And Not A Minute Spent To Think That We'd Regret...

A shout out must first be made to Alisa and Rachel. It was so nice to hang out with my darlings tonight. Not that I don't love the rest of you, but there is just something about your girls from high school, ya know? They've always got your back and they get you. I love not having to explain myself to someone. So to A and R, thank you!! You are just what I needed this week. And thanks to Brianna for reminding me that I have a blog haha. I am back in business.
Something has been grating on my nerves lately and it must be brought up. Why must everything in the world be fake!? Now I will admit, some fake things I really enjoy. Anyone who has talked to me in the last week knows that I LOVED my spray on tan. Other fake things I enjoy are knock off designer clothing, fake engagement rings, and white Michael Jackson (though I loved him when he was black too). But lately I feel the imitations are getting out of hand. We have created such a fake world these days it is difficult and nearly impossible to tell what is real. Give me almost anything these days and I could tell you something that is a fake replacement for it. Usually these fake things start out as something little and then escalate into something bigger. I will explain by using something that used to be one of my favorite topics... food.
In the beginning of time, people ate what was on the land. We were nomadic scavengers. We got a little smarter and domesticated some animals and plants and finally we could set up a permanent residence. We realized how much work this took, so we looked for a way to simplify and make things a little easier. Lets skip most of this history lesson and get to the point. Today, how many people know what real food is? I personally eat way more freezer meals a week then I would ever want to admit.
If you were a child growing up today I believe you may not know that meat bought at the store came from an animal. Ask them how sugar and flour are made. Would they even know they are made from plants? This seems ridiculous to some of you, but try to go a week without eating something processed and you will see how impossible it can be. We are so accustomed now to the processed, ready to eat meals that it is no wonder our country is so obese, this is all we know now. I went to the Farmer's Market here last week and someone was selling bananas with the Dole sticker still on them. Seeing how it is April and I live in Virginia, I am pretty sure he didn't grow those and would be willing to wager his name isn't Bob Dole. Could he not grow some lettuce or other plant to bring to the table? Searching for fresh produce in Richmond is a task. There are few places you can buy whole foods and fewer people attempting to grow their own food. We let the artificial things take over so much we almost lose control of what is real.
So I would let you all know, I am sick of the counterfit. I am sick of the world telling women they constantly need to be whatever they are not. I'm sick of society telling me if I have this item or that outfit I will feel good and be happy. I don't understand how anyone can figure out how to live life these days through all the false messages being portrayed. There is so much crap and it is so easy to step in it. ( Sorry if that was an non-ladylike way to say that..) I legitimately don't know what I would do without the guidence of church leaders and things I have studied out myself. I don't know how people can function without it. I get so lost every day in the craziness of the world, that I don't know what else could keep me grounded.
So as I always do, for those who haven't caught on and are tired of reading my mega long posts, I will summarize. I need to beware of those things that are fake. I am going to remember to look for the genuine things and not be afraid to sacrifice for them. I know they will be worth it.

Weezer Says It Best

So I have been having a bit of a dilemna lately. Isn't that how all these blog postings start? It's called, I am really sick of working and wasting my life on my job that bores me to the point of not knowing whether to attempt slitting my wrist with the plastic spoon in my drawer or not. (I did watch a documentary about prison the other day and prisoners who can create deadly weapons out of plastic utensils... but that is another blog post for another day.) Weezer sums it up well in the song Troublemaker. "I can't work a job like every other slob. Punching in and punching out and sucking up to Bob. Keep it on the up. I'm never giving up." Okay so I am not suicidal and I dpn't even have a plastic spoon at my desk. I have used them all for my contraband oatmeals in the morning. Work is not that bad, but I never know whether to scream, or cry, or throw up out of sheer disgust for my job. I can hear my mom saying in my head right now... Don't put so much energy into what you don't want, it just attracts it to you. Well I can't work more than 40 hours a week, so hit me with your best shot universe. But seriously, how do people do the same thing every day? Shift work is the most utterly ridiculous thing ever. I get so bored with the same thing every day. I know we have to have money to do things like eat, buy clothes, and provide our necessities, but I think I would have been happier in the olden days, farming, sewing my own clothes, and reading books and visiting with people for amusement. There are so many cool things we have the opportunity to do now that we have not had in previous times. Like traveling the world and making friends that are miles away. Or eating strawberries all year round. Taking a hot shower whenever we want or flushing a toilet. Awesome stuff, but I think I could give those up. My electric toothbrush on the other hand, I may have a rough time letting go of, or air conditioning... but anyway. The point is, I just don't get it. What's the big deal with money? What do I need it for? This capatalistic system we set up forces me to make money to feed myself and have a roof over my head, but what worth is it to me if I don't get to enjoy my life? I sit in an office, can't even see the outside all day long, and am too tired to go do something I enjoy afterwards. Doesn't this seem like a waste of life to anyone else? Part of me wishes I could feel comfortable with all this monotony. That I could be satisfied with doing the same boring thing every day. But I am not. I am searching for an escape. For some fun and adventure. If I didn't have such wonderful friends and family to take my mind off of how much I dislike 5 out of the 7 days in the week, I sincerely believe I would go insane. If I'm not there already. Aren't we here to have joy? I think I need a little more in my life. I know this means I need to look around and be grateful for all the things I have... I have a tendancy to say 'thanks for all these wonderful things, but...' and I need to be better. It's not really being grateful if you are still wanting more. So I will start a gratitude journal. That is the point of this post. Darcie says my posts are way too long or intellectual. So for the sake of my sister, now that you read this whole dang thing, I can wrap it up in two words. Be Grateful.

I know what I know, you know?

I first and foremost want to express gratitude in my blog. For a God that answers my prayers, however silly and insignificant they may seem, to people who act on those kind passing thoughts that cross our minds. Lately the little things that have been weighing me down lately, even as I have really thought about them, have seemed insignificant. I wonder why I am so caught up in these little troubles I have when other people have such bigger issues then me? But all of us have those little moments where we make a mountain out of a molehill. Last week I got to go see the play Wicked for the second time (LA cast was WAY better, but it was still awesome), and I was inspired by it. Elphaba, aka the Wicked Witch for those who have never seen the play, is misunderstood. She does what she thinks is right, and is made out to be a wicked and evil person. We all have decisions to make in life, and regardless of what anyone else thinks, you have to make decisions that are right for you. Even if everyone else will turn their back on you, when you know something for yourself, you must be true to yourself and do it.
So the new lesson being learned lately is, you know what you need to do, so go and do it. I think part of the beauty of life is that our lives here on earth are entirely our own. No one can act for us. We get a chance to create whatever we want to out of our lives. Whether we waste it or live it to the fullest, we get one chance to live here on this earth and this is it. We can't let the fear or disapproval of others stop us from doing what we want to do. Or from doing what we are called to do, if you believe God has a plan for each of us... which I do. Is it scary to go against what everyone else in the world wants/ expects from you? Absolutely. But I have learned recently that even if I am going to be alone in whatever my endeavors are, it is better than settling for mediocracy or someone elses expectations. So I guess my suggestion to anyone reading is best said by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Don't let fear of failure discourage you. Don't let the voice of the critics paralyze you — whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside. YOU are a great power for good."

Oh yeah thats right... I have a blog!

So I have been slackingon one resolution. But staying pretty constant for the others. I have decided to write in my blog how I want and not try and come up with something cool. Whatever is on my mind... I will write it. Today, we talk about boredom. How I am getting so bored with my job that I am struggling to stay awake on the phone. I know you aren't supposed to write about that on your blog cause they will fire you for that kind of thing these days, but I assume they already know I hate my job for two reasons: 1) I answer a phone all day long 2) I told my boss in my 90 day evaluation I would rather clean the toilets then be in that cursed phone room. So I started a new hobby at work. It is called think of the most random thing possible and then try not to laugh too hard when you think about the time you ripped your shorts open when diving for a football at a high school graduation party. My mom told me I should find something to look forward to each day so I am looking forward to trumping my last funny thought. Which I defintely trumped today again after I told some lady I was going to go streaking outside the hospital because it was so warm outside. But I seriously have been craving something more lately. I am too tired to do much after work, so I feel like I get nothing done. I am trying to get motivated to accomplish something. I am taking Wednesday off next week to have an Erica day. I am undecided what I will do with a day off, but am generally very excited about the idea. I am pretty sure this day will include my long awaited hair cut and color and perhaps a little trip to the store to buy some new makeup. I have not been doing much with myself since I left school, so I have decided that even if there is no one to look hot for, I should still keep myself looking decent haha. We'll see how that goal comes along.
On a sweeter note, I am thinking of hosting a bake sale. I think that little things like these are the small things that can help to make a difference. Any takers on helping me out?
http://gabs.strength.org/site/PageServer?pagename=GABS_getinvolved
And the last way I am trying to help my community is by participating in the CASA Superhero Run. The proceeds of the 5k go towards child abuse awareness. I am pretty sure my Mom, Dad, Darcie, Brian, and I are going as The Incredibles. I am pretty amped. Pictures to follow. For now... off to bed. I will write something with substance later. Good night.

Ham or Eggs?

I wanted to write this out tonight because it popped into my head on the way home from the night's festivities (aka watching New Moon at the Byrd- yay!) and it kind of describes where I am at in life. And yes, I do realize that every time I post it says something to that effect... believe it or not, I am constantly thinking about something. Such is the life of being a woman, but I the thought has popped into my head this week, how committed are you to things Erica? After watching New Moon, no viewing would be complete without a debate about Team Edward or Jacob and of course I am torn between the two. They both loved her and were committed. But relating this to a quote from Grey's Anatomy, who was the ham and who was the eggs? You have to be one or the other.
I have had many instances in life were I had to choose to be ham or eggs. If you are eggs, you are a chicken. You provide the eggs, but you still remain a chicken. You are still bringing something to the table, but not as much as you could be. But if you are ham, you can no longer be a pig. You are forced to sacrifice the pig for the ham. So what kind of person are you going to be, ham or eggs?
I am sincerely trying to be better at making big sacrifices and being fully committed to things. Whether it is social outings, being a better friend, or the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I hope to be the ham. We can't stay a chicken for too long without losing out on big adventures in life. Nothing in life is worth it if we do not sacrifice, and I hope those of you surrounding me will help me be a better ham and not settle for laying eggs the rest of my life.

Not At All How Things Would Appear

It has been on my mind today that often times things are not at all as they would appear. Martin Luther King, Jr. stated, "Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see". I think you can interpret it in many ways, but basically he is saying we do not see the object or thing which is casting the shadow. How often we miss the big picture because we are limited by our own vantage point and perceptions. What seems to one person a kind gesture may be interpreted as an insult. We judge on preconceived notions before we understand the situation.

In my life recently I have been presented many things that seem like they are trials. From difficult people, death and more, I have recently felt like things were not working out at all how I would have hoped. I have also realized I have not really been quite myself lately. My Mom has really been telling me to start noticing the positive and to picture what I want for the future. After all these crazy events that have been happening lately it has kind of shocked me into doing something different. So the message for today is to see and look for the positive things around you. Seeing the negative comes naturally, but as I have been working on seeing the positive again, the world has transformed around me. Blessings seem more abundant than before and my days have become happier.

I digress from the point of todays post though. I must keep up with my nonprofit blogging. I was reading an article about the consumerism side of nonprofits and although the article was poorly written, it makes a good point. To have a successful nonprofit you have to evolve and stay with the times. Like any business that has been around for more then a few years, if you want to stick around you had better be able to keep with the times. The article gives Chanel as an example. They have been around for 100 years and the reason they have had success is because they have learned to keep their fashions trendy and in with the times. They have been able to consistently keep the hype up about their company which has allowed them to stay thriving for years. So how do you keep a nonprofit thriving with the ever changing world? You will have to keep it trendy, or find things that capture people's hearts enough to get them involved. So that is my nonprofit thought for the week. As usual I have posted the article for your reading pleasure.
http://www.causecast.org/member/amymichellea/blog_posts/1469-the-consumerism-side-to-non-profits

Radical And Newer- Erica Dawn Nalder

So today I was playing with an anagram maker after reading about name anagrams in a Family Fun magazine. For all of you who did not pay attention in elementary school, an anagram is a word or phrase created by rearranging letters from another word or phrase. So for example, Erica Nalder = Anagram= Rad Reliance. I wanted to think up a cool pen name if I ever wanted to write a book or something, so I decided to come up with some anagrams today. I was feeling lazy, so I let the computer do the work for me, but the results made me chuckle. A lot of them sounded like stripper names. Some of the ones that really made me laugh are as follows: Wanna Lace Rider, Candied Rear, Rear Lace.... so I guess if I ever want to earn the big dollars workin the pole, I've got it made.

On to business though... this snow has been unreal. I kind of love it though. Rexburg did some kind of strange damage to me, because as much as snow shuts things down in Virginia... I love seeing it. But even though I love it, I haven't been outside for more than 30 seconds in the past two days. But I have spent some quality time with my favorite girl friends! Maya and Layla love to wake me up in the morning! Ever since Brian moved back in the house, the girls spend the weekends here. Its a bittersweet moment for me to wake up to the sound of my babies opening up my door. We watch a little bit of a movie until they complain of being too hungry and then we will go downstairs and I will pour a bowl of cereal or make some waffles!... I have to save this... the girls are getting buckwild... be right back.

As I was saying, I love my girls! They drive me mad, but goodness knows they brighten my day and fill my life full of life and love. I am no where near the point in my life that I would be getting married or having babies, but when I think about it, it seems like a heck of a lot of work. But even though it is crazy work, I think it is going to be great. But for now, I love having my little women around and getting tos hare in the joys of caring for a child while keeping my figure for now haha. I would write more, but I have already saved this 4 times... Later.