2010

My NYE 2010 I worked at the restaurant and it was expected craziness. I made it to Mooresville in time to ring in the new year with the boyfriend at the time. Over MLK weekend I went with Mom and Dad to visit my family in Pittsburgh. We shopped til we dropped and had a wonderful time!!

I was gearing up for my very first 1/2 marathon. I flew out on January 29 escaping the snow that was headed for the Charlotte area. We landed in Miami, and it was warm and wonderful, our first stop South Beach.


We had all day Saturday to relax and enjoy. Sunday morning bright and early we were up for our race. It was a warm muggy morning in Miami.

I took a picture at mile 12 to remind myself that I really did this!

In February I ran the UNCC homecoming 5K with Jelly and Bean. Later on that day we celebrated their upcoming wedding with a bridal shower.

In May I drove to Edenton where we welcomed a new sister in love in to our family.

Jack Banner reminded me to take time to smell the grass. He and I take lots of walks together!

He also gives me good excuses to take naps!!

My new roommate moved in July 4 and we had a fun summer of girls nights and going out!

I celebrated my birthday and my sweet friend made cupcakes for a day at Raffaldini Vineyards.

A few weeks later I helped another friend celebrate at her wedding. The reception at the Mint Museum was an absolute blast!!

In October I ran another 1/2 marathon in Atlanta. I also PR'd a 5K. I ran the Airport 5K on October 30, 2010 and actually ran some of the race on a runway.

Jack Banner remains the most loyal guy in my life when things didn't work out with JM.

In December I ran my 3rd 1/2 marathon in my very own Charlotte. I PR'd this race despite the stomach issues!

After the race I drove to beautiful Asheville to meet Joe for the very first time.

The monday after our date this cute little snowman was sent with flowers just for me.

At our office Christmas lunch I had a brief appearance as Mrs. Clause.

Christmas came fast this year and 2011 is just on it's heels. I'm excited for what the new year will bring! Happy New Year!!!

Wednesday

My last post I wrote on Sunday night. I did find the motivation not only to clean my bathroom but also to put away all the stuff I had packed for mom and dad's. I made it to the gym Monday morning for a workout. I hadn't done weights in way too long. I know this because I am SO SORE today from the leg workout that I did. I included an easy 2 miles of sprint running and then headed home to get ready.

Joe arrived around lunch time and we went for Mexican and then decided to go see Little Fockers. It was predictable, had its funny moments. Not one I have to see again but it made me laugh in spots. Then we went back to my place and watched Book of Eli. This movie was interesting. While, again, not one I would watch again, it did make me think. The premise of the movie is interesting and there are lines and things of the story that keep coming back to me. He hung out for a little bit after the movie and then headed back to Asheville.

Yesterday I had to be back at work. It was hard waking up after 5 days in a row off!! Plus I'm backing up a coworker while she is out on vacation and I had all kinds of work yesterday!! Last night I had to work at the restaurant. Fortunately we were busier then I anticipated. We even had a good pop at 8 which surprised me. By the time I got home last night I was dragging!! The good news is this is a short week, only 3 days for me at the full time job. I work at the restaurant Friday night and Saturday.

I'm curious to see how Friday night goes. It will be the first NYE for this restaurant and we are trying to make sure we manage our space and tables effectively. Currently we are almost at 300 guests and the only reservations left are between 5-6 and 10pm. If we keep it where it's at we should be fine but if they try to squeeze any more people in to the other times then it's going to get ugly!!

I just had to set up plans with my friend KH for 1/23, I'm that booked out already. How is it that it's not even 2011 and I'm already starting the new year as crazy busy as ever??

Sunday-Long boring catch up post

I have been reading blogs and since I'm not at work commenting but I have been reading so late by the time I catch up I'm too tired to write the post in my head!

I took Thursday off from work in order to help my Mom get ready to have the family Christmas Eve dinner. I cleaned the bathroom and vacuumed and did whatever else my Mom asked. Jack and I spent the morning helping and then I headed to the craziness of the mall to find a dress for Christmas Eve.

I scored a beautiful red sweater dress from Belk and then fought the mall traffic to get to the highway. It was INSANITY around Northlake mall!!! I arrived home and had to get ready for a Christmas party. My friend PMG was in town from Tampa. She and her husband were arriving at 6 and then we were walking down to the party together. PMG and I grew up together and the house where the party was at was our 8th grade teacher's house who also is PMG's mom's best friend...

PMG and I were able to talk and catch up for a few hours, it was FABULOUS to see her!! Then I walked home to finish wrapping present. I talked to Joe via text and wrapped my stocking presents for my parents and Grandmother and at 11:30 I went to bed.

Christmas Eve I woke up and it was a chilly 26 degrees outside. I had said I was going to run 8 miles and I had my route mapped. I SO wanted to turn back not far into the run because it was SO cold!!! I contemplated turning back at mile 2 but made myself turn the other way and finish my run. I contemplated walking mile 7 to 8 to home but then I figured I would just get cold. So I ran the 8 stopping twice for water at stoplights. Once the run was complete I showered and packed up way too many clothes and headed to my mom and dad's.

Mom and Dad and Grandmommy were at the house with Jack. I left him the day before to spend quality time with them so I could go to the party and not worry about him. I helped Mom get everything ready and then our family arrived. The only two missing were Bean and Jelly, they were with her Sister and her sister's husband. We had little sandwiches, mac and cheese, green bean casserole, and pie for dessert. Then it was present time. We handed out the gifts to everyone and then go around the circle opening them. Jack spent most of the present time on my lap chewing the huge bone he got from my mom.

Christmas morning we woke up and mom fixed grits, eggs, sausage and heated up cinnamon rolls. Then we opened up stocking presents and presents. I had purchased the stocking presents for my parents and Grandmommy in the past few days as much anxiety as I felt I was able to get it all done. My favorite present was a stocking gift; an apron that says will cook for shoes lots and lots of shoes!!

My Aunt (mom's sister) was to have Christmas dinner at her house but my Uncle was sick the week before and she had been miserably sick the week of Christmas. So my cousin and my uncle took over making dinner and they brought everything over to our house Christmas night. We had a wonderful time talking and eating and then we realized that it was snowing. So everyone was gone by 8pm. My mom and I played a few rounds of skipbo and then it was bedtime.

Church was cancelled this morning due to the weather. In Charlotte when we get snow even if it's just 2 inches it really does shut down the city. It snowed all morning and then by the afternoon it had started to taper off. We spent the day inside. My Dad had to go to work at 2 but Mom Grandmommy and I hung out. Mom and I made chocolate chip cookie dough truffles that for our first try taste great but might not look so pretty! We watched 27 dresses and played a few more rounds of skip bo.

Tonight I was supposed to be out with my friend NH but because the roads are going to freeze over tonight and she has some kind of stomach bug we have postponed the girls night plans. So instead I'm trying to find the motivation to clean the bathroom :)

Tomorrow I took the day from work. Originally I requested the day because I was supposed to have flown out to Boston to help JM celebrate his birthday. I was going to fly out today and then be there today, tomorrow and fly back Tuesday. Instead I switched Tuesday for this past Thursday and kept the Monday as a day off. I've had 5 days in a row off from work and it is wonderful!! Joe is coming to town and we are going to spend the day together.

Christmas Shopping, Gym Time, Wrapping it up

I've mentioned that this year I did almost all of my Christmas shopping online. The boxes have been arriving and are stacked in my extra bedroom. Every year I do the stocking presents for my Mom and Dad. I started this tradition several years ago and have continued it filling their stockings with fun ornaments, jewelry and socks. I would shop the days after Christmas and find really good deals on everything.

Last year after Christmas I had so much going on that I did not shop the after Christmas sales. Over the summer I did not look for little stocking presents. So yesterday my mind went into full panic mode regarding what I was going to put in their stockings. Not only do I have their stockings now but also my Grandmommy stays with us on Christmas Eve night and I help my mom fill her stocking as well.

I knew that Marshalls usually has good stocking items. I decided I would figure out a way to get there last night. I left work, went to the grocery store. I'm making dinner tonight and had no food to actually fix. The menu is beef stroganoff with a side of steamed veggies and a pineapple cherry dump cake for dessert. A quick trip through the grocery store and I was on my way home. I threw a load of laundry in the washing machine, fixed my dinner, loved on Jack.

At a little after 7 I left to go to the gym but I decided to stop at Marshall's on my way. I went through and found some mugs for my grandmother, some Christmas wash cloths for my Mom and Gmommy, a pocket flashlight and magnifying tool for my dad and then I realized that I needed to also finish off Joe's gift.

For Christmas he said he would love to have a season of The Office. I found Season 1 & 2 on Amazon and they arrived last week. I decided in addition to this I would purchase a warm blanket, they had really nice blankets for a great price in a color that goes with what he already has. I noticed his house is kind of cold so this would be a good thing to have.

I made my purchases and headed to the gym. While trying to run my mind was racing. I needed to finish up Joe's Christmas gift, I decided Jack is going to give him a nice big coffee mug and coffee so he has something to enjoy while relaxing on the couch. I decided I could get my Mom and Gmommy wall flowers from Bath and Body Works, and I needed to go to Hallmark to get gift bags for gifts I was giving my coworkers today.

I had 4 coworkers who I did gifts for and I needed 2 bags. I could not handle the panic feeling while trying to run so after a mile I hopped off. Shortest time I've ever spent at the gym.

I went back to Marshalls and found the coffee mug and coffee. Ran into Bath and Body Works and got the wall flowers and then went to Hallmark to get the bags. Fortunately all these are conveniently located in the same strip.

I got home and put another load of laundry in. I finally put away the summer clothes that have been sitting in their storage bags waiting to go in the underneath storage. I had to pull out my wrapping paper from the underneath storage so it was a good time to go ahead and put that away. I wrapped presents, all the while Jack was giving me kisses as I was trying to cut and tape.

I felt bad for cutting the gym time short but I was able to get all of Joe's Christmas wrapped as well as my coworkers so I figure I will buckle back down after the holidays on my workouts. I hope to do a kickboxing class on Wednesday at 5:30 but we'll see how much wrapping I'm able to get done tonight. Joe has volunteered to help after dinner so I'm going to put him to work. He can at least keep me company if nothing else!

How is it that Christmas is already here???? I am just amazed at how fast time has flown by!!!

Weekend in Review

Yesterday I left work and my brain hurt. I like a good challenge but yesterday was all challenges!!

This past weekend I worked Friday night. Saturday night I was up and ran 6 miles on the treadmill. I wasn't sure when the rain was going to start and I don't run in cold rain. Not my thing! After the gym I had to get ready for my Grandmother's annual Christmas lunch. Before lunch I ran Jack over to the Grandparents for his overnight visit.

The plan was for all of us to meet at Cracker Barrel at 1:30. When you have 13 people in your group it means you are going to have to wait. Sure enough we were given a 25 minute wait time. Realistically that isn't bad at all but I was going to be pushed to get home and changed for work. Charlotte traffic on a Saturday during the holidays does not move quickly.

Fortunately I was able to order my food first and eat before I had to be at work. I was home and changed and at work on time. That night we were busy but not crazy busy. Friday night we had 250 guests, Saturday night we had about 200. I love working the holidays when it's busy and the nights move so quickly.

Sunday morning I woke up and got ready and I was on the road by 7:30. Driving to Asheville I was NOT in a good mood. I realized when I looked at the directions that the estimated time was 2 hours and 40 minutes. I thought it would only take about 2 hours and I had said I would be there around 9:30. I thought about how I DON'T want to spend my day off driving and I DON'T want to be in a long distance relationship. I was thinking I don't even know if I really like this guy and I wish I hadn't asked to do this.

One of my concerns with Joe had been the previous times we were together I struggled getting him to talk. I would try to ask questions but our conversations would fall flat. I knew that he was somewhat shy and I tried to make allowances but this fact bothered me a lot. With JM from the moment we met the conversation was easy. I realized driving that I could not compare the two guys, they are worlds apart different from one another. JM talks for a living. He's all talk and no substance as evidenced by how he treated me. I knew I had to keep an opened mind about Joe.

Sunday was my idea. I have wanted to get back to the Biltmore Estate for several years now. Each time I've had tentative plans they have fallen through. When Joe and I first started talking I suggested that we go and see the Biltmore all decorated for Christmas.

I arrived at his house at 9:45, so the trip wasn't much more than 2 hours. He showed me his place. It's a work in progress. The upstairs is bedrooms the downstairs I really like. It's all open kitchen, dining room and living room. Very nice porch, definitely a place with potential!!

After 2 cups of coffee I started to feel human and a lot less snarky. I probably should have stopped and purchased coffee if not food on my way up and I might have felt better sooner.

Sunday Joe kept up a running stream of conversation allowing me to be quiet and just observe. I helped navigate to the Biltmore and we found parking and took the shuttle to the house. We walked through with out guide books at just the right pace.

I don't do well in very crowded tight places and there were a lot of people! At times I would have to step back in order not to feel so crowded. The place was beautifully decorated for Christmas!! The tour starts you off on the main floor and then takes you up to the first, second and third floor and you finish through the basement. It's not confusing as there are signs and ropes to guide you along. You can purchase headphones or a behind the scenes tour but we just used our guidebooks to go through the house.

By the time we finished it was almost 2pm and I was STARVING!!!! Outside the house in what used to be the courtyard/stable area they have shops and places to eat. We split a pizza that was delicious!!! They looked at us like we were crazy when we ordered a whole pizza but it was only 3 slices a piece and I could have eaten more after we finished.

Once lunch was demolished we took the shuttle back to the car and then drove over to more shops and the vineyard. We didn't do the vineyard tour but we did do the wine tasting. Honest opinion the Biltmore wine is not my favorite. I have always believed it to be over priced and there are better NC vineyard wines. It was Joe's first wine tasting so it was definitely fun to share that experience with him!!

We hung out for a little while back at his place. I wanted to pick up Jack and have some down time so I was on the road by 4. I had such an amazing day and was completely lost in my thoughts as I was driving. I've driven this route many times before because it's the same way I used to go when MFT lived in Knoxville.

On my way to Asheville I took 85S to 74W to 26W to 40W. On my way home I took 40E to 26E and then I should have taken 74E… Didn't happen, driving along lost in my thoughts I passed the sign that said welcome to SC and I realized with a start that I had missed the 74E exit. I knew this wasn't a big deal. MFT now lives in Greenville, SC and I frequently pass this 26 exit on 85 when driving to visit. I knew where I was going to be on 85 once I reached it and I knew that I had just gone a little out of my way.

I called my Mom to let her know what I had done and that I was going to a little later then I anticipated. Fortunately the total time this detour added to my trip was not a lot. I was able to fill up my gas tank for 2.69 a gallon which was a nice. I can honestly say I have NEVER been so lost in my thoughts that I missed my turn or exit, it was a very good day!!!

Bathtime

Last night after the Christmas party I had the time to give Jack a bath. I might be the meanest puppy mom ever for giving him a bath on his birthday but it's hard to find the time to bathe him. This shot is when he's all dry and I've just told him we're done.

These next couple shots are when I'm running the hair dryer. I don't want him to get sick so I use the hair dryer. I've done this since he was a baby so he's actually used to it and it really does not freak him out. He make me twist around so he's between my calves and I'm twisted at the waist taking these pictures.

I had to get pictures because the insulted faces he gives me are just too good not to capture. I promise despite the faces you see he is not being abused he's just been washed, and dried. He sheds so much that the best way to cut down on all the dog hair is to bathe him regularly (and by that I mean about once a month).

It doesn't come naturally

Last night I had an agency holiday party to attend. Truth be told I did not have to go but I was told it would be a good idea. Driving home from the party I thought about where I've been and how far I've come…

I'm going to back track for a moment. Growing up I was shy. My mom would get so upset with me when we would be in groups of people and I would not talk to anyone. I was a member of a patriotic youth organization, Children of the American Revolution (CAR). My first state conference was in Charlotte and I was 8 years old. I made friends with MFT and we saw each other the next year at state conference in Raleigh. I only wanted to talk to my friend and my mom wanted me to talk to other people.

Looking back I can completely understand but for me I had no desire to go talk to complete strangers even if they were my own age. I was awkward looking and probably strange and my friend MFT was little and cute I felt lucky that we were friends.

As the years went on my Mom was always on my case about being more outgoing. At the time it was really difficult. I ran for my first state office when I was in 8th grade and I won. I think I ran un-opposed though. I LOVED being a state officer!! I worked my way up and by my junior year of high school I was elected State President. With this group I had confidence in myself. I presided over meetings and I had the best Senior State President ever!!!

CAR is set up where the members hold the office and they have a senior officer who helps to guide and direct how they do their role. It's a very unique group and I learned that I could stand in front of huge groups and give reports and I was capable of talking to people. I travelled that summer after my junior year of high school as State President with a few members of National Board. There is state level and then National Level. Because of that experience I decided I wanted to run for a national office.

CAR National Board travels in the summertime to 9 different regions. They present (through skits) the programs for the year. As a patriotic youth organization these programs promote learning more about history and the community. The skits are based on movies or cartoons that are popular. Example one of the summers that I participated on tour Austin Powers was a hit movie and we had an Austin Powers skit. The national chairman who came up with the program would also create the skit and provide the props for that skit. It was a fun fun time!!

If you were a national board member you would arrive the night before the regional, and have skit practice, then skit practice again the next morning working out all the kinks from before and figuring out the lay of the new conference room. Then that night we would have our first meeting and then a pool party or some kind of member party after. The next morning we would have the second part of our skits and then it would be done. Afterwards we would go tour someplace that was a destination of interest for where we were staying. Example when South Central Region was in New Orleans we went to the zoo. When Mid Southern was in Charleston, West Virginia we took a boat ride on the water. After the tour we would then have a formal banquet and different societies from the region would be recognized for different accomplishments. Then national board would pack it all up and move on the next region.

I finished up my year as State President for NC in March and then in April I ran for Southeastern Regional Vice President. I lost to a guy from Florida. However I was tapped to be a national chairman so regional tour was next up for me.

That June after my senior year of high school I flew out to Seattle Washington for Western Regional. I flew home for college orientation and then flew into St. Louis for Great Plains Regional. From there I caught a ride to Nashville for Mid Southern Regional. Then we carpooled down to New Orleans, LA for South Central Regional. From New Orleans to Huntsville, AL for Southeastern Regional, I travelled with a friend and fellow board member to Kentucky for a rest day and then we drove on to Indianapolis, IN for Great Lakes Regional. Indianapolis over to DC for Eastern Regional and then we finished the tour in New Hampshire for New England Regional.

The memories I have are incredible!!! I learned how to talk to people, how to be outgoing, how to play a role and come out of my shell.

My experiences have served me well. I've taken that knowledge and grown. As a restaurant hostess I've learned that your presence commands a hostess stand and if you don't let on that you're overwhelmed then it goes a long ways towards keeping the first impression a good one. On the particularly insane restaurant nights (ie New Years and Valentines) I go in dressed to kill and with my best face on. I know that in a few hours it will all be over and done with and if all goes well it will be a huge success!!

Back to last nights party. Instead of hiding in a corner and only talking to one or two people I made it a point to mingle. Although I mostly was only in one area I had so many different people that I talked to. While it still does not come naturally to me I've learned that a smile and the right questions will go a long ways towards conversation!!

Window

Because I had my holiday lunch today my sweet Dad went over to my place to let Jack out at lunch. He caught a picture of Jack in the window. This is what I come home to every day. Jack perches on the couch and puts his head around the blinds. When I'm leaving he watches and makes me feel guilty!



This is the face that I get when I tell him I have to go back to work. Dad snapped this one right before he left. The ears, oh those ears get me!!!

Holiday Party - Mrs. Clause

Today we had our holiday office party, here's a before picture. I'm sorry it's blurry I didn't take it but I wanted to show you the before because the after gets embarrassing, a little bit...


We were given a paper bag and broken up into teams, think the bride in a bag game except it was santa. I was the only girl, the youngest, and the least tenured member of our team. So that meant that I was going to be the one to wear the costume. I agreed because really I'm not creative, AT ALL when it comes to stuff like this and I figured I would have it the easiest.


I determined I needed a fur collar and cuffs, we took the tissue paper and made a skirt and tied it with a black belt, then no outfit would be complete without a wand...


And here I am, slightly embarrassed but it was fun. I didn't win, but I think it counts that I participated and I was the only Mrs. Clause :)

Holiday Party

My department had our Holiday party today. Food was provided from Boston Market, YUM!!!! Then if we wanted to we could contribute a dessert. I wasn't sure if I would have time so I did not sign up. When I make certain cookies I don't need a recipe. Last night when I realized I had time I had to google peanut butter cookie recipes. I thought I had everything I would need but it had been so long since I made that kind of cookie I needed to make certain I didn't forget something.

The cookies were a huge success today. They are chewy and delicious!!! Here's the recipe and I modified so since it's just a basic recipe I don't really have any particular person or site to give credit to.

1C butter
1C peanut butter (your preference crunchy or creamy)
1C granulated sugar
1C brown sugar (you can pack it I just dumped a bunch in and figured it was the equivalent of a cup)
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 (ish) cups of all purpose flour

It helps to melt the butter first, this makes it MUCH easier to mix. Add the peanut butter, sugars, eggs, baking powder, baking soda and vanilla. Then add the first cup of flour and mix til blended. Add the next cup of flour and mix. The consistency you need the dough to be is roll-able. Add enough additional flour to where you can pick the dough up in your fingers and form a ball without it being sticky and without it crumbling.
On a greased cookie sheet place the dough balls. I dumped sugar on top of each ball. You can also roll them in a bowl of granulated sugar. I took a fork and criss-crossed the cookies, flattening them and then put a little more sugar on top of them. Bake at 375 depending on how big you make the cookies for 8-10 minutes.

Cool on wire racks, I usually just lift the foil out of the cookie sheet and place on my wire rack. Really flimsy foil won't allow you to do this but if you use heavy duty it works.

Winter Weather in December?

I live in Charlotte, NC our average hight temperature this time of year is 54 the forecast for today calls for our high to be 43.
Usually we get a little ice or a little snow; some years more some years less. Today the weathermen were ramping it up, because when we have the potential for ice or snow, you better watch out, you better get to the grocery store to buy out the bread and milk because what if you never ever get to leave your house again… They had an hour by hour watch of what was happening.
I woke up this morning to rain, yes it was cold but mostly just wet. The city went ahead and salted my roads yesterday that I had to travel in for work, for that I was extremely thankful!!! The overpasses, bridges, and secondary roads were an absolute nightmare this morning. You would be driving along and hit a patch of ice and be spinning out. Fortunately I don't have to deal with those roads. I also don't have to deal with the highways anymore, and when you were getting off the ramps there were a lot of accidents and closures.
I had icy patches at my house and icy patches here in the parking lot at work but for the most part it was not bad. This snow and ice stuff, eh, I'm just thankful that I only have to deal with it for short amounts of time. The beauty of living in this city, next week it could be in the 60's.

New Banner

Thank you Thank you Thank you to my friend Heather!!!! I had an email and as a Christmas present she did this new cool banner for my blog!!! She also did the banner before this one!! I was SO EXCITED to receive this present!!

Pictures from Saturday 12/11/10

I truly wish I had taken pictures at the very start of this race because we were actually running through uptown(or downtown) Charlotte and it was a very cool feeling. This first house is on Colville and was fairly early into the race. The houses along this route were really fun to look at!

What is really difficult to tell in this picture is this house below had an awesome purple and gold wreathe display above the door that I wanted to take with me!!

This picture was taken on Providence Rd. The traffic backed all the way to Sharon Amity and driver were honking and cheering realizing that they were completely stuck and were going to be waiting for a while. Having been stuck in race traffic before I know the feeling of frustration when you are running late and realize that there is no way out!! However it made for a cool picture to see all the runners and all the traffic!!

Once you made it across the finish line there was a sign saying Welcome to Victory Lane

I noticed that in this picture I caught a runner, you can see her medal, she's still trying to catch her breath!

This was our view of the city as we came across the finish line

Later on that afternoon after the race I drove to Asheville and I caught a picture of how beautiful the drive up there is!!

The story of Jack Banner

Driving on my way back to work yesterday I was thinking about how long it took me to be ready to have a dog. I dated guys who had dogs and I loved their dogs and the lack of responsibility I had towards those dogs. While dating KS in 2008 I realized that I was ready for a puppy love of my own.
I knew that with my crazy schedule I would have to wait. In January of 2009 I got a picture message from a friend of mine regarding a dog she and her boyfriend found. Someone had dumped him on the side of Banner Elk Mountain and fortunately they found him and rescued him. I fell in love but at the time with no roommate I realized that I couldn't adopt Banner. February 2009 I had a roommate move in who when I talked to her about the possibility of a dog she was all for it.


Baby Jack February 2009

February 13, 2009 I was killing time at lunch just to get out of the office. I was at Pet Smart at Northlake and they were setting up a little cage area. I asked for details, looked at pictures and filled out the necessary referral form.

I went back that afternoon after work. I held all the little puppies and talked to the foster parents. I asked which one was the sleeper and eater and they told me Jack. Jack was definitely one of the more mellow puppies. If you were to meet him now you would wonder how his brothers and sisters turned out if he was the mellow one! I looked at his adorableness and decided that this little dog was coming home with me. I picked up the crate and the food and a few toys. I had just received my tax return and decided that this would be my Valentines present to myself.

Jack rode home on my lap, all 2.9 pounds of him. That night he met his grandparents for the first time, and he promptly stole his Grandma's heart.

The first week Jack was home I kept thinking about Banner, the other dog who I had wanted to adopt. I would look at Jack and think Banner and so the name Jack Banner was decided. He's called many things, and he answers when he wants to. He entertains himself and still sleeps quite a bit during the day to the best of my knowledge. When he's mad at me I know it because he leaves me piles to clean up.

Jack Banner turns 2 tomorrow and I'm so glad that I made the decision to adopt him that cold February day in 2009. I'm also so glad that I waited as long as I did. The puppy baby stage is adorable, the puppy toddler stage is a lesson in patience. I cleaned up disgusting messes, picked up things with nothing more than a square of toilet paper. I've been thankful many times over that I have a slipcover on my couch and washable cushion covers underneath that!!

Jack April 2009

Jack in May 2009

When that puppy snuggles next to me or looks at me with that sweet face and those adorable ears, he pretty much gets whatever he wants!! As my brother will tell you, he's the most consistent guy in my life! In the time I've had him I've dated… let's just say that my brother has a point!

Jack Fall 2010

What was waiting for me

Had this been anything else I would have found it to be too much. This was just right.

This cute little guy was holding these flowers for me at my door when I went home at lunch to let JB out. I’m very aware that usually when the guy starts off like this it fizzles quickly. Let’s look at JM and how he completely had me within a week. Then suddenly he disappeared.

While this is incredibly sweet and I’m interested and intrigued I’m also just waiting for the other shoe to drop, is that awful?

Yesterday he sent me pics of the snow in Asheville and the last 2 he had drawn hearts in the snow, cheesiness at it’s best and yet to me it was sweet. So at first I made fun of him a little bit but then I told him that I really did appreciate the pictures.

It would be nice to think that this one might actually last for longer then a week but I’m too wary after what happened last time to not be more cautious this time.

Saturday after the run and Sunday babysitting

My official chip time for the Charlotte 1/2 was 2:12:33 I was ecstatic when I saw that time!! I had an appointment at the Mazda dealership at 12:30 and there had been a twist in my Saturday afternoon plans. Originally the plan was Joe was going to come to Charlotte and we were going to go bowling. Unfortunately he wrenched his knee on Wednesday. I get a text telling me he was in urgent care, followed immediately by we are still on for Saturday. I said to keep me posted. When I got out of the restaurant that night I had a message that he had doctors orders to stay off the knee for 7 days. I had already formulated a new plan because I already knew bowling was out. I talked to my co-hostess and we determined that Wild Wings would be a good place to go for a casual easy date. They have trivia and I figured this would give us an ice breaker. He told me that we were still on for Saturday after the text about the doctors orders. I started thinking about his knee and how he needed to stay off of it. He moved out of his temporary room that he was renting on Thursday with the help of his roommate who also drove him back to where his house is. I told him that he didn't need to drive 2 hours to Charlotte with his knee being the way it is right now. He said that he was coming because he wanted to meet me. I told him that he was not driving two hours that I was going to come to him. I could not in good consciousness allow him to drive with his knee being messed up. I knew that had I not said I would drive to him he was going to drive to me. Once the dealership took care of my car I took off for the mountains. It was a beautiful drive and I did fine until I reached the actual city then I took a wrong turn. 30 minutes later I found my way back and we were able to meet. We had agreed to meet at Buffalo Wild Wings up there and we sat and talked for 2 hours. Then I had to head back because Jack Banner did not work with the set plan for him. He was supposed to spend quality time with his aunt NH but instead he barked and growled at her and would not come out of his crate. I didn't plan on staying up there late anyways and I was so exhausted from the day that it worked out for the best. I left at 7:30 and I was home by 9:30. It was such a full day and I had no idea how exhausted I was until my head hit the pillow. Yes there is another date planned with Joe.

This morning I woke up and headed to church at the church I used to go to. The message was phenomenal!! I held my friend KH's little boy Valentine E on my lap and he fell asleep it was the sweetest thing. E will be 4 Valentine's day 2011. After church I ran home to let JB out then headed over to KH's I was babysitting for her and her hubby. The plan had originally been to go to the Panthers game but since it was raining she didn't want to go sit in the rain to watch them lose so instead they went Christmas shopping. Valentine E played the whole time and his little brother, who will be 2 in March, took a 2 hour nap. They were both so much fun and we had a wonderful time!! Tonight I'm trying to work up the motivation to do chores, so far I've not made it off the couch...

Charlotte 1/2 Marathon

I worked last night and fortunately my co-hostess closed for me so I could get home and in bed before midnight. I was excited for this morning and ready to run today. I was to be at my friend's house at 6:30 so that meant I had to leave my house somewhere between 6:10 and 6:15. I set the alarm and I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. When the alarm went off at 5 i didn't hear it. When it went off at 5:10 I did hear it. I also set a 5:20 alarm and with that one I was slowly coming back to consciousness. I dragged myself out of bed at 5:30 and took Jack out. I was debating on whether or not to wear tights. I do not own running tights but I knew that it was cold and I knew that I would either be really thankful for the decision or find it to be the biggest mistake to date. Fortunately I was really thankful. When I took JB out I had a feel for the temperature, while cold it was not as bad as it had been earlier in the week. I decided to go ahead and risk it and put on the tights, my running pants, my heavy long sleeve running shirt and I wore a running Jacket that S purchased for me last year for Christmas, I did get a few good things out of that one, that's for sure!! Actually the pants and long sleeve shirt were part of that Christmas gift as well but back to the subject. So I dressed and said bye to Jack and headed out. My friend purchased a bagel for me but I don't eat before a race so I saved it for after. We arrived uptown and were able to wait in the Convention Center. When I ran in Atlanta we had to wait the entire time outside and it was so chilly!!! I was definitely thankful to have the inside waiting area! After waiting in line forever for the bathroom we made our way to the start. We probably should have left sooner then we did because it was a ridiculous cluster trying to get to our spot, the spectators were mixed in with participants and it was incredibly confusing. We ended up waiting to see our time sign and going through the gate to run with that group. It worked out, so that's what matters.

My friend, who usually runs faster then me, set a 10 minute per mile pace. I was happy with this, and I was able to stay with her up until mile 10 and pushed for a little after that. Unfortunately I started to feel my stomach roll. This is NOT something you want to happen when you are trying to make it through the last few miles. I had a similar experience in Miami. I kept up with S until about mile 11 and my stomach started rolling. Today I had to walk for a minute during mile 11 hoping it would ease up so I could make it to the finish. I was so not happy because other than my stomach I was fine. I contemplated stopping at porta potties that I passed but I felt like I could make it to the finish and I did not want to stop, 1 because porta potties are nasty and 2 because if I stopped I probably wouldn't be able to run til the finish, I just needed to keep going, and I did. The last bit of this race I focused on Isaiah 40:31 "but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." I also thought about Philippians 4:13 "I can do all this through him who gives me strength". It was all I could do to finish but I did and I ran and I was soooooo glad to see that finish line!!!! Once I stopped running my stomach settled down enough that I was able to actually make it home, barely.

I set out to run this race faster then Miami. I also thought about the fact that I wanted to run it at a 10 minute per mile pace. When I was able to maintain that pace, or a little better for the first 10 miles I was thrilled!!! I was extremely disappointed to have to slow down but there was absolutely no way I could make it to the finish unless I slowed down. I ran Miami at 2:21:20 and it was a mostly flat course. I ran the ATL 13.1 at 2:26:43, I had to walk more than once and the hill at mile 11 was brutal. Today was hilly but I'm used to these hills. The route we ran, much of it I knew and was completely familiar with. To me there is something so incredibly cool about running in your city and seeing your streets as a runner. While there was a long steep hill up providence that caused me to cramp otherwise I was ok. Race times have not yet been posted but as of right now I know that I ran this one at somewhere between 2:14-2:15, official time to come :)

Packet Pick up, JB & Friday

Yesterday afternoon I left work knowing I had to go pick up my race packet, which just consisted of my number, chip and the T-Shirt. In order to be more green Run For Your Life sends a virtual goody bag and you can print off the coupons and things that you want. Which is fine with me, I would always forget to ever use any of the coupons that were in my race bag.
I was dreading having to go to the Convention Center. Usually when I go Uptown I take a cab, however last night that would have been a lot of money to spend considering that I just needed to run in and grab my stuff and leave again. The expo was set up and was very nice from what I could tell but I don't look at stuff that I can't afford and so I just glanced at the various people who were set up as I was winding my way around to where packet pick up was located. Anyways, I texted a few different people to see if they wanted to accompany me, I wasn't sure where I would park and I knew it would be dark so I was nervous about having to walk by myself. Unfortunately everyone was already busy with other things so I decided to put on the big girl panties and be a grown up about it. I mapquested my directions, it's not difficult to get to the convention center from my house, it's actually not difficult to get anywhere uptown from my house but the street patterns and and traffic make it an adventure!! I paid the ridiculous $10 fee to park in the lot directly across from the CC and went in. I was there for less than 15 minutes and parking was not validated which to me is something that they need to change, because seriously $10???? I was proud of myself for the ease in which I arrived, found parking, got in and back to my car and home again.
My dog is apparently very ticked off at me for being gone so much this week. He actually pooped not once but twice on my rug. Usually he lets me know that he needs to go out. We have a routine and he does really well. When he takes to acting out like this I know it's because he is feeling neglected. Fortunately it was an easy clean up of taking a paper towel, picking up, flushing and taking the anti bacterial stuff to the carpet but he soooo knows better!!!
I'm thankful that today is Friday, I'm backing up a coworker who is on a cruise, I think she got the better end of this deal!! I can't get over how fast this week flew by!! I was thinking this morning about how excited I was last week for my visitor who was arriving last Friday night. This morning I woke up looking forward to my race tomorrow and the date I have tomorrow afternoon with Joe…

Upcoming Race

I suppose with the craziness of my week I should not be surprised that it's Thursday already. My last 1/2 marathon for 2010 is now less than 2 days away. I did not train for this one as much as I did for Atlanta but I have trained as much as my schedule would allow. I was pleasantly surprised to come back from Atlanta and immediately be able to run. It took me a very long time to recover from the Miami 1/2. When I was able to run 9 miles 2 weeks after Atlanta I realized that the Charlotte 1/2 was actually a possibility and so I began ramping up my training again. My last long run was the Friday after Thanksgiving. I'm hoping that it will be enough to carry me through on Saturday. I'm so nervous about parking. Uptown is not user friendly when it comes to finding your way around and especially when it comes to parking. I have no issues anywhere else is this sprawling city except uptown.
I'm excited for Saturday and I'm thankful that the forecast is warmer then what it has been during the early part of this week! It also says cloudy but the rain shouldn't arrive until Sunday. Tonight I go to pick up my race packet and then tomorrow night I have to close at the restaurant. Even if I'm not out til 11 I should still be ok for race morning. I like the fact that during the crush of the holiday busy-ness I will not be trying to train for anything.
As far as upcoming races I am contemplating the Atlanta 1/2 in March. Fingers crossed that Lisa and I are chosen for the DC Cherry Blossom 10 mile race that is coming up in April!!! We will know one way or another on Monday! There are several 5K's and 4milers that I will probably sign up for locally depending on my schedule with both work and training for the longer races. I'm excited, I'm starting to see a speed increase in my running and this makes me very happy!! To date I have absolutely no desire to run a full marathon. I'm in awe of those of you who can but I have enough trouble trying to eke out the time to train for a 1/2!!

Roommate Search

The roommate search continues. I had a message on roomster so I paid for the 3 day membership, then my friend came into town last Friday and I forgot to cancel so the awful auto renew that I despise kicked in and I was charged for the month, and I've cancelled but I was already charged. Which means that I go on more often and look more frequently trying to get the most out of my $30.
I've had 3 guys contact me, one of whom I thought was very nice. However, I have a very small space. I have 1 bathroom. I've discovered that I am just not comfortable with a strange guy in my space, no matter how nice he might be. It's an adjustment enough when another girl moves in. It would be different if I had a place that had 2 bathrooms then I would be more open to a guy roommate. I've contemplated changing my mind on this but when it comes down to it I realize that it's my apartment and I need to do what's right for me. I contacted a young woman but she was not ok with my no overnight guys policy. I explained my reason for doing this in my profile. When you have a very small space it becomes even smaller with 3 people constantly there. I've also said that this is something that can be negotiated once I get to know my roommate. With Miss K it had reached the point where had she wanted to she knew she could invite someone over to stay. She nor I had anyone over while the other was there because the place is just too small. Normally this is a non issue. My roommate before Miss K spent all her time at her boyfriends place and I spent a great deal of time at S's place on the weekends so it worked out well. Most guys don't even like my place because they feel it is too small and my TV is old and I don't have cable or satellite.
I had a girl contact me this morning and she said she wasn't ok with the dog. If you're not ok with my dog then you probably don't want to live in a condo that is only 654 square feet with one. I politely responded to her that if she wasn't ok with the dog then my place probably is not what she is looking for. Meanwhile I'm enjoying having my own time in my own place without having to share with anyone else. The room is currently holding all of my Christmas gifts and while I do miss and eventually will need the rent money I'm definitely enjoying the roommate respite for now!!

Is it really December??

Somehow we're already 8 days into December. I keep blinking and suddenly we've moved forward months at a time. What a year this has been. October 25 would have been one year with S. I'm so thankful that I didn't continue on with a situation that wasn't working. I tried hard, I rationalized, I made excuses but when it came down to it I was so angry, frustrated, and irritated there was no other option but to end it. Probably what gets me more than anything is the fact that he should have broken up with me instead. He got mad at me for ending the relationship over email but he didn't have the guts to break up with me. I mention this because for the first 6 months of 2010 I was dating him, we dated for 8 months total. He played a significant role in 2010. I was able to travel to Miami, I realized I was capable of running a 1/2 marathon, I recognized running burnout and changed out my April 1/2 to an April 10K instead. I learned how to accept and let go of things but also when to acknowledge that sometimes there are things to me that are just too important to overlook. I realized that despite having fantastic attributes sometimes a good on paper guy is just that, only good on paper. When it comes to real life it's settling and you have to let them go.
When I broke up with him at the end of June suddenly I realized that life isn't so bad on your own. I had a roommate move in who was young and beautiful and fun. We went out and had good times and I learned that there are times when it's important to give yourself time and space to learn more about you. I had the best birthday where I went with friends to a vineyard and went out for a girls night and heard things about myself that were hard to hear but made me think. I didn't allow a guy I wasn't interested in keep me from going to brunch the following morning with my friends. I came into 31 realizing that for the first time in my life I was happy and content. In September I reconnected with an old friend who is as crazy as ever. I realized that the way to maintain our friendship is enjoy him but always remember that he will never be anything more than who he is and accept it and never let him get past a certain point with me. My friend who came to town this past weekend another example of accepting someone for who he is and never letting him past a certain point. To some extent they will both always have a little bit of effect on me but I know that neither can ever offer what I really would like to find, so instead they become fabulous distractions who are a lot of fun!
In October I signed up with Match in order to see what might happen. I had the date with Knoxville boy and while initially things started off well it fizzled out fast. I still hear from him but because of the way that I feel regarding how he has acted I have no intention of hanging out with him again. When he was beginning to fade out of the picture was when I met JM. JM was significant. It had been so long since I felt that way towards anyone. When I explain about our first date I still feel the way I felt that night. When I remember meeting him out for a drink the night his flight landed back in town and how we sat and talked for way too long, I still remember everything that was said. I completely let my guard down and while I got hurt I also realized that I'm still capable of feeling that way and to know that this isn't dead gives me hope for the future.
I have been at my full time job for a year and I'm blessed. I have a job that I understand and I'm good at and allows me room for growth. I'm not constantly on egg shells and I do not dread being in the office Monday through Friday. I look forward to coming to work, as much as you can look forward to coming in and sitting at a cubicle for 8 hours a day. The restaurant where I had worked for just shy of 2 years closed in August. I walked away from a restaurant that was not a good fit, and accepted that I could find something better for me, and I did. I enjoy the restaurant where I work now and while we are still working out the kinks of being new it's an excellent fit for me! Plus I'm working with one of my very favorite people again. The event coordinator from the other restaurant left there to work at this restaurant and is actually the reason that I'm at this new place! As we head into the holidays I'm excited for the business and festitivities of the season!
This year has been one of coming into my own. Learning myself, knowing when to let go and when to hold on and when to fight, learning not to give up and believe in myself. I've been tremendously blessed and I'm thankful for what I have and what is yet to come!

Email Forward: Letter about Christmas

I just had to share, I like the points made.

Letter from Jesus about Christmas --
It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season. How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. If you want to celebrate My birth, just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.Now, having said that let Me go on. If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn't allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santas and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn. If all My followers did that there wouldn't be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town. Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching, explaining who I am in relation to you and what each of our tasks were. If you have forgotten that one, look up John 15: 1 - 8. If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is my wish list. Choose something from it: 1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time. 2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them. 3. Instead of writing the President complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don't you write and tell him that you'll be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up... It will be nice hearing from you again. 4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them. 5 Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her. 6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don't know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile; it could make the difference. 7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a "Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping there on Sunday. If the store didn't make so much money on that day they'd close and let their employees spend the day at home with their families 8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary-- especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard My name. 9. Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no "Christmas" tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don't know them, buy some food and a few gifts and give them to the Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in Me and they will make the delivery for you. 10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do things in secret that you wouldn't do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine. Don't forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I'll take care of all the rest. Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I'll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love and remember I LOVE YOU, JESUS

It really is true . . . Jesus Is The Reason For The Season so don't X Him out

Procrastination

I ran out of K-Cups yesterday at work and this morning I had no coffee, so now I'm struggling!! I went home at lunch to take Jack Banner out and the temperature was around 32 degrees, that is cold! When I arrived and walked in the door he had ensconced himself on the love seat on top of the folded blanket and in between the pillows, never mind the fact that he has the entire other couch with his very own comforter and pillow set up to keep him warm. My dog can move a lot faster when he is out in the cold, he hustles in order to get back inside.
My tire light came on yesterday morning and I'm pretty sure it's just because of the drastic temperature drop but I probably still need to take it over and get this done, just not sure when this is going to happen… I have to pick up my race packet on Thursday night which requires finding parking uptown, I am not excited about this.
The plans for Saturday include bowling, I'm hoping my arm is recovered by then because right now it's still really hurting. I'm trying hard to keep in perspective that we haven't yet met because right now based off phone email and texting I really like this one.
I have a stack of busy work at my desk that really does need to be done but it means I have to look up each policy. I know better than to procrastinate on this and yet I do this to myself every single time.
I really want to see the movie Burlesque with Christina Aguilera we talked about going this past weekend but went bowling instead. If you've never been to an actual burlesque show it can be a lot of fun!! I went to one in Atlanta when I was dating BT.
I know I put a lot of information on this blog and I'm curious how searchable it is. I googled the name and it didn't come up but if you google Charbelle it's the first thing that comes up.
I better focus on that busy work I talked about and actually try to knock some of it out…

Running and cutting loose

Tonight was my one free night this week which meant I had to get a run in. I also agreed to talk to Joe on the phone tonight. I might have mentioned I am so NOT a phone person. I will text or email all day long but having to talk on the phone falls low on my list of how I want to spend my time. However, I'm curious enough about this guy that I was willing to allow for a phone conversation date. I figured if I asked for 9 that would give me time to get home and get everything done. I spent time with Jack, went to the gym and got a fantastic loosening run in. I don't think I mentioned this earlier. When I went bowling on Saturday I hadn't been in years. Today I was feeling the impact of all those games we played. Also on one of my times up I nailed the back side part of my knee with the 10lb bowling ball, I have a huge bruise fortunately this did not effect my ability to run.

I got out of the gym and had a text from the Engineer, "when will I get to see you again?" I had explained last week that this week is crazy and I guess I did not mention that I will not have next weeks schedule until Friday of this week. So I texted back and said that honestly I'm not sure the next time I will be free. We once again went back and forth. I told him that I had unhidden my profile Thanksgiving weekend because I was bored and then he emailed me and we went out and then my life got crazy. I guess for me I keep coming back to the knowledge that he reminds me so much of AP, and I know that to continue to see him would be leading him on. So when he pushed me about when we would see each other and whether or not I was interested I answered this way. Please do not wait on me I do not know when my schedule will become less crazy. Perhaps if my life was not the way it is now and the timing was different I might feel differently. Funny enough I heard this timing reason just last week from JM. And probably for JM there is another woman in his life because I just have a feeling. For me while I do have another date lined up with Joe this Saturday I also just realized that I can't create something from nothing.

The engineer answered the phone 2 or 3 times while we were on our date when his Dad was calling because otherwise his Dad would have just kept calling. I completely understand being close with your parents but to me that seems a bit excessive. The engineer was all about his house and boat and car and while there is absolutely nothing wrong with this the flip side of it is the fact that I really could care less. I also saw the writing on the wall, I would be the one having to move my life his way, because this is just the way it goes. Both of my jobs are close to my house when I have to travel up that way it adds a LOT of time, miles and the gas expense factor which then stresses me out. Perhaps if I had really clicked with this guy the way I did with JM this would have all been non issues. When I really like someone I am more than willing to try and figure out how to make it happen. Joe lives 2 hours away from me but I have a feeling that if things go well we will figure out a way to make it work. I could already tell as sweet and accommodating as the engineer was he was also very set in his ways. He had the option of coming to Charlotte on Saturday night and gave me the excuse that he would have gotten lost and instead I had to drive to meet him. I could see the writing on the wall but because of the kid factor, knowing the he's looking to not waste time and find someone and have the marriage and kids I was hesitant to cut him loose. However, that's really not fair to either of us. I've said all along I don't want to settle and when I got really honest with myself I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt to have continued with him would have been settling. Regardless of what happens with Joe on Saturday I know that I will be just fine. I've proven that I can take care of myself. I've proven that I can guard my heart, not perfectly but better then I've ever been able to before. I also know that sometimes it's worth the risk of getting hurt because when you meet someone really special even if it doesn't work out at least you know in your heart that you gave it everything you could and the next time around I refuse to let the past dictate the future. Life is about taking chances and looking for opportunities and learning how to believe in yourself. It's about letting go of your idea of perfect and moving forward by appreciating that everything happens for a reason. The really amazing moments are only so amazing because we've experienced the painful moments as well.

Stylish Blogger Award, thank you Tyly!!

Tyly at One Mile at a Time gave me the Stylish Blogger Award and I am super flattered!! Thank you Tyly!! The rules state that I have to name 7 things about myself and award it to 3 other bloggers.

*Before my current full time job I had only ever worked with one other Lori and she was actually Laurie, at this current full time job there are 2 other Lori's besides myself but one spells hers Laury and the other Lorie.
*Most of the time I still don't like to run, I have to force myself to go but once I finish I usually feel awesome and it makes it worth it.
*I have come to accept that if I ever want to hit my goal weight I would have to give up sugar, I'm not willing to do this so that means that I have to accept my weight for what it is.
*I went to the True Religion store at the mall yesterday because my friend wanted to show me a pair that were a part of a story that he told me. The jeans were for the most part all around $300. I would spend $300 on a pair of jeans if I liked them and had that kind of cash or credit card limit availability but I thought all the jeans were hideously ugly.
*In reference to the above, I can find fabulous deals on clothes and various other things but I can also spend a frightening amount of money in a very short period of time, internet shopping is very very dangerous as is anytime I go shopping on my lunch hour. Fortunately lunch hour shopping no longer really exists because I go home at lunch to let Jack out but this just means more online shopping which is even more dangerous… In spite of my spending abilities I have practiced a lot of restraint as I've grown older and I do not spend money the way that I used to. I hate the feelings of guilt and stress associated with spending money that I really do not have.
*I have a lot of DVD movies and they are all chick flicks. Examples are: Bride Wars, SATC, Steele Magnolias, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, The Holiday, hopefully you are getting the idea. My collection is strictly suited to my taste and my love for romantic happy ending comedies. The only non happy ending is the Break Up and I love that movie because I've had a relationship so similar to that I could have written the screen play. To me it's just real and I like it.
*I've discovered that being 31 is fabulous and this has been my favorite year so far.
Now I award this to: (for all my blog friends I love you all so if you want to play along too please do!!)
Heather at Forever in Blue Jeans - her looks inspire me
Gracie Beth at Preppy Southern Princess - her look is college fun she is finishing up her last year at UT
Katy at Eat Drink and Decorate, she inspires me when it comes to how to decorate with a very small budget!

Weekend in Review and maybe too much sharing but I needed to write it all out

I hope that everyone had a fabulous weekend! I took off a half a day from the full time job in order to go for a run, finish some last minute things and be able to be at the restaurant at 4. I was able to accomplish all of this. We were busy at the restaurant but I was still able to leave by 8:30, my friend, the journalist, had just landed at the airport. I arrived and parked, originally I was going to pull through to pick him up but I missed the turn so I parked instead. Fortunately I was parked for such a short time I wasn't charged for parking.
It had been an eventful day for my friend, and was regaled with the story of what had happened as we drove back to my place. To give a little back story, the journalist and I met in October 2004 when he was here on a contract job for one of the big banks. I refer to him as the Journalist because included in his impressive resume is journalist. While he is brilliant and actually has not worked as a news writer in a few years the way he looks at life is very much like a news story. He moved back North in December 04 and the last time we saw each other was February 06. He stayed less than 24 hours that visit and it was just long enough to get the brief cliff notes of his life. Side note: for the sake of my readers who have told me that my initials are confusing I will start to use nicknames however I think to change JM to a nickname now would be more confusing. I say that to say that when things fell apart with JM I knew I would have this past weekend off. Originally this past Saturday was the day I was supposed to go to a big deal work event with JM and meet his son. So I didn't want to change my work availability and spend the whole day thinking about what might have been because that is counter productive. I had talked to the Journalist about his upcoming birthday and asked what fun plans he had. He's a globe trotter and is always taking off to exciting and far away places. He said that this year he had no plans and asked if I had any ideas. I knew he was looking for an invite but I had plans. When my plans fell apart I texted him and asked if he was still looking for something to do. I sent him the list of things that we could do and he booked the plane ticket down. He had no idea that Friday was going to be such a crazy day and it turned out to be a very good thing that he chose to come South and slow down for a weekend.
We dropped his stuff off and cabbed it uptown. We started off at Cosmos, then walked down to the Epicenter. I had planned on Mez but it was closed for a private event so instead we ended up at Buffalo Wild Wings, from there we went to Whiskey River of all places. Typically someplace I never would have gone by this point in the evening it seemed to be a good idea. The last place we went was Black Finn, another place I typically refuse to go. It was a Friday night out that required sleeping in on Saturday. Lunch Saturday was my personal favorite, Cabo Fish Taco, when I was listing places that was the place that the Journalist wanted to go. After lunch a lazy Saturday afternoon ensued and finally at around 9:45 that night we headed out, to bowl. I had listed that as an option and neither of us could remember the last time that we had been bowling. There is a place 10 minutes from my house and we decided to check it out. What a fun night!! We started off purchasing 2 games and then a 3rd by the end of the 3rd it was 11pm and they had a deal where you could rent a lane for $10 a person from 11-1 so we purchased this and kept playing. We ordered bad food and drank cheap beer and in general had a blast. There was a group next to us who were completely drunk and one in particular who every time he bowled he fell down, this provided additional entertainment to the rest of the people watching going on.
Sunday I took Jack for our morning walk and then once the Journalist was up we decided on brunch at Cantina 1511 which was yummy! Then in order to walk around for a bit we went to Southpark where I was in the mood for yogurt. I kept hearing about Yoforia and I wanted to try it. This place did not disappoint, it was delicious!! I had the peanut butter, cheesecake, and dark chocolate yogurts. The journalist had vanilla, green tea, pomegranate and pineapple. We sat and people watched for a while longer and then decided to rent a movie. Toy Story 3 was the perfect movie for a lazy Sunday afternoon. I had to have him at the airport at 9 so we watched the movie and then watched another movie and then it was time for him to pack up and say goodbye.
When I met him years ago he had an impact, he continues to fascinate me. There is an energy about him and I knew that I would have to be very cautious during this visit. I had re-upped with Match the weekend before he came and had the date with the guy last Sunday, RR, the engineer. Then there is another guy, SA, who I am talking to and will meet next weekend, we'll refer to this one as Joe, as in GI Joe. There is another friend who I hang out with who kept JB for me when I went to Pittsburgh. I say all that to say that I have sufficient buffers to keep myself from allowing the journalist to really get too far underneath my skin this time. When I saw him in February of 2006 I was unprepared for him to still have any effect on me at all. I wanted him to visit this past weekend, I knew we would have a lot of fun. I also am fully aware that we need very different paces for our lives. I know that I am typically not the type of girl that he goes for at all. It was a fluke that we met all those years ago, and probably even more odd that we've kept in touch but we have. I enjoyed his visit, had an absolute blast and thought that I was doing a good job of keeping the wall up until it came time for me to drive him to the airport. Because I had anticipated the visit so much perhaps this played a factor into the feeling of having all the air let out of the bubble. I realized driving home last night that while what happened with JM hurt it also made me aware that I can still have those kinds of feelings for someone. The journalist is not someone who falls into this category. He falls into the category of unavailable guys who I know that I can hang out and have fun and yes he'll get to me but the recovery time is much faster. Aside from the journalist there are 2 others in my life who fall under this category.
Then there is Joe who I actually talked to via text message all through out the weekend. I'm absolutely intrigued. I'm also cautious because we have yet to meet in person I am uncertain as to if we will have any chemistry at all. When I met the engineer last Sunday we had talked on the phone for 2 hours then had a date that lasted all afternoon and yet the meeting was sparkless. I have had this happen before, so while I'm fascinated and intrigued by Joe I'm also cautious until I meet him in person. We have a phone date tonight and then he is coming to town next Saturday so we can meet in person. While texting back and forth yesterday afternoon he mentioned an upcoming concert and invited me, I said as long as we still like each other I will go. We also have plans set up for me to finally see the Biltmore house again. It has been years and years and I've been trying to get back up there and we've agreed to go on a Sunday. Until I meet him in person I withhold the right to cancel all these agreements and he knows this. I will say that with JM I had no expectations and that one had me at hello. He came in the door and he started talking and I was his. So it's possible that Joe and I could have that same kind of chemistry, and if we do then wonderful, if not I will not be surprised. There is no way of knowing until you actually meet in person.
The engineer texted me Friday night and last night. Friday night he texted that he wished I was free because he would love to cook dinner and hang out and watch a movie. I understand that this was a sweet idea but the catch to it, I would be driving up to his house and Friday afternoon traffic to his house is ridiculously insane. I did that drive way too many Fridays when S and I were together. I know that I have to be fair and let go of this and give the poor guy a fair chance, but with this one I withhold the right to make that decision until after I meet Joe… On paper the engineer is fabulous so I'm not willing to entirely write him off but I also know that I'm the happiest I've ever been and I don't have to have anyone. I'm dating now for the fun of it. To see what might happen…