Sunday, December 18, 2011

Learning to Swim..

"At times life may toss us into the sea, but it is up to us if we sink, or learn to swim."
   It was a gorgeous stormy morning in Singapore today! Being Sunday I don't have to nanny so I have the day to myself. I wanted to spend my day writing as much as I could, because the last week and a half has been spent getting settled here. I dropped the kids off at their church service around 7:30AM and I had 6 full hours to myself. I was in the heart of the town so I could have gone wherever I wanted, but I looked out the windows and it was pouring rain. I looked across the way and the first thing I saw was a cozy starbucks and some big comfy chairs. My first thought was, "Oh yes something I'm familiar with!" Sometimes it is nice to feel at home once in a while. I walked inside and the smell was just as if I was back home! The first thing I noticed was the glass case of goodies. There were the usual Chinese snacks like potato curry puffs, and fishy stuff, but I looked up to see a fluffy, thick bagel! The only carbs I've had these last 2 weeks have been from rice, so I was thinking bring on the bagel! I sat down in a big comfy chair with my perfectly toasted bagel and phillidelphia cream cheese and a hot drink (not to mention it was about a 12 dollar meal haha). I pulled out my laptop, my journal, and my iPod. This is danger zone for a good writing session! I sat down and wrote and wrote and wrote! I had about 5 different pages open of my book and my journal combined. I looked at the time and 3 hours had passed in the blink of an eye. I couldn't believe how time had passed and somehow within it all, my drink and bagel were gone. But I was still hungry, hungry for words and thoughts. I glanced out the window as I noticed a flash of lighting. I heard the door rush open and I got a whiff of the exotic rain. Then and there I read over my notes and I saw, "At times life may toss us into the sea, but it is up to us if we sink, or learn to swim." It's funny because so many times during my writing sessions I am unaware consciously of what I am saying because it is usually just pouring from my heart. It is very important for me to go back and really ponder things that I say. So I read that quote again and again and it really spoke to me (gotta love that I'm learning from my own words haha). I am here in this strange place, and I have gone through a lot of trials the last couple years. Life has definitely thrown me into the sea in many different areas of my life, and on some days, every area of my life. It was such an amazing moment for me to look back and notice that I have indeed learned to swim, and I'm getting stronger, and eventually I will reach the shore, but until then, I will continue to swim and endure the sea. That is the only way I can become strong enough to reach the shore. This quote reflects directly to our life. We are sent trials to make us stronger. That strength and knowledge we gain here on this earth is all that we can take with us when we pass on to the next life. So indeed, we must find strength in our trials, and enjoy every minute of life. Some sea's are cold and dark, but some are bright blue and warm. It's your choice of how you interoperate the sea in your life, and it's your choice to sink or swim..

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Bucket List

I am a firm believer in following my dreams and living a full life. Im my journey of living my dreams I have slowly created a bucket list of the things I want to do before I pass on to the next life. Here is the beginning of my bucket list, the ones that say check have already been completed: -Go for a run on The Great Wall of China -Become a personal trainer -Watch the sunrise in New York and the sunset in Los Angeles on the same day -Become a photographer -Invite someone without a family to my families holiday dinner -Kiss under the mistletoe -Make a wish at the Trevi fountain in Rome -Run through a field of sunflowers -Watch baby turtles hatch -Have a son -Go to the olympics -Go to Greece -Meet John Mayer -Spend the night in an igloo -Ride in a hot air balloon -Watch the sunset with someone I love -Throw someone a surprise party -Spend an entire day watching disney movies -Lay on my back and watch the clouds all day -Swim with dolphins -Go for a run in central park -Buy a homeless person a meal and hear their story -Go into an airport and buy tickets for a random flight -Dance with my dad at my wedding -Ride an elephant -Ride in a helicopter: CHECK.. I rode in one over the Oregon coast and it was amazing! -Find my soulmate -Build a treehouse -Learn how to surf -Ride first class: CHECK.. I rode first class on a flight from Georgia to Portland -Spend time volunteering in Africa -Give people a reason to remember my name -Go on a camping trip with all my friends -Own something from Tiffiany&CO. -Have a birthday party in Las Vegas -Walk the rad carpet -Write a letter to myself and open it in 10 years: CHECK.. I just have to wait 9 more years to open it -Kiss someone I love on New Years -Go there and back again -Put a piece of gum on the gum wall in Seattle -Be a bridesmaid and a maid of honor -Own a pair of Louboutins -Backpack through Europe -Die with no regrets -Run a marathon -Adopt a child -Send a message in a bottle -See a tornado: CHECK.. I was 3 years old and we were living in Missouri -Make my best friends dreams come true -Have my own star -Save someone's life: CHECK.. I have saved 3 people from committing suicide. -Become an inspiration -Eat Chinese food in China: CHECK.. yeah it's better in America lol!! except the rice! -Set foot on all 7 continents -Be called Mommy -Have my own library in my house -Take a trapeze class -Have a summer romance: CHECK.. my first love ;) -Watch my children get married -Move to a different country -Ride a camel in Egypt -Be kissed unexpectedly -Change someone's life for the better -Pack everything up and get away: CHECK.. Singapore :) -write a book -Receive a promise ring -Let go of 100 balloons at once -Kiss underwater -Complete a whole journal -Find a four leaf clover -Tan on a nude beach -Have one secret that no one knows -Dance with my kids in the rain -Live fearlessly everyday. I have a very long list and as soon as I check one off I try to add another! All I can say is watch out world, because this will be a good life!

Welcome Home Brookelyn..

Sitting on the plane for 20 hours I had a lot of time to think. I thought about who I am, what I want, and where Im going in life. I felt a sense of peace in this moment of my life. I looked around the plane and saw many different people. Were they heading home to visit loved one's? Were they going out on an adventure like me? The more I thought, the more I realized that wherever we are, we are still human. We breathe the same air, we love, we laugh, we live. With that thought the plane started to descend into Singapore. Through the window I saw teeny islands all by themselves, and I saw thousands of ships in the harbor. A smile came to my face and I felt at peace. I felt a warmth in my heart and said to myself, welcome home Brookelyn.. Singapore has been waiting for you <3

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Passport! Passport! Passport!

Here is where it all began! I was surprised when my lovely friend Jane who I nanny for asked me to come out to salt lake one day! She told me to bring a few items and I started wondering what we were doing. She had talked to me about her and her family going to Singapore and I wanted to go so bad! I met up with Jane and her husband Jeremy and their two kids in salt lake and they surprised me with buying me my passport for the trip! It came 2 weeks after we registered for our passports! I was so excited when it came in the mail because I realized I was really going out of the country! Here is my picture of excitement when I got it in the mail!

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

A sleepless night

Everyone has been telling me that I need to start a blog so they can keep up with my journey to Singapore and I decided I better start one here at home if I was ever going to start one. So here it is! My first post and my first blog. I've been trying to fall asleep for about two hours now so I decided that if I was going to be awake I might as well be productive. I wanted to start this blog for two reasons; one being that I want my friends to see my life in Singapore and get a taste of what I'm experiencing, and second, I have officially started writing a book and I am looking forward to blogging about it and getting some feed back and support. Many of you that know about me wanting to write a book keep asking what I'm going to write about. Ill let you know that I virtually have no idea what I'm writing about, but I'm just putting my heart to it and seeing what I can come up with. I know it will have  a lot of stories from my own life in it so it will be a great way for me to express myself and to share my lessons learned. As for now all I can say is that I have a lot on my mind tonight and I think I will be able to write quite a bit. Im also very excited to head to Singapore for 3 months and grow as an individual through experiences. I'm looking forward to seeing what this life has to offer me <3