Cheers to My Girl Carrie

I’m beginning to think that Carrie Bradshaw and I are actually best friends. Carrie, do you feel the same way? I really should have a post-it and Sharpie pen with me when I sit down to watch Sex and the City episodes. There are so many great lines that should not be forgotten. I was surfing around looking for some memorable quotes from the show.

"Later that day I got to thinking about relationships. There are those that open you up to something new and exotic, those that are old and familiar, those that bring up lots of questions, those that bring you somewhere unexpected, those that bring you far from where you started, and those that bring you back. But the most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you can find someone to love the you you love, well, that's just fabulous.”

Old and familiar. The comfort of those that know us inside and out is irreplaceable. They know without explanation. Many times they know before we even know ourselves. Scary and comforting at the same time.

Those that leave us questioning. There are not many relationships that don’t leave me wondering, questioning who I am as a person, friend, sister, daughter, teacher. People that continue to keep us thinking and considering new possibilities are incredibly priceless. We have to remember to keep our minds sharp, and surround ourselves with those that keep us questioning.

Being somewhere unexpected. Some people bring our parts of us that we didn’t realize that we had. They make us hurt in places so deep. They make us become better, even stronger. Some people help us stretch to limits beyond our imagination.

Those that bring us back to where we started. It’s fun and exciting to do new things, go new places; however, there is something to be said about those that remind us who we really are. Those that help us stay grounded and close to our morals and beliefs.  

Me. This is the one relationship I can always count on; the one that I will never lose. Unfortunately, it is the one that I spend the least time on. Loving yourself is that basis for any good relationship with someone else. Carrie, you are one smart lady. 

Your Lucky Friday

I generally only post once a day, but I feel like I have not been putting my whole heart into my writing lately. I would like to make it a personal goal to reach back to the creative corners in my mind to generate some lovable, thoughtful, and even funny posts.

For your reading pleasure this afternoon, I found a piece of writing on a blog titled "The Quarter-Life Crisis." I connected to these words. It's funny how someone else's words can be so close to our own.

The Quarter-Life Crisis
by unknown

It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are a lot of things about yourself that you didn't know and may or may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.

You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you do not realize is that they are realizing that too and are not really cold or catty or mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.

You look at your job. It is not even close to what you thought you would be doing or maybe you are looking for one and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and are scared.

You miss the comforts of college, of groups, of socializing with the same people on a constant basis. But then you realize that maybe they weren't so great after all.

You are beginning to understand yourself and what you want and do not want. Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging a bit more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and add things to your list of what is acceptable and what is not. You are insecure and then secure. You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.

You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you or you lay in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough to get to know better. You love someone but maybe love someone else too and cannot figure out why you are doing this because you are not a bad person.

One night stands and random hook ups start to look cheap and getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision.

You worry about loans and money and the future and making a life for yourself and while wining the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!

What you may not realize is that everyone reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out.

Strong is the New Beautiful

I believe the perception of beauty has changed a lot lately. More women are focusing on becoming healthy and fit rather than skinny. Clearly our society stresses the importance of body image consciously and unconsciously. Every day we are exposed to celebrities that show us what we “should” look like; they have set the standard for beauty. People can challenge this idea all they want, but the fact is we are constantly comparing ourselves to the rich and famous. We secretly hate them, and secretly want to be them.

Recently I have watched celebrities transform into strong, healthy women. They are no longer rail-thin with bones sticking out. Those that are, are highly criticized for being unhealthy. The pictures in “People Magazine” show actresses and singers running the streets and biking with their kids. The focus has been taken off slamming coffee from Starbucks and shifted to healthful meals consisting of lean protein and fresh vegetables.

Fitness classes are the new buzz. There are many women I know that are enjoying Zumba, Pilates, kickboxing, and yoga. Building muscle and maintaining a healthy lifestyle are important. It is exciting to watch strong become the new beautiful.    

Sushi and the City

I woke up yesterday in dire need of some friend time. I was unmotivated. After the gym and a shower, I hoped back into bed. It didn’t take long before realizing that I could not spend the entire day in bed. I got a hold of a couple of girlfriends to meet up for coffee.

As we finished our iced coffees and mochas, we realized that our tummies were growling. It was a great excuse to continue our conversation as we walked across the street to grab some sushi. There is nothing better than when coffee turns into lunch. It’s kind of like that awkward end of a date where you want to keep it going so you change locations knowing the rich conversations will continue. We could have kept it going all evening, and it would have been only one more hour before the martini special started. Then it would have been game over.

I’ve always been a huge fan of Sex and the City. I love Carrie Bradshaw’s sleek lifestyle. In another life I would love to write for a newspaper or magazine. Until then, I will continue to live through Carrie as I blog my little heart out. My friends joked about meeting for coffee and lunch just like the girls on Sex and the City. Carrie uses her friends’ life experiences for ideas contributing to her column. I remember one specific episode when she begs her friends for material after finding herself writing about sock drawers.

If I am ever in a writing rut, I will look to my friends. Someone else’s drama is always more fun to write about. Yes, next time I am stumped, I will head straight to sushi and the city. 

Hurry Up to Slow Down

As of yesterday afternoon, I am an official teacher!! That’s right, my teaching license arrived in the mail. This process of becoming a teacher is definitely a… process. There are so many steps and legalizations in order to be officially official.

For starters, the teaching classes are based on levels. There are specific classes that have to be taken before advancing to the next levels. It can all get quite confusing if you don’t an advisor that is familiar with the classes and expectations. Lucky for me, my advisor was ancient. He has dealt with “people like me” thousands of times before. I knew that I was in good hands, but that didn’t stop me from checking with him every few months to make sure things were in-check. One time, he looked at me like I was nuts. I could read his mind, “You again? Haven’t we gone through this?”

It makes perfect sense that there are legal matters that need to be taken care of as well. I had to get a background check, my fingerprints recorded, and take a substance abuse class. While much of this is tedious and annoying, it is good to know that teachers have to go through so many loopholes in order to be official.

Throughout all of the madness, it has been a lot of hurrying up to slow down. I would get through one step and wait patiently for the next. I wasn’t able to cheat time in my process of becoming a teacher. I have been waiting to get this piece of paper, now I must hurry to put my name in to surrounding school districts in order to substitute teach. Then I will find myself waiting again as I look for a job. All of this starting and stopping is tiring, but worth it because I am official. 

I Work Out

No, I am not one of those people that updates my status every time I go to the gym. I have more to talk about than lat pull downs and plyometric push-ups. For those of you who do not follow popular music, the reasoning behind blog title comes from LMFAO:

Now that I have motivated all of you with these mad beats, I have to admit that I have been reading and researching new workout programs for myself. After my last gym had issues with money and closed, I have been attending a new gym that forces me to work out independently rather than at kickboxing, spinning, and weight lifting classes. It is liberating to be my own personal trainer; however, it can be sort of difficult at times. Fitness classes are a great way to push your body and learn from specialized instructors.

I recently started gaining even more knowledge about exercises and techniques from this book:

Women's Health: The Big Book of Exercises

It is full of diets, exercise programs, and tips for women at any fitness level. This experience has been a great challenge for me. After I get a more settled schedule, I hope to attend classes again. Until then, I work out.

Fine, I'll Do It

After eleven hours of sleep, I am ready to start the day. I had a blast with my friends on New Year's Eve, but my body is still hating me. I'm sure it will take a good week before I completely bounce back and feel normal. Since I don't celebrate like that very often, I can't be too mad at myself for feeling out of shape and sluggish.

It's time I choose a real direction...

I'm not real big on new year's resolutions, but I may just give it a whirl this year. I definitely need to set a few goals for myself. I need some direction.

1. Chill and focus on what I have control over. I tend to worry, worry, worry, and it makes me crazy! I hate the unbalanced feeling that comes along with anxiety. The fact is that I have a lot going for me, and I need to focus on all of the blessings that have been given to me.

2. Lay off the swear words. I say this all the time, but I need to slow down the potty mouth. It's just not attractive.

3. Get a teaching job. There is no doubt in my mind that there is a place for me. I just need to focus and work hard on jumping at all opportunities. Life is about trying, failing, and trying again. I'm so excited to be a teacher and grateful that I have found my passion.

4. Grow in my faith. I continue to find ways to be more connected with the church. I will be going to Haiti on a mission trip with my grandpa and his church at the end of February. I am so excited about the opportunity. We will be building desks for a local school. I'm smiling as I think about helping young children and their opportunities to learn.

5. Build a six-pact. What? I'm serious.

I have been lacking direction for a while now. The new year is a great reason to regain focus and move forward. So fine, I'll do it. One, two, three, go!