Thank you!

I just want to give a quick shout out to one of my favorite people in the world.  Thank you Gregory Michael Johnson!!  You are one of the best friends a girl could ask for.  Your phone will be ringing in the next couple of days because you deserve to hear in person how fantastic you are but I think a little public love is also warranted.  I don't know how you do it but even from 2000 miles away you know exactly what I need and that means more that you will ever know.  I hope that one day I can be the kind of friend that you are teaching me to be.  YOU ROCK!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!!!

I hope you have a great day Mom.  You are amazing!!!

Day 11

A picture of something you hate

Hate is a strong word but the Red Sox are probably as close as I come.

Day 10

A picture of the person you do the craziest things with

 

I rarely do anything crazy but everytime I do Abbey seems to be there.

Day 9

A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most

She will not like that I posted her picture her but the only choice here is Sue Yorita.  She is the best friend a woman could ask for.  I have made plenty of bad decisions but she is always on my team.  Her husband Dave isn't half bad either! :)

Taylor Swift - Fifteen

I have sung along to this song many times but today I actually LISTENED to the words and broke down into tears.  Unfortunately 15 year olds aren't the only ones who have their hearts broken.  The words of this song express my emotions perfectly.

Day 8

 A picture that makes you laugh

I can't believe she is only 4.  She is such a ham!!

ksl.com - BYU's Fredette gaining pop culture lore

ksl.com - BYU's Fredette gaining pop culture lore

Awesome!! I have always had a crush on Nelly. Him talking about Jimmer makes it seem like we know each other. :) When I was at BYU I think the basketball team won a total of 2 games. My how times have changed.

Day 7

A picture of your most treasured item

Sadly, right now this is my most treasured possession. 

Reinvention

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2011/01/22/fashion_line_gone__sigrid_olsen_embarked_on_journey_of_reinvention/

I read this article last night and it opened my eyes.  Life, if lived fully, is constantly changing and unfortunately sometimes things happen that we neither expect nor desire.  I am currently being reminded of this fact in a major way.  I had to acknowledge and accept (super hard for me!!) that everyone gets to make their own decisions and that is okay.  In the past couple of months I have fallen in love with one of my best friends and simply put, he does not feel the same way.  I want to hate him because I am pretty sure it would make it easier but unfortunately I can not.  Now, here is the part where my ability to make MY own decisions benefits me.  I am not the kind of girl who can go from being friends, to more than friends back to being the buddy.  It's just not in me and guess what?  That is OK!!  I know that probably sounds really simple to most of you but if you know me personally you realize how major that it.  I am the kind of girl who generally goes out of her way to make others happy regardless the cost to my emotional health.  No more!  I am sorry.  You have been a great friend and I really do love you but I can't have you in my life anymore if I expect to ever move on and find a love that will be returned.  I hope you understand!

Okay, that being said I am now going to tie this fantastic article from the Boston Globe into this little epiphany.  This woman lost her career but more than that her name was literally taken away from her and not only has she survived but she has thrived.  I hope to be able to follow her example and reinvent myself and not take a backward slide.  If you follow my blog at all you know that I have been unemployed since being laid off in May 2009.  That loss and the multiple career rejections that have followed combined with the recent rejection in my personal life could cripple me but I am deciding here and now to not let this happen.  I will not put the walls back up that I have spent the past few years tearing down. 

**As a side note, this post is in BYU Blue to celebrate the fantastic win over the San Diego Aztecs tonight.  Maybe Jimmer is available....

Day 6

A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day

This one was really hard for me but I finally figured out the one and only person I would want to trade places with for a day.  This is me at 3 years old.  I would love to be this girl again.  Happy, carefree and confident in her place in the world, sounds like the perfect day to me!!

 

Day 5

A picture of something you miss

The House that Ruth built.  I have some happy memories in this stadium.  It was a sad day when it came down!

HELP!!

So far this photo challenge thing has been fun but I have to admit I have felt a little stifled as far as other entries go.  Then I realized that this is my blog so I can post as many times a day as I want.  That being said, I have a life question that I am hoping to get a little help on. I am ready for the next adventure of my life and I am pretty sure that means it is time for a move.I have some ideas up my sleeve but am looking for opinions.  Anybody have a place in the world that they would recommend for a single woman and if you do, what are the things that draw you to that particular spot?  I am currently unemployed and have no real ties that are keeping me in my current location.  The world is mine to explore.  Bring on the suggestions.

Day 4

A picture of your night.

Well this could be rather boring for all of us!!

This is the couch where I plan on sleeping tonight.  I removed the sheets from my bed yesterday to wash them and have yet to replace them.  Lazy!!

This is the view from my couch.  I am settling in to watch Downton Abbey on PBS.  I love a good BBC production.  Sadly this is not an unusual night for me.  I spend many an evening on the couch watching television.  I may need a life!

Challenge

Just for reference, this is what you can expect over the next month or so.

31 Day Photo Challenge

Day 01- Ten facts about myself


Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest.

Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show

Day 04- A picture of your night.

Day 05- A picture of something you miss.

Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day

Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item

Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh

Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most

Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the craziest things with

Day 11 - A picture of something you hate

Day 12 - A picture of something you love

Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist

Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without

Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die

Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you

Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently

Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity

Day 19 - A picture and a letter

Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel

Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget

Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at

Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book

Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change

Day 25 - A picture of your day

Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you

Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member

Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of

Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile

Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss

Day 31 - A picture of yourself

Day 3

A picture of the cast from your favorite show

This just may be the easiest one of the whole challenge. 

I love Modern Family!!  What a great show.  I can count on a good laugh every week.

Day 2

A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest.

Okay, this one is gonna be hard.  I have a lot of great friends but am close to very few people.  Taking into consideration length of time the lucky person who gets to appear in this post is my lovely sister Annie.  One of my greatest memories is of our fun slumber parties with Mom yelling down the stairs for us to be quiet.  I am lucky to have a sister who lets me be involved with her family.  I love you Annie!!

 

31 Day Picture Challenge

Okay, my cousin Melissa posted this on her Facebook page and I liked it so much I am going to copy it.    Today my challenge is to list 10 facts about myself.  So, with a little help from Sophia and Annie, here goes nothing!

1. I was  born on Groundhog Day. (That means you have less than 2 weeks to purchase and mail a birthday gift!)

2.  I have been to Disneyland twice.  Both times as an adult.



3.  I love the New York Yankees and going to baseball games with Sophia.

4.  I am the oldest of 4 children!

5.  I LOVE to read!!! Jane Eyre is my all time favorite book!



6.  I spent a month in Europe all by myself!!

7.  I got my Bachelor's Degree from Brigham Young University.



8.  I LOVE watching things that scare me to death!

9.  I have a major crush on Nick Swisher. 

                                                

10.  My favorite food for dinner is cold cereal.

                                                               





Happiness!

January 20, 2011... mark this day down on your calendar.  I, Lucinda Irene Grames, am a happy woman!  I could go into all the dirty details of my happiness but I am pretty sure none of you really want to know the particulars of my life.  Let's just say that I love my family, especially my nieces and nephews, I am extrememly fond of a great man who seems to genuinely like ME and I really like myself.  Life is good.  Embrace this feeling Grames!!!

Baby Liam

Baby Liam Henry Lee has finally arrived!!!  He was born Friday January 7, 2011 at 7:50pm.  He is a big guy weighing in at 9lb 3oz and 23 inches long.  I am pretty sure he is going to be sumo wrestler!! 

Waiting!!

Okay, we need something happy to think about.  Little baby Liam, my sister Annie's baby, is taking his sweet time coming into the world.  Today is his "official" due date but thus far he seems to have an extreme case of stage fright.  Come on Liam, you have a huge family who is wait to meet you!!!  (although, I can't say I blame you for wanting to put that family reunion off as long as possible.)

Broken

Isn't it funny how you put something out into the Universe and it seems that everything conspires against you to make life as difficult as possible?  My goal of living in the moment and embracing the ups and downs of life as they come along has quickly become one of the most painful experiences of my life.  I am a woman who is used to trying to control every situation she is in and true to form soul crushing obstacles have come into the lives of people I love and I can do absolutely nothing about it.  The pain and helplessness that comes from being unable to alleviate even the smallest amount of pain is crushing.  I realize that this sounds a little self indulgent but my purpose in putting this out there is not to win sympathy for myself.  My purpose tonight is two-fold.  One is to acknowledge to myself that I can not fix everything and the second is to express to those I love who are struggling through rough times in their lives my sincere love and support.  Let's face it, I will still struggle with feelings of inadequacy and helplessness because this is me we are talking about but I am going to do everything in my power to put my own issues aside and become the support system you truly deserve. 

Insight

So, I learned something about myself this past week that I am not sure I am proud of.  I have a bit of the green eyed monster lurking inside me.  Now, I realize that most of us experience feelings of jealousy as a regular course of any relationship but mine reared it's head in a moment that I am not proud of.  After his mother's funeral Paul was telling me about the service and telling me about all the fantastic friends that attended and were able to stay for the luncheon afterwards.  I was so happy for him that he had the support network that was obviously needed at such a difficult time.  Then he mentioned a certain neighbor of his in L.A. that made it to the services.  Now, I have never met this woman and I am pretty sure she doesn't even know I exist, but I have hated her for a long time.  (Okay, so maybe hate is not the right word but I do tend to lean towards the dramatic.)  What is my problem??  This day had absolutely nothing to do with me and yet here I found a way to make it about me.  I found a way to quickly get out the conversation and spent the rest of the evening alternating between hating myself and hating Neighbor.  I am a head case!!!

Now, here is the reason why Paul is one of the best friends I have ever had.  He knows that when I stop talking I am upset about something.  It shouldn't be that big of a mystery considering I never stop talking but NOBODY in my life has every figured (or acknowledge) this out before.  He was able to get me out of my head.  I still feel a little guilty about this but as I acknowledged in my last post I am determined to move on.  I am going live in the moment.  Yes, I had this moment of insecurity...will I have another...undoubtedly(maybe right now) but worrying is not going to fix them.  I am not suggesting that I ignore my feelings but, seriously, my life is good.  I am happy.  There is no reason for my insane jealousy.  And if there is...worrying wont fix it.  I will face all challenges head on but I wont give them room to grow!!