Five on Friday

This has been the LONGEST. WEEK. EVER! Not really...but a couple of factors, including working my late shift on Wednesday instead of Thursday have made this week seem to go at the pace of a snail...who's really old...crawling through molasses...in really hot, oppressive weather... well, you get the idea!

Here are five things on my brain this week...

**ONE**
One thing I haven't mentioned on here before is my deep love of Ellen DeGeneres. Seriously. She's my favorite ever. I think she's such an awesome person (or at least seems like it) - so generous and genuine, funny, and positive. She's a role model in my life, and her talk show is one of my very favorite shows. (Meeting her, and going to a taping of her show is a bucket list item of mine, so if anyone has some connections, hook a sister up, mmmmkay?!)

Anyways, I love love love this video from this week. Warning: I learned the hard way that if you watch this, you will cry from happiness. So don't watch it at work. Unless you want to cry at work. (I used to make fun of my mom for being such a sap and crying when she was happy. Now I do it all. the. time. I am old. Or emotional. Or both.)

**TWO**
Jeromy and I are volunteering at Feed My Starving Children this weekend, and I'm really excited! It's one of my favorite charity organizations, and I love volunteering for them. For those of you who aren't familiar, FMSC is local Christian organization that packs and ships meals to starving kids across the globe. They have worked with food scientists to come up with super nutritious, safe foods for starving kids to eat, to help get them healthy.

So when you go to volunteer, you spend a couple hours scooping dry ingredients into plastic bags, sealing and packaging them, to get them ready to be sent out. It's enjoyable work, because you get to chat because it doesn't take a ton of concentration, and the time goes really fast! I also love that it's easy enough that kids can do it - and often do! It's so important for kiddos to be able to learn the importance of giving back at an early age, and I love that FMSC helps to do that! Unfortunately, Linnea is still too young to help, but she'll have a good time with Grandma and Grandpa.

**THREE**
I came across this quote today: It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. - E.E. Cummings

I really like it. I've struggled a lot previously (and sometimes still do) with the comparison game... "So and so is my age, and does this and that" or "Maybe I should be doing XYZ like that person." Things like that. As I've gotten older, and a bit more settled into my life, I've started to gain the confidence to become and embrace who I really am...trying not to worry about what I could, should, would do. But just be Becky...and continue to strive to figure out what that means.

**FOUR**
I have had a couple encounters with super crabby people this week, and it just makes me sad. Now I certainly have my crabby moments, but I work really hard at not acting on it. Admittedly, my family and friends see my crabby sometimes...I think that's natural. To me, it's a whole other thing when you are crabby, rude, or just plain mean to strangers. I was driving to work on Wednesday. I had been driving in the right lane, but then switched over to the left lane to let a truck merge in from the ramp. I was blocked in for a bit, unable to shift back to the right, but I kept at or a little above the speed limit. Out of nowhere a woman came tearing up behind me, flashed her brights (as I was trying to get back over), and then zoomed back me, flicking me off very angrily. Seriously? The world would be such a better place if we just cut each other a little slack, and tried to assume the best in people.

I also, for the first time in a while, got hung up on at work. It happens sometimes...just part of the job I guess. But it had been a very long time since it's happened. I won't go into details, but when I was calling to be friendly, and provide some help and insight, I got talked down to, and hung up on. How do we get off treating people like that? I will continue to strive not to.

**FIVE**
I have the greatest friends ever. I'm still on a happy high after my WOWZA dinner last night. The WOWZAs are my very best friends - mostly girlfriends from college, but all awesome, wonderful, amazing women. We had a four hour dinner, that seriously flew by. We laughed until we cried. We cover the full spectrum of topics. I am so so so thankful for these beautiful women. It makes me smile to think of us as old ladies, still up to our goofy shenanigans. Because I'm CERTAIN that we will be. :-)

Jackie, Rach (visiting from Kentucky...hooray!!), and Sus

Sarah, Me, and Kirstyn (we were missing two...Bethany - overdue with her second baby and LeElla - who lives in Kentucky

Don't I have beautiful friends?! They are gorgeous - inside and out. I love you, ladies!!