Day 27 A problem you have had

I am not going to lie. I had a problem remembering to write this blog yesterday! Ha ha!

Seriously, I do have problems. Some are minor and some border on major but nothing that cannot be overcome. One of my biggest problems is that I am a perfectionist. I am not a perfectionist in every way just in some. For example, my house is NEVER 100% clean. It is usually tidy but not wiped down with Clorox. I can handle having a little dust here and there. But I am a perfectionist in things that I put my mind to accomplish. I am a perfectionist at my job. I want to do my job to the best of my abilities. I go "all out" at work. You know I take that back. I think I am not necessarily a perfectionist but a first try perfectionist. I like to do things really well the first time. I try very hard to make everything perfect so that I don't have to do it again. I don't think there is a word for that. Is that a problem? It is if you work in an instrument repair shop and the tools and instruments you are working with don't cooperate with you and you have to try a repair multiple times. I think that sentence was also a problem. I also think it is a problem that I am rambling so I'm done for now.

Have a great evening and thanks for reading!

As a side note, I have to put my 30 day challenge on hold for a few days because I will be away from the computer. I promise to return and finish the challenge. Thanks for reading!!

Day 26- What kind of person attracts you?

I am looking at what attracts me. He is sitting right here next to me on the couch. He is loving, kind, honest, smart, funny, tall, handsome, strong, loyal, and he's also my hubby!

Have a great evening and thanks for reading!

Day 25- Someone who fascinates you and why

I have been thinking about this topic for awhile. I can't think of anyone that really fascinates me. Seriously. I think I need more time to think about it. The best I could come up with was Jessica Simpson and I really don't know why she fascinates me. There is just something about her. I realize that is a lame-o answer so I promise to consider my answer and get back with you later.

Have a great evening and thanks for reading!

Day 24- Your favorite movie and what it's about.

My favorite movie is kind of a hard thing to pin down. I have several favorites. There are movies that have great special effects. Movies that have a great story line. Movies that draw you in to their magical tales. Then there are movies that live with you for a long time after you have seen them. Those, to me, are the best. The first movie that really stayed with me was "Top Gun". I know it doesn't seem to be the greatest movie of all time but I liked it and I was little. The next movie that was in the "great" category was "Steel Magnolias". What can I say? I am a Georgia girl after all and Julia is from the ATL! Then there was "Forrest Gump". I was so moved by this movie that I couldn't move from the theater. And around the same time is the movie that I will watch for the rest of my life, "Sense and Sensibility". It is a beautiful tale and I love it! There are others that I will always turn to as favorites: "A League of Their Own", "Sleepless in Seattle", "Groundhog Day", "Harry Potter", "Lord of the Rings", and I am sure I am forgetting some. But if I had to pick just one, I would say "Sense and Sensibility". Here is a summary from wikipedia:

The story is about Elinor and Marianne, two daughters of Mr Dashwood by his second wife. They have a younger sister, Margaret, and an older half-brother named John. When their father dies, the family estate passes to John, and the Dashwood women are left in reduced circumstances. The novel follows the Dashwood sisters to their new home, a cottage on a distant relative's property, where they experience both romance and heartbreak. The contrast between the sisters' characters is eventually resolved as they each find love and lasting happiness. Through the events in the novel, Elinor and Marianne encounter the sense and sensibility of life and love.

You should watch it and see how hot Alan Rickman was before he was Snape.

Have a blessed evening and thanks for reading my blog!

Day 23- Give pictures of five guys who are famous who you think are attractive

Five famous guys that are too cute for words:

1. Harry Connick Jr.
2. Hugh Jackman
3. Orlando Bloom
4. Eric Bana
5. Eric Dane

YUM!

Have a blessed evening and thanks for reading!

Day 22 How have you changed in the last two years?

I have learned to eat healthier in the last two years. I made a conscience effort to search out healthy recipes and read about foods that are nutritious for my body. This change in my diet has been a slow process over the last 5 years, really. I think it was a decision that I made after my dad passed away. He never ate healthy a day in his life and he died at 58 (not that he died from his eating habits). I wanted to live long enough to see my children grow up and play with my grandchildren. Over the last year I have trimmed my weight by 25 pounds and am feeling great about it. Michael has lost 60 pounds and looks like a teenager again. He finally grasped portion control and figured out that he can't eat as much as he did when he was actually a teenager. I have also been learning a lot about healthy foods and how to cook them. Introducing zucchini, squash, peppers, almond milk, whole grains, and greens into our diet has helped our health tremendously. I am sure there are other things about me that have changed but this is the biggest one.

Have a blessed evening and thanks for reading!

Day 21- One of your favorite shows

Do I have to pick just one? One of my favorite shows? Current? Former? All time? Drama? Comedy? Guilty Pleasure? Ok, since there are multiple categories I think I should pick one from each :)

Current Favorite Drama: Parenthood
Current Favorite Comedy: The Big Bang Theory

Cancelled too soon Favorite Drama: The Gilmore Girls (I know it was on for 7 seasons but that was not enough!)
Cancelled too soon Favorite Comedy: Mad Love

Favorite all time Drama: Lost
Favorite all time Comedy: Friends

Favorite Guilty Pleasure: Charmed
Favorite Reality Show: The Biggest Loser


Is that enough of my favorites? I hope so. Let me know if you need to know more about me ;)

Have a blessed evening and thanks for reading!

Day 20-How important you think education is.

Very important. I don't really know how they would like for me to expand on this topic. Education is very important.

I think this challenge shouldn't ask such cut and dry questions. It's hard to expound on this.

Have a great evening and sorry I don't have more for you to read!

Day 19- Disrespecting your parents

Is this a question or statement? Should I disrespect my parents? Are they encouraging it? Do I ever do it? Is this something I should condone?

As a general rule, I don't think you should disrespect your parents. I do however believe that it happens from time to time. I hate to see kids yelling at their parents especially in public but at the same time parents are sometimes morons.

Respect is a two way street. I'll leave it at that.

Have a great evening and thanks for reading!

Day 18 Your Beliefs

This certainly is a broad topic. Is this like "what is my platform"? I should feel like a politician or a beauty queen. Those are two very different areas. Things I believe...this should be fun. I am a fan of the bullet-ted items so I will list the things I believe in that way.

I believe:

• in Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior.
• in spirits that are angels and demons.
• that all people were created equal.
• cats are the best thing to keep my blood pressure down.
• working out (exercising) is one of the most empowering activities I can do for myself.
• in eating healthy 95% of the time.
• that blood is thicker than water.
• performing music is a window into a musician's soul.
• people are morons. People like blood sausage (name that movie).
• that all people are good. I am an eternal optimist.
• that in heaven we will all eat macaroni and cheese for every meal because it is the best!
• in the Fair Tax.
  
• you should chemically clean all brass instruments at least once every 6-8 months.
• you should also clean your toilets at least once every 6-8 months (well, more than that...).
• in this quote from Giordano's Pizza in Chicago, "Everyone should believe in something, I believe I'll have another slice of pizza."
• that I watch more television than the average person. I am addicted.
• the internet is the greatest invention ever.
• my husband is the best!
• it is time for bed.

Have a great evening and thanks for reading!

Day 17- Your highs and lows of the last year

Highs:

• went to Ireland
• repair shop in the black with Michael working full time
• trip to NYC with the girls
• lost 25 pounds
• learned to cook really good healthy food
• have an awesome husband that loves me
• passed a certification course for professional flute repair
• Steel Band has been performing regularly around Atlanta (FOR MONEY!)
• going to have another niece/nephew
  

Lows:

• too busy to breathe
• had to go to hospital due to numb arm (pinched nerve)
• lost Flannel, the cat

That's all I can think of on a Sunday afternoon when I have a headache and the USA Women's Team just lost the World Cup (guess that could be a low).

Have a blessed evening and thanks for reading!

Day 16- Your views on mainstream music

Once again I must ask you to pretend. Pretend that I wrote this post yesterday and I that I wasn't completely busy playing with my steel drum band. I guess Saturdays are a little packed these days.

My views on mainstream music. As a musician I guess I should really make a well thought out argument for this topic. As a normal human being who has a house to clean, groceries to get, and places to go, I will sum up my views very succinctly and get on with my life.

I think mainstream music is crap. All of the new pop artists today go into a studio and they auto-tune their voices to make them sound half way decent and that doesn't always work. Plus with the lyrics they write I am pretty sure they are winning no awards-reference the song "Friday" and you will know what I am talking about. There are catchy tunes and decent singers but all of the "great" music is gone. It's just not being produced anymore. Give me the exception. I would love to hear some decent music.

That's all for now. I will be back later to give you today's edition of the 30 day challenge.

Thanks for reading!

Day 15- Your favorite Tumblrs

I'll be honest I had to look up what "Tumblr" was. I guess I am not into the lingo. Michael assures me that I can just list my favorite blogs and it is the same thing. I am afraid to list all my favorites because you will find out the freak that I am and how many blogs that I look at and read on a semi daily basis. Some of these I check multiple times a day because it is summer and I am close to the computer. Others I only check every few days and the last ones are the ones I consult for recipes. Please don't judge. Here they are:

Absolute favorites:
www.skinnyrunner.com
www.thepioneerwoman.com
www.pbfingers.com
www.faithfitnessfun.com
www.runeatrepeat.com
www.snack-girl.com

Ones I check often but not multiple times a day:
www.afoodiestaysfit.com
www.knackfornutrition.com
www.allieatfood.com
www.biochemista.com
www.branappetit.com
www.chowdownatlanta.com
www.danicasdaily.com
www.dashingdish.com
www.imanokie.com
www.itsuxtobefat.com
www.ohsheglows.com
www.onefitfoodie.com
www.pure2raw.com

Recipe Favs:
www.skinnytaste.com
www.laaloosh.com
www.hungrygirl.com
www.preventionrd.com
www.thehealthyapron.com

There are more but my fingers are wearing down and I have to actually pay attention to my nephews that are here. Have fun exploring!

Have a blessed evening and thanks for reading!

Day 14- Your earliest memory

You are going to think that I am insane. You might stop reading after I tell you this. If you don't believe me I will understand.

I was three years old at my house in Lilburn. I was outside playing in the yard catching fireflies and loving life. I remember thinking I would like to remember this moment for a long time to come but remembering things was hard for me. I fully acknowledged that there were numerous things that I had already forgotten all about or that I remembered having difficulty recalling. I thought I needed to make some sort of statement that I could definitely remember later on in life. I was on the patio looking up at the screen porch in our back yard. I help up three fingers and I said to myself, "I am three years old and I am going to remember this day for the rest of my life." And I have never forgotten it. I don't really recall anything before that although I can remember events that happened and my mom said that I was only two at the time. But I know I was three on the back patio and I very clearly remember that moment from that summer. Crazy? Brilliant? Both? You decide.

Have a great evening and thanks for reading my blog.

Day 13- Somewhere you would like to move or visit

This is a NO brainer. I would love to back to Ireland. Could I live there? Probably. It was so beautiful and the food was so good. We visited mountains and parks and the coastal waters and saw giant fields of green grass. I could ride my bike and run everyday. I could listen to live music every night. The food was not processed but came straight from the farm. Everything was fresh and organic. Yes, I could live there. I would miss everyone in the US but I could visit and skype. It would be something I could deal with if I could see this everyday.... Hello Ring of Kerry. I miss you!

I am going to go and look at my finances now and see if I can rearrange some things so that I can make the big move ;)

Have a great evening and thanks for reading my blog!

Day 12-Bullet your whole day

Ok, the day is not yet over but I will bullet what I have done and what I will do.

• Woke up, spent 50 minutes on elliptical while watching "When in Rome"
• Ate breakfast (smoothie and two waffles) with hubby
• Returned business emails
• Repaired a Baritone Saxophone, flute, and an oboe
• Ate lunch (hot dog, corn, veggies, and hummus) with hubby
• Repaired another oboe and another flute
• Almost threw said oboe across the shop (gave to hubby to fix)
• Started another flute repair (replaced 2 pads) and left to set up
  

The following items are what I am going to do next:

• Take a shower (I smell!!!)
• Go to dinner at Los Hermanos to celebrate a friend's birthday
• Read my favorite blogs on the interwebs
• Check in on facebook
• Go to bed.

Today was not a particularly exciting day. I wish I could've done this on a more interesting day but oh well.

Have a blessed evening and thanks for reading!!

Day 11- Put your iPod on shuffle and write the first ten songs that come up

First of all, I don't have an iPod. And this might strike you as strange but even though I am a music teacher, I don't really listen to music all that much. I do have a Zune, which I really like, and I use it while biking or running. I am not sure how to use a shuffle setting on it. I usually just play one of the playlists that I have created and go about my business. Let's see if I can figure this out and post my music below.

1. Adeste Fideles, Bing Crosby
   
2. The Fourth of July, Craig Wright
   
3. Don't Stop Believin', Journey
   
4. It's the Hard Knock Life, from Annie
   
5. Harajuka Girls, Gwen Stefani
   
6. My Happy Ending, Avril Lavigne
   
7. Uneasy Rider, Charlie Daniels
   
8. Concerto for piano and orchestra, Chopin
   
9. World on Fire, Sarah McLachlan
   
10. Under Pressure, David Bowie

WOW! That was fun and diverse. I should mention that I don't listen to Christmas music all the time but I do have one playlist that is all Christmas music, thus the Adeste Fideles. I would have to say that that #3 is my favorite of the randomly selected music but I also love to rock out to some Gwen Stefani. Here is a startling revelation that you may be surprised to know about me. I am a closet dancer. Those who have Zumba'd with me know this but others are new to this fact. I LOVE to dance. I am not particularly good at it. I feel like I look like Elaine (from Seinfeld) when she dances but I don't care. I just try not to do it in public and make a fool out of myself.

Do you like to dance? Who's your favorite dance artist?

Have a blessed evening and thanks for reading!

Day 10- Discuss your first love and first kiss

So here is today's for real post.

I don't know that I can say that I truly loved anyone until I met my husband. I think that I "thought" I was in love. But it was either superficial love or it was really just lust-keeping it real people. Now that I have been married to my husband for 11 years I feel like I can scratch the surface of what love really is. Much like the love that the Heavenly Father has for us. His love is so great that it is not really measurable by any human means.

As far as first kisses go, I am not sure that I am ready to discuss that with the general public. I was 14 and it was in my first "real" boyfriend's basement. It was dark and his older brothers knew what we were doing and tortured us afterward for a LONG time. That's all I care to say about that.

I guess that's all for today's topics but I would like to vent for just a second. I went out shopping today to find shorts to workout in. Apparently my body is shaped in a way that no short on earth can fit me. Women shorts are too short, teen shorts are too tight, boy shorts are too long in the torso, and men shorts are too long on my leg. I spent forever at the store and only came away with one pair of shorts that were also too expensive for my taste.

In addition to my vent on shorts I would also like to complain about snotty salespeople. Why do people go into sales if they are not going to be helpful and nice. I was asking honest questions about protein powder to a salesperson at the GNC and she was less than enthusiastic about answering me. She also continued to point me to the most expensive products instead of what might meet my needs the best. ANNOYING!!!

That is all. Vent over.

Have a blessed evening and thanks for reading!

Day 9- How you hope your future will be like

Ok. So pretend that this is from yesterday and that I didn't forget and get too busy with steel drum practice. Then after you are finished pretending, visit our steel drum website and see how awesome we are www.steeldreamin.com

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How I hope my future will be like. I am pretty sure I answered this question already. I told you all what I wanted to be doing in ten years. How is that different from my future? Do they mean my immediate future. Like what I want to do today? this week? in the next few months? I can definitely tell you that!

Today- I am going to Petsmart to buy cat litter for the crazy animals at my house. I also plan on getting a newspaper and clipping some coupons. A little down the list of importance is to clean my room and clean out my closet. I think I really need to do those things but they are never pleasant. I also need to repair a few instruments and take a walk or ride my bike. Lastly, I also plan to seriously consider taking a nap. I miss naps. I should take them more often.

This week- is going to be busy. I have to deliver some instruments to a school, finish more repairs, go to a meeting for my school, take care of my nephews (while sister goes to Harry Potter), and play a gig for my awesome steel drum band at Lake Lanier Islands. Whew!!

In the next few months, I plan on taking a trip to California, going to DC to visit Michael's brother, starting school, teaching band camp, continuing to exercise and be healthy!

I hope you have enjoyed my future! I'll write today's post later.

Have a blessed morning and thanks for reading my blog!

Day 8- The moment you felt most satisfied with your life.

I think that moment is now. I am very happy with my life. I love my husband, my job(s), my house, my cats, my family, my friends, and everything. I am very thankful for all the blessings in my life and I try to live with no regrets.

That was short but I was at the G Braves game tonight and I am really tired.

Have a blessed evening and thanks for reading!