Tough week...

This week is really beginning to take a toll on me. Mentally and physically.

I moved Monday and Tuesday, and things honestly couldn't have gone better. I was hoping for a little help from a good friend of mine but he didn't offer and I'm not one to ask for help (I'm too independent for my own good) so I was a little bummed about that but I got TONS done by myself. In fact, I got everything done on Monday that I could possibly do by myself. Then the movers came on Tuesday to do the furniture. My parents have helped me with all my moves, but my dad has had both his knees replaced so the last two times I have moved we have had to hire movers. I couldn't afford more than two hours, so I was determined to get as much done alone to drive down the cost of the movers and I did! It only took them 90 minutes to do it all and it cost only $126! Definitely worth it! :)

I've been taking pictures of my progress and as soon as I'm done I'm going to post my move for you all!!

Things are going great in the new place (besides the fact that I cannot pick up a strong enough (open) signal and I'm internet-less! Argh!) and Libby is doing good. I think she's missing her kitty boyfriend, Maverick but all in all I think she will be fine. I've been trying to pay tons of attention to her, which is actually hard NOT to do because she's on my heels at all times. I think I need to run out and get her some new cat toys this weekend.

Today was stressful because a good friend of mine has some major depression issues and it seems to come in waves. Last week was a good week. This week, not so much. I'm so worried about him and feel so helpless. I want to do more, feel like I need to do more, but know I'm doing everything I can. His issues are rather severe, and he has attempted the unthinkable (I can't even type it or say it) more than once. I'm so scared and just hope I'm doing everything I can. Have any of you dealt with someone close to you that has been diagnosed with some sort of depression? What advice do you have for me?

Hope you're all having a great week. I so appreciate your comments and kind words, they seriously brighten my day!

Blog posts and moving...

Today is moving day #1 and I am pretty much done with what I needed to get done! I'm so proud of myself, plus I have been doing it completely by myself! Luckily, the weather has been good to me and even though it has been raining here for the past three days it didn't rain at all until right when I was unloading my last carload crap my stuff!

I totally forgot that I was going to take pictures as I went to chronicle my move for you all! I have a "before" picture of my room, but I really wish I had a picture of each carload. Oh well, I will take pictures the rest of the time. My car pretty much looked like this, FOUR times.

I haven't even began to unpack, so I will have plenty of pictures to share with you all. :) Plus, there's still some stuff at my roommates house. Like, my shoes, pictures on the wall and a couple more boxes. Tomorrow the movers will get the large furniture like my bed/mattress, bookshelves, tv and dresser.

All day I kept coming up with good ideas for blog posts, which is so weird because I have been busy all day! Maybe it's just because I have been moving all this stuff while alone and have had time to think.

So, I was wondering...what do you all do when a good idea hits you at a random time and you want to make sure to remember it? Do you write in a certain spot? Do you carry a notebook around with you? Do you write it down on any random piece of paper?

I have an ongoing note on my blackberry (since I always have my blackberry on me) that I write down all ideas. I also have a notebook that I write ideas down, but usually type them.

Hope you're all having a great day! I'm off to eat some pizza with the fam... I think I deserve it after my "workout" called moving today! I'm already sore!!

Don't forget to wash your hands... I have a bad feeling about this swine flu that started in Mexico.

Gay Pride

There's been a lot of talk about gay marriage since Miss California, Carrie Prejean answered Perez Hilton's question about gay marriage unfavorably this week.

In my home state of Iowa, same sex marriage was recently legalized, becoming the third out of now four states to legalize it Let's just say there has been a lot of heated debates.

Being deep in the Midwest, and gay marriage being such, a well, "coastal" thing, I am very very proud to be an Iowan right now. Although, not everyone feels the way I do. Many strongly disagree with the decision.

To me, love is love. If you love someone you should be able to get married regardless of sex. I am definitely in favor of equal rights for homosexuals.

Does that mean I personally agree with it? No, it doesn't. It means I am a Christian and believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman. Although with that being said, I am a Christian and I am not allowed to judge others.

If two people want to get married, they should be able to. If you disagree, you don't have to be the one to marry them, or attend the ceremony. I don't see how this affects anybody else. Some say it is a threat to the institution of marriage, marriage is meant for procreation, it is not a good environment to raise children in, or it is immoral.

To all this, I say, rubbish!

Honestly, I think people are just not comfortable with it. I'll admit, I still get a little squeamish if I see a same sex couple kissing. But, their love and devotion for each other is definitely not something to get squeamish about. It's something to be admired and something to someday hope for in our own lives.

Bottom line, my personal opinion is that same sex marriage is not right but I am much more in favor of equal rights for all. And, that includes homosexual couples.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

My father recently had his 55th birthday last week. I'm over at my parents house for dinner and I came across the card my mom got for my dad. It said:

"Everybody needs somebody"

and inside it said

"I'm glad that somebody is you"

Isn't that sweet??! My parents have been married 27 years, will be 28 this August. The card my mom got couldn't have been more perfect. They have had their ups and downs but their love is unconditional and something I definitely hope to have somebody.

I agree with the card, everybody does need somebody!

It's a sickness...

Today is my last day off before Moving Day. Which means, it's the last day I have to pack all of my crap belongings.

Instead, you know what I'm doing?

Laying in bed reading, alternating between Google Reader and Jodi Picoult's Handle With Care. Oh, and Little Miss Sunshine is on USA. I'm still in my pj's too. Shockingly, I have already put my contacts in and am not still sporting my glasses!

If procrastination is a disease, I have it.

Mmmmmoving!!!

Moving in less than a week! I'm so pumped!!!

I cannot wait to decorate with MY stuff again, to cook again, to walk around in my undies if I want to.

I took off Monday and Tuesday to move. I'm going to do as much as I can on my own on Monday, then the movers come early Tuesday morning and my mom is going to help me. My friends had offered, but since I chose such odd days they all have to work.

It's okay though. It's completely my fault, so I don't blame them one bit. We are doing so good at work, and since I am a control freak (seriously, I am) I wanted to take off the days with the slowest traffic through my store.

Honestly, I would really rather work by myself (am I weird?) I just have my own way of doing things and since this is marking my 16th move I have a very specific way I do it. How many ways can you move across town you ask?

Several.

Do you take the clothes off the hanger and box them up? Do you break things down (if possible) like the dining room table, coat rack or entertainment center? Do you take the clothes out of the drawer and box them up? Do you toss everything in the fridge and start over? Do you wash things like bedding before or after you have moved?

To answer those questions. No. No. No. No and before.

Unless I am moving out of state, which I have done 5 times, these answers are usually always the same. I am not counting moving from Missouri into Kansas because Kansas City is on the border and it was like moving across town.

There are a couple of concerns I have. Libby is my cat, her friends Oscar and Maverick are my roommates. I do not plan on getting her a new friend. In fact, after living with three cats in this tiny house I do not plan on owning multiple cats. Ever. How is Libby going to handle being an only child again? My roommate things I'm going to have to get her a friend.

I guess I will deal with that if and when the time comes. If she seems depressed and new toys don't seem to satisfy her I might start looking for another cat. I'm just so fed up with the shedding lately, I'm ready to shave Libby. I know she's just shedding her winter coat, but seriously?! It's E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E!!

Another thing I am thinking about is... not getting cable. I think I would read and write a lot more, which is so much better for me than sitting in front of the tube every night for a couple of hours!

Do you guys have cable? Anybody try to go without it? I have had cable/dvr for so long, I'm not sure if I can last...

One last thing...

Be sure to check out Michelle's giveaway! It's her first one, and let me tell ya, it's a good one! If you check out her blog (which, come on. Why wouldn't you?!) Please let her know I sent you! Good luck to all who enter! :)

Plagiarism

I woke up to a little a lot of plagiarism action today.

I'm sure many of you have already heard about the shenanigans *Miss Musing* has been up. Stealing work from cjane enjoy it and Velveteen Mind. Two blogs that I have added to my google reader and cannot wait to go read now.

Oh wait, I've read some of them already on MISS MUSING'S BLOG!

None the less, I'm still excited to add them and start reading them asap because that was where the true talent was. I have also added The Jet Set, because she did some of the investigating on this case and the little bit of her blog I have had time to read, I have liked.

I'm still a little in shock over this.

I read Miss Musing's blog all the time, and she even commented on mine a few times. Like Amber said, she seemed, well... perfect! It did not cross my mind to think her life seemed too perfect to not be real.

Now, I'm wondering. Who else out there is a phony? I'm wondering if now should I branch out more? Which sometimes I wonder how is even possible. If I don't read my Google Reader every day, it gets out of control full. This is a strange feeling of deception that I have never felt before!

I really want to know now, who is Miss Musing? Was any of it true? What is her life really like? Who else has this happened to? What did you do?

Looking forward...

To... new books this summer by Jennifer Weiner, Jen Lancaster, Jane Green, Jane Porter and Sophie Kinsella. Lots of chic lit!

To... Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince coming out in July!

To... laying out by the pool, tanning and reading cheesy beach reads!

To... wearing flip flops everyday!

To... more Saturdays like the one we had a few days ago. Number 1 store out of ALL 900 STORES! Unbelievable!

To... Jen Lancaster book signing with Lesli!!

To... moving back into my MY OWN PLACE!

To... New Moon coming out in theaters!

To... celebrating one of my best friends birthdays next weekend!

To... boating this summer on Lake Okoboji!

To... shopping for a new summer wardrobe!

To... cooking more once I get settled!

To... everything SUMMER! :)

Dear Libby...

Dear Libby,

I love you very much, but your cat hair everywhere is beginning to be a problem.

Understandable, you are shedding your winter coat. That is great! But, if you could refrain from sleeping on my pillow and leaving a bunch of matted white cat hairs all over it I would really appreciate it. Having to use a lint roller on my pillow and bedspread seems a tad ridiculous to me.

While you're at it, could you please stop drinking water from my water glass? I don't want to know how many times I have drank after you and to be honest, that disgusts me. Also, please stop jumping into the shower and getting stuck in there, then scratching at the door of the shower until you wake me up at 4 am? Let's just not jump in there, ok?

Now, I am not asking you to not sleep in my bed, or to not do the things you like, like jump in the shower. I just want you to stop sleeping on my pillow and to not jump into the shower when the door is closed and you know you will get stuck in there. That's all.

Also, please tell your friends Oscar and Maverick that they are not welcome on my bed. White cat hairs is enough, I do not need to add black and orange cat hairs to the mix.

Your loving human,

Amber

PS: Enjoy the last 6 days with your buddies O and M. We're moving a week from today...

Free as a bird...

"If you love something set it free. If it comes back to you, it is yours; if it doesn't, it was never meant to be."

I'm not sure who said that quote, but I have loved it for about as long as I can remember. I agree with my whole heart.

When I was 13 I met the person who I thought was "the one" for years. We let each other go many, many times and we came back to each other almost every time. Each time we went opposite directions I thought of this quote. I always had a funny feeling it wasn't the last time we would be together. I knew he would be back, or I would be back. We both had to grow up, figure out who we were or who we wanted to be.

Well, now we are grown-up. We both have adult jobs, homes and even a child (him). We may not have figured out who we are completely yet, but we know who we want to be. We know who we are when we're together, and who we are when we're not.

We put each other through hell sometimes and weren't always very nice. We still aren't. He's the only guy I have ever been truly myself with, and I didn't care. I could say something silly, or ask any stupid question and he was probably already anticipating it. That grin would give away everything he was thinking.

In January we broke up for the bajillionth time, and this time I don't have that funny feeling in my stomach. He isn't mine, and it wasn't meant to be.

And, you know what? I'm okay with that.

We aren't 13 years old anymore, as much as I wish we still were. When "I love you" wasn't such a loaded sentence, yet we still meant it. When holding hands and a quick kiss was enough. When hours on the phone was normal, verses a quick text every now and then.

Back when everything was shiny, new with excitement. When everything we said was sincere, when the emotions were real and raw.

Award!

Little Miss Michelle gave me my first award! How sweet!!! Her blog is so cute and I just love all her book reviews, if you don't read it already... Go! Now! :)

For this award I am supposed to name five guilty pleasures...

1. Manicures and pedicures
2. Trashy celebrity gossip
3. Cool ranch Doritios
4. Red wine
5. Chick lit

and pass it on....

Check out these fabulous ladies that I just adore reading about daily!!

Lesli over at Pretty Random Thoughts
Jess over at Classy in Philadelphia
Amber over at Amber Alert
Janet over at Slice of Pink
and
Brandy over at It's like I'm...mmmmagic!

I hope everyone has a FABULOUS weekend!

It's just the way you move!

Today as I was watching the Dancing with the Stars results show they had a body language expert analyzing the contests body language.

Shawn Johnson always shrugs her shoulders, showing a bit of insecurity, which is different from her presentation at the Olympics.
Lawrence and Chuck both look up and then down a lot during eliminations which show they aren't sure of themselves.
Melissa Rycroft covers her tummy frequently during judging and elimination which signals she feels the butterflies.
Lil' Kim has her eyes and mouth wide open which tells us she's trying to take it all in.
Ty holds onto his partner as much as possible, which says she is his rock, his sense of security.
Gilles shows a lot of humility while being judged, as he looks up a lot in a praying kind of position. That shows he knows the scores are out of his control.
Steve-O puts his hands on his waist a lot, his head and waist tilted up as if awaiting bad news.

When I am insecure I cross my arms over my chest, play with my hair and just fidget in general. When I am nervous I tend to bite my lip a lot. When I'm really excited I talk A LOT and really fast. People have always told me I wear my heart on my sleeve and I have learned that my emotions are very easy to read by my facial expressions.

What are you telling others with your body language?

Dalai Lama's 18 rules for living

Marisol over at a dirty martini kind of girl posted this and I felt it was too good not to pass on...


1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three Rs: Respect for self; Respect for others; Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

I hope everyone is having a great week. Thank you so much for the wonderful comments, they make me grin all day!

Source

Tsk, tsk...

Dear gas station clerk,

I see the disapproving look in your eyes when I ask for a box of Marlboro Lights. I can practically read your mind, wondering "why is she smoking? Does she not know how bad it is for her?"

Yes, I know.

I know all the facts. Know them well.

Joking around with me and saying, "no," when I ask for them isn't really funny either. It's not like I'm a giddy 18 year old excited about being above the legal age. It's not like I want to smell (or taste) like an ashtray. That's not it at all.

So, you want to what it is?

I do not know.

But, if you could just give me my purchase sans snide remarks, I would appreciate it.

Sincerely,

Happy Easter!

Hope everyone had a good Easter!

I know I have been a little absent lately. There's been a lot going on.

After deciding to go public with the blog, I immediately regretted it. A very dear friend of mine read a not so nice comment from me. I felt absolutely awful. Things are okay now, but it really got me thinking about how often I judge other people and gossip. So, I have made a commitment to myself not to gossip anymore. I know it's hard not to and I probably will sometimes but I want to make a better effort to put myself in the other persons shoes.

Also this past week things went a little south with the guy I was seeing. I honestly can't tell you if we're still dating or not. One half of me says no, and the other half says yes. On Friday night we talked (through Facebook IM) and he said he wanted to slow down. That he's gotten really busy with work recently and feels bad that he can't hang out with me all the time. I get where he is coming from, my career is very important to me, and I tend to be a workaholic as well. With this new job, I am hourly though and overtime is NEVER allowed. I cannot work over 40 hours, which is new to me. With CLL I tended to work between 45-50 hours a week and I worked Mon/Wed nights at a local sports bar. I quit working at the bar a little over a month ago, so just have the new gig going now.
I guess the pessimistic side of me is thinking this is just his way of letting me down gently. Jury's still out on that one... I'm just going to go with the flow and if something happens, great! If it doesn't, I know there are plenty of other fish in the sea!
I do think it's fair to date other people -- I need to learn how to not put all my eggs in one basket. I'm still very interested, but I have to protect myself. To be honest with you all, since things ended completely with the Big Ex in January I have felt really ready for a new relationship. Sounds crazy but I don't think I was ever completely over him, even during the five years we lost touch. This time it feels over for good. You have no idea how good it feels to be able to say that!

So, last night I was out with a ton of friends from high school. There's this kid that I guess likes me. I say "kid" because when I was a senior he was a sophomore. I graduated with his older brother and he was always the "Little [insert last name]" so it's just a little weird. He was flirting with me and buying me drinks all night long. We found out that we both tend to spend a lot of time up at Lake Okoboji in the summers. His family owns a cabin up there and one my best friends has cabins up there as well. His are near my friends too on the west side of the lake. We exchanged numbers and texted a little bit today. I'm just not sure though. I'm really not opposed to seeing guys younger than me at all. The guy I am currently seeing (?) is the same age as this guy from high school, which was really spooking me last night but I think that is just because I knew this guy in high school and would have never dated him back back thenl just because it would have been weird!

I'm just going to go with the flow. I keep saying that, but honestly if I don't keep saying it I will start to manipulate and over analyze everything.

I. have. to. stop. over. analyzing.

I seriously don't know how though, besides to keep repeating that I have to go with the flow. Seriously, are you sick of me yet? Ha!

That's basically my life in a nutshell! I can't believe I have been at the new job a month now, it feels like way longer! I move back into my own place in 15 days. Woo hoo! Can't wait!

What's been going on with ya'll? I've been saying ya'll lately, don't ask me why. I guess I want to be Southern. Or actually I want a Southern man. If you have not dated one before... let me tell you, they are the best. I love being called "baby", "sunshine", "sweetie", or any other term of endearment. Down there everyone is a pet name and at first it bugged me (I mean, my boss called me Babe, weird!)

Seriously though, how is everyone?!

What's your SSB?

The other day I was watching that episode of Sex and the City where Aidan starts moving into Carrie's apartment and she begins to feel claustrophobic. She complains that she can't indulge in "SSB" or Secret Single Behavior.

Got me thinking. What quirky habits do I have?

Here's what I came up with.

-I'm constantly picking at my face, I know bad habit.
-Walking around in underwear all the time (when I don't have a roommate that is!)
-I will go through week long phases with movies and watch it every night before I fall asleep. Sometimes it's longer than a week. Just depends!
-I make coffee at night just for the smell.
-I usually have to read before bed. It can't be completely quiet so I listen to Delilah because I find her voice comforting...
-Spend hours on the internet - seriously, it's ridiculous.
-Talk to Libby like she's a person. Sometimes I think she understands what I'm saying!
-Watch really girly movies or tv.

So what is your Secret Single Behavior?

Test...

New signature... cute!

Giveaways galore!

I've noticed several bloggers that do giveaways all the time! It's sooo cute! My favorite is Sweet Tea Diaries, she has great giveaways all the time and is just sweet as can be! I just love Southern people, they are the nicest, sweetest people on earth. Seriously!
My only question is, how does anyone find time to do all this? I can hardly keep up with my Google Reader! Seriously, what is the secret?!
Hmm... Maybe someday I will figure it out! Either way, head on over there and check it out. Enter the drawing and maybe you'll win some sweet stuff!

The Shack by WM. Paul Young

This book had been sitting on my mental "to be read" list for a long time now. I knew the plot from a friend of mine and I also knew I would have a hard time getting through it. I wasn't expecting it to have so much religion in it, but by the end of it I was very grateful and learned a lot about myself and my own beliefs.

The Shack is about a father, Mackenzie (Mack) Phillips of five kids. His youngest daughter, Missy is abducted during a family vacation. Although Missy's body was never recovered they did find evidence in an abandoned shack that she was brutally murdered by a notorious serial killer nicknamed The Little Ladykiller. This man preyed on young girls around the age of 5 and always left a ladybug pin behind.

The book takes place four years after Missy's death. Mack receives a note from "Papa" that invites him back to the shack. Papa is the name Mack's wife, Nan refers to God as. Mack doesn't know if this is a joke, but decides he has to go to find out.

He arrives at the scene of Missy's death and has a weekend long encounter with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. God is portrayed as an African-American woman, although this is only the anthropomorphism of God she chose to possess in order to communicate with Mack. Jesus is a Middle Eastern man and the Holy Spirit is a small woman of Asian descent named Sarayu.

The Shack covers many theological topics although the main theme is Mack's inability to trust God since Missy's death and his anger towards him for allowing such pain to happen to his youngest daughter.

With each chapter was another topic that would send me deep in thought. Some of these topics included forgiveness, judgement, the Trinity, submission, free will and salvation. Even though it is only 250 pages long, it took me over a week to finish. There were many chapters that brought tears to my eyes, and many times I had to stop reading.

I would definitely recommend this book if you have ever asked the question, "why?" when bad things happen to innocent people.

My day...

11am: Signed my lease today!! I'm soooo excited! 23 days till I move in! I think Libby is excited too... ;)

12pm: Pedicure with Mercedes - the best manicurist/pedicurist ever! I don't get pedicures regularly but I have been wearing flip flops to work lately and it's probably not appropriate to have nasty feet at work, right?? That's my justification and I'm sticking to it!

1pm-10pm: Work! Had a shoplifter today. She couldn't have been older than 14 years old. It's just so sad. When she tried to leave the alarm went off because she took something with a sensor. I had been keeping my eye on her for awhile so I was at the door waiting for her. She had on a bulky coat and when I asked her to open her jacket her "boobs" were literally down to her waist. Umm... yeah. Not sure what was in there and I really wish I knew (because it definitely wasn't a body part) but I guess I will never know.

10:20pm: Saw "I Love You, Man". It was great! I laughed the whole way through, which let me tell you, after this hellish week I needed it!

I'm scheduled to be back into work tomorrow by 9am (I know, I should be in bed right now. Sleep? Who needs it?) but honestly, I haven't been able to relax lately. I have had a lot going on. Not so much good, so trust me, you all don't want to hear about it. Ehh, maybe someday I will burden you with it. Ha! Just kidding. :) Although, basically I'm wishing I still lived 1200 miles away on the Atlantic coast, but I know that is not the answer. Althoooooogh, laying on the beach sounds just like the medicine I need right now. If I had vacation time and the money to do so, I would so be there!

Keep your fingers crossed for a good day at work for me tomorrow, otherwise I'm going to find a cliff and jump off it.

Thursday Meme!

Janet over at Love is Blonde tagged herself and I'm tagging myself too! Nope Janet, there ain't no shame in that.

What is your current obsession? Since finishing American Wife I have been obsessed with Laura Bush. She is really someone to look up to, I really like her outlook on life and how she handles just about everything. I'm also still obsessed with the library, and check out more books than I can read.

Do you nap a lot? As often as possible! Although my "naps" usually turn into three hour blocks of time.

Who was the last person you hugged? The BF. He's finally about over being sick! Poor guy, he had pneumonia!

What was the last thing you bought? A pair of flip flops at work today because I wore the wrong shoes, again.

What are you listening to right now? The tv. "Big" is on! Classic Tom Hanks movie!

What is your favorite weather? Hot enough to lay by the pool but not so humid that your hair frizzes!

What’s on your bedside table? A small mirror (no idea why), alarm clock, comb, glass of water, iPod, a stack of magazines, Burts Bees lip balm and my phone.

Say something to the person/s who tagged you. Since I tagged myself here is what I would say, "I can't believe you just ate that entire bag of popcorn by yourself! You know carbs are bad at night, right?" (me to me) "You can kiss it, I don't care!"

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you want it to be? London, England. It would have the highest resale value! Ha!
Then I would go buy a house (or possibly) houses! Definitely a house in my hometown and a house on the beach!

Favorite vacation spot? So far, my favorite vacation has been a cruise to the Bahamas. Soooo relaxing!

Name the things you can’t live without. My blackberry, family and friends, Libby, Google Reader, my car, books, and lipgloss.

What would you like to have in your hands right now? It's a "who" and I will keep that one to myself, wink wink :)

What would you like to get rid of? The pain that heels give your feet. Yeah, before I bought the flip flops there was a blister about the size of Texas on my toe. Ouch!

If you could be anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? Hmmm, see the question before the last one. Awww, I know. Sweet. :)

What did you want to become as a child? A writer.

What do you like better, e-mail or telephone calls? Hooked on both! Definitely depends on the conversation though.

What do you do when you get time alone? Write. For some reason I have to be alone. Maybe someday I will overcome that.

I'm tagging:

Lesli over at Pretty Random Thoughts
Jess over at Classy in Philadelphia
Jenny over at Scintillating Salmagundi
and
Amber over at Amber Alert

Khloe Kardashian

I saw this picture of Khloe Kardashian over at Celeb Look (which is fabulous blog if you love celebrity fashion!) today and I think she looks amazing! Maybe a little unhappy in the picture, but none the less fabulous!



I hope she doesn't keep losing weight though because I thought she looked fine before and now she just looks a bit leaner. I felt so bad for her on the episode they shot the Peta pictures. I thought Bruce was really rude when he asked her if she was going to drop some pounds first. It wasn't really what he said (because she's been famously dieting for awhile now) it was the way he said it!

I know she's not the favorite from the show, bu Khloe is my favorite of the Kardashian sisters and I think she looks great!

PS: Guys, I'm sitting in the food court of the mall on my lunch hour and let me tell you, I totally feel like Perez Hilton right now! Ha!

Water lovin' cat...

My cat has always been a little strange, and I know because I have had more cats growing up than I can count.

No, I did not live on a farm (as much as the name of my blog likes to imply that I do...) my mom loved to pick up stray animals and bring them home. Best mom ever, right?! :)

Soooo, I know when a cat is just plain peculiar. Libby is peculiar.

She loves water. Since she was a kitten she had to be in the bathroom with me when I showered. She gets in the shower after I get out and walks around in the leftover water. She drinks the water that drips from the faucet (I swear, she has water in her dish). She also likes to sit on top of the door and stare.

I honestly do not believe she is staring at me (lol) she's staring at the stream of water. I think she wants to get in!

Have you ever met a cat that likes to get wet? I haven't. Which makes disciplining her sometimes hard. Most of the time we grab a water bottle and squirt her in the face. Too bad, she likes it!

Here's a couple pictures I just snapped of her on top of the shower:


The picture above is literally what I see when I shower. Nice, huh?



Don't mind me in the mirror still in my towel! Ha!

Good news!

I'm moving!!!

I have been apartment hunting for awhile now and on Tuesday I decided to call the complex I was living in before I moved in with my roommate and they had a fabulous deal! If you sign a 12 month lease you get $100 off your rent every month! That makes my rent only $530 a month!

I move in April 27th and I cannot wait!! I really loved living there and can't believe I didn't call them sooner!

Telling the roommate is going to be hard, and I'm definitely avoiding it. I will do it soon though, I'm thinking maybe Sunday night because I have plans with her Saturday night and I don't want to put a damper on the evening!

Advice?

Why I blog...

Some people blog to get famous. Some people blog to show off their writing chops. Some people write to escape and be someone else for awhile.

I blog because I have always loved writing. Being a writer has been a dream of mine for, well since forever. I have always kept a journal or a diary since I was a small girl and knew how to put words together to create powerful setences.

I blog because I love the camaraderie I feel when I get comments from other readers. It's sort of like a sisterhood on here. The unbiased support found through other readers has pulled me out of some tough times. The readers I've found through my blog have become friends, so to speak. One that I have met in person and I now consider a fabulous friend. It makes me feel lucky to have found such powerful and wonderful women. When I can't find the support I'm looking for in my personal life, which truly isn't often, I know I can find it here.

I blog because writing was a career path I gave up almost nine years ago and sometimes regret.

All bloggers dream of having their blog be huge and reach that coveted 100 followers mark. If they don't, I really think they're pulling your leg. I mean, if you don't want that why is the blog public? If it's solely just for yourself it would be kept private, right?

As many of you know I have debated for a long time now about "going public" or not. For me it was a huge decision because once that is done and your "real life" family and friends have read it and know about it, there's no going back. You can't just say "Sorry! Now you can't read it!" Making it invitation only seems like such a hassle, but I've heard of bloggers that have had to do it. Some forced due to unfortunate circumstances. Taking it down and throwing away almost two years of writing is something I am not willing to sacrifice. But, would you sacrifice a decade long friendship? Of course not.

The thought of hurting someone through my writing has always been a nightmare I have dreaded. Although, I think all writers have gone through that at some point in their life. A character in a story that may be based on a true person and that person took offense. A situation you write about taken entirely wrong. An opinion taken too literal, or just brutal honesty being too harsh.

It's hard to put feelings down on paper. It's definitely a gift not everyone has. Sometimes it's hard to find the right word or the right way to phrase something. The dictionary and thesaurus are definitely two good friends of mine. I'm sure all good writers would agree.

Why do you blog? Have you ever upset people with your honesty? Is your blog open to your friends and family to read?