Blessed by the kindness of others

We had taken a weekend trip to our family ranch. My brother came up with the name ACORNS. A Cabin on the Ranch Near Sisquoc. And so it is. So, we traveled for the weekend to ACORNS. This provides a sort of oasis, a sanctuary, for us all. I love that my two children have already developed such an incredible  appreciation for this place. They love it. They work it. They do much of what I remember doing there as a kid. Last year, we went to the Santa Barbara County Fair for the first time with them. This year, we returned. The poultry barn and ag exhibits were favorites. No surprise there. Afterall, CD is raising chickens and aspires to one day becoming a "farmer cowboy."

CD and Miss Hollywood have developed an affection for Cowboy Roy and Cowboy Bob. The two cowboy friends have started teaching my two children some amazing things and surely have contributed to the affection the kids have for ACORNS. Their patience and understanding and willingness to teach these two young children some of the "ropes," has been appreciated not just by the kids, but by me.

As we headed out on our journey home, I noticed the car overheating terribly. I knew we would not make it very far. In fact, we hadn't even made it to the freeway yet. I called my dad who came to our rescue, along with my uncle. While they ran to get the parts we needed for the first fix on the car, a nice trucker approached me to ask if the kids and I were ok and whether or not we needed anything. I assured him we were fine and my dad would return shortly with the parts we needed to make a repair. The trucker returned a few moments later to chat and double-check that we were ok. He then asked if we liked blackberries.

"Are you kidding?! Blackberries are a favorite!" I replied.

He said he had a full load and would return right away with a box of blackberries. CD, in particular, thought he was in Heaven. The blackberries were chilled from the refrigerated truck. What a treat!

My dad and uncle returned. We made the repair on the car and off we went. We made it less than two miles down the road before the car overheated like crazy again. I found another gas station to park at and this one had a service station. A kind older gentleman listened carefully as I explained my overheating experiences, while holding Miss Hollywood in my arms as CD found a way to keep himself entertained. Unfortunately, the person who could help us would not return until the following morning. Not an option. It was imperative that we return home that night. My dad and uncle once again came our rescue. As we waited for their arrival, a gentleman with a "lunch truck" who had stopped at the service station checked on us. Before he left, he grabbed a large Powerade off of his truck, and handed it to me saying, "Here, for the kids."

To make sure we had everything just right, dad found a mechanic would do the work if we supplied the parts. Off my dad and uncle went to get the parts while the kids and I headed to Bush's Automotive in Santa Maria. We received great service and the car was finished in less than an hour. Not only that, but the charge came in under $100 for the job! We got back on the road much later than we originally set out to, but we were back on the road and headed home. Finally! The car did great the entire way and for that I was most thankful.

Along the way, we stopped here and there for restroom breaks, leg stretches, refueling ourselves and the car. At one stop in Gonzales, we went into a coffeehouse. We received great service and my coffee was perfect! (See related review post on Bek's Bites.)

We always love our trips to ACORNS and many of our trips become full on adventures. This one could have overwhelmed us with frustration and fatigue, but thanks to the kindness of others, we took everything in stride and made it home before midnight. "Our adventures never stop," CD said earlier in the day. Indeed, son, our adventures continue and go on and on. How blessed are we!

Stella got her groove, but I got BEKAH back

I had an incredible epiphany today!

For years, I heard that I acted "snobby." Early in my marriage I was told, "I don't like the way you act when you're on the phone with S. You act like a snob." He would tell me that he needed to get the LA out of me. I was a strong, confident woman. Sure, I had issues here and there and had moments where I struggled with self-esteem. But, I knew if I put my mind to something, I would do it. Some of that lasted through the years, but some of it did not. Afterall, I started to believe I was a snob and that was not ok.

Today, I had an important telephone meeting. I started my day early and put myself together just as if I were heading to an office for a meeting. I wanted to look good because I knew it would come through the other end of the line.

I have noticed lately that I walk more with my shoulders back and my head held high. I believe very strongly in what I am doing. The more I believe, the more I achieve. I envision good and amazing things happening and they are happening. Are they happening overnight? Nope. But my hard work and my confidence pays off daily.

So, that epiphany I had today. You see, I never was a snob. I didn't act snobby. I acted confidently. Over the years I allowed that confidence to be peeled away by another person. Never again. I will only surround myself with people who build me up, support me, see me through, and help me make things happen.

When I got engaged, our parents said to both of us that we needed to work. My "AA" was nearly complete and I was figuring out which direction to go next. I had already secured seasonal retail employment. I started searching for something more substantial. I started a new job after the holidays. While working that full time job, I also started my freelance writing career. I eventually parted ways with the company for which I worked full time and within a matter of months, I took on full time employment with one of the newspaper publishers for whom I had done some freelance writing. I worked 70-80 hours many weeks. When I faced burn-out, I started seeking another source of employment and at that point got involved in education. I made sure I had another job lined up before leaving the previous one. I also re-entered student life, going back to finish my "BA." I constantly worked for the next goal. I constantly worked to have something new lined up before leaving a job. I learned a lot from my parents. We could not afford for me to not work. So, I worked. Even when we were publishing our own newspaper, I worked one or two other jobs. I carried the weight of our publishing business while substitute teaching and teaching adult school. I am a go-getter in every regard. The trouble, though, was despite putting forth all of this energy, I struggled to make it. I never felt like I could catch my breath. I never felt that I could get ahead. It felt like one step forward, two steps back at times. I carried myself as well as I could, but there was something missing. I lacked confidence. Much of that confidence had been replaced by fear and doubt. That is now a thing of the past.

I have regained my confidence, and some. I am confident. I am beautiful. I am a go-getter channeling that positive energy into everything I do, all aspects of my life. I have created a list of 40 things I will do and accomplish by my 40th birthday. And I will do it. I will succeed. When I say I know I am better than someone, I say it out of belief in myself rather than any sort of snobbiness. I believe in myself because I am the best me that I can be and I get better and better each and every day.

Some may call me a snob. That's their prerogative. I know better. I am confident and I will use my confidence to go far. Where will their name-calling get them? Even my six-year-old can see the difference and knows better than to say such things to another person.

If you want to get something done, go do it. If you want a new job, go get it. If you want to move ahead, move yourself forward. Believe in yourself. Trust yourself. Have confidence and maintain control of your confidence. It is yours. Anyone else can worry about themselves. You worry about you. You're the only one who can do it right.

It's awesome to have BEKAH back! This chick rocks! Where will you discover your inner awesomeness?

What you don't see....

What you don't see is that I have written more in the last week than I have in the last six months. What you don't see is that my mind is expanding at a rapid pace. What you don't see is that forward progress continues to happen each and every single day.

What you do see is a blog that appears lacking in updates.

Note (if you haven't already done so) that I do write on two other blogs, including Bek's Bites which is my reviews blog. I have a couple of recent posts there. Three, to be exact. I also recently posted again on the Journey of Trust blog. In the meantime, writing has gone into full effect for the divorce book that S and I are co-writing. I spent an amazing four days with S back in mid-June. We made some really good progress laying the final groundwork so writing could begin. We wrote our pitch which has now also been revised slightly and copy-edited. We are each writing on a couple of chapters. This book is finally taking off.

S and I also started something called Project 60. It's a very small, contained group of ladies working together on personal betterment. It's a great project and we have seen success from it already.

I launched my author website livingonepageatatime.com in June.

Research for another writing project has gone full throttle.

My book that I'm working on with some help from CD is also advancing. Additionally, I have developed an idea for a fourth book. It will not progress for awhile. But the idea is there and it is definitely something that no one else can create. It really will be more of a compilation than anything.

I am using Facebook status updates to share quotes that I have encountered in my research. I have created a vision board. I developed a 40X40 (a list of 40 goals I will achieve by my 40th birthday).

Life is AMAZING!

One last note...I am in the process of organizing and launching my Personal Development Coaching (will be developing a title for it that more directly ties in with Living One Page at a Time). I would welcome the opportunity to work with you on goals and how to achieve them! Please contact me for more information through here or by email at rebekah@livingonepageatatime.com and we can go from there! I look forward to hearing from you soon!