Work In Progress

Toying with a new layout.
Bear with me.
I am learning and everything is coming together.
Slowly but surely :)
Cheers,
Kelly

Everything is BIGGER....

Just got back from my trip to Texas.
Sure...we get it. Everything is bigger in Texas. There are also a few other things going on down there. Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed living in Texas. I like the people. The food. The diversity. I will say Texas is a different place, though. You gotta visit to truly appreciate what I am talking about. Here are a few observations from my trip.

Waffle House:

None in Minnesota. Cheap breakfast food. Stays open 24 hours. So think Perkins but with a little bit more soul. Pretty sure they serve grits. Its a greasy spoon kinda place. Kid Rock likes to get in fights there. Apparently.

Jacked Up Trucks:
People in Texas really take pride in their vehicles. Even if they have like a 1982 Topaz, you might see some spinning rims. Instead of me talking about some fancy chromed out 24 inch rims, on the other end of the spectrum is a jacked up truck. It would take a serious boost to get in this 4-wheel drive vehicle. I can't really talk about it anymore, but you will see trucks like this on Texas roadways. Watch out.

Mas Club:
I cannot speak a lot about this, cause I did not get an oppotunity to go inside but basically its a Sam's Club but with only Mexican/Spanish products. 1/3 of Houston residents are of Hispanic descend. I didn't check it out but its really intriguing to me. I wonder if this is successful. Coincidentally, I didn't realize that Mas is SAM backwards.

Whataburger:
Open 24 hours. Really bad but good food. They have breakfast. If you end up south of the border, as in Texas. Try the taquito. Its the stuff dreams are made of.

Tamales:
As a rule of thumb, you shouldn't buy any food from a stranger that is not working at an established establishment. I made an exception. I love tamales, and authentic ones. A lovely woman was selling these babies near the grocery store. Technically its illegal to buy food off the streets without a license. I am just above the law. I lived, no food poisoning and it was delicious. Do as I say-- not as I do.

Kolaches:
I don't know what these are. They sound dreadful. Texans live by them. Its a food item. I believe you can order them with certain meats. They sound and look awful.

Mi Familia

Sorry for the delay.
I've been enjoying the fun and the sun in Texas. It was a great trip. Short and sweet. I love my family. I truly do. I never realized how much, until I moved away from them.

From the early start in my career I decided I wanted to be a reporter or anchor on the news. And being that I was brand new in the profession I had to move to a very small market. I was stuck in small cities far away from family. My "new" family was the people I worked with...Other lonely young people in far away lands. I kept in touch with friends that were together, but my journey was a different one. This was hard but it allowed me to remain focused on my professional goals.

I don't mind being so far away. Sure, during the holidays I feel some emptiness. I wish I could cruise over and get a home cooked meal with my mom or dad. I never got to use my parents for free laundry when I was in college, or watch a Vikings game with my dad. With my family we do what we can. I am a firm believer in hand written notes, and phone calls on Sundays. When we are away from eachother we stay close with phone calls, text messages, or email. And every few months I itch to get close to them--so I book a plane ticket and get to spend quality time with my brother, his kids...my sister and her family and so on. Most of my friends have a parent or sibling that is a mere car ride away. I never realized how much I envy this.

We are all complex beings. We get along and don't get along. There are kids and a matriarch. We laugh, and tell stories. No matter how far we are its a simple hug that brings us back together.

I'm one of the few in my family with no kids. So its also amazing to look into the eyes of these little impressionable souls that call you "Auntie Kelly". The excitement they have when you enter a room, or sit next to them and read. Its like no other feeling I have ever had before. My nephew, Layson asked "Who are you?" I said "I'm auntie Kelly" he answered without even missing a beat "Hi Auntie Kelly....I missed you when you were gone..." I missed him (and all of them) too.


XOXO,
K

Social Media: To be or NOT to be

During Sunday’s GB Packer and AZ Cardinals game I found myself doing something I had never done before in a manner like this! TWEETING. Days later I realized that I had tweeted 11 times which may not seem excessive to you but it definitely is to me. Because of my job, I find that using an outlet, like twitter has allowed me to reach out to people I may not have reached out to. Confront people who have the wrong information (Hello @FoxSports9) and give out my opinion in short bursts. Is it relevant or does it mean anything to some random who reads it? Probably not, but I felt I had to get it out there.

In the office and beyond I found myself weary of the TMI… the dreaded too much information. Yes… I get it, you have Vertigo. You don’t feel well, you have a crying or sick kid… but do I actually care? Probably not. No. Unfortunately I am so self absorbed that I only care about myself. Okay that is not true… but I do find it odd that people but their business out there for the WORLD to read. I mean I guess they are your “friends”. I just have never felt comfortable with putting too much information out there.

I guess it’s the NEWS side of me that wants to remain limited in my interactions with the general public. Not to mention you are speaking to a wide range of people. Example: My facebook page encompasses high school friends, college buddies, peeps I have met along the way, work colleagues, friends of friends and acquaintances. Lots of people all gelled into one wonderful facebook page. Do I announce when I am drunk? Nope. Do I announce when I am hunting for a job? Nope. Do I announce when I am going out? Sometimes. I guess what I am meaning to say is that there is no defined lines drawn when it comes to how you use or abuse social media.

I did some digging around I asked myself this question?? Why is there this great need to Tweet or use Facebook? I found an article from this dude named Oliver James he is a clinical psychologist he said that “Twittering stems from a lack of identity” and he added “no one would Twitter if they had a strong sense of identity“. I am going to have to disagree. Many of the people I “follow” have a strong sense of who they are. Even to a fault.

I really identify with a few social media types that have used this medium to their advantage. I only have 122 followers. I am reaching a very small amount of people, but I think its amazing how people are using these sites to reach the masses and spread their word around. Finally, I encourage people to take a look and investigate social media sites…. I have used linkedin as a tool for an upcoming job search. I use facebook to connect with high school friends who I have not been in touch with for over a decade. And I use twitter to follow the LOVE of my life, Dirk Nowitzki. Okay wait—there is more to my obsession than just that.

Resolutions 'N Stuff

Every January its inevitable that everyone is fretting over New Years resolutions. I am one of those people. It's definitely not difficult to decide what things I can do better. Or "work" on. Which is the lazy way of saying you need to do something without completely committing. So I came up with a slight list of the things I definitely need to do to be a better, happier, more productive person in 2010.

1. Get Healthy
Eat better, workout, less putting my body through the wringer. People have this awful perception that I am healthy because I am have a slimmer frame. Untrue. Everyone can tone, and tighten and this year is the year I am going to do it. Plus I want to get the asthma and allergies under control. Take that not being able to breathe!!

2. Do It.
I always over-think. I always consider every reason to say NO and I need to stop. Some of the best times I have had in my life have been unplanned. I need to start taking my mantra to heart. I will be more disappointed by the things I don't do. So I am going to change that. Money is no object. Maybe.


3. Get a PT job
I don't technically need another job. Its more time away from Hendrix and less time to just chill out. BUT I really have a desire to get back into the medical field. I feel like there is something there. I worked previously in Houston in a Level-1 hospital in the Shock Trauma ICU. There was a lot of gun shot wounds, stab wounds, people run over, and it was intense. One of the best jobs I have ever had. I miss the intensity, and being a part of something I felt like that was truly helping others. (Even in a slight way)

4. Rekindle a Relationship
This shouldn't be a resolution but really. It is.
I am sick of my friends trying to set me up. I am sick of people commenting on how it amazes them that I am still single. Listen. I am. And its cool. If I need help/advice/set-up's/or seconds I will most definitely ask. I think I can do this on my own without the help of eharmony (thanks for the suggestion mom) match, yahoo dating, fish in the sea, and craigslist. I am good. I promise, and if I do need to run for the hills to find a man I will.

5. Be a BETTER me
There is no formula. No process. Just a desire to do unto others.
I can dish it and take it. I want to manage not getting super pissed over non-sense. This *can* happen, right?


6. Learn Something NEW
Those Community Ed books that come to the house, I always read through it. Always want to take a class and never do. This time I am going to do it. I need to learn something new. Something that will benefit me. I am going to do it.

I really think I can do it. I am going to have a positive attitude about it. Work it, Baby.
xoxo,
Kelly