keeping up with the jones’ blog

I am new to this blogging thing. I have been blogging for about two months. I started this blog as a journal with the intention of recording my thoughts and feelings about the world and my place in it. I did this for myself. I find that writing is therapeutic and helps me to center myself when I feel off kilter. I was hesitant to share my blog because I feared I would unintentionally commercialize it and may end up feeling the need to censor it for a particular audience. I am a perfectionist, and want things to be the way I want them. I did share my blog with my family and then I have been slowly branching out as some of my friends have started blogs, or started sharing them with me. I also find interesting blogs as I wander around in blogworld. The perfectionist in me is very critical of my blog, the writing isn’t good enough, the stories aren’t that interesting, no one reads it anyway, and it needs improvement. I see blogs that are so appealing to the eye, blogs that are so witty, blogs that are done by professional writers and I feel that mine is inadequate. I need to do more, be more funny, be more smart, be more entertaining…this is how I feel in my own life, so it would only make sense that my tendency toward perfectionism would seep into my blog as well. Last week the fabulous ladies at pinks and blues awarded me with the blogger reflection award.



I was utterly amazed and close to tears when I read the paragraph they had posted about me on their blog. It is so incredible to me that people even read my blog, let alone really listen to what I have to say. There is something so validating in it. It makes me feel like what I have to say matters, i am important and the experiences in my daily life are significant. Thanks pinks and blues for making me feel like my blog is okay and that it is being read. I no longer feel the need to go out and have a bumper sticker custom-made to read: "my blog is just as good as your blog…"

wicked birthday fun

i had such a great birthday yesterday. thank you to all of my family, friends and online buddies who called me or sent me a note wishing me a good day. i really appreciate it. i had such a fun weekend of celebration. it started on friday going to lunch and "hairspray" with Rachel and then Dave took me to the pizza factory for dinner. on Saturday Dave and i had some friends over for a barbeque, we had lots of yummy food, drinks and good company. it was a great night. Dave took me to breakfast on sunday and then Rachel, Jeremy and JJ came over for some dinner and the name game. Dave spoiled me silly with presents. i don't know how i got so lucky in love...

he got me tickets to see "wicked" when we are in california next month. i have been wanting to see this play for over two years and i am so excited. i have read the book three times and i am thinking i may read it again before we go!

...and this beautiful elphaba necklace with swarovski crystals and antiqued silver

...and a casablanca poster, i have wanted this poster for a long time


and bought me the "hairspray" soundtrack from itunes. thanks babe for the best weekend ever. you always make me feel so special.

God made us sisters, Hearts made us friends

sisters are special. the relationship of sisters is a unique one. my sister rachel took me out yesterday to celebrate my upcoming birthday. she gave me a jumbo muffin pan, which i have had my eye on for some time, a fun cupcake recipe book and "the giving tree" one of my favorite childhood books. i had just been thinking earlier this week about how much fun it would be to have a cupcake cookbook. how did she know that? somehow sisters seem to know us best. we went to lunch and then to the movie "hairspray" and it was so much fun. all of my sisters and i have always loved musicals, watching them on tv, dancing to soundtracks, going to broadway shows, being part of local plays, you get the idea... this was a truly entertaining show, it had all the broadway songs in it, not just the few songs from the older version of the movie and such an amazing, lovable cast...if you are a fan of musicals, this is one show you must go see, preferably with a sister...

husband of the year award

i am having another rough day. I am not feeling very self confident, i am tired and in pain and really overheated...dave and i just got back to the office after a wedding luncheon we attended downtown and i sit down and turn my computer on and see that i have an email from him. i open it up and it reads:

"Some people say the prettiest person at a wedding is the bride, but not today. The prettiest person was sitting just to my right."

that is why dave gets the husband of the year award...because he makes me feel like a bride every day...

wordless wednesday

taking time to appreciate the beauty in the world...


the leaves changing color is one of the reasons why i love the fall season.


snoqualmie falls in washington state is the most amazing waterfall i have ever seen up close. if you ever are in the area, you must go see it...


pink is my favorite color and i adore flowers. pink flowers remind me of my wedding day and i can't help but smile.

"did i ever tell you how lucky you are"

in the movie "breakfast at tiffanys" the main character, holly golightly talks about having the mean reds and how the thing that cheers her up and takes her to a better place is getting into a cab and going to tiffanys, the jewelry store. today i was having the mean reds and something that cheers me up is reading children's books. dr. seuss is a particular favorite of mine. there is something about the simple truths, fun rhyming schemes and fantasy worlds that he creates that makes my heart smile and i feel better.

this excerpt is taken from today's choice of after-work reading:

"he sat in a terribly prickly place.
but he sang with a sunny sweet smile on his face:

When you think things are bad,
when you feel sour and blue,
when you start to get mad...
you should do what I do!

Just tell yourself, Duckie,
you're really quite lucky!
Some people are much more...
oh, ever so much more...
oh, muchly much-much more
unlucky than you!"

thanks for giving me a new perspective dr. seuss

everything happens for a reason

Newton’s third law states: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. I know that this is a law of motion, but doesn’t it seem like it is a law of intangibles as well? For every action, word or thought, there is an equal consequence…at least that is what the whole world conspires to tell you about life from the time you are a small child, maybe even from the time you are born…good guy always wins, good things come to those that wait, those that work hard find success, those that don’t play fair will be punished, etc.

Sometimes when life’s blows seem a little too hard or too frequent I can’t help but wonder, “what did I ever do to deserve this?” What action, thought or word of mine merits this extreme consequence? This past weekend was another tough one for me as I was nauseated beyond belief, dizzy and exhausted, and cut my date to dinner with dave short because I couldn’t handle the sight of food. Life is so very taxing right now but I keep moving forward, even though it seems I am on a backwards escalator and all moving forward does is keep me from falling further down below. One of the “inspirational” quotes that I find most bothersome is this: “Everything happens for a reason.” Who came up with this one? And more importantly, why did it stick? As human beings, we want to believe that there is a purpose for everything because we can’t stand the idea that life could really be so random and cruel. There isn’t a cosmic reason for everything. We try to make sense of loss and pain because then we have a way to grasp it and can control, at least in part, our response. We tell the story to ourselves in a way that makes it easy to digest, giving it that spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down…we can’t handle the fact that life is harsh and cruel and sometimes, there is no explanation.