101/1001 Day Challenge

Well, I finally decided to look into this whole 1001 day project that I have seen so many other blogs talking about. Within seeing about five blogs doing the challenge, I hopped on Google and found a website that went more into detail about what the project is. After a while of getting the idea, I played around with developing my own list. I also read many different lists, and every single one was different in ways unlike another’s. I thought it was very unique!

So, after thinking about what my intentions were, I figured this would be an excellent project to tackle. And because I’m so god awful at staying consistent with a project, I decided this would be a good segment to add to my blog. That way I am not only fulfilling a duty to myself, but I am also fulfilling the duty to you (my readers) that I will keep at this going strong!

I realize the concept of the project was not to finish every single list. Instead, the list has us examine what our goals, dreams, and passions are, and to start finding ways to make those things possible. Obviously, not everything on the list is going to be earth-shattering. Some of my goals are actually to try new things, and others are to do things I should be doing more often.

I think actually having the list will help me have a better ability to focus on my goals, instead of just having them stew in my head (it would be pretty easy to forget if I were doing that!). I believe it will be a pretty cool feeling to put an X next to a completed goal; in fact, thinking about crossing a goal off almost makes me feel more motivated to complete the various goals.

Anyways, I suppose I don’t really have a whole lot else to add on the subject. Once some changes come to the blog, all my posts specifically about the challenge should be redirected to a different page entirely. Enjoy!

1. Ride in a hot air balloon

2. Go skydiving

3. Read 100 books (1/100)

4. Write a song

5. Graduate College

6. Make a list of things to do before I die

7. Get a promotion

8. Save $5 for every task I complete

9. Keep a dream journal

10. Go camping with friends

11. Send Christmas cards to family and friends

12. Travel to Japan

13. Get my ham radio license

14. Run a mile without stopping

15. Volunteer for a charity

16. Learn to play another instrument

17. Move out of the house

18. Inspire someone else to make their own list

19. Finish a coloring book

20. Join a softball team

21. Go trick or treating

22. Be in a play

23. Go to a Tim McGraw concert

24. Finish Pokemon HeartGold

25. Buy all the Phineas and Ferb episodes on iTunes

26. Go on a roadtrip out west

27. Get to 140 lbs, my goal weight

28. Get off all my medications

29. Go to Build-a-Bear

30. Get 100 people to follow my blog

31. Stay in a relationship for at least a year

32. Learn how to paint my toenails the correct way

33. Grow my hair to my butt

34. Try 10 new coffee flavors

35. Write a whole journal

36. Get in a bible study group

37. Make a new best friend who is a girl

38. Start writing a biography

39. Storm spot a tornado

40. Get something I’ve written published

41. Find a full time job

42. Get an A in at least five classes

43. Go on a 75 mile bike ride

44. Write at least one blog entry a week

45. Send a letter to a friend I don’t see anymore

46. Go on a weeklong Facebook hiatus

47. Visit my grandma in Florida

48. Make a fleece blanket

49. Meet a famous person

50. Meet a blogger that I follow (that I already didn’t know)

51. Go to a family reunion

52. Be an extra in a movie

53. Give a friend flowers anonymously

54. Have a reunion with my high school friends

55. Host a party

56. Make a scrapbook

57. Have a slumber party

58. Go a weekend without technology

59. Visit my family in Lousiana

60. Make a video documentary

61. Write a letter to myself to open in ten years

62. Go water skiing

63. Make a five course meal

64. Go a month without buying anything that isn’t a necessity

65. Win a contest

66. Join a roleplaying game

67. Write a love letter

68. Try out for American Idol

69. Write a short fiction story

70. Get into grad school

71. Pay for an entire date

72. Watch the sunrise and sunset in the same day

73. Try escargot

74. Listen to music nonstop for 24 hours

75. Give a coffee shop a ten dollar tip

76. Go canoeing

77. Meet a family member I haven’t met yet

78. Be a vegetarian for a week

79. Finish a rubik’s cube

80. Save all my change for six months

81. Get my managers a thank you gift

82. Buy something on Ebay

83. Run in a marathon

84. Take a photography class

85. Buy a new camera

86. Score a 300 in Wii bowling

87. Cook a romantic meal for my significant other

88. Become a fan of a new TV show I haven’t seen before

89. Sing in a friend’s wedding

90. Be a sober cab

91. Be a part of a bachelorette party

92. Buy a little black dress

93. Donate my hair to Locks of Love

94. Go surfing

95. Go on a road trip in my state

96. Have a Disney Princess Movie marathon

97. Redecorate my room

98. Mentor a young girl

99. Learn a song on a guitar

100. Write a Letter to somebody that inspires me

101. Clean the whole house

-Fin

Ooh La La! My Uber Sexy Curly Curls

Are you ready for it?


Are you??

ARE YOU REALLY?!?

Well, this blog isn’t called ‘Curly-Haired Confessions’ for nothing. 99% of the time you will be subjected to the confessions. However, I figured it would be fun to write about my hair! I absolutely love my hair! So you get to read all about the trials and tribulations from having those sexy curly curls!

Through the years, the curls have changed. Went from mild curls, to ‘Annie’ hair, to dork hair (yeah, none of you will ever see a picture from these years! It was a scary time! Trust me!), to disguising my curls with a straightener, to finally finding a way to accept my curls the way they are.

I was blessed into this world with a thick head of hair… well, maybe not right away, but I see pictures of my hair when I was really little, like here, and my hair was just ‘wild child’ hair. It stuck up every which way. My hair doesn’t really appear to be very curly. I’m sure my mom went crazy having to deal with it though.

Now, don’t laugh at me, but I’m pretty sure I remember the very moment that my hair turned curly. Yes- there was a distinct moment. I believe I was about 3 or 4 years old, and I was sliding down the stairs at my cousin’s house with my cousin. I remember sliding so fast that my hair just turned curly. Considering this IS in my memory banks, it HAS to be true. :-3

When I was younger, I really didn’t like having curly hair. It never really outwardly bothered me, but I would often ‘brush it to make it straight’. I probably did that many times from the age of five to the age of eleven. When I lived with my birth mom, she brushed it out more and kept it long, so the curls appeared to be much softer than when I lived with my adoptive parents. My adoptive mom kept it very short. I assume she loved those curls, and wanted to preserve them. As much as I hated my hair back then, I look at those pictures from 8-10 and I think I look absolutely adorable!

I must have finally argued my mom enough to the point where I can tell I took over how my hair looked. Ohh, how I wish I could go back in time to tell myself to just let my mom continue doing my hair! I started brushing it often, so the curl once again looked a lot softer. But this time, with my hair shorter and one length, it poofed! Maybe one day I’ll show you a picture of what I looked like with ‘triangle’ hair. It’s absolutely hideous!

Thankfully, I had a fashionable foster sister in middle school that was able to show me the error of my ways. Mainly, she showed me how to braid my hair, pull it up into a neat ponytail, and a few other various tricks. Most didn’t fully embrace my curls… actually, I don’t believe any of them did. But at least my hair looked slightly more presentable in public, and no more triangle hair!

Not to say I didn’t try and learn to cope with my hair. I listened to the hairdressers that cut my hair repeatedly and found their advice was utterly hopeless on my head of hair. In fact, why trust them when I hated the way my hair looked (even MORE than usual) after walking out of the salon. They always told me tidbits of advice like “pick it with a comb”, “never blow dry”, among other things that just made my hair look terrible. Whenever I let it air dry, it would look all frizzy and it would hang wrong (by this time my hair was about the length of my shoulder blades). When I picked it, my hair style looked like it came straight out of a 1980’s yearbook! Yuck!

Once I hit high school, I finally had enough money to invest in a hair straightener. This was actually a device I begged my parents to buy me when I was in 8th grade, however they didn’t see any reason to ruin my hair. I loved my straightener. Sure, I had to wake up an extra hour to shower, blow dry, and straighten in the mornings before school, but I never felt ashamed of my hair. My classmates would notice and compliment my long, straight brown hair (now I see how boring that sounds).

Then… the accident happened…

And no, I don’t mean like a car accident or hurting myself. In October of my sophomore year of high school, I was getting ready to attend a wedding with my parents. I was blow drying my hair before I was going to straighten it, but prior to blow drying I had put in this anti-frizz spray I had received the day before at the salon. They gave it to me so my hair would look smoother when I straightened it. Then, when I turned off the blow dryer… my hair looked very pretty. And it was curly! GASP! So I left it like that, and I got a lot of compliments at the wedding reception.

After the wedding, it was a lot of playing around with my hair. Some days, my hair looked amazing! And other days, my hair looked like total crap! I didn’t care though, I finally felt proud of my hair the way it is. Here’s my hair about six months after I hit my ‘revelation’.

Since I’ve started to like my hair, it’s been a lot of trial and error. I’ve experimented with different haircuts, lengths, hair colors, and products. Right now, I love the length, but I’ve discovered I have a lovely patch on the left side of my head that frizzes more than any part on my head. I’ve learned that a side part compliments my curl (and the widow’s peak I want to hide) much nicer. Layers help give my hair body and they allow the curls to flow freely down my back. I’m growing it out (say, Miley Cyrus length?) and it’s stubborn in not growing out well once it gets about to bra hook length.

Every now and then I get an individual, generally somebody who is shopping in the store I work at, who will go ‘I LOVE your hair! You must absolutely HATE it!’ That always makes me laugh really hard. I tell them that I love my hair, I’m proud of it, and I would never imagine changing it. Then they laugh and tell me that I’m fortunate to feel that way!

We were all given different types of hair that I believe we should accept and embrace. I remember in high school there were a lot of girls who dyed their hair platinum blonde and straightened it, so they all looked the same. God made for us to have different types of hair, and I believe there is truly no boring hairdo. I like seeing the variety of colors, the different lengths, it is just so fun. So I challenge you to do something that honors YOUR hair. Be proud of the way it is :).

Fin

Thoughtful Quotes to Live By

****I thought it would be fun to play with some quotes in my blog. My friend Chellie and I were talking about different ideas for blog topics and she suggested finding a quote and writing my thoughts on it. I thought it was BRILLIANT! Tell me what you think about it, cause I might try and make it a weekly thing.****


Today’s Quote:

They can because they think they can. – Virgil

I’m certainly not the only person in the world who feels insanely frustrated with lack of ability to do something well. I often get discouraged because I see somebody do something absolutely incredible, and I think ‘I would LOVE to do this, but there is absolutely no way I am able to.’ So, I don’t bother. I feel a little like that when I’m writing. I see people write and they are so good. Other people flock to them like bees to a flower. Why should I write when others are better?

I also tend to make a lot of excuses for why I can’t do something. A lot of times it boils down to something in my subconscious that is saying ‘you can’t do this, you can’t do this’. “Oh, I’m too busy.” “Oh, I have to do this first.” “Oh, what’s the point if nobody’s going to notice?” I just board the excuse train and don’t get anything done.

My therapist (yes, I DO see one) constantly tells me that I’m very much a perfectionist. The definition of perfectionism, at least the one I feel most applies to me, is a disposition to feel that anything less than perfect is unacceptable. A lot of times you’ll find perfectionists only apply that standard to themselves. My dad is different in the fact he applies his perfectionism to people around him: his coworkers, I would assume his girlfriend, me. If I don’t maintain his image of what is perfect, then he freaks out. There are those types of perfectionists too.

But I am a perfectionist in that I don’t feel like I am good enough. When I am often looking at another’s creations, I think that it is AMAZING! Terrific, wonderful, flawless. Something I could never create nearly as well. What they made is perfect, in my opinion. But is that realistic? Probably not so much. I have to realize that they probably feel insecure about their own creations; they notice the flaws, the inconsistencies, and the mistakes that they make too. Chances are, they do probably feel some of what I feel: that it’s not good enough.

Perfectionists like me also make excuses because they don’t want to put effort into anything they don’t feel like they are going to do well in. By choosing to take the excuse route, we are often labeled as ‘careless’ and ‘lazy’. That really isn’t the case. We care immensely about some things, but often it gets very stressful to put that much care and thought into everything.

Yet, every day I see something incredible made by another person’s hands. What sets them apart to somebody like me though, is that they believe they can do it, and they JUST DO IT. They don’t let things like perfectionism stop them from doing what they want to do. They don’t make excuses, they don’t give up, they don’t get scared about performance, and they don’t let other people stop them. Get this- They CAN because they THINK they can. Isn’t that cool? And when they do, chances are people will appreciate it! Even if it’s not absolutely terrific, at least somebody is going to appreciate that the individual had the courage to do what they wanted to do.

I think about all the different instances where I let these fears and excuses stop me from doing what is interesting. I know this quote isn’t going to be ‘life-shattering’ and things aren’t going to make a 180. I will still make fears and excuses, because I’m human and I’m imperfect. But, when I feel like something is stopping me from doing something that I would really enjoy, I plan to try something different now. This time, I will remember that everybody faces the same obstacles that I face. I will pray for guidance and direction, and I will go to friends and family for encouragement and motivation. I will also tell myself repeatedly that I CAN do it. If they can do it, so can I.

I can, because I think I can.

Fin

Not Me! Monday

Today, I am not putting off my very last piece of homework for my class that finishes up tonight. It is not only five simple questions. In fact, I have not finished every piece of homework at this last minute for the entire duration of this class. I am not that careless! I need to get good grades! I am not debating putting the darn worksheet off until after work tonight, either.

I am not stressing about having two jobs and full time school now. I just started my second job last week and I did not even consider the fact that between that, my boyfriend, my other job, and non-stop school that it would be too much. I am not worried that I am in over my head.

I also did not forget to go to the bathroom before work yesterday. I didn't know I would be working four and a half hours without a break! I would NEVER forget even if I did! I was not doing the potty dance while I was closing the store, either. Nope! Not me! Never to the point where other people could laugh at me, let alone see me!

Have you done anything that you would be mortified to ever admit to anybody? Well, that's what Not Me! Monday is for! To prove that you 'didn't' do it! Go on over to MckMama's page and see what other people didn't do today, either!

Fin

Never Too Old for the Playground

What's that? I'm at a playground? With friends? Scandelous!

Yes, THESE terrific friends!

Laughing, swinging

...Ok, maybe a LITTLE posing

And overall, it was a really fun evening spending it with friends I don't see very often. Mental note: Must fix that!

-Fin-

Ch-ch-ch-Changes!

I know I’m new to this, but I will soon be undergoing a blog makeover! One of my favorite aspects about looking at other blogs is to look at the variety of designs other people have created. I love all the colors, the frames, the fun and quirky pieces that make an individual’s blog unique to them. One of the things I almost had trouble with once I found a designer that fit my needs and my price was finding the right digital kit! Have you SEEN how many choices there are out there? It’s ridiculous! I probably sorted through at least a couple hundred, trying to find my taste in colors and extras. When I sent my email about what I liked specifically about the kit I chose, I must have sounded like the pickiest person ever!
Plus, it was a birthday present for myself :-3 heehee!

****Blog design is a hobby I would become interested in developing, so if any readers do this in their spare time and are willing to show the tricks of the trade, I would very much appreciate it! I have no experience in HTML and CSS.****

Also, I will be doing a better job of carrying my camera with me wherever I go. I have never really thought of myself being skilled in photography, but it never hurts to try, right? I read a lot of blogs with authors who seem to be very skilled in the art of Photoshop or Lightroom; I most certainly can’t afford those at the moment, but maybe in a few months I will get the opportunity to play with such wonderful photo editing tools. So, I hope you don’t mind the lack of editing!

****If you know any free or low pricing photo editing software that is good, you are welcome to tell me about it!****

Well, I hope you like the changes that will be coming forth! The pictures will be up pretty soon probably :).

Fin

Let's Face It. Facebook is ADDICTING!!!

It’s great in this day and age to have effective ways of social networking. I started my journey sometime I believe in 2006, and it was on Myspace first. I easily got locked into the hype: trying to get as many friends as possible, decorating your page, putting music on your page, the coveted ‘relationship’ status. I met a few boyfriends over Myspace, too (that doesn’t sound wrong at all, does it?). It was all fun and games, and I was definitely hooked.

Not more than six months later, I was introduced to Facebook. I actually had a Facebook account maybe only a month after the creation of my Myspace account, but at that point it was really only for college students. The summer before I trotted off to college I started getting into Facebook more than Myspace. It was really cool, especially, that everybody who was headed off to Luther for the fall of 2006 was easily able to connect with one another. You were able to figure out what types of people you had most in common with, people majoring in the same thing you planned to, even which people were going to be in your wing of a certain dorm. It was wild, fun, and a great way to get to know people ahead of actually MEETING them.

A lot of the concepts were similar between Myspace and Facebook. Who had the most friends, who had the most wall postings, what your relationship status was. As cool as it was to edit the look of your page through Myspace, I opted for the cleaner and more polished look from Facebook. Plus, I didn’t seem to get messages from stalkers from Facebook nearly as much as I did on Myspace! That was always a nice thing!

Now that I’ve been a Facebook user for almost four years now, I’ve witnessed most of the changes that have taken place. I remember Facebook when it was only college students and a select few in high school. I remember how mad most of the people on campus were when we realized that anybody else now had access to use and utilize Facebook, but that was short lived, and we got used to it pretty quickly. I remember when it didn’t have the main feed looking the way it does now: people were pretty annoyed about that. I remember when everything on your page was all in one section, with your information on top and your wall on the bottom. I could go on.

It makes me laugh when people always complain about Facebook making some large change, because within a month or two people just adjust anyways. I admit that I haven’t always been happy with the changes made, but now I can’t even remember well the way things were before the change. We all adjust pretty quickly to them.

I’ve also heard a lot of complaints with the changes in the Privacy settings. Now, I don’t follow the regulations to a T (in fact, I barely follow them at all), but Facebook has always given us pretty secure privacy options if we really want them. Often times the users have to activate them to be put into use, but it’s much more effective than complaining that Facebook is allowing some things to be not as private. If you can make it private, just click or unclick the box. Simple as that. And I don’t have any problems with privacy whatsoever.

There is a lot of truth about being careful with what you put on your Facebook, too. Sure, it might feel relieving to complain about your job, or your school, but if you take it too far you have no guarantees that somebody on your friends list won’t spill the beans. Even if you remove it, all they have to do is take a snapshot of the page before you have done so, and they have evidence. It’s ok to complain a little, but make sure you are tactful about it. Also, don’t put any pictures that might have the same effect. I’ve read articles about people not being hired or let into certain graduate schools because the individual participating in activities that particular institution does not support. Also- do you want ALL your family and friends to know everything? You might think only your friends notice that stuff, but I’ve gotten quite a few side comments from family members. I also realize that I do have a 10 year old in my friend’s page, and I have to be appropriate as well.

I can’t lie; I do heavily utilize the custom privacy features. Some battles aren’t worth picking, and my dad likes to battle EVERYTHING. So I just state that I don’t want him seeing specific features. I wouldn’t suggest doing this with everybody, especially because it would take a lot of time, but it helps you avoid situations that might cause some trouble. I wouldn’t fully rely on this feature either, because if friends are viewing another mutual friend’s page, they might get annoyed if they realize they can’t view certain content while the other friend can.

It’s also really crazy to see Facebook on your phone and iPod; makes me wonder what ways Facebook will go next. How about Facebook 3D? Oh look, her profile picture pops out! Almost everybody I know over the age of 14 has a Facebook. It’s part of our daily conversation, nothing special, it’s just THERE. I’ve seen pages for animals and babies.

And fan pages! Ooh, those are absolutely hilarious! I believe the trend started last year, but people will click ‘Become a Fan’ (actually, now it’s ‘Like’) on some page that people enjoy or have in common. Some of them are situations, or quotes. Here are a few of the things I ‘Like’:

‘Join if you can name more Pokemon than Presidents’
‘Nutella’
‘Spongebob’s face when he figured out Squidward likes Krabby Patties’
‘The S Thing we All Drew in Elementary School’

And there are a ton of others as well. I think it’s actually a cute concept. I can see why people might find it stupid, but even my boyfriend has joined a fan page with something that he really liked. You just see something and think ‘I’VE DONE THAT!’ or ‘I LOVE THAT!’ and the temptation is so great!

Facebook, oh Facebook, why must you torment me? It’s gotten so bad that I don’t even turn it off when I’m away from my computer. I have it on my phone, my iPod; Facebook is never out of reach. I don’t know how I’d live without it. It’s great to be able to talk to any of my friends on chat, send them a message, create groups to get together, and put ideas in discussion groups.

I wonder if Facebook will be forever, or I wonder what will come next…

Fin