This Is Where It Begins

Happy New Year! 2015 and later this year I will turn 46. Boy, has time flown. My son turns 23 this year and graduates college, my daughter graduates high school and my youngest will enter his sophomore year in high school. My husband Casey and I will be married 7 years this year and we continue to grow, change and learn ... from one another and from the world. I decided to create the Bleu Buddha as a means to share with the world, the things that make me the happiest, be it recipes, a quote, a story, a project or an accomplishment. Through this blog I hope to inspire others to find what makes them happy and share it with the world.

This year, my husband and I will continue our journey in health and fitness together, losing weight and achieving wellness. We continue to work on our home and there is always a project or two or ten in the works. We both have careers outside the home so this keeps us pretty busy. We'll work this year to achieve better balance. I have this lust for thrifting. I love thrift stores, finding things, repurposing them or keeping them just as they are and I've created some amazing things. I love country cottage decor and love mixing different genres of design. For example, our master bath has a clawfoot tub with bead board walls and a modern glass enclosed shower stall and a modern vanity. I love the contrast and I'm always striving to do that in my house. My dream is to someday own an old farmhouse and be able to thrift everything to decorate it. For now, I just enjoy bringing the elements into my cozy little 4-bedroom ranch home. I'm looking forward to sharing all of that with you!

I'm sure the question on everyone's mind is "what is with the Buddha?" I'm not a Buddhist, per se, but I do really admire the teachings of Buddha and would like to be more serious about practicing it. I'm still learning how to incorporate some of it into my life as a believe it's much more of a lifestyle than a religion. The truth is, the Buddhist beliefs make me happy and I saw a little blue Buddha statue once and I felt happy. There really isn't much more to it.

I follow a lot of different Bloggers online and have my favorites. It's my hope to share some of those in future posts. Most of all, I'd love to know about the people who read my blog. You hate to think you are just writing and no one is really reading or cares about what your writing. While that might be the case, if you stop by, let me know what you think. I'm open to thoughts, suggestions, feedback, ideas and I don't mind being challenged. The purpose of this blog is to inspire others to find happiness and I'd love to learn from my audience. For that reason, I plan to participate in link parties, sponsoring give aways and things of that nature. If you have any other ideas about how I can be more visible, I am most certainly interested in your thoughts and ideas.

So my first question is .... what makes you smile? The cheerful barista that wishes you a good day when he/she delivers your morning cup of java? Being addressed by your first name when you call a customer service line seeking to solve a problem? The warm sun on your arm through your car window on a cold winter day? The perfect shade of lipstick? A heated blanket when your watching a good movie on the couch? That one wine that you would foresake all others for? Whatever it is, I'd love to hear it ... please share!

Here's to a happy, healthy and prosperous 2015 with a lot to smile about!