I smiled today.

I hope you did too :) ♥

Why must shopping feel so good? I feel better knowing that I'm getting some good deals and everything looks so cute!

There was a special 20% off discount at Old Navy. You had to scream as loud as possible at the register to get your discount. Everything I got was a really decent price so I was excited to get an extra few bucks off.

There are always those few items that make you feel good about shopping. Those things that take away the pain from seeing something that you really want that is unfortunately out of your price range or trying on something that doesn't quite fit the way you would like it to. Today for me, those items were, these cute mary jane slipper/socks, a vintage purse, and my reusable coffee cup from Old Navy.

What also made it so much better was being with my beautiful mommy and my brother and sister. It's nice to be around someone who knows you so well. I think I was really needing that lately. I spent the past two nights in a hotel with her which was the first time I didn't sleep in my dorm room. It was so weird. My poor room and my stuffed animals were all alone for the night but I think that my room will get over it. I'm not so sure about Adam the giraffe and Connie Sparks the zebra. It feels good to feel so at home but it was slightly ruined by homework. Ehhhh....the semester is coming to a close so I'm starting to get really excited.

Lots of reasons to smile today. My heart is happy. Is yours? I sure hope so, Beautiful!

Your Words.

I have seen so many people holding back from saying what's really on their mind. I have to honestly say that I don't always speak up either. Why do people tend to hold back sometimes. Our voices are so powerful. We are so powerful. It's a shame that we can't always see that we can have an impact on others. What makes us afraid to try to make a difference? I know for me, it's the fear that no one will appreciate it or the won't understand the point I'm trying to get across. I was planning to post positive messages all over school but I kept rethinking my idea because I wasn't sure how people at my school would react. I thought that I would maybe get into trouble or that people will write negative things on them or take them down. I shouldn't have worries like that in my mind. I shouldn't have to rethink doing a good deed because I'm afraid of what others will do.

That night, I read my devotional book to help with my confusion and the last sentence of the passage of said, "You never know how someone will react to an act of love."

We should not be afraid to share our love and our passion to help others. We should be able to raise our voice without the fear of being hurt in return. We're made to love and be loved. The first step, I would guess is to love and then you will recieve love in return. I'm not an expert on this but hopefully, people who had this problem will overcome it. We all have the power to love and help others. You matter. We all matter and we are all more powerful than we could ever imagine. Let's not be afraid to use it for good.

reasons to smile (:

I challenge you, whoever is reading this, to get a sheet of paper and keep it by your bed. Every night before you go to sleep, write down something that happened that day that you were thankful for, or something that day that made you smile. Maybe it could be something that you noticed about yourself for the first time or a compliment that you recieved. Or it could be song lyrics that you heard that made you feel really happy inside. Keep that list as a reminder that a smile can last forever. That even when you're feeling really low, a smile is always possible. And maybe if it'll help you more, you can take the list around with you. Hopefully, you can use this as a way to smile more. It works for me and I hope it will work for you too. The world will always love a smile.