Aca Believe I Can't Spell "A Cappella"

I'm having a difficult time concentrating tonight. Maybe it's because I just ate a delicious meal and put myself into a carb coma (the best kind of coma... not that there's really a GOOD kind of coma...) or maybe because I'm not in my element to write. Whatever it is - I'm feeling a little ADD. All day I've been debating on whether I should spend tonight with my nose buried in The Scarlet Letter, or whether I should bust out my blog post since it's a little overdue. My Nook is sitting next to me, staring enviously at my laptop while I type away trying to get my concentration back. My laptop is getting a little warm on my lap, but since I started writing I can't stop now! It's like Miley says - we can't stop, we won't stop. Okay - that was pretty awful. Something that isn't awful though - the video that Jimmy Fallon put up from when Miley was at his show. Miley, Jimmy and The Roots sang "We Can't Stop" acapela (a capela, aca pela, aca pella - I have no idea how to spell this word. Aca believe it!) and it's actually really amazing. It's like every part of your body wants you to HATE this song, but then it's still pretty good. Take a look and judge for yourself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2mjvfnUAfyo Oh - and btw - it's a cappella. (Thanks Jimmy Fallon.)

Okay - back to my ADD. The past week or so I've celebrated a birthday (twice), watched the Cyclones lose (still mad about that one), had a grown-up play date, and made up for lost time over some drinks with an old friend. I tried out some sushi at a new sushi/hibachi place in Ankeny - I'll for SURE be going back - and found a new birthday song that's really hard to get out of your head. I'll be honest though - I have no idea what I ordered, so I can't even rate it with an OH EM GEE rating. All I remember is that it was not the best, but way above the worst. Downside - it's all the way in Ankeny, and if they do sake bombs as freely as Sakari does, I'll be needing a place to crash. The grown-up play date was AWESOME - and long overdue. We spent the first hour and a half of the morning at Starbucks (duh) and discussed everything from weddings to babies to budgets to the "good ol' days." I realize that we are 26 but sometimes the good ol' days are fun to reminisce. After acting all adult-esque (NOT to be confused with adulteROUS - very different things) we headed off to the mall to window shop. That is so hard to do, especially when window shopping with another compulsive shopper like myself. After hitting up Target, that's where we spent the real money. On snacks. A one dolla no holla box of Whales (cheaper version of Goldfish) and a bag of AnimalCrackers, we headed back to my house for some homemade crockpot chili (noms) and It's Always Sunny. Good times.

An impromptu get together on Tuesday night made Wednesday DRAG, but it was totes worth it. (Totes is one of the top 10 words people find most annoying on the internet. In case you were wondering.) After sharing a bottle of wine and cracking open a couple beers, I told stories and heard stories that were cracking me up. So much fun to catch up and laugh at each other's shenanigans. I think my favorite part of the discussion was the lunch menu. After a sad attempt and poor planning on my part, my lunch the other day was cubed cheese, shredded chicken, and hard boiled eggs - covered in French dressing, with a spoon full of peanut butter on the side. Not to be compared with tuna and carrots with hummus. Sometimes it's hard to be an adult.

Speaking of hard to be an adult - what happens after you finish a show on Netflix? It feels like the rest of my life is just - blah. Like I have nothing to look forward to. Does that mean I have far too much time invested in someone else's "life?" I mean - Nip/Tuck is obviously super legit and "real life" but after I watched the series finale yesterday, I was so let down. Now what do I do? Start a new show, only to be let down in another 100 episodes?? Netflix is mean. And don't even get me started on Glee. I'm clearly too wrapped up in these characters lives that it affects me WAY more than it should. Tonight's episode is called "The Quarterback" and is a tribute episode to Cory Monteith (RIP). Well, stupid me - I watched the preview to the episode (twice) and listened to the songs that would be sang in the episode. I barely made it through those things without bawling my eyes out - how am I supposed to get through the entire episode?! The answer to that: watching it alone the day after it's on so you can sit in the dark and cry your face off without anyone (except your cat) to judge you. That's my plan for tomorrow night. Please don't get offended if I don't respond to texts/emails/phone calls/Facebook messages/tweets for a little while because I will probably be either a) gearing myself up for my own impending meltdown, or b) currently in the process of losing my shit. So be prepared.

Real fast before I close out for the night and week - I've hit up two spin classes in the last week. I haven't taken a spin class for MONTHS and my vagina knows it. TMI? Sorry about that. Let me rephrase. My pelvic bones know that. I love spin but I hate how sore you are for like three days after your 45 minute class. Ouchie wa wa. Since I'll be freezing my Kosama membership for a few months (a grown up decision) I'll be spending my time participating in regular workouts I write up myself, group fitness classes, and plenty of yoga. I think that will put me in a good place to be in a bikini in January. Hopefully. Hawaii - here I come! (More on vacations to come - not today. But keep your eyes peeled kids.)

Before each yoga practice, our instructor always tells us to set an intention. That could be something as simple as making sure you're present in class, going deeper in a pose, or maybe something much more meaningful to you. Maybe you could be nailing that crow pose for someone else, or maybe it's not about yoga at all. Maybe it's about your presence in your practice. I think setting an intention is something that shouldn't just be reserved for your yoga practice. I think it can definitely be brought out into real life, YOUR life.

All good things to remember - set an intention for the day and go with it. Be thankful. And ask someone you love - "what are YOU thankful for today?"

 

Regret nothing, and take chances. "Sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage. 20 seconds of embarrassing bravery."

 

Namaste.



Sorry about the soap box incident... CHOOSE Happiness

Mark this day down – it’s the second time I’ve made an “outline” for what I want to write. Okay fine – I had a few extra minutes at work today that I could jot down my ideas. Just to make sure I didn’t forget any awesomeness from the last week! Now where should I start…

Let’s begin with book club/Banned Books Week – two of my most FAVORITE things. I love Banned Books Week because it reminds me about how I should have faith in (most) people. Some people are anti-imagination which irritates me – but for the most part, people are great. They know a good book when they read one and love to pass it along to others. Other people however – well, they just suck. I wish I had my notes sitting in front of me from the statistics of banned/challenged books in the last 10 years. The numbers were OUTRAGEOUS. Some books I could MAYBE understand, because they are EXTREMELY graphic. HOWEVER. When you challenge/ban something as AMAZING and well-written as I Know Why  the Caged Bird Sings, The Catcher in the Rye, or Charlotte’s Web – now you’ve got some issues. Why would you want someone to read something “blasphemous” like Charlotte’s Web? Or maybe the better question should be – why WOULDN’T you want your child to read something with great examples of friendship and trust? Because you’re an ass hole – that’s why. Imagination is a GOOD thing. People who had ass hole parents who wouldn’t let them read Charlotte’s Web because animals were talking are now the ass holes that are trying to get books like Harry Potter banned because you couldn’t possibly IMAGINE a world where witchcraft exists. Maybe it doesn’t exist – but open your eyes and your MIND and just think about it. And don’t be a dick.

Let me step off my soap box and get back to my other favorite thing – book club. This month was a little bit different than before – we met at Plain Talk Books and Coffee (one of my favorite book stores) for our meeting and sat outside on their patio. We met across the street at The Rooftop for some dinner and drink before we headed over to Plain Talk for one of the BEST meetings we’ve had. AWESOME discussion, people, and food. I had so much fun. I think (I hope) everyone else who attended had a great time too. On pace with BBW (Banned Books Week – not Buffalo Wild Wings, although that sounds awesome right about now…) we decided that our next book be one from the banned/challenged list. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is the winner for October’s book club – and possibly a movie night with The Scarlet Letter and Easy A to follow…

I stepped out of my Power Life Yoga comfort zone, and attended an hour and a half class at Harmony Yoga and Wellness in the Drake neighborhood. I was a little skeptical at first – an hour and a half class at a studio I wasn’t familiar with… however I got to enjoy a brunette yoga date while I was there. It’s contagious I tell you. Once you start doing yoga and fall in love with it, tell your friends – it’s a catchy thing. Something great to share for sure. Anyway – that class was HARD. It wasn’t the flow I’m used to, a lot more balance work, and poses I’d never even heard of. But it was a great change – I wasn’t a huge fan of the shavasana, mostly because the sounds during our relaxation period sounded like tornado sirens and it made it hard for me to relax. But I liked the change of scenery and will probably head back over to Harmony for a restorative session in the future.

I went for a run yesterday morning. That was one of the worst ideas I’ve had in a while. Keep in mind – the last time I ran (not on the elliptical) was the Dam to Dam. Which was June 1^st. What in the actual bleep. Something crawled up my ass and I was all like “I’m going to be super productive today. First I’m going to Gray’s Lake to run, then I’m going to yoga at 11:30, then I’m going to clean and do laundry and then I’ll make some dinner and go to bed early.” Yeah. About that. Who did I really think I was – that’s way too much to do on the Sabbath day. I mean – I don’t really celebrate or follow through with Sabbath-ing, Sunday usually is my day to get stuff done. So I started some laundry and headed out to Gray’s Lake for a run. It felt good. When I started. And then I realized the coffee and oatmeal I’d eaten at 8:00 wasn’t sitting too well. So I quickened my pace to get my run done, and the wind picked up. I could hear my labored breathing over Pitch Perfect blaring through my headphones. My intention was to run two laps. One lap happened. My foot hurt, my stomach bothered me, and it was windy. All excuses, I know. But a poor excuse is better than no excuse right? My mom always told me that. So I’m sure it’s true. But I did it. It may not have been pretty, but it happened. And then I see on Facebook that one of my friends “took a wrong turn and ended up running 20 miles!” and another one is damn near to her marathon. I feel like a pansy. Two miles is plenty for me. It’s better than nothing.

I subscribe to My Yoga Online and was rolling through some different articles on the website. One specifically caught my eye – mostly because of the wording: “9 Ways to Choose Happiness.” Different ways to CHOOSE happiness. It seems like such an easy thing. But if you think about it, how many UNhappy people do you see walking around this place? MILLIONS. And it’s all because they simply don’t CHOOSE to be happy. There are so many people who have bad things happen to them, and still choose to be happy. It may be hard to do at first, but come on – wouldn’t you rather be happy than a grumpy bitch? I sure would. If you’d like to read the article, here’s the link. It’s a great article – and couldn’t we all use a little more happiness in our lives?

http://www.myyogaonline.com/healthy-living/personal-development/9-ways-to-choose-happiness

I’m borrowing this week’s quote from Miss Marathon 2013. Such a bad ass – going from not running more than necessary (during soccer games) to running a half marathon on a whim (or from a book club choice – read Wild by Cheryl Strayed, you won’t regret it. Maybe it will make you run a marathon) to training and running a full marathon less than a year later. I’m impressed. Going from running up and down a soccer field to running 26.2 miles. It’s definitely not for me – but damn. Go girl. She shared a quote from Carl Sagan the other day that’s not unique to her situation, but definitely paves the way for anyone working toward a goal. Or maybe you don’t even know what you’re working toward.

“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.”

Maybe you don’t know what you want, or what you want to do with your life. I don’t. I say that every day. I wish I knew what I wanted to be when I grow up. But until I know, I’m just going to live in the moment. Something is waiting for me to become known. I can’t wait until I figure out what that is.

Spend some time tonight and just be. You’ll be glad you did.

Namaste,

S

Wanderlust

I was doing so well with my weekly or bi-weekly posts – and then I fell off the face of the blog-world. I’ve definitely been keeping busy, but I’ve also spent some time alone. Sometimes that’s all you need. Sometimes you need a little alone time to clear your head and get back into life. It’s been an interesting few weeks – with lots of different things happening. Celebrating life, mourning death, and living in the moment. So many different emotions, but such a good feeling in the end.

I found my inner “hippie” a couple weeks ago at a yoga practice. This was different from my normal practice – seeing as it was out in the country on an organic farm. It was a small group of yogis, but I felt very comfortable there. After hanging around for an hour or so, we began our practice. I ended up with a few bug bites, but I also ended with a clear and open mind. It was pretty nice to be out of “town” where I could see the stars, hear nature everywhere, and just BE. After we said our “Namaste” we enjoyed some organically grown food and some wine from the local winery. I’ve always loved the busyness of the city, but it’s kind of nice to be out where no one else is. Close enough where I can easily get to people, but far enough away that I don’t get bothered by them. The whole time I was out on the farm, I felt like Jennifer Aniston from Wanderlust. (If you haven’t seen the movie – you should. It’s pretty hilarious. Plus – Paul Rudd is in it and who doesn’t love Paul Rudd?) Anyway – we show up and there’s incense burning around the outside of the house, there’s a hammock in the yard, and a man with dreadlocks greeting us with a huge smile and a hug. I felt so out of my element – it was great. The people there were so REAL – I hope that’s something that will rub off on me. The realness of the place and the people, I want to be that REAL.

And after great, calming nights like that of yoga, I have the occasional practice where I feel like I’m dying. That happened last Friday. It was a free class at a studio I hadn’t yet been to. I thought I would try it out – there’s no harm in that right? Plus I have a Groupon for 10 sessions that I hadn’t used yet, so maybe I should try one out for free before I use those. Well let’s just talk about how it was hot when we walked in, and once the class was fairly full – the heat lamps were turned off. It was SO HOT in there from body heat alone. We went through an awesome flow – hit so many poses – and attempted a Side Crow. Not quite as successful as my regular Crow, but it was a good try. (Side note: whenever I say Crow it makes me think of the Brandon Lee and I get a little freaked out. That movie is kinda freaky.) It was nice to switch up my practice a little bit, and I definitely got my ass kicked. Once we were done, there was a free keg of 312 (awesome) and some great conversation with a different dynamic of people than I’m used to at PLY. It’s good for me. Broadening my horizons is ALWAYS a good thing.

To follow that kick ass workout, we headed to Exile Brewing to drink FOR FREE with my German beer mug. Fantastic. Those bad boys are aggressive – the mug not the beer – and I loved trying the new Oktoberfest. (Speaking of which – Oktoberfest is just around the corner… so excited.) And in typical German beer fashion, I came home and fell asleep – on my couch. I woke up at 3:00 in the morning with the TV still on – I have been trying to finish up Nip/Tuck. I crawled back into bed for another few hours and then headed to the Farmer’s Market in the morning for a burrito and some Java Joe’s Coffee. Weekends like that are some of my favorite.

I made a trip to Ames on a party bus for the Iowa/Iowa State game – boo Hawks – and spent some time with my favorite people. As it turns out – I’m not as good at tailgating as I used to be. Or maybe I’m better at it – you choose. I’ve celebrated love with friends getting married, friends getting new jobs, and just friendship in general. I’m in a good place with most things and am content with what that means.

And while I have decided to forego the yoga teacher training (for now), I will be all-supporting for someone else going through it for the next two months. One night a week, and one full Saturday full of yoga and learning – I’m really excited for the end result. Finding something that opens you up and frees your mind is something that I hope everyone finds.

“Dare to be free, dare to go as far as your thought leads, and dare to carry that out in your life.”
–        Swami Vivekananda

Dare to do what you want to do, even if it’s something you never thought you’d do. Try something new – because you never know, it could change your life.

Be who you are and just do you. Because as Abraham Hicks says: “People will love you. People will hate you. And none of it will have anything to do with you.” So do you, be you, and ignore anyone who can’t handle that.

Be you.

S

Cheesecake and Contentment - A Recipe for Success

As I begin week four of my new job, I can’t help but smile. I got a great workout in this morning, it felt like fall when I walked outside, and I got a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks (they’re back!) on my way in. I went to bed with my laundry put away, the floor vacuumed, and the scent of freshly blown out candles wafting around my apartment. I’d been enjoying my last couple weeks since my last post, with lots of yoga, delicious food, and time with friends. As I ease into September, it finally feels like I know what I’m doing. 2012 sucked, 2013 has been decent, and I’m really looking forward to what 2014 brings.

Like I said before – I’ve spent a lot of time in yoga the past few weeks. I’ve enjoyed classes at Gray’s Lake and I’ve sweat it out in Lululemon’s Showroom. But mostly, I’ve fallen in love with the classes, people, and ideals at Power Life Yoga. So much so – that I’ve worked out a work trade with them. Three hours of work at week, and free yoga classes to follow. It’s been such an amazing experience for me that I’ve also thought about teacher training. I’m still throwing it around my mind… because I may almost rather enjoy the classes without having to worry about what to teach next. I’ve got some time to figure it out though. No matter what I decide though, I’ll be forever a yogi.

I celebrated Restaurant Week in Des Moines with some of my favorites – with a trip to Fleming’s. Oh em gee. So delicious. If it weren’t so expensive, I’d want to be there at LEAST once a month. The atmosphere is awesome and the wine is even AWESOMER (yeah – awesomer for sure). Their cheesecake is seriously amazing too. So for sure – go get some of that. It’s a very close tie in cheesecake between Fleming’s and Sakari. Interesting choice between places eh? Then this past week, I got invited to help celebrate promotions with some friends and they decided to go to 801 Grand Steakhouse. And when I say oh em gee about Fleming’s, I REALLY mean OH EM GEE about 801. I had some yummy Moscato (because you can’t go wrong there) and tried some Carpaccio – I didn’t know what it was till I tried it. Super tasty though – I’ll eat that again. Then I had a giant Caesar salad which I accidentally said “sure” when they asked if I wanted sardines on it. So those little guys got pushed off to the side. But THEN I got to the rest of the meal. Garlic mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus with hollandaise sauce, and pistachio encrusted lamb chops. Wow wow wow. My mouth is watering again just THINKING about the deliciousness of this meal. And to top off the meal, I shared a slice of cheesecake with raspberries drizzled all over it. I can’t even handle how yummy it all was. After eating that entire meal all I wanted to do was sleep. And so I did. I was so full. But it was SO worth it.

I just realized how much I just wrote about food. I love food. So much.

And maybe one of the best parts about this past week – FOOTBALL!! Saturday was the season opener for state schools and it was fantastic reading everyone’s statuses and seeing their tailgating pictures. I was so jealous. I miss college. And all I have to show for it is a degree I don’t use and student loans I’ll be paying off till I retire. But it was so fun. And congrats Panthers on your win – I’d rather you win than two weeks from now during the Iowa/Iowa State game and the stupid Hawkeyes pull a win out their asses. Because then those fools will not shut UP about it. Such poor winners. But even worse losers. All right – enough with that… I know Cyclone fans can be real dicks too. Just not quite as bad J

I had a little epiphany while practicing a week or so ago. We were in savasana (corpse pose) at the end of class one Saturday morning, and our instructor kept talking about santosha. Santosha means “contentment” and “satisfaction.” Basically – doing whatever you need to be content in life. It really settled deep within my mind. Perfection is so completely unattainable – but contentment can happen so easily. You don’t have to lead a PERFECT life. You can be satisfied and content with what you have.

Which leads me to my next thought: church. I went to church growing up, but then never really made it back. I don’t necessarily say I’m a non-religious person, but more spiritual. I don’t go to church, but I think I have found my “church.” Yoga has helped clear my mind, bring new meaning to things I haven’t thought about before, and opened my eyes. I come out of class with a more focused look at what’s happening in my life and where I want to go from here. What I want to do next. I love that feeling.

“Be daring. Be different. Be impractical. Be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.”

– Cecil Beaton

I’ve found my church. My sanctuary may not have a cross or a preacher, but I do come out of it feeling the same way. I’ve got a clear focus, an open mind, and a feeling in my heart that I’m doing life RIGHT.

Namaste.

S

Positively Positive

Guys. I’ve been SO BAD at blogging lately. I’m not impressed with myself. Like at all. I don’t want to make up excuses… but I’ve been REALLY BUSY doing REALLY AWESOME THINGS. I’ve also been doing a lot of working… but I really shouldn’t make up excuses. It’s hard for me to sum up the last month – yeah… it’s really been that long – in a blog entry… especially since I get wordy as is. I’ll just recap the great stuff I’ve been up to.

Since my last posting on July 15^th… here’s what’s happened. (That's SO LONG AGO)

·         Ate my weight in carbs at the Italian Festival

·         Road-tripped to Minnesota to see NKOTB, Boyz II Men, and 98 Degrees in concert

·         Attended and LOVED a couple Yoga In the Glen get-togethers

·         Relaxed for some Yoga in the Park at Gray’s Lake

·         Got my butt kicked at some Lululemon yoga events

o   **Sidenote: I haven’t ONLY been doing yoga the last month, although there’s plenty of it

·         Ate lots of sushi – good and bad

·         Got recruited for a new job (and accepted!)

·         Took a couple days off just for ME

·         Attended a Chive meet up and people watched my ASS off (go to chive.com and see what I mean)

I’ve had lots of positives happening in my life lately and it makes me smile. I know there will be plenty of negatives to follow, because that’s how life goes. What goes up, must come down. But at this point – I’m prepared for it. I have a great support system through my friends and family and so far they’ve backed me on everything I’ve done. That makes it much easier for me to be happy and stay positive.

I’ve been doing my share of creepin on the Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/every other annoying form of social media lately, and I really like the positivity I see. Sure – there’s plenty of negativity and plenty to annoy the shit out of me. I’m trying really hard to not let it get to me – because obviously it’s their life and really has ZERO EFFECT on me so it SHOULDN’T bother me – but sometimes it just happens. Let me get back on track… positivity. Seriously though – I love what I see. And sometimes it’s the little things – like someone getting their Starbucks paid for by the person ahead of them in line. And sometimes it’s the bigger things – like getting a “thinking of you” gift from a friend because of something major happening in your life. Maybe it’s all the yoga I’ve been doing, but I feel like I’ve been happier, calmer and more forgiving lately. Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve just had a positive outlook on life because my life has been looking up. Maybe by the time 2014 rolls around, I’ll finally have my shit together. And maybe not. But I’m positive and hopeful about it.

It makes me happy when I see other people happy. I like when people are happy because they aced their first test of the semester. Or when they got a new pair of running shoes that helped them run a million miles that week. I like when I see people getting engaged, having babies, buying homes/cars/pets. I like all that positivity. Sure it can be annoying – but they’re positive life events out in the open for others to see as well.

I didn’t realize this was going to get into a motivational post about positivity… but here you have it. I’m POSITIVE I will get back on board with my posts – and will continue to tell you about the awesome and not-so-awesome things I’ve been doing. Maybe I’ll bore you with the icky sushi I ate – or excite you with the fact that I can do the Crow Pose in yoga. Or maybe vice versa? But I am POSITIVE that I will get into your head at some point and make you think.

A couple little words of wisdom were found on a sign (that I have on hold at Francesca’s and am picking up tomorrow) that really tie in with my positivity jargon I’m using tonight. So here you have it:

“Live by the sun, love by the moon.”

A rotation of happiness – live and love continuously, all day – every day. For the rest of your days. If this is what yoga does to my mind and soul, then I’m going to forever be a yogi. I love this.

Live, laugh, love –

S

Thrive

I’m hoping you’ve all made it through this Monday so far and have landed your happy little ass on the couch with the remote and a beer… but if you haven’t, then I hope you’re already in bed. Or maybe you had an awesome Monday and can’t wait to continue on with the awesomeness. Mondays are pretty hit or miss, that’s for sure. As I sit down to write tonight, I just feel – blah. I wanted to talk about every awesome thing I did in the last couple weeks (clearly “awesome” is the only adjective I know how to use tonight… maybe it’s because I watched quite a few episodes of HIMYM this weekend…) but I just wasn’t feeling it. Maybe I’m just tired, or maybe I just want to read my book instead. Just a slump for the overly wordy blog entry for the day. But I did find something that made me happy, and opened my eyes a little bit. I know I’ve said multiple times that I wish I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. I realize I may not be a “grown up” for many years, but I just wish I knew what I wanted to do forever. I’ve always wanted a CAREER. I don’t just want a job. I want to find something that I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to be challenged. I want to learn new things. I want to meet new people. I don’t want a sedentary lifestyle where I’m unhappy with what I’m doing. I want to be active and try new things. I just haven’t figured out what exactly that entails. Does that involve me being my own boss? Does that mean I need to move somewhere else? Or does that mean I just need to find something that works for now, and until I have the resources to do my forever job, settle? I don’t know what it means. I’ve got an ongoing bucket list, and my list for things I want to do this year. I also realize that I’m 26 (and a half) and there’s no hurry for me to figure out what I want to do FOREVER, right now. I just don’t know. I get on social media sites daily, hourly (depending on what I’m doing) and I see people getting new jobs, getting engaged, having babies, getting divorced, going back to school, complaining about how “hard” their life is, and I just want to punch people. Is that terrible for me to say? Probably a little bit. But it’s how I feel. I’m happy with where I am in my life – I just wish I had a little more direction. Maybe I’ll have an epiphany some day and just wake up and BAM – I know what I want to do forever. I just want to THRIVE. I don’t know what I will be doing while I’m thriving, but I have extremely high hopes for myself. Back to what made me happy and open my eyes a little, my quote. Well not MY quote, Reba’s quote. The one that opened my eyes and made me happy. “To thrive in life you need three bones. A wishbone. A backbone. And a funny bone.” Like I said – I want to THRIVE. I want to be happy and healthy and challenged. I have high hopes for my future. Maybe my future is 20 years from now, or maybe it’s 6 months from now. To get what I want (whatever it may be) I need a backbone. Stand up for what I want and love; and stand up to people who don’t care about you. That will never get you where you want to be. And most importantly – a funny bone. Make sure you’re able to laugh at yourself, or with yourself – whichever you prefer. I don’t understand how people can go through life being SO unhappy. Laugh, be happy, and spend time with people who bring out the best in you. So – my goal for the rest of the year: thrive. No matter what I’m doing – whether it’s work, getting in shape, or my to-do list. Thrive. Do things that make me happy, with people who make me happy. Challenge myself with things I’ve never done before. Or challenge myself with things I want to perfect. But by the end of the year – I will continue to thrive. Remember: all you need are a wishbone, backbone, and a funny bone. Sara

Time Well Wasted

Well kids – we’re halfway done with 2013. How’s it feel? Do you feel accomplished? Anxious? Hopeful? Or do you have an overwhelming feeling of “what the hell have I been doing the last six months?” I think I’ve got a combination of all of the above. Accomplished because I’ve done a lot of new things this year; anxious because I don’t know where to go from here; hopeful because I think I’m on the brink of something great. And then of course the “what the hell have I been doing the last six months” because it feels like just yesterday I was nursing a New Year’s hangover. The last six months have flown by, and I’m really looking forward to the rest of the year.

And now, for you tonight: a recap of the end of June. And I will have you know – I actually wrote an outline of what I wanted to put in this entry. Usually it’s just a fly by the seat of my pants type post – but I felt like being a little more organized today. Perhaps it was the green tea flowing through my veins that helped keep me on track – or the fact that I got more sleep this weekend than I have in a LONG time. Either or.

Monday was my typical Monday. Too tired from the weekend to wake up early for a workout, and no time the rest of the night to work out since I’d be at work till 10. While I was at work number one for the day, I came across a little blurb of information: “7000 jumps with a jump rope burns ONE pound. Do 1000 jumps each day during the week and lose one pound.” Well shit. I can totally handle that. So I decided that for my work out that night, I would do 1000 jumps. Surely it can’t take that long – I can do it in 200 jump increments and be done in no time. Well as it turns out – I am TERRIBLE at jumping rope. My feet hurt, I wanted to throw up, and I nearly Hulked out and tore a jump rope in half because I kept screwing up. Maybe I won’t get this done. I got my 1000 jumps in and headed home so I could wake up for an early trip to the gym.

Flash forward to Tuesday morning when my alarm went off at 5:00 am. That shit wasn’t happening. Back to bed until 6:30-ish. Finally I crawl out of bed and get ready for work. I was excited for dinner that night – yes I was ready for dinner at 6:30 in the morning – because I was trying out a new recipe (thanks Pinterest!) Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Bake. YUM. Worked out and died a little after work – then headed home to mix up my concoction. This was a DELICIOUS meal. Chicken, Frank’s Hot Sauce, crumbled blue cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, and tater tots. It looked pretty AND it tasted good. That rarely happens. Followed dinner up with She’s All That – which reminded me that each movie I watched in the 90s gave me unrealistic expectations for what the real world was going to be like. So disappointing.

Wednesday ‘s work day needed to get here and get done – I was taking the day off from working out so I could head to Mickey’s downtown for the launch party for the new Juice. I was so nervous I wasn’t going to get a Juice glass that I left work a few minutes early to make sure I was one of the first 300 people through the door. Well I was plenty early – got my glass and got to spend some time chatting out on the patio while I indulged in some delicious Summer Shandy. We spent a good hour talking about food and I was getting hungry – so to follow Mickey’s, we headed to Wasabi Tao. I’m really starting to LOVE sushi and can understand how people develop an “addiction” to the stuff. We started off with spicy edamame – which is SO MUCH BETTER than regular edamame. Holy crap. Then we decided to go from plain sushi, to sushi sushi, and “OMG I LOVE THIS” sushi. Let me elaborate. Plain sushi = the California roll. Sushi sushi = Tiger Roll. OMG I LOVE THIS = Out of Control roll and the Kirkwood roll. I was seriously drooling. They were so good. I love sushi. And that was an amazing end to my Wednesday.

Thursday was going to be another long and exciting day and night. (Clearly I wasn’t scheduled at either of my part time jobs so I had some more time for fun things. Not that folding and refolding clothes isn’t fun… but you get what I’m saying.) After an early morning and long day at work, I headed to the gym for an all weighted workout. Haven’t done one of these in a while – I was definitely in for it. After plenty of squats, bench press, an ab circuit, and other lifts I forgot about, I was ready for a good laugh. We had some free tickets to the Funny Bone that night – and I was pretty excited to laugh my ass off. And that I did. I was cracking up – and terrified that sitting right next to the stage would be cause for a huge amount of embarrassment. But there was only a little embarrassment. And as if I hadn’t had enough fun there, we decided to head downtown to Pints for a while to people watch. I can only handle so much people watching before I need to go home – so it was a fairly early night.

Friday sucked. I mean work was work – but I was super tired. I had zero plans of doing anything exciting that night. So after a trip to Jimmy John’s for some sammiches, a trip to Hy Vee for some honeydew melon, crackers and hummus, and a short trip to Redbox for some movies – I was so ready to take off my pants and bra and not do a damn thing. It was wonderful. Two and a half movies later, it was bed time for this girl.

Saturday’s wake-up call didn’t come till 9 and it was AWESOME. I definitely needed a full night’s sleep. I drank some coffee and got ready for a quick shift at the mall. After work, I really wanted to go to the Art Festival that was in town for the weekend. However – rain off and on the whole day didn’t really appeal to me. So after work, it was another sushi night! This time we headed to the East Village for Miyabi 9. I’ve heard only good things about this place – so I was so sure I wouldn’t be disappointed. Sadly though – I was a little disappointed. I mean don’t get me wrong, I loved the sushi – but I didn’t love it more than other sushi that I’ve had. We again went for the plain sushi, sushi sushi, and OMG I LOVE THIS sushi. Plain sushi = Hawaiian roll. Sushi sushi = Tiger roll. OMG I LOVE THIS = Acapulco roll and the Miami Heat roll. Very good place – but more expensive than Wasabi Tao, Sakari, Haiku… and it wasn’t my favorite. So now I’ve got that checked off my bucket list – I can move on to try more sushi places! To follow our GINORMOUS amount of sushi, we headed to The Rooftop for a drink while we decided what to do with the rest of our night. I forgot about that place until I looked up during dinner and saw it. On a hot day that place would be PERFECT. There’s an awesome breeze flowing and an open patio to work on my tan. But when it looks like it’s going to rain – I got nervous. After lots of discussion, we decided to hit up a movie. And not just ANY movie – we were going to see Monsters University. Yes I realize I’m 26, but I am a serious Disney/Pixar kid at heart. Always have been, always will be. As I’d hoped – Pixar didn’t disappoint. I still like the first one better – but I’m probably going to buy this one when it’s out on DVD. Another early night for me on Saturday – awesome.

Sunday was an unexpectedly busy day. Another late wake-up call, and then a trip to Gateway Market for brunch. It was a gorgeous day so I thought a walk to the Art Festival would be a great morning activity. A loop through Western Gateway Park was a good start to the day – to get my creative juices flowing. Because after that I was heading to a bridal shower and I knew I’d need an extensive vocabulary for the shower games. (Scattegories and “How Well Do You Know the Bride?” were on the docket for the afternoon.) So many talented artists and great works of art – I wish I could be so creative! Sadly though – my creativity is in my writing. Looks like that will have to suffice for now. I did finish out my night with some laundry (super exciting) and some homemade breakfast sandwiches. I had one for breakfast today and YUM – definitely an A+ in my book. Home run FO SHO.

I was cleaning out my phone today – deleting pictures of sayings from my phone, multiples pictures of Toby (don’t judge) and extensive food shots – and came across a lot of great words of wisdom. And I think this is a perfect way to start out the halfway mark of 2013:

“Time is precious. Waste it wisely.”

Like I’d said before – these last six months have completely flown by. Time is so precious. But if you waste it wisely – spend it wisely, whichever you choose – then it’s worth it. Although half the year is gone, I enjoyed it. I have loved nearly every minute of it. Sure – shit happens. But you get over it. And other AMAZING things have happened. Waste your time wisely, with people you love. Don’t spend your time doing something you hate with people whom you cannot STAND. Waste your time doing something awesome, with people who are equally as awesome as you are. You won’t regret it.

Have a wonderful Independence Day/week – ‘merica

S