Sunday Relaxation

Today, my plans are to:

Hang out with my parents.

Nap.

Watch a movie (Boyfriend and I are currently in the middle of Lord of the Rings trilogy).

Eat hot wings.

I love Sundays.

Sunshines and Dark Clouds!

Sunshines:

• I get to spend a weekend with my close friends... nothing better than that!
• The Oscars are coming up... so Boyfriend is especially happy! I'm sure whatever we do this weekend, we'll manage to sneak in some movies. We have quite a few movies to go through before the Academy Awards.
• The weather has been wonderful lately... nothing like New Mexico in January!
• I can't wait to see my friend's baby boy tomorrow! He's getting so big!
• We're almost out of January... come on, summer!
• I've been working out on the elliptical and it's hard. Really hard. But I feel so good once I'm done.
• I'm re-reading The Hunger Games in anticipation of the movie. I CAN'T WAIT!

(imdb.com)

Dark Clouds:

• I've been snacking instead of eating actual meals and now I feel sick. I think I need something healthy to eat. Blah.
• I've been so... so... soooo sleepy. I need more sleep but then when I can sleep in, my internal clock wakes me up at 7! So frustrating!
• Football pretty much means nothing anymore since the Ravens lost... I don't even really care who wins the Super Bowl. Eh.
• I was supposed to get a massage today, but the woman flaked out. Lame.
• I'm already sick of people talking about Valentine's Day and it's not even February. Awesome.

Hope you have more sunshines than dark clouds! Happy weekend!

Friends

Boyfriend and I have a friend-filled weekend coming up and I couldn't be happier! Tonight, I'm going to dinner with some girlfriends (Kaitlyn, Val, and Adriana)... I've seen Kaitlyn and Val separately, but we haven't all four gotten together since... Adriana's wedding!

I love these girls and I'm so excited for dinner together!

Then on Saturday, we're meeting my good friend Blairre and her husband (and new baby!) for brunch. It's been such a long time, because we're both so busy (me with work/moving, her with little Carson and school!) so I'm really looking forward to it.

THEN on Saturday evening, we'll be hanging out with Thomas, his sister and her boyfriend, and Mikey to watch some UFC fights. I love this group! I'm so excited to just relax and eat some hot wings and watch grown men punch each other in the face. :o)

But before all that, Boyfriend and I are getting massages tomorrow afternoon... ahhhh. The life of luxury.

Hope your weekend is great!

State of the Union

Whether you are conservative, liberal, libertarian, green party, whatever...

The State of the Union address is on. This is what's going on with our country. We should all watch because we are all Americans, and we owe it to ourselves and each other to be well versed in the happenings of our country.

Enjoy!

Go Away, January!

January is one of my least favorite months. It's cold, without any additional holidays, and it's always kind of dreary and blah. One day it will be 65 and then the next day, there will be frost on my windows. Blah! I just want spring and summer.

So, as you can tell, I'm definitely ready for February.

What is your least favorite month?

Monday, Monday

I hate Mondays. There's no good reason to actually like them, except when they are finally over! And now mine is practically over... I worked and then worked out, so all of my tough Monday stuff is done with, and I can relax and watch The Fighter in bed with my puppies. :o)

So, if you're a football fan, you know my Ravens lost in a heartbreaking last second missed field goal (SOB!), but I'm so proud of them. My favorite thing about the Ravens is that they really seem like a family (except Flacco... he doesn't seem to blend the way everyone else does. But he is the qb, and probably needs to be focused on his own work). And hey, there's always next year, right?

Boyfriend and I have been trying really hard to be healthy (resolutions, you know), and it's going well so far except for...



We LOOOOVE wingstop. It's too tempting. I'm going to have to figure out a way to eat wingstop and still be healthy (every other meal), because I know that if we try to quit Wingstop cold turkey, we'll fail completely.

Hope your Monday is fantastic and relaxed, like mine is about to be! Woo!

GO RAVENS!

Today, my Ravens play the always dangerous Patriots for the AFC Championship. Wish us luck!

Sunshines! Dark Clouds!

Welcome back to another episode of Sunshines and Dark Clouds (my new Friday tradition)!

Sunshines:

• Boyfriend's grandpa gave us his elliptical after hearing that we were interested in one. He wouldn't even let us buy it from him. Isn't he sweet? Yay for nice family members!
• Speaking of sweet and ellipticals, Boyfriend moved it into our spare room all by himself today just so I could use it tonight. Best boyfriend ever.
• Our little Remix has learned that she has the ability to jump straight from the floor riiiight onto the kitchen table with a cat-like landing. This might actually be a dark cloud, too. But I'm keeping it here because I'm incredibly impressed at our tiny, clumsy puppy's jumping abilities.
• My magazines came today! I looove Glamour... it makes Friday evenings so much better.
• My Ravens play on SUNDAY! WOO!

Dark Clouds

• There are never enough hours in the day to do what I want!
• I worked extra hours at work to make up for taking off Tuesday to recover from my dastardly cold, so these past few work days have been even longer than usual!
• I'm getting super sick of the foods I make. I think I'm just blah about everything. I'm craving foods I rarely even want, like steak and soup. Weird.

That's all my dark clouds for now because it's FRIDAY! Weekend starts NOW!

Funny Story

So when I was in middle school, I was in love with this boy named Anthony. I guess "love" is a little strong... I was 12, but he was the bee's knees and I so wanted to... hold his hand, or date him only at school, or talk on the phone every night, or whatever it was that 12 year olds do.

And then, magically, he liked me too and asked me out after the Valentine's Day Dance. It was magical. We dated for six months (which was like 10 years in middle school time!) and then, tragically, grew apart (13 will do that to you). However, we split on good terms and have spoken over the years (12 years!). He has a beautiful wife and an adorable baby, with another on the way, and I have my wonderful boyfriend and, of course, Shadow, the furry love of my life.



However, he did give me some great memories. He was my first real crush. He was my first kiss, my first dance, my first boyfriend. He was my first infatuation, and the first time I knew that if I really like someone enough, I could be with them a long, long time.

He also gave me my first gifts from a boy. He gave me a locket for Christmas and a ring.

This ring:

Fast-forward 12 years until... about a week ago. My mom happens to work with Anthony's mom (my mom is the principal of an elementary school, and Anthony's mom is her vice principal) and they were reminiscing about our young puppy love. My mom mentions that Anthony gave me a locket and a ring, to which Anthony's mom replied, "A ring? What kind of ring?"

Long story short, Anthony was trying to impress me (awww) and accidentally gave me his MOTHER'S WEDDING RING instead of some costume jewelry that he meant to grab! Anthony's mom went crazy after realizing it was lost and filed a police report and was really, really sad because it was a sentimental ring. Anthony, we think, just freaked out (being young and probably not even realizing that he had grabbed his mom's ring until she freaked out) and kept quiet all these years... and all the while, I thought it was a fake ring and had almost thrown away the $5,000 ring multiple times. LUCKILY, I'm incredibly sentimental, so I kept it.

Anthony's mom was reunited with her ring today and was practically in tears seeing it again after a dozen years. It was almost like fate... that I had kept that ring all this time, and that she ended up working with my mom, and they mentioned it when they had never brought it up before. I'm so happy everything worked out; I know if I had lost my wedding ring that Boyfriend gave me, I would be heartbroken.

But what a funny story! I told Boyfriend that since I got a $5,000 diamond ring at 12, he has some pretty big shoes to fill with my next ring. ;o)

Sick

I've been so busy with work and cleaning and working out, that I totally didn't realize I was getting sick until this weekend hit. I woke up with a sore throat and a pounding head and thought... "CRAP."

So I've spent this weekend cuddled up with Boyfriend, watching football (go Ravens!) and swilling Nyquil like it's water.

Stay healthy, my friends.

New Friday Traditions

With a new year (2012! Where did the time go?), I figured it was time for a new Friday tradition!

Instead of Friday Favorites, I thought I would take a page from my sorority's book and go with Sunshines and Dark Clouds.

I'm pretty sure most sororities have something like this: in meeting, or at dinner, people share good things that happen to them (sunshines/roses/smiles) and also sad things that happened to them (dark clouds/thorns/frowns). So welcome to my new tradition: Sunshines and Dark Clouds!

Sunshines:

• I've worked out four times this week and after the first day, I noticed how energetic I am! I have so much more energy and I just feel better throughout the day. It's totally worth the sore muscles!
• I finally jumped on the New Girl bandwagon... and it's HILARIOUS! I love that show!
• I'm heading into a four day weekend (Martin Luther King Day, what what!) and I'm SO EXCITED.
• I'm really excited to go to the farmers market this weekend! I'm super addicted to the tomatoes and onions that one stall sells.
• Football playoffs continue this weekend! I love football.
• I got second place in my fantasy football league, which means $100 for me! Holla!

Dark Clouds:

• Remix got spayed... and is super whimpery and sad. It's breaking my heart!
• School starts soon for Boyfriend, which means less time for us to spend together. :o(
• Even though I have more energy from working out, at night, I completely crash, which has diminished the time I spend with Boyfriend. By 11:00, I'm OUT like a light.
• I want to take Shadow to the market with us, but he's too tuggy on the leash, so I fear we might have to leave him at home again.

Have a good weekend!

Poor Mixy

Poor, poor little Remix. Our little Mixy-Face just got spayed, and she is having a hard time with it.



Since she's a puppy, and the youngest puppy, and the only other girl (besides me, of course) in the house, we kinda sorta spoil her. She's SUPER cuddy and is a little attention-lover and will sometimes just sit and stare at Thomas (her dad) with her "love me" eyes and just whine until he pets her.

She's a little princess.

And now that she doesn't feel well after her surgery, she is especially cuddy. Today, I let her out of her crate and she walked right up to me, ducked her head, and pushed the top of her head against my shins. Then she just stayed like that. It was so pitiful and adorable.

So Boyfriend carefully lifted her onto our bed and we spent the next couple hours watching Netflix while Remix stayed curled up on my lap with her head leaned against my stomach or chest, looking up at us with her sad eyes every now and then, as if to say, "I don't feel good!".

It was too adorable! How long does this last? I don't know how long I can last. She's breaking my heart!

Baby Fever

Today is Catalina's first birthday. Catalina is Boyfriend's cousin's little girl and she is ADORABLE. She's a little fiesty for such a small girl, but I appreciate spirit in such a tiny baby. She doesn't let very many people hold her, but on New Year's Eve, she let me hold her just fine... but I think that's because I have long dark hair just like her mom. She kept looking at my mouth like, "Well you kinda look like my mom... but you don't sound like her..." So cute.

I remember the day she was born: Boyfriend called me at work and I left a little early so I could go to the hospital to see her. She was so small and so sweet, and better than that, it was so wonderful to see how much Boyfriend loved her! He's going to be such a great dad!

As much as I know in my head I'm not ready to be a mom yet, there are times (like when I'm around Catalina!) that I think about how wonderful it will be to be a mama and have a little baby with Boyfriend's dimples and my eyes. I know, logically, that I still want to have some time before we get to that part, but how do you not love the idea of babies? They're so adorable and so tiny!

Ah, baby fever. I'm sure it will pass pretty soon, as Boyfriend and I aren't even engaged yet, but I can't imagine how I'll be once we're married and both have our careers ahead of us! Whew. Good thing there's still time for us to do what we want to do before we settle down.

Looking Forward

Now that the tree is put away and we've celebrated the new year in with champagne, love and music, now I just can't stop thinking about...

Summer 2012, please hurry!

Not a blogger?

Earlier this week, I had a conversation with my mama about how she can't figure out how to follow my blog because she's not a blogger herself. I've written this post before, but I thought I would post this again in case people missed it!

You can get my blog updates in your inbox by typing your email address into the entry bar riiiiiiiight below my header (then hit SUBMIT!).

I'm so blessed to have people interested in what I'm writing and I'm so grateful for all of you, however many, that read this. Thank you x 100!

Football Weekend

It's been a wonderful, relaxing weekend so far! Yesterday, Boyfriend and I went to lunch with his mama and had some yummy crab legs at our favorite: Red Lobster. That's the second time this week I've had Red Lobster crab legs. I'm addicted.

Afterward, we went to the mall for the Victoria Secret semi-annual sale... HOORAY! I loooove their bras, but they are super expensive, so I always wait until there's a good sale and then snap up a couple for a good price.

THEN we went to see "A Week With Marilyn", about Marilyn Monroe. It was really, really good. Michelle Williams had a hard job ahead of her because Marilyn is SUCH a cultural icon and so unique, but she did a pretty good job. Big shoes to fill.

After that, we went to The Game to watch the Saints play the Lions in the first day of playoff games with Mikey and Thomas and had SUCH a good time. I love hanging out with those guys!





Today, we are spending the rest of the afternoon watching the Steelers play the Broncos. Ahhh... it's nice having a week one bye!

Have a good week!

Friday Relaxation

No Friday Favorites tonight. I'm tired from working all day (my first Friday in six weeks! Poor me, right?) and I've made dinner four times this week: a new personal record! Get me some!

Also, my article came out today here: KACHOW. (I use the word kachow when something exciting happens, just so you know.) In case you want to read it.

I'm super boring so I'll leave you here. Maybe after this weekend, I'll have something more interesting to blog.

Later!

True Life

True Life: I'm Addicted to True Life



It should come as no surprise to anyone reading this that I LOVE MTV. I'm not that addicted to the scripted shows or the Jack Ass Ridiculousness Punkd types of shows. No, my guilty pleasure is reality TV... and especially MTV reality, such as Teen Mom, 16 and Pregnant, and True Life.

I ADORE True Life. It's amazing. This show has such a wide variety of real people, from "True Life: I'm Deaf" to "True Life: I Lead a Double Life" to "True Life: I'm Going to the Jersey Shore". It's incredible! It's even better since I realized that on the channel's website, you can watch ALL OF THEM at ANY TIME.

I know what you're thinking. I'm an educated woman. I'm relatively low-drama. I should be above this. I'm not. I love this... and I think I love it so much because it lets me be around exciting drama without actually having to deal with it myself. When I watch someone being ridiculous on TV, I can cringe and laugh and scream at the TV... and then turn it off and go back to my real life which is filled with just a normal job, a low-maintenance Boyfriend and an adorable, though equally low-maintenance puppy.

My absolute favorite MTV True Life shows are the Southern Belle episode (Rainy made me want to go to school in the South... she is super adorable and seemed so nice!) and the I'm a Newlywed with (as I've discussed before) Laura Beth.

**Update! I found out that Laura Beth, who was presented on the show as a homemaker, is actually a teacher, just like so many women in my family! Love her even more.

Do you love True Life?

Resolve

A new year. A clean slate. The perfect chance to take a look at myself and think, "What would I like to change about myself?"

But at the same time, that feels a little harsh. So today, instead of just writing what I want to change about myself, I want to think about what I love about myself and how I can help that improve and grow.

I LOVE that I have beautiful long hair. I want to keep it healthy by getting regular haircuts and playing with it less.

I LOVE that I am a generally nice person most of the time... but I want to make myself better by being nice to everyone, no matter what.

I LOVE that I have a great memory... but I want to let go of bad feelings toward bad people. For good.

I LOVE cooking, so I want to cook more often for me, Boyfriend, and our awesome roommate and keep us healthy by cooking healthier.

I LOVE dancing, so I want to get in shape by doing Zumba!

I LOVE Boyfriend, so much, so I want to use this year to make sure he knows just how much I love him and I love our life together.

After all, life is an ever-changing, ever-moving experience and we have to be able to accept what we have and where we want to go and somehow merge the two. Happy new year!

A Review

It's officially 2012, which means that it's time for a bright, new start. But before that, I thought I would take a second to look back at 2011.

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
I went to a concert! I'm really weird about my music: I've gone to lots of concerts before, but most of my favorite music is old stuff (Beatles, Elvis, Johnny Cash). This year, we went to see The Black Keys and stood right at the front, by the rail! We were just feet away from the performers. I practically blew an eardrum, but it was so worth it.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I did well on some, not super well on others!  I always make resolutions because I like having concrete goals.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Boyfriend's cousin had gorgeous Catalina in January and one of my best friends, Blairre, gave birth to her beautiful son Carson in July! They are adorable and so, so good.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
One of my favorite great uncles, Uncle Pete, passed away in New York this summer. It was a hard time, especially for my grandma. He was such a good person and such a great father. We went to see him in New York in 2009 for his birthday and I'm so happy to have those memories with him.

5. What countries did you visit?
Just different places in the United States!

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you didn’t have in 2011?
Another puppy for Shadow!

7. What dates from 2011 will be etched upon your memory, and why?
June 18. That day, we went to see a potential wedding place in Phoenix. It was really need to see where we could possibly say "I do!"

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year?
I really found a groove in my columns. I'm really enjoying writing my column and finding my column voice.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not eating as healthy as I want! Boyfriend and I looked at old photos from his birthday in 2009 and we were like, "Aw, man... we were so little."

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I had a few colds, nothing major, but we went through Boyfriend's scary chest pain! I'm so relieved he is all better now, it was so scary.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
I got a new Kindle Fire for my birthday and I LOVE IT! Also, I bought a new camera because my old POS camera would decide not to upload all of my photos.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Boyfriend. I get so stressed about things (the future, money, etc.) and he always takes it in stride and not only lets me vent, he does anything he can to make sure I am less stressed for the future. He is trying so hard to finish his engineering electronics certification so he can get a good job for us. I am so blessed to have such a hard-working man in my life.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
An old friend... super whiny, super ridiculous, super self-centered!

14. Where did most of your money go?
Rent for a while, but now it's in savings! Get me some!

15. What did you get really excited about?
Vacations in Phoenix and Vegas... but especially our new TV from roommate Thomas! It's incredible!

16. What song will always remind you of 2011?
"Someone Like You" by Adele. It doesn't mean anything personal to me, but it's so beautiful!

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Definitely happier!
b) thinner or fatter? Thinner. Barely.
c) richer or poorer? Richer! A couple great bonuses really helped us out!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Eaten more healthy!

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Focusing on the negative or things I can't control.

20. How will you spend Christmas?
I spent Christmas as I always do: splitting time between my wonderful family and Boyfriend's wonderful family.

21. Did you fall in love in 2011?
Over and over, with my wonderful Boyfriend.

22. What was your favorite TV program?
Teen MOM! Woo!

23. What was the best book you read?
The Handmaid's Tale. SO good.

24. What was your greatest musical discovery?
The Black Keys!

25. What did you want and get?
A new Kindle Fire. A new camera. A Tiffany's necklace. Diamond earrings.

26. What did you want and not get?
A Tiffany's engagement ring... just kidding! We're happy where we are.

27. What was your favorite film of 2011?
Bridesmaids. XMen. Harry Potter!

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 24 and I had three parties! One with friends, one with my family, one with Boyfriend's family. I felt incredibly loved and special. On my actual birthday, Boyfriend took off and took me to dinner.

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Maybe a set plan for the future. I hate feeling like I'm in limbo!

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2011?
Comfortable. Classic.

31. What kept you sane?
A wonderful relationship and great friends.

32. What political issue stirred you the most?
The Tea Party.

33. Who did you miss?
My cousins that live so far away!

34. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.
"Life is what happens between big moments."

35. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"I'll set fire to the rain, watch it burn!"