Grateful

My fiancé's parents are getting us a new washer and dryer for our wedding! Last night we went shopping with my future mother-in-law for them. We looked at all sorts of different kinds of washers and dryers: with or without fabric softener, digital or knobs, and top loaders vs. front loaders. We ended up settling on a really great Whirlpool set that saves water, energy, and doesn't have more digital technology than the first moon lander.

Through all of this, though, I had a thought: a decade ago, I was thrilled that we had a wringer in Vanuatu to wring out our hand-washed clothes instead of having to wring them out by hand before hanging them to dry. We always washed our clothes by hand in Vanuatu--there wasn't electricity to run a washer. And drying them, well, that's what a clothesline was for!

So, today I am grateful to have been born here. Even though I have all these awful medical things "wrong" with me, I won the genetic lottery: I live in a country that allows me to be successful, rich (compared to 5/6 of the world), and very picky about things that people in other countries can't even imagine.

Be grateful.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Top 5: Summer Edition

I've been doing a lot of thinking about what I'm going to do with this blog over the summer. For the next six weeks, I'm going to be incredibly busy with wedding plans and visiting my family. I don't want to shut the site down, but I might not have enough time to update this every day. So here's what I've decided: I'm going to try to keep writing every day, but the articles will probably be shorter. I would rather have frequent, short updates than sporadic, long articles. That way I can still keep up with everything that's going on in the world and stay connected with all of you, but I can get everything done that needs to get done!

So, that being said...it's summer!!! I love summer so much! These are my five favorite things about summer:

Yum!!!

1. Huge Salads. I love salads! The other day I suggested to my fiancé (a non-salad person) that we have salads for dinner. He was confused and kind of upset that I wanted to have a side item as our main dish. But then we made great salads: lettuce, hard boiled eggs, ham, cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and a little Italian dressing. And guess what? He loved the salad! :-) 

2. Swimming. My absolute favorite kind of exercise is swimming! Sure, it's fun to go to the pool and hang out, but I love swimming laps! It is so calming and it's great for your body: no impact on your joints! For those of us with the worst joints on the planet, it's a life-saver. 

So many parks!!!

3. Parks. The other day I was wandering around the internet trying to find something fun to do in our area. I came across a Cincinnati Parks app! There are a billion parks around here that I've never been to! I love going to the park and walking or reading or picnicking! Parks are the best during the summer!

4. Fun clothes. Unpacking the summer clothes is one of my favorite things! Wearing fun colors and great dresses is so great! I am, however, incredibly picky about my clothes and I guess this year is not really my year when it comes to buying new clothes. There are teeny tiny inseams on the shorts, awful neon colors, and boxy baggy shirts and dresses. But I was thinking about it yesterday while I was shopping and I think wearing clothes that you think are "fun" and make you feel good is the most important thing. Having fun in the summer is only possible when you feel your best! So wear what you think is "fun" and ignore the haters!

My fiancé and me!

5. Summer romance. My fiancé is a teacher, so during the year it's always go-go-go. I love getting to spend time with him in the summer! Getting to spend quality time with each other is something incredibly important for everyone's relationship. Get that old-school summer romance by taking an evening stroll around the neighborhood and holding your sweetie's hand or watching the stars come out together! 

Happy Summer, everyone! :-)

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Clear Out Your Closet this Holiday Season!

Every fall I look forward to unpacking my winter clothes and putting on my favorite soft sweaters. I love the warm feeling I get on those cold, rainy days with my old friendly sweaters.

This year is the first winter I've unpacked my sweaters and gotten an unfriendly surprise: the sweater I still have from high school doesn't fit anymore. It's turned into a bit of a belly shirt; or belly sweater, as the case may be. I love this sweater! It's a warm purple color and it's so soft. I love it because it just fits perfectly with the fall colors.

I decided I wasn't going to give up without a fight. I put a cami on under the sweater. That way, the sweater could ride up and I wouldn't show my stomach. Perfect. And then I looked in the mirror. Not so perfect. And did I just say that it would be perfect to allow my sweater to "ride up"?! My god, that is so disgusting.

This sweater is the one I wore in high school to look cute. Now, I'm engaged and have a college degree. New life, new sweater. What else do I have that I have clung to because it was so perfect?

I started going through my clothes and found all sorts of things that I never wear anymore, but I have great memories about, so I've kept them: my first ballroom Latin competition skirt, a few very sparkly dresses, sky-high heels, some amazing graphic tees, a few suits, and some really short shorts.

Less than half of my closet...so many clothes!

It's amazing how many things I don't wear, but still have. I can always use the But-What-If-I-Need-It-Again argument to talk myself into keeping all my clothes.

But what if someone else can use my clothes right now? I think it's probably more important to share my clothes with other people than keep them in my closet or boxes. So I'll donate some of them. After all, it is the season of giving. :)

Do you have clothes you aren't using this season? Donate them! There are always people who need clothes more than we, who are so lucky to have the luxury of excess. Find your local Goodwill or Salvation Army and drop off your clothes!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi