Posting my Secret

Complete- Drop #41: Send a Postcard in to PostSecret

     If you are not yet familiar with PostSecret, you must have been living under a rock for the past five years.

      I have to admit that I was pissed off somewhat upset when PostSecret got their "App" on, and I did a mental celebratory 'happy dance' when their app was shut down due to pornographic or threatening content. Some things should remain as simple as possible. To me, snail-mailing deep, dark secrets is one of those things.

     There's a bit of nostalgia attached to the physicality of having to create something from scratch and sending it to somebody, instead of creating a virtual representation of it on whatever device you have in front of you. It simply isn't as meaningful, and I miss that connection sometimes.


     If you haven't heard of PostSecret, the concept is quite straightforward. Design a 4x6 postcard with your secret on it and send it in. The secret can be anything that you've never revealed to anybody. There's a sense of release to know that- although it's anonymous- at least one person knows something that you've been holding in. So what if that one person is only Frank Warren.

     I've been meaning to do this for years. But, for one reason or another, I've been putting it off. Honestly, the major motivation for me to do this today was that I hadn't written anything for this week, and I am a great disbeliever in writing content just for the hell of it. So, I've now completed something that I've been wanting to accomplish, and can cross it off both my life list and 25 before 25!

Shhhhhhhh! It's a secret...

     I'm pretty sure my secret won't be published on the PostSecret blog. It turned out to be some sort of hideous, monotonic catastrophe. I tried to use nail polish as a surrogate for glue, so if (for some reason) Frank wants to sniff my secret, he will get a noseful of nasty!


Aaand off it goes!

     Sorry, you can't know my secret. That would kind of defeat the purpose.



     Who can you confide your secrets to?
     Would you ever consider telling a complete stranger your secret?

29 Days and Counting

     Is it just me, or are there like a million parenting/pregnancy blogs out there? I'm all for sharing common experiences and showing off your family, but let's be honest. Nobody really cares. Sorry. Better have some witty ideas or creative nonsense to keep people interested.
     But, with only four weeks left until my due date, and with having a child being on both my regular life list and 25 before 25, it is time for an update. It's the final stretch! (Haha... Stretch...) So here's what's been going on.

     I totally get it if you just don't read this post, by the way. At least scroll down to the bottom to check out some randomness!


Pregnancy Thus Far

     Overall, this has been a pretty quiet pregnancy. Hope I didn't just jinx myself. The baby hasn't moved much up until this point. Now that all this nonsense is coming to an end, her butt or leg or something has been sticking out of my right side. I don't think my uterus is meant to bend that way, We'll see how much longer my body decides to cooperate.


Now Stretch it Out

     What the hell. These things are getting intense, and I've still got four weeks to go. I appreciate some women's attempt to play off being 'proud' of their nasty stretchies, but I sure am not. It's one of the side effects of life- nothing to brag about. I'll brag about the end product of the stretch marks-aka the baby that caused them, but you won't catch me pretending to be happy about these little devils. And please- don't wear a bikini!! You are NOT a tiger, and if you were then you sure wouldn't be in that bikini. I haven't researched to see if there's an effective way to get rid of these things yet, but I'll be bringing them up at my next OB appointment.


Cracking Up
  
       I love sleep. I hate rolling over in the middle of the night and having to stop halfway after feeling and hearing the huge crack of my pelvis bone. Waking up feeling like someone has repeatedly punched me between the legs hasn't been pleasant, either. Although I shouldn't be complaining- I'm sure in a couple weeks when I'm pushing a boulder out of my uterus I'll be regretting complaining about what will surely seem to be a slight nuisance.

     Random other body parts have been cracking, too. The hip crack is freaky. It makes me feel like I'm a hundred years old. Add that to my cracking knees and if I werent' pregnant I could probably qualify to play Bingo with your grandmother.


Preparing for Arrival


Sneaking a Peek

     I could talk a little bit about the unfairness of having to pay for a 3D ultrasound when others with equal or worse health insurance plans get it for free, but I'll save you the headache. You're welcome.

     Despite that the 3D ultrasound wasn't free, I couldn't resist the opportunity of getting a sneak peek at this little creature that is relentlessly sucking all the energy out of me. It was a pretty neat experience. She was very quiet and slept through the whole thing. Supposedly she opened her eyes once, but being she's half Asian it was hard to tell! Hopefully this is the sign of a quiet baby when she comes out.

The Baby Shower

      My Stepmother threw me a lovely baby shower this past weekend. It was much appreciated. I still need a lot of things, but the gifts I got are helpful. Hell, any gift is helpful. A lot of people gave cash or gift cards, which will really help get some of the bigger things that we still need.

     The Buy Stuff for Stephanie's Baby fund is still open, by the way. So please, don't be shy!

Heirlooms

     When I married, my Nana passed down to me a handmade handkerchief she had been holding on for decades.  My Great, Great Grandmother made in the late 1800s. My Nana had it on her when she married, and she gave it to some of her son's wives when they wed. Although my grandparents are still married, all but one of their eight children are divorced. I am not sure if this says anything about the handkerchief itself, but it was an honor to be married with it, and a privilege to be its new keeper.

      The other day, I randomly decided to visit my grandparents, and she gave me this blanket.

       Yes, Lela is a girl, and this is blue. Yet, it's still a very feminine blanket, and it's beautifully crafted. It doesn't matter what this blanket looks like anyways, because my Nana made it for her first born child over sixty years ago. And now, she's passed it down to me.

     In this day and age, things just aren't as permanent as they used to be. We're such a disposable culture. We throw things away so quickly, few items even get the chance to develop sentimental value. It'll be something I'll treasure and pass down to my children or grandchildren, just as my Nana has done with me.

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Okay! Enough of this! Here's the promised randomness. Mr. Potato Head Commercial from the '50s:

Why should you care?
Only because this was the first toy commercial on television EVER!
Again, You're Welcome.

Steph's Steps to Cleaning your Coach

     Something that I have wanted to do and was on my list of 25 before 25 was cleaning my Coach purse. Although I have had my purse for about five years, it doesn't really look too dirty. Of course, if it were white or tan, I'm sure that would be a different story. But it's been put in a lot of dirty places, had things explode in it, and even survived a robbery! This purse deserves a cleaning.

The Purse:

Coach signature collection purse. Simple enough.

The Cleaning Product:

You can go to Coach and pick up this cleaner for ten dollars. All in all a very fair price considering it is from coach. I've seen generic boot cleaners for nearly twice as much.

The Process:

This is easy enough! Two steps. Here's all you need:

1. Your Purse
2. Coach Cleaner
3. Safe Surface to Work on
4. Damp White Cloth
5. Dry Cloth
6. Soft Bristle Toothbrush (not shown, added later)

STEP 1

With your dry cloth, brush away any dirt both inside and outside your purse.

STEP 2

Apply cleaner to the dry cloth and rub in small circles where the dirt is. Work from the inside out. if a stain is not coming out, apply more of the cleaner and scrub with the tooth brush. After cleaning each spot, wipe with the damp cloth to remove excess cleaner. Let dry, and repeat on any stains that did not come out.

 Before:                                                 After:

     

So my purse wasn't nearly as dirty as I thought it was. What I thought was dirt (left) was actually normal wear and tear of the purse (right).

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But, I was able to get some of the makeup stains and stains inside out, so that's a positive!

Clean my Coach Purse- Check!

Guiltless Giving

One of my goals on my list of 25 before 25 was to write a letter to someone who truly inspired me.

...

This proved to be more difficult than I thought it would be.

     Don't get me wrong! There are plenty of people who inspire me for whatever reason. And it certainly wouldn't be fair to not acknowledge that there are many people who are close to me that are not only inspiring themselves, but also encourage and inspire me to be a better, stronger person. 

     I found I was seeking out a different type of inspiration: true inspiration. The inspiration that somehow touches you and relates to you. It makes you want to get up off your feet, do something, be a better person, and make a difference.

Nobody seemed to fit the bill quite as I wanted. Then, the other day, it hit me. I know exactly who I wanted to write this letter to.

Guiltless Giving, LLC

About a year ago when working on a school project, I came across a story or news article about Guiltless Giving, an organization started by Zack Gooding. Guiltless Giving puts together and gives out care packages to the homeless in and around San Diego.

But it doesn't stop there. Guiltless Giving also puts these packs together for you to give out to the homeless in your neck of the woods. Their 'Dare to Care' package cost only $1.99 each, and includes toothbrush, toothpaste, a comb, razor, shaving cream, deodorant, and a reference card containing numbers and venues that homeless people can reach out to in order to get help. The concept is that when you see a homeless person in need, this care package is something you can give them guilt free. While the organization is impressive already, what I found to be more impressive is the who the actual founder of Guiltless Giving is.

Meet Zack

Zack- Founder of Guiltless Giving

Zack started Guiltless Giving when he was only nine years old. Five years later, Guiltless Giving is strongly chugging along. He continues to make the care packages, ship them out to people all over the country, and distribute them to the homeless. He gets nothing in return.

Zack is a huge inspiration to me, not only because of my own concerns about the homeless, but because he is an inspiration to anybody who wants to make a difference in any cause. At nine years old, he not only came up with an idea but was able to implement it, continue it, and reach out to others so that they may do the same. Anybody who has passion to make a difference in any area can look at him and utilize his methods. Simplicity can be powerful. Determination and commitment are key.

That's what makes Zack an inspiration to me: Innovative, thoughtful, altruistic, determined, and committed. The just-do-it attitude. There are no excuses, no expectations, no grandiose plans. It's simple and it's sincere. And that's why I chose him to write a letter to.

     The following is a news clip explaining how Guiltless Giving started, and a bit more about the organization. If you want to, check out their website. Maybe even order some care packages!

    


Who do you find to be truly inspiring?