Day 13

First I want to start off by saying that this is a true record for me! I have never blogged so consistently! I guess I am a person who needs prompts and this 30 days of Truth has really helped! And now back to your regularly scheduled program!


Day 13 → A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough ass days. (write a letter.)



Dear Amy Grant,

Your music was the soundtrack that got me through high school and college. I was first introduced to you in high school when I went on a Catholic retreat called Search. Many of the team members used your music to sum up their talks. I love El Shadai, In a Little While, I have Decided, Where Do You Hide Your Heart, Jehovah, The Now and the Not Yet.

I thank you for your music which was an inspiration to remain true to Jesus and seek him when times were tough.

Fondly,
Nicabc

Day 11-->marching on!

I decided I'm just gonna keep going and not wait until tomorrow which is the "true day 11" from my start date..deal with it! :)

Day 11 → Something people seem to compliment you the most on.

I am having trouble coming up with one thing. When I wear jewelry from Cookie Lee, which I use to sell, I get lots of compliments. Unfortunately I have gotten out of the habit of wearing jewelry daily.

When I take the time to dry my hair out, I will get compliments on that, but I don't do it all the time...it's a lot of work!!

I have unusual eyes...they are green...when folks notice them, they will compliment them, but they have to get pretty close to notice.

Actually, I am regularly complimented on my work. I work hard and I really care about what I do. I see each foster child as my personal responsibility and I work hard to make good matches with families and then support the placements.

How funny that when I first read the statement I immediately tried to think of physical characteristics...just shows how our culture shapes where we go! Crazy!

30 days of screwed up!

See I can't even keep track of 30days! Yesterday I panicked thinking I had missed several days. Then after I posted day 10...I went back and re-counted (Math was NEVER my strong suit!) and realized now I 'm ahead! What a goof!

See, if I was good at math I would be in a much more lucrative career...but alas...simple addition still throws me!

I'm the Spirit Wear chair of the PTO at Bug's school. I am in charge of designing, ordering, selling, and keeping inventory of the t-shirts and handling the pre-ordering and delivering of sweatshirts and long sleeve ts. Easy right? I can not tell you how much time I spend counting and re-counting and tracking and adding and still mess up? Why don't the numbers in my fancy spread sheet columns match?? How did I get myself into this mess??

I am a social worker because it rarely involves numbers and if it does...it's a cursory glance! I am not overall responsible for keeping track of the numbers! I am great with people. I am great with people's problems. I am great under pressure with said people's problems! You have a people crisis...I'm your girl! You have a number crisis...RUN as far from me as possible! I'll only screw it up worse!

There, I've proclaimed it to the world!

Day 10 should be tomorrow...day 11 is Friday! I've actually written the numbers into my planner. :)

Day 10

Day 10 → Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know.

I can honestly say, no one. I am pretty particular about those I chose to have as friends. Given my profession, I am magnet for needy people. I am pretty good at weeding these folks out of my close circle. It's not that I am not empathetic, I am. It's not that I won't help, I do. I just do not let these folks in. I can't. I do it more than full-time and I need some healthy friendships to keep me going. I am not exactly sure how exactly I do it, but I do somehow only let healthy folks into my "inner circle".

I have had friends struggle and I have struggled, however these friends don't suck me dry like clients do...they accept help and get back on their feet. They are threre when I am falling to put me back together so it a mutual give and take like any healthy realtionship.

Thinking about this post has made me really appreciate my friends! I have some truly amazing women I call my close friends...thank you!!

Days 8 & 9

Day 08 → Someone who made your life hell, or treated you like shit.

I have to say most recently this was the tenant I rented my house to when we moved to Virginia. She was someone I considered my friend and I got burned. I know she's had a really difficult time and made some really crappy decisions. I truly wanted to help her and it bit in the you know where.

The thing is I don't think she realizes how much she screwed me. I lost my house over it. See the deal was she could pay WAY under market value to rent my house so she could get out of a crappy living situation and our house wouldn't sit empty. We also had our beloved lab, Cole, who needed a place to stay. Seemed perfect...we'd leave, she'd move in...she'd take care of Cole and the house and pay us about 1/2 of what the market value was. We also were able to store things at the house...a win/win for everyone.

Several weeks into the deal, she called at her wits end about Cole. She wasn't a dog person and he was misbehaving. I'm on the fence about this because Cole was NEVER a behavior issue. Now, giving her the benefit of the doubt, maybe our leaving and his living in the same place with new folks and new stuff was tough on him. An angel friend rescues Cole so now the dog was out of the equation.

The year went by by somewhat uneventfully until the end when she stopped paying rent. I realize that she had medical issues and ex-husband didn't pay child support but I HAD to pay the mortgage and when she didn't pay I couldn't. We ended up putting the house on the market to short sale and she lived for 4 months in the house and didn't pay rent. STILL...we are out that money...a couple of thousand dollars...that we can't spare. It went south so quick and I will never be a land lord again. I can't handle the stress!

Day 09 → Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.

This is an easy one. My brother Chris. He is not my biological brother, but he is my brother in my heart and he lived with my family for about 6 years of his life. He considers us his family and the feeling is mutual. Anyway, Christmas of 1995, he was a young adult and showed up out of the blue. We were thrilled to have him but gently reminded him we needed some notice. When he blew out on Christmas Day before dinner, Mom was upset. He drove our of lives that day and we had no contact with him for 13 years! I searched on the Internet and had Hub do some semi-professional searching when he was a PI. No luck. Finally in May of 1998, I tracked down a gaming website he was involved in and sent an email with my cell phone and he called! I'm so grateful to have him back in my life. We missed a lot of big events over those 13 years...weddings, births, etc...but not ever again!

Chris and I in 1989

Day 7

Day 07 → Someone who has made your life worth living for.

Another VERY easy one. Bug, my beautiful 9 year-old daughter. She gives meaning to my life.

Day 6

Day 06 → Something you hope you never have to do.

I have to say I am so glad these are getting easier! I hope I never have experience true poverty! Even when we struggle financially and have a really tight month, I know both Hub and I have steady paychecks that will continue every other week! We are fortunate that we have a stocked kitchen and a roof over our head. It's so easy to get caught up in stuff and I am certainly guilty of this.

On a side note...this is the most I have EVERY blogged! Thanks Mae Rae for the challenge!

Day 5

Day 05 → Something you hope to do in your life.

This is the easiest one yet! I have so many hopes...things I want to do, places I want to go, things/places I want to see/experience....I could go on and on.

My greatest hope use to be to truly make a difference in one person's. It was the reason I entered social work...to change the world. Once I got out into the world I modified this to change one person. I believe with my whole heart I truly change people's lives regularly. It's part of what I do for work. This makes me very proud and brings me great happiness.

My greatest hope at this point is that Bug becomes a healthy, happy, productive adult and that she looks back on me, her mother, with pride and gratefulness that I did everything I could to show her how much she is wanted and loved! She is an amazing girl and I cherish her with every fiber of my being!

Day 4 of 30 Days of Truth

Day 04 → Something you have to forgive someone for.

Wow...this is harder than yesterday! Maybe prior to committing to this I should have actually read through them! I have difficulty coming up with topics to blog...so I thought this would help!

I am very forgiving person. I'm not someone who holds a grudge or stays mad. When I get angry, I blow like a volcano and then I'm over it!

OK, I think I need to forgive the St. Timothy's Catholic Church in Chantilly. I had a really bad experience there that truly tested my faith. It wasn't one thing but rather several incidences over the two years I belonged there. They led to my "forgetting" to sign bug up for CCD when we moved because I was truly burnt out by their formalness.

I am truly blessed that we did move and I am much happier at our current church. I also found another nearby church that offers Communion under both species which I really miss since leaving Massachusetts.

St. Timothy's, I forgive you for the bad experiences. The time the RE director didn't know my name and she knew ALL the other teachers and assistants names. The time you scared the (you know what) out of my shy and slightly anxious 6 yo (who has known the Sign of the Cross, Our Father, Hail Mary, AND Glory Be since she was 4...she just needs you to start it with her....BUT the Pastor, who she'd never met personally, pulled her out of CCD class to "test" her prayers and "flunked her"! I'm moving on.

Thank you day 4!

Day 3 of 30 days of truth

Day 03 → Something you have to forgive yourself for.

Huh, I am truly stumped. I don't know. Ok now I am a day late and still struggling. I think I need to forgive myself about my weight. I am trying. Watching what I eat, well as it passes my lips....but I am reducing the amount of food I eat. I am cautious because I do not want to yo-yo with my weight. My doctor has stated, yes, lose weight is best if you can lose and maintain. If not yo-yoing with weight is harder than remaining at one weight. Maybe instead of hating how I look I should forgive and accept myself and then I'll have some peace and the process could be easier?

Day 2-->30 Days of Truth

Day 02 → Something you love about yourself.

I love my passion. I like to think I am energic about things that matter to me. My work, my dogs, my family. I believe I am great at advocating and speaking up for wrongs. I am a social worker after all!

Day 1-->30 Days of Truth

Day 01 → Something you hate about yourself.

If I had to pick one...it would be my weight. I hate that I am so heavy. I never had a weight problem until my adulthood. I was always very physically active with sports. As I have gotten older, by body hasn't cooperated. I have had knee problems since I was 13. I was told as a teenager to expect to need knee replacement surgery down the road. Arthritis is rampant in my family. I refuse to use this as an excuse, but when moving hurts, it's hard to be motivated!

I am definitely a stress/bored eater and I LOVE chocolate! When I was successful with weight watchers in 1999 I included 5 Hersheys kisses in my points every day. I can not cut it out completely!

Ok, now off to lunch! :) LOL

Thirty days of Truth

For the next 30 posts, I will be writing the TRUTH about myself. Here’s a preview of the writing topics:

Day 01 → Something you hate about yourself.
Day 02 → Something you love about yourself.
Day 03 → Something you have to forgive yourself for.
Day 04 → Something you have to forgive someone for.
Day 05 → Something you hope to do in your life.
Day 06 → Something you hope you never have to do.
Day 07 → Someone who has made your life worth living for.
Day 08 → Someone who made your life hell, or treated you like shit.
Day 09 → Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.
Day 10 → Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know.
Day 11 → Something people seem to compliment you the most on.
Day 12 → Something you never get compliments on.
Day 13 → A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough ass days. (write a letter.)
Day 14 → A hero that has let you down. (letter)
Day 15 → Something or someone you couldn’t live without, because you’ve tried living without it.
Day 16 → Someone or something you definitely could live without.
Day 17 → A book you’ve read that changed your views on something.
Day 18 → Your views on gay marriage.
Day 19 → What do you think of religion? Or what do you think of politics?
Day 20 → Your views on drugs and alcohol.
Day 21 → (scenario) Your best friend is in a car accident and you two got into a fight an hour before. What do you do?
Day 22 → Something you wish you hadn’t done in your life.
Day 23 → Something you wish you had done in your life.
Day 24 → Make a playlist to someone, and explain why you chose all the songs. (Just post the titles and artists and letter)
Day 25 → The reason you believe you’re still alive today.
Day 26 → Have you ever thought about giving up on life? If so, when and why?
Day 27 → What’s the best thing going for you right now?
Day 28 → What if you were pregnant or got someone pregnant, what would you do?
Day 29 → Something you hope to change about yourself. And why.
Day 30 → A letter to yourself, tell yourself EVERYTHING you love about yourself

I think this will be a tough assignment but I like a challenge!! Thanks to Mae for the "pass on"!

Meet me

1) Do your pants get hung on a hanger or folded? My work trousers are hung, khakis, jeans are folded.

2) If you are stranded on an Island, what 3 things would you need to have with you (not including humans or electronic devices)? Feelix (my stuffed bear that I have had for 20+ years and is now Bug's beloved), chocolate, and a good book

3) Where is the farthest you have ever traveled to? India

4) Do you live in a house, trailer, or apartment, etc? townhouse

5) What is your most hated household chore? Cleaning! They heavy duty kind with cleaner!

Important Women's Health Issue

A good friend posted this on her blog and I felt the need pass it on!

Please be sure you read carefully as this is important health information.


* Do you have feelings of inadequacy?
* Do you suffer from shyness?
* Do you sometimes wish you were more assertive?
* Do you suffer exhaustion from the day to day grind?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist about Margaritas.

Margaritas are the safe, natural way to feel better and more confident about yourself and your actions. Margaritas can help ease you out of your shyness and let you tell the world that you're ready and willing to do just about anything. You will notice the benefits of Margaritas almost immediately and with a regimen of regular doses you can overcome any obstacles that prevent you from living the life you want to live.

Shyness and awkwardness will be a thing of the past and you will discover many talents you never knew you had. Stop hiding and start living, with Margaritas.

Margaritas may not be right for everyone. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use Margaritas. However, women who wouldn't mind nursing or becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it.

Side effects may include:

- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Incarceration
- Erotic lustfulness
- Loss of motor control
- Loss of clothing
- Loss of money
- Loss of virginity
- Table dancing
- Headache
- Dehydration
- Dry mouth
- And a desire to sing Karaoke

WARNINGS:

* The consumption of Margaritas may make you think you are whispering when you are not.

* The consumption of Margaritas may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.

* The consumption of Margaritas may cause you to think you can sing.

* The consumption of Margaritas may make you think you can logically converse with members of the opposite sex without spitting.

Please share this with other women who may need Margaritas.