Day 30/30!!

First off…I made it!! Whoot!! Okay, now to settle down and here we go with day 30!

Day 30- Who are you?

I’m a daughter, sister, and aunt.

I am a friend to many.

I am a dreamer.

I am inquisitive.

I am stubborn.

I believe that some people don’t deserve a second chance while others deserve a third and fourth.

I believe that sometimes your pet is the best friend you can have. (Unless we are talking Tyson, then he has no interest in being friends.)

I am a lover of books.

I think cinema is the perfect way to spend a Sunday morning.

I love pop culture.

I embrace geekdom and my fangirling ways.

I am leery of trusting most people.

I want to wander the world without having to put down roots.

I have an extremely active imagination.

I have eclectic taste.

I am perfectly imperfect.

I am 100% me with a little influence from those in my life.

In short, I am the best ME out there!

Day 29/30

Day 29- In this past month, what have you learned

Hmmm, let's see...

Sometimes people just disappoint you. They may not necessarily be doing it to be spiteful or on purpose, but it happens. You can either hold it inside and grow bitter over it or you can choose to let it go. (Of course if it happens from the same person frequently, obviously you need to speak up and speak out...)

It is perfectly acceptable to dislike your co-workers.

I am strong.

When you order from a Chinese restaurant and the woman keeps screaming "Cash or Charge" in the phone, just hang up the phone!! She will end up sending you a mystery substance for "dessert" and it will be gross!!

However said mystery substance and the fortune cookies will allow for a night full of giggles and laughing with a couple of the best people you know.

Greg Vaughan still gives the greatest hugs (my GH friends will get that one).

An Italian waiter at a gelato place that flirts like crazy definitely makes for a fun time.

I do seriously love my life and the people in it. <3

Day 28/30

Day 28- A picture of you last year and now, how have you changed since then?


July 2009 (I didn't have any pictures of me from August 2009.)


July 2010 (Dig my mad photoshopping skillz!! hehe!)

Hmmm, how have I changed? A year older, I think a year wiser. I feel mentally stronger.

Day 27/30

Day 27- Why are you doing this 30 day challenge

Hmmm, good question!

To prove to myself that I can finish it. It may have taken me a week longer than planned due to being exhausted after vacation, but I am going to finish the 30 days. I told myself I was going to blog every day and don't do it. I told myself I would do the 365 days of gratitude and dropped out. So this...this I am going to finish!

Day 26/30

Day 26- What you think about your friends



How fitting for this to be the question of the day when today is National Best Friend's Day! I think anyone that knows me knows how much I love and adore my friends. They provide love, humor, companionship, inspiration, creativity, and support on a constant basis.

Day 25/30

Day 25- What you would find in my bag



My bag.



Let's see...I was in the process of transferring purses. I can't fit all I normally carry in the smaller purse. (missing from the picture is the camera since I was using it but always carry it and the cell phone since I was on it.) My wallet, some gum (Extra spearmint is my fave), my work badge, a purple pen (I normally carry a notepad with me but it doesn't fit in the new purse), aspirin, a mirror, Burt's Bees chapstick, and Bath & Body Works Liplicious lip gloss in cotton candy

Day 24/30

Day 24- A letter to your parents



Dear Dad and Mom,

I know that frequently I exasperate you and that you often wonder what the heck is going on with my thought process, but trust me when I tell you that you raised a pretty smart cookie. You raised me to know right from wrong and to make wise decisions. Okay, they may not always seem wise at the time, but I do have a plan. And like John “Hannibal” Smith, I love it when a plan comes together.

You taught me the value of family. Sure we all may bicker from time to time, but it doesn’t change the love that is there. (And let’s face it, no one is as entertaining as Jeremy!)

Mom, you have the best taste ever in sports teams! Go Yankees!!

Dad, you have the mechanical skills that I have no possession of whatsoever.

I am blessed to have two parents that are still married in this day and age. And I am even more blessed that you have unconditional love for me, even if I cause you to roll your eyes often.

Love,
Michelle, daughter numero uno!

Day 23/30

Day 23- Something you crave for a lot

This falls into two categories. I crave sushi currently!!! (And Tina is taking me out for my birthday lunch on Saturday to our fave little sushi place, Zen 32!)



But I crave a better financial situation (I am so destined to win the lottery one day).



I crave peace of mind.



I crave wisdom of words.

Day 22/30

Day 22- What makes you different from everyone else



This is a hard one for me. I think a lot of times my way of thinking is different from everyone else. I definitely know that I have this bizarre habit of needing to understand what makes people act like they do. If you are crazy, I probably will be nice to you so I can understand why you are crazy. It usually backfires on me in the end, though, and the crazies want to keep hanging around long after I want them gone.

So final answer is my brain.

Day 21/30

Day 21- A picture of something that makes you happy


Curtiss, Kayleigh, and Allie. (pic by Liz)


Michaela (pic by Mike)

The most perfect nieces and nephew out there! Each of them has their own unique personality and when you hear “kids say the darndest things”, it definitely fits.

Day 20

Day 20- Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future

Well let me share a story of a young child of 5 years old that sneak into a movie theater owned by her Uncle and Aunt and watched "Star Wars". From that moment I wanted to marry Han Solo. (Okay, then I decided to marry Indiana Jones...and finally just settled on Harrison Ford.)



*sighs* Han Solo!

And I think he is still extremely handsome to this day...



Okay realistically what type of man do I see me marrying? Hmmm...a geek, quite honestly. I love geeks! Not like the geeks in Revenge of the Nerds. More the smart, computer literate, sci-fi loving geek. I like men older than me, a little smarter than me, independent. :) So if you know a man that is single and fits this description, hello!!!

Day 19/30

Day 19- Nicknames you have; why do you have them

I'm afraid the nicknames are pretty common -- Chelle, Mich, Michy. I don't have anything too kooky. :)

Day 18/30

Day 18- Plans/dreams/goals you have



I'm a dreamer, I always have an abundance of plans/dreams/goals.

So let's see...
Find a new job is the biggest goal of all! Not necessarily in Arizona, but I plan to have something new on the horizon by the end of the year. Not only that, but I dream of a job that is perfect for me. (I wish I could elaborate more on that, but honestly I don't know what the perfect job for me is. I will know it when I see it, I guess. frustrating, no?)

Get on a strict diet path and stick to it. I am good at any diet for the first maybe month-two months, but once I give myself an excuse to cheat it is all over.

Achieve that state of peace. Where the doubt, the hate, the fear are handled and managed. Where all the 'trash' is gone.

To travel!

To Live!

To Laugh!

To Love!

Day 17/30

Day 17- Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why



Jennifer Aniston.

Why? She is America's sweetheart, the golden girl. She was married to Brad Pitt! (I have no shame.) She starred in one of my fave TV series. And she just seems cool.

Day 16/30

Day 16- Another picture of yourself



How about me and hottie Greg Vaughan? :)

Day 15/30

Day 15- Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play

Okay, I am going to be straight up here and tell you that I have very eclectic taste in music. I listen to everything so this will probably be a bizarre mix of genres of music.



01 – "Greatest American Hero" theme song ("Believe it or not")

02 – "Hotel Room Service" by Pitbull

03 – "Emotions" by The Bee Gees feat Samantha Sang

04 – "Rapture" by Alicia Keys

05 – "Tonight" by New Kids on the Block

06 – "Band on the Run" by Wings

07 - "All That Jazz" by Catherine Zeta Jones from the "Chicago" soundtrack

08 – "Good Vibrations" by The Beach Boys

09 – "I keep forgetting" by Michael McDonald

10 – "Cowboy" by Kid Rock



(And if you are interested the songs that followed were “You are everything” by the Stylistics, “Paparazzi” by Lady Gaga, “Shameless” by Garth Brooks, “Immabe” by the Black Eyed Peas & “Summer Nights” from Grease)

Day 14/30

Day 14- A picture of you and your family

Clearly we need to take a more recent family photo as this is from November 2007.

Day 13/30

(So, side note…There is no way that I will catch up the missed days all at once so I’m just picking up where I left off and finishing the 30 days.)

Day 13- A letter to someone who has hurt you recently



So this one was really interesting to me to have to do. I have a couple of people that say they are my friend that I could direct a little letter towards. But I decided this person is the one that deserves the letter the most.

Dear Self,

The decision to write the letter to you was quite simple. Within my own mind is where the ability to be hurt the most lies. When I shy away from a challenge, telling myself it is too difficult to overcome, then I hurt myself. When I consciously allow the wrong people into a trust space in my life, I hurt myself. When I fail to do what it is that I know I need to do, I hurt myself.

So, note to self – STOP IT!!

The only way you are ever going to successfully climb that "mountain" is to take on the challenges and face them. The diet that you conveniently put off until tomorrow, next week, next month, is going to constantly be put off if you don't just start it. You are hurting me by helping enable me to be unhealthy. The crazy people and the people that you know are not worthy of being called a friend? The more you accept them in your life, the more you are setting me up for disappointment. You are a smart cookie, there is no need for all the "what if's" to dominate...stop creating another instance to go back and say "what if" and start making the steps to say "I did." No more bullshit excuses!

Fondly,
Michelle

Day 12/30

Day 12- How you found out about Blogger and why you made one


Hmmm...I think I first found out about Blogger through reading Karyn Bosnak's blog and was hooked.

I have a Live Journal that is very private and locked down, but I wanted to do something that was more public, open. So here we are with my Just Jump. :)

Day 11/30

Day 11- Another picture of you and your friends



Toasting a fabulous California trip. July 2009



My gorgeous friends and I before Evening with the Stars. October 2009