About Me

Why, Hello There! Thanks for stopping by! 



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My name is Lillian and I'm the occupied optimist this blog is referring to!


-*"To be busy and active," perfectly describes me, and this blog! There is never a moment, minute, or day that goes by that I'm not working on some project or something. I LOVE projects, some which will be featured on this blog! I was created to create. It is never a good day unless some outlet for creativity is built into it. My nickname is Lillybee by some because I can usually be found "buzzing" around busily, BUT not in vain may it be known! The goal is that God be glorified in all that I commit my time to. As much as this blog is about productivity and getting stuff done, this blog is also about balance and about what the true meanings of those things are. Mankind was not solely created for work, but also rest.

 
 - *"A person who tends to be hopeful and confident about the future or the success of something." I love the way writer, Mari Andrew puts it, believing that optimism is more than just an inherent personality trait but "an internal decision with an outward action. You don’t have to feel optimistic to act from a place of optimism," as seen at Medium.com/wordsthatmatter. She shares with us a bit of her frustration with the fact that optimism is often mistaken for naiveté when in turn, optimism requires discipline and can actually be hard work! I agree. While it is possible to be an optimist and not have faith, or have faith and not be an optimist, I must attribute my faith in Jesus Christ as being the source of my optimism.
*Oxford Dictionaries        

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The facts:
The Occupied Optimist was established in 2016 at the realization that I actually have a story to tell. We all do! It was during an extended period of time in my life getting to travel the world with my dance company and meet all kinds of different people from all various walks of life, that I came to perceive just how similar people are to one another. Everyone can associate with the fact that this life can be real hard sometimes. The struggle is real. Yet, at other times it can be so beautiful and sweet. Everyone is familiar with the feelings and emotions of pain, sorrow, joy, and happiness, and these things are what makes our stories so relatable to one another. There is comfort found in familiarity which is one thing I hope can be gained by those of you stopping in to visit my blog. I also hope that after each time you visit, you will leave more inspired then when you came; that as you spend time on my blog, an awareness of just how beautiful YOUR story is will be developed, motivating you to go out and live life more abundantly! 
The Occupied Optimist is primarily a lifestyle blog where you can follow me and my life adventures! With new updates posted one to two times a week, topics I am apt to write about may include but are not limited to Christianity, faith, and my personal walk with Jesus, ballet, my DIY craft projects, crocheting, knitting, sewing, paper crafting, and occasioanlly I'll share what's cooking in my kitchen.
Some things that The Occupied Optimist is not is a place where I'm going to pretend I'm an expert on everything discussed on this blog, because I'm not (well maybe except with ballet 😉). Please feel free to contribute your thoughts and ideas to my posts! I love reader interaction and your story and voice matters! Let’s start conversation! There are places to leave comments at the bottom of every page and we'd all love to hear from you! Secondly, this blog is not a marketplace where I will force sales upon you or spam my posts with affiliate links. I will say, from time to time affiliate links will be found in my blog posts featuring certain products I truly endorse, presenting them in an honest light based on my genuine choice, preference, and opinion. As a courtesy, blog posts containing affiliate links will always be obviously noted. For more information on this, check out my disclosure page. You can always visit my shop page if you want to know more about the beautiful creations I sell.




The founder, author, & artist:
A Lancaster, Pennsylvania native, I've been crafting ever since I can remember. Regarding dance, I began studying the art of ballet at a pre-professional level with the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet in 2004 for a total of four years and went on to further my training after high school with the Miami City Ballet School for two years. After discovering Ballet Magnificat I attended their summer dance intensive in 2010 and then sequentially moved there to Jackson Mississippi to participate in their trainee program for two years before being invited to join their company in 2012. After sevens year of dancing professionally with Ballet Magnificat, I retired from it in 2019. Choosing to slow down and return to my roots, I moved back to Lancaster PA, to begin my career teaching ballet and spend more time investing in my blog and Online Shop. I hope you enjoy following along with me on this adventure here at The Occupied Optimist!  


Let's be friends! 
Be sure to reach out to me, introduce yourself, and say hello! 


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Don't know where to start?


  • Check out some of The Occupied Optimist's most popular posts below:


Get to Know Me: For the Dancer: For the Foodie: For the Christian:
- The Reason I Blog
- My Testimony
- Inside My Dance Bag
- A Day In the Life
- Christian Companies
- Pointe Shoe Hacks
- SDI Packing List
- Staying In Shape
- Chicken Alfedo
- Sweet Potato Fries
-Banana Bread Muffins
- Mongolian Beef
- Sharing Your Faith
- God's Hall of Fame
- Confident & Content
- Homosexuality



  • You can always sift through archived blog posts using the drop-down menu located on the sidebar over there on the left. →












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contact me at:

 Lillian@theoccupiedoptimist.com

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2 comments:

  1. Blessings 2 you Lillian!

    Thank you for all the ways that you lift up Jesus in your Blogs, articles...

    Wanted to leave you with a praise and worship song that has blessed me much

    Enjoy!!


    God bless,


    Nunzio


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwX1f2gYKZ4

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you SO MUCH for your comment! It is always nice to hear from visitors! And thank you for sharing that beautiful song! Gotta love Elevation Worship! Have a great day!

      Delete