I lost my voice today.

I’m not quite sure if it’s just due to drainage of my allergies. Perhaps I’ve caught a virus. I don’t know what the source was but the fact remains, I lost my voice today. This was a perfect example of those instances as the saying goes: you don’t know what you have until you lose it.

I’m doing what I can to try and get my voice back tomorrow. One, because it will be Friday and that means I still have one more day of work. Two, because my job does require me to be on the phone and when I don’t have a voice I am forced to do incredibly boring admin work. Three, I would like to have a voice when I visit friends and family back in Dallas when we visit this weekend.

So today, I’ve been actively seeking advice on how to get my voice back and here is what I’ve been told…

• Mix cayenne pepper and water and drink it.
• Gargle salt and water.
• Take a shot of whiskey with green tea and lemon.
• Take a shot of Jack, honey, and lemon.
• Take a decongestant for sinus.
• Drink lots of lukewarm water.
• Drink a lot of warm tea with honey.
• Get plenty of rest.

I’ve done almost all of the above except for the ones with alcohol. I’m just not a very big drinker and I don’t like the way it makes me feel. I will probably go to bed soon despite it being on 9:07pm. I’ll tell you what though… there is some comfort in knowing that this is only temporary.

Do something different.

2017 is the year that I go out of my way to do something different as often as I can. Just a quick recap of things that I did in 2016 that I haven’t done before:

1. Bought a new house.
2. Bought a new (not used) car.
3. Paid $2000 in medical costs for my dog (ugh!).
4. Started my path to acquiring my Bachelor’s degree.

Geez… that’s not a very long list is it? Well, 2017 is going to be different. What is the motto of my blog? Life is about experiences. Yes. It’s time to make this priority, new experiences and new memories to remember.

New England Patriots WIN Superbowl LI!

This is what they do… it seems like the New England Patriots THRIVE on nothing left to lose. Like millions of other people out there I too was at the edge of my seat thinking after the first quarter 0-0?! What is going on?! Then 3-21 Atlanta after the 2nd quarter it was more like “What the hell is going on?!” So I guess by the time the 3rd quarter rolled around they finally remembered that they’re the New England Patriots and they are playing the SUPERBOWL! …but that’s the Patriots just doing what they do best. What an awesome comeback. How about that first ever in history overtime game? Cool stuff man. Way to go Pats!

Adventure Awaits

There is something magical about watching fireworks blast off and explode in the air. I used to think it’s because of the brilliant colors illuminating against the dark sky. Perhaps even because of the initial loud booms echoing into the night. Reflecting on today’s events though I now see the firework display as a symbol of just this – time spent with family and friends, taking the time to learn about and express ourselves with those we love and care about. Moments like these are the things that those talk about in their deathbeds. No one in their dying hours ever say that they wish they made more money or worked more hours. Life is about experiences… the good, bad, ugly, wonderful, and everything in between. 

Seeking inspiration.

So July is coming to an end. I would really love to start posting regularly on here again.  Today I realized, that I just need to stop thinking about it and just DO IT.

Too much planning can cause one to feel overwhelmed.  Structure is needed though in order to avoid feeling overwhelmed from another perspective.  When I feel stressed out I know creating a list helps me organize my thoughts and it helps me create a game plan.

As for this blog though… I can’t treat this like work or chore.  I ENJOY writing and I love using it as an outlet for expressing my thoughts.  (Even more so when I get comments!) …so I need to just dedicate time to writing.  Whether it be straight on here on the computer or in a notepad. …and I NEED to POST.

So… now that I’ve got that off my chest.  What should I write about? Please feel free to comment and share any ideas of what you’d be interested in reading about.

Thanks!

Prayers for Orlando, Florida

Prayers to all the victims and their families of the Orlando shooting this morning.

The BBC understands the name of the suspect was Omar Mateen, aged 29.

Police called the shooting an act of terrorism, but said they did not know if it was domestic or international.

It is believed that the suspect was not on a terrorism watch list, although he was currently being investigated for an unrelated criminal act.

Relatives have been gathering at local hospitals desperate for news of their loved ones.

http://www.bbc.com/news/36510272

I appreciate that political leaders are refraining from jumping onto their opinions on the media before hearing the facts from investigators, because they definitely have an influence to how we as a nation react to this tragedy. So many people are already jumping to conclusion about how this is a “Gun Issue” or “Terrorist Issue” on Twitter, Facebook, etc.  This is not a time to place the blame on “lack of gun control” or using it as an opportunity to blame religion or any other theory to support personal political views.

I am impressed about how the citizens of Florida and particularly the city of Orlando going out of their way to do what they can to help the victims and their family by going to the local blood banks and donating blood.

What you can do to help Orlando:
Donate Blood
There is a particular need for O Negative, O Positive, and AB blood types. They are asking that people not go to local hospitals but go straight to blood banks

Provide Counseling
They are currently needing counselors to help with the hotline for victims and their families. Those who need counseling can call 1-407-228-1446 also

The GLBT Community Center of Central Florida also are offering counseling/support at 942 N. Mills Avenue.

Unsubscribe Me

I decided to finally actively clear out my personal inbox.  It would be so much easier for me to just start a new personal email but I decided that I’m just going to clear out my inbox and start unsubscribing from certain mail listings.  I get literally hundreds of emails every day and it’s gotten a bit ridiculous. As I type this I am staring at the 832 unread emails notification icon.

The other day I received a contract job offer and I almost missed it because I had other emails sitting in my inbox waiting to be read. I mean, that’s additional income that I almost didn’t take advantage of because I’ve gotten so used to glazing over my inbox waiting for an interesting subject line to pop up. I like advertisement I do, I like catching awesome deals at stores/shops I regular frequent (online as well as offline) however, there are just some subscriptions I know I don’t need so from here on forward I am actively unsubscribing. Wish me luck.

Do you have a clean inbox? What are some of your organizing tips when it comes to emails?

Get over your blankpagephobia!

So I’ve been staring at this blinking cursor for about 3 minutes now. How many of us blog owners have come across the same feeling of intimidation and fear of that BLANK PAGE and ever-blinking cursor? It’s like it’s screaming at you “ah-ha! You can’t type anything…you are doomed to stare at this blank page.

Our muses are always around… we just sometimes need to quiet that voice inside our head that is distracting us from writing the words down that are just waiting to be expressed. Sometimes it just takes that initial typing even when you’re not sure of what’s going to come out. Why be afraid? It’s not like you can’t erase it if it’s not “good enough”.

I think too often do we let that ‘voice’ talk us out of writing and the next thing we know it’s been months since our last blog entry. Sometimes we just got to put our foot down and choose to get over our blankpagephobia!

Top 10 things to do fall asleep faster.

1. Turn off ALL electronic devices.
   Whether it’s your phone, iPad, TV, etc… turn it off or at least put it out of reach. Try not to use any of these devices at least 30 minutes before going to bed. No checking your email, text messages, etc… it’s time for bed.
2. Take a melatonin.
   Sometimes we need that extra nudge to fall asleep. I think over-the-counter “sleeping aids” are known to have addictive attributes so when I need it I prefer to take natural melatonin.
3. Read a book.
   It never fails, when I read a book while in bed it only takes a few chapters before drowsiness takes over especially if I’ve already done at least 2 other things on this list.
4. Listen to natural sounds track.
   There is an APP that I like to use called Sleep Pillow because it allows me to choose certain sounds (crackling fire and rain is my favorite combination) and I can choose to have it loop and set a timer so it will automatically shut off after a certain amount of time.
5. Take a shower.
   If I don’t do anything else this is the one thing I do every night. Showers have a way of regulating your body temperature and I sincerely believe showering before bed really helps one relax. At the very least I recommend you wash your face, it makes a difference.
6. Make the room cool temperature.
   I get cold very easily so this one isn’t as critical for me however my husband cannot fall asleep at all if the room temperature is not cool.
7. Take the time to stretch.
   When you find yourself tossing and turning sometimes getting out of bed and stretching your arms and legs help.
8. Drink water.
   I don’t mean drink a whole bottle of water or anything because that will definitely wake you up in the middle of night because you’d have to use the bathroom. Sometimes half a glass is enough to satisfy your thirst. While you’re at it though, you should probably relieve yourself in the restroom if you haven’t already.
9. Put on loose clothing.
   Some people like to sleep naked. I can’t do that as I get too sweaty when I don’t have clothes on (weird I know). Jeans, longsleeves, socks (unless it’s really cold for some reason) will not do, put on some loose clothing to ensure a successful wind down to dream land.
10. Make the bed.
    When all else fails get up, make the bed then crawl in. I know it sounds crazy at a glance but seriously, if nothing else has worked, why not? 😉

“Work” should not be split 50/50 in relationships

In our society we have been conditioned to look at things we are required to do (but don’t necessarily want to) as “work”. It’s true. Has the cat box been cleaned out? Do I want to clean it out? Eh… it needs to be. Are the dishes in the dishwasher? Do I want to rinse them and put them in the dishwasher? Eh… they need to be. Let’s face it, we have TONS of these scenarios going on in our lives but my question is… when it comes to “work” why as a society do we feel we are obligated to split the “work” 50/50?

See… in my strange-way-of-thinking mind, when I hear people say this my thought process is… let’s say a couple has 10 things that needs to be done in the household or in their relationships (with each other or not) when they expect one person to do half of the “work” how is it determined who does what half? Wouldn’t there always be one person waiting to see what the other person is going to do before pulling their own weight? What if both individuals are doing the same thing and suddenly those 10 things are just sitting there… idle?

I’m just saying… if we’re going to talk percentages… what is wrong with one person doing 70% of the “work” and the other person does the other 30% but also invests their time/funds/attention to other things that could benefit their relationship/life experience, e.g. plan vacation, weekend outing, restaurant/movie date night, etc. I think most relationships are strained when the individuals involved are just focusing on the “work” and they forget about fun/leisure the very thing that brought them together in the first place (time, attention, fun).

What if we stopped looking at relationships as a 50/50 type scenario and just focus on doing 150% of quality time/effort together? Just a thought.