My Friends.

I wanted to tell you all about my friends.

You see, they are a very special group of people to me. Why? Because they are mine, and I love them with all my heart. For Valentine's Day, I was going to do this but for my friends. Alas, I ran out of time (and truthfully, out of 52 reasons that applied to everyone & were socially acceptable to put on a deck of cards that were going to be used) so I botched the idea and just sent extremely delayed Valentine's Day cards instead.

I have a lot of friends, or I guess enough for to keep me busy and entertained, but for now I'm going to showcase the girls. Mainly the girls I spend the most time with or talking to. That should be enough for now. I really want to put their pictures up, but I'm afraid they'll hate me forever. Oh well, friends, hate away. You're my friends, you're allowed.

L-R: me, Kathryn & Rachel in Tampa, Florida for the ACC Championship, December 2009 - the beginning of a fabulous weekend, complete with a Yellow Jacket victory! I'm pretty sure the three of us have had more adventures together in the last year, and while some were a major bust, the majority have been complete successes. I'm sure more adventures are to come...

L-R: Kelsea, Amanda, Rachel, Lizzie, & myself at Amanda's house for her Graduation Party, May 2009 - the end of what was perhaps the best semester of my life, and I wasn't even in school!

L-R: Erika & myself in Valencia, Spain, June 2008 - what a life-changing summer!

My sister Lauren & I on a 10-day cruise through the Panama Canal, December 2008 - best vacation we've ever been on! Quality family time, great friends, can't be beat!

Sydney & myself in Las Vegas, May 2007 - she's been my best friend since our senior year of high school, and no matter how far away, or how long we go without talking, some things just never change. Silly Magical Crunk 4 life.

There are friends that aren't pictured, mainly because I don't have pictures I'm willing to share with the world. The main point of this is to tell everyone how grateful I am for my friends. For the ones I talk to every day and see every weekend, for the ones who I talk to once every 6 months and see even less frequently, and for the ones that fall in between. Never in my life have I felt luckier to have the friends that I do. This is for the girls that I call, day or night, no matter what, and I never have to censor myself, I never have to apologize for who I am, and they love me unconditionally.

To my friends: You mean the world to me, I don't know where I would be without you, and I am eternally grateful for your friendship and support. And I thought you should know.

Why I Shouldn't Have Free Time, part 1 of approximately 89043280432.

It's Saturday morning. I'm "snowed-in." I've been up since 7:30am (damn you, corporate America, for not allowing me to sleep in), and the DVR is in the other room, where the internets apparently can't reach. It's Valentine's Day weekend and I am without Valentine. (This is all very ok, it just explains my lack of something better to do!) So what do I do?

Start/continue planning my honeymoon. Yes, I've started this process before. Nope, I'm not engaged. Not planning to be. Not even in a relationship. Not even attempting to be in a relationship. I don't even know the last time I went on a date. But yep - planning my honeymoon. It's gonna be an expensive one.

I want to go to one of the Tahitian islands. I want to stay in a villa that sits atop the ocean and has glass-bottom floors. I want an infinity pool. A private infinity pool. I guess I'll have to pick between glass-bottom floors and infinity pool, but maybe I can find somewhere that has both. I want beach. Lots of private, white, beautiful, warm beach. I don't want to be able to see my neighbors canoodling on their balcony... I don't want to see anyone else canoodling at all. I don't want to see any ONE at all. Except for the delightful ladies and gentlemen who will cook delicious lobsters and bring warm fresh towels. I want 7 days in extreme bliss. Bliss that I will never forget for the rest of my life. Nevermind that I hate flying. Nevermind that I will more than likely have to get on an airplane that seats approximately 2 people. Guess what? I'd do it all and then some if it meant I was going to stay at a bungalow with glass-bottomed floors and a canopy king size bed and swimming access off my balcony in the lagoon and all the other fantastic, memorable, beautiful things these islands have to offer.

As I've been finding pictures, I even entertained the idea of eloping to these islands and getting married here sans big wedding, sans family, all of it, that's how badly I want it. For those of you that know me... this isn't even an option, but I'm making it one. Only for you, most beautiful and luxurious Bora Bora. I want to come and visit you. I want to explore everything you have to offer. I want to swim in your oceans and sleep on your beaches and shop in your shops and dine in your restaurants and explore your every surface.

Maybe one day.... for now, I'll add it to my Travel Bucket List and hope that some man loves me enough to take me here, eventually. But sooner rather than later.

(these pictures are from the Bora Bora Nui Resort & Spa)

Pantsless = Problem

I left my house Tuesday morning (after a debacle with my alarm clock) fully armed with Tuesday & Wednesday's lunches packed, clothes for Tuesday evening, Wednesday work clothes, as well as all the things I need in the morning to get ready for work. I was packed and ready to go. I do this once a week because I stay overnight with a family because their mom works overnight at the hospital. (It's easy money and I like the kids!) I'm feeling pretty good because I think I've got it all covered despite my 45 minute delayed start. Stupid alarm clock, who knew I actually had to turn you on?!

So I set my now faithful alarm this morning for 6:28am so I could have plenty of time (read: 2 minutes) to wake myself up, then wake the small people up, shower, cook breakfast, and all the other things that school-going-small-people require between waking up and leaving for school.

Everyone gets up, everyone gets dressed, everyone eats breakfast, and 2/3 get out the door and go to school. I'm showered but still in my jammies. Their mom comes home and takes the last 1/3 to her school, and I go back down to my basement cave to finish getting ready for work. Take off pajamas. Put on shirt-dress I like to wear to work. Dig around in bag for pants I wanted to wear with it. Dig around bag some more. Start to panic and throw the rest of the bag's contents around the room. That's when I realized that I had forgotten a CRUCIAL part of my work ensemble... the pants.

Normally, I am not an outfit drama queen. I can make the best of most situations. I would have even worn brown pants with my black/grey shirt-dress because I'm that easygoing. BUT I HAD WORN A SKIRT TO WORK THE DAY BEFORE. And not just any skirt - a zebra striped, patterned, stands out x10,000 skirt that I just couldn't repeat. We had visitors in the office. European visitors. Important visitors!!! Now... this shirt-dress is barely long enough to be worn as a dress when going to the club. It is definitely not long enough to wear as a dress when going to work. I couldn't have worn it to high school when the fingertip-rule still applied. So I think I'm a genius, and I put on tights. I feel that I have solved the world's problems. Life is better because my legs are covered.

I walk out of the bedroom, look in the mirror in the bathroom, and very quickly realize that my problems are nowhere near solved. FYI... tights are not pants. I panic some more. HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN MY PANTS?!?!?!?!!?!? I'm still not really sure if I forgot my pants, or if I thought that my tights would pass as leggings, but either way, I had to fix my problem stat, preferably before work.

One quick stop at Target, and I had a new, albeit entirely ridiculous looking, ensemble. A knee length knit skirt was the cheapest, best solution I could find that I would ever wear again. Of course they didn't have any opaque leggings in my size. Of course they didn't have any dresses that interested me at all. Nope. So I wore a dress over a skirt with tights underneath and called it a day.

And what a day it was. Want to know the best part of it? When I came home and took my most awesome outfit off.

A Low-Key Friday Night

It is Friday, post-lunchtime, and I can't wait to go home. I'm sure you are now wondering what my big plans are for tonight.

They include making an awesome coleslaw, maybe making some chocolate covered strawberry footballs (but first I would have to go to Costco and get some strawberries... which doesn't sound like the worst idea!), and maybe even going to see Dear John ALL. BY. MY. SELF. And I really couldn't be more excited about it. Oh yeah, and as I was getting ready for work this morning I decided the apartment needs a solid scrubdown ASAP. And by apartment I mean primarily my bathroom and shelves. The dust bunnies are starting to roam at night. Scary.

Since the start of 2010 my weeks and weekends have been whirlwinds of traveling, drinking, parties, cleaning, friends, and cooking, and it has been nothing short of fun, but man am I ready for a low-key Friday night in my pajamas. Even if I go out, I think I am still going to wear pajamas. The thing is, I would have a great time if I went out tonight, but for the first time in as long as I can remember, there is something going on and I don't feel obligated to go for fear of missing out. My friends will still be there tomorrow, the fun will still be there tomorrow, and while yes, I am missing what is supposedly a fantastic band at East Andrews Upstairs tonight... I'm okay with that! I'm so proud of myself. I've come such a long way with my FOMO (Fear of Missing Out).

I hope you also enjoy your low-key Friday nights. And don't fret - tomorrow will be far less low-key because a group of us are participating in the Virignia Highlands Snuggie Pub Crawl. I am not a proud owner of a Snuggie, but the ad said bathrobes were welcome, so that is what I will be donning. And don't forget Super Bowl Sunday and all the festivties that go along with it.

Maybe this weekend won't be quite as low-key afterall... but at least I've got my Friday night to enjoy all by myself! What are you doing tonight?

Blondes Have More Fun!

I'm cheap, especially when it comes to things like my hair, which I don't feel it should be necessary to spend hundreds of dollars on. And shoes, which are merely going on my feet for me to use and abuse, so why buy the expensive ones when the cheapies will do? Although, I am learning to appreciate nicer shoes now that I am working and walking around more than just to an interview and back home in my heels. I learned this lesson today, but maybe I will blog about that tomorrow.

Today I am hear to tell you about the best deal EVER on hair cuts, dyes, perms, highlights, and anything else you could imagine you would want done to your hair. I started my hair adventures at the Aveda Institute, where I met and fell in hair-stylist-love with my wonderful Alexandra. It took me a few tries to find her, but once I did I never went to anyone else. Alexandra graduated from beauty school, and for a while even did my highlights in the middle of her apartment kitchen!

Then, Alex did what she never should have done - she started working at Van Michael Salon in Buckhead where for the first year or so that she was there, highlights by her cost me..................................ten dollars. $10!!!! CAN YOU EVEN BELIEVE IT?!

I couldn't. It was my favorite thing in the entire world. I felt like the world of hair was at my fingertips. Perm? What the heck, why not, it's only ten bucks! And I could tip 100% and still be way under budget! The work is done by students, and they only do 2 haircuts a week, on Mondays at 4pm and 6pm, but if you plan far enough in advance, it's so easy to schedule a cut, color, whatever your little heart desires! And, I'm pretty sure this isn't any of their first runs at doing hair. Like I said, Alexandra already had graduated from beauty school at Aveda. This was like the final step for her!

Unfortunately for me (and for my budget), Alexandra is now slowly but surely working her way up the ranks at Van Michael, so she now costs a lot more than $10. I've promised myself I will go to her every other time I need my hair done, because my cheap self cannot justify a $100 hair fix, despite how much I love Alex and how she knows just how to fix my hair so it's perfect.

So call, schedule your appointment, and let a cheap and fabulous haircut be your new best friend!

Wine Tasting

When a friend of mine called towards the end of last summer and told me about a wine tasting he was going to, I was quick to tag along. I love wine in the summer, and there is just something about a wine tasting that screams "classy" and "elegant" and "refined." He had been once before, and had a wonderful experience.

We showed up, were seated outside, enjoyed 6 different wines, 5 plates of small appetizers (including one chalk full of absolutely mouth-watering marinated meats that I will never forget for as long as I live) and great company. Plus, the wine rep knew his stuff!

I am telling you this because tonight, after a long hiatus due to a variety of things, I am going back for my beloved wine tasting. The tastings are sponsored by a great little beer & wine shop in the West End, just west of Georgia Tech's campus in Midtown, called Hop City. They have fantastic wines and a great selection of beers. The tasting is actually hosted at Figs & Honey Tiny Bistro, which is just across the street from Hop City.

I cannot rave enough about this event. The cost is $20 for 6 heavily poured wine tastings and 5 filling food pairings, usually including dessert. They are vegetarian friendly if that is your cup of tea, and the chef is extremely accomodating, explaining everything he makes and basically giving away his top secret recipes.



As you can see, I love love LOVE!!! this event, and it happens about every other week. You should check it out, I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

Who Should Pay?!

I was at a Bachelor viewing party with some girlfriends last night, and of course precious Jake and those crazy ladies took a backseat to girltalk. What else is new? We were discussing significant others and dinners, which led to venting about significant others and dinners, and then we finally moved away from significant others and dinner to dinner with others in general.

One of the girls mentioned that she went to dinner with her family to celebrate a birthday, and her significant other planned to offer to pay for dinner. Like, the whole dinner. We all had differing opinions about the appropriateness of when to offer, should you offer, who should offer, etc, so I thought I would ask the blogging world.

When you are out to dinner, do you offer to pay every single time no matter what? What if you are with family? Or someone else's family? Does it matter who you are with, whether or not you offer to pay?

One of the arguments was that you don't want anyone to just assume you were getting a free dinner. If you took someone to dinner and they didn't offer to pay, would that be your assumption?

I think it's different for everyone. For me, I rarely offer to pay. If I go to dinner with my family, it would just be silly. If I go on a first of second date, I am traditional enough that I feel paying is the man's responsibility. However, that gets tricky on later dates or once you are in an established relationship. I am by no means a taker and not a giver! Even if I go to dinner with a friend's family, I don't offer to pay, mainly because I know that if the situation were reversed, my parents would never accept money from one of my friends.

So, mis amigos, what do you do? Do you offer? What does it depend on? Or do you just offer every time, just because it's the right thing to do?