Sunday, December 30, 2007

A Little More About Me...

I thought, since I'd be keeping up on this blog pretty regularly, and you will hopefully be reading it just as often - I should tell you a little more about myself. For those of you who don't care... I'll write another intersting post tomorrow.

I grew up in the great state of Oklahoma. It has always puzzled me why people still expect Oklahoma to be full of cowboys and covered wagons. Or what's even more suprising is when I tell people I'm from Tulsa, they say, "Oh, Arizona" (referring to Tucson). I went to a large public school and had a pretty 'normal' childhood. I am in the middle of 3 kids and the only one without any children of my own. I left Oklahoma to go to College in Utah where I graduated with a degree in Organizational Communication. Most people don't know what that means; if you do, consider yourself lucky. If you don't - it basically means the study of businesses or organization and their communication behaviors and patters that influence their overall success and effectiveness or as some people say - Strategic Management. A few years after graduating from college, my husband and I (yes, I am married) returned to the midwest where we now reside. He is a law school student and I work full -time.

There was an 18 month period I took off from college and served as a missionary for my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. As a missionary, I was assigned to the New England states. I was able to travel to Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusets. It was a wonderful time in my life and a beautiful place to live. The fall leaves are absolutely breathtaking. Maybe I'll share some of my pictures with you sometime.

Anyway... so here we are living in the great plains and loving it. I have to say, winter is not my favorite time of year. I do enjoy the holidays, but I hate feeling cold for 4 months straight.

There is a new magazine that premeired in June 2007. It is called Eliza Magazine. You can learn more about it at ElizaMagazine.com. I have really enjoyed their quarterly issues. This magazine is different than any other fashion magazine because it focuses on innovation and uplifting entertainment. Editor, Summer Bellessa, writes in this years fall issue, "Eliza strives to bring you the best of fashion without any of the trash. We are dedicated to finding up and coming fashion lines... along with presenting articles on current issues, creative ideas, and life in general."

I love the idea of a positive and uplifting fashion magazine that focuses on women's wants and needs in the real world as mothers, accountants, CEOs, teachers, or lunch lady's. Anyone can love fashion and that's what makes it so fun.

In the words of Fraulein Maria, "these are a few of my favorite things":
  • Black tights with knee high socks and boots with the socks poking out just a bit on the calf

  • Big, fluffy scarves or pashminas

  • A mix of silver and gold bangles (not too many)

  • Knee lenth shorts with cuffs and or pocket details

  • Black and navy - together

  • Soft yellow ruffles on a blouse or dress

  • Smokey eye and nude lips

  • Gun metal gray with dark wash jeans

  • Peep toe shoes with tights

  • Fuscia with gold accessories

  • Black patent leather handbag



Now - back to addressing my question in the original blog. What is normal and who decides? I've been thinking about this a lot and have come to only one conclusion - that normal is different for every person and what may be normal for me, may not be normal for you. I'll give you an example: it is completely normal for me to clip coupons every Sunday from the newspaper. Sometimes I use them and sometimes I don't, but I saw my mom doing it every Sunday and I guess it's just a little something of her I took with me. Some people may think it's absolutely ridiculous to clip coupons, or much less USE coupons. Even if I am only saving 50 cents or a dollar, it reminds me of my mother and maybe that is why I do it. Tell me, what are some things you think are completely normal that maybe your friends or family think is anything but.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Day 1 as a "Blogger"

I've always though about starting a blog, but I imagined it to be a very complicated series of steps for those select few that are computer savvy. But now, thanks to my friend - Danny Sterne (shout out), I am now officially a blogger and just in time too. I really have a lot to say about life and hopefully there will be someone out there willing to listen.

So let me start by saying this... Friday can not come fast enough. Although I don't know what I am so excited about because I have to work all weekend. There is certainly something about Friday, walking out the office door and feeling free only to return the very next day. I don't know what it is, but I start looking forward to Friday by about 9:15 on Monday morning and this week was no exception.

I am currently reading a book called "The Short Bus: a Journey Beyond Normal" by Jonathan Mooney. Normally I spend my time reading chick lit books like "Can You Keep a Secret?" by Sophie Kinsella or "Jemima J" by Jane Green to name a very select few. In the last year, I've probably read over 35 books. It may not sound like a lot, but I work full-time and spend a ridiculous amount of time watching television. So - - back to "The Short Bus", I only picked it up because someone was returning it when I was in line at the library. The author contemplates the question, "What is normal?" This is something I've thought about a lot. Who decided we should be 'normal' and who even knows what 'normal' is? How do you measure what is 'normal'? Isn't what define us what makes us different or is it what makes us all the same and is that normal? Maybe I'm getting a little too complex for my first blog entry. I certainly don't want to scare away and first time visitors. So maybe you can help me understand. Are we defined by what makes us unique or by how well we do what everyone else perceives as 'normal'?

Now, to a more light hearted topic... fashion. This is something I've always been intersted in and I haven't quite figured out if I like it for the artistic expression of fabric, clothing, and piecing outfits together or because it's 'normal' for a woman my age to be fashionable. (maybe it isn't, I don't know) My friends joke that I'm a professional bargain shopper and it's true. If you are looking for something, I can find great quality at a great price. Sometimes it takes more time than I'd like to admit, but in general - I love a good bargain. There is such great satisfaction for me of walking out of a store after making a brilliant purchase. Even if I only wear it a few times, it still feels great. I will periodically post these great bargains on my blog page so others can enjoy the satisfaction.

So - if you're interested in learning a little bit about me and why in the world I would start a blog or what is so important for me to say... stay tuned. I'll try to keep you updated as much as possible.