Don't Give Up Your Power

Recently had a girls night with two of my great friends (love those girls....we even talked about how they would drive an hour to pick me up if I had a flat tire, cursing all the way down & laughing all the way home).  In said girls night we had some great conversation  - and one topic in particular stemmed around how a girl two of us knows is afraid to hang out with someone.  Why might you ask is she afraid to hang out with a potential new friend?  For fear of making a 3rd party upset with her for hanging out with the new friend.

My reaction you may be wondering? HOW FLIPPIN' STUPID!  Why should a 3rd party have any kind of control/power of who you want to hang out with and get to know?! I mean really people, we are all adults & have the capacity to decide who we want to spend time with.  Most of me just thinks this girl is kind of sad for letting that 3rd girl have any kind of say, and part of me feels mad on behalf of that girl for being "friends" with the 3rd girl.  What kind of friend puts parameters on who someone can and can not be friends with and/or hang out with.  Friends don't put those kind of restrictions on other people.

Let's be honest here folks, you have all the power & capability in the world to be able to decipher who is worthy of your time & who is not.  People who try to impose such silly parameters on others are not people who I would deem as "friends."  Friends are those who support you, encourage you, and above all else recognize that you are a capable individual.  Seems simple, I know - but it sure does seem to have so much power over some.
As for me -- there is no way on earth that someone would ever tell(or imply) me who I could & could not, should or should not be friends with.  Maybe that's the stubborn Norwegian in me - but I'm not one who's "told" to do much of anything, let alone who I deem as worthy of working in to the folds of my life.
All this to say my friends...don't give up your power, your voice, or your choice of who you want to be a part of your life.  No one else should make that decision for you.  And if at the end of the day you don't find that potential friend as someone who you want to share your life with then that's fine, because it's your call.

Ever dealt with something like this or seen this situation play out?
<3

A Full Weekend -- Can't Complain!

This past weekend was incredibly full!  Literally had maybe only a couple of hours to myself on Sunday.  Other than that it was jam packed!

Friday night -- cousin's wedding in Milwaukie, it was pretty, definitely fit my cousin (& aunt), saw old high school friends, high school teachers and spent the night with family (especially favorite cousin Tasha & husband Chad).
Saturday -- work at the Bridal Gallery in the morning (love going in there - the girls that work there are wonderful, so fun & funny!), quick trip home and an hour to rest then it was off to the Keizer Iris Festival Tent with 2 of our favorite couples!  It was great.  And I just love the KeizerFest - it always reminds me how much I love Keizer and growing up/living in Keizer.  It's kind of dorky to stand in a HUGE tent and see basically everyone in town and know pretty much the whole tent, but there's something fun about that too.  Our friends the Johnson's had never been before, so I explained many of the nuances and fun facts about the festival & the highlights of growing up in such a small town.
Sunday -- church in the morning, quick trip to the office and then home to nap for a few hours.  YoungLife meeting about camp (well...we didn't talk about camp much, but that was supposed to be the goal), and then GIRLS NIGHT at a local restaurant for half off appetizers!  Girl time is so precious...and because of them & their encouragement I was convicted (in a good way) to go home and have an honest conversation with hubby Isaac.  Love those two girls Mo & Lauren...they're rock stars.

Alright back to my studying & random work projects... Hope you're well friends!
<3

Fill In The Blank Friday

I think it's time for a non-serious post...

Thanks Lauren for the blanks!

1.   People always tell me I look like... a girl they know.  Never anyone famous, just remind them of this girl they know, or a friend of a friend.

2.  Friends don't let friends  walk around with food in their teeth, date douche-y guys, cry alone, or walk around with TP stuck to their shoe

3.  A sunny day is perfect for a walk (or run) in the park, BBQ's, soaking up the sun with hubby

4.  My favorite accessory is my engagement ring, fake-o diamond studs from target & birthstone necklace from parents

5.  If I could afford it I would hire a housekeeper & law guys....and travel the world

6.  The cure for boredom is  GET UP! Get up from where you are and go any where.  Walk, drive, ride your bike...do something & instantly you won't be bored! :)

7.  I am currently "in like" with  light cardigans, sandals, asparagus, quinoa & israeli cous cous, BBQ'ing, road trips, and paying off our school loan! (almost there!)

Another crazy busy weekend ahead of me.  Cousin's wedding tonight, work tomorrow & the fabulous Keizer Iris Fest with friends tomorrow night, church on Sunday along with a YL meeting & girls night at The Ram for half off appetizers!  All good things I must say.  But I sure am looking forward to a girls weekend with my mom next week at Gran's cabin.  It'll be the first time I've been there since right after she passed away.  I'm a little nervous, but I want to be there.....I've been missing her a lot lately...

<3

 

Baby Mania!

Crikey!  Is it me or is everyone around me getting pregnant or trying to get pregnant?! Yeesh!  Don't get me wrong, I'm all for having kids - and plan on having kids with hubby.  But not right now, that's for sure.

Two posts today already from other blogs I follow about maternity shoots or pregnancy announcements.  Did I miss the memo?   Was I expected to jump on this band wagon?  Are these signs or nudges?  Even this weekend, one of our friends approached me and attempted to coyly ask me if I was pregnant because she didn't see me drinking wine.  So yesterday while in a random rant session with BFF Monique we both came to the same conclusion when people asks that question....

Should we be pissed that you noticed we weren't drinking and maybe think we're an alcoholic of sorts...

OR

Should we be upset that you're blatantly over stepping a boundary of me deciding on who & when people find out that we're pregnant?

So peculiar the way some people act when others are pregnant.  One lady at Mo's work even asked Mo to let her know when they started "trying."  Why yes random work lady, I would love to give you notice of when hubby & I start having sex at regular intervals in the hopes of conceiving (*please note heavy sarcasm).    Honestly, why would someone ask that?!  

We had a long talk during our walk last night about how crazy some people are and how nosey they can be when it comes to things that used to be somewhat private.  I say this respectfully - because I will likely post from time to time when I am pregnant about being pregnant - but some people put, in my opinion (wait this is my blog...who else's opinion would it be??...anyway...), way too much information out there.  What if something happens, what is nothing happens when you're trying to conceive but you've given notice to everyone in the public world & then are bombarded with people & their questions & advice & "expertise."  Talk about pressure! Sheesh!

So all that to say -- I'm not a hater of babies (quite the opposite in fact), but it sure is overwhelming when every where you seem to turn there are babies & people having babies.

What do you think about the whole baby notification scene??
<3

The Verge

I feel like lately I've been on the verge of something...the verge of going left or going right.  And I can't quite figure out which way I am supposed to go, what direction to take, what decision to make.  Thus I am left feeling like an ultimate failure. Ugh terrible I know.

And this weekend at a friend's wedding in California, I felt pretty good for the majority of the time...but there were some moments in there where I felt completely out of my element.  Entirely out of place.  Yes I realize that it was mostly just my stupid girl brain trying to play tricks on me but dang it it's hard some times to resist the urge to just give in to that voice and crumble.  The logical side my brain wants to kick my own ass about this stuff.  I know logically I am confident, secure in what I bring to the table and happy with the life that I have & the dreams I have.
But let me just tell you (as if you didn't already know....) that voice is WRETCHED!  Absolutely awful & incredibly powerful sometimes.  So powerful at times that it's almost crippling.  How sad does that sound right now???  And I can't seem to battle against it.  My poor husband - he's soo good to me during these times, but I know he gets frustrated as well.  He wants me to always know and embrace my strengths and love myself the way that he loves me.  He wishes he could do or say exactly the right thing and all would be right in the world again.  But I don't know what to say or how to respond when he asks me what he can do for me.  So hard sometimes.....


Sorry for the random rant, but it's been bubbling in my brain over the last few days & I needed to let it release.
<3

Cooking At Home

We've be kind of lax over the last few weeks about cooking at home.  We wanted to start cooking at home more for financial reasons but also because it's just fun to try different things.  Get some recipes under our belt that we could do with our eyes closed once we have kids.

So this last week we made out our meal plan for this week before we head out of town & thus far every dinner has been great.  Bearcat Wraps on Sunday, Shrimp Fajitas yesterday & Steak Salad tonight with this  balsamic tomato concoction. Thank you Gina's Skinny Recipes for the inspiration!

  It was SO DELISH! Like extremely yummy - not something Isaac and I had thought of before but it was perfect for our dinner tonight.
And tomorrow you might be wondering what is on our agenda for tomorrow & Thursday... Well here it is: Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork sandwiches with coleslaw & corn, and Thursday will be bringing mini Turkey Meatloaf & Quinoa Salad.  Gosh I'm SO looking forward to the next two nights!  So along with trying to cooking more at home, where we have the most control,  we are going to incorporate more work outs in to our life.  I desperately need to get back on track with my weight lifting, and especially my running!  I know I can handle long runs - I just have not given myself the chance to do them lately.  But I'm thankful that Isaac has offered to join WW so that we can hold each other accountable to that plan and to the weigh ins.  Because we both want to be in the most healthy place possible before we start having children so we can be the most prepared & ready for those little ones.  I have a pretty fantastic husband
<3

The Wall

Have you ever hit that wall at 100mph?  Ever felt like you kept running in to that same wall over & over again?  That's been my reality the last couple months at work.  I've blogged about it before - about the struggles and frustrations of working with your mom, the overall stress of the economy right now & how that impacts the real estate economy.
But this morning I felt like I had run in to that wall for the 100th time - and just had enough.  Don't go crazy, I didn't up & quit my job.  Just had a moment where I needed my mom to be my mom and not my boss, & let me just cry for a minute.  It's so exhausting feeling like you fight & fight every day to do the right things, help people out, do the very best job that you can - and in the end it feels to have been for not.
We've been toying and day dreaming about what our lives would be like if we were living some where else, doing something else.  What would it be like, how would we make it work, how would/could we liquidate our current lives to start a new some where else entirely.  And honestly, today was the first time I've seriously considered it.  Even if only for a 2 minute interval.


I'm looking forward to a mini road trip with Isaac this week to celebrate a dear friend's wedding.  Maybe it'll give us a chance to talk thru these things more in depth - to see if maybe there is something to a change of scenery for us.  I'm not sure anything will come of it - but it'll just be good to go thru the motions and day dream together.
<3

Wee Bit Wednesday!

Ahh...Wednesday...How I love and dislike you all at the same time!

Thanks Leigh Ashley for the Wee Bit Wednesday fun!

Grab the button & link up!

{one} when was the last time you used a pay phone (if ever)?

goodness....I can't even remember the last time...but I have in the past

{two} did you ever fail a subject in school?

geometry sophomore year -- retook it during the summer & killed it.

i swear having the right teacher is KEY

{three} where do you go to get your favorite hamburger/cheeseburger?

only the BEST place in Salem...Willamette Burger Company  

Seriously the best - and their double fried fries are INCREDIBLE!

{four} have you ever served jury duty?

yup - grand jury to be specific

{five} how old were you when you moved out of your parents house?

22 I think - then moved back in before I got married

{six} what is your favorite color to wear?

probably purple or green

{seven} do you have a pair of shoes that you wear all the time?

yup - my vans or my DV sandals

{eight} do you enjoy talk radio?

actually YES I do -- listen every morning

{nine} if you could turn one unhealthy food into a healthy one, what would it be?

anything Mexican or Italian....so good

{ten} who is the best speaker you've ever heard in person?

WITHOUT QUESTION: Dave Ramsey -- so entertaining & wise!

Thankfully today it is SUNNY & 70 in the Willamette Valley - which means LIFE IS GOOD!

And tonight I'll be going to a fun live-band karaoke fundraiser tonight, should be tons of fun...get to hang with w/ my honey & my favorite cousins Tasha & Chad. Can't complain!

<3

 

Denver Wedding

Here are some quick photos of my brother-in-law's wedding this past weekend.

Please forgive the terrible quality... My little Nikon Coolpix is all I have.

And I am admittedly not a skilled photographer!

Quick stop at Sea-Tac - we've been up for about 4 hrs already...and it was only 7:00am!

  Isaac was quite excited for our meal at Cracker Barrel...haha

 With our little cousin Makoa - ring bearer in our wedding & Matt & Crystal's

Crystal's church where they were married

My mother-in-law & father-in-law's girlfriend sipping an ENORMOUS margarita!

Waiting for his bride...so sweet

Exchanging their vows.  

Overall a nice weekend away with family.  Not too many stressful moments, thankfully.  It's nice to be back home, but it sure is hard to get back in to the swing of things! Oh well...just need to make it to next Thursday & then we're off to northern California for another wedding! Phew!

<3

Back Home

Finally made it back home from our quick trip to Denver for brother-in-law's wedding.  I'll post up some pics tomorrow.  I only snapped a few, and some of the ones from the wedding are a little off - but I'll post none the less.  
It was a good trip. Quite honestly the first time I think I've felt like I was a part of Isaac's family.  It was a nice change from previous trips.  I wasn't sure how I would fit in during all the pre-wedding activities....so I tried to just step in & volunteer to take care of Isaac's grandma.  I think she's the cutest, but I also don't have as much history as everyone else.  I walked with her, made sure she didn't trip, made sure she had her jacket, watched her purse...anything she needed.  And I'm happy to say that I think that's exactly what my mother-in-law needed.  A short, small reprieve a few times during the trip to allow her to focus on Matt, Crystal, the wedding & herself.  I was happy to be able to help in that way - to contribute in that small way.
And now we are back home, back in the swing of our life.  I love coming home, to our home....to our normal.  I was reminded a number of times this weekend how thankful & blessed I am to be married to Isaac, to be a part of his life, to be creating a life & world of our own.  
So back to catching up on our DVR'd shows & switching over the initial rounds of post travel laundry.  
<3