Love language..... what is that?

I know what you are thinking.... a love language! What is that!?

Well, it's actually pretty simple to understand... Right now I'm in the middle of reading a book called
The 5 Love Languages, by Gary Chapman. Don't get me wrong, this isn't the typical kind of book I normally read nor would someone my age usually care to read. But since, according to the subject of this blog, it is relevant; I gave it a shot. I'm more like skimming through it actually. I had heard about it from a family member and am borrowing it from her.
So according to Dr. Chapman, as he is called, a love language is the simple concept that not everyone feels loved in the same ways. When you actually take time to think about it, it really makes since. I know that I personally have always just liked hanging out with and spending time with my family, and that was all I needed to feel loved. Apparently, that means my number one love language is Quality Time.

I would strongly recommend this book. I think most everyone should read it. Because love is relevant to all areas of life. So go pick up a copy. There are many different versions that have been published, from one for married couples, all the way to one for parents and their teens.

check it out...
http://www.5lovelanguages.com/assessments/love/

I hope you enjoy it, and that it will maybe help you understand those impossible or "misunderstood" people in your life:) Until next time...

new webpage!

Hey everyone, 

just wanted to let you know about my new webpage with Hubpages.com. 

You can check it out here

http://sunnyliving.hubpages.com/


Well, I have to go now, we have baseball try-outs tonight and have a full day ahead of us...
but here is just a quick thought I'll leave you with.


Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.
-Oscar Wilde

So then do we really understand the value of loving others, or do we only care about how much it may cost us?

Celebrate!

Yesterday was not the typical Saturday for me and my family, but it was an absolute blast! We went for a family bike ride and then attended a wedding in the evening...

To stay healthy I always try to go for a run or bike ride at least twice a week. 
So yesterday when I woke up, I knew I was going to go for a bike ride at some point. I usually go by myself. But not yesterday. My mom and younger siblings were home and I asked if they wanted to come with me. They said yes, so we pumped up our tires and headed off. In my big family (there are 7 of us all together), it's not every Saturday that we are all home to spend the day together; so yesterday was a real treat.


It was fun for me to include my family in one of my hobbies and show them all the back roads and side streets of my usual route. We rode through connecting neighborhoods a few blocks over, and were enjoying the beautiful sunny weather. As we headed down one last street before we headed home, my brother decided to go the opposite direction...
He's a very independent nine year old:)

Since he knows the neighborhood though, we didn't really worry. By the time we were heading home, my brother met up with us; but to our surprise, he had a friend with him. Apparently, this friend was on my brother's football team last season, and had chased my brother down on his own bike after seeing him ride by his house. He tagged along with my brother and ended up following us all the way home. My brother is one of those so called "social butterflies," and I don't think he has ever met a stranger in his life. His friend hung out at our house for almost the rest of the afternoon. Then we had a wedding to go to...


It was an outside wedding and the decorations were gorgeous! There was dancing, and my little sister eventually talked my Dad into going to dance with her; which was the most adorable thing to watch. Most of the crowd was content to stay sitting as onlookers until the YMCA song started playing, then everyone jumped up and headed to the dance floor. I just stood and watched. There was an indescribable energy when everyone hit the dance floor and joined the newly weds. I remained an onlooker, and although it looked like a blast, it was just as much fun to watch everyone come together to celebrate. What exactly were we celebrating?

Well, we were celebrating life, family, new beginnings, and all of the little things in life that add color to it. But most importantly, we were celebrating love. So yesterday, after the wedding it got me thinking. I did a lot of sharing and celebrating with others yesterday. And I have to say, it made for one of the best days ever! 


There is no other reason why we should live on than that we love and are beloved.
-Henry Drummond




We should always remember to celebrate the little things, and share in celebration with others. 

Happy Valentine's Day 2012

I woke up this morning thinking about all that I have planned today. Last night before dinner I hung up some heart shaped lights that we happened to have lying around the house from last year; I hung them over the breakfast bar near the kitchen so we could look at them all day....
I told my mom though, who was fixing dinner at the time, that we should leave them up all year. 
Because everyday should be Valentine's Day! I don't care if it's christmas, easter, or a birthday, I told her,
"everyday should be Valentine's Day."


During the past few weeks, leading up to today, I did a little research on the history of Valentine's. 
I even read a book called Hearts, Cupids, and Red Roses; that talked about the story of many of our Valentine's Day symbols. I found it very interesting, but if you do your research too, you'll find that how Valentine's Day came to be, and who it is named after is really unclear. 


Most historians each have their own opinion on it. There are many people who believe it was named after one, or several, roman saints, who were known as Saint Valentine. But no matter what the history is behind it, in my opinion, any day that gives us another reason to show our loved ones how much we really love them, is always a good day! 


So from my family to yours: Happy Valentine's Day!!
May it be a truly blessed one with many memories. 


Now I have to go make some chocolate ganache truffles for my grandparents, which is my valentine's present to them. It is one of the easiest and most delicious recipes ever! http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/12/dining/12mini.html

The greatest thing in the world

Hey Everyone,


I just finished one of the most inspiring and amazing books!!
It's called: The Greatest Thing In the World by Henry Drummond


http://henrydrummond.wwwhubs.com/greatest.htm


Henry Drummond was a renowned Scottish writer, lecturer and evangelist. 
He wrote many addresses but his most famous was definitely his address on love taken from 1 Corinthians 13. It will really make you think about what in life really lasts, and therefore, what we should really devote our time to. 

You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love. Henry Drummond 




Just a little pre-valentine's day thought...
Can't wait till tomorrow, look for my next post. 

Get ready for Heart Day!

My siblings and I have been blessed to have a wonderful set of grandparents living only about ten minutes away. So yesterday my grandfather called and asked if we could get "something special" for grandma on Valentine's Day. Let me explain. My grandfather can no longer drive because of a condition with his eyes, so he always calls and asks my mom, or whoever is available, to get something special for our grandma. He can't always give the most elaborate gifts or surprises that I'm sure he used to, but he is always so thoughtful and sincere. They have been married for over 50 years now! It's always nice to know that someone is getting ready for the 14th ahead of time:)


And this year, I'm doing the same. I've already bought some cards and can't wait to give them to friends and family members. 


So are you ready for Vanentine's Day?


Love finds its most natural and spontaneous expression in giving.
-Wallace D. Wattles


Don't forget to vote on my poll and find out the results on my Valentine's day post!

Saturday morning shout out!

Hey Everyone,


This quote really hit me hard when I first read it... and I just wanted to share it with you:)
I think the world would be a better place if we could grasp this concept. Just something to think about... Have a great Saturday! 




If you could only love enough, you could be the most powerful person in the world.
-Emmet Fox

Life with a glue stick Part 2

 

Today I went to visit some neighbors of mine, who also happen to be like an extra set of grandparents to me. They are an elderly couple who live just down the street and have no children of their own… thus, when I go to visit them, they always ask about the rest of my family (my parents, brothers, sisters), and sometimes I’ll take one or two of my siblings to go say hi too. I love them like family, but there is just a little problem, at least, that’s what most people would say…

They speak Spanish and not that much English! See, they are originally from Cuba but moved here to Florida a long time ago. And considering that I don’t speak Spanish fluently, most people would think that this would create a big problem. But the cool thing is: we don’t look at it as a problem at all.

Because of their age, you could say they are a little technically challenged, and that is how I really started developing a relationship with them. They pay for one of the biggest packages on dish TV, and of course, it has all of the Spanish channels too. Whenever they have trouble with it and don’t know how to fix it on their own, which is fairly often, they always call me. I walk down the street and see if I can fix it, and I usually find it can be fixed with one button. But of course, they don’t know that; even though I’ve tried explaining it to them a dozen times.

But they always appreciate me coming, and I never feel like I visit them as often as I would like. Today when I went to see them, they were watching CNN en Espanol. I didn’t mind that it was in Spanish. I just sat there and watched with them anyway.

 I don’t really know how they feel about it, I can’t exactly ask them anyway; but I’ve found that just because there is a physical language barrier between people, doesn’t mean that there has to be a barrier in all areas of the relationship.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great thing to be bilingual. But in my opinion, it’s an even greater thing to be able to show love to someone without words.

Everyday, I get to see more and more how amazing it is to walk in love. Love doesn’t see any barriers. It’s not like a magnet, with a positive and negative side. It’s like a glue stick. It will bring people together no matter what they do or don’t have in common. So I’m sure that one day, I’ll learn Spanish, but until then, love is doing a pretty good job filling in for me:)