say it ain’t so

This winter Olympics won’t be the same for me. Last night as I watched the opening ceremony of the winter Olympics I couldn’t help but feel sad. Why? A story that didn’t get much press coverage was that the Jamaican Bobsledding team did not qualify to this years Vancouver winter Olympics. I like many of you I’m sure, once the Olympics games start – would circled with high hopes the date of when the Jamaican Bobsledding team was scheduled to compete . However not these Olympics, there will be no cool runnings in Vancouver. Who will say, with a thick Jamacian accent, Feel the rhythm feel the rhyme get on up, its bobsled time, cool RUNNINGS!!” As for the Swiss team, they qualified – oh yeah and they are expected to dominate…again! However the Jamaican team is hopeful for the 2004 winter games. But for now, the Jamaican team has be left out in the cold…metaphorically speaking off course since they are from Jamaican and its always like a million degrees there!

Snow day: A True Poem

When I was a teacher, I oft wished for snow.

Do we have school? I thought. I don’t want to go!

But now I’m a mom when the weather gets sticky,

Keeping the kids entertained can get a bit tricky.

While some moms were baking and others turned to wine,

I still sorta wondered what I’d do with mine.

Well, we started with Dora and I breastfed the baby,

That took ‘bout an hour or so, I guess, maybe.

Now, what will we do with the rest of our day?

Should I find Candyland and teach Chlo’ to play?

She seemed to enjoy it, her skills not too shoddy

Maybe I’ll try to teach her the potty.

Is it naptime already? I think it might be.

I need a break, oh wait, I’ll feed the baby.

I watched some shows we tivoed from tv,

I was covered in a blanket and sipped on some tea

All so our electric bill won’t start with a three.

Now naptime is over and it’s time to eat dinner,

We don’t have much food; oh well, we’ll be thinner.

We skyped with my parents and that took some time,

I then ate some jello; it’s strawberry AND lime.

If this poem is boring, well, so was our day

I really hope it won’t keep you away.

Why do I find this SO FUNNY?

http://www.hulu.com/watch/98344/saturday-night-live-digital-short-the-date

Changing America, One Run at a Time

When we got our power bill last month, I almost pooped my pants. The power company (AEP) must have looked at our average bill and said, “What is this? An electric bill for ants? It needs to be at least…three times this size!” because that’s almost how high it was. Later, at the gym on the elliptical, with my attention split between watching people run on the treadmill (I’ll admit it. I sometimes hope someone will fall off Biggest-Loser style.) and the news which was centered on healthcare, medical problems and the energy crisis, I came up with an unbeatable (and genius, in my opinion) solution to all these problems. Before I do, I should mention that a similar solution was proposed at runnersworld.com, so don’t think I’m a plagiarizer, but I definitely came up with this idea on my own prior to reading the article.

So, here’s the plan. Add enough money to the new $3.8 trillion budget for 2010 to install treadmills or stationary bikes in every house in America. I mean, really, once you spend 3.8 trill are you going to notice a few extra dollars? These treadmills or stationary bikes will produce the energy needed to provide electricity in your house. Every home in America will have to spend time each day running/riding to produce enough energy to turn the lights and heat on in their house. Don’t feel like running today? You must not want to watch TV either bc you can’t turn that on without electricity. Don’t want to ride the bike today? Too bad your coffee maker uses electricity. You’re going to have a wicked headache. Get the idea? For extra motivation, each house will have one of those Big Brother-style screens (not like that ridiculous reality show but George Orwell-style as depicted in the first, amazing Apple commercial) with Jillian Michaels yelling at you. I imagine her screaming phrases like “Keep going until you puke or die!” and “I’m going to rip your arm off!” and then she’ll become nice Jillian and accuse you of having unresolved issues in your life. Also, I’m in the midst of developing an “Adopt-an-old-person” person program where people adopt those who can’t run or spin to help them keep their houses lit and warm. No worries, I’m not an ageist.

So, here we have it. Energy crisis: solved. People will use their own energy to provide electricity for their houses. Overweightness problem: solved. People have to exercise to have electricity in their houses. Healthcare bill: forgotten. People who are in good health have fewer health problems.

While this doesn’t solve all of our country’s problems, it does solve a few. With my new plan, you won’t poop your pants when you see your electricity bill (bc you won’t have one) though you might when you eat too much chili and then jump on the treadmill for your daily run. Oh well, I don’t have a solution for all of life’s problems.

2010

Well it’s February.  Last year there were goals I set for myself, things I wanted to do.  I feel like the clock is ticking and in about 2 years I will be 30 so there are things I HAVE to finish and accomplish by then.  What are those things?  I’m not going to tell you but if I actually do them then I’ll tell you.  So last year I had this list of stuff and I thought to myself, self, you are going to do this stuff so I labeled 2009 as the “Year of the Impossible.”  Last year the movie Amelia came out and I took it as a sign. 

So probably not a good example because, well, she crashed.  For me 2009 really did turn out to be the year of the impossible.  Did I actually finish anything I set out to do in 2009? Um, no.  I am closer than I was before.  I’ve made huge progress.  I’ve learned what it is to have something to do everyday which I believe is taught in AA but whatever I probably do drink too much wine (and yes I went to Liberty, ewps).  So maybe what I’ve learned is that if you set out to achieve or accomplish something that maybe it won’t be done in a large, grand, sweeping, Hollywood kind of way.  It will be more like a pain filled, hacking, stumbling, coughing and faint at the finish line sort of way.  And maybe God does not want us to do things right when we or everyone else expects us to but when he is ready for us to finish the good work he started in us.  The Green Letters says that when God wants to make a squash he takes a few weeks but when he wants to make an oak tree he takes years and years and YEARS.  So, I don’t think New Year’s Resolutions are actually bad because they show me yes, you fail.  And you don’t do what you should and things don’t always work out the way you planned.  That’s not so dangerous.  What will kill and destroy and make regret is when you walk away entirely.  When you give up.  When it’s not worth it, too hard, takes too much faith.  The curiousity of what could be should always outweigh the animosity of what is not…so I will keep trying in 2010.  Why not.

So Amazon.com delivered Dead Poet’s Society to my door the other day and that’s pretty much an all time favorite.  When I was younger I cried my teenage eyes out at that movie and determined to carpe diem every freaking day.  The funny thing is that you wake up one day and have bills, work a million hours a week, have a blackberry, responsibilities, Jilian Michaels screaming at you, etc.  And when you get older you get TIRED.  Carpe NAP time is more appropriate when you eat most of your meals from a take out container and are staring down 30.  So I left a doctor’s appointment on Monday and just went for a drive.  No Target, no phone, no happy hour.  I live in the kind of place where you can drive 20 minutes and be at the beach and yet I don’t go that much.  So I went to the beach.  And I carpe diam-ed.   The beach is still the beach but we all need to still see it once in awhile to put things in perspective, ie we are small and have very little control.  So keep the faith.  Ok, goodnight.

groundhog’s day

Words won’t be needed today. Today’s post holds a special place in my heart. How awesome would it be to relive the same day over and over and over and over again? They don’t make them like this anymore! So without further delay please enjoy……

Resolutions Schmesolutions

Hey, anyone remember what their New Year’s Resolutions were? No? Well, I do. It was one of my NYRs actually. So, a month in, here’s how I’m doing. Obviously, I remember my resolutions, so far so good. NYR 1, check. NYR 2 was to go to Wednesday night church. Did it and hey I’m not any more tired than usual! Also in NYR 2 was to read through the Bible chronologically in a yearish. Within the first week, I was like 10 days behind. I don’t even know how that’s possible, but it happened. I’ve caught up a little but I’m not quite on track. Oh well…..

I’m not sure how I’m doing on not letting myself go. I once found myself spending an afternoon in my yoga pants, eating bran muffins and watching Zoolander. (That Hansel is so hot right now.) Amelia assured me that it’s only letting yourself go if I were wearing sweatpants, eating ice cream and watching DOUL. I don’t know though…I was only wearing yoga pants bc my sweatpants were dirty and I ran out of ice cream. Later in the month, I – wearing sweatpants – downed two entire boxes of Jello while watching like 6 episodes of Lost in a row. I comforted myself that this is not letting myself go bc the Jello was sugar-free and I was watching Lost with my husband. You be the judge if I’ve kept this one.

The last NYR was to get smarter. I’m pretty sure, almost positive, I’m still getting stupider. I long to learn stuff. Luckily, I learn stuff at church or I’d be laying in a ditch somewhere drooling. This month I started four books and finished three. I will now give you a brief review of each.

-       The Help by Kathrynn Stockett

• The best book I read all month by far, thought-provoking and extremely well-written. Loved it.

-       The Associate by John Grisham

• Mediocre, good story line but poor ending. Grisham’s books have gone downhill only slightly slower than Tiger Woods’ golfing career. It would have been much better had the ending actually tied up some strings. Will Grisham’s recent striving for mere mediocrity keep me from reading more books by him? No, I’ll always read them in hopes he can write another book to rival The Firm or Runaway Jury.

-        Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

• The one I didn’t finish. I gave it til page 108, and when I wasn’t impressed with the storyline, where it was going, the constant repetition of one annoying phrase, I decided not to waste my valuable time (I could be eating ice cream and watching DOUL instead!)

-       True Blue by David Baldacci

• Lame, predictable, too much cop jargon, loose ends still untied. It kept my attention long enough for me to finish it but just barely. I’ll probably keep reading his new books, but I doubt he’ll be able to write anything as good as The Camel Club series.

Well, I gotta go; my ice cream’s melting and dripping onto my sweatpants.

Never too late for NYRs

“I can’t wait for all the New Year’s Resolutioners to give up and go home!” I never say it directly to them, but I’ve thought it every time I’ve gone to the gym post-2009. Now I’m all about people getting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I am, after all, #1 fan of the Biggest Loser and its principles. It’s just that I know most people aren’t going to follow through anyways, but if they ARE going to continue couldn’t they go when I’m not there (which is at random times so they’ll just have to check with me)?

Therefore, my first resolution this year is to follow through with my resolutions. Is that like when a genie gives you three wishes and you wish for more wishes? I don’t even care. This is for real.

However, before I tell you the resolutions that I’m going to follow through on, I – like Erick – would like to take a brief look at 2009. A few big events stand out in my mind. They are –briefly- in chronological order as follows: 1) Kentucky Derby Half Marathon, 2) Pregnant, 3) Russia for a missions trip, 4) Italy to visit my brother, 5) Josiah born! Ok, that was my year in review. You might be thinking, but what were your resolutions from last year? Yah, I have no idea. Probably lose weight (didn’t happen – I gained 25lbs), not go in debt (accomplished), be an altogether better person (you decide). This year, though, I’ll know what they are at the end of the year.

First and most important, I want to grow spiritually. This is more like a life goal, but whatev. Specifically, I want to read through the entire Bible chronologically. I had intended to do this in a year, but with the encouragement of my husband, I am going to simply be consistent to read my Bible, chronologically, and finish when I finish, even if it’s in two or three years. Also, we’re going to go to Wed. night church. I’m always the one who doesn’t want to go bc I’m too tired, but now that I have a newborn, I’m tired all the time so why not?

Next, and not as important, I am going to not let myself go. I think you know what I mean by “let myself go.” Just to be clear, I mean I’m not  going to be “that” mom that you see at Walmart wearing giant sweatpants, an three-sizes-too big t-shirt, sans makeup, greasy hair and screaming, snotty-nosed children. I am not resolutioning to not have screaming, snotty-nosed children, just not to be the mom. One way I plan to fulfill this resolution is to complete a triathlon – not the Iroman, just a sprint – but a triathlon, nonetheless. I plan to run a full marathon sometime this year but am not resolutioing it bc who knows what it’s like having 2 kids? Not me, that’s for sure.

Last, I want to learn stuff. I’m pretty sure my brain turned to mush after I graduated college and that I’m getting dumber by the second now that I sometimes go entire days w/o talking to anyone older than my 20 month old daughter. Specifically, I am going to increase and maintain my knowledge of Spanish. It’s for real that if you don’t use it, you lose it. Additionally, I –like Erick- am resolute to read more books. Which books I am unsure, but I like to read a large variety: popular books that everyone loves so that I know what the hype is, controversial books, classics and other smart people books. I’d like to read a mixture of genres of books. I do unashamedly admit that if a book is boring or cannot hold my attention I’ll quit in the middle. I despise wasted time.

Oh yah, and I’ll blog more.

Ok this is one of the coolest trailer I’ve ever seen! Watch it and I grantee pure euphoria!!

2010…

“New Year’s resolutions are dumb”… that’s such a snobby attitude towards such a great tradition. We all crave for a new beginning, for a fresh start, a clean slate, a second chance…. well you get the point. Well I know I’m a few days late with this but here are my new year’s resolutions. But before we start looking forward lets first take a look back at 2009.

Dear 2009, you were a great year. Ahh 2009… you were the year that saw me turn 26, got a great camera and started a photo-journal blog. I also started this blog with my two bff’s. My brother got married to a beautiful girl. Professionally I was able to dodge the unemployment line and I think I was promoted but not quit sure. However the single best thing that happened to me in 2009 was that I got engaged to my wonderful, breathtaking, fantastic, amazing, marvelous, stupendous, stunning, dazzling, incredible, eye-catching, girlfriend Claudia. How did I pop the question you ask? Well I made her go on a scavenger hunt which eventually brought her to where I was. Then I got down on one knee and popped the question, she said yes by the way!

Now 2010 I have big plans for you. First of all the single most important thing I have going on in 2010 is my wedding! Yep I’m getting hitched in November so I think that should be enough for one year. Which is why I am going light on my New Year’s resolutions! However I have been warn of what goes into planning a wedding, so I don’t know if I should feel excited or scared!?! Only time will tell.

Well here are some of my pledges! First of all I think I want to build something with my hands, a boat, a house, a shelf, a chair, a city, a castile or maybe a programmable electronic apparatus that performs high-speed mathematical logical and commonsensical operations and that assembles, stores, correlates, then processes information… or better known as a computer… Any of those would be fine but I want to have a sense of accomplishment and it seems that building something with your hands gives you that.

I want to read more books. Last year I only read a handful of books, I did howeve read the Alchemist which was such a great book and I highly recommend it. Aside from the NYT best sellers I want to read some of the classics, so I’ve come up with this short list of must read,

- The confessions of Saint Augustine by Saint Augustine
- Slaughterhouse five by Vonnegut
- The republic by Plato
- Oh, the Places you’ll go by Dr. Seuss
- Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
- Atlas shrugged by Ayn Rand – This one will be interesting since this book is over 1,000 pages. Not a big deal for some but I read about 5 words per minute….

Another goal of mine is to blog more… we here at EWS have really slacked off on blogging, no more of that!

I also want to lose 2 lbs….baby steps…oh and I want to eat less French fries… I have a small obsession with fries, its true ask my fiancé. If I could have fries for breakfast, lunch and dinner I would. I especially love season fries, the cafeteria at my job makes the best season fries… oh and don’t get me started on cheese fries!! Out of all my new year’s resolutions I’m pretty sure this one will be  ignore! Sorry Jillian Michaels!

In regards to photography, I want to get published or maybe have my stuff in an exhibit. I saw my skills grow tremendously this past year and I want to take it to the next level. This year I want to shoot more concerts, events, individual or just whatever comes across my lens, so let me know if you’re interested in having me shoot something for you. Please follow my photography blog, if you do I promise to buy you a puppy…. ok false I won’t buy you a puppy but I do promise to be your friend.

Well that’s really it for my new year’s resolution. Boring I know…

Oh, the Places You’ll Go!