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...)

Filling It In

It's time for ... 

Yay! Thank you Lauren. 

1.   The phrase or punctuation I overuse most is       hmmm... probably ellipses. They most likely do not have as much of an impact because I use them so often. Phrase or word? Seriously. (I started using it long before it became popular a la Grey's Anatomy!)

2.  Today I am thankful for    my alarm on my phone -- woke me up from a very deep slumber! Even though I wanted to keep sleeping, I have to hit the road!  

3.  My best friend is    well, now, there's a spot filled by more than one person. :)  

4.  A quirky thing about me is     I read magazines from back to front. Not entirely sure why... But I can't stop, either! 

5.  This weekend I     am going to Phoenix! I am excited to see my friends, my brother, and visit my classroom. It's been too long. 

6.  Something that worries me is        the future. I try to keep calm about it, but truth be told, I'm always slightly worried about what is going to happen until it happens!   

7.  On my night stand you would find       my cell phone, the current book club book, my glasses, a glass/bottle of water, and maybe a hair tie   .

♥ 

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! 

♥

Brunch and Blanks

I wish I could crawl into one of those [crepes] right now. I'd eat my way out from the inside. 

This morning I went to a wonderful mother-daughter brunch with some lovely ladies. My mother stayed at home -- she's really tired today -- but everyone wrote out a sweet card for her. She is loved! Fantastic company aside, I really love brunch. A lot. Breakfast is something I can always eat, but brunch is best because it combines my favorite things about breakfast and lunch. Sweet and savory. Yum yum. 

We looked at pictures and reminisced about a trip to France many of us took together in the Spring of 2002. What a spectacular experience. One of the most memorable parts of the trip is this string of photos we have of the girls posing with men on motorcycles. Sounds ridiculous, right? 

It all started on our second day in Paris, on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. We saw this handsome older man riding his motorcycle on the sidewalk, and one of the mothers asked if we girls might pose with him for a picture. He charmingly obliged (as Frenchmen are inclined to do) and smiled for the camera. Immediately following this, he saw something out of the corner of his eye and went running down the sidewalk and into the Metro entrance. Minutes later he walked out dragging a teenage boy behind him. Turns out, this man was an under-cover cop (un flic) and the young boy was part of a gang of thieves stealing from passengers on the Metro. 

That picture with the beau flic was just the beginning: a handsome Tome Cruise-look-alike outside a castle in Fugeres, a father-son pair at a gas station in Normandy, two very good looking young guys in Avignon (one took quite a liking to me -- the feeling was mutual -- and let me sit on his motorcycle. Sometimes I'm still curious about what might have happened there if my mother hadn't been 20 feet away... oh, Antoine...), our home-stay brother just outside of Cannes... What started as something quite embarrassing for a group of teenage girls turned out to be one of the best parts of our trip! Thank goodness one of the moms knew better than to let our shyness get in the way of good memories. 

Today is Friday... that means it's time for Fill-In-The-Blanks! 

1.   I am currently obsessed with       The Ellen Show. She is just so funny and does the best things with her guests and audience. One day, I'd love to dance on the Ellen Show! I've begun recording episodes to make sure I don't miss any surprise Justin Bieber appearances (oh, that's another current obsession: the Biebs).

2.  Today I am    feeling good     because,    brunch was fabulous, I am almost finished getting through the process of becoming a substitute teacher, my tummy is better, and I'm looking forward to mom's last chemo session next week!!! 

3.  The age I am is    25    and the age I feel is    23, most of the time. I feel like 23 was a great year, I learned/grew a lot, and I haven't changed a whole lot since. Some days I feel older, though, like the day I realized I would have to get a new cell phone and my reaction was: "Ugh! Now I have to learn how to use a new phone!! Can't I just keep this one?!" Sounds like my parents! 

4.  My favorite place is     wherever I am feeling happy and enjoying life. 

5.  Something I have been procrastinating is     returning emails. Which is ridiculous, because I have plenty of time to do so, yet I have quite a few emails I need to answer. One day... 

6.  The last thing I purchased was        prescription from Walgreens. 

7.  The thing I love most about my home is       that it's where my heart is -- I dont' have to go back to one place to feel at home!   

Blessing #119: Crepes

Crepes are amazing. Light, sweet (but not too sweet), and great for any filling: Nutella, fruit, cinnamon sugar, whipped cream, almonds, cheese, meat, mushrooms... it's all delicious! Great for a part because all you have to do is supply various fillings, and then impress all of your friends by whipping up batches of fluffy, thin crepes. They are also indescribably delectable from street vendors in Paris. One of my favorite things to do there was go whenever possible to our Crepe Man at his stand in the Latin Quarter, who knew us after a couple of visits and kissed me on my birthday. Crepe stands are kind of like the French equivalent of New York hot dog vendors. Oh, now I want more crepes!

♥ 

I would like to...

It's Fill-In-The-Blank Friday time! One of my favorite things to do, thanks Lauren! 

1.   I am      a good combination of my mother and father. A teacher. Friendly. Loyal. Stubborn to a fault sometimes. Learning to stand up for myself. Not worrying about where I'll be in a few months -- yet! A new runner. A girly-girl, but not too girly. A texter. A karaoke singing, jump-on-stage-with-the-band, dancing fun-seeker. Still becoming.

2.  The bravest thing I've ever done was    hmmm. Either packing up and moving to Phoenix, or running a half marathon.

3.  I feel prettiest when       my students tell my I look beautiful.

4.  Something that keeps me awake at night is    thinking about the things I need to get done. 

5.  My favorite meal in the entire world is     my mom makes this amazing cheesy potato casserole... I could eat it for every meal! Also, I really love a good breakfast, especially the cinnamon rolls from The Good Egg. 

6.  The way to my heart is       through quality time, funny texts, and the willingness to just be completely silly at the drop of a hat. Also a good argument .

7.  I would like to      participate in a triathlon, see Justin Bieber in concert, own my own place, visit NYC, travel in South America... I would like to do so many things!