Monday Musings

I love alliteration! :)

So...it's been a while...I actually intended, hoped, dreamed and planned (I also love redundancy) to blog last week.  Every day, I thought, this is the day.

And every day, I was WAY too busy to blog.

Stoopid job.

Just kidding...I really like my job.  Really I do.  I mean, it has it's down days...like every job out there...but for the most part, it's not horrible.

But the last two weeks, have been slammed.  I appreciate the busy-ness...sometimes I wish the busy-ness was just a little more steady and not all at once, as it usually is.

Anyway...

I have decided that 2012 is the year I'm taking control.  My first step was taking control of some financial decisions.  You see, I hate making financial decisions...and I hate pricing stuff like insurance, etc.  It intimidates me to no end.  Basically because I've never paid attention to anything.  Truly, when I bought my house, I signed documents that I semi-understood...but my main concern was the bottom line.  If the monthly payment fit my budget, then all was well. 

So, last week I *finally* closed on my house refinance...still semi-understanding what I was signing...maybe with a little more knowledge than the first time...and with a new homeowner's policy...which was my other step in "taking control".

A couple of weeks ago, I decided I had put off going to the doctor long enough.  I won't even tell you how long it has been that I've been to the doctor for anything other than sickness.  I won't tell you because I don't know.  I *think* it's been less than 5 years...but I couldn't put money on it.  So, I called a new doctor's office to set up a physical...which ended up being a nightmarish event.  Evidently you can't just become a patient...you have to come to a "new patient" appointment and then they will schedule a physical (or whatever you are pursuing, unless you are sick, I guess).  To me, this read as their way of collecting two co-pays...but whatever.  My new patient appointment was last week...and to my surprise, the PA decided to go ahead and do the physical.  Mostly because she couldn't code the appointment to anything else...which I kind of thought about beforehand...but what do I know.  "Taking control".

I'm not really sure what else is on this "taking control" list...definitely some improvements at the house...and really working hard to control my eating...and getting in the gym more often.  All of my 2012 goals are part of the list...so, we shall see how this all works out.

Today, I'm thankful for a beautiful Saturday...and a rainy Sunday...but I am not digging the COLD today. 

Yes, it's snowing in the mountains today.

Take that, Spring! ;)

Happy Monday!

2012 Goals - Update

A couple of months ago, I finally decided on setting some goals for 2012...things that I felt like are very reasonable...doable.  As a reminder, these are my 2012 Goals:

I thought it would be good to give a little update on where I am...mostly because I'm excited to see some of these getting ready to be crossed off the list! :)

1 - I am nowhere near accomplishing this goal.  My problem is that once I create a list, I want to cross everything off.  Never mind that this list is supposed to be something that I take 12 months to  finish.  So...after I set the goal, I took off...pushing myself (which is good for a runner mentality)...but I think I need to back up a little and work on some other areas of my physical fitness...and then begin to push further into this.  I would say I AM working towards this goal...it's a work in progress.

2 - I am very happy to say that I have made significant progress in this area.  I still have a ways to go in paying this off, but I feel really good about where I am with it.  And while I am still striving to have my credit card balance down to $0 by December 31st, I feel very certain that if for some reason I don't quite hit that mark, I will have it paid completely off in early 2013.

3 - I am CLOSING on my home mortgage refinance on Monday! :)  I'm so very excited about this...because who wouldn't appreciate a month without a house payment?  But also...I'm excited about reducing my interest rate by a little over 2%.  Also, within this process I had my home owners & auto insurances reviewed by another agent...and I cut my home owners down almost $200/yr.  The auto stays about the same...but I had been thinking for a while that my home owners was way too expensive - turns out I'm right! So, with the reduction of my home owners & the interest, I should see a good monthly saving in my house payment!

4 - Currently I have $300 in my savings account.  I had put a portion of my tax refund in savings for the appraisal that had to be done on my house...but I put more than I thought I would need, hoping to jump start my savings goal.  I really feel like I'll be up to the $500 mark by May or June.

5 - No progress...sadly enough...

6 - Eeek...I was doing really well with this for a while...and then I didn't.  Still need to work on this one.

7, 8 & 9 - I believe will all be accomplished within the next 30-60 days.  A lot depends on what happens at my re-fi closing.  If they cash out my existing escrow (*fingers crossed*), then I will have a nice little chunk of change that will go directly to accomplishing these three items...and maybe, just maybe, some new living room furniture.  I'm trying not to count my chickens before they hatch...but these are exciting times for me! ;)

So there you have it...Out of 9 items, I really feel good about the progress I've made (or should be making relatively soon) on several of these items.  I'm already doing better than I did in 2011!  :)

What I'm Loving Wednesday

My friend, Rachel posted today what she's loving...so I thought (in my effort to blog a little more often, as I have time) I would jump on that bandwagon for today! :)

I'm loving...

Our weather this week...although, it appears that today is the last of the warm weather days.  It's not going to jump down too awfully cold...but today it's supposed to be around 80.  Tomorrow, low 60's for the high.  I will take it while I can get it!

I'm loving...

Now that my BFF is on Twitter, it's all about the hashtags - in texts, e-mails, in real life conversations...everything has a hashtag!  And I'm loving that she's there and can share in the Twitter madness! :)  Once again, blurring that line between virtual and reality...

I'm loving...

That tomorrow is my last work day for the week!  I'm off on Friday...but no sleeping in for me!  I will be watching my niece & nephew while my sister works and my brother-in-law sleeps (since he's on night shift this weekend). 

I'm loving...

That I DO get to sleep in on Saturday!  Dylan is going with Seth to his grandma's house to do some yardwork...so he's sleeping over at Seth's Friday night...which means that I don't have to get up super early to take him anywhere!  AND I have no plans on Saturday...AND it's supposed to rain (I think)...so I'm feeling a major movie marathon day!

I'm loving...

THIS song by Mercy Me...




So much so...that I went out at lunch and bought an iTunes giftcard so I could add it to my music! :)

I'm loving...

My new phone! :)  I got the iPhone 4 last year...fell in love with it.  Dylan has needed to upgrade his phone since December...and since I'm the cool mom a pushover I really wanted the iPhone 4S, I decided to use his upgrade to get ME the 4S and I gave him my old 4!  The best news???  If Apple DOES come out with iPhone 5 this fall (as is rumored)...my upgrade is in November!  Although, I have to say...the 4S is not a huge jump from the 4...so Apple is going to have to blow my socks off with the next phone for me to layout the moo-lah for another iPhone!

Happy Wednesday!

"Draw Something" Fun

How many of you are playing the game "Draw Something"...and if not, WHY? 

A few weeks ago I got sucked into "Words With Friends"...which I'm still stuck on the game.  Mostly because it seems that this is one of those games that you are get better at as you play it more.  And I play it...a lot!  My BFF & I play...but she told me that she was really stuck on this game "Draw Something".

Well, a couple of weeks ago, I tried it out.

And now am 100% completely and totally addicted to this game.

So. much. fun.

I am not a good artist...and drawing on my iPhone is not as easy as you would think.  It's amazing that the things that I think would be easy to draw are actually some of the hardest.  And what you think looks like a dinosaur/dog/cow/what have you, does not always transfer well to the other person.

Just ask my friend Zac who tried to draw "macbook"...but failed miserably.

I have been able to snap a few of my "masterpieces" on my phone...and I thought you might enjoy seeing them too! :)

This is one of my earlier drawings...I sent it to Ashley and told her that it was sad...she said couldn't laugh at it because her's was about the same...only a lot more blood.

In the midst of watching this one, I got a text from Ashley that said "that's the saddest looking cow I've ever seen". Evidently, she recognized what it was...because she got the word correct! :)

Another sad, sad attempt.  I thought "Vader" would be soooo easy...draw a black mask.  Well, as you can see...not quite so easy!

I personally just loved this one...with the lion's crazy eyes and everything!

Quite honestly, this is the one that I am most proud of.  I can't remember what my three words were, but I had to do this for my BFF since she dressed up as Snooki for Halloween one year.

I sit and laugh and laugh and laugh...at myself and the other drawers in this game.  It's just so much fun!

If you wanna play with me (and why wouldn't you...you've seen my work!), my user name is brwnidgrljenn! :)

**This is not an advertisement for the app 'Draw Something' and I did not receive any compensation or a free app for writing this blog...but if they wanted to send me the full version for free, I would not stop them! ;)

Merging the Virtual with the Real

When I first started this blog, it started as an experiment.  I have always enjoyed writing and I had been mildly stalking reading another blog regularly.  I thought "Hey this could be fun". 

Soon my blogging became about networking with other blogs…trying to get others to read MY blog…see my thoughts.  But the problem became that the people I was interacting with, I didn't know.  I liked the anonymity.  I created a new e-mail address that wouldn't link me to my "real" world with my real name/Facebook/etc.  I created a twitter account that would support my need to not have people that I didn't know make connections to me in real life.  I mean, I didn't want to create a situation that would end up proving dangerous for me or my family. 

But in reality, I think I was a little scared.  Scared that people that I knew in real life would find this…would see my thoughts expressed here in this forum…and I continued to keep this blog world very separate from my "real" world.  I did have a few "real world" readers - my best friend knew about the blog…my parents stumbled upon it somehow.   But other than that, the people who I was interacting here would most likely never enter into my "real" world.  And over time that began to bother me.

Now - let me back up just a second…I don't want anyone reading this to think that I feel like connections I've made here are fake or unreal.  There are a handful of people who I met through this blogging world that I feel are "real" friendships…I truly believe that there are a few of you that I will one day have the joy and pleasure of meeting in real life.  But, there are not many of those.

So, as I began to feel  this disconnect between this virtual world I had created and my "real" world, I pulled away from blogging.  I needed to focus and invest more time and energy in my day to day relationships…people that I could touch and see.  

But, then, one day…something happened.  I have traditionally popped in and out on Twitter…I'll tweet a lot…and then nothing at all for days/weeks.  For some reason, I checked my followers…and there was a real life person who had found my Twitter account and followed it.  I was terrified…all of the sudden a "real" person had entered my virtual world.  I joked with her that she had uncovered my secret identity; but soon I began to seek out other Twitter people who I knew in "real" life.  Slowly, my two worlds are beginning to merge.

I'm not ready to go full force and put myself out there (I won't be posting on FB when I create a blog post), but I'm not going to be afraid if "real" people read this. 

So…please make yourself welcome…visit often…read what you want to read…don't read if you don't want to...but no matter what, you are welcome here in my virtual world!

Oh...and for those of you wondering...No, I never decided to give up something for Lent...next year wins again! ;)

*Just a note - I had to disable the option for 'anonymous' people to leave comments because I was constantly getting spammed - you must have a Google account to comment.  But you are more than welcome to send me an e-mail comment (if you'd like) to brwnidgrljenn@gmail.com. :)

Lent

I wanted to make my title a little more catchy - like "Giving Up Lint for Lent"...but it seemed a little sacriligious...so I'm just sticking with the simple.

Last night, not sure why, but I asked Dylan when Lent begins.  And I'm not sure why I even thought about asking Dylan...because all I got from him was teenage shrug, raised eyebrows that said "why are you asking me" and a gruff "I don't know".

So, of course, trusty iPhone in hand...I googled it.  And found out that this coming Wednesday is "Ash Wednesday" and the beginning of the Lent season.

Quite honestly, I don't  know that much about Lent.  I know that it's a time of self sacrifice and it's the 40 days leading to Easter.  I know that Protestants don't truly observe Lent, as a Catholic would...but every year as I begin to hear about "Fat Tuesday" and Mardi Gras and the other things leading up to Lent, I always think...what could I give up? 

One year, our Pastor asked us to give up something during the season of Lent as part of a churchwide fast of sorts.  He actually fasted for the 40 days, while others gave up sugar, coffee, TV and other things that they really enjoyed.  I personally gave up TV for the 40 days.  And truth be told, it wasn't that difficult. 

But I don't really know that I truly embraced the meaning of Lent.  Truly the act of abstaining from food or an activity that you enjoy is meant to be replaced with times of more focused prayer, scripture reading and meditation on God's word.  I'm pretty sure that instead of filling my evenings with continuous TV watching, I read - and not my Bible.  I don't remember spending time meditating on God's word, nor do I remember praying any more than I do normally.

Every year, I think - I really should give something up for Lent.  And every year, the 40 days pass, without my observance...and once again, I think "next year".

I'm aiming to turn "next year" into "this year".  Lent has snuck up on me, though...but I don't think it's too late.  By the end of this week, I am determined to come up with that one thing that I can give up for Lent. Either sugar, TV, desserts, candy...any of those things would be good places to start.

Do you observe Lent?  If so, what do you give up?

Where the Heart Is...

My heart is...

Snuggled down in my oh so comfy bed with a good book or a favorite movie

In a brown eyed boy who has grown up way too fast

Buried in the notes, lyrics, melodies and harmonies of a broad range of music

Between the pages of my favorite books that line my bookshelves...and some that are stacked here and there

Within the walls of my little yellow house

In a quiet, snowy morning

Around the corner from my little yellow house in my momma's kitchen...where I've been fed so many times - both physically and emotionally

In a musty, old auditorium at Fort Caswell where I gave my heart to Jesus

In the smiles, giggles and chatter of a blonde haired, hazel eyed 2 year old little boy

With my Aly-gator

Beside my best friend...in our laughter...and our tears

In the mountains of NC...and on the warm sandy beaches

Pieces and parts...left here and there...

Thank you to my friend Jen who let me "borrow" this idea! :)