Today’s song is I Will Buy You A New Life by Everclear. A little back-story, Everclear was a very popular band when I was in college and this was my favorite of their songs.
This weekend, New Guy and I, along with some friends saw them in concert at the Surf Ballroom. (For you history buffs, The Surf was the last concert venue for Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, & The Big Bopper before they were killed in a plane crash.) We had such an awesome time at the concert and it truly did feel like we were back in college again. One of the best parts was that we stood third row center stage for the encore which was when this song was played. The lead singer explained that despite what people think, this song is not about money but is in fact a love song.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Witty Words Wednesday #6
“Sometimes the one you think is your knight in shining armor actually turns out to be an idiot in aluminum foil.”
~ Anonymous
(Thank you, Kelli, for sharing this one with me!)
~ Anonymous
(Thank you, Kelli, for sharing this one with me!)
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Cheating Husbands… and their Mistresses
Okay, I have tried to hold myself back from weighing in on this. However, with the recent admission of John Edwards that he did in fact father a child with his mistress and the headline allegations that Tiger Woods tried to cover up his affair with Rachel Uchitel (and the slew of harlots who then came out of the woodwork) by calling her on the phone the night before the story broke and having her speak to his wife, telling Elin that the whole thing was a lie, I can no longer refrain…
First of all, SHAME ON THESE MEN (and all other men and women) who have cheated on their spouses! Marriage is about a commitment that you have made to another person and, even if you take all religious connotations out of it, there is no excuse for being unfaithful. If you are truly that unhappy with your relationship then TALK to your spouse.
Second, if you are in fact a no-good-cheater, for goodness sakes at least be honest about it. I HATE lies, which even my six and seven year old students can attest to; lying only makes the situation worse. There is no such thing as lying to try and ease the situation nor does it help to tweak your lies as a way of lessening someone else’s pain. (Trust me, this is what Soon-To-Be Mr. Ex did and it actually just hurt me more… it was just a kiss with so-and-so; okay it wasn’t her it was what’s her name and we did sleep together, but it was just once; well actually it was more than once, it’s been on-going.) So you made a mistake and you got caught with your pants down, just ADMIT IT from the get go.
To the mistresses… On what planet do you live that you think it is somehow acceptable to sleep with another woman’s husband? Look at both John Edwards and Tiger Woods ~ it’s not a secret that either of the two were married; in fact, both had fairly publicized marriages. So I ask you, what kind of a woman sleeps with a married man? (I think we all know the answer to that one.) There is NOTHING you can say to justify your actions, not: well their marriage was unhappy; his wife just doesn’t understand him; or he made the choice, I just went with it – I was doing nothing wrong. Face the fact: YOU are just as much to blame. And yes, despite what you may think, you DO owe the wife an apology.
Finally, to Elizabeth and Elin and every other woman (and man), famous or not, who has been cheated on: you are strong and beautiful and your husband (or wife) was a fool. Pray for strength and clarity and do what is best for YOU, regardless of what others think of your decisions. You have to decide if you want to stay and try and repair the damage or if you want to kick your spouse to the curb – no one can judge your decisions until they have walked with you.
First of all, SHAME ON THESE MEN (and all other men and women) who have cheated on their spouses! Marriage is about a commitment that you have made to another person and, even if you take all religious connotations out of it, there is no excuse for being unfaithful. If you are truly that unhappy with your relationship then TALK to your spouse.
Second, if you are in fact a no-good-cheater, for goodness sakes at least be honest about it. I HATE lies, which even my six and seven year old students can attest to; lying only makes the situation worse. There is no such thing as lying to try and ease the situation nor does it help to tweak your lies as a way of lessening someone else’s pain. (Trust me, this is what Soon-To-Be Mr. Ex did and it actually just hurt me more… it was just a kiss with so-and-so; okay it wasn’t her it was what’s her name and we did sleep together, but it was just once; well actually it was more than once, it’s been on-going.) So you made a mistake and you got caught with your pants down, just ADMIT IT from the get go.
To the mistresses… On what planet do you live that you think it is somehow acceptable to sleep with another woman’s husband? Look at both John Edwards and Tiger Woods ~ it’s not a secret that either of the two were married; in fact, both had fairly publicized marriages. So I ask you, what kind of a woman sleeps with a married man? (I think we all know the answer to that one.) There is NOTHING you can say to justify your actions, not: well their marriage was unhappy; his wife just doesn’t understand him; or he made the choice, I just went with it – I was doing nothing wrong. Face the fact: YOU are just as much to blame. And yes, despite what you may think, you DO owe the wife an apology.
Finally, to Elizabeth and Elin and every other woman (and man), famous or not, who has been cheated on: you are strong and beautiful and your husband (or wife) was a fool. Pray for strength and clarity and do what is best for YOU, regardless of what others think of your decisions. You have to decide if you want to stay and try and repair the damage or if you want to kick your spouse to the curb – no one can judge your decisions until they have walked with you.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Pandora Bracelet
As a little girl I loved charm bracelets, so you can imagine how enthralled I have been with the Pandora bracelet line since it came out a few years ago. The really cool thing about Pandora is that for each milestone in life (big or small), you can add a new charm or bead. Anyway, right before Christmas I decided that I was going to buy myself one; I was about to turn 30, was starting over in my life, and I just thought I needed some self-pampering. So, imagine my surprise and excitement when I received a Pandora bracelet from one of my students for Christmas! Along with the bracelet itself, she and her family also gave me a frog charm (representing the frog theme in my classroom – I think of it as my “teacher charm”.)
For my birthday, I got several more beads and charms as well…
From New Guy:
A silver ghost charm ~ we met at a Halloween party
A yellow & red bead ~ the colors of the college we both graduated from
A silver rabbit charm ~ a sort of inside joke (don’t you hate it when people say stuff like that and you don’t know what they are talking about... I can't stand it, lol!)
From two of my first graders:
A pink bead with green dots
A silver charm that looks like cobble stone walk way (ironically, this one is called “journey” and is one I had planned to buy as a representation of my theory on life)
From Me to Myself (doesn’t everyone buy birthday gifts for themselves?):
Three green beads, each with a different design ~ one for each decade of my life (green is my favorite color)
A blue & white bead ~ the colors of the college where I got my masters
A red bead with pink hearts ~ representing my heart being open to new love (yes, I really am that cheesy!)
Two silver clips with squiggles on them (these just keep your charms/beads from sliding all over)
Needless to say, Guys, if you are looking for a romantic and simple gift to give your girlfriend/wife for Valentine’s Day, this would be a good one that you could keep adding to for years to come!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Sassy Song Sunday: Fearless by Taylor Swift
In reference to my Witty Words Wednesday post last week, today’s song is Fearles by Taylor Swift.
Friday, January 22, 2010
The Jareds
In college I went on several first dates with a slew of guys who had the same first name. For the purpose of this post, we’ll say that name was “Jared”. In order for my friends and me to keep track of which “Jared” we were referring to in conversation, we gave them nicknames…
“Tree Jared” (he was a forestry major and on our date he told me about all the different types of woods in the restaurant… “This table is made of walnut. That bench is made of oak.”)
“Dauber Jared” (he looked a lot like Dauber from the TV show Coach.)
“50s Jared” (he paid for dinner and then totally freaked out – as in actually made a large and embarrassing scene, when I insisted on paying for the movie.)
“Bad Teeth Jared” (pretty obvious where this one came from.)
The fact that all of these guys had the same first name was made even more comical by the fact my high school boyfriend also had the same first name (we called him “Original Jared”.) For the longest time I thought I must be destined to end up with a guy named Jared, for the simple reason that those seemed to be the only ones I crossed paths with. Then, however, I met Soon-To-Be Mr. Ex, and my streak of Jareds ended… or so I thought. I tell you this story, dear readers, because New Guy is also a Jared!
“Tree Jared” (he was a forestry major and on our date he told me about all the different types of woods in the restaurant… “This table is made of walnut. That bench is made of oak.”)
“Dauber Jared” (he looked a lot like Dauber from the TV show Coach.)
“50s Jared” (he paid for dinner and then totally freaked out – as in actually made a large and embarrassing scene, when I insisted on paying for the movie.)
“Bad Teeth Jared” (pretty obvious where this one came from.)
The fact that all of these guys had the same first name was made even more comical by the fact my high school boyfriend also had the same first name (we called him “Original Jared”.) For the longest time I thought I must be destined to end up with a guy named Jared, for the simple reason that those seemed to be the only ones I crossed paths with. Then, however, I met Soon-To-Be Mr. Ex, and my streak of Jareds ended… or so I thought. I tell you this story, dear readers, because New Guy is also a Jared!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
One Week
It's been one week since my 30th birthday. Remember when I posted asking advice about what I should do BEFORE the big day? Well, I didn't do any of those things, darn! But then I got to thinking, rather than doing just one awesome thing for my 3oth birthday, why not do several memorable things throughout my 30th year of life? So, I am going to start a list of things I want to do before now and January 14, 2011…
* I want to ride in a hot air balloon. I have always wanted to do this, but am not really sure how you go about it. Does anyone know?
* I want to do some traveling. I used to love traveling. Growing up we went on vacation every summer but, Soon-To-Be Mr. Ex didn’t like traveling which is why we only went on two vacations in nine years (and one was for a wedding). I have been to nearly ever state east of Iowa, but the furthest west I have been is Nebraska. So, I think it’s time to head west!
* I want to get healthier ~ better eating and exercising habits, that sort of thing (not exactly an “awesome” thing, but still an important one!)
That’s all I can think of for now, but as I think of others I will post them.
* I want to ride in a hot air balloon. I have always wanted to do this, but am not really sure how you go about it. Does anyone know?
* I want to do some traveling. I used to love traveling. Growing up we went on vacation every summer but, Soon-To-Be Mr. Ex didn’t like traveling which is why we only went on two vacations in nine years (and one was for a wedding). I have been to nearly ever state east of Iowa, but the furthest west I have been is Nebraska. So, I think it’s time to head west!
* I want to get healthier ~ better eating and exercising habits, that sort of thing (not exactly an “awesome” thing, but still an important one!)
That’s all I can think of for now, but as I think of others I will post them.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Sassy Song Sunday: My Next Thirty Years by Tim McGraw
Today’s song is My Next Thirty Years by Tim McGraw. I can relate to a great many of the lyrics in this one; here are a few of my favorites:
My next thirty years I’m gonna settle all the scores
Cry a little less, laugh a little more…
My next thirty years will be the best years of my life…
Make up for lost time here, in my next thirty years…
My next thirty years I’m gonna settle all the scores
Cry a little less, laugh a little more…
My next thirty years will be the best years of my life…
Make up for lost time here, in my next thirty years…
Thursday, January 14, 2010
The Dawn of a New Decade
I woke up this morning to the day of a new decade! I thought it would be bad, but it was actually one of my best birthdays yet. Here are some of the highlights of the day:
1) Not only did my class of pajama day, but to my surprise my coworkers and their students dressed in PJ’s for my big day too. What a fun!
2) My students gave me several cards, gifts, and birthday hugs throughout the day. We celebrated my big day with cake and ice cream too!
3) My friend, Julie, and I went out for dinner – Mexican food & margaritas ~ yum! Plus, she made me the BEST cheesecake and gave me a really cool gift… this awesome martini shaker…
4) I got flowers! I LOVE flowers and can count on one hand the number of times I have received them in the past ten years!
Flowers from my mama
Flowers from New Guy
1) Not only did my class of pajama day, but to my surprise my coworkers and their students dressed in PJ’s for my big day too. What a fun!
2) My students gave me several cards, gifts, and birthday hugs throughout the day. We celebrated my big day with cake and ice cream too!
3) My friend, Julie, and I went out for dinner – Mexican food & margaritas ~ yum! Plus, she made me the BEST cheesecake and gave me a really cool gift… this awesome martini shaker…
4) I got flowers! I LOVE flowers and can count on one hand the number of times I have received them in the past ten years!
Flowers from my mama
Flowers from New Guy
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Witty Words Wednesday #5
“Fearless is not the absence of fear. It’s not being completely unafraid... fearless is having fears. Fearless is having doubts - lots of them. Fearless is living in spite of those things that scare you to death. Fearless is falling madly in love again, even though you’ve been hurt before.”
~ Taylor Swift
~ Taylor Swift
Monday, January 11, 2010
The Beginning
I had forgotten how exhilarating new relationships are, particularly in the beginning. In the beginning you think about the person constantly and are over the moon to see them. When you’re together you are giddy – smiling, laughing, holding hands. In the beginning you can talk for hours about nothing and everything all at the same time. In the beginning you get lost in each others kiss. While more seasoned relationships certainly do have their perks as well, in my book you truly cannot beat the beginning. I tell you this, dear readers, as my way to reveal that which I have been concealing; that which I have not been boldly blogging about… I met someone.
“New Guy” and I met a few months ago through mutual friends and have been in regular contact (phone calls, texts, dates) since. He is one of those hard-to-find truly nice guys. He is smart, funny, generous, and cute! He likes kids, values his own family, and makes me feel beautiful, special, and appreciated. What else could a girl ask for? I feel blessed that he was brought into my life, even though it was in a rather random and spontaneous way. I look forward to seeing where the journey (which I have relinquished control over) goes!
Side Note
I realize that some of you, particularly those who know me personally and had no idea about this news, are probably a little slack-jawed. Please don’t be offended that I didn’t tell you. Honestly, I told very few people and I didn’t write about it here because I didn’t know what others would think. However, I refuse to live my life in secret as if I have done something wrong, because I have not. I look at it like this… I was 100% committed to my marriage, even after Soon To Be Mr. Ex had an extramarital affair. I never once waivered in my commitment to him or our vows until the day he told me he wanted a divorce. I did nothing wrong and I have nothing to feel bad about either morally or legally; I am moving on with my life!
“New Guy” and I met a few months ago through mutual friends and have been in regular contact (phone calls, texts, dates) since. He is one of those hard-to-find truly nice guys. He is smart, funny, generous, and cute! He likes kids, values his own family, and makes me feel beautiful, special, and appreciated. What else could a girl ask for? I feel blessed that he was brought into my life, even though it was in a rather random and spontaneous way. I look forward to seeing where the journey (which I have relinquished control over) goes!
Side Note
I realize that some of you, particularly those who know me personally and had no idea about this news, are probably a little slack-jawed. Please don’t be offended that I didn’t tell you. Honestly, I told very few people and I didn’t write about it here because I didn’t know what others would think. However, I refuse to live my life in secret as if I have done something wrong, because I have not. I look at it like this… I was 100% committed to my marriage, even after Soon To Be Mr. Ex had an extramarital affair. I never once waivered in my commitment to him or our vows until the day he told me he wanted a divorce. I did nothing wrong and I have nothing to feel bad about either morally or legally; I am moving on with my life!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Sassy Song Sunday: Pray For You by Jaron And the Long Road to Love
Today’s song, Pray For You by Jaron And the Long Road to Love, was a new one for me. My brother introduced me to it on Christmas Day. It’s not nice, but oh well, it’s a fun one ~ just might be a new favorite! Yay for blogging boldly!!!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Blogging Boldly
This summer, before I started my blog, I became an avid blog reader. One blog I read every day is MckMama’s. Recently she wrote about bold blogging, which really got me thinking. Do I blog boldly? At times, sure I do… in the past I have poured out my heart about Soon-To-Be-Mr. Ex, his affair, our crumbling marriage, and my feelings about the whole things. (At times I was probably even a little too bold, lol!) However I’ve noticed, now that I am in this new phase - truly beginning to reassemble my life - I am censoring myself more. Why am I doing this? Well, honestly it is due in part to what I thought others might think. Pretty crazy, huh?
MckMama has encouraged her readers to blog boldly, live boldly, work boldly, love boldly – do whatever it is that we do boldly. So, that is what I am going to do. I am going take the advice of Eleanor Roosevelt and do this, which scares me, because the “small town girl” inside of me hates when people think badly of her. (Yes, I’ll admit it… I am one of those people who can’t stand it when people don’t like her, even if it’s people that she does not like.)
If I am going to be true to myself and honestly chronicle the journey that I have found myself on, I am going to do it all out! So I guess what I’m saying, dear readers, is that this is your warning… from here on out I’m blogging boldly!
MckMama has encouraged her readers to blog boldly, live boldly, work boldly, love boldly – do whatever it is that we do boldly. So, that is what I am going to do. I am going take the advice of Eleanor Roosevelt and do this, which scares me, because the “small town girl” inside of me hates when people think badly of her. (Yes, I’ll admit it… I am one of those people who can’t stand it when people don’t like her, even if it’s people that she does not like.)
If I am going to be true to myself and honestly chronicle the journey that I have found myself on, I am going to do it all out! So I guess what I’m saying, dear readers, is that this is your warning… from here on out I’m blogging boldly!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
I Stand Corrected
Well, well… just when I thought romanticism had died long ago along with chivalry, I was proven wrong (yay!!!). I adore the engagement story of Anonymous (kudos to her hubby) and my friend Miranda posted this on her Facebook page…
Best Marriage Proposals 2009
Best Marriage Proposals 2009
Monday, January 4, 2010
What a Girl Wants
Awhile back my friend Julie and I watched the movie Bride Wars, which lead to a conversation about weddings. Neither of us knew each other when we got married, so of course we started talking about our own weddings - dresses, flowers, cakes, etc. From this discussion we concluded two things:
First, every girl wants a great engagement story – one that is a total surprise which she can tell her family, friends, and coworkers about for years to come. However, very few individuals get one. Think about it – how many women do you know that actually have a romantic, movie-quality proposal? Neither of us could think of anyone. We concluded that no one actually has one and it’s the fault of the movie industry that every girl feels disappointed by this. (If you have one, please share it so that my faith in romanticism can be restored in 2010, lol!)
The second thing that Julie and I concluded was that, although girls want to be surprised by the proposal, they also want the perfect rock. Therefore, every girl needs a “Ring Friend”. The Ring Friend would be someone who knows the exact engagement ring that you want and this friend would be able to articulate this to said guy. That way, every girl would get the ring that she actually wanted (rather than the one that she ends up loving only because the guy picked it out himself, even though it’s not actually what she would have picked) and she would also get the surprise proposal ~ best of both worlds!
I realize that many of my readers are female, so ladies make these facts known to your sons, brothers, cousins, and single guy friends… And to my few male follows, heed these words of wisdom (and for Pete Sakes, get down on one knee)!
First, every girl wants a great engagement story – one that is a total surprise which she can tell her family, friends, and coworkers about for years to come. However, very few individuals get one. Think about it – how many women do you know that actually have a romantic, movie-quality proposal? Neither of us could think of anyone. We concluded that no one actually has one and it’s the fault of the movie industry that every girl feels disappointed by this. (If you have one, please share it so that my faith in romanticism can be restored in 2010, lol!)
The second thing that Julie and I concluded was that, although girls want to be surprised by the proposal, they also want the perfect rock. Therefore, every girl needs a “Ring Friend”. The Ring Friend would be someone who knows the exact engagement ring that you want and this friend would be able to articulate this to said guy. That way, every girl would get the ring that she actually wanted (rather than the one that she ends up loving only because the guy picked it out himself, even though it’s not actually what she would have picked) and she would also get the surprise proposal ~ best of both worlds!
I realize that many of my readers are female, so ladies make these facts known to your sons, brothers, cousins, and single guy friends… And to my few male follows, heed these words of wisdom (and for Pete Sakes, get down on one knee)!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Sassy Song Sunday: It Happens by Sugarland
Continuing with my theme of 2010 - simply letting life happen, today’s song is It Happens by Sugarland. (When I sing it I like to really emphasize the “sh” that is sung before the “it happens” – although, in this particular version you really have to listen for it.)
Saturday, January 2, 2010
A New Year without Resolutions
Wow, 2010 is here; remembering all the hype going into the year 2000, it’s hard to believe that it was 10 years ago now! I am usually one to make New Years resolutions; however, this year “New Me” is not going to make a single one. (Crazy, I know!) I have decided to throw caution to the wind and just let life happen and see where the journey takes me (albeit, that is a little scary for me – moving down the road without a five-year-plan). One thing I can say with total certainty is that I am thrilled that 2009 is behind me and I look forward to seeing what 2010 brings. Happy New Year!
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