The road to hell is paved with good intentions

I was taught that it is always better to tell the truth (it will set you free, so to speak). Recently (pretty much daily) I'm reminded, the truth doesn't always set you free - sometimes it restricts and punishes you.

Don't get me wrong - I'm still advocating for the truth! But sometimes I wish doing the right thing as an adult was as easy and arbitrary as when I was a kid. Yes, I'd much rather be able to sleep at night knowing I did the right thing, but now I'm in the throws of an all out extreme pissing match. Fun to watch (if you're a masochist), terrible to live!

Bottom line: Doing the right thing is always the right choice - even if your situation SUCKS worse after all is said & done. At least there is light at the end of the tunnel instead of handcuffs, fire & brimstone.

Lessons from the weekend...

1. Just because its been in the fridge, doesn't mean it's still good to eat.

2. $10 is NOT enough money to do laundry for one person.

3. Laziness DOES NOT pay off, but it DOES feel good.

4. It should not take 2 days for my chores.

5. I may have gotten dumber since I turned 35. Why, you ask? 

Because everything on the list, I already knew! (oh except for maybe #5)

No one to crush on...

For a long time Bobby (the guy on the far left) was my big "My Boys" crush!

Last month, while house / dog sitting I decided to resurrect one of my FAVORITE shows (Thanks Netflix) "My Boys", and up came an episode about being in a slump - and boy could I relate! 

Everything in this show centers around how life mimics baseball, so when you aren't dating or crushing on anyone - you are in a slump. Couldn't agree more! My slump has lasted way longer than I'd like to admit but I digress...

What a difference a month makes!

You know, the Morton Salt Girl and I have something in common...

Except she gets salt. I apparently get boys coming out of the woodwork! (Notice I'm not complaining)

It's been so long since I've had a man actually courting me, that I forgot what it was like. I'm a little sad to report that it is not like riding a bike... okay well maybe it's like riding a bike you still remember the concept - but your center of balance has probably changed. 

So for now, I'm plugging along. Trying to enjoy the attention. Trying to enjoy 35. Trying to make sure I don't end up holding an umbrella when the next dry spell comes along.

Well... What do you do when you're sick & can't sleep?!?

Me? I do what any crazy unmarried 34 year old woman does:

Design an engagement ring online while sitting on the can!

See! Don't I have great taste?!?

Now some of you are probably asking yourself... "Does Jennifer have a boyfriend? Is she even dating anyone?"

No. No, I do not.

Perhaps you think it may be bad mojo to design a ring before you have someone that wants to give you that ring. Well, I'll tell you like I told my ex when he found out that I had designed a ring: 

I did this long before you came along & will probably be doing it long after you leave. It makes me happy, so just deal with it.

And here you were wondering why I'm still single! 

New Apartment

So I've spent the last couple of days moving (way too much) stuff from my old house in Fort Worth to my new apartment in Grand Prairie. I've learned a few things:

1. I have way too much stuff
2. I hate moving
3. I'm still not done yet
4. My bicycle doesn't have a place outside
5. I left my toiletry box at the old house and washed my hair with body soap. But it was still amazeballs

Now to finish unloading my car in the morning and take one last trip to get stuff in Fort Worth. Then I get to unpack! Woo hoo!

Photos / Video to follow soon!

The Blazing Race

The Amazing Blazing Race - or at least that's how we do it where I work. 

The Slimsons BEFORE photo :)

Today, along with a couple of coworkers, I competed in a scavenger hunt of sorts all over the university where I'm employed.  In an effort to become less fat-tastic, I have tried to become more active - which goes really well with this Slimdown Competition work is hosting. Our team, The Slimsons, is working on getting into our skinny jeans and this race was part of the goal.

We chose the low impact route and DAMN I'm out of shape! (Like it was that big of a surprise!) 

As we went along though, I realized a couple of things:

1. When you're too fat, your back hurts BAD when you walk.
2. The more active you are, the better you feel. DUH
3. My coworkers are really fun people (I kind of already knew that...)
4. This campus is HUGE (and yes, I realize "That's what she said")
5. I don't care what that stupid piece of paper said - we walked more than 1.14 miles!

My encouragement to you today is to get out there and walk or run or bike or whatever you do to be active. Looking down at the scale and tipping it to the highest you've ever seen it with your two feet standing on top is not a happy place, friends! 

Remember: Fitness is FUN!

750 Words

As some of you know, I teach computer classes at an organization that serves women looking to improve their situations by learning a new skill (e.g. computers). I came across this organization following the death of two of my co-workers almost two years ago. I'm on my 3rd class and last night we finished up the keyboarding portion of our course - which means we're a third of the way done with the program! Time seriously flies!!!

Anywho, a common thread among some of these women is that at some point they've been victims of domestic violence. Sometimes they suffer from low self esteem or self worth. They've never had someone tell them that they could do something - they've always been put down. This is where my 750 words comes in.

Think back to a time when you were learning something... say keyboarding. I take for granted that (once we moved to Texas) the schools I attended had computers and we always had a computer in the house (Thanks Dad!) so keyboarding is a skill I never really put much thought into learning. Now, I can type upwards of 75 words per minute. 

One reason I'm a stronger typist than others is that I spend a lot of time writing / blogging / etc. So I've encouraged my students to start doing the same. 750words.com is a website developed on the idea of Morning Writings. The thought is that if you write three pages every morning (roughly 750 words) it frees your mind and allows you to think more clearly for the rest of the day. The added bonus is that if you're learning to type, you can get practice and comfort typing to your little heart's desire. 

The thing I L O V E about 750words.com is that it is completely private - unless you change the settings. They also give you fun statistics (nerd alert) about your writing and who doesn't love getting into their subconscious? The only downfall at this point, is that they're going to a paid only subscription to assist in offsetting the cost of running the site. It is very modestly priced but my point is that even if you don't use this particular platform - getting those pesky thoughts out of your head every morning really helps you become a more productive and creative person. 

Give it a try. You never know what you might find out about yourself. Even if it's just that you improve your typing speed :)