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