Sianara Hump. Hello Favorite Day!

Mmmmm Hmmm! Today is my favorite day. Yesterday is but a moment of the past (a much needed a day to pass). I am excited for tonight, this weekend, and of course, September!

Sure enough, today feels like a hump.

After going to sleep on a sour note (a note I promised myself I would not allow finally won). The only way I could make up for it was to wake up on the right side of the bed. Trust me, I made sure I wasn't opening my eyes and cursing my alarm until I knew it was going to be a better day.

Wipe the sweat off your forehead because sure enough, today has been a much better day. Even though I feel as if I could crash any minute (thank you "Wake-Up" coffee), and I'm sporting a grandma slip under my dress (the sun won't be shining on my bottom today)...by the way I way I would rather tan my rear than wear a slip, but it's only office appropriate, and last but not least, I am counting down the minutes until my favorite day arrives.

One thing in life that will never let me down, yet will always slap me in the face, is understanding how I rarely have room to complain when other's around me are shattered on the inside. Literally, life is not fair for so many and the rant(s) I preach are minuscule. Today, it was brought to my attention how one of my best friends is going through a rough patch. Just talking to her and realizing the night/conversation she has ahead of her, makes me take a step back and count my blessings.

Not willing to divulge too much info, I'll say the gist of her "rough patch" entails a lack of trust, communication, and concern by the party I will say is at fault. Another good friend of mine once told me something that I will never forget, "In order to appreciate the good, we have to experience the bad." Right now, I have taken a step down from Cloud 9 (no worries, I am climbing back up) and working through my own sticky situation.

What a depressing blurb..no bueno.

When you have a world of listening ears, sometimes I prefer to write away my moods.

If the subject doesn't shout, "Listen to me, I'm not in the best of moods," well I guess, I'm not sure what will.  The whole Cloud 9 I have been soaking up is quickly turning into raindrops.  I thought I wanted to elaborate and spill the beans here, but right now...I think I might just turn to my trusty ol' journal.  

Besides my Debbie Downer intro, work is amazing, my roommates have no clue how much I appreciate and care for them, I have an eventful and educational Thursday ahead of me, and I am so glad I held my swift spirit patient until the time was right (aka now).

Goodnight.  

Excuse me, I have an excuse.

One notch in time I wish I was around to experience was the 1969 Apollo II mission to the moon. Happy 40th Anniversary to those who believed in the unknown and sent a crew of dreamers into the sky and far beyond!

Onto further matters...

Here I go again apologizing for being absent. I guess the only person I should say "I'm sorry" to is me. Apparently, I feel I owe myself a blog entry everyday, but when I take unscheduled days of absences, my next step is to apologize. Okay so enough of that, my real excuse for not writing and keeping my updates up-to-date is because I am simply filling up my days, aka enjoying life. "Amen Sister!"

Yup, life outside of my comfort zone has now progressed into a new comfort zone. And bueno news, a new "zone" I am clicking my own heels to. So here is my latest recap; 1) I have a J-O-B, 2) I have been in "home" for two weeks, 3) I realized why natives blatantly smack a big-ol "NATIVE" sticker on their car, backpack, dog, you name it, because Colorado might just be the perfect place, 4) while Starbucks might dominate Seattle, Chipotle owns this city (I can't count the number of times I have heard "What? You have NEVER tried Chipotle?" 5) I walked into the life of dining solo (and let me say, I really enjoyed it), 6) I have found more non-profits that I can't wait to meet and lend a helping hand here than I knew existed, 7) I finally met up with two friends whom I met through the infamous craigslist (sounds sketchy, they aren't), 8) I have proven that I can accomplish an HGTV task (goodbye Space Room, hello Pottery Barn), 9) I'm not homesick...just fall under the miss my mom and friends category, and last but not least, 10) I have no room for complaints. I am by far the luckiest girl right now to have been given this opportunity. I now have two fabulous friends/housemates, a dedicated/outgoing/creative/thoughtful place of employment, a new sense of direction in my life, a larger slice of optimism hanging at my side, and the appreciation that if you want a new challenge, you are the only one who can take the leap!

So if you're sitting around bored, thinking "What's next?" give yourself a list things to do and you'll find the same motivation that urged me to move forward. If not, I'm sorry.

Go ahead, highlight craigslist, browse around HGTV (I sound like Martha), and taste a little local delight!

One-Hundred Percent Cheek-to-Cheek Smile

You know that moving-away roller-coaster I was riding? It hasn't come to a screeching halt, but it has slowed down...that is a good thing. I can officially say, I made the right decision taking off to Denver without knowing a single soul, without having a job lined up, and without doubting any of it would pan out. After an alarming transmission light signaled my frustration, I retraced my steps back to Boise asking, "Why now?"

"Why?" Because as I like to say (purely beneficial to my optimism), "That is life!" Life throws you red lights, transmission letdowns, road trips unaccompanied by AC, and one blasting cd player solely dedicated to raising your pipes. So with my first hurdle knocked down, I was ready to continue driving. I drove to Utah to pick up my pops and my bedroom set (this story comes later), anxiously awaiting until the morning when we both would rise early, fasten our seat belts, and say "Denver, here we come!"

Without knowing a soul and without having a job, I also didn't have a confirmed place to live. No worries, I came across this site, roommates.com and found hope! So arriving late Sunday night, I received directions to a potential place to call home, and realized there was no need to look any further, meet anyone else, or even bother with property management (wannabe car salesman) sleezies. So my pops and I wandered around the city trying to establish/test our geography skills, found a hotel and called it night.

Let's just say Monday was a blur..from getting lost, find a potential place of employment, grabbing a bite to eat, and understanding my hours with "my family" were dwindling, I went into shock...Mmmm Hmm..me the adventurous, get out of my sight, let me be, kinda girl was in shock (to the point where tears began rolling, shhh). I guess it hit me as I was driving to the airport that this was it, the moment had arrived, and here I was uncertain about it all.

Well that feeling didn't last too long, after my dad looked in me the eye and said, "Sweets, here you are. This is your home. Have fun, make mistakes, but most of all, enjoy every minute!" So what did I do, I wiped my tears, cleared my throat, and replied, "You are damn right!"

So here it is, almost a week and it feels like life is still placed on hold, but different than the normal time-out type of hold. I feel like I'm holding off on a potential employer, frequenting the same park, and not sure where to meet people.

I've always thought I had an easy time talking/meeting people, but I never realized being out of your element, you have to work at finding these meeting spots. I'm not looking for a bar or meet and greet type situation, but just a generic, "Hey you seem fun, what are you doing tomorrow?"

If you have any suggestions, please feel free to post them. I'm nothing but ears!

oOOo Random, while venturing the city, I slipped on a trusty ol' pair of flip-flops mixed with a 90+ degree temp. and received these bad boys...

As a good friend of mine said, "It's not goodbye, it's just bye!"

Bob, Thank you for this quote!

I began this journey of moving, and moving far, long before I even knew I had the courage to do so. The day before I hit the big 1-8, I decided to jot down a list of 30 things I wanted to accomplish before 30. Looking back on that list, I can't help but laugh at some of the odd thoughts running through my mind at the time, and what I felt was necessary to be checked-off. O well, you learn as you live, and you live as you learn, right? Okay, so one of the "things" on my list was to travel around the world, realizing life isn't worth settling down for, and to keep my head held high for the next adventure. I'll admit, my head has been held high, I have traveled, and I know there is nothing in this world worth settling for (we're given one shot, we better do all that we can while risking all that we have)!

So in terms my upcoming move and my 18-year-old inspired list, I knew I wanted to experience all that I could, but I still had one question filtering through my mind, "Where to now?"

Here I am, five years later answering that question. After much debate, and what I should describe as research, I've selected a city much different than what I initially wanted to call "home." Dreaming about a land far away, where the skyscrapers can not be counted and the slang is worth two cents (actually, garbage), I was set on the Big Apple. Insert Laughter. Yup, I am still set on the Big Apple, and most likely will die being set on the Big Apple, but at some point, and a period longer than 3 weeks, I will live with 8 other roommates, bicker about the tourists, and wonder what the hell I am doing. But during that period, I will have lived in a land that sparkles in my mind. Until I arrive in NY, I decided to lessen the distance from home, and find a city similar to my current one, but keywords, "find a city."

After counting down, separating clothes into piles of "keep, keep for later, and don't even bother," and bundling up my life into my car, I traced back to my eighteen-year-old self and was ready to press "go."

My mind already checked out of Boise, my feet are prepared for a few hurdles, and my curiosity is asking, “Am I there yet?” Not just yet, but before we both know it, I will be unpacking my life.

I am leaving a place that has replaced my “home.” I was born in the heart of Utah, and ever since my mom received a job offer in Idaho, I have been fortunate enough to replace my Utah roots with an Idaho admiration.

This time around, I’m leaving behind a place I will never bash when brought up in conversation, or dread when visiting. But that is why this time around is out-of-the-norm; Typically people glue their toes to a place they would not dare criticize, but I guess this goes to prove, I’m not anything near, close or border-line typical. I’m consistently signing myself up for a new challenge, fear, interview, conversation, and above all, something in hopes of overcoming and discovering the unknown. I appreciate the feeling of comfort, but I relish in the thought of shaking in my knees (odd I know).

Well the end of one chapter is but a few minutes away, and the intro to another is around the corner. My knees are still firm, but prepared to quiver. My mind is still uncertain, but ready for a wide-awakening. My eyes are still attentive, and I am betting they will remain focused.

To everyone whom I have met during the course of my 14-year chapter, I thank you from the bottom of my heart! You have given me the desire to grow, learn, and move forward. And as one of my favorite friends I met along the way boldly mentioned as I said goodbye, "No Brittanie, it's not goodbye, it's just bye!"

A Sincere Apology

Hold up, you mean to tell me that last time I posted a bloggy-blog was on May 26th? No sir-ee. Well the Blogspot doesn't tell lies, so here I am apologizing. From the bottom of my writer's heart, I am sorry it has taken me now a month to update you on my life, my reads, my rants, my wants, my likes, my this and thats, and most of all, my life in between then and now.

Mmmmmm K, because it's almost my bedtime and my eyes are quickly reaching for some shut-eye, I'm going to leave you with a quick recap. I am moving, I am packing, I am realizing a new challenge is quickly approaching, I will soon be jet-setting to Armenia, I am trying to decide between another living situation with a roommate, or tackle a studio like a big-girl, I am applying, I am laughing more than ever, I am excited to make new friends, I am sad to say goodbye, I am signing up for a new rollercoaster that will be a lesson and experience of a lifetime.

So, I am still here. I am still learning as much as I can. And, above all, I am still planning each day to be busier than the next because my feet can't stand still and my heart won't stop pondering what's around the corner.

Good Night, Sleep Tight. I promise I won't disappear for another month...or at least I don't plan on it. :)