Poor poor neglected blog!

I had pretty grand aspirations when I started this silly thing....nah, not really. I thought it would just be a fun thing to do and try to capture a little more of life - you know, "stop and smell the roses." But I'm really really terrible at that. But I really really want to try to do this, but without looking at it like just another thing on the checklist. So, hopefully I can check into this more often, post some pictures, share some fun stories, share some opinions, and mostly, gratitude. And then maybe feel like I'm achieving a little balance....

I Get It, I Get It...

Isn't it funny how sometimes you feel like a message....be it a song, the sermon in church, the brown bag presentation at work.....is aimed directly at you? Like a sign or something?

Well, that happened to me sometime last week (or maybe 2 weeks ago at this point - I can't keep up). I was cruising through the blogs on my Reader and came across "The Happiness Project" in a weekly article roundup. I had never heard of it, and vaguely thought, "Huh, that might be cool. I'll look at it later." While still reading through Reader, about 5 minutes and a handful of blogs later, it popped up again, this time referencing back to a different Happiness Project post. Now that's a little uncanny, but nothing crazy. But I did immediately go read the info page at http://www.happiness-project.com/. I enjoyed it and thought it might be a fun project.

Okay, then it just got WEIRD. Multiple blogs over the course of the next week mentioned this Happiness thing - and across different types (financial blogs, wedding planning blogs, lifestyle ones, random ones). And then I saw Gretchen Rubin giving an interview somewhere, a morning show I think.

OKAY. I GET IT. I will start my very own Happiness Project. I'm a little scared - I have a lot going on lately in work and life, and I don't want to start something and not follow through and then have it be, by default, my UNhappiness project. But it seems that SOMETHING is telling me to do one. So, here goes!

Neglect...

hello poor little neglected blog. it's been a while; how have you been? sad & lonely. sorry about that.

so, what to tell you....so much has changed. i'm back in denver full-time (yay!). work is going well, if a little slower than i prefer, but not slow enough to be worried.

spring was rough this year. the first anniversary of heather's passing came, but not before another friend was lost way too soon and way too young. damn, j, you are missed. i don't know how cori does it but she's quite the inspiration. i hope she knows that.

but, at the same time, there's been lots of baby news this year - new babies, lots of kiddos with birthdays between march and june to celebrate. oh, and a puppy for amy, which isn't unlike a baby for us animal lovers. circle of life. it's, in all senses of the word, awesome.

elwood's doing great. we're just at a year after his TPLO surgery and he's 110%. his quirks are always cracking me up, but it's his smile that's the best thing...and it's around every day. what a life!

the wedding is less than FIVE MONTHS AWAY. i have a lot done, but i have a lot left to do. within 5 minutes a few weeks back i ended up with 38 things to do on my wedding-related "things to do list." but that bachelorette party has come and gone....and it was PHENOMENALLY FUN. amy is a rockstar and i'm lucky to have so many great girlfriends in my life.

and of course, there's kevin. there's a million things to say that don't have to be said. because that much love says it all.

okay, i promise to not stay away so long blog. see you in a week or so, i hope. (hey, small goals...)

Epic Fail

John Edwards, you wretched disappointment. Let's see:
-Failed VP candidate
-Failed Presidential candidate
-Failed "Family Man"
-Failed more-or-less self-proclaimed poster child for "good ol' Southern Values"
-Failed Baby's Daddy

So, the first two on the list, hey, that's part of the game. But for the bottom of the list....wow, really?? You wanted to be the leader of the free world and you can't even lead your brain to take over the blood supply from your lower extremity? And the list of lies....first about the affair in general, then denial of fathering the staffer's child based on "timing", and now the admission that said timing was completely false. UGH. And the saddest part - you were someone who I think had some pretty good ideas about domestic policy, especially social programs. And you've made sure that no one will ever give a shit again about that.

Oh, and, lest we forget it takes two to tango....onto Reille Hunter. You've effectively turned yourself into a tired old cliche by sleeping with the boss, feeding off of charm and potential power. Oh, and it's pretty awesome on your part considering you knew he was married, and by being on the trail, knew his wife, too. You fail, too, Reille.

Providence?

I saw an amazing story this morning on the "Today" show. As you can see for yourself from the title link, a young boy was in his backyard in British Columbia when he was attacked by a moutain lion. However, the lion didn't get him because his pup, an 18-month old golden retriever, got inbetween the cat and child allowing the boy to escape into the house.

And the name of this dog: Angel. Yep, that's right. Kismet? Self-fufilling prophecy? Or just mere coincidence?

You know what I think? I think it's Divine. I think, "God."

Oh, and one more thing...Angel survived. Even though the cat crushed her skull and it was broken in FOUR places, she survived.

Amen.

"MakeunderMyLife" -

So, lately I've gotten into reading blogs as a method of distraction, learning, and guilty-pleasure indulgence. I like the blog "Makeunder My Life" quite a bit; it's pretty unfussy, no nonsense and generally helpful. Below I've attached a post that really touched me, especially the old saying near the end (which, coincidentally, I had never heard before): "we overestimate what we can do in a day, but underestimate what we can do in a year."

I hope you like it, too! - Kelly

2009 Intention Review: a letter to myself: "

Good morning and happy new year! I know it’s a few days past the actual ball drop, but I’d like to start 2010 off by sharing how I celebrate new years with intention. Not to be misleading, this New Years Eve night I happened to have a party with close friends and definitely didn’t do any major soul searching.

But during the month of December and over the last few days, I have started to create a vision of what I’d like 2010 to hold.

Where it all began

Writing a letter to my future self is a yearly tradition for me which started out in 2006, during a very difficult time. Back in my junior year of college, I faced a lot of hard realities, and needed to rebuild my belief system from the ground up. While at home on Christmas vacation that year, I stumbled upon a dusty copy of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey* sitting on my bookshelf. The First Habit suggests writing a letter to my future self explaining all that I would complete in the time between writing the letter, and reading it at a future date. I thought it was a pretty good idea. So I sat down at a Caribou in my hometown on January 1st of 2006, and wrote what I’d like to accomplish before January 1st, 2007- as if I had already achieved my intentions.

Given my mental funk and insufferable lack of self-esteem, I did not genuinely think I would be able to accomplish most, if any, of what I wrote. Nevertheless, I did not let that stop myself from sharing what I really, truly wanted to be and do in the following year. After writing the letter in a Word document I used as a journal, I pretty much forgot that it existed for most of 2006.

I continued to read and practice the Seven Habits however, and it helped me build a solid mental foundation. And that 2006 vacation is where I also discovered my purpose, which is currently in the form of this blog, MakeunderMyLife.

Now back to that “future letter” I wrote. As I said, I forgot about the letter most of that year but in November of 2006, I rediscovered the journal entry - and I began to cry. I was amazed at how much of what I wrote actually happened. As I mentioned, I did not really think I was capable of all that I laid out. But nevertheless there I was 11 months later, with most of the letter fulfilled. On January 1st of 2007 I revisited the letter and counted the number of statements that I wrote which could have happened. Then I counted the number of events or situations which did actually happen that year.

83% of the statements I made came true.

At that point I decided I would continue this annual “future letter” to envision what I’d like to do each year. And each year following 2006, I have indeed written a “future letter” and achieved the majority of the statements I make.

My 2009 Annual Letter

So you might be wondering about my 2009 inventory. I just took a look at my past year’s letter and was surprised by what I found. Some of the most specific statements came true while some of the more general ones landed in the dirt. Here’s a sample of a few of the true and false statements:

True Statements:

I have the perfect place for the business, either in my spacious apartment or in low rent office.

The apartment is nice with a large kitchen where we [Erwin and I] love to cook and a great living area we enjoy a lot. We have a new living room couch and the white loveseat is in the bedroom.

We continue to spend time with each other working out, during date night, and we go to church almost every week.

I write three times a week on my blog, Makeunder My Life. I blog about my journey as a small business owner and as someone taking the road less traveled to the life I love and want. I enjoy writing and have a loyal following.

False Statements:

Jess LC has a PR team and we have been in Lucky and O Magazine.

I have done a few trade shows in 2009 with Jess LC and we are gearing up to do them on a grander scale in 2010.

I love taking bubble baths to relax.

I am looking into getting a puppy (if I find that I will be around enough to care for one responsibly).

After doing some math, I found that I made 82 statements in this 2009 letter. Of those statements, 51 are true, 6 are mostly true, and 25 are false. Which means about 60% of my intentions came true. And when I look closer, there is more to the story. 12 of the false statements came in the portion of the letter where I talk about Jess LC. And the parts which are false did not happen because I changed my strategy and direction for the company. These changes have made Jess LC more purposeful, fulfilling, and profitable. So those things which did not occur happened for the best and intentionally did not come true.

So… if I subtract the false Jess LC statements from the mix, I again get about an 80% fulfillment rate on my vision!

What I’ve Learned

Over the past five years, I have found that I can in large part, predict or complete much of what I set forth in these visions. I also know that some of my intentions will not happen. And after seeing the turn of events with Jess LC this year and the growth of MakeunderMyLife, I now submit this vision to God with a disclaimer: If any of these statements are not meant to come true, please help me to be flexible and thankful for the other awesome blessings that will come in their place.

How to Write an Annual Letter

Though there certainly is no wrong way to write an annual letter, I can share how I prefer to write my own. I begin each letter with “Dear Jess, As I see myself walk into the door in 2011, I see a ___________. ” Then I talk about what I have done in 2010 in past tense. For example: “I have decorated my bedroom with crisp bedding, nice side tables, and pretty, modern lamps.” or “I am kind and compassionate, not just with other people, but also towards my own shortcomings.” I also try to describe what I have done in all of my roles, such as: personal growth, Jess LC, MakeunderMyLife, spirituality, and relationships.

After the letter is written, I keep it in a place where I can find it easily, but only try to reread it every few months. Two years ago I tried to read it frequently but found that it was more stressful than inspirational. As the saying goes, we overestimate what we can do in a day, but underestimate what we can do in a year.

In Closing

I hope that sharing my personal story with “future letters” is helpful. If you decide to write your own letter, I suggest keeping in mind that these are “intentions” - which means that your motivation is genuine, but you are not tied to a specific outcome. I know I personally can become discouraged by the word “goal” or “resolution” in front of something that I want to incorporate into my life. Because to me, the moment that goal or resolution I made does not get fulfilled, I see it as a personal failure. Whereas an unfulfilled intention is something to keep working towards.

Happy New Year and thank you for reading MakeunderMyLife!

*Stephen Covey, his father wrote the original book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People - a great read, and the book I most highly recommend reading.

"

Four Weddings

...and NOT a funeral. But rather a contest. Let me explain: I'm in my hotel room in Nashville and watching a guilty pleasure show called Say Yes to the Dress. The show is set in a bridal salon in NYC where girls have an appointment with a sales consultant and then they do little interviews with all the people involved. It's not as obnoxious as Bridezillas - which, for the record, I have to believe is mostly staged. And if it's not, who the hell is marrying those girls?!?

Okay, I digress. Back to point - so, on a commercial TLC describes a new show, Four Weddings. The entire premise of this program will be that 4 newly married women will JUDGE each other's weddings, comment, and then vote on the winner; the winner gets a honeymoon.

I despise this premise! Bridezillas is sort of funny, if you can make it through a whole show. Whose Wedding Is It Anyway is also funny (planners and couples collide....think champagne taste on beer budgets and spoiled brats). These two shows are pretty mindless and sometimes I watch only to feel better about my own mindset during planning our upcoming wedding. But Four Weddings seems to really cross a line for me. WEDDINGS ARE NOT CONTESTS!!!

Of course we've all been to weddings where you ooh and aah, love a detail, think something would "not be my choice," and unfortunately, sometimes you see something a little cringe-worthy. But the entire point is that it is (or, let me amend this and say should be) about the couple getting married - their tastes, family traditions/expectations, dreams, etc. It's not about a SHOW for others. And I think it is complete bullshit for a TV show to turn it into a snark-fest so other girls can be snotty catfighters snickering about something someone else did. And I'm sure there will be moments of, "Oh, I wish I did that" (wait, I know there will because that's in the promo), but in general it's most likely going to be a how-much-can-I-tear-another-girl-down fiesta. No thank you. Grow up girls, show some class. Oh, and you, too, TLC.

Finally Finished...

the Twilight series, er, "Saga," I suppose. I never really thought I'd read them; fiction, in general, is not my thing. Nor are romance novels, "teen fiction," or any other subcategory you could put these books in. Nor, as has been recently pointed out to me, do I generally follow trends or crazes or fads (thanks, Chels).

But, you know, I really did enjoy them - so much more than I thought I would. The imagery and scenes were very vivid, and I was excited to stay up late reading long hours into each night. I even found myself looking forward to this week's Nashville trip so that I could complete my quest.

Now, it's onto another book. And I'm headed back to my usual M.O. this time - nonfiction. I almost always choose nonfiction books. I've often said that if I was going to spend the time then I'd rather learn something. I realize that sounds snobby, but there's some truth to be found, too, in that old saying "sometimes truth is stranger than fiction." But the Twilight series and "The Lovely Bones" (which I read in right before the saga....which is the first time in at least 10 years I read FIVE fiction books in a row!!) have brought me back to fiction again. Broadening one's horizons is always good. And plus, another friend, Michelle, pointed out that my taste when reading nonfiction can be quite boring. But personally I'm looking forward to "The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science."

O Tannenbaum...

Yea! The Christmas season is upon us. I love Christmas - really, I do. I love as I get older I really appreciate what it means...faith, family, friends and LOVE.

I don't love the stress and gifting aspects so much; don't get me wrong, I love to give gifts (and receive them), but sometimes I think it just boggles the real meaning. I know, same old story...this is how everyone feels, but isn't it funny how we all feel the same every year?

Which brings me to my next point: I realized another reason why I love this season eariler today. It has a tendency to make people so much more friendly and warm! Strangers smile at you more on the street and are likely to speak to you! When you run into friendly "small talk" conversations, people ask about your plans and your loved ones instead of just the weather! And, my personal favorite, people sing - OUT LOUD - to Christmas carols and holiday songs playing in lobbies, malls and throughout city streets! And often it seems, once one person starts, at least a few more join in!

Why do these things only happen at the holidays? One of my Christmas wishes this year is that more people will choose a New Year's resolution that involves keeping these little parts of the holidays going strong all year long!

Palin 2012

Every once in a while, Saturday Night Live really gets it right...check out this link. Hilarious!

Speaking of Palin, I had to laugh last week on the Huffington Post website - her book came out on Tuesday, and the headline on the site was "The 8 Biggest Lies in Palin's New Book." By lunch, it was up to 12. The last I checked that day, it was 15 or so.

I wonder how someone can truly be so delusional as she is.

Unexpected Work Perk...for Hubby-To-Be

So, yet again I find myself in Nashville after a decent absence. Speaking of absence, I hadn't posted here in a long time either, but I found myself on burnout for all things web-related the past month or so. But a four day stretch in Mexico recharged me, so here we go.

But, back to the original point...work perks. We all know the basic ones: per diem (or "extra out-of-town") pay, racking up airline miles and credit card points for personal use, et cetera. Well, I realized another one to add to the list, but it's really more for Kevin than me - watching movies alone. Now, I'm not saying we don't like watching movies with each other. What I am saying, however, is that I can surely bet he appreciates now not ever having to sit through Bride Wars with me since I watched in on HBO in my hotel room earlier this week. And I think I'll watch either My Sister's Keeper or The Time Traveler's Wife on the plane when I fly home tomorrow, and again I think he'll be just a wee bit happy about missing those, too.

Oh, and while we're at it, I might as well admit to being utterly engrossed in Hotel for Dogs, too (but don't tease me too hard about that, please). And Kevin - maybe you should thank me. Especially now that I'm off to watch Grey's Anatomy without you.

Bizarre Bit of Trivia for the Day

Willard Scott "invented" Ronald McDonald. And yes, that Willard Scott. Apparently he acted as a local Bozo the Clown in D.C., too. He put Bozo to bed and then came Ronald. I wonder if Joel McHale knows this tidbit....

Now, how does a clown become a weather man? I think Joel would turn around and ask how a weather man becomes a clown, then roll some footage of Al Roker.

Dear Rockies Fans,

You utterly disappointed me tonight. Hey, look - I get it was cold. Really cold. Trust me, I know...my hands were almost numb by the end. But that is no excuse to be as pathetically lame as you were this evening. (And really, I'm not buying the cold thing....most of you spend many freezing cold afternoons at Broncos games, so this was a walk in the park.)

Has anyone ever explained post-season behavior to you? You cheer for your team. You clap. You swing that silly damn towel around your head. You do not boo your own players. You STAND UP IN THE BOTTOM OF THE NINTH INNING. And you surely do not tell others around you to sit down in said half-inning. Hello....these are the moments that make or break the whole season.

See you next year, and in better form, I hope,
Kelly

Dear Jason Giambi,

I've really hated you. Some of that may have had to do with being on the Yankees in general, and a lot of had to do with your general attitude and swagger. I'd like to apologize. You earned your swagger for sure; man, you sure are clutch and came through tonight with another great hit at the perfect time.

Honestly, the tide started to turn a while back. I think you are one of the few in baseball today who has handled the steriod issue with true grace. You were straight forward and honest, and that does count for something.

Truly,
Kelly

P.S. I just gotta tell you, too, how much I love the moustache look you sported for us this year. It was a little hilarious because you looked like the Big Bad Other Team Meanie from that horrendous "Rookie of the Year" movie (you know, the one with the kid pitching for the Cubs and John Candy as the announcer). It was also scary as hell because you look like someone who might just beat the living shit out of someone in an alley who looked at you the wrong way. Nice work!

I'm Published...

in a non-technical way. My old boss from one of my college jobs asked me to write an article about one of the professors in my department, Dr. Jeff Cawlfield. See the above link if you're interested in reading the article.

It was a fun experience - who knew 200 words could be so tough to come up with? Or stop at once you knew where you were headed?? I've also had a handful of clients email me at work to comment on it, usually starting with the, "I didn't know you were a Rolla grad," or some variation of that statement. So, Andy, thanks for the unexpected networking tool, too!

Cardinals Vs. Rockies

The last weekend of baseball games - regular season, that is - in Denver is this weekend. AND the Rox are playing the Cards! AND we're going tonight!!

This is awesome for so many reasons.....the Cards are about to clinch (either by 1 win or by a Cubs loss), the Rockies are solid in the NL wildcard race, Matt Holliday should get a warm reception as he's back at Coors for the weekend and we get to see the fireworks after the game!

What's not quite so awesome (but still is, really)....there's a good chance the Cards and Rox will play each other in the other opening playoff series! What will I do???? I'll be happy either way, but I think I'll root a little harder for the Rockies. I know, I know - this is probably very shocking to those who know me. But the way I see it, the Cards have gone to the Series twice in the last decade and won it once. The Rox made it once but were swept. So I think it would be nice to see them have another shot and hopefully get at least one (if not four) WS win.

(Interesting sidebar: the Rox were swept by the Red Sox, just like the Cards were a few years earlier.)

Soooooo, let's go TEAM! Man, how will I sing in the stretch tonight???

Take That, Therapy!

We had our last therapy appointment yesterday and have been officially dismissed! Our surgeon, Dr. Glawe, had recommended hydrotherapy for Elwood's rehabilitation - it's really easy on his joints and is a good way to build up the muscles surrounding his "reconstructed" knee and aid in restoring the muscle tone on his other hind leg also.

Last night he was loaded up and put on the treadmill for 30 minutes. He did pretty well, except for being MAJORLY distracted by treats from the staff! In the end we are leaving therapy with a 0.5 on the limp scale (0 is no limp, 5 is no weight supported by the limb; we started at 3). The staff let us know that we should expect him to carry his 0.5 for another 2 months or so....they said it's the rare dog that has no limp before the 6 month (post-surgery) mark. Kev & I are so pleased with the results and Elwood's almost as good as new!

Major bonus: Elwood's been given the green light to go back to daycare. He'll be soooo happy!

Today we're grateful for...

fabulous weekend weather. It's a (very) cold and rainy day in Denver. Saturday was a bluebird, almost-but-not-quite hot day while we were in Palisade. And yesterday was hot, but with lots of clouds to offer relief without rain. The great weather really helped out with our activities - we were at a wine festival on Saturday and out at the Broncos game yesterday. So, we're thankful the cold held off until today!

We Miss You Already...

Our very GREAT friends, the Mergys, moved to Portland over the weekend. While we are so excited for all their new adventures and the awesome job Jeff landed out there, we are so sad to see them go. But we are also really looking forward to spending some time in a new city when we visit.

It's hard to believe they only spent a little over a year in Colorado. Chels and I had met each other a few times through a mutual friend (we heart you, too, Am!), so when she and Jeff moved to Denver, we had a girls' dinner of sushi to catch up and get to know each other better. We had a great time and went about making lots of plans for us & the men to hang out. Once we got the boys together, well, let's just say they hit it off incredibly well(man crushes on each other, in the cutest way possible). And we spent much of the next year having tons of fun, sending lots of texts, trading old and new stories, and building great memories. As 2 couples and 4 individuals, we became the kind of friends that are more like chosen family.

So with that being said ,while it is sad to not have them a few miles down the road, having them hundreds of miles away is really no big deal. (But really, when are you guys coming back??)

Never Forget

It's September 11. Eight years ago our country was changed forever. While it was emotional - and still is - and devastating to all America, my family was not directly affected with the enormity of the loss.

For me, it was a life-defining moment. I was in my last semester of college and inhabited a world of immediate locality with only passing interest in politics, foreign relations and "war," and never dreamed that anything like that would happen. That was the first day I truly thought of myself as an American, even though that is regrettable to admit, especially since I came from a family that served (sorry, Dad, truly). That was the day I really began to care about where the country was headed and what we stood for, globally.

For me and the current and future administrations, I hope the lessons are never lost. And the memories are always honored.