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Making new friends, advice for Matthew and Ashley

The challenges with moving to a new town, is making new friends. I have extended my friendship to several people and not all of them, took. 

Making new friends is sort of like dating, you don't know the person on just first impressions. I waited 3 months before I extended my time to strangers and spent some moments in time with people, just to see how we clicked together. 

Everyone has something they are interested in, or like to chat about. I do my best to avoid gossip.

My tips on making new friends:

Tip 1. Talk about current events, but instead of re-counting the event. Say how the event impacted you. Points to remember, keep your opinions simple, as much as we don’t like to think about it, our every word is being judged by the person you are talking to.

Example: This week was Shark week, and it is also the first time, I actually watched and made an event out of shark week. (How did it impact me?) I learned new facts about sharks, and that I am super scared of sharks, yes, even after all the documentaries from shark week. Talking about what I learned gives me an opening conversation starter.

Tip 2. Be open to potential friend material. Here are the (soft) rules I implemented. I asked myself, are they law abiding, do they smoke, and lastly, do they have a clean and pleasant appearance, Will I be embarrassed to be seen with them in public? (Have they bathed in the last 24 hrs, did they comb their hair and brush their teeth, regardless of how old or style of their clothes, are their clothes clean and tidy) Non-smoking is a must for me.

Tip 3. Always remember to use your manners, you know the basic never fail social rules you learned in grade school.

Tip 4. If the person you originally asked out on a “get to know me friends outing” doesn't work out, it still might result in a friendship, from the other people they know, a co-worker, relative, and or neighbor.

Last rule, I usually will not invite a stranger into my home until I have known them for about 2 years. (By choice: I live simply, and in a small space, to enter my home is truly seeing into my medicine cabinet and private space.)

The two quote pictures are from me chatting with the husband about the people who didn't turn out to be friends-material and I quoted him. 

Dear Ashley, Just me and my freckles on a warm summer day

I am still adjusting to the darker warmer tones to my hair, am I the only one who is amazed at how much a "tone" in hair can change well....everything. I am having to adjust the cosmetic tones that I choose for that day. This was my run around town and do errands clothes for the day. I wore it with my Tory Burch tan sandal the one with the gold t-bar, and my long champ tan nylon/leather tote bag. I am still keeping true to my original Ducan Diet plan that I started just over 2 years ago. Keeping a small waist has been one of the most consuming and challenging projects I have encountered in my adult life. 1st place in my adult life for challenges will always be nursing school. I will never forget how much I struggled to maintain a A+ in nursing school. geez what a rant I just had about randomness

To Ashley, I am 44 here in this picture

My favorite bicycle as a kid, Dear Ashley

This is an almost exact copy of the bicycle I had as a kid. I would ride it for hours after dinner and watch the sun set down the end of our street. Back then there were maybe two cars that would pass on our street in the hours I was riding. I would stand on the petals while my little sister rode on the seat. She was along for the ride. I was strong enough to petal us anywhere and my little sister would quietly sit behind me as my buddy and we would ride for what seemed like forever. We called it the "banana bike" due to its banana seat and yellow color. On the weekend after our normal chores we would ride about two miles down the farm road from our house. Once we visited a class mate of mine and other times we would ride out to old abandon ranch shacks and walk around looking at the old items left behind. We lived so far out in the suburbs that we could bike around and was safe on our own. I will always have loving memories of the freedom that bike gave me and my sister the summer evenings in Sweetwater Texas. 

Retro makeup, Am I the only one missing Max Factor

Am I the only one missing Max Factor?
Dear Ashley, I remember my first Max Factor purchase was from Kmart. I bought a face setting powder and a mascara. I was in High school at the time and it was in August before the school year began in the fall. Max Factor please return to the U.S. Sincerely, your fan Kimmy

Look back per-teen shoes Yo Yo's

Ashley, I remember these sandals as my "big girl" Easter shoes when I was a pre-teen. The memory of wearing them the first time is to Sunday Easter Service, for south Texas the weather was unexpectantly cool and my Mother suggested I wear pantyhose with my Easter dress. I felt both excited to wear these sandals but also a little insecure wearing hose with open toe sandals. Lucky for me the hose were sheer toe and barely visably noticeable. I looked so polished for Easter Service that our Pastor asked me to do the "collection" for my side of the church. The heel of the sandal made me feel tall against the end of the pew row. The sandals are called Yo Yo's and mine were white, I wore them until they became to small for me.