Real life...

I wrote this post a while back and then never published it for some reason.
Weird.
ANYWAY, without further ado, please enjoy:

I've been texting back and forth with a good friend tonight and we talked a bit about worry.
I do it.
A LOT. Probably more than I ever let on.
A brief example of today's worries:

Is my phone alarm going to go off tomorrow morning or will I be late for work?
What if a tire blows while I'm on the freeway?
Am I going to say something incredibly stupid while I'm on the phone at work today and screw something important up that my boss was counting on?
What if the paint I pick for my new apartment is too dark?
What if I never have enough money to buy my own house?

And so on and so forth.
You know what worrying does for you? NOTHING. It accomplishes nothing and it certainly does nothing for my mental or physical well-being. And the most ironic part of all? Worrying is comforting to me. It's familiar. It's just something I DO. For example, life has been insane and after months of stress and worry I realized I needed to do something nice for myself and so I scheduled a massage. Now, massages are NOT necessities, in fact this was a total luxury purchase, but I had been in work/production/moving mode for so many months that I didn't know how to relax. So I scheduled a massage and hoped that the masseuse would help me relax. The lady was wonderful, but started to scold me a few minutes after working on my back, neck, and shoulders.
"What have you been doing? Your back is like a brick wall! It's like armour back here!"
In my head I'm going, "I KNOW. That's why I came here."
She worked on my back for quite a while but eventually had to quit before she got all the knots out because we were out of time. As I was leaving she told me, "Other ladies come here to get pampered. You need to come back because you need to take care of those knots. My hands and arms are sore from working on you!"

Like I said, worry does nothing for you. It's not a good motivator and it takes me so long to relax after I've been in high stress mode. However, what always happens when I start feeling more relaxed (and rational) is that I can usually get a good grip on myself and talk myself down. The worries I had in the beginning seem a little silly even:

If your phone doesn't go off then you will be late and that's just how your day is going to go. Whatever. Move on and make up for the lost time later.
If your tire blows you already know how to change a tire like a boss. Do it and get on with your life.
You're still learning how to do your job. You might mess up. Hey, in fact I can GUARANTEE that you WILL mess up at one point. You are not perfect but you are a dang fast learner and you will know better for the next time.
So don't paint the entire room. Just paint one wall and see if it works. If you don't like it then guess what? You can buy more paint and fix it. (Le gasp!)
Then you never have enough money to buy a house. There are plenty of other options like renting, leasing, etc. YOU HAVE OPTIONS.

In closing here is something I am trying to remember and hope that you will too: Life is so much better when you aren't letting worry dictate your every move and your every emotion. Try taking a little time for you and do something you love whether it's painting your toenails a fresh, new color, reading a favorite book (Hello old friend!), or impulse buying that cupcake that looks so yummy. (Yes, they're not good for you, but saying yes when you usually tell yourself no is good for your soul. Honest.)
You don't have to try and schedule a full blown vacation. (That might be more stress than it's worth.) Just be nice to yourself in little ways. It is so important that you make and (MOST importantly) take the time for you! I'm pretty sure you already make the time for everyone else in your life and do what they need and ask of you. Guess what? You are just as important as they are. Treat yourself like you treat everyone else and let me know how it goes!
Until next time!
Em

What's something nice that you do for yourself when you need a little pick-me up?

Friday Findings August 3, 2012

Hey friends! Wow. I almost forgot about Friday Findings! It's been a heckuva week with moving and other fun adventures. I will start REAL blogging soon! As soon as my computer gets fixed anyway. (PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!) I have lots to tell you and I can't wait to share!
In the meantime here is my Friday Finding:
No, it's not a YouTube video today. Yay? Boo? Do you guys like those things anyway? Today's Friday's Finding is a book: What I Didn't Say by Keary Taylor.
I initially checked out Keary's website (http://www.kearytaylor.com/) a while back on the recommendation from a friend and I was so intrigued by her stories. Then she announced that she'd written ANOTHER book (What I Didn't Say). I'd wanted to read it as soon as I read the synopsis for it. It comes in two versions: an ebook or you can get an actual physical copy.
I coveted this for a while and when Keary offered a sweepstakes to win a signed copy of her book I jumped at the chance and promptly forgot all about it...until she emailed me to tell me I WON! It was a wonderful surprise and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. We emailed back and forth a couple of times and turns out we went to Jr. High together and even ran into each other at this year's Life, The Universe, and Everything Conference and didn't even realize it! Sigh. My one brush with fame. :) Anyway, when the book came I sat right down and read it all in one night.
What I Didn't Say is a wonderful contemporary YA novel that explores the life of a small town where everyone knows everything about everyone. Jake's Homecoming night accident changes his life forever. He struggles in learning to live with his new set of circumstances, regrets all the things he didn't say, and eventually finds that losing your voice isn't the worst thing that can happen to a person.
I don't want to really give away anything important but just know that Keary balances the book's emotions wonderfully with highs and lows and I loved the subplots running through the novel as well. I was pleasantly surprised at the depth that this book provided and found myself laughing out loud as well as tearing up in a few places. (I also later had to apologize for shouting at my mother for interrupting me at the middle of the book climax. I was pretty wrapped up in it.)
So, in closing I would definitely recommend this book. It's definitely for a little older YA crowd but check it out!
Oh wait...remember how I said no more YouTube videos...well, I lied. Not exactly lied per say, but changed my mind twenty seconds ago and am including the book trailer from Keary's website. Enjoy!
Em

Friday Findings July 27, 2012

Holy Cannoli! How is July almost over? Man alive. Well, today's finding is another video from YouTube. (LOVE that site...obviously. Maybe too much. Hmmmm. Don't worry. I'll throw some variety in here sooner than you think.)
There are some crazy-talented people in this world and Danny Macaskill is one of them. The site where they shot this video is also amazing and whoever did the cinematography is super skilled! Just enjoy. (P.S. My favorite part just might be around 1:07)
Enjoy and have a GREAT Friday!
Em

A Prequel to Adventures in Moving

Hello friends,
Yes, it is just about that time! The time where I get to move. Again.
Wow. I feel like I do this a lot, and yet I'm surprised by the process every single time. Seriously though, in the last eight years I have moved a grand total of twelve times. This includes moving to school, back home, all the times I moved cities on my mission, back to school and back, then moving out after graduation, and then moving back home when I lost my job and my income.
Wow.
I should write a book about moving and how to do it as a single. It mainly involves boxing a LOT of stuff up and leaving it at your parents house. Ha ha! Although I am TRYING to not do that this time. As the time winds down my list of things to buy keeps getting longer and longer (box spring and mattress, towels, laundry detergent, socks, etc).
I can't wait to keep you in the loop of my upcoming adventures and I will hopefully have pictures to come soon IF I can get my camera fixed. It got dropped over the 4th of July weekend festivities and I'm trying to get that taken care of asap.
Any tips on how to move quickly and efficiently? Thanks!
Em

Friday Findings July 20, 2012

Um...so I REALLY apologize if you absolutely hate this song, but oh man. This is probably the best thing I've seen all week.

Karma? Hope so!

So, remember how I sometimes give stuff away on my blog? This is something I will definitely keep up in the future because now I know how you winners feel! I entered to win a copy of Keary Taylor's brand new "What I Didn't Say" and I WON! We've emailed back and forth and it should be arriving in the next few days. I seriously cannot wait.
Man, I am such a blog stalker. I've followed her for a while because the writing process fascinates me and she's pretty good about posting trivia relating to the life of a writer. When she announced she was writing a new book and then announced it was done in a matter of months I KNEW I needed to read this book. However, limited resources (Aka, an ebook reader and reliable library) kept me from checking this book out. Now I will have one of my very own. So, sigh. This is a very selfish post, but I was just pretty darn happy about winning. Here's a link to her blog and the post. Have a lovely day!
Em
http://www.kearytaylor.com/2012/07/what-i-didnt-say-giveaway-winner.html

Friday Findings July 13th

Partay for Friday the 13th! I guess I should share something slightly spooky or Twilight-zoney, however today I am sharing my favorite finding of the week.
Wisdom teeth aftermath.
There are two videos so I put the shortest one first. It's pretty hilarious but my favorite one is the 2nd one. (30 min long! And people from Utah you'll prolly recognize a lot of the scenery!)
Enjoy this and happy Friday!
Em