I was off work most of the week. I enjoyed my free time and decided not to blog. Now, I've got a little catching up to do. I'm going to come back to Day 15 which is a "day in the life" post with pictures of my typical day. The last few days have been anything but typical. I'll revisit this when I actually have to set my alarm clock and go to bed on time.
May 16 - Something difficult about your "lot in life" and how you're working to overcome it
I debated how honest I wanted to be answering this one. I blog mostly about pop culture with tidbits of family
life thrown in. I keep it simple and never get too personal. I don't really think of this space as my diary. After much
thought, I decided sharing would be for the best. If my story can help one person, that's good enough for me.
When I was in elementary school, I was molested by a family member. This was someone I trusted, someone everyone in my family trusted. I was terrified and didn't tell anyone. It went on for a couple of years before my mom found out by accident. I'm extremely thankful because I don't know if I would have ever had the courage to speak up on my own.
After my abuser was arrested, I attended court appointed therapy. I had one-on-one sessions with a counselor
before attending group therapy with girls my age who'd also been abused. To this day, I can't stand the
idea of seeing a therapist. In some ways, therapy helped. In other ways, I think it messed me up even more.
The man who abused me got out of jail almost immediately and didn't serve any time. His punishment.. court appointed therapy. Yes, that's right. The court made him go to therapy just like they made me. He got off easy because he'd never been charged before. Only once my story came out did other family members admit they'd been abused as well. If one of them had spoken up, there's a very good chance this wouldn't have happened to me.
The one thing I can't stress enough is that telling someone is imperative. You don't need to feel ashamed or dirty. You aren't doing anything wrong. You are not to blame. Make the abuser suffer, so you and others don't have to.
If you're a parent, talk to your kids.
If you don't let them know how important it is to come to you, they won't.
I'm late posting once again because our internet is still spazzing out. We have a tech coming to the house, but not until Sunday. {That's what I like to call excellent customer service, folks.} I'm enjoying another random day at home. Some of you have been wondering why I've been off work so much. To make a long story short, my company is "transitioning". Until it's complete, I'm getting to take some time off before things get crazy busy. I'm not
going to complain. My house has never been cleaner, and I can see the floor of my laundry room.
May 14 - Ten things that make you really happy
1. Random days off
2. The fact that I'm caught up on laundry
3. The sound of my children laughing
4. Olivia Pope + Fitzgerald Grant
5. 80 degrees + sunshine
6. I realized yesterday that I stopped biting my nails over a year ago. I still can't believe I did it!
7. Clean sheets
8. Receiving goodies in the mail
9. Cheese dip + margaritas
10. A book so good it makes me forget about real life
I'm sorry I'm late with today's post. I was going to blog over the weekend, but didn't for various reasons. I cleaned. I did laundry. I read. I relaxed. I watched Scandal over and over again. Also, our internet has been spotty. It's hard to blog when the signal keeps going in and out. Sometimes I blog at work, but I was off again today for my son's award program. My smart boy received the Outstanding Reader award. As an avid reader, this makes me very proud.
I'm a lucky girl. I don't embarrass too easily and haven't had a lot of situations go horribly wrong.
There was this one time my freshman year of college. I was walking down a flight of stairs with some friends, got distracted and totally missed the last two steps. I twisted my ankle and fell to the ground. My friends made sure I was ok then started laughing at me. {It's ok. I was laughing too.} I looked around and didn't see anyone else. I thought I was safe until I heard a guy from the landing above yell, "DAAAAAMN!" So yeah, that was a little embarrassing.
Fun fact: I'm not a klutz, but I have sprained each of my ankles over ten times each. I blame cheerleading.
May 11 - Sell yourself in 10 words or less.
I live my life in rap lyrics and Friends quotes.
May 12 - What do you miss? (a person, a thing, a place, a time of your life)
I won't lie. Sometimes, I miss my younger days.
You know, when my parents paid the bills and my biggest worry was what I was going to wear to da club.
Speaking of da club, this used to be my jam.
Way deep down south
Yo we play this game
It's them Quad City DJ's
And yo, we call it the train
The bestie and I took our kids to see Oz the Great and Powerful way back in March. This is a prequel to The Wizard
of Oz. I went in with low expectations and came out pleasantly surprised. I thought the movie itself was visually stunning. The story kept my attention. I really liked everyone in the cast too. You've got James Franco, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz, Mila Kunis, and Zach Braff. They're reportedly writing a sequel which I'm anxious to see.
I was originally supposed to see Pain & Gain with my friend Kelly. Long story short.. Tony and I had a babysitter. He only wanted to see this. I promised Kelly I'd see it with her too. {Who doesn't want to see The Rock and Marky Mark twice?} I knew the movie was based on a true crime story, but not much else. I wanted to see it because it looked funny and because of the obvious eye candy. The movie is highly entertaining, funny, dramatic, and very serious at times. The story itself is pretty messed up. There's violence, cursing and nudity, which I know isn't for everyone. My favorite part of the movie was The Rock's character. He played Paul, a bad guy with a good heart. The Rock isn't just a pretty face anymore. He really shows off his improved acting chops. When it was over, all I really wanted was to
give him a big hug. Added bonus -- you get a quick peek of Marky Mark in some tight white Calvin Klein underpants.
This past weekend, I had an impromptu dinner and movie date with one of my very best girlfriends from high school. We had Mexican and margaritas before seeing The Place Beyond the Pines. I had seen one preview which doesn't really give you any idea what the film is about. The cast includes Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes, Bradley Cooper, and Ray Liotta. Ryan Gosling is a poor fellow who turns to robbing banks to provide for his family. The story is absolutely heartbreaking. Something happened early on that left me stunned. There are parts that really dragged for me. In the end, I think the various character storylines pull you in. I left the theater wondering whether I liked the movie or not. I ultimately have to go with yes since I was still talking about it three days later. It just sticks with you.
Alexander Skarsgard Best Dressed
Hottest Guy in a Tux
Kristen Stewart in Stella McCartney I don't love pantsuits.
I don't even love the fit of this one.
I will give her credit for wearing this though.
She stands out.
The color is fantastic.
What I most love is her hair and makeup.
Her stylist really does a great job when it comes to big events.
Minka Kelly in Carolina Herrera This clearly isn't punk-inspired.
It is gorgeous though.
I love love love it!
Jennifer Lawrence in Dior I love the netted veil.
Once again, her makeup looks great.
At 22, she really knows how to work a red carpet.
Nina Dobrev in Monique Lhuillier Nina is quickly becoming a fashion icon.
I'm not sure if it's her, or the work of a stylist.
Either way, someone's on fire.
It's a bustier jumpsuit with a leather harness and flouncy skirt over pants!
Hello? Killed it.
Taylor Swift in J. Mendel I like that Taylor continues to dress out of her comfort zone.
The look gives her a hard edge, but she still manages to look feminine.
Anne Hathaway in Valentino Anne really needed to make up for her horrible Oscar dress.
I have never liked her red carpet looks.
I have to hand it to her.
This rocks.
Jennifer Lopez in Michael Kors I think JLo, her overall look and the dress speak for themselves.
She is a red carpet knockout once again.
Sarah Jessica Parker in Giles Deacon with a Philip Treacy headdress Who else can wear a giant mohawk headdress and get away with it?
She loves fashion, and I love her for it.
Carrie Bradshaw 4ever.
