A List Entitled: “Things I’m Not Returning to NEPA With” March 29, 2009

• A un-formatted thesis. I am thisclose you guys! This baby is getting put to bed early! Woot!
• shampooed hair The Boy doesn’t buy shampoo. Why? I don’t know. It’s some sort of man thing, apparently body wash functions as shampoo [insert gasps and cringes here].
• half a bag of jolly ranchers. The Boy and I had a weird craving for them and had Jolly Rancher races while we drove around the VA Beach area. I won. Every time.
• an idea of where we’re going to live come May. We did some perusing but no real contenders yet.
• both socks. I never come home with both socks. I think The Boy’s water bed eats them.

Annnnddddd….the final thing I’m NOT returning to NEPA with?

• a ring. Nope. No dice. Sigh.

However, due to the process of elimination I am fairly certain that the next time I see The Boy it will Proposal Palooza time!

Now if only I can keep my sanity long enough to get there.

You’re Killing Me, Smalls March 26, 2009

The Boy is planning.

Planning a proposal.

My roommate AlexMac, my best friend Sexperfection, and my parents have all sent me me “We know! We know and you don’t! Ha ha ha!” messages.

Not fair.

But still really freaking exciting! I’m on edge and will be until It Actually Happens. I’m going down to see him this weekend, and I’m sure I’ll be wondering the entire time, will it happen now? How about now? Will he wait and try and throw me off? AHHHH! This whole knowing but not really knowing is frustrating. As is knowing, for the most part, what my ring looks like; but never having actually seen the thing.

Luckily, I’ve been too busy lately to really contemplate it all or your readers would have surely been filled with posts entitled, “OMG YOU GUYS!” “He got it appraised today!”, “To Manicure or Not to Manicure,” “I Think It May Include Some Traveling!” and “Is It Sad That I’ve Already Made Up A Save-The-Date Rhyme?”

Oh yes. I am that girl.

It’s really exciting, this place I’m in right now. And though I know that all the responses I’ll receive (and have received already) aren’t as joyful and well-wishing as I always imagined; I am happy. I am freaking elated. And I know there will be jealousy, and negative Nancy’s and I can understand it. Sometimes seeing a friend get the thing you want most is hard to swallow. Sometimes it’s hard to be happy for someone else, I get that. I’ve been there, believe me. But I’m not going to apologize for this place I’m in. This place of rainbows and twilight and gummy bears and emotions I’ve previously only imagined. I’m not going to stifle my excitement or tone down my joy for any reason. It’s not fair.

I plan on only doing this once.

And I’m damn sure going to enjoy every single second.

And you bet your bottom dollar I’ll be blogging about it.
In detail.

Get ready kids, the best is just beginning.

When I’m Old Wednesday March 24, 2009

When I’m old I’ll be sure to mix the comfort in with the kooky. Because for every ridiculous hat and temporary tattoo I apply there should be hard candy’s in the candy dish and chocolate chip cookies in the cookie jar.

You’re all invited to my house for lemonade and strawberry pie on summer afternoons,
cookies and cocoa in the winter, and tea and ice cream all year long.

…just wait about 40 years.

Letter Series Volume 6 March 23, 2009

Dear Blog,

I miss you.
I miss moderating your comments and writing in you with regularity. I miss your publish button. I miss the time we used to spend together. I hope we will be reacquainted soon.

Until then,
All my love,
The Owner

Dear Graduate Thesis,
I hate you. I can not wait to finish you off and turn you in and forget I ever labored over your ridiculous page count and APA style formatting. I hate feeling rushed through your entire process because my silly program insists I take you from conception to completion in 12 weeks. I will not feel proud of the work I have done when I hand you over to my professor next Thursday, and that’s the worst feeling in the world.
It’s not me, it’s you,
The Disinterested Author

Dear Body,
I’m sorry.
Really, what more is there to say? Your beef is with Graduate Thesis, not me. I ENJOY gymming. I ENJOY cooking that requires more than a microwave. I even ENJOY Jillian Michael’s 20 minutes of pain. I swear to you things will get better, April 1 we’re getting serious about this whole “healthy living” stuff. And we’re staying there. Because with a ring purchased a wedding will be in your future. (No, it hasn’t happened yet!) ‘Nuff said.
Don’t Hate Me,
The Brain.

Dear Universe,
So I found a job that sounds awesome. And I’m a few hours away from applying for it. If you could be so kind as to tip the scales in my favor I’ll skip around my neighborhood singing your praises.
Fingers Crossed and Pushing “Send,”
Hopeful Candidate

When I’m Old Wednesday March 18, 2009

When I’m old I’ll have a collection of ridiculous hats. Complete with pillboxes, netting, fake birds, flowers, feathers and ribbons.

They’ll be my calling card.

Everyone Loves a 100% Irish Girl March 17, 2009

Here’s to you and yours from mine and ours

and if mine and ours ever come across you and yours

may you and yours be as good to mine and ours

as mine and ours have been to you and yours.

Slainte!

PS-I get presents for St. Patrick’s Day! It’s like Christmas in my family.

I’d Like To Add It To The Urban Dictionary Please March 16, 2009

Vaginasaur: n. old persnickety woman.

“Man, that biddy was such a vaginasaur! She didn’t even leave a tip!”

Shaba: Making Your Monday’s Better One Ridiculous Quip at a Time

You’re welcome.

Figi Island!** March 13, 2009

Do you know that feeling you get when you realize a task will take much longer than you anticipated? Or that you completely underestimated the amount of studying you needed to do for an exam? That heart-racing panic you feel when every cell in your body catches up to your brain’s “Oh Shit!” signals?

Welcome to my life.

I have about eleventy trillion due dates and deadlines currently. Presentations, papers, and tests. Resumes, cover letters, roommate issues. Graduation, moving, deciding when I should quit my job. Everything requires some of my time and attention. Luckily, I have a handy dandy planner that’s been gathering dust next to the baguette crumbs in my purse. I’ve since formulated a plan and the panic has subsided, at least for now. Because it’s one thing to write in “Write 3 pages of final paper” under Wednesday and an entirely different thing to actually complete that task.

However when the options are a) do it or b) fail. Well, really, who chooses b?Certainly not type A-minus’s like me. You know, A-minus, like Type A but not so scary. I want things done, and I want to be among the best, but I not going to scream at you if you’re ten minutes late. I’m not going to recheck my answers three times. I’m Type A-light, if you will.
And because of this, I refuse to let my school deadlines get in the way of my happy-go-lucky weekend and my favorite approaching holiday .

This afternoon I’m joining my college mentor and much-older-sister-I-never-had for walking, wine and popcorn. Then it’s back to SmallTown for a rendezvous with my best friend, before hanging out with my parents and awaiting The Boy’s arrival for a 5 day love-filled extravaganza!*

I hope your Friday is fantastic!

*I have been told this will not include a proposal. However, I’m no longer “in the loop” so I’m not entirely certain it’s the truth.

**When TGIF was still THE thing to do on Friday nights I swore the jingle sounded like “figi island” not TGIF. No one else agrees, but I stand by my misheard song lyrics!

Shaba The Photog March 12, 2009

Taken with my crappy digital and unedited.

When I’m Old Wednesday March 11, 2009

When I’m old I’ll flirt with bus boys until their cheeks turn red.