#HiddenBeauty

Happy Saturday, friends! This is Gypsy Life and Style signing back in! Apologies for the amount of time that’s passed since the last post. As so many of you can relate, life got a little hectic the past few weeks, and I caught a bad case of writers block..BUT none the less, I am back and full of new ideas, thoughts, questions, and experiences!

I’ll start off by saying HAPPY SPRING! I don’t know what it’s like over where you are, but here in Cali it is GORGEOUS! Spring has definitely taken over, and I am soaking in every second of it. I have always thought that this was such a refreshing season. It’s such a beautiful rebirth of life and a clean start for nature. It’s as though everything was washed clean and rested and now new life can grow and flourish. It is a true reminder that our God is SO GOOD to have blessed us with such beauty around us, even in areas that may have evil upon them.

Wherever you are in the world, be it in the middle of a war zone, walking through the dessert, under a tree near a lake, or in arctic God has created and hidden beauty in nature all around. My personal favorite is the sky. It is amazing to me when I am rushing to the store or even taking the garbage out and the clouds catch my eye with such beauty as if the were painted in the sky. And at night there are stars that cover the same space with a gorgeous sunset to make the smooth transition. It is all proof and a constant reminder that this is not all man made. There is NO man that could ever make such magic happen, and so perfectly!

In the world that most of us live in we are so rushed to get through the day; phone calls, running errands, pick this person up, drop this stuff off. It can be so difficult to remember to slow down, relax, and look around. I am guilty of this myself, but I am determined to change this!

I challenge anyone reading this to take a moment this weekend and take a picture of any hidden beauty that God has created for us. A sunset, a flower, new leaves on a tree. Whatever you see beauty in, and post it with the hashtag #HiddenBeauty, and challenge 5 others to post a picture as well! Our Instagram account is @gypsylifeandstyle. Follow our page to see the pictures that are posted and share in the beauty!

It’s good to be back! Happy Saturday, Gypsies!

Safe travels. XOXO

Lose the Selfish Lifestyle!

Sitting here on this gorgeous, sunny day in California (yes, it is in the 70s in winter here) I can’t help but think about how truly blessed I am. I have a loving husband, amazing daughter, and supportive friends and family. God has blessed me with so much already, and I sometimes wonder what I did to deserve all of this. It’s truly refreshes my spirit and resets my mind to just think and focus on all that I have been surrounded by.

It’s times like these when I find myself wishing for loved ones that I have lost to be back here with me, enjoying all of this. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends. I wish so many of these people would have been able to meet my husband and hold my daughter. I know how happy she would make them feel. I wish they could be at family BBQs with everyone or go on vacations that never happened. I would feel so complete if only they were here, but they aren’t. And they won’t be. And what I’ve come to understand is that it doesn’t matter how many times I pray or cry out in sadness. No amount of anger or want is ever going to bring them back here. But I wish so deeply that they could be, even if it was for a moment.

The truth is, though, that this is my own selfishness. Everything that I have just said or think is based on “I”. “I wish…I want…I know…” Truthfully, all of those that I have lost were sick. They were in pain or unhealthy. They weren’t their true selves towards the end. So to wish for them to be here still would not be a blessing for them. It’s a selfish thing for me to want because it is not what they need. I know in my heart that they are where they are supposed to be now, today. And even though I wish they could be here to see all of the blessings happening, I need to realize that maybe it was a hidden blessing that those loved ones aren’t here anymore. They may not be in my presence here, but it’s because they are in the presence of God. They have experienced the ultimate blessing, and honestly, they are waiting for me to join them up there, not the other way around.

I truly don’t think that I am the only one that is selfish like I have been. It’s a natural human thing to wish for loved ones to be back. But we aren’t just humans; we’re Christians. And as Christians we must remember and focus on all of the blessings around us. We must be selfless and enjoy all that we have in this moment. We must remember that we all have blessings every moment, even if it’s a simple heart beat. Selfishness is not a way of life, it’s the opposite. It prevents us from living now. But it is a difficult habit to break, and I believe that it is something that we will fight until the day we join our loved ones Heaven. We will always have moments that we wish someone was there, but in those moments we must remember that they are blessed with something even greater than here. I hope that some of you can take something from this, and maybe even spread the message.

We’re all Chistians and we’re all brothers and sisters. Have a wonderful weekend, and safe travels, Gypsies!

XOXOX

It Was Never Random

Earlier today my husband and I were talking about all of the events that have happened since we began dating. Ok, maybe not ALL of the events, but the biggest ones. The ones that completely changed our paths and led us to where we are today. It’s almost overwhelming to think about all of the things that have happened, even in the past year. New friendships, additions and losses to our family, a couple moves under our belt, and changes in both of our jobs, yet here we are! And in one piece! Talking about it made me realize how perfectly everything came together.

Throughout the last year, and just life in general, a lot of the events that have happened have seemed very random and most are very unpredictable. Sometimes it stops you in your tracks. You feel like everything is ripped out from underneath your feet, and you have no clue where to even begin to move forward from there. Losing a loved one, losing your job, getting a rejection letter from your dream school; Whatever it is can vary by person, but we each have things had times in our life that we feel slapped with news that completely changes everything. Sometimes it will change who you are. Sometimes it will change what you do or where you go. Other times it changes everything. But all of this is in the moment.

If you think back now on times in your own life that events like this have happened to you, most of the time you are able to see things from a different vantage point; the present. Looking back on things that changed your life can make you realize that there is a reason that all of those events happened. Somehow we all managed to get through those big events in our lives, and we are a better person because of it.

We are only able to see this, however, once we are through it. With that said, it does not mean that the events that happened to us are not sad or hurtful to us even after we have made them through it. But slowly, gradually, we learn to focus on the reason that those events had to happen, and gain a more positive point of view, instead of the initial shock that we feel.

The true reason that we were all able to make it through everything and be the people that we are told is because everything that happened to us was never random. Every step that we have taken we planned by God, and it has brought us to today. Right here, right now is where we are supposed to be. What we must remember is that we life does not always happen the way that we plan it to. This is why we sometimes feel like life has “slapped” us. It’s almost like God is reminding us that we aren’t in control. It’s one way for Him to show us who holds the reigns and regardless of how much time we’ve planned or prepared for something.

Just like we’ve looked back on things that we thought we could never get through and here we are, we can also look ahead and think that whatever God brings our way next, we will be able to get through as well. God will never give us something that we can’t handle, and He will never abandon us. Some of us may be dealing with a life changing event right now. We may be in the midst thinking there’s no way that I can live or survive. I hope that you read this and have faith that God will bring you through it. Sometimes we all need a good reminder that God knows your plan and some day soon you will look back and understand why all of this had to happen.

Have faith, pray and remember that none of this is random, Gypsies.

Safe Travels!

Superficial Things or Supreme Blessings

Not too long ago Shane and I were getting ready to go out for a date night. It was the first time in awhile that we were going to be out without Jordan, and it was very much needed for both of us. As some of you moms know, your definition of exhaustion changes once you have a little one. But as I was going through my closet I had the very common “nothing to wear” problem. It wasn’t that it was a special occasion that required a certain outfit or anything, but it was something else. It was me. I loved several things that I picked out! That is, until I put them on. Shane could tell that I was beginning to judge myself and my body, and he continually told me that I was being too critical. “Are you almost ready, beautiful? Can’t decide which to wear because they all look good on you?”

By the time I actually chose something that I thought was mediocre my mood towards the rest of the night was nearly ruined. I had become so upset and down on myself for how I looked that I didn’t even want to go out to dinner anymore. It wasn’t until a few days later when I was putting away all the clothes that I had created a mountain with trying on that I realized how poor I was treating myself. The truth was that I cared so much about how others would see me that I was being extremely hard on myself. Shane didn’t really care what I ended up wearing because he truly feels that I look good no matter what. He doesn’t judge me because something looks baggy or makes me look heavier than I really am. Truthfully, he probably doesn’t even know that’s the kind of things that I think about when I’m judging what to wear. To him my body is perfect, but more importantly, my heart is amazing. And what bothered me also was that I had spent so long just trying to get ready and was so down on myself that I robbed myself from enjoying a night with my husband. I let my appearance get in the way of my relationship.

So why did I care about what others thought when they looked at me? If my husband didn’t care what I wore, why should other people’s opinions matter? And why did I waste so much of my time caring about that? This wasn’t the first time I have done this to myself, and I know that I’m not the only one. There are thousands of girls out there that judge themselves harshly. I can’t think of one girl friend of mine that hasn’t at least gone through a period of their life where they wouldn’t be caught dead in public without makeup on. Or girls that are on a “diet” to lose 5 pounds, which really means starving themselves and saran wrapping their stomachs. Of course to everyone else they look perfect, but we all just “don’t understand” according to them.

I thought about this in disgust for awhile. It is really sad to think that so many women put such superficial things so high up in their priorities. Makeup, hair cuts and colors, designer brands, fads. We so easily go along with whatever our culture labels as “cool”, and we so quickly lose our own style and self confidence. It’s almost comical that we place our judgement of style on our culture, when our culture won’t even make a decision. We bounce from a size 2 being “normal” to needing a butt so large that’s all anyone focuses on to having no butt and DD boobs. In the end, we are all different body types, and it’s impossible for anyone to keep up with what society labels attractive.

When I think about how it affects me, I catch myself trying to justify it. The “it girls” as we call them are skinny. They have long hair. They wear brand names. The guys drool over them. The girls try to be them. “That’s what I’m supposed to look like. That’s normal.”

When I think about this from a mothers point of view, I just want to slap myself for ever justifying anything. I would never want my beautiful daughter to look in the mirror and think she needs makeup to look decent, or without the newest shoes she’s ugly. I never want her to strive to be like the “it girls”. It’s a sad picture to paint, trying to be someone else because it will never be accomplished, especially when that “it girl” is on a constant rotation. My daughter is more beautiful than any superficial thing.

Then, when I think about it from another point of view, from the best point of view, I know that I am wrong in my views on myself. Thinking about all of this from God’s point of view makes this entire discussion disgusting. God created each and every one of us, and it’s more than just creating our soul. He created our shells also; our bodies. Petite, curvy, tall, short, brunette, blonde, white, black. Whatever combination it may be, we were all created by Him, and for a reason. So why should we try to change or cover up what we have each been blessed with? We are putting our superficial wants over our supreme blessings.

There are thousands of woman out there that struggle with self image and self confidence. I am one of them. But next time that you find yourself judging your looks, stop and think about it from different point of views. How does your mother see you? Or how does your husband see you, maybe? Now, how does God see you? I’m going to be doing this myself, and I hope you will do it also. This is a problem that many of us struggle with, but it doesn’t need to be passed on to the next generations. Let’s build ourselves up so we can build our daughters up.

YOU are beautiful!

Xoxo, Gypsy