I was at the store the other day

So I was at the store and I had an epiphany.

I have man hands since doing crossfit and building calluses.

This is not me or my hands--this pic comes from here

They're gross.

When I would shake people's hands I would be kinda self conscious, which I've never been before.

So the other day I'm sitting there after a work out and I ask about the calluses. The girls there tell me that they use the heel callus thing and shave off their calluses and smooth them with a sand paper like thing. They have baby bottom smooth hands.

SO I thought... I'm going to try it.

I went and bought one of the razor blade callus things and the sand paper thing. Have you ever seen a toddler try to color the first time and they look really awkward and mess up a lot. Yea... ummm I was worse.

I cut the heck out of my hands and then rubbed them with that sand paper looking stuff... put some deep moisturizing lotion stuff on them and went to bed.

I woke up and they were like a babies behind!!! I was so proud of myself! I had done it, awkwardly and ugly and stuff... but they FELT girlie again.

Then I walk in to work out today. Everything involved my hands and I tore them and all that work, pain, and agony from last night...

Gone.

Hello man hands.

Sincerly,

I really am a girl, I just have man feeling hands.

And YES, it's worth it!

Love,

C'mon Ride this train-Dance Central Kinect-Challenge

I realize more and more... I'm not really a philosopher.  Shocking!  I know.  I have my serious thoughts, but let's be honest, I can't be serious or take anything serious for very long.

And it's funny because I always have these things that I could complain about or bring up to cause some kind of discussion or controversy, but then I'm like--"oh! I see sparkle" and I can't remember what I was going to talk about.

So when I bring the deep thoughts, count yourself lucky that day.  :)


SO here's something way serious.  3GirlKnight challenged me to a Dance Central Kinect dance off--that link is his challenge to everyone, but he challenged me in email... and I'm not one to let go of a challenge.

I challenge him to video himself next time!  Just sayin.  Cause I did it via Flip cam and I brought out the leg warmers and the unbrushed hair...  Bring it 3 Girl Knight!!!  His score was 549,708.  Here is what I got live and in color!

Deleted NOW... sorry slackers!

I will be taking this video off within 24 hrs. But there is your proof that, well, I beat his score!!! Just jump to the end if you don't want to watch me pump my fist in there air while trying to mirror a cartoon person on the T.V.

Anybody else up for the challenge?

Love,

True Forgiveness via a new friend

"I can forgive, but I cannot forget, is only another way of saying, I will not forgive. Forgiveness ought to be like a cancelled note - torn in two, and burned up, so that it never can be shown against one. ~Henry Ward Beecher"

I was talking with a new friend about this very subject and she said something that hit true that had come to her. It was similar to this quote, something to the fact that if you forgive and truly forgive, then you cannot bring it up again whether it be 3 weeks or 20 years later. Not if you truly forgive.

It's hard to do that though. One doesn't want to forget what wrong was done to them because they don't want to be put int hat situation again, they don't want to be vulnerable... but that is forgiveness, as she so eloquently reminded me, it is being vulnerable again.

Do you learn a lesson? Yes.

Is it a fun way to learn? Heck no.

But true forgiveness is such a healing balm to the soul and I think I like the outlook Ghandi put on it, "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. ~Mahatma Gandhi"

They sure don't make it easy to be strong...

Thanks to my friend for talking to me about it. I love being reminded.

Hope you all have a good Sunday!

Love,

Death by age and kipping pull up

Here's the thing.

I try to let me kids know about stuff that use to scare me as a child.

Things like Death.

I was SOOOOOO scared of dying.

Not ME dying but people I loved and depended on... so mostly my parents.

There was more than one night where I would have to think about my favorite childhood church song to make me feel more at peace because at times the thought of not having my parents around would consume me with paralyzing fear. Which is quite a feat in and of itself when you have a little sister kicking you in the twin bed you share with her.

Anyway... back to my point. I try to lessen the fear by talking about Death and the fact that we will see the people that die again. I try to make it seem magical. "Death is what get's us back to our families and loved ones that have passed on, so it's a good thing" and "it's okay to miss them right now, but did you know that time goes really quick up in Heaven so after they get there it will seem like minutes until we are there with them again!" and "it's hard for us because we miss them down here with us, but they are having such a great time up there!"

So the other day my daughter and I were driving together... somewhere. I forget now. And she starts this conversation about getting old.

Her: Mommy-when you get old you'll die.

ME: Yes, I will, but I have a long way to go until I get old so you have nothing to worry about. (assuming she was worried I would die)

Her: I'm not worried, but you ARE getting really really old, so it might not be that long.

And there you have it. The reason why my daughter can't speak right now, because I turned around and throat punched her. (I was kidding in case you thought I was being for real).

Since we are talking about death. I've been going to a CrossFit box here where I live, I have endearingly termed it Satan's Lair, if you remember. I am quite obsessed with it actually and go 5-6 times a week. For the first time in a long time I have not concentrated on how much I weigh, but on how I'm improving on workouts. I've been going for 6 months now and have cut my times down by whole minutes on some of the workouts while lifting more or doing more reps--but I about die each workout--each one harder than I expect--but such a sense of accomplishment when I get done!

I still work on how I see myself in the mirror--realizing more and more that I need to remember that I'm working towards the perfect 10 ME and not some really slender girl with no hips or sisters on top aka boobs--basically I'm owning up to reality. And it frees me a little bit more from my mind and the destructive thoughts I battle.

I thought I'd show this picture that the owner of the CrossFit here where I workout took of me and posted on their blog-- a kipping pull up with no band-- just me myself and I.

I know it looks like I was eating the bar... but there you go. I think we did 40 pullups that day and I did it all with out the band.

So yea... working on the perfect 10 ME and killin myself one workout at a time.  But I'm NOT getting really really old!!!

Love,

Neutral, cool, laid back.

My husband and I are mostly just really good friends. We love each other sure... but we are best friends besides all of the other stuff that comes with love. If we weren't in love, I'm pretty sure we'd still kick it as friends or keep in touch with each other.

What I love mostly is that he really is kind of a tough guy, especially when it comes to gifts on ANY holiday. He always is saying, "I don't need anything." For a gift GIVER like myself, that's hard to swallow. For years I still bought him gifts with no other outcome then a slow, "thanks" as he would toss it aside. It's not that he never liked what I gave him, he just doesn't really react dramatically on either end of the scale--always neutral, cool, laid back.

But as you learn more about someone, you learn how to get some kind of reaction other than a neutral, cool, and laid back one.

The key? Instead of giving them something that they WANT or NEED... give them something that will shock them or is completely unexpected.

I know, I'm a genius. Only took me like 8 years to figure that out, so the last three have been kind of fun! :)

So let me fill you in. On Christmas Eve our family tradition is to open one gift under the tree. For the kids it's from Mom and Dad, and for each other it's, well, from each other. I hope you are still with me.

Anyway... it's always pajamas, even for MountainSport Man and I, it's some form of lounge wear.

So here he is, neutral, cool, laid back.

I told him to smile at the camera... he looks like he's plotting my demise... so bad azz.

But when he opened the present... Freaking Long Johns!!! lol... he laughed, and I succeeded! Plus, he can use them for when he snowboards!  Double Win for Shelle!

So what's the worst or best present your received for ANY holiday?

Come Out Come Out Wherever you ARE! Lurker!

It's one of the best holidays or just days of blog land today!!! I'm surprised if you don't know about it!

It's De-lurker's Day.

Basically, De-Lurkers to a blog are like Stalkers or Peeping Tom's to a real live person at their house. You peer in with your binoculars (read the post), watch what is going on, (imagine what I say in your mind), and instead of walking up to the house and knocking on the door to introduce yourself (leave a comment) you slink away to come back again the next day (move on to the next blog, turn off the computer because you have a life, too shy to let the other readers know who you are). But not today!!! Today is the DAY--the day you comment-- just today is all I ask (beg).

To be fair, I didn't really remember about it until a good blog friend of mine, SciFi Dad emailed me to remind me and sent this awesome graphic to commemorate the event...and I believe someone emailed him to remind him and sent HIM the graphic. Either way... I think it's worthy of a whole post all to itself.

Here's the thing though. I am kind of competitive... and I want all my lurkers to out comment the rest of those posting De-lurkers Post. I'm also getting this up late, which means we already are behind.

Can we do it guys? I believe in you... so believe in yourself. I want to know who you are, so stop being shy and/or lazy for just one day and leave a comment! Or not... or not, I'm not twisting your arm... I promise. (Really SciFi Dad is and the guy that emailed him (Rude Cactus Guy) ;) ... just sayin it wasn't me. (And that's how you throw someone under the bus--hope you took notes.)

Love ya!

(Now leave a comment--anything!!! make it funny, one word, drop your secretest secret-go big and then go home)

In the meantime--Here's how my family brought in the New Year!  We are so Freaking crazy it's redunkulous! (The worst New Year's Video ever! You will never get that time back if you watch it. But you should still watch it)



I also did this post over at Real World--so feel free to De-Lurk and not be a jerk/jurk!

VLOG: Which one should I choose?

YAY! a VLOG. A shaky one, but ONE nonetheless. I have a question for you... so let me know what you think!



If you can't watch my VLOG (and yes you are missing out-if only to see if I REALLY look anything like FLO from the Progressive insurance commercials, but without a bump it), the jist of it is VERIZON, who is our cell phone service provider, announced they will be getting the iPhone 4 in early February. It's true because even the Washington Post put an article out on it.

SO... since I'm due for a new phone in a few months... I want to know from you guys...

iPhone? Or Droid X?

Or "Shelle, girl, you KNOW I hate cell phones, so I say NEITHER and let them burn."

Discuss in comments.

Go over and LAUGH at the comparison! Just a teaser...

I have one of my regular contributors, that has been less regular, and now seems more like a guest--actually contribute today! And he did a smashing job as always, but he's over at Real World Venus vs. Mars--my OTHER blog, the one that I host but rely on the blog world for my posts!!! :) The one about relationships. He talks about how his relationships with his boys and girls differ... awesome read. So click over there! Below is a teaser--made me laugh!

Howdy, neighbor! It's me. Brian. Tysdaddy to you Twittering types. Around these parts, I am sometimes known by my blog name, The Cheek of God. Or you may recognize my avatar. Affectionately known as Balding Old Man With Mustache.

Whatever. I'm the guy that used to write here quite a bit and then up and vanished like a fart in the wind. (And ten bucks to the one who gets that movie reference, without using Google . . . ) But it's a new year, and like Frankenstein's monster, "It's ALIVE!!!!!"

Or something like that.

To my Mars homeys . . . Word! And I must say that the Venus ladies are looking as lovely as ever.

Speaking of lovelies, have you ever noticed how much this lady . . .


. . . and our gracious and wonderful host . . .



. . . look so much alike?! I triple dog dare ya to watch one of those commercials and NOT think of Shelle. Just sayin's all!

But seriously . . .

SOOOO--head over there and laugh with me about the comparison... and then if you have anything to add about what Brian says... let him know! Love ya guys!

Love,

Snow Day messed up my plans

So I'm not sure if you knew this, but it snowed where I live yesterday. That's pretty significant since on average it snows about... never in a year.

Well it really screwed up my plans.

You see... I found out on New Year's Day that Dillards has this crazy sale day. My husband mistakenly found out about it when he was looking for shoes for me and the lady told him about it... well, according to him it was "ladies" telling him about it and "helping" him pick shoes/boots out for me.

Uh huh.

Anyway... so we went to this sale and bought killer boots an awesome deal and I was going to wear them yesterday.

But I couldn't. I couldn't because it snowed... and my boots wouldn't have done well with the snow... because of the water snow holds.

Sigh.

Way to screw up my plans Mother Nature you use to be so consistent in this desert weather!

On the other hand... finding the glass half full, aren't my children super adorable in the snow! They were up at the crack of dawn to play with it before it melted!

Taken from my phone camera

Taken from my camera phone

It's offical, I'm a .... .... addict.

Here's the thing about making a "lifestyle" change... aka... diet-resolution-for-the-new-year. Your taste buds never REALLY forget what that good food tastes like.

Not the good food as in healthy food, like, fruits and vegetables and stuff like that. Because admittedly, that food is actually really good, I like it.

But I'm talking about brownies with chocolate frosting or frozen strawberry custard or yogurt. My taste buds don't forget that. So when I go to someone's house for, let's say a party to celebrate the New Year, ... and I see that kind of yummy treat... I start to drool. I know what it tastes like... I KNOW how I feel when I eat it... I know the way it rolls around on my tongue and squishes in my teeth and slowly slides down my throat.

So it is official... I am a sugary, carbohydrate, addict.

No matter how many long months I go without sugar and bad carbs... my taste buds will not allow me to forget.

What's your weakness? I feel that if we get this out that maybe it will help get me through this the next few days of withdrawal because I had a relapse New Year's Eve... and the day after, and the day after that. But I think I'll be good tomorrow! :)

Love,

VLOG over there.

So just letting you know I did a VLOG... but on Real World Venus vs. Mars site.  Hope ya'll had a HAPPY NEW YEAR and start taking the sound advice I posted below! :)



*click*


LOVE,