Change...

My best and most positive mental moments are when I am running. Not the first mile or the second, but when the groove kicks in around mile 3 all of a sudden I feel a surge of positive energy, focus and hope. Words start crossing my mind like freedom, breath, air, space, joy, love, commitment, focus, courage. Really, the words cross my being as I look up. I never look down and I never wear headphones, I want to change and grow, not just become physically stronger, and I believe breathing and seeing are key to growth.

It all started 12 months ago or so. I found a quote that changed my life. I say that a lot. But it did. Here was the sequence of events...
- I found the quote in my husbands paperwork, he had carried it around after he found it in Quiet Moments/Catholicdigest.com
- I started to make a slight change, I did 10 push ups that day
- the next week I moved from 10 push ups to 10 push ups and a one mile run that killed me
- from there I ran weekly and became happier and less stressed and concerned about what others thought. My inner compass became more and more clear.
- in April, I will run my first half marathon. I am proud to say that I will run with two of my sisters, Molly and Megan. Megan and I just started running this year.

I could go on and one with the list, but it's got to stop somewhere so I can type the quote. Enjoy!

'Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles, and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self confident, and more and more successful.' - Mark Hansen

It all starts with loosing the fear and taking the first step.

The photo is from a wedding I did this Fall, taken in Sonoma by the talented Anna Kuperberg.

Happy Monday

Be who you are and be that well.....

I can't take credit for that great thought. The credit goes to an amazing Saint who changed my life, St. Francis de Sales. I believe today is his feast day. There was a time about 5 years ago when I was over my head in work, waking up already behind and buried in tasks, meetings, details, timelines, you name it. It was my biggest wedding season ever; my team and I did 21 full service weddings.

That year, I stumbled upon a quote of his and kept it on the fridge for years. Agg, cannot find it at the moment, but in essence, He said...'do one thing at a time and do it as well as you can.' Wow. Process that for a minute. Total peace, because one doesn't think about the next task if one is giving 100% to the present task. The ripple effect in your business and personal life of doing 'one thing at a time as perfectly as possible' is astronomical. My stress level went down and my quality of product and service went up.

From that point, I became a bit of a follower of his ideas. Here are some of his thoughts I keep nearby and handy (his sayings abbreviated in to my own words...)

Give the Holy Spirit permission
Be persistent in your prayer, don't stop knocking on the door
Accept and do not be afraid, grow in your faith
Difficult situations form me, the PRESENT is God's will
Be steady in the course of holiness, never give up
Follow God's will in making decisions, if we act upon holy inspirations, it will bring us peace
Learn to embrace your cross
Do not be discouraged by your failings, that is how we learn. Get up and move on

Abandon yourself completely to God's will - His will is perfect in His time.

Moi

I am Rebecca Feeney. Where do I start??? I am a wife and mother, I married my best friend and still have a big crush on him. We adopted three children in 3.5 years. I've planned 170 weddings over the last 11 years, I've logged over 20.000 hours working with brides and their families. Love to garden, wish I were better at it. Love to cook, wish I were better at it. I love great coffee, sunny mornings, a long Saturday run, a great book and a cup of tea at night. I am new to the blogging world - I am constantly inspired and I think this is a pretty neat spot to compile the things that I love. These are my Valley Views.