Getting through any way I can

Things that are helping me get through today:

• Listening to my Ray LeMontagne Pandora station
• Understanding and kind folks at the obit desks of the Mobile/Baldwin area newspapers
• Having an understanding and supportive work/school environment
• My husband, who cracks jokes when I need a laugh
• A best friend who has selflessly offered her support in her own time of need.

I'd say that is a pretty good start.

Miss you Pee-Paw.

Dealing with the inevitable

I've been putting off writing about something personal in here because I guess I just don't know how to express certain things anymore in such a wide open way. Suffice to say that once upon a time I was willing to tell just about anything to a blank computer screen and send it out into the abyss for all (or none) to read. But now, as I am getting older, I know the value of talking with people close to you about the things that really matter. Human contact and interaction are highly-underrated these days.

So anyways, the news is that my grandpa is nearing the end here on earth. He has walked it for 84 years, and had - by all accounts- a blessed and charmed life. I don't think he would ever disagree. But the hardest part of it all for me is that whether I like it or not, his life will end sometime in the future. It certainly has come sooner than I had expected.

The other bad news in this post is that one of my best friends is also dealing with loss in her life. We all feel it differently, some more deeply than others, but there is no mistaking how it changes you when you are the one left behind.

So before I leave on this most utterly depressing note, here is one of my favorite pictures from our wedding, can you spot my Pee Paw?

Me and The Beach

...are like peas and carrots.
Or we used to be, when I was younger, thinner, and had fewer cares in the world. Naturally, being from the Eastern Shore, the beach was just a part of life. My "beach" was really Mobile Bay and the "big beach" was Gulf Shores, which was always just a short car ride away.

Since I went to college in Birmingham and now live in Tuscaloosa, I find myself missing the beach quite a lot. Being just stroll away from the water is something I always took for granted when I lived there. It has been a solid 8 years since I was really living at home, and I am hoping one day we will reunite. But for now, short trips will have to suffice.

Which brings me to my next thing - a short trip to the "real beach"! Jennings and I will be taking the first part of my spring break to hang out in Fort Morgan in a cute little nautical-themed condo that we found.

So on this rainy day I will be imagining the beach, and not all that yucky work stuff I should be doing.

Anyone else still get a spring break? What are your plans?

Goldie needs a nap

I know it is Tuesday, but it sure feels like Monday all over again. This weekend, I got to help with the College of Arts & Sciences biggest fundraiser event, the Arty Party, and I hate to say it but I am still recovering. I even resorted to drinking black coffee this morning. If you know me at all, you know that coffee is not even my thing. I'll have the occasional espresso drink, but I hardly ever have coffee.

At any rate, the event was a pretty big success, preliminary estimates show we raised about $40 k for the department of Art and Art History. One of my tasks was to photograph all the auction items so they could be advertised on our website. Here is one of my personal faves:


In Woods Quad on the UA campus, there is a giant iron statue of a sleepy robot name Goldie. For the Arty Party, the artist made a miniature Goldie to auction off and I thought it would be neat to photograph them together. =)

Also, laying down and taking a nap is definitely something I would like to do right now....

Sad days for Auburn fans, but even sadder days for Americans

So, as most of you know.... A man poisoned the historic trees at Toomer's corner.
Also, as most of you know, I was born and raised an Auburn fan, and this news makes me incredibly sad. I could talk about my memories of rolling the trees after the games, the streams of TP flowing long. But truthfully, I don't have those memories, because I have only been to a handful of Auburn games in my lifetime, but that doesn't mean I am any less of a fan. But although I did not personally roll those trees, the entire practice was a sign of victory for my all-time favorite team, and even settling for photos of the action was enough for me. Because truthfully, it is more about what those trees represent: pride.

It would be an understatement to say that football is king in the South. It is a cultural phenomenon all unto itself. Each two-a-day practice and hard fought battle is something that goes down in history in the small rural towns of our region. And out of that are born tremendous rivalries, some could argue as monumental as the Romans vs. the Greeks. The Auburn-Alabama rivalry, in my opinion, is no different. Each team has a history steeped in tradition, and today - as they did 50 or more years ago - little boys dream of growing up to play football wearing either crimson or orange and blue. Little girls grow up wanting to cheer for those boys. And the rest if us? Well, we just can't wait for football season to start.

So not only am I saddened that our rivalry has cost us something that is irreplaceable, but also I am saddened that this is the great struggle of our time right now.

Don't get me wrong. Football is something I love deeply and look forward to each year, but I cannot believe that we are all more consumed with this tragedy than anything else going on in our country. People in this age are more willing to stand up and do something about this than they are to talk about the real issues in the world: poverty, racial tensions, educational gaps.

We live in a culture that is comfortable with accepting the status quo. As long as we feel we are on the top of the heap looking down on everyone else, we are willing to accept mediocrity. I personally am tired of people who do nothing or care nothing about the rest of society, but will spend all their time in life calling in to shows like Paul Finebaum and airing their grievances for all of us to suffer through.

So yes, it is a sad day. And the Auburn spirit with triumph, as so many have said. But can we just for once get our heads out of the fog and see what is really at stake in this world?

Step two - cutting back on things I can control

Ok, so when it comes to a household budget, there are a few immovable components that you will likely not have an impact on decreasing even if you want to: rent, utilities, insurance, etc. But there are other things you can change - groceries, cell phone, television, internet, etc. Last week I talked about getting our cell phone to a manageable place, and this week I'm going to tap into a part of the grocery budget that I have definitely been overspending on: cleaning supplies.

I consider myself to be a relatively clean person. As much as I hate to admit it, I have a little panic attack when people come over and my house isn't clean. There is just something about being in a clean house that helps me to clear my mind. The opposite is also true.

I really love to cook, but if I go into the kitchen to cook and it is dirty, I have to clean it before I cook anything. So by the time I clean the kitchen, I have no more desire to cook anything because THE KITCHEN WILL BE DIRTY AGAIN. It's a dreaded cycle.

So anyway, I will admit right away that I watch television and I will buy into the latest cleaning crazes. ShamWow? Awesome. Kaboom? Of course. OxyClean? Brilliant! I see these things that wipe right through limescale, grease, soap scum, and I am enamored. I truly desire to try one of those shower things that apparently keeps your shower clean by spraying it periodically, except it makes me think of having a robot in my shower and that is something I think would genuinely freak me out. Have I always indulged on these urges? No. But do I know that I am a sucker? Yes.

So with that in mind and also my recent goals about saving money, I spent some time doing some research. I found another great blog about saving money that offers some more practical suggestions and how-tos than "And Then She Saved" (although I really like her, so I will likely keep reading hers): http://www.thesimpledollar.com/. What drew me to his blog was a recipe for Homemade Laundry Detergent, which I was all gung ho about trying. But the skeptic in me was curious about the numbers.

He says that a person can spend on average $60-$70 a year on laundry detergent alone. So what do I do? I went through my grocery receipts from the last year and my number was $74.16! I know in the grand scheme of things that is not a ton of money, but it got me thinking about other things I shell out that kind of cash for that I know I could do without or reduce. My largest vices included:

• Clorox wipes: $65
• Swiffer dusters, floor pads (wet and dry): $85
• Paper plates: $36

For me, the worst part of all of that is all of those are things I eventually THROW AWAY. I might as well have taken that $186 and just flushed it down the toilet. I am a product of American consumerism and convenience. Why should I go through the trouble of washing dishes when I have paper plates? Why should I just use a broom and a mop like in the olden days? Why should I just use a multi-purpose cleaner when I can clean something and just throw away this handy dandy wipe? Well the simple answer is because I am lazy. But a better answer is that as a citizen of the world, I should be doing my part to help the environment. I would also like to save a few pesos.

So I continued to look on the internet for helpful hints about this, and let me tell you it is an overwhelming place out there. Some websites seem helpful at first, but later they never quite get to the nitty gritty (like how much white vinegar and water will clean anything?). What did I do next? I went to the library of course!

Yea I know there are those of you out there who are exclusively internet information-o-holics, but every once in a while I like to take a break from my mindless searching and actually pick up a book. This time the effort was worth it. I found this little gem: Green Clean: The Environmentally Sound Guide to Cleaning Your Home . I only get to keep it for a few weeks, but I know I will be making copies of the recipes chapter and trying some of them out. Although their main focus is on the environment, I would say that majority of their solutions also come with a much smaller price tag than my usual purchases.

So here are the things I am willing to give up/ change:

• No more paper plates! Sorry hubby, looks like we will be washing more dishes =(
  
• Homemade laundry detergent. I may try a few recipes and see which one I like. Stay tuned for this =)
• Floors - I have a perfectly good broom and even an awesome steam cleaner I bought on ebay that I don't use enough. Since it only uses water to clean, there is a nearly $60 savings right there!
• No more Clorox wipes, I will be investigating new recipes for multi-purpose cleaners made with things like white vinegar.
  

So I know this is all very exciting too all of you (smell the sarcasm) and I hate to leave you in suspense about how this whole transition will go. But, as a wise man once said, "Good things come to those who wait..."

Learning Karate or: How I Figured Out How to Try Something New and Overcome Timidity

Like my title, a -la Dr. Strangelove? I do. Anyways...So around last February, my husband came home and said "I'm going to start taking karate!" At first I was little surprised, but then remembered that a coworker of his was a black belt. Duh. So the story is that their company allowed his coworker to start teaching classes in an empty floor in their building. I'm sure it was something to do with teamwork, discipline, etc. At any rate, Jennings was super excited. So he went on his merry way and bought a gi and practiced katas in the back yard. After a month or two, we went to see a tournament, and by the time the next tournament came around he was ready to compete in one. All this time he kept encouraging me to come to class too. "You should go," "It's awesome!" is all I heard.

I was skeptical that karate would be for me. Also with work and school, I was feeling like there was no way to squeeze in another activity. But then I saw how much he succeeded and enjoyed it. I realized it had been a long time since I had done a physical activity and really enjoyed it. Probably high school.



Being in the colorguard was a pretty awesome thing, and before that dance classes were something to look forward to. There is something about being in a group and doing things together that is rewarding in a different way than writing a good article or making a good grade. Those things seem so isolated, but being part of a group is a rare and good thing.

So finally, as last semester slowed down, I started going to karate class. At first I was a little nervous about trying something new in front of people I barely knew. But that fear quickly faded when I saw how encouraging everyone was. There was no judgment when I go things wrong, only patience. So I have stuck with the karate thing since late November, and I am proud to say that - pending official testing results - I will be a yellow belt!

Also, this past weekend, Jennings and I went down to Fort Walton Beach for a karate winter camp. The main part of the weekend was a workout on the beach (it was 45 degrees outside!) and then we all had to get into the ice cold Gulf of Mexico for a few minutes and do some moves. Originally I was completely dreading this whole experience, but afterward I realized that it was worth it. It was worth it for me to try something I was afraid of and actually get through it.

Here is a shot of all of us in the water. Can you find us?


All in all, the experience was worth it for me. Also it makes regular karate class seem not so bad.

Are things that you have been afraid of trying that you ended up doing? Tell me about in the comments section =)