{via Donna Makes Cakes}

‘Til my family and friends help me into my gown, and I walk down the aisle.

‘Til I marry my best friend.

‘Til I’m Mrs. E.P.S.!

… What’s happening in the next two months for you?

                          

{via Chris Gold}

I was always the responsible one.

Growing up, I was that kid who made sure my little sister (who was the rebellious one) followed the rules. I tattled when she didn’t — which was most of the time. Or, more often than not, simply told her she was going to get in trouble.

I monitored. I made sure everyone was OK. I saw the bigger picture, most of the time.

As an adult, I am the same way.

I didn’t drink until I was 21. I don’t speed. (Causing my fiancé to tell me that I drive like his mom. That’s a good thing, right?!) If I have a drink at a party, I take a cab home. I organize my days. I organize my life, to the extent that I can. And I hold myself to a higher standard because I am a responsible one.

This story? Is about one of the times where I wasn’t as organized or responsible as I should have been.

Let me take you back two months ago…

It was the middle of the End of Quarter week. (Also know as ‘Hell Week.’ Those of y’all in sales know what I’m talking about.) As someone who works with data for a sales organization, the end of quarter is a crazy time. It means late hours, nonexistent lunch breaks and stress. Lots of stress, even though it is totally manageable.

I got into my car on Monday morning and noticed the gas light was on. I didn’t think much of it as I headed out to work. That evening, on my drive home, the light was still on, and I chose to ignore it, wanting to make it home for dinner instead of taking a 10-minute break at the gas station to fill up.

Repeat on Tuesday morning and evening.

Repeat Wednesday morning.

Wednesday was a little different, though. After work, I headed to meet some girlfriends to see Eclipse at a local movie theater. I was running behind already and thought to stop at the gas station on the way to the theater, but I chose against it and made it to the movie right before the opening credits. I told myself I would drive straight from there to the gas station on my way home.

After the movie let out, I made the executive decision to drive to Home Depot — which was a few miles from the theater — to see if they were still open to make a copy of my keys. The store was closed, and on my way home, I was struck by a brilliant idea: Why not turn off the mail road and map my running route to see how far I had been running?! Of course! That’s a great thing to do at 11 p.m. while driving home, right?!

I turned off the main road and coasted down the hill. I eased to a stop at the end of the street, then made a left onto another side street. In the MIDDLE OF THE TURN and, consequently, in the middle of two lanes of traffic, my car stalled out. I thought it was weird, especially since my car is new, and turned the ignition over once more. It stalled out again, making the most pathetic noise I have ever heard a car utter.

So I did what any responsible grown up would do: I started crying and called my fiancé, who had just gone to bed. In Texas.

After calming me down, meaning I was only slightly less hysterical and could actually form a sentence instead of sobbing, he discerned that my car had run out of gas.

WHAT?!

That’s stuff that only happens to 16-year-olds who just started driving and don’t pay attention to the gas gauge! That’s stuff that happens to irresponsible people! That’s stuff that happens to people who live paycheck to paycheck and sometimes are a little short on funds!

That does NOT happen to responsible 25-year-old women like me.

Except it did. And I cried some more to lament this fact.

He calmed me down again, and we came up with a game plan: I was going to call the Honda Hotline (since we have that), and then he was going to stay up and talk with me until someone came and rescued me.

About this time, a teenage boy in a HUGE truck pulled up beside me. He said he was going to pass by, but when he saw me in the car, he realized I didn’t know what to do and that I needed help. So this teenager named Jess single-handedly pushed my car off to the side of the road so I was no longer a sitting duck, and he gave me his number in case I couldn’t get anyone to help me get home. I assured him I would be OK — I had the Honda Hotline number — and profusely thanked him as he walked back to his truck.

After Jess drove off, I called the Honda Hotline and was immediately told my number was not recognized by the system and could I enter in my 12-digit passcode? Umm, don’t know what that is. So I sat back, pondered what I was going to do now and realized that I have a AAA card.

Bingo.

I punched in the number and was immediately directed to an operator who listened to my situation, assured me this happened all the time, and entered my call into the system as an emergency so a technician could come to me immediately and put some gas in my car.

As soon as I had given the operator all my information about where I was and what happened, I called fiancé back to report the good news. He stayed on the line with me and calmed me down more until the AAA technician arrived on scene, about 20 minutes later.

In less than 5 minutes after he arrived, my car was able to start again, and I drove off to the nearest gas station, fearing running out of gas again, but the next time, on a busy street.

I filled up, vowed this my car would never run out of gas again, then drove home, snuggled my puppy and thanked my lucky stars that nothing worse happened to me as I was stranded at night in the middle of a road in my neighborhood.

…

Has this ever happened to you? Did you react similarly? Differently? And if you have never run out of gas, are you judging me for being irresponsible? Because, before this occurrence, I would have totally judged me. Funny how one instance can change a perspective…

                          

Since the last time I posted here, a LOT of things have been happening in my life. A lot of changes. A lot of good. But A LOT of stuff, you know?

The following has happened since then:

• I missed my sweet puppy’s adoption anniversary. Happy second year, Lucy Belle, and here’s to many more!
• I received a promotion at work (!!!!!) and have been working my tail off.
• I traveled to my love’s Louisiana hometown to meet family friends and members of his family at a Meet and Greet.
• The following weekend, I flew to New Orleans to photograph an old friend and his new wife as they celebrated their marriage with friends and family at their reception in the Crescent City.
• I suffered from food poisioning at least once.
• I read TEN Stephanie Plum novels (and plan on getting the last few tomorrow!)
• I have cooked a total of THREE meals. … The rest have consisted of leftovers, Slim Fast shakes, fresh fruit and veggies and other various morsels from my pantry.
• I watched a special “No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain” about the point in time when his career as a writer really took off, and I have decided that journalists and chefs share a lot in common from his comments. Also? I want to read “Kitchen Confidential.”
• My boy (God bless him) acquired my new computer and is bringing it with him when he comes home NEXT WEEKEND!
• My half marathon has been bumped back to October 10 due to a football game. (No, the race wasn’t rescheduled. I’m just running a different one.)
• I have not gotten a full night’s sleep until last night.

I feel like I am playing catch up, and it’s not a good feeling. The good thing is that life is slowing down a bit, and I know once the end of this week hits? I’m home free.

What have you been up to? I miss y’all!

                          

In celebration of Erin and Ted’s baby shower for their two little girls (!!!), some of us decided to come together to celebrate today, them and their babies on our blogs. Hooray!

Sooo… to start this day off right, we’re all supposed to video blog or write about our favorite thing that comes in pairs. And since my video blogging capabilities are currently nil, regular blogging it is.

Erin, I hope these posts start your day off with a smile and a reminder that there are SO many friends of yours who wish they could be in attendance today. And so many of us who cannot wait to hear about everything that happens at the shower. I am still SO excited for you and Ted, and your girls are so lucky!

My favorite thing that comes in pairs is something a lot of girls love. These pairs are sometimes hard to find in the right size and color. These pairs make me incredibly happy, no matter how insignificant they may be in the scheme of life.

Have you guessed it?

Shoes.

I freaking love shoes.

And that, byfar, is my favorite thing that comes in a pair. Though there are SO many other pairs I love.

Yes, they are simple. Yes, they are materialistic. Yes, they are fun.

What about you? What is your favorite thing that comes in pairs?

                          

Lucy Belle, on the prowl

When Lucy and I moved to Nashville, we stopped walking. It was cold, snowy sometimes, and I didn’t know the best way to navigate our new neighborhood, so we kept to our one street, walking back and forth. Also, IT WAS COLD.

So when we finally started taking our long walks again in the spring, we explored and really got to know the neighborhood. And as I have been training for this half marathon, we have seen even more streets in our neighborhood.

One thing that I immediately noticed as we began walking again was all the wildlife. Chipmunks, squirrels and white tailed rabbits abound on all of the streets. And while Lucy didn’t notice them at first, she has become more and more curious as the summer has dragged on.

Since we run in the early mornings, we oftentimes catch a glimpse of rabbits and other creatures starting their days, too.

And these critters? Drive Lucy INSANE.

Whenever we walk out the door, she immediately drags me to where the chipmunks normally hide — in the drainage pipe, of course. Then we run down the road to find more hiding places. Then the rabbits show up.

And it all goes downhill from there.

As we run, we spot more animals, and Lucy yanks me — ALL OF ME — in an attempt to chase them down. (The good news? I’ve developed quite an arm muscle in my right arm because of this.)

On any given morning, we see about 50 small, furry creatures. Lucy tries to chase down about half of them.

I continually tell Lucy, “Little rabbit doesn’t want to be your friend,” or, “That chipmunk doesn’t look too friendly. We should avoid him.”

She never listens. And maybe that’s for the best because, if nothing else, these excursions make every morning interesting.

                          

{via Ninjatune on Flickr}

The Friday before the 4th of July, I packed up my bag, left my pup in the hands of two friends and headed out of town to visit my boy for the first time this summer in the booming metropolis of Dallas, Texas.

After two flight delays (thanks, Hurricane Alex), I was on the ground in town, and on my way to see my boy.

We walked across the street from his office and ate lunch at the Nasher Sculpture Center, which was delicious, and I wandered around the museum as my boy finished up work for the afternoon. (Side note: After studying the Renaissance for a LONG time, I am still head over heels in love with GOOD modern art. Side side note: Sketches from a sculptor’s notebook, complete with white out and not straight lines? Not good modern art.)

After he was done with work, my boy and I headed back to his place, spiffed up and changed clothes for our dinner with his co-workers at Nonna.

It was raining as we left his home, and as we were sitting at a red light, his car suddenly lurched forward, startling us both. Someone had skidded into the back of his car. Luckily, we were all OK. Luckily, we all had insurance. And luckily, his car, though severely cosmetically damaged on the driver’s side back bumper, it still works.

We made it to dinner late, obviously, but settled down with a bottle of delicious red wine and chatted the night away. Four of the seven of us ended up ordering the Bolognese — and it was divine — and then we splurged on dessert. The entire evening, minus the fender bender, was perfect.

The next morning, we woke up relatively early. Partly so I could go on a run — even though it turned out that the treadmill did NOT work — and partly because we were meeting my cousins for breakfast. After my disappointing run on a standstill treadmill, we rushed and headed out to the Dream Cafe to meet two of my cousins, my cousin’s husband and their three children.

Breakfast — dream cakes for me and a Monte Cristo for my boy — was tasty, and can I tell you how amazing pancakes are WITH RICOTTA IN THEM?! Seriously. My flapjack recipe is going to need a makeover now.

Seeing my cousins was wonderful and a long time coming. I grew up down the road from those girls, and it was fantastic getting to catch up, as well as introduce them to my future husband. It was nice chatting and seeing the kids — who are my second cousins, I think — even though they had a hard time understanding who I was due to my father and my male cousin having the same name.

After that, we took a driving tour of Dallas. (Of the parts my boy knew.) And then we watched some World Cup soccer. And then? Dinner.

Dinner was definitely a grand slam, thanks for a recommendation from my cousins. We made reservations at Javier’s, and it did not disappoint. From the green and red salsas to the margaritas  to the beef tenderloin stuffed with Mexican cheese, it was by far the best Mexican food I have ever had the pleasure of eating. And could I talk about how the salsas came with a cup of BUTTER that you’re supposed to dip your chips in before dipping them in the salsa? INCREDIBLE. And unhealthy. And OK for just one evening, right? Mmhmm.

We then headed out to a bar in Uptown and spent the evening chatting about our future, where we might move, what we both want to do when we move, what kind of home we want to purchase when we move, etc. I know that conversation might sound a little odd or drab to the casual passerby but I loved every minute of it because I was with my boy and we were out on the town. After a few failed attempts of wrangling some friends into seeing more Dallas nightlife, we headed home.

The next morning — the 4th — we got a late start and immediately headed to the Blue Mesa Grill for brunch. The food was tasty, the mimosas were bottomless, and we spent our time there chatting and taking turns going back to the buffet tables to find more food. And everything I tried — minus the banana filled pastry and the enchiladas chock full of cilantro — was tasty, too.

(Back story on the bananas. I’m allergic to them. Though apparently not as bad as I could be, since my tongue only swelled up. My boy insisted if I felt like I was dying, I should tell him. Luckily, I didn’t feel that bad and was relatively unphased after the incident.)

Then we headed out to a Fourth of July party in Plano. One of my boy’s friend’s friend’s was hosting a party at his parents house, and let me tell y’all, I have NEVER seen a house so large as this one. It was baffling how huge it was, and we spent the afternoon and part of the evening there, hanging out with old and new friends, drinking vino and Cape Cods, cheering (or playing) at a whiffle ball game, winning at washers (who knew I would be good at something like this?! Not me), competing in shuffleboard and eating the most delicious home-cooked brisket I have ever tasted.

The day was perfect, and when nighttime started to fall, we made the decision to head over to my cousin’s house to watch fireworks with her, the kids, her husband and my other cousin.

We had a great time there, too, and ended up walking the dog and two of the kids to the elementary school, where we set up for the fireworks. The only thing that could have made it better was actual music playing as the fireworks went off, but we hummed a soundtrack of our own, thanks to years and years of attending the Sunset Symphony in Memphis and knowing the “1812 Overture” by heart. Thanks, violin lessons!

We stayed up late, drinking wine and catching up more with my cousins and cousin-in-law, and by the end of the evening, we slowly made our way back to the city, barely talking and taking in the sights as we drove.

Monday was my last day in town, and we did some shopping. My boy isn’t much of a shopper, but whenever he sets his mind to it, he comes out with a lot of good loot. Seriously.

After the outlets, we packed up all my clothes and belongings, then he drove me to the airport. We kissed goodbye. We said we’d speak soon. And then I walked into the terminal, dropped off my bag, went through security and boarded a plane back to Nashville.

My weekend excursion to Dallas was a wonderful break from my town, and it was even more wonderful to see my boy. In just two weeks, I’ll get to see him again; this time in his hometown; then in August, he will come back to town, and we won’t have to be apart this long ever again!

What did you do for your holiday weekend?

                          

Remember that time in January when I mentioned I wanted to compete at some point this year?

As I was attempting to squeeze into a pair of Bermuda shorts (cute, one-of-a-kind Bermuda shorts from my old town that were purchased two summers ago) on Friday morning, I realized two things.

One, that my muffin top was NOT attractive and completely out of control.

And two, that I have a few resolutions to keep. And the year is halfway over. (Seriously, y’all. When did the time start flying?)

Driving to work, I began to assess the situations, and I came to the decision that it was time to put my girl girl shoes on and do something about the muffin top AND the fact that I have yet to compete this year.

And then I stumbled upon a website that had race information. One thing led to another, and after checking with a marathon-running friend that I would not die during the training process, I decided I will be running the Nashville Women’s Half Marathon on September 25. Two days after my 26th birthday and a little more than a month before I walk down the aisle.

To be honest, this weekend has been a whirlwind because of these new plans.

After taking Lucy for a run on Saturday morning, I headed to one of the local running stores to purchase these:

Yes, I purchased new running shoes. Yes, they were desperately needed. (My last pair of running shoes was purchased for recruitment for my SOPHOMORE year of college. Yow.) And yes, they are majorly comfortable.

As I get started on this training program to prepare myself to somehow run 13.1 miles, you better believe I’m going to document it here. I have never run this far before, and I am excited/scared to really dig into it because who knows what will happen?

All that I know is I am excited about this step up in fitness and health for myself, and Lucy is really excited about it, too.

Have you run a half marathon? Do you have any advice for a newbie? If not, would you run a half marathon?

                          

I know, I know. It’s been a long few weeks, and I have been sparse around these parts.

I’m a busy girl, OK? Between work, planning a wedding, trying to exercise and get into shape to fit into my wedding dress THIS WEEKEND (because I’m picking it up from the bridal boutique, not because I’m getting married this weekend), and just trying to relax, it’s been, umm, crazy.

What exactly have I been doing?

Well, let me tell you. In detail. Because you want to know, right? (If not, skip the bullet points…)

In the past few weeks, I have…

• Told my mother about my blog. Everyone say hi!
• Finished designing, purchased, addressed and sent ALL my save the dates
• Been training TWO newbies at work (even though one left today…)
• Taken numerous assignments for the newspaper
• Tried to exercise once a day, thanks to my YMCA membership and my pup, who needs as much exercise as I can possibly give her since she has SO MUCH ENERGY.
• Solidified numerous loose-ends pertaining to my wedding
• Been reading. (Hooray for a new Sookie book at the beginning of May and for re-reading everything before S3 of True Blood.)
• Started and kept up the Slim Fast diet. You know, the whole 3 snacks, 2 shakes and 1 meal formula they advertise. And I actually really enjoy it because the Slim Fast shakes totally satisfy my sweet tooth!
• Slept and actually feel rested.

It’s been a crazy, but good few weeks in my life. And while things will continue to be intense for a while now, I have some really exciting things and events coming up that I cannot wait for. Like getting my wedding gown. And seeing my boy again for the first time since he left Nashville more than a month ago. And an engagement party in my boy’s home town. And more!

What have y’all been up to? What have I missed?

                          

Four summers ago, classmates and I went to a local pub in Cortona, Italy to watch the United States, as well as Italy. And later that summer, the town set up a huge screen in Piazza Garibaldi for all the townspeople and students to cheer the Italians on to victory.

I kicked my feet up and watched the World Cup yesterday afternoon in the comfort of my Nashville home.

It just isn’t the same experience, though it was nice not having beer spilled on me when a goal was scored.

It’s hard for me to believe that I lived in Italy four years ago. It seems like it was just yesterday, and I remember my time spent there with a smile.

Four years ago, I could barely speak a word of Italian.

Four years ago, I didn’t like coffee or wine.

Four years ago, I thought I would go to graduate school for fine art photography.

Four years ago, I didn’t know what authentic Italian food tasted like.

Four years ago, I didn’t know what the World Cup was all about.

… I know differently now — on ALL of these — and I will watch all the World Cup games with anticipation and with my Italian World Cup memories in mind.

A lot has changed in the past four years. And a lot of good has come out of my trip to the other side of the world.

What were you doing four years ago?

                          

Dear Stamp Makers for the USPS,

I’ve just finished up my save the dates, and I went in to one of your offices this past week to learn the ONLY postcard stamps you have? Are POLAR BEARS. And, while that’s all fine and dandy for some people, I’m sure, that is NOT OKAY for my save the dates. That I am sending out in JUNE. In the South.

I’m sure there is a reason for this, but I just went onto your Web site to possibly troubleshoot and see if there were ANY other postcard stamps available. There aren’t. (Though I can purchase numerous 10 cent stamps and piece them together on my postcards…)

Why isn’t there a variety for the postcard postage? God knows y’all have hundreds of other, regularly priced stamps to choose from.

Why polar bears? They’re beautiful creatures, yes, and I like them in a given circumstance, but they don’t really remind me of a wedding. In the South. In October. (Or any other time… unless you’re at the zoo. And that’s a major sad face altogether.)

What’s a girl to do?

Sincerely,
A confused, slightly annoyed bride

…

It’s looking like I will purchase a ridiculous amount of the 10 cent stamps since I don’t want to spend $120 on postcard postage from Zazzle (even though it’s freaking CUTE.) Because I have a budget. And that budget doesn’t include $120 for my save the date postage alone — it’s more like the total cost for printing, design and postage.

For the record, I know this isn’t a big deal. I know it isn’t the end of the world. But damnit, it’s really annoying to think you’re going to save some bucks on purchasing postcards for your save the dates and then to realize that — AFTER the postcards are in hand — that you’re either going to have to purchase polar bear stamps for something you are sending out NOW in the summer heat, piece random stamps together to send out the postcards or sign over an arm and a leg for customized postage.

Thoughts, friends?