Labor Day Weekend!

A few days ago I told Michael I have four blog posts sitting in my head. I have no idea when I'll write all of them but it's such a wonderful feeling. I've gone through months and months of blogger's block (blogger's block?) and it's great to know I'm slowly but surely coming back.

After Michael's polite suggestion, I'm writing down the ideas so I don't forget. I'm going to share them with each of you so I don't forget where I put my list of things to not forget (yes it has happened and no I'm not 98).

1. Friends, glorious friends
2. On a similar note, why the TV show Friends is change-your-life good
3. Where I see this blog taking me (or vice-versa)
4. Pictures from our Labor Day trip

Since I'm already here, I'm going to pick topic #4 for today's post. It somewhat relates to topic #1 so I'm hoping to do a ridiculously quick follow-up. We'll see how that goes.

I shall start this picture post by introducing you to my new best friend:

(Canon Rebel T2i)

I've been the proud owner for about a month and absolutely love it. I'm about to show you a lot of pictures so feel free to look at 2, 4, or heck, sit back and look at all of them. I'm hoping to share a lot more in the future as my new buddy travels with me almost everywhere.

A quick summary: Karen, Myers, Owen, Michael and myself decided to take a somewhat last-minute trip to New Braunfels to visit Tony and his girlfriend, Maureen (Mo). As you will soon notice, Owen was the subject of most of my pictures (can you blame me?) and was an absolutely wonderful baby the entire trip. This mini-vacation was exactly what we needed before the start of a crazy fall season. The only rules of the trip were to eat, relax, and have a good time. Everything else (makeup, showers, clean clothes) was optional. And when you have the option, does anyone actually do any of the aforementioned items? :) We had a wonderful time and I HIGHLY recommend visiting New Braunfels and Gruene if you ever have the chance.

A few images of New Braunfels and Gruene:



I mean seriously, how cute is this?

The trees there were so cool...


Farmer's Market
Little boy wearing a cape at the Farmer's Market!


Mo works here. I've never been so happy about someone's occupation...
Why hello there, Red Velvet.




I realize he is my husband and this is not our kid, but I still think it's reeeeally cute.
Last night we went to Mo's house to BBQ.

Fantastic couple. :)




I believe he is already tired of the, "Hey Michael, look over here!" commands from his wife.
You are not allowed to judge hair, makeup, or attire. Thank you.

Such a wonderful time.

What A Waste

My life right now in 50 words or less:

I'm alive. Barely. (3)

Hoping to share some pictures soon. (6)

Very tired. (2)

A little hungry. (3)

None of the following: scared, angry, confused (7)

Horrified because: Michael just shared with the Facebook world that I might watch a little show called Bachelor Pad. Don't worry, I'm cringing more than you are. (27)

Total word count: 48

Sweet dreams.

Not A Fan Of The Butterfly

Michael and I have a new hobby. I'll give you a hint:



Living in Texas means weeks upon weeks of 100+ weather (although it appears it's like that most everywhere right now). We tried waking up at 5 am to run and it was a cool 93 degrees. Evenings were even worse. One night after we knew all had left, we ventured to our neighborhood pool. And swam. It was glorious. My legs ached, my arms ached, my lungs absolutely hated me, yet I emerged from the water feeling like Dana Torres. Actually, I felt more like a manatee but we all have to start somewhere.

I tried swimming in one of my swimsuits the first time we went. Hello world. Then I tried switching the top for a sports bra (let's be honest, what's the difference?) but that just felt weird. So today I woke up and ventured to a foreign land: Sports Authority.

Friends, I have found something that is more difficult to put on than Spanx: a one-piece (swimmer's) swimsuit. I haven't worn one since I was 12 and after looking at it on the hanger I decided it was the same size as the one I wore when I was 12. After a brief pep talk in the dressing room, I put on the swimsuit and wouldn't you know it, that material stretches A LOT.

I looked in the mirror for exactly 3 seconds and decided black really is a woman's best friend, but it can only do so much. I took it off (possibly more difficult than putting it on) and left the dressing room. Not my best look but it'll do.

Sidenote: Is there a reason all Speedo and TYR swimsuits look exactly like they did in the 80's? I don't need neon patterns and stripes adorning my suit, people. Thank God for Nike.

As I was leaving the store I noticed some cute running shorts and paused. I decided they were too short and too cut up on the sides so I put them back. And then I realized I was in the men's department.

Those shorts need to be banned asap.

We'll see how it goes with the swimming adventure. It's good to know I can get some exercise without dying from heat exhaustion. Instead, I imagine I'll just die from exhaustion.

Florida (One Month Later)

So we went to Florida about a month ago. The whole time I was there I thought, “I can’t wait to blog about this!” and “Wouldn’t this be a funny story to share?” And of course it’s all gone. I will try to share a few highlights and let the pictures tell the rest.

Michael and I were on a “TSA regulated flight” to Florida, which meant security was extra tight. We each packed two carry-on items so we wouldn’t have to check any luggage and Michael was kind enough to hold the two heavy bags while I carried the lighter ones. Security was randomly selecting bags as we boarded the plane and Michael was one of the lucky few whose bag was chosen. Unfortunately, the bag they selected was actually mine. As they unzipped the bag and pawed through my bras and other personal items, Michael quietly said, “Those aren’t my heels.” I laughed for a good 5 minutes on that one.

It was so much fun to spend time with Evan! He immediately recognized us and was able to say each of our names (I do believe he’d been practicing with his parents). I’m still Mermi and Michael is Mickey. Evan absolutely adores Michael so by the end of the week he would look at me and say, “Mickey?” I guess it’s nice he knows we’re a packaged deal. Every time I see him he’s grown a foot (in height—not an actually foot—thank God for that).

On a similar note, he has never called my mom by her name: Gramsie. Justin and Michelle figured out he has a hard time saying the “gr” sound. A week or so before the trip they showed him a picture of mom and he said, “Susie!” So now my tiny nephew calls his grandma by her first name. It’s pretty hilarious--mom is so thrilled he calls her anything at all that she doesn’t care.

Michael and I dressed up one night and went to (what I thought was going to be) a very nice restaurant. The view was awesome and the prices were astronomical, but it was about as casual as they come. Rather than be embarrassed, I held my head high and pretended my husband and I always dress up all fancy-like to go out. Eh, what can you do.

Two years ago my sunscreen of choice was baby oil. This year I wore a hat and spf 30 the entire week. Getting old is a bitch.

By the end of the week Michael looked hmm… how do I put this? Let’s just say I’m glad we weren’t in Arizona.

Rather than spend an entire paragraph explaining something that .02% of the population would find funny, I will only say our entire family had a conversation about gastropods (biology translation: stomach foot) and I ended up laughing so hard I was crying. Just typing this made me laugh out loud. Say it with me: NEEEERDS. Poor Michael.

This was, by far, my favorite vacation spent at Sanibel (this was our 25th anniversary of going)! It was Michael’s first visit and while past years have been wonderful, I always felt a bit empty. This year was just perfect. Cramming seven people into one condo can be frightening, but we all got along and had a wonderful time.

Conclusion? I am looking forward to many, many more years of visiting our home away from home.

CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES!

A Post About Luck

I still need to write the Florida post but right now I want to tell you a story.

I've been wanting a brown handbag for a long time and have had a humongous crush on Kooba bags ever since I worked at Nordstrom. Only problem? Their prices START around $600. I can't justify spending that (or even close to that) on a handbag.

Michael is Mr. eBay (seriously--he is either shipping or receiving a package three times a week) and has always had wonderful luck so I figured it was worth a shot. A month or so ago I began my search by simply typing in "handbags" and was overwhelmed by the results. After looking around to make sure no one was watching (I was home alone, not sure why I was so paranoid) I slowly typed in "K....O..." and then hurriedly typed "OBA" and hit enter. A few dozen handbags appeared and I audibly sighed. Took a sip of my coke and took a tour of the goods. I found one that was exactly what I had in mind: big, brown, and beautiful. It was in excellent condition. The best part was the price--no one had bid on it so it was a faaaantastic deal. I figured there was nothing wrong with "watching the item" as the auction wasn't over for several days. I shut my laptop and went about my day. When Michael came home I casually told him what I'd found and he said I should keep an eye on it.

Believe it or not, the next few days passed and I was able to think about things other than the bag. I have NEVER had luck with eBay and figured this would end the same way. On the last day of the auction I searched for the handbag and noticed it was still very big, very brown, and very beautiful. The best news? It had yet to receive a bid. Before I knew it, I bid on the bag. (I had no choice!) I started to send Michael an email to tell him the news but before I hit send I'd already received an email telling me I'd been outbid.

Have I mentioned I've NEVER had luck with eBay?

Furrowing my brow, I went back and bid higher. Outbid. A little higher. Outbid. I finally settled on the final "end all be all" amount and went for it. And waited. And waited. No one outbid me this time. I was back in the running with a little more than three hours left. At that point I started thinking of all of the outfits that would look great with my new friend.

Next thing I know, there's five minutes left and I'm a computer refreshing fool. With 15 seconds left I'm outbid. I decide, "what's an additional $5?" and up my bid one last time. I'm outbid by one person, who is then outbid by someone else and... it's over.

I lost the bag.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't severely disappointed. Michael knew when the auction was over and emailed to see how it went. I told him my sad news and even he was bummed.

Tonight we watched a few episodes of Mad Men and then I pulled out the laptop to read some blogs. Michael said he was going to grab something upstairs and came back with an item behind his back. With a sheepish grin he placed the Kooba bag in my arms. I was completely confused and said, "This is exactly like the one from the auction," to which he replied, "This IS the one from the auction." Apparently he knew my luck with eBay so he watched the handbag for the last 5 minutes of the bidding war. As soon as he saw I'd been outbid he bid on the handbag to make sure I'd win.

The moral of this story is not that I'm now the owner of a gorgeous bag (although that is an extremely pleasant sidenote). Michael was sweet enough to find out the bag I wanted and then got into a bidding war with a bunch of crazy ladies just so I could have a stupid handbag.

Actual moral of the story: I am one very, very lucky lady.

My Home Away From Home

Want to know who I spent the last 8 days with? I'll let Evan (with Michelle's help) tell you...



More on our fantastic trip to Florida later, I'm still enjoying the last few hours of vacation. :)

Fort Smith - Bringing People Together Since 1982...

Last weekend my best friend of 29 years (we’re 28—THAT’S how long we’ve been friends) came to Dallas. Saturday was Julie’s birthday and the weekend trip was a gift from her sweet boyfriend, Mark.

We had such a wonderful time.

For the most part, Julie and I could not be more different, both inside and out. Growing up we occasionally dressed alike (thank you, 579) but that’s where the resemblance ended--we were never mistaken for sisters. Regardless, people always found it odd when one of us was without the other, hence the expression “Where’s Julie?” and “Where’s Meredith?” on our senior shirts. She was the lead in several high school musicals, I was president of our class. She’s 5’2 with gorgeous curly brown hair, I’m 5’7 with not-so-gorgeous straight blonde hair. She loved singing, I loved math. Shall I go on? I shan’t.

I’m so thankful that many years later we’re still great friends. When you meet at such a young age you don’t really choose your friends, you just become friends because that’s what kids do. You give her the “Be Fri” necklace and keep the “st ends” for yourself. You pierce your ears together. You have sleepovers. You bake heart-shaped cookies for your parents’ anniversary that end up looking like butts and tasting even worse. You sit next to each other in church and write, “I can’t wait till camp!” instead of listening to the sermon. While all are terrific, none require much depth and often the friendship dies for one reason or another. That never happened to us. We grew older and our opinions changed, but we stood by one another. We wore different clothes. We dated different types of guys. We disagreed. We went to different schools and lived in different cities. And our friendship grew.

Seeing Julie and Mark together last weekend will forever be one of my favorite Julie memories. When someone you love finds someone who loves them just as much (dare I say more?), it’s the greatest feeling. I want nothing but the very best for this wonderful friend of mine. And I think she found him.

X-Ray Vision

While driving to work yesterday a radio show discussed the body scan machine at the airport. I never really thought about it before but gained a brand new perspective.

I don’t ever, ever want to have an airport body scan.

My fear of airport checkpoints is not a new one. Several years ago I was stopped by a very kind, elderly man. I’d set off the alarm and after walking through it several times he apologetically told me I’d need to step aside so they could perform a full body search. Almost immediately I was patted down by a complete stranger. Finding zero guns, knives, grenades, or ridiculously dangerous fingernail clippers, he pulled out the search wand and continued the search. It kept going off right around my butt. The kind man asked if I was wearing a belt and I said no. Change? No. Keys? No. He kept waving the wand around my butt (which was quite awkward) and then the color drained from my face. Just as he was about to lead me to another room (God knows what they were going to do to me there), I said in a voice barely above a whisper, “I think it’s my underwear.” The 90-year-old's face was priceless. He turned to his co-worker and said, “She’s free to go!” And that was that.

(Editor interjection: It was quite innocent underwear. I’d go into detail but I doubt you care and it’s none of your business anyway.)

To learn that a body scan image is basically a nude photo of you is disturbing. Apparently the original image looks like a negative, but if you reverse it you could be the next star in a nudey magazine. And while I’d like to think all airport workers are nice and honest, statistics tell me at least one of them has the morals of an alley cat.

Michael and I are flying to Florida sometime in the next three months (take that, thief reading my blog in hopes to rob our house) and if I’m directed to the body scan machine at either airport I will, I repeat, will throw up.

I am all for airport safety but this seems a bit excessive, don’t you think? The joke was to put a gun in your pants to keep the workers from seeing you naked. Starting to think it’s not a terrible idea…

The Birthday Fiasco

Several months ago my mom asked what I’d like for my birthday. It took approximately 3 seconds to reply, “a massage!” I hadn’t had one in over a year and I knew things were about to get pretty chaotic. On May 12 a glorious gift arrived from the Fort—a check from my parents with "massage!" written in the memo line. I knew if I had one in May or June it’d be wasted since I’d be thinking of other things so I purposefully saved it for July 2—my day off.

I called last Monday and scheduled the massage for 1 pm on Friday. I made plans to meet up with some friends for lunch on Friday so I called the day before and moved my appointment to 1:30p. Friday came around and I was GIDDY with excitement.

You know where this is going, don’t you?

At 1:10 I received a call from the salon asking me where I was for my 1p appointment. I didn’t answer the phone but after I heard the message I drove even faster to the salon. I breezed in at 1:15 and pretended I hadn’t received the message. I smiled and said, “Hello, I’m here for my 1:30 appointment.” The lady gave me the most condescending smile and said, “No honey, your appointment was at 1p. You’re late.”

Skeeerreeeeet (record scratching).

I mimicked her smile and nicely told her I’d called the day before to change my appointment. She blinked twice and went to the back room. Another lady came up and told me my appointment was at 1p so I gave her the same schpeel. They both tilted their heads and looked right at me, smiles never leaving their faces. It was then I realized, “Holy cow, they don’t believe me!” The first lady sighed and said, “I’m sorry, but we have a 2:00 appointment that can’t be moved. Perhaps you could come back at 4?” By this point sirens were blaring in my head so I only heard, “Blah blah blah, no massage for you.” I took a deep breath and said, “I’ll just go somewhere else.”

Perhaps I’m being a little overdramatic but I now know how Vivienne felt in Pretty Woman. Minus the whole prostitute part.

I grabbed my bag, walked to my car in the rain (of course), and called another salon in Coppell. Booked. And then I shook my fist and yelled to the thunder clouds, “I just want a massage, damnit!” They answered by literally raining on my parade.

After I got home I received a message from the owner who apologized profusely (I guess SHE was the one I spoke to the day before) and offered an hour massage for half price. My cheap side perked up, but my grudge-holding side (yikes, I have two sides and both are equally terrible) realized they’d still be getting money from me. No way was that going to happen. I did, however, want to prance in the store with 8 hat boxes and smirk, "Big mistake. Big. HUGE." Something tells me it wouldn't have had the same effect.

Yesterday I picked up the phone and made a new appointment (at a new place) for Saturday. I had to speak to three salons before I found one that was available, but I’m finally going to get my bday present.

And I’m going to be relaxed and happy, even if it kills me.

Hello World.

AN ODE TO JUNE 2010
Once upon a time in a land not far away,
A girl almost had a breakdown (to her very own dismay).
She bid farewell to blogger, to writing, and her friends,
In hopes that she might have some time to relax at day's end.
Busy season and reunion plans were her new comrades,
And by "comrades" she thought, "Dear Lord, my life? Is very, very sad."
The good news is there was a light at the longest tunnel known,
Even if at times she might have yelled, "Throw me a freakin' bone!"
But don't you fret because she realized her worries were for naught,
As the reunion was an absolute blast and is the highlight of this plot.
She saw friends she hadn't seen in 10 (which was the whole point),
The weekend was a complete success--not one item in disjoint.
Her group at work finished their season without a single hitch,
Fortunately for everyone she never was a .... mean girl.
She celebrated three years of blogging during her 30-day break,
And one year of being a Texan, a party involving cake.
Her mom and her mom-in-law made 60 look so great,
Her good friend had her baby girl who was well worth the wait.
Her cat's still fat, her husband's still cute (at least that's what she thinks),
The month of June, it turns out, went by in one short blink.
So thank you for your patience and allowing her time to rest,
She asked that I complete this ode by saying you're all the best!

(CLICK HERE to see reunion pictures!)

Hello and Goodbye

This post is to serve two purposes. I want to share some pictures from the past two weekends because both were fantastic, and the other is to say goodbye for awhile. Not long, maybe a month or so, but I need a break. I know you’re thinking, “You’ve barely posted as it is, why do you need a break?” Whether I post or not, I think about this blog every single day. And I feel guilty every single day. I absolutely love to write but lately I’ve posted the bare minimum so I can say, “I’ve posted something this week.” Well that’s crap. For you and for me. I decided this morning that it might be better to take a short hiatus so I don’t have that guilty feeling every day. I’m feeling very out-of-sorts at the moment. My job is in busy season so I'm under a large amount of stress (brought on by myself, of course) and the small part of me that’s not freaking out about work is freaking out about the class reunion in a few weeks. Who knew June (typically one of my favorite months) could be so stressful!? I’m a wee bit down on myself lately and I need to figure out a few things before I completely spiral out of control. The last thing I want is to end up on Jerry Springer with the words, “Meredith Haynes, Crazy Eyes” scrawled across the screen. Sick.

I know all of you have busy schedules and I apologize if you're reading this and thinking, "Get over yourself." Huge props to you for handling everything so gracefully, and please understand how envious I am!

So enjoy these pictures and to the few of you who still read this blog, I will be back (whether you like it or not)!

Bridal Luncheon for Emily's wedding!

Kait and I at the rehearsal dinner

They had us sitting across from our dates instead of next to them. We were a little confused at first but it ended up being a lot of fun! Merd and the two Steves...

Michael has never looked so happy...

:) (Doesn't he look handsome in his vest? And yes, his eyes really are that small.) (Love love!)

Absolutely stunning...

The newlyweds!

Only missing the bride!

TU gang

Brunch the morning after. Congrats Mrs. Korns!

The six of us together again (cue corny music).

And shall I remind you who visited us last weekend?

Evan played in our neighborhood pool (see video below)!

Playing at Kid Country in Coppell

In the jungle (our sideyard)

Uncle "Ike" and Aunt "Mermi"

Watching Beyonce put a ring on it.

When you ask to see Evan's belly, he lifts up his shirt and slaps it with both hands (whilst grinning). Cutest thing ever. Unfortunately, it doesn't work so well when you're wearing a onesie swimsuit (or whatever you call those things)...

That's it for now! See ya later, alligator.

EEEE!!!!

Guess who arrives in Dallas tonight?!


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

This is going to be a very, very long day.

Happy Merd-day!

A lot has happened this past week. Nothing life-altering but it's been a busy few days. For one, yours truly celebrated her 28th birthday. As I mentioned before, I've been dreading this one but it turned out to be surprisingly nice. The day before, Michael found out he might be flying to Argentina for work. As in, found out that morning and would be on a plane that evening. We were both pretty bummed and then very ecstatic a few hours later when he found out his assistance was no longer necessary and the ridiculously long round-trip adventure was canceled.

On my actual bday, I received more phone calls, facebook messages, and cards than I ever deserved. It was like everyone knew I needed the extra love. I've always been a huge fan of bdays and it was EMBARRASSING how giddy I got every single time I received a facebook notification. It's the little things I guess. My favorite part of the day was coming home that evening and reading my card from Michael. When he found out he'd most likely be in Argentina on my bday, he put his card in the mail so I'd have a surprise when I got home after work. It made me so happy that I could give him a huge hug after reading such a sweet message. Oh how I adore my husband. Michael's parents dropped by that night and brought gifts and dessert. They are the best!

We ended the bday festivities last night (yes, my birthday has turned into my birthweek, and is slowly becoming my birthmonth) at the Melting Pot, where we ate our weight in cheese, meat, and chocolate. It would have been glorious if we weren't feeling so gross today. I guess there is such thing as food that's too rich.

In other news, we've had a chance to meet up with several friends. Last weekend we went to the Rangers game with Craig and Jessie. Our seats were extreeeemely high but right behind home plate! It was great catching up with them and the game was really exciting. By the end of it we were all on our feet and I was a yelling machine.


Yesterday I went to a baby shower (hosted by Karen!) for one of my new favorite people, Laura. She and I work together and her job is actually the one I accepted a few weeks ago (she has decided to stay home with her baby). So as hard as it is to know we won't be working together much longer, it's fun to train with her every day!

And today I met up with Kathryn, a friend from Fort Smith! We actually grew up together and she now lives in Fort Worth. It was fun to catch up and it got me excited for the reunion (which is good because lately the word "reunion" has stirred up feelings of angst and frustration).

There you have it! My best friend Emily is getting married this weekend and then Justin, Michelle, Evan, and the parents are coming in town the following weekend. I could not be more excited!

:)

Evan, Michael and I only have one thing to say....

Happy Mother's Day!!
We love you!

And one more for good measure...

(Evan--PLEASE stop growing!!!)

The Days of Satur and Sun

Michael and I (read: I) have the tendency to put off everything until the weekend. Wash clothes? Weekend. Run by the dry cleaners? Weekend. It's dumb because once the weekend rolls around, I don't want to do anything except relax. Last Saturday, our list looked something like this:

Lowe's
Honda Dealership
Target
Crate & Barrel
PetSmart
Unique Tailors
Wash clothes
Empty dishwasher
Billy Bob's

I'm assuming a few of the above items stuck out more than the rest. Let's talk about Michael's car for a second. 99 Explorer Sport. My guess is when he first drove it he was pretty awesome. Fast forward 11 (!!) years and the car is a death trap for all passengers and nearby drivers. He has to air up the tires at least once a week, the windshield wipers don't work, random lights flash for no reason at all, and the list goes on and on. Michael still has an Oklahoma license plate because he knows his car won't pass inspections in Texas. We've been researching cars for awhile and had already test-driven two (Highlander, Traverse) but neither were the perfect fit. Recently a friend from my work (Hi Trish!) bought a Honda Crosstour and had really great things to say about it so we decided to give it a try.

In the five years we've been together, I can count approx three times I've seen Michael happier than when he drove that car on Saturday. At first I was excited for him but then I felt absolutely terrible because I finally realized how badly he'd wanted a new car and how little he'd complained. We'd planned on taking some information and leaving but the sales guy pulled that sales guy number where he says, "What do I have to do to make you take this home with you today?" We gave him four requirements and he met every single one of them. So approx five hours after we first arrived, we drove home in a beeeeautiful Crosstour.


(Yes, we now own two dark grey cars.)
(No, it was not my idea.)
(Yes, I was secretly thrilled when he decided dark grey was "the one.")
(Yes, I am still having a conversation with myself that has turned supremely awkward.)

With that in mind, we had to skip the eight other things we were supposed to do and instead got ready for Billy Bob's. This place? Insane. It's like one giant country madhouse. Anyone that knows me knows that country and I do not mix. At all. But! Michael's cousin's husband is in the band that tours with a guy named Clay Walker. Apparently Clay is/was well known as the place was packed! I didn't recognize one song. Instead, I spent the entire evening people-watching. 178 sparkly belts, inappropriately short skirts, and bleached hairdo's later, I was still enthralled. WHERE do these people come from and WHY can't I see this stuff every single day? Would make life so much sweeter.



Sunday was a little more laidback. We went to Karen and Myers' church to see Owen get baptized and then over to her parents house to celebrate. After we left their house we laid out at our neighborhood pool, which FINALLY opened! It was being built last summer (I'm fairly certain Michael, myself, and Thumbs could have built it in less time) so it was nice to enjoy it from the other side of the gates! Michael recited his annual, "I don't need sunscreen" schpeel and is still paying for it three days later. He's my lobster.

So anyway, great weekend indeed! I started my new job (same company) this week, which just so happens to be the same time that busy season begins in our department. Needless to say, I'm tired and will be going to bed as soon as I'm done with this. I still require my 14 hours of sleep each night so that means I need to start going to bed at approx 4:30pm. Yeesh.

Ramblings

Below are some thoughts that have gone through my head lately...

1. My reunion is exactly two months away and it is going to be one gigantic weekend of small talk. HOW am I supposed to handle this? I am horrid at small talk. Is it weird to talk about the weather with classmates you haven't seen in 10 years?

2. My birthday is next month and the thought of turning 28 makes me die a little inside. 27 has been pretty fantastic and it's one of those numbers that kind of counts as mid-twenties if you don't think about it too much. But 28? 28 is definitely late twenties. No other way to look at it. Blast.

3. After my surgery I was told I had to wear a sports bra day/night for nine days straight. I went through the 12-step program of hating it, dealing with it, accepting it, and now... now, my friends, I love it. Can't get enough. I found some at Target that don't make me feel like I'm on a sports team and I adore them. Hmmm....

4. I received a promotion at work and have a very cool new job that absolutely terrifies me. I wish I could fast forward a year to a time when I'd feel completely confident, but that'd make me almost 29. Hells no.

5. I love my husband! We celebrated our five-year dating anniversary last week! And by celebrate I mean we gave each other a high-five and that's about it. :)

That's it for now. Oh, if you were in my graduating class, please come to the reunion. I promise I'll talk about things besides the weather (like politics and religion)!

The Hangover: Part Deux

I'd like to tell you a story that involves one bachelorette, four bridesmaids, one friend of the bride, and copious amounts of alcohol. I've had reservations about writing this post because a) I will not do the weekend justice and b) I'm afraid you might look at me differently after I hit "publish." But alas, great weekends are meant to be shared. So here we go.

Sidenote for my dad: We took cabs everywhere.

One of my bff's from college is getting married next month so we decided to live it up in Dallas to celebrate her last few weeks as a single lady. There were six of us total, which ended up being the perfect number (I'm afraid if there were any more we'd all be wearing orange jumpsuits). Everyone arrived on Friday and we had a nice, relaxing evening at a local restaurant, followed by the Haynes' abode. Saturday we woke up and went to a restaurant downtown where I've never been judged so much in my life. Keep in mind it is around NOON on a SATURDAY. We walked into the restaurant and there were more sports coats in that room than Easter Sunday. The girls, meanwhile, were in full makeup, 4-inch heels, and scowls to match. I couldn't decide if I was impressed or disgusted. After lunch we split up so Summer and I could pick up the fantabulous cupcakes and check into the Stoneleigh hotel (awesome hotel, even if the bell-hop hung out with us for 20 minutes and then yelled, "Welcome to the Stoner hotel!" as he departed). We met the girls at a shopping area and proceeded to discuss the upcoming evening.

We didn't scratch the surface.

We headed back to the hotel where we gave Emily a quaint but nice lingerie shower and got ready for our big evening out. It was raining by this point so we all grabbed our umbrellas and took a cab to Kenichi, an amazing sushi restaurant in uptown Dallas. Had our fill of sushi & cocktails and decided we needed a pick-me-up (we are old ladies afterall) so we ordered bailey's and coffee. $12 baileys and coffee. That? Was ridiculous.

And off we went. The rain was still pretty bad so we walked into the first place we saw, which just so happened to be Ghostbar--pretty cool bar on the 33rd floor. It was a strange crowd but we got our drinks and started dancing.

Fact: I love to dance.

Fact: I cannot dance.

Fact: When I've had a few sips of the good stuff, I dance. A lot. I don't want to talk about feelings, I don't want to get into fights, I just wanna dance.

After a bit we decided it was time to move on so we danced ourselves out of there and to a place called Deux. By this point you're thinking this is not the best night ever but just you wait.

We complimented the shoes of the girl in front of us who then returned the favor by paying the cover charge for all of us. We walked in, found a fantastic spot and settled ourselves on the dance floor. After a few hours, Summer said she needed to go to the bathroom so I went with her. The line was ridiculously long so I pulled out my whistle (did I mention we were all given "hottie whistles," which we proudly wore around our necks?), whistled as loud as I could and announced, "Hurry up bitches, we need to go to the bathroom." So classy. The girls in front of us turned around to agree and I recognized one of them so we chatted a bit. I'm leaving her anonymous because of the following sentences. As we waited in line, Summer noticed my acquaintance was standing in water and told her she should move. She didn't move so I repeated Summer's statement but stopped mid-sentence because it was pee. Her own pee. She peed herself, people. To make matters worse, Summer didn't realize it until she felt it on her own leg. The girl peed on Summer. We were appalled but couldn't stop laughing. The girl excused herself (to go back out and party I guess?) as Summer and I stared at each other with astonishment and disgust.

Once Summer cleaned up, we went back to our spot only to notice Mo was now gone. We walked around the bar a few times but no luck. Called the phone, nothing. The girls were worried. Me? I was too busy dancing and kept saying, "Oh, she'll be FINE." After an hour it was closing time so we started to leave the bar while Em said she'd do one more check. We waited outside for a good 5 minutes and then I decided I'd go back in and grab Em. Big mistake. I stepped over the red rope and the bouncer immediately stepped in front of me and told me to back up. I told him my intentions and he told me he didn't care. I went back to my spot and then Bethany (Em's sister) tried to "sneak" by him to get into the bar. He called her several names and told her to back up, so Summer (naturally) told him he was being ridiculous. He started screaming at Kaitlin, then Summer, then Bethany, then me. It was awful. Eventually he grew tired of screaming so he called the cops and had them escort us away from the bar. Summer told the cops that we were completely sober (as Bethany fell to the ground) and then I told them we were all honors students. (Lies. All lies.) We eventually got a phone call from Kreston, who was in Miami for Jake's bachelor party. Mo's husband was with them and he'd received a call from her an hour earlier. Kreston told us that she was at a hotel but not the hotel.

Oh holy cow, this is getting so long. Let's shorten it a bit. Once we knew she wasn't at the club, we left our cop friends (after taking a picture with them), and headed back to the hotel. As soon as we got back to our room, Em and Bethany got into a sisterly fight due to Em calling Bethany, "Not classy." Summer and I were keeping Kaitlin company while she pumped (hot mama!) until something went awry and the pump started malfunctioning big-time. Kait had originally had her back to us but she turned around with pumps still on, frantically trying to fix the problem. Summer ate her fourth cupcake while I pointed and laughed at the pump. Mo eventually showed up and told us she'd just gotten tired and decided to leave. She'd caught a cab and then realized she didn't know what hotel we were staying at so just told him to drop her off at a hotel. Which he did.

It was quite the site. 2 girls crying, 1 girl pumping, 1 girl apologizing, 1 girl eating, and 1 girl pointing. Around 3:30 or 4 we finally went to bed, just as I declared I was going to write a book about this, which would turn into a movie (or television mini-series), which would one day become a musical. High hopes indeed.

So there you have it. The girls all left on Sunday and I couldn't stop smiling. Such a great (albeit crazy) weekend with my best friends--there's really nothing better!

The beautiful bachelorette...

Em with Bethany (her "not classy" sister) :)

The group! Me, Summer, Mo, Bethany, Emily, Kaitlin

Same 6 people but now we're outside.

TU BFFs

Mo (the disappearing act) and Bethany

The Bride with her maid and matron of honor

Aren't they adorable? So delicious too!

Love you, Em!

Sushi dinner!

At Ghostbar

:)

Before Mo ditched us...

The sober honors students...

What A Wonderful Word

BENIGN!!!!!!!!!!! (!!!!)

I might have teared up a bit when I heard the news.

Praise God!

5 Naps And Counting....

Just a quick post to say THANK YOU for all of your prayers and sweet messages. You guys are awesome. The surgery went really well and the doctor is still confident the tumor is benign. We'll know full results Monday afternoon.

And I'm off to take another nap. I'm definitely in pain but the meds are soooooo nice. An ode dedicated to Darvocet is in order.

Thanks again everyone!

It's Just Bob Spelled With Two O's

I've been going back and forth on whether I should post about the following topic. As much as I share on this blog, I tend to keep most issues an arm's length away. Not only is it for our own safety, but there's something to be said about boundaries, and I don't like the idea of some stranger knowing the intimate details of our life. What if you and I met in the cake aisle of Wal-Mart and you mentioned a specific detail of our bedroom? Talk about awkward!

But! I've decided to share a pretty intimate detail of my life (on my blog only) for two reasons.

1. I covet your prayers.
2. Knowledge is power. (Or however that silly quote goes.) (Cue that NBC shooting star music.)

Warning! The next few paragraphs contain the words "boob" and "boobal region." If either offend you, get a life. No I'm kidding. But seriously.

Sometime last year I noticed a pretty large lump in the boob. It was extremely painful and I'd never had anything like it. No one in my family has ever had breast cancer so I was more than a little confused. I went to the doctor and had her check it out. She assured me that cancer does not hurt (knowledge is power, lesson #1) and sent me on my way. Fast forward 8 months and the damn thing was still there. I pointed it out to my obgyn a few weeks ago and she said I needed to have an ultrasound. (Now you understand why I was so nervous leaving her office. Or maybe it really was the needles...)

I went to the radiologist where I was felt up like nobody's bidness. I was watching the screen and suddenly this big black THING showed up. Worse than any movie villain. She told me it was most likely a fibroadenoma--a harmless tumor--but due to its size she recommended having it removed and the sooner the better. I had two questions for her: Is this outpatient surgery? Yes. Will I be knocked the hell out? Yes.

I waited to hear recommendations from the doctor. She gave me two: a man and a woman, which brought on a huge dilemma. A woman has boobs. A man appreciates boobs. Do I go with the one who has dealt with them since she was 12 (or 17, but that's neither here nor there) or do I go with the one who spent most of his life staring at them? Let's face it, the boobal region is man's land and I'm not one to step in the way of that. I did some research on both and decided I'd go with the man.

Here's hoping he's straight. :)

So that's my story. I go in tomorrow for surgery at 4:30p and I'd be lying if I said I'm not scared. I am. But I also trust that I'm in good hands, and I'm not referring to my doctor. I ask that you say a little prayer for me, for my doctor, for Michael, and for my family. It's been a tense few weeks and I'm looking forward to it being over!

As I mentioned earlier, this post is for two reasons. Prayer for me (please and thank you), and a public service announcement to all of the ladies out there. Just because you're 27.9 and healthy doesn't mean you're invincible. If something isn't right--get it checked out!

And then blog about it so I'll feel better about sharing so much.