One thing that I’m excited for (June 30)

            There is one thing that I’m beyond excited for right now, but I’m not allowed to share it… It’s so exciting though! And I’ve written about my challenge for next month with looking good and feeling good about myself. Hmmm. The weather is supposed to be a bit cooler next week (highs in the low 80s). I’m going to an outdoor worship and BBQ tonight that will be pretty fun. I have some plans for some paintings that will be fun to do. I don’t know. There’s just a lot to look forward to. I might not live a very exciting life, but there’s plenty for me to be excited about!

5 weird things that I like (June 29)

            Let’s see here, five things I like that other people don’t like or don’t know about…
·         Hot Tang
·         Hot Dr. Pepper
·         Peanut butter and syrup on waffles
·         Cheesy movies with bad acting
·         LibriVox (audio books)

Somewhere I’d like to move to or visit (June 28)

            I would love to visit Europe—all of it! UK, France, Poland, and Germany in particular. But to travel all of Europe, especially backpacking, would be amazing. I want to experience the history, culture, etc. But this all seems cliché. People almost always say Europe. And I would love to go to Africa. Really, I’d love to go everywhere…
            So, let’s change it a bit. Let me (once again) show off my nerdy side! It took me a bit of time to think about where I would like to go if I could travel with the Doctor, but once I thought of it I knew: Arthurian Legend time. I know there are a lot of times that Arthurian Legend became popular again, and that it’s uncertain whether or not there was an Arthur (or king his legend was born from). I don’t really care. Whatever version or past, I would love to see it.

A quote I try to live by (June 27)

            I love quotes. When I was younger I had a notebook I’d write quotes I liked. I sometimes now write down funny or deep things people say. So, trying to come up with ONE quote is near impossible. If I can only choose one quote, it’d have to be “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37, 39. Life needs to be about love first and foremost.

            But I’m me and I want to share a couple of the other quotes I love!

“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.”

― Mother Teresa

“Unless it is mad, passionate, extraordinary love, it’s a waste of time. There are too many mediocre things in life—love should not be one of them.” -Unknown

Things I like and dislike about myself (June 26)

Like:
Eyes
Hair
Ability to smile and make others feel joy no matter what
Peace
Being short
Patience
Hips
Perseverance
Tattoos
Toes
 
Dislike:
Being hard on myself
How out of shape I am
Wanting to be a people-pleaser
Teeth
How tense I get (mostly when practicing music)
How I shake and/or sweat when I’m nervous
How obsessive I can get (mostly about shows/movies. I love being a nerd, but I don’t like how I can so easily watch three episodes—or more—in one day. There’s so much else to do!)

Something I’m currently worried about (not really) (June 25)

            I don’t want to write about something I’m worried about. What good does it do to focus and write about something that is worrying me? When worried, the best things to do are work at it and pray about it. So, I’m going to rebel against this topic and not write about something I’m worried about. Instead, I’ll write about something I’m excited about!
            So, my July challenge is going to be about feeling good about myself. I will go back to creative writing on this blog, but I will also do a July challenge of posting pictures of things such as outfits of the day, hair, makeup, etc. While looking good may seem like a shallow way to feel better, it really should not be over looked. Spending time on one’s self affirms that one is worth taking the time for. Physical appearance shouldn’t be the main focus, but it can help in confidence and showing people who one really is. Also, I will show how looking good does not need to take a lot of money or time. Most of my clothes are hand-me-downs, from thrift stores, or were on sale. I’ll give tips for shopping at thrift stores, etc. I’m really excited to have a reason to look nice every day for one month. I may not be the girliest girl (I’m not good at doing my hair, I’m not into shopping, etc), but I’m still a girl.

5 words or phrases that make me laugh (plus a few) (June 24)

1.      Uber
2.      And then a squirrel jumped out of my purse!
3.      Ninjas
4.      I moustache you a question, but I’ll shave it for later.
5.      Woooookie!
6.      Adorkable
7.      Mawwiage (wuv, twoo wuv)
8.      Really, anything from Doctor Who, Sherlock, Merlin, Princess Bride, Firefly and Star Trek
9.      Dramatic readings from Arthurian Legend, Mythology, or anything in old English
10.  Nerdy lines from Pachelbel Rant, John Williams is the Man, and Hunger Games I Wanna Go.

Be a nerd, go educate yourself!
Pachelbel rant: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdxkVQy7QLM
John Williams is the Man: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HDrf7bddgk
Hunger Games I Wanna Go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoHfCW-O2yA

Something that I miss (June 23)

            Hmm. I miss cooler temperatures! And rain. I really want a good thunderstorm with lots of rain. My ideal weather is 70s with rainy evenings. Occasionally 80s, maybe a few days in the 90s. 60s are good too. But really, Colorado needs rain to help with all these fires. If you wouldn’t mind taking a minute to pray for Colorado. Pray for the families who’ve lost everything, those who don’t know whether their house is still standing, and for rain. Oh, and of course for the brave men and women fighting the fires! We owe them so much. Pray for safety.

My academics (June 22)

            Well, ya’ll (I don’t use that often, but I feel like using it here now for some reason.) know (assuming you read consistently) I studied English in college and minored in music. What you might not know is that I went to seven schools from kindergarten to 12^th grade. My family moved a lot. I liked moving so much. I learned to adapt to change in my life at a young age. Maybe that’s why I like Doctor Who so much… I love Matt Smith as the Doctor, but I’m looking forward to whoever will be the next Doctor. Yep, I just made a blog about my schooling about Doctor Who. I am that amazing. There is a lot to be learned from Doctor Who…

How I hope my future will be like (June 21)

            Well, obviously I want my future to be full of happiness and friends. And obviously I want to be a published author. A huge goal of mine is to write at least a short story in every genre (though I don’t necessarily want to publish something in every genre). Another dream of mine is to marry an amazing man and have a family. The hardest part about that dream is that I can’t just rely on myself. I’ve be so independent and single for so much of my life that it’s hard to know how to even get a guy’s interest, let alone get him to ask me out. Call me old-fashioned, but I think that it’s up to the guy to pursue and make the first real move.
            Anyway, I want to live my life showing love and Jesus to people. I want to help and inspire others. And learn to be more reliant on people. I have a lot of big dreams and will need help accomplishing them. I really need to start letting people in.

My fears (June 20)

            Well, let’s just bullet some of them:
·         Not being enough for people
·         Spiders
·         Public speaking
·         Not living life it my fullest potential
·         Admitting to people my true dreams and wants

I do hate fears. They are silly things. And they aren’t things that you just “overcome”. To me it seems more like they are things you just have to trust God to have made you better than them. An intimate relationship with Jesus helps a lot with that. What is there to be afraid of when the One who conquered the world is with you and guiding you?

5 items I lust after (June 19)

            Well, isn’t that an interesting prompt. At least it says “items”…

1.      A wardrobe I love.
2.      A house I can make my own.
3.      Books
4.      Audio books
5.      DVDs

A problem I have had (June 18)

            Let’s see here. I’ve written about my musical problems and my dyslexia. I’ve hinted at my shyness.  Let’s do that one anyway. When I was younger I was so shy that some of my peers would ask if I was deaf or mute. They had heard me talk in class though, so I would ignore them and say nothing. I had a guy offer me a lollypop if I said something. When I said “here” for attendance, he gave it to me. I didn’t take it though and he asked if I was anti-lollypop just like I was anti-social.
            I’m still very quiet, but it isn’t nearly as bad. Or people grow up and stop asking ridiculous questions. Either way, I’ve always felt better about writing then talking. I feel like I can say anything on this blog. Partly because I use a penname so that people won’t know that it’s me. Partly because it’s a creative writing blog so I can write from anyone’s perspective or experience so the stories I tell may or may not be 100% true from my experiences. And partly because it is writing. If someone’s going to disapprove or have some huge reaction, I’m not there when they do.

Something I’m proud of (June 17)

            So, this will probably sound silly but to me it was the last time I was super proud of myself (that was badly worded…). In 9^th grade I was the most improved student for choir. I had auditioned for almost every solo in junior high without ever being called back. I remember once a friend came up to me after one of the auditions saying, “I could hear you!” I was standing maybe 10 feet away, but it was the first time she could hear me.
            I wish I could sing like I had back then, when I finally sang loud enough. My voice was one of the reasons I gave up being a music major. I couldn’t song lead. Sometimes I would accidentally sing harmony so that I could hear myself. Sorry, it’s just one of those times that music is really difficult for me again. When I do sing, my voice is all over the place. I just need to get back into music slowly and with a lot of patience with myself.

A “what if” I always ask myself (June 16)

           I often ask myself “What if I went back to Michigan?” There would be so many less distractions up there and so much more space. But the place I’d be staying needs so much work. I would love to fix it up the way it should be, but that takes so much more money than I currently have. Oh, but a space I could make my own. Everything needs to be replaced, so I would be able to choose it all—floors, walls, styles, furniture. I want that so much.
            But then again, I have so many commitments here in Colorado. And there are so few people my age in the town I’d be in in Michigan. Not that I need friends my age, but it is nice.
            Well, that’s enough for today. Or at least now…

Does my zodiac/horoscope fit me? (June 15)

            Half way there! And only three days behind…
            My zodiac is Scorpio, so I’m supposedly supposed to be:
Scorpio Strengths:
- Loyal (I think I am.)
- Passionate (About a fair amount of things…)
- Resourceful (I’d say so.)
- Observant (to some degree…)
- Dynamic (I can be in writing, but not so much in person…)

Scorpio Weakness:

- Jealous (I don’t think I’m overly given to jealousy.)
- Obsessive (I can be.)
- Suspicious (I’d like to think I’m not.)
- Manipulative (No. I think I’m more likely to be manipulated than manipulative…)
- Unyielding (No. I don’t tend to be very stubborn.)

            I’ve never believed in zodiacs or horoscopes. They always seemed a bit silly and superstitious to me. Anyway…

What I wore today (June 14)

            Well, isn’t this just so exciting. I’m not sure I really like this list of things to write about, but I’m almost half done with it. And sometimes something so simple is nice.
            Anyway, on the 14^th I wore… a comfortable pair of dark wash jeans I’d bought at a thrift store and a hand-me-down black shirt with black and silver flip-flops.

Body (Part III) (June 13)

            I haven’t written much about being comfortable with my body. I’ve written about whether or not I like it, but not my comfort level. Which is what this one will focus on.
            I am comfortable in my body. I know how it moves through all the dancing I have done. Not that I necessarily move gracefully, I trip and nock things over. All too often I brush into walls and furniture all too often. And I have no idea how to do club type dancing, but when someone is leading me (well) I can do almost any type of dancing. I can also dance if given choreography. I used to do West African dancing for a few years. I miss that a lot. It was such good exercise, though it did take its toll on my body, especially my back.
I also miss blues dancing. Some people might think blues is dirty dancing—I did too the first time I saw it. It looks worse than it really is though. I love the feeling of moving so easily with someone. Blues is all about the connection between the partners and the music. Oh, I love how much it’s about the music. Moving to it, interpreting it, feeling it. Man, I need to go blues dancing again soon. It makes me feel so comfortable in my own skin or around people. Except dancing, I like my personal space.

5 guys I find attractive (June 12)

I don’t know why, but I always find these kinds of questions embarrassing. I believe I’ve written about the Santa Clause incident? Anyway, I’ll stick to celebrities (and show off my nerdiness). Well, in a lot of ways more the character than the celebrity. I don’t believe in celebrity crushes. That’s just silly (especially when compared to liking the character… yep).

·         Sherlock Holmes (the Benedict Cumberbatch version)
·         Spock (the Zachary Quinto version)
·         Merlin (the Colin Morgan version)
·         The Doctor (mostly the 10^th and 11^th, the 9^th was good too but not as physically attractive)
·         Simon Tam (from Firefly)

Yep, that definitely displays my nerdiness. The one non-scifi character is a literary one. And all of them are brilliant.

My family (June 11)

            Well, like most people I have a mom and a dad. I also have two older sisters. I don’t really want to tell you about my family though. I want to talk about my grandpa. I only have one grandparent left, and it’s him. He’ll turn 87 soon. He’s getting more forgetful. But I don’t want to tell you about the sad parts.
            My grandpa was a complete trouble maker when he was a boy. Who am I kidding, he’s still a trouble maker! He does things just to annoy my uncle, and boy does it annoy my uncle! But when he was a boy him and his friends would urinate on the radiator to get out of school early. They would get milk bottles stuck on the top of the flagpole so that someone would have to shimmy up it to get it down. He didn’t exactly behave himself in the military either, which got him driving the food truck towards the end of WWII.
            I love my grandpa though. He’s funny and nice. Well, he’s probably more of a grumpy old man, but he winks which lets me know he’s still got a sense of humor. I wish I could spend more time with him…

10 song shuffle (June 10)

1.      You – Rascal Flatts
2.      Dead Man – Jars of Clay
3.      High – Trace Adkins
4.      Great is They Faithfulness – Israel Houghton
5.      God with Us – MercyMe
6.      My Brain Says Stop, But My Heart Says Go – FM Static (Jam session!)
7.      Every Man – Casting Crowns
8.      Fightin’ Words – Trace Adkins
9.      Jumpin’ Jack – Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (Another jam session, but with dancing)
10.  Sleep Walking – Peter Hollens

How important I think education is (June 9)

            Oh my goodness, education is beyond words important!! And not just education, but the right education. Kids need to be taught how to think, not just what to think. Schools need to encourage creativity and the arts, not just core classes. And above all, teachers need to inspire passion for learning and questioning in their students. I cannot emphasize enough how much kids need to desire to learn. And it’s not just up to the teachers. Parents seriously need to be involved in their children’s lives and studies. Parents are the first teachers and the teachers that will be there (hopefully) all of the kids’ lives (well, until the kids are about 60… and still learning!!). Parents need to encourage their children (not force them) through any difficulty.

            I am dyslexic. I hating reading until I got into the Harry Potter books. My mom always pushed me to do more reading, did Hooked on Phonics with me, etc. She wasn’t mean about pushing me, but I knew my education was important to her. Education was always a high priority in my family. I have a sister who has a doctorate and another who has a masters. I would like to further my education one day with more college, but until then I am teaching myself.

What I ate today (June 8)

Pancakes, yogurt, pizza (from Old C’s. Yumm!), and I can’t remember what I had for dinner that day. That was over a week ago, I think it’s pretty good I remembered that well…

Well this is short. And dare I make the pun “and sweet”?

5 Pet Peeves (June 7)

            Well, I guess I’ve told you five ways to win my heart; here’s five ways to lose it:

1.      Texting with short hand (unless it’s a long message and you only want to send one text)—or worse, doing it on facebook where you don’t have to worry about length.

2.      Making fun of others meanly, especially disabled.

3.      Talking like you know everything, especially when I know you’re wrong and I don’t even know much about the subject.

4.      Controlling a conversation (unless you’re supposed to be leading it) and doing it loudly and focefully.

5.      Trying way too hard to be “cool”

My views on mainstream music (Yeah, not so much) (June 6)

            Okay, so I don’t listen to too much mainstream music. Well, does country count? Some songs are good, others are not so good… Yeah, that’s very descriptive and helpful.

            Can I just say, while driving around yesterday, I was listening to Handel’s Messiah. Yeah, I’m that kind of nerd. And I like being that kind of nerd.

            Is hipster now mainstream since that’s now that current people are flowing with? I kind of like hipster style, like clothing and I’ve always found glasses kind of attractive. The thought of purposely going against the grain just to be unique is weird. I mean, let’s all just be ourselves and there wouldn’t be a problem…

            Yeah, so this blog is totally about music… My mind is so dead right now. It’s not even six o’clock and I’m ready for sleep. I have nothing productive to say about mainstream music. Sorry if this blog’s been disappointing.

Things I want to say to an ex (sort of) (June5)

So, for those of you who’ve been reading this blog fairly consistently, you know I’ve never been on a date. So…I’ve definitely never had an ex. So, I’m going to say some things I’d like to say to the last guy I liked and I’d lay odds he never knew.
Did you ever really see me? The first time we met you asked all these questions about me like I was interesting, but that was years ago. When was the last time you asked me anything?—other than “How’re you doing?” I feel like you think you know me. I bet you couldn’t even say three things I care about, outside of literature and my faith. You could never see that I am the things that you listed as what you looked for in a girl. And you know how much that hurt me?! I spent the better part of a year going between feeling like I wasn’t enough, wanting to show you who I am, and trying to get over you. If you had just opened your eyes sometimes, you would have seen me as plane as the sun. But you were too busy.
Well, I hope you find what you were looking for in some other girl. I’m glad you’ve started to man up, but you have a lot left to do. I hope that she makes you pursue her and that you realize that she’s worth it. I hope you grow to be an even better leader. I hope you’re happy.

Bullet my whole day (June 4)

Well, let me tell you this was an exciting day!

6- wake up, don’t eat breakfast, shower

7-finish getting ready, arrive at oral surgeon and check in
8- be taken to room, IV put in to put me under, get tooth removed
9-start waking up while stitches are put in (still fading in and out of sleep though)
10- Arrive back home and watch So You Think You Can Dance
11- Take prescribed pain meds, eat pudding
12-5- Be tired, watch TV, be bored of not being able to do too much or eat firmer foods, talk to family members
5- dinner, relax
6-9- Continue being annoyingly lazy, watch TV
9- go to bed.

Obviously, I’m not really sure when exactly some things happened since I had been put under and was tired and this was a few days ago. I’m doing fine. No pain (I have a high pain tolerance), but it’s hard not to play with the stitches. When all I can do is be lazy, I want to do things. Being forced to relax is no fun…

A book I love (or two) (June 3)

The abridged version of Les Miserables is one of my favorite books. I love the language in it. I love knowing that it is old and honest and makes me feel alive now.

That didn’t seem long enough. Obviously, I also love the Hunger Games (see previous blogs about music relating to the trilogy). You know how some books you start to read again and they instantly feel like home? The Hunger Games is that for me. What does that say about me?

Something I feel strongly about (June 2)

Sleep.
I wouldn’t have normally said that, but the night I tried to write that I was incredibly tired and the blog would not cooperate. Silly iPod… I had planned on writing something much more meaningful, but since I am now trying to catch up on my 30 day challenge, that’s what you get. Time is also important to me. Waste your time and you waste your life.

5 Ways to Win My Heart (June 1)

            So, I’ve decided June is going to be the month I get my life on track. (Yeah, that’s a great way to introduce this, let me back up…) In June I’ve decided to help me get back into writing and writing daily I would do a 30 Day Challenge. The first day happens to be “5 Ways to Win Your Heart”.

So here are the 5 ways to my heart:

1.      Write an old fashioned letter. I think that it is the most romantic thing in the world to get a hand written letter from someone who cares for you –-- romantically… It wouldn’t have to be a “love letter” just something that shows he cares for me and took the time to let me know. And if he happens to be artistic, I’d want little silly drawings in the margins.

2.      A guy who can sing well, especially “Do You Hear What I Hear”. I don’t know what it is about that song, but I guy who could sing it beautifully will make my knees wobbly.

3.      Prayer warrior. And a worshipper. A guy who is completely on fire for God and is willing to show it is attractive. I want a guy who is a good leader, but I believe in servant-leadership. If I can see his heart on his sleeve and in the things that he does for others and for God, it’s awesome.

4.      A guy who is comfortable enough with himself to do embarrassing things and be awkward. Adorkable! There is nothing is amazing as a guy who is adorably dorky and nerdy. I guess that kind of goes with three but this is about his nerdy passions. I wish that I were more comfortable with myself and getting out of my comfort zone, so guys who do that and make me feel better about doing it are attractive.

5.      Read to me. I am a bit dyslexic, so even though I love books, I love being read to even more. And silly voices and dramatic so that I’m laughing or totally in the story would be the best. If a guy doesn’t like to read, there’d be little to no chance of him winning my heart. I’m going to make him read so much and he had better be okay with that.

So, there you have it. Any guy who wants a cheat sheet to win my heart has it—except he’d have to find it first. Haha!  The joys of using a penname, I won’t have to deal with any awkward conversations about the embarrassingly honest things I may write here. Not that this is embarrassing, but… let’s just say you should never walk up to me and ask me to come up with 20 characteristics for my ideal man (especially while sitting in Santa’s lap and not being able to breathe because I’m laughing too hard…). Yeah.

Happy June! Let the crazy amount of writing begin!