Power of Conversation

Does anyone ever get tired of all the gidgets, gadgets, and convenient modes of communications?  

No?  Just me?

For whatever reason today I don't like it.  I don't want to call, text, email, or facebook my way through my friends/fam.  Sometimes there is absolutely no replacement for face-to-face contact.  The conversation is better, the humor is more heart felt and better reciprocated, the feelings more genuine.

Nope, just not today.

"We need to ask more questions and listen more deeply. 

We need to seek first to understand, rather than to be understood. 

We need to be the sparks for challenging, inspiring, engaging talk, willing to ask the hard and important questions and to provide honest and authentic answers.

We need to be comfortable with the messy, wonderful process of truly engaging with each other around what is important to us."

Olympic Thoughts

Did anyone catch this tear jerking scene from swimming the other day?  If you didn't go look it up: http://www.sbnation.com/london-olympics-2012/2012/8/2/3214875/ryan-lochte-michael-phelps-nathan-adrian-celebration.  Nathan Adrian was swimming the 100m freestyle the other night.  He wasn't expected to take the gold up against Australia's "The Missle".  Long story short, he took it by 1/100th of a second.

  

They interviewed him about the whole thing afterwards. I have never listened to a more humble Olympic winner, and it made me so proud to be an American.  Meanwhile... back in the warm up room, his teammates Lochte and Phelps stood watching.  Their reaction (seen above) honestly almost made me cry.  :)  Go watch it.  

I also found out that this guy (Russell Holmes):

is a BYU grad.  Holla back.  Probably one of the most attractive guys on the US Men's Volleyball team and he just so happens to have graduated from BYU, is mormon, and went on a mission to London.  Not only this, but when the announcers talked about him, this is what they mentioned.  What great things to be remembered for, and what a great way to represent your religion and what you stand for!

One other thing that I have been thinking about.  Maybe it's because I am a girl, but I get so attached to these Olympians!  Honestly, not just the USA team members.  I LOVE hearing people's back stories.  You get to know them and where they have come from, their struggles and triumphs.  Watching them compete after hearing these, makes watching one million times better.  Their emotions after finishing make so much more sense.  You almost cry when they cry, or at least I do :)

Loving the games!!

3

First off, isn't this picture cute? :)  It makes me happy, though this is beside the point.  

Tonight I stumbled across a new tv show called 3.  Apparently it's about 3 friends who interview hundreds of guys at the same time, if they are interested then they ask them out.  I am not positive but I think that after that point it continues onto a Bachelorette type of show.... lots more dates with the different guys and sending the duds home.  I digress, my point here is that each guy has about a grand total of 30 seconds to "prove" himself.

This got me to thinking.  Do you think we really make up our minds about the opposite sex within the first few minutes of getting to know them?  Is that fair?  It seems a little bit ridiculous to me.  Have I been guilty of this?  Yup, guilty as charged.  Do we really judge someone almost solely on their appearance?  I mean, how else could we claim to "know" after a few minutes?  I don't know, I just feel like the whole thing is interesting.  I watched guy after guy get turned down by these 3 women and wondered how they really took that....  

Obviously I am over-analyzing this by about a million times, but think about it!

London Bridge

Ran across a news shpeal talking about the Olympics.  It gave a little glimpse of this little beauty.  How absolutely spectacular is that?  What I wouldn't give to go... really though.  Correction.  Let's make this picture sweeter... honeymoon in London during the Olympics?  Um... yes, I accept.  Hey a girl can dream right?  Well, men aside, I would LOVE to see this city during the frenzie.

They have like an entire park complete with crazy spiral lookout, live cricket games, and artificial clouds that rain....?  I dunno what that is all about but it sounds lovely no?  Something about this location that makes my happy little heart go pitter pat.  Who wants to come?? :)

A few things...

So I have come to realize a few things while living by myself/getting back roommates/looking for a new apartment:

1~ I don't like spills that aren't cleaned up.  If it's not mine it bugs me more.  Who spills something and then just leaves it there.... something I will never understand.

2~ I can handle a crazy messy room but can't handle clutter/nastiness anywhere else in my house.  Now don't get me wrong, there are always exceptions, but this is true as a general rule.

3~ You realize that your apartment might not be as bad as you always thought it was after searching for cheap new housing.

4~ I lock the door to my house ALWAYS.... whether I am inside or outside of it.... doesn't matter, it will be locked.

5~ I HATE studying without a deadline.  Why don't I just schedule it then?  I dunno, that would make me study under stress... heaven forbid.

6~ Having roommates really isn't all that bad in comparison to living alone... you realize it isn't really all it's cracked up to be after having conversations with yourself cause no one is around.

Reflecting.

A good friend of mine sent me a text I needed today.  It was simply a link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHDvxPjsm8E) telling me to watch.  I sat there for 8 minutes remembering how blessed I am.  So blessed for my trials.  It got me to thinking.  My purpose here on earth is only so clear to me.  I like to think that somehow I picked my trials before coming here so someone else I loved wouldn't have to go through them.  Whether or not this is true I have no idea.  But I am so happy that they are mine.  We go through day to day with so much tunnel vision, or I do at least.  It's always me me me.  How do I look?  What would be best for me?  What is in it for me?  The thoughtfulness of my friend helped me remember that it's not all about me and that I am not alone.  I am here to serve and whether my trials are big or small, I need to make the most of them... they are mine for  reasons unbeknownst to me and He won't let me face them alone.

Living Vicariously

Have you ever lived vicariously through other people?  What have I done recently??  Oh moved to work in Dallas Tx, went to a Mets game, had a photoshoot, played with my two babies, and cuddled up on the couch with my hubs to watch a scary movie.... oh wait, nope none of those were me.  Lately I have been living through blogs.  I don't think it's such a good thing.  They make me jealous.  I am too busy looking at their lives to live my own.  So maybe I don't go out with friends to do random things, and when I do, do I ever document it with blog worthy photos??  Um... no.  But, maybe I should.  But then I think, what?  It seems so pathetic to go do things just to post them on my blog.  It's like putting on a facade for the world to make them think I am one of those "cute, funny, clever, busy bloggers".  Truth is, I'm not.... I'm sooo not.  But maybe if the thought of that gets me out of my house and on to fun adventures, maybe blogging jealousy and vicarious living isn't such a bad thing.