Category Archives: Random Life Stuff

The Memories of Old Friendships

Being at my parents’ home always makes these feelings stronger… Probably because I lived here when they were new feelings.

I am social media friends with a lot of people I used to call best friends. Two of which the pain of losing still stings pretty badly. One I’d been friends with for most of elementary school, then a classmate made up a lie (something to do with me calling to get directions to a party I wasn’t invited to, when I can STILL get to that party’s location without thinking about it), and suddenly it was gone. It didn’t help any that she moved so I never got a chance to try again. The second one had been friends with 1 and I for a long time too, and she stayed friends with 1 after the lie about me, then actually ended up moving to the same junior high and high school as 1. My parents weren’t very comfortable with me going to 2’s house (I wasn’t super comfortable around her family), so that just ended up dissolving.

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My Mom’s Colorful Creations!

Colorful Creations by G

Mom got her Etsy shop started!

Her jewelry is gorgeous! Out of all the jewelry I have (not counting my wedding ring), the pieces that get the most compliments (by a long shot) are the ones made by my mom. They are very high quality – nothing I have has ever broken. Please check them out!

She has tons more to list, but it takes a while to get things listed on Etsy (so please be patient, we all know how busy life is). She’ll be adding things regularly, so please keep checking back. Help my sister and I spread the word about our mother. We have always thought her jewelry was fantastic, and we’re very excited to share it with the world!!!!

Order soon to guarantee Christmas delivery.

Any feedback on the shop can be left here.

 

In Which I Get All Angsty About HW

I’m so done with school. My senior year of high school, I totally burned out. I almost got unaccepted to my college because I just stopped doing my schoolwork. Luckily, my dad talked to the school and convinced them to keep me. I’ve been in college for seven years now, with a one year break; three years in a row. I’m done. I HATE homework. I realize no one likes it, but I have an almost impossible time making myself do it.

And guess what I need to do? Get caught up on my homework. Yup. I have to do my term paper (due tomorrow) for geography. I also fell behind on my geography map quizzes, mostly because I was doing things I needed to do for my health (physical and mental). So, today and tomorrow I need to do my term paper (luckily, it should be pretty easy). Then I need to do all my map quizzes before Thanksgiving. I only have two weeks of classes after break.

Only one semester left. Then I don’t need to do school ever again!!! Yay!!!! Of course, I’m still going to get pressure from various people, I’m sure. But Dan understands how much I hate homework, and he’s perfectly okay with me not getting a job. I’m just going to get my associate’s degree and then I can focus on other things (painting, sewing, photography, my house, writing, etc). I just can’t wait to be done… and I really don’t want to do my homework.

In September, while my mom was here, we went driving to look at some fall color! We ended up on Mt Evans. Both Dan and I were quite impressed that my mom could get out of the car and walk around up there!!! There are people who live in Denver (5280 ft above sea level), and have their whole life, that cannot walk around at 14,000 feet above sea level. My mom is from only 1700 feet elevation, AND has adult onset asthma! Go Mom! Here are some fun pictures from there:

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Mt Evans – from September

To The Child in the Corner

Dear Child in the Corner,

I see you. I promise that I do. I see you watching all the others laugh and play. I see how your eyes dart to and fro, like a rabbit in the middle of an open field. I see all of your muscles tense when other children get close. I see your heart breaking. I see your mind turning, replaying everything you’ve ever said to them. I see the nerves. I see the longing. I see you trying to get the courage to go get in line for the tetherball. I see you trying to determine if anyone might let you join. I see you struggling to speak, not knowing what to say. I see you trying to figure out which parts of you need to be hidden. I see you.

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The Space to Write

When talking about where and how I write, my answer is really two-fold: what I do now, and what I want to do sometimes in the near future.

Currently, I write on my couch. I either sit or lie on the end next to my plants, or I sit on the chaise. I have to be comfortable. Well, I prefer to be comfortable. Right now I spend so much time in doctors’ waiting rooms that I’ve gotten quite good at writing just about anywhere.

couch

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Natural Therapy

Oh man, do I miss hiking. Dan and I used to go hiking all the time. We both used to go hiking all the time long before we met each other.

day 4 imageFor me, nature was always a kind of natural medicine. I’ve struggled with depression for most of my life, but being out in nature… well, that was a different story. Hiking out into the trees, getting away from people, getting away from cars, getting away from noise, it always calmed my soul down. I love the smell of pine trees, especially in the cool air, and the sound they make when the wind blows through them. It really is amazing how fast it can work. I have gone hiking because I was angry, because I was sad, just because I felt the need to, and it is almost always immediate. The second I’m into nature, I start to feel a change. Everything in my body relaxes. My breathing slows and deepens. My brain actually shuts off and focuses for once. I feel relaxed and happy.

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One Word: Home

I decided to try a stream of conscious post, so this is just a REALLY LONG block of text. And some of the content might seem offensive, but it isn’t meant that way. It was quite the debate with myself over posting it, but it was very therapeutic for me to get it out.

Home.

Well, it was California. But now, Colorado has become home in a way.

My plan was never to stay in Colorado; I was going to get my bachelor’s degree from Colorado School of Mines (in 4-5 years), then I was going to go home and marry my boyfriend (BF for future mentions). Obviously, that didn’t happen. However, last time I mentioned this, I was told I was mistaken because sometime in about October 2008 I mentioned I was never going back to California. Truthfully, I may have said that, but it was a far more complicated and emotional mess by October. BF had broken up with me at the end of September, because all we’d been doing was arguing. I also said something (I don’t remember what) that was essentially a “we don’t seem to be working anymore” thing. Anyway, it sucked when he broke up with me. I burst into tears when it sunk in, and ran out of my friends’ house (actually, Dan’s house, I’d been rock climbing with them that day) down the street to a park. That massacred a huge part of my future plans. Continue reading →

25 Little Things That Make Daily Life Fantastic

The prompt from Writing 101 was to make a list of some sort. Originally, I was going to make a list of how my life had changed due to chronic illness… but then I realized how depressing that list was going to be. Living with chronic illness is challenging, at best, and can make it impossible to see the good in life. So, I decided my list needed to be happy. A major change is how much time I have to stay at home, and how trips and adventures have had to move to the back burner. I spend most of my time at home. Because I spend so much time at home, I decided to focus on what I love about my daily life. So here it is:

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