White Hot and Passionate - This is NOT an Excerpt from a Romance Novel

I had such high expectations for my upcoming week. I was going to be SO productive. Last night at work (since I couldn’t get into Jane Eyre) I made a list of things I needed from the store, lunches AND dinners for the week, and my “to-do” list from Sunday to Saturday. Let’s discuss what I have completed on my list. ZERO THINGS. Wait – I take that back. I worked out this morning and packed my lunch for today. But other than that – zero. Zilch. Nada. But I have a legit excuse. For real though – I have a good excuse!

First off – I had planned to go to the grocery store after work and pick up food for dinner and other things I was planning on making this week. Well that got pushed to the wayside because there was a tornado warning. Like a touchdown tornado about 20 miles from here. I decided I should probably just go home and make sure Toby was doing okay with the storm happening. After that I had planned on putting my laundry away (the same laundry I washed last week and still haven’t put away) and make chicken salad sandwiches. Instead – I came home, took off my pants, grabbed a bag (or three) of chips, and watched three episodes of 30 Rock. Not even close to the definition of “productive.” Woops. Well tonight I can’t go to the store – unless I hit up Hy Vee at 10:30 tonight, but I’d rather sleep – so I either have to go on my lunch tomorrow or right after work. Throws off my WHOLE WEEK. Stupid Iowa weather is messing with my organization and productivity! But it will all work out – it has to right? So maybe on my lunch I’ll hit up Hy Vee and grab the ingredients for my Tuesday Night Baking Excursion – yes I’m making that a thing – and that way I can go home right after work to start dinner. I’m excited to tell you how both of these turn out… I’m cooking something I’ve never cooked before (recipe and ingredients) and attempting another bakery item. I really need to get better at documenting my shenanigans. Noted. I’ll actually post pictures of my completions in my next entry. Watch for it!

I had an idea for a brief moment this weekend – it hurt my head with all that thinking, but I still had an idea. Start a cupcake business with my sister! I could bake and she could decorate – she’s basically a cupcake decorator extraordinaire. Then I realized that I’m not THAT good at baking. And then I thought about Two Broke Girls and realized that’s already been done. Plus – my boobs aren’t big enough to be the lead and I am not a once-rich girl to play the blonde. Nor am I blonde. So there’s that. But still – wouldn’t that be fun? Maybe after I practice some more I could at least make them for friends and family parties. That could be fun right? (But not for two years because SOMEONE had to sign a non-compete… FOR CUPCAKES OF ALL THINGS.) Anyway – fun thing to think about.

I tried out a couple new breweries in the past couple weeks. I have to say – brewery beer is SO MUCH BETTER than regular beer. Confluence Brewery and Exile Brewery were my stops – and I HIGHLY recommend both. I’m trying to broaden my horizons with food and drinks and activities… so both of these trips were new to me. Two thumbs up to Exile food as well – holy crap. When you go, if you go, be sure to get their “Dunk Dunk” sauce. It’s mayo and… something. I can’t quite pick up what it is… but oh em gee. Delish. So – go out and drink some more… it’s freakin good.

So my running… I’m sure you’ve all been patiently waiting to hear about how my training for D2D4 is going. Well – it’s not. Like at all. Like I hit my peak at 8 miles-ish and haven’t run since. HOWEVER I have been doing Kosama very regularly, and I have convinced myself that the cardio from that will make it so I don’t die during the race. I’m sure I’ll feel differently come 12 days from now. Barf. Also – there has been talk of a pact (signed in blood) for NEVER running this race again.

I feel as though in my last few posts I’ve gotten really wordy and rambling – so I’m cutting this one a little short. Not necessarily short, but I’m not just going to write to write. I’ve gotten out what I needed to, and now it’s quote time. As I write this, I’m debating which one of two I should use. They both made it to my “Happiness” board on Pinterest. And they’re both similar – yet different. One deals with regret and the other, enthusiasm. Today I choose enthusiasm – because I think enthusiasm, in this case – life enthusiasm – have a direct correlation with happiness. And who doesn’t want to be happy? I have a sign hanging directly next to my door that says “Do one thing each day that makes you happy” so I see it each time I leave for the day. It’s a nice reminder for me – and I’d much rather be happy than sad or angry. So back to it: life enthusiasm = happiness. Or is it: happiness = life enthusiasm? You be the judge.

“I began to realize how important it was to be an enthusiast in life… if you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it at full speed ahead. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good. Hot is no good either. White hot and passionate is the only thing to be.”

From one of my favorite authors, Roald Dahl knows what’s up. Why go through life without some sort of a passion? Whether it be something as simple as reading a book or cooking a dinner; or as extravagant as living out of the country or going back to school to pursue your career, I think you should find what makes you happy and then do it. Forever. I have many things that make me happy but I have yet to find my true passion. My calling. But until I find it – I’m going to do what makes me happy. Cooking, reading, spending time with friends, working out, relaxing, watching crappy TV, drinking wine, trying new food, devouring any food, laughing till I want to pee my pants, watching new movies, watching old movies and quoting them, people watching, writing, listening to thunderstorms, shopping, working. It’s what makes me happy, and what makes me – me.

So – if you haven’t found your passion yet, I urge you to find it. Until then – be happy being you.

Sincerely yours – life enthusiast

S

Remember Me? Weekly Recap

Remember me? I know, I know… big disappointment. Yeah – I’ve been slacking… big time. SO sorry. So let’s get back on this gravy train and catch up on my oh-so exciting life. Let’s see… it’s been exactly two weeks since I’ve written. How lame. And the majority of what I’ve been doing since then – working. But no one wants to hear about that… because then I’d be whining and I had a whiny post prior to this one… so I won’t do that. This one will be happy, funny (hopefully), intriguing, all that fun stuff. Mk? Mk then let’s get at it.

The weekend following my cry-baby post (real sorry about that – but I had a bad day and I figured the best way to get rid of that bad day was to write about it) – I had tickets for the Jason Aldean concert in Omaha. Halfway through the week my date got sick so I needed a replacement, like asap. Pulled some strings and got it planned. The trip west was LAAAAAAAME… not much to see between Des Moines and Omaha. But we got to the hotel at a decent time (and it was awesome weather) so we had some time to waste before we headed out to the restaurant/bar by the venue for the pre-party. You’ve got that right – Jason Aldean pre-party. So many cowboys and cowgirls and people who weren’t sure what event they were going to. But it was lots of fun. Plenty of people watching happened – one of my favorite pastimes. We got to the show just in time to miss the opening act (Thomas Rhett) and time to get the lines for the bathrooms and beer. The seats were waaaaay up in the nosebleeds – but definitely worth it. Jake Owen (middle act? Second opening act?) was FANTASTIC. I forgot about all the songs he had out until I could sing along with each one. And then it’s time for Jason. I’ve seen him before at the state fair – and again, he sure didn’t disappoint. At this point in the night I was definitely a “woo-girl” (if you don’t know what it is, Netflix “How I Met Your Mother” and there’s nearly an entire episode dedicated to the “woo girl.”) I was singing along to all the songs, woo-ing at inappropriate times, and dancing like I was trying not to fall all the way down the seats. That actually made me a little nervous – as high up as we are I got scared each time I’d walk down to the bathroom or to refill my adult beverage that I’d end up face planting and making it on YouTube. And that ain’t how I want to get famous. Sure it may be a good start – but I’d rather be known for more. I’ll continue to work on that one. Back to the concert – it was a long night, but so fun. Plus – anytime I get to wear my cowgirl boots it’s a good time J Sunday was a day of relaxing, luggage shopping (a lot harder than you would think) and watching some movies. I was up early Monday morning to drop the world traveler off with another group and I spent some time reading at Caribou with a breakfast sandwich and a delicious latte. Not a terrible start to that Monday morning.

This past week was pretty insignificant… lots of work (again) and we had to reschedule book club. But I’m very excited for the make-up meeting this week! And to see what we’ll be reading next… very interested to see what’s next up on the docket. Speaking of books – I’m through 14 books for 2013. I got stuck a little on Jane Eyre and had to take a break for a bit… but I’m thinking after I finish up Bossypants (Tina Fey is hilarious – highly recommended) I can get back with good ol’ Charlotte and finish up with Jane. (That sounded slightly inappropriate lolz.) But like I said – the rest of the week wasn’t too exciting, had a minor hiccup and spent a couple days getting poked, prodded and shot up – but all’s well that ends well. And I’m good to go. Maybe it was just an expensive way for me to learn that I’m not as young as I thought I was and can’t get too crazy anymore. How lame. I spent Friday relaxing and after a short shift on Saturday I thought it was time for some sushi. That shit is good. You know what’s not as good? Sake bombs. I mean don’t get me wrong – they’re delicious. But they sneak up on you. Ouch. So after so AMAZING sushi and some even AMAZING-ER cheesecake, I was in a pretty good mood. A few more cocktails at the Hawkeye bar (gag) and a quick trip to Carl’s left us sprinting back to my house in the rain. It’s barely a block – but still. No one wants to get caught in the rain. Unless of course you’re doing a reenactment of The Notebook with a Ryan Gosling look alike… now that I’d be into. FO SHO. Okay I should probably get off that subject before I sprint home and pop in The Notebook and watch that part on repeat till daybreak. Not a terrible idea… but I’ve got things to do. Yesterday was also a lazy, awesome day. Yummy breakfast from Gateway Market (I love that I can walk there without breaking a sweat), a movie, pulled pork sandwiches for lunch, another lazy movie, and some meatloaf for dinner. I should have gone straight to bed after that awesome day, but instead I turned on the TV and watched at LEAST 4 episodes of It’s Always Sunny. So addicting.

Bright and early today – my alarm went off urging me to “get my ass up and out of bed” at 5 am so I could hit up Kosama Strong today. I made it in plenty of time for class at 6:10… but my workout buddy did not. Something about the alarm not having any noise settings… who knows. I think it’s bogus but whatevs J Tomorrow is another day – and I’ll be there bright and early. I know I said this before – but now I’m seriously getting serious about fitness again. For real this time. D2D4 is less than a month away and I’m hoping the strength and cardio I’ll be doing in class will help with my run… fingers crossed.

Ooh I forgot!! Yesterday I got to meet the newest little lady of my group of girls. Miss Koda is PERFECTION and I can’t wait to buy her little pink clothes and tell her all her mama’s secrets. Just kidding… maybe J

Also – a little random – but if you haven’t checked out the Juice from last week (I’m sure you could still find some lingering about) you should check it out. This issue is the “list” for what to do in Des Moines this summer. A list of 161 things. So I’ve been going through to make a list of each thing I want to do this summer. That will be coming up in posts to follow. Keep your eyes peeled!

Now it’s quote time. I didn’t have a real direction I wanted to go with – and my life is at a pretty okay place right now. I’m not settling, but I’m not soaring either. I just – am. So. This quote I’ve seen in a few different places lately and I just liked the way it sounded. So here goes. From an unknown source:

“Work for a cause, not for applause. Live life to express, not to impress. Don’t strive to make your presence noticed, just make your absence felt.”

I just liked the way this sounded. Just doing your own thing without thought of where you’ll be once you’re done. Be selfless, work with your whole heart. Find something you love and do it because you love it, not because you’ll “make it to the top” in a few years. Sure – that would be fantastic. But if you love what you’re doing, then just do it. Strive for perfect happiness.

So there’s my little soliloquy for the day. I’m off to write up my bucket list for Summer 2013. I hope you all have a wonderful Monday evening and enjoy this freaking awesome weather.

Mwah loves,

S

Just - Blah.

I knew waking up today that it wasn't going to be the best day I've ever had. Sure - not the worst, but not even CLOSE to an above average awesomeness day. I was way too cozy to get out of bed - I mean, I could hear the rain coming down, I could feel Toby curled up on my feet, and there was just NO CHANCE I would be getting out of bed to do anything productive. So I stayed curled up in bed a little bit too long - all my fault, I know - and then had to rush around to get moving. I needed to make coffee, pack a lunch and dinner (double shift Monday) and also get stuff for work tonight. I got everything ready just in time to walk out the door and forget my umbrella. Oh well - I've done it before. Plus my galoshes were in my car - good place for them since I had to step through puddles and mud to get to my car. Whatevs - today will still be a good day. And then I realize that there is precipitation happening and I remember that EVERYONE out on the road (except for me of course) forgets how to drive when there water in any shape or form on the roads. So basically - idiots everywhere. Slamming on breaks, driving 10 under the speed limit, and just being a pain in my ass. So glad I'm perfect.

Made it to work with plenty of time to spare - came in and realized that no one had turned the phones over on Friday to the answering service... which basically means anyone who called in wouldn't get transferred to the on-call doc. First "F" bomb of the day. PS - this was at 7:45. Good start. Well we didn't have any angry voicemails - thank goodness - so that made me feel better. Then Chatty Cathy came in and I just wasn't feeling it. I was crabby and tired already, and didn't feel like having a loud, unnecessary conversation just quite yet. Mama hasn't had her coffee yet - give me an hour. But did I get an hour? Sure didn't. By 8:45 I had already thought about punching three people, threatened to "Office Space" the copy machine, and actually told someone I'd slit their throat. Slightly aggressive. Then to make matters worse - I get to cover for everyone else. Okay not EVERYONE else - but enough people that I'm getting a little sick of it. So here I go, up to the phone room - aka dungeon - until we have clinic at 11. NONSTOP PHONE CALLS. I was nearly in tears after 5 calls because the phone wouldn't stop ringing. (Chalk that up to PMS... thanks Mother Nature... you bitch) So anyway - millions of calls. Then I find out clinic gets moved to one so I'm stuck in the dungeon for another hour and a half. WAHHHHHHH. By this point I'm slamming my pen, banging on my desk, and dropping at least one "F" bomb each time the phone rang. I quit keeping track of those. When I finally got to leave - I was super crabby. Went down to have some leftover pizza from Fong's and a salad (womp womp) and during that time - find out our clinic has been cancelled. Well shit. I'm crossing my fingers that the dungeon has slowed down and I'm not needed. Silly me.

Back up to the dungeon for the rest of the day. Damn near as busy as this morning. I was screaming at the phone by the end of the day. There were two of us in there and we were both about ready to lose it. Not a pretty sight. I had groups of notes to task out to people, and couldn't get a spare minute to get it done. I had to turn off my phone for a minute so I could get all caught up. How obnoxious.

After finally finishing there for the day - I am NOT in a good mood. Once I got to job #2 for the day I actually had a couple people ask me what's wrong. Note to self: stop frowning, otherwise I'll need Botox by 30. Not pretty. Plus - frown lines are way less attractive than laugh lines. Tonight there are just a ton of rude people and people who don't know what's going on. And they all come at the same time. I felt like a brat but I was so over this day by 10 am that I'm just barely making it through right now.

Then to be even more bratty - I was at the point where I was saying rude things on purpose, taking it personally when someone talks about their great job (thinking they're obviously taking a jab at my shit jobs) and just feeling like everyone is way better than me. I'm hoping that it's just a "case of the Mondays" and I'll be back to normal tomorrow... but we will see. Also - I think that if someone told me I had a case of the Mondays today I probably would punch them directly in the face. Definitely that kind of day.

I even downloaded new books today! That should have put me in a great mood! But leading up to that, my "books to read" list had somehow gotten deleted from my phone. So wah wah for me. And after resetting my email password tonight my phone kept telling me I had the wrong password. So that almost got thrown through the window. Basically - I just need to go back to bed, and hope tomorrow is a better day.

So my quick quote for the day - straight up and to the point. A good thought to get you through a shitty day:

"Inhale the good shit, exhale the bullshit."

Now that I'm done with my crap day - I'll just forget about it. Today happened, it sucked, but oh well. I'll get over it and tomorrow WILL be better. Because I say it will be. And what I say - goes.

Peace out homies,

S

PS - I'm sorry if I threatened you today. I was grouchy and probably hungry. And sleepy. So - sorry about that. I don't think I meant it. Unless you were being a dumb ass - then I probably did. That is directed toward YOU, idiot drivers.

No Excuses, Have Faith

I had an entry all written last Monday – and as I went to post it, the internet pooped out on me. I got annoyed – because when technology doesn’t work, it is clearly cause for a tantrum. I went back and read it and was slightly disappointed. Real boring. So I’m actually glad that it didn’t post. Thanks for having crap internet, Aspen – sometimes I appreciate you cutting corners.

It’s the beginning of week four of D2D4. Three LSD’s in the books and 6 more practice runs before the big run. This past weekend was 6 miles, and it went pretty well – despite the fact that it was 30 degrees when we started at 5:10 am. I think by the time we finished running it had warmed up to like 40, but still. Brr. This Saturday is 8-mile… which means I obviously need to brush up on my Eminem so I can have a good run. And then later – I can win a freestyle rap competition. Obviously. But back to the running – I need to do my weekly workouts and runs… doing one run a week isn’t going to get me in shape. I wish it would – but alas, that is not the case. I also wish I could eat and drink whatever I want and never workout but still have a rockin bod. Apparently that’s not how it works. So I will work on eating better, working out consistently, and not making up excuses. I know that getting a workout in before work will make me feel good – I just have to get my ass up. So my 5 am alarm that went off today, immediately got shut off. So did my 6 am alarm. Finally decided to roll out of bed at 6:45 so I could get up and make my coffee, pack my lunch, and get ready for a double shift of work today. But tomorrow – no excuse. Who cares that I’m getting home at nearly 11 pm? No one. I need to just man up and get to class. I’m paying for it – and I don’t need to be wasting my money. Running is free – as well as my gym membership from working here. But the one I’m actually PAYING FOR, is the one I should be going to on a regular basis. So the note I’m putting on my mirrors when I get home – NO EXCUSES. I’ll keep you updated on the status of my non-excuses. This could be fun.

I’m finally moved into my place – and actually have decorations on the walls. It doesn’t look like a squatter lives there now. FINALLY. I also made my first BIG purchase last week – a new TV! I listened to all of your advice, ignored some, and did some research. I had a shopping buddy to assist me in the process of what to get, what not to get, etc. and ended up with a 40 inch Phillips Smart TV. Target (of all places) was having a temporary price cut on it and I actually felt comfortable buying this one. Maybe it’s because it’s from Target, and you could sell me nearly ANYTHING from Target – or maybe it was the fact that it was a “smart” TV and I thought I would be smart enough to use it. So far so good – it hooks up to my wireless nicely and I’ve watched three seasons of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It’s much nicer than watching on my laptop – plus I can now sit on Pinterest AND watch my shows, all at the same time! Technology is fun. When it works. And when it doesn’t work, I want to go Office Space on that piece of crap machine. Damn it feels good to be a gangsta.

This weekend I had roughly a 6-hour long conversation with a lovely friend. I roadtripped down south to Arispe (it’s a legit town, there’s a bar AND a church) to spend some time before this lovely lady becomes a mama – any day now J It felt nice to take some time off from my busy life to spend some time with my long distance partner in crime. Not so much anymore – after baby things will have to change. Lame. I’m not sure why everyone is getting married and having babies… BORING! Just kidding friends… I love you all J We talked books, drama, TV shows, and shared a pizza. Just like old times – minus the wine. These are fun talks though… love having phone dates and day dates with my friends that I haven’t seen in a while. The saying is absolutely true – “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Even if I don’t see these awesome friends of mine the way I used to, I still love them when they’re away. And then when I see them again, it’s like we just saw each other. That’s true friendship. I love my friends. Have I said that before? Maybe once or twice… maybe.

I currently have a list going of little things to do as the weather gets warmer. I’m so sick of this stupid weather – I need to get OUT and spend some time in the great outdoors. So here is my next project for you, dear readers. I’d like suggestions of things to do OUTSIDE, and places to visit where I’m able to spend time out of the air conditioning (and at this point – the damn heated indoors.) So any outdoor things – I’m ready to hear what you’ve all got to say. I’d also like suggestions for indoor things that I may not have thought of – like an art exhibit, concerts, etc. But please – lots and lots of suggestions J

One more thing I ask of you on this brisk Monday evening… your favorite book. I’ve got an ongoing list of books I want to read, but am always looking to lengthen and expand that list. I’ve got genres that are my “go-to’s” (remember Kayla – they will NEVER know what that means) and I’m also terrible at judging books by their covers. I know – a TERRIBLE thing to do, but sometimes the cover speaks for the book. So – another thing for you to do for me. I’m really excited to see what my avid, loyal readers like to read J

IT’S QUOTE TIME! I know you’ve been waiting for it. I try not to direct these toward a specific group, but today it seems as if this is meant for my generation of girls. Boys too I suppose, but mostly for the girls. We are at the age where our friends are “growing up” at different rates, and sometimes it feels like we are lagging behind. Maybe it’s because we haven’t bought a house, gotten engaged, bought a pet, have an awesome career, purchased a car, etc. Maybe it’s because we’ve had a major setback in our lives. Maybe it’s because we don’t have a clear goal of what we want to be when we “grow up.” I know many times I’ve said that I’m “faking” being a grown up, or I can hardly take care of my cat so how am I going to start a family. I also don’t know how many times I’ve heard “I need to get married and have kids, I’m getting to that age.” Sometimes my life isn’t as “together” as I’d like it to be – but ya know what? Oh well. One of these days I’ll be a real life, true adult, but until then – meh. I’m going to enjoy it. I saw this quote and it made me smile and relax a little bit. Abby Larson – founder and editor of Style Me Pretty – explains “life” right now for me, pretty damn perfectly.

“Breathe, my friend. You are not old, you are young. You are not a mess, you are normal. Extraordinary, perhaps. In the blink of an eye your life will change. And it will continue to change for decades to come. Enjoy it, embrace it… be grateful for the ride. You are not old, you are young. And faith will get you everywhere. Just you wait.”

So that’s where my head is these days. I’m only 26 – I’m still in my mid-20s, not “mid-to-late-20s” and I still have time to play. I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up, but I have faith that I’ll figure it out. I haven’t found my niche yet… but I will. It may not be this year – it may not be in five years. But it will happen. My one goal in life is to be happy. I want to live happily ever after, with whatever my life is. When I am truly happy with everything in my life, I’ll know. And I won’t be able to stop smiling.

So have some faith. Your life isn’t over if you haven’t figured out where to go next. It is just the beginning of a wonderful, beautiful, crazy adventure. Enjoy it. Relish in it. Grow from it.

Hanging by a moment,

S

Geeking Out

Happy Easter everyone! I hope you’ve all been stuffed silly with delicious food and exhausted from family functions. I am for sure – now I get four hours to try and stay awake at the gym while 3 people workout. Yep. Three people currently in the gym right now. I wonder if I lay down in the break room for a while that anyone would notice… I’ll think about it. Oh just kidding – now there are four people here. This could be a rough day. I already finished my book – number 11 on the year – and haven’t fully committed to a new book yet. I’m thinking I need to read a classic… switch it up a bit before my next book club book gets here.

Let’s see – where to begin… ah yes. Week one of D2D4 training. Pretty easy week – three miles on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday and then four miles on Saturday. Well Monday I failed to get up early to get it done – so I was planning on doing it in between work and work. That run was the worst run ever. Seriously – ever. It started out with me getting on the ONE treadmill (I HATE RUNNING ON TREADMILLS) with no hook up for my headphones, as well as my ipod being dead. So I ran in complete silence – other than the hum of the other cardio equipment, rave music barely audible through the speakers, and my own labored breathing. It wasn’t pretty. I did one mile on the treadmill – embarrassing – and then my last two on the elliptical. Not quite the same – I know it, you know it – but I got it done. So yay for me – three miles down for the week! Then I did something stupid – I counted up the total mileage I’d be running for the next 10 weeks, assuming I ran each time I was supposed to. After 10 weeks – including the actual race – total mileage would be 194.4 miles. Kill me now. I ran outside on Thursday and it felt AWESOME. The music helped – fully charged ipods are very helpful – and I felt really good after that three miler. Saturdays are for LSD – long slow days, if you will – so being scheduled for 2 of 3 jobs on Saturday, it was either going to be done bright and early, or later that night. We opted for a 5:30 am 4-mile run around West Des Moines. A quick loop – with good weather and good conversation. Oh and I had a dead ipod. So that’s fun. And it started sprinkling about halfway through, but didn’t feel too bad. Once we were done, I felt good. I didn’t want to die and I wasn’t too sore. So hooray! After runs like that, I don’t hate the fact that I run. On days where I have to run like 26 miles in a week and I have just run 11 – those are the days I’m dreading. But I’ve got  few easy weeks ahead so that’s helpful.

Lots of working this week – double shifts on Monday and Friday (woo hoo 13 hour days) and then another 8 hours on Saturday. Boring boring – blah blah I know. But I have to take a little rest to get into the exciting and fun things!

Book club was Wednesday! I hosted – and it was so fun, as usual. Tuesday night I prepped for it – lots of prep to do. I made Blood Red Sangria – fitting for all the crazy that went along with our book. Pretty easy recipe, I think I still have a glass or so left in the fridge… may need to drink that some night this week. I made some Frosted Animal Cracker Truffles… so delicious. Definitely not the prettiest things ever… but they sure tasted good. Frosted animal crackers, cream cheese frosting, and vanilla almond bark on top. SO GOOD. I’d never made truffles before but I think I’ll make them again. I’ve eaten them when people have used Oreos and loved those – pretty sure you could use about any cookie and make it delish. We had some BBQ Chicken Tortilla Pinwheels too – had those for some leftovers for lunch on Friday – chicken, BBQ sauce, cream cheese and shredded cheese. Easy as pie. Speaking of pie – I should bake one of those… eek. Maybe next weekend… that could be my project. New recipes for lunch and dinner on Saturday, a pie for dessert, and a breakfast meal on Sunday. Now that I said it – I have to do it. It’s out there and people can read it. Now I’m sunk. Looks like I’ll be spending some time on Pinterest later today to find some recipes… woops – just realized I’m totally off topic. Book club. Gone Girl. Friendly chats! Our next book is a mental palate cleanse – Girls in White Dresses. It seems pretty fitting for our lives as of late – friends getting married, having showers, getting engaged, etc. And then the back story of what’s going on with those who are NOT in those positions. I’m pretty excited to start it.

What else this week… ah yes – ran into a couple new/old friends while out on Saturday night. One of those “we used to be friends, then grew up and grew apart, then it’s a small world and now we’re friends again” things. That’s one thing I am really enjoying with my life right now. While still deepening the relationships I have already, I’m also renewing friendships with people whom I haven’t really been friends with for years. It’s great to get out of your comfort zone of your usual group of friends, and make new ones. Plus then you can mix in old friends with new friends, and then everyone has new friends. I know I’ve said this before – but I LOVE my friends. Always there for me – no matter what. No matter which dumb ass thing I’ve decided to do, or which steps I’m taking – they’re behind me one hundred percent. Love you all. Speaking of friends… two of my friends have gotten engaged this week (yes this week – roughly within 48 hours of each other) and I’m very happy for them. With that being said, if my friends call me out of the blue, I’m going to know you’re engaged. It’s so rare to have my phone ring – unless it’s my parents – so I get excited when my phone rings. And then you tell me you’re engaged. Yaaaaaaaaaaay. (I’m holding up my sarcasm sign here.) Not really – I really am super happy for everyone getting engaged and things – but then I also feel like “I like my cat and drink wine. Do I still win at life?” I’m going with yes on that one.

So I hope you’ve all guessed by reading some of these posts, I love books. I love all things books and reading. The quotes that come from them, the feeling of cracking open the binding of a brand new hardcover, the smell (yes, the smell – go to a library, open it up and take a big whiff. That right there is sheer happiness. If you could bottle that into a WallFlower scent I would be in HEAVEN), and the emotion. I love it all. I love decorating with books, I love an organized book shelf, I love libraries. It completely boggles my mind when people say they don’t like to read or they just don’t read. I honestly could not imagine my life without books. If that makes me a geek – so be it. Reading is an escape for me. Some people run, some people shop – I read to escape. If I have a bad day – you can bet your ass my nose is in a book. If I have a great day – I’ll go back to said book to heighten my mood even more. I love thinking like the characters and analyzing the authors. I love TALKING about books. I’m so glad my book club has gotten off the ground – it’s always something I’d wanted to do, and I’m glad it’s finally working out for me. I found a quote on Pinterest (duh) from Simon Pegg that summed up the geek idea pretty well: “Being a geek means never having to play it cool about how much you like something.” Being a geek is so great. I love it.

I forgot one thing I did this week – I watched The Perks of Being a Wallflower. This was our first book club book, and I LOVED the book. So I knew I wanted to see the movie – to see how it held up against the book. I have a rule where I never see the movie before the book, because the book is always better. Except for Nicholas Sparks’ The Lucky One – I watched the movie first so when I read the book I could picture Zac Effron as the lead character :) Back to the movie though – I haven’t really LOVED a movie in a long time. I watch movies for enjoyment, but don’t really feel a strong pull. Sure, I love me a good rom com that brings a tear to my eye – but it’s not one that I will remember forever or will really register with me. This was a different story. I was so caught up in it I couldn’t do anything else. I couldn’t hold a conversation, send a text – nothing. I was so immersed in the story that I was completely numb to the world around me. I was nearly in tears by the end because of how amazing it was. So my quote for the week comes from this book/movie combination. Also – both come HIGHLY recommended from me. Read the book, then watch the movie. And let me know if it registered as strongly with you as it did with me. That’s your assignment, readers. I don’t expect a paper – but your thoughts would be nice :)

“I can see it. This one moment when you know you’re not a sad story. You are alive, and you stand up and see the lights on the buildings and everything that makes you wonder. And you’re listening to that song and that drive with the people you love most in this world. And in this moment I swear, we are infinite.”

I’m nearly in tears rereading this quote – I love it so much. This really is happiness. Everything that matters is where you are and with you – and nothing else matters. We are infinite.

To infinity and beyond,

S

Sunday Funday... Kinda

Once again, the weekend has gone far too quickly. I’m down to my last 3.5 hours of work for the week… until I start again tomorrow for a 13 hour day. Happy Monday to me right? Not. One of these days I’ll have a full weekend where nothing else is going on – it will feel nice to relax and refuel. But this weekend wasn’t it, and next weekend won’t be either. But someday – it will be for real.

So I finally have internet in my apartment! Now I don’t have to sit and waste my 3G on my phone while I sit around on Pinterest looking for recipes and DIY activities – I can do that via my computer J I’ve also been watching some of my shows on Hulu and Netflix – Chopped and Glee. The necessities obviously. Plus the wireless is great so I can sit in bed with my computer and a glass of wine… basically I’m saying this so you’re all jealous. Not that you don’t already do it – I’m just saying. It’s pretty awesome. Once I got my internet all set up I was stoked to go out and pick up a router and an HDMI cord so I could hook my computer up to my TV and watch my shows and movies through the TV. Well as I thought more about it… I realized my two-in-one combo with DVD player and TV is too old to even know what an HDMI hookup is. So. That’s depressing. Something more depressing – buying a new TV. So I’ve got my research and work cut out for me – because I’d rather spend my money on multiple things rather than one big item. I want my bang for my buck, but would rather have it gifted to me. Sooooo if anyone is getting rid of a TV in good shape… let me know J Or just offer up some ideas for where to get me a good TV that I don’t have to pay an arm and a leg for. Mk thanks J

I’m going to admit something here – I’m not really proud of it… but it happens. More than it probably should. This week I threw a temper tantrum. Full out tantrum, like a three year old. No real reason for it either – those are usually how they go too. Back story: I ordered a shelving unit for my bathroom from Amazon so I could get the free 2-day shipping for being a Prime member (don’t let me forget to cancel it so I don’t get billed $80 for having that) and have the shelf here so I could have plenty of time to put it together and organized before the weekend. Apparently I need to sign for the package – so I didn’t get it. My plan was to pick it up after work on Thursday and still have time to put it together. Wrong again. UPS didn’t leave a notice saying they “missed me” so I called all over town trying to figure out where it was. I yelled at an automated system – “I want to know where my package is so I can pick it up” and heard “I’m sorry – I didn’t understand you” from the snarky automated system lady. I didn’t really appreciate it. So rather than putting the rest of my apartment away, I decided to get in bed at 6:30 with leftover dinner, a glass of wine, animal crackers, Toby, and rerun episodes of Glee. So there. I showed life what’s up. Finally received my “missed you” notice from UPS and called Saturday morning to pick it up at the post office. Turns out – UPS has their own office – and I should “probably call their office” (as per the rude man from the post office) to pick it up. I call UPS – they’re only open Monday through Friday. Which is stellar – seeing as it’s Saturday morning. So then I have to get it stopped so it doesn’t try and deliver it to me on Monday when I’m not there (again) and then I’ll pick it up on Tuesday. I’m just annoyed at this point – again. Clearly life didn’t care that I needed to organize my bathroom. Rude. Thanks life – I owe you one.

I also did something very stupid this week. Something I swore I’d NEVER do again. EVER. I signed up for the Dam to Dam 20K. The non-refundable, now-you’re-stuck-with-it race on June 1^st. Awesome. Let’s keep in mind that I really haven’t run since last May – before the last D2D that I had to drop out of on account of my brain had a mild tantrum. So that’s cool. I mean it’s not like I haven’t worked out at all since then, but still. I hate running, I don’t know why I do it – but I am. Plus, another friend of mine – she who shall not be named – has been blogging about her progress training for a half-marathon so I really didn’t want to be a big baby about running. So there you have it. I am an idiot – again – and will be running four days a week for the next 10 weeks. Prepare yourselves for the bitching and moaning that will happen after my long runs. At least this year (hopefully) I won’t have any weddings or bachelorette parties coinciding with the race. Puke. Now I just have to schedule my long, weekend runs with my work schedule and other activities. I’m annoyed already. Training starts tomorrow – 3 miles here I come!

After my semi-productive morning yesterday, followed by a 5 hour shift at job 1 of 3, I had a sushi and wine date with my favorite brunette last night J We tried out a new-ish sushi place (kind of a sketch area… but eh – why not) and drank some moscato while we prepped for our friends’ opening night performance of their new band. The sushi was pretty decent – I think the next time I’ll actually eat in-house so I can pick up on the ambiance of the place. And maybe take in a sake bomb or two J We headed to Jeanie’s Bottle after we’d finished getting ready – and playing with her new ADORABLE black lab puppy… I could have stuck her in my purse and taken her home with me she’s so stinkin cute. We arrived in time to hear most of their opening act – Kick! Who is a great band from a smaller town west of here, made up of 18-19 year olds. They rock. They were so fun to watch – so much energy. Probably because they were just graduating high school and still had enough energy to get crazy like that – if I’d jumped around for an hour I’d be exhausted and need a nap. But they stayed out during our friends’ performance and cheered them on. Our friends’ show was so great – I’m so happy for them to have such a great first show. They covered awesome songs, got us all up and dancing, and made me lose my voice a little. Props to you, Ardmore Road – I’ll be seeing you again J

After a longer night than anticipated, I woke up this morning needing some coffee before our “girls day” full of lunch and pedicures with my mama and sister. I also brought my laundry over because I haven’t figured out exactly where the laundry room is in my building yet… maybe I should figure that out. Plus I didn’t have enough quarters. So there’s that. I got requests for coffee and came home to have everyone up and moving. We had planned to get going by 10 am – well instead we watched at least an hour’s worth of random YouTube videos (sloth crossing the road, multiple “Harlem Shake” videos, puppy GIFs, and Jeff Gordon scaring the crap out of a salesman) and hung out in time to get to the nail salon by noon. And before that we obviously had to watch Anjelah Johnson’s “Beautiful Nail” (just one?) so we’d be prepared for “Tammy” to do our nails and make fun of us. I had minor surgery done on my toe – I don’t know what she was digging for but good lord. Take it down a notch. Then when we were done, they tried to send us out of there wearing those foam flippie floppies. No thanks Tammy – there’s snow on the ground. Not happening. So I risked messing up my new pedicure to put socks and boots on. Wasn’t about to freeze my toes off. I need those to help me run a million miles. Yuck.

The rest of my night – after my work shift – includes finishing my laundry (that my awesome sister is folding for me) and hitting up the grocery store to prep for book club this week. I’ve got an interesting menu (hopefully) for the girls and need to get all my materials so it all works out as planned. Fingers crossed my Suzy Homemaker skillz (yea skillz – watch out Martha Stewart) pull through for me and it’s not all a bust.

I was torn this week on quotes… so I’m going to use both. The first… just something to get you through the day – whether it be a good or bad day. Just remember:

“Life is better when you’re laughing.”

Laugh with friends, laugh at stupid videos, laugh at yourself. Laughter truly is the best medicine.

The second, really does impact how the rest of your day goes. I really hadn’t thought about it like this before, but Volaire is correct:

“The most important decision you make is to be in a good mood.”

No matter what happens during the day – remind yourself that you are going to be in a good mood. The minute you wake up and think “I hate today, today is stupid, I don’t want to do anything” is an awful day. And even the smallest, most insignificant things will piss you off even more. If you started your day off with “I’m going to be in a good mood” and shitty stuff happens to you – you’re just going to let it roll off your shoulders and move on. Holding grudges and not letting things go doesn’t help you at all. Plus it’s going to make everyone around you just as grouchy. And you don’t want to be THAT person who ruins the moods of everyone around them. That sucks. And we all know people who do that. Don’t be that person. Just don’t do it.

The moral of the story today kids – laugh and decide to be in a good mood. The laughter is guaranteed to improve your mood as well… so there you go – two birds with one stone J

In love and laughter,

S

So Much More Room for Activities!

Again – I am SO far behind on this damn thing. But to be fair – I have been really busy. And I know I saw that quite often – but for realz. I’ve been busy. Since my last entry, I have worked, worked, baked some cookies, moved into a new place (WOOP WOOP) and roadtripped to Chicago to see friends for St Pats. So I wasn’t lying when I said I’ve been busy. So the work stuff is boring – but I can definitely talk about all the fun stuff I’ve done J

I baked a batch of cookies a couple weeks ago – on a whim, for no real reason. Other than I wanted to bake something. So I consulted my trusty “Recipes” board on Pinterest to find something to make. I wasn’t feeling cupcakes – so much work. But I figured an easy cookie recipe should do it. I found a recipe for Apple Cider Caramel Cookies. On my pin it said “these taste just like Caramel Apple Suckers!” so I knew that I’d love them. It was a pretty easy recipe, however I had to veer from Super Target to an actual grocery store for the Apple Cider mix. Ah well – I’ll learn someday that Target doesn’t have EVERYTHING you could possibly want. (JK it totally does. And everything you will never need. And stuff that you don’t even know what it is but you buy it anyway.) Anyway – sorry, got sidetracked by Target – story of my life. So these cookies seemed pretty fool proof. There really should be no way I mess these up. Mix the dough, unwrap a caramel, put it in the middle of the dough, roll it into a ball – bake for 20 minutes. Got the cookies in the oven and about halfway through the cook time, I turned the light on to see what they look like. Well they seemed to be spreading more than I had anticipated, and the caramel didn’t look like it had melted. I thought about scrapping the whole deal right then – but I decided to wait it out and see how they looked when they were done. (Cut to 10 minutes later when the timer goes off…) I am actually dreading this moment. But I take them out of the oven, let them cool for a while, taste one – BOOM. Success! They were delicious – and they did taste exactly like caramel apple suckers. Pretty proud of myself on that one. I took them to work the next day and everyone ate them. At least they were out of my possession so I didn’t snarf them down like I’d never eaten before.

Now let’s get to the real exciting stuff – I HAVE MY OWN PLACE TO LIVE! Well I mean I share it with Toby the lion cub, but he doesn’t pay rent or clean so he’s basically worthless. He is a pretty great cuddler though so I’ll give him that. Anyway – my new place is fantastic. It’s a loft-style apartment – basically it’s a glorified studio apartment that actually has a “bedroom.” But it has tall ceilings and visible piping, and it’s so cute. I love it. I moved everything in last weekend and have yet to put it all away. I didn’t realize just how much stuff I had. And I don’t have the storage I had in my last place other than in my closet… so this could be fun. Once I get rid of all the boxes around the place though I think I’ll feel better about it. And once I decorate. Then it will actually feel like someone lives there. And I’ve already had my first glass of wine there so it’s basically home J I’m hosting our book club meeting next week so it can be a mini “housewarming” party with my book lovers. Along with that – I have my own little library. My bookshelf full of books, my comfy chair, and a little table to hold a lamp and a glass of wine or coffee. Don’t even act like you’re not impressed. And I obviously know you’re jealous. Don’t worry – I’ll allow visitors soon J

Speaking of books – and again a little off topic – I finished our book club read today. What a RIDICULOUS book. We read Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn – her 3^rd book I’ve read in 2013 – and it is a complete mind-F. (again – not using profanity like THAT). It was pretty screwed up at the beginning, but as I hit Part 2 – whoa. Ridiculous. I think EVERYONE should read this book – yet another reason why I love “weird” things. And this one is hella weird.

Back to my list of fun things – let’s wrap this up with St Pats. First off – any excuse to head to Chicago is a good excuse. Not even an excuse – just an awesome idea. Chicago is quite possibly my most favorite city EVER. Yes I realize it’s a solid 6 hours away and only in Illinois… but it’s fantastic. The first time I visited was my sophomore year of college. We went in February – and it was miserable outside. I was hungover, it was snowing/raining, and it was cold. I was in no mood to walk Michigan Avenue and check out the sites. But once we hit the city – I was in love. It was gorgeous and ridiculous all at once. I loved it. I didn’t care how cold it was, I didn’t care that my brain was oozing out my ears. I took in all the sites and relished in the wind of the Windy City (see what I did there?) After that quick trip I knew that I’d come back. I visited with my family a couple times since then, and a friend of mine moved out there for a few years so I spent a few long weekends with her. Took in a hockey game, a bar crawl in Wrigleyville, and lots of shopping. And every time I go back – I fall in love with it even more. This trip for St Pats was no different. The best part was I got to see a lot of college friends I hadn’t seen for a while. Friday night we stayed in and had a throwback house party – grilling, card games, beers, shots, late night movie watching – just like the good ol’ days in Ames. Saturday morning we got up and headed to the station to catch the train into the city. After a few brief hiccups (debating on outerwear, the lack of purse space for travel cocktails, a towed vehicle, etc.) we finally made it. The train ride was pretty fun and we were not the most ridiculous looking people on it. That people watching trip was fantastic – I love how people get so into holidays. We did the same – with our temporary neck tattoos and matching “Kiss Me I’m Iowish” shirts. But once we were off the train (and took a potty break) we were off to the Windy City. Again – terrible weather. It was cold and windy, and I didn’t even care. We saw the skyline, the river that had been dyed green, the ass hole drivers, and the street where Batman was filmed. Again – I was in love. Chicago and I will always have a love affair – long distance I’m sure. But still – love. And spending time with my loves there made it even better.

Each time I move toward the closing portion of my blog, it makes me think of Jerry Springer. Yes I watch that show – and I can’t get enough of it. Anyway – the end of his show when he does the Thought of the Day. I hope I provide a little more insight than Jerry, and maybe some entertainment – not quite as much as that one though… but you get the idea. So my words of wisdom today come from an unknown author, but borrowed from The Chive’s website…

“What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it.”

This struck me as important because I’ve had days lately where laying around and doing nothing, feels like something I shouldn’t be doing. But then part of me thinks – why the hell not? A day off, relaxing and reading a book can almost be a better day than one where you’ve packed 11 activities into 24 hours and you can’t really sit down and enjoy any activity. Which brings me to another quip for some “words of wisdom.” After a hard couple weeks at work a couple years ago, I received a gift from a friend of mine to make me happy. It was a sign saying “Do one thing every day that makes you happy.” How perfect. Even if you have a shitty day – work sucks, your car is iced over, you forget your coffee at home – if you can do one thing that day to make you happy (start a new book, write a blog entry, work out, eat some chocolate, talk to a friend, etc.) then you will be much better off. It may not be the happiest day of your life, but if you’re alive and happy – well, then isn’t that what it’s all about?

Don’t worry, be happy…

S