My Very Own Happiness Project

The Happiness Project

I'm back and only two days later.  I can't usually get to writing posts that quickly, not because I'm infinitely busy, but more because I'm infinitely lazy, but here I am and I'm pumped about it.  (Maybe I'm here because I'm procrastinating, but at least I'm getting something done...)  So, here goes...


The Happiness Project was one of the first books I read on my kindle and I loved it.  So, I emailed the author, got her resolutions charts, then started my own happiness project.  Then I got derailed, then I started over, then I got derailed again...

So, I started again and completely anew at the onset of Lent.  Given Lent is a season for change, I felt it appropriate, sort of like the Catholic's New Year.  (Although, technically the liturgical season starts over at Easter, but Lent makes a good time for new resolutions...  I think you get what I'm saying...)  It went great for the first week, then I got a little distracted again, but this time, I have kept plugging along despite the hiccup.  This is a small victory itself as I usually get frustrated with myself and just drop whatever it is I'm doing.

Anyway, with only 2 days left in March, I've pseudo-successfully made it through the first month.  And for those of you who haven't read this (you should because it's amazing!), here's the quick and dirty on what exactly it is I'm doing.

March was dedicated to Energy and Health.  So, I had eight resolutions to fulfill on a daily basis.  Sounds a bit overbearing, but it's really not.  Here were my eight...
- Early to bed, Early to Rise: Apparently my circadian rhythms are jacked, so this is one I'm still working on.
- Healthy meals and snacks M-F
- Something active every day
- Outside Time:  Because sometimes I give myself cabin fever whilst working at home...
- Evening Tidy Up:  Because I feel better when things around me aren't as they say... a hot mess...
- Out and About:  Because I hate running errands, so I need to force myself to get out and about...
- Nagging Task:  Because accomplishing a nagging task, truly is energizing.
- Organize & Declutter: I still need to work on this one more so, but I did clean out my closets and get rid of stuff Jeremi and I either don't fit into or don't wear.  It's pretty liberating as silly as that sounds...

I faired pretty well.  The plan is to tackle a new subject/area of need every month while also keeping up with the old stuff.  The more I write about it, the more motivated I'm finding myself, so maybe this is time well spent after all.

So, what's up for April you ask?  (or maybe you don't ask, but I'm telling anyway)...
Love & Marriage.  Not that my marriage is on the rocks, Jeremi and I get along surprisingly well nearly all the time.  I felt like getting my energy and health back (both mentally and physically) should be my first priority.   The close second was to shower love and attention on beloved hubby since he's been my listening ear and shoulder to cry on throughout this whole medical school/career soul searching ordeal.  It's been an emotional roller coaster ride for 2 years now, and he deserves some, as they say, mad props!

FYI- The Urban dictionary definition of mad props: Used when someone does something that is appreciated or respected. It as an alternative to thank you.

I am making my Love & Marriage resolutions tomorrow.  BTW, while Jeremi knows about my happiness project, he doesn't know what's in store for April, so it'll be fun to see his reactions. :)

That's all for now folks.  I'll try to continually keep you updated on my happiness project.  Also, I highly suggest buying this book!  It's amazing!  The caption below the pictured book links to the author's site and lists where you can buy it...

The Year of AHAs!

I'm beginning to think this might be the year of AHAs!  Perhaps all this soul searching is finally getting me somewhere, and quite frankly, it's bout freakin' time!

- I'm really excited about the nursing school prospect.  I've already applied to a school and depending on how my previous credits transfer, I may even be able to start this fall (with some required summer courses), but that's the overly optimistic version.  Either way, I feel like nursing seems right.  It will allow me to be in a clinical setting, hopefully eventually down the road as an np, and will also allow me to work a decent paying job while I'm seeking out all this education.  Hoorah for an answer to the career soul searching! (Also, I have to add that hoorah is technically misspelled and that the first correction offered is hookah.)

- I might finally have a sensible diagnosis for all this health stuff I've been dealing with.  At first we thought thyroid problems, as was pointed out to me by the physician running my patient care class in medical school.  That's not it.  Then I freaked out and thought I had MS, especially since my mom has it, but that's not it.  Then there was a thought that it could be narcolepsy and it's probably not that either.  Went to the neurologist today, and he mentioned both a vasovagal response and delayed sleep phase syndrome.  I wikipedia-ed it (and yes, I know it's not considered a "real" source but it does give a great overview) and it makes so much sense!  DSPS explains my inability to fall asleep at a "normal" hour, to wake at a "normal" hour, which would explain the endless fatigue and a vasovagal response sounds dead on with my "sick" spells.  Very pumped about a possibly correct diagnosis!  Treatment for this, coupled with a possible dairy allergy could be the answer.  Say it with me... Ahhhhhaaaaa...

- Also, I'm really excited about moving to Roanoke.  I think, and I feel the need to say it again, think, Roanoke will be a great place for us to live.  If we live in the right neighborhood (the neighborhood I've been scoping houses out in), I'll be able to walk to school, take Caesar to the dog park, and maybe even walk to other necessary amenities.  Plus, if we get a scooter like we've been talking about, I could scooter to and fro.  Yes, I said to and fro.  The new river is still close by for canoeing adventures.  Roanoke is definitely bigger than Princeton, offering "indulgences" such as shopping at places other than Walmart, and a Fresh Market, and other shops I love that people who don't live in tiny Princeton forget about.  Plus, the area likes to focus on supporting local shops, restaurants and other establishments, which I'm completely into!

One last thing...  I read this book called The Happiness Project a while back.  It really made an impact on me and I've attempted to start my own happiness project a couple of times, and have since started it up again and more seriously committed to it!  Perhaps it's the cause of the aha moments, perhaps not, either way I think it's a great way to begin to change your life in lots of little ways.

I guess that's all for now on the aha moments!  Hopefully more will come and quickly because I'm terribly impatient...

What I'm reading: 20 Something Manifesto, The Healing of America (pick up where I left off)
What I've been listening to lately: Pandora station made from At Last by Etta James (it rocks!)
Favorite New Song: I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked by Ida Maria
What I'm baking next: good question, maybe a new kind of cookie
Looking forward to: seeing Michael Buble in concert again! 
What I thought most while typing this:  Is this a cohesive (not all over the place) post? Or does it just sound like I'm spewing as many words as possible as quickly as possible?  Haha
Random aside:  I constantly have all these random thoughts that I keep meaning to turn into blog posts...  

25 Things You Maybe Don't Know About Me

I wanted to post something light-hearted for you (who ever few left it is that still read this) since it seems I'm always griping about something.  So, here's my attempt at something light and fluffy like angel food cake... in contrast to the death by chocolate I usually provide.  (Does that even make sense to anyone?)

I always secretly want to answer those ridiculous questionnaires that people either post on facebook or on email forwards, but I never do.  One, because I'm too lazy to take the time out to do the darn thing, and two, because of my weird privacy issues.

What are my weird privacy issues?  Good question.  I suppose it just kinda freaks me out that you can post a status on facebook and everyone knows what you're up to and where you're at, even people half way across the world.  It seems ridiculous and unnecessary, but at the same time, I like to read those statuses as much as the next person...  Plus, what ever happened to good ol' fashioned communication, not via the net (I say as I type this blog...)  For instance, I was out to dinner a few weeks back and I began to tell others about this stupid little thing I did, but I was interrupted with the response of...  Oh, I saw your facebook status on that...  That's what the world is coming to...

Anyhow (stepping down from the soapbox), on to my 25 things...

Oh, one more thing, I tend to be frank and very honest.  I felt I should warn you.

1.  I have the US Weekly app on my phone and I hate to admit that I love it.  I find it acceptable to stalk the celebrities despite my uncomfortableness with facebook.  I know I'm such a hypocrite. (Also, I stole the 25 things idea from US Weekly who does it with celebrities... yes, I'm looking to feel famous.)
2.  I like to sleep in my underwear.  Maybe that's TMI, but seriously, who needs PJs.
3.  I always say, if I were skinny and fit, I'd walk around half naked nearly all the time.  That's probably why God made me so that I love food so much I'll never really be skinny.
4.  I don't think I'm funny, not really at all.  I don't really think of myself as smart either.
5.  I hate the question: What type of music do you like?  Mostly because I like a good variety and have music ADD.
6.  I really do have ADD.
7.  I hate coats, socks and shoes so I try to buy the most stylish or ridiculous ones I can find in an effort to make myself wear them.
8.  I regularly run into things, whether I have my glasses/contacts in or whether or not the lights are on.
9.  I'm an indulgent cheapo.  I love nice stuff, but I try to pinch pennies on the everyday things.  Does that make me balanced? Haha, probably in all the wrong ways...
10.  I secretly worry entirely too much about things like having an emergency cash fund, getting a retirement fund set up, etc...
11.  I don't really know what my favorite color is.  It use to be yellow, but now I've come to just love them all.
12.  I love cheese!  But I think I have a dairy allergy so I'm trying not to eat too much.  It's been hard!
13.  My dog, Caesar, is my first real pet.  I wasn't really allowed to have pets, so I had fish and a turtle.  And I wasn't very good with fish. :(
14.  I only have one printed picture from our wedding; that one picture is one someone gave us.
15.  I have a Kindle that I absolutely love.  It even sleeps under my pillow in case I have trouble sleeping.
16.  I've been have sleep issues lately. :(
17.  I usually find most conversations really boring.  Probably cause my mind moves to fast and has already moved on.
18.  I hate talking on the phone.
19.  I love magazines despite how bad they are for the environment, but reading a magazine online or on a kindle isn't the same.
20.  I secretly wish I could have red haired babies, but genetics just won't allow it.
21.  I've been trying to learn to play the violin for about 9 years now.
22.  On my list of things to do in my life are: visit NYC during Christmastime, see a ballet and a broadway show.
23.  I love museums, especially reading all the little signs.
24.  I love patterns: stripes, polka dots, geometric, you name it...
25.  Some of my favorite meals are down home southern foods: meatloaf, anything with gravy, pot roast, mashed potatoes...

Well, that's about it.  Hope you weren't bored to tears.

Huge Thanks to You!

This is actually a banking ad and a clever one at that, but I figured an appropriate one for the big sister figure in my life who shall remain nameless because I'm never sure if it's a good idea to just throw out people's names on the internet.  (Maybe they'll have weird privacy issues like me or maybe not, but ya never know.)


Anyway, after a little phone tag, had a great conversation with R who suggested I looking become a nurse practitioner.  I've never really considered this, mostly because I never wanted to be a nurse, but there's a big difference between a np and an rn. 


Very enlightening!  So, I've done a little researching, I'm greatly considering it and really excited about the idea!  I think it'll be a great fit for me in terms of allowing me to find a way to save the world around me, make good money in an effort to pay off my student loans, and allow me to have a life.  


So, I'm having yet another AHA! moment in my life and I love it!  So thanks a ton to you big sister! :) 


And in other news, we'll be moving soon!  Jeremi's waiting for the official job offer, but we're both very much looking forward to moving.  I'm so very ready to move out of Princeton and am looking forward to all that the Roanoke area has to offer.  So... Double Yay for today!


What I'm reading: Sheet Music, Also still looking for another guilty pleasure read
What I've been listening to lately: New CDs by Amos Lee and Adele
Favorite New Song: Better Man by James Morrison
What I'm baking next: Cheesecake cupcakes I'm naming the Markie
Looking forward to: the possibility of nursing school 
Crazy thing I/We did this week: Shot Jeremi's Golfball cannon! :)
What I thought most while typing this:  I never know where commas truly go.  I deleted and added some as I thought was correct, but I'm pretty sure they're all wrong.  

Mysterious Ways

Don't you love those moments, where it seems like God cuts you a break, and just straight out gives you an answer.  It's a very rare thing, but I feel like I might have just experienced that, he truly does work in mysterious ways.

So, as you may have read, I've been pondering the meaning of life, and the ever important, what's it all about...

Went to Mass in Blacksburg on Sunday.  Loved the priest there.  Was reading their weekly bulletin and discovered he has a blog!  How cool to think of a priestly sitting and writing a blog post much like the rest of us.  So, I visit his blog and this is what's listed as his blog description...

"No angel appeared to me to call me to the priesthood, but it has been one of the most fulfilling adventures of my life. My dream is not to save the world. I am seeking only to live my life while serving God and His people in a way that will enable me say to Christ when I see Him one day: “I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)."

How perfect is that!  It makes so much sense and I felt like I could relate and finally had an acceptable answer to the age old question.  Love moments like these!

What's it all about anyway? And my usual other random rantings...

I always joke that I'm having my mid-life crisis in my mid-twenties.  (Hope this doesn't in any way reflect on my own longevity.)  But maybe it's not so much a joke as it is the truth.  After all, I did have my most devastating breakup in my twenties, that being the break up of what I thought was without a doubt going to be my one true calling, you knew it was coming... the doctor/medical school rant.

In all honesty, and a whole lot of healing time and hindsight, withdrawing from med school may have been the best thing that happened to me.  It forced me to really and truly wonder the all important questions of life...
-what is it all about?
-what is it I'm wanting out of my own life?

I would have previously told you it's all about making an impacting and maybe even making an attempt to save the world.  I haven't changed my mind on that one, maybe just my outlook.  I had previously thought I would travel the world doing something like Doctors without Borders in an effort to save the world.  I guess I'm becoming one of those peoples who is trying to save the world in their own environment.  For me, looking more realistically at how I can make a change within the world I live in.  I use to think this was a bit of a cop out, but I'm beginning to see what I would call the smile phenomenon.

The Smile Phenomenon - Changing/Impacting the world one smile at a time.  I use to think this was kinda a BS thought, but maybe a smile really does change one person's day,week, life, etc.  I've had this talk with the big muffin about the validity of the smile phenomenon; he seems to think that I think it's stupid mostly because smiling comes so easily to me, and apparently I tend to think that affecting someone's day should require a little more effort.   Hate to admit I think he's right...

Anyway, so what's my current answer to these very important questions?  I'm beginning to think it's all about positively affecting the world around you.  And I'm sure many of you will be shocked to find out, I'm still not sure exactly what I want out of life, but here's a few things...

-I think I want a family, not anytime in the near future, but definitely more than just the good ol' hubby and darling doggie.  For those of you who don't know this, this thought is a huge step, as I was beginning to wonder if I ever wanted kids or if I just wanted to be the cool auntie, godmother etc.
-I want/need some kind of a career.  I could never be a stay at home mom, or a work from home on occasion kind of gal.  I'm too driven and I get cabin fever entirely too easily.
-I want a balanced life with room for extracurriculars.  This one I learned from my small stint in medical school.  I love any activities I can do with the dog, such as camping, hiking and canoeing.  I love hanging out with the big muffin.  All these little things require one thing... time, and in a life where you study your head off and have to schedule in time for things like eating, TV and man time, well, that's no life at all...

I guess that's all I know for now.

On a lighter note, here's a few random keeping ya up-to-date tidbits...
What I'm reading: The MS Diet book (still), The Scent of Desire, looking for a guilty pleasure read too
What I've been listening to lately: Adele (iTunes Live from Soho CD)
Favorite New Song: Adele's version of Make You Feel my Love
What I'm baking next: Chocolate Souffles
Looking forward to: Physical Therapy shadowing with Debbie
Crazy thing I/We did this week:  Attempted to have 2 dogs.  It was nuts.  Ended up taking her back to the vet where we got her.  Darling dog (temporarily named Nala) is the vet's soon to be dog :)
What I thought most while typing this:  1. Thank God for SpellCheck!  2. I ramble much too easily 3. Does what I write even make sense to other people? lol  4. Would I want to Share this Blog with more people?  Maybe post it on Facebook?  I like to hear people's responses, but I have weird privacy issues...

Hope this post finds all you lovely readers well! :)

Football and a Healthy New Me

Cupcakes I made for the game :)

First of all, my posts can't ever seem to stick with one topic.  I think I'm just gonna start giving up on sticking with one topic and just plan on writing most of what comes to mind, after all I'm too scattered brained and ADD to focus on just one thing...

To start, it's playoff season!  My beloved Steelers won their first playoff game yesterday against the Ravens.  I was definitely worried given we were down and the score was 7-21 at half time, but they managed to pull it together and now we're just one game away from the Superbowl.  Cannot express my excitement in words.

Went to the in-law's to watch the game and overheard my MIL and another young girl talking about how football season gets tiring, especially weeks where there are 5 or 6 games on in a week.  I never realized how much I love football and that while lots of girls like the gear and the socializing, I love the game!  I study it, try to learn all the positions, different plays and names of the players that aren't even on my team.  If there's a good game on, I usually pick watching it over anything else.  I even tried to convince the hubby that we should get the Golden Ticket, but he said it was expensive and unnecessary.  (I have to admit I think he's right on both counts, but it still seems really cool!)  I most especially love the big hits, making me your typical Steelers fan.  Heck, I asked for the NFL Training Camp game for Wii for Christmas!  (BTW, it's awesome! And not just for boys like a lot of the Amazon reviews mention.)  Anyway, I guess I never realized that this was a real rarity in a girl!

Other things going on in my life, I started a diet-ish.  I'm not a real fan of any kind of diet, but we've been making a real effort to eat healthy more often.  We still go out to eat and I still indulge, but I try to keep the indulgences to a minimum.  After all, I don't think I'd be even remotely successful if I couldn't eat a cupcake or two or something wonderful, fatty and fried every now and then.  (Had homestyle chicken from Cracker Barrel for after church lunch, it was amazing!)  Anyway, I've noticed a huge difference in how I feel and the energy I have.  Been following the MS Diet too!  More on that later...