Musica Monday

Some days just have an upbeat feeling to them. For me, today was one of those days. I went running outside for the first time without a coat today, which was quite exciting. Also, I tried a new app starting this past weekend called 'happiness' which is supposed to help you see the happy parts of your day. I think it is a cute idea, I mean it isn't exactly what I need or anything, but I wanted to give it a shot anyways. All I can say is that this morning I woke up in a very good mood. I mean I was tired, which is why I stopped at Starbucks and got a grande vanilla soy latte (I'd love to someday be able to make my own version....*daydream here*), maybe it's more because of the fact that my mind thinks coffee and therefore thinks "now you're awake!", but I was pretty awake all day. Not only that, but I managed to get my taxes filed (finally) this evening, which is quite helpful!
I'm going to go back to the 90s for today's Musica Monday because there was a lot of more upbeat music that really just seemed very random (at least to me at the time) but to this day, whenever I listen to these songs I still smile or at least have the desire to dance along a little to the beat. Let me know what you guys think :) This song is "Mrs. Potter's Lullaby" by Counting Crows.

Love,
Sara :)

New Apartment and Hopsital Visit

This week has been absolutely crazy! We moved into our new apartment on Saturday and are very pleased with how it looks (there will be a post geared more towards this as we continue to move in and get stuff situated, and when I have a camera that works...) and feels as far as being a 'home'. However, I have not stayed here every night. I had planned on being a bit better with posting since I moved and had less driving time, and that started off great with Monday, but I woke up Tuesday morning covered in hives and went to the walk-in clinic which was not very helpful and found myself in the ER Wednesday morning at 3am, with swollen hands, feet, face, and large hives all over my body. In order to stop the swelling I received a shot of epinephrine, after an IV bag of steroids to try and halt my swelling. I spent Wednesday night at my parents' house once again trying to figure out what it was that had set off this reaction. Turns out it wasn't the new apartment because again around 3am this morning I found myself asking my mother to use her master bedroom tub in order to take an oatmeal bath (those things feel so wonderful on burning skin!) to soothe the rash that had appeared all over my back, arms, and legs. This morning we went to the allergist hoping for some answers. The answers I got were interesting and not what we expected. The theory as of now is that I am actually allergic to a medication that my dermatologist had prescribed for me a month or so ago, when I had developed a cough and this past week had just been when my body and decided it couldn't fight off the infection as well anymore and I kinda exploded in hives. Tonight, I'm back in the apartment (much to my apartment mate's relief) and only have a few markers left of the hives and swollen hands since I stopped taking the medication this morning and went on some pretty heavy steroids to get whatever it is out of my system.
Now, add this to the fact that my boss is gone until Monday and I have picked up a few of her clients and you can probably guess at my current stress level :P. Actually, it's not that bad. I'm not too concerned and I am looking forward to a full day with hopefully a nice run (sadly still inside since Wisconsin weather is being stupid) or at least workout tomorrow.
Anywho, this apartment is really quite awesome and I can't wait to share it with you all! We even have a washer and dryer and dishwasher in the actual room!!! I can't wait to get cooking and decorate this place! Not to mention, there is a Michaels about two blocks down and an Ottos not even 5 minutes away by car, AND a Half-Price Books maybe 10-15 minutes away by car! We picked a nice area! The 15 minute straight shot drive to work is just an added bonus!

How have your weekends been going, dear friendly readers?

Love,
Sara :)

Musica Monday

Moving is officially complete!! Well, minus the random three boxes sitting out my the washing machine...I should get rid of those in the morning... We have been settling in quite nicely, had the boys over to visit Sunday for spaghetti and to watch The Lorax (my first time, and it was so sad but soooo good!!! I love that book and the movie too!) and the girls came over Saturday night for a wine night, both nights were super fun! However, it has become a bit more apparent that we are out in the real world now and once you move out of your parents' basement, it is plain to see how much they do for you. Everything from laundry to food to shopping to locking the door at night, it's the little things that we find we miss the parentals for every so often. Now, don't get me wrong, I've been aching to move out ever since I moved back in, just because that's how I am, but it is nice to not ever be home alone or to know what is going around in the rooms surrounding you (I have no idea what the neighbors are doing for instance and they are just on the other side of my bedroom wall,  kinda weird now that I think about it....), or to know how loud you can blast your music before someone complains :P Then again, maybe it's just me. I understand that I am not the center of the world, but sometimes it's nice to pretend?
Our new adventure has reminded me of a song by a band that I really enjoy. They are a more well known band than some of the ones I've featured here before, but that doesn't really mean much now that I'm thinking on it :) Anyways, here is "Ain't It Fun" by Paramore.

What were some of your move-out experiences, when you were left without the help of your Mom and/or Dad for the first time?

Love,
Sara :)

How To Get Rid of Stuff

Through this process of moving, I've run into a bunch of stuff that I either don't need anymore or don't want. The question is now: what to do with it all? Well, for that I have a few ideas!
The largest amount of stuff that I'm getting rid of are cloths and books. Granted, I just went through my cloths when I moved back home after college, but even since then I've changed my collection enough that it matters and shows a bit. A new job with a different sort of wardrobe does that to a person.
Anyways, one of my favorite ways of getting 'rid' of stuff is donations. Around the area I live, we have Goodwill and St. Vincent de Paul. Which are both second hand places that will take most everything, especially clothing. I know St. Vinnys will also take kitchen and other knick knacks. They always appreciate donations of any size and the people who use the stuff after you will also appreciate the things you drop off as much as you will appreciate being able to get rid of it.
If you have too many books, more if you ran out of room or are looking to share your books with other people, a great place to do that around us is Half-Price Books, which buys books, CDs, movies, games comics, manga (two separate things!!), and some audiobooks. Now, places like these are not a place to go if you are looking to make a boat-load of money, but Half-Price Books will purchase your things from you at a small rate. While this is no money-making business, it is a great way to get rid of extra things around your house.
A better money making way would be hosting a garage sale. The season for these seems to be early and late summer, at least by us. However, this really is a hit and miss type of endeavor, and is largely based on where your house/condo is located and how many people drive by looking for stuff.
A final way to change up your inventory is by having an exchange with friends. I know some of my cloths I have gotten as hand-me-downs from friends who never or hardly wore the item due to its style or some other aspect. Just spend a day going through each others closets and finding things that you are willing to part with and laying them out for others to browse through.
It is tough letting go of your belongings, especially cloths and books because so many of them have a special meaning to each of us. But what must be done, must be done if just for the sake of someone else enjoying them.
How do you get rid of the extra junk around your adobe?

Also, update: WE OFFICIALLY MOVED!!!! The new place looks great and I can't wait to share it with you al in pictures once it gets together :D Yay!!!

Love,
Sara :)

Something Funny

I've started writing a bit more lately after realizing that the only way to get better at something is to actually practice and keep practicing, no matter how tired or annoyed I am, or how much I just want to sit on the couch and watch Face Off or just go to bed. However, when I saw this quote, I just had to share! Every writer needs inspiration and honestly, we get inspiration from those around us. So, if I ever get around to getting my writing published (a definite dream), if I know you, well or not, chances are I am actually using you for a character reference!

If you are a particularly annoying person, I might even be trying to figure out how to kill you off or at the very least make you feel and look like a complete idiot :)

Love,

Sara :)

Taking A Deep Breath

There are many things in life that can seriously aggravate us. The hardest thing to do is to let things go and allow life to continue. We all have days when we want to just march into our boss' office and scream at them for being jerks or want to turn to that one person who is being really ridiculous in our car while driving and tell them to get out and walk. And for some of us, that really does seem like a stress relieving option, but what's something that can prevent us from actually reliving one of those close and effect commercials from Time Warner Cable (?) depicting the end of our lives as we know it.

Through research and self-observation, I have come up with several ways to get myself to take that 15 second pause that allows me to rethink what I am about to do and find a different answer. Disclaimer: these are things that work for me, but I will not guarantee their success for another human being or other such being since they/you are not me. I do encourage you to try and find some ways that help you rather than punching that alleged nincompoop in the face. Yes, I did just use the insult nincompoop :) I like that one, along with butt-faced miscreant (10 puts to whomever catches my reference here).

1. Take a deep breath. Sure this person is being annoying and/or immature, but that doesn't mean that you have to stoop to that level. Pausing a moment and taking a deep breath allows us to recollect our thoughts and rethink what is going on. Also, a calm look can help an aggressor calm down (or may not help depending on the person) or at least realize that you are listening but are not happy with their reaction.

2. Count to 10 slowly in your head. I'm sure everyone has heard this at least once in their lives, but honestly it works well for me. Remember, countingthose extra few seconds could really save a relationship.

3. Listen to some of your favorite music. Getting aggrivated is never a good thing, it's even worse when you have to hide your aggravation and annoyance until you are in a more private setting. This will happen more for staff with clients and parents with children. Keep a smile on, but when you're alone or at least more private, put on some music that can calm you or at least get you to take several deep breaths. While I listen to classical music and soundtracks, some people claim that heavy metal makes them feel better. To each their own!

4. Drink some tea. Coffee really isn't good while adrenaline is high and you need to calm down, not really its purpose, but some nice herbal tea is always good!!

5. Write out your feelings. For you creative types, this is an awesome way to get true feelings onto paper or in your paintings, or for the writers, want some true emotions expressed by your characters? As Robert Frost said: "No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader." In order to allow your characters to sound legitimate in their feelings and emotions, you have to believe them yourself. What better way than to write out how you feel in that mindset?

6. Talk it out. Remember, life will continue after this incident. Is this incident worth loosing a friend or a client? I'm guessing it is not. Listen to their side of the story and try to understand then explain your side without pointing fingers (I understand how hard it is to do that) so that you both understand how yeach other were feeling and how you ca hopefully prevent this in the future. 

7. Take a 5+ minute cool off period. Go for a run, go at it with a punching bag, sing, write, whatever it is. Just take those five or more minutes to cool off and let your mind calm down enough for you to think clearly again. I've found this also works when I'm frustrated or on the verge of tears.

I know that these ideas do sound a lot like what a psychologist would say, and maybe I just missed my calling when I decided I didn't want more school, but these are things that help me. Why do you think some of my posts end up raw like this? I write when I have something to write about and the past week and a half have been hectic to say the least, at both jobs, and  today way just the icing on top of the cupcake of shitty weeks. Yet, I'm still here, no one is dead and no one is aggrivated due to the situation, and PianoGuys is playing very nicely in the background as I write this. Today will end up as a good day after all I think!

What do you guys do when you get aggrivated? What are some of your coping mechanisms?

Love,

Sara :)

Finished Chairs

We finished the chairs!!! These chairs have been a long time in the making, but finally Mom and I had enough time to get these done this past weekend and I think they look pretty awesome! Next to the table that Dad also made (he has a carpentry hobby that I have picked up one or two things on) for when we move in, I think they look pretty awesome! The top parts are actually curved, which don't show too well in the pictures, making them harder to do, but I think Mom did awesome with her old sewing machine!

These chairs are going to look awesome in our new place. I can't wait to give you guys a tour when we move in less than two weeks! The countdown starts!!!

We are getting all the rest of our stuff together and I may have more posts coming up with tips for moving and things that I realize along the way. More updates to come!!

Love,

Sara :)