30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 12

Today, I am thankful for my siblings.

If you couldn't tell, I'm the baby. Growing up, the age difference between my siblings and I was pretty significant, and by the time I was old enough to remember, they had already moved out of the house. I grew up like an only child and didn't have the same experience most people have with their siblings. We didn't get in fights over toys, because, well... I don't think my sister cared about my barbies when she was 18. We didn't have to fight over who got to use the car, because, well... I was still using a car seat. You get the point. Big age difference.

They ended up moving to different states, and while they were having kids, I was in elementary and middle school so there wasn't a whole lot for me to relate to. It wasn't anyones fault, but we just didn't have a lot in common. They were concerned about their jobs and taking care of their kids, and I was learning multiplication tables and figuring out what to take for "show and tell" at school.

Over time, we've developed much more meaningful relationships and the age difference has become less of a gap (or so it seems). We all have jobs, homes, responsibilities and I'm finally enough to sit at the adult table. My siblings are all unique and I love each of them dearly. 

Bob is the right-wing conservative, also the oldest, who has the most amazing wife in the world, who I consider one of my sisters. They have 4 beautiful kids (pretty much all adults actually) and live in Utah. He reminds me so much of my dad. 

Mark (Mossy) lives in Washington with his wife Sandra. He has 4 kids (again, almost all adults, one with a baby on the way) and is the most laid back. He's a meat-and-potatoes guy and doesn't like to be the center of attention or do any crazy things (he politely declined the skydiving trip).

Steve lives in Arkansas with his wife Tracy and their cute little daughter, Kylie (who is not even close to being an adult, thank goodness!) They live in a small (dry) town on a cattle ranch and are the best parents to their little girl.

Debbie lives in Colorado with her wonderful husband, Chett. I had the honor of being the matron of honor in their wedding a couple years ago and it meant the world to me. She has two grown kids, both of whom she raised as a single mom. She's been through a lot and deserves all the good things that have come her way.

We're all very different but compliment each other well and share the same sense of humor that we get from our dad. I love the relationships that we've built over time and can't wait to continue to create more memories together. 

Bob, Mark, Steve and Debbie-- thank you for being who you are and for letting me be your baby sister, I love you guys!

30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 11

Today, I am thankful for Bikram Yoga.

I started doing Bikram yoga a month after my brother's heart attack. Heart disease unfortunately runs in our family and I knew I needed to do something for myself, both on a preventative level for my physical health and on a more mental level as a way of dealing with stress. Bikram was the perfect outlet for me to do something I found myself naturally good at but also challenging at the same time. I was good at the flexibility and balance part-- the challenging aspect involved the ability to meditate and focus on one thing (myself) for 90 minutes. Over the last couple of years, I've learned so much about myself and my ability to focus and let out all of the negative energy that builds up on a daily basis.

I did a 30-day challenge in 2009 at the Bikram Yoga Institute in Scottsdale where I practiced 30 days straight. It was the most exhausting thing I've ever done, but one of the best accomplishments. I would get up at 3:45 in the morning, leave my house by 4:15 for the 5am class. Done at 6:30, I would shower at the studio and get to work by 8. I've never felt so great after those 30 days.

I encourage every single person to try it at least twice. The heat may bother you the first time and since you aren't familiar with the routine it seems like it lasts forever. But after the second time, you may become hooked like I did. 

Dear Seahawks: you owe me a favor.

I don't know how many times I tell people that I NEVER get sick. I get my flu shot every year, I'm a nazi about washing my hands and I'm thankful for a very healthy immune system. It was probably a combination of the rainy/cold weather + little sleep + yelling at the seahawks game a few weeks ago + being on a plane twice in 3 days that probably did it for me. I hadn't got my flu shot yet, and of course, got the flu. I hadn't been that sick in a LONG time, I could barely move, I had a fever, couldn't move, my body hurt.... but thankfully I had a wonderful husband that was the best nurse. Normally I'M the nurse, taking care of HIM... but I must say, he did a dang good job putting up with me!

Then it turned into a cough.... a dry annoying cough that wouldn't go away for almost 2 weeks. I was ready to slit my throat or chop my head off, whatever would get rid of it. One day last week when I was home working, I couldn't stop coughing... I coughed so hard that I did something to my neck. After I did it I was like "man, what the heck did I do?! All I did was cough!" When Stefan came home and I could barely turn my neck, all he did was laugh. "Seriously Julie, you're a mess." And then I started crying. I was a mess.

Then after a visit to the doctor and some magical cough syrup, I was only left with the neck issue. The doctor (thankfully) didn't laugh when I told him it was from coughing, he said "coughing is actually more violent than people think. I'll set you up with some massage therapy if it doesn't go away in a few days." Just my luck, it got worse. Sharp, stabbing pain in my neck for the past 5 days... went BACK to the freaking doctor who gave me some crazy muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatories. Side note: muscle relaxers make me feel strange, I'm not a fan. Diagnosis: Cervical and thoracic sprain. SERIOUSLY?!? I was not rear-ended in a car accident, it's not whiplash!!! Absolutely ridiculous. Treatment: Massage and Physical Therapy. Even more ridiculous. I am beyond annoyed at this point and hope this dumb treatment plan makes it go away quickly. And by quickly, I mean yesterday.

All from a dang cough (go ahead and laugh, Stefan's done his fair share of it).... and to think that it was likely a result of my yelling at the Seahawks game a few weeks ago. You're welcome Seahawks, just do me a favor and please beat the cardinals again on Sunday for me. I am pretty sure that will be the cure for my neck. Thank you.

30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 10

Today, I'm thankful for laughter.

It really is true that laughter is the best medicine. When I think about the friends that I cherish the most, they're the ones that can make me laugh. My family lives on humor and I think that's what makes our family pretty dang special... we make each other laugh. Laughter is free and also contagious. Ever heard a little kid laughing and you can't stop laughing yourself? It's one of the best feelings in the world.

I'm thankful for all the people out there who have made me laugh and continue to make me laugh. I'll even pay for it every once in a while... especially if it's Anjelah Johnson or Eddie Murphy.

One of my favorite stand-up routines that never gets old for me:

And if you're not offended by the f-bomb and want a little old school comedy, check out Eddie Murphy's Delirious. Another all-time favorite.

30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 9

Today, I am thankful for America.

I could spend hours writing about why I'm thankful for the freedom and liberties we have in America, but I think I'll keep it simple today.


I'm thankful for the freedom that exists in America and for those individuals that have served our country to protect our freedom. 

30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 8

Today, I'm thankful for my education.

I've always LOVED school. My parents instilled values about education ever since I can remember. "Always do your homework as soon as you come home from school," and "no, you can't go out to play until it's done." Seemed pretty simple... and it seemed to work.

I've always loved doing homework (I know, strange) and the satisfaction of turning in a paper or project done to the best of my ability was always so gratifying. Whether it was elementary school, middle school, high school or college, I don't think I ever missed an assignment. I always expected a high score, not because I thought I was the smartest kid or did the best job, but because I knew I could always challenge myself to be the best of my ability. I didn't always GET a perfect score, don't get me wrong. But when I did get a grade that was lower than I expected, it brought me down and then I just knew I had to work harder the next time. While my parents had strict rules for when I did my homework, they never EVER pressured me with regard to my grades. I've always been self-motivated and never really needed a push from anyone. Thank you, Type A Personality.

I learned the most about the value of my education in high school. That's when it started to count. AP classes, honor society, the whole shebang.... all of the courses for "highly-selective colleges." Looking back, I loved my high school experience. I had some of the best teachers that prepared me both for college and to become a well-adjusted, productive adult. Favorite teacher? Mr. Robinson, hands down. Something about the way he taught really made me think about why I answered a question the way I did, and what the real-world application really meant.

Then came college. Hello University of Washington, it's nice to meet you and the other 60,000+ students here. I didn't go by Julie Voeller, I went by my student ID number. I had the world's 2nd worst roommate (Stefan got lucky with the world's worst) and became very frustrated trying to learn in my freshman classes with 500+ students. While I absolutely loved living in Seattle and loved the campus, UW just wasn't the best fit for me, nor did it complement how I like to learn and I don't think it really opened up the right opportunities for me from an educational perspective. I did learn a lot though, and this experience really allowed me to understand what I was looking for in my educational goals and aspirations.

Then came a transfer. Hello University of Puget Sound! I was one of 3200 students and from the second I transfered as a sophomore, I knew that was where I was meant to be. Small, private liberal arts college. I thought it would be too close to home (15 minutes from where I grew up), but it ended up being absolutely perfect. My professors knew me by name, I saw recognizeable faces on campus and becoming involved in various activities on campus really allowed me to find my place. I realized that I no longer wanted to be a dentist and found a great interest in psychology. I did some independent research with one of my professors, completed an internship that complemented my senior thesis and was President of the Psychology Honor Society my senior year. In addition to this (nerdy) little part of my resume, I was involved in leadership offices in my sorority, worked part-time as a nanny and a barista and still made time to make some of the most lasting friendships I never could've imagined.

I loved college. It taught me so much about myself, my aspirations, my strengths, my weaknesses and how I can be the best at whatever I decide to do. College was one of the best experiences of my life and I cannot be more thankful to have been given the opportunity to attend such a great school and learn so much about myself and to obtain such a well-rounded education.

And no folks, it didn't stop there. Because I loved school SOOOO much, I decided to get my Masters in Adult Education/Training after I became a corporate trainer at Progressive. Not because it would give me any advancements in my company, but because I wanted to understand the why behind adult learning and why we teach adults the way we do. (Don't worry, I don't take offense if you call me a nerd at this point.) While this was a completely different experience (the program was online), it actually taught me a lot about the future of education. My masters thesis was about the transition of corporate training from face-to-face learning to more online and virtual methods of instruction. I was able to incorporate my experiences at work with what I was learning in school to the research that has been conducted in corporate training settings. I loved how everything came back full-circle because it really made my masters program seem meaningful and relevant.

I thank my parents for proving a solid foundation with the importance of education.

I thank my elementary and middle school teachers for the encouragement and positive contribution that allowed me to realize that I can do anything.

I thank my high school teachers for opening my eyes and providing focus on the importance of my future.

I thank my college professors for challenging my beliefs and allowing me to think like an individual.

Without my education, I don't know where I'd be.

30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 7

Today, I am thankful for good books.

I've always loved to read but when I was in college, then starting my first job out of college and during my masters program, I never really had the time to read for fun. Now that I have a little more free time, I really enjoy taking time to just curl up and read a good book. I used to love the feel of holding a book in my hand and turning the pages... but after I got my iPad, I now enjoy curling up with my iPad and touching the screen to turn the page. :) Not to mention, I can download pretty much any book I want in less than a minute. Going back to that technology thing... pretty awesome.

A few of my all-time favorite books:

A Piece of Cake - Cupcake Brown

Monster - Sanyika Shakur

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

Wasted - Marya Hornbacher

Tuesdays with Morrie - Mitch Albom

A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini

5 People You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom

For One More Day - Mitch Albom

Marley and Me - John Grogan

The Shack - William P. Young

Push - Sapphire

Saving Max - Antoinette van Heugten

Shit My Dad Says - Justin Halpern

And for a little fun...

Anything by Chelsea Handler and Tucker Max :)

Up next: I just downloaded Portia de Rossi's new book, Unbearable Lightness and I'm still trying to get past the first 50 pages in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo... not having too much luck though.