Diary of a Single Girl

Most of you who know me, know that I am a single 29-yr old girl. It's nothing that I am ashamed of, nor is it anything that I hide. It is truly just one of those things in life where I know that my time will come. However, I have known so many situations of girls who will bend over backwards just to have a boyfriend. I'm not that girl. I'm also not the kind of girl who will start a relationship with someone whom I have no connection with just to fill that missing void. Don't get me wrong, there are days were I wonder to myself just when my time will come, but the thought is quickly diminished by something else of more importance.

Over the past few weeks, I've honestly had some time where I have sat and truly thought about various things that make being single even more okay than I thought it originally was before.

• My time is my own: One of my most favorite parts of the day is coming home from work after a long day. I come home to a quiet house, and I virtually can do whatever I want to do for the rest of the night. If I want to go to the mall, I can. If I want to take a drive and just randomly drive clearing my head, I can. If I want to go to the gym, I can. If I want to just come home, sit in my big red chair all night long... I can do that too. I can do whatever I want.
  
• I am and will continue to be picky: I have had my share of relationships, and clearly since I am single now - they didn't work out. I am okay with this, and know that I took from every relationship exactly what I want and what I do not want in my future mate. I've waited this long, so why not wait longer to get exactly what I want instead of rushing into something I know that isn't going to be forever.
• Less Drama: Do you know how nice it is not to have to have a lovers spat, rather sit on the other side of the table and helping a friend/family through their battle? I'd so much rather be their shoulder than be on the other side of the table with the drama. I will always be there for any of my friends or family who needs an ear - but by being single, I'm shedding years of drama of my life and am totally okay with it.
  
• Impressing myself: In the morning, if I have a hair out of place or decide not to wear make-up fully - I can. Though you don't want to make these days too frequent or you will find yourself single even longer than you anticipated - but being single always a little more freedom. I'm here to impress me, myself and I. In my eyes, I know I have imperfections - but in my eyes I also see perfection and no one tells me otherwise.
  
• Being spontaneous: I am very lucky that one of my best friends is also single. Being that we are both single, this allows us to do whatever the heck we want to do. If we want to jump in the car and drive to New York for the weekend, we can - and oh we have. You might as well consider us Thelma and Louise because it is the most amazing feeling in the world to be so free to go wherever and see the world.

I do look forward to the day where I do have another half, however for the time being I am going to enjoy singlehood for everything that it is and everything I want it to be. I absolutely refuse to be the girl to sit in the fetal position waiting for Prince Charming to knock on my door. I also refuse to throw myself at just anyone just for the sake of saying "I have a boyfriend." I will continue to wait, be patient, have fun and make my life whatever I want it to be.

I have never forgotten, and never will forget something my Mom & Great Grandma have always told me, "Be picky." Picky is exactly what I plan on being.

Spring is here... so are photo roadtrips!

Can you believe it!? After a whole month of having writers block, I'm actually posting another blog. Third one in a week! I won't lie, I am even impressed with myself. We'll see how long we can keep this going, but I will say that I do have a few topics in my brain that could be potential blogs within the next week. *Grabs pen to write down topics so I don't forget*

Spring in Ohio... that could be a topic in itself! However, I am going to bypass that as a topic for the moment and talk about one of my favorite hobbies that starts in Spring. Most people see Springtime as an opportunity to start hobbies of their own. Some get their motorcycles out of the garage to go on a ride. Some break out the flip flops knowing that because Spring is here, that means Summer is next. Then there are those who begin outdoor athletics, biking, baseball games, volleyball games, etc. This girl - she looks forward to jumping in the car and getting lost in the midwest with her camera and her tripod! Sure, this can be a hobby that can be done in the Winter as well - but as we all know, I hibernate and refuse to leave my walls unless provided truly an important reason. Besides, if I did this hobby year long... I wouldn't look forward to it nearly as much in the Spring when it's time to hit the road!

Photo roadtrips started probably 5 years ago. (Totally take a stab in the dark as to truly when this started...) Once Courtney and I reunited after a brief separation from just growing apart and going to different schools, we found our common ground again with our love for photography. Obviously being that she is truly a professional photographer, she loves it to a whole different level than I do. However, it is because of her profession that it has helped me to be as good as I am today! There was a Springtime within the 4 year span that we had a freeze on these roadtrips, but that next Spring we were right back at it again as if nothing ever happened.

I cannot even tell you the amount of times that we've jumped into the car on a Saturday and just drove. We may have a destination in mind, we may not have a destination in mind. Regardless of where we went, we always ended up having a fantastic time. The most memorable was probably being lost in Vinton County, Ohio and while outside we were hit by a massive rainstorm and we were soaked from head to toe. For those who are not aware of Vinton County, it is the poorest county in Ohio (sad, but true.) so you can imagine there is not much around. Thankfully, down the road - we found a Family Dollar. Thankfully, the Family Dollar does sell clothes... I walked out of there with a pair of 3x shorts and a shirt that was just as massive. There was literally no clothes in that store that were less than the size of 3x. Being that we were soaked, we sucked it up and wore clothes that we essentially swam home in. It is these stories that make these journeys SO much fun! I would trade them for the world!

Other places we have ended up:

• Niagara Falls, New York
• Westfield, New York (NY's Western Wine Country)
• Erie, Pennsylvania
• Astabula, Ohio (Northern Ohio's Wine Country)
• Hocking Hills/Athens/Nelsonville, Ohio
  
• Mohican State Park, Ohio
  
• Millersburg, Ohio (Ohio's Amish Country)
  

I can only wonder where 2010 is going to take us! We have up until October to continue our photo trips, and I am hoping that we can expand our territory and head south this year into Kentucky, West Virginia or even Virginia.

Enjoy a few photos from previous journeys!

*Upper Sandusky, Ohio*

*Niagara Falls, New York*

*Ashtabula, Ohio - Laurello Vineyards*

*Lake Hope, Ohio*
(The day of the rainstorm...)

Thank you, Mr. FHI

Dear Mr. FHI Straightener:

I wanted to take a moment to provide you with a proper farewell. Look at you, just sitting there in my bathroom, very still. Hardly moving. The light bulb, blinking so bad that you can tell you want to turn on and finish the job. However, as of today, you no longer have life in you. You have moved onto a new home, a home that will help you relax and not have to worry about working as hard as you did to straighten my hair. You have taken your last breath.

I remember the first day I bought you, clear as day. Justine told me that by purchasing you it would be a great investment. I personally wanted to throw up at your cost being that I was only working part-time and going to school. So, naturally I put you on my credit card. Though I am likely still paying your interest 6 1/2 years later, Justine was correct. You are the single source of happiness to my morning routine, in making my hair presentable for everyone around.

Before you came along, my hair was curly. It was ugly. It was annoying. Most importantly, people made fun of my hair and called me names. (Granted, this was middle school and not as an adult, but still...)
In the 90s, it was cool to have a perm. Perms was great. However, later down the road - perms were not so hot. Once they went out of style, my naturally curly hair had not a leg to stand on and was nothing less than a hot mess. Because of you, you provided me with a new level of self-esteem that I had never had before. A reason to like my hair. A reason to leave the house without throwing my mop of curly hair up in a ponytail.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for 6 1/2 years of effort in making me beautiful. Though I will be replacing you tomorrow, I will think of you often and remember you fondly. You will always be my first straightener, and know that you were the single reason for my hair being straight for the past 6 1/2 years.

Love always,
Becca

A Community Coming Together: The Decker's Story

I apologize up front of my absence in my blogging, or lack there of I should say! I've had the worst case of writers block and couldn't for the life of me think of anything funny or witty to talk about! However, this blog is on the more serious note - I won't let my fan club down and will write a funny blog to make up for the seriousness of this blog. I promise.

As you may or may not be aware, I grew up for the first 10 years in my life in a small little cow-town called Enumclaw, right at the base of Mt. Rainier near Seattle, Washington. Though I only lived there for a short time before my Dad's job relocated us to California - I do have fond memories of this town and still visit every chance that I can. Thankfully, I was blessed with a pretty good memory and remember quite a few details of my days in Enumclaw. From riding my bike down to Montgomery Park and having a water balloon fight, or covering myself in Jessica's Debbie Gibson Electric Youth perfume, or having a matching Espirit bag as April... the memories go on. One of the most distinctive landmarks I remember is a big white house right in downtown not too far from the middle school. I thought that this house was one of the most beautiful houses I've ever seen, and to this day - I can still remember it as if I were seeing it in person. The house belonged to the Decker Family.

I moved away from Enumclaw in 1991, and have only been back to visit every now and again (aka: every chance I get!) and have never forgotten the Deckers. Through my childhood Enumclaw connections on Facebook, I ran across a group called, "We want to see the Deckers on ABC's Extreme Makeover Home Edition!!" The minute I saw it, I thought "It must be the Deckers in the big white house!" Reading more about their story, I found myself sobbing with my heart hurting for them. Their story is one that is truly a story of love, triumph and a community coming together to support a family in their time of need. That is the beauty of Enumclaw, it is a small town who has the togetherness to stick together through their residents time of need. I encourage everyone to not only join the group to support the Deckers, but also read the blog that goes along with it to learn about their story. Though I warn you, I know I am a very sensitive and emotional person, I would have some tissues ready if you watch the attached videos.

My heart goes out to the Decker family, and I applaud those in the community who help with those fundraisers to aid their medical bill challenges. If I were not 2,400 miles away - I would without a doubt do anything in my power to help and be apart of that community. For now, I am going to help by rallying with the Facebook Group to support Extreme Makeover Home Edition and spread the word to by pass the population of Enumclaw of 11,000 people. They are almost half way there, I challenge everyone to read their story and pass on the information if they are touched (I know you will be...)!

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/group.php?gid=112160658809224&ref=nf

http://sccsdecker.blogspot.com/