Day 15- Compliment

Last day of the 15 day challenge hosted by Sar! I have loved partaking in the challenge and getting to read other people's answers to the prompts. I think the questions were great and fun to answer.  Hope you all enjoyed reading my thoughts!

Last day: "Whats the best compliment you've ever received?"

Compliments have always been hard for me to take and after thinking about this prompt for a while, it occurred to me that I rarely remember the positive ones, but internalize the negative ones (or the critical ones).  This is not healthy, I know, but completely human.  I wrote this post a few months back to illustrate my point in how difficult of a task it is for me accept a compliment.

Therefore, writing about the "best" compliment I have ever received seems nearly impossible.  Most of the ones that come to mind are work related.  But for this post I really wanted something that was about my character rather than something I do.

A few weeks back, I had a friend send me a text message that completely made my day. This was my most recent compliment and it made my day again today just reading it!  Thanks friend!

Day 14- One movie!

Day 14! Only two more posts left in this 15 day challenge (this being one of them). Head over to Sar's blog to check out what other people are choosing for their favorite movie!


Day 14's prompt: If you were only allowed to watch one movie for the rest of your life, what movie would it be and why?

Only one movie!?  I was talking about this with my sister-in-law yesterday and I could not decide between two movies.  So I will post them both!

Movie #1: A League of Their Own (1992)
I have watched this movie at least a dozen times! I love it! Its funny and yet is an amazing story! Tom Hanks is hilarious and I think it may be one of his best movies! Plus Madonna, Rose O'Donald and Geena Davis are fantastic!  A story of women's baseball league during WWII...

Movie #2: Steel Magnolias (1989)
Super sad movie, but I love it! For someone who did NOT grow up in the South, it is fun to see what life is like in the South.  Also, I love Julie Roberts and her role in this movie.  Plus gotta love Dolly Parton, Sally Field and Shirley MacLaine!!

Day 13- song, quote, food, vacation spot, photo

Only three more days left in the challenge!! Day 13's prompt "List your favorites: song, quote, food, vacation spot and photo"!  On all of these, it was very hard to narrow it down to one.  So, these are current favorites :) Check out Sar's blog to see what are other people's current favorites!

[Song]
Home- Edward Sharpe & Magnetic Zeros


[Quote]

[Food]
For the Summer:

[Vacation Spot]
My hometown in Montana (Kalispell)

[Photo]

St. John's Bridge with Mt Hood in the background- 2009

Day 12- Looking forward to...

Day 12's prompt is "What are you most looking forward to in the next six months?"


Well, this might be a good time to mention that I officially passed my boards examination and I am now licensed in the state of Oregon to practice! I also landed my dream job!!! Starting on Monday, I will be an outpatient neuro physical therapist at Oregon Health Sciences University!

That being said, there is so much to look forward to!  Here is a small list:
-Starting my job  CAREER!
-Getting a pay check for the first time in more then 3 years!!!
-Moving into a sweet apartment downtown with my friend Jenn
-Living and working in a city that I love
-Summer events in Portland (brew fest, concerts at Edgefield, sand in the city)
-Hawaii to celebrate a marriage and see my lovely friend Jen!
-Fall in Portland! My favorite season of the year!!!
-Christmas in Montana with my family (God willing!)

So, there is so much to be thankful for what is still to come! I feel incredibly blessed by all of these opportunities! Head over to Sar's blog to check out what others are looking forward to!

Day 11- Change is a process

Day 11! Woowee! Prompt: "What is the one thing you would never change about yourself?"

This one is hard for me because I think change is GOOD!  I think change is a PROCESS and is an ongoing process.  And, to be quite honest, I am thankful for that... That being said, I also think change is difficult and hard. 

Some of the things I think of that I would like to always be true of myself would be: 

-integrity

-honesty

-loyalty

-passionate

-adventurous spirit

-my love and commitment for God, family and friends...

Then there are things I do wish I could (will eventually) change:

-I wish I was more humble.

-I wish I was slow to speak and quick to listen. 

-I wish I was gentle (especially with my speech- get where this is going?)

-I wish I was more patient

But change is a process. And likely, we are the way we are (or have the characteristics) for a reason; due to our experiences, our family background/childhood, etc.  We all have lists of things that we wish we were better at, but we should all have lists of qualities that we KNOW are good and desirable.  Good prompt Sar!  Excited to see what other's come up with for this one.  Head over to Sar's blog to check out other's responses :)

A friendship that has experienced the most change over the years...  in all the good ways!

A girl who has changed with me... along side of me and in front of me all along the journey 

And a family that has been there through all the change (the good and the bad)

Day 10- Most embarrassing moment

Linking up with Sar again for the 15 day challenge! I have to say, so far I have loved the challenge! The prompts have been fun, but also have been thought provoking as well! 

Day 10! Most embarrassing moment... ugh! I dont even know! I typically roll with the punches and try to let the stupid things I do not have a huge effect.

One embarrassing moment I can think of is from undergrad! I was standing out in the middle of the apartment complex I lived in with about 15 other people. I was wearing sweats with (long) basketball shorts under them. My friend's (Anna) boyfriend (now husband) ran over to me and pulled my pants down!!! In front of all those people (to his own shock)! He meant to just pull my sweats down, but he grabbed my basketball shorts as well (they were long remember!).  To make matters worse,  Anna ran over and hugged me, but in the process prevented me from pulling up my pants.  It was fairly hysterical!  All I can say is its a good thing it was laundry day!

The man who pulled my pants down

And the woman who he married! (The one on the left ;)

Day 9- Best day evaa!

Continuing along with Sar's challenge, here is Day 9!!

Day 9- Describe the best day of your life to date!

I feel very fortunate and blessed to have more than one day that has been the "best". When thinking through this post, I thought it was interesting that as more time passes (in life), what used to be so significant, kinda loses it's significance.  For example, in high school, I would say the best day of my life was when we won the State Championship my Junior year in basketball.  And then high school graduation was great too, going to college, graduating from college... blah blah blah.  They are really just milestones, rights of passage, if you will. BUT, they were very important and paved the way for what is still to come!  Anyways, I tried to think really hard about some of the more recent "best days of my life".

Moving to NYC
Following undergrad, myself and two other girls whom I went to school with decided we should move to NYC for at least a year.  So we did!  Purchased one-way tickets, packed all our belongings into two suitcases and moved 3000 miles across the country! It was one of the best years of my life!

Getting into Graduate school! 
I was really nervous about the application process because I wasnt sure I was going to be able to do grad school after taking two years off.  Turns out, I got into all the schools I applied to and was fortunate to pick University of Colorado- where I have met some of my favorite friends thus far!


Graduation from PT school!
That was a pretty special day! Three years of hard work all comes down to a four hour ceremony!  I was very thankful my parents were able to come down to celebrate the beginning of the next stage of my life!


Dream Job!
More coming on this one! :)

Day 8- Good, Bad, Ugly!

Super late getting this post off, but it is because I had a fabulous weekend full of time well spent with people I enjoy :) I havent posted a "weekend-recap" in a long time, so I will post one tomorrow on the past week or two (as all days have pretty much felt like a weekend)!  But for now, I will leave you with Day 8's challenge!

Day 8- Describe the Good, the Bad and the Ugly about yourself!


[Good]
-Extremely honest (likely to a fault)
-Loyal friend
-Love an adventure and always up for a good time!
-Hard working
-Passionate (my career, ending epidemics like HIV/AIDS, human/sex trafficking, etc)
-Competitive (also to a fault)


[Bad]
-Honest ;)
-Not awesome with maintaining a budget
-Difficult managing my own expectations on occasion
-Have a very short attention span

[Ugly]
-Performance junkie
-Perfectionist
-Highly critical of myself

Tough post! But kinda fun! I like what Sar said on her blog "Please note: This exercise is to celebrate ourselves but still recognize our faults, not to be self-deprecating!You is kind, you is smart, you is important (The Help), so be nice to yourself" 

Day 7- Recommend a book...

Continuing on with Sar's challenge! Before I launch into my favorite books, I will have to say I have a few blogs in the mix to add to my 1001 in 101 challenge.  One being my most recent trip to San Fran!!!  And two being my beach weekend a few weeks back to celebrate my lovely friend Raynelle's upcoming marriage!  So, check back for those!

Day 7- Recommend a book for us to read! Why is it important or special to you?

I am a bit of a book junkie!  I will admit, I often will buy more books before I finish the ones I have already started- thus making my stack on my nightstand impossibly tall!  There are a few books that I have read several times and those belong to three authors!

First up, Emily Giffin! I absolutely love her books! I have read most of them several times and each time I find myself identifying with another character for different reasons!  My favorite books are Heart of the Matter  and Love the One You're With. Some of her books take place in NYC and since I used to live there, I can picture exactly where the characters are living and of course, I just get more roped in! I would recommend her to any of my friends as her writing style is addicting!  She is coming out with a new book this summer called Where We Belong and I beyond excited!!!

Secondly, I have to give a nod to JK Rowling and her Harry Potter series! I know I do not need to rehash the plot, but these books, in my opinion, changed children's literature as we knew it.  I saw kids excited to read for the first time since all the "toys" (iPads, gameboys, xbox, etc) came out.  Plus, her life story is inspiring and gives hope to struggling writers everywhere!

Lastly, I have read most of Donald Miller's books at least twice with my favorite being his newest book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.  Check out this blog  and this blog where I wrote more about my impressions on the book!  I also love Blue Like Jazz because it was one of the first books I read that seemed to put my thoughts on God/Jesus/Church/Religion into complete, concise sentences.  Plus, Don is from Portland!! I also recommend Searching for God Knows What if you like the first two Donald Miller recommendations!

I have loved reading about other people's favorite books! I have already added a few more to my ever growing list! Check out Sar's blog to see other's recommendations!

Day 6- Wanted to do... but havent!

I am continuing the 15 day challenge from Sar's blog! 

Day 6 prompt: What is something you've always wanted to do but have not? Why?

This is a fun questions as there are so many things I have wanted to do, but either havent had the time (yet) or the opportunity!  Earlier this year I developed "the list", which has a lot of the things I have always wanted to do! 

[Travel]:

There are so many travel adventures on the list, but one that I did not include (mostly due to practicality) is a trip around the world! I think I would chose the open ended plane ticket option as opposed to a cruise.  But, I suppose I could be convinced to do either :) My friend Jen completed this adventure during undergrad (Semester at Sea) and I have been jealous of her adventures ever since! I also really would like to visit my friend Bryce in Africa- still waiting on a good opportunity to do this one!

[Life]:

Living and working in a city that I love in a PT setting that I love! This one is in the works and in less than a week, I will know for sure how close I am to completing this one!! I am already living in Portland, now I just need my license to come through!!

[Sponsor]:

I would love to sponsor a child from another country (ideally Africa), but again I am waiting on the opportunity!  I think that this will happen by the end of the year or as soon as I am financially able to make the commitment (see job post above :)

I am sure there are others! But these were those that came immediately to my mind! Along with the other 100+ things on my 1001 list!  Happy Friday all!!

Day 5- Dinner with any 5 people!

Day #5- Dinner with any five people of my choice! 

Initially, I am flooded of people who I miss and would love to hang out with and enjoy dinner or drinks amongst good conversation. How do I only pick 5??  Living or non-living? People I know or those I only wished I knew? Here is what I have come up with!

My great grandma in 2009

[1] My grandparents!
I have no living grandparents and most days I am okay with it.  But occasionally, I see my friends spending time with their g-parents and I get bummed out.  I have many amazing memories with my grandparents from when I was little and I am fortunate to have many photographs as well, but it makes me a little sad that the "big" days still to come (wedding, birth of children, etc.) they wont be there to celebrate with me.  


[2] Paul 
...of the New Testament.  What a cool lad he was!!  Today I was listening to a few sermons that I missed from a few weeks ago (we are going through Philippians) and I was sitting there thinking... Paul was an amazing man. He just got it done! And under crap circumstances too. I find it inspiring that God can take such imperfect people and use them for his glory!  Anyways, I think dinner with him would be facinating!

[3] All my family members- around one table!
Growing up in Montana, we had very few cousins around (most lived in WY or MN) and when we did get together, it was so much fun!  I feel so blessed to live in close proximity to my brother and sister-in-law (and baby James) and to have my parents within a days drive.  But, I would love a dinner with all my family members present with a round of games following of course!

[4] Lady Gaga
For obvious reasons :)  I would love to talk to her about her style, the lyrics to her songs, her life and dreams.  I once watched a special on her and I was blown away by her depth and insight on life and her view of society.  She is an enigma and is obviously infectious! 

A picture I took in Munich of the White Rose memorial

[5] Sophie Scholl
Sophie was a German who lived during Nazi Germany and was an active participant in the White Rose (a non-violent resistance group).  She and her brother Hans were eventually executed for being convicted of high treason after being caught distributing anti-war leaflets at the University of Munich. Her story is documented in a book entitled Sophie Scholl and the White Rose.  It would be amazing to talk to her about her experience under Nazi regime and how she was able to stand up for what she truly believed as what was good and just, despite the risk that eventually took her life.


 

Day 4- favorite.childhood.memory

Here we are- Day 4 already!!  Also, today is one of my favorite holidays, so Happy Birthday America! Typically, I spend this day on a lake in Montana, but this year I will be in Portland, hanging with my friends listening to country music, enjoying a brew or two and some meat on the BBQ!  Not sure about fireworks tonight, but we will have a fantastic time regardless!

As for a favorite childhood memory...

Every summer during my childhood, my family loaded up our car or van and drove to Mound Minnesota and spent several weeks with my dad's family.  My grandma lived on Lake Minnetonka and various family members lived in the surrounding areas.  As kids, we would spend nearly the entire summer in our bathing suits; the smell of fish, dirt and sunscreen were our perfume.  All of our cousins lived in the area and would come over to grandma's house to have sleep-overs, backyard BBQs and hours spent in the lake.  Some years the lake would be very low and we could play in the sand, but most summers it was too high and my dad would have to make the dock higher. We mostly caught sunfish in the lake, but also caught an occasional carp or two ;)

Many of some of my best memories from my childhood are from the time spent in Minnesota.  We were so lucky that both of our parents worked in the school districts and had summers off allowing us many weeks every summer with our family!  Since my childhood, many of those family members have passed away.  I miss them today, but am thankful I have so many memories with them at grandma's house.

Day 3- Favorite article of clothing

Day 3: Tell about an article of clothing you're deeply attached to

I would have to say it would be one of my five black North Face jackets!  I know, five is definitely excessive and so is the fact that they are all black!  But, they are all different and fantastic in their own way :)  I also, have an assortment of scarves that I love.  I usually run out of days to wear them all before the warm weather is back.

Black NF down vest... best ever!

My second go-to shirt is also black! It is the one I usually wear out when I cant think of what else to wear!  I like how it hangs and it is also incredibly comfortable.

And lastly, I would say is my smart-wool hat! I love this thing... It is a life saver when I dont want to do my hair and it also keeps my noggin warm in the colder months!

Day 2- a.six.word.memoir

Linking up again with Sar for the 15 day challenge! Today's challenge is to write a six word memoir (or two)! "Six word memoirs are exactly how it sounds: your life in six words. The history behind it is that Ernest Hemingway was asked to write a complete short story in as few words as possible. His response was, 'For sale: Baby shoes, never worn.' This then errupted into a way to tell sad, sweet, honest tales."

I have always loved writing, but writing concisely has never been something I have been good at, so this is quite the challenge! Today, on the way back from taking crushing the National PT Boards exam, I was listening to Gaga (of course) and came up with this one:

"God makes no mistakes...I'm beautiful"

This is a good one for me as I have always battled truly believing I am beautiful. And in her song "Born this Way" is fantastic!

Another one...

"dream it. live it. love it"

I feel like this has been the past three years for me as I have been trying to find a career I truly love; where work isn't just a job, but living out what you've been called to do!

And lastly, but certainly not least.

"His grace is sufficient for me"

Another one that is a constant reminder for me and one that I am thankful to know as TRUTH! I am sure I could come up with something else original, but my brain is completely fried! Apparently a 5 hour test will do that to you! Keep checking back the next 13 days to read the following challenges!

15 day challenge!

I have decided to link up with Sar and participate in her 15 day blog challenge! I am looking forward to it, so make sure to stop back for the next 15 days! Here is to day ONE!

15 facts! Holy Buckets!

1) When I first read this prompt, I thought about those emails that used to circulate in Jr High where you answered all the questions about yourself and then forwarded it to all your friends (who likely already knew those facts to begin with)

2) I love Lady Gaga! Enough said ;)

3) I love triva! And will always go to triva night at bars!

4)I am extremely intimated by people who can do make-up well. I wish I could figure it out, but I am all left-brained!

5) I miss my friend Bryce in Africa very much and wish he would move back to the States yesterday, but also recognize why he must stay

6)I really miss living in New York City. It was a very important time in my life and figuring out who I was in this world. Many life lessons learned with Central Park as my backyard, the subway as my car and 1.5 million others as my neighbors.

7) I minored in modern German history and continue to study their history/culture. That being said, my US history knowledge is embarrassing :S

8) I have the most amazingly supportive family! Annnnd, the most adorable nephew in the world!

9) If I could have someone star as me in a movie about my life it would be Eva Mendes or Jennifer Garner!

10) I love listening to Christmas music and will start November 1st, but keep it contained to my headphones or solo trips in the car as not to annoy others!

11) I have traveled to 14 countries!

12) I majored in Biology in undergrad, but I did not really even like it. I am thankful I found physical therapy because I LOVE it!

13) I think most Asian languages are annoying (HUGE disclaimer- I love Asian people, food and most other things, their languages just drives me crazy)

14) I am secretly obsessed with South Park- all seasons!

15) I never participated in the high school tradition of prom (gasp!)