The (NOT SO) Skinny Girl

Kids play on sports teams where they don't keep score, where they don't have "outs" (baseball), where adults are allowed to play certain positions DURING GAMES to make it easier for the kids to learn and have fun. How can you learn when you are not actually learning the rules and regulations and ACTUAL WAY TO PLAY THE GAME?  I think at a very young age it should be fun and not too competitive. But we are pushing this "everyone is a winner" into higher adolescent age groups, and what are we doing for kids? We are not teaching them to better themselves. We are not teaching them how to cope- with the unfairness of life, with their strengths or weaknesses. We are not teaching humility or humbleness, and thus later in life they do not know how to handle these feelings. We are not teaching sportsmanship (although we think we are) because we are not creating situations where they can be a good sportsman. Everyone is on the same "playing field", so no one...

Thank goodness for my parents: -they held me accountable for my own actions/words -they didn't make excuses or compromise for bad behavior -They taught me respect  But what are we teaching today's generation by not holding them accountable, making excuses and compromising?!? That you don't have to do things the right way, follow rules, or have any type of respect? That everyone in the world will accept your excuses and/or make excuses for you and not hold you accountable? If that's the case, I feel truly sorry for the current generation and we, as the ACTIVE adults, have failed them. Shame on us! I cannot wait to be a parent but I'm also afraid. Afraid that my children will be living in a world full of ungrateful, disrespectful, excise-making, not accountable for anything, no good "privileged" jerks.  We see it now, and it's getting worse . WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT??

Recently, Lady Gaga  and the Dalai Lama appeared together at a conference in the U.S. on Sunday to talk about the benefits of compassion. Compassion is something I have been talking a lot about in my posts, so this story grabbed my attention. I also really like Lady Gaga. (cannot wait for American Horror Story 6!!) Their discussion was based around this ideal:  "Hope is essential to keep the world going." CNN reported that Gaga has angered her Chinese fans in meeting with the Dalai Lama and that her music may have a ban placed on it because of this.  Clearly- there is no freedom in China. A government banning a nationwide pop idol? And a people forced to back that decision? It's an interesting topic for discussion. The Dalai Lama is the  religious and political leader of Tibet. The current Dalai Lama was exiled from Tibet in 1959 after a failed Tibetan uprising against the Chinese occupation. He led the Tibetan government-in-exile for many years but has si...

Come on, it IS kinda funny... My husband is European so he's all into soccer..... and super interested in the Brexit. I have to be as well, because it affects my workday now. Markets are plunging, people are freaking out. Britainia is leaving the European Union... WTF DOES THAT MEAN?? In my line of work people are concerned because  There will be a period of uncertainty over what will happen when Britain leaves the EU because it has to make new  trade agreements  with the rest of the world.  Also, the worry that  worry that foreign companies will be less likely to invest in Britain and could relocate their headquarters if Britain loses access to the EU's single market.  An interesting side note:  Now Britain has voted to leave the EU, it will no longer have to contribute billions of pounds a year towards the  European Union's budget .  I like this outlook on it: Eurosceptics say Brexit will allow Britain to take back control of its bo...

So the question becomes- what is the real issue at hand? I love the picture form my other post ... [person 1] She was drunk, what did she expect? [person 2] A HANGOVER. She expected a hangover. So it keeps being plastered in the headlines that people are outraged. People are outraged the kid had to go to jail, people are outraged he got a light 6 month sentence, people are outraged he will probably only do 2 months, people are outraged about his parent's (and multiple other letters written to the judge) character accounts and pleading letters to not do this to their bright young star of a child. Jurors refuse to sit under the judge, cases are being carefully considered before letting him preside over them. Do you know who is silent through this all? THE VICTIM. She said her piece. And it was powerful. It was powerful enough to spark a nation. And now she is on her own. It is interesting that SHE is not asking for an appeal. I wonder how she feels. (I know how she feels) But ...

The Pope recently said the church should ask forgiveness for the way it has treated gays, as well as 'women, for turning a blind eye to  child labor  and for “blessing so many weapons” in the past'. This is not to be overshadowed either. There is a reason I backed out of the church a few years ago. Antiquated teachings, and comments about gays, and the fact that women cannot play a larger role in the church... all these things and a priest who didn't make me feel accepted and loved and didn't enlighten me. I felt like it was not doing the good in my life that I needed and I did not make it a priority. And yet,that was just locally. Since I have scaled back my church going, Pope Francis has upped his game. He is talking about things like being tolerant and apologetic to gays. And he's talking about us... that's right ladies- he's talking about women and their role in the church. My ears are open- Go on... So he says the door is closed. Men are priests, t...

SO I just read that the Pope made a statement about gays...  He said that the church owes an apology for judging and offending people who identify this way, as  Christians are not supposed to judge or discriminate like this.  And it is profound.  The church teaches that gay tendencies are not sinful but that gay acts are, and that gays should try to be chaste.  “The questions is: If a person who has that condition (the word he used in Italian translates to condition but can also be used as "situation"), who has good will, and who looks for God, who are we to judge?” Pope Francis said. It is following in the footsteps of his statement in 2013 when he said, about gays,  "WHO AM I TO JUDGE?" "The church must say it is sorry for not having behaved as it should many times, many times — when I say 'the church,' I mean we Christians, because the church is holy; we are the sinners," the pope said. "We Christians must say we are sorry." Y...

Let's talk about discrimination. Let's talk about judgement. Let's talk about HATE. I am white, female, Christian, American, Catholic, short, loud, outgoing, fun, cute, educated, loving. I have big hopes and dreams, I have educated and yet provocative thoughts and outlooks. I have swagger, I have style, I have a personality. I feel the HATE more than the love. I see how people look at me, I have heard how they perceive me. I have felt the sting of discrimination.  And yet there are so many people out there who would never believe that I too have felt singled out for my thoughts/beliefs/actions/being. To some, I'm as normal as it gets. To some, I stick out like a sore thumb. To some, I blend in or am "tolerable". To some, I stand out or "should be avoided at all costs". Sometimes I feel like people look at me and think I'd be a bad influence. And sometimes I feel like people want to be me. In today's day and age, you have to be a her...

SO, I paid big bucks for 30 days of Isagenix- And then I get outside the "Strict 30" and find myself back where I began: Eating like crap. Bloated. Gaining weight. Sluggish. It's hard to be "strict", it's hard to say no, it's even hard to make healthier choices. I know- I did it! McDonald's or Little Cesars is easy and cheap. Getting a drink 2+ nights a week is fun! Making healthy lunches the night before is often a hassle. :/ Excuses are easy to make. So little by little I try to remember something I learned- like hey, instead of that chocolate bar, eat an Isadelight and it will satisfy that craving and not throw your whole day off. If you haven't packed lunch, go with something safe when you pick something up- when in doubt a salad with some grilled chicken will get you by. Drink as much water as you possibly can because water will fill that void that you think should be filled with free pastries or chips. If you don't wanna/can...

This should be my motto EVERY DAY It's everywhere, everyday, sometimes all day. Some people ooze it, some people just have resting bitch face but we take it personally, and some people live to see it affect others.  Take for instance- Westboro Baptist Church. A Church. With one hell of a negative message. **Disclaimer, the following quotes do not belong to the writer of this blog and it pains me to even write it out... images would have been worse ** God h8s fags... Thank God for dead soldiers... God hates you... The Jews killed Jesus- God hates Israel WHAT?!?! DO YOU PEOPLE EVEN READ THE BIBLE?  God has no ability to hate. He doesn't hate anyone. He even says that if you repent and are truly sorry, you will be forgiven- he doesn't make any exceptions to this rule.  To elaborate on these [weird IMO] people- in case you are unfamiliar- this so-called "church" demonstrates  hate-filled protests of military  -AND NOW ALSO THE VICTIMS OF THE WORST MA...

So, everyday at lunch I go for a walk with my coworker/friend.  And we talk about life, love, and the pursuit of happiness.  We "talk shop"- work related things. We "talk boys"- about my husband and her boyfriend.  We walk, we talk, it's really refreshing.  But (almost) every day we have a nice little awkward chuckle about one thing... people who honk at us as we are walking. Minding our own businesses. *HONK!* It usually seems to be some sort of blue collar workers in a truck or van. And we have started coming up with reasons why they do this: - They think we look good (obvs) - They fantasize about a white-collar woman - They think white collar women fantasize about the blue-collared guy who's going to fix all their 'problems' - They're dirty old men - They think it's the ultimate compliment - They want us to know we were noticed These are all legit reasons. We are still debating whether it's rude, disgusting, kinda fu...

Ya know I'm sitting here thinking to myself that I don't fall off horses because I'm stupid or I did anything wrong. When I was young, we used to say "I learned something when I fell off, and I'll never fall off for that same reason". The last couple times have been complete and utter accidents.  Accidents happen. You try to avoid them. Sometimes you can try all you want but you might make it worse. So yeah, I feel like I hit the ground more than I should(at my age/level), but I can count plenty of times I could have hit the ground and I didn't. That's what is exciting and scary and exhilarat ing about my sport- I team up with a 1100+ lb animal with a mind of its own who speaks a different language. Sometimes we get each other, sometimes we don't. Sometimes we trust each other, sometimes we don't. Sometimes we trip and fall on our faces. But we do it together. And as long as I want to get back on and the horse lets me get back on, I will keep...

I took my horses for a gallop out in the field yesterday because clearly they are frustrated with their training (trotting in the dusty ring for 40 minutes to build muscle tone). They got a kick out of it!  :)  literally- kicking up their heels and ears perked. Some times monotony is a mind killer in horses. Sometimes they just need to "horse" more and "human" less. But ya know what? I AM FRUSTRATED. I am sick of doing the same thing every day. Of waking up and knowing exactly what I will do at exactly what time-  and finding no surprises in my everyday life. I want to "human" more. I feel like a machine. I am going  through  motions: 7 am alarm.  Husband calls between 7:10 and 7:20 to make sure I'm up for the day.  Get up.  Poop.    (Threw that in there for the laugh effect.) Eat.  Walk dog.  Prep lunch & dinner.  Get dressed (including doing hair).  Pack riding bag. Commute.  Sit at desk...

The only thing to make me smile today is when someone told me I look thin and that she guesses the Isagenix is working out for me. Yes, if nothing else- that has worked out for me. I put on pants this morning that I have not worn in probably 6 months. And I made a conscious decision to pack strict 30 approved lunch and snacks, and did not forget to prep my dinner shake for later. There's a bright side to every seemingly bad day. I should be grateful my pup is feeling better too- He's battling kennel cough. I may not be able to carry a human child within me, but my furbaby really makes me feel like a MOM. I am looking forward to getting to the farm and galloping the polo ponies out on the polo field. It's like 84 degrees out (which is glorious in my eyes). Silver linings my friends. Silver linings are all over. If you want to know more about my bad day- leave a comment. I have not gotten 1 comment yet and I would love to get feedback about what I am posting and how...

Official numbers after 30 days are: Weight lost: 7.5lbs Inches lost: 16 (not sure if I did this right- please comment if you know I did NOT) Body fat: -3.5% BMI: still in normal range Here's my progress tracking worksheet for reference. I have no idea why I forgot to log my 18th day results...

There are 25,915 days in the life of the average human.  How will you honor the great gift (body) you’ve been given? Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Moments so dear Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes How Do You Measure - Measure A Year? In Daylights - In Sunsets In Midnights - In Cups Of Coffee In Inches - In Miles In Laughter - In Strife In - Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes How Do You Measure A Year In The Life?

By now it's all over the news... Gun violence  TRAGEDY strikes again. And now you will see things like this: or   or   or So I ask you- What is your opinion? Because you know I'm going to give you mine. Here goes (haters gonna hate, but whatever): #1- There are victims. They are PEOPLE. They are brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, friends, lovers, men, women, gay, straight, white, black, Latino, unknown ethnicity. They are PEOPLE. They were there at a place that should be a judgement free safe-heaven. It was labeled as supportive of a certain sector. They went there without fear, without hate. And Hate and Fear found them.... This is a HATE CRIME and the reason for it is FEAR. Fear of something different that results in hate, hate and fear because someone doesn't understand (or doesn't want to). Hate and Fear invokes violence in people. Hate and Fear influences people. Other factors are (almost) irrelevant to th...