At War with my Alarm Clock

I am NOT a morning person. So everyday, I am at war with my alarm clock.


My alarm clock is the digital style, with red numbers that I can see with my contacts out and glasses off, if I’m squinting… It has the capability to play radio. However, I have it set so the alarm is just the annoying buzzing sound.




My alarm clock is similar to this...


The time on alarm clock is set 11 minutes fast. I do this in attempts to trick my brain into thinking that it is 11 minutes later than it actual is. My theory is that this will help me gain an extra 11 minutes, by waking up 11 minutes earlier…


In actuality, my brain is not fooled… I’m the one who set it 11 minutes fast, therefore, when I look at the time, I see 7:15, but I still process it as being 7:04...


Every day, my goal is to get to work by 8:00am. Every day, I fail at this goal.


I set the alarm to go off at 5:57am. I always have to pick an odd time to set it to. Not “odd” in the mathematical sense (where 1 is odd, 2 is even, 3 is odd, and so forth), but “odd” in the sense that it’s not 6:00am exactly. It’s just one of those quirks that I can’t explain.


As the alarm buzzes, I can usually hear it in the background of my dream. It usually ends up turning my dream into something where I have to get to a point and hit a button or else the world will end. The buzzer on my alarm will continuously get louder, and LOUDER, and L O U D E R until I turn it off (or hit snooze)… This is when the war starts!


As I reach the point of saving the world in my dream, I realize that it’s just my alarm clock going off, and I throw my arm at it in an attempt to hit the snooze button. My eyes remain closed, hoping that if I don’t fully regain consciousness, then I will be able to quickly fall back asleep and enjoy 9 more minutes of slumber…
Then again, that buzzer, (this time a fire alarm in the background of my dream, time to evacuate) is getting louder, and LOUDER, and L O U D E R! This time I say “sssshhhh” as I hit the snooze button. That will show it whose boss!


This process continues to repeat itself, with the “sssshhh” usually turning into more inappropriate words that aren’t recommended for readers under 17…


Each time this occurs, I make deals with myself… “if I put my hair in a pony tail, I can push snooze 1 more time”… “I took my shower before bed, so I can push snooze 1 more time”… “I’m not packing a lunch, so I can push snooze 1 more time”… “I’ll speed on the way to work, so I can push snooze 1 more time”…


The war usually ends with me finally cracking my eyes open to see the alarm clock says 8:01am (7:50am)… That moment of realization of just how late it is usually sends me flying out of bed with a few groans and more inappropriate words…


The alarm clock won again…

Simplifying the GREEN Way!

Yes, the term "green" is quickly becoming cliche, but I still feel strongly about it!  As I've said before, I've been passionate about the environment long before it was trendy...

Anyways, as I've been working on simplifying and decluttering my life and home, I realized a big cause of the clutter is because I HATE to throw anything away.  I always feel that an item may be able to be re-used at a later date, or someone else may actual want it and be able to put it to good use (since one person's trash is another person's treasure!), so I hate to send it to a landfill...  So, I've been very diligent about either recycling or donating the majority of the "stuff" that I'm cleaning out!

So, I just thought I'd share some of my "Green" tips here, in case you ever need to clear anything out!

First of all, if you don't have one yet, contact your trash company about getting a recycling bin!  We are fortunate enough that our trash company provides us with a recycling bin that is the same size as the trash bin and can be wheeled down to the curb!  No more carrying the small, overflowing, rectangle bin!  Plus, we don't have to sort!  We just throw our plastics, paper, cardboard, glass, aluminum, etc into the bin!  I LOVE IT!  So seriously, call your trash company and see what they can provide!  There may be a slight charge for the bin, but hey, shop around!  A lot of trash companies have coupons on their websites.

Next, a big dilemma I had was what to do with old, scratched CDs and DVDs!  So, I Googled "recycle cds", and found the The Compact Disc Recycling Center of America.  You can just mail your junky, scratched CDs and DVDs to this address:

CD Recycling Center

68H Stiles Rd.

Salem, NH 03079

 
They recycle everything that comes with a CD: the paper insert, the case, and the CD.  You do have to separate these components, but it's not too difficult!  I just did this, and I sent only the CDs and DVDs, because you DO have to pay to ship them.  It cost about $1 to mail the stack of CDs pictured below.  Then, I threw the paper and plastic cases into my own recycle bin. 
 



My final tip of the day is to donate anything you don't want!  You could donate to Goodwill, the Salvation Army, or any local mission.  

About a year ago, I volunteered at the Holland Rescue Mission.  My task was to sort through the shoes that had been donated, making sure that the matching pairs were tied or banded together.  Other volunteers were sorting through the clothes and miscellaneous items that had been donated. 

We learned that A LOT of their donations were actually items that Goodwill couldn't/wouldn't sell in their store.  The Holland Rescue Mission takes these unsellable items and crates them up and sends them to third world countries.  We were told about someone who had witnessed the delivery of these crates of clothes, shoes, and random stuff and they said that the people of that country were so incredibly grateful and happy to recieve these items that were considered "unsellable" at a Goodwill store in the United States. 

So this just goes to show that while you think that something is trash, you should still try to donate it!  It could get sent to some far off land where someone will really appreciate it and can use it!!!

I know that I am still not 100% green, or even 50%.  I admit that I have wasteful habits and do things that are harmful to the environment.  But I try as much as I can to reduce my impact on the environment.  I encourage you to do the same!  Every little bit helps!!!

What tips do you have to share about being "green?"

A New Name!

So, I was pretty sick of my old blog name... "Where I've Been, Where I'm At, and Where I'm Going"....

When I first started this blog, I thought I would have a lot of deep and meaningful stuff to say that would fit that name.  I thought it was going to be about the story of my life, and be incredibly interesting.  And while the blog is all about my life (it's a pretty self-centered blog :-P), it really isn't all that deep or meaningful...  Plus, I'd been told it was a long name on a few occasions, which it was...

So, I decided to change it up a bit! 

Welcome to "...And Then I Found Twenty Bucks!"

After reading some of my posts, I was like, "Wow... Good story... er, just kidding?"  In other words, they really aren't that interesting if you don't know me, or even if you do know me! 

They kind of made me feel like I needed to add the saying "...and then I found 20 bucks!"  to the end of them, just to make it that much more exciting!  :-)

So, that's how I got my new blog title.  I'm kind of making fun of myself and my super cool blog.  But that's OK.  I'm still going to blog about whatever random stuff I feel like blogging about.  Hopefully my topics and my writing will improve.  Hopefully I will interest some people.  But mostly, I'll continue to do it for fun, because I like to talk about myself!!!!  So, hopefully you like reading about me!

Enjoy! :-)

Happy 4 Year Wedding Anniversary!

Four years ago I married my best friend!  To commemorate this wonderful occasion, I decided to share lots and lots of pictures that show how our friendship grew into a bond that will last forever!  Because, hey, who doesn't love pictures?!??!  I know I LOVE them!

To start, here is us at what should "technically" be our First Date!  The Grand Valley State University President's Ball in 2002.  This was during our freshman year at GVSU.  We were only friends, although Chaz wanted more!  Hahaha!  I always tease him about that now.  But we really consider our First Date as an outing to Taco Bell.  That was when we both liked each other. :-)

This is us in my dorm room during our freshman year!  Again, just friends!!!  But he was being a good friend and cheering me up, so I decided to take a silly picture of us! :-)

Here we are with Louie the Laker at one of our trips to see GVSU Football play in Alabama in the D II Championships!  So much fun!

A picture that I love and Chaz hates!  How can he not love it, we are having so much fun it it?!?! Clearly GVSU won the game! :-)

My Valentine's gift to him in 2003, just after we started officially being a couple!

Our first little apartment together in 2004!

It wasn't long after we got our first apartment together, that we got engaged in front of my family in Las Vegas!  I think I'll share the engagement story in another post sometime!

We were engaged for 2 years!  But finally, it was time to rehearse the big day!



Photo by Karyn May - www.karynmayphotography.com

We were married at Cook-Dewitt Center on Grand Valley State Universities Allendale Campus!  GVSU was where we first met, so it was PERFECT!



Photo by Karyn May - www.karynmayphotography.com

This was us just 4 years ago!  Sealing the deal with a kiss! :-)

 

Photo by Karyn May - www.karynmayphotography.com

This is my FAVORITE picture of our wedding party!  I can't help but laugh every time I look at it!

The  next series of photo's explain themselves! :-)

Photo by Karyn May - www.karynmayphotography.com



Photo by Karyn May - www.karynmayphotography.com

 

Photo by Karyn May - www.karynmayphotography.com

 

Photo by Karyn May - www.karynmayphotography.com

We did kiss and make up of course! :-)

Just a few months after we were married, we jumped in and bought our first house!  We are really starting to grow up! :-)

Ever since we were married, we make sure to celebrate our anniversary! I know some people don't feel the need to celebrate, but I love it! I think it keeps us closer together when we celebrate that special occasion! It reminds us to keep romance in our relationship and to tell each other how important they really are!

Obviously since I feel strongly about celebrating, I made sure to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary in the traditional way, by eating the top layer of our wedding cake.  This is what was left of it after the little cake fight that you saw... :-)

And here we are feeding it to each other.  Nicely this time!  We were in our new house, we didn't want to mess it up!  :-)

We celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary with a trip to Mackinac Island and Sault Ste. Marie!

Our 3rd wedding anniversary celebration was extra special because we were able to celebrate with both of our families!  During the month of September, we went to Myrtle Beach with my family...

...and to Las Vegas with Chaz's family! 

So, this is us right now.  This picture was taken a few weeks ago on a family vacation to Mackinac Island! We are on to our 4th wedding anniversary, and we will be celebrating by going to Niagara Falls (the Canada side) in a few weeks!  I'm looking forward to visiting this new place with Chaz, and having many, many more adventures together! 

Chaz is an incredible husband who I love so much!  I am so lucky to have him in my life and he does so much for me.  From the small things like opening jars or killing spiders, to major stuff like keeping track of the finances and fixing the brakes on my car, there isn’t a thing he can’t do!  So thank you Chaz, for EVERYTHING!!!  I love you!!!  Happy Anniversary!

Say What?!?!?!

Song lyrics.

A lot of times, I know them, without even knowing that I know them. I hear the same song so often, even if I don’t like the song that much, I still catch myself singing along in the car on my way to work.

But the majority of the time, I think I know them, but I really don’t. I often have my own “Sarah Remix” for a song because I sing the words that I think they are saying, and that seem to fit in that space, but I usually find out they are wrong when I happen to sing them in front of somebody else…

This HAS to happen to other people too, right? You’ll just be in the car, singing away, when the other person looks at you with their eyebrows raised, asking “What the heck did you just say????”

“Um, ‘Hood slidin’ like whoa dude’…”

Then comes the laughter! That’s when you realize, that the lyrics you sang make absolutely zero sense in normal people land! But in my own "Sarah language", I totally thought that you could “hood slide like whoa dude!”

Apparently, the actual lyrics are “Hood slidin’ like Bo Duke…”

Yes, the above example is an actual experience that happened to me. The song that these lyrics are from is Dierks Bentley’s ‘What Was I Thinking.’ You can watch and hear the lyrics here:

Fortunately, these embarrassing situations usually only occur with my husband, who is so wonderful to point out the correct lyrics to me.

Just this past Friday, I discovered that I had another lyric wrong! And is from a song that’s been out since 2000! I’ve been singing it wrong for 10 years… Wonderful!

Chaz happened to be singing away this time, and when he said “Chances are – that I might!” I looked at him and started laughing! Haha! Now it’s my turn to point out that he doesn’t know the lyrics. He asked me what I was laughing at, and I pointed out that he doesn’t know the lyrics! “What are the lyrics then?” he asks me…

“Chances are – dynamite!”

Now he starts laughing… oh man, I did it again! In “Sarah language” yes, the chances of something happening could be “dynamite”… but I guess not everyone talks like me! Check out the lyrics video and listen to the song here, and see if you know what I’m talking about!

There have been many more instances of screwed up lyrics, but these are just the few I could remember right now... So anyways, I hope I’m not the only one who screws up lyrics! Will you share what lyrics you’ve messed up?  I need a good laugh! :-)

The Winner!!!!

In my last post, I hosted a GIVEAWAY for these beautiful earrings!

Purple and Lavender Chain Dangle Earrings - See the listing by clicking here!

Thank you to all who entered!  Even if you didn't win and just for reading this post, I will offer you all a special sale at AccessoryLove!  How does Buy One, Get One (of equal or lesser value) FREE sound?!?!?  Just make your purchase and put "Giveaway" in the message to seller.  I will refund the sale price via PayPal.

Well, I did the drawing the old-fashioned way, by writing the names on a slip of paper and putting them into a bowl!

Names in a bowl!

I asked my husband to volunteer to do the drawing!  As you can see in the picture, he is oh-so-happy to help! :-)

My Happy Helper!

And the winner of the beautiful Purple and Lavender Chain Dangle Earrings is.... (drum roll please!)

CONGRATULATIONS SHARRIE!!! I will contact you to get the earrings sent to you as soon as possible!

Again, thank you so much to all who entered!  I hope the new followers enjoy my blog!  I am always trying to improve in my writing and my topic choices!  I always appreciate feedback and comments!

DON'T FORGET:  Even if you didn't win and just for reading this post, I will offer you all a special sale at AccessoryLove! How does Buy One, Get One (of equal or lesser value) FREE sound?!?!? Just make your purchase and put "Giveaway" in the message to seller. I will refund the sale price via PayPal.

I'm Having a GIVEAWAY!!!

In a previous post, I wrote about how I am in the beginning stages of simplifying and decluttering my life. I have been making very good progress on this and I’m very happy about it! So far, I’ve donated a few boxes of stuff to Goodwill, thrown out several bags of trash, and sold a few items via Craigslist and Amazon.com. I will detail more of my progress in an upcoming post.

But right now I am trying to work on selling my inventory from my Etsy shop, AccessoryLove! I’ve got a lot of wonderful earrings that need new homes, instead of hiding away in my craft drawer!

See this pair here

See this pair here

See this pair here

See this pair here

So, to promote my shop and hopefully boost business, I decided to host my first GIVEAWAY!!!! :-)

By entering this GIVEAWAY, you could win these beautiful Purple and Lavender Chain Dangle Earrings! These earrings are a $10 value! You can read more about them and see additional pictures by clicking here.

 ^^^Enter today to win these Purple and Lavender Earrings^^^

HERE'S HOW TO ENTER:

You can enter using each of the 5 following methods. Do them all for maximum entries! (Please be sure to include some type of contact info in a comment so I can contact you if you win.) You have until Sunday, September 12 at Noon (Eastern time) to enter!!!

1. Follow or become a follower of my blog.  Leave a comment saying your Follow/Now Follow. (1 entry)

2. Leave a comment with a link to your favorite item from AccessoryLove and why it’s your fave. (1 entry)

3. “Like” the Facebook page of AccessoryLove at http://www.facebook.com/AccessoryLove - Leave a comment here stating you “Liked”. (1 entry)

4. Blog about this GIVEAWAY! Leave a comment with a link to the Blog. (BONUS 5 entries)

5. Make a purchase and complete payment from AccessoryLove. Leave a comment with a link of what you purchased.  (BONUS 10 entries)

Please leave a comment here or on the Facebook page if you have any questions about how to enter! A random name will be drawn at approximately Noon (eastern time) on Sunday, September 12. So get your entries in today!

Thanks for your support!

An Autumn Memory

Forecast from http://www.wzzm13.com/

Cooler temperatures have arrived in West Michigan for this Labor Day weekend, reminding me that autumn is just around the corner. Although the sun and heat of summer makes that my favorite season, autumn is definitely a very close second favorite!

This time of year just brings back so many wonderful memories, I can’t help but reminisce about football games, tailgating, first days of school, and so much more! With all of these nice memories floating back into my head, I was reminded of a particular memory that I thought would be great to share as an example of “where I’ve been” for my blog, that has brought me to “where I’m at.”

And of course, that little memory is the first time I met my husband, Chaz!

It was more than just “Hi, my name is Chaz.” “Hi, my name is Sarah.” Boom! Done, we met… I think a lot of little things happened that caused us to meet…

During my senior year of high school, I was all set to go to Michigan State University. I had done the college visit, I had set up an orientation, I had signed up to be in the engineering dorm, and we had our first payment submitted. Life was good.

But I soon changed my mind based on the silly heart of high school girl, and decided I should stay closer to home, and attend Grand Valley State University. However, despite changing to a college less than 7 miles from home, I still made the best decision of my life - to live in a dorm on campus!

So, orientation was cancelled, dorm selection was cancelled, payment was cancelled. And everything was instead set up for GVSU.

I had again signed up to be the engineering dorm, which was in what GVSU calls a “living center” – where the rooms have a suite mate that share 1 bathroom. When I happened to discuss this with my older sister Lisa, she explained that living in a living center was going to be extremely boring, and not very fun. Her impression had been that they were always so quiet because nobody ever had to leave their room. She thought I’d have a lot more fun if I changed to the type of dorm that had a community bathroom where people were always coming and going and walking the halls of the dorm. Looking back, I now wonder if she was serious, or if she was trying to trick me… Either way, I promptly called up GVSU and requested to change my dorm selection. Unfortunately, I had already been assigned a room in the engineering dorm - The Pew, as those who lived there referred to it. I wasn’t going to be able to switch. Oh well…

So, the summer passed, fall was approaching, and it was time to move in to the dorm! How incredibly fun that first weekend was - after move in but before classes started! Some of those memories will have to be in a different blog post someday!

Well, sometime during those days before classes had started, I happened to be on my computer in my room with the door open. A few different people that were living in The Pew had already dropped by to introduce themselves. One more person happened to stop by on this day. He introduced himself (although I’m terrible with names, so as soon as he said it, I had already forgotten it), and he said that his room was across the hall, and he wasn’t from here and had no idea where his classes were. I told him that I WAS from here, and I still didn’t know where my classes were! So, we decided to get out our schedules and venture on to campus to find our classes so we didn’t look like silly Freshman on the first day!

A portion of GVSU's Allendale Campus

On our search for class locations, we chatted about where we were from, what sports we played, interests, friends, etc. We got along great!

Later that day, I can remember talking to my roommate about the people we had met. Neither of us could remember the name of the guy across the hall that we had met, but fortunately each the names of the room inhabitants were written on each door. We peeked across the hall and say “Chad” and “Charles.” Both of us agreed it must have been “Chad” that we met! Of course, we eventually discovered that it was “Charles” who we had met, although he goes by “Chaz.”

That first semester at Grand Valley was so much fun! Unfortunately, Chaz and I didn’t always get along very well. I believe a couple incidents that stick out involve my laundry basket gone missing, and him on my computer. But eventually we started hanging out more and before we knew it, I was his “shadow” and he was my best friend! And he’s been my best friend ever since!

Our wedding day!  We had to get a picture of us in front of where it all began!

Just think, if I hadn’t started at GVSU that autumn of 2001… who know’s where I’d be now!

What is one of your great memories of the autumn season? I’d love to read about them!

Pet Peeves

I get annoyed easily, therefore, I have A LOT of pet peeves! I try not to complain about them too much, but this one tops the list, and I really need to rant about it.

My NUMBER 1 pet peeve is when people bring their pet (typically a dog) with them to the grocery store or to run other errands, and then leave the dog in the car while they go in and shop away!

If you do this, can you please enlighten me as to WHY?!?!?

Do you really think cracking your window an inch, maybe 2, really makes it that much more comfortable in the car? Do you think that helps prevent the inside of your car from turning into an oven and baking your precious dog that you couldn’t leave at home for an hour while you grocery shop?!?!

The other day, Chaz and I were running errands and drove by one of those signs on a bank that said the temperature was 92 degrees Fahrenheit outside. We then park next to a pick up truck that has a dog in it, and the windows are cracked approximately 1 inch! Seriously?!?!? It’s unbearable to even be outside, let alone inside a car! Why would anyone do that????

So, maybe you agree that when it is 92 degrees out, you leave your pet at home. But even at 65 degrees, the inside of a car gets extremely warm. I challenge you to test it out. On the next mild temperature day, park you car outside, get in it, and crack your window an inch. See how long you last before you are drenched in sweat and miserable and ready to die… Could you make it 30 minutes, an hour? Then think about that the next time you consider bringing your pet with you just to leave in the car while you go do human activities.

If that doesn’t convince you, then try thinking of it this way… People insist on treating their pets like children, I admit that am included in this group. Would you ever leave your child in an oven-car with the window cracked? No! So don’t do it with your pets either!

You Can Simplify More Than Just Fractions!

So for the past who-knows-how-long, I have just not been very happy. I've felt unfulfilled, restless, anxious, and stressed. And I think the reason for all of that was because I've been focusing on a lot of different activities and priorities, and I haven’t been very focused on what I love most. After reading a few inspiring blogs, I made a short list of what I love most, and I am going to work on getting rid of everything else that didn’t make that list.

So, I’ve started to simplify my life by getting rid of the extra stuff that just stresses me out! This has actually been going on for a while, but I didn’t even realize it. Before, I was basically focused on cutting out unnecessary spending, but looking back, I realized that this was actually simplifying my financial life.

One of the first things I did earlier this year was down-grade my cell phone. I used to have a Verizon plan that I only used about 15% of the minutes each month. I really don’t talk on the phone that much, I mostly keep in touch through emails. So, I switched to a phone where I pay by the minute. Not only did I down-grade the plan, but now my phone is just a phone! No camera, no downloaded ringtones, no internet. Basically, all it does is make/receive calls and it can still text message. A bonus about this phone is it is made from recycled materials and is also easily disassembled for recycling at the end of it's life. Plus, it came with a pre-paid envelope to send in my old phone for recycling! The only downside is I was unable to keep the phone number I’ve had since I was 16, but I’m starting to get used to it.

The next financial simplification involved Chaz. We finally got rid of his car at the beginning on the summer! We bought his BMW back in 2007 at the same time as we were buying our house. Looking back, that was a really dumb idea! The car itself wasn’t necessarily the financial drain, it was mostly the interest rate on the loan that was ridiculous. We were basically paying all this extra money for nothing. So, he listed it on a Craigslist, and in less than a week, it was sold! What a relief that was! So for a while, we were a single car family. It worked for us because we work less than a mile from each other, so we were able to carpool to work. Then, we were lucky enough that my mom decided to sell us her old Taurus for extremely cheap, so we still don’t have a car-payment! The other expenses that this elimated were full-coverage car insurance, and the pricey upkeep of the BMW! It feels great to be car-payment free!

Since the idea of complete simplification struck me, we started working on getting rid of the clutter in our house and garage. In our years together, we have just accumulated so much “stuff.” And most of it is stuff we don’t really need! So last night, we brought a car-full of stuff to Goodwill to donate. That barely made a dent in the clutter, but it was a start. We plan to go through our basement soon and remove a bunch more junk.

And finally, I did the unthinkable to move towards simplification. I cancelled our cable!!! When we first moved into our house, we had Digital Cable with HDTV, a premium sports package, HBO, Encore, Showtime, and DVR. When the economy took a downturn and both Chaz and I took paycuts, we downgraded to what we thought "we couldn't live without" - which was only Digital Cable with HDTV and DVR.

Now that I am focusing on what I love most, I realized, we can live without cable TV. It is really a time drain for both of us. The TV is currently on from the time I get home from work, until I go to bed at night. I’m not always watching it, but I do get sucked into it and it takes away from the time I could spend being productive around the house, or quality time Chaz and I could be spending together. By ridding TV from our lives, it would free up so much more time. So I just wanted it all gone!

Well, I called Comcast today and said I want to cancel my entire cable package. Of course, they tried pressuring me into other packages, thinking that it was only financial reasons behind my cancelling. I tried to explain to them that I just wanted to eliminate TV because it was just a distraction. Unfortunately, it was actually less expensive to keep the very basic package of only local channels because it gave us a discount on our internet connection. So, there will still be a little bit of distraction left around. But since we’ve gone from getting 100+ channels to getting 10 channels, hopefully we won’t be drawn towards the TV as much!

There is still a lot more in my life that I need to simplify, so this is just a start for now! I'm looking forward to my journey of simplification and focusing on what I love most!

"Everything we possess that is not necessary for life or happiness becomes a burden, and scarcely a day passes that we do not add to it."
~Robert Brault

Three About Me

I saw this in a friends blog that I follow (Thankfulness & Thoughtfulness), so I figured I'd play too! :-)

3 names I go by:
Sarah
Sarah Lynn
Balls

3 places I have been (or 3 places that have been influential in my life):
Acupulco, Mexico
Hollywood, California
Honolulu, Hawaii

3 favorite drinks:
Diet Coke
Fuze Strawberry Melon
Diet Coke

3 jobs I have had:
Meijer Women's Department Person
City of Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation Administrative Assistant
Engineering Specialist

3 TV shows I watch:
LOST
Friends (re-runs)
Family Guy

3 places I would like to visit:
Italy (Venice, Rome, etc)
San Fransico, CA
Boston, Mass

3 favorite retro TV shows:
Friends
Rugrats
That 70's Show

3 places I have lived:
Jenison, MI
Allendale, MI
Grand Rapids (Walker/Standale), MI

3 favorite dishes:
Chicken and Brocolli with white rice
Orange Chicken from Cheesecake Factory
burgers on the grill in the summer (yum...)

3 things I am looking forward to:
Starting a family
Seeing Eclipse with my neighbors!
Making lots of sales in my Etsy shop AccessoryLove

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father’s Day to the greatest dad! I know most people think that their dad is the best, but my dad was truly amazing! I look back at everything he did for me, and I am incredibly grateful. I only wish I could tell him Thank You for those wonderful things to his face this Father’s Day.

Unfortunately, my dad passed away about 1 year and 3 months ago. This is the 2nd Father’s Day we’ve celebrated without my dad actually present. It definitely brings a different feel to this Hallmark holiday.



For us, it is now a time to remember our dad, and to be thankful of how wonderful he was.

Here are a few great memories of my dad I’d like to share:

When I was in elementary school, I can remember him taking me out of school in the middle of the day for a dentist appointment, or maybe it was an orthodontist appointment. After the appointment he would take me to lunch at McDonalds. At that age, getting McDonalds was a real treat!



I also remember a time when he went with me on a field trip to Chicago for my ACT class. I think I was in 4th or 5th grade at that time. He took the day off work, and we rode in a Greyhound bus to Chicago for the day. I think it was my first time ever going to Chicago. We went to Shedd Aquarium. We went to the Field Museum. We had lunch in the park. It was a day of just me and my dad. I can’t really remember the details of the day, but I still can’t believe he did that with me!



Other memories of my dad include him teaching me how to drive! I’m sure he enjoyed that… but not really… :-) To teach me about driving in the snow, he had me drive around in the high school parking lot before it had been plowed. The car I learned to drive in didn’t have anti-lock brakes. So he had me drive super fast (or what felt like super fast) across the lot and then slam on my brakes and try and turn the wheel. For anyone who’s driven in the snow, you all know that my car did not turn and continued to go in the direction I had been driving. He then had me repeat this little exercise and then pump my brakes and turn the wheel. This time, my car turned in the direction I wanted to go. I think that was a lesson I’ll never forget! :-)



Something I am so grateful for is that my dad was able to walk me down the aisle on my wedding day. I was very nervous and stressed out on my wedding day. I remember walking down the aisle, more like running down the aisle, and my dad said “I think we are supposed to walk slowly.” I said “Oh crap, that’s right!” We were already half way there, but we immediately changed our pace. I just find that so funny. That was my dad’s way of calming me down!



I have so many incredible memories of my dad, just too many to write about here. Even after a year, a day doesn’t go by that I don’t think about him and miss him. HAPPY FATHER’S DAY, DAD!

Me, a name, I call myself!

This blog post started out because random terms that I would use to describe myself were floating through my head. I felt like I needed to write them down and get them out so I could concentrate on my work. And as I was writing, I realized that the majority of the terms were negative, negative, negative. They were not helping boost my mood at all.

And when I got to about my 30th term/phrase to describe me, I realized I was digging my own grave of sadness and negativity. I was wallowing in my self-pity. For what? Why would I even bother writing all that negativity out, and then publishing it for all to see? It just seemed to bring me down deeper into the dumps!

I know I’m in a little bit of a ‘rut’ and the winter blues are carrying on into summer, but I just need to get over it… Maybe if I can lift my mood, then I’ll stop seeing the everyday monotonous tasks of life as just something that you are required to do, and start seeing them as something to enjoy, to cherish, to remember…

So I have decided to “turn my frown upside down!” Instead of writing ANY ol’ term that comes to my head, I am going to purposefully think about and write only POSITIVE terms or phrases that describe me!

So, here are 50 POSITIVE/UPLIFTING terms and phrases that are me. Maybe you’ll learn something new!

1. I am female.
2. I am a daughter.
3. I am a sister.
4. I am a wife.
5. I am an aunt.
6. I am a cousin.
7. I am a friend.
8. I am a neighbor.
9. I am a listener.
10. I am shy.
11. I am good at math (when using a calculator).
12. I am an engineer.
13. I am a college graduate.
14. I am a home owner.
15. I am a reader.
16. I am an online shopper.
17. I am a volunteer.
18. I am the ‘Inspire Change’ Committee Director for the Grand Rapids AHA Start! Heart Walk.
19. I am the ‘Community’ Chair Person for the Herman Miller WIN Team.
20. I am quiet.
21. I am loyal.
22. I am easy-going.
23. I am a life-long learner.
24. I am thankful.
25. I am helpful.
26. I am a jewelry maker.
27. I am a recycler.
28. I am dependable.
29. I am passionate about the environment.
30. I am honest.
31. I am sensitive.
32. I am half-Filipino.
33. I am quirky.
34. I am silly.
35. I am Christian.
36. I am modest.
37. I am dedicated.
38. I am a dreamer.
39. I am a person who likes to celebrate holidays, birthdays, and other special occasions.
40. I am a newbie crafter.
41. I am cautious.
42. I am a fast typer.
43. I am an animal lover.
44. I am a newbie blogger! :-)
45. I am a planner.
46. I am goal-oriented.
47. I am an ice-cream lover.
48. I am a Diet Coke addict.
49. I am interested in a lot of different things, like history, traveling, crafts, and psychology.
50. I am in love with my husband.
Ok, that was actually pretty difficult to come up with 30 terms/phrases to describe myself. Does anyone else know something about me that I should add??? Could you come up with 50 positive terms to describe yourself? I’d love it if you’d share them here! :-)