Manfull's Handfull

I try (really, I do) to wake up happy, positive, and ready to kickass. However, this morning try as I might, I crawled out of bed already angry at the world. More specifically, angry at the guy in the parking lot who felt the need to "warm up" his diesel powered truck at 5:00am. First of all it's April- there is no need to warm up your truck. Second of all, the sun is not even up yet- so likely, neither are most of your neighbors. I asked the North Liberty police if this was illegal. Still waiting for a response. Then, as I'm taking my dog for our morning stroll- I wasn't anticipating, or prepared for, the cold gusts of wind, or that my beloved Podcast ( MyFavoriteMurder ) would stop working *turns out there was just a really long pause and I was just too angry to wait*. Needless to say- I was not happy, positive, or ready to kickass. I got back from my walk and realized that being angry is no way to start the day. So, I had to turn it around. I looked at my ...

You know what absolutely sucks? Being a young adult, forced into the real world where you no longer have the luxury of jumping on a plane to a warm destination for a week of nothing but boozing and beaching with your best friends; It sucks because 1. now you can't even remotely afford it financially and 2. Because you can't even remotely afford it work-wise. Life's a real toe-stubber sometimes, I tell ya. As much fun as I had scrolling through social media, living vicariously through all my friends still lucky enough to partake in spring break antics, I can assure you it would have been a little more enjoyable had I been on the other end of the screen. Alas- the 9-5 wins again. I spent a lot of time scrolling and wishing last week. Wishing I was splashing in an ocean. Wishing I had a cool drink in my hand. Wishing for warm weather- but worst of all I found myself "wishing" for the bodies I saw in the photos. I would stare in awe at these tiny little b...

There's no denying, or avoiding, the hostility within this great nation lately. There are divisions of opinions that have turned neighbors into enemies, and complete groups of people against one another. Maybe it makes me naïve, or stupid, but I genuinely think that if we all (collectively) start to find the positives  our lives will improve dramatically. I constantly see people all over social media actively pointing out the negative news headlines, flooding my timelines with sad images, thoughts, or facts. Please don't think I don't know that our nation, world, and future is/are unstable. I know that, I understand it, and I hate it. However, instead of fermenting the ideas and the negativity, I am going to chose happiness. I found that the more I dwelled on the toxic news, the worse my view on life became. I also see people out there fighting everyday, whether it's protesting, promoting, or informing- they're making the world better because they're figh...

Like most people in the world I greeted the New Year with a few "resolutions". I use the term resolutions very lightly because I never actually wrote them down, or verbalized them because I have a tendency to forgo the whole idea in a matter of weeks and I loathe admitting defeat...but, in an effort to at least say I tried to follow through, here I am. I often get so caught up in life that I put my passions and hobbies on the back burner. As birthday girl Betty White said, " I think everybody needs a passion. Whether it's one passion or a hundred, that's what keeps life interesting ". And if Betty White said it, you can be darn sure I'll abide by it. Which leads me back to the main point ("resolution", if you must), finding time for my passions. I love to write, and as hard as I try to blog on a regular basis, I let life get in the way. But why should I be putting the things that make me the happiest aside? Seems a little counter productive if ...

For the first time in 108 years the Chicago Cubs are in the World Series. Chicago Cubs and World Series haven't been tied together in a sentence for over a CENTURY. Obviously people are losing their minds, and draining their bank accounts to be a part of history-- and I don't blame them one bit. The thing about this is- until very recently I couldn't have cared less about the MLB, or the Cubs in general. I could name a handful of Cubbies, and maybe throw around some general knowledge...but a fan? absolutely not. All I knew was that Kris Bryant was a hottie, and Anthony Rizzo was a cancer-beating badass teddy-bear. But I couldn't help but take notice the second the Cubs started their post-season journey. There's something about a team being so lovable, even in the face of a century of disappointing losses, that really resonates with me as a life-long Hawkeye fan. There is something so captivating watching the fans come out of hibernation, flood the streets, and...

If you know me at all, there have been a very limited amount of times during my young life where I've been left completely speechless. I can almost always come up with a comment, opinion, or at least verbalize some sort of response in most situations. Be it sarcastic, humorous, or semi-intelligent, I'm hardly ever left without words. However, on Saturday night, the only response I could muster when Coldplay took the stage, was a stream of (happy) tears and a smile stretched a mile wide. It's seems dramatic, pathetic to some, to admit that I was brought to tears due to a musical performance. But at the same time, it's completely reasonable. Music has this incredible ability to bring you to certain places, memories, and people. It shapes your not only your day, but your life, and ultimately who you are as a person. For me, Coldplay has been a band that will always resonate with me, because during some of the darkest, or happiest, or most memorable times, it has alway...

Almost every day I find myself reading an article or listening to a song that is preaching body positivity, constantly reminding women that no matter your age, size, skin color, or religion that you're beautiful! I mean, hell yeah! I'm so on board with empowering women and our bodies- however, all the positive messages and lingo floating around is demolished the second a woman steps into a clothing store dressing room. I've always been a short, curvier woman (except for that small stint where my gallbladder stopped working and I was rail thin due to sickness), and let me tell you something: finding clothing has never been an easy task. My body type has never been something that has been displayed on posters, or magazines, or sizes in stores. It's been a frustrating battle for as long as I can remember. From broad shoulders, a seemingly ever-growing chest (thanks so much birth control!!! Bras ain't cheap), flat stomach, wide hips, junk in my trunk and very strong t...