Ellen Degeneres says this every day at the end of her show: Be Kind to one another. It's a simple declarative statement and it's amazing how elementary it sounds! But how can you turn something simple like that into your mantra? Easily enough-- just make it a habit.

When you are upset, and you let emotions get involved in your reaction, did you know that your IQ drops?! It DROPS! Think now about how many complete idiots are out there experiencing road rage. We have dummies just driving around because their emotions are getting involved. How many arguments could have had more pleasant outcomes? How many friends would you have? KINDNESS goes a very long way.

Lately I've been thinking that my job is not for me. I haven't been motivated to get to work and actually DO work. I think everyone goes through periods of that, especially in the first few months of working there. It's easy to get bogged down when you are first learning a new job and have a truckload of new tasks on your plate. I got an email from a troop leader this morning that said, "Thanks for keeping up with this stuff. It's REALLY nice having someone be on top of things for us. We appreciate you. I think you are doing an excellent job."  Isn't that SO nice? She probably didn't think anything of it, but let me tell you, it lifted my spirits and pushed me to do my job to the best of my ability today. It's only 11:30 and I've been so productive this morning!

My point is this: You don't know what kind of effect you will have on someone. But giving them a compliment is a guaranteed positive effect! Additionally, don't you just FEEL better when you look at things positively? When you don't get upset about every tiny little thing and let that ruin your day? I have a challenge for you today! I challenge you to think before you react to a situation. Consider the negative way to look at it and then look at the positive parts. There's always a positive way to look at things, by the way. And I guarantee the situation will come out in your favor if you do that. It takes 3 weeks to begin a new habit. So-- start your habit

Maybe I'm overthinking this, but...

Men tend to group women together into two stereotypical groups: low maintenance and high maintence. Women know that there are WAY more subgroups to that, but let's first dissect what men are thinking. Low maintenance girls are girls that, in a man's opinion, are the girls that let the guys do whatever they want and don't compromise their bachelor-hood. "Sure, go out with your friends, sure do whatever you want!" High maintenance girls are girls that think. Yep. That's what it is in a man's eyes... or at least, from my experience.

You see, I've been told before and just recently that I'm an 'over-thinker.' That I analyze things too much. I'm a big enough person to admit that that's not too far from the truth and I have been known to blow a thing or two out of proportion. If you are a woman reading this and you are thinking, "not me, I NEVER do that," then you are big fat liar and you know it.

Girls DO tend to think about things too much... what bills to pay first, what guys are thinking, what to wear in the morning, how to cut our hair, etc. etc. At any given time, any woman with half a brain has a zillion thoughts going on. In fact, I have a friend that will say things that seem very random. If you question her about it, she'll say, "Let's see, how DID I get to the topic of your ex? We were talking about shoes, which led me to think about this one pair of shoes I had that were awesome that I wore on a date with Joe. Joe turned out to be a jerk, just like your ex." Boom. Just like that! Trains of thought are much larger and complex for women and a lot of us can't even describe how we got from point A to point B.

I said above that I was recently accused of over-thinking. Last night, I was watching the movie The Black Swan with a guy. If any of you have seen it, there are a few WTF moments in there, moments where you have to (ok, I do) cover your eyes and there are questions you want to figure out, but you don't want to say anything DURING the movie because it's so good. Well, after the movie, I was talking about some possible symbolism in the movie, and the guy stretched, gave me a "good game" pat on the back and said, "Babe, you're over-thinking this." Oh, well, I'm so sorry, let's flip on Sports Center and I'll get you a beer and rub your feet. GEEEEZ. I didn't say anything at the time, but I've been thinking about it all day today and it really bugs me! Why would a guy want a girl that doesn't think for herself?!? I mean, when a guy tries to talk something out, whether it's something he heard on the news, sports, weather, whatEVER, I listen and try to offer some feedback. I also think it's an attrative quality when someone considers something after they've experienced it. It means it affected them in some way. As people, we SHOULD question things! Politics, relationships, faith, everything! Yes, even movies. The dang Black Swan is not necessarily my type of movie so it would have been nice to chat about it after, but noooooo I don't want to over-think. I guess I'm just high-maintenance.

And...for the record, this whole blog was over-thought, which is the vicious circle of irony in my life :)

*picture-- a "thoughtful" looking picture I found :)

Running is real and relatively simple…but it ain't easy! --Mark Will-Weber

Ladies and gents, I run. That's a simple sentence that could paint a picture of me jogging around for hours, in tip-top shape, drinking only water and eating Clif Bars. The truth is, I dread running. I do it because it's healthy. It's a pain to get motivated; to get on a treadmill or even worse-- go outside and risk people driving by watching you jiggle and panting like you're running a race and the finish line is Death's Doorstep. Yes friends, I'm a faux running freak. However, the feeling you get AFTER a run can't be beat! It feels amazing! I always feel like I can solve all the little problems going on in my life, take on a new opportunity and essentially conquer the world. Can you imagine how POSITIVE everyone would be if they exercised regularly?! Those endorphins would flow and carry over into your workplace, family life, dating life/marriage-- I do believe I just solved the age-old question of how we can achieve world peace! Ta-da!

Anyway, I got up this morning for a 20 minute ab workout and I have so much energy right now, I'm not sure how to handle it. So, I'm working a little bit today and then heading on a run with my friend Katie (not to be confused with Katee, Kate, or Catherine-- whom I'll describe later). We are going to a local lake and the distance around it is just over 2 miles. We are both running a 5k in EXACTLY a month, so we have a little training to do.

My original plan was to run a half marathon on June 4, but shin splints throughout the whole month of April hindered my training. BOO! Oh well, keep working towards a goal, even if it has to be altered a little! Last year, I ran 4 5ks-- in the mountains! One of them was in NC, with my friends Erica and Jonathon, who are in the picture I posted today. I can totally do this!

30 x 30 -- how hard could it be?!

As part of my new year's resolution, I took a lead from my sister and made a 30 x 30 list. This is 30 things I want to accomplish before I turn thirty. It's an ambitious goal, but I'm confident it can be done.

One of my goals is to journal about my life on a weekly basis. Simple enough, but as we all know, life gets in the way and it's not always fun to sit down and write out thoughts. However, I've been journaling since I could write, so I didn't think it would be THAT difficult! I made a goal to write once a week in a journal that I bought specifically for this task before I went to bed. But then... I got tired. So that flopped. I'm in my computer at least 8 hours a day, so blogging was the answer!

Let me back up... I'm in my mid twenties and single. There's a lot to dig about that status, but there is more pressure in the Midwest, which is where I'm from and have recently returned to after a year in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina and 6 years on my own.

Additionally, I think people in their 20s are still very much growing into the person they're supposed to be and I'm still a work in progress, growing in my relationships with friends, family and God. So, while this is about my 30 x 30 list, it's also about my life.

The big question on all your minds is-- what's on your 30 x 30 list?! Well, here it is:

1. Get to a healthier weight and better shape and STAY THERE!
2. Pay off car and most of school loans
3. Journal about my life every week
4. Get Baptized (CHECK! I did this on March 20, 2010)
5. Attend church regulary/grow in my relationship with God.
6. Go on a Global Village trip
7. Run a 1/2 marathon every year-- or 3 5ks. 
8. Get eye surgery 
9. Go to Europe with Kate (more on Kate later!) 
10. Volunteer Regularly 
11. Ride in a hot air balloon 
12. Go on a cruise 
13. Read the whole Bible (ambitious, for anyone who's tried. It's not a quick read!) 
14. Take a photography course 
15. Learn to make sushi 
16. See the Golden Gate Bridge (or some other amazing US site) 
17. Learn to change a tire & jump a car 
18. Tour DC 
19. Go to NYC for New Years 
20. Get through 'book list' (more on that later as well!) 
21. Go to New Orleans for Mardi Gras
22. Skydive
23. Throw a drink in someone's face (it looks liberating! People in movies do it!)
24. Go on a float trip
25. Learn how to french braid, weaving in (I can only weave out)
26. Visit all 50 states
27. Complete family tree
28. Get Master's Degree
29. Learn how to brew my own beer

You'll notice that for now I only have 29 on my list. I need HELP with the last one! I thik I'll find that on this journey... or I hope to! I'm not too worried about it now thought because 29 things to do is a big bite to chew. So, stay tuned for the story of my journey to 30. Maybe it'll be like Eat, Pray, Love only in the Midwest and on a twentysomething's budget.