A recent trip to the ladies' room inspired this post...
Biggest Fashion Faux Pas According to Me (in no particular order):
1. Novelty sweaters. This time of year just kills me. A 3D Santa Claus is never OK on clothes. Ever.
2. Pantyhose with open toe shoes. Just the thought makes me cringe.
3. Floor length skirts. Sorry, but they don't look good on ANYONE.
4. White athletic socks worn with business casual clothing. Please just invest in a pair of $2 trouser socks.
5. Flip flops worn with business casual clothing. Nothing says professional like the flopping of a rubber shoe.
6. Pajamas. How can anyone think it's OK to wear plaid flannel pants in public?
7. Crocks. They are appropriate for precisely two occasions...gardening and gardening.
8. Anything ill fitting. Sorry, but bulging out of skin tight pants does not make you look thinner.
9. Cell phones worn on belts. That's why God invented pockets and purses.
10. Sweatpants. Unless you are participating in an activity that makes you sweat (hence, the name SWEATpants).
My mind has been swirling with a thousand different thoughts these past few days, so I'm hoping by getting them down on paper (proverbial paper, that is) that I'll straighten myself out!
I am going for allergy testing this afternoon. I am not nervous that I'm going to find out I'm allergic to something, but rather that I'm not allergic to anything. Then I'll really start to worry about what's been causing my 4 month runny nose. It's easier just to assume it's allergies.
I went to a pitch for a pyramid scheme last night. My mom convinced me to go and it was the biggest waste of 2 hours in my life. It felt so slimy and skeevy. Yuck!
Mornings have been such a challenge for me lately. I don't know if it's the dark/cold combination, or whether it's the fact that my schedule has been completely disrupted lately due to having lots of time off, but whatever it is, I don't like it. I like popping out of bed and being at the gym at 5:30. I do not like barely dragging myself from bed to shower at 7:00.
I reluctantly "crashed" a high school reunion last week. Crystal convinced me to go to the class of '98 reunion (even though we graduated in '99) because we were "invited". It turned out to be the lamest, most uncomfortable experience I've had in quite some time. Everyone seemed exactly the same as they were in HS and it was so fake. Plus, all of the "my life is so fabulous" and "I make so much money" and "I am just so happy" makes me want to vomit. Quit trying to convince me that your life is so great. I guarantee it's not.
To MBA or not to MBA, that is the question. I am close to finishing my first class and I'm just not convinced that I want to continue to pursue this. I cannot think of one good reason not to, but yet I still can't psych myself up for it. I think it's yet another sign that my "professional life" is supposed to go in another direction. Unfortunately, I am still waiting to have that revelation telling what I am supposed to be doing with my life. Does anyone else feel this confused? Why can't I be one of those people that has known what they've wanted to do with their life since they were 7 years old. When I was 7, I wanted to be a florist. Now, I work in compliance. Maybe I should give floristry (is that even a word?) a chance.
Sista sledge has got to go. I love my sister dearly, but she needs to get her hiney out of my house. She is a slob. Her room is disgusting (and it smells like pee). She's been smoking in there too. Seriously, how disrespectful is that? We don't smoke, and we don't allow others to smoke in our house. Who does she think she is that she can just make a mess and smoke in there when she feels like it. Here's the kicker in it all. She has no home of her own, no money to find her own place, she can't afford her own cell phone or car insurance (my dad pays for them), she's in debt, she's not in school, she's making close to minimum wage at a dead end job, she's less than a month from having no health insurance. She is really in a bad position, and if one thing goes wrong, she's screwed. If her car breaks down, if she gets sick, if she gets laid off, etc... she will seriously have nothing. Pretty dire situation, right? If it were you, wouldn't you be freaking out and doing everything in your power to get yourself out of that situation? Well, she apparently has other plans. She's buying her ghetto on again, off again boyfriend a $400 video game system for Christmas. Boy, does she have her priorities straight! HA! Please tell me what person with half a brain would say "Gee, I have no place to live, I'm in debt, I'm completely screwed if one thing in my life goes wrong, but obviously buying this loser guy who probably won't be in my life in mere months from now a $400 Christmas gift is the most important thing I can do with my life right now." Not "Gee, maybe I should save all the extra money I have to get back on my feet" or "Gee, maybe I should try to pay my own bills instead of mooch off my dad" or "Gee, maybe I should kick in a little cash for the household expenses at my sister's house since I've been living there scott free for 3 months". Nope. It's a video game system for Geoffrey. Ugh!!!!!
OK, now that I've been a Debby Downer and vented, I actually feel better. Sometimes you just need to scream, right?
My shopping list is nearly complete! I usually have a really hard time coming up with gift ideas, but this year the ideas are flowing! I will finalize the list with John tonight, and then tomorrow is shopping day!
Also, Dad informed me that he ordered several pies for Thanksgiving dinner, so I'm rethinking what I am going to bring. I was going to make Chocolate Chip Treasure Cookies (to which John has referred to as the best cookies he's ever had!), but now I'm thinking I might bring an appetizer instead. Any suggestions?
Last night, I was thinking about how I've never written a post about the things I like about myself. I've written plenty about the things I'd like to improve on, but not much on the things I don't want to change. So, I've decided to write about the qualities about myself that I perceive as good. I hope this post doesn't come off as conceited. I just feel that it is important for all of us to remind ourselves about the good in us.
So, here's the top 5 things that I like about myself:
5. I'm smart.
4. I am ethical and have strong morals, which I will never compromise.
3. I have become quite self-aware and introspective.
2. I am extremely honest. I couldn't tell a lie to save my life.
1. I really love with all my heart and care with every ounce of my being.
If you recall, a few posts ago I talked about taking back control of my life. For me, organization is the key to doing so, and it's been working quite well so far. One of the most wonderful, and most stressful, times of year is fast approaching...the holidays! I've organized all of my holiday plans to help me alleviate stress and really enjoy the spirit of the season. Here it is...
November 17th - 19th - Create gift list and order any gifts that are being purchased online
November 20th and 21st - Finish Christmas shopping!
November 23rd - Buy cookie ingredients during weekly grocery shopping and pick up bottle of wine for Thanksgiving dinner
November 26th - Bake cookies and go out with friends for the traditional night before Thanksgiving night out.
November 27th - Thanksgiving with the Garton Family!
November 28th - 30th - Wrap Christmas gifts
December 1st - 5th - Finalize New Year's Eve plans
December 6th - 7th - Buy and decorate Chirstmas Tree
December 8th - 14th - Write out and send holiday cards
December 21st - Buy cookie ingredients during weekly grocery shopping and pick up 2 bottles of wine for Christmas Eve party and Christmas Night party
December 24th - Bake cookies in the morning and attend Christmas Eve party in the evening
December 25th - Mom's in the morning, Dad's in the afternoon, In-Law's in the evening, and Christmas party at night...busy and exhausting day, but very enjoyable
December 26th - Sleep in! Put away/organize Christmas gifts. And, avoid mall at all costs :-)
December 31st - Celebrate the end of a great year!
January 1st - Decide on my New Year's resolutions and get ready to make 2009 the best year ever!
I have plenty of time built in for all of my planned holiday activities, so there will be no holiday stress for me this year. Gotta love that :-)
To quickly catch you up, here's a summary of my top five favorite highlights of the past month:
5. Meeting Nick and Elaine's new puppy Rocco...seriously one of the cutest puppies in history.
4. My hubby finally pursuing his professional dreams, not the dreams of his business partners. I'm so proud of him!
3. Getting to see pictures of beautiful Baby Jordan and hear about his amazing arrival. Congrats to proud parents Andrea and Sam. I absolutely cannot wait to meet him in person!
2. Rare quality time with my dear college roomies, Elaine and Amelia!
1. New President!!! Woot, woot!
Time to be honest. Blogging is kind of a pain. That's why I don't do it much these days. I have such little free time during the work day to post, and the last thing I want to do when I get home is get on the computer, so the blogging has suffered. Don't get me wrong...I do like keeping a blog and I've enjoyed the experience thus far...I just have trouble keeping up with it.
So, I've come up with some ideas for being a better blogger. (1) Shorter posts, because they take less time to write; (2) More posts that aren't about my day-to-day life, because that can get a little boring and repetitive; (3) Scheduling time each week to write at least one blog post, just like I'd schedule a meeting or appointment; and (4) Remind myself that journaling is good for my heart, mind and soul.
