Practice Makes Perfect

Serious talks about going to Japan next year have prompted Aaron and I to get cracking at practicing Japanese. Again. We've decided we want to go back to Osaka and this time we'll to "backpack it". And maybe go around baseball season so we can see a Hanshin Tigers game.

We've also started by diving in head first and quickly going through everything we've learned before, while sprinkling some new words in there just for fun. I was happy I remembered more hiragana than I thought I would, but I should have remembered more. So I have been doing lots of lines to help reinforce it in my brain:

In addition to hirigana, we worked on numbers. But not just numbers, we worked on numbers for counting things (because those two things are different in Japan). You pronounce a number differently when you are giving someone your phone number than when you are telling a person who many cats you have. Fun times!

I've been able to get a couple hours of studying and writing things down over and over and over again so I'm really happy about it. Tomorrow's study session will be awesome!

Is A Woman Not Entitled To the Body She Has Grown Into?

Yesterday I was asked by a male customer if I was pregnant. This is the second time in my adult life I've been asked this when I am indeed NOT pregnant.

I am 5 feet 4 inches tall. I weighed 129lbs at my last doctors appointment a few weeks ago. I am, by no means a big girl. I'm not fat. I'm not chubby. I'm not flat tummy-ed. I'm not toned. I'm pear shaped. I have "muffin tops". I eat well. I exercise. I'm healthy.

So why do I get asked this? Why is it that these men think that because I don't have the body of a Dallas Cowboy's cheerleader that the only other explanation for my body is that I'm pregnant?

What is wrong with my body? NOTHING.

Why do I get asked this? Because there are stupid people out there who apparently don't have a grasp on reality. And what real (read: average)women look like.

Why do I let this effect me when I try so hard to not let it?



I don't know, but I'm trying really hard to not let it.

Why do I lose confidence about myself over how far over my jeans my tummy is? Why can't I just accept myself and my body as it is? Why do I even have to think these things?

Even more so, why do I think these things even though I know how LOVED I am by my husband. By my family. My friends.

What is it going to take to make society understand that women come in all shapes and sizes and that is ok? Not just ok~ 100% PERFECTLY OK. We are all amazing people. We are all placed on this Earth for a reason. We should all learn to accept ourselves and other for what we are. For the effort we put into ourselves. For the goodness we project to others.

I am cut from a pretty stubborn cloth and I will not let this keep me down. I'm going to do as my Dad say's: "Tape it and go". I'm going to tape a little bandage on my heart and I'm going to go out into the world knowing that I am a wonderful and beautiful woman. I am going to reaffirm in myself all the qualities that make me me and LOVE MYSELF. I'm going to love every single detail about myself, because I work for it. Because this is the body I have grown into and it's wonderful.