Warm Thoughts

With the storm coming in tomorrow, I thought it would be a good time to remember warmer times. Today I spent a little time on Shutterfly, making a photo book, and I found some pictures I took last summer. Here are a few of my favorites. All of these were taken in Ludington, Michigan, which you know is my favorite place.

The nice thing about summer is that based on past experience, I know it comes every year. Such a simple truth, yet easy to forget in these dark, cold, snowy months. That's a thought I'll be focusing on over the next couple days!

Sick Days

The problem with sick days is that when you have to take them, you're too sick to enjoy them. On days when I'm perfectly healthy, but tired of being at work, I sometimes find myself daydreaming about sick days. I imagine myself happily laying on the couch, under a cozy blanket, watching Sister, Sister, sipping ginger ale, and napping as I please. My imagination completely leaves out the part about being sick, and just imagines a lazy day off.

Of course the reality of sick days is that they are full of wadded up tissues everywhere, frustration over feeling like crap, and the inability to sleep due to illness.

But even though I was sick all weekend (as well as today), the weekend wasn't a total bust. From the comfort of my own bed, I was able to:

* Reconnect with a childhood best friend - thank you Mark Zuckerberg!
* Watch the entire fourth season of Psych - thank you $14.99 sale at Target!
* Stay in touch with friends without having to use my scratchy voice - thank you internet!
* Feel loved and thought of by some of you who messaged me to see if I needed anything (the answer is yes, now get over here, stat)!

But enough about being sick. I'm sure you're tired of hearing about it and I'm tired of talking about it. Well, that's not true. I'm not tired of talking about it. But since I know you're tired of hearing about it, I will move on to the next thing on my mind today, and that is: SNOW!!!

We're supposed to get LOTS of it tomorrow night. Depending on where you're getting your information, we're supposed to get somewhere between 8 and 16 inches of snow tomorrow night and into Wednesday. Can you say "snow day?"

The realist in me is worried about driving in it, cleaning off my car, and possible power outages. The rest of me is excited about it. We haven't gotten that much snow all at once in a long time. To my midwest and east coast friends - are you excited about it or dreading it?

Ok, that's my quick post for today. Time to get back to Sister, Sister and napping (translation: attempting to sleep this headache away until I have to get ready for my doctor's appointment)!

Remedies

I'm sick this week. This time of year I always get really sick once with an awful sinusitis/bronchitis combination of some sort. Sooooo glad it's here! (<----sarcasm text here.)

I've been miserable most of the week and today has been the worst. It's been so bad I've been willing to try almost anything (I draw the line at the neti pot) to feel better. Here are some of the things I've tried:

* Over Christmas break, my aunt and uncle told us about something they had seen on a morning show about how if you are congested, you put some Vicks VapoRub (I always thought it was Vapor Rub...weird) on the bottoms of your feet, then put socks on to cover it up before bed. My sister and mom tried it and said it worked. So, the other night I was desperate and thought I might as well try it. It didn't work. And I was hot the whole night from wearing socks to bed. My friend Ann said it didn't work because I didn't believe it would work. She may be right, but I thought that as long as I was asleep, the remedy wouldn't know I didn't believe in it and could do it's job. Oh well, it was worth a try.

* My grandma  has lots of sinus problems and she told me yesterday that to relieve her sinus pain, she points a hair dryer right at her face on medium and heats her sinuses up. Does that sound awful or what? Anyway, I did it and it works. I did it several times actually. Why does it work? I'm not sure. It's not fun but it if it works, I'll do it.

* The best thing is to put a really hot cloth right over my face for as long as it stays hot. I've been doing this all day. Totally works, for the short term.

What are some non-traditional remedies you use when you're ill? I got on antibiotics today but I'm still miserable so I'm open to ideas.

If you don't have any remedies, just tell me something good that happened to you this week to cheer me up. Thanks, guys!

As Seen on TV

Well, it seems things got a little heated yesterday in Wednesday thoughts. I'm sorry to anyone who may have been offended in the comments section- I guess nothing gets people worked up like talking about a first date, huh? I'll have to add talking about first dates to my list of things not to bring up on a first date.

I think that it would be best to post a light, fun post today about something I've been meaning to post about for awhile: products. Remember when I used to write about the Snuggie, the Arctic Pillow, the Smitten, and all that good stuff? It's been awhile! I've heard about some amazing new products recently and have three awesome ones to share with you today. Get your credit card out because I know you're going to want to buy at least one of these!

Puppy Tweets
No, that's not a cutesy way of saying "puppy treats." We're talking about tweets as in Twitter. I just recently joined Twitter myself and it's kind of depressing to think that dogs learned how to Tweet before me (though I guess technically, birds learned it first! ba-da-bum!). Just attach the electronic tag to your dog's collar, and it will send a message to your computer updating your dog's Twitter account! If I had to guess what a dog's tweets looked like, I would assume it would be something like:

"bark! bark! bark!"
"sniff, sniff, sniffsniffsniff"
"growl, growl, bark, growl."

But if you think your dog might be up to something more interesting than that, this product is for you.

Solar Powered Pants
For the reasonable price of only $1,000 (almost), you can charge your phone in your pants pocket! These fashionable pajama cargo pants have solar panels that charge when you're out in the sun. Just sit outside for awhile and you can plug in your phone, iPod, or boom box. I know what you're thinking: "with these pants people will finally respect me." 

If you live in Michigan where the sun don't shine for 4-6 months of the year, I'd suggest you pass on these, and invest in the next product instead.

Forever Lazy
You know what's sooo hard? When I'm wearing my Snuggie and I stand up and my back is cold. You know what else is hard? Wearing warm clothes. And don't get me started on blankets. They're impossible! Thank goodness someone came up with the Forever Lazy! A Onesie made out of Snuggie material! With a flap for going to the bathroom, no less. Life is now complete.




Which is your favorite new product?

Important Question

We interrupt this Wednesday Thoughts for the following important question:

Which is more satisfying:

Crumpling paper in anger?

or

Ripping it in anger?

My coworker and I debated this for awhile after he handed me a piece of paper I didn't want to see and I "took care of it." Discuss.

Wednesday Thoughts

The other day a good friend of mine, Ben, called me to tell me about a date he'd been on over the weekend. He had been looking forward to going out with this girl, but things hadn't gone as he'd hoped and he wanted my opinion about the date.

After hearing his story, I was curious what you guys would think, so with his permission, I'll tell you a little bit about it.

Ben met his date, Amber, two weeks ago through a mutual friend, Jack. They had been planning on going on a double date, but the day before the date, Jack found out he had to go out of town. Ben debated about what to do at that point, but figured he still wanted to get to know Amber so he'd see if she wanted to go out with just him. She said yes.

Ben's goal for the date was as follows: get to know her a little bit, and have fun. Amber's goal for the date was: ask Ben the most personal questions possible to find out if they should get married on their second date (that's the way it felt to Ben, anyway).

 Here's a sample of her questions (and I quote):

1. "Starting from oldest to youngest, what do you think is the opinion of each of your siblings about you?

2. "Who do you trust most in this world, and why?"

And so on and so forth. She was so intense that the date started to feel like an interview. Ben felt the whole thing was really weird, and though he answered all of her questions, he felt a little uncomfortable since he barely knew her.

I could see where he was coming from. Here's what I expect from a first date:

Have fun.
Get to know each other in a light, easy going way.
No deeply personal questions.
Try not to make the other person feel uncomfortable.
Enjoy each other's company.

I think that pretty much sums it up. (I wait till the second date to ask questions like, "how many kids should we have?" and "what are some of the things you like best about me, in alphabetical order?) For me the first date is about getting comfortable with each other and having a good time. I'm not saying that's the "right" way to do a first date, it's just what I prefer.

What about you? How would you feel if you were asked the questions Amber asked Ben on their date? Do you like to dive right in, or take your time?

Happy Wednesday!

Eli (zabeth) Whitney

I hate wrapping presents. I know it's not very girly of me to say that (aren't girls supposed to love wrapping gifts with tons of ribbons and whatnot?). It's just that it's too much work to try to make it look nice - cutting the paper out perfectly, making the creases flat, finding the tape, caring how it looks, etc, etc... It's just not my thing.

True story: a few years ago, I paid one of my sisters to wrap my Christmas gifts for me. Thank goodness for gift bags: the lazy girl's answer to gift wrapping.

Today though, I was running a little late for a birthday dinner for my cousin and didn't have any tissue paper to go in a gift bag or the time (and by time, I mean desire) to wrap his present, so I did this:

My cousin's 5 year old daughter looked at it and said, "That's not wrapping paper." I said, "What is it?" And she said, "it's soil." She meant foil. She said it like it was a bad thing! I know it's ghetto, but I kinda liked the way it turned out. I'm thinking about starting a line of tin foil wrapping paper. Ghetto fabulous, right?

Between that and the break up cards idea from yesterday, I'm on fire with inventing lately.*

Just call me Eli(zabeth) Whitney.

*I realize I'm probably not the first lazy bum to wrap a gift in tin foil. But I'm pretty sure I'm the first to add a bow. At least give me that.

It's not you, it's me

I recently found myself in the uncomfortable position of having to tell a man to stop contacting me. This was not someone I was dating, it was just someone I was getting some very unwanted contact from. Even though I don't know this man, and even though his repeated contact was  making me incredibly uncomfortable, I still had a hard time deciding how to phrase my, "never contact me again" message so it wasn't overly mean.

Like a lot of women (and men?) I am not the best at ending things, in the sense that I try too hard to be nice (translation: vague) so as to spare feelings. Not only that, but I've let things go on way too long with guys I'm not interested in because I'm not sure how to tell them to back off.* This leads to frustration, I have found, for both parties. And it's something I've decided it's important for me to work on. And I believe that lately, I have made some progress. I've been able to be much more honest, and it's empowering. But it's still not my favorite.

I wish I could just buy a box of pre-written break up cards, with options such as:

"I don't see us working as a couple. You're a nice guy, with a lot to offer. I can't be what you need me to be. If this isn't enough explanation for you, turn over card."

Then the back says,

"You're a pervert with no ambition.*"

Unfortunately, there is no such a product. Which means that I need to get more gumption. I was talking about this with Ryan, from TheSinglesWard blog, and he pointed out that if you don't tell the guy the truth, he won't be able to change the thing you don't like about him (if it's changeable) and that when you're honest, it can lead to a more healthy break-up and posible future friendship. But I think one of my fears is that he'll lash out at me and it will go something like this:

Me: I'm sorry, but this isn't going to work out.
Him: Why?
Me: We're too different...
Him: How so?
Me: You're a loser.
Him: Well you're ugly! And I hate you! And you have weird elbows! And you have split ends!
Me: (running away, crying)

Of course, I would never just say "you're a loser." That was just a catch-all for whatever I might really say, which would be much gentler than that.

What I need to remember is that nothing I could (or would) say would do irreparable damage to a guy. Even at my meanest, I'm not that mean (unlike the heart eating monster in that picture). And time heals all wounds. Heaven knows I've been hurt before, and I've gotten over it (except that bit about my split ends).

How do you break up with someone? Have you been broken up with in an awful way? How would you want someone to break up with you?

*This is not referring to anyone who may be reading this, I assure you.

Concrete Plans

Ok, enough complaining about winter. Time to come up with some concrete plans to survive the next couple months. So far this winter, my survival techniques have consisted of:

♥  eating heavy, chocolaty foods (so good, only... some of my clothes are not fitting quite right, so this one needs to end. Now.)
♥  complaining (misery loves company).
♥  holing up inside, watching movies and clocking hours on my laptop (hm... not sure I can stop doing this one until it becomes less painful to go outside).
♥ feeling miserable. This is my least favorite method of survival.

It probably won't surprise you that these really aren't helping me survive. So I've come up with a strategy to get me through till spring:

♥ I'm going to repaint my bedroom a brighter, more sunshiny color. Like, this weekend.
♥ I'm going to fill my multi-window picture frame with summer pictures.
♥ I'm going to eat more fruits and veggies!
♥ I'm going to make some of these to brighten up a corner (picture and idea courtesy of Nie Nie):

Do you have any concrete plans? Please share!

Also, if you have any tips on how to kick what can only be described as a winter induced chocolate addiction, please do tell. Maybe I'll wean myself off with strawberries dipped in chocolate...

Wednesday Thoughts

So, here's what to expect from this post. In part one, I will be complaining about winter. In part two, I will move on to happier subjects. If you want to skip to the happy part, start after the picture of flowers.

Yesterday winter tried to kick me in the shins. Multiple times. First a spider lunged at me in the bathroom when I was getting ready for work. In its defense, I was trying to kill it when it leapt at me. Anyway, it lunged at me, I ran into the hallway, squealing, and when I tiptoed back in, it was gone. In conclusion, the spider is still out there... I know what you're thinking, "wait, how is winter to blame for the spider?" Well, I don't know, but I'm sure it was involved somehow.

Then I drove to work on a sheet of pure ice. I slid all the way through an intersection but thankfully, no cars were coming. Then later, I stepped into some snow that was camouflaging a puddle of slush and I came up with a wet foot. Then on the way home, the sky looked like this (at 4:30):

Boo!!

Ok, now the bummer part of this post is over! Time to focus on the positive! First of all, spring. Which, if I recall correctly, looks something like this:

Yay!!

This is the part of the blog where I stop griping about winter. I hope you stayed with me. One of the things I've been thinking about to get me through these dark days is traveling. I'd like to travel abroad but there are a few places right here in the US that I have my heart set on seeing as well. They are:

1. The Grand Canyon
2. The Redwood Forest
3. Alaska, to see the northern lights

What are your top three places to visit in the US? Or do you know of another amazing place I should add to my list?

Now I have one more question for you: when going on a date, which are you more nervous about:

What you will think of your date?

or

What your date will think of you?

Obviously you'll be thinking about both, but which concerns you more?

Happy Wednesday!

A Little Smelt Goes a Long Way

Today, since we had the day off of work, a couple friends and I decided to have a day of fun in Detroit, where my friend Sara, lives with her husband, Matt. Another friend, Sarah, and I drove out there to meet up with them and have some adventures. Because their names are both Sara(h), it can  be confusing to tell stories about them, but since one spells her name with an "h" and the other doesn't, I think you'll be able to keep them straight.

Anyway, first on the agenda was feather bowling. Never having heard of feather bowling before, my first thought was, "I hope this doesn't involve trying to hurl a feather down a lane, because I'm pretty sure I can't think of anything more dissatisfying. But it turned out, it had nothing to do with throwing a feather. I think a few pictures will explain better than I could with words, but I'll make an attempt with words to help you explain the pictures (am I talking in circles?)

1. feather bowling is Belgian.
2. it involves hurling something like a wooden ball/wheel down a dirt lane trying to get it as close as possible to a pigeon feather stuck in the dirt.
3. it is in a way similar to shuffleboard, in that you try to knock your opponent's ball (away from the feather, in this case).
4. in one hour I became good enough to go pro.

Here are the pictures:

Team Sara(h) taking their turn.

Hurling the ball down the lane



Pommes frites break



  

The time team Sara(h) nailed it (the feather here reminds me a lot of the wicked witch of the east, right?)

I could post more pictures, but I think you get the idea. In case you were wondering, Team Non Sara(h) won in the speed round. There was some debate about if the speed round was a legit way to win, but the people debating it weren't on the winning team, so... you decide.

After feather bowling, we went to a restaurant with an impossible name to remember: Traffic Jam and Snug. I decided to be adventurous and order some breaded Canadian smelt. It turned out... it was a bit too smelty for me. The problem was that I really didn't know what smelt was. I knew it was some kind of fish, but that's all I knew.  And when it came out totally breaded, the mystery remained. After I'd eaten about six smelt, I cracked one open, at Sara's suggestion, and saw what was under the breading. I was done. It was a tiny fish (head chopped off), covered in breading. An entire fish. Gross gross gross gross! When the server came over and asked if I wanted a box, I said, "no thank you. Sorry." He said, "That's ok, a little smelt goes a long way."

Sara and Sarah walking into the restaurant

The main reason we went there: fried pickles

Then, because we hadn't consumed enough calories, we stopped at Good Girls Go to Paris, where my friend Christy joined us for some crepes.

So, did you stick with me this far? I know this was a picture heavy post, but I wanted you to feel like you were with me today.

How was your day today? What did you do?

Warm Memories

Remember summer? Yeah, me neither. This time of year, summer becomes like your old friend who moved away, and who's face you're starting to forget.

I do have some memories though, and I think if you tell me some of yours, together we can remember summer's face. Here's what I remember:

1. Feeling the warmth of the sun.
2. The smell of someone BBQing nearby.
3. Flip flops and painted toe nails.
4. Corn on the cob.
5. Sunglasses.
6. Riding my bike.
7. Swimming in the lake to cool off.

Going into water to cool off. Imagine.

It's so sad but that's all I remember. It's so cold here now. So, so cold. And snowing nonstop.

Up till this very day, I haven't really minded winter this time around. But suddenly I've hit a wall. I'll have to find a way to get over it because we still have a solid three months of winter ahead of us. But for today, I'll allow myself to daydream about summer, and remember the good times.

Today

Soundtrack: Kings of Leon album: Because of the Times, with a little White Stripes thrown in.

Grateful for: My snow boots. Snow's got nothing on me today!

Feeling: Lots:
1. Sad because my really good friend is moving.
2. Excited because I get to see an old mission friend tonight.
3. Tired, and excited for the weekend.

Confused by:
This Dove chocolate wrapper. At first I thought it was an insult, but then I realized it was a compliment. Compliments that feel like insults are the worst kind of Dove message:

 

Day dreaming about: Summer and traveling.

Hoping: You'll vote if you haven't yet! Today's the last day for the poll.

Worried: that this post is boring but,

Wanting: to put it out there anyway.

Needing: entertainment. Entertain me? Tell me about your "today!"

Wednesday Thoughts

This picture is hilarious to me.

Thank you all for humoring me yesterday with my "it's my birthday, me, me, me!" post. I appreciated the birthday wishes! You guys really enrich my life and I'm grateful for you.

I had a great birthday, even though my birthday plans got postponed by the snow. I guess it's a January 11th tradition to have a snow storm in Michigan. But I still had a great birthday. I went home and made some chicken noodle soup (from scratch - yeah, I'm bragging) and felt totally snug inside with the snow coming down outside the whole evening.

Yesterday my friend sent me a great link: 11 Dating Mantras to Live By. I thought it might be kind of fun to come up with list of my own! But my list is more dating advice, rather than mantras. Keep in mind, I'm no expert and this list isn't all inclusive. It's just a list of some things that I try to remember, or that I have learned (usually the hard way). So without further ado,

Elizabeth's Dating Advice

1. Don't give up! Even if you're feeling old because you just had a birthday, there's still hope!

2. If you're feeling undesirable, get your eyebrows waxed. You'll feel much better.

3. Don't hang out with guys who are engaged or have a girlfriend if you have a crush on them. Move on. It's a waste of your time.

4. If you want to bond with a guy, watch a scary movie with him. ;)

5. If you've been hanging out with a guy you have feelings for for awhile, but you're not sure if he just wants to be friends or not, clarify it as soon as possible. Don't let this go on for much longer. Or if you think he has feelings for you and you don't feel the same way, talk about it now. Trust me.

6. If you're feeling way down on dating, don't take an extended (planned) break. Just spend a little time with your friends, eating ice cream, watching funny movies, laughing, rejuvenating yourself, and not thinking about dating. Then ease back into it. You never know what the future holds. Try not to get bitter. Life is full of surprises.

7. If you think you're obsessing too much about dating, you probably are. Focus on spending time with friends or getting involved with a hobby to take your mind off it.

8. If you think a guy is a player and you don't feel like being played, don't go out with him when he asks (lesson learned the hard way here!).

9. Flirt. It's fun and harmless. (As long as you don't flirt with a murderer, of course.) And it gives you and the person you're flirting with a little ego boost. Find a way of flirting that works for you, then find someone you kinda like (or think is cute/fun) and flirt!

10. Try not to let dating impact the way you feel about yourself. You're awesome whether you've been asked out recently or not. You really are. Think about all you have to offer and don't worry if you haven't met someone who appreciates that yet. Make a list of the things that you like about yourself, or ask a friend what they like about you if dating has put you in the negatives, self esteem wise.

There you have it, after my 3X (thirty-something) years of dating experience, those are some of the lessons I've learned. But of course, I don't know everything - those are just some tips that work for me. If you have any words of wisdom, I'd love to hear them! And men, I know you're reading now (cat's out of the bag) so I want to hear some of your unique advice too.

I got some great dating/birthday advice from a friend yesterday: "make this the year you become a cougar." Ha! Not sure I'm going to follow that advice (also, I'm not technically old enough to be a cougar), but it certainly made me laugh.

Happy Wednesday.

1-11-11

Once there was a girl who was born in the middle of an awful snow storm on a cold dark January night. That girl (dramatic pause) was me. And that day was some odd years ago (noyb) on January 11th. What I'm trying to say is this: today is my birthday.

This is a picture of me at age 1.5. I know it's vain to say I was a cute kid, but this

whole post is about me, me, me, so I think it might be too late to worry about vanity.

Now, normally I dread my birthday, as you well know. I typically see every birthday as another nail in the coffin. But this year, I don't mind it. I mean, do I want to be older? No, not really. But it beats the alternative. And I enjoy life. So today, I am going to enjoy my birthday. And because it's only natural to be a little self centered on one's birthday (that's the excuse I'm making), I'm going to tell you a little about me in this post. Some of it you already know, but some of it will be new information, I promise.

To start, I'm going to tell you about a few things I love, starting with a little (heartfelt) kissing up:

1. I love when you comment on my blog. Yes, you.

2. I love Campbell's chicken noodle soup. So, so much.

3. I love warm summer evenings and spotting fireflies.

4. I love laughing really hard at a tv show, then quoting it later.

5. I love knee high socks and the warmth they provide.

6. I love the smell of corn tortillas.

7. I love telling scary stories around a campfire.

8. I love discovering a new favorite song.

9. I love keeping up on current events.

10. I love getting sucked into a really good book.

That is just a sampling of the many things I love. To balance things out, here are some things I do not like (most of these you already know if you read this blog a lot):

1. I don't like claymation.

2. I don't like muppets (except Kermit).

3. I don't like optical illusions.

4. I don't like yogurt.

5. I don't like Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

Ok, I'm done - that was enough focus on me, me, me today. But it's my birthday so you'll indulge me today, right?

Now I'd love to hear about you. What are some of your likes and dislikes? I'd love to learn more about you! I hope your 1-11-11 is as special as mine!

The Candy Dish

Those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile know that I love Valentine's Day. I know with all my griping about dating, flirting, and just general dating confusion, you would think I would hate Valentine's Day. But no, I love it. Maybe I love it because I like the burst of red and pink decorations during the bleakest months of the year. Or maybe I love it because I love love. Either way, single or not, I love me some Valentine's Day. And today I bought a new Valentine's Day decoration, as pictured here on one of my book shelves:

Upon further inspection I wondered if maybe I was revealing my true feelings though with this little guy. I mean, we are talking about a monster shaped candy jar with hearts and angel's wings on it. It's kinda scary. But it's also sweet and innocent. Hmm. Any psychologists out there?

Or maybe it has no deeper meaning. Maybe it's just cute. That's the option I'm going with.

Sabotoge

Let me just start out by saying that I'm not proud of this, ok? File this post in the "why I'm not married folder." Here's the deal-io. I'm pretty sure I sabotage myself early on in the pre-relationship stage of the relationship and here's how: over thinking. Pure and simple.

Here's what happens:

1. I meet a cute/fun guy.

2. I flirt.

3. He flirts back (if I'm lucky).

4. We go out - or not.
5. We continue to flirt.
6. I start looking way too far into the future.
7. I wonder if he'll clash with some members of my family, or if I'll clash with his.

8. I wonder if he'll still like me if when he gets to know me better.

9. I start thinking about the various ways things might end badly between us in the distant future.

10. I decide that to save us both heartache, it's best to not even go down this path.

And I mentally break up with him before we start dating. Like I said at the beginning, I'm not proud of this. But I'm coming clean to find out if any of you have this same problem and how to stop doing it.

Now, I know some pre-screening is necessary. I mean, if you notice someone is punching a puppy in the gut, it's best to trust your instincts when he asks you out. No need to say, "maybe I should just get to know him. The puppy might have been asking for it."

But most of the time things aren't that cut and dried. And once you get to be my age, you've had enough experiences with relationships ending (sometimes badly) that you get a bit more gun shy.

At times like this, I wish my blog was anonymous so any guys who thought they wanted to date me can't change their minds after reading this. But hey, I'm working on it, k? And maybe we can work through it together. ;) Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you - now that I know guys are reading this, I'm going to be a lot more flirtatious in my posts. Ladies, that might be awkward for you, but you understand.* 

But I digress. If you have found yourself following any of the steps I listed, and have found a way to break the cycle, maybe you could share your insights? Or if you're stuck in the cycle with me, we can commiserate. 

*Don't worry, I'm not really planning on flirting but people have asked me if I'm going to change anything knowing that guys are reading so I thought I'd throw that in.

Sugar and Spice or Puppy Dog Tails?

So I was just about to write a really girly post (asking what's the longest you've ever gone without shaving your legs) when I started thinking about the number of guys who read this blog. That got me wondering about how many guys that is, exactly. I know some guys read it (because they tell me) but they're less likely to comment, for whatever reason. To those of you guys who do comment, you're awesome, by the way. 

So before I blog about leg shaving, makeup, or anything else that makes the guys click over to espn before reading the whole post, how about a little poll? See on the upper left there? Go ahead and click what your gender is, if you don't mind. Yes, I'm talking to you guys on google reader too. Come on over to the real blog for just a sec, please?

It'll just take a second and it might prevent me from blogging about the dreaded... menstrual cycle. Yeah, I went there. (But for the record, I would never ever blog about that - it was an idle threat.)

Wednesday Thoughts

You guys, what are two things that should not mix? Robots and ghosts, right?! Ok, well, there's this school in my home town that many people think is haunted - books flying off shelves, that kind of thing. Well, recently the school was sold to a robot manufacturing company! I just learned this information over the Christmas break and forgot to tell you until just now. So don't say I didn't warn you when you see a story on the news about ghost powered robots.

Wow... I'm in a silly mood.

Time to get serious. 2011 has been a good year for me so far. I made my New Year's resolutions vague enough that I don't feel overwhelmed by them ("improve this... get better at that.."). One of my friends (you know who you are) wrote on Facebook that his New Year's resolution is to take Facebook more seriously and share more personal drama in his status updates. I love that. Have any of you set any fun or crazy resolutions? I'm thinking something like this might work: eat more chocolate. Yes?

Everyone was going mad about the date on New Year's - 1/1/11. I'll admit it's cool but you know what an even cooler date is? 1/11/11. If you know why, you get five points.

So tell me - are you guys adjusting to winter? I think I might be. We got some fresh snow today and it was so pretty. Oh wait, I took a picture:

Serene, huh? Talk to me again in a month and I'll tell you if I'm still ok with winter. For now I've made my peace with it.

Happy Wednesday.

3 Happy Things

Right before Thanksgiving, Ryan from the Singles Ward blog issued me a challenge: Every day for 33 days, write down three things that made me happy that day. On the 7th day, go back and find a picture representing one of the things on my list for day one and print out the picture. The next day, find a picture from day 2, and so on and so forth (while still making the list of three things every night). Then start making a collage of the pictures. On the 33rd day, the project is finished. I finished yesterday and I thought I'd share with you the finished project:

If I did anything fun with you in that time, it is in some way represented in the collage. And not everything is what it seems exactly. The Snickers, for example. Though I do like Snickers bars, that's not why there's a picture of Snickers there - that picture represents a wager I had with my co-workers which I won. The winner got a candy bar of their choice (in my case, a Snickers). I had a good time finding pictures of things on my list and I love having a visual reminder of some of the happy things in my life from this time period.

I really enjoyed this challenge for a few reasons:

1. It helped me to end the day thinking about the positive.

2. It made me realize how many good things and good people I have in my life.

3. Throughout the day I'd find myself thinking, "this should be one of my happy things," making me think positively throughout the day.

4. I feel that my way of thinking has altered, and though the project is finished, I am now in the habit of recognizing things that make me happy now.

My niece checking out my collage

If one of your New Year's resolutions is to be a happier person (in any way), I recommend you give this project a try! It is a concrete way of counting your blessings and would be a great way to start the new year! Thanks for the idea, Ryan!