Promise Yourself..

To be strong so that no one can disturb your peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness and prosperity with every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel as though there is something special in them.

To look on the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.

To think only of the best, to work for only the best and to expect only the best.

To be enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and to give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give time to the improvement of yourself and no time to criticize others.

To be to large for worry, to noble for anger, to strong for fear and to happy to permit the presence of

trouble.

It's official..

For those of you that don’t know, I studied for an Advanced Diploma in Event Management and Wedding Planning last year.  It’s something I have always been interested in and have always wanted to do but the course cost £800.00 which I just couldn’t afford.  Luckily or unluckily, however you choose to look at it, I was made redundant at the end of 2009 which made me eligible for a Government Redundancy Grant.  This is where the Government pays up to £1000.00 for you to retrain / study further.

There were times when I didn’t think I could do it – the course work was quite intense and I had to fit the studying in around my family and whilst working full time but I did it and I am really proud of myself!  I think I am living proof that if you want something bad enough you will make it happen.

I recently received my certificates so I am very pleased to announce that I am now (officially) a fully qualified Event Manager and Wedding Planner.  Mandi Prevedello Dip. EMWP – that’s me!

Don't Quit!

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,

When the road you are trudging seems uphill.

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

When you want to smile but you have to sight,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest if you must but don’t quit!

Life is queer with its twists and turns.

As everyone of us sometimes learns,

Any many failure turns about,

When he might have won if he’d stuck it out,

Don’t give up though the pace seems slow,

You may succeed with another blow,

Success is failure turned inside out,

The silver tint on the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems to far,

So stick to the fight when you are hardest hit,

It’s when things seem worse that you must not quit

Just for Today...

Just for today…

I will be as friendly as I can with the people that I work with.

I am going to treat them as if they are responsible for keeping me in my job and be grateful that they are there.

Just for today….

I won’t assume that my job is to be chief critic.

I will try to see the good in every situation and will look for something to praise in every person I see.

Just for today….

If I correct someone, I will do it with as much good humor and self-restraint as if I was the one being corrected.

Just for today….

I am not going to insist that everything I do is perfect.

I am not going to try and break any speed records.  I will do what is in front of me with confidence not painful compulsion. 

Just for today…

I will assume that I have adequate competence for my tasks. 

I will not endlessly question whether I really deserve my title or pay.

Just for today…

I will be happy that I am at work, alive and well and not in a combat trench or in hospital awaiting surgery.

Just for today...

I will not have any expectations about how I should be treated.

I will not compare my pay or status with someone else.

I will just be glad that I am who I am.

Just for today…

I will not worry about “what is in it for me”.  I will think only about what I can do to help in every situation.

Just for today…

I will not dwell on how much I did or did not get done.  Instead I will look forward to the evening and be thankful for whatever I accomplished.

Paul

Paul,

It's been nearly 8 years since we last saw each other but not a day goes by when I don't think of you!!  We may be seperated by 11682 miles but you will always have a special place in my heart.  I always smile when I hear "our" song.  I hope you do too.

Love always..

Mandi xx



I believe..

I believe…

That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are but we are responsible for whom we become.

That just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want them to doesn’t mean that they don’t love you with all that they have.

That no matter how good a friend is, they are going to hurt you every once in a while.

That true friendship continues to grow even over the longest distance.  The same goes for true love.

That you can keep going long after you thought you couldn’t.

That we are responsible for what we do no matter how we feel.

That you should always leave loved ones with loving words as it may be the last time you see them.

That money is a lousy way to keep score.

That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

That hero’s are the people who do what needs to be done when it needs to be done – regardless of the consequences.

That my best friend and I can do nothing and still have the best time.

That sometimes the people who you expect to kick you when you are down are the ones who will help you get back up.

That no matter how bad your heart is broken, the world doesn’t stop for your grief.

That you shouldn’t be so eager to find out a secret.  It could change your life forever.

That when you think you have no more to give a friend will cry out to you and you will find the strength to help.

That sometimes when I am angry, I have the right to be angry but that doesn’t give me the right to be cruel.

That your life can be changed within a matter of minutes by people you didn’t even know.

That two people can look at exactly the same thing and see totally different things.

I am Thankful

For the teenager who plays his music to loud…

Because it means that he is at home and not ill in hospital.

For the taxes I pay…

Because it means I am employed.

For the mess that I have to clear up after a party…

Because it means that I have been surrounded by friends.

For the clothes that fit a little to snug…

Because it means I have enough food to eat.

For my shadow that watches me work…

Because it means that I am out in the sunshine.

For the lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing…

Because it means I have a home.

For the complaining that I hear about the government…

Because it means we have free speech.

For the parking spot that I find at the far end of the car park…

Because it means that I am capable of walking and have been blessed with transportation.

For my huge electricity bill…

Because it means that I am warm.

For the lady behind me on the bus who sings off key…

Because it means that I can hear.

For the big pile of laundry and ironing…

Because it means that I have clothes to wear.

For weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day…

Because it means that I am capable of working hard.

For the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours…

Because it means that I am alive.

When you are thankful for something, no matter how small it is, you are initiating the law of attraction to get even more of what you want and deserve. 

What are you thankful for today?

Don't worry

Don’t worry about who doesn’t like you, who has more or who is doing what.  Instead cherish the relationships that you have with those who you love.

Think about what God has blessed you with and what you are doing each day to promote yourself mentally, physically and emotionally.

You have one shot at life and then it’s gone.

Mariana Mitchell

I posted yesterday that a young girl, Mariana Mitchell, had taken her own life.  I didn’t know that the death of someone you didn’t know could affect you but I now realize that it can.  The last couple of days have brought back some painful memories because a friend of mine also committed suicide by hanging himself.  It happened over a year ago now but it feels as thought it was just yesterday.

I have heard people say that taking your own life is selfish and that it is the coward’s way out.  I think if they knew what it was like to be in that situation – to have the weight of the world on your shoulders, to feel so alone, to be in so much pain that you can’t see any other way out – if they knew what it was like then they wouldn’t be so quick to judge.

I know what it is like as I have been there a few times myself when my depression was at it’s worst.  While I never actually attempted it I really did consider it.  I even went so far as to plan and get everything ready but when it came down to actually doing it I couldn’t.  Not because I was scared but because I couldn’t bear to put my children through the pain.  I also know what it is like to be on the receiving end of suicide you see.

Someone very special to me attempted suicide 5 times in a 10 year period.  Luckily he wasn’t successful.  I don’t think I will ever forget how scared I was after each attempt. How I sat by his hospital bed willing him to pull through.  How I always wondered if today would be the day that he would try it again – and succeed.  They aren’t happy memories but it’s not my place to judge so I don’t. 

Last night we took flowers to Mariana’s house.  She was an extremely pretty 13 year old girl who lived a road up from us and went to school with my children.  I don’t know the circumstances behind her decision but reading all the messages she has received on Facebook you can tell how loved and popular she was. 

I don’t think I can even begin to imagine what her parents are going through.  It’s not natural for a parent to bury their child.  It’s not the way things are supposed to happen.  In situations like this you feel so helpless.  You wish there was something you could do to make things better but you know that there isn’t.  All I can do is pray and have faith that God will help them through this terrible tragedy.

Rest in Peace Mariana.

xxx

Rest in Peace

A young school girl tragically took her own life yesterday afternoon and a deep sense of loss and sadness has filled our small village.

While I don’t know the circumstances behind her decision I feel the pain and despair she must have gone through because I have been there myself at times.  

My thoughts and prayers are with her family - I pray God will be with them and guide them through this terrible time and, as we lay flowers tonight, I will say a little prayer for her and hope that she will finally be at peace. 

This tragedy (and Darryn’s illness) has really made me realize how important my family are to me.  I would be devastated if anything happened to them and I have made a conscious decision to try and show more patience, love, understanding and support towards my noo’s – they are after all the most important people in my life. 

Happy Single Awareness Day!



I made these for my Noo's.

 It’s Valentine’s Day! 



The shops they are full of cards, flowers, chocolates and champagne and I am suddenly reminded that I am single.  Being single doesn’t usually bother me but there are days, like today, when I wish I had someone to share my life with.  Don’t get me wrong, I am very independent.  I don’t want to be with someone just for the sake of it and I am certainly not the type of person who can’t function unless they are in a relationship or who will stay in a relationship no matter how rubbish it is because they are too afraid to be alone, they don’t want to admit that they have had another failed relationship or just so that there Facebook relationship status says, “in a relationship” That is not me – not by a long shot! 



I have been fortunate enough to have had a few relationships since my divorce.  Some were good and have resulted in lifelong friendships, others… well, let’s just say I got to kiss a couple of frogs along the way! 

It’s taken me a while but I now know exactly what I am looking for in a partner and what I want out of a relationship.  I just need to remember that I mustn’t compromise my morals, beliefs and values by settling for just anything / anyone – no matter how desperate I may feel. 

What I don’t want…

I don’t want to be with someone who thinks of me as their personal ATM - I am not here to pay for you every time we go anywhere or do anything! 

I don’t want to be with someone who thinks it’s ok to tell me to, “engage your brain or I will come and engage it for you.”

I don’t want to be with someone who thinks its ok for me to provide their food and drink all week – end every week – end for months on end without even offering to contribute towards the cost.    

I don’t want to be with someone who tells my children that they will throw a bucket of water on them if they don’t wake up early during the week – end.

I don’t want to be with someone who tells me to choose between them or my dog – my dog will win everytime!

I don’t want to be with someone who, after we have had an argument, tells me I need to go and apologize to his family for upsetting him.

I don’t want to be with someone who likes playing mind games.

So, I may celebrate this Valentine’s day as a single person but I have the love of Noo’s and I have some really amazing people in my life and that is worth more than all the cards, flowers, chocolates and champagne in the world!! 

For Savannah

For Darryn.