Get to Know Me Through Profile Pictures

Last night I was looking through some old posts and thinking about some new ones and I realized I never talk about myself. Except for the one "Get to Know Me" post I did a couple of months ago, I haven't really divulged too much information about myself. My blog is really more about my son and documenting our journey together, but I understand that people don't want to follow a blog if they know nothing about the person writing it. You guys know tons about my son, but really nothing about me. Lately, I have been becoming really consumed in my role as a mother and have really lost who I am. It doesn't help that I live in a place where I don't know anyone; I don't have anyone to be myself around, reminisce with, laugh at, or just generally enjoy life with. I miss my people terribly. Boo Hoo, right?!? Well anywho, I am going to make an effort to start writing more about myself: thoughts, feelings, experiences, etc. on MY blog. So here is my start: getting to know me through my personal Facebook profile pictures. 

This is my very first profile picture on Facebook. I started my Facebook account my junior year of college in 2006. This pretty much sums up my personality perfectly. I can't remember why, but I thought it would be funny to get in the trunk of my friend's car and stick my head out of the arm rest hole in the back seat. I think we were going through a drive-thru at the time. I probably stayed in there for a while too; anything to be different. 

One of the best parts of my life: my mother. I have always been a big family person. I have had strong connections to my parents for as long as I can remember. At 28 years old, I still don't do anything without asking my mother first. I never make any big decisions without her input and she knows the most about me. She has experienced everything with me and now that I am a mom myself, I realize how much she has done for me. All the sacrifices, unconditional love, quality time, and support have not gone unnoticed or appreciated. 
Left: Dumb and Dumber scooter ride :)
Right: Us at a wedding

My grandma used to live in South Carolina, so we vacationed there many times. I am a Cancer so I'm a water person by nature. I could spend hours and hours at the beach; no other place in the world is more relaxing to me. Life just seems to all fall away when I am sitting in front of the ocean. Nothing else matters when I'm laying in the sun, with my feet in the sand, listening to the waves crash. As young as I can remember, I knew I had a special connection to water. I'm not particularly a fan of lakes or rivers, I really am just all about the ocean. When I lived in Florida for a year, I went to the beach as much as possible. It is truly therapeutic for me. I am hoping to make our way to the ocean soon, as we are only about an hour and a half away from it.

Confession: I am weird. Like do-silly-things-because-I am-bored kind of weird. As evidenced in the first picture above, as well as these below. 
Left: If you know anything about me, you have to know that I am obsessed with the yellow peanut M&M. I always say that life would be so much better if characters like him were real. He is the most lovable, cuddly, and dopey big ole guy ever. He is just so naive and cute. How could you ever be upset if you had this guy following you around, making goofy jokes and cuddling on you! Even Myles knows about him! We have random yellow peanut M&M merchandise around our house and whenever Myles sees him, he always does this thing with his hands like he's eating and says "NOMMY, NOMMY". 
This picture was taken in Vegas at the M&M store. Vegas was the first big vacation Mark and I went on (December 2008). We went to get out of the Illinois winter, and of course, it snowed for the first time in like 5 years when we where there!
Right: I used to have this awesome papasan chair. I loved that thing, even though it was actually quite difficult to get comfortable in. I'm guessing that's why they aren't too popular anymore. Looks fun, but not exactly practical. Well one day when I was trying to get out of it, I fell over. The seat came off with me and landed on top of me. After I stopped hysterically laughing, I realized, "hey, this must be what a turtle feels like!" So my boyfriend at the time figured it was a good Kodak moment and then I decided it was profile picture worthy!

This is my mother's father, one of my most favorite men! I could go on and on about how connected I have always felt to this man and how much love we shared. When my parents first got divorced, we lived with my grandparents for a while. My grandpa always made me feel really special. I pretended I was a pop star named Tina and he would introduce me on his microphone and then I would perform for him. My grandma would do my hair for school and make me the best grilled cheese sandwiches ever. They eventually moved to Arkansas, but I always visited them in the summer time. It's hard to explain the connection I have always felt with them. Even to this day (18 years since she passed away), I still feel my grandma with me all the time. I know we would have stayed really close and she would have loved to meet Myles. I am lucky to have had more time to spend with my grandpa before he passed, but I do still miss him dearly as well. He could always make you laugh with his (mostly inappropriate) jokes and loved to sing good old country classics. I am so grateful for their love and influence in my life.

I moved to Florida after I graduated from college because I didn't want to stick around the Midwest. We had an opportunity to rent a house for cheap and it all just fell into place. I was ready to experience what life had to offer elsewhere. Once we moved, I started the process of transferring my teaching certificate so that I could start applying for jobs there. In the meantime, I applied for some retail jobs. I accepted a job at Victoria Secret an hour after I had an interview at Forever 21. I started both jobs on Black Friday! As time went on, I began working a lot at both jobs. I worked on the sales floor at VS and I hated it. I am not a sales person and dealing with teenage, spoiled girls is definitely not my forte. I had made my  decision to quit, but was just procrastinating because I don't like confrontations. Well procrastination actually worked in my favor this time because before I got a chance to quit, I was asked to work in the backroom on processing shipment. It only took one shift for me to realize that I loved it. It turned out to be the perfect job for me and I was so happy I didn't quit. The best part of changing positions was not the work though, it was finding my Florida besties. It took me many, many months to find my wolf-pack in Florida, but it was totally worth it. I found 3 of the greatest friends that have ever existed; completely fun and genuinely good people. I love and miss them dearly!
Left: Karen and I making sure we were prepared for an iceberg attack on our cruise. 
Right: Julia 'painting' my hair. I do not recommend this approach for anyone. It was the first time I tried it (out of complete boredom) and all I know is NEVER again. It hurt so bad.. why anyone does this willingly I will never know.

Left: All of us on fancy dinner night on our cruise. We were celebrating Karen turning the big 3-0! This was hands down the best vacation of my life. I don't get to see these girls that often anymore, so I cherish the time we spend together and this was a trip I will never forget! Can't wait for the next one!
Right: Angela's 21st birthday. This was right before I moved. If you ask them, I think this was the night that I told them I was moving back to Illinois. This picture is happily sitting on my nightstand. Sure hope to see these beautiful faces again soon.

And lastly, a couple of just me.
Left: I absolutely love Chicago. Where I grew up in Illinois is about 90 northwest of Chicago, so I was lucky enough to visit often. No matter how many times I have been there, I still get a giddy feeling every time I start to see the skyline. I love the hustle and bustle of the city coupled with the most amazing architecture. You can always find something fun and adventurous to do in the city and it never gets old. Ever since I can remember, I have loved the building in the picture that I am pointing at. It is really unique and just a fun piece of architecture. Because of that, this is one of my favorite pictures of myself. 
Right: This is just a picture from a random night. Nothing special, but I looked like I was actually happy. I love pictures, but I feel like I never take good ones, so I don't have many of just myself. This was one of the rare times my profile picture has been one of just myself.

What do your profile pictures say about you? Do you have many pictures of just yourself?

Get to Know Me: Blogger Behind the Blog!

I am back! My three week vacation back home was such a special time for Myles and I that I didn't want to spend too much of it on my blog. I tried limiting my computer and phone time, and while I know I wasn't perfect, I think I did a pretty good job (although I'm sure my mom and step-dad would say otherwise)! Now that we are officially back home and mostly settled back into our normal, I am ready to tackle some new posts. My major goal in this new year is to finally get caught up on my Myles Monthly posts... I'm still stuck on six months and in a week he will be 17 months! It takes me forever to write them, because I tend to write every single detail I can think of. At this point, I just need to suck it up and get them done, otherwise I am going to forget every detail! So please send any bloggy motivation and positive thoughts this way!

And after all that, here I am NOT writing my Myles Monthly post...lol... I promise I will get to it tomorrow. But for now, I wanted to do a little fun get to know me post since I really haven't shared too much about myself lately.

Here are my answers to a random assortment of 30 questions:

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
I am actually named after two people. It worked out well for my parents naming me because they both had a 'Julia' that was special to them. It definitely was a lot easier than when I had to name my son (re: What's Your Name?) My mother's mother's mother, aka my great-grandmother, was named Julia. Also my father had someone really special in his life named Julia. She watched him a lot as a child and he claims she was a clairvoyant. He told her if he ever had a girl he would name her after her... so here I am Julia. 

2. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Well I am left handed, so that should answer that question... But really, no, I don't like my handwriting. It's very sloppy because for the most part, I can't stand writing. I try to write as fast as possible, so it is usually just a big mess. Nobody can read my writing, even I sometimes have trouble deciphering it. When I am actually trying, I can make it look nice and presentable though. I like to make cool lettering for my scrapbooks and crafts, but my everyday writing is crap.

3. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Funny this question is asked. When I was younger I was all about ham. All I ever wanted was ham; on all my sandwiches and even my dinner meat. When Mark and I first met, I was still in 'ham only mode' and he was a turkey man. Once we started living together, we always had to buy ham for me and turkey for him, and neither of us would eat the other! Fast forward about 4 years, and the table's completely turned and it still that way now. I really only like turkey, honey turkey to be exact, and Mark prefers ham. I can't even stand to eat ham as lunch meat now. So funny how tastes can change.  

4. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
I would like to think so, but I am not a big people person. I mostly keep to myself, so I don't know if I would befriend me if I was another person :)

5. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
I would say yes, but I am not sure I would actually go through with it once I got up there.
 

6. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Cereal is my most favorite food, so it is not possible to pick one, but some of my favorites are Berry, Berry Kix, Strawberry Mini-Wheats, Greek Honey Bunches of Oats, A Touch of Fruit Mini-Wheats, and Special K with Berries. 

7. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Nope...never..ever...ever!

8. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Not so much an ice cream fan. I like mint chocolate, but my favorites are ones with fruit and/or nuts. I am more of a sorbet gal though: red raspberry being my favorite.
 

9. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Teeth.. I always look at teeth first... Teeth are make it or break it for me!

10. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
My skin... I pretty much hate everything about my skin. I have had problems with acne on and off since I was a teen. It came back worse than ever about 3 years ago and even though it finally chilled out, I got some pretty bad scars this time around. I have always just wanted to be able to not have to wear make-up and feel confident, but I have pretty much let that dream go. I also have stretch marks from gaining weight years ago and a few from being pregnant. I absolutely hate them :(

11. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
I have to cop out and list more than one:
My grandparents: especially my grandmother who passed away far too early.
My family back home: even though I just got to spend 3 weeks with them, it's still not enough when I am 2,000 miles away.
My Floridians: the best friends I have ever made. I wish I could scoop them up and bring them out here to live!

12. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
I would like to say what I had for dinner, which was whole wheat spaghetti with meat sauce; but that would be a lie because after dinner I had Ben & Jerry's Greek Frozen Yogurt Strawberry Shortcake... go buy it now! I don't even feel guilty afterwards :)
 

13. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
The furnace blowing out air.
 

14. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Grey
 

15. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Baby just out of the bath, dryer sheets, and any yummy dinner smells filling the house
 

16. MOUNTAIN HIDEAWAY OR BEACH HOUSE?
Beach house... not even a slight hesitation! I am a beach/water girl all the way! Love the sound of the waves and the light breeze coming from the ocean.. Heaven!

17. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Used to be basketball when I followed my favorite team the Sacramento Kings circa 2001-2003. Now I actually really like watching football, namely the Packers! I love raising Myles as a Packer fan (thanks to family)!
I also love watching summer Olympics! I actually should use the word obsessed rather than love. Of course, gymnastics is my favorite, but I watch all of it! During summer Olympic time that is all that is on my TV!

18. FAVORITE FOOD?
Of all time: mashed potatoes, good pizza, and cereal
Currently: egg salad

19. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
I hate scary movies. I have no interest in watching any sort of scary movie. However, I am not really into happy endings either. I like comedies the best, but I would be perfectly content with no happy endings. They end up always being so corny and predictable. 
 

20. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Toy Story with Myles.. a total Disney classic. I love that he is getting interested in stories now. We have found a couple movies that have actually kept his interest for most of the movie, so it's fun introducing him to my old favorites.
 

21. SUMMER OR WINTER?
I don't like 90-100 degree weather, but I HATE winter.. like real, midwest winters... I just went back for three weeks and it was total torture braving the blistering cold and snow! NO THANK YOU! Thank God for California :)

22. HUGS OR KISSES?
Neither really... except from my son. I'm not a lovey, touchy person. Hugs are usually pretty awkward for me, so I tend to shy away from them (outside of family). 

23. STRENGTH TRAINING OR CARDIO?
I like lifting because of the variety and it's more fast paced, but I always do cardio because I need more endurance and calories (fat) burned.

24. COMPUTER OR TELEVISION?
Computer... we have a TV but we don't have cable, so we rarely watch anything on it. We mostly do Netflix on the Apple TV. Otherwise, I keep up with the few shows I watch on the computer (Bob's Burgers, Big Bang Theory, and Glee).

25. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
I have a mouse pad but I don't use it because I have a laptop. The mouse pad I have is a keepsake so I keep it around even though I don't use it. It is a picture my younger brother drew when he was in elementary school. It was something he drew in school and then they turned it into a mouse pad. It is an under water scene with a boat and fish. I love having it around because it reminds me of when he was little and my best friend!

26. FAVORITE SOUND?
My son's laugh.. without a doubt, the best sound in the world! 
It makes everything all better :)

27. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Beatles... 100% all the way and my favorite Beatles song is "I Saw Her Standing There". When I was younger I had this video tape with a bunch of cartoons recorded on it and one of them was this cartoon video of the song "I Saw Her Standing There". It's kind of weird and I have no idea where it came from, but I watched it all the time. And to this day, it remains my favorite Beatles song just because of the childhood memories it brings back. 

28. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Not very... the Bahamas on a cruise with my most favorite Floridians :)

29. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? 
Rockford, Illinois (about 90 miles northwest of Chicago)

30. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR CAR?
I guess you would call it a teal. It's not full on green, but not blue either.

Welcome!

Hello Blog World! Well really.... hello to the few that will actually be reading my posts :) I have been wanting to start a blog for a while now, but never thought I'd have the time. Well now I am making myself have the time because I've gotten to the point in my short journey as a mother thus far that I need to do something that makes me think (mommy brain has gotten out of control). I decided to start a blog about my son for 2 reasons: have a place where all things Myles are recorded and captured (hopefully forever, pending some post-apocalypse world with no internet) and to share my thoughts/feelings about being a mother (because I can never get them out of my head without writing them down). 

The beginning of my blog will be a little different because I am getting a late start. I have a little lot of back tracking to do as Myles is 8 months old already! Because of this my perspective might be a bit skewed for the beginning months. However my goal is to be as honest and true to the time as possible. I truly see myself as an everyday mother; well everyday with maybe just a few... dozen or so quirks. As a quick introduction, I will let you in on a couple of randoms about me as a mother:

• I am cheap thrifty: I have only bought 2 brand new clothing items for Myles totaling $20. Everything else has come from my baby shower, other gifts, and garage sales/thrift shops. I have only bought one brand new toy for Myles and that was with a gift card. I will never understand buying brand new things for a baby when you can find things barely used for a fraction of the price. I guess I have some sort of "impending doom" syndrome that makes me afraid to spend money for fear that one day I won't have any left. When he gets older and stops growing as quickly (and wearing clothes longer than 3 months), I will definitely start buying new.  
• I am currently a SAHM. Because I am so thrifty, I was able to save enough money during the time I was pregnant to be able to take a year off of work (with the help of the BD and parents of course). I also have an awesome savings account started for Myles before he is even a year old!
• During my pregnancy I became obsessed with pregnancy/mom blogs... I don't even think the word obsessed does it justice. I could literally spend hours reading about pregnancy journeys, monthly favorites, and newborn insights. A few of my favorites are My Blossoming Bud, Little Baby Garvin, and From Mrs. to Mama. And a special shout out to this momma for talking about important things most don't: Papier Mache
• 75% of the time Myles is at home (and not sleeping) he is only in a diaper. I have a slight obsession with his little man body. It's so stinkin' cute. He is starting to grow way too fast so I try to cherish every moment of his littleness. 

  

  My little nakey babes!
• When I was younger I wanted to have 3 three kids: boy, girl, then boy. That was always my plan. Then when I was 11 my mother had another child. My step-dad came up with the brilliant idea to have myself and step-brother watch as my little brother was being born. Apparently he thought it would be a great method of birth control... Well played Dave.. well played I must say.... I was forever traumatized by that experience. I still kept my dream of having 3 children, but I felt like it would pretty much just stay that forever: a dream. However by my mid-20s, my biological clock had started ticking and I began longing for that indescribable love one shares with their little ones. Don't get me wrong, I was still terrified of the actual birthing process, but I figured that if God allowed me to become pregnant, he would give me the strength to get through the birth. Still, I no longer want three children; I am very happy and content with just ONE. I have no intentions on having any other children!!!!! 

  

  My little brother and I (1999; he was 3 and I was 14)

• I have developed quite a co-dependency on my little guy. As a SAHM, how do you not??! He does not take a bottle, so I can only be away from him for a couple of hours at a time. I guess sometimes it is nice to get a little 'me' time, but I usually only need that once a week for a few hours. I haven't been away from him for more than 3 hours since he was born and that has only happened a couple times. I will have to admit that part of this is also due to me being somewhat of a control freak. I'm the one that knows what he likes and doesn't like; what he needs and doesn't need; how to sooth him, etc. Therefore it is really hard for me to let go and give that control to someone else for fear that he will be damaged in some way (the only people that have watched him without me around are my parents and his one aunt).
• I am a firm believer in what I would call "family/community parenting." Obviously the mother and father should be the main caretakers of their child, but I really believe the old saying "it takes a village to raise a child." I want Myles to have several people in his life to guide, love, and brag on him; to feel safe and secure with; to look up to; and to be there for him. You always have to keep in mind your end goal for your child; what you want him to be like when he's grown and then get people who will mold him to be that person. I will have to say this is one of the things I am truly blessed with having. Myles has amazing family who absolutely adore him; it is a true blessing to watch his relationships with other people grow and know how much they will sow into him.

  

  Myles, dad, and cousins Ayson and Ryann at 7 months

  

  Myles with his grandma and grandpa at 6 weeks old

• Parenting style; huh... well I didn't think too much about this one before Myles was born. I really just went with the flow based on his character and disposition. Babies are smart; they know what they need and how to get it ;) I have just followed my instincts and let him show me what he needs (more on this one with monthly updates).

Well Myles and I have some more work to do...