Hi all!
I'm back again! For now. I find that instead of writing an immensely long facebook status, I could just write in here! My forgotten blog! Maybe I should rename my blog (again): The Forgotten Blog. Haha.
I don't even remember the last time I wrote here so...here we go:
-->Michael and I play racqetball 2 or 3 times a week now. He taught me how to play. I was AWFUL at first but I can feel myself getting better. It really does eat up time. Love it.
-->Both of the puppies have been neutered. Kuma is 1 year old now! Maximus is 5 months old but just as big as Kuma. They are still destroying things, no matter how many toys are laying around.
-->I discovered Pinterest and I will readily admit I'm addicted. I love finding ideas and inspiration. Here's the link to my page if you'd like to check out things I'm into: pinterest.com/penguin8289
The downside about Pinterest is there is SO many more things I want to do! Incredible crafts. Super tips and tricks for just about anything. Beautiful inspiration for style and decor. I really enjoy it. Unfortunately, it just adds to the incredibly long list of things I want/need to do. Sometimes, that 'list' greatly frustrates me. I figure if I tried to get all of the things accomplished I wanted to, I might get 3 hours of sleep. Maybe. Here are some of the things on my 'to do' list that I can think of off of the top of my head:
Work full-time (8-5)
Laundry
Dishes
Groceries
Cooking dinner
Make lunch
House Cleaning
Walk/train/play with the dogs
Prayer/Bible Reading
Working out
Double-dates
Dates
Yard Work
'House-making'
Bible Study/Worship Team
Dinner with Family/In-Laws
Read (both fiction & non)
You probably look at that and think that I need to pick my priorities. You'd be right. I have been trying, especially since I realized my frustration and complaining about any of the above affects my husband. It truly does. He tells me often how miserable I am because I feel so helpless to do what I feel I need to do (working full time eats up SO much of my day!). Then, a broadcast I was working on caught my attention and I had never though about it and he hadn't either, but it made sense: he was becoming frustrated because he can't fix it for me. He can't just magically change our circumstances. When I realized this, I came to the conclusion that I could suck it up and make it work. So, I've decided on a few things I'm going to focus on to help me feel more productive. Goals below!
-Walk dogs in the morning. This one is quite literally a chore. I hate getting up early. And Maximus is NOT good on a leash yet.
-Make lunch the night before. We're trying to get out the door closer to our 7:30 goal.
-Each night, pick either dishes or laundry to do. (We can't run them both or it all backs up into the tub and toilet!)
-Play racquetball at least 2 times a week.
-Keep trying to read my Historical reading plan for the Bible. I keep falling behind, but I can't let that get to me or I won't continue at all.
Those are just a few of the things I'm trying to concentrate on. I want to be joyful and productive and sometimes that is hard. I pray that taking these baby steps will help me get there.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
One Scary Word: Career
"What do you want to be when you grow up?"
Do you remember getting that question asked to you all of the time in elementary school? I suppose it's one of the easiest ways to start a conversation with a kid that age. I was never afraid of that question. I had it planned out, apparently. I came across a picture I drew when I was about seven or eight of what I wanted to be when I grew up: a ballerina, a clown, and a babysitter. Talk about ambitious! I wouldn't be able to wear my clown outfit babysitting, though, I'm sure. Ha.
However, the older I got, the scarier that question seemed to get. In middle school and high school, figuring out what you wanted to do with the rest of your life helped determine the classes you took, the grades you needed to get, the test scores you needed to achieve. I somehow settled on radio.
I picked a college and survived freshman year. Sophomore year, I began my radio classes and discovered I was not a huge fan of being a DJ. Thanks to my mother's encouraging wisdom, I completed my degree since there wasn't really much else I was interested in majoring in. Now, I had to actually live that 'What do you want to be when you grow up' moment. I had to start my career.
That word frightens me. Career. Your journey through the professional world. What you will do for the rest of your life. Something you can ruin if you're not in check on a bad day. Something you can change, but not easily and not usually without going back to school. What DO I want to do for the rest of my life?
Do you remember getting that question asked to you all of the time in elementary school? I suppose it's one of the easiest ways to start a conversation with a kid that age. I was never afraid of that question. I had it planned out, apparently. I came across a picture I drew when I was about seven or eight of what I wanted to be when I grew up: a ballerina, a clown, and a babysitter. Talk about ambitious! I wouldn't be able to wear my clown outfit babysitting, though, I'm sure. Ha.
However, the older I got, the scarier that question seemed to get. In middle school and high school, figuring out what you wanted to do with the rest of your life helped determine the classes you took, the grades you needed to get, the test scores you needed to achieve. I somehow settled on radio.
I picked a college and survived freshman year. Sophomore year, I began my radio classes and discovered I was not a huge fan of being a DJ. Thanks to my mother's encouraging wisdom, I completed my degree since there wasn't really much else I was interested in majoring in. Now, I had to actually live that 'What do you want to be when you grow up' moment. I had to start my career.
That word frightens me. Career. Your journey through the professional world. What you will do for the rest of your life. Something you can ruin if you're not in check on a bad day. Something you can change, but not easily and not usually without going back to school. What DO I want to do for the rest of my life?
Monday, September 19, 2011
Mobile Posting Test: Partial Fail.
EDIT:
Well, it posted the text, but not the photo. Maybe e-mail would do better with that...
Friday, September 16, 2011
Irrational Fears: The Dentist
Fear is a funny thing. It's something built into us, evident even as a little baby. We're scared of Uncle Joe with that big beard. We're scared of the sound the vacuum cleaner makes. Eventually we move onto being scared of the dark and scared from the monsters we saw in that movie. As we get older, we usually grow out of most of those fears but not always. Sometimes we hang on to a few 'irrational' ones.
For example, I came to grips recently with how incredibly terrified I am of the dentist. At 22-years-old, this would be considered by some an 'irrational' fear, no matter how common. TONS of people are scared of the dentist. In my opinion, with good reason. When I was in fourth grade, I was told because of my cavities I needed to have two teeth pulled. Thankfully, they were my baby molars so it wasn't a big deal. I'm sure I was nervous, but probably not nearly as much as I am now after the experience I had then.
The dentist gets in there and numbs me up . . . or so he thought. After a short time, he begins working roughly on my teeth. I could still feel it. It hurt! So, as the big brave fourth grader I was, I started crying BIG, big crocodile tears. Finally, the dental assistant pointed my tears out to him.
'Why are you crying?' he demanded.
'It hurts!' I tearfully replied.
'No it doesn't. I numbed you up,' came his annoyed retort, and away he worked.
Eventually, the numbness set in so it was no longer physically painful. Unfortunately, that was my first emotionally scarring event at the dentist.
The next time I visited this dentist for serious dental work was in high school. I had 'decay' on my teeth and they were going to do a new method to take it off: basically, sand blasting. It was supposed to be painless. Not so. At least, not for me.
I had two separate appointments for this procedure. One for one side of my mouth, and the other for the opposite side. They gave me headphones and let me pick out a movie which I thought was cool. It turned out to be quite pointless. Not only did they have to put a washcloth over my eyes to keep my tooth dust out of them, they knocked my headphones off. The high pressure whatchamajig they were using was painful to me. I cried under the washcloth. When she removed the washcloth at the end, the dental assistant said, 'Oh, we've smudged your makeup. Here let me get that for you.' What she was really washing away was my running mascara from my tears.
My mother insisted I tell them at the next appointment that it hurt me. I did not want to. So mom stepped in for me. When the dental assistant told the dentist that it hurt me last time, he let out an exasperated sigh and told me to raise my hand when it hurt. Half way through, it began to hurt and up when my arm and out went an annoyed sigh from his lips. I never wanted to go back to him.
Unfortunately for every other dentist in the world now, that one dentist has colored my view of all of them. So, when my teeth started hurting a few weeks back, dread was my overwhelming feeling about calling for an appointment. I finally scheduled one when I couldn't chew on my right side anymore. That appointment went ok. Yes, I was nervous. No, I wasn't happy to be there. Turns out, it was just a popcorn hull. Yahoo! . . . Oh wait, the dentist is still going to come check me out? Does he have to? Well, he did and decided I needed four fillings on my right side. I scheduled for the following Monday, a weekend away.
All weekend, I found myself dwelling on Monday morning. My husband had to work and couldn't come with me. What if the dentist was rough? What if he didn't wait long enough for me to numb up? What if he botched the whole deal? What if? I put myself into panic mode.
I think this is where the irrational part comes in for me. As you have just read, my fear of dentists is not unfounded. However, due to the amount of time I've had to dwell on it (more than 3 years), the intensity of my fear of the dentist is probably irrational. I felt helpless to calm myself. I knew at my age I should be so terrified of the dentist . . . but I was.
Since my hubby was going to be otherwise occupied, I caved and called my mom to be my moral support. She arrived shortly before I was called back. I was SO glad to have her there. Conversation with her was a welcome distraction.
I was so nervous and being nervous wouldn't be so bad if my body didn't decide to be nervous for me! Nervous doesn't just = emotional for me; it's also very physical. It makes waiting that much more unbearable. I got into the chair and talked to my mom while the dental assistant prepared things. The dentist came in after a while and shot me up to be numb. After informing the dental team that I take a while to numb, the dentist gave me about a billion shots. To my surprise (and relief) they were mostly painless. I'd also rather him overkill than under do. That didn't keep my nerves down much though. I think it may have been them finally releasing, but I was shaking so badly I put my hands in my pockets and let out a few tears even though it wasn't very painful.
I kept conversing with my mom as my face got number. I picked out a movie and made a trip to the bathroom. Then, it started. . . .
Not so bad actually. Not with this dentist anyways. Every once in a while, he'd stop and ask if I was still doing ok. After about an hour and a half, we were all done. Thank goodness, too, because halfway through I needed to use the restroom again! (Don't drink a lot of water before going to the dentist). Even though my face was still VERY numb, I drove into work. My husband laughed at my pitifully as I could only talk out of one side of my mouth. Talking was interesting for sure, but my teeth felt fine.
While going to the dentist wasn't at all pleasant, it was nearly 100% better than my past dentist visits. Maybe, just maybe, I am making steps toward shrinking my irrational fears. Maybe growing up isn't all bad.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Hello Again
I took the dog for a walk this morning. We have this new 'walking collar' for him which has straps that go all over his face. Ok, well not all over his face. It looks like this:
That was the best shot I could get of it on him. He's a little bit wiggly. The harness leads him by his nose, instead of around the neck. It's supposed to discourage pulling. It seems to work ok when he's not fighting it. Even though I've implemented the desensitizing process they had in the instructions, he's still reaches for his nose or thrashes his head. However, I think I prefer it to the choke-collar we had been using. He pulls a lot less with this new fandangled contraption.
Anyways, besides the new walking collar, the walk this morning was nice. I really should do it more often; I just greatly dislike waking up early. The sun should be up when I get up. Despite this dislike, I got up to my barely audible alarm at 5:45 am this morning and got myself and the dog ready. My husband planned on coming with but woke up from a rough early morning sleep and with an aching back. So Kuma and I set off, treats in hoodie pocket and iPod in hand.
I love walking. It's slightly more difficult with the dog because he is trying to pay attention to everything around him (we need to get him out SO much more), but it's still nice. There's no one out in the morning. Just me, the dog, a light music playlist, and the distant morning traffic. It's a great time to relax even though I'm working. I don't have to be thinking about or doing anything else. Just walking.
On the way back, I decided to jog a bit. Mind you, I don't jog much so it wasn't long. I tried to concentrate on making sure my heel hit first to protect my knees. That's a lot harder than it sounds. The dog, who always wants to go faster, could not figure this jogging thing out. He saw me pick up the pace and must have thought, 'We're running? OK!' He reached the end of the leash and seemed confused. He slowed down until he reached my side and noticed me jogging again and it was as if the same thought ran through his head: 'We're running? OK!' and sped to the end of the leash. Silly puppy.
My sisters are contemplating a Couch to 5k work out and I thought about it a lot this morning on my walk. I think I might try it out. I have no idea where I'd jog 5k though. It'd be nice to have a goal to work towards. I'll have to ask them about it. :)
Anyways, besides the new walking collar, the walk this morning was nice. I really should do it more often; I just greatly dislike waking up early. The sun should be up when I get up. Despite this dislike, I got up to my barely audible alarm at 5:45 am this morning and got myself and the dog ready. My husband planned on coming with but woke up from a rough early morning sleep and with an aching back. So Kuma and I set off, treats in hoodie pocket and iPod in hand.
I love walking. It's slightly more difficult with the dog because he is trying to pay attention to everything around him (we need to get him out SO much more), but it's still nice. There's no one out in the morning. Just me, the dog, a light music playlist, and the distant morning traffic. It's a great time to relax even though I'm working. I don't have to be thinking about or doing anything else. Just walking.
On the way back, I decided to jog a bit. Mind you, I don't jog much so it wasn't long. I tried to concentrate on making sure my heel hit first to protect my knees. That's a lot harder than it sounds. The dog, who always wants to go faster, could not figure this jogging thing out. He saw me pick up the pace and must have thought, 'We're running? OK!' He reached the end of the leash and seemed confused. He slowed down until he reached my side and noticed me jogging again and it was as if the same thought ran through his head: 'We're running? OK!' and sped to the end of the leash. Silly puppy.
My sisters are contemplating a Couch to 5k work out and I thought about it a lot this morning on my walk. I think I might try it out. I have no idea where I'd jog 5k though. It'd be nice to have a goal to work towards. I'll have to ask them about it. :)
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Oh, the neglect!
Abandoned! The poor blog. So cruel.
Unfortunately, I've been both busy and uninspired as of late. I know, 'excuses, excuses,' and they may very well be just that. That's my reason though.
Perhaps the monotony has ceased! My older sister and her family have moved in town and she has started a fashion blog for my sisters and me. It's called Four Sisters and a Dandelion and we all posted our introductions last night. I think it will be an exciting project! I hope we keep it more diligently than I keep this blog, however.
So, what's new you wonder? Well, maybe you don't but here it goes anyways. For starters, my big sister and her family moved in town! They are looking for jobs and trying to settle down here. It's nice to have them in town. It's super nice to have my niece in town, too! That's probably about it. I'm still working everyday. The dog is chewing stuff like crazy (angry face). My man and I are constantly unpacking and working on the house. OH! We bought a Wii! That's new.
As you can see, this is why I haven't written in a while. I've run dry of ideas recently. I need to just keep a notebook of blog ideas so when I have nothing to write about, I can come up with something.
Nonetheless, check out our new blog! And hope I update this again soon! Maybe the day after tomorrow?
Unfortunately, I've been both busy and uninspired as of late. I know, 'excuses, excuses,' and they may very well be just that. That's my reason though.
Perhaps the monotony has ceased! My older sister and her family have moved in town and she has started a fashion blog for my sisters and me. It's called Four Sisters and a Dandelion and we all posted our introductions last night. I think it will be an exciting project! I hope we keep it more diligently than I keep this blog, however.
So, what's new you wonder? Well, maybe you don't but here it goes anyways. For starters, my big sister and her family moved in town! They are looking for jobs and trying to settle down here. It's nice to have them in town. It's super nice to have my niece in town, too! That's probably about it. I'm still working everyday. The dog is chewing stuff like crazy (angry face). My man and I are constantly unpacking and working on the house. OH! We bought a Wii! That's new.
As you can see, this is why I haven't written in a while. I've run dry of ideas recently. I need to just keep a notebook of blog ideas so when I have nothing to write about, I can come up with something.
Nonetheless, check out our new blog! And hope I update this again soon! Maybe the day after tomorrow?
Monday, July 11, 2011
Updating: Life in General
My last post was about my 'jammed nester' and I am happy to report that we are slowly making progress! We actually had someone stay in the guest room this past week (though, it was just a queen size mattress on the floor surrounded with our stuff still)! My husband also almost has his computer room all set up. I am slowly, and I mean s l o w l y getting the kitchen put together. I cooked dinner last night and we ate at the table! YAY!
Concerning decorating, Michael and I are searching for posters we both like. The one he already has that we both love would be a fortune to frame and dangerous to dry mount since it is no longer available in the size he has. We'll get there. :)
So here I am at work, feeling much less productive than I imagine myself being if I was at home. Laundry and dishes to do, messes to clean up, floors to sweep, boxes to unpack! However, I also took a moment to look through some facebook pictures of my man and started to think about life as it was last year. It was fun. There are milestones to look forward to now.
In 21 days, we will have been together for a year. (All of you who were aghast at our speed may now gasp). It's neat for me. Last time I was in an official long term relationship, it was officially over on our one year anniversary. I'm excited to reach 1 year because I know Michael isn't going anywhere. I'm excited to count the coming years as well.
My sister and her family have been in town for a while which is awesome. What's not so awesome is that they leave on Saturday and I feel like I've barely seen them at all. Working stinks. :/ My siblings get to spend all this time with her and her baby. I'm here at work in front of a computer screen all week while they're entertaining the baby and interacting with my sister and her husband. Boo.
It's been thunderstorms for several days in a row now, here. It's just like it used to be when I was a little kid! Afternoon thunderstorms over the mountains. We used to sit and watch while eating popsicles on the back porch until it got closer and we ran scared. For as much as the dog seemed to LOATHE fireworks, he doesn't seem to mind thunder much.
Speaking of the dog, he's starting to get bigger. Not just in size, but also in mentality. He's grown out of the puppy 'love everyone' stage and he's started to bark. Not constantly, just more often. We've determined I shall never be snuck up upon while doing laundry, or just facing away from the world. He even barks at my husband, like he did this morning while I was making our lunch in the kitchen, when they approach or walk by when I'm facing a wall. While I know I'm protected by him, we're going to have to work on that.
He's also lost his baby teeth. Michael said you never really see them, but Kuma decided to prove him wrong by losing 2 in front of us on different occasions. His big dog teeth are coming in and they look much too large for his mouth at the moment. Right now though, he's struggling with chewing a little bit because he's got his front teeth in, his molars in, and everything between is missing. Cute puppy.
Well, that's all for now. That's the update on life right now. Until next time!
Concerning decorating, Michael and I are searching for posters we both like. The one he already has that we both love would be a fortune to frame and dangerous to dry mount since it is no longer available in the size he has. We'll get there. :)
So here I am at work, feeling much less productive than I imagine myself being if I was at home. Laundry and dishes to do, messes to clean up, floors to sweep, boxes to unpack! However, I also took a moment to look through some facebook pictures of my man and started to think about life as it was last year. It was fun. There are milestones to look forward to now.
In 21 days, we will have been together for a year. (All of you who were aghast at our speed may now gasp). It's neat for me. Last time I was in an official long term relationship, it was officially over on our one year anniversary. I'm excited to reach 1 year because I know Michael isn't going anywhere. I'm excited to count the coming years as well.
My sister and her family have been in town for a while which is awesome. What's not so awesome is that they leave on Saturday and I feel like I've barely seen them at all. Working stinks. :/ My siblings get to spend all this time with her and her baby. I'm here at work in front of a computer screen all week while they're entertaining the baby and interacting with my sister and her husband. Boo.
It's been thunderstorms for several days in a row now, here. It's just like it used to be when I was a little kid! Afternoon thunderstorms over the mountains. We used to sit and watch while eating popsicles on the back porch until it got closer and we ran scared. For as much as the dog seemed to LOATHE fireworks, he doesn't seem to mind thunder much.
Speaking of the dog, he's starting to get bigger. Not just in size, but also in mentality. He's grown out of the puppy 'love everyone' stage and he's started to bark. Not constantly, just more often. We've determined I shall never be snuck up upon while doing laundry, or just facing away from the world. He even barks at my husband, like he did this morning while I was making our lunch in the kitchen, when they approach or walk by when I'm facing a wall. While I know I'm protected by him, we're going to have to work on that.
He's also lost his baby teeth. Michael said you never really see them, but Kuma decided to prove him wrong by losing 2 in front of us on different occasions. His big dog teeth are coming in and they look much too large for his mouth at the moment. Right now though, he's struggling with chewing a little bit because he's got his front teeth in, his molars in, and everything between is missing. Cute puppy.
Well, that's all for now. That's the update on life right now. Until next time!
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