My New Blog Focus

I am clearly a failure as a blogger since my posts are super random in topic and times that I post them. Consistency in blogging has not been my strong point.
I do want to get more involved with this, and I think that if I focus on a topic, there will be more flow here.

Since my blog title is Keep the Optimism, I'd like to really use that to the fullest. My new plan is to change this blog into somewhere I can post about seeing the bright side of all situations. I sometimes get teased for being such an optimist, but it honestly helps me get through the day.

For example, yesterday was Monday: Instead of being grumpy that it was Monday I decided to call it Monday Funday! Right away it made me happier and more excited to be at work, and when I wished some of my co-workers a happy Monday Funday it made them smile too :)

Hopefully my future blog posts will make you smile and help you find the optimism is your day.

We'll see...

My Favorite Disney Character

Typically when people think about Disney characters, they pick out their favorites as Cinderella, Snow White or The Little Mermaid. All the princesses stand out, but my favorite Disney girl is the girl who makes me think about pushing the limits of possibilities... Alice.

Alice in Wonderland is my favorite because she isn't a princess who feels trapped and is just looking for a way out. She's smart and she's silly and she's creative and tries to be practical in a world of madness. I really respect Alice. She actually reminds me a lot of myself - maybe that's why I'm drawn to her.
She inspires me and she reminds us all that sometimes, when we think something is impossible, we just need to look at it a different way and we can figure it out.

"Nothing's impossible"

Easily Distracted

To prove this statement, I'd like to point out that I wrote the title of this post and then walked away for about 15 minutes. Not quite sure what's got in my brain recently, but my attention span has been slightly ridiculous.
I am currently in the late stages of planning a wedding (98 days to go!) so I have spent a lot of time thinking about the things I need to finish, but when I sit down to do them - like designing the invitations [which I've decided to do myself]- I get about 1/3 way through, then get this insatiable craving to check Facebook or YouTube or make a snack. While the peanut butter toast I just ate was delicious, I'm a little worried for myself :)
I think I just have a lot of things going through my mind and sometimes I find it hard to pick one to focus on, so finding a mindless distraction such as the above mentioned makes it so I don't have to think about any of them.

An update on NaNoWriMo (5 months late is better than never) I did complete my novel within the month of November. My final word count was right around 50,490 words. My Winner's certificate is still proudly being displayed on my refrigerator. I have slowly begun to read it and start editing, but it's still a long way away from being ready for publication. However, I'm extremely proud of myself for writing it, and I am more sure now than ever that I really do want to write. And I really like my story, so I think it may have potential once I work out the rough patches.

I'd like to think I've adjusted to life in Alabama now, but I continue to learn new things and I still find myself missing both Chicago and Boston. When I start to feel down about things lately I have rekindled my optimism and I've reminded myself that I'll only be as happy as I allow myself to be - so I'm embracing life and taking risks and deciding that I'm just going to be happy with how things work out. I didn't get a job I recently applied to, but I'm pretty sure it's just a sign that I'm supposed to be doing something else. Maybe this is a good excuse to get back to writing (hey, I wrote this blog, didn't I? This is already an improvement!)

Here's to another day, another distraction, and hopefully accomplishing something soon :)

National Novel Writing Month

In case you didn't already know, November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). So the goal is to write a novel (goal: 50,000 words) during the 30 days of November. NaNoWriMo is an organization (www.nanowrimo.org)and people all over the country actually attempt to write a novel during this month. There are groups all over the country, and I had my first meeting with the North Alabama group this weekend.

I'm, of course, a little nervous about the concept of writing 50,000 words in 30 days, but after meeting with the other writers... I'm totally pumped!
I felt a little out of the loop because pretty much everyone else is planning to write fantasy, sci-fi, horror or adventure and I plan on writing a Chick Lit novel... but they were encouraging to me even though I was the "odd-ball."

My story will be about one girl's dating adventures/misadventures on her search for Mr. Right. So... I'm a little cliche, but this is my first attempt at really writing a book and this is something that I feel like I can really try to do.

I'll keep you guys posted on my progress. I've been talking about writing forever, so now it's time to stop talking and start writing.
We're going to find out what I'm really made of!
Wish me luck!

Carri's To-Do List

1) Do not lose yourself – new surroundings should be an opportunity to discover more

2) Do not depend on how other people act to decide how you want to act

3) Do not let the worry of judgment suffocate your silliness

4) Write – every day, about everything, just write

5) Be happy – make yourself be happy. Look for the best and make it shine

6) Love him. Remind yourself why you love him. Encourage the things that make you love him

7) Be creative. Collage, draw, embrace the wedding as an outlet (and do others just for fun)

8) Be healthy. Learn to cook new things, learn new exercises, embrace health

9) Don’t stop learning. Sign up for a class, join a new club, don’t hold back

10) Keep the Optimism: Remember to find the silver lining in your thoughts about yourself, about your talents, about your life.

My TV debut

How could I have forgotten to mention that I made my official TV debut on June 1, 2011!!!???
I was representing NAPPA (National Parenting Publications Awards) and talking about some of the top winners in the Parenting Resources competition for 2011.

It was so exciting!!!

Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/17751636/best-and-safest-baby-gear?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=7038918

Every day is my Saturday

Oh my goodness how things have changed since I last wrote on here! The boyfriend DID become the Fiance. On our 4 year anniversary he popped the question, and I - of course- said Yes. Even though it means that I now live in Alabama... It's officially been 1 week of living in the south. I'm still alive, so that's a good sign.

Now for the serious question: How is Alabama living up to my expectations???

Well, there are things that are exactly as I expected. Such as: most people I've talked to have been very nice. Most parents I've seen at Wal-Mart have been completely awful and unfit to be parents. It is hot... and humid... and there are bugs.

Things I was not expecting: the lack of certain chains that I love, i.e. Jimmy John's and Dunkin' Donuts. (And it's not even that I love donuts, because I actually hate them, but sometimes a girl just gets a craving for a Coffee Coolata.) I was also not expecting my recycling to leave me a little notice letting me know that they do not collect: Glass, pizza boxes, fruit containers, large cardboard, etc... seriously --- what are you good for????

I'm also slightly worried about the job prospects here because I am finding an abundance of Sales jobs, but if I learned anything the last 6 months, it is that I do not want to work in Sales. So keep your fingers crossed for me as I seriously launch my job search. A dream job would be working promotions for a radio station, TV station, or a book publishing company. I'm going to try my best to keep positive thoughts about this. Being "Funemployed" I'm actually finding it a bit hard to keep track of the day. So everyday pretty much feels like Saturday to me - I guess that's not a bad thing :)

I'll let you know how things go!!