Ten Words

Day 11 of the challenge is to sell yourself in ten words or less. I wasn't really sure how to interpret this one. A ten word sentence eloquent enough to land me a job at an interview? Or ten individual words that describe me? Well, I tried the ten word sentence and that proved to be way too hard for a Saturday morning, so I went with the individual words.

Compassionate.

Analytical.

Driven.

Goofy.

Planner.

Introvert.

Empathetic.

Independent.

Devoted.

Considerate.

Wow! I sound like quite the catch. I'd marry that. 

Happy Weekend, friends! I'm actually at the office right now still working on this proposal...so go outside and get some sunshine for my sake!!! ;)

Check Yes or No

Day 10 of the challenge simply states to share our most embarrassing moment. Well I have something embarrassing to let you in on, and it is that I am easily embarrassed.

I am so easily embarrassed that I cannot stand to even watch comedies where the lead simply makes a fool of himself the entire time (think Meet the Faulkers). I feel so embarrassed for them that it’s just too uncomfortable to watch –even though it isn’t even real life!! (I’m also a Disney movie crier, so maybe I’m not proving my point very well.)

AND, the point is, that even the thought of public embarrassment embarrasses me and I would do anything to avoid that feeling, because let’s face it, being embarrassed is a terrible feeling!! So I don’t have some scandalous tale full of embarrassment for your laughing pleasure today. I just don’t. I’ve lived a careful life where every move was precisely calculated so that I could avoid embarrassment at all costs! And although it was extremely mentally tasking for me to come up with anything at all to give to you today, I decided that this wouldn’t be a very good challenge if it didn’t require me to think. So think I did. I dug deep into the far recesses of my brain to uncover a rare embarrassing moment that I had buried very, very deep…

Come back in time with me to the first grade. His name was Lane Lilly and he had the biggest brown eyes and cutest lopsided bowl cut I ever did see. We road the bus together, but we didn’t speak much. Actually, I’m pretty sure we never spoke –but I spoke of him often.

Obviously, my best friend knew all about my love for Lane, but she wasn’t cruel about it like many kids can be –there was no teasing or pestering from her when it came to my undying, unrequited, and unknown feelings for him. Maybe that’s why 18 years later she’s still my best friend. Yet, although there was no singing of, “Lane and Dani sitting in a tree. K.I.S.S.I.N.G,” from her lips, she did come up with one very. very. very. terrible idea right before recess one day.

Her idea was to profess my love for Lane during recess that day in the form of a handwritten note. Oh, but not just any handwritten note! No, this handwritten note would have the words preordained by George Strait himself. If you don’t know which song I’m taking about already, you can listen to it here. (NO JUDGING, PEOPLE. I was 6 and my musical taste was not yet fully developed.)

But I digress…

I torn off a piece of notebook paper, wrote down the chorus to that song, and folded that note into the crispest, most perfect square you’ve ever seen. And then, when the bell rang to dismiss us for recess, I hurried outside with my best friend right by my side and delivered that note to Lane.

I don’t think I said a word as I nervously handed over the note and waiting for him to read it through (I do remember it took him a very long time to read that stupid note.) And then while I was holding my breath he gave me his response, which was…(drumroll, please)…

 “But I don’t even have a pencil!”

I believe that was the moment I decided to ran towards the other end of the playground. And it was then too, that for the first time in my life I thought I was going to drop dead of embarrassment. I’ve been avoiding it ever since.

One Moment

For day 9 of the challenge, we had to capture a moment in our day. I hoped to capture an especially sweet moment for this post, but lately a lot of my moments have been spent at work. Last night I worked till 10. That makes for a 14 hour day! And I wouldn't be surprised if that's what my days will be like through the weekend. 

So, my moment was captured at work on my handy dandy iphone. I know, not very exciting.

Wish me luck on this proposal! It's a doozy, and we're all feeling the pressure a bit (well, accept for when it gets really late and everyone is so sleep deprived and our brains are so fried we just giggle at everything [those are especially fun moments]). 

And before I sign off of blog land for the day, I need to remind you to enter the Sunglass Hut & Starbucks giveaway!! So yeah...go do that.

Cultivate Your Friendships

Day 8 of the Blog Every Day In May challenge is, "a piece of advice you have for others," and it didn't take me long to realize what piece of advice I wanted to share with you today. So let's jump right into it, shall we?

My advice for you is to cultivate your friendships.

That's it. Cultivate your friendships. I've always considered myself to be a good friend. I am loyal, consistent, and would drop anything I'm doing to help one of my besties in a time of need. I think a great testament to me being a good friend is the fact that one of those ladies below, my maid of honor, has been my very best friend since the first grade. Most friendships don't withstand the test of time, but ours has. And for that, I am truly grateful. 

Unfortunately, I think long-lasting, deep friendships are something extremely rare in this day and age. We get busy. We have jobs, maybe children, and a home full of chores and yard work that needs tending to. Life is hectic, and one of the very first things to get moved down on our list of priorities when things get too hectic is our friendships --and that's a shame. There are few things in this world that enrich our lives more than our friends. Yet, friendship is a delicate thing and if it is not properly cultivated, it will slowly wilt and eventually die altogether.

So go cultivate your friendships. Turn off the TV and pick up the phone. Give them a call or send them a handwritten note. Invest the time and care necessary to sustain them and cause them to thrive. You'll be glad you did. 

The Thing(s) I'm Most Afraid Of

I've made it through one whole week of the #BlogEveryDayInMay challenge! Thankfully, I'm not feeling burned out yet, but rather, quite the opposite. I think the prompts are fun and thought provoking, and I'm enjoying blogging a little bit 'outside of the box' so to speak. 

Today's prompt reads, "the thing(s) you're most afraid of." Obviously, there are the usual ones that anyone who knows me is well aware of (spiders, slugs, and worms), but when I first read the prompt for today, those weren't the things that came into my mind. I am serious about the worms thing though. They scare the crap out of me, which makes gardening quite an arduous task. No, instead the first thing that popped into my mind was the future.

I genuinely have a fear of the future. Which, yes, is rather irrational, but nonetheless, very real. I worry about it all the time. I obsess over it some days. I balk at the idea of change. Any change --big or small --makes me feel vulnerable and as though things are steamrolling out of my control. And I think deep down, that's really what it is --a control issue. 

I can't control what's going to happen to my little family. I can't always keep them safe. I can't protect them from disease and sickness. I cannot control mine and Steven's financial future. I don't know what unexpected challenges are going to come our way and if we'll have enough resources to handle them. I can't control the health and safety of my loved ones back on the east coast, and I fear something unforeseen could happen to them while I'm over here -- 3,000 miles away and unable to do anything that could bring them healing or comfort. 

I love my sweet, little family!

I fear the future and all the unknowns that go along with it. I am a total worrywart. It is my biggest downfall and greatest struggle. I wrestle with it on a daily basis and realize that until I accept that I cannot have control over every facet in my life and in the lives of others I love,  I will continue to struggle with this fear and be plagued by worry. 

I wish I could say I'm improving...that I'm making strides in fearing the future less and simply living in the present, but if I am honest, I'm really not. Most days I continue to let the fear and anxiety associate with the unknown grip me. 

I'm working on it. But I'm not yet there.

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." 

Franklin D. Roosevelt