Renata, according to....

"In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different."

Coco Chanel

Today will be different.  Today the truth comes out, sorta.  I find that the best way to get to know someone is to ask the people who know them best.  It is easy for me to come up with different adjectives to describe me.  However, those descriptions are one-sided, biased, so-to-speak.  Now, asking my friends to describe me, well, that is an entirely different story.  That is some serious truth-talking, ya dig?

This afternoon I had the ingenious idea to ask four of my closest friends, and my husband to describe me in five words.  Five words, no more, no less.  Here is what they said.

Let me start out with T.  My sweet T has been my friend for over ten years.  TEN YEARS!  These were the five words T chose to describe me.

/1./ Thoughtful /2./ Funny /3./ Beautiful /4./ Creative /5./ Fashionista

I know, I know, I am flattered.  Next we have my friend K.  What can I say about K, she is ahhhhhhmaaaazzziiinnngggg.  Yes, amazing.  One of the most generous human beings ever to walk the face of the planet.  Here are her five words.

/1./ Intelligent /2./ Bonzer /3./ Fanciful /4./ Writer /5./ Debonair

She's so fancy, isn't she?  Love it!  If you have no clue what bonzer means, don't feel bad (I had no idea either).  I did look it up and it means awesome.  She thinks I'm awesome.  I now present you F.  F has known me longer than my own husband, and I've known him since I was nine.  We fight, we cry, and we make-up.  She is like family.  F's five words are.

/1./ Beautiful /2./ Sweet /2./ Humble /3./ Outspoken /4./ Warmhearted

What a doll!  Up next we have V.  V, I don't even know, she just gets me.  When I asked her for five words she gave me nine.  She proceeded to say that nine was not enough.  Well, what she actually said was that I needed categories, not just words.  I can't decide whether or not that is a compliment or an insult.  We will go with compliment.  These are V's five, I mean nine, words.

/1./ Compassionate /2./ Emotional /3./ Beautiful /4./ Intuitive /5./ Intelligent /6./ Feisty /7./ Trustworthy /8./ Loyal /9./ Hilarious 

I agree, I am hilarious.   Last, but certainly not least, we have my husband.  Honestly, there are moments that I feel he knows me better than my own mother.  Actually, he does.  These are the five words out of hundreds of words my husband chose to describe me.  

/1./ Intelligent /2./ Stubborn /3./ Optimistic /4./ Tough /5./ Emotional

I think he may have meant 'difficult' instead of 'tough', however, we will just leave it at that (I am both).  There you have it folks, "Renata, according to T, K, F, V, and the husband".  It doesn't get better than that.  And, I have no idea where that emotional thing came from.  I am far from emotional.  Okay, I lied, I am a hurricane.  

I promise no bribery was involved.  My people, well, I guess they love me.

xoxo

A Sick Girl's Essentials.

Source

Last Thursday I awoke with a funky soreness in my throat.  I thought nothing of it and went about my day.  Come Sunday night and bam!  One o'clock in the morning rolled around and my husband wakes me up by saying, "Babe, babe, you are shaking uncontrollably, are you okay?"  Apparently, I was not okay.  Apparently, I had a fever.  So, I did something I refuse to do under normal circumstances; I took some cold medicine and went back to bed.  Monday morning rolled around and I had the full-blown flu.  Lucky me!  So, I toughed it out on Monday and took Tuesday off to rest.  While I lay on the couch I had an epiphany.  When you are sick there are certain things you absolutely must have.  You know, kind of like a 'Sick Girl's Essentials'.  Don't worry I am willing to share.  

1.) The first thing you MUST do is take a warm shower and put on a pair of clean and comfortable pajamas.

2.) Bring your pillows and a blanket and make a cozy spot on your favorite part of the couch.

3.) Arrange an area on your coffee table to set all your necessary sick girl items.  My must have items include: EOS chapstick, a box of tissues (preferably the tissues that smell like Vicks VapoRub), Bath & Body Works' warm vanilla sugar hand sanitzer (disinfect those germy hands), Bath & Body Works' moonlight path lotion (moisturize those hands after all that hand sanitzer), a thermometer, and a glass full of water.

4.) Make yourself, or have someone,  make you a batch of soup.  My favorite?  My crazy concoction of chicken, carrots, potatoes, celery, northern beans, onions, garlic, kale, and noodles soup.  It sounds weird, but dudes, it helps.  Trust.

5.) Keep that echinacea tea, lemon, and honey on standby.  You never know when you'll need a natural kick of germ fighting herbs.

6.) Find a television show that you can watch various back-to-back episodes.  I decided that I would finally watch 'Felicity'.  Why didn't I watch this show when it first came out?  Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking.  It is the bomb.  Felicity and I could be soul sisters, ya dig?

7.) DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE MOVE OUT OF THAT COMFY SPOT ON YOUR COUCH.  Stay there all day long, only get up to use the restroom, refill your glass of water, and fill your bowl with soup.

8.)  Be kind to yourself.  Be kind to your body.  Be kind to your soul.  Just let your body rest.

9.) Have a sick-time buddy.  Ziggles, I heart your little fluffy self.  I know, I know, we are definitely team Noel ;)

10.) Lastly, make sure you have absolutely awesome friends who will send you lots and lots of "get well soon" text messages.  I have the best of friends.  I am feeling very loved.

And, this morning I went to work.  I am not feeling one hundred percent, however, considering the way I felt Monday and Tuesday, today is a great improvement.  We don't ever want to be sick, I know.  Yet, having these little rules with you next time the little bug comes around will ease the pain, I promise.  Just in case, stock up on Emergen-C, flu season is just around the corner!

xoxo