52 Weeks of ME!! Week....1!

With the start of the new year, as many others have done, I have tossed around the idea of a New Years  resolution.  This really isn't a new concept to me, as I somehow create a "resolution" for myself at the turn of every calendar year, but this year I really wanted to do something I'd stick with.  (Mainly so I didn't feel like a loser 4 days into the New Year for already failing at the task of reaching my goal!)   So in all efforts to pick a goal and stick to it I've come up with the following:

I've decided that I am going to commit to blogging at least once a week about something positive I've done to improve myself for the next 52 weeks!  I want to focus on things such as bettering my photography skills to really moving forward in my business, reading more often, getting healthier, keeping a positive state of mind, rekindling my relationship with God, becoming a better mom for Brutus (my furry, four legged, child), and the list goes on.) This year is about improving me and being happy with the changes.  Last year was probably the roughest one yet, a lot of my control, but this year I want to take life by the horns and taken control!  

That all being said....Here's Week 1....Being the best "mom" I can be!

We all know how I feel about having children. (If you don't know, I'm definitely against it!)  Its not that I hate children but the thought of being pregnant and the entire childbirth experience simply creeps me out.  That being said,  I'm completely committed to be the best Aunt I can be to my niece and nephews and being the best mom I can be to my puppy, Brutus.

Tonight I was talking to my sister, Natalie, on the phone and I was telling her about an upcoming trip I'd be taking.  I'm really nervous about having to leave Brutus at the kennel for a week; the last time he was there it was only for the weekend and I cried for a good hour after dropping him off.  As she laughed at me, our conversation went out and somehow the topic of Brutus having a microchip.  After she got over the "its not right to track someone/something" issue, she made the comment, "I hope you never have kids, you'd be way too overprotective."  

After I thought about that, I don't think I'm overprotective at all!  I just happen to love my dog more than words could express.  I think its only something that a dog owner could understand.  And by dog owner, I mean dog owners without children.  Brutus truly is like my child, and I'm not ashamed of that in the least! How can you not love the one who loves you unconditionally, rarely "talks" back, doesn't mind when you feel like being lazy, doesn't require much food, doesn't often get sick, loves to cuddle and who is a perfect foot warmer during this cold winter months! Even better, I'll never have to buy him a car or spend tens of thousands on his college eduction.  Let me tell you, purchasing all his treats and toys is a great deal compared to the expense of a child!  And to those of you who say he's spoiled....I say your wrong!  He's not spoiled, he's privileged! 

This weeks improvement to be a better "mom" will be one that I truly will continue to improve on each and every week because I really do love my puppy that much!

:o) Brit

And I'm back...from outer space!

Ok, so maybe I wasn't in outer space, but the thought of being there is nice, right!?!  Actually, it has been quite a long time since I've "blogged," and I wish I had a good reason as to why I took a temporary leave of absence.  I guess all I can come up with is life gets crazy and I got caught up in the crazy hustle and bustle of it all!!  The good news is I'm back!!  


My life has taken a crazy adventure over the last year or so!  I decided to go back to college!! (I know, most of you are thinking that I am absolutely crazy; but, I'm a dork and love school so I figured, why not!)  I decided this time around I was going to study something that I was really interested in, even if it meant I'd never actually do anything with it.  I decided to study photography!! And let me tell you, I AM LOVING IT!!  There are so many interracial aspects that one must be aware of when photographing someone or something and it really takes a lot of practice to become a true artist in this field.  Although, I am by far a professional or by any means advanced, I am loving what I'm doing and learn something new each day that is making me strive toward that perfection!  


So other than this new found passion, my life has been nothing less than busy! My husband and I moved into a beautiful town home with much more space than we had before, we've both been working like crazy and we got a dog! Our puppy's name is Brutus and he is the most adorable Yorkie ever!!  He's got quite the personality!! 


Anyway, as I said before, I'm back and I hope to give you some more witty stories to read as the year progresses and my life continues on this roller coaster of a journey!!

:o) Brit

I quite life...the reponsibilities of it anyway

I quit life.  Have you ever had a week that was so awful that you just wanted nothing more than to crawl into your comfy, cozy bed and hibernate until the next one came around? This is that kind of week.  It’s not even as if one event imparticular made the week crash off course; rather, I think it was a mixture of everything and anything that created the storm of chaos to wreck through my life.  Welcome to adulthood, I suppose.

Monday was just as manic as any.  Went back to work and the kids returned as crazy after the weekend as they are when they return from winter break.  Their nonsense made me want to immediately retreat to my car and head due west until I was back in the safety net of my home.  I, however, with no other reason more than the knowledge of adult responsibility stuck it out and marched forward throughout the day.  That evening after work was over I was so excited to find my comfy pants and retreat to the couch for a relaxing evening with my DVR.  Roadblock: I had forgotten I had my dreaded four hour history class to attend to first.  So, in yet another attempt to be a responsible adult I headed to class and forced my eyelids open and pretended to be an attentive student; all while visions of my pillow danced through my head.

Tuesday—almost as bad as Monday’s, however, since it’s a day closer to Friday I’ll give it a little credit.   Tuesday was a fairly productive day at work; however, yet again adult responsibility bit me in the ass.  I had my first Astronomy exam and was not prepared at all.  I left work a bit early to rush to school in hopes to get a little study time in—all I can say is thank God for a great lab partner!  She helped me get ready for my exam and feel a lot more confident in taking it in less than an hour and a half!!  I actually think I did rather well on it too! One plus for Tuesday! However, getting home at 10pm after being gone since 7am and realizing that you still have about 4 hours of homework for other classes left to do just ruins what could have been a mediocre day. 

This brings me to hump day.  Oh Wednesdays, if we could just remove this day all together we’d be that much closer to Friday!  Again, work wasn’t so bad.  As usual a few kids were being rather snotty and rude, but nothing I’m not used to or couldn’t handle.  It was after work that yet again ruined the tone for the entire day.   A classmate and I rushed to Starbucks to work on an Exam that was due at the end of the week.  I was feeling really good about myself at this point.  I had a lovely cup of white chocolate mocha and in the warm, inviting, atmosphere—I was definitely ready to tackle my assignment.   After 45 minutes of intense research and what we believed to be very confident answers the exam was finished, and four days early! Can you say, “Sigh of relief!”  Never mind, hit the emergency break—I got a 68%! Are you kidding me!?!  At this point I’m thinking I want to see the answer key and I’m beyond ready to debate these “correct” answers.     Now I’m thinking, not only do I want to cocoon myself into my bed…I really want a drink.

Oh, Thursday.  I’ve never really understood why people enjoy Thursdays so much.  It’s not like it’s the end of the work week and it’s not like there is a whole lot that you can do on a Thursday evening since most people still must work on Friday.  However, I do, most certainly, appreciate it much more than I do Tuesday.  Work, again, was alright.  A bit of a challenge at the end of the day, but overall not too bad.  It wasn’t until I got to class that night that I really felt like poking my eyeballs out just to get away from the torture of my Lab professor.  If one person could kill a wonderful mood, it’s him.  He is worse than the teacher from Ferris Buhelers Day Off.  The only good thing about my Lab is that I can finish it before the man is even done droning on and on over the directions and once I’m finished I get to leave.  Huge ups for getting finished two hours early; huge disappointment to get home and not being able to fall asleep until after one a.m.

Friday, oh how I’ve waited for you to finally arrive!  The morning started off not so great: I woke up late, had to rush through the shower to get ready in time only to spill OJ all over me and had to take a second shower so I wouldn’t spend the day sticky.  Work went alright—typical Friday.   Then evening hit and I was really looking forward to spending it over dinner with a great set of friends.  Although, the company was amazing, the food was not—Zebb’s way to put the cherry topping on my bad week!

So after all of this here is the weekend!  A weekend that will be spent with an abundant amount of reading, research, paper writing, and more tests just to get prepared for another week to work and classes.  Oh Joy.  However, here’s to putting it all off to Sunday and to spending today doing absolutely nothing at all; a day to no decision making nor thoughts to be had—a day of absolute bliss!

What is Up Must Come Down!

It’s inevitable: what is up is meant to come down; even if this “law of gravity” is proclaimed for no other reason than my pure individual enjoy!  Many would call me “cold-hearted” or “evil” but I say we all have our qwerks—this is just one of mine!  You see, and I’m not ashamed to admit it, I find it completely, utterly, absolutely hysterical when I see someone fall!  I even find it funny when I fall myself!  The winter season creates thorough enjoyment for people who are amused by others falling; ice and bad tread on shoes is a recipe for a slippery disaster!

Over the weekend I went my husband and some of our friends to a Wine and Chocolate tour.  Although, the event in itself was an amazing time, the best of our laughs came from the icy mess that was blanketed upon Western New York.    As we were packing the van for our trip to Seneca Lake, Sean and I were loading the cooler full of snacks into the car—as we were stepping off the porch Sean started to slide and immediately I broke out into laughter.  Although, he managed to say on his two feet the mere thought of him plummeting to the ground was enough for a good chuckle.  (This “mishap” is what turned into a weekend debauchery of him and the others making fun of me for my little “qwerk!”)

As the snow continued to fall at rapid pace people all around were falling as well—AMAZING!!  It’s as if people don’t know that the best way to walk on sheets of ice is to walk slow and steady. (Someone should really clue them in!)  Because I got the “giggles” each time someone would start to slip and slid on the shiny surface my friends would continue to harass and taunt me for it!   It got to the point where my friends wanted to push me just so I’d fall. 

Well, as we were leaving one winery I took a different path on the sidewalk because I knew the one I had used to enter was quite slippery.  Just as I got to the end of the path my feet began to slip and slide and down I went.  This time I’m not sure what made me go into hysterics more, my fall or the extremely loud, obnoxious, noise that came from the lady walking behind me.  She made a very loud, OOOOOOOOOOOOOO noise, almost as if she was falling with me!  The funniest part of this whole fall was that we were leaving the winery in such a rush because their bathroom was out of commission and Kelli and I had to pee horribly bad!  (Needless to say, the fall was not helping my bladder!)  After I get up Kelli and I are laughing and running when we both almost slip again—this causing our laugh to get a bit uncontrollable.  Once we manage to slide back into the van her husband notices that in the midst of our “almost fall” she dropped her tour ticket so he jumps out of the van to retrieve it.

As Mike is chasing her ticket across the parking lot, which now looks like a frozen pond, the ticket is blowing side to side through the mixture of wind and snow.  He is at a dead sprint chasing this ticket past a bus, limo, and cars.  As we are cheering him on and the bus load of wine goers is cheering him on he finally prevails and gets the ticket!—the entire time I’m laughing, clinching my legs together so I don’t have an accident, laughing some more, and then laughing more at the thought of him falling. (All while hoping and wishing that he does!)

I swear I’m not mean!  We all have things that make us laugh, things that others don’t find funny—for me its people who curse the law of gravity.  Whether it’s watching Wipeout, America’s Funniest Home Videos, or stranger on the street, when someone falls it’s just absolutely comical.    So next time you see someone take a plunge for the ground, have a laugh and think of me because although others will judge you for your crude humor I’ll be laughing alongside of you!

:o) Brit

Patience..or lack there of

I’ve decided that the older I get the less patience I seem to have.  They say that patience is a virtue-a virtue that I apparently do not hold.  Its rather strange how even the littlest of things really drive me insane; on the other hand, maybe it isn’t me losing patience rather the planets stupidity level is at an all-time high!  (I’m thinking maybe the stupidity comment is fairly accurate.)  Seriously, if you think about all the things that annoy you due to a lack of patience for the situation it usually has to do with someone having a lack of common sense or showing complete ignorance. 

Things that I no longer have patience for include (in no particular order):  mouthy children, people who cut you off and then slow down, people who swerve back and forth while driving, people who don’t speak using proper grammar, hypocrites, liars, people who don’t know how to put things back where they found them, crowded places, people who don’t think ahead,  children who throw tantrums in the middle of the store, teenagers, having to repeat myself, professors who drone on and on just to take up time, people who assume that just because I’m female that I know nothing about sports, people who lack common sense, people with bad hygiene, rude people, parents who make excuses for their children’s bad behavior, bad parenting, country music, Yankees baseball, people who scrutinize me for my religious choices, babies, people who refuse to work for what they get and who are always looking for a hand out, people who don’t understand or the support the importance of the educational system, drama, bad teeth, icy roads, bone chilling cold weather, early mornings, my alarm clock, hairdressers who shouldn’t really have a job, waitresses who are rude, the public, Christmas shopping, people who forget how to drive in the snow, people who don’t understand sarcasm, and people who are quick to judge others—just to name a few!

I know it seems that I’m being rather bitchy, but the truth is we all have a long list of things that really drive us crazy; the difference is I’m willing to come right out and say what those things are.  I do try really hard do bite my tongue when I’m in situations where any of the above circumstances arise, however, if you know me at all you know how truly hard for me that can be.  At the end of the day I don’t consider myself a pessimistic person and I do try to find the best in everything/everyone while keeping an optimistic smile on my face.  It just so happens that as time goes on I learn more and more about the facts of life and what truly is important to me, therefore, I have little patience for all the things that have no significance or relevance in my life.

:o) Brit

Definition of a Friend

Friend (fr nd) n. 1. A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts. 2. A person whom one knows;

an acquaintance 3. A person with whom one is allied in a struggle or cause; a comrade. 4. One who supports, sympathizes with, or patronizes a group, cause, or movement. (Definition from www.thefreedictionary.com)

Everyone needs a good friend or two; by good friend I mean someone who knows every detail of your life and still loves you all the same.  Of course you’re going to have more than just one or two friends (or maybe you don’t and well if that’s the case then maybe you shouldn’t be such a grumpy person!) but in reality you only need a couple GOOD friends.  I’m lucky enough to have a few GOOD friends; friends who’ve I’ve known for more than half my life, fiends who’ve have been with me through every good, paid, and ugly party of my life—friends that I consider family.  Of all my friends there is one that stands out above the rest, even if she is the one who always seems to get me into the most crazy situations!

Sara (Sar·a (sâr) n. 1. A person whom has known me for three-quarters of my life.  2. A person who is beyond hysterical. 3. A person who always seems to be the cause of trouble—in a good/fun way.   4. One who is always straightforward and honest with me even when she knows it’s probably what I don’t want to hear but knows it’s what I need to hear. (Definition from ME!)

Oh where do I begin with the story of Sara and I’s friendship?  Let’s take it back to the days in elementary school where we played soccer together; or should I say, I played soccer and Sara practiced her gymnastics movies on the field!  Although we had the same circle of friends we were more of acquaintances then and continued to be until high school when our friendship blossomed and we suddenly realized how much alike we really were.   Who knew that I’d ever find someone who was as direct, snappy, overly sarcastic, spontaneous, funny, and stylish as I?  

From the time we realized that we were truly “two peas in a pod” we had many crazy and fun adventures.  From visiting “Mary Jane’s Grave” to several car “mishaps,” our friendship was nothing less than entertaining.  Not only was Sara my main source of entertainment but she was my main source of free therapy sessions.  I knew that no matter what life was serving me Sara would be there to help me through it.  She’d always be the first one to snap me out of my pity party and back to reality—thank God for Sara!

As we’ve grown up Sara and I have had periods of time where we talk less than usual and then periods of time where we talk daily, however, no matter what the circumstances have been our friendship has always held strong.  When we are together it’s as if we are teenage girls all over again—no stop laughter and silliness.  (Trust me wine does not help this matter!)   Although our friendship can never be as carefree as it was when we were younger, in the days of no responsibility, we still make sure it’s never-ending fun!  We plan lots of weekend trips and other excursions all that involve an over abundant amount of alcohol and lots of shopping.  Whether it’s an Ohio State football game, a bar crawl in New York, or a ghost hunt in Salem Mass, we always seem to be the life of the party.

The point I’m trying to get at is that although you can have many friends you need to make sure that you have one friend who is there with you through everything.  You need a friend who has seen you at your worst but only cares to remember you for your best.  You need a friend can talk sense into you while your both inebriated and who stops you from making embarrassing decisions that you’ll regret in the morning. You need a friend who will be there on your wedding day to make sure that you never stop laughing no matter how stressed or emotional you may be.  You need a friend who is still going to be all of these things and more when you’re 90 years old and getting pulled over for drinking and driving on your motorized wheel chair.  You need your own “Sara!”

 

My favorite Sara quote-"I'm popping oreo's like pringles because once you pop you can't stop..." haha and this is why I love her!!

:o) Brit

Trip to the hairdresser....gone wrong

I learned a few extremely important lessons today: 1. Not all people appreciate sarcasm—who knew! 2. It is very easy for me to envision something while someone else has a different perspective on the matter.  3.  You should always be polite to your hairdresser (or anyone else holding scissors next to your head).  4.  Apparently a ½ of an inch is not the same measurement to everyone.   5. If your hairdresser cannot schedule and appointment for you right away it’s probably a safe bet to just wait rather than find an alternative plan.

If asked, I’m not sure that I’d be able to put any of these lessons in order of importance; as I see it they all go hand in and especially if you want a positive outcome.  Let’s rewind a bit just so I can explain why and how I was lucky enough to be a part of this “teachable moment.”  (This will be explained not in the order it was listed above—like I said I cannot put these lessons into order of importance!)

You should always be polite to your hairdresser.  Have you ever stopped to think about the amount of trust you put into the hands of your hairdresser?  Once you lower yourself into the barber’s chair and the cape is snuggly placed around your neck all power is out of your hands and bestowed upon the person who is launching themself at your head with a sharp object.  With one wrong flick of the wrist you can go from beauty queen to ogre; you can go from having two ears to one.  The worst thing you can do when entrusting your aesthetic appearance to another person is to piss them off!

It is very easy for me to envision something while someone else has a different perspective.  Apparently a ½ of an inch is not the same measurement to everyone.  (For purpose of explanation these two lessons go hand in hand.)  As I entered the salon today I was already feeling a bit apprehensive, however, after several arguments with myself in my head I quickly “checked in” and waited for my name, or fate, to be called.  Once my “stylist” (or so well refer to her as) asked what I wanted to do with my hair I began to explain: “I’m just here for a quick trim.  Maybe a ½ inch off the length and then my bangs trimmed back.  I’m growing my hair out so I’d really like to not take much off.”  This is where it all went wrong! 

Apparently this is what the “stylist” (still trying to think of a better name for her) heard: “I really would like a new hair style.  Maybe something longer in the front and a lot shorter in the back; not quite a bob but not quite a wedge.  I am trying to grow out my hair; however, I give up.  Just go ahead and cut it.”   (See where this is beginning to take a turn for the worst?)  Well, in the midst of all this miscommunication a chainsaw (my new word for the “stylists’” scissors) came out and my lovely locks were being chopped down faster than a tree standing in the way of an upcoming suburban home development.  You can only imagine what came next…….yep, you guessed it—a disaster!  As she spins me around (Which is another crazy thing—why are you not allowed to watch your “stylist” cut your hair? Why even have a 3x3 foot mirror if you aren’t going to use it? Seriously, even if you don’t like what they are doing what are you really going to say to a person who has a sharp object next to your face?)  and the color drains from my face. 

As I see my refection I see a person that has my face but not my hair!  What happened to my hair!?!  Not only did she cut my hair short in the back but the front is significantly shorter as well.   So now my ½ inch trim went to 3 inches off in the front and 5-6 in the back! Seriously, where did this “stylist” go to school?  Was she never taught to use a ruler?  Did she even really pass 3^rd grade or did she drop out before the measurement unit?

This takes me to my next “lesson.”  Not all people appreciate sarcasm.  After I finally got the look of death off my face I quickly gathered my belongings and headed to the register.  As my “stylist” (Satan) proceeded to swipe my credit card I was debating what to do about the “tip” situation.  I stared at the “tip” line and was dumbfounded as to what number I should enter.  Did I even need to enter a number at all?  I did have coin purse full of pennies!  As all of this was processing through my mind my mouth began to open and make a noise on its own; “Can I write down that I want to leave a negative tip amount?” (Ok so maybe this wasn’t exactly sarcasm, however, I definitely tried to play it off that way.)  I’m not sure if my “stylist” had the blank look on her face because she was in shock or because she is a closet serial killer who was about to take my life. Either way, I didn’t stick around long enough to find out.

If your hairdresser cannot schedule and appointment for you right away it’s probably a safe bet to just wait rather than find an alternative plan.  As always, hindsight is a bitch!  I suppose this whole traumatic situation can be blamed on the fact that I failed to plan in advance when I knew I needed my hair trimmed for an upcoming event. In my defense, I usually never have a problem getting an appointment right away and thus never think to call until I’m on my way to the salon.

In all lessons we learn in life there are two ways in which you can learn them: the easy way or the hard way.  In this case, I most definitely learned mine the hard way.  I guess at the end of the day it’s just hair and will eventually all grow back; in the meantime, are there any of my friends who own a hat shop?    

:o) Brit