Naughty By (Human) Nature

Okay so continuing on this random ranting/blogging I've been doing lately...

This weekend I went out to dinner with my dad and when we left the restaurant I hopped in the car while he did his normal scan of the side of his car (you'd be surprised how little respect people have for police cars and how bold/stupid a lot of them are when it comes to things they'll do to cops cars), well turns out someone hit his car in the parking lot of the restaurant, preceded to back up and destroy the fence, and then (according to the people who saw it) ran over the curb to get onto the road. (Most likely in a panic realizing that they had a hit a police car)

You can see it knocked off the whole light covering (that all used to be red) and dented the bottom left corner.

I was so shocked that someone would do this in a crowded public place and then just drive off! I understand there were witnesses and they probably didn't have a pen and paper handy to write down the license plate number of the car, but I just couldn't believe that person just LEFT! (P.S. the witnesses say it was a U-Haul truck, so if any of y'all happen to see a truck with a little front end or back end damage, holler at your girl) ;)

But, then I got to thinking...

I remember three or four years ago I was home for Christmas break and since I went to school out of state and flew home I had to rely on my parents extra cars to get around. I was lucky enough to get to drive my dad's GINORMOUS diesel truck. (During the break my friends and I lovingly nicknamed it 'Big D', it was ridiculous). But anyways, I remember driving it to the mall to get some presents and I pulled into a spot that was a liiiiiittle too small for that gigantic automobile...so small in fact that I ended up hitting another car and getting STUCK! Okay...so...obviously I panicked, called my dad (who was too far away to come save me) and he called the Sheriff's office to send someone to come help me. EMBARASSING! But it was seriously jammed so tight in there I just couldn't get out by myself. A sheriff deputy came, saw me wedged into that little baby spot and after like 20 minutes of slight wheel turns and backing in and pulling up over and over we finally managed to get the car out of there and I just remember thinking, I wish this officer wasn't here so I could just drive away...I was so scared that my dad was going to be mad at me (which he wasn't, the most level-headed guy I know!) and I was so embarrassed, I mean really...who the heck realizes they can't fit the biggest car in the world in the tiniest spot at the mall?! Of course I left my information there for the person and they were so grateful! They called me the next day to thank me for leaving everything and not driving off (she was a wife whose husband was deployed in Iraq)...but I still had the thought in my mind...if only I could have gotten away with it, I would have...

That's TERRIBLE to think, I know it is...and now here it's happened to someone I care about and I found myself SHOCKED that someone didn't leave their information...hmmm...funny how that works out.

It really got me thinking about the way that people act, why we do the things we do, act the way we act, REact the way we do...

There is absolutely NO explanation I can think of...literally for EVERY situation that something happens to you and you feel like a victim or you wish someone else would have been more courteous, I'm sure we can pinpoint a time in our lives when we've acted the same way to another person.

Whether it's being a courteous driver or expecting someone else to be...Losing your wallet and wishing someone else would return it or deciding whether or not you should keep money you found in someone else's wallet (I mean no one would ever find out)...etc.

In a perfect world, in every situation we would always ask "If this was me on the receiving end, how would I want someone else to react?"...but of course that's not the way things work.

As human beings we're naturally afraid...afraid of the consequences of telling the truth...afraid of getting into trouble...afraid of practically everything and it's really sad. Fear holds us back so much and it makes really good people not the best at times...In my mind that U-Haul driver is a dirty, ugly, mean looking man who probably breaks the law all the TIME (jerk!) but in reality, it's probably just another hardworking person (or scared teenage girl...though why she would be driving a big u-haul truck makes that scenario unlikely) who was too afraid of how much it would cost them or how much trouble they would be in to stop and do the honest thing...and I can honestly say...I've been there! I understand...my situation forced me to be a good person and looking back I'm glad that it did.

I wish other people would do the same sometimes.

P.S. I am not a deep person, so I know a lot of you brainiacs can see things from a different perspective as me or you might have a great explanation and I would LOVE to hear it! :) This kind of stuff is so interesting to me.

P.P.S. Every U-Haul truck I see for the next few weeks will be getting a thorough examination by me ;) ...jerk!

"Never Let Your Emotions Take Hold"

Today I feel...

How in the heck do people do that?! I am seriously the MOST emotionally ridiculous human being (or...I guess I should say GIRL) in the entire world! Seriously, I am so damn sensititve about every little thing and it is so ANNOYING!

I have no idea how I got to be this way, I'd like to think it's because I was so spoiled as a kid that hearing "no" or anything negative automatically triggers something in my tear ducts that just make them start flowing. Either way, however I got to be this way, I need to find a reverse button STAT!

The other day was not one of my best ones and my mood (unfortunately) was not very well hidden, S kept asking me what was wrong and I was so ready to just spill it all...
-Scared about my move
-Frustrating days at work
-Money stressing me out
-Managing and organizing my life...
etc.
I was so ready to just let it all spill, just get it out, I know he would be so understanding and just listen to me and then finally let me know everything would okay, but I just couldn't say anything! Everytime I went to open my mouth I could feel the tears stinging my eyes just ready to come pouring out for NO REASON. It's not that big of a deal, I mean literally the next day or even hours later I was laughing at myself for being so ridiculous, but my emotions always get the better of me and it keeps me from talking about it because I don't want to cry (like an idiot, I mean seriously, grow up and start acting 22!)

My dad says it's my most annoying quality and it is. I'm too. damn. sensitive!!!!!!

I never really stand up for myself either (when it comes to people that I'm not very close with, to those I am close with I guess I could be seen as bossy at times **cough cough Shawn**) ;). If someone asks me to do something, even if it is the most inconvenient thing for me, I always say yes, I just can't say no and then it ends up stressing me out, over the littlest things. I mean, I'm no pushover (most of the time) but it really is ridiculous how much I say yes when really I should be saying "No I don't want to walk around and ask everyone what their birthdays are, I actually have my own work to do" or "Maybe you'd have time for this and not have to ask me to do it because you have 'so much to do' if you didn't spend 4 hours a day gossiping with people in your office".

Sometimes in my office I literally feel like this guy:

Don't get me wrong, I am so grateful for my job, the fact that I even have one when so many people out there are struggling, but I just wish I knew how to say "no" every once in a while.

I feel like most of the time I say yes just to avoid the whole overflow of emotions kind of thing...because I feel like if I say no there will be conflict, conflict leads to anxiety, anxiety leads to...tears...UGH! Grow up Kristen!

Okay **deep breath** I am done with my rant! I actually have a really GREAT life and I am SO happy with where I am right now and wouldn't change a thing...except for maybe this darn emotions ;)

Move in went really well and we're all still getting adjusted and trying to figure out how and where to get all of our furniture, once it's done I'll post pictures, and don't worry we're having a house warming party so bring us bottles of wine ;)

Before It's Too Late!

I get so excited to type blogs that I forget to talk about fun things that I get to do! Well I am going to make sure I don't forget that for the first time EVER I learned how to drive a standard this weekend, that's right, a real live stick shifting car. And it was SO scary!!! I don't know how people do that...

We were on the way home when Shawn stopped in his parking lot and said "Get out, I want to try something" so of course I got out and he said "get in! I'm gonna teach you how to drive this thing!" So basically a 5 minute lesson and he told me I was ready to drive all the way home...from HUNTSVILLE! I mean how hard could it be right, I've been driving for years! HA! 5 stalls later we made it (on super busy roads might I add, one guy must have known it was my first time driving a stick shift because when I stalled at a light he just laughed and got into the next lane, it was like he felt my pain!)

This is what I drove, a little tiny baby Toyota Yaris, which is completely opposite of my big honky Toyota Highlander! (which thank the lord and my parents that it's an automatic)

Later that day we went to my mom's house so I could make some mushroom ravioli's which are my FAVOOOORITE thing to make, here's my little baby pasta's "resting":

And after we ate the DELICIOUS pasta I tried to show off my new standard driving skills by driving home...let's just say the drive ended with me refusing to go any further after stalling out for the 20th time at a stop sign...bless my heart...it was so frustrating!! But I could not have had a more patient teacher, everytime I stalled out he would always say "It's okay! Just hold the clutch, start the car and try again!" Even when I pitched a fit and made him take over in the middle of the street we were still able to laugh about it later.

I won't be driving a stick shift anytime soon so don't worry the streets are safe! I just wanted to share that story before I forgot about it :)

Getting closer and closer to the day I move in to my new house!!
Maybe my dad will let me steal this little gem of a piece of furniture:

Gotta love a giant chair and a tiny mom :)

Here's to hoping your day is full of automatic starts and no stalls <3