Fun Times... and not so Fun Times in February

• House sitting for mom: While my parents' went to visit family in Missouri (Misery) I stayed at their house and took care of Mr. Dog, I had all these plans of being productive (doing my taxes, laundry, taking photos) when really all I ended up doing is getting caught up to NCIS and sleeping...a lot. It was AMAZING. The girls came over Friday night for our "Friendaversery" and we had adult beverages in the hot tub, watched TV and just relaxed. Such a great way to spend a weekend, the only thing I'd change is to have more food options available in the house.
• Superbowl: for the first time in the history of me being a football fan (this goes back 20+ years) this year was the first year I didn't care about the game, the outcome, the commercials, the halftime show, or the delicious snacks. I slept through most of the game, woke up in time to see Beyonce strut her stuff for a minute, caught some when I went out to dinner with my parents, and that's about it. I don't know what commercials were the "best" although the one I did catch was the Budweiser one with the pony that grew up and was still BFF's with his trainer... totally made me misty, except WHERE WAS THE DALMATIAN? When my dad asked why I wasn't excited I just told him "I don't have a horse in this race, I'm not invested," seriously the best part was when we were out to dinner and all the super fans were going nuts over the smallest things. One guy kept running laps around the bar (which was surprising child friendly) waving his red flag every time SF got their hands on the ball. Poor guy, they probably had to carry him out on a stretcher at the end of the game, I'm sure his heart was broken.
• Speaking of Superbowl Broken Hearts: This lead to an interesting/angering transition from a customer at work who thought that because I'm single, I'm automatically available to be his. Check out the post devoted to this close encounter, that I wish I would never have to repeat. It's not a wish that I expect to come true, I work in customer service, and am female, so while it doesn't happen often, it does happen. One of these days I hope that all men learn that being creepy isn't a turn on, and intimidating a woman isn't going to get her to like you. I don't believe that all men act this way, but it's a lesson that they should all learn as young boys. Maybe one day that vile behavior will be a thing of the past. Maybe. 
• Vertigo + Lab Work: This month it seems my body has decided it 51 instead of 31, I've been experiencing what the doctors think is benign postural vertigo due to fluid in my ears. Basically it means the room spins every time I move my head in a particular direction. I went in for lab work on the 9th, and per usual my veins were uncooperative and it took two phlebotomists and both arms to be able to find a vein that wouldn't roll or jump out of the way when poked with a needle. The ladies at Quest Diagnostics were very nice and professional, even when they were having difficulties with my troublesome veins. I'd recommend going there to anyone in need of lab work.
• Lab Results: I received my results on Valentine's Day, this could have ruined the fake holiday for me forever, however, everything turned out really well. I received a clean bill of health. Everything looks good, no warning signs for diabetes (there's a bit of it in the family history), no thyroid issues (again, family history), cholesterol looks healthy (just need to do a little work to raise the good levels, but the bad ones are in a healthy range), all in all I'm a healthy girl who should just exercise more and consume more fruits and veggies and stay away from Jack in the Box tacos and ultimate cheeseburgers... no surprises there. In the past couple months fast food has featured in my diet way more than I'm comfortable to admit anyway, so I think I can cut back on it and not miss it too much, even if those tacos dipped in ranch is one of my favorite guilty pleasures.

• Hair Cut: was postponed a week, but SO worth it. I let my amazing stylist do her thing and surprise me in the end with one of the best hair styles I have ever had. It's super short in the back (clipped @ a #4 if that means anything to you) and something like an A-line in the front. It has that retro/modern look in a way that would make Mod Queen Twiggy super jealous. The bulk of my hair that was cut off will be donated to Locks of Love once it's dry. I feel great with a new style, and I get to help a sick kid have hair, it's really a win:win situation. I decided to donate since my hair was so long and it met all the criteria for donating that it would be wasteful to leave it all on the salon floor. If the hair that I was going to cut off anyway has the ability to make someone happy and feel better about themselves then I'm happy to send it off.
• Valentine's Day: This year Valentine's Day was spent with the girls and getting back on The Walking Dead: Zombie Night train. We went to dinner at the Natural Cafe, did a little shopping at Target, then went back to one of the girl's apartment for champagne cocktails (booze soaked strawberries are amaaaaaaaaaazing), cheddar popcorn, and our weekly dose of Daryl Dixon. Feels good to be back to the routine. Since the show is only 45ish minutes long when the commercials aren't a factor we weren't ready to call it a night when the show ended so we followed it up with a viewing of the Mark Wahlberg comedy Ted. OMG if you haven't seen it yet, put it at the top of your Netflix queue and rent it STAT. We were laughing so hard that we were crying... better yet, just go out and buy it so that you can get all the extra features, it's well worth the price.
• House-sitting for My Aunt: I've house-sat for my aunt multiple times a year since I graduated from high school, her house is really my home away from home, I've spent so much time in that house, I'm surprised that I don't have a toothbrush that lives there. This was the first time I ever felt lonely there. I guess it's because the last time I had a gig there my ex was still my current and we spent a lot of time together in that house... over the summer that's where our relationship started, I was hanging out with all the boys we hung out with all summer and it really felt like something was missing. He was missing. I felt super awkward around his little brother, and I'm pretty sure the feeling was mutual. I know we're never (ever ever) getting back together (like ever), he was right, we're in different places in our lives and that's okay. Just because you know someone isn't right for you, doesn't make you miss them any less. The house sitting experience was pretty uneventful for the most part, there were no crazy parties this time around, the dog was in good spirits and didn't "play dead" on me again like she did a few years ago, and I got to enjoy having cable and a fireplace.  Apparently I spoke/typed too soon, I've been working on these updates as they happen so I don't leave out important details... and by saying the experience was "uneventful" I kicked myself in the ass, apparently I've pissed Karma off and she's out to get me. The Sunday of the gig, the Ex showed up. This was the first time I've seen/spoken to him since the break up, and it was just as terrible as I had imagined it would be. I cried enough to be embarrassed by it, he was the one who wanted to comfort me, which was so hard... I dumped my heart out on the living room floor and I'm pretty sure it's still there. It made the break up feel brand new. I told him that I didn't know how to be his friend and not his girlfriend, and he didn't seem to understand that. I told him that I missed him and thought about him everyday, and missed being able to talk to him... and he told me that he missed me too and didn't know why I felt I couldn't talk to him anymore. He wants to be friends, and I don't know how to look at him and not want him. He kept asking me if I was okay, and I kept telling him that I wasn't. I told him I was broken and I didn't know how to fix it. We were facing each other holding hands, noses less than a foot away from each other and all I could think is "how can we be so wrong for each other when we fit so well?" At one point he told me that it made him sad that I couldn't stop crying and in between tears I told him "I don't want you to be sad, I want you to be happy and successful and to have your perfect life" and his response was "you're going to have a great life too" which made me cry even harder. In fact the constant crying kept triggering the vertigo and my head would spin and he'd hold me until the room steadied itself. I couldn't tell if I was relieved if he was there to hold me, or if I was traumatized that I wasn't in control. We ended up cuddling on the couch like old times watching a movie until finally my heart couldn't take anymore and I decided it was time for bed and he left... it was the longest hardest goodbye I think I've ever experienced. Worse than leaving that Texas airport all those years ago. I didn't want to let go, I even told him that I didn't. I knew I had to, but couldn't bring myself to stop holding him close. I hate that I wasn't able to hold on to the "cool girl" facade and was vulnerable in front of him again... I hate that I had to try to be strong and hang out with the boys... I know that if I had just gone upstairs I would have always wondered "what if" but maybe I could have avoided embarrassing myself and crying myself to sleep. again. 
• Downton Abbey: This month I hopped on the Downton Abbey train along with everyone else who has been raving about the PBS show. My god, it's awesome. Maggie Smith steals the show in every episode, it's not hard to see why she's one of my all time favorite actors. I've never watched any thing she has starred in without walking away satisfied. I still have one disc left of season three and I'll be caught up with the rest of the world, but seriously, if you haven't seen the show you need to.
• Blog Hits/Posts: Hey readers, we met and surpassed 3,000 blog views this month, it blows my mind how many people are reading my little blog, and I'm very humbled by it all. I've already met one of my New Year's Resolutions and have posted more this year than last year... a couple more posts and I'll have posted more this year than all previous years combined. I think it has a lot to do with adding family recipes and the dream journal, but it does feel really good to write on a regular basis.

• Tax Return: I filed earlier this month and received my return... I felt super responsible this year with my return, I paid off my Gap and Victoria's Secret credit cards, bought my mom a birthday present... AND... I bought a new camera, I really struggled with this purchase, not because I didn't want one, I've been thinking of upgrading for months now. I just wasn't 100% sure what I wanted until I started talking to friends, and researching a little online, after a little advice, a little investment from the 'rents (it's payment for doggy sitting next month), and a click of a button I ordered a Nikon P510. I can't even contain my excitement, I think it's time to get back to my fairly regular photo adventures that I started a couple years ago. Nothing makes me smile more than taking beautiful photographs, and now I'll have more tools to do that.   
• Family Dinner with Friends: The last weekend of the month our weekly Family Dinner had a change of venue. Good friends invited us over for an epic Italian feast. It was a night filled with laughter, red wine, amazing food, and the kind of memories that will last a lifetime. It was really great to see someone that I've basically grown up with find his soul mate and see the love that is shared between him and his wife. I wish them all the best in their journey through life together.

August Rush

Wow, its hard to believe that the summer is almost over. I realize that the calendar states that we have until September 22nd, but as I'm seeing everyone's "Back to School" photos showing up in my facebook news feed and with the three day holiday (Labor Day for my non-US readers) coming up this weekend it feels like its reached it's unofficial end. We had a great affair this summer, you'll be in my heart and on my mind, I've always been a summer girl and this year has been no exception. Now its time for the monthly wrap up.

Sawdust Festival

• Vacation Home: At the beginning of the month I made a weekend trip to Orange County to visit The Elitist and her daughter. July had ended with a lot of craziness and I needed some downtime, there was no partying that would have been inappropriate for a 2 year old, but lots of laughs, shark hot chocolate, pool time, tater tots (sonic is kind of bad ass, I'd never eaten there before), Laguna Beach Volleyball (duh), brunch with the girls, and my first visit to the Sawdust Festival.
• Summer Lovin': Had me a blast. So I've been seeing someone all summer and we had some pretty awesome dates from movie nights at home, going to the movies, farmer's markets, dinner with friends, Cook Your Own Night at the Elks Lodge, and getting kicked out of the pool area (we were just there too late, calm down, we weren't burning the place down). Obviously there were more details, but lets just leave it at we really enjoy each other's company, and I hope to continue to do so in the future.

Check out that "fringe"

• New Hair: The Fabulous Ms. Amy Maggipinto at the Arani Salon and Day Spa took my hair journey to new levels of greatness this month. She is a hair wizard of the best kind, I've never walked away from her chair disappointed. Book now! Her calendar fills up fast, I promise you won't regret it.
• Legally Blonde: My mom and I like to go see live theatre whenever we can, and we are lucky enough to live in a community that has amazing productions throughout the year. This year we saw Legally Blonde: The Musical at an outdoor theatre in Solvang, CA.  The show was so great, I had just watched the movie as a refresher course a couple of nights before, and I am pleased to say they were able to stick to the heart of the film that I've loved for so long.

Mr. and Mrs.

 

• The Wedding Event of the Summer: Okay, so it wasn't technically a wedding, as my friends had eloped a couple months ago, but it was their wedding reception. It was casual, beautiful, and perfect. The only thing I would have changed was I would haven included a dance floor. It was great to see one of my really good friends find his soul mate and see the obvious affection between him and his wife. All the guests were relaxed and had a great time, as far as I could tell there was no drama or stress that can usually accompany a fancy wedding affair. This convinced me that THIS IS HOW A WEDDING SHOULD BE, it was a fun party, but it was about the marriage and not a big splashy uber expensive day filled with awkwardness, uncomfortable shoes, and speeches that go on forever. They had a BBQ at her family's property in the hills of the Central Coast, everyone wore cowboy boots and jeans, kids could run wild and play in the dirt, and it really made me think that it could be my ideal wedding. Give me blue jeans and cowboy boots and I'm a happy girl.
• You're Crashing But You're no Wave: So tragedy befell this blogger early August. The fan went out on my computer and I sent it in to get it fixed up by a friend of mine who works for Onsite Computers and Design, the repair didn't go quite as planned, but they stood by their service and made it good. They even helped me purchase a new computer since they were unable to fix the one I had sent it AND transferred all my information from the hard drive of the dead computer to the new one. Needless to say they've earned a customer for life (even though I hope I don't have a need for computer support, its nice to know who to call when disaster strikes). I guess it wasn't much of a tragedy though, I'm now the proud owner of a brand new sparkly black HP G7 laptop and its wonderful. Sometimes bad beginnings have great endings.

Wanna be Impulsive, Reckless

• Wilson Phillips at the Chumash: I totes saw them in concert at the Chumash Resort in Santa Ynez, no big deal. No really, it wasn't that big of a deal. It was delightfully terrible to say the least. The show was so lacking in professionalism that I couldn't help but be enchanted and feel like I was hanging out with some old girlfriends, incredibly bitchy-unfiltered girlfriends (just the way I like them. If you follow me on twitter ( @SL8Rgirl ) you'd see that I live tweeted most of the show. I think the highlight of the show was when Carnie invited me and my buddy (and all the other women in the audience) to come dance on the stage with her while they performed ABBA's Dancing Queen.

• Blast from the Past: This month I got had dinner with a friend from high school that I don't think I've seen in person in 15 years. I got to meet her 3 kids and husband  at the Olive Garden (because when you're here you're family). The kids were a little stand offish at first, which is completely understanding, I'm still a stranger to them, but by the end of dinner I had won over their youngest and got a big hug when we said goodbye. Its crazy how so much time can go by, but when you see each other you know you're still friends. I don't think I can credit it all to Facebook, although I'm sure it has played a big role in us being able to maintain our friendship, I just think when people really click it doesn't matter how much time goes by the friendship won't ever die, it just might take a nap for awhile. So just know that if you were ever someone who was important to me, and it was just time and geography that seperated us, chances are you always will be.



Vasodilated

• Hot Tub Shenanigans: Okay so I like the word shenanigans more than I like participating in them, but my bestie and I had a hot tub girlie date last weekend. We ate pizza (prior to the dip) drank champagne, ate strawberries, worked on our tans, painted our nails (as we were drying off), shared stories, and caught up on each other's lives. All while watching the (unremarkable) window guy clean the windows at my parents' house. We're jerks like that. What?! I offered him a soda. Just a warning, there is a reason why all public hot tubs/Jacuzzis tell you not to drink alcoholic beverages while soaking. Your blood vessels dilate and the boozy booze goes straight to your head before you can even finish your glass. Not cool if you're in public, not so much a problem when you're hanging out with the dogs, geese, and friends at home.

Well friends, I hope you enjoyed your summer as much as I enjoyed mine. See ya in the fall.