Hello 2019 & 2018 Year Re-cap

Another year behind us and now into 2019. I must say, 2018 was a much better year than 2017. That was one year (2017) I wish to erase from my memory altogether. 2018 brought about a lot more positive. Still struggles, but a better year. So I'm hoping that it can only get better in 2019 from here on out.

So, in honor of starting out a new year, I wanted to reflect back on 2018 and how life was and how it is going forward. 2018 started off difficult. With mostly health problems in our family. From hospitalizations to surgeries all in January, it was scary and not looking as positive as I had hoped. But almost a year later, it seems that things are recovering, healing, and stabilizing. 

I had also had to leave my job at the Government Center as a Tax Collection Specialist, only because I was there temporarily for the busy season and when the time came for all the temps to leave, it was sad because I really loved working there.

I was also struggling to find a job after that. I kept hearing that I was either overqualified or that they didn't like to hire creative people because creative people do not like to sit and work. (I am still trying to figure that one out).

My youngest daughter had a birthday in January and turned four years old. She is as sassy as ever!

I also quit social media and got myself off of everything that was a distraction from what mattered most. Which was being in the now with my family and only focusing on things that were not part of the internet world. It has helped improve my life tremendously by removing myself from social media and I am a much happier person without Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. The only thing I kept was my Pinterest account and have been using that to keep myself busy with fun ideas, crafts, and life/cleaning hacks!

In March, we decided to take our first real family vacation over Spring Break. This was an adventure, to say the least, but we needed to get away, to spend some real time together and to have fun in a place we really loved. It was a wonderful week.

In April, we decided to start our own business called Make-Up My Face. It's a professional face painting business. We attended a few vendor and community events to jump kick our business and get our name out there.

In May, I did what I had been wanting to do for a while, which was enrolling back in school. So after several months of figuring out how to approach this, which schools to apply for, and how we were going to move to get to campus...I decided to try the online approach (which I was not too keen on at first since I really love the traditional on-campus experience).

So, I made the choice of enrolling in Full Sail University (which was the school my brother graduated from). I started my first class in May and have been very excited to be going into my eighth month of their twenty-nine-month program. I am obtaining my second Bachelor's degree from Full Sail which a concentration in Graphic Design (my first Bachelor's degree is in Illustration).

So far I am completely loving school and the entire program. I am learning a few new things, but really able to perfect a lot of things I needed a lot of brushing up on. I feel confident so far in all of my assignments I have done and hope to continue to be a strong artist in the months to come.

Here are just a few of the assignments I have done so far as a student at Full Sail:

I finally found a job and was hired on with an Architectural firm in June.

My oldest daughter started sixth grade in August and joined the Color Guard team. She really loves it and has been doing so well with it. I'm very proud of her. She will be heading to her first competition next month as well. In October, she turned 12 years old.

In November, my son turned six years old and started Kindergarten, which we homeschool him for the time being. We are not sure if we are going to continue homeschooling him like we did our oldest through his elementary years or not.

I also ended up leaving my job at the Architectural firm (which I fully plan to have a blog post all about that). I was asked to come back to the Government Center the beginning of December and help out as a Temp in the Tax Collection Office again, which I was very thrilled. So I have been there, but now as an Office Specialist. I really love working with everyone there. The environment is overly friendly and helpful. I feel like everyone is family there.

However, since that job is also temporary, I was offered a position to come work at the Courthouse in the Criminal Division once my time ends at the Government Center, which I am very grateful for. So I will be moving over there in a couple of weeks.

I believe that I pretty much 2018 wrapped up in a nutshell for us. I hope 2019 brings a lot of positive vibes and things to our family, and I hope all of our dreams come true!

Free Printable 2019 Calendar

I wanted to end 2018 with a fun freebie that I have been working on. This was also the perfect freebie to celebrate my blog's 8th blogoversary. If you are still needing a calendar for 2019, here is one I have created that you can download, print, hang up, and use all year long.

I have created the boxes to be reasonably sized for writing in your important dates, as well as a memos and notes area at the bottom of each month for important reminders.

Each month you will find a new and fun design which are printable on 8.5" x 11" paper. For best results, print using the best quality print option and on white cardstock or heavier paper. Regular printer paper is an option as well, but will not deliver as well of results. 

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE 2019 CALENDAR HERE

If you are looking for your own DropBox account, click here to sign up free and receive an extra 500 MB of space.

Please note that this calendar was created by Rebecca from xoxo Rebecca. This is for personal use only and cannot be used commercially. You cannot sell this calendar in digital or in print form. When sharing this calendar, please link back to this blog post and not directly to the download link.

I really hope you all enjoy this freebie and can use it for the coming year. Please let me know if you are enjoying this download and what you think about it. 

The Great Product Giveaway Submissions

Hello Lovelies! It's Rebecca here and I'm back in the mood to do another giveaway. But this time I need you!! Do you own a business or sell products and would like to get the word out about your products? Stop by and give The Great Product Giveaway a shot. 

Right now through January 30th, I am taking submissions for business owners and product makers to be part of this event. All products welcomed {digital / physical}. This giveaway would be shared over social media and blogs to promote this event. 

Entering is easy. Just fill out this submission form and we will be in touch. The giveaway rules are simple. Once you fill out the form and agree to the terms, another blog post will be made for readers to enter to win this giveaway. You, as a participant, will be giving away one product from your business to the winner randomly chosen from this giveaway.

There will be one winner chosen for all the products submitted. 

If multiple business companies or reps enter their submission, only the first one will be chosen. This way there is only one representative per company. 

Help me make this a success!!!

My Brother

Photo by Samuel Zeller on Unsplash

My little brother was born on May 31, 1983 in Ft. Wainwright, Alaska. His name was Thomas. I don't remember the day he was born, as I was still so young as well. We were only fourteen months apart. But he was my best friend growing up. He was tragically killed on December 4, 2017, on his way to work that cold Monday morning. It will be a day in our lives we will never forget. We will never forget when we were told he was pronounced dead at the scene. We never even got to say goodbye until his funeral. He told my mother he was coming over that evening after work for dinner to visit with her. But he never got the chance to show up that night.

I had been wanting to write this sooner, but I hadn't. It's been a little over a month now that we have been learning to deal with him no longer being with us. I'm crying as I write these words. It hurts so bad. I don't think I can ever get over the pain that eats away at my soul. All I do is think about the two of us together and the memories we had growing up.

He was very special. I look back and think about everything from my very first memory, and everything is running in a circle in my head. As if his life keeps flashing before my eyes non-stop...especially at night when I'm lying alone in bed. I cry so much thinking about the horror and tragedy of his death. Of how scared he must have been....the pain he may have felt. Why is this happening to our family? Why out of every second in the world, did it have to happen at that exact moment? I keep thinking why didn't his alarm not go off that morning so he could have been late leaving for work? What if he left for work two minutes earlier?

Would he still be alive? I know he would have been. The police told us that the only good thing to be thankful for was that he did die instantly and would have felt no pain. If there were any moments of him surviving, it would have been just seconds. But then I think those seconds, was he screaming? Was he crying? But they said they are honestly sure it was so instant, he would have never known it happened. And that is the only thing I'm glad for because I can't imagine thinking anything else. That scares me and hurts me so greatly to think he suffered.

As the tears are now hitting my keyboard more and more, I just wish so bad he was still here. He was a good person. He was so happy with everything in his life. He finally met the girl he was going to marry. The only girl he ever cared for and loved and he wanted to start a life with her. He had a good job he loved so much and was a very hard worker. Everyone enjoyed being around him. He also made sure that every stray animal he came across found a home.

The morning of December 4, 2017, keeps playing out in my head like a broken record. I remember waking up around 6:10am to get ready for work and my children off to preschool. The tv was already turned on and the 6:00 news was showing. As I was getting dressed, I glanced over at the tv when I started hearing a news report about a fatal car crash on a major road outside of town. This road is always having reports of crashes. As I took two seconds to look at the tv, I saw an image of a white car, the majority of it covered under a tarp and the police talking about the accident.

I turned off the tv and continued to finish getting myself ready. All I remember thinking to myself was, "Man, not another freaking accident on that road. What is up with these stupid drivers?" ..... little did I ever stop to even think once, I just saw what was left of my little brother's car under a tarp on tv. And I went to work as normal.

It wasn't until I went on my lunch break at noon that I saw a text from my parents telling me to call them ASAP. They had just left earlier that morning to go to Kentucky, which is twelve hours away. I called a bit perplexed why they didn't just call my desk phone at work if they needed to talk to me so bad.

Needless to say, that's when I found out that the car crash I had seen earlier that morning on the news was what was left of my brother and his car. I started screaming, running down three flights of stairs to my boss's office and just collapsed screaming and crying, "My brother's dead!!... my brother's dead!! He was my baby brother"..... I just remember the ladies grabbing me and holding me as I just screamed in their arms.

My parents rushed back home as best as fast as they could. But the timing wasn't important anymore to anyone because there was nothing anyone could do since he was pronounced dead when police and medics arrived on scene. So there as no hope of having ay final moments with him or seeing him or talking to him, praying for a miracle. He was gone on impact.

How it happened was he was driving to work. It was still very dark outside and the road has no lights, no stop signs, nothing.... it's just a long, dark stretch of road that runs about 35 miles long. The speed limit is 60 mph I believe. But people who tend to drive this road always drive much much faster and very dangerous as well.

My brother was like the perfect driver. And I'm not just saying that. He really always followed all the rules. His phone was always in his pocket so he would never be distracted by it while driving, he always took every precaution by wearing his seat belt, making sure his lights worked perfect, his gas was all filled, and everything worked perfectly on the car. He never took his hands off the steering wheel and always was on point with his driving. He even drove under the speed limit everywhere he went.

We found out that when he was hit, he was going 58 mph, which was still under the limit, he had his seatbelt on very securely, and his phone was in his pocket. A 20-year-old decided that he was going to go around the car in front of him, becoming too impatient to wait for an opening to pass. So he decided to pass anyway. My brother was coming around a curve when the other driver was in his lane and smashed into Tom head-on killing Tom instantly. It was a no passing zone and the driver could have waited five more seconds for my brother's car to pass by and then go around the vehicle in front of him. But he didn't. He decided he could get in between them and make it. 

The 20-year-old driving walked away. He was not wearing a seat belt, he had expired license plates, no insurance, on probation right now for a felony he had committed that year... he did suffer a few injuries but is out and living his life normally. He has not be arrested and not charged yet for this incident. I'm hoping justice comes through. 

Tom no longer is alive. He can not go on living a normal life and neither can any of us now. They had to cut the seat belt off of Tom to remove him from the car. He had just bought that car too. A brand new 2017 Ford Fiesta he was so very proud of. He loved that car so much I remember the day he bought it. it was only about a month or so prior to this accident.

When my parents and I went to the car to try and remove what we could of my brother's belongings from it, it was just so horrific to see in person. You couldn't even see into the car. Everything was so smashed in. There was a little blood but not as much as we expected. We were able to find his wallet and the lunch he packed that day to eat while at work. My father and I cut our hands while digging through all the glass trying to look for Tom's phone. We couldn't find it. Later we found out, they found it on his body and had it at the funeral home for us to pick up. There was no drivers side to his car, it was completely ripped off.

From what it looks like, the other vehicle went head on and hit Tom but they Tom's car swerved and his entire driver's side was ripped off. From what we saw, there was no way anyone could have survived the accident in his spot.

We got to see Tom the day before the funeral. Finally, on Friday, they let us see his body. But it did not look like Tom. He did look a lot better en what we were all expecting. There was so much trauma to his head, that he was very swollen. I got so emotional I screamed out that they had the wrong person, this wasn't my brother. But it was my brother. He had just been through so much that they did everything they could to make him look like him. But it didn't feel like him.

Saturday was the funeral. It was the hardest day we could ever imagine. The last and final day we could see him and say our last goodbyes. About 100 family and friends showed up from all over...coming from all over the country to be there for us and to say goodbye to Tom as well. He was so loved by so many and touched so many people's lives.

I brushed my fingers through his hair, kissed his head and held my little brother's hand for so long. I kept talking to him, telling him that I loved him and forgave him for the tension we had as we grew into adults. But I never stopped loving him ad I wanted so bad for him to know that no matter what, he was forever my little brother and my best friend.

I'm crying so bad right now, I'm starting to gag so bad I may throw up. But the service for him was so amazingly beautiful and amazing. It was everything we could have asked for and I know Tom would have liked it as well. Tom is now sitting in an urn on my parents' side table in the living room with a beautiful plaque and his photos surrounding it. This year on his birthday, they want to bury his ashes. At Christmas, his urn was placed under their tree. It was hard and upsetting at Christmas with him not being there this year. His girlfriend and he always went over to my parent's house for Christmas to spend time with them. Then the kids and I would come. This year, there were no presents with Tom's name on them and that really hit my oldest daughter really hard. It made her cry so much missing him since she loved him dearly.

My brother touched so many people that a group of his friends started up a GoFundMe account to have a memorial pavilion built in his honor at his favorite park he was seen at almost every day to go jogging. I'm only posting it so you can see how many people really did love my brother and how they want to keep his memory alive. You can view that HERE.

Every day seems to be getting harder for me. I cry so much lately, I don't even understand why isn't it getting easier? Then I realize...it can't get easier. It's never going to. And it's only been one month. The thoughts, the tears, the memories... they are going to continue to flood me making it harder and harder to concentrate on anything but this at the moment. Then I sit and think I can't even imagine what my parents are going through. Losing their only son, their baby boy, their sweet boy who went through so much as a child and came out to do great things in his life. Only to have it end so early and so tragic. I cannot imagine what it is like to bury a child. I cry so hard for my parents as well...for their pain.

The pain my brother's girlfriend is going through is unbearable as well. I'm so glad he loved her as much as he did because he waited his whole life to find someone like her. She's the most sweetest girl and I'm so glad me and her are going to stay friends and she will always be considered family because she really was.

I'm glad to have gotten to speak these words. To tell my feelings. To talk about what happened. Whether or not it was appropriate, it was something I needed for myself. Most of my friends were also Tom's friends. They know just how important he was to this world and to everyone and he was going to do great things. But now, he will do great things as our angel. He will be forever loved and never once, not thought about. I just wish I could speak to him and give him a hug. I'm glad a least at his funeral, I was able to say my final words of peace and love. 

I was his big sister. I was supposed to protect him. I did growing up, but I can't protect him now. Now, I'm hoping he watches over me and protects me and knows I love him so dearly. My little brother will forever be in my heart. And will always be, my little brother.

It's in the Bag: 5 Cases to Streamline Your Beauty Routine

Who doesn’t love a good beauty kit? These handy little carryalls are designed to help you store and organize all your favorite beauty essentials so that they’re right at arm’s reach when you’re at home or on the go. Pack them in your luggage, carry-on or gym bag or keep them in your purse or backpack for an anytime touch-up. This roundup includes everything from pro makeup bags that you can use to organize your existing haul of makeup and skin care products to curated cosmetic kits that already come with all the basics you need to achieve gorgeous skin. 

• Farmacy Renewing Anti-Aging Kit — Anyone looking for a good all-in-one anti-aging skin care kit will definitely want to try out this triple-duty set from Farmacy. It comes with a trio of essential anti-aging products — an anti-aging serum, a hydrating night treatment and an AM moisture cream — all of which come neatly packaged in a cute, zippered carrying case.
  
  You get a full-sized version of Invincible Anti-Aging Serum and compact versions of the other two products so you can easily toss this skin kit in your luggage, gym bag or purse for a major skin boost anytime, anywhere. Bonus: Farmacy skin care products are made with naturally derived ingredients and are never tested on animals.

• Kate Spade Classic Nylon Micah — If you need a good-quality makeup case that can take the heat of everyday use, you won’t want to pass up this practical and stylish option by Kate Spade. It’s made of ultra-durable nylon and has jersey backing, making it super-easy to wipe down when it becomes soiled with powders, creams, and products. Plus, this all-in-one makeup carrying bag is equipped with tons of extra pockets and closures to store your beauty essentials, brushes, and makeup tools. Oh yeah, and did we mention that it’s finished with 14-karat gold plated hardware? Yes, please!

• Sephora Tough as Nails Manicure Kit — Don’t go anywhere without all your most-used manicure tools. The Tough as Nails Manicure Kit by the Sephora Collection comes with everything you need to keep your mani on point while you travel, and can be used as a convenient all-inclusive nail care kit at home, too.
  
  This seven-piece nail toolkit includes a cuticle clipper, two types of nail clippers, scissors, a cuticle pusher, a cuticle trimmer and toenail clippers. Plus, it comes in a super-cute, striped bag that you can toss in your weekender or gym bag. You can use this kit as your go-to travel nail kit or keep it in your desk drawer at work to address unexpected nail snafus. 

• Chi Essentials Travel Set — If you’re crazy about Chi hair tools — the eco-friendly styling tool maker that propelled the use of the ceramic hair straightener — then you’re going to want to get in on this awesome Chi travel set. It comes with everything you need to take your fave tools on the go, including travel-sized versions of the Chi Tourmaline Ceramic Hairstyling Iron and the Chi Hair Dryer. Plus, it also comes with a compact paddle hairbrush and heat-protecting hairspray. This set is ideal for traveling since it comes with a convenient thermal-protectant carrying case that keeps your hot tools safe while you’re on the go.
  
  

• Too Faced Teddy Bear Hair Brush Set — Every makeup-lover needs a good set of high-quality makeup brushes, and we’re especially crazy about the Teddy Bear line from Too Faced. The brand’s brush kits are made with silky-soft “Teddy Bear Hair” that’s similar to natural hair fiber but comes with none of the animal cruelty required from traditional animal brushes.
  
  This all-in-one makeup brush kit comes with five essential brushes — a powder brush, a blending brush, an eye brush, a small crease brush and a brow brush — all of which come packaged in an adorable zippered carrying case with a cute teddy bear charm for taking with you wherever you go.

Happy New Year

Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash

2017 was the hardest year yet in my entire life. I sadly feel I cannot say one good thing about the year at all so as you could imagine, I'm so glad to see it gone. With so many terrible hardships and a tragic death in my family, the destruction of my marriage, and finding out the truth of those that I thought I could trust .... it's been a really terrible year. More than I could have ever imagined.

So I am very hopeful that 2018 is much kinder and caring and better to me and my family then 217 turned out to be. As you can see, I've not blogged in almost a year. I've wanted to, but couldn't deal with everything going on at the time plus writing. I would begin to write then delete it, thinking that maybe I shouldn't say anything.

But here is to a brand new year, a brand new look on life, and a brand new beginning to happiness again.

I'm hoping this year is very positive and brings out so much happiness and peace ... which I really need in my life right now. 2017 seemed to be a very tragic one and now with a brand new beginning ahead of us, I hope to look forward to something more peaceful this year. It will be a hard struggle but I am hopeful this year will be of much more happiness.

I don't really have any resolutions this year. Not like those I've made in the past. I think my only resolutions are more like wishes. I wish for peace with in myself and my family. Especially through this time of hard tragedy we just had to go through last month with the tragic and sudden death of my little brother. I also wish peace with my children, my husband and myself and that we can get through the hardships we dealt with this past year. Maybe we can reconcile the past and feel free for the future. 

Whatever 2018 may bring, I do know I hope it brings us peace. Peace in our minds and peace in our hearts. That's all I'm asking for because I cannot go through anymore hurt and pain that 2017 had brought every day to me.

This year will be a better year. I can't wait for that to finally kick in. I'm also hoping to finally get back into blogging again more. I really do miss it and I hope to really kick back off my art career again. I've been applying to several jobs now to get back into my field. 

So to start off this year right, I searched Pinterest and came across this really great printable from Clementine Creative. I really was drawn to the first one on her list. 

So I downloaded it and printed it off right away and hung it up to remind myself and our family to always stay positive. There is always good in things so keep looking up no matter how hard the situation may be. Which is something we really need right now.  

I also really love all the fantastic and fun and beautiful calendars you find on Pinterest now. I'm also drawn to how creative each designer is with theirs. So this year, I found this particular one from Short Stop Designs and decided this was the one we would use for the year.

It looks so lovely all printed out and hung up in our kitchen. I wanted to thank both the designers I mentioned today for their gracious contributions to making their hard work free to download and use. I encourage everyone to stop by both these blogs and check out their sites and take a look around a bit. Both blogs are just fabulous. 

Happy New Year everyone! I really hope this year makes for the best one for you too. Let me know what you are looking forward to this new year and what you are hoping from it.