I told you in a recent post that we were eliminating our cable and going with network channels and Amazon Prime. Honestly, I was sadly a little nervous about the whole thing because I watch way more TV then I'd like to admit, especially when Mike is out of town. I'm also a BravoTV-junky, National Geographic-junky, an Investigation Discovery addict, & I loved having a DVR to record all "my shows" and watch them when convenient for me. In one respect, I was happy to eliminate my BravoTV addiction…why do I watch the Real Housewives franchise again? Aye yia yia.
Honestly, bottom line was that our cable was now around $70/month and I give cable companies one chance to offer me a lower rate. If they can't work with me then sayonara. Oddly enough, after I officially cancelled I got two phone calls from the cable company telling me the lower rate they could offer me. Too late folks! We could get Amazon Prime for $75 for the E.N.T.I.R.E. year and also get other perks like free 2 day shipping and borrow one kindle book per month.
What I have found in the short time we haven't had cable?? We watch less TV…I know, I can't believe it either. Amazing concept, don't you think? (insert sarcasm here) ;) But it has stemmed a new found Pinterest addiction but hopefully now I'll have time to make all those DIY projects I've been pinning. Maybe I am a "crafty" person after all?…Time will tell.
Depending on how Amazon Prime goes, we may also get Netflix. I've heard they are very similar but we know of one show in particular that we can't get on Amazon Prime but can get on Netflix(Breaking Bad…yes…we live in NM and have never seen an episode)
Pretty riveting news to report to you all, don't you think? ;)
Any favorite shows or movies on Amazon Prime that you think we should check out?
Monday, December 30, 2013
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
I secretly love
I secretly love beauty blogs, fashion blogs, and makeup/hair tutorials. This is a little odd probably since I'm not really a glamorous person I don't get "gussied up" every day but I still love them. I don't think I could ever be a beauty blogger myself, but I'm so happy there are others out there who are good at it because reading their blogs make me happy!
Here are my top 3 in case you're interested:
The Small Things Blog (amazing hair tutorials)
The Lauren Elizabeth Blog (this is the sister of Kate from The Small Things Blog - love her style and her writing)
Maskcara (love the makeup tutorials on this one)
Do you have any favorite beauty or fashion blogs you think I should be viewing? Tell me in the comments section!
Here are my top 3 in case you're interested:
The Small Things Blog (amazing hair tutorials)
The Lauren Elizabeth Blog (this is the sister of Kate from The Small Things Blog - love her style and her writing)
Maskcara (love the makeup tutorials on this one)
Do you have any favorite beauty or fashion blogs you think I should be viewing? Tell me in the comments section!
Friday, December 6, 2013
Here's some randomness for you
Yep - as the title says, here are some random thoughts, comments, & feelings from yours truly…
1) I don't understand why parents feel they have to compete with each other. It's interesting to me how parents of similar age children are discreetly trying to 'one up' each other on what their child can and cannot do.
2) It pains me to see my friends and family not making healthy decisions. No one can be perfectly healthy all the time(i.e. my addiction to sugar) but I just want everyone to be on this earth as long as possible so I can enjoy them. :)
3) The next time someone asks me why I'm not having children, I'm going to break down in tears and tell them I'm unable to have children.(which, to my knowledge, isn't true by the way ~ it's a choice my husband & I have made) Maybe they'll learn their lesson on asking questions like that. Also, please don't give me a facial reaction of "pity" when I tell you I'm not having children…I'm very happy with this decision!
4) To go along with #3, just because I'm not going to have children doesn't mean I don't like kids. Period, end of story!
5) I don't understand why we can't just be happy for each other and respect each others decisions. Why do we have to place judgment on someone's decision if it makes that person happy? For example, if someone gets a promotion at work, why do we have to talk behind their back on why we think they should not have received the promotion? Why can't we just be thrilled and happy for others when they are thrilled and happy about something?
6) This is absolute truth in our household ~> Rules for Non-dog owners who visit and like to complain about our dogs: a) They live here, you don't. b) If you don't want dog hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. c) I like my dogs a lot better than most people. d) To you, it's a dog. To me, he/she is an adopted child who is short, furry, has four legs, & barks.
7) To go along with #6, I adore my dogs and they are absolutely, positively, 100% spoiled and I'm proud of it! :)
8) To accompany #6 & #7, although I love Stuart, I will probably never get another Shih Tzu again. I think he's adorable and I love all his quirks but he definitely has characteristic of a shih tzu: stubborn & short tempered. ;)
9) I can be a pretty matter-of-fact & blunt person, especially when it comes to offering opinions to my family & friends. Yes, this has gotten me into "trouble" before.
10) The dynamics with my family can get out of wack sometimes and I've learned to realize that most families have had times of wackiness. It can't be rainbows & butterflies all the time, can it?
11) I realize social media is the way of the world these days and I'm not super educated when it comes to politics, but it does drive me crazy when people blast and put down other political parties or others moral beliefs in their social media accounts. Would you really say something like that to a friend in person if they had a differing belief? Can't we respect the view even if we disagree with it? Yes, I have blocked people from social media because of posts like this.
12) Mike and I have separate bank accounts and put a certain percent of our money into our joint account to pay for "joint" bills each month. If a purchase of something is going to be over $100, we talk about it. Anything less than $100, we aren't required to discuss it with each other. This plan works for us and I can't recall a time we've ever argued about money. Key words…'this plan works for us!'
13) When you feel you are correct about something and later find out you aren't actually correct, just admit it. Can't we be gracious about being wrong about something and acknowledge the other person was right?
14) I know people who were sexual abused/assaulted, as a child or as an adult, and it is devastating to me to hear that they endured this.
15) For women specifically, why do we have to "read" into everything and make it more than what it is. During our pre-marital counseling, this is something I had to work on and something I continue to work on. If I ask Mike if something is wrong and he says no, then leave it at that. Maybe he just woke up on the wrong side of the bed and is generally cranky today. Let it go Kirsten!
16) There are honestly about four people in my life that I can truly trust to keep a secret. If I ask him/her to please not discuss this with others, I'm positive these people will keep it completely to his/herself. I'm sad that this number is only four.
17) Mike and I agree that we could never go on the Amazing Race with each other. That just has disaster written all over it! That said, I do think my Dad and I would be a good team.
18) Ranger(our german shepherd police dog) has been "attacked" numerous times by Stuart(shih tzu)…a) I'm surprised Stuart is still alive, b) It's mind boggling to me that Ranger doesn't fight back.
19) I'm a relatively easy-going person but there was a time that I was someone you had to walk on pins & needles around because you never wanted to endure the wrath of Kirsten. Not many people know that person but if you ask my friend Jen(we've been friends since 7th grade), she could tell you all about that wrath. How she is still my friend, I will never know…I was a tough cookie sometimes.
20) I 1,000% believe that if you want your husband to do something or react a specific way when you tell him something, you MUST tell him exactly what you need. Why are you indirectly pressuring him to "guess" what you want? Tell him for goodness sake! If you want him to ask how your day was, tell him you appreciate when he asks how your day was. Ladies - we put way too much pressure on our husbands to "do things right"(per our requirements of course) when we don't even tell him what we feel the "right thing" is. Hope that makes sense! Saves time and heart ache if you just tell him what you need.
21) Mike and I are getting rid of cable and having network channels and Amazon Prime only…and honestly, I'm embarrassed to admit how tough this decision was for me.
22) I strongly dislike when people disappoint me or if I disappoint others. Don't commit to something if you can't fulfill your committment.
23) I'm convinced people who are perpetually late don't want to break their image of always being late. Honestly, I feel like people who are always late are people who fail to plan(if you know the time to arrive, how can you not plan in advance to be on time?) and frankly I think it's a little inconsiderate & disrespectful to the people hosting or the people who showed up on time. Santa Fe'ans, as a whole, are perpetually late ALL the DANG time and it really annoys me. (but there's nothing I can do about it so oh well)
24) Generally speaking, I think people take life way to seriously.(trust me, I do too) Let's make an effort to not sweat the small stuff and enjoy the time we have with the people we love. Be yourself, don't take so many things personally, and don't be sorry for who you are!
It's interesting how this post turned out as I read back through it. Guess I took randomness to a whole new level. :)
1) I don't understand why parents feel they have to compete with each other. It's interesting to me how parents of similar age children are discreetly trying to 'one up' each other on what their child can and cannot do.
2) It pains me to see my friends and family not making healthy decisions. No one can be perfectly healthy all the time(i.e. my addiction to sugar) but I just want everyone to be on this earth as long as possible so I can enjoy them. :)
3) The next time someone asks me why I'm not having children, I'm going to break down in tears and tell them I'm unable to have children.(which, to my knowledge, isn't true by the way ~ it's a choice my husband & I have made) Maybe they'll learn their lesson on asking questions like that. Also, please don't give me a facial reaction of "pity" when I tell you I'm not having children…I'm very happy with this decision!
4) To go along with #3, just because I'm not going to have children doesn't mean I don't like kids. Period, end of story!
5) I don't understand why we can't just be happy for each other and respect each others decisions. Why do we have to place judgment on someone's decision if it makes that person happy? For example, if someone gets a promotion at work, why do we have to talk behind their back on why we think they should not have received the promotion? Why can't we just be thrilled and happy for others when they are thrilled and happy about something?
6) This is absolute truth in our household ~> Rules for Non-dog owners who visit and like to complain about our dogs: a) They live here, you don't. b) If you don't want dog hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. c) I like my dogs a lot better than most people. d) To you, it's a dog. To me, he/she is an adopted child who is short, furry, has four legs, & barks.
7) To go along with #6, I adore my dogs and they are absolutely, positively, 100% spoiled and I'm proud of it! :)
8) To accompany #6 & #7, although I love Stuart, I will probably never get another Shih Tzu again. I think he's adorable and I love all his quirks but he definitely has characteristic of a shih tzu: stubborn & short tempered. ;)
9) I can be a pretty matter-of-fact & blunt person, especially when it comes to offering opinions to my family & friends. Yes, this has gotten me into "trouble" before.
10) The dynamics with my family can get out of wack sometimes and I've learned to realize that most families have had times of wackiness. It can't be rainbows & butterflies all the time, can it?
11) I realize social media is the way of the world these days and I'm not super educated when it comes to politics, but it does drive me crazy when people blast and put down other political parties or others moral beliefs in their social media accounts. Would you really say something like that to a friend in person if they had a differing belief? Can't we respect the view even if we disagree with it? Yes, I have blocked people from social media because of posts like this.
12) Mike and I have separate bank accounts and put a certain percent of our money into our joint account to pay for "joint" bills each month. If a purchase of something is going to be over $100, we talk about it. Anything less than $100, we aren't required to discuss it with each other. This plan works for us and I can't recall a time we've ever argued about money. Key words…'this plan works for us!'
13) When you feel you are correct about something and later find out you aren't actually correct, just admit it. Can't we be gracious about being wrong about something and acknowledge the other person was right?
14) I know people who were sexual abused/assaulted, as a child or as an adult, and it is devastating to me to hear that they endured this.
15) For women specifically, why do we have to "read" into everything and make it more than what it is. During our pre-marital counseling, this is something I had to work on and something I continue to work on. If I ask Mike if something is wrong and he says no, then leave it at that. Maybe he just woke up on the wrong side of the bed and is generally cranky today. Let it go Kirsten!
16) There are honestly about four people in my life that I can truly trust to keep a secret. If I ask him/her to please not discuss this with others, I'm positive these people will keep it completely to his/herself. I'm sad that this number is only four.
17) Mike and I agree that we could never go on the Amazing Race with each other. That just has disaster written all over it! That said, I do think my Dad and I would be a good team.
18) Ranger(our german shepherd police dog) has been "attacked" numerous times by Stuart(shih tzu)…a) I'm surprised Stuart is still alive, b) It's mind boggling to me that Ranger doesn't fight back.
19) I'm a relatively easy-going person but there was a time that I was someone you had to walk on pins & needles around because you never wanted to endure the wrath of Kirsten. Not many people know that person but if you ask my friend Jen(we've been friends since 7th grade), she could tell you all about that wrath. How she is still my friend, I will never know…I was a tough cookie sometimes.
20) I 1,000% believe that if you want your husband to do something or react a specific way when you tell him something, you MUST tell him exactly what you need. Why are you indirectly pressuring him to "guess" what you want? Tell him for goodness sake! If you want him to ask how your day was, tell him you appreciate when he asks how your day was. Ladies - we put way too much pressure on our husbands to "do things right"(per our requirements of course) when we don't even tell him what we feel the "right thing" is. Hope that makes sense! Saves time and heart ache if you just tell him what you need.
21) Mike and I are getting rid of cable and having network channels and Amazon Prime only…and honestly, I'm embarrassed to admit how tough this decision was for me.
22) I strongly dislike when people disappoint me or if I disappoint others. Don't commit to something if you can't fulfill your committment.
23) I'm convinced people who are perpetually late don't want to break their image of always being late. Honestly, I feel like people who are always late are people who fail to plan(if you know the time to arrive, how can you not plan in advance to be on time?) and frankly I think it's a little inconsiderate & disrespectful to the people hosting or the people who showed up on time. Santa Fe'ans, as a whole, are perpetually late ALL the DANG time and it really annoys me. (but there's nothing I can do about it so oh well)
24) Generally speaking, I think people take life way to seriously.(trust me, I do too) Let's make an effort to not sweat the small stuff and enjoy the time we have with the people we love. Be yourself, don't take so many things personally, and don't be sorry for who you are!
It's interesting how this post turned out as I read back through it. Guess I took randomness to a whole new level. :)
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
feeling sappy & blessed
On my commute to the airport just now(I'm taking a day trip for work to one our home offices), I started thinking about work. I sort of miss having to drive to work because I always used that time to gather my thoughts and prep myself for the day. Anyway...I got to thinking about my career & how stinking blessed I am. This isn't a post to gloat about how lucky I am but to reflect on the opportunities my work has provided me. Here's my list:
- My company has allowed me to be a home based worker for over 5 years now. With this comes many other benefits...no commute, no need to shower and get ready for work, work in my PJ's, work just about anywhere with Internet, get to stay with my pups all day, and most importantly, I have had the flexibility to move when my hubs has changes jobs.
- I've had the opportunity to travel with work...from NE to IL to the Philippines. I love to travel so this is a bonus in my eyes.
- When I come back to NE to visit my family & friends, I get to work from the actual office. I don't have to take time off(unless I choose too) and working from the office always re-charges me.
- I would argue that my time off bank is amazing. At 10 yrs with the company, I get 29 days off a year. This allows Mike and I to travel basically as often as our budget allows.
- Speaking of benefits, I feel I am paid competitively and I have great health benefits.
- Aside from the bonus of traveling, I have been given many career opportunities. If I counted correctly, I've changed jobs 7 times, 5 being promotional opportunities and 2 being lateral changes. Except for one, I applied, interviewed, & completed a "project" for each opportunity. Although being remote has its limitations, I have changed jobs twice since being remote.
- I feel like I am challenged on a daily basis and I feel I am empowered to make decisions and voice my feedback.
- I can't say I've had a "bad" supervisor either. I think I've reported to about 10 different managers over my 10 years and I really can't complain about any of them.
- Have I mentioned I have some pretty superb co-workers and I have met some wonderful friends through work. With said friends, I played a crap-load of volleyball when I lived in NE. :)
Hopefully I've covered everything. All this said, work is certainly not always flowers and butterflies. Like all people probably(unless you're Mike and don't have one bad thing to say about your job-that could be a whole different post) I've had some low times and frustrating times. I've made mistakes and I've learned from them. But overall, when I look at the entire picture, I'm pretty darn blessed.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
inspiration
Here are a few quotes that have resonated with me lately so I wanted to share. I actually found the 1st one in the Drafts section of my work email. Sometimes I'll just throw things in my Drafts so I don't lose track of it and it was a happy surprise when I found it yesterday. I came across the 2nd quote on Facebook via a person in the fitness industry I follow.
Good Stuff! Hope you enjoy!
Good Stuff! Hope you enjoy!
You can be the most beautiful person in the world and everybody sees light and rainbows when they look at you, but if you yourself don’t know it, all of that doesn’t even matter. Every second that you spend doubting your worth, every moment that you use to criticize yourself, is a second of your life wasted, is a moment of your life thrown away. It’s not like you have forever, so don’t waste any of your seconds, don’t throw even one of your moments away.
~C. JoyBell C.
People are often unreasonable,
irrational, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse
you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some
unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere
people may deceive you;
Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating
others could destroy overnight;
Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness,
some may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today,
will often be forgotten.
Do good anyway.
Give the best you have,
and it may never be enough;
Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis,
it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway."
~Mother Teresa
irrational, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse
you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some
unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere
people may deceive you;
Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating
others could destroy overnight;
Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness,
some may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today,
will often be forgotten.
Do good anyway.
Give the best you have,
and it may never be enough;
Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis,
it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway."
~Mother Teresa
Monday, June 24, 2013
Chicks N Chaps
Since mid-April, I've been volunteering on the planning committee for an event called Chicks N Chaps at our local Rodeo de Santa Fe. The event was last Friday to coincide with Pink Night at our PRCA rodeo. You can read about Chicks N Chaps here. It was a really fun day and I hope it happens again next year because it's definitely something I'd like to be part of again.
Not only does the event raise awareness about breast cancer and raise funds for a local organization (our recipient organization was Breast Wishes), but also educates women about the rodeo. There are many misconception about the treatment of animals at rodeos and also a lack of education about the events themselves. We provided a 'Behind the Chutes' tour, roping lessons, & education on barrel racing(w/ a barrel race on stick ponies). Although I didn't rope the stationary hay bale with a cow head on it, I got close. :)
If you're interested in looking at pictures of the event, you can see them here. I'm in pictures 67, 149, 150, 151, 167, 168, 169, 170, 184.
It was a great experience and I met a lot of great people on the planning committee and at the event. There was also a videographer at the event so once the video is published, I'll share that as well.
Not only does the event raise awareness about breast cancer and raise funds for a local organization (our recipient organization was Breast Wishes), but also educates women about the rodeo. There are many misconception about the treatment of animals at rodeos and also a lack of education about the events themselves. We provided a 'Behind the Chutes' tour, roping lessons, & education on barrel racing(w/ a barrel race on stick ponies). Although I didn't rope the stationary hay bale with a cow head on it, I got close. :)
If you're interested in looking at pictures of the event, you can see them here. I'm in pictures 67, 149, 150, 151, 167, 168, 169, 170, 184.
It was a great experience and I met a lot of great people on the planning committee and at the event. There was also a videographer at the event so once the video is published, I'll share that as well.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
a Mumford & Sons experience
On Thursday evening, Mike and I went to, what I would venture to guess, the biggest event in Taos, NM history...Mumford & Sons!!
The concert was sponsored by the Taos Solar Music Festival and it was in Kit Carson Park across from the Taos plaza. Taos has a population of about 5,700 people and they sold 8,000 tickets to the concert. Taos is about 1.5-2 hrs from Santa Fe and Mike's field office is located in Taos so I met him in Taos at a friend's house after I got off work. I arrived around 5pm, we went to dinner, enjoyed a cocktail at a friend's house, & then our friend dropped us off at the end of the line to get in around 7pm. There was a rain/lightening storm at the same time the "doors" were to open at the park(6pm) so everyone that was in the park got kicked out because there were concerns about lightening. It took us about an 1.5 hrs to actually make it through the line and into the venue. By the time we got in, one of the opening bands was already playing. Mumford & Sons came on around 10:30 and were done around midnight. The concert was SOOOOO good and I was quite impressed with how organized everything was for such a small town. We had to stand in line for a while but that seemed appropriate and expected due to the weather.
I subsequently went to iTunes the next day and downloaded Mumford & Sons most recent album.
Here's a few songs that I'm loving right now:
The concert was sponsored by the Taos Solar Music Festival and it was in Kit Carson Park across from the Taos plaza. Taos has a population of about 5,700 people and they sold 8,000 tickets to the concert. Taos is about 1.5-2 hrs from Santa Fe and Mike's field office is located in Taos so I met him in Taos at a friend's house after I got off work. I arrived around 5pm, we went to dinner, enjoyed a cocktail at a friend's house, & then our friend dropped us off at the end of the line to get in around 7pm. There was a rain/lightening storm at the same time the "doors" were to open at the park(6pm) so everyone that was in the park got kicked out because there were concerns about lightening. It took us about an 1.5 hrs to actually make it through the line and into the venue. By the time we got in, one of the opening bands was already playing. Mumford & Sons came on around 10:30 and were done around midnight. The concert was SOOOOO good and I was quite impressed with how organized everything was for such a small town. We had to stand in line for a while but that seemed appropriate and expected due to the weather.
Yes, I realize my head looks gigantic in this picture.
We gradually made our way closer to the stage. My only wish is that I had been about 6 inches taller for the evening. :) Or that all the tall people in Taos weren't standing in front of me.
Here's a few songs that I'm loving right now:
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