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Love At First Sight, Is It Real?

ImCo-DependentBWMany people ask the question “Do you believe in love at first sight?”

Had they asked me 20 years ago the answer would have been no. But if I was asked today, I would say absolutely without a doubt….YES, I do believe in love at first sight.

Why yes? One might ask.

I knew from the second I saw my guy. I was lovestruck. There was just something about him that was different than the rest. It is hard to explain, but I just knew. There was a connection before the exchange of words. I was mesmerized. And I was somewhat frozen.

What happened was….

I was just minding my own business singing a song and out from around the corner he came. He walked towards the stage and then stopped just a few feet away from where I was. And then we locked eyes as I continued to sing. When I was done singing, I knew I was ready to start loving. This one had me before we even said hello. And so the love story began.

It truly caught me off guard. It was just so unexpected. So random. And well… flat out magical. At the time I was in a very bitter, anti-relationship, man bashing place in life. And the morning after I had met him, I walked into work and said “I met my future husband last night” and they looked at me like I was insane. They thought I was joking at first. But no, I was so serious.

To this day he is my best friend, and I love him with all of my heart. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for him. He is the peanut butter to my jelly, the peas to my carrots, the salt to my pepper, and so much more.

I still get butterflies when he touches my hand. I still count the hours until we get home to one another. And I feel so thankful and blessed for all the ways he has shown and continues to show his love for me. He is my rock.

Love is so many things, and I feel like we have them all. It is patient, kind, willing, sacrificial, giving, understanding, accepting, loyal, faithful, and it is forever. Once you finally find it that is.

10 Reasons Why A Dog Is Better Than A Mate

The Only Way To Truly Be Happy

I noticed this year when preparing for my daughter’s birthday party that I was not stressed at all. Everything was done way ahead of time. It was perfect!

When I reflected over the last few years of throwing social gatherings as a single mom, I realized they were all enjoyable. Stress free. No bickering. Just enjoying the day, living in the moment, and embracing life.

When I was married, parties were quite different. I would be mad that I didn’t have anyone to help me set up, or that he forgot the ice cream at the store. I would be mad if the grill wasn’t fired on time, or if he wasn’t there to watch the kids opening presents. By counting on someone other than myself, I was only setting myself up for disappointment. Which then led to a series of other emotions.

We all wander around aimlessly in hopes to obtain that ultimate happiness. When in reality, happiness is quite simple. The trick is to never count on anyone! Although this may harsh, shallow, or cruel, it is the absolute truth. When we rely on others, we become disappointed. When we become disappointed next comes hurt, anger, frustration, among many other things.

When I began to compare this scenario to other times in life where disappointment has been a factor, along with anger, frustration etc., the answer was still the same. “Don’t count on anybody but yourself, and you will have nothing to complain about.”

10 Places For Men To Meet A Normal Woman


I guess when deciding where to meet a “normal” woman it might help to know that “normal, is slightly overrated. However, if you mean normal as in she has morals, character, is secure with herself, and independent, then you might luck out in one of the 10 places listed below.

1. At the gym! Most women that visit a gym regularly have a sense of self-worth and value their appearance.

2. At church! Most people who attend regular church service often have a higher moral. Far different from the average bar fly!

3. Awareness Rallies! For example; Autism Awareness, Breast Cancer, Swim for Diabetes etc. These are great places to meet people with a lot of drive, that are passionate, and devoted!

4. P.T.O. meetings! School activities for your children are a great way to network and meet people. If a parent is attending a P.T.O. meeting they are not only dedicated to their children, but to the community.

5. At  a craft store! Most women that visit craft stores, are creative! They love projects! They probably enjoy space when in a relationship.

6. Join a coed volleyball team! This is a wonderful way to meet a good woman! Women who play sports are typically more adjusted than those that don’t. Active is a good thing!

7. The library! Knowledge is sexy, and a woman who frequents the library is likely a woman who knows where she is going in life.

8. A local nursery! Women typically plant their own flowers, and well, they have to buy them somewhere!

9. Campgrounds! Women that aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty are usually the type that get involved in a relationship, for the long haul.

10. Family reunion! Okay, okay, I had to crack a funny somewhere! Please, no family reunions! Not yours anyway! So the tenth place to meet a woman would be at a local water park, science center, aquarium, or zoo.

© Angela Bininger and The Empowerers, 2009-2011. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this websites author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Angela Bininger and The Empowerers with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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What Empowers You?

I was asked a question a few weeks ago that gave me deep conviction. After pondering my response for a few weeks and feeling as though I finally have an answer I must now challenge my readers with the same exact question. What empowers you?

When I was asked this very question, the conviction didn’t come from the fact that I had no answers. I knew the answers, well, sort of. The conviction came from the fact that I felt as though I weren’t doing enough. As though I were just idling through life, and not really doing much of anything.

This question caused me to backtrack over the last few years of my life, and in doing that I realized that even though most of the things I do are of great purpose, there was nothing that really stood out as a simple answer. It prompted me to begin diving deep to figure out what actually empowers me the most, although I am still unable to narrow it down to one particular thing.

Here is what I came up with:

1.) Being a leader, teaching, helping others succeed. Wether it be parenting, helping friends with personal issues, passing along useful knowledge, coaching a team etc., I am passionate about leading.

2.) Setting goals and aggressively working to obtain them. (I had them set but was still just sitting on my butt watching other ships roll in and out, making excuses and extending deadlines)

3.) Being Independent both in thought and in actions. Knowing that my children see this and are taught to be this way, empowers me.

4.) Challenging others and being challenged by others. It makes you dig deep and do a self check with no other option than to learn more about yourself. That empowers me!

5.) Prayer!!!! God gives strength like no other. For those that do not believe and have never experienced the joy and peace he gives, I am sorry. I hope that someday you crave it and get a taste for it. He is real! I promise!

6.) Positive people!!! I love positive people! And typically I am a positive person. However, I know that if I am around negative energy it drags me to the ground. I can’t be around it. It is like cancer!

7.) Knowledge!!! When I gain knowledge about anything it empowers me! I feel a need to spread the news so to speak. Knowledge is power!

I still didn’t come up with an answer to blow anyone’s mind away, however, the point was to challenge you to think. What empowers you? What are you doing to make this world a better place? What do you dream of doing that you haven’t had the motivation to set out and achieve?

Success

Success is measured by what YOU DO with your life,

not by who is in it,  or what you have.

© 2010 Angela Bininger
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Benefits of shared parenting, loneliness can be a good thing!

I guess the topic of conversation would vary from person to person, the circumstances that led up to it may also be slightly different, however, the results are all the same. You are alone.

Loneliness is often just as much of a good thing as a bad thing. It is a great time of  self-reflection, a time to heal, and a time to discover both old and new things about yourself. And discovering those things that got lost along the way, in the depths of a marriage,  are just as exciting as discovering the new ones.

For me, I have shared parenting. At first this was extremely difficult for me. I had never really been away from my children other than an occasional overnight at a relative’s house. When the every other week summer rotation began there was such a huge void there. It felt as though my life would end. Every other week I felt as though I had nothing. SO, as all single moms do…. I buried myself in work.

Eventually I found additional comfort at the library and began to check out heaps of self-help books. It would be nothing for me to walk out with 20 of them at a time. ANYTHING to occupy my mind. What I didn’t realize at the time was that I was helping myself. I was learning. I was growing. And needless to say, I was surviving it. I just kept my mind so busy that I didn’t notice as much.

The one major plus side I see in shared parenting is this:

It gives me time every other week to reflect on the week prior and prepare for the week to come. There is time to  think about things that we did or didn’t do as a family, what could have been done better, should this or that been handled that way, the list goes on and on. There’s always time to self check! One simple example is: How often do you tell your child to hold on, just a second, or wait a minute? Those things are more noticeable after divorce when there is bi-weekly parenting. You catch it, then make an effort to correct it. Once you correct that one you are on to the next, and so forth.

I miss them a ton when they are gone, and anxiously await their return on Sunday nights. Although it is lonely, the lessons I’m learning will allow these children to become beautiful adults. There is nothing better for a child than to have a parent that is at peace with themselves. It gives balance, and allows them to see both love and hope! And there is nothing greater for young girls to see than a woman who is independent, and secure with who she is.