Shout-out Saturday!

Alright folks, I'm starting this new thing called Shout-out Saturday! I want to dedicate every Saturday to a special someone in my life and reflect on how they have been a blessing to me. But first, I want to tell you what's been going on in my life since it's been awhile...

I just finished my first summer class and....wait...for...it....I came out with an A! It was called Research and Strategy and it was pretty difficult I must say. I was so happy to get that A; it was definitely better than I had expected. Along with this I started my second summer class called Communication Law about two weeks ago. Let's just say it's been a long two weeks... This class right here is why I know I would hate to go to law school, haha. On the plus side I've got only six more weeks to go and hopefully it goes by quickly.

Almost two weeks ago I got the chance to go to another Cardinals game! My sis scored some sweet baseball seats from work. I will say it was pretty warm even at night time, but the Cardinals won and we got home safely. So we had lots of fun!

Katherine and Sarah enjoying the baseball game!

My sister, Sarah's, baby shower was last weekend. Although there were a few last minute changes to it, we pulled it off! It was so beautiful and simple. I still have a hard time believing that the sister I grew up and shared literally everything with is almost having a baby. Time flies, right? I am super excited for her to get here so I can spoil her like crazyyy.

So back to the purpose of my actual blog post. I want to make every Saturday special by giving the ones in my life a nice shout-out for why I love them and how blessed I am to have them in my life. My first shout-out is to someone who has been here in my life since day one. He is the one who continuously teaches me day by day how to be a better person and to keep on the path He made for me. Yes, I am talking about God. I'll admit I have a hard time making the right choices here and there, or saying and doing things I shouldn't do. That is what's so amazing about God, is that he continuously loves us and forgives us regardless of what we have done.

Unfortunately, I tend to question whether or not He's even there, but once the doubt creeps in, it completely disappears and that's when I know He's there with me. My faith in Him has been tested many times, especially this year. I had lost an extremely close person in my life. All I could do was get upset with Him and wonder why it ever happened. What did the ones who loved Cheryl do to deserve this? It finally hit me that I had to stop living in the past and open my eyes to reality. God puts these kinds of situations in our life to test our faith and make us stronger. Although I still struggle with this at times, I am trying to realize that these things happen and some day all will be reunited in Heaven.

I'm currently reading this book.
I highly suggest it!

Good in our world is starting to be overlooked as the terror is increasing. I live in a small town where waving to the person passing you or opening the door for a random stranger is common. The more and more I observe things going on around me, the more I realize that the world is becoming less hospitable. People don't wave and ask how you're doing; strangers don't hold the door for you anymore. Simple things like these are what made people out to be loving and caring. We have come to a stage in our society where everyone has their noses in their technology and passersby do not even notice when they walk passed someone. Hopefully this is just a phase and will pass with time.

I know I got off track a tad, but what I stated above brings me back to what the purpose of this post is about. If everyone opened up their hearts and lives and had a strong relationship with God FIRST, then everything else would fall into place. Bad things tend to happen once we push Him out. A lot of the reason God has been such a blessing in my life is because the way I grew up. As a child, I didn't care for going to church. I felt forced to go to mass on Sundays and grew bored very quickly. Years passed and I started realizing how important it is to have a relationship with God. Once that relationship with Him becomes nonexistent, the relationships you have with family and friends tend to start fading away too.

So to sum this up, I want to give God a huge shout-out on this beautiful Saturday. He has blessed me with two wonderful parents who have done nothing but support every decision I have made in my life. Five crazy and fun siblings who have taught me how to be patient and loving towards others. And a life that has its' ups and downs and "wirl-arounds." I cannot imagine my life any other way and it all happened because of Him! So before you go on and on about how great life is and how happy you are, make sure you're happy with God and have a steady relationship with Him. In the end, that is all that really counts!