Topic Tuesday: Someone Has to Say It

Welcome to another installment of Topic Tuesday! You can go look at Megan's here and Claudia's here. (I will add the links when they're posted.)

I always know people don't say everything they want to, whether it's to me or about something else. How many times have I purposely omitted a thought in my head? The repercussions for anyone, no matter who you are, are endless. What if I offend someone? What if it makes me look stupid? What if I lose a friend over it?

But the truth is, we all need to say it. Wouldn't you rather be told you look bad than go out thinking you looked good because your friends didn't say what they really thought? Wouldn't you rather stand up for yourself and tell people how they make you feel? That you won't take it lying down?

I know I'm being hypocritical here. These words are aimed at me just as much as anybody else.

How many times have you had those words on the tip of your tongue? How many times have you been so close to just saying what you really felt? For all of us wimps out there, there's someone who has found the guts we seem to be missing that allow us to say what we want. And I have no doubt they are happier people. They harbor no secrets and let everything out in the open. They can be themselves. How I wish I was like that. Maybe as I get older . . . wishful thinking.

Then there's always the age-old question: what if you don't say it and something happens? What if you never get to say it? What if some amazing chance passes you up?

Ever since we decided on this topic, this line from Grey's Anatomy has been stuck in my head on repeat:

"Did you say it? 'I love you. I don't ever want to live without you. You changed my life.' Did you say it? Make a plan. Set a goal. Work toward it. But every now and then, look around. Drink it in. 'Cause this is it. It might all be gone tomorrow."

I want to be an honest person. I want to tell people how I feel about them. I want my loved ones to know exactly what they mean to me. I want the world to know that I don't intend to be sucked in by its ideals. I want people to know, without a doubt, what I stand for.

I have things left to say. I have thoughts I want to share. I have confessions I want to scream to the world. I have secrets I want to let go of. Someone has to say it. "I love you." "Yes, you look fat." "Thank you for everything you do." "I don't agree." "I want you in my life." "That color doesn't work for you." "I can't bear the thought of losing you." "That's a stupid idea." "I don't want to live my life without you."

Someone has to say it.

I hope I can be that someone.  :)

~Sydney

Topic Tuesday: 50 Random Facts About Me

 

Today's topic was chosen by the lovely Claudia. It's a bunch of random facts about me. Let's see if I can come up with 50 things you might not know about me.

1) I'm short. Really short. I don't even reach 5 feet.

2) I love dark, disturbing things. Tim Burton is one of my favorite movie-makers. (Note: this does not mean horror movies or haunted houses or anything like that.)

3) I don't like getting roses. If a guy gives me roses, I'll probably kick him out the door.

4) My favorite color is green. Pretty much any shade.

5) I like to write. A lot. Most of my hard drive is occupied by word documents of my stories.

6) I was obsessed with Nsync. I even knew ALL the dances they did to their songs. Still do.

7) I've played violin for 11 years. I was in orchestra all through elementary, middle, and high school.

8) I like to crochet. Don't care if people think it's for old ladies. You can do some cool stuff.

9) I made Alyssa fall in love with the song "What Hurts the Most" ;)

10) I'm super clumsy. I fall up the stairs almost every time I go up them.

11) I like to shove myself into small spaces, ie. the dryer, windows, cabinets, curled up in a little chair

12) I love blue Powerade. I used to drink it everyday my freshman year.

13) One of my nicknames is Nemo because, on a school music trip to Disney World my junior year of high school, all I wanted to do was ride the Nemo ride. I practically ran to it and then bounced the whole time we were in line while quoting the movie. My friends never let me live it down. (Plus, it is one of my favorite Pixar movies.)

14) I have a fascination with glow sticks.

15) I swing dance, with all the flips and everything.

16) I have a girl crush on Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep.

17) My food can't touch on my plate. It all has to be separated. If it's not meant to be mixed together, I don't want it to be contaminated. If it touches, I don't eat it.

18) I'm allergic to sunblock. No, that is not a joke.

19) I'm addicted to my iPod. I feel absolutely lost without it. I'd rather have my iPod than my phone.

20) I still have my baby blanket. It's holey and falling apart, but I can't sleep without it.

21) The amount of books I read is insane. I tried to count all the books I read last year and had to stop around 110. (And last year I felt like I didn't get to read that much.)

22) I collect postcards. They can be sent to me or I buy them when I'm on vacation

23) I organize my cash in my wallet. It all has to be facing the same way, in numerical order.

24) I can watch a movie once and quote all the lines. My dad and brother can do this too.

25) I'm quiet and shy. I like to stay in the corner, unnoticed.

26) Pertaining to #25: I can be loud and crazy, but only if I feel comfortable around you.

27) I'm extremely sarcastic. And most of the time, people don't recognize it as sarcasm. Go figure.

28) Most people underestimate my strength just because I'm little. Needless to say, they're really surprised when I can fight back or lift heavy things.

29) I love college football and baseball, but don't ask me to watch any other sports.

30) I can unwrap Starburst in my mouth and the wrapper is still in one piece.

31) I'm a water snob. I can't drink tap water and I only drink certain brands of bottled water.

32) I take the cheese off my pizza when I eat it.

33) I love frozen grapes. My roommates think it's weird.

34) My favorite board game is LIFE even though every time I play I end up with too many children to fit in the car.

35) I have a scar right down the middle of the roof of my mouth that I can feel with my tongue from oral surgery.

37) I love Mythbusters!! I can watch marathons of it without losing interest. Yeah, I'm a geek.

38) My favorite cereal is Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Fruit Loops and Cap'n Crunch are a close second.

39) I blast my music in the car when I'm alone or with certain people who I know can handle it.

40) I love Target.  <3

41) I really wish I could play piano and acoustic guitar.

42) I blush really easily.

43) I love to cook and bake, even though I don't do it a lot.

44) I'm a grammar and spelling Nazi. I want to be an editor.

45) I hate wearing shoes. I prefer being barefoot or flip flops.

46) I can pop my left pinky in and out of its socket. It grosses Alyssa out which makes it more fun to do.

47) I have a deadly fear of needles. Just thinking about them makes me nauseous.

48) I'm a speeder. Big time. The bad thing is sometimes I don't even realize how fast I'm actually driving.

49) I love musicals and I'm not afraid to admit it.

50) I have the funniest sneezes that everyone makes fun of. They say it sounds like a mouse.

That was extremely hard to get to 50. But I got there! Leave me a comment :)

You can read Megan's here and Claudia's here. Enjoy!

~Sydney

Topic Tuesday: My Ten Guilty Pleasures

*Sorry this is a bit late. I forgot to post it last night.

Welcome to Topic Tuesday! Today, Claudia, Megan and I are going to share our ten guilty pleasures . . . if we can come up with ten.

1) Slurpees - Yes, this is a BIG guilty pleasure of mine. Anyone that hangs out with me can testify to this. I admit to having saved loose change so I could go get one. I know they're not good for me, but they're just so darn good! *side note: The guy at 7-11 and I are buddies. We always talk when I come in. Pretty sad huh?

2) Books - Or maybe I should say buying books. I spend too much money on them. Everyone always says I should just go to the library. But it's not the same.

3) Chicken nuggets - Yeah, extremely bad for you. But at least they taste yummy while clogging your arteries!

4) People Watching - Yes, I admit to watching people and making comments. Mostly on what they're wearing. Probably not the best habit, but I still do it.

5) Daydreaming - If you're trying to get my attention and I'm not answering, this is probably what I'm doing. And it's always on tons of different subjects. Shoes, Edward, Robert Pattinson, stories I want to write, where I'd go on vacation, etc.

6) Diet Coke with Lemon/Lime - One of the best drinks ever!! I haven't had one in almost two months (this plasma thing kinda prohibits them) but it is still one of my guilty pleasures.

7) Shoes - I. Love. Shoes. People can say you don't need that many pairs, but you can never have too many shoes!!

8) In'n'Out Burger - I can't ever resist In'n'Out. I could seriously eat it several days in a row and have before. It's like a drug. I can't stay away!!! I'm still trying to figure out if one being built here in Orem is a good thing or a bad thing.

9) Slurpees - Oh wait . . . I said that already.

10) Panties - Yes, it's true. I love Victoria's Secret panties. No one's ever going to see them, but dang. They're a definite guilty pleasure :)

So, there you have it! My guilty pleasures!

~Sydney

Topic Tuesday - You Are Here

Welcome to Topic Tuesday!! Okay, for those of you who don't know what that is (which is all of you), my friends Megan and Claudia and I all pick a topic together. Then we each blog about it without talking to each other. The point? To see what three different people think about the same subject!

And for fun of course.

So, after you're done reading mine, you can click on Claud & Megan's names above to go to their blogs and see what they wrote.

Today's topic, in case you couldn't already tell, is "You Are Here." Well, where is "here" and why am I . . . "here?"

When I first thought of this, the weirdest thing came to mind. I remember back in my sophomore year of high school, we got this paper that was supposed to help prepare us for college. It looked like a LIFE game board, complete with weird cartoon drawings. Each square was a class you needed to take or a test or whatever other requirements you had to meet to be what California deems an acceptable college applicant. Of course, being my mature 14-year-old self, I laughed and threw it away. My reasoning? I was going to BYU and not one of the UC schools. I didn't need it.

Boy, do I wish I had one of those now.

Not for college. Obviously I made it. I wish I had one for life. One that showed me what step came next and what path I was supposed to be taking. But then again . . .

Wouldn't it be suffocating to have a set path and every step laid out for you?

I'm getting off topic.

So, where is "here?

"Here" is straddling what my life was and what it is becoming. One foot is in my childhood days where I am still living with my parents and my biggest cares are having college-worthy grades, having money for the weekend, or which friends were fighting. The other foot is in my college days, trying to pull me forward. Now I'm worried about money to survive, picking the right classes, and trying to figure out what I'm going to do with the rest of my life.

"Here" is a transitioning period.

I'm sorting my life out, figuring out what I want. I'm building, organizing, enjoying, fighting through it. Where do I go? Well, I'm figuring that out too. I've got at least two more years to do it.

For now, this is my circle. I decide whether to break it and let people in or to keep it closed and protect what I have.

I am here.

~Sydney