octolilly [through the years]

a week of questions.

June 25th, 2012

Another week has passed but I’m not apologizing for my lack of writing. No, not at all. We aren’t allowed, remember? 🙂

List 5 reasons you shouldn’t bathe for a week. – Katrina

1. After major surgery

2. To win a stinky contest

3. Backpacking (although this would be a situation in which perhaps you couldn’t bathe for a week)

4. The power out for five days (same)

5. Body cast

Write a memoir of your first date. – Art and Soul

He picked me up in his Jeep and took me to get a milkshake at The Huddle. And then we drove through the mountains. But no date will ever beat the unbelievable audacity of a blind date showing up with a gift of chocolate body powder.

What habit have you acquired that you wish you hadn’t? – Bethany

I could say doughnut runs but I won’t. I just won’t. Because that might mean I’ll feel guilty if I have some tonight.

List parts of your body or your self that make you feel like “you.” – List Your Self

My trait of good-natured teasing. My problem with knowing when to stop said teasing.

My pointy eye teeth. They used to bother me in high school until my dentist gave me a good talking-to and said I should be proud to have a unique smile. This was before vampires and sparkles so it wasn’t cool. Yet.

Write about a time you got in trouble with your parents when you were younger. – The Book of Myself

I once tip-toed into my dad’s office and curled up in his leather chair. And then I turned around and began stabbing it with a mechanical pencil. I made holes all over the back of the chair and then snuck out. A few days later, one of my parents felt the top of the chair while talking on the phone and discovered my “art.” I completely ruined his beautiful leather chair.

Yes, you could say that I got in trouble.

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catching up on reverb broads.

June 20th, 2012

I’ve spent this past week with Internet outages, lots of car drama, spring cleaning, and making furniture orders. There has been little time to write. But now I’m here with my cup of coffee and I plan to catch up.

In a world filled with more technological distractions than ever before, social networks, smart phones, etc, what strategies do you enforce in your life in order to stay focused on your goals and living life in real-time to the fullest? – Neha

I’m not sure I have any strategies to limit my time with technology other than making sure I spend face-time with the people I love. Hey, unexpected Face-Time pun!

Our wedding officiator opened our ceremony with a welcome to the marriage of danielbergey.com and aelki.com (those were our respective blogs at the time). My husband and I met through blogging, had blogging friends in the ceremony/attendance, and it well-known that our community of friends had grown by leaps and bounds because of technology.

Daniel’s career means that he is in the Internet World 24/7. My career is being Queen Bee but I navigate through my everyday with the benefit of technology. Every bit of music that I enjoy is through Spotify. I haven’t purchased a CD in probably ten years. I keep track of my budget and health through many different apps. Daniel and I talk to each other throughout the day either online or on our iPhones. I use my Goodreads account religiously. Lately, I’ve been astonished at how much I’m enjoying reading ebooks more than regular books. I plan outings through meetup.com, I read an abundance of sites, I keep up with friends and family through Facebook, and I really can just keep going. I’m a nerd. I love it.

But yes, there are certainly moments when being connected is overwhelming. I think that is human. When I reach that point then I step away. A hot shower in the dark, alone time, a long walk (AUGH NATURE), or a board game with friends (no phones allowed) and I’m ready to delve back in.

Who was your first best friend? – Kristen

Her name was Jana. We were in the 4th grade. I can remember her face and her sweet demeanor but I can’t remember her last name or anything else. I tried to look her up after I got to high school but had no luck.

List all the idiotic things you have done for love. – List Your Self

My list can be summed up with “ignored my gut feelings over and over.” Well, that, and the whole scenario with packing tape.

What three things do you want more of in your life? What three things do you want less of? – Krissy

1. Knowledge. I have a book on the Ancient World that we recently purchased at a library sale. It’s huge and I want to absorb it all. But I have so many other books to read right now. There are TED talks and the entire iTunes University within my reach but it requires time. Can I wish for more time? It frustrates me that I can’t remember some specifics I studied in high school and college. Now that I feel ready to apply myself better, I can’t get enough knowledge.

2. Healthy choices. I’ve been wavering around 11lbs lost this year and I feel a bit stuck. But better choices with food and exercise would help that.

3. Checking items off on my Mighty Life List.

1. Stress. Whether it is from finances, parenting, or everyday life – less stress would be better. This often means proper planning and patience. Things I need to work on.

2. Time in between seeing family members. My mom and dad will be here in three weeks and Steve and Cassidy are moving to Ohio soon so they will just be three hours away. We’ll see everyone at Ben and Allyson’s wedding in August too. But normally we only see family members a few times each year and I dislike that.

3. Celebrity gossip. When I’m tired and brain dead I can’t stop reading celebrity gossip. Mostly to judge them. Yes, I’m adorable.

What’s in your garden? – Amy

I do not have a garden but I do have a dream of a secret garden one day. Not for vegetables – just beautiful flowers. I’ve always wanted an outdoor sanctuary.

These pictures are from my secret garden Pinterest board.

How do you define happiness – Dana

When you are laying down, the warmth of the sun feels like a light blanket on your skin, and neither the past nor future really matters because you enjoy the way things are. That is how I feel all the time when I’m happy. – Chico Marx

Being in an atmosphere of growth, feeling good about myself and the life I’m living, and pure contentment.

Forget the iPhone and iPad. What invention would make your life better? – Niki

Teleportation. Space travel. A robot that cleans up my kitchen after every meal. Resealable cereal bags. Children with volume controls. A shower where I can store my favorite temperature. Ctrl+f for my brain. A robot masseuse. A sonic screwdriver.

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memories of my bear.

June 13th, 2012

What was your favorite childhood stuffed animal or toy? Do you still have it? Okay, admit it, do you still sleep with it sometimes? – Kassie

One of my sweet aunts bought me a huge fuzzy bear when I was around five years old. It was an American black bear and large enough that I could curl up with him and his paws wrapped around my shoulders.

I slept with this bear all the way through high school. I cried all over him, punched him when angry, threw him across the room, and generally told him every secret I ever had. The threads that held his nose on started scattering and he began looking a tad bit freaky. I didn’t know how to sew so I would push his nose back into the stuffing and keep practicing my make out skills.

Eventually, when I found real live people to make out with and I started sharing my heart with those who could respond, my sweet bear went the way of the garbage.

I hate myself a little because I threw him away. I have these moments where I brashly decide to get rid of things that have sentimental value. It feels brave and grown up and then I wake the next morning feeling fussy. I’m getting better about it.

Posted in The Everyday | Comments Closed

science saved my soul.

June 13th, 2012

What was the best decision you ever made? – Niki

Even with my hope to keep authenticity alive, I try not to write about too many controversial things here. Octolilly is where I write about the art of my everyday. Or how awesome my kid is. Not where I wince before pressing publish.

But to answer this question truthfully, I have to breathe deeply and hope you, dear reader, can handle the honesty of my answer. You may not like it, and that’s alright. But please respect it.

The best decision I ever made was walking away from Fundamentalism and religion in general.

At times I close my eyes and venture into the mind of the girl I once was and remember how fearful life without God seemed. I was terrified that on the other side of religion was an unbearable life of confusion and loneliness. It hasn’t been like that at all.

In fact, you might say, science saved my soul.