Restlessness and the Great Ice Cream Debate

I didn’t have to work on Friday and spent the day trying to be productive, with hopes of getting my To Do list down to only one or two items.  I managed to spend most of the morning working out and then doing work on my computer, and finally made it out of the house around 2 pm.  At that time I set out to run a few errands, only to return several hours later feeling like I had accomplished very little.  

At 8 pm I was still feeling pretty unproductive, and a little bored after being holed up alone in my tiny apartment for most of the day.  I had been planning to head to South Carolina to visit family and a friend who was in town for the weekend, but realized that I hadn’t even packed yet.  It was looking like the 1.5 hour drive was going to have to wait until the morning, because as it was, I wouldn’t arrive until after 10pm.  Might as well wait and leave early in the am.  But what was I going to do for the rest of the night?  Feeling extremely restless, I texted my sister to tell her not to expect me until the next day and sat down to eat dinner.  Less than halfway through however, I changed my mind.  It might do me some good to get out, even if it was late.  And maybe I’d like a milkshake instead of the rest of my dinner : )  I picked up the phone to call my sister and she encouraged me to come on down.  She was bored too lol.  So I packed my bags, threw everything in the car, and Jackson (my pup, and I set out on our trip.  Unable to make up my mind about what kind of milkshake I wanted quickly enough to stop by the Cookout nearest my house, I decided I’d stop at the one in Monroe.  I had 45 minutes to decide on the perfect flavor : )  Since my trips to Cookout are pretty infrequent (yes, 2-3 times a month is WAY less than I’d like to go) I always go for exactly the one I’m craving, which is usually banana pudding.      Surprisingly though, this didn’t sound as enticing to me at the time.  I had already had a banana and yogurt earlier in the day, and was now craving something chocolatey.  The following is something like the conversation I had with myself while trying to make a decision... 

 “What if I tried a chocolate Oreo?  Or chocolate M&M?  Banana pudding peanut butter fudge?  Orrrr maybe the peach cobbler.  I’ve been wanting to try this one for a while, but no-  I’m pretty sure I want chocolate tonight.  Oohh... what about cookies!  A big, gooey chocolate chip cookie would be yummy!  I COULD just stop at a convenience store.  Maybe even find a chocolate chip cookie ice-cream sandwich!  This would be a little healthier considering it’d probably be less calories in comparison to a 1,000  some-odd calorie milkshake.  Or maybe I should just hold off on the sweet stuff all together for the night.  I’m sure there will be plenty of desserts around this weekend, and if I have a milkshake now I’m going to feel like I need to pass most of them up, having already expended my junk food calories for the week.  And besides, desserts are always better when you have someone else to enjoy them with.  So no ice-cream.  No cookies.  No candy bar.”  (Because a snickers bar had crossed my mind too)

Ridiculous, I know!    But when I reached the Cookout in Monroe, I just kept driving.  Passed right by the Dairy Queen too.  Decision made.  Instead of ice-cream, I pulled out the sandwich I had left over from dinner (because I always travel with a cooler full of food ; )) and finished it off.  And although it was yummy, I developed a stomachache almost immediately after eating it.  MORALE OF THE STORY:  Always choose the ice-cream!

The next day that’s just what I did (chocolate Reese’s cup milkshake), and I even got to share my enjoyment.  Looks like my nephew thought his was pretty awesome too!  

So does anyone else suffer from this kind or ridiculous indecision, or am I the only one?  Have a great one!

*Let Me Entertain You Disclaimer*

As noted in my original post, I did have a little accident recently that has somewhat interrupted my videos.  I was very lucky no one else was hurt or involved, and that the accident wasn't any worse that it was.  Nevertheless, it made me think.  Even with all of the hype about texting or using cell phones while driving, I've always disregarded the warnings and continued to use my phone while driving.  Having this little incident has made me realize how easily accidents can happen, I actually wasn't even videoing at the time but was simply changing the song on my Ipod.

I've had so many friends request to be added to my viewing list when sending out videos, and posting them on my blog is an easy way to share the love and entertainment.  After giving it a lot of thought I've decided to share while making it clear that I DO NOT promote cell phone use while driving in any way, but rather want to use this as an opportunity to encourage you to be safe.

As a professional in the medical field and especially working with kids, I feel it's my duty to be a good role model and struggled over my decision to post the videos for fear of setting a bad example.  From now on I only plan to record when the car is in park, but life is too short not to have fun and share the love : )

A Few Interesting Facts...

Just a little more about me : )

1.  The first time I flew in an airplane, I jumped out of it.
2.  I love to travel... My most interesting trips so far were medical missions to India and Haiti
3.  I ran my first half marathon last year and began training for my first full soon after.  Due to injury this didn't happen as planned, but I've just started training again!
4.  I have an identical twin whom I love.  (And the most AWESOME nephew in the world!)
5.  I want to write a book one day- a biography of sorts based on my personal journal entries.
6.  I drink hot chocolate everyday.  Usually twice a day.  Even when it's 100 degrees outside.
7.  I LOVE eating out in nice restaurants and trying new foods.
8.  I could happily eat my weight in watermelon.  And ice cream.  And of course bananas and peanut butter too : )
9.  I have the best family and friends a girl could have.
10. I want to see the world : )


And now for a little Friday morning FUN ; )

That Lovin'

I've spent the afternoon with my wonderful friend Joey learning lots of fun things about setting up my blog... and now I can finally post my videos!!!  Yay : )

Enjoy!!! (And if you don't know the story behind these videos, read about it here.

And this is how it all started...

Oh Mariah...

(Why I'm singing like a crazy person...)

Pass It On

As I was walking around a store earlier today, a little girl (she looked to be middle school age) said to me in passing, "You look really pretty."  My shyness came out in full bloom.  "Thank-you so much!  That's very sweet of you!"  I nearly whispered as I shrank away in embarrassment, kicking myself along the way because I couldn't come up with anything better to say.  

I mean, seriously!  This little girl had enough courage to tell me this, (you could tell she was nervous to do so) and all I was brave enough to respond with was a dinky little thank-you!  Ugh!!!  I hate how shy I can be sometimes!  

I spent the rest of my time in the store trying to work up the courage to find her and let her know how much her comment meant to me, but when I saw her again in the parking lot she was too far away for me to reach.  By the time I made it over to her she'd be in the car driving away.  Well... at least that's what I told myself.  If I had really wanted to I could have chased her down like a crazy person and given her a big hug.  But I chickened out. 

I couldn't stop thinking about the run-in during the drive to my next destination and eventually decided that I wouldn't let her words be in vain.  Although I didn't thank her as appropriately as I should have, I decided to make up for it.  I will share her kindness with another stranger... pass it on to someone else : )  

So thank-you, little girl, for being an inspiration to me.  Your kindness and innocence will be a blessing to not only me, but to others also : )  Happy Saturday : )



"A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.  The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves."

~Amelia Earhart

Fearless

Fear is a topic that really intrigues me.  It's an emotion that can be pretty hard to control at times, at least for me anyway.

Yesterday I saw a car that had the word FEARLESS written in bold letters across the back window.  It wasn't the nicest car to say the least, and I found myself wondering about the two men that were in the car.  "Are they really fearless?  What does that mean to them?  Do they mean fearless in all aspects of life?  Probably not.  They are driving a pretty crappy car... if they were fearless, wouldn't they have chased their dreams, made lots of money, and drive a nicer car than that?"  ... Please don't judge me for my ridiculous thoughts...  I realize it's pretty unfair to make judgements like this and immediately felt guilty.  I know everyone has a story, and material things definitely aren't what make life meaningful.  But my point is... are they truly fearless?

I'd like to think of myself as a pretty fearless person... not afraid to take on the world and all of it's adventures.  This however, is definitely not reality.  I'm fearful of lots of things... bad car accidents, illness, lightening, tornados, failure, and the list goes on.   If I'm really being honest, one of my biggest fears is fear itself...  letting this emotion keep me from reaching my full potential or missing out on great opportunities in life.  

For instance,  I've always wanted to model.  I think it's really cool and have my own personal reasons for wanting to have my face in a magazine.  Maybe even on the cover.  But it's not something I'd like to do as a career.  I think it'd be great to do on the side, but with the fashion industry being so competitive, I've talked myself out of putting in the effort to even try.  I'm scared.  I've been the subject of my mama's practice photography sessions many times, and am always horrified by the faces I'm making or the awkwardness of my body in the pics.  This alone has kept me from attempting to make modeling a hobby.  Why put the effort into something if I'm not any good at it, especially if I'm not going to do it seriously?  

But then the fearless side of me yells, "Why NOT?"  Life is to short not to try.  Life is to short not to go after your dreams, no matter how trivial they may be.  What do I have to loose?  What am I missing out on by not trying?  

God only knows... I think I just may try being a little more fearless.  So keep a lookout : )

"Always do what you are afraid to do." 

-Ralph Waldo Emerson