Never Ending

Winter is never going to end. I'm done being freezing cold. Where is the sunshine?
Not to mention, I haven't seen pavement under my tires in forever. For some reason the plows think this is what a plowed road looks like. (although now that I think about it, I don't think I've seen a plow come down my road once this winter. lol)

The only thing I love about winter is how beautiful and peaceful it makes everything look. Especially when there's snow on the pine trees in our yard.

But at the same time, you have to admit that in the middle of all this cold weather, this sure does look inviting.

I am a Robot

Every day, I wake up at the same time. I walk the dog, fill the wood furnace, shower, and go to work. I sit at my desk for 8 1/2 hours and take the same exact call 60 times in a row. I work until 9:00pm  drive 45 minutes home, walk the dog, fill the wood furnace, and go to bed.

This is my life.

I work, I sleep, I work, I sleep.

Some people have suggested what they believe to be a simple fix. "Why don't you just wake up earlier and do something you enjoy." "Get a hobby or something."
Easier said than done. I actually do have a couple hobbies. I'm just too drained from work to do anything when I get home other than sit in bed, drink some tea, jot down a few of my thoughts here, and then go to sleep.
I do not wake up early, and the reason for this is because I'm 21. Still practically a teenager, I haven't become a morning person yet. Considering the fact that I don't get home from work until 10 or 10:30 makes me feel like it's okay to sleep until 10 the next morning.

I wouldn't mind my routine as much if my work day weren't so repetitive.
You know when you call in to your insurance company because your premium increased, and you're upset about it, and all you want to do is yell at someone (it's okay to admit it. We've all felt this way)
I'm the person on the other line who takes the blame, apologizes for something I have no control over, and then does the best I can to save you money . But what you don't know, is that as soon as I hang up the phone with you, another call comes in, and I start the whole process over again.

This is why I am a robot. I say the same sentences over and over like I'm programmed to respond with only select phrases.

I need a job with projects. I need to be able to have a project that I can work on, think about, be creative with, and then when it's over, I can start a new project.

This is why I need to be a wedding planner. One wedding after another, but each is different, and each allows me to be creative and spend time working on something that is going to make someone's day beautiful.

Just found this...

..and it made me think of the Old House. Can't wait until I can start putting in gardens and artwork, and other personal touches.

The Old House

So as promised, I'm going to start posting photos of the Old House (vacant home previously mentioned here)

The Old House is a 200 year old, solid brick home that's owned by my family, and currently (for the last 12 years) under restoration.

Not very pretty yet, but trust me, it's going to be gorgeous someday....someday.

So far we've 

• Lowered the once brick basement floor by 2 feet, and turned it into a concrete floor. 
• Replaced all the windows with old fashioned glass and frames
• Replaced the roof (though it's going to need to be done again soon)
• Put in a tile floor in the bathroom, as well as replacing the toilet and shower
• Framed out a new wall (we're putting in a second bathroom upstairs)
• Plastered ALL of the walls
• Put in a fireplace in the kitchen (something that was originally there for baking and such)

I could go on forever listing all of the projects we have going, but the main thing we're working on right now is the floors.

We have the entire living room floor ripped up right now. 

My Uncle is putting down the sub-flooring today, and then we're going to put the original floor boards on top

I'm excited about the floors. We're trying to restore them the best we can, and use as many original materials 

We're not sure exactly how they're going to turn out yet, they may be dark, or they may be light..but either way, I think the character that old wood floors have is very pretty. Check out some of these beautiful old floors. I hope ours turn out just as well. 

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 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 ;)

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.