My pic

The Great Blog Challenge has been going on for 30 days and the goal was to share a bit of yourself each day, following the prompts given. To see the full list of guides for each day, read my April 1 posting. I loved the Great Blog Challenge, and hope you did also. :)

Day 30: A Picture....That is me and how I felt about this challenge

I wish

The Great Blog Challenge lasts for 30 days and the goal is to share a bit of yourself each day, following the prompts given. To see the full list of guides for each day, read my April 1 posting. I am loving the Great Blog Challenge, and truly think you would too. So join at any time throughout the month... you will learn a lot about yourself but also have fun doing it :)

Day 29: My wishes

The wishes I have are really the goals I have in life...simply put :)

Things that make me go augh!!!

The Great Blog Challenge lasts for 30 days and the goal is to share a bit of yourself each day, following the prompts given. To see the full list of guides for each day, read my April 1 posting. I am loving the Great Blog Challenge, and truly think you would too. So join at any time throughout the month... you will learn a lot about yourself but also have fun doing it :)

Day 28: Things that stresses you out..

I am trying to handle my stress better but sometimes that it very difficult. So I will bullet point some of the things that stresses me out.

• traffic
• homework
• financial issues
• family (but I love them)
  

That is pretty much all that stresses me out that I can think of.

The dynamic duo

The Great Blog Challenge lasts for 30 days and the goal is to share a bit of yourself each day, following the prompts given. To see the full list of guides for each day, read my April 1 posting. I am loving the Great Blog Challenge, and truly think you would too. So join at any time throughout the month... you will learn a lot about yourself but also have fun doing it :)

Day 27: My pets who are family

Buddy Jo Rayford is more than my dog. He is my child, I love the little guy so much. Spunky Lee was one of the best dogs ever. I miss him every day. Having Buddy and Spunky around it was hard to feel upset, depressed or anything. There is just something about dogs that brings joy to my heart. This posting is for my two doggies. Love them with all my heart.

My family

The Great Blog Challenge lasts for 30 days and the goal is to share a bit of yourself each day, following the prompts given. To see the full list of guides for each day, read my April 1 posting. I am loving the Great Blog Challenge, and truly think you would too. So join at any time throughout the month... you will learn a lot about yourself but also have fun doing it :)

Day 26: A picture of my family

Well since this posting is similar to another posting I am unable to post pictures of my family as a whole because of the way it is saved. So I am posting pictures of me, my sister and my mom via our pictures on facebook.

I do wait for the day when we can all get a family picture but until then here is my family :)





My older sister Traleathea

My mom

and that's me

Love my memories

The Great Blog Challenge lasts for 30 days and the goal is to share a bit of yourself each day, following the prompts given. To see the full list of guides for each day, read my April 1 posting. I am loving the Great Blog Challenge, and truly think you would too. So join at any time throughout the month... you will learn a lot about yourself but also have fun doing it :)

Day 25: My favorite memory

My favorite memory has to do with my brother. With today being the 13 year anniversary of his passing, it is hard not to think of him. I remember him playing with Spunky, us watching tv together, etc. I miss him so much and I know that he is in heaven looking down on me. Love and miss ya bro :)

Learning is great

The Great Blog Challenge lasts for 30 days and the goal is to share a bit of yourself each day, following the prompts given. To see the full list of guides for each day, read my April 1 posting. I am loving the Great Blog Challenge, and truly think you would too. So join at any time throughout the month... you will learn a lot about yourself but also have fun doing it :)

Day 24: Something I learned..

Well in my 30 years of life I would like to think that I have learned a great deal. I am working on getting my doctorate for goodness sake so academically I have learned a lot. Professionally as a counselor for the past 11 years I have learned so much. But to actually write what I learned would just be impossible because their is so much and I just don't have the time to do that..lol. I will leave you with a cliche but one that I think is accurate and worth noting..."You learn from your mistakes". I firmly believe that and that is the learning gift that keeps on giving.

My favorite vacay

The Great Blog Challenge lasts for 30 days and the goal is to share a bit of yourself each day, following the prompts given. To see the full list of guides for each day, read my April 1 posting. I am loving the Great Blog Challenge, and truly think you would too. So join at any time throughout the month... you will learn a lot about yourself but also have fun doing it :)

Day 23: Favorite vacation

So my favorite vacation would have to be the first one that Caleb Michael and I have taken. Granted it was to meet his family but I still consider it a vacation because we were able to get away for one day and have our time. I come to love and appreciate our time and while visiting his family we went to Washington, D.C. That was very cool because I have never been to D.C. before. We got to see the Capital Building, the White House, the Washington Monument, etc. It was such a warm and beautiful November day. This is my favorite picture of the day also. It was a great time.

My kinda town

The Great Blog Challenge lasts for 30 days and the goal is to share a bit of yourself each day, following the prompts given. To see the full list of guides for each day, read my April 1 posting. I am loving the Great Blog Challenge, and truly think you would too. So join at any time throughout the month... you will learn a lot about yourself but also have fun doing it :)

Day 22: Favorite City

My favorite city has always been Chicago. I love that town. I have visited and lived there and always loved it.

Me :)

The Great Blog Challenge lasts for 30 days and the goal is to share a bit of yourself each day, following the prompts given. To see the full list of guides for each day, read my April 1 posting. I am loving the Great Blog Challenge, and truly think you would too. So join at any time throughout the month... you will learn a lot about yourself but also have fun doing it :)

Day 20: A picture of myself

This is one of my favorite pictures while in West Virginia.

I go by many names...

The Great Blog Challenge lasts for 30 days and the goal is to share a bit of yourself each day, following the prompts given. To see the full list of guides for each day, read my April 1 posting. I am loving the Great Blog Challenge, and truly think you would too. So join at any time throughout the month... you will learn a lot about yourself but also have fun doing it :)

Day 20: my nicknames

Well this is a cool one. I have had several nicknames in my life, my first one would have to be "Candy" my uncle called me this. I do not remember why, maybe because I was a fat baby and then a really skinny child which upon being in pre-school "Candy" turned into "Fatty". I actually loved that nickname (but would cry if anyone called me that now) and it stuck for all of high school. I was a really skinny kid and teenager so my Uncle Jeff would always say you know I only call you "Fatty" because you were a fat baby who grew into this tall skinny person.

My next set of nicknames have really stuck. My official nickname is Keyta but honestly that is a shorten version of my name so at times I feel like that does not count but it does. I am also known as Keytabell, Kbell, Dr. L and Dr. Lbell. Each of those nicknames were given to me by friends that I truly love and it always brings a smile to my face. So there you go, these are my nicknames, so call me anything, well except Fatty :)

I miss ya little bro

The Great Blog Challenge lasts for 30 days and the goal is to share a bit of yourself each day, following the prompts given. To see the full list of guides for each day, read my April 1 posting. I am loving the Great Blog Challenge, and truly think you would too. So join at any time throughout the month... you will learn a lot about yourself but also have fun doing it :)

Day 19: Something I miss (more like someone)

The one thing in this world that I miss is my brother Geoffrey. He passed away at 14 in 1998 and I can say that my family has never been the same. I know that I am finally at peace with his passing and I see him in the brightest star in the sky but that does not mean that I do not miss him. I often wonder at times how our lives would be different if he did not pass. Granted I believe everything happens for a reason and that we are who we are based on the experiences but I still wonder. How would he have turned out. He would be 28 on May 2nd, wow I can not believe that on April 25 it would have been 13 years. I love you little bro and I miss you with all of my heart, but I know you are in heaven with Spunky and that makes me smile.

If I could regret anything.....

The Great Blog Challenge lasts for 30 days and the goal is to share a bit of yourself each day, following the prompts given. To see the full list of guides for each day, read my April 1 posting. I am loving the Great Blog Challenge, and truly think you would too. So join at any time throughout the month... you will learn a lot about yourself but also have fun doing it :)

Day 18: Something I regret...

Well this is an interesting tidbit that I am asked to share. I feel that everything that happens to us, positive or negative, cause of great joy or sorrow happens for a reason. I believe that God does not give us anything in which we can not handle. I also believe that what happens to us shapes us into the person we are today. That being said, I try not to regret anything that has happened in my life. For a while I regretted getting all of the credit cards that I did or taking out all of the student loans that I did, but they served their purposes so I can not regret the decisions I have made. Instead I look back on those issues and now I am a wiser person (hopefully) and my goal is to learn and budget better.

I'm waiting for you :)

The Great Blog Challenge lasts for 30 days and the goal is to share a bit of yourself each day, following the prompts given. To see the full list of guides for each day, read my April 1 posting. I am loving the Great Blog Challenge, and truly think you would too. So join at any time throughout the month... you will learn a lot about yourself but also have fun doing it :)

Day 17: Something your looking forward to..

Well there are so many things that I am looking forward to God willing. Many of what I am looking forward to would be found in my posting regarding goals (aka day 13). But here is a recap of things that I am looking forward to..

1. Going on my first official vacation with Caleb Michael to TN a state we both have never been too (we have been to Wisconsin and Virginia and DC but it was to visit his family so for the most part I do not consider it a true couple vacation).
2. Finishing my doctoral dissertation and officially becoming Dr. L
3. Getting married and starting a family
4. Buying a house
5. Buying a new car
6. Paying off all of my student loans and credit card debts (this will be something I work on while in my 30's)
7. Enjoying life with family and friends
   

I have been dreaming of you..

The Great Blog Challenge lasts for 30 days and the goal is to share a bit of yourself each day, following the prompts given. To see the full list of guides for each day, read my April 1 posting. I am loving the Great Blog Challenge, and truly think you would too. So join at any time throughout the month... you will learn a lot about yourself but also have fun doing it :)

Day 16: My dream house

Honestly, my dream house will be the one with the man I love, my doggie and any children that I am blessed with.

But if money was no object, my dream house would have 5 bedrooms, the master bedroom would have an adjacent bathroom which has two sinks, a large shower and hot tub like bath. The kitchen would be large and equipped, finished basement, a large fenced in yard with a patio and pool. I am not fancy, I consider myself a simple woman so even if money was no object as long as I am with family and loved ones any place is my dream home.

A verse that speaks to me...

The Great Blog Challenge lasts for 30 days and the goal is to share a bit of yourself each day, following the prompts given. To see the full list of guides for each day, read my April 1 posting. I am loving the Great Blog Challenge, and truly think you would too. So join at any time throughout the month... you will learn a lot about yourself but also have fun doing it :)

Day 15: Bible Verse

I like this verse because during the Free journey at Crossroads last year, one of the areas of my life that I have fear over is stress. And for the fear that we had, we were suppose to pray and give it to God. So on the page for stress there were a ton of bible verses and we circled which one spoke to us. And from the ones we circled we had to pick the one that called to us. This is the one that spoke to me and that I keep next to my bedroom door.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life. Matthew 6:25-27.

A picture is worth all my love...

The Great Blog Challenge lasts for 30 days and the goal is to share a bit of yourself each day, following the prompts given. To see the full list of guides for each day, read my April 1 posting. I am loving the Great Blog Challenge, and truly think you would too. So join at any time throughout the month... you will learn alot about yourself but also have fun doing it :)

Day 14: A picture you love


So I decided that I love all of the pictures I have taken so what to decide which should be displayed. I could not narrow it down to one so I am being extra special and listing the top three. I wanted one of these to be my family picture but I can not download it so here are the other ones that not only make me smile but I love!!!

I Love this picture because it was one of my 30 by 30 events. I ran in a 1/2 marathon. Yes, I did!!! I injured myself and was told by more than one professional that I could not do it, but I showed them. So I love this picture because it illustrates that I can do what I put my mind to it and also that I have people in my life who support and love me. My friends cheered me on and for that I love this picture.

This is my favorite picture of Buddy. Buddy is my first dog, granted I had Spunky but Spunky was a family dog, Buddy is my first born. I love the little guy, he is my world. This picture makes me smile and love my boo boo so much.



And this picture is of me and Caleb. He is a truly amazing man and my best friend. I always wanted to find someone who could accept and love me for who I am and I thank God because I have. This is the first of many pictures he and I have taken and it is a picture that I love :)

My goals in life...

The Great Blog Challenge lasts for 30 days and the goal is to share a bit of yourself each day, following the prompts given. To see the full list of guides for each day, read my April 1 posting. I am loving the Great Blog Challenge, and truly think you would too. So join at any time throughout the month... you will learn alot about yourself but also have fun doing it :)

Day 13: My goals are what keep me going. These are the things that I want in my life and that I am currently working on. These are not necessarily listed in order of importance, but are listed in the order in which I thought of them.

• To finish my dissertation


• To get married and start a family


• To have a better relationship with my mom and sister


• To continue my friendships with the positive people in my life


• To pay off all of my credit cards and live a plastic free lifestyle


• To become healthy


• To always see the humor in things


• To continue my work as a counselor


• To travel every year


• To be a better Christian and teach God's values to others

I Believe!!!

So welcome to day 12 and today's topic is what do I believe?

At first reading of this question I wondered what to write. Should I get all spiritual, philosophical, psychological and other cool words that end in al. But I guess I will just hit some key bullet points:

• I was put on this earth by God to fulfill a purpose, I believe that purpose is to help people achieve their full potential and find some sort of wellness by being supported.
• I believe that there are several people out there for you but we only have that one person who compliments you (also known as a soul mate)
• I believe in God and am thankful everyday for experiencing his wonders and grace
• I believe that we are all good but at any time with a triggering event can do evil things
• I believe that love does conquer all
• I believe that the little bubble I live in may make me naive but it is a wonderfully happy place to be :)
  

These are a few of my favorite things...

The Great Blog Challenge lasts for 30 days and the goal is to share a bit of yourself each day, following the prompts given. To see the full list of guides for each day, read my April 1 posting. I am loving the Great Blog Challenge, and truly think you would too. So join at any time throughout the month... you will learn alot about yourself but also have fun doing it :)


Day 11: my favorite TV shows... So I love watching tv but now that I am working on my dissertation I gotta stay focused and DVR so much stuff. TV is my way to escape and relax but most of the time I am watching shows that remind me of work or just scary things in the world. But I do have some happy shows also. So not necessarily in my favorite order, these are all of the shows I enjoy watching..

• Law and Order (original)



• Law and Order SVU



• How I Met Your Mother



• Southland



• Parenthood



• Dexter



• Scrubs



• The Simpsons



• Chappelle Show (canceled but still funny)



• The Closer

Well, I could go on, but these are the shows that I will watch over and over and possibly own the DVD's.