september 24th September 25, 2009

Since I was a dead beat last week and missed putting down my good things but I guess it’s because my good things have been taking me away from this blog and into real life. The ultimate good thing but I still have some to put down.

• Good dates- when you’ve had a couple of really bad dates, you get really discouraged. I have found that dating in the real world is not like meeting guys at college; it’s a lot more stressful and not as easy as meeting and just hanging out. But finally I had a good date where I actually enjoyed the person. He made me laugh and he made me comfortable despite my nervousness. Tomorrow I have another date so let’s cross our fingers that it will be a good date.
• New sorority clothes- yes, I know I graduated and am now an alum of  my sorority. But now that I am working and making money, I can finally indulge in buying some frivolous things like a white hoodie with my letters on the back. I’m getting it for homecoming and I just can’t wait to wear it!
• New shoes- okay I am not going to make this post all about the new things I’ve bought but I have to mention my new shoes. I was very thrifty and purchased shoes online because I had a coupon for DSW. I got the cutest madras boat shoes for work and a pair of fleece-lined moccasins for this fall and winter. Not to mention the two pairs of boots I bought from in store with a discount coupon that are very fashionable and perfect for the winter season.
• Phone calls- I love getting phone calls from friends and being silly and fun and reminiscing even when you’re far away from each other.
• Watching the news- I got back into my routine of watching the news every evening at 6:30pm. It’s nice to learn things outside of the classroom and be updated on what’s going on in the world.

“We are all vulnerable. We will at some point in our lives fall. We will all fall. We must carry this in our hearts, that what we have is special. They can be taken from us. That when it is taken from us, we will be tested. We will be tested. We will be tested to our very soul. It is these times, it is this pain that allows us to look inside ourselves.” -Friday Night Lights

strangers September 11, 2009

It’s funny how strangers can change your life. It’s not something you ever realize because it can be small things. If you think about it, strangers change your life in small ways every day. Traffic and long lines and leaving change in one of those coin deposit trays at the convenience store, strangers touch you and you don’t think about it. For me, at the beginning of the summer, a stranger  changed the rough path I was on and made me come out of a period of unhappiness.

It’s a weird story for sure. I was online and im-ed by someone I didn’t know. I thought of rejecting it but I thought it might be someone I know. So I replied. It started off as a case of mistaken identity and after we were properly identified as complete strangers, it became a silly flirtation. I was pretty down after my break-up, a pretty common experience. But suddenly this strange guy was flirting with me and making me laugh. It was just what I needed right then, someone showing me it wasn’t worth my time to wallow in my unhappiness. I would have come out of my funk eventually but it happened a whole lot faster with this mysterious and weird situation.

I also bring up the idea of strangers changing lives because of today, September 11th. People we might not have known personally died in the tragedy and it still affects us profoundly. People, soldiers, we probably don’t know fight for our freedom and their work affects us every day. So even though there are many strangers in our life, I feel that our lives have the ability to touch theirs every day in little and big ways. I adopted a soldier, a man I have never met and most likely will never meet, and try to support him as much as I can. I do not know him but he makes my life safer so I want to make his life better in some little way too. I guess what I want to emphasize is that we may be strangers but that doesn’t mean that you don’t make a difference. It’s up to you to make sure that the life you lead, the life that affects others, is a positive one when it touches others. That’s what I think we all need to remember on September 11th.

september 10th September 10, 2009

Another Thursday and I only did one post for the week! I need to get working on this thing again. But it’s been another good but long week though tomorrow’s Friday!

• Trashy beach novels- I stopped reading all those “trashy” paperback novels in search of some really good reading materials. But I missed them, I missed the silly romance stories so I grabbed a few at the library and they’ve been making me happy all week. They’re kind of like bon bons, short and sweet.
• Trying new recipes and meeting success- I love to experiment in the kitchen but trying new recipes can sometimes me daunting. I made lemon bars today at work and they were savory, tangy, and a success!
• Buying a personal organizer- okay, so it is not the filofax of my dreams but it’s pretty darn close. I found a lovely organizer in green with a bamboo pattern and filled with cream colored sheets. While everyone moves to PDAs and Blackberrys, I still love the satisfaction of crossing things out.
• Shopping online and getting crazy discounts- I went out shopping on Monday and found a really gorgeous black dress and nice black pants. But my real shopping expertise started when I got home and went online. With labor day sales, membership discount coupons, and promotional codes, I scored a pair of adorable madras boat shoes, fleece-lined moccassins, and two great skincare products from Philosophy. Now if only I could find a discount code for the boots of my dreams at Piperlime…
• Buying discount Bradley Beach merchandise- I went down the Shore on Sunday and it was really windy and kinda cold for a day lying on the beach. It was so cold in fact that it forced us to search out sweatshirts or something to cover us up in the cold. The little boardwalk store was closing up and selling some of their merchandise discounted so I picked up a pink longsleeve tee with the beach logo and threw in a Bradley Beach bumper sticker for good measure. All for only $10 and it was sweet.

“Sometimes what seems like surrender isn’t surrender at all. It’s about what’s going on in our hearts. About seeing clearly the way life is and accepting it and being true to it is far, far greater.” -The Horse Whisperer

september 3rd September 3, 2009

It’s been a good week with lots of good things:

• Text messaging- what would I do without it? But it just reminded me of how close you can be with your friends without being close. I’m not saying that texts replaces hanging out with our toes in the fountain but it makes me feel good to know I can contact them in an instant.
• Three day weekend coming up- it’s all about the little things in life like getting to sleep in one extra day.
• Working on my scrapbooks- I have been getting pictures printed up and will be going out to replenish my scrapbook supplies. I love having little things to look at and go along with all of my memories.
• Bringing my dog to work- he was super cute with all of my residents, running around and making friends. I love my puppy and it was great to have him around all day.
• Discovering Uno’s Snack Hour- you cannot beat $1.99 half portion appetizers from 4-7pm every night. I am seriously in love with their Buffalo Chicken Quesadilla and Shrimp and Crab Fondue. I sound like a fat kid but really they’re only half portions so I’m good.

“But the only thing I have to give/ To make you smile, to win you with/ Are all the mornings still to live.” -Morning Morgantown, Joni Mitchell

forgetful August 29, 2009

I’ve been so busy with work and home stuff that I just haven’t made time to write anything for almost a week. That will change soon though, possibly with a post tonight. It makes me sad though; I can’t believe I missed Good Things Thursday!

August 20th August 20, 2009

I know, I know I’ve been lazy about posting but there have been a lot of things going on in my life! But at least I made it for another good things Thursday.

• Moving my brother to college- he’s a freshman! And though I’m going to miss him a whole lot, this is such an exciting time for him and I’m so glad I was there to share it with him.
• Writing!- Yes, I am writing. It’s coming along a little each day and though I’m pretty convinced it’s going to be crap when I’m finished, at least I’m writing something. Progress, progress, progress.
• Car shopping- in light of recent events in relation to my current car (case 1: hitting a deer on the highway, case 2: back brakes so bad that I am afraid of crashing), I am searching for the new perfect ride. I know that when I find it I will be so proud of myself because I am buying this car for myself without my parents. I’ll be a real live grown-up, unlike a lot of people my age. It makes me smile every time I think about it. Plus I am doing so much research I am going to have the cutest car for my money.
• Having more money in my savings than my checking account- this is just such an obvious good thing but seriously, this is the first time it’s ever happened to me. Although I will be depleting it in the near future it’s still progress.
• Blueberry pie- my mom made a delicious blueberry pie the other day, my favorite summer pie and I hope I’ll be eating some of that for dinner tonight!

“And you want to get moving/And you want to stay still/But lost in the moment/Some longing gets filled.” -Barangrill, Joni Mitchell

August 13th August 13, 2009

Another good things Thursday is here! Even though today was not the best Thursday on record, I still have lots of good things going in my life.

• Getting to see the movie I wanted to see…twice!- I got to go see Julie and Julia which I had anticipated seeing for awhile now (see: Exciting Things I Think). I liked the movie and got to see it with my mom and at work. Also reading Julia Child’s memoir, My Life in France, made the movie that much better. Now I have to finish it!
• Perfect new blue jeans- I just got the most perfect new pair of jeans. And for anyone who’s picky about their denim, you know that’s a big accomplishment. They’re AG jeans, a nice dark wash, a little on the long side, and they hug my legs in all the right places. Definitely a perfect pair to wear on dates (which I need to work on by the way) and just to hang out in. Plus they were a very good size if I do say so myself.
• Figuring out how to blowdry my hair for maximum effect- a major accomplishment of today was finally using a little bit of product to go a long way. Not only was I asked if I got my hair highlighted (no way, sister, that was about 4 months back) I was told how beautiful and thick my hair is. And a girl loves getting compliments about her hair no matter what.
• Creating a workable budget- pretty boring but pretty essential. I figured out how I am going to be able to afford getting a nice new car in a couple of months and not land myself in the poor house. Of course the really good thing will be when I actually stick to it but I have faith in myself.
• Reading Patti Stanger’s Become Your Own Matchmaker- I have really come along from four months ago and come into a new me, a me post-college and out in the “real world.” I’m thinking more about relationships and being happy. It’s a good book and made me think a lot more about finding a perfect someone. Really it’s always fun to daydream.

“And me, I still believe in paradise. But at least I know that it’s not somewhere you can look for, ’cause it’s not where you go. It’s how you feel for a moment in your life when you’re part of something and if you find that moment, it lasts forever.” -The Beach

august 6 August 7, 2009

There are many good things this Thursday but I will pick out my favorites:

• Adopting my soldier- okay, so I am insanely excited to be supporting the troops but seriously I feel like I’m making a small difference in a way that I know how.
• Rimmel’s Sexy Curls mascara- at first I wasn’t sure if I liked the weird bubbly brush but I knew I liked the metallic purple tube. I gave it a few days and it’s pretty much my favorite, even if mascara is an essential part of my day.
• My Life in France by Julia Child- the memoir of the famous cook is fantastic. It’s all about her time in France learning cooking. It made me realize that you can stumble across your life goal in the most unexpected ways. It also makes me want to move to Paris ASAP.
• Searching for things to get me involved- I haven’t yet found anything in my area that I am going to get involved in to get me out and meeting new people. But I have been discovering lots of things I can do, little projects and things here and there that I can’t wait to do. One is Memory Walk in October. Since I work with people affected by Alzheimer’s, I think it’s important for me to be involved with the walk and raise money. More info soon!
• New music- I love music, in my car, in my room, out and about. Life is just better with a soundtrack. I just got some great new music from iTunes and my brother. The music from my brother is accapella music and it’s sooo good. He gave me a version of Billy Joel’s “And So It Goes” that’s so beautiful and I’m obsessed!

“Yea, things happen. Things you don’t expect or want or like. The world rages and you become someone you didn’t know you’d ever be. And there you are, in your clothes, in your life, this is my future, this is me. This is me and I want things I never thought I would.” -Everwood

exciting things i think August 5, 2009

Things I am excited for:

Movies: Julie & Julia, The Time Traveller’s Wife, Shutter Island

Books: Empire Falls, Opposite of Fate, Become Your Own Matchmaker by Patti Stanger

Events: having a dinner party for my best friends, maybe getting to see my crush, sending a care package to my adopted soldier

a small/big goal for this week August 3, 2009

Today, one week later, I reviewed my weekly goals. I can’t say I did it all the way but I think I did fairly well. To make up for my slacking in most of the goals, particularly organizing my room, I finished my To Do list by Thursday. I did kind of start planning a dinner party for this month, though it was mainly asking when I could do it and making sure my friends were still interested. I’ll try and start planning the menu this week. I also want to do party favors, etc. but I really think I should curtail my budget; I am slowly returning to my shopaholic ways which is not good. In the area of scrapbooking, there have been positive steps made: one set of pictures has been uploaded to Shutterfly to be printed and I’ll probably do more tonight. Instead of driving out to get them, I think I’ll be lazy and have them shipped to my house. The 21st century is so convenient. I haven’t managed to find something in my area that is going to let me meet people but I have made a step in the right direction. I decided to do something good and adopted a soldier to show my support for the troops. I’m a big believer in supporting the troops whether you believe in the war they’re fighting or not. I can’t wait to start putting together care packages and sending emails and letters. It’s a step in the right direction, if not exactly something that will get me out and meeting people. Not too shabby for the week.

For this week, I don’t have specific goals I want to accomplish, though I would like to make sure I finish up the ever-present To Do list. A more vague goal I have for this week is to be more proactive about my life. I tend to be tired after work and use that as my excuse to just hang out at home. I need to have more energy and go out and get things done more. That’s what I hope to accomplish this week.