A Missed Opportunity

I realized earlier this week I missed a chance to conquer one of my biggest fears. Call it what you want, a fear or hatred, I think it really boils down to something that is very difficult for me to do that would have pushed me out of my comfort zone and would have been a great learning experience for me. This week is Girls' Camp for our stake. When I was younger I hated Girls' Camp. I know there are some of you that just read that statement and gasped, how could someone not love girls' camp? Spending a whole week with 100 girls that are all emotional? Wearing crazy outfits, singing silly songs, and being girly? It was just never my thing. I never felt like I had any good friends there to hang out with, I felt very lonely, and I missed my family. Like many things in my life it was something I managed to endure and continued to go until I had accomplished all the years possible at girls' camp. And I am grateful for that. But if anyone asks me if I love Girls' Camp, they will get a big NO in response. But you know what would have been great? To have gone this year. To conquer that fear/hatred of Girls' Camp. T0 be around 100 girls and all the craziness that is out of my comfort zone. The difference though would have been I have friends there to hang out with. Mrs. B is there this week along with other friends of mine. Wouldn't that have been fun? It would have been hard for me to be away from my husband that long, we don't do well apart, and since I'm pregnant I would have been miserable physically wise up there, plus I only have one child up there and three more at home with no place to go. But to have been able to go and just possibly walked away at the end of the week and tell everyone that Yes! I love Girls' Camp and I can't wait to go back. I think the year of no fear will extend well beyond the year. Being pregnant put a damper on few goals I had and one of these years I'm going to have to get up the nerve to go back to Girls' Camp. Do you have a missed opportunity? Something that you said no to or didn't think of doing until it was too late and regretted your decision? Someone you never met or never said hi to?

Wishin' Accomplished

This showed up on a plate recently:



And I KNEW I was going to be offered a tentacle or two.

Normally I would politely decline, but the rules of the Year of No Fear dictate that any new experience to come across my or YONF's path has to be tried out (unless it involves things like actual danger or sin or . . . you know . . . sauerkraut). If it's something we've tried and truly don't wish to repeat, we're allowed to pass on it.

So of course it was offered, and yes, I bit off a tentacle, which was rubbery and blessedly flavorless. Not as bad as I thought it would be. (Interestingly, this has been the case more often than not with the Year of No Fear.)

Anyway, seafood aside, I was very inspired by this comment left on YONF's last post:

"I read your post and decided not to wish but DO. I quickly
changed into my swimsuit and layed out. . . . "

GENIUS! So here's a challenge: Find something you've been wishing to do and DO it! (You know, something that you can reasonably accomplish . . . nobody's asking you to hop a plane to Venice . . . although if you can reasonably do that, I think we should be friends . . . ) And then tell us about it!

(I'm sitting here trying to think of what my Wishin' Accomplished will be, and wondering how I can do it with all the other things I have to do today, and then thinking about what a hypocrite I am . . . I'll get back to you . . . but I'll think of something . . .)

HAVE FUN! I can't wait to read about it!

Confession Wednesday!

I confess I want to do nothing today except read a good book and drink a cold Diet Pepsi. I am having one of those days with the kids and it’s only 9am, where would I wish I could take the day off. What would you love to be able to do today that you can't?

Week to not Freak (har)

Recent attempts at fearlessness:

Root canal. Check.

Company for dinner (lovely time!). Check.

Spoke up when a conversation took an unkind turn. Check. But fizzled to a mutter when challenged, then backed down and just stewed silently. Uncheck.

Didn't run for cover at the sight of someone who last saw me wearing acid-washed jeans with zippered ankles. Check.

There's no telling what I'll do next!! Maybe something crazy like post a question on a SUNDAY?!?

How are you going to be fearless this week?

Recognition and saying "HI"

So I'm the type of girl that will walk a different direction in the store to avoid saying hi to someone I know. There is probably a handful of people I don't do this to. I am always afraid of getting their name wrong, them not recognizing me, or just an awkward situation occurring. There have been many times that friends have had to introduce me to the same people multiple times. There is one instance where Mrs. B introduced me to the same person about 4 times before we realized it wasn't that she didn't remember me she just didn't care to say hi! Now you are starting to see where my fears are coming from!

We pick up our mail for our business at a UPS Store. The beginning of June the owners sold the business and there were new workers in there. I always said Hi to the old workers, so with the new workers I had to force myself to say hi. I did really well. Then I realized I recognized one of the men there. I couldn't place my finger on it. I thought maybe he was an actor from this fabulous comedy group I use to go watch when I live in the Salt Lake Valley, http://www.laughingstock.us/. I assumed that was where it must be, since I seemed to recognize him but he didn't recognize me. I decided to continue to say hi because why not? It was good for me to be brave but since he would have no idea who I was I wouldn't let on that I recognized him. Baby steps.

One day after getting our mail, I sat in the car and pondered his name over and over in my mind, where was it that I met him? Finally it hit me! Then I had to get up the nerve to let him know I remembered him. A few weeks later I am mailing something inside the store and he is helping me and I think of my husband and how friendly he is and how talking to a complete stranger is no big deal for him. That is one of my favorite qualities of my husband so why not? I need to not be afraid and just let him know where I recognized him from. I never expected to get the response I did. The conversation went something like this:

Me: Do you want to know something weird? (Clever opener don't you think?)
Him: Okay (Said in a very nice, interested way)

Me: I know you from somewhere. When I was living in Salt Lake City, 6 years ago, you managed those bright blue apartments I lived in.
Him: Yes, that's right! I knew I recognized you from somewhere but I couldn't remember where. I looked up your name and couldn't place it, (he even said my maiden name which is not easy to pronouce or remember.) You lived up in the back right? I totally remember you! (He seemed very excited that I was able to solve this mystery for him.)

Not only did he remember me but he remembered where I lived and everything! I was really shocked. It made my day. The longer I conquer my fears the more I realize how good it makes me feel. I felt so great all day that someone from 6 years ago remembered me and that I ran into him in my home town over 800 miles away. Very random!

So all that happened a few weeks ago. Last night I got a date night, someone offered to watch the kids (how often does that happen?) so we went to dinner with my parents and then grocery shopping. At dinner my dad and husband were wanting steamed clams, the waitress said they had this fancy form of clams but no plain steamed clams. The guys passed on the appetizer since the waitress wasn't willing to figure how to get the chef to steam clams. The waitress leaves and my husband, who should be listed on the blog as GG (because he looks just like an actor from Heroes), realizes he recognizes the waitress. Just like with my situation he couldn't place her, and instead of analyzing it to death and since he isn't afraid of anything he says to her when she returns, "I know you from somewhere." He asks her a few questions and realizes he knew her from a college course over 5 years ago. After they banter back and forth and she takes our order she is able to produce steamed clams for the guys. My point? By not being afraid and befriending the waitress GG was able to get what he wanted. I have so much to learn!

I have so much to learn! During the grocery shopping part of the date we walk by someone I know, very nice woman, I've talked to her numerous times, she doesn't see me so I continue walking and even avoid running into her so I don't have to say hi. My reasoning? I can never pronounce her name right, and I would have had to introduce her to my husband and then ask again how to pronouce her name. Two steps forward, one step back.

Merrily we roll along . . .

Isn't this (http://mormonmommyblogs.blogspot.com) a good idea? We thought so.

In order to participate, she asks that you put the blog on your blogroll. So we did.

Then I started looking at who else I ought to add, and suddenly it was like mailing invitations to a baby shower! Who do I invite? Who will feel left out? Who will be irritated at having to buy another gift? Who am I forgetting? What if I invite somebody who busts out jokes about contraception in front of my British aunt?

So we're leaving it up to you . . . if you'd like to be included on our blogroll, leave a comment or drop either of us an email (firstnamelastname@gmail.com) That's not a real email. You have to put in one of our actual names, if you know what they are, in which case LUCKY YOU! Otherwise it's off to the comments with you. Either way, as long as your blog is PG, we'll add you to our itty bitty blogroll!

Man, I wish I could do that for baby showers.

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We've reluctantly decided to try moderating comments. We really don't want to do anything that will discourage normal people from commenting, but we've picked up a blog troll, and we'd hate for any of you to come across any of those comments before we can delete them. So please keep commenting, and we'll check frequently to get them posted quickly.