30 Day Challenge - Day 3

Day 3: My First Love

            Initially when I read the assignment I was all, no, no I do not want to tell you people about my first boyfriend and his popped collars, coordinating clothes and more expensive shoe collection than most self-respecting men.  I don’t see how this is valuable information.  Also, it’s embarrassing. 

            Then I thought – oh I’ll tell you about *my* shoes.  Until I remembered I used to be home schooled and I only wore Adidas sneakers or chunky black boots for like four full years so, while I have put in a valiant effort to redeem myself over the years that’s also embarrassing.

Except my faves were all patriotic - Red White and Blue

            I could write about my sister, my best friend and probably my favorite person in the whole entire world.  But that doesn’t quite seem appropriate either. 

Anyway I Googled and I found this quote:

“We always believe our first love is our last, and our last love is our first.” - Francois La Rochefoucauld

            No idea who that guy is but he seems to have it figured out. That being said, I think it’s true.  I may have thought I was in love in high school or college, but clearly I was not.  Now I am.  So I’ll tell you about him.

            He’s smart and funny and stubborn.  He only wears blue or gray.  He’s passionate about his dog and the Miami Dolphins.  Change does not become him. He thinks I use too much liberty in my story telling on this blog and has threatened more than once to write “The Short Cut.”   He thinks he might be Larry Bird on the basketball court.  He grills for me all summer and is the best about doing the dishes when I cook.  I’ll never have to do yard work – because he thinks I’ll chop off my left foot with the lawn mower or hit the house with the snow blower.  He’s sweet in the most sensible of ways and makes me happier than I’ve ever been before in my life.  I’m grateful everyday, for him, and that he chooses to love me.

30 Day Challenge - Day 2

Day 2: Meaning Behind Blog Name

          Taking The Long Way Around – to be honest I was inspired by the Dixie Chicks song cleverly entitled “Taking the Long Way Around.”  Ok, I didn’t say the name of my blog was original to me.  I’m not that creative.  But I will tell you why I found that song fitting. Ever heard it?

Let’s start with the most obvious:

My friends from high school
Married their high school boyfriends
Moved into houses in the same ZIP codes
Where their parents live

But I, I could never follow
No I, I could never follow

Do I even need commentary on that?  Can we say story.of.my.life?  And if that’s what you chose, then I’m happy for you (we don’t judge here).  I can’t.  Never could.  I went to college, settled in, and I haven’t looked back.  Well I mean I go back.  To see the fam.  Not to live there.  Western NY is my home now.  Feel free to come visit.  If it’s warm out, I’ll show you Niagara Falls.  If not, you’re on your own.

The song is about making your own way, making mistakes, sorting it out, figuring it out.  I wish I had it all figured out, but alas, that is not the case.  After four years of college, friends made, friends lost, jobs, trying to have a puppy, giving said puppy back to my parents, meeting my boyfriend, and heading back to grad school I might have hoped to have a plan by now.  I don’t.  I have a 3-5 year plan.  That interestingly enough, continues to be 3-5 years away even though I keep getting older.  But I do know that my life already has been planned for me, by someone much smarter than I.  So maybe, I’ll keep blogging and we can all see what happens and how I get to where ever it is that I am supposed to be, whenever I find out where that is.  In the mean time.  I’ll blog now, about my life and where I am today.

Also, I’m not necessarily a Dixie Chicks fan, per se.  But.  This song made it on like 78% of my mix cds over the last five years or so.  It’s a good one.  Enjoy.

30 Day Challenge - Day 1

                Day 1: Introduction, Recent Picture, and 15 Interesting Facts

As we all know, I’ve been the ultimate blogging slacker for the past few weeks.  In an effort to remedy this little situation I am going to do one of these 30 days of blog post challenges.  I snagged it off of this other post  after reading through four Google search pages to find one that didn’t include me posting pictures of my life every other day because I don’t take pictures of my life and how boring would 17 out of 30 posts be if I just answered the question with nothing? 

I’d like to say I’ll post for 30 days straight but let’s be serious – with my track record that prob won’t happen.  Can’t hurt to try though right?  How’s that for an introduction?

Recent Picture –well if I invited you here through the book of face then you can reference that picture.  And if not, I used to look like this, last year, back when I worked out a lot.  Whatever.  Like I said – picture taking is not something I remember to do. 

Ignore that weird armpit fat.  Thanks.

Interesting Facts -  Interesting, by definition, means engaging or exciting and holding attention or curiosity.  Not sure this list qualifies.  Also, this list was surprisingly difficult for me to put together.

1.       I started biting my nails again.  It’s horrible.  I must stop.  But life got stressful.

2.       I told my friend’s husband I was turning 25 on this year’s birthday.  Six hours later I remembered that I turned that last year.  I hear these kinds of things happen with age?

3.       Half marathon training is not really going super awesome by myself.

4.       I have an online shopping addiction.  Thankfully I don’t necessarily spend all my money, I just fill the online carts with all my hopes and dreams.  However, I do often buy shoes.

5.       I want to be friends with Kate Middleton.

6.       If my freezer was full of all the mint chocolate ice cream combinations in the world it probably would not be enough.

7.       I am determined to accessorize my outfits.  Unfortunately, mornings do not promote creativity for me and I generally forget.

8.       I swore I would never watch anything vampire related.  Turns out, that wasn’t exactly a truthful statement.  Twelve vampire novels and 3.5 seasons later I find myself wishing Pam and I could be BFF’s.  Man do I love True Blood.

9.       I only like to movies I’ve already seen before.  Which, as you can imagine, presents quite the dilemma.

10.   I nap almost every day of my life.  I’m not willing to give this up any time soon.  I’ll have no choice when classes start again in the fall.

11.   I’ve done my best to only wear dresses to work for the entire month of July.  I’ve been mostly successful.

12.   My niece finally chose to say my name.  She’s been able to all along.  I know it. 

13.   Boyfriend thinks we need two dogs.  I still think we need zero dogs.  He says I secretly like Prince.  I say I don’t know where he’d come up with such a crazy idea.

14.   I found a nice Baptist church to attend these days.  They have great music there. 

15.   If it snows again this winter, it will be too soon.  You won’t catch me whining about this heat.  It may be the only thing I don’t whine about.

That list seriously took me like an hour.  What a struggle.  I'll prob think of twenty-seven more things to add to that list thirty seconds after I hit post.  I promise I'll try to come back for day two tomorrow.  Cross your fingers.

Sugarland

     Sometimes, for me, music says everything I can't find the words to say.  Too bad country music offends Boyfriend's senses to the very core.  If anyone finds a thug-life, gangsta rap song that says something similar send it my way.  Also, he likes his Justin Timberlake Pandora channel?  Whatev.





"Shine the Light"
-Sugarland

When you walk into the edge of those
Dark and lonely woods and when I ask how was your day
And you answer not so good
And when nothing seems to be working out
Quite the way it should; I will shine the light.
When the skies up above you fill
With grey and stormy clouds.
And there's not a single face you know
In the maddening crowd.
When you know that you don't make your way
But you just can't see how. I will shine the light.
I will shine the light.
I will shine the light.
I will hold you in my arms
Until everything's alright.
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/s/sugarland/shine_the_light.html ]
I will shine the light
When your worries they won't let you sleep
And rob you of your days...
And you've looked in all directions but you
Still can't find your way.
When you just need someone to remind you that it's
All gonna be ok I will shine the light.
I will shine the light.

I will shine the light.
When you're staring down your demons
Weighing in your darkest night
I will shine the light.
Sometimes we jump into the great unknown.
Sorrows we all will have to walk alone.
Waiting there in the end is a heart that calls you a friend.
That's me clapping the loudest welcoming you home.

So when your heart is heavy like a stone
From carrying it's load
And you look into the mirror and see someone you don't know
When the shadows are closing in on you like a hand around your throat
I will shine the light.
I will shine the light.
When you've given into your fears
When you've lost your will to fight
Let me know what I can do
Let me try to make it right.
I will shine the light.
I will shine the light

More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/s/sugarland/#share