Life Lately - An Update of Sorts.

It's funny to me that in the beginning of April, I swore up and down that I would take more time out for this little blog of mine. I had huge plans. I was ready. But life is funny like that and some of the things you want to make the most time for fall by the wayside.

I started this blog during a very dark time in my life. I was depressed. I was hiding from my loved ones. I spent all my time inside. It was my Dark Age. And now, I cannot even imagine feeling like that. I'm happy. I have a job that I love. I'm with the man that I love. And I have the best friends anyone could ask for.

And I think the progression of my little space here as shown how happy I've become. How that depression ended. How I fell in love with Mike.

I want to continue to show my progression and share my life and create a blog that I would want to read. I want to fit into that niche that I haven't found on any other blog -- something for me.

So yes -- big things are going to happen here. And it's going to be a slow progress. Things have finally started settling down after starting my new job and it only took two months!

Be prepared and get ready. I'm back to blogging.

Weekly Round Up // 42.

Yesterday was another amazing day. Mike and I went to the Phoenix Zoo, where I got to feed stingrays, feed giraffes, hang out with monkeys, and spend the day outside with my favorite person. The weather was perfect. The sun was shining and there was a slight breeze. Who could ask for more?

And then, to finish my amazing day, I watched more Scandal than a human should ever digest in one sitting. Screaming and jaw-dropping and I am actually ready to watch last night's episode when it comes out on Hulu. But enough about how awesome my days off can be. It's Friday and that means one thing over here at Somehow Chaotic -- awesome links. 

- Things We Should Stop Doing. 

- Samuel L Jackson meets Boy Meets World. Perfection:

- Crunchy Taco Hamburger Helper -- Mike, this one is for you!

- It's certainly been a while since I've travelled, but I love these ideas on cheap ways to have fun.

- Good for Honey Maid. What an amazing way to react:

As always, tweet me if you have a link you want me to feature on next week's Round Up. Have a great weekend!

The Best Day Ever.

As I mentioned yesterday, I've been working non-stop. And last Thursday was my first real day off in over three weeks. So, it was time to celebrate.

First off, Mike and I had brunch at Snooze, an AM Eatery. We went to their San Diego location last year on our vacation so we were super excited to learn that we have one here in the Valley. Mike loves it because just about everything on their menu can be made Gluten-Free. The waitress gave us one of their pineapple upside down pancakes and even though I hate pineapples, it was delicious.

After the amazing brunch, we went to a spring training game at Salt River Fields. I love drinking in the sun.

After a quick nap, we went to see the Muppet movie. Mike wasn't a fan, but I thought it was really cute and well done for a sequel.

To wrap up the night, we had a drink at our favorite bar and then we went to bed -- where I finished the second book in the Hunger Games series.

Overall, a perfect day.

April Goals.

Unfortunately, no cute little graphics to show off my goals for this month. Instead, that picture is why I haven't been around these parts .... I've been working my ass off. That was my first day off in many, many moons and I celebrated hard. But, I can get into that later. 

April is going to be the month of getting back on track. The fun times are over. The adjustment period is over. This month is all about figuring out the tough stuff and finding a way to make important to me work. 

April's Goals:

1) Run 25 miles.

This one is incredibly important. I haven't made time for running lately and I can feel it. My back hurts. I'm restless. Running is a huge part of who I am and I need to force some time for it.

2) Blog every day.

Well, 5 days a week -- my usual posting schedule. This blog is something that I cherish and I've worked so hard on. And lately, I've let it fall by the wayside. No more! My blog is going to get some special treatment this month and I have huge plans. Stay tuned.

3) Hike! And Bike!

I need to spend more time outside when I am actually off work. I haven't been biking in so long and I miss it so much.

4) Read 2 books.

I'm not going to get all crazy and make huge reading promises, but I think I can handle two books. Especially because one of those books will be the third and final book of the Hunger Games series. 

5) Stay on budget.

I've been really good lately, but I need to stick a little closer to my budget this month. Suddenly, I have a disposable income, but that is no excuse for disposing of it. 

6) Start couponing again.

I feel so accomplished when I save money and I just have avoided the grocery store for two months because I haven't been cutting any coupons. I have a mountain of them on my desk that I need to go through. If this is truly that important to me, I need to make an effort.

So there you have it. I want to make time for the things that are important to me. I've used this excuse of "I'm still adjusting" for two months now and I need to finally adjust. This is my new schedule and I need to make due with it.

What are your goals for April? Let me know in the comments! 

VISITED: Hall of Flame Fire Museum

A few weekends ago, Mike and I visited the Hall of Flame museum in Tempe/Phoenix (honestly, it's right there on the border so who knows?). He got a Groupon/Living Social/Amazon Local deal or something (these sort of things fall on deaf ears when it comes to me) and we went.

If you have kids, I definitely suggest it. It's very interactive -- you can sit in a truck, try on helmets, meet Smokey the Bear, slide down a pole, etc. And what kid doesn't want to pretend to be a fire fighter? At least for a little bit.

And some of the fire trucks were really neat to look at -- especially the ones that didn't look like fire trucks. Unfortunately, Mike and I just zoomed through. It's actually the biggest fire museum in America and it took us probably 30 minutes to walk around. We just have no ties to it. It was informative and educational, but not suited to my interests.

You Don't Just Need These Rules for Drinking on St. Patrick's Day.

I firmly believe that St. Patrick's Day is the greatest drinking holiday of all time. We're not reflecting on the past like on New Years. Nor are we getting sunburnt on the Fourth of July. We don't have to create a costume like Halloween. Everyone has a green shirt in their closet. The weather is usually great and by this time of the year, we all need a drink. 

Whether you're drinking to celebrate the Irish or drinking just because, here are a few drinking tips from an old pro. 

Rule #1: Never Drink Anything Blue.

Nothing is as horrifying as throwing up something blue. Nothing. Except, pooping green. Which will happen to you if you drink one too many blue drinks. Nothing good ever happens when someone hands you a blue drink so stay away. Stick with more traditional shades of beverage and you won't be mortified in the morning.

Rule #2: If a Bar Only Exists When You're Drunk, There's a Reason.

We have a local bar that I swear only exists when I am drunk. I have never been able to see it in the cold, sober light of day. I drive on that road everyday and nope -- not there. But when I'm drunk, I am suddenly transported there. There is a good reason why and that is -- no sober person will drink at an establishment that smells like piss. 

I think the moral of this rule is don't go there sober if you want to keep the illusion alive that it's a great place to be. 

Rule #3: To Say It Is to Summon It.

We usually only use this rule when it comes to shots. Someone drops that S-word and suddenly there are shot glasses lined up and the Jameson is flowing. However, I'm going to expand this rule. If you say something is going to happen, it will. "I'm going to puke" -- and you will puke. "I'm going to fall" -- and you will fall. Keep this in mind when you're friend is telling you and you might be able to get there in an appropriate place.

Rule #4: Live Within Walking Distance.

Cabs are expensive. Provided you can walk, do so. Always have a decent bar within walking distance. You never know what's going to happen. 

Rule #5: Take Your Pictures At the Beginning of the Night.

Oh, everyone looks so cute at the beginning of the night. So take the group pictures then! Do not wait until the mascara starts running and the hair ends up in a weird place. And the boys start removing their ties. Trust me. My friends and I seem to only take pictures after we've been drinking and if that picture up at the top didn't scare you, I've thankfully deleted all the ones that could.

And with that, all I can bid you is good luck on this glorious holiday or ... any day that you decide to go out and enjoy yourself. 

Weekly Round Up // 41.

What I've been up to lately? Hmm ... a lot of work. Last night, I spent the evening with my family. And currently, I'm rewatching Bob's Burgers on Huli before heading off to work. I will say that the best part about working late is getting to actually enjoy the mornings. I should be out running, but let's be honest -- it's Friday and finding the motivation to get up early is difficult. 

As always, if you have any links you want to see featured on next week's Weekly Round Up, tweet me or comment here and I'd love to include your links. 

- Powerful images.

- Not all of these are technically puns (Trust me. I once wrote a 12 page paper on them), but this is still a funny list.

- A squirrel feeder...in the shape of a horse head.

- A ring for Star Trek fans.

- It's not a weekly round-up if I don't include a Buzzfeed link -- Food Truths. 81beba554b24386e2ba894d7f938df85cf163550ea7952931f

The Balance Act.

I could sit and complain for hours about how hard this life and work balance is, but everyone already knows that. Because it's tough. It's tough to work all day and come home and know that other things need to be done. The laundry. The dishes. Dinner needs cooked. Groceries need bought. 

I'm having a hard time adjusting to this. I don't come home in the middle of the afternoon anymore. I don't get to take a nap around 1 pm anymore. The times are a changin'.  

And that leaves me in a place for growth. 

I'm making an official commitment to working on the balance act between work and life. I want to be able to do all the things I enjoy, such as blogging, running, hiking, spending time with Mike, and so forth while working full-time. I know it's possible because everyone else seems to have a much better handle on it than I. 

Any tips are greatly appreciated. I am serious about getting my life back. 

Journal Day: Crossroads.

Danielle over at Sometimes Sweet decided to share journal prompts. And, with my sudden blogging writer's block, I jumped at the opportunity to respond to a prompt. This is my response to this week's prompt about standing at a crossroads in your life.

When I was eighteen years old, I was in the relationship that I planned to be in for the rest of my life. I had everything figured out. Graduate college in three years, get married, and have babies. Not surprisingly, things did not work out that way. The relationship ended before I turned twenty and I ended up having to move back home.

The hardest part about that break-up was that I was left with no friends because he was my only friend (should have been a warning sign). I took this sudden downfall to start to get involved in something I had always been passionate about. I ventured out, got an internship, and starting making friends. Then, graduating college a year early didn't seem like the best idea. 

That break-up was a huge moment because it changed my life trajectory. It made me become my own person. I was no longer the other half to a relationship. I became myself. And I learned a lot. A lot about myself, about who I wanted to become, about life, about people. The list could go on and on. Ending that relationship, while it was hard at first, was one of the best decisions of my life. 

I look back and think about the person I could have become and it frightens me. Primarily because I love who I am now. I'm much more independent. I'm more willing to take risks while still being thoughtful about potential consequences. I'm more willing to put myself out there to make friends. I grew up. 

None of that would have been possible if I stayed where I was. 

I didn't realize what a huge decision it was at the time. I knew the immediate consequences, but I didn't realize that it would eventually lead me to this life I have now with my amazing friends, my awesome boyfriend, and my own empowerment.

Top Seven Reasons: Why Living At Home Sucks

As I approach the second year mark of crashing on my mom's couch, I decided to reflect on my time here. Don't get me wrong -- I appreciate my mom's generosity. I really do. And without her, I'd be sleeping in my car. She took me in after swearing she wouldn't (That's what moms do). And even though it's been a burden on everyone, the situation hasn't been as bad as it could have been. But just because I appreciate my mom doesn't mean I can't complain about it.

1) What is Privacy? Living at home means that privacy is non-existent. Everything is a free-for-all. Everyone listens to everyone else's phone conversations. You have something sitting in a bag? Well, someone is going to go through it. And the worst part is that my brother's friends dig through my things too. Nothing is sacred.

2) What's Mine is Yours and Yours is Yours. Heaven forbid I touch anything of my brother's in this house. But, all my stuff is apparently fair game to him. This is a very touchy subject in my house so I'll just leave it at that.

3) Thank God I'm Not Dating Anymore. Mike doesn't count anymore. He's the boyfriend. And he has to deal with my family. But, I couldn't imagine trying to date new people. I definitely wouldn't be able to bring anyone back to my place - especially since I live on the couch. And, when I used to date, it would be a constant, "Where are you going? Who are you going with?" It's a little weird to explain to mom - "Well, I'm meeting a man from the internet for a date."

4) Revert Back to Childhood. When you get my brother and I together, we immediately act like we're children again. I'm 24 and he's 17, but you would never know it from how we act together. Not like it's always a bad thing, but he's always trying to wrestle with me. And, it was fun when I was bigger than him, but now that I'm smaller than him - that shit hurts!

5) No Incentive. There's little to no incentive to try to leave because there's that safety net. If I didn't have my mom's kindness, I definitely would have found a different job by now. But, I can take my time because my mom isn't kicking me out anytime soon .... I hope. Why work hard when you can hang out?

6) What Happened to Saving Money? The whole point of crashing here was to save enough money to get back on my feet. But, then I went on a vacation. And another vacation. Because I don't have rent to pay. That extra money just flies away. Which is a big reason why I'm really buckling down on budgeting this year so I can finally move out.

7) Oh, the Resentment. This is not an all the time problem, but it flares up occasionally. Sometimes, my brother gets mad that I get it easy. I'm not paying rent and I'm taking up space. And that upsets him. I totally get it. Sometimes my mom gets mad about it. I totally get it. And it makes me feel terrible that they resent me. But, what are you going to do?

Living at home is honestly great ... sometimes. I get to see my family everyday. I don't have to pay rent. I'm in my neighborhood. But, I really do want to get on out of here. Two years is an incredibly long time to squat in someone's living room.