Remember when it was a "thing" when you were little to have a pen pal? I miss that! It's just so much fun to get mail, I love mail. Not junk mail and bills... heavens no. I mean a letter from a friend.
It's more personal and thoughtful to send or receive a note in the mail and because it came in the mail it is usually longer than a easily quick email sent.
Letters are something you usually save because it meant something and going back to read it again years later usually makes you smile, laugh, think or it gives you a push to keep going on a bad day because someone believed in you at one time. I have two shoe boxes full of letters I have saved from people over the years. Some actually are from friends and pen pals back when I was in Elementary school. Every once in awhile I go through them to get rid of ones that probably aren't as meaningful but I usually only toss out a few.
Any ways, I miss the days of Pen Pals from childhood all the way through High school and College... I need to start up my "pen pal" ways again.
5.27.2013
5.19.2013
Things In Your 20s
A "friend" of mine on Facebook posted two entires from Thought Catalog about "things" in your twenties. 1. Things you're too old for in your twenties and 2. Lessons Everyone learns in their 20s. Check them out! Both of them made me laugh but both had a few things that were kind of a harsh but a good reality (things that I knew but not sure if I wanted to admit).
Things You're Too Old For in Your Twenties.
These 9 things all just made me chuckle and I found entertaining. Maybe staying true to the advise of #9 is why I duck into an isle at the grocery store when I see someone from high school in order to avoid the awkward chit-chat life-update. (Though sometimes I do that and then feel terrible because I would have actually liked to have said hello to that person.)
Lessons Everyone Learns in Their 20s
1. Ha!
2. SO TRUE! Just looking at my Murray girl friends we are all in different stages. Some married with kids, some traveling the world, others career focused, some still trying to figure out their path in life, etc.
It's hard sometimes when you see what others around you are doing: I travel a lot but sometimes my life feels "empty" without a companion to share it with. While some of my married friends have said they are jealous of the single friends random adventures. Just a good reminder to be happy with whatever stage you are at and enjoying what you have.
8. Word. Ok... I know this is referring to drinking and I don't drink but I'm looking at this one as staying up late and/or going to big parties. It's funny, I love to be around lots of people but I now also love my alone time. Sometimes it's hard to balance the fulfillment of the need for both. My senior year of college I started to get to the point that I was ok going to bed between 10pm and midnight. If I can manage to stay up until 2am then I usually get a second wind and burst of energy but it doesn't mean I recover from it like I did at 19 years old. No way! I pay for it. I also "love" going on dates these days with guys still in college and when I say I have work in the morning and need to get home or that I can't just text or call at anytime during the work day they seem so confused by the concept.
9. This is one I really need to work on. People love to give you their opinions, even when you don't ask for it AND I am SUCH a people pleaser. Sometimes when people in my life give my adamant advice I don't think they realize how much of an effect it has one me. "I want to do this thing but So-and-so said I shouldn't and now I'm questioning myself and my judgement." It drives me crazy... I literally talk myself out of things because of other people and I really shouldn't let them do that to me.
10. This past year, #10 has been a true awakening for me. I miss the college scene (and even high school) where you could get 30 people together to go do a fun/crazy/random activity but I no longer seem to know how to get that big of a group together anymore. #10 makes perfect sense: I can still be friendly with everyone and still invite new people to join a group activity once in awhile but it's time to have just a small group of friends. It's time to live my favorite TV show, FRIENDS, haha.
I was actually talking to a guy friend about #10 and he made the point that in big groups you know everyone's name and how they are in the large setting but in smaller groups you don't miss the intimate opportunity to really get to know someone and become a true friend, not just a Friday night friend.
Things You're Too Old For in Your Twenties.
These 9 things all just made me chuckle and I found entertaining. Maybe staying true to the advise of #9 is why I duck into an isle at the grocery store when I see someone from high school in order to avoid the awkward chit-chat life-update. (Though sometimes I do that and then feel terrible because I would have actually liked to have said hello to that person.)
Lessons Everyone Learns in Their 20s
1. Ha!
2. SO TRUE! Just looking at my Murray girl friends we are all in different stages. Some married with kids, some traveling the world, others career focused, some still trying to figure out their path in life, etc.
It's hard sometimes when you see what others around you are doing: I travel a lot but sometimes my life feels "empty" without a companion to share it with. While some of my married friends have said they are jealous of the single friends random adventures. Just a good reminder to be happy with whatever stage you are at and enjoying what you have.
8. Word. Ok... I know this is referring to drinking and I don't drink but I'm looking at this one as staying up late and/or going to big parties. It's funny, I love to be around lots of people but I now also love my alone time. Sometimes it's hard to balance the fulfillment of the need for both. My senior year of college I started to get to the point that I was ok going to bed between 10pm and midnight. If I can manage to stay up until 2am then I usually get a second wind and burst of energy but it doesn't mean I recover from it like I did at 19 years old. No way! I pay for it. I also "love" going on dates these days with guys still in college and when I say I have work in the morning and need to get home or that I can't just text or call at anytime during the work day they seem so confused by the concept.
9. This is one I really need to work on. People love to give you their opinions, even when you don't ask for it AND I am SUCH a people pleaser. Sometimes when people in my life give my adamant advice I don't think they realize how much of an effect it has one me. "I want to do this thing but So-and-so said I shouldn't and now I'm questioning myself and my judgement." It drives me crazy... I literally talk myself out of things because of other people and I really shouldn't let them do that to me.
10. This past year, #10 has been a true awakening for me. I miss the college scene (and even high school) where you could get 30 people together to go do a fun/crazy/random activity but I no longer seem to know how to get that big of a group together anymore. #10 makes perfect sense: I can still be friendly with everyone and still invite new people to join a group activity once in awhile but it's time to have just a small group of friends. It's time to live my favorite TV show, FRIENDS, haha.
I was actually talking to a guy friend about #10 and he made the point that in big groups you know everyone's name and how they are in the large setting but in smaller groups you don't miss the intimate opportunity to really get to know someone and become a true friend, not just a Friday night friend.
5.06.2013
Book Reviews
So I am working on my reading list for 2013. I'm not doing so hot but I'm at least reading more than usual. I keep trying to read Count of Monte Cristo and I keep getting lost or my mind wanders off to other things... I'm thinking I'm not smart enough for the book... which is said because I'm pretty sure the 9th grade honors english class at my Jr. High had to read that book.... and they're 15-years-old.
Here's a review on what I have read so far:
The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach
Oh my goodness! I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It's a great simple read and it has SO many great ideas and suggestions on how to better budget your money, how to be a millionaire in your retirement, how to make it easier so save money now, perspective on how you're spending your money and suggestions on better spending habits. The book even gives suggested companies and bank accounts to help with the process of bettering your financial circumstances. The main idea behind the whole book is making everything "automatic." Set it up so that your pay checks are automatic being split and transferred into spending, savings, retirement, investment, etc. acocunts. Once you do all the work ONE TIME, to set up all of these accounts and the automatic transfers, you don't have to think about it anymore.
Crossed and then Reached by: Ally Condie
These were the second and third books to the book Matched I read last year. As I said in my review of Matched; basically this was a trilogy that I would say was a mixture of The Giver and The Hunger Games but more geared towards girls. Again, I read Matched in one weekend. It was interesting and a light read but intriguing enough that I couldn't put it down. Crossed was hard to get through and I even considered just forgetting the whole thing but I got through it. Crossed was hard for me because it was more about the "love" story and the girl was so whinny and it was getting old. Overall I would say you will still need to read Crossed because it has information that you need in order to understand things in Reached, the third book. Now Reached was awesome and I'm so glad I didn't give up. The book was more like the first book where it was interesting and intriguing but a little more intense. Not too intense that it was almost stressful to read but more of an intense that made you want to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. Again this trilogy reminded me a lot of The Hunger games but I will tell you this... the ending was better and had a much more satisfying resolution and ending.
I would recommend this trilogy to read. It was a fun, easy, page turner set of books.
Adding to my reading list (as if I'm going to finish all the other books but) with good reason.
1. The Mediation & Atonement of Jesus Christ by John Taylor
Usually I'm not one for religious books. I read my scriptures and conference talks for religion and anything else is for my imagination to soar off into adventure or another world or silly girly giddiness or curiosity, etc. BUT Elder Scott came to my YSA Stake Conference back in September and he said that we should read this book and I figured, if an apostle of the church is telling me I should read a book... I probably should read it.
2. I Sit All Amazed by Stephen Mikita
Another church book (haha I must be growing up or something). I went to a fireside that he spoke at and it was amazing and the spirit was so strong. He was born with a muscle disease and is a parapalegic. He was so humble and grateful for all his blessing and it really put things into perspective for me of how much I truly have. I mean, I know I have been blessed in so many ways but to see this man, who has been given so many trials, be so positive and grateful was a huge reminder that I should be grateful for all that I have... big and little. Anyways... made me want to read his book.
3. Austenland by Shannon Hale
This was recommended to me by a friend of mine who doesn't enjoy reading and she has read this book three times. As she told me about this book she got so excited about it that she said she would read it again with me.
Here's a review on what I have read so far:
The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach
Oh my goodness! I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It's a great simple read and it has SO many great ideas and suggestions on how to better budget your money, how to be a millionaire in your retirement, how to make it easier so save money now, perspective on how you're spending your money and suggestions on better spending habits. The book even gives suggested companies and bank accounts to help with the process of bettering your financial circumstances. The main idea behind the whole book is making everything "automatic." Set it up so that your pay checks are automatic being split and transferred into spending, savings, retirement, investment, etc. acocunts. Once you do all the work ONE TIME, to set up all of these accounts and the automatic transfers, you don't have to think about it anymore.
Crossed and then Reached by: Ally Condie
These were the second and third books to the book Matched I read last year. As I said in my review of Matched; basically this was a trilogy that I would say was a mixture of The Giver and The Hunger Games but more geared towards girls. Again, I read Matched in one weekend. It was interesting and a light read but intriguing enough that I couldn't put it down. Crossed was hard to get through and I even considered just forgetting the whole thing but I got through it. Crossed was hard for me because it was more about the "love" story and the girl was so whinny and it was getting old. Overall I would say you will still need to read Crossed because it has information that you need in order to understand things in Reached, the third book. Now Reached was awesome and I'm so glad I didn't give up. The book was more like the first book where it was interesting and intriguing but a little more intense. Not too intense that it was almost stressful to read but more of an intense that made you want to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. Again this trilogy reminded me a lot of The Hunger games but I will tell you this... the ending was better and had a much more satisfying resolution and ending.
I would recommend this trilogy to read. It was a fun, easy, page turner set of books.
Adding to my reading list (as if I'm going to finish all the other books but) with good reason.
1. The Mediation & Atonement of Jesus Christ by John Taylor
Usually I'm not one for religious books. I read my scriptures and conference talks for religion and anything else is for my imagination to soar off into adventure or another world or silly girly giddiness or curiosity, etc. BUT Elder Scott came to my YSA Stake Conference back in September and he said that we should read this book and I figured, if an apostle of the church is telling me I should read a book... I probably should read it.
2. I Sit All Amazed by Stephen Mikita
Another church book (haha I must be growing up or something). I went to a fireside that he spoke at and it was amazing and the spirit was so strong. He was born with a muscle disease and is a parapalegic. He was so humble and grateful for all his blessing and it really put things into perspective for me of how much I truly have. I mean, I know I have been blessed in so many ways but to see this man, who has been given so many trials, be so positive and grateful was a huge reminder that I should be grateful for all that I have... big and little. Anyways... made me want to read his book.
3. Austenland by Shannon Hale
This was recommended to me by a friend of mine who doesn't enjoy reading and she has read this book three times. As she told me about this book she got so excited about it that she said she would read it again with me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)