Kiss a Veteran

In honor of Veteran's Day, I want to take a minute to thank all of the military members, past, present and future, for their dedication to this country.  A few special people for me are:

My dad, Joe Siegfried, Air Force
James G. Brady, Uncle, Army, Purple Heart, killed in Vietnam <3

Rick Waldron, Uncle, Marines

RJ Waldron, Cousin, Navy

Tim Waldron, Cousin, Marines

Gerry Rose, Great Uncle, Navy

Valentin Bakalor, "Brother," Marines

Will Coukoulis, Friend, Navy

Kevin Murphy, Friend, Army

Francisco Valencia, Friend, Army

Jason Porter, Friend, Marines

Kelvin "Kutter" Powell, Friend, Navy

Jesse Ferguson, Friend, Marines

Kevin Naturale, Friend, Army

Adam Luber, Friend, Air Force

Daniel Crozier, Friend, Air Force

Amina Smartt, Friend, Army

Anthony Stewart, Friend, Air Force

Brian Sherrill, Friend, Army

David Martin, Friend, Army

Jessica Harris, Friend, Marines

Jon Polante, Friend, Army

Justin Cole, Friend, Navy

Mark Conley, Friend, Army

Michael Conklin, Friend, US Coast Guard

Leah Killingsworth, Friend, US Coast Guard

Tommy Huynh, Friend, Marines
Randall Small, Friend, Marines

I'm SURE I missed a bunch of people, but please know that I appreciate every one of you. Take a minute today to thank someone in the military.  Give them a smooch :-)

11/11/11

Chivalry is Back!!

Well, what do you know?!  Chivalry is NOT dead!!

I've seen a growing trend in gentlemanly activity recently, and I feel the need to take a moment to give credit where credit is due.  Last night there were an overwhelming number of men holding doors for people, pulling out chairs for women, and paying for drinks.  I'm sure some of you are thinking, "Well, duh. They're trying to get laid."  This really went beyond that though.  They were engaging in genuine conversation, showing real interest.  It was amazing.

For years I've thought that guys are all jerks and only after one thing.  Honestly, some of them still are.  But lately, I've noticed a significant change in the way men are treating women.  They're actually trying to "court" their love interests instead of going for the easy girls.  They're looking for something real.  Sorry to bust you out, guys, but you all seem to have a soft side.  Ladies like it, so show it off a little more.

Let me reiterate: ladies like it.  Whores won't care.  Just depends on what you're looking for.

I won't fake it anymore.

In comparison to where I was a year ago, there's no question...I'm the happiest I've ever been.  

My Uncle Rick used to ask me every time I'd see him, "Are you happy?"  My answer was always, "Yes."  But the truth is, I wasn't.  I was content, but not happy.  I hadn't been happy in weeks...months...even years.  But I put on a smile, laughed when I needed to, and I faked it.  Well guess what?

NEVER AGAIN.

I am not perfect, and I make a lot of mistakes, but that doesn't mean I have to settle for fake happiness.  I'm done lying about my feelings.  I'm done pretending that I'm ok with being treated like crap.  I'm not some second-rate, back-burner option.  I have a lot to offer, and lucky for me, I get another chance.  

If you're not happy, do something about it.  You're the only one who can change it.  No one should ever, ever settle for less than what they want or deserve.  My FB post yesterday said, "When you settle for less than what you want and deserve, you end up getting less than you settled for."  It's so true!  When has any good ever come from settling?  And furthermore, no one should ever settle for me.  I don't want someone to fake being happy with me either.  

Now is the time to figure out what you want and don't want in life.  Not everyone is lucky enough to get a second chance like I am.  So figure it out.  I'm no advocate for divorce, but it has opened my eyes and my heart to so many new and exciting things that I wish I would have seen sooner. 

What makes me happy?

Dancing | Singing | My friends | My family | Cake (#fatkid)
Meeting new people | Going out with new friends

 Trying new things | Going new places | Smiling and laughing for REAL

Everything I do, I do because it's going to make me happy.  And from now on, I won't settle for anything less.

Weight Loss Journey: Before & After

As most of you know by now, I've been working really hard through my divorce to lose all the weight I gained after my surgery in 2009.  Between September 2009 and March 2011, I had gained 30 lbs.  I am very proud to say that I lost all 30 lbs.  It might not seem like that big of a deal to some people, but do you know how heavy 35 lbs is?  Go to the gym and pick up 35 lbs of free weights.  Go to the grocery store and pick up 35 lbs of ground beef.  Then imagine carrying that extra weight around every day.  

Now that the divorce is final and I reached my goal, here are some pictures from my journey...

August 2010 - 170 lbs. 

September 2010 - March 2011, 175 lbs.

August 2011, 155 lbs., down 20 lbs.

September 2011 - 150 lbs.

October 2011 - 145 lbs.

Live Long, Laugh Often, Love Much.

If we discovered we had 5 minutes to live before the world ended, phone booths everywhere would be full of people trying to call their families to say, "I love you."  Cell phone towers would be busier than ever, all because everyone would be trying to contact the people closest to them to say, "I love you."  

Why is it that a major crisis or natural disaster has more of an affect on people than everyday life?  Why wait for something terrible to happen to make you realize who's important to you?  Life is short, love is strong.  Love should be given every day.  To friends, to family, to spouses and children.  If you like someone, tell them.  If you love someone, tell them, and tell them often.  

Love can also be scary.  But personally, I'm more afraid of someone not knowing I love them than I am of them not loving me back.  Me saying, "I love you," has nothing to do with me.  It has everything to do with the person I'm saying it to.  I love who/what they are.  Love doesn't have to be mutual to be real.  And if someone tells you they love you, don't be afraid of it.  Maybe you're not ready to say it back, now or ever.  That's ok.  But you ought to feel good knowing that someone feels such a strong emotion for you.  

And if it IS mutual, say it back with confidence.  Own your feelings.  Living and existing are completely different things.  To live is the greatest thing of all.  To live is to show emotion and share adventure, goals, hopes, dreams, sadness, pain, joy and love.  To exist is to walk around with no ambition or feeling whatsoever.  

So LIVE your life.  Don't just exist in this world.  LAUGH as often as possible with people who are important to you.  And LOVE as much as your heart will allow, and then some.  It'll be worth it, even if someone breaks your heart.  Crying is not a sign of weakness.  Since birth, it's been a universal sign that you're alive...

Captivate. Motivate. Inspire.

Work for a cause, not for applause.

Live life to express, not to impress.

Poise yourself with class, not like an ass.

Find the beauty in everything, ugliness in nothing.

Cry out loud, stand proud, don't get lost in the crowd.

And most importantly...

Don't strive to make your presence noticed,

Strive to make your absence felt.

When something bad happens, you have three choices:

1. Let it define you.

2. Let it destroy you.

3. Let it strengthen you.

Happiness is a choice.  I choose it every day.  

A Limited Right to Privacy?

I heard this topic on the radio this morning, and it reminded me of many, many conversations I've had with friends and family about the same issues.  I'm curious to know what people think of this...

Privacy.

When you're in a committed relationship, how much privacy are you entitled to?  

Some people say, "None, there should be absolutely nothing to hide, so why would you need privacy?"  Others have said, "The same amount of privacy as someone NOT in a committed relationship. Everyone has a right to privacy."  

Well here's what I think...

If you're in a new relationship, I don't think you have any right to know your bf/gf's email password, Facebook password, phone password, etc.  You're still building that trust.  If you get to a point where you can't trust your bf/gf, you shouldn't be together anyway.  There does come a point, however, where I believe you should [theoretically] be able to ask your significant other to look at their phone (or whatever) and they shouldn't hesitate to let you.  If you have nothing to hide, why would it be a problem?  

I know many couples who just periodically check each others phones, or they'll say, "I'm getting ready to delete all my texts - do you want to read any of them?"  I realize this is not for everyone, but it works for them, and I kind of like the concept.  I know that I don't have anything to hide, so if my boyfriend wanted to look through my phone, I'd let him.  If he wants to look through my emails, he'd find a bunch of forwards from family and friends, and maybe some bills.  Fun, huh?

My question is, where do you draw the line?  At what point is it acceptable to ask your significant other for this kind of access into their private lives?  Should you even have a private life when you're in that kind of relationship?  I think once you're married, there should be no question or hesitation (but there should be no reason to need to see this stuff anyway).  

It's just a sticky situation, but I'm curious to know what your take on it is... What do you think?