Still Searching

It is my favorite time of year (well almost). Labor day is over, football has started and pumpkin spice lattes have arrived. As soon as the temperature drops we can officially say Fall is here and it is truly my favorite time of the year. Growing up in Wisconsin Fall meant hayrides, apple picking, visits to the pumpkin patch, trips to Holy Hill during the peak of the color change, hours in the deer stand, and caramel apple pie in a bag. Sadly, it also means many months of cold and snow are around the corner. That snow and cold is one of the main reasons I moved away. For anyone who knows me, i am a weenie when it comes to being cold. You can expect loud whines, many layers of long underwear and requests for hot beverages when the temperature drops below 60! Fall is the one time of the year I really miss Wisconsin. Alabama is where I call home now but Fall in Wisconsin has a special place in my heart and I usually get a bout of homesickness this time of year. I have found many events and activities I look forward to throughout the year here but for some reason there just isn't something I have found yet this time of year that makes me feel the same way as Fall in the midwest does. So Southern friends, help me out here. What is your favorite thing you do to enjoy fall (and please don't say college football - we all know that isn't my thing.)

How do I Choose a Bathroom Stall in Public?

So I have been thinking about this question for weeks now, just ask the Hubby. He has had to listen to more than one tirade from me about the right and wrong way to choose a bathroom stall. Consider this my PSA on how to pick a public restroom stall. This all starts with our ladies bathroom at work that has 4 stalls, 3 regular stalls on one wall and one stall on another wall. Walk with me through this scenario if you will. You are a lady, you open the door to the restroom and you notice that there is someone in the middle stall. No matter which stall you pick you will be right next to someone else when there is obviously enough room for there to be stall between you. Frustrated you turn around and walk out, politely wait until they are finished. Then you walk back in and pick the correct stall in the pattern. Here come the PSA - when you have the option to select a stall, always pick the stall that will allow user 2 to have an empty stall between you and them. Yes, i realize if you have 2 stalls this is not an option. Anything more than 2 stalls however allows you the option to pick. Ok...back to the scenario. You are ready to make your selection, so you correctly select stall 1. This allows person 2 to come in and select stall 3. Can you visualize this? It has left an open space between you two. Then person 3 comes in. Well unfortunately for them they have to pick the middle stall OR they can wait to start the pattern over again. They won't have this option however if you have selected the wrong stall to begin with! The moral of the story here is personal space is always important but it is extra important in the ladies room so always choose the stall with the best chance of giving the other users their space! Thanks for relieving me of this burden. I have been carrying around this important unshared advice for way to long and I feel much better!

Side note - I am not sure what that has to do with living in the south or being from the Midwest but bear with me here. I am working to get back on track, promise!

Coming Back Online

Yep it is true, it has been a few years since I have opened up my blog to write and I have missed it, but I am back. In fact, I have come to miss a lot of things lately. Have you ever felt like you have just lost your way and one day you look in the mirror and you aren't sure who the person is looking back at you or how it got there? Yes, I know that is a dramatic statement but that seems to be my thing as of late. There are parts of me hiding somewhere that I happen to like very much but seem to be hiding lately and no matter how hard I try I can't make them appear. Yes, there is that drama again. There is good news to this story though, things are changing and I like change.

The last few weeks life has changed in many ways. I have had my eyes opened to the very harsh reality that people can really f*cking suck. That people you thought were trustworthy aren't and that sometimes there actually isn't a payoff to hard work. BUT and this is a big BUT (totally did that on purpose) I have also seen people rally around those they care about, seen miracles happen and I have been reminded that all that matters in this world is the relationships we have with people. And you know what, some people out there are pretty freaking amazing! I am going to ask you to stop reading right here and say a quick prayer of thanks. Be thankful for those relationships you have in your life, they are truly a blessing and you never know when they will be taken from you.

So about that change I mentioned before that little detour. For those that know me, you know that I don't do New Year's Resolutions but instead I make to - do lists. I tried something new this year and I made my list but I also picked 3 words that I wanted to shape my year. Shout out to Jess Lawlor for this #getgutsy idea! My 3 words this year are courage, commitment and adventure and I am doing ok on them so far. They have led me to accept a PT lecturer position at a local college this fall and join a board to get more involved with my community. Just having these new things to focus my energy on has been a great way to start seeing those pieces of me that I actually like out and about again. I love a challenge, I love learning and I love to meet new people. True story of this, while on travel earlier this summer I came out of the airport bathroom chatting with a very nice lady and The Hubby made a comment about not being surprised that I would make friends even in the airport bathroom. What can I say, I am chatty! I also decided that it was time for me to come back here again. I spend so much time marketing and working in social that I have come to feel like I don't even know how to be me on my own social pages. I am busy worrying about who will see what I have to say, if I will be judged for it and feeling like it is a waste of time and I am not getting much out of it but yet feeling like I had a lot to say. So here I am! This is my blog, I can write what I want right? I can't make a commitment for how often I will be here but I will be courageous and honest in how I am feeling when I am here. Life truly is an adventure and I am excited to see where it goes tomorrow!