2012 Year in Review

Dear Readers,

I had one of the best years of my life. However, it came after one of the worst years of my life. 

I appreciate all that I had to go through in order to become so blessed. I know that I had to have some downs...to have the ups. 

What I've learned is that: We are all one one circumstance away from either great fortunes or extreme misfortunes.

 Embrace the now and all that is going on in your life.

Nothing is forever good, nor bad. It just is. 

In the words of Forrest Gump: "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get." 

I'd go a step further and say...if you get a piece of chocolate that you don't like (like the weird one that tastes like chalk in the middle)...learn to like the taste of chalk. 

Most likely, the next piece won't be a nasty chalk-in-the-middle kind. It will be delicious. And worth the gross piece before. 

Embrace the bad, for it often leads to good. And embrace the good, because it's only temporary. 

Perspective is key. 

Cheers to a New Year!

Miss Oakley

**Comments are welcome & no judgement will be passed.

**As with everything I write, Feel Free to Share.

**Follow me on Twitter @MissOakley 

**PS, If you're a fan of the blog you could become a "Follower" and have posts emailed to you.  It's a pretty elite and exclusive group of followers...so consider yourself lucky.  It's like winning the lottery...Except minus the money part.

Art Therapy: Wine and Canvas

Dear Readers,

I heart art. Seriously, I love it. I loved it as a kid, and I appreciate it as an adult. As a future therapist, I look forward to encouraging patients to learn its therapeutic powers.

So, when I was offered the chance to attend a Wine and Canvas event...I was all over it.

Being a fan of fun: I knew this was the right event for a couple of girlfriend bloggers and I to spend an evening creating masterpieces...and then sharing our story with the world (via our blogs.)

This is my part of our story:

Information:
Wine and Canvas is just want it sounds like: Drinking while painting.

More Information:
I have a group of girlfriends, that also blog, and are fans of fun...That decided they would like to partake in the wine and canvas-ing. And then blog about it.

So we partook.

And we had a blast.

(Insert randomness: We learned about the event without enough time to find a beret...OR grow a thin mustaches...Which is exactly what I think of when I think of being an "artist"...beret's and thin pencil mustaches...Guys, just go with it. I'm sharing my thoughts. These are my actual thoughts....)

Additional Information:
Wine and Canvas is held in different locations each week. The event runs about 3 hours. All art materials and a smock are provided. You can drink whatever you would like. I drank water with a lemon (because I like to party.) The class is taught by a professional. The professional artist makes it seem as easy as painting by numbers. Anyone can attend. We went with a group of girls. There were also couples, guys, and adults of all ages and artistic abilities.

At any rate, the girlfriends that attended this event with me wrote AWESOME blog posts describing the event in detail. And it would be a dis-service not to share those writings with you. At the bottom of this post I will attach their blogs. Please read. After reading them you will learn more about Wine and Canvas and just how much fun it is.

What I'm going to talk about was just how THERAPEUTIC it was.

Why am I talking therapy? Well, because one day I will be a legit Therapist and therefore, therapy is very near and dear to my heart.

Some of my grad school classes have focused on alternative forms of therapy. Art therapy being one of them. And to summarize 1000's of pages of things that I have read on the topic of art therapy:
It's effective. It's fun. And it unleashes your inner child.

At some point in our childhood, we all attempted doing something creative and artistic. We all finger painted, or colored, or made things with toothpicks.

And then at some point we stopped.

We stopped because someone told us we weren't good at it. Or we felt we weren't good at it. Or society as a whole said that art isn't something that adults do.

Adults: get jobs, are serious, and only do things that they are good at.

At some point we stop finger painting and learn how to use excel spreadsheets.

We stop being creative because we need to pay the bills.

We stop being artistic.

We stop having fun.

But can't we be adults and still have fun??

YES.

Wine and Canvas is an outlet for adults to be adult-like...but still have fun.

Wine and Canvas will succeed because it takes us back to our roots. Our childhood.

Is it fun to drink wine and paint? YES. But it was more than that.

It was therapeutic.


It was a way for us to be creative.

It was a way for us to do something that excited us.

It was a way for a group of adults to have an outlet.

It was a way for us to build our friendship and bond.

It was a way for us to see ourselves not so seriously.

It was a way to relax and unwind from our busy lives.

It was a way to see ourselves in a different light.

It was a way for us to share stories of our artistic youth.

It was a way for us to giggle like kids for hours.

It was a way for four friends to create art that will forever be cherished in our homes.

It was a way for us to see each other in a different light. Never before have we all hung out and painted with each other. It opened doors of discussion that years of friendship and talking about our lives never would have. It gave us a new perspective on our friendship and invigorated the kid inside each us. It gave us something tangible that we could always hold onto after the experience is long and gone.

It was a way for us to blog about a shared experience in four different ways.

This is my blog and this was my take on the event. My take is that it was extremely therapeutic and brought me back to my childhood. It made me want to be more creative. It made me look at life though the lens of a child...With a world of possibilities. Am I the next Picasso? Probably not. But, I can have fun trying.

This is my blog and this is my story.

Here are their blogs. Here are their stories:
Des Moines Good Eats
A Little Pink in the Cornfields
Angie's Musings

Attend a Wine and Canvas event and create your own story. 

The Website for Wine and Canvas is: http://www.wineandcanvas.com/
If You "Like" their Facebook Page You Can Learn About Their Events and Specials.

Forever Trying New Things,
Miss Oakley

**Comments are welcome & no judgement will be passed.

**As with everything I write, Feel Free to Share.

**Follow me on Twitter @MissOakley 

**PS, If you're a fan of the blog you could become a "Follower" and have posts emailed to you.  It's a pretty elite and exclusive group of followers...so consider yourself lucky.  It's like winning the lottery...Except minus the money part.

Can I Perform a Citizens Arrest at the Gym?

Dear Readers,

I have a question: Can you perform a Citizens Arrest at your gym? Seriously, I need to know. If so, I'm going to get back in my car and get after it.

What I saw tonight was beyond abhorrent. It was borderline ridiculous.

Now we've all seen the guy that works out in jeans.

Or the one that wears flip flops.

And never mind that older gentleman I saw over the summer working out IN HIS UNDERPANTS.

None of the above mentioned have enraged me to the point of blogging about it.

No, what I saw tonight was G R A P H I C.

Brace yourselves.

Sit down if you have to.

What I saw was:

A PERSONAL TRAINER EATING A BAG OF PEANUT M & M's.

Why am I so offended by this??

Because he's a professional and was blatantly doing everything that goes against what he stands for.

I gave him a HARD look.

Like, really hard. And I'm not one to look hard. But this guy caused me to visibly shake my head in disgust.

I wanted to take his badge and work the rest of his shift.

Do I know what personal training involves? No. But  I do know that it does not involve eating bags of M & M's while working. And therefore, I think I probably could have finished his shift off better than what he was working with.

Clearly, he had given up.

The thing that makes me the most upset is that I too am a professional. And I practice what I preach. It is my belief that if you are going to charge people to listen to you...You should at least follow your own advice. You should take your profession seriously. And if that means part of your job is to dish out nutrition advice: Do not stuff your face with candy.

At any rate, I needed to put this out there. Trainer at the gym: I SAW YOU. I do not know who you are, but I'm against what you're doing.

The last time I was this upset was when I was a Drug Rep and I saw a Doctor smoking in his office.

Very upsetting.

Being in the health business myself, I know it is important to set a good example. And "model" good behavior. Candy isn't a good example.

So get it together personal trainer. I'm watching you and blogging about it.

The End,

Miss Oakley

I Just Remembered: I'm Getting Married

Dear Readers,

I am getting married next year. I'm not saying this to brag: I'm actually saying it to REMIND myself of it.

As I sit her working on...work...I decide to take a break. My break involved me: eating some almond butter (because it's delicious) and reading a friends blog about her wedding. Then realized: I too am getting married. 

I would make a horrible Bridezilla. Seriously, I haven't planned really anything for our wedding yet. Except the location and theme. But not really any of the details. And somehow I'm ok with it.

I realize I should probably start by getting a dress. But every time I look for dresses, I get bored after about ten minutes...

It all ends up with me watching puppy videos's on YouTube.

My non-interest in my own wedding most likely has to do with the fact that my fiance and I would rather just go to the courthouse. We are doing this for others. Because that's what others want. And I respect the others in my life and understand that they just want to be a part of our love and celebrate our union. I get it. I get that people love love and want to partake in it. And events are fun. And because of all of this...We shall have a wedding.

I've never been one to celebrate myself. I even have a hard time with my own birthday. The only reason I participate in my own birthday is because there is cake.

AND I LOVE CAKE.

It's delicious!

Maybe I should go cake tasting to get myself into the whole wedding thing??  But cake tasting may just make me fall off the health wagon I've been on the past couple of months.

The last thing I want to do after working out for 7 months straight is the fall hard off the healthful living wagon...into a pit of cake...Only to end up at an all you can eat Pizza buffet.

It would be the end of an era.

I decided to pen this blog as a cry for help. Someone help me get into my own wedding!! Have an intervention with me or something! Send me photos of beautiful dresses! Kidnap me and take me to a flower store! Lock me inside a Hobby Lobby until I write down some ideas!

Being a reformed toyboy could also have something to do with this. It's an event just getting me to take a shower. I've only recently started painting my nails. I've never worn false eyelashes. I REFUSE to wear a strapless bra for ANY reason.

If you want me to be real with you: I'd be happy wearing sweats to my wedding. Or a smart pant suit.

I'm a wedding mess guys. Help me get into it.

And this concludes my plea for help.

Miss Oakley

Invest in You

Dear Readers,

After many years of being with myself...I have recently started to treat myself better. After a lot of reflection, a background in the world of business, and countless hours reading about how to be a therapist...I have come to a conclusion: I need to treat myself like an investment. 

I'm the only me I have. What I have found is that the more I put in myself, the more others have benefited. 

I spent years and years putting myself on the back burner. With the best of intentions of course. Life gets in the way. We get busy. 

We put ourselves last. We do this because other people need us.

I realized...I also needed me. And what others need is: the best version of me. 

We have the best intentions. Yet,when we don't take the time to do the things we love...We ultimately suffer. And that leads to others around us not benefiting fully. So while we are trying to do the right things, by taking care of others...and not ourselves...It ends up hurting us all. 

I have started to take time for myself. Recently, I have started scheduling dates with myself in my planner like appointments. I have started to treat myself like a priority. 

I have been working out or walking dogs for an hour 4-6 times/wk for past seven months. I am healthier, happier, and more productive than I have ever been. 

Because I'm a fan of sharing my life. I wanted to share this strategy of mine with you. It worked for me, and if it can work for one other person...then the sharing was worth it.

So, take some time for yourself each day. Even if it is just 15 minutes. Do something you enjoy. Do something positive that moves your life forward.

My background is business and I like to break things down by numbers. Here's some math:

• Taking an hour for ourselves a day is just 4% of the total day.
• A half hour is 2% of our day.
• 15 minutes is 1% of our day.

Can you find 1% of your day to invest in yourself??

Do you have to go to he gym for an hour? No. Just do something for yourself. It could be reading a chapter in a book before you go to bed. Or getting up 15 minutes early to meditate/think/pray. Or taking your dog on a long walk. Just do something on your own. Just for yourself. Something you enjoy. 

 When we start to find the happy in our lives...That comes through in all we do. Our friends and family notice the change. When we love ourselves more we end up loving others more. And I don't know about you, but I'm a big fan of love. Loving others starts first with ourselves. 

Love you. It's ok. It will benefit all of the lives you touch.

Do I know what I'm talking about? No. But, I know what has worked for me. And treating myself better, works. And therefore, I am sharing. 

Blogging about various things until I find my focus,
Miss Oakley

After a Brief Hiatus...

Dear Beloved Readers,

First, let me apologize for being gone so long. I blame: Life. And all of the stuff that comes along with it.

I've added some new fun things into my schedule that have caused me to be away from the blogging for a while: several jobs, planning a wedding, doing research, graduate school stuff, and a new found dedication to fitness...yadda, yadda, yadda...life stuff.

So, after a brief hiatus: I'm Back.

In all honesty, I have a 6 week break from Graduate school and that is why I'm making a comeback.

I always feel guilty for blogging when I have homework/assignments/papers/research to do for Graduate school.

When I'm in school I tend to focus on that. Some may say too much, but it's important to me.

At any rate, school is out and that means I'm back to posting things on the internet!

Everyone get fired up.

So I am going to try and blog as frequently as I can. I really miss it. It's therapeutic for me.

My goal is to try and come up with a focus. For me the main problem is that I am interested in SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS that my blog has remained without a focus. It's mainly random and all over the place.

I'm going to have a meeting with myself and narrow my interests down. Hopefully then I can gain a better insight into myself. I will take a vote of everyone present at the meeting and narrow down my focus. I will then take those interests and poll them with a the members of my board: myself in the morning (a complete grouch), and myself in the afternoon (wildly optimistic.) So a pretty valid audience. An all around solid plan.

Mainly, I want to help people. I plan on doing that with: information, randomness, humor, and sharing some of the research that I have been doing in my studies.

Also, I'm open to suggestions. So suggest away. I'm pretty much on every social networking site known to man, so get a hold of me through whatever avenue you prefer.

I'm also toying with the idea of starting a counseling/therapy/wellness blog. Seriously. Snicker away all you want. But the fact of the matter is: I've paid for my internet subscription and they let ANYONE have a blog nowadays. So try and stop me. Seriously, will someone try and stop me??? (This is my cry for help.)

If no one stops me, I may go ahead and move forward with this little nugget of an idea that I have. So my blog may at some point in the near future turn into something legit. Or something with some real focus. Or a huge mess. I'm ok with any of the previous stated sentences coming to fruition.

At any rate, I have many things I want and need to share. And I'm just going to start putting it out there. For reasons unknown people read this thing. Like a lot of people. The reasons as to why someone would read this are unclear. Yet, it's a fact. And if people will read it, then I'm just going to keep after it.I need your help though guys. What would you like to read about? Since there are quite a few people that have read this disaster of a "blog", I want to make something that matters. Or a real mess. Either way, I'm going to give it a shot. My goal is that my writings will help others. In some way.

Help me help others.

So here is what I am asking of you, dear readers: What would you like to read about? If you have suggestions you can:

• Call/text me
• Facebook me
• Email me at: oakley.miss@gmail.com or observationsbymissoakley@gmail.com
• Tweet at me @missoakley
• Send a carrier pidgeon over with a handwritten note
• Stop by my place and bang on my windows until I put some pants on and answer the door

Examples of some of my writings:
The Amish Exist
No Shower, No Problem
It's Non Fun to Tell Someone that They Smell...And Not in a Good Way

Yours Truly,

Miss Oakley

September 11th Remembered

Dear Readers,

I wanted to say a little something on this September 11th...

Each and every September 11th I wake up and remember that day. That horrible day.

I am taken back to where I was, what I was doing, and mostly what I was feeling.

So I wanted to share that with you...

On September 11th, 2001, I was a sophomore at Iowa State University. I was an RA (Resident Assistant.) There were 60 co-ed students that lived on my floor. I was living in residence hall on campus called "The Towers." And no, the irony is not lost on me.

I woke up that day and turned on the TV to check the weather. I wanted to know what I needed to wear that day to class.

What I saw was not the weather. What I saw was a plane crashing into the World Trade Center.

My first thought, was disbelief. I didn't know what I was seeing. I literally could NOT process it.

Back in 2001, a lot of the breaking news still happened on TV. We didn't have twitter back then and when you wanted to know if something was real: You turned on the TV. If something was REALLY real, it was happening on every channel.

I flipped the channel. Same thing. A plane crashing into the World Trade Center. I changed the channel.  Same thing.

It was on every channel.

It had to be real.

It didn't make sense.

I stood there watching. My mouth agape. In utter disbelief.

My door was open to my room. I'm certain that residents saw me just standing there in shock.

All I wanted to do was just quickly check the weather before heading off to class. I wanted to know if I needed to bring a sweatshirt that day to class. That's it. I didn't want to know that my life was forever changed.

What I found out was much much more than I anticipated.

So my door is ajar and residents start knocking on it. Asking questions. "Did I see the TV??" "Is it real?" "What is going on?" "Do we have to go to class??"

I didn't know what to tell them. I literally could not understand what was going on. So, I told them to go to class.

I didn't go to class. I couldn't. (I always went to my classes.) Ok, MOST of my classes.

So here I am, skipping classes I usually go to all the time. In order to process this...So I can give my residents some answers. And I too needed answers.

Everyone went to class and I stayed back and watched the TV. I just stood in front of it for hours and watched. After hours I still had no answers. When residents came back for lunch and asked me again if they had to go to class. I told them they didn't have to. I told them that their professors would understand. That they HAD to understand. 

Everyone went to their rooms and watched.

We all were in shock.

I remember President Bush coming on TV.

If the President was on...It is in fact real.

The news stations just kept showing the towers coming down. It seemed to be on a loop or something. I must have watched it happen 100 times. I couldn't turn away. I couldn't eat. Or sleep. I had to process this.

No one knew what to do. No one had answers. We kind of just went through the motions of life for a while.

After a couple days we went back to class.

We went back to class because we couldn't take watching the news coverage. We wanted to get back to our lives. We went to escape reality.

I don't remember the specifics about what actually happened in the days afterwards. It was all a haze.

Personally, I was reflective in the weeks and months afterwards. In 1999, we had taken a High School senior trip to NYC. I remember seeing the towers. I knew they were real because I had seen them with my own eyes. I had taken photos of them. They were part of the landscape. And I remember thinking that I would never again see the towers. That when I had children of my own, and took them to New York City, that THEY would never see the towers. I remember the feeling that nothing would ever be the same again.

And it wasn't.

Many things have changed since that day.

The one thing that remains the same is how I felt on that day. How after the utter disbelief, the feeling of shock...How we as a nation came together.

In my lifetime I have never had that feeling. It was a sense of unity. There wasn't a single American that did not feel connected to their fellow man. There wasn't a single person that did not feel changed in some way. We all had this shared feeling of sadness. We also had a shared feeling of hope. Hope that we would someday make sense of this. Hope that this would never happen again.

I want to have that feeling again. But I want it to happen WITHOUT the devastation. It was the first and only time in my adult life that I felt that we could truly come together...No matter what side of the fence we sit on. And pull for our nation. As one.

This year is election year. As I'm sure you know...If you have a TV, or the internet, or read the paper, or have ever left your house for any reason.

All we have is the present and the future. The past has happened already. And I am hopeful that our country can and will once again come together. We have a couple of rough months ahead of us before the election. I call it "rough" because we will have to endure these horrible and never-ending political ads...endless Facebook political rants...never ending TV coverage of debates and opinions...

Do your part. Vote. Be part of the the solution. It doesn't matter which side you stand on. Or if on a side at all. However, it does matter that you be part of it.

Voting is something that shows America that you care. That you care about how things are going and it's future. It is a way to show that you want something better. That you are willing to be part of the process.

It is my hope that this election year, that voters turn out in record numbers. That we shock the leaders of America and the world as a whole by showing up and saying "Yes, we still care and that's why we're here." 

If anything show up to vote for those that cannot. For those that had their right to vote taken away on that September 11th day.

I want to have hope that we are willing to do our part,and vote...In hopes that our leaders will do theirs, and lead.

To register to vote and or request a ballet by mail go to: www.gottavote.org

Miss Oakley

My "To Done" List

Dear Readers,

I wanted to share my strategy of creating a "To Done" List.

A "To Done" List is something I came up with myself.  (Obviously, because it has a horrible name.)   But it has helped me out...

We all make "To Do" Lists right??  Or, at least most of us do.  If you don't...you probably know someone that does make these lists...Or you know of someone who makes these lists for you...

Lists are a great way to organize things.

I have always been a fan of lists.

In fact, when I am feeling overwhelmed it is my go to strategy.

When overwhelmed I:

• Make a list
• Start working on said list
• Life happens and I tend to it
• Forget about list
• Make another list (probably very similar to the first one)

I know...a VERY EFFECTIVE strategy.  Or not really.  But hey, it's something I do and I thought I'd put it out there.

A lot of times my "To Do" lists are just reminders of what I DIDN'T accomplish.  A lot of times they actually make me feel worse instead of feeling better.

So I decided to flip the script.

I started making "To Done" Lists.

What is a a "To Done" List you might ask??  Well, I shall tell you:  It is a list of every single productive thing I accomplished during the day.  It's the stuff you don't give yourself credit for.  The stuff not on your original "To Do" List.

I create "To Done" Lists after I make a "To Do" List that didn't work out as planned.  When I look at the things I didn't accomplish on my "To Do" List I start feeling bad.  That's where the "To Done" List comes in.

My "To Done" list is a reminder that I actually did get things done.  It is also a way that I give myself credit for the things that I do get done.

Why would I do this??  Well, I'm a big fan of being positive and focusing on the good.  Only so much can be accomplished by me beating myself up for what I thought I'd get done...But then life happened...and it didn't.

No matter how many lists I have...Life always gets in the way.  Things happen.  Lists get put on hold.  And that's fine.  I like this strategy because it allows me to take life as it happens and not be so hard on myself.  

Feel free to borrow this strategy the next time you get mad at yourself for not getting all of the things on your "To Do" List done.  Making a "To Done" List is a way you can show yourself (and others if need be) that you in fact moved your life forward in some way, shape, or form.

Miss Oakley

My Worst Day is Someones Best

Dear Readers,


I wanted to share with you some of my thoughts.


(I wrote this a couple months ago...)


For the past 16 months, I have been waking up to "Nothing but Saturdays."  Some may refer to this as "Unemployment", but I have never been one to go with the crowd.  And it's more fun to talk about Saturdays than it is about your lack of financial income.  Unemployment isn't one of those topics people jump up and down to talk about.  But Saturdays are.  And if I have to be unemployed...then I'm going to give it a fun term.


I have learned much about myself through this time.  If I had to sum everything that I've learned in the past year it is that:  No matter how bad you think you have it.  Someone has it worse.


My worst day could be someones best day.


A lot of things happened over the past year and a half that I am still trying to understand and come to terms with.  However, I know that I am doing the right thing by trying to look at things in a more positive way.


And the right thing isn't throwing myself a pity party and focusing on the negative.


The right thing (for me) is realizing that things are bad...But that I am lucky.


A while back I was having one of those days where I was on the verge of throwing myself a huge pity party.  I was on the verge of tears and a festival of boo-hoo-ing.


But then I did something.  I stepped outside of myself and looked at my personal situation as if I was someone else.


I imagined I was several different people.  Then I looked at my life objectively (instead of subjectively and emotionally.)  


Looking at my own life through someone elses lens gave me a way to find the good in the bad and the happy in the sad.


It was at this point that I realized that what I felt was my worst day...Could actually be someones best day.


There is always ALWAYS someone out there that has it worse.  That would trade your life for theirs in a second.


When I started thinking this way, I drastically decreased the number of self-imposed pity parties I threw for a party of one.


Does this mean I'll never have another bad day?  No.  However, it does mean that when I am having a bad day that I remember to check my emotions against the reality of the situation:  This horrible day I am having is something another person would gladly trade me for.  Knowing that what I feel like is my worst day, could be someones best...Helps me live another day.


Miss Oakley

Bitter.com: Like Twitter, but with more Angst.

Dear Readers,
(I wrote this last winter.  When I was Waking up to Nothing but Saturday's...I never published it...Until now...)

It seems like everyone is mad about something or wants to complain about how the world has mistreated them.  Everyone is upset about everything.

Which is fine, but...that's what a DIARY is for...And real live friends/family...Probably not social media websites.

Sometimes I contemplate taking a break from Facebook and Twitter because it's a downer.  If you want to instantly get bummed out, read a couple status updates/tweets from that friend that likes to complain.

Now, I'm not saying we shouldn't state our feelings and get things out in the open.  (Obviously, I'm in grad school to be a Therapist, I'm all about feelings.)  All, I'm saying is there needs to be a specific social media website where you can go and complain.  My Proposal:  We call this website "Bitter".  It's like Twitter, but with more angst.  That way everyone that wants to be negative, can be surrounded by everyone else that wants to do the same.  (Here's a fun fact: If you try to go to bitter.com you are re-directed to Burger King's website...So, at least Burger King has a sense of humor??)

It's not that I don't care about things that are going on in everyone's lives..I Do.  I really do.  I WANT to know what's going on.  I just don't want to get unnecessarily bummed out when I log on to Facebook to look at pictures of your cute pets and instead read about the ailments of your day.  That's not what I signed up for.

Life is hard.  I get it.

On a daily basis, I think we all are wronged  on average... approximately 10 times (totally did the research for that fact.)  Instead of focusing on how the world has mistreated me, I try to find ONE thing positive that happened in my day.  I focus on that.  It gives me strength to move on.

For example:  I recall having a Major Case of the Sads a while back.  It was a day that I got almost nothing on my "To Do" list done.  I called my Mom and told her I was having a tough time.  Like a legitimately tough time.  We decided that I needed to just do SOMETHING, ANYTHING.  So what did I decide to do??  I walked to my mailbox and got my mail.  Seriously.  This was the highlight of the day for me.  I wasn't working and it was winter time and super cold here. Which could turn even the most active person into a semi-hermit.

Every time I think about posting/tweeting something negative, I re-think it.  If I'm having a true issue, I call someone that loves me and I talk it out.

In my opinion, when I post things that are negative...it gives that negative statement/feeling the power.  I don't want to give it more power.  I want to take the power away.

Life is hard.  If I know ANYTHING it is that it's all how you look at things.  We all go through horrible stuff and it's mostly not fair.

Complaining and letting bad things consume my mind does nothing for me.  If anything, it is paralyzing and it keeps me from moving forward.

A couple years I cam across this quote by Charles R. Swindoll:
“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.”

After much reflection, I decided that I needed to adjust how I look at things.  Not everything is bad.  Even actual bad things are not that bad when looked at from the right perspective.  What can be bad is giving the bad stuff even more power over my feelings than it already has.  Bad things happen, but I can choose to try to find the good in all things.  I have a choice in not what happens, BUT HOW I RESPOND.  I can respond negatively and bitterly...OR...I can choose to try to find something good.  It is not the actual event...It is my Response to that event that is important.

Like for example, this whole Waking-Up-To-Nothing-But-Saturdays-Thing/being unemployed.  It's been going on for 13 months now, and instead of complaining...I've embraced it.  I may never have this time again on my hands.  So I'm going to use it now, while I have it.  Being unemployed can be super depressing, but it doesn't have to be.

NOTHING THAT HAPPENS TO ME HAS TO BE DEPRESSING/SAD/NEGATIVE.  Everything that happens to me can just be something that happens.  That might be non-fun.  But it is when I define something as "horrible" that I give it the power to actually BE horrible.

I do this with working out too.  For example, last month I worked out 10 times.  Is that enough?  No.  Mathematically that works out to 2.5 times a week.  Which wasn't my goal.  However, I worked out 10 times.  Ten!!  How great is that?!  I'm choosing to celebrate my minor success and not give the power to all the days I didn't work out.

I'm really trying to look at life differently.  I'm trying to find the funny in the non-funny.  And the happy in the sad.  So far I like the new perspective.

Years ago, I started a happy journal.  At the end of the day, I listed all the things that happened that made me happy.  Some days there were only one thing on the list (and I even had to struggle coming up with the one thing).  One day all I could write was:  "walking my dogs."  For a second I got sad, but then I thought of the dogs.  How happy they were to go on a walk.  That was the highlight of their day!  They were so happy, and cute, and grateful that their momma took them on a long walk.  Then I remembered a couple of cute things that they did on that walk.  After thinking about that one singular happy thing that happened in my day, I turned what was potentially a completely bad day, into a good one.  I went to bed that night with a smile on my face.

So, I'm not going to contribute to negativity...not on social networking sites...and not in the real world either. I shall choose to embrace the negative...and hug the crap out of it...and try to find a small piece of positivity in the negative, and focus on that instead.


Miss Oakley

My Hobby Is Trying Out New Hobbies

Dear Readers,

I have decided that my hobby is trying out hobbies...My actual hobby is trying out new things.  That's what I like to do.  If I could, I would give every single thing out there a try.  Why not??

Seriously...Here's a list of stuff in my storage unit that at one point I thought I would get into...but either didn't or am currently in the process of trying out:

Golf Clubs- Used them a couple times.  Turns out I'm a horrible golfer.  I even got lessons, shoes, the whole thing.  I'm just not into it.  However, it is fun to go to the driving range every couple of years.  Which is why I still have my clubs and am not ruling it out as a potential hobby.

A Hula Hoop- why not??  I saw this at Wal-mart when I was on the road one day in Southern Iowa when I was Drug Rep.  I decided I had to have it.  It was kind of fun putting it in the Impala with all of the Erectile Dysfunction sample boxes and vials of insulin.  Directly after purchasing the hula hoop I used it quite a bit. I decided to use it publicly.  Because I like to humiliate myself (also, another hobby of mine.)  So I hooped it up in outside of my house for all the neighbors to see.  It was actually a really good workout.  Which is why I still have the hula hoop and am not ruling it out as a potential hobby.

A Sewing Machine-  Also, why not??  I bought it at Target.  I am convinced I would love to learn how to sew.  My mom sewed all of our clothes growing up.  ALL OF THEM.  Except our underpants.  Those she got at garage sales (awesome.)  Despite the obvious emotional turmoil of my youth...I still want to learn how to sew.  Which is why I still have the sewing machine and am not ruling it out as a potential hobby.

Racquetball Rackets and Tennis Rackets-  4 in total.  I took a Racquetball class in college (like an actual class...for credit) and loved it.  Thought I could go pro at some point.  I still love racquetball...and every once in a while I will come across another person that also loves it and then agrees to go and play with me.  I remain optimistic and believe that one day another person will want to play with me again.  And I don't even expect them to have a racket.  Which is why I have 4 rackets and am not ruling it out as a potential hobby.

A Huffy Bike- Also bought on a Drug Rep trip somewhere in Iowa.  This one was kind of a risky purchase.  Risky because I was in no-where Iowa and didn't know if it would fit in the trunk of my car (along with the boxes of pills, vials, etc.)  Because I'm a pro at space optimization...I got that thing in my trunk.  I also bought a helmet.  (Safety first.)  I've used the bike a couple times.  Each time worse than the last.  Turns out, I don't like hills.  Or pedaling.  Or biker shorts.  Or the helmet.  However, I know one day I'll need the bike for something.  Which is why I still have the bike in my storage unit and am not ruling it out as a potential hobby.

A Basketball- I love playing basketball.  Am I good at it??  No.  However, in 2009 this did not stop me from signing up for the Iowa Summer Games shooting competition in the women's division.  And despite all odds.  I won.  Also, important to note...There was not another woman in my age division.  Apparently women my age are busy with families and stuff.  At any rate, I like to shoot hoops at random intervals.  Which is why I carry a basketball around with me in my car and am not ruling it out as a hobby I will once again take up.

A Piano-  This was a Black Friday purchase that I couldn't let pass me by.  Was it 4am??  Yes.  Was I in the right frame of mind to be shopping on no sleep??  Obviously, yes.  I played the piano as a child and remembered at 4am that day that I missed it.  So I got it.  I've played a little since and am convinced this could potentially again be a hobby.  (Fun fact:  I can play 5 instruments...)  I might one day decide to take up my musical inclinations again. Which is why I have a piano and am not ruling it out as hobby I will once again take up.

A Trumpet-  Everyone needs a trumpet in their storage unit.  Or...I played in grade school, Jr high, and high school...and can't possibly part with it.  I always think that one day I might pick it up again.  Which is why I still have a trumpet in my storage closet and am not ruling it out as a hobby that I will once again pick up.

A Box of Crap that I've Written- I have a huge box of journals/notebooks/diaries of my my personal thoughts over the years.  I have always written.  And apparently over the years all of my writings ended up in the important place of:  a box in my storage unit.  So it is clear that what I'm currently doing (writing) is something that I've always done.  Evidence: that box and this blog.  I think I need to hold on to all my writings.  If only for the fact that no one should ever read anything I've written.  So, I shall keep my writings and one day may share some of my thoughts just to embarrass myself further.  Which is why I am keeping the box of crap I've written, sometimes write on this blog, and am in the process of writing a really horrible book.  

You are now looking at my current hobby of writing.  This blog is part of my hobby...but not the total summation of my doings.  I write many other things.  These things are just stuff I either:  keep to myself, am writing in a book(s), OR turn into my professors so they can read. 

As a future therapist it is important that I continuously work on myself and grow as a person.  For me, growing means: getting over myself.  And getting over myself consists of putting my weird and awkward personal life, passions, goals, and random observations out there for the world to see.  Not so that I can be judged by a jury of my peers...But just so I keep myself in a constant state of vulnerability.  It is when I am truly vulnerable that I am able to grow.


So here I am, being vulnerable, in the attempt to grow as a person and as a counselor.  Thank you for helping me do this today by reading my ramblings of how my hobby is trying out new hobbies.  With the current hobby being:  Writing.

Miss Oakley

Let's Chat About Moving.

Dear Readers,


Wow, I haven't blogged for...Months.  Lucky for you guys, I've written a bunch of stuff that I just haven't "published".  So here is something I wrote a couple months ago about moving....


I did some math...Which isn't my most favorite thing to do...and I've counted that I've moved 13 times in the last 12 years.


Something I'm not proud of.  However, still a fact of my life.


In my last blog I shared with that my boo's bro is my landlord...and I totally forgot to put one of my most favorite videos along with the blog.


So here it is:  "The Landlord"

I've had a bunch of landlords, I've also owned a home...


And in the span of 12 years, have moved 13 times.


You'd think I'd be a pro at it by now.  But I still very strongly dislike moving.


I've decided that it is totally worth the coin to hire movers.  Unless you have some friends that you want to not be your friends at the end of the day...Then go ahead and have them come help you.  I can guarantee you that at the end of the day these friends will be completely re-evaluating their relationship with you and may or may decide to never help you again.


Seriously, moving brings out the beast in people.  I've seen rational people just totally lose it in the process of moving.  If you ever want to know what someone is really made of...Help them move.


So, since the boo and I live in his bro's condo it's a little cramped and most of my stuff is in a storage unit.  But, I don't even miss most of it.  So, I probably could do without it.


I'm not a hoarder.  Let's just get that straight right now.  I just have a bunch of stuff.  Why??  Because I used to live in a gigantic house.  There were rooms that I didn't even go into.  Or know why they were there.


At any rate, that is not part of my life anymore.  But for those of you that have ever lived in a residence you may know what seems to happen...


You have all this space.  And space needs to be filled right??  So we fill space up with stuff.  Sometimes it doesn't even matter what the stuff is.  We're American, it's our right to fill our homes up with stuff that we might never use.  But we could use if we wanted.  That's our right.  We can have as much stuff as we want and never use it.  It's the American way.


At any rate, I have been slowly getting rid of all of this accumulated stuff that I once had for no apparent reason.


Turns out, I don't need all that stuff.  It's not who I am.


Also turns out, that I am to once again move.


The boo and I have decided to join forces and get married.  After some discussion, we thought it would be best to have our own residence as a married couple and not raise our family in his brother's condo.


So we are on the lookout for a new place.  And that means I'm going to move again.  It also means I need to get my storage unit sorted out and continue to rid myself of all of my prior baggage.  Should be a good time.


If anyone wants to not be my friend anymore you are welcome to help us move.


Miss Oakley

No Shower, No Problem.

Dear Readers,

I wanted to share with you more about my life.  More things you probably didn't need to know...but once you do know, you'll be glad you did.  Or, something like that.

I've been on a real hygiene kick lately.  Not actually practicing it...but I just noticed my last couple of blog posts have been about how gross I am sometimes.

And this blog post is right in line with that...It's basically about:  That-One-Time-I-Didn't-Shower-For-A-Week.

This happened a couple weeks ago.  I wish it was one of those crazy stories of my youth...but this happened recently.  This month in fact.

To make a short story long:  I didn't shower for an entire week.

However, I have my reasons.

Reason #1 is that a couple weeks ago our hot water mysteriously shut off.  For reasons unknown.  One day I took a nice warm shower...The next day...Game over.  No transition.  It went from warm to ice cold in a day.

Something you should know...some people like to take cold showers.  I am not one of them.  I have never enjoyed a cool shower.  I think it stems from childhood.

Childhood:  We often didn't have hot water.  For various reasons including, but not limited to:  not paying the water bill, having to share the bathroom with multiple people and sometimes an entire other family (true story), and other reasons related to limited funding.

I remember being around the age of seven and thinking:  "When I grow up, I'm going to make enough money to always have warm water for showers."

Side note:  When you are a child and dream of having unlimited warm water...You know your childhood was awesome.


So yeah, my wealth fantasies as a child topped out at:  having hot water.  


At any rate, I learned how to be really good at washing my hair in the sink...Which is a skill I utilized the week of no showering...Details to come...

Reason #2 is that the condo we live in is not owned by us...My boo's brother is our landlord...And our Landlord decided it would be a good time to GO TO ITALY at the time of the situation.  We didn't have any way to contact him and just had to deal with it.

It was a situation that I did not enjoy.  At all.

Have you ever tried to put a cat in a cold shower??  That's about the same way I react to cold showers.  I end up scratching whoever put me in there in the face...And hissing.

Side note:  I have a friend who has a cat that likes to take showers with her?  Like, every morning.  Now I've had a bunch of cats growing up and none of them liked taking a shower/bath/water.

Another side note:  Seriously.  I had a bunch of cats growing up.  We had this cat named Patches that was a big fan of having kittens.  I stopped counting at 19.  She was always pregnant.  And sometimes giving birth in my brothers bunk beds (true story...)

I digress...

Back to the matter at hand. The matter being me not showering for a week.  Socially, this is frowned upon.

Reason #3 is that I just can't make myself get into a cold shower.  Especially at the time.  Because I had a wicked cold and was sick.  And I'm not a good sick person.  Some people are good at being sick and can function.  I am not one of them.  I was so sick I could hardly stand.  And I did NOT want to stand in a cold shower.  Getting into an ice cold shower when I was already shivering was the last thing I wanted to do.

Also, it is important to note that when I am sick I sometimes become irrational and am generally grouchy.

Could I have called up a friend and used their shower?? Yes.  But, this would require me coming to terms with the fact that I couldn't toughen up and just brave an ice cold shower.  Every day I told myself I could do it...Only realize I couldn't do it.  By the time this realization took place it was too late.

At any rate...I just washed my hair in the sink.  For a week.  I couldn't make myself get into the shower.  I tried, trust me.  I really did.  I turned the water on and got in there...Only to last about ten seconds...which was followed by audible whining.  And lots of it.

No one was home to hear a grown woman crying in the bathroom because the water was too cold.  So luckily, no one will ever know.

At any rate, I had to resort to tactics not used for many years and wash my hair in the sink.  I thought about waiting until the Boo got home so he could help me.  But then I thought about how ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS that would be and decided it would be best never to acknowledge that I even had this thought in the first place.

Side note:  I really really really don't like washing my hair.  It takes forever.  If I wash it, it adds 45 minutes to an hour to my getting ready time.  Which is a fun and effective way to use my time.  Or, not really.  I honestly try to wash my hair the least times possible.

Here's my perfect hair schedule:
Day One:  Wash hair and spend 45 minutes of my time I'll never get back...doing my stupid hair.
Day Two:  Shower Cap and no washing of the hair in the shower.  Wake up and hair is ready to go.
Day Three:  Dry shampoo is used and a ponytail and or headband will be incorporated into the outfit.
Day Four:  Definite ponytail if not that, a cute a hat.
Day Five:  Wash hair and spend 45 minutes of my time I'll never get back...doing my stupid hair.
Repeat Cycle...

My perfect hair schedule sometimes doesn't work out.  Because OF the working out.  If I work out and get all sweaty...then I have to wash my hair.  Sometimes, this actually deters me from working out.


Seriously.  I've actually talked myself out of working out because I'd have to wash my hair.

It's not something I'm proud about, yet it happens.  Often.

I thought about showering at the gym but I just couldn't make myself do it.  For a couple reasons:  1) The showers at the gym are disgusting.  I always feel like I'm going to get hepatitis or something.  2) If I went to the gym to shower...it would also make sense to actually WORK OUT at the gym.  Which I wasn't in the mood for.  Because I was sick/irrational.

So at any rate, I washed my hair in the sink for a week and became best friends with some Huggies baby wipes.

The boo's brother returned from Italy and it was another week before we got a new water heater/hot water.  After an entire week of not showering I finally had to get in there.  However, a friend of mine had to come over and regulate the situation.  If she hadn't been there, I might have gone two weeks.  And that would have been just gross.

Thus concludes another look into the life and times of a serial over-share-er.

Let's Reflect:  What Have We Learned?

• I have no problem with not showering for a week.  However, going two weeks without a shower seems absolutely ridiculous.
• My childhood wealth fantasies topped out at being to able to pay my water bill.
• You may or may get hepatitis from the showers at my gym.

So, I Ask You?
What's the longest you've gone without taking a shower??  Are you fan of cold showers??  Did you ever have a cat named Patches growing up that liked to give birth in your brothers bunk bed??

Forever Blogging About Important Life Events,

Miss Oakley

 **Comments are welcome & no judgement will be passed.

 **As with everything I write, Feel Free to Share.

 **Should you wish to read more of my completely profound thoughts throughout the day...

          Follow me on Twitter @MissOakley 

**PS, If you're a fan of the blog you could become a "Follower" and have posts emailed to you.  It's a pretty elite and exclusive group of followers...so consider yourself lucky.  It's like winning the lottery...Except minus the money part.

I Smell Like Pepper. Also, I'm Itchy. And I'm Eating Chocolate in my Underpants.

(P.S. I wrote this journalistic masterpiece last night...But then got busy and didn't post it...So I'm doing it now.  Deal with it.)

Welcome to my life.  Actually, I do other things during the day than what I post on this blog...

But do you want to hear about my actual day??  OR do you want to hear why I smell like pepper??

Honestly, I don't know why I smell like pepper.  But the fact remains...I smell like freshly ground pepper.  I just had a gyro...So maybe that was it??  Who knows.  Also, who cares.

Now that I think about it...A lot of things have been smelling like pepper lately.  I think my sniffer is off.  Or my allergies are on.  Doesn't matter.  I'm still going to blog about how...for reasons unknown...I smell like a can of Diet Dr. Pepper.

By the way, that stuff is delicious.  My Grandma got me hooked on it as a kid and I've loved it ever since.  She also got me hooked on "The Price is Right."

I'll tell you what:  The show isn't the same without Bob Barker.  Who is with me??

Anyway, back to the non-point of this blog...

I'm itchy.  No reason.  But I thought I'd share.  What this blog really is about is the over-sharing of personal information that you never knew you wanted to know in the first place...So, I'm just going to leave the itchy part and move on to the chocolate/underwear-fest.

I was going to work out today after work.  But then a friend asked me if I wanted to meet up and eat delicious Greek food instead. 

And obviously a gyro is going to win out over the gym...Pretty much every single time.  

(The gyro is important to understanding why I currently am in my underpants and eating chocolate...)

After eating something salty, I always like to finish it with something sweet.  

It's healthy and good for your body to eat extremely salty food and then directly afterwards consume equally sweet food.

Wait...No that's not true.  It's just something I made up...then put it on the internet...Therefore, making it true.

If Wikipedia can do it, so can I.

(I hope at least one nerd/awesome person got that lame joke.)

Anyway, I've started a new writing process...

For the last couple days I have taken whatever I've most recently tweeted about...And turned it into a horrible blog post.  

If anyone follows me on the twitter...You know that I'm random and the information I choose to share is sometimes questionable.  

It's kind of like my blog.  But worse.

Anyway, for the past week I've taken my tweets and turned them into journalistic masterpieces of blogs.

Just trying something different out.  

It can't hurt. 

Anyway...the boo is coming home soon so I need to act like I'm not sitting around in my undies eating a bag of chocolate.

Let's Reflect:  What Have We Learned?

• For reasons unknown I smell like black pepper and am itchy.
• Chocolate is best when eaten in your underpants.
• I tweet and blog highly informational things.

So, I Ask You?
Do you like pepper??  Do you miss Bob Barker on "The Price is Right"??  Are you un-friending/un-following me as you read this??

Forever Blogging About Important Life Events,

Miss Oakley

 **Comments are welcome & no judgement will be passed.

 **As with everything I write, Feel Free to Share.

 **Should you wish to read more of my completely profound thoughts throughout the day...

          Follow me on Twitter @MissOakley 

**PS, If you're a fan of the blog you could become a "Follower" and have posts emailed to you.  It's a pretty elite and exclusive group of followers...so consider yourself lucky.  It's like winning the lottery...Except minus the money part.

Thought About Going for a Jog. Ate Cold Cuts Instead.

This is a true story.  Brace yourselves.

I had a whole plan about how I was going to go for a run after work today.

The plan was:
I'd stop home for a quick second, eat a little something, put my running clothes on...Then go outside and get after it.

This did not happen.

I blame myself.  Why?  Because that's really the only person I can point fingers at.  No one else is responsible for this.  Just me.

The good thing is that I know exactly where I went wrong.  And I'm going to tell you.  Why?  Because I can.

I haven't done the math on it yet (and probably never will) but...100% of the time that I don't pack my gym clothes AND take them with me in my car in the morning...I don't end up working out.

Somehow, by me packing my gym bag in the AM when I leave...it almost guarantees that I will be working out later.

And I don't know know why that is.

Ok, yes I do.

When I pack my gym bag and then bring it with me...I have to look at it all day.  And all day I shame myself into getting my butt into the gym/working out/running/whathaveyou.

Additionally, I am not one to waste my time.  Here me out on this one...

IF I take the time to actually pack all of my gym stuff...Put it in the car with me...AND then look at it all day...All day I'm constantly reminded of how I need to work out.

I did not do this today.

I thought I could cheat the system.

I thought wrong.

Right now not only am I NOT running/working out...I'm eating.  Cold cuts.  And because I have no shame, I'm telling you about how I'm not working out...while shoving deli meats into my mouth.

Hopefully, I've learned a valuable lesson.

Tomorrow I shall pack my gym bag...And tomorrow I will stare at said packed gym bag...This will hopefully lead into a shame spiral that will consequently result in a workout.  For me, shame is the number one factor in a successful gym regimen.  This shame also includes, but is not limited to...blogging about how I didn't work out.

And thus concludes my over-sharing for the day.


As Always, Sharing Tidbits of My Life You Never Knew You Wanted to Know in the First Place,
Miss Oakley

**Comments are welcome & no judgement will be passed.

 **As with everything I write, Feel Free to Share.

 **Should you wish to read more of my completely profound thoughts throughout the day...

          Follow me on Twitter @MissOakley 

I Haven't Bought Underpants Since 2005

I really haven't.  I think this also coincides with the last time I gave a crap as well.  But...if I look back on  my past...I don't think I've ever really did care.

But definitely not since 2005.  Just based on the lack of underwear purchases alone.






I wish I was one of those girls that liked cute undergarments.  But I don't care.  I'm that girl that has 10 nude bras...

LET'S PARTY.

Nude bras are functional.  They go with everything.

I get up in the morning and I don't have to think.  All I have to do is put one of my nude bras on and go.  That's it.  There's no matching and hemming and hawing when I get ready.

Would I be considered "sexy"?  No.

And I don't care.

I like sweat pants and being comfortable.  That's just who I am.

Also, I would like to point out that I have very sensitive skin and can really only wear cotton clothing.

Which works out for me because lacy stuff is ITCHY and all around non-fun to wear.

Are there girls out there that like lacy undergarments??  Yes.  Society says there are.  Victoria's Secret is in business because of these gals.  There is a whole industry dedicated to these ladies.

There's also a whole industry dedicated to sweat pants (which this particular lady is a big fan of.)

So since the Internet is a fun-filled-festival of TMI, I thought I'd share with you the lack of underwear purchases I've made over the years.  Why?  Because I can.

Also, for all the ladies that get up in the am and rock the matching bra and undies set...full of lace and ruffles...I applaud you.  I cannot do it.  I am not willing to get a rash and be itchy all day just to look cute under my clothes.  If I'm itchy...I'm in a guaranteed bad mood.  And if I have a rash, not only am I going to be in a bad mood, but I'm going to let people know.  And you are those people.  So instead of a blog about underwear...This would be a blog about a RASH.  And we can't have that.

P.S.  While doing "research" for this blog I came across these...I'd totally buy a pair.  And a matching bra... (And now I want some beef jerky...Thanks Internet.)

Blogging About Stuff You Never Knew You Wanted to Know in The First Place,

Miss Oakley

 **Comments are welcome & no judgement will be passed.

 **As with everything I write, Feel Free to Share.

 **Should you wish to read more of my completely profound thoughts throughout the day...

          Follow me on Twitter @MissOakley 

**PS, If you're a fan of the blog you could become a "Follower" and have posts emailed to you.  It's a pretty elite and exclusive group of followers...so consider yourself lucky.  It's like winning the lottery...Except minus the money part.

Weight Training, White Jeans, and a Couch: A Tale of Muscles

Dear Readers,

I wanted to share a story of strength with you dear reader(s).

As most of you've noticed...I've been working out lately.  Ok, no one has noticed.  But still, I've been working out.  With actual weights.  Not just getting on the treadmill and calling it good.  I've been in the gym getting after it.

Why have I been working out??  There are many reasons.  Here's just a few:

• Working out is good for you.  Evidence for this is everywhere.
• I can't be a Therapist and tell clients to work out to feel better...If I don't work out myself.
• Swim suit season is coming up.
• I want to be strong.  Not thin.  I've always been thin.  But I've decided I want to actually have muscles that are visible.  This requires using weights.  
• There was a awesome Groupon deal for a gym package (and I can't pass up a good deal.)
• Working out makes me feel better.  Literally.  
• I like fitting in my pants.

I've always worked out.  But I've done so in phases.  I'll get really into it and then get busy and stop working out.  Which is a bad idea.

I've decided never to get so busy that I neglect myself for at least a couple hours a week. I used to spend a couple hours a week watching horrible Reality TV.  Now, I take that time and instead go to the gym.  Do I still watch bad Reality TV?  Yes.  I always will.  But, I watch less of it now and it's probably for the best.

I have a long way to go before I start seeing any muscles, but I'm still working on it.  One day I'll be able to flex and something will move in my arm.  And when that day comes...It's going to be hard not to cut off all of the sleeves of my t-shirts and not show my guns 24-7.

There was an actual story that I did want to tell you, so I probably should get on with it...

The other day I was in my storage unit (which is jam packed of fun stuff...Including several couches.)  I was looking for summer clothes to wear on a trip to Florida.

(The boo and I were taking a trip to Sarasota, FL the next day for a little vacation.)

Since I moved in with the boo, all of my stuff has been packed up...and since we have a regular sized closet that we share...I make frequent trips to the storage closet to get clothes...Which is fun.

Any way, I had been to said storage closet two different times trying to find these white jeans of mine. (Yes, I said white jeans.)  I couldn't find them anywhere.  After a long search, I found these two boxes underneath a couch way in the far back corner of the storage unit.  I had looked inside every other box...so I knew they had to be in there.

So I commando crawled it all the way back to where the boxes where.  The problem was that a couch was sitting on top of them.  VERTICALLY.  The movers had used the boxes so that the couch wouldn't touch the floor in case the storage unit flooded.

After commando crawling all the way to the back of the storage closet I got trapped.  I couldn't move.  I was pretty sure this was the end.  So naturally, I started crying.  All I wanted was my dang white jeans.

I had my phone on me and thought about calling the boo and telling him what was going on...But then I played that conversation out in my head and decided it did not portray me in the best light:
A grown adult, crying, because a couch is on top of her white jeans...Oh, and this grown woman is trapped in a 10-15 foot space at the local Budget Storage Rental place.


I didn't know how to put that into words without sounding ridiculous.  So I did not make any calls to alert him to the situation.  

Oh, in addition I wasn't just crying about the jeans.  I was crying for several reasons...Mostly because it was the day before we were leaving for Florida and I had nothing packed because I was super busy with writing papers for Grad school and looking for a job.  And the whole reason I had to have the storage closet in the first place was because I had to move out of my apartment because I could no longer pay my rent...After being unemployed for over a year.

So it wasn't like I was just crying about the jeans.  The jeans were what set it off.  The underlying issues were:  everything else happening in my life.  (P.S.  As a therapist one day I will for sure have a client come in that starts crying about white jeans and I will ask them questions to get to the root of the real issue...)  But for now, I had to be my own therapist and get my act together.  Or decide to spend the remainder of my days in a Budget Storage Unit.

At any rate, I decided to use logic and reasoning to get myself out of there.  But, I wasn't leaving without the jeans.

So somehow I lifted the couch with one arm while using the other arm to slide out the two boxes underneath (the boxes I was convinced the jeans were in.)  I looked in the first box.  No jeans.  More tears.

Alright, so now I have a couch that is standing VERTICALLY on one end on top of a box.  That I'm pretty sure my white jeans are in.  I could have just left the situation as is was.  But I'm an Oakley...And Oakley's are A LOT of things...But we're not quitters.

Therefore, the only decision was to get the box out from under the couch and find my beloved white jeans.  That I was going to wear in Florida (with super cute shoes.)

Again, I hold up the couch with one arm and slide the second box out.  I open the box and dig...And at the bottom of the box...WERE MY WHITE JEANS.

My life was complete.

However, I was now definitely trapped in a 10x15 Budget Storage Rental Unit.  And now my couch was on the ground.  And if I were to leave the couch there, it most likely would have gotten ruined....

But I couldn't do that to this couch.   This was more than just a regular couch:
This couch was a symbol of my freedom.

Why??  When I had moved out of the house I shared with my Former Domestic Partner the ONLY thing I wanted was white couches in my new place.  Why??  Because our house was decorated like he liked it...Like a dude...and I couldn't take it.  I had been living with him and decorating for him for the past 6-8 years and all I wanted was to finally decorate for myself.  And decorating for myself meant cream colored couches.  

So anyway, this couch means a lot to me.  And I wasn't going to let it get ruined so I had to figure out how to get it out of harms way.

After much problem solving and false attempts to remedy the situation, I sat down on the ground and put my head in my hands.  Not only was my couch not going to make it...I didn't know if I was going to either...I had no way of getting back out of my storage unit.

So I'm sitting on the ground, head in hands, staring at my legs.  As I'm staring at them I realize that: Due to a back yard that won't quit...My legs are the most powerful energy source on my body.  And because I took Physics and have some common sense, I realize the only way this is going to happen is if I use my legs.

I cut out the crying and theatrics and got after it.  With my legs.  And what do you know??  Working out all this time had paid off.  I was able to push my legs into saving my cream couch.  So with my white pants in hand...I did a little cheer....from all the way in the back of my storage unit (which I was still trapped in.)

I was so proud of myself!  Mainly proud of my legs...That because I had been working out they now could push boxes and lift up a couch.

Eventually I ended up climbing over and under things and made it out of my storage unit alive.  And with my white jeans.

I was now ready for our vacation to Florida.

That vacation happened last week.

I never ended up wearing the white jeans.  I did however put them on at one point...but only to fall asleep in them after a carb induced slay-fest of a meal.  My boo found me an hour later...in the white jeans (and super cute heels.)  As always, it was a classy sight.

So the moral of the story is:  If you work out, you will get muscles.  You can use these muscles to push a couch off a box...That your white jeans are in.  You can then take these white jeans to Florida...And then fall asleep in them.

If that doesn't get you to the gym...I don't know what will.

Forever, Blogging About Stuff You Never Knew You Wanted to Know in The First Place,

Miss Oakley

 **Comments are welcome & no judgement will be passed.

 **As with everything I write, Feel Free to Share.

 **Should you wish to read more of my completely profound thoughts throughout the day...

          Follow me on Twitter @MissOakley 

**PS, If you're a fan of the blog you could become a "Follower" and have posts emailed to you.  It's a pretty elite and exclusive group of followers...so consider yourself lucky.  It's like winning the lottery...Except minus the money part.