itty bitty bits

Stand By Me....

2010-09-04T12:24:06-05:00

Today, kind of a chilly day...my foot still in a boot and keeping me home bound...I skipped through the channels. I landed on Stand By Me. This movie was huge when I was a kid. I have always loved it. I own it on DVD. I have sat my kids down to watch it. It is still a movie that moves me.

When I watch this movie I am always brought back to being a teenager. I think of how simple it was in my life. How the biggest thing in my life was swimming meets and softball. It meant living for summer vacation. It meant swimming outside and playing water tag all day at the pool. It meant hanging out with friends everyday...listening to music as loud as I could and going to White Sox games in the middle of the afternoon. It meant playing catch until the sun went down and wishing everyday would never end.

It can recreate complete days in my head...waking up and walking across the lawn with summer dew on my barefeet, cartoons on tv in the morning, riding my bike to the pool and spending the entire day in the water. I remember songs of the summer on the radio. I remember summer salad on the table with a fresh cucumber salad dressing that my Grandmother would make. I loved the smell of fresh cut grass...I can remember laughing each day and sleeping better than I can recall ever sleeping in my life.

Summer days were spent hanging out with my boyfriend at the park...who whenever I see this movie always reminds me of him...he looked just like River Phoenix. He always hated that reference as a kid and would tell me so each time I would say it.

We reconnected recently and this came into the topic of discussion one night... I learned he loved every time I said it to him. Funny, I think I always new that deep down.

I think back to all my friends, I can still hear their laughter. I can still smell the pool, I can still see the exact color of the sky. These years, they were the best time in my life. I would relive them every day of them if I could.

At the end of the movie Stand By Me, there was a line that was being typed in...at the time, I did not fully understand nor could I have grasped how much truth that line would have later in life...it was "Gordie Lachance's" character typing the final line of his book, it read: "I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?"

Really, does anyone? I can honestly say, not me.

Summer Summer Summer

2010-08-21T17:48:42-05:00

Summer is my second favorite season next to fall. I love that I can wear my flip flops everyday. I love that I do not need to layer up to head outside in a Chicago winter storm. I can ride my bike instead of driving, I can sit out by the river for some zen time. I can be free to do whatever!

As a kid, all of my summers were active. I was on a swim team as a kid, I swam competitively for 13 years. I rode my bike to and from the pool everyday and I ran without ever wanting to stop. I played baseball and softball, I was mega active.

Of course, life as an adult can alter this usual schedule. It can change all the rules we know. As for me, it changed dramatically in that I had kids, got married, got divorced, gained a ton of weight and lost a boat load of self esteem. I became the polar opposite of everything I was as a child.

Now, flash forward to this past year, to this summer: I have decided that I really have no need to sit around watching life pass me by. I have weight to lose, sure...but what says I cannot be the girl I was as a kid? NOTHING! There is no set of instructions that came with me saying I needed to stop at a certain age. There is no handle with gentle care label tagged on me. I am amazingly strong and I am showing it.

This summer I have run two 5k's, I have biked well over 20 miles in a day, I biked daily 8-10 miles every day to and from work. I swam twice a week and I worked out an additional three. I set a new level of goals and I pushed harder than ever before.

I also, played softball again this year. If you know me...you know, softball is a way of life for me. I am the coach of our team, The Black Jackers. I'm also the catcher, a trash talking, throw you off your game catcher. I am bad ass and I know it. I protect home and never need my pitcher to come save me at the plate. I am all or nothing.

Sadly, This summers activities have been halted. I tore my achilies tendon. It is a bad enough tear that will leave me in a cast for one month and then in a boot for 6-8 weeks. I have cried, been angry, and sad. I have felt needy and burdensome. I have felt alone. This is not the way I would have scripted my summer this year.

So, with injury in place...I made a new plan, stay in bed, sulk and hope for a better fall. Then I realized...my summer is not over due to a cast. My trainer, Jillian Jr. made sure I knew that I could still stay on track eating and with workouts that do not include my leg. I have had friends offer to make sure I get to work and home and even shopping done. I have realized, I am not alone.

My team sent around emails stating that they would win the season and the championship for me, They would dedicate each win in my honor. I in turn promised them...injury or not, cast on my leg or not...I will not miss one game, I will not walk away from them. I will be the coach that I started out as and I will stand with pride no matter what the outcome is.

So, to sum it all up...sure. I had a busy summer already, I had a pretty hardcore injury, I made great new friends and enjoyed time with old ones. I got to play ball, to swim and to run. I bbq'd and have been to the beer garden. I saw the Sox play and have sat in the sun soaking all of summer in.

I have had an amazing summer and I do not intend to let one little injury stop any of the fun...not today, tomorrow or even into the midst of fall.

The winner of the Lisa Leonard Gift Certificate is....

2010-06-09T10:32:37-05:00

Congrats SteshaSims!

SteshaSimsSays said... The most beautiful thing to me is watching my children smile. It's not only beautiful but amazing!

You have won a $25.00 Gift certificate to the fabulous Lisa Leonard shop!

I will contact you at your email addy shortly. Enjoy and thank you for participating in this giveaway!

Links for 2010-06-05 [Digg]

2010-06-06T00:00:00-07:00

Time for a little Blog Candy....Lisa Leonard Style!
Ohh I think it is! Let me introduce you to a wonderful and lovely woman. Her name is Lisa Leonard. Lisa is a fabulous jewelry and silver designer. She is a blogger, she is a wife and she is a...

Time for a little Blog Candy....Lisa Leonard Style!

2010-06-05T09:57:09-05:00

Ohh I think it is!

Let me introduce you to a wonderful and lovely woman. Her name is Lisa Leonard. Lisa is a fabulous jewelry and silver designer. She is a blogger, she is a wife and she is a mother.

She is purely inspirational. I read her blog everyday and I find a sense of peace when I am done.

a couple of my favorite pieces are:

"You're the cream in my Coffee"

I am thinking my love of coffee explains this one pretty easily.

The other (by the way, picking two was extremely tough) is:

Beautiful

The reason I love beautiful is this. For a very long time. For a very sad part of my life. I did not love me. I did not care about me. Sure, i knew how to love and to give love. But to love me was so much harder.

I also did not see myself as beautiful...ever. I could have been wearing the best outfit. I could have been wrapped in diamonds and pearls. I could have had the cutest hairdo. But seeing myself as beautiful was not on the agenda. Not even if someone said it to me.

Now, a few years...a few moments of learning that I am the only one who can say I am anything less than wonderful. A deep long look within me...I can say, I am beautiful.

So, with that I would love to offer you the chance to win a $25.00 gift certificate to spend at Lisa Leonard's store!

Thanks Lisa for being such a wonderful inspiration and sponsoring this fabulous giveaway!

All you have to do is enter a comment below telling me what is beautiful to you.

I will offer bonus entries to those who follow me on twitter! Make sure to post a separate entry letting me know if you are following my tweets! Easy Breezy!

One additional entry if you {heart my Etsy shop} by making me a fave of yours! Again, make sure to mention in an additional comment

I will draw a name on Tuesday, June 8th (My Grandparents Anniversary)

Links for 2010-05-30 [Digg]

2010-05-31T00:00:00-07:00

Glorious Bike Ride This Morning
When you live in Chicago, you are surrounded by beautiful parks...some are wildlife havens. The park by my house is one of those. Today I went on a bike ride through Gompers Park. What I love about this park is...

Glorious Bike Ride This Morning

2010-05-30T14:49:17-05:00

When you live in Chicago, you are surrounded by beautiful parks...some are wildlife havens. The park by my house is one of those. Today I went on a bike ride through Gompers Park.

What I love about this park is the natural habitats set up...There is a natural pond

There is a gorgeous man made pond

The man made pond has been filled with fish and families come here often...Dad's bring the boys and teach them how to fish

Families come to feed the Geese and Ducks....My Daughter who rode with me got in on the feeding act

Today there was a large family of ducks, geese and super adorable baby geese...how cute!

There were dozens of turtles in the water and a couple sunbathing on concrete

And if you look really close in the brush...there is a deer.

I love this park and all the natural life that lives here. I cannot wait to ride again tomorrow morning. It is a great effort for my workouts, it is fabulous for my Weight Watchers Activity Points and it is amazingly wonderful for my soul.

Lord Stanley....We are here for your cup!

2010-05-29T19:17:48-05:00

If you know me...there are a few things you know for sure. One, I love to be crafty. Two, I love Starbucks and Three, I love Sports.

Tonight is a big night in Chicago. Tonight, we play for the cup. The reason for Hockey. The big prize.

In my lifetime, the Black Hawks have been less than stellar. Recently...things have been a changin'.

Tonight the Blcakhawks will play Game one. They will play with a rookie goalie, a couple seasoned players. A very young Patrick Kane. Tonight...they will play with my favorite player Dustin Byfuglien, otherwise known as "Big Buff".

Tonight at the Madhouse on Madison....

Magic will happen.

Links for 2010-05-27 [Digg]

2010-05-28T00:00:00-07:00

Looking ahead.... - itty bitty bits
This has been a very long couple of months. There has been good and bad, tragedy and heartbreak, happiness and joy. Somewhere in between...I lost me. I had been working my butt off in the gym, had been beating a...

Looking ahead....

2010-05-26T13:34:05-05:00

This has been a very long couple of months. There has been good and bad, tragedy and heartbreak, happiness and joy.

Somewhere in between...I lost me. I had been working my butt off in the gym, had been beating a demon of a relationship I have with food. I was finding a happy place in my career and in my crafting business. Then....

I gave up. I quit. I didn't care.

However, there was a light inside me still flickering and moving forward. Something was still grasping the wheel. Holding on for dear life. Wanting to see more that the road has to offer.

But...there was the rest of me looking in the rear view mirror. Thinking of past moments, past glories, past sadness.

Last weekend, I cut off all my hair. It was very long and maybe overdue. It was very freeing. I needed to start peeling back the layers. I needed to start chipping away at this old me. I needed to start over from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.

I took a good look at success stories at my Weight Watchers meeting on Saturday. My leader...Linda, even with a cold, came to speak to me directly. She brings me so much focus and peace and I cannot thank her enough. I chatted with Colleen who works at WW. She is most awesome, makes me laugh and believes in me. They are part of my path...They make me know it is up to me to make this happen...to lose the weight and love me regardless of what life brings my way.

It continued with my daughter, Mia, asking me for my WW Password...she wanted to help me stay on track. She makes sure to talk to me about my points each night...sometimes even when i do not want to.

It was Dana offering to be by my side if I needed a partner at a work run event. It was knowing I have more people than even I realized cheering me on to beat this weight loss battle.

It is Jacob, my most awesome water/yoga/pilates coach...it is the look he gives me when I say I am tired and then showing me I can push further than I think.

It is the Biggest Loser, it inspires me and shows me, I have ZERO excuses to run, walk, lift weights and train...zero.

It is Tara, who listens, who cares, who believes in me in all the things I do. She is a co-worker who has become the most amazing friend. I could never say thanks enough....ohh and I want to steal her dog..but that is a separate issue I am sure.

There is Brittany, my Jillian Jr. She is my trainer, she is my rock, she is my strongest supporter. She is my friend. She will call me on my bullsh*t. She will push me past the limits I think I can go to. She will never let me say I cannot do anything. She makes sure I see what the future can be if I want it. She is the most amazing person in the world.

Finally, there is me. I am my own biggest fan and worst enemy. I believe in me and know I can do anything. I am an athlete. I can run, I do spin class, I can swim for two hours, I have walked a marathon in a day. I can... I CAN do anything. I have to work on some aspects of eating and mindless nibbling. I have to find a place where all of the good beats the bad....or at least can manage it better.

I am lucky...I have an amazing group of people who love me...who think I have something special. They want to see me succeed. They want to see me beat this whole weight loss madness...they want me to be ok.

The hardest thing to do sometimes is love yourself...and I do...and it all started with a haircut and some amazing people in my life.

What I have witnessed....

2010-05-20T09:38:51-05:00

These past few days have been heartbreaking, empty, sad.

On Sunday, May 16th. Eight year old Cashmere Castillo fell into the Chicago River while playing a simple sunny afternoon game of tag. As of this morning, Cashmere is still lost in the river. A child with so much energy and life, cannot be found. A child filled with laughter and joy...is still missing.

Many times on the news you will hear of a story like this and feel sadness, concern and compassion for the family. Then...sometimes....it hits home. Cashmere is the younger brother of Christian, my son Jalen's best-friend.

There is a different kind of sadness and pain that comes with knowing the child it has happened too. There is a deeper sense of helplessness when you see the lost look of your son's best friend and there is nothing you can do to make it better. There is a moment when you feel your heart shatter...when you see his father breakdown into tears of desperation. There is nothing that can describe the pain of watching his mother...nothing.

Last night, I witnessed something beautiful. Something full of hope. Something of love. An entire community came to Eugene Field Park. They came for Cashmere, for his Mother, Father and Brother. They came for one another.

It started with a handful of people and grew to over 300. Candles were lit and placed all along the river. People cried and held hands, strangers consoled one another. Teachers from Volta Elementary came and cried and shared stories of Cashmere. Willy, Cashmere's Father turned to the crowd and said, we are not alone...our family is here. You are all a part of our family now. And it was true. We are.

I found out that my son, Jalen has been Christian's biggest supporter. I found out he has set up intervals where the students go to check on Christian at his home. I discovered that my son, at 14 was more of a man than I could have ever hoped he would be. I saw within him a deeper and stronger love than I could have imagined anyone would have at fourteen. I found my son to be a symbol of strength.

I have witnessed in these past few days...hope, strength, humility, loss, fear, compassion, determination, pain, grief, sorrow...but most importantly, I have witnessed love.

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-05-19T11:37:59-05:00

Chrissie

I have opened an Etsy Shop!

2010-05-18T12:18:09-05:00

I took the dive and opened up my own itty bitty Esty Shop

I filled it with paper and fabric goods and love. I added my heart and my favorite things. A new logo for my business and a happy smile.

Here is a peek at some of my super cute items!

Come on over and visit my shop...{heart} it if you will too!

Links for 2010-05-13 [Digg]

2010-05-14T00:00:00-07:00

Chasing Butterflies.... - itty bitty bits
I have been sitting here thinking about how easy life is when you are a kid. How the whole world can just reboot if you want it to. It is amazing how as children, we are not afraid to jump...
I won and I am winning! - itty bitty bits
Every now and again I will enter a contest. This one was for a fabulous spiral bound scrapbook. itty bitty at 5X7 on Stacy Jullian's Blog. One thing you had to do was to say what you would do with...
Post Mother's Day Thoughts - itty bitty bits
Today, I have heard from mom's and the wonderful day they had yesterday. I told the tale of my wonderful day as well. However, for me this day is bittersweet. I began to ponder this thought today. Why and how...
My lunch spot....peaceful, thought inspiring, beautiful....
One of the nice perks of where I work is that I am near the Chicago River. What I love about this is that I can go and sit and enjoy lunch when I need some serenity...some time to clear...

Links for 2010-05-03 [Digg]

2010-05-04T00:00:00-07:00

itty bitty bits
A little diddy about... a simple Chicago girl who loves to be creative and has a mild obsession with Starbucks. Loves baseball and photography. creates with a little bit of Stampin and Scrapbooking, Handmade crafts, classes, tutorials, photos, ideas. Vintage, Vogue, Shabby Chic, Classic, Modern and more!