"You better have soul, nothing less..."

[The title of this post is from the song "Sons of Anarchy" by Curtis Stigers. Hearing it live last night was one of the MANY amazing moments of my night last night.]

One thing that’s sometimes hard to remember when you are addicted to a virtual world is remembering all the things that make you glad to live in “First Life”. These could be things about yourself or things about the world around you or even things you love to do.

I got into an email discussion about this with a friend yesterday and it prompted me to make a blog entry about it. Therefore, this will be my way of talking out who I am and remembering things I really love to DO in the real world.

So let’s see – I have mentioned I am 37 about 37 times. HAHAHA. Seriously though – that’s a huge part of who I am. When I wasn’t living in a virtual world last year, I took a lot of time to live outside the box. I made a point of doing things for the very first time that normally I would have been afraid to try. I walked in a 5k after losing a LOT of weight last year. I was so darn proud when I did that. My blisters that were on top of blisters were NOT so happy, but I will train harder and better for THIS year’s 5k.

I lost a ton of weight last year! How much? Well, the count is currently at 82 pounds from Jan. 1, 2009 through now. A lot of that weight came off over the summer. I have a deal with my father that as soon as I hit 100 pounds gone, I get an all-expense paid trip to Europe. :D I can’t WAIT. Or should I say, WEIGHT. ;)
I left my “dream job” last May that turned into a nightmare. It was so hard to do because I just adored my coworkers. There were changes in leadership and in attitude and I couldn’t see my way clear to stay any longer. I went from working full time to working part time with an upstanding and ethical company (sooo important to me) and an even MORE upstanding, ethical and HILLARIOUS boss.  I have never been happier in my work life – except for the fact that I could definitely stand to make a little more money. We’ll see what comes in time.
I started spending more time as a MOM* (this comes with a “*” because while it’s mostly true, there were so many times that I sacrificed time with my little sweet pea to log into SL. NOWADAYS I am spending a TON more time as a mom.  And that makes me VERY happy. I drop E. off every day and I pick her up every day after school. I volunteer in her classroom and I am on the PTO. I feel like I am a part of a community when I am there helping – and her school is JUST incredible. We have built a great relationship with her teacher and E. has been receiving additional help in math and she just moved into the next level – and she is calculating the area of a triangle in third grade as an 8 year old! She just makes me more and more proud!

I have seriously neglected my scrapbooking and stamping that I used to do over the past 17 months. I would like to get back into that. I was caught up – current – for the longest time. I was always one of those mom’s who photographed and documented every little thing, from the green beans stuck to her rear end after a particularly messy dinner one night to her first school pageant. I have neglected this documenting duty – which doesn’t inherently make me a BAD mom, I know. It just makes me less of a good mom in my own eyes. I am pretty tough on myself. That’s another thing about me that maybe not everyone knows. I’m very sensitive. I have very distinct feelings about what’s right and what’s wrong. I feel strongly that honesty begins with yourself and should spread to everyone else in your life. ALWAYS. Even when it hurts and even when it’s not the popular choice. Honesty should always reign.

Okay, now I am getting back into things I dwell on way too often these days. I need to get back to the good stuff.

[begin humming "These Are a Few of My Favorite Things" noooow]

I love puppies and kittens and dogs and cats. I love riding my bike at sunrise and at sunset. I love organizing the closet. I love purging old things for the sake of better organized other things. I love cooking and baking and planning. I love traveling. I love exploring a new place. I love going to a meat market to buy meat. I love shopping for a good deal. I love walking in the mall and window shopping. I love watching movies – comedies especially – even MORE especially if they include Jack Black! I love laughing at myself and teasing people I love. I love holidays. I love swinging on swings at the park. I love rainy days, snowy days, sunny days, spring days and fall days. I love playing in the snow. I love going to the farmers market and coming home and making a fresh and delicious meal. I love marmalade. I love a slice of cheese with a pickle inside. I love getting my eyebrows waxed. I love a nice, clean house. I love love. I love the mountains. I love Starbucks…especially a caramel macchiato – warm in the winter and iced in the summer. I love fried egg sandwiches. I love Family Guy. I love YouTube. I love walking on a rainy day. I love speaking in public. I love networking. I love smiling and making people’s days brighter. I love making people laugh. I love that I know the mall scene in The Blues Brothers by heart and I could watch it again and again and again and again and never get bored. I love that I approach almost everything in my life with a child-like wonder and a true joy for the opportunity to experience it. I love being alive. I love God. I love my Daddy. I love Museums. I love trying on clothes. I love playing with the Wii. Once upon a time I loved oil painting…when I took it in college…I painted again later and ended up with a picture I am very proud of. I love religions. I love multi-cultural experiences. I love trying new things. I love meeting new people. I love trees. I love the “aha” moments in life. I love going out to dinner. I love hosting dinner parties. I love hiring someone to clean my house. I love lemon Italian ices. I love veal loaf. I love super-duper sharp cheddar cheese. I love Fridays. I love candy dishes. I love green plants. I love the glow of candles. I love a prettily set dining table. I love that I handle most situations in my life with inner grace. I love Ed Hardy pink perfume. I love white roses. I love a little caring spank on my rear. I love reading. I love knitting something. I love talking to an old friend and catching up on our lives. I love hugs. I love praying – either alone or with someone else. I love British Comedies. I love magical moments. I love Kanye, Curtis, John, Al, The Chicks, Elvis (Costello), GaGa and a million other artists whose music makes life lovelier by adding the fuzzy edges to the hard corners. I love singing. I love mowing the lawn; I love MYSELF more and more every day. I love Egyptology. I love Harry Potter. I love ALL of these things and so many more things besides…NONE of them can be experienced in a real way when you are so involved in a virtual world.

I just want to share one more thing – it’s about my night last night. I sat transfixed as one of my FAVORITE musicians stood a mere 10 feet (roughly) from me on a stage and belted out song after song with energy and enthusiasm and exuberance. I could see the detail on his wedding band, see the sweat on his brow and I was privileged enough to sit in on a session that made the word “intimate concert” have a whole new meaning. His mom was there and we sat in front of a couple that used to take Curtis skiing when he was young. My husband J. reminded me that he was in his brother’s class in high school. Curtis came home and gave a one of a kind show. What he did – and what his special guests did – was give a girl who wasn’t expecting the world – the world. The music transcended the moment and I was in heaven. A ticket mix-up allowed for us to have third row seats. A few extra minutes afterwards allowed for a kind of a half-hug, picture and a conversation with a man who has a talent straight from heaven. A dinner out and a concert and one of the TOP TEN best nights of my life so far. THESE are things I missed out on in Second Life. You never know when one of the BEST moments of your life will occur. You just don’t. Thank goodness I was lucid enough, blessed enough, loved enough, and given enough to get to experience one of those top moments last night.

My all-time favorite Curtis Stigers song to close my blog entry today - he sang it last night. Thank you so much to everyone still reading, still supporting, still loving and still holding me up every day.