Sweet Russ

30 for 30 is over and if there’s one thing I’ve learned through this process it’s that blogging every day takes some serious time and commitment! I guess if this was my full time job and I got paid for these riveting blog posts then it would feel less stressful or challenging to come up with topics every day. I think we all know I clearly struggled some days…

The point of this self-imposed goal (other than to set an attainable goal before turning the big 3-0) was to keep me writing. So today I’m posting an essay that I’ve thought about blogging for awhile now. It doesn’t have anything to do with being 30, but I think there have been enough of those posts. Thanks again to all you dear people who occasionally browse through the randomness that is this blog.

Wednesday morning 5:20 AM my alarm goes off. I reach my hand over and hit everything on the corner of my dresser in an attempt to make the beeping stop. Then I’m faced with the first hard decision of the day: either roll over and go back to sleep in my cozy bed or roll out of the warmth and attend the ‘Power Hour’ class at the Y. (For clarification: power hour in this context is an intense hour of cardio circuit training; it is not a drinking game or hour-filled religious event)

I close my eyes tightly as I debate the decision – they clearly don’t want to open yet. I tell myself how sleepy I am and how another hour of sleep would really be great. But then the thought of what Sweet Russ will say to me today enters my mind that’s all it takes. My feet are on the floor and I’m feeling my way to the bathroom (my eyes are still protesting the decision).

Russ is a white-haired gentleman with gleaming eyes and an unassuming smile who sits behind the pass scanner desk at the YMCA. I’ve come to secretly call him “Sweet Russ” because I find that title more fitting that just Russ. He’s not there when I arrive at the terrible hour of 5:50 AM but I know he’ll be at his post when I leave for work…that’s assuming I survive the dreaded Power Hour. I borrow a lock for the locker room from the equally as nice (though not quite as charming) gentleman who has the unfortunate 5:50 AM shift and then it’s off to class.

I trudge through 'Power Hour' and think about how deceiving the title of the class is because I do not feel at all powerful during this hour. If anything the class points out how weak I am as my arms shake during push-ups and my legs feel like jell-o after the first fifteen minutes. Thankfully I’ve somehow managed to endure the weekly hour of power mornings -- to date anyway.

After I catch my breath and get ready for work, I walk down the long corridor to the pass scanner desk and as expected, there Sweet Russ sits. His wrinkled eyes light up behind his thin glasses when he sees me and the smile that’s always on his face remains.

“Good morning Russ, how are you?” I ask as I approach the desk. He generally responds with something along the lines of, “I’m fine – and you are too, pretty lady!” I tell him he’s too nice and hand him my borrowed lock, today it was lock #3 which means that Russ’ reply was, “Number three? Well that’s not right – you’re clearly number one!” On days when I have lock number #1 he responds with, “Number one? Well, that’s very apropos.”

Though I am certain that Sweet Russ makes kind remarks to everyone that passes by him daily, when he says them to me I feel like I’m the only one he’s noticed that day.

His dependability at the pass scanner desk post is something I can count on and look forward to each morning. His kind words stay with me throughout the day and pop into my head when I need encouragement. His smile allows me to forget how sore and tired I am; they replace my wincing with a smile of my own.

As I’ve thought more about what it is I enjoy about Sweet Russ I can’t help but see the parallel to Jesus. The Lord is constantly willing me to meet me each morning. His words stay with me throughout the day and in moments where I can grasp His enjoyment of me, I can’t help but smile.

I’m thankful for the way that Sweet Russ points me to Jesus just by being who the Lord created him to be. I can only hope that I allow the characteristics of Jesus to shine through me as clearly as he does.

My Costume

This year for Halloween I went as "shocked"...full story coming up tomorrow...

Halloween Eve

Happy Halloween Eve! Still stressed about a costume? Why not go as one of your Friends?

Candy!

In honor of the sweetest holiday of the year (pardon the pun!) this Friday I present my Top 5 Favorite (non-chocolate) Candy:

5) Swedish Fish
The smaller fish are somehow better than the bigger ones
4) Dots
Such a simple name and concept, yet so delicious
3) Haribo Gummy Bears
Kids and Grown ups love it so! There is definitely a difference in Gummy Bear brands and Haribo is the best.
2) Laffy Taffy
Why didn’t the Skeleton go to the dance? Because he had no body to go with.
1) Sour Patch Kids
A weird concept considering they are in the shape of children, but this candy is by far the best. I’m not ashamed to say I can easily enjoy an entire bag by myself.

No More Mixed Tapes

Earlier this week Sony announced that they will retire the cassette Walkman player. So as I begin my 30th year, the Walkman ends it's 30th with 'retirement.'


Another short post here as I try to keep up my 30 for 30 commitment!

Friday Five

I’ve got a fun weekend in the mountains ahead of me and can’t wait to get it started. Today’s Friday Five was originally going to be my favorite Fall music however when I started making my list I noticed a common theme appearing so I switched to a different theme. I now present my Top 5 Favorite Bearded Male Singers/Bands. I love random blog posts. :)

5) Fleet Foxes

4) Iron and Wine

3) Bon Iver

2) Band of Horses

1) Ray LaMontagne (of course)

Just in Time for Halloween

Your very own Chuck Norris pumpkin...

Find more celebrity pumpkin stencils here. You're welcome!

Ice Hotel

I didn't see Amazing Race last night but heard at the office water cooler that the Ice Hotel in Sweden was featured. I was not aware that a hotel made of ice existed and furthermore do not understand why people would pay money to sleep in a hotel that is constantly set at negative 5 degrees Celsius. I think enjoying pictures of the hotel is just as exciting.

Signature b

Belk revealed a new logo at their flagship SouthPark store yesterday.


My immediate thought? They totally ripped off Bloomingdale’s.


That is the exact same signature “b” people! I can’t believe there hasn’t been a more vocal public outcry on the issue. Could it be that I’m the only one who cares about such things? If Belk introduces the “big blue bag” next there will be no denying it.

Apparently There's Another Sport in the Fall

Let’s go Rangers! (Clap, clap, clap-clap-clap)
Okay I give -- I’m not really a baseball fan. Sure, I went to several Texas Rangers games growing up but the highlights for me were eating ice cream out of a mini helmet and betting on the red dot to win the dot race on the jumbotron in the 6th inning. The other memory I have is cheering for Ruben Sierra because his first name was coincidentally also the name of one of my many Cabbage Patch Kids.

However thanks to facebook, I’m now aware that the Rangers have advanced to the American League Championship Series (ALCS) for the first time in franchise history! This means I’m jumping on the Rangers bandwagon and hoping we can make it all the way to the World Series for the first time ever. It’s all very exciting, but mostly it just makes me want some ice cream in a mini helmet cup.

26.2

Two years ago to the date I ran my first and only marathon – the Chicago Marathon. The training was grueling to say the least but the actual race was an unforgettable experience. If you’ve ever thought about running a marathon know that if I can do you – you can definitely do it! After the marathon I knew I wanted to remember everything so I wrote a very long journal entry about it. Below are excerpts about the race details.

October 12, 2008
CC, Amy, Emily, and I left our hotel around 5:45 AM and took a cab to the starting area. We got to the World Vision tent around 6:10 and waited nervously for others to get there. We met a few other people also running to support World Vision. The overall feeling in the tent was a combination of apprehension and excitement. The World Vision staff took a group picture around 7:15 and then sent everyone to the starting corral in their pacing groups.

Once we were in the start area the excitement increased, again we met some new people running with World Vision. Over the loudspeaker they announced 5 minutes till the start and played the national anthem. Then they announced when the race actually started since we were so far back we couldn’t tell the gun had gone off. Everyone started cheering. We didn’t start moving for another 5 minutes or so and then we started slowly walking with the mass of people. As we could see the start line in the distance I was overcome with emotion. I had to hold back tears as I crossed the start line around 8:20 and through the first 3 miles. There were so many people running and so many spectators cheering.

Since we had our names on the front of our jerseys we heard our names about every 2 minutes. It was incredible, the feeling of excitement and accomplishment just to be there. There were lots of signs, several of them clever and funny. As we continued through the race it was hard to slow down to our normal pace because there were so many people cheering the entire course.

It was also great to have my family there cheering me on. I am so blessed to have a family that supports me whatever I decide to do. I love that they were able to experience this with me and that they care for me so well. My mom made signs that said “Go Cameo Court girls!” I also loved watching other people see their family and friends – their supporters would get so excited to see them and the runners would instantly smile as well.

As the heat intensified the last 7-8 miles were really tough for me. The sun felt like it was beating down and I just wanted to get to the finish but at the same time in a weird way, I didn’t want the experience to end. I made the several turns through the last mile and finally saw the finish line. I couldn’t believe I made it, especially without an injury! I heard my dad yell my name from the stands and waved to my family as I picked up the pace to run without ceasing toward the finish line. What an incredible experience. What a joy and relief to finish. As soon as I was done I made it through the crowds and back to the World Vision tent to be greeted by my family!

I loved the experience, I am so thankful to God that He allowed me to have it, that He kept me injury free, and that He revealed more of Himself to me through this experience.

Miss Nelson for Halloween?

When I first saw this Snickers commercial I wasn't quite sure how to feel about it...


I rotated between thinking it was creepy/funny/random. Then I saw a comment on Pop Candy (where else!?) about it. Someone noted that the mask is very similar to the “Miss Nelson” mask from the children’s book Miss Nelson is Back.

In this 1986 classic, when Miss Nelson the teacher leaves her class to a substitute the kids pretend to be her (3 kids balancing on each other to create the fake Miss Nelson – complete with homemade mask resembling Miss Nelson)
I don’t know if that theory is true or not but I’m going to choose to believe it is because it makes the commercial way less creepy. And of course I love that advertisers would reference such a classic book (I mean there's a Texas flag on the front, how could it not be classic?)

Links of the Non-Sausage Variety...

Because I've been so slack on blogging lately I thought I'd give you some other things to read today. But be sure to come back soon for a story about one of my lifelong dreams...a video will be included in the post - I know...you can't wait!

Check out this List of the Day entry from last week on the Paste Magazine website for a list of the 80 best workout songs. I listened to some yesterday at work and I do think it made me work faster so I might download a few and see if they actually will make me run faster...fingers crossed!

And to get you pumped for tonight's Madonna themed Glee episode, also from the Paste website, here's a list of 15 Sue Sylvester quotes to live by.

If you haven't started watching Mad Men yet but want to get caught up before the next season starts you have until July 25 to make it through three seasons on DVR. If you need inspiration to start watching click here.

As I've said here before, I love the Pioneer Woman. She's known for her cooking skills and recipes which doesn't exactly appeal to me, the "microwave-is-my-best-friend" cook, but I still love her. I wrote about how I was introduced to her here. She's coming to Charlotte on May 7 for those of you in or near the Queen City. If you want something to read to get to know her I suggest starting here.

Also happening May 7th...Friday Night Lights returns!! Watch the promo here and get excited (as if you weren't already!)

The NFL draft starts Thursday night and of course you know I am going to be cheering on Sam Bradford for the first pick. I'm ready to be a Rams fan...

I've only read one Anne Lamott book but I loved it and have the rest of her books on my ever growing list of books to read. Here's an interview with her about her latest book (that of course will also be added to the list).

Another author I enjoy, Donald Miller, wrote a post on his blog last week about how he learned to enjoy exercise. I've thought about it several times while working out since then- it's definitely a freeing perspective on the dreaded gym.

Happy reading!

Blaming Beyonce

These were the fantastic words spoken by Anthony Williams, the latest contestant eliminated on Project Runway. If you don't know who Anthony is - here's a picture:
I have been a loose watcher of PR this season; I'm not sure why, but it's just taken me a while to get into it. This could be because when I have watched, Anthony has definitely been the only person providing entertainment. (I mean seriously, has Mila had any inflection of tone in her voice when speaking this season?) This season's cast is just 'blah' in my opinion and will be even more so now that Anthony's gone.

However I LOVED his thoughts on Beyonce. In fact, I don't think truer words have been spoken on this show. Okay well maybe except for whenever Nina calls something "aesthetically not pleasing" because she's usually right about that.

I went to a spin class on Tuesday. Before you judge me as one of those spin class fanatic people let me assure you that this was a rare occurrence. Let's just say I took an exercise hiatus during the cold winter so drastic measures need to be taken quickly as this warm weather approaches.

Anyway, the class was very painful as expected and I was huffing and puffing my way through it until the song 'Survivor' came on by Destiny's Child. Immediately I was transplanted back to 2001 driving around Norman, Oklahoma with my windows down - Beyonce, Kelly and Michelle blasting my mantra from the speakers of my sweet '93 Mitsubishi Eclipse (affectionately known as Mitsi, may she rest in peace). I cannot tell you how much I loved that song in college. So of course I couldn't resist singing along during class...

"I'm a survivor (what), I'm not gonna give up (what), I'm not gon' stop (what), I'm gonna work harder (what), I'm a survivor (what), I'm gonna make it (what), I will survive (what), Keep on survivin' (what)"

As I sang these lyrics my cadence on the bike picked up and I turned the resistance knob up -- completely forgetting the fact that I've taken less than 10 spin classes in my entire life. The pain in my legs increased immediately of course and then a smile spread across my face as I realized Beyonce had in fact made me feel like I was conquering the world through my all powerful spinning skills. I was a survivor after all.

After that enlightenment during my spinning experience with B, I went home and made a new workout playlist containing only Beyonce/Destiny's Child songs because I now completely believed Anthony- there's no question that they make you feel invincible. A sampling of what's included...Independent Woman - check, Irreplacable - check, Single Ladies - of course, Bootylicious -- you know it.

If I can get non-breezy for a moment here I'll share that I continued to further reflect on what it was that made me love Survivor so much in college. I know you're probably thinking the answer is obvious -- just look at this CD cover, how could this song not be awesome?
It was more than just the album cover or the use of the terrific line "Cause my mama taught me better than that" that made me love this song though. I think I love the song because it not only makes me feel all-powerful with physical strength as I workout, but it also makes me feel mentally invincible as I sing along.

Generally it's pretty difficult for me to let other people into my failures and grief; especially when that pain is a result of feeling disappointed by something or someone else. I'd much rather use Beyonce's words to tell them (and myself):

Thought I couldn't breathe without you, I'm inhalin'
You thought I couldn't see without you, Perfect vision
You thought I couldn't last without ya, But I'm lastin'
You thought that I would die without ya, But I'm livin'
Thought that I would fail without ya, But I'm on top,
Thought it would be over by now, But it won't stop,
You thought that I would self-destruct, But I'm still here,
Even in my years to come, I'm still gon' be here.

While there's a part of me that desires to have that thick skin mentality and be the person who has it all together - the truth is that's not how I feel and that's not who I really am. Since college I've learned that if I try to live under an armor suit then yes, I might escape some of the pain; but under all that armor I'll also miss out on some of the joy. While this may seem like common sense it's been a tough lesson for me to grasp and one I'm still working on...taking off the armor leaves me scared and exposed. I have to constantly remind myself there's Someone bigger who won't ever let me down so it's okay to PYOT (put yourself out there - explanation on that acronym is another post for another time...).

Quite a tangent from Anthony's lovely comments, right?! For the record I still love Beyonce and I won't blame her for all my problems - even though I totally agree that she would be worthy of my blame-shift. Now when I sing along in my sweet '07 Honda Civic (affectionately known as Sally) I have a different perspective. Rather than trying to be the Survivor or Independent Woman I'm trying to be the genuine and fearless - jumping into life with others full-on (no armor) so I can experience complete joy. I'll save the tough-girl mentality for spin classes...

Click here to watch several video clips containing some of Anthony's hilarious comments made during Project Runway. Thanks for indulging a somewhat non-breezy post today, I'll be back to regularly scheduled breezy posts about other random things soon!

Don't Forget to Elf Yourself!

My friend Marianne posted one of those "Elf Yourself" dance videos on her blog which made me realize that I had yet to Elf myself this year! For further proof that I have way too much time on my hands click on the link below to enjoy an elf Christmas dance featuring some of the men who made TV enjoyable for me this year. Enjoy!

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/jeasAbjwgqxC1P89xbKU

I Wish it was Christmas Today...

Yes...I realize it's Tuesday and in my last post I promised my predictions regarding the contestants vying for the coveted title of Jake's co-pilot for life by last Friday. I apologize for not coming through - I should have known that a short week at work means more work! So, predictions will come as soon as possible (I'm not giving firm deadlines anymore!). Meanwhile, to make up for my lack of blogging and false promises I hope you'll enjoy one of my favorite Christmas related videos:

SNL Christmas Song | Movies & TV | SPIKE.com

Votes Are In: Bizarre, NOT Brilliant

Well it's official - according to the majority of my friends, the Etre Touchy gloves that I wrote about last week are definitely in the bizarre category. Not only did I receive threats of constant chastising should I wear them, but I also received several alternative suggestions from friends who were worried about my fashion choices.

My friend Katie sent me an email suggesting these beauties from J. Crew:
Katie said, "Of course, it is J. Crew, so it's not as bank account-friendly as your Target ones, but it has the mitten cover that keeps your finger tips warm when you're not typing on your iPhone (is that called typing?) or tying your shoes or using your chopsticks." Yes Katie that is called typing. And yes, these J. Crew gloves do appear to be a much more fashionable solution to the problematic combination of cold weather and iphones/shoelaces/chopsticks.

The next suggestion is from a different "friend". She found these gloves on her own while shopping at Forever 21. Now I - I mean, my "friend"- admits to having a moral dilemma every time she enters Forever 21 since, sadly, she is not and will not be forever 21. But with the end of her 20's decade fast approaching she's trying to shop there as much as possible because she's pretty sure that should she try to enter Forever 21 after the age of 29 alarms will sound and giant jail cell type bars will descend from the ceiling to trap her as security guards shout "30-year old alert!". I know...my friend needs help. Anyway, here are the gloves "she" saw:
As you can see, these gloves have small slits on the thumb and index finger so you can discreetly slip your fingers out of the gloves for typing on your iphone, tying your shoelaces, or eating sushi with chopsticks. These are also the most economical out of the group at $2.80 a pair. However I will not vouch for their quality and it's quite possible they will become nothing but a pile of thread after one wear. At least that's what my "friend" has sometimes experienced with Forever 21 products.

Bizarre or Brilliant?

Meet the "Etre Touchy" gloves. Would these totally give away my addiction to my beloved iphone? I saw them on another blog weeks ago and I keep thinking about them which is usually a sign I should buy them, right? My hesitation is A) I'm not sure they would really be functional - wouldn't my thumbs and index fingers get cold? B) Would they look stupid? and C) Could I just cut off the tips on my $0.99 target gloves to achieve the same purpose?

However, the website offers a look at many more advantages to the Etre Touchy gloves other than just the ability to use your iphone. For example, need to tie your shoelaces?

Need to use your old ipod, nano, or make people do a double take when you flash them a peace sign?
And my personal favorite: The dilemma of how to wear gloves and eat sushi at the same time is no longer!
The website also provides a handy chart so that when you are glove shopping you can easily compare the advantages and disadvantages of each type of glove:

If you or someone you know would like to purchase them the website is here. And if you do get them please let me know if you find them to be as functional as the website is trying to make me believe they are.

And I'm back!

Today is my 29th birthday. 29 - yikes! A friend from college wrote a blog post about the age of 29 that I found to be so true and hilarious. I think her post perfectly sums up why the age of 29 is somewhat of a quandary.

In high school I made a pretty big deal about my birthday complete with a countdown to remind all my friends how many days they had until they could celebrate me. Looking back now in my wisdom as a 29 year-old I realize this sounds extremely narcissistic. But at the time I honestly think I just enjoyed any reason to celebrate anything. Thankfully I have always been blessed with wonderful friends so they didn't get too annoyed (I think). For my 18th birthday they took the opportunity to make sure everyone in the entire school was aware of the blessed day. Travel back with me to that day...

November 3, 1998: I wake up, get ready for the day and then head outside to get in my car and that's when I see them. My 1993 Mitsubishi Eclipse (affectionately known as Mitsi) is covered in small pieces of paper donning my high school crush's face. 'My friends are so funny!' I thought sarcastically. I spend the next several minutes removing the papers from my car before driving to school.

When I do enter the school I see that my sweet friends have painted happy birthday signs on butcher paper and hung them in different hallways! I love the signs and decide that maybe I can forgive them for the incident with Mitsi. I make my way to my locker and see that someone has taped up this Titanic Poster of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet dancing with one slight alteration - my face was taped over Kate's. If you'll remember 1998 was the height of the Titanic phase which also happened to coincide with the height of my Leonardo DiCaprio obsession phase. Again a nice gesture and since I didn't even know what photoshop was in the late 90's taping my face to a poster was definitely the next best thing.

I walk to class, and wait - what's that I see people wearing? Oh Lordy, my "sweet" friends have passed out the tiny pieces of paper with my crush's face on them and people are wearing them as pins on their clothing. People I don't even know. Unbelievable. I get to class and see more papers with his face on them all over my chair and hear the laughter of my friends as my face turns bright red. Admittedly, this whole scenario isn't quite as bad as it could have been however because my crush was older than me so he thankfully had graduated and therefore was not completely freaked out that someone was semi-stalking him (at least as far as I know).

I'd say the memories of that birthday are right up there with the "Backwards" party I had in elementary school. Everyone wore their clothes backwards to the party and we did an obstacle course in the front yard backwards. For the record I still think this is a genius idea for a birthday party - try wearing your clothes backwards for a while and you'll see how fun it is too...okay so maybe it's more fun if you are under the age of 10.

I'm Still Here

My apologies for the lack of blog posting recently. I promised myself when I started this blog of breeziness that I wouldn't disappear for extended periods of time and then return with a "sorry for the lack of posts" post and yet, here I am. My absence hasn't been for a lack of material but rather for a lack of time and energy. So in an attempt to put forth minimal time and energy yet also entice you to return to the blog soon here are a few of the events that have recently happened or will be happening in the next few days that will serve as breezy blog material:

• How to set a squirrel trap in your attic and (hopefully) trap an intruding squirrel.
• A day-o-fun on an all day office trip that includes the following: a bus, boxed wine, team building activities, and the movie Hoosiers.
• The day I broke the law, got kicked off the light rail and lived to tell about it.
  
• What does "evening casual attire" mean to you? To me it means confusion.
• The Neti Pot: It's gross and a very unpleasant experience but it totally works, well done Oprah.
  
• And finally, congratulations to the happy couple; if you haven't heard Molly and Jason are engaged. Here's to second place - I mean chances, second chances!

Stay tuned for details and explanations...