Thursday, February 27, 2014

Why I chose It Works! Global for my business...

Pretty much my whole life I have been in debt and overweight.  I am pretty sure that I can count only 2 seasons in my life when I felt good about what I looked like and the amount of money I was making.  I have never felt sorry for myself, well not for longer than a few minutes at a time anyways.  Mostly because I have seen how people in third world countries live, and I know that I do not have it rough at all.  I know that I should be thankful for all that I have been given. 

I can't help though but feel like I could do something more to change these two things.  They are my downfalls, the things that I just really do not like about myself.  I have sought out supplemental income while teaching, and even while not teaching.  I mean last year I was working a full-time job and a part-time job plus living with my Dad and Step-Mom to try and pay off some debt.  I still have just felt overwhelmed with how much money I owe for an education that I am thankful to have. 

I had looked into a couple of direct sale companies.  In fact I almost signed up right before I decided to go overseas again.  Looking back now I am so thankful that I didn't go that direction.  Not because that company isn't great, but because of the journey I have been embarking on for the last year. 

I want to be healthy...not just lose weight, but live a lifestyle that is healthy.  I have been juicing for a couple of months now.  I wish I could say that the weight has just melted off, but it hasn't.  I do feel better about myself though and I have a lot more energy.  It is funny how much energy I actually have when I juice, eat lots of greens, and work out.

For a couple of months I have been seeing this "crazy wrap thing" pop up on my FB feed, instagram, and here in the last two weeks twitter.  I actually didn't really pay any attention to it.  I checked out some of the before and after pics and then just kind of let it disappear from my mind.  I mean I am in the middle of trying to once again find another job.  So, don't really have time to be looking into businesses, and I will admit that I kind of thought that it was all a big scam.  I mean...come on a wrap? 

Then one of my friends from RH messaged me and asked me to check it out.  As soon as I did I knew that this is what I had been looking for.  First of all it is a team environment...people that actually care about you and want to see you succeed.  Second of all and maybe this should be the most important, this is a company that is helping people get out of debt.  My goal for myself is to be debt free.  I am really, really tired of living from paycheck to paycheck with no savings, and no way to even save with the income I am making now.  I want to pay off my college loans, my car, and my credit cards.  I want to be free of financial burden, but I am want to do something that helps sustain lives. 

I believe in the It Works! Global products.  I believe in the wrap, the greens, but most of all I believe in the company. 

A year ago I would have never dreamed I would be doing this.  I'm a teacher that's what I do, but what if my dream is bigger than just teaching (not that teaching is bad, because it isn't).  What if there are bigger plans in store for me, once I am debt free.  I have always felt like the fact that I was in so much debt has held me back from things that I really need and want to do.  So, this is why I am taking this step.  Living debt free is important, but living a healthy life is even more important. 

Here's to a new adventure...maybe some of you will join me for the ride! 

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Looking ahead...

Today I signed up for It Works.  I am pretty much super excited about the opportunity to get healthy and be debt free through this company.  Hoping for a great start, and hoping even more that this brings new things to my life. 

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Looking up, and hoping for some direction

I find myself back to blogging after a few days off, and really have missed it.  I am one of those people that just needs to write.  If I don't find myself writing for a few days then I find myself in a lousy mood, taking everything personally.  For instance today I woke up to go downstairs and see this note written by someone that I live with.  Now my living arrangements suck for a 32 year old single woman.  I live in these dorm-like accomadations that are really meant for the students since this is a boarding school.  Since there aren't enough students to fill the space, well there are teachers that live here.  Now this arrangement might not be so bad in a place where people actually wanted to get to know one another.  Or it might not be so bad if I had people like I had my first year in Thailand, who were actually eager to get to know who I am as a person.  Unfortunately that is not the case.  So anyways...I woke up to this note talking about how we all need to be quiet past 10pm etc.  Okay, I get it...yes we should be considerate.  However the note was directed at me, and I knew it.  See, I had 2 interviews last weekend for jobs, and they went WAY past 10pm.  However it doesn't happen that often and I didn't really feel like I was being that loud.  Here is where I get frustrated though...instead of coming to me and saying "hey can you try not to have calls past 10"  No instead of doing that, a note was written on the board to everyone.  Okay there are only 6 of us living here, so ofcourse we all know who you are directing that to.  Come on!  Let's be adults, please.  Another thing is that one of the people that was complaining has violin lessons for students all day on Saturdays and Sundays usually starting at 8:00 am.  Now...do I complain about that waking me up?  No actually I don't...so you know I feel like my TWO times of having late night Skype chats do not warrant getting all huffy when I put up with being woken up at 8:00am on both Saturdays and Sundays to squeaky violin lessons. 

This is just one of my many rants today.  I know that this probably isn't blog worthy, but it just has me thinking about perspective and how selfish we are.  I mean I completely know I am being selfish...because I want to be able to live my life without having to consider 5 other people every time I decided to stay up past 10:00pm.  The truth is though that I have to stop being selfish and I have to think of others.  But I also have to get the heck out of here, and settle somewhere else  I don't want to be here anymore.  It is turning me into a person that I don't like.  I don't feel close to anyone and I am tired of just living life as a zombie....not really caring about things and going through the motions. 

I want friends, I want a social life.  I want to do something other than sit in my room on the weekends.  I want to be able to go to the park without fear of being kidnapped for ransom.  I want to be able to drive and just walk along the river.  I want to be able to live...and I can't live here.  I can't just be me.  I am this person that I don't even want to be around.  I am someone right now that has lost myself, and in so doing I am pushing people away.  I know I am doing this, but I don't really think I want or care to stop. 

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

There's less noise in the Philippines

Today I took my bi-weekly trip off the "compound."  I don't really live on a compound but sometimes it feels like it.  We even have a goat grazing back behind our school.  I mean we all live and work in this gated community with armed guards.  That kind of signifies a compound, right? 

Anyways, today I was in the van, and just looking around at all the traffic.  Just like many other places I have been the traffic laws are a little bit relaxed around here.  It is not complete chaos, but it is just there is no real order to who goes first.  So....I was thinking about this and the lack of horns...and I just became really impressed with that part of this culture.  The laid back part.  Most of the time it drives me crazy, but tonight I thought....if we were in America, people would be honking their horns, shouting and in some areas be resorting to violence.  So, for tonight sitting in the midst of traffic...waiting I was glad to be in a place that is laid back, and relaxed.   Interesting life. 

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

A job interview and a new beginning..

I've been trying really hard not to get hopeful or discouraged by the crazy amount of jobs I have applied for.  But when you have two job interviews lined up, it is hard to not at least be somewhat hopeful.  I want a good job.  I want a job that I can excel at.  I want a place to call home, a place where I can share love to those that may not have it. 

I'm pretty excited by the prospect of both jobs that I will be interviewing at, but I am also a little apprehensive.  The thing is that I have never in my life moved to a city in the United States where I didn't already know a least a handful of people.  Sure I worked at RH, and then later moved there, but I had the RH connection..so I already had friends out there.  Otherwise my life in the states has consisted of 2 places, and both those places have held memories and people that I love.  So the prospect of moving to a town in America where I know absolutely no one...well it kind of freaks me out. 

Right now there are people reading this that think I am crazy.  I know...you are saying to yourself..."she has lived all over the world, but she can't live in KC, Missouri?"  Ha!  You would be absolutely right.  You see there is this certain pressure that is taken off of you when you move overseas.  Oh sure there are struggles, but they are different kind of struggles.  I am not saying that I wasn't ever lonely while living overseas, because trust me there have been plenty of times when I have been lonely.  What I am saying is that it is a different kind of lonely.  When you are in America and you can speak the same language as the people around you expect to not be lonely.  You expect to be able to make friends and fit in.  But it isn't always so easy.  I am just saying that there is some pressure in starting over again.  I am excited about what it will entail, but I am also scared to death about the person I am fitting back into the Missouri mold. 


Sunday, February 16, 2014

Finding Myself in Social Media

This weekend I really started a twitter account.  I have been using IG (Instagram) for a few weeks now and love it.  I have been able to connect with people all over the world, and it is awesome!  I am so excited.  I also signed up for this online class that was free.  It is actually a health class that talks about the four most common diseases.  I am really trying hard to kick all the bad habits I have started along the way, and get myself as organic as possible.  It is tough sometimes, but it is worth it.  I want to be happy and healthy.  I don't want to wake up one day and realize that I have ruined my life just because I didn't feel like caring. 

Social Media to me is inspiring.  I am finding myself hooked to my iPad and in some ways I know that it is probably creating an addiction in me.  In other ways though I am thankful for a connection to the outside world.  I am stuck away from family and friends, and sometimes it gets lonely.  I have found that FB, IG and Twitter make the world a little more bearable and a little less small. 

Connections are my life..people are my life.  I am thankful that this world is a place where we can connect with others from an ocean away. 

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Forever 32....new blog...new start....

One of my very best friends since junior high just had a birthday the other day.  In our talking she was saying how she is going to stay 32 forever.  I won't even mention that other age here, just because I don't want to let that age seem like it is going to be a part of my life.  At first I just thought....oh one year older, but then I got to thinking about it, and I don't really want to be that other age either.  We had some fun IG action, and so I thought...here we go...Forever 32 its the new forever 21.  

The biggest difference is that as a 32 year old I feel like I know so much more about life than a 21 year old does.  If I could go back to my 21 year old self, and give advice I totally would here are a few things I would say....


*stop trying to be older than you are.  You will miss the years that are to be used as the traditional fun years.
*don't care so much about what you wear, how you look in order to please others....just do what you can to feel good about yourself.
*read as many books as you can while you have free time, because once you hit 25...your free time disappears
*don't drink your life away....you can't get back anything especially what you don't remember
*laugh often
*write often
*travel
*love
*don't be afraid to get your heartbroken it really does heal, and you really do learn from it
*try something new every month
*make lots of friends....but not so many that all your friendships are superficial
*don't be afraid to let people go
*be open to living a different life than others, it is okay if you don't have kids by the time you are 32
*really look at what you believe...search out the truth, don't just believe what you think you should believe
*spend time with your grandparents, there is no way to know how many days you have left
*be open to criticism and suggestions
*don't spend money that you don't have
*laugh at your mistakes
*say a kind word to someone everyday


I am sure that I could keep writing, but for now that will be the end of my list.  I am excited about the journey I am on. Here's to being Forever 32....