Tag: birmingham


Jan
2013

Mission Impossible

categories: Birmingham

Today’s 31 Days to Better Blogging challenge from our fearless See Jane Write leader, Javacia Harris Bowser, was to write a mission statement for our blog. This has been mentioned before by Javacia and I’ve struggled with it ever since. We recently had to look inside ourselves to figure out the purpose of our blog – what did we want to accomplish with it? I didn’t state that outright in an entry, but I realized the direction I want to move in was something encompassing Birmingham. I am utterly, unconditionally, unfailingly in love with this city. I couldn’t tell you when it happened or how exactly, but I breathe it. I grew up in the church and the way we are supposed to spread the word and goodness of God is also how I feel about Birmingham. I want to tell everyone about this city and bring them from all corners of the earth. It’s not that she’s better than your city, but she is beautiful. She is cultured. She is kind. She is environmentally friendly. She is loving. She is growing in herself all the time. She is learning. She is courageous. She is intellectual. She is inventive. She is educated. In short, she is darn close to the perfect woman. She has her flaws – every woman does – but she is learning from her mistakes through the years and will continue to make strides. She can’t do it alone..no one woman can. I am her biggest cheerleader and have decided, for as long as she’ll have me, my blog will be dedicated in great part to her. Therefore:

Yougotrossed is a blog about the great loves of  my life with the main focus on Birmingham, Alabama. It will be used primarily to educate readers about the city and promote Birmingham’s various offerings including geographical, cultural, historical, and current events. This will be a space for fostering community involvement. It will also encompass the other loves of my life including fitness, feminism, writing, self-improvement, and volunteering.

There you have it, Birmingham. I’m all yours.

Love yourself.
Find peace inside.
Share happiness.


Jan
2013

Anything Is Possible

categories: See Jane Write

I’ve seen many posts in the new year about change…changing one’s inside, outsides, surroundings. I, too, have decided to make some changes with myself, but my surroundings are not to be touched. Tonight was a perfect example of the inspiration, talent, and power that I am surrounded by each time I get together with ladies of See Jane Write.
I haven’t been a member of the group for very long, but I feel as if I’ve known them for years. From day one our fearless leader, Javacia Bowser, warmly welcomed me to the fold. She introduced me online to the group and that was the start of something amazing inside me. These women have all come together to write, support and mentor one another, and share their stories. I have learned so much about myself from them and their experiences and tonight was no exception. The more we share – the athletes, the techies, the teachers, the writers, the mothers, the business owners – the more we find ourselves in our comrades. I listened to bits and pieces of the many conversations around the table tonight simply in awe of the knowledge and life lessons sitting right there at the table. And that was just a smattering of us. Imagine what a whole room of Janes can do! We can do anything we want and I’m reminded of that each time I’m fortunate enough to spend time with them. If you want a taste of the power in this group, join us for the See Jane Write event next week. When you come, be sure to ask me about the donkey from tonight’s gathering..you’re sure to get a chuckle from it.

Love yourself.
Find peace inside.
Share happiness.

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Jan
2013

Climbing Everest – How Far I’ve Come (2012) and What Lies Ahead (2013)

categories: 2013, goals

“Canon in D” just came on my Pandora radio station. I absolutely love this song and not just because it makes me think of weddings. I love the song for the melody, the crescendos, and the lulls. It is, quite possibly, the most beautiful song I’ve ever heard. I can listen to it over and over, getting lost in thoughts of love and hope. It was fitting that it came on as I was starting this post. I’ve been pretty reflective the past few months and that culminated in a great discussion with my fiance about our futures – together as a couple and for each of us personally. I spent the better part of today in complete silence, not doing much of anything besides staring into space thinking about the past year and my future. I have never been one to list personal highlights of the previous year or goals for the new one, but it feels like the right time to start. Not to toot my own horn, but a few of the things that brought me great joy last year were:

  • Starting Birmingham Dance Walk
  • Joining together with friends to start a very tasty and intellectual Supper Club
  • Supporting, donating to, and volunteering with more charities and non-profits than I ever have before – most of them local to Birmingham
  • Building a remarkable relationship with Daniel Walters
  • Getting my first freelance writing assignment (Artwalk article for Magic City Post)
  • Starting some fitness regimen again, first with G57 Training and Fitness and now with Iron Tribe Fitness
  • Joining See Jane Write – possibly the most exceptional group of women I have ever met.
  • Hearing First Lady Michelle Obama speak in person
  • Completing 2 5Ks – the Color Run and the Race for the Cure
  • Fundraising with free hugs for the Crisis Center of Birmingham at Naked Art – truly one of the best nights of my life
  • Rescuing a pup and finding her a home
  • Developing some of the most meaningful and empowering female friendships I have ever had. We are doing GREAT things in 2013!
  • Learning more about myself this year than any previous year. And it helped me realize my biggest passion along with focusing on the direction I want to take with it.

My friend Jen West recently wrote about a new iOS app called Everest – where you can live your dreams by setting personal goals and then breaking them down into smaller steps to help you achieve them. I downloaded the app today and spent most of the morning thinking about what dreams I have for the years ahead. Here are the dreams I came up with and posted in the app, along with the rough time frame that I set for them. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I have never been one to set goals, but this seems like a great (and fitting) year to start. Here we go (in no particular order):

  1. Volunteer with children. I’ve thought about this a lot the past year, off and on, and I really want to pursue this dream. Children light up my life and I would like to give some of that back if possible. I thought about McWane Science Center, but am leaning more toward Big Brothers & Big Sisters or something akin to that locally. By When: 3 months
  2. Create 365 blog posts. Yup, I’m going to do my BEST to blog every day for a year about something. Fingers crossed on this one! By When: 1 year
  3. Ride a bike again. I know the saying, but I’m telling you – I’m scared to death to get my big ‘ole butt on that tiny seat. My knees aren’t good and I can see me falling right over. But I have to start somewhere..even if it’s going to Cahaba Cycle and baby wheeling it around the show room floor for a few. I would like to get a bike and ride around Birmingham. By When: 6 months
  4. Meditate. I did this for a Chopra Center challenge earlier this year for the first time and loved it. I would like to make it a part of my daily life. When: Ongoing
  5. Work out at least 3 times per week. Enough said! When: Ongoing
  6. Read 1 book per month. By When: 1 year
  7. Run a 5k. I HATE running. Let’s rephrase that..I can’t run. Not for more than about 200 meters currently. I get too winded to keep going without passing out. And I hate it. So, I walked the 5ks that I did this past year. I would like to run one and I know I can do it. It just takes practice. Running practice. Lots of running practice. Ick. Blech. Whatever. By When: 9 months
  8. Lose 100 lbs. I originally had 50 on there, but I changed it to 100. Fifty is more realistic, but let’s go for gold and see what happens. #GetAfterIt By When: 1 year
  9. Get 100 people to participate in Birmingham Dance Walk. We can make this happen, but I will need your help. 🙂 By When: 1 year
  10. Give back to Birmingham; figure out the who, how, and why. I recently talked about starting a non-profit to help the sponsors of Birmingham Dance Walk make tax-deductible contributions while also sharing with other non-profits in the area that need help. I still like that idea and want to do that, but I’ve thought about my original intention some more and realized that a) I am most passionate about Birmingham and all she has to offer and b) I love doing things for other people. So I plan on figuring out exactly how to put those two together and what that means for me…how I can give back to Birmingham, exactly who I can help, and definitively state why I want to help. HOW, WHO, and WHY will be my 3 words for 2013. This will also help with today’s 31 Days to a Better Blog challenge item: Create the blog you want to read. By When: 1 year

There you have it. My 10 goals for 2013. Here goes nothing!

Love yourself.
Find peace inside.
Share happiness.


Dec
2012

Duck Duck Duck Squirrel…and it’s Christmas

categories: Uncategorized
http://www.flickr.com/photos/foodbankcenc/8272089857/
Image by Image by FoodBankCENC.org via Flickr/Creative Commons

My mind has been a whirlwind of activity lately. I don’t feel overwhelmed, just busy. And I like being busy – activities with friends are what memories are made of and I love to make memories. There are a lot of things going on in my life and my ADD is in high gear. It’s crazy to say, but I get stuff done when it’s in overdrive like this. There are about 20 things I am working on, want to be working on, thinking about, etc. but the bustle of Christmas isn’t really among them and I love that. Christmas is such a crazy time for a lot of people, sometimes schlepping kids, presents, and pets to and fro houses for days on end. Not here. My decorating is done and was quite painless. I bought and trimmed a live tabletop tree from Whole Foods – I’ve done this in the past and love it. We also hung a strand of Christmas lights on the mantle, put some LEDs on the deck, and replaced our outside porch light with a green CFL bulb to match the other houses. So our row of houses has green, red, green, red porch lights right now. It is entirely too cute. For the actual holiday, thankfully I have a pretty concise family unity down here in ‘Bama. We usually go to my aunt’s in Clanton for Thanksgiving and all of my dad’s side of the family comes by there at some point during the day. Christmas is a toss-up, either going again to Clanton or cooking at my place and having dad come by for lunch. It’s very low-key and relaxed either way (thank God!), but my aunt’s cooking far surpasses my skills and yumminess so it’s always a treat to go there. This Christmas is not the first for Daniel and I, but it will be our first as an engaged couple living together so I’m doubly excited – and thankful. I think we’ve decided to spend a quiet day at home, snuggled up with cocoa, books, food, and great Christmas movies. I am seriously considering working at a kitchen that morning too. Later that day, I’m making a roast or Boston butt in the Crock Pot, some sides, and viola! Christmas lunch and dinner. 🙂 Christmas night we’re planning on going to see the ETC show at Theatre Downtown. I think we may make it an annual tradition for us. Will you be starting any new traditions this year? Side note: I really want an Elf on a Shelf and start that crazy tradition. They’re so flippin’ CUTE and I’m like 12 at heart so it’s ok.

I’ve been reading a lot of Christmas lists lately and I love it. It’s always interesting to see what people want, but don’t buy for themselves. There are some of us – like me – who will just buy whatever we want (when we can) during the year so there is little or nothing left for Christmas. But that’s ok…Christmas is not about gift giving or receiving to me. Still, it’s always a treat to see what my friends would like and, if I’m able, helping with that list a little bit. This year will be especially hard for me because we are trying to save all of our money to throw a party after our wedding. We shall see what happens. But then again, I know my friends don’t mind little or homemade gifts – they are not superficial or materialistic – they are beautiful, kind souls who would rather spend time than money. I don’t need or want anything material for Christmas. There are plenty of places out there that need help – I just need to focus on doing it, following through, and making it a big part of my life. That being said, here is a list of things I would like if I were to make a Christmas list, though these are more kind of like wishes for 2013:

  • Parade with Madge, the Magic City Dragon
  • Bus tour of Birmingham with favorite friends, food, and drinks (thanks to Magic City Post for prompting this idea)
  • Be a Big Sister or something similar
  • Create more, whether it’s “art” (I am the least talented artist you will ever meet), writing, implementing ideas, or other
  • Help support local businesses more
  • Throw a wonderful party to help raise money for the Crisis Center (and celebrate our nuptials with everyone)
  • Visit the Cobalt Club in person
  • Run a 5K (I currently walk them)
  • Donate to every non-profit that I adore here in Birmingham (there are a lot)
  • Become the official Duchess of Birmingham to promote our amazing city (hehe)
  • Start a non-profit to raise money for others in the area that need assistance and to help #BhamDanceWalk grow

What are your wishes for Christmas, 2013, or just the future?


Nov
2012

Birmingham is Beautiful

categories: Birmingham

Hi hi! Day 2 of #bloglikecrazy.

Our esteemed leader, Javacia Harris Bowser, provided us with writing prompts for this project if we were so inclined. Oh yes, I was totally inclined. Today’s prompt was DEFENSE. It IS football season here in the South, after all. Heh, I kid. She encouraged us to defend something in our post today that usually gets a bad rap. I’ll give ya something – BIRMINGHAM. I touched on it yesterday, but this city is absofreakinmazing. (+1 for that awesome made-up word).

I drive a lot of places. I don’t like to fly so me and my sweet little ride venture all over this beautiful country of ours. Birmingham is a great location geographically because we have mountains, beaches, flat lands, the coast, and major cities all within a few hours’ drive of here. Name it, you can get to it. Well, not really desert, but who really wants to hang out in the desert anyway? My point is that we are centrally located to and in some of the most beautiful mountains, trees, and beaches in the country. And I haven’t even touched on the city itself.

I am not a snob, but I am not a fan of traffic. I lived in Northern Virginia/DC for a few years and I got my fill for LIFE there. And I am, at heart, a city girl. Therefore I live and work and play mostly downtown and on this side of the mountain. I venture down US 280 when I absolutely have to and it’s mostly to hit the Apple store at the Summit. When the Target gets finished on Lakeshore, I will be down 280 even less. 🙂 I venture down or up 65 when traveling to Montgomery or Wisconsin to see my family. Don’t get me wrong, 280 and 65 are fine and provide some of the most scenic views of our county as far as the eye can see. But I prefer the bustle, culture, and atmosphere of downtown.

I’ve lived in a few cities, but I always end up back in Birmingham. There’s a reason: the beautiful historic buildings downtown, the charm and character in every brick facade, the history in the sidewalks, and the memories in the store windows. Ever since I can remember, I’ve wanted to live in a loft.  The lofts downtown have exploded in the past decade and businesses on the other side of the tracks have followed. Second Avenue North is becoming the place to be and 1st Avenue is right behind it, not to mention Morris Avenue. I always keep an eye out and hope to one day buy (or at least rent) down there.

Along with the cityscape are the activities that Birmingham has to offer – they are never-ending. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it until I die – If someone says there is nothing to do in this town, they aren’t looking very hard. If you look at my personal Facebook and Google calendar any day of the week, there is likely an event on there and usually more than one. Our people are active  – whether it’s personally or professionally – and they are putting themselves out there and LEADING the way for others. They are organizing projects, runs, fundraisers, art exhibits, plays, comedy shows, restaurant openings, festivals, kickball and ultimate Frisbee tournaments, pet meet ups, concerts, and everything else in between. Our libraries and civic organizations are bustling with free activities, and there are unique fundraisers for worthy causes and non-profits all the time.

Our city has its share of problems and the government and BOE are infamous at this point. But, Birmingham’s positives still vastly outweigh her negatives and I think people sometimes forget that. I don’t. And I’m not alone…there are many cheerleaders around the city. Look closely and talk – you will be surprised. Being a part of the love and growth movement in Birmingham runs in my blood. I try to share and spread that love when I can. If you ever need a reminder of how beautiful Birmingham is, stop on the 22nd Street Bridge at sunset. Or visit Linn Park at sunrise to watch volunteers feed the houseless. Or go to Five Points South any day of the week and witness the love. It’s there…I promise. And if you can’t find it, email me at sherri at yougotrossed dot com and we’ll go on a field trip. Stay beautiful, Birmingham.

Love yourself.
Find peace inside.
Share happiness.