The Same or Different?

Someone recently told me that in reading through the posts on this blog he was unable to decipher which of us was the author unless he looked at the citation noting our illusive identity. This is not a new suggestion to me. In fact, Maren and I have been playing a sort of game in citing to each other the specific things we encounter in life for which we have differing opinions. To ourselves, we seem very different. For example, just this morning Maren & I were chatting about how she believes in sleeping & I do not. ;)

At the same time if I look closely at the person I've become, I can see little pieces of other people, most often those closest to me, that I've carefully integrated into the person of Rebecca. Some traits I tried desperately to adopt, for example using correct grammar and very large words. ;) I've also no doubt that I have many traits that I didn't consciously seek, but still found me. (I'm not sure if these traits are good or bad because I'm not sure what they are, but they have to be there. Right?)

So, I have to thank all you fantastic people who helped to create Rebecca. You've done an amazing job. ;)

History of Hawaii

Hawaii keeps coming up in my life lately. My parents are on vacation in Hawaii, I read a book about a Princess in Hawaii, ordered a Hawaiian pizza (LOL). Which made me wonder about the history of Hawaii. I don't ever remember learning in school about how it was Hawaii became a part of the United States. I remember learning it was first a territory, and that it became a state in 1959. From what I can read about it, it seems it was nothing but greed that made the Americans dethrone the Hawaiian Queen, and take over. Sometimes I think it is so hard to figure out what is truly history, what really happened, and the watered down versions we are supposed to believe. Does anyone know anything about the history of Hawaii? I would love to know more and understand more.
"Elphaba, where I come from, we believe all sorts of things that aren't true. We call it History." The Wizard in Wicked.

Pretty Sure This is Rambling

So, I received a funny e-mail depicting characterized personalities in Utah as Barbie dolls. It was a highly amusing e-mail. I was going to post it here for everyone's enjoyment, but it was incredibly slow going & the longer I worked at it the more convinced I became that some people would just be offended. So, in efforts to keep the peace & because I'm feeling a bit lazy (and need to clean my room) I've decided that if you'd like the e-mail let me know. I know I already owe it to 2 of you, but I'm not sure if I have correct e-mail addresses. I'll get it to you soon. No worries. In short, this highly pointless & boring post was brought to you by...me. Wow. I'll do better next time. (I hope.) I know. I'll post a fun picture with it! That will help make up for its lack of shine.



This is a picture of one side of a covered bridge that I saw in the Philippines. Many of the walls & fences in this town were painted to match this pattern. I really appreciated that these people who seemed to have so much less than I did at home had worked to make their town beautiful. How much I truly take for granted! If only I could learn to not simply make do with what I've been given, but to use what I've been given to improve the world around me. Sometimes I wonder which of us truly has been blessed with more.

Research Says

So, "research says" it takes 21 days to make a habit. You have heard it. Exercise for 21 days, eat well for 21 days, etc etc, and you are home free! Suddenly you embark on the new life that is yours having conquered whatever negative aspect of your life has plagued you.
Sadly, I looked it up, and there is no "research" that says anything of the sort. Apparently some doctor in the 1960's wrote it in his book, but it was based on his own observations, nothing more. People seemed to like the idea, as now there are hundreds of books and self-help programs based on 21 days.
The worst part of trying to develop a habit is that no matter how many wonderful "21 days" you exercise, eat fresh fruits or vegetables, avoid sugar, or any number of other worthy goals, inevitably there comes a day when you feel too tired to exercise, or the fruit has gone moldy, or someone in the office has brought in donuts and you just don't want to see them go to waste. And then each time you try and start over, it seems it is now twice as hard to go back to where you were.
So, what can a person do to stay motivated? Without the promise of 21 days to the new and better you, how can a person develop and keep a habit? More important, what can be done when a person "falls off the bandwagon"? When that day where you were too tired to exercise becomes a week, a month, or more?
Your turn: What do you do to stay motivated? How do you convince yourself to do the things you know you should, but frankly just don't want to?

Speaking of Hair in a Tropical Country...

I have naturally curly hair. In May I traveled to the Philippines for the first time. My hair was not my favorite feature there. I wore it up as much as possible to hide the frizziness & to gain relief from the intensely heated humidity. I should have read the a fore mentioned book as my hair in this state did not really give me confidence in my status as a gorgeous princess about to become engaged. So, I did what any not-thinking-very-clearly princess concerned for hair welfare might do. I had it chemically relaxed 2 days before leaving to return home.

It turned out beautifully straight. Even the ends which I'd never previously been able to straighten were straight. Now that I'm home it is fantastic! No more spending 30-45 minutes every time I wash my hair in blowing drying/straightening. The not thinking clearly part comes in when you're stuck in the chair at the salon for OVER 5 HOURS!! The entire time I spent thinking about all the other things I could have been doing, for example: not annoying everyone that had to wait for me, hanging with my incredible fiance, etc. Plus, sitting in a chair for 5 straight hours isn't very exciting. I think I looked through all the magazines that were within reach.

Now that I've been home for 2 months, I'm starting to miss some of the curliness. Although I still love that it doesn't take as long to make the mane look magnificent after it dries. So, what do I do? I start curling it. I spent a couple thousand pesos on straightening it, only to come home & curl it again! My soon-to-be family in the Philippines would probably be appalled. I get comments even if I just put it up from them because I spent so much money & should be enjoying the straightness that is now mine.

It just goes to show that the grass is indeed always greener on the other side of the fence. (Why is that?)

Brazil, with my Hair, Never!

When I was in High School, I volunteered at a crisis hotline. It was in a dark and creepy basement of a library. There was a back room full of old and dusty books. Myself and one of the other volunteers (you know who you are!) would often explore these books. One day, we found a book with a chapter titled "Brazil, with my Hair, Never!" This became our motto. Did we know what this meant? No of course not! It was just funny, and that is what we were, funny! (At least we thought we were funny.) We said it so much that people began to say "what do you mean? Why do you two always talk about Brazil?" It became rather ironic when one of us (not me) was assigned as a missionary to ... Brazil. Really, even with his hair.
What this post is really about, though, is not Brazil, nor hair, but in fact, the power of google. I began wondering last night if I would ever know the meaning of Brazil, with my hair, never, or if it would just be a phrase of un-usefulness forever. Well, my friends, I googled it this morning. This lovely chapter is from a book called "Book of Beauty, How to Become a more Attractive, Confident, and Sensual Woman." By Diane von Furstenburg. (Perhaps I should have read Ms. von Furstenburg's book. Then again, perhaps not.)
So there you have it, mystery solved. If one wants to learn to be confident, even with curly hair in a tropical climate, there is a book out there for you.