25 Things --

this has been kicking around awhile, but i finally found the inspiration this morning thanks to an old friend...she had this posted on her "about me" portion of her website...i have obviously changed her responses to mine. i found it so much easier to have a starting point, i had a hard time coming up with 25 things about myself, then there are those who are already up to 50! here goes, in no particular order...

I AM in love with the idea of being in love. Not just the silly boyfriend/girlfriend type love, but the deep romantic, worthy of a Jane Austin novel type love.

I WANT to wake up one morning and realize I don’t have to get up and go to work ever again.

I HAVE a cat that sleeps on my bed every night, a best friend who loves me no matter how crazy I get and a family that loves me (at least I think they do).

I KEEP just about everything: Sand from beaches I’ve been to, crayon drawings from my nieces and nephews, stuffed animals from my childhood, fortune cookie fortunes, favorite clothes that don’t fit anymore...

I WISH I COULD paint like VanGogh.

I HATE making decisions especially about what to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I FEAR that some of my perceptions of reality have been clouded by the number of movies and television programs I’ve seen (take bowling for example, I’ve seen it on TV dozens of times, therefore because of the time spent watching other people bowl I should be able to do it without any help).

I HEAR that the Pineapple whips at Disneyland are “to die for” but I’ve never had one.

I DON’T THINK people “get” me.

I REGRET that I don’t write in my journal like I should, that I sold my VW Beetle and that I didn’t get a stamp in my passport when I went to France.

I LOVE rainstorms, butterflies, chocolate cake, Scottish accents, napping in the sunshine, baking cinnamon rolls, gum, men's eyelashes and sleeping babies.

I AM NOT the shy person people tend to think of me as being. It takes a while for me to warm up to people—most of them are surprised to discover I’m a rather witty and delightful person.

I DANCE when no one is watching. Mostly in the kitchen, usually to Norah Jones, Michael Bublé, or some random 80’s super hit.

I SING rather well actually, but I only do it around the house or in the car. I get self conscious with an audience. I love singing along with Wicked, Little Women and Aida at the moment.

I NEVER remember nephew #1’s birthday is it on the 3rd or on the 6th?

I RARELY enjoy eating seafood, unless it’s that delicious sea bass I had at Chez Diego on the seashore in France.

I CRY WHEN I WATCH just about anything. Spirit : Stallion of the Cimarron, Eight Below, (any movie with any animal in it), LOST, Any movie where there’s a happy ending, a romantic storyline, you name it I probably cried at some point while watching it.

I AM NOT ALWAYS the nicest person. As they say in the South sometimes I can be downright “ugly” – have you seen me on a Saturday morning before 9:00am?

I HATE THAT school takes up so much of my life. There are so many other things I’d rather be doing--Like photography or even just breathing normally would be nice.

I’M CONFUSED ABOUT the whole dating thing. I’ve been told that I give off “negative dating signs.” I don’t know what that means.

I NEED to take bowling lessons. I love bowling, but I’ve seen 5 year olds who bowl better than I do.

I SHOULD visit my grandmother more often, call my sisters once in a while and eat more vegetables.

I THINK LL Cool J is completely adorable. (Have you seen Last Holiday?)

I KNOW I am an emotional eater. When I'm frustrated or stressed all I want is chocolate cake, when I'm depressed, eating is my last priority.

I BELIEVE that one day everything will make perfect sense.

Relax, Sit Still, and Breathe

I've decided that the best thing I could do for myself in 2008 would be to learn 3 things:

Relax: In recent past this word has been hard to locate in my vocabulary. When somebody asks me "what do you do to relax?" I often give them a quizzical look and dodge the question. When asked what I like I have been known to respond by saying something like "I like plants." (true story). I'm also a worry-wart and am always thinking about might happen next. Tobz often says to me, in the midst of a worry session, "or a toilet could fall out of the sky and hit you on the head." So, needless to say, learning to relax and maybe even have a little fun in the process might go a long way.

Sit Still: I think this idea goes hand in hand with relaxing, sort of... I've discovered that just sitting still can make a big difference (though I rarely do it). I was genetically gifted with a "wiggly leg" so it is virtually impossible for me to sit still without making a concentrated effort. The other night as I was watching "Wheel of Fortune" I sat myself on the floor in a pseudo-yoga position (legs crossed, arms over my head with palms together) and I just sat there for about 20 minutes. I've tried yoga videos before but they always have really soothing music and I end up so relaxed I want to go right to sleep...so I've invented Wheel of Fortune yoga -- it's great! (which reminds me...who knew Pat Sajak had a twin)

Breathe: Most people take this one or granted, but sometimes I forget to breathe. Perhaps its the tendency to procrastinate almost everything or a combination of the aforementioned issues that are at the root of this bizarre phenomenon. When I was in 5th grade Mrs. Smith, a prehistoric educator, used to teach us health in the afternoons and I remember one lesson where she talked to us about how our bodies do things automatically, for instance we don't have to tell our hearts to beat or our lungs to breathe...turns out, she lied. (i probably should have never trusted a woman who would beg rolls off of student's in the lunch room). Somewhere in the 30+ years of my existence I have forgotten how to breathe. I intended to remember how.

Maybe if I can master these 3 simple things my life will be so much more (in the good ways) and less in the bad ways.

And maybe my hair will stop falling out...