#bdla

John 1 of 3 I grew up in the Cleveland area. My Mom raised my sisters and I on her own. I learned at a young age that if I wanted to purchase extra things, I'd need to earn the money for it. I started my first business when I was ten years old; Top Blade Landscaping. I had a logo for it and everything. I made flyers and went door to door to people in my neighborhood. Growing up, my best friend’s dad was a businessman. I watched how he'd come home from work carrying a briefcase; I wanted that for myself. He gave me the book "How to Become A CEO" I read it repeatedly. From that standpoint, I've always had a drive and love for business, and entrepreneurship. However, as a young teen, I wanted to become a member of the CIA. This wasn't a passing phase, it was a plan. First, I'd attend Military High School, from there my goal was West Point, following West Point I'd join the CIA. With that plan in mind, I applied to, and was accepted at the High School of my choice. I received a full scholarship. My High School career started out as planned; I was doing well. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to maintain that track. I started partying and found myself in trouble. #bigdreamlittleamerica #bdla #lifestory #life #blog #blogger #bnwstories #bnw #bnwphotography #entrepreneur #business #hotcards #Cleveland (at Hotcards)

Cassie 3 of 3 The mission of Nell + Rose is for women to find comfort in simplicity. I believe that simple is beautiful. Comfort and confidence go hand in hand for me; I assume most women feel the same way. I am looking forward to growing as a brand and hope to one day have the chance to employ other women. I am thrilled to announce we have opened a small boutique in Mentor, Ohio. It's all very exciting! #bigdreamlittleamerica #bdla #blogger #bnw #bnwphotography #lifestory #life #fashion #boutique #nellandrose #entrepreneur

The Bell Family - Denise Bell - 1 of 3 The story of this cave starts in 1872. Two boys, Peter Rutan and Henry Komer, were out playing with their dog. The dog chased a rabbit into some brush, and disappeared. The boys went looking for the dog and came upon an opening which was actually a natural sinkhole. Their weight was enough to activate the sinkhole sending them down into the first level of the cave. They found their dog, and ran back to town to tell everyone about what had happened. #bigdreamlittleamerica #bdla #bnwstories #bnw #bnwphotography #blog #blogger #cave #senecacaverns #nature #ohio

John 3 of 3 As I entered my senior year of high school, I finally cleaned up my act and committed to a life of sobriety. However, with the CIA out of reach, I fell back to my first passion -  business. Being an entrepreneur affords me the opportunity to write my own script. Part of being an entrepreneur means meeting and connecting with people; I've always enjoyed that side of business.  From my past, I discovered my life's work - helping people in addiction and recovery. I'm involved with a program of recovery as an active sponsor (mentor) to those going through the program. I give of my time at local treatment centers as well. Continuing to work hard and being successful in the scope of business allows me to further pursue my life's true calling. #bigdreamlittleamerica #bdla #blog #blogger #bnwstories #bnwphotography #lifestory #life #hotcards #entrepreneur #Cleveland #business (at Hotcards)

Arek 3 of 3   In late 2017, I submitted to join the 501st Legion, and was accepted in early 2018.  My costume had to go through an approval process to make sure it was movie screen accurate to Darth Vader. Now, I get to put smiles on people’s faces like the one they put on my face when I first saw them.   What started out as a Halloween costume has become so much more.  The smiles, tears, happiness, and shock I’ve got to witness is hard to put into words.  Being 6’8” already has people staring at me; throw on a movie accurate Darth Vader outfit on and that puts me at 7’2”. My height, along with the breathing loop and voice changer, has created some over the top reactions. It’s a privilege to volunteer as Darth Vader. Little do the people I’m meeting know that the smile behind the helmet is just as big as theirs. 📸 Arek family photo #bigdreamlittleamerica #bdla #blog #blogger #lifestory #life #starwars #501stlegion #volunteer #findyourpurpose #cosplay #Cleveland (at Cleveland, Ohio)

Today's Snapshot Dream... I've been playing for smiles out and about since 1962. I can play over one thousand songs. The way I see it is this - We are here for a limited time; I can spend it in front of the "boob-tube", or out here making music. I'm not wasting the time I have left. My wife of nearly fifty years is at home today, I love her, but no thank you to that! I'd rather be handing out blessings today. #bigdreamlittleamerica #bdla #blogger #bnw #bnwphotography #life #lifestory #music #allweneedislove #musicman #veteran #guitar #streetperformer #cincinnati #findlaymarket

Kristin 1 of 3 My first wedding saved my life. As most brides are, I had been stressed from planning our big day. I had lost weight, although, I had been trying to; I wanted to look good on the big day. I was exhausted and had been for weeks, but again, I'd been doing more because of the wedding. I had symptoms, in hindsight, but in the moments leading up to our wedding day, they went ignored. The day of our wedding arrived. I woke up feeling sicker than I have ever felt before. I was vomiting, I was dizzy, I just felt awful, but it was my wedding day; I pushed through. I continued vomiting on and off while getting dressed. By the time we arrived at church, I was so weak I could hardly walk. I left the church to vomit to my guests would not see how sick I was. I made it through the ceremony and insisted on getting some photos taken. As the photos were being snapped, our photographer became more concerned about my condition. She insisted I be taken to the hospital to be evaluated. Upon arriving at the hospital in my wedding gown, I continued to vomit. By now, I'd thrown up at least sixty times. I should have been dehydrated to the point that a urine sample would be impossible, but I felt like my bladder was about to burst. Thanks to a fast acting nurse, my labs were expedited, and as I was starting to slip into unconsciousness, I heard the nurse yell "Our bride is a diabetic, we're losing her!". #bigdreamlittleamerica #bdla #blog #photography #bnwstories #bnwphotography #lifestory #liveyourdream #type1diabetes #motivational #adventure #bestlife #thisiscle #Cleveland (at Ohio)

Today's Snapshot Dream Barbara Ann I'm al life long artist. Three years ago, I started marketing and selling my art. I've been going to art and music festivals. I branched out from prints to t-shirts and in the process found I enjoyed drawing directly onto the shirts. Each t-shirt is an original piece of art. I'm a Clevelander, but ultimately the dream is to take this on the road; to retire and ride around in an RV. #bigdreamlittleamerica #bdla #bnwportrait #bnwstories #blogger #blog #festival #artist #laurelive #Cleveland #thisiscle #musicfestival #makeithappen #hittheroad #travel (at LaureLive)