karma

I believe in karma. I especially believe in the idea of just putting good vibes out into the world in general. It just makes getting through life that much easier, whether it comes back to you or not.

Today I stopped at the grocery store after work. On my walk through the parking lot I was on the phone with my friend Lou, and it was particularly blustery outside. As I was walking I happened to notice a small handicap sign fall over onto someone's parked car. My conscience wouldn't let me walk by. Still being on the phone and without looking to see if anyone was in the car I walked over and propped the sign back up. After I had done so I glanced into the car to see two very happy elderly people giving me the thumbs up and ok hand signals. I smiled and waved and continued on into the grocery store. (Not to worry, this post isn't just to go on about how awesome I am....I'm not perfect and I let things slip by me all too often. Back to the tale) After purchasing my items, which totaled $7.26, the cashier handed me my change and I returned to my vehicle. Now usually I simply through my change into my cup holders and that's the end of it. But for some reason I chose to count my change. 3 quarters. The cashier had given me an extra penny in change. Coincidence...I think not. I was thrilled. Not only do I love quarters but with having 3 instead of 2 I was able to fill my little quarter holder in my car.{joy!}
Sure it was just a penny, but I'm more than convinced that it was good karma coming back to me. Upon arriving to Lou's house after this trip, I told him about my karmic happenings. He had a good laugh over it all and then said something rather thought provoking. Amidst his laughter he said "wow, it makes me wonder how many people I've given an extra penny to and if they view it the same way". Think about it, sometimes the smallest things, the things the seem the most insignificant to you, can mean the world to someone else. A smile to a stranger, giving your change to the salvation army bell ringers, letting a car turn in front of you when traffic is thick. All little things that literally take seconds to do but can make someone's day.

So...here's my challenge to you: do one small act of kindness this week. Just one. Without hopes of getting any in return or the expectations of someone seeing and congratulating you. Just do it for the feeling of pride that will swell up inside you. There's no time limit on karma so I can't promise that something great will happen in the same moment...but I can say that i will come around...in it's own time. Just trust that it will and be open to it. Maybe you'll start finding it in small things around you that you may not have noticed before.

Spread the love!

weekend recap

What a great holiday weekend! Even though I worked for 2 days of it, I still felt like I was on vacation...a well needed vacation.

Lou and I

It began with a whole day off on Wednesday that I used to the utmost! I was able to work on some Christmas gifts, hit the gym, have dinner with my old men, and then hit the town with my friends. It's always a good time go out on Thanksgiving Eve because everyone is home and this tiny little town comes to life. It's kinda the only night worth going out all year. My friends and I were looking and feeling fly and we had a really fun night. Dancing and Drinks and Friends...what more could a girl ask for?! Needless to say it was a great way to kick off the long weekend.

a bunch of turkeys

Thanksgiving Day was wonderful. We did the annual travel to Rochester to spend the day at my uncles house and this year my aunt and uncle from Texas even joined us! It was great getting to see them all and smack talk over the Dolphins/Cowboys game (it was a tough loss). And of course Cassie was there so it was nice to spend some quality time with her. We barely left the couch we were perched on and I was totally fine with that.

Poppop and a sleepy Bri

Although Black Friday started with a 5 hour shift at work beginning at 5:45am, I didn't mind too much. It went my surprisingly fast with how busy we were. Afterwards my mom and I went on a movie date! She's a twilight fan, and while I'm not really, I figured it would be nice to take her to see the newest one. Plus it spared my step dad from having to sit through it (brooding vampire tween dramas aren't really his thing...weird). With the way my schedule has been lately it seems like I only really see my mom for the few moments that we're upstairs before I leave for work. So it was really nice to just have a movie day and split a package of twizzlers. It was a much needed date.

The happy couple!

Saturday started the say way Friday did...more work. Luckily it went by just as quickly so I wasn't terrible upset about it. Gotta make that money. The res of my day was spent celebrating with friends and family at a wedding. My 5th cousin Sam married a high school friend of mine, Sandy, so her brother Tim (whom I graduated with) invited me to be his date. And by invited I mean I may have made it fairly obvious that he should take me...cuz I'm tons of fun obviously. Anywho, the whole event was like a big family/high school reunion. My friends Nic and Alex were seated at the same table as me and it was soo much fun having them there! I feel like all too often life and work gets in the way of socializing so it was the perfect opportunity to catch up, reminisce, and have a silly ol' time. And since Tim lives in North Carolina, I rarely get to see him, so of course it was great getting to hangout and dance our faces off together. 
Sandy is one of the sweetest people in the world and Sam is equally wonderful so I felt so blessed to share their day with them. I wish them the happiest marriage ever!

That brings us to Sunday....and a lazy, lazy Sunday it was. To sum it up...football, naps, pizza, and wings. Pretty perfect if you ask me. Oh and I did clean my room...so that can't be a bad thing.

All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better Thanksgiving weekend. It was exactly what the doctor ordered! Now it's back to reality, work, the grind. I can only hope that my next super awesome weekend won't take as long to arrive as this one did. I have a sneaky suspicion that it won't. :)

Hope everyone else had an awesome weekend too! xoxo

favorite things

I know it's been a hot minute...shame on me. SO here they are...my fave things lately

• Jones Bakery ( a great lunch spot)
• canolis
• supporting local businesses/awesome causes
• buying Christmas gifts
• lunch dates with my bestie
• cyber monday...you mean I don't have to take the risk of getting trampled and I can still get awesome deals?? Count me in. 
• spending time with old friends
• celebrating the marriage of an awesome couple
• making the water almost too hot in the last couple minutes of a shower

thankful

Since it's thanksgiving and all, I thought it was only appropriate to list some of the things I'm thankful for.

-my loving and supportive family
-my freedom
-my wonderful, true friends
-hot chocolate
-having my best friend around again
-my 5 functioning senses
-theatre
-Fiddler On The Roof (it's a Trostle thing haha)
-knitting
-the men and women who have served and are still serving my country.

I could go and get to the knitty gritty but I'll spare you. I think what's most important about today is really looking at ones life and seeing the good. Instead of stressing about little things or dwelling on the negative we should all use today to really revel in the positive. And who knows....maybe it will feel so damn good that we'll start to do the same everyday....not just once a year.

Happy Thanksgiving

Sometimes we need to stop analyzing the past, stop planning the future, stop figuring out precisely how we feel, stop deciding exactly what we want, and just see what happens.

 -SATC

uphill battle

I went to the gym yesterday and had a really good workout. Well, any workout could be considered really good lately since I haven't been entirely dedicated to fitness {shameful}. Anyway, I was feeling fit and on my game. I didn't eat a huge dinner since I had to go to work so I was still feeling pretty good...till I got home from work. I felt like I hadn't eaten in days. The next thing I knew I had consumed 4 wings, ham and cheese rolled together, and some veggie chips. It was a 10 o'clock massacre. I was so ashamed of myself. I'm usually very good about not eating after 8 or 9 and definitely NOT eating that much. It was like my brain told my appetite that I had a free pass since I had exercised that day. I was and still am mildly frustrated about it. What is it about eating right that I can't seem to get a grasp on? I just LOVE food!!! I can't win.

you

 i don't fall hard very fast. 

i don't lose myself in someone else.

but all those years ago i did with you. 

and i don't know how or why

 

we've never been together. never shared a life. never been a pair.

but you've always been the one. 

the one i compare the rest to. the one i find myself holding out for. 

the one who makes being with the rest worth it. 

 

i've thought about all the things.

the things i've never thought about with anyone else

the silly things

 

like doing our laundry

 and bringing lunch to you at work.

 or walking our dog,

sharing your name, and

seeing you at the end of a long aisle.

 

is there a time?

a time when we get the chance to see how it goes

if we sink or swim

did it come and we missed it?  

 

i feel myself coming to terms with the answer being yes.

maybe there isn't meant to be such a time. 

maybe i'm holding on to something that will never be.

 

maybe it's time to let go of something i never had.

a good thing

I haven't done any theatre since I moved home and I've been dieing to get involved in anything.  It kills me to know that I have this degree...this very expensive degree...that's not being used for a damn thing. And as much as I would love to get paid for it, such theatre positions are few and far between in these parts. There was a large part of me that had given up any hope to really get into threatre while I am living here.

A couple weeks ago I had the inkling to talk to a friend of mine about volunteering at the high school we went to, for their musical in the winter. I figured since it's high school it wouldn't be such a big time commitment that I would be able to keep working my 2 jobs. After messaging my friend he quickly informed me that he wasn't working at the high school, but he was working at the community college's theatre as their sound technician. He also happened to mention that they could always use some extra help around the theatre and that they were opening a show that weekend. Music to my ears. So last Wednesday I made my way to the college. From the moment I walked in I felt at home....where I belonged. For the rest of the week and into the weekend I spent my nights at the theatre, first in Tech, then into performances. And this week has been the same.

It's been great. Busy but great. I haven't felt this fulfilled and happy in a really long time. The people I'm working with are so welcoming and it's been so fun getting to know them. It's like being among my people again. They understand my weird because they have the same weird...it's the weird that made us decide at one point in our lives that we were willing to starve for our love of theatre. {Ok, maybe not starve, but you see what I mean.} The point is, I couldn't be happier. Being at the theatre has been like a ray of sunshine that I very badly needed. I feel a little more alive these days....like I'm in the right place at the right time. The stars have aligned.

So I guess it's safe to say that this isn't a good thing...it's a damn great thing.

scorned

There is only one thing worse than being wronged by someone you've just met....being wronged by someone you've known for years. Someone you've trusted. Confided in.

How do you move on from that? Do you move on from that?

I want to believe that everyone deserves a second chance. Especially if it's someone who you care about. But i also know there are certain things that can't be reversed. Broken trusts that can't be mended.

So do I move on or let it slide? I don't know.

I just don't know.

quilt retreat

Last weekend my sister and I packed up our sewing machines and our projects and headed to the quilt retreat! We were both pretty excited for it this year since there was a time when we didn't think we'd be able to go this fall. But as it turned out we made it happen and couldn't wait to work on our projects. And to make it even sweeter, we were both able to get off a whole day on Friday so we had ample time to get to the retreat and really get some work done.

As always it was so nice to see the other quilting ladies and catch up with them. It's almost like having my Grandma there with me. It's a real comfort to know that they still care about Cassie and I. They get a real big kick over us being there and continuing the tradition of it. There were actually some other girls out age that went this year too so that was pretty exciting for us. It's not very often that I meet quilters my age and sometimes I worry that it may die out after a while. I hope it won't. For all the old lady flack it gets, quilting is still a really beautiful art form I think and people would appreciate it more if they really knew the work that went into it.

Long story short we had a blast. We were able to get so much accomplished and had a really fun time with each other as well. I took the T-shirt quilt that I started during the Spring retreat. I hadn't really gotten much done back in the Spring so there was a lot of work to be done for it. I'm super pleased to say that my hard work really paid off. I was able to get 4 rows sewn on and only have 2 more to go. And I couldn't be more pleased with the way it's turning out. I can't wait for it to be finished!! I've wanted this quilt for so long.

Here are a few pics from the weekend. I don't have any of the quilt currently...I kind of want it to be a big reveal!

yes I had lunchables!

and yes they were delicious!!

the applique FCS square I made. It's a little silly but I still like it

the strips monster

the rooms of ladies

my happy little space

figuring out where I wanted the shirts to go

Row 1 complete!

nesting

My sister, the nut that she is, coined a new term for me last week. Nesting.

Now, according to Cassie, nesting is something that happens to you when Fall arrives. You have the urge to settle indoors, be cozy and cuddled, maybe bake or cook hearty foods. I think it's likened to a domestic hibernation.

Anyway, this term came about because the other day I was talking with her about how I've been a little emotional lately and feeling a bit lonely. It seems like most of the people around me are married, in a relationship, having babies, and the like. While I'm not really in a rush to do or have any of those things, I guess it's just something that's been on my mind lately. So Cassie's diagnosis is that I'm nesting.

And strangely enough I think I have to agree with her. {Hear that Cass...don't let it go to your head now}I've been very internal and contemplative lately. Always thinking about things and life and...things. Wanting to hunker down indoors with my knitting or a good book and some hot tea. I only need a fireplace to really make it official.

Since nesting is new to me I'm not sure how long it will last exactly. I do know that I can't be the only one going through it and it's really not so bad. So thank you to Cassie for the expert diagnosis. And to anyone else out there who's nesting too, denial is the first stage so just accept it and go with the flow. {Karli}

And yes fellas, you can get it too. You just may not admit it or get emotional about it. It's ok....no one will think less of you. 

To: My Forever Love

Divorce is not an option. We can not go into our life together with the thinking that "well if it doesn't work out there's always divorce". That just won't do. With me it's forever. Now I'm not always the easiest to deal with and I'm a little bit crazy at times. So you should think long and hard before you decide that you want to be stuck with my weirdness. And if I say yes, you'll know that you're gonna be it for me...till the end. So now you know.

Love,

Your Forever Love

hairs

I tried this new hair do out today. I havent quite decided if I like it or not though. Thoughts?

November

Is it really here?? Already??!!!

What happened to October?? Were there already 31 days of it?
I don't feel like I had enough of it.

On the other side of the coin though, I'm actually looking forward to the holiday season this year. For the first time in a long time. I even listened to Christmas music last week...something I never did last year. Sure I was excited to spend time with my family and do the traditional Christmas things, but it really just felt like any other day last year. And I know it's not Christmas time yet obviously but I still can't help but feel like somethings different this year. I'm different this year. I'm lighter. On the inside. And it feels good.

It feels really good.

Plus it's No Shave November right?? Hairy legs for weeks!!!    ok..maybe not.  :)