Leavin' On A Jet Plane [Day 13: Something I Want To Buy] + Blank Filling

Whenever we safely land in a plane, we promise God a little something.

I'd like to buy these:

Tickets to fly and see my wonderful, precious nephew. I miss him. 

*************************************

And now it's time for.... 

{photo using my new favorite iPhone photo app: PictureShow}

1.   Something that makes me a great friend is, I have a lot of empathy. I think that makes it easy for my friends to talk to me about anything and everything. It's a good thing to feel absolutely unjudged and comfortable with your friends. 

2.  I am a sick puppy. Caught a nasty nasty cold that has completely knocked me on my butt. No fun.

3.  I am not happy about this rainy/cloudy weather. Go away!! 

4.  If I had to describe myself in 3 words, they would be compassionate, fun, driven. 

5.  Something I'm really cheap about is makeup. I don't wear a lot of it and I feel silly paying a lot for it. Drugstore is good enough!

6.  Something I'm willing to splurge on is shoes. I love shoes, and as someone who spends a lot of time on her feet (teaching), it's nice to have a good pair of shoes on your feet. 

7.  I would trade this cold for more rain/clouds in a heartbeat.

♥ 

Keeping Cool [Day 12: Something I Bought Recently]

Nobody ever drowned in his own sweat.

I produce a lot of sweat when I workout.

It's rather disgusting. It drips off of my forehead, runs down my back, and makes a nice wet mark in the stomach area. My t-shirts are usually soaked when I come home from the Y.

That's why I decided to invest in a few workout tanks: In the hope that the sweat wouldn't linger as much if I wore designated athletic apparel.

So a very recent purchase was this:

I also got one in hot pink. Girl's gotta be obvious, ya know?

Blessing #128: Running Shoes
Boy, oh, boy, am I super thankful for my running shoes! When I first began running, I went out in my basic crosstrainers. Big mistake! This was something I of course did not realize until I was properly fitted for running shoes at a "running" store. Had no clue they made shoes to correct different types of mechanical errors! Turns out, my feet roll in after they hit the ground; I needed a pair of running shoes designed to correct that. Once a pair was found, I tried them on and -- WOW! -- I felt so much better!! Running became a whole lot more fun. Hooray for running shoes!

♥

Roommie Love [Day 11: A Photo of Me Taken Recently]

This is a pretty recent picture, taken at First Friday during a trip to Phoenix earlier in March. 

Love my roommies!

Blessing #127: My incredible roommate streak

I've been incredibly blessed in the roommate department. For three years in a row, I've had the privilege to live with amazing teachers. We've had some serious fun and some serious therapy sessions (namely, movie/TV marathons with chocolate). Sharing teaching stories, laughing and at times crying about the things that have gone down in our classrooms. I'm a little scared to (potentially) move to a new city and possibly have to find a roommate; it feels highly unlikely that a streak this awesome could possibly keep up... We'll see! Whomever they are, they'll have big shoes to fill! 

♥ 

Play Me A Song... [Day 10: A Photo of Me Taken Over 10 Years Ago]

I used to take piano lessons. 

Also, I used to have a very boy-like bowl-cut. 

Oh, and my mom made me jumpers with fabric from JoAnn's. 

I was super cool. 

Me & my BFF at our piano recital

[Day 9: Pet Peeves]

Everything is funny as long as it is happening to someone else. 

So if you've read this blog at all, you know I'm a pretty positive person. My glass is always half full. Of chocolate milk, of course. This does not mean that I am immune to the annoyances of life. I mostly choose to ignore them because it doesn't seem worth it to focus on things that bug me: just makes me grumpy! Every now and then, though, it's extremely fun to just let it all out, like this guy [warning if you haven't seen it: he cusses a lot]:

Boy, being that annoyed by everything must be exhausting. Though it's hilarious! 

Without further delay, here are my pet peeves: 

-Not using their turn signals. I'm not a mind reader! 

-Not wiping down the machines at the gym when you're done working out. Ew. Ew ew ew. 

-Using your fingers to plug your nose when jumping into water.
-All of those ketchup packets that get thrown in your bag with fries without asking -- I don't need them!
-The cardboard cases on DVDs. [The guy above is right -- what am I supposed to do with them!?]
-Calling and then not leaving a voicemail or sending a text if I don't answer. Is it an emergency? Do I call you back? I get butt-dialed a lot, so I won't call ya back unless you mean it... 
-Using "k" and "u" in text messages. I can't stand those particular "words!" Though almost all text message language drives me crazy. 
-Spelling the word definitely with an a.
-People who take themselves too seriously. No one is that important.
-Not picking up your doggie's poo.
-People who sit in the chair right in front of me at the movie theater when my feet are clearly on the back and there are plenty of other empty seats!
-Dressing up (to look cute) to go to a baseball game. It's a baseball game. Seriously. 
-The fact that in every medical/crime solving TV show, everyone is a genius! Statistically impossible. Plus, if they were all that genius, there's no way they would all choose to work relatively thankless, fairly low-paying jobs. 
-Cash-only businesses. Seriously?! It's 2011.
-People who correct other's grammar/speech immediately during conversation. I'm a stickler for grammar myself, but, c'mon... It ends up feeling like you just need to be right all the time. 
-Hair extensions.
-When vending machines spit your dollar back out at you.

♥ 

Chocolate Monster [Day 8: Something I Crave]

Forget love -- I'd rather fall in chocolate!

I. Love. Chocolate. 

Dark chocolate bars, peanut butter cups, Kisses, Snickers, Snowcaps, chocolate milk, chocolate covered pretzels, Nutella, Oreo cookies, chocolate frosting, chocolate covered frozen bananas, mochas, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate covered cherries, Peanut M&Ms, Frosties, chocolate milkshakes, Cocoa Puffs... 

I could go on. For a long time. 

I. Always. Want. Chocolate. 

Blessing #126: Trivia Night
Last night one of my BFFs and I walked over to the local Irish Pub for a pint (we'd just kicked some serious punching bag booty at kickboxing, so we deserved it!), and found out it was trivia night. We decided to stay and play a couple of rounds. We won the second round and got a free pitcher of beer! The evening also reminded me of a Trivia Night I went to at the end of my first year of teaching. Our team named ourselves "School's Out For Summer" (hmmm... kind of obvious we were teachers...) and we came in second place over all. It's always fun to rack your brains with friends and try to come up with the answers to the most random questions. Gotta love Trivia Night!

♥

Getcha Beeeeaaah Heeeaaah [Day 6: A Fun Fact About Me]

Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.

A fun fact about me: I had my very first beer -- ever! -- for my 21st birthday during a Red Sox game at Fenway Park in Boston, MA. 

My dad asked me what I wanted to do for my twenty-first because it would be a really special birthday: I'd be having my first beer! I'd had a glass of champagne and wine before in France while under the supervision of my mom, but this would be my real first beer, and my dad asked "If you could do anything for your 21st, what would you do?" I replied: have my first beer at a Red Sox game in Fenway. So, my dad bought two tickets to Beantown, we flew out there for the weekend, and sat in the first-baseline season seats (right behind the dugout) that belonged to my uncle's law firm. During the second inning, I had my first beer ever!

What a great memory!

Blessing #124: Non-fat Chai Tea Lattes
I love chai tea lattes. They're like coffee in that they taste different from each coffee shop, but I always enjoy the spicy-sweet goodness. Especially after a hard workout class in the morning, and the air outside is cold and crisp after a week of rain. Yum.

♥

How To Turn Great Into Blech [Day 5: A Favorite Quote]

A quotation at the right moment is like bread in a famine. 

I love quotes. 

There are so many emotions I often feel about life and at times find myself lacking any way of really expressing them. Then I stumble upon the most perfect quote that so accurately encapsulates... everything. This makes me wonder why I couldn't possibly come up with those sentiments on my own. Other times, when I read a quote it will spark some inspiration within me to change my perspective and take action to change an area of my life that is stagnant or heading in the wrong direction.

This brings me to one of my favorite quotes: 

Every blessing ignored becomes a curse.

It's a quote that inspired a change in my blog and my perspective on daily life. The words are from the novel The Alchemist by Paul Coehlo. It's the beginning of a quote by the crystal merchant for whom Santiago works. The lesson to be drawn from the rest of the quotation is that one can be fulfilled in life only by pursuing one's Personal Legend; the crystal merchant has not done this. Santiago is constantly warned not to settle for what he has and instead continue to pursue his Personal Legend. Ignoring the ultimate lesson of this part of the story, the beginning of the quote is what I hold onto because I believe it is true: any blessing that you ignore can become something that burdens you. 

Ignore the blessing of family and fail to appreciate all they have done, and they can quickly become people towards whom resentment and annoyance is built up. 

Ignore the blessings that exist in day-to-day life and life's simple events can become burdens. 

While certainly it is important not to "settle" for something one doesn't really want out of life if one can work to change it, there is also nothing wrong with finding joy in the things one does have and in the good things life has handed out. In fact, how else do you make it through life with all that is going on in the world? 

There are so many things, people, and moments in which to find joy in this world. Counting the good things and focusing on the blessings I have gives me the strength to fight against what is wrong. 

I don't want to ignore my blessings; if I ignore them all, soon I'll have none left. All the great in my life with have turned to... blech. 

♥ 

Universally Acknowledged Truth... [Day 4: A Favorite Book]

[Disclaimer: Epic. Fail. I realize I have completely and utterly failed to blog for 30 days straight. I have, however, managed to keep up with Movin' March, so I'll take that victory and pick up blogging where I left off. No legitimate excuse for my failure, just didn't really feel like it. Sad, I know. But I'm back now!]


It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

Ah, Jane...

I am a fan. Jane Austen's novels still feel relevant, probably because whether we'd like to admit it or not, human relations have hardly changed at all in the last 200 years. Despite the advent of technology, education of women, and the "metrosexual"-izing of men, it's all pretty much the same. I think this is why many females still fall in love with Jane's work. Most especially Pride & Prejudice. It's always the one I think of first when asked, "What's your favorite book?"

I could read that book constantly and never get bored, I think. Never cease to be enchanted by the language or the twisted Lizzie-Darcy relationship. And while it's been cinematically recreated (I though Kiera Knightly was great as Elizabeth) and the BBC did a fantastic job of making it into a mini-series (Oh. My. Darcy. Colin Firth is... glorious), there's really nothing like reading P & P.

Plus, it's the inspiration for pretty much every rom-com we all love. Consider the most basic plotline we see over and over from good ol' Hollywood (sometimes the roles are reversed): girl meets boy, girl hates boy for legitimate reason, girl gets to know boy, boy realizes he likes girl, girl still hates boy, boy does something redemptive, girl falls for boy, everyone lives happily every after. Sound familiar?! Sometimes there's a twist, like "girl likes boy, but then finds out who he really is, then hates boy," but mostly it follows the oh-so-delicious plotline of my beloved P& P. No wonder I can't stop loving rom-coms, even if I think I've "grown."

*sigh* Be still, my heart...

Blessing #123: Workout Buddy
I am so blessed... to have an awesome workout buddy! E has been crucial in making sure Movin' March (that's what I call my 30 day move challenge) is a success. I would not be nearly as courageous and open to trying new classes at the YMCA if I weren't going with her. It makes working out so much more fun to have someone there you can count on to encourage you. Today we're going to go buy some new workout tank-tops. Now that I'm 26 days into the challenge (wow!), I'm realizing I need more than my old T-shirts to keep me from feeling so sweaty. More official workout gear is called for, and I love an excuse to go shopping! Again, workout buddy = amazing.

♥ 

Something Special [Day 3: A Favorite TV Show]

This one was easy.

Growing up, my favorite movie was The Sound Of Music. I loved that an entire film could be narrated by song. I enjoyed all musicals, but especially Sound. My best friend and I would dress up and dance to all of the different songs, always fighting over who had to play the boy.

I never realized how much I missed musicals until the TV show Glee came on last year. I love that show! From the first Journey cover I was hooked.

By hooked, I do not mean that I watch it every week. That merely scratches the surface. My friend and I hosted a Glee viewing party where everyone was required to dress up as a character. I was preggo Quinn, and I "had" the baby (an actual baby doll that was stuffed up my dress) during a commercial break -- just like my favorite cheerleader!

I love Glee!

Dressed up (Emma and Quinn) for dinner & viewing of Glee (just a regular Tuesday night...)

If You Build It... [Day 2: A Favorite Movie]

The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that was once good and could be again. 

Oh, this was a tough one. Truthfully, I've been avoiding this post all day because I couldn't bear to pick a favorite movie.

And then I realized the actual challenge: a favorite movie. Not your favorite movie. Implies that there could be more than one favorite, which is certainly true for me. I have many favorite movies from various genres -- the stress of picking just one haunted me all day!

Which brings me to a favorite movie of mine. A movie I can watch whenever (no particular mood necessary). One that I can start watching from any point in the story and still be happy. A movie about a few of my favorite things: family, faith, and baseball. A movie who's final scene makes me cry no matter how many times I've seen it.

...Field of Dreams...

I love this movie! Cheesy, I know, but hey... I'm always looking for cheesy in my life. I know there are quirkier, cooler, smarter, edgier films I could have chosen (and absolutely enjoy!) but there's just something so appealing and comforting about a movie that is simple and happy. Josh Radnor (the actor who plays Ted on the hilarious How I Met Your Mother) said it well: "I'm not a pollyanna -- I get that the world is rife with horrors. But I also know the world is rife with everything else." There is value in a work of film that makes you feel hopeful and happy, even if the premise is a bit out-there.

Sometimes you just need to sit back, smile, enjoy the cheese. And maybe cry about a game of catch between a father and son.

Blessing #122: Fro-Yo
I love frozen yogurt. Most especially from the build-your-own places that let you pay by weight: then you get to put on as many toppings as you'd like on as many flavors of yogurt as you want! Some days it's tart fro-yo with cereal and gummy bears. Other times I crave chocolate with berries. Today I picked cheesecake and raspberry fro-yo with dark chocolate chips and crunchy yogurt chips.

Why have all of my recent blessing been food-related?! 


♥

Sweet Song [Day 1: A Favorite Song]

I hope you never look back but you never forget

All the ones who love you and the place you left

I hope you always forgive and you never regret

And you help somebody every chance you get

Oh, you'd find God's grace in every mistake

And always give more than you take

I love music of all kinds. And I don't particularly like being asked what is my favorite music. My iPod is filled with so many different artists and songs; I love putting it on shuffle to just see what pops up. 


But, today I need to pick a favorite song. There are many I could choose from that remind me of wonderful people, fantastic memories, beautiful places, great times... Today, though, I decided on a song that makes me cry every time because whenever I hear it and sing along, I think of my mom.

The lyrics at the beginning of this post are from the song "My Wish," by Rascal Flatts -- the song I've chosen as a favorite. 

My mother played this song for me during my last quarter of college in spring 2008. I was in the midst of student teaching and had recently found out about my acceptance into Teach for America, which meant I was also preparing to move to Phoenix, AZ, for two years. It would be the first time I lived away from my parents (I attended college 40 minutes from home). As thrilling as that was, I was also constantly holding back a meltdown because I was going to miss my mom! She was incredibly supportive, encouraging, and excited for me, even though I knew the whole situation was making her sad.

One day, my mom told me she wanted me to listen to something. She put on "My Wish," and told me that it expressed everything she felt for me. She wanted me to know that no matter how sad she sometimes seemed about me leaving, she was so proud of me for who I was becoming and the choices I was making. It made me cry then, and it still makes me cry now. We purchased necklaces as part of my graduation gift, and one of the matching charms we chose is a star imprinted with the word "wish" to remind us of our song. Reminds me no matter where I am or what I am doing that somewhere my mom is loving me and hoping life becomes all that I want it to.

The past couple of months, time with my mom has become even more precious and the little things we share (Gilmore Girls, soy chai lattes, shopping, Meg Ryan movies, french fries, movies and popcorn... to name a few) feel all the more important.

Even our song.

Blessing #121: Olive Garden breadsticks
Ohmigosh. Let me start by saying I understand that the Olive Garden is not considered a "real" Italian restaurant. When it comes right down to it, though, I don't care. I love love love those breadsticks. As soon as I sit down, I order a drink and ask if we can get some breadsticks. Prefer not to wait until I order. I need something to munch whilst I look at the menu, after all! Oh, those glorious, warm, garlic-y, oh-so slightly crusty on the outside but soft on the inside breadsticks. Yum.

♥ 

March Madness

There's nothing like biting off more than you can chew, and then chewing anyway. 


Thanks to some inspiration from my friend Vickie over at the Ramblings of a TwentySomething, March will be a month of slight madness for me. She posted some goals to make healthy choices for the month of March, and invited readers to join in any/all of her goals. I've decided to set two goals of my own: one for physical health, and one for mental health. 


March will be a month of "dailies" for me: 

• A personal challenge to move each day (could be a run, walk, hike, class at the Y, anything -- I just have to move!), and 
• A daily blog challenge

Now that I'm consistent about blogging blessings, I'd like to become more consistent in actually blogging. Some days simply lack inspiration for me, but perhaps if there was a prompt, I would find myself writing more. Hence, the 30 Day Blog Challenge, which I will begin posting tomorrow, so that I finish up on March 31st: 


Day 01 — A favorite song
Day 02 — A favorite movie
Day 03 — A favorite TV show
Day 04 — A favorite book
Day 05 — A favorite quote
Day 06 — A fun fact about me
Day 07 — A favorite photo
Day 08 — Something I crave
Day 09 — Pet peeves
Day 10 — A photo of me taken over ten years ago
Day 11 — A photo of me taken recently
Day 12 — Something I bought recently
Day 13 — Something I want to buy
Day 14 — An old photo
Day 15 — My celebrity crush
Day 16 — A favorite food
Day 17 — A photo of my family
Day 18 — A baby photo
Day 19 — A fun memory
Day 20 — A hobby of mine
Day 21 — A favorite recipe
Day 22 — A favorite joke
Day 23 — A video
Day 24 — A travel story
Day 25 — A favorite photo
Day 26 — A funny (true) story
Day 27 — A child I love
Day 28 — A place I love
Day 29 — A person I love
Day 30 — Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days


We'll see how it goes! 


In personal news, tomorrow is my mother's last chemo treatment! I am thrilled, relieved, and anxious. This past round was very difficult for her, and though I know this is the last one she has to go through, it is still going to be heartbreaking to watch her deal with the side effects. It'll be the last meeting of the Chemo Girls (and Guy), which is definitely cause for celebration! 


Blessing #120: Crock Pot
Recently I've discovered the amazingness of the Crock Pot. Dump all of the ingredients into the pot, put the cover on, plug the Crock Pot in, set it on low, and come back in 6-8 hours to find dinner ready. Incredible! First of all, it makes what can easily be the most hectic part of my day much smoother, and also I look like a much more capable cook than I am. Bonus: the house smells delicious all day long! 

♥