Ugh

Life has been kind of gross the last couple of weeks.

About a week and a half ago I got one of my wisdom teeth pulled.  I've never had one pulled before, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  At the consultation the hygienist telling me about the procedure asked if I wanted to be put under complete or if I'd rather just go with a local anesthetic.  Since I've never done this before, I had NO idea.  She told me that since the tooth was a "partial" (already almost coming through the surface) it should be similar to any other tooth extraction (which I have had done before).  I told her that I would generally be ok with a local, however my concern was around my "white-coat syndrome"... i.e. I get really anxious in medical situations (I have a pretty long history of fainting... just from getting myself worked up).  The hygienist suggested that they could give me some nitrous to relax me during the procedure.  I thought this was a good idea, and it was decided.

Or so I thought.

On the day of the "surgery" I was already feeling pretty panicky and nervous.  When I got to the dentist they started sticking me with the local, but nothing was said about the nitrous.  Finally I asked about it, and the hygienist (a different one than at the consult) said that she thought I would be "fine" and that it "cost more" and she didn't think I'd need it.  Being the trusting, non-confrontational person that I am, I went with.  I put on my headphones, turned on some Snow Patrol and just tried to relax.  Tried being the key word here. 

The procedure was hideous.  So much pushing and pulling and yanking going on in my mouth.  I hated it.  I couldn't "feel" anything, but it was still really uncomfortable, but, I was (psychologically) doing ok.  And then it was done.  The dentist left the room, the hygienist sat me up and immediately the room started to "spin".  I asked to be laid back down, which she did and then left the room.  I tried to breathe deeply and relax, but it didn't work.  The next thing I knew, I was hearing the hygienist asking me what I was chewing on (I'd passed out and starting chewing on the gauze... I think I must have thought I had gum in my  mouth or something).  One of my arms was hanging on the side of the dental chair and my MP3 player was on the floor.  Everything was very fuzzy.  The hygienist quickly put an oxygen mask on me and a cool washcloth on my forehead.  I slowly started to feel a little better.  After several minutes I thought I was alright and asked to be sat up... bad idea... I started to feel woozy again, and asked to lay down again and to have the oxygen back.

I don't usually have TWO spells... but I was really close.  It took me about half an hour to finally get to a point where I was able to walk out of the dentist office, and even then I had to have Jacob support me a little bit (he showed up to get me just after I asked for the oxygen back).  Jacob drove me home and I curled up on the couch.  I was not really in much pain (never did end up using the vicodin I was prescribed) but, for anyone who has a history of fainting, you know how much that can take out of you!  I felt horrible for the next few hours.

For a couple of days after the surgery, I felt a weird "draining" coming from the hole.  At first I thought  maybe it was just saliva or some of the anesthesia stuff they'd injecting me with working it's way out of my system, but them it occurred to me that I thought I was a nasal drip.  I could also feel water in my nose whenever I swished water around the hole (it was really weird).  It went away after a couple of days, and at my post-op appointment I was told that I was healing well, and then I got on a plain to Vegas to celebrate a friend's birthday.

They next day I felt like shit... and have for several days now.  I went to the doctor yesterday afternoon and it turns out that I have a sinus infections (yay).  I'm on antibiotics now and starting to feel a bit better, but I'm just really tired of being "sick" (I have only worked 5 days out of the last 10... the vacation has been nice, but I'm over it).

So, for now, just... Ugh.  I hope I feel better tomorrow. =)

Leaving on a Jet Plane

I'm bad... I'm behind (again!) on my blogging, and it's not going to be better all weekend as I'm headed out of town with some friends for a few days and then have house guests... so.... I apologize, but I hope you can wait awhile until I pick up where I left off with my 30 Day Challenge. =)

Have a good weekend everyone!

My Valentine's Day *Surprise*

I know it's been over a week since I wrote about the surprise date that Jacob was taking me on, and I apologize... But now I have a free moment and thought I'd finally share. =)

First we went out to dinner, then we parked our car at the mall and hopped on the light rail.  Jacob led me to believe that we were going downtown.  I thought for sure that we were going to go to a concert and was racking my brain to try to remember if anyone I knew was in town.  I was not coming up with anything.  Then, suddenly, three stops later Jacob finally got up and said "this is us!".  We hadn't even crossed the bridge into downtown yet!  I was even more confused when we headed to the Rose Quarter.  I still didn't know what we were doing as we entered the arena... all I knew was that there were a lot of kids and families there, and Jacob was hiding the tickets.

Then I saw a t-shirt vendor, and right then I knew what was going on... and I was pretty excited! =)

Monster Jam 2011! LOL

I'm not your average girlie girl.  I love off the wall things like monster truck shows, rodeos, hockey, etc.  I had mentioned to Jacob a few months back that I wouldn't mind going to another show (I'd been to one several years ago when I was in college).  It was fun (LOUD, but fun) and we definitely broke several of our low-cal/no-eating-out February rules (I definitely had a big plate of ball park nachos with the WORKS!  It was yummy).

This grandma cracked me up.  She was there with her large family, with her sequined hat and beer... and lots of dancing and cheering! =)

Go Grandma!

One thing that was new to me was this fire breathing, car eating monster (the had a jet-powered golf cart, too, but my hands were full of deliciously bad for me nachos so I wasn't able to take any photos).

It was a great pre-Valentine's Day. =)

Day Twenty-Two: What's in a Name?

30-Day Blog Challenge 

The Meaning Behind Your Blog Name

  

The answer to this one is pretty easy... I love the beach and I love sunflowers.  =)  I came up with the name when I started writing about my wedding planning.  "Sand Dollars & Sunflowers" was kind of the unofficial theme of the wedding.  Jacob and I both love the beach, and the first thing we KNEW about the wedding planning was that we were going to have it on the beach, and that our colors were going to match sunflowers on a beautiful day (yellow, blue and white)... and the rest of the planning stemmed from there (little pun intended *wink*).


After the wedding I decided to just keep the name the same... I mean, nothing really has changed... still love the beach and still love sunflowers. =)

Day Twenty-One: Ha! I'm Caught Up!

30-Day Blog Challenge 

First 10 "Shuffled" Songs on Your Ipod

  

With this post I will official be CAUGHT UP!  I will be ending the 21st day of the month with my 21st prompt.  I feel accomplished. ;)



I own a MP3 player, but it's a cheap model that doesn't have a shuffle feature, so, to Winamp I went and here are the first 10 songs that popped up.  I don't necessarily think that they give a full picture of my musical tastes, but I guess it's a good sampling. =)

1. Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad - Def Lepard
2. Last Kiss - Pearl Jam
3. Light up My Room - Barenaked Ladies
4. Head Over Feet- Alanis Morrisette
5. Free - Train
6. Set the Fire to the Third Bar - Martha Wainwright & Snow Patrol
7. Sweet Emotion - Aerosmith
8. Talk Tonight - Oasis
9. Used To - Daughtry
10. Running from an Angel - Hootie and the Blowfish*

*I think Hootie and the Blowfish is my current favorite band... I've been listening to a lot of their music recently and think that I will always remember their song "Hold My Hand" as our wedding song... we didn't dance to it or anything, but Jacob set our sideshow to it, and I love it. =)

Hootie & the Blowfish - New Music - More Music Videos

Day Twenty: Don't Read if You're Hungry!

30-Day Blog Challenge 

A Picture of Something You Ate Today

  

Looks like my "catch up day" is going to be a bit mouth watering and food focused. lol  Sorry about that. =)  


My parents came over for brunch today on their way through town (they went on a little road trip for the holiday weekend), so I searched the web this morning for something yummy that I could make them.  Here's what I found:

Quiche!  

(The prompt is something you ATE today... not something you will eat.  So, as you can see, we ate, and we enjoyed!).  I found the recipe here after doing a quick Google search, but altered it slightly based on the ingredients that I had in the house and my current dietary needs (remember we're doing a calorie count this month... I'm down about 5 pounds so far!).  Here's the altered recipe:

Fast, Crustless Quiche

1/4 cup shredded cheese
6 slices crumbled turkey bacon
4 eggs
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 chopped broccoli
1/2 cup flour
2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cup non-fat milk
1/2 tsp salt
Dash of Pepper


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 10 inch pie plate with cooking spray.  Spread the crumbled bacon in the bottom of the plate and sprinkle the cheese on top.  Beat the rest of the ingredients together until well mixed (a minute or two), and pour of the bacon and cheese.  Bake for about 35 minutes. (I used a glass dish and the cooking time increased by about 10 minutes).  Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

Day Nineteen: Mmm Mmm Good!

30-Day Blog Challenge 

A Recipe

  

When I saw that this next prompt was a recipe, I didn't have to think twice about which one I was going to share!  My momma's chocolate chip cookies are to DIE for (when she makes them, she'll put some in the freezer for me so that I can have them when I come to visit... it's a good incentive lol).  Here's the recipe that she passed along to me... of course they never taste as good as Mom's, but they are still pretty damn good. =)


Chocolate Chip Cookies


3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 cup Chocolate Chips


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In mixing bowl cream butter and sugars.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  Stir in remaining ingredients until well mixed.  Drop by rounded teaspoons, 2 inches apart onto lightly greased baking sheet.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Day Eighteen: Travel Porn

30-Day Blog Challenge 

A Picture of a Place You'd Love to Travel

  

I can NOT limit this to a single photo!  There is no way, there are just too many places that I want to travel.  Here are a few of my top dream-destinations right now:

(P.S.  While I did just watching/read "Eat, Pray, Love", know that the common "I" in my travel destinations are in now way a reference to the story... just a funny coincidence!)

Ireland

I don't know what it is about Ireland... something just draws me to it.  When Jacob and I were on our honeymoon in New Zealand, I kept thinking how much the landscapes reminded me of what I thought Ireland would look like... now I want to see for myself! =)

Iceland

A LONG time ago I was watching an episode of Oprah about traveling.  Iceland was one of the destinations that they were talking about and I remember thinking how it sounded like a place that I would love to visit... and a place that I feel like I would fit in.  I remember it coming up in conversation how Icelandic women are tall, blond, and independent... much like me. =)

Italy

Beautiful.  I don't know that there is much more that I can say about my desire to go to Italy... I just do. =)

Greece

I didn't have much of a desire to go to Greece until my younger brother started planning a trip and asked if I wanted to go along with him.  I saved as much money as I could and reading up about traveling in this beautiful country... and then my bro hit some hard times and the trip wasn't able to happen.  Now I really want to go! lol  While I would have LOVED to go to Greece with my brother, the money that I would have used for the trip was put toward the wedding... so, I guess it all worked out in the end. =)

Day Seventeen: Calling all Storks!

30-Day Blog Challenge 

Your Biggest Fear

  

My goal is to catch up by the end of tomorrow... we'll see how it goes.  Time has just kind of gotten away from me the last couple of days.  But it's been for somewhat productive things, so I'm not feeling too bad about it.


Now for this prompt.  I've kind of been dreading writing about this, because it is a real fear that I have, and putting it into words for the world to see if kind of intimidating.  I kind of alluding to something with this post but, here it goes...


I'm afraid I may not be able to have children.

I really have no reason to be fearful of this.  My fertility has never come into question, however I still worry that once I decide that I finally AM ready for this next life step, I'll realize that it can't happen.  I've had some weird medical anomalies over me life (that have never been explained) and I worry that these COULD be related somehow to child bearing (again, absolutely no reason to believe that they would be).  I know that there are many other ways to have children, and I am definitely up for these other options.  In fact, when I was younger, I didn't even think that I wanted to actually have my own children, but rather adopt... and I still think about this from time to time, but I have also come to the realization that I want to experience pregnancy (not childbirth... I could do without that. lol).  I want to know what it feels like to have a little person growing inside of me, and I want to see what Jacob and I can create together (we are going to have some damn cute kids!) =)  

The more I want it, the more scared I get.  Am I alone with this one?  Or is it a common fear among new-parent-aged people?

Day Fifteen & Sixteen: Two Birds With One Stone!

30-Day Blog Challenge 

A Picture of Someone You Could Never Imagine Your Life Without

or

A Photo of Your Family

  

Wow!  I'm REALLY behind!  Here I am on day 15... on the 18th day of the month.  Oops! =)  In an effort to catch up quickly, I'm going to cover two prompts with one post... since they kind of go together.  Two birds with one stone, right?  Efficiency. =)


Being as I'm recently married, you would think that my answer for the first prompt would be my husband... however, it is not.  Jacob and I had a conversation about this when we were still a dating couple and talking about the prospect of marriage.  Jacob said that he didn't know if he was ready to get married as he hadn't had that "ah ha" moment when he realized that he couldn't picture his life without me.  I told him that I hadn't either, but didn't know if we ever would.  Jacob and I met in our mid/late-20s.  We had careers, friends, and several relationships a piece before we met each other.  We had lived our lives apart and knew what they looked like.  I told Jacob that I WAS able to picture my life without him... but the thing was, that I didn't WANT to.  I knew what my life was like without him, and I didn't like it.  


Maybe if we were high school sweethearts, or had known each other since childhood things would be different... but, at this point in my life I have a different answer to the question of "who I can't picture my life without":

My Family!

I come from a fairly large family (by today's standards).  I am one of four siblings... myself and three younger brothers.  Then there's my mom and dad, who have been married for 30 years now.  Added to the bunch is my nephew, grandmother, Jacob and significant others of all of my brothers.  It makes for a pretty crazy evening around the dinner table! =) 

We are all pretty close in various ways, and I really can't imagine my life without my big, crazy, small-town family!

Ouch

I got one of my wisdom teeth removed today.... first one ever.  I'm not really pleased... but once I've feeling a bit better I'll dive into that a bit more. ;)  I also know that I'm behind on my 30-Day Challenge AND filling you all in on Jacob's surprise Valentine's date... hopefully I'll get everything caught up tomorrow or this weekend while I'm lying around healing. =)

Day Fourteen: Into the Wind

30-Day Blog Challenge 

A Picture of Something You Want to Do Before You Die

  

Yeah... I skipped a day, I admit it.  But I'm not sorry. =)  Spent yesterday evening curled up on the couch with Jacob watching a movie and just relaxing together... it was a very nice way to spend both Valentine's Day AND our Semi-Anniversary!  (I can't believe we've been married for 6 months already!).

So... back to the challenge.  This prompt is hard for me... 'cause all of the things that I want to do before I die revolve around traveling... and there's a question about traveling coming up in a few more days so I don't want to get ahead of myself.  I'm also not much of a thrill seeker, so bungee jumping or skydiving or something similar is not in the cards for me.... so... hmm.... of course I would like to start a family... but... what else?  One thing that did occur to me last night during the movie that I'd like to do someday is this:

I'm not a HUGE thrill seeker, but I would definitely be up for riding around on the back of a motorcycle. =)  


I'd also (almost) kill to do this:

But that just goes back to my addiction to travel... which I will get to later on. =)

What would you guys like to do before you die??  I need some ideas =)

XOXO and...

Which of these things is not like the other? ;)

I've had this open on my web browser for several days now just waiting to post it... Happy V-Day, all! =)

Day Thirteen: PDX

30-Day Blog Challenge 

A Photograph of the Town You Live In

  

The photos below were swiped from Jake Donahue of Donahue Media Group... he's an awesome photographer and does a fantastic job capturing the beauty that is Portland, Oregon!

I absolutely LOVE Portland and am glad that we made the decision to move here.  It's gorgeous... and it's surrounded by gorgeous places.  It's also a little weird... but I love that about it, too!  Here's a few shots that I've taken of just how odd Portland is (taken via camera phone, so excuse the quality).

Random Christmas Carolers

Wii bowling at the transit stop

Sand sculpture contest... with imported sand

Robotic T-Rex in the square

$10 Wedding Dress, Anyone?

I've been struggling with trying to figure out what to do with my wedding dress.  I tried selling it on Craigslist, but I haven't had much luck.  I thought about donating it to some organization like Brides Against Breast Cancer, but I also don't like the idea of not having some idea of who my donation is helping/going to (I'm a people person... I like to hear/see the stories).  Finally, I'm not really feeling the idea of boxing up my dress and saving it for a daughter that 1) I may or may not even have, 2) may or may not get married, and 3) may or may not even WANT my dress.  I am actually pretty thankful that there wasn't a "family dress" set aside for me to wear on my wedding day.  Styles change so much over the years, but also I'm glad that I had the opportunity to shop around and find MY dress.  I don't want to take this away from a future daughter.

So, what is a girl with a wedding dress to do?

I was sitting around the house this morning, and suddenly had an epiphany.  Have any of you heard of a house giveaway like this one?  Well, if they can do it for a house, why can't I do one for wedding dresses??  So, that is what I'm going to do!  As I know that many of my readers are already married, I'm asking that you PLEASE pass this post along to your friends, family, blog readers, whatever.  I really want to be able to make this work but need everyone's help to do it!  I figure this is a good time to do this, as Valentine's Day is sure to be the maker of new bride-to-bes!

Here's how it's going to work:

1. Write a short essay (500 words or less) telling me 1) a little bit about yourself, your significant other, and the wedding that you are planning, and 2) Why we should pick you to win the dress.  Send the essay in the body of an e-mail to me, including your name, contact info (e-mail and/or phone number), state you reside in, and your wedding date. 
2. Send your $10 entry fee via Paypal to the same e-mail address listed above.  This entry fee will be returned to you if I do not get at least 20 entries by the submission deadline).  
3. Complete these steps by 11:59 PM on March 31st.
4. After the submission deadline I will read through the entries and pick my top five submissions.  These will then be posted on this blog with a poll for my readers to chose the ultimate winner.  I hope to have the winner chosen/announced by mid- to late April.
5. The winner will then be contacted for a shipping address.  Your entry fee will also cover $50 toward the cost of shipping.  The winner will be responsible for any charges over the $50 limit.  (FYI, the dress is coming from Portland, Oregon and weighs approximately 5 lbs... in case you want to guestimate what your shipping charge would be).

Now about the dress:

1. Ella Bridal, size 14, off-white/diamond white.
2. Has been taken in slightly at the waist, but has not been altered in any other way.
3. Has a lace-up back making it easily adjustable to various body shapes and sizes.
4. Lots of delicate floral bead work along the bodice... pretty gorgeous!
5. Pictures available here, here, here and here.  You can also see many more in my wedding blog archives.
6. If you have any questions, please ask them as a comment to this post (so that others can see the question and answer to it!).

That's it!  As I said before, PLEASE help me by passing this post along throughout cyberland.  I think it would be awesome if I was able to make this happen for a lucky bride out there!

Hide the Glue Gun!

LONG post warning! =)

I am NOT a "do it yourself" type of person.  In fact, I didn't even know what "DIY" stood for until I started planning the wedding.  I have never been particularly crafty.  I enjoy the visual arts (photography, graphic design, movies, etc.) but it when it comes to actually using my hands to assemble... let's just say that there better be first aid supplies near by!

One thing I soon discovered at the beginning stages of the wedding planning was that there was no way I was going to be able to have everything I wanted on our low budget without doing some of the work myself.  So, I set about brainstorming, designing, printing, folding, gluing, tying... and bribing other people to help me. =)  On my wedding blog I already revealed our invitations, seating chart, and table number, and touched on our wedding favors, but here's a look at the DIY projects that have not yet been revealed:

The Programs

One of the first posts I "starred" in my google reader was this post about the bride-to-be's accordion programs.  I thought they were fantastic, and, after reviewing several other styles of programs, I ultimately decided on these.  But I knew I was going to need some help with the detail work, so, I recruited my bridesmaids, mother, grandmother, and brothers' girlfriends, and we had ourselves a "paper party" (also did the invitations and started on the favors... which I'll touch on in a second).

First I designed the interior in Publisher, sent it in to printed on longer paper, and cut, at Staples, ordered paper for the covers, purchased some ribbon, and with the stickers I'd designed/won from Uprinting, I was all set.  Here's a look at the final product:

As you can see, I kinda of miscalculated the number of panels I was going to need... and didn't save one to glue the front cover to.  *grumble, grumble*  Thankfully, I managed to come up with a quick fix but adding an extra fold.  I was not particularly happy about this.  But, since I didn't discover my mistake until the VERY last minute, I had to do what I had to do.  All in all, I was pretty happy with the way these turned out.

The Favors

I really didn't know how I came up with the idea for the favors.  I just knew that I wanted to have them, but couldn't spend a lot of money on them.  I browsed around and realized that I couldn't even really afford to purchase something... thus, back to the DIY board.  I also knew that I didn't want stupid little waste-of-space favors that were just going to get thrown away or left on the table.  I wanted something that people would actually like/use... so, what better than food?  And who doesn't love kitchen magnets? =)  

In order to keep the beach theme going, we decided on salt water taffy, and starfish magnets.  We bought taffy in bulk at Winco, and managed to find some bulk starfish through the Oriental Trading Company (did you know that they have an entire wedding planning catalog??).  With this in hand, as well as borrowed glue guns, button magnets and snack bags from Joann's, our stickers and postcard thank you notes that I won (again) from Uprinting (I love this company), my girls and I set out to assemble the favors (I ended up having to finish over the following weeks... I tied so many damn bows for this wedding I swear my kids are only wearing velcro shoes!). 

I don't have many photos of the completed favors, but here is the one that I do have via our photographer:

I also have some shots of the left over starfish magnets that now make their home on our fridge:

I love this shot with our engagement photo, two wedding photo magnets we got for Christmas, and the "love" poetry magnet. =)

Guest Book

So the guest book wasn't a huge DIY project, but it was one none-the-less.  I wanted something a little more creative than your typical wedding guest book (I wanted to SEE it again and not just shove it in a drawer somewhere).  But, I'm also not skilled enough to do some of the other awesome things I've seen done.  Also, I wanted guests to be able to write a comment rather than just their names if they wanted to, so a matted photo was kind of out of the question as well since I didn't think there would be enough room.  So, here's what I did.

I found this great photo album at Target, purchased some unlined index cards and some colorful pens from Staples, got some photos of Jacob and I printed out and voila!  Guest book!  I dispersed the photos throughout the book, leaving room on each page for a guest to sign or write a note/well wish on an index card and slide it into the book.  Then, after the wedding, I had our favorite guest-shot photos printed out (Jacob and I made a google album for guests to upload their photos), and replaced the photos that I put in the book for the reception with these guest shots.  So now we have a true guest book... filled with photos AND comments by our wonderful guests.  Take a look:

I had a pretty good time looking through all the guest photos (we had more than 500 uploaded onto our site!).  There were some good shots among them, and some shots that our photographer didn't even get the chance to catch.

Thank You Sign

I was determined to have one of these great thank you signs to get photos with and put on our thank you cards.Uprinting.. lol).  Then I set out gluing the poster to the matte board.  Regular glue wouldn't hold... so I pulled out some super glue.  BAD IDEA!  I ended up gluing my finger to the matte board!  I tried very carefully to remove my finger from the matte, but, alas, I pulled up some of the blue matte.  I was soooo NOT happy.  There was a bit of a temper tantrum at that point.  And definitely some tears and inappropriate language.  Then I remembered these shoes that my friend Holly bought for me (and that my cat had since torn the flowers from).  I managed to find out of the sunflowers laying around the apartment, and covered the tear with it.  Here is the final product set up near our gift table at the reception (c/o our photographer):

Here's the kicker though... after all this, and so much wanting a photo, we TOTALLY FORGOT to get our photographer to take any photos of us with the sign!!!  I was soooo annoyed when I remembered the next day.  So, in a hope to somewhat remedy the situation, Jacob and I returned to the beach the next day with the sign, set it up in various places along the coastline and took photos of it, planning to use those for our thank yous.  F*** Up number 2... week's later when I designed and had the thank you printed, I realized that I completely forgot to include these back up photos at all!  LOL   So, my HARD work on this damn sign resulted in it only being seen here at the gift table. lol  Oh well, life goes on, right?

The Thank Yous

What I DID end up doing for the thank yous was making a photo collage of some of my favorite guest-shot photos, having them printed in post card format with our address printed on the back (with lots of room left for a person note) and then mailing them out.  I wanted the cards to stay looking nice (and not get all marked up and bent during delivery) so Jacob and I opted to send them in left over invite envelopes rather than send them as postcards.  Here's the final product:

Alright... I think that may be the end of the DIY recaps for me... (except for our wedding albums... but I'll get to that in a different post I think).  Some of this was fun, some not so much.  Some went exactly has planned... many, many did not. lol  But, in the end, I'm happy with the way things turned out and learned a lot in the process (both about crafty stuff, as well as myself and what I can handle. lol).

Day Twelve: I Am Me

(This is post is pre-scheduled... currently on my surprise date! Woo!)

30-Day Blog Challenge 

How Do You Think Others View You?

  

Unfortunately I know how others view me, or, at least, SOME others.  Let me explain.

I am a somewhat shy person when I'm around people I don't know and/or don't feel comfortable with.  I don't talk much, I'm more the "observe and assess type".  And, I've been told, my "neutral" facial expression looks kind of sad.  Problem is, that these elements do not seem to express SHY to onlookers... but rather STUCK UP.

When I was in middle/high school, the kids on the bus used to call me stuck up all the time.  And, of course, being the non-confrontational person that I am, I would just ignore them... which, of course, added to their "stuck up" perception of me.  Part of my boss's critiques for me in my one-year evaluation this winter at my current job was a similar comment--worded a lot nicer--but still the same meaning.

I try hard to be outwardly friendly (most of the time I don't know that I'm NOT).  I've gotten a lot better at putting myself out there since I was a preteen, and I get an A+ at acting it for people that I'm NOT around all the time (I have lots of retail experience... it comes in handy for this sort of thing).  But I can't ALWAYS act... thus I relax, and come across as stuck up.

It often seems like I'm being asked to change for other people... which kind of bothers me a bit.  But, alas, I'm trying.

Does anyone else out there have similar experiences?  Or even do people judge/mis-perceive who you are on a regular basis?

Day Ten: Update!!

This morning I was lying in bed and suddenly remembered a funny story from my childhood! (I do my best thinking in bed... unfortunate for my sleep sometimes!).  So, I thought I'd share. =)

Scene:  Sitting around the dinner table with my family.  I'm about 4 at this point, so my family only consists of my mom, dad, and brother Rob.  We are eating something that requires ketchup and my mother, who is sitting directly across the table from me, is having a hell of a time getting the cap off the ketchup bottle.  There is some problem with the suction or something, and she's struggling.  But, finally, she manages to break through the seal and get the cap off.  Air rushes into the bottle, and ketchup rushes OUT.  I don't mean just quickly onto her plate.  I mean PROJECTILE... right into MY FACE and all over the curtains behind me.

Everyone is silent, staring at me.  My face is covered in ketchup.  I'm more surprised that I've ever been in my life and have no idea how to react.  After a moment everyone breaks out of their shock, I start to bawl while everyone else starts to laugh hysterically.

Today I can look back and realize just how hilarious the situation was (and kinda wish my parents had a video camera as I'm sure we could have won a few thousand bucks from that! lol)

Embracing Surprises

I hate surprises. 

Well, let me rephrase that... I love surprises, I just don't like knowing that they are coming.

Jacob told me about a week ago not to make plans for today (Feb. 12th) after 5 PM.  He told me that he's taking me out somewhere... and then he used those three words that just make me cringe: It's a surprise.

Here's why I hate knowing about surprises.  I'm a control freak.  I admit it.  I like to have things planned out and know what to expect at every step along the way. Plus, and most importantly, I need to know what the event is going to be so I know what to wear!!  (I've gotten burned several times relying on other people to tell me what appropriate attire will be for an event... I don't want everyone staring/commenting about me).

This is what I've gotten out of Jacob so far:  we are doing something that we haven't done before; we don't have to travel outside of the city;  it has a specific start time; casual attire is fine (we'll see, hmph!); and, there is something in his glove box that will explain where we're going (I got this last little bit out of him this morning before he headed off to work... I told him that I would be pissed if he had an accident or something today and got amnesia and wasn't able to tell me what he'd planned for us. lol... such a loving wife, right?).

I know that I should love the fact that he's surprising me with an evening out, and I do!  He rarely plans activities for us, so I'm definitely excited.  I just can't help but be a little anxious about it as well.

Am I alone here?  Does anyone else really dislike knowing that a surprise is coming?

Day Eleven: Scarred for Life!

30-Day Blog Challenge 

Explain How You Got One of Your Scars

  

I have several scars on my body, but only two of them have any sort of a story behind them (one 100% real, the other somewhat questionable).

The first one is a battle wound... and I hold it dear!  

When I was young I lived on a cul-de-sac (I think I mentioned this in the last post).  The asphalt on the street was the kind that, when falling upon it from the seat of a two wheeler, our knee-scrapes were more of a cross-hatch style than just a scrape (much like this):

As I was a kid DETERMINED to learn how to ride a bike, I had many, many a tumble... resulting in one of these on each knee:

As you can see, the scar is no longer really on my knee... but it's kind of like a trees rings... you can see just how much I've grown since then. =)


My other scar with a story is on my arm, and now looks like a birth mark... which, if the story holds true, it really actually is!

I was a C-section baby.  And the story that I have heard (and really have no idea where... I just know that I heard it somewhere) was that the doctor nicked my arm with his scalpel during the procedure, resulting in this mark.  At this point in my life I don't even really care to know if the store is 100% accurate or not... it's an interesting story to hold onto. =)

How about you all out there?  Any interesting scar stories?