Once Upon a Time

I almost ruined my proposal!  In my previous post, I documented how I nearly fell victim to asking too many questions in order to not miss the Sister Hazel concert.  Well… I guess I'll never learn.

So, here's the background leading into the story.  Craig and I got into a really dumb argument earlier in the week… mainly due to my grumpiness after being woke up abruptly from a nap on Sunday.  The argument literally lasted all of 5 minutes because I quickly went back to sleep and was over it.  I did jokingly bring it up later, reminding him that I hadn't forgot about it, but we were clearly joking.

Fast forward to Wednesday night.  After completing some quick and final Christmas shopping, I went to his house because I hadn't been there in a while… he's been graciously coming over to my house usually because he works at his house during the day, so it's not that terrible for him to leave his house after work since he's been there all day.  But that night, he said he had a lot to do, so I agreed to go there for dinner and gift wrapping.  He asked how long I thought I'd be out and I told him I should be to his house by 7, and he said he'd just take care of dinner.  Business as usual.

I get to his house and walk in to his house, which was filled with yummy smells of pork loin, mashed potatoes, sauteed green beans and a dozen red roses.  He's a great cook, so the yummy smells didn't really shock me, but the flowers… "ok what's this for?"

He told me it was because he was sorry for the argument on Sunday.  I automatically thought that it wasn't a huge deal and wondered why he was making up for it because I hadn't really thought about it since it happened... but I was rather enjoying it.  :) So, I just said "awww" and gave him a kiss.

We eat and talk - same as always.  And then I'm ready to start wrapping gifts because there were TONS.  Before we do that though, Craig goes to the steps and lingers around where his formal living room is & turns the lights on in that room.. and then walks back in the kitchen.  I immediately ask him what he's doing and he just says "nothing".  Then I ask him why he turned the lights on and left the room (I know how anal he is about leaving lights on in rooms when you're not in them anymore).  He just says "It's Christmas."  Do what??  Then he keeps on.. "All the candles in the windows are on.. look I'll turn this one on too (which was the light in the foyer).."  Immediately, I said "What???  Turn that light off (weirdo)."  I just shake my head and head to the family room where the stack of gifts are.

On top of one of the boxes was an envelope, which I thought was Casey & Leslie's so I gave it to him to put aside.  Then I go through some bags and I actually found Casey & Leslie's… so then I turn around and asked what the other envelope was that I gave him.  He says "Oh, this is your's.." and he proceeds to open it.  Which leads me to ask "Uh, well if it's mine - why are you opening it??"  He then tells me to read the card itself and give the card back to him and he'll read what he wrote on the side.  So I frantically read the card, and quickly skimmed the left side through his little passage and look for keywords (like "marry"), and found nothing.  So I obliged and gave it back to him and listened to him as he read and it was a playful little poem about how sometimes he's wrong, sometimes I'm right, etc., etc… and basically the last line is about loving me for eternity.  And then he hands it back.

So… puzzled, I ask him why I couldn't have read that myself.  He said that it was because I didn't know the last line.  Still confused, I said that I'm looking at the last line and I can read that just fine.  He just politely said "No", got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him!  Surprised?  Yes!  And of course, I said yes.  Probably the most surprising part is that I didn't cry like a baby… I think it's because he went the playful route and didn't go on a mushy rampage because I am a BIG baby when it comes to sentiment.  I was really so proud of myself for just gushing and laughing.  It was a very happy moment for both of us.

Side note:  the mysterious light on in the formal living room was to provide lighting for the video camera he had set up.  Although, I haven't watched it… I imagine it's boring because I'm not sure how much you can hear and I didn't have a crazy reaction - just happy and surprised!

He filled me in that he went to see my dad earlier that day at his office and asked his permission, so he was in the loop, as well as his parents.  He had also mentioned it to my mom as well so she was in on it too.  I was on the phone for the next 2 hours calling family and my bestie (Brookes).  And now, the insanity has ensued… feeling a little stressed to get the ball rolling, but with it being the holidays, I'm a bit stalled.  I'm sure it will begin to come together soon… hoping for a Fall wedding, so we'll see how it goes!  Here's a good quote that was on my desk calendar a couple months ago that I thought was pretty profound and I kept it to remind me:

"Success in marriage depends on being able, when you get over being in love, to really love…"  - Eleanor Roosevelt

What a smart lady. :)

Not Easily Surprised

The other night Craig attempted to surprise me with the Sister Hazel concert that I had been nagging asking him about since mid-November.  Rather than cleverly making something up like "Ah, I'll be out of town for work that night" (totally believable because he travels almost every week & shoots stuff down all the time because of it), or "I have a work dinner", or ANYTHING that indicates that he considered it at some point, and that he was sad he was going to miss it (the last part is important)… instead, he just pretended like I never even said it. I even brought it up in person once and he completely ignored me, and somehow I missed the opportunity to pout about it.  I don't know how he distracted me from the subject, come to think of it.

Anyway, so I finally asked him again last week as the date kept creeping closer, because normally he at least rejects it.  Ignoring me was completely new.  In case you haven't caught on to that yet.  I asked him via text because (guess what) he was out of town for work.  And then (guess what) he IGNORES me.  So then, I'm irritated.  Inside, my mind goes something like "What the FRACK??  I'm totally losing my touch."  After I push again, he says "Let me check my schedule - I might have to work."  Um.. HELLLLLOOOOO.. I asked him about this almost a month ago!  So, I have a little pow-wow with myself and just chalk it up to "Ok, the boy doesn't want to go.. I've seen them in concert before… same venue…  so it's not a huge deal…………………... But gah, he's just straight up IGNORING me!"

…and back to the happy place…

"Not a big deal."

Fast forward a few days when I ask too many questions and it comes to light that he bought the tickets weeks ago and had even organized a group to go.  Woopsie.  Ok, I'm a jerk but YAY SISTER HAZEL!

PS - I loved it. :)

----------------------

So, on a more random, yet related note - I was playing one of Sister Hazel's songs called Champagne High to get me in the mood on Tuesday.  Has anyone else really listened to the lyrics of that song and wondered what the hell the dude was doing at that wedding?!  I'm just sayin'.

Giddy & Grateful

For the first time in a long time, I am at absolute peace.  Everything feels perfect.  I love my family, my friends, and my faith… they always pick me up when you least expect it.  I don't really want to air out what, when or why - I just wanted to reflect.  Sweet Serendipity :)

Deep Fried Heaven

So, we went to the NC State Fair on Friday night, and my night was complete after I had my dessert - a deep fried snickers bar.  O. M. G.  Generally, I do not have a sweet tooth and I don't really crave chocolate or anything like it.  BUT, as with any "rule" there is an exception.  Behold, my exception:

Lucky for me, the fair only comes to town once a year, because as with any food obsession comes consequence.  I remember back in college when I had quite the affair with Bojangles.  I really could NOT get enough and I definitely gained about 20 lbs because of it.  AND this was when Bojangles didn't accept credit cards and you had to have cash… can you imagine how much worse it would have been if you could've just swiped a card?!  I have NO doubt that the little piece of heaven pictured above would have the same effect if I had easy access like I did with Bojangles.  At any rate, if you put powdered sugar on anything that's been fried and mounted on a stick, it's bound to be delicious.  Period.

Technologically-Challenged

I love my mom and dad to death.  I really do.  They are absolutely hilarious with all of their naive ways, and my dad is one of those people that if he thinks the task is too complicated, he's just not going to do it.  He'll find a much simpler way of just not doing it.  Don't get me wrong, my dad is one of the hardest workers I've ever met - deeply motivated and dedicated.  And I have to admit, Dad is a lot more savvy with certain tasks than I'd expect, knowing how "let's-keep-it-simple" he is.  Here are a couple examples of how my dad keeps it real...

1.  My dad is the guy that after he and my step-mom set up a joint account on facebook, he calls me one afternoon while I'm at work.  I was busy so I couldn't answer and he leaves me this voicemail that goes something like this:
"Haley, it's your dad (like I don't know his voice after 26 years… love him).  Look, I'm on this facebook thing and these things keep comin' up on my screen and I just want to get rid of 'em.  Stuff like people wanting me to get them some animals, and then something else about a farm, and all this other daggum stuff and I just don't want to do it.  I need you to talk to Liz and get this straightened out.  Love you, babe."

2.  My dad is also the guy you call back, and on HIS voicemail greeting, he says something like this:
"Hey, this is Hal.  Call me back."
… Not "leave your name and number", or "Sorry I missed you - I'll be sure to return your call"… he just doesn't even want to check his voicemail.  Call the man back!

This is sometimes common among those that weren't raised in the computer and internet era… aka my mom.  Now she's actually pretty good with a computer, but beyond that.. I'm always scared to get her things for Christmas that requires her to be the operator of anything else electronic.  I'm pretty sure she still has no idea how to use the MP3 player my brother got her 2 years ago.  I found a pretty basic GPS for her last year, and I think she's used it once.  She told me that was the trip where they set it to moo (yes, like a cow) every time they passed an exit with a gas station and that was the most fun they had the whole trip… and I'm pretty sure she was serious.

Guard Dog

For those that know my dog, knows she can be very protective when she wants to be, but she's mostly very (overly) friendly.  For some reason, however, when I'm by myself - she is this insane guard dog that barks at the smallest noises.  I have to say that it scares the absolute bajesus out of me when I'm sitting there, watching TV or reading while she's sleeping, and then out of nowhere she FREAKS and goes ballistic.  So not only is my heart racing at that point, but I'm left wondering if someone (or something) is really there.  You'd think she'd have lost her credibility by now with all of the false alarms, but I get spooked just about every time (I say "just about" because I can easily shake it off during the day).  Ugh.. it gives me the heebie jeebies sometimes.

She doesn't do this when Craig is around, so I'm guessing that she is attempting to resume the alpha role in his absence.  And somehow, I got skipped over for the part..?

***

This is more of an after thought because I'm editing after I originally posted, but.. do not confuse the last couple of lines in the last two sentences above.  Craig is the "alpha" as far as Jovi is concerned, but not in our relationship.  I know he reads this so I can't just give him that title.  Especially not in writing.  Psh.  ;)

Happy Pain

I don't normally blog more than once a week... I'm actually lucky to blog once every two to three weeks here lately.  Not really because I don't want to, but mainly due to being too lazy to be witty or proof read more than once.  Eh, it happens.

Anyway, so I was stalking glancing over my home page on Facebook, and I came across this link that my cousin posted (thanks, Michelle!).  Along with the link/video was a little blurb about betting you wouldn't be able to watch it without crying.  Even knowing what a big baby I usually am (I am that person who cries during episodes of "Full House"), I accepted the challenge and began watching.  OH. EM. GEE.  It was that snorting, snotty type of cry that you try to stifle.  And I was only trying to stifle because I couldn't see the video.  Anyway, it was a montage of soldiers who are returning home to their loved ones and surprising them.  Some of the toddlers' and kids' reactions were so heart-wrenching, you just couldn't help but cry.

But the reason for this blog was more to reflect on something I experienced as a child and it was SUCH a happy time for me.  Completely unexpected.  When I was in middle school, I frequently went to church with my BFF Jessica.  One week, they had a father/daughter night, which if you don't know me, you probably don't know that my parents divorced when I was six and my dad moved to Greensboro, while I remained with my mom in Wilmington, NC.  My dad and I really only saw each other 3 times a year - Christmas, Spring Break, and summer because those were the times I could get away from school.  The father/daughter event was during the week, so I pretty much expected to just borrow Jessica's dad for the night (to clarify - we were going to share.. no intention of stealing him from Jessica).  :)

So, they did this thing where we were all out in the hallway while the fathers were helping set up in the gym (or something) and they were going to let us know when we could come in.  They finally call us in and they make us close our eyes (I can't really remember the reasoning they gave us but I was completely oblivious to anything going on and happily complied).  So I'm in my place, my eyes are closed and they told me to open them and turn around.  And there was my dad standing there with a rose in hand, just smiling!  I remember screaming, hugging, then crying into his chest.  Obviously, I was happy and very surprised!  Seeing these snippets of kids and babies that are seeing their dads after being apart for months or years at a time brought back this memory that I hadn't thought of in quite some time.

Now, granted I know my situation was different.  I had the "luxury" of knowing that my dad was just 3.5 hours away in a house or office and not in danger of losing his life at any given time.  I never left him over the summer or at Christmas, thinking I may never see him again because he could lose his life fighting for our country.  I just always knew a few months would go by, and I'd be right back with him.  I never worried - he's my dad and that's just how it was.  So that's how it's different.  But that may be the only way that it's different, because that scream and those tears were the exact same kind that those kids in the video felt when they unexpectedly saw their dad suddenly standing before them.  It was the kind of surprise that surges through your entire body like when someone jumps out and scares you and it's almost painful.  It felt like that but in this case, it was a "happy pain".  And it still makes me smile all these years later...

In the event you have facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=455621345922&ref=mf

If It's Love

I'm glad they came out with a new song. I got tired of "Hey, Soul Sister"... XM Radio more than overplayed it. It was similar to listening to G105 (a little Raleigh, NC humor).  Anyway, love this.

"I confess you are the best thing in my life"  :)

Pain in the...

...ass.  I mean, neck.  I honestly feel like I've aged 50 years pretty much over night.  One week I'm good & active.  The next week I'm recovering from a neck incident and in physical therapy.  Awesome, huh?  I don't even know that I'd call this thing with my neck an 'incident'.  My neck has been bothering me for the past year or so... but it's just been somewhat bothersome, nothing significant.  Then one day I'm sitting around, watching the movie Hope Floats and I can feel my neck quickly beginning to ache.  Then I'm waking up in the middle of the night in complete agony, and can barely lift my head off the pillow the next morning.  What. The. Heck.

I tried to wait it out for the pinched nerve or "crick" in my neck to work itself out and that didn't work.  Then I went on to a chiropractor thinking maybe an adjustment would do me some good.  It loosened me up for the night, but by the time I get in bed and sleep for a couple hours, I'm back to the agony and can barely get up the next morning... again.  Finally, on Saturday morning when I can barely move and am practically in tears because of the pain, Craig urges me to go to Urgent Care.  So off we go...

We get there and there's about 2 people waiting... meh, whatever... I had seen worse.  Then a few minutes later, this kid walks in with who I guess was his brother and his mom.  I swear he was hacking and coughing and clearly out of it as he was just sitting there with his eyes closed.  This poor kid clearly has SARS or something like it and all I can think is "I better not catch that crap".  I was not in the most sympathetic of moods.  Finally his mom came over and put a surgical mask on him to keep him from spreading the plague.

Anyway, I go back and the doctor sees me and determines that it's more than likely a spine issue.  He gave me some anti-inflammatories and muscle relaxers (SWEET!) and told me to go to the Carolina Back Institute when I could get an appointment.  I was looking forward to the muscle relaxers because I thought it would make me sleepy enough to sleep through the pain because I had NOT been sleeping.  Waking up 4 and 5 times a night in absolute pain didn't make for ideal sleeping conditions.

Long story short, the muscle relaxers weren't all that but they did enough to get me by, which was probably the point.  I went to the CBI on Monday and they concluded after x-rays that the top of my spine isn't shaped correctly.  I don't really have the "S" going on and it causes the muscles in my neck to over work and probably spasm to hold up my head since my spine isn't shaped to do so.  They scheduled me for physical therapy and gave me a shot of lidocaine to help with the pain.  Might I add that they had to administer this shot by way of my hiney.  I had never experienced that before but I figured "hey, no big deal - it's mostly fat"... ummm, wrong.  It was surprisingly painful and I honestly don't know how I'll ever get over this stupid fear of needles, because that certainly didn't help.

She stuck me and after about 2 seconds (literally), I said "Oh my gah, are you serious?!?"  Her reply "Yeah, it burns" didn't really comfort me, nor did I feel that it was really an accurate depiction.  Oh, and THEN after it was all over, she said "You can rub it".  Dang straight I can rub it!  I thought she hit the bone!  Once again (since this is a pattern when I get shots), I had to sit myself down because I was pretty sure I would throw up at any moment.  There is just something about knowing that something is being injected into my body that completely nauseates me to the point of throwing up or passing out.  Fun times.

So.. that's been the focus of my last 2 weeks.  I am hoping to recover and regain my life back as an active 26 year old.  This injury definitely didn't stop me from signing up for softball and volleyball for the fall though.  I guess I'll never learn.. :)

First Date 101

I don't know how many of you have seen the movie "Date Night" but if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.  Very, very funny.  There's a scene in it that shows Tina Fey and Steve Carell on a date as a married couple, and when they go out, they watch other couples in the restaurant and do dialogue for them.  Much funnier in the movie and I'm not great at depicting this, but take my word for it.

So anyway, Craig and I went out to eat tonight and we were seated next to a couple who was clearly on their first date.  They were dressed up on a Thursday night, asking each other standard/awkward first date questions like "What do you do?" and "What's your parents' occupations?", etc.

Okay, so I guess I was kiiiiind of eavesdropping.  Wah, wah, wah.  Whatever.  So I quietly tell Craig that they're on their first date, and he starts listening (I'm a great influence, aren't I?!) and in my defense, we didn't listen to their WHOLE conversation - just bits and pieces.

Well, at one point, I hear the guy ask her "Are you close to your dad?"  She then replies "Well, he passed away."  I felt so sorry for the guy and I'm sure if they happened to peer over at me at that time, they'd have known that I was listening because I definitely made the "uh-oh" face.  I mean, there's not too many answers that could've been worse than that for him.  I'm sure that's not the direction he was looking for the conversation to go, and I really felt for him.  I told Craig and he said "Well, how else would he have asked?"  And I started to think about it, and I guess there's really no other way to get that information - they were having the 'family' conversation so it was bound to come up, I think.  She did mention her stepdad earlier in the conversation (I'm really not normally this nosy), so I'm sure from that he assumed that her parents were divorced.  And you definitely don't think "widowed" from there, I wouldn't think.

Shortly after this all happened, the guy excused himself to go to the restroom.  Craig thought the girl would go for her phone to give the "mid-date update", and I said "yeah, and he's probably texting another chick in the bathroom."  (I'm such a jerk.)  Well, she just checked her messages on her phone and put it down and when I look over at her, I ended up staring I guess, because Craig definitely kicked me under the table - I held the gaze a little long, I suppose (with a WTF look on my face no less).  The reason I was looking was because I swear she was over there smiling and talking to her mashed potatoes, hopefully rehearsing her next conversation piece (keyword: hopefully).  Either that, or.. well, I guess she was just talking to her mashed potatoes.  I told Craig and she was obviously finished by that point so I don't think he fully believed me.  Personally, I was kind of weirded out.  I mean, sometimes you try to think about what to talk about to avoid the awkward silences, but you take note of the public places and don't rehearse it.  Or maybe that's just me.

June?!

I cannot believe June is halfway over... MORE than halfway over actually.  We have been super busy and traveling (Craig traveling more than me due to work).  We went to Ft. Myers, FL over Memorial Day weekend.  Let me tell you - when you're going only for 2-3 days and it's not a direct flight, the weekend can get pret-ty short due to missing connecting flights.

Long story short - we were late leaving Raleigh due to storms in Charlotte (where our connecting flight was).  We left 2 hours late, and while en route to Charlotte, the airport shut down AGAIN, so we circled for a while.  Finally the captain came on and said we were just going to have to land in Columbia, South-Freakin'-Carolina until CLT opened back up and to get more gas because they didn't have enough to keep circling.  Super.  Now there's a chance we'll miss the 2nd and final flight to Ft. Myers for the night.  Not only did we stop in Columbia but we sat on the runway for 2 HOURS.  As you can imagine, people were grumpy & hungry(okay, maybe that was just me).  But people really were testy.  They had no food & barely any water.  I hadn't eaten in Raleigh bc I knew we had a layover in CLT.  Bad idea.

At one point, the guy sitting next to Craig asked the flight attendant how long they were legally able to keep us on the plane.  The flight attendant answered, and then about 2 minutes later, the "senior flight attendant" comes up to him and starts lecturing him about wanting to get off the airplane and how it would jeopardize us leaving at all.  You can imagine our surprise at how quickly things had been blown out of proportion.  Imagine the movie "Meet the Parents" when he said "bomb" on the airplane.  She seriously stood there and ranted for about 10 minutes about why he shouldn't get off the plane.  It was insane.

Anyway - we finally got to CLT around 1am, and obviously missed our flight(s).  So we went to a nearby hotel and got the 2nd flight to Ft. Myers on Saturday morning because the 1st flight was full.  Once we got there, the trip was really smooth.  Nice hotel, we went to a baseball game for the NCBA World Series, toured Thomas Edison and Henry Ford's winter homes.  They shared a huge lot in Ft. Myers and it's open to the public.  Surprisingly enough - it was interesting to see what they viewed as "luxury" back then.

Our next trip was the following weekend.  We went back to Asheville to visit the Biltmore again.  He took me there a couple years ago for my Christmas present and I've been wanting to go back to see the house in it's "normal" state and listen to the everyday stories from the estate.  Again, it was pretty interesting and also fun to note the differences in Thomas Edison's winter home and the Vanderbilt's home.  If I had to guess, I'd bet they were in different tax brackets.

The Asheville weekend was also Craig's 1-year gift to me since our actual 1-year mark was during the NCBA Regional playoffs.  After we visited the Estate all day, we got back to the hotel and my back was aching and my feet were sore (I chose to wear Rainbows against my better judgement).  He then decided to inform me that he had already scheduled me for a massage at 5 (there was a spa in the hotel), followed by a nice dinner later that night.  Talk about good timing!  Can you imagine him wanting to dance around as I complained about my feet, legs and back hurting before I even knew there was a massage scheduled?  He was pretty proud of himself... as he should've been. :)

He took me to a really nice restaurant at the Biltmore Inn and they had a really impressive menu.  I always know it's impressive when I have no idea what's listed - fancy schmancy stuff that I can't pronounce.  I'm sure the server had me pegged as a sheltered bumpkin when I was asking her what everything was (not saying she was wrong).  Craig just sat back and laughed as he shook his head at my questions towards the server.  I usually never disappoint when it comes to my naive ways.

All in all, it's been a great month - it has just gone by too fast!  This weekend is Father's Day where I hope to get to Greensboro to see my Dad and also Craig's dad in Randleman.  The next trip is NYC on July 4th weekend - YEAYA!  :)

Little Moments

So, last week Craig and I went out to dinner, and on the way out to the truck, he was talking and stopped mid-sentence.  I looked over at him and he had this look on his face like he had just got a whiff of something terrible or he was about to sneeze.  Realizing he was about to sneeze, I did the "normal" thing I've always done growing up and yelled "THINK ABOUT PIGGIES!"

He waited a few moments, and it magically went away.  I then said "Ah-ha!  My little trick worked."

He quickly retorted and said "Nu-uh, I was already thinking about purple elephants!"

There are some days..

.. when I just happen to feel really grateful for everything I have, and who I have to share it with it.

These are a few of my favorite things..

• Raindrops on roses
• Whiskers on kittens.. :)  

ok, seriously..

• When my parents and siblings call "just because"..
• When I don't have to stop at lights
• When my nephews and niece run to greet and hug me
• When my best friends remind me they haven't seen me in a while and want to remedy
• Shoestring catches from left field
• Olive Garden
• When my gas bill goes down in the summer
• When I find flowers, cards, etc to remind me that no matter what, he loves me :)
• Guacamole (obsessed lately)
• Volcano & crunchy sushi rolls! (I'm afraid that this is more than an obsession)
• NC State anything
• When Jovi puts her head on my shoulder when I'm driving down the road
• Crab wontons
• Bojangle's 4 pc supreme dinner when I haven't had it in a really long time
• A perfectly cooked/seasoned steak (usually by Craig)
• When I'm reminded that my life suddenly turned around when I let go and let my faith decide what was best for me
• Bojangle's 4 pc supreme dinner when I just had it the day before (I refuse to discriminate)
• Rudino's hot caesar chicken wings with their seasoned fries
• Sweet Tea

(can you tell I got hungry at the end?)


Sometimes, I just think it's important to remember all that you do have, instead of dwelling on everything you don't.  And right now, I feel that I pretty much have it all. :)

Dear Chad Kroeger,

How you got a record deal is beyond me.  Although you have a song that I absolutely adore ("Faraway"), I can't really tolerate any other song that you sing lately.  Specifically "This Afternoon."  Every time this song comes on, I have this uncontrollable urge to clear my throat.  For the love of all that is holy, please try singing instead of stringing words together as if you were also mimicking Fat Albert.  I think you can sing, but I don't think you are.  Try it.




Whew.  Now I feel better.  Until it undoubtedly comes on XM again.

On second thought..

I don't think I'm going to update my blog [much] tonight.  I had a storyline and everything, but I think I'll save it for a later entry.  I'm sure you're disappointed.  I understand. :)

Something(s) new:

1. This update comes to you from my brand new MACBOOK!  And it might be a little early, but.. I think it's love.

2.  My nephew, Brayden has a birthday party this weekend and he turns 4!!  Time flies... and I'm getting old.

3.  I saw a butterfly yesterday as I was driving down 440, and it was so beautiful.  The sun was shining, it was warm, the flowers were blooming and it was just fluttering around.  I was convinced I was having one of those "everything is perfect" moments..
... and then the stupid thing ran into my windshield.  Bummer.  :(


PS - Does anyone else scream at squirrels as they attempt to cross in front of your car as you're speeding driving through a neighborhood, in hopes that they hear you and get out of the way??  I swear I think I might wreck my car one day trying to avoid hitting a squirrel.  I really don't need another story like this to tell.

Practice What You Preach..

I had a great long weekend over Easter.  Craig and I went to Wilmington to spend some time with my family at the beach.  It's been a couple months since I've been home, so it was definitely time.  My brother, Jeremy, and his wife and kids also went down so it was a packed house on Sunday for Easter lunch.  They had decided to go home on Thursday after work, which leads into my reason for writing this blog.

Thursday, as you know, was April Fool's Day.  Luckily, I wasn't a victim this year, thank goodness.  I'm gullable enough to where it doesn't take a "special day" for people to try their trickery.  Anyway, so they had decided to head home on Thursday, and they stay with Kim's parents usually when they go home since she is from Wilmington as well.  Kim is my sister-in-law, in case I've lost you.  Well, Kim tells her dad that they have meetings or something on Thursday, so depending on when they can get away from those will dictate whether they come home later on Thursday night, or early Friday morning.  They ended up getting away from work early and headed down, and surprised her mom.  Kim's dad wasn't home yet when they got there, so they had him believing that they wouldn't be in until the next day.

So, Kim and Jeremy tell Brayden and Kirsten to hide when Grandpa pulls in and to yell "April Fool's!!" when he walks in.  My niece, Kirsten (age 2), then goes around to remind everyone several times "Don't forget to say 'April Fool's' when Grandpa gets here!"  They all, of course, comply and he pulls in the driveway.  They all hide anxiously and then... he walks in the door.  Kirsten jumps up and says...





"TRICK OR TREAT!"

...Oh dear.

It's almost over!! :(

The last few days have flown by... probably because we have stayed really busy w/ two activities a day. One in the morning, and one in the afternoon (usually). I'm glad we scheduled things relatively early in the day because it forces us to get up and get moving. I know I'm going to be so messed up when I get back since we are 3 hours behind right now.

Funny story:
I thought I was originally going to catch a break w/ the time change because when we landed, we were only 2 hours behind. And then I knew the next day, we were springing forward an hour, so it would really only be like 1 hour's difference because everyone would be still be adjusting to the time change back home. Sort of. Anyway, we get up SUPER early on Sunday at like 6:25am because we were still on Eastern time. We knew the gym opened at 6, so we were going to kill some time before our 8:15 breakfast. Craig goes down first and then shortly comes back and says it's closed. My reasoning was, "Okay, they forgot to spring forward an hour and the gym isn't open yet because of that." So, we called the front desk and asked what time the gym opened. They said, "In 10 minutes at 6am." So Craig asked, "No, it's daylight savings - you forgot to push your clocks forward 1 hour." They retorted, "No." Craig was thinking they just didn't understand him, so he said it again, and they again said, "No." Finally we determined that they didn't participate in daylight savings. I had no idea that it was option.

****************


Anyway, on Tuesday morning we went to a nearby canyons to do some zip lines. We had a really good time, but we didn't know that we'd have to be in shape in order to enjoy it. After the first trail, you had to hike UP to the next trail. This was at like 10:30am so it was starting to get steamy. Luckily we discovered that that was the worst of the hikes, so we just gritted our teeth and pushed forward. Some of the people in our group bailed out of the last 2 trails because they didn't want to hike anymore. Our theory: we paid for it so we ARE going to finish this activity. It was hot and some of those hikes were rough, but it was still fun.  Some highlights:

On this trail, I didn't have the braking thing down yet, and my knees rammed him in the back when he put on the brakes (which is what I should've done as well).  Woopsie.

On this one, we didn't make it all the way so we had to turn around and pull ourselves up.

 

**************
 
Our second adventure for Tuesday was ATV riding on the beach. THAT was fun. I've never ridden(rode?) an ATV before and being able to take it through trails and finally out to the beach where we could ride them wide open was a blast. I have to say that I was so nervous when we were heading out to the beach though. I was trying to get used to the gears (it was a semi-automatic), and trying to keep it steady without flipping it (or me). And of course, mine breaks down about halfway to the beach, but the guide fixed it somehow after he rode it for a while. Whatever. It was still a lot of fun. I even caught some air on one of the hills.. it was a hill on the way back though because I was extremely conservative on the way out.

GO PACK!!

Craig had a John Wayne moment.

 

 
Ok, I'm going to add a separate blog for the rest of the week's activities later on, since this got kind of lengthy.  We still have the dinner cruise tonight and then that's it! :(  We leave tomorrow and won't get in until LATE tomorrow night.  We're off to spend the rest of the day at the marina and then the dinner cruise.  Hasta manana!

Hola from Cabo San Lucas!

I completely did not update my blog like I said I was going to last night. But I'm going to put up a tidbit about what we've done so far. Luckily in this case, it hasn't been much.


We arrived on Saturday around 1pm. Of course with a crying baby seated behind us for 4 hours. I'm pretty sure that's karma for complaining that there were a bunch of spring breakers at our terminal before we left. So as soon as we approach our seats, I see that there is a 1-2 year old patiently waiting for us in the seat directly behind mine. She only cried significantly twice so she wasn't that bad. And I could tell that the parents were trying their best. No harm done, so no biggie.


Oh, on the flight down, we also watched "The Blind Side"... I've seen this in the theater already, but it's such an awesome movie. And I cried like a baby again, pretty much through the whole thing, but mostly at the end. I consider that my "cleanse" moment right before vacation officially started in Cabo so my happy time could start after that. :)


Anyway, we get to Cabo and go through customs - it wasn't that bad. Until we were dumped from Customs into this Sea of men dressed in white clothing swarming you, asking you if you need a taxi, how old you are, what you have planned. I was quickly becoming uneasy as I didn't know what to do. I'm sure I have "sucker" plastered across my forehead because they all approached me. Craig kept saying "No gracias" and pushed through. We finally got outside where it began again, until I was approached by Stacey, who Craig has arranged to pick us up. Thank goodness. Stacey is the lady I've been talking to for the last month or so arranging activities and reservations. He was sneaky about arranging that, but I was happy that he did.


So.. we get to the resort, and it's beautiful. It's not completely done, they've been completing in phases, but it's really new and not busy. It's a timeshare resort so hardly any spring breakers are here. They have several pools and it all overlooks the ocean. It's awesome!

From our balcony:

From balcony overlooking pool:

From the oceanfront pool:

And yesterday, we did our first activity (Sunday was a lazy day), and we went up to a canyon in Santiago where we hiked around a waterfall.  It was a great hike and Craig decided to be a daredevil and jump from the top of the waterfall into the water at the end.  I got video of that, which I'll try to post once I'm back.  Here are some pictures:

Lunch was included w/ this trip and we went to what you would call a "rinky dink" place in the states, but they had the BEST food. Mexican of course, w/ the best guacamole I've had. We had a sample of everything from fish tacos, to chicken molѐ, and quesadillas. It was so good. We went and picked fresh oranges off the tree afterwards. We had a great time!

Off to the next day.. hasta luego!

Batter up!

Sooo.. maybe it's just the jock in me, but as I've grown up, I've constantly wondered..

"Ok, if I were able to pick any song when I'm going up to bat, what would it be?"

This is probably limited mostly to softball/baseball players, but there is intro music in many sports, so just go with it. Anyway, I finally figured out what song it would be! It's too early to tell if it's just because song is relatively new, or if it's always going to be one of those songs that gets people movin' and be-bopping around(yes, be-bopping), but it does the trick for me for now. This is another song that I put on blast in the car if it comes on, and I always get so bummed if I turn it on when it's already past the first verse. Clearly this is all just for fun, because I obviously never had a real shot at going pro in softball, so I'd never really get to experience this. But every time I go to a baseball game and hear each batter's song, I would always sit back and think about what mine would be. Well...

Mistaken Identity

Some mornings I drive down US 401 to work, and recently there have been a lot of "mascots" so to speak for various places out by the road, obviously trying to draw more business. It can be entertaining when sitting at a stoplight or just driving by. You have those guys that flip those signs up in the air and catch them and then act like a lunatic (which the whole tactic is working at that point because they're drawing attention to themselves, therefore marketing for said business). Then you have the people dressed up like the statue of liberty, trying to get people to try out their firms for getting their taxes done this season. My favorite so far has been the person dressed up as a mouse (who is dressed like a chef) outside of Bruegger's Bagels holding up a sign for various specials on coffee or bagels or whatever. Cute, right?

This morning I was driving and I saw a new one. The "costume" looked peculiar and I couldn't figure out what in the world they were trying to promote, but they were holding a sign, and they were much less energetic than all the other people so I was curious to see what they were promoting..

His sign read "Will work 4 food." ...Oh.

Hey, Soul Sister!

I absolutely LOVE this song by Train. It puts me in the best mood and I always put it on blast when I'm driving and it comes on. It's another song that XM Radio loves to play. But.. I will warn you - some of the lyrics are kinda.. unique. And when I say "unique", I mean "weird". But the song is still fun so I sing along anyway.

Some weird lyrics:
"Just in time, I'm so glad you have a one-track mind like me
You gave my life direction, a game show love connection we can't deny
I'm so obsessed, my heart is bound to beat right out my untrimmed chest...""

Ok, it was cute until you brought up the man-fur.

My favorite lyric:
"The way you can't cut a rug, watching you's the only drug I need
You're so gangsta, I'm so thug, you're the only one I'm dreaming of..."

Word! It just makes me smile! Ok, so maybe you have to hear it to really get it. Maybe.

Enjoy!

The Perfect Break-up?

2 posts in 2 days.. pretty crazy for me. Can you tell Craig is gone? :) He'll be back tonight.. he's been traveling for work. Relax... the title is misleading... but it gets better.

Anyway, so I have a big obsession with music... probably an even bigger obsession with lyrics. Many songs are easy to love because they're fun or they have a good beat or something abstract like that. But I've found (with me anyway) that I really love songs that I can relate to. One song that I find myself really listening to everytime it comes on (and for some reason, XM radio loves to play it) is "Already Gone" by Kelly Clarkson. It's pretty common for people to listen to a song and sing along, but I really started paying attention at how in tune I am to this song.. it's like listening to a brand new story every time. I think it's because the lyrics are so relatable(pretty sure I just made that word up) and it's about something that many go through.. a break-up.

Most break-up songs are angry, or incredibly sad.. and I've overplayed many of them over the years, relating it to my various situations that you go through as you grow up. But this song is so different. It's about a break-up that she's initiating. That[initiating a break-up] in itself is a difficult thing to go through, and more often than not, break-ups are unfortunately full of anger because the other did something to hurt him or her to cause the initiation. But that's where this song is different. The girl (in this case) seems completely heartbroken at the mere thought of the havoc of what she's going to say to the guy, will bring. She knows the relationship isn't going anywhere and breaking up is unavoidable, but she is dreading breaking the news to him. To me it seems like she's deduced that they were predestined to never be "forever" and it never would've worked regardless.

How often does this happen? Like I said, more often than not, break-ups are angry and hurtful, but with this one, she seems completely sure and at peace (as much as you can be) with her decision. Not only this but she reminds him that nothing he did caused it, that he did nothing wrong and loved her just as much as she knows was possible for him to love her. But she needed more, and obviously, something else. She also puts the "But I know you'll find another, That doesn't always make you want to cry.." As I go through and read the lyrics, I realize that it's not the lyrics alone that makes this song what it is. Her voice perfectly illustrates her pain for having to carry through with her decision. "I love you enough to let you go.."

I've been there. It's an incredibly difficult thing to go through. But knowing that you're doing what's best for both of you, knowing that you could be happier, and that the other person could be happier as well... it's worth it in the end. It may not feel like it for a while, and you cry and cry.. and wonder if you've completely screwed up by breaking his/her heart.. especially if you fear that it was a mistake. But once you reflect and look back at what it was and where you are now (hopefully).. you find peace that you made the right decision. And not even just because you're happy, but because the other person is too. Always trust your instincts. Your mind can often cloud your judgement, but you have to trust your heart. If you know yourself and you know how to trust yourself, the heart won't lie.

I'm sure you've already heard the song, but just in case you've never really paid attention..

*****************



Remember all the things we wanted
Now all our memories, they're haunted
We were always meant to say goodbye
Even with our fists held high
It never would have work out right, yeah
We were never meant for do or die
I didn't want us to burn out
I didn't come here to hurt you now I can't stop

[Chorus]
I want you to know
That it doesn't matter
Where we take this road
But someone's gotta go
And I want you to know
You couldn't have loved me better
But I want you to move on
So I'm already gone

Looking at you makes it harder
But I know that you'll find another
That doesn't always make you wanna cry
It started with the perfect kiss then
We could feel the poison set in
"Perfect" couldn't keep this love alive
You know that I love you so
I love you enough to let you go

[Chorus]

You can't make it feel right
When you know that it's wrong
I'm already gone, already gone
There's no moving on
So I'm already gone
Ahhh already gone, already gone, already gone
Ahhh already gone, already gone, already gone

Remember all the things we wanted
Now all our memories, they're haunted
We were always meant to say goodbye

[Chorus]

You can't make it feel right
When you know that it's wrong
I'm already gone, already gone
There's no moving on
So I'm already gone

PupTales

I feel like the only thing I ever write about is Jovi.. but it makes sense because she's mine and I love her, so it's ok. :)

First of all, and kind of off subject, WRAL wants me to get another puppy. I love reading/watching the news and they always strategically place those ridiculously cute puppy ads on the bottom right-hand side... right next to the entertainment column, which I always read! And I ALWAYS have to look at all the puppies that are available and need a home. I have a home! I also have a dog who doesn't really claim me anymore because my boyfriend swooped in and turned her against me by always being home and fun and cuddly. To her, I'm still the one who stressed out when she was a puppy because she was not the easiest dog to house train and had to discipline her.. aka the non-fun one. BUT, that's okay.. I still think she'd protect me if someone were trying to break in and hurt me. Maybe. If that person had a porkchop tied around their neck. Actually, I don't think I'd put money on that either. At least she's cute.

Anyway - so funny story about her. Last weekend, we were at Craig's house and he lets her out to go to the bathroom.. pretty normal. We usually just let her go out (even though his backyard isn't fenced in), and then she comes right back. Usually. Unless there's a furry critter or bird taunting her. And guess what was lurking in his backyard... a freakin' cat. So, she takes off after this cat, and trees it immediately. And the stupid cat finds the only tree in the backyard that has no limbs. So this cat is just hanging there and Jo is going nuts at the bottom, trying to figure out how to get to it (including starting about 15 feet back, and getting a running start, and then leaping up the tree truck.. to no avail, of course. Atta girl.. shoot for your dreams, Jo!)

So.. again, the cat is just hanging there.. all the while Craig is just chomping on his cereal, laughing. He's the one who let her out, so I say.. "Umm are you going to go get her?" She's clearly not listening when we call her and is totally zoned into this cat. He says that he's going to finish his cereal and then he'll go get her... and that she's not going anywhere bc she's fixated on that cat. So, my next logical thought (which I said outloud, mind you).. "What if the cat falls?" He essentially "psh'd" me and continued eating his cereal. So I go outside, to watch Jovi and attempt to get her back inside. The stupid cat falls. And jovi leaps through the woods and over the creek very deer-like... and she's gone.

*Insert the "I-told-you-so's" as Craig frantically gets out the door in pursuit after her. I think most people would call this "nagging" or "bitching". Whatever. I was right.*

Now I can't see anything, and the only thing I can hear is Jovi's barking as she desperately tries to play with this cat towards the back of Craig's property. Craig is highstepping through the woods, avoiding briers and whatever else is back there, and then I can barely see him anymore. Then out of nowhere, I hear Jovi start yelping and crying and carrying on. I AM FREAKING OUT from the deck because she sounds like she's in the worst pain ever and I can't do a thing about it (luckily Brookes is there with me and helping me maintain sanity). I hear Craig yelling at her, trying to help her and he's not getting anywhere. This goes on for what feels like eternity but I'm sure it was only like 30 seconds to a minute. And then I see Jovi running around and Craig is still trying to get a hold of her. She is clearly still in her own little world.. and then I hear her go after the cat AGAIN! Now that's just stupid. She disappears once again and I hear her start to carry on.. again, and Craig is still trying to get a hold of her. He finally gets her and attaches the leash and they head back towards the house. I'm patiently waiting as I see them approaching.

Craig has mud all over him, as does Jovi. Along w/ a pink tint all over her face from the blood. She has bloody places all over her and my heart just sinks. My poor puppy! So we rush around and get her cleaned up so we can see the damage. Nothing major as far as injuries (the cat hurt her feelings more than anything, I'm pretty sure.. she moped the rest of the day). She had scratches all over her head. Craig said he saw the cat jump on jovi's head and go to town when she trapped it in this tunnel thing in the woods. Apparently in her haste and running around, she also hurt her leg. She had this huge spot that wouldn't stop bleeding until like 7 hours later. And then it swelled up the size of a golf ball. It went down the next day, but she really was so pitiful that night. She was hobbling around and when she laid down, that was it. She wasn't moving. She had a hard time getting up. Anyway, she's obviously fine now. The spot on her leg went down the next day, and she was quickly back to her old self.

I bet she doesn't do that again. Actually, I bet she does. And she'll still be confused as to why it doesn't want to play with her. Imagine the scene out of elf when Buddy is about to enter NYC and he comes across a raccoon. He tries to make friends and says "HI!".. and it hisses at him and bows up (sound familiar?).. and then he assumes that it just needs a hug.. and then it attacks his face!!! Poor Jovi. She's just too friendly for her own good.

I Am Alive..

It really hasn't been that long since I posted, but I guess because I got into a rhythm there for a bit, and was posting more often.. I feel like I've been slacking on my blogging duties. Anyway, for my 1 "official" follower, and the anonymous stalkers... I am alive. :)

Some updates:

1) Jovi is also alive. That was never really a question, but she had 2 things going on. First, I found a lump on her shoulder blade (vet said it was from her vaccine the week before, so whew.. I was incredibly worried and sad when I found it, thinking my poor puppy had a tumor or something!). Second thing was that she ended up (somehow in her spastic moods of running laps around the imaginary track in my living room) splitting one of her paw nails down both sides, and wasn't putting pressure on it anymore. So, being the overreacter that I sometimes am, I put her in the car and booked it to PetSmart to see what needed to be done. In my unneccesary haste, I got to PetSmart to realize that I had not brought her leash. I am an idiot. So I just went inside and told them the deal and they gave me a vague analysis from my descriptions, as well as some vague costs. I didn't want to do anything without talking to my vet. This "update" is getting longer than I anticipated. Long story short, they didn't have to remove the nail like PetSmart told me, and the vet cut her nails way back, put her on anti-inflammatory medicine as well as some pain meds AND gave her one of those fun lamp shades to wear on her head so she stopped licking her paw... aaaaaand she's back to normal. And still a spaz.
(PS - I couldn't help but laugh at her as she clumsily ran into everything with the lamp shade on. And I do mean everything... walls, chairs, me..)

2) The job is still spectacular and I love it.

3) I came in 2nd place in one of my fantasy football leagues again.. always the bridesmaid, never the bride.

4) I got XM Radio for Christmas and I'm developing a slight obsession with clicking through hundreds of stations while I drive. Pretty sure I don't need 3 stations all devoted to Elvis, but dangit, I listen anyway!

5) Craig got some new furniture today! I'm waiting on laundry to dry as I type, before I go over there and see the product of mucho shopping around and comparing. He also bought a Tempurpedic Mattress, and is still experiencing "Buyer's Remorse" from making such a large purchase. It's funny though.. he went to the store 4 times before doing it.. it's not like it was an impulse buy. I learn so much about him everyday.. and don't worry.. I talked him down from the edge. :) I mean, he bought a mattress that NASA is responsible for designing... he knew that on day 1. How remorseful could he be?! :)

Ok, well that's all I can think of now. I'm almost positive there have been things that I was going to write about since it's been SUCH a busy Christmas, but I can't remember them. Oh, I do remember one thing.. and I'll leave you with this little tidbit...

I HATE SHOPPING. I HATE PARKING FOR SHOPPING. I HATE SHOPPING.