Reach For The Sky

I haven’t posted in ages. I’ve had a lot going on the past couple months so I haven’t really had the time. Buut I do now :) So let’s catch up on the past little bit of my life.

My favorite baseball player of all time retired from baseball on Friday. One of the saddest days of my life, and I’m not even kidding. Baseball isn’t going to be the same without him. I’ve been watching him play for as long as I can remember. On the bright side, when I was at my parents’ house yesterday, my dad handed me a framed Chipper Jones autographed picture. I was freaking out and asked if it was for me. His response: “Yea, it’s yours.” And I preceded to say “omg thank you so much” blah blah. He then says “No, it’s YOURS. Your friend gave it to you in high school. You don’t remember?” HA. Whoops. No, I obviously had forgotten about it. But now we have it and we will be hanging it in our living room as soon as we find the perfect place for it. My dad’s awesome.

I GOT A NEW PUPPY! Her name is Melrose :) And she is the most darling little girl in the world. Derek and I rescued her from a shelter. She’s been with us for almost a month now :) We’re not sure exactly what breed she is. The shelter told us she was an Austrailian Sheperd but she’s definitely not. We think she’s some kind of Spaniel mix but we love her to pieces no matter what she is. She’s slowly, but surely, getting along with our cat, Bella. She’s just a puppy so she likes to chase….a lot. She is getting so much better, though, and we’re proud of her! She’s going through the puppy stage and likes to chew because she’s losing her teeth like it’s her job. We find her teeth all over the place, poor girl. We’re doing the best job we can at raising her and Bella.

A lot more has happened but I can’t think right now. I have a lunch date with the boy at 2 and I’m hungry. That’s all I can think about so I would say I’m a bit distracted at the moment. Maybe I’ll post some more later today when I get home.

PS HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST BIG BROTHER IN THE WORLD! :) I can’t believe he’s 27. That means I’ll be 25 in a month. OMG. Where has the time gone?

What is the hardest thing you have ever experienced?

• It all started in 8th grade when I was 14 years old. I met this boy who I thought was going to change my life, and did he ever. The only problem was he didn’t change it in the way I had hoped. Instead of changing my life for the better, he changed it for the worst. Things weren’t good from the beginning but I thought they would change and we would be perfect together. I struggled a lot because I was never good enough, had no self esteem, became extremely codependent. It progressively got worse as the years went on. We were together for 8 1/2 years…that means we were together until the day after my 23rd birthday. I was cheated on, stepped all over, etc. and I had finally had enough. It was one of the most difficult decisions I ever made but I realize now how much better off I am. Those are 8 years of my life I can never get back. I struggle everyday knowing I regret those years and wishing I could go back and change them but I can’t. It helps that I am now dating my best friend. When one thing ends, another begins. He came into my life at just the right time and I thank God for that. It’s almost like he saved me. So I think it’s easy to see why this was the most difficult thing I have ever experienced. Eight years is a really long time to be with one person, especially when that relationship began at 14 years old. But I made it through and I’ve never been happier with my life. It’s funny how things work out in the end.

What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?

• Derek. He’s my best friend. The best thing that has ever happened to me. And no matter what happens between us, I know he will always be there for me. He loves me in ways no one has ever loved me before.
• Our new puppy, Rosie! We haven’t gotten her yet because she’s still too young but we will be getting her within the next couple weeks. We can’t wait!! :)
• Mayday Parade. As always.
• The start of Fall. It’s my favorite season. I want pumpkins, warm days and cool nights, windows open, jeans and sweatshirts, etc.
• Bella. She always makes me happy. She’s one of the goofiest cats in the world. And she’s ours :)

List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could.

1. Be nicer to the people in your high school. Everyone needs friends, including them. No one thinks the “mean girl” is attractive.
2. School is much more important than that boy. You can go somewhere with your life if you do well in school; the boy won’t get you far but I know you don’t realize that right now.
3. Don’t take life for granted. I mean really, don’t. You will see many people make poor decisions but it’s important for you to know you can’t control what another person does with their life, whether or not you agree with their choices. You will try very hard to get people to see your point of view but that’s not always what’s important. What’s important is you living your life to the fullest and getting out of it what you can; stop worrying so much about everyone else.
4. Your parents really do know best. All those things they say to you, they are right.
5. Stick with softball! Don’t quit after your junior year. You will miss it more than you know & you will forever regret not playing the last year you could.
6. Work on your codependency now. It will only get worse. It’s time to realize you don’t need a boy to get you by in life; you are strong and you can do things on your own. Stop putting your life and the things you want to do on hold because it’s not what he wants to do. I know you get the codependency issues from your mom (I believe it’s something that can be learned), however, she wants what’s best for you & this is definitely not for the best.
7. Your life will not go the way you think it will. There will be many disappointments, many heartbreaks, many screw ups, but you will be okay. I promise.
8. You will meet someone who will drastically change your life. He will give you all the things you’ve been missing. And trust me, when you meet him, you’ll know. You will fall in love with him instantly and your life will never be the same. It will be so enriched with love and happiness, things you never had before. You will know this is the boy you will marry.
9. The friends you have right now are not the friends you will carry with you the rest of your life. I know it’s hard to think about never having some of them in your life ever again, but that’s life. You will meet two very good friends when you move for college. It will be like you’ve known them your whole life & they will never let you down. They will be the support you have always needed but never got.
10. The next 7 years, you will endure a lot of pain. You can’t see it now but you will. It will seem like your life can’t go on but you will be just fine in the end. You will eventually realize that boy did you a favor and made you stronger after putting you through all the things he did. You will have trust issues, you will think no one loves you but you have to learn that your life needs to go on, with or without that boy. You will realize, later rather than sooner but that’s okay, that he did you a favor; he gave you a second chance at life, a fresh start. And there’s nothing you needed more. Trust me…

Describe your relationship with your parents.

Oh boy, where do I even start. I have a very strong relationship with both of my parents. They are my rock & have been there for me through everything in my life.

• Mom: My mom is my best friend. She’s goofy, funny and always knows how to put a smile on my face. I am comfortable talking to her about almost anything. Everytime I’m having a problem, I know I can call her up and she’ll know just the right things to tell me. She’s the best adivce giver there is and, as much as I hate to admit, she’s always right. Since she’s been through so much in her life, I know I can tell her what I’m going through and she knows exactly what to say. She truly is the light of my life & I can’t imagine having anyone else as a mom.
• Dad: I’m a daddy’s girl. Always have been, always will be. I’m basically my father’s clone & my mom would agree 110%. We are so much alike, sometimes it causes trouble in our relationship but we always work through it. High school was a bad time for us; our relationship was more of a love/hate relationship than anything else. We disagreed, fought, yelled and I had many door slamming contests due to my anger. I would slam the door as hard as I could because I knew it would make him even more mad ha. But we have grown so much since then it’s insane. We no longer fight and I know I can talk to him about almost anything as well. He’s always helped me through things when it comes to boys; believe it or not, he always knew how to handle the situation. He would start the conversation out by saying “I was a boy once, I know how this works.”

I have the most wonderful parents a girl could ask for & I would not trade them for the world :)

Describe 3 legitimate fears you have & explain how they became fears.

1. Never being good enough for anyone. This stems back to grade school. My brother always did so much better in school than I did. I struggled a lot but I still got good grades. I was on the A & B Honor Roll every quarter, etc. It’s just that things were so easy for him and I was always the one falling behind & following in his shadow. I was constantly being compared to him. This followed me all the way through my senior year of high school. It got better with my parents once I entered college, however, the boy I was dating made it about a thousand times worse for me. That feeling of never being good enough hasn’t left, even though the boy has.
2. Never being comfortable in my own skin. Again, this goes to the boy who had my heart for 8 1/2 years of my life. Even though I have the best boy in my life today, it’s hard to erase some of the things that were said & done to me in the past. I’m so scared I’m always going to be on the fence with myself: one day I hate things about myself, other days I feel okay. I fear I will never be happy with who I truly am & that kills me.
3. The last legit fear I have would have to be losing the ones I love. I feel that I have a special relationship with everyone in my life & if I were to lose any of them, I would be truly lost. This is true for my grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, friends, etc. Considering I have codependency issues, I struggle with the thought of losing the people in my life who mean the most to me. I know this is all a part of life but I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.

#1: List 20 random facts about yourself.

1. I love to read. My favorite authors are Jodi Picoult & Heather Gudenkauf. I have read almost every Jodi Picoult book & I’m making my way through Heather Gudenkauf’s.
2. Baseball is my favorite thing. Ever. I recently went to a Braves/Cubs game at Turner Field and it was the highlight of my life (so far). My dad promised to take me years ago & he finally did! We’re HUGE Braves fan..my dad even has a baseball room at home, which happens to be my old bedroom & there’s nothing better I can think of changing my old room into.
3. My arms are double jointed. Both of them, and people think it’s very strange/creepy; I think it’s pretty cool and unique.
4. I love reading other people’s blogs. I like to live vicariously through others at times.
5. Horror movies are by far my favorite. However, Field of Dreams & Moneyball are my top two favorite movies ever, with The Shining as a very close third.
6. I’ve suffered a lot and been through a lot of heartbreak in my life.
7. I’m Catholic. Although I haven’t been to church in quite some time (whoops), I am still a believer. I also graduated from a very small, Catholic high school.
8. Back to #7, there are many things I disagree with when it comes to my religion: I’m pro-choice & the biggest liberal you will ever meet.
9. I believe in aliens, mermaids, big foot and any other creature you can imagine. Whether or not they’re actually real, I like to believe (I get that from my dad).
10. 4 is my favorite number & I do things in 4’s. Everything has to be an even number too.
11. I have a Justin Bieber Pandora station. I KNOW, right? I just love him, though.
12. Never in a million years did I see myself where I’m at today or doing what I’m doing but I couldn’t be any happier with my life.
13. I cannot wait until my wedding day. I’m not even engaged yet but I’m planning my wedding via Pinterest.
14. I went on my first airplane ride ever 3 weeks ago….& I’m 24.
15. My brother is my best friend. He’s had such a positive impact on my life. I think it’s only something him & I understand.
16. I love candles. At any given time, I have a candle burning in our apartment.
17. Up until this past October, I despised cats. I thought they were nasty, smelly little things. Then I got a kitten. I’ve been sold on them ever since. If you don’t like cats, I don’t like you.
18. I will always have nail polish on my toenails. Toes with no polish are so unattractive.
19. I have extremely dry feet. If I had the money, I would need a pedicure every 3 weeks. I get this from my dad as well & it’s something I’m very self-concsious of.
20. I’m a Mac kind of girl. This PC I have isn’t TERRIBLE but if I could afford it, everything I own would be Mac.

I’ve decided to do this because I feel you can learn a lot about a person by the answers they provide to these questions. So, I’ll answer them as I think about it, I guess. I’m sure it’ll take a day or a week, or even a month. But it’ll be fun. Anyway, here’s the list:


1. List 20 random facts about yourself.
2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.
3. Describe your relationship with your parents.
4. List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could.
5. What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?
6. What is the hardest thing you have ever experienced?
7. What is your dream job, and why?
8. What are 5 passions you have?
9. List 10 people who have influenced you and describe how.
10. Describe your most embarrasing moment.
11. Describe 10 pet peeves you have.
12. Describe a typical day in your current life.
13. Describe 5 weaknesses you have.
14. Describe 5 strengths you have.
15. If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
16. What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?
17. What is the thing you most wish you were great at?
18. What has been the most difficult thing you have had to forgive?
19. If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?
20. Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.
21. If you could have one superpower, what would it be and what would you do with it first?
22. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?
23. List your top 5 hobbies and why you love them.
24. Describe your family dynamic of your childhood vs. your family dynamic now.
25. If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat?

26. What popular notion do you think the world has most wrong?

27. What is your favorite part of your body and why?

28. What is your love language?

29. What do you think people misunderstand most about you?

30. List10 things you would hope to be remembered for.