About Me

Dear Jenni,

November 4, 2011

Sometimes I write notes to myself.

Now before you go calling me crazy, hear me out. I am not a patient person. I think I’ve made that abundantly clear on several occasions. I don’t like waiting for things to happen.

So, sometimes I like to write myself notes and put them places where I will see them several months into the future just to remind myself that waiting is ok. Or to remind myself that maybe the wait wasn’t all that bad.

A few years ago, when we lived in Des Moines, we lived in a neighborhood and school district we were desperately trying to get out of. We had some troubles trying to sell our house, and I thought we would never get out of there. I remember being so down on myself, so desperate, so upset and just royally pissed off that we were spending yet another holiday season in a place we didn’t want to be. Houses we had looked at were selling to other people, and there we sat– in a house we couldn’t give away.

We spent the holidays in that house, and as I put away the Christmas decorations that year, I remember writing myself a note on a sheet of paper. I have no idea even WHY I did this. I got out a sheet of notebook paper, and wrote on it:

January 1, 2007

Dear Jenni, Hopefully by the time you read this, you will be putting your Christmas tree up in a new home. Hang in there. Things will get better.

And you know what? That very next Christmas, I opened up my Christmas tree box IN MY NEW HOME and read that letter with a big smile on my face. You see, in May 2007, our house sold, and we were off to a new town, new school district– which happens to be the one we are in now. And all that waiting and sadness and frustration and impatience that I struggled with? I sit back and think about the fact that it was over FOUR YEARS AGO now, and I can’t believe I was so worried about it.

Maybe it seems corny, but I now have notes to myself stuck in my planner on several different dates in the future. March 1st theres a note to myself (“Dear Jenni, How’s the adoption going? Hang in there, lady!”) just with a little pep talk, because I need that motivational fuel to keep me going.

There’s other notes just like them on June 1st and September 1st… encouraging me to stay positive, reminding how far I’ve come, and showing me that it’s worth the wait.

What things do you do in your life to keep yourself motivated?

Filed Under: About Me, Random Stuff

August Blog Challenge – Day 16

August 16, 2011

I am participating in the August Blog Challenge. Thanks to Belinda for the daily prompts!

Day 16: List 10-15 things about yourself that others may not know.

Hmmm… This is always hard coming up with things about me that no one knows. I never seem to leave too much to the imagination!

1. I have had kidney stones FOUR times in my life, with the most recent being about 10 days ago. I dont know why I keep getting them, but every time I get them, they are worse than the time before.

2. I once won $500 in a karoake contest in 1992 singing the song “Fancy” by Reba McEntire.

3. I would like to get my nose pierced, but I am too chicken to have it done. Plus I am worried that I am too old.

4. My dream job is to be an elementary school teacher.

5. I am left-handed.

6. I used to play the violin.

7. I can guess the puzzles on “Wheel of Fortune” with usually only 1 or 2 letters revealed. I would love to someday try out for the show.

8. I used to play basketball when I was in middle school… back in the days when Iowa still had 6-on-6 girls basketball.

9. I have two tattoos, and I would like to have more. Just haven’t decided on what I want yet.

10. I love the smell of Sharpie markers.

Filed Under: About Me

August Blog Challenge – Day 15

August 15, 2011

I am participating in the August Blog Challenge. Thanks to Belinda for the daily prompts!

Day 15: What do you think stands in the way of you achieving your goals?

When I first read this question, two answers immediately popped into my mind– MONEY and TIME. I am always quick to blame anything in my life about not having enough of either of these, but in reality– I think I should be able to do anything I want. The only thing standing in the way of me achieving my goals is MYSELF and my willingness to fight for what I want.

The problem is… most of the time, I just don’t have the fight in me anymore. I don’t take the initiative to work for what I want. I’m too content, too complacent, too LAZY to make things happen.

One big example of this was me going back to school a couple years ago. I was so excited to finally be working towards my degree, and then after a few classes… BOOM! Time and money got in my way. The kids got busy and I didn’t have time to take classes anymore. So rather than working to rearrange my schedule and fight for what I want, I gave up.

I need to find a way to light that fire again, a way to be more ambitious, more committed…

Until then, things won’t change.

Filed Under: About Me, On My Soapbox

August Blog Challenge – Day 14

August 14, 2011

I am participating in the August Blog Challenge. Thanks to Belinda for the daily prompts!

Day 14: Everyone is addicted to something. What are you addicted to?

I am certainly addicted to foods that are not good for me. It seems to be a given that I eat lots of junk, whether I am hungry or not. For example, the other day at work someone had brought in “S’more brownies” which was this fabulous concoction of chocolate brownies, graham crackers, chocolate bars and marshmallow topping– all finished off with a topping of mini chocolate chips. Um, YUM!

Anyway, I had eaten a decent breakfast, so i wasn’t hungry at all. Had plans to go to lunch with some co-workers, yet I’LL BE DARNED if I didn’t have to scoop up a big piece of dessert about 30 minutes before lunch. Seriously, I can’t say NO to junk food.

And it’s not just FOOD I have an issue with. I have an addiction when it comes to volunteering or taking on tasks when I know I don’t have the time for them. I can’t say NO, people. Part of this stems from a little bit of guilt that I feel sometimes that I am not a stay-at-home mom. I feel like I need to be there more for my kids, so I tend to overcompensate by always volunteering to be the team parent, or the mom that handles working at the concession stand at a game. I need to learn to prioritize my life better and make sure I am taking the time for the RIGHT THINGS in my life.

Filed Under: About Me

August Blog Challenge – Day 13

August 13, 2011

I am participating in the August Blog Challenge. Thanks to Belinda for the daily prompts!

Day 13: Which of the 7 Deadly Sins do you struggle with?

OK, I will admit I had to google “7 Deadly Sins” because I couldn’t think of more than 1 or 2 of them. I would say out of all of them, the one I struggle with the most is ENVY. I am one of those people that suddenly gets “New Car Fever” whenever someone I know buys a new car. I get so jealous of people that are able to afford bigger houses than me. I could go on and on, but really — I always want what everyone else has.