is there any one who reads my blog in the norfolk/va beach area this weekend?

ola mi amigos!
i'm not back yet! tonight is the last night of the cruise!
booooo....
i will be back home tomorrow night, and expect quite a few posts... i've been writing down everything i am grateful for every single day of the trip. now all i need to do is type them up.

it has been an excellent time. i will really miss some of the people i met. i'll miss not having to work the most though!

i won't lie. i miss my puppy terribly!

see you soon. i miss you all so very much!

i thought the temporary change in background was appropriate!
one more full day, a little bit of sleep, and then i am on my way!

gist number 52

1. library book sales. i bought 6 or 7 books today (i know, shame on me. i have about 200 now to read) at a local library, and the total came to $2.25! not too shabby. i gave them a few more bucks though, because it was for a good cause.

2. the four dresses i bought for the cruise at cheap prices. they are so cute! i'm trying not to waste any money on clothing for this cruise, but i do need some items. so i'm glad i am getting things i really like at great prices.

3. brownie melts at mcdonalds. i know- i shouldn't be eating fast food, but i just had to try them when i saw them on their menu. yummmmmmyyyyy!

4. working on my budget for may. its frustrating, but when i finished it was good. i like to have a plan- now i just have to stick with it.

4. sweet tea- i think i will always be thankful for this every day!

grace number 46

stealing saturdays: 4/25/09 travel version

*photo borrowed from google images- unsure who to credit the picture to

hey y'all...

2008 in pictures...

the love of my life was born: my nephew

the view from room 438

trish asked me and amy to be bridesmaids

me and baby james went on a road trip to VA (mommy and daddy came too!)

my rylo guys in concert. miss y'all!

you're going to have to cut me some slack for the hair/outfit. i just got discharged from the ER and i had to break into my own totaled car!

ouch!

best game of my life! 4th row seats in section 41! perfecto!


i already have so many ATL pics on here, so i figured i'd just put one.

best experience of my life!

hey, don't blame me! this is what my bro and sister-in-law got fen for xmas!

this is what you have to deal with if you live in new england!

you might notice that there is a chunk of time cut out of this review... i simply just didn't want to include any pics of The Ex... you aren't missing too much.

i’m also a sucker for surveys, so since I saw this up on A Perfectly Cursed Life, i figured, what the hell, everyone else is doing one!

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
get over a relationship way quicker than i expected too. like really quickly.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions and will you make more for next year? yes. i resolved to lose some weight and continue to be a non-smoker. i did both of those things without a problem, actually. no, i will not be making new years resolutions. i want to continue growing in 2009, and i want this to be a great year of my life. thats why i don't want to pressure myself into anything. just continue on the path i'm already on. plus, i have a 101 in 1001 to get started on new years day!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
umm, YES! 2008 was the year of baby making and delivery! my nephew was born on 1/3. michaela, sharon and elizabeth got preggo in 2008. and last night, my newphew nicholas was born!!

4. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
peace of mind, happiness. i really only lacked this the first 2/3 of the year though. i just wouldn't mind a very calm, but happy 2009.

5. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
1/3: nephew was born; 1/13: my ex's father died all of a sudden; 2/4: bad health news; 7/3: had to put my cat to sleep; 7/20: the ex and i break up, yay!; 9/23: was at the post season clinching sox game; 10/16: went to game 5 of the ALCS where the sox came back from a 7-0 score to WIN! best game ever, ever, ever; 10/17: went to atl to visit my loves eliz and chris; 12/30: baby nicholas was born. i hope i'm not forgetting anything!

6. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
making myself happy again

7. What was your biggest failure in 2008?
my relationship...but while it appears to be a failure, it was one of the best things that happened to me!

8. Where did most of your money go?
eating out and bills. lol, sad but true.

9. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) Happier or sadder? happier!!!!
b) Thinner or fatter? thinner!!!
c) Richer or poorer? i guess richer, not too much difference though.

10. What do you wish you’d done more of?
put myself first

11. What do you wish you’d done less of?
worry. put my ex first.

12. Did you fall in love in 2008?
with my nephew, yes.

13. What was your favorite TV program?
greys anatomy

14. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
i actually do not hate anyone. there are a number of people i severely do not like, but i don't waste my energy on those people.

15. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
i went to the zoo the morning of my birthday. i turned 24 this year. i was in severe pain the rest of my bday weekend.

16. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
breaking up with The Ex when it all started going downhill in feb.

17. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
slimming down so lots of new pants!

18. What kept you sane?
vacations, my friends and family. wait... was i sane this year?

19. What political issue stirred you the most?
obviously, like most people: the presidential election. locally: the bullshit witch hunt on the superintendent. i can name you a handful of people i WON'T be voting for this coming november. especially the mayor.

20. Who was the best new person you met?
my new blog friends are fantastic. i haven't met them though! i guess i'd say sally is probably the best meet of 2008. (if you don't count my nephew)

21. Tell us what valuable life lessons you learned in 2008...
stop worrying, if he doesn't love you like you love him, then leave him and love yourself, put yourself first, a healthy body=healthy mind.

okay y'all, so i am about to complete my very first meme. although i still feel as if i haven't been given a definition i fully comprehend. i get the gist of it. but i'm still dying for a definition that "clicks." while reading meghan's blog the other day, i noticed she filled out a meme. i guess if you want to fill one out yourself, you leave a comment, and the person whose meme you are commenting on emails you five questions specific to you. make sense?

i figured what the hell! i might as well fill one out. and in knew meghan would give me some good questions so here goes:


1.) As a new blogger what drew you to blogging and what do you hope to get out of it?
i've always wanted to check out blogging, but my hesitance to put myself out there was what stopped me. i've been looking for an outlet to start writing again; my creativity was completely dried out- i couldn't even think of ideas to start writing about. one morning at work, i stumbled across the story of the nielson family, and began reading the nie nie dialogues and cjane regularly. i fell in love with that family, and i think feeling an attachment to the story, i began reaching out and reading other blogs. i read for a little while before i started writing myself. i think the timing helped quite a bit as well. i was at the point where i had a lot to say, and it was stuck in my head. but i was sooo frustrated from all my over thinking. i needed to get it out. it started out as a conversation with myself i guess. then it began to make me trust my writing again. slowly, but surely, i feel as if my creative juices are coming back. i still haven't written anything creatively. all i've written has been posted on this blog, but that's okay. i've registered for a CW graduate class at the local university this spring. i think right now, this blog is just a catalyst, a motivator. and thats what i need it to be for the time being. shoot, it even motivated me to start my own 101 in 1001. so all good is coming from this endeavor.


2.) After admitting you have a crush on Obama ( who doesn't!), if he were single and asked you on a date where would you go and what would you do?
this is a tough question. my original answer was: go paintballing, eat at an ethiopian restaurant which was just recommended to me and then go sailing. but the more i thought of it, the more i decided it was lame. i mean, i would be going on a date with the president of the united states, he's got endless resources to make this one eventful night. so here is my new date: we would take air force one to italy, where we would go to my friend mimo's mother's house and assist in making one authentic italian family dinner. from there, we'd hop back on the plane and play some board games. like scattegories or pictionary. ones which are light, still make you think, but also make you act silly. anyway, we would be en route to cuba, where would drink a mojito or two together while walking on the beach. we would then hope back on the plane and head back to the DC area, except we would go to norfolk, va. to the taphouse in ghent, specifically. this way, i could introduce him to my friends, and rylo could play and we could dance. well, i would dance. he didn't have to. he could hang out with my friends there. that way, later on, they would give me their opinion on him...because their opinions are majorly important...president or not. after this, then we'd hope back on the plane. i'd fall asleep, because i can sleep almost anywhere. he'd come over and cuddle with me a little, and then the plane would drop my off in my backyard. oh, and yes, he would kiss me goodnight. but thats it you folks with dirty minds!


3.) If you had to choose between being a student or a teacher for the rest of your life, which would you choose?
i would absolutely 100% choose being a teacher, especially if i could teach college. as a professor, you are constantly learning from your students...about all subjects. plus, there are no deadlines, no tests. especially in writing... when you take workshop classes, a lot of times the teacher does some assignments so that she can get student's creative juices flowing. the great thing about this is that you can get feedback for your work, but don't have to worry about what is due and when!

4.) You relate your friends to characters off Sex and the City; which character are you?
surprisingly, this was the toughest question for me to answer. even harder than my obama date, which i changed a thousand times before i figured, whatever i'd just leave it because i'd never be 100% satisfied. i think the best way to go about doing this would be to analyze why i am not like certain characters.
samantha and i probably have the least in common. she has a sex appeal and confidence i am utterly jealous of. she is also pretty promiscuous. which i am not.
charlotte would be next. she is too naive, and too "wholesome." that, and she worries too much about others opinions and what looks best socially. i've got the worrying part down, but in my opinion who gives a shit what people think of me.miranda and i differ because she is not very emotionally attached. i am very emotionally attached. she tends to be very rational in her decisions. i'm very rational, i just just make emotional decisions.
and carrie, well. i've never had my aidan. i deserve an aidan, someone wonderful and bursting with good and love to want to take care of me. but that dream boat has yet to sail on by. i also don't have a fantastic writing job like she does. ugh, still jealous. that, and i think carrie is sometimes a little riskier than i am. not in a bad way, she just has slightly more courage, especially when it comes to dating.
now, similarities...
samatha in the sense of trying to get the party started and getting everyone together to have a good time. plus we both work in PR to a degree.
charlotte and i are both hopeless romantics, even though i am 100% more bitter and realistic than she is. i'm like her in the sense that i really want the perfect marriage, the healthy children, the picket fence, etc. i want a story book ending for myself and my friends.
miranda and i share the honesty gene. and we can come across as bitches for being truthful and realistic.
i guess i can sum up number 4 by saying i am most like carrie (although, i am sure 98% of the people you asked this question to would have the same answer as me.) we both are writers. we both had a love affair with cigarettes. we both kicked them to the curve. we're both too open; we both had a Mr. Big. the only difference is she was meant with hers, i thankfully wasn't. i just think we think similarly, and every word written for her has gone through my head at one point in time. i was hoping to come up with a bit more interesting answer to this question, sorry!

5.) Any New Years resolutions you've made and care to share?
well. i've got mixed feelings about new year's resolutions. i used to try to stick with them pretty hardcore, but i'd always fail in some way or another, so i try to make them a little more loose now a days.
i think there are a few key things i would like to bring into 2009 with me
1. accept and embrace change. don't fight it, just find a way to make it work for me
2. grow, grow, grow. this is the time in my life i'm supposed to figure out who i am. i'm not married yet and i don't have kids, so its the perfect opportunity for me to try new things. to go out of my comfort zone and figure out who i am.
3. be true to myself. i'm a very good judge of character, and i have beyond excellent intuition. i'm so fortunate for those traits, but it appears one of my faults has proven to be making excuses for people i love, because i don't want to accept the truth and get hurt. i've made too many excuses for others thoughts/actions/behaviours. i deserve the absolute best, there should be no excuses when it comes to this.
4. work on self confidence. my brain knows i am one unbelievable person. i just want my heart to catch up.
5.push myself to stay motivated and achieve what i aim for. i spent 2008 complaining about what was missing in my life, but until the fall, i didn't do anything to go out and get it. i want to constantly go out and get it in 2009.

so, if you want to fill out a meme like this, just send a comment my way, and i'll send you 5 questions of your very own!!!!

random thoughts i figured i'd share. what the hell, right? ;)

i think i have a crush on the next president of the united states. its true. i've got a little thing for obama. he's just got this approachable sense about him. don't get me wrong, he is good looking, but i think my crush stems from how he "appears," not his "appearance." he just looks like someone i would love to talk to. i usually develop crushes on guys i think are really interesting.

i'm not the type of person who really likes things. i am, however, the type of person who loves things. there are a lot of people who claim to really like carrot cake or scented candles or baseball hats. that wouldn't be me. i either like something or i love something. for example... i like green beans. i've got nothing against them; you make me a meal with greens beans, and sure, i'll eat them. this being said, i love pea pods. i've got such a thing for them. sometimes i sit and try to think of creative ways to incorporate pea pods into more meals. seeing as i don't regularly cook for myself, the combinations i've come up with so far would be quite gross. pea pods in spaghetti. ugh. pea pods in eggs, pancakes, etc. ugh. pea pods in apple pie. double ugh. i do make a mean stir fry, but pea pods belong in a stir fry, so that doesn't even count! anyone have any pea pod suggestions for me?

anyway, i love pumpkin coffee. i love traditions. i love being a student. i love getting surprise presents for my friends. i love helping strangers do simple things. i love red sox baseball caps. i own probably at least 10, and i do not plan ever stopping purchasing them. i love to travel. i love lists. i love new people. i love hearing stories about people's lives.

i have liked the jason mraz song "i'm yours" since 2005. wait, actually i have loved the song since then. now everyone in the world is slightly obsessed with it, and that bothers me.

i am almost at 100 blog posts. that number may sound pathetic to some of you seasoned bloggers, but i am pretty darn excited about it.

other things i love: record players, driving in my car with good music on so loud that i cannot think about anything other than driving, singing and dancing, ice cream, SUVs, hot southern men in pickup trucks, accents.

i need to get over my anxiety about being picked up. i'm a little lady, so i feel as if a lot of guys feel intrigued with picking me up while hugging me. the theory of being picked up while being hugged, i loovvvveeeee. when it actually happens, i get nervous. i think i actually kind of push all my weight down, so i can get back to solid ground faster. i'm going to go out on a limb here and say that this all started cause at one time i probably thought i was too "chubby" to be picked up. the older i get the more irrational i realize that ever was. i've always been a thin girl. don't get me wrong, i'm no bikini model...but i am very petite, so while at times i may have had a few extra pounds where they didn't belong, i certainly wouldn't be hard to pick up. shit, Lauren, the S in our SATC trys to pick me up every time she sees me! i don't even let her ;) now, before i postes a mini video of ryan gosling and rachael mcadams (or whatever their names are) in a "pick-up make out session." that example is a reason why i feel as if i need to give up my fear of being picked up. i don't really know what point i am making right now. i guess i just need to fight my urge to flee when i am picked up and embrace it. i guess i'll let you know how that goes!

i think anyone whose last name begins with the letters A-M have received my holiday cards. for those poor suckers in the N-Z category. i'm sorry. they have been written out since 12/7, i believe. but are currently just sitting on my desk in a pile (which i look at every day) because i've yet to get more postage. i'm thinking you'll receive them by mid-january at latest.

today is blog day. or at least i say it is. because of the endless amounts of snow falling from the sky, i only had to work until noon. so i came home with all intentions of taking an afternoon nap, and instead it appears i've spent a large portion of the day snuggled in my bed, with my dog, reading blogs. some are blogs i've subscribed to for a while, others are brand new ones i find by way of nablopomo or 20something bloggers. i've also learned that i need to start making a presence on these two sites if i ever want to make it in this blogging world. i still feel so new to blogging. i feel like every time i feel comfortable on here, something new comes along, and i feel lost again (well, that and i feel as if no one, except wonderful christine, actually reads my blog).

anyway, i really enjoyed my time in blogworld today. i've got quite a few thoughts about it too.

1. i love mommy blogs. looooovvvveeeeee them! when i was on my google reader today, i realized that probably 1/2 of the people i am subscribed to are moms. moms who blog alot about being a mom. quick refresher: i have no kids. so i find this funny.

2. where are all the men bloggers? especially 20something men bloggers? i recently started reading diamondkt who always keeps me entertained. but where are the rest of you? i didn't realize that i only read one male blog. now i feel like i'm being prejudice. also, i wonder if this says something about 20something bloggers...we need to hear more of a man's voice.

3. i also re-read some of my blog. when i ended november's nablopomo, i wasn't too proud of my posts. now that i've had some distance from posting everyday, i realize... i actually like a lot of what i wrote. i have a pretty decent voice if i do say so myself. am i always interesting? no. is what i write going to change society? absolutely not on this blog. but it gets some thoughts out of my head (which i have learned is VERY important), and it also give me a reason to practice regularity with writing.

4. today, i've learned there is something called the "blog carnival' on 20SB. super cool. you better believe i'm going to get started on that in like 37 seconds.

5. i realize that blogging every single day is important to me. it is not easy. but i have a tendency to do things half-ass or take the easy way out. don't get me wrong, i'm a hard worker and i value striving for things, but usually i take on more than i can chew and end up with a half assed result. this being said... some of my posts in november could have been as simple as a quote i liked, because i couldn't think of anything to write... but it was still a post. it kept my brain sharp, and i felt dedicated. this all being said. in january, i will absolutely be doing nablopomo. i'm really excited about this, and i can't wait to find out what the theme will be.

6. i love "new" things. specifically fresh starts. i loveeeeeeeeeeee january 1st. everything about it is great. its the beginning of a new year, you can start fresh with a new calendar, a new agenda. plus, i have this weird belief in odd years (2005, 2007, 2009...). i feel like my life is always better when my age is an even number, but the year is an odd year. (i know, i know... that makes no sense at all, just let me believe it) so come january, this little lady gets to start over. the majority of 2008 was hell for me. life started to get better in august. everything took a lot of effort (everything still takes a lot of effort), but its beautiful to see your hard work pay off. i like myself a whole lot more now than i did the first half of this year. i'm no award winning apple pie, but i am a damn good slice. i'm getting there.

(i love apple pie)

7. i tried to think about what month was the best month for me in 2008. i pick november. january through july would never make the cut. august was good because i felt free, but i felt like everything was one big fuzz. there were so many choices. september wasn't what i hoped it would be. at this very second when i think of september, all i can think of is my jaw problems, and how my TMJ ruined my entire birthday weekend. wait, lets rephrase... my TMJ ruined the entire first two weeks of the month. december has been okay. its been a pretty introspective month, let me tell you. but not bad. i like this whole thinking about big things, but not feeling bad phase. i'm finally coming to terms and being friends with my thoughts again. that's a perfect end to the year. october was a pretty close front runner for the best month. i mean, i spent almost two weeks with elizabeth and chris in atlanta. now, if we were trying to figure out what the best week of the year was... it would absolutely be when i was in the ATL with my best friends (the best day of the year was the day my nephew was born). but in october, i nearly went insane with working too hard.

so, dear november, what should i say about you? quick sum up. in november, i took a lot of chances. i put myself out there to make new friends, to actually trust someone and be vulnerable. i put in the effort to get into a graduate level class. and i put myself out there, and asked my friend kevin if i could be in his monologue show. i learned to enjoy spending some time alone. i put myself out there and reached out to friends, old and new, to make plans and stick with them. this brought on a few amazing nights out. i flirted boldly. i'm still damn proud of that. i don't know. i just feel like it was a month without (too much) drama- a month where i was happy most of the time. so, thank you november.

8. i guess #7 got me on a rant. now i want to post the months in order of best to worst. i'm going to leave december out of this list, because i've still got 10+ days to go, and who knows what will happen in that amount of time!

november: best
october
september
august
march
may
june
july
april
january
february- worst

9. i love comments. please talk to me. make me feel like i'm not alone on this page.

10. the title of my blog is "there and back again." i liked the idea of the name right when i thought it, but compared to my past... its so fitting for a few chapters of my life. there have been a couple of situations where it seems i am right back in a place i once was. even though i never expected to be back there. i wonder if that happens to me "accidentally" or whether its a subconscious thing. i wonder why i keep going back. i think it means i'm not done learning something.

that's it today, folks. for all the new people who might notice i am "following" them, i really enjoyed reading your blogs. keep up the hard work.

and because i am such a tease at heart, here is another taste of what you'll soon be reading about...