Get Your Butt Outta Oz!

 I spent a significant amount of my life in Northeast Kansas. Since there isn't much out there, people really only say one thing when I tell them that. So, let the Dorothy jokes commence....

 But seriously, I LOVE the Oz books (not a huge fan of the Judy Garland movie). There are like 12 or 13 Oz books...something like that. I have read most of them I think. Turns out, they are all free on Apple Books. So, if Oz is your thing, be like me and download them ALL! :)

Ok, here is Oz in a nutshell. Dorothy got sucked up into a tornado and dropped into Oz. She was lost and alone in this crazy, trippy place. Add Munchkins and Wizards? Poor girl must have been so, super confused! She journeys through this place trying to meet up with The Wizard. They make this poor girl go mess up a Wicked Witch before they will help her get home. Then, when all is said and done they tell her that she could have left any time she wanted. All she had to click her feet. In order to get home she literally had to use her own feet. No magic, balloons or any of that crap worked as well as Dorothy looking within herself and gettin' it done!!

 Kind of shitty on the part of Glinda and The Wizard to make her do all this running around before they tell her how to get home. But, let's put ourselves in their shoes (ha. ruby slippers joke). A girl from Kansas shows up. Of course you are going to try and get her to get rid of your Wicked Witch! Kansas girls know how to get stuff done!!

 All that aside, how awesome is it that in the end she did it herself? She didn't need a spell or a magic wand. She had the power all along. She just didn't know it. And guess what, boys and girls!! We've all had the power all along. We just have to learn it for ourselves. So, get out there and be fantastic. Get some stuff done and get your butt outta Oz!!

Dance, Dance!

 I was flipping through my Pinterest, and this picture really stood out to me. There was someone else in the room and they commented on how ugly the girl's feet are. They questioned why someone would take a picture of such ugly feet. They thought the person should want to hide them!

 It's funny...when I saw this picture, I had the opposite reaction! I thought it was one of the more beautiful pictures I've ever seen. Maybe some of you are disgusted by this as well. But, when I look at this all I can see is a person who loves something so much that they have let it consume them. They have lost regard for their physical well-being, and have immersed themselves in their art.

 I write about things that make me happy, or inspire me to live a more beautiful life. This is, without a doubt, one of the most inspiring things I've ever seen. I know people who dance, and it is just incredible the way they push their bodies! Dancing is what happens when you allow yourself to be physically overwhelmed by the music around you. To see a dancer move...you see the love and feeling in their soul pouring out through their limbs. It is a gift they give us, we get to see their love in motion. The music touches their soul, making the emotion well up within them.

 Here's to all you dancers...you are simply the best!

{trying to stay motivated is hard! i want to be good at this. i want to touch people with the words i write. if being good at something were easy, everyone would do it. stay motivated! that's all i can say to myself!}

Scars

 When we experience something it changes us. Every thought we think is influenced by the million billion before it. Sometimes, whether we want it or not, an experience will leave a scar. A scar is basically a little proof of that experience. Forever and ever it is imprinted on your body that you lived through something, that it changed you, that you survived.

 I like to think tattoos are like scars. They are scars we give ourselves. We get them to remind ourselves of something. For the rest of our lives, with us always, there is that physical reminder.

 My dearest, darling Gabrielle is getting her first tattoo today. Her's is an arrow.

 This isn't the exact design she is getting. Her's is much more beautiful, symbolic, and meaningful. But, you get the idea. The weights of her struggles have made her a stronger, better person; a person who is better equipped to handle the struggles of tomorrow.

 Just remember, you are an arrow. When life seems to be pulling you back, weighing you down, holding you in place...just know that if you stay determined and look ahead to the future, you will be launched far and fast into something amazing.

Great Job, Everybody!!

 The advantage to having truly incredible friends, is that they are always doing truly incredible things. The people close to me really do posses the most amazing talents...they can create (draw, sing, dance, paint, write, create, style, design, capture) things that blow my mind. I believe that the way people create is just a manifestation of their love. The beauty inside is so strong it just pours out of them!! So, honestly...great job, everybody!! Way to be awesome!!

 The disadvantage is seeing all this wonderful art and knowing I don't have an outlet like that yet. I think I know what mine will be, but it is just not time yet. In the mean time...I am going to write. I love thinking about lovely things, meditating on beautiful little musings. In order to keep my sanity until I can be out doing what I want with my life, this silly little blog is going to be my life!

 Mr. Ben is super, duper right. I can talk about this all day long...but only actions count. So, I am trying to stay super motivated about writing! Any motivating tidbits sent my way would be appreciated!!

Love and Hugs <3

It's Not That Bad, I Promise!

 I am a self-proclaimed Grammar nerd. I really am not as educated as I could be, but I do enjoy figuring out little, stupid Grammar nonsenses. I remember reading that John Lennon quote, the "grow up to be happy" one. I thought this was super clever!! Everyone else wants to be firemen or lawyers, all he wants to be is happy! Then I realized it was totally possible. "Be" is an active verb. (Active verbs are actions the subject performs, whereas passive verbs are performed upon the subject.) And so, I figured, just like you can "walk" anywhere, "see" anyone, or "make" anything...you can BE anything. It is up to you! You, decide what you want to be. No one can make you be anything you don't want to be! So, be HAPPY, you stupid ass! Don't be sad! :)

CHOOSE IT!! CHOOSE HAPPINESS!!!

 I think my favorite (and most used) cliche is "it is what it is". Honestly it is a very useless thing to say. Of course, if something is...that is what it IS. (uh....DUH!) But, it is also a wee bit deep; not super deep, but deep enough. You can't change how things are, you can only change the way they WILL be in the future. So, get out there. Be proactive! Make changes today that will result in a happier tomorrow! Just do it already! :)

Le Concert

 It's today! It's today! :) You know the part in Stuart Little with adorable little Jonathon Whatshisname? He is running around yelling about how today is the day he gets a little brother. He is just so incredibly excited. That is how I feel. Except, I am geeking out over a concert, he is thinking he is getting a baby brother (spoilers, its a mouse).

 

 Today all my buddies and I are going to see The Postal Service! We bought tickets to this concert back in March, so I've been prepping for this for awhile! If you don't know their music...check it out. It will be worth your while!!

 I think there are 5 of us going, and we are trying to pile into one car. I am not driving, so that means that all of my effort for the day needs to be put into securing "shotgun". I tried texting "shotgun" this morning, but that was quickly shot down. The rules clearly state that all parties must be present and the vehicle must be in sight. I don't know what I was thinking.

  Also, it is supposed to rain tonight. I could NOT be more excited. Its going to be like 80 degrees with summer showers. I LOVE summer showers, more than almost anything! :) Super, duper pumped am I!

 Oh!! P.S.!! It is my dearest Cousin Mary's birthday today. She is the absolute coolest, and deserves the happiest of  birthdays!! :)

Les Mis Is A Big Deal, We Get It.

 The first time I ever heard about Les Mis was in 7th grade. My teacher was going on about how great a book it was. I remembered thinking "I should totally read that", but I guess 7th grade crap got in the way. I then kind of forgot all about Les Mis until I was probably in 9th grade, and I watched the movie (not the movie-musical, mind ya!). It was awesome. If you haven't seen it, watch it. After that, I forgot all about it again until the movie-musical came out last year. I went and saw it, and thought that would be the end of it. Nope! A friend of mine is performing in a stage production of Les Mis this summer. I went and saw that, also amazing. I think I enjoyed the stage production better than the movie production. I think. It is tough to decide. I guess Les Mis will keep cropping up because, let's admit it, Les Mis is a big, ol' deal.

 Prior to seeing the musical a couple months ago, I didn't know much about it. I knew that it was a Broadway performance. I had heard the whole Susan Boyle thing, when she sang the big Fantine song and wow'd all of Britain. I think Glee might have done a version of the really dramatic Eponine song. But, its not like I was a big lover of the music to begin with. After having watched it, yes I love it. Yes, it is a big ol' deal. But, I think I still love the story more than the music.

 My super analytic sister pointed out once that the line in the music that best sums up the story is "to love another person is to see the face of God". Well done, Sloan. You are dead on!! The whole damn play is about love and how different people experience and express the love they feel.

 Jean Valjean, obviously has selfless love. He was only imprisoned because he was stealing to feed his family. He ends up raising some chick's kid, just because it was his fault she got fired from her job (which, let's face it, did ultimately result in her death. So, he definitely owed her something.)

Javert seems like a total jerk, but really he is just super devoted to his job. He loves France, and has so much respect for the position he keeps, serving his country. When he realizes that Valjean is a super great guy and probably doesn't deserve life in prison, he can't even deal with the idea of not doing his job, so he kills himself. Kind of a misunderstood love, but it was definitely there.

 Faninte just loves the crap out of her baby girl. She works herself to death trying to provide for her. That is obviously just really great, good-old-fashioned love.

 The whole Eponine-Marius-Cosette triangle is crazy full of love. Eponine expresses unrequited love. She'd do anything for Marius, even if it means helping him get some other chick (which she does, ultimately resulting in HER death. Spoilers. Everyone dies, guys.) Cosette and Marius annoy the crap out of me. They are so caught up in their little infatuations, that they sort of block everything/everyone else out. I guess that is nice in its own way. They have a fairy tale-ish, hopeful love. Not really practical when the freaking French Revolution is happening, but I guess someone forgot to tell them that. They are the only ones who survive the whole thing, so I guess they had something going for them.

 Anyway, it is just a really great story. Being a big lover of love, this story just really did it for me. You should read the book. Do it. Do it, now.

Multi-tasking Like a Boss

 Ok, so I tend to get distracted by things. I have really great plans to keep myself busy after work...but then Television happens. I end up watching reruns of a show I've seen a dozen times. So, working out, reading, my nails, other stuff, gets forgotten. So...I've decided to start multitasking...like a boss. 

 I've moved my treadmill in front of the television. (And that's just true...my treadmill is RIGHT in front of my tv). This way I can work out AND watch Seinfeld....like a boss. I also am trying to get smarter. Mainly algebraically. So, I am doing algebra...while watching Seinfeld...like a boss. 

 That's the view from my spot. (Yes, I have a spot. Like Sheldon, I love it dearly and no one may sit there). As you can see... Mathematics? Check! Cardio? Check! Prime time NBC show from the 90s? Check! 

 During one episode I work out, then during the next I do math. The only problem is going to be when I run out of Seinfeld. Well, I will cross that bridge when I come to it. Yes, I really will! :)

Nostalgia Is Super Weird

 So, last week my baby sister spent her graduation vacation back in our hometown in Kansas. I have been back there a couple times recently. Every time I've been back I did different stuff/saw different people. But, one thing I've never done is go see my old high school. I don't know why I haven't done this, but whatever.

 Anyways...back on track. Sloan was in St. Marys and she went to see our old school. She took a bunch of pictures and put them up on Facebook. Seeing them was, for some reason, super emotional. I teared up just looking at those dumb, old doors I walked through every day. But, honestly, how weird is that? I don't want to be back there. High school had its shining moments, but there is not a single part of me that wants that back. Not even slightly.

Stupid, old, gorgeous doors!! 

So, why in the world do I get all weepy and suddenly want to go all John Mayer on those hallways? (That is a reference to his song "No Such Thing". If you don't know that song...shame on you. Go listen. Go...go listen.)

 

  I have no idea. Nostalgia is weird. Super, super weird. Here's to not being in high school anymore. (Oh, also...that reminds me. That new Avril Lavigne song? What is with that? "Here's to never growing up"? That sounds miserable!! I can't wait to no longer be a poor, dumb kid. But, I guess if you are Avril Lavigne and have a butt load of money...growing up isn't a huge deal.)

 Whatever...that was a super tangent....just a big, ol' tangent. 

Dreamly

 I don't know a whole lot about dream. I think they are pretty darned interesting, though! I remember analyzing all my friends' dreams growing up, trying to figure out what they meant. Usually my friends had dreams like "I dreamed that I showed up for class naked" or "I was falling for hours and finally landed in a bed of fire ants" Those seem pretty straight forward. I guess. "You need to study better for the test, because subconsciously you know you are unprepared" and "Don't jump off cliffs directly over fire ant beds". Simple enough!

 Mine are ALWAYS nonsense. They always feature real people from my life putting me in bizarre situations that could never possibly occur in real life. For instance, last night:

 My dream started off that I was back in high school. The school I went to was a big ol' Catholic campus. Buildings were all spread out all over the place. Which made it a prime place for hide and seek. Which was fortunate because, in this dream, the main focus of my school was rigorous games of hide and seek. They were so dedicated to hide and seek, that if you were found too quickly, you could be kicked out of school! They weren't messing around. Well, my trusty buddy Liz and I were determined to win (or really just not lose) so we did the logical thing and got in my car and drove away. They can't find your hiding space if you aren't even on campus!

 Also, Liz and I were very concerned for the well-being of the kids on campus. We were worried the game was getting too rough for them. So, we snuck them away to play at a park. Somehow we found a bus, which she drove, and loaded all these kids up. I was going to follow in my car (which was the same car Count Olaf drove in "A Series of Unfortunate Events"). But, who should be waiting for me in my car? That guy who sometimes kidnaps me and takes me to his weirdo house out in the country! (this was one of those weird dream memories, somehow in my dream I had a memory of this happening before...very Inception-y)

 Anyway, apparently this had happened to me before. This guy would come kidnap me and if I could find my way out of his house he would let me go. So, we are driving, driving, driving until finally we come to a house where it looks like a giant yard sale is going on. Just crap everywhere. So much junk! Turns out, that is just how his house looks, no yard sale. Well, I am stuck inside this house for a good long while, until "ding-dong", the doorbell rings! Of course, it is my friend Celia and her baby. They are selling lemonade door-to-door in order to raise funds for Gabriel's (the baby) baptism. I am pretty sure those are free, but dream me apparently knows no logic. Well, answering the door was just the solution I needed to get out of this house. So, I bought a glass of Celia's lemonade and strolled out the front door. Why I needed to wait for someone to ring the door, I do not know.

 And, that is how Celia and Gabriel saved my life with a glass of lemonade. Great story, right?

:)