In 2010 I went on a family trip to Europe, where we ate great food, drank great wine, talked about family history, similarities and differences between all of us. I went to Europe with two of my uncles, one cousin, two of my dad's cousins, and my great aunt. Our ages ranged from me being the youngest to my grandpa's sister Betty, who is turning 80 this year. Needless to say we all have our differences, but one thing we all agreed on is that there are two types of people in the world... those who worry and those who manage. AKA Type A and Type B.
Medveds are made of mostly managers.... very competitive managers. I have qualities of both Type A (ambitious, competitive, and proactive) and Type B (easy going, patient, and sensitive of other people's feelings), so I like to think I'm somewhere in the middle. Notice I put both competitive AND easy going... I am easy going pretty much anytime except while playing sports and games. It's in my blood. My mom is competitive, my dad is competitive, so of course me and my brother and sister are, too. There are times I wish I wasn't so competitive... No one likes losing... except losers... haha just kidding :) But really, it's not fun to lose.
My competitive Type A trait makes me a manager, while my sensitivity to other people's feelings makes me a worrier. I worry... a lot. About everything and anything. I worry that I'm not going to sleep well, so I don't sleep well. I worry I'm going to hurt someone's feelings, so I often don't say what I want. I worry that I'm going to miss out on things, so I burn myself out day after day with work and activities.
An obvious way to relieve stress is to exercise. There is nothing better than a good long run to shed the crap you carry around all day long. But one of my new and FAVORITE de-stressers is zoning out on Pinterest. It is like a big black hole of STUFF. Things like home decor, remodeling, photography, fashion, quotes, recipies, etc. It has just about anything and everything you could possibly ever think of and more. And when I read this quote on pinterest I laughed so hard that it felt like I had just gone on one of those stress relieving runs....
"For all those men who say 'Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free..' Here's an update for you: now days 80% of women are against marriage. Why? Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage."
What are your best ways to relieve some stress?
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
The Lenten Season
Many people know what "Lent," is but it still amazes me to hear people talk about what they're giving up for "Lint." It makes you question if people REALLY know what Lent is about. Some think it is a time to give up luxury things, bad habits, or change things to make them a better person, which makes them closer to God. I recently read an article about how people today are giving up things for Lent like fast food, chocolate, candy, etc. But how giving up things for Lent is supposed to make you closer to God. But if this is testing your limits, teaching you to not give into temptation, or even making you a healthier person, I'd say God appreciates that...
Some people use Lent to start over their failed New Year's Resolution. I am not one to have New Year's Resolutions because I think you should constantly be reevaluating your goals and trying to better yourself. But I ALWAYS take part in Lent. Being raised Catholic and going to Catholic school, you re-learn about these seasons every year, so you NEVER forget them. :) I've given up a variety of different things for Lent. Last year I gave up drinking alcohol, which I thought would be a challenege because it is so much of a social thing today. I was successful and didn't drink or cheat... not even ONCE! What made it so much easier was me AND my best friends/roommates gave up drinking TOGETHER. So, this year I thought I could do it again, but I've already done it...so what should I do?
Now, if you know me AT ALL, you know there are 3 things in life I can't live without...
1. Diet Coke (morning, daytime, night time... ANYTIME)
2. Candy (morning, daytime, night time... ANYTIME)
3. Goldfish crackers (morning, daytime, night time... ANYTIME)
Not only do I look like I'm a 10 year old, but I have been known to eat like a 10 year old. It's quite embarassing when someone goes through your kitchen to look for a fork or spoon and opens the wrong drawer.... THE CANDY drawer! I did a lot of going back and forth trying to decide what I wanted to give up for Lent, but I didn't want to give up diet coke because my roommates drink it and I would probably end up giving in and feeling that awful Catholic guilt. I couldn't give up candy because my roommates add to the dreaded candy drawer.... SO I kept my thoughts to myself, until one night we decided we were going to toss out the candy and diet coke and keep each other to it.
It hasn't even been a week and I am losing my marbles!!! I don't drink coffee that often (hardly at all) and diet coke is my only source of caffiene... Needless to say, I've had a a few cups of coffee in the last week.... but I just can't get myself to give up one thing just to replace it with something similar. So, I guess I'll stick to the occasional cup of coffee AS needed.
Feeling all high and mighty ( because I'm thinking that I gave up the HARDEST thing possible for myself...), explaining how giving up alcohol was SO much easier than giving up Diet Coke. I tell my sister what I'm giving up for Lent, when she responds saying "Oh, well I decided not to give anything up this year." (Thinking in my mind, is SHE serious?) Then she follows with, "This year I decided to ADD something. So for every day of the 40 days, I am reaching out to an extended family member to see how they are doing."
Okay Mother Teresa, you win.
Some people use Lent to start over their failed New Year's Resolution. I am not one to have New Year's Resolutions because I think you should constantly be reevaluating your goals and trying to better yourself. But I ALWAYS take part in Lent. Being raised Catholic and going to Catholic school, you re-learn about these seasons every year, so you NEVER forget them. :) I've given up a variety of different things for Lent. Last year I gave up drinking alcohol, which I thought would be a challenege because it is so much of a social thing today. I was successful and didn't drink or cheat... not even ONCE! What made it so much easier was me AND my best friends/roommates gave up drinking TOGETHER. So, this year I thought I could do it again, but I've already done it...so what should I do?
Now, if you know me AT ALL, you know there are 3 things in life I can't live without...
1. Diet Coke (morning, daytime, night time... ANYTIME)
2. Candy (morning, daytime, night time... ANYTIME)
3. Goldfish crackers (morning, daytime, night time... ANYTIME)
Not only do I look like I'm a 10 year old, but I have been known to eat like a 10 year old. It's quite embarassing when someone goes through your kitchen to look for a fork or spoon and opens the wrong drawer.... THE CANDY drawer! I did a lot of going back and forth trying to decide what I wanted to give up for Lent, but I didn't want to give up diet coke because my roommates drink it and I would probably end up giving in and feeling that awful Catholic guilt. I couldn't give up candy because my roommates add to the dreaded candy drawer.... SO I kept my thoughts to myself, until one night we decided we were going to toss out the candy and diet coke and keep each other to it.
It hasn't even been a week and I am losing my marbles!!! I don't drink coffee that often (hardly at all) and diet coke is my only source of caffiene... Needless to say, I've had a a few cups of coffee in the last week.... but I just can't get myself to give up one thing just to replace it with something similar. So, I guess I'll stick to the occasional cup of coffee AS needed.
Feeling all high and mighty ( because I'm thinking that I gave up the HARDEST thing possible for myself...), explaining how giving up alcohol was SO much easier than giving up Diet Coke. I tell my sister what I'm giving up for Lent, when she responds saying "Oh, well I decided not to give anything up this year." (Thinking in my mind, is SHE serious?) Then she follows with, "This year I decided to ADD something. So for every day of the 40 days, I am reaching out to an extended family member to see how they are doing."
Okay Mother Teresa, you win.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Prison Break
I have learned to say NO to rides to Seattle in the morning that AREN'T on the bus, they are BAD LUCK! Grabbed a ride Friday and a lady had a heartattack on my bus ride home, grabbed a ride today.... and sat across two men who were just released from PRISON today on my way home! It took me a few minutes to start putting things together, but this was of course AFTER I kept smiling back at them (awkwardly) because they kept smiling at me. I was busy catching up with my cousin on the phone, and then busy talking to my mom. Once I hung up I noticed these two guys had matching gray pants, gray shirts, black velcro shoes, and brown paper bags with their names and ID #'s on them.
Here is a conversation with my sister via text:
Me- "I feel like I'm going to throw up. I think two guys on my bus just got out of prison. (As I send her the picture seen above)"
Sister- " Throw up because you're scared? Or they smell bad?"
Me- "Anxious."
Sister: "Weird, well I'm sure you're safe on the bus. Maybe they're factory workers or something."
Factory workers? Nope. Unless factory workers talk about what county they're in and saying "It doesn't matter where we are now because we're home." Talking about how much has changed since they've been gone. Changes including the fact that there is no longer a Dairy Dell downtown by the Tacoma Dome. How about the fact that there haven't been Dairy Dells in the area for YEARS.
But who am I to judge? Although my anxiety made ME feel like I was having a heartattack on the bus today, they served their time and hopefully are moving onto bigger and better things!
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Bussing Newbie
Starting a new job is exciting and fun, but overwhelming and nerve-wracking all at the same time. My start date was originally going to be March 1st, but the kids I nanny for are on vacation for two weeks, so why not start early?
Let me just start by saying I have major committment issues. And no, I'm not talking about relationships (ok...so I do have those issues, too, but we aren't talking about that on here). I overcommit to just about everything and anything. Apparently I don't know what to do with myself if I don't have something planned for every minute of everyday. I think I have self-inflicted ADHD... it is impossible for me to just sit and watch tv or a movie. I have to be either scrolling the internet or playing words with friends, WHILE watching a movie and talking to my roommates or I get anxious of just sitting still on the couch. So, sitting still on the bus for an hour WOULD be a disaster if it weren't for the amazing people watching. I like to create scenarios for my fellow bus riders, but I don't want to completely embarass myself on here, so I'll keep some of them to myself.
For my first day of riding the bus, I ended up walking ONE MILE from my bus stop to work because I didn't know about riding the s.l.u.t. That stands for South Lake Union Transit, perverts! Now that I am finally getting the hang of this commute, I get a little proud. I think I've got it all down and everything will run perfectly from now on. Well, Friday couldn't have gone more backward. On my way to the bus in the morning, I get a text from my friend who also takes the bus to Seattle and she asked if I wanted to ride with her today because she was driving. Of course I say yes and think I'm starting my Friday on the right foot... it's going to be a great day! The day went well at work and as I am getting ready to head to get on the s.l.u.t, it starts raining and all I can think is thank you God for not having to walk a mile to the bus stop now that I can ride this thing. I hop on around 4:30 and plan to catch the bus at 4:45 or 5, in hopes to make my dinner plans by 6. We go about 3 blocks and come to a stop. The driver gets on over the speakers and says we all need to get off because there is a lot of construction going on and one of the stop lights is hanging too low for us to drive under. So I hop off and walk that mile in the rain to my bus stop that I had just thanked God for NOT having to do. Being new at this whole bus thing, I see what I think is my bus, hop on and ask if it goes to the Tacoma Dome Station. Good thing I asked! I hop off and wait for the RIGHT bus and am relieved to be en route, out of the rain, and off my feet.
Being a Friday at 5 AND a 3 day weekend, traffic sucked. I notice a lady walk up and mention something to the bus driver and about 5 minutes later we're pulled over on the offramp. I was thinking this is a bizarre spot to pick up passengers when I see a woman rushing off the bus looking flustered and panic-stricken. The next thing I know I see a firetruck pull up and come straight to the woman who was apparently (possibly) having a heartattack. For liability issues our driver had to stay with the woman to make sure everything was okay. A bus pulls up behind us, a crazy, loud, and for lack of better word, ghetto man hops on our bus blabbing about us getting our asses off the bus and on to the other. I let out a loud HA and say to the woman next to me "yeah right like I'm going to listen to that guy." Lo and behold, people listen to him and get off the bus and on to the other. Feeling guilty for judging this Crazy Guy (who ended up being right), I get on the already packed bus and cozy up next to some tough looking strangers. We get going on the freeway and Crazy Guy starts yelling at his son, while holding him up by his jacket saying "Don't think cause there are people on this bus that I wont punish you. The bible says if I don't discipline you then I don't love you." I wanted to leap across the many rows of seats and grab his poor son out of his arms, but I didn't want to be "disciplined," by him. Everyone awkwardly looks around like they didn't just hear the drama that just occurred. Then we pull over to drop off passengers (most importantly, Crazy Guy) in Federal Way.
I FINALLY arrive at the Tacoma Dome Station at 7, which was a whopping 2.5 hour ride home. And no, I didn't make my dinner plans.
Let me just start by saying I have major committment issues. And no, I'm not talking about relationships (ok...so I do have those issues, too, but we aren't talking about that on here). I overcommit to just about everything and anything. Apparently I don't know what to do with myself if I don't have something planned for every minute of everyday. I think I have self-inflicted ADHD... it is impossible for me to just sit and watch tv or a movie. I have to be either scrolling the internet or playing words with friends, WHILE watching a movie and talking to my roommates or I get anxious of just sitting still on the couch. So, sitting still on the bus for an hour WOULD be a disaster if it weren't for the amazing people watching. I like to create scenarios for my fellow bus riders, but I don't want to completely embarass myself on here, so I'll keep some of them to myself.
For my first day of riding the bus, I ended up walking ONE MILE from my bus stop to work because I didn't know about riding the s.l.u.t. That stands for South Lake Union Transit, perverts! Now that I am finally getting the hang of this commute, I get a little proud. I think I've got it all down and everything will run perfectly from now on. Well, Friday couldn't have gone more backward. On my way to the bus in the morning, I get a text from my friend who also takes the bus to Seattle and she asked if I wanted to ride with her today because she was driving. Of course I say yes and think I'm starting my Friday on the right foot... it's going to be a great day! The day went well at work and as I am getting ready to head to get on the s.l.u.t, it starts raining and all I can think is thank you God for not having to walk a mile to the bus stop now that I can ride this thing. I hop on around 4:30 and plan to catch the bus at 4:45 or 5, in hopes to make my dinner plans by 6. We go about 3 blocks and come to a stop. The driver gets on over the speakers and says we all need to get off because there is a lot of construction going on and one of the stop lights is hanging too low for us to drive under. So I hop off and walk that mile in the rain to my bus stop that I had just thanked God for NOT having to do. Being new at this whole bus thing, I see what I think is my bus, hop on and ask if it goes to the Tacoma Dome Station. Good thing I asked! I hop off and wait for the RIGHT bus and am relieved to be en route, out of the rain, and off my feet.
Being a Friday at 5 AND a 3 day weekend, traffic sucked. I notice a lady walk up and mention something to the bus driver and about 5 minutes later we're pulled over on the offramp. I was thinking this is a bizarre spot to pick up passengers when I see a woman rushing off the bus looking flustered and panic-stricken. The next thing I know I see a firetruck pull up and come straight to the woman who was apparently (possibly) having a heartattack. For liability issues our driver had to stay with the woman to make sure everything was okay. A bus pulls up behind us, a crazy, loud, and for lack of better word, ghetto man hops on our bus blabbing about us getting our asses off the bus and on to the other. I let out a loud HA and say to the woman next to me "yeah right like I'm going to listen to that guy." Lo and behold, people listen to him and get off the bus and on to the other. Feeling guilty for judging this Crazy Guy (who ended up being right), I get on the already packed bus and cozy up next to some tough looking strangers. We get going on the freeway and Crazy Guy starts yelling at his son, while holding him up by his jacket saying "Don't think cause there are people on this bus that I wont punish you. The bible says if I don't discipline you then I don't love you." I wanted to leap across the many rows of seats and grab his poor son out of his arms, but I didn't want to be "disciplined," by him. Everyone awkwardly looks around like they didn't just hear the drama that just occurred. Then we pull over to drop off passengers (most importantly, Crazy Guy) in Federal Way.
I FINALLY arrive at the Tacoma Dome Station at 7, which was a whopping 2.5 hour ride home. And no, I didn't make my dinner plans.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
A road less traveled...
When you go through all the years of schooling and lessons from parents, you hear a LOT... There were THREE words stamped in my memory "GO TO COLLEGE." Neither of my parents went to college and I was fortunate enough to have two loving parents who wanted to support me and my siblings through college. They wanted us to get the experience they missed out on. For both of them (at the time), not going to college was never really much of an issue, and were able to have jobs and a family with no college experience. Both of them are very successful in their current careers and have taught me how to have a great work ethic and it's not what can you do for me, it's what can I do for you. So, I did what I was told and went to college and graduated with a Bachelor's Degree, which I thought was the last hurdle. Boy, was I wrong or what!!! Getting the degree was only the first hurdle. You think once you get a degree, you get a job... which may have been the case before the job market went to shits.
I have heard many people complain about my generation because we are always expecting things and thinking we deserve everything (like jobs when you graduate college...GUILTY...) Generation Y aka the "Peter Pan Generation," are very different than that of their parents, the "Baby Boomers." While they are seen as rebellious and wanting absolute freedom. We Gen-Y-ers are seen as never wanting to grow up and living with our parents longer than other generations... excuse me but I don't know ANYONE in their 20's or 30's that WANT to move back in with their parents (no offense mom and dad). Not growing up, living at home, working jobs and not having a career isn't necessarily a CHOICE we're making, it's just what is happening. I think this generation should have a name change to "Generation Y the Hell Can't I Get a Job!"
It's been an interesting 4 years post-college, I have been going back and forth trying to figure out what I want to do, where I want to be, etc, etc. I have been so concerned with finding an immediate fix in my life that I have gone completely off track and lost the idea of what I want to do. I'm currently working the front desk at a personal training studio and have also been the nanny for 4 wildly amazing kids. The kiddos and their parents are moving in April, which makes me sad because I have created a strong relationship with them and their amazingly calm-cool-collected mom. I recently got a job in Seattle, working for dentists. and I finally feel like I'm back on track and I am SO RELIEVED!!!
Working 50 Hours a week, 6 days a week, and commuting around 2-3 hours DAILY makes for a wild adventure... especially riding public transportation. But that is for another day....
Until then.... XoXo
I have heard many people complain about my generation because we are always expecting things and thinking we deserve everything (like jobs when you graduate college...GUILTY...) Generation Y aka the "Peter Pan Generation," are very different than that of their parents, the "Baby Boomers." While they are seen as rebellious and wanting absolute freedom. We Gen-Y-ers are seen as never wanting to grow up and living with our parents longer than other generations... excuse me but I don't know ANYONE in their 20's or 30's that WANT to move back in with their parents (no offense mom and dad). Not growing up, living at home, working jobs and not having a career isn't necessarily a CHOICE we're making, it's just what is happening. I think this generation should have a name change to "Generation Y the Hell Can't I Get a Job!"
It's been an interesting 4 years post-college, I have been going back and forth trying to figure out what I want to do, where I want to be, etc, etc. I have been so concerned with finding an immediate fix in my life that I have gone completely off track and lost the idea of what I want to do. I'm currently working the front desk at a personal training studio and have also been the nanny for 4 wildly amazing kids. The kiddos and their parents are moving in April, which makes me sad because I have created a strong relationship with them and their amazingly calm-cool-collected mom. I recently got a job in Seattle, working for dentists. and I finally feel like I'm back on track and I am SO RELIEVED!!!
Working 50 Hours a week, 6 days a week, and commuting around 2-3 hours DAILY makes for a wild adventure... especially riding public transportation. But that is for another day....
Until then.... XoXo
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