Birthdays.

It's Brad's 28th birthday! For those of you who don't know, Brad is my other best friend. We've been friends since 10th grade when I was like, totally in lurve with him. Luckily it didn't work out in the love department because instead I gained a friend for life. He lives in Durham, NC now and I get to see him pretty often. But not often enough of course.

It seems strange to me that the older I get, the less involved in my friend's birthdays I become. Not that I'm ignoring them. I just don't go all out like I did in college and high school. Actually, Brad had a party this past weekend in Durham. It was his annual "Fun in the Sun" party which usually just happens to fall right around his birthday. I look forward to this party every year. But, as these things happen, I couldn't go since I was in Florida at my Grandpa's memorial service.

Life seems to be piling things on lately and I'm really doing my best to take things in stride. There hasn't been anything too detrimental, just lots and lots of little things. Like my cat having to be in the vet for several days. He came home last night and I'm not sure whether he's better or not. I wish I could read his mind. And tomorrow? I'm having a tooth removed and then Thursday they're putting in a bridge (temporary for 6 weeks, then permanent).

There's also the whole 'going to Florida in July' thing. I don't know why I am the way I am and I suffer so much in the heat, but I do. It's not just me complaining (although I do that constantly). I seriously get worked up when I'm overly hot and don't have any way to cool down. Floridians are used to it, therefore their air conditioning isn't near as low as it should be. I got almost zero sleep from Wednesday through Saturday. We stayed in a hotel room Friday night, so I thought we'd be cool and I could sleep. Turns out my German aunt, who was staying with us, is a serious snorer.

Thankfully there are good things. With all this dental work, I was given a prescription for Hydrocodone. I've never tried it before but I'm looking forward to being blissfully unaware and unable to worry. Then Saturday I get to go to a party in Greensboro with some of my absolute favorite people.

Next week will be better I think. I'm really not trying to sound all depressed, because I'm not really. I'm just.. living. August will be better for me. Even though it's not any cooler than July, it sounds like it should be, therefore I'll take it. And I don't have any major plans for August (except for App's Fanfest!) so that makes me happy. Too many plans stress me out!

Ach I've been rambling way too much here..

Happenings

Funny, a while back on either twitter or blogger (can't remember which), I noted how I thought Twitter would be the death of the blog. It's totally true. Blogs are dropping like flies as Twitter takes over the world. It just doesn't seem as necessary to write up a whole long blog about your feelings when you can so easily do it in 140 characters or less.

Love: So far so good. Jared and I seem to be working through our issues and things are going quite well. I know it's an unconventional relationship, to take a step back (he's not living with me anymore) but stay together, but so far it seems to be working. I see him pretty much every day. Good stuff.

Work: Aye carumba, am I busy. I bitched and bitched for years about how slow it was at work and now I'm so busy I've had to stay late every day for the past week and probably will this whole week too. We have one more new person coming in on April 1st and I'm hoping once she gets here, it will slow down for me a little. And if not, that's okay too, except I Haven't played spider solitare in like a month!

Party time: Been doing a lot of fun stuff. Carmen is hosting karaoke on Saturday nights, which are a blast. Wednesdays, as always, there is trivia. And there's always the goings on in between that are great.

I have been spending a lot of time outside lately. This would be good for most people. And I pretend it's good for me too. But honestly, sunblock is a pain in the ass and I have to put it on at least twice a day now. :P And, I think the flowers are slowly killing me.

My cats are somehow getting fatter even though I cut back their food. See my flickr page for examples.

I'd also like to say congrats to my friends Alisa and Matt for getting engaged last month!!

Ho Hum.

Life has been a strange blur lately. For the first time in years, I'm so busy at work that I feel stressed. Which is good. A little stress is good for you. But still, I feel like I need a super long nap, but I'm not sure when I'll get that chance.

I realized the other day that I haven't cried in about 3 weeks. This is amazing to me considering a month ago I wasn't sure I'd ever stop crying. I'm not really sure what is going on with me and men right now, but I'm trying to do what makes me happy. And unfortunately, it might not make everyone else happy. But that's how it is, I guess. I just want to do what makes me feel good.

I thought I was getting sick earlier this week, but my stupid over active immune system didn't allow it. Yes, I want to get a cold. I want to have a good excuse to lay on my couch and be lazy, but I can't find one. I've been trying to work out more lately, but I keep going places and not being able to. Hopefully I'll be able to start staying home on the weekends soon and start really getting a good workout.

Tonight I'm helping Carmen, Jon, and our new friend Grant at a party celebrating the Hickory Art Museum's 60th Anniversary. Carmen and I made 250 jello shots last night for the shindig, and at the party they will be given away for free! Then tomorrow, Carmen, Jon, Matt and I will be headed to Jon's parent's mountain cabin for a little mountain fun. I'm not sure which mountain, but what the hey, it will be fun.

Pretty soon I won't be working outside as much anymore, which means I won't come home looking like this:

Who do I love most? Or who is lucky enough..

Howdy Ho Neighborinos!

Today I had to fill out my life insurance form for my job.

Let me just ask this: Who decided that only 2 people can be listed as my primary beneficiaries?

I mean really! I have 3 nieces and 4 parents. I have a boyfriend/future husband. I have a lot of close friends. Why must I chose only 2 people? Makes me feel guilty to not choose some people. I guess it will be easier once I'm married with a child of my own.

For now, I just put my two youngest nieces and then listed my third as a secondary beneficiary. Jared will make the cut once we get married, but for now, he just gets all my stuff :D.

Got a huge big thing coming up in the next few days that I can't talk about on here, but man, is it making me butterfly-tummy-alicious.

Non-Football Related Post.. well, mostly.

Getting away from App football for today.

I'm going to take a page from one of my favorite blogger's book (literally!) and copy Mighty Girl today.

My Timeline:

1982: I was born 7 weeks early and almost killed my mom. I was a pretty sleepy baby and the parents and brothers didn't have to do much to make me happy.

Age 2: Still a perfect angel of a child, until I cut a hole in my bed skirt to let the kittens crawl under my bed. I also cut my bangs. And then I decided to give the big cat a haircut, and I cut off half of his ear.

Age 3: Begin Wee World preschool in Palmetto, Florida, discover boys. Paul Herback was my first crush.

Age 5: Start Kindergarten and discover more boys, but being a Ginger Kid can not actually catch boys.

Age 6: Family moves to North Carolina. I cried for a year about missing Florida. North Carolina is not as pretty, I thought. But then realized there were boys here too (Steve Coleman, at Aycock Elem)

Age 7: Get in trouble in 2nd grade. The boys in class convinced me to draw a picture of a naked lady. My teacher was not impressed. My mother was.

Age 11: 6th grade, first boyfriend. Chris Smith. For Christmas, I gave him a Carolina Panthers hat (it was their first year of playing) and he gave me a Green Jelly VHS.

Age 13: First Kiss, same boy, behind the dumpsters at Corriher Lipe Middle School. It wasn't what I expected. Nice, but, wet.

Age 14: Threw my first boy/girl party and played my first game of Spin the Bottle, where I had my first french kiss with Rory Miller. I inquired about his braces, which scratched my lips. Then I realized he didn't have braces, those were mine!

Age 15: Went through 3 different loser boyfriends and decide not to date boys anymore for a while and instead dress like a boy, with JNCOs and ugly t-shirts. Man was I irresistible to the lesbian world. Too bad.

Age 16: Fail driver's license test. Twice. NC DMV finally gives in after 3 tries and allows me to "legally drive". The DMV officer told me she still didn't want me to drive alone though. I probably should have listened since I totalled my first car 11 days later.

Age 17: Went to Woodstock 99 with B-rad. Realized after all the years of going to concerts and spending lots of money to get sweaty and smooshed and beat up by strangers, that I honestly don't enjoy concerts that much. Or maybe that's because I didn't drink at 17.

Age 18: Discover love the day after high school graduation. Discover college and alcohol. Discover real adulthood and independence. Discover life without Mom and brothers. Discover my Dad's helping hand. Discover serious, gut-wrenching heartache. Discover life goes on.

Age 25: Have real job, real car, real home, and real love.