Never Say Never

I really need to stop saying the word "never".

Because I really don't know where my life will lead & with all the growth and changes that occur within myself and in my environments around me, I really don't know what's going to happen.

Riley and I have been talking about our future. We've been planning on moving to Denver, but with the job market being so competitive in his field there, it looks like we'll have to look elsewhere.

Since it's not set in stone, I'll refrain from mentioning the exact place we're currently thinking as our No. 1 (feel free to guess though). No cheating if I've already told some of you.

But even though I said I'd never live in this place, the pros outweigh the cons by a landslide & I'm pretty excited about what late 2014 has in store for us.

List of 30: 5. What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?

{List of 30}

No. 1:

The sun. It's beginning to be springtime in our part of the world and I'm enjoying afternoons feeling it's warmth as I take in a good book or go for a bike or scooter ride.



No. 2:

My Bookworm Bitches book club on Goodreads (find us here). I'm enjoying the featured reads and interacting with the other "bitches"

No. 3:

My two language learning tools: Duolingo & the Radio Lingua Network. Oh geez, I could go on and on about these programs. Duolingo is a lot like Rosetta Stone. It should be used as a supplement to another form of language study if you're learning the language for the first time (as opposed to maintaining it).

No. 4:

Rick Steves. Yes, Rick Steves is making me extremely happy right now and I'll tell you why: it is now less than a year from when I plan to go to Europe. His Rick Steves Travel podcasts (find them here) are keeping me from doing something drastic (like booking my flight anyway and ending up with no money for anything else).

No. 5:

My job. I recently got a great review with some constructive criticism and a raise (I had never had one before). My paychecks are adding up quickly for the ZOEuroFund (see what I did there? I think I'm really clever...). The busy season of the hotel is coming closer and I really can't wait to get to work, most days (unless I'm too happy riding around on Sugar and reading a book...not at the same time of course).

What is making you happy right now?

Five Word Friday: Week Thirteen

Growing up I always kept a journal. I had memory problems as a kid and it was the best way to remind myself of events that occurred.

Since I'd rather spend my time doing other things than devote and prioritize writing a daily record in a journal, I decided to summarize my day in only five words for 2013. 

Every Friday, I'll post what I wrote down for Saturday through Friday.


Week Thirteen

Saturday, 23 March:  Food poisoning...what happened today? 

Sunday, 24 March: Good day at the farm

Monday, 25 March: Major cash saved this month

Tuesday, 26 March: Last day on the farm.



Wednesday, 27 March: Lean mean towel folding machine.

Thursday, 28 March: Teenage girl...teenage girls everywhere...



Friday, 29 March: Scooter out. Yep, it's spring.



How was your week?

Five Word Friday: Weeks Eleven and Twelve

Growing up I always kept a journal. I had memory problems as a kid and it was the best way to remind myself of events that occurred.

Since I'd rather spend my time doing other things than devote and prioritize writing a daily record in a journal, I decided to summarize my day in only five words for 2013. 

Every Friday, I'll post what I wrote down for Saturday through Friday.

**As of Week Eleven, I will include pictures and links to accompany the five words.**

Week Eleven

Saturday, 9 March: Life: Earth's Most Spectacular Show
 Sunday, 10 March: "The pavement shines like silver"

Monday, 11 March: Let the long day begin

Tuesday, 12 March: Fun day with Miss Tanya!

Wednesday, 13 March: One score & three years.

Thursday, 14 March: Long day away from home

Friday, 15 March: Coffee dates <3 Cheney local shopping.






Week Twelve

Saturday, 16 March: New Mexico: Mountain West Champs!!

 Sunday, 17 March: Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona daoibh! (Gaelic for Happy St. Patrick's Day)

Monday, 18 March: Bad case of the Mondays

Tuesday, 19 March: Where'd this energy come from??

Wednesday, 20 March: Don't hurricanes belong in Florida?

Thursday, 21 March: Crazy busy night; heartbroken Zoë

Friday, 22 March: Zoë Romero on a farm





How was your week?

Follow me & you'll be...

In a world of pure blogination...

I've been singing musicals for the past week in my head.

In case you haven't heard, Google Reader and Google Friend Connect are both shutting down. This means you won't be able to follow my blog if you use these agents.

So I suggest following me on my favorite blog reading platform: Bloglovin.

I made the switch from Google Reader to Bloglovin a few months ago and love it. It's very similar but better organized in my opinion.




I personally like the way BL keeps individuality of the blog layout. It takes you directly to the blog (so you don't forget what a blog looks like), but lets you scroll through the unread posts in the same window.

List of 30: 08 What are 5 passions you have?

{list of 30}

pas·sion

[pash-uhn]

noun

1. any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate.

2. strong amorous feeling or desire; love; ardor.

3.strong sexual desire; lust.

4. an instance or experience of strong love or sexual desire.

5. a person toward whom one feels strong love or sexual desire.

I'm assuming the prompt is referring to context No. 1, since I doubt anyone wants to hear about my sexual desires (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Justin Timberlake, & Enrique Iglesias, if you're wondering). 

PASSION ONE: LANGUAGE

I currently can converse in Spanish & German and I am learning French and American Sign Language on my own using RadioLingua Coffee Break podcasts and Duolingo. 

I have a list of other languages to tackle later in life and I'm a complete and total grammar nazi.

I also have a love for English. As one of the most desirable languages to learn in the world, I consider myself privileged to be a native speaker. 

It really is a crazy language when you think about it and completely backwards from how most other languages are constructed. 



PASSION TWO: BOOKS

This goes hand in hand with languages, since it is the written language. In my humble opinion, they keep books next to the something that is better than chocolate, which as we all know, is a hard find. 

I can learn more about myself through fictional characters than I could by visiting a therapist.  

I do have my personal tastes in what constitutes good books, but I'm always open for recommendations. Goodreads is one of my favorite social networking sites. I check it more than Facebook.

For those who say they "don't like to read" I fully challenge you to try to find a book that indulges your interest. It doesn't have to be long or well known.

It's a matter of personal tastes and expanding your imagination to places you never thought you could go.




This isn't limited to novels and memoirs. I love books of all sorts. Children's books, notebooks, planners, journals; anything bound and with paper, I will most likely love to at least, browse.

THREE: TRAVEL 

Are you sensing a theme here? 

There's a word Germans use called "fernweh"

 

Personally, I think us Americans don't appreciate our own country enough. There's so much in this big beautiful country we call home, yet when we say we're going somewhere domestic that isn't a major city, it's not as exciting.  

Why?  

I get that Franklin, Tennessee may not be as exciting as say, Paris or London, but if it's some place you haven't been before, it's still an adventure. 

The adventure lies within yourself, not the place you're going. 

That said, while I've "only" been to Germany, I've been plenty of places domestically. Currently I'm planning a three week solo trip to Berlin, Paris, Madrid, and Barcelona. 

In the meantime, I'll be heading to Missoula, Montana next weekend to celebrate my birthday and to Leavenworth, Washington for Oktoberfest later this year. 

Explore your own backyard if you can't explore another continent.

FOUR: ANIMALS  

I always grew up with some sort of pet and animal. I wanted to be veterinarian. I helped my family raise several litters of Shar Pei puppies.  

There's something so beautiful about the loyalty of your pet and the bond it creates. I petsit because I can get my animal fix (Apartment management won't allow pets). I can't wait to have a four legged friend around.  

I am also a vegetarian, partly due to how the animals are treated before and during slaughter (I won't get into that).  

My best dog ever is named Mollie. She's a 12 year old Shar Pei and still has the energy to be the biggest brat I've ever known. She lives in Albuquerque with my mom. 

 (In case you were wondering, my favorite animals are dogs, elephants, and pandas --- next to dinosaurs.)

Me with one of the Shar Pei puppies we've rasied

FIVE: NON-PROFITS

It's hard to pin down just one non-profit organization to feature. I'm openly a proud member of Alpha Omicron Pi Women's Fraternity and as such, I support our international philanthropy (definition here) of Juvenile Arthritis Research. 

I've served on the Executive Board for my university's Up Til Dawn event for St. Jude's Children's Hospital. 

I've volunteered as a Big Sister for Big Brother's Big Sisters and at my local animal shelter (find yours here)

Obviously, I have a love for books and literature, and try to support literacy and education organizations such as my local library (find yours here) and Room to Read

It'd be pointless to list all the organizations I believe in and support, so I'll end there. The point is, I believe in giving back.  I believe in doing my part to better this world and that as an individual, I can make a difference. 


 

Not sure where to start or what organizations are near you?  Start here. 



What are you passionate about?
 

Five Word Friday: Week Ten

Growing up I always kept a journal. I had memory problems as a kid and it was the best way to remind myself of events that occurred.

Since I'd rather spend my time doing other things than devote and prioritize writing a daily record in a journal, I decided to summarize my day in only five words for 2013.

Every Friday, I'll post what I wrote down for Saturday through Friday.

Week Ten

Saturday, 2 March: Prioritize. Live simply. Stay focused.
 
Sunday, 3 March: Hate being "the bad guy"

Monday, 4 March: Biking around Cheney. LOVE IT.

Tuesday, 5 March: Can't say I didn't try.

Wednesday, 6 March: One week until my birthday

Thursday, 7 March: Language study...until 4 a.m.

Friday, 8 March: Shopping: courtesy of the boyfriend.

How was your week?

Mental process while shopping online

I have a definite love/hate with online shopping.

Love: it's convenient. I can get amazing new things, typically on sale, and not have to get dressed or shoo away pesky sales associates trying to sell me the most expensive thing in the store.

Hate: I can't trust the models, sizes, and material descriptions. Typically the model has half my curves and is twice as tall. Which means everything fits differently and it's usually easier to try it on in the store before I buy, because I'm the worst person in the world when it comes to taking things to the tailor or back to the store to exchange.



*On Pinterest* Ooh I love that dress  *click*

[Polyvore: $298]

Uh...yeah that's a flight home for me. *goes to Amazon dresses section*

Hmm, can I pull off orange?

Dear god, why are all these dresses still over $100?

*goes to H&M*

I do need a skirt...

Gray pencil skirt for $10 with free shipping?!?

...and they don't have my size. :o\

Could I fit into a size lower? *click* [size descriptions]

I need to work out.

Right, dresses. Focus Zoe.

So many options! Oh I like that one. AND it's on sale! *click*

Hmm..pink striped or green striped?

Green is out of stock in my size. BUT SCORE pink is in stock, IN my size!

Pink never fails me.

Wait, what does that say?

"Some items run approximately half-size larger than others"

HALF-SIZE LARGER THAN FOREVER 21 ITEMS

ITEMS RUN APPROXIMATELY A HALF-SIZE LARGER THAN FOREVER 21 ITEMS - See more at: http://www.forever21.com/Product/Product.aspx?BR=f21&Category=dress&ProductID=2080667322&VariantID=#sthash.gyao8kEt.dpuf

ITEMS RUN APPROXIMATELY A HALF-SIZE LARGER THAN FOREVER 21 ITEMS - See more at: http://www.forever21.com/Product/Product.aspx?BR=f21&Category=dress&ProductID=2080667322&VariantID=#sthash.gyao8kEt.dpuf"

You've got to be kidding me. Screw it, I'm going to bed.

*Exit window*

Five Word Friday: Week Nine

Growing up I always kept a journal. I had memory problems as a kid and it was the best way to remind myself of events that occurred.

Since I'd rather spend my time doing other things than devote and prioritize writing a daily record in a journal, I decided to summarize my day in only five words for 2013.

Every Friday, I'll post what I wrote down for Saturday through Friday.

Week Nine

Saturday, 23 February: AOII Littles & AOII Bigs
 
Sunday, 24 February: Ritual Chapters make me proud

Monday, 25 February: Let's get this party started

Tuesday, 26 February: Best friend became a MOMMY

Wednesday, 27 February: Why am I so cranky?

Thursday, 28 February: Restless mind means no productivity

Friday, 1 March: No ice? Bike to work!

How was your week?