BrielleStreet7

The other day my husband and I decided to take a spur of the moment road trip to Duluth which we had been debating doing for a few weeks and decided it was now or never and just went for it. I very carefully packed everything we needed for the night in just a couple bags and we hit the road. As expected our 4 year old son slept while our 2 year old daughter talked and sang the whole way, she’s never been one to sleep during rides, thankfully it wasn’t screaming and crying. The truck was full of excitement as we drove into town. Little feet ran down the hallway at the hotel full of joy. Shortly after we got our bags in our room we realized we forgot the most important one, the one with the special blankies, pajamas and snow gear which was important because this whole trip was essentially to see the Christmas lights at Bentlyville and of course our love for Duluth. Time froze for a minute, 2 hours one way, there is no way we could go back or have anyone bring it to us. Before fear could set in I announced what was forgotten and how we would fix it and surprisingly the news was taken rather well. During our drive to Target to replace all the items we got to see a side of Duluth we had never seen and never knew so much rested up in those hills. As you can imagine we left with more than we came for and along with those extra items we took with us a memory that made our trip unforgettable. Before we began our next journey we stopped to get a snack and enjoyed watching our daughter drink down a glass of chocolate milk so fast we wondered if she even tasted it, you know you have done that and if you haven’t you should! The new Rescuebot our son picked out of course made everything better and once we were all bundled up, came with us to see the lights. We found parking along the lake, neither distance or the fact that my daughter wanted me to carry her the whole way mattered, it was a beautiful walk. The lights were amazing and the crowd turnout was stunning. It all felt like the time lapse video we took. Going off course avoiding the mile long line to see Santa we got to see a ship come into harbor, which is worth it if you haven’t had the opportunity especially if you have a 4 year old son. To make the long walk back shorter we raced to the truck and in a full sprint to the finish I picked up my almost 40 pound son and carried him, he excitedly announced that we almost won.  Next stop was a late dinner and football. All made worth it in the end to watch my daughter savor some vanilla ice cream and cheers daddy with her spoon. It really is the little things that you need to stop and appreciate. A 10pm bedtime for a 2 year old with no nap should I say more? After a failed attempt to get my daughter to sleep in her pack n play I took her in my bed for the first time ever.  The pillows I stacked on one side to protect her from rolling off the bed also helped block the light from the bathroom light my son needed on to make the room not so dark.  The sleepless tossing and turning we both did was all worthwhile with the occasional “mommy” followed with a snuggle usually after bumping her head on the headboard. Best of all the new blankies were given a warm tear free welcome. In the morning, after rubbing my sleepy, baggy eyes I looked at the time and saw it was 7:30 and opened up the curtains to the most amazing sunrise over Lake Superior. I instantly felt awake and excited for the day. We stopped and had a delicious breakfast and hit the road. To our amazement both of our kids slept, at least for a little while. This all took place on day 2 of my mission to stop complaining. With all of the changes I have made to better myself and live my best life it was brought to my attention that I was forgetting something, something very important, to stop complaining. I feel this trip was a test and I passed. Through every obstacle and trial I didn’t allow myself to complain and it really made me enjoy every moment. The day before this trip I listened to a podcast about not complaining and in one of the stories the lady talked about chipping a fingernail, coincidence or not during this trip I chipped a nail and actually just smiled about it, remembering the story.  Later when my finger was rolled up in a window I laughed to the point I cried.  If you complain you remain, no matter what it is you are trying to change.  It’s not the stuff going on around you that makes you unhappy it’s how you respond to the stuff going on around you. Whether you are going on a road trip or just going about an ordinary day, experience it on No Complaining Street and you will find so much more joy.

There is beauty in turning off Comfort Zone Street, the scenery changes and you see things in a new perspective. You learn a lot when you enter into someone else’s world and see how they experience life. The other night I left the comfort of my warm home, a cozy couch after reading Elf on a Shelf to my son and traded in Christmas tree lights for streetlights. Venturing away from my Ham Lake bubble somewhere between the suburbs and the country I headed to 1st Avenue in Minneapolis to see Wax Lead. My tank filled with a promise I had made, to push myself out of my comfort zone to support my brother and his band. I made it through the obstacles along the way that easily could have turned me around but I kept moving forward. Having no idea how good they are or really even what they sounded like, I was smilingly speechless. In my whole life seeing my brother on that stage was the most sincerely happy I have ever seen him. When you see someone like that, and can tell they are doing exactly what they are meant to do, what brings them the most fulfillment it brings a special joy to your heart. I witnessed his band accomplishing a dream that they worked so hard to bring to life. Like an engine, the vocals, the guitarists and the drums all fit together perfectly making sure I enjoyed my ride off Comfort Zone Street. And, as I stood there in a room full of people dancing and bopping their heads to an unfamiliar beat I clapped and cheered for them and for myself for keeping my promise. Venture off Comfort Zone Street and find joy in unexpected places.

The other day my husband asked me how I felt about turning 37, the first 2 things that came to mind were happy and excited. There is so much that lies ahead. I remember being in my teens thinking 37 was ancient. As kids we are bursting with excitement on our Birthdays so why is it that after 21 we label ourselves as being old sometimes letting 25 feel like a mid-life crisis and forget 30 and the 1 that follows. It is time to stop focusing on the year older that we are turning and instead giving credit to the last year full of all of our accomplishments, lessons learned, memories made and plans for the future. We are not just going through this life, we are growing through it. I’m not just a year older, I’m not just turning 37, another year of growth starts today and I am excited! ” The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” -Mark Twain

You are good enough, you are great, you can do anything, have anything and be anything you want to be in life. Chase your dreams, with a plan until they come true, always. Growing up, my dad was gone working a lot, most days you could find him grumpy in the morning, rushing to whatever came next after work or totally exhausted when he came home.  My mom was a stay at home mom of 4.  She poured out of her cup far too many times without filling it back up.  Both never really doing anything truly for themselves filled with broken dreams and no plans on how to reach them. As you can imagine, the map guiding me to Good Enough Street was ripped in the beginning, my guide missing, deep down never fully believing I was good enough and unintentionally self sabotaging things when they got good. I have learned a lot, I have picked up the pieces of my ripped map and placed them where they belong realizing that in order to live my best life and help others do the same I had to make the decision to end the cycle and take full ownership of my life. “You are not a product of your circumstances but rather a product of your decisions.” -Steven Covey.  Empty all the blame from your tank and know that you hold the key to change your life.  “The degree to which you accept responsibility for everything in your life is precisely the degree of personal power you have to change or create anything in your life.” -Hal Elrod. When things are good in life keep the door shut in the face of any self doubt that tries to creep in.  And, when Good Enough Street gets rough and you feel like you can barely hold onto the steering wheel, don’t exit off. Do what is hard and your life will be easy. Check your map, chances are it just needs to be put back together. You are good enough.

Food, it’s a very interesting thing. 5 years ago when I was pregnant for the first time I had this vision that babies just eat and sleep, nothing to it. Was I ever wrong.  My son slept through the night very early but was a 15 minute napper.  The biggest surprise in store for me was eating.  He is 4 now and on any given day there are probably around 10 things he will eat.  A year and a half ago, this was not the case, it was more like 2-3.  Upon doing a desperate Google search I found a place that does feeding therapy and got him scheduled for an eval right away.  With an Occupational Therapist and a Speech Therapist watching in the next room through a hidden window, we had a meal with a discussion afterwords.  After finding comfort and answers for the first time I cried through the majority of that appointment.  My son has sensory processing disorder and is mainly affected orally and tactilely.  He is not a picky eater, he has fear of  touching unknown foods and putting them in his mouth. Before knowing what was going on I used to place the blame on myself.  Around the time that we started offering solid foods he had major skin issues and we kept starting and stopping feeding in fear that a certain food may be causing the skin problems.  When the OT told me that this was not my fault and that nothing I did or didn’t do caused this it took a massive burden away and gave me strength to begin the journey of taking the fear away.  Two days a week we share a table with the most amazing OT.  We chase away bad guys with loud crunches, build snowmen out of mashed potatoes, eat M&M’s that went swimming in yogurt and when we are all done we blow our food away into the garbage.  Every action is giving exposure and offering an opportunity to try. He learns and teaches his brain about new foods every day and little by little the fear goes away.  Sometimes I have to hold my tears back and refrain from standing up and cheering when he licks a new food.  We caught this at a young age and our OT believes that it is curable.  As a mom this is my hardest struggle.  The thing that stops me in my tracks and freezes me sometimes, especially when it comes to meal planning, grocery shopping, putting food on the table and seeing him eat the same thing over and over worrying about what he will eat next when he tires of it.  I have learned a certain kind of patience and kindness especially towards  myself.  I want to bring awareness and create a space so no mom or parent are alone on this journey. Don’t judge a full plate, celebrate every bite and know that those little eyes and tummy would do anything to give it all a try.  Get out of the ditches hoping things will change and get better, lean in and get a plan for that is the only real strategy.  Don’t travel down Picky Eater Street alone.

I feel as though I have just been thrown off a merry go round, the spinning has stopped placing me exactly where I was meant to land, smack dab on Believe Street, suddenly finding my way knowing exactly where I am. Combining desperation with your goals will only put blinders on you and lead you in the wrong direction. Follow what is right, trust your gut. A year ago a spark was ignited in my soul. I found my happiness, a new way of living that fuels me, one that I plan to spread to everyone possible. I caught a glimpse of Believe Street. Along the way I whipped a few crazy shitty’s in a desperate attempt to hurry up the process of leaving my office job to get back home, have more family time and more time to spend on my mission. I was distracted by a few shiny eye catching signs for multi level marketing companies. Before long I found myself in the middle of a detour, a feeling of being in the wrong place and a quote by Gary Vaynerchuk stuck on repeat “How you make your money is way more important than how much you make” constantly reminding me of my mission and how I was being pulled away from it. Slowly my spark was dimming and my passion was fading from trying to mix vinegar with my oil, which we all know doesn’t work. Plans are important to get started, but the steps along the way don’t always turn out how you envision them. Stop running on fumes that are getting you nowhere and fill your tank with belief, in yourself and get to where you really want to be. Do what truly makes you happy and success will follow.

10 years ago I took a ride on one of the funnest, craziest streets of my life, Hangover Street. As I sit here and write this at 5:23 am with the playlist from 2008 playing I am filled with a rush of emotions. 25 and engaged I made a decision to go against the norm. My Fiance and I cancelled the big venue we had booked at home and did the opposite. We mapped out Las Vegas, inspired by a good friend. After researching every possible chapel Vegas had to offer we went with the same one she got married at, Little Chapel Of The flowers. One random day when I answered my phone MTV was on the other end, they wanted to do a story on us! With 30 of our closet friends and family we flew from Minneapolis to Vegas. The ones who could not make it were fortunate to watch it on live stream back home! Traveling with only a suitcase, no wedding dress, I rented. The first one I tried on fit like a glove, I loved that dress. The best part was the next day I dropped it off at the front desk at the hotel with my husbands tux for the boutique to pick up. No dress to take home and store bunched up in a bag in the bottom of a closet. Just a great memory with plenty of amazing pictures to look back on thanks to the fabulous photographers at the chapel. Some friends who stayed at the Riviera told us how there was some movie being filmed their called “The Hangover”. Luckily they didn’t have any tigers in their room! The day started out with banana pancakes and soon turned crazy, but with every kink in the road we quickly found a solution to fix it. Forgotten wedding music, make up done wrong, my dad arriving with just minutes to spare were all just bumps in the road to greatness. When the limo sent by the chapel arrived to pick me up I had one request, rap music to prevent from crying that beautiful make up off from tears of joy and excitement. The ceremony was perfect. Everything you could possibly ask for. The reception at Fellini’s in The Stratosphere was elegant and delicious. The wedding cake was amazing that night, not so much a year later. Why is that a thing anyways? The few raindrops that fell that day in the desert filled me with even more certainty that I couldn’t have picked a better place to say I do. After all the partying, after saying our last goodbye and it was just the 2 of us, we set out to see The Blue Man Group. We may or may not have been falling asleep while the toilet paper was passed over our heads. We flew home with our hearts and suitcases full of memories to cherish for a lifetime free from wedding debt and regret. Though we did not meet Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis or any of the stars in “The Hangover” we have an extra bonus, pressing play to “The Hangover” in an instant takes us back to that day. And though MTV never did end up doing a story on us and I never heard from them again once they found out we were not eloping, I am grateful to share this memory with all the friends and family who joined us and watched back home. After 10 years as I pack my bags to go back and celebrate I wonder what kind of Hangover Street we will end up on this time. Let me be your inspiration. Make your day simple, easy, fun and memorable. Vegas Baby!

There is a certain kind of peace that comes over you when you venture out onto Sunshine Street and go out walking with your favorite 4 legged friend. So much joy having a walking buddy that is so excited for every little thing along the way. It is September 21st in Minnesota, the last day of summer and what feels like the first day of winter. It has been windy, rainy and chilly this week. After going out to lunch today, as much as I wanted to come home and curl up by the fireplace I did the opposite. I dug out my dogs leash and ventured out to embrace the wind and find some sunshine, knowing somehow somewhere we’d find it. We don’t get out walking nearly as much as we used especially after having 2 kids. I remember 9 1/2 years ago when he was a puppy we walked every day, sometimes twice. And than, one day we came across a new dog on our walk. That day changed a lot. My little guy was aggressive, very aggressive. My fear wasn’t for him it was for the other dog. And, every walk after that fear attached itself to the leash and I found myself hoping to not come across random dogs along the way. Over time it stole more and more joy away from our walks. As I laced my shoes up today and put on my dogs leash I didn’t let fear come with us. I said goodbye to it and I embraced the wind over the cozy fireplace. With every step the clouds broke open and the sun shined more. While the wind continued to blow, fear was no where to be found, not an ounce in my body or on the leash. In the process of creating the life of my dreams and being my own boss now, I am blessed with the opportunity to go walking anytime of day. While learning there are not many dogs out in the early afternoon, I learned an even greater lesson, to let the fear go and by doing so I enjoyed the very peace I originally found taking him for walks when he was a puppy. The next time you find yourself scared on Sunshine Street shake the fear off the leash and bring peace back into your life.

After 2 1/2 years, in 5 minutes, with everything packed in one box, I made it down the hallway, the stairs and out the door without seeing anyone. No goodbyes. I got in my car and drove out of the parking lot not looking back, not once. I was let go. The words stung, but strength came in focusing on the beautiful sunny day ahead to walk out into, freely. To begin 100% creating and living the life of my dreams no longer helping someone else’s become a reality. What left with me was so much more than just the possessions in that one box. No regrets, so much gained during my time spent on 63rd Ave. Starting my journey associating going back to work with the crushing feeling leaving my son in daycare eventually turned into finding a new way of life, one that I want to spread like a wild fire. Heading north on Homeward Bound Street, sun shining in my heart, no regrets, enjoying the moment and looking forward to the future. You live once. Make it count, make your mark. When you find yourself on Homeward Bound Street see it as the best opportunity ever handed to you,  to be able to devote yourself fully into reaching your goals and creating and living the life of your dreams. Life happens for you, not to you.

We all have times of uncertainty where we travel down streets just to get an answer, sometimes even from an unfamiliar stranger who unknown to us lacks knowledge and leads us in the wrong direction.  Thankful I remained living a positive life during the week that I waited to travel down Trust Your Source Street and along the way making many wonderful memories. Like running out early one morning with my sun watching the sunrise in our pajamas. I found myself enjoying moments I am not sure I would have had if I wasn’t facing the unknown. I gained a new appreciation for life. I smiled more, laughed more and loved at a new level.  I held onto faith that everything would be okay.  I built new relationships. I found comfort in community, support, encouragement, prayers and positive thoughts from so many.  It raised me up and made me smile instead of cry.  I am writing to you all to tell you how very grateful I am for you and to let you know that I am okay.  Wednesday morning, a few hours before my appointment it stormed. The rain poured down in buckets and the thunder roared.  And, in the blink of an eye, the sun was shining bright, filling me with strength.  When the doctor told me that I do not have a mass, or a polyp and that what I have is something that is actually very common. I exhaled gratitude. My belief that I was going to be okay was so strong, I took this picture one sunny morning, saying to myself that I will use it to share my good news.  If you ever find yourself on Trust Your Source Street, don’t navigate it alone, open your door and pile your car full.