Is this the…Tipping Point?

Podcast debut! The Modern Idiot (affectionately acronym’ed TMI) graciously invited me as a guest onto their pod. What a fun night! Spoiler alert: one half of the dynamic duo who hosts this podcast was a US Navy classmate. We have history, you could say.

In the same weekend, an old article I wrote for a different blog, Pregnant and Perfect, was reposted by a surgeon in Beverly Hills, California. This may not sound like a celebratory moment for anyone else, but the fact it’s still relevant information is astounding. When I mentioned this article to my sister, even she said she didn’t remember anyone using or sharing info on maternity belts when she was pregnant with her children, 16 and 14 years ago, respectively. Don’t ask me how I they’re so old. I don’t know. Granted it may not help with all pregnancy-related issues, but my personal belief is using a maternity belt regularly during the workday and when I expected to be on my feet for prolonged periods of time was key to a lack of stretch marks and ligament pain during my own pregnancy because it lifted my belly up and back which helps with posture and pain. Much like a girdle, it’s not sexy by any means but it gets the job done!

“It was not the perspective of the painting that had been wrong all these years, it was the perspective of the people looking at it.” I fully realize this post is behind in the publishing process because the above events happened nearly a month ago. For those that don’t know, I make it a practice to wait a few weeks to post, if possible, to protect mine and my family’s privacy. And it helps me to disconnect. So I waited on this post for one reason: I needed to step back in order to not get consumed with doing too much at once. Granted, it took me how many weeks to get a merchandise page going (nearly 2 years of weeks). But anyway…

About the painting? I don’t know. I don’t paint. I can barely walk and chew gum. You get the idea.

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I ask you –

Have you listened to my podcast episode yet? Your thoughts?

Do you paint? Draw? Chew gum?

Other bloggers: tell me how much time typically passes between writing and publishing your posts.

Buckets of Lists!

(pt 2 of my bucket series)

I could have my very own Cool Runnings experience. Check it out!

Always wanted to learn how to curl. Curling is like shuffleboard meets bowling. Since I’m not too bad at bowling and shuffleboard is fun, too, then I think I’d be a natural. Who knows. Maybe I missed my Olympic calling!

Volleyball season is….errrr, was…upon us; specifically, mud volleyball. In true Texas fashion. But I kind of got my feelings hurt when I went to sign up and the lady I’ve been communicating with for over a year suddenly forgot who I was and told me if a team was looking for a player, she’d call me. Rather dismissively. I was supposed to be her teammate. Sigh. What can you do? Spectatorship is my new position.

Winner, winner!

Spoiler alert…I killed the first game. The second game killed me. Way to be humble, Kel. I also golfed a few days prior to the bowling excursion! It did not go well at all. And the bugs kept attacking us. I don’t like bugs. The good news is I didn’t break any clubs, windows, or body parts. Never mind that one time my golf ball hit the golf cart. Minor.

Then I found myself at a change of command ceremony humming “Anchors Aweigh”. Whoopsies! What do you mean the Air Force doesn’t sing Anchors Aweigh?! Couldn’t have been as bad as everyone looking at each other, lips moving, no sound coming forth. Pretty sure they didn’t know the words. Calamity of errors!

Weirdly, I haven’t heard one Navy song yet on this base. Troubling. And where’s the reveille tunes? What about Sailors in their dress whites? You know, the little things. P.S. while you’re reading this, I am on vacation enjoying the sun and sounds of the ocean. Scheduling programs really are lifesavers!

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I ask you –

Have you seen the movie Cool Runnings? If not, why not?

Have you been bowling lately?

Tell me your favorite winter sport! Drinking coffee haHA

Podcast Debut!

The ‘A’ Words

Credit: https://unsplash.com/@caleb_woods

Working with a youth group, it’s expected to encounter a gamut of topics. No limits. But when awkwardness came up, I stumbled a bit. Seems our next generations think life gets less awkward as one ages. Haha I wouldn’t know.

For example, twice in just one day, I encountered cringe-worthy situations. The first was about another person’s finances; the second pertaining to a divorced couple where I’m friends with each party and have known them since pre-wedding. It can get tricky. But the truth of the matter is this: it definitely doesn’t get easier. Perhaps the level of awkward is easier to manage (my sound advice is avoid, avoid, avoid!). Yet somehow it continues to happen. Oh lucky me.

Side note – there’s nothing I dislike more than observing other’s awkwardness situations. Except maybe a root canal. Seeing as how I haven’t had one of those, I’ll take my chances.

Edit: a previous Monday’s post detailing the face I make when told I should walk the stairs – a few days later, the same person began to laugh when they saw me walking my usual lunch time route and stated “You are amusing to me!” Insert sweet smile. Another “A” word.

I love the innocence of youth, the belief things won’t change so quickly, how honest and open our young people can be about topics considered taboo by older beings. We have two ears to hear and one mouth to listen. In boot camp, there was this one word that began as a call to action; however, it developed into a word of curse-like variety. The word was “ears”. Essentially it meant close your mouth and listen to this important message. But, in the hands of nearly every female in our unit vying for attention on whatever was life-threatening at the moment, it became loathed and dirty. My favorite memory was a young woman attempting to go to sleep one night who, after having had enough of hearing “Ears!” every 6 seconds, yelled out “No more ears! Just shut up!” Couldn’t agree more. I’ve never looked at, or heard rather, the word ears again without thinking back on that memory. I wonder what they use now? Masks?!

Assumptions is another “A” word with negative connotations. You don’t need me to mention the old adage regarding assuming one thing or the other. I believe perception and assumption fit unwell together…basically like perception is reality and seeing is believing…both phrases I firmly disagree with. A lot like “if it smells clean, it is clean” and we all know that isn’t true!

The title? Awkwardness and Avoidance. With a sprinkling of other words.

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I ask you –

What’s your favorite “A” word? Only PG-rated in the comments, please.

Do you consider yourself awkward? I’m not awkward. I’m just plain weird!

Tell me your best cringe-worthy memory!

Movin’ On Up + End of an Era

The last time I wore a uniform, circa 2017

With the end of my Navy career coming to a close in T-minus, oh, 4 days or so, but who’s counting?!, I jumped off the deep end by deciding to “make some big moves” as those young people say. I’m not old. Yet. I’d be lying if I said the thought of wearing those uniforms again wasn’t enough to make me cringe. Now I have a closet full of gear I don’t necessarily have to keep in waiting for a call to action. Recently someone told me it was now acceptable to stop taking care of myself, working to stay in shape, and refraining from anything that could land me a few steps in front of the UCMJ. I laughed good-naturedly, but tuned out the rest of the conversation because it felt beyond short-sighted and, frankly, was offensive. I’ve known many who subscribe to this way of thinking, but it won’t be me.

Privacy is ingrained in me. Never will I willingly disclose enough to be dangerous, but I’ve come to realize I typically live in fear of what could happen. And now I’m saying enough. If I want my blog to grow, then I have to take some risks. Risk management is kind of my thing.

So as I set the privacy icon to public and changed a few things to promote status, a little thrill and some happy feelings embarked upon me. But I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t hard to press complete. What’s the worse that could happen?! A stalker, a weird knock at the door? Good news! Been there, done that.

Now we wait! And reorganize my closet space.

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I ask you –

Biggest fear?

Are you a risk taker or do you consider yourself more conservative?

Tell me your blog-growing ideas!

Never Too Old to Learn

Around mid-February, I became involved in a “group project”, if you will. Typically held 2x/month, we would meet and discuss very important subjects related to life, military, and anything else that came up. Our host served as a mediator of sorts, but there was no syllabus nor direction to our meetings. Throughout the past 6 months, give or take, we battled our group being involuntarily disbanded, technology issues once reunited, and an assortment of other small decisions impacting our ability to meet in person vs remotely. Shaky at best.

Now we’ve come to the end of our project. We tacked on a few extra months because the world went crazy. The question was posed what will we each do with the time we’ve spent devoted to attending? Suddenly we all have 90 mins back in our life – decisions, decisions. Perhaps I’ll write more or include an extra workout per week or solve world peace. The options are unlimited! Each of us has our own answer, but I think I might continue to make this date with myself. It’s already on my calendar. I could work; who does that? This time has already been carved out and I’m my best project anyway.

Now the sappy stuff. Without this project, I feel confident I would have eventually gotten to where I needed to be, but it wouldn’t have happened as efficiently. I certainly wouldn’t have made new friends. Although they may balk at my use of the word “friend”, I consider them such. Believe me, it’s almost impossible to share very intimate and uncomfortable details of my life with strangers and not consider them friends at the end.

Dear K – Thank you for being raw and unapologetic. From day 1, your candor was refreshing. I will never know what it’s like to walk in your shoes, but you wear them so well. The work you’ve done in your life, the self reflection you employ, and the take-no-shit attitude you developed drove our group forward. The path your life has taken put you in this moment, I believe, for many reasons. Your heart is so big. The rescuer in me wants to take away the pain you experienced, the unfairness of giving many years to the military that eventually took so much, but you are strong and brave and I am honored to have met you.

Dear DW – Thank you for having the courage to join us. I have met many strong individuals, but you represent this project for those who often don’t come forward. There’s a deep appreciation of your work in recovery and the lessons you’ve shared with us. I’ve heard your stories of overcoming loss and navigating anger. These experiences paved the way for my own self-understanding. When you speak, I know I’m not alone. I have appreciated from afar what you stand up for, the grace you give your children, and the listening ear you provide to us. We began as strangers; I will never forget you.

Because of the two of you, I owe you each so much of me. My heart will continue to heal, my soul can sleep in safety, and the uniforms we served in will stand up for what we, and others, deserve. We are not victims; we are survivors.

In a turn of events, there will be no asking of you, my dear readers, for feedback on this post. I welcome your comments, but I choose to honor some amazing individuals in this moment. There is no question I have met some of the bravest our country has ever seen. For this, I am truly thankful.

Employment Perks

It’s nearing the end of my third week at the new germ-sharing factory (kidding!) so I felt as if even if you didn’t ask, you really must want to know how it’s going. Right?

First, the wildlife are rampant! I haven’t whipped out my trusty camera to take photos because base, but daily I see a jackrabbit – could it be the same one? – and once I saw a huge bull frog. Obviously I know we have many varied species of creatures wandering the plains of Texas so I’m not too surprised to see things. I did stare in shock though.

When I laugh, this is how my coworkers look at me, too

With any new employment opportunity, there’s always going to be a rather slow start. However, in my experience, a slow starts equates to for-effing-ever with every known hiccup that could happen. Ridiculous! My paperwork wasn’t correct, my credentials were invisible, the website wouldn’t allow me to change my password, AND everyone who can help me has vacated the building in favor of teleworking. For the love…

So I did what I do best. I wait. Hahaha, jokes. I have zero patience. Correction: I did what I do best; I winged it! Here’s what happens when I inevitable wing anything: it works out. Which really isn’t good news because it encourages me to wing it again next time and it continues to work. I’m an expert winger. Since I work for the high flying Air Force, “winging it” seems appropriate, do you agree?

Truthfully, the atmosphere is relaxed and I can wear whatever I want. Those pesky limits do exist. Pretty sure cookies are on the agenda soon – can never start too early making friends before secret Santa season. Though nice, the other employees are a hardship to my return to Keto. I wasn’t there 6 hours before a cake appeared on my desk. Day 2 included donuts. I’m such a sucker. Now I’ve figured out not to open whatever box appears and wait for a higher ranking official with a self-described sweet tooth to whisk it away behind closed doors and then I’m safe.

Occasionally I succumb. Whenever the phone stops ringing.

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I ask you –

Name your favorite employee perk!

Are you also the one who has all the problems when it comes to getting started?

Thoughts on ‘winging it’?

“Fail Until You Don’t” – that’s what Bobby Bones says

Perhaps this would appropriately be titled “How things don’t work out”… but it would give you a sense of negativity and an unappreciative mood. Definitely not what I’m going for.

Working on a professional image – first, fingernails

Let’s just say: I didn’t see that coming! Funny how things work out in their own way, in their own time, with more than a little nudge from above.

The employment opportunity I firmly believed was for me was not to be. I don’t know why. I’m qualified, available, driven, funny!, and personable. So why not me? Again, I don’t know. It was rather disappointing at first. Then I was blindsided by a different opportunity – the interview was swift, they stayed in touch, and the offer was a no brainier. It’s almost surreal.

You see, unexpected doesn’t even come close to the magnitude I’m describing. Within the government and federal employment system, there is some sort of unknown, magical, subjective algorithm which decides what resumes to ‘hit’. Needless to say, I’ve submitted hundreds, read that again in numerical form, 100’s, of applications within the past 5+ years and never received a hit. Never. Then suddenly I landed on someone’s desk – this time not the President’s and not for “inflammatory” writings – I’ll post about this soon, you don’t want to miss it! – and they thought I was a perfect match. Ha!

Everyone starts somewhere. Barring the ability to retire in 16 years (hey, that military service came in handy!, the ability to continue to support my family and ensuing shoe/running habits, as well as be a part of a new-to-me organization, I best go brush up on my Air Force lingo. I have multiple programs to oversee. No one wants to look like an idiot on their first day. The third, maybe, but not the first.

Would they mind if I arrived with my trusty foam roller?

I’m sure there will be jokes: here comes the Navy girl on an Air Force base. But I have a way of chameleonizing (like that word? It’s my very own!) and I know this opportunity could be my best work to date. Wish me luck! Here I go!

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I ask you –

Are some things just meant to be?

Thoughts on perseverance? Is it just a lesson in futility until one sticks?

Rhetorical question: will they think I’m funny? Of course they will, Kel!!

Marine Corps Marathon Recap and Reevaluation

My apologies there’s no photos for this post – since I didn’t personally attend the marathon myself, I would have had to use stock photos and those just aren’t as much fun!

After conversing with several people who ran the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM), I’m toggling between keeping my commitment to running it as my first (read: potentially only) marathon. As much as I love people, 50,000 of them makes my heart race. Even if I was to start and stay in the back of the pack, the chance of being exceptionally close to any runner is still high. Though course support is definitely what the MCM has in full force, my decision is based on other factors, as well.

Location, travel, training, and weather have me questioning the MCM. I can only imagine how beautiful the DC area is in the Fall and I love traveling so those aren’t my concerns. The training plan is a little iffy, but the weather I have to train in is highest on my list and the sheer amount of other runners is numero dos. It may seem silly to worry about these things; however, when you pour your time and money into an activity you always hope for the best outcome. Control freak much?

Training through the summer is limited in my own situation. The notorious Texas heat translates to a lot of indoor treadmill running which, in my opinion, doesn’t mimic outdoor running well. I can definitely tell a difference when I’ve trained primarily on a treadmill vs. outdoors. Also, and I know I keep circling back to it, I have no desire to run within arm’s distance of hundreds of people for 26.2 miles. That’s a big no thanks from me. So what’s my other options?

Option A: Find a new marathon. Not a bad idea. Although I loved the idea of the MCM because it’s a veteran’s support community, there are tons of other marathons available. By being a little more choosy on what marathon to participate in, I can decide what fits my training cycle best, too. I could find a local (Texas) marathon in the Spring – I’d already looked at a few of them before. Or…

Option B: Run the MCM. Surely I can recruit at least one other person to run with me that day. Perhaps someone who has already completed it and would like to voluntold themselves to be my pacer/motivator/conversationalist. Also someone who won’t allow me to take a hard turn to port when the going gets tough. Anyone? No? That’s ok because the beauty in being voluntold is it’s not really an option! Standby for heavy rolls. Side note: it took 3 tries to get that verbiage correct and I know 95% of my readers have no Navy experience but for the 5% who do – please appreciate my intent!

The bright side is there’s still plenty of time to decide. Unless I want to go with a marathon in Spring 2020. But I committed to writing then. So writing I must. Training will continue, but I don’t know for what race. The show must go on!

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I ask you –

What races are on your horizon?

Are you Option A or Option B?

Any volunteers?!

“When did this happen?” and other things we wonder

Juggling life feels exactly like this

Let me set the scene:

PRT (physical readiness test for all you non-Navy people) next week so I should probably start running today. Right? Ummm no.

Swimsuit season begins tomorrow so Monday should be a good time to have the body I want to achieve. Right? Again, no.

Are you getting the drift or do I need to input more examples of how this never works? Honestly, I don’t get it. In our society of instant potatoes (that’s what I call our propensity to have everything we want immediately) why do we wait so long to make changes to ourselves? Why do we wait until the doctor says we have heart disease to realize our weight, lifestyle, and choices are out of control?

I think it’s because we don’t notice the small changes day to day. For example, you mowed the grass last weekend. Each day it’s been slowly growing back to its prior form. But you won’t notice until next Friday when you drive by. The grass didn’t grow overnight. It gradually made its way to shin-length. Same with our health. But the more you “let it go”, the more it goes. I’m a free agent – I cannot be controlled!

So when did this happen? Today. Yesterday. It keeps happening! But we’re busy people and we don’t realize it until it is too late. Except it’s never too late!

What is wrong with starting today? NOTHING! I post regularly about making changes immediately. We both know if you say tomorrow then something will come up and tomorrow will be pushed further into the future. Today looks like the only choice to me. Do it.

“candy wrapper dreams”

A very lovely lady in my life likes to use the phrase “I’m in good shape for the shape I’m in!” Her advanced age brings about a certain wisdom and truth that can only come from living as healthily and happily as possible. Do you wonder what you’ll be like as you age? All the time! Will I be an angry old lady because I didn’t live the life meant for me or will I be teaching the millenial alternative to step aerobics at age 95? Time will tell. Days progress and march forward like tiny ants on their way to the candy wrapper dreams are made of.

What else do we commonly wonder?

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I ask you –

What have you been putting off getting started?

What instant expectations do you subscribe to?

Do you believe in the power of today?