What I would rather be doing.

Halloween is not really my favorite holiday.  When I was a kid it was cool, but as an adult there is really no point to it.  I am not huge in to parting anymore, and it annoys me when people come to my door.  I am sure that when I have children I will get into it again.  In the mean time, there are plenty of things I would rather be doing than celebrating Halloween.

ONE.  Watch Boy Meets World.

I was so annoyed with Netflix for not having this on instant stream.  But my awesome husband downloaded it for me two weeks ago and I am over half way through the series.

TWO. Plan my trip to Chicago to visit Meg

Less than 6 days until I am united with this crazy lady.  Watch out Windy City - we will be running a muck soon!

THREE. Not answering my door
We live on the second story.  Every time some one knocks on the door its a big production to go down stairs, open the doors, and make sure the dog stops barking.  Not to mention, Candy is freakin expensive!  I just spend $14 on two bags of candy and a stupid plastic pumpkin head. I'd rather put my money in my closet where I can see it.

Basically, I don't like holidays. Yes I know, I am the biggest anti-blogger there is.  Just wait until I start ranting about Christmas!

I don't understand....

I am going to go against the blogger trend here and say that I really don't understand birth photography.  I just feel like this is a traditionally behind-closed-doors event for a reason.  I posted something like this on Facebook last night and I accidentally started a bit of a debate.  Don't get me wrong, I will most definitely want photos of that event...taken by my husband. And don't expect me to share them all over social media.

I was told that I should wait to judge such an event until after I have children and then see if I don't get it.  It really bothers me when people assume that I don't know what I am talking about when it comes to children/being a mother simply because I am not one yet.  Yes, I understand that there will be a lot of new experiences for me. But, when it comes to opinions, my are still valid.

I digress.

The point is that birth photography is a trend I just don't understand.  But then again, there are a lot of trends I don't understand.

like peep toe boots...

If is it chilly enough to wear boots, why would you want your toes exposed?

Or exaggerated winged eye liner

We are not in Egypt in 500 BC.  There is no need to draw lines on your face.

or why Bit Strips are suddenly all over Facebook

Can someone explain this to me?  Why is it fun?

And please don't get me started on hashtags or fantasy football.  

But what I really really really don't understand, is why people think that Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes are good.  Dunkin's PSL's are a million times better!  No overly sweet chemical taste in those (much cheaper) cups!

I'll take purple over pink

It's October.  That time of year when you buy a pink colored product that has breast cancer causing chemicals from a company that donates a minuscule amount to charity.  It's also that time of year where Facebook annoys the crap out of me with silly little pranks disguised as awareness.  Because, you know, there are so many people unaware that breast cancer exists.  Oh - don't let the guys in on that game! Is this helpful in any way? Am I a “spoil sport” for refusing to play along? Are we hiding this “TRUTH” from the men because we don’t want them to know that men can get breast cancer too?   There is always something better you could be doing.  I know I sound a bit cynical. I am not saying that breast cancer is no big deal.  To the people effected by it, it could be life changing.   I am just tired of people patting themselves on the back for buying a bag of potato chips with pink packaging and thinking they saved the world.  

What I am passionate about is October being Domestic Violence Awareness month.  But, that gets no where near the time, money, or attention that it should. Did you know that 1 in every 4 women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime? That's a lot! That's double the amount of women who will get breast cancer.  Yet, domestic violence gets looked over all the time.  

Domestic violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior perpetrated by an intimate partner against another. It is an epidemic affecting individuals in every community, regardless of age, economic status, race, religion, nationality or educational background. Violence against women is often accompanied by emotionally abusive and controlling behavior, and thus is part of a systematic pattern of dominance and control. Domestic violence results in physical injury,
psychological trauma, and sometimes death. The consequences of domestic violence can cross generations and truly last a lifetime.

That's why I will be wearing a purple ribbon in October, not a pink one.  

The quickest year of my life.

This time last year I was on my way to my hairdressers to get my wedding hair done.  That and the cake were the only professional things that were done for our whole wedding.  It was beautiful.  Having a small, intimate ceremony, was one of the best choices of my life.

I was able to actually enjoy things.  I wasn't rushed or stressed all day.  I didn't feel like I was forgetting anything because there was nothing to forget.  I didn't spend a small fortune on a single day, and the end result was still the same.  I became Mrs. Gootee.  There have a been a small handful of times that I was sad about not having a big fancy wedding, but in the end, I am still glad we did things the way we did.

People often say that the first year of marriage is the hardest.  I haven't been married for more than a year, so I can't say if that is true for us or not. But i am looking forward to finding out.  We did get off to a pretty rocky start.  A hospital room is not exactly an ideal honeymoon location.  I am pretty sure if we can take that blow just two days after our wedding, we can pull through most anything.

Happy Anniversary, Babe!  One down and a lifetime to go!

Changes that bring peace

If you read my last post , you may think that I have been feeling pretty down lately.   You may be right to an extent.  I have set goals for myself, and I think I may have bitten off more than I can chew. Some times I can be a bit of a dreamer.  I have yet to decided if that is a fault, or an asset.  Sometimes, it can open up the door for disappointment.

Sometimes, learning to be content means learning to admit when you are not able to do something and accept it.  Because of that, I have decided to change #2 on my "30 by 30" list.  instead of "complete a 10k", my new goal is to have a regular work out routine.  I am not going to beat myself up about it.  I am not going to put myself down and say that it is because I am lazy that I cannot run.  The fact is, that this time last year I very well could have died.  To think that I could get out there and start running miles like it was no big deal was rather ambitious of me, to say the least (my doctor said that too, but I didn't tell you guys).

Just because I cannot run miles, dose not mean that I cannot exercise at all.  In fact, small, low key work outs are good for me (duh).  So, that is what I am going to start doing.  I can start walking or doing yoga without an issue.  And then eventually work my way up (key word being eventually).  I have decided to look at this positively.  Instead of having an attitude of "I suck so bad I can't make my goals" I am going to look at this as learning to make changes so that my goals are attainable, enabling me to do more.

There are already some things on my 30 by 30 list that are complete.  Maybe some day I will get around to blogging about them.

Choosing to be content

I know that I have been a little more quite that I normally am.  When Dean asked me if I had been keeping up with blogging I said "no, no one really cares to read about my boring life."  He looked a little puzzled when he asked "so, all the people that you read about don't have regular lives?".  He had a point.  I wanted to give him a snarky reply.  Tell him that unlike the people I follow, I'm not pregnant, or buying a house, or have a cute kid, I'm not even doing fun things in a new relationship.  I'm certainly not about to amaze you with my fashion sense, or DIY skills.  Instead I just said "guess not", and buried my head further into my book. The thing is, I lied.  Some of my favorite blogs to read are written by girls in the same boat as me, who are happy with their lives - or at least embracing the stage of life they are in.  

A few weeks ago a good friend of mine sent me a link to this bog. She said it sounded like something she has heard me say a few times, and thought I would enjoy the read.    She was right.  It did sound like something I would have said.  Lately, I have really needed the reminder.  

Life isn't a race to see who has kids first or who can make their home look the most "blog worthy".We shouldn't be competing with each other.  Along those lines, I shouldn't be beating myself up because "I have nothing to blog about" (for the record, I would have plenty to blog about if I would stop feeling sorry for myself.).  I need to choose to find the beauty and joy in my own life.  Because if I don't, I will just continue to feel sorry for myself even after I have a baby or buy a house. You see, the root of the issue isn't that I have an incredibly boring  life. The root of the issue is discontentment.  

When I take a step back and look at my life objectively, I have so much to be thankful for.  I can just look at the circumstances of my childhood and see where I am now, and I know that I have a blessed life. Who am I to turn my nose up at God's blessings?  I have a roof over my head, a well paying job with full benefits and a flexible schedule, a loving husband who would do anything for me, amazing friends who encourage me and build me up.  I could go on and on. If I am content in this wonderful life I have been given, then I will have no need to envy anyone else's life.  I am learning to take full advantage of the joys that I have in my life, because if I don't, I will end up missing out on so much happiness.