It's all a matter of perspective…that is the thought ringing in my head today. I struggle to fight against things going on in my life. The sad fact is that what I'm fighting against is more than likely what was meant in my life all along. In almost two years of our marriage, I have held on to a longing to make things "the way they used to be". It's taken me this long to realize that "the way things used to be" is basically the past. And truly I'm not for  living in the past but in the present. For one, I was much younger, a little less bold, fearful and seeking out perfection most of the time. Now, I'm willing to try new things, i.e, adventures, food and a neverending thirst to be myself. I have learned to look at my ongoing medical saga as a way to breathe through the pain and keep on pushing and if pushing doesn't work, sit and chill for a bit. I no longer think that I'm going to die. The way I see it, is if it was my time to go, then w...

On May 1st, 2013, I walked my baby girl down the path to where her soon to be husband waited for her. I held her hand as we walked. I was reminded that one day, while walking into the grocery store, I told her, "One of these days, you're going to get tired of holding my hand". She replied, "I'll always hold your hand!" So, on that day, we held hands as they began their lives together as husband and wife. My eyes filled with tears quite a few times on that day. I remembered that on June 7th, my life was changed when I gave birth to a precious baby girl, Jarani who stole this mama's heart. I loved being a mom from the very beginning when my oldest, Ev'Yan was born. With two, you get even more adventures and adventures are putting it lightly. Jarebear, I want you to know that on today, that you are a special gift to me. Even though it was 24 years ago, it still feels like yesterday. I'm proud of every moment of your life...the good, th...

You KNOW it’s “one of those days” when you start it out by having M&Ms for breakfast. (Although, it could just be a good excuse for eating something I shouldn’t be.) The truth is, it’s been more than “one of those days” – more like, “one of those weeks or months”. I keep functioning by laughing. In fact, I am beginning to think that I have Laughing Tourette’s because I find throughout the day that I’m laughing to myself. The other day, I rolled over my toe while sitting in my office chair. Even though I thought it was broken, I laughed. It would be just one more story to tell in this endless chain of events. I work next door to a homeless shelter. My view outside my window usually consists of people that are homeless pacing the parking lot throughout the day. A few minutes ago, I heard the loudest, heart wrenching crying coming from outside. A man passed by my window, sobbing. He continued walking, crying and 10 steps later; he was smiling, like his crying never happened. I thought...

Rona from BerryMorins Bits and Pieces . I adore Rona. Her and I have been blog friends for quite a few years. I remember being so in awe of her decorative skills and her desire to make great menus for the upcoming week and share tidbits that have helped me learn things that I never knew before. Please email me your name and address, Rona and I will be sure to pass it along to magazines.com's representative who will be in touch with you shortly. Thanks everyone for entering!

With Mother's day being only a few days away, I have been thinking about the gift of having a mom and of course, being a mom. It really is a gift. I adore being able to cherish every special memory that I have made with mom. I have walked many times in her high heels when I was growing up, envisioning what it would be like to be grown up just like her. Then, when I became a mom, I wondered if I was really cut out to meet the challenges of motherhood. It was through my mom's teaching that I learned to be the best mom that I could be. I have been giving the opportunity by magazines.com  to give one of my readers an opportunity to win a free magazine subscription valued up to $10.00 for you or for your mom or someone that you know would love to be given the gift subscription. I first discovered the love of reading magazines when I was a teen. I found not only fashion tips but advice, recipes and more! Now, there are magazines for every love...scrapbooking, hiking, fashion, n...

From the moment our kids are born, we pray for them - for their hopes, dreams, health and of course, their faith. As parents, our kids look to us for direction and to walk in our shoes. There are times when I can honestly admit that I sure didn't want my girls to walk in my shoes because my shoes were dirty and less than I'd want for them to walk in. Many nights, I lie awake, rocking my youngest who seemed to never sleep. I'd pray for her to be loved and cherished the way a mom's heart cherishes her. I would pray that she would eventually get potty trained, telling her that if she didn't "get it" one day, her husband would be the one to change her diapers. Oh, and marriage....As she grew old enough to know a little of the concept of marriage as a three year old, her honest plea was, "I'm going to mawwy Stevie Wonder". Such certainty! Just as sure as she knew that her eyes were "bwack". The day, in her teens, when she was 14...

One day, while at a huge convention center, going upstairs, I tripped. No explained reason why...I just tripped and hit the stairs. I said to myself, "Simone, only YOU can trip going upstairs." I don't know if that was prophetic but that has been my life lately. I feel like a modern day Job in the female form. Since the beginning of this year, I have: a messed up knee (tripping and falling on the sidewalk) chest pains (undetermined but pointing to a few possibilities that have landed me in the ER or hospital 3.5 times this year alone) (5 specialists trying to determine the exact cause at the moment) macular pucker (yes, there is a known anomalie) in my right eye which resembles an amoeba continuously floating across my vision undiagnosed food allergies which has caused anaphylactic reactions approximately 15 times this year alone obstructive apnea which has caused me to stop breathing during two procedures in the hospital and the latest, infections in my jaw...