I Surrender…Some

February 22, 2012 Leave a comment

Anyone that knows me knows I lead a pretty charmed life.  Sure, I’ve had challenges–lifelong fat girl, fired from a job, et cetera–but generally I’ve run a race with few hurdles.  But I suppose the easy run has to come to an end eventually, right?

My recent hurdle is still pretty…doable.  Perhaps I even created a mountain out of a molehill.  To speak vague again (sorry), recent weeks have resulted in me crying at the drop of a hate.  Sobbing, even.  At my desk at work.  In my car.  When I wake up in the morning.  I don’t say this to campaign for pity.  I say this to give an idea of how much of a challenge this has been for me.  This “let go, let God” thing has truly been the hardest thing I’ve dealt with in my adult life.

So when we sang the hymn “I Surrender All” at church on Sunday evening, it hit me.  I have to surrender all.  Not some.  All.  This is my ultimate hurdle.

I don’t want to, but I’ve already started.  My heart is changing and after one week, I cry less.  I’m thankful for great friends and family to support me and remind me that my worth is in Jesus and not the woes of this world.

So here it goes.  Surrendering all.  Lent starts tomorrow…I plan on using Lent to incorporate something into my life to aid this journey.  The more community I am in, the more chance I will have surrendering all.

“…the art of losing myself in bringing You praise…”

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“You’re funny.”

January 24, 2012 Leave a comment

“You’re funny.”

If you spend any time on the internet, you’re surely aware that LOL generally no longer means “laughing out loud.” LOL has now become the filler response.

Awkward comment? LOL
I’m not really listening to you. LOL
I want to avoid what you’re really asking/saying. LOL

The LOL problem has been around awhile, mostly through electronic communications; brief email threads, IMs, text messages. However, lately, I’ve seen it infiltrate into oral communication.

This first came to my attention back in September. I was dating this guy. He was…well…let’s just say there were a lot of comments he made I did not know how to respond to (and honestly, I’m just glad to live to tell this tale…this whole experience is a blog post in and of itself).
So we were driving somewhere sometime. He said something rude/offensive/obscure and I just brushed it off with a “you’re funny.”

His response? “You say that a lot.”

Oops.

So I guess I do. Since then I’ve been hyper sensitive to the filler responses in communication. Hopefully I’ve improved, but sometimes there just isn’t anything else to say besides “you’re funny.”
I think since then I’ve pointed it out to a few friends who are repeat offenders. I don’t do it to stir the pot (generally), but sometimes I know what I’ve said wasn’t all that funny. Please save the “you’re funny” for when I’ve actually tickled you. I mean, I am not the world’s funniest person, but I’ve been know to make ‘em laugh. When I’ve said something, they usually just laugh it off and we move on.

It’s got me thinking. This could mean 2 things.
A. We aren’t listening as closely as we should.
B. We don’t have the balls to react honestly in some conversations.

It’s almost as annoying as an offense as always telling people “I’m fine.”

Ooooomphm. But then we’re walking the fine line of divulging too much to complete strangers.

Anyway. I digress. Circling back…

Think back to recent conversations, electronic or oral. Are you LOL-ing a bit too much? Perhaps you’re telling someone they’re funny after they’ve put them self out in the proverbial “there.”

Just something to chew on. :)

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2011: a year in review, part deux

December 31, 2011 Leave a comment

You know this time of year everyone is publishing lists about the most shocking, biggest, worst, best whatevers of 2011. And while I was mocking this, I realized my previous post was just that. Cool, Kelly you’re soooooo one of a kind. Oh well. Any list my nephew makes is pretty rad.

However, as it’s inevitable as you near the new year, I keep thinking about this last year. And there’s one thing that stands out in 2011 more than ever.

Drumroll…………..

B-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-lllllllllllll…. (I love onomatopoeia. That’s my drumroll sound…)

TWITTER!

Now, those of you who know me well, know I don’t go far in a conversation without at least one “I’m so gonna tweet that” comment. So you’re not shocked, I’m sure.

But I feel like for any and all of my friends, family, acquaintances, Internet never-mets-whether you’re aware of it or not, I must give love to The Twitter.

Pre-2011 I think I had met three people from Twitter. Thanks to being on the Battle of the Burbs contest with the Smiley Morning Show, I had an influx of followers. One such follower is now a true blue friend whom I enjoy foodie and movie dates. One meet was purely accidental last fall at the Zac Brown Band concert when Dave Smiley (it’s kinda weird how much the SMS show is playing into this) retweeted me and I found myself sitting behind a fellow Twitterer. And I mean literally. Section 112. He was row 2, seat 7 and I was row 3 seat 8. How crazy is that?

And then comes 2011. The Year Twitter Took Over My Life. One morning I pocket tweeted (the curse of smart phones, natch), and the one and only Paul Poteet retweeted me, as a joke. Well, from that retweet, came another new follower who became a friend IRL (in real life, how Internet geeky am I!?). I’m not sure how the rest of my followers-that-became-friends came about, but at some point the coolest kids formed a trivia team, I met some Tweeps at concerts, social media events, realized I had mutual friends with others and on and on. I just adore how Twitter makes Indianapolis feel even more personal.

Words cannot express how special some of these people have become to me. I used to have to spend a lot of my energy trying to explain what Twitter is, what purpose it serves and why I don’t feel weird when I’ve met someone from Twitter. Now, those closest to me see that not only does it serve a professional purpose (I’m no social media expert, but it’s helped build The Savvy Sitter some…and apparently I’m now working on building my brand. :) ), it’s given me friends I’m grateful for.

Yesterday I tagged along to a social media event that allowed me to connect with, and meet, even more friends from Twitter. Honestly, these people are amazing. It’s nice to be in a room of people you’ve just met, but you feel like you know so well. And of course, some of this may be projected or somewhat…inauthentic. But the majority of these folks are pretty freakin’ awesome.

And now…thanks to the magic of Twitter (and the ridiculous amount of free tickets given away on said social media network), I get to ring in the new year tonight with a large group of these people. I’m pretty lucky.

I’m looking forward to starting 2012 off right.

Peace. Love. Twitter.

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2011: a year in review

December 29, 2011 Leave a comment

I’m not wishing 2011 disappear, but it was such an awesome year that I look forward to what 2012 has to offer. I’ll keep it brief…but allow me to reminisce. :)

A few of my favorite things from 2011…

-watching my nephew grow into a toddler. Being an aunt is by far the coolest thing.

-getting a new job! The identity crisis that came with leaving teaching (abruptly, too) has finally taken me down an amazing professional path. I love my job. It’s exciting to say this and mean it. I’ve also made an awesome lifelong friend from my training class.

-Mexico. Good memories made with seriously awesome people. That is all. :)

-new people. I have met a collection of awesome new friends–at church, work, via Twitter. My cup runneth over.

The best part of 2011? It’s the same as every year. Grace and love.

Looking forward to living out that grace and love as best as humanly possible in 2012.

Happy new year, friends. :)

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The Year of the…

November 25, 2011 Leave a comment

No. Not the Chinese astrology or whatever.

As in, The Year of the Belt.

Back in late 2006 I decided I would no longer be a slave to a new years resolution. Heck, I never kept them past February because let’s be honest, I wasn’t bought in to getting more sleep, working out, spending less or whatever that year’s resolution was. Since growing up some, I’ve bought into those ideas, but in a more balanced fashion, where I neither start in January or give up after a hot second.

But I am getting way off topic.

So back in late 2006, I decided to use my new year to resolve to try new things…when it comes to fashion. I also decided to throw in a color, for fashion kicks and giggles. The idea was to get me to branch out and shake things up. Thus started “The Year of the ______.” At first it was really something just for me, but then my friends and family jumped on board. (How could they not? I talked about it non-stop.)

And now…5 years later…while still really no big deal to the rest of the world, I choose a fashion accessory and color (not the first year, this came in 2008) to “try out.” Sometimes, my picks are spot on with the latest trends; sometimes-the year of 2011 especially-my pick is really just for me and the rest of the world doesn’t quite catch on. :) I usually consult my sister or a friend for input, but then I make the decision and announce it on Thanksgiving so people (as in the 5 friends and family members who indulge me and play along) can prepare for the next year.

The previous years have been a lot of fun. Here’s a recap, in case you’re new.

2007 The Year of Ghetto Gold (this was the year I embraced gold jewelry for the first time…but as a poor teacher it was of course fashion jewelry, hence the ghetto gold).
2008 The Year of the Hat (the year I decided to love hats…and I still do!) and purple.
2009 The Year of the Scarf (this was huge…in my circle and around the world) and yellow.
2010 The Year of the Bow (I will always, always love me a bow) and orange.
2011 The Year of the Charm (I rocked this…not so much anyone else…) and military green.

So if you’ve been wondering what all my blabber on my social media pages is about regarding The Year of the Belt…this is it. Go ahead, stock up on belts and navy and join us in 2012. :)

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