Monday, June 21, 2010

The Sunshine Award...



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It was only a year and a half ago, just north of Santa Fe, in the mountains of Glorietta, New Mexico, that I spent an unforgettable weekend with three of the most precious bellas you have ever known.

Each one of us arrived OVERSATURATED, yet filled with anticipation of what those next few days would hold. We unpacked our weary spirits and hungry hearts, and tucked them away ever so gently in hopes that our desperate need for rejuvination wasn't painfully obvious at first glance. But it was.

The lodge was rugged, intended to host a much larger crowd, but as PROVIDENCE would have it, it was just us....four souls unknowingly about to be woven into the very fabric of each others lives....

Our antennas were up, and we were yearning for solitude....the tranquil, stripping, contemplative kind of solitude that would allow us to tap in to the quiet rousing of our souls. We laughed, we cried, we walked, we prayed, we sorted through our confusions and peeled back our layers until the rawness began to sting....we embraced and tended to each others wounds....we carried each others burdens and lifted each others spirits, and our hearts were able to find fresh air again.
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We left that mountainside thinking, believing, and loving more seriously than we already had thought, believed and loved...I tell you not a single one of us walked away from that weekend unchanged.

Flash forward to present day....prayers have been answered, hearts have been changed, lessons have been learned, insight has been obtained on how the very trials and tribulations that brought us to our knees were used so precisely to do remarkable things deep within. We have set sail on to new adventures, with new attitudes, and new perspectives. We have allowed ourselves to be stretched outside of our comfort zones, take more risks, be more vulnerable, more alive...and more importantly, moreAWAKE.

And it is with that in mind that I type to you now, at 3 AM in the morning, holding 3 paper plates in my hands that are very near and dear to my heart. You see, on the last evening of our weekend retreat, we presented one another with a "paper plate award." And what an evening it was....With snacks in hand and kool aid grins on our faces, we giggled and snickered into the wee hours of night as we cheerfully decorated our plates with magic markers and heartfelt sentiments to give to each woman in the room as a token of our time spent together. The awards given to me on that memorable evening were the "diligent seeker award," the "compassionate prayer warrior award," and the "heart of joy/song of love" award.
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Last night I came to learn that I have been presented with "The Sunshine Award," for blogs that add a little sunshine and inspiration to your day. What an unexpected surprise! As a new blogger, this means a whole lot to me, and I am truly grateful to be able to touch another soul and bring some inspiration and sunshine to their day. And because of YOU, in just 4 short weeks over 100 bellas have packed their bags and hit the road with Mangiabella to journey along with me on this new adventure. unbelievable...I am truly humbled, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to share more inspirational thoughts and delicious food with you in the days ahead.


Keep Shining Sweet Bellas!

and now....Congratulations to Lucy from Lucilleinthesky.com! You are the winner of Mangiabella's first giveaway....the toddler tutu by Huggabugbaby LLC....
*winner chosen at random using random.org

35 comments:

  1. Congrats on your award!

    Thanks for stopping by... following you now!

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  2. Congratulations! What an incredible impact you have made!
    Onward and upward now... :)
    Blessings
    Dorothy :)

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  3. Sorry for the technical glitch above...as I was saying :)....

    Bella Jaime,

    I am so touched by your beautiful words of encouragement, not only in this sweet "sunshine award", but also daily in your writings. YOU, Bella, are bringing sunshine into our lives through the use of your gifts! I am enjoying this journey with you and I can say the same sentiment in return...because your friendship has been a breath of fresh air in my life as well and you truly are one of the most precious souls I've met! I am looking forward to what God has prepared for each of us as we journey together.
    I realize that our meeting was not accidental, but God designed!

    I have a beautifully framed inscription hanging on my wall that I once received from a friend. I says, "Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves" (by James Barrie). What an appropriate saying for this occasion. What an appropriate saying for you, the one who brings sunshine into our lives daily! Thank you, Bella,
    Adore!!
    Lorraine

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  4. Thanks again, Jaime. I am a tutu-lover, so my sweet little bella and I will surely cherish this handmade one.

    Reading about your weekend in New Mexico brought me chills. It's amazing to have other women with which you can bare your souls. So healing, so forgiving and loving. Kudos to you for striving to be AWAKE.

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  5. Congrats on your award and thanks for visiting me on my sits day and making me feel special!

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  6. Congrats on your award!! Thanks for the links!!

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  7. Yay! =)

    Am now following!

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  8. congrats on your award and thanks for stopping by to see me.

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  9. congrats on your award!

    i am your newest follower!

    anne
    www.anniebakes.net

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  10. I'm passing onto you another blog award ... you can stop by and pick it up on my blog! Have a great Day!!

    http://thingamajigetc.blogspot.com/

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  11. Hello! I just wanted to thank you for following my blog! Your support is greatly appreciated :) I answer all my comments--so don't be afraid to say Hi! You have a cute blog :) Thanks for sharing! Take care, Erika <3

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  12. What an honor! Thank YOU and Congrats! xoxo

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  13. Congrats on your award. I will look foward to following you from MBC. Hope you'll stop by and follow me too!!!
    http://www.musicforspecialkids.com/

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  14. Beautiful Blog! I am following you from MBC, I also love your Oprah idea and voted for you!
    I would love it if you would check out my blog and my website!
    http://mommymadegreen.blogspot.com
    www.mommysecretsonline.com

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  15. You have a lovely blog...inspirational indeed :) Thanks so much for visiting me today and for your thoughtful comment. I'm looking forward to following you. Congratulations on your award.

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  16. Congrats on your lovely award! Thanks for stopping by my blog :0)

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  17. I actually gave you another award on my blog today!!

    http://www.ingenuemom.com/2010/06/who-me.html

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  18. Congrats on the award. These pictures look just blissful!

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  19. Awards are fun....fresh air is goooood;) beautiful post...;)

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  20. Congrats on your award and thanks for going with the (blog)flow and finding your way to my blog! Have a great weekend!

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  21. Love the Max Lucado quote in the post below this! Thanks for the follow from MBC - following you back. :)

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  22. Hi!! I am returning your follow and visit! Your blog header made me INCREDIBLY hungry for CHOCO cake!! mmmmmmm - Bobbie from One Scrappy Mom

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  23. Hi BellaJaime!
    As a baby blogger (started June 7!) it means so much to have such great support and kind words from you! You do indeed bring sunshine to our lives, and I appreciate you passing this award on to me! My very first award! :-) I look forward to getting to know you better...

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  24. thanks for the follow..I found you last week during the LBS tea party! following you now. Make sure you go back and enter separate comments for the Frecklebox giveaway for each way you follow me. Even tho you listed them for the apron giveaway, you want to increase your chances for the Frecklebox stuff too :)

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  25. Just stopping by from Kai's R Us. I am an Independent Consultant for Frecklebox & noticed your a fan of the company! Come check out my page and order through me for awesome shipping rates :-)

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  26. Ah sweet Bella,
    First of all, thank you for coming by my page and sharing a laugh or two.
    Secondly, I love the way you write. You bring me the reader on lovely journeys that I find to be visually pleasing as well as intellectually pleasing. So nice.
    Congrats on your award and have a great rest of the weekend.
    Peace, NM

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  27. Hello, congratulations on your award,
    Thanks for the follow, I am also now following you,
    Great blog and most refreshing.
    Keep going,
    Nathalie

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  28. Love your blog and am a follower now :) Thanks for visiting and following mine!

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  29. Thanks for stopping by and commenting on my blog and becoming a follower.

    This was so beautifully written and heart-touching. Bless you in all you do.

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  30. Thanks so much for following my blog, I am now following you as well!

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  31. Congrats on the well-deserved award!
    Hi! Stopping by from MBC. Great blog.

    Have a nice day!

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  32. lovely blog -- am one of your new followers! can't wait to read more.

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  33. Congrats on your award!!! Also love your retreat awards - how thoughtful. Have a great week!

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  34. Fantastic:) You so much deserve this award. You are a beautiful writer and I will visit often:)

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  35. Wow, it seems like so long ago, yet the memory is so alive and vivid! What an amazing weekend... next one is on the beach! Love you.

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