Year-end Wrap-up (and many other hyphened words)

So to start... Or maybe its to finish: 2009 was a pretty good year. Lots of random dating. I met a few guys, dated them, and added yet another crop of men to my ever increasing collection of male friends. I was talking with one of them who had the exact opposite situation. Most of his friends are women. What does that say about us?

I tried a few new things. Went to my first-ever New England-style clambake. (I also decided that day that the best way to have clams is cooked over hot coals on a beach.) Another new thing, started to learn Argentine tango... It is kinda difficult to dance with a partner who is shorter than you, but I'm managing to learn. It looks so beautiful when experienced dancers are going at it... Somehow I'm making it look painful. I guess that is the learning process, though. I think the favorite new thing I did this year is taking a Zumba class. For the uninitiated, Zumba is a cardio class that incorporates the dance stylings of Latin dances, as well at hip-hop, and whatever else the instructor chooses to use for choreography. My best friend, in addition to being my partner in crime for all things involving revelry, is also a certified Zumba instructor. She started teaching classes for my Relief Society, and I just loved it. The work-out is more intense than sprinting for 3 miles, and more work than a day of skiing. It is a lot of fun, and the music is such that it makes you want to move.

I know that in past years I have scoffed at making resolutions. Instead saying I make revolutions. (Yes I have a bunch of guerrillas wandering with guns that make sure my goals are accomplished and demands met.) I'm making a resolution for 2010. In 2009, I both sprained and broke my foot. There was a several month space between each injury, but the result was the same... My exercise regime was stalled. Now I am not a fat woman, but I think I could gain to lose a few pounds and tone here and there. A trainer friend once told me I would never be a Kate Moss, but I have the potential to be a tall Scarlett Johanssen. With that in mind, my resolution-revolution is to gain more physical fitness for 2010. I would like to run a half-marathon some time during the year, and I really want to train for a tri. I have already found a few programs to aid me in my pursuits. Mostly I am concerned with stamina, but the distance running goals will have great spill-over into strength as well. I think I'll be able to do the leg presses I did when I played sports in high school, in the end.

Speaking of school... The year 2010 is the year I get myself back into college. Yes, people you read correct. I am re-enrolling, hopefully at BYU-Idaho. The plan is for me to finally finish my Social Work degree, and get to stepping on doing grad school. In a perfect world, I would be able to double major in social work and nursing, but I think that dream may not come to fruition. I'll just be a phlebotomy doing, salsa dancing, social worker/counselor. My biggest challenge is in writing all of the essays. For me, writing anything is very difficult. I definitely have the intelligence, and the vocabulary. But translating the verbal, vocal-ness into something written is akin to having a first year resident perform open-heart surgery. Not impossible, but very difficult, and a little scary. I am blessed with an amazing sister, though. She promised to take a look at my attempts and give me some notes. I'm hoping my writing skills haven't diminished too much from under-usage.

So to sum up: 2009 was a pretty good year. 2010 has a lot of potential and promise. I have a lot of work to do. My family and friends are the greatest. Faith and hope get me through the tough times.

The snow makes a blanket of white, and for interesting driving. Give yourself extra time, both to clean off your car and to arrive safely.

Please give your input and share.

Thanks,

The Tallgurrl

A cool new bike...

I would love one of these!!!!

Is There an Age Limit for This Ride?

Throughout my life people would mistake my age. In high school, I wandered the halls without a pass, because many people thought I was a senior. In junior high, people would ask me which college I was applying for and how I did on the SATs. I was never carded, until I was 21.

This trend is taking a slightly different bent now. I'm in my late 20s(OK I'll be 30 at the end of the summer). Now I get the other end of the spectrum. I have people constantly underestimating my age. I have a few patients who are convinced that I am 19 and won't hear a word different. Usually, I get somewhere between 23-25. While talking this over with my best friend I came to the decision that its a good thing. We are youthful, in touch with our inner child, fun loving... All while having the hint of responsibility in our makeup.

My question is where does the age limit get placed in the dating world? Does age really matter? I'm thinking not so much. As a very healthy woman, I intend to live a long and active life. One of the main contributors to my youthful appearance is that I keep the Word of Wisdom. It is a type of health code that was made a commandment. People often mock Mormons for their non-consumption of alcohol and tobacco. But the truth is, most LDS peoples live to old ages, and are active right up to the end.

By living this lifestyle, the body is better able to be maintained. In my case, I have such a young, not wrinkled countenance that yet again someone under-bid on my age. Sadly, this someone is probably put off by my age now. (He is 22, and still in college.) Now, I have a bit of a confession to make. While I am very open to dating anyone, I do actually have age limits for myself. I decided a very long time ago that I would never date someone who is more than 5 years younger than me... This guy, however, has me reassessing my outlook. We'll see if anything comes of it. But for now, I'm just going to enjoy the ride, and the ... Summer?

The air is warm, the skies partly cloudy, and the surf is medium. It is a perfect beach day, so enjoy it.

Please give your thoughts and feelings, and share.

Thanks,

The Tallgurrl

Signs of Spring

I follow the writings of my friend's mother in the NH Mirror. Her column is called the Single Cynic. It makes me laugh. I wrote a reply and much to my surprise, it was printed in the June edition. Here's an excerpt from what I wrote...


I was driving home from work the other day, talking to one of my "coupled" friends. She was complaining about how she doesn't have time to herself... How she is always busy, and I'm so lucky not to have a man in my life who takes up my free time.
Meanwhile, she is planning her August wedding.
As I listened to her babble on and on about how "totally rough" it all is, I looked at the spring beauties that I was driving past. I was thinking about the symbolism of them. Birth, togetherness, coupledom, marriage, new beginnings. The birds, flowers and little furry animals all seem to show hope...
Then Mother Nature gave me a blazing sign of where my romantic life is at the time. A huge, ugly turkey vulture swooped down to land near my car. I don't know if you've ever seen them, but turkey vultures are probably the ugliest, scariest, most nauseating creatures on the earth.
And that isn't even mentioning the fact that they are carrion birds.
Suffice it to say, I finally got it. YES, I'm single. Mother Nature has too much of a sense of humor for my taste. I think I need to look for signs of spring in a city from now on.


Now this isn't to say I'm bitter about the whole single thing... More to say, I laugh very hard at it... Then I get over it and hang out with my friends.

Please comment and share... You know how I love to know what you are thinking.

Thanks,

The Tallgurrl

As Time Moves On...

So it has finally occurred to me what I do when it comes to blogging: I write the same way as how I write in my journal(whenever something interesting or momentous happens). That said, I think it would be a good idea to post something now. I've had a lot of things knocking around in my head. In the mass of randomness that is my mind these few topics keep coming to the forefront.

High school reunions- My 10 year reunion was held around Thanksgiving 2008. I found out about it when I looked at the pictures someone posted on Facebook. Now I will never be sentimental about my high school experience. To be blunt, I was one of the many victims of bullies. I have no desire to go hang out with the people who treated me poorly, while they are getting drunk and reminiscing about the "good old days". They weren't that great for me. Hard to believe, I know! How could this gregarious, outgoing, social butterfly that you all know and love be considered a social leper? Boggles the mind. I had no intention of going, but to be honest, I would have liked to have had the option to decline. Instead, I had the insta-declination that was being overlooked. The funny thing is that I think I was salsa dancing with friends that weekend.

Friends- I have amazing friends. They are legion. They are quirky. They come from so many different backgrounds and have such different tastes. This past weekend I went to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts. First, LOVE IT THERE!!! Second, everyone who went got something out of the trip. I got a lot out of it. And not all of it was art appreciation. The trip was originally planned to be a group date, but eventually became just a mass of friends going to Boston to hang out. I am SOOO GLAD that it turned out that way. It would have been very awkward when the guy I had asked as my "date" left our group with the girl he is hanging out with. (I don't say dating because he's only known her a few weeks and still introduces her as "my friend___"). On the drive home my best friend Wanda and I commented that we got not only dinner, but also a show.

Valentine's Day- Every year I get myself built up with excitement for the holiday that celebrates love. I keep thinking that on this the most romantic day of the year, perhaps, I'll have met "Mr. Right". I have a very sarcastic/somewhat cynical bent to my personality, but one thing most people don't realize is that I am a hopeless romantic. I am such an idealist in every aspect of my life. I want to be swept off of my feet by some dashing man, who sees me as his queen. I love the sentimental sappy love songs, romantic dates, cuddling by the fire, and all of those other cliches. I work hard to hide that part of me. Probably because it is a lot bigger than I'd care to admit. This year, like many in the past, I will be spending it alone... Or at least with a serious lack of male companionship. Maybe I should line up a date with my bath tub and a Danielle Steel novel... Or maybe do a bunch of chick flicks and guy bash with my besties... Whatever I do, I know I'll have good company, and a phenomenal playlist.

I always tell my friends that I don't make resolutions for the upcoming year. This one is no different. But, I do make revolutions. Yes, I carry a gun, have guerrillas run around, and depose leaders, all while doing something good for myself. And this year, the revolution will take place in this blog. I'm going to write more often. It is getting kind of boring to be told by my sister that I never write blogs, so she doesn't read mine. So VIVE LA REVOLUTION!

The dew-point fell this morning, making the air a bit moist. I don't think the revolutionaries will mind, though.

Please comment and share.

Thanks,

The Tallgurrl