Did you think I forgot all about my 30-day Challenge? Nope...just went on hiatus. 2/3 of the way done. No worries...it's only taking me 5 months+ to get through these! Oye!
I remember watching the very first episode all by myself at home. I really wasn't sure what to think. I mean I guessed I liked it. I was intrigued enough to keep watching. Sometime during Season 1, I started watching the show with some friends (who I'm no longer friends with for a very good reason). We would get together each week either at their apartment or at my house and watch our beloved show and then discuss it afterwards. We did this for Season 2 and part of Season 3, as well. Then our friendship ended and I believe I watched the remainder of Season 3 by myself, but I knew I needed to find some other friends to get LoSt with.
See how my Meliska is always there when I need her? So true! Meliska and Greggy-D opened up their home each week for friends to get Lost together. It became one of my weekly rituals that I cherished!
I watched Season 4 through Season 6 with my buddies. We theorized all kinds of crazy ideas (mirror matter moon theory) we found in our research (obsession what?). We would get together at the season finale each year and sort of make a party of it.
I would discuss the show with my brother-in-law the day after it aired, as well.
I remember Meliska's parents inviting us over to their house for the series finale (Mellie's dad was a HUGE fan, too).
I know a lot of people weren't down with the conclusion of this epic adventure, but I was satisfied, for the most part. Really there is sort of a mourning you have to go through when a beloved television show comes to an end. I know our parent's generation might have felt that way about MASH, for example.
Never before has a television show made me just think and wonder and theorize and research before. Never has one intrigued me. Never have I eagerly awaited each and every episode of a program before. Never have I gotten so enraptured in the characterizations and I kind of wonder if I ever will again.
I remember having conversations with some girlfriends several years back when we were all discussing what qualities we were looking for in our future mates. Many of my friends REQUIRED a college degree. I did not understand this. Perhaps they had never heard of a little thing called a trade or a skill. If a person has a special trade or skill, then a college degree isn't always necessary.
Let's look at my employees, for example. I manage a moving company. My drivers make $60,000 to $80,000+ per year. Do you think they went to college? I may have had some that attended a couple of years. I may even have one or two that graduated, but the vast majority did not and yet they are fully benefited men making a very healthy income.
My father never went to college. He is one of the smartest and most successful people I know.
My brother never graduated from college (he says he retired). He works for the same company I do, making a very similar salary. Is he less a person for not having put in his full 4 years at an educational institution? I should think not. He just went down a different path.
So, I suppose it would suffice to say that I think higher education is important dependent upon what it is you are trying to accomplish. One can surely not practice medicine or law without additional schooling and certain degrees, for example.
Other than that...to each their own. I feel like work experience breeds true knowledge and that with knowledge comes power. Take that as you may.
This little challenge intrigues me. I mean some of the days are so obvious like 30 facts about yourself clearly states that one is to list 30 facts about oneself. Then there is this whole weird one that leaves me perplexed as to what it wants from me. Does it want me to tell of a time I disrespected my parents? Seems kind of silly at this stage of the game / time of my life. I'm 34, after all.
For the most part, I was a good kid. Sure, sure...my mouth always got me into trouble. I really really like to have the last word. I really really don't like to be told "no". Somethings never change, by the way. =D
I never snuck out of the house.
I never hung out with people my parents didn't approve of (well...until him, but I was 29, so...)
I never did drugs.
I never stole.
Yep...my parents are pretty fortunate to have me....or...um...perhaps I am pretty fortunate to have parents who raised me right.
In case you haven't caught on, I come from a very close-knit family. We get together every Saturday for family lunch. This past Saturday, following family lunch, we all went to the movies together. I speak with my parents and most of my siblings pracitically every day. We truly enjoy spending time together and this, my friends, is priceless.
I think there is a ding Ding DING moment that goes off in every person's head at some point in their life (assuming the individual grew up in a loving home) when they realize how gosh darn lucky they are. Mine was in college. It just took hearing other people's stories or knowing other people's situations to make me realize how truly blessed I was/am. My relationship with my parents has just continued to blossom over the years. I do not take it for granted.
Here is what I will say...my parents made it clear they were not our friends back then. They established rules and made us adhere to them. Even when other kids were allowed to do things, my parents stuck to their guns based on their value system. The parentals had a solid foundation and were united in supporting it. We never doubted their love for each other or for us.
I only hope to be the same kind of parent someday to my own children.
Keeping that in mind, I suppose I believe that anything is possible. I mean...I know I shall never have the title of "princess", but well...
Sure, I understand the whole "your beliefs" is referring to my spirituality. Didn't I answer this already on Day 4 when asked my views on religion? It would be quite challenging to discuss one's views on religion without discussing what one believes.
I believe in God.
I used to believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy.
I don't believe in the concept of Soul Mate as in there is just one person out there for everyone. Let me explain why. Suppose you meet and marry the man (or woman) of your dreams. You have a wonderful X number of years together and then are separated by death. After mourning your loss and the process of picking up the pieces, you are fortunate to fall in love again and have yet another wonderful life with yet another wonderful man (or woman) of your dreams. Who was your Soul Mate? Spouse #1 or Spouse #2? Is it possible they both were? Who knows. Who cares. Does it even matter?
I believe in Big Foot. I know, I know...I'm crazy.
I believe something awfully suspicious happened in July of 1947 in a little town called Roswell, NM.
I believe alcohol is truth serum. People say, "don't listen to him/her...he/she is drunk." I say, "listen up!"
I believe what goes around comes around...in other words...kharma exists.
I believe it is best to stay clear of The Bermuda Triangle. cReEpy.
I believe life is not fair, unfortunately, but it is probably best to go ahead and find the silver lining somehow/someway for sanity's sake.
I believe that a person cannot make you happy...that happiness must be found within oneself. I do believe, however, that the right person can make you happier.
I believe that if at first you don't succeed, try try again...and again...and again. Don't give up on your dreams.
I believe that somehow...someway...it's all gonna be okay.
I believe that there is something to be said about the look, feel, and smell of a true Autumn day.
I believe vacations are necessary to help maintain balance in one's life (the same can be said for bubble baths and a good book).
I believe music penetrates the soul.
I believe that nice people make a huge difference in a day and that it's a shame there aren't more of us out there!
I believe it is important to know that no matter what...you are capable of taking care of yourself.
Since we are only in April, I think it best to use a rolling 12-month period here versus a January to present day time table so we have more material to work with.
So...this means we are looking at April 2010 to April 2011. I like to consider myself a glass half full kinda gal. This means I would prefer to start with the negatives (the lows) so we can work our way up to the positives (the highs).
Swing Low
I had to deal with a hip injury (started in February, but carried into mid May) which affected my running. I conquered it.
I had to deal with an ex-boyfriend who would not respect boundaries I tried to establish. Unfortunately, I still hear from him from time to time, but it is becoming less frequent and the methods of contact are becoming less...personal.
I was in a huge dating dry spell. I literally did not go on a single date from April 2010 until February 2011 (despite being a paying member of eHarmony, Match.com, and even a singles group named Eight Friends Out).
During my second half marathon, I was injured - later discovered it was a pelvic stress fracture, which took away my opportunity to run the Houston Marathon. I was out of commission for 2 1/2 months.
My almost 7 year old Tahoe's 2nd transmission blew forcing the purchase of a new car (forcing car payments).
I've struggled to continue on my weight loss journey - particularly post injury/recovery.
Ran my first half marathon - Chicago RnR - in August 2010.
Got to go on a free vacation to Playa del Carmen with my Amy last May!
Went on an awesome family vacation to Disney World for Thanksgiving.
My pelvis has healed nicely and I've been running pain free for almost 4 free months (Amen!)
I'm signed up for 8 half marathons this year (2 behind me and 6 more to go).
At the Expo for my 1st half marathon for the year - Dallas RnR - That Pink Girl and I got to meet and take a picture with Dan and Jackie from The Biggest Loser Season 5.
I have a boyfriend! He's sweet, kind, funny, thoughtful, and just an all around good guy! He even surprised me with these beautiful flowers on my birthday! Awwww....
This is a hot topic worthy of discussion? Um...I like mainstream music. Is that okay? Not sure what direction I'm supposed to take this in...
I have a very eclectic taste in music. Come to think of it, I pretty much have a very eclectic taste in all forms of entertainment - books, movies, plays, television shows, etc. This either makes me well-rounded or non-committal.
I seem to get into certain modes. My modes are dictated by my mood and/or by my life's circumstances.
When I'm all stressed out, I need mellow tunes to soothe my soul.
When I'm feeling like my world is spinning out of control, I need to dig deep and go spiritual with some Christian contemporary flare.
When I'm wanting to take on the world, I like pop/top 40.
When I'm feeling reminiscent/nostalgic, I go country. That might not make any sense, but country just takes me there for some reason.
My point is that everything I listen to comes to me via my chosen XM stations, my chosen Pandora channels, or my iTune purchases and all happen to be mainstream music because that's what I'm exposed to...or how I roll.
This is kind of a boring post. So sorry...
Fave singers include, but are not limited to:
Amy Winehouse
Adele
Jason Mraz
Brad Paisley
Carrie Underwood
Christina Aguilera
Michael Buble
Harry Connick Jr.
Ray LaMontagne
I have to admit, when I first saw the challenge for today (30 Day Challenge), I wasn't sure what it meant. Here is how it is written:
Day 15 - Your favorite Tumblrs
Uh...Tumblrs? Can I buy a vowel for that "e"? Did they mean tumblers like "ones who tumble" like gymnasts? Were they referring to my favorite drinking glasses? Then I got smart and typed "tumblr" into Google and found out that it's a blog hosting site, so my translation is...
Day 15 - Your favorite blogs
Well my Meliska is the one who encouraged me from the VERY beginning of time (or since she started blogging on MySpace) to get with the program that is blogging. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading her blog over the years and I look forward to many more postings. It's been especially awesome to watch as her life has progressed from dating to marriage (I was a bridesmaid!) to baby! Meliska is also the one who motivated me to get into running. As I read her journey of going from zero to marathon, well....let's just say I was inspired! Love her!!!
Melissa and I like to take self portraits (in case you couldn't figure this out)....
You can't help but love That Pink Girl! I've been reading her blog for well over a year. I was tickled pink when she started reading mine. We became fast friends via all the forms of media available to us in this day and age and were fortunate to meet in real life in January. Last month, I was able to spend the better part of a day with her when I went up to the Dallas area for my half marathon and Pinky was my number one supporter during that tough race! I feel that we are a huge support to one another in this so called life and consider myself blessed to be buddies with this gal, not to mention that she keeps it real in her writing and I respect that! Love her!!!
That infamous Marie Claire article (blech) turned me onto this gem - Jenna Weber's Eat, Live, Run. I love her writing style and I especially love her recipes. I must confess I haven't actually made any yet WHICH I realize sounds so silly. What I do is copy and paste the link to the recipes that sound especially appealing to an email to myself and then I send the email to a recipe file I created on my Hotmail account. I'm storing them up for a rainy day. I think the main reason I haven't made any of her delectables yet is because there seems to be a big focus on sweets and this girl doesn't really need to be making those kinds of things for just any occasion. If the right occasion came along, however...well...let's just say I will be VERY prepared!
I thoroughly enjoy reading (Just) Trying is for Little Girls. First off, I have mad respect for my fellow Kims out there! Secondly, this one is witty while chronicling her running, cross training, half marathons, and family. Kim is consistent in posting her plan each week and then at the end of each month, she posts a recap of her planned activities in comparison with her actuals. Let's just say she is motivated and motivational (and speedy)!
Have you had the pleasure of reading Allie's HYPERBOLE and a Half? It's not a very consistently posted blog, but it's well worth the wait. One word best describes the read: HILARIOUS! Each story is accompanied with some cartoonish illustrations. I highly recommend going back through the archives of this one when you need a good laugh! Actually, to the right of the blog is a list of "the best of" for your convenience, so get to it! =D
I actually read a lot of blogs and I recently downloaded the app on my phone to get the RSS feed so that I can read all my faves easily while on the go. This is just a sampling of some of my faves...I could go on and on and on as there are a lot of really great bloggers out there.
Can I consult older sister Cathy on this one? She remembers everything. Yes, yes...I know that it's MY earliest memory, but she can probably supply that, as well. She's that good. ;)
If I were Cathy, I would remember this:
Yes, it's my Baptism and yes...I have total crazy eyes going on.
Most of my real memories (in other words not the ones planted by others) come from around this time:
I'm guessing 7ish? My hair wasn't quite the wild mop top it is today, but you can see hints of its future unruly self.
Anyway, I remember sporadic things here and there...I remember there being some giant rock at the end of our street when we lived in Chicago and we weren't allowed to go past this foreboding boulder. Years later when we revisited our old neighborhood, that rock was still there and made us laugh because it was but a mere stone - nothing to make you even give it a second glance, but it seemed so daunting back in the day.
I mentioned despising Winnie the Pooh in my 30 Facts post. I even remember the reason. I was hiding in my room scared of some creepy dude hanging out at the park. My sister had told me rumors/gossip about him. I don't even know if he ever really existed. My dad (who was outside doing the lawn) knew I was "sad", so he tapped on my window to get my attention. When I looked up, he was replaced with a giant Winnie the Pooh stuffed animal that he was dangling in the window to make me smile. It made me scream.
I remember all of our Halloweens because it was always such a big deal in my family. The house would be decorated, our pumpkins would be carved, and we would all get dressed up (in homemade costumes courtesy of my mom). My dad would take us out on the town for our trick-or-treating and he would even bring us back mid-evening to dump our goods for a refill. Wasn't I just the cutest little bunny ever?
I remember moving from Chicago to Denver when I was 8 and then moving again to Houston when I was 10. I remember being a Brownie and then a Girl Scout. I remember attempting to play the clarinet and failing miserably. I remember always getting in trouble because I had total Middle Child Syndrome.
I remember enough to know I had a happy childhood and that I was loved. Some details may be fuzzy here and there, but hey...that's why I have Cathy.
Day 13 - Somewhere you would like to move or visit.
My parents, sisters, and brothers-in-law reside in Houston. I speak to my brother practically every day and see him and my sister-in-law at least 4 times throughout the year, so despite the fact they live in the Los Angeles area, I've gotten used to them not living in the same city/state. In other words....I'm not moving.
My parents do speak of purchasing a vacation home somewhere beachy - that rings pleasant in my ears. That means I would have some place to vacation on the cheap. I like that.
I have been very blessed in all of my 34 years in that I've been able to travel throughout Europe visiting the following countries: England, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Ireland, and France.
I've also been able to lay my laziness upon awesome beaches in San Juan (Puerto Rico), St. Martin, St. Thomas, The Bahamas, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Cancun, Grand Cayman, and Montego Bay (Jamaica).
As far as where I would like to visit....hmmmm...I always seem to get divided between tropical paradise and Europe. Tropical paradise means I get to be relatively lazy - enjoy the sound of the ocean, the feel of the sand beneath my feet, the heat of the sun beating down on me with a nice cool drink in my hand. European vacations mean I get to explore and roam ancient cities and cultures. It's fascinating, BUT it's a working vacation. It means waking up at the crack of dawn and sight-seeing all day long until I'm so tuckered out from the day that I crash and burn that night. It's also significantly more expensive to do the whole European thing - especially to stay in the same luxurious accomodations you can stay in tropical paradise for such a lower price.
Then again, there are places in America that I've not yet traveled to or through.
So, here is my list in no particular order of all the places I would love to go (that I've yet to see):
US Cities
Boston
San Francisco
Seattle
Tropical Paradise
Hawaii
Costa Rica
The Dominican Republic
Europe
Greece
Scotland
*Side note: I think it would be awesome to go to Australia and/or New Zealand, but the length of the flight is a HUGE deterent.
It's been a while since I've hit up my 30 day challenge. This is a boring one (so sorry).
Day 12 - Bullet your whole day.
* Wake up
* Put dogs out
* Feed dogs
* Put dogs out again
* Take thyroid pill
* Shower
* Put make-up on
* Blow-dry hair
* Get dressed
* Put dogs in their respective rightful places
* Take 9 kinds of other medications in an attempt to get rid of my dog bark / phlegm factory
* Drive to work
* Morning meeting with my dudes
* Dispatch my dudes
* Respond to emails / calls
* Eat my oatmeal (YUM)
* Do my job
* Go to lunch / Run errands
* Respond to emails / calls
* Do my job
* Drive home
* Let dogs out
* Feed & water dogs
* Water lawn
* Let dogs out again
* Play on the computer
* Go for a pathetic 2 mile run/walk (lungs bursting due to dog bark of a cough)
* Shower
* Throw back some dinner
* Go to Andy's house to watch TV
* Come home and let dogs out for final time
* Go to bed
If you are just tuning in, I'm participating in the 30 Day Challenge, only at a snail's pace. I'm 1/3 of the way through....
Day 11 - Put your iPod on shuffle and write 10 songs that pop up.
1. You Are the Best Thing - Ray LaMontagne
2. Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O'Connor
3. The Old Rugged Cross - Brad Paisley
4. Poker Face - Lady Gaga
5. Hey There Delilah - Plain White T's the song that provided me with the inspiration to name my dog Delilah
6. Sexyback - Justin Timberlake
7. She's Everything - Brad Paisley the song I wake up to every morning - this is the kind of love I dream to have some day
8. Low - Flo Rida (feat. T-Pain) ironically this was my finishing song to both of my half marathons last year - weird.
9. Bartender Song - Rehab
10. Dust in the Wind - Kansas
I think you will note that I have a pretty eclectic taste of music. Some of my favorites didn't even make an appearance - Jason Mraz, Adele, Amy Winehouse, Michael Buble, etc.
Day 10 - Discuss your fist love and your first kiss
As I mentioned in my 30 Interesting Facts post (Day 06), I was 22 when I had my first kiss. That was a bit late in life, eh? Having been a late-lifer in that area, I wish I could say there was some great romantical story to go along with that kiss, but...eh...not so much. I met JonathAn...or was it JonathOn (roommate and friend Laura questioned him at the time and I honestly don't recall his answer) on a Friday night maybe sometime in March of my senior year. He was the 24 year old older brother of one of our neighbors visiting for the weekend. Laura's boyfriend at the time lived in Houston and arrived pretty late to come up and visit for the weekend. I had hostessed a dinner party earlier in the evening, serving lasagna, but I didn't use enough sauce. I made some extra for the side, but sadly the extra sauce was depleted by the time Brian arrived. I did what I always have done - played defense so that I wouldn't be offended. This means I went ahead and apologized while serving Brian for the dry lasagna. Once he was done eating it, he thanked me and said, "you were right." I said, "huh?" He answered, "it was a bit dry." JERK. That was unnecessary and it hurt my feelings. I went outside to pout and there entered Jonathan. He asked for a piece of the infamous lasagna and told me it was perfect. The next night I may or may not have consumed WAY too much alcohol when a group of us went out to a nearby bar. No worries, Brian was our designated driver. After we left the bar, we went to Walmart to get ice cream. I brought Jonathan some ice cream (apparently I liked to feed him) and one thing lead to another and I totally made out with him. First kiss.
and that had to hold me over until my second kiss which wasn't until 7 years later with the guy who became my first love....
Did you read my Religion post (Day 04)? If so, I mentioned this bad news bear.
Basically, I was a 29 year old girl who had the experience of a 16 year old girl (or younger). By that time, I was desperate to fall in love and I was quick to do so without regard for my own well-being. Warning signs were ignored not because I didn't see them or because I was ignorant or even because I didn't know better, but rather because I excused them away and somehow made them okay. I needed the things he did or said to be okay because I needed him. or...at least I thought I did. So many times I told myself to walk away (I should have run), but I couldn't. He was my drug. I was on a daily emotional roller coaster with him - anxiety and depression flooding my very being. I craved the sweet side of him and whenever I caught a glimpse of that guy, it held me over through the mean and ugly side of him (which definitely occurred more often). He was a Dr. Jeckyl / Mr. Hyde and as our relationship progressed, so did his mood swings.
I kept a journal of sorts while dating him. I finally deleted the journal last week (see here). This was 3+ years after the relationship ended one of the worst ways a relationship can possibly end. I liked to torture myself periodically by reading the entries of this journal and seeing how pathetic I was for nearly 2 years of my life. I decided to forgive myself last week and move on. I cannot change the past, but I can learn from it. It was an abusive relationship that forced me to learn an emotionally expensive lesson. First love.
Since we learned I have had (past tense) a tendency to wish away my today for a perceivably better tomorrow (Day 08 - Satisfaction), I soooo already have my future planned out, don't ya know!
Can I just say my hope is that my future is HAPPY and call it a day?
probably not, huh? tough crowd.
I have ideas in my head that are just screaming to be put to paper for a custom built home. I get ideas from tv shows or other people's houses and I store them away for future reference.
I have planned my wedding/reception, for the most part. I'm talking colors, songs, guest list, readings, etc. Still hanging onto the hope that I will someday get married.
I have names picked out for my future children. I would like to have 3, though my biological clock may be ticking a bit too fast for that to happen. I have a girl list and a boy list all complete with middle names and meanings.
So, to sum it up for you, I hope my future happy self is married with kiddos living in a custom built home. Did I mention happy? I won't settle for less.
It's been a while since I've written a post for my 30-day Challenge, so here goes...
Day 08 - A moment you felt most satisfied with your life.
The sad thing is that I'm never really satisfied. I believe I have discussed before how in my younger days I wished away the "here and now" for future days. While in junior high, for example, I couldn't wait to be in high school. It's like I had some vision of things being so much better in just a few more years. It wasn't even that things were bad...I just wasn't who I wanted to be and I had no idea how to become her. This was the trend in high school and again in college. Next thing I knew, BAM - I was in the real world and completely clueless about everything.
Though my heart and smile are still the same, I've wisened up a bit. I've toughened up a bit, as well. I'm also still always left...wanting...for lack of a better word.
Does any of this make sense?
I've lost a lot of weight, but I still have a lot left to lose. Instead of being proud of what I haveaccomplished, I focus on what I have yet to accomplish.
I've run races - half marathons even - instead of glorifying in the moments post-race, I think what I could have / should have done differently and how I will do better next time. I'm always thinking of next time before I even have a chance to recover from this time.
For a girl who prides herself on wandering through this world sipping from a rose colored half full glass, I sure am sounding like a negative-Nelly.
This isn't the girl I want to call me. I want to take time to relish in the joy of discovering new things and of living in the moment. I want to celebrate the little things because they matter. I need to feel satisfaction in the here and now, so that I can have a satisfying tomorrow.
Day 07 - Your Zodiac sign and if you think it fits your personality.
Well...I am a Pisces. Maybe I don't like to eat fish because I'm not into cannibalism. It's all so clear now...
I decided the best place to find out information about "my kind" would be http://www.pisces.com/.
PISCES - February 19 - March 20
Pisces is the 12th sign of the Zodiac and is represented by two fish swimming in opposite directions. The two fish symbolize the internal struggle of the soul within a Pisces.
Pisces is considered a feminine or negative sign. Feminine signs are considered more passive, receptive and sensitive than masculine/positive signs.
Pisces are sensitive, humane and often idealistic. (Pisces) react emotionally to everything making them compassionate and sensitive to those around them.
Being able to read and react to situations makes Pisces one of the most adaptive signs in the Zodiac. They are very intuitive and as a result can be flexible and prosper in many different situations. The intuitive nature of Pisces also makes them a very creative and imaginative sign.
I don't know about all that business, but what I will say is that I am loyal, flexible (though stubborn, which I imagine sounds contradictory), somewhat creative when given the license to be so/do so, and I'm definitely reactive. ha!
Those of you who know me in real life would have to attest to whether or not the Pisces label suits my personality. Interestingly enough, when the powers that be decided to change up the Zodiac, my sign remained unchanged, so I am one with the Pisces forevermore.
Hope you aren't getting sick of my 30-day Challenge. This one is a fun one, so it should lighten the mood a bit!
Day 06 - Write 30 interesting facts about yourself.
Here goes 30 facts about me. Not quite sure about the interesting part...
1) I don't have a middle name. 'tis true. My parents claim they couldn't come up with anything to go with Kimberly. If they had and if it started with an "I", my initials would be K.I.M., but then the pressure would be on to meet and marry a dude with a last name starting with an M. Oye...
2) I name inanimate objects. It probably stems from the fact that I don't have a middle name. See this fella here? His name is Henry. I bought and planted him when I first moved in - almost 11 years ago. He was but a wee little babe and fit perfectly in his little bed. now...not so much.
3) I did not have my first kiss until I was 22. true, pathetic story.
4) Though I am only 1/8 Irish, I totally claim that heritage over any of the other components that make up my muttishness. This is why it hurts me so that my birthday just missed St. Patty's day by one measly day. I would have liked to have been the pride of my people.
5) I don't eat "weird" cheeses. By weird I mean bleu or goat or stinky. I realize I could soooo never be a foodie because of this.
6) I have a "thing" for garden gnomes. Here is my most recent one. My parents gave him to me for Christmas. I call him Claude.
7) I was a card carrying member of the *N Sync Fan Club once upon a time. I may or may not have gone to 4 of their concerts. don't judge me. I heart J.C.
8) I'm probably a little rusty now, but once upon a time I knew all the words to the musical Rent. I saw the original cast revival in London back in the summer of '98 and fell in love.
9) I still have all of my Christopher Pike books that I read in my youth. I would love to pass them down to my child(ren) some day. I had to babysit a lot of hours ($2-$3 per hour) to buy these books.
10) My mother once closed the car window on my face. This helped to make me who I am today.
11) If I had to choose one food to eat the rest of my life, it would be pizza. I heart it THAT much. I don't eat it very often, though. I don't have a shut-off valve where it is concerned, sadly. Ironically, as much of a carnivore as I am, I actually prefer a more vegetarian (mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, black & green olives) approach to my pizza.
12) My younger sister vomited in my mouth when she was a baby. It was sort of like a mama bird feeding her baby, but reverse and way more disgusting. May that never happen to you. I have forgiven her, I think.
13) I love to cook, but not to bake. Baking is unforgiving of my experimentation. I do, however, love to eat baked goods. Brownies and lemon bars, in particular. Neither are on my diet plan, though. *sigh*
14) I have a Beanie Baby collection. My favorite is this little otter guy. Isn't he so precious? His name is Otis. He fits in the palm of my hand.
15) I've caught 4 bouquets at weddings. yeah...that whole tradition is bunk. I promise you that by catching one you are soooo not the next one to get married.
16) I have been in two weddings of people I am no longer friends with...friendships that ended badly. I find it kind of sad that forever they will have weddings pics with me in them, yet I'm no longer in their lives.
17) I always wanted to lose a tooth at school so I could go to the nurse and get one of those cool little treasure chests to keep my tooth in until I got home. Sadly, it never happened. =(
18) Back in the day, older sister Cathy wrote and sang a song about my My Little Pony underwear I wore. Pretty sure she was mocking them and me. rude.
19) Winnie the Pooh scares me. There is a whole story that explains this from when I was about 5 years old or so, but it's a bit too wordy for this post. Just know that should I have kiddos some day, their rooms will not be adorned with this demon.
20) I went to year-round school when I lived in Denver (3rd and 4th grade). It was quite a different experience to be in school for 9 weeks, then out for 3, and repeat.
21) The color yellow makes me violent.
22) I talk ridiculously fast. When I am nervous or anxious or any other emotion other than "normal", it gets even more ridiculous. I don't even need to pause for breaths. I could consider an alternate profession as an auctioneer perhaps?
23) I hallucinated ants crawling all over my bed while on pain meds after my first of two ACL knee surgeries. good times. NOT. My brother refused to help me remove the "ants" which meant helping me change the sheets, so I stripped my bed down to the mattress and slept on a naked mattress that night. What a great brother, huh? We won't talk about all the times I saved him from the thunder and lightening!
24) I gave my first roommate in college an ulcer. It's true, just ask her. weirdo.
25) While in Killarney (Ireland) about 10 years ago, I fell down an entire flight of stairs. Alcohol combined with the fact that I never did learn the difference between my right and my left were to blame for this incident. I was a bit sore from my tumble, but otherwise uninjured, thankfully.
26) I've been dying my hair since I was 16. Who knows it's original color? Surely not I. It used to be when I got upset, it got colored or when I got bored, it got colored. Now, it gets colored when I see grey. My how times change. One thing that never changes is that my mom always thinks it's too dark.
27) I will ride any roller coaster in the world, but if you put me on a spinning ride (think: tea cups), I will vomit on you AND hate you. yeah, it's like that.
28) My ringtone on my phone is considered obnoxious by most, but I love it. It's Little Boxes which is the theme song to the show Weeds.
29) I kinda like the smell of gasoline. just sayin' (if I could do a scratch 'n' sniff here, I so would)
30) I believe in Bigfoot. Don't judge me. Aliens are an interesting concept to me. I won't confirm or deny the possibility of their existence. I had to do some research on Roswell while in college and let's just say I found it VERY interesting...
There you have it - 30 things you may or may not have known about me. Now tell me one totally cRaZy something about you UNLESS of course you are partaking in this challenge in which case I look forward to reading all 30 of your facts!
At first I wasn't sure how I was going to answer this part of my 30-day Challenge, but as soon as I started typing, the words started flowing. weird, but kinda cool. Here we are on....
Day 05 - A time you thought about ending your life.
I can honestly say I've never been suicidal. This is not to say I've never thought about death.
I've asked myself questions like would I rather drown or burn to death. drown. If I died who would come to my funeral? hopefully lots of people cuz I'd like to believe I'm loved! If I were to commit suicide, how would I do it? pills - less messy. This, by the way, wasn't a contemplation of the actual act. I really, truly never have considered it.
Thankfully, no matter how bad my life got there for a while - and I did have a VERY rough spell - I always knew that I was loved by my family and my friends. I always knew that even if I couldn't see it, there were better days ahead. I had FAITH that things were going to get better...eventually.
Have you ever had surgery? I've had two surgeries - two ACL knee surgeries cuz apparently I like to be symmetrical and very fair. It's interesting how after the injury your body will start to naturally heal itself. Now it can only do so much, mind you. Still, your injured area starts to feel better. You get more range of motion back every single day. Then comes the surgery. Oh criminey...the pain is worse than it was upon initial injury. In other words, it has to hurt worse to get better. That's how you know it is truly healing...the right way.
I kind of think that's how it works with our emotions. When you don't deal with something the right way...in other words, you just sort of dust the issue/problem under the rug, you can ignore it for a while and you feel a little bit better. Eventually that dust pile grows bigger and bigger and you have this giant elephant in the room...you know...under the rug. You try so desperately to ignore it, but COME ON...it's an elephant now and you have no choice but to actually face it. It hurts sooooo much. It hurts too much. It's hard, so hard to really get up underneath that rug and dust particle by dust particle work your way breaking down that elephant. Some people give up. They don't have the support network. They don't have the strength. They don't have the faith that it will get better. That makes me sad. It makes me thankful for what I do have and it reminds me to count my blessings each and every day because with my support network, with my strength, with my faith...I was able to face my demons and get back on the right track.
In some ways, I am still removing the last bits of dust. I probably will be for a while, but that's okay. The pile didn't get there overnight, after all.
Oh boy....I guess the point of this challenge is to get a girl thinking, but this topic makes me kinda uncomfortable. At least I'm not skipping it, right?! This is kinda wordy *warning*.
Here goes. I was raised Catholic. I have no issue with the Catholic faith. I just stopped going to church because I got really annoyed with something that happened in mass when I was in college. I guess, in general, you could say that I'm an open-minded person. That is to say regardless of whether or not I agree with certain controversial topics, I can see both sides of an argument/issue. In this particular incident, the church allowed for people to shout out prayer requests. Most everyone shouted out something of a personal nature like a "please pray for my grandmother who is having surgery next Tuesday" kinda thing. This is just an example, by the way. My grandmother is not having surgery. One parishioner shouted out, "please pray that Congress will reverse the abortion laws and that abortion will once again be illegal." I was appalled. I can't say that I necessarily agree with abortion, but I can say that I very much understand why it is legal. Perhaps it was immature of me to stop attending church because of this. I don't know. All I knew was that I felt so uncomfortable and I just couldn't return there, so I didn't return to A CHURCH until many years later when some friends of mine encouraged me to attend church with them. It was a Baptist church. Wow! That was way different. It was like culture shock. It was surreal to go from little old ladies singing hymns in high pitched, terrible voices that only dogs can hear to an entire congregation singing contemporary Christian hits from the radio with their hands raised in the air as they are swaying back and forth really feeling the music. The pastor was an incredibly dynamic speaker. He was able to hold my attention throughout his entire sermon and I walked away with something, many somethings actually. I went to this church for 4 years. I met one of my very best friends, Meliska, at this church.
I had my struggles there, however. I don't choose to get into all of them because I don't want this post to take you 100 years to read.
Bottom line - I never joined the church. In part because of the issues and also because I did not want to become a religion hopper - someone who keeps changing religions. I wanted to join a church once I was basically sure what religion I wanted to be "when I grew up." I wasn't entirely convinced the Baptist "label" was the one for me, so I remained content with just attenting church...and then eventually Sunday school in addition to church...for quite some time.
One Sunday, we had a guest Sunday school teacher. He happened to be one of our classmates, actually. He decided to do a comparison between the Baptist faith and another, unnamed faith. He was clearly Catholic bashing. I was offended. Having been raised Catholic, having parents and many extended family members who are Catholic, and having Catholic friends, I was angered at the very notion of what he was insinuating. What, pray tell, makes any one faith supreme to another? Who, pray tell gives any one faith righteousness over another? It was obnoxious and it took everything in me not to hold this against that Sunday school class and that church. BUT, it was in the back of my mind. I guess I had matured since my college days when I walked away from a church over less, eh? For the record, a comparison of faiths can be done in an unbiased manner. While in high school, I attended church for a while with my friend Stephanie. She grew up Lutheran. Her Sunday school class was studying other religions and even went to go visit some of the churches. I never once got the impression that the message was loud and clear GO LUTHERAN and/or BAD {INSERT ANOTHER RELIGION HERE}. It was done properly.
THEN...there was him.
I dated someone who I felt tried to use God against me. He attended church once, if not twice a week (not my church). He would pray before each and every meal. He would read his Bible daily. He could quote the Bible like any pastor. He listened to Christian music and watched Christian television programming. He was also a nightmare. I don't care to get into specifics in this post, but to put it simply, he was one giant contradiction. It was confusing, to say the least. Throughout my entire ordeal with him, I never lost sight of God, mind you. I lost respect for religion.
My life became a roller coaster ride that came off the tracks. My emotions were out of control. I was a mess. I didn't feel comfortable going to church anymore. I felt like the very idea of church was...hypocritical, if that makes any sense. I blamed church and religion because he abused it and me.
So where am I now? I've gone to a few churches a few times here and there. I haven't found another church that I like, though. I've considered going back to that same one I attended for 4 years as I did love the music and the Pastor. I wonder, though, if I would be doing that for comfort sake and maybe I need to step out of my comfort zone and really seek out a true church home - one that I could someday raise a family in. I guess you could say I've been feeling a calling to do so, so it shall be done soon.
To wrap it up...I am a Christian. I'm a fairly private pursuer of my faith. I do not trust self righteous people.
Drugs - Call me a dork, if you'd like, but I belonged to an anti-drug group in high school. We went out to the Elementary schools to talk to them about "just sayin' no". In college, I found a similar group and did the same thing. It's always been important to me to spread that kind of message to the young and impressionable.
Here's my two cents on the subject matter: unless we are speaking of prescription or over-the-counter drugs, they are illegal. I can honestly say I have never partaken in any illegal drugs. That being said, I do not judge those who HAVE (notice the past tense). I understand that there is a lot of peer pressure out there. I understand that people make mistakes. What I don't understand is people who are old enough to know better and still choose that route. How does one tell their children not to do drugs when they are using? I get annoyed with the whole yuppy "I can be successful and still smoke pot" mentality. What's the point? Oh...and it smells icky.
Prior to starting my freshman year in college, I had the opportunity to take some exams to receive college credit. One of those exams was a written essay. There were multiple topics handed out randomly throughout the classroom. I received "should drugs be legalized?". This was easy for me to discuss. I understand some people feel like this would help our economy - court costs would be decreased, law enforcement resources could be focused elsewhere, jobs could be created. I also understand that laws would have to be created like age limits and whatnot. How many kids under the age of 21 currently drink? Exactly. It would be worse. For the record, I tested out of Freshman English.
Okay, I will get off my soap box and move on...
Alcohol - I have gone through my wild days. Fortunately, I mostly waited until I was 21, but that's because I was/am a mcwimpy and was always afraid of getting busted. I've had moments of drunkenness. I've had good times.
She drinks a whiskey drink, she drinks a vodka drink
She drinks a Lager drink, she drinks a cider drink
She sings the songs that remind her of the good times
She sings the songs that remind her of the best times
I've had bad times, too, though.
Back at the end of '08 to the first third of '09, I went through a VERY bad phase. I found myself drinking more and crying often. I used to at least be a happy drinker. I somehow became sad and pathetic. I took myself off of drinking for several months. My thought process was "I used to drink and laugh and now I drink and cry. Until I can learn to laugh again, I just won't drink." I worked on me. There was a lot to work on. It took a while, but eventually I crawled out of the hole. Now I enjoy the occasional adult beverage. When I do, it is done so in the spirit of laughter. No more tears in a beer for this girl!
So there you have my thoughts on the matters at hand.
illegal drugs = not cool; alcohol in moderation (or when you don't have to drive) = cool
In case you are not in the know, I've decided to do a 30 Day Challenge, only it won't be completed in 30 days cuz I roll down a path less traveled, yo.
I am currently on Day 02 - Where you'd like to be in 10 years.
Do you think this question would be easier answered if you were already married and/or if you had all the children you planned on having? yes? no? maybe so?
I remember back about 9 years ago or so one of my employees asked me where I saw myself in 10 years. I told him it was impossible to answer as I had no way of knowing if I would be single or married, if I would be childless or a mother. He said it shouldn't matter and I begged to differ. Hindsight being 20/20, he was right. It shouldn't have mattered. One can come up with a 10 year dream-self regardless of one's circumstances. I was just a kid then and didn't know better.
The only fair way to answer this is to break up the idea of 10 years into different categories.
Love Life - Please God let me be happily married in 10 years time.
Home - In 7 years, my first and only house will be paid off. I kinda hope to be in a new home in 10 years time. It doesn't have to be new-new, just new to me (the custom built one I've been designing in my head for years would be AMAZING, though...). Of course, if I'm not married, it wouldn't make sense and I would be perfectly content staying in my then paid-off home.
Work - Let's face it, if you know me at all and my work situation, you know that I'm not going anywhere. I would just hope to have even more responsibility and to continue to grow in my skills/confidence/leadership and to better tame the beast that sometimes rears her ugly head.
Health - I will still be on the right path of living a healthy life in mind, body, and spirit. My diet will still follow the guidelines of The South Beach diet. I will still maintain an active lifestyle - focusing on cross training and running. Hopefully I will have multiple marathons under my belt. I better be maintaining my goal weight!!!!
