This Much I Do Remember
It was after dinner.
You were talking to me across the table
about something or other,
a greyhound you had seen that day
or a song you liked,
and I was looking past you
over your bare shoulder
at the three oranges lying
on the kitchen counter
next to the small electric bean grinder,
which was also orange,
and the orange and white cruets for vinegar and oil.
Alll of which converged
into a random still life,
so fastened together by the hasp of color,
and so fixed behind the animated
foreground of your
talking and smiling,
gesturing and pouring wine,
and the camber of you shoulders
that I could feel it being painted within me,
brushed on the wall of my skull,
while the tone of your voice
lifted and fell in its flight,
and the three oranges
remained fixed on the counter
the way that stars are said
to be fixed in the universe.
Then all of the moments of the past
began to line up behind that moment
and all of the moments to come
assembled in front of it in a long row,
giving me reason to believe
that this was a moment I had rescued
from millions that rush out of sight
into a darkness behind the eyes.
Even after I have forgotten what year it is,
my middle name,
and the meaning of money,
I will still carry in my pocket
the small coin of that moment,
minted in the kingdom
that we pace through every day.
- Billy Collins
5.30.2016
5.28.2016
The Avocado Paint Saga
So, I have this random closet in my bus that I let my siblings draw all over with sharpies. One wall you kind of can see from the living room/kitchen/desk area so I decided to paint it. I picked out some all the paint chips and agonized over them for a week or probably more like a month. Then I got a week where I worked a lot of hours and I had a little extra moola to spend on superfluous things like paint and Welch's fruit snacks and crayons and other grown up things. So off I go to town, thirty minutes away, with my littlest brother in tow. We put the windows down and turn the radio up.
I have a confusing conversation with a very patient but obviously tired and stressed Lowe's employee about what kind of paint I'm looking for. I forgot it was Memorial Day Weekend, hence all the vacationers would be coming in to their summer houses about thirty minutes from that particular establishment. I settle on a kind of paint and a color. I believe the word on the paint chip was avocado. Like, the outside of an avocado. A dark, woodsy green.
Plants are on sale at Lowe's! I buy this cool rubbery plant for two dollars. I don't know what it is, but it's awesome. I hope I don't kill it. I also buy a Goldon Pothos for the exact reason that I have grown these before and discovered they are virtually impossible to kill. That's my kind of houseplant, if you know what I mean.
 |
| The Cool Rubbery Plant |
We buy chicken nuggets at McDonald's and then stop at Goodwill and buy my little brother a giant stuffed panda bear for three dollars (You should have seen his face light up when he saw it, he just saw Kung Fu Panda 3 the other night. lol) and I get into a long conversation with a lady named Sharon who is buying pillows and might have a mini-fridge for me if I want to pick it up sometime. We take our bear and our chicken nuggets and our paint and plants and various other items and pack them into my tiny little car for the thirty minute ride home.
We pull in the driveway and park. The lil' guy heaves and grunts and hauls his giant panda bear up to his room. I drive to the bus and heave and grunt and haul all of my new found treasures in. I joyously spread newspaper and turn on the radio to settle in for a few relaxing hours of painting and general lolly-gagging, feeling very accomplished in all my grown-up-and-buying-paint-by-myself-ness.
I open my paint can and mix it with the little wooden ruler thing they give you. It looks bright but I am not worried. I still have full and unquestioning trust in the colors of paint chips. The Pina Colada song plays, and I begin painting blissfully.
 |
| You can't really see it here, but it was blindingly bright. |
It is not long before I realize that the light reflecting off of the very subtly green metal roof is making the paint look an entirely different color than I had thought it would. In fact, it looks like a neon sign. Or tennis balls. Or green grapes. Or this telephone I found on google images:
The paint looks chartreuse.
*I commence panicking mildly*
I call my mother. (So much for my being an accomplished adult.) My mom does not pick up. She probably left her phone somewhere. I text my aunt a picture. We discuss paint colors and how you can take it back and get more color put in it if it's the wrong color. I decide to do one coat in the chartreuse and then go back and see if I can figure out how to either turn the chartreuse paint into avocado paint or buy a new can of perhaps 'midnight pine' paint or something like that. I finish the coat of glaringly bright paint and sit down to read five chapters of 'Don Quixote'.
I sit and read so long that by the time I come back to look at the paint, it is dry. And guess what? No longer, is it chartreuse. It is now a very respectable cilantro. Sure, it's brighter than what I was going for to begin with. But, bright is good. Bright means happy. And it is no longer the color of a lime popsicle that threw up. So, I can live happily ever after with cilantro. Crisis averted.
End of Saga
Link Love
- Snap Judgement is an awesome radio show and podcast of stories told by people that call in with their stories or are recorded by the show's reporters. They are put to great soundtracks and it's really neat to listen to stories from so many different people.
- Tasty is a YouTube channel of super short, easy to watch cooking videos. The videos range from frozen yogurt granola cups to slow cooker pineapple chicken to guacamole onion rings. You guys, I love food! :)
- Here is the definitive master list of links to articles with lots of useful information for writers on everything from portraying sign language in dialogue to writing cliffhanger endings to describing ethnicity, plagiarism concerns, etc. etc. etc. LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!
- This site has live video feed from a camera watching an Eagle's nest in D.C. These kinds of things are the reason that it is impossible for me to get anything done anymore. I am addicted.
- This Wind In The Willows Audio Book is free on YouTube and perfect for babysitting kids with cabin fever. Or just to listen to yourself. Also, the guy who reads it has a really cool accent and the whole thing is set to nature sounds. What's not to love?
- This short video about Human Nature was made by a teacher for special needs kids. Favorite quote, "Be kind to those who interact with you in a way you perceive to be abnormal." We're all just looking for human connection. (Note: couldn't find a link to the video anywhere but facebook, you probably have to be logged in to watch.)
- Colour Lovers lets you create your own color schemes from scratch or from colors you like in digital photos. Super handy for painting.
- This Minimalist Guide To Eating On A Budget is pretty much what I already do. Can we get a round of applause for deli rotisserie chicken yet? Super cheap and delicious/nutritious.
- Thrift Books is a website that sells secondhand books for really good prices. INCLUDING TEXTBOOKS, PEOPLE!! Also, free shipping for orders over ten dollars, so that's awesome.
- Duolingo is a 100% free website/app that teaches you a new language at whatever pace you choose, down to five minutes a day. There is also a placement test if you are already somewhat familiar with a language. It's very user friendly, and I highly recommend it.
- Simon's Cat is a YouTube channel of adorable, hand-drawn, animated shorts about a fluffy cat who gets into all kinds of different situations. Sweet, simple, and super relate-able to all cat owners.
5.24.2016
100 More Favorite Things
1. Pink flamingo yard ornaments.
2. Caramel coffee creamer in after-lunch coffee.
3. Big, tactical style watches.
4. Sunshine during rain.
5. Reading the Farm Show magazine in the waiting room at the dentist.
6. Little girls in Easter dresses.
7. Gingerale with ice and a straw.
8. Bright orange work lamps.
9. Little old ladies with scarves tied under their chins.
10. Birthmarks.
12. The movie, "The Lion King."
13. Buying people potato candy.
14. Polar Bears.
15. Hand-me-down winter coats.
16. Classical piano music.
17. Steam from a tea kettle in the morning sunlight.
18. Freckles.
19. Granddad's plaid, flannel shirts.
20. The smell of Johnson Johnson's baby shampoo.
21. Making little gifts for people.
22. Little boy humor.
23. French swing music.
24. Cuddling up in bed to watch movies.
25. Big white clouds that are poofy on top and grey on the bottom.
26. Flipping over a perfectly browned pancake.
27. The curly tops on garlic plants.
28. Fat, happy, purring cats.
29. Putting stickers on envelopes before sending them. Even on bills.
30. Driving with all the windows down.
31. Veggie-lovers pizza.
32. Playing chess.
33. Somebody's vacation pictures on Facebook.
34. Spring peepers.
35. Laughing over the phone.
36. Watching kids jump in mud puddles.
37. Jumping in mud puddles.
38. Birds on telephone wires.
39. Sheer curtains that let the sunshine inside.
40. Live music at cookouts.
41. Trees tossing in the wind during a storm.
42. The Chickadees at the bird feeder.
43. Camouflage travel mugs.
44. People with dimples.
45. When you're making Turkish coffee and it foams up.
46. People singing along to the radio when they think no one is around.
47. Four-wheelers and mud. A match made in heaven.
48. Pop rocks candy.
49. Vacuuming carpet.
50. Waving to a stranger and them waving back.
51. Playing Rummy around the kitchen table.
52. Yard sale furniture.
53. When someone you love tackles a hard issue in their lives, watching their self-esteem grow.
54. Amaryllis bulbs in pots in the windowsills.
55. Talking and sitting on front porch swings.
56. Filling hummingbird feeders.
57. Holding hands with little kids when crossing streets or parking lots.
58. Taking orders for pies on post-it-notes at work.
59. Full calendars.
60. Traffic lights reflecting on pavement after rain.
61. Aquariums with little plastic plants in them.
62. When you make cajeta and the whole house smells awesome for three days.
63. Gumball machines in old stores.
64. Wearing big comfy sweatshirts around a campfire.
65. Pencils and pens in mugs on desks.
66. The sweet familiarity and comfort of reading again the highlighted verses in my Bible.
67. When someone tells a joke and winks at you across the room.
68. Watching people find each other at the airport.
69. Whipped cream on top of things.
70. Finding a tea berry patch in the woods.
71. When a little kid draws you a picture that says 'I love you' in the corner.
72. Sitting on the bed, listening to podcasts and folding laundry.
73. The theme song to MacGyver.
74. When somebody snorts when they laugh and then start laughing harder.
75. When your tea gets to the perfect temperature.
76. Buying chili dogs from the deli to take on a picnic.
77. Freshly mopped linoleum.
78. When someone uses local slang in a conversation.
79. Finding farming forums up on my laptop after my brother used it.
80. Thunderstorms with lots of thunder and lightning.
81. Wildflowers in old wine bottles.
82. National Geographic magazines.
83. Aloe plants.
84. Kids with sparklers.
85. Planning weekend visits with friends over e-mail.
86. Watching someone you love pursue a passion and succeed.
87. Studying in coffee shops.
88. Painting baseboard and trim.
89. Good morning texts.
90. Staying up all night playing video games with siblings.
91. Long talks with my mom in the car.
92. Remembering a song you forgot about.
93. Opening the windows on a warm day to let the breeze in.
94. Grocery store flowers.
95. Fields all yellow and full of buttercups.
96. Sitting on fake-bamboo couches in sun porches with a good book.
97. The way a lake looks when it's really windy.
98. The Beatles song, 'Here Comes The Sun.'
99. Wobbly-kneed baby calves.
100. When somebody looks at you from a stage for reassurance.
2. Caramel coffee creamer in after-lunch coffee.
3. Big, tactical style watches.
4. Sunshine during rain.
5. Reading the Farm Show magazine in the waiting room at the dentist.
6. Little girls in Easter dresses.
7. Gingerale with ice and a straw.
8. Bright orange work lamps.
9. Little old ladies with scarves tied under their chins.
10. Birthmarks.
12. The movie, "The Lion King."
13. Buying people potato candy.
14. Polar Bears.
15. Hand-me-down winter coats.
16. Classical piano music.
17. Steam from a tea kettle in the morning sunlight.
18. Freckles.
19. Granddad's plaid, flannel shirts.
20. The smell of Johnson Johnson's baby shampoo.
21. Making little gifts for people.
22. Little boy humor.
23. French swing music.
24. Cuddling up in bed to watch movies.
25. Big white clouds that are poofy on top and grey on the bottom.
26. Flipping over a perfectly browned pancake.
27. The curly tops on garlic plants.
28. Fat, happy, purring cats.
29. Putting stickers on envelopes before sending them. Even on bills.
30. Driving with all the windows down.
31. Veggie-lovers pizza.
32. Playing chess.
33. Somebody's vacation pictures on Facebook.
34. Spring peepers.
35. Laughing over the phone.
36. Watching kids jump in mud puddles.
37. Jumping in mud puddles.
38. Birds on telephone wires.
39. Sheer curtains that let the sunshine inside.
40. Live music at cookouts.
41. Trees tossing in the wind during a storm.
42. The Chickadees at the bird feeder.
43. Camouflage travel mugs.
44. People with dimples.
45. When you're making Turkish coffee and it foams up.
46. People singing along to the radio when they think no one is around.
47. Four-wheelers and mud. A match made in heaven.
48. Pop rocks candy.
49. Vacuuming carpet.
50. Waving to a stranger and them waving back.
51. Playing Rummy around the kitchen table.
52. Yard sale furniture.
53. When someone you love tackles a hard issue in their lives, watching their self-esteem grow.
54. Amaryllis bulbs in pots in the windowsills.
55. Talking and sitting on front porch swings.
56. Filling hummingbird feeders.
57. Holding hands with little kids when crossing streets or parking lots.
58. Taking orders for pies on post-it-notes at work.
59. Full calendars.
60. Traffic lights reflecting on pavement after rain.
61. Aquariums with little plastic plants in them.
62. When you make cajeta and the whole house smells awesome for three days.
63. Gumball machines in old stores.
64. Wearing big comfy sweatshirts around a campfire.
65. Pencils and pens in mugs on desks.
66. The sweet familiarity and comfort of reading again the highlighted verses in my Bible.
67. When someone tells a joke and winks at you across the room.
68. Watching people find each other at the airport.
69. Whipped cream on top of things.
70. Finding a tea berry patch in the woods.
71. When a little kid draws you a picture that says 'I love you' in the corner.
72. Sitting on the bed, listening to podcasts and folding laundry.
73. The theme song to MacGyver.
74. When somebody snorts when they laugh and then start laughing harder.
75. When your tea gets to the perfect temperature.
76. Buying chili dogs from the deli to take on a picnic.
77. Freshly mopped linoleum.
78. When someone uses local slang in a conversation.
79. Finding farming forums up on my laptop after my brother used it.
80. Thunderstorms with lots of thunder and lightning.
81. Wildflowers in old wine bottles.
82. National Geographic magazines.
83. Aloe plants.
84. Kids with sparklers.
85. Planning weekend visits with friends over e-mail.
86. Watching someone you love pursue a passion and succeed.
87. Studying in coffee shops.
88. Painting baseboard and trim.
89. Good morning texts.
90. Staying up all night playing video games with siblings.
91. Long talks with my mom in the car.
92. Remembering a song you forgot about.
93. Opening the windows on a warm day to let the breeze in.
94. Grocery store flowers.
95. Fields all yellow and full of buttercups.
96. Sitting on fake-bamboo couches in sun porches with a good book.
97. The way a lake looks when it's really windy.
98. The Beatles song, 'Here Comes The Sun.'
99. Wobbly-kneed baby calves.
100. When somebody looks at you from a stage for reassurance.
5.21.2016
Kids Say The Darndest Things
Five year old: *studies my face intensely while eating a carrot stick*
Me: "Do you think if these dark circles under my eyes get dark enough, I could find a raccoon family and convince them to take me in?"
Five year old: (Very seriously) "I don't think you'd like what they eat."
 |
| The Raccoon Version of Me |
5.20.2016
Paddington [Short Movie Review]
Paddington is an adorable movie about a young bear who goes on an adventure from Peru to London in search of an explorer who visited his aunt and uncle years ago and who taught them English and invited them to visit him someday. He runs into a family that ends up taking him in-just for the night! The set and costume designers teamed up with the CGI designers to make Paddington a work of whimsy and fuzzy feelings. My very favorite part in the movie, (except obviously the ones that would give the story away) is the cherry tree painted in the house that changes subtly throughout the movie to reflect the mood. Paddington is a grand adventure for the little ones and a humor-filled and warm story for us old fogies. 10/10 highly recommend. :)
An Honest List of What Is In My Purse
So I switched purses today and instead of my usual purse-switching-routine (turning bag 1 upside down over bag 2 and shaking) I dumped everything out on the floor and proceeded to be horrified at myself. A picture might have well been too graphic so here is the complete list:
- A mini Germ-X with Elsa from Frozen on it. (I swear by Germ-X)
- A phone charger
- My wallet with ID, etc.
- A random art journal that I have half filled
- Two highlighters-yellow and purple
- An orange matchbox car from my little brother
- A receipt from a gas station for coffee and $15.00 worth of gas
- A receipt for pizza rolls. I don't remember buying pizza rolls?
- A purple pen
- Paint chips in shades of green and orange.
- My glasses case
- A little pink coin purse my mom brought me from the Philippines
- An individual package of 'Orange & Spice Herbal Tea' that I stole from a hotel
- Eos mint lip balm
- A micro sd card in a case
- A silver cross necklace
- Glee gum
- A compact mirror
- Mary Kay lipgloss
- A green hair tie
- A post it note with an address and phone number for a house I clean
- Two mascaras. Both in brown-black but one looks blue when I have it on so I don't wear it much.
- Cute little owl earrings
- A recipe for tex-mex lentil burgers
- Pink earbud headphones
- Midol
- $2.73 in loose change
- Two honey mustard sauce packets from McDonalds
- A signed and sealed birthday card I have yet to deliver.
- My keys with a cute turtle keychain I bought while on vacation
- Random $5 bill-JACKPOT!!
- A notoriously non-charged battery pack charger for my phone, meant for emergency use
- A Zootopia ticket stub from the theater
- A prayer list I scribbled in a waiting room on the back of a heart disease pamphlet
- A lucky pebble given to me by one of my smaller cousins
- One of those things you use to check tire pressure
- A flyer for a local orchestra that was performing at the community college last week
- Four safety pins
- A packet of sunflower seeds. Like, the kind to plant, not to eat.
- A receipt from filling my propane tank for my stove/heater
- A card with the date and time for my next dentist appointment.
- A paracord survival bracelet made by my sister
- Gummy vitamin C that I got for my brother who has a cold (those things are like candy! YUM!)
- A slightly wrinkled, pocket-sized Christmas photo of my entire family
- A granola bar wrapper with *brace yourself* used gum in it
5.19.2016
5.18.2016
Different Kinds of Love
There's love pretty much everywhere, but I've been noticing there's lots of different kinds.
There's the kind of love that when you're stranded on the side of the road with a busted transmission, you can call them and know they'll be on their way in ten minutes.
There's the kind of love that asks if you've had enough to eat and gives nice, warm hugs and says, 'you know this house is your house too,' waves goodbye from the front step when you drive away.
There's the kind of love that means when they call you at three a.m. and they had a miscarriage or they failed their exam, or life just sucks, you can talk together until the sun comes up and messy-cry and wonder together why things are the way they are.
There's the kind of love that gives you butterflies when they smile and makes you feel like everything is perfect when you're holding hands.
There's the kind of love that hurts because the relationship is sort of broken for now and there's tension and they prickle when you touch their shoulder and there's the kind of loneliness in their eyes that stays even when you're right there but you don't ruffle and you let them roll their eyes and you don't push, you just offer them tea and wish you could absorb all the pain because you love them anyway.
There's the kind of love that makes you feel proud and glowing inside, when you're holding a newborn baby and studying their little chubby face and feeling their warmth in your arms.
There's the kind of love that makes you cry when you're sitting in the audience, watching them up there succeeding and it makes you happy and proud and sad and you've-gotta-let-go-a-little-bit-more-but-you'll-never-stop-loving-them-anyway and so you cry and you smile and you wave and they find you from the stage and grin at you.
There's the kind of love that neither party really acknowledges because you're both too busy ribbing each other's choices and photobombing each other and arguing over the directions because why did we even agree to carpool again? But when you haven't seen them for a week they text you a meme about pizza just to check in.
There's the kind of love that you have for someone that you don't even know beyond chit chat but you care about their day and bring them Christmas cookies some years and compliment their new haircut when you see them.
There's the kind of love you have for someone who needs you, that tugs your heart when you see pictures or videos and wonder what more you might be able to do for them and it makes you mad you can't do more.
There's the kind of love that puts post it notes in your lunches and gas in your car and when you get your wisdom teeth out they drive you home and get you a milkshake.
There's the kind of love that just used to be and all that's left are the memories and whenever something reminds you of it you just smile or sigh and wonder again for a minute or two why things are the way they are.
There's the kind of stuck-with-you love that you don't ever think about until you hear from an aunt about something they did when they were young and it makes you smile and wrinkle your nose because it's just so like them to do that and your heart feels warm.
There's the kind of love that makes your heart feel full when you see them in love or getting that new job or holding their brand new baby because you've prayed them all the way to where they are and they don't even know how much you care about how much they've grown and how happy it makes you feel to see them living and growing and doing things.
There's so many different ways people love. You just gotta look for it.
5.15.2016
A Political Rant We Can All Agree On
Secondly, why can't anyone have a decent debate anymore? With the presence of media so strong, elections are no longer won based on what people think the candidates political agenda will do to help/harm the country. They are won because people think that the individual they vote for thinks like them and is on their side. The result is pretty frustrating because a) you get some real wack jobs running in the elections just for their shock value or speaking skills and b) the majority of the current campaigns are consisting of scoffing at and straight up slandering the opposition instead of addressing actual issues with their opinions, principles, and plans of action so that voters can make informed decisions.
Thirdly and lastly, I am frustrated enough to want to slap somebody at the apparent perception among so many different people that the party they do not vote for really is inherently evil/responsible for all problems/going to wreck America. Well-informed voters are very unlikely to agree completely with the candidate/party they are voting for on every single issue. I think it's wrong that everyone points to the presidents of the party they aren't on as the root cause of all the social, bureaucratic, or economic problems that came about during their general era.
And rant over. *mic drop*
"It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried." - Winston Churchill
5.14.2016
10 Beautiful Organized Refrigerators
Y'all have probably gathered by now that I love lists in a really, really big way. Like, I own one of those magnetic paper pads for grocery lists that you stick on your fridge and it says 'Listy McListerson' in big blue letters across the top and Mr. Listy McListerson is one of my top five favorite friends at the moment. It is seriously that serious.
I am a self-professed slob and maker of lists and....drum roll please......lover of organized refrigerators. There is just something about a refrigerator with no brown goop in mysterious yogurt containers on the very back shelf above the crisper that just really makes me feel like I'm in a spa in Hawaii getting a massage and simultaneously eating an oreo brownie sundae in a hot air balloon under a rainbow as doves are released into the sky and the hallelujah chorus is played by a symphony orchestra. Basically, it's utopia.
Without further ado, I present:
1. This fridge which has great organization and cake.
2. This fridge with three jugs of milk in the door. They were made to go there, you guys:
3. This makes me want to eat the fridge itself:
4. Look at all the baskets! And the salad dressing all in rows!
5. And lastly, I present the magnum opus of all freakishly-perfectly organized refrigerators:
*sigh*
So enjoy. Much perfect.
I am a self-professed slob and maker of lists and....drum roll please......lover of organized refrigerators. There is just something about a refrigerator with no brown goop in mysterious yogurt containers on the very back shelf above the crisper that just really makes me feel like I'm in a spa in Hawaii getting a massage and simultaneously eating an oreo brownie sundae in a hot air balloon under a rainbow as doves are released into the sky and the hallelujah chorus is played by a symphony orchestra. Basically, it's utopia.
Without further ado, I present:
1. This fridge which has great organization and cake.
2. This fridge with three jugs of milk in the door. They were made to go there, you guys:
3. This makes me want to eat the fridge itself:
4. Look at all the baskets! And the salad dressing all in rows!
5. And lastly, I present the magnum opus of all freakishly-perfectly organized refrigerators:
*sigh*
So enjoy. Much perfect.
30 Step Reset Your Life Challenge
1. Rearrange your furniture in a way you've never had it before.
2. Get up ten minutes earlier every morning.
3. Find a new route to your job, use it for the next two weeks.
4. Try a new recipe.
5. Listen to a genre of music you don't think you like every day for ten minutes for a week.
6. Deep clean your fridge.
7. Go to a restaurant you've never been to before.
8. Clean up your social media, delete stuff that's not relevant anymore. Hide negative people from your news feed.
9. No reading/watching/listening to the news for the next 48 hours.
10. Buy or grow from seed a new plant for your window.
11. Subscribe to a new blog or magazine relevant to your hobbies/life/dreams.
12. Go grocery shopping, put one regular item back on the shelf and try one new item.
13. Read a book in a genre you don't usually read. Put aside your skepticism for the duration of the reading.
14. Wear or cut your hair in an entirely different style.
15. Put together a new combination of clothes from your existing wardrobe. Wear it.
16. Get some new sunglasses.
17. Sign up to volunteer for something.
18. Scrub the heck out of your shower, wear rubber gloves and use a cleaner with bleach in it.
19. Paint a piece of furniture you own a new color or a create giant mural on your wall.
20. Say yes to everything. (Have a cookie? Can you dogsit for us? Drive my roommate to Canada? YES!)
21. Make a scrapbook or journal of all the best and worst parts of the past year. Move on.
22. Make a mood board or inspiration board for what you want this next next year to be for you.
23. Throw things out, go through your house and get rid of stuff you don't use or want. Donate it to Goodwill.
24. Commit to working on learning something for the next thirty days. French? Karate? Competitive hat making?
25. Go 24 hours without social media.
26. Stop complaining for 24 hours. Even in your thoughts.
27. Make a list of 100 things in your current everyday life that make you happy.
28. Reconnect with a friend or family member you haven't seen much recently. Maybe take them out for lunch?
29. Review your finances and budget plans. Start saving your change for a something special.
30. Make a new friend! Go to a new event or get online and find a pen pal.
5.13.2016
I-TEC
 |
| Picture from I-TEC website, linked below. |
Modern technology and medicine have done so much good, providing us with things like eyeglasses for people with poor eyesight and HAM radios to communicate over long distances. However, too often when programs bring these benefits to isolated people groups, dependency on outsiders for continued involvement becomes an issue.
I-TEC is a non profit, Christian organization that both evangelizes and creates and distributes resources and programs to train indigenous people in things like basic dentistry, engine repair, medicine, carpentry, etc. and help them regain their independence in a rapidly changing world.
Also, it's worth noting that the founder Steve Saint's mission approach is considerably less culturally intrusive than many more traditional evangelical approaches. He grew up as a kid in a missionary family deep in the jungles of Ecuador and as a result has a lot of insight into how healthy churches work in another culture.
Get involved at: http://www.itecusa.org/
Taking Stock #1
Making: Lots of cinnamon cream cakes at work.
Cooking: Egg omelettes with onions and peppers and pizza sauce.
Drinking: Colombian coffee with mocha caramel coffee creamer. Yummy! :)
Reading: Spycatcher, by Matthew Dunn.
Wanting: More vacation time. Enough sunshine to wash bedding and hang it to dry on the clothesline.
Looking: Out the window at my smaller siblings taking turns doing back flips on the trampoline.
Playing: A Hall and Oates CD over pink headphones.
Deciding: What color paint to get for the walls in the back room of my bus.
Wishing: My oldest sister was home so we could have a big, long middle-of-the-night talk about everything.
Enjoying: The sound of the rain on the metal roof of my bus at night.
Waiting: To plant tomatoes. (Again with the rain.)
Liking: Sunday cheesecake at my parents house. Every Sunday. :)
Wondering: If I am bold enough to try painting some kind of mural. Cherry blossoms?
Loving: My super adorable baby cousins.
Pondering: How fleeting life is. How lucky my younger sister is to be unharmed after rolling her car three times.
Watching: The movie Paddington last night. AKA the best kids movie ever. ;)
Hoping: To find a pen pal and write back and forth for literal years.
Marveling: Over how much grace God keeps dumping on me even though I'm a hot mess.
Needing: A kettle to heat water for tea and such in my bus. It's hard to pour boiling water out of a saucepan.
Smelling: An ah-mazing 'hazelnut cream' candle that is burning away on my counter.
Wearing: A t-shirt with the name of my hometown on it and jeans and tennis shoes.
Following: Lots of loooong lists of things to do that my bosses keep giving me at work.
Noticing: How my mom is teaching my youngest siblings all the things she taught me when I was their age.
Knowing: Work is just going to get busier and busier as summer comes in.
Thinking: About all the hiking and camping out I want to do this summer. And I want to bring marshmallows.
Admiring: The red-headed woodpecker that comes to sit on the hood of my bus in the mornings and is so pretty.
Wasting: Time trying to figure out how to doodle a zebra and searching for happy pictures on pinterest.
Buying: Nothing, I spent all my spending money for now on gas and food for a weekend trip to Nagshead, NC.
Getting: Lots of memes on google+ from my brother.
Bookmarking: Articles about growing ginger indoors.
Disliking: Mud. Going to the dentist. How much it hurts to love people who are hurting.
Opening: A cold can of coke after mowing an enormous soggy lawn with a stubborn mower at work for 4 hours.
Giggling: Over Calvin and Hobbes cartoons with the 7 year old brother. He's growing up so fast!
Working: On digitizing some old black and white photos for my aunt.
Feeling: Thankful. Content. Happy.
[ Today's post inspired by this blog post. ]
5.11.2016
51 Ways to Be Nice To People
1. Say please and thank you.
2. Hold doors for people.
3. Forgive. Old stuff, new stuff, little stuff. Bad things happen, people are rude, just let it go and move on.
4. Never show up to someone's house empty handed. Even if all you bring is a snack pack of oreos.
5. If you're willing to help with something, offer. Save them the worry of asking and wondering if they're intruding.
6. When you can afford it, offer to treat someone instead of splitting the check.
7. Pick up your phone, call a friend or family member and have a conversation. (It's not hard once you start.)
8. Bring coffee to someone at work.
9. If you think something nice about someone, say it.
10. Swallow your road rage. Maybe the driver's wife is in labor or maybe they are just learning to drive.
11. Write more fan mail.
12. Don't bash anyone online. Ever. It often causes far worse harm than you had considered it might.
13. Tip as big as you can afford.
14. Whenever you are waiting for anything with someone, put your phone away and just be there.
15. Compliment employees to their bosses. Especially if they help you with something.
16. Smile at strangers, even if they don't smile back.
17. Seek out people sitting alone at parties and talk with them.
18. Keep a calendar of everyone's birthdays (family, friends, boss, janitor...) and send birthday cards.
19. Give people books you think they'd like.
20. Hug your friends when you greet them or say goodbye and make 'em good, squeezy hugs.
21. Write nice things on other people's social media posts. Especially the frequent-posters. They're lonely.
22. Relay overheard compliments. Spread the positivity, people!
23. Offer to babysit for a busy parent and do it for free.
24. Be kind to salesmen/customer service reps on the phone. They're just doing their job! :)
25. Get prints of family photos and give/send them to your older relatives. Especially pics of the kids.
26. Send a care package to someone you know or sign up to send one to a soldier.
27. Bring a meal to an expectant mother a couple weeks before she has the baby. She's tired.
28. Laugh at people's jokes, even the not-really-funny-ones. Now watch their eyes sparkle.
29. Put a bunch of extra quarters in the parking meter when you leave.
30. Compliment people on their homes.
31. Write lots of thank you cards.
32. Don't get easily offended over other people's lives/opinions/manners/anythingelse. It's called elbow room.
33. When kids or old people talk to you, LISTEN. It doesn't matter if it's not interesting. They are important.
34. Give away your whole pack of gum.
35. Make and give welcome-to-the-neighborhood cookies/gift baskets for new neighbors.
36. Send anonymous flowers to anybody with a cheery (and non-axe-murdery) note.
37. Leave pennies heads up where kids might find them. Kids love finding heads up pennies. :)
38. Don't shrug off anyone's problems. Even if they're silly ones. Empathize and then point out the silver lining.
39. Write postcards and send them while you're on vacation. Write something nice on them, like Sinatra lyrics.
40. Let people cut in line in front of you and don't let it ruffle your feathers.
41. Move over into the fast lane for trucks entering the freeway, it's hard for them to get up speed sometimes.
33. When kids or old people talk to you, LISTEN. It doesn't matter if it's not interesting. They are important.
34. Give away your whole pack of gum.
35. Make and give welcome-to-the-neighborhood cookies/gift baskets for new neighbors.
36. Send anonymous flowers to anybody with a cheery (and non-axe-murdery) note.
37. Leave pennies heads up where kids might find them. Kids love finding heads up pennies. :)
38. Don't shrug off anyone's problems. Even if they're silly ones. Empathize and then point out the silver lining.
39. Write postcards and send them while you're on vacation. Write something nice on them, like Sinatra lyrics.
40. Let people cut in line in front of you and don't let it ruffle your feathers.
41. Move over into the fast lane for trucks entering the freeway, it's hard for them to get up speed sometimes.
42. Turn down your music at traffic lights.
43. Don't smoke cigarettes (or anything else) in other peoples' breathing space.
44. Don't give smokers dirty looks for smoking. It does not define them as individuals.
45. When the cashier asks if you'd like to donate a dollar to some charity, say yes.
46. Donate canned goods to a food drive.
47. Ask someone to teach you how to do something they are skilled at/proud of. And then really pay attention.
48. Leave sticky notes with positive encouragement on public bathroom mirrors.
49. Go to fundraiser dinners for the fire department, etc.
50. Return lost shopping carts to their stalls in parking lots.
51. Give away lots of chocolate.
5.10.2016
5.09.2016
15 Things No One Knows About Me
1. I lip sync to music in my head when I'm in the shower.
2. This commercial always makes me happy-sad-cry.
3. I like prunes. I know, I know they're old-people-ish but they're really just dried fruit and they're yummy.
4. When I was little I would sneak downstairs at night to read books. Like school books and stuff. I was weird.
5. I know how to play piano a bit better than I let on. I HATE playing in front of anybody.
6. I listen to recordings of the radio show Snap Judgement on the longest nights when I just can't sleep.
7. One time I ate an entire bag of open m&ms that I found under the couch and had expired. I have no regrets.
8. I have a very full binder of poetry that I wrote from age 8 or 9 until present day.
9. I conditioned my youngest brother to like mustard by mixing it into all his food when he was little.
10. I like the beach but I love the mountains. I guess they're just more homey.
11. I love quilts but I detest quilting. I had no idea how much smoldering rage I was capable of until I tried quilting.
12. I once wrote a 317 page novel which I accidentally deleted. Probably no great loss, I was about 12 at the time.
14. I have never had a green smoothie and never hope to have one. I'll take my greens un-blendered, thanks.
15. I have always wanted bangs in my hair but I've never been brave enough to ask.
Now you know my secrets. I guess that makes us friends. ;)
2. This commercial always makes me happy-sad-cry.
3. I like prunes. I know, I know they're old-people-ish but they're really just dried fruit and they're yummy.
4. When I was little I would sneak downstairs at night to read books. Like school books and stuff. I was weird.
5. I know how to play piano a bit better than I let on. I HATE playing in front of anybody.
6. I listen to recordings of the radio show Snap Judgement on the longest nights when I just can't sleep.
7. One time I ate an entire bag of open m&ms that I found under the couch and had expired. I have no regrets.
8. I have a very full binder of poetry that I wrote from age 8 or 9 until present day.
9. I conditioned my youngest brother to like mustard by mixing it into all his food when he was little.
10. I like the beach but I love the mountains. I guess they're just more homey.
11. I love quilts but I detest quilting. I had no idea how much smoldering rage I was capable of until I tried quilting.
12. I once wrote a 317 page novel which I accidentally deleted. Probably no great loss, I was about 12 at the time.
14. I have never had a green smoothie and never hope to have one. I'll take my greens un-blendered, thanks.
15. I have always wanted bangs in my hair but I've never been brave enough to ask.
Now you know my secrets. I guess that makes us friends. ;)
5.07.2016
While You Were Sleeping [Short Movie Review]
While You Were Sleeping is a sweet and comedic romantic movie about a girl who falls for the brother of her accidental fiance. Yes, it's ridiculous. Yes, it's far fetched and yes, it's cliche. But the reason this movie is one of my favorites is that it touches on the realness of sharing life with a loving family and also the contrast of what it feels like to be truly alone. Also, while it is funny and has plenty of plot twists, it's not the kind of comedy that keeps you cringing out of embarrassment for the characters the whole time. It's a feel-good movie, one I highly recommend. :)
5.05.2016
Funny Convo With Customer Today
Me: (to regular customer, whose daughter is expecting twins) oh, hey! How are the grandkids coming?
Customer: Oh, it'll be a few months yet.
Me: Did (the parents) pick out names yet?
Customer: Oh, well they did but they're kind of strange.
Me: Oh, dear! Well, I'm sure once the babies are here you'll grow to like them alright. What did they pick?
Customer: (says names of babies)..but I guess it could be worse. I had a sister who was an OBGYN and she knew a Mr. and Mrs. Lee that named their son Brock.
Customer: Oh, it'll be a few months yet.
Me: Did (the parents) pick out names yet?
Customer: Oh, well they did but they're kind of strange.
Me: Oh, dear! Well, I'm sure once the babies are here you'll grow to like them alright. What did they pick?
Customer: (says names of babies)..but I guess it could be worse. I had a sister who was an OBGYN and she knew a Mr. and Mrs. Lee that named their son Brock.
Newsboys - We Believe (Music Video)
I tend to be partial to the hymns of ye olde times, but as far as modern worship music goes I love this song! Good lyrics make all the difference and this song makes my soul feel full. :)
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