Running late on a Monday!

Deep Dish Stuffed Crust Pizza

For all the pizza and cheese lovers out there! Little Ceasars released it's deep dish pizza. Try it out, let me know what you think.

Free Rant Friday (Period Leave)

There is a new idea that some companies are considering called "Paid Period Leave." Meaning women would get paid time off one week out of the month while they are on their period. Some companies think this would increase productivity and help women.

Personally, I think this idea is ridiculous. Periods suck, but they are a naturally occurring process. Women have to live with this fact one week a month, just as we always have. Taking time off every time we have a period will not make a company better or more productive. It will put women further behind in the fight for equality, especially in the work place. Why hire a women and give her paid time off once a month? That is three months of paid time off a year. Men do not require this time off, meaning they would be the preferred candidate for future jobs (most of the time they already are).

There are other options available. Take medicine, consult with a doctor, go on birth control, etc. Not to sound insensitive, however this would be very detrimental to women in the business world. If you struggle with really bad periods that make you sick, take a sick day. One sick day on the worst day of your period is a lot better than taking 3 months off a year. Companies should be understanding if a women needs to take a sick day because of period issues. This does not mean we should have a "paid period leave."

Short Advice Thursday

1. What should I do if I don't get into my school/program of choice? The best thing to do in this situation is talk to an adviser. There are many options, including going to a different school then transferring in, gaining some job experience to help you get in, or  deciding on an other college that will meet your needs.

2. How would you come out to your parents if you were LGBTQ? If it were me, I would get comfortable with myself before coming out to my parents. Coming out is a difficult process, but the main thing is that you are happy and comfortable. This is a question that is hard to answer, you know your parents best. Just try to understand that it can be uncomfortable and hard for them to understand. You can't control their reactions, but just know you have the right to be your true self.

3. Why do parents think/act like they know everything? They have lived longer, so they have had more experiences. However, they do not know everything. Maybe they feel there age makes them wiser.

Reality Check (Tuesday Motivation)

This speaks volumes about the type of person you are, compared to how others see you. It is easy to brag about yourself, but do other people feel the same way?

It's a Monday (Let it Go)

On a typical Monday I just want to sing let it go to everyone that passes by.
-Tired: Let it go!
-Hungover: Let it go!
-Had a bad weekend: Let it go!
-Angry customers: Let it go!
-Didn't want to come to work: Let it go!
-Any of the 500 other problems you chose to complain about: LET THEM GO!

I need a stack of ice cubes to through at complaining people to add to my let it go singing.

Idea for a Friendship Finder App

This probably already exists, but I have yet to find a good app for friendship. There are millions of dating apps out there, however the idea of friendship has been completely over looked. What if we could create an app life tinder or okcupid, with the sole purpose of people finding friends.

Talk to people with similar interests, find people in your area, make friends that you can go to an event with. In this digital age there are more options. With all these options meeting friends should be easy. Instead it is extremely difficult to find people with similar goals, interests, etc who want to hang out.

Why not have a friendship app? Why does it seem that we are using amazing technology exclusively for dating, when we could use it for so much more?

Detoxing your life Challange!

The Attraction of Small Companies!

Why are people attracted to working for small companies? Probably for the same reason people are attracted to small towns. It's a completely different environment. Your coworkers become your second family. The boss is like your parent or grandparent, the managers are like aunt and uncles, and your coworkers are like brothers and sisters. It's a support system.

After graduating college I took a job at a small company. I'm close with the managers, the coworkers, and even the owner. Even though I could be doing a lot more and making a lot more, I am attracted to my work environment. It's hard to leave a place where you know you are loved and accepted.

Strong Women Unite!

Pattern test!

I got the top 4%! What did you get?

Really Customers

Many of you have probably heard the saying "The customer is always right!" As a customer service representative starting out at McDonald's I heard this said many times. It may be true for some companies, but not for all.

As a customer service person, THE CUSTOMER IS NOT ALWAYS RIGHT!!! If you don't like a companies policies, think they over charge you, think the workers are rude, etc. Then why would you continuously go back to that company. Customers that fight tooth and nail to be the exception to the way a company does business, get themselves nowhere. Besides wasting the companies time, you are really wasting your own time.

At my current job customers are not considered to be right all the time. Not that my company is perfect, but we stick to our policies for all customers. There are not major exceptions, but at least we are consistent. If you have used us before, you can come back expecting the same work and procedures to be used.

All I'm saying is don't use THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT as an excuse to be treated differently, get things for cheap, or be downright rude. You are hurting yourself in the long run. BE A GOOD PERSON
 instead!

Thinking Spot

This would be the perfect thinking spot. Humanity can be part of nature and vice versa!

Powerball Rant

First of all, yes I am about to post about the Powerball! I know I am adding to the talk about it just by posting. All I have to say is..... OH WELL! Everyone has these huge plans for winning the Powerball. A majority of these plans have "I would quit my job" at the top of the list. First of all, if you are that desperate to quit your job then you probably need a new job. I'm not saying I want to stay at my job forever, but I am not desperate to quit my job by any means.

Second of all, you are one of millions of people that has already planned to spend money that you have a very small chance of winning. Plus there are probably people out there who could win the money that would put it to a better use then you. There are people who could use that money to make this world a better place. Most of the ways I have heard people talk about using this money are ridiculously self centered. We act entitled to money that we haven't won simply because we walked in a store, spent a few dollars, and bought a ticket. How many times have you heard "I deserve this money."

You deserve it? Who owes it to you? The universe, God, society, life! Even if you get it that doesn't mean you DESERVE it. Then there is the complaint about some of this money being paid in taxes. The money no one has won yet and no one is entitled to. Are you really surprised there are taxes on it?

This is my rant, sorry if you don't like it. I really have nothing against the powerball, I just hope the people who win the money do something good with it. Build up society, build up yourself, your friends, your family. This is a promise to myself that if I won a large some of money at any point, I would use it to do some good in the world!

(This is not meant to offend anyone, just is a something I have been thinking about lately).

The Love List (Reflection 6)

There was a section in between about sex lives, but I decided to skip answering the questions for that one. This current section mentions sitting down once each year to go over the highlights of the past year. While going over these highlights create a list of the top 10 things that happened as a couple throughout the year. Do not reflect on negatives during this time, only the good.

1. When you think about starting this little tradition of reviewing your year, what kinds of feelings does it conjure up? What do you like and dislike about it? This idea actually excites me! I keep coming up with ways to keep track of important events. The only thing I am nervous about is getting Nate on the same page as me and making sure it is something he would be interested in doing.

2. Is there a specific time that would work best for the two of you to do this? No need to focus only on January 1 of each year. Maybe your anniversary or another date would work best. What do you think? Nate and I have been talking about making a tradition of going on a trip each year, often driving to Maryland making stops along the way. We typically stay at a bed and breakfast for a night or two and explore the city. This would probably be the perfect time to do our yearly review.

3. How would you like to go about preserving your memories together? Journal? Photos? Video? Who will be responsible for collecting and organizing the results, or will you share that task? Keeping the memories together throughout the year I have various ideas for, not sure which ones we will use yet. This task will probably be shared. The memories at the end of the year I would like to make into a video including photos and music. Deciding what we want will be a joint task, putting it together will probably be my task.

4. What will constitute a highlight for the two of you to record? Anything that we enjoyed together and made us happy.

5. How would you like to celebrate your highlights? Does your style lend itself to an informal family night looking at photos or a yearly dinner or dessert that is just for the two of you? Something that is informal and meaningful only to us. We don't need to do anything fancy as long as we find it meaningful

.

The Love List (Reflection 5)

1. Is there any unfinished business you and your partner need to talk about? Probably, I feel like everyone does to an extent.

2. Have you felt lonely lately? How can your partner help you feel less alone, less isolated in certain areas of your life? Yes, part of this stems from anxiety though, which isn't something that can really be fixed. Nate does his best to be understanding and helpful with it though.

3. Is there a money issue you and your partner need to discuss? Are you being honest with each other when it comes to your spending habits? Money is one thing we are both really good with when it comes to our relationship. We both know each others spending, but we also have access to each others stuff.

4. Have you been angry with your partner this month? If so, explore with him or her what's going on and why you sometimes feel this way. I don't know if I have this month or not. We definitely can frustrate each other, but we both understand how and why we do.

5. How can you better support one another emotionally or practically in the next 4 weeks? Nate is on travel right now, so the best thing I can think of to do is send him cute things each day and be understanding that he will be working a lot. While home I am taking care of the house, mail, kittens, and other things that need to be done.

6. To keep your marriage current, ask each other what has defined you in the past month. What has been on your mind the most? Mine has been wanting to do more volunteer work, deciding whether to go back to school, working on organizing the house, and wanting to get a dog.

The Love List (Reflection 4)

1. Almost everyone struggles with being as affirming and encouraging as they would like. Why do you think it is difficult for so many of us to build up our partner's self esteem? When in a relationship you get to see all of the good and bad in a person. Many times we focus on the good first, then are flabbergasted when we notice the bad later. Often we tend to blame our partner for this.

2. Recall a time when you felt affirmed and encouraged by your partner. What made it so meaningful and memorable? One morning Nate woke me up in the morning (which he normally does and I don't remember it). He told me how much he loves me and hopes I have a good day, then gave me a kiss. It just made me realize how much he loves me and goes out of his way to show me his love.

3. What is one specific area that you would like your partner to notice more? In other words, where could you use a little more affirmation? Most days I try to keep in contact with Nate and take time out to text him randomly or send him things that he would enjoy. He normally doesn't respond or mention it after.

4. Consider how you might devise a mental jogger to help you remember to boost your partner's self-esteem. What might it be for you? Probably a notification on my phone or a reminder on my desk in my office.

The Love List (Reflection 3)

This section of the book says that you should do something active with your partner each week. Find some fun activities to do together and make it a point to do those activities. Not everyone will like the same activities, but continue to try different things until you find something you enjoy doing together.

1. How would sharing an activity together each week bring the two of you closer together? There are small activities that we enjoy doing together, but we could work on finding more activities. Often times we get frustrated when we don't both want to do the same thing, but we still want to be together. Trying new activities and finding ones we both like would really help this frustration.

2. Which activities have the potential to be shared with your spouse? Biking, camping, golfing, ice-skating, swimming, tennis, concerts, movies, sporting events, volunteering, woodworking, card playing, cooking, house renovating, photography, shopping, etc.

3. Of course the above list is just to get you started. What other activities might the two of you enjoy? Planning events, looking at businesses, finding potential rental properties, rock climbing, broom ball, laser tag, etc.

4. Once you identify a potential shared activity, what will it take for the two of you to actually follow through and do it? Will you need a baby-sitter? Equipment? Get specific. All we would really need is time to do that activities. Nate travels for work so we are not always together. Maybe we can find a way to Skype our weekly activity while he is gone.

The Love List (Reflection 2)

This chapter was all about the art of laughter, not only in relationships, also in life. Laughter really can be a good medicine. Sometimes all you can do is laugh!

1. How would you describe you and your partner's funny bones? In other words, what makes each of you laugh? Nate (fiance) is very goofy. His sense of humor ranges from innocent craziness to dirty jokes to slap stick humor. I partially have a dark sense of humor, but also love innocent craziness.

2. Have you ever found yourselves laughing at something that nobody else thinks is funny? What do those moments reveal about your shared humor? Nate and I have a lot of inside jokes, which no one else ever seems to find funny. This especially happens around my family or friends, then the fact that they don't find it funny makes me laugh more.

3. Are you more likely to laugh at Jay Leno or David Letterman? Why? I laugh at Ellen DeGenerous if that is an option lol. She has fun clean comedy and it cracks me up.

4. Recall a time when humor backfired on your marriage. What happened and what can you learn from it? Joking with my fiance when he is really mad is not a good idea. Sometimes I laugh at inappropriate things that aren't funny. Anger happens to be one of those things.

5. How can you incorporate more humor into your married life? Honestly if Nate and I used more humor we may never be serious. It seems like we joke around all the time. It was what attracted me to him in the first place. :P

The Love List (1st reflection)

The Love List by Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott is the book I am currently reading. These posts about it will probably come randomly, because I will be reading a lot more some days then others.

This is my first reflection/set of questions that I will be answering. The first section was about learning to touch your spouse more and appreciating the power of touch. Studies have shown that touch makes the quality of life better in various ways.

1. How did your parents and family show affection? Do you like or dislike the kind of physical affection you grew up with? In my house it was just me and my mom. We tended to show our affection by a hug or kiss on the cheek before school and the same before bed. When I was younger I can remember cuddling up on the couch with my mom was one of my favorite things. Cuddling is definitely something I have always loved to do the most.

2. What kind of touch do you like the most? Pretty much any type of cuddling or long hugs.

3. When do you like to be touched? When do you not like to be touched? Most of the time I loved to be touched, the only time I don't like being touched is when my anxiety is really bad or I am very angry about something (the anger is pretty rare though).

4. How can you greet each other more affectionately at the end of the day? Nate (my fiance) is pretty good about giving me a hug or kiss when I first walk in the door. I'm not so good at this, tending to neglect the greeting when I get home from work. Normally I have other things on my mind. This is something I definitely need to work on!

5. I like to be kissed... Passionately, meaningfully, or playfully depending on my mood. Kisses are probably the best when I least expect them for me.

6. I like to be hugged... Pretty much anytime. Lay the hugs on me!

7. How can you incorporate more touch into your life? Sometimes I back away from being touched or am too distracted to realize when Nate wants to hug, cuddle, and kiss. We don't see each other for very long because of how busy we are, so I have a lot I want to talk about and do. Touch often gets pushed to the side.