bacon is a present pigs give you when you're good

You know your boyfriend loves you when he calls just to tell you he saw a sign for a bacon fest happening next month. It was one of those moments when I smiled to myself and thought, "Yep, he gets me."

In light of recent headlines this week, I must take this opportunity to profess my love for the wonderful processed meat we call bacon. I don't typically eat at Arby's but I can't help but love their ad right now that states:"Bacon is a present pigs give you when you're good."

When it comes to bacon, I tend to take Ron Swanson's point of view. Luckily for me, so does my boyfriend.

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If you are worried about processed meats causing cancer, my friend shared a great article on Facebook earlier this week that lays out all the facts. It's important to be informed but the recent reports are certainly not going to stop me from enjoying my bacon from time to time. All things in moderation, right?

trying to move forward with a happy spirit

image by Whitton & White

Yesterday, everything I've been trying to juggle and cope with slapped me in the face--hard. I've been combating feelings of anxiety and stress ever since. As a result, I turned to junk food to cope and now feel even worse. Isn't it awesome how that works? Coke, brownies, and french fries do not eliminate stress, but my goodness it certainly seems like a good idea at the time. I'm never going to give up comfort food, but the amount I've consumed in the last 48 hours goes a little beyond "comfort".

Today I've realized I need to regroup and deal with my stressors through healthy forms of self-care. Going for a walk, writing in my journal, painting my toenails, calling a friend, and reading my scriptures are all much healthier ways to lessen my anxiety and feelings of self doubt. Remembering to be patient and taking lots of deep breaths usually helps too.

It's not always easy to move forward with a happy spirit, especially when you're dealing with a lot of unknowns and life changes. This quote from Gordon B. Hinckley is a good reminder to keep an eternal perspective and attitude. I do have faith in his words that if we strive to move forward with a happy spirit things will indeed work out.

#WhyIWrite

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This morning when I opened Twitter I discovered it was National Day on Writing. Writers all over the world have been sharing their individual motivation for writing with the hashtag #WhyIWrite. Naturally, I followed suit.

I write for a lot of reasons but my main motivations is this---truth. I write to reveal the truth inside and around me. Writing is one of the main forms I use to process my emotions and feelings. It's therapeutic but like so many self-care tactics can be difficult to do. Sometimes the truth is scary. Sometimes I don't want to come to grips with reality. Sometimes it feels easier (even though ultimately it's not) to keep it all inside.

I chose my career based on my ability to write. Even though I doubt myself and my abilities more than I care to admit, like the Anne Sexton quote above, I know writing is something I was born to do. That sounds cheesy, I know, but being able to write is one of the few things I've always known I can do well.

At 28 years old, I'm just getting started in my career. I have so much more to learn and many writing techniques to master. Every day I hone my copywriting, blogging, and marketing writing skills a little bit more. Thanks to the blogosphere there have been at least a few occasions when my personal writing has found its way into people's hearts. Those are the moments I cherish most and hope to produce more of in the future.

I know as long as I follow my high school teacher's admonition to never stop writing, I'll be ok.

fall is my favorite

I know I'm not alone when I say that fall is my favorite season. There's something about the leaves, pumpkins, and football games. They make my heart happy. To usher in this wondrous season, I planned a "fall extravaganza date" which consisted of Dale and I eating homemade pumpkin oreos and carving pumpkins.

I really wanted the authentic experience of going to the pumpkin patch (a Fidler family tradition) and not just get pumpkins from the grocery store. However, I also didn't want to fork over $6.50 a piece just to get access to a pumpkin patch. After some diligent online research, I found Job's Nursery in Pasco where we could go pumpkin hunting free of charge. 

Saturday afternoon we headed to the cute little nursery for our fall adventure. It took some searching, but eventually we each found a pumpkin to our liking. I've learned over the years that when it comes to pumpkins bigger isn't always better. Bigger just means more guts to clean out! 

After church, we spent Sunday afternoon tackling the task of carving our pumpkins. I forgot how labor intensive that task truly is. We were both sweating and felt pretty triumphant when we finally finished the job. If you ask me, I think our his and her pumpkins turned out pretty cute. Happy fall to us!

welcome to cam country

Every day on my way to work I listen to The Bobby Bones Show. The past few days it's been all about #ILoveWomen AKA Women in Country Week. One thing I love about Bobby and his crew is how supportive they are of emerging country artists. You get your song played by Bobby Bones, you're going to be sitting pretty. Country fans like myself gravitate towards Bobby because even though he's not just a radio personality with a good voice. He's a real person and you feel that when you listen to his show. And how can you not love a radio show that does a Friday morning dance party?!

Alright, now that you all know how much I love The Bobby Bones Show, let's move on to the main reason for this post. Yesterday, as part of Women in Country Week, new country artist Cam visited Bobby in the studio, and this morning he played her single, "Burning House". I immediately pulled up Shazam on my iPhone so I could tag the song and buy her EP album once I got to work.

"Burning House" haunted me like no song has since the first time I heard my beloved duo, The Civil Wars. Cam can sing--no doubt about that. Her sound is deep, rich, and powerful with a touch of twang and legitimate pain. Cam, where have you been all my life?!

Her EP is titled Welcome to Cam Country, and I say welcome to country indeed. I can't wait to see where this girl goes. Bring on the music, Cam!

a fabulous trip to pdx

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Over Memorial Day weekend, Dale and I took our first road trip together to the wonderful land of hipsters aka Portland. We headed out from the Tri-Cities Saturday morning armed with large sodas from McDonald's (Diet Dr. Pepper with no ice for him, Diet Coke with lemon for me), sourpatch kids, and goldfish--all topped off with a mix CD I made for the drive.

We spent a few days in Portlandia exploring the Pearl District and the Kenton Station neighborhood. Minus me catching a nasty cold halfway through our trip, it couldn't have been a more perfect mini vacation for us.

Portland Saturday Market

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Our first stop was the Portland Saturday Market. We arrived a little after 10am and spent the rest of the morning exploring the area before we headed to Mi Mero Mole for lunch. I wish I'd taken a picture of the burritos we got. They were AMAZING. Dale did an excellent job picking out this place. After lunch we headed towards the heart of the Pearl District for a little book browsing at Powell's. 

Kenton Station

For our two-night stay in Portland, we decided to try out Airbnb and stayed at a great little two-bedroom studio in the Kenton Station neighborhood. It was perfect for us and was much more reasonably priced than a hotel. For anyone who hasn't used Airbnb before, I would definitely recommend it. It took putting in for a few places before we got this one but it all worked out quite well in the end.

airbnb kenton station studio 

Kenton Station was a cute little neighborhood on the north side of town. Only a few blocks from where we stayed was a quaint little corridor filled with shops and restaurants. Saturday night we ate dinner at the Kenton Station Restaurant & Pub and it did not disappoint. The sandwiches were so big we saved half for lunch the next day.

his and hers hot cocoa at cup & saucer cafe

We ate a lot of good food on our trip but my favorite place was definitely the Cup & Saucer Cafe. Just a few blocks from our Airbnb, we walked down for breakfast two days in a row--it was that good. From dense blueberry biscuits to delish egg scrambles filled with bacon, Tillamook cheddar cheese, and jalapenos, this place knew what it was doing. The staff was also incredibly friendly and welcoming, which in my opinion always adds to a pleasurable dining experience.

hanging out with paul bunyan

Washington Park

international rose test garden

On Sunday we headed to Washington Park, home to the International Rose Test Garden, Oregon Zoo, and Portland Children's Museum among many other attractions. It was a busy day at the park. The rose garden was filled with tourists snapping pictures and admiring the bountiful blooms, so naturally we joined in on the fun. After we'd had our fair share of roses, we hopped on the very convenient shuttle and headed to the Oregon Zoo.

The zoo was packed with families and couples but we still enjoyed spending the afternoon walking through the exhibits. By this time my cold was starting to take over, so we only made it through about half of the zoo before heading back to our little studio so I could take a nap. After some much needed rest, we ventured out for dinner. I still wasn't feeling too good so we stopped at the grocery store for medicine and juice. Then we spent the rest of the night relaxing, eating sorbet, and watching Netflix together.

posing with the roses

Multnomah Falls

multnomah falls

Monday morning we took a little scenic detour to see Multnomah Falls before heading back to the Tri-Cities. When we drove out of Portland a reader board indicated the parking lot for the falls was full but we didn't let that deter us. Armed with determination and patience, Dale was able to snag us a great parking spot. The falls are over 600 feet tall and there's a lovely bridge you can access to get a closer look.

Our first road trip was an absolute blast. We're looking forward to many more fun adventures together!

losing my single status

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Well kids, it's finally happened. This longtime single girl is single no more. Yes, I have a boyfriend! Are you still breathing? Did you fall over in your chair? Take a step back and just breathe. Everything is ok. You have not been transported to Tomorrowland or any other land where dreams come true. This is real life.

Two months ago I had a different job and was just mildly testing the waters on Match.com. I'd messaged a few guys and a few had reached out to me, but I hadn't found anyone I was particularly interested in. Then one day I received a sweet, well-written message from a cute, LDS guy from the Tri-Cities that made me laugh out loud and smile in a special way.

Over the course of a week or so we sent a few emails back and forth and started getting to know each other. I could tell that this guy was truly interested in me and honestly, the whole thing really freaked me out. It was such a foreign feeling. I was excited but also scared and unsure how to act. 

A few days after we initially started talking I started my new job and used that as an excuse to not reply to his latest message for a couple of days. I wasn't sure how to move forward or if I even wanted to keep emailing. Do I really like this guy or is it just nice to be wanted? What does dating even look like anymore? Can I really do it? Am I capable of letting someone really know me again? All of these questions, along with so many more, bounced around in my head. I was definitely having what they describe in the scriptures as a "stupor of thought". Then, he sent me a short message saying he hoped my first week at my new job was going well. It was time to make a decision--jump in or walk away.

I've struggled with my spirituality over the last few years, especially this past year or so. In my darker times I let simple sources of strength like prayer and scripture reading fall to the wayside. When faced with my aforementioned stupor of thought, I decided to do something I hadn't done in a long time--say a real, heartfelt prayer. It was a short, simple prayer asking for direction and guidance, but it was the first time I humbled myself enough to submit my will to Heavenly Father's. I was blessed with a distinct answer that I should continue my correspondence with Mr. Tri-Cities. I jumped in and haven't looked back.

Next week it will be a year since my personal essay, Accepting the Single Status When Everyone Else is a Couple, was published on The Everygirl. I am in complete awe at how quickly one's life can change. Everything they say about finding love when you least expect it is true. I always thought it was a load of crap, but now thanks to Mr. Tri-Cities, I've joined the believers. And I've got to say, it's a pretty amazing place to be.

I've found that light at the end of the tunnel that I've been searching for. Like I predicted, it's certainly a different hue than I ever imagined, but it's brighter and more brilliant than anything I could have ever hoped. The kind of happiness I am experiencing right now is unlike anything I've ever encountered.

The smallest step really can lead to great things. I believe that with all of my heart.