{30-DC} Final Day: Day 30: Part II: 20 goals you want to accomplish.

I admit that I feel a little neurotic about that Part I post....I realize that most of it (most of my self-consciousness) is in my head.

As for this last part, I think twenty goals is....a bit overkill. I'm going to keep them pretty basic, even day-to-day, in nature. Because I think 20 big goals would just have me sobbing in a puddle on the floor. Pretty overwhelming.

1. Clean my master bedroom today

2. Put away at least three loads of laundry today

3. Make time to read the awesome book I've started, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane.

4. Have friends over for dinner this week

5. Organize the hall closet before next week

6. Attend Relief Society meeting tonight.

7. Paint my fingernails.

8. I'm starting to run out of goals. This is definitely overkill. Time to get reeeeally basic.

9. Get up from the computer.

11. Breathe. (Actually, this IS easier said than done, considering my allergies are really raging today.)

12. Eat dinner.

13. Sleep.

15. Skip #14.

16. Be more selective about blog challenges, reading them through to the end before commencing.

17. Greet Phill with a big fat peanut-butter-tasting kiss (Nature Valley granola bar, thank you very much) when he gets home

18. Laugh (already done)

19. Repeat #18

20. Call it good

GOOD.

{30-DC} Final Day: Day 30, Part 1: A picture of you today

I had some fun trying to get a good self-portrait for today, using my camera remote. Some of the photos were hilariously off--like focused on my shirt instead of me, or just completely off the mark altogether. Some of them were revealing in the in-between moments they caught--like my stressed out face, or my mad face (the remote was wigging out), or my pensive (and somehow sad) face. Totally appropriate, considering today I've been pretty all over the place, emotionally speaking.

Anyhow, what I'm getting to is this: I'm going to post two pictures of myself today. One that shows all the flaws that I'd rather hide--roughness of my skin, zits (my skin has been absolutely hellish for the last several months), forehead wrinkles, dryness....and then another photo where I've taken away those things that really bug me.

I know you know that I edit photos of myself and present my best-edited face to the world. I'm not opposed to putting my best face forward, not mine or anyone else's. I know I'm not hideous. And I know that many of you who read this, see me in daily life and know that I'm not near as pristine as the photos I try to produce. But I'm trying (really) hard to be more comfortable with the things I cannot change about myself. My wrinkles aren't going anywhere. My zits--well, I'd LIKE to bid them good riddance, but they seem mighty comfortable here on my face. The thing is, I don't really want to depend on my looks to help me feel emotionally sound. I'll take good care of myself however I can, but I know, too, that how I look is not the most important--OR the most interesting--thing about me.

And I forget this. All of this. Especially on days when I'm having a bad hair day and hormonal skin and ill-fitting clothes and body issues. Which is why I'm posting this. To remind myself as much as to tell anyone else.

This is actually a good day for zits....I usually have four times this amount. 

{30-DC} Day 29: In this past month, what have you learned?

I know this is random, but I have learned....wait for it....that I actually like Oprah! I know. I'm shocked, too.

No really, after being so set in my slight distaste for most things Oprah (it really was slight), I saw THIS (not a full version--maybe it's on Hulu) and could only conclude that I have sadly misunderstood where she was coming from. And seriously, this cleared it up--in a huge way. I love what she's after. I love what she stands for. I think she is a great force for good.

{30-DC} Day 28: A picture of you last year and now--how have you changed since then?

Brand-new Penny in my arms

This photo is from April 2010.

For one, we don't have sweet Penny Lane anymore. I still miss her from time to time, but I'm also still sure we made a good decision in giving her a better place to live.

Two, I look pretty pale in this photo because I was still somewhat recovering from my septum surgery and couldn't stand much time in the sun. (Felt like my nose was baking, inside-out....so weird.) At this time, April 2011, I can say I do have a smidgen more color to my skin than in this photo. Gladly.

I can honestly say that I'm happier than when this photo was taken. It's not so much that I was terribly unhappy, but I feel like I just had so many unresolved feelings that I was trying to sort out. I still have some, but to a large extent, I feel more peace now than I did then. I know myself a little better. I feel a little more forgiving of myself and a little more in tune with what my purpose is.

With continual heavenly help and some earthly angels, I've overcome specific heartache. I've written some posts I'm proud of, this one in July 2010 being one of them. I have watched my children grow and felt the bittersweet joy of mothering them; how fast that time has gone. I have had answers to prayers, some of which have come in the simple form of just helping me know where I want to go with my work.

Pretty good year. :)

{30-DC} Day 27: Why are you doing this 30 day challenge?

Because I figured it would give me a good temporary framework for some blog posts!

Because several of the questions intrigued me.

Because I wanted to see if anyone else would, and I was curious about their answers.

{30-DC} Day 26: Places you want to visit before you die.

Oh, SO many. 

Africa

Greece

Italy (Rome, Venice, FOOD)

Mexico

Canada

Maine (I've been randomly obsessed since I was 10)

New York City (technically, this would be a re-visit; I was so young the first time that I don't remember)

Chicago

Boston

San Francisco

And some re-visits:

Savannah, GA

Paris

Mons, Belgium

Heidelberg, Germany

Tacoma, Washington

{30-DC} Day 25: What would I find in your bag?

I really ought to post a fun photo of all the contents of my purse, but I'm not feeling that energetic, seeing as I'm trying to catch up late at night. Off the top of my head, here's what is usually in my purse:

My wallet

My checkbook

Two small notebooks

Two pens

A small clear plastic zip-up makeup bag that holds: a comb, hand sanitizer, hand lotion, Chap-Stick, and Tylenol (brilliant idea via Abby)

A mini first-aid kit

My keys

My phone

A few small wallet photos

A hairband or hair clip (for those staticky moments or hot days)

Alba brand lip stuff (favorite)

A bag of almonds -or- a granola bar -or- a bag of pistachios (we won't re-hash some epic blood sugar meltdowns I've had)


We can safely conclude that I am paranoid and vain....OR that I just really like to be prepared for various scenarios!

{30-DC} Day 24: Share a story about your past that you are ashamed of.

The things that I felt shame for are things that I've since made peace with. I know it isn't productive, even in jest or folly, to re-hash any specific incidents. I have made mistakes, big and small--many times--and I continue to make mistakes. But when I do, I try to make it right, and I firmly believe that part of making it right is that you don't catalog the guilt for future reference. And that's hard enough for me to do--without a blog challenge bringing it back for me!

{30-DC} Day 23: What is something you crave?

I like this question! It has lots of possible applications.

For instance, FOODS:
I crave Krave frozen yogurt (that's funny, isn't it). Pineapple Dole whip. Passionate About Peach. Chocolate. Blueberry. Mango.

I crave fresh produce--cantaloupe, strawberries, greens, celery, carrots, apples, oranges.

I crave chocolate chip cookies.

I crave dark chocolate--Ghirardelli dark, 72%.

Or STATES OF BEING:
I crave peace.

I crave comfort within my body, and a healthy body.

I crave adventure.

I crave order.

I crave light.

Or DREAMS:
I crave a house I own.

I crave family togetherness and family reunions.

I crave the gift of knowing just what I want and the ability to go after it.

I crave more time. For time to be stretched out so my babies quit growing up so fast, more time to become better at the things I need to improve on. More time to read, more time to lay in the sun, more time to clean and cook and exercise and just sit and breathe.

Hilarious sidenote: In the middle of writing this, I carried several bottles of nail polish to the trash can--colors I was tired of, or colors that had run out--and guess what I did? I dropped a bottle of polish on the tile kitchen floor. So it shattered. And painted part of the floor a muted pink. Nice, huh?

{30-DC} Day 22: What makes you different from everyone else.

I don't know. Questions like this always make me feel weird. I like feeling connected to others, and part of that (for me) is being able to find common ground. I could list a few things that I feel make me "different", but the truth is, a bunch of other people would probably feel set apart by the very same things. So....I opt out of this one. I'm such a rebel, I know. :)

Oh wait. I got one. Something somewhat unusual, I guess. I haven't lived in any one town longer than 3 years. It's rather amazing to me, in fact, that on May 25th, I will have lived in the state of Utah for 7 years.

And then a couple months later, we'll be moving again. But I'm not fully addressing that elephant in my living room yet. I want to organize my thoughts on the subject first. (Meaning, I'd like it to be more coherent than the hour-long sobfest I indulged in on Wednesday.)

P.S.-I know I fell behind. I don't care. Hopefully you don't care, either, and don't mind my efforts to gracefully catch up.

{30-DC} Day 21: Share a picture from your day.

This is actually a picture from yesterday. Today was filled with conference-watching, lounging around, and play-dough and a conference game I made up called Conference Eggs....it was a really good day.

Saturday picnic.

{30-DC} Day 20: If you had 3 wishes, what would they be?

*sigh*

I'm sorry to be so predictable. I really am.

I would wish for world peace.

Go ahead, plunk a Miss America crown on me, smear some red lipstick on my smoocher, and call it good.

I would wish for a million dollars. Or a trillion. Whichever. "If I had a million dollars..." (Have you heard that song?)

....and....I would wish...for superpowers. No joke.

This has got to be the most original 3-Wishes post EVER.

{30-DC} Day 19: Nicknames you have & how or why you have them.

Well, you know the background of my nickname, LuLu (which also happens to be the name of the blog...).

A long time ago, I called a guy friend of mine "Jill", and he called me "Fred"....and the nickname "Fred" came from my friend Megan ("George")....for no reason that I can remember!

And....my dear friend Kathryn called me "Joe" one day, and I called her "Peaches", and....that stuck. (Again, for no apparent reason)

And....my nickname, Rae--which I often feel is more my name than Rachel--is family-originated. Started with a relative, Anna Rebecca, being called Rae for short, and then my aunt Rachel was called Rae, and so...I am Rachel, called Rae!