tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67850569484794649652024-02-20T10:37:54.672-08:00me & my {beautiful} messLaurenLo{me}LoloLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13428311381631751348noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785056948479464965.post-79201734569169712762015-02-04T04:19:00.001-08:002015-02-04T04:19:54.424-08:00#WYA Day 1: {Hey Kiddo}<center>
#WYA</center>
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Hey Kiddo, </center>
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You know every time you hear someone your age calling you that, you raise your brow and get defensive but when someone older uses it, you grin a little. So here goes, kiddo, 23-year old me, a few things you don't want really want to hear from the 33-year old me. </center>
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Learn the art of NO in it's most simple, elegant, non-explanatory existence. It's not about letting someone else down or feeling like it won't get done if you're not there to slave over it, it's about you. It's about listening to your heart and your body and giving yourself a little bit of that time you're so willing to always give to someone else. One day when you grimace through exhausted eyes and a weary soul at the "selfish" people, you'll come to recognize that they aren't selfish, they're self-aware and they know how to practice the art of NO with grace and confidence. Say no, my dear, and say yes to yourself. </center>
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Stop working so much. Although your genuine passion for work far exceeds your good sense right now, one day you'll wonder what happened to a decade of weekends and dates gone by. There will be a handful of occasions you'll wish you didn't work your life through and there won't be enough money or rooms full of possessions that will make up for that time.</center>
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Speaking of passion, remember what makes your young heart beat. Music, words, writing, photography, powerful movies that highlight the beautiful parts of life. Don't get trapped in the mires of your everyday. Don't let the tragedy of this thing we call life paint a picture that is full of shadows. Let it go. Take off your headset and drown it out with words and life and sunlight and music and great food and lots of laughs. You're going to get off course, maybe not all the time, but sometimes you'll forget to come back to the middle. You won't get it now, but you'll get it after this great man is gone from the earth and you watch his work to understand why he will be so missed. <a href="http://youtu.be/aS1esgRV4Rc" target="_blank">This</a> is how you come back to the middle, young lady. </center>
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Let love in. Just do it. Let someone love you, and not just from a distance. Don't be afraid to get your heart broken. Put out of your mind that you could never date that kind of guy, or be that sort of girlfriend, or survive that kind of love. You'll box yourself in, you'll blind yourself to the perfect imperfections of the ones who might be the exact mirror you've been looking for. Don't forget to love yourself a little too. </center>
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Move your body. Dance, do yoga, run, sweat, bend, shift, gyrate, just shake it off. Someday in the future you'll find yourself shaking and sweating and wondering why you never thought you were strong enough to run in a relay or hold a pose or climb a steep hill, and you'll love it. Then you'll lose it and wonder if you'll ever recover from pushing your body too far and you'll realize that you forgot to say no and your body said it for you. It's a hard lesson, it's painful and it will drop you to your knees and keep you up at night, but the beauty of it all is that you can still move. And all it takes is to move little and then you can move big, but you'll never lose as long as you're still moving.</center>
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Move yourself, Love.</center>
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Find your sexy. Not your slutty. Not your sleazy. Not your trying too hard. Find your own version of sexy. It's not what you think it is. It's confidence. It's subtle. It's comfortable in your own skin. It's genuine. It's your shoulder peeping out your shirt. It's the way you bite your lip when you don't even know you're doing it. It's the way you grin and tilt your head with that telling stare. It's when something surprises you and you let that ever present guard down and that little squeak of surprise or fright comes out of the girl who is always prepped for the worst. Get comfortable with yourself. Get comfortable with the one body and face you were given in this lifetime. </center>
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You are more beautiful than you realize. Don't forget that. </center>
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PS - my dear sweet, you're 6 days late into this journey, but you're here. Welcome home. Welcome back to your keyboard and your 3am. </center>
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LaurenLo{me}LoloLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13428311381631751348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785056948479464965.post-14359665686355796112013-08-26T00:51:00.000-07:002013-08-26T00:51:08.730-07:00{bold}: a bio<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I don't know where to start. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My brain is on total overload. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I spent this weekend in a space overflowing with inspiration. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A Writing Workshop with by writing crush, <a href="http://www.alexandrafranzen.com/events/" target="_blank">Alexandra Franzen</a>.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I can't go into how the dots are connecting for me right now. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I don't think I even fully undertand it yet. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But what I can share and what I did complete for the weekend is this:</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">An updated definition of who I am. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is me, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.alexandrafranzen.com/2013/08/13/need-a-totally-profesh-sounding-bio/?s=mad+libs" target="_blank">Mad Libs</a> style: </span></center>
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<i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: start;">Make no mistakes, she's got some mojo a-workin', this girl.</i></center>
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<i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: start;">Just like her tattoos, she wears her heart on her sleeve.</i></center>
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<i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: start;">Lauren Coughlan believes:</i></center>
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<i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: start;"> that conversations should be fearless and questions should be bold. </i></center>
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<i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: start;">As a 911 operator, she's a full time chaos wrangler, but what you really should know... is that she's a writer who speaks from her heart and a photographer who believes in the beauty of a timeless image. Her work has been called honest and authentic.</i></center>
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<i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: start;">In her spare time, she can be found travelling the globe trying to quench her wanderlust, inhaling calm on her yoga mat, or wrestling with her adopted German Shepherd who every day makes her wonder who really rescued who? </i></center>
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<i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: start;">She invites you to be part of her crazy, beautiful life, </i></center>
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<i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: start;">so Go! Quick! Now! Find her at: me & my beautifulmess.blogspot.com </i></center>
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LaurenLo{me}LoloLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13428311381631751348noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785056948479464965.post-15843602843290976642013-05-29T03:10:00.001-07:002013-05-29T04:34:18.554-07:00I'll.{be}.there.for.you.<center>
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I have decided on a new bucket item list. </span></center>
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I want to be serenaded with emphasis.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I don't know when or where, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">but my life will not be complete </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">until I am the spotlight center of such an act.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1) without reservation</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2) both shame and pride checked at the door</span></center>
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I want to be wooed in song </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">melodically, audibly intoxicated with lyrics</span></center>
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{performer's blood alcohol content will not be questioned}</span></center>
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and I want it to be......an </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">epic</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> ballad</span></center>
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not just some run-of-the-mill love song</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">No.</span></center>
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if it doesn't have the potential for vocal strain </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and possible hamstring pulling theatrical song animation = no</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm talking about hair band style singing that makes you sweat </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">air guitar theatrics</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">raspy-throat-the-next-day-performing</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Adam Sandler Wedding Singer-esque</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">John-Cusack-style hold the speaker box of love up to the window sanging!!!!</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">
let's start with: </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">wait for it, wait for it...</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">
roll your windows up</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> beat the steering wheel like it's a drum set</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">pound.it.out and saaaaang!</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">guitar smashing</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">mic stand tossing</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">build to a crashing crescendo drum beat </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">kick the wind kind of song </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">shake the sweat out yo hair</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">ball your fists up and battle back the emotions</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">THIS is my MacDaddy of favorite love ballads</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">oh, Richie...</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">oh, Jon...</span></center>
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fist pump</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">chest bump</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">heart thump </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">sing it to me baby and put your back into it!!</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"I'll be there for you!</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">These five words I swear to you!</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When you breath, I wanna be the air for you!</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'll.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Be.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">whooooooooooooooooooa</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">oooooooooooooooooa</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">oooa</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">whooooooooooooa</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">oooooooo</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">oooooo </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">oooooooooooooooooo"</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">when I find my Mister, I'll make sure he knows about this</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">this may be part of a future nuptial agreement</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">this kind of performance at least once a year for all the years were together...</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">cause who can split apart when you have an epic love ballad karaoke promise?</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">no one.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">that's who.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><3</span></center>
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LaurenLo{me}LoloLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13428311381631751348noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785056948479464965.post-66696536391238189302013-05-22T01:58:00.002-07:002013-05-22T02:09:15.585-07:00{10} things that make me happy<center>
<span style="font-size: large;">Day 14: 10 things that make you really {Happy}</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">1. gummy bears</span></center>
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2. people watching in the airport </center>
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3. country music </center>
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4. THIS <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/lauren.coughlan?ref=tn_tnmn#!/pages/Rebelle-Law/263129150497614">dog</a></span>! I love her!!!</center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">5. Summer nights </span></center>
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<u>6. the <strong>{warm}</strong> sun on my skin</u></center>
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7. pleasant surprises </center>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">8. travelling </span></center>
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9. babies/kids laughing </center>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">10. roadtrips</span></center>
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<a href="http://storyofmylifetheblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/blog-every-day-in-may-challenge.html"><img border="0" src="http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m553/jennilu07/May200x200_zpsf8349f10.png" /></a></center>
LaurenLo{me}LoloLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13428311381631751348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785056948479464965.post-26649531563039376982013-05-21T23:14:00.000-07:002013-05-21T23:15:04.830-07:00it's just {stuff}<center>
It's all just stuff. </center>
<center>
I found myself having a pity party this weekend.</center>
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Listening to my dog's look-at-me-Ma barks and my footsteps echo of the walls in the empty room.</center>
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Looking around wondering how I accumulated all the stuff that fills up my house. </center>
<center>
My house.</center>
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Wondering why it matters that I continue to work to maintain a house that I keep just for me. </center>
<center>
Trying to figure out what to do next and how I get to my Dreamland that seems so far away. </center>
<center>
And then Oklahoma happens and I see it all in it's turbulence, strewn all around in heaps and unrecognizable piles on the street, places that used to be homes and havents. </center>
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And then I realize that it's all just stuff. </center>
<center>
A bunch of stuff. </center>
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And it's not that important. </center>
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It really isn't.</center>
<center>
So the people and the relationships...yeah those:</center>
<center>
That's what's going to get me to my Dreamland. </center>
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A harsh reminder that we're all we've got and we're in this together. </center>
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</center>
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God be with Oklahoma.</center>
<center>
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/253/0F2C7BB8501F4A5CC2944C1BC43A29D8.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a> </center>
LaurenLo{me}LoloLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13428311381631751348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785056948479464965.post-15755274436188390192013-05-04T00:39:00.004-07:002013-05-21T23:15:17.612-07:00throw off the {bowlines}<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Blog everyday, blog everyday in Maaaaaaay! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ok, here's the deal. I'm starting on Day 4. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Why? Cause that's where' I'm jumping in. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Life has me busy, yo!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I'll catch up. Promise {pinky swear}. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">One of my favorite quotes {and oh how I love quotes!!!} is this one: </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do </em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>an by the ones you did do. </em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>So throw off the bowlines. </em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Sail away from the safe harbor. </em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Catch the trade winds in your sails. </em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Explore. </em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Dream. </em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Discover. </em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">~ Mark Twain </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Keep dreaming my friends!!!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<center>
<a href="http://storyofmylifetheblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/blog-every-day-in-may-challenge.html"><img border="0" src="http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m553/jennilu07/May200x200_zpsf8349f10.png" /></a></center>
<center>
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/253/0F2C7BB8501F4A5CC2944C1BC43A29D8.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a> </center>
LaurenLo{me}LoloLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13428311381631751348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785056948479464965.post-25909658050929372182013-04-14T21:24:00.004-07:002013-04-14T21:27:49.603-07:00#Relentless<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I signed up. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Enough thinking.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Time to train. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The agreement:</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We go as slow as the slowest team member.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We work as a team.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Even if it takes us 9 hours, we will all finish. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We will be relentless. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></center>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEI9WXIaeSucGYrFaQR-phoRBywRMk4Bt1LoyECqFiNx0KBVop_UhAQ05stmdHZ1H_-olMhmUbp1nkpLrGFHUJPrSiNNUsmSUs29Y_zLDj1bEoxBln3_gZt8bOr5pXLOuHa2GyPugE0f8/s640/blogger-image--789344270.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEI9WXIaeSucGYrFaQR-phoRBywRMk4Bt1LoyECqFiNx0KBVop_UhAQ05stmdHZ1H_-olMhmUbp1nkpLrGFHUJPrSiNNUsmSUs29Y_zLDj1bEoxBln3_gZt8bOr5pXLOuHa2GyPugE0f8/s400/blogger-image--789344270.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This thing was created by the British Forces, huh? </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Well, I've spent enough time telling cops where to go for a living.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Time to pony up, show up, and shut up. </span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'll be the girl covered in water and mud, sucking down air and dust</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">determined look in her eye and a smile that says "it hurts, but it's not the boss of me."</span></center>
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<br />
</center>
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<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Through ice, fire, mud, water, electric shock...</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">look for #TeamRelentless this September in Tahoe.</span></center>
</center>
<center>
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/253/0F2C7BB8501F4A5CC2944C1BC43A29D8.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a></center>
LaurenLo{me}LoloLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13428311381631751348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785056948479464965.post-23718747099297983442013-04-06T02:16:00.000-07:002013-04-06T02:16:01.494-07:00I {need} to<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">SuperHero name tags stuck to my fingers</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the room smells like glue</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">YouTube play lists fill the room with melodies</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> and...memories that are still sharp as a knife</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">too many weeks of silence </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A pile of scraps keeps gathering at my feet</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">a mess</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">a {beautiful} mess...gathering on the floor beneath me</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">this humming gets a little louder with <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3VjaCy5gck&feature=share&list=FLBALEpNZxu4029m_A9Izevw">every.single.song</a></span></center>
<center>
<br /></center>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgog2dAd1-DoPXo7d6t4vfvB8__CgdYxAzmF_pT__GsFp_AnyvycSKYZgYEUPf_Y42LmZlHqqy3zuLoA7PbYxjiladXOesWf5tDL_JmM17lv0kWLzvruQv4yoJNbFUqR5t3Fxdj61W1bwU/s640/blogger-image-1274688221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgog2dAd1-DoPXo7d6t4vfvB8__CgdYxAzmF_pT__GsFp_AnyvycSKYZgYEUPf_Y42LmZlHqqy3zuLoA7PbYxjiladXOesWf5tDL_JmM17lv0kWLzvruQv4yoJNbFUqR5t3Fxdj61W1bwU/s400/blogger-image-1274688221.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
</center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's almost 2am and I'm safe, here in my cocoon</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">safe in the walls that I call home</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the same walls where I grew up</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">gloriously alone has been exactly what I needed this last year and a half </span></center>
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<br />
</center>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipvr3tkY5kFCSZOXnkFpVjALLOwhx_5Gie-rc9zoixnG75ZbIVhXeB30jpkMJR_k1QA007XOdS3fSYEZEAsn8iAYVmzjycQo8W-vuTYaKvYAF_Y4BtRmmnObffGYV-er-rzPnph9sK1E/s640/blogger-image--382578169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipvr3tkY5kFCSZOXnkFpVjALLOwhx_5Gie-rc9zoixnG75ZbIVhXeB30jpkMJR_k1QA007XOdS3fSYEZEAsn8iAYVmzjycQo8W-vuTYaKvYAF_Y4BtRmmnObffGYV-er-rzPnph9sK1E/s400/blogger-image--382578169.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I need to create</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I need to hear</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I need to feel</span></center>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/253/0F2C7BB8501F4A5CC2944C1BC43A29D8.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a></center>
LaurenLo{me}LoloLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13428311381631751348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785056948479464965.post-76318773343788848982013-03-30T01:26:00.000-07:002013-03-30T01:26:31.822-07:00one {step} at a time<center>
<h1 class="quoteText" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; </span></h1>
<h1 class="quoteText" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">just never give up."<span style="line-height: 18px;">― </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/50342.Dean_Karnazes" style="color: #666600; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Dean Karnazes</a></span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Exactly a year ago tonight, I was preparing for my first ever 5K.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Fitness, on most levels, has never really been my strong suit. </span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In fact, I went to see a military recruiter just out of high school </span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and after they told me that I needed to loose 20 lbs and start running, </span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I decided I was out. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Just like that. </span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Done-zo. </span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">No military career for this gal cause she was too attached to her baby fat.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I always had an excuse: </span></center>
<center>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"I'll do a 5k when I lose 10 lbs"</span></i></center>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"I don't have the lung capacity" </span></i></center>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"I don't want my junk jiggling all over the place in public"</span></i></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">#drama #liesItoldmyself</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then one day last year, my BFF from work and I decided we'd enter a group mud run</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and we'd train with a local 5K in a regional park a few weeks before. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span></center>
<center>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_HsR0jTou9zB9h9puyrq0rO-EunI8KFnXaUoWG9UAPzZiN53nanppfGDaRkzELvGuXUrzhbWqVWYfZsF2pbKtBr2HJZtgd16RKfFZbKLNc0gHOIpKCBDQ0SA6SRitzOjEYM4uvZtkA8/s640/blogger-image--1040629262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_HsR0jTou9zB9h9puyrq0rO-EunI8KFnXaUoWG9UAPzZiN53nanppfGDaRkzELvGuXUrzhbWqVWYfZsF2pbKtBr2HJZtgd16RKfFZbKLNc0gHOIpKCBDQ0SA6SRitzOjEYM4uvZtkA8/s320/blogger-image--1040629262.jpg" width="212" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our "easy" run, our first 5k, the "training run" on the trials we thought we knew </span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">was the slipperiest, slidiest, messiest, muddiest adventure I had to date. When the torrential downpour would let up a few minutes at at time, we'd look at each other and just laugh and shake our heads. We paid to do this?!</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It seemed like a cold rain soaked, wind blown, mud slung forever to the finish line</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">but when I got there, to the end, more rewarding than the water or the bagels or the shelter or even the cool finishers medal, </span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> was my sense of accomplishment, my long sought after to-do checked of my fitness bucket list .</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">
</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A 5K a couple of years ago might as well have been climbing Mount Everest. </span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today, it is quite literally a walk in the park.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yeah, I still can't run the entire thing without having to stop and walk for a while.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My thighs are still chubby and they still rub together.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I still feel like hell for about a week after the long runs. </span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But ya know, I earned my right to call myself a runner.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></center>
</center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span></center>
<center>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78jxLltlndP9rV3GMGZwf3WZEsYoraUz4L3cQCgalsir5S64b2pXS5WIkd1Qjrp21k-VkwXAhM5GhmvuTvdkzCxqYT8Qvi5ld_ea0csK9nK4py_VFv7P2PWe9FND-H1WQ2LsL4CyHj48/s640/blogger-image--671418801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78jxLltlndP9rV3GMGZwf3WZEsYoraUz4L3cQCgalsir5S64b2pXS5WIkd1Qjrp21k-VkwXAhM5GhmvuTvdkzCxqYT8Qvi5ld_ea0csK9nK4py_VFv7P2PWe9FND-H1WQ2LsL4CyHj48/s320/blogger-image--671418801.jpg" width="213" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tomorrow, I will do my 10th organized run in a year.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the last year, I've run down 10Ks, 8 mile trail runs through the mountains, </span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and now I've got my eye set on a half-marathon and Tough Mudder. </span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Things I thought I'd never do. </span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I just had to go back to basics and do like Nike is always saying.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I just had to put one foot in front of the other. </span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Even if I had to say it in my head with each one, </span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I just had to take it one step at a time.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mind over matter over mud, </span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I just had to do it. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Running & small goals like a 5K a month at a time remind me that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span></center>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/253/0F2C7BB8501F4A5CC2944C1BC43A29D8.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a></center>
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LaurenLo{me}LoloLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13428311381631751348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785056948479464965.post-87287317883386167012013-03-19T16:03:00.001-07:002013-03-19T16:03:36.119-07:00Do the {brave} thingDo the scary thing. <br />
<br />
The one that seems impossible. <br />
<br />
Be brave. <br />
<br />
Start over. <br />
<br />
I'm In traffic south bound I-59, downtown Houston on my left & the exit for Galveston in my right. <br />
<br />
Home? No. <br />
<br />
It never pulls me back when I'm here in this part of the country. <br />
<br />
The run-away beat is always a little louder in this humid air. <br />
<br />
Spread your wings & fly.<br />
<br />
<br />
LaurenLo{me}LoloLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13428311381631751348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785056948479464965.post-17236206022110171232013-02-26T14:22:00.000-08:002013-02-26T16:12:31.567-08:00{goats}<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It's been like years since I've linked up to anything.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ok..maybe just months.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Heck, I can't even get to blogging regularly anymore</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">but...</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I had to share the joy of my day. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The absolute joy of my day.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> My week really. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Goats.screaming.like.humans. </span></center>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PpccpglnNf0" width="560"></iframe> </center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">and then...this happened.</span></center>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/w0CdXaOS5_o" width="560"></iframe></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">and then...this happened. </span></center>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/48QYrEv3P7U" width="560"></iframe></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">and then I cried tears. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> </center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">My work here is done. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> </center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Happy Tuesday!!!</span></center>
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<a href="http://www.thelifeofanotsoordinarywife.com/search/label/gfcbloghop" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z237/melissaenault/gfcbloghop-1.gif" /></a></div>
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<center>
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/253/0F2C7BB8501F4A5CC2944C1BC43A29D8.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a> </center>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Post-edit, I have to add one more. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I have now nearly pissed myself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">There is no end. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ybZ79KMKcVA" width="560"></iframe></center>
LaurenLo{me}LoloLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13428311381631751348noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785056948479464965.post-39110890386732431362013-01-29T17:03:00.002-08:002013-01-29T17:03:51.319-08:00dream a {new} dream<center>
Why am I battling with myself to post something already? </center>
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Where did these lame self-imposed restrictions come from that I have to be </center>
<center>
planned, polished, spell-checked, or scheduled before I can write about my life? </center>
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What is going on? </center>
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Well, I'll tell you real quick like. </center>
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I'm sitting here bored with my life <span style="font-size: x-small;">(I know, how ungrateful!)</span> planning my something/anything months in advance </center>
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but equally despising that it's already nearly the end of January and the year is ticking away. </center>
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Tick-tock, tick-tock. </center>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">{I might also be despising that I'll be 32 in a few short months.}</span></center>
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<div style="line-height: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px;">
<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/209558188883199043/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://media-cache-ec6.pinterest.com/550/b7/80/94/b78094d496707f5d9fabfeefb4b819f2.jpg" width="324" /></a></div>
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<div style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px;">
Source: <a href="http://colorflystudio.blogspot.com/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">colorflystudio.blogspot.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/lauren_coughlan/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Lauren</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
</div>
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I'm currently surrounded by paperwork...a mass of paperwork. </center>
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</center>
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~ Enrollment for an Dispatch Academy Instructor Course which...yes, I want to become an instructor - </center>
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I have years of experience, I have stories to tell, I still have passion for what I do. </center>
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~ Education reimbursement forms to get paid (yes, paid!) to complete my BS in Business/Marketing</center>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(do you suppose I've completed any homework that I can get handsomely paid to complete?</span></center>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">No.)</span></center>
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~ Tax paperwork (show me the monay!)</center>
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<em>~ Customer Service</em> homework</center>
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</center>
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& the humdinger: </center>
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<a href="http://www.daniellelaporte.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Authentic-Dreaming-Worksheet.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">The Authentic Dreaming Worksheet </span></a></center>
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An excerpt or two: </center>
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<em>"...but what if your dreams are to live simply?"</em></center>
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<em>"You cannot stop dreaming. You must, you must, you simply must dream a new dream."</em></center>
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</center>
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My computer has a slew of open tabs, </center>
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I can't decide if I want to cook or travel or create or go to yoga...</center>
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I want to do them all. </center>
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</center>
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I just know that I'm again in this spot where I feel like I am:</center>
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</center>
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1) on the verge of tears</center>
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2) on the verge of a breakthrough</center>
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3) on the verge of a genius/epiphany</center>
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4) on the verge of a long nap </center>
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</center>
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This is comfortable and unfamiliar at the same time. </center>
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</center>
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This {<a href="http://youtu.be/EajrbieKxwo" target="_blank">tune</a>} has been humming in my head all day long </center>
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& then, just on cue, a good friend sent me this: </center>
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</center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1m0OIZDZjqcPhSWh9TRV9erGUptC64ySI8MIABuEpHubSBnX7zlyrlZC-JSaTDNpluxVB4FxKrpfR8xVG4j4GVZXM9ZCI3gL5cqt6eJSZ_kXFN6opoix-36OS8h6LVUcNs37e4AI74mE/s640/blogger-image-474806544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1m0OIZDZjqcPhSWh9TRV9erGUptC64ySI8MIABuEpHubSBnX7zlyrlZC-JSaTDNpluxVB4FxKrpfR8xVG4j4GVZXM9ZCI3gL5cqt6eJSZ_kXFN6opoix-36OS8h6LVUcNs37e4AI74mE/s400/blogger-image-474806544.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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</center>
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& what, in the hell, Lauren, do cowboy tunes have to do with anything? </center>
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</center>
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Well...everything. </center>
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Every damn thing, because the slew of paperwork, the maxed calendar of events, </center>
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the travel miles, and the A.D.D. brain are just a cover up for that {simple} that I dream of.</center>
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</center>
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My dreams are not outlandish.</center>
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They're way more country than rock and roll.</center>
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They're simple. </center>
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</center>
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I'd "settle" for a cowboy, a little piece or land, some plants to water,</center>
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some animals to feed, some little ones to plan my week around, an little studio to get lost in where creatvity bursts all over the walls onto cards and canvas and into journals.</center>
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I would. </center>
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I could.</center>
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I want to. </center>
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</center>
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I can plan and stack and sort through the paperwork of my reality all I want to, but when it all boils down, my dreams are my dreams and there's no escaping that they're not going anywhere, anytime soon. </center>
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</center>
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{*sigh*}</center>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/253/0F2C7BB8501F4A5CC2944C1BC43A29D8.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a></center>
LaurenLo{me}LoloLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13428311381631751348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785056948479464965.post-25189690116099036012013-01-05T23:48:00.000-08:002013-01-06T01:40:27.002-08:00{400} Oak Trees: what my dreams are made of <center>
Well, it is really no secret that I've had quite the long standing love affair with the South. </center>
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Say...since I was 12 years old and read through <em>Gone with the Wind</em> one Summer like it was a nursery rhyme. </center>
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A really long, petulent nursery rhyme.</center>
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</center>
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Fast forward to Nicholas Sparks and every novel he's ever written </center>
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and every movie that's ever been translated to a screenplay and well there you have it.</center>
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This place {collective deep sigh}: </center>
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</center>
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<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/157344580701525909/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="369" src="http://media-cache-ec3.pinterest.com/upload/157344580701525909_tIN23biR_c.jpg" width="554" /></a></center>
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<div style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px;">
Source: <a href="http://www.blogger.com/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">Uploaded by user</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/javanhove/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Jessica</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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The <a href="http://www.gastateparks.org/Wormsloe" target="_blank">Wormsloe Plantation</a> in Savannah, GA. </center>
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It was on my travel bucket list when I went to visit, oh a year and half ago, </center>
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but...I never made it. </center>
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I half suspect that I had to keep something still on the list so that I'd have a good reason to go back again. </center>
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I think that in this year that I've declared to be one where I get back to what makes me think and dream and feel free again </center>
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- the one that feels authentically me again, travel is a must. </center>
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I must go see this beautiful place that haunts my happy thoughts. </center>
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</center>
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You see, in the movie version of my life, I live in a place like this. </center>
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My driveway has 400 sentinel oak trees that welcome me home every day </center>
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and an army of 400,000 crickets that lull me to sleep every night.</center>
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</center>
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The only thing that could make this better is if I was at home</center>
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watching these movies next to my fireplace while listening to the rain beat down on my tin roof.</center>
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</center>
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Be still my mossy oak tree driveway lined, balmy weather, accent lovin' heart. </center>
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Be still. It's coming all in due time. </center>
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</center>
<center>
<3</center>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/253/0F2C7BB8501F4A5CC2944C1BC43A29D8.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a> </center>
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This blog post was brought you you courtesty of: </center>
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the ABC Family channel and their full night of Nicholas Sparks-esq movies. </center>
</center>
LaurenLo{me}LoloLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13428311381631751348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785056948479464965.post-91558410453522716542012-12-29T20:54:00.000-08:002012-12-29T20:54:42.789-08:00every day is a {new} blank page <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">My last day of work in this long work week. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A venti latte with an extra shot. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A mind full of ideas. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A heart full of desires.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Feeling nostalgic yet resolute, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">void of deadlines or numbers, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">with my pen to the paper and no chances to second guess</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I made a list.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuMbDtOUXe8uH-yqCj2OSVsUKlIvfwgNk9ogiWZQnIRi0gJ2Do0o0m_mfsMAvFySWW3osVtbaYY7IB-0BA71qpdyya5X81PPoThSRaIJeJTk-xHAqe4k2KcVkB5av8pgQ6-J4D7e-tUWI/s640/blogger-image-947118722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuMbDtOUXe8uH-yqCj2OSVsUKlIvfwgNk9ogiWZQnIRi0gJ2Do0o0m_mfsMAvFySWW3osVtbaYY7IB-0BA71qpdyya5X81PPoThSRaIJeJTk-xHAqe4k2KcVkB5av8pgQ6-J4D7e-tUWI/s400/blogger-image-947118722.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Be good</span> to my body.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Be kind to my <span style="font-size: large;">heart</span>. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Pray </span>(daily) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Write (often & <span style="font-size: large;">honestly</span>)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Smile </span>(more)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Create</span> (beauty)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Be<span style="font-size: large;"> thankful </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">&</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Remember that <span style="font-size: large;">every day is a new blank page</span> in the story that is my life. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Each new page cannot exist without the one before it. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">to <a href="http://meandmybeautifulmess.blogspot.com/2012/08/i-am-just-me.html" target="_blank">me</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">to you</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">to a new year</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<center>
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/253/0F2C7BB8501F4A5CC2944C1BC43A29D8.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a> </center>
LaurenLo{me}LoloLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13428311381631751348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785056948479464965.post-37920972561973005112012-11-26T00:37:00.000-08:002012-11-26T00:38:28.639-08:00Spread {your} wings<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Creativity has finally bled out of my hands. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's been bottled up inside by something, I can't say what, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">but it refused to be grounded tonight. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I love this piece!</span></div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE2GmZbZoPAiJ9RXj4LK0xPIAxJQmFC_vSNytX300sRJKPCy8JVQtJu1nn8zFSmygyDtzOVmo20xZXQBz5Am_rDqJkCWiO5ikLW7idSJ1TdbJT8rzV3Ed1h-_tSMex0u6ww4sSGsj9caI/s640/blogger-image-1882323378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE2GmZbZoPAiJ9RXj4LK0xPIAxJQmFC_vSNytX300sRJKPCy8JVQtJu1nn8zFSmygyDtzOVmo20xZXQBz5Am_rDqJkCWiO5ikLW7idSJ1TdbJT8rzV3Ed1h-_tSMex0u6ww4sSGsj9caI/s640/blogger-image-1882323378.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">1. Spread your wings</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">2. Fly</span></div>
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(Ledge optional)</div>
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~ Lauren </div>
LaurenLo{me}LoloLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13428311381631751348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785056948479464965.post-37030668480671839662012-11-16T17:57:00.001-08:002012-11-16T17:57:14.525-08:00Dear {me}<center>
Dear Friday, I have about 3 minutes to write this before I have to get ready for dinner in Downtown Disney, catered by our law firm, the annual appreciation dinner for the conference of the largest employee union in the United States. This is not to tout my privileged but to mark the occasion. Good, bad, or indifferent, this is my reality. Right now, today, this night, and this weekend. This is my life and I swear, I am trying my hardest to live IN it and not in the what-ifs of the past or the fears and question marks of the future. It's not as glamorous as it sounds but I'm here for a reason.</center>
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Dear Cinderella, Pluto, Sully, Mater, Jessie, and a few other friends, thanks for taking pictures with me. I am just a big kid at heart. Characters are meant to be in pictures often and always.</center>
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Dear Southwest Airlines, thanks for the incredible sale and for getting me to Salt Lake City in January. Just so you know, I titled the itinerary The World Is Your Stage. </center>
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Dear Jake Owen, keep playin', you have a permanent spot on the soundtrack of my dreams.</center>
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Dear Me, stop thinking about everything so hard. </center>
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Dear Lord, just keep listening cause I need to keep talking to you. I have a lot of questions and a lot of worry that I just can't seem to get rid of. </center>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/253/0F2C7BB8501F4A5CC2944C1BC43A29D8.png" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px !important;" /></a>
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LaurenLo{me}LoloLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13428311381631751348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785056948479464965.post-88964973811560534552012-11-03T04:52:00.003-07:002012-11-03T04:54:53.015-07:00Dear Friday {Life Goes On}<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Dear Friday, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Where do I start? </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(sigh)</span></i></div>
</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I don't know what's wrong with me, I hear this blog calling me and I have things to say but there's some </span>defiant little self-sabotaging brat that keeps coming along and kicking me in the literary shins. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiOs-mdj1tugpRSOqN48cBLBRbxAmR00hnBm4m5VE2W43ETeC5q4PtwU3swsW4c9adLKNfhIRqOst08d9UiMRwcr8R-r7TLCxBtVYMrKXE3ntcjmUuTtT0ATR1NeoI-IjgyYfxCEuysEA/s1600/blogger-image--1292514532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiOs-mdj1tugpRSOqN48cBLBRbxAmR00hnBm4m5VE2W43ETeC5q4PtwU3swsW4c9adLKNfhIRqOst08d9UiMRwcr8R-r7TLCxBtVYMrKXE3ntcjmUuTtT0ATR1NeoI-IjgyYfxCEuysEA/s400/blogger-image--1292514532.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I'm not any closer to choosing a new direction. </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">
I have this tick-tock calling of something (what?!)</div>
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">
something new that keeps nagging at me. </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">
I wake up dreaming of a life other than the one I'm living in...</div>
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">
But I'm in the life that I'm in right now, </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">
in the time that I'm in right now, </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">
in the place that I'm in right now</div>
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">
for a <span style="font-size: large;">reason </span>right now. </div>
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Trust the journey. Isn't that what <i>they</i> say? </div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Who the heck are they anyways?)</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Earlier this week, I googled "the best decision I've ever made" </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and it gave me <a href="http://www.alexandrafranzen.com/2012/01/05/the-best-decisions-i-ever-made-and-why-i-made-them/" target="_blank">this answer</a>. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A <span style="font-size: large;">literary spunkarella </span>that drew me in with her creative prowess. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hooked. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I emailed her. I know she's part of my journey somehow. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What did I tell her? </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That I feel like I'm not even at a fork in the road. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm at a 20-lane intersection, clear of traffic, and green lights in all directions. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Standing there, directionless, the world at my feet</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">but with an uncalibrated compass in one hand </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and the map from the glove box of the Griswold family station wagon in the other. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I feel like there's no cohesion, no lines, no boundaries, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and the expectations are blurry. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yeah. Blurry. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm having a hard time focusing. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Even now, it's not even Friday still in some parts of the country. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hell for that matter, in some parts of the country there aren't even lights or heat or comfort. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I can't even get the Dear Friday letter in on time. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Those are my thoughts, but what's happening in my life? </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Well, one thing that is most than and more than worthy of mentioning.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've written about it before, but I thought I'd have more time to prepare my thoughts. </span></center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTwm0_NM4XuKiHlTVuhtVASft2ynx5RfeRGHouXt-8sRqWuMvsarG-bPp1M15ShaUwRbsMKi43ZHy2afQJzyxbBpBRjMF-3w0ADJp5FJAncHzE8RB0VS7WijPqwgtdPcOqMZwlPWqczI/s1600/blogger-image-241179096.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTwm0_NM4XuKiHlTVuhtVASft2ynx5RfeRGHouXt-8sRqWuMvsarG-bPp1M15ShaUwRbsMKi43ZHy2afQJzyxbBpBRjMF-3w0ADJp5FJAncHzE8RB0VS7WijPqwgtdPcOqMZwlPWqczI/s400/blogger-image-241179096.jpg" width="265" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">LAST Friday, when I was going to reintroduce myself to this weekly, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">a text message pulled/ripped/yanked me out of bed after just one hour of sleep.</span></center>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Uncle Mickey passed away at 827 this morning. </span></i></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Whaaat?! </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">They said <a href="http://meandmybeautifulmess.blogspot.com/2012/08/8-fears.html" target="_blank">3-6 months</a>.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We had what? 8 weeks? </span></center>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He was just at lunch yesterday.</span></i></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I didn't go. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I thought I could just see him the coming weekend. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I called him the afternoon before to tell him that I'd see him soon. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He didn't answer. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The events of that day are imprinted on my mind and in my heart. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The scene that replayed itself every time another family member arrived to say their goodbye. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That's a blog with a it's very own blood shot, tear stained, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">big & beating emotional heart. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In my family, we have a strong Christian faith. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We believe in the Lord God and in eternal life. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We mourn for our missing of one of the best </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">brothers, uncles, fathers, friends you could imagine </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">but we don't fall into sorrow worrying about his soul. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We prayed he would go before the pain set in and made his last days agonizing.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our prayers were answered. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It was quick and merciful. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So...death is a part of life. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And life goes on. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My week went on this week.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Uncle Mick was one of my biggest cheerleaders, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">so I didn't let him down.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I did my monthly run, a 5K at Folsom Lake. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My first significant activity on my bum knee. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I made it - wet, sandy, muddy, slow, and lopsided, but I made it </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and earned my favorite finisher's medal to date.</span></center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1LY4teAoCiBFS2FCgSMrcZvPsjawfB_qlfLfc8wqgtuLHyBE19VztO3gsqw7xHSJgrjjDDHYjYZC79xfslylgPA5nXXypjVZZWmOHr0EHE1sZn74sxen7lFdbxEHRLRvOm9YDJ54HGM/s640/blogger-image-237028318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1LY4teAoCiBFS2FCgSMrcZvPsjawfB_qlfLfc8wqgtuLHyBE19VztO3gsqw7xHSJgrjjDDHYjYZC79xfslylgPA5nXXypjVZZWmOHr0EHE1sZn74sxen7lFdbxEHRLRvOm9YDJ54HGM/s400/blogger-image-237028318.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Wednesday was Halloween, I busted out a creative makeup muscle</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">...and I handed out 1,000 coloring books, 1,400 balloons, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and buckets of candy downtown.</span></center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2j7TCMM6zs0E5WHItm95UEguy8KDATrnLzWWAmdL_iBof5BEOcBY-05O-MdGB-3Sp-RPtkb1erq4xH07Mbu-jWjW_iafo73-41XDQTh5-jwhtfD4htnhbGMZU0v4Fjz1IQGoR2FU0nQ/s640/blogger-image--44216861.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2j7TCMM6zs0E5WHItm95UEguy8KDATrnLzWWAmdL_iBof5BEOcBY-05O-MdGB-3Sp-RPtkb1erq4xH07Mbu-jWjW_iafo73-41XDQTh5-jwhtfD4htnhbGMZU0v4Fjz1IQGoR2FU0nQ/s640/blogger-image--44216861.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then I got a pretty rad, awesome, compliment yesterday. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yeah, I said rad and I said awesome!</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Psyche!</span></center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-RBG-m246rwI7Chyphenhyphenu-Jj8WCMrbuHmxX4fXfKsLE97eEA8MVutRY9shYprxChNht4a_yZ7mqelXiEEU9zlZLnAGJJxo4GoFS2QCviA_Z0MjeFs5lzRBYDNNvTKsDtOmd6jAGWTJnUOw8I/s640/blogger-image-1497779419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-RBG-m246rwI7Chyphenhyphenu-Jj8WCMrbuHmxX4fXfKsLE97eEA8MVutRY9shYprxChNht4a_yZ7mqelXiEEU9zlZLnAGJJxo4GoFS2QCviA_Z0MjeFs5lzRBYDNNvTKsDtOmd6jAGWTJnUOw8I/s320/blogger-image-1497779419.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Next Friday is the service.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Next Friday may or may not be an entirely different blog. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">However, next Friday will be further proof that life just goes on. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Til then...</span></center>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/253/0F2C7BB8501F4A5CC2944C1BC43A29D8.png" style="border: 0px !important;" /></a></center>
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<a href="http://comeoneileen86.blogspot.com/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" height="200" src="http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee391/ashleyjps2326/fridaysletters.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
LaurenLo{me}LoloLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13428311381631751348noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785056948479464965.post-29098471172788754842012-10-20T19:22:00.001-07:002012-11-01T03:09:52.187-07:00a {rebel} without a blog <center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Hi.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I'm back.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I went away for a little while. </span></center>
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<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">(like 6 weeks awhile)</span></em></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I do this sometimes. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I'm OK. Really. I am. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I just got a little behind with the self-imposed writing deadlines and weeklies, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">and then I got busy, and then I went on vacation, and, and, and...</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I can't lie, I felt an uncomfortable amount pressure to keep this blog up and I didn't like it. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I <span style="color: red; font-size: large;">love</span> to write. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I do. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I love to converse, text, talk, read, watch, listen...share.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Right now though...I'm kind of <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<em>fill in the blank</em>)</span></span></center>
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<u><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> pensive.</span></u></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> </center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Yeah, that's the word. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> </center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I'm in such a different place in my life and in my head than I was last time this year. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">But, there are so many things on my plate, so many pressures that <em>have</em> to be met: </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">work, bills, fitness, family obligations, speed limits</span> when there's a really damn good fast song on!</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I just can't get out of some of those, so I went and got out of the one that I could control. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> </center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I could stop writing. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I have power over that. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Yeah, I think<i> not </i>writing has been my rebellion. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Does that make sense at all? </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I became a rebel without a blog. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> </center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">All the while, the that tiny small voice was telling me: </span></center>
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<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Why are you giving up the one thing you really love? </span></em></center>
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<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">It's your outlet. </span></em></center>
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<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">You know how you get when you bottle it all up inside. </span></em></center>
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></em><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">
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<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-sYClrv_QO4VGEZy6nPPfGY0yRXoPWJSZFNGEiaFj1Iu1nzPGPDxpU7XmOI_lvuWjElR3mxxB2ZAa4YSRIzPaKeKOOr28nXll-5FojgERnOty3XtVDa_1VHMzaUIahr5u27c6_NtRVM/s1600/blogger-image--300774344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-sYClrv_QO4VGEZy6nPPfGY0yRXoPWJSZFNGEiaFj1Iu1nzPGPDxpU7XmOI_lvuWjElR3mxxB2ZAa4YSRIzPaKeKOOr28nXll-5FojgERnOty3XtVDa_1VHMzaUIahr5u27c6_NtRVM/s400/blogger-image--300774344.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">{my kitchen blackboard and love notes to myself}</span></td></tr>
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</span></em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Getting back here hasn't been as easy as I thought. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It should be like riding a bike, just get back on, right? </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">That's what they say at least. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I had to do a little bit of convincing. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I had to romance myself with little sweet notes and reminders. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I had to imagine that I needed inspiration to post something again. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">But really...I didn't have to do anything. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I just had to sit down and start again.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></em></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So right now I'm liking the creative fury of my fingers dancing on this keyboard.<br />It's a familiar melody that needs to be played more often. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Getting back on the writing saddle is like anything else. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Showing up is half the battle but look, I'm already winning that one.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I'm here. I showed up. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I just gotta set some new rules so I don't find my way back to blank again. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Or maybe I don't need rules, I just need some Hemingway: </span></center>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="huge"><em>There is nothing to writing. </em></span></span></center>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><em><span class="huge">All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.</span> </em><span class="bodybold"></span></span></center>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="bodybold"><a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/e/ernesthemi384744.html">Ernest Hemingway</a> </span></span></center>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><3</span></center>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/253/0F2C7BB8501F4A5CC2944C1BC43A29D8.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqVfcv_KKrLhGF0WCZjIN1U8iFnPAktgX9eye969yPcyGgjWhHUvBQRgC6dvNlA7pLLQYEF5Sp9L3_t7iUdjxbDZV7x5BxpNuqZiukQzCjePyOxrhcMaltKiJHixmGs6Gpjwt88Z1-JPM/s640/blogger-image--1805018886.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqVfcv_KKrLhGF0WCZjIN1U8iFnPAktgX9eye969yPcyGgjWhHUvBQRgC6dvNlA7pLLQYEF5Sp9L3_t7iUdjxbDZV7x5BxpNuqZiukQzCjePyOxrhcMaltKiJHixmGs6Gpjwt88Z1-JPM/s400/blogger-image--1805018886.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{Hi, I'm back.}</td></tr>
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LaurenLo{me}LoloLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13428311381631751348noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785056948479464965.post-58384016300337072162012-09-08T03:31:00.002-07:002012-09-08T03:36:28.600-07:00coffee date: {grateful}<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's been a while since I've linked up with </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Alissa @ </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://ragstostitchesblog.com/coffee-date-friday-2/" target="_blank">Rags to Stiches</a> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">for a coffee date, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">but I'm totally in a fall coffee kind of mood and I want to share today.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Over a venti<span style="color: orange; font-size: large;"> Pumpkin Spice Latte</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(my favorite coffee ever! oh my be still my beating heart!!!)</span></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'd tell you: </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I did the math last night and realized that I am working a <span style="font-size: large;">70-hour </span>work week this week. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's kind of a hazy blur, and yeah it's a lot of crazy hours, but I'm managing OK. <br />It'll make my weekend that much sweeter when it finally gets here.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'd tell you that in what down time I had this week:</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've caught up with old friends in email and text, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">checked a few things off my to-do list</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">(like renting a textbook for my new major in <i>Business Marketing:</i></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"> back to school after 10 years of this full time+ career and I'm excited!)</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">read some great new blogs, made myself a blog button, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and finally caught up on my She Reads Truth Proverbs Daily. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></center>
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<a href="http://shereadstruth.com/" target="_blank">
<img alt="SheReadsTruth" height="200" src="http://raechelmyers.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/shereadstruth300.jpg" width="200" />
</a>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'd share that today was <a href="http://shereadstruth.com/2012/09/07/day-27-proverbs-27/" target="_blank">Proverbs 27</a> and verse17 has been <a href="http://meandmybeautifulmess.blogspot.com/2012/07/refinishing.html" target="_blank">finding me</a> <span style="font-size: large;"><i>all</i></span> yearlong.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></center>
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<i><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." </span></i></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A constant reminder that the people who are falling in & out of my life </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">in person & </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">here in the blogger world are all there for a purpose.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm starting to see how some of the dots of sadness and disappointment are connecting </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">into a bigger picture kind of woven story that's all my own.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-extx_uY-4YgqBC9RrIiC-wslHz_RJ7OUNtPBjtFejmMOjgafO7KHSJsG60EONYg4k7NpxKO1ukQsXbG6j1yAyKzWYGAe4bdVgNrgoe-mjjzrQb8UTIOgDDbyOcaaJqnan6yMcFa6l4Q/s1600/my+week.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-extx_uY-4YgqBC9RrIiC-wslHz_RJ7OUNtPBjtFejmMOjgafO7KHSJsG60EONYg4k7NpxKO1ukQsXbG6j1yAyKzWYGAe4bdVgNrgoe-mjjzrQb8UTIOgDDbyOcaaJqnan6yMcFa6l4Q/s640/my+week.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'd tell you that despite these long days: </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I had a great dinner with my friends Carrie, Jacob, and their baby Olivia. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I woke up to a picture of cute baby Owen the other day. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The clouds and sky all this week have captivated me.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I made it to the gym to <span style="font-size: large;">run</span> twice early in the AM after my shift.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I saw my childhood friend who was having her first kind of great day after the last couple of months of chemo/radiation.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I spent time with my Uncle. Time with him will be gone sooner rather than later. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's bittersweet. We have peace in knowing he'll go to a better place, but we will miss him. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our law enforcement community lost another patrol officer due to a senseless gunman. It is happening to often and a loss of one is a loss to us all. It makes my heart heavy.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I held back tears when a friend told me nonchalantly that she prays for me everyday. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I didn't hold back tears when another friend thanked me for loving her and her family unconditionally and that a quick email to check in on her early at 5am was a major comfort to her when she really needed it. </span></center>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Timing.</span></i></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My other lesson this year.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Finally, I'd tell you that this has been a busy week but when I sat down to write this coffee blog, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I realized how grateful I really am and should be. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have a good, reliable job, a house of my own to live in, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">precious friends & family that love me, and I have a lot of:</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">goals, ambition, dreams, and opportunities that have yet to come to light. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I hope you all have had a great week and good weekend that is still yet to come. </span></center>
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><3</span></center>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/253/0F2C7BB8501F4A5CC2944C1BC43A29D8.png" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px !important;" /></a>
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LaurenLo{me}LoloLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13428311381631751348noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785056948479464965.post-8915962179161735412012-09-06T03:13:00.002-07:002012-09-06T18:18:43.180-07:00{just} because <center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">
Busy is as busy does and I've missed a couple of posts that I meant</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> to get up in the last week or so. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today seems like a perfect day to play catch up!</span></center>
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<a href="http://shaneprather.blogspot.com/search/label/operation%20beautiful"><img border="0" src="http://i825.photobucket.com/albums/zz180/x3shanerx3/blog/op.jpg" /></a></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you haven't had a chance yes, check out <a href="http://shaneprather.blogspot.com/search/label/operation%20beautiful" target="_blank">Operation Beautiful</a>, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hosted by </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Shane {</span><a href="http://shaneprather.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;" target="_blank">Whispering Sweet Nothings</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">}.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's a great opportunity for a little self-reflection, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and a gentle reminder to appreciate who we are as women.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My opinions on what I think is <i>beautiful</i>, heck my opinion of myself, is an evolution. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I don't necessarily feel beautiful day-in day-out, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">but I'm learning to see myself through other people's eyes,</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> be more forgiving and less of my own worst critic. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Seriously, girls, we are harder on ourselves than we should be!</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My entry for Operation Beautiful <i>I</i>V: </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkrJX5pUEaOEa2o3pF5ONCkcpOkFUqnChaDv2GRBbbv_H1UjVUVhQqeiODDDDiJ2aGalcaXAcYQZTwH3LXgRmuPhO_UO8KVqdqKLlCQ2bfxV_du5ldHUD-30vERERBc1w3WLD2eYPL1j4/s1600/blogger-image--900044003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkrJX5pUEaOEa2o3pF5ONCkcpOkFUqnChaDv2GRBbbv_H1UjVUVhQqeiODDDDiJ2aGalcaXAcYQZTwH3LXgRmuPhO_UO8KVqdqKLlCQ2bfxV_du5ldHUD-30vERERBc1w3WLD2eYPL1j4/s400/blogger-image--900044003.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My other little catch-up for the week is for</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the last Jewelry Swap hosted by Melissa</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> {<a href="http://www.thelifeofanotsoordinarywife.com/" target="_blank">Life of a Not So Ordinary House Wife</a>}</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">
I had a nice shift change weekend/Labor Day weekend and when I finally got around to checking the mail, I found these awesome, and <i>brand new</i> feather earrings in my mailbox from Marissa {<a href="http://www.everydayloungeact.com/" target="_blank">Everyday Lounge Act</a>}.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thanks Marissa!!!</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">
You see I have a Las Vegas trip coming up and they are a <i>perfect</i> match </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">for the outrageous skirt I bought to wear out. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">
I'm going for a Las Vegas Neon Sign look. </span></center>
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We've decided that I shall be called <i>Tropicana</i> the night I don this outfit. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Or <i>Tropical Thunder</i>.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's still being discussed...</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yup.</span></center>
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Hot (yeah girl) neon mess. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">
Meow. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So yeah...</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Viva Las Vegas & Happy Thursday to you all!!!</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><3</span></center>
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LaurenLo{me}LoloLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13428311381631751348noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785056948479464965.post-84407582266302554382012-09-05T10:00:00.000-07:002012-09-05T10:00:01.410-07:00Lo made a {button}!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Knock one more off the to-do list! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I finally made myself a lil' ol' blogger button!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's here or on my sidebar if you want to swap. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">{uhh...still figuring out the sponsor/swap thing too}</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I used {<a href="http://jadelouisedesigns.com/blog-button-tutorial/" target="_blank">this</a>} tutorial from <a href="http://jadelouisedesigns.com/" target="_blank">Jade Louise Designs</a> and found it to be really helpful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's not has hard as it looks, but still some trial & error for this gal. </span></div>
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<a border="0" href="http://meandmybeautifulmess.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f234/lolo_h2o/bloggerbutton.jpg" /></a> </div>
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<textarea cols="20" rows="4"><a border="0" href=http://meandmybeautifulmess.blogspot.com/ " target="_blank"><img src="http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f234/lolo_h2o/bloggerbutton.jpg"/></a> </textarea>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Slowly but surely, I'm working through all this blogger </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">schtuff</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. </span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now to clean up this mess of a blog...yeah, yeah, I have plans you see.
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In time...in time...stay tuned.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Happy Hump day to you all, it's almost the weekend again!!!</span></div>
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LaurenLo{me}LoloLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13428311381631751348noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785056948479464965.post-4419748404162670722012-09-03T22:00:00.000-07:002012-09-04T09:11:58.850-07:007 {wants}<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's Tuesday! Time for another <span style="font-size: large;">You Challenge: </span></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This week is <span style="font-size: x-large;">{7} Wants:</span> </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">1)</span> I want a <span style="font-size: x-large;">nap</span>.</span></center>
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<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/204562008045414561/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://media-cache-ec3.pinterest.com/upload/204562008045414561_WwohlpLj_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Source: <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6785056948479464965" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;"></a>via <a href="http://pinterest.com/karin1983/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Karin</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Seriously, just about every day, I want a nap at some point.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Figure those things are for the really young or the really old,</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> but I think we need a campaign to bring those back for all the people in between. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'll sign that petition. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">2)</span> I want to be<span style="font-size: x-large;"> debt-free</span> someday.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">but if I had extra $, I would totally do this next thing: </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">3) </span>I want to <span style="font-size: x-large;">go here</span>: </span></center>
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<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/209558188881198605/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="398" src="http://media-cache-ec6.pinterest.com/upload/94083079685623829_qJIcgXFZ_c.jpg" width="600" /></a></div>
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Source: <a href="http://www.adelto.co.uk/luxury-resort-ayada-maldives/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">adelto.co.uk</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/lauren_coughlan/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Lauren</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I want to go yesterday, today, tomorrow, each time for a long time, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and then on the regular for many, many years after that. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">4.</span> I want November <span style="font-size: large;">7th</span> to come quickly. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I hate politics, but I find myself neck deep in the local ones around here</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> and unable to escape the coverage of the state and local ones. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's exhausting</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(and we're just getting started)</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'll be glad when it's all over.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">5.</span> more <span style="font-size: x-large;">tattoos</span></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(if you have any, you know just how addicting they are)</span></center>
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<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/209558188881021343/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://media-cache-ec3.pinterest.com/upload/270708627570951711_j5K0qaKB_c.jpg" width="344" /></a></div>
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Source: <a href="http://fuckyeahtattoos.tumblr.com/post/4316265138" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">fuckyeahtattoos.tumblr.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/lauren_coughlan/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Lauren</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">6)</span> a <span style="font-size: x-large;">fresh</span> zip code, a <span style="font-size: x-large;">new</span> career, a <span style="font-size: x-large;">start</span> of a new chapter</span></center>
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<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/209558188880976753/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://media-cache-lt0.pinterest.com/upload/163396292700033359_bNRTN1Uo_c.jpg" width="307" /></a></div>
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Source: <a href="http://www.releasemecreations.com/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">releasemecreations.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/lauren_coughlan/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Lauren</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">and lastly...</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">7.</span> </span><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I wan(t)na love you, and treat you right. </span></i></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I wanna <span style="font-size: x-large;">love <a href="http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/01/your-soulmate-isnt-who-you-think-it-is/" target="_blank">you</a></span> every day and every night...</i> </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">~ <span style="font-size: large;">Bob Marley </span></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FnU9pBclC5M" width="420"></iframe><center>
What do you want? </center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Head over to<a href="http://www.lifelovelauren.com/" target="_blank"> Lauren</a> or <a href="http://theaustinfamilydiary.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Tiffany's</a> blogs and join in!</span></center>
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<a href="http://theaustinfamilydiary.blogspot.com/" title="10 Day YOU Challenge"><img alt="10 Day YOU Challenge" height="292" src="http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/w421/TiffanyAustin922/10DayChallenge-1.jpg" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;" width="400" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm also linking up to the GFC Blog Hop with </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Melissa </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">@ </span><a href="http://www.thelifeofanotsoordinarywife.com/" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;" target="_blank">Life of a Not So Ordinary House Wife</a></div>
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LaurenLo{me}LoloLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13428311381631751348noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785056948479464965.post-81695604871266103972012-09-02T21:51:00.004-07:002012-09-02T22:17:33.986-07:00Snippets & Soundbytes: Simply {Sunday}<center>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Well, it's my version of Sunday at least. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Simple? </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Eh.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There's music, pictures, food, a little bit of comedy.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I managed to make it through 14 hours of work...</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">yes, 14 hours (0200-1600) in one piece, but </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">determined not to hit the couch face first right when I got home. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Shift work ain't for the birds. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Honestly, it's half the struggle sometimes.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We're in another Indian Summer around here.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Typical for these last few years.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hot August nights roll into sultry September days. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It was 95* when I got off, but a gentle breeze was calling as a reminder to</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> open all the doors and windows, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">put on some Zac Brown Band and let the light come streaming in. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Everything around here, the hills, the leaves, the trees </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">are shades of brown, orange, and red. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The sun is setting earlier and earlier, painting everything in sepia tones. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I ended up in the backyard watering the thirsty garden and then while</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Emma "supervised" I finally picked some tomatoes.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I tell you nothing beats home grown tomatoes. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is actually the first time this year they've made it<i> into</i> the house. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I usually grab a handful and snack on them while I water early in the morning.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have more tomatoes than I can use myself, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">so I plan on gifting some of them to my mother. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Especially after this text she sent me a couple of weeks ago: </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">See mine in the picture up top and hers? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They're from the same nursery and planted at the same time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have no idea what happened to them, but she's killing me with this diatribe. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thirty minutes later, fresh off of a weekend road-trip home from Lake Tahoe, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I convinced my friend Mellissa and her husband Dave to join me for a pedicure. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Exhausted and completely willing participant to the calf and foot massage I was getting, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I fell asleep with this gem of a tune playing in the nail salon. </span></center>
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I thought this kind of music was legally only allowed to be played </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">on Midnight Special DVD Collections at 3am </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and in elevators?</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Yeah, see, 14 seconds into the song and you're probably comatose too. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I was out. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There <i>might</i> have been drool.</span></center>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{sidenote: some kind of power of suggestion, my nails are the exact same color as my car. Weird}</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Nothing cures a massage chair coma like a Freeb!rds burrito and </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">a few more tunes on the drive home with all the windows down. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This familiar old song is straight out of my ... <i>pre-teens</i>? </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yeah, this is twenty (one) years old!</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">21. It's old enough to legally drink now!</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What?!</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ah, anyways, here I am now, blogging a little bit of my night before I finally give in and go to sleep. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have two whole days off (fingers-crossed) and no solid plans.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Maybe I can finally get to that stamp collection I've been meaning to organize.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Just kidding.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> But I'm sure I'll find another adventure in the next 48 hours. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hope y'all have a great Labor Day Holiday!</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Stay thirsty, stay classy, stay safe my friends!</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><3,</span></center>
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LaurenLo{me}LoloLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13428311381631751348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785056948479464965.post-43142701216208351622012-08-31T22:42:00.000-07:002012-08-31T23:01:46.738-07:00{Dear} Friday v.4<center style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #a64d79; text-align: left;">Dear Friday</span><span style="text-align: left;">, well hello there. I thought you might never get here, but you never fail me. You see I have finally resigned myself to your late hour, having made it through the day and the week. </span></center>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;">Dear Red Wine</span>, yes you, I like your sassy bottle curves and your sneaky little smile. Mmmm... </center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtMWO25mGyvMaLKJNyrTtapN0u4FKKL0G-H-Da9MWInvV6sSVLB07jAI0XdLW2YpZZ1HB5udPxxvRcSnZINSTQ3uNBSq5qZQl3jx0h8fG4jcHlgV5yV0wmzk4FSHyRyFp0rMjA4V5jp4w/s1600/blogger-image-1174292838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtMWO25mGyvMaLKJNyrTtapN0u4FKKL0G-H-Da9MWInvV6sSVLB07jAI0XdLW2YpZZ1HB5udPxxvRcSnZINSTQ3uNBSq5qZQl3jx0h8fG4jcHlgV5yV0wmzk4FSHyRyFp0rMjA4V5jp4w/s320/blogger-image-1174292838.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;">Dear Billy Currington </span>(double mmmm...), if you could only see me spinning around this big candlelit room with a glass in my hand, well, that voice of yours is always <a href="http://youtu.be/FbQfE2Oi6Wo" target="_blank">doing something right</a>. </center>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;">Dear Sore Body</span>, yeah, you. You keep wanting to give up on me one muscle a a time, but surely and slowly we're getting it back. No, no. No more giving up and giving in. We're both in this for the long haul. I have to live somewhere, and it's not longer going to be a lazy garbage dump. </center>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;">Dear <a href="http://learningcurvesblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/getting-lost.html" target="_blank">Lynn</a>, <a href="http://www.ernestineedna.com/2012/08/coffee-datewhiny-thankfulness.html" target="_blank">Jill</a>, <a href="http://ashley-warner.blogspot.com/2012/08/last-day-of-august.html" target="_blank">Ashley</a>, <a href="http://blessedadoption.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Gail</a>, and <a href="http://allthatglitter-mwimp.blogspot.com/2012/08/an-amazing-day.html" target="_blank">Michelle</a></span>, thanks for the nods, the emails, the kudos, and the encouragement this week.</center>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;">Dear Aunt Liz & Uncle Tom</span>, thank you for the invite. Tomorrow's Cal v. Nevada College Football game is going to be quite amazing. Somehow I have managed to make it to 31 never having been to a live College Football Game. I think it's high time to do some jumping, shouting, and screaming!! </center>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;">Dear Summer</span>, I am sad to see you go. I feel like we were just getting comfy together. I can't believe you're gone again. Like another lost love...*sigh*, but I have hope you'll be back some day. Hopefully sooner rather than later. You know how much I love you even if I sometimes complain about how uncomfortable you make me.</center>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;">Dear Family</span>, we knew it was coming, let's make the best of our time with our blessed, sweet Uncle Mickey. 3-6 months isn't a long time, but it's an invitation to make the most if it and so many people don't get that at all. Don't be afraid. There's nothing to fear. It's just going to hurt for a while. Don't let it disable you from spending the few good days and moments we have left with him. </center>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;">Dear Louise</span>, you didn't get a warning. No one should ever outlive their children. I can't think of the words to say to you to help be a comfort, other than you have my thoughts and my prayers. </center>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;">Dear readers</span>, whoever you are. Tell the people you love that you love them. Whether it's the actual words, a kind gesture, a moment of time our of your day dedicated to thinking of them and simply saying that they're on your mind. Do it. Do it now, do it consistently, do it sincerely </center>
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Hoping everyone has a great weekend!</center>
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XO, </center>
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LaurenLo{me}LoloLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13428311381631751348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6785056948479464965.post-78067385212763003292012-08-29T01:26:00.000-07:002012-08-29T09:51:11.826-07:00{8} Fears<center>
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I'm running late today on this weekly entry so I'm gonna just lay it out there </span></center>
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and <i><span style="font-size: large;">try</span></i> not think too hard about these. </span></center>
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I'm just gonna type until my fingers are done</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">...cause right now, tonight, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I think my heart and my head have some things to say.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A lot of things.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.lifelovelauren.com/" target="_blank">Lauren</a> & <a href="http://theaustinfamilydiary.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Tiffany</a>, you asked, here you go:</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">First off, I wouldn't say that I'm a really fearful person. </span></center>
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I'd say I'm kind of brave.</span></center>
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I do a lot of stuff on my own. </span></center>
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I don't think it's a broken sense of security.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">
Quite opposite, in fact, I am pretty aware of my surroundings - more than most I'd say</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I think that's by being the oldest, by being independent from an early age, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and by being in law enforcement for so many years.</span></center>
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I was raised in a family and by parents who had a strong faith in God and so do I. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have a solid foundation that doesn't forsake me even when I ignore it.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Say it with an accent now) I am a God fearin' woman. Yes, indeed I am. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">
I saw this today and thought it was perfect for this week's <i><a href="http://www.lifelovelauren.com/2012/08/10-day-you-challenge-10-secrets.html" target="_blank">10 Day You Challenge</a></i></span></center>
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=417656914936561&set=a.276599475708973.58150.175829812452607&type=3&theater" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBrKxsmUVcvLQSvmbsVUD_vn_LBqPzZS7kp0n4gGmP0Bvn8EVJG9QgTIg4NQqKbMD-JlzDfJ-JFQgW2xeygsDXgtsV0WBeY3r7gVMRHK5ms4UJ_o5mVo0oX9u4T73OPpi5e5s0ZKAJFeM/s320/blogger-image-1017877455.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> {via <a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=417656914936561&set=a.276599475708973.58150.175829812452607&type=3&theater" target="_blank">Facebook</a>}</span></center>
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I know who I am, I'm not afraid of making mistakes,</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I'm not afraid of learning things the hard way.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm learning a lot about myself lately.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This next picture is a few years old. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A good friend of mine, who knows me well, put this on my locker at work one day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I read it and remember distinctly recognizing for maybe one of the first times in my short life that </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the way I carried myself, the things I did and stood for, they were noticed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I remember distinctly being proud that someone would think this of me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I remember not wanting to lose that label of fearless.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is one of the best compliments I've ever received.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimiN5gBHUr7skL_bhZg16tfKOEaKSIQkQabJbpSoMfmS3rDYSFGC2LiQDvShJRuQXbRMpqd6xNrrQ1sgygZPXaZMOrBE2ZYVfNfcVLQSoR2Wvv5u3i4lBwijYOiQdfMHTqDJeySBoPhCo8/s1600/IMG_1099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimiN5gBHUr7skL_bhZg16tfKOEaKSIQkQabJbpSoMfmS3rDYSFGC2LiQDvShJRuQXbRMpqd6xNrrQ1sgygZPXaZMOrBE2ZYVfNfcVLQSoR2Wvv5u3i4lBwijYOiQdfMHTqDJeySBoPhCo8/s400/IMG_1099.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
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I haven't read any of the other girl's lists in the link up yet today. </span></center>
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I didn't on purpose. </span></center>
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I didn't want their lists to influence mine.</span></center>
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I wanted to really think about this. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So here's my list of <span style="font-size: large;">{fears}</span>: </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">1) Sharks</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Seriously, do I even have to explain this one? </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Shark Week people. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">'Nuff said.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(but, guess what? a shark cage dive is on my bucket list.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I will confront this fear.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Someday.)</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">which leads me to...</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">2) large bodies of water</span></center>
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they're beautiful, but it makes me get all panicky and nervous knowing that </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I can't see or feel or know what is lurking, and swimming, and slinking about at the bottom.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Nuh-uh, not gonna dew it. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Nope.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">NO.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Negative.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">also...I fear them because I don't want to </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">3) Drown(ing)</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">also...do I have to explain this one? </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>*shudder*</b></span></center>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">
*cough*</span></b></center>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">
*sputter*</span></b></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">4) Intruders</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I live alone. I don't like the things that go bump in the night.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There's only so much a girl can do armed with a big dog and a cell phone. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I think it's worse cause I know first hand the intruder stories. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Meh. Not cool at all. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've been thinking about my 2nd Amendment Rights a lot lately. </span></center>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5) Heights</span> -<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> that is a fear that seems to increase with my age for some reason. </span></center>
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I don't like glass bottom elevators, I don't like looking over multi story balconies. </span></center>
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I get sweaty palms and my heart races and I want to go pee pee in my pants.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">6) Spiders</span>...to an extent, seeing them I'm ok...</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">having them <b>crawl on or around me</b>, no, no, NO.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">
{story time}<i> I had spider crawl up my dress once...I was sitting on the ground. In about 1/2 nanosecond, I was up, I was<strike> screaming</strike> shrieking, I threw a pillow and I jumped up and down like I was a 3 year old in a bouncy house. I have a witness, he'll tell you it was true, but what he won't tell you and didn't tell me for like a year, is that he's afraid of spiders too. Ah-ha!!!!</i> </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Chicken.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">
Ok, so can we get real for a second. Like really, real? </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> 7) </span>and we shall label this <span style="font-size: large;"><3?</span></span></center>
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I fear I will never be in love again.</span></center>
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Like puppy dog kind of, head over heels, mutual (key word), </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">
in love with your best friend kind of love. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">
Yeah. It seems like a ghost or a dream or a fable. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and last, but most definitely not least</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">8) Settling</span></center>
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I fear that I'll settle and the thought of that damn near makes me ill.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Like physically sick. </span></center>
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I see it all the time. </span></center>
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Personally, professionally...it's an epidemic.</span></center>
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<a href="http://youtu.be/LpHJ9Z2MO9s" style="font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">I don't wanna settle for good not great</a><span style="font-size: large;"> ~ Brad Paisley</span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">
This isn't me being judgmental, this is me standing in the midst of this shit storm we call society's take on commitment and relationships and screaming at the top of my lungs but feeling like no one is hearing me.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">
So... it's funny or acceptable to see people cheat, lie, and degrade each other?</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's ok to see people lie to themselves and not intervene?</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Stop the train wreck.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I mean there's whole talk shows and "reality" shows that have that as the main story line.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">
Marriage is, what? A trend? A phase?</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">
I guess it's a double edged sword, swing too far to cautious </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and you risk never taking a chance on anyone and missing out on...<a href="http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/06/what-are-the-odds-of-meeting-the-one-whos-right-for-you/" target="_blank">your destiny</a>? </span></center>
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Eh. </span></center>
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Swing too far the other way and you're in love every 5 seconds and it's cry wolf. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Listen, I've been there, on the other end of the phone listening to the stories scratching my head wondering what it is about love that makes people lose all sense of self and logic, then again in the bridesmaid's dress fully supportive on the outside while inside saying "noooo, don't do it!", and then finally with a shoulder to lean on and a spare bedroom to offer when it all comes tumbling down. </span></center>
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Don't call me and expert by any means, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">but more often than not, the writing is always on the wall. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They say when you know, you know. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And well, if you're just still standing there guessing cause you think it's better than nothing, or it's comfortable, or it's been long enough so it's do or die...even when there's that nagging voice of doubt, well listen to it and don't. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Don't</b> do it. Don't settle. Please. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Save you, save me, save us all. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For the love of...LoVe. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*sigh*</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I read <span style="font-size: large;">}<a href="http://www.elephantjournal.com/2011/05/i-asked-my-grandma-carol-what-are-qualities-to-look-for-in-a-lifelong-partner/" target="_blank"> this</a> {</span> recently and I really appreciated it. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">From a woman who lived and loved in a generation that made something of what they had, this is some tried and true expertise. I don't know Grandma Carol, but I like her. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><u>Honorable mentions: </u></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There's a couple of things that came to mind that I realized </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">don't</span> frighten me and I wanted to mention them.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is not a judgement on anyone else, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">this is just my life's opinion as I've experienced it thus far. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm in no way looking forward or hoping either of these to happen,</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">but if/when they might, I don't fear these and here's why: </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Losing loved ones</span> - not because I don't love them dearly, but because I know that I tell them and show them on a regular basis. I make the time. I know it's precious.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have an aging family, this is a reality for me every day. I have embraced it. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I can't be selfish enough to think that I can close my eyes and ignore it.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I am learning, damn near every day, to try again, to give second and third chances, to apologize, to make amends, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and to tell people that I value them and want and need them in my life.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm also learning when it's time to give up, give in, and let things go. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That lesson is just as hard as swallowing my pride and mending fences.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Having a child with a serious or fatal illness</span> - some of the strongest people I know have had children who have fought and won and unfortunately fought and lost to cancer, <a href="http://site1.battenjourney.com/" target="_blank">Batten Disease</a>, and other rare diseases that have no cures. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> These children are every bit as valuable, precious, and worthy of love as any "healthy" child. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">These children are some of the bravest fighters I have ever had the opportunity to meet.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">These children are warriors. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All they know is fight, every breath is a struggle, but they keep going. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They're resilient. They're an every day lesson in life and love. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I don't wish it on anyone and I don't understand the unfairness, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">but I don't fear the ability to love unconditionally those who are different, sick, or "incurable".</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, loss, I don't <i>willingly</i> embrace it, but I understand it's purpose in life. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have said my goodbyes when the time has come, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have listened and watched for the last few breaths, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have felt the breathless sobs of the loved ones left behind, embraced the outstretched arms,</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> felt the relentless tears roll down off of cheeks and soak through the clothing that drapes my shoulders. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've been there, felt it, comforted it, cursed it, denied it, and finally accepted it. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And...if you're still here at the end of this long dissertation I just wrote, </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I will give more honorable mention to these other "non-fears" cause we need some levity! </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Financial ruin, credit card debt, body odor, running out of gas, passing gas in inappropriate situations, karaoke, public speaking, making a complete and total ass of <strike>your</strike> myself, having my heart broken, saying "I love you " and meaning it, stretch marks, acts of nature, flying, and ever increasing chin hair. Yeah, whattadya gonna do? Just roll with it!</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Come on, we have got to get through this together!!!!</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Next week...<span style="font-size: large;">{7} Wants</span></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I might, just might, go all <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRTkCHE1sS4" target="_blank">Veruka Salt</a> on you!!!</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">xOxoXoxOXoooX</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">XO ,</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">PS - I feel better now. I do. </span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Writing. Makes some of the funk go away.</span></center>
LaurenLo{me}LoloLChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13428311381631751348noreply@blogger.com11