Game Changer

Have you ever felt like the tide is turning?  Like there is something about to happen, something that will make a huge difference in the course of your life?  I have had that feeling lately, and have resisted it, but now I am opening my arms and welcoming this game-changer.  Whatever it may be.  I’m not entirely sure what it will be yet, but I can feel it coming and I am getting excited.

Anyway, enough with the abstract nonsense.  🙂  This morning I made pumpkin pancakes.  They rocked my world.  I think my family enjoyed them too.  If you follow me on pinterest, I pinned the recipe I used to my board “Recipes Galore.”  It is worth a try if you like pumpkin-flavored things like I do.  I am also planning on making pumpkin-flavored protein shakes, and will eventually get around to making pumpkin cookies.  So much pumpkin, so little time.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending yet another race finish line and cheering on some of my awesome running friends at the KC Marathon/Half Marathon.  Turns out, an acquaintance of mine’s husband (did you follow that?) won the whole thing!  Not that I’ve ever met him, as his wife is only an acquaintance, but still.  Only need two degrees of separation to say I know the winner of the KC marathon!  It was a beautiful day for the race.  Congratulations to all of you who ran either the half or the full marathon.  I am equally impressed, no matter which one you chose.  I think the most I could ever commit to run would be a half marathon.  Seems ridiculous to go above 13.1 miles 😉

Then, on top of a beautiful day where I was also able to accomplish the task of washing my car, I went to Tonganoxie to watch the KSU Wildcats take on West Virginia.  Apparently, many were concerned about the Wildcats ability to win this one, despite an undefeated record.  I had no doubt whatsoever, but was still blown away by how incredibly we played!  That game was amazing, and as the KC Star put it, a “masterpiece.”  I don’t claim to watch a lot of football, not even for my own teams, but I wholeheartedly agree with the KC Star’s assessment.

This weekend has been very good, compared to what I would describe as an off-the-rails nutty week.  It’s weekends like this that are necessary to refuel my desire to live my life as positively and with as much passion as possible.  Whoops, went back down the abstract rabbit-hole.

Tonight, the fam and I are going to sit down and start planning out Thanksgiving.  We are hosting this year, and it sounds like we will have a very good turn out.  I am excited for the holidays.  Anywho, hope you’re having a great Sunday, filled with relaxation and a little soul-recharging.

Saturday at the Mall

Today, I stepped outside of my comfort zone.  This may shock some of you (except those who read the title), but I went to the mall today.  By myself, I might add.  For those of you who don’t know me, or don’t know me very well, I’m not the biggest fan of shopping.  Unless it is for office supplies, shoes, or candles.  If I do have to go to a mall of some sort, I prefer that it be the outdoor variety because that way I can go directly to the stores I want and avoid all the other ones completely.  Today, I went to Oak Park Mall.  It is massive, and thinking about it usually makes me have a mini panic attack.

This time though, I had a game plan.  I wanted a jacket at Eddie Bauer that was ridiculously on sale (thanks for planting that seed dear sister!), and I had already painfully discovered that the store closest to me did not have what I wanted.  So, I ventured out to the mall to go straight to Eddie Bauer and get out.  I decided the best entry point to get straight to Eddie Bauer was by parking near Nordstrom.  That had the added benefit of allowing me to walk past the Nordstrom shoe department, and drool over all the beautiful shoes.  Across from the shoe department in Nordstrom is the makeup bonanza center.  If you don’t know what that means, it’s that area where there are usually women in aprons standing around — possibly to ambush you with a spritz of the latest perfume.  Today though, that area was all a-tizzy, and there was a row of makeup chairs blocking the aisle I had to get through to get to EB.  So, I stealthily made my way through the shoe department, consciously keeping my gaze down so that the makeup ladies could not engage me and distract me from my purpose.

I’m not crazy…just purpose-driven.

Anyway, Eddie Bauer was a success.  I found just what I wanted, made my purchase, and started to make my way back to my patient little Honda so that it could take me home.  I was on such a high from my mission’s success, that I forgot about the makeup lady envoy blocking my way.  I had my head up, I was smiling with relief — and I ran right into her.  A lady with flawless skin and a very well done smokey eye, who took advantage of my good mood and before I knew it, had me seated in her makeup chair.  I can’t deny that I like to be pampered, and really, I had no pressing reason to hurry home.  So I resigned myself to my fate.

Thirty minutes, a lot of laughing, and quite a bit of product later, she was finished.  I actually love what she did too — although my eyes are a little more heavily shadowed than I would normally do them.  I was a little hurt that she said she couldn’t even see the eyeshadow I had on when I walked in.  I figure that must have been because her insanely huge eyelashes make it really difficult to see clearly.  That being said, she gave me some really good pointers, and also made me want some of her peddled product.  I did not buy any though, since I had just spent all the money I could spend on the jacket at EB.  It is so hard to not buy the products that make you look good, which is why I usually avoid makeup chairs and the people that make you sit in them.

I’m not sure what the point of this was.  My takeaway from the experience was something along the lines of “loosen up a little” because I really ended up enjoying myself after that.  However, I understand if you took nothing away from this, other than the fact that I am bizarre when it comes to shopping.  Now you know me a little better.  Congrats!!