Nicole’s Life

I realized something the other day. Someone asked me how I could handle so much on my plate and I said “because my plate is sturdy”.

For a long time, I took on many tasks to keep me busy. I was trying to fill my life not know what it was lacking. About a year and a half ago I felt like something was different with all my multi tasking. I realized I was happy! I was happy with myself, my family, my life. I was independent from my parents not that I don’t need them; because I do. For the first time I felt like a real adult.

I started looking at all that I had on my plate and realized I didn’t get nearly as stressed as before. I was taking on new projects because I wanted to learn something or I thought they could enrich my life. They have! I have learned new things which makes me feel fulfilled and complete.

In the past I tried to juggle so many things on a plate that had chips and holes, if you try to juggle the same amount of projects on a stable complete plate it becomes easier to prioritize and move things around. My plate is stable and sturdy because I am feeling complete. I am not saying I have done everything I want to do in life but I feel like I am in a good place.

I have come so far in 5 years, when my plate looked like a swiss cheese and was about as sturdy as a paper plate. I know now i can handle just about anything and I can’t wait to see what life has planned for me now.

Why is making a decision so difficult?

I mean really what are the steps:

1. Identify there is a choice to make

2. Identify the choices

3. Note the Pros and Cons of each out come

4. Weigh the Pros and Cons of each out come

5. Choose which solution is more beneficial

Ok 5 Steps, so why is it so complex?

We make thousands of decisions in a day from what to eat, which way to drive to work, or what shows to watch at night. For these decisions our brain does a mini analysis of the situation to come up with the best solution. These are simple tasks hardly thought of in a normal day.

Now for those decisions that will have more of an impact on our lives we may take a little longer. What college should we attend, which job should we take, which house should we buy. These things have to be thought of extensively because of the impact they have on our future.

When saying yes to a marriage proposal or giving one you don’t have to go through these steps, you just know that it is the right thing.

So tell me why it is so difficult to decide if you want a family or not. Is it because you are responsible for another life? You have to stop being selfish? Your life changes? I don’t know what the answer is but I believe people over analyze this decision. I am sure I am one of them.

 

Last week I heard on the radio that there is a High School not to far from my house doing a series of plays on Social Issues today.  One of the topics/plays that they are said to be interpreting is the “Laramie Project” This was the movie that told the story of Matthew Shepard, the young man that was lured by to men from a bar and then killed.  They killed him because he was gay.  It was a heinous hate crime only made worse by protesters at the funeral.  The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) made a name for themselves by first protesting Matthew Shepard’s Funeral and then protesting the funeral of our fallen soldiers.  Having said all this…..  The WBC is expected to protest this School play.  Ok so this “church” has protested Funerals, now School Plays, what are next births?  I mean seriously let’s think about it, they claim the reason soldiers die is because we allow Gay people to live, which is the stupidest thing I have ever heard.  If I were Baptist I think I would be annoyed that these people claim they are the same religion.  I know there are fanatics in every area but it is just said that they feel they should impressed their opinions upon the public.  I believe in Free Speech but I believe this is just poor taste and ignorance.  I feel bad for Matthew Shepard’s mother who must think about her son’s funeral ever time she hears the WBC in the news.  I know that all this “church” wants is to be in the news; it gives them notoriety in such a bad light.  The WBC must not realize that churches are supposed to do good things, couldn’t they help the homeless, or do something for Habitat for Humanity, or one of the millions of other charities around the world

Things to be happy about

A cat’s contented sigh

A free day

The art of packing

Having an epiphany

Paid bills

Being surrounded by books

A short list of dream vacations

A long list of dream vacations already taken

A bright scarf - even better if you were the one who made it
comfortable jeans

Everyday I get the “Page a Day” calendar of 5 things to be happy about sent to me.

The above are a few of my favorite. I started to think of some of my own:

A dog’s greeting

A palm tree in the South Carolina sun

Falling in love with your husband on a daily basis

Making something with your own two hands

Learning something new

Being a Daddy’s girl

Having a loving supportive family

Being proud of yourself

Standing on your own 2 feet

The way a dog cocks his head at you as if to say “I understand what you are saying”

Planning a vacation

Having an account reconcile in a mater of hours not days

An unexpected snow day

A song that makes you feel like a teenager

Realizing how lucky you are before it is too late

Learn to Crochet

“How is it possible to have a civil war?”

I found this question on

http://coolsig.com/lifes_questions3.html

I thought this appropriate since the President is giving a speech about Iraq tonight. Let me start out with, I fully 100% support our troops and everything that they are doing. However I am not sure that we should remain in Iraq. I don’t think anyone can truly know what they would do if there were the president. I know that we are not privy to all the information he is and that would most likely impact anyone’s decision. I do feel that we shouldn’t take on other countries problems as our own.

The US is known for “policing” the world. People talk about this in such a negative way. When we are trying to help Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia, etc people said that the US should keep out of it, the US should mind their own business. That is all fine and good but……

These are also the people who believe that the US should give aid to all the under developed countries in the world. Tends to be pretty confusing!

 

Looking back on last year I am happy that I have completed some of my goals for 2006:

To Stop Saying Shut Up – I rarely use that anymore!!!!

Take my CPA exam – Not yet, I just wasn’t ready, maybe in 2007

Catch up on Scrapbooking all of 2005 – Completed, Now there is 2006!

Read a Book a month – this was a great experience

Get back into Creative Writing – I have started to write more, but I would like to set aside time each week to work on this.

Learn to Dance – maybe 2007

 

All and all I don’t think it was that bad.  Not to mention I learned how to knit this year too!!  That is one of the most relaxing hobbies there is. 

 

So for 2007…….

 

Goals

Read a book a month – Including Anna Karina

Complete all 2006 Scrapbooks

Redo all my mom’s Scrapbooks

Knit myself a sweater

Give more money to Charity

Keep current on sending out Birthday cards

Go White Water rafting (again)

Update my site once a week.  I think I will do this on Wednesdays

 

 

Things to do this week

So on labels to Tatum’s, Anita’s, and Goma’s Scarves

Mail Tatum’s and Goma’s Scarves

Make new name tags for work

Buy yarn for Sweater

When we arrived at Hershey Stadium the gray skies had saddened our faces.  Heather and I were taking her children, my niece and nephew, to see Toby Keith.

It started to rain halfway to the stadium and we all started chanting, “Rain, Rain go away come again another day!”  Unfortunately no one was listening.  Half our summer has been spent with no rain, and the one night we had two little faces that we could not disappoint we have a down pour.

We sat in the car watching the rain dance on the windshield.  The kids asked, “When can we go into the concert?”  Heather and I answered, “the rain should stop in a few minutes”, we questioned if that would be the truth.

And so the night of us being wrong began…

We walked into the concert a few minutes later and much to our dismay we were not permitted to take our umbrella through the gates, this being the only thing protecting us from the lovely rain.  We bought ponchos as soon as we walked through the gate, but no where did we see cowboy hats.  A country concert and no Cowboy hats, that is like a church without a Cross!!!  We figured the ponchos would keep us semi-dry.  Wrong Again…

Joe Nichols brightened our spirits and made us forget we were drenched.  The rain even subsided for a few minutes, and again we thought “Maybe it is over”.  And again we were wrong!

Toby Keith made his grand entrance; the kids jumped up on their chairs and started dancing.  Heather and I already standing began to dance!  As the lyrics went on we cared less and less about the rain.  Our hair and make-up ceased to be important, when you saw the joy in the kids faces. “The night was great even if it was raining” confirmed the kids.

This comment has been on my mind in the days since the concert.  I enjoyed the concert because the music was great.   However the best part of my night was when my niece and nephew taught me how to Dance in the Rain!!!

Hmmmmmmmmm…..
Let’s see we have our standard answers, someone famous, the president, God, etc. I of coarse would like to sit down with my grandfathers. I think that since I have grown up I would like their opinions on so many things. Not to mention I would appreciate their life experiences so much more now. I would love to hear them tell stories about their lives.
Then there is Kenny Chesney, just so I could hear him sing
Dale Earnhardt Jr, to talk about racing.
F. Scott Fitzgerald, to talk about the Great Gatsby.
Jimmy Buffett, I need to know what it is like to live in paradise.
I can think of Historical figures:
Roosevelt, I would love to know what he was thinking during war.
Hitler, how did he think he was doing something good.
Stalin, what was going on in your head.
This train of thought came out of a radio station I was listening to this morning. Someone on the radio said they would like to talk to a World War II Veteran that saw combat to see what it was really like.
Besides all the people I have mentioned I would like to talk to Henry Bergh. He is the one who started the ASPCA. I would like to know what it takes to start such an organization and what made him do it. I would like to know how I can start my own rescue, since this is my dream…….

Why is it that some people get themselves in so much shit and still come out smelling like roses?
Why is it when I get frustrated I just feel like I want to cry?
Why is it that I am such a workaholic? Is it because I love my job or because I want people to be proud of my accomplishments?
Why is it one year later I still remember how I felt when they told me she died in a fire?
And I check my house 3 times before leaving every day.
I wonder if I will ever get of that fear of fire?