The Holiday Season

Ahh the holidays! Cheery music, steaming mugs of coffee and stories about good samaritans. For some people, it isn't tough to be wonderfully happy during the holidays. For others, it can be quite the opposite. I consider myself incredibly blessed in life, and while there was plenty of potential for sadness this year, I didn't allow it to take over! My dad and step-mom spent the holidays in Canada with her sister, and my brother and sister-in-law left for Hawaii on Christmas day. My Christmas eve was spent curled up with a book and plenty of redbox movie rentals. And you know what?

I loved it!

Sure, it was far from a traditional Christmas Eve, but it was a chance for me to take a less than awesome situation and change the way I think about it. I have such a loving, caring group of individuals that I call my family (which includes my closest friends!) and they love me regardless of whether they spend a holiday with me. Christmas day was a whirlwind of time spent with two dear friends' families. I spent the afternoon driving up to San Marcos where I got to eat fried turkey. After dinner, I drove back to San Diego to pick my roommate up from the airport. We got caught up and then I headed over to another friends house.

There, I got to eat a second dinner with old friends! I've known Briana since middle school. We've had our disagreements over the years, but I really cherish our friendship. Spending the holidays with her family is always interesting. They are like a second family to me, so champagne was flowing while we all helped to put dinner on the table, and after, Briana and I squeezed in some much needed girl time in the hot tub! I was finally able to deliver an apology that was 4 years in coming. Pride can be so destructive, and I'm so glad I finally got over myself! I have a very tough time having hard conversations, and when the going gets tough I have a nasty habit of cutting my ties and bolting as fast as I can. I'm working on changing it, and the first step was apologizing to those who deserve it!

Welp - back to the grind for me! The holidays never seem to last long enough, do they?

The Blues

Not the sad kind! The music and dancing, of course. I love to dance. I know
how to swing dance (lindy hop, charleston, east coast), blues dance and of
course, crazy attractive white girl dance! I love them all, but blues
dancing seems to put me in the most awkward of situations.

To those who are unaware, and didn't click on the link, blues dancing is
like the dirrrty sexy sister of swing. It's fun, expressive and almost always
suggestive. Therein lies the dilemma. Anytime I find a partner whose style
meshes well with mine, assumptions are always made!

Can I just say that (just how we learn in He's Just Not That Into You) if a
man wants to date you, he will make that known. And the same follows for
women!! For pete's sake - if I want to date you, I will make it abundantly
clear, I promise. Also, considering that the swing and blues community is
generally friendlier than your usual bunch, be stupid obvious if you want
to ask someone out! A great example is this: 'Hey, I'd really like to take
you on a date sometime!'

If you don't mention the word date, I will assume we're just hanging out as
friends. This will make me want to go purchase a gun to  use on you when
you make a surprise visit to my house upset that I don't want to date you,
because you thought we were already dating!

Yeah, that actually happened to me. 

I have a confession to make!

And absolutely 0% of people who know me will be surprised.

I am a hippie. Okay, not in every sense of the word (I would definitely NOT still drive my beast of a 95 explorer if I was a true hippie... although it says something about my commitment to using a product until it is truly dead!) BUT in terms of how much I care about what I eat and put on my body, I certainly fit the bill.

I mention in my About Me post that I try to live a Paleo lifestyle. I eat delicious, high-quality food devoid of processed anything, grains and dairy. I drink coffee with coconut milk, and prioritize what I eat and how it is cooked more than most people, let alone most people my age! I also do my best to avoid exposure to as many chemicals as possible. My deodorant is ordered online from a shop on Etsy (Although I did recently read a post that has inspired me to try making my own! The kind I currently use has a lot of essential oils and I feel like it's been irritating my skin a bit.), I use coconut oil instead of lotion, and a tooth powder instead of toothpaste!

But, I am about to cross a line I have never crossed before. The line where I stop using shampoo and conditioner! Okay, before you develop the permanent opinion that I am gross, please check out this post on the subject!

This girl simplifies it in the perfect way!

"For this cheap, super simple routine, Baking Soda clarifies and removes build-up and Apple Cider Vinegar restores your scalp’s natural pH balance."

I have tried using the 'natural' shampoo and conditioner options out there, and to be honest, they are super expensive, and quite often there is still gluten lurking in the ingredient list!!

So in keeping with my hippie (save-the-planet-and-money-whenever-you-can) attitude, when I realized that I'm nearly out of shampoo it occurred to me that it was the perfect time to try the no 'poo method!

I'm preeeetty apprehensive about this whole thing, but hey, I'm single so really the only ones who might complain are my roommate or the girls that sit near my cubicle at work!

Honestly, the true confession of this post is that in my mid-twenties I am dealing with acne for the first time of my life. It's totally embarrassing and I'm actually getting anxiety about possible scarring! 

I did get a helpful suggestion from a friend to try cutting eggs out of my diet, and it has helped immensely! Still trying to find that solution though, so I will keep you updated!

Telling others what you need

This is a crucial element to ensuring that you are living the life you want
to be. It is also something I have always struggled with and will probably
struggle with for quite some time. Surprising as it may be, no one has the
ability to read minds. If you don't tell those around you, with words
and/or actions, what you want, they will not know!!

 

 

I still really struggle with this. Most of the time, I'm concerned that I
will offend someone or make them upset. So, I try to turn my internal
dialogue around and ask myself how important the situation is to me. If it
concerns my ability to work, sleep or be comfortable at home or work, I try
to be firm in my communication, but still friendly and fair.

I had this odd dream night before last, where I was showing this man a brand new Xbox and game, and was overcome with the knowledge that he was about to steal it. I leaned forward and asked him if he could see the scissors that I was holding in my hand. He replied yes and I then calmly informed him that I would stab him in the femoral artery if he tried to steal my stuff. He grabbed another set of scissors and was about to attack me when I woke up. I was puzzled by this dream all day, and then mentioned it to my dad last night and he made an interesting comment. He said that in a strange way, it represented me standing up for myself.

Most of the time, you need to reach a compromise with someone and the most important thing to remember is that neither of you will be 100% happy with the outcome, but knowing that you reached an agreement that ensures as much happiness for both of you should make it worth it!

Anyone else feel like life is just one learning experience wrapped in
another? I know I sure do! It's a good thing I love to learn...

In other news, check out my awesomely fantastic new rain boots!!!

[Hunter Rain boots: on sale here!}

Coincidences

Some people declare with the utmost certainty that there is no such thing

as a coincidence. I don't know that I fall unequivocally into this

category, but I'm not too far from it! I believe that everything happens

for a reason. You are meant to learn some lesson, or meet someone, or have

a life-changing experience with every encounter you have.

A few years ago, I received an email that was very clearly a forwarded

receipt for a pattern someone had purchased, with a question for the

vendor. The only problem is that I have never sold a pattern in my life!

However, a very nice lady by the name of Vanessa Christenson sells them by

the bushel! And we share the same email address with a one letter variance.

I emailed the woman right back to let her know of her mistake and then

wandered over to this woman's blog.

I mean, if she's awesome enough to practically share my name, I want to

know more about her! The coincidences seemed to pile up by the minute, both

of us from southern California, she was living in Iowa at the time which is

where my family is originally from, and she was married to a military man

[I was dating a military man at the time]. I emailed her on a lark and we

had a quick little email chat. Overall, it was a pleasant, interesting

interaction.

Her blog is of the crafty variety. Over the next few years, I

started to get closer to my wonderful grandmother who is an expert

seamstress [side note: Grandma wanted to be a clothing designer, but then

got married and raised kids instead.] and learned a very very little bit

about patterns, etc. Fast forward to the last few months. Sadly, Grandma's

eyesight has deteriorated so that she is unable to sew and graciously

gifted me with her beloved Bernina [henceforth known as Bernie the Bernina!

I know, my originality astounds you!]. I have no excuse not to find the

time to learn how to use Bernie, especially considering the curtains that

desperately need hemming in my room! If I step on them one more time

and pull the wire out of the wall I don't think my dad will help me put it

in again!!

I also recently developed the resolve to start blogging for reals. It's a

scary thought - putting your thoughts and yourself out there for all

to judge! Through a work project, I found the motivation to start this blog

- or so I thought! Turns out, I loved brainstorming, but was so scared I

was having a really tough time actually getting started.

Then I get this picture message on my cell phone from a number I don't

recognize, and I automatically think how funny would it be if that were the

same fabric Vanessa designed for Moda!

I took a closer look and what do you know! I took that as the universe saying Hey! We could use some of your perspective out here in the good ole interwebs so get your butt in gear!

Tragedy strikes...

And my response is just like this guy's:

As the day goes on, I can tell when more information is being released based on peoples' reactions around me. And each time this happens someone turns to me about to say something, I rush out the following words before they can speak:

I don't want to know.

And as I go through the day productively working, and listening to Christmas music (too morbid when juxtaposed with whats happening?) I can't help but feel like a complete jerk.

It's not that I don't care, in reality it is quite the opposite. I know myself, and one of my wonderful qualities includes being extremely empathetic toward others. This means that paying attention to this tragedy will result in me crying the day away and dealing with the emotional aftermath for days and weeks beyond. I know that my feelings will in no way match those of the families affected by this travesty, but I also know that if I get wrapped up in this, I won't be helping anyone at all. I will only be doing damage to my own emotional state, not to mention all of the work I would NOT be doing.

I think that I'm not being an asshole. I think my self-preservation is kicking in and taking care of me.

Regardless of my own reactions (or lack thereof), my thoughts and prayers do remain with the families of those affected by the terrible shooting that occurred in Connecticut today. Words can never express the pain and suffering they are going through.

About me

I am:

awkward

25

genuine

active

adventurous

loving

curious, in every sense of the word!

 

Creepin' on the big sis!

I love:
family
friends
helping
learning
fixing
reading
cooking
hiking
climbing

 

Rented a GoCar with Aly!

I am passionate about:

food

health

family

education

friendship

equality

faith, however you define it.

I'm a Texas Longhorn fan purely because my brother is alumni. I can't lie, I hardly follow the game itself, but I sure have fun going to games and reppin' my Texan roots!

 

UT at UCLA last year

I'm a paleo-eating, adventure-loving intellectual. I love being outside, try my best to live a Paleo lifestyle (Soon to start crossfitting!! Wish me luck :)) and embrace life as much as I can!

Amazing what a little planning can do!

My parents took a spur of the moment trip yesterday, and called to see if I would house and cat sit until Friday.

Like I'd say no!?! I LOVE when they leave town! I get to pretend that I live in a swanky house all by myself, take baths in their awesomely huge bathtub and eat all of their food. Plus cuddle with the cats if they are feeling friendly!

I got home from work yesterday and grabbed my overnight bag right away. Ordinarily, when they go out of town, I just throw some assorted basics into my bag with little regard for the weather. As you can imagine, this has led to some interesting outfits, and last-minute borrowing from my stepmom! I live right down the street (hey, you'd want to live that close to your parents if they were as cool as mine are!) so it isn't impossible to pop down and pick something up, but I hate having to do it!

Last night, I did things a little differently. I got home [scarfed down three of the truffles the realtor left for us as a thank you! The owner of our duplex is trying to sell it, and we have been very accommodating.], whipped out my handy-dandy iPhone, pulled up the weather report and started outfit planning! I planned out each of my outfits for this week so I wouldn't have to put any thought into getting dressed in the mornings.

I didn't even realize that picking out my outfits in the morning stresses me out, but it does! I'm usually fairly sleepy and grumpy and sometimes make odd choices (Just ask my high school best friend!!). This morning was an absolute dream! I had breakfast and a delicious cup of coffee in my pjs, then 15 minutes before I needed to leave, threw my clothes on, picked out jewelry and fixed my hair.

 

Voila! Awesome morning, and an awesome outfit.

[Sweater (similar here) & Skirt (unable to find it :( my mom bought it for me for my birthday at an outlet): GAP

Shirt (similar here, stores carry a wide variety of colors!): Old Navy

Necklace (here): Urban Outfitters

Wedges (similar here): Clarks]

Expectations

Expectations are an odd thing.

And seeing as how they are entirely preventing me from figuring out what to post as my very first blog post...

I am defying them and posting this!

Take THAT expectations!!!

[The end of a long study session at Meshuggah Shack]