Things I am thankful for: a not so sentimental list

With the Holidays among us, it seems only obvious that I post about some of the things I am greatful for.

- I am thankful for the small carts at the grocery store for making me less likely to bring home the entire Ben and Jerry section

-I am thankful for yoga pants for making my desire to not wear pants in public as legal as possible

-I am thankful for Netflix because one episode at a time is so 2009

-I am thankful for the unfriend button on facebook cause sometimes I could care less about your break up, baby, or ability to go to the gym every day

-I am thankful for coffee because without it, I probably would have flunked out of school by now

-I'm thankful for fannel shirts because if I'm going to look like a lumber jack I might as well be warm doing it

-I'm thankful for hashtags because how else would I get the point across that I'm #thankful

-I'm thankful for pizza for being so cheesy and delicious and way too accessible after midnight

- I am thankful for memes about cats...because lets face it they are hilarious

-I'm thankful for lesbians who look like girls...I'm going to leave that one at that

- I am thankful for the little white stick figure dude that tells me when to walk because last time I checked getting hit by a car is a damper on the day

-I'm thankful for stores that don't open til at least midnight on Black Friday because we should spend time with our families on Thanksgiving....and THEN get up early for great deals

-I am thankful for Harry Potter everyday Marathons. Enough said

Happy Thanksgiving!

Our everyday lives are everything but everyday

Cleaning out my closet

Over a year ago now, I finally took the leap of faith and came running out of the closet. Yes, its true. I'm gay. For some, this isn't a surprise. Personally, admitting it to myself was kinda a "no shit" moment in life. It's just kinda something I've always known. I can go on and make up excuses about how I never really had guy friends growing up blah blah blah...but the truth of the matter is I just like girls.

I started sticking my foot out the closet door to a very small group of people when I was 17. Slowly but surely over text messages, facebook, and a few awkward face to face conversations I managed to tell at least my close friends. And of course, through osmosis and word of mouth, more and more people started to find out. The one person that managed never to get this carrier pigeon of news was my mom. My mom and I are very close, but I just couldn't get the nerve to tell her. It wasn't until I started dating my current girlfriend that she finally found out. Lets just say the situation wasn't ideal.

I had jumped on a flight to California to see my best friend two summers ago. I was only going to be there for about 48 hrs and was beyond excited. On the last night of the trip, I had been texting my mom about travels plans when I received a message that made my heart stop...

"Is there something more going on between you and Kiersten?"

Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm??? No? I couldn't lie to my mom but couldn't have this be happening over text message a thousand miles away!  I told her we'd talk about it when I got back. I had planned to tell her sooner rather than later. ..I really did.  I was going to write her a letter,  have every word thought out, and just gently let her down into it.  Nope.  I got called out  by my mom over a text message. 

When I returned, we had a great chat about it, hugged it out and moved on with life (For the record, my mom is the best). I had to ask her one thing though. How did she not know....
Lets see:
-I never went to any dances in high school
-I would have rather wore boy jeans than girls
-I sit with my legs wide open
-I have broader shoulders then some dudes
-I always talked about girls
-I wanted to be a mail lady growing up (ok I don't know how much relivance this has but I'm convinced there is a correlation)
I felt I was giving her warning signs my entire life. I feel like even my Great Aunt kinda knew before my mom or I did because for Christmas, when I was twelve or thirteen, she gave me a rainbow blanket.

I think I've come a long way since the days I started wondering why I thought the oldest sister from Seventh Heaven way hott.This past summer I attended mt first pride parade. I proudly ran around with a rainbow flag around my neck high fiving just about anyone in sight. I had the time of my life and would have never been about to have that expirence if I wouldn't have taken that leap of faith.  More importantly, I probably wouldn't have met the girl that has taken my heart.

The moral of the story is that the closet was a stuffy place and I'm glad I decided to come running out of it rainbow flag and all :)

Its been awhile

So its been about two years since I have actually posted in this blog that I was so eger to start. When I first created it, I honestly thought I was going to be the next Perez Hilton. The problem with that plan was that I really could care less about the latest celebrity gossip and I have ADD when it comes to commitment. I think I'd like to get back in the swing of things though. I miss writting about the silly things everyday life brings me.
As I'm entering my senior season of softball, the fact that I should probably start preparing for the adult world is starting to hit me. Maybe I should stop wearing sweats to school, stop buying anything with a shark on it, and pretend I don't die on the inside everytime I see a fluffy animal of sorts. But then again maybe not...... :)

Recycling?

Rise of hands to the people that have had this moment:

You walk up to the recycling bins at a local coffee shop and find yourself staring blankly at the bins realizing that your straw, cup, sleeve, and lid all go into different ones. After a few long moment of second guessing yourself, you give up and decide that throwing it all into compost is going to be your best option.

My hand is raised high in the air. I've found that ever since I have moved into Bellingham recycling has become way more intense. The standard blue trash can with the recycle symbol has turned into three or four different cans. Now you have your compost, plastic, cans, bottles, black plastic, plastic with lip stick on it, bottles with the label peeled off, and biodegradable waste product found at the bottom on your purse. Ok so maybe some of those are a little over the top, but I think you get my point, it's rediculous these days. I never thought I would walk away from a recycling bin feeling 1) confused and 2) bad because I feel as though I placed everything in the wrong bin and I'm going to personally cause global warming.
I can see the headlines now:
"College Student Places Straw in Wrong Recycle Bin: Three Polar Bears Die"

Ok no polar bears will be dying obviously but you get my point.

Moral of the story: Recycling. It's cray.

Oh Christmas Tree

Oh there’s no place like home for the hooollidays *singing*

Oh the holiday season. It’s a time of year where we spend too much time at the over packed mall spending money we don’t have and try and cram in seeing every living relative all while trying to stay sane. This was the first year I’ve ever had to work retail during the holiday season, and let me tell you, it sucks. Supply and demand is an understatement at this time of the year. It’s more like supply and IF YOU DON’T HAVE THIS IN STOCK I’M GOING TO RIP YOUR HEAD OFF! Working in catering was the best/worst thing I could have done. I never want to see another veggie platter, fruit tray, or vat of mashed potatoes again but I was able to put in a lot of hours which means I’ll be able to finally throw away the jeans I have to roll up and wear as capris because the bottoms are so badly ripped.  Knowing how much hard work is put it around this time of the year and having to listen to the song Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer four times a day at work got me thinking of the story of Rudolf. We all know it so I will skip the summary but I have come to the conclusion that if I was Rudolf and Santa came into my bedroom on Christmas Eve I would be 1. Freaked out because he went beyond the borders of the living room and 2. Sooo incredibly mad that he’s asking me to work that night! I would simply hand him a flash light and say “problem solved.” I know I know, it’s a little bit out of the holiday spirit but I think anyone who has worked retail at this time of year would understand.

Our everyday lives are everything but everyday

A Public Service Announcement: Life's a Rollercoaster

Life’s a rollercoaster: It’s exhilarating, exciting, has highs and lows, and can be an adrenaline rush. I feel like this familiar saying is usually used in a negative connotation and I don’t believe it should be.

 I believe there are three different parts to this imaginary rollercoaster that we compare life to. First, we have the people on the rollercoaster experiencing the ride. This is absolutely the best part. Being a part of the adrenaline rush, experiencing the ups and downs, for some, shedding a few tears but overall, glad you jumped on. 

Second, we have the people waiting in line. As any kid that was ever taken to Disneyland growing up knows, there’s a line to every fun ride . These people are waiting for life to get going. They’re excited, nervous, preparing for the big drop. Like a squirming child you become antsy and are trying to find anything and everything to suppress your overwhelming anticipation. The only thing that keeps you sane in knowing that the line is moving closer and closer to the front. .

We don’t have to worry about these people in line. They’ve made the first step to getting on the rollercoaster of life.  The people we should worry about are the ones standing out front of the ride, staring up at the rollercoaster, too scared to get in line to get on. Seeing the rollercoaster in this spectrum is daunting. They hear the people screaming who are riding. The seen the long line not sure if they want to invest their time waiting. They continue to back away and watch everyone else have fun. I worry for these people.

 Life’s crazy but the adventure from standing in line sweaty palmed and scared out of your mind to actually strapping into the ride and experiencing all its hidden turns and drops is what it’s all about.

My call to action: Grab your Fast Pass, skip the line, and ride the rollercoaster or else you’re going to be stuck sitting with the sticky kids that couldn’t make the height limit. 

Is this my luffa?

There are days when I wish someone could sit in my head and just listen to the things that run through it. I would honestly be scared for them. Some of the thoughts and images that make an appearance continue to amaze me and leave me wondering where they originated. Most days I’m glad someone isn’t sitting up there. I feel like it would be a lot like watching a dog in a park; my attention being shifted to anything and everything that SQUIRRLE! moves or catches my eye.

Every now and then a random thought really catches my attention and makes me step back and ask “…huh?!?”. Tonight, after a long weekend of games, I jumped into a well anticipated shower and immediately my mind went into its normal shower wondering mode. As I was scrubbing the dirt off, I thought to myself, “is this my luffa?”. This should never cross my mind. EVER. I should never have to ask myself if I’m scrubbing my body with MY own luffa. Thankfully, it was my luffa. Clearly I’m tired and need some sleep if these types of thoughts are flashing in my head when I’m in the shower. You have to understand, the shower is where I have my most creative thoughts and ideas. To know those creative thoughts are being blocked by the simple questioning of recognition of my own luffa is scary. I had to step back and laugh at myself for a second. It really is the simple things in life for me :)

Moral of the story: All who wonder are not lost and always use the red luffa.  

Our everyday lives are everything but everyday