Better than you ever imagined.

“It is going to be better than you ever imagined.”

I do not remember when I first heard this statement. I know I was young. Life was not always a piece of cake with ice cream on the side. It is a thought that has always stayed with me and always resonated. It brought me strength. When things were tough when my mom was sick it made me think about days when life might be better. At times I thought, well it cannot get any worse, so it can only get better. Whether you believe in God, a higher power, or the universe, there is a design to our lives that we do not always have control over. When we let go and let the design take shape and happen as it is meant to, we open ourselves up to allow for “better than you ever imagined.”

When I have had trying work situations and it was hard to see to the end of a long tunnel, it brought me hope. Hope. We all have to have it. We can have it on the darkest days, and it can be with us when life is good. Hope leaves us in a place that brings our imagination to what could be, to what is possible. When you are in a tough relationship and it seems like maybe settling is an option, think about how taking a stand for yourself means that the result of your life will be better than you can ever imagine. It does not mean it will happen the next day or the next month, but standing strong for yourself can only result in amazing things.

It has in my life. Many times when I have thought why was I put in this situation? Why me? I have been so good, honest, and did the right thing, why do I get the shitty end of the deal? What I have learned is that sometimes it is not about the hand of cards you were dealt, the person that passed on in your life, the job you lost, the friend who treated you poorly. It is about how you handle that challenge, how you do or do not let it affect you. That is how you grow, and how we open ourselves up to the strength and lessons we learn. And, many times once we work through our hurt, pain, or sadness what we receive on the other end is better than we can ever imagine.

What do you think?

Mumford? Um. Yeah.

Posted by random olio

Last week we had the opportunity to see Mumford & Sons in concert. We really only knew a few of their songs before we saw them, yet after an hour and a half we were converts. They are amazing musicians. It had been a while since we had been to a concert in a big venue with thousands of other people. They are not my cup of tea. I like the more intimate interaction with musicians when they are playing in a smaller venue.

I was impressed with the lead singer, Marcus Mumford, his unique sounding voice, and the endurance he had throughout the entire concert was astounding. It has been a long time since I have witnessed a true musician that you can tell in your bones is doing it for the love of the art, and the joy of the music. They were there to entertain, and I had a hunch that even though they have been touring in larger venues, that it had not gone to their heads. It felt genuinely big and real to them.

Last Sunday I did quite a bit of baking and cleaning in the kitchen (about the only things I do in the kitchen) and through the many hours, I had Mumford & Sons playing in the background. Their songs all have such variety, some make me dance and sing, others have a somber feel, and even others an eerie effect that stays with you. Seeing them in person made me respect them tenfold. Marcus might be playing the guitar and then run to the back and play the drums. The bass player might be playing then head back to the drums. A versatile and interesting team of musicians.

If you do not listen to Mumford & Sons, I definitely recommend taking the time to seek out their music, and if it interests you at all see them in concert. They are in the middle of their US tour. You probably already know “I Will Wait” and “Little Lion Man,” but be sure to listen to “Ghosts That We Knew,” “Whispers in the Dark,” and “Roll Away Your Stone.”

You will not regret it.

Stay out of it.

Posted by random olio

I was thinking the other day how easy it is to get sucked into other people’s drama. Whether they are having issues with their husband, are frustrated with a co-worker, or feel stuck in their job, it is easy to get pulled down with them. We cannot go there with them. What they need (and what we need if we are feeling similar) is to have someone stay strong and pull them out of the muck. Bring them over from negativity and poopiness to view the good that is happening in their life.

What came to me when I was thinking about this, was how I can stay strong and resilient in those moments, listen, be present, and share a good way to spin their situation. There is always a lawn that is greener, a life that looks more attractive, and a work environment that seems more perfect. Yet, most of us have so much good already right in front of us. We choose to not focus on it. We choose to look at the frustrating co-worker, the fights with our husband, or the dead-end job. I am not saying to not work through those things in your life, I just mean that when things feel shitty, be sure to focus on the good. It will get you through those times. Gratitude has an amazing effect on keeping us grounded and balanced.

Sometimes all it takes in those moments is to get quiet and stay focused on what is important on that day or in that moment. Sometimes my mantra is to remind myself: “Stay out of it.” There are times when it is easy to get pulled into the negativity and the drama, and when we know we just cannot help, we cannot get pulled in, that is when I tell myself to stay out of it. I try to not encourage a conversation, or ask leading questions. I stay focused on what I need to do, and where I need to focus. I know that sounds selfish, but sometimes we just need to have self-preservation to make it through the day.

What do you think?

Have you had a cronut?

Posted by random olio

I am intrigued. A colleague at work told me the other day about cronuts. They are a cross between croissants and doughnuts, or more specifically croissant dough fried like a doughnut. I do not have a sweet tooth. If there is such a thing as a salt tooth, that would be me. However, the cronut interests me. I would at least like to see if the craze is worth all the hype.

On different blogs and news sites, I found that they are selling for $5 a piece and Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York City is limiting the amount they can sell per customer. Another site says that Craigslist is selling them on the black market for 8 times the value – can you believe it? $40 a cronut. Dominique Ansel is now on the map as a bakery. I am sure they cannot keep up with the business they have acquired through their new invention. They will be what Magnolia Bakery was to cupcakes.

I even found that this blogger has come up with a recipe that takes Trader Joe’s croissants or chocolate croissants and turns them into a cronut at home concoction. While Dominique Ansel has only been selling them since May 10, if you do an Internet search you will see there is quite a bit of excitement in just the few weeks since they launched. There is even a website dedicated to cronuts.

I do not have plans to go to New York City anytime soon (although I would love to) so if anyone is going that way and then immediately coming back to Portland bring some back for me. Yum!

Cheating on our DVR

Posted by random olio

We have been cheating on our DVR this past month.

Not all DVRs are created equal. Some let you record a certain number of hours of television shows. If you decide you have to watch that show in high-definition then that means fewer hours available for other shows. Our current DVR allows us to record two shows at the same time, while also watching an already recorded show. What that means for us? We often have missed out on a good series and did not even know it because we were consistently addicted to season [fill in the number] of [fill in the show name].

Many of you may be fans of Netflix. We have not yet ventured into that avenue of endless hours of shows and movies. We might one day. I tell Chris that when we catch up on our DVR, we can think about Netflix. What is the second best thing to our DVR, and those of your that are Netflix fans? My local library. Call me a dork, but who cares! They are free, and all I have to do is be patient. The time I waited has finally come to fruition, as we have spent the last month watching season One and Two of: The Good Wife. How did I ever miss out on such a great show?

There were times growing up and after college when I thought I would go to law school. Somehow it never happened and I often think I would have been doomed if I forked over the cash, mostly because I hate reading fine print. So law school would have been like the hell of a privacy policy. I wanted to be a lawyer to help, but there was a small part of me that wanted to be a lawyer to duke it out in the courtroom. Which is why I really enjoy The Good Wife. Such good story lines, great courtroom, lawyer, and judge interactions, with a little romance to top it off. I actually think I like watching the episodes back-to-back rather than having to wait a week to find out what happens. Oh, and who does not like watching Chris Noth. (I am a Mr. Big fan).

While waiting for Season Three of The Good Wife to be available at the library, we started watching: The New Girl (Season One). I am not really a Zooey Deschanel fan, so I thought this show would be cheesy. I was wrong. The show is quirky, funny, and clever. I am a fan. I wish I had known about it earlier, as I saw yesterday that Season Two just finished. Guess I will have to wait a while to see it.

We will stop cheating on our DVR…soon.