Podcast Recommendation Day is here! (Still working on a catchy name..)

 Nerdist

Nerdist is long form interviews between host Chris Hardwick (the Talking Dead guy, kinda looks like Ryan Seacrest mixed with Chris Harrison) interviewing just about every movie star you can think up and some musicians too.

There are over 800 episodes by now. Some people they talk to more than once, some people I had no idea who they were but love them by the end of the show and have now watched their movies/heard their songs/binged their TV shows.

In such a “sound bite” culture it’s great to hear from these people who are such a part of pop culture for a long time. You almost feel like you know them by the end of the talk – and sometimes it’s shocking how awesome these people are.

Most episodes are about an hour of super minimally edited, raw conversation. Chris can be a little annoying. He’s pretty full of himself and and a bit of a “one upper”. And once you’ve heard several of the episodes he’ll get a little repetitive with some personal stories – I don’t blame him for this, he’s the one constant of 800 episodes with almost 800 different people – of course he repeats himself with different people. But the conversations almost always leave me with a little truth nugget from these super successful people.

There are too many favorite episodes to share just a few. These episodes stand completely on their own, so scroll through the feed and pick out someone you’ve always admired. They do cuss in these, so watch out for little ears – nothing too over the top most of the time though.

FYI – they always end the podcast the same way, with the phrase “Enjoy your burrito” – there is a story behind that – but I’ll let you find that episode on your own! Happy Podcasting!

Taylor Swift was awarded the first Taylor Swift Award this week. And that got me thinking..

We all know who Taylor Swift is now.. but will we remember her in 50 years? I think so, I think that she’s one of those people who will be remembered by society for a long time. But I’ve never thought about it before. We just never know who is going to make it long term. We don’t know what legacy anyone will leave.

I hope Tswizzle keeps her awesome reputation and lives a life in the spot light and free from scandal. I hope she’s able to keep creating and recreating herself into new and exciting and timeless versions of herself. I remember seeing her at Big Spring Jam back in her county days. We were both 16 and awkward as hell (she came out rapping to “Lose Yourself” with a hoodie on over a tutu. For Shame).

But look at us both now…

I’m not comparing myself to Taylor Swift. I was once told that my singing reminded someone of a dying cow. My mother actually leaned over to me in church and told me “God is the only one who needs to hear you sing” – shocking to my middle school self (I was probably being obnoxious, I don’t recall the circumstances, just the Sherbear classic comment) and hilarious to my now “grown up” self.

My fifth grade boyfriend and local genius has an award named after him at our high school. Now that’s smart – but will people remember the man or just be reminded of the name? He is a great dude, and I am not humble enough to not think I’m alright too – but sometimes I worry about the way people remember me. I texted my best friend the other day upset because I remembered I told a guy I couldn’t go to prom with him (I already had another date – I swear!) and I was worried I might have come off in a bad way. Joel jokingly says that I might have been a bully in highschool. I don’t think that’s my high school legacy (some one let me know if it is and I will whole heartily apologize) but sometimes I worry…

I hope that one day I can leave a good, long lasting legacy. I don’t know what for yet. I don’t want anything named after me – people never pronounce Wasser correctly anyways (Sidebar: incase anyone is wondering.. it’s the German word for water – so just start saying water and switch words in the middle. It is NOT way-sir. It’s wah-sir.)

But I do want to make a mark on the world. I want people to remember me. I think we all do. But I want to be remembered the way that I want Taylor Swift to be remembered – with my reputation intact. Hopefully I’ll be remembered for leading someone to Christ. That’s the ultimate legacy in my opinion.

So this was a spiraling extensional crisis based on a Taylor Swift Instagram post. It happens to me sometimes. Working on my goals– slow and steady wins the race – is leading me in the direction I want to go. I’m excited about the future – for both me and Taylor Swift.

 

My younger brother and lovely sister-in-law drove me to and from Decatur this week. I was super pumped to spend time with them, though our dogs probably won’t be BFF anytime soon, despite Tanner’s constant attempts for them to sniff butts.

We got to talking about 10 year plans. I drive Joel nuts with my lack of spontaneity on vacations (I say that I’m just insuring we get the most fun out of our time!) and I already know what “date night” on Friday will be – and what I’m going to order (hint:its usually a burger at a fancy restaurant)… But I don’t have a 10 year plan. Or a 5 year plan. Or a life plan in general.

They’re military – so they were joking about how that’s an excuse for not answering those questions. They will be where they will be. But for Joel and I – no one is telling  us what to do, instead they’re asking what our plans are.

People ask me all the time if we’re going to stay in Montgomery. I tell them we love it here, we’ve found great community and its a good central location for us, but we don’t have a clue how long we’ll be here. My excuse – We’ve got to get licensed and then we will worry about planning.

But while I don’t have a 10 year plan.. and I’m okay with that.. I’m becoming complacent. I need goals – real, obtainable-but-stretching goals. Getting Dobby to sit without having a treat in my hand is a worthy cause, but not a life changing sort of thing.

Kevin and I are too similar sometimes. #goals

I was so used to having my goals defined for me. Go to school. Get good grades. Get a job. Get married. Buy a house. I’ve checked those off the list. I haven’t reached the point in my life where the next box is “having kids” and then it becomes about your kids’ boxes. I’m in limbo. And I’ve recently realized that is causing anxiety in my life. I don’t know what people expect of me and that’s terrifying. The one societal pressure I’m feeling right now is to get licensed, and that’s more from my dad then society.

Whenever I don’t know something – there is always the internet. I went to the google machine and typed in “Life Goal Categories”.

This Dave Ramsey graphic stuck out to me  (of course right, Team Dave).

What I loved about this is the different sizes – it’s not the normal pie chart – everything isn’t equal. I’ve been struggling with wanting to do everything at once. I think this is a great graphic to prioritize myself. I can’t change my entire life in one day. So I’m going to set goals for myself but keep them prioritized in this order. I’m all about some accountability and oversharing, so I’ll share with you all my goals here:

Spiritual:

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

I’ve been letting myself get bogged down and discouraged by overthinking the negative. This is goal number one. Think on the good things of God.

Career:

Get licensed. Just do it. Just study and take the tests.

Family:

Reach out more. These wonderful people in mine and Joel’s lives won’t always be here, we want to get to know our loved ones well.

Good thing that….

Financial:

Contribute the limit to my IRA this year. This will be a stretch with everything we’re doing at the house and my TJ Maxx addiction. But compound interest is a beautiful thing, so retirement savings should be a priority.

Intellectual:

Read 3 non fiction and 6 fiction books before next year. I’ve got to stop vegging out in front of the TV and put my brain to work. Studying for the A.R.E. will definitely do that, so I’m giving myself more fun reads then nonfiction – but The Millionaire Next Door states that most millionaires read one non fiction book a month. Gotta get on the millionaire status.

Physical:

I’m a blob. Before Christmas I was going to the gym twice a week (still pitiful but something) but 2016 has flown by with shopping being my major form of cardio. 3 times a week at the YMCA is the goal..

I need to edit my eating habits as well. But that’s a whole other beast to tackle. Joel is such a healthy eater… he enjoys veggies more than donuts. I’m the opposite. Our dinners sometimes feel like this:

Social:

Deepen relationships. We’re in this community for a while. We don’t know how long, but we really want to dig in. Hopefully everyone I’m currently thinking about being better friends with likes me…

But that’s where the circle starts over. I’ve got to stop worrying and overthinking and over analyzing. Philippians 4:8.  I can’t let a spirit of offensive get to me.

We’re almost halfway through 2016 – which is crazy – but I’ve got this, right!?

So I still don’t have a 10 year plan. But I’ve thought further than where Joel and I are going to eat out this weekend. It’s progress, and most importantly I’ve prioritized. I can’t make these changes all at once. Some goals will be more important than others, and realizing that (kind of obvious – but hard to reconcile) thought has brought a lot of clarity.

Does anyone else have a great way to prioritize big picture goals? Or have a category that you think needs to be in here? I’d love to hear about it!

 

 

 

I wanted a puppy so bad. All my friends had pets – why couldn’t we?! (Read that last sentence in a whiny 8 year old’s voice)

Joel was wiser, he’d had a dog more recently. He was putting off getting another. He knew the struggles, but when I saw Dobby in a craigslist ad I just knew we had to save him.

I’ve labeled buying Dobby as the most “white trash” event in my life. Growing up in Alabama, there are a few contenders – but this one wins out. I found him on craiglist, texted the sellers and they decided to meet us in the walmart parking lot. A woman smoking a cigar and a man with one eyeball delivered our little bundle of joy to us. [[This story is much better if I get to act it out, ask me to elaborate if you run into me in person.]]

Dobby in Joel’s pocket the night we got him.

They called him a ChiWeenie – Chihuahua and Dachshund mix. Which is a fancy way to say he’s a mutt. They claimed he would only be 5 pounds fully grown. He’s now 11, but what can you do? We’re actually really glad he’s not so tiny. We stepped on him a lot when he was so small, and could lose him under furniture if we weren’t closely watching him. They also claimed he was dewormed and had his shots. His swollen belly and our first vet trip told us otherwise.

But Dobby is now healthy, and FULL of energy. In fact we need to buy a new, taller gate if we need to confine him to the kitchen – he can clear the one we have now in an easy leap – such a circus dog. We thought we were buying a tiny lap dog..

Finally healthy and first time to fit into his harness – That he’s now outgrown!

One of my former coworkers told me (on more than one occasion) that every married couple should experience getting a puppy together before having children. It’s not the same –  I’m not comparing what I’ve been through “raising” Dobs with motherhood.But I am saying that it has given Joel and I a super small taste of the responsibility of being parents.

Things I’ve found myself saying:

“Well, I can’t be too upset at him, I know we taught him that behavior so it’s our fault” #momguilt over a dog?!

“He’s just learning so much! He can now _____(Something every dog can do)_______ and we’re so proud!” Bragging on my puppy with extreme pride, more experienced dog parents laughing at me.

“It’s your turn! I got up last time!” Every Saturday morning with Joel – Dobby doesn’t understand weekends are for sleeping in yet.

We’ve learned a lot about being in control of another life. Yes, when we leave, we get to put him in the crate with a toy. But Dobby has definitely shown us the joys that come with responsibility.

By this age he was so energize that I could only get pictures of him sleeping.

But he’s also been a handful. As a new pet parent I’m here to tell you – its not all cuteness and cuddles. There is poop and a lot of it, and pee – the poop is at least easy to find. Gross, I know, but a reality.

Potty training a pup is hard and time consuming. Especially if you go with a tiny dog with a tiny bladder (trade off: tiny poop too!). We didn’t initially crate train, we thought it was cruel and unnecessary. We had a section of our kitchen just for Dobby and everything was going to be fine. Oh boy. How wrong we were.

He never learned that he was supposed to hold it. Crate training teaches them that. Especially if you don’t have someone to be with the dog all day. Joel goes home at lunch – so he is never in there for more than a few hours at a time. I can’t think of a single time I’ve come home recently that it isn’t obvious I just woke him up from a nap. I’m all for puppy health and safety though, please read up on crate training before you start. Talk with your vet (mine insisted I start crate training..) and use resources such as: Puppy Training 101 – Reddit.

The teething, mouthiness isn’t great either. Those little puppy teeth are like needles. Dobby was taken away from his litter too soon we believe, so he was really nippy. “No Bites!” was a constant phrase in our house. He’s chewed door frames and base boards before we starting crating as well.

He didn’t find his Valentine’s sweater as adorable as we did.

And the pantie raids. We now keep all the bedroom and Joel’s office doors shut for the most part. But if Dobby can sneak into our bathroom, you better believe he was coming out with some underwear in tow – be it mine or Joel’s.

But it’s getting better – every day there is a small victory. He’s learning, we’re learning. But now I’m the one saying – get a puppy before you have a kid. At least dog sit a puppy. It’ll teach you a lot about yourself, your spouse, and you get to love a fur-ball at the same time.

How could you not love that face! Photo by the best dog sitter ever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve been wanting to read more lately. I gobbled up books as a kid, not to brag (okay – to brag a little) I was AR Points champ over and over in elementary school. I was always immersed in two or three amazing stories at the same time.

I recommend every Roald Dalh book out there. Not all are for children though..

But lately I’ve been in that zone where I either have so much to do around the house or I just did so much I want to veg out with my BFF Netflix. Netflix is a beautiful catastrophe in my life. Like a good bag of chips, I can’t stop at just one. That continuous playing gets me every time. But I’ve notice my brain more easily switching to autopilot – and that scares me. Books will get me thinking again.

I wanted to take a second and talk about 3 books/series of books that will forever be in my heart. These books have shaped me into who I am today. I’m not going to summarize  – we all know how to google – but I wanted to state some books that made me, me.

1. The Harry Potter Series – J.K. Rowling

Of course I was going to say, right? I mean, my dog is named after one of the characters after all. Please don’t be one of those people who say to me, “Well I saw the movies, I don’t need to read the books.” Y’all. They leave so much out. I actually cried during the forth movie because I was so upset that they had left out major plot points all over the place.

These books teach so much about how it’s the character of the person that matters, not any worldly standards. If you haven’t read them, please do. If you have children, please let them read them. I promise you, your child won’t become a satan worshiper just because they read Harry Potter.

2. A Wrinkly in Time Series – Madeleine L’engle

These books will forever be a favorite. Complex physics theories and subtle Christian allegory make for an exciting tale about time and space travel. Girls are taught that being smart isn’t a bad thing, and that everyone has an awkward phase. So many life lessons are subtly infused with great and exciting storytelling. This fictional family goes through a lot together. The author was criticized and almost not published because of the science and “big words” that went into this book for children.

I’m so glad she stuck to her guns, she insisted kids were smarter than adults give them credit for – a reminder to me daily as I am now on the other side of the equation.

     3. Screwtape Letters – C.S. Lewis

I didn’t read this one until college. I think late high school or early college is the right time to read this book, for the first time. But I’ve reread it every year since. I also have the audio version done by Focus on the Family and it’s fantastic. This quick read by C.S. Lewis is an amazingly insightful and convicting set of letters from one demon to another. We only get one side of the conversation, and I can’t imagine what Lewis went through to put himself in the mind of demons. I think about this book constantly, I would say a weekly if not daily.

READ THIS BOOK. If you don’t want to invest the time into a children’s series – I get it. Your life will be a little less awesome because of your lack of HP, but Screwtape Letters is a must for any Christian. And those doubtful about the Faith – its a great read to bring up in conversation with your hypocritical Christian friends if they bug you too much.

Reading List – Summer 2016

On my bedside table/in my kindle right now are Girl on a Train and Mere Christianity.

Girl on a Train has been raved about since its release – and I’ve avoided all summaries in hope to be surprised by the book. Don’t tell me anything.

Mere Christianity is (I think) the only Lewis book I’ve never read. Honestly, I’m terrified of it. Random quotes from this book posted by the C.S. Lewis fan twitter account are convicting – I have a feeling the book is going to be a hard cleansing for my soul.

So ask me how these new book are coming along, accountability is important – so here is my statement that I want to finish these two books by July. [[I was going to say by June – but  the tree going through my ceiling will definitely throw my timeline off a bit. More updates on that when we know something more definite. I’m sure I’ll blog about the turmoil of picking the perfect stain when the floors are being redone.]]

What other books have a been missing lately with my netflix binges getting in the way? I’m now taking suggestions for must reads this summer!