I'm waiting my turn

I read lots of blogs who are either brides-to-be or who have recently tied the knot. I love reading them -- it's too cute! I, myself, have never been more single in all of my life. For the past four years, I have been in two very serious relationships. Both obviously ending -- which, I am thankful they did, because I know they weren't right for me. So, here I am, waiting patiently for my turn. I know it will come at the right time with the right guy. I am stoked! Just so you all know, when that day comes, you better believe I will be blogging everyday about all my wedding plans, talking about our life together and all the great couple stuff I read daily from your blogs.... yep, I will be that girl, too!

Until then, I know God has it all under control, and I will have fun with my friends, travel when I want to, shop, enjoy my career, maybe move a new place in a year, grow closer to the Lord.... and just... live.

Off I go again

to DC tomorrow. I go every two weeks and I love it! It is too fun to do this for my job.

I will leave work around noon tomorrow, check into my hotel, and take off to Pentagon City mall where I will get some of this:

New makeup: I need to get my spring/summer face powder color and some blush!

I desperately need to try a new skin care line. I used ProActive for two years and I feel like it is not doing the job anymore.

I also plan to see this movie! It looks too cute!


I also got a call from Forever 21 yesterday and they want me to come on part-time. This will be great to earn a little more income, as well as get an employee discount on all their spring summer dresses!

I love this picture of my sis.

Coming this July

My roomies and I stayed up until about 1:30 am thinking we would just get to sleep in due to having a snow/ice day. Nope. Just rain. It's gray outside and blah. I woke up at 7:25, threw a warm outfit on, hair in a ponytail, and was out the door. So much for hoping for a snow day!

However, thought I would give you a preview of what's coming up this July!


7 night Alaska cruise with my family! This will be our 6th one together, and they are so fun. Normally, the entire Mom's side of the family goes, but now there are so many smaller kids, that they decided not to come this time around. So, it will just be my grandfather, uncle, dad, mom, sis, and me. We fly to Seattle and board a Holland America ship. I do not know if you have ever been on a Holland America ship, but they are different than typical party ships. They do have your typical casinos and bars, but it is much more of a classier feel than that of say, a Carnival ship. (I am not downing Carnival -- I like those, too, but for the Caribbean). We make 5 stops: Juneau, Skagway, Kechican, Anchorage, and Victoria, B.C. I have to take off 7 days of work for it though, -- that's the only downside. I am sure it will be well worth it.

Have a great day!

Weekend recap

My house is so cold, I am wearing gloves while typing this!

Thanks to all for your sweet comments on my last post. Today was a new day, in which, I moved on to my normal happy self. =) It is so true that if you have five friends you know you can count on, you are truly blessed. I am glad some of you have experienced what I was going through and to know I definitely was not alone.

We had a fabulous time at the Andy Davis concert. Please go to your itunes and look him up. He is amazing live! I included a video of him playing one of my favorite songs: Let the Woman

Jen and her boyfriend, Dustin

Jen and I -- we are very excited about our Seattle trip in April!

Change of pace-- Home and Garden party. This is one of my roomies, Nikki, and a friend's little girl. She was such a good baby!

Downer

I have no issue with cutting someone out of my life completely. Wrong me once, I'll forgive you and give you the benefit of the doubt... wrong me twice, I still forgive, but don't expect for me to ever give a care about you ever again.

I am upset today and have been wronged. There is not one excuse in the book that could "excuse" what you are doing. Lying will get you nowhere in life, and clearly it was lies all along.

Sorry all for the downer post, today, but blogs are supposed to be real feelings during real times, right? I wouldn't be perfect if every day was care-free.

I am on a search to find out who my real friends are. It is saddening that people can really let you down after you invest so much time, love, and effort into them. Jealousy is dangerous, too, I might add. Like my grandfather says, Sin will make you pay more than you want to pay and keep you longer than you want to stay.

Healthy Grocery Run

After eating BWW tonight with my bestie, I felt very guilty. I am working out a lot lately, but feel like my diet could be much better to see the results faster. So, I made a little detour to Kroger! Yes, those of you who have never heard of Kroger, it is like the main one in VA. Just like Winn Dixie and Publix is south and Wegmans is north (I think?). So I stroll through the rows and pick up:

Kashi Whole Grain waffles
Yogurt
Strawberries
Bananas
OJ
CLIF bars

I want to lose 15 lbs. by summer. Very doable, right? My clothes are, thankfully, fitting, but just not like they did! I used to be an aerobic instructor during college at the University's gym and had to be in tiptop shape all the time. I worked out for 2 hours or more everyday. I ate extremely healthy because everyone was watching what I ate. I had to set an example. I mean, c'mon, the aerobic instructor couldn't just order pizza for dinner. They would have thought I was a joke!

Today was my wake-up call and I am getting serious. Back to my old motto: "I eat to fuel my body, not to fatten it."

The weekend is here!

I don't know what it is about today, but this work day has flown by! This entire week I have drug through each day. I love my job, and normally get very busy, but this week was just slow! It is already 2:54 and in just 1.5 hours, I am outta here for two wonderful days of bliss.

Plans this weekend include:

Revolutionary Road with Meghan! We are going to BWW and then to this movie. I am so excited because I love Kate and Leo together.

Andy Davis concert on Saturday night with my favorite girls!

By the way ya'll, I also got my W2s in the mail yesterday. I am praying for a good tax return!

Also, remember me telling you about the Southwest deal? I am going in April! I booked it last night with my best friend, Jen. I am not spontaneous at all, so it was a big step for me. We are too excited to be doing something random and fun, because we can.

This helps me all day!

Pandora.com is an amazing site! You have music radio playlists going all day long. You can have as many different playlists as you want! It is all free. My favorites are: Coldplay, Rascal Flatts, The Fray, and Taylor Swift stations. There are zero commercials, too.

Nightly rut

I feel like Monday-Thursday evenings, I do the same thing! I get off work, hit the gym, cook dinner, watch whatever show is on, check email, and go to bed! I have no life those four days. Do ya'll do fun things on weeknights? I typically am so tired after work that I don't feel like doing much. Then again, I am in my twenties and I feel like I should be doing something!

Help me get out of this nightly rut I am in!

Spring Vera!

My favorite for spring:

Hope Garden

Beyonce at the Ball

I love this video clip of Beyonce singing "At last" to the new President and First Lady. She has a beautiful voice. She seems so emotionally moved at the end, and I think it is really sweet.

Vacation Days!

This is what I wish I was doing today.

I got my vacation scheduler today at work! Let me tell you, what intricate planning will go into those 15 days of freshness and fun! I have been starting to plan!

First off, my entire family is going on an Alaskan cruise in July. I am still undecided on whether I will go or not, being it will take up 6 days of my vacation. I really want to go, though! Alaska is beautiful and so much fun.

I have been talking to one of my good friends, Jordan, and she wants to take a short 4-night cruise to the Caribbean. We both work at the same company, and would want to find a cruise that went over a weekend so we would eliminate the amount of vaca days used. We found one for $299! Quite tempting...... we are going to discuss it today at lunch. The date is mid-March -- only 2 months from now! (Meg, I know you want to go on one too, so you need to book it with us)

Also, I subscribe to Southwest Airlines flight promotional emails. For three days only, all round-trip tickets are 50% off! $85 each way. You cannot beat that. How fun would it be to just take off to Seattle for the weekend? Jordan and I are both (unfortunately) single, but hey, at least that leaves us the available to do spontaneous things when we feel like it. Go check it out!

Of course, I will want to save 2-3 extra days for Christmas!

Award

I have never given any awards before, and after being tagged for several, I felt bad! So, I am giving this award today!

The rules of the award:

1) Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design.

2) Show the 7 winners names and links on your blog, and leave a comment informing them that they were prized with "Honest Scrap." Well, there's no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon.

3) List at least 10 honest things about yourself.

1) I am my worst critic.

2) I cannot decide where to live! I told myself yesterday that if in a year from now, I am still single with nothing holding me down, I will pick my top 3 favorite cities (DC, Atlanta, or Jacksonville), apply to jobs there, take the first one offered to me and hit the road!

3) I cannot stand girls who are pageant-y. You are not better than anyone, and just because you won Miss County Fair Primetime Swing Ball (or whatever) does not mean anything to me. (sorry if you are a previous queen, and hopefully you aren't like this, but I am sure you know the type of girls I am talking about) =)

4) I am still trying to decide what my style is. It seems to change constantly. Am I a cutesy hot pink-all the time- dresser with flowers and polka dots? Or, am I the chic J.Crew dresser? Or, do I look like tanned beach barbie in the summer with a denim skirt and tank? I cannot find a healthy balance btwn. them all.

5) I am not a huge fan of writing. I would much rather administrate and deal with the public.

6) I crave Diet Pepsi. This is bad, I know.

7) I do not understand men right now. They confuse me.

8) I care deeply for my friends. I love them with all my heart and will be there for them nomatter what.

9) I wear a sz. 6 shoe~ I actually like my feet and I think I could pass for a foot model! My toes are in a perfect slant.

10) The perfect day for me: Sleeping in, but not too late, having a marvelous workout at the gym, grabbing coffee, hitting up Barnes&Noble to read 4 magazine for hours, stopping by a friend's apartment on the way home to catch up, showering, cooking a healthy dinner, and then spend the evening catching up on TiVo with my awesome roommates!

I would like to tag the following blogs I have found in the past few weeks that I try to visit daily!

Queen Bee Swain
Think Classy
Sweet Carolina Bride
From the land of Cotton
The Fabulous Life of a Southern Belle
Bama Belle in the Big City
The Pink Tutu
Stylish Suburban
Steak & Cakes
Sweet Melissa

Thought for the day

There are 24 hours in each day. Meaning, you have no excuse not to dedicate ONE of those hours to exercise. That leaves you with 23 left.

Are you feeling me?

Get movin'.

Family

I love them!

Me and Mom at home in Alabama

Mom and Dad in Tennessee

Dad with his girls at the beach

Ash welcoming me at the airport!

Cash or Card?

Today is my payday. (yay). I pulled up my account this morning, and my ever-so-handy mint.com page. I started scrolling through my 'activity' over the last few weeks and just noticed all the frivolous purchases I made! I am wondering if it is better to carry cash? I never carry it, only use my debit card, but am wondering if I did start taking out a set amount a week for those extra purchases (like coffee and eating out), maybe I would end up saving a little more than always handing up the debit.

Maybe I will try it this coming week and see!

Found this!

I personally think DeAnna should have picked Jason, but poor Jesse. My friend pointed out this video to me that Jesse made to tell America the truth! I don't know why I keep watching the Bachelor and Bachelorette after all these years because none of them (well except for Trista and Ryan, and Byron and Mary) every seem to last!

Boo x 2

I am and have been in bed since I got off work. I think I caught the stomach bug my roomie had last week! =( Luckily, American Idol previewed and it has kept me company. That, and some sweet phone calls from friends. I really like the new judge on Idol -- she's got spunk!

I did just put in one load of laundry. I do not know what is going on with me lately, but normally, I am super neat and tidy. Been a little on the slack side lately. I haven't been to the gym since Sunday because of my tummy. Boo x 2! At least I cannot eat anything solid.

*Also, some are having trouble reading my blog. If you look at it from Internet Explorer, it is hard to see. I actually have a white background in the middle, and it pulls up fine on FireFox, but not Internet Explorer. Not sure how to fix it, either! Technology hates me.

Sometimes ya have to take action!

November: Start job. I hear I will receive new laptop soon.

2 weeks ago:

me: "Hi, was wondering when my laptop will be in for pickup?"
man: "We will let you know when it is in."
me: "Ok, thank you."

4 days ago:

me: "Hi, was wondering when my laptop will be in?"
lady: "We will email you when it is time to schedule a pick-up date."
me: "Ok, thank you."

Today:

me: "Hi, I have been here 2 months and really need to get my laptop and turn in the loaner laptop. I know it is in because I saw a big shipment the other day when I passed by. I really need it by Thursday. When can we schedule a time for me to pick it up?"
man: "How about this Wednesday, 1:00?
me: "Great! Thank you!"


If you don't ever take action in your life, you will be doing a lot of unnecessary waiting.

Busy DC Day!

Wanted to document my short trip!

Hotel is in Chinatown so I grabbed dinner at one of my favorite restaurants there, Clyde's.

Love the floor-to-ceiling windows.

I was not dressed warm enough! It was so cold today!

I went by my old apartment building. My studio was one with the big bay window. Notice the dome in the background -- so close! It was really a great location.

Contemplations

I have had a good night in DC so far. I haven't felt well, so I ended up grabbing takeout at Clyde's and decided to spend the evening in watching the Gator game. (I will have to switch it to Grey's at (9).

I took a little walk tonight on the way into Chinatown to get dinner and *bucks. I thought: Some days I am content as ever where I am, doing what I am doing, with who I am doing it with.

Other days... not so much.

I wouldn't say I am confused right now, but more just like, What is next? Why did God bring me back to Virginia? I am glad He did, but ... why? Is this just a stepping block for something better in two years or so? Will I end up staying here forever? Is that the plan for me? Is the man I am supposed to be with here? Am I just here to earn my masters and then go elsewhere?

So many questions that I just will have to be patient and wait to find out. Having so many options and a wide-open life is fairly exciting, though!

Plans tonight inlcude:

This! Barnes & Noble at Metro Center. Only my favorite Barnes of them all. 2-stories of books, huge Starbucks, it's wonderful!

My record time in here is 4 hours....

Just Because

My sister -- she's beautiful inside and out.

Nothing new!

This week, my blog has been a little bare -- Nothing really new going on or things to report!

I am leaving tomorrow for DC. Will be there until Saturday afternoon. I will be so busy setting up my office again up there and getting things ready for Saturday. We are also starting to plan for CPAC! Should be an exciting weekend in February.

I have been pretty consistent at the gym this week so far. However, I must share with you my gym peeves for the week. I do not understand why women get bare naked by the lockers! Every time I go in there, there is some woman with no clothes on walking around without a care in the world. At least put panties on! I mean please. Maybe I am more modest than others? Also, I understand that people wait for machines.... I get it. But, please do not stand 2 feet from the machine staring at me waiting. I will only do 3 extra sets to make you wait longer!

January is typically a boring month in my opinion, but boy, what great television lately! I have been watching the Bachelor on Mondays, The Biggest Loser on Tuesdays, will start watching Fear is Real on Wednesdays, and Grey's Anatomy on Thursdays! Great way to keep occupied during the weeknights, that's for sure.

Today's surprise for me

This is what happened when I came back from lunch! Yay! What an unexpected bonus to the weekend!

Ya'll have a good weekend!

Introducing: My Friends

This is definitely not all, but here are some of my great friends!

My best friend, Jen. We have known one another going on four years. We lived in the same dorm my first year at Liberty. We have gone thorugh so much together and have remained such great friends and have grown closer. This is her cute apartment in the background! Jen is a National Recruiter and travels 75% of the time.

This is my Canadian friend, Courtney! She is Jen's roomate, and we all lived together my freshman year in the on-campus apartments. We have had so many laughs and surprises! She taught me the meaning of the word, "eh"! Courtney is a nurse and is it so great to see her hard work of studying all those years pay off!

These are our 'guy friends'. From L to R, Dustin, Dave, David, and Ben. Dustin and Jen (above) are a wonderful couple. He works in the sound industry. Dave is best friends with Jen and I. He is the Marketing director for a company in West Virginia, but comes to visit often. David works in banking in Nashville, and we miss him so much!

This is my sister, Ashlyn. Ash is a junior in high school and is looking to attend LU fall 2010. I miss being so far away from her!

Dave, myself, Jen, and Dustin at the Spring Gala. Note: Dave and I did not go together, however, everyone thought we did because of the matching bow tie.

This is also one of my best friends, Meghan. She is one of my great friends that I have been through a lot with. We have had a blast over the years together. This is a picture of us on our cruise in March.

The girls-- Shelby is second from the left. She up and moved to Australia after graduation and has met a nice man there. She has a great job in the hair industry and plans to stay there for a while!