Found some sunshine

This term has been extremely difficult and stressful, but recently, I found a little bit of sunshine to help get me through. That ray of sunshine is in the form of a wonderful man. I hate talking about the guys I date for fear of jinxing things. Yes, I am superstitious :) However, I am so happy, I just want to sing from the rooftops!

Mark and I have been dating for just a couple of months, but it feels like we've known each other forever. We talked for a really long time through emails and on the phone, before we ever met. When we did finally meet in person, it was so comfortable and felt so right. Our first date lasted four hours and all we did was talk.

All of our dates since then have been filled with lots of talking and laughter. He and I have a lot in common. We like a lot of the same books, movies and most importantly, we're both hockey fans!

We do have our differences. I am very outgoing, outspoken and can be quite the social butterfly. While, Mark, on the other hand, is very quiet, soft spoken and introverted. With me though, he talks a lot, just not in group situations, I think I can live with that.

There is so much that I like about him and there are ZERO red flags! That I think is the best part! He has friends that he's not afraid to introduce me to, he owns his own home and car. But the best part is that I have never have dated anyone so open or honest. It is very refreshing and one of the things I admire about him the most.

I am so comfortable with Mark, that I can tell him anything and I think he feels the same way. We've been very fortunate and haven't had any super awkward, newly dating moments. Everything just feels right. I like it and I can't help sharing my happiness with everyone :D

Overwhelmed

This term I decided to take 11 credits, I have done so great in school up until now, I thought I could handle it. Plus, once this term is over, I'll be a third of the way through school, how could I resist? I should have resisted.

I didn't really think about what 11 credits would mean. It seemed so easy. Writing 121 for four hours on Monday, Leadership for an hour and 20 minutes on Tuesday and Thursday, Personal Finance as a hybrid with just two hours of class time on Tuesday, Quickbooks for four hours on Thursday. I gave myself Wednesdays, Fridays and the weekends off. That would be enough time for homework, right? Sure, as long as I wasn't planning on having any kind of social life.

When you start school they tell you to expect to have two to three hours of homework for every credit hour. So, for 11 credit hours that means I can count on 22 to 33 hours of homework EACH week.

Between working 43 to 45 hours a week, around 16 hours on campus each week and all the homework, I'm feeling really overwhelmed. I'm not behind and I'm doing well in all my classes, but pretty much everyday, I want to cry. I just don't have enough down time to decompress, I feel so tired everyday and it's really getting to me.

Ok, really, enough whining, I have so much to be thankful for. I have a great job, that allows me to go to school and pays for any business related class that I get an A in. Not only that, but they're letting me have a flexible schedule so I can attend some classes during the day. I have wonderful friends and family who are very supportive, I couldn't do this without them. And the icing on the cake is that I met someone who is pretty fantastic :)

See, I have no reason to whine. This term won't last forever, as a matter of fact, it's almost half way through. This isn't going to break me, I can do this and I will succeed!

That thing I never, ever, NEVER talk about

http://jezebel.com/5946643/reddit-users-attempt-to-shame-sikh-woman-get-righteously-schooled

Please read the above article before reading any further. Read it and then maybe you'll understand a little more about me. Not because I'm Sikh or brave enough to ever stand up for myself like she did, but because I'm hirsute.

hir·sute

   /ˈhɜrsut, hɜrˈsut/ Show Spelled[hur-soot, hur-soot] Show IPA

adjective

1.

hairy; shaggy.

2.

Botany, Zoology . covered with long, rather stiff hairs.

3.

of, pertaining to, or characteristic of hair.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hirsutism

 

If I could change one thing about myself, this would be it. I can deal with being overweight, because if I really buckle down and put my mind to it, I can lose weight, but the excess hair is a huge embarassment that I have no way of getting rid of. OK, that's not entirely true, it would probably get better if I lost weight. OR if I wanted to go through lots of painful laser hair removal treatments or have lots and lots of expensive tests run by my doctor. But, the problem with doing those things is, I never, ever, talk about this, as in I would rather DIE than talk about it to anyone, ever.

 

Even now, just writing this out, thinking that anyone could read this, is giving me anxiety, but if that girl can rock her full beard, mustache and sideburns, and then defend herself when the picture has gone viral, then I can come out of the closet and talk about my excess body hair. I've thought about writing about this a million times, I know I'm not the only girl with excess hair, but to say it out loud, write it on the internet where anyone can read it, makes me want to puke.

 

OK, OK, that's being really overdramatic. I have talked about it and I didn't die. I talked to my doctor about it, years ago, had tests done, there was nothing conclusive and we tried birth control, but that didn't work. I had laser hair removal treatments, 7 of them, VERY painful and reduced my hair, but I still have too much, in my opinion. I have talked to a few close friends/family members about it and even a boyfriend or two (which by the way, is the WORST conversation ever! No guy wants to know his girlfriend shaves as often, if not more often than he does). The point is, I don't want to talk about it, I want to push it under the rug and hide from it and never, ever, not EVER talk about it, but what does that accomplish? Nothing.

 

So, I read that article today and decided it's time. One of the reasons I started writing this blog was to help people, I'm sure I'm not the only woman who is desperately searching for her happily ever after. If I can help even one person, then I feel like I've done good and added some positive points to my Karma bank.

 

If you want to read this and laugh at me, because I am a freak and belong in the side show as a bearded lady, knock yourself out. That doesn't make me any less of a person, but I can't say the same for you. If you read this and you know someone who is hirsute, PLEASE share it. We are NOT alone! Do a search on Google or even Pinterest for Hirsutism and a million links come up. We shouldn't have to hide, but we do, because society says that women should be hair free. We shouldn't have to torture ourselves finding different ways to remove the hair that nature put there for a reason.

 

Personally, I know I'll never feel comfortable enough to leave the house without shaving. I wish I had half the self confidence of Balpreet Kaur, she is my new hero. Balpreet, if you read this, Thank you. Thank you for every girl that suffers from hirsutism and is afraid to show anyone who she really is. Thank you for standing up for yourself and giving me the kick in the ass to stand up and say something. You are amazing and I wish you lots of good health and happiness.

Mini-vacation

Less than a week until school starts and I'm taking another mini-vacation, before I start the term. Most of my weekend will be spent gaming, but I did get over to the scho ol to buy my books and I took a day trip to Seattle for The King Tut exhibit that is showing at the Pacific Science Center.

Two of my friends and I drove up and had the most wonderful time. We got there early and were able to visit other exhibits, before our window of time for the King Tut exhibit.

I was really excited to find out they had a tropical butterfly garden. It was AMAZING! They had butterflys of every size and in many different colors. They were flitting all over and around us. I couldn't stop taking pictures!

The King Tut exhibit was breathtaking. There all kinds of statues and other artifacts (including a toilet seat, no joke!), again, I couldn't stop taking pictures. There were several rooms to walk through and lots of information to take in.

For lunch, we went to Ivar's Acres of Clams for lunch, my favorite spot in Seattle. It's on the waterfront and has a wondeful view and the BEST scallop appetizer I've ever had. They cold smoke the scallops and serve them with a greens tossed in a vanilla bacon vinaiggrette all on a garlic crisp. Trust me, if you're ever in Seattle, head to Ivar's on the waterfront and get this appetizer!

After lunch we wandered Pike Place Market for a bit, got some more great pics and then headed home. It was a perfect day. Good friends, good food, good weather and a fantastic time at the science center.

Tomorrow, I'm heading out to stay with H and M for the weekend and play all my favorite games. I'm in charge of baked beans for the potluck on Saturday as well as making breakfast both days. I'm going to try out a breakfast casserole recipe. Hopefully it turns out.

Next week, I'll be back in school, almost full time, while working full time, I'm going to be crazy busy. So, I'm going to enjoy this last weekend of fun and good food with friends and lots and LOTS of games!

What makes me happy?

Sunshine
My little beagle, Gavin (I can't think of him without getting a HUGE smile on my face, I love that little dog, more than I ever thought possible!)
The ocean
The M-C family
My friends
Car dancing
Yummy food
A good book
A favorite TV show or movie
Laughter
Cooking
Playing games
BEER!
Cheese
Bacon
Snow Patrol
School
Disneyland
Oneonta Gorge
Ice Cream
Chocolate
Flowers
Herbs
Hiking
Camping
Movie Theatre popcorn
Previews
Eating at gourmet restaurants
Road trips
Games weekend
Being a geek
Grey's Anatomy
Lord of the Rings
Harry Potter
Munchkin
HOCKEY!
Seeing my favorite band in concert
Powell's
The Chinese Gardens
Tea
Wine
Farmer's Markets
Lillian
Beast
Mother's Bistro
The Screen Door
The Melting Pot
The Waffle Window
Hawthorne
Miniature Golf
The waterfront
The MET
Earning an A
Good happy hour
Giraffes

OK, so I know this is kind of a weird, random post, but that's where I'm at right now, a weird random place. All my life, all I've ever wanted was to fall in love, get married and have a baby. I really had no other ambition outside of that. Well, I'm almost 40 and that hasn't happened, it's time I re-train my brain to stop focusing on that and find what REALLY makes me happy.

You'll notice that men, dating and love aren't on the list of what makes me happy, because they don't! I don't need a man or to be dating or to be in love to be happy. A very good friend keeps telling me that I just need to do what I love, whatever makes me happy and to stop worrying about meeting someone. He's right. I KNOW he's right, but damn, I've spent my whole life searching for Mr. Right, it's hard to stop!

That's where this post is coming from. Reminding myself that there is a huge list of things that make me happy and men, love, dating, even sex, isn't on that list. If I never fall in love, get married and have a baby, my world will not end. There is more to life than those things. I need to re-train my brain, do what makes me happy and forget all the rest.

Find what makes you happy. Nothing else matters......

Coastal vacation

Last week, I took a mini vacation to the coast. I spent Wednesday night in Pacific City, it was beautiful. Really a perfect day on the coast. Lots of sun, mild wind and very few clouds.

While I was waiting for my hotel room to be ready, I took both my dogs, Gavin and Rikki, for a nice long walk on the beach. I have never been able to take Gavin off the leash for fear he'd run away, but I thought I'd give it a try, dogs need to be able to run on the beach. I made sure he knew that I had lots of treats and then let him go.

He did great, I was so impressed. He came back when I called. It made me really happy. I still don't trust him 100%, but I was fully preparing myself to lose my dog. The fact he came back when called the first time, most of the time, is a really big deal.

Thursday morning, we got up went for an hour long walk on the beach and then got in the car and headed south to Coquille, where my dad lives. It was a really nice drive. Gavin does GREAT in the car. He rarely whines and mostly just lays down and sleeps in the seat. Rikki on the other hand whines constantly and if I have to get out of the car and leave her, even if it's just a couple minutes, she has a fit. She barks, whines, completely flips out and throws herself in to her crate (I have to make her ride in her crate in the car, otherwise, she'll hurt herself trying to get out of the car every time I stop). Thankfully, I only had to stop once during the four hour drive. Bladder of steel, I have not.

I had a great visit with my dad. We went to the West Coast Wild Animal Park in Bandon, had the most amazing drinking chocolate ever and capped the day off with seafood buffet at the Mill Casino. I wasn't planning on gambling much, but we had a 30 minute wait for dinner and I some cash, so played a few machines with no success, until I played the Lord of the Rings machine. Within ten minutes, I was up $40, another ten minutes and I was up $60. That was good enough for me. I walked in to the casino with $50 and walked out with $90. Not too shabby.

Saturday, I got up early to drive home. The four and a half hour drive went by pretty fast, but I was exhausted by the time I got home.

Next trip I take, I won't do anywhere near as much driving, but other than all the time spent in the car, it was a great trip!

Practice what you preach

Things are so much easier said than done. I have certain motto's that I live by, one of them is treat others how you want to be treated. Today, a very good friend of mine was getting on my case about something and at first I was really pissed at her for getting all up in my business. Then I thought about it and thought some more and then I realized she was right.

If I truly believe in people treating others how they want to be treated, than I am breaking my own rule. I need to practice what I preach. If I don't give it, than how can I get it in return?

It's not that simple and it won't be easy, but I firmly believe that it's better to be open and honest, then hiding your true feelings. Now I have to put that in to practice and do what I believe, treat as I want to be treated.

It will be difficult and it might hurt, but I have to do it. Otherwise, I'm a hypocrite and I can't stand hypocrites!