The F in February is not for Fun

Fun February? No....it's more like freezing and frigid. I know I'm not alone when I say the month of February is a drag. For me this month has always been cold and dismal. The weather stinks and with the crazy ice storm we received yesterday the month has already lived up to the expectation. *grumble* My month started off with failing internet service, a painful trip to the dentist, a nail in one of my front tires and some other disappointing news. Awesome. Boohoo, right. Everyone has problems and if you're reading this you most likely didn't come here to read or here about my woes. So I suppose that's enough for now. How about a little escape to Margaritaville? It always brings a smile to my face. : )




Wondering about an update on my 2011 project 32? It's coming soon.

Overdue update

I started off my new year with this slightly overeager list of things to do by my birthday in May. Some people are a little skeptical, yet others are encouraging.

I've scratched a few items off my list. On Sunday, with the encouragement of a few friends I made cannoli and homemade pizza for the first time.


21. Make cannoli The cannoli, while edible they weren't quite right. It was definitely a learning experience. Gearing up to try again this weekend.
23. Make pizza dough from scratch, and then the pizza of course. The pizza was the second item made from scratch in the same day. Thank T for the use of your awesome Kitchen Aid stand mixer. Maybe I should just call her my sponsor for these two adventures. Anyway...the pizza was just okay. It too could use a little work, and I intend to try again.









During our recent snowpocalypse I decide to knock out another item on the list. I giggled my way through 19. Watch Some Like It Hot. I'm curious if a remake of the movie would be as charming. This was my first Marilyn movie and now I'm anxious to catch up on some of her others.

Three down, 29 to go and some of them seem a little daunting. Anyone interested in sponsoring one? I give "shout outs". Thanks for the encouragement, keep it coming!

My resolution....32 New Things

We're almost a full week into the year and I still haven't published my New Year's resolution. This year I thought I'd try something a little different. I'm borrowing an idea from Yes and Yes. I'm going to complete (er...attempt) 32 new things by my 32nd birthday on May 14th. Feel free to poke, prod and encourage me along over the next few months. I'll make an effort to post a follow-up blog to each one completed. I know...contain your enthusiasm. It's about to get pretty exciting. Ha!

1. Cook something with red wine
2. Obtain a paid marketing position/role
3. Skydive
4. Attend a water aerobics class
5. Take a dance class
6. Explore a new city
7. Purchase a more fuel efficient car
8. Bake a pie from scratch
9. Finish reading I Was Told There'd Be Cake (a book I've had for almost two years and keep putting off finishing)
10. Attend an event at The Lincoln Theatre
11. Walk the Olentangy trail from start to finish (13 miles, someone will need to pick me up and drive me back to the start)
12. Start learning a new language (Italian or Spanish)
13. Do a set of 50 push ups.
14. Start a business (finally)
15. Learn a design program/software
16. Take a belly dancing class
17. Go to a bar and have a drink by myself
18. Write article on customer service
19. Watch Some Like It Hot
20. Play paintball
21. Make cannoli
22. Take a (dreaded) spin class
23. Make pizza dough from scratch, and then the pizza of course.
24. Go ice skating
25. Play the lottery
26. Take Sammy horseback riding
27. Eat vegan for a day
28. Go on a blind date (friend set up, grrrr....)
29. Find a mentor
30. Tutor/mentor at a school
31. Plant/grow herbs
32. Ride in a helicopter

Lily Allen - Fuck You [Official Music Video]

Well, according to my byline...I'm supposed to share some humor. This song and video, although not new, is new to me and I find it sarcastic and refreshing so I thought I'd share. Enjoy! :)

Going through the desert...

A good friend sent this to me recently. It struck a chord within so I thought I would share.

There is Always a Bigger Picture

Our pastor said something the other day that really struck home for me. He said, "Everybody, at any given time is either coming out of a crisis, just moving into one, or is smack dab in the middle of one!"

He talked about how today, we all want "easy", we want "instant".

He said things like, "we need to bust through the quitting points."

A couple of weeks later a guest pastor talked about "the deserts we go through in life, and why we all need to go through them." The deserts are defined as the tough times, that strengthen us , and show us what we are made of. Only when we bust through the quitting points, will we learn who we are and what we are capable of.

Equally as important, he reminded me that sometimes we go through things so we can minister to others who are going through the same kind of trials we have been through. Not only do we understand someone's pain better when we have been through it, but that person is more receptive to our help when they know we have been there; they have confidence that you really understand what they are going through, and a renewed hope that they can break through. Here you are today, and you are ok.

Many of you have heard this story, but I will share it anyway: For a number of years, my husband and I enjoyed a fantastic income. We traveled a lot, had a beautiful home, drove new cars and so on. One day, I was talking with a leader about leader retreat. She shared that she couldn't afford to attend. So I said, "Just hold 6 extra shows between now and retreat and that will pay for it!" She responded with, "Shari, If I could hold 6 extra shows, I would buy my kids socks!"

I thought, "if you were really committed, you would figure out a way to go." I didn't get it. God made sure I did.

A few years later, I left my corporate job and went back into the field. About a year later 9-11 hit and my husband was laid off. It didn't take long for us to be in financial trouble. It didn't take too much longer after that for us to be wiped out. We went beyond broke, we had to leave our beautiful home, we were no longer driving new cars, in fact mine was 14 years old, we had phones turned off, water turned off, you name it, we experienced it. We argued over spending $2.98 on milk when Safeway had it for $2.39!

Suddenly, I got it! If I could do 6 more shows, I would pay a bill, or buy groceries! It was a horrific time, yet, I'm so glad I went through it. I needed to go through it. I needed to understand what other people were going through. I needed to live and walk in their shoes. I fear I would never have understood, had I not lived it. It's amazing how quickly you can forget what it's like to be under such a financial burden. I pray that I will never again be so insensitive to another.

My good friend Cindy has said to me many times, "Shari, what are you supposed to learn from this, because if you don't learn it, God will just give the same lesson again!"

I believe in my heart of hearts, that things happen for a reason. I don't mean that you should live passively and let life come to you. But when the unexpected happens, there is always a bigger picture that we can't see or understand, or an important lesson to be learned.

A while ago, I was working for a company in a corporate position. It was going great, my training team and I were making great progress and doing some pretty cool things. I felt so good about it in fact, that I decided to ask for a raise and a promotion.

I met with my boss, and much to my surprise she fired me. (I guess that meant the raise and promotion were out of the question)! I was devastated. I'd never been fired before in my life! In fact, I was the one they always brought in to "fix" things. I went home to my apartment, cried for a couple of hours, called my husband who was back in Washington and shared the good news. Bless his heart, it took all of about 5 minutes for him to digest, adjust, and say, "Well the good news is, you can come back home!" (I had been flying home Friday nights and back out of state every Sunday afternoon where I would spend the week).

He called me back a couple of hours later and said he thought it was time for me to start my own business. It was something we'd talked about doing in our retirement years, but he said it was time. I do like to do things my own way. That can certainly make me a challenging employee. My mantra has always been, "I'd rather get fired than not make a difference." Well, there you go!

In hindsight, I can see that the tough time, and getting fired, forced me into doing something I probably would have put off for many years. I started my own business. Today, I am so glad I got fired.

I remember about two and a half years ago our youngest daughter shared with us that she was pregnant. So the bad news is that she's pregnant. The good news is that she is pregnant. Yes it will be tough to be a single mom, but we knew she would be a great mom. It happened and you can't take it back.

Things happen, it's how we react to what happens that is important. What we do with it. We said over and over to Carli when she was pregnant, "The bad news is your life will never be the same; the good news is, your life will never be the same."

We don't always know the specific "why" when the "deserts" in our life are happening. In fact we almost never do, but if we are patient, it is always revealed. We didn't know all the reasons that our daughter had to go through this at the time. Immediately we saw so many good things come out of this situation. We watched Carli's immediate and extended family wrap around her like a warm blanket in the cold, being reminded again what dear friends we have as so many lifted us up in support and encouragement. Of course there were some pretty tough things to go through as well. But today we wonder where the sunshine was in all our lives before Isabelle arrived! She is 20 months old and has us all wrapped around her little finger! Carli is a great Mom! What felt like a crisis at the time is nothing but pure joy today.

I wasn't fired just so I could start my own business. I could still be working out of state, only home Friday night and Saturday. If I were, I wouldn't have been there when Carli needed me. I could have taken another corporate job and been on the road 5 days a week or living out of state again. But I didn't. Because I was fired I started my own business.

I am able to be very involved in this little darling's life. I am able to help Carli with childcare. In fact Carli works for Average To Excellence so Isabelle is here at the office Monday - Friday. We all take turns playing with her during the day. I can schedule my days anyway I choose. You can't do that when you are corporate. At the moment, I didn't understand why it was happening, why I was fired; Now it all seems crystal clear.

Life happens. We are all either coming out of a crisis, going into one, or smack dab in the middle of one. There is always a bigger picture we can't see at the time, or a lesson we need to learn, either for our own growth, or to be of support or help to others. It's still tough, but we will always be better for it! - Shari Hudspeth

Springing into action...

I realized recently I haven't posted once this year. Not that I have many readers (if any) but I should probably be blogging for my own benefit. To catch up....this year didn't get off to a very good start. Dealing with some personal struggles and an increasing health issue in the family. Things seem stable for the time being which has allowed me to focus on what I've let go for the past few months...me.

I've uncovered some new music lately which makes me happy in my own little way. I'm newly in love with Kate Earl. If you haven't checked her out yet you should.

I've been experiencing some struggles in more than one area of my life; relationships, finances, work and fitness have all been punching me in the face. Of course not literally. I think I've been ignoring things for too long and now they're all stuck in the forefront of my mind. A friend advised I pick one and focus on it. It's generally too overwhelming to work on more than one. The way I see this phase is almost as punishment. Perhaps I've been pocketing these issues for too long and now I just have to suffer through them for a while. I'm trying to find a more positive approach to tackling these challenges. I have open ears for any words of wisdom.

In the mean time...Spring is here and the nice weather (on occasion) promises new things to come.

Winding down the year

Well, last weekend I accomplished one of my goals for the year. I ran my second 5K this year. Clearly, I can finish them. Now...I suppose I should challenge myself to improve my time on the next one. I was happy to finish in 38 minutes. For me, it's more important to just continue jogging and not have to stop to walk. I even braved the cold for this one and I still finished so I guess aside from wet conditions I can't really have many more excuses.

Even though I finished the two runs this year. I'm still up 30lbs from my lowest weight. This is a huge disappointment considering how hard I worked to get my weight down. I can make excuses for why I gained the weight back or why I haven't lost it yet, but it's ultimately my own doing. It's time to do something about it.

Some of my earlier blogs talked about things around the house, debt consolidation (evil credit cards) and relationships with guys. All of the above are still issues but what I'm realizing is that they always will be. These are just the facts of life and I've been letting them win. It's time for me to start taking control of the situations rather than them controlling me. I watched one of my favorite movies last night. There is a revelation that I love and can relate to. It's something like..."I should be the leading lady of my own life...". So true...so true. This year has been a period of chaos and confusion for me. Chalk it up to a learning experience and move on. Just because I don't realize what I've gained from it right now doesn't mean that I won't eventually. I need to just keep plugging along.

It seems the purpose of this blog is to organize my thoughts and kick it back to me. This doesn't really benefit anyone else, or readers. Simply myself. Maybe someday this will lead to the benefit of others.

For now...I'm looking forward to the upcoming Holidays. I have a cookie exchange coming up with some of my closest girlfriends. I can't wait to have everyone at my house. I've decided I'm going to make an effort to welcome people into my home more frequently. I attended an event a week ago and I heard a lady give a testimonial about her grandmother. She remembered her grandmother as being "a friend to everyone". I want to work to be remembered FONDLY. I know I can often get wrapped up in my own selfish ways so this will be a healthy project for self fulfillment and development.