You Never Know Until You Live It

I love traveling, granted I've only gone out of the country once. I hope to do it many more times. I was lucky enough to get the chance to experience a few month in Italy, living, eating and learning things I thought were only true in movies. I'm going to shed some light on some facts and fictions about Italian lifestyle.

Fact. Italians eat pasta for almost every meal of the day. No its not just in the movies, it happens everyday.. E.V.E.R.Y.D.A.Y. Italians have over 1,000 different recipes for pasta. And don't you dare even think about adding salt or pepper to a dish they place in front of you, it changes the whole recipe. I got in trouble a few times for that :P When I returned from Italy I couldn't eat pasta for two months! I will say this though, the quality of food in Italy is wonderful. Everything is so fresh! Produce markets cant except any produce unless locally grown. So if your looking for good quality, Italy is the place for you.

Fiction. Pizza, everyone likes pizza right? Well this isn't really true, I'm not a fan of pizza.. But I know good pizza when I have it. Italy is where it all started. Surprisingly back in the day pizza was known as "peasant" food. I was so excited to eat real Italian pizza, but sadly I was a bit disappointed. I landed in Italy and after getting through traffic we arrived at the mall and went to the food court to grab a bite to eat. We picked out some pizza and sat down, I took my first bite and instead of having a  delicious flavor overwhelm my mouth I had a mouth full of dry tasteless pizza. I wasn't too quick to judge, I wanted to give it another chance. I had pizza about 8 different time after that, and sad to say I was disappointed all 8 times. But one day my sister and I decided to go out on our own and explore the mountain top town of Tivoli. After shopping at a local market we got hungry and decided it was time to find some lunch. We walked around and finally found a small pizza place tucked away in the corner of an old building. We purchased a few different slices and a can of coke and sat in a park overlooking the small town. Needless to say, that pizza was amazing, some of the best pizza I've ever had. But I still think america beats Italy as far as pizza goes.


Fact. Italian men. Oh my, oh my. I can say without a doubt that Italian men are the most attractive and stylish men I have ever come across. Just go to the mall, every other man looks like a model dressed in his best. Its shocking! It makes me want to ship them all over here haha. The men don't follow and gawk over the woman like you see in movies, but one look at an attractive Italian and you almost wish they would! As far as men go, Italians are at the top of the list.

Fiction. Adapting to a new culture is not as easy as it looks. When you think about living in a foreign country you think about how amazing it will be, but once you live it, it is a horse of a different color. Don't get me wrong, living in Italy is great but just like any country there is the good and the bad. Doing laundry for example.. Here its as easy as pie to clean your clothes, just grab some soap, throw your clothes in the machine and away it goes. Now in Italy they do have a washing machine, but as for drying your clothes? Well just walk outside and take a look at the tree's around you and odds are you'll spot out the clothes line to hang your wet clothes on. When I saw it I had a flash back, I thought ahh I remember those, back when I was 5 we had one in our back yard. Granted its not that bad in the summer, clothes are dry in a few hours. But try it in the winter? Oh your in for a treat, Don't even think about washing your favorite sweater, cause you wont have it back dry for at least 5 days. Don't get me wrong, there are many wonderful things about Italy, like family. Family is more important to an Italian than working. Family comes first, which I think is wonderful. Most Italians are very welcoming, you feel like a part of the family after just a few hours of spending time with them. I made some great memories there and met some wonderful people.



My experiences in Italy were life changing. I hope everyone gets the chance to visit another country atleast once in their lifetime.

Childhood Is Calling

I have always wanted to write my own book, and last year before my sister moved to Italy to get married we decided to write a children's story. I thought I would share this with you, maybe put a smile on your face :)

Story 1. Abigale Gaws.


Every Goose in DandyWood BrandyWine pond knew Abigale to be a rather strange sort of goose. Abigale wore a pearl necklace everyday of the week, If you were to ask Abigale where she had gotten the necklace she might tell you a story of the time she broke into the jewlery box of Farmer Jinkins wife and stole her favorite pearl necklace. Every saturday when the farmer and his wife would go into town Abigale would sneek over to their house to eat one of Mrs. Jinkins prize blackberry pies. What you didnt know is that the farmers wife has a cat, a very small but fat orange cat named Tinkly Minkly. Now Tinkly Minkly knew about Abigale and knew she was the one to take the pearl necklace. So every saturday when Abigale would sneak through the cat door into the house, Tinkly Minkly would try his hardest to get that necklace back. But everytime he would fail. On this particular Saturday Abigale was floating in the pond talking to the goslings about how she was going to go sneek that blackberry pie. The goslings not believing anything Abigale ever says decide to follow her to the house and climb up to the window seel to watch in suspense as Abigale climbs through the cat door like she does every Saturday. Making her way into the kitchen she spots the pie cooling on the countertop. Suddenly she hears a loud noise and runs under the kitchen table not knowing that Tinkly Minkly had been hiding behind a large jar of honey. He knew that Abigale was going to make a run for the blackberry pie, he knocked over the honey jar spilling sticky honey all over the kitchen counter and floor trying to set a trap for her. Abigale knew she had no easy way of getting to the pie or even out the cat door, so she jumps on top of the table and Tinkly Minkly makes a lung at the pear necklace but gets his claws stuck in the necklace. Startled by this Abigale takes of and flys around the kitchen with Tinkly Minkly still attached to the necklace! Finally he got himself free and plunged into the honey on the floor. The goslings notcing everything that was going on opened the kitchen window as a way for her to escape. Abigale crash landed into the pie and gobbled up as much of it as she could then dashed out the window knocking what was left of the pie onto Tinkly Minkly who was stuck in the honey. Shortely after this the farmer and his wife returned and found the mess that was made in the kitchen, blaiming it all on Tinkly Minkly whom was still stuck in the honey now covered in blackberry pie. All the geese made it back to the pond safely, and Abigale Gaws being the strange sort of goose she was, still plans on going back to the farm house every Saturday for that blackberry pie.

Your History

Take me back.

A tree is only as strong as its roots, going deep to the begining of its time. A river is only as long as its waters searching far for another place to call home. The wind blows and blows not knowing where to go but always knows where it came from.

So take me back to where I began, take me back to the time my memories first start. Remember your history and create a new future, and always remember that place you first called home. I don't want to forget, so take me back to where i came from.

Its a long walk through the valley one said, its a hard life when your feet dont stand firm. Its not about riches its not about fame, neither one can make you whole. finding a straight path and walking it slow, turning back to a place you know is where you'll find peace in a fast moving storm.

So take me back to where i began, take me back to the time my memories first start. Remember your history and create a new future, and always remember that place you first called home. I dont want to forget, so take me back to where I came from.

Always remember. I will always remember where I came from.

Once Upon A Time...

When you hear those four words what do you think of? A movie you grew up watching? A story you use to hear before bed? I think about one big word..
L.O.V.E.

All growing up I loved watching those Disney princess movies, Sleepiong beauty, Snow white ect. Those movies where the prince would show up and do everything in his power to save the princess and in the end love would always prevail. If your from my generation then most of you grew up watching these movies. Truth is girls grow up loving the idea of love, I know I did. And sometimes that got me into alot of trouble, moving too fast in a relationship, letting myself go cause I thought "he could be the one". In our teen years we make alot of mistakes, some big and some small. But they always effect us somehow.
I have noticed that a lot of us girls go looking for love in all the wrong places with all the wrong people. We rush into things we aren't ready for hoping that this could be it. We all want that fairy tale love story with our prince charming.
I'm one of those people who thinks that there is that perfect person out there for everyone, your "prince charming" so to speak. We just need to be patient.
It took a lot for me to get where I am now, a alot of good and a lot of bad. But I know one perfect man who has always been there for me... God. Ive noticed that no matter who I am dating, where I am, what im doing in my life, He is always there. I like to call him my constant Prince :P He is that, and so much more. He has the perfect person out there for you, he knows all the desires of your heart. He is the author of our love story. He is the definition of love, so who better to learn from than Him?? Right now I'm focusing on my life and my relationship with him, I've taken myself out of the dating world and am more than willing to wait on that right guy he has planned for me.

 Boys are not what this life is about. Sure, its fun having a boyfriend.. someone to talk to, someone to care and love you. But what about when you forget yourself? When you forget your dreams and what makes you, you. You focus on a relationship and get consumed. Your friends, your family and even God take the back seat. Sometimes in life, we need to give up the things we want in order to make room for the things we need. I'm speaking from personal experiences. God has someone out there for you, most of the time we don't have the patience to wait. Trust me its hard when a guy comes in your life and you say to yourself "hey is this the one?". We just need to wait. Because we can choose to have either the good, the great or the best. God wants us to have the best, the best of everything in this life. He wants us to glorify him in the things we do, the choices we make, the people we hangout with. He sees the bigger picture even if we don't. So girls, wait for the right guy, don't push yourself and go too fast in a relationship. Because if he really loves you, he will respect you. Wait for your prince charming, he is out there.

Take A Step Back, Don't Move Too Fast

Every kid dreams of growing up, of having their first date, driving that first car and getting their first 'real' job. We build it up, dreaming big. Wishing our dreams would become a reality.

When I was 13 I wanted so badly to be grown up, to be taken seriously. To be looked at as an adult that can make my own decisions. I wanted to be independent.. Everyone wants that right? But what I didn't realize is that I wanted to grow up too fast. I wanted to fast forward my life so badly. I tried to grow up too fast. Its now, 5 years later that I realize I took a lot of moments for granted when I was younger. Moving too fast with guys, trying to find "the one" a common mistake for girls. I needed to take a step back and realize instead of fast forwarding my life, I needed to slow it down. Being young, everyone tells you to enjoy it while you can.. and they are so right, you should enjoy your youth! Sure growing up has its up sides, just like everything does. But don't try to grow up before your time, enjoy the simple things in life. I graduated high-school at 16, and since then everyone asks me "what are your plans for your life?" I never knew what to answer, because I didn't know. At first I thought something was wrong if I didn't know what I wanted to with my life, if i didn't have it all planned out. Than I realized, no one knows what the next day will bring, so how can you plan out a year or even 2 years? You cant, you just need to take each day as it comes. It is good to have an idea of what you want to do, we all have those dreams we have been dreaming since we were little kids running around. But if you don't have it all planned out, don't sweat it! Your decisions will change. I've gone from wanting to be an actress to nurse to many other things. Now, I've decided to chill out. Find something I love and work towards it. If It takes one year or 10 years.. With Gods help ill find my way, and keeping faith in the promises he has given me. I'm still learning things about myself, realizing my gifts ect. And I want to use them in any way I can. We are all like little flower buds, growing with time, and we all go through those harsh winters, when everything seems lost because we cant see whats under the ground hiding. Then spring comes, the winter fades and we grow and bloom into the beautiful creations we were meant to be. But it takes time, it doesn't happen in an instant. We have to trust that the Lord is with us and sees the whole picture, we just see the pieces. We all have been blessed with our own special gifts, and we have been given them for a reason. So don't let your gifts go to waist, share them with the world and see the beautiful things that come out of it.

Where words fail.. music speaks

Music is one of the most important things to me, it has always been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. Music, is more than just notes written on a piece of paper. It is a feeling. Music has many different sounds, you have to feel the music, Not just read it. To me music grabs emotions, it digs deep and tells a story. For example.. When your feeling tired you don't want to listen to a loud rock song full of rocking guitars and loud booming drums. You want to listen to a calm and sweet song full of beautiful sounds and lovely words. Why is this? Because you like the feeling it gives you, you like it because it almost matches your emotions and feelings. I love that I can express my emotions and feelings through my music and the melodies I create. I like for my music to tell a story, a story without words.

Music is also an escape. When I play music its like there is no other person in the room, no other sound, nothing. Just me and my music. I forget my worries, my problems, and my sadness. It is a lovely escape. always there waiting for me. Music will always play a huge part in my life. No matter where I go or what I do, music will always be my passion and the one thing I will never stop doing.

Introducing, me.

Growing up in a small town in the middle of Texas, I wasn't much for a glamorous big city life. But I can say I don't feel like I missed out. Living in the country was great. I come from a family of 8 kids, and you can assume our house wasn't the quietest one the block. But my family was, has and always will be one of the most important things to me. My best friends lived just down the street, a bike ride away and I am happy to say My childhood friends are still my best friends. My childhood passions have stuck with me even to this day. I still love bike riding, exploring and being creative. Music is my biggest passion, along with writing, composing and painting. Name it and I love doing it. I have been singing since I could talk, and one day I am determined to use my gift and love of music to do something big. These past two years I have learned more about myself than ever before, changing my perspective on life. I continue to learn things about myself everyday. I have learned to face my fears head on, and to listen to my heart more than my head. My relationship with God has grown and come a long way. I've gotten to experience him as a friend, a best friend. I've learned you cant always count on all the people around you, but you can always count on him. I can always count on him. My life has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride, every year bringing something crazy along with it. Through my experiences I have learned lessons I will carry with me for the rest of life, and hopefully get the chance to pass them on. We all have our stories, and we never know how much our stories can impact someone.

 Remember where you came from. Remember your history, The good and even the bad. Its like even when we are out of school we still have no choice but to be taught and to learn. The bad experiences we go through teach us, makes us stronger and in a sense it teaches us who we are. I know that all the hard times I've gone through, there has always been a reason. And as much as we would like to go back and change decisions we made.. If I got the chance.. I wouldn't.. Because its made me who I am today. When your situation seems horrible and like it will never end. Just trust in the promise God gave. He makes all things come together for his good.














I've learned I cant do this on my own. I have tried, countless time and it always turns out the wrong way. I ignored what my heart was telling me and listened to what my head was telling me, thinking my heart would follow my head. I was wrong. Now I listen to my heart, and most importantly I listen to the Lord. And since then, more experiences have opened up and great things started happening. I made sacrifices and gave up the things I wanted rather than the things I needed. I know its a long road home, but wherever the Lord takes me.. Ill go.