Nothing sexier than a man who...

There is nothing sexier than a man who...

Loves me unconditionally...(this is huge because in the past week I've been a little crazy)
Can fix anything...(I used to think all men could do this, but now I realize it's only the special few...like my daddy and my boyfriend)
Does physical labor for a living...(I was riding in the semi with my man this weekend and it was a good thing I was sitting down because watching him shift gears was making me weak at the knees...weird I know, but he is damn sexy pretty much anything physical...shifting gears, loading chemicals, fixing his rig...sigh..I digress)
Can sense when something is wrong and actually cares.
Isn't embarassed to show affection.
Knows the value of hard work.
Loves his roots and where he was raised.
Has his mind made up that I'm all he wants.
Gives me compliments even though I've heard it a hundred times before.
Is good with little kids...(not afraid he's gonna break them)
Speaks his mind AND listens to me.
Wears boots and blue jeans.

Basically...there's nothing sexier than a man like mine.

Sometimes I start analyzing the day to day details of my relationship and have to step back and remember the big picture. I have found someone who makes me happier than I've ever been and who understands and accepts me just the way I am. He knows me better than anyone in this world. I am blessed and in love...forever and always.

Rural Life: My Hometown

Growing up, especially getting through high school, I was one of those kids that made the saying, "It takes a village to raise a child," true. I wasn't a bad kid. In fact, I was an overachieving, over-involved, kind to everyone kid. But I became who I am today because of the people that I surrounded myself with. I never fit in with other teenagers, but was content to do my own thing regardless of whether it was cool or not. One of those things was being involved with our economic development office and a group called HTC. Yesterday, I returned to my hometown to speak to Governor Brownback about the success of Hometown Competitiveness (HTC) and Kansas Hometown Prosperity (KHP) that has worked well in my community, a concept I helped to implement and nurture throughout high school and beyond. It was amazing and encouraging to me to be welcomed back home in such a loving manner. While part of the concept is to embrace youth returning to rural communities to build their careers and families, the fact that members of my town hadn't forgetten me, meant everything. I even had one of my high school teacher's approach me afterwards just to tell me how proud she was of how much I've accomplished. If that doesn't sound like a village raising a child I don't know what does. 

Over the past month, I've felt like I was losing momentum and confidence in myself at my new job, even though my awesome boyfriend and his family keep telling me otherwise, so my little trip home was rejuvenating. The encouragement and belief that I will do great things where I'm at now, from my hometown "family" was a nice breath of fresh air and confidence. I realized as I spoke to the Governor I had made things happen but it wasn't on my own and in my new home I don't have to work alone either.

I know that the people in my new community are equally amazing because it's a western Kansas thing to be kind and caring, I'm just new still and it's hard to accept new sometimes I think. That's the other thing western Kansans are is stubborn and often adverse to change. It's hard to know if I'm making an impact and accomplishing much at all when I see so many things I want to do and I don't know enough people to make that change. I pray it will get easier over time because as much of an emotional connection as I have to my wonderful hometown, it's almost time to let go. It's like a relationship, you can't move on and fall in love with someone else, while you still hold on to parts of your last relationship. Or in this case can I? I think that it is a hard concept for me to grasp because I am who I am thanks to my hometown. I feel like if I let go of my hometown and fall in love with my new community, I'll lose something that makes me, me. Yet I want to fall in love with this town as much as the other because the man I love loves it here and I love that. Finally someone who gets my love of small towns. I grew up in one of the best rural towns in America and now my goal is to make my current community second best so my children will someday be able to call this little community on the prairie, home.

Thanks for reading along as I gushed about small towns. If you haven't been to one, hop on a plane or train and visit me. They're the best with their space and beauty and security. Happy weekend!

Weekend in Review

I was really sad to wake up this morning and realize it was Monday and I would have to go to work. I love my job, but I had an amazing weekend and did NOT want it to be over. It was full of delicious food, fun and lots of love!

Friday night I went home for the first time in almost 2 months. I live 2 hours away from home and it's been 2 months, clearly my life has been a little busy.

I'm a past worries junkie

Okay I don't really think I'm a junkie. I don't get enjoyment out of worrying about things either in the past or the future but damn it, I do it a lot. And if anyone out there read my last post, I am completely in love. But my stupid worries keep creeping into my relationship. I need to leave the past where it is because this man is my future, my new life, my love. Never has anyone loved me as much as he does and never have I loved anyone as much as I love him. It's obvious when we are together that there is no one on the face of this planet who is more perfectly suited for me. So why then do I worry? I think it's because I can't believe that someone this good could happen to me. I think lurking behind the next corner something will happen that will make him change his mind. But I'm letting that feeling go. No more looking back or ruining my relationship by thinking of things that exes have done. I'm only going to look ahead and the future is bright because he is going to be by my side for a long time. This thing we have works perfectly, and I can't imagine my life any other way.

Levi, I love you forever and always.

How love makes me feel

I've found the love I've been dreaming of. A man who sweeps me off my feet and takes my breath away just by walking in a room and shooting me his irresistible smile. He is always offering to help me and checking to see how my day is. I know these are small things but they're the things I've been searching for. He tells me how he feels about me and not that I'm insecure but I'm always wanted that constant reminder of admiration and affection. I don't have to beg him to tell me how he feels or what he's thinking, he just shares. Everything I've been looking for he is. 

Update...I'm Exhausted

Well I've certainly been sucking at blogging. This whole "no internet" thing is a real pain, but on top of that I have been so darn busy I'm not sure when I'd have time. Last week, I was busy helping with high school girls' basketball camp! It was such an amazing time. I love basketball and I really enjoyed helping out the girls and getting to know them. They are our future and I want to try and make a positive impact in their lives in any way possible. It was also fun playing basketball again. Just as I was getting in shape...kind of...the week was winding down. The first day kicked my butt with basic scrimmaging. I ended up with a pinched nerve in my neck and bruised knees. I was definitely showing my age...I felt so old at 22. I won't have the time to be the official assistant coach but I hope I get a chance to help coach them again sometime.

This week has both flown by and dragged on. Monday, Tuesday and last night I had meetings and events in the evening. I'm so excited it's the weekend and I'll get to relax a little bit. It was so great to get almost 2 inches of rain last night even though it completely ruined my community clean-up event. In Western Kansas you learn not to complain when you get rain; it's always welcome. Over the last couple of weeks I've finally made some friends, one of them being of the male sort. He's pretty amazing...such a gentleman, which I feel is a very rare find. It's so nice to not feel so alone in my new world. I've also had a couple of really exciting things happen to me professionally but I can't really share details here. Let's just say I'm loving life!

Next week is our community's fair. I'm going to try and blog about it everyday, but we'll see how that works out. From what I've been told it's one of the few things that occur here where people all band together to make something great happen. There's going to be fair events like a rodeo and a parade, a carnival where all the rides and games are only 25 cents and everything is community owned and operated, and of course I've been told about all the delicious food such as bierocks, pies, pancake feeds, and cotton candy. I've volunteered to work four different events so I'm excited for a chance to be a part of this huge community event!

Have a great weekend!

Book Review: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Disclaimer: I want to start by saying I'm STILL trying to figure out what the purpose of this blog is. I decided I really enjoyed doing restaurant reviews in DC so maybe I'll try my hand at a book review. I like a lot of things so I'll blog about a lot of things.

Okay, so back to the book. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. About the time the movie, Water For Elephants, was coming out my mom bought this book. I couldn't wait for her to finish so I could read it. I'm the kind of person who usually likes the book better than the movie about the book and I prefer to read the book before seeing the movie so I don't "taint" my creation and interpretation of the characters. That being said last weekend I was very excited to go home and see the book waiting on the bed for me to read! I started it Tuesday and finished it last night around 12:40 AM. It was certainly one of the best books I've read in a while. I spent two nights in a row reading till past midnight. It was the type of book that made me laugh, made me cry, made my heart race and I couldn't put it down!

Set in the 1930s on a circus train, the main character Jacob Janoskowski has his life before him, as he's almost set to graduate from Cornell as a veterinarian. Then a tragic event completes changes his plans and he takes off in the wilderness. He jumps onto a train and finds himself in the middle of the Benzini Brothers circus. The book flashes between him in the 30s telling about the circus and all he encountered including Marlena the beautiful horse girl and an elephant named Rosie, and his current situation, where he sits in a nursing home and is made to feel like he is worthless. He befriends a nurse whose name is Rosemary and she is always kind to him bringing him food that isn't mushy and "old people" food.

There were times I'd laugh out loud imagining the situation described. There was an instance that as I read tears were flowing down my cheek before I realized it. I may be an unusual reader as I really engage in the words and let them take me somewhere else, but I think that's what readings for. I sometimes wish I read more books that taught me things but everytime I try, I am almost put to sleep. I also really liked this book because it was interesting to see how historically accurate it was regarding the Great Depression.

If you're looking for a good book that takes you away and really allows you to connect with the characters, if that's your sort of thing, I would reccommend reading Water for Elephants. I would give it 4.5 stars out of 5, just because well that's what I feel like doing.

Have you read Water for Elephants? If so, what did you think of it?