Happy is as Happy Does

Do you know how once you step away from something for a while, for whatever reason, you find it hard to come back? I swear, I haven't written an entry in about a week and it was hard to find the motivation to write! It just seemed like such a daunting task, the more I thought about it. I always do that and I don't know why. But either way, I am here and actually writing!

What I noticed is that in my absence Meaghan tagged me to make a list of things that currently make me happy - and honestly? I could really use this as a reminder that that certain things do make me happy if if I have been super grumpy the past few days.

• My husband. It is nice to know that no matter what, I have someone who is rooting for me and is on my side. He is my best friend and I enjoy the time we spend together if it is just me blogging and him playing video games (which is currently who we are spending our time)
• Reading a good book. I just finished, "All We Ever Wanted Was Everything" and I couldn't put it down. There is just something about a book that keeps you captivated.
• Episodes of Gilmore Girls and Sex and the City. Do I really need to explain this one?
• Ann Taylor Loft - which I pretty much just discovered this weekend. Seriously. I mean I knew it existed, but I had never really thought much about it. Then I went in. This was both a good and bad thing. Good because I am in love. Bad because I am in love and want to buy one.of.everything. I don't think my poor little bank account can take it. But seriously, love.
• The Olympics are OVER which means all shows should return their regularly scheduled programming. Amen.
• Encouragement and thoughtful words from people when you least expect it. I've had a rough few days and I got an email from someone saying they were thinking of me. It seriously brought tears to my eyes because, sometimes, I am a sap.
• Vacations!! We just took a weekend trip to Indianapolis and we are planning another trip to Gatlinburg for later in the year.
• My dog Carly. She is just so sweet and lovable. How could she not make me happy?
• The fact that it's supposed in the 50's this weekend. It gives me hope that spring may actually be just around the corner (although I am not holding my breath).

There now. I feel a little better about life. And I am supposed to tag some other people, but I am not sure who has/hasn't done this, so I am tagging anyone who reads this and wants to do it. I will say it's rather cathartic.

That's a Fact

With every good show on hiatus, I am lacking on TV blogging ideas so I thought I'd write a little more about myself because I am that vain. So without further ado here are 25 random factoids about moi (in no particular order):

• I met my husband when we were in high school. Yes, high school. We went to different but we met through mutual friends. We then went to the same college and married and lived happily ever after.
  


• I hold a special place in my heart for all things pink and green and turtles. Whenever I see anything with this color combination or with a turtle, I stop and attention must be paid.
  

• On the other hand, I am not a fan of the pink and blue combination. You will never see me wearing this colors together.
  


• I love peppermint. I could eat it all day long. Here's a hint: for a special treat, place a peppermint in your coffee. It is sure to brighten your morning!



• I have a sweet golden retriever mix named Carly. She is my child, and for right now, I prefer it that way.



• I am sarcastic (as if you couldn't tell). Sometimes I think I am too sarcastic for my own good.
  


• I love to quote movies and/or TV shows. I could probably have a whole conversation in entirely movie quotes.



• My wedding colors were bright pink and orange with a hint of green. I know it sounds retched, but I think it was quite lovely.





• In keeping with the wedding - I got married on the biggest wedding day ever - 7/7/07. And as if that weren't enough seven's, we had 7 bridesmaids, 7 groomsmen and the wedding started at 7. All of the 7's were purely coincidental. I promise.



• When it comes to cleaning, I would prefer to clean the bathroom than ever do dishes.



• I once shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die.



• Ok, that last one was a lie.



• I love to read. It's an escape from the every day life. For a brief moment in time, I can slip into another world entirely and forget about my problems for a while.



• I love TV (duh), much for the same reasons I love reading. I have so many favorite shows, but my all time favorites are Sex and the City, Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars. Apparently I love shows with strong female characters.
  



• Any show, movie, character, TV personality, etc. that deals with infertility causes me to tear up just a little because I am all too familiar with the experience.



• That being said, I just adore Jen Arnold from TLC's The Little Couple. The woman is not even four feet tall and she is conquering the world. The show in currently chronicling her journey to become a mother (carrying a child is not really an option for her) and I find her courage and optimism inspiring. I wish that I could be more like Jen Arnold. Add her to my list of people I want to be friends with.



• In case you weren't keeping track that list includes Tim Gunn, Kelly Cutrone and now Jen Arnold.



• I have a major fear of vomiting. I mean major. I don't want to do it and I don't want to be around people who are doing it. That's all I'm going to say about that.



• I love purses. LOVE them. I could buy a new purse every week if my husband and bank account let me. I love everything from the very expensive to the cheapest of cheap. I'm not picky.



• I went to Catholic School for 12 years and I thank God and parents every day that I had the privilege. I am proud of my Catholic school education and wouldn't trade it for anything.



• I was in a sorority in college (if you look real closely at this list, you can probably figure out which one) and I loved it to bits and pieces. I still love it and wish everyday that I could go back.
  


• I can't cook to save my life. Ok, I can make things from a box, but that is about it. Thank goodness I married a man who is a good cook.
  


• I enjoy traveling, but don't get to do it nearly enough. Last year, I went to Gatlinburg, Tennessee; Mackinac Island, MI; Norris Lake in TN; Sacramento/San Francisco/Napa Valley, CA. This year so far all I have planned is a night in Indianapolis, IN and a week in Seagrove Beach, FL.




• I truly enjoy my job and the people I work with. I don't think many people can actually say that.



• I'm not much for sports, but if there is one sport I can watch an entire game of and not be extremely bored, it's basketball. More specifially Kentucky Basketball. There is just something about it. If you're not from here, you wouldn't understand.
  



• And an extra since I wasted one with the Reno comment - I am from Kentucky and proud of it! I wear shoes, I am not married to my cousin, I have never dated a cousin, I can read, I have all my teeth, I don't smoke, I don't farm tobacco and No, I have never been to the Kentucky Derby.
  
  

I hope you enjoyed! Any questions, just ask!

The One Where I Get Serious and Personal

Ok, so I am going to be about as serious as I can be, so don't go thinking this is going to be a heavy entry or anything like that. I mean, this is still about TV, so how serious can it get, right? Recently I was thinking about two shows that I love for different reasons and aren't really all that much alike - Friends and Sex and the City. I was thinking about them in conjunction with one another because both touch on a topic that is near and no so dear to my heart, infertility. Yes, I admit it: My name is Emily, and I'm infertile.

Hi, Emily.

There is nothing to be ashamed of.

Anyhow, not too long ago, The WB was showing episodes from the later seasons of Friends, in which Monica and Chandler both find that they are infertile. While there are some tender and serious moments, it is mostly used a punch line. A way to make to make them seem "real" but still comical. I am here to tell you that when you are going through it, at first, there is not much that is funny about the situation. In fact, it downright sucks, but as you learn to deal and cope with it, you begin to find the humor in the situation. For example, my mom always worried that I would come home pregnant in high school. Turns out she really didn't have to worry all that much! Anyhow, I just don't feel the gravity of the situation. Watching it and having been through it myself, I don't find myself drawn to Monica and saying, "I totally know what she feels like". I guess you could say it's not a "real depiction".

On the other hand you have Charlotte York Goldenblatt on Sex and the City. I really have to commend the writers of SATC because I feel like they hit the nail on the infertility head when the wrote that plot line into the script. The night a friend of mine told me she was pregnant, I didn't at the time "know" that I had problems, but I had a feeling. I came home that night and watched the episode in which Miranda tells Charlotte she is pregnant. I.cried.my.eyes.out (and this was before the artificial hormones!). Because everything Charlotte said and did, I identified with. I knew, just like that she did, that something was wrong with me. And that my friends, is a tough pill to swallow.

This past Christmas, I completed my SATC set with parts one and two of season 6. I used to have them on DVD, but then I gave lent them to someone never to be seen again. Since they were new, I watched all episodes again which I hadn't done in a long time. The last time I watched them, I was in college and the "real" world didn't really apply to me. Now I watched it with a fresh eye and a little bit of experience (ok not much). Again, I was amazed at the accuracy of how they portrayed Charlotte's journey to baby. One of my favorite episodes, is when Charlotte gets a new dog and they take her to the dog park where she gets "gang banged" by the other dogs. The dog of course gets pregnant and this fires Charlotte up, because according to her everyone can get pregnant but her, and her dog got pregnant and it was her first time. There is humor in this situation, but also truth. Every time someone tells me they are pregnant, I want to scream because, "they weren't even trying" or "they got pregnant on their first try". It really does seem like everyone is getting pregnant but you. The most poignant episode though was when she got pregnant and had a miscarriage. She says that she can't go to Brady's birthday because it's too hard. I have been there. I have not had the experience of miscarriage (I can only imagine the pain of trying and trying only to be let down in that manner), but I have been there in the sense of not wanting to go to baby showers, or baby birthday parties because it's hard to smile and say I'm happy for you, when really you are sad and upset that it's not you. But like Charlotte, I try to rise above and still make it to those events because life does go on.

I could go on and on about the similarities I see in my journey to baby and that as depicted on SATC, but I'll stop there. Infertility is not a fun subject, but I try to make the best of it, just like Charlotte and Monica. I laugh about it, I cry about it, but I don't let it become who I am. Because I am much more than just infertile.

And that is about as serious as I ever want to get.