Top Ten Reasons I’m Glad I Was Born in the 80’s

Posted on June 18, 2012 by jenn

As the big 3-0 looms on the horizon I am reflecting back on when I was a youngin’… 😉 Kids “these days” have a lot of advantages, in some ways. But some days, I feel kinda sad for them too. Why? Because they missed out on ….

Source: amazon.com via Hazel on Pinterest

 

 

Wrapping themselves up in the cord of a phone while you talk for HOURS with your best friend about… well, not a lot really. This would prompt getting yelled at by both sets of parents … you  just saw them at school, WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY BE TALKING ABOUT?!?!

Source: google.com.au via Amanda on Pinterest

 

Not only was Super Mario Brothers EASIER and more fun to play during this time period. It taught the important lesson of having to take turns when you played two player. You’d actually have to wait for the person to take their turn before you got yours. Imagine that. Not to mention, these cartridges were SO MUCH more durable. Oh it stopped working? Just give it a good blowing out, and it’s good as gold.

 

 

Source: google.com.my via Gina on Pinterest

 

I don’t know about you, but I spent HOURS on making mix tapes. Sometimes taping the songs from the radio, or from the record player. Or tape to tape. These babies were a LABOR OF LOVE. If someone made you a mix tape, it was a sign that you were important to them. Because, we all know what happens if you accidentally tape over the last part of the song…. you gotta start ALL OVER AGAIN. Not that that ever happened to me. I never threw a mix tape across the room in anger. Never.

Source: shopbop.com via Meagan on Pinterest

 

Stirrup leggings. Now, I can pass off my hot pink version of these as a childhood indiscretion. I didn’t know what I was doing. I WAS SO YOUNG. Now? These adults that are trying to bring them back? They have NO EXCUSE.

 

Another childhood indiscretion. Crimping. And because I had curly hair, I would actually STRAIGHTEN my hair in order to then crimp it to be cool. Sigh. Sorry, hair. From the bottom of my can of Aqua Net.

 

Source: google.com via PCOSChick on Pinterest

 

I got my style tips from Punky (except the leggings, that style tip came from Paula Abdul). And I’m not really ashamed. She might be part of why I’m a social worker, I always felt bad for her. And sometimes I would pretend that I was an orphan too, and I was only allowed to eat applesauce (I don’t know).

 

Playing outside! With other kids! Without any pieces of technology! OMG! I know, right? We had to MAKE UP GAMES. We got called into dinner by parents screaming our names out the front door. Everyone in the neighborhood knew us and we couldn’t get away with anything.

 

 

Saturday morning cartoons. ‘Nuff said.

Source: google.com via Laura on Pinterest

 

We got Michael Jackson when he was good. And by good, I mean Bad! Really, really bad. You know it.

 

Source: google.com via Kristi on Pinterest

 

Music videos. They were a little strange. A little flashy. And they usually didn’t make sense, but we loved them! And I certainly made a lot of “music videos” with my Mom’s 50lb camcorder (my favorite being one to “Heaven is a Place on Earth” by Belinda Carlisle in 6th grade – it was epic).

I may be hesitant about turning 30 (only because some things are so different than I imagined), but in all reality I am thankful to be born when I was. To know a life without being constantly connected to something electronic. To remember a world that was a little simpler, and a little bigger. And full of mix tapes. I really miss the mix tapes. How about you? Are you happy that you were born when you were?

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Happy Monday, everyone!

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Linking up by list with Stasha over at The good Life for Monday Listicles!

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Around Here

Posted on June 17, 2012 by jenn

Oh, you wonder why I haven’t been updating?

Here’s why….

and this……

and some of this….

and I can’t forget this….

So that’s what we’ve been up to.

T minus 13 days until we hit the road to North Carolina.

In honor of father’s day, I will leave you with a link to my favorite post about my Dad (and apparently your favorite, too, it’s one of my most popular posts!)

So, what have y’all been up to?

Let’s have a cup of sweet tea and catch up!

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What They Don’t Know…

Posted on June 12, 2012 by jenn

We are in the midst of a lot of goodbyes in our lives right now.

I have told many of my clients that I am leaving, with mixed emotions (from them and me).

I often wonder what they’ll tell their next therapist when he or she asks “what kinds of things did you do with Jenn?”

I suspect lots of them will say “we played games!” What they don’t know is that they learn best through games. That what they really learned in that game of chess or Yahtzee is how to finish what you start, how to be a graceful winner, how to try again when you lose, how to take turns, how to anticipate what others are going to do, how to predict consequences of your actions, how to take chances.

Some might say, “we drew pictures and colored!” What they don’t know is that through art, kids express their feelings and emotions. A dark day may be expressed through black scribbles or rain clouds. Secrets and life stories can be told through art when the right part of your brain takes over and leaves logic behind.

Other kids might say “we pretended we were other people!” because what they don’t know is that through role playing kids can learn how to react in social situations, how to initiate conversation, how to increase their self esteem, how to have hard conversations, how to fit in just the right amount while still being who they are.

My adult clients will probably say “we just talked,” even though what they don’t know is that they entered a healthy therapeutic relationships with boundaries and expectations that they may not know or experience in many of their other relationships. They were held accountable, they were challenged, and most of all – they were supported and validated. If I’ve been doing my job right they felt valued and important, because they are.

There are so many things in “therapy” that we teach, not through a long lecture where kids or adults are forced to listen to concepts they don’t care about or don’t understand – but through how we interact with them. The tools we create to support them.

So, their next therapist might think “wow, all she did was color, play games and talk?” But if they’re any good at all, they will hear what my clients are not saying – they will pay attention to they things my clients learned without even knowing it.

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Kid Quotes Friday!

Posted on June 8, 2012 by jenn

Kid: If you had a full tank of gas in your car and went down my road, you would be out of gas before you got to my house.

Me: WOW! Your road is 350 miles long?!

Kid: You can drive 350 miles on a tank of gas?! Can I buy your car?

Me: Sure, do you have $20,000?

Kid: How much did you buy it for?

Me: $16,000

Kid: HEY! You’re hussling me!

—8 y.o.

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Me: What do you think is the biggest achievement that you’ve made in therapy?

Kid: Well, just look how much taller I am! I even had to get new sneakers! Did you know they make me run WAY FASTER THAN YOU?

—5 y.o.

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Kid: Mrs G.? Can I bring these marbles home?

Me: No, they have to stay here. You don’t have any marbles at home?

Kid: No, I don’t have any and my Mom told me she lost hers.

—6 y.o.

*****

Happy Friday, everyone!

 

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Who googles this stuff?

Posted on June 7, 2012 by jenn

Here’s an update on some of things people Google that somehow lead them here.

Baby Daddy Quotes. Okay, people. I wrote a post about how father’s love their daughters. NOT BABY DADDIES. That is a LOOSE interpretation, Google. LOOSE.

Mom loves Mom. Okay. That’s good. Can’t get enough love in the world. But I have no idea what post this lead someone to.

Inappropriate Mom son. No! NO! Stop Googling this crap! AND GET OFF MY WEBSITE YOU CREEPER!

Googling Your Therapist. I fully expect this to happen. Which is why my name isn’t linked on here (though I’m sure someone could swiftly find me if they tried hard enough). Thankfully when you get married and change your name, it takes awhile for the internet to catch up with you.

No wonder you’re so angry with that stick up your a$$. I know, right?

I don’t love lines. That’s cool. More of a circle person? Draw on, my friend.

Pimpin’ 101. That’s right folks, stick around for all of our pimpin’ advice.

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People also continue to find us by searching for whether or not triathlons are addicting. I’m so thankful that they can find us, and learn that no, no they are not. We are truly providing a public service here.

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Happy Thursday, everyone! Try and get that stick out of your a$$ and you won’t be so angry 😉

 

 

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Full Steam Ahead

Posted on June 6, 2012 by jenn

I’ve got to start practicing southern. So I’ll start by saying…

Y’all, I am STRESSED. Hopefully I used that correctly. I’m stressed in a wonderful way, but it’s still stress.

You don’t even want to see my moving to-do list, or you might join me over here in the corner, crying, rocking back and forth muttering about packing tape.

But it’s good. I know (logically) that it will all get done. That in a brief few weeks, I’ll be kicking back with a glass of sweet tea, with a shotgun by my side, saying things like “y’all ain’t from around here, are ya?”.. (wait, y’all don’t do that?)

So, an awesome blogging friend , Kristen suggesting that I start taking pictures of things I will miss. To help me soak in my time left in Maine. So I am. And I’ll compile them all at the end. The end of this chapter of time.

I had this training today on basically how it’s OKAY to take care of yourself (the presenter was from North Carolina, kismet, no?). So if I need to eat a pint of ice cream every night for dinner from now until June 30th, that’s okay right?

(Someone say yes).

My thoughts are scattered, my brain is running a hundred miles a hour.

I mean, I don’t know what to think when something we have worked SO hard for, actually comes to fruition.

Isn’t it funny? We get what we want and then we freak the heck out.

Ah, human beings. We’re an odd bunch!

But hey, thanks for listening.

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On Growing Up

Posted on June 3, 2012 by jenn

“I gotta have roots before branches. To know who I am, before I know who I wanna be. And faith to take chances, to live like I see. A place in this world for me.”

Most of the time I think of myself as growing up in Vermont.

Because, technically, I did. I spent 18 years there. I grew into a young woman. I graduated from high school there. I had my first job, and my first car there.

But as I sit here, potentially 27 days away from leaving Maine (!!!!), I come to realize that I actually grew up in Maine.

I graduated from both my undergraduate and graduate programs here. I had my first apartment, first love, first heartbreak, first medical crisis here. I survived on nothing by ramen noodles and the support of my best friend. I had jobs that challenged me, and changed my life (and hopefully the lives of others, too). I met my husband here, got married, and faced some of the darkest days of my life here. I’ve come through stronger, older, wiser. More broken, but also more put together.

I have spent today making lists of things to do. Rooms to pack. People to say goodbye to. People that have shaped the woman, professional, person, and social worker I am today. Tears spring to my eyes whenever I think about it. I am so grateful for all of them. The ones who mentored me, and the ones that grew up with me. Look how far we’ve come.

Thank you for my roots, Vermont and Maine. You gave me a foundation strong enough to take this leap into the unknown and know that I will be okay.

**Lyrics by Room for Two, “Roots Before Branches”

Posted in growing up, joy, marriage | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Happy Birthday, Gromp

Posted on June 3, 2012 by jenn

“For no reason why, I can’t cry hard enough, for you to hear me now.”

We love and miss you always. (But I still make the best pancakes!)

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We are family! I got all my SITS-stah’s with me!

Posted on June 1, 2012 by jenn

(Best of luck getting that song out of your head!)

WELCOME, everyone!

Today our lovely little corner of the blogosphere is being featured on the SITS Girls Website! What the what? Well, if you’re not familiar with the SITS Girls, I highly recommend you remedy that ASAP. Go here, and learn about the fabulous community of women supporting one another in this crazy world of blogging. In addition to tips, giveaways, and opportunities for paid blogging gigs, the SITS Girls also feature a blogger every day of the work week! And today is our day to shine!

If you’re new around here, let me give you a brief rundown. My husband, Casey and I (hi, I’m Jenn!) blog together. Well, mostly I blog and Casey typically blogs on Saturdays. We’ve been married just shy of 3 years, and been together 4.5 years. But in that short time, we’ve experienced a lot (miscarriage, infertility, stroke – oh my!) so we’re a pretty tough couple.

I’m a social worker (and usually on Friday’s I feature some funny quotes that the kids I work with come up with), and Casey does engineering work. We’re on a mission to get outta Maine and move to North Carolina with our two dogs, and also my Mom who is retiring.

We blog about all kinds of things. Life and all its unexpected road bumps.

Up there on the tabs, you can find some more about us. Like how we lost a combined 275 pounds and were subsequently featured on the TODAY show with Kathie Lee, Hoda, and Joy Bauer, and how I don’t eat red M&M’s.

If you want to follow us there are lots of ways to connect like, RSS Feed, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (I’m “LibraJenn”).

We are so pleased to meet you and hope you’ll stay awhile!

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Forgiveness

Posted on May 31, 2012 by jenn

Lately I’ve been pondering the word – forgiveness.

Some may say that I am a very forgiving person, and I am. To you. But not very much to myself. I hold high standards for myself, and can be a little harsh when I feel I am falling short of these standards. In this year, as part of learning to let go – I am trying to forgive myself. More specifically, my body. For not carrying our baby. For not doing what it is “supposed” to do. For my perceived failure. Because it is not failure (and my logical mind knows this), but it is what it is. And so I am learning to forgive.

I have been reading this book, Buddha’s Brain, by Rick Hanson. It has an exercise on forgiveness in it. I’m posting it here, and challenging YOU to forgive someone that you have been angry with, even if it’s yourself.

The Ten Thousand Things (page 165)

Relax and steady the mind, focusing on the breath.

Pick a situation in which you feel someone has wronged you. Be mindful of your reactions to this person, especially the deeper ones. Scan yourself for any ill will.

Now reflect on some of the various causes—the ten thousand things—-that have led this person to act in the way that he has.

Consider biologically based factors affecting him, like pain, age, innate temperament, or intelligence..

Consider the realities of his life: race, gender, class, job, responsibilities, daily stresses.

Consider whatever you know about his childhood. Consider major events in his life as an adult.

Consider his mental processes, personality, values, fears, hot buttons, hopes, and dreams.

Consider his parents in light of whatever you know or can reasonably guess about them; consider too, the factors that may have shaped their lives.

Reflect on the historical events and other upstream forces that have formed the river of causes flowing through his life today.

Look inside yourself again. Do you feel any differently now about him? Do you feel any differently about yourself?

______________________

And a sentence that struck me hard, in regards to other people:

Be cautious about attributing intentions to other people…most of the time you are just a bit player in other people’s drama; they are not targeting you in particular. (page 164).

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Anyway, just some very interesting reading and I highly recommend this book! Have a great Thursday everyone!

 

Posted in growing up, self image | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments