Ten on Tuesday

1. Of your current hobbies, which would you choose to spend more time, money, and effort on? Why?
Crafting. I haven’t actually started yet, although I have so many fantastic ideas! First, I need to learn how to sew – and make it look presentable.

2. List the two other hobbies/habitual activies (not chores) besides the one listed above that you regularly do now and didn’t choose in question one.
Running. I’m trying desperately to make this a hobby. It’s painful at times, but when I’m done, I feel like a new woman. (I really want to say “That’s what she said” right here, but I feel like that’s not very classy. I think I just did it anyway.)

Writing. I wish I had time to do more of it, but life is just so busy. I’ve been trying to keep up with my blog, and so far, I’m doing so much better! Five posts a week are about my limit (I need my weekends, people!).

3. Why are you spending time on the above two hobbies/habitual activies at all if you really wanted to spend your time on the first one you chose?  …or to put it another way, what are these two hobbies/habitual activities fullfilling that the first one doesn’t if you don’t want to put all your effort into the first hobby?
I’d love to spend more time on crafting, but it can get really, really expensive. Sure, I can probably sell some of my creations later, but I don’t have the overhead at the moment. That goes to things like feeding myself and my little family, gas in the car, rent, etc. (And a $23 day planner. You know, the important things.)

4. Read John 3:16 in the Bible… In what way does this passage affect you?  What are your feelings towards these words, positively or negatively?
I’m going to answer this differently than it was most likely intended. … When I was a kid, growing up in a family that went to church Sunday morning, night, Wednesday and to all the extra things in between, I learned a lot of Bible verses (especially being in AWANA – that’s all we did!). Although John 3:16 wasn’t the first verse I memorized (it was Romans 8:14), it probably followed shortly thereafter. It’s just one of those verses that every Christian knows by heart, and can repeat so fast no one would really understand the words, unless you knew the verse.

So, when I asked my BFF in elementary (who is now my SIL .. crazy, right?) if she knew John 3:16 by heart and she gave me a “what the what?” look – I was flabbergasted. “You don’t know that verse?”

I realize now I was rather sheltered – and I’m appreciative of that. It would be equivalent to living in a literal fantasy world (oxymoron) today as an adult. But childhood is about innocence – and that, I was. 

5. M&M’s: nuts, no nuts, or peanut butter?
What are peanut butter M&Ms? Is that like Reese’s Pieces, because I’d like some right now, thank you. … Not a great big fan of M&Ms, but I take them any way. I’m not picky.

6. Putting away the feeling of pride being a bad thing; what secretly/openly are you proud about yourself.
Kicking my butt and working out everyday. It’s paying off. Details to come tomorrow!

7. Given one room in the house to do with what you want, not changing the actual size of the room and with all the money you would need, what would you do, and be specific?  (this can range from bouncy floor,walls & ceilings; to hard wood floor with wood paneling and purple ceiling with a chair; to nothing)
The bathroom. Oh my, how I would love to take a mallet and knock everything out of that room. I’d then install a HUGE jacuzzi bathtub with an overhead showerhead (for the effect of a waterfall, not for showers … duh) … this would take up most of the bathroom, it’s very small. I’d have two sinks on a huge vanity, my side, your side. The floor would be hardwood, heated, of course. A huge opaque window would be smack in the center on the outside wall, for sunlight, but no peekers. I’d have a 50″ flat screen hanging from the wall, so I can watch Keeping up With the Kardashians, Sex and the City and all my HGTV shows while soaking in my ginormous bathtub. Oh, and a built-in, waterproof iPod dock for singing Glee songs in the shower. I think that will do.

8. What’s the next movie you’re going to see?  Not what you’d LIKE to GO see, but the next movie you realistically are going to watch.
Alice in Wonderland. I love that all my childhood movies are being remade into adult movies. It’s so fun.

9. Use the keyboard only and make your best smiley/funny/cool face –> like this! 8^)
<(8-) .. Wow, that’s bad.

10. What makes you cry? What makes you pray? What makes you laugh?
Cry: anything. Everything. I read a flippin’ forwarded email this morning and wanted to punch myself in the eyes for tearing up. It’s ridiculous. Feel sorry for ManFriend.

Pray: Tragedy, misfortune, fear. Unfortunately, I don’t pray like I used to. I’ve become an “I’m gonna come to you when I need something, God” kind of person. Fortunately, He’s still good to me.

Laugh: ManFriend this morning when he sang along with Barenaked Ladies “If I Had a Million Dollars.” Daysie when she’s super excited to see me and loses her breathing pattern and wheezes. Little Man when he says, well, anything. The 8YOT when she thinks I’m not looking. And The Office.

Chelsea didn’t participate today (it’s like she has another human growing in her or something.. psh), so go see Stephany‘s stuff!

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What if?

We make decisions every minute, every day of our lives. Some are of much greater importance than others, but all indicative of the future.

Today, for example, I chose to look for apartments in Huntington, to which my efforts availed no positive outcome. I chose to take lemonade and crackers to work on my 4-hour shift, which resulted in me saving $5 on a drink and snack for the evening. I chose to accept my manager’s request for me to work 8 am – 5 pm instead of my scheduled 3 pm – 10ish pm, which will inevitably result in my feet throbbing uncontrollably and me being so tired I’ll want to come home and crash.

The decisions we make, important or irrelevant, can result in positive or negative reactions. Unfortunately for me, my terrible, irrational decision-making skills have placed me in a position today that I never thought I would be. And I wonder, what if.

So, decisions I have made that I may or may not want to change should I be given the option:

1. Cheerleading in high school. I mean, why not? Flying in the air and doing body-wrenching twists just seems uber-cool.
2. Never finishing all of my summer reading. Both of my Honors and AP English teachers in high school were killer, but I wish I would have let them challenge me instead of intimidate me. Actually reading the assigned books and 86ing the use of SparkNotes would have been ideal.
3. Getting married at 18 years old. I mean, that’s a no-brainer, right?
4. Getting divorced at 20 years old. Again, a no-brainer. But, had I changed decision #3, decision #4 would be irrelevant. So much goes into these two decisions, though, that would make much more sense to a reader on the outside – but those are my problems that I have and will deal with myself.
5. Credit cards. My, my, my. How it would have changed my life not having credit cards. Debt is a four-letter word that I find appalling and sickening, but something we only get ourselves into and can only get ourselves out of. If I have any advice for young people, it’s stay away from credit. What did I buy? I really have no idea.
6. Forget Journalism – something, anything else. Unless you’re the editor-in-chief for National Geographic or The New York Times, print journalism is not the way to go in the 21st century. It’s going digital. Unfortunately, my professors and advisor did not let me in on this little tidbit of info until I was over halfway finished with my degree – and I wasn’t turning back then. Now, I can’t get a job (other than in retail or food service … which blows) and I’m basically forced to go back to school. Crappy.

I could go on and on and on and on about crappy decisions I have made, but that would just be really depressing, and I’ve had enough of that lately. But I can’t change the past. All I can do is make the right decisions in the future, and hopefully I’ll be competent and intelligent enough to discern from right and wrong, and what is good, bad, best and worst for me. If not, at least I’ll have something to blog about in the years to come.

And, for the record, I hate thinking about “what if.” It’s pointless, discouraging and unproductive. But every now and then I like to dream. You know, about “what if” I decided to run away at 16, hitchhike to California, starve myself and become a model or actress. I’m skinny, rich, and wearing Manolos. A girl can dream.

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