tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-378375132024-03-13T08:53:05.027-04:00Four Molnarsthe daily blah blah of amanda, matt, zack & skylerAmandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10120774715331922926noreply@blogger.comBlogger706125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37837513.post-44793978981608140482018-07-18T14:46:00.005-04:002019-10-17T15:17:14.880-04:00<b id="docs-internal-guid-04d02085-aeb3-1137-9723-c4832fe136c0" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-04d02085-aeb3-1137-9723-c4832fe136c0" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-04d02085-aeb3-1137-9723-c4832fe136c0" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve been avoiding most social media on and off for a long time now. For the past month or two I haven’t been on facebook or instagram where my friends, acquintances and family live. I’m comfortable with twitter where I can somewhat more anonymously vent my frustrations into the void. </span></b><br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-04d02085-aeb3-1137-9723-c4832fe136c0" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve been clinically depressed for the past 18 months or so, I’m prone to it (yay) for wacky brain chemicals). I’ve definitely moved towards a lighter version lately and I’m spending a lot of time now evaluating why I choose to keep myself away even still. I’ve come to some conclusions that I’m willing to share.</span></b><br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-04d02085-aeb3-1137-9723-c4832fe136c0" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 2016, our electoral college chose to give the most powerful job in the world to a complete crook and generally horrible human being. Please don’t roll your eyes and move on. I want to share this with you. The night of the election, I cried, sobbed big ugly tears. At first it was the general holy shit shock. Then it moved into “what does this mean for our country? Our laws?” With each scandal involving our new president, his family, and his business associates, I truly thought that the good people in my life would denounce him, would admit to it all being an epic error and join together to limit what damage this person could do to our country. I didn’t cry for the loss of my candidate, I cried knowing that people I love and interact with daily gave their vote to such a truly horrible human.</span></b><br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-04d02085-aeb3-1137-9723-c4832fe136c0" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Every day we have had new scandal rocked the news headlines. My despair wasn’t for the opponent who lost, but for having to see my friends and my family members support this horrible person. I began to question whether I truly knew these people. If they each had a moral compass that told them that this was okay, what did that mean? I couldn’t respect them.</span></b><br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-04d02085-aeb3-1137-9723-c4832fe136c0" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As time went on I would tell myself “THIS is so horrible, they can’t continue to support him” and every time I heard silence. As the country came out of the fog of disbelief, I realized that so many people were scared for the future, for themselves and most certainly their children. Depression wasn’t mine alone. It got dark, really dark for a long time. I remember a business that I used to use frequently, emailing me in December 2016 saying that I hadn’t placed my usual order for xmas. I candidly responded “It doesn’t seem to matter this year.” They responded back with “We get it. We’re there too.”</span></b><br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-04d02085-aeb3-1137-9723-c4832fe136c0" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My family is full of intelligent people who come from immigrants. Yes it’s been a good hundred years, but what’s so different? Our families were held together and progressed because of strong women who take no shit. How could they be okay with the way our current crop of legislators continue to push laws that hurt women? Could they truly be thinking “that doesn’t apply to me”? How could they not see that the good organizations they volunteer for are struggling because their funding has been cut? How can they support an administration that doesn’t believe in climate change? Or human rights? Or women’s rights? Or that black lives matter? Will the boy wearing the MAGA t-shirt respect my daughter? Do you truly believe that there is no collusion with Russia? That it won’t matter in the long run?</span></b><br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-04d02085-aeb3-1137-9723-c4832fe136c0" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was raised to “be polite” and to try above all not to hurt someone else’s feelings, but that has come at the price of not voicing my own feelings. I acknowledge that I’m not going to change the mind of anyone but I’m ready to talk about it, to understand why it seems that these things don’t matter to some. I don’t care about Clinton, whatever argument involves her is irrelevant at this point. I don’t want to hear “but Obama” because, politics aside, he is a good man who has a conscience and a kindness of heart. </span></b><br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-04d02085-aeb3-1137-9723-c4832fe136c0" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These are the thoughts I’ve been wrestling with for a long time. The midterm elections are coming and we all have the opportunity to elect more women, millennials, and minorities to positions that allow them a voice for the people they represent. </span></b><br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-04d02085-aeb3-1137-9723-c4832fe136c0" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Please feel free to comment anonymously if you feel you can’t talk openly. I really want to understand. Also, to those who have similar feelings to mine, please post a comment. I want to know how you’re coping.</span></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/141/3A147887477CDE429869B600617242CD.png" style="background: none; border-image: none; border: 0px currentColor;" /></a>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10120774715331922926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37837513.post-91079602232300386072015-08-03T11:41:00.000-04:002015-08-03T11:41:20.162-04:00On Befriending the Awkward Kid...With my own children deep into the drama-fest that is middle school, I've been thinking a lot about my own middle school (grades 5-8) experiences. For the most part I think we can all agree that middle school is a form of torture for most kids (although Skyler seems to be kicking its ass). I mostly have memories of being shy and awkward and not fitting in. The more these thoughts crossed my mind, the more I thought about one person who absolutely made a difference in my life. Someone who did the thing I always beg my kids to do...she talked to me. She invited me to sit with her at lunch. She didn't see a reason to consider me the awkward weird kid that I felt that I was. We're both 41 years old now and I still remember her kindness as transformative.<br />
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I've mentioned here before how shy I was as a child. I always had a book in my face, a. because books are awesome, and 2. because it was a defense implemented to set a wall between me and other people. In seventh grade, I had English class with Mrs. Maguire (<i>everyone</i> loved her - where is <i>she</i> now?), and was seated behind Melanie. She was smart and pretty and all the boys loved her. But the best part was that she'd turn around in her seat and talk to me. My immediate defense was to think "is she making a joke of me? Can I really just sit and chat with her?" I was cautious for a long time. I wasn't quite sure what to think but loved the idea that I could be one of her friends. Then one day, as I was coming out of the line in the cafeteria, she waved to me and asked me to sit with her and her friends. I adopted the deer-in-headlights stance and wanted so badly for her to mean it although I was terrified of being made fun of in some way. But I did it, I sat at her table. I became friends with her and her friends. I finished off my middle school years a lot less awkward and ready to tackle high school, a bit of confidence and a group of friends you are comfortable with can do that for a kid.<br />
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Though Melanie moved away at the end of eighth grade (or before?), I have always remembered her for this kindness. I give her credit for the teen I became, who had a lot more confidence and much more armor against the idea that "you aren't good enough" and when those didn't work I was able to fake it. I have never thanked her for this although I have thought of it often, mostly when I'm telling my kids that they should always befriend the new kid, ask a quiet loner to sit with them at lunch, and just know that everyone has something going on and none of us are ever as confident and "cool" as we are perceived to be and that you will be remembered for your kindness and the fact that you made a difference in another kid's life.<br />
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Thanks to the wonders of facebook I am friends with Melanie and I enjoy watching her raise her beautiful daughter and laugh with her at the stupid things we all post to our pages.<br />
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I'm going to post this and send the link to Melanie and you know what? I still feel a tiny bit like I'm emailing one of the cool kids.<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/141/3A147887477CDE429869B600617242CD.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10120774715331922926noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37837513.post-65531381615198654692015-02-20T12:50:00.002-05:002015-02-20T12:50:55.097-05:00Turning Twelve...My all time favorite thing in February is of course Skyler. There were big happenings for us this week. Yesterday she, my baby child, turned 12. And then I became the know-nothing-irritating mother that all teens complain about. It was almost magical how I transformed overnight.<br />
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Knowing she was scheduled to have a half-day of school on her birthday, Skyler asked if I would take her and her bestie to the mall when I got home. She vehemently did not want her brother to be in the same mall that she was in. I vetoed that explaining that she would just have to breath the same air and get over it. We got to the mall, had lunch, she and her friend consulted their magical network of friends and discovered that two other besties were IN THA HOUSE (they probably didn't say that, I'm so old and lame). I agreed that they could go off together if they agreed to check in. And just like that poof, they were gone. I'm so glad Zack did come with us because I had someone to hang with. I wasn't just the pathetic teen-taxi-driver my daughter thought that I was.<br />
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The last picture is when I said it was time to go, she turned her back to me to consult her friends as though theirs was the final say. Oy.<br />
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We discovered this day, that she is of equal height to me and not even close to done growing. I'm the short one in the family, further diminishing my weight as an authority. It's a different experience telling your taller-than-you child that they will do as you say "or else". We all have this air of "we'll do it because you're Mom, but 'or else' what?" As though, if they were to challenge me, what would I do? My primary currency is the iPhone. Threaten to take that away and they might just offer up a limb in trade.<br />
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After the phone call that made mothers all over our city grown with pain at the fact that school was closed again on Friday making this an entire unplanned week of "vacation" Matt spontaneously suggested that Skyler invite her friends to sleep over. This one and that one? Yes sure. And this one and that one? Yes sure. He assured me that he was in control, he had this, I need not worry. He speaks Skyler better than I do these days. Not a minute after they arrive, Matt was struck sick with stomach pain so fierce he was writhing on the floor. It's something I might have pulled myself if I had been left in charge of five little eye-rollers but I think he might not have been faking.<br />
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As the girls were settling down for a movie marathon, they began with their nightly rituals of tooth brushing and face washing and they all came into my room to show me the special lotion and face wash that H had. I said "oh yes, I've told you to wash your face every night using..." "MOM - I want this one. The same one that H has. Here take our picture with it."<br />
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So, although every teen I've known for the past 30 years has been using Neutrogena and I have suggested it to Skyler before, now that this particular formulation in this particular bottle has been best friend approved, she will wash her face with it nightly. I'm going to have to start manipulating the friend influence somehow.<br />
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The good thing is that my dear thinks-she's-grown-girl has the very best of friends. I know this because four of them slept on my living room floor last night and just as when they were tiny babes and we looked over them thinking how adorable they were when they slept, this morning I too looked at these creatures who had given me a thousand eye rolls just yesterday and thought "awww aren't they sweet".<br />
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Happy Birthday dear Skyler. I hope we both make it to the other side of the teen years with our sanity in tact.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">yeah that's my kid licking her friend<br /></td></tr>
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#favoritethingsfebruary #skyler #twelve #birthday #sleepover #mallAmandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10120774715331922926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37837513.post-29869025247386525232015-02-15T08:00:00.000-05:002015-02-15T08:00:01.053-05:00Walking...and Shame...<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meghan_Trainor">Meghan Trainor.</a> I shouldn't have to say anything else to explain why she's a favorite in February but...I like to hear myself talk. I'm sure you've heard her song All About That Bass on the radio thingy or iTunes or everywhere, it's everywhere. I looked up her wiki page and I like that she's a young (21) female entertainer who actually started her career writing songs for other artists before she decided to record her own album. You go on with your bad self Meghan.<br />
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I am LOVING her album titled Title (is that right? I think so).<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=fourmoln-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B00OPMI04M&asins=B00OPMI04M&linkId=M6I2AZUOWTTEWYBE&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
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I particularly like (all the songs but) Walk of Shame.<br />
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What? You're telling me you've never? Liar!</div>
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#favoritethingsfebruary #meghantrainor #mtrain #titleAmandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10120774715331922926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37837513.post-79471700048480995302015-02-14T09:00:00.000-05:002015-02-14T09:00:03.149-05:00Stay Weird New Hampshire...I am NOT doing a lovey dovey Feb 14 post because Hallmark is not a favorite thing of February.<br />
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I'm missing home lately (although I wouldn't want to visit at the moment as my mother reports that there is snow right up to her windows). New Hampshire comedy is a favorite thing this month. Winter in New England is accurately described here:<br />
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I find the following clip particularly funny (in a dark way) because I happen to come from one of those hardy New England families that have the stubborn kind of drunk that managed to get himself arrested for a DUI TWICE in ONE day. Lovely huh? Yeah that was on the front page of the newspaper. No one recognized the family name <---that all="" e="" got="" nbsp="" ousins.="" p="" right="" s="" sarcasm.="" them="" ve=""><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you're from New England you will heartily appreciate this music video and will likely recognize every single reference:</div>
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Crazy New Hampshire, you're the Florida of the north.</div>
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#favoritethingsfriday #newhampshire #justinmckinney #jayzparody </---that>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10120774715331922926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37837513.post-30991490026124763362015-02-13T12:13:00.002-05:002015-02-13T12:13:30.006-05:00Notorious RBG...I so love this Ruth Bader Ginsburg headline on <a href="http://www.jezebel.com/">Jezebel</a> today:<br />
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<a data-id="" href="http://jezebel.com/ruth-bader-ginsburg-i-wasnt-100-sober-during-state-of-1685634746" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 2.375rem; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: none;">I 'Wasn't 100% Sober' During State of the Union</a></h1>
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<a href="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--Rc_BnvQf--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/t4w87fqg958hkxv4bwpy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--Rc_BnvQf--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/t4w87fqg958hkxv4bwpy.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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Ha! How can you not love her? My friend Rachael said "SCOTUS, they're just like us" and I couldn't agree more. RBG rocks all kinds of things including having the balls to say "Hey, I'm 81 and I can't be expected to stay awake after my bedtime and a glass of wine so suck it"<br />
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Thanks for fighting the good fight, RGB! I can't wait to hear all you have to say this spring!<br />
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#favoritethingsfebruary #rbg #scotus #ruthbaderginsburg #jezebel #stateoftheunionwineAmandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10120774715331922926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37837513.post-32258551036131082242015-02-12T10:24:00.000-05:002015-02-12T10:24:04.029-05:00This Makes Up for a TINY Fraction of my JS Sadness...Last year <a href="http://www.iamjohnoliver.com/">John Oliver</a>, a contributor to <a href="http://thedailyshow.cc.com/">The Daily Show</a>, announced that he was leaving to start his own show on <a href="http://www.hbo.com/">HBO</a> called <a href="http://www.hbo.com/last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver#/">Last Week Tonight</a>. I immediately thought "you're nuts...good luck buddy" and I was wrong (see Matt I can admit when I'm wrong). It turns out John Oliver on his own show is funny as shit.<br />
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Now I didn't start "borrowing" HBO until recently so I was watching John clips via HBO's YouTube channel and it was an awesome awesome thing. You know what happens when you have no sponsors or advertisers to worry about? You say whatever the fuck you want!!! (see what I did there?)<br />
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<a href="http://res.cloudinary.com/yaffa-publishing/image/upload/v1407207087/oliver%20quote_63EFEAB0-1C4B-11E4-B5C202A1FD05A60B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://res.cloudinary.com/yaffa-publishing/image/upload/v1407207087/oliver%20quote_63EFEAB0-1C4B-11E4-B5C202A1FD05A60B.jpg" /></a></div>
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I became like any dad in the 80s with a camera and a slideshow projector; any time someone was captive in my living room I turned on Roku and told them they just HAD to watch this. One of the best rants John went on aired right before the start of the World Cup, which was, you know, the most important thing in the world to my family last spring.<br />
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This past Sunday, Last Week Tonight came back for season two. John tackled the controversial subject of Big Pharma marketing directly to the doctors that write your scripts.<br />
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The quote that almost made soup come out of my nose was:<br />
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If you get HBO or are borrowing it from a friend, definitely watch the full show there but if you aren't a slave to cable tv like I am, YouTube will do just fine. Find the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/LastWeekTonight">Last Week Tonight YouTube channel here.</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/141/3A147887477CDE429869B600617242CD.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a><br />
#favoritethingsfebruary #lastweektonight #johnoliver #fifa #hbo #hbogoAmandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10120774715331922926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37837513.post-44676580383206095382015-02-12T09:30:00.000-05:002015-02-12T10:32:57.292-05:00Favorite Things February Just Got Shitty...I hate that I'm even writing this post. GAH! One of my favorite things in the whole wide world, Jon Stewart on The Daily Show, is going away and I'm in full blown mourning mode. He hasn't even said when he's leaving and I feel like one of my favorite people in the world just got the diagnosis of a fatal cancer. I actually cried upon watching this:<br />
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If you aren't familiar with Jon Stewart, I question your decisions in life. Seriously, take this coming weekend and go watch the past fifteen years of awesome. I'm not kidding. <br />
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I was going to post a plethora of my favorite JS quotes but after searching the google and falling down that rabbit hole of awesome, I realized that ALL of JS' quotes are my favorites. I can't choose just twenty. At random then...<br />
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Will we never meet at Camera Three again?</div>
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<b><a href="http://thedailyshow.cc.com/">The Daily Show</a></b><br />
Get More: <a href="http://thedailyshow.cc.com/full-episodes/">Daily Show Full Episodes</a>,<a href="http://www.facebook.com/thedailyshow">The Daily Show on Facebook</a>,<a href="http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos">Daily Show Video Archive</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">I really hope this link works</span></div>
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Will there never be another <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150315219095118.562429.809680117&type=1&l=e32ab8d9c6">Rally for Reason and to Restore Sanity</a>?</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Link above to all my pics from the Rally in 2010</td></tr>
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I can't further summarize what Jon Stewart and The Daily Show have meant to me so I'm just going to say that one of my all time favorite things announced it was going away. I watch it online every morning while I'm updating my boring blah blah spreadsheets. I suppose I'll have to go back and start at the beginning. Hopefully I can make it last another fifteen years.<br />
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Edited: Jon's response to the internet's reaction to the loss of the great JS<br />
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<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 4px; padding: 4px; text-align: left;">
<b><a href="http://thedailyshow.cc.com/">The Daily Show</a></b><br />
Get More: <a href="http://thedailyshow.cc.com/full-episodes/">Daily Show Full Episodes</a>,<a href="http://www.facebook.com/thedailyshow">The Daily Show on Facebook</a>,<a href="http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos">Daily Show Video Archive</a></div>
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Edit: Breaking News! I made a deal with god.<br />
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#favoritethingsfebruary #tookabadturn #thedailyshowAmandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10120774715331922926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37837513.post-4939079272272703302015-02-11T08:00:00.000-05:002015-02-11T08:00:05.815-05:00Me & Coke...A Love Affair...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SL7-K5zO5s4/VNjqp8Lzd4I/AAAAAAAAq7w/4NS2IK6zWQE/s1600/IMG_2557%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SL7-K5zO5s4/VNjqp8Lzd4I/AAAAAAAAq7w/4NS2IK6zWQE/s1600/IMG_2557%5B1%5D.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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Once again I am attempting to give up one of the true loves of my life, Coca-Cola. This doesn't mean that it isn't still one of my favorite things in the whole wide world.<br />
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I had a coke on December 31st and then went the longest stretch in the ever of not having coke, 31 days. On January 31st I decided I could have one. Matt mocked me falling off of the wagon and said that alcoholics can't have "just one". I chose not to listen. While out to dinner, I ordered a coke. The waiter thought I was nuts when he brought it to the table and I practically dunked my face in the glass and then let out the most satisfied of sighs. I had one refill and haven't had another coke in eleven days. There have been some rough patches but I'm doing it. Everything in moderation. I can't tell myself never or I'll lose the whole match.<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/141/3A147887477CDE429869B600617242CD.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a><br />
#favoritethingsfebruary #cokeismybae #coke #cokeaholicsanonymousAmandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10120774715331922926noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37837513.post-55490467432285345822015-02-10T09:48:00.000-05:002015-02-10T16:08:13.589-05:00Flula...Do you watch any YouTube channels? I have so many that I love. I'll share a few with you this month.<br />
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My current favorite channel is Flula, by Flula Borg. He says:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">My name is Flula Borg, and I am a musician from Erlangen in Germany. Many things Inspire to me, and I show those to you here!</span></blockquote>
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Flula just cracks my shit up. He's hilarious without meaning to be and has some great colab music videos that he calls Auto Tunes.<br />
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I got off on a Flula tangent recently and watched all his videos and then uh listened to all the podcasts he's been on. I just find him to be a happy part of the day. Enjoy!<br />
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What is your favorite YouTube channel?<br />
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Edit: oh looky what came out today! A new trailer for Pitch Perfect 2. Recognize anyone?<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/141/3A147887477CDE429869B600617242CD.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a><br />
#favoritethingsfebruaryAmandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10120774715331922926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37837513.post-9547246726250777202015-02-09T09:15:00.005-05:002015-02-09T09:16:38.608-05:00Where I Give You Something for Free...GrooveBookLast month Matt got on a huge <a href="http://abc.go.com/shows/shark-tank" target="_blank">Shark Tank</a> binge kick. The show's described premise is:<br />
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<span class="r-rhscol-12 kno-desc-sh" jsl="$x 0;$t t-OvGO4nzQaN0;$x 0;">"Budding entrepreneurs get the chance to bring their dreams to fruition in this reality show from executive producer Mark Burnett. They present their ideas to the sharks in the tank - five ti<span class="_dgc" style="display: inline;">tans of industry, who made their own dreams a reality and turned their ideas into lucrative empires.The contestants try to convince any one of the sharks to invest money in their idea. When more than one of the sharks decide they want a piece of the action, a bidding war can erupt, driving up the price of the investment."</span></span></div>
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I don't love this show because more often than not the entrepreneur makes an embarrassing display while trying to pitch their product to the investors, but I did happen to be watching one night when the developers of <a href="http://groovebook.com/" target="_blank">GrooveBook</a>, the Whitemans, presented.<br />
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Their idea answers the question of what to do with the thousands of photos on your cell phone. Their app lets you upload 100 pics per month and they mail you photo print quality pics on perforated pages of a book for $2.99 per month. I immediately loved the idea and wondered where it stood at the time. So I googled the episode and found that by the time we were watching, the Whitemans and their investors had sold the app to<a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/" target="_blank"> Shutterfly</a> (my favorite photo printing online store) for $14.5 million. ZOINK!</div>
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<a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/amitchowdhry/2014/11/18/shutterfly-acquires-groovebook/" target="_blank">Forbes Magazine </a>said:</div>
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<span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 21px; line-height: 27px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Shutterfly’s $14.5 million acquisition of GrooveBook is more than 19 times the amount that Kevin O’Leary offered for the whole company. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 21px; line-height: 27px;">GrooveBook is now the first idea pitched on </span><i style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 21px; line-height: 27px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Shark Tank</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 21px; line-height: 27px;"> that has been acquired by a public company.</span></blockquote>
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I immediately downloaded the app and was excited to try it. Then I read the app reviews on iTunes and wasn't as excited. So I did some more digging before I tried the product. I entered #groovebook into Instagram and was immediately shown all the GrooveBook love. I quickly realized that the poor reviews were mostly before Shutterfly bought the app and that most people were thrilled with what they got for the price.</div>
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I uploaded the 100 most recent pics hanging out on my phone and waited. Now. I will admit that in terms of immediate satisfaction, they are a slow. BUT I totally don't care because I was thrilled with what I got for $3. I'm excited to continue using GrooveBook to have my favorite 100 candid pics printed each month.</div>
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Now, here is where I give you something free. We all love free. The other cool thing about GrooveBook is that they send first time customers a coupon code to give to all their friends so they can order a book for free. I do not receive anything for this. I'm just passing along the awesome. So get the GrooveBook app at <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/groovebook/id561452319?l=de&ls=1&mt=8" target="_blank">iTunes</a> or <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.photoupload&hl=en_GB" target="_blank">GooglePlay</a> and use the coupon code <b><span style="color: red;">MOLNAR130</span></b> for a free book. There is no obligation to get a second one, you can cancel the monthly subscription any time, and you should just trust me that you want this.</div>
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Smooches,</div>
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#favoritethingsfebruaryAmandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10120774715331922926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37837513.post-91800384351127866522015-01-22T08:00:00.000-05:002015-01-22T08:00:06.403-05:00Subscription Boxes and Me...At some point in 2014, I discovered the concept of monthly product boxes. I signed up for several and then stuck with my favorites.<br />
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Companies like Glossybox and BirchBox and LootCrate and NerdBlock offer a subscription where you pay a monthly fee and you receive a box of goodies each month.<br />
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My absolute favorite favorite favorite is <a href="http://www.glossybox.com/referal?CI=NzI5NzE=" target="_blank">Glossybox</a><br />
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<a href="http://10cdn.glossybox.net/mediav2/catalog/product/cache/1/image/980x450/040ec09b1e35df139433887a97daa66f/m/a/may.jpg?iv=933495f034ac301c8b69b497dbcc3f36" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://10cdn.glossybox.net/mediav2/catalog/product/cache/1/image/980x450/040ec09b1e35df139433887a97daa66f/m/a/may.jpg?iv=933495f034ac301c8b69b497dbcc3f36" height="149" width="320" /></a></div>
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I pay $21 each month and I get five awesome luxury skin/hair/makeup products. In every case, the value of the items has been far greater than the $21 I paid. I have never been disappointed. In <a href="http://www.glossybox.com/subscribe/glossybox-may-2014" target="_blank">May</a> of last year I believe the box was worth over $200. I have received so many delicious products that I otherwise would never have found. You can gift a box subscription to someone else or keep all the awesome for yourself.</div>
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I also tried the <a href="https://www.birchbox.com/invite/576w5" target="_blank">BirchBox</a> beauty box and while I really like the company and they offered some great products, I just felt that Glossybox was better. BirchBox is a bit less expensive at I think $15/month, but the products are slightly less luxurious. I discontinued my subscription.<br />
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After discovering beauty boxes, I discovered nerd boxes. I ordered both the <a href="https://www.lootcrate.com/join" target="_blank">Loot Crate</a> and the <a href="https://nerdblock.com/" target="_blank">Nerd Block</a> for Zack for Christmas. We liked both boxes but we decided to keep the Loot Crate subscription. Nerd Block is more expensive at I think $29 plus shipping (comes with a t-shirt every month though) and comes from Canada so the shipping takes forever. Loot Crate is under $20 per month including shipping. Zack loves getting nerdy goodies each month. October was particularly fun because we were right in the middle of a Firefly obsession. What I've done since discovering these is have his grandparents gift him a subscription for Christmas each year. He gets a little reminder of their love every month.<br />
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<a href="https://www.lootcrate.com/assets/past-crates/optimizely/september-fg-281436a24cc2234bbd7bd663c03ed9f2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://www.lootcrate.com/assets/past-crates/optimizely/september-fg-281436a24cc2234bbd7bd663c03ed9f2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Continuing on the idea of grandparent gifting, Skyler was gifted a subscription to <a href="http://www.ibbeautiful.com/" target="_blank">iBbeautiful</a> for teens. I did quite a bit of research and really liked this girl power company. This is what their boxes look like. She's very excited to get something new in the mail each month.<br />
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<a href="http://mommysplurge.com/sandbox/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/IMG_7028-e1420082062955-600x429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://mommysplurge.com/sandbox/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/IMG_7028-e1420082062955-600x429.jpg" height="228" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://19fksc2tl6wc3kw1hb18la0p.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/ibbeautiful-review-subscription.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://19fksc2tl6wc3kw1hb18la0p.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/ibbeautiful-review-subscription.jpg" height="225" width="320" /></a></div>
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I was going to say that Matt was left out of the monthly gift box sitch but remembered that I enrolled him in the <a href="http://shaved.by/bLKFE" target="_blank">Dollar Shave Club</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://dollarshaveclub-002.insnw.net/assets/mobile/how-it-works-v2-tile-1-v2-8297e616df1f7ecd767faf8a6289db3c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://dollarshaveclub-002.insnw.net/assets/mobile/how-it-works-v2-tile-1-v2-8297e616df1f7ecd767faf8a6289db3c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Matt was complaining that replacement blades are so flipping expensive. FB recommended this to me based on a few friends liking it and so after several weeks of adding the subscription to the cart and then not checking out, they offered to give me the first month free. We got the box quickly and were very impressed. We chose the $6/month option and received one handle and 4 new blades. I can assure you we never change blades that often. Next month I'm going to order a second handle and then the whole house will be good to go with this subscription. </div>
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After all of these excellent experiences, I'm eyeballing <a href="https://quarterly.co/products/book-riot" target="_blank">The Book Riot Quarterly</a> subscription for book lovers. The only thing keeping me from hitting subscribe is that it's $50. Which is technically less than the other ones I pay for but...I don't know. I'm nervous. I'm pretty sure I'm going to do it though. You can't talk me out of book goodies. I lurve me some books.</div>
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<a href="https://d3fc3ienlbvcbu.cloudfront.net/app/public/spree/products/566/product/BKR05_02.jpg?1419984522" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://d3fc3ienlbvcbu.cloudfront.net/app/public/spree/products/566/product/BKR05_02.jpg?1419984522" width="320" /></a></div>
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Do you subscribe to any goody boxes? Which are your favorites? Have I convinced you to try one? If you go down the rabbit hole, you can find a box for any interest. Just ask, I love shopping with other people's money. I'll find it for you ;)<br />
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Love,<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/141/3A147887477CDE429869B600617242CD.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10120774715331922926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37837513.post-36663775690199693362015-01-21T09:41:00.001-05:002015-01-21T09:41:28.289-05:002014 Book Review...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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Jamie at <a href="http://www.perpetualpageturner.com/" target="_blank">The Perpetual Page Turner</a> is hosting her fifth annual book survey. Check that and links to other's <a href="http://www.perpetualpageturner.com/2014/11/5th-annual-end-of-year-book-survey-2014-edition.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<span style="color: teal;">Number Of Books You Read: 101</span><br /><span style="color: teal;">Number of Re-Reads: 0</span><br /><span style="color: teal;">Genre You Read The Most From: memoir</span></h3>
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<span style="color: teal; font-size: xx-small;">(book links below are processed through my affiliate relationship with amazon)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><b style="color: teal;">1. Best Book you Read in 2014?</b><br /><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812994523/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0812994523&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=6RMCY36N4T2LUI6E%22%3EJust%20Mercy:%20A%20Story%20of%20Justice%20and%20Redemption%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fourmoln-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0812994523%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20!important;%20margin:0px%20!important;%22%20/%3E" target="_blank">Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption</a> by Bryan Stevenson</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><b style="color: teal;">2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?</b><br /><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0525953094/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0525953094&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=HLJ6OZQALDP4X2KS" target="_blank">Edge of Eternity (Century Trilogy #3</a>) by Ken Follett</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><b style="color: teal;">3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read in 2014?</b><br /><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316176494/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0316176494&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=ROQU32PXJVWDEUPO" target="_blank">Life After Life</a> by Kate Atkinson</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><b style="color: teal;">4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did) In 2014?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1440584974/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1440584974&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=VCPAJHQAPR57BMKE" target="_blank">Honor Among Thieves</a> (The Honorables, #1) by Elizabeth Boyce</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><span style="color: teal;"><b>5. Best series you started in 2014? Best Sequel of 2014? Best Series Ender of 2014?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><span style="color: #666666;">Best Series: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1440584974/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1440584974&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=VCPAJHQAPR57BMKE" target="_blank">The Honorables </a>by Elizabeth Boyce<br />Best Sequel: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316206873/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0316206873&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=T2K553QKLE4N6XH5" target="_blank">Silkworm</a> by JK Rowling (winner by default)<br />Best Series Ender: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0525953094/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0525953094&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=HLJ6OZQALDP4X2KS" target="_blank"> Edge of Eternity</a> by Ken Follett (also by default)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><b style="color: teal;">6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2014?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><span style="color: #666666;">New to me - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=as_li_qf_sp_sr_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&index=aps&keywords=Mary%20Roach&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=GI534PHKIWXHEKUQ" target="_blank">Mary Roach</a>. I quickly gobbled up all of her funny quirky books.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><b style="color: teal;">7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0449912558/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0449912558&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=SO4ELOESFX7RYHBW" target="_blank">The Sparrow</a> by Mary Doria Russell</span><b><br /></b></span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><b style="color: teal;">8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?</b><br /><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307341550/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0307341550&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=YTT3JHVMHBYYC6K6" target="_blank">Sharp Objects</a> by Gillian Flynn maybe or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143034901/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0143034901&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=OG7IX5ESE3Q4BYWC" target="_blank">The Shadow of the Wind</a> by Carlos Ruiz Zafon</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: teal; font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px;"><strong>9. Book You Read In 2014 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;">I rarely reread. Too many books not enough time.</span><br />
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<span style="color: teal; font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px;"><strong>10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2014?</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1440584974/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1440584974&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=VCPAJHQAPR57BMKE" target="_blank">Honor Among Thieves</a> by Elizabeth Boyce</span><br />
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<strong style="color: teal; font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;">11. Most memorable character of 2014?</strong><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Droid Serif, arial, serif;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">Malala Yousafzai from<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316322407/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0316322407&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=I2Z3VYURDN2WCMYC" target="_blank"> I Am Malala</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><span style="color: teal; font-weight: bold;">12. Most beautifully written book read in 2014?</span><br /><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0452297540/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0452297540&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=ZYFB6RVD3IJX3YT4" target="_blank">Attachments</a> by Rainbow Rowell because sometimes you just want a sweet book with no characters you dislike. This was a sweet book.</span></span><br />
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<strong style="color: teal; font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;">13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2014?</strong><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812994523/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0812994523&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=6RMCY36N4T2LUI6E%22%3EJust%20Mercy:%20A%20Story%20of%20Justice%20and%20Redemption%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fourmoln-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0812994523%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20!important;%20margin:0px%20!important;%22%20/%3E" target="_blank">Just Mercy</a> by Bryan Stevenson</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><b style="color: teal;">14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2014 to finally read?</b><br /><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060837020/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0060837020&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=7DG3IQAI2BHT5QOL" target="_blank">The Bell Jar</a> by Sylvia Plath</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: teal; font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px;"><strong>15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2014?</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">“Proximity has taught me some basic and humbling truths, including this vital lesson: Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done. My work with the poor and the incarcerated has persuaded me that the opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice. Finally, I’ve come to believe that the true measure of our commitment to justice, the character of our society, our commitment to the rule of law, fairness, and equality cannot be measured by how we treat the rich, the powerful, the privileged, and the respected among us. The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, and the condemned.” </span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">― </span><span style="color: purple;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4396806.Bryan_Stevenson" style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Bryan Stevenson</a><span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">, </span><i style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/28323940" style="text-decoration: none;">Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption</a></i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">“Faced with the Divine, people took refuge in the banal, as though answering a cosmic multiple-choice question: If you saw a burning bush, would you (a) call 911, (b) get the hot dogs, or (c) recognize God? A vanishingly small number of people would recognize God, Anne had decided years before, and most of them had simply missed a dose of Thorazine.” </span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">― </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4007.Mary_Doria_Russell" style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Mary Doria Russell</a><span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">, </span><i style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/3349153" style="text-decoration: none;">The Sparrow</a></i> </span> </blockquote>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">“I do what I do without hope of reward or fear of punishment. I do not require Heaven or Hell to bribe or scare me into acting decently.”</span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">― </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4007.Mary_Doria_Russell" style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Mary Doria Russell</a><span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">, </span><i style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/3349153" style="text-decoration: none;">The Sparrow</a></i></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">“The man who prays is the one who thinks that god has arranged matters all wrong, but who also thinks that he can instruct god how to put them right.”</span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">― </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3956.Christopher_Hitchens" style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Christopher Hitchens</a><span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">, </span><i style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/18446960" style="text-decoration: none;">Mortality</a></i> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">“Or to look at it from the other end of the telescope: Who in your life, do you remember most fondly, with the most feelings of warmth?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Those who were kindest to you, I bet.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">It's a little facile, maybe, and certainly hard to implement, but I'd say, as a goal in life, you could do worse than: Try to be kinder.” </span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">― </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8885.George_Saunders" style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">George Saunders</a><span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">, </span><i style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/25985037" style="text-decoration: none;">Congratulations, by the way: Some Thoughts on Kindness</a></i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><b style="color: teal;">16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2014?</b><br /><span style="color: #666666;">Longest: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0525953094/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0525953094&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=HLJ6OZQALDP4X2KS" target="_blank">Edge of Eternity</a> at 1,098 pages<br />Shortest: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005PTUPZ6/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B005PTUPZ6&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=UE2FWJAH6HZ55KLY" target="_blank">The Five Orange Pips</a> at 40 pages</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: teal; font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px;"><strong>17. Book That Shocked You The Most</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;">Less shocked and more just in awe of the ways in which women are treated around the world, and that those ways have been determined acceptable: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143116886/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0143116886&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=SG4ADLR5OWPYE45I" target="_blank"> The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power, and the Future of the World</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="color: teal; font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px;"><strong>18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;">From Veronica Mars #1, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0804170703/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0804170703&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=45URVYRDRDKRGJXT" target="_blank">The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line</a>, Veronica and Logan 4EVA!</span><br />
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<span style="color: teal; font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><b>19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1402294158/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1402294158&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=2JZBXZFOFU6UJ5PI" target="_blank">The Paris Architect</a>, Lucien's relationship with his conscience. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: teal; font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px;"><strong>20. Favorite Book You Read in 2014 From An Author You’ve Read Previously</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1455502766/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1455502766&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=KCA4TUTQJTCYF2BK" target="_blank">Mortality</a>, by Christopher Hitchens. I love his wit and sarcasm.</span><br />
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<span style="color: teal; font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px;"><strong>21. Best Book You Read In 2014 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812994523/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0812994523&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=6RMCY36N4T2LUI6E%22%3EJust%20Mercy:%20A%20Story%20of%20Justice%20and%20Redemption%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fourmoln-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0812994523%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20!important;%20margin:0px%20!important;%22%20/%3E" target="_blank">Just Mercy </a>- Jon Stewart had the author on and just based on their short discussion I wanted to read the book.</span><br />
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<span style="color: teal; font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><b>22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2014?</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;">Brandon Dewhurst from Honor Among Thieves</span><br />
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<span style="color: teal; font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><b>23. Best 2014 debut you read?</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1440584974/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1440584974&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=VCPAJHQAPR57BMKE" target="_blank">The Honorables Series</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: teal; font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><b>24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;">I have a thing for WWII books because the setting of Europe in that era just goes beyond my understanding no matter how much I read. I read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345503899/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0345503899&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=357IB5L3MNXVJSCP" target="_blank">The Dream</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0440180295/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0440180295&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=RRGNQKVUAIZXY6K2" target="_blank">Slaughterhouse-Five</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812977173/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0812977173&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=TJGI45PHFART4MQF" target="_blank">The All-Girls Filling Station's Last Reunion</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1402294158/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1402294158&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=2JZBXZFOFU6UJ5PI" target="_blank">The Paris Architec</a>t,<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345542622/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0345542622&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=N4VDF47LOEI5PIJW" target="_blank"> Letters From Skye</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316176494/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0316176494&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=ROQU32PXJVWDEUPO" target="_blank">Life After Life</a>, and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1612183328/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1612183328&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=FN3Z62HEPLOFWGHE" target="_blank">War Brides</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="color: teal; font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><b>25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Droid Serif, arial, serif;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0452297540/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0452297540&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=ZYFB6RVD3IJX3YT4" target="_blank">Attachments</a> by Rainbow Rowell was adorable.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: teal; font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><b>26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2014?</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812994523/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0812994523&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=6RMCY36N4T2LUI6E%22%3EJust%20Mercy:%20A%20Story%20of%20Justice%20and%20Redemption%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fourmoln-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0812994523%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20!important;%20margin:0px%20!important;%22%20/%3E" target="_blank">Just Mercy</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><b style="color: teal;">27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?</b><br /><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062224085/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0062224085&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=R4YXYQWDCWRDBADW" target="_blank">Fortunately, the Milk</a> by Neil Gaiman</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><b style="color: teal;">28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?</b><br /><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812994523/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0812994523&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=6RMCY36N4T2LUI6E%22%3EJust%20Mercy:%20A%20Story%20of%20Justice%20and%20Redemption%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fourmoln-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0812994523%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20!important;%20margin:0px%20!important;%22%20/%3E" target="_blank">Just Mercy</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><b style="color: teal;">29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2014?</b><br /><span style="color: #666666;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345529375/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0345529375&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=3OPRMD3PZKAUFVLN" target="_blank">Seconds: A Graphic Novel - I don't read or have not read many graphic novels so this was different for me.</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: teal; font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif; line-height: 22px;"><b>30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Droid Serif', arial, serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143116886/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0143116886&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=SG4ADLR5OWPYE45I" target="_blank">The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power, and the Future of the World</a> and<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385349947/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0385349947&linkCode=as2&tag=fourmoln-20&linkId=VLZWO4JRRLII6ELU" target="_blank"> Lean In.</a></span></div>
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Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10120774715331922926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37837513.post-12271505099676770492015-01-06T11:35:00.000-05:002015-01-06T11:41:09.771-05:002014 End of Year Questionnaire...<br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Farewell 2014</span></h2>
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<b>1. What did you do in 2014 that you'd never done before?</b><br />
Where to start? I had two kids in middle school at the same time. I read 101 books. I worked the beer tent at several outside concerts so my kid could play soccer. I started following my tween on Instagram. I cleaned a meth lab. I wrote a letter to someone in jail. I climbed a ropes course not made by drunk dads with power tools. I celebrated 15 years of married bliss. Woopsie... I just got lost in a rabbit hole of facebook memories...<br />
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<strike style="font-weight: bold;">2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?</strike><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">I am trying to kick drinking coke. I haven't had one in 2015 (yet). I have honest to god cravings like I want a cigarette. I miss it, I love it, I want to drink all the cokes.</span><br />
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<b>3. Did anyone close to you give birth?</b><br />
YES! ZOMG I'm so in love.<br />
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This gorgeous little bug is Caroline. She came into the world full of sass in November and hasn't stopped hollering about it since. This picture you see here is after three hours of the baby dance while simultaneously patting her butt. I got to sit for 30 seconds before she started fussing. It's like Zack has been reborn as a feisty little redhead. I knew the look in my cousin Montana's eye when she was talking to me and her eyelids were drooping so I did all the gymnastics and she got a nice nap (on the floor under the Christmas tree where she dropped). It's great that she is the most chill first-time Mom I've ever come across. I was in tears while also sweating buckets when I was in this place.<br />
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My cousin Amie also had a darling little feist-monger named Crosby in March. Am has also become an expert at the baby dance, bouncing, never leaving her house, and wearing ear plugs. I've met Crosby twice and each time got only a perfunctory baby sniffing in before he told me who had top billing in his world, MOM.<br />
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They make the feisty ones extra cute.<br />
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<b>4. Did anyone close to you die?</b><br />
Mmmm. Yes. One of my very best friends lost her father in 2014. It was hard to watch her go through because her dad died slowly of cancer,whereas my experience with my own dad dying was like ripping off a bandage. I felt all the feels for her whole family and all the ways that words fail me in helping someone through this stage we all go through in life. The thing is, nothing we say will make it better. Our experience won't change another's. We just have to be present for each other and jump in to lend a hand when we can.<br />
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And then there was the death of Robin Williams which hit me really hard. I've wanted to write about it but haven't been able to. It might seem slightly ridiculous to be hit hard by a celebrity death. I certainly didn't expect to be. But... Robin Williams was sort of this amazing person that lead the fight that so many of us with depression and anxiety do. His death taught us that no matter your station in life, depression can hit you and hit you hard. What was difficult for me to get over was that he seemed to be in a good place, not using drugs or alcohol, having a new hit show, a happy family, yet depression and the feeling that it's easier to just end it all still got him. He had all the resources that the average person with a mental illness might not have and it didn't matter. It felt like a huge blow. It felt like this is inescapable. It felt like every good day has a dark day lurking ahead. Blah. I'm doing better today.<br />
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<b>5. What countries did you visit?</b><br />
Fat-town and Anxiety-ville. :)<br />
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<b>6. What would you like to have in 2015 that you lacked in 2014?</b><br />
Peace of mind. Combobulation of "the schedule" (aka The Book of Molnar). To have written more. To have practiced yoga frequently. <br />
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<b>7. Which dates from 2014 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?</b><br />
I'd like to preface my comments with "None because I can't remember shit, forget dates. I can remember moments." Well of course there was ALL the soccer with the World Cup to boot. There were the births of two babies into the family which is always exciting. I started to feel that Zack is finding his groove in life. In all honesty, I don't have specific <b><span style="font-size: large;">2014</span> </b>moments that were specifically different. Just lots of living life which is the peace I like, slow and steady... Oh shit, see I forgot one... <b style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">I TURNED 40! </b>I think this is a pretty clear example of how that went.<br />
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<b>8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?</b><br />
I've got a nerdy personal achievement - I read over 100 books this year. I LOVE reading. I love making lists of books to read, reading blogs about books, and listening to podcasts about books. When Skyler got a concussion this year and was given the instruction "no reading" I became convicted to never do anything that will result in a concussion ever. I think it's best if I stay inside, where there are books.<br />
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<b>9. What was your biggest failure?</b><br />
My weight/health, why hello there 200lbs nice to meet you now fuck off. The lovely combination of connective tissue disease/steroids/shitty diet has kicked my genetic predisposition for diabetes into action. Yay me. I am working on this one so that it doesn't become an even bigger failure this year.<br />
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<b>10. Did you suffer illness or injury?</b><br />
I'd like to quote myself from January 2013's post about 2012:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #737373; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.7900009155273px;">Oh of course I did. If you've been around longer than three minutes you know I'm a hot mess. In addition to the two bouts of pneumonia and the broken nose, there was the ever present arthritis and anxiety and I'm sure more than a few cold viruses to keep things nicely rounded out.</span></blockquote>
This year I didn't break anything and didn't get full-fledged pneumonia but I distinctly remember a breathing treatment, the usual aches and pains, and the diabetes shit.<br />
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<b>11. What was the best thing you bought?</b><br />
It's so hard to narrow down. I lurve me some retail therapy. Right now I'm loving my lucky brand blue leather tote bag something fierce. I love good skin care products (shout out to <a href="http://www.glossybox.com/referal?CI=NzI5NzE=" target="_blank">Glossy Box</a>. We can talk about this later). Oh and xanax is an insane bargain at $2 for a month's supply. Sanity in a little red Target bottle for $2.00. I don't think anyone could argue that that is the best.<br />
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<b>12. Whose behavior merited celebration?</b><br />
My dear husband received his college diploma this year and I would like to celebrate that behavior.<br />
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Also, <a href="http://thedailyshow.cc.com/?xrs=vanity_tdshome1" target="_blank">Jon Stewart'</a>s behavior makes me celebrate on the daily and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlJEt2KU33I" target="_blank">John Oliver</a> is coming along quite nicely in the snarky Brit category, let's celebrate that.<br />
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<b>13. Whose behavior appalled you?</b><br />
Mmm. Let's go with North Korea. Oh oh. Nope. Nope. It was someone else. See question 1.<br />
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<b>14. Where did most of your money go?</b><br />
Soccer and video games.<br />
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<b>15. What did you get really, really, really, excited about?</b><br />
I'm pretty hard to excite. Snark and stoicism are my bailiwick.<br />
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<b>16. Fav song of the year?</b><br />
As discussed in previous blog posts, I have little knowledge or taste in music and so I feel comfortable sharing that I loved Taylor Swift's new album 1989.<br />
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<b>17. Compared to this time last year, are you:</b><br />
<b>a) </b>happier or <span style="color: magenta;"><b>sadder</b></span><br />
<b>b) </b>thinner or <span style="color: magenta;"><b>fatter</b></span><br />
<b>c) </b>richer or poorer - I'm not entirely sure. No big leaps in either direction, we can say that.<br />
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<b>18. What do you wish you'd done more of?</b><br />
I wish I would have followed through more. <span style="color: red;">Edited: </span>I wish I'd read more of the blogs I used to love so much. I especially miss <a href="http://www.swistle.com/" target="_blank">Swistle</a>. Google reader basically killed blogging. Damn Google and your awesome power. I'm going to read all of Swistle's back posts right.now!! Squirrel!!<br />
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<b>19. What do you wish you'd done less of?</b><br />
Sweat. Are summers getting hotter or am I just starting my dream job of crotchety old lady early?<br />
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<b>20. How did you spend Christmas?</b><br />
The four of us opened gifts in the morning and then Matt made breakfast. I took a nap (duh) while the kids made use of their new electronic babysitters. Then we got up and went to enjoy dinner with our besties Mike, Amy, Nate and Claire. They employ a strict pajamas only Christmas gathering which is only one of the reasons we love them.<br />
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<b>21. Did you fall in love in 2014?</b><br />
Mmmm. Not in the traditional sense. I fall in love with my family every day (<span style="font-size: xx-small;">even if I don't always like them</span>). I just knew I would love new babies so that wasn't so much falling.<br />
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<b>22. What was your favorite TV show?</b><br />
Okay, confession time. I am a television whore <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(like you didn't know that)</span>. I love nothing better than a rainy Saturday spent bingeing on an entire season of one show. HBO, Netflix, and BBC-A are in the lead for best series this year. Have you seen <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2234222/" target="_blank">Orphan Black</a>? Give <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1137209/?ref_=tt_cl_t1" target="_blank">Tatiana Maslany</a> all of the awards right this minute. All of them. She plays what...ten characters in the first season alone?<br />
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<b>23. Do you </b><strike style="font-weight: bold;">hate</strike><b> strongly dislike anyone/thing now that you didn't hate this time last year?</b><br />
Mmmm. No. I'm sticking with the same grudges as usual I think.<br />
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<b>24. What was the best book you read?</b><br />
Oh you want me to choose between my children huh? Well don't tell them I said so but checking my goodreads feed, I had several 5 star level loves. Truth Within Dreams, Attachments, The Means of Reproduction, Honor Among Thieves, Lean In, Just Mercy (oooh this one might be the winner. tears produced is usually a good sign), I Am Malala, Life After Life... Clearly I like a good memoir.<br />
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Just for kicks - worst books might be... Green Girl which I actively disliked and The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green (mostly because I cannot remember what this book was about at.all)<br />
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<b>25. What was your greatest musical discovery?</b><br />
It's safe to say I make no musical discoveries. Can we count audio books? I love a good audio book.<br />
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<b>26. What did you want and get?</b><br />
More naps.<br />
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<b>27. What did you want and not get?</b><br />
World peace continues to evade me.<br />
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<b>28. What was your favorite film of this year?</b><br />
I'm becoming more open or perhaps better impressed with books that have been turned into movies. I really enjoyed Gone Girl and The Fault in Our Stars. Our family most watched movie of the year was Pitch Perfect. We all watched that one over and over.<br />
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<b>29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?</b><br />
I turned 40. We traveled to New England and I think on that day, my Mom had a big BBQ and I got to visit with friends and family that I don't always have time to see when we're flying through.<br />
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<b>30. Who did you miss?</b><br />
Mom although we managed to get together several times last year. Hopefully she'll have moved down here by the end of 2015.<br />
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<b>31. Who was the best new person you met?</b><br />
Skyler started middle school and I've enjoyed getting to know her new friends. <br />
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<b>32. Tell a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014?</b><br />
Apparently the answer to life (besides 42) is diet and exercise, diet and exercise. When you begin to doubt that, the answer is diet and exercise.<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/141/3A147887477CDE429869B600617242CD.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10120774715331922926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37837513.post-30780240065956584582015-01-05T11:36:00.000-05:002015-01-06T11:37:35.586-05:00A Classic Example of my lack of follow through...(2013 End of Year Questionnaire...(I'm late. What of it?))<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Answers to previous years are here: <a href="http://4molnars.blogspot.com/2008/12/end-of-year-questionnaire.html" target="_blank">2008</a>, <a href="http://4molnars.blogspot.com/2009/12/end-of-year-questionnaire.html" target="_blank">2009</a>, 2010 (did I miss a year?), <a href="http://4molnars.blogspot.com/2011/12/annual-end-of-year-questionnaire.html" target="_blank">2011</a>, <a href="http://4molnars.blogspot.com/2013/01/2012-end-of-year-questionaire.html" target="_blank">2012</a><br />
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1. What did you do in 2013 that you’d never done before?<br />
I "ran" a 5k. It was a blast! In June I had planned to go with friends and take pictures while they ran the Dirty Girl 5k in the Pokonos. The night before the event we might have imbibed a bit too much and one of the ladies did not find herself well enough to participate the next morning. Since I was wearing the t-shirt to show support and I had sneakers with me, I had the ridiculous idea of just being her for the event. I had an absolutely wonderful time. There wasn't much running, I hurt my knee, and there was mud in places that should never be muddy but I was so so proud of myself.<br />
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2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?<br />
I still don't make resolutions.<br />
<br />
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?<br />
My dear friend Lisa had a beautiful baby girl in November. I only wish that I was closer so that I could hold that little bundle of cuteness. My cousin Holly also had a baby girl. I haven't seen Holly in many years so it's nice that FB keeps us in contact.<br />
<br />
4. Did anyone close to you die?<br />
No<br />
<br />
5. What countries did you visit?<br />
None<br />
<br />
6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?<br />
I would like to not have any anxiety attacks - I think this one will happen. I finally found a life changing medication that is working.<br />
<br />
I would like to have better eating habits - this one isn't looking good if you use January as an example.<br />
<br />
7. What dates from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
9. What was your biggest failure?<br />
<br />
T<br />
<br />
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?<br />
<br />
<br />
11. What was the best thing you bought?<br />
<br />
<br />
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?<br />
<br />
<br />
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?<br />
<br />
<br />
14. Where did most of your money go?<br />
<br />
<br />
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?<br />
<br />
<br />
16. What song will always remind you of 2012?<br />
<br />
<br />
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:<br />
a) happier or <span style="color: magenta;">sadder</span>?<br />
b)<span style="background-color: white;"> thinner</span> or <span style="color: magenta;">fatter</span>?<br />
c) richer or <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: magenta;">poorer</span>?</span><br />
<br />
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?<br />
<br />
<br />
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?<br />
<br />
<br />
20. How did you spend Christmas?<br />
<br />
<br />
21. Did you fall in love in 2013?<br />
<br />
<br />
22. What was your favorite tv show?<br />
<br />
<br />
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?<br />
<br />
<br />
24. What was the best book you read in 2013?<br />
<br />
<br />
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?<br />
<br />
<br />
26. What did you want and get?<br />
<br />
<br />
27. What did you want and not get?<br />
<br />
<br />
28. What was your favorite film of this year?<br />
<br />
<br />
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?<br />
<br />
<br />
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?<br />
<br />
<br />
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?<br />
<br />
<br />
32. What kept you sane?<br />
<br />
<br />
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?<br />
<br />
<br />
34. What political issue stirred you the most?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
35. Who did you miss?<br />
My Mom<br />
<br />
36. Who was the best new person you met?<br />
<br />
<br />
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013?<br />
<br />
<br />
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.<br />
<br />
<br />
Happy 2014 - I think it's going to be awesome!<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/141/3A147887477CDE429869B600617242CD.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10120774715331922926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37837513.post-72999233503715134792014-11-18T13:58:00.001-05:002014-11-18T13:58:42.521-05:00Updating the Update...I'm sitting here reading my own blog (why yes I do do that, I forget 80% of what I yammer on about) and cracking up that one of my last posts was a family update from back in January and that I would in all likelihood write a very similar post today. Guess life doesn't change much huh?<br />
<br />
From <a href="http://4molnars.blogspot.com/2014/01/remember-me.html">Remember Me...</a> January 2014:<br />
<br />
Where are we for 2014? Let's see. The kids are almost 13 and almost 11, how did that happen? I tell them to knock it off on the daily but they don't listen to that or anything else I say. Z has eclipsed me in height and damn it if Skyler isn't right behind him. I've got her by 4" but I swear she grows every night so I feel confident in making the prediction that she will be taller than I am by the end of the year. Anyone want to place bets on which month that will happen in? I'm thinking maybe September. She's 60.5" and I'm 65". <span style="color: #cc0000;">Skyler is, as of 11/10/14, 5'4" so I've still got her by an inch and she's still got 5 weeks in 2014 to wake up taller than her mother. My money's on her.</span><br />
<br />
Zack is finding 7th grade to be less horrible than 6th grade. <span style="color: #cc0000;">(And 8th is even less horrible than 7th)</span> If only kids went to school to learn and participate in enjoyable activities and not to be asinine little shits, maybe ALL the kids would enjoy learning <span style="color: #cc0000;">(can I get an amen?).</span> Hey maybe the SOLs should have a whole section called "Don't Be An Asshole" and they all have to pass that section before they graduate. Not a bad idea, someone make that happen! <span style="color: #cc0000;">(Has anyone made that happen yet?) </span>Middle school is hell I tell you, hell. I have to praise my now-taller-than-me son and say that he has great grades and is well liked and likes his teachers. He's got some serious nerd cred loving things like gaming and chess and Sherlock Holmes type shows. I've still got him in nerd points though. Last night I was helping him review the science chapter on evolution, of course Darwin was mentioned and I quickly offered my copy of the Origin of Species for him to take in to class and he did the I'm-a-teenager-and-my-parents-are-embarrassing slow blink and said "No Mom, just, No." <span style="color: #cc0000;">We're still nerding right along in the gaming, books, and tv show categories. Zack made the honor roll this term and really likes all of his new teachers. #nerdsarethenewcoolkids</span><br />
<br />
Skyler is still taking the world by storm. <span style="color: #cc0000;">(Nothing new here) </span>This child has got some sort of midas touch of life going on; everything she touches turns to gold. <span style="color: #cc0000;">(Yep Yep) </span>You'd think there'd be a whole lot fewer tears with a life like that but you wouldn't be talking of my little drama queen. You'd just better watch out if you think you can be another 11 year old girl in the area and just get on Instagram all willy nilly out of her control. She doesn't want so-and-so to be on Instagram. Yeah I don't get it either but there were tears. We had a big adjustment this year moving to travel soccer and a new coach, new teammates, new level of intensity. We had to check the barometer of feelings every morning to determine if we loved soccer or not that day. After some adjustments we found ourselves in the fall with more soccer than we knew what to do with, seven days a week and she wanted more. She's only twitching a little bit from moving to twice weekly in the winter. Yes she kicks soccer balls in the house and yes there are rebounders in the front yard. We all have to stay sane somehow. We're currently applying to middle school charter programs and I'm sure that will be high on the drama meter as each member of her grade gets acceptance/rejection letters. Everything with girls is harder. It's a good thing that we love this kid so hard; we love watching her mold life into doing whatever the heck she wants. <span style="color: #cc0000;"> She has since changed soccer teams again (this happens every summer in travel) and 1. was accepted into a very challenging International Baccalaureate middle school program, and 2. tried out for and was accepted on their soccer team which went to the City Semi-Finals. Midas I tell you. Even a recent concussion couldn't keep this kid down. She did everything the doctors told her so that she could get to playing again as soon as possible.</span><br />
<br />
Matt is as busy as always. We don't like giving him any free time. :) The biggest news is that the soccer team that he coaches is being given a huge opportunity that our league has never given before. <span style="color: #cc0000;">Team Legacy rocked the socks off the travel league and had a perfect fall season with no losses.</span> To say he should be proud of himself and his abilities is a gross understatement <span style="color: #cc0000;">(He's testing for his D level coach's license next month)</span>. His girls had a goal differential of 55 goals last season <span style="color: #cc0000;">(32 this most recent season)</span>, a few of those games they stopped counting at 15 goals. He's got parents begging to let their daughter on his already full team. All this means more soccer more of the time, he and Skyler couldn't be happier.<br />
<br />
Me? I'm still managing the Book of Molnar (our schedule) <span style="color: #cc0000;">(check)</span>, working <span style="color: #cc0000;">(check)</span>, reading <span style="color: #cc0000;">(check)</span> , knitting <span style="color: #cc0000;">(check)</span>. I find myself boring to talk about (typical Mom). I'm still ornery and like naps <span style="color: #cc0000;">(check check)</span>. What else is there?<br />
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Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10120774715331922926noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37837513.post-35373216213541567992014-11-18T07:12:00.003-05:002014-11-18T07:12:47.955-05:00Giffing...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cHeZCHab1yw/VGk3ezghesI/AAAAAAAApvM/6aZx44rMaM4/w890-h592-no/DSC_0302-MOTION.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cHeZCHab1yw/VGk3ezghesI/AAAAAAAApvM/6aZx44rMaM4/w890-h592-no/DSC_0302-MOTION.gif" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank">
<img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/141/3A147887477CDE429869B600617242CD.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10120774715331922926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37837513.post-52502920824677955282014-01-28T10:30:00.002-05:002014-01-28T10:32:01.283-05:00A SNOWFLAKE...This is the level of hysteria in my office right now:<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wbeQtsCewh4/UufMY6SmlRI/AAAAAAAAgzY/868dOVAEqTY/s1600/snowflake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wbeQtsCewh4/UufMY6SmlRI/AAAAAAAAgzY/868dOVAEqTY/s1600/snowflake.jpg" height="234" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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I come from a state where snowy winters are the norm. We plan for it. We expect it. We deal with it.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I currently live in a state that will shut the f**k down if the precipitation coming from the sky is anything more coagulant than rain. My co-workers are staring out of windows at the sky for the first little flake to fall and then they are OUT of here. I'd like to mock them and make fun but our state has no plan for snow. They don't sand or salt, they basically just say "stay home" and if you do go out well then you're an idiot.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The next few days should be interesting. Wish us well.</div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/141/3A147887477CDE429869B600617242CD.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10120774715331922926noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37837513.post-41086719847322684082014-01-17T10:23:00.000-05:002014-01-17T10:23:14.975-05:00Sail...Just this morning I was futzing around amazon trying to find some new music to download and I came across the song <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sail/dp/B004PVMFC6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389969721&sr=8-1&keywords=sail+mp3" target="_blank">Sail by Awolnation</a> and I thought to myself "Self, I think that's a song you like, let's take a listen".<br />
<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/gH2efAcmBQM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
But after a seconds I realized that I couldn't purchase this mp3 because of this:<br />
<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Awf45u6zrP0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
I cannot hear this song without seeing ^ and cracking up out loud every.single.time. It's my fav cat video of all times (yes I've hit the bottom, I'm now sharing cat videos, BUT it's the best cat video of all times so...we're good).<br />
<br />
Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/141/3A147887477CDE429869B600617242CD.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10120774715331922926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37837513.post-34692711138357828072014-01-16T10:23:00.000-05:002014-01-16T10:23:36.409-05:00Procrastination Gets Me Nowhere Per Usual...Every year about this time I need an eye exam. For the past...five years or so I've gone to the same optometrist and every year as soon as I get the office person on the phone I curse myself for not finding a different office before I run out of contact lenses. The woman who runs this place is an idiot but they just haven't picked up on it yet oooorrrr she's got naughty pics of the optometrist from their last convention.<br />
<br />
I called this morning and as soon as she said her name, which is unusual, I smacked my hand to my forehead and cursed myself for doing this <i>again.</i> I asked for an appointment and she replied that she had to open her appointment program and that it might take a few minutes. I can't think of many reasons that she gets phone calls other than someone needing an appointment. It seems to me that that'd be the first thing she'd do when she got there in the morning. I can't wait for her to write my prescription down wrong, order my glasses incorrectly, forget to tell me that they're in, and not be able to find me in her appointment program, all of which she's done in the past. I think part of me keeps going because I feel sorry for the optometrist, he's very nice and competent. Wish me luck this afternoon, is it foreshadowing that they could fit me in today? Yup I think it is.<br />
<br />
As requested, pics of my quickly growing family:<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-548dqEF7Urg/Utfx54-J2uI/AAAAAAAAgw4/l4___bLmh1k/s1600/IMG_2940%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-548dqEF7Urg/Utfx54-J2uI/AAAAAAAAgw4/l4___bLmh1k/s1600/IMG_2940%5B1%5D.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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Skyler still wants to be small enough to be carried but she won't quit growing. Her legs are nine miles long.</div>
<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fiVYbkXkVSs/Utfx9J1TRJI/AAAAAAAAgxA/SaauN3wGIno/s1600/IMG_2953%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fiVYbkXkVSs/Utfx9J1TRJI/AAAAAAAAgxA/SaauN3wGIno/s1600/IMG_2953%5B1%5D.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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Once in awhile I take a decent selfie. My meds are making me chubby, I'm trying to own it.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PnTRa2RkbRM/UtfyNNtKcbI/AAAAAAAAgxI/7TdHELb7k_I/s1600/IMG_2745%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PnTRa2RkbRM/UtfyNNtKcbI/AAAAAAAAgxI/7TdHELb7k_I/s1600/IMG_2745%5B1%5D.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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This is Zack in his natural habitat. We were at a soccer tournament and he only agreed to come along if he could bring his laptop. He also doesn't pose for pics so that was the best I could do.</div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/141/3A147887477CDE429869B600617242CD.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10120774715331922926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37837513.post-28496194852280642472014-01-14T12:21:00.001-05:002014-01-14T12:21:29.129-05:00Remember Me...I am not going to discuss my extended leave from the blog, I am just going to admit that my voice was stolen, and that I miss it desperately and I'm just going to start talking... No one say anything to scare me away. I'm easily startled.<br />
<br />
Where are we for 2014? Let's see. The kids are almost 13 and almost 11, how did that happen? I tell them to knock it off on the daily but they don't listen to that or anything else I say. Z has eclipsed me in height and damn it if Skyler isn't right behind him. I've got her by 4" but I swear she grows every night so I feel confident in making the prediction that she will be taller than I am by the end of the year. Anyone want to place bets on which month that will happen in? I'm thinking maybe September. She's 60.5" and I'm 65".<br />
<br />
Zack is finding 7th grade to be less horrible than 6th grade. If only kids went to school to learn and participate in enjoyable activities and not to be asinine little shits, maybe ALL the kids would enjoy learning. Hey maybe the SOLs should have a whole section called "Don't Be An Asshole" and they all have to pass <i>that </i>section before they graduate. Not a bad idea, someone make that happen! Middle school is hell I tell you, hell. I have to praise my now-taller-than-me son and say that he has great grades and is well liked and likes his teachers. He's got some serious nerd cred loving things like gaming and chess and Sherlock Holmes type shows. I've still got him in nerd points though. Last night I was helping him review the science chapter on evolution, of course Darwin was mentioned and I quickly offered my copy of the Origin of Species for him to take in to class and he did the I'm-a-teenager-and-my-parents-are-embarrassing slow blink and said "No Mom, just, No."<br />
<br />
Skyler is still taking the world by storm. This child has got some sort of midas touch of life going on; everything she touches turns to gold. You'd think there'd be a whole lot fewer tears with a life like that but you wouldn't be talking of my little drama queen. You'd just better watch out if you think you can be another 11 year old girl in the area and just get on Instagram all willy nilly out of her control. She doesn't <i>want</i> so-and-so to be on Instagram. Yeah I don't get it either but there were tears. We had a big adjustment this year moving to travel soccer and a new coach, new teammates, new level of intensity. We had to check the barometer of feelings every morning to determine if we loved soccer or not that day. After some adjustments we found ourselves in the fall with more soccer than we knew what to do with, seven days a week and she wanted more. She's only twitching a little bit from moving to twice weekly in the winter. Yes she kicks soccer balls in the house and yes there are rebounders in the front yard. We all have to stay sane somehow. We're currently applying to middle school charter programs and I'm sure that will be high on the drama meter as each member of her grade gets acceptance/rejection letters. Everything with girls is harder. It's a good thing that we love this kid so hard; we love watching her mold life into doing whatever the heck she wants.<br />
<br />
Matt is as busy as always. We don't like giving him any free time. :) The biggest news is that the soccer team that he coaches is being given a huge opportunity that our league has never given before. To say he should be proud of himself and his abilities is a gross understatement. His girls had a goal differential of 55 goals last season, a few of those games they stopped counting at 15 goals. He's got parents begging to let their daughter on his already full team. All this means more soccer more of the time, he and Skyler couldn't be happier.<br />
<br />
Me? I'm still managing the Book of Molnar (our schedule), working, reading, knitting. I find myself boring to talk about (typical Mom). I'm still ornery and like naps. What else is there?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/141/3A147887477CDE429869B600617242CD.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10120774715331922926noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37837513.post-84864769963932539052013-03-25T14:26:00.000-04:002013-03-25T14:26:04.060-04:00Splitting the Hairs of Victory...I have a sports related question that has been bugging me for a bit and I sort of need an answer but the answer may be a matter of opinion. I don't speak sports really well so I'm going to attempt to explain the situation to you and then I'm going to throw in a poll and see what the majority opinion is mmmkay?<br />
<br />
Okay here are the facts that are in no way being disputed, you need to know them to answer the question:<br />
<br />
A couple of weeks ago Skyler's soccer team was in a travel tournament. There were five teams in their bracket. The winner of the bracket was determined by points. Each team was given 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, and 0 points for a loss.<br />
<br />
<u>Our Team (can I get a woot woot?):</u><br />
1st game - 3 points<br />
2nd game - 3 points<br />
3rd game - 3 points<br />
<br />
<u>Other Team:</u><br />
1st game - 1 point<br />
2nd game - 1 point<br />
3rd game - 3 points<br />
<br />
So - going into the 4th and final game we had 9 points and they had 5. Even if we lost the game, we won 1st place in the tournament. Follow me so far?<br />
<br />
We lost the game. We earned 9 points. They earned 8. No arguments there. Our girls got their first place medals, their girls got their second place medals.<br />
<br />
Later one of the parents from the other team said <strong><span style="color: red;">"Well that's nice for your girls, but at least <em>we're</em> undefeated."</span></strong><br />
<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cjzaEp0P4iU/UNo6-ok33_I/AAAAAAAABG8/7ioYvBs-iI0/s1600/BEAN-say-what.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cjzaEp0P4iU/UNo6-ok33_I/AAAAAAAABG8/7ioYvBs-iI0/s400/BEAN-say-what.jpg" ssa="true" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Aside from it being an assholeish thing to say which is soccer parenting 101, it's been rattling around in my brain and I can't quite see the logic, wouldn't by definition of not having won all their games and not having won the tournament indicate that they had been defeated? According to the dictionary, to defeat is to overcome in battle, it doesn't say anything like "yeah well we didn't technically win in points but we didn't technically lose a game so we're undefeated" Or in sports, must you actually lose a game or games, not tie, in order to be defeated? <br />
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<b>Was The Other Team <span style="color: red;">UN</span>defeated?</b></h2>
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Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10120774715331922926noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37837513.post-16449898072927827912013-03-13T10:53:00.001-04:002013-03-13T10:53:15.994-04:00Death to DLS...Daylight savings time can go die a slow firey death. I hate it with the passion of a thousand burning suns. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that we've all been a hot mess this week. Everyone is tired and irritated and grumpy. No one wants to get up in the morning but somehow we're all wide awake after dinner. I'd like to just stick with the natural progression of light that the tilting of the earth offers thankyouverymuch. <br />
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As I was posting pictures from outdoor soccer to FB last week, my Aunt Shelly commented "I thought you just celebrated the end of indoor soccer on Monday, don't you guys take a break" and the answer as you all know is "No". What would we do with ourselves if every single day of the week weren't somehow taken up with some form of soccer? Skyler has big plans for college, her current desire is to go to Yale because my friend Sarah went there and for some reason Skyler is enamored with the idea of this school. So this kid has got to get a soccer scholarship (I don't even know if Yale has a soccer <em>team </em>never mind whether they give scholarships). She also plans to be on the Women's National Soccer Team, I'm not sure if that's a back-up to college or if Yale is a back-up to soccer, but she's got big plans. She told Matt that she wasn't going to make the team if she didn't keep advancing. Her idol is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abby_Wambach" target="_blank">Abby Wambach</a>: </div>
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She has an Abby Wambach sweatshirt that her brother gave her that she wears every.single.day, even to bed if I don't catch her first. I have to confiscate it to throw it in the wash.</div>
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She's pretty badass so it's not entirely unpossible (i know that isn't a word, it's internet speak peeps).<br />
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Zack is playing goalkeeper and still loves it! He's a joy to watch. The parents all yell "ZACK SAYS NO" as he blocks the balls. </div>
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His idol is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_Solo" target="_blank">Hope Solo</a> which makes me proud. I love that he can look to a woman as a leader in his sport.</div>
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So as much as I complain that I'm exhausted by Sunday, and that we have soccer on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, we're all having a blast and for the nerdy readers like me out there, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Gladwell" target="_blank">Malcolm Gladwell</a> did say in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Outliers-Story-Success-Malcolm-Gladwell/dp/0316017930" target="_blank">The Outliers</a> that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert at anything (further broken out to be 20 hours per week for 10 years). We have great soccer friends and family and I couldn't think of a better way to spend our time (someone remember to quote me when I'm bitching that I can't get to two soccer fields at the same time). Now if only all that pesky shit like laundry and housecleaning and homework would do itself, we'd be golden. </div>
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I leave you with this question. How does a house get so damn filthy when we're only home and awake for a couple of hours a day? Are there little filth gremlins racing around partying when we aren't home?</div>
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Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10120774715331922926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37837513.post-30816289765138087392013-02-25T10:19:00.003-05:002013-02-25T10:19:38.385-05:00My Crippling Social Anxiety is a Great Conversation Starter...I've mentioned a time or two before that I have what I like to call Phone Phobia. It's mostly just my ha ha funny way of dealing with the fact that I have social anxiety. I'm quite sure that I've always had it, as a kid it was just that I was shy and would rather read a book than talk to someone. In all reality I was terrified to have a random conversation with someone that I either didn't know or someone that I did know but that I'd have to make small talk with. I still distinctly remember an instance when I was around the age of 4 or 5 when I was in an ice cream shop with my family and I thought my Mother was standing right next to me so I tugged on her arm to point to a flavor and I looked up and it was a (likely) sweet little old lady who said something like "oh dear, your Mother is right there". I <em>still</em> remember feeling like I wanted to hide in a hole and die from embarrassment just from speaking to a stranger. Email and the internet and texting have been wonderful tools to help me get by instances when I would otherwise choose not to engage with someone. I can write an email or letter like no body's business (just ask any of a wide range of people from either of the kids' schools ;) ) My comfort level with various social events has no rhyme or reason. I might be looking forward to something for months and then the day comes and the anticipation ramps up to an epic level that ends with me missing that event and hibernating in bed instead. It's hard to explain and it's hard to admit and it's often a pain in the ass. Mostly it's just some wacky bit of brain chemicals that aren't quite right.<br />
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I had a rough week last week. I'm not sure if the chemicals in my body were off, if it was the seemingly minor stressful situation at work that had me on edge, or if the stars were aligned just enough to make me way crazier than usual (I can say that ;) ). I felt out of sorts and exhausted and crabby and sad and like if I could just climb in bed and pull the blankets over my head and stay there forever I'd be content. If you were my husband, you'd want to fix it and not know how. If you were my kid you'd probably wonder why Mom would rather play games from her hibernation hole than downstairs like a normal person. If you were part of my Bunco group, you'd notice that I didn't show up, backing out at the last minute.<br />
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By Thursday I was exhausted from feeling so anxious and I fell asleep around 6pm thinking I'd just doze for a few minutes while Matt took the kids to do their things. I didn't wake up again for 17 hours (Friday is my day off to "get things done"). I didn't just doze in and out and wake and go back to sleep, I was unconscious. My brain and body were exhausted. The remainder of the weekend was slightly better and I kept things light and related to soccer, things I could handle.<br />
<br />I have a therapist and joke that I'm crazy but really I have social anxiety and lots of other people have it too. It's painful and shameful and uncomfortable. There isn't an easy answer or an easy fix. If you're my friend or family member, just go with the flow. I might be perfectly comfortable with something one time and not willing to deal with it another. You never can tell. If I'm there, I'm probably fine. If I'm not, it just isn't going to happen and we'll all move on.<br />
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I can't pick just one:<br />
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Oh and no need to worry about me. I find that putting stuff out there makes other people feel less alone and eventually helps you too. The more I share, the more people I find that are just like me (scary isn't it?).<br />
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Smooches,<br />
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Amanda<br />
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(p.s. How does Blogger not recognize texting as a verb yet?)<br />
Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10120774715331922926noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37837513.post-67843042204705328792013-02-07T12:55:00.001-05:002013-02-07T13:36:29.116-05:00The Smell of Victory...Both kids had soccer games last night (and won) so we were at our home away from home, the inside soccer fields, for a couple of hours.<br />
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Skyler played as fiercely as she usually does, coming off the field sweaty and slimy and all banged up from the boys that she plays with. She and two of her female teammates from her regular team, are playing an age group up for a coed team that needed players. At first we were nervous that they'd be outsized and outplayed with boys a full year older than they are, but these girls are kicking ass and taking names and I love every minute of watching it.<br />
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Zack's team has been having a bit of a rough season. He usually plays goalie, that's his comfort zone because homeboy does not enjoy running, but his coach decided to get him some field time last night and he rose to the occasion. This age group plays pretty rough, slamming each other against the walls when necessary and fighting like mad for the ball. At one point I noticed that the opposing player in Zack's position was a girl (which I think is fantastic, the longer girls play with boys the better for them); my first thought was a conflicted "I hope he doesn't hurt her/I hope he doesn't hold back because she's a girl". Then I saw him eat turf. Their feet got caught up and he went down getting a nice road rash along his forearm. I continued watching with my breath held a bit, she's tough, she's going to try it again. My boychild is, let's say stout, running into him is a bit like hitting a brick wall, you're going to bounce, and bounce she did. I wouldn't have felt bad for a boy, so I tried not to feel bad for her and she got up and kept at it. I was proud of him for not giving it to her easy because she's a girl, and I was proud of her for keeping up with the boys and not being intimidated by their size. After the game, I talked to Zack about his altercations with her and asked "Did you take it easy on her because she's a girl?" and he answered quite disgusted with me "NO! ...but...she smelled nice. Like fruit." <br />
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The lesson I suppose is that girls are just as tough as opponents but the experience of doing battle is a made a whole lot nicer by their lack of stank de teen boy. I suppose I'd rather slam into a nice fruit scent than the scent of goalie gloves. Have you ever smelled goalie gloves? You could wage war with that smell.<br />
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