“True friendship isn’t about being inseparable, it’s being separated & nothing changes.”

I got this first thing this morning from one of my besties, Christy, and had to share! Love all my friends SO much. No matter the distance that separates us, nothing will ever change our friendships. I can go days, sometimes months or weeks without speaking to some of my friends and it still feels like we pick up where we have always left off.

My boss asked me just yesterday, “Why are you so social?” Haha, funny question I think. I don’t know, because I love my friends? Because I love people? I suppose that’s my answer. Just because that’s who I am. Then, I open my daily news sites this morning and I am presented with an article titled: The Importance of Being Social and I feel like my answer is even that much more validated. Because it’s healthy… and just might help me to live longer 🙂 Cherish every relationship you have and don’t take ANY of them from granted.

Love all of you, dear friends, you know who you are! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. And, until next time we chat, live life to the fullest and I can’t wait to hear ALL about it!

“Everything will be alright in the end. So if it is not alright, it is not yet the end.”

– The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Amen sista, amen! It sure isn’t the end now is it? 🙂 Only seen the trailer for this and I wrote down TWO quotes! Can hardly wait for next Friday!

Since I will be 30 in less than 6 months, this list came just in time for me to do a little self-evaluating! Please enjoy this article taken from HuffingtonPost.com today.

“Turning 30: 30 Things Every Woman Should Have

And

Should Know”

“In 1997, Glamour magazine published a story titled “30 Things Every Woman Should Have and Should Know by the Time She’s 30.” The list, written by Pamela Redmond Satran, was so popular that women started emailing it around, misattributing it to various female luminaries including Maya Angelou and Hillary Clinton. Noting what a phenomenon it had become, the editors of Glamour created a book around it, featuring essays from (mostly) famous women on each of the items on the list. The book, released today, includes meditations from Katie Couric on work and love, Portia de Rossi on accepting your body, and one from the list’s original author, who is also aHuffington Post blogger, on how to live alone.

Because the list still makes us so, so happy, we asked Glamour‘s permission to reprint it here:

By 30, you should have …

1. One old boyfriend you can imagine going back to and one who reminds you of how far you’ve come.

2. A decent piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in your family.

3. Something perfect to wear if the employer or man of your dreams wants to see you in an hour.

4. A purse, a suitcase, and an umbrella you’re not ashamed to be seen carrying.

6. A past juicy enough that you’re looking forward to retelling it in your old age.

7. The realization that you are actually going to have an old age — and some money set aside to help fund it.

8. An email address, a voice mailbox, and a bank account — all of which nobody has access to but you.

9. A résumé that is not even the slightest bit padded.

10. One friend who always makes you laugh and one who lets you cry.

11. A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra.

12. Something ridiculously expensive that you bought for yourself, just because you deserve it.

13. The belief that you deserve it.

14. A skin-care regimen, an exercise routine, and a plan for dealing with those few other facets of life that don’t get better after 30.

15. A solid start on a satisfying career, a satisfying relationship, and all those other facets of life that do get better.

By 30, you should know …

1. How to fall in love without losing yourself.

2. How you feel about having kids.

3. How to quit a job, break up with a man, and confront a friend without ruining the friendship.

4. When to try harder and when to walk away.

5. How to kiss in a way that communicates perfectly what you would and wouldn’t like to happen next.

6. The names of the secretary of state, your great-grandmothers, and the best tailor in town.

7. How to live alone, even if you don’t like to.

8. Where to go — be it your best friend’s kitchen table or a yoga mat — when your soul needs soothing.

9. That you can’t change the length of your legs, the width of your hips, or the nature of your parents.

10. That your childhood may not have been perfect, but it’s over.

11. What you would and wouldn’t do for money or love.

12. That nobody gets away with smoking, drinking, doing drugs, or not flossing for very long.

13. Who you can trust, who you can’t, and why you shouldn’t take it personally.

14. Not to apologize for something that isn’t your fault.

15. Why they say life begins at 30

What’s on your personal list of things to have and know — and possibly do — before turning 30?”

List excerpted from Glamour‘s “Thirty Things Every Woman Should Have and Should Know By The Time She’s 30.”

“How To Live Alone: Turning 30 Is Easier If You’ve Learned To Exist On Your Own” Linked Below:

“Those who really love you don’t mean to hurt you and if they do, you can’t see it in their eyes but it hurts them too.” ― Holly Black

There is really nothing I hate more in this world than knowing that I have hurt someone that I love and care about. But, sometimes, there is no way to avoid it. It hurts me so bad to know when I have done this, it’s a feeling I’d like to say I will never have again, but I know that isn’t true. I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t hurt when I hurt others. As a friend said to me earlier when I said I was down and dragging a little today, “Just remember you are just feeling what it is like to be human. If you didn’t drag a little I would be worried!”

I also know how it feels to be on the other end, to be hurt by someone whom I know loved me, and i know, that despite how much they cared, there was just no other way and that it hurt them too.  I guess there is no love in this world without knowing and feeling pain, but that doesn’t make it any easier. If only a bandaid worked on all wounds…

That’s all I got. I think we all get it and know how it feels to be on both ends. So, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry! I’m so so sorry!

“Introverts treasure the close relationships they have stretched so much to make.” 
― Adam S. McHugh

Extrovert? Me? Nooo haha Who am I kidding, yes, I would say I’m an extrovert. Or am I? For the most part, I would say I’m an extrovert, but deep inside lies a slightly introverted woman. I’m starting to realize this more and more lately. I am an extrovert who sometimes neglects her introverted side because I used to think that being extroverted defined me, but it doesn’t. I have met the most amazing introvert, with such an intricate mind, whom is teaching me more and more about myself and making me more aware of who I am and how I view not only myself but the world. Whom is teaching me that it doesn’t matter who the world thinks I am, I don’t have their expectations to meet, only my own; and only I truly know who I am and what I can expect from myself.

I read a great article today that is linked to the image at the bottom. PLEASE READ IT! It is great and there is a lot to learn from it. The stigma that has been given to the word “introvert” is not completely accurate. Us extroverts, if we can shut up for a second 😉 have a lot to learn from the quieter, more internal folks in this world.

I have many relationships in my life: family, friends, coworkers, peers, etc, and I know that each of them is treasured by both parties. That being said, the relationship I have with this person is treasured in a way that I’m not sure I’ve experienced. I know that many introverts don’t stretch themselves across many people, they have fewer relationships and put all they have into them. I can feel that! It’s beautiful! And, coming from an extrovert that spreads herself across numerous relationships, and treasures each of them more than they may ever know, it is the best feeling in the world to be treasured so much by someone who treasures so few.

Just a few more quotes I thought I’d share…and because I’ve been slacking lately:

Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes. – Carl Jung

The best thinking has been done in solitude.  – Thomas Alva Edison

To free us from the expectations of others, to give us back to ourselves – there lies the great, singular power of self-respect. – Joan Didion

Ask Forbes, they know:  Why Introverts Can Make The Best Leaders

The question is not whether PTSD is real and serious. It’s a devastating mental illness. The question is how many veterans have PTSD, and clearly our goal should be to try to address the veterans’ needs and help them deal with their problems and move on in life.  – Chet Edwards 

On New Years 2007 I met a U.S. Army solider named Ryan Soto while vacationing in Rome, Italy with friends. I kept in touch with him throughout his time in Italy, Germany and at war in Afghanistan and he remains one of my best friends to this day. While in Afghanistan he was involved in a very serious accident as a result of an IED explosion(accident isn’t even strong enough of a word for what he experienced but I’m not even sure how to define it in a word.) It left him with a traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder. At such a young age he was sent back to the States for treatment and to continue his life.

It’s not my place to share more of his story. But I will tell you one thing. I went to visit him down in Texas at the medical base where many of our severly burned and injured soldiers go for treatment and I was forever changed. I think we should all have to witness how many of our soldiers are upon returning from fighting for us. PTSD is a serious condition that deserves serious attention that I don’t feel it is given.

While I was visiting Ryan he was being filmed for the documentary “Along Recovery.” I have pasted information about the film below, which will have its world premiere at the GI Film Festival in Washington DC on May 19. I couldn’t be happier. I hope that everyone gets the chance to see this film and that everyone will take the time to do what they can to help our wounded soldiers after better understanding the tough roads they have ahead of them. We owe it to those that fight for us to fight for them. Love you Ryan, and you know I’m always here for you.

About the Film

Soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq are surviving brutal attacks from improvised explosive devices (IEDs), some without as much as a scratch. But the overpressure created in an explosion is producing adverse effects on Soldiers’ brains. A 2008 Department of Defense study revealed that more than 20% of combat Veterans may have suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) while deployed. TBI can effect several areas of brain function, including cognitive impairment and behavioral distress. Because of the stigma attached to mental health in the military and the acute nature of diagnosis, particularly in a combat environment, 57% of Veterans with a suspected TBI avoid treatment. Beyond a difficult screening process, evidence-based treatments for combat TBI are limited. In the Vietnam War, injuries resulting in a TBI had a fatality rate of over 75%. In Afghanistan and Iraq the fatality rate is less than 25%. A consequence of modern combat’s high rate of survival is that our nation is now tasked with the care of thousands of Veterans with a complex and often invisible injury. 

Along Recovery is an intimate portrait of the signature wound of Afghanistan and Iraq. The film documents the TBI recovery process from the perspective of three Soldiers recently evacuated from combat operations. With unprecedented access inside military treatment facilities, Along Recovery examines the exhaustive regimen of therapy each Soldier must endure. Currently, the film is being shot alongside the Soldiers as they receive treatment at the Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Following months of treatment, the story continues as each Soldier undergoes an extensive medical evaluation that will determine their future–a return to the ranks or reintegration into civilian life.  Preview the film.

“The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.” – Ernest Hemingway

“To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved.” – George MacDonald

“He who does not trust enough, Will not be trusted.” – Lao Tzu

For some reason I’ve been thinking about trust a lot lately and how important it is. I’ve always found it hard to trust until I realized what Hemingway says above, the only way to find out if someone is trustworthy is to trust them. To be trusted is such a compliment and it takes trusting others to be trusted. Interesting to think about huh?

“Life is meaningless only if we allow it to be. Each of us has the power to give life meaning, to make our time and our bodies and our words into instruments of love and hope.” –  Tom Head

How do we live a life with meaning? You know, I got some hints from my moodscope.com today about this. It is a lot simpler than I think we give it credit.

“Our lives have meaning when we connect with those we value, who also value us. Our lives have meaning when we do things for others, sometimes without them knowing it, often without expecting thanks. Our lives have meaning when we take pleasure in small, simple joys.”

I think we make things more complicated than they are when we take the time to sit down and think about them upon closer, more intimate review. Want to live a life with meaning? Start with the few steps mentioned above. I feel a little more complete just reading them. When any idea or problem in life seems too large, break it down to its core. The answer is usually something so simple in the end.

Click this adorable girl below and read “7 Steps to Crafting an Amazing Life.”

“Memory is a way of holding on to the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.” – Kevin Arnold, The Wonder Years

Yesterday was the Cubs Opening Day at Wrigley Field. When I left for work at 8:30 my street was already full of fans in red, white and blue, drinking beer. The radio stations were all about baseball! Every station I switched to was talking about it, analyzing it, celebrating it and playing songs about it.  As I turned onto my street, “Centerfield” (Put Me In, Coach) came on. I immediately turned up the volume and started dancing around in my seat, so excited to hear a song I hadn’t heard in YEARS, when it hit me… I went back to the early 90s, sitting at Fulton County Stadium with my dad, chopping with a foam tomahawk, screaming at the top of my lungs while the two of us shared a bag of peanuts, and I LOST it!

I’m so glad I was by my office because I had to park my car. It’s crazy to me how songs, smells, tastes, even names can bring a memory to life right before your eyes. As hard as it was to be in that place in my mind, and to feel what I was feeling, I am SO grateful for memories. They held on to the person I loved, who I was, and the things I never want to lose. If it weren’t for memories like these, I wouldn’t be able to relive all the amazing times I had with my dad. Going to Braves games and throwing a baseball in my front yard with him are some of my favorite memories. So I guess I’m grateful to the Chicago Cubs for setting up the platform for the radio stations yesterday, it’s not every day you hear “Centerfield.” I’m going to the game on Tuesday and can hardly wait to have some peanuts for my dad. Instead of sprite I’ll be enjoying a beer though haha It ain’t the 90s no mo’ Pops!

If you haven’t heard it in awhile, you should, especially my fellow Atlanta Braves’ fans. Makes my heart smile! 🙂 I have linked it below.

“As hard as it is and as tired as I am, I force myself to get dinner at least once a week with my girlfriends, or have a sleepover. Otherwise my life is just work.” – Jennifer Lawrence

I will preface this blog with this: I love ALL of my girlfriends with all of my heart, today I just feel the need to highlight one in particular 😉     (As I do from time to time) With that said, I shall continue…

I moved to Chicago almost 4 years ago. A new city, a new region, a new school, new winters, NO friends! This wasn’t my first rodeo at this, but it certainly gets harder with age. My life consisted of working 8 to 5 and class 6 to 9, Bailey getting the rest of my time. There was little room for meeting new people outside of work and school. I worked with amazing girls and went to school with just as amazing people. But there is one girl who has become like family to me, my Italian sister in Chicago. Her family has become my Italian family up here and has opened their arms to me for every holiday, family get together and outing and it’s about damn time I give Marcee Manglardi a shout out.

We met in Grad School and were both intimidated by one another at the beginning, we learned later on, but once we broke that wall down, I knew she would be in my life for forever. This girl will drop any and everything for a friend. Barely knowing me she helped me through the worst time of my life and has celebrated my father with me ever since. She never misses a chance to check in, make sure all is alright, help me with work problems, life problems and personal problems (let’s be real). Well today was no different, she just reminded me why she is a part of MY “family” now and why I love her so much and cherish her friendship.

THANK YOU, Marcee Manglardi, for being AMAZING and for making me feel like a million dollars today when you said this to me! Not sure what I’d do without you…

“You know what kind of girl you are, you are a strong girl, with dignity and class…you are a girl who works very hard in your job and in your life and wants to share that hard work with someone who appreciates it. you are a girl with a heart that loves giving and making people smile and you do it for the genuine joy it brings you. you are a girl who is respectful and will put herself second to the needs of others even if it compromises your own immediate happiness. you are a girl who is compassionate and understanding and BRAVE for willing to put herself out there for someone she barely knows. THAT’S the kind of girl you are.”

And I feel the EXACT same way about YOU, my love! THIS is what girlfriends are for, and THIS is just one example proving that I have the best friends in this world! Be jealous, be veeeeeery jealous  😉 If you ever need a fill in girlfriend, I have a damn good shelf of them! Maybe I’ll let you borrow one from time to time 😉 A little Rascal for you below, Marc!