Find me on my new Site....

As you can tell, it has been awhile since I have posted anything on this blog. With work and all I have been busy and just too tired to type anything out for awhile.

For a birthday gift, Rob created me my own domain for me to post pictures, blogs, and whatever else I want on the site. From now on please follow me over at: www.amyrschumaker.com. I am still learning what I can and can not do on that site as it is more advanced than what Blogger.com has to offer. So just give me a bit, but I would love for you to still know what I am doing. There is a way to follow my site with the RSS Feed, and I have added a "Follow Me" widget to the site as well. One though has to add each posting possibly. I am not too sure how that works. I was hoping to find something where one could register their name an be able to follow the entire site with one click.

Quote Frames!!!

While at the retreat this past weekend we had a craft session. I had so much fun doing this craft that I had to share with the rest of you. Coley posted how to make our craft earlier today on her blog and I thought I would just link her blog to mine. Click on the link below to see what supplies you will need to create one of these cute Quote Frames!! Coley's Corner: Group Craft: Quote Frames  **Come back to my blog once you have read her little blog on how to make one of these!**

Now that you have read how to make one...be creative and make one of your own!!! Most of the supplies you could probably find at the dollar store! 

Here is the finished product of my own frame. I had so much fun making one this past weekend that it makes me want to make a few more!! 

 

Below is what my frame looks like with something written on the glass: 

Birthmother's Weekend - Charlotte, NC

27 women, 27 unique stories, less than 5 hours of sleep each night, 3 days in 1 city all combined together creates a very exhausting weekend. Sound like fun?? Well I was one of the 27 women doing exactly that, this past weekend!!



For some of you who follow me on Facebook will know that I went down to Charlotte, North Carolina this past weekend for the Birthmom Buds Birthmother's Day Celebration. Birthmother's day is the day before Mother's Day. Since a lot of birthmothers may be parenting children as well, Birthmom Buds put on the retreat the weekend before. This was my first year to be able to go. I had been wanting to go for several years but could never figure out how to go. I was given an amazing opportunity to go this year and I took it. Thank you to the person who gave me this opportunity!! I flew out early Friday morning and met Lani at the airport as her plane landed just about thirty minutes after my flight. We then shared a taxi ride over to the hotel. I met up with a couple other birthmoms who were sitting in the hotel lobby eating some breakfast. I sat for a few minutes while my room was being straightened out as our party was all suppose to be staying on the 10th floor. Once I got my room I went up and took a shower to try and wake myself up as I knew it would be a long day and probably a very late night.

Once I was ready, I heard a kock on the door and it was several other ladies wondering if I was ready to go. I grabbed what I needed and made sure I had my camera. Our hotel room was just across the street from the brand new NASCAR Hall of Fame. Two other birthmothers were already inside of the Hall of Fame and so Coley called them to see how far into the exhibit they were. They were not very far and so I embraced my inner redneck and excitedly walked up to buy a ticket for admission. If you are a NASCAR fan, please take an entire day and spend it at the Hall of Fame if you are ever in or very near Charlotte. Completely worth it, and discounted tickets can be found through your AAA membership!! After spending the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon at the Hall of Fame, we went back to the hotel to rest for a bit. I went back to my hotel room to get dressed for dinner as we were headed to a nice Italian place.

Ladies at dinner - Friday Night

Friday evening was spent with 19 other birthmothers and a few of their mothers. I shared an entree with someone as the entrees were huge!!! So yummy and I have found a place to eat at again when I go back to Charlotte! Friday night some of us ventured out to a bar called Howl at the Moon where there was some dueling piano playing going on. I didn't know what to expect, but found myself singing along to songs like "Brown Eyed Girl" and "American Pie". When we got back to the hotel a small group of us sat in Coley's hotel room telling each other our placement stories. I has been awhile since I have verbally told my story and it was great to hear other women their placement stories. It was amazing the bond that was really felt in that room. Women who were all like each other in so many ways young and older. 2:30a rolled around and it was definitely bedtime.

Saturday came quickly and I found out that I should probably share a room with someone next year. My alarm went off, and I thought I had hit the snooze button. Well the snooze never went back off and I woke up 40 minutes before the actual Birthmother's event started!! Talk about a rude awakening!! I took a very quick shower and tried to look as presentable as I could. I skipped any eye makeup as I figured it would be a pretty emotional day. I am a sympathy crier at times and didn't need to end up with burning racoon eyes!! The morning consisted of sitting through two different break-out sessions. The first one I chose was on close adoptions. Now before you say anything, "Yes I do have an open adoption, but I wanted to learn something new and I find the closed adoption world very interesting!" The session was on what to expect if a reunion happens and it goes wrong, or if a reunion never fully happens and how to cope. Most of the women who gathered around the table were all from the era of closed adoptions. Myself and another woman were the only ones who had an open adoption. I am just in awe at the women who were not given a choice of why type of adoption they wanted due to the time period of when their placement was. The other breakout session that I chose to sit through was how to deal with the shame and guilt one may have when dealing with adoption emotions. Once again very interesting and some got very emotional with this session. I am at peace at where I am for the most part in my adoption decision and so even though I may have some shame and/or guilt...I have been able to process a lot of these emotions already.After session number 2 we all ventured over to a different room and created a fun little craft tht was extremely easy. I will make sure to blog about that later this week!!!

Katrina - one of the speakers who was a birthmother and an adoptive mom

After lunch came a pretty emotional afternoon. Speakers that ranged from all sides of the Adoption Triad that had different walks of life and how they have dealt with the emotions from being in that part of the adoption triad. Once the speakers were done we did a balloon release and then watched the annual slideshow. I am one who can only watch the slideshow once a year and then I am done with it. I love viewing it each year but it is something that I can't watch over and over.

2011 Balloon release

 After the slideshow came probably the most emotional part of the day which was the Birthmother Candle Ceremony. Once the actual event was over I went back to the hotel room and took a nap before the next set of evening festivities would start. I was dragging and full well knew it could be another very late night. Dinner was spent at Rock Bottom Brewery and then we all headed over to an 80s/90s dance club. Some of us dressed up in 80s/90s clothing and jewelry. I left early as I was just needing some time to sit and be alone. It had been a long day and I was looking forward to going back to a quiet room.

The dance club had glow glasses!!

 Yesterday I woke up and got ready to head on out. I didn't know what time check-out was and so I wanted to be prepared that it may be an early checkout right after breakfast. I said "see you later" to some of the women who had early flights to catch or were headed back home by car sooner than some of the rest of us. I l and 6 other women who all had late afternoon or evening flights spent the afternoon together exploring a little bit more of Charlotte. I fell in love with everything that Charlotte has to offer and I was sad when I was in the airport having to say goodbye to such an awesome city and the amazing women who I met over the weekend.

Pam, one of the ladies who I hung out with Sunday afternoon

I am looking forward to next year as I am definitely going back. I have already made plans that the day after I get back from my trip next year I am not doing anything but staying home and sleeping if I can. The retreat/girls weekend or whatever you want to call it was completely worth loosing sleep. I made friendships that I feel will last a very long time. I look forward to getting to know some of these women a little bit better (on their adoption life and their non-adoption life) over the next year and hopefully see some of them in person before next May!!!

Melanie and I who share lots of things in common!

Spring Season = Baseball Season

When one thinks of the start of spring they probably think flowers starting to bloom, the weather starting to get nicer, and spring cleaning. When I think of spring I think of two things warmer weather on its way and BASEBALL!! I was one who never grew up counting down the days until the start of baseball season, but ever since I got married to Rob my love for baseball has grown more and more.

 This year had even a stronger excitement for me since Rob and I are in Cleveland. Opening Day tickets were purchased before Thanksgiving and so they stared at us every time we opened the refrigerator. I kept looking to see if April 1st was coming any closer. I would drive past Progressive Field and see the large countdown that was posted and I would get even more excited. Some people may think that Opening Day is bigger than Christmas. By Opening Day, I felt like a little kid on Christmas Morning. It was a cold cold day, but I didn't care. I was going to sit outside and cheer on the opening season of the Cleveland Indians Baseball. By the end of the game, I had my fleece lined stocking cap on, my hoodie over that in addition to wearing gloves and my coat zipped all the way up. My feet had went numb, but it was all worth it.

The Indians didn't do too well with their opening series against the Chicago White Sox, but I couldn't complain. The Opening Ceremony was a tribute to the late Bob Feller who passed away this past winter. A sad day for any true Cleveland Indian fan as Bob Feller was one of the greatest players who ever played for Cleveland. I had tears in my eyes when Mrs. Bob Feller was escorted out to the pitchers mound to lay a baseball in honor of her late husband. 

 

Since opening day, I have been to two home games and Rob has been to three. Rob's office at school is just a little over a mile walk from the ballpark. He scored a great deal on tickets from Stubhub.com  and enjoyed an afternoon game after doing a little bit of work at school. We then used a set of our free tickets for last week's game for a Friday evening. It was Dollar Dog Night at the park, which I have decided that I don't ever want to go for ever again. The concession lines were extremely long due to everyone wanting cheap hot dogs.  I told Rob that I would rather go on a regular night and pay full price for a hot dog! He laughed but understood where I was coming from. We are headed to a game a week from tonight on the 28th of April. Great way to spend the evening together before I head out of town for the weekend. A friend of mine asked me why we don't go and buy season tickets. I thought to myself, "Why? Well because it is more fun to be spontaneous for which games to go to rather than feeling as if we have to go since we have tickets!" I want to see the Seattle Mariners play when they come to town next month. Rob will be out of town, but that is ok. If I can not find any people to go with me on the day that I want to go, then I will just go by myself. It just always is a bit more fun to go with other people.

The Indians are doing great this season so far, and I hope they keep it up!!! Even if they start to slip **knock on wood they don't**, I will still be out at the ballpark cheering on the guys to keep up the good work.  Baseball is a long season, so get out to the closest ballpark and enjoy yourself a hotdog and watch a game.

Daily Joy Project 2011 - Feb 16

 Like I stated in yesterday's posting, I will post my daily joys to keep my attitude in check. So here goes it for today!!

DAILY JOYS: WEDNESDAY

1) had a decent day at work even though I wanted to strangle several members

•  This is a great praise as I was extremely moody when I woke up this morning. If I could have, I probably would have stayed in bed all day. The sun was not out and I was just frustrated at life, even though nothing was really happening. The phone calls today were difficult, but I took deep breaths and got through it.

2) I found out that in January I averaged 6 calls per hour, which I can improve on

• This seems like a lot if you think about it on an eight hour work hour scale. I pretty much average around 48 calls per day. I though know that I can do better than that. I need to learn how to talk and type at the same time and make my notes while I am speaking with a member or provider. I then also need to place myself back into the holding cue rather than wait for my phone to do it for me. I am going to challenge myself for the rest of the month to try and raise my daily call intake. I will update you next month!

3) It is pretty warm this week for temps and I love it!

• I like everyone in the NE Ohio area are very tired of the super cold weather and drab days of winter. I am very excited that the temperatures this week have been in the mid-40s to low 50s!!! This is huge!! I never thought how warm 40 degrees would be!! Spring is on it way soon, even if we do have one more snow storm before everything is all over with.  

4) My chef salad from Cracker Barrel hit the spot

•  Rob and I couldn't agree on where to go to dinner until he said, "I wish there was a Cracker Barrel near by!" I being one who remembers where food places are, replied with, "I know where one is!" It was out of the way from where we were in town, but the chef salad did sure hit the spot!!

5) 2 weeks from today I will have had a total of 24 hours in Oregon!

• I am so excited for my trip to Oregon! I am feeling a bit on the homesick side right now only because my sister, nephew, and niece are in Oregon visiting my family. I know I will be there soon visiting my family members, being able to see Kaylee, and bonding with my close friends. I sure wish Ohio was closer to Oregon, so that the trips home could be more often than once a year!

"Don't come back for 7 to 10 days!"

1991 the movie "My Girl" with Anna Chlumsky and Macaulay Culkin. The scene when Vada (Anna's character) learns that her period started. The next scene, Vada answering the door as Thomas (Macaulay's character) rings the door bell to see if Vada is able to come out and go swimming. Vada pushes Thomas and yells at him, "And don't come back for seven to ten days!" She then turns around walks in the house and slams the door.

Vada learning she will have her period for the next 7-10 days.

As women we can all relate to this scene all too well every month. Well I am feeling that way tonight, and it is just the start of PMS. I had a decent day at work, but then this evil poisonous monster took over me on my way home from work. Not too sure where it came from...but I hate it!! I wish that I could yell at everyone from my front porch to not bother me and to not come back for seven to ten days, but if I did that then I wouldn't have a job after those ten days were up. I guess I will be like any other woman and have to suck it up. 

I will force myself to post my daily joys each day as I think this will help me keep daily life into perspective. So here is to today's joys:

1. The sun was out on my way to work this morning. 

2. A fairly good day at work with not too many challenging phone calls.

3. I spent the evening with my husband and three dogs.

4. Bravo's Real Housewives of NYC started back up tonight. 

(Ok, for most of you, the last joy is a stretch, but I love the NYC housewives. I admit, I have a television junkie, but this is one of the shows that I can sit back and laugh at because even people with too much money have relationship issues with men and women.) 

Valentine's Day: Love it or Hate it?

Pink, Red, Mauve, Crimson, and Black. These colors are ones that one typically sees on a day like today. Movies, dining out, candles and flowers are items that you either see or do on a day like today. Yes, today is Valentines's Day and for many it is the one day of the year that they either love it or hate it. I don't think there is a happy medium for a day like today. The single women hate it because they are constantly reminded that they are not with someone, and the married or coupled women love it because it is the one day they hope to get flowers from their mate.

I am one who tends to love Valentine's Day. I even enjoyed Valentine's Day when I was single. Yes it was bummer to realize that I was single and a bit depressing to see classmates or co-workers recieve flowers at school or work, but I still smiled on the outside. I knew that even though I was not in a relationship, I could be happy for those who were in one. I though could also treat myself on a day like today!

Being married though and going through Valentine's is a bit different. When Rob and I were first married, we had been talking about different holiday traditions and what our expectations were for each holiday. He asked me, "How can I keep you happy?" I said, "I would like flowers and a card on Valentine's Day, our Anniversary and Birthday." I had to respond like this as my husband is one who needs a very direct and precise answer. Since we laid out the rules...I have never been disappointed on any of these days. I was surprised today when I got home to find a potted plant of flowers on the counter with a heart shaped balloon attached to the basket. I say that I was surprised because I didn't think he would get me anything since my Valentine's gift came early for both of us, since he got me the Xbox Kinect last week, and the painting I bought for him came in the mail early last week as well.

My flowers and balloon from Rob

So here's to you who are married and single, "Happy Valentine's Day!" I hope that you had a wonderful day. If you are single please know that your friends and family love who you are. If you are married and your husband forgot to get ya something, be thankful for who he is and know that he still loves ya!! Treat yourselves to something a bit extra this week!

Travel, Fashion, Cookies, Yoga, Writing and Jewlery?!

If you are an avid blogger, like me, you probably follow a ton of different blogs. Ever wondered who some of your friends are following?? Thought I would give you a list of a few bloggers who I tend to follow on a daily/weekly basis depending on the time I have to sit and read!!! I hope that you will follow some of my fellow blogger journey's and see what you can learn from them, too!

1. Adventuras en Espana: This blog is my friend Nicki who I use to work with at AMC Theatres. She is studying abroad this spring in Barcelona, Spain!!! She tries to post a couple times a week about the life she is living as a student and trying to take in the city, food, and sounds of what Spain is. I love reading her postings as she is very down to earth. You will find yourself laughing and thinking, "Wow...I am sure I would have done that too!" Follow Nicki and show her some blogger love!

2. Need some Fashion Advice? Well check out Pick Pocket Molly and Missus Smarty Pants! Both sites are perfect for anyone who needs a little refresher course on help in the fashion department. I went to church with Alice who is Pick Pocket Molly. No one can go wrong with Missus Smarty Pants, especially if you are over the age of 30. My mom introduced my sister and I to Missus Smarty Pants, and I can not thank her enough. Missus Smarty Pants will actually tell you which design shape you are and what to buy to make yourself look great for any occasion!!

3. Love baking creative looking cookies? If so, don't look to Martha Stewart, look at The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle! I just stumbled upon her blog yesterday as she is the niece of one of my birthmom friends. Her post from yesterday was extremely cute. She made cookies, fruit, and fruit dip. You ask, "What is so creative about that?" The cookies were made to look like tortilla chips, fruit was your salsa, and yup you guessed it, the guacamole was the fruit dip. Check out the photo!! I instantly had to start following her!

4. We all want to be fit right, but don't have the time or energy to go to the gym?? Now you can do Yoga at home with Fit2Bmama! My dear friend, Bethany, is the creator behind this blog. Read along with life as she blogs about being a wife, a mom of two, fitness enthusiast, and one who loves to go as organic as possible. You will laugh and see that even fitness people have their days were they just want to sit and consume a whole medium pan crust pizza alone due to a stressful day. You though will also find inspiring little notes to keep you going and pushing forward with your fitness goals and being encouraged to take one day at a time!

5. Want to know what it is like to being a writing student who has a passion for film and television? My high school friend, Megan is just that. She is one who I love reading her thoughts for the latest television show and or movie that she may have watched. She is an aspiring writer who would love to move to Las Angelos one day and be a writer for film or television. Great goals!!  Follow Megan over at Musings from the Farmgirl and see what she has to say! 

6. Lastly, I am sure I have posted about another classmate of mine who make jewelry, but if not, I will post about ~Pamela Susan~ again. Pam is awesome with her creations and I love reading to see what she has made next, espcially now that her Etsy store is open only a couple days a month. In addition to the jewelry that she makes, she is always making little things for her adorable little girls. This week she is doing a necklace give-away so go and check her out! I bet you will not be disappointed!! I wish I had just half of the creativity as she has!! :)

So there you have it, I gave you several different blogs you can follow and share with others as well!! Have a wonder week my friends!

Which Purse?

 As women, we probably have more or close to as many purses & handbags as we do to our shoes. Think about it. How many purses do you have?? One?? Two? Fifteen? How many? Now, how many of those purses do you use on a regular basis? Just like shoes, we tend to use one over and over until we see a new one in the store that we can't pass up, or need a different one for a special occasion or the upcoming trip.

I was walking through Macy's Friday after my hair appointment, and since I like purses I stopped to glance at the purses that were on display. I had no intention on buying because like everyone else, I have bags hidden in closets that should see some light, soon. One bag caught my eye that said, "Ooohh...this is cute, but I will be good and not buy it because I have one similar at home."

The purse that caught my eye:

Kipling Handbag, Alvar Shoulder Bag

 Just as I was going to walk away a woman walked over to me and said, "Isn't that a great purse?! Look at all the storage?!" I first thought she was a sales woman but when I looked up it was a woman in her early to mid-60s. She was clearly not a sales woman as she had about seven different purses on her shoulder. She said, "I don't know which one to choose!" All the purses she had were all very similar as they all were shaped the same with about the same amount of storage. I said, "Well this one is cute, but it is on the casual side." since it was not made out of leather, and the zippers looked to be a chunky plastic. Cute, but I surely could not see this woman walking around with this purse. She then told me that she is needing a purse as she is headed to Key West, Florida for a vacation and asked me which one I liked the best out of the ones she had on her shoulder.

I looked at her and said, "Well, I would pass on the white one as it is before Memorial Day and I am sure you already have several different white bags at home. Then I like the black leather one, but once again you probably have more black bags at home." I then noticed that she had a metalic silver bag. It was cool, fresh, and something that I knew she probably didn't have hanging in a back closet at home. I said, "How about this one?! The color is cool and very in right now. Plus it would look with either jeans, capris, or even a dress when you head out to dinner." She looked at me and said, "Wow, you are right?!" I told her, I am all about trying to find one purse that does everything so that I am not having to take more than one bag on vacation with me. She thanked me and said, "I wish you could go shopping with me all the time!" I smiled and wished her well, and left the store before I walked out with the other cute bag.

The bag that was selected for the woman but she got one in Silver:

Tyler Rodan, Kansas Crossbody Bag

I walked away feeling that I did something good for someone who may not have someone to go shopping with. I luckily have a husband who enjoys going shopping. With that being said some of the purses that I do have, he has picked out even when we were at a Tag Sale. I had posted this as one of my daily joys as I walked away feeling good and so did someone else!

For your next trip, think about the current purse that you have. Will it work storing all of your travel items with out weighing it completely down? If so, check out one of these two purses to see if they would work for you. Both were very deep with lots and lots of pockets!! Plus they both look great!

Seven...

Kaylee celebrating with her friends for birthday #5 (2009)

 Seven is a big number in life in general. God created the the earth in seven days for those of us who believe in creation. For all of us who enjoy color, there are seven colors of the rainbow. For those of us who enjoy science there are seven base units for measuring and if you get three sevens while playing a slot machine you win the jackpot. This year though, the number seven is very special to me.

Seven years ago today I had been up all night sitting in a hospital bed doing what women know best. A bit of yelling, laughing, watching cooking shows, trying not to get annoyed from people and oh ya...HAVING A BABY!! Today, seven years ago I became a mom. One thing that no one can ever take away from me. I pushed every 2 minutes for 2.5 hours straight to be able to hold a five pound four ounce baby girl in my arms for the first time. I will never forget that night for as long as I will live. I couldn't believe what had happened, as if it was a dream. I do then remember looking up at this baby girl's adoptive mom and saying, "well mom what is her name?" She said, "How about Kaylee Rae?" And so be it...I was holding the cutest little Kaylee Rae in my arms. No one could even start to prepare me for the emotions that I would have with seeing her for the first time. You can read all the books and try to be prepared, but it is something that every woman who has given birth can only understand with out words.

I try to do something special each year when Kaylee's birthday comes around. Last year I blogged about how I was going to spend the day and so forth. Since I am doing the Daily Joys each day, I figured my blog should be something centered around that since Miss Kaylee's birthday is a joyous occasion!!

1. I cherish her hand drawn pictures, craft projects, and school photographs that are sent to me a couple times a year.
2. I see her on a yearly basis when I head home to Oregon.
3. I am loving how she gives me a call every so often to either wish me a good day or to tell me about her loosing a tooth at recess.
4. I can not ask 2 better people to raise my child!
5. I try and tell people in a positive way how adoption has affected my life
6. I have been blessed with some of the most amazing women who all share the same emotions I deal with on a yearly basis
7. I look forward to the many years to come and developing a close relationship with Kaylee as she gets older.

I am sure I could go on and on about mindless things...but I truly am loving her birthday this year. I hope that each birthday gets better!!!

Happy birthday my Lil Miss Kaylee!! 

I hope that you had a wonderful day!

Women, Drama, and Meetup

Why is it that anytime there is a group full of women there is always drama?? I really do hate this aspect of being a woman. It is as if every woman is competing with each other to be bigger, better, and more successful than the person she is sitting next to at a dinner table. This year I made a pact that I would try my best to eliminate the drama in my life. I get tired of the drama as it tends to affect my relationship with my husband and other family members. I get negative and just want to sit and bicker and pick at everything that is going on. I didn't want to be like that for 2011. I wanted to look a the best possible outcome for each aspect in my life.

Just shortly after I moved to Cleveland, I found a Tea Society group on Meetup.com and loved it!! I loved the women who were in the group as we all shared a common interest. The group owner stepped down due to life activities that prevented her to attending the events that she herself had planned. She handed the group over to another member in the group. This new leader, we will call her M. I gave M the benefit of the doubt as she took over the tea society and tried to keep it running as the original owner had planned. I would attend the events, but something just didn't seem right. I tried to ignore the drama that M was creating in the group among members who were just asking simple basic questions that would then be blown out of proportion. I stayed out of it as much as possible, but did notice that either people were dropping out of the group like flies or something was up as not many people were showing up to each event. M claimed that she was British and wanted everyone to wear hats to each Afternoon Tea that was planned. I had explained to M that I didn't own any hats that would be appropriate for tea. I attended an event in November with no hat and was scolded as if I was a child. I was so upset but tried to not let it ruin my time there at the tea house. Later that day I was sent a very rude email from M who told me that she didn't think that I was best suited for the group as I am not complying to the group standards and continued to bring "negative" energy. I tried to ignore it everything, but then had to fight back. She then removed me from the group as I was correcting her on semantics because each event she expected people to wear hats even if it was not posted in the event details. Oh well...such is life. About a month after being removed from the group, I started my own Tea group. Since M is such a control freak she was very agitated to say the least that I outsmarted her and beat her at her own game. I felt like I got justice, as she couldn't do anything about it as everyone is entitled to have their own public group. Since creating my own group I have close to even in numbers as her for members AND my events are always packed full. I know members who are in the other group who are members of mine and have told me that my group is better as it is drama free.

Next on the list, late in 2010 a new ladies club was created on Meetup. I was very excited about this as I was really looking for a group where I could meet some women my own age to hopefully have a friendship with. I tend to have the personality that gets along better with men. I always have and probably always will. I though still miss having a set of girlfriends who can relate to just being a girl. I started going to the new club and met some awesome women. The organizer was yet another control freak who only really wanted to talk to the "stylish" "skinny" girls of the group. I attempted to make conversations with her and we just didn't click. I though did find a small group of women who I am going to miss seeing on a weekly basis if Rob and I move come this summer. I though yet again found that an all women's club or group had high drama. The organizer didn't like people suggesting things of what to do even though she had asked people to do so. I guess once she found "her group" of women she didn't really care about the rest. I just realized that the group was not for me as I didn't want to feel resentful at every event because the leader doesn't know how to interact with people who do not live up to her own standards or who may have a disability. Since I have left the group, I just feel a lot better about myself. Now do I miss getting together on a weekly basis with the women that I truly connected with? For sure I do! The women who enjoy having me around, we tend to do things every couple of weeks. Not much drama with my little small group.

What have I learned from both of these groups? I have learned that I have to find a small group of women to put myself around that accept me for me. I have also learned that I tend to have problems with leaders who tend to be control freaks. I am a leader of a new tea group like I said earlier, and I am trying a new approach to the thinking. I am just going with the flow and trying to keep the drama out. So far, so good!! I try not to imprint my own beliefs and thinking on others and most people become a bit weird or it makes them feel uncomfortable. I fully believe that we live in a society where we all are human and can believe what we want, even if the women sitting next to you at dinner doesn't believe that. Just accept that everyone is different and enjoy the moment while it lasts.

Daily Joy Project 2011

A friend of mine from high school started a Daily Joy Project last year. It was so inspiring that I thought I would try it this year. Basically what she did was posted five positive things on her Facebook status near the end of the day about her day. It was something that I and other people looked forward to reading each evening. Since it is the new year, I figured I would try and do the same thing. I am hoping to post something each night, and there have been a few times that I have not posted anything only because I forgot!! You know, life happens and tends to get in the way.

To catch you all up on how I have been...here are the past several days just so that you can see what I am doing.

Sunday: Jan 23rd 

"Today's Joys: relaxing Sunday with not much going on, went grocery shopping before the after-church rush started, bought a new camera to replace the one that I broke last year, and picking the winning teams for both NFL playoff games tonight!!"

Saturday: Jan 22nd 

"Today's Joys: Another successful tea event, oil change for my car finally got done, the sun was out today despite the bitter cold temps, and ending the evening having dinner with some girl friends!" 

Thursday: Jan 21st 

"Today's Joys: My first call today ended up being around 20 minutes with the sweetest ladies who just needed her medication changed down to a tier 2, a tea house that i have been trying to get a hold of FINALLY got back to me, had amazing service when I went out to dinner with the husband, and TOMORROW'S FRIDAY!"

Now you get the idea of what I am doing. Since I have been posting these, my mom has noticed that I have a better outlook on life when she and I talk on the phone. I will admit that I was and can be a pretty negative person. I figured this would help fix the attitude and force me to think of at least a couple good things on a day that could be such a crappy one!! 


Now for today's joys! 

Monday: Jan 24th

"Had a quiet day at home even though I really felt yucky, I put a whole chicken in the slow cooker before going back to bed this morning and it turned out awesome, and in just once week until a special little girl in my life turns 7 years old!!"

East side vs West side

Living in any large city there is a debate: Which side is better? East Side or West Side?? You see this in NYC, Cleveland, and even Portland. I find it comical now when people make statements of "I will only go to functions on the west side of town." or "I have lived here all my life and have never been to the other side of town!"

Growing up, I didn't really know about this debate as I lived in a Southern Suburb of Portland, Oregon, I went to church on the NE side of town, but yet my family would also go to the west side of town for dinner. I never really gave it a thought which side of Portland was better. I just knew that I preferred the mall on the east side of town, but only because it was a larger mall that had a movie theater attached to it. I also knew that some of the nicer neighborhoods were on the west side of Portland. Now days though each side has its amenities with nice and rough areas. As an adult, there was a time where I lived on the east side of Portland but worked on the far west side, so I was still breaking the rules. 


I have found that this "East vs West" mentality is very prominent in Cleveland. I live on the west side of town, but work on the east side. No big deal right?? Well to some people this is a huge deal and do not understand why I would drive back and forth everyday. I first explain to them that I did look for a job closer to my home and the only thing I could find was out n the east side and then I explain to them that I have always driven quite a ways to and from work even when I lived in Oregon. I have met people here in Cleveland who have lived on one side of town their entire life and have never went to the other side. I just am in shock at this!!! People in Cleveland treat Interstate 77 like the Berlin Wall. It is what could be the divider between each side. People even joke about how one needs to have a passport to get to either side. What people do not understand is that there are great things on both sides of town!!! I just wish people would suck it up and drive to the other side and try the different restaurants, parks, and outside markets.

I fully believe, though, that if one lives in a large city, one must experience ALL of the city and not just a 7-10 mile radius from one's house. If people only went only 7-10 miles from their home they would never fully experience what the whole city has to offer. Now granted, there are spots in each large city (in any area) that may not be the safest, but you get that. So you have to know the good and bad spots and which spots are ok to go to in day and night. I know that here in Cleveland there are places that are acceptable to go in only the daylight and not have to really worry about anything, but if I am in that area of town after dark I tend to be a bit more on guard. There were parts of Portland where I would rarely ever go because it just was not really that safe any time of the day! 

I know I can not make one get out of their comfort but when someone asks me how I know about the cool little tea house way out on the east side of town, I will smile and tell them that I am not afraid to drive an hour to an hour and a half experience something new.

My challenge to you this year, break out of your comfort zone and explore the opposite side of town that you live on at least once a month. You might be surprised in what you will find!!

2011...

I love reading the first blogs of each new year that people post to their page. Most are either reflection of the past year and or goals that they want to accomplish for the new year that has just started. I thought that I would join the crowd and post a blog before the first day of the year comes to a final close.

What a year 2010 was for me!! Lots of changes that is for sure, and 2011 will be possibly even more changes!! I do see quite a few things that 2010 and 2011 have in common. I moved in 2010 from one state to another and I will do the same this year in 2011. I found close friends in 2010 and found three women here in Cleveland that I can see calling good close friends by the time I move later this year. Lastly, 2010 I ended a job in one state and found a new one (even if it took me awhile) and I will do that yet again this year.

I am glad though 2010 is over for me. It was a rough year and the month of December was especially rough for me. My paternal grandfather lost his battle with lung cancer mid-month and it took a toll on my emotions in one of the busy months at work. I was glad though that I saw him one last time in November, full well knowing that he would probably not make it to Christmastime.

For 2011 I am going give more personal time to myself this year, and take care of myself. I tend to get so busy that I forget to do things for myself and allow myself to sit and just breath. I want to try some new things like Zumba at least once this year, just to see what all the talk is! I am going to stand up for myself and not be around negative people this year. I will spend my energy getting to know people who actually want to know who I am, not because of how I look, dress, or speak. I will go out of my way and speak to people who may have a disability even if it is uncomfortable to me at first.

So here is to 2011...may it be better than last year...and I can walk away feeling good that I have accomplished some new things!