Patterns, Prayers and Tests

(My w-i-p on the big screen...yea I'm a little tired lol)

So this weekend and the next few days to come have been insanely hectic. Since my last post, I no longer work at La Femme as prom season has ended. It is the last 3 days of Finals at FIDM and still to come is an AMT presentation this evening, an exam and 2 computer marker projects due tomorrow, and Wednesday is do or die! I have a presentation at 8:30 in Costing and Control, A Sourcing and Inventory Management project at 6 pm, and the greatest trial of all is my contemporary women's line of 12 pieces in what will end up being about 100 pages of designs, cost sheets, demographic and company info and color and fabric stories due at 3 pm. I've been working non-stop and although normally I would be frantic and pulling my hair out there has been one thing keeping me sane...

Rachel Ramon introduced me to this book "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. It is about the 40 day path to learning our purpose here during this life. I am only on Chapter 6 now, but this morning's was about trust and tests. I realized that all these obstacles I've faced since moving to LA, and the many years before that were really just part of the small picture. Having money, then losing everything was a test of my strength and responsibility. Love and relationships lost were testing my faith and ability to forgive and keep true to myself.

I guess the point I'm really making to anyone who reads this is when the going gets tough try and remember that this too shall pass (as my wise and wonderful mother always says) and that how we choose to handle these hurdles is what really matters. As a dear friend of mine, Colbie Weaver, always says, when life gives you lemons make lemonade!

Back to work...wish me luck!

Lighting the Way through LA

Since I've gotten to LA in September it seems like it has been one of the craziest roller coaster rides I've ever been on! I came out here picturing a life full of great friends, sunny days, laughter, all the glitz and glamor of a fashion student we've all seen on reruns of the Hills. What a rude awakening that was! It's so easy to lose yourself out here...the people are anything but friendly, the traffic is crazy, the smog is thick and the prices are too high to enjoy much! This past Saturday a co-worker of mine brought me to the first meeting for an upcoming event called God Chicks, held at Oasis Church in LA. I haven't been attending church on a regular basis since I lived in Santa Barbara. I was quickly reminded no matter how bad things may seem that I'm not alone. Everything in life is relative...we all face extremely hard times but it's what we learn from these experiences and how we use them to help others that make these trials and tribulations worthwhile. After listening to a pastor's wife from the Ukraine tell her story and what she overcame I realized that although things are tough here, there are really amazing people everywhere, and so many opportunities and wonderful things to be thankful for...you just have to look a little harder and keep a positive mindset and above all surround yourself with others who think and act this way! So I guess my reason for this post is just to remind anyone who reads it that at the end of the day, everything always works out as it's meant to even if it may seem unbearable at the moment.
So do something nice for someone every day, whether it be holding open a door, giving change to a homeless person, or lend a shoulder to a friend or anyone in need. Step back when things get you down, and just think of what good can be brought from it...soon you'll be surprised how much brighter everything is, and just maybe you can shed a little of that light on someone else's life;)

Thank you Rachel Ramon for sharing this experience with me!