This is going to be a long one...

I've had a very eventful weekend. It's going to be hard for me to squish it all into one post. So in an attempt to make what would be a very long post a little more bearable, I'm going to summarize, and break it up into sections.

So here we go.

                                        21st Birthday!
The 29th was my birthday. So I guess I'm officially legal now.

*Note: The bottle in my hand is strictly for photo purposes. I personally don't like this alcohol, but it's my 21st, so the photo had to be done. 

Saying Goodbye :(

On Saturday, I gave away the first of my little buddies. I wasn't sure I would be able to do it, but I know that he went to a very good home, so that makes me feel a little better. Now I only have to do it 3 more times..

Doesn't he look like a little lion?

                                              Moving Home with Momma

This is the first step to changing my life. It feels a little bit like a step backwards, but it's absolutely vital for achieving my goal. Here's the plan. I'm going to stay with my mom for a couple of months in order to save money (no rent) and catch up on my bills. Eventually I'm hoping to move into my house (the one where we found Panther) and get a job closer to my college. (Who knows, maybe I can go back to school!)

Not to mention I really hate living an apartment. Verrrrry noisy upstairs neighbors, a land lord who still has not finished putting in our kitchen floor (after our upstairs neighbors let their sink overflow, flooding our apt...6 months ago) and parking next to this.

I definitely prefer the seclusion and laid back atmosphere of living in the country. 

It's soooo much cleaner too.

                           And Last, but Definitely not Least

I need to make special mention of a really nice surprise that I received in the mail from one of my dear friends. A beautiful calender, filled with photos that he had taken throughout the year. We share a love of photography, so it makes me really happy to see all of his beautiful work. 

So that is a summary of my weekend. Now it's back to work, Monday and Tuesday, and then officially moving out and turning in my keys on Wednesday. First step to my new happy life. Now here's something to think about in the New Year.

   

I'm hoping to become something beautiful this year.

Happy is...

"THREE GRAND ESSENTIALS 

TO HAPPINESS IN LIFE

are something to do,

something to love, and

something to hope for."

- Joseph Addison

Read this quote today on bellaMUMMA She always posts such inspirations!

Happy Christmas!

Christmas is supposed to be one of the happiest times of the year. With all of the horrible things happening in our country lately though, I know that Christmas was a very sad and lonely day for many. A day that caused people to miss their loved ones, and dream of days long past. It's days like this that make me realize how truly blessed I am. I'm surrounded by beautiful, loving people, who care about me very much.

In addition to spending Christmas with my own family, I also spent time with a family who has opened their arms and home to me. They are the most accepting and loving people I've ever met, and I am so blessed to be part of their lives.

Here are a few little snippets of my Christmas. I hope yours was just as beautiful!

Turned out to be a white Christmas after all.

Christmas treats for Ms. Riley

One of my beautiful (unexpected) Christmas presents

My Confession

I'm kind of, a little bit, completely obsessed with weddings.

My dream career is to be a wedding planner. It’s a little embarrassing, but I’ve literally planned hundreds of make-believe weddings. I have folders and websites on my computer, books on my shelves, and dreams in my head. I probably have a wedding planned for every type of person.

No seriously, it's a problem.

I also watch a lot of wedding shows on TV. Four Weddings, David Tutera, Say Yes to the Dress, even Bridezillas. 

In watching all of these shows, as well as watching the world around me I get to see a lot of different examples of love. The way people interact with each other is actually something that I actively pay attention to in my every day life. Sadly though, a lot of these examples aren't as beautiful as fairy tales make love out to be.

 It’s surprising to me how some people allow themselves to be treated by people that “love” them. I see it in the relationships of my friends, and co-workers. People go out looking for someone to care for them, but then too often allow themselves to get hurt in the name of “love."

Love is a beautiful thing that everyone deserves. 

Everyone. 

I think that's something that people too often forget. Sometimes you just need to be patient. 

...and once everyone finds the amazing love that they deserve, they should all call me and let me plan their weddings ;)

Getting to know Riley

This is Riley

My beautiful, Chocolate Lab, Greyhound mix. She's awkward.

You see, Riley has a little bit of brain damage. It's not her fault. She's sweet as could be. Let me start from the beginning.

This is Riley's mother.

Her real name was Lady, but we called her Panther, because she would slink around in the tall grass like a wild cat.


Panther was the sweetest dog you'll ever meet. She belonged to a neighbor of the vacant house that my family owns.

About once or twice a month each summer, my mother and I, (and occasionally visiting friends) go out to the house to mow the lawn, and make sure everything is in order, and that no one has disturbed the property. This is where we first met Panther. We were surprised by how friendly she was, and how comfortable she was coming right up to us. She would sneak up slowly and silently and suddenly she would just be standing right next to you as if she 'd been there the whole time. We were in love right away. such a beautiful and sweet visitor. She seemed to really be attached to us as well. Once she even tried to climb in to my friends car while we were getting ready to leave.

So you can imagine how horrified we were the first time her owner sped by in his big wheel pick up truck and screamed out the window for her to "GET HOME NOW!" followed by a string of exceptionally rude words.
How could anyone yell at such an adorable and loving creature?
We were very concerned. My brother and I were convinced that they beat her, and starved her. But we had no proof. Other than all the yelling and screaming, we never saw her owner interact with her at all. When her owner would drive by, she would shrink low to the ground, and flinch, but she wasn't afraid of other people. She was a little on the small side, but she wasn't starved looking. she looked like an appropriate weight for a dog of her breed and size.

One day in early September, we went to the house and Panther was there. She looked awful. We realized that she had given birth. We had never even realized she was pregnant. She had been starved so much that she hadn't shown at all. Now that she was no longer carrying her babies we could see all of her bones.
My mother marched right over the neighbor's and demanded that they let us take her home with us where she would be treated right. They shrugged, and told us that they thought she'd had some puppies somewhere outside, and we should probably find the babies and take them as well.
We found them shivering in the dirt, under a trailer in the yard. There were 8 of them.

We took them all home, and set Panther up with a very good shelter that would care for her and her puppies until they were old enough to leave her. we would have loved to keep her, but unfortunately she had been raised practically wild. she had hunted for all of her food, and my mom lives right next door to a small farm. Unless we tied Panther up, she would have killed all of their chickens, and rabbits. Panther was a free spirit. she wouldn't have been happy tied up.
So Panther, and all of the puppies were adopted out to very good and loving homes, and of course, I kept one of the puppies myself. Riley.

Riley's a little over 2 years now, and she is just as sweet and loving as her mother. Having been starved before birth and only fed what garbage her mother could rummage up however, left her brain a little under-developed, and her tummy with very specific dietary needs (Kibbles and Bits. No premier dog food for this pup.)

She's awkward. She tries so hard to be friends with everyone/everything she meets. Most of the time she tries too hard. Other animals find her annoying (most people do to) But once you get to know her, you realize that her heart is in the right place, and all she really wants to do is show you how much she loves you.

This is Riley as a puppy. Look how fast her little tail is going!

This is my inspiration today.

Voyage à la Belle

So let's talk about the name of my blog...

"Voyage à la Belle" is French for "Journey to beautiful"

This is my journey to a beautiful life.

Each life is different. Therefore each person has a different meaning of beautiful life

This is mine. My simple things.

My ukulele, which has been untouched for far too long

Earl Grey. Hot. (Star Trek reference)

Two things that relax me. Somehow I haven't had much time to relax lately

I want to spend time gardening.

I want to read, and write, and create.

I want to take photos.

Is it possible to have a mid-life crisis this young?

I am turning 21 in approximately 12 days, though I might as well be 30.

This is me.

My name is Siobhan (pronounced Shavon for those who don’t know Gaelic) I’m a licensed insurance agent for one of the top insurance companies in the country. I work full time to support myself, my full-time student roommate, a slightly brain-damaged dog, and an unknowingly pregnant cat that we adopted (Ms. preggers soon became 1 momma cat and 5 adorable babies.)

2 of the 5

We’re a unique family.

With my 21^st birthday approaching, I've realized how very young I really am.

People at work are constantly surprised when they find out that I’m younger than 25. The youngest of my co-workers is 28. Now that 7 or 8 years may seem like nothing to some but let me put it in to perspective.

These people graduated from high school in 2002 or earlier. At that time, I was in 5^th grade.

When they were graduating college, I was in my very first year of high school.

When I graduated from high school in 2009, they were celebrating 5^th and 6^th year wedding anniversaries, and the 1^st birthdays of their second child.

One year ago, I was still technically a teenager.

30 years of age is definitely not old, but I’m still almost 10 years away from that. It’s too soon for me to be settling into a career. Especially one as boring as insurance (no offence to the insurance enthusiasts out there)

So I've decided to change my life. If I’m going to be 30 years old, it’s going to be a 30 that I’m happy with. I’m done settling.

So with the start of the new year, comes the start of a new adventure for me. I’d love to tell you that I’m going to travel, or go back to school, or do something exciting, but unfortunately for me I have bills to pay, and no money for much else.

Instead I’m going to focus on creating a life for myself that will make me happy. Throughout this blog, I'm going to post about my road to happiness, beautiful thoughts, and inspirations, and hopefully one day very soon I will be living a beautiful, happy life.