Thank you very much Mr. Bloggie Blog

Quote: "Prepare your mind to receive the best that life has to offer." -Ernest Holmes

I haven't posted in over a month. This poor little bloggie blog has been neglected. I would like to sit here and say it's because I've been super busy. But let's be serious, when am I not super busy? I realized that I almost always start off my posts in some way or another saying that I've been "busy".

I decided that I'm only busy because I want to be. I choose to be busy. I choose to have weekends away from my apartment, to never feel rested after a weekend because it was spent on the go, to never have alot of time to get things done.

I choose this.

And you know what, I think I choose pretty darn wisely. I jam pack my life full of my family, friends and events. I'm back and forth from Atlanta, to Auburn, to Athens, to the lake, to Marietta, and everywhere in between. I find that lately I end up going out of town from my apartment almost every weekend.

I enjoy life.

I may feel a little stressed sometimes, a little worn out, and yes, my life is a little chaotic sometimes.

But I love it. And I will no longer (or try not to) complain about being busy. Because being busy means that I am 100% surrounded by people who love me and want me to join them in fun activities, trips, etc.

I surround myself by good people in good places. No complaints here.

The truth is... I haven't blogged in awhile because I just haven't been feeling it. I haven't felt creative. I just haven't been wanting to.

And you know what, I think that's ok. Because in all seriousness, like 8 people actually read this blog. So at the end of the day I only blog because I like to, because I feel like it. So not blogging for a month, no biggie.

But even as I type this I realize how much I do like blogging. Each additional letter and word I add makes me excited to be able to tell a little story, give a life update, recap my life, vent, etc.

So thank you little neglected bloggie blog. Thank you for sitting patiently and waiting for me to decide I'd like to post again. Thank you for not judging me for being absent or "too busy". Thank you for allowing me to use you as a creative, or in most cases -not so creative, outlet.

I do enjoy blogging. I enjoy it for myself. Not for the people who read this blog (shout out to all 8 of you!). I would probably continue to do it regardless of who reads it. I enjoy looking back on posts from a year ago and seeing how different I am, how much my life has changed, and how much I have grown.

So little bloggie blog, thanks for being an open ear.

You da bomb.

Smell ya later.

I 'mustache' you a question...

Quote: "Yes, the past can hurt, but the way I see it, you either run from it, or learn from it." – Rafiki in The Lion King

Abby graduated from high school this past weekend! woo.

My family was in town. woo.

I had a 3.5 day weekend. woo

Man life is good.

Abby's graduation was a little boring (sorry but it totally was). So we passed the time by photobombing mustaches onto everyone in the family.

Enjoy...

Gramps really can rock a stash.

Wittle baby bro.

Dad looks very creepy ha

The stash made him look so sophisticated.

Cross-eye stash girl. Sexy.

This family came up to Philip when we were leaving and said that they were fans. The daughter said she was a huge fan and did a school project on him (whatever that means). She wanted a picture with him so I photobombed a mustache on him. HA Got em'.

Grandma looks so attractive.

Grandma has no hair on her head but she sure can grow a stash.

Mom is cute even with a stash.

After Abby's graduation we went to some Grad parties for family friends. Then we woke up super early and 4 car fulls of people headed to the lake.

We spent Saturday morning through Monday afternoon there and it was GLORIOUS.

Pictures are on my mom's camera so until I get my hands on them I have nothing to show.

This weekend I have to head to Birmingham on Friday for a wedding. My little bro is in the wedding and I'm going to be his date for the rehearsal dinner. The night of the rehearsal dinner is his 21st birthday so I hope we get a chance to celebrate!

Saturday the whole fam will meet us in Birmingham and we will watch Neil and Emily tie the knot.

Can't wait.

Here's to another upcoming busy weekend. Seems like they never end!

It makes me a happy happy girl.

Smell ya later.

Happily Exhausted

Quote: "It is not length of life,  but depth of life." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

My life lately has been a whirlind. I am exhausted. But happily exhausted.

My littlest sister graduates from high school Friday afternoon. A bunch of family is and will be in town for her big weekend. I can't wait to see everyone but man has it already been tiring. We worked super hard this past weekend to throw her a huge graduation party.

My dad did a shrimp boil with 60lbs of shrimp. Holy shrimp.

It was a wonderful party and I loved spending time with family and friends. (and cold beer).

This upcoming weekend we will all head up to the lake after her graduation ceremony. I cannot wait.

Due to losing 30 lbs I had to buy all new swim suits for this summer (not a bad problem to have but kind of a pain at the time). Not one of my old ones would even stay up on my hips. I had been borrowing one of my roommates while I waited for mine to come in the mail. Luckily Victoria's Secret pulled through and I now have a bathing suit to wear this weekend! Woo!

                                                       

It's going to be as sexy as the picture above. Believe me.

Hopefully this upcoming weekend at the lake will be as wonderful and relaxing as the other weekend was.

Baby Reecie Girl went on her first boat ride.

She was confused about the water and tried to jump off the front of the boat while it was moving. I threw her in after that so she understood she was on water.

I may need to invest in a lifejacket for the little rat.

She is such a bathing beauty. Really knows how to "get her tan on".

 Even grouchy old lady Coe got in on the boating action. She kept trying to get too close to the edge though.

May need to strap her chunky butt into a life jacket too.



That same weekend we drove from the lake to Asheville to watch one of our good friends get married. It was a beautiful ceremony on a farm and the cutest reception.

We got to dance and spend time with old friends which was awesome.

Katie (the bride) looked beautiful and couldn't have looked any happier if she tried.

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This past month or so I have been asking for donations for Relay for Life. My company decided to get involved and we raised $6433.36!

I personally raised $1000. I was the highest fund raiser for the company and I couldn't have done it without the support of my INCREDIBLE family and friends.

Below are a few photos with some coworkers from the event.

The candles lit for HOPE.

Relay is such an important charity/event and I am so glad I was able to make a little impact myself.

I feel blessed to be working for a company that likes to get involved in charities like Relay for Life.

I couldn't stay long because my Grandparents got into town from Chicago but I'm glad I was able to raise alot of money and attend for a little bit.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and spends it doing something they love with people they love!

Smell ya later party peoples.

Sappy Sibiling Shoutout

Quote: "Siblings are the people we practice on, the people who teach us about fairness and cooperation and kindness and caring, quite often the hard way."- Pamela Dugdale

Many of you may or may not know I am the oldest of 4 kids. As the oldest I guess I've always had a notion that I should be the wisest and most mature of the kids. As we've all been growing up and turning into adults I've quickly realized how incorrect the above assumption has been.

As hard as it is to admit... I am not always the wisest, most well versed, or most mature of us all.

And I've come to love that fact.

I love that every so often (mostly everyday) I am surprised by the incredible-ness of my siblings. They never fail to teach me something new about myself. Sometimes what they teach me isn't always good or what I wanted to know but it's almost always what I needed to know/hear.

Sometimes they just flat out teach me things about myself that really tick me off. It's hard to admit when you're wrong or admit when your little sister/brother is 100% correct. It is so hard sometimes that I want to reach over and punch them- jk I wouldn't punch them (at least not hard or in the face ha).

All in all I do feel blessed that I have this tiny team of people who call me out on my crap. They also support me far beyond any point I could imagine. We have a close dynamic that I wouldn't change for the world. They are the people I can be the most vulnerable around and they are the people I want around when I'm feeling happy, sad, confused, heartbroken, giggley, etc.

They are my world.

Anywho...

I started thinking about this because recently my little sister and I had a little spat about my past break up. She tried to tell me that there was a song that she thought perfectly summed up how/why my break up occured. I immediately got defensive and thought she should mind her own business because she hasn't been in my shoes so she couldn't possibly know that a stupid song could apply to my situation. (my bad baby sis... turns out I can be a real beeotch sometimes)

After I stopped and seriously listened to the song I realized she was 100% right and that she didn't tell me to listen to it to rub anything in my face. She just wanted me to see that the decision about breaking up was in fact a positive healthy decision. As soon as I realized she wasn't trying to be a brat I felt bad about snapping at her. I also quickly realized that she was right, I was wrong, she has my best interest in mind, and she is a really good sister & best friend.

Anyway...turns out the song did fit perfectly to how I was feeling and it made light of how good my life has turned out post-break up. I am happier, more confident, and I have a bright positive future. As much as the break up hurt me at the time (and months following) I can finally see it as the blessing it was. I am opened up to new life possibilities and it's exciting.

So thanks, sister, thanks for being right and helping me find a new song I really like.

You da bomb.

And here's the sappy song I just rambled on about like a typical girly dork...

[Chorus]
As bad as it was, as bad as it hurt
I thank God I didn’t get what I thought that I deserved
Sometimes life leads you down a different road
When you’re holding on to someone that you gotta let go
Someday you’ll see the reason why
Sometimes, yeah sometimes, there’s good in goodbye

I don’t regret it
The time we had together
I won’t forget it
But we both ended up where we belong
I guess goodbye made us strong
And yeah I’m happy
I found somebody too who makes me happy
And I knew one day I’ll see you on the street
And it’d be bittersweet

 

 

Thanks C. Underwood

(you really know how to write sappy love/break up songs)

And thanks Ann, Philip, & Abby for being more than I could ever hope or ask for in siblings and friends.

Smell ya later sappy readers.

Friday Randoms

Quote: "No woman can control her destiny if she doesn’t give to herself as much as she gives of herself." –suze orman

Friday RANDOMS

1) Today is my little sister Abby's Senior Night for soccer. I remember mine about a bajillion years ago. I am going to bust out of work early today and high tail it to Lassiter High School to be there to witness her in all her glory ha.

Oh high school glory... how it fades and you realize how stupid you used to be.

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2) My puppy is in a new stage of puppydom and I can't stand this new stage. It is the chewing stage. It's terrible. I was just thinking I could start giving her a little freedom because she's been such a great puppy. BUT NOPE. She had to go and chew on my roommates shoe, my bra, countless socks, and then....

 she took an attempt at chewing a wall.

Oh. Hells. No.

She is being watched over like an eagle now. Sucks to be her. And me. ha jk I love her so much and we will get through this little stage together.

All shoes might not get through it unharmed though.

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3) Animals make me laugh.

Especially dogs...

How does this dog sit like this?!

How does this dog sleep like this?!

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4) This weekend I am going to relax and do absolutely nothing.

I plan on heading to Marietta to spend time with my parents.

I plan to read my kindle.

 I plan to nap.

I plan to work out.

I plan to snuggle.

I plan to eat well.

I plan to stop planning.

I.Can't.Wait.

Smell ya later fellow randos.

Rodeo 2012

Quote: "It's the bulls and blood, dust and mud, and the road of a Sunday crowd..."

-RODEO-

For the past 3 years I have attended the Auburn Rodeo every April.

The vet school at Auburn has a fraternity and they put on the rodeo every year to raise money. It's basically just a huge day of drinking in a giant cow pasture. There is also an actual rodeo taking place too.

At the end of the day Eric Church put on a concert.

 It was awesome.

Last year Blake Shelton performed and it was one of my favorite concerts ever. 

The best part about rodeo is that everyone dresses like a "red neck".

It's just a fun time full of cut off jeans, cut off tees, boots, bandanas, etc.

Erin and I rocking our aviators at the rodeo.

Unfortunately I am TERRIFIED of horses so the actual rodeo part scares the living crap out of me. It was probably a poor decision to stand up against the fence to watch while the horses were running and bucking all over.

I may or may not have let a wee little tear slip out when I got really scared.

Talk about being a total baby.

From then on I watched from afar SLASH I didn't watch ha.

I wasn't brave enough to actually get up on the fence.

I was perfectly happy on the ground where I could quickly take of running if a devil horse came at me.

My sister, Brian  and I enjoying the Rodeo.

They had a "sexy tug o war" during a break in the rodeo and invited ladies to come compete.

Of course my sister and friend quickly hopped the fence to go kick some butt.

Their team won every time.

GO BIG GIRLS WHAT YOU GON' DO.

 GO GO BIG GIRLS. ha

The bathroom situation at rodeo is always NASTY.

So we were smart and brought our own Toliet Paper so we could construct a makeshift bathroom.

It may look gross to you but it was actually WAY more sanitary than using one of the port-o-potties.

The whole day was alot of fun and I'm glad I got to spend it with friends and family.

I ended up coming home from rodeo without a voice. I had no voice for 2 days and it made answering my phone at work super annoying.

This may be one of the last years I attend rodeo because my brother is graduating this December so he won't be living down in Auburn next April.

I'm happy to report that for the past 3 years I have definately gotten my rodeo fix though. No complaints at all.

Smell ya later cowpeoples.  Yeehaw.

Miami

Quote: "Vacation used to be a luxury, but in today's world it has become a necessity." -unknown

So 2 Sundays ago my Aunt called me and said "come to Miami this upcoming weekend", to which I said DONE.

So fast forward 4.5 days and I was boarding a plane to head to paradise.

My flight was supposed to leave at 8:45pm from Atlanta and land at 10:45pm in Miami. SO you can bet your bottom dolla that when I was able to leave work early I hopped on to MARTA and high tailed it over to the airport to try to jump on an earlier flight.

Luckily for me I was able to get on the flight leaving at 4:10pm. It only cost me $50 extra bucks too. Thanks Delta... you actually pulled through this time.

So as soon as I landed and turned on my phone I listened to a voicemail from my Aunt saying I should take a taxi and meet her at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

Let's just say I ended up here.... holy moley.

As soon as I got there I was rushed in, handed a martini, and our crazy night began. I was with some VIPs in the Miami community so luckily I got to tag along and get the VIP treatment myself.

We jumped in a Hummer Limo stocked full of beer.

No complaints about our mode of transportation.

The limo took us to the Miami Heat game. Where we took an elevator up to a Suite. This suite was given to our crew by the Miami Heat coach. Not too shabby.

View from the suite.

View.

Heat vs Memphis.

At the game.

Please excuse my greasy hair/apperance.

I had worked all day, taken a flight, and been whisked off without the opportunity to freshen up. Oh well... it was well worth it to make it on time!

Outside the arena.

After the game we weren't ready to head home yet.

 We still had the limo and we decided to go to another "watering hole".

One of the ladies with us was a birthday girl so we were given a flaming bowl of whipped cream ha.

By the end of the night we were exhausted and happily crawled/fell into bed.

The next morning we woke up and worked out. Then got ready for a day at the beach. My Aunt rented us a cabana by the beach and pool and we spent the whole day in the sun.

This is inside our little cabana. It had a small bathroom and shower.

It was perfect for when you needed to freshen up at the beach/pool.

So convienent.

Perfect day.

I was so happy doing nothing.

That night we went to dinner at this really cool All Organic restaurant called Canyon Ranch. It was delicious and the views and restaurant were beautiful.

They had the most delicious Artichoke Fries ever. SOOOO good and healthy too.

Win Win in my book.

I tried a funny little organic beer called Monk in the Trunk.

 It was good, real good.

Easter Sunday we woke up and went on a bike ride. I haven't been on a street bike since I was like 13 years old. It took me awhile to get the hang of it. I almost took out some tables, bushes, street signs, pedestrians, myself, etc.

Aunt Kate on her bike...riding it like a champ.

Biking. I think I should stay on foot more often though.

I'm dangerous to myself and others on a bike.

We biked to the grove and had Easter brunch.

Which of course included Easter Mimosas.

We then biked over to St. Hughs to hopefully catch the last 1/2 of mass. It was jammed packed so we had to stand outside. Which was probably a good thing because of how we were dressed (see bike pictures above). We for sure weren't in appropriate Easter mass attire.

On top of that as we were standing outside I noticed Aunt Kate had bird poop all down the side of her shirt. We were CRACKING up. Sometime during our ride she had been bombed.

I managed to sneak into the church to get communion though. Hallelujah.

We biked over to our friend's house so I could meet his cute little baby.

She's so little and cute.

Then the next thing we did was lay by the pool.

We decided we needed more sun so we started cutting down palm trees and dragging the branches out front.

Later that day we ended up by another pool and had drinks and appetizers.

Happy Easter to us.

My trip to Miami was WONDERFUL and much needed. I was so glad to be there.

Only sad part (besides having to leave) was that I missed out on family Easter. Easter is hands down my FAVORITE holiday and I did miss the family alot.

They sent me this picture of them with all the lamb (lamb is my favvvvvvorite meat).

They even sent me this picture of Chubby, the bulldog next door, getting to enjoy some delicious lamb.

Lucky dog.

I can't wait until I'm able to go do to Miami again. I miss it and my aunt already.

To say the weekend was a success is an understatement.

I am truly blessed.

Smell ya later beach bums.