Kind Words

"One kind word can warm three winter months" -Chinese Proverb

This weekend was a fortunate one, I hosted a sleep-over party for my college girlfriends. We ate cake, appetizers, drank wine, painted nails and played with glitter. It was a wonderful time and I realized after I was left with an empty house; just how special and unique each one of these ladies are. I can't help but step back and admire them all and how they have grown since graduation.

They are motivated women at the beginning of their beautiful careers. Wether it be creatively inclined, a writer at the head of new-age technology, a science-lover with a passion for helping people or someone who loves planning each of these girls amaze me that they landed careers that go hand-in-hand with their personalities. "Who you are determines what you do" is a statement that is too true for each of these four ladies.

I couldn't help but to be proud of them. Each of them is like a sister to me, and I can remember late night pizza chow downs or nights where we would squeeze in homework and movies. I felt wobbly and insecure on my unemployed legs, but happy to be in the midst of people who love me for me.

A comment was said by my best friend and it's true what she said. It lit my heart up in a way that I never thought was possible. It's like someone turned a flashlight on in my insides and made me glow. We were all reminiscing over the day I brought my beautiful dog home to my college apartment. How scared my dog was in those beginning days and how I kept saying on the car ride home "I don't know about this, I don't know about this". I felt a connection right away with the dog. My dog is short, stocked with muscle, red haired, trusting but nervous eyes, and a wiggly waggly tail.

My best friend said to me, "Nev you're from that scene in 101 Dalmations where the owners are walking with their dogs and they look exactly like their dogs". For some reason I could probably forget everything that was said or happened in the short time we all had together. But this comment will forever make me smile.

I thank my wonderful friends and my beautiful dog for being the best things that have ever happened to me.

Ten Feet Deep

Check out this group: Ten Feed Deep

They are fantastic and have a zippy, up-beat, poppy feel with insightful lyrics.

They have just come out with their third CD which is TERRIFIC!

I've known them all since I was little which helps me love them a little more.

About to run out the door to catch a show.

Lately the song "Without Melinda" has been on repeat both in my head and on my iPod.

Please, do yourself a favor and check them out!

Amazed

Last night I cut up strawberries.

Into tiny little pieces, I was making strawberry shortcake

and I put one piece in my mouth and he

kissed me

and bit the tiny piece of strawberry in my mouth in half.

It was so simple and sensual.

I was speechless.

He smiled at me and said "That was the best strawberry I've ever had"

I am nauseatingly in love.

& IT'S TERRIFIC!

The Hat

Walking in Target, she spotted it.

The perfect winter hat.

She was tired of her beret.

She needed something with PIZZAZZ!

This hat was like nothing she's ever worn

She tried it on and it was dazzling and ridiculous

Ridiculously terrific.

$14.99

ooooo.

"It's an investment" she says to him whilst petting the colorful feather jutting out of the hat.

They walk around the store hand in hand.

He goes to check out and buys her the hat.

She squeals with excitement.

___________________

_______________________________________

My Sweet

From this day forward,

You shall not walk alone.

My heart will be your shelter,

And my arms will be your home.

-Unknown

_________________________________________________________

With great passion comes great pits of sorrow.

I find myself trying to be a better version of me lately.

I work a little harder. Expect less, get more.

I'm refreshed, life is succulent with triumphs and pitfalls.

The taste of defeat heavy in my mouth.

Kicked around in an unfriendly world.

But you're there at the end of the day to hug me.

To squeeze me.

Tuckle me into your strong arms and kiss me softly with your eyes closed.

You hear my smile and kiss me deeper.

This love is quiet and screams all at once.

Your body and mine together, no words.

You are true to my interests, you see my heart plain as day.

This is not difficult any longer. I am no longer complaining, I am officially happy.

I am happy and satisfied with this delicious love.

So much so that it overflows into other aspects of my life.

Passion.

This cowgirl has met her cowboy.

Phil Collins

I cannot stop listening to Phil Collins right at this moment in my life.

I would like to get a real job so I can buy a record player and put it in my apartment.

Step 1: get a job

Step 2: get an apartment

Step 3: get a record player

Step 4: get all Phil Collins records. Ever.

Confidence

I am 24 years old, and at the beginning of my career. What career? Well, I haven't quite found it yet but I'd love for it to be in the Marketing/Advertising/PR field. I have some experience with this and I find it to be absolutely great!

I have been presented with a question that is always on my mind... Where does one find confidence in their twenties? It's a great thing were coming into the very start of our careers, and mostly I feel this is the time of our lives yet it is full of muddled. Full of muddled? Yes we are full of unanswered questions, the so-called 'feeling our way' in the world. Being completely broke and not sure how the next paycheck will cover everything we need it to. . . Sometimes life in our twenties is easy-breezy and other times it's awkward, and hard to maneuver situations.

The community of twenty-something year olds have something in common: we are extremely good looking. Well, most of us are conquering (or have conquered) the awkward stage - but the question still prevails; where does one find confidence? Who knows, and who cares, if we over-think "where our confidence comes from" it can't process. We loose our suave.

Savvy?

strawberries and knocking boots

I hate that I'm a big old MUSH.

It's my kryptonite, but I've met my counterpoint.

Is it too soon to say that? (SCREAM YES, and RUN!)

When I've known someone for a year, and had good feelings for him all along.

The first trial run went sour quickly, due to the fact that we were simply not on the same page.

I wanted to run free and be a career woman, he wasn't sure what he wanted, besides me.

Now, I'm not so sure.

CLICK.

It has clicked into place. This yummy, comfortable feeling.

Ugh-vulnerability bubbles deep in my belly when I'm not around him.

Here's some lyrics that remind me of him and me:

"Cause I'm not easy to understand

But you know me like the back of your hand

I'm your girl and you're my man

and we're makin plans" -oh Miranda!

It's nice that I can say to him "Do you want to go to Church?" and we'll go.

Or I'll say "Do you want to sin?" and we'll do it

Or we'll eat ice cream til we can't move.

or listen to rap music til our ears fall off,

then switch it up to Sinatra followed by some Chesney.

Our song when we dated before was by Taylor Swift.

We used to go hiking together, and I can remember him grabbing me

so vividly. I was having an asthma flair up, he grabbed my body

and pressed it into his. It felt like my heart went from exploding

to my whole body being calm.

And no one, not anyone has had that affect on me ever.

We're back together for the past two weeks. . .

and

It's easy.

we love the outdoors and hiking!

He's a firefighter and I find myself getting mushy over that sometimes too.

I think it works because of his intense alpha male persona.

& I tuckle up into his big strong arms..

Sometimes I have such strong anxiety, and I don't have to explain it

I just am there and he swallows my anxiety with a bear hug.

Last night I cut up strawberries.

Into tiny little pieces, I was making strawberry shortcake

and I put one piece in my mouth and he

kissed me and bit the tiny piece of strawberry in half.

It was so simple and sensual.

I was speechless.

He smiled at me and said "That was the best strawberry I've ever had"

BiG SkY CouNtry n' Yours Truely: Corporate Cowgirl!

I like out west.

I haven't had much experience with it at all. . .

but what I experienced, I loved!

Now, I always thought of myself as a city girl.

I needed to be close to culture and a mecca of civilization.

However, lately- I'm not so sure about the city girl status.

I listen to Miranda Lambert and the Dixie Chicks.

I've laced up my old college drinking cowgirl boots & have

REVAMPED them to go with a business blazer and a pencil skirt.

Could somewhere along the line- wait could this be true? That

I morphed into a

CORPORATE COWGIRL?!

I like to wander around, go for drives, skip, sing.

And I don't like anyone getting in my way.

I like to know everyone, and I like to feel comfortable.

Could Big Sky country be for me?

inspiration 2010 style

Inspiration comes in many forms.

Thinking about 2009, I'm just grossed out. EW.

It started out gross and it kept getting grosser.

So, I'm going to set some goals to follow for myself, and I'm going to take them seriously

1. Blog MORE

2. Monthly Culture Intake, a new museum visit every month.

3. Drink Tea & Water MORE

4. Read more books, I am currently reading "Women Who Love Too Much" and I am about to start " The Hour I first Believed" the more I read, the more 'in-tune' i feel to ideas and thoughts

5. Join a gym! (This has been a goal for so long and now that I have a job, it is going to come true!)

6. Cook MORE! I love to cook, it's a period at the end of the day, and it's something that makes me VERY, VERY happy.

7. Pay MYSELF first means 10% of paycheck goes into SAVINGS!

8. Move out of my house

9. Go After my dreams!

I didn't think I'd get into the whole 'making goals' thing for 2010. but the more organized I am, the better I actually feel. Oh life! So poignant...

New Year, new do, new me, new you

Happy 2009.

Boom!

What are your New Years Resolutions?

Mine is simple: Become better.

Better at what?

-A better friend

-A better daughter

-A better listener

-Better with patience

-Better with money

-Better with self preservation

-Better with follow up and GUMPTION

-Better at finding my inner voice & life calling

Perhaps, for me one of the biggest problems I have is that I am a dreamer. I dream myself into situations - & it's hard to realize- damn it! - You're 24, you want to live in New Zealand, California, NYC, Austin, try my hand at teaching English as a second language. For Heavens sake, I sure have a lot of plans . . . and perhaps my late night woe comes from this innate pressure I put on myself.

breathing. in & out. in & out.

I'm second guessing myself, and I feel anxious over this new chapter. I can't tell you why, I just ALWAYS imagined myself as being great someday.. and I know I will be, I'm just not sure why it's taking so long. I see all of my friends buckled down with careers, serious boyfriends and rent payments. I'm still trying to get my feet on the ground and settled into a career.

So I do not want to continue to whine, I want to let you know that life is beautiful. I have wonderful supporting people in my life. I'm sort of falling hard for an old beaux who has recently reared his head into my life again, and I must say it's going so well! I realized I am so attracted to the simplicity in life, I love going for drives, watching things, cleaning things, loving, snuggling. This new attention that is happening to me is so necessary right now, and I love how he doesn't say "what about me" to any of my elaborate life plans.

And most comfortably I have reached a point in my life where I am fine by myself. I enjoy my own time, and I am good at assimilating a situation for what its worth. Anyway, I should quit it, all of this self examining and be happy.

Because life is happy.

Oh.. adding to the list:

Becoming better at happiness.