Deep thoughts...

Thoughts on a Friday:

"Surround yourself with positive people who believe in you and inspire you."

Uncanny resemblance

I have this thing where I always think someone resembles someone else. Except usually no one else agrees with me. Today's Uncanny Resemblance is Crash Test Dummies lead singer Brad Roberts and actor Javier Bardem. I meabn honestly, of the 6 pictures here, can you tell which man is which in all of them?







Then you have the fact that Javier ALSO resembles Jeffrey Dean Morgan (another actor). But I really don't think Jeffrey Dean and Brad Roberts resemble each other all that much. It could make my head spin if I let it.

Enough voodoo already!

As my Minnesotan anscestors would say: Ufffta.

Man alive, it's been a long week. I've had one of those weeks where NOTHING seems to have gone right. Discouragement just keeps piling on. I cried twice. OK, three times. Ok, four times, but seriously, that's it. But I'm not a crier. I mean, this week I apparently I am. But not usually. My college roommates used to think something was wrong with me. We'd be watching Steel Magnolia and while they were weeping their eyes out, I'd be rummaging through the fridge looking for a tub of frosting to eat with a spoon. And as they shot me looks of annoyance for interupting their emotional moment, I'd look back at them with a spoon in my mouth and frosting on my cheek and mumble, "What? I worked out this morning..."

My poor boyfriend. Supportive and loving and wonderully sweet. But a boy none the less. His fix is "can't you just stop?"

And actually, he's a wise one, that boy. Because he's right, I just need to stop. I'll freely admit that I'm being a total hypocrit. Because I like to preach about having perspective in life. And not fretting the small stuff and all that, yada, yada. And I also freely admit I don't have it that bad. I have it rather good actually. Wonderful home, exceptionally wonderful children, supportive partner. But...life has just gotten me down. Like somewhere, someone has a little voodoo doll version of me and from a musty little apartment somewhere they are excitedly putting more and more needles into the little rag doll version of me. And then the real life version of me is feeling those needle pricks in the form of disappointments and stresses and lost patience and challenges, etc. Enough with the voodoo already! I'm sorry! Whatever I did to you black magic worshipper from afar, I'M VERY SORRY! Just let me go back to carefree, loving, happy life!

It's embrassing to admit life can get you down. I guess my motive for writing today is to call myself out and say, enough already! You had an unfortunate run (relative scale here, a nuclear plant didn't blow up in my back yard or anything), suck it up, deal with what can be dealt with, let the rest go!

So, as of today I'm officially done crying... (I think). And I'm officially done losing my patience... (probably). And I'm definitely officially done being a drag... (in all likelihood)! I have felt moments in the past year of such pure joy and elation, and I experience moments daily of feeling so blessed. Big moments and small moments and moments that sneak up everyday. When I sold my life-sucking house. When my little girl got so excited because she just used the potty for the first time and she ran around the house with her little round naked buns hanging out of her shirt, high-fiving everyone. When I found out my only sibling didn't have lymphoma. When I came home to a thoughtful gift and card that reinforced that I had the support and love of someone. I just need to spend a little more time right now remembering those things.

So bring it on you random April Wednesday- let's dance!

ridiculous cutenes...

I mean, I know every parent think their kid is the cutest but I have to say I vote for mine!!! :)

One foot in front of the other

There's a reason I'm drawn to running. Of course I like the benefit of getting in better shape- that's a no brainer!

But I also like that it's an individual sport. I am constantly competing against myself. My times, my distance, trying to better them. And the more I put into it, the harder I push, the better my results are. It was that way with tennis too. All of the accountability was on me, and that's why I liked it. But even with tennis, there was the variable of my opponent and I couldn't control that. But running is truly about my efforts. It's so black and white, like a mathematical equation. It's not that I don't like working on teams, there are benefits to that and it's certainly more social, but in the end, I like things where my destiny is controlled by my actions.


Life and the people in it are like puzzles. They are so complicated and there's so many things that make them tick. Sometimes it's just too much to think about or try to figure out. I just want the simple, open road. The shin splints and sore muscles and sweat dripping down my back.

Play ball!

I'm kind of a free spirit. I think this is one of the few traits I get from my father. I remember when I was a kid, if I was with him, we were always on the go. I can barely remember ever just sitting watchin TV or anything. While I am not that extreme, I'll freely admit after a few days of being couped up at home, I get restless. I like to see people, see things and have adventures. It's safe to see this was not a good fit in what I will affectionately call "my former life."

But it is a GREAT fit with my current beau!!! One of the traits I love about him is his easy going nature, and the way he roles with the punches. So we were working in the yard this weekend, all four of us and just soaking in the beautiful weather that Iowa has so stubbornly been keeping from us for months! And on a complete whim we decided wouldn't it be lovely to drive to Kansas City to watch the Royals take on the Angels? My man is a baseball man, and me- well, I love sports, sunshine and stadium nachos, so sure, I can be a baseball girl! And his favorite team is the California (or LA, or Anaheim, or whatever they are called now) Angels.
(Remember last summer when we saw them in St. Louis- wow, what a great time we had! Probably one of the best trips I've ever been on!)



So, back to the story. The weather is lovely, Kansas City is less then 3 hours away from where we live, so we got online, bought 4 tickets, and just like that we were heading to a baseball game!


As per normal, my Grace has nothing but pure exuberence for EVERYTHING! But my sweet Millie had a great time too! She's a bit like her mom: she particularly liked the ballpark food!



And this one wants to BE her mom sometimes! (notice the hat and glasses)


And lastly, for nothing but pure laughs, this face abosultely cracks me up!!

I looks like a character from a show I used to love, Reno 911- he always made this exact same face and had big glasses! You probably don't see the resemblance unless you watch the show!



The name of my blog isn't "Living, laughing, loving" for nothing! No matter how you slice it- I'm a LUCKY girl!!!!

I heart comedies

I love movies and I particularly love comedies! They are by far my favorite genre of movie. Some of my favorites are Christmas Vacation, The Hangover, Wedding Crashers, and even going old school with Dumb and Dumber. I recently saw Due Date, and I thought it was up there, pretty funny! Let's face it, it's essentailly a modern day Planes, Trains and Automobiles. But it was perfectly cast with Zach Galifianakis and Robert Downey Jr.

Scene from the Grand Canyon...

Peter Highman: I'm tellin' ya, I wouldn't make it up.
Ethan Tremblay: I could have sworn I read it was man made.
Peter Highman: Nope, nope. Not correct. Very old. Formed over time. Grand Canyon. Known fact.
Ethan Tremblay: Peter, I have a photogenic memory...
Peter Highman: Ethan...
Ethan Tremblay: I can recall...
Peter Highman: Ethan, I promise you. It's...It's old, it's the Grand Canyon. It's not the Hoover Dam.
Ethan Tremblay: Well, I know it's not the Hoover Dam. It was build by the pilgrims.
Peter Highman: Also incorrect.