Listening to the Les Miserables soundtrack (for the 672nd time) and drinking the last egg nog of the season I decide that I will write a little something. I have had a wonderful holiday season and I hope that you can say the same. Every year that passes reminds be a bit more of what a charmed life I lead...no kids, lots of travel, good friends. Not that kids are a bad thing by any means but I certainly couldn't do what I do if I had them. My New Years resolution is simple this year. Enjoy it. Every little thing about life. Enjoy it.
To that end, here are a few of the things I am enjoying so far in 2013.
1. My mad organization skills...I have organized 3 closets and multiple drawers and cabinets so far and its only the 8th :-)!
2. Learning to sew. My best friend got me a sewing machine for Christmas. I don't know how to sew at all. Nada. Not even a button!
3. The books of Ken Follett. If you haven't read him, do it now. They are marvelously well written with superior historical accuracy.
4. The Les Miserables soundtrack. Seriously, its that good.
5. Saying what I mean/think/believe more. I tend to take the passive aggressive route in life which usually ends with me feeling like a meanie pants. So I am trying to just say whats on my mind. Within reason of course.
6. Using some of the principles of the Dave Ramsey program to save more/spend less. Much of what he teaches is good common sense. But we all need a little reminder from time to time. So now is a good time to go to TJ Maxx...I won't have been there to get all the good stuff :)
So far I am having fun with all of these things.
My closing thought...go see Les Miserables if you haven't already. Best movie I've seen in probably 5 years. And I'm a Twilight fan!
Cheers!
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Friday, September 7, 2012
Call it a hiatus.
So. It has been over four months since I've visited this place. I have taken a little hiatus I guess you could say, albeit an unlplanned one.
Coming back from Europe (amazing by the way) I found myself in a very fast paced spanish course to complete the requirements for my bachelors degree. You will all be glad to know that I graduated with said degree a month ago. What, you may ask, have I been doing with my newfound freedom? The answer to that would be a question...who in the hell am I and what I am going to do with the rest of my life...?? The truth is...I'm still working that out. The only thing I know right now is that I am a registered nurse working in Louisiana in a rural hospital intensive care unit. In the last year and a half I have been a college student, I moved to a new city, started a new job, had a new title in said job, decided I hated said job, left said new city, returned to old job, old house, old life...
To be frank, I am a bit shell shocked at the present. Over the last several months (once school was no longer an issue) I have realized that I have absolutely no plan for what happens next. Once upon a time I wanted to be a nurse practitioner but I did a lot of soul searching and I don't believe that is my future. Which leaves me back at square one. What am I doing? Where am I going?
Now, you may say, what is wrong with the life you have now? Why not be satisfied? Content? Happy to have a good job and good friends? Well the answer to that is: Nothing is wrong with my life the way it is. I love where I am right now. And for now this is where I want to be. But not forever. The hard part of all of this is not being where I am. It's relinquishing my constant need to plan. To make lists and charts and dedicate long afternoons to internet searchs about my next venture.
So. I am not, I repeat am not, planning my next move. And that my friends is why it has taken me four months to post a blog. I have spent four months deciding to not decide anything. Ironic right??
I don't know what the future may hold. Different career, family, kids, writing, travelling, new city, new house?? All are possiblities.None may happen. Or maybe the all will. And that is the beauty of this decision. It is sort of like Christmas :)
Since reading and writing are some of my favorite pastimes I am going to use my free time to indulge in these habits.
Now, a brief note about Europe. I will likely post more later but here are a few thoughts.
As you may or may not know, my Europe trip was actually an educational trip through our local university. I actually received history credit for going and writing an essay about my experience. The trip was focused on World War II. That also happens to be my favorite historical setting. The perfect backdrop for my first European trip (I'm planning on it not being my only:)). My time in Europe was seriously emotional to me. Visiting battlegrounds, monuments, cemeteries. All this in addition to some of the most wonderful museums I have ever had the priveledge of visiting. In some ways I'm still hoarding the memories from myself only to treat myself to one every so often. To prolong this surreal experience in any fashion that I can. My absolute favorite memory? Top two: 1. Meeting Henri, a child during the Battle of the Bulge and our guide while in Bastogne, Belgium. 2. The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin. Google the monument. It will take your breath away.
Au Revoir for now.
Coming back from Europe (amazing by the way) I found myself in a very fast paced spanish course to complete the requirements for my bachelors degree. You will all be glad to know that I graduated with said degree a month ago. What, you may ask, have I been doing with my newfound freedom? The answer to that would be a question...who in the hell am I and what I am going to do with the rest of my life...?? The truth is...I'm still working that out. The only thing I know right now is that I am a registered nurse working in Louisiana in a rural hospital intensive care unit. In the last year and a half I have been a college student, I moved to a new city, started a new job, had a new title in said job, decided I hated said job, left said new city, returned to old job, old house, old life...
To be frank, I am a bit shell shocked at the present. Over the last several months (once school was no longer an issue) I have realized that I have absolutely no plan for what happens next. Once upon a time I wanted to be a nurse practitioner but I did a lot of soul searching and I don't believe that is my future. Which leaves me back at square one. What am I doing? Where am I going?
Now, you may say, what is wrong with the life you have now? Why not be satisfied? Content? Happy to have a good job and good friends? Well the answer to that is: Nothing is wrong with my life the way it is. I love where I am right now. And for now this is where I want to be. But not forever. The hard part of all of this is not being where I am. It's relinquishing my constant need to plan. To make lists and charts and dedicate long afternoons to internet searchs about my next venture.
So. I am not, I repeat am not, planning my next move. And that my friends is why it has taken me four months to post a blog. I have spent four months deciding to not decide anything. Ironic right??
I don't know what the future may hold. Different career, family, kids, writing, travelling, new city, new house?? All are possiblities.None may happen. Or maybe the all will. And that is the beauty of this decision. It is sort of like Christmas :)
Since reading and writing are some of my favorite pastimes I am going to use my free time to indulge in these habits.
Now, a brief note about Europe. I will likely post more later but here are a few thoughts.
As you may or may not know, my Europe trip was actually an educational trip through our local university. I actually received history credit for going and writing an essay about my experience. The trip was focused on World War II. That also happens to be my favorite historical setting. The perfect backdrop for my first European trip (I'm planning on it not being my only:)). My time in Europe was seriously emotional to me. Visiting battlegrounds, monuments, cemeteries. All this in addition to some of the most wonderful museums I have ever had the priveledge of visiting. In some ways I'm still hoarding the memories from myself only to treat myself to one every so often. To prolong this surreal experience in any fashion that I can. My absolute favorite memory? Top two: 1. Meeting Henri, a child during the Battle of the Bulge and our guide while in Bastogne, Belgium. 2. The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin. Google the monument. It will take your breath away.
Au Revoir for now.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
In another time.
So...here we are again...a little late :)...I will make an excuse or two this time. You may know that I am currently finishing a bachelor's degree and this has been finals week for me...in addition to working fulltime (actually a little overtime right now due to a coworker out on sick leave)...and of course planning/packing/preparing for my big trip abroad (I just love how that sounds :) :) )!!
So please forgive me. I will be on track better once I return from my trip of a lifetime. Can you tell I'm excited?? I leave in a week. I am overwhelmed with the nearness of my departure. It feels like I have been waiting for this for years!! And in truth I kind of have, as I have talked about going to London since I was a small child. For whatever reason it has always held an enormous appeal to me.
On that note, I want to mention what has been inspiring me of late. I have a new obsession with a show called Downton Abbey. It is a Masterpiece Theater program meaning it airs on PBS. Who would have thought?? I actually purchased the first season on ITunes and am now on Season 2. Unfortunately I will be waiting until next year for Season 3 to air here in the US.
The show spins an enthralling tale of wealthy English family and their lives and also that of the house staff. It is an eye opening experience to see how far we have come in a mere 100 years. Truly. Especially as a woman. A woman not of the upper class. I feel very grateful to have come along when I did, where I did, with the parents that I had. I am inspired by the women before me who have made my life possible. I am inspired by the men that stood beside them during this battle.
I hope this post doesn't come off as cheesy but I really do often think of how different my life could have been. If I had been born a hundred years ago or in another country where women don't hold a place in society the same as that of men. While there are still things that need to progress in the world of equality, I have to say we have come a long way. Hundreds of thousands of miles kind of long way. And that inspires me.
So please forgive me. I will be on track better once I return from my trip of a lifetime. Can you tell I'm excited?? I leave in a week. I am overwhelmed with the nearness of my departure. It feels like I have been waiting for this for years!! And in truth I kind of have, as I have talked about going to London since I was a small child. For whatever reason it has always held an enormous appeal to me.
On that note, I want to mention what has been inspiring me of late. I have a new obsession with a show called Downton Abbey. It is a Masterpiece Theater program meaning it airs on PBS. Who would have thought?? I actually purchased the first season on ITunes and am now on Season 2. Unfortunately I will be waiting until next year for Season 3 to air here in the US.
The show spins an enthralling tale of wealthy English family and their lives and also that of the house staff. It is an eye opening experience to see how far we have come in a mere 100 years. Truly. Especially as a woman. A woman not of the upper class. I feel very grateful to have come along when I did, where I did, with the parents that I had. I am inspired by the women before me who have made my life possible. I am inspired by the men that stood beside them during this battle.
I hope this post doesn't come off as cheesy but I really do often think of how different my life could have been. If I had been born a hundred years ago or in another country where women don't hold a place in society the same as that of men. While there are still things that need to progress in the world of equality, I have to say we have come a long way. Hundreds of thousands of miles kind of long way. And that inspires me.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Unconditional inspiration.
A little over a week ago I promised you a weekly post...and wouldn't ya know it, I let more than a week pass and no post. I promise to do better from here on out. I could make excuses, but they would just be that, excuses. One thing I pride myself on is taking responsibilty for my actions. So instead of an excuse, here is an apology for my lapse. I'm sure you were just dying without me ;).
So. What inspires me? I have been giving that a lot of thought over the last week and I agree with my favorite uncle that inspiration is the best place to start rekindling my love of writing.
One of my earliest memories of writing something that I was really proud of involves a paper entitled My American Hero (or it could've just been My Hero...) that I wrote in the sixth grade. I wrote about my Dad, John Rowe. I talked about what a good person he was and how he served our country in the Korean Conflict and how he had recently lost his battle with cancer. I was so proud of that paper, in part because my Mom (or Marmie as I previously referred to her) was so proud that she made copies and sent them out to the entire family. I know of several other things I wrote about, including World War II and the Holocaust and about the unfair treatment of animals. Interestingly enough (or oddly enough) most of the things that inspired me in adolescence, still inspire me today.
So over the course of this blog I will probably mention these things from time to time. Beware ;)
For now though, I will tell you quite honestly that I am most inspired by the dynamics of a family. To me a family can be defined as any group of people that loves each other unconditionally. To take it a step further, this group of people will be the people you lean on in times of tragedy, joy, and uncertainty. If you know me, then you know I have a very large family comprised of a plethora of different people that I have been lucky enough to pick up along the way.
One of these days I hope to add to my family...but as I have mentioned to you before I have learned to stop making plans. This year I will be thirty but I am letting go and trusting that no matter what, there is always family. They are my unconditional inspiration.
So. What inspires me? I have been giving that a lot of thought over the last week and I agree with my favorite uncle that inspiration is the best place to start rekindling my love of writing.
One of my earliest memories of writing something that I was really proud of involves a paper entitled My American Hero (or it could've just been My Hero...) that I wrote in the sixth grade. I wrote about my Dad, John Rowe. I talked about what a good person he was and how he served our country in the Korean Conflict and how he had recently lost his battle with cancer. I was so proud of that paper, in part because my Mom (or Marmie as I previously referred to her) was so proud that she made copies and sent them out to the entire family. I know of several other things I wrote about, including World War II and the Holocaust and about the unfair treatment of animals. Interestingly enough (or oddly enough) most of the things that inspired me in adolescence, still inspire me today.
So over the course of this blog I will probably mention these things from time to time. Beware ;)
For now though, I will tell you quite honestly that I am most inspired by the dynamics of a family. To me a family can be defined as any group of people that loves each other unconditionally. To take it a step further, this group of people will be the people you lean on in times of tragedy, joy, and uncertainty. If you know me, then you know I have a very large family comprised of a plethora of different people that I have been lucky enough to pick up along the way.
One of these days I hope to add to my family...but as I have mentioned to you before I have learned to stop making plans. This year I will be thirty but I am letting go and trusting that no matter what, there is always family. They are my unconditional inspiration.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
A part of the art.
So...I haven't written in a while. I guess you knew that though. Blog envy has taken hold. The problem with said envy is that it has caused a lack of iniative in the writing department. A good friend of mine has a supremely cool/trendy blog that makes mine look juvenile at best. So rather than trying to improve my blog I simply stopped writing. And the fact of the matter is that I didn't start writing this blog as anything more than an outlet to write. I simply love the way words can be used in a way that allows the reader to completely disconnect from whatever their current reality is. So I'm done drooling over current popular blogs. I will still frequent these sites as I love the content but it will be simply to enjoy instead of peering at my computer screen with anxiety and what ifs and the ever present "why can't that be me...?". *
So back to the beginning. When I started this blog as I mentioned above it was to be an outlet for writing. Books have been my greatest love for as long as I can remember and as I approached adulthood I wanted to be a part of the art. (Yep, that rhymes :)). Unfortunately, I have been in the real word for so long that I have misplaced the happiness that comes from sitting down and writing for pleasure. And it shows. So I'm hoping to reaquainte myself with writing for the fun of it. And in that process I hope to make my thoughts and ideas fun for other people to read. So don't expect any fancy graphic designs from this old blog. I'm just gonna write. And write some more. And hope that ya'll take at least a little pleasure in the reading.
There are a few things that I do need to change to make this worthwhile and to actually cultivate some sembalance of personal growth from the whole experience.
1. Consistency. I am going to (try) to commit to one post per week. We shall go from there.
2. Readers. So if you know anyone that might have a vacant ten minute time slot once a week to stop by and read, please do pass me along. And tell them to give me some (gentle) constructive criticism while they are here.
So. Wish me luck. Send some positive thoughts my way as I revisit an old flame (still talking about writing folks). Have a splendid week.
*Please note: I do not, by any means, discredit the talent and creativity of real bloggers. I am simply freeing myself (from myself) of a need to compete. So blog away friends!
My few of my favorites:
Approaching Joy
Young House Love
Breakfast at Toast
So back to the beginning. When I started this blog as I mentioned above it was to be an outlet for writing. Books have been my greatest love for as long as I can remember and as I approached adulthood I wanted to be a part of the art. (Yep, that rhymes :)). Unfortunately, I have been in the real word for so long that I have misplaced the happiness that comes from sitting down and writing for pleasure. And it shows. So I'm hoping to reaquainte myself with writing for the fun of it. And in that process I hope to make my thoughts and ideas fun for other people to read. So don't expect any fancy graphic designs from this old blog. I'm just gonna write. And write some more. And hope that ya'll take at least a little pleasure in the reading.
There are a few things that I do need to change to make this worthwhile and to actually cultivate some sembalance of personal growth from the whole experience.
1. Consistency. I am going to (try) to commit to one post per week. We shall go from there.
2. Readers. So if you know anyone that might have a vacant ten minute time slot once a week to stop by and read, please do pass me along. And tell them to give me some (gentle) constructive criticism while they are here.
So. Wish me luck. Send some positive thoughts my way as I revisit an old flame (still talking about writing folks). Have a splendid week.
*Please note: I do not, by any means, discredit the talent and creativity of real bloggers. I am simply freeing myself (from myself) of a need to compete. So blog away friends!
My few of my favorites:
Approaching Joy
Young House Love
Breakfast at Toast
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
A Beautiful Life...
Hola everyone! So I haven't updated you since I recently quit my job and decided to move back home. Well, that's pretty much all that has happened. I packed my clothes and my dogs and headed south. I go back to work at my much loved Homer Hospital tomorrow. And I'm excited/thrilled/ecstatic about returning to work! I haven't been this excited to go to work...ever...no I really don't think I ever have felt just like this. I wake up happy and go to sleep happy and I'm happy all in between. And its all because of a little town in South Arkansas that I used to dream about leaving. It's funny how life teaches us lessons. None of the plans that I've made thus far in life have turned out like I thought. The wonderful/startling thing about that is that I typically prefer the way they actually turn out as opposed to how I thought it would go. So suddenly I'm not so tense about the future and planning out the next ten years in extraordinary detail...nope, I'm just thrilled to wait and see what happens. It's kind of like waiting for the new season of True Blood...I am in eager anticipation. That said, I don't mean that having plans is a bad idea or that people shouldn't move away and try a new locale. I am definitely glad to have made the move and still a little sad/melancholy that it didn't go as planned. I'm also glad to be able to realize the pleasure in just living. Doing day to day things that otherwise seem boring have a new fun-ness (not a word, I know). This is not an altogether unknown thing to me, following my divorce (numero uno, that's right ladies and gents, I've made the fatal mistake of marrying the wrong fella twice in my less than thirty years) I found extreme happiness in going to the grocery store or watching a movie or folding laundry. Everything seemed new and fresh and fun. And apart from a few bumps in the road since then, my life has pretty much been that way. I am blessed and lucky and fortunate and so many other adjectives of the same nature.
It doesn't hurt that I leave on a Carribean cruise next week and in May I'm spending eleven days in Europe. Yep folks, I'm going across the pond. I'm running out of adjectives to describe how I'm feeling these days...happy, joyful, excited, thrilled, pleased, ecstatic, jumping up in down/can't control myself....So my plan is to enjoy all of the wonderful things going on right now. I will graduate with my undergrad in August. Something I have been working on for quite some time so I'm pretty pumped about that. I am thinking of pursuing a Master's to become a family nurse practitioner after that but I'm really not planning anything right now. I am going to enjoy going to the market and watching silly movies and folding my laundry and cooking dinner for my roomies and walking my dogs...well as you can see, I could go on all day.
So have a beautiful day. Be happy. Be positive. Let life happen. Have a beautiful life.
It doesn't hurt that I leave on a Carribean cruise next week and in May I'm spending eleven days in Europe. Yep folks, I'm going across the pond. I'm running out of adjectives to describe how I'm feeling these days...happy, joyful, excited, thrilled, pleased, ecstatic, jumping up in down/can't control myself....So my plan is to enjoy all of the wonderful things going on right now. I will graduate with my undergrad in August. Something I have been working on for quite some time so I'm pretty pumped about that. I am thinking of pursuing a Master's to become a family nurse practitioner after that but I'm really not planning anything right now. I am going to enjoy going to the market and watching silly movies and folding my laundry and cooking dinner for my roomies and walking my dogs...well as you can see, I could go on all day.
So have a beautiful day. Be happy. Be positive. Let life happen. Have a beautiful life.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Life Falls Into Place
So...my faithful and devoted readers (both of you)...I have big news...I am leaving the big city...sort of. As you know I was thinking of moving back to to my little Arkansas town this summer. Well I'm moving next weekend! But not completely. I am staying on at my current job but only working one to two days a month and I am going back to my old job (the best place to work ever)! I am beyond happy/excited/thrilled about this turn of events. As I walked into my current job the other day I found myself counting how much longer I had before I returned to a job that I loved. I was planning on staying here in Memphis until May because that was when a position would be available for me back home. God truly heard my prayers this dreary morning because around lunchtime I got the most wonderful phone call I have ever had. My wonderful boss from home called to say "I really need you now". It sounded like what I imagine angels sound like when they sing praises in heaven! I promptly gave notice to my current boss and agreed to come work 1-2 days a month here. I may decide that I don't want to keep this committment but for the time being it gives me an opportunity to come to Memphis and see my brother and do city things once a month. And keep my cute little apartment. At least for a little while. I have missed my little hospital in Louisiana more than I can verbalize at this moment. I always knew that it was a great job, but gosh...the grass just isn't always greener on the other side of the state line. So my life will be a little crazy for a while as I adapt to this new plan. Of course I have a Carribean cruise right in the middle of it all to spice things up :) I leave for New Orleans where I will set sail with my splendid family for a seven day trip in the ocean. We are going to Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. And don't forget Europe in May. I am going to need to sleep half of June to recuperate...except that I have to take French in June to complete my BS degree so that I can graduate in August. Oh well, i will rest next year, right? I love my life. Truly. Doesn't get any better than this.
Even the pups agree...sort of :)
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
T Shirt Vests, Oh My!
So new craft project that anyone (seriously anyone) can do! A tshirt vest! All you need is a tshirt (size XL) and a pair of good scissors.
Step 1. Cut off the sleeves.
Step 2. Cut out the neck area. Start small if you aren't sure and then go back and make the area larger as needed.
Step 3. Cut along the sides.
Voila! You now have a vest! Wear with a cute tshirt and jeans. Or something more fashionable if you feel led.
This is me in a white vest holding up the vest we just made above. Gotta love that "sun in my eyes" squint.
On a side note, I got a very exciting package in the mail from an Etsy shop called The Merriweather Council. I ordered myself a Valentines Day gift (yep, I'm that girl) and it arrived today.
So...that is my day in pictures. Hope you enjoy....I'm going to take a siesta now.
XOXO
Step 1. Cut off the sleeves.
Step 2. Cut out the neck area. Start small if you aren't sure and then go back and make the area larger as needed.
Step 3. Cut along the sides.
Voila! You now have a vest! Wear with a cute tshirt and jeans. Or something more fashionable if you feel led.
This is me in a white vest holding up the vest we just made above. Gotta love that "sun in my eyes" squint.
On a side note, I got a very exciting package in the mail from an Etsy shop called The Merriweather Council. I ordered myself a Valentines Day gift (yep, I'm that girl) and it arrived today.
So...that is my day in pictures. Hope you enjoy....I'm going to take a siesta now.
XOXO
Friday, February 17, 2012
Updated Bucket List
So I had some great ideas from my charming friend Paige and my sweet Uncle Mitch about my six month bucket list so I am going to revise it slightly...
1. Take a yoga class.
2. Go for a walk in Overton Park. In the next thirty days.
3. Visit the National Civil Rights Museum. See above.
4. Make Julia Child's boeuf bourguignon.
5. Learn to knit.
6. Eat alone in a restaurant. Alone. Still yikes.
7. See a feel good movie...any suggestions?
8. Listen to some jazz (I'm pretty pschyed about this one.)
9. Paint the Mississippi. Or attempt to.
10. Go to Europe. Still in shock that I'm actually doing this!
11. Surround myself with the most positive, inspiring, intelligent people that I can find. I already have a pretty good group started back home. :-)
I took some shots of my apartment today, so I will be posting them sometime soon. Hope everyone had a great week!
1. Take a yoga class.
2. Go for a walk in Overton Park. In the next thirty days.
3. Visit the National Civil Rights Museum. See above.
4. Make Julia Child's boeuf bourguignon.
5. Learn to knit.
6. Eat alone in a restaurant. Alone. Still yikes.
7. See a feel good movie...any suggestions?
8. Listen to some jazz (I'm pretty pschyed about this one.)
9. Paint the Mississippi. Or attempt to.
10. Go to Europe. Still in shock that I'm actually doing this!
11. Surround myself with the most positive, inspiring, intelligent people that I can find. I already have a pretty good group started back home. :-)
I took some shots of my apartment today, so I will be posting them sometime soon. Hope everyone had a great week!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
My life summarized in lists...
I don't know if I have mentioned before how much I love lists but I'm telling you now...I LOVE them. Like I make lists for everything. Shopping, to do, websites, recipes, trips I want to take, songs I want to download, and the list goes on. So I have decided to compile a list of all the things I want to do in the next 6 months. A bucket list of sorts although I certainly hope I don't kick the bucket in the next 6 months. Since Memphis and I are having some relationship issues at the moment and are thinking of parting ways in the next six months I thought this was a good time frame. So. I'm going to make my list and if you have any suggestions for things I should add then by all means leave a comment :).
1. Take a yoga class. (there is a class at Midtown Yoga seriously want to try).
2. Go for a walk in Overton Park. (when I moved to Memphis I envisioned myself doing this regularly and I have yet to do it).
3. Go to the National Civil Rights museum.
4. Make Julia Child's boeuf bourguignon.
5. Learn to knit. My Aunt Anne tried to teach me when I was a child but to no avail. I do believe I was an exasperating child.
6. Eat in a restaurant. Alone. Yikes!
Six things for six months. Not to big of a challenge for this old gal...speaking of which, I will be thirty this year. I don't feel thirty. In fact I don't feel grown up yet...Life seems to be entirely too much fun for me to be an adult!
1. Take a yoga class. (there is a class at Midtown Yoga seriously want to try).
2. Go for a walk in Overton Park. (when I moved to Memphis I envisioned myself doing this regularly and I have yet to do it).
3. Go to the National Civil Rights museum.
4. Make Julia Child's boeuf bourguignon.
5. Learn to knit. My Aunt Anne tried to teach me when I was a child but to no avail. I do believe I was an exasperating child.
6. Eat in a restaurant. Alone. Yikes!
Six things for six months. Not to big of a challenge for this old gal...speaking of which, I will be thirty this year. I don't feel thirty. In fact I don't feel grown up yet...Life seems to be entirely too much fun for me to be an adult!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Am I a....gulp....country girl?
Hola! Bonjour!
Well you all know I moved to Memphis back in July and sort of dropped off the face of the blogosphere. As I'm sure you can imagine I have been trying to find my way in a new city...especially difficult since I've never lived in a city before. Shockingly enough I have found city life to be quite difficult...well shocking to me anyway. Who knew that I would find a city with 650k people to be so lonely? Now, before I go any further, this is not a Blog to be filled with woe and regret...this is a journey of self discovery wrought with the sarcastic humor that I adore. Totally resisting the urge to insert an emoticon here.
First of all I will (soon) post pictures of my super cute apartment...not to brag but my little sanctuary in the city is amazing...angels singing please....ok forget the angels but it is pretty wonderful.
So I have learned more about myself in the last six months than I did in the last 5 years...not all of it pleasant to find but massively important all the same. I think we can all agree that self discovery can range from splendid to absolute poo...yes I said it...poo. Now my current discoveries rank about midway on this scale but when I first made them I will admit I was thinking poo. So here goes...I have considered myself a city person my entire life...and yet, I had never lived in a city until six months ago. Here is the part of the self discovery that makes me cringe....I thought that being in a city would be a fair trade for the friends and family that I was leaving behind. Lesson learned. Not a good trade at all.
I haven't updated this blog simply because I wasn't in the place I intended to be when I started. But now, I'm back! I have learned some hugely valuable things about myself and I have (hopefully) become better for it.
So...my new plan is to most likely to return to my small town this summer...my plan is to never judge small town life negatively again....my plan is to never take my friends and family for granted again. I know I will have to be reminded of this from time to time so this blog is my contract to that effect.
So...am I a country girl? Not nessicarily ...I'm a girl who needs her peeps (yep that just happened) more than she needs tall buildings and rush hour traffic.
Well you all know I moved to Memphis back in July and sort of dropped off the face of the blogosphere. As I'm sure you can imagine I have been trying to find my way in a new city...especially difficult since I've never lived in a city before. Shockingly enough I have found city life to be quite difficult...well shocking to me anyway. Who knew that I would find a city with 650k people to be so lonely? Now, before I go any further, this is not a Blog to be filled with woe and regret...this is a journey of self discovery wrought with the sarcastic humor that I adore. Totally resisting the urge to insert an emoticon here.
First of all I will (soon) post pictures of my super cute apartment...not to brag but my little sanctuary in the city is amazing...angels singing please....ok forget the angels but it is pretty wonderful.
So I have learned more about myself in the last six months than I did in the last 5 years...not all of it pleasant to find but massively important all the same. I think we can all agree that self discovery can range from splendid to absolute poo...yes I said it...poo. Now my current discoveries rank about midway on this scale but when I first made them I will admit I was thinking poo. So here goes...I have considered myself a city person my entire life...and yet, I had never lived in a city until six months ago. Here is the part of the self discovery that makes me cringe....I thought that being in a city would be a fair trade for the friends and family that I was leaving behind. Lesson learned. Not a good trade at all.
I haven't updated this blog simply because I wasn't in the place I intended to be when I started. But now, I'm back! I have learned some hugely valuable things about myself and I have (hopefully) become better for it.
So...my new plan is to most likely to return to my small town this summer...my plan is to never judge small town life negatively again....my plan is to never take my friends and family for granted again. I know I will have to be reminded of this from time to time so this blog is my contract to that effect.
So...am I a country girl? Not nessicarily ...I'm a girl who needs her peeps (yep that just happened) more than she needs tall buildings and rush hour traffic.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Hello…I have multiple personalities…
I briefly mentioned in Blog numero uno that I’m planning a move from South Arkansas to Memphis , TN.
- I have always wanted to live in a town with a population greater than 20,000…
Memphis - They have an Indian restaurant…I mean c’mon…that is a requirement for everyone right…??
- The best bookstore ever resides right in Midtown.
- Music…enough said…
- Barbeque…enough said…
Overton Park - My awesome big brother.
- My super cool brother in law.
- They have a Target and a Starbucks…common sense, hello!
- An airport!!!!!!!
- Something to do on a Friday night besides renting a movie. In all fairness I love movies but it never hurts to change it up a bit!
Well that is a few of the things that they offer to me personally…any thoughts/advice/suggestions on moving to a new city
Next time…pictures of the new apartment J I’m super pumped about it!!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
To me...
So for this blog posting I am going to do something different...perhaps taboo. I was going through some boxes and trying to get rid of more useless stuff (more about that later) today when I came across a letter that my Mom (aka Marmie) wrote me when I was the ripe old age of 13. I remember going through a particularly confusing/difficult/frustrating time in my life and dear old Marmie once again had some wisdom. So now I am going to type the letter exactly as she wrote it so that perhaps you may glean a life lesson or two from it. And yes, that means that she really should get the credit for this post.
Dear little Robyn,
I know it's hard to be 13. That's been true through all of time. And that "depression" you mentioned sort've goes with it. A little moreso for some than others. You may be one of the "moreso's", as you're bright and sensitive (that just means you feel things a little more than some folks do).
I know, too, that it's important to like yourself. But you will! That takes time, too, and will get easier as time goes by.
There are books written, mostly for parents, about just this stuff---being 13 (because it's considered the toughest) and 14. They just explain all of the changes going on - the "little girl" is almost gone and the "grown woman" is not quite there yet. So, my dear, you are a "young lady" now, and a very fine one.You're also very pretty, Robyn. Your little figure's not quite going thro' all its' changes yet and there will actually be days when you just feel "fat" - as you put it. But, no, honey, you're definitely not fat!
These days in the Ozarks when we're "snowed in" or "iced in" or "frozen in" or whatever, will go hard with you, too. Not much to do but read books and watch movies - good books and good movies, but not reality. So, you're still finding yourself with that "reality" in between movies and books. Time to think and maybe even to be a little sad sometimes.
You do have friends, too, Robyn, and they like you. Living out here in Henderson leaves you a little with feelings of being "left out" sometimes. And it's not as easy to have those close, close friends when we're so far away from everybody. But, Miss Robyn, even that, you handle well. Really well. (Much better than I ever could've when I was your age...)
So you've been up against some odds - but you're a "winner", like your Dad. And all will go well with you and all of these things will smooth out for you as time goes along.
I love you so very much, honey. Now you eat your broccoli and be a good, and HAPPY, girl.
God Bless You,
Marmie
Sitting on the patio reading this letter this afternoon reminded me of several things, but most importantly it reminded me where I came from and how very lucky I was to have her on my side. Marmie left this world for another over 9 years ago and I miss her everyday. Nothing is perfect, not my relationship with Marmie, not my eating habits, nor my music taste. But if I dwell on that that is not perfect...well my skin will suffer for one thing, but more importantly so will my well being. And lets face it...I'm nothing if not cheerful :)
Dear little Robyn,
I know it's hard to be 13. That's been true through all of time. And that "depression" you mentioned sort've goes with it. A little moreso for some than others. You may be one of the "moreso's", as you're bright and sensitive (that just means you feel things a little more than some folks do).
I know, too, that it's important to like yourself. But you will! That takes time, too, and will get easier as time goes by.
There are books written, mostly for parents, about just this stuff---being 13 (because it's considered the toughest) and 14. They just explain all of the changes going on - the "little girl" is almost gone and the "grown woman" is not quite there yet. So, my dear, you are a "young lady" now, and a very fine one.You're also very pretty, Robyn. Your little figure's not quite going thro' all its' changes yet and there will actually be days when you just feel "fat" - as you put it. But, no, honey, you're definitely not fat!
These days in the Ozarks when we're "snowed in" or "iced in" or "frozen in" or whatever, will go hard with you, too. Not much to do but read books and watch movies - good books and good movies, but not reality. So, you're still finding yourself with that "reality" in between movies and books. Time to think and maybe even to be a little sad sometimes.
You do have friends, too, Robyn, and they like you. Living out here in Henderson leaves you a little with feelings of being "left out" sometimes. And it's not as easy to have those close, close friends when we're so far away from everybody. But, Miss Robyn, even that, you handle well. Really well. (Much better than I ever could've when I was your age...)
So you've been up against some odds - but you're a "winner", like your Dad. And all will go well with you and all of these things will smooth out for you as time goes along.
I love you so very much, honey. Now you eat your broccoli and be a good, and HAPPY, girl.
God Bless You,
Marmie
Sitting on the patio reading this letter this afternoon reminded me of several things, but most importantly it reminded me where I came from and how very lucky I was to have her on my side. Marmie left this world for another over 9 years ago and I miss her everyday. Nothing is perfect, not my relationship with Marmie, not my eating habits, nor my music taste. But if I dwell on that that is not perfect...well my skin will suffer for one thing, but more importantly so will my well being. And lets face it...I'm nothing if not cheerful :)
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Less Stuff + More Experience = a happy life
Less stuff+ more experiences= a happy life.
One night my roommate and I found ourselves bored and in desperate need of something to do. Since we live in a small town we are rather limited on choices (I mean really you can only go to so many barn raisings). We decided to make a 45 minute trek to a nearby town to do a little shopping (gotta love that Wal-Mart). On the way home I started feeling…well…dumpy is really the only way to put it so please excuse my lack of vocabulary just this once. I tried to pin down the source of said dumpiness (better?). Now at this point I could tell you a really long story about how I cried about how meaningless my life had become but well…I’m not going to waste your time with such drudgery. Rather I shall skip to the important part. I realized that I wanted less stuff in my life. More eloquently put I wanted to work to become a less material person (insert Madonna singing here). I mean they can’t pack all those purses in the grave with me! I went straight home that night and began going through my closet. I got rid of probably a third of my clothes. Lots of purses, shoes, jewelry, and a plethora of odd’s and end’s made their way to the trunk of my car where I promptly delivered them to a local thrift store. I decided from that point on that I would no longer buy something just because I wanted it. I had to need it! Of course I must tell you that it is easier said than done. I mean, I’m not saying that I was like jonesing for a T.J. Maxx or something…no, I was just…well ok I was jonesing for T.J. Maxx. It kind of works like dieting for me. If you tell me I can’t have it, like absolutely cannot have it…well then it becomes the one thing I really need to get my hands on. So before long I found myself with far more stuff than I needed. Once again I had let my shopping habit (NOT addictionJ) get the better of me. So I started over. And this time I did better. I was a little (lot) easier on myself. Truthfully it has been a lot easier since I stopped putting so much pressure on myself. I mean really, I’m no Mother Theresa. Lord knows I wish I were. I have done a little reading about other people with similar goals and have found that I still have a long way to go. I actually read an article about a couple that has limited themselves to a hundred things or less. (I tried to find the link to the article, however apparently there is now a book, etc. Check it out.) Which is great, but really, who would I be kidding if I committed to that?? I would probably end up committed to an institution somewhere. The point is (I’m aware that you are wondering) that when you rely on stuff to make you happy, well it just won’t. I mean, maybe for a minute. Or even an hour or two, but it ain’t gonna last…so think about it. Get rid of a bag of stuff. See how good it makes you feel J
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
And this is why....
Food blog you say? Health blog or perhaps even a diet blog? Nope, this is rather a life blog! My words (lacking in wisdom) to the world (internet) that I find significant (sometimes) in the matters of life…you know breathing, eating, working, walking your dog, staying healthy, and having the occasional beer while watching reality television. Um, ok so I probably shouldn’t admit to that last part about the reality television so just pretend that I said while reading Shakespeare. Ever the intellectual…or T.V. junkie… I do strive to be.
About this title…I just like the Keep Calm (you know don’t sweat the small stuff) part and as for the “Eat Your Broccoli”…well that is straight from the horses (my Mother) mouth. Always known for her classic way of ending a phone conversation with “I love you and don’t forget to eat your broccoli!” my Mother (or Marmie as she was known to me) was chock full of wise words. I mean really…Buddha must be jealous. So as a sort of tribute to Marmie dearest, this blog shall have a few of her favorite pieces of advice woven throughout (i.e. “ladies only wear white cotton panties”).
I’m new to the “blog scene” but somewhat of a veteran to the irreverent humor category. Sarcasm never ceases to delight me and I am absolutely charmed by the occasional satirical diatribe.
I'm sure you are wondering what the point of this is...well so am I so don't ask me (I will ask at this point that you excuse the dry humor). Blogging is an undertaking that I have thought about often and have been know to put it on my to-do list (more about that later) on numerous occasions. Since I am planning a semi-big move (South Arkansas to Memphis) in the next two months I decided it was a splendid time to start. So here goes nothing :)
About this title…I just like the Keep Calm (you know don’t sweat the small stuff) part and as for the “Eat Your Broccoli”…well that is straight from the horses (my Mother) mouth. Always known for her classic way of ending a phone conversation with “I love you and don’t forget to eat your broccoli!” my Mother (or Marmie as she was known to me) was chock full of wise words. I mean really…Buddha must be jealous. So as a sort of tribute to Marmie dearest, this blog shall have a few of her favorite pieces of advice woven throughout (i.e. “ladies only wear white cotton panties”).
I’m new to the “blog scene” but somewhat of a veteran to the irreverent humor category. Sarcasm never ceases to delight me and I am absolutely charmed by the occasional satirical diatribe.
I'm sure you are wondering what the point of this is...well so am I so don't ask me (I will ask at this point that you excuse the dry humor). Blogging is an undertaking that I have thought about often and have been know to put it on my to-do list (more about that later) on numerous occasions. Since I am planning a semi-big move (South Arkansas to Memphis) in the next two months I decided it was a splendid time to start. So here goes nothing :)
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