Something New to Blog About...

For the past couple of years, I have been blogging about a lot of things: vacations, family, work, memories, but mostly dating. This blog has served as an outlet for each and every dating frustration of mine and of others. Let me take a moment to thank those who have endured my many dating-centered posts and especially those who left comments of empathy. And I do mean empathy. Dating is really difficult, and I think it's supposed to be that way. As my dad has always reminded me, nothing worth doing is easy. And to this phrase, dating has stayed true. But every once-on-a-while something good happens in dating to remind you why you're doing it in the first place. It isn't because you don't know anything different, it's because you want to find someone you love who loves you back. And that's not an unworthy goal— it's nothing to be ashamed of. It's easy to get lost in the dark abyss of first dates, dead-end relationships, and awkward break-ups and to forget to enjoy dating and to enjoy the search for someone to love.

[cue "Somebody to Love" by Queen]

I claim to be no expert on dating. I developed a talent of flying by the seat of my pants in dating over the years. Worked for me, but not the best option for everyone. However, I am please to announce that in addition to dating, I will now have a new topic of which to blog.... MARRIAGE! I'm engaged and I couldn't be happier about it. I will have all sorts of new adventures to post and new stories to tell.... and new insights on relationships. And for those of you who fear losing the enjoyment of my single life stories, never fear. I have kept years of journals and notes for just this purpose, entertaining you.

I have intentions of posting more details about the exciting news, but I can hardly keep my eyes open. So, stay tuned for juicy details of how two best friends fell in love (but not too mushy, 'cuz I'm just not that girl).

Photo- This

I have never been one to endorse businesses and such on here... BUT....

Check this out— A cute friend of mine from high school has a photography business. And it's well worth checking out. Visit here photoblog HERE to see her work. Her prices are reasonable and her pictures are absolutely wonderful! She hasn't been doing it long, but she's obviously a natural.

Check it out. You won't be disappointed.

Shoe Fly, Shoe

I have a problem. A real problem. And I think I might need help.

I have probably over 50 pairs of shoes. Really. And I only wear 4–5 of those pairs. The worst part is that I buy new ones to replace the worn, tattered, old pairs... and I still wear the old shoes. I have some sick emotional attachment to them.

For example, about two weeks ago, I bought a new pair of brown flip flops with some flowery-looking detail to replace these.

[insert picture of seven year-old brown leather flip flops with a flower print and worn foot marks]

I bought these on clearance when I was nineteen. Nineteen! They are obviously worn. If I don't hold my foot completely still in a certain position, you can see really stupid worn foot marks. However, these here shoes have been to Hawaii and on multiple trips to the California coast with me. Too many memories...

I have purchased a half dozen pairs of black flip flips over the course of the past few years. Yet, somehow, I still wear these.

[insert picture of seven-year old black flip flips with tearing straps and a chunk missing from one shoe]

I was given these for free when I worked at American Eagle... in 2002! They were also in Hawaii. And Island Park, Jackson Hole, St. George, California, Nevada, etc., etc. I can feel a permanent imprint of my foot when I slip them on my feet. I can also feel the ground when I walk in them. The straps are tearing from the shoe, and there is a chunk missing from the side of the left flop where a friend's dog took a bite out of crime... or out of my shoe. Not to mention, they're made of a spongey material and, well, they absorb things. You catch my drift. Yet I love them! And I wear them everywhere.

Then there was my other favorite pair of black flip flops that I only enjoyed for a short season.

[insert picture of moderately appealing black Roxy flip flops with pink hibiscus flowers on the heel]

They were well on their way to becoming the replacement of the afore mentioned black flops. I was just learning to love them, and was truly becoming attached to them, when they were violently (I can only assume, since I didn't actually see it happen) torn from the side pocket of my backpack in Europe this summer. Oh, if shoes could talk.....

THEN, there's these guys...

[insert picture of super cute brown hybrid trail shoes with pink detail]

Let's just say that this pair and I did NOT get along. And they met their fate in Spain, where I purposely left them to fend for themselves in the Madrid airport.... after spending a hundred dollars on them and only knowing them for 3 weeks. Hey, we all make mistakes.

Some people have emotional attachments to people, books, TV shows, friends, food. I have an emotional attachment to shoes— really old, worn shoes. And that's the way the cookie crumbles.

[images to come]

Don't Try This at Home... Actually, Do..

I don't have a lot of time to write. But I just wanted to leave a bit of dating advice on my blog... because it's been far too long since I've done so. And I'm sure you're all lost and hopeless without it, eh.

My advice for you today would be this:

1) If you have a best friend of the opposite gender, try dating them. Because it happens to be lots and lots of fun... or so I've heard. If you already know you like being around them, you have things in common, you know how to communicate (otherwise you wouldn't be friends), you are attracted to them to some degree (otherwise you wouldn't be friends), and you're both single (otherwise you wouldn't be best friends), then you should totally date. Just give it a whirl. What have you got to lose? If you're worried about ruining the friendship, don't. You have to know that someday you won't be able to be close friends with them when/if you marry someone else.... so.... yeah, either way there's a risk of losing the friendship. Plus, chances are, if he's sticking around as your friend for a long time, he's probably into you (to some degree). Trust me. (wink, wink)

But PLEASE don't say anything to him about your plan to date him. This has been proven to fail. Also, pray that he doesn't do the same. Let it happen naturally, but help it along. Start doing little things to shift the direction in which your friend*ship* is headed. Spend more time, be more sincere, more open, and more attractive, if you can help it.

Who knows what will happen...

2) It is now widely acceptable in the grammar community to begin sentences with conjunctions. So that's my second piece of advice. Begin some sentences with conjunctions and enjoy the freedom of knowing it's okay. Go on now, give it a whirl. You can thank me later.

Is it October 16th yet?

I have concluded that it's best not to post anything when I'm sleep-deprived and stressed. Please stay tuned for further rational postings to be done when I've had more sleep and I'm not stressed. Who knows when that will be . . .

Is it October 16th yet??? [How much is too much to pay for a T-shirt, including shipping?]

Danger is My Middle Name

So I was pulled over last Thursday, for the sixth time. How many tickets do I have, one might ask? The answer is complex, because I don't believe ZERO qualifies as an actual whole number. That's right, no tickets. Now, just to be fair, I should admit that I did have a ticket on my record at one time. It's been clear for some time now. The dialogue from the most recent run-in with the law went a little something like this:

Scene One: At a local Chevron about 1 mile away from place of residence and work. Parking lot and pumps are completely filled with cars of neighbors and old acquaintances. Suspect car has just entered the last empty parking stall and police car has torn into the parking lot with lights on and short siren noise. Police can remains parked behind suspect's car, lights on.

me: Hello

him: Did you know your car's registration is expired?

me: [small gasp] I had no idea. Is it really?

him: Yes. In fact, it has been for over two months.

me: [cheeks flush with embarrassment] I had no idea. I didn't get anything in the mail. I'm sorry.

him: May I see your driver's license and proof of insurance.

me: [hand him the requested items]

him: [returns to car]

[Moments later, the officer returns...]

him: Did you also know that your driver's license is expired?

me: I totally forgot.

him: Yeah, it's been expired for three months.

me: I'm sorry. I've just been so busy lately and part of that time I was out of the country.

him: While you were gone, did you have someone getting your mail?

me: Yes, my parents.

him: Hmm... I see that you have no record so I'm just going to give you a stern warning on the conditions that you go directly to the DMV to get this taken care of.

me: Okay, I will. I'm so sorry. Thanks so much. Have a nice day. [Thinking, "Yeah, right. Like I have time to go to the DMV. Little does he know my oil hasn't been changed for 1,000 miles over the suggested mileage."]

him: [walks away, expressionless]

Morale of the story: Be honest, play dumb (or in my case, be dumb), admit your wrong-doing, and you'll drive away with a clean record. This seems to be the pattern I've experienced through my many run-ins with the law. That's right... I'm dangerous like that. Look out world, this girl drives with an expired license... unregistered. [Insert mental image of Lloyd Christmas at the phone booth in Aspen giving one deep "she's unlisted" breath.]

The Perfect Storm

I have often joked that I'm a lot like a baby. It's pretty simple to keep me happy: I need to be fed often, well-rested, and have someone pay attention to me when I do something cute or funny. If one of these needs is not met, I get grumpy. If all three of these needs aren't met, I become a completely different person... hardly a person at all, actually. More like a bear.

Today just happened to be one of those days; I was sleep deprived, behind on a meal or two, and neglected and left at a computer to work all day. On top of that, add the fact that it was a Monday, a bad hair day, an impossible deadline at work was made even more impossible, it was almost 300º outside, I spent a good amount of time on the phone with and waiting at the DMV, and I couldn't find an outfit to fit the mood today. This, my friends, was the perfect storm.

Before you go thinking I'm one of those temperamental females who gets set-off easily with one little "bad day," let me give you some background info. Work has been insanely overwhelming lately. Like any other "retail" business, we have made many adjustments to soften the blows of the weak economy. Many of these adjustments included a loss of staff... really great staff. Not only are we short-handed, but we still have the same demands to meet with a skeletal crew of workers. I love my job. A lot. There isn't a day that I wake up and dread going to work. I realize that for this, I am luckier than the majority of the workforce. Unfortunately, however, the current demands at my job can be wearing to a worker who struggles with perfectionism and self-criticalness (I enjoy coining new words whenever I get the chance). So when the crap hit the fan with the deadlines at work today, I think I felt something in the back of my brain actually explode. Soon after that, I realized I was no longer productive trying to force myself to edit. I left work a bit early to head to the DMV and register my car... nearly three months late (that's a story for another day). After the run-around there, I gathered some items and headed to my church activity, of which I was in-charge. I got that rolling, head still spinning, and left early to do some "work." I had to stop off at the local Target to get one thing. They didn't have the one thing... but five pairs of shoes later, I was on my way home, in a slightly better mood (shoes: the all-American cure-all.)

On the drive home, while sipping my Coke slurpee, I heard something on the radio that made me laugh for the first time today: "Mr. football stadium wedding proposal guy." Although I don't condone drinking, I love a good Budweiser commercial as much as the next guy. Plus, it's been far too long since I've heard a new commercial from this campaign. Bravo, Budweiser. You may be slowly leading the next generation down a slow and painful path to a wasted life, but you've done something right: you broke my grumpy gus mood. And that's why I'm writing this post, and just how brain-dead I am... I'm encouraging you to search the corridors of this, the interweb, to find that commercial. Because I'll be darned if it doesn't make you laugh.

Good night, and good luck.

Can't Trust That Day

I've come down with a horrible case of the Mondays. I think if I were to go to a doctor, his/her remedy would go something like this:

"Pony tail, Beatles T-shirt, Hershey's Symphony bar (with almonds and toffee), flip flops, delicious left overs for lunch, and a whole lot of Rolling Stones on the ipod. Take two Advil, sleep all day, and call me in the morning."

Happy Monday!

Summing up some summer

I'm currently sitting at my kitchen table, trying everything I can to avoid doing more editing. As I was sitting here, pa rousing some blogs (non-productively), I heard some music begin from a spare room at my house. I listen closely and realized it was a lullaby CD that is kept in the CD player at all times to aid with naps for the kidlets to whom I'm related. How did this lullaby music suddenly turn itself on? I don't have the answer to that. But I do know that it's beckoning me to take a nap. I don't usually believe in signs... but this one is just so clear.

I have been tired a lot lately, for good reason. It's summer, and there are a lot of fun things going on in my life as of late. Such as:

Coke slurpees

Mozart

Flowers

Mendelssohn

Deer Valley

late night convertible drives

Robert Redford (indirectly)

Electric harp

Miniature golfing

Moonlight bike ride

swimming, swimming, swimming

yoga

Tchaikovsky

Burgers

Friends

Burgers with friends

Run-ins with the law

Dinosaurs

Muddy Buddies

Star Wars

Weber River

Backroads and parkways on my bike

Deer with HUGE antlers

Cannons

Editing, writing, standards, assessments....

Here's to hoping for an even more eventful August!