Is done. It was a big one. It may not be posted, but it felt good to let it slide out of my hand and off of my shoulders.
I have 1001 DAYS to complete 101 THINGS. Here's how it works: You list 101 things that you want to accomplish in 1001 days (about 2.75 years). The "things" can be major lifestyle changes or seemingly inconsequential items, like "try sushi." Either one could make you sick or kill you. Hopefully neither will happen and this blog will help keep me motivated!
Friday, August 26, 2016
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Free of Facebook
Self Improvement
14. Take a one month break from Facebook
At 9:45 a.m. today, August 24th, I deleted the Facebook app from my phone. I wasn't planning to delete it so suddenly and was thinking of taking my break closer to election day.
That said, I made the mistake of replying to a comment. As a rule, I generally don't respond to anything on Facebook that is remotely political. However, I will speak out against hate and racism.
Someone had posted on a friend's Facebook share of a news article about Muslims protesting ISIS. I think they said something like "Too little too late." So I asked why white men aren't protesting mass shootings in the United States, since they seem to be the ones causing them. Since the people posting like to lump together an entire group of people, perhaps they would understand my point.
Of course that was my mistake. Logic is not strong with these people. Fear and hate are the only things they understand.
My sarcasm was lost, and some other nutjob started going off about black on black crime and all sorts of other nonsense (hmm... wasn't this story about Muslims?). I was determined to be a "gun grabbing liberal" of course.
In less than a minute, Mr. USMC had posted three replies to my one comment.
Why waste my breath explaining that shockingly enough, we own guns. That's when I decided that instead of getting into a Facebook war with someone that I didn't know that I would do the sanest thing imaginable.
What would piss him off more than anything? A Block. Oh no, why can't you see my comment anymore or your incredibly thoughtful replies? Oops! Go ahead and rant away! You sure told me good. I must have deleted my comment after reading yours.
After that, I deleted my Facebook app.
Before >:(
After :)
Whenever I see someone post that they're taking a break from Facebook or that they're deleting Facebook, it irritates me. I prefer to make mine a clean break with no announcement. Since I'm tired of Facebook, do I really need to explain to my "friends" that I'm taking a break?
Since I do love the moms group and my book club group, I downloaded the Groups app, but gone is the Facebook app along with the people that I need to block, hide, and unfollow. No more "like and share" posts, no more bullshit stories from extreme media outlets, no more clickbait. No more drama.
It feels good.
Friday, August 19, 2016
Causes to Support
(I don't know why the font is so small, I think that blogger is having a fit - after fighting with it for 15 minutes, I give up!)
6. Find a cause that I love and donate money or volunteer my time
I've spent some time researching various causes near and dear to my heart. Pretty much anything and everything breaks my heart now that I'm a mom. I see so much injustice now and while before I was like, "Well that really sucks, but there's nothing I can really do about it," now I cry over pretty much anything. I won't say that I was a callous person before or anything, but something broke inside of me when that little person looked up at me for the first time and made me want to become a better person.
I guess we're all just one phone call from our knees, as the song goes.
I'm reminded of something that I heard Andy Stanley say at Leadercast last year. "What breaks your heart?"
Well for me, damned near everything now.
My current sadness is the Louisiana flooding. Today, I made a donation to Second Harvest. Food is a basic life necessity.
I've been researching other charities using Charity Navigator.So far here are my top choices:Action Against HungerAmerican Refugee CommitteeInternational Rescue CommitteeThese are all four-star choices from Charity Navigator. I'll probably just give donations to all three of them. Hunger and Refugees are apparently my current obsession. I just can't imagine being in that position myself, and it makes me cry every time I think of how fortunate I am. I'm serious, ask my friends who have had the misfortune of driving somewhere with me when I talk about refugees.And as I've posted before, VGIF is another great charity that deserves a look. They aren't rated on Charity Navigator, but I've seen first hand the good that they do. They have a real impact on the lives of women in developing countries.
"VGIF provides grants globally to fund locally generated projects that advance the rights of women and girls."
They are less "White Savior" and more empowerment on a local level.As far as donating my actual time, I'd like to get involved with Caroline CASA or the Caroline Mentoring Project. Of course, I'm not sure that I really have enough time right now to get involved with them on a meaningful level, but if I can help out here and there, I would love to.As a former CCCA Board member, I know that art programs have the ability to change and enrich lives as well. However, I'm a bit burned out from serving on the board for five years and am looking to spend my time where I feel like it will make the biggest impact and fuel my soul.
6. Find a cause that I love and donate money or volunteer my time
I've spent some time researching various causes near and dear to my heart. Pretty much anything and everything breaks my heart now that I'm a mom. I see so much injustice now and while before I was like, "Well that really sucks, but there's nothing I can really do about it," now I cry over pretty much anything. I won't say that I was a callous person before or anything, but something broke inside of me when that little person looked up at me for the first time and made me want to become a better person.
I guess we're all just one phone call from our knees, as the song goes.
I'm reminded of something that I heard Andy Stanley say at Leadercast last year. "What breaks your heart?"
Well for me, damned near everything now.
My current sadness is the Louisiana flooding. Today, I made a donation to Second Harvest. Food is a basic life necessity.
"VGIF provides grants globally to fund locally generated projects that advance the rights of women and girls."
They are less "White Savior" and more empowerment on a local level.As far as donating my actual time, I'd like to get involved with Caroline CASA or the Caroline Mentoring Project. Of course, I'm not sure that I really have enough time right now to get involved with them on a meaningful level, but if I can help out here and there, I would love to.As a former CCCA Board member, I know that art programs have the ability to change and enrich lives as well. However, I'm a bit burned out from serving on the board for five years and am looking to spend my time where I feel like it will make the biggest impact and fuel my soul.
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
First Update to New 101 List
Greetings, dear readers!
I am going to do my best to update either this blog or my newly retitled main blog, Unexpected Adventures on a regular basis. At least once a month or so. Who knows, maybe I'll get crazy and update it once a week?!
So here is my update:
Doing Good
8. Pay it forward. (1 out of 3)
I paid for a stranger's coffee at the Dunkin Donuts on Kent Island after my dentist appointment a few weeks ago. To be completely honest, I was having a bad morning that day and was pretty grumpy. First, I was running late to daycare to drop off Markface, then I got stuck in a road shutdown which made me late to my appointment. Then at my cleaning I was told that I needed to come back to have a cavity filled. So not the greatest start to my day. Doing this simple deed made me feel a little bit better. I'm going to try to do this more often than once a year, because it makes me feel nice. Hopefully it brightens someone else's day. In my head I had made up an entire life story about the woman behind me. In my story, she was destitute and this small gesture made her day. I even gave a nice tip to the cashier, which I usually reserve for eating out. Everyone in the drive thru window was smiling when I left, so mission accomplished.
Family Life
24. Go camping
I went camping a few weeks after posting my 101 list. The heat index was 106. It was disgusting. I'm not sure if I put this on my list for the whole family to go camping? Jay and I went to Lake Phoenix to brush up on our diving skills and camped. We decided from now on we're just going there in September and October. Too damn hot in July.
Travel
46. Visit at least five UNESCO world Heritage Sites during 101 list
We'll be going to one or two on our trip later this year. Probably Chichen Itza and/or Sian Ka'an.
Scuba Diving
61. Get to 50 dives
I think we got 6 or 7 additional dives in the weekend that we went to Lake Phoenix. I think we're up to 26 or 27 now. When we go to Mexico later this year, we will be doing more diving.
Fitness / Health
64. Commit to using Lose It regularly for 3 months
I'm currently on a 23 day streak, so if I can keep it up for another 11ish weeks, I will have healthier habits. I need to get back to the gym, but that will come. Small changes. Although I'm not overly focused on the scale this time and am committed to permanent weight loss and healthier food choices, my real goal is to be under 165 when we return to Australia next year. Under 160 would be even better. I think I was around 158 when I got married. Weight-wise, I think that for me between 150 and 160 will be my ideal healthy weight. When Jay and I met, I weighed around 145, but I wasn't terribly healthy. Ultimate goal - fit and healthy.
House, Home, & Garden
77. Get rid of blue couch
Done! I loved that couch, but Loki claimed ownership of it and it was disgusting.
78. Rearrange furniture in reading nook & downstairs
In progress. We moved the reading nook chairs downstairs, so now I'd like a chaise for the upstairs reading nook, but I don't want to pay a lot for it. I think I'd like to get a love seat or some other piece of furniture for downstairs, but I'm just not sure what I want to do with that room now. Maybe Angela has some ideas! :)
92. Make a donation at least once a year to Purple Heart (declutter)
Made one so far this year and I anticipate making another before too long, so that I can clean out those closets.
Miscellaneous
94. Spread some of Dad at Martinak State Park
Done. I did this on the 11th anniversary of his death. It was a pretty rough day for me and I was a hot mess.
95. Spread some of Dad at Adkins Arboretum
The day that I spread some of dad at Martinak, Sara suggested that we have a picnic at the Arboretum and do this. So that will happen at some point. Probably when it stops being so freaking HOT.
So there's my update! Rolling merrily along, kind of. :)
I am going to do my best to update either this blog or my newly retitled main blog, Unexpected Adventures on a regular basis. At least once a month or so. Who knows, maybe I'll get crazy and update it once a week?!
So here is my update:
Doing Good
8. Pay it forward. (1 out of 3)
I paid for a stranger's coffee at the Dunkin Donuts on Kent Island after my dentist appointment a few weeks ago. To be completely honest, I was having a bad morning that day and was pretty grumpy. First, I was running late to daycare to drop off Markface, then I got stuck in a road shutdown which made me late to my appointment. Then at my cleaning I was told that I needed to come back to have a cavity filled. So not the greatest start to my day. Doing this simple deed made me feel a little bit better. I'm going to try to do this more often than once a year, because it makes me feel nice. Hopefully it brightens someone else's day. In my head I had made up an entire life story about the woman behind me. In my story, she was destitute and this small gesture made her day. I even gave a nice tip to the cashier, which I usually reserve for eating out. Everyone in the drive thru window was smiling when I left, so mission accomplished.
Family Life
24. Go camping
I went camping a few weeks after posting my 101 list. The heat index was 106. It was disgusting. I'm not sure if I put this on my list for the whole family to go camping? Jay and I went to Lake Phoenix to brush up on our diving skills and camped. We decided from now on we're just going there in September and October. Too damn hot in July.
Travel
46. Visit at least five UNESCO world Heritage Sites during 101 list
We'll be going to one or two on our trip later this year. Probably Chichen Itza and/or Sian Ka'an.
Scuba Diving
61. Get to 50 dives
I think we got 6 or 7 additional dives in the weekend that we went to Lake Phoenix. I think we're up to 26 or 27 now. When we go to Mexico later this year, we will be doing more diving.
Fitness / Health
64. Commit to using Lose It regularly for 3 months
I'm currently on a 23 day streak, so if I can keep it up for another 11ish weeks, I will have healthier habits. I need to get back to the gym, but that will come. Small changes. Although I'm not overly focused on the scale this time and am committed to permanent weight loss and healthier food choices, my real goal is to be under 165 when we return to Australia next year. Under 160 would be even better. I think I was around 158 when I got married. Weight-wise, I think that for me between 150 and 160 will be my ideal healthy weight. When Jay and I met, I weighed around 145, but I wasn't terribly healthy. Ultimate goal - fit and healthy.
House, Home, & Garden
77. Get rid of blue couch
Done! I loved that couch, but Loki claimed ownership of it and it was disgusting.
78. Rearrange furniture in reading nook & downstairs
In progress. We moved the reading nook chairs downstairs, so now I'd like a chaise for the upstairs reading nook, but I don't want to pay a lot for it. I think I'd like to get a love seat or some other piece of furniture for downstairs, but I'm just not sure what I want to do with that room now. Maybe Angela has some ideas! :)
92. Make a donation at least once a year to Purple Heart (declutter)
Made one so far this year and I anticipate making another before too long, so that I can clean out those closets.
Miscellaneous
94. Spread some of Dad at Martinak State Park
Done. I did this on the 11th anniversary of his death. It was a pretty rough day for me and I was a hot mess.
95. Spread some of Dad at Adkins Arboretum
The day that I spread some of dad at Martinak, Sara suggested that we have a picnic at the Arboretum and do this. So that will happen at some point. Probably when it stops being so freaking HOT.
So there's my update! Rolling merrily along, kind of. :)
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