Sunday, December 31, 2017

Happy Last Day of 2017


Well, here we are...at the last day of the year. I know I say it here all the time, but time flies 😁 Hey, I may as well round out the year true to self 😜 2017 has had its share of ups and downs just like every year, but this year I actually learned a few things which affected me enough that I think some of the lessons will actually stick this time. Fingers crossed. Time will tell.

The photo above is from my best nine collage from my Instagram account. According to the stats, these are my nine most liked photos of 2017. For me, it's interesting to see these snapshots of my year and to relive those moments. I'm instantly taken back in time.

There's definitely an overriding theme to my photos....a great love and appreciation of nature. I love capturing a bit of the beauty whenever I'm surrounded by nature. I say a bit because it's impossible for me to capture everything that I see or feel. The beauty of nature is so vast, so I'm content to be able to share what I can 😊

The other two photos are special to me too. As you can see, there's a picture of the Obamas. I didn't take that one, but I shared it because I'm grateful that we had them in the White House and it was a true pleasure to have them there. This was from January when they were leaving and i just wanted to say thank you!

And the final photo was from the 9th anniversary of my blog. Marking the occasion was important, because I'm a big believer in celebrating milestones. On March 4th, 2018 I'll be celebrating ten years of blogging. Who'd a thunk it? I don't know how "successful" this blog has been in terms of reach or influence really, but I'm proud to have stayed with it for this long. It's helped keep me on track in many ways so that's successful to me 😊 Thanks for visiting me.

Hey, let me not get ahead of myself. It's not March yet. It's December 31st and I want to take one day at a time and relish it. As I said earlier 😜, time flies. So I'm gonna do my best to enjoy each day in the year ahead because before we know it it'll be December 31st again. May we all return to this day again in 2018 together...alive, well, safe and thriving!

Happy last day of 2017! 🎉😁

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Winter Is Definitely Here

Photo taken from the passenger side of a moving car so that's why it's blurry 😉


We woke up to a bit of snow this morning. 
   Winter has definitely arrived❄😊

Friday, December 22, 2017

Dr. Brandon D. Rogers



This year, I was blessed to learn about an amazing young man. That man was Dr. Brandon D. Rogers. In January, I came across his incredible singing on Instagram and I was absolutely blown away. His voice was out of this world! I immediately wanted to hear more, so I looked back through his account and was instantly pulled in. He was a fantastic singer and indeed a doctor, but he was also a beloved son and brother, and an amazing friend to many. It made me smile to see his humor. I admired his commitment to medicine, his love for singing and his love for those around him. It was a joy to see his absolute love of life!

The Singing Doctor 

As I went backwards through his Instagram account, I had the chance to see the determination, dedication, hard work and strong faith that he drew strength from as he pursued his dream of becoming a doctor. I was absolutely inspired by his example and I know that many others were also. In a world that is so often focused on only showing the negative, seeing Brandon’s journey as an intelligent and caring human being was a breath of fresh air. Those of us who were following along on social media were able to get a glimpse into his wonderful and blessed life.

Sadly, on June 11, 2017, Brandon passed away in a car accident. He was 29. I never had the pleasure of meeting Brandon. Hearing about his passing was heartbreaking, because I knew that the world had lost a truly incredible person. In the months since his passing, I’ve crossed paths with so many people who never had the pleasure of meeting him either, but enjoyed his singing and drew inspiration from his example as a person who worked hard to make his dreams a reality. In my own life, I’m so inspired by Brandon. Because of him, I’m inspired to love even more, to go for what I want in life more, and to relish life even more, because he surely did that every single day.

His loss is definitely felt by many...those who knew and loved him and those of us who never met him, but realized immediately just how special he was. I think that when people are real, their goodness just shines through and people pick up on it, even through social media. Brandon touched the hearts of countless people around the world. Through his profession as a doctor, he was a healer and by also sharing that golden God-given voice that he possessed, I believe that he offered dual amounts of healing to the world.

It’s hard to accept that someone so young and in the prime of his life is no longer here. He had so much going for him and we can’t help but wonder what his continued impact upon the world would have been. Brandon didn’t get the chance to live a long life, but he truly lived his life to the fullest and achieved so much while he was here. He gave so much to the world and his good works are still paying dividends. He had the opportunity to fulfill his dream of becoming a doctor and helping people. He directly affected and saved lives. That is amazing.

This year, Brandon had the chance to perform in Las Vegas with the legendary group Boyz II Men and he was also invited to audition for America’s Got Talent (AGT). These two opportunities came about because of a video that Brandon posted at the end of last year which went viral. You can see that video here. You can also see his Boyz II Men performance here and his AGT performance here.

One aspect of his life that was a joy to see, was the love that he and his family shared. When I think of the wonderful human being that Brandon was, I also think of the fertile soil of love within his family that he grew from. What a wonderful family and what an incredible, yet humble man he was.

Brandon's Legacy 

Dr. Brandon D. Rogers left a great legacy behind. His family has established the Dr. Brandon D. Rogers Memorial Fund to honor his commitment to education, medicine, the arts, and community engagement. To find out more about the memorial fund, you can find their Facebook page here. The memorial fund will help to create opportunities for the next generation of students and artists. For their first project through the memorial fund, the Rogers family has partnered with Riverside Health System (where Brandon worked) to raise funds to open a simulation lab that will bear Brandon’s name. This is an incredible way to honor Brandon’s legacy as this lab will be a vital tool in the training of future doctors. In order to help make the lab a reality, donations can be made here  .

You can also order an array of products which are emblazoned with Brandon’s name and the wonderfully creative logo which perfectly illustrates his love of both medicine and music. You can find them here.  All proceeds go directly to the Dr. Brandon D. Rogers Memorial Fund, which will help to do the important work of helping others, just as Brandon did during his life.

I’ll never forget Brandon. May his legacy and the good works done in his name continue to positively affect the lives of others for generations to come.



*Note: This post was written from my heart in order to celebrate Brandon's beautiful life and to spread the word about his memorial fund.

Monday, December 18, 2017

Happy Monday

Above: A winter view of the sky from about five years ago, just because I love taking photos of the sky

Happy Monday! I know that Mondays have a bad reputation, but even though they're not my favorite day, it's gotta be Monday sometime so why not today ;-) And every day that we wake up alive and well is a blessing and we get to start the week fresh. So Happy Monday! :)

It's hard to believe that a week from today it will be Christmas Day. I know I say it WAY too much, but I'm gonna say it again anyway...time flies. Only a couple of more weeks and 2017 is a wrap. But hey, lemme not get ahead of myself here. We have 13 more days left in this year so let's make them great! :)

Have a wonderful week wherever you are!

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Snow Day


We had some snow over the weekend. We woke up to snow on Sunday without knowing that it was coming. It was quite a snowy weekend in many places apparently, because my family also got snow back home in the Atlanta area. I guess that winter has arrived ;-) 

The snow has melted on our street for the most part now with only a few patches in the shade. I imagine that those remnants will refreeze for a while since it's so cold.

Stay warm out there!

Have a great day wherever you are!

Friday, December 01, 2017

Hello December


Happy new month! This year has flown by and it's wild that 2017 is coming to a close soon. In the meantime, I'm definitely ready to enjoy this final month of 2017, take stock of how my year has been, and then think about what I want to bring into my life in the new year.

I don't want to get ahead of myself though. This is day one of a whole new month, full of new opportunities each day. So I'm going to do my best to relish all 31 days! 😊

I hope that your December is wonderful!