Pure At Heart

     Sometimes I wish that I could go back about 17 years. Back to where everything was so clear. So simple and easy. Back before this world tore so much away from us. Today, I met Landon, an amazing 6 year old hopeless romantic. I was getting my phone fixed today when he an his mother walked in. He waited so patiently chatting away to his mother until I felt a tap on my arm. Landon reached out for a hand shake."Hello, my name is Landon. What is your name." He sounded so proper and had the sweetest little grin. This is what I learned about Landon after our short introduction. 
"Do you know how to make spaghetti?"...."You put the noodles in a biiiiiggg pan with the water then put on the sauce. You can even add big meat balls if you want." I was pretty sure this kid knew more about cooking then I did! But he just continued on without a pause. Landon said with out breathing. "I am six and I am in first grade. I don't go to school though. I just stay home, and I have a batman leap frog laptop." Then he referenced a movie in which they talked about batman. Then Landon said the most adorable thing in the world."I have a girlfriend. Her name is Rachel. We sing together in choir and from the second I saw her I knew that I loved her." It made me want to melt right there in my chair. It made me what to give this kid a hug and say don't lose your innocence. Then it made me hurt, because I knew that the world would tear that away from him in just a few years. It seems like kids are being forced to grow up sooner and sooner these days just to keep up with the world. I wish we could keep that pureness of heart all of our lives. I wish that innocence lasted forever but the real world is beckoning so to be able to see just a glimpse of that in the eye of a child for a few minutes today was a real blessing. 

One last thing! Do you remember that first crush. That first time a boy/girl asked for your number. Do you remember running back to your friends/ sisters to tell them all about it, all the details and you blushing all giggling together. Today, I got my first boy moment with my little sister. Right after school was out I got a text from my 10 year old little sister saying guess what! " My crush got my phone number today. He just flat out ask me for it!" I could hear the excitement right through the screen! She has liked this boy for about 2 years now and he finally makes the move! :) I'm so happy she includes me in her life. Sister moments are something I never got in my life. So to have her here to make up for all those sisterless years is a dream come true! I love you sissy!


P.S. Landon also tells jokes. " You are driving a bus. 4 people get on 16 people get off. 4,390 get on and 1,234 people get off. 2 Million people get on and 3 get off. What color are the bus drivers eyes?..... Do you know the answer!?...... YOU are the bus driver dummy :) 

No, No, No

 No, No, No     
      One, two, three..... thirty-seven. That is how many people told me NO today. Today was devoted to finding a job. I went through every single physical therapy center in Tulsa. Nope nobody is hiring. The only thing I got was a time to go observe at one PT clinic! Which is more than the thirty-six other places that just plain shut me down. So, I moved on the everything else in Tulsa. I basically filled out applications till my eyes went blue... well blue- er! But, Winston Churchill said it the best "Never, nerver, never give up!" and " Wars are not won by evacuations". These words keep me going! I will find a job and I will keep looking until I do.  


Yes, Yes, Yes
      Not all bad news I promise! Today,I found out that one of my friends and her husband are Preggo! I'm super happy for them! This kid is going to have the time of its life! Not only is it going to be the fastest little kid on the planet but its going to have the best Aunt in the world! So best of luck to you! :) 
      The Sterling College Lady Warriors are now the KCAC conference champions for the 4th season in a row!! I cant tell you how proud of these girls I am. They were just our little munchkins the last couple of years and they have overcome so many injuries to keep prevailing! It is so amazing to watch peoples growth through adversity and I wish I could be there to see more of it!
    

    

Valentine's Day Jams

    Well, of course I could talk about love today since it IS a day fully devoted to love or I could be a cynic since I haven't had much luck with love lately but that wouldn't change anything. And I still believe in falling head over heels with THE ONE someday, so making this day miserable would just be a waste of day. So instead of wasting this blog talking about guys and love and all that blah blah blah I'll tell you what I do love. 
1. God
2. Immediate and extended family 
3. Friends
4. And MUSIC!
5. and a whole lot of other stuff that will eventually be touched on throughout this blog im sure!


Here are my Love Music Picks for this lovely day.𝄞
To play any of these songs just click on the title. :) Enjoy


1.  You Got Me- Colbie Caillat
2.  Haven't Met You Yet- Michael Buble
3.  I'll Be- Edwin Mcain
4.  I and Love and You- The Avett Brothers
5.  More Than Words- Frankie J
6.  Down ( Candlelight Remix)- Jay Sean
7.  The Way I Am- Ingrid Michaelson
8.  Thinking of You- Katy Perry
9.  Love Somebody Like You- Keith Urban
10. She Will Be Loved- Maroon 5 
11. She Is Love- Parachute
12. By Your Side- Tenth Avenue North
13. Try- Asher Book
14. Like You Do- Angel Taylor
15. Loverboy- Nicolle Galyon-Clawson Check this one out! 


Hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day! Much Love!

George.

GEORGE

      If I could peg the dissolution of the world today on one person or group of people, it would be on the Lydians. 700 B.C. is when it all started to go down hill. Who and what are the Lydians you ask. They are the whole reason 95% of people are stressed right to their cores.(An exaggerated piece of data don't quote me). Money. They invented it. But for reasons closer to this day in age I am just gonna blame it on good ol George W... Washington that is. Gah! We can't blame EVERYTHING on the Bush administration. George is on the dollar bill. Something that I have very few of these days. Being on my own isn't quite the glamorous life I had in mind. The whole no job and no money thing got old OOOO about 3 weeks ago. They say money doesn't buy you happiness, but it is sure a whole lot more fun. I never realized how much not having any money can paralyze you. I know what you are thinking ... DUH. But really. Think about how much less stressful our lives would be without that nagging pain or thrill of having or not having money.  You get what you need and want. 

1.No national debt. 

2.No taxes. 

3.No overdrawn notices.

4. No loans for school. 

5. No need for insurance. 

6.. Less violence. 

7. Everyone would be happy. Pure bliss. 

I realize this never would work out. But a girl can dream right.

I really can not do anything around this town especially without using some cash I don't have. No Gas money. No lunches to get out of the house. No sonic runs. and No chasing cowboys at the PBR for a cousins weekend in the city :( So I find my self stuck inside my apartment coming up with some really lame ideas to keep me from getting cabin fever until I find a job. Today's task was pedicure and manicures FO FREE! I figured since tomorrow is Valentines day and all I would treat myself to a little pampering. Then I figured out its really not so much pampering when you have to do it your self! I also realized that my 10 year old little sister is 100 times better at painting nails than I am. But despite my lack of practice I do believe they turned out quite well. 

So until my Valentine, George rolls around I need some free, fun activities to keep me entertained! Let me know your ideas in the comment section! Everyone have a great Valentines day full of love ones and happiness!! If you are looking for some great Valentines jams check out tomorrows blog! 

More  Less Money, More Problems Pictures of the Day

 

Outta Luck, Outta Love

Night In The Casa/ Apt.
Outta luck, well mostly yes no luck in the job search today but I did succeed in project smile! Outta Love,  yes again and with Valentine's day right around the corner its not looking so hott for me this year! 2011 will be better! 
Tonight was a night of relaxation. The great thing about living by yourself is you do everything on your own time. So tonight...
1. Cooked a great dinner. Spaghetti.
2. A glass of Boeckman Wine
3. 2010 Winter Olympic Opening Ceremony
4. A litte Def Leppard
5. Bubble Bath
6. Went through old pictures.


I just want to say that I LOVE the Olympics! It doesn't matter if it is winter or summer or special olymipcs. I think that they hold so much pride in their home country and in the athletes that represent them. A really horrific accident happened at the luge practice run this morning. Being the athletic trainer that I am, I wanted to see the MOI aka. the mechanism of injury and to see how the medical staff responded to the accident so I went to YouTube. I found the video and was looking at some of the heartfelt comments below when I came to one that read "I thought it was kinda funny". O man was I heated. Boiling. On Fire. I can not believe someone could say such a thing after watching a video like that and knowing the results. This is not a TV show, this is not a video game, this is someone son, someone boyfriend a human being. And to see someone degrade him like that is just unreal to me. Anyways I was really glad to see that the IOC take a moment of silence for him and honor him by dedicating the ceremony to his memory. On a lighter note. What was up with the bum tap dancing fiddlers in Dante's Inferno? I thought it portrayed Canada in a very creepy light. But the slam poetry was amazing. So full of life and pride. I loved the line "don't let your baggage define your travel". 


On to the Def Leppard! In the light of their hit song "Photograph" and the fact I was looking at old photographs tonight. Here are some of my favorites of non party pics. Enjoy!

Project Smile :)

Project Smile 2010

     So, I have the extremely bad habit of  looking in peoples cars as I pass them on the highway. I just like to see what other people do when they are driving. I was driving to class tonight and I realize it was 5 o'clock traffic on the highway, but I was checking in on people as I drove passed just like I always do. There was a girl texting and driving with her knees, a lady shoving a burger in her mouth, a truck driver that was leaning completely into the passenger side out of sight, a lady reading a packet of papers, about 43 people staring blankly ahead, and one guy yelling at his kids in the back seat of his minivan. What I realized was that not one person had a smile on their face. Not one person that looked like they were enjoying their precious life on this earth. I know not everyone gets into their car and starts to sing and dance like I do but really not one smile. I started looking at everyones faces more while I was walking to class and you could see the stress and sadness wearing on everyones shoulders. So my new goal everyday is to focus on smiling more. Smile because I am alive. Smile because I am healthy. And smile because its fun! Smiling and laughing is infectious. So, if I can make someone's day just by flashing my pearly whites then my day has been worth something. I challenge each one of you to take 5 simple minutes out of your day and focus on smiling. Make someone's day. I dare you! :) 

P.S. What makes you truly happy. What makes you smile. Gimme some feedback I would love to hear it!

THE weekend...

 Getcha Grandma On    
    Sorry I haven't written in a few days. I was actually busy on a weekend for once in a long time. I could not have asked for a better weekend away from Tulsa. I was in much need of a little best friend/ brother and sister time. On Friday, I got up super early. Quickly passed my online Dev. Psych test, and got ready to go to Sterling, KS for the day. When I walked out of the garage for the first time I looked across the street to find an estate sale going on. This shocked me because the last I knew about the little old lady that lived next door was still alive and growing her beautiful flowers. But unfortunately I have been gone for a while so I guess I'm not quite in the loop. I saw a bunch of furniture and stuff so I decided to go check it out since I have a VERY empty apartment. Can I just say that this old lady had the best taste ever! I found my self stuck in the jewelry section. I found the most amazing necklace to wear to the Nicolle Galyon concert I was going to later that night. It was a gold necklace with a beautiful pendant on the end. The pendant was a clock (a working one) and on the other side had a multicolor jewel. I was very proud of my find and Im sure the little old lady would be proud that someone else loves her possessions as much as she did. You ever think, when you die, what is going to happen to all that stuff you just absolutely had to have? I hope my belongings go to someone that appreciate them. But hopefully with God's blessing I will not have to find out any time soon. 


 Sterling, Kansas
     The only thing you need to know about Sterling, KS is that it is a typical small town. And when I say small I mean one stop light, one grocery store kinda place. But that is not what keeps me relentlessly going back to the little, one main street place. Its the people, the community, the feeling of Home no  matter whose house you are at. It's the feeling that when you walk on campus you know everyone, and everything about them. The good and the bad. It's the family that takes you under their wing for the four years of school, brings you into their home, and watches you grow up right along with their kids. To say that the middle of no where, Sterling, Kansas has blessed me would be an understatement. Most of the time while going to school there you would rather be any where else. But, as I have graduated and moved away to a city that is at the opposite end of the spectrum, I can only wait for the few days when I can return to the small town to visit my home away from home. The Mantz family has needless to say been my extended family for the past 5 years of my life. They have given me so much and have brought so much to my life. They gave me the one thing no one could give me. A brother and a sister. Raegan and Dalton are a permanent part of my family. I have practically watched them grow up. Dalton was barely walking when I met him and Raegan was barely in kindergarten. Now my brother is a walking sports almanac and my sister is a gymnastics diva! I would not trade my family time for anything in the world! It's a good thing that the world has evolved enough to be able to skype them every week or I might go insane!

I only wish I was this creative and took this picture... so cute.


Back to the weekend. 
Friday. 

1.   Basement Boys.  I was treated to lunch with 2 of my basement boys! These guys kept me sane for most of my time at Sterling and it was great to see them, but it was definitely weird with out J- Love there . It felt like we were missing something. But always a fun time with them. 
2. SCAT. I got to reconnect with my Sterling College Athletic Training family. It was great to see all of you guys. We spend so much time together during the year and in the training room its crazy not having them around to gossip about who got what surgery or who is doing who's rehab. I hope to find a PT family that always has each others back as much as we do. And got some great news that Kim is going to be moving to Norman to be the OU Volleyball Athletic Trainer! Super excited for her to be come down this way! Congrats
3. Crackberry. Yes I broke my brand new one!
4. Renee. I was missing my best friend for so long. I didn't get to see her much this last semester because of how busy we both were but going from living with each other/ playing basketball together/working together over the summer to not seeing her at all really hit me hard. But we always pick right back up where we left off . It was good to have my wingman back :)
5. Nicolle Galyon. We went to a bar in Hutchinson, KS called the W, cute little bar that just opened not too long ago to see Nicolle Galyon play. Nicolle is a singer/ songwriter from Sterling that now lives in Nashville. She is absolutely amazing. I could go on about her but I just let her speak for herself, check her out at www.myspace.com/nicollegalyonmusic. Also, she does a great blog using her flip cam to document everyday of 2010 its under my blog list as The Flip Project. 
5. Friends. I was so excited to see a couple of my sterling friends at the concert. They made it that much more fun. Thanks EB and Kate for making it out!
6. More Fun.Carl's bar, shuffle board, Macs house, and sleep.




Saturday
Was all about my little sister's gymnastics meet in Wichita. She did so amazing and it amazes me how much we are alike for us to not be actual sisters. I was exactly like her at that age. So competitive, determined, and fearless. Man, how I would love to get back to that little girl that enjoyed every second of everything with so much energy. Raegan is just starting to compete in a new level so it was tough for her but she still did awesome! And getting to hang with the little monster for those 4 hours were so entertaining. I was a human jungle gym for him but I wouldn't have it any other way. Going to gymnastics meets are so dangerous form me because they just make me so anxious to become a gym mom. I want to watch my girl doing the very thing I loved and still love to do. But on the other hand I am more than happy to curb my enthusiasm watching Rae. 

Brother Love & Stud Sister

★Let It Sprinkle!★

Let It Sprinkle ★ Let It Sprinkle ★ Let It Sprinkle 

    Today was a super gloomy day it sprinkled the entire day. But I woke up early this morning with out the slightest sound of my annoying little alarm clock! I have to make sure I absolutely hate the song that wakes me up in the morning because if one of my favorite songs wakes me up ... well it will no longer hold its title! As I was saying! I woke up determined as ever despite the weather! I did a quick cram session of the material I have learned of the past 4 years and put on the I AM A ROCKSTAR smile and went to take my test! 4 hours later! Completely mentally drained I walked out in the rain and felt so much relief! I literally stood out in the sprinkles for like 5 mins (which is like 2.5 seconds in Jill time) and just remembered how many long and hard hours I have put in to get this far. How many 8 hour soccer games we sat out in the sprinkles/ terenchal rain just praying no one got hurt so we didn't have to get out from under our ponchos! The journey makes the destination so much sweeter. So when I get there its going to be as sweet as American honey!


Tips of the day:
1. Run in the rain. And remember how many times it rained on your parade and then look at where you are now. Enjoy it!
2. Call home! They enjoy your life as much as you do! Let them in.
3. Don't ever loose site of your dreams, no matter how much fog their is!
4. Rock out to Lady Antebellum's new Album "Need You Now"!!!

Picture of the day

This was supposed to be Tulsa's skyline at night but sprinkling+ driving+blackberry camera=

THE test...

Take Two
Tomorrow is a big day for me. I retake my Athletic Training certification test. I am super nervous again for some reason even though I have studied and know this stuff. Something about it just scares the heck out of me. I really need to pass this thing for so many different reasons...
1. I just spent a LOT of money at a private college to get my degree and well that means nothing without being certified.
2. I need a job BAD!
3. It will definitely help my chances of getting into Physical Therapy school next year.
Anyways, even through all the nerves today one person can always make me feel like I can pull through this. So when I got a super special voice mail from my best friend in Florida, it made all of this studying and worrying so worth it. He reminded me that I AM a Rock Star and I WILL pass this test! Its always great to have that one person that always holds you up. No Matter how down you get on yourself! So, for that I am forever grateful! 

THE Test.. from Jill Boeckman on Vimeo.

Study Break
Basically studying took over my day today, but I found some time to do some laundry! The funny thing about this is that I hardly ever do laundry so it was piling up pretty bad. So I walked over to the laundromat in my apartment complex and threw a couple loads in. While I was waiting I was listening to my Ipod and naturally rocking out. Especially because I was in there by myself! I wasn't paying much attention while I was dancing around singing into a broomstick when another guy walked in! I didn't hear or see him until I turned around. He was just standing there laughing at me! I know he was jealous he couldn't keep up with my moves so I just laughed back. I love being me and not caring what everyone else thinks about me. Sometimes I wish I could do that more often!. ... anybody else have any caught in the moment stories?! Please! Do tell! I would love to hear it!

M.I.A

Missing:

Silver Digital Camera

Cannon SD 1000

Named "Sassy Flashy"

Filled with lots of great memories

Reward if found!

Today I come to you with horrible news! My trusty ol digital camera, that has been through the best of times and the worst of times has been taken! or just suddenly misplaced in a very great hiding spot! If you know me, you know that this is nothing out of the ordinary for me to lose things. But it has been lost for well over 2 weeks  now . I would lose my ever living mind if it wasn't enclosed inside of my head and attached to my shoulders! But today's task in finding the camera did not turn out as planned. I made a list of what might have happened to it...


M.I.A List
1. The camera fairy took it to camera heaven.
2. I accidentally (in small town fashion) left my truck unlocked  
3. The pot head neighbors to the east stole it
4. My purse ate it and spit it out 
5. It got lost in the move and is desperately seeking me
6. It fell out of my pocket on an adventure somewhere in the United States
7. It is right in front of my face and I have been overlooking it for two weeks. 


Well pray for the latter of the seven. But until then I will not be posting any photos :(. 


On a lighter note. I am an avid music researcher. Well lets just say I love to find new talent that no one has ever heard before. The underground music really fascinates me with the stories of how their love of music has them completely captivated the artist into a dream of making it big and getting their music heard. So one night when I was on youtube, I ran across a 16 year old girl that had a beautiful voice and had a certain spunk to her. She writes her own music and produces her own songs. I remember telling Raelee about her saying this girl is going to be a super star someday. So I started following her music page on facebook and her new music on myspace.  Well today as I was watching American Idol for the first time in about 4 years, the youtube girl shows up on the screen. I literally double take to make sure it is the same girl. Well I was right she is going to be a star. The judges loved her music as much as I do.  So watch out for Tori Kelly in Hollywood cause she made it to the 2nd round!!


1. Check out her music at www.myspace.com/torikelly
2. Watch american idol to see how great of a talent scout I am!
3. If she makes it through to the show make sure to vote!

Soundtrack To My Life

Music is one of my all time loves in life. I do not think there is a day that has gone by in the past 15 years ( that is as long as I can remember ) that has gone by that I have not listen to and truly enjoyed music. All genres of music is completely alright with me! I scoured the billboard.com website archives to find my first list of this blog! This is literally the soundtrack to my life. Each of these songs are the #1 billboard hits on the day of my birthdays for the past 23 years! It is funny to see how music has changed. How much it has stayed the same. How much it shapes our lives and how one song can take us back to special time in our lives.


Soundtrack To My Life:
September 9,
1986: Venus - Bananaram
1987: La Bamba - Los Lobos
1988: Monkey- George Michaels
1989: Hanging Tough - New Kids On The Block
1990: Blaze of Glory - Jon Bon Jovi
1991: (Everything I Do) I Do It For You - Bryan Adams
1992: End Of The Road - Boyz II Men
1993: Can't Help Falling In Love - UB40
1994: I'll Make Love To You - Boyz II Men
1995: Gangsta's Paradise - Coolio
1996: Macarena - Los Del Rio
1997: Mo Money Mo Problems - Notorious B.I.G
1998: I Don't Want To Miss A Thing - Aerosmith
1999: Unpretty - TLC
2000: Doesn't Really Matter - Janet
2001: I'm Real - Jennifer Lopez
2002: Dilemma - Nelly ft. Kelly Rowland
2003: Shake Ya Tailfeather - Nelly
2004: Lean Back - Terror Squad
2005: We Belong Together - Mariah Carey
2006: Sexy Back - Justin Timberlake
2007: Big Girls Don't Cry - Fergie
2008: Whatever You Like - T. I. 
2009: I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas


So there you have it . My life as a playlist. What was the #1 song when you were born? How do those songs reflect on your life. I know that I can put an distinct memory with songs starting in 1991! Let me know what you think or if you wanna know your soundtrack let me know your birthday! :) 

Intro

Hello everyone! My name is Jill. My blog is called I'm LISTening...This whole blogging thing is rather new to me. I haven't until lately, had anything to do with any kind of blogs. I now am a faithful reader of several blogs and thought that this would be a great way to focus some of my thoughts. In this blog, I am going to put a fun spin on the things that just happen to cross my mind throughout my day, by channeling them into certain lists or topics. I find myself putting my life in different categories and eventually make lists for everything in my life. I have the "Get Done Today" list, the"Get Done Yesterday" list, the new music list, the today's new favorite things list, "Wow! I am laughing hysterically at and no one is around" list and ect... With each new list and topic I talk about each day, I plan to include pictures or video that help illustrate the importance or the complete randomness of my life. Photography is something I truly enjoy, but am a complete amateur at and continue to learn everyday. I find that since I have decided to start this blog, I have been waking up and taking each moment of my life more serious, looking into the details of the things that make me smile, or puzzle me. If anything this blog will hold me accountable for the way I live my life. So join me as I attempt this thing! I would love to hear what is on your mind or what is #1 on your list!