I Hate Boys...But I Love Shoes!

No matter how bad I'm feeling...tired, lonely, sick, stressed out...there is one thing that can always make me smile. Although sleep, medicine, or a hug from Tyson Beckford might help, nothing quite does the trick for me like a new pair of SHOES!

Ahhh...I love shoes! Pumps, peep toes, wedges, strappy, pointy, ...You name it, I love them all. But what I don't love is the hefty price tag that usually comes along with that one pair (or more like twelve pairs) that I seem to just "have to have".

Yeah I'll admit it, I'm cheap. I love having all the nicest things, but only if those nice things come with a price tag that I agree with....which unfortunately usually never happens when I go shopping here in DC.

But luckily for me my parents have a store near them that sells brand named stuff for next to nothing. And when I say next to nothing I really mean it. Just this weekend I got these $209 dollar pair of Union jeans for $1. Crazy, I know. It's called Gabriel Brothers. If you ever see one you should stop in. I can promise you it will be quite the experience. Some people hate it because it takes effort (or what I like to call talent) to find good stuff, but I'm totally in love with the place. Every time I go home my fam already knows they have to schedule our plans around my extensive trip to Gabes.

Here are some of my latest finds in the shoe department...all Ann Taylor, all in size midget (aka size 5), all $12.99 each. Yeah, you read right...twelve dollars and ninety nine cents. Go ahead haters, hate on ;)

Quote of the day: “It's really hard to walk in a single woman's shoes -- that's why you sometimes need really special shoes!” ~ Sex and The City

Back to Business

My birthday week is officially over :( How depressing!

The anticipation and excitement, abundance of gifts and desserts, and special attention that came along with my birthday has now faded and all I'm left with (other than the ten extra pounds that probably went straight to my hips thanks to one too many pieces of birthday cake) is the simple fact that...I'm 25. And that, in and of itself, really isn't all its cracked up to be.

I made a pact on my 21st birthday that that one would be my last. No more aging...21 seemed to me to be a great age to stay at eternally. But I guess my birthday didn't get the memo because every year, despite my plea, it continues to come around again. Augh!

But in all seriousness, my birthday this year was pretty fabulous. I was a little worried that my first JJ-less birthday might be a real downer, but I already successfully made it through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years without him and my birthday turned out to be no different.

Just like I predicted, he didn't call, email, text, facebook me...nothing...and although I did a good job of not letting it get me down, inside I was really hoping he would, just so I could ignore it and feel the pleasure associated with having the upper hand. But oh well. Some day.

I spent my birthday with the people who really love me and always will, no matter what...my family...and that's what really matters.

We had a great time together.

Friday afternoon the weather was nice so my mom, sister and I decided to go for a bike ride on the Allegheny Highlands Trail. We rode 7 miles up and 7 miles back and, despite my deluxe bike seat, my inner thighs are still hurting. We saw a few wild turkeys, chatted it up with some guy carrying a gun to protect himself from the bears (yes, there really are turkeys and bears there...crazy), and of course stopped along the way to take a few pictures.

Here are a some of them. I hesitated sharing these because I really don't think I've ever looked stupider, but oh well, laugh all you want :)

And other than shopping, exercising, eating (a lot), and going to church, this is how we spent the rest of weekend......On the couch watching college basketball together! My kind of weekend!


Quote of the day: "Families are the compass that guide us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter. " ~ Brad Henry

Home is Where The Heart Is

Last night after work I left the city and drove home to Cumberland to spend a long spoil-me-its-my-birthday weekend with my fam. On a good day the trip takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes, and luckily for me yesterday was indeed a good day! Thank you beltway/270 traffic...I really appreciate it ;)

I arrived home just in time to watch the Duke game, and although my mom was off at the hospital delivering babies (or more likely sitting around labor and delivery watching movies with her coworkers...which is what she usually does) my dad and I enjoyed watching the game together nonetheless.

When it comes to Duke basketball there aren't many people that I can stand being around while I'm watching a game (I kinda take it seriously if you couldn't already tell), but my dad is one of them. Although he won't outwardly admit it, he is just as big of a Duke fan as I am so I don't have to worry about any stupid Duke-hater comments coming out of his mouth.

Here's a couple pics of my room at home, just to give you a taste of how serious it really is...lol

Unfortunately my blue devils just didn't bring it last night and thus, in the round of 16, they went down for the count :( I always hate it when their season is over. Just the thought of 7 long Duke basketball-less months brings a tear to my eye.

But one thing that can wipe tears from my eyes and bring an immediate smile to my face...CHEESECAKE. Ahh! I'm sitting in my parents kitchen right now "working", while my mom is making me some cheesecake. I can already tell this is going to be a great weekend! Hope yours is just as scrumptious.

Quote of the day: “Where we love is home, home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.”~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

Happy Birthday to ME!

That was me on my 4th birthday. (How cute was I?? Seriously) Hard to believe that 21 years have passed since then.

25. Twenty Five. Quarter lifer. Half way to 50. Middle of middle age. However you want to put it...I'm getting old!

Crazy to think how fast life goes. Although some days I wish I was still that little 4 year old with not a care in the world, each new year brings new experiences, new memories and new life lessons and I'm excited to see what my 25th year of life has to offer.


Quote of the day: "In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.” ~ Abraham Lincoln

Real Love

"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are.

Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two."
~ Captain Corelli's Mandolin

I ran across this quote on Emily's blog: The Adventure's of Little Miss Pissy (check her out, she is hilarious) and it struck such a cord with me. We often look around and see couples so infatuated with one another, so googly eyed in one anther's presence that we can't help but envy them and think, "Aw, they are so much in love". And yes, they probably are indeed "in love", but being "in love" and having real love are two totally different things.

For 25 years I've had the privilege of watching and learning from two people who I believe have found what everyone in this world is ultimately seeking ...real, unconditional, never ending love . Those two people are my parents. No they don't lose their breath when they see each other, no you won't see them making out in public or bragging about how incredible their relationships is... But at the end of the day they know without a shadow of a doubt that the other will be there for them. They've built a family together, they've built a life together, they respect each other, they are committed to each other, they are each other's best friend.

That's what real love is...and I can only hope and pray to find the same thing one day.



Quote of the day: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. . ." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Is the Weekend Over Already?

Friday night was suppose to be our much anticipated "Made in the 80's" Party and let me tell you, I had the most radical getup picked out. Here's a picture of my shoes, just to give you a little taste.

Unfortunately one too many people couldn't make it, for one reason or another, so rather than sitting around with our side ponies, singing Milli Vanilli, and eating ring pops by ourselves we decided to postpone the party to a more suitable weekend.

So the four of us, who could actually make it, decided to go out for a nice dinner instead. As a pre-birthday celebration for moi we went to Gordon Biersch, a brewery restaurant in downtown Rockville. I had never even heard of the place prior, but the food and drinks were awesome and the company and conversation was even better. The only complaint I could muster up is that our seats were much too far away from the TVs, so I couldn't see the basketball action the way I would have liked. Luckily Duke wasn't playing that night so it really didn't create too much anxiety for me

I had a delicious Raspberry Bay Breeze cocktail, Crab & Artichoke Dip appetizer to share, and Tuscan Chicken Pasta as my entree...Yuuuummy. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water all over again.

After a rather late night, according to my standards, I had to wake up bright and early Saturday morning (waaaay too bright and early if you ask me) for a day trip down to the National Harbor. A group of fellow photography enthusiasts were meeting up there to learn a little, laugh a little, and of course try to get a few nice shots. Here are a few that I took with my measly camera, that I'm now on a mission to replace with a nice Nikon or Canon. (A special thanks to my model Kara (aka my bestie) for her participation in a couple of them)



Hope you all had as good of a weekend as I did!



Quote of the day: “Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever... it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.” ~ Aaron Siskind

Spring Has Sprung

Although the temperature outside today is telling me otherwise, the news on the street is that Spring is officially here! And if you could see me right now then you would see that that has put a HUGE smile on my face :)

In honor of the onset of Spring 2009, Google has yet another adorable design today. Not sure why I am so in love with these...but I am. I think they are just so cute and clever. Always enjoy seeing what they come up with.

This one was designed by Eric Carle, the creator of one of my all time favorite children's books..."The Very Hungry Caterpillar". I'm sure you all remember it...the one where the caterpillar munches his way through a variety of different foods (and through the actual pages) before emerging into a beautiful butterfly.

Ahh...Children's books make me happy.

Some other of my own personal favorites that I fell in love with as a child and still remember vividly to this day are:

No Fighting, No Biting

Charlie

Three Little Kittens

The Ugly Duckling

The True Story of The Three Little Pigs (and of course the original Three Little Pigs)

Frosty

Little Miss Sunshine

The Berenstein Bears

Amelia Bedelia

Brer Rabbit and The Tar Baby

Wow that just brought back some great memories. Wonder if my mom still has any of these at home.

Anyways...Happy start to Spring everyone!!



Quote of the day: “The spring has sprung, the grass is rizz. I wonder where them birdies is?” ~ Winnie The Pooh

You Know What Sucks?...Change

My mom and dad got married over 30 years ago and have been happily married ever since. My dad’s first real job after finishing up his PhD was at Allegany Ballistics Laboratory and he has worked there ever since. Likewise, my moms first real job was at the local hospital (delivering little babies. awww.) and she too has worked there ever since. They’ve lived in the same house, gone to the same church, vacationed at the same place, done the same things... year in and year out.

That's us. I'm the little tike fresh out of the womb.

So I guess what I’m trying to get at, in a roundabout sort of way, as always, is…I HATE CHANGE!

My parents provided me with the most stable of upbringings, which I will forever be grateful for (thanks mom and dad!), but because of it I have the darnedest time accepting when things in my life change. And by "things" I mean ANY little thing. For goodness sakes I've cried after getting my hair cut before...and not necessarily because I hated it, just because it wasn't "the same".

Yeah, I know...I'm nuts.

Just yesterday in fact I decided to relocate from my corner office at work to one closer to the printer (which I wore the heel off quite a few pair of my favorite pumps running back and forth to so much). And just from that tiny little move I could instantaneously feel the sadness knot forming in my stomach and the symptoms of separation anxiety beginning to kick in.

Separation anxiety from changing the location of my desk space in the office? Really, what is wrong me?

Big things or little things, actually important in the larger scheme of life or not, it seems that just when I get used to the way things are, life comes along and changes it all up. The worst part is that even when I know the change is better for me, I still just hate the newness of it all.

I guess maybe that's one of the reasons why I'm having such a hard time with this breakup. Even though my head knows its better for me in the long run, the fact that my life is no longer the same as it has been for quite a few years is what is really throwing me for a loop. I'm used to my morning wake up call and my good night I love yous. I'm used to knowing (or thinking I know) what my future holds. I'm used to the whole routine of it. And then BAM...just like that I get hit with the your-life-has-changed-and-there-is-nothing-you-can-do-about-it stick!

Ughh! Anyone else despise change? Or is it just me?


Quote of the day: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Monday-itis

Ughh...I've got a serious case of the Mondays :(

Maybe it's the fact that it's been rainy and yucky around here for quite a few days now and its finally starting to rub off on me...Maybe its the never-ending roommate drama that I'm stuck in the middle of, that makes being in my own apartment extremely awkward...Or maybe its the fact that exactly three months ago today is the last time my ex has made an attempt to contact me and it's making me feel so easily replaceable and so quickly forgotten about.

But whatever the exact reason is, most likely a combination type deal, today in particular, its really all getting me down. So in an effort to snap out of my funk I'm gonna do a little A-to-Z survey thing. 1) Because surveys in and of themselves make me happy, and 2) as a way to focus on the positive, happy things going on in my life, rather than the bad and the sad.

So here it goes:

A-1 STEAK SAUCE. Random I know, but just thinking about the stuff makes me happy. Yumm-oo!

B 3 months and counting until I'm on my way to BERMUDA!
White sand, clear water, hot sun...I can't wait!

C For many years while in college I fell out of the routine of going to church because no one I knew in the DC area went and I feared going by myself. But with God's help and perfect planning, I have now found a new CHURCH that I absolutely love!

D Yesterday DUKE won the Atlantic Coast Conference B-ball Tournament.
2009 ACC champs baby! We are, you're not!

E This Friday night my bestie is having an EIGHTIES PARTY.
It's been a long time since my last crimped, side ponytail. Should be fun!

F Starburst FAVEREDS are for real my friends. I'm in love.
I bought my first bag on Saturday at Giant. Practically already ate them all.

G My GIRLFRIENDS are the best! Really don't know what I would do without them right now.

H Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day. And my office is having a St. Patty's day HAPPY HOUR. Yay! Happy hours make me happy :)

I have a whole box of ICE CREAM SANDWICHES waiting for me in the freezer.

J I love my JOB. Really couldn't ask for better. And in these tough economic times I am all the more thankful I even have one.

KEEPING UP WITH THE KARDASHIANS is back for an all new season. Not even sure why I like the show, but I do. Now that "The Girls Next Door" are gone Kim, Kourtney and Khloe are the new center of my Sunday nights.

LUCKY CHARMS are on sale this week at Giant. Ahh! I love my lucky charms. The real breakfast of champions.

MARCH MADNESS kicks off this Thursday. Nothing puts a smile on my face like college basketball...all day...everyday.

N I love a good afternoon NAP. If only we had a designated nap time at the office like we used to in preschool.

O I need to stomp on all the fear and insecurity I have and be OPTIMISTIC about what my future holds.

P This coming Saturday morning a group of my friends and I are meeting down at the National Harbor for a fun "PHOTO JAUNT" event. A time to walk around together, enjoy the sights, and take pictures.

Q I love a good QUOTE. When I'm bored at work or at home I just google quotes and can spend hours sitting there reading them.

R Memorial day weekend my girlfriends and I are are going on a ROAD TRIP. Not sure where to just yet, but where ever I know its gonna be a blast.

SUMMER is right around the corner and I couldn't be any more happy about it. Out with the coats and scarves and in with the bikinis and flip flops!

T Hard to believe but I'm gonna be turning TWENTY FIVE in 9 days.
Time flies when you're having fun I guess.

U No matter how UNFAIR life seems I know and truly believe that everything is working out for my good.

V Every summer the last week of July/first week of August my family goes on VACATION to Bethany Beach. I'm already looking forward to it. Always a fun time!

W So thankful for my WEDNESDAY night small group. It's me and a small group of ladies from my church who get together every Wednesday night for a weekly bible study/prayer time. Has really made a great impact on my life.

X I know that just because my EX is not acting like he's hurting doesn't mean he is not. I know his lack of contact and refusal to express sadness doesn't mean he doesn't care, or that our relationship meant nothing to him, it's just how he deals with his emotions.

Y I'm really loving the color YELLOW...Think I'm gonna wear it out this summer. Always looks great against sun-kissed skin.

Z Who the heck careZ...there is nothing that starts with Z and if there is it requires too much thought. So that's the end. Definitely feeling a little happier after that...at least for now anywayZ.


Quote of the day: "The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning. " ~ Ivy Baker Priest

I've Gone Bananas

My boss' birthday was a couple weeks ago, and as we always do when it's somebody's birthday in the office, we got together for a fun little lunch time celebration. Since work somehow always ends up consuming the conversation at these gatherings, my boss, being the awesome person she is, decided to bring in her favorite game to share with us and make things a little bit more fun.

Being the huge board/card game fanatic I am, if I don't own it, then usually I've definitely at least heard of it. So I was completely shocked when my boss pulled a banana-shaped zippered canvas bag out of her purse and started explaining this game to us.

The game she shared with me, that I'm now sharing with you is....
BANANAGRAMS...my newest obsession:

The very next day after she showed it to me I got on amazon.com and ordered it for myself ($15). No pens, no paper, no keeping score. You can play by yourself or with up to 8 people. Similar to scrabble but way better.

Friday night a huge group of my friends got together and had a blast playing and then last night my bestie and I hung out at my apartment and played a few rounds. I'm not going to tell you too much about the rules, but just go ahead and buy it for yourself. You will love it too. I'm sure of it. Can't wait to go home and share it with my fam. I know my mom is going to be a big fan.

Quote of the day: “I laugh, I love, I hope, I try, I hurt, I need, I fear, I cry. And I know you do the same things too, So we're really not that different, me and you.” ~ Colin Raye

Let the Madness Begin!

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past couple weeks then you probably know that it's March. But what you might not know is that I LOVE the month of March!

Yes, it would be slightly better if it fell in the summer (because everyone knows summer makes everything better) but I still love March nonetheless. Besides the most obvious reason...that I was given the gift of life in the month of March (25th to be exact...don't forget it!), March also means COLLEGE BASKETBALL...ALL DAY....EVERYDAY. And for a b-ball junkie like myself that pretty much makes the next three weeks HEAVEN ON EARTH.

Although we are still a couple days away from the much anticipated "Selection Sunday", the conference tourneys are underway, so already, at any given time, you can most certainly find me glued to a television set somewhere.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that I'm not the only one though. I'm pretty sure that overall office productivity will be making a sharp nosedive over the next few weeks as employees nationwide call in sick, reschedule appointments, and ignore phone calls in an effort to sneak a peak at some of the games or obsessively scour the Internet for score updates.

I LOVE that even people who don't like sports or keep up with college basketball at all will be sucked in... filling out their brackets and chipping in a few bucks to compete in the office pool. The madness is contagious.

Last night after work my girlfriends and I met up at a local sports bar to root on our Terps, who played (and beat) the NC State Wolfpack in the opening round of the ACC Tournament. I put on my best Terp fan facade, but tonight is when Duke plays and everyone knows that's my REAL TEAM!

So Let's Go Blue Devils!

March...I love you <3 So glad you're here!

Quote of the day: "Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is." ~ Vince Lombardi

Never a Dull Moment

Since our murder mystery party started at 5:30pm on Saturday, we were done by around 9 and weren't ready to call it a night just yet. So we decided to head down to Dave & Busters for a little post-party game playing action.

A beautiful young lady from my church was tragically murdered last year, so in honor of what would have been her 30th birthday, a bunch of us planned to meet there for a celebration of her life type thing. Being that we were already quite a bit late for the event, rather than waste more time running all the way home to change, we thought it would be okay just to show up in our costumes...

Boy was that a bad idea! Dave & Busters on a Saturday night = teenager central. I've never been stared at, talked about, and made fun of more in my life. I just wanted to scream "YO, I just came from a murder mystery party! This is not how I normally dress, especially not for a night out at D&B's, and especially not in the winter!"

But whatev...I tried not to let it ruin the night. Took off my bling, hid myself...as best I could...under my winter coat (sweating the entire time) and went about my business.

Stopping to pose for a pic before heading into the game room

Riding along on the back of the stationary jet ski

And being extremely angry because I just lost...to a girl!
Do I even have to tell you how much I hate losing?

So despite the outfit fiasco, Dave & Busters turned out to be a fun ending to a VERY fun Saturday night!

Quote of the day: “Without passion you don't have energy, and without energy you have nothing.”~ Donald Trump

A Taste for Dinner, Wine....and Murder

This past Saturday evening (as I'm sure you all remember) was my much anticipated Murder Mystery Party. And I am happy to inform you that it was indeed A BLAST!... As much fun as I had hoped it to be and wayyyy more!

If you're thinking about something fun to do with a small group of your friends I would highly recommend it. My bestie bought this particular wine themed kit online for around $20 and it contains everything you need, short of only food and costumes.

The setting:

Underwood Wine Estates, Napa Valley, CA ~ circa 1997














The story line:

Barry Underwood, owner of Underwood Wine Estates, disappeared 5 years ago at the annual wine festival. Due to lack of clues the case went cold....until last night...when a minor earthquake shook the mansion, revealing Barry's body underneath the floor boards.

The suspects:

Marilyn Merlot ~ Hollywood movie star












Otto Von Schnapps ~ German wine merchant












Hedy Shablee ~ Hippie owner of neighboring vineyard












Ralph Rottingrape ~ Bad boy heir-apparent to the Underwood Wine Estates












Tiny Bubbles ~ Barry's fiancee at the time of his death, now married to Ralph












Papa Vito ~ Vineyard worker, devoted his life to develop Underwood












Bonny Lass ~ Scottish tourist, best-selling mystery novelist











And the FBI Agent assigned to the case:

Bud Wizer ~ Beer-drinking man determined to solve the mystery












So who did it? Ummm...guess that's for us to know, and you to find out!
Wouldn't want to ruin it for any of you future murder mystery party planners.

Check out more pics from the night


Quote of the day: "Live life fully while you're here. Experience everything. Take care of yourself and your friends. Have fun, be crazy, be weird. Go out and screw up! You're going to anyway, so you might as well enjoy the process. Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes: find the cause of your problem and eliminate it. Don't try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being human." ~Anthony Robbins

Welcome to Town!

I was going to write a post about how super excited I am for my murder mystery party tonight and what a fabulously perfect Marilyn Monroe-esque white dress I snagged yesterday at the mall, but I figured pictures and post party detail dishing would be much more interesting.

So instead I turn to some other juicy news...Brad and Angelina are in town!

Yeah I've never been a big fan of Brangelina (definitely more of a Team Aniston type of chick), but the fact that the hot couple and their two daughters, Shiloh and Zahara, are within a couple miles of me right now as I type...is kinda cool.

No, I'm not going to run down to L'Enfant Plaza, Navy Memorial or Pennsylvania Ave where the Washington Post has reported Angie will be on site filming a CIA spy thriller, "Salt", for the next few days, but the fact is...I could. Who wouldn't be a little bit excited about that?

And while Angie is filming her new flick, set to come out in 2010, Brad is chatting it up with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about the reconstruction efforts in New Orleans.


And of course he's spending a little down time with his two favorite mini gals. How cute are they?? Shiloh is honestly one of the most beautiful little girls I've ever seen (go figure). Check out that little outfit - OMG!!

And what do you think about Angie's blond hair? I think I like her dark.



Quote of the day: "I like to hide behind the characters I play. Despite the public perception, I am a very private person who has a hard time with the fame thing." - Angelina Jolie