Thank the Good Lord, It's April!

I mean no blaspheme by the title. I'm genuinly grateful it's April. February is the longest month for me, mentatlly-and ironically it's the shortest month of the year. March always goes by surprisingly fast. I've expereinced quite a bit the past few months, but March I learned a lot. I learned I can love children like they were my own just because I don't know if anyone in their short lives has shown them what real love is.

I've also learned (today) that when one of my little clients says, "I hate you, " and storms to her room just because I made her turn off the television to finish our reading really means, "I'm frustrated. I hate reading because I'm not good at it...but thank you for helping me through it because Mom and Dad don't read with me."

April is a great month. The grass is growing greener, the birds chirp more beautifully, and the days are longer. Today, was April Fool's day. The best one I heard went like this:

Text message @ 8 am: Were you in on this?
Me: In on what?
Text: I woke up to some pretty decorations on my car.
Me: haha! really? i don't even know what car you drive. was it bad?
Text: well, apparently i was "just married".
Me: haha! congrats!
text: oh yeah. laugh now. but there will be hell to pay when i find out who did it!

Haha! It doesn't get much better than some innocent vandalism!

Things I Love

I love the rain. I love the smell of the rain, the feel of the rain, the earth after a good rain. I just love the rain! I love the smell of campfire. I love camping, the chilly mornings, hot afternoons, long hikes, and the way your tent feels like a sauna when you get back from the long hikes. I love the smell of burning wood, roasted marshmallows, and hot dogs. To be continued....I'm getting kicked out of the lounge where I get free wifi. They close it at 10 pm. Lame.

Sometimes Vain Things Make me Happy!

I had a really good hair day today. I think the key is to not shower every day. Now, don't get all grossed out, but I guess I mean just don't wash your hair every day. Last week, I took 3 days off and then washed my hair last night. I woke up this morning to a tossled mess and just started curling away and hair spraying like there was no tomorrow. By the end of church, I noticed that my hair looked pretty good. (Again, now I'm not sure if it's the not washing the hair every day, or maybe because this was the first time I actually got ready and styled my hair in a week, but it...looked....GOOD!)

I proceeded to take several (2 dozen or so) pictures of myself and came to a few realizations:

1) I'm not very good at taking pictures of myself.

2) Half of my face is not very photogenic.

3) The other half of my face is only photogenic in certain light.

4) The pictures of me making funny faces look prettier than the pictures of me smiling.

I love good hair days!

Belinda, My Sweet...Sweet...Belinda

Sometimes we all go through things that are just not fun. Sometimes, I try to make funny the things that are just not fun, which is why I've decided to name my newly found friend on my lung. We'll call her Belinda, the blood clot. She's a real pain, I'll tell you, but I have so much to be grateful for. I'm grateful there are doctors who know what they are doing, tests that can detect these little "friends", modern technology that creates research and medicine to treat them, family that stay up till 3 in the morning with you at the hospital (and stock your fridge with milk, juice, bananas, cookies, and pastries!), a mother who calls 4-5 times an hour asking for updates, a sister who scratches your back for an hour, a brother who immediately starts googling P.E, stranger missionaries from the church who give you a blessing, an old friend who can relate to you, and countless prayers from everyone. I knew people loved me, but I had no idea how much. I'm frustrated because I can't run for awhile. In fact, I took Monday-Wednesday off just because of the new medicine. I started feeling okay tonight, so I did a test run. I ran from my apartment to the lounge...and immediately regretted it. I don't know if it was the pizza and ice cream I ate right before at Enrichment Night or the 30 second jogging session, but it's safe to say I'll be taking the next few days extra easy. I was reading some literature the nurses gave me on Tuesday morning before I left the Resort (hospital room) I was staying at. One of the side effects of the blood thinners is unexplained rapid weight gain. So, on top of not being able to run, I'm probably going to go crazy with thinking my waist line is increasing. I thought about starving myself, but I only lasted till 9:30 am--and I woke up at 9:20 am this morning. The only other option is to take the stairs, pray for warm weather to play with my kids outside, and cross my fingers that the doctor will tell me I can start running again next week. (And, of course, quit eating ice cream, pizza, and candy bars like I normally can when I am running 30-40 miles a week.) Anyway, Belinda is my new friend. And, since she's decided to take up camp in my body, I figure I should learn as much about her as possible. Like, I know she gets irritated when I say it's time for bed, and she'll throw tantrums in the form of flare ups in my upper back. And, when I eat too much she throws fits in my chest cavity and lower back. I'm sure we'll get along just fine when I take her on a long run next month...hopefully in the form of her being dissolved by then. It's really not the end of the world, I know, but it sure slows me down. I guess now I'll have more time to build model airplanes, take long baths, read my comic books, scrap book, write my autobiography, shop at antique and second-hand stores, embroider my kitchen towels, etc. I'm pretty sure my friends at the plasma center will miss me, but I'll catch up with them in 2-3 years when the doctor said I might be able to go back in. This is also forcing me to find another second source of income. There's only one other way I can think of to sell your body for money, but that way is a lot less safe and ten times more risky and immoral than donating plasma. Maybe the local IHOPS is still hiring for the morning shift? I'll keep you updated.

What People Collect

It's funny what people collect in their life times. Me, for example, I hate to hold onto things because I'm always thinking about moving. When I'm in one place too long, I get antsy and need a change (though moving for me is quite stressful, change is good). Sometimes just changing my room around is all I need. Sometimes changing how I organize my dish towels does the trick. And, every once in a while I need a change in how I look so I'll chop my hair really short, work out harder--or the opposite, start eating more!--or buy clothes that necessitate a new look. Why, I often like to frequent the D.I (Goodwill) or second-hand stores for retro styles or antique jewelry. Idaho Falls has a ton of second-hand stores, pawn shops, and antique stores that are full of old crap. I work in the old historic down town, and within a mile radius of our building, I think I could count a dozen and a half of these stores. I walked into one the other day with a client, and we were in garage sale heaven....well, all except the prices. I swear, if anyone pays for a Snoopy camping glass, originally from McDonald's in the 1980's, for over $8, they're going to regret it 10 seconds after purchase. Now, I'm not saying it would be a bad investment. I'm just saying that I'm glad I left the store empty-handed with the rationale that I would think about it and if it's still there this Wednesday, I MIGHT indulge a little. I used to collect a lot of Peanuts memorabilia. I still have a lot! But over the years I've been able to get rid of my duck collection, moose collection, and someday I'm sure I'll have to downsize my kitchen towel and fabric collection (that is, if I never get to the 20 or so sewing projects I have in my head.) I feel okay about my collections, because I learned from my Mother who collects dish sets. We still give her a hard time about this, but I'll tell you something, now that all her kids are moving away, it's a lot cheaper to inherit one of these sets than to go buy your own! People collect the weirdest things. From wolves, to music that has never been opened, to obsessive cleaning supplies. I've seen it all, and I must say at this point there is no surprise and no limit to what people collect.

Valentine's Day!

I'm one of those girls who loves-LOVES-Valentine's Day. This was the first year I had a date with someone very very special...and it was a hilarious day. In the past, I've always asked the guy out. I've always been one to chase the boys and ask if he would be my Valentine. But, this year, it was a mutual thing and it deserves to be blogged. (Is that a proper verb tense?)

We started by having dinner at 4 pm at a very nice and fancy restaurant. Near the waiting area was a giant bowl of jelly beans, so of course I joined the other 3 or 4 kids in scooping handfuls to take to my table. To our left was an older couple, almost as old as the couple to our right. They both looked like they might be from Florida. We ate 3 loaves of bread, and around half a stick of butter. This place was awesome (Del Frisco's) because whenever it looked like you had just a little bread left, the bread boy would be right there switching out the baskets with a new, fresh, warm loaf. We split this amazing steak and potatoes, and almost puked walking out to the car because we ate so much! It was also still bright outside when we left the restaurant. That was new for us.

We then noted that the night was still very young (5:15 pm) so we drove downtown and walked around the Cherry Creek Mall. Of course we only stopped by the cooking stores and the watch store, everything of which was over-priced (but I made a mental list of things I'm going to search for at TJ MAXX and ROSS.)

Then, we rented "Madagascar 2" from the RedBox and bought 4 bags of candy and pop. We took our movie and snacks back to his house and got doped-up on sugar while we watched our movie, after which we both crashed into a 3 1/2 hour nap/coma.

Needless to say, I had a great time. I felt like a little kid again/older retired couple. This weekend has been great. But, for real, diet starts today...or tomorrow...we also went to the grocery store yesterday and bought day-after candy on sale. (Seriously, who passes up a 4 lb. bag of Valentine day candy for 50% off? Not this girl.)

What Makes the World Go Round...

I had a really negative view on the real world and what really makes it turn. For a long time, I always thought it was money. You need money to do this, and money to do that. You need money to impress him (or her) and then you need money to keep him (or her). It was getting really draining. Living on my own has taught me: dollars in=dollars out for rent, food, utilities, etc. etc.

Well, I decided I wasn't going to take this view anymore and I've since decided that kindness makes the world go round. Really! I'm not trying to be cheesy, or greeny, or granola. Kind people real make or break it in this society. I've also learned that even if I'm homeless and begging for money and stressing over where to find my next meal, someone is always kind. The church is kind. Most people have good hearts.

I've also decided that karma, in some aspect, is real. And, if I do my part, things will just work out. How? I have no idea! But, they do for me. When I'm kind to people, and I'm talking the genuine, I-want-to-get-to-know-you kind, people respond positively. Things work out.

So, call it what you want to. Love makes the world go round. Genuine people make the world go round. Kindness makes the world go round. Honesty really helps. Last I checked, you can't buy any of those with money.