Getting To Know Me: Week Seven

Yeah... I know, I went MIA again, after promising to keep up on blogging.  Lots going on, and I'll have a couple fairly major announcements coming soon... Just not quite ready yet. 

So for week Seven, it's all about music.  Songs that I listen to when I'm happy, sad, bored, or mad

Music is a huge part of my life.  I will admit that lately I'm not as up-to-date on bands, or what not, but it's still a big part of me.  When I lived in Seattle, my friends & I were constantly checking out different bands, and going to random shows.  Seattle has a really great music scene, and I was fortunate to be able to take in quite a bit of it. 

Even with music playing a big part in my life, it was still rather difficult to choose songs for this post.  As you can see, my music tastes really are all over the place.  Probably not as refined as Hubs would like them to be (he's a HUGE music snob) but, a pretty big variety.

Happy:
Banana Pancakes - Jack Johnson
Margaritaville - Jimmy Buffet
Shut Up and Let Me Go - The Ting Tings
90's R&B/Hip hop from my younger days

Sad:
This kind of depends on why I'm sad.  But some current faves are
Hold You Up - Matthew West
Unanswered Prayers - Garth Brookes
Landslide - Fleetwood Mac
Jesus Take The Wheel - Carrie Underwood

Bored:
This would probably just be anything that makes good background music - Jack Johnson, Paolo Nutini, Amos Lee

Mad:
Songs with a strong beat, or that I can totally belt out like I'm auditioning for American Idol
You Oughta Know - Alanis Morissett
Lose Yourself - Eminem
Not Ready to Make Nice - Dixie Chicks

So, there ya have it.  Some of my go-to songs.  :)

Next Week:  What you'll find in my bag

Getting To Know Me: Week Six

Okay, so I'm about four weeks late on this.   But... here goes:

A photo of my family and me:

Left to right:  Zack (younger brother), me, Mom, Dad, Bill (youngest brother) and Justin (older brother)

My two nephews.  I love love LOVE these boys.  Gavin on the left, Austin on the right. 

My sweet niece.  I haven't met her yet... I will this summer though!  She's such a cutie!

Before Hubs & I moved to Arizona, we got family photos taken with my entire family.  So, these are two - almost 3 years old, but it's one of the few times we've all been able to be together and have our photo taken.   So, that's my family.  They're pretty awesome.  We have our differences at times, just like any other family.  But I know without a doubt they'd do anything for me.  I am blessed. 

Next week:

Songs I listen to when I'm happy, sad, bored, mad...

Getting to Know Me: Week Five

I'm a day late for this, but I suppose better late than never. Which... given my tendency to slack in posting (that I'm trying to break!) really isn't too terrible, right?

The end of the month is the craziest, most stress full time for me at my job. And since the promotion, it's gotten a little more stressful. But... I do love it, so I can't complain. Too much. :)

Anywho... back to the getting to know me portion of the evening. This weeks topic is celebrity crushes.

Let me introduce you to my top three celebrity crushes:

First and foremost - He is most definitely at the top of my list. 

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Ahhh... Jason Segel oh how I love you.  He seems like the nicest, most laid back guy ever.  And of course, I think he's quite adorable.  Yup.  If Jason came knocking... I may just leave Hubs for him. 

The next one, I feel I need to preface it with I saw a recent photo of him, and he's uh... well... lets just say I don't really find him quite so attractive.  However, if he were to cut his hair, and shave the ZZ Top long beard he may start to rival my man Jason. 

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Rocco Deluca.  And can I just say watching him play his Dobro only adds to his hot factor?  Talented musician and good looking?  Yes please!

And finally

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LL Cool J.  Yeah.  There's really not much to say here.  I have had a crush on him since... well, at least high school.  Probably longer.  He's quite good looking. Yeah.  Uh.  Yeah.  Excuse me while I go clean the drool off my laptop.  :)

So, that's it... my top three celebrity crushes.

Who are you crushing on?

Next week?  A photo of me & my family

Getting to Know Me: Week Four

This weeks getting to know me topic is my nicknames...  I know, not very exciting.  :)

Antchie NaNa
My sweet sweet nephews used to call me this.  When they were first learning to talk, I was always Na Na.   The youngest nephew, G-Man always made Auntie sound more like Ant-chie.  It was really quite cute.  I reminded him of this when I was visiting last summer, and he thought it was hilarious, and continued to call me that a good portion of the trip.  Oh how I love my nephews! 

Shawna-na and Shawna Bawna
Both of these come from my Mama.  She uses them interchangeably.  I don't even notice it most of the time.  At least not until someone points it out.  :)

So, other than the usual "babe" or "honey" from Hubs, those are really the only nicknames I have.

Next week:
Three celebrities I find attractive

Getting To Know Me: Week Three

This weeks getting to know me topic (is that the right word?) is a photo of my friends & me.  I have a ton of photos I had in mind, but they're not on this computer, and I didn't have a chance to sift through all our photos, so you get a wedding photo, a photo stolen from Facebook, and one from right before we moved to AZ. :)

First up... the wedding photo

I met all these fabulous ladies at my last job.  We had so many laughs, and good times together.  I miss them a TON!  They're the best bunch of friends a girl could have. 

Next:  The photo taken just weeks before we moved to AZ

The two girls on the left are two of my oldest friends.  (And I don't mean age!) I don't talk to either of them as often these days, but when we do talk, it's like no time has gone by.  I've known H (in the blue sleeveless shirt) since the 2nd grade (that's roughly 28 years!!).  She was the Maid-of-Honor in our wedding, and we've been through so much together.  S-Rod (brunette in the gray) and I have been friends since middle school.  We were roommates for a couple years, and is one of the most fun-loving person I know.  She's an absolute blast to be around.  (the other gorgeous ladies in this photo are my mama - front & center, and my sister-in-law)

And finally... my AZ girls!

I was fortunate enough to meet these fabulous ladies through posting on a message board.  We hit it off online, and again when we met in real life.  We've had many a get together, lots of laughs, and countless fun times together.  They're the bestest! 

So there ya have it... Photos of myself & my friends.  :)

Next week: Nicknames I have & how (or why) I got them

Getting to Know Me - Week Two

Almost didn't make it in time... But I couldn't fail at week two!  I know, it's been a week since I last posted.  I have lots of ideas... just haven't had the time to sit and write them!  So stay tuned for a weekend recap, a new look for me, and Hubs brilliant move.

But, back to the Getting to Know Me portion of the blog.  Today's topic is the meaning behind my blog name. 

Learn.  Live.  Hope. 

"Learn from yesterday, Live for today, Hope for tomorrow." - Albert Einstein. 

So simple, and yet so very true.  I chose it as a reminder to myself of things to remember, things to work on, and things to learn from.  Let's break it down, shall we? 

Learn from yesterday.  I truly believe that everything happens for a reason.  The tough times make us stronger, teach us things, and shape us into who we are.  It may not be apparent at the time, but we can definitely learn from it all.  So learn?  I think I've got that down. 

Live for today.  I feel like so many times I tend to get caught up in all the planning, in all the have-to-do's of day-to-day life, that I need to just slow down, and live.  Enjoy the present.  That?  Right there?  Is something I really need to work on. 

Hope for tomorrow.  Oh, I have so many hopes and dreams for the future.  Really, who doesn't?  There's places I want to travel, big purchases to make, relationships to form & strengthen, goals to work towards, and oh-so-many more. Hope?  Yup, I've got it.  Lots of it.

But there's a fine line, right?  If I worry and hope to much today about tomorrow, then I'm not living for today.  It's all about balance.  As is most everything in life. 

So there ya have it.  The meaning behind my blog name.  :)

Next week:  A photo of you & your friends

Getting to Know Me - Week One

All throughout the blogisphere, there's many a 30 day challenge.  I've done one (okay, so I think I failed the last few days) and I don't think I want to attempt doing a daily deal.  So I decided to combine a few that I liked, and make it into a weekly challenge.  Every Tuesday will be dedicated to a getting to know me type of post.  I think I can handle weekly posts! :)  Feel free to join in, I'd love to get to know y'all too! 

So, lets start this off!

Week One - A recent photo of you & 15 interesting facts about yourself



Not sure how "interesting" these are, but here goes!

1. I am the only girl in my family.  I have 3 brothers
2. I am part Indian.  My maternal grandmother was full blood Sioux Indian.  My paternal grandmother was also Indian. 
3. The dad that raised me is not my biological father.  It's only been in the last year that we have started communicating.  And that has been sparse as of late.
4. I went through a phase in high school & for a few years afterwards where I would only eat chicken.  I wouldn't eat any red meat, or pork.  I'd occasionally have fish, but not often.  Because of that, chicken is one of my least favorite things to eat now.
5. My husband & I met through an online dating website.  He lived in California, and I in Washington at the time.  We knew prior to physically meeting that we would marry.
6. I met one of my best guy friends on a dating website as well.  We haven't ever met in person, but we remain close, and we invited each other to our weddings.
7. I had little to no hair until I was 2 years old. 
8. It doesn't take much to trigger tears.  I am an emotional person.
9. I have two cats, Bella & Marcel (though he is never called that - somehow we came up with the nickname "Bubba Mo" and it's stuck) They are my babies, and provide Hubs & I endless entertainment
10. I've never seen or read any of the Harry Potter books, and I probably never will.
11. I grew up in Washington, but I've lived in South Dakota, Idaho, Nevada, Missouri and now Arizona.
12. I played the clarinet for 6 years in school. 
13. I am fiercely loyal to those I love.  But it takes awhile for me to trust people entirely.
14. I didn't get my driver's licence until a month before I turned 18
15. I hate driving.  I much prefer being the passenger. 

Next week:

The meaning behind my blog name