Happy New Year!

I sit here watching the after-party to the New Year's festivities from NYC.  (BTW, I did make it there this year!  We went for my birthday and it was WONDERFUL!)  I remember the year I was there.  It was crazy! But so much fun.  Jenny McCarthy asked some people tonight if they would classify the experience as "bucket worthy".  I would say a resounding YES!  Everyone should go hang out in a Times Square pen once in their life.  It is an amazing experience to be surrounded by people from all over the world and celebrate the coming of another year.  Yes it is a huge party.  Yes it can get cold there.  But YES, it is worth every minute just be a part of something shared by the entire population of humans on this planet.

I was not able to attend my yoga/gong meditation this year and that really bums me out.  I have come to love yoga and enjoy the connection to our earth that it brings me.  I have truly begun to embrace the hippy in me, haha!  I should really write a blog about simplicity and connectedness, but that seems like a lot of work right now...maybe some other night...
Tonight I did get some serous snuggle time with my Tiny.  For those who don't know, I have a 4-year-old daughter who is the love of my life.  I let her stay up until 10:00 tonight to watch the fun from NYC.  She was hilarious b/c she found the theatre where we saw Annie while we were watching the performers and was so excited to recognize something she knew!  When she went to bed she asked if she should wear her new glasses (2013 glasses we got in NYC) tomorrow.  I'd forgotten all about them!  But Tiny doesn't forget a thing.  So she'll be wearing them all day tomorrow!

If I had to choose one thing that sums up the last year I would say it is...
Surprises.
I reread some of my blogs and didn't realize how much I learned about myself this year.  So that's one surprise.
I also promoted out to Unit Leader with PartyLite, just at the time I had given up hope it would happen.  That was a very nice surprise!
I am totally happy making close to minimum wage working as a water fitness instructor and lifeguard.  It gives me something to do and is a little extra money to pay bills with.  Surprise!  (Although, don't count on this feeling to last long...it never does!)
I got an e-mail about a week ago from my long-lost friend, Andrea.  Surprise!  I thought she's fallen off the face of the earth!  Turns out she's just being a mom to her 2 kids and loving it.

Well I guess that's it.  Plus it's 1:07am on the 1st of January, 2013 and I probably should try to go to bed.  I do have to work tomorrow...ug.  So stay tuned for more blogs this year and lots of fun!!!
Happy New Year, readers!

Philosophy of Living Life

For some reason lately I've been thinking a lot about how to live life.  Maybe it's the fact that I've become a great Stay at Home Mom - finally accepted the fact that someone else pays my bills (or should be, anyway...) and embraced motherhood to the fullest extent.  Maybe it's the fact that I miss NYC and am trying to convince myself to spend money I shouldn't on a trip out there (brakes on a car should be repaired before jetting to another city, right?)  Or maybe it's just that watching a 4 year old enjoy herself makes me want to live carefree and enjoy myself.
Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy myself.  I love my life!  My daughter is the most wonderful thing to have ever happened to me.  And I think she is the reason I have decided to philosophize about life.  I want to be sure I give her everything she could possibly need to live a happy. long, and successful life.  But the definition of "success" is so different to everyone that I want to be sure to give her all kinds of options to explore and allow her to create her own definition.
So let's get back to life...
Responsibility is the number one thing people should live up to.  It just should be that way!  You are responsible for your own life: food, clothing, shelter, love, and the food, clothing, shelter, and love of any offspring you produce.  If you cannot provide this, then find a way!  Once these things are covered you can begin to work your way up Maslow's hierarchy of needs. But do not think for a minute that someone else should obtain these things for you.
After taking responsibility for your basic needs it is up to you to decide what to do next.  Get a job you love?  Schedule time to do things you love to do?  Find a circle of friends to share life with? Have a child or two to mold into responsible citizens like you?  Move in one direction to meet your chosen goal?  Or float from goal to goal, new idea to new idea?  Again, there is no one right path for everyone.  We should all choose the pleasure for ourselves.
So why do I feel like it is irresponsible to go to NYC?  I have a savings account.  I make some money.  I should be able to enjoy things like this!  But I am so afraid of later in life not being able to provide the things I am responsible for that I save my money.  And I save up my dreams of going places.  So I am left watching other people love their lives while I save...Yes, I am still living.  I still do fun things every day.  Just today I went swimming and watched how my daughter jumps in, swims to me, floats, and spins in the water like she was born to do this!  I don't need to do anything else.  I don't NEED NYC.  I WANT NYC.  And therein lies the struggle of how to live life...

Pigs' Eyes

This might be one of those "otherwise" blogs today!  Tiny and I were driving around and saw a truck filled with pigs.  Of course I'm sure they were going to slaughter but when Tiny asked where they were going I said I didn't know.  We had a nice chat about farmers raising pigs and then selling them.  As we were talking and watching the pigs, I caught the eye of one of them.
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Did you know that a pig's eye looks just like a human's eye?  It was creepy.  The way the sun was shining on the pig's face hid the nose and just highlighted the eye.  I swear I thought I was looking directly into a human's eye. So sad.  Asking for help.  Knowing where he was going and knowing there was nothing he could do about it.  There was not a chance I was going to tell Tiny where those pigs were really going.  Not with that one pig staring at me....Helpless.
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So, what if we are all like that?  All headed towards our slaughter with nothing we can do about it?  In a way, we are, aren't we?  I mean, we live our lives looking for success, happiness, whatever gets us through the days.  And in the end we die.  Who knows what happens when we die.  Maybe we go to Heaven.  Maybe we just rot.  Maybe we reincarnate (and become that poor pig!)  But we do know we die.  And there's nothing we can do about it.  What if our death is really the universe slaughtering us?  I could on about how many of us die in hospital and hospice.  And going to these places is like the pig going to slaughter.  When we get old or really sick we know the end is near.  Do we look sad like that pig?  Or do we hope above hope that there will be a cure and we'll be saved to live another year?
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I really don't know the answer, nor do I even know what I want the answer to be.  But I do know that there's no way I'll be buying bacon or ham anytime soon without seeing that poor pig's eyes asking me to help him!

Freedom of Religion

** DISCLAIMER= We all know this blog is about my thoughts, and my thoughts only. I may do a little bit of research, but most of this is my OPINION only. I keep hearing stuff from various politicians and not really paying much attention to them. But this latest article has taken the cake.

I am a Republican. But, I should clarify, I fall under the category of "old Republican". I am a fiscal Republican and feel that we should all be entitled to make our own money, spend our own money, and invest our own money. If you can't do this wisely and run out of money then it's too bad on you. Figure out another way to make more money and live within your means. Harsh? Nope. Fair!

Now, socially, I lean towards being a Democrat. I truly believe the constitution when it says "freedom of religion". I believe that "all men (and women) are created equal.". The founding fathers wrote the constitution based on these ideals. They did not sit down and say, "we are Christian. How can we screw over other religions while looking like we're giving them freedom?!"

I mean, really Santorum? We get our rights from our hearts which come from God? (as quoted during the debate in Alabama). We get our rights from the constitution! For goodness sake, why do you think we have a constitution?!

I just cannot believe that educated people are saying some of the things these current Republican presidential-wannabes are saying. They are mis-quoting the constitution, they are completely ignoring some amendments (the first!), and they are making America seem like a country full of hypocrites!

From what I understand President Obama is a Christian. This is different to being a Muslim. I don't really care what religion he is because that is the best part of being an American. You can be any religion you want and still be President! We have Freedom OF Religion here in this great country!

Furthermore, President Obama was born in the USA. Who cares where his parents were born? (Santorum, I believe, was the one making a stink about this. What is this guys' deal?). According to the constitution you have to be an American-born citizen to be president. I know this because I always wondered why Arnie didn't run for president. He can't. He wasn't born in America.

The way I see it, I think I should be president. I don't think I am any more knowledgable than the bumbling pack of idiots currently running. But I am a down-to-earth, fair thinker. I can read and understand history. I can understand plain English that says things like "freedom of religion". I don't pretend to know everything that is in the Bible and interpret it to suit my needs. I respect everyone, regardless of religion, because I am American. I could go on, and maybe I will in another blog, but for now I leave you with this one question: Are there any American candidates left out there?!