Happy Holidays!

...Or How the Holidays Remind Amanda How Her Family Is Crazy.

Oy vey. Where to even begin. There's a part of me that thoroughly enjoys the holidays. I enjoy the tedious task of gift listing making. I put a lot of time and energy in to it as I am of the give a thoughtful gift camp, not the "just let me buy you a gift card" faction. Sometimes, that thoughtful gift involves me making something, a craft or food. This year, more so than usual. I've made jelly, hot sauce, pickles, pickled green beans and almond brittle. Surprisingly enough, the cost isn't as nominal as you would think to make your own gift. Most of the time it's just as much to make something, and there's definitely more time that goes into it. However, the look on my grandather's face when I gave him a box of homemade hot sauces was definitely worth it.

Speaking of food, I also enjoy partaking in consuming copious amounts of it. My grandmother is a traditionalist. She has made the same thing for Thanksgiving and Christmas as long as I can remember. Many of these are things she doesn't make during the year. So that means, I have 361 days of building anticipation to get ready to eat them (Why not 364? Because she makes so much food, there's generally leftovers for about a week.) Every year at Christmas, my grandmother makes orange cookies just.for.me. They taste like the entire essence of a whole orange has been squeezed into a cookie. It's DELISH! And because she makes them, just for me, it's her special way of saying she loves me.

I am also, surprisingly, getting into Christmas music. I used to hate it with a passion. But this year, I found myself CONSTANTLY turning on the holiday station on both Pandora and my TV. My new Christmas favorite? Happy Holidays by Andy Williams. Go check it out. It'll be stuck in your head until January. In a close second to Christmas music is Christmas MOVIES! I HAVE to watch Elf while wrapping presents. I also have to sneak in Home Alone, The Holiday, and Serendipity in there as well (just for the record, watching Serendipity as I type this; hey it still counts because it's before New Year's!).

 Now, what I hate about the holidays. The constant reminder of just how crazy my family is. Without going into languishing detail, I've had encounters with both sides of my family that make me realize two things: I'm very glad with where I am at in life and the decisions I've made and I'm glad I'm not as crazy as them. I just pray that I can lead my life to not be like them. Don't get me wrong, I still love them, but I will actively choose to live my life differently from them. It might not be normal, but hopefully it won't be crazy. :)

11.28.12

Moments That You Share With Only One Other Person in the World...

Whether it be buying the same shoes together and wearing them out or a brush of the leg under the table, it's that small moment that make you smile because only you and that one other person know what's happening. You could tell someone else, but they won't understand. It won't make you smile the same way, inside and out, like you will. It's the fact that, that one single person decided to make a memory with you, right then and there in that moment, and be selfish and keep it between the two of you that matters most. The whole world doesn't need to know, the two of you are enough. :)

Two More Days. Trucking Right Along.

11.26.12

Good friends and small reminders.

Tonight was Anne's last day of work in the greater metroplex known as Bryan/College Station. Being without an excuse to say no, To celebrate, Anne decided to join PubQuiz tonight at Revolution. Being that there was myself, Anne, Brian, and Ben, we decided to form our own team. We had a freaking blast. It's really too bad that they waited until their last week to join because I thoroughly believe that they would have come in future weeks, if they weren't moving away. I love the fact that no matter what we're doing, whether it's eating french fries covered in cereal, shoe shopping, or kicking ass at trivia, we have a good time. We don't need outside sources or influences, we just are so incredibly compatible together. I'm going to miss her SO.MUCH. But I guess that just means more road trips to Louisiana now. :)

Small reminders...hmm, how to explain. I just had a late night random text from someone who, in my opinion, wronged me greatly. I know things don't always have to work out, but there's always a classy way to handle them. BUT I got a text saying that I was good person and deserved good things in life. It's nice a) to be reminded of that and b) to know that said person recognizes it too. :)

11.27.12

My job.

(and it's inherent flexibility). :)

Also, I'm trying to resolve to write at least 15 minutes a night. Hopefully, I'm going to need it real soon. :) I'll keep you posted next week, or as soon as I find out officially. I hope the suspense kills you. ;)

Thankfulness update.

11.20.12: Friends who help.
11.21.12: Good deals while shopping (I spent $45 and saved $35. Boom!) And the beautiful full Texas moon.
11.22.12: A relaxing Thanksgiving with some awesome family.
11.23.12: Not having to leave aforementioned family to go teach.
11.24.12: Wonderful women in my family.
11.25.12: Lazy Sundays. No matter how productive I plan to be, it never happens. Ever.

11.19.12 Goodnight Kisses.

That's what I'm thankful for today. No need to elaborate. :)

Being Thankful

...How Amanda is Going to Start Writing Daily...again.

I was reading this article about "10 Simple Things to Make You Happier at Home." Check out number four:

4. Start a one-line-a-day gratitude journal. Before bed, simply jot down one happy memory from that day. (If you have kids, you can ask them, "What was the best part of today?") Reflection is an important part of happiness, and pausing to reflect on a positive event from each day cultivates gratitude. (An added bonus: Later, when your memory is defunct, you will already have all of your meaningful adventures recorded!) If you have trouble getting started with journaling, consider buying a book to guide you. Simple Abundance, by Sarah Ban Breathnach, is a great one.

I've had this thought before but I always get sidetracked. And I've been seeing people's 30 Day of Thanks on facebook and have been inspired. So here we go:

Today, I am thankful for phone calls that last over an hour. I haven't been on the phone with someone  in forever in a long time. Back in high school days, most of my evenings were spent on the phone. You'd do your homework, watch TV, doodle, write notes while having a conversation with your best friend or boyfriend. It's been a really long time since I've talked to someone that long without a purpose. It was nice and definitely made me smile. :)

Tonight I was told that I "embody energy."

I'll take it! :)

Days 4 & 5

It's so hard to take the time to update sometimes, but I know that I'll forget it all if I don't. So here we go!

Sunday.
Since I had enormously slept in on Saturday, I decided to get up and take Amanda to breakfast. Breakfast has always been a tradition of ours. She used to wake me up in the mornings and we'd go to breakfast in our pajamas. So we decided to actually get dressed this time and go have breakfast. I literally had one of everything, pancakes, egg, hashbrowns, bacon and sausage. And it was DELICIOUS! Oh, sometimes breakfast is so good that it makes me want to wake up early all the time. Okay, not really. :) Then we went over to a cute little town called Gig Harbor. I went there twice last year and just loved it! So we went back, went to a Christmas Shop and went to a farmer's market. The farmer's market was not as exciting as it was last year so that was a let down. I was really on the search for green zebra tomatoes because they are AWESOME! But alas, no tomatoes.

We ventured back into Lakewood to see ParaNorman. But we had about an hour to kill. We looked for an antique shop but couldn't find, but then (wait for it...) we found a FARMER'S MARKET!!! Can you tell I LOOOOVE farmer's markets?! And guess what I found? Green Zebra tomatoes!!! WIN WIN WIN!!! So excited!

So we finished up just in time to go see ParaNorman. It was...interesting. As an adult, I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure I'd take my kids to go see it. It was kinda scary (I'm a wuss). And I was shocked because they used the word "jackass" in a PG movie. What? Since when is that PG?! Crazy, my mom would have NEVER let me hear that word when I was a kid and there was kids as young as four there. Insane.

Monday.
So since the five miles didn't happen on Saturday, today was THE day. I plotted my course, ate well the night before, got my running shoes on and set out. However, as I've learned this week, maps and the actual location are NEVER as matching as they seem. :) I thought I was heading to the parking lot I had planned for my route to start at, however, I ended up at the bottom of a mountain at the parking lot in the middle of the loop I had planned to run.  BUT I was determined this morning and made it work. I ended up running in a circle three times at the end, which I hate, but 5 miles needed to be done! So...guess who finished 5 miles today?!

THIS GIRL!!!!!!!!

And the rest of my day involved making alfredo sauce from scratch with my pasta from Pike Market and then getting my ass handed to me by a pregnant lady in a personal training session. Uber embarrassing, especially after you conquer five miles. Hope all is well back home for you guys!

Days 2 & 3

Day 2 (09.21.12)

My dear friend Amanda's mom has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Friday she had an appointment in Seattle to determine what the next step was. I decided to hitch a ride along and let them go to the doctor while I piddled around town. I decided to start out at Pike Market and basically eat my way around it. I had BIG plans. I made a list...yes a list, and then talked to someone there to get his recommendations as well. I started off with a crumpet covered in ricotta cheese, honey and walnuts. Holy moly, it was stinking good! I might HAVE to figure out how to make crumpets at home! Next stop, donuts! I went to the Daily Dozen and lo and behold, they make 'em fresh right there. I was debating for a half dozen, but a dozen was only a dollar more, so who wouldn't upgrade?! I visited with the cashier and turns out he frequents Texas regularly, he handed me my bag of assorted donuts and said "I threw a couple extra in there to keep your hands warm." Turns out, he threw in another HALF DOZEN. I say down with the intention to eat only a few...but soon, I looked in the bag and there were six left. Yes, I ate a dozen mini donuts, AFTER eating an entire crumpet. Kinda put a wrench in my eating all day plan because at the point I was full! I decided to keep walking. I made my stop at MarketSpice, watched the fish throwing, took in a couple of market musicians, who are SO entertaining. I saw a guy who wheeled a piano out on the sidewalk, a gal playing guitar while tap dancing, and another guy playing guitar while hula hooping (all the pictures turned out blurry which is a shame). It was insane. I really wanted to try homemade sausage and piroskhys but my stomach wasn't allowing it. I continued walking through the market and now can successfully said I have made it all the way through, on all floors AND across the street. Now by this time, I was hungry. The chowder I wanted to try had a line waaay out the door, the sausage was sold out (how does that happen?!) so I went to my old faithful, Beecher's Crab and Grilled Cheese. I headed to the park down the way and enjoyed it along with a beautiful view of the harbor.

I decided to take the monorail up to Seattle Center, which is where the World's Fair was held in 1962 (and for which the Space Needle was built). Fun fact: the monorail was built specifically to take passengers from downtown to Seattle Center for the fair. As I got off, a lady was there offering help. She told me about an exhibit that was about to close celebrating the 50th anniversary of the World's Fair in Seattle. I decided to go check that out instead. It was REALLY cool. I'm glad I did. It seems so weird how much we have developed in 50 years. And to see where we THOUGHT we were going to be in 50 years. The exhibit was so well put together; the pictures, videos and various memorabillia took you back 50 years and let you image what it was like to be there if you weren't. I'm making this promise to myself, if there's ever a World's Fair in my vicinity, I'll definitely be going. The city of Seattle tore down buildings to make way for the World's Fair...I mean, can you even imagine the spectacle that it was? Everything had to be bigger and better. I bet it was a sight to see.

After finishing up my history of the World's Fair, I decided it was appro to go to the Space Needle and see the result of said World Fair. While the view was amazing, the history and the making of the Space Needle is what is so fascinating. I highly recommend you doing a little research or at least reading all of the signs if you decide to visit it. I also celebrated my journey to the top with a Seattle dog, a hot dog with bacon onion jam and cream cheese. Holy cow, make me go weak in the knees. You can see all the pictures on Facebook but the view was pretty spectacular! Afterwards, I headed back down and returned to Tacoma.

TODAY, was a slow day. I slept until 11:00 Seattle time, that's a long time btw. I needed to run 5 miles according to my half marathon training plan. I got a waaaay late start and wasn't feeling up to par. But I decided I was gonna do it anyways. I headed out to Point Defiance Park was has a 5 mile road, so I figured it would be perfect. The run started off great, but around mile 2 I got a sharp pain in the leg. Stretching was not helping at all. I tried to walk it off. I did everything possible but it was not leaving. At the point I was at, I had to either run 1.75 miles back or keep going. So I kept going. I then discovered a shortcut back to the truck and decided to take that. Right around then, I hit my stride and was feeling better. But at that point, they had opened up 5 mile road back to cars (it had previously been closed off) I had already resolved to cut my run short so that my whole afternoon wasn't gone. So I only ran 2.5ish miles and headed back to the truck, but Monday, I *WILL* run 5 miles. It's gonna happen. It's gotta. And then next weekend, I'll return to Point Defiance and concur that 5 mile road again. I mean, how can you not want to run when this is your backdrop?

Afterwards, I got back into my photography stride and took some maternity pictures of Amanda. I haven't looked at or processed yet, but I promise, I'll give you a sneak peak by the end of the week. :) That's all for now folks, I've gotta head to bed. One goal that I will reach on my vacation is that I plan on catching up on sleep!

I've arrived!

...Or How You're About to See a Lot of Posts About Washington State. :)

The day has FINALLY come! I am now on "vacation" in Washington State. It only took forever to get here and the road was quite stressful. In fact, I didn't start packing until 12:45 this afternoon and I needed to leave town at 1:30. If my mom hadn't been so persistent, I would have just packed a suitcase with shoes and my fancy shampoo and conditioner, left with an almost empty suitcase and just bought clothes up here. Instead, my suitcase weighs EXACTLY 50 pounds so I can't bring anything back...or I'll have to mail it.

One of my best friends lives up here and I haven't seen her since February and that was only for a few hours. I miss her terribly and it's always so good to see her. Tonight, she reminded me why she's one of my best friends. We were getting ready for bed and I asked for a pillow and she said, "I know you only sleep with just a sheet when you get hot, but I know you also get cold up here, so there's a sheet on your bed and here's a blanket to use in the middle of the night." It blew me away that after all this time, she knows EXACTLY how I like to sleep. It's when you know the little details about someone that, to me, show your true relationship. Anyone can know my mom's name or where I graduated from college or what musical instrument I play, but if you know how I like to sleep because we've slept together a million times, or if you know how I like to order my mexican food (no lettuce as a garnish), or if you know that I like my Sonic drinks with easy ice because the ice takes up too much space, then that's when you know me. And it's even better when I don't ask or tell you these things, but you just pick up on it. I've never explicitly discussed my sleeping preferences with Amanda, but we spent two summers and countless other nights together that she just paid attention and knew. THAT'S how to get to my heart. Yay for best friends! It's gonna be an awesome two weeks!

Dear Mother...

...Or Why You Should Never Let Your Mother Do Your Chores After You're 24.

"Dear Mother" could be followed up with "...of pearl." or "of Christ." or another word that isn't appropriate to type. All of those cliches come to mind when trying to do the simple task of laundry with my mother. You see, I'm leaving tomorrow for Washington State...YAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYY! and my mom made the nice gesture of offering to wash some clothes for me to help me pack. HOWEVER, I returned home expecting most of it to be done, however, she had only washed my work clothes. Which I have no intention of wearing while in Washington. She then wants me to sort through my clothes and tell her which to wash so that I can take on my trip. Let's be honest, I don't really sort anymore. I wash everything in cold. Dry my t-shirts and line dry the rest. That's it. I wash my bras with my work clothes, my reds with my blues, and my greys with my whites. Yes, I know it's risky, but I've been doing it for six years and somehow I still manage to have wearable clothes after everytime I do laundry. My mother, however, doesn't see it that. She acts like I have NEVER done laundry before in my life. In fact, we almost got into an argument about whether or not my bra could do in the wash with some work shirts. She tells me that it's going to ruin it as she turns one of the cups inside out, to which, I then flip out...because YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO DO THAT! Obviously, we have different opinions when it comes to clothes...

The same as loading the dishwasher now that I think of it. My mom must have an instruction manual somewhere in which it indicates there is only one proper way to load the dishwasher...and that is her way. I guess it must have gotten misplaced over the years because I sure haven't seen it around.

Dear friends, if you love your mother, don't do the dishes with her or laundry. It'll just end badly.

Random Thoughts of the Day

...Or How Amanda can't Focus Long Enough to Write an Entire Post.

• I finished a 4.5 mile run. Longest run ever, seriously. It's exciting. And scary. Next week is  5 miles and then every week afterward, my Saturday mileage goes up 1 mile. I feel like now is the turning point. There's no turning back now. I can either maintain my mileage or push ahead and go for this half marathon. So I'm going for the half marathon, hopefully there's not too many shin splints or puking along the way. :)
• I've gotten the chance to have some really cool opportunities recently. Last night, I got to run a comedy show with Scott Kennedy. This guy has had a Comedy Central special and has been Craig Ferguson's show. He threw me a shout out during the show and him and his opening act wanted to take pictures with me when it was over. How crazy is that?! 
• So there's this guy in my life, we'll call him "Joey" for purposes of this blog. Last night, Joey and I met up after the comedy show and after he got done with work. I was super exhausted but stayed out later than usual because I hadn't gotten a chance to see him this week and truth be told, I just REALLY enjoy his company. We talked until 2am, he walked me to my car, we talked for another hour, which is generally what happens. Then we maybe ended our evening with a little kissy face time. :) It's gonna sound real cheesy and girly and probably too romantic movie stuff, but I love the way my face feels after we kiss. It's a little tingly from the scruff of his 5 o'clock shadow. It doesn't last long, but it's a nice reminder on the drive home of what just happens. It usually manages to keep me smiling until I get in bed. Any other ladies experience this or am I the only one?
• I still owe a post about the launch party and my trip to my dad's. I'll try to make it happen tomorrow. :)

Dear Life: An Open Letter to the Universe

...Or How Amanda Needs a Break from the Drama.

Dear Life:
I need a break. A break from drama. A break from stress. A break from worrying. This has just been TOO much. Every time I think that nothing else could possibly go wrong, you throw another curve ball at me. This past year has had some really amazing highs, but there's all been some really low lows. The past 60 hours included. It's been utter ridiculousness. I'm at my breaking point...again. For the second time in six weeks. I really don't want to be [and can't be] sick for another two weeks. I just can't handle it.

I know that you don't throw more at me than I can handle, but hoo boy, are you building my strength or what? It's truly amazing how quickly the balance of life can shift. One minute, everything is perfect, truly perfect. The next minute, you're wondering if you're gonna have a place to live next month OR if you're gonna have to call the cops on one of your good friends. [Both true stories in the past 60 hours.]

I don't know what to do. I feel like I'm truly a victim in both of the recent scenarios. That I can't control my own destiny. I know there's a plan, but it's real hard right now to see how those things fit into it. So tonight, I'm gonna trust [and get some sleep] and pray for a brighter tomorrow. Because right now, that's all I feel that I can do.

So much to write...

but I think my brain might be overwhelmed. I promise to write later this week.

Topics may (or may not) include:
Running
My fantastically awesome Art979 launch party
Lying
My surprise trip to see my Dad this weekend.

Stay tuned, I'll promise I'll write about one of those topics!

First Long Run Done...

...Or How Amanda Really is Doing This Whole Half-Marathon Thing.

It really happened...I woke up at 5:15am to meet a group of runners at 6:00am to go run 4 miles. Am I crazy? Yes. Am I determined to run this half-marathon? Yes.

I was a little nervous when I got there. Everyone was DEFINITELY a runner, and I, clearly, am not. They were all talking about 11:00 min/mile pace, 10:00 min/mile pace, NINE MINUTE MILE PACE?!...not me. I was just hoping someone would be run/walking because that is where I am at right now. Luckily, there was some girl there and she said she was doing it, but she was going four miles. Not the original 3, I had planned on. But whatever, I figured, at least I would have someone beside me who wouldn't let me quit. We started out pretty well, in fact, I even got ahead of her sometimes. My stride was quite larger than hers. We started on Texas Avenue, ran down to University,  turned onto Tarrow/Lincoln and back on to University. What I DIDN'T realize was how freaky hilly University Drive is...you know what sucks more than being at the bottom of a hill? Having run two and half miles already and knowing you've got to go up it! I realized my hill endurance is not where it needs to be. But I've got 15 weeks to work on it! I was slightly bummed on Saturday because my GPS was telling me that we ran FIVE miles and my pace was 11-12 minutes and I was super pumped. However, I realized that my GPS was totally wrong. The route was right, but it calculated the mileage wrong somehow. BUT I've got four miles under my belt and here we go...I'm really doing this half-marathon thing. I've got two friends who are doing it with me so I've got the support system in place, now I've just got to get up and run. :)

Amanda L. Reynolds: The Socialite

...Or How She Feels Like She Knows Everyone in B/CS.

Tonight I was leaving work, around 8:00ish, I saw a well known restaurant owner who happened to be parked outside of my building. He was talking to another local business establishment and invited me to see his new food truck (can you say I was giddy with excitement getting a sneak peak!!). As I got in the car, it's time like those that I'm surprised by my life. I don't often relish in the fact of the people and connections that I have, but it's times like that, when I kind of have to pinch myself. Right now, I'm currently working on a magazine that has insite to some of the coolest things happening in Bryan/College Station, working with some "big names" in town. In the past year of returning back to Bryan, I've gotten to do a lot of cool stuff, which has lead to meeting a lot of cool people. The last time I was out, someone walked in about every 20-30 minutes that I knew and they came by to say hi.

But at the same time, it almost feels as though it's not me. I've never been one for names or being in the "in" crowd. So it's awesome, yet weird at the same time, to be hobnobbing with these people. You're probably wondering where I'm going with this and the answer is I really don't know. I think this probably has to do with a big-ish decision I'll be making in my life soon. One that would lead me down the road of being with the "in" crowd. I would become someone that everyone knows (hopefully, if I do my job right). I guess I'm just too nervous and overthinking it per the usual. So say a little prayer, I'd be happy to elaborate with you guys, just not on the internet where it's permanent record. ;)

Back in the Saddle Again.

...Or How Amanda is Attempting to Run for the 457th Time in Her Life.

Today, something just clicked in me. Maybe it was my best friend who made his 47th Facebook status update about going to work out. Or maybe it was all the pictures circulating around from drum corps (both marching and teaching) where I look incredibly skinny and tan. Or maybe it was the fact that I cleaned out my closet (which possibly hadn't been done since 2001) and had to give away about 20 pairs of pants. Mostly because they no longer fit, some, however did fall into the no longer fashionable (who would have thought bleached jeans and/or fringed khakis would go out of style?).  Or maybe it was last week when I couldn't do my favorite crunch exercise with the band kids. Whatever the reason was, I decided TODAY is the day I start working out again. You see, I have a free entry to a half marathon in December and I REALLY want to do it. However, I've been procrastinating on the running, so I decided I needed to buck up and start couch to 5k...again.

I was all prepped and ready to go and my good friend, Marie, and I had been texting and I told her I was going to go "run." She said that I should go over to her house and we would go together. I was hesitant at first, one, because I'm a sucky runner and I didn't want her to see that, two, I wanted to be able to go my own pace. But after the sermon this morning at church (I'll relay that another time), I decided that I should go with her. I went over and we walked for about a mile and then I decided I was gonna stay beside her, but jog to get my heart rate going a little more. I did the first time beside her, after my minute was over, she said, "That's all?" So the next time, she ran with me. We did the entire W1D1 set of C25k today. We ended up running over three miles. It felt SOOO good to get cardio happening, my lungs fresh and clear and know that I'm exercising again. AND we're planning to do it again on Tuesday. I think it will be SUPER good for me to have a running partner and hopefully I'll be able to make it through the half marathon in December. Wish me luck. Root for me. And above all, make sure to ask me how I'm doing so I don't quit. :)

Let It Go and Give it to God

...Or How When You Do, You Learn That God Has a Sense of Humor

Remember two posts ago? About the guy? I've been praying about it all week. I tried to distance myself this week so I could clearly think about what I was gonna tell him. I didn't go out to his normal hang on Wednesday...I was maybe stalking him in an unhealthy kinda sorta electronic way. I decided to end that because it wasn't serving any purpose except to see him everyday, which then fostered constant thoughts of him, so I decided to be done with anything that wasn't positive to my well being.

Anyways, around Wednesday I decided that I was going to tell him how I felt to make sure he knew and then I was gonna let it be. Over the next two days, I spent my extra time formulating my speech. I was gonna tell him how I felt, that I wasn't ready for it be to be serious, but I enjoyed our time together and I wanted to let him know so that nothing was unclear. And that I didn't need any kind of answer, solution, or comment. I just wanted to let him know and he could do with that information as he wanted, but at least that way, it would be out of my mind and heart and I would know that we both knew where I stood.

Fast forward to tonight. We ended up going out, very informally with friends. However, all our friends left around 12:30 and we stayed and talked. We had this conversation about owning up to our actions. In my head, I thought, this is the perfect reference to bring up later to help ease the potential awkwardness. The establishment closed at 2:00 and we continued our shuffleboard game. Management finally kicked us out at 2:30 and we proceeded outside to talk, which is not unusual for us. As we were walking to our cars, my stomach was in knots. I had told myself I was gonna do it tonight, the stage was set, the perfect segue way was created...but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Every time there was a small pause, the words just wouldn't come out. Finally, it was almost 3:00am. I was incessantly yawning because I am NEVER up this late, so he says that I should go home...and then he moves in closer to me. He has this...look. Perhaps you know the look. It's when a guy gets this crazy look in his eyes...like he's gonna kiss you. I've seen this look twice in my life, perhaps the other times it happens to fast to notice, but I've definitely seen it before, so I feel confident I can spot it now. SURE ENOUGH, BAM! A goodnight kiss. :) It was awesome. My heart was so relieved. In the middle of kissing, I told him, "I'm really glad you did this, because tonight I was gonna tell you that I like you because I wasn't really sure if you knew." He said that he did know, but we just happen to be two extremely busy people. Which is COMPLETELY true unfortunately. I can't even find time to sleep, much less to date.

It's just crazy how when you let things go and stop stressing that God not only tells you, but SHOWS you that he will take care of it. It's so hard to do for me, but it's times like this when he smacks me on my head that I know things will be taken care of, no matter how off track they seem. So now that I know that a mutual interest has been confirmed, maybe I can sleep better at night and stop stressing. And hopefully, the two of us can make a little more time for each other in the midst of our busy schedules in the future. As for right now, I just can't stop smiling. Actually I can't stop smiling long enough to go to sleep hence the late night blog.

[post-note: What's funny is that I had a romantic dream about him last night and woke up angry this morning because, in my conscious mind, I had sworn him off. Perhaps that was the greater good telling me this wasn't the plan.]

A Person's Character

...Or How I'm Postponing That Deep Conversation Until Tomorrow.

:) Sleep is actually calling my name tonight. I'm excited!  But a small funny anecdote from today. I'm teaching high school marching band for the first time in a loooooong time. It's taken a while to get used to it...the kids who don't want to be there, teaching 140 kids (the most I've taught at once),  teaching under my high school director whom I respect a million times over, and then having him give me full control and trusting me with his band program. Anyways...I've been leading the strength training/cardio in the morning. I'm trying to keep it fresh and non-boring. Having five days of different stuff is wearing me out already. Anyways this morning, I had an genius thought to use water bottles as weights and do an arm workout. The head drum major who is also on the Varsity fooball team, comes up to me and says, "Ms. Reynolds, [They have to call Ms. Reynolds, it's quite entertaining] I really enjoy your workouts." I said, "Are you joshing me or being serious?" He replied, "No, I really do. They're challenging and I like them! You know...they're hiring a new athletic director..." TOTALLY made my day! I'm glad that I can still impress kids after all these years. :)

Making it Back.

or Why You Should Never Stop Working Out.

Most people are giving up something for 40 days during Lent. I instead, decided to start working again. For 40 days straight, I will be engaging of some form of physical exercise for at least 30 minutes. (p.s. I got started late, I'm only on day 3).

Day 1: Good. I attend a cardio dance class at an actual dance studio. I was really excited because I love loooove LOOOOOVE dancing and I was hoping that it would be a little more challenging that what I am used to at Gold's Gym. For the most part, it was about the same. I did appreciate the leg strengthening track we did that utilized ballet techniques. End of Day 1: Good.

Day 2: I happened to mention to a co-worker I was going to workout tonight and she asked where. Turns out, we're members of the same gym, so I decided to go with her for strength training. Mind you, she's a skinny little thing and I haven't lifted weights probably since.....June? Things were going great until about 20 minutes and we got to squats. I got hot, sweat began pouring dripping down my face, my legs began shaking. I felt like I was going to die and she's standing next to me, chewing gum. Normally, I love her, she's the bright peppy girl when I walk in the office who always makes me smile. That night, I wanted to punch her in the face. I made it through the class and did not die. I counted it as a success.

Day 3: I really wanted to go to church tonight since I can never make it on the weekends because of teaching, so going to a class at the gym was out of the question. So I decided that I'd just look up one of the workouts I found on pinterest and do it in my front yard. The one I found was complete 5 different jumping-type sets for 1 minute, then repeat the circuit 5x. No problem, I thought. I'll even run a little bit to make up for how easy this workout is going to be. I walked, I ran, I started the first set. "Holy crap, why is it so hard to jump?" I thought. I ended up modifying the first set so I could complete it. I was out of breath. Set two, more jumping? Seriously? Who thought of this? I made it halfway through before I needed to take a break. Jumping + Amanda do not mix. I decided to settle on three sets and then just run. Whoever thought I would choose running over anything else? It was so hard to push myself running. It's very easy to quit when someone is not next to you. I talked to myself and made my run certain distances. I thought back to 4 years ago when I ran up and down the beach without stopping, or even last year when my running out timed my walking, OR let's go way back and think back to drum corps when I could run the better part of a mile without stopping. I pushed through and made it. I felt so good. I still feel good. I LOVE the way I feel after I work out, I just hate doing it. BUT I'm determined to complete 40 days. They say it takes 28 days to start a new habit, so I'm hoping at the end of 40 days I won't be ready to give up!

Ugh...

I seriously made it EIGHT MONTHS without finding out the winner of the first season of "The Voice." I decide to watch the final episode tonight and google to see whether Vicci Martinez & Pat Monahan's duet of "Drops of Jupiter" was on iTunes and I saw the winner. Wtf?! How does that even happen...ugh, whatever, I'm watching the last thirty minutes even though I found out. All I can say is I totally disagree. :)