So, I think last time I wrote I mentioned G.
Well, G and I have been talking more and more.
He surprises me every time we talk, and is almost always teaching me something new.
I havent laid eyes on this guy in 6 years.
But he makes me laugh.
Yep, I have a crush.
And we will tentatively be hanging out in August.
Thats right, folks, I asked him to partake in a social activity with me. Aren't you proud?
Whats better is that he said yes.
Ive not been able to stop smiling for 2 whole days.
Also, here is one of my pieces of our conversations:
Me: How do you feel about bowling?
Him: Its racist and homophobic.
I about died from laughter when I read that.
I hope laugh at that, because if you dont, I think you might have problems. :)
Anyway, that's all I've got tonight.
Happy dreams, ya'll.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Wednesday, July 04, 2012
Something Different
Its not really old school, but its definitely something I dont think I've done before.
I told you about talking to G, but heres the thing, we only talk on fb. I dont have his cell phone number- so no phone calls, and no texting. We've emailed a couple of things- which seems super old school, hah. And we havent seen each other in years.
And yet the conversations that we have arent special, they are really just 2 friends catching up and chatting, and yet they make me laugh and laugh. I love laughing.
On the one hand I want to talk to him daily- all the freakin time, text him, talk to him on the phone- and im not a phone person, or even get to see him and spend time with him. But then, on the other hand I love our current conversations, talking to him now and then, sort of randomly.
Its better than the nothing that I am getting from the other one.
And until just this very minute I hadnt thought about J since I started talking to G.
Its funny how much life can change in a year.
This year has been full of good changes and I look forward to whats next, hoping that its just as exciting.
Hey, theres the potential that in the next year I will have moved out or, shock, maybe be in a real relationship. Ok, ok, so I am getting a little ahead of myself, but the world is full of possibilities, y'all! You never know who you are gonna meet, or reconnect with!
Enjoy your day, because tomorrow its a different day, and there will be different reasons to be happy.
Monday, July 02, 2012
Next!!
So, last month I was all hung up on this kid, the one in DC. But I havent heard from him- not really- since I visited him and while I know he is communicationally challenged how hard is it to say hi on facebook, really?
I randomly went on a canoe trip with my brother, his wife and several of their friends including one of C's best friends from high school, DP. Well we were both tagged in one of my sister in laws pics and then one of MY friends from high school asked DP how he knew me. DP told G and then since I was tagged I sent G a message too telling him how I knew DP. And then G and I started talking, and talked for an hour, at least. And ever since then- its been 2 weeks now, we've randomly talked. My god this guy makes me laugh. Hes charming, says cute things, sweet things- at least I think they are sweet. And he seems to be really interested in whats going on in my life. Whenever I ask a question about him he answers but then turns the subject to me. He has not once not responded to me and whenever he has to go actually work- because we usually talk while hes at work, he apologizes and tells me he will brb. Then every time we are signing off he say "tty soon?" its like he doesnt take it for granted that we will talk again, its endearing.
Talking to him makes me happy. That is all.
I randomly went on a canoe trip with my brother, his wife and several of their friends including one of C's best friends from high school, DP. Well we were both tagged in one of my sister in laws pics and then one of MY friends from high school asked DP how he knew me. DP told G and then since I was tagged I sent G a message too telling him how I knew DP. And then G and I started talking, and talked for an hour, at least. And ever since then- its been 2 weeks now, we've randomly talked. My god this guy makes me laugh. Hes charming, says cute things, sweet things- at least I think they are sweet. And he seems to be really interested in whats going on in my life. Whenever I ask a question about him he answers but then turns the subject to me. He has not once not responded to me and whenever he has to go actually work- because we usually talk while hes at work, he apologizes and tells me he will brb. Then every time we are signing off he say "tty soon?" its like he doesnt take it for granted that we will talk again, its endearing.
Talking to him makes me happy. That is all.
Alaska is done
And I didnt finish blogging on this blog, but you can check out the rest of the trip on my other blog- thats right, I have 2 blogs, really I have 3 but anyway, the rest of the trip is over there.
http://adventures-threesixnine.blogspot.com/
http://adventures-threesixnine.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Bear necessities!
This morning started early, especially since I stayed up late talking to friends last night. Shew, that wake up call was NOT welcome, but it happened, and I woke up and off we went.
Yesterday we signed up for an 8 hour wildlife viewing tour through the Denali National Park.
So we get to Denali and we are the last group on the bus, but our bus driver, John Miller is WONDERFUL. I mean within 2 minutes of us being on the bus we are laughing. But the day is a dreary rainy foggy cold pretty icky day. Sigh.
Regardless, off we go. The first animal we come across is a snowshoe hare, not to be confused with a rabbit, apparently the difference is that a rabbit cannot change color whereas the hare does. The hare is white in the winter and brown now. And I know this makes sense but I still found it amusing: their feet are HUGE in comparison to the rest of their body. Yea, thats the one thing that I picked up about the hare.
Further into the park we go, John is giving us all kinds of info, the history of the park, the geology of Alaska, the history of the animals, the rivers and the mountains and while that might sound boring, he was a very good storyteller so it was fascinating.
But the miles came and went and there were few sightings of wildlife. We did see 2 caribou from afar, really really afar. And someone asked the difference between caribou and reindeer and the answer is that genetically there is no difference, but reindeer are shorter. We dont want reindeer to crossbreed with the wild caribou though because it would make them shorter and less likely to do well in the winter. The remaining question though is would a reindeer/caribou cross be a carideer or a rainbou? :)
We saw some mountain sheep, just chillin on the top of a mountain checkin us out, chewin their cud- it was amusing but again, not all that exciting. We want to see bears and moose!
We keep driving, further and further and further into the park. The road is now a 1.5 lane rock road and we are on an upgraded school bus- and there are steep cliffs and other upgraded school buses, coming the opposite direction! But our guide is not only a very good guide hes a very good driver and we all stay safe!!
So probably a mile before we get to the turnaround place we come across a momma bear and her 2 springers... that means the cubs that she had with her were born this past January. Bear mommas take care of their cubs for 3-4 years. And this big ol momma grizzly was just chillin on a hillside, eatin some plants. The cubs were kind of checkin things out and playing- but they were all totally ignoring the buses that were lining up to watch them. Momma grizzly then decided to cross the road- RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR BUS! So cool! We took this opportunity to go do our turnaround and then come back where we got to spend more time watching the momma and babies. Let me tell you, I am so glad I got to see a WILD grizzly bear in person, what an experience, amazing!
And then on our way back we saw a couple of moose! Experience complete. What a freakin awesome tour.
The unexpected gem of the tour was that there was no cell phone coverage- we were in the wilderness! Even though I told a new, old friend that I would be by my phone all day if he wanted to message me- and I was by my phone all day but I couldnt have gotten anything if I wanted to, it was cool not to hear the binging of cellular devices throughout the tour. I dont know if that sentence makes sense, but Im gonna leave it like that and hope that if you are reading it you are smart enough to understand what I mean! :)
But, wait for it, our day is not yet complete!
Once we get some hot chocolate and back to our car we decide to check out the sled dogs that the park has- they have puppies too!! We got to pet the dogs and then got a demonstration that talked about the history and the current status of sled dogs- it was pretty good, even if I did get yelled at for crossing the rope to try and pet the dogs- I am a dog person, I want to pet them!! And they werent clear in the directions that one shouldnt cross the rope!! But in all honesty- sometimes I just have to break a rule! haha. :)
After we saw the dogs mom and grandma went to look at the science center while dad and I stayed in the car- mom and grandma got lost, surprise surprise, but eventually they found us and off to dinner and shopping we went!
Dinner was Subway- gotta love Subway! And shopping was touristy! I have a weakness for touristy shopping! :) So I bought some bear socks and a bear t-shirt. This is in addition to the zip-up fleece that I got yesterday for $9... thats right a zip-up fleece jacket for $9, can you say a steal?! :)
Mom and grandma kind of ran out of steam while we were shopping, so we headed back to the hotel room.
As I have been writing this post, the sun came out, its quite magical, considering we havent seen the sun the whole time we have been in Alaska... its been cloudy the whole time with some pretty rainy moments. Amazing that its 9pm right now and the sun is out as if it was a 5pm at home. Its just beautiful.
Alas, my day is coming to an end and I've got nothing more to talk about, so I will give you a sentence or two on what we will be doing tomorrow. We are gonna head back towards Anchorage tomorrow and then Homer the next day. I think we will be staying 2 night in Homer then back to Anchorage so that we can head home.
Goodnight friends. :)
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Wassup Denial.... I mean Wasilla Denali!
6 people read my last post, which means I have to deliver tonight.
Today we started out heading to the Anchorage Botanical Gardens. First thing we see is "Be bear aware" and the other things we see are mosquitoes... large deadly scary mosquitoes. So while dad and I are being bear aware and slapping ourselves silly, mom and grandma are looking at the pretty plants. Dad dodges the majority of the mosquitoes by putting up his hood while I apparently attract them, by the hundreds with my hair. And while slapping at a mosquito I missed and scratched the area by my left eye, so much that it looks like I was scratched by an animal- yep, I drew my own blood, which probably didnt help my mosquito problem. Ok, so mosquito adventure done.
Next we head towards the highway and up to Wasilla. In case you live under a rock, a very large rock, thats where Sarah Palin lives. I googled her address in time to look up and say "Thats the road off of which she lives." as we drove by, and that was that. Next we stopped at a Subway for lunch in a town called Talkeetna. They also had showers in the gas station in that little town- something that I have never seen before in my life!
Ok, so I pee while at Subway, and then I pee at the gas station next door as we leave, but you know, less than 20 miles down the road and I have to pee again. There's only one problem with that: Talkeetna was the last town- and bathroom- for 95 miles. I have a sprinting bladder and it gets nervous when it knows it wont be able to be relieved for a long time... I do NOT have a marathon bladder. So here we go, 95 miles...and I have to pee for about 80 of those miles. There is gorgeous scenery passing by and all I can think about is oh my god, I have to pee. Someone says funny, I laugh and then regret it instantaneously. Anyway, here we are driving in the middle of beautiful Alaska and all I can think about is counting down the miles til we can get to a restroom. But heres where magic happens. We are driving and theres a sign for a trailhead but it also has the universal- or what I think is the universal sign for bathrooms, so I scream "BATHROOM" and my dad says "Do you want me to stop here" I said "YES!!" and had my door opened and was RUNNING down the path to the little outhouses before he had the car in park. Relief never felt so good.
So, after that little side trip we got back on the road, and finish the trip to Denali. Let me just say, the scenery here is breathtaking, absolutely beautiful. We got to Denali, checked the place out, got tickets for a big wilderness seeing adventure tomorrow, and then went to dinner. Oh, and I bought a bear bell, its a carabiner with a bell. I hate making noise, but Im willing to make noise if it means that I dont have to deal with a bear.
Back to the day, we did a little 15 mile drive through the park and saw some Caribou... which the reindeer are a subspecies of, btw. And then once we got out of the park we went to dinner, where we had to wait for a place to eat for over an hour, but it was delicious pizza! Thats where I made my grandma cry, not awesome by the way. But mom really pissed me off, making me feel worse about hurting grandmas feelings so I got up and left for a while to cool down. I felt horrible, about half an inch tall. Really, I didnt mean to hurt grandmas feelings, but apparently Im good at it, sigh. So I buck up, buy her an emory board- because she loves them and go apologize. Things seem to be fine now, I just gotta be patient and not so quick with my one liners.
After dinner we went shopping!! I love souvenir shopping! I love it more when I can get a fleece zip-up thingy for 10 bucks! YES!! But I also dont like to dawdle, so we did our shopping and then came back to the hotel, which has a river running right outside of the cabins, which is beautiful, and by this time its 9:30ish and mom and grandma get situated and fall right asleep. Dad and I again are the ones up but since it is now 11 here- no it didnt take me an hour and a half to write this and if it did, I blame it on being distracted by talking to friends on FB- I need sleep, we have to be back up at the National Park by 7:30 in the morning... eek!
Goodnight friends!
Today we started out heading to the Anchorage Botanical Gardens. First thing we see is "Be bear aware" and the other things we see are mosquitoes... large deadly scary mosquitoes. So while dad and I are being bear aware and slapping ourselves silly, mom and grandma are looking at the pretty plants. Dad dodges the majority of the mosquitoes by putting up his hood while I apparently attract them, by the hundreds with my hair. And while slapping at a mosquito I missed and scratched the area by my left eye, so much that it looks like I was scratched by an animal- yep, I drew my own blood, which probably didnt help my mosquito problem. Ok, so mosquito adventure done.
Next we head towards the highway and up to Wasilla. In case you live under a rock, a very large rock, thats where Sarah Palin lives. I googled her address in time to look up and say "Thats the road off of which she lives." as we drove by, and that was that. Next we stopped at a Subway for lunch in a town called Talkeetna. They also had showers in the gas station in that little town- something that I have never seen before in my life!
Ok, so I pee while at Subway, and then I pee at the gas station next door as we leave, but you know, less than 20 miles down the road and I have to pee again. There's only one problem with that: Talkeetna was the last town- and bathroom- for 95 miles. I have a sprinting bladder and it gets nervous when it knows it wont be able to be relieved for a long time... I do NOT have a marathon bladder. So here we go, 95 miles...and I have to pee for about 80 of those miles. There is gorgeous scenery passing by and all I can think about is oh my god, I have to pee. Someone says funny, I laugh and then regret it instantaneously. Anyway, here we are driving in the middle of beautiful Alaska and all I can think about is counting down the miles til we can get to a restroom. But heres where magic happens. We are driving and theres a sign for a trailhead but it also has the universal- or what I think is the universal sign for bathrooms, so I scream "BATHROOM" and my dad says "Do you want me to stop here" I said "YES!!" and had my door opened and was RUNNING down the path to the little outhouses before he had the car in park. Relief never felt so good.
So, after that little side trip we got back on the road, and finish the trip to Denali. Let me just say, the scenery here is breathtaking, absolutely beautiful. We got to Denali, checked the place out, got tickets for a big wilderness seeing adventure tomorrow, and then went to dinner. Oh, and I bought a bear bell, its a carabiner with a bell. I hate making noise, but Im willing to make noise if it means that I dont have to deal with a bear.
Back to the day, we did a little 15 mile drive through the park and saw some Caribou... which the reindeer are a subspecies of, btw. And then once we got out of the park we went to dinner, where we had to wait for a place to eat for over an hour, but it was delicious pizza! Thats where I made my grandma cry, not awesome by the way. But mom really pissed me off, making me feel worse about hurting grandmas feelings so I got up and left for a while to cool down. I felt horrible, about half an inch tall. Really, I didnt mean to hurt grandmas feelings, but apparently Im good at it, sigh. So I buck up, buy her an emory board- because she loves them and go apologize. Things seem to be fine now, I just gotta be patient and not so quick with my one liners.
After dinner we went shopping!! I love souvenir shopping! I love it more when I can get a fleece zip-up thingy for 10 bucks! YES!! But I also dont like to dawdle, so we did our shopping and then came back to the hotel, which has a river running right outside of the cabins, which is beautiful, and by this time its 9:30ish and mom and grandma get situated and fall right asleep. Dad and I again are the ones up but since it is now 11 here- no it didnt take me an hour and a half to write this and if it did, I blame it on being distracted by talking to friends on FB- I need sleep, we have to be back up at the National Park by 7:30 in the morning... eek!
Goodnight friends!
Monday, June 25, 2012
Alaska
So, here I am, in Alaska. I may not have visited all of the lower 48 states but I have now visited both Hawaii and Alaska.
The trip up was fairly uneventful. While going through security in Lou I pulled a sticker off the back of some foreign (cute) guy's shirt. It was funny trying to explain what I was doing- gotta love language barriers. The Lou to Minneapolis flight was nice and then we were in an old plane for Minneapolis to Anchorage. There were lots of babies too, but thankfully there was no more than about 5 minutes of crying the whole flight- magical.
We got in and got our stuff, called the hotel for a shuttle and made it to our hotel around 1:30 am Alaska time- which is 4 hours earlier than home time. And the coolest thing was that the outside light was similar to that of dusk at home- thats right dusk at 1:30 am. Welcome to the summer in Alaska!
We were all exhausted though, so bed was of the first order. I popped in my night guard- attractive, I know, and my newly purchased ear plugs and I was blissfully unaware of anything until about 8 am. I am only wondering why I never invested in the ear plugs before- especially with my dads snoring and my grandmas rustling.
This morning we woke up and got our rental car. The rental car guy was an attractive black guy named Matthew who had a very large championship ring- thats how I knew his name was Matthew btw, not from a name tag but from his ring! Apparently he played football for the University of Washington and got the ring when they beat Nebraska for some championship- I love random people's cool stories!
After getting the car- a brown Hyundai Santa Fe, and checking the lost and found for mom's hat- she doesnt really remember where she lost it, we headed to brunch with our old neighbor. Well technically her parents are still neighbors but she moved to Alaska about 5 years ago and was actually headed to California today, so brunch was about the best visit we could manage! Anyway, it was good to see her, she is an amazing person and was like a sister to me in some ways growing up- a much older sister! And since she is honorary family, this is my not-so-shameful plug for her music, go look up Amy Lou Hettinger and listen to her CD, its amazing!
Somewhere between getting the car and getting brunch mom lost her credit card- are you counting? thats 2 things in 2 days- and so we retraced most of our steps looking for it, but no such luck, so we had to come back to the hotel to call the credit card company to cancel the card. Me, well, Im pretty annoyed by now, really, why would you put your credit card in the same pocket as your phone which you are checking every 5 minutes? Maybe I've just learned my lesson and mom hasnt yet. And grandma, oh goodness grandma is being helpful. So mom is losing things and grandma is being helpful, my annoyance level rises higher and higher. Oh, and while we are back at the hotel dad has gone to get drugs for his athletes foot. Never a dull moment!
So credit card canceled, with lots of extra help, and athletes foot treated we are on our way again. We head up to the Alaska Native Heritage Center- it was WONDERFUL! On our way there we saw 2 moose (!!!!!!) and as we walked in we were greeted by a dancing demonstration, then we walked around and learned about the various Native Alaskan tribes (?- I dont know if tribe is the technical term, but its what I am using) and along this path an Iditarod champion was set up, ok not just ANY champion the 2011 champion! And his dogs, and new PUPPIES! So we paid the outrageous price of 10 bucks per person for a 3 minute ride with 16 Iditarod dogs! And these dogs were happy to mush, amazing! We then met a native that was a great storyteller, someone we could have listened to for hours, but really, we were starting to fade.
Back to downtown Anchorage where we stopped at an Ulu factory that was near a stream where there are supposedly Salmon- we didnt see any Salmon. By this time its about 5 and we are hungry, so I directed the family to an "Old Alaskan Restaurant" where mom and grandma had halibut and salmon respectively and dad and I had a cheeseburger and a hamburger, respectively. They may have been burgers but neither dad nor I think that it was actually beef burgers, so I am claiming that it was a moose burger! hah.
After dinner we came back to the hotel room and have been vegging out. Mom and grandma have been asleep for hours now but dad and I are up and reading, although I think after this post I am headed to bed myself. Its now 9:30, which is a nice respectful time to go to bed, right?! Even if it looks like its the middle of the day outside still? I LOVE this daylight for something like 20 hours a day! Tomorrow we plan to hit the botanical gardens, Wasilla and make it all the way up to Denali!
Oh and in case you were wondering, I did get over my annoyance, in fact I got pretty giggly and amused as the day wore on- thank god!
The trip up was fairly uneventful. While going through security in Lou I pulled a sticker off the back of some foreign (cute) guy's shirt. It was funny trying to explain what I was doing- gotta love language barriers. The Lou to Minneapolis flight was nice and then we were in an old plane for Minneapolis to Anchorage. There were lots of babies too, but thankfully there was no more than about 5 minutes of crying the whole flight- magical.
We got in and got our stuff, called the hotel for a shuttle and made it to our hotel around 1:30 am Alaska time- which is 4 hours earlier than home time. And the coolest thing was that the outside light was similar to that of dusk at home- thats right dusk at 1:30 am. Welcome to the summer in Alaska!
We were all exhausted though, so bed was of the first order. I popped in my night guard- attractive, I know, and my newly purchased ear plugs and I was blissfully unaware of anything until about 8 am. I am only wondering why I never invested in the ear plugs before- especially with my dads snoring and my grandmas rustling.
This morning we woke up and got our rental car. The rental car guy was an attractive black guy named Matthew who had a very large championship ring- thats how I knew his name was Matthew btw, not from a name tag but from his ring! Apparently he played football for the University of Washington and got the ring when they beat Nebraska for some championship- I love random people's cool stories!
After getting the car- a brown Hyundai Santa Fe, and checking the lost and found for mom's hat- she doesnt really remember where she lost it, we headed to brunch with our old neighbor. Well technically her parents are still neighbors but she moved to Alaska about 5 years ago and was actually headed to California today, so brunch was about the best visit we could manage! Anyway, it was good to see her, she is an amazing person and was like a sister to me in some ways growing up- a much older sister! And since she is honorary family, this is my not-so-shameful plug for her music, go look up Amy Lou Hettinger and listen to her CD, its amazing!
Somewhere between getting the car and getting brunch mom lost her credit card- are you counting? thats 2 things in 2 days- and so we retraced most of our steps looking for it, but no such luck, so we had to come back to the hotel to call the credit card company to cancel the card. Me, well, Im pretty annoyed by now, really, why would you put your credit card in the same pocket as your phone which you are checking every 5 minutes? Maybe I've just learned my lesson and mom hasnt yet. And grandma, oh goodness grandma is being helpful. So mom is losing things and grandma is being helpful, my annoyance level rises higher and higher. Oh, and while we are back at the hotel dad has gone to get drugs for his athletes foot. Never a dull moment!
So credit card canceled, with lots of extra help, and athletes foot treated we are on our way again. We head up to the Alaska Native Heritage Center- it was WONDERFUL! On our way there we saw 2 moose (!!!!!!) and as we walked in we were greeted by a dancing demonstration, then we walked around and learned about the various Native Alaskan tribes (?- I dont know if tribe is the technical term, but its what I am using) and along this path an Iditarod champion was set up, ok not just ANY champion the 2011 champion! And his dogs, and new PUPPIES! So we paid the outrageous price of 10 bucks per person for a 3 minute ride with 16 Iditarod dogs! And these dogs were happy to mush, amazing! We then met a native that was a great storyteller, someone we could have listened to for hours, but really, we were starting to fade.
Back to downtown Anchorage where we stopped at an Ulu factory that was near a stream where there are supposedly Salmon- we didnt see any Salmon. By this time its about 5 and we are hungry, so I directed the family to an "Old Alaskan Restaurant" where mom and grandma had halibut and salmon respectively and dad and I had a cheeseburger and a hamburger, respectively. They may have been burgers but neither dad nor I think that it was actually beef burgers, so I am claiming that it was a moose burger! hah.
After dinner we came back to the hotel room and have been vegging out. Mom and grandma have been asleep for hours now but dad and I are up and reading, although I think after this post I am headed to bed myself. Its now 9:30, which is a nice respectful time to go to bed, right?! Even if it looks like its the middle of the day outside still? I LOVE this daylight for something like 20 hours a day! Tomorrow we plan to hit the botanical gardens, Wasilla and make it all the way up to Denali!
Oh and in case you were wondering, I did get over my annoyance, in fact I got pretty giggly and amused as the day wore on- thank god!
Thursday, June 07, 2012
Healthier
While in DC 2 weeks ago- insert comment about missing DC and bemoaning the fact that it has now been 2 weeks- I lost something like 7 pounds in the 4 days that we were there. It was something that blew me away, and inspired me. How did I lose so much weight you ask? We walked 11 miles on Friday and another 5+ on Saturday, according to my friends pedometer. But thats not all, on top of walking I ate foods that were not my norm, I didnt have many "junk" foods and I drank mostly water. Yep, that will make you lose weight.
But then I come home and get back into my normal routine, except man it would be REALLY nice to keep losing weight. SO I started exercising, biking, walking, mucking out the barn. I put on the 5 pounds I had lost and then I lost them again. (I know, I know, its not exactly healthy to be seesawing weight so much, but its only 5 pounds.)
Again, here we are 2 weeks later, and I am still inspired- though decidedly less inspired on rainy days. My weight still cant decide what it wants to be but its not that important. I've decided that I want to be active, happy and healthy- but I dont want to cut out all of my favorite foods. So I have been working really hard at moderation. Last week I did 3 miles worth of something- walking or biking but it was just not really what I wanted to do. Over the weekend I mucked out part of the barn, and thats all fine and good, but I dont want to do that during the week. And then I realized I missed running. Therefore this week, I have ran. I was always more of a sprinter and less of a distance runner but maybe I can train myself to run further- farther?... Anyway, Monday I ran to my old bus stop- a half mile away from the house. I ran the whole way, I was flabbergasted that I could, much less that I did. And then I was ecstatic. Then Tuesday I just wasnt feeling the whole running thing. Wednesday I ran to the bus stop again- and then I ran half way home too. Again, impressing myself. And today, I ran to the bus stop. Who knew I had the stamina for all that running?! But being a reasonable person, I dont want to push myself too injury so I think I may walk tomorrow. See, its all about moderation- even exercising in moderation, because if you push your body too hard you wont want to go out the next day, but if you dont push enough you might get bored.
Being healthy isnt just about exercising though, is it? Its a combination of exercising and providing your body with the right fuel. And if you know me at all, you know I love sodas, but sometime towards the end of lint I decided no sodas during the week, but I could have them during the weekend. And that worked, for a while. Now, though, I am allowed a soda occasionally. It can be during the week- like Wednesday, I was really craving a Dr. Pepper from McDonalds, so I got one. When I gave up sodas I started drinking a lot of sweet tea- a lot. Well, thats not exactly MUCH better than sodas. So now, my general rule is to drink water over the course of the day and have something different with lunch- so tea or soda or whatever and yes I am allowed to cheat occasionally. I am even starting to enjoy the tastelessness that is water- who would have ever thought?! That explains my drinking habits but not my eating habits.
Food= fuel. But not all food is GOOD fuel. No, I am not perfect, I ate a milky way as I walked out the door for my run yesterday, but I am getting better. Breakfast- I eat cereal. I get bored with sticking to the same cereal all the time though, so I switch up the cereals as I go along and I am allowed any cereal. Lunch- I try to eat fairly healthy, but sometimes I splurge. Like today, I went to Mr. Gatti's and had some ridiculous amount of pizza and it was SO FREAKIN good. And then for dinner I had a pear and a greek yogurt. So you see, I have small-ish breakfasts and dinners and then lunch is kind of whatever.
Is it working? I dont know yet, I figure really, it ought to be a gradual weight loss.
Will I stick to this plan like a dairy farmer milks his cows? Hell no. I am human, I want to be healthy, but sometimes not being healthy is so freakin fun. I am not going to have my life run by my goal weight and how far away I am- that ISNT healthy. I am however, hoping that little changes can become habits and that overall I will be a healthier person because of those little changes.
But then I come home and get back into my normal routine, except man it would be REALLY nice to keep losing weight. SO I started exercising, biking, walking, mucking out the barn. I put on the 5 pounds I had lost and then I lost them again. (I know, I know, its not exactly healthy to be seesawing weight so much, but its only 5 pounds.)
Again, here we are 2 weeks later, and I am still inspired- though decidedly less inspired on rainy days. My weight still cant decide what it wants to be but its not that important. I've decided that I want to be active, happy and healthy- but I dont want to cut out all of my favorite foods. So I have been working really hard at moderation. Last week I did 3 miles worth of something- walking or biking but it was just not really what I wanted to do. Over the weekend I mucked out part of the barn, and thats all fine and good, but I dont want to do that during the week. And then I realized I missed running. Therefore this week, I have ran. I was always more of a sprinter and less of a distance runner but maybe I can train myself to run further- farther?... Anyway, Monday I ran to my old bus stop- a half mile away from the house. I ran the whole way, I was flabbergasted that I could, much less that I did. And then I was ecstatic. Then Tuesday I just wasnt feeling the whole running thing. Wednesday I ran to the bus stop again- and then I ran half way home too. Again, impressing myself. And today, I ran to the bus stop. Who knew I had the stamina for all that running?! But being a reasonable person, I dont want to push myself too injury so I think I may walk tomorrow. See, its all about moderation- even exercising in moderation, because if you push your body too hard you wont want to go out the next day, but if you dont push enough you might get bored.
Being healthy isnt just about exercising though, is it? Its a combination of exercising and providing your body with the right fuel. And if you know me at all, you know I love sodas, but sometime towards the end of lint I decided no sodas during the week, but I could have them during the weekend. And that worked, for a while. Now, though, I am allowed a soda occasionally. It can be during the week- like Wednesday, I was really craving a Dr. Pepper from McDonalds, so I got one. When I gave up sodas I started drinking a lot of sweet tea- a lot. Well, thats not exactly MUCH better than sodas. So now, my general rule is to drink water over the course of the day and have something different with lunch- so tea or soda or whatever and yes I am allowed to cheat occasionally. I am even starting to enjoy the tastelessness that is water- who would have ever thought?! That explains my drinking habits but not my eating habits.
Food= fuel. But not all food is GOOD fuel. No, I am not perfect, I ate a milky way as I walked out the door for my run yesterday, but I am getting better. Breakfast- I eat cereal. I get bored with sticking to the same cereal all the time though, so I switch up the cereals as I go along and I am allowed any cereal. Lunch- I try to eat fairly healthy, but sometimes I splurge. Like today, I went to Mr. Gatti's and had some ridiculous amount of pizza and it was SO FREAKIN good. And then for dinner I had a pear and a greek yogurt. So you see, I have small-ish breakfasts and dinners and then lunch is kind of whatever.
Is it working? I dont know yet, I figure really, it ought to be a gradual weight loss.
Will I stick to this plan like a dairy farmer milks his cows? Hell no. I am human, I want to be healthy, but sometimes not being healthy is so freakin fun. I am not going to have my life run by my goal weight and how far away I am- that ISNT healthy. I am however, hoping that little changes can become habits and that overall I will be a healthier person because of those little changes.
Sunday, June 03, 2012
Summer Sundays.
Last night I slept with the tv on... I turned on one of my favorite chick flicks and then fell asleep in the middle of it and so accidentally slept with the tv on... and then this morning I was super nostalgic.
I woke up this beautiful Sunday morning and it made me want to go visit my grandma- my dad's mom. And then I realized that she's dead, and has been for almost 5 years now. So then I remembered visiting her on beautiful Sunday's like today. I remembered visits from when I was a kid and my brothers still lived at home- I would fall asleep in the back of the car and then because they didnt want me sleeping on their shoulder they would play ping pong with my head- eventually I learned how to sleep with my head straight back against the car seat.
I remembered visits where we played cards, when we got Wendy's to eat on the way to her house, the drive, the happiness that I associate with her and her house. I remembered times where she played cards with me, times when she watched me and my brothers and we had Red Baron personal pizzas. I remembered drinking root beer at her house and how her fridge always had sodas and Breyer's yogurt.
And then I remembered the last time I went to her house: It was a beautiful Sunday in August. But we couldnt get ahold of her on the phone and when we got there she didnt come to the door. She had fallen wasnt able to pull herself up and her phones were all up high. I had to call 911 and then we followed the ambulance to the hospital. She lived another year after that, and there are days, like today, where I miss her so very much, but mostly I think of her looking down on me, and I hope, desperately hope that she is proud of the person I am and the paths that I have chosen.
Then after I had all this nostalgia, we get the phone call that my other grandma, my mom's mom has been in a wreck. She was fine- thank goodness, but her car burst into flames and was totaled.
So today was very interesting, but at the end of the day, I am thankful to have gotten 18 years with my dad's mom and more with my other grandma. I probably dont tell her enough, but I love her and she is one absolutely amazing woman. Hopefully I get several more years with her, and if I am really lucky my kids will get to meet her. And maybe, just maybe it was Grandma C watching over Grandma A today.
I woke up this beautiful Sunday morning and it made me want to go visit my grandma- my dad's mom. And then I realized that she's dead, and has been for almost 5 years now. So then I remembered visiting her on beautiful Sunday's like today. I remembered visits from when I was a kid and my brothers still lived at home- I would fall asleep in the back of the car and then because they didnt want me sleeping on their shoulder they would play ping pong with my head- eventually I learned how to sleep with my head straight back against the car seat.
I remembered visits where we played cards, when we got Wendy's to eat on the way to her house, the drive, the happiness that I associate with her and her house. I remembered times where she played cards with me, times when she watched me and my brothers and we had Red Baron personal pizzas. I remembered drinking root beer at her house and how her fridge always had sodas and Breyer's yogurt.
And then I remembered the last time I went to her house: It was a beautiful Sunday in August. But we couldnt get ahold of her on the phone and when we got there she didnt come to the door. She had fallen wasnt able to pull herself up and her phones were all up high. I had to call 911 and then we followed the ambulance to the hospital. She lived another year after that, and there are days, like today, where I miss her so very much, but mostly I think of her looking down on me, and I hope, desperately hope that she is proud of the person I am and the paths that I have chosen.
Then after I had all this nostalgia, we get the phone call that my other grandma, my mom's mom has been in a wreck. She was fine- thank goodness, but her car burst into flames and was totaled.
So today was very interesting, but at the end of the day, I am thankful to have gotten 18 years with my dad's mom and more with my other grandma. I probably dont tell her enough, but I love her and she is one absolutely amazing woman. Hopefully I get several more years with her, and if I am really lucky my kids will get to meet her. And maybe, just maybe it was Grandma C watching over Grandma A today.
Saturday, June 02, 2012
May Splurge
May was a whole month of splurging for me. I called it the month you may splurge. :)
Now, I didnt go CRAZY and like buy a new car or house or anything like that but anything that I found in my day to day life that I wanted, I bought.
I bought plane tickets to DC, new luggage FOR DC, a new tea maker, some clothes, some shoes, some music... you get the point.
Well, the interesting thing that came about my little experiment was that though I was buying pretty much everything my little heart desired, I was still living within my means. Now, normally a put a nice chunk of my paycheck into savings and I didnt do that in May, nope didnt put a single cent into savings but I also didnt run up a big credit card bill.
I find this interesting and exciting.
Now, May Splurge is over and its time to go back to saving my money, because at some point I want to move out of my parents house... and I want to have a pretty nice penny saved up! :)
Now, I didnt go CRAZY and like buy a new car or house or anything like that but anything that I found in my day to day life that I wanted, I bought.
I bought plane tickets to DC, new luggage FOR DC, a new tea maker, some clothes, some shoes, some music... you get the point.
Well, the interesting thing that came about my little experiment was that though I was buying pretty much everything my little heart desired, I was still living within my means. Now, normally a put a nice chunk of my paycheck into savings and I didnt do that in May, nope didnt put a single cent into savings but I also didnt run up a big credit card bill.
I find this interesting and exciting.
Now, May Splurge is over and its time to go back to saving my money, because at some point I want to move out of my parents house... and I want to have a pretty nice penny saved up! :)
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Brighter than the Sun
Its a Colbie Caillat song that I absolutely love.
I bought it, the Lady Antebellum "Own the Night" cd, and a few other songs- I cannot CANNOT stop listening to them all! They are wonder, amazing, fantastic. Oh my goodness.
Ok. So I sat down to write a wonderful, inspiring blog post, but I am getting thoroughly distracted by "One Day" and therefore all the magic that I was going to write is now gone.
Smile everyone, today was a great day! :)
I bought it, the Lady Antebellum "Own the Night" cd, and a few other songs- I cannot CANNOT stop listening to them all! They are wonder, amazing, fantastic. Oh my goodness.
Ok. So I sat down to write a wonderful, inspiring blog post, but I am getting thoroughly distracted by "One Day" and therefore all the magic that I was going to write is now gone.
Smile everyone, today was a great day! :)
Monday, May 28, 2012
A Memorial Day weekend to remember
I went to Washington DC this weekend. Most people think that I went to show a friend who has never been there around, in reality I went to see a guy. And I have sat down to blog about it 4 times now and I cant really find the words to say.
There are things that I know: I would do anything, go anywhere for this guy. I have known him for 8 years but have only seen him/spent time with him for a total of 4 and a half weeks. I have written about him here before, hes the one that always seems to pop up when something is going wrong with other guys. lol. Hes a rock for me, always alright, cheerful and one of the best listeners. Now, if you know me at all, you know that I read WAY too much into the little things, but thats ok, because other than that I like to think that I am a fairly well adjusted person.
Obviously since I planned a trip to go see this guy I know that I like him, really like him, like would move to another country to be near him if it came to that just to be near him.
But, Ive never told him. I dont know if I've even hinted at it to him. I mean I know we have been a little flirty, but people are flirty all the time, that doesnt necessarily tell him "hey, if you told me to move to be closer to you so that we could perhaps see where this could go, no problem/"
Anyway, it had been 4 years and 2 months since I last saw him when I made this trip. And it didnt matter, I was still head over heels, got caught in his stare and I just was stunned. He totally had a smolder going on and I was caught in the flames. No, nothing happened, but I honestly feel like it was close, really close. I could be wrong, but he thought that I was going to be there for a week, and I was only there for 3 nights. He was SO very disheartened at the fact that I wasnt going to be there for a full week that it read into it that something probably would have happened. And then my friend was helpful, really helpful, too helpful. First of all, Im shy when it comes to guys and second of all I am far more shy when there are extra people! Not only was MY friend there, he had a friend there. Oh well. I mean I know that it wasnt meant to be, at least not this past time, and perhaps this was the perfect set up for the next time- and I am going to do everything in my power to make sure we dont have to wait 4 years to see one another again.
And while there were lots of Jessie melts moments over the course of the weekend, I think the one will stick with me forever is the goodbye.
So we get into the car- he was our chauffeur for the whole time we were there- and he asks which airport hes taking us to. Airport? No, take us to the metro, we will get to the airport. He tried again "which airport". So, I was like, alright this could be good, and I said "Reagan." To which he said "Thats in Virginia!" and I responded with then take us to the metro. Then he asked if it was really alright to just take us to the metro. Yes, its really ok.
OK so we get to the metro and he parks- leaving the car on. My friend and I get our luggage and while we are doing that he goes back to get the keys. Once we have our luggage I go to give him a hug and he says "No, I'll walk you in." Oh, ok!! So we walk in. We are mostly quiet but the station isnt exactly quiet. Anyway, the whole way down I'm thinking, I should grab his hand or maybe he will grab mine. Yea, no such luck. Then he waits as my friend and I get our metro tickets to the airport. OK. Time for the goodbye. We walk over to where you put your metro card in so that you, the passenger, are no longer a part of the general public. He hugged me, ok, thats fine. He hugged Katrina- thats to be expected. But then, then he held his arms out to hug me again. Whoa, wasnt expecting that. And my heart started racing, and I thought he might kiss me. But he didnt, and I didnt say what I had spent the whole night before thinking of: "You know, I made this trip just to see you." No, it was just another hug- but, and maybe I am making it up because I want it to be true, but then again maybe not, but there was something different about this second hug. I felt it all the way down to my bones. There was a shift. So my friend and I go through with our tickets and we head to the train, but I turn around one more time and wave. And thats it.
There are so many things that I could have done different, but I didnt. And I know its not really good to look back on that but I know I will for a while.
And what I will remember most is the fire that I felt when he looked at me- he smoldered remember? And I totally fell right in to it! The second hug too- it will be with me for a long time to come- and if you have read ANY of my posts you know how long I hold on to things! (Even knowing its not necessarily the healthiest thing.)
This isnt the end of our story- the story of this guy and me, at least I'm choosing to believe that it isnt the end. Theres more to come, and unfortunately- or fortunately, I think the next chapter is him joining the Army. He says he wants to be sent to Fort KaBoomBoom (Knox) here, you know, 10 miles from where I live and man that would be AWESOME. But I know the chances of that actually happening are slim to none. And because of that I have made the executive decision that- as long as he keeps me informed and its plausible for me to go (ie NOT on April 14)- I will go to his graduation ceremony or any ceremony that he has with the Army, if nothing else to show my support. Lastly, yes, I am aware that this could all end badly, but I have held on hope to be with this guy for 8 years- if not to be with him with him, at least to spend more time with him- and so far it has happened pretty nicely. I hope for more to come- and maybe you will hope with me!! :)
Goodnight friends.
There are things that I know: I would do anything, go anywhere for this guy. I have known him for 8 years but have only seen him/spent time with him for a total of 4 and a half weeks. I have written about him here before, hes the one that always seems to pop up when something is going wrong with other guys. lol. Hes a rock for me, always alright, cheerful and one of the best listeners. Now, if you know me at all, you know that I read WAY too much into the little things, but thats ok, because other than that I like to think that I am a fairly well adjusted person.
Obviously since I planned a trip to go see this guy I know that I like him, really like him, like would move to another country to be near him if it came to that just to be near him.
But, Ive never told him. I dont know if I've even hinted at it to him. I mean I know we have been a little flirty, but people are flirty all the time, that doesnt necessarily tell him "hey, if you told me to move to be closer to you so that we could perhaps see where this could go, no problem/"
Anyway, it had been 4 years and 2 months since I last saw him when I made this trip. And it didnt matter, I was still head over heels, got caught in his stare and I just was stunned. He totally had a smolder going on and I was caught in the flames. No, nothing happened, but I honestly feel like it was close, really close. I could be wrong, but he thought that I was going to be there for a week, and I was only there for 3 nights. He was SO very disheartened at the fact that I wasnt going to be there for a full week that it read into it that something probably would have happened. And then my friend was helpful, really helpful, too helpful. First of all, Im shy when it comes to guys and second of all I am far more shy when there are extra people! Not only was MY friend there, he had a friend there. Oh well. I mean I know that it wasnt meant to be, at least not this past time, and perhaps this was the perfect set up for the next time- and I am going to do everything in my power to make sure we dont have to wait 4 years to see one another again.
And while there were lots of Jessie melts moments over the course of the weekend, I think the one will stick with me forever is the goodbye.
So we get into the car- he was our chauffeur for the whole time we were there- and he asks which airport hes taking us to. Airport? No, take us to the metro, we will get to the airport. He tried again "which airport". So, I was like, alright this could be good, and I said "Reagan." To which he said "Thats in Virginia!" and I responded with then take us to the metro. Then he asked if it was really alright to just take us to the metro. Yes, its really ok.
OK so we get to the metro and he parks- leaving the car on. My friend and I get our luggage and while we are doing that he goes back to get the keys. Once we have our luggage I go to give him a hug and he says "No, I'll walk you in." Oh, ok!! So we walk in. We are mostly quiet but the station isnt exactly quiet. Anyway, the whole way down I'm thinking, I should grab his hand or maybe he will grab mine. Yea, no such luck. Then he waits as my friend and I get our metro tickets to the airport. OK. Time for the goodbye. We walk over to where you put your metro card in so that you, the passenger, are no longer a part of the general public. He hugged me, ok, thats fine. He hugged Katrina- thats to be expected. But then, then he held his arms out to hug me again. Whoa, wasnt expecting that. And my heart started racing, and I thought he might kiss me. But he didnt, and I didnt say what I had spent the whole night before thinking of: "You know, I made this trip just to see you." No, it was just another hug- but, and maybe I am making it up because I want it to be true, but then again maybe not, but there was something different about this second hug. I felt it all the way down to my bones. There was a shift. So my friend and I go through with our tickets and we head to the train, but I turn around one more time and wave. And thats it.
There are so many things that I could have done different, but I didnt. And I know its not really good to look back on that but I know I will for a while.
And what I will remember most is the fire that I felt when he looked at me- he smoldered remember? And I totally fell right in to it! The second hug too- it will be with me for a long time to come- and if you have read ANY of my posts you know how long I hold on to things! (Even knowing its not necessarily the healthiest thing.)
This isnt the end of our story- the story of this guy and me, at least I'm choosing to believe that it isnt the end. Theres more to come, and unfortunately- or fortunately, I think the next chapter is him joining the Army. He says he wants to be sent to Fort KaBoomBoom (Knox) here, you know, 10 miles from where I live and man that would be AWESOME. But I know the chances of that actually happening are slim to none. And because of that I have made the executive decision that- as long as he keeps me informed and its plausible for me to go (ie NOT on April 14)- I will go to his graduation ceremony or any ceremony that he has with the Army, if nothing else to show my support. Lastly, yes, I am aware that this could all end badly, but I have held on hope to be with this guy for 8 years- if not to be with him with him, at least to spend more time with him- and so far it has happened pretty nicely. I hope for more to come- and maybe you will hope with me!! :)
Goodnight friends.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Saying Goodbye
Tonight we had to put down one of our cats. And by our cats I mean my cats.
Kallie. She was an annoying demanding little calico cat that peed on everything- though it wasnt TOTALLY her fault. She was in kidney failure and she was super, super anemic. So instead of waiting for her to get sick and painful, we let her have a good last few days and put her down when she was still able to enjoy life.
Some people might think thats wrong, but waiting for her to get sick would just be selfish on my part.
I cried, though, of course. I loved that cat, it turns out, really loved her.
I will miss her photobombing all of my random pictures. I will miss her annoying meow. And I will miss her randomly sniffing my eyelids- I kid you not. She also liked licking plastic, like plastic Kroger bags. She was not a super lovey dovey cat, but I would often wake up in the morning to find her curled up somewhere near my head. And she purred when I petted her, a chirp-y purr that was totally endearing.
She wasnt even my cat to start with, she was my brother's cat, but she didnt like his wife- he got the cat when he was with a different woman, and I think, personally, Kallie didnt like that he switched women, even if the rest of us did.
When he brought her home, she was pregnant. So we let her have the kittens. 3 orange and whites and a black and white, if I remember right. Then we spayed and declawed her- which is why when she started peeing on everything she didnt get thrown out like the rest of the cats. When my brother moved out, he took her with him, but she started peeing in inappropriate places, so he brought her back. Because I lived in what was his room, she became my cat, and we formed a nice bond.
Euthanizing one of our pets is always hard, and when I am bonded to it, its harder, but Ms. Kallie had a good long life where she was loved and treated right- not every cat, or hell even human can say that for their lives, and so I am confident that she is in kitty heaven somewhere annoying the humans with her demanding wife-y meow- that I personally, became fond of, most days. hah.
So, if you are reading this, give your animals an extra hug tonight, they deserve to feel loved- every one does.
Goodnight friends.
Kallie. She was an annoying demanding little calico cat that peed on everything- though it wasnt TOTALLY her fault. She was in kidney failure and she was super, super anemic. So instead of waiting for her to get sick and painful, we let her have a good last few days and put her down when she was still able to enjoy life.
Some people might think thats wrong, but waiting for her to get sick would just be selfish on my part.
I cried, though, of course. I loved that cat, it turns out, really loved her.
I will miss her photobombing all of my random pictures. I will miss her annoying meow. And I will miss her randomly sniffing my eyelids- I kid you not. She also liked licking plastic, like plastic Kroger bags. She was not a super lovey dovey cat, but I would often wake up in the morning to find her curled up somewhere near my head. And she purred when I petted her, a chirp-y purr that was totally endearing.
She wasnt even my cat to start with, she was my brother's cat, but she didnt like his wife- he got the cat when he was with a different woman, and I think, personally, Kallie didnt like that he switched women, even if the rest of us did.
When he brought her home, she was pregnant. So we let her have the kittens. 3 orange and whites and a black and white, if I remember right. Then we spayed and declawed her- which is why when she started peeing on everything she didnt get thrown out like the rest of the cats. When my brother moved out, he took her with him, but she started peeing in inappropriate places, so he brought her back. Because I lived in what was his room, she became my cat, and we formed a nice bond.
Euthanizing one of our pets is always hard, and when I am bonded to it, its harder, but Ms. Kallie had a good long life where she was loved and treated right- not every cat, or hell even human can say that for their lives, and so I am confident that she is in kitty heaven somewhere annoying the humans with her demanding wife-y meow- that I personally, became fond of, most days. hah.
So, if you are reading this, give your animals an extra hug tonight, they deserve to feel loved- every one does.
Goodnight friends.
Monday, April 23, 2012
23 on the 23rd.
And I happened to look at the clock at 4:23, so I made a wish. :)
This birthday was one that I have been looking forward to, I just felt like there was something special about being 23 on the 23rd.
And, get this, I didnt cry today. Its kind of awesome.
In fact my day was super laid back and the only people in my life that I really had face time with were my mom and dad. Some people may not have been satisfied with the simplicity of my day, but for me, it was actually kind of perfect.
My day went like this: I got up and ran some errands and did some nice birthday shopping. Then I had lunch with my momma. After that I came home and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon until my parents got home, we had dinner of ham steak and cornbread. Then mom baked me a heart shaped cake, and she and my dad came out of the kitchen singing to me.
Nothing about my day was actually planned, and I think thats what made it so wonderful.
I wish that others in my life could appreciate the simplicity that made this birthday special. I dont think it would even occur to my sister-in-laws to not plan out a birthday, to just let things happen, but hey, they get to live their lives and I get to live mine.
This birthday was one that I have been looking forward to, I just felt like there was something special about being 23 on the 23rd.
And, get this, I didnt cry today. Its kind of awesome.
In fact my day was super laid back and the only people in my life that I really had face time with were my mom and dad. Some people may not have been satisfied with the simplicity of my day, but for me, it was actually kind of perfect.
My day went like this: I got up and ran some errands and did some nice birthday shopping. Then I had lunch with my momma. After that I came home and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon until my parents got home, we had dinner of ham steak and cornbread. Then mom baked me a heart shaped cake, and she and my dad came out of the kitchen singing to me.
Nothing about my day was actually planned, and I think thats what made it so wonderful.
I wish that others in my life could appreciate the simplicity that made this birthday special. I dont think it would even occur to my sister-in-laws to not plan out a birthday, to just let things happen, but hey, they get to live their lives and I get to live mine.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Its like riding a bike...
So, its my birthday, officially in Eastern Standard time as of 2 minutes, make that 3 minutes ago.
Last week as an early birthday present my mom gave me the means with which to buy myself a new bicycle. It was pretty exciting- yes, I do have the heart of an 10-12 year old, but it was also a little scary. See, I havent been on a bicycle in probably about 10 years, and I dont think I ever really recovered and was comfortable on a bike after my wreck.
Cue the bike wreck story:
Once upon a time, my best friend, neighbor and person who was like my sister and I went for a ride. I had a pretty sweet bicycle that I had gotten, maybe even as a birthday present, and it was lime green and royal blue, I think it was a boys bike but I loved that thing, I rode it quite frequently. But on this particular day we went out to the bus stop but then turned left and went another half mile or so down the road. We get to the top of the big hill and I tell N "I dont want to ride my bike down the hill, its too big and Im kind of afraid I will wreck." She said "Jessie, dont be such a chicken, its just a hill, dont worry about it, just use your brakes and go slow."
So we start down the big scary hill. My handle bars start shaking, violently. And the next thing I know I am more than halfway down the hill face down with my bike about 5 feet away from me and N is asking me if I am alright. I get up to find both knees skinned, 2 nice injuries to my right hand, my left elbow has a huge chunk skin missing and my right elbow is skinned a little bit. I wasnt wearing a helmet- at least I dont think I was, but my head seemed to be fine. And later I would discover a massive bruise on my left hip, from what we figured, the bike landed on me and bounced? who knows. Anyway, we are over a mile from my house and even further from N's, we dont know many of these neighbors but we do know the P's who live right near our bus stop. My bike's front tire was almost folded in half and there was nothing to do but leave it on the side of the road as we went for help. That right, I walked a half mile with super sore knees, bleeding elbows and a bleeding wrist. That walk seemed like it took F-O-R-E-V-E-R, but eventually we made it to the P's and Momma P fixed me up while Daddy P took his car to retrieve my bike. They then drove me home and that was that.
The only problem being that I didnt get back on the bike and now big hills REALLY terrified me. It didnt help at all that our driveway is a big hill. My bike was out of commission, and I think that made me sadder than anything. I would occasionally ride on mom or dad's bikes but they just werent as cool as my bike, and I didnt feel very safe on them.
Fast forward 9ish years and I decide I want to get back on a bike. Fast forward another year and I finally get a new bike.
Now, now I am in my 20's, riding a bike shouldnt be a big deal, but its kind of terrifying. I know I want to ride a bike and get good at it and use it as a form of exercising BUT Im kind of terrified of wrecking. I have been on 3 rides and its been a strange mix of emotions each time. I am excited and happy to get out, feel the wind on my cheeks and be riding a bicycle, but on the other hand, Im not very stable on my bike. I havent wrecked, yet, but I just feel wobbly.
Moral of the story: I am kind of terrified of my new bike, and wrecking, but Im facing that fear head on each time I get on the bike. Perhaps, though, I should buy a helmet... you know take measures to prevent brain damage should I actually wreck. :)
Last week as an early birthday present my mom gave me the means with which to buy myself a new bicycle. It was pretty exciting- yes, I do have the heart of an 10-12 year old, but it was also a little scary. See, I havent been on a bicycle in probably about 10 years, and I dont think I ever really recovered and was comfortable on a bike after my wreck.
Cue the bike wreck story:
Once upon a time, my best friend, neighbor and person who was like my sister and I went for a ride. I had a pretty sweet bicycle that I had gotten, maybe even as a birthday present, and it was lime green and royal blue, I think it was a boys bike but I loved that thing, I rode it quite frequently. But on this particular day we went out to the bus stop but then turned left and went another half mile or so down the road. We get to the top of the big hill and I tell N "I dont want to ride my bike down the hill, its too big and Im kind of afraid I will wreck." She said "Jessie, dont be such a chicken, its just a hill, dont worry about it, just use your brakes and go slow."
So we start down the big scary hill. My handle bars start shaking, violently. And the next thing I know I am more than halfway down the hill face down with my bike about 5 feet away from me and N is asking me if I am alright. I get up to find both knees skinned, 2 nice injuries to my right hand, my left elbow has a huge chunk skin missing and my right elbow is skinned a little bit. I wasnt wearing a helmet- at least I dont think I was, but my head seemed to be fine. And later I would discover a massive bruise on my left hip, from what we figured, the bike landed on me and bounced? who knows. Anyway, we are over a mile from my house and even further from N's, we dont know many of these neighbors but we do know the P's who live right near our bus stop. My bike's front tire was almost folded in half and there was nothing to do but leave it on the side of the road as we went for help. That right, I walked a half mile with super sore knees, bleeding elbows and a bleeding wrist. That walk seemed like it took F-O-R-E-V-E-R, but eventually we made it to the P's and Momma P fixed me up while Daddy P took his car to retrieve my bike. They then drove me home and that was that.
The only problem being that I didnt get back on the bike and now big hills REALLY terrified me. It didnt help at all that our driveway is a big hill. My bike was out of commission, and I think that made me sadder than anything. I would occasionally ride on mom or dad's bikes but they just werent as cool as my bike, and I didnt feel very safe on them.
Fast forward 9ish years and I decide I want to get back on a bike. Fast forward another year and I finally get a new bike.
Now, now I am in my 20's, riding a bike shouldnt be a big deal, but its kind of terrifying. I know I want to ride a bike and get good at it and use it as a form of exercising BUT Im kind of terrified of wrecking. I have been on 3 rides and its been a strange mix of emotions each time. I am excited and happy to get out, feel the wind on my cheeks and be riding a bicycle, but on the other hand, Im not very stable on my bike. I havent wrecked, yet, but I just feel wobbly.
Moral of the story: I am kind of terrified of my new bike, and wrecking, but Im facing that fear head on each time I get on the bike. Perhaps, though, I should buy a helmet... you know take measures to prevent brain damage should I actually wreck. :)
Saturday, April 21, 2012
They said "I do"
A friend got married yesterday.
That whole thing called a wedding seems to be happening to a lot of my friends lately- I suppose thats what happens when you are in your twenties.
And with each wedding I go to, I ponder my own future wedding, assuming that I actually get to have a wedding.
If I am with my parents at a wedding we often end up discussing the size of the guest list, and this is what we know, my wedding is either going to be huge or nope, theres no or, its going to be a big one. And I dont even know who the groom is going to be yet. Hah. Poor guy!
I love the idea of weddings but Im kind of actually a bad wedding guest, I am no good at participating in the festivities, other than going to the wedding and eating the cake!
Anyway. I am not one to dream about my possible future wedding all the time, but there are moments in my life when I think about it, almost obsessively.
I know my colors and the type of venue that I want. But theres one thing that I find a little funny: with each guy that I like, like really like, I come up with a different wedding date. I know, thats a little strange, but at the same time its kind of hilarious.
I hope that I do get to have my wedding someday, but not just a wedding, but a marriage with a person who who will be my partner and companion.
Maybe, if I am lucky, I will get to share the special day with my Payton- yes, I am planning for my dog to be a part of my wedding. :)
That whole thing called a wedding seems to be happening to a lot of my friends lately- I suppose thats what happens when you are in your twenties.
And with each wedding I go to, I ponder my own future wedding, assuming that I actually get to have a wedding.
If I am with my parents at a wedding we often end up discussing the size of the guest list, and this is what we know, my wedding is either going to be huge or nope, theres no or, its going to be a big one. And I dont even know who the groom is going to be yet. Hah. Poor guy!
I love the idea of weddings but Im kind of actually a bad wedding guest, I am no good at participating in the festivities, other than going to the wedding and eating the cake!
Anyway. I am not one to dream about my possible future wedding all the time, but there are moments in my life when I think about it, almost obsessively.
I know my colors and the type of venue that I want. But theres one thing that I find a little funny: with each guy that I like, like really like, I come up with a different wedding date. I know, thats a little strange, but at the same time its kind of hilarious.
I hope that I do get to have my wedding someday, but not just a wedding, but a marriage with a person who who will be my partner and companion.
Maybe, if I am lucky, I will get to share the special day with my Payton- yes, I am planning for my dog to be a part of my wedding. :)
Sunday, April 15, 2012
That moment when
I chose to drink water over soda.
That happened today. Ive been refraining from sodas during the week for the past 3 weeks now and I have almost caved so many times, especially with the stress of tax season but Saturdays and Sundays are soda days and today I grabbed a water to drink instead of my favorite soda, Mello Yello.
Maybe I am changing my ways, one day at a time, one choice at a time.
Also, I've lost 5 pounds, coincidence? I think not.
Its the little things like this that make me happy.
Choosing water, not texting J... this has been a nice week for little changes that are actually huge from my perspective.
May you have your small victories and celebrate them too.
That happened today. Ive been refraining from sodas during the week for the past 3 weeks now and I have almost caved so many times, especially with the stress of tax season but Saturdays and Sundays are soda days and today I grabbed a water to drink instead of my favorite soda, Mello Yello.
Maybe I am changing my ways, one day at a time, one choice at a time.
Also, I've lost 5 pounds, coincidence? I think not.
Its the little things like this that make me happy.
Choosing water, not texting J... this has been a nice week for little changes that are actually huge from my perspective.
May you have your small victories and celebrate them too.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Proud of myself.
So, 1 year ago today J's nephews were born. And I really wanted to text him today, reach out and have that contact again.
But I didnt.
Thats right, I finally made that step where I decided that my life is pretty good just the way it is and I have been down that road 3 times now, I dont need to do it again, thanks.
Yes, friends, I can feel you ALL cheering.
Truth be told, I am cheering too, its kind of a wonderful thing- i think. :)
But I didnt.
Thats right, I finally made that step where I decided that my life is pretty good just the way it is and I have been down that road 3 times now, I dont need to do it again, thanks.
Yes, friends, I can feel you ALL cheering.
Truth be told, I am cheering too, its kind of a wonderful thing- i think. :)
Sunday, April 08, 2012
Brighter than the sun
Its a Colbie Caillet song.
And I woke up singing it this Easter morning. It made my whole day a happy one, especially when I paired the song with my new yellow shirt!
Today was one of my favorite Easters and I cant even explain why it was, it was just a wonderful day.
Unrelated:
As a kid, like any other kid, I wanted a younger sibling, but I knew that my mom had a really difficult pregnancy with me so I didnt want her to have to go through another one. Therefore, I came to the logical decision that my parents should adopt a kid, and that way mom didnt have to go through another pregnancy and I could be a big sister. Obviously, my parents didnt adopt, but that just made me want to adopt so much more. I cant explain it but since I was probably about 7 years old I have wanted to make adoption a part of my life.
For some reason, perhaps its all the young kids that my current coworkers have, I have thought about adoption almost constantly for the past week or two. I know that I am not in a place right now to adopt, but I decided that I want to make sure I know the process that I am going to have to go through.
And for those of you thinking that I dont have control of my life, I know that, but I also think it doesnt hurt to plan, even if it never works the way you think it will.
So last night as I was looking at the process of adoption from another country, I made the decision on which countries I would like to adopt from. I would like to adopt from South Africa- they allow same sex couples adopt (one of the only countries that I saw that allow that) and India- but you have to be at least 30.
Other interesting pieces of information about adoption that I learned. Some countries require that you have some sort of residency as you go through the adoption, some dont care (South Africa) and others insist that you live in that country permanently (Italy) others just want you to be there a little while (India insists on a week of living with the prospective adoptive child).
There are rules not only from each country but also what state you live in. And so far I've found no place where the rules are the same!
There are age limits, some places just require you to be 18 (South Africa), while others require you to be 30 (India). Some places say there can be no more than 43 years between you and the adoptive child and some say that if you are a couple adopting your combined age cannot be over 90 years.
Some countries allow only married people to adopt and they even have rules on how long a couple has to be married before they can adopt- some places its 3 years, others its 5. Some people allow single people to adopt and a lot of places DONT let single men adopt.
There is also something called the Hague convention which sets up standards for intercountry adoptions.
So obviously I have just scratched the surface but I am excited, terrified, and hope that I actually get to go on the journey of adoption.
But again, you dont have to remind me that life doesnt always go as planned, why not? Because I planned to get married at age 23. And while technically I still have 12 months and 15 days to make that happen I just dont see it actually happening. I also planned on having passed all my CPA exams by now (I havent passed 1). So I really get that life doesnt happen the way one might plan for it to, and sometimes you just gotta give yourself more time, but that wont stop me from planning!
Depending on which life track that I get to take, I hope to adopt sometime between the ages of 25 and 30. If I manage to find a man to marry Im fairly certain that I could be convinced to push those ages back just a little bit. But the bottom line is that already, 15 days shy of my 23rd birthday Im feeling the pull to become a mom- even though, logically I know its AT LEAST 3 years away. Yes, I know I just said that I may try to adopt when I am 25 and thats 2 years away but lets be honest and know that the process will likely take more than a year and so while I may start the process when I am 25 I'll likely not actually have a kid til I am 26.
Just throwing this out there, but for a long time, I wanted to be married at 23 and have my first kid at 25 and lets be honest now, it will be a HUGE, mega, ohmygosh surprise if I have a kid before I am 26.
Ok, so hows that for shaking up my normal posts? hah.
And I woke up singing it this Easter morning. It made my whole day a happy one, especially when I paired the song with my new yellow shirt!
Today was one of my favorite Easters and I cant even explain why it was, it was just a wonderful day.
Unrelated:
As a kid, like any other kid, I wanted a younger sibling, but I knew that my mom had a really difficult pregnancy with me so I didnt want her to have to go through another one. Therefore, I came to the logical decision that my parents should adopt a kid, and that way mom didnt have to go through another pregnancy and I could be a big sister. Obviously, my parents didnt adopt, but that just made me want to adopt so much more. I cant explain it but since I was probably about 7 years old I have wanted to make adoption a part of my life.
For some reason, perhaps its all the young kids that my current coworkers have, I have thought about adoption almost constantly for the past week or two. I know that I am not in a place right now to adopt, but I decided that I want to make sure I know the process that I am going to have to go through.
And for those of you thinking that I dont have control of my life, I know that, but I also think it doesnt hurt to plan, even if it never works the way you think it will.
So last night as I was looking at the process of adoption from another country, I made the decision on which countries I would like to adopt from. I would like to adopt from South Africa- they allow same sex couples adopt (one of the only countries that I saw that allow that) and India- but you have to be at least 30.
Other interesting pieces of information about adoption that I learned. Some countries require that you have some sort of residency as you go through the adoption, some dont care (South Africa) and others insist that you live in that country permanently (Italy) others just want you to be there a little while (India insists on a week of living with the prospective adoptive child).
There are rules not only from each country but also what state you live in. And so far I've found no place where the rules are the same!
There are age limits, some places just require you to be 18 (South Africa), while others require you to be 30 (India). Some places say there can be no more than 43 years between you and the adoptive child and some say that if you are a couple adopting your combined age cannot be over 90 years.
Some countries allow only married people to adopt and they even have rules on how long a couple has to be married before they can adopt- some places its 3 years, others its 5. Some people allow single people to adopt and a lot of places DONT let single men adopt.
There is also something called the Hague convention which sets up standards for intercountry adoptions.
So obviously I have just scratched the surface but I am excited, terrified, and hope that I actually get to go on the journey of adoption.
But again, you dont have to remind me that life doesnt always go as planned, why not? Because I planned to get married at age 23. And while technically I still have 12 months and 15 days to make that happen I just dont see it actually happening. I also planned on having passed all my CPA exams by now (I havent passed 1). So I really get that life doesnt happen the way one might plan for it to, and sometimes you just gotta give yourself more time, but that wont stop me from planning!
Depending on which life track that I get to take, I hope to adopt sometime between the ages of 25 and 30. If I manage to find a man to marry Im fairly certain that I could be convinced to push those ages back just a little bit. But the bottom line is that already, 15 days shy of my 23rd birthday Im feeling the pull to become a mom- even though, logically I know its AT LEAST 3 years away. Yes, I know I just said that I may try to adopt when I am 25 and thats 2 years away but lets be honest and know that the process will likely take more than a year and so while I may start the process when I am 25 I'll likely not actually have a kid til I am 26.
Just throwing this out there, but for a long time, I wanted to be married at 23 and have my first kid at 25 and lets be honest now, it will be a HUGE, mega, ohmygosh surprise if I have a kid before I am 26.
Ok, so hows that for shaking up my normal posts? hah.
Monday, April 02, 2012
Phases.
If you know anything about me, its that I go through phases. Times where I blog a lot, and times when I rarely blog. Things like that.
So my current phase is phase all about S.
Hopes and dreams and all that jazz. I just wanna see him again soon. Its been too long.
So my current phase is phase all about S.
Hopes and dreams and all that jazz. I just wanna see him again soon. Its been too long.
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