Army Wives

In and around the month of November I finally caved to my mother’s pleas, I went to the store and picked up a couple seasons of Army Wives. She had been talking about wanting to see the show for well over a year. I must first of all thank her for hounding me about picking the show up, and I must also thank Mother Nature. If it was not for the snow that day I likely would not have insisted my mother slowed down her crazy life long enough to watch an episode. Right from the minute Trevor LeBlanc walked in that bar and proposed to Roxy I was hooked. The first episode had me laughing, it had me crying, and it had me excited about what I was going to enjoy over the five seasons I had to catch up on. In that 42ish minutes I became invested.

For anyone who knows me well they know I am a TV show fiend, I typically stay up into the wee hours of the morning watching copious amounts of shows, some new, some old, some good, some bad and some AWESOME. Army Wives became and instant favourite for me, and unfortunately for my entire family as well, meaning no late night episode cram sessions for me. I had to be patient, wait for everyone. I must admit that did not last beyond the first season. I started sneaking episodes in here and there, and before you know it I was seasons ahead. I wanted to be all caught up for when season six kicked off.

In five plus season seasons I have become attached to character’s, to story lines, I have become invested in the 23^rd Airborne Division. I have laughed with them, I have cried with them, I have mourned for them, rooted them on, they have captivated me. At times the show might be frustrating, repeating themes and stories, it might make me mad when there are things I do not like, it might be a little more low budget/cable tv than some of my other favourite shows. However I am not sure I have felt a bigger connection to a group of people on a show.

I look forward to seeing what the rest of season six has to offer.

Quotes – Dreams VS Money

The other night when I was serving tables something written on one of the tables in my section caught my eye:

 

Money is life’s report card.

At first I thought it to be interesting, as you could have all of the money in the world, yet not lived a day in your life. Not gone on any crazy adventures, not done anything spontaneous, not done one thing to enjoy the piles of money in your bank account. A successful life does not rest on a single dollar figure; I think it is more about the experiences you have obtained. However, without money, many of your dreams cannot be obtained, or lived out.

This year my goal was to work hard and pay off as much of my debt as humanly possible, and now I am on the precipice of making a decision that will alter my original plan. I must first of all say that I am likely the worst decision maker of all times. I keep flip-flopping, and I have likely changed my mind about 100 times in the last 24 hours. There have even been tears involved in the decision-making process. I think that I am struggling with the decision because I am emotionally involved in the outcome. Mind you I have been lucky enough to have a few people on my side through this, my family, my co-workers, and my friends have been more than supportive.

One of the people in my life who means a great deal to me told me that life is short that I had to do what would make me happiest (still undecided as to which option that would be.) Then he said something that really stuck.

 

In life you have to chase dreams, not money.

 

Ever since he said that to me I have been thinking about it, I could spend the rest of my life concerned about my bank account, and never once doing the things I want to do. Never once just go with my gut, or following my heart. I am not sure any of this applies to my current situation, however I do think it applies to my life, and how I would like to live it from now on.

I have friends all over the world chasing their dreams, one headed Africa to help out at an orphanage, one who has spent the better part of this year bouncing around Canada doing the things that make her happy, one in her dream destination, Germany, doing her dream job, being a chemist. Then there is one of the strongest people I know, she up and moved to Vancouver without a job lined up, but instead with all the optimism in the world because she knew that is where she wanted to make a life for herself. Many people in my life are following their dreams on a day-to-day basis. I feel I need to do a little soul searching, figure out what I want from life, and figure out a way to make that happen. Because until I do that I will continue to just float by, which will get me nowhere fast.

There is a whole lot to be said about having money, however there is an irreplaceable feeling you get when you see your dreams come true. One is certainly worth more than the other.

BIG NEWS!!

Well folks, it is official… I BOUGHT A CAR!!

I am finally growing up a little bit. I was apprehensive to buy the car as I have had limited financial responsibility thus far in my life, and I had NO IDEA how to drive a standard. I decided to face these two fears and buy the car anyway.

Although I had never driven a standard, I was determined to drive the car off of the lot myself, and I did. I drove it all the way home, and didn’t make out too bad at all, everyone survived, and there is only a slight chance I gave my mom and I whiplash. I must admit I get very angry when I am not good at things, and it has been a rough couple of days learning how to drive, mind you yesterday I made it to soccer and back stall free. I did however have a slip-up on the way home from work, but I survived. This has been a huge learning curve for me, but it seems each day it is getting easier and easier, and everyday I am loving my car more and more.

I spent Sunday afternoon cleaning out my car, making it smell and look fresh, I changed my wipers, I put a lot of love into it and I was so very very proud of how it turned out… I woke up Monday morning to bird poop on my car, possibly karma for all of the times I have taken my parents car to MSVU and brought it back covered in bird poop. Nonetheless I was unimpressed.  I guess it is all part of owning a car; another part of owning a car is naming the car. Usually I would turn to my friends for help on a project like this, however this was a simple decision.

You might ask what I decided to name this car of mine, I must admit before I even picked the car up I had it named; Vonda. Vonda the Honda is a gem, and when it came to naming her there was only one option, I knew right away my new ride was a girl, and there is nothing like a rhyming name. Of course I could have gone with Ronda or Wonda but they would not have showcased my love for Ally McBeal. Figured I could name the car after Vonda Sheppard, the lady who lent her voice to the music of Ally.

I am looking forward to the many adventures Vonda and I will have, and I am certainly looking forward to the freedom of having my own car… I am not so much looking forward to the bills.  Although I am nervous I am hoping in the end it will all be worth it, as this is something I have wanted to do for such a longtime.

Last Class… Bash?

Today was the last time I walked into class and took a seat as an undergraduate student at Mount Saint Vincent University, I do not know how to feel about this. I am very excited that school is coming to an end, that I get to spend my summer on the soccer field, that after four long years and a whole lot of work I am going to cross that finish line.  However there is a scary part to all of this. I am someone who has never really known my end goal, where I want to be or what I am going to end up doing.

With that being said I have always been someone who has forged a path, not always the one of least resistance, but I have made my way to where I am today. I made it here through sheer determination, hard work, some goal setting, and of course I made a ton of lists, and I made lists about those lists. I have always been someone who knows which step comes next, or which project I need to work on next, I am terrified as for the first time I do not know my next move, I feel like my life is so open ended. This could be a great thing for me or it might not be, that has yet to be determined. I am just anxious to find out what is going to happen to me next.

It is not that I am the student who counted the minutes until I got to leave university; I had a great time at The Mount, best four years I have had. I have met some incredible people, I have learned some pretty cool things, and I made some irreplaceable memories. I am grateful for every moment I have had, and every person who made my experience what it was. I am just looking forward to the road that lies ahead, I always seem to find a great adventure or a great experience in everything I choose to do. I am hoping this will be no different.

Four years have come and gone, I am happy I earned a piece of paper I can hang on my wall, but more importantly I am happy about the fact I earned a future, I made friends, I learned a lot about who I was, about who I could be. I had hilarious nights, and I had perfect days. I feel lucky and honoured that I had such a great time, and I am hoping that my future will bring just as many, if not more, good days and happy days than I have already had.

Making The Cut

This is my least favourite time of the year; summer soccer tryouts are in full swing. I remember how they used to make me feel when I played, I remember worrying for weeks about my spot, I remember having friends get cut, I remember having friends switch teams. It is hectic and stressful for young athletes. Not only are coaches putting on the pressure, their parents put the pressure on, their friends put the pressure on, but I find the most pressure comes from themselves. They are hard on themselves; they are their toughest critics. Yes this is a good thing, it means they are self-motivated, that they are determined, and they know what they want and how hard they are going to have to work to get it. However I would say that a lot of pressures these young ladies face at this age is not needed, and I find that is has driven a lot of young players to leave their sports of choice.

I know selecting a summer team for many coaches could be something they enjoy, me not so much. Yes it is a sign summer is on the way, and yes I get to make 16 – 20 young ladies very happy when they find out they made the team. However I feel bad about the ones who don’t make the cut, the ones I have to leave behind. There are some I don’t know and have never met, there are some I know well and will miss dearly. It is hard to separate doing the right thing and doing the nice thing. I cannot help but think that the moment the lists are posted I break some hearts, and I hate having that on me.

Last year this time we were fighting to cut a player, we didn’t think she was ready, we ended up taking her and she proved us wrong in a serious way. This year we found ourselves fighting to keep her, which should never have even been a discussion. I am happy to report she made the team and I look forward to seeing what she has to offer the team this year.

Although we did not win our winter league, and although we don’t always look like the best team I know I have a team full of ladies that all have the hearts of champions. They surprise me every time they step on the field; they make me proud in everything they do on and off of the field (expect for the PEI incident last year, but I sometimes forget that kids will always be kids.) These last three years have been a pleasure; I have met them I have seen them grow as athletes, as people, and as a team. When I think about the day I will have to give this all up it deeply saddens me, as I know these young ladies have taught me and given me more than I could ever teach them. For that I am forever grateful.

Even though this weekend was tough (and very cold), and even though I was forced to make some incredibly tough decisions it does not take away from the fact that I am lucky to have this opportunity. I do not take that for granted and more than anything I am really looking forward to another great summer, and it all begins tomorrow.

Lazy Sunday

Sunday afternoon was a treat, I spent a little time procrastinating, and by a little I mean most of the day. However I did earn it, I was sure to be ahead in my work before I decided to kick back and enjoy my day. That morning I went to evaluate soccer tryouts, I then took my sister out for lunch. It was nice to catch up with her, as it had been a while.

After putting homework on the back burner for the first half of my day I figured it would be a great chance to get some done that afternoon. I thought wrong; I came home and got sucked right into a baseball game. I am thinking I drove my parents crazy with all of the questions I had. I must admit after three days of watching I have narrowed down the selection, I have a couple teams at the top of my list. Better than being close to picking a team I learned about a lot of things including the batters box, the bullpen, and the shortstop, all which sound quite exciting but are all kind of boring. I must admit though I am finding the game of baseball more exciting than people made it out to be, in fact even as I write this I am watching a game.

How could a day of no homework get any better you ask, it was in first family dinner night of the summer season. Every year after my dad’s hockey season wraps up we all begin getting together on Sundays to enjoy a home cooked meal, but more important to enjoy everyone’s company. We had a great time, had some laughs, some great food, and for me this is the first sign summer is on the way.

To me summer is sitting on the back deck, enjoying a beer, taking in the summer breeze, enjoying my family, and a big barbecued meal. After the cold weekend we had it seems like those days are still far away, and until they get here I will be waiting.

Group Work

Yesterday at school I was faced with a moral dilemma, I am a marketing and management student; therefore my entire education and course work is made up of group work. Typically I make sure to get myself in groups I know I can work well with. In this case I did just that, it was a great semester, I loved my group members, however one just seemed not to be as involved. I cannot really pass judgment on that as I am someone who most likely at point has been the exact same way everyone has their days, you just never really know what is going on with someone. However I do know this semester she was not really herself.

We get to the last class and we had to do group evaluations, now here came the tricky part, I had worked with her in the past and she had been great, she is a great person, how was I going to dock her marks?! Well it came down their the fact I needed to be honest, it was business, and in the real world no matter how much your boss or co-workers like you if you’re not doing your job you’re not going to get a good review. In the comments sections I was sure to be kind, but honest, I was proud of my self for doing the right thing, but I also felt crappy I had to do that to someone I liked so much. The worst part is she caught a glimpse of my review and saw that I did not grade her the same as the rest of the group.

I very well could have lied, given her a glowing review and not had to deal with hurting someone’s feelings. I doubt highly I would have been left feeling better as that would have meant I was not being honest, and I pride myself on the fact I am a very honest person. I guess making decisions like this are just part of growing up, they are part of having integrity, part of the real world, and they are part of doing business.

 

What do we have if we don’t have our integrity?