Monday, April 30, 2012

late entry.


So I didn't have time to write last night but that doesn't mean I forgot. I was just in a funky place. Something weird went down in my house last night (a break-in attempt?) and I was a little out of whack. I didn't even sleep much. However, today brought some good news. I have some really understanding teachers this semester so that's helped me a lot with my full plate. Also, I heard again from the author of The Happiness Project. Initially, she e-mailed me back but only gave me a one sentence reply. Needless to say, I was a little bummed since I had taken the time to carefully craft the e-mail: long enough to give background but short enough to be bareable (lol) and then ask for some advice. I didn't know which of the three e-mails she gives to send it to, so I sent it to all three (hahaha, desperate, much?) but luckily, today she had the time to read my e-mail again and gave a more heartfelt reply:

"Hi Michelle --

Thanks so much for your kind email. I'm thrilled to hear that my work resonates with you. 
It sounds as though you’ve done a lot of thinking about what really makes you happy and the conditions that you need to feel happier as you make decisions as you move forward. I wish I had some easy advice! What works for me is to Be Gretchen—Be Michelle. The more I think about, and put into action, the truth about my own nature, temperament, interests, and values, the happier I get. But it’s very hard to do! Good luck, I'll be thinking of you. HAPPY 2012! I very much appreciate you taking the time to write. 

Warmly,
Gretchen"



Pretty cool, right? Anyways, I cried about my past for the first time in a really long time. Looking through my phone, I think I had an emotional response to the acceptance I finally embraced wholeheartedly. Then, today I read an article on Huffington Post that explained what I felt pretty well:

"I learned that a hard edge and stubborn spirit can only get you so far. I began to see the wisdom in acceptance, surrendering to discomfort. Softness is not in opposition to strength; it supports it. Where I used to see my ex as some malevolent demon, "el esposo diablo," I began to see him as a hurt, fearful child cowering in a corner. Compassion seeped into the anger, softening its edges and allowing me to downshift. Anxiety, which had been a constant companion, was slowly replaced with a calmer mind."


These past few days have just been days where I've felt very overwhelmed...in a good way.
Recovering from a mild stomach virus, my classmate (who I'm not even close to) helped me out a lot and I'm just more thankful every day...especially for Eric.


'til next time, stay classy!♥





Sunday, April 22, 2012

first consecutive weekly update!

Another company I'd like to work for is ModCloth.They're an online shop that specializes in unique little trinkets, awesome apartment stuff, and vintage/retro clothing. You can check it out here to see what I'm talking about. IF I were rich, I'd exclusively shop there..lol. :( I like unique companies with a strong sense of integrity.
I am registering for my final semesters at my local community college. Although I've lived in San Antonio, I was at the community college even then so in the fall would be my first semester at a university level. I don't know how to feel about that. I can't believe I've been thriving in school. It feel refreshing. I'm considering taking a voice class this summer since that's always been a hidden thing I've wanted to explore. Watching The Voice really makes me wanna try, lol. I'm lame. Don't have much to report since I'm pretty drama free and just overall, happy. I feel full, safe, and energetic. Here are the two loves of my life besides Eric (haha).

'til next time (week), stay classy!♥

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

couldn't wait.

So, I finally found what I had been really curious about today while I was shopping online for a planner (yes, I would). I got so excited, I figure I'd blog about it before I forgot (since I think by Sunday, that would be marked "unimportant" in my head and discarded). I found this journal when I was in Memphis and bought it because I liked it so much (even though I thought it was overpriced). I also found another product I liked shortly after and noticed it was made by the same company. The company is called Knock Knock, and I found their website today. Not only do they have some amazing products, they have an awesome blog and I just really enjoyed the site. The site says that:
" Our customers comprise the impish, the dapper, the droll, the young-at-heart, those who prefer the humor of the truth to false feel-good affirmations. "
I think I fit the bill of that description..well not so much impish, but definitely dapper and droll. I also do appreciate authentic reactions over predictable, fake reactions..maybe that's why I appreciate the humor on shows like The Office and Parks & Rec. Reading this company's philosophy got me strangely excited because it's awesome to see how there is a company that resonates my beliefs so precisely. They have a lot of bullet points to summarize what they're about, but I picked out my favorite ones. They believe:

  • Ethics and decency are immeasurably important. 
  •   Empty feel-good affirmations are an instant gratification of diminishing returns—slyly interpreted truths last longer.
  • Products should be created with care, whether mass produced or handmade.
  • Things should be both beautiful and useful, but they can also be beautiful and frivolous
  • Self-awareness is underrated.
  • Mistakes should be admitted and learned from.
  • Smartness is fun.
  • Humor makes everything better.
  • Not everything should strive to be accessible to the lowest common denominator, or any common denominator, for that matter."
and my personal favorite:

  •  " Turn signals should be used."

Lol, I'd lllooooovvvveee to work with a group of people who keep all this in mind. Like I said, their blog is awesome too. Their latest entry talks about these libraries that look like birdhouses and it's a unique and interesting concept:
"Little Free Library’s motto is “Give a book, return a book.” The project, started by two Wisconsinites, encourages each community to browse their local Little Free Library and borrow or donate books for others to explore. They also emphasize to leave notes in the books for future readers. Perks of this miniature-literature haven are that it requires no card and no fines. Hooray for no more overdue books! "
  In case you're too lazy to go check everything out, here's a picture of it:




I think that's simple, yet innovative. Also, extremely cheap. I love it. I wish Laredo would be this cool...click here to see the philosophy in full or here to check out the blog.
PS- I'm upping my blog game. I'm adding pages and getting better at hyperlinks. It's cool. I want to be progressive!! :)


'til next time, stay classy!♥ 

Sunday, April 15, 2012

dogs, books, and happiness.

 I missed one week of updating but this is pretty much what I was busy with. I shaved my Chow for the first time and the bottom picture shows the end result. The one on top shows the "before" product.
I've gotta say that this whole being productive thing has really been what I needed. Yes, I'm always on the go but it's given me a real sense of empowerment. I feel like I used to be a very bad pet owner to previous pets and I'm really investing a lot of time, energy, and money into this batch of dogs and it feels good. I've also taken on paying for 3 phones (mine, my mom, and my little brother) and have been steadily getting back to reading (instead of watching Hulu). I need to finish the two books from the two blogging sites and the next entry will probably be the book review on Torn (a little foreshadowing for ya). Anyways, I'm reading The Happiness Project. I wanted to get it when I found it at Target but Eric reminded me I still had Barnes and Noble money on my Nook from Christmas (smart..why I keep him). So I got home and instantly bought it but haven't really had a chance to touch it until this month. At work, I'm in the warehouse and all over the store doing inventory that I haven't been able to enjoy being up front and just relaxing for a bit. One of our coworkers quit though and that's allowed me to indulge a little and it really is an awesome book. I should finish it tonight after some studying. I think she makes a good point about the difference between being unhappy and being depressed. It's an obvious thing but we tend to hyperbolize our lives and always just think we're depressed. I see a lot of my thoughts, mannerisms, and flaws in that book so it's nice to see how adjusting them can change your quality of life. It gives me some motivation to embark on my own happiness project. Though I must admit,I haven't felt this calm in a reallly long time.I'm off Facebook and it's liberating to do it out of choice than by force. I wasn't using it much anyways and I rather live life in real time than be glued to my phone reading as everyone else lives theirs. Plus, I read some statistic somewhere that people who are on Facebook more often tend to feel more unhappy and like they're missing out than those who aren't. Pretty weird how much that's affected us, huh? This blog will become my little "timeline", if you will. 
This is my "shave Dusty" oufit. :/ I'm sorry.

Weasley always smothers me after work. 

Can you tell Dusty has no more hair?

Great read so far. Very motivating.
Eric and I at my cousin's quinceanera. :)

Looking through my e-mail, I've saved drafts of links to websites I've been meaning to blog about. I'm telling you! I think about blogging all the time! Making it a habit when there's not enough hours in the day is the hard part! Here's one:


http://www.ivillage.com/katherine-heigl-marriage-josh-kelley/1-a-418893
People give her a hard time but I've always liked her and this blog essay by her just solidifies my opinion of her.


AND I never mentioned it here, but I got some writing submitted to a writing company in Austin. Here is my piece:
http://www.writebynight.net/writing-help/sticks-and-stones/


A lot of catching up to do, right?
'til next time, stay classy! ♥

Sunday, April 1, 2012

buuusssssyyy bee!

I completely forgot it was April Fool's Day today! :( 
I could've planned some epic things. 
Anyways, as I've mentioned before I'm pretty busy this semester.
Struggling in one of the six classes but I'm hoping to pull through.
Eric is really something else; every day I find something else to be surprised about.
I have told him sometimes he doesn't have a spontaneous bone in his body but lately he's
been really surprising.
Just when I think I have his personality pinned down, he does something that
really just makes me smile. I've felt this way before but not for this long...
isn't the honeymoon stage supposed to wear off?
I would always doubt whether or not I should tell someone something personal (even if it's just a friend) and with him, I don't feel that. Maybe I do momentarily when I get someone warning me about keeping my distance after the train wreck I was in but it goes away fairly quickly.
He tells me I look beautiful (or "really pretty") every single day and I don't even think he notices it. 
It's always as he fixes my hair, tucking in my bangs, or staring into my eyes after kissing my forehead.
He also came with me to church. We come from different faiths and he didn't feel my church so much. 
I was extremely discouraged so when he noticed, he reassured me that everything was going to be okay and that we just need to find a church we BOTH like.  
I can tell he's authentic with every thing that he says and I always felt so in awe about that kind of attention before because I didn't believe I deserved it but this time around, it's a different type of "awe". 
It's the healthy kind I would say and I just feel like relaxing and letting it marinate.
I'm finally starting to enjoy this relationship without feeling the triggers of the last one.
I also feel comfortable with him without putting on a show or promoting our status.
I was so conditioned to a "my way or the highway" kind of person (whether it be a significant other or at home) and Eric has all of the integrity in a man that I'm attracted to without all the drama.
He's a breath of fresh air and I'm just soakin' it up...

I know I've said this before but I am gonna start a weekly update and I figured a post about how happy I am would be a start since I am usually a drama queen on this thing. I'll update this entry later with a picture of the dogs I'm also falling in love with more and more. 

I'm just very affable lately because of the place I'm at right now. It's really great...and I never say stuff like that.

'til next time, stay classy!