8 things I love.

Seeing as I can never remember to blog on Thursdays, here is one just for fun.

1. Rain.
2. Peanut butter cookies from Walmart.
3. The giggly anticipation I get right before bed sometimes, because I am so excited to sleep.
4. Taking a really good photograph.
5. Being so happy I can't keep the smile off my face.
6. Costco shopping with my mother.
7. Making lists, and checking them off.
8. Relying on my senses.

HMD!

Mother's Day 2013

                       A return from bloggers block to send a Mothers Day greeting your way!

Stuck.

Stuck in a small circle of procrastination right now.
I should be packing.
I should be doing my taxes.
I should be filing for my medical claim.
I should be blogging about actual topics.
I should be preparing for work tomorrow.

I'm watching a movie and painting my nails.

86 hours until departure.
31.5 of those hours will be spent working.
Ideally 32 of those hours will be spent sleeping.
And Monday and Tuesday nights are spent with people, having last minute hang out sessions.

So, yes, I should be freaking out.
In fact, I am.

But I'm just not doing anything about it.

And I wonder why I am so stressed all the time...

An update on the March challenge.

4

5

6 (not my opinion, just documenting)

7

8

It is a little bit laughable that the one free day I had, I didn't end up getting around to taking a picture.
So none for 9.

10

A time for grieving, and a time for moving on.

I felt bad for Flamingo Frances( as her nametag stated), I really did. Here she was, just trying to get through her Monday evening shift at Petland, enjoying the quiet calm of the store without customers, when I appeared.

{Some back story}
As some of you might know, my fish died a little while ago. We had been together for over 2 1/2 years, and I was quite attached. I'm realizing that he was there throughout some of the most difficult times in my life so far, so maybe that why I had such a special bond with a pet that you usually don't connect with.

Just about a week before Reggie died, I had bought a large 5 gallon tank in an attempt to cheer him up. As it would appear, it didn't work. And I was left with this new tank, sitting empty on the counter. It stayed that way up until now, because I didn't have the heart to buy a new fish at the time.
Last Monday was forced into being the time, maybe only because my mom was threatening to go buy fish if I didn't. And I didn't want to be stuck looking at fish that I didn't pick out. So, I went to Petland.

And I gazed at all the different fish for a very long while. And then I asked F.F. some questions. And that's when my sob story started pouring out.
Honestly, I don't even know how I could make such a big deal about a fish. But it seemed that every other sentence, I was mentioning Reg, and something about him, or how I felt now that was gone. I am ashamed of myself. Thankfully, she was a fellow fish lover, and she seemed to understand, or at least she is very good at acting. In the end I was triumphant in finding 4 fish that I could live with, but I still drove home feeling as if I wasn't ready for this step.

Despite my lack of love, they seem to be surviving, and hopefully in time I can grow fond of them.

Introducing for the first time..........

Hal and the Karens!

*note* There are three Karens. It's just hard to see one of them because she is so small, and facing the camera.
Also, Hal is frisky, and seems to sense when I am taking pictures of him. So there hasn't been a clear photo of him yet.

Month #3

Let's just put the facts out there. Going to the gym isn't very fun. 

I tried to trick myself for a while, but I soon saw through the lies.

Month 2 didn't work out so great. But I did learn how to work some new machines, and I feel comfortable going to classes, and working on free weights, so I won't say it was a total fail.

This month is going to be something totally different.
Since I am leaving the country on the 21st, I wanted to make it something that won't be a hassle while I am traveling around, and not so much about diet or exercise, since I really, really don't want to have to worry about those things while I am on vacation.

Instead, I went in a different direction completely.
A picture a day.

As the aspiring photographer I pretend to be, I want to challenge myself to find something worth taking a picture of every day.
Now most days, I'm sure I will cheap out, and not put any heart into it. But I really hope I will be able to learn a bit more about my camera through this, and get a little more sense of what is photogenic and what is just a bad picture.

So here is March 1, 2 & 3.

I didn't actually make the new goal until Saturday. But fortunately I had taken a couple pictures on Friday anyway.

It was raining really hard on Saturday night, but I couldn't capture the magic correctly,
so I settled for a different kind of magic.

Can't get enough of the new ink.

The permanent decision.

Anybody who knows me well, knows that I'm an over thinker.

Almost every decision I make is a large process, taking at least a couple days to consider, usually with me making my mind, and then changing it 20 times before actually making the final decision. Or not making the decision ever. Example being my lack of career plans :).

Take my last big purchase.

The iPhone.

  I can't even tell you how many times I went back and forth on this one.
My blackberry started acting up months ago, and it was extremely frustrating. It would freeze up at least a couple times a day, randomly turn off (usually while I was on the phone), and sometimes not send or receive texts. But even though I knew what phone I wanted to get next, since it was so much money, I couldn't make myself take that large step. So, I would just smash my head into walls whenever my phone acted up instead.

Then I created a plan in which I would set aside a small amount of money from every paycheck, towards the new phone, so when I finally I had enough, I would feel as if I had earned it.
And this took a very long time.
The day finally came when I had enough, and I still couldn't do it.
It took me almost another month to work up the courage to spend the fortune that is required for the new iPhone.

So.
I come to my next large decision.

But this one came with another added pressure.

Permanence.

It's a whole 'nother stressfilled time when you are considering something that you will never be able to take back.

Like a tattoo.
So, like my phone, this choice was a long time coming. Which years of thinking it over. And I'm not really exaggerating when I say years.
After ages of thinking this through, in the fall I told myself it was time, and that I would do this for my birthday. Haha. That was wishful thinking.
4 months later, I was exasperated with my indecisiveness, and almost on a whim, I went into the tattoo parlour to see when I could book an appointment. There had been a cancellation, and I could come in the next morning. ACK! Instant panic attack. I thought I would have to wait weeks, and it would give me time to get used to this new development  But no, I was plunging head over heels into it. If you can say that after years of processing.
But maybe it was better this way. Like ripping off the bandaid.
And it turned out okay.
No time to stress, no time to change my mind. Just enough time to spend a couple hours pouring through websites looking for the perfect font.
Going into this, I wasn't sure what my pain tolerance would be.
I know generally, I'm not that great.
And it hurt.
I picked a very sensitive part of the body, and most of it was right on top of bone, which makes it hurt that much more. I was very unprepared, but I didn't make a fool of myself by crying. Very proud to say that not a tear was shed. I had to keep up a nonchalant "this is totally fine" attitude to prove to the tattoo artist that I was cool enough for this :).

Here it is.

To explain this tattoo, would be like giving up a part of my soul that I'm not so sure I'm willing to share quite yet. It obviously has meaning. But I'm sure I would do a very bad job of explaining that meaning.
Instead, I will leave you with the song that it came from, and maybe you can come up with an idea of what it means to me.

Exciting things coming my way...

I'm trying to be as mysterious as possible.


Dare I say it?

Stay tuned for an (exciting) update.

Oh. Hey.

To the blog that I forgot existed,


I'm sorry.


I really hope there is no one out there, slowly losing the will to live because I have stopped my updates.

It's definitely not a conscious decision.
There just seems to be a lack of blog worthy material at this point in time. Either that or I have lost my touch for being able to spin things into an entertaining read.

If it helps, I am working on things in my life.
Ya know, finding new passions, re kindling old ones, cleaning out the closets (both literally, and figuratively), getting outside, making decisions, thinking.
It has been fun.

That is all...for now.

T.I.W.L.T.

Things I WILL Love Thursday.

1.Kangaroos.
2.The Sydney Opera House.
3.Beaches, Beaches, BEACHES!
4. The second best accent in the world.
5.Seeing a mate from bible school, and being able to witness her GET MARRIED!
6. Flying into the future.
7. Having my first totally solo traveling experience.

Four days late, I hope you can forgive me. I need to learn that I should not give any teasers, because there is a good chance that either the post will be late, or never show up at all.

But as you might have guessed, this lucky girl is planning her trip for AUSTRALIA!

Sometimes things just happen.
And details fall into place just right.

At the end of March I will be heading out for Melbourne, and I will have 3 weeks to delight in the wonder that is the land down under. (anybody catch that rhyme?)

Another month, another goal.

On Thursday, a friend reminded me that it would be February the next day, and was wondering what my next goal would be.
I guess it's a good thing that I told you guys about my resolutions, because without that reminder I would have totally forgotten. Thanks, Friend!

So I started thinking, trying to figure out an easy, yet effective goal to accomplish this month.
It took a while.
It was half way through yesterday before I figured out something reasonable.
The complicated part is finding a way to adopt a habit, that is reasonable enough so I won't quit because of the difficulty level.

February's Goal!

Exercise!

Now who doesn't like a little confession moment?
Here is my secret.
I have been going to the gym, yes.
I have been going to the gym twice a week, yes.
I have been telling everybody I go to the gym twice a week, of course!

But, have I been going alone, and not telling anybody how much I actually do? Guilty.

You see, going to the gym is one thing, but actually pushing yourself? That's a totally different matter.
Now before you go and judge me more than you have already, I will try and redeem myself.

I'm not a total fraud.

I do my 15 minutes of cardio, ab and arm machines, and sometimes some leg work. But it wasn't until this last week that I was actually pushing myself to the point of exhaustion....sometimes.

This next month I am really going to try and convince myself that sweating myself silly on an elliptical is fun.
One reason that has been keeping me from spending that extra time at the gym is boredom.
I sit on the bike for 10 minutes and I am already wishing to be done.
How am I supposed to keep myself going for another 20 minutes?

I came up with a solution.
Don't laugh.
Wait, laughing is good, it burns calories.

Zumba!
Here is a video from Youtube to show you what it's all about if you have never experienced it yourself.
Don't feel as if you have to watch it all. I didn't. Just get a little taste of how much fun you could be having while getting a workout!


I tried this for the first time today.
It was confusing.
I'm not a dancer, and they don't explain everything before hand. So you just kind of have to go with it, and pray you don't crash into someone when you go mess up and go the wrong way.

But it was fun. And amusing. And I felt sweaty at the end. But not worked out. Trying to decide if that is a good thing or not.

I will be implementing this as a third exercise unit. It will be a fun, light way of getting some cardio in on the weekend without it feeling like a chore.

As you could see, it is all done to music, and it really helps the time go fast.
And then for my regular gym days I will be increasing my cardio time, and actually making a schedule and plan of what I have to do in all the other departments.

I will be continuing my Coca Cola fast in the meantime. I just don't feel as if I am over my addiction yet.
You might laugh at the use of addiction, but it was just that.
I was starting to have at least one can a day, and not feeling happy until I had it.
Bad. Or sad. Either one fits.

Tune in tomorrow for the previously mentioned exciting news!

Gluten Free, Take Two:Wheat Free.

If y'all remember, just over a year ago I did a Gluten Free diet for two weeks, to see if it would improve my health at all. Nothing was wrong with me at the time, that I could tell at least. But for all I knew, I could have been living on 50% power my entire life and not known it.

Two weeks happened, and nothing changed. So I crossed that off the bucket list, and moved on in life.

Well, here I am 14 months later, going back to it, with a whole different purpose.
I'm getting in shape.

As all of the health experts say, in order to lose weight, you have to worry about your eating style as much as you worry about your work out plan.

So, I'm getting serious about this.
As you read in the title, I'm only doing wheat free this time, since it doesn't have to do with potential food allergies. But even so, it is amazing how much food that cuts out. It has been a fun time trying to figure out what is and isn't okay to eat.
Basically, I keep myself away from anything but homemade food, which is definitely a bonus for my wallet.

I have been at it for a week already, and it hasn't been as hard as I worked it up to be before.
There is no finish date set at the moment.
As long as I can stand, I guess. I would love to go for at least a month if I can manage it.

And on the exercise end of it, I have been going to the gym twice a week. A mixture of cardio, arm and leg toning, and core strengthening.
The goal is obviously a six pack :). And I actually think I am quite close.

I have been using Pinterest quite a bit to find wheat free recipes, and this one in particular is quite delicious.

BANANA OATMEAL MUFFINS!

The banana in the name will fool you. It does call for two bananas, but I have made this recipe twice now, and I could not detect any banana taste either time. Which could be a good thing, for those of you out there who are not huge fans.

I added chocolate chips to mine the second time 'round, because if you are used to sweeter things, it can seem a little plain and bland, but sometimes that's good.

Here goes week 2!

1+1+1+1+1+1=?

Happy Birthday, Blog!

6 years ago yesterday, I decided I would give this Blogger thing a try, and here I am, still typing away after all this time.

I know that my posts of late have been infrequent, and probably not all that entertaining. But I'm not going to shut shop down just because of that. I created this blog for myself, and I am still writing in it for myself, so if readers come and go because of a lack of commitment on my part, I'm not too crushed about it.
This is for me, keeping a personal record of my past for when my memory fails me in the future.

ThingsILoveThursday

1. Lego House- Ed Sheeran (Have I mentioned he is opening for Taylor Swift in June, and I just happen to have a ticket to that show. Yay!)

2. Tearing through the house to get my camera before the moment passes.

3. The anticipation of an adventure. Stay tuned for exciting news!

4. Tostito chips with a hint of lime.

5. Reading. These days it seems as if I never pick up a book, and it saddens me. I used to read for hours on end. I am not even half way through a book I started a whole week ago!

6. Movie night.

7. My bed. It is most comfortable. I can say that I even prefer it over nice hotel beds.

8. Getting flooded by memories.

Acting like a child.

You know how little kids have more fun playing in the boxes of presents at Christmas rather than the actual presents?
Well, that is like me, when it comes to this package that I got from Romania.

When I ordered the ring, I had no idea where it was coming from. I assumed the states, or Canada since the shipping was a decent price. But then this lovely little surprise came in the mail, and I could not contain my excitement. I spent the first ten minutes just staring at the packing, not even bothering to open it.


In the end, it turned out that the ring didn't even fit, so maybe it was best that I wasn't all that interested in it anyway.

Cliche New Year post?

Well.


Hah.

I don't know what to say.
I told myself that resolutions were not going to happen this year.

But.
I can't not have at least one.
It's tradition to have resolutions just so you can feel disappointed at the end of the year when you don't accomplish them. :) I'm all about tradition.

So this year I will:

1. Read the unabridged version of Les Miserables.
2. Find somebody that I can kiss at the stroke of 12 next new years. (there is a little more in that one, but not really something I want to go into on here.)
3. Have a 1 month goal for every month.
4. Achieve something that will make the whole year seem worthwhile.

There, I have the perfect mixture of vague, and so very not vague.

Number 3 is humorous.
The thing is, I have realized I have an addiction to coca-cola. And I told myself I would have a resolution to help me with that. But the thought of going without it was just too much to bear. So Coca-Cola will be my January goal. And by the end of January I will have thought up something for February, and so on. My hope is that by going off the pop for one month, I will stop craving it, and not want it anymore anyways.

Number 4 sounds a little strange. Depressing almost, but I really don't mean it to be that way. I don't feel as if life is meaningless in the ordinary day to day living. I'm actually very okay with it. But I feel as if having one big thing to look back on can also be very satisfying.
My Europe trip was definitely the achievement of this past year.
There were so many aspects of the whole thing that taught me so many different things. I am very glad that I got to experience it all. And as I'm already learning, the bad parts make for excellent stories.

Happy New Year, everyone!
I'm ready to go out of my way to make 2013 amazing, and I hope you feel the same way.

Mind blown.

Whistling.




Think about it.

You are creating music with YOUR LIPS!

Now, I really hope you don't think less of me because of this post.
I also hope you won't think I have been indulging in illegal substances known for mind altering.
Because this actually seems like a legit thing to be amazed about.

Maybe you aren't as 'talented' as me, and can barely manage to create a note, but I actually do quite well, and can whistle a whole range of notes and tunes.
Today and yesterday I was thinking about this and it was just delightful mind process.

How does my brain know how to do this?
How can my lips move in ways to create different sounds and put them all together to make a song?

Wow.

Sometimes I just don't want to talk.

There are times when I'm not in the mood for conversation, and this song always pops into my mind.

ARK Day.

Friday. 
I had sort of made the decision in the morning, before work, that it wasn't going to be a good day. 

Who makes that kind of decision?

As I was walking up the stairs to go sign in at 6:58 am, one of the guys told me that Rick (our boss) was waiting in the break room and he wanted to talk to all the girls. It didn't sound good, and my fears were being confirmed.

I walked in. 

And this was sitting on the table.

A white rose.
I love flowers.
I love receiving flowers.

                                                                          I love roses.

                                             I love when the rose is accompanied by rosé wine.

One of the guys at work has this thing he does every December 7th called Acts of Random Kindness day, and he gave every girl at work one of these gift bags. Needless to say, I was in a good mood for the rest of the day.

Technical difficulties.

When I wrote the last post, I wasn't meaning for my blog to be one of those things that I gave up for the duration on project to-do list, but it kind of ended up that way. In a round about way.

One of the things that wasn't technically on my list, but needed to be done, was bringing in my laptop for repairs. I will admit that I don't treat my belongings as well as I should, and I have a habit of stepping on, or dropping my computer. It's horrible, I know.

The latest time that I happened to be so careless, the consequences were harsher than usual. My poor baby decided it was time to 'fight back' in a way. By coming apart. Not totally, but the hinge broke...it's hard to explain. So I hauled my computer up to Future Shop to get it checked out before it ended up doing something like dying and losing all of my pictures forever (not sure if that is possible, but I'm not a techie.).

I took it in, I'd never done anything like this before so I was new to the procedure of this sort of thing. Apparently the technician was pretty new to this whole thing to. He told me they would take a look and call me in a couple days with a diagnosis.

He was right about that at least. He phoned two days later, telling me that they had to send it to Vancouver and it would take about a week in total, if all went well and I approved of the cost of repairs.

That's when this whole thing turned sour.
Can I just say that I cannot live without my computer?
I'm not that desperate girl who needs to check Facebook every two minutes, it's more than that. My life is on that computer, and the last 2 1/2 weeks have proved that. Oh, yes, that's right. I said two and a half weeks. Why? Cause they lied to me. But let me continue.

I have systems...that only work with my computer. I have lists....that only exist on the computer. I have saved information that I use on a day to day basis....on that computer. I have recipes that were on the to do list...that are on that computer. It seemed like every time I turned around to do something, I had to stop in my tracks since some valuable part of the process was a four hour drive away.

I got by, with an ipod touch, a borrowed laptop, and a countdown until the one week would be up. But that came and went, and still no word from the Future Shop here or the repair centre in Vancouver. I left it a couple extra days and then went in to check for updates.

Well, he checked for me. And it turns out that usually it takes a week just for the computer to arrive in Vancouver! And at that point it had arrived, but hadn't been looked at yet. Oh my word. I didn't even know what to say. Thank you. That's probably what I said. Canadians, I tell you. Even when they are upset and confused and frustrated, they still manage to maintain politeness.

So I waited some more.
Finally, yesterday I got a phonecall from a very hard to understand man in Vancouver, who told me that for this problem to be fixed I would have to put down $350. I laughed. Maybe half thinking it was a joke. But of course it wasn't. I told him there was no way I was paying that much for a repair on a computer that was not even worth that much anymore. So he's sending it home to me, unfixed. Hopefully I will get it in a week...and then I can laugh at the fact that I went through all of this pain and stress, and nothing came out of it.

Just kidding, I won't laugh. But you are allowed to laugh right now if you want.

In the mean time, I'm going to go sigh over new computers online and pretend I can drop the cash to buy one.

The one good thing that came out of the last couple weeks is, at least my To Do list is the best it's ever looked. As in, it's looking pretty empty :).