Happy New Year!

Now I'm not one who generally gives a crap about New Years! In fact, throughout most of my childhood, when New Years' Eve rolled around I was clueless as to what day it was; let's face it, as a youngster/teen I usually couldn't tell you if it was a Tuesday or Wednesday (or whatever)! And, as I've mentioned in other posts, my memory sucks, so really I can't remember any previous New Years' Eve festivities except for three.

1.) The year it turned 1999. I had a sleepover with some of my friends and VH1 proceeded to play the video for "1999" by Prince over and over for what seemed like 24 hours. And of course, my friends wanted to watch it until I passed out from a Prince overload!

2.) Maybe 2001 or 2002? I had, as per usual, completely forgot it was New Years' Eve. My best friend invited me over to her house to spend the night (that same day), and I was completely clueless! It wasn't until I got over there and she had all the pre-ball drop/NYC stuff playing on the tv that I realized why I had been invited over. I think we made cookies and watched movies.

3.) Last New Years' Eve. One of the few years I actually made plans. My best friend Amanda, our friend Kristen, Antoine and I went downtown for free ice skating (it was everyone's but Kristen's first time ice skating, and it was absolutely freezing) and then we went to a total dive bar that was just down the street from where I was living and rang in the New Year there. It was fun, the bar was giving out beads and New Years' hats and noise makers! It was a 40-something crowd of locals who'd obviously been going there for years; we played pool and drank until midnight.

So, due to may lack of caring about New Years' and even remembering past celebrations (or lack there of) it's obvious that I've never been one to look back at the past year and contemplate it's ups and down. Anyway, I figured this year I'd try something new! So, here's my highs and lows of the year:

Lows (start with the bad first):

1. Dad found out he had cancer
2. I hit/killed a cat with my car (the first animal I've knowingly hit with my car besides a bird...I balled nonstop as soon as it happened)
3. Start working at Sbux again
4. I gained more weight

Highs:

1. Dad's chemo was successful and he's doing great!
2. Antoine and I bought a house
3. We got a new kitten, Guillermo
4. Antoine and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary of being together
5. We went to Jamaica (for our anniversary)
6. Made new friends

That's all I can think of right now, but still , the good outweighs the bad! So I guess this year has been pretty good. And even without the list, if you asked me if I had a good year or not I'd say 'yes', because the pluses stick out so much more than the negatives!

So, here's to a fantastic New Year! Hopefully even better than the last!

You Love Me? How Do I Tell If I Love You?

*Mushy warning!! This post may contain mushy bits about love and whatnot (no shit Sherlock, look at the title). All those who squirm at the thought of love might want to avert their eyes!

Love is funny word. People use it in so many ways. You might tell one person you love them and mean one sentiment, but the love you feel for another person might be something totally different. For me, I've always known that I loved certain people in my life...my parents, close friends, my sister, my grandparents, etc. But that only covers really two aspects of love, that of family and of friends. But to be in love with someone is really quite different. And I didn't realize that until a little over a year ago.

See, I had never been "in love" before. I had loved, and loved deeply, my friends and family, but I never experienced that third type of love. I had seen it in movies, heard it in songs, and read about it in books and even seen it right in front of me, yet I had no clue how little I knew about it. But that changed when I met Antoine, although not initially. Hmm, I think a little back-story is required here...

Antoine and I had been dating for about two months when his birthday came around. I had got him tickets for the two of us to go see the Black Keys (one of his favorite bands) in Northern Kentucky three months later. Now, I was making a notable statement here...that I expected/hoped we'd still be together come October! Antoine was pretty excited about the tickets, but maybe a little more excited that I had got something for him that suggested I saw this relationship progressing; which I did, I was pretty crazy about him. Apparently Antoine felt the same for me. While I was expecting a 'thank you', a hug and maybe some kisses, I got all that plus a "I think I'm falling in love with you". I was a little shocked, a little speechless and probably a little red! When I regained my ability to form words, unfortunately all I could muster was an "I don't know if I can say that yet, it that okay?", in a rushed and somewhat petrified tone. Horrible thing to say, right? (Antoine took it pretty well, he was notably a little hurt, but said that he didn't expect me to say it back he just wanted to say what he was feeling.) But really, what else should I have said..."I love you" back? I wasn't sure, I mean, I'd never been in love before. I didn't know what that felt like! I mean, how do you know when you love someone? That's a question that took me about a month to figure out.

A couple of weeks after the "I love you" I was leaving on a mini road trip with my best friend Amanda (aka my HLP...I'll explain later in another post). We were driving to Denver and staying with her cousin for about a week to see the city, as well as Boulder and Rocky Mountain National Park (one of my favorite places on earth). Oh, please forgive me, I'm going to have to sidetrack for a second and briefly tell a story about the morning of the day Amanda and I were leaving. Antoine had spent the night (and no, we weren't getting down and dirty yet, so get that out of your mind). While I was in the shower getting ready for work, Antoine popped out of the apartment and ran to my favorite local donut shop, Pleasant Ridge Donuts (best donuts in the city). They have these amazing buttermilk donuts that are so delicious, and if you get them fresh they literally dissolve in your mouth! It's heaven! Anyway, Antoine decides to be incredibly sweet (that's just the way he is) and get me some buttermilk donuts. Unfortunately he gets there and the owner says they are still cooking and that it'll be a couple of minutes. About 40 minutes later, they're done! Antoine rushes back to the apartment just as I'm getting ready to leave. What a sweetheart, right!? And, the donuts were amazing...best I've ever had, but maybe that had something to do with who got them for me!

Anyway, back to my original story...Amanda and I were gone on our mini roadtrip for about 10 days. During those 10 days, I tried to talk to Antoine as much as I could. The longer I was gone, the more I missed him. And when I got back to Cincinnati and I saw him again I realized just how much I missed him and...how much I loved him! I know, I was a little slow, but finally I knew! I couldn't really tell you what exactly it was or what it felt like, I just all of a sudden knew! With everything inside of me, with all that space between us, I knew I never wanted to be that far away from him for that long again.

Different people might describe it in different ways, but for me love is everything. It's wanting to be around a person and never getting sick of them, which is still the case with Antoine and I! There's never a day, an hour or a minute when I think, "Man, I just want to be alone! Can I just get a break from him?" It's the way he looks at me sometimes, and the way I just stop what I'm doing and look at him, this warmth washes over me and I feel happy. And it's even the way his always being late drives me completely insane, but I can never stay mad at him for more than a hour or so! It's all those things and so much more...it's something that I can't even describe with words. It just feels good and I'm so glad I get to experience it! The end.

Make Time For Some Fun

Fun is important, especially around the holidays when it feels like you're working non-stop and with all the shopping, gift wrapping and general stress you feel like you haven't really been out in the world for decades! It usually takes a little reworking of our schedules, but occasionally Antoine and I will get a night off together to either relax, because we're exhausted (usually the case), or have some fun with some of our friends and/or family. Another thing that's important...the occasional pictures. I'm a visual person, so I think it was getting to me that, so far, my posts have been merely text-based. So, I figured, why not combine both!? Here's some pictures from our most recent social outing to the Zoo's "Festival of Lights" (it was both Antoine and my first time attending). We were having a fun double date night with my sister and my brother-in-law, which involved pizza, beer, the zoo, Christmas presents and gelato. Oh, and I couldn't resist throwing in a picture of our adorable little kitten.

Enormous Christmas tree at the Festival of Lights.

Pretty lights.

One of my favorite things to do when I'm around twinkle lights and I have a camera.

Antoine and I enjoying ourselves while freezing our tails off!

Guillermo (our little guy) sleeping next to me on the couch while I crochet.

Bacon and Why It's Hard To Go To Work Sometimes...

Here's a little known fact for you...Antoine makes the best breakfast in the world! Okay, maybe not "in the world" but it's pretty darn amazing. I first realized this after we had been dating for about two or three months, once Antoine started spending the night at my place. I'm lucky enough to declare that, yes, I have had a guy make me breakfast in bed! Not only that, a damn good breakfast made by a damn good guy! Since those first breakfasts I've become an avid fan of Antoine's morning culinary skills, particularly his breakfast potatoes and his breakfast sandwiches. Just thinking of it now makes my mouth water a little bit! While Antoine's ability to make a mean breakfast gives my taste buds a wonderful treat, the affect on my waistline (actually, more my butt and thighs) has been less than ideal. But, who am I kidding, I'm a girl who loves to eat, regardless of yummy breakfast sandwiches or not!

Anyway, back to the original objective of my post...the link between bacon and not wanting to go to work. This morning, I woke up and got ready for work as I usually do. This entails me staying in bed for as long as I possibly can, snuggling with Antoine, and usually our kitten Guillermo, until that moment when I know if I don't get out of bed now I'm going to be late for work! This is often a difficult hurdle to jump for me, yet I almost always manage to prevail and make it into the shower. Once I'm done with my shower I'm occasionally drawn back into the warmth and snuggliness (I don't care that that's not a real word) of my bed, but usually Antoine has stumbled downstairs to the couch by that point, so it's a little less tempting. After this point is generally a breeze to find the courage to brave another day of work....UNLESS I see bacon in the fridge while I'm grabbing my yogurt for lunch or Antoine mentions that he might make some breakfast for himself this morning! This is like kryptonite to me! The possibility of bacon (and not just any bacon, bacon from a local butcher near my parents house that is fresher than any of that crappy, all-fat-no-meat bacon that you find in the grocery store, and without the growth hormones and poor treatment of the livestock associated with factory farming) and a homemade breakfast made with love by my guy is enough for make me want to run upstairs and throw my pajamas back on, giving work the finger and saying hello to my big comfy couch and my slippers. It's enough to make a girl go crazy! Now, if I had an abundance of sick time, I'd call in faking a stomach ache or something, but I don't (maybe because I've played hookie far too many times)! Instead, I have to force myself to leave the house, get in my car and go to work. It's not easy, especially once I get to work and I realize that instead of a yummy bacon, egg and cheese biscuit I get to eat a packet of oatmeal for breakfast...yum (please, note the sarcasm).

Love Story: Part Three

So, I left off on the first date. A very nervous and late Antoine had just picked me up. He was quite the gentleman though, apologizing for being late, telling me how nice I looked, and opening the car door for me (which he still does to this day...even if we're just going to the grocery store). I knew we were having dinner, what I didn't know was where. We began driving to this mystery location and surprisingly I was a regular chatterbox in the car. I wasn't really nervous...astonishing, I know! We proceeded to pull into the parking lot of one of my favorite restaurants, the Melting Pot. I stated, "I love this place, it's one of my favorites". Antoine told me that he'd never been there, but he knew I loved cheese so he figured I might like it! I was admittedly surprised that we were going to such a nice restaurant on a first date, and a blind date at that! I did try to make the bill as small as I could, getting water (which is the norm for me anyway) and suggesting that we just get cheese and chocolate (instead of a full entree, also another norm for me at Melting Pot).

Dinner was great, as usual, and the date was progressing just fine. I can't really remember what we talked about, probably jobs and where we're from and all that, but I do remember me continuing to be fairly calm and talkative and he remained nervous and slightly quiet. We ate our dinner, which at the Melting Pot takes some time, and then left the restaurant. Antoine then suggested that we go to a movie, which I agreed to. However, instead of going to one of the nearby theaters we went to one in Northern KY, nearly 30 minutes away (not his fault, it is one of the main theaters in the Cincinnati area). So, by this time it was probably close to 10 o'clock or so, I was starting to get sleepy, as I usually do around that time when I have work the next morning, but onward we went to the theater.

I must admit, I have a horrible memory. So, sadly, I'm not exactly sure what movie we saw on our first date. It was either Iron Man or Get Smart; one we saw on our first date, the other on our 3rd or 4th. Let me also admit, prior to the date I was hoping he wouldn't take me to a movie. I love movies, most everyone knows that about me, but I don't feel movies are conducive to what dating is all about (at least in the beginning)...talking. Here are the reasons why I don't think movies work on the first couple dates...

1.) Do you get popcorn and a drink or not?: When a guy takes you out for dinner it's assumed that you'll order an entree, but when you go to a movie I don't think it should be necessarily assumed that popcorn is included, especially if it's a dinner/movie combo date. With the combo date, the guy has already shelled out a decent amount of money on dinner for both you and him, by the time you get to the theater he's unloading an additional $6 to $10 each on the ticket alone (that's nearly as much as an entree at a normal restaurant). I don't think it's fair to add the overpriced theater popcorn/drink/candy into the mix. But let's face it, any decent guy will offer the option to you, that's what Antoine did and I refused it.

2.) Pre-movie chatting: I feel that side-by-side talking is uncomfortable and generally strained (unless you're further along in dating...you know, the stage where you're all snuggling and thigh grabbing). While sitting so close to your date might be an added bonus, it really doesn't allow for any good conversation. Instead you wind up twisting your neck so much that you end up with a cramp.

3.) Do you have a talker on your hands? (This only pertains to people with pet peeves similar to mine.) One of my biggest pet peeves is when people talk during movies. For me, this applies to ALL movies, but I think talking in the theater is by far the worst. Unfortunately for Antoine, he was not aware of this. So when he leaned in to talk to me during the movie, he got a very slight nod and a cold shoulder every time.

4.) Arm around the shoulder: Now I know this depends on the people, their body types, their preferences, etc, but for me, those initial arm-around-my-shoulder moves, while romantic and sweet, were horribly uncomfortable and left my neck craned and cramped. In our case though, Antoine is slightly shorter than me, leaving his "arm around my shoulder move" more like an "arm around the upper back move". Sometimes I think things like that need to be finessed once you get to know someone better (you know, through practice). Now we've got it perfected, but we'll both admit that that first move was a bit awkward and uncomfortable.

5.) The post-movie discussion: While we didn't experience any difficulty in this department (even though I'm usually quiet and resistant to discussing movies right after I see them...I'm weird like that). In general, I think this has the potential to make a date go little sour, depending on the subject of the film and how different people respond to it.

But, I guess all those awkward moments are just part of the first date though and without them it might be a tad boring.

After the movie, Antoine took a very sleepy me back to my apartment. We said goodnight with a hug at my porch, which was nice since he knew I wanted to move slow. All in all, not the best first date in the world, but not the worst. It left me interested for another date.

Spoiler: Our second date was by far one of my favorite dates in that first month of dating Antoine! It's one we still talk about all the time.

How a Lack of Seeing One Another Can Make the Littlest Thing Seem So Exciting!

As I've mentioned, Antoine and I have been working non-stop. Our schedules have been polar opposite. It has been a bummer, but I guess we're dealing with it. Anyway, Antoine took this week off from his full-time job, leaving him working his pt job Monday, Thursday and Sunday. I am supposed to work at my full-time job Monday through Wednesday, and at Sbux Monday, Tuesday, and Sunday. Now, normally this would be an awesome schedule, but we'll be leaving for my parents house for Christmas on the 24th (my parents live about 4 hours away) and it won't be a very restful holiday vacation, we've got a lot of people to see and visit while we're there. So, at the last minute yesterday morning I decided to take Wednesday off from UC! Generally, that isn't too crazy, but I'm notorious for using up my vacation hours whenever I have any available, and right now I don't have an abundant supply of them, but oh well...I've got enough! I'm young, right!? When I'm older I'll have plenty of time to save up those hours and never use them (I am specifically referring to one of my co-workers who has some 200 or 300+ hours of vacation and sick time that he never uses).

So, I'm in seventh heaven at the moment just contemplating my day off!! Antoine and I will have an entire day off together, nowhere to go, nothing to do, but just be together and relax! It is going to be so wonderful! It's amazing how just one day, just one lone day off can seem like an eternity. It is as if I'm actually going on vacation, like to a tropical island or something!! No, I'll just be sitting at home in my pajamas snuggling on the couch with my guy, but somehow, it'll be the best day ever!

A Love Story: Part 2

Where did I leave off? Oh yeah, Antoine and I were at the stage where we were both giddy at the sight of an email from the other (although, I should say, "the early part of that stage", because I think it lasted like 6 to 8 months). So, after about a month or a month and a half of emailing pretty regularly the topic of meeting each other came up. Now, I should note that part of the headline of my Craigslist personal ad/post described me as "shy", which I am, to some extent. In H.S. I was voted shyest girl in my class, however my friends scoffed at that, saying I was anything but shy. See, I'm the type of person who takes a while to warm up. I'm generally quiet when I first meet someone, but once I'm comfortable then I'm a horse of different color! And in truth, my shyness has gotten better. In college, I think it might have been at its worst. I disliked bars and parties, because the idea of talking to someone I didn't know made me a little nauseous (that might be why I was single?) and in class I generally went unnoticed by my fellow students and by my teacher (which I believe, was often to my benefit).

So, I was shy, and Antoine knew that (plus he knew my lack of experience in the realm of dating and guys) so he was prepared to move super slow. But after about a month of emailing I was expecting to hear him mention meeting up, and as much as that would have terrified me I must admit that I was itching for it! Finally, he casually (as he usually does) asked if I would want to go to a movie with him and some of his friends. Now, that's really not the ideal first date, a movie with not only the guy you're meeting for the first time, but also a group of his friends whom you've never met. The idea of it made my shy little heart jump out of my chest! I declined, not because I was nervous (at least, not entirely), but because they were going to a really late show and I had to be up before 6am to get ready for work. So I waited for a reply that suggested an alternative meet-up plan, but no such plan was proposed. So I waited a couple days (which seemed like weeks) and I finally mustered the courage to ask if we could finally meet. I think Antoine was a bit shocked by my asking, but I think pleasantly surprised as well.

So we coordinated our schedules and picked a day for our first date! At this point I think I was a ball of nerves, but at the core I was just excited. So the day of the first date came, I got home from work, I might have gotten a shower and got ready for the second time that day, except this time I was a little fancier (aka I put on a blouse instead of a t-shirt). I think Antoine was supposed to pick me up around 6:30pm or 7pm, but I remember being totally ready an hour or so before he was supposed to get there (that's just how I am). I knew we were getting dinner, where, I didn't know (he wanted it to be a surprise). But besides dinner I had no idea what the date would involve (and yes, several people knew I was going out with him and expected phone calls from me when I returned to make sure I was okay [you know, in case he was a serial killer or something]). So, I was all primped (as primped as I get, I might have even put a little eye shadow on!) and ready to go, so I started waiting for him to arrive. My eyes shifted between the clock on my wall and out the window to my driveway. The pick up time came and went...he was 5 minutes late, 10 minutes late, 15 minutes, 20 minutes (and here's about the time I went from being calm, thinking maybe he got lost, to angry at the possibility that I was being stood up). 45 minutes later I heard a knock at the door. Yes, that's right folks, he was 45 minutes late!! But that's Antoine for you, he is perpetually late (although he's gotten better about it). It is surprising however, how a knock on the door can melt away all that anger and the excitement can just go over you in a wave.

So, here's the part where the mystery date is revealed...I open the door to find a worried, slightly sweaty, VERY nervous Vietnamese guy wearing a slight puppy-dog expression (I love that face he makes!) and a horrible beige polo (he hasn't worn it since because he knows how much I don't like it) and khakis. Not what I had imagined, but I flashed a smile and said "hi" while he apologized for being so late. He nervously opened the passenger door of his car for me and I suddenly felt very calm. The rest of the night progressed like this, me astonishingly calm and talkative and him supremely nervous...it was definitely a first for me!

Sometimes You Just Act Like a Girl, Even Though You Know You Shouldn't

Before I started dating Antoine, when I still lived in the land of Singledom, I prided myself on being a somewhat non-demanding, down to earth, out-of-the-ordinary girl who didn't primp (that much) and didn't have those usual female characteristics that drive men crazy! Well, however true that might have been, it all seemed to change when Antoine came into the picture! Don't get me wrong, I know that a guy needs guy time, to hang out with other guys and be a guy. No, what I'm talking about is letting my feminine hormones run berserk on this unknowing male when I am the least bit offended, hurt or abandoned (not literally, just emotionally).

I should have prefaced this post with a brief explanation of Antoine's and my situation. About 5 or so months ago, I started working at Starbucks (or as I'll refer to it as Sbux) part-time again. I had been working there before I started my 9 to 5 (actually 7:30am to 4:30pm) job and I continued working there for about a year or more and then decided I'd had enough, and just went down to having one full-time job. Short story...I went a little broke and started back up at Sbux after a 6 month hiatus. Now, onto my bf's employment...he has a full time job downtown in the IT field that he's been at for 3+ years. Also, about 3 weeks or so ago he started working seasonal part time at Target. I was wary of the idea of him getting a part-time job, I was pulling in anywhere from 18 to 25 hours a week at Sbux and it was nice to have him home running errands and keeping track of the house and whatnot, plus, me working two jobs and him working one was stressful enough on our relationship. But, he wanted to contribute. So, now here we are, we're both working two jobs, trying to keep our house from turning into a garbage dump and keep the cats from killing each other...it's a little stressful (to say the least).

So, back to where I was, me acting like a girl. Ever since Antoine started his second job it seems like our schedules are completely opposite. Like this week, I work Monday, Thursday, and Saturday night, and he works Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday night. So we get one night off together and we have to go to a work holiday party! Enter, me acting like a spoiled brat. I got upset yesterday; I was working the morning shift at Sbux and he was going to be working the night shift at Target. I was hoping he'd want to meet me at Sbux during my lunch break so we could have lunch together (FYI: it's actually easier for him to meet me at work and have lunch or dinner because Target employees are supposed to eat in the breakroom which is off limits to non-employees, i.e. me!). Sadly, he said he was kind of hoping to stay home during the day, that he didn't want to leave the house. Understandable, however, I was bummed, as I knew now that I would only see him for about 20 minutes when I got home before he'd have to leave for work (and he'd be getting ready that entire time). So, I proceeded to pitch a fit (something I am now very good at) and give him the cold shoulder. This led to a very brief argument as he was heading out the door (note: we never used to fight, when we were both just working one job), followed by a apologetic text message 10 minutes later (that I ignored because I was still fuming). Cut to the chase, a couple hours later I came to my senses (I usually do, plus it's really hard to be mad at him for too long, because he's just so darn cute) and I went to Target to make peace. Every time we have one of these spats I end up realizing that we both want to be with each other, that we'd both rather be with one another than at work, and that if money wasn't an issue we'd be together as much as we possibly could. That I'm lucky to have him, because he makes me happy and he wants to take care of me (hence the second job), and I'm acting like a five year-old girl who just had her pretty purple balloon burst by a boy with a b.b. gun!

So, we're both still stressed and tired and wanting more time together, but until one or both of us quits out p.t. job I don't see that changing. I know these fights will continue, almost always spurred by my hurt feelings, but in the end, what really matters is that we make up and we reaffirm just how much we mean to one another!

A Love Story: Part 1

Now, I know there's a good number of you who could care less to hear my tale of love, all those mushy tidbits about how we met, fell in love, made everyone around us nauseous with our hand holding and general PDA....but you're just going to have to deal!

So, let's start before the beginning...when I was single! Now it's rather embarrassing to admit it, but I've nearly been single my entire life, except for a pre-school boyfriend Chuckie (who gave me my first kiss) and a short-lived high school relationship (that I really wouldn't call a relationship, more like a sort-of friend I briefly dated and then went to prom with). Any-who, I managed to go through my entire college experience without a single date (sad, but true). This is almost entirely do to with the fact that I was extremely shy, socially awkward, and a little bit of a shut in! Let's please refer to this time in my life as my "Dark Period". Onto brighter days.

After college I was sick of being alone and depressed, so, as I like to say, I had "a crazy, brave moment" one day and decided to give online dating a try! Now, I should start by mentioning that I would have never expected this from myself! I was always the one who made fun of people who met people through online dating, mainly because I was skeptical, but also because I figured it probably took a pretty desperate person to try such a thing (but, let's face it...I was desperate). So, one day I was bored out of my mind browsing personal ads on Craigslist (which had recently become a new hobby of mine) and I thought to myself, "What if I created a post? Why the hell not!? I would have all the control! It's free! And if creeps emailed me, I could just ignore them", so I did it!

Maybe it was a brief moment of insanity, but I did it. I didn't expect much, maybe just a couple of responses, but within a couple of hours I started getting some replies. Some were from weirdos and creeps who obviously didn't even bother to read my post...DELETE! Some where from apparent normal guys, who just didn't click after a couple of emails (one Jesus freak who wanted to convert me, another that was just a little out of my desired age bracket). Then, maybe the next day or the day after, I received a one sentence email about the White Stripes (who I listed as one of my favorite bands in my post). The emailing continued and the length of the messages grew and before too long I deleted my post and was solely emailing this one guy, Antoine. The funny thing was that unlike any of the other guys I emailed, this felt more like a conversation. Slowly we learned more and more about each other and soon enough we were emailing each other throughout the day. And it didn't take long before Antoine's emails became the bright spot to my day, what I looked forward to the most.

To be continued...

Life's crazy, why not blog about it!

I figured, I already have one blog I barely update why not start another one?! Right!?

So here's the gist...in the last couple years or so my life has become increasingly more chaotic. After I graduated from college, nearly 3 years ago, I expected a little dose of reality. I also only expected one job, a lonely apartment and boring evenings at home sitting in front of the TV. Instead, I got one part time job (to handle my living expenses while I tried to find a real job), found that real job, started paying on my student loans, realized I couldn't pay my loans and rent with just my real job, found a guy, starting living with that guy, quit the part-time job, started back up at the part-time job (after realizing I was broke), bought a house with said guy, got a kitten, inherited two other cats, attempted to furnish the new house, and tried my best to keep my sanity!! So here I am, almost 25 years old, the busiest I've ever been in my life and, strangely enough, the happiest I've ever been! Sometimes things stink, I have bad days, I have long days, but in the end, I almost always walk away happy!

So, that's what this is all about, random happenings, stressful stories, romantic tales and general adventures in my attempt to make the most of my crazy life!