Can't Shake It

I cannot shake the overwhelming desire to spend at least a year traveling the globe. I guess I got bit by the infamous travel bug. I know that a trip of this magnitude is in the distant future, as much as I desire for it to start tomorrow. But I want to start planning and dreaming. So if you or someone you know have ideas of where to go what to see or whom to stay with start posting away. Dream with me.

Disillusioned

I have always clung to the quote "some people say movies should be more like real life, I say real life should be more like the movies." For whatever reason is resonated with me. There have even been those who have gone out of their way to make my life more like a movie, and while that was always fun, I am beginning to feel disillusioned.

Maybe the quote is wrong. Maybe I often miss out on life as it is because I am disappointed when it doesn't play out like anyone of a million movie scenes. I often find myself comparing any given moment in my day to that of a movie, or television moment. And while sometimes my everyday life seems like something right off of the silver screen I would be lying to say that most of my life plays out that way.

So have I let the multiple imaginings of Hollywood and the film/television industry totally taint my view of my own life? Yes, I think so. And I am still thinking about this and its implications, working out how to reconcile my love for the movies, and my desire to live my life to its fullest without setting myself up for disappointment.

What a Girl Wants

My friend and I were talking and he said something to the effect that it is difficult to be the guy that girls want because we want various things. We want the silent brooding type, yet get mad when that same guy seems distant and unresponsive. Or perhaps we want the guy who will let us open our own door, and pay for things, but then we complain that the guy is not the gentleman we have always dreamed of. You get the idea.
I pointed out girls have the same issues. We don't know what to be the girl next door, or the independent self reliant woman. Unsure if we should pursue a career or be simply wife and mom. Should we be loud or soft spoken.
He said it was totally not the same because guys know that they are not going to get what they want, while girls hold on to the hope of finding that guy who can be perfect, brooding at times and talkative at others.
I found it mildly frustrating that he has given up hope of finding what he was looking for, until he went on to say that what he really wants is a woman who will leave him alone. At least that is what he wants right now.
I for one agree that I am holding out for the perfect guy, but not perfect in the sense that he is actually perfect, just that he is perfect for me. I don't know for certain what that entails but with each year that passes I am getting a clearer picture.

I do know this...The guy must have a sense of humor, able to find humor in life and to laugh with me and make me laugh. I want to be able to make him laugh as well.

Happy Moments

I have been thinking about what makes me truly happy. You know the kind of happy where you just cannot help but smile inside and out. Where you feel totally content. I guess the train of thought started on Tuesday AM when we (my fellow staff and I) were praying, we prayed for joy. Now I firmly believe that there is a difference between joy and happiness, and I don't really want this to turn into a theological discussion about the difference between the two. I just wanted to share what it is that makes me happy with the hopes that it might inspire you to think of what it is that makes you smile. And perhaps thank God for some of those things that we just take for granted. So here is my list thus far...

Dancing, candles, a good cooking show, cooking, sitting outside at a cafe and people watching, coffee, my family (most days), students who get "it", packages that are from friends (not the IRS), cards, snuggling, when I finish a task, spending time with God, the beach, the sun, a good (but not long) rain, certain songs, old people (the funny nice ones not the grouchy ones), chocolate (this is new for me, I used to not like it), time with my closest friends, buying presents for people just for fun, cute shoes, shopping for my house or a new outfit, the days I wake up and look in the mirror and think "not bad", when I get to write, when I am inspired with a new idea, having fresh flowers in my home, eating out with friends, being held, praying, reading a good book, watching a travel show or a movie about Italy, traveling,driving,throwing parties...

Okay, now it is your turn. What makes you Happy.