Rant and Rave for Rhinos and Hungry Kids!

Today's topic: "Rant about something. Get up on your soapbox and tell us how you really feel. (a pet peeve, a current event, a controversial topic, something your husband or roommate or neighbor or boss does that really ticks you off)"


Today I'm way too distracted to get my soapbox on, so instead these links:



But I will rant about how much hunger in Africa sucks! Do something about it  here.


Also,

It's my personal belief that anyone who believes in some magical powers of a rhino horn should be punched in the throat! Do something about it here.

That's it for today, I promise to be less distracted tomorrow. maybe...

Day 21. Sometimes I amuse myself

Day 21... are we there yet?

Topic for today is:  A list of links to your favorite posts in your archives.

Easy enough.

Below are some of my personal favorite blog posts.  My favorites probably because I really enjoyed wrting them, or because the topic has a special memory or because I laugh at my own jokes.

For your enjoyment:

From this challenge:

Teaching you more about South Africa in 'South Africa 101'
Talking about what not to be afraid of anymore

From before:

I like this post about me falling in love with Spokane in the Summer, I remeber trying to imagine what life would be like here. Slow walking in Spokane

Sharing photo's from our road trip to Glacier National Park, here, here and here.

Sharing with you all the DIY projects I've done for our wedding.

Dealing with being homesick, missing South Africa.

Celebrating my 100th post!

Admitting to being a cheapskate in 'Thrifting around'

Do you have any particular favorites? I'd love to know!

Day 20. On the real side

Today's topic is: Something you're struggling with right now.

Guys, blogging everyday is turning out to be both wonderful and a tad bit more challenging than I anticipated. By a tad I mean  a lot.

But,

This is not my struggle.

(It might just be me, and my South African history geekery, but when I say struggle I over-roll the 'R')

I'm not a big fan of writing about the tough things here, not because I want to look like I'm awesome, but this was never  a space for every single account of my life. It's a creative outlet or something...
However, I myself am big fan of reading other blogs and I just love that moment when you read an account and go "it's not just me!", "this person has problems too", "wow, what a different perspective".

So that's why I'll share a little of what I'm struggling with right now.  Along with shadows in my house, you could see the shadow snaps as a representation of some deeper meaning, or, just enjoy them as I am.

Wow, that's a lot of rambling without really getting anywhere. What is my daily struggle you ask impatiently?

Confidence.

In different aspects, and it's a fight in different ways.

The source is mostly found in the fact that I'm new at so many things.  Strangely not so much the wife part, I have a great confidence in being a new wife to the most wonderful man in the world. So that's an obvious new for me, but not a stRuggle.

Small things like not having a drivers license here, and not driving for over half a year is hard. Not having that freedom I've been used to for almost a decade is hard. The longer it takes me to just get around to doing the tests and getting the paperwork the harder it gets. Usually I just feel like an idiot for taking so long on something so simple.

I don't have the job I used to have, in a way I'm starting new or over. That's why I decided to intern while my green card was in process, taking the pressure off to just keep on working like I used to. I can't wait to feel that confidence in what I do everyday. Guys, this is possibly the biggest fight I've fought here.  Fighting with the impatience of why it's taking so long for me to settle. Wondering what I'm really good at. Longing for the days where I knew exactly what I was doing, whether it was selling a house, teaching a class or booking a travel package.  It's been a long time since I've had that.

People who've know me for a while are usually surprised at just how shy I can be. Being the new kid in town doesn't help with that. It's getting better honestly and so far I've met some really wonderful people. But I miss the confidence that comes from having solid friendships and a few at that. If you've never moved to a new place you might not know what I'm talking about, but trust me, appreciate it when you have your peeps around. Don't take it for granted!

I think back on the week before our wedding, we had a bit of a destination wedding, so a few friends and family members were able to come a few days before. If that wasn't one of the best weeks of my life! I just miss that.

Hmmm, I'm tired. Let's just end there. Of course, here is the disclaimer: I know this will pass, I know that through this weird process of rebuilding my confidence I'm learning about myself, America and  life. I know that there are way more difficult things to go through in life, and while this is very real to me at this stage of my life, I do also say Thank You a lot for what I do have. Which is so much, a ridiculous amount of wonderful. Focusing on what I'm thankful for is usually what get's me through the dark and heavy moments.

Other things that help:

Listening to this Sound of Music tune: I have confidence
Mostly because Julie Andrews can lift any a moody moment, and my life makes  more sense as a musical.

But on the serious side, I've listened to this song over and over: Oceans (where my feet may fail)
Because sometime I don't have the words to pray, and this reminds me where all real confidence comes from.

The 5 Fav's

Today's topic: 5 favorite blogs and why you love them.

Today, I'm not feeling awesome, so forgive me as I make it a little short.

In no real order:

* The Everywhereist

-Travel blog

-Longest blog crush (over three years)

-My favorite writer on the list

*Rose & Crown

-Gorgeous, authentic moments

-Poetic writing

 

*Text Sketches

-One of my new favorites

-a Family member

-Great writer

*A Beautiful Mess

-because EVERYTHING

*Miss Moss

-fashion

-photography

-biggest source of where my pins come from

day 18, on being a child

Today's post is ' a childhood memory'

I don't have a specific memory to share today, more just a stream of moments really.

Visits to grandparents. Sprinklers on hot days. Building mansions for my barbies with books. Making clothes for my barbies with scraps. Chomps. My favorite shocking pink swimming costume. Willow trees and the crowns my Grandpa would make out of them. Swings. Mom's bedtime bible stories, Dad's made up bedtime stories. Killie die krap. Crayons and a fresh coloring book. Heidi in Afrikaans. Dreaming about the day I can make a ponytail. Twirling.  Wearing skirts on my head, pretending I had long hair. Not understanding English. Sunday school and praying for a baby sister. My grandma's nighttime lullaby. My immaginary friends 'Klienkie' and 'Maaitjie' Picking out a piece of candy for under R2. Watermelon and water slide parks. Tweety and Sylvester in Afrikaans 'ek-dag-ek-sag-n-kittie-kat'. Trying to milk a dog that one time. Burning leaves with a magnifying glass. Hide and seek. Training wheels coming off. Princess band aids. Animal shaped kids vitamins. Getting lost in an elevator. Jumping castles. Roller skate dares. Climbing trees, my favorite thing.

"Could we but see the world through the eyes of a child a little longer? Oh to live once more in innocence and well being where time has no meaning and money is the price of sticky sweet clutched in an equally sticky hand." Trevor Wright  

Side note: Wondering about getting bangs again...

me, yellow, roadtrip: yes! day 17

Today's topic: A favorite picture of yourself and why

I'm choosing this one.

From last weekend when we took our quickie road trip to Palouse Falls.

I love it because of the colors, the flowers, the fact that we're out on the road, that Ben will always pull over for me to take photos when I ask, that I'm 'caught' doing something I really enjoy, it's not posed and lastly because I remember how happy I was in that moment.

Here is the other side of the story...

On, not being a morning person...

Today the topic is: " Something difficult about your "lot in life" and how you're working to overcome it"

Kind of a meh topic...

At first I thought I'd just ignore this topic, or twist it around into something else. It seems so whiny  right? "Let me tell you about how hard I have it in life blah blah"

However, I have something really difficult I'm dealing with (like every living person), the last two decades of my life. So I'll quickly chat about that.

What is it?

Mornings!

You think I'm joking right? Like I'm being snarky or something.

Well, I don't blame you, generally you'd be right in assuming that, but seriously, morning are tough.

No no, not these mornings I told you about a few days ago, those are easy (sort of).

It's that second round that gets me. Especially if I don't have anywhere to be in the morning.

I'm tired of just blaming it on 'not being a morning person'... well I'm not, but there's more to it than that.

There's a heavy kind of guilt that grabs hold after hitting the snooze button for the millionth time, of not being useful and it get's me really down. I want to change this habit with the best of intention but in that moment it's almost impossible. Is that a thing?

It's usually a sudden sense of stress that finally get's me jumping out of bed rushing around like a mad person and basically ruining the rest of the morning. This is no way to start a day  I tell you.

I believe this will get better  with my new schdule next week, where I'll be working from the office in the mornings. 

I don't just want to be a bad morning person, I want more, I want to know what it feels like to wake up refreshed and ready for the day. I want the physical pain of waking up to lift. The stress to be managed, the guilt to be a thing of the past.

How to overcome?

Well, I'm sure that a new routine next week will help.

Also, I'm getting more and more convinced to go through the Whole30 challenge. A challenge where you focus on eating only whole foods for 30 days (lots of veggies, meat, eggs, nuts and I think that's about it).  Some of the benefits reported are; that sleep gets better, waking up is easier and a few dozen more benefits.
It sounds like a challenge, but in the grand scheme of things it's more challenging to hate something I have to do everyday. Everyday Lanette!

I was walking back from the office early this afternoon, thinking about what I should share for this topic.
  I was taking the long way home because it's prettier and quieter  than the shorter way. 
I realized  something. I was walking home on tree lined streets!
You need to go over and read my lovely cousins post about what she is finding difficult in life, for this to make sense.
She mentioned that she'd love to do just that. Walk to work, tree lined streets. Here I was doing just that while mulling over what is so difficult with my 'lot in life'.

It's not a 'ha ha look I have trees' to my cousin, but the humor of it all wasn't lost on me. So I walked home appreciating the trees a little more, imagining that my cousin is probably a really good morning person for life to make sense again. 

It just seemed worth mentioning here.