Just Be Interesting

I attended some training last week. As an icebreaker, the instructor wanted each table to get together, introduce each other and write down an interesting fact about themselves.  Then the tables would report out to the group the interesting facts they learned about their table.

Let me tell you, I've never seen a group of adults more unsure of what to say.  Because to volunteer personal information about yourself to strangers and declare it to be "interesting" is kind of putting yourself out there. Everyone said, "I don't have anything interesting about me." or "I don't know what to say."

Seriously? You don't think anything about your life is interesting? That's a problem we need to correct.

I was having trouble narrowing my interesting facts down to one thing. So I didn't. I shared two.
In case you're not sure what's interesting about me, here's a lovely "top o' the head" list for you:

I've been skydiving

I'm a triathlete

I completed the Mud Run

I hang out with high schoolers and happen to think that's pretty cool.

I make amazingly accurate Halloween costumes.

It helps that I've had a rather interesting year.  But even if I hadn't had these wonderful adventures, I know that I would still have interesting facts to share.

Maybe you have an adorable 3-year-old. Maybe you have a beautiful garden. Maybe you can name every team that won the World Series for the last 10 years. Maybe you are a fastidious saver.  Something about you, your family, your work or your hobbies must be interesting to you.  And if it's interesting to you, it's probably interesting to someone else. I know you find something about your life interesting. The trick is just to believe in it and to own it.

What's your interesting fact?

*As an aside, one day at lunch during training we were talking about hobbies and a man I had not previously spoken to revealed he is a Bigfoot researcher in his spare time.  I was instantly fascinated by him and hope I didn't scare him off by peppering him with questions.  And believe it or not, this was NOT his interesting fact from day one. I wish I had asked what it was.

Shaking the Blogger Bug

I don't know if you've noticed, but I haven't been writing much lately and I've been seriously considering quitting the blog all together.  I had plenty of great reasons in my head: it takes time, I'm not doing so hot on the healthy eating thing, I'm kind of unhealthily obsessed with reader comments.

Turns out the blogger bug is harder to shake than you'd think, especially when you've been writing regularly for more than a year. I kept thinking of topics for the blog randomly, and kept trying to squelch them, but they kept coming.

I've also been busy lately (don't you hate that excuse? I hate giving it.) and just haven't felt like sitting in front of a computer when I get home from work.  But, I'm here to say that the blog is not dead. It lives! It just won't be as frequently updated as it may have been in the past.  I hope you'll stick with me, even if posts are less frequent.

Love and Kisses,
Jill

Follow up Friday

After writing last night's post, I went for my aforementioned run*. It was great.  Exercise really is the best drug you'll ever find.  It cleared my head and my headache, I saw a beautiful sunset, and I ran into two people I know, which is always fun. After the run my troubles seem farther away and I felt bad for writing a downer Thankful Thursdays. That's just not the purpose of Thankful Thursdays.

After I ran, I went to the grocery store to buy one item, but came out with a bunch of junk food I didn't need.  So, one step forward, one step back I suppose.  

I thought of a few new things to be thankful for. Mainly I'm thankful that I am able to learn new things fairly easily, especially if they are computer or spreadsheet related (not music related).  I'm also thankful that I am continually given the opportunity to learn new things. It keeps life from being boring.

Plus, a reason to be thankful for not sleeping well is that I'm eager to get up early. This morning I got up early enough to get in a swim before work.  This is awesome, because I will likely not have time to work out at lunch today. (Funny how this happened like a week after I vowed my body could not handle working out early in the morning here.)

The swim was also great. I got to think through a lot of stuff. There's nothing like a swim to think stuff over.  People say the same about running, but usually the only thoughts I have when running are about the tightness in my legs and the effort it takes to breath properly and when I get to stop.  

On the swim, I thought of lots of funny things (many of which I planned to include in this blog, but seem to have slipped my mind in the thirty minutes it took me to shower and get settled in at my desk at work. Sorry.)

*If you're following along, I completed week five, day two of this program. 

Anyway, Happy Friday!  It's the only November 4, 2011 you'll ever get, so make the most of it.!

Thankful Thursdays: November 3

Truth be told, I wasn't hit with a lot of inspiration when I realized today we were due for a Thankful Thursday post.  I've had a rough week - exhausting and stressful. On top of that (or because of that, perhaps) I'm not acting very healthy this week, which means I feel kind of gross and like I've gained a million pounds.

However much I'd rather complain, I'm going to ask myself to be positive and grateful for all that I have.  So here's a little twist on my typical Thankful Thursday post:

Not thankful for: temporary stress at work
Thankful for: a job that gives me ample holiday and vacation time, pays my house payment and other expenses and makes me a vital part of a caring community. Plus, I basically never left college, which is awesome.

Not thankful for: my pants feeling tight
Thankful for: the fact that I have food to eat; that I'm wearing a skirt tomorrow and pajamas all weekend.

Not thankful for: the lack of hugs I've had today
Thankful for: the many, many hugs I got from my daddy and my mama this past weekend.

Not thankful for: the tiredness that seems to accumulate around my eyeballs
Thankful for: having eyeballs and glasses and contacts that allow me to see. period.

Okay, enough complaining. I'm also just straight up thankful for these things:
My house appraisal came through and was  enough that I'm going to be able to go through with my refinance!
Three weeks until Thanksgiving!
I'm going running once I finish writing this!
My friends Meghan and Matt who are renewing their vows this weekend!
My bed!
My well-functioning car!
My gym membership!
Books!
The New Girl on Fox!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is one of my favorite days of the year.*  When else can you dress up like someone or something completely different? When else do people give you candy just for being cute?  It's a great day to shock or surprise people or just make them laugh a little.

I like that Halloween takes a little work and a little creativity.  I like that as adults, not everyone is into it.  It helps me identify "my kind of people" just a little easier.

Really, I know that no explanation is necessary. You people get me.

Jill's Personal Guidelines for Halloween Costume Greatness** 

1. Costumes should not come pre-packaged from the store. I can buy pieces to my costume, but buying the whole outfit is slightly cheating.
2. Following the rule above, the separate pieces of my costume should not cost more than $10-$15 total. My most expensive costume to date was last year's Diet Pepsi that rang in at about $15.  My cheapest costume was the Ipod from 2007, which cost me nothing. This year's costume cost me $1.71.
3. A better costume is one where people instantly know what I'm supposed to be.  This is not a requirement, but it generally makes for less frustrating day.
4. Think outside of the box. Objects are some of my favorite costumes, because they are unexpected.
5. No pain, no gain.  Awesome costumes can end up making it difficult to sit down or cause back or neck pain. It is worth it. Push through it.

What would a Halloween post be without some pictures? To see some of my favorite costumes, past and present, click "Read More."

One Year Ago

A cool thing about keeping up with this blog for more than a year, is that I can look back and see exactly what I was up to one year ago.

One year ago today I ran my first 10 k.  Read about it here.

Today, I could maybe run 1k. Certainly not 10.

That is sad, and it has the potential to get me down.  However, I'm going to choose not to focus on the negative.  I'm going to focus on my training plan. I will get back to running longer distances soon if I am persistent and persevere.

Watch me.

A Delightful New Breakfast

I've recently made a delicious new discovery. Butterball's fully cooked turkey sausage patties* (available in your local refrigerated section). 

Breakfast has always been hard for me. If you don't believe me, ask my mom.  I never liked cereal growing up or basically any other traditional breakfast foods. Somehow I convinced myself to eat Kashi GoLean Crunch cereal with almond milk for the past two years.  It's been mostly good, although it doesn't keep me full for very long, and I've been often tempted to skip it and grab something at a drive through on the way to work.

So for the past couple of months, I've been trying new breakfast options and this new find keeps me full longest, for the lowest calories and is tasty too.  I make two open faced sandwiches with the sausage patties on English muffins (or bagel thins) and give them a quick warming in the toaster oven (Don't worry, I remember not to use a paper towel in the toaster oven. I learned my lesson after I almost burnt down my dorm room senior year. That's a whole 'nother story, though.). Delish.  

Here's the calorie breakdown:

English muffin: 130 calories

One wedge of Laughing Cow Cheese: 35 calories

Butterball Turkey Sausage Patties: 110 for two

Total: 275 calories

There's a reason "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" became a cliche.  That's because it is.. It wakes up your metabolism, gives you energy for your morning and sets the tone for the whole day. What do you eat for breakfast? 

*Jimmy Dean has a similar product, but they were 10 calories more per serving.