My Ramblings

It still stings...

cld0528@gmail.com (Crystal) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Let me start off by saying... I am in a MUCH better place, emotionally, than I was 2 years ago... I've been single for well over 2 years and at times, I feel like its never going to happen for me... but there are still times I have hope.

With that being said... the one question that still stings to this day is "When are you going to get married?" Part of the time, it is said in a joking manner... and I do realize that not everyone knows about things that have happened in my past... but geez people... I am 24. Yes, in my perfect world, I would have been married by now, perhaps with a child... BUT things happen and I'm not married.... right now there is no intentions of even being married within the next few years...

It especially gets to me when I'm at a Wedding... like this weekend... my older cousin got married, and someone asked "the question." Then followed it up with "Well are you even courting (yes, they used that word) anyone now? How do you expect to get married if you aren't courting anybody?" I felt my lip quiver... I wasn't gonna do it... I couldn't let it get to me right then and there... I didn't cry, no matter how much I wanted to... but it felt like a knife to the heart.

I want to yell when people ask me... I want to say "MAYBE I'LL NEVER GET MARRIED... IT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN, BUT HE WAS A PATHOLOGICAL LIAR WHO BROKE MY HEART!! AND NOW I JUST MAY STAY SINGLE FOREVER..." because that is how I really feel... Some times I just get tired of the fake laugh and the forced smile.

And the @Overstock Winner is....

cld0528@gmail.com (Crystal) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 04:21:00 +0000

ME!

Yesterday... well Friday now... I saw that #In1999 was trending on Twitter. Usually things like that are silly little games, and if I'm bored, I might play along... well... I investigated this, and found that it is actually a contest being held by @Overstock to celebrate their 10 year anniversary.

Now I don't usually win things... but you'll never win, if you never enter, so I clicked to see what their theme of the day was... and it was "In 1999, I was watching..." Everyone was tweeting TV shows and movies that were popular in 1999, and I decided that I would take a different spin on things... so I tweeted this...

And I thought nothing else of it... until today when I got a DM from Overstock telling me that I was the winner!! That DM was followed by this tweet from Overstock...

How awesome is that?! 1500 Thread Count Sheets... wowzer! I can't wait for them to arrive!!

Crafting

cld0528@gmail.com (Crystal) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:48:00 +0000

I really wish that I had more time for Crafting. Its something that I really enjoy doing. I have a lot of supplies... and I could still spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars in Michael's and Hobby Lobby.

I have featured some of the crafts that I have made before here on my blog. I haven't done any in a while because life has just been rather crazy... but I did realize that there was a couple of frames that I never showed. Last Christmas, I decided to make some of the things that I gave away as gifts. These are two more of the picture frames that I painted.

On the left, is the a John Deere inspired frame that I made for my little cousin Lance. He is obsessed with John Deere. On the top is fabric that had the JD logo. On the right, is the frame that I made for Lance's sister Kelsey. I didn't know this at the time, but the purple color matches her bedroom great. I really like how the polka dot ribbon is a contrast to the pink and orange flowers.

I can't tell you how many projects sit unfinished at my house. I tend to start on something and then I get bored with it after awhile, so I move on to something else. I hope that one day I can finish up all of the things that are half done.

Book Review -- "Meeting Mr. Wrong: the Romantic Misadventures of a Southern Belle"

cld0528@gmail.com (Crystal) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 04:29:00 +0000

A few months ago, I came across a book review in Her Magazine, which is a local monthly publication featuring women in Pitt County. The review was for "Meeting Mr. Wrong: the Romantic Misadventures of a Southern Belle" by Stephanie Snowe. I was interested because, according to the article, Snowe lived in Greenville for a while, and while my situation was not exactly the same as the author's, I've definitely had my share of "Romantic Misadventures."

Stephanie Snowe was a young, divorced mother of twins when she decided to give Internet Dating a try. The book is a series of anecdotes about the men that she met and the dates that followed...

This was a very quick read. It was definitely a page turner. Snowe's hilarious stories kept me interested through the whole book. It felt like I was just sitting down with Stephanie listening to her tell me the stories. Like me, she's somewhat sarcastic... I liked that... a lot...

Having met some of the same "types" of guys that she encountered, I could totally relate! I would definitely recommend this book! It has gotten great reviews on lots of websites that I've seen. I'm sad that I missed Stephanie's book signing at Barnes and Noble back in May.

Birthdays

cld0528@gmail.com (Crystal) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:30:00 +0000

I've mentioned here on the blog before that I love Birthdays. I think that everyone should have a memorable birthday. I also realized that I never blogged about my birthday this year. Now, there's nothing too exciting about turning the big 2-4; there is no major milestone once you reach this age, but this year, my birthday was definitely memorable.

The "celebration" started a few days before my actual birthday. In our family, we have a tradition of everyone getting together for hotdogs and hamburgers, followed by cake and ice cream. It has been that way for years... something that my Grandma started. My birthday always falls around Memorial Day, so this year we did my birthday celebration on that Monday. Its just a low key way to get everyone together.

The day before, my sister and I went to get pedicures. That is always a nice treat, and one that I wish I could afford to enjoy more often. We had fun relaxing and having some "sister" time.

On my actual birthday (May 28, for those of you who are wondering), we had a Greenville Tweetup. Most people would be going out and celebrating, but over the past few months, the Greenville Twitter folks have become good friends, so I couldn't think of anywhere else I'd rather be. At this Tweetup, I was actually on the agenda to talk about how I use Twitter for Tupperware... which turned into more of a discussion about how to use it for businesses in general. I had a really good time talking about 2 of the things I love. Some of the guys even remembered that it was my birthday, so they surprised me with a cake! It was yummy!

Then, a few days later, I got a great birthday present from my parents - a new TV! It was a great way to wrap up this year's brithday! I hope that there are many more memorable birthdays to come.

Apples

cld0528@gmail.com (Crystal) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 03:41:00 +0000

For my first Alphabet post, the first thing that came to mind was Apples. I guess it makes sense as many times as I've said "A a Apple" in Kindergarten classrooms. But seriously... I love apples... both as decorations and as a snack. The best "fast food" ever is those bags of sliced apples. I could eat 3 bags and be happy!

Even more than eating apples, I like decorating with apples. I don't know if its the teacher in me or what... but for years, I always said that when I got a kitchen of my own, it would be decorated with apples. Once we closed on the townhouse, the kitchen was the first room of the house that I completely decorated. What's even more awesome is that my granddaddy gave us a complete set of matching apple accessories! Everyone that comes to the house says how good the kitchen looks with the matching pattern. Now don't start thinking that there are apples everywhere... there are just enough to make it a "theme" without going overboard.

Here's a pic!

These are on the Dining Room wall...

So there you have it... Apples! Stay tuned for the other 25 letters :)

Book Review -- "Southern Fried Reunion" by John Alan Perry

cld0528@gmail.com (Crystal) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 03:20:00 +0000

Disclaimer: This post was originally written in June... I just finished it and pushed publish...

John Alan Perry is a local author that lives here in Greenville, NC. A few years ago, he won a contest to have a serial novel published in The Daily Reflector. The title was "Southern Fried Reunion." What really caught my attention is that the story was set locally, and I actually know John. He works with my mom, and I've worked with him several times when I've subbed. I started reading when it was in the paper... but for some reason couldn't keep up. I always thought that it would be a good read as a novel. So... I was very interested when I heard that it had been published.

I quickly ordered my copy from Amazon, and I started reading it as soon as it had arrived. Having known some of the background from reading parts of the serial novel, I knew that it was about a man from a small town who had moved to NYC, and was coming home for a family reunion.

This is the product description from Amazon

Best-selling author John Alan Perry answers a call from his mother to attend a family reunion back home in North Carolina. After living in New York for a while, the author can’t fathom going down South for anything—let alone a redneck-infested reunion. But reluctantly, he goes against his better judgment and drives home for the weekend. The reunion begins as most do—with childhood stories being retold and old friendships being rekindled. Slowly, painstakingly, the author lowers his guard. An eccentric cast of characters fills his afternoon—Danny, the goofball, beer-swilling, snake-killing third cousin; Magdalena, the long-lost kissing cousin who now owns the puking baby; and Eleven, a drop-dead gorgeous aspiring actress who knows a secret John Alan doesn’t. However, what begins as a comical stroll down memory lane ends in a nightmarish realization that will alter John Alan’s life forever.

I have never read a book so quickly. Seriously, I was done with the book in a matter of hours. I couldn't put it down. To me, the best writers use words that paint a picture in your mind, and Perry definitely did this. The book was very relateable. Having grown up in a big family in a small town, I could imagine feeling the same way if I had been away for awhile.

One of the things that kept repeating through the book is "What's done is done." How true! Its done, its over... you can't change it... just have to deal with it and keep going. The book also proves that although it may be painful, and you might have to deal with some ghosts, you can go home again.

I also had the chance to attend a book discussion and signing that John had at Barnes and Noble. It was really interesting to hear from an author about the thought process that goes into writing a novel. The Q&A time was interesting, and gave me more insight into the characters and the story line. B&N said that this was one of the best selling books from a local author that they have had. They ran out of copies in the store that night. And, I have a signed copy now, so thats awesome!

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good, quick read. It was perfect for summer since reunions are all too common down South. While you're at it, check out his first book "The Hero of Hampton Hills." It is on my list to read!

The ABCs of me...

cld0528@gmail.com (Crystal) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 00:08:00 +0000

A while back, I saw LeeAnn start a series of posts on her blog with these instructions: Choose a word that is somehow special to you with each letter of the alphabet and write a bit about that word. I thought this was a great idea to do now to kick start the blogging again, and to help me keep up the momentum. So, over the next few days, I'm going to be doing just that... making posts with each letter of the alphabet as the title.

I realize that some of these things I have tried before haven't panned out in the past, but this one I am really going to do... I already have most of the letters picked out and topics assigned!

Blowing off the dust...

cld0528@gmail.com (Crystal) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:17:00 +0000

Here's a little survey that I saw on KT's blog. Its kind of funny because today I was thinking of blogging more and some ways to do it, and I started thinking about the alphabet and something I'd seen on another blog, then I saw this in my Google Reader. Think of this as a little intro. Something easy to liven this place up a bit!

A -Age: 24
B- Bed Size: Queen.
C- Chore you hate: Laundry
D- Dog's Name: Don't have a dog
E- Essential starts to your day: Dr. Pepper
F- Favorite Color: Purple.
G- Gold, Silver, or Platinum: Silver.
H- Height: 5'2"
I- Instruments you play: Flute, some piano
J- job: Full time - Production Assistant - Part Time- Tupperware Manager
K- Kids: Nope
L-Living Arrangements: By myself in my own house
M- Mom's name: Becky
N- Nicknames: Peanut, Crys, Crytal
O- Overnight stay in the hospital other then birth: Pancreatitis and gall bladder removal (same time)
P- Pet Peeve: I have a list a mile long! One of them, bad drivers
Q- Quote from a movie: "The difference between ordinary and extraordinary, is that little extra. " Waiting...
R- Right or Left handed: Right
S- Siblings:One sister
T- Time you wake up: 7ish
U- Underwear: sure
V- Vegetable you dislike: a lot of them
W- Ways you run late: the Train!
X- X-rays you've had: Teeth and Chest
Y- Yummy food you make: Spaghetti
Z- Zoo Favorite: Monkeys

What the heck?!

cld0528@gmail.com (Crystal) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:55:00 +0000

It has been over a month since I've updated this blog... that is just unacceptable! I blame the two important "Ts" in my life... Twitter and Tupperware!

Twitter - I spend a lot of time there... some would say way too much. I love the instant feedback from my followers. I love that I can be completely random and usally someone responds! It can be time consuming, but it has also made my attention span a lot smaller (as if that were possible). Since you're limited to 140 characters, I find it hard to sit and focus on writing a long(er) post that someone might find interesting. I'll continue to try to work on this...

Tupperware - For 3 months now, I've been trying so very hard to reach a specific goal with Tupperware. During May and June, I came so close, but just couldn't get there. I'm now working on it for July, so a lot of my attention goes there. I spend a lot of time helping my team and encouraging them... and also trying my hardest to sell as much as possible... (Shamless plug alert: go to www.talktupper.com to purchase some)

So... I have a lot to update here, but I'll try to get everything caught up... one day maybe I won't have to play catch up...

Project 365 - Day 4 - May 31, 2009

cld0528@gmail.com (Crystal) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 03:44:00 +0000

New TV!
Originally uploaded by crystal_dunn

For May 31, my picture is of my new TV! My parents bought it last night for my birthday present. They rock and I love my new TV!

Project 365 - Day 3 - May 30, 2009

cld0528@gmail.com (Crystal) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 03:36:00 +0000

Wedding...
Originally uploaded by crystal_dunn

On May 30, I attended the wedding of one of my childhood friends, Kelley. Seems like everyone I grew up with is getting married these days. The sign outside of the church congratulated the newlyweds.

Project 365 - Day 2 - May 29, 2009

cld0528@gmail.com (Crystal) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 03:17:00 +0000

Delivery...
Originally uploaded by crystal_dunn

On May 29, I was greeted with a pile of boxes when I got home... all of them were full of Tupperware! This is a great sign that my business is picking up! That makes me excited :)

Project 365 - Day 1 - May 28, 2009

cld0528@gmail.com (Crystal) — Fri, 29 May 2009 06:32:00 +0000

Tweetup Badge...
Originally uploaded by crystal_dunn

So, I am giving Project 365 another shot. This time, I thought that it would be cool to take a picture every day for a year, starting on my 24th birthday, and ending on my 25th birthday...

So, here is Picture 1. Matt Long is showing off his Tweetup Badge.

On May 28, 2009, we had a Greenville, NC Tweetup. I had a great time, as always. I was able to give a presentation on how I use Twitter for my Tupperware business and talked about TweetGrid, which is a way that I use Twitter. They even recognized that it was my birthday, and surprised me with a cake!

A more detailed Tweetup post to follow!

Everything I wish I'd said...

cld0528@gmail.com (Crystal) — Wed, 27 May 2009 02:19:00 +0000

For a while now, we've been friends, and I value your friendship more than you'll ever know. You've been there to listen to me complain about all sorts of things going on in my life, and I've listened to a few of you frustrations as well. Since we met, I've known that you were going to be different than all the guys that have come in and out of my life in the past few years.

When we're together, we talk, we laugh, we have a good time. Although distance now separates us, we still keep in touch and we know what's going on with each other. I'm thankful for that... distance can often have a negative affect on friendships.

Over time, my feelings for you have evolved into much more than just friendship. Its hard to explain the way that I feel about you... I think about you a lot... wonder how you are doing... I genuinely care about you... Every time we part, I kick myself for not telling you the way I feel.

You are a great guy... don't let anyone ever tell you differently... You are respectful and honest and the way your eyes light up when you talk about you beautiful daughter makes me swoon every time. You are an amazing father... and although I've only seen you interact with her once, our conversations lead me to believe that there isn't anything that you wouldn't do to make sure that she has the absolute best life possible.

I guess what I'm trying to say, is that I wish we could be more than just "friends." I have no idea how you feel about this... and a HUGE part of me is afraid to find out. I'm afraid of rejection from you... afraid that if my true feelings were discovered that our current relationship would be negatively affected.

Maybe, one day, I will muster up the courage to finally say all of this to you...

#TriangleTweetup 2.0 - An "Outsider's" Perspective

cld0528@gmail.com (Crystal) — Tue, 26 May 2009 03:56:00 +0000

Still playing catch up here folks... bare with me.

If you've been reading for sometime now, you are probably aware of my love of Twitter. It is becoming a serious addiction for which some people feel I need an intervention. I have written here before about Tweetups and connecting with the Greenville Community through Twitter. Lately, Tweetups have become something that I genuinely look forward to. Back in March, we had a very successful Tweetup... with about 25 in attendance and media coverage to boot.

When we heard about the TriangleTweetup that was being held in Durham at Bronto, on April 30, a group of us Greenville Tweeple decided to make the trip to see what it was all about. Six of us met at Starbucks to carpool to the event. It took close to 2 hours to get there and once we got parked and found the place, we were greeted with lots of green dinosaurs (Bronto's Mascot). When the Greenville crew walked in, we definitely got a few looks, because @derekbrown wore a big yellow cowboy hat that he found in the back of my car on the ride up...

If I had to summarize the event in one word, I would personally say that for me, it was "Overwhelming." There were so many people there, the whole building was alive with chatter and excitement filled the air. Upon entering, I knew this was definitely going to be a unique experience.

There was a lot on the agenda, but it was hard to hear the speakers, so I moved away and started talking to some people closer to the food and drinks. They had their event catered and there was free beer and wine tastings. There were people taking pictures everywhere, and of course, lots and lots of twittering. The hashtag #TriangleTweetup became a trending topic on twitter that night and lots of people, not in attendance, wondered what it was all about.

Downstairs, they had other activities going on like Wii games, and a Twitter Twister competition. We sat and watched that for a little while, and it was definitely entertaining.

I had a lot of fun at the Tweetup. It was really interesting to see what the Greenville Twitter Community could possibly turn into. I can't imagine the amount of planning a preparation that went into making the Triangle Tweetup a huge success. The event organizers and sponsors did a great job. We appreciated them having us!

I'm looking forward to Greenville's next tweetup, which will be this Thursday, May 28 from 7-9pm at Joyner Library at ECU. Click here for all the details.

2 years ago...

cld0528@gmail.com (Crystal) — Sun, 24 May 2009 01:33:00 +0000

Today marks 2 years since Stephanie and I closed on our townhouse. In some ways, it doesn't seem like its been that long! As always, so much has happened over the last 2 years...

A house that used to be full of people and thing happening all the time now feels empty to me as I sit here alone writing this post.

I'm in a funk today...

April 11 -- 5 years

cld0528@gmail.com (Crystal) — Fri, 15 May 2009 01:36:00 +0000

Please forgive me for this being posted over a month late... The blogging has been slack lately, and I'm trying to play catch up here... This especially has been a difficult post for me to write I've had so many thoughts about this swirling around in my head lately, and its been so hard to sit down and type them all out, but I felt that this was just way too important to let go without a proper post of its own.

April 11 marked 5 years since my Grandma Nellie passed away. It seems just like yesterday when we got the call around 3am on Easter Sunday that she had passed away and we needed to go to the hospital. We all got in Daddy's truck and drove quickly to the hospital, but the drive seemed like forever. My most distinctive memory of the drive is that Brad Paisley's song "Little Moments" was playing on the radio. Why I remember these things, I will never know. That song took on a whole new meaning at that moment... because it was the "Little Moments" that flooded my thoughts. The small things that my Grandma did to add her flair to things. She'd cook for us on our birthdays... she wouldn't just put money in a card... she's give us a bouquet of balloons that we had to pop to get the money out... or she would fold up the money in shapes for us... For the longest time after that I could not listen to that song... and even when I hear it now, all of the emotions of that early morning in April come flooding back.

When I walked into the hospital that morning, my first thought was "I have to play the flute at her funeral..." That terrified me. Grandma had always said that she wanted Jay Tripp to play "Beulah Land" on the saxophone at her funeral. Once in church, we played the song together, me on the flute, him on the sax... after that, she told me that she wanted us to play it together at her funeral. I had no idea that it would be so soon. Surprisingly, I was able to pull it together to play at the funeral.

Once everyone returned to my Granddaddy's house later that morning, I witnessed something that I had never seen before, and something that to this day still rocks me to the core. Upon entering the house... the house that he shared with my Grandma for over 45 years... the house in which they raised 2 children and then welcomed 3 grandchildren, my Granddaddy BROKE DOWN. Seeing a grown man cry always shakes me up... but to see one of the strongest men that you've ever known, a man of little expressed emotions bawling at the loss of his wife is an experience beyond words.

All of the events surrounding the wake, the funeral, the burial and all of the visitors passed as somewhat of a blur. I also remember seeing my Daddy cry for the first time that weekend Again, the experience of seeing him express emotions was something I'll always remember.

Not a day goes by that I don't miss my Grandma. There are so many things that I miss about her. She was one of the most selfless people I have ever met. One of my most treasured possessions is a set of pillows that she made for my freshman dorm room, and she finished them just a few days before she went into the hospital for the final time. There are so many things that I wish she could have been here for.... so many memories over the last 5 years that have her missing in them. Hopefully she's looking down and smiling on her girls and the young women that they have become.

It's hard to say goodbye

Her picture in my mind

Will always be of times I'll cherish

And I won't cry 'cause

She flew up to Heaven on the wings of angels

By the clouds and stars and passed where no one sees

And she walks with jesus and her loved ones waiting

And I know she's smiling saying

Don't worry 'bout me

(Alan Jackson -- "Sissy's Song")

March and April Rewinds...

cld0528@gmail.com (Crystal) — Thu, 07 May 2009 19:56:00 +0000

So, we are already 7 days into May (when did that happen?!?) and I haven't done a Rewind post for March or April... so here goes... I'll have to try and be concise, but you know that I can get long winded!

March

If I had to sum up March with just one word, it would be WATER! Why water? Cause it was everywhere! First of all, March seemed like a very rainy month... I don't think that we had a weekend that it didn't rain. We needed rain some kinda bad though as we had been in drought conditions. After a lot of rain, the river here in Greenville was at flood stage.

Another place there was water... my house! If you have been following my Twitter updates, you may have seen tweets about the water in my house. On the Tuesday of my Spring Break, I woke up and went downstairs to find standing water in my living room. I freaked out! Of course, my first instinct was to call my dad. Once he didn't answer, I called my mom at work. I had no idea what to do, other than try to get it up with towels. My first thought is that the water must have been coming from my hot water heater. When I lived with my parents, the hot water heater went out several times, and each time it was a mess. Sure enough, when I went into the laundry room (where the water heater is located) there was standing water... and also in the kitchen (which is connected).

But after further investigation, and after the Utilities company came out to turn off the water, we discovered that the water was actually coming from my neighbor's house!! I live in a townhouse, so I share walls with neighbors. These particular neighbors had been out of town since the beginning of February. (They work as traveling nurses in CA). Since no one was home, we had to get special permission to cut off their water, so that the leak would even stop. Thank God they gave me their cell phone number before they left this time, so that I was able to get in touch with them to let them know what was happening. However, when I called them, they didn't seem too concerned.

Anyway... to make a long story short, I had to be out of my house for 3 weeks, (I lived with my parents... joy!) while the repair guys pulled up everything, cleaned up everything, dried everything out, made sure there was no mold, and put everything back together again. The restoration company that I worked with was awesome... and they did a great job keeping me up to speed. I got new flooring everywhere downstairs. I didn't get laminite like I had thought about... just a better carpet. I got new vinyl in the kitchen, laundry room and dining room. No more big nasty spots!

April

So, I was finally back into my house and things were getting back to normal I guess. That is until this massive work project took over my life. I had to work on 2 scrapbooks for NACUFS submissions. Each book was about 80 pages, and had a deadline of April 17. I pulled a couple of all nighters, but I got them done and submitted a day before the deadline. We later found out that they didn't win, but they looked good at least :)

Another very tragic thing that happened in April, was the death of Lenoir County Sherrif's Detective Allen Pearson. This was a story that hit very close to home for me. My brother in law, worked with Pearson, and was on the scene the night everything happened. My sister was staying with me, and got the call from her husband around 3am that officers had been shot. She was understandably very shaken by the news. The events of that fateful night shocked an entire community. The outpouring of love and respect for the families involved and the entire law enforecement community was overwhelming. RIP LC-105.

In the middle of April, I attended Tupperware's Super Saturday Spring Training Day event in Newport News, VA. It was a full day of new products, training and networking with other consultants. I loved it! I got some free stuff as well as a lot of inspiration to build my business. Things like that always get me excited!

I had a date in April too... but more about that later...

This post is getting HUGE, so I guess I will wrap it up for now. There are a couple of other things that I wanted to highlight, but I feel they deserve their own post... so stay tuned for those.

Now on to something productive?!

Be on the lookout...

cld0528@gmail.com (Crystal) — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:19:00 +0000

For lots of posts! I'm in a posting mood, and I need to catch y'all up. I apologize for my bad blogging behavior over the last couple of months... I'll try to be more consistent:)

Bad Blogger!

cld0528@gmail.com (Crystal) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 04:07:00 +0000

I have been neglecting the blog as of late... things have just been so crazy round these parts. I realize that I didn't do a March Rewind... I've started it, but its so late in April, that I might as well do March and April together.

Things have been rather interesting as of late... but I will write more detailed blogs about it all later. I just wanted to post a quick message to let everyone (all 3 of you who read this) that I'm still alive :)

PS. If you are viewing this on Internet Explorer, things may be screwed up... you really should start using FireFox or Google Chrome :) I'm trying to figure out why the template is messed up for IE... I'm working on it...

Buy Tupperware and help the Liz Logelin Foundation

cld0528@gmail.com (Crystal) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 04:04:00 +0000

When I have the chance to give back, I usually try to contribute. Since the Tupperware business has been going good for the last few months, I have a little extra money coming in, and that allows me to help some other people in need. This is one of those times that I feel moved to donate.

A few months back, I started reading Matt Logelin's blog. If you have not heard his heart wrenching story, here is a quick recap.

On March 24, 2008, Matt's wife Liz gave birth to their beautiful daughter Maddy. 27 hours later, Liz passed away from a pulmonary embolism. Matt had been blogging throughout Liz's pregnancy as a way to keep family informed, but after her death, he continued blogging. His blog quickly turned into a community of people from all over the world offering their condolences, as well as support and advice for this newly single father. Not only did they comment with support and advice, they sent gifts, formula checks, clothes, you name it. Through all of this, the Liz Logelin Foundation was formed.

So... where does the Tupperware fit in? In honor of Maddy's 1st birthday on March 24, I am going to donate the profit of any Tupperware purchased on my website on March 24th and 25th to the Liz Logelin Foundation.

For the next week, I'm trying to get the word out. Tupperware has some great sales right now, and a lot of useful products. If you have any questions about any of the items you see on the website, just ask me! Let's all work together to raise a lot of money for this wonderful cause.

How can you help?

Make a Purchase- Orders can be paid online with your credit card and shipped directly to your house. I will receive no commission off of these orders, as all of that profit will be donated to the foundation.
Spread the word - Tell your friends, change your Facebook status, send out a Tweet.

If you don't want to purchase any Tupperware, but you are moved by Matt's incredible story (and if you have a heart, you should be) please consider making a donation to the foundation directly.

Book Review -- "Stupid About Men" by Deborah Dunn

cld0528@gmail.com (Crystal) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Once upon a time, I joined Twitter, not looking for anything in particular. What I found was so much more. Somehow (and my memory fails me as to how exactly) I found Deborah Dunn (@deborahdunn). She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist here in NC. As I began to follow her updates, I quickly learned that she had just published a new book, titled "Stupid About Men: 10 Rules for Getting Romance Right," that was set to be released on February 3. Right away, I was interested, because let's face it, my track record with guys has been less than stellar. I then followed the Twitter account that she had set up for the book launch (@stupidaboutmen) and waited for the day that the book was available for order on Amazon. On the day that it was released, I ordered it, and anxiously awaited its arrival.

Once it arrived, I wanted to start reading it right away, and hoped to get through it very quickly. Once I started reading, however, I realized that this wasn't just one of those books that you fly through. Even though the book is written in a somewhat light hearted style, the subject matter lends it self to actually thinking about what you have read, and letting it sink in. If you truly want to let this book help you, I recommend going through it slowly and reflecting on which characteristics of women who are Stupid About Men you possess.

Each chapter is based upon a classic fairy tale character, and focuses on a "rule" that we can learn from the the character. At the beginning of each chapter is an excerpt from the classic fairy tale. To me, this was a brilliant concept. If provides a concrete example (fairy tale characters that we all know) to explain what we, as women, have been doing "wrong" for so long. Every girl dreams of having a fairy tale romance, but Dunn shows us just how misconstrued our ideas of romance and relationships have been all these years.

Not only does the book show you the problems that women have with relationships, but it gives you tips and ideas on how to correct those issues. This book is really about equipping women with the tools they need to not only better themselves, but to be successful in relationships with men. Just because the title has the word "Stupid" in it, does not mean that Dunn is implying that women are stupid. She is simply saying that when it comes to men, a lot of us have made some really stupid decisions, and we just need to understand why we keep making them. I have really taken the things that I read in this book to heart. A lot of the changes that I have recently decided to make in my life were prompted by reading this book.

One of the things that I really appreciated about this book is that although the author is a Christian, and the book is published by Howard Books, the Christian division of Simon and Schuster, the book is not pushy on religion. There are several mentions of God, and the relationship that one forms with him, but the books does not take a "force God down your throat" approach.

I am really glad that I found Deborah Dunn online, and even more glad that I decided to read her book. A lot of women would benefit from reading it, whether you are single or in a relationship. Somewhere inside of most of us is a girl that is Stupid About Men. Whether we are a Cinderella, a Snow White, or a Repunzel, or even a combination of several of the characters, this book will be of great help in your journey to "getting" men. I know for me, personally, reading it was the first step to finding my "happily ever after"

I've got answers...

cld0528@gmail.com (Crystal) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 04:23:00 +0000

Well, there wasn't a huge response to the questions thing... but I didn't expect much haha. However, the questions that were asked, really made me think... and honestly, for a few of them, I do not have definitive answers. Only 1 comment was left here on the blog, and one on Facebook.

So here they are... The ansewrs to the questions that you asked.

From Lindsay:

1. If you could live anywhere in the world for the rest of your life, where & why?

This is really a tough question, and one that I have been dealing a lot with lately. For my entire life, I have been in one county. I have a burning desire to leave this town, but I have no idea where I want to end up. There are so many places that I want to visit, and so many things that I want to see. If you had asked me this question a few years back, the answer would have been Pitt County... as that is all that I have ever known. I just have a different view of this place, and the world in general now. I know that doesn't really answer the question, but its the best I have at this point in time :)

2. What is your favorite animal and why?

Honeslty, I have never been an animal person. This is probably strange, as I basically grew up on a farm with a lot of different animals. Whenever I've had to answer this question, I've always just said "Fish." I don't know why I picked fish, I just did. If I had to pick one now, I'd probably say butterflies. They are beautiful, and seem to just flutter around without care.

3. Talking or Texting? Which do you prefer & why?

I spend a lot of time doing both! I think it truly depends on the situation and the person. There are some people that I really don't want to talk to on the phone...I just text them. There are sometimes when a phone call isn't necessary if you can just start with the question and get a text back with the answer. It cuts through some of that "chit chat" that can be akward with some people! There are some people that I know don't text, or that I'd simply rather talk to. I'm not one to just sit on the phone for hours with someone though... I have to really like you! haha

From Melissa (on Facebook):

1. What is the absolutely best tv show you can't go without?

This changes from time to time. I started out big on the Desperate Housewives/Grey's Anatomy bandwagon, but during the Writers Srike of 2007-2008, I got off track with those shows, and I have never caught up. Lately, it has been The Secret Life of the American Teenager on ABC Family. When I saw this show for the first time, I thought it was kind of cheezy, but now, I haven't missed an episode. Every Monday night, I'm glued to the TV watching it. 90% of the time, the TV is on in my house just for noise.

2. What would you be doing right now if there was no such thing called internet?

Probably something productive! I waste too much time on the Internet! I'm trying to work on that, but its just so addicting! I guess if I had never been introduced to it, or it had never been invented, I would be doing something creative, like crafting. I probably would read a lot more, and watch a lot more TV. My house would probably be a lot neater, too.

3. What person/thing makes you so mad you turn into a monster? (figuratively)

It takes a whole lot for me to turn into a monster. I am normally a "chill" person... but I do have a lot of pet peeves that just tick me off. I won't list them here (that might be a future post). I can come off like a monster sometimes, but things have just stewed for a long time.

So there you have it. I have a few posts that I'm working on... so look for updates soon!

Do you have questions??

cld0528@gmail.com (Crystal) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0000

So I got this idea while reading Lindsay's xanga...

In the comments... leave any 3 questions that you would like to ask me... and then in the next post, I will answer them. Any question...