photo courtesy of Cheryl Davis.

Happiness.

Is a bluebird.

A Day Hike

Today I went to Silver Creek Falls with some friends from work. It was a gorgeous day after a weird week of hail and snow in March! There was even some snow still on the trails. It was chilly with all the mist from the falls, but not as we began to make our way up the switchbacks. :P It was a bit of a drive, but totally worth the fresh air in my lungs and a chance to get some excercise.

Also, always good to just be with my friends too. I don't hang out with work friends outside of work that often. It was nice. :)

Holy crap.

So, I've still been journaling but have totally neglected/ forgotten about blogging. It's weird, but there's something intimidating about making thoughts so public. I know the world doesn't read my blog, but they could, and that's scary. I need to learn a balance of what I tell people and what I don't. I've always been honest, but there are a lot of things I keep to myself, more things that I tell to complete strangers, and even less that I tell my friends.
Going through religious crisis can really isolate you. Though I was the one doing the distancing. I've realized that I judge myself a lot FOR other people, and pretend like it is them being condescending. Instead it is my internal self and projection.

I have two jobs now, one as a waitress at a pub and the other as a h.s. speaker. Both are challenging and rewarding, neither pay health insurance. :P I have the next couple days off and thought about going to the coast. But the beach is a very lonely place to be alone at for me. I had a boyfriend for about 3 months and dated a few guys before that. It's been interesting, that's for sure. I've learned a lot about myself and what I'm looking for.

All of the new Simpsons episodes have sucked, so I've started watching Family Guy and South Park. Both shows make me laugh incessantly. I also love watching youtube clips of Jeff Dunham. Achmed the dead terrorist and Jose Jalepeno on a Stick are my favorite.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uwOL4rB-go

Paper or Plastic?

I’ll admit that I had never really even thought about the fact that plastic bags are just put in landfills but never deteriorate. :( Yesterday I was in the grocery store and I was trying to find something else to put my fruit in besides plastic bags…but there wasn’t anything. I DID notice that the plastic bags there said something about recycling. All it said though was how plastic bags take up less space in land fills. :P What a silly thing to say.

(Picture taken from http://www.midamericanenergy.com/eew/help/act_bags_plastic.html)

See more progress on: stop using plastic bags

43 Things

My new most visited website: www.43things.com
My list can be found @: 43things.com/person/luckyturtlegirl

It's a place where you can list all of your life goals, even the ridiculous ones. People can add comments or cheer you on, and you can check things off your list and upload photos with your entries. Another cool feature is that when you list a goal, it shows how many other people have that same goal and you can see what else you might have in common.

Mancala

Some ideas to foster good listening, go to a coffee shop! I've found with my younger sister she feels SO cool going to a coffee shop and just hanging out there with me. Coffee shops are good cuz there's usually some good music playing but it's quiet enough for conversation, it's a casual public atmosphere, and there's COFFEE!! :D
My sister and I like to go to a little coffee shop in downtown McMinnville that has a little corner nook with two chairs and a small table with games. We like to play Mancala, but we bring our own pieces. The game doesn't have enough stones, so we use random objects from our purses. It makes the game fun and special, it's also our tradition.
Back to the listening, as we play we talk about school, boys, family and other real life things that don't really get talked about on the day-to-day.

Inspi[red]

So...Senior Capstone is about the American dream. It's challenging and seems redundant at times to keep going over this, however I don't think I'd be thinking about this if it weren't for the class. I just wrote a rough draft of something I see as a threat to the American dream and I really think that selfishness is a threat. How is it that I am so okay with the fact that I have never had to worry about having a warm place to sleep, but for so many other people even in my same city it is a daily struggle?
I get to go hang out with my sisters on this rainy Friday night, but in case you've never heard of this website: www.joinred.com. Check it out! I've never bought any of these products, but I think it is genius marketing and will really help people.