Category: list

It’s Friday, I’m in love… {plus a little something…}

Published on by Mae @ Rainydayinmay7 Comments

Happy Friday!

It is STILL my birthday month, and darn it if I’m not going to milk it, at least a little! I also officially received my first birthday gift, from my very sweet friend! (Thanks, friend!) I am so touched by generosity and love…

Anyway, This Week! (am I right? I’ve heard the murmurs and I just want to say- me too, you guys… ME TOO.)

This (never-ending) winter has been brutal in all the weather and a non-weathery ways. Maybe if we all join hands, squint our eyes, jump up at the same time while shouting “SPRING!” we can jump-start things! (get it? Jump start… Yeah, like I said, it’s been a week.)

Let’s get to it, shall we?

  • As I shared, last week, I have embarked on a Keto adventure. So far, (one whole week in… Call me an expert! Ha!) I am really liking it, for a multitude of reasons I won’t really bore you with. (unless you ask… then I won’t stop.) So far my biggest disappointments have been the amount of carbs in my beloved coffee creamer, how absolutely sick the Keto flag-fat Bulletproof coffee makes me, and that putting even five strawberries in my daily smoothie will throw my entire day’s carbs off. (can we take a moment of silence for daily smoothies, because guess who isn’t doing them anymore? This girl…) So yeah, that’s a lot of whining about the down sides, (which are the only ones, actually, for me) but there have been a lot more things I’ve discovered that i LOVE! (like, LOVE LOVE LOVE!) I’ve made my favorite 5 minutes food ever (sans recipe) and I want to eat it EVERY SINGLE DAY… I also discovered this amazing little snack. You guys… I can’t even tell you how amazing this is! (The mozzarella is my FAVORITE, which is so weird because I’m not a big mozzarella fan.)
  • Also, while I have shared products from this company before, (#foreverfan) I recently discovered their Peanut Butter Cups and… But when they are Keto friendly too, and so freaking delicious… I CAN NOT FAIL!

At this point you’re probably thinking to yourself this chick better not share another Keto related thing, or I am done. Well, sorry to sound like the annoying new girlfriend of the high school quarterback, but sit tight for one more thing? Because, while the first two things are totally delicious, healthy and for EVERYONE (#hailketo), this can be too. It’s super helpful…

  • The Carb Manager App has been a life saver. I was STRESSING out before I dove in. I mean, how would I manage all of the math and percentages??? Anyone who knows me knows my brain has limits, and most beyond third grade* math exceeds them. When I received my diploma, my brain retired from such nonsense. (*I mean the math I did in the third grade, not the intermediate college level stuff expected of children in elementary school now.)
  • Did you guys watch the Oscars? They were pretty fun, this year, which is a relief. Also, it helped that I actually liked many of the movies, for a change… Francis McDormand won for best actress and was so happy she won! Not only was her performance stunning, (Three Billboards is an incredible film!) but I absolutely adore her! While the public, at home behind their phones and computers, love to criticize her for being weird, I think she is doing a remarkably fantastic job of showing what her priorities are, while delivering beautiful performances that just might teach us something if we pay attention. Plus, her speech… COME ON!!!!! She’s a Gem, and we need to look to the gems like her if we want to admire Hollywood, and not the airbrushed, polished fake narcissists… (and once again, Guillermo Del Toro’s speech moved me incredibly! Can he come be my motivational life coach now, please?)
  • This one… This one might be my favorite of all of the things… I LOVE movies. (I know, I’ll allow you a minute to compose yourself over the shock you surely must be feeling regarding this most recent confession… *cough*) I love books, (notice the non-cap letters… This was intentional.) As a little girl, I loved books. I often surrounded myself, in a lump on the floor, with them. The first “big” book that I remember falling in love with was James and the Giant Peach. When they made the movie, well into my grown years, I was beside myself with excitement. I still, to this day, love the book SO much… While I didn’t love the movie nearly as much, I still hold the book among my most sacred of first loves…

TODAY, March 9, A Wrinkle In Time is finally here! (FINALLY!!!!!) I love this book too, (though it’s not my J & t G P!) and have been so excited, for the better part of forever, for this movie to be out. Every time I have gone to the theater, one of the several trailers have played, only building my anticipation more…

Just in case you aren’t familiar with the book or film- From visionary director Ava DuVernay comes Disney’s “A Wrinkle in Time,” an epic adventure based on Madeleine L’Engle’s timeless classic that takes audiences across dimensions of time and space, examining the nature of darkness versus light, good versus evil and, ultimately, the triumph of love.  The film stars Reese Witherspoon, Oprah, Mindy Kaling, Chris Pine, and Storm Reid as “Meg Murry.”

Storm Reid is Meg Murry and Levi Miller is Calvin O’Keefe in Disney’s A WRINKLE IN TIME, an epic adventure based on Madeleine L’Engle’s timless classic directed by Ava DuVernay.

One of the things I really love about the story of A Wrinkle in Time is the timelessness and relevance.

In honor of what looks like an extraordinary adaptation, and of course my birthday month (!!!) I would like to give a $25 Fandango gift card away! For a chance to win, simply leave a comment with your favorite children’s book!

Good Luck!!! (and don’t forget to enter my other giveaway, for a Lifeway gift card!)

It’s Friday I’m in Love…

Published on by Mae @ RainydayinmayLeave a comment

I am IN LOVE with these flowers. Every January I find myself wishing February would hurry up and arrive, and then it does… And usually (not always) the weather is worse, I feel more tired (tired of winter, tired of cold, tired of being tired. Ha!) and at some point I am grumbling about stupid February and how much I hate February, etc…

But then I make my way to a super market or shopping center somewhere, clad in winter boots and braving the elements for something entirely necessary like dish soap or brown eggs, and my senses are straight-up attacked by flowers.

FLOWERS EVERYWHERE. And I melt and fall in love.

February is the beginning of fresh, beautiful flowers.

So yeah, I could talk about a hundred topics right now, and they would mostly end in grumbles or grunts, but then… FLOWERS. Flowers win.

Other than the Flowers (which are the obvious gold medalists in my life right now) there are a few things my week has held, which I’m excited to share with you.

Speaking of medalists… How about those Ice Dancers earlier in the week! Amazing…

1.) We ran to Chick Fil A for breakfast the other day, which might seem pretty basic to many of you. I get it, I used to live near one too. In those days it was grabbing Chick Fil A while heading to do something else. During this season though, Chick Fil A has become a coveted destination in which we wrap other errands and stops around. (but seriously, their Chicken Minis are worth every single liter of fuel we burn to get there) Anyway- while this was a tasty highlight to reminisce, it really has nothing to do with CFA at all… (you are SO welcome for this ramble) While we were out that way, I wanted to run into Cost Plus. I am looking for a particularly awesome thing, and figured if it actually existed, this would be the place in which I would discover it. (It may not, because I did not…) As I, belly blissfully happy on Chicken Minis, disappointedly rounded an aisle corner (so incredibly defeated in my search for that which does not exist) I stumbled upon these…

Just in case you are reading this, and you knew me between the ages of 14 and 18, I know you are exhaling loudly because you know EXACTLY how much this discovery made my world! (I mean, I knew they “came back”, but I stopped looking for them (in every single convenience store) ages ago.)

2.) Since we are talking about things that we devour because they are delicious… Have you tried this? I mean, SERIOUSLY, you guys. And in a crackable tub… (that tub is probably the closest I will ever come to actual crack, which is ok because it was pretty great.)

3.) My Lent commitment, this year, is a little different from years past. I have vowed to spend 40 hours reading books which are more life helpful than fun. As a full-fledged grown up, reading seems to have become a big struggle for me. (Give me options and I will choose Netflix or Instagram every single time. SMH) But when the challenge is to read those things which will NOT capture my imagination and entertain me? Ugh. Fun fact though, so far I am loving it. I curl up in my awesome chair (see Instagram post) and more days than not (so far…) I am sad when the hour timer long goes off, because I might be contemplating staying there forever. (confession: a couple of times I felt like that hour lasted fourteen years and leapt from the chair as if it were about to swallow me whole.) First I read Uninvited. I genuinely like Lysa. Sometimes reading her feels a bit like a chore, but that could totally be on me and my Twitter sized attention span for reading. This book captivated me heart and soul. There is so much highlighter on these pages now, that I think the book itself doubled in thickness. GOOD STUFF, and this current season of isolation- that I’ve felt stuck in for far too long now- made nearly every page in that book so ridiculously relevant.

After I finished that book, I moved on to Of Mess and Moxie. And seriously, while I adore Jen Hatmaker, I can honestly say I have never read any of her books. (remember my whole adult struggle with reading part from before) I was a little nervous (it’s true, I won’t lie.) But honestly, I LOVE this book. It was the perfect book to follow Uninvited. In amazing fashion, it taps into all of the same raw places and balms them (while challenging me) just a little bit differently. I DEFINITELY recommend it.

4.) Oh so long ago, in a hobbling attempt to pick up a prescription that I did not want, at a pharmacy which I did not prefer to frequent, my eyes fell on a tiny little display of this… This stuff sold itself well, and it knew its target audience (obviously me, in so much pain I wanted to leap into oncoming traffic, except I couldn’t really leap due to the pain) and so naturally I bought it on impulse. The entire drive home (this was September, you guys) I thought about how I could not wait to get home and let it cure me of pretty much everything. By the time I was home, however, and settled in for a spell, I was beyond intimidated by it. Like an obedient little fraidy-cat, I put it on my bathroom shelf where my eyes would notice it whenever I walked into the bathroom.

Oh, they did. EVERY. TIME. And the guilt I felt over impulsively dropping $25 on something I knew the likely hood of me ever actually using was daunting. The longer it sat there, the more it resembled something completely unsafe and dumb to waste my time on. And then, the other day my back was screaming with the agony of someone 3 or 4 times my age (sad, I know) and in an attempt to do pretty much anything to get it to calm down, my eyes caught a glimpse of this brown bottle. I scanned the medicine cabinet before I willingly plucked the brown bottle from its dusty place on the shelf, (though honestly I am unsure what I was hoping to find- as the strongest meds in there are 800 MG Ibuprofen and that hasn’t touched my back pain in pretty much ever) but relented and read the instructions.

Pretty much the nutshell of this insanely long point: Get the Frankincense & Myrrh. (By the gallon, if you find that option, and then tell me about it because I might just like to bathe in it, daily.)

5.) The other day I got all fancy and roasted a chicken. Because the delicious chicken deserved something equally as tasty to accompany it into our bellies, I made this Asparagus recipe. When I grow up more than I am now, (to the be the full-grown, responsible adult who LOVES non-fiction books, that is) I want to be able to afford to eat asparagus every day. THIS asparagus, because it was seriously bright green heaven, in the form of a vegetable.

In fact, it was so vibrant that it was not unlike a beautiful stemmed flower, which brings us full circle and that is a truly lovely thing!

*If you haven’t already subscribed to my super cool, monthly newsletter, PLEASE DO! There’s an annoying little pop up which shows up right when you land on the page! It would be AWESOME if you’d sign up because then you’ll be “in the know” about exciting new projects, happenings, and get news more personalized than what I share here! (your information is completely safe!) *

What have been the best parts of your week? Show and tell, you guys, so show me while you tell me all about it! (Last week I had seven different people tell me Black Panther was theirs and they were sure it would be mine too. I did see it. It isn’t. My theory here is that one can read too many “great” things about a really good thing, thus leading to it being a little ruined. I know (and I’m so sorry!) …

 

It’s Friday, I’m in love…

Published on by Mae @ Rainydayinmay1 Comment

Surprisingly, despite only posting here an average of once per week, and with the many ways that blogging (and blog reading) have changed and morphed into something different, I still manage to have a fairly high number of subscribers and daily visits. When I logged in this morning, however, my landing page notified me that I had no visitors on Wednesday. As in ABSOLUTELY zero.

I think this news was supposed to alarm me, or make me sad, or something… Instead though, I literally grinned from ear to ear. While I am not the world’s biggest Valentine’s Day fan, (I believe we should be generous with our love every day of the year, not just on consumer driven ones) it made really happy to know that you guys were all way too busy loving to check in here! Of course, the second half of the day’s absence was probably more accurately because of the horror that was unfolding in Florida…

While I realize the whole point of these Friday posts was to share a bit of awesome/fun/cool/*insert other positive adjective here* stuff so that the heaviness of life did not drown us completely, and therefore the idea of using a Friday post to talk about those heavy things may seem a big off- I just have to say one something…

As human beings, absolutely every decision will boil down to one of three things. (Even doing nothing IS a decision.) We can choose:

  • Action
  • Inaction (no action/apathy)
  • Reaction

Let’s be honest- saying “thoughts and prayers” regarding a horrific tragedy does not mean anything. It does not count as action. Actually praying, actually using thoughts to help discern how we can better a situation, make an impact, ease a hurt (etc) IS taking action. Emotionally lashing out, threatening, and marching forward without considering/caring about the consequences or how your choice will affect others- THIS is reaction. This is the seed terrorism is grown from. So if you’re going to talk about how your thoughts and prayers are with Florida, make sure those prayers are being fervently prayed and your thoughts are geared towards HOW to make this better. If ONE person can cause so much hurt and have the entire country talking about him, then absolutely ONE person can make things better. Two can make them doubly better, and all of us who want a better world CAN work together, (stop being apathetic and stop reacting in offense to absolutely every grain of everything that isn’t inline with our own feelings) to make things better. Change is necessary- and this isn’t just about guns. People who want to hurt others can do that without guns. We do need reform, but we also need to change how we deal with each other, what we turn a blind eye to, and how we (as a society) are far too wrapped up in ourselves.

That’s all, about that. At least as far as this post goes.

Beyond the tragedy in Florida, my week here was a pretty quiet one. Elenor was spayed last Friday, and other than a major hiccup which had us back in the vet’s office for a small bonus procedure, things are going well. Lots of reading, some writing, a few movies and an assortment other quiet activities have been on the agenda. This will probably be reflected in the list of my week’s things to share with you.

  • Hopefully this is something that isn’t ever needed, (for those of you with dogs anyway) but just in case it is- I’ll share. The Comfy Cone has saved us NUMEROUS times. While it isn’t exactly a new thing, to me, it has been a saving grace this week. As much as Elenor didn’t love it at first, she’s grown used to it to. Compared to those disgusting, destructive plastic shields, this is a MUCH better alternative!
  • I acquired this oil book, over the weekend. While I have several really great books on essential oils, this one surpasses them all! I learned more in an hour of skimming sections than I have in most of the classes and educational meetings I’ve taken.
  • I cannot even tell you how much I loved this movie. Even having seen the trailer several times, so many things about it surprised me. It is as much sweet as it is empathy building. Overall just a lovely, relevant film.
  • I shared this book here awhile ago but I’m sharing it again because my awesome husband gave it to me on Wednesday. It is lovely and well written and absolutely everything I hoped it would be!
  • Anyone who knows me knows that I am absolutely devastated that I can not share a link with you here. The very BRIGHTEST point, in my week, was when The ShibSibs did their  Team USA Free Skate. I have watched it dozens of times, throughout the week. Chw will laugh at me when I play it again, (it stays cued up, on my DVR) but then he sits down, mesmerized by it, each and every time. He points out (again) his favorite parts, and I follow with the three parts which send chills racing up my spine, no matter how many times I have seen it. We both know what the commentators say leading up to the dance, during and after- by heart. If anyone were to ask me what piece of art moves me the most, I would HANDS DOWN say it is that skate. (I know they have skated that routine before, and I also know that it has never been anything close to as moving and raw as this particular time was) Even so, I’ll link you to their youtube channel, because they are adorable and so gifted.

Here’s to a weekend full of action following what our lips promise, which leads to hope and encouragement and comes BECAUSE of love…

It’s Friday, I’m in Love…

Published on by Mae @ Rainydayinmay2 Comments

As you’re reading this, our sweet little Elenor (in case you’re new here… She’s an 8 month old Golden Retriever) is going under the knife today, getting her lady-bits taken care of. It’s sad, I agree. There are times when he coal-black eyes stare up at me and I nearly say wait, let’s think about this! She would make beautiful, snuggly little puppies…

But, the problem arrises when the reality that I would want to keep all of the puppies, exists. Plus, I would deserve to keep them because I would have been the one doing most of the care taking, birth coaching, crying over complications, etc… And then, while so enamored by all of the puppy love I would be LIVING, I would have to face the facts that:

1.) Elenor tests my patience and drives me crazy on a regular basis.

2) this ONE girl is far more puppy than anyone my age needs.

3) we live in a small apartment and logistically this would be an all out nightmare. (NIGHTMARE)

So, today Elenor says goodbye to the puppy-filled future that could have been.

Moving on… Well, Michigan, how about that weather? Well, America, how about that Super Bowl? Well, world,how about those Olympics? Yep, like I said: Pretty big week. Without further ado, here’s my personal top 5:

  • It was a great game, on Sunday. So good! (and I’m not a big football lover, but still. SO GOOD!) Less than cool, for me, what JT’s halftime show. It just wasn’t awesome (in my opinion.) He’s just not my favorite, but hey- the boy can move, and I do really (REALLY) love the bromance he and Jimmy Fallon have. Beyond that- Meh… Anyway, being an 80’s child who loved Prince along with all other 80’s girls, that beautiful city turning purple and bestowing Prince’s symbol was beyond moving. (also, to clarify, I do NOT hold JT responsible for one bit of that.)
  • After the Super Bowl was a pretty significant episode of one of my all time favorite shows, This is Us. (If you think I am going to say that finally knowing what we know was a highlight it wasn’t. In fact, the whole show was gut-wrenchingly miserable.) That being said, this week had two beautiful and moving episodes of this show, which I love so deeply. It, its beautiful development and writing, and it’s stunning multi-layered characters are very dear to my heart. (along with the hearts of millions of others, I know.) Spending two hours with the Pearsons was really good. (Also, if you’re caught up (so NOT my daughter) and feel the need for a good, balming and someone lighthearted approach to this week’s heartache, read this. It was a favorite read, this week.)
  • I devoured this book, like a true literary addict. Is The Wife Between Us the best book I’ve ever read? No. It doesn’t have to be. It was really a great February read. There are many things I could say, but they would only make sense to someone who has read it. (that would be your cue to read the book already, so we can chat!)
  • We have a small countertop and cabinet area, in our little kitchen, that is always dark. No matter what time of day it is, or how many lights are on, this countertop is always in darkness. The real complication here is that this countertop is the most practical work space for food prep. This is where we keep the coffee pot, which we use daily. This is where we prep breakfast and make daily smoothies. This is the place… And it can get super frustrating. (thankfully, no one has lost a finger!) This week we added these and I have to be honest- it was BRILLIANT decision. Since we are leasing and here temporarily, we couldn’t really do anything permanent and this was an inexpensive and awesome decision.
  • My husband LOVES Noodles & Company. It’s so weird, really. I mean, N&C is fine, I guess. To Chw though, that boy LOVES to eat there. On Sunday we somehow ended up grabbing a quick meal at N&C. As we are standing at the counter, ordering and checking out, (just like every other fine dining establishment- ha!) our eyes fell upon the small display of Rice Krispy treats and we unanimously said That sounds so good… And it was. I know this, because we shared one. We decided to stop by the supermarket on the way home and get supplies to make a gigantic pan of them. By the time our afternoon was over however, we both agreed we had been thinking in the moment and did not want to do that after all.

Then, on Monday I asked my love if he would stop by the store and grab some sour cream that I had overlooked in the recipe I was making for dinner. His response (via email) was that sour cream seemed like an odd ingredient for Rice Krispy treats. Of course he was joking, but we both realized they still sounded good, (which isn’t really like us, as neither of us have ever particularly loved RCT) and that must mean we were supposed to make some.

While dinner was in the oven, together we whipped up a pan of these treats (we made a few modifications involving extra butter and vanilla) and these were (truthfully) a high point in both of our week. Yum.

And there you have it… Highlight’s of the week to tickle your senses! What about you, what was a highlight in your corner of the world?

 

It’s Friday, I’m in love…

Published on by Mae @ RainydayinmayLeave a comment

You guys, it’s February! How?

Last week I received an email from one of you lovelies, and I loved it! It’s author was having a bit of a rough season and said:

I really enjoy getting in to the office on friday mornings and finding your post in my inbox. I often find new favorite songs, things I have to purchase as soon as humanly possible, a good chuckle or a reason to tear up. There is something so human about your sharing and transparency. Some days though, like today, I just want to sarcastically list the top five things I really don’t like about this week, in reply. That’s pretty transparently human too, don’t you think?

I DO! We had a nice back & forth exchange, over the weekend. The truth us, sometimes I do slip things that I might be disappointed, or am struggling with, into these Friday-Five posts. Life is not perfect. I do not want to give that Fake-Facebook illusion that my life is picture perfect. There are weeks so overwhelming that I really have to grasp to fill these five slots. While I do have a list of five ready to go, for this week, I could probably come up with a list of forty-five “bad things” almost instantly. Like, do you know what I don’t like? When my husband’s business trips get extended. When it feels like I spend less hours/days with him home than not, and all of the side issues that accompany that, and this particular season of ours. Do you know what I really, REALLY don’t like? When it is dark outside, and I’m walking the dog (close to home) and she stops, alarmed, and then follows something (with her eyes) as though there was actually something there, which there isn’t… Creepy dog. I DO NOT like that. And also, nearly crashing my car into the back of someone. (although I do really like that it was a “nearly” and not an actually.) Adding to the terrible list, cucumbers. Gross.

That is kind of the point, I guess. For most of us, it is super easy to find, list out and dwell on the bad. So I (try to) intentionally focus on a handful of things I love a little (or a lot, sometimes) to share with you guys, whom I also love.

1.) Let’s chat about wish lists for a second. I keep a running wish list for a few reasons, but the two biggest would be that A.) my husband will ask, come birthday and Christmastime, and I ALWAYS come up with nothing, when put on the spot. Also there is B.) the fact that my memory is pretty worthless and sometimes I see really great things that I might just want to buy one day… Even so, while I am known to ask a child what they’d like for Christmas or birthday, I try not to make any occasion super materialistic and consumer focussed. It is a pretty fine line, at those times, but what about the asinine Hallmark holidays? I have always prided myself on being the low maintenance Valentine wife, content with a bouquet of Costco flowers and cheap little date. Or not. That’s how easy I am. (Though between us, my heart always hopes I’ll secretly be surprised by a bouquet of peonies, because they are my absolute favorite. I can say that because Chw doesn’t give two hoots about this blog. I also know myself well enough to know that once I saw the amount spent on such an indulgence, I’d kick both of us and then go back to being just fine with Costco roses…) That being said, there is this book releasing which I absolutely want to beg my husband to buy me, and inscribe it with something heartfelt and lovely.

Who am I kidding? I already showed him this book, about a month ago. It sounds so delicious, doesn’t it?

2.) Speaking of my husband… The guy is a BIG fan of Emergen-C. (So much so that sometimes it almost seems like the Windex thing from My Big Fat Greek Wedding…) I’m not above taking it, if I am actually sick (or feel strongly that I’m getting sick) but I am not a masochist and so I have to mix it with orange juice. (or, best of all is several juices together so that I can pretend it is a mimosa or cocktail.) When we ran out, this month (GASP!!!! The Horror!!!) my husband managed to find the Army supply size at Costco, to purchase. I only half rolled my eyes though, because let’s face it- the guy is hardly ever sick, so he may really be on to something. To my surprise, on the side of the box there was a smoothie recipe.

Mind blown… Why hadn’t I ever thought of that?

This week I made my normal smoothie recipe, (forget theirs, their product already tastes like dehydrated floor cleaner, I don’t care to try their smoothie recipe) and added a packet of Emergen-C. I can honestly say that it was incredibly tasty, and I would do it again! (also, I’m not sick! which, I wasn’t actually feeling sick, but still, I’m not sick and we can pretend that my magic smoothie is why!)

3.) No link here, sorry. While at Costco, over the weekend, stocking up on our seven trillion packets of Emergen-C, I stumbled upon Cauliflower crust pizza, in the freezer section. What really caught my eye was that the toppings were Roasted Vegetable. There used to be these delicious Lean Cuisine personal pizzas that were Roasted Vegetable and i LOVED them. (Think pre-economy tanking, back when Godiva also sold the most perfect ice cream ever, in the freezer section of all supermarkets. Man, those were the days… Can we spend a second in silence, remembering gas that was well under $2 a gallon?) Even though I love cauliflower, I’ve been a little slow to embrace it taking over the world, but the Roasted Vegetable appealed to me and so I brought it home.

This is the best pizza ever.

Seriously.

Is EVERY Cauliflower pizza like magic, in your mouth? Is it just this one? Honestly, I am a little panicky about the whole thing because things I love at Costco have a habit of being temporarily available, and then I never see them again.

4.) I pay a ridiculous amount of money to have a cell phone. Do you remember home phone days? When a phone bill would be around $25, and then long distance calls might bring it to a hundred dollars, on a really bad month… In those days I never would have imagined monthly phone bills of the cell phone variety. As I stated, I pay a ridiculous amount of money to have a cell phone in which I text people and they text me, and I occasionally play Disney emoji. And sometimes I think it is ridiculous that I have this phone, and then an afternoon comes along when one of my oldest, dearest and truest friends and I spend four hours talking. In those four hours, the distance between Michigan and the West Coast shrank a little, and my heart was full. (and now I’m set on actual phone conversations for a good, long while.)

5.) I don’t watch the Grammy’s, they are pretty much not my bag o’ fun. I am sure there isn’t a person around, however, who hasn’t heard about the amazing performance Kesha gave, of her song Praying. Already deeply moved by the song, her performance (as seen absolutely everywhere, all over the internet) moves me to tears. Every. Single. time.

As a survivor of sexual abuse, I identify with every ounce of it. Even with the conflicted feelings I have regarding the #metoo sensation of right now, I feel the message of this anthem (I am totally calling it an anthem!) is EXACTLY the one we need to embrace. Empowerment involves many, many things. It is a layered process of several facets, but being a victim and cloaking one’s self in pity is not among them.

I’m proud of who I am
No more monsters, I can breathe again
And you said that I was done
Well, you were wrong and now the best is yet to come
‘Cause I can make it on my own, oh
And I don’t need you, I found a strength I’ve never known
I’ll bring thunder, I’ll bring rain, oh
When I’m finished, they won’t even know your name

 

It is on a somber note that this week’s post is ending, and that’s ok. Sometimes somber can be beautiful too.