My Balcony Section

When setting goals and working to accomplish them you must have a balcony section. I love my weekly Mary Kay meetings and the positive people I have met through the years. I have many wonderful people who have graced and impacted my life. My mentor and life coach Teresa Ceder has always warned me to protectively guard who I let into my balcony section. Not everyone deserved a voice to hold an opinion in your life. I want to take a few minutes to honor the people who are that to me and who I will rely on this year as I accomplish some BIG things with God.

First off is my sweet husband Darin. He is my biggest cheerleader and fan. He believes I can do anything. It is truly one of the reasons I love him so much is the belief he has in me and the way he helps me accomplish my goals. Darin believes in my Mary Kay and my abilities. Darin truly completes me. He is the perfect safe place to vent to, dream with and get perspective.



Then there is Teresa Ceder my MK director. I have known her since I was 20 years old. She is who I want to be when I grow up. Teresa loves me just like I am but has always loving pushed me to grow into more. Just to be in her space and have my girl time with her is a thrill. Teresa has always given me a "safe place" to be myself and loved me through it all. She has lost close 100 pounds in the last three years (with out a weight loss surgery) and I have been so motivated by her journey. But in the process after having Madison and trying to lose weight she gave me all of her wonderful clothes, shoes, purses and jewelry. Can you tell we have the same style? I never have to explain myself to her because out of anyone I know, she just gets me. She will never truly know how much of a blessing she is to me and how I am forever a better me because of her. Everyone needs a Teresa in her life.


Carlene is my "Spiritual Friend". This is my inside joke with her because Carlene has the wisest, kindest, and purest spirit I know. I love her beautiful silver hair, twinkling blue eyes and sweet smile. Carlene is my angel on earth and she brings such a calm to me. That is why I love to always room with her at Mary Kay events. With the fast schedule and getting keyed up at these things she has such a calming presence that helps me come down and sleep at night. But oh how I love to make her laugh. She loves the Lord and it radiates out of her. When life has been heart breaking Carlene is who I call just to pray with me and speak God's truth into my darkness. I have never heard a harsh word out of her mouth. She is the epitome of a gentle spirit with a quiet strength. Carlene will never want the credit and glory for the impact she had made and I love her all the more for it.


Now there is my sister Jenny. I've never had a sister and I always wanted one. Jenny has become that in my life. She is the sister that I never had and just calling her my friend is not enough to describe who she is to me. When I met her I could not stand her. I won't go into the high school drama but I lost the guy and this little freshman won. She was everything I wasn't and when my brother started dating her I was not thrilled. She is the most passive aggressive, stubborn person I know and I now admire her for it. I admire her extreme confidence and inner drive. She brings inner strength out of me and I walk taller beside her. But what I love the most is that Jenny has the most tender heart. Jenny's tears when she is moved is the most precious thing about her. (I'm tearing up writing this.) She coached me through labor with both my girls and with out drugs with Madison. Madison birth was my favorite and biggest accomplishments. I could not have done that with out my Jenny. When my world fell apart, when Darin was fired from his first church, the memory of Jenny and Stevie stands out. The reassuring way they welcomed us home and walked through the next difficult year with us. She is so thoughtful for the needs in my life. Her heart breaks with mine over loss and she rejoices with my victories. Plus she is the best shopper for me! She may have started out as Stevie's Jenny that I had to be nice to. Then share my family birthday with, (our birthdays are 3 days apart.) but she has quickly become my Jenny. The best sister and friend I could have ever hoped for.

Now last but not least is Julie. Julie has just come into my life in the last two years. I have never really had a best friend. Maybe I was too ADHD and flitted from one friend to another, or was always too boy crazy as a teen to invest in one friend. I have always just has groups of friends that I ran with. Getting married so young kept me from really relating to other women at my church or school. I was always told that friendship in your 30's was much richer than in your 20's. Then God blessed me with Julie. We laugh because we could not be more opposite. She is organized, I am a mess. She is a neat freak and I pay no attention to detail. (We won't go into the hand soap difference.) She is not a girly girl and I had to talk her into letting me do a make over on her when we first met. Now she loves Mary Kay and has been known to wear pink. But we are both completely neurotic about being women of our word and being loyal. We get each other on a totally different level than anyone I have been friends with before. She can put into words when I can't dicier through my emotions and I do the same for her. What I love most about Julie is she is completely loyal and non judgemental to me. I can tell her anything and not have to worry what she is thinking. I can't go a couple of hours with out checking in with her everyday. The coolest thing is she feels the same about me. She is so wise with her thoughts and keeps me anchored to the ground when I am bouncing all over the place. She is the best reason God ever brought me to New Braunfels and the reason I beg him to not uproot us from this place. I have visions of us raising our kids together here. Watching them play baseball through the years, taking their prom pictures together and her being apart of every special event of my life holding my hand through it. (Can't you see the Scrapbook pages of our story Julie!) Laughing, crying, remembering. I can climb any mountain and complete every mile stone of my life with Julie as my friend going through it right with me.

There are so many others that are my cheerleaders and support system that I love and admire. These are just some of my Angels that God has placed in my life. I wanted to honor them with my words today.