Life just needs to SLOW down right now. So much happening, but all great things, so I can't complain too much!
I'm gonna jump right into the good stuff.
During tonight's tumbling class I didn't even wait for one of my girls to ask if I could show them an aerial. I simply asked the moment they walked in to class if they'd like to see it. Remember, last week they wanted me to throw one, but I was sick as hell, had a hurt knee and hadn't warmed up beforehand? Today, I was prepared. I tried practicing my aerial yesterday at home, but after a lizard scared the shit out of me where I had set up in the grass to throw the skill, I got sidetracked and never successfully threw it. I was definitely worried walking into work today that I would let down my girls and have to tell them that I wouldn't be able to show them the skill, yet again.
I didn't even stretch (tisk tisk, I know). I lined up on the mat, did a warm up cartwheel, then, did an aerial. No problem. Then, I did it again. I swear, I give myself zero credit for my gymnastic abilities.
I did my aerial for the girls and they freaked out. So much so that one of them came running up to me and jumped on me and gave me a big hug. So did NOT see that one coming. I thought to myself, Really? For a measly aerial? Haha. It was adorable though. Kids.
At the end of class, I gave them all some candy since tomorrow is Halloween. They all thanked me and were so happy to receive candy. It was almost weird lol. I guess they're just grateful kiddos. Anyway, I asked them all, "So what are you gonna say tomorrow night when you go door to door in your costumes?" One girl screamed "Thank you!" and another "Trick-or-Treat!" I laughed and said, "Exactly, you say Trick-or-Treat, and then you say thank you." Such polite little ones. They really were so well behaved today and had such a great class. I'm a proud teacher right now.
I'm going to keep my thoughts short tonight because I still have to paint my nails for Halloween tomorrow! I'm going out with my favorite crew and we are dressing as the ninja turtles. I am SO excited, it's probably a bit ridiculous just how excited I am. Our plan is to take photos with all other turtles bar hopping tomorrow night. Should be a blast!
In other news, I'm currently watching hockey on TV. Hockey! Go Lightning!
P.S. Lady on the steps was not there this morning. Crossing my fingers for tomorrow morning.
"You get what you work for, not what you wish for."
- LJ
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
The Less Fortunate
A couple weeks ago, my brother told me something nice he did for a homeless man while he was out riding around downtown on his motorcycle. He was stopped at a red light where each day there are a couple of homeless men standing on the corner of a high-traffic intersection. This one man in particular stood on the sidewalk, staring at the line of cars with his "God Bless" sign in hand. First in line, my brother fished for a few dollars out of his pocket and handed it to the man. He was, of course, overly grateful. What my brother did next makes me all fuzzy inside.
He asked the man if he liked rock music. The man said yes. My brother blasted one of the local radio rock stations for the next minute or so that he was "parked" near the homeless man. The man nodded in approval and the two shared a special moment. They weren't a student and a homeless man—they were two men who appreciated the same music.
Which brings me to "the lady on the steps." There is this woman that, if I am lucky, I get to drive past her a couple times a week on my way to work. I take the back roads when I leave my house and drive through some unsightly neighborhoods. "The lady on the steps" lives in a house on the outskirts of these backroads. I started seeing her on my morning commute a couple months ago. She sits on these concrete steps, randomly placed at the end of her front yard near the street. She just sits there. I don't know if she's waiting for a bus, or a friend to pick her up and drive her somewhere, or if she just likes to sit outside on cool mornings and take in the fresh air.
I find her completely interesting. And yet I've never spoken to her or interacted with her.
Her house is extremely small. Probably the size of a two-car garage and kitchen combined, if that. It's white and has a screen door. But, not clean white. Stained. The yard looks as if it's never been properly taken care of. There are no cars in the driveway or on the lawn. In fact, now that I think about it, a driveway may not even exist on that property. The woman's appearance almost mimics that of her house. She looks worn. Her clothes are always a bit ragged. She wears a bandana on her head. She looks to be in her sixties. Her face is stoic, but speaks so loudly.
On the mornings that I see her I smile. I look forward to seeing her. No, not because I'm a twisted person and I like seeing others struggle. Because I have a feeling deep down inside that she is a caring woman with a difficult past that shaped her present, but she's trying her best to make the most of it. Next week, I'm going to either bake something myself (which is beyond dangerous, so maybe I'll rethink that one) or go buy some fresh-baked muffins or pastries or something breakfast related to stop off and give to her. Maybe some flowers, too. How could flowers not brighten someone's day, right? It just hit me that her house is right by a supermarket, so next time I see her I will speed on over there and pick the stuff up and bring it to her. Perfect. I'll be sure to give an update on how this goes in a future post.
"There is always always always something to be thankful for."
- LJ
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
The "Perfect" Match
I'm jammin' out to "1989," so if there are any errors in this post or any random lyrics of T-Swift's interwoven into my written thoughts, you know why.
I'm not sure how many people watch the reality show "Are You The One?," but I ...
(And now my cat just jumped in my lap, so my typing speed is cut in half.)
... watched last night's episode. In short, it's a show where 10 men and 10 women are brought together because a group of crazy "experts" came up with tests for them to take that prove they are each others' "perfect match." No one on the show knows who their perfect match is, so the point of the show is for them to figure it out by hooking up with each other and occasionally holding meaningful conversation to get to know one another. If by the end of 10 guesses at trying to land 10 perfect matches (10 couples), they all walk away splitting one million dollars. Seems rigged, but I watched the first season last year and they all figured it out and it was a pretty interesting show, so much so that I tuned in for the second season (the current one). I only spent the time explaining the show because I will more than likely refer to it in future posts, and now you know what I'll be talking about.
Anyway, last night's episode made me laugh for a couple of reasons.
ONE
There is this one couple, Paris and Pratt. At the beginning of this episode they are so sure they are a perfect match. Then, the house has a drunken, lingerie party and Paris throws her thong-wielding self at Pratt's buddy, Jon, and makes out with him... more than once. Pratt was off being an upset pansy about it. A minute after she's had enough with continuing to throw herself at Jon, she goes back to Pratt to apologize. He doesn't want to hear it and tells her that she's not his perfect match. She cries and plays the victim card. The next day they go on the flyboarding date that they won in the most recent game challenge. They somewhat make up, but Pratt is still mad at Paris (totally on his side on this one). Well, they got sent to the "Truth Booth" to find out if they are a match, and guess what? Ding ding ding. They were.
But, she JUST made out with his friend the night before and if his friend wouldn't have made her stop, then I'm sure it would have gone further than that. If they were a true "perfect match" she never would've strayed. If I were him, I'd run. Fast.
TWO
This was the fourth episode of the season (I believe), so they should be getting around half of their match ups correct. Well, when it was time for them to pair up with who they think their matches are, since they already knew Paris and Pratt were a match, they knew they had at least one correct. Well, to everyone's surprise (including mine) there were NO other correct matches. I laughed at first because a couple of the guys got all teary eyed over the fact that the girl they thought was "the one" really wasn't. I'm sorry, I can't take a guy seriously if he cries over something like that. Balls. Grow them. Then, I sat there in silence, wondering if the show was screwing with everyone. They weren't. Last show, they had three matches. There is no telling how crazy the next episode is going to be, but I am looking forward to it!
On a side note, but also on the topic of finding the one I suppose (haha), today, I forewarned my parents that if I all of a sudden move to Vegas it's because I was proposed to by Jeremy Spencer of Five Finger Death Punch. Holy shit he's a hunk. I've been following him on Instagram since we saw them in concert a couple weeks ago. Drummer. Check. Tatted up. Check. Piercings. Check. Sexy bod. Double check. Goofball. Check. Single. Check. No kids. Check. I don't even care that he's 41. I'm thinking older men are the way for me to go. I would totally pick up my life and move for him haha. (Michelle, don't kill me ;) )
On an even bigger side note: My parents just came in from outside. I'm sitting on the couch and I asked my dad if my dog was under the reclined seat that I'm in because I could smell her dog self. He answered:
"How can you smell? You sound like a cartoon character."
My brother gave me the same shit over the weekend. "How can you smell when you are sick?"
I can smell perfectly fine, people! I still have a nose. Just because I'm stuffed up and sound weird doesn't mean I lost my sense of smell. Got it?
That's enough randomness for one day.
Here are some more awesome T-Swift lyrics. These are from "Blank Space":
"Saw you there and I thought
Oh my God, look at that face
You look like my next mistake
Love's a game, want to play?"
- LJ
I'm not sure how many people watch the reality show "Are You The One?," but I ...
(And now my cat just jumped in my lap, so my typing speed is cut in half.)
... watched last night's episode. In short, it's a show where 10 men and 10 women are brought together because a group of crazy "experts" came up with tests for them to take that prove they are each others' "perfect match." No one on the show knows who their perfect match is, so the point of the show is for them to figure it out by hooking up with each other and occasionally holding meaningful conversation to get to know one another. If by the end of 10 guesses at trying to land 10 perfect matches (10 couples), they all walk away splitting one million dollars. Seems rigged, but I watched the first season last year and they all figured it out and it was a pretty interesting show, so much so that I tuned in for the second season (the current one). I only spent the time explaining the show because I will more than likely refer to it in future posts, and now you know what I'll be talking about.
Anyway, last night's episode made me laugh for a couple of reasons.
ONE
There is this one couple, Paris and Pratt. At the beginning of this episode they are so sure they are a perfect match. Then, the house has a drunken, lingerie party and Paris throws her thong-wielding self at Pratt's buddy, Jon, and makes out with him... more than once. Pratt was off being an upset pansy about it. A minute after she's had enough with continuing to throw herself at Jon, she goes back to Pratt to apologize. He doesn't want to hear it and tells her that she's not his perfect match. She cries and plays the victim card. The next day they go on the flyboarding date that they won in the most recent game challenge. They somewhat make up, but Pratt is still mad at Paris (totally on his side on this one). Well, they got sent to the "Truth Booth" to find out if they are a match, and guess what? Ding ding ding. They were.
But, she JUST made out with his friend the night before and if his friend wouldn't have made her stop, then I'm sure it would have gone further than that. If they were a true "perfect match" she never would've strayed. If I were him, I'd run. Fast.
TWO
This was the fourth episode of the season (I believe), so they should be getting around half of their match ups correct. Well, when it was time for them to pair up with who they think their matches are, since they already knew Paris and Pratt were a match, they knew they had at least one correct. Well, to everyone's surprise (including mine) there were NO other correct matches. I laughed at first because a couple of the guys got all teary eyed over the fact that the girl they thought was "the one" really wasn't. I'm sorry, I can't take a guy seriously if he cries over something like that. Balls. Grow them. Then, I sat there in silence, wondering if the show was screwing with everyone. They weren't. Last show, they had three matches. There is no telling how crazy the next episode is going to be, but I am looking forward to it!
On a side note, but also on the topic of finding the one I suppose (haha), today, I forewarned my parents that if I all of a sudden move to Vegas it's because I was proposed to by Jeremy Spencer of Five Finger Death Punch. Holy shit he's a hunk. I've been following him on Instagram since we saw them in concert a couple weeks ago. Drummer. Check. Tatted up. Check. Piercings. Check. Sexy bod. Double check. Goofball. Check. Single. Check. No kids. Check. I don't even care that he's 41. I'm thinking older men are the way for me to go. I would totally pick up my life and move for him haha. (Michelle, don't kill me ;) )
On an even bigger side note: My parents just came in from outside. I'm sitting on the couch and I asked my dad if my dog was under the reclined seat that I'm in because I could smell her dog self. He answered:
"How can you smell? You sound like a cartoon character."
My brother gave me the same shit over the weekend. "How can you smell when you are sick?"
I can smell perfectly fine, people! I still have a nose. Just because I'm stuffed up and sound weird doesn't mean I lost my sense of smell. Got it?
That's enough randomness for one day.
Here are some more awesome T-Swift lyrics. These are from "Blank Space":
"Saw you there and I thought
Oh my God, look at that face
You look like my next mistake
Love's a game, want to play?"
- LJ
Monday, October 27, 2014
The Right Words
You pretty much know when the words "Well, when I'm president... " are spoken during a conversation about careless motorists that nothing nice is to follow. This conversation occurred last night while I sat outside continuing to glue my giant collection of beer bottle caps into a creative design on a canvas. My dad came outside to smoke a cigarette and moments later, my uncle joined us.
Whether I was ready or not, the two were about to have a brotherly discussion on what started out on the topic of Black Friday shopping and soon morphed its way into a back-and-forth on poor drivers. I just kept to myself (which is SO not like me, but I wasn't feeling up to joining in on the conversation). I quietly listened as I created more of my future living room art piece.
One of my dad's biggest pet peeves while behind the wheel is being in the presence of those who don't use the left and right lanes like "the law says they should." Left is for faster moving traffic/passing and right is for slow traffic. He will also tell you many other rules of the road until your ears bleed and you want to cry your eyes out. You just have to patiently nod your head in agreement and hope someone new walks through the door and saves you haha. Nah, he's not that bad all the time...
"Well, when I'm president... anyone with a handicap sign in their car won't be allowed to touch the left lane."
That was when I laughed. (Felt a little bad about it). And started packing up my project. As you can imagine, it escalated from there. Again, I say it—men...
That's all I'm sharing from that story. (You're welcome).
***
Today was a fantastic day for many reasons:
I woke up not feeling like complete crap and did a little dance around my room in celebration.
It was the first time in years that I filled up my gas tank with 89 octane (about 15-20 miles from empty) and the total was below $50. HELL YES!
I learned that (on a Mac) Photo Booth doubles as a mirror, so when you are constantly blowing your nose and messing up your make up, instead of making numerous trips to the bathroom, you can just look at your computer. Genius, I know.
Anndddddddd
Taylor Swift's new album "1989" came out today, and I'm so in love <3!!! Such an emotional, poetic compilation of love, lust, break ups and other T-Swift life experiences that every girl can relate to and totally appreciate.
These lines from her song "Clean" stood out most to me.
"Rain came pouring down
When I was drowning
That's when I could finally breathe."
- LJ
Whether I was ready or not, the two were about to have a brotherly discussion on what started out on the topic of Black Friday shopping and soon morphed its way into a back-and-forth on poor drivers. I just kept to myself (which is SO not like me, but I wasn't feeling up to joining in on the conversation). I quietly listened as I created more of my future living room art piece.
One of my dad's biggest pet peeves while behind the wheel is being in the presence of those who don't use the left and right lanes like "the law says they should." Left is for faster moving traffic/passing and right is for slow traffic. He will also tell you many other rules of the road until your ears bleed and you want to cry your eyes out. You just have to patiently nod your head in agreement and hope someone new walks through the door and saves you haha. Nah, he's not that bad all the time...
"Well, when I'm president... anyone with a handicap sign in their car won't be allowed to touch the left lane."
That was when I laughed. (Felt a little bad about it). And started packing up my project. As you can imagine, it escalated from there. Again, I say it—men...
That's all I'm sharing from that story. (You're welcome).
***
Today was a fantastic day for many reasons:
I woke up not feeling like complete crap and did a little dance around my room in celebration.
It was the first time in years that I filled up my gas tank with 89 octane (about 15-20 miles from empty) and the total was below $50. HELL YES!
I learned that (on a Mac) Photo Booth doubles as a mirror, so when you are constantly blowing your nose and messing up your make up, instead of making numerous trips to the bathroom, you can just look at your computer. Genius, I know.
Anndddddddd
Taylor Swift's new album "1989" came out today, and I'm so in love <3!!! Such an emotional, poetic compilation of love, lust, break ups and other T-Swift life experiences that every girl can relate to and totally appreciate.
These lines from her song "Clean" stood out most to me.
"Rain came pouring down
When I was drowning
That's when I could finally breathe."
- LJ
Sunday, October 26, 2014
The Next Step
Warning: This post is quite a bit more sappy than my others. Not sure if it's the congestion or what, but I'm feeling like a sap-fest today, so prepare yourself or don't continue reading. (That sounded mean! Not trying to be, of course).
I went to bed fairly early last night, but woke up around 2:30 a.m. with a pounding head. I couldn't go back to sleep, so I did what any normal person would do—shopped online!
No, I wasn't buying a new pair of boots that I don't need. I was being a grown up and searching for items for my new apartment. I guess you could say I'm pretty excited and beyond ready for this next step in my life.
You see, where I am today wouldn't be possible if it wasn't for a choice made by someone else. A bad choice. But, one that altered my life's outcome for the absolute best.
This does, however, make me realize that if this other person had never done what they did, then where would I be today? How would I feel about myself? How different would my life be?
Initially, this realization made me a little disappointed in myself for not being the strong-minded individual that I am. I didn't make the choice that changed my life for the better, THEY did. I allowed myself to be upset (with myself). Tough love can most definitely be a solo thing. Most of us have all been there, and if you haven't then you are probably more proud of yourself than you should be. Just saying.
I'm not completely past it all, but I am better and no longer bitter about it. I'm making the most of a bad situation like we are taught as children. It's so corny of a saying, but you really do live and learn. Here are some of my favorite examples from experience:
Live: Trip and fall in public.
Learn: Laugh it off. (This happens to me about once a week... I thought 11 years of competitive gymnastics was supposed to supply you with life-long grace?)
Live: Move in with your parents.
Learn: Twenty-five year olds should never live with their parents. (Never).
Live: Sing and dance in public while under the influence of alcohol.
Learn: There are perverted homeless men watching.
Live: Be kind to FedEx and UPS delivery men.
Learn: They'll be kind back... and will proceed to talk your ear off about how they just bought a house on 11 acres of land for cheap and took seven weeks off from work to remodel it. Or on the flip side, one will tell you about how he was recently held at gun point. (I've got to stop looking so intrigued when they start up conversations with me... )
Live: Give a child positive feedback.
Learn: They will continue to strive for more of it, and WILL make you regret not giving it to them when it's much deserved. They are the masters of mind games.
Live: Face your fear of guns by going shooting.
Learn: You have horrible aim, so what's the point? Might as well resort back to plan A: kicking and running.
Live: Say hello to every walker, runner and bicyclist that passes by while you're out for a run.
Learn: You will get biffed in the nose by a dog named Elle Mae that was just trying to give you a puppy kiss.
Live: Plan your life out with "the one."
Learn: You've not yet met that person.
From every lesson I've been faced with, the most self-appreciating thing I've learned is that there is nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing.
- LJ
Saturday, October 25, 2014
The Matching Siblings
It's these kinds of happenings that define my family.
The bro and I just got back from SAMs because he wanted to get a pumpkin to bake the seeds like he (or I should say my dad) does every year. I don't think the boy even knows how to turn on the oven. I'll get to that in another post. Anyways, we get back in the car from SAMs and when I was putting on my seatbelt I noticed I had black, gun residue all over the bottom of my WHITE shirt.
"OMG where the hell did that come from?" I asked, both myself and my bro. "Please tell me that wasn't on me this whole time..."
"I'm sure it was. It's probably from cleaning your gun," he said.
"You've got to be kidding me. How embarrassing," I said, starting to giggle at the situation. (It never fails, I always have some sort of stain on me. It's been a joke since I was in high school. Hence, why I very rarely wear the color white. White is dangerous for Jordan).
"Oh shit, I just remembered I had a pizza stain on these shorts," he said, looking down at his shorts and pointing to the encrusted patch.
We were both laughing our asses off at this point.
"People probably think we are homeless," I said.
"Yeah, we don't do laundry again until December," he added.
So, there you have it. We walked up in SAMs, looking a mess and didn't know it. Got to love it.
- LJ
The Male Influence
Currently sick as I've been all week, I write this post sitting on my parents' comfy patio furniture in the backyard while Avenged Sevenfold's "Hail to the King" plays over the outside speakers. This is a much better atmosphere than being laid up in bed, being forced to watch football because it's the only thing that's on. No thank you.
I don't have much to say since it's been a slow day. I woke up, ate breakfast (well, Starbucks...), got changed and went to the shooting range with my family. Nothing especially exciting happened at the range. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your outlook. The drive to and from the range (being about an hour one way) wasn't fun for anyone as I was trying to hold back coughs and sneezes and my family was trying to hold their breath. Halfway through the trip home, my brother politely asked me to "die already." I can't blame him. I would feel the same way if I were in his shoes.
When we got home my dad, bro and I all cleaned our guns together. While we were cleaning them, I asked my dad and bro if this was what bonding felt like haha. I love my time spent with those two. I'm so glad I was raised in a tomboy fashion. Because of them, I grew up playing video games, listening to rock n'roll, skateboarding, ripsticking, wakeboarding, lizard hunting in the backyard, turtle hunting at Ferry Park, slingshotting rocks at flying creatures in the the sky and on power lines (we were bored sometimes and had to make it interesting... no, we never actually took out any birds... not that I remember, at least), and lots of other not-so-girly hobbies.
They've influenced me to love the outdoors and to do things that challenge me physically and mentally. I am so thankful for everything they've taught me in life.
The male influence is definitely something that has shaped who I am today and who I will be for the rest of my life. I wouldn't have it any other way!
- LJ
I don't have much to say since it's been a slow day. I woke up, ate breakfast (well, Starbucks...), got changed and went to the shooting range with my family. Nothing especially exciting happened at the range. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your outlook. The drive to and from the range (being about an hour one way) wasn't fun for anyone as I was trying to hold back coughs and sneezes and my family was trying to hold their breath. Halfway through the trip home, my brother politely asked me to "die already." I can't blame him. I would feel the same way if I were in his shoes.
When we got home my dad, bro and I all cleaned our guns together. While we were cleaning them, I asked my dad and bro if this was what bonding felt like haha. I love my time spent with those two. I'm so glad I was raised in a tomboy fashion. Because of them, I grew up playing video games, listening to rock n'roll, skateboarding, ripsticking, wakeboarding, lizard hunting in the backyard, turtle hunting at Ferry Park, slingshotting rocks at flying creatures in the the sky and on power lines (we were bored sometimes and had to make it interesting... no, we never actually took out any birds... not that I remember, at least), and lots of other not-so-girly hobbies.
They've influenced me to love the outdoors and to do things that challenge me physically and mentally. I am so thankful for everything they've taught me in life.
The male influence is definitely something that has shaped who I am today and who I will be for the rest of my life. I wouldn't have it any other way!
- LJ
Friday, October 24, 2014
The First Year
A year ago today, my best friend Lindsey’s life changed
forever when she welcomed her daughter, Brie, into the world.
I still remember all of the details of the night that I
received a text from her telling me that she was pregnant. Well, it was more
like showing me that she was—three positive pregnancy tests did the job. I was
riding in the car with my boyfriend at the time, on our way to comedy night at
Howl at the Moon on the island. I got the text right before the traffic signal
at The Boardwalk. I don’t think I ever shared this with Lindsey, but I cried when I saw the text. Tears of joy. Tears of fear. Tears of girly
hormones.
When your best friend has a baby, your whole world changes,
too.
She’s the first of my friends to raise a child, which means
everything I’m learning about upbringing is from you, Lindsey, so when I have
children and they question my ways of raising them, I’m blurting out your name, and they'll be coming for YOU!
But, that won’t be for a few years (if ever), so until then I will be cool Aunt
Jordan ;).
Brie is the reason that I can now, somewhat confidently,
hold a baby. Although, Lindsey says I'm still awkward at it to which I tell her "good, guys will know for sure that I don't have kids." It sounds totally insane, but I used to have a slight phobia of
holding them because they are so tiny and I was always afraid I was going to
hurt them. Lindsey pretty much made me get past that the first time I met Brie
aka I didn’t have a choice. (Thanks for that, boo!)
Brie was the youngest baby I’ve ever held. She was the first
baby I ever fed a bottle to that fell asleep in my arms. (Lindsey had to teach
my how to prop my arm up on the couch armrest to prevent fatigue haha. Babies
are so light, but DAMN they can make your arms sore fast!) Brie was the first
baby I’ve ever put in a car seat. (And she didn’t like that very much…) I could
go on with this list of firsts, but my point is to show how much of an impact
this little one has had on my life.
HUGE MILESTONE: She started walking this week!
I look forward to the years ahead when she begins to talk.
When she attends her first day of school. When she gets her first report card
and Aunt Jordan can spoil her for earning good grades. When she needs help with
English homework and Aunt Jordan can teach her how to write a kickass paper.
When she needs help with math homework and Aunt Jordan can tell her stories of
how her and her mom were in math class together in high school and Aunt Jordan
is the last person she would want to seek guidance from in that subject area. When
she gets her first boyfriend and Aunt Jordan helps her dad intimidate the shit
out of the poor boy before he takes her out on a date.
It’s amazing how much can happen in a year. The upcoming
years are sure to be a fun learning experience when it comes to this sweet
baby!
HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY, BRIE!!!
These were taken the day I met her, when she was just a
couple days old.
And these were taken tonight! This is the adorable, baby jacket I got her. OMG I'm in LOVE.
I can’t get enough of her <3. Her first experience with chocolate...
On a super side note, (while I'm writing this in my parents' kitchen, my dad just opened the fridge and asked me
(with a serious face) “Why do we have brown eggs?”
I, of course, just laughed my ass off. And explained to him
that I bought OGRANIC eggs last week and mom bought some this week. He was so
confused as to why someone would make organic eggs. Men….
It is well past my bedtime, so I bid you goodnight. Til next
time!
Live your life for YOU and no one else. Seriously, only your
happiness matters.
- LJ
Thursday, October 23, 2014
The Young Mind
I seriously considered writing this entry while under the influence of NyQuil to make things a little more interesting. But, I have a lot to say and NyQuil would allow me all of 17 minutes before knocking me out until my alarm sounds at 6 a.m. So, NyQuil-less I write.
Before I get to the main subject, let me just note that today was a pretty awesome day. I attended a luncheon in honor of the 30th Anniversary of the City of Destin and, to my surprise, my Destin Log family was there! AND one of my friends set the date for her wedding next year! Exciting day for sure.
OK, here we go.
Thursdays are my favorite work day of the week because not only do I work my full-time day job, I also teach a couple tumbling classes in the evening. My "students" range in age from 6 to 15 and are all a joy to work with. Given, the youngsters have their days when their parents buy them milkshakes before class and I have to tame sugar-loaded first and second graders. All in all, they're great kids. What I enjoy most about working with them is the things they say.
Oh. My. Gosh.
Kids say the darndest things indeed.
When my first class was leaving today, one of the girls asked me if I could dress up in costume for next week's class since Halloween is Friday. I hesitated, then proceeded to tell her that I could think of something to dress up as for fun. She was thrilled by my answer and told me:
"You should dress up as a clown."
To which I replied, "Nope. Ms. Jordan isn't a fan of clowns. I'll figure something else out."
I couldn't elaborate and explain to this seven year old that when I was about her age (if not younger) my dad thought he'd introduce me to the child friendly film "IT." To this day, I cannot look at storm drains in the same way.
Backtrack a little to the middle of that first class. The same girl asked me when they were going to learn aerials. Aerials are cartwheels without hands. I told her that's a skill that they have to work up to and we will get there one day. (Kids are always in such a hurry to learn everything, no matter the skill's level of difficulty. Just slow down and be a kid, OK?). Then, she hit me with the question I knew was coming: "Can YOU do an aerial?"
"Yes, I can," I said.
"Well, can you show us?"
(Trying not to let out a short burst of laughter). "I don't think I should attempt one today. I hurt my knee a couple weeks ago." (I actually really did, and throwing a skill like an aerial would be twice as painful as most other skills because I would land with all of my weight in the leg with my hurt knee. I know it's hard for you non-gymnasts to understand, so just take my word for it. Although, I'm sure I could've winged it, throwing a skill without complete confidence in front of children is never a good idea. Never. Haha).
"Can you just try it?" she persisted.
"No, not today sorry," I said. "I promise I'll work on it over the weekend and show y'all next week. I can do a roundoff backhandspring for you instead?" I'm always one to compromise.
They all looked at me, puzzled. (They had no idea what that was lol). I told them if they behaved for the rest of class, then I would do the pass for them.
The time had come. I told them to sit on the side of the mat and I would throw the roundoff backhandspring. Of course, I've always been one to second guess my gymnastics abilities whenever I throw skills in front of an audience (even though I guarantee you that I can still throw a double full on the spring floor to this day—real gymnasts never lose it!). So, I said what I shouldn't have said and let the kids know that I hadn't warmed up and my form probably wasn't going to be the greatest. To which the same girl said (but didn't think I could hear):
"Oh, that's because she's not very good."
Not gonna lie. It stung a little. And was actually funny to me at the same time because this girl had quite the little personality and wasn't afraid to speak her mind, which I've always condoned to a respectful extent. But, it was definitely an eye opener for me and made me realize that I need to start "showing off," so these kids know exactly what their teacher is capable of. Time for me to stop being modest, I suppose.
Oh, and their disappointment soon turned into wonderment when I threw the roundoff backhandspring and got oo'ed and aw'ed. Nothing like pleasing your crowd!
So, that was my evening.
I wanted to save this next thought for last because it is special to me. While conversing with another person that I saw at the luncheon that I haven't seen in months, we said our initial "Hellos" and "How are yous?" Soon to be followed by the question of how my significant other and I were doing. I'm not going to get into details, but, I of course, told him of our split and that it was for the best. He replied by asking if I belonged to anyone else now. I gave him my usual "Jordan" look and he said, "Ohh, so you belong to the world now?" I said yes, exactly. To which he asked if I would like him to change that and find me someone. Without hesitation I said, "I'm single and working on being independent."
I couldn't have planned a better response for a character in a novel. I perfectly defined my current outlook on life with only milliseconds to conjure it. The less you think about something, the more clear it becomes.
Welp, I'm off to continue to circle the drain and shoot my NyQuil like it's Tequila.
Instead of a question for thought, I'm going to leave you with a brief lesson on grammar.
It's "definitely" NOT "defiantly," people. I just CAN'T.
- LJ
Before I get to the main subject, let me just note that today was a pretty awesome day. I attended a luncheon in honor of the 30th Anniversary of the City of Destin and, to my surprise, my Destin Log family was there! AND one of my friends set the date for her wedding next year! Exciting day for sure.
OK, here we go.
Thursdays are my favorite work day of the week because not only do I work my full-time day job, I also teach a couple tumbling classes in the evening. My "students" range in age from 6 to 15 and are all a joy to work with. Given, the youngsters have their days when their parents buy them milkshakes before class and I have to tame sugar-loaded first and second graders. All in all, they're great kids. What I enjoy most about working with them is the things they say.
Oh. My. Gosh.
Kids say the darndest things indeed.
When my first class was leaving today, one of the girls asked me if I could dress up in costume for next week's class since Halloween is Friday. I hesitated, then proceeded to tell her that I could think of something to dress up as for fun. She was thrilled by my answer and told me:
"You should dress up as a clown."
To which I replied, "Nope. Ms. Jordan isn't a fan of clowns. I'll figure something else out."
I couldn't elaborate and explain to this seven year old that when I was about her age (if not younger) my dad thought he'd introduce me to the child friendly film "IT." To this day, I cannot look at storm drains in the same way.
Backtrack a little to the middle of that first class. The same girl asked me when they were going to learn aerials. Aerials are cartwheels without hands. I told her that's a skill that they have to work up to and we will get there one day. (Kids are always in such a hurry to learn everything, no matter the skill's level of difficulty. Just slow down and be a kid, OK?). Then, she hit me with the question I knew was coming: "Can YOU do an aerial?"
"Yes, I can," I said.
"Well, can you show us?"
(Trying not to let out a short burst of laughter). "I don't think I should attempt one today. I hurt my knee a couple weeks ago." (I actually really did, and throwing a skill like an aerial would be twice as painful as most other skills because I would land with all of my weight in the leg with my hurt knee. I know it's hard for you non-gymnasts to understand, so just take my word for it. Although, I'm sure I could've winged it, throwing a skill without complete confidence in front of children is never a good idea. Never. Haha).
"Can you just try it?" she persisted.
"No, not today sorry," I said. "I promise I'll work on it over the weekend and show y'all next week. I can do a roundoff backhandspring for you instead?" I'm always one to compromise.
They all looked at me, puzzled. (They had no idea what that was lol). I told them if they behaved for the rest of class, then I would do the pass for them.
The time had come. I told them to sit on the side of the mat and I would throw the roundoff backhandspring. Of course, I've always been one to second guess my gymnastics abilities whenever I throw skills in front of an audience (even though I guarantee you that I can still throw a double full on the spring floor to this day—real gymnasts never lose it!). So, I said what I shouldn't have said and let the kids know that I hadn't warmed up and my form probably wasn't going to be the greatest. To which the same girl said (but didn't think I could hear):
"Oh, that's because she's not very good."
Not gonna lie. It stung a little. And was actually funny to me at the same time because this girl had quite the little personality and wasn't afraid to speak her mind, which I've always condoned to a respectful extent. But, it was definitely an eye opener for me and made me realize that I need to start "showing off," so these kids know exactly what their teacher is capable of. Time for me to stop being modest, I suppose.
Oh, and their disappointment soon turned into wonderment when I threw the roundoff backhandspring and got oo'ed and aw'ed. Nothing like pleasing your crowd!
So, that was my evening.
I wanted to save this next thought for last because it is special to me. While conversing with another person that I saw at the luncheon that I haven't seen in months, we said our initial "Hellos" and "How are yous?" Soon to be followed by the question of how my significant other and I were doing. I'm not going to get into details, but, I of course, told him of our split and that it was for the best. He replied by asking if I belonged to anyone else now. I gave him my usual "Jordan" look and he said, "Ohh, so you belong to the world now?" I said yes, exactly. To which he asked if I would like him to change that and find me someone. Without hesitation I said, "I'm single and working on being independent."
I couldn't have planned a better response for a character in a novel. I perfectly defined my current outlook on life with only milliseconds to conjure it. The less you think about something, the more clear it becomes.
Welp, I'm off to continue to circle the drain and shoot my NyQuil like it's Tequila.
Instead of a question for thought, I'm going to leave you with a brief lesson on grammar.
It's "definitely" NOT "defiantly," people. I just CAN'T.
- LJ
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
The Rapping Bicyclist
I'm writing this entry from bed. Which is where I have been turning into before the sun is even down for the past couple of days. The dreaded seasonal bug is trying to bring me down, but I am not about to let that happen, people!
I digress.
On my way home from work today, I saw a man riding his bicycle on the sidewalk. However, he was unlike other bicyclists that you see on the daily. This man was clearly rapping. (Yes, please take a second to make a mental picture of this). I gathered this from his hand gestures and moving mouth that occasionally let up when there was a break in lyrics.
Not just did his impressive bicycling-while-rapping techniques set him apart from other two-wheeled riders. This man possessed something far more special.
The power of content.
He was the true definition of a multitasker. He was bicycling, rapping, DJ'ing, smiling and making my day a little brighter. For the few seconds that I waited at the stoplight and watched as he rode past, this man's display of contagious happiness and freedom inspired me. He was in his own world. And he didn't give a damn what anyone else thought (and trust me, he had an audience).
So, I ask: Why can't we all be like this man? Why can't we all be in our own world?
- LJ
I digress.
On my way home from work today, I saw a man riding his bicycle on the sidewalk. However, he was unlike other bicyclists that you see on the daily. This man was clearly rapping. (Yes, please take a second to make a mental picture of this). I gathered this from his hand gestures and moving mouth that occasionally let up when there was a break in lyrics.
Not just did his impressive bicycling-while-rapping techniques set him apart from other two-wheeled riders. This man possessed something far more special.
The power of content.
He was the true definition of a multitasker. He was bicycling, rapping, DJ'ing, smiling and making my day a little brighter. For the few seconds that I waited at the stoplight and watched as he rode past, this man's display of contagious happiness and freedom inspired me. He was in his own world. And he didn't give a damn what anyone else thought (and trust me, he had an audience).
So, I ask: Why can't we all be like this man? Why can't we all be in our own world?
- LJ
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
I'm baaack. Again.
I'm going to attempt yet a different approach to restarting my blog to see if I can keep the flow going. Instead of updating you all on what's happened since I last blogged (that would literally take months because it's actually beens MONTHS) I will try to be more inspirational by keeping you in the current know on my life and being inspirational about it. But, also sometimes sappy and a little sad. A girl's got to keep it real, right?
'Til next time. (Which is hopefully sometime within the next week...) I'm so bad!
- LJ
'Til next time. (Which is hopefully sometime within the next week...) I'm so bad!
- LJ
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