WHAT UP THIS WEDNESDAY?

so...it's been a pretty busy week at work...we had a huge sale that seemed to last forever. and i worked ALL day EVERY day of it. i mean AAAALLLL day. EV. ER. YDAY. and working with the public, and grumpy co~workers, takes a lot out of a girl. i've been too tired to think, let alone write a blog. and i'm still tired. so today, you get a quick history lesson and a video. i hope you enjoy them!!??!!

FLASHBACK september 13, 1959

elvis meets and falls in love with priscilla, in germany, while in the army. she was 14....CREEPY!! 

FLASH FORWARD may 1, 1967

elvis and priscilla marry.

FLASH FORWARD february 1, 1968

priscilla gives birth to their only child, lisa marie.

FLASH FORWARD 1973

priscilla begins an affair with her karate instructor and she and elvis divorce. elvis is heartbroken.

elvis never ever wrote a song but, they say, he sang "always on my mind" about priscilla.

WHAT UP WEDNESDAY?

"regrets...i've had a few..."
let me preface this by saying: i love my job. i really love my job. i'm not saving the world. or lives. i'm not discovering the secrets to the universe. or creating new, and better, technology. i'm simply selling handbags. but...i have fun everyday. i make people smile everyday. i inspire "plain janes" to step out of the box a bit...everyday. i love my job.
but...this week? this week i've overextended myself. just a tad. and it's making me CRAZY!!! and making me contemplate ways to get out of work (sword swallowing, anyone?). how did i let that happen, you ask? i picked up shifts, more than quadrupling my hours for the week (yay me!!), we bought a 20 game season ticket pack to see our cincinnati reds (yay us!!), we got invited to see another reds game (yay bk's boss!!), and, then, there's all the other things that must be done on any given day (laundry, cleaning, cooking, stocking the fridge). it's only wednesday and i'm exhausted. it's only wednesday and i need a vacation. 
it happens to everyone. we look at our weekly schedule and say to ourselves "sure, i can fit that in". we pick up extra shifts, or accept invitations to parties (or ball games). we look at our calendars...at the big to dos...but don't think about all the little things we have to do.
what can you do to keep yourself from getting overextended? or, worse, wishing a foul ball would give you a concussion?

• ask for help. i don't have to do all the little things alone. i KNOW that if i would only ask the bk would walk the dog, or do some laundry.  
• don't sweat the small stuff. it can wait. you don't HAVE to dust that table today. it will still be there tomorrow. so make a list this morning of 3 things that MUST happen today. focus on getting those taken care of. 
• keep a calendar. no excuses. you have a phone with a calendar on it, use it. and stick to it. that way you'll know if dinner with friends is actually possible that day.
• learn to say no *see "keep a calendar"*. if your calendar says you're busy busy just say no. explain to your friend that dinner is impossible and try to do it another day. 
• set aside time for you.  the real reason you feel overextended is you haven't had time to yourself. you haven't been able to open that book. or play that game. or just take a nap. with no "me time" you'll go crazy, so mark it on your calendar.

                           

                       

• sword swallowing
• painting nails in the car
• a full calendar
• candy crush addiction

don't worry. be happy.

"BETTER PUT THEM IN QUOTATIONS...

...say what you need to say..."

FLASHBACK march 22, 2013

i walk in the house and the bk is on the phone. he's excited about something but refuses to say. he hands me the phone and the voice on the other end says "so. do you prefer auntie (auhntie) or auntie (antie)?" ummmm...auntie (antie) duh doy! wait? whaat?! OMG!!! 

FLASH FORWARD march 28, 2013

i get a tearful phone call. "i'm on my way to the hospital. there's bleeding." it is an ectopic pregnancy.  of course they are devastated. but, also, hopeful. the doctor is positive they will get pregnant again. 

FLASH FORWARD today

never the person to have things go smoothly, this tubal pregnancy isn't over yet. there was a surgery on march 28. there was a dose (actually 2) of chemo on april 12. and an emergency surgery on april 14 that required removing the fallopian tube. the doctor is, still, certain she will conceive again. 

i offered my support in the form of ben & jerry's ice cream and a walking dead marathon. i, also, offered to shave her head if the chemo caused hair loss (which, by the way, can happen with one dose or not at all). but i avoided all the cliche sayings: "you're young. you can try again". duh. she knows this. "i know how you feel". no. no i don't. i can't even imagine. i had 2 very normal, happy, pregnancies and 1 that was complicated but still resulted in a happy, healthy baby. "everything happens for a reason". okay. i DO believe this. but, really? i'm not sure i want to understand the reason. and the statement isn't comforting, at all. 

deaths of loved ones, cancer, loss of a pregnancy...whatever the cause, offering support and comfort can, often, be difficult. how can you know what to say (or not) or do when you've never experienced it? you can't really, because it's personal and will be different for everyone. some people are going to want all your attention. and some are going to wish you would just go away. but i do have some ideas:

• do make contact. call, visit, email...but do offer your condolences and help. the person will let you know if the help is wanted. *when offering help be specific: can i bring you a meal? don't say "how can i help?" forcing them to think about what they might need done.* 
• listen. listen but DO NOT offer advice unless they ask for it. 
• don't say "i know how you feel". even if you think you do, they are feeling their own emotions, which might be different from how you felt.
• offer real help, like running errands. or bringing food. *idea: take toilet paper, paper towels, and tissues. especially in the case of a death in the family, lots of people will be dropping by and bringing food. paper products are the last thing on the family's mind.*
• avoid the cliches: he/she is in a better place, everything happens for a reason, or it could be worse. even if you believe it to be true, these statements don't help with the grieving process. the person will come to these conclusions on their own. in their own time. 
• understand that people heal in their own time. don't push them to get on with their lives at your pace. 

^pets can be incredibly comforting^