Reasons to be Sad.

Tonight, I went to the funeral viewing of my friend Lauren's cousin.
He was only 22 and that fire he died in was a huge story for our area.

I didn't know him - but I know Lauren. I love Lauren. And I know how hard it is to lose someone you love... even though I don't know how hard it is to lose someone you love so much, at such a young age. I waited in a huge line - very similar to the line I stood in when I was only 17, waiting to pass the coffin of a classmate I lost back in 2002:

I couldn't write an entry last night, because everything that I saw, everything that I experienced, everything that I felt was just too much to bare. I was emotionally drained in a way I had never ever felt in my entire life. Then again, last night was the worst night of my life.

The line was endless... I could not believe how many people were there. It stretched all the way through the funeral home, out the front door, down the long driveway, up the long driveway, down the block and around the corner. We waited a full two hours just to get to the casket. I was alright at first. But as we got closer and closer ... it was starting to get scary. Suddenly we entered the funeral home and I was wondering if I could do this. But I had to do it. I had to make amends.

I didn't start crying actually until I entered the room with the body and hugged her older brother, Eric. I met her dad and her mother which was hard. Suddenly, it was time. Kristen and I knelt at the casket... and I couldn't stop the tears at all ... All I could think, as I walked away, tears streaming down my face, was that no one deserves this. No one deserves to be in a coffin so young. (Excerpts from a now-private online diary from May 2002.)

The line for Lauren's cousin's viewing was so similar. I only ended up waiting 45 minutes though, before I caught onto Lauren's hand in the hallway. I went to another room and sat with her for awhile and watched how put together she seemed, even though I knew her heart was breaking inside.

It's amazing what you don't see coming.
And yet how strong people can appear to be.

Isn't It Ironic, Don't Ya Think

Today due to the fact that my life sucks, my car doors were frozen shut and I couldn't drive my car to work. So I had to wake up my (ridiculously sound asleep and cranky sister) and make her drive me to work. Then I had to beg her to pick me up from work.

She picked me up while she was out with her friend...
And I just found it funny that they matched.
Matching flannel.
And it wasn't planned.

That was pretty much the only funny part about the car ride.

Déjà vu

I have such extreme cases of déjà vu working at the theater now. In my head I'm constantly comparing everything at my new theater to the one I left behind at school. I'm really enjoying my coworkers and the familiarity of the environment, the programs we use. I'm LOVING how fun and mellow the office is... it's so refreshing. But it does make me homesick for my BOX staff back in Arizona, my life back there.

Still, I'd much rather be at the theater then at the bank.
Only wish I could be writing about it, instead of selling it.

I Started This Blog...

....To remind myself of a few things.

How far I've come, how much I'm loved, how blessed I am.... And that no matter how confusing or lost I may feel, there are reasons around me every single day - to celebrate this life I'm living.

However, I also had hopes that during the course of this year I'd leave Arizona, regroup in Pittsburgh, and find myself on my way to another city, another life, another chapter that even I wanted to document, wanted to read. But here I am at the end of January... still in Pittsburgh and still so unsure of my direction. I feel lost, in ways I haven't felt... perhaps ever. And this blog is becoming a reminder of how unsettled I am, how unsatisfied I am.

I dread updating it at times.

But I keep doing it - even if my entries are a week delayed - to remind myself that I have an obligation to find that direction, that life, that meaning that I know I am meant to find, live and love.

I keep wondering if I'll end this blog on April 26th, a year after I started it, the day of my intended goal. Or if I should keep it going - until that first day comes. And by "first day" ....I mean "First Day of the Rest of my Life" in whatever form it may be.

Because there WILL be a "First Day."
I have to believe that.

Comfortably Cuddling

Yep. That's our dog Jasmine.
Asleep. Under a blanket, head on the pillow.

Nope. I don't know who tucked her in like that.
But she slept that way for a couple hours today.

Yep. That's basically the majority of what I did today too.
Nope. I didn't look that cute doing it either.

Two Words: Spider-Man Bedsheets

I don't know what I enjoyed more tonight:

Juno, fries from the O, or my time with Matt Adams.*
(Don't tell Matt, but it MIGHT have been the fries from the O.)

There was also our extremely exciting trip to Red Robin as well... but that was slightly tarnished by being embarrassed on our way in. I knew I should have put Matt's name down instead of mine.

(Matt & Kari, chatting away against the wall as we wait for a table.)
Sassy Hostess: Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrri. KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRI! Kaaaaaaaari. Kari. KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARI. Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrri.
Me: ...Are they calling my name?
Matt: (pause) ...Yeah, I think so?
(We walk towards front of waiting area.)
Me: Sorry - didn't realize you were calling my name - didn't hear it.
Sassy Hostess: Yeah - Uh-huh - There's one time we called someones name fo' half an hour. HALF AN HOUR! And they's were sitting right there... I wanted to say, "Whatcha all been doin' over there - sleepin?"
Me: Um. Yeah. Ha? (awkward silence)

Though that's not half as awkward as the silence that followed after Matt told me he had Spider-Man bedsheets. Yes, he's 23 too.

Matt: I live at my parents and I have Spider-Man bedsheets - I don't know WHY I'm single!?

All joking aside (Spider-Man bedsheets? Really? REALLY!) I had a kick ass time with Mattie A again... and I didn't even have to consume alcohol or hang out with his grandparents to do so. Even though he did ask me if I'd start making out with the person next to me if I was in a plane that was about to crash... but that's another story for another day.

*Matt Adams should be featured in this blog way more often.
Because he's way more fun than I remember.

Oh You Know. The Usual.

Today at the branch I've been working at all week, one of the regulars walked in with a video camera he had gotten for Christmas to show the ladies.... And then proceeded to record us all laughing at him.

No one wanted to wait on him though, since none of us really wanted to be recorded, but finally Theresa gave in and stepped up to the plate.

As she did this I decided, what the heck - if he can document this random visit so can I - and I snapped this picture. Then Kelly said something to him about, "Are you sure you want to harass the tellers while we're taping YOU" and pointed to the lineup of cameras behind us.

He then decided maybe it was best to turn off his camera.
I told him that as punishment - he was going to end up on my blog.

Word Up

I worked all day today and had a pretty-delightful day, except for the fact that I've been pretty tired due to certain boys who have been keeping me up late at night. So tonight I came home, ate dinner and fell asleep for a good three and a half hours before Aaron came over to use my laptop to upload music to his brand new ipod.

Aaron was happy to have his music uploaded finally and I was just happy to have the company. To tell you the truth though, I'm even happier that my sister is spending the night at a friend's house tonight so I could sneak her little space heater out of her room and use it in mine. I may have to finally give in and buy one for myself tomorrow. I'm tired of being so cold.

Presenting... Another Job!

I've taken on (technically) a third job and today was my first day of training.

Since I miss my Box-Office kids back at UA Presents so much I figured I wouldn't mind throwing in an application at this theater in downtown Pittsburgh. Well they called me a month after, I interviewed a month after that, was hired yesterday over the phone as their newest box office employee and then started some training today since I had the day off.

I can already tell I'm going to enjoy the job more than I currently enjoy my other two. At least... I guess I'll enjoy it enough to make the (somewhat inconvenient) commute downtown two days and one evening a week. My goal right now is to work four days with the bank (~32 hours), two with the theater (and possibly one evening if there is a show... ~20 hours), squeeze in the Ourlikes work on my other evenings off (~6 hours) and have Sunday off to make out with my pillow/see friends.

I'm going to be exhausted.

Much-Missed Laughter

So exactly one month to the day that we swore we'd ACTUALLY do dinner sometime after not having seen each other really in four years... Mattie A and I had a hot date out to Uno and the movies. Oh it was scandalous. Riveting. Gossip-filled.

Actually, I just pretty much laughed from the moment he picked me up in his pimped-out ride to the moment he dropped me off. Except for that one part in the middle where he made me sit through Cloverfield. Which was actually a really good movie - just not very laughable. Well except for all the parts where Matt kept jumping because he was scared - that was FREAKING hilarious. (Except, you know, I might have made that part of the night up.)

But after tonight, I've definitely come to the conclusion I need more Matt Adams in my life.*

* FYI I have tons of funny stories/overly witty quotes/good gossip that I'd love to put in this blog. But to protect the innocent (and to better my chances of hanging out with Mattie A again) I guess I have to leave it off the blog. But trust me, if you call and ask, I'll probably tell.

And by "probably," I mean "definitely." ;)

The Bucket List

So in celebration of the great MLK Jr. today, my dad and I went to see the Bucket List.

Okay, I know the movie has nothing to do with MLK Jr.... but it was still really good. And I had the day off. Love paid holidays!

(Some of) My Bucket List (In No Particular Order):
1) Visit all 6 continents... I'm (obviously) not counting Antarctica.
2) Live in Chicago once. New York once. Somewhere-I-least-expected once.
3) See the Arnolfini Portrait in person. National Gallery in London.
4) Adopt at least two children.
5) Make World Vision the charity I'm able to significantly support.
6) Write something truly significant that will be read by a million people.
7) Learn to live without my father's love or approval.
8) Fall in love with myself, so I can learn to fall in love with someone else.
9) Sky dive in Arizona on one of those overly-beautiful AZ days.
10) High-five a super famous celebrity. Like Tom-Hanks-super-famous.

A New Day

Let the rain come down
And wash away my tears
Let it fill my soul
And drown my fears
Let it shatter the walls
For a new sun....

There are parts of this life in Pittsburgh I want to hold on to - but many parts I want to just shatter so I can move on with my life somewhere else. I'm really just wasting my time here.

I slept most of today.

I Went Up to the Mountain...

Aaron & I had Gage for the morning, so we played "family" and took him to lunch. Honestly, the more time I spend with Gage the more he steals my heart -- and he obviously stole Aaron's too. It was amazing to see how quickly Gage fell in love with Aaron as well. So it definitely made for an interesting day.

Gage: Cuz Kah-wee, is Aaron my cuh-zin teew?

Then we headed down to Morgantown to meet up with Kelli, as soon as she got off from work. We spent the day shopping and walking around, eventually heading to dinner (love the Rio Grande!), then back to Kelli's apartment to hang out before the concert. As excited as I was to see Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire in concert -- I was sad to see how quickly our day with Kelli & Gage had slipped away from us. But we had tickets (and I have a STRONG love for my Kelly Clark!) so we drove back down to Morgantown.

The concert was AMAZING. I've always liked Reba okay, but I've never really been a huge fan. But to see her and Kelly (who is always amazing live) perform together was just the best. It was also very different than what I had expected. I sort of thought... at one point Kelly would sing some songs, then Reba would come out. Etc. Etc. But they were always on stage together - either doing duets/covers of other songs, or newly arranged duets of popular songs either singer had made famous. And even if a song was MOSTLY sung by Kelly Clarkson - Reba would sing backup and occasionally come in to sing part of a verse. And Kelly would do the same for Reba. So it was a very unexpected setup... but honestly, the best one they could have done. The concert flowed fantastically...

Best (Expected) Song: Kelly/Reba singing a duet version of "Beautiful Disaster"
Best Song I Didn't Know Prior: Reba's "Sleepin' with the Telephone"
Most-Missed Not-Performed Song: MAYBE! :(
Most-Fun Dance Number: Since You've Been Gone!
Best Surprise: Kelly/Reba singing Patty Griffin's "Up to the Mountain"


(From the American Idol cd, not the concert. Just Kelly.)

All that was needed after the concert was a trip to the bar (LOVED the random bar at WVU we hit up!) and then we picked up food at Pita Pit. Sadly, I was too drunk to realize I had eaten half of Aaron's pita before it was too late... and since he hated the one I got.... he didn't eat half of mine. Woops.

Aaron's WV Pita Pit Consumption: .5 (...if that)
Kari's WV Pita Pit Consumption: 1.5 (...possibly more)
Amazingness of this WV Trip on Scale of 1-10: 8.75

My Boys

Today, Aaron & I headed down for our two-day trip to West Virginia.

We have the Kelly Clarkson/Reba concert tomorrow, but since I'm in love with my babies I basically made Aaron come down early with me so he could meet the loves of my life. He was pretty much a hit right from the start -- especially when he put on his hat, which was extremely similar to Gage's.

Later that night, Aaron and I bought Cranium to play a game against my cousin Kelli and my Aunt Greta. G-Love and Kelli ended up KICKING our asses... which Aaron and I had a hard time accepting. And by "hard" I mean "horrific." We're sore losers, what can I say?

Still, all the laughter that came as a result of the game definitely made losing worth it. And alcohol also helped to soften the blow.

So after a ridiculously long day at work, Rory and I went out to a bar near his apartment for dinner & drinks. We weren't there too long, before I heard some girl calling my name from across the bar - which is unheard of since this is a bar I don't ever expect to see someone I know at.

Oddly enough, it was a friend from high school Sarah, who until recently on another random night out, I hadn't seen in four years. So to suddenly see her twice in a two week time period was extremely unusual! But very much enjoyed. She was on a date with some guy & they eventually joined us at our table... which was (of course) amusing since Sarah had a few drinks in her already and proceeded to do (my fave!) buttery nipple shots with Rory & myself.

I'm hoping I can start "bumping into her" on purpose because especially after seeing her tonight, I am definitely ready for some more bar nights with Sarah!

How do you say no to this face?

So, as a favor to Rory tonight after work (who had to go out of town for a favor for HIS friend) I ended up going to his apartment to let his dog, Buddy, out to the bathroom. So I guess you could say, I was doing the favor for Buddy. Besides, we all know dogs are cuter than boys anyway.

Little did I know that Buddy wouldn't come to the door when I got there. Or even make a sound. For a few minutes (when I couldn't find him) I was convinced he was either a) gone or b) dead. Eventually I found him though... half under Rory's bed just hanging out. Not a care in the world... especially caring that I had showed up.

Maybe sometimes dogs are just like boys.

Hi, Yes, Welcome to Pittsburgh

I know I post a lot of "driving" pictures, but its also because I feel like I do a lot of driving. Plus, you see lots of interesting things when you're driving.

Like this.

Hi, yes, thanks. I hate where I live. Haha.

There Is No Arizona

So, I basically slid my car most of the way to work this morning.

Everything was fine, the roads were clear and then... I made a turn onto Conner Rd and BAM! Snow-covered, icy roads were all that I encountered for the next 20 minutes. I was almost late to work because really, I didn't expect it.

What the heck?

Pittsburgh to West Virignia

So after the longest day to end all days, we headed down to West Virginia so I could introduce Anna & Rob to my favorite babies in the whole world, plus hang out with G-Love (aka my Aunt Greta.)

Oh and you know. Eat at Cheddar's. Which is a long-running joke between Anna and myself, since I've been eating there quite often when I'm down in Morgantown and she's always wanted to ever since we became obsessed with Arnie's blogs (Breakup, Working, Comedy.) However, it was perhaps the WORST visit to Cheddar's I've ever had so that was disappointing. Still though... it was an experience to say the least. And I got to experience it with ABL <3

After lunch, we spent the afternoon with Baby Gage, Baby Laken, Baby Liam, Quinton, my cousins Amy & Kelli and G-Love. Amy's husband Jarion also stopped by, as did Kelli's fiance, Matt, so Anna & Rob got to meet the whole hillbilly crew. I had also bought a cupcake pan that formed cupcakes into the shape of little cars, so we baked cupcakes and decorated them with the kids. Even though Quinton was probably the only one old enough to REALLY participate, Gage & Laken had a ton of fun too. Gage even said, "Thank you for the pah-tee" when we were done! Ha! Oh and Laken was naked by the end, so I guess that means he had a good time too. I think.

Eventually we all piled into separate cars and headed down for dinner at this Mexican restaurant I really like in Saberton called Rio Grande, before Anna, Rob and I drove back to PA. I'm really glad we made the trip down, 1) so Rob could cross WV off his list of "States He's Visited" and 2) So Anna could finally see why I'm so addicted to those kids and my time down there.

The rest of the night though was spent sort of just sitting around talking, playing online and watching TV because we were too tired to do anything else... but we still weren't ready to go to bed. I finally had to cave in though... because even though they were leaving in the morning, I had to be up early for work.

Luckily, it was a good kind of tired. And I'm so glad Anna & Rob made the trip to see me... but next time, it's my turn to visit them ;) Which would DEFINITELY be okay with me since Chicago is 1,000 times better than Pittsburgh.

If you wanted to view more photos from the amazing weekend, click here.

Welcome Yinz to Pittsburgh

So let us list the bazillion things Matt and I did with Anna & Rob today:

Sheetz (aka greatest gas station ever)
Best Buy (to pick up new memory cards)
Oakland to pick up Mattie
Duquesne Incline to top of Mt. Washington
Mt. Washington Scenic Overlook (see pic!)
Andy Warhol Museum
Church Brew Works for dinner (OMG AMAZING! More info here.)*
University of Pittsburgh Cathedral of Learning
The Original Hot Dog Shop*
Dave & Andy's Ice Cream Shop*
Matt's Apartment. No Wikipedia entry (yet!), sorry.
Bar on Mt. Washington with Rory and his friend, Jenya.*
Dropped Mattie back off in Oakland.
Ahhhhh-sleep. :)

So as you can see... it was a ridiculously busy, yet wonderful, day.

* indicates places Matt ate over the course of the day. Haha.

My Biggest Reason for Smiling Today

So after a ridiculously long day at work (roughly ten hours) I raced home to squeeze in a quick nap before the greatly anticipated....

ANNA BANANA LOUISE (and her boyfriend, Rob) ARRIVED IN PA!

They got in around 9 or so after driving 8 hours to get here. I had been waiting forever it seems for this weekend to get here - but in other ways, it sort of snuck up on me. Still, it was unreal to see Anna's face in the car as it pulled into my driveway. I haven't seen her since May 15th, the day before I moved back home from Arizona. It was hard going from seeing her pretty much every single day for four semesters in all of our journalism classes, nights out on 4th Avenue and lunches on campus to not seeing her for almost 8 months to the day.

Since they had been driving all day, I just took them around the Mon Valley area to show them the places I've hung out locally and where I spent the majority of my time in high school. We went to the Hot House, a (newish) local bar which was pretty much empty, where we met up with Melissa and Miles. It turned out that Hot House not only has (the worst) buttery nipples ever, but the worst karaoke performers -- except for Miles, who was superb. I mean, "My Heart Will Go On" followed by "My Boots Were Made for Walking." Seriously? Seriously.

After that, Miles and I took Rob & Anna to Eat N Park, you know, cause it's the place for smiles. The food wasn't particularly good but Anna has always wanted to see this "magical place" I seem to spend so much time at (aka the only place open in Monongahela 24/7) and so there we ended up.

As you can see, Anna and Rob were happy to be there.
And I was even happier to have them there!

Side Note: This is the last mention of Miles in the blog for awhile. He's gone back to school. Sigh. Life in the Valley is about to suck, hardcore.

The Day Before Anna Banana Arrives

My sister & dog are cuter than yours.

Yes, I did a billion other things today but I didn't take a picture of any of them. Well, I did, but I accidentally deleted the pictures. So instead, I'm showing you how adorable the pix message is that my sister sent me. Ta-daaaaa!

This Old House

Today I found myself driving past Kristen's old house in Finleyville.
I never drive that way - ever. Never really have a reason to do so.

I spent a million hours in that house, growing up.
Those hours feel like a lifetime ago...
And the house (& it's owners' upkeep of it) is showing that passage of time.

Goodbye, Friend

Yesterday, I got to say hello again to Jonathan after not seeing him for a decade.
Today, I had to say goodbye to another friend.

After running around all day - to lunch with Jamie, an interview at a restaurant (third job needed asap!) and a meeting with Qasim to discuss progress on my second job, I had to say goodbye to Regina...

Who is moving to Massachusetts tomorrow. For at least a year.
Another Mon Valley friend, leaving me behind.

I'm happy for her - so happy - and nervous at the same time. I know how hard it was at first for me to move to Arizona and start all over, and I even had Kristen with me. I know Regina's nervous too, but I think this is a change she needed, even more than I do right now. My time has not yet come to leave, but hers has... and it was hard to say goodbye, although I know it's hardly the last time I'll see her. I just feel like I've already said too many goodbyes this week.

I kind of wish I could have been packed up with her other belongings and taken with her tomorrow. I'm extremely envious of the journey she's making... and proud of her for being ready to go.

I need to get my act together.

We'll Meet Again, My Old Friend

My old friend, I apologize
For the years that have passed
Since the last time you and I
Dusted off those memories
But the running and the races
The people and the places
There's always somewhere else I had to be
Time gets thin, my old friend

Don't know why, don't know why
Don't know why, don't know why

My old friend, this song's for you
Cause a few simple verses
Was the least that I could do
To tell the world that you were here
Cause the love and the laughter
Will live on long after
All of the sadness and the tears
We'll meet again, my old friend
--Tim McGraw

Today at work, I was in the middle of asking this extremely handsome guy for his ID... when I glanced at his check and realized the name was a name I knew all too well. Before me, for the first time in a DECADE, was my best friend from 7th grade. I haven't seen that boy since he was this skinny little Italian boy with the same floppy middle-school haircut that all middle school boys had in the mid-90s. And when I realized it was him, all grown up and suddenly right in front of me, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

At one time, he was one of my best friends. That year was a good year for me - I probably couldn't count the hours I spent talking to him on the phone, or how many trees were cut down because of the number of notes we had written each other to pass in the hall. I even had a green box under my bed where I kept every single note; a box I didn't throw away until YEARS later. I had the biggest (somewhat secret) crush on him too, even though he was my best friend... probably because he was one of my best friends. I'd even say I was in love with him as much as a 7th grader can be in love with an 8th grader.

But as a lot of childhood friendships turn out, he left Hillcrest when he "graduated" and I was left behind. I haven't really even thought about him in a long time, which is sad, because he was so important to me during such an awkward stage in my life.

Yet after freaking out and catching up and realizing how crazy it was that so much time had passed and yet we were standing in front of each other again... my day was a thousand times better. I continued to be in the best mood - a mood change I can't really explain, but a mood change I greatly needed on a Monday morning at a job I'm really not content with.

We exchanged Myspace URLs (how 2008 of us!) and hopefully will keep in touch more. Even hang out, I hope. It would be nice to see where else these past ten years have taken my friend.

The picture posted with this blog is not one I took myself, but one taken from his Myspace. It's the picture that reminds me the most of the boy I used to know - and the boy I'm happy to see is still alive and bursting with the endless joy I always knew he had inside.

Another Birthday = More Fun!

Jamie shares the same birthday as LaLa, so as soon as LaLa scooted on out of town to go back to school today (RIP My Social Life), I headed down to the Cheesecake Factory to help Jamie celebrate her day of birth. We met up with a mutual friend of ours from middle school, Ashley, and a college friend of Jamie's, Mandie.

OH and we ate Cheesecake. Which is a celebration itself.
Happy 23rd "Oh My God We're Old!" Birthday, Jamie.

Potluck Love

Every summer and Christmas break, everyone who is home tries to get together at least once for a potluck/game night at someone's house. I missed the potluck this summer, because I wasn't fully recovered from my surgery yet, so I was long overdue for some quality time with my old choir family.

Usually these potlucks center around Spud, our choir director from high school who we all love and adore. However, Spud got lost this year in the dark, didn't have our cell numbers and after two hours of basically being lost down the street, went home so she never made it. Still, we had a blast even though good ol' Esther didn't make it. There's always way too much food and way too much laughing, so it's always a good night.

About 15 choir kids and/or significant others made an appearance at this potluck, as well as 5 parents. Yes. We love our parents. And our parents love each other. And no, my parents weren't there. Thank God.

Well... except for my Momma Janita. Who is pictured above in the photo with me!

...Oh and her other kids are in the pic too. ;)

Contemporary Experience

La's Birthday: Part Two!

La and I ate lunch at August Henry's downtown, then headed to the Mattress Factory, a contemporary art museum on the North Side. I've been there once before (senior skip day 2003!) but never with La.

Needless to say, we ignored the "no photographs" sign. Some of the exhibits were just too tempting...

One of the exhibits was this pitch black room you found as you worked your way up a ramp. You were supposed to sit in there for 15 minutes, allow your eyes to adjust to the darkness before you could fully "experience/see" the piece. A guy and a girl who were already in there, called out a warning to us so we wouldn't be scared when we bumped into someone in the dark.

After standing there in the dark for several minutes, it became harder and harder not to laugh or say something due to the deafening silence. I am starting to think I'm even funnier in the dark.

Guy I Can't See: Ohhh, I am finally starting to see the outline of you guys.
Me: And how ATTRACTIVE we are at that!
Guy, Girl, La: HAHAHAHA!

By the way, I never really saw anything in the darkness.

Hey LaLa, It's Your Birf-day!

So to celebrate La's birthday (which is tomorrow, technically) a couple of the girls went out to drink the night away at Margarita Mama's. And by "drink" I mean... "Beyonce the night away!"

What started out as just me, La, Dana and Lindy though quickly turned into Ringgold High School flashback 2003.

A huge group of kids "my high school group" didn't particularly associate with back then was also there and we ended up having an absurd amount of fun with them. One of those party boys happened to be Miles though, and let me just say... I love Miles when he's intoxicated. LOVE. LOOOOVE!

Although I was DD, I had the best time. I drank a little, danced a lot, laughed too much and met/hung out with some great people. Although, hanging out with one of the sexiest gay boys this side of Pittsburgh did make me blatantly aware of the fact that I am a horrific dancer. But I think Adam was too drunk to care.

And speaking of too drunk to care... from this picture can you pick out who's the drunkest?

....Because if you guessed the birthday girl, you're wrong.

I Heart 2008... Or Something

KrazeeKari****: i want more pictures of funked up hair
timville***: The evil messed up hair look
timville***: It's also attributed to my need of a haircut.

...Yes. This was the highlight of my entire day - seeing my friend Tim's ridiculous hair. I felt like shit all day and called off work. I slept a lot. I did a lot of nothing. A LOT of nothing. I figured posting a picture of Tim's hair was better than posting another picture of my pillow.

Boy, 2008 is fascinating so far.
(No offense, Tim.)

...A New One Just Begun

Since I had today off, I slept in and spent the afternoon with my sister.

We originally went down to the Waterfront earlier than expected (we were going to meet LaLa for Sweeny Todd at 3) to grab lunch at a Mexican place I wanted to try. Only it was closed.

So then we decided to try this other place my sister had never been to, called "Red, Hot & Blue." But it was closed...

So we finally ended up at PF Changs (where my sister originally begged to go to) and raced through a meal that we really didn't have time for by this point.

We barely made it in time to see the movie (where La was waiting), which was enjoyable. I've enjoyed the other movies I've seen over the holidays more (I Am Legend, Charlie Wilson's War, PS I Love You) but I liked it nonetheless. I'm all for a good musical movie... especially one starring Johnny Depp.

I also enjoyed my sister dying my hair finally... after weeks of begging her to do so. I didn't need to start off the new year with my roots showing.

Note: If you were expecting a somber post of new years resolutions... I decided against it, since I realized I didn't fulfill almost ALL of my resolutions from last year. Oh sure, I graduated... woop-de-doo. Lot of good it's done me with my job hunt, eh? Maybe this year my resolution will be to try harder for last year's resolutions... and to have better luck.