Money Mash Up & Enjoying Myself

photo credit ~ Artwork by Ame Hughes, Intuitive Artist

This morning I am participating in Money Mash Up 1/14, hosted by simply stacia.  Thanks for the interesting questions.  Money is one area that I will have a few changes to this year, so I’m glad for the opportunity to think about it a bit.

1.  The most money I’ve spent last week was for bills.  I get paid twice per month, and last week was my first payday.  I paid all of my bills except my mortgage with that check.  That means I paid sewer, water, electricity, internet, TV, credit cards, my new car payment (the most expensive of the bunch), car insurance, trash pickup, and dog food.  Oh, you meant not bill-related?  In that case, I spent $4.49 for an ebook on my Kindle Saturday night.

2.  A low-cost or free thing I did this past week was went to lunch with my Mom and sister at Panera.  My Mom picked up the bill (how sweet of her), but even if she hadn’t the meal was cheap, delicious, and healthy.  Better was the company.  It was great to spend time with them both, have a nice chat in the middle of the day, and get a break from work.  It was the only lunch I ate out last week, although I had the urge a few times.  I’m glad that I waited to indulge myself when I had the company of two amazing women. 

3.  The one thing I did for another was took my sister up to my job on Saturday to pick up a battery for her boyfriend’s car.  I was able to get it basically at cost and save him quite a bit of money.

4.  Something I really need to accomplish this week is relax and enjoy my birthday!  Today I have a ton of stuff to get accomplished at work and at home, but starting tomorrow I am going to focus on just having fun and living my life. 

5.  I’m dying to try _____ this year.  Hmmmm…  This is a great question.  I’m dying to try putting myself first.  I’ve never done that before.  I know that isn’t a particular “experience,” but I am going to be my own priority this year.  I’m going to laugh, love, live, and stop second-guessing myself.  It already sounds wonderful!

Thanks again Stacia for coming up with these questions and posting the challenge every week.  It’s a good reminder of what’s important.

What Will You Do Today?

Today I am getting inspiration from two amazing, beautiful women.  Twisted Lola originally posted the above photo and posed the question, “What’s the one thing you will do on this list today?”  I had already done some singing out loud at my desk, so I joined in on the commenting.  It really wasn’t anything outside of the box, though.  I can’t think of a single day in the past 15 years (or more) that I haven’t sung out loud at least once.  I just say 15 years to be conservative because my memory before 12 isn’t all that great.

Today I read a post from Emotional Tornado where she addressed every single item on the list.  I fell in love instantly, and decided I HAD to challenge myself to do the same.  So here goes.

Take chances.  This is a good one for me because I am usually someone who plays it safe.  I have been taking some chances with my fashion choices lately, but I’m not sure if that counts…  I hadn’t decided until this very moment, but I’m going to test for my yellow belt in karate.  I have been taking a class from a friend, and I love it!  I am also quite a fast learner, if I do say so myself, and have been picking things up very well.  Even though I am 8 weeks behind everyone else, I am going to give it a try and test with the rest of the group in a few weeks.  Maybe I’ll make a fool of myself, but so what.  The end result will be that I don’t have a yellow belt, which I already don’t have.  So, no loss and something to gain – experience at the very least and a belt in the best case scenario.

Tell the truth.  I am finally under 180 pounds as of this morning.  It looks great on me, even if I know certain people still think of a woman in the 170’s as fat.  I am beautiful and happy with myself, and I’m not going to let anyone bring me down.

Date someone totally wrong for you.  I’m married to a sex addict, so does that count?  I love him, and we are working on our marriage every single day.  So I will pass on dating anyone else.  We do plan to continue “dating” each other for as long as we are married, though.

Say no.  This is a good one.  I can’t think of a person or thing I need to say no to at the moment, but I have been working on my codependent trait of always saying yes.  I will say no to staying even one minute late at work today, though.  How’s that?

Spend all your cash.  I never, ever carry cash.  I have been doing pretty well at spending all of my extra money on clothes and shoes lately, though.  I think I actually need to reign that one in a bit.

Get to know someone random.  I have gotten to know some “random” people that I would never have connected with through my blog.  It has helped me break out of my shell.  I also talked a little bit to the new hire at work today.  I found out that his favorite football team is the Cowboys.  Does that count?  I rarely come across random people in my life.

Be random. Every day, all the time.  😉

Say I love you.  I have told my husband that today.  I think I will also make a point of calling my Mom just to say I love you later.  Thanks for the reminder.

Sing out loud.  As I mentioned above, this happens almost constantly, especially on Fridays.

Laugh at stupid jokes. So far today, I haven’t heard any stupid jokes.  I did laugh at a funny story.

Cry.  I teared up today reading a friend’s recent predicament and putting myself in her shoes.  It is nice to have that emotional release.

Apologize.  I apologized for having to cut someone off and take another call just a few minutes ago.  Other than that I haven’t done anything apology-worthy yet today.  The key word is yet.  I will keep an eye out for any future missteps as I continue my day.

Tell someone how much they mean to you.  I have tried to do that today already.  I reached out to help a friend in need who is struggling.  I also expressed my support and sympathy to my aunt (ex-aunt if she and my uncle are now divorced?) over my cousin, who is hospitalized right now due to a schizophrenic episode.  I will also do the same with my Mom when I call her later just to say “I love you.”

Tell a jerk what you think.  Thankfully, this has been a jerk-free day.  I usually don’t keep my opinion to myself in those situations, anyway.  I hate jerks and their jerky ways.

Laugh until your stomach hurts.  I’m not sure that is something you can just do on demand.  We will see what comes today, but I can’t make any promises on this one.

Live life.  I am trying to embrace this fully every single day.  Living life is harder than it sounds.  I have to fight against just existing and think about consciously living.  You know… experiencing every moment.  Revelling in the small things.  Being thankful for all that I take for granted.  Today I will live life by going to karate and spending 2 hours pushing myself to train harder, do more, keep breathing, and fight through the burn in my lungs and ache in my muscles.  I’m actually looking forward to it!

Regret nothing.  This one is probably the hardest for me.  I second-guess myself a lot and wonder how things would be if I had done something differently.  I regret missed opportunities or bad choices.  The truth is, I can’t change those things.  Today I will leave the past in the past, focus on today, and look forward to the future.

So what will I do tomorrow?

Live intentionally. Love hard. Forgive.

Sounds simple. It’s not.

(Those last 3 lines were stolen from Emotional Tornado.  I just can’t say it any better.)

Using My Imagination

Here’s another set of odd and random questions from the folks over at Sunday Stealing.  I haven’t done one of these in a while, and don’t have a lot of time for a full-fledged post.  So here are the answers to a few strange and silly questions.

1. Ocean or pool?
Pool without a doubt.  The ocean is so salty.  And cold.  And filled with fish and poop and sharks.  Plus, I always end up with sand in my bathing suit and that is virtually impossible to wash off with just one shower.

2. Fridays or Ruby Tuesdays?
Ruby Tuesdays because of their salad bar.  I love salad bars.  No one can make me a salad quite like I can do for myself.

3. Did you want to go to college?
I always wanted to go to college eventually.  I’m pretty glad that I decided to delay it for a few years to travel around and get myself settled and independent.

4. What did you do the last time you were at a mall?
Went shopping…  What else is there to do?  I hit up the Yankee Candle semi-annual sale and got some great deal!

5. Do you believe in aliens?
No.  Absolutely not.  Zombies I can fathom.  Aliens, not so much.  Waiting for proof on that one.  There are just too many factors that have to be exactly perfect in order for a planet to sustain life.  We haven’t found anything close to that in the light years and light years of space and galaxy after galaxy that we have documented.

6. Why do you like the music you do?
Because it’s good.  Duh.

7. Do you read much?
All of the time.  I do need to find some more time for myself to just relax and enjoy a good read again.  I’m waiting on a few books to arrive via mail very soon.

8. Favorite country?
Hmmm…  That’s a tough one.  My favorite country that I’ve been to so far is tied between Switzerland and Austria.  They were so magnificent.  The beauty of the land, the history, the food, the people, the music, the entertainment…  All spectacular!

9. What is something you wish you were better at?
Flying.  I wish I was way better at flying.  I can never seem to get off of the ground no matter how hard I try.

10. What’s your favorite album/CD?
I don’t really have one “favorite.”  My favorites at the moment (a.k.a. the ones that I play over and over in my car) include Adele(especially Someone Like You and Rolling in the Deep), Katy Perry (especially Firework and Part of Me), and Hunter Hayes (especially Storm Warning and Wanted).  In celebration of our recent holiday, here is a video of Firework:

11. What’s a good dinner order?
Fried rice with beef, hot, from Pad Thai.  Or maybe (like I had last night) soft beef chimichangas and cheese dip from Mexico Restaurant.

12. Planes or boats?
Can I pass on both?  Planes would be 100 times better if it wasn’t for the crazy lines and ridiculous TSA regulations that basically require me to be viewed naked by some perv behind the scanner screen.

13. One rumor that’s been spread about you:
That I’m gay.  I’m actually bisexual.  Not all rumors are false.  😉

14. Who is your newest friend?
Samantha Baker over at Repairing Shattered Pieces.  She and I have been blogging buddies for a few months, but we just met in person on Saturday.  It was a great time.  We really connect and can talk about anything.  It was definitely well-worth the hour trip up to see her.  We are already planning our next meeting.

15. Have you ever sat on a rooftop?
Yes, I have.  It was wonderful.  I went up on the roof of our house out in the country to help my Dad nail up some new shingles after a storm.  It was a breath-taking view, and I loved working alongside my Dad and feeling the breeze on my face.

16. Was your last text useful?
Yes, it was.  I asked someone a question.  Although I still haven’t gotten an answer back, it was a useful question that I need to know the answer to in order to make a decision.

17. Favorite soda?
7-Up.

18. Do you like yourself?
Yep, I sure do.

19. The worst weather: Hot or cold?
Both.  I like it in-between.  The perfect day is a mild spring or fall day in the 70s.  The blistering hot weather we’ve been having lately (well over 100 for weeks now) paired with the brutal humidity and insane heat indexes (115?  Seriously?!) is almost unbearable to be out in.  Conversely, I hate being cold.  Even worse is cold and wet in the snow and slush with a chance to fall on my ass because of black ice.  No thanks!

20. Do you play an instrument?
I pseudo play the guitar.  I can play basic cords and rhythm.  I can also play a few songs on the piano if you give me all day to practice and some sheet music.  My real instrument is my voice, though.  I’m currently having a tattoo drawn up of a vintage microphone.  It will have music notes swirling around it and be done in gray-scale.  Here are a few inspiration photos.

Being Random

Here is my normal weekly meme from Sunday Stealing.  Thanks for the questions!

1. Have you felt that life is like being on a roller coaster?
Wow… That has definitely been true, especially in the last few years. See my previous post Rollercoaster for proof.

2. Favorite year so far?
2003. That is the year I traveled all over Europe. It was the most amazing experience.

3. Do you consider yourself religious?
Absolutely positively not. To the 1000th power.

4. How do you dress to impress?
It depends on who I’m trying to impress. To impress my husband for a night out at a fancy restaurant it is a perfect little black dress, heels, pearls, and hair that has taken me an hour. To impress him just any old day it would be a t-shirt and nothing else… or nothing at all. To impress at work I have a few sharp pants suits.

5. Have you ever been to Connecticut?
I don’t really think I have. We did drive from Virginia to Main when I was a kid (6th grade), but I don’t remember what states we passed through. I have never taken a trip exclusively to Connecticut.

6. Do you eat sushi?
Yes, occasionally. It isn’t a regular staple of my diet, but I have found a few types that I really like.

7. Would you smoke pot providing there was no risk or driving involved?
No. I’m not even sure what “no risk” involved means. It is an illegal substance, so there is an inherent risk. My job doesn’t do random drug tests, but I still would not want to jeopardize my career or lifestyle. I am also really not interested in mind-altering drugs – even alcohol – since I am on antidepressants. I’m not sure what the combination would do.

8. What do you think of Idol Winner Phillip Phillips?
I don’t want American Idol, so I couldn’t tell you. I think that Clay Aiken should have won his season. Since then I haven’t watched any complete episodes.

9. Do you believe that animals have souls?
I don’t really believe in souls in the religious sense – even for people. I do believe in personalities and a special “something” that makes each of us unique. Even animals have that.

10. Who did you last talk to? Share, if you dare.
A potential new hire. I just finished up a phone interview.

11. What is one thing that always annoys you?
People who are late.

12. Do you believe in a higher being?
No – What is with all of these religion questions??

13. Have you ever fallen in love with a neighbor?
Weird questions – no.

14. Any plans for this weekend?
I might go see some Legends car racing. I may also visit a food festival that will be happening on Sunday. Or I could decide to do absolutely nothing and lounge around in my underwear all day. You never know…

15. Would you like to rule your country, if you could?
“Rule your country”… That is a weird way to put it. We don’t really have a “ruler” here. I don’t think I would want the job of President, though. I like my privacy and down-time too much for that. If you mean some hypothetical “ruler” who just makes up rules that others have to follow… maybe. There are plenty of things that I wish I could change.

16. Do you like watching films about the nature of animals?
I like watching the Discovery channel sometimes, and I love the Planet Earth series.

17. What’s the difference between lust and/or lust?
I copied this question exactly, so this typo is not on me. There is no difference between lust and/or lust because that is the same word twice… What I believe this should be asking is what is the difference between love and lust. In that case, I think there is a huge difference.  Lust is physical attraction to someone – an intense desire.  It can be powerful and has to do with the brain chemical dopamine.  Love is a much deeper emotion.  It is built up with time, trust, and real knowledge of someone else.  The love hormone is oxytocin.

18. Do you have a soul?
Wow… again with the religious/soul question. No. I don’t believe we have “souls” that are separate from our bodies. I believe we have personalities. I believe we have a brain that is made up of many indefinable things which combined form who we are. I believe we are made up of energy, thoughts, and other invisible things. But I believe that when we die, we die. I don’t believe that there is some separate “soul” that floats away into the great beyond.

19. One best friend or many good friends?
One best friend.

20. Do you believe in spontaneous combustion?
I’m not really sure. I haven’t done any research into it at all. I do believe that there are strange chemicals and substances that can start a fire with no heat involved. I think some of those things might be responsible for the “spontaneous combustion” cases. I think science can provide an answer, but I am not a scientist so I will leave it at that.