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Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Ohhh...What to Wear!

Could a routine become interesting through words?  Write about a person (perhaps you) caught up in a daily routine.  Establish a rhythm with the story’s words that impersonates the rhythm of the routine. --Mama Kat


Showered...check.

Shaved...check.

Make-up on...check.

Hair dried...check.

Now to get dressed. The longest process of my morning (sometimes afternoon...) routine.

First and foremost, what color is my eyeshadow today? Brown-ish, gray-ish, or pink-ish...?? Ok, more along the lines of brown-ish...well, sort of tan. What's the name of this eyeshadow?? I must dig through my make-up basket and find out!!!

10 minutes later...

...so no red outfits today.

Nevermind...we'll start with the pants. Or should I wear a skirt? Leggings? What's the weather going to be like today?? I'll just go downstairs, turn on the TV and check the weather...

Wait!! What Not to Wear is on right now?!! Super!! I've never seen this one!

30 minutes later...

So I missed the weather report. Well, it looks like it's going to be nice. I'll choose jeans just in case it gets chilly.

Pants...check.

Now, which jeans??
 
  Dark wash?
   Light wash?
    Straight leg?
       Boot cut?
       
Ok...since the light wash isn't my favorite and I'm having a "fat day" I won't choose the straight leg. By process of elimination I have chosen my dark wash, boot cut jeans.

Now...hhmmmm...what color top?? No navy colors because I don't feel like matching my blues together. No black or gray because my eyeshadow is brownish. Lets do........

uuummmm............white! That's simple. Right??

Now to try on.
   Nope, that ones too see-through. 
     Nuh-uh...that ones too short. 
       Ugh...this one shrunk! 
         No way..that one looks like a hoochie shirt!! 

 15 minutes later...

AAAhhhh....this one looks cute...simple white shirt! Now turn around and make sure you look just as cute going as you do coming!! Yep!! I do!! Now the shoes...

What are my plans today?? I'm not working. I'm not lounging around. I think I'll go and walk around downtown. Yes! My boots!! Perfect!! Tan boots with a slight heel!!

Jewelry...I like gold. Matte gold. Nothing flashy.  Try on several so you don't think about which one you should've worn all day. Ok..I'll wear my gold hoops, long beaded necklace, thick leather watch, gold ring and...that about does it!!

Turning off the radio and checking myself a couple times in the mirror...change my shoes a couple of times until I end up with the same boots I started with.

Mirror, Mirror, on the wall...
  Sweater? No.  
    Different earrings? No! 
      Bracelet with the watch? Too much!
        Hair up? Leave it alone!

Just leave already!!!

In the car turning on the radio...dang it!! I forgot perfume!!!

Monday, March 15, 2010

Just Keep Swimming...

You know when life starts to wear you out? I mean to the point where you just grind your teeth and fight your way through the day.  You feel like you walk around like this all the time:



Well, like you, I have days like that. The sound of the gas light reminding you that you don't have gas money. The "you've got mail" man that reminds you of the bills that are due. The ringing of the phone when the credit Nazis are calling you non-stop to let you know that your student loans are still prominent...and collecting interest. Or...the days from years ago that sit in your memory and slowly eat away at your confidence. The people whose voices constantly remind you that you're not worth their time. The anger that consumes your mind and makes you go through the "what if's" and "I should have's." All the things you can't change but somehow still take over your happiness. Everything just seems to stare at you a little like this:




I know...you can't just shake something that size starring back at you. Sometimes I just have to take a deep breath and remind myself that I am doing the best I can with what I have. I'm not living outside of my means. I'm not miserable. I'm not overwhelmed. And although I am happy, I still wonder how I let all those things hypnotize my life for so long...making me feel like this:





Taking on those issues by myself without looking in the right place now makes me so squirmish. I look back and all I can see myself doing is this:




So dumb.

I am finally at the point in my life where I have surrendered the most important aspects of my life to God. Entrusting my job, my relationships, my finances and my future in Him is so freeing. I have forgiven people in my past that have used me, hurt me and tossed me to the side. I don't feel the bitterness that used to manipulate my nights into sleepless hours followed by restless days. I am at peace. God humbled me with the circumstances that were, at first, viewed as obstacles on my "road to success." I eventually realized that life is going to have numerous disappointments...but only I can choose to be discouraged by them. Instead, I want to be stronger. I want to be better. I want to be proud when I look back at those consequences and can say that I learned from them rather than dwelling on them for years. There's no need to live in the past and fearful of the future like this:




Being humbled. Prioritizing my life. Finding my purpose. Surrendering control....probably the most trying time in my life. But...also the sweetest. Things that used to consume my mind and gnaw at my confidence are now the things I push aside. My time isn't worth all the worry. What is it...like, 98% of the things we worry about NEVER happen...geeeeezzeee!!! Even if that statistic is made up I still love it!!  I don't want to keep peeking around the corner because I'm worried like this:



I love living without worry this much!!:




I know that I will make it through the day. No matter how many "dings" or "rings" resound from my electronics I will be patient. As long as I am responsible and do my part in life...I will not be wasting my time with that little guy named "worry." My nights will be well rested followed by enjoyable days. No more "what if's" because it all played out the way it did for a reason. Even if it wasn't in my game plan...I am going to...





        "...just keep swimming..."
        "....just keep swimming..."
               "...just keep swimming...swimming...swimming..."


Thursday, March 11, 2010

They're Just Ordinary Days...

Write a Haiku that describes what you love about an ordinary day. -Mama Kat

I am no poet. But I thought this was a great blog topic. So...here's to not making you read my butchered version of Haiku. Cheers!

Here's a few things I love about my ordinary days...

I love waking up and knowing that I have a full day ahead of myself. I can plan my schedule, shape my day and make it what I want it to be. I can lie in bed for a while and think about the daily goals I have set for myself and what I'm going to do to get there.

I love coffee!! Alot of coffee. At any time of the day. For no particular reason and no particular season...I love coffee!

I love getting in the shower and deciding which shampoo, conditioner and body wash I will use that day. "Do I want volumous hair, smooth hair, exfoliating wash or a moisturizing boost?!" These are the types of decisions I can make on my own :)

One thing I have learned to love about the ordinary day is to appreciate a less stressful outlook on life. It seems like the ordinary day used to be so hectic and exhausting. Now, I can literally plan MY day out without having to plan it around someone else. My expectations are enough to please me and I don't have to worry about falling short all the time. Less stress in my ordianary day is wonderful!

Did I mention I love coffee??

I love my ringtones that were specifically chosen for each member of my family and a few of my friends. It makes me giggle every time my dad calls and the Top Gun theme song resounds in my purse :)

I love the drive home from work. Knowing that I can go home, eat a good meal, take off my make-up and cuddle up in sweatpants is such a nice feeling to end the day with.

It's the ordinary things that we all take for granted...but they're also the things that make our days so uniquely sweet.


Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Holiday Puppies!

This is going to be pretty repetitive for most of you, but for others...I thought you would enjoy this little story.

Right before Christmas, my sister picked up a stray dog on the side of the road and decided that my parents could use one more dog. So, in addition to Shelby, Abby & Libby...they took in Roxy. We were suspicious of her being pregnant seeing that her "bathing suit" parts were looking a bit larger than normal, but we had no idea. It was our first choice to take her to the pound, but we weren't sure if they would put her down to prevent having to take care of puppies...so we kept her.

Needless to say, I got a phone call from my dad one night asking me to come over and help my mom deliver Roxy's puppies. Now, if you know me at all, you know I love my animals and jumped at the opportunity to help. Little did I know, this would be the most national geographic event I would ever experience. Keep in mind that I have no children, I've never experienced a live birth (unless TLC's A Baby Story counts...), and the only time I've dealt with blood was at the hotel in which I 'delegated' to the houseman...so...

I get to the house and find out that Roxy has already had her first puppy! I know!! So exciting!! She was upstairs in our bathroom which is fairly small.  After about an hour of her cleaning off the first puppy, she started pushing again and took it upon herself to walk around the bathroom in the midst of her water breaking. I tried to keep quiet because my mom was asleep but couldn't help repeating "OH MY GOSH...OH MY GOSH!!!!" I had no idea what to do except hold a towel under her you-know-what and catch the puppy before it fell on the ground! It took me a while to figure out what a contraction was in doggy-labor considering my imagination had convinced me that she would be howling for an epidural by the second puppy...thank goodness for Google, right?!

Now, I don't know what I expected these things to look like when they came out, but an alien was not on the list. They are born in this disgusting film-sack that the mother instinctivly 'takes care of' (bless her heart!). So, I guess after the water breaks, puppies naturally just keep popping out...for three more hours! Finally, around 2:00am the next morning Roxy delivered her last puppy. One of the puppies was having a hard time breathing but, thankfully, I watched 101 Dalmations when I was younger and remembered that you're supposed to put them in a towel and rub them until they breathe!! Who would have thought that a Disney movie would save a puppies life :)
Watching their insticts in action was amazing! Roxy constantly licked the puppies while they knew exactly where their food was! She had five puppies that night and I automatically thought that naming them after the holiday they were born on was perfect...Doctor, Martin, Luther, King & Junior had entered the world!!!!


Wednesday, March 3, 2010

My Personal Bubble is MINE!

I  thought I had seen it all...

working in retail, I've seen my fair share of naked customers. 

While working in the hospitality industry I've seen more than enough...well...dirty everything. Let's just leave it at that. 

I didn't think there was much more that would surprise me. You know, everyone does things differently and sometimes those 'differences' aren't exactly appealing to the rest of society. There's the typical 'interstate nose-pickers' who think their windows are tinted, the guests that stay at your house and leave hair in the drain or the people that chew with their mouths open (bless their hearts...). These things can be dealt with. Daily I suppose. But it's when those unappealing tendencies enter into my personal bubble that cross the line...or may I say...step on my beautifully defined line and smudge it across the ground creating a sense of disorganization in my world that I cannot handle!!

My personal bubble is mine. 
Not yours. 
You may do nothing uncomfortable in my bubble. 
You certainly are not welcome in my bubble if I've never met you before. 
And there is no invitation to stay in my bubble if you see my chest becoming blotchy!
As many of you may know by now, I (finally) got a job as a sales rep for Studio Gear cosmetics!! Yeah...I know...it's super fun! All day, I get to play in make-up and do make-overs with the hopes that I can sell...sell...sell!!! So, the first week into my new job, I meet a lady that is shopping around Ulta with her cute little girl on her hip. I'd say her daughter is about a year and cute as can be! I do the typical "what can I help you find today..." introduction and figure out that she is looking to find some new foundation.

Pause

If you are looking to change your foundation (and possibly everything else in your makeup bag) why in the world would you bring your toddler with you?? 

Resume

"Great!" I say. 
"Let me tell you about Studio Gear's...blah, blah, blah." 
I told her if she has a few minutes, I would be happy to match her and set her up with some new foundation. She agrees and takes a seat at in the chair. 

Now, keep in mind, this is a very busy Saturday afternoon. The first Saturday afternoon I have worked. One of the first women I've done makeup on. And definitely the first toddler sitting in my chair.

I grab all the essentials and proceed to take off her existing makeup and put on the (wonderful) Studio Gear foundation!! Her daughter is giggling and staring at me while I'm leaning over her to reach her mom's face. The next words will sound in my memory for all time...

"...awwhhh, are you hungry sweetie?!?"

Ummm...wait...what!!??? I felt my blood pressure rise and my mind starting racing through the 'steps of how to tastefully deal with unusual situations' lesson I am sure my parents instilled in me years ago. I couldn't find it.

The next thing I know, this lady is pulling her shirt up, popping out her you-know-what and laying her baby down for a feast. Nope, no blanket. Not even an explanation was given as to why she was feeding this child when she wasn't screaming or causing some scene. I mean, on TV the babies are always screaming because they want something...right??? 

So, I am still applying this ladies makeup (quickly I might add) and trying to explain all the great benefits of Studio Gear while she is feeding this child in my bubble, but all I could think about was "do NOT look down!! do NOT look down!!!" Next thing I hear is:

"oohhh...poor baby...nothing on that one?!?"

OH. MY. GOSH.

She continued to unlatch the baby from herself and pop out her other you-know-what as if that one hadn't been feasted on in days!! All I could think about at this point was the sound of the five puppies I was taking care of at my house as they nursed on their mother in such a frenzy! The sucking sound was overtaking every other sound in that store at this point and my focus was so distorted on just looking up, that I completely ignored the 7ish-year-old girl that had (unfortunately) walked down one of the isles to the sight of this bare-chested woman feeding her baby. The look on that girls face was daunting...not as daunting as the one on her mother's face when she realized that was going to be an extremely long car ride home. Bless her heart.

Then, that baby unlatched herself from her mother, looked up at me and smiled. As if she was taunting me! Yes, a toddler can taunt a grown woman! I've seen it...well, heard it...whatever!!! She started it! 

I finished the woman's makeup in enough time to catch my breath and collect myself before passing out. She bought everything I put on her...wait...that sounds bad. I'll re-word that. She bought all the makeup I put on her face while she violated my bubble and drove a stake into my well-defined line of personal space. Much better!

The other girls that I work with were all like "why didn't you walk away" or "you should've asked her to go to the bathroom or something..." Sure. I thought of those things afterwards, but for heaven's sake!!! I was frozen in fear!! I was trying to shut off my senses!! I was blotching all over my chest and neck!! I was certain that the words breast or milk or suck were going to take the place of my innocent lingo brush or silk or pluck!!!

It was all I could do to compose myself!!! Like I said, you 'interstate nose-pickers' can pick away in your cars...but you breast-feeding divas need to back away!!!


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I am a 20-something young woman growing up and experiencing the things my mother warned me about...love, friendship, hard work, disappointment and success.