Who's in Charge of the Music?

I think the DJ at my gym might have a different idea about what music people like to work out to. My iPOD stopped working, so I had the pleasure* of listening to their music. Do you know how hard it is to do cardio while "Stairway to Heaven" is playing in the background? And that treat lasted for 8 minutes. Congratulations Led Zeppelin...you win the award for longest, most depressing song EVER!

* As my sister and I have recently discussed, we really wish there was a sarcastic font. For now, italics will have to do.  They will probably be used A LOT.

What An Imagination

There is a small chance I might be easily influenced.  I'm like the little girl who goes to the ballet and decides she's going to grow up and be a ballerina. It's pretty sad how little it takes.

I recently read "Into Thin Air", the story of the Everest disaster. I quickly decided that my new goal in life is to be a professional climber. Within three days though, my goal of climbing Everest ever so romantically turned in to an intense fear of being trapped in snow. I now have a strange phobia of getting frostbite. I'm not even sure if that's a real phobia or not. It doesn't help that when I started my car this morning, the thermostat read -4 degrees. Nothing like having a mild panic attack at 7 am.

These people who climb Everest definitely have a high tolerance for pain. I am miserable when it gets as cold as...wait for it... 60 outside, and they had to live in below zero weather for two months. I climbed my first few 14ers this past summer. I thought that was high altitude. Their base camp was at 17,000 ft and they climbed to 29,000. Holy Crap. Was I just born without that gene? Instead I was blessed with the gift of wussiness. I quickly had to scratch "Climb Mt. Everest" off my Bucket List.

Then I rented "Julie & Julia" and decided I might become a chef. Loved the movie, but am I the only one that thinks Julia Child might have had a...um..."unique" voice? The movie was only two hours long, and in that time I changed all my life goals again. Instead of climbing a mountain, I was going to learn how to cook. And who knew, I might surprise myself, be a great cook, publish a cook book, and have my own show someday. And THAT is what it's like being in my head. I can't just sit and enjoy a movie. Instead, it has to consume me.

I was actually quit surprised afterwards when I asked my mom "So mom, now that you have seen the movie, does it make you want to learn how to cook French cuisine?" and she simply replied, "No, why would it?" Uh- why would it? Why WOULDN'T it? I had already added: whole duck, new knives, calf's foot, and "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" to my grocery list. I was overwhelmed with my new goal to become a professional chef.

I still had my new TO DO list running through my mind when I got home. I picked up the paper and read an article about a woman who collects nativity sets. She had almost a hundred of them, a few of which might be a bit sacrilige. Pretty sure Donald Duck wasn't at the birth of Jesus. But then it got me thinking about all the things I should collect. A new, exciting hobby! On top of learning how to cook, perhaps climbing Everest (if I ever lose that fear of my toes falling off), working, and raising a one year old. Oh, the pressure!

And that's when it hit me. I might be easily influenced. Who am I kidding? I'm the biggest under achiever I know. So instead of cooking a delicious french meal and preparing for trip up the big mountain, I heated up leftovers, sat on top of a heating pad to keep warm, and read a book. It just felt right.

Oh, Happy Day

First Birthday. What a celebration. You spend so much time, so much energy, so much $ on a day that will only be remembered by him through photographs. And yet, I was looking forward to it all year. I milestone for both him and me. He survived his first year of life, and I survived my first year as a mother. I can either choose to focus on the moments that were beyond overwhelming, or the moments that made my heart so happy. The moments I cried with exhaustion, or the moments I cried from a tiny smile. It is single handedly the most demanding and tiresome thing I have ever done. And, at the same time, the most fulfilling. Life was definitely easier before. I got to do what I wanted, when I wanted. Now, my days begin when the Little Man says they do. My days end when I can't keep my eyes open anymore...and unfortunately, that happens at a ridiculously early hour. But there is nothing that has ever reached deeper in my heart than those quiet, few moments when he cuddles against me. They are stressful days, but oh, they are happy days.

Ouch

First car accident. Do you ever have those days when you just know you shouldn't leave the house? I heard that little voice, and promptly ignored it. A half hour later I was kicking myself while waiting for the police to arrive on scene. My poor, poor car. And my poor baby who had to sit in his carseat waiting too. What a trooper. Note to self...do NOT leave your breakfast on the front seat of your car in icy road conditions. My car was covered in oatmeal, even dripping from the ceiling. So not fun to clean up. You live and learn I guess.

Crazy

After months (ok, years) of sneaking peeks on everyone else's blog, I have finally decided to start my own. My life is so crazy that I need to keep a journal. Problem is, when it comes to actually writing stuff down, I make excuses. However, I AM on the computer all the time, so what better place to start writing? It occured to me today that when I have friends reminding me of things that have happened in my life, some serious changes need to be made. From here on out, this is just me, being Green.