faaabulous me.

I was talking to a "friend" at the gym today {don't be impressed, it's my first time back in the gym after a 3 week "hiatus"} about negotiating a new monthly rate.

Amidst our usual witty banter {read: my charming personality, "friend" graciously putting up with me}, he asked why I deserved a cheaper rate.

Without skipping a beat, I responded, "Because I'm a loyal member...and I'm faaabulous."

To which he replied, "Who says?"

"Well, no one lately," I answered, "but that's what I tell myself."

And then I realized, after having this silly, meaningless conversation, that I should be telling myself things like this more often. There's nothing wrong with me dropping myself the occasional compliment. Toot toot.

Are you a member of your own fan club?

As many women are, I am usually my toughest critic. Take a minute {heck, even an hour...or a day! gasp} to see yourself how others see you.

I certainly have my faults, but today I'm recognizing the good because there really is good in everyone.

"If you put a small value upon yourself, rest assured the world will not raise your price." ~Author Unknown

this too shall pass.

Stress is not what happens to us. It's our response to what happens. And RESPONSE is something we can choose. ~Maureen Killoran

The time to relax is when you don't have time for it.  ~Attributed to both Jim Goodwin and Sydney J. Harris

Thank you for all of the wonderful words of wisdom and advice! :)

Not sure if it was the kind words or the massive amounts of junk I've eaten today {starbucks, cookies, yogurt pretzels, you name it...}, but today was better than yesterday.

Time has an amazing way of healing things!

homeless?

One thing that caught me off guard immediately when I moved up here - that showed I was in a much bigger city - is the amount of homeless people scattered about.

On my walk to work - check. 

Walk to lunch - check. 

Walk back to parking garage - check. 

Even on the way home from work - in my own neighborhood - check.

It's very sad, but somehow I've just gotten used to it.

However, I was caught even more off guard a couple weeks ago when my roommate and I were driving to the gym and saw a group of 5 of the regular homeless in our part of town hop into a new red Matrix station wagon. What? Who paid for their new car!?

And then again today, I saw a woman that stands by the nail salon set down her sign, walk up towards the shops, take out a cigarette, and then flip open her cell phone! Where do they send this phone bill - she's "homeless" after all?

I am so confused. Even if they aren't "homeless" - I feel bad that these people have given up. They spend their days sitting out in the sun - the 90+ degree sun - when they could be contributing so much more to society. 

And if they are homeless, obviously my heart breaks even more for them. I know it's not my business, but I do want to know more - where do they come from? how did they get to this place in their lives? how can they get back on track? where are their families? 


The lonely, tired women I see every day on my drive home are on my heart tonight. Although I have become used to seeing many homeless in my daily routine, it doesn't make me any less sad for them.

Good Vibes & Random Quotes

Once you go through something you think will kill you and it doesn’t, every day is like a present.
~Elissa B. Terris 

Others all around us are going through such awful things - illness, death, abuse, and the list goes on. In the grand scheme of things, I am a truly lucky girl.

In that context, I feel so selfish and silly to admit that it took me a long time and possibly a bout of minor depression to get to this place. But I am a happy, thankful person as of lately. Each day I am choosing joy. If nothing else, I hope to bring a smile to another person's face each day.  

 Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be.
~Grandma Moses

Life is in fact what you make it, and I am trying to be more proactive in making choices that will bring me happiness and wonderful memories ~ partly because living alone has put me more in touch with what makes me feel accomplished and satisfied.

I have gotten a better balance in my life between work and personal time. I've done some successful apartment shopping {more on that later}. I have so many unbelievable friends {despite them not all being here in the city}. I have a loving family. I am proud of my independence and all that I have learned in the previous months. And I have learned to laugh at myself during not so proud moments ~ truly a gift at times!

To find in ourselves what makes life worth living is risky business, for it means that once we know, we must seek it.
~Marsha Sinetar

Although I am still uncertain about many things, I have learned so much and am becoming much more comfortable with my new life. I have a better appreciation for the relationships in my life {old and new} and the wonderful memories and experiences I have been so lucky to have. I am beyond blessed. And thank you to each of you reading for being a major contributor to my overflowing joy!

Be Inspired.

Today at work we had a 2 hour session on balancing work and home life {whatever that means for me right now...insert work/life balance issue here}. 

What an awesome way to spend my afternoon ~ this session was extremely entertaining, funny, and very insightful! The free lunch was nice too.

I cannot wait to put to use some of the tips and words of wisdom that were shared. 

The recommendation that hit me the hardest was creating a "bucket list" of 100 things to do before you die. I know it sounds cliche, but the things this guy has crossed of his list were amazing! From running marathons to riding 50 foot whale sharks to visiting over 100 countries in his lifetime.

I want to do these things. I need to stop putting things off and waiting for my life to start.  

My life is now. 

Work is a part of my life, but not all of it. 

I'm beginning my "100 List" tonight. It's not a quick exercise or a permanent commitment. Instead, this list is meant to be an ongoing reminder of the bigger picture. As life changes, substitute new dreams and goals so that the list still fits you. 

By crossing off at least two items per year, think of how many unique experiences you could accomplish in your lifetime. 

Don't let life pass you by. Make a conscious effort to live your fullest life possible - whatever that means for you personally.

I will choose JOY

Amongst life's many stresses, several things are bringing a smile to my face at the moment:

• My butt has been to the gym 3 days in a row...I love the way I feel after working out, and I want to keep it up!
• York Peppermint Patties {to balance out the workouts, duh}. This girl's got a sweet tooth.
• The fact that several of my friends have started blogs...hint, hint to the others out there...
  
• Country music ~ particularly the "Black Dress Song" and the song about dancing through the house...whatever it's called.
  
• My wonderful friends that I don't get to spend enough time with, but love that when we hang out it feels like no time has passed :)
  
• Ol' Boy asked me to dinner this week. I've decided {per my New Year's Resolution of being more open and accepting} that I wasn't right to judge him so quickly. From all I know so far, he is extremely nice and easy to talk to. And 2 bomb points to him for actually asking a girl on a date!
  
• I am trying to limit the stress in my life ~ and feeling good so far this week {ha, I know...it's only Monday, we'll see how the rest of the week goes}. I am trying to stress less about work because I am doing my best and that's all I've got.
• Finally, I am already looking forward to the Starbucks I'm going to get tomorrow morning...because I deserve it ;)

Hope everyone had a Happy Day...despite it being Monday! 

Be Thankful

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don't know something,
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times,
For during those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations,
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge,
Because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes,
For they will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you're tired and weary
Because it means you've made a difference.
It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles and they can become your blessings.
~Author Unknown

Perhaps by the tone of my last post you could tell that I'm feeling down today, and this quote was just what I needed to read. My dad always says you must go through tough times so that you can better appreciate the good ones. I need to focus on these positive thoughts. Although I'm feeling down and lonely today, better days are coming soon.

p.s. I did make it to the gym. And more imporantly, I made it home safe.

The Amazing Race

"It is a mistake to try to look too far ahead. The chain of destiny can only be grasped one link at a time" --Winston Churchill

I have a problem with thinking too much about the future. I am a planner, and sometimes that gets out of control. Lately, I have been stressing myself out about my future way too much. Instead, I've decided I need to simply start doing things today that will set me up for happiness and success down the road. Just take life one day at a time, and let life run its course.

I am anxious to meet more people in the area (a guy would be nice as well...), and I've decided that since I met tons of friends through social groups in college, I should try that in the new city as well. There are tons of "young professional" organizations here that look like fun.

Today, a team of four of us (basically all the people I already know in the new city) got together for a scavenger hunt through downtown. A big charity organization in town hosted a social scavenger hunt (similar to the Amazing Race but on a much smaller scale...alrthough it did seem like we were running/walking forever) and a happy hour afterwards (even though it was only 2 o'clock in the afternoon). There were 5 detour locations at bars that were discovered by figuring out clues and 5 destinations where you had to answer trivia about the city's history. Although this event was more social based, this organization does about 30 community service events throughout the year as well. I'm excited to get more involved in the group because everyone was very nice! Being that all of our team members were new to the city, we did not even come close to winning overall, but we did win in our minds because we gained a greater feel of the city and met some wonderful new people!