"The Tale of the Shiny Red Bicycle"

Today's Blogtember topic is a toughie - a story about a time you were very afraid. I'm sure I could tell you all 179 stories involving snakes (whether they be real or plastic - yes I'm also scared of plastic snakes), but I feel like I've kinda exhausted that topic. I'm sure I've talked about that irrational fear in at least 7 other posts so I've thought long and hard to come up with a more interesting story to share. This one is also fairly irrational, but it scared the living daylights out of me when I was younger.

Let me preface this story by telling you when I was younger we did not have cable at my house which means no Disney Channel and no Nickelodeon. I was strictly a Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street kinda girl so when I went to sleepovers at my friends' houses I thought watching Nickelodeon was the coolest thing ever.

I will never forget the first (and last time) I watched an episode of "Are You Afraid of the Dark." I was at my friend Stephanie's house, and we spent a good majority of the evening crafting animals out of Model Magic and Floam. Do you remember MM and Floam? Oh my gosh. That stuff entertained me for hours. I probably ruined countless packages of markers trying to dye Model Magic the perfect shade of grey to make cats. This was one of my favorite past times as a child, but I've digressed. Stephanie had the genius idea to take a break to watch her new favorite show, "Are You Afraid of the Dark". The episode we watched was about a little boy who rode his bike into some sort of river and drowned. He then came back as a ghost. This particular episode happens to be #6 on this list of  The 20 Scariest Episodes of "Are You Afraid of the Dark" so obviously I was terrified. Of course I had to appear cool and couldn't let me friend know how much of a scaredy cat I was being so I watched the entire episode. Here it is if you want to terrify yourself and have nightmares for months (because I'm sure it is just as scary now haha):

I swear I saw that little boy's ghost for months. Sleeping in my own bed was out of the question. Most terrifying show for children ever. I'll stick with Mr. Roger's where it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood thank you very much.

Thursday Thoughts with Jen - Vol 11

Happy Thursday friends! I've been participating in Jenni's Blogtember challenge so I'm going to do a little combo action today, and in addition to my usual Thursday Thoughts, you are going to get some useful advice or information I've learned and always remembered. But really, isn't that what my Thursday Thoughts are anyways?! Extremely useful thoughts/advice you would die without.. :)

1. Why is it that every night before bed I can put my hair up in the perfect messy bun with little effort, but in the morning when I've hit snooze one too many times and there's no hope of washing my hair, I can't get a decent bun for the life of me?! It seriously happens every time. Hot mess party of one. I complain about my hair a lot, don't I? Moving on.
2. Yes. Yes. A million times yes. 23 Signs You're the Tidy One. This is most definitely me. Monica Geller will forever be my hero.
3. Let's talk TV for a minute. Have you all seen Jane Lynch's show "Hollywood Game Night"? I think I missed my true calling in life. There's this segment they do called Portrait of a Killer Cereal, and I'm embarrassingly good at it. Within half a second, I can identify them all. Cocoa Pebbles! Boo Berry! Apple Jacks! Wheaties! Berry Berry Kix! Surely being able to recognize every cereal ever invented by picture alone can get me somewhere in life right?! No? It's a useless talent? Way to burst my bubble.
   
4. Speaking of bubbles, I chew an unhealthy amount of gum. I'm talking like almost an entire package a day...especially if it is a fruity flavor. I just discovered Extra Dessert Delights Raspberry Vanilla Cupcake last night, and I only have 6 pieces left. No joke. Hey, at least I'm not chain smoking cigs. Now that's a nasty habit. Sugarfree gum is a much healthier alternative. 

   

   Fact: Blowing bubbles with sugarfree gum
   is hard and requires real talent

5. Have you all heard the silly expression, "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels"? What a joke. If only that were true. Pretty sure all of these things are much, much better. It's a constant battle for me. Would I rather fit into size 25 jeans or eat cookies and ice cream? You can tell what usually wins out. I can't say no to pizza, or french fries, or a cookie, or cake. Oy. I love food.
6. I've been trying to abstain from buying my first PSL of the season for as long as possible because I know once I have one I just won't be able to stop. Those things are addicting. So delicious! Starbucks is going to take way too much of my money this Fall like always.
7. Check out this list of 28 Shamefully Irrational Fears that Secretly Haunt Us All. OMG. You guys. #24. How am I ever going to be able to use a toilet again?!? 
8. Lastly, to answer the Blogtember prompt for today - some useful advice or information I've learned and always remembered - I'm going to quote good ol' Martha Washington because I try to remember this always. "The greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions and not upon our circumstances. I am still determined to be cheerful and to be happy in whatever situation I may be."

Here's where I usually wish you all a happy and safe weekend, but I'll be back tomorrow running my mouth on Friday's topic - a story about a time I was very afraid. Sorry you won't be able to sleep tonight because you'll be too excited anxiously awaiting my story. See you back here tomorrow!

Note: In the time it's taken me to write this blog post I've chewed another two pieces of gum. I'm down to only 4. I have a problem.

If I Could Take a Break from Life

I wish every week could be a four day work week. It's already Hump Day! Woo hoo! I absolutely love today's Blogtember topic - if you could take three months off from your current life and do anything in the world, what would you do? This is something I think about constantly. If I had to sum up my answer to this question in one word it would be simple. TRAVEL! 
I was lucky enough to study abroad in Italy the summer between my junior and senior year of college, but I didn't have nearly enough time to travel everywhere I wanted. Ever since then I've been bitten by the travel bug, and I've been raring to go on new adventures, but alas, life (and the real world) has gotten in the way. Who knew the second I graduated from college I wouldn't be an instant millionaire?! Being an adult is so hard. If only I was a trust fund baby. Sigh. 
So what places are on my list you ask? Hmmm where should I begin? Most of the places I really, really want to go are abroad, but there are a few cities within the US that I can hopefully (realistically) get to within the next year or so. Stateside my list looks a little something like this (yes I realize some of these are cities, some are states, and some are general areas):

• Portland, OR
• Louisville, KY (I've been here, but I must go to the Derby next year)
• Seattle, WA
• Albuquerque. NM (for the Balloon Fiesta)
• New Orleans, LA
• New England
• Austin, TX
• Hawaii
• Alaska

My lists of places I want to see oversea could go on forever, but these are at the top of my list:

• Greece
• Spain
• Australia/New Zealand
• Canada (Vancouver specifically)
• Southern France
• South Africa
• Maldives
• Thailand
• Brazil/South America. Give me the rainforest!

How about you guys? Where are you itching to go? Want to take me with you? I promise I'm a fun travel companion! :)

Where I Come From

Most things in life come fairly easy to me. Forgive me if that sounds completely narcissistic and braggy, but I can usually handle just about anything thrown at me...everything that is besides expressing my feelings, talking about my feelings, and most specifically, sharing my feelings with loved ones. Ask me how I feel about someone, and I immediately clam up. It's like I forget how to speak. I'm a stuttering, bashful mess. I really struggle with this so when I looked at the list of Blogtember topics I knew it was going to be a rough go for me, but hey, this whole thing is about learning and growing as person right?! I'm going to give it my best shot. Plus it's much easier to write these things than to speak them out loud to another human being so I can do this. Did you like that little pep talk I just gave myself? The first topic is describe where or what you come from - the people, the places, and/or the factors that make up who you are. Here goes...

I come from the Midwest. I was born in St. Louis, and raised in Kansas so I like to think I have good ol' Midwestern values. I'm hard working, honest, loving, helpful and truly value my friends and family.

Very rarely did we take a picture where all three of us
were actually smiling and happy. Drama drama drama.

I come from a father who would do anything to provide for his family. I don't think there's anything he doesn't know how to do or couldn't figure out in an afternoon's time. He is so incredibly smart, extremely handy, and the most even tempered person I've ever met. Although he might not come right out and say it (he struggles to share his feelings much like myself - like father like daughter I guess), I know my dad loves my mom, sisters, and me more than anything. The poor guy has been surrounded by females for the last 30 or so years so he is basically a saint in my eyes.

I come from the most selfless, loving mother ever. She stayed at home to raise us, and never once denied my sisters or I an opportunity. It simply wasn't an option. My mom would do everything under the sun to make sure we are safe, healthy, and happy. Even though we give her a hard time (she's a speech therapist who mispronounces things constantly and in my opinion, on purpose. I think I've told her how to pronounce Chipotle and Pinterest at least 87 times), life as I know it simply wouldn't be the same without her. She is the glue that keeps our family together, and the ring master in our crazy circus of a family.

I come from a family with three daughters. Sometimes we get along great. Other times we fight like cats and dogs. When we were younger there was probably a 95% chance two of us were ganging up on the other one. Now that we're a bit older (and live in different cities) we get along much, much better since we can't "borrow" each other's clothes (without asking). Even though we fight from time to time and drive each other crazy, I love my sisters and wouldn't be the person I am today without them.

I come from a home full of pets. In any given year there were at least half a dozen cats/dogs/hamsters/rabbits/frogs running around. It was like living on a farm without actually living in the country. My mom never denied us a pet (even if we had to buy them while my dad was away on business trips and hide them in the guest bathroom for a few weeks). He's a big softy and always warmed up to the idea of them anyways. Like I said before, he's a saint.

I come from a family big on traditions. Holidays were celebrated to the extreme. My mom and dad once rented ponies (Salt and Pepper) to surprise my sister, Mandy, on her birthday since she was really into horses. I may or may not have spoiled the surprise. I think my mom figured it out pretty easily when Mandy refused to come inside and just stood at the top of our driveway anxiously awaiting their arrival. Who can expect an elementary school child to keep a secret like that?? To this day, my sisters and I still decorate eggs at Easter, take one zillion pictures with sparklers at Fourth of July, and decorate gingerbread houses at Christmas. We're all about the traditions in this family.

I come from parents who realized the importance of travel in my sisters and my development. We went on vacation nearly ever year (usually to different beaches), but we also made the trek out West a few times to visit all the national parks. Being given the opportunity to travel to different parts of the country (and world) has definitely influenced who I am today.

And that my friends, is a brief glimpse into where I come from. My grandparents and friends also played a huge role in my upbringing, but before I write a 350 page novel I'll stop myself. Hopefully if all goes according to plan I'll be back here again tomorrow with my response to the next topic - if you could take three months off from your current life and do anything in the world, what would you do? Get excited.