I dare you to try to do these five things for the next 5 mins, 5 hours, 5 days, 5 weeks, 5 months, 5 years ..
AND watch your life change.. Hang with me here~ if you take the time to read this~ I promise I will have made some sort of an impression!🤔

1) I dare you.. to choose LOVE!❤️
2) I dare you.. to be silent.. “If you don’t have anything nice to say.. don’t say anything at all!”.. famous words from my Granny Corz!
3) I dare you.. to take time to set goals and appreciate what you do have.. and then CeLeBrAtE when you reach your goals!
4)I dare you.. to believe the best is yet to come!
5) I dare you.. to surround yourself with people who make you a better person!

Who am I to dare you?

Well.. I am human.. just like you! I am a thirty eight year old girl who has had some life experiences that have afforded me enough experiences to want to share my story, in hopes to help you on your journey!

I am almost scared to say I have truly found myself having one of the best years of my life, right in the middle of a global pandemic!🌍💚

Why am I shy to say it’s been one of the best years of my life? Obviously, it has been one of the hardest for a lot of people! Although, it is clear that through our hardest experiences we are given the tools and ability to see the best parts.. if we allow it to happen. This self awareness is powerful!

I once was told, “I hope you don’t have a hard heart after this is all said and done.” It was after a huge blow to our salon business.. that we were finally getting off the ground, here in Salina. Now, it’s been about a decade since this all took place. I recently realized it has taken my business partner/husband and I about eight years to truly feel good about life again.

We had opened during a recession. Continuously pressed forward. Partly because we were stubborn and partly because we had four kids to feed and we were sooo proud. We never wanted to have to hear anyone say, “I told you so.” I mean seriously.. we had just been nominated, chosen and recognized at the state capitol as ‘Emerging business of the year.’ one of hundreds nominated and one of fifteen chosen. We were on the up and coming. We worked hard and I promise we worked harder than most are willing to!

To summarize what happened without being completely forward and nasty in explaining, I will just say we were out on our asses overnight. We were in our twenty’s with very little guidance or anyone to relate with. We had exhausted every effort to make better of our hard and critical situation. We were devastated, defeated, dumbfounded, and disgruntled!

We had struggled to get where we were. And just like that it was like the air had been knocked out of us!
Little did we now that it was shaping us for how we handle ourselves from that point forward!

1) I CHOSE LOVE.. I chose to pray for the family of the man that transpired this horrible time in my family’s lives, as well as, the people that worked with us! I am not saying I did everything right.. I did what I felt was best and kept praying. I chose to love the good parts in my life. I chose to love ..even though the hand we were being dealt felt horrible.

I remember moments of resentment, I remember being beat down, hurt, sick, shaken, and feeling less than valuable. I never let these feelings take over!

I kept waking up and pushing forward in the name of love for my family. I mean seriously .. what else can one do? Our kids, neighbors, clients, said friends are watching this all unfold. Or so we thought.

Honestly.. everyone is busy in their own lives and probably have lost sight of your hardship soon after it’s happened. As a human being it doesn’t feel like that! At least it hasn’t felt that way when anything traumatic in my life has happened.

I have experienced quite a bit of trauma, according to the therapists/professionals I have worked with. I get it.. I just don’t want to hang out in the hard parts. I am moving on!!

I can tell you .. I notice the people that were there for us and have remained in our lives! It has shaped me to believe and see the best in others. Knowing there are two sides to every story.. and then somewhere within is the truth. In fact, we all are living out our own truth and everything is up for interpretation.

I knew in my heart that my true colors were going to show. It is in the darkest times we show ourselves to the core. Damn it.. I saw parts of myself I didn’t want to see. Overall, it helped me to reevaluate and become a better version of myself! I went into hiding/buried myself for a while. I struggled to make eye contact. Then, I slowly came out of it.. I began to blossom and push through!

2) I STAYED SILENT! No, it hasn’t been easy! Although.. almost every time someone asked the details (after we reopened at our new location on the busiest intersection in town😳) I chose to just say we were in a better situation and not really elaborate. I believe in karma.

I do believe I am now in a position in life where I can explain the circumstances of our hardship without being completely biased to my side of the story. It had to do with details in a contract and what was to be provided .. IT WAS DURING A RECESSION! We were one of the only businesses making it in a very large building. Being a business owner is challenging, takes grit, determination and bravery!

3) I VOW TO ALWAYS SET GOALS, RECOGNIZE WHEN A GOAL IS REACHED AND APPRECIATE ALL THAT I DO HAVE!

This year my husband, Johnny and I celebrated our 20 yr. wedding anniversary! Yes, the highschool sweethearts that had their first child at seventeen, married a month out of high school and were already expecting their second child! We weren’t expected in the least way to make it in this world! I guess being stubborn has its benefits!

No, really we were facing a lot of odds. We financed the majority of our own wedding, we bought our first home before we were out of high school. We struggled. But we kept setting goals and putting one foot in front of the other.

This year I am finally in a position to take part of a day away from working at the salon to write. I am believing in myself to continue writing and to be recognized as an up and coming acclaimed writer. Lofty goals.. I tell you. I will find an editor and be cleaner in my approach, especially with punctuation~ it’s not my strong point!😜

My husband has become a realtor. I repeat.. my husband is a realtor! It’s a goal he’s had since I can remember. We have drove around scouting out houses since we were first together. Seeing potential everywhere. We grew up next to my parents flipping homes. I love home design.. I would love to get involved with that side of real estate! Someday owning a unique Airbnb/venue. Oh.. there .. I said it~ that’s a dream/goal!

Johnny/John became a realtor.. made it happen right in the middle of a pandemic. He was scheduled to take the first of a few tests right as we went into lock down. He continuously studied those note cards and passed all the tests readily. The national test was a bit harder.. 3% wasn’t stopping him. He’s exceeded his goal of one sale for this year! Mind you, there are only a few months left in the year upon him getting started!

He joined an amazing and reputable realty company, Salina Homes. His mentor, Todd who’s the owner/broker has been a client of my husband’s since we moved here. Todd’s inspired Johnny during their visits while Johnny cuts his hair every couple of weeks. I have no doubt Johnny will continue to do big things! It is said to be a sellers market with a shortage of homes here in Salina. Nonetheless, it’s happening! Johnny is learning a lot! It’s not hard for me to brag on him.❤️🤟

A couple more things I must share are all the home renovations we accomplished during our seven week mandated lockdown AND we will be a year sober a week from today. Yes, we survived the holidays, a pandemic, and teenage and college age kids all without alcohol!! Our kids are being more intentional with their choices, realizing the impact of addiction in all of our lives! (This topic has earned a whole separate entry!) When going into lockdown we miraculously had money in savings, that honestly has only been over the course of the last couple of years. It’s taken a lot of hard work/everything we have to become an established business and raise our kids!

We managed two bathrooms remodels, painted the trim on our pretty large home, helped our friend paint his home, shed and garage… We even planted a nice sized garden! We managed to find peace and calm during a world in complete distress. I would most definitely say this was fully credited to all the hard things we’ve endured and survived!

4) I BELIEVE THE BEST IS YET TO COME! I wrote it in my ten year wedding vow renewal.. the best is yet to come. Guess what… I have realized some of the best parts are my normal day-to-day. Like sitting in my backyard right now.. writing while my doggies are by my side on this absolutely beautiful fall day with throwback Thursday 90’s music softly playing on my old school boom box. Today, I am feeling healthy, happy and have everything I need, along with goals for future and realization that I have made it with a lot less than I presently have!

I look back in my life an am so proud of what we have accomplished. All while knowing the best is yet to come. Given our backgrounds we could have fallen into some cycles, instead we are starting new cycles!

We have had the opportunity to travel, be happy and have obtained things we previously have gone without. We have celebrated what others consider normal~ like having operable vehicles, air conditioning that works, and most recently owning and paying in full for vehicles. Shit.. I remember being thrilled to have a garbage disposal and ice make.. no kidding! It’s all in due time, while working hard!

The best part I see coming is more travel, especially international travel. I love people, culture and experiences! We are nearing our youngest child’s final year of high school. Who would have thought we’d get there??

5) I HAVE SURROUNDED MYSELF WITH PEOPLE THAT MAKE ME A BETTER PERSON! At least I have been fortunate to have met the individuals I know. Some have been for a season or a chapter. I must say the good Lord has played a role in my lines crossing with the right people!

I just realized this week that one of my dearest friends was hard for me to grasp when I first met her. Then, I realized the trauma she’s been through.. it feels worse to me when I think about what she’s encountered. She was guarded. We had life experiences that were comparable. Now, ten years has flown by and I realize she makes time and would always be on my team if need be.. and vise versa. That feels good. I can be a better friend too, now that I recognize I too have been guarded. I guess it’s normal to try to protect our hearts. But truthfully it is the best feeling in the world to have friends!

This year I have found myself drawn to elders, especially mother figures in my life. I see the characteristics I hope to be. These strong, mature, caring, inspiring woman are those I hope to be like!

I have found myself called to be there for those who may be struggling with mental health, addiction, health, or simply those who are similar to me.. raising kids, being a mom, balancing a career and family! Just know if our words don’t build others up, they may be tearing down. My goal is to share the hard parts without being a debbie downer, without prejudice, and without discounting others.

Spread love, hold your tongue when you can’t think of anything nice to say, set goals.. celebrate when you accomplish your goals and appreciate what you have
along the way, believe the best is yet to come and it will, surround yourself with those that bring out the best in you!

Remember being positive attracts positivity! Put your best foot forward and your halfway there!

Stay Rosy, Amber