An Observation

Awhile ago, I was sitting and waiting for Kerry to bring our food to our table at the Costco eatery.  

Don't judge me for eating at Costco. 

Back to the story...I tend to people watch.  It's probably a bad habit because it normally brings me to another bad habit of mine....judging people.  But I'm still going to tell the story because it made an impact on me that was bigger than merely a judgment.

There was this woman who proceeded to clear off two tables by taking all of the trash and gross stuff off of it and placing it on the table next to hers.  There was a trash can ten feet away!  She sat and waited for her family to join her nice clean table.  A man walked up to the table full of trash and struggled to get settled because of the trash that she had dumped all over.  I was shocked when she stood up, rushed over to the man and exclaimed, "I can't believe some people leave so much trash when they're done."  She proceeded to pick up all the trash and throw it away from him in the trash can....the way she could have done the first time around. 

Now, the man left this situation thinking that she was a great person for stepping up and helping her out.  So really, no harm done.  But from my perspective, it made me realize something about human nature.  It's so easy to do the wrong thing when no one is watching...and so tempting to do the right thing when someone is watching.

I shouldn't be shocked at that woman's behavior because I need to be better at that.  Not because I want more people to see me doing the right thing.  Because I want to know that I do the right thing no matter who is watching.  It's tough.

Try it.

Wow, Has It Been Since July?

So....yeah....I'm back? No promises though haha!

I realized the other day that I completely stopped blogging and the funny thing is I DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE IT! I guess it's because I like to blog when it's not taking away time from stuff I need to be doing or from spending time with my husband. I haven't found a lot of extra time for awhile.

Currently, I have a ton of stuff I need to be doing. But, the hubby is outside dealing with a sprinkler-flooding-the-beach-volleyball-court-4wheeldrivetruck-stuck-in-the-mud issue right now. He's got WAY more important things on his mind and doesn't want my help so here I am. :)

I should mention I'm way annoyed with this flood thing. Our electric bill was insane last month, so we've been trying to conserve. Of course this would happen now. If you feel like having a mud fight, come on over. There's a bright side to most problems, right?

Well, I guess I should start off with a little "catch-up" blog on our life since July. It's sad that I actually have to go grab my 2009 calendar to remind myself of what we did. I'll be right back.

I'm back.

August
*10 year high school reunion-I know, right?? This was a crazy thing to swallow but it had actually been 10 years. We both got wrapped up in helping plan the event, which actually wasn't a ton of work. I'm glad we did though because it gave us a chance to catch up/get to know other people with all the planning meetings we had. That way, we showed up at the reunion already reconnected with some people. Kerry and I were lucky since we are high school sweethearts. We both went to high school with the same people so we didn't have to drag our spouse to a reunion where they wouldn't know anyone. It was a fun event. Hard to believe it's been 10 years. I'm happy to say I didn't win the "most babies" award. I totally respect those classmates that have a ton of kids because I know I couldn't handle it with as much poise as they do. I'm just glad it's not me! I remember leaving that night being so thankful that I married who I married. I am a lucky woman.
*Jason Mraz concert-LOVED it. Let me back up. I have told Kerry for years that I will someday see this man in concert. But I also had a few demands. It had to be the right venue. Intimacy with the crowd is the best! It had to be the right seats. I've got terrible eyes and just wouldn't settle for anything out of my range of sight. If I could have those things, I was willing to wait for the right show. I waited. And waited. Last year, I was boldly hinting I wanted to go see him in LA for my birthday. Hubby didn't pick up on it. But this year, when I saw that Jason Mraz was coming to Murphys, CA and I said, "Where?"....I knew it was the one. My guess was that a lot of people didn't have the time or energy to find Murphys and actually drive there-It was a terrible, windy drive! I was SUPER excited when Kerry surprised me with tickets for our wedding anniversary in June. Now, I hold a lot of musical respect for Mraz. There are a ton of haters out there that are really starting to irritate me. I'm very ok with anyone having an opinion when it comes to music, but to be so critical and blantantly rude about anyone's opinions is not ok in my book. Until you've seen Mraz live, you haven't experienced how amazing he is. His style sometimes is a little funky and different, but his voice and lyrical talents are really unmatched when combined. Back to the story about Murphys! We get there and it's at this winery where they have an outdoor venue. Our seats were as close to the pit/standing room only area as you could get. So we're sitting there before the show and I see Jason back behind the stage chatting with some people. His back was to us so I could only see who he was visiting with. I decided to wave. I was 90% sure the girl would see me and ignore me. But, the ridiculous happened: She told him someone was waving at him....he turned around....and waved back!!! By this time, Kerry had joined in the wave along with the couple next to us. But still....that was way cool and set the evening off right. Next, Kerry talked our way down to the pit by scoring wristbands from some of the workers (I'm very cool if Kerry's flirting can get us cool stuff like that). The next thing I know, we are like 15 feet from the stage!!! The rest of the night is a blur of awesomeness. I just remember thinking...I'm so glad I waited. Perfect venue. Perfect seats. I highly recommend going to his concert, you won't regret it. And I'm still ok if you don't like him, just don't rub it in my face haha! I have a lot of strong opinions about music that I don't like and I tend to keep to myself in case someone in the room really like's who I can't stand; it's just called being polite.

I think I need to spread out my catch-up blog in a few blogs since I've only been through two events in August and I'm feeling done with the computer.

Send prayers-Kerry's still outside being the man of the house trying to fix our flooding issues!

I'm still pondering....do I even have time to keep up with this blog??? Stay tuned. Both of you, stay tuned.

Facebook VS MySpace

I'm pretty sure everyone who is somewhat breathing in this world realizes there is an ongoing war between Facebook and MySpace. Ten years ago, we had no clue how addictive these social networking sites would be. I guess I have to preface this post by admitting that I am in fact completely addicted. I also know there are worse problems in the world to worry about than Facebook VS MySpace. But for these next few minutes, I need to vent about it no matter how unimportant this really is.

At the moment, I am a member of MySpace, Facebook and Twitter. We'll get to Twitter later. MySpace is where my social networking life began. It truly was a whole new world that I couldn't get enough of. The only reason I joined Facebook was because they had unlimited photo storage capabilities. At the time, MySpace only allowed 24 pictures total. Even then, I knew that I wasn't as impressed with Facebook. Now MySpace has unlimited photo storage....woo hoo!

Lately, I've definitely been hearing a lot of MySpace bashing. I'm actually kind of sad this is happening. I still love MySpace so much more than Facebook. The only reason I feel like I need to keep my Facebook is because so many of my buds are now Facebook people and no longer even log on to MySpace.

I know. MySpace has child predators, skanky advertisements, SPAM. But I guess I'm willing to put up with these things because there are quite a few things I love that make it worth it. I don't worry about crazy stalkers because I have complete control in what I put out there about myself. I think Facebook is more "stalkerish" in general-----It's super addicting just to log in to see what everyone else is up to, or what they are posting on other pages, or who they are in a relationship with, or who they broke up with, or how many pigs they have on Farmtown.

My biggest beef with Facebook is that I wish it had the quality of individuality for your profile. Back before all the changes took place, you could actually organize your profile how you wanted it to look. After the Facebook "upgrade", that's no longer the case. With MySpace, my profile page truly reflects who I am....the pictures....the music....the backgrounds....the icons.....I have so much control over it. MySpace has also revolutionized the marketing of music. I can find any artist or song online through MySpace and listen to it for FREE. That's right folks. It's my own personal radio that plays only the music I tell it to.

I'm probably not going to get rid of my MySpace or Facebook because there are many people that I only have contact with through those sites. But, it's sad that no one really uses MySpace anymore. I'm pretty much using Facebook only because that's where everyone else is, not because I prefer it.

Twitter on the other hand.....blah! I'm so bored with it. It's basically a place to update your status and send direct blurbs to other members. People are hard to find. I hate that I keep getting text messages even though I turn it off in my settings. Why do I need somewhere else to post my status when MySpace and Facebook do the same things with SO MUCH MORE? I will say that I enjoy reading status updates from my fav celebs. It gives me the slight feeling that maybe I am actually buds with them and have the privilege of getting a peek into their daily life. Now, if someone could show me how I can update my Twitter by updating Facebook, that may convince me.

Whatever you think about social networking and how ridiculous it may seem to you, I know it has opened up a world of communication with old and new friends that I couldn't possibly maintain on my own.

And I never delete friends. Once a friend, always a friend. There's something that just stings when you see that someone chose to delete you.

Sorry if you are a Twitter or Facebook lover. I still love you. You probably just value different things than I do in a social networking site, and that's ok. See you online!

Texting Teen Falls in Manhole

Today I read a story about a teenager who actually fell into a manhole while texting. Fell into a manhole. While texting. Do I need to repeat this to get it to sink in?

So at first, I was like, "WHAT AN IDIOT!" I feel like I can laugh because the teenager didn't die or anything horrible.

On the other hand, I found myself thinking "typical teenager". Shame on me. The fact that it happened to a teenager may somehow get us all to mistakenly believe that we mature adults would NEVER do something like this.

I will venture to say that as adults, we are sometimes on the same level as those crazy texting teens when it comes to our distraction levels. Granted, there are obviously exceptions to these generalizations I'm making. But in my experience, more and more adults are finding themselves in the world of texting. Even my mom, who probably will never even be able to find this blog because she barely knows how to turn a computer on....is texting....multiple times a day....and getting quick!! (no offense mom if you happen to read this because what I said about your computer skills is no longer true...congrats....you are on the World Wide Web)

I am definitely no stranger to the distraction of texting. I am pretty sure I could do something as silly as fall in a manhole while texting.

And I know you're all wondering, of COURSE I don't text while I'm driving....

What Gets Me

Do you ever find there are certain subjects that can bring you to tears almost instantly?

If you know me, you know that I tend to get teary. I've actually always hated that about myself. It's kind of embarrassing to always be the one who's desperate for the kleenex after a Hallmark commercial.

Real life example:
I met this elderly couple the other day. It doesn't really matter who they are, but they were over 80 years old. After spending the evening with them, I learned that they had only been married for 6 years. It's funny that I assumed they were lifelong partners just because of their age. Pretty soon, we began to hear about their "story" and how they met. It was a very sweet story. I also learned about the tragic death of the man's first wife of many many many years. It was a sudden accident. So there I was. Trying to hold back my tears just listening to this man talk about the emotional struggle he went through.

I always knew I had a strange emotional quirk when it came to these things. I just can't even imagine spending an entire lifetime with someone and what it would be like to have that end. I know that at this moment, if something happened to my husband, I would be an absolute mess. Add 50 or 60 more years of marriage....I don't even know where to begin to imagine.

It's not always sad thoughts that make me like this....recently I found myself blubbering while watching a high school senior speak at baccalaureate. I know this senior and have seen him grow over many years-It just hit me so hard. I had so much joy in my heart over who he is and who he's become, it was like I couldn't react any other way.

I know God made me this way for a reason. I still get embarrassed, and I probably will always feel a twinge of that. But at the same time, I'm learning to embrace that God put those soft spots in my heart purposely. It's Him that allows my heart to feel empathy or joy.

So, for now, I'm totally cool with the fact that I cried 3 times during the movie "Up".

Painted Toenails

I've realized something tonight. If you really want to know how I'm doing, what my life is like, my stress level...just take a look at my toenails.

Fresh paint: Life is good-I've got time for life's little luxuries.
Painted (with paint smudges on my toes): Life is tight-I barely had enough time to paint them, but I tried to get it done in a hurry because I was crying out for some sense of luxury.
Painted (with chips): Life is falling behind-I can't keep up with everything I'm doing and am on edge.
No paint or very little paint: Life has taken over-I'm done even trying. I have close to no time for myself and things I enjoy. Watch out! I could easily just explode at you or start crying at the smallest thing, who knows??
Pedicure: Life is all of the above-I prob just wanted to treat myself to something special.

I would venture to say that many other ladies are similar to me. I think every girl feels pretty and a little more put together when their toes are lookin' good. So now you know how to see a little bit more into my world at any given moment. I'll be watching for those of you who can't resist a peek. ;)

In case you're wondering, my toes are painted with no chips right now.

New Phone

I did it. I got a new phone. New phones are really fun. But at the same time, it's so annoying not being able to do what you want super quick. I'm actually sad to say goodbye to my old phone-It's been good to me. Sure, it's probably going to break pretty soon. But my phone and I have a great connection-Is it even possible to have a better connection with another phone?? I've made the huge leap from just normal flip phone to a blackberry with tons of buttons. It was way more affordable than I had always assumed, so I don't feel like such a rich snob for buying a nice phone...haha! I'm not even sure I'll ever figure out all of the capabilities but I am WAY excited for GPS. I get lost all the time and I need all the help I can get. So, here is an apology in advance if I accidently pocket call or text you since I've never had a non-flip phone. I'm already seeing it will be a problem from the stuff my phone did on it's own while in my purse. We'll see how it goes.