some time to see the beauty in nature.  I know I often speed through life and do not often enough take the time to take in a whiff of fresh air and see the wonderful scenery around me and I am sure I am not alone in this.  Our world is an incredibly beautiful place. 

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so less words and more pictures for today :)

Enjoy!  ~

GOT HURDLES?

Crystal Weber 05-16-12

Hurdles…they occur both real in our physical world and metaphorically in our minds.

There are literal hurdles -  I remember running junior high track.  I loved the 100 yd, 200 yd, 400 yd, 800 yd, mile… anything but those hurdles.  They terrified me, looming barriers, mocking me as they block the way to the finish line and victory. I sometimes would stay after practice when everyone else had gone home, drag a couple hurdles back onto the track, and convince myself this was the night I would beat them.  But night after night I would go home frustrated because as I would approach the hurdle I would either stop or run to the side.  I know by now you are probably chuckling to yourself and you are justified in this because it was probably an amusing sight to behold.  However, I do want to make a larger point in this. We can beat those hurdles.  I remember the day I finally summoned up the courage and as I sprinted toward the hurdle I did not stray from the path but instead leaped over the hurdle and kept right on running.  And then I leaped over the next one, and so on.  After that I found the hurdles were quite simple to overcome and even came to be a fun event in track.  It often seems the case that once we overcome something it becomes something easy to us, sometimes so easy we wonder why we struggled with it in the first place.  

Metaphorically, hurdles occur in our minds every day.   Some are quite small; others are huge and seemingly insurmountable.  I want to encourage you to start with the small ones and check them off the list.  Once you see you can indeed find success in the smaller items you will gradually gain the confidence you need to master within yourself in order overcome the larger items.  The list is different for each of you.  However, I encourage you all to take a few minutes and contemplate on what hurdles you are avoiding and come up with a plan of attack.  We are resilient creatures, we humans, and as a result we are naturally made to get through things.  If you fall on your hurdle, just brush off the dust and try, try, try, and try again. 

So… got hurdles? Sure you do – we all do!  The question for you is, are you going to push through your hurdles or run around them?  I am going to push through them and get to the other side – to the life I am meant to live.  I urge you to do the same, because you have a wonderful life ahead of you. ~

Psalm 121:1-2
“I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (NIV)

Isaiah 41:10
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” (NLT)

Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV)

Don't Miss Today Waiting for Tomorrow

It is true that we reap what we sow. It is good to look to the future in anticipation and excitement, as well as to make plans for what will be to come. However, I think it is so important that we do not get so wrapped up in looking to the future that we overlook the gifts that today brings. Live one day at a time, after all, you never know what day on earth will be your last. Don't miss out on today looking forward to tomorrow. Live for today! I feel like sometimes we get so focused that we essentially sometimes get blinders on and don't see what people, opportunities, and blessings have already been placed right in front of our eyes. Your life can be as great as you are willing and daring to make it!
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Here are a few quotes to lift you up ~

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. Henry David Thoreau

Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal. Pamela Vaull Starr

And we never even know we have the key. Lyrics from Already Gone, peformed by the Eagles for their 1974 On the Border album

The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up. Paul Valery

You will never "find" time for anything If you want time, you must make it. Charles Bruxton

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them. Henry David Thoreau
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I challenge you to go put those foundations under your dreams and live your life to the fullest. You are made for awesome things. God loves you and formed you uniquely to fullfil the purposes He puts in your heart. So no longer conform to the expectations of our world but instead rise up and be the amazing soul you were meant to be. Bless you all this week ~

GRAB THAT OPPORTUNITY

                                     Crystal Weber 04-01-12

The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
- Winston Churchill

Life is full of opportunities.  Every day we let several pass us by.  However, when we recognize an opportunity it is important that we are daring and grab onto it.  They leave as quickly as they come so that is why it is important that we do not hesitate. 

After you take hold of the opportunity, hard work follows.  Does it seem to you that some people are just lucky?  I think that some are luckier than others for sure; however, the vast majority of “luck” is often caused by sheer effort and persistence.  I think many of us can create our own luck by taking chances and making the most of each opportunity that we see coming our way. 

Luck is when opportunity knocks, and you answer.
- Anonymous

I also think that we can create our own opportunities at times.   There are situations that seem like epic fails that we can turn into learning experiences and sometimes even something great.  For instance, if you lose your job you could take that door closure as a chance to open the door of your choosing, such as going to college, opening your own business, or making a career change.  I feel like at times that certain fails are nudgings from God that we are not quite on the right path He is intending for us.  Other times fails are meant to teach us perseverance and determination. 

Here are a few examples of rejection that turned to success due to never giving up that I was able to find after around 3 minutes of researching on the internet:

·         Were told by Publishers that "anthologies didn't sell" and the book was "too positive" Rejected a total of 140 times. The book? Chicken Soup for the Soul. It now has 65 different titles and has sold over 80 million copies all over the world.

·         Did poorly in school and failed at running the family farm - Isaac Newton

·         Told by a teacher he was "too stupid to learn anything" Thomas Edison

·         Failed the sixth grade - Winston Churchill

·         Wasn't able to speak until he was almost 4 years old and his teachers said he would "never amount to much" - Albert Einstein

·         Was cut from the high school basketball team, went home, locked himself in his room and cried - Michael Jordan

·         Told by a music teacher "as a composer he is hopeless" – Beethoven

·         Received 30 rejections and the author threw it in the trash. Luckily his wife fished it out again and encouraged him to resubmit it. The book was Carrie - the author Stephen King

·         Producer told her she was "unattractive" and could not act - Marilyn Monroe

·         Fired from a newspaper because he "lacked imagination and had no original ideas" - Walt Disney

As you can see, NEVER GIVE UP!  Grab that opportunity and remember that no matter what happens or what anyone else says, God believes in you and wants you to succeed.  Just go for it~

A THANKFUL SPIRIT

Crystal Weber 03-24-12

Wow, the weather has been AMAZING recently!  I love it – 70 degree weather in March in Iowa is a blessing indeed.  I love running around barefoot outside and wearing short sleeves and no jacket.  There are beautiful flowers blooming outside my house and the smell of freshly cut grass. I can’t help but look up the sky in thankfulness to the heavens for it all.

I feel like as people we have a habit of at times focusing on the negative aspects of life, the things not going right – instead of reveling and enjoying the things that are going well.  It is common knowledge that we should focus on the positive but it seems to go against human nature.  We want to find problems so we can fix them which in itself is just fine, actually a good thing.  Where it gets to be an issue is when we do our best to fix it and then obsess and get angry over it if it is one of those things we just can’t control.  Get over it and move on to living the rest of your life.  We are much too busy and valuable to concern ourselves with what we cannot do.  Instead, let us focus on what we can do – and go do it!  I am sure if you sit and think for five minutes you will be shocked at all of the things you have to be thankful for.  The body has 650 muscles and 206 bones! That is extraordinary in itself.  We as humans are wonderfully made.

Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight. Benjamin Franklin

I am going to continue to look at the little, good things and learn to appreciate life one day at a time: 

·         I want to learn from yesterday’s mistakes, as the past brings about wisdom. 

·         I want to live in today, giving everything I can to each and every day and not wasting a moment’s precious time.

·         I want to look forward to the future and what it holds for me.

I love the everyday and the precious gift of life and I aim to live it to the fullest and appreciate it as it comes.  My challenge to you is to do the same – live in an attitude of thankfulness and peacefulness, and do not waste what you are blessed with.  

There are two things to aim at in life; first to get what you want, and after that to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind has achieved the second. Logan Pearsall Smith

~ Let us live in a spirit of thankful, happy, energy that comes from being ok with not knowing what the future holds but ready to face each day as it comes and live life to the absolute fullest.~

POSITIVE THOUGHTS FOR A SNOWDAY

Crystal Weber 01-22-12

So we are in the height of winter - bring on spring!  When you are “snowed in” with your life, you can sometimes feel trapped.  But remember, you are never trapped.  True you cannot control what happens to you, but you do have the choice as to how you react to each and every situation thrown your way.  Don’t think of it as a burden – think of it as a challenge that only you can overcome.  This will help give you the strength you need to overcome it and move along to better times again. 
It seems like many of the hardest battlefields to overcome are the battlefields of the mind.  We are often our own worst enemies and our own hardest critic.  If you find yourself struggling with this, I would recommend you pick up a book by Joyce Meyer, “The Battlefield of the Mind”. It will help teach you ways to right your thinking and readjust your outlook on life so that you can live your life to its fullest potential.
So, for today I am going to leave you with some encouraging quotes.  Meditate on these and continue to work on getting back on or staying on the right track. 

What we think, we become.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts, we make the world. - The Buddha

If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life, your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars. - Rabindranath Tagore

Courage doesn't always roar.
Sometimes courage is the quiet voice
at the end of the day saying,
"I will try again tomorrow." - Mary Anne Radmacher

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. - Franklin D. Roosevelt

One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar. - Helen Keller

Storms make oaks take roots. -Proverb

The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible.
-Arthur C. Clarke

The best way out is always through. -Robert Frost

For hope is but the dream of those that wake. -Matthew Prior

Believe with all of your heart that you will do what you were made to do. -Orison Swett Marden

LIFE IS FILLED WITH SEASONS

Crystal Weber 01-13-12

It is quite obvious, life is filled with seasons.  Seasons of joy and success, seasons of pain and failure.  If you are in a high place enjoy it and don’t take it for granted.  Don’t be shocked when it eventually leaves but take heart as it will return someday.  If you are in a low place learn from it and don’t let it keep you down for too long.  The circle of life will keep on spinning so “this too shall pass”.  Just keep on the bike and keep on pedaling.

On a less serious note, the weather of our world is also in seasons.  We go from spring, summer, fall, winter.  I love spring, summer, and fall!  Winter is lucky it is the holiday season :) 

This year has been unseasonably warm and I'm loving every minute of it.  However, after being in the 50 degree range for temperatures earlier this week, yesterday it finally happened… it snowed.  In fact, around 5 or 6 inches and a wind chill below zero.  But eventually the snow will melt, the temperatures will warm, and spring will be knocking on our door.  I will be ready to let it in – I come down with spring fever every year at the beginning of January. 

So… whatever season you are currently in, know that you will not be in that season forever.  Stay positive and be brave and keep putting one foot in front of the other.  You have so many wonderful experiences and amazing opportunities set to come your way so get ready!  Now go out and don’t just live – but live in truth and boldness~

 

To Every Thing There is a Season - Ecclesiastes 3. 1-8
To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

REMEMBER 2011 – GET READY TO LIVE THE DREAM IN 2012

Crystal Weber 01-05-12

HAPPY 2012!!!  It’s a new year – a fresh start.  If last year was great, keep building on from it.  If last year was otherwise, learn what you can from it and move on to a better year this year.

For me, last year was amazing – truly one of the best.  As it is for anyone, there were definitely a few rough patches to pass through, but 2011 was one to remember for me and I learned lots of invaluable life lessons. 

I even got to achieve seven major things off of my bucket list :)

Here are a few things that I learned in 2011:

Life is too short to live afraid. Figure out what you want and go for it.  So what if you fail?  I can tell you now – you will fail, over and over again.  But the important thing is to believe in yourself, brush off the dirt, and keep on keeping on.  Never let someone tell you no or that you are not good enough.  Believe in yourself and know what you are capable. Don’t take life too seriously in that you do not have to be perfect and you will always be your own harshest critic.  On the other hand, don’t take life too lightly because it is a flitting feather and could be over before you know it.  So another words, don’t wait for tomorrow – go now and live for today.

Be bold and daring because if you don’t go for more than you can even imagine, you will miss out on finding out how far you can reach.

So bye 2011 – hello 2012~

Get ready to live your dream in 2012!