Intimidation

I had an interesting conversation this weekend about confidence and intimidation. While one of my good friends suggested, "Confidence is the best accessory," I began to question the idea. Women are encouraged to be articulate, independent, strong, and accomplished; however, it is often a double standard. We are also conditioned to be silent, take up less physical space, and "play by the rules."

So, I started questioning where I fit into the mix. While I have a lot of growing to do, I believe that I am pretty secure. I know what I deserve; I am confident in myself. It took a long time of living in limbo, but I am finally in a profession that fulfills me and that I care very deeply about. Could this be intimidating? Or does it make me seem confident? 

I also got to thinking about my growing faith. While I by no means push my Christianity onto others, I do not shy away from sharing it and being a light to those around me. No, I am not perfect, and I will never try to be. I am simply secure with my faith and proud of myself for it.

Of course, people are also intimidated by looks, intelligence, and shy or outgoing people. The fact is, we are all so very different. Personalities clash while others mesh together perfectly. We just have to learn to exist and be kind to one another - no matter how alike or different we are. 

"I'll show you intimidation."

If this post seems random and weird it's because I have no idea what happened the last 72 hours of my life. How can I still be this drained and tired after a weekend? I need a lot of strength to get me through another week. Bring. It. On.

Boys of Fall

"What are you doing today?" The answer is simple: It's Saturday and it's fall; therefore, my TV is set to College Gameday from 10 a.m. until my I lay my head on the pillow tonight. I'll be honest, there are very few times that I actually watch an entire game. The best part is, I don't need to. Growing up, the background noises in the fall consisted of cheering crowds and yelling from my dad and brother when the referees made a less than pleasing call. Burning leaves and the smell of chili filled our home as we relaxed and enjoyed a sport we have all grown to love.

Last night I sat through a high school football game, and I couldn't help but smile as I enjoyed the company of my coworkers and the occasional chat with a student. I felt at home as we all shared stories and cheered on our "boys of fall." Luckily, we crushed the other team pretty effortlessly :-)

A few weekends ago, I was invited to my brother's place for the weekend to enjoy some tailgating and a UNI vs. Iowa football game. Mike is oddly obsessed with Hawkeye football, and I felt so privileged to share the weekend with him. While the Hawks did beat my Panthers, I was able to shake it off and continue on having a great time with my brother and friends. The sense of pride people have towards "their team" is so cool. I am not very competitive, but I do think it is important to have pride in where you come from. It represents who we are as people and as a community. There is just something about slipping on your teams colors on a Saturday morning.

Go Panthers!!

Thoughts on a Thursday

Pay attention to their stories.

It only takes one.

Always.

Take chances.

Never settle.

Truth.

Listen to yourself.

Change of Perspective

After a long day, I found myself driving home with a bad attitude. I am feeling a bit discouraged about a few things at school, and it is so easy to jump on the "Negative Nancy" bandwagon. While I shared my concerns with a few good friends, I realized that I needed to change my attitude. I simply need to make the best out of the situations I have been given. While strolling through Pinterest, I came across this:

It is never a bad time to be reminded to take on a new perspective. Instead of dwelling on what is not going right, I need to refocus on all of the positive aspects of my life.

Long day = falling asleep on my couch while watching "Modern Family." Goodnight blogging buddies :-)

Gal Pals

I got off the phone with a girlfriend the other evening. We had a serious venting session based on various topics. Honestly, I'm not even sure either one of us cared what we were talking about; we simply wanted to complain and swear. It's not that we are crabby gals, but we just needed to get a little bit of that garbage out in the open. Sometimes after a bitch-session I feel guilty; however, it was refreshing. Even if my friend didn't agree with me, she was on-board with everything I was saying. It's kind of like turning to a friend and saying, "Who are we mad at today?" Good friends are always on your side (I suppose there could be an exception or two).

On my way home today, I felt like talking to someone. I realized that the person that would really understand my mood was busy. I got to thinking about all of my close girlfriends. They all serve a different purpose in my life.

There's the gal pal I call if I need to clear my head and forget about everything. We often go out to a sports bar or even dancing. She's the girl that always wants to laugh and have a good time. There's nothing better than cutting loose and belly laughter!

I also have my teacher friends. They understand the ins and outs of the school system. We vent and share stories of our students (in confidence, of course). We send and receive loads of advice from one another. There is no way I could live without these girlies.

My heart-to-heart best friend. She is the one that knows me better than I know myself. She knows when to give advice and when to let me learn and grow on my own. She listens, loves, and cares more than I deserve. I don't know what I would ever do without this very special, life-long friend.

Of course there are the shopping buddies, the workout friends, my accountabilities buddies, and the list goes on. I find many of my girlfriends placed in every category of my life. I am very fortunate and blessed to be surrounding with so many wonderful, beautiful gal pals :-)

Gangnam Style

I don't know why I'm surprised, but Ellen has done it again. It never fails that she continues to make me laugh with her sarcasm and exceptional guests. I love my mom, but I don't think she does anything like this mom. Enjoy :-)

Tell me you aren't loving life right now!!

My Forbidden Territory

There is one room in my apartment that will never agree with me. The kitchen. I don't know what it is, but I tend to burn, overcook, undercook, and basically destroy any attempted dish. This morning I wanted to make a two-ingredient pancake, a recipe that I read on a blog. It turned out a big pile of mush, and I'm pretty sure I ate raw eggs for breakfast.

After a refreshing hike/jog at a nearby state park this afternoon, I was feeling the need for a little snack. The chocolate and ice cream that I was craving was no where to be found, so I opted for some popcorn. As I proceeded to open the bag, I found half of the burnt to a crisp. I can't think of much worse than the smell of burnt popcorn floating through the air. Ugh.

Looks like I'll be feasting on cereal, turkey sandwiches, and soup for the rest of my life. I don't think I can screw those up too badly.

Ahhh... exactly.

Boy am I glad I picked up some sushi from Trader Joe's this afternoon. At least I have some supper to look forward to :-)