A Sweater

I am often amazed at how the universe works. I am especially in awe of the joy I receive when I can help another. I don't have a lot of money and my spare time is limited as a single parent with a full-time job, sometimes making me feel that I have nothing left to offer anyone else. I so love the moments when I can. I have been contemplating ways that I may be able to extend some type of service and realize that these precious moments sometimes happen when least expected. I bought a sweater as a Christmas gift for someone. It didn't fit the recepient and they didn't seem seem interested, so I planned to return it to the mall. A couple of weekends ago, I stopped at the convenience store and noticed a girl about my age sitting in alone in the cold, except for her German Shepard who sat on top of her as a coat. She smiled at me and said hello. After we talked for a moment, I offered her the sweater from my car and she graciously accepted it. I don't know the girl's story or why she was sitting there. I know that I was not able to change her life in any extraordinary way, but I am thankful for the occasion to offer her a bit of kindness and a sweater.

Idiocracy

Idiocracy: the idea that people are getting dumber all the time. I sit and wonder if this theory applies to me. I was hoping to have a wonderful story about my date with the chiropractor, but I can hardly muster up the words to share. The date was fine. He was nice. That is about it. Dinner was good and bowling was fun, but I mainly felt empty. I felt that I wanted to be with someone else. Dustin. So, here we have  a super cute guy that is smart, ambitious, and thinks I am great, and I feel nothing. Why do I have to be the girl that needs fireworks? Why can't I just play it safe and be happy? I don't know, but i can't. I have never been able to do it. I need to feel magic. Dustin makes me feel magic. Am I crazy? Am I becoming dumber each day? Am I completely insane to end the relationship with the chiropractor or is it smart to follow my heart? I think it may be hard, but maybe I need to take the risk. What is life without a few risks anyway? As James Morrison says, "Love is hard. If it was easy, it wouldn't mean nothing." I sure like that boy that makes my heart skip a beat.

You might be a wino........

When I picked my nine year old daughter up from school yesterday, she eagerly handed me a piece of artwork made special for me. (See below.) The drawing included two glasses of red wine and read, "For you. Time to drink". I accepted the sketch with a a slight feeling of panic wondering if her  teacher had witnessed the incriminating piece of paper. I love wine. As a matter of fact, I love almost every type of wine that I have ever tasted and I usually enjoy a  glass or two on the weekends. But that is about it. I rarely even drink it during the week, but I suddenly felt a concern that the entire community could presume me an alcoholic. I did not want to make a big deal about this to my daughter, but suggested cheerfully that we only draw pictures of wine at home. I definitely received a laugh from her thoughtfulness and now I'm just hoping that I don't receive a phone call requesting a parent-teacher conference.

Some Favorite Things

I thought I would make a fun list of some of my favorite things. They are nothing fancy, but I enjoy them so much.  As a matter of fact, I don't know what I would do without them because they make me so happy. Sometimes it is all about the simple things in life.

1. I adore these Converse ballet flats. They are probably my most favorite shoes ever, except mine are in metallic.
http://www.converse.com/

2. I totally dig this Trader Joe's Moisturizing Body Lotion.
http://www.traderjoes.com/

3. I am obsessed with Epsom salt. It doesn't matter if I am sick or sore, it works wonders. I think it is magic.

4. I am currently jamming to James Morrison. Amazing artist.
http://www.jamesmorrisonmusic.com/

5. Middle Sister Wine. I discovered this little jewel at Target. My favorites are the Rebel Red Table Wine and the Smarty Pants Chardonnay. Totally delicious and inexpensive. About $10.99 a bottle.
http://www.middlesisterwines.com/

6. The Balance Collection by Marika. Best yoga pants. They fit really well and look awesome.
http://www.marika.com/

7. I love love love Nap Socks from Brookstone. I do not sleep a night in the winter without them.
http://www.brookstone.com/

8. Sips and Strokes may be the coolest place ever. Take your bottle of wine, or whatever you wish for that matter, and paint your heart out.

http://www.sipsandstrokes.com/

Out with the old. In with the new.

I decided to fire Dustin a.k.a. New Years Break-up from my life. He is officially deleted from Facebook, which means no more cyber-stalking. I have developed a fresh attitude towards the loss. Instead of feeling gloomy and glum, I feel eager and enthusiastic. I am proud of myself for making a positive decision to let go of something that was unhealthy, even though I did like it a little. I have made a choice to focus on greater things in my life and I will be much more careful to recognize and eliminate negative matters going forward. This may prove to be a full-time job for me. Nevertheless, I am letting go of the old and embracing the new and I believe amazing things are coming. I actually have a date this Friday, which I am super excited about. His name is Matthew and we met on the dating site. He is in chiropractic school, which is a huge plus! Our emails and conversations have gone extremely well, and he seems sweet, smart, and genuine. I am certainly hoping for the best. Do you think it would be terrible if I asked him to adjust me on our first date? Kidding. That would be entirely awkward. I am going to spend the rest of the week on promising subjects, including anticipating my date. Wish me luck with Mr. Chiropractor!

Phone Call

I look forward to sharing with you some of my hopes/plans for the year and some excellent dating stories. But not today. Today I am having a hugely hard time not calling the New Years Day Break-up. As I sit at my computer and read the emails that we have exchanged for the hundredth time, I wonder why I feel the need to torture myself. His email is so sweet and he actually requested that I call him so that we can at least maintain our friendship. He won't call me because I asked him not to. I am desperately trying to remember that the call would only lead us even deeper in to an unhealthy relationship. I should just spare myself any more pain. Of course I have resorted to stalking him on Facebook, and I am dying to know if he also views my profile 15 times each day. I know that our values do not align, but oh how I like him. He made me laugh. He was so much fun. I could talk to him about pretty much anything. He is even a vegetarian like me. I am encouraging myself to look at the bigger picture and accept that we have some great things in common, but that does not mean the relationship is right. My, how hard it is. Today I want to call him, but I won't.

Coffee Monster

There are some universal laws that we all must follow. Rules that everyone should understand and observe. If you drink the last cup of coffee, brew a fresh pot. It is not a hard concept to grasp. As a matter of fact, it is a common courtesy and all coffee drinkers should be happy to comply. I have a daily routine when I arrive at work. A good routine. A routine that I enjoy. My morning normally starts out catching up on emails with a delicious cup of coffee in hand. Sadly, yesterday this was not the case for me. My productive schedule was interrupted by a person who drank the last cup of coffee and left the pot high and dry. What the crap man? (Please note: If I am the first person in the office, I will make the first pot. There is no expectation that someone else should make it first, but this is what always happens). Anyway, I made another pot and moved on to checking my emails and relishing my morning treat. The real shocker happened when I went back for my second cup and...nothing. Not a single drop left. This is the day that I became the coffee monster. I am not completely sure what I am going to do about this dilemma. I'm thinking of monitoring the break-room and handing out caution slips to offenders....3 strikes and you're out kind of thing? Julia suggested posting a sign in the break-room explaining the universal law. I think I will. I will take the positve approach and have faith in my fellow colleagues to do the right thing. I will be watching.

Signed,

Coffee Monster

Broken Hearts & Best Friends

I am really excited about starting my new blog this 2010! The year honestly did not start out as well as I had hoped. I was seeing this guy for a little over a month and I broke things off on New Years Day. It seemed that we were going in different directions, so I decided that it was best for both of us to move on. Thanks to my bestie Shelly and the pitcher of margaritas that we shared, life on New Years Day was alright and my troubles were mostly forgotten. Don't get me wrong, I liked him. I apparently did not realize just how much I liked him because the next day it hit me. I spent the day in my bed sobbing and over-analyzing everything that went wrong. The rest of the weekend involved a bottle of red wine, way too much pumpkin pie, and a number of hot baths. I am doing much better now and currently resisting the urge to make the dreaded phone call to tell him hello. This is a good thing because my marvelous friend/co-worker, Julia would be really mad if I did. Right now I am hopeful that all of this will work out just as it should. Cheers to putting on big girl panties and being strong. And cheers to great friends who share margaritas when you need help doing it.

First Post

So you see, I joined a dating site to introduce myself back to the dating world after months of mending my broken heart from a bad break-up. Needless to say, it has not gone extremely well. And what better way to get my creative juices flowing than to compose my own public diary?! I hope to provide you with as much amusement as I receive pretty frequently from these characters, along with some other oddly captivating moments in my life. I unknowingly seem to be on a life mission to put myself in the most awkward situations possible. Enjoy!