Summer is a time for vacations. It’s a time for enjoying the sun, laying out by the pool, being lazy, evening hikes, and backyard barbecues. But for this Summer, summer is also for school, homework and never ending lectures.

Granted I am only taking two classes. A welcome break to the four I attempted to juggle last semester.

One of my classes is nothing but lectures. Two nights a week for an hour and a half at a time I listen to a history fanatic tell me about the discovery and development of America. His visual aids? An overhead projector and slides. It’s the early 90′s all over again.

My second class is an on-line one. So far the instructor has posted a syllabus and then booked a flight to Fiji. The entire class has questions, yet no one has heard a peep from him. The chat room is filled with disgruntled students. To call this class frustrating would be an understatement.

Gotta love a community college education.

I remember when I was a little girl my parents set my bed time at 8:30 p.m. During the summer months I would be in bed while it was still light outside. I would look out my window and watch the other kids whose parents weren’t big fat meanie-heads still laughing and playing in the street. Then I would feel sorry for myself and curse my bad luck of having such cruel parents.

That’s kind of how I feel now. I watch those who made the good decisions of going to college in their youth who now get to leave work and not have to go to class or worry about homework. Then I feel sorry for myself and curse my parents for being right when they told me I should make college a priority right after high school.

What is that saying? All of our problems in life can be traced back to our childhoods?

Yeah, thanks a lot mom and dad!

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Uncategorized

The other night I went to visit my dear father. Due to recent knee replacement surgery, he was heavily medicated. When he was able to get audible sentences out, he was hilarious!

My adorable niece was also there and wanted to be a part of the action. However, her patience with grown-up conversations started to dwindle. She tried to get attention using every four-year-old trick in the handbook. We would appease her for a minute and then go back to our conversation. Soon she gave up…  or so we thought.

She disappeared into the other room, and when she returned she was wearing this:

When she walked out in her finest gown with smeared, red lipstick on her face, I had to laugh. It’s no wonder women get all dolled up before they leave the house. We learn at a very young age that it gets us attention. Even my Dad, in his drugged up state, took the time to tell her how cute she looked.

I’m not saying this is good or bad, just that it finally makes sense to me. I get ready before I leave the house because I like to feel pretty. I don’t need anyone to validate me or give me attention like my adorable niece does — I do that for myself. My outfits are typically a notch or two more low key than hers was, but I do feel better about myself when I look made up and yes, sometimes my confidence comes from an extra coat of mascara and a little lipstick.

It’s my fail proof pick-me-up.

Well that, or having my Dad tell me I look nice.

OK, so maybe I haven’t grown up so much after all.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Lessons Learned, Uncategorized

Last September I lost my iPhone.

Two months later I lost my best friend to a drug overdose.

Today I finally got a replacement iPhone. It is the “new model.” It took me two hours to figure out how to sync everything up and get all of my old apps to download.

Do you know, it saved everything?

Including my last text message to my dear friend Zach, which was spoken in anger. And all I can think, is fuck you, iPhone.

Fuck you very much for that painful reminder staring me right in the face. It’s bad enough that I take the long route from school so I don’t pass by his work, and it really sucks that Facebook won’t stop telling me to “reconnect” with him. But you, dear iPhone, take the prize.

Here’s my open wound, please, feel free to pour salt into it.

Fuck you, because while you are replaceable, my friend will never be! Those words you so kindly remembered are words I can never take back and I hate myself for ever typing them.

Honestly, iPhone, the least you could do is come with a warning.

CAUTION: SYNCING WILL RESULT IN PAINFUL MEMORIES THAT WILL LIKELY LEAVE YOU A BLUBBERY MESS.

Then maybe add a precautionary:

ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO PROCEED?

Because then? I would have answered NO. No, iPhone, I do not want to relive the last thing I text to my dead friend.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Uncategorized

***“TMI Friday” (Too Much Information Friday) is a weekly feature on Blogfully Yours where I hover the line of “over-sharing”. It’s like therapy for me, without the expense.***

Jealousy…

I’m going to start by saying I hate that I am even writing this. I hate that I am even feeling this messed up feeling in the first place. Like, who am I? I have never been the jealous type. Ever.

Seriously.

But for some crazy ass reason–which mind you , I KNOW is not logical, rational, or based on any sort of realistic anything–I. Get. Jealous!

Like, “cut-a-bitch” jealous.

Of course I don’t “cut-a-bitch”. Because I am not a crazy person. Plus I don’t carry knives on me. But when I am working out at the gym where ED trains, and he has his hands guiding some young flirty girls form? I have to start counting backwards from 10… sometimes 20.

I know. I know!

He is a personal trainer… it is his job… he loves me and would never do anything to hurt me. I KNOW!

But does it make me not see red? Does it make me not feel the way I feel?

No.

What it does do,  is help me to keep my cool and let it go. I fully recognize that it is MY issue. It’s not ED’s fault. It’s not his client(s) fault. This one is all on me. Working out at the same gym where ED trains people is a new thing. I think I just need a little time to get used to it is all.

The last thing I want to do is drive away ED’s clients because they are uncomfortable with the crazy chick in the corner giving them the death-stare.

At least, I’m pretty sure that’s the last thing I want…

*sigh*

Jealousy? She’s a major bitch.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Dating debating, Emotions get the best of me, TMI Friday, Uncategorized

I’m off to sunny humid Mexico, Riviera Maya area to be exact. If you live there please say “Hi”. I promise I’ll be easy to spot. Just look for the 6ft tall brunette laying by the pool buried in a book with a row of empty margaritas surrounding her.

That will be me.

At least every other day anyway. ED and I decided that in order to make the most of our vacation we would alternate adventurous, sight seeing, touristy days with relaxing, comatose, don’t stray too far from our room days.

The perfect vacation compromise.

Even though I’ll be gone, don’t think I will have forgotten about you, lovely readers! I’ve worked surprisingly not hard to find some truly amazing women to step in for me. Honestly, I thought I’d have to beg and plead or offer them my first born child to convince them, but you know it’s absolutely amazing how easy it is to get guest bloggers when you simply mention how Mexico has relatively loose laws regarding prescription drugs.

Go figure.

Adios Amigos y Amigas!

Blogfully yours,

Summer

PS – My Spanish is a little, ahem, rusty… but I think what I wrote says “goodbye boys and girls”. Crap! I knew I should have listened to my Learn to Speak Spanish in 7 days CD’s again.

Uncategorized

Today is my boyfriend ED’s birthday. Today he turns the ripe ol’ age of 30.

That’s right, Dirty Thirty.

Having been his girlfriend for the past seven months I know the very last thing in the world he would want for me to do is to gush any personal information about him. He is a very private person and I am, well I am a blogger.

Nuff said?

However, because it is his birthday I can not do nothing. It is my duty as a blogging girlfriend to either gush about him or embarass him. Luckily, by gushing I am able to accomplish both.

Things I love about ED:

- His 15 year old sense of humor. Sadly we are a lot alike in this area. Although recently I did have ask him to limit the amount of “your mom” jokes to under 10 per day.

- His old fashion values. ED is a country boy and he is chalk full of country boy values. He is chivalrous but believes men and women are equals. He always open the door for me and if he saw a stranded motorist, he would be the guy who would stop.

- The way he encourages and believes in me even when I don’t believe in myself. If it was not for him I may never have pushed myself any harder or further with my college education than an associates degree.

- How he likes to take care of me – mentally and physically. He listens to my rambling stories and patiently waits for me to get to the point in my long round about way and he hugs me when I cry. He keeps me healthy and active and I never go hungry when we are together.

- He has accepted me, along with all my quirks and emotional baggage, and loves me a surprisingly large amount. Sometimes I am shocked by the abnormally sweet things he does and he will ask me, “when are you going to realize just how much I love you?”

- Lastly, I love who I am with him. We have all been in those relationships where you feel like you lose yourself or you don’t like the person you are becoming. With ED I feel like I am me… but the best version of me I have yet to know.

Happy birthday baby! Here’s to being together and loving each other for a very long time, and by a very long time I mean “as far into the foreseeable future as possible”… which means forever.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Dating debating, Emotions get the best of me, Loved One(s), Uncategorized

This weekend was full of birthday celebrations.  I had a small get together with a few of my closest friends on Friday and ED had his birthday party on Saturday.

For my birthday my friends bought me some of the best presents, like wine, flasks (yes, I got 2 flasks for my birthday), flowers, jewelery, Aveda shampoo and conditioner and the book “The Portable Dorothy Parker”.

I felt absolutely spoiled!

That is, until I saw what ED’s friends got him for his birthday….

ED and the Bagpiper

Playing "O' Danny Boy"

Now I’ve always thought I have some of the best friends alive, and I do, but while my friends got me objects (and lovely objects they are!), ED’s friends got him a PERSON!

I think next year I might just have to expand my invite list.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Uncategorized

The clock just struck midnight and I am officially a year older.

I’ve been sitting here reflecting on birthdays and why they are such a big deal. Earlier tonight I found out that the evening plans I thought I had locked in for my birthday now have to be altered slightly. True to form, I acted like a princess on her birthday and have been pouting most of the night. It was nothing major really, but you know when you have a vision of how something is going to happen and then it doesn’t happen that way? Yeah that totally sucks…

Two quickie birthday stories to share.

My darling Mother called me a few days ago to ask what I wanted for my birthday and what I would like her to make for my birthday dinner. I told her I wanted a pink pony and lasagna for dinner.

Mom: “I can’t believe how old you are getting!”

Me: “Gee, thanks Mom.”

Mom: “No, that means I am getting that much older too.”

Me: “Again, not super helpful.”

Mom: “You know, I used to be upset about getting older. I would look in the mirror and just think ‘oh my goodness I’m so old.’ But you know what? It’s okay because everybody else is getting old too. I’m not alone and neither are you.”

I don’t know that it made me feel better, but it did give me some food for thought. After all, getting older is inevitable. Nobody is going to get any younger.

But that’s not going to stop me from trying…

Tonight my younger sister swung by to bring me some fresh basil and visited for a while. As she was about to leave we had the following conversation:

Staci: “Well I’m off. I can’t believe in a few hours you are going to be twe–”

Me: “TWENTY TWO. Yeah, I can’t believe I am going to be twenty two again either!”

Staci: “Twenty two? Why can’t you be twenty s-”

Me: “I’m turning twenty two again. You can turn twenty two again too on your birthday and we will stay that age forever.”

Staci (smiling): “OK. Sounds like a plan.”

Blogfully yours,

The Birthday girl

Uncategorized

It’s no secret that my domestic skills are, well, lacking. I have no food in my fridge and the when I do buy food it goes bad (by the way, yes, I did finally throw out the expired eggs in my fridge).  But somehow I have managed to survive on my own and not starve to death. Barely.

Last week ED picked me up from the airport after my trip to Chicago.  I knew he wouldn’t be able to stay long due to some other obligations. Not wanting to make him feel bad about having to leave so quickly I told him I was fine to find food on my own. To which he laughed. In an effort to prove him wrong I walked into my kitchen to show him that yes, I actually do have some food in my house… somewhere. You just have to be creative.

“Summer you are like the cousin Eddie on the Griswalds. ‘I don’t know why they call it Hamburger Helper because I’ve made it before and it tastes just fine without’. You have tuna helper but no tuna. You have Eggo waffles but no syrup. Honey you don’t even have milk! Please, let me order us some Chinese food?”

To which I broke down and bawled, not because he kept comparing me to Cousin Eddie (who apparently makes his own ketchup too), but because he cares enough to put off pressing plans to make sure I don’t die of hunger.

If that ain’t love then I don’t know what is.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

PS – If you are not familiar with Cousin Eddie click HERE.

Dating debating, Uncategorized

A few nights ago I went over to my sister Staci’s house for my monthly kitchen beauty parlor experience. Karina the Russian must have been bored because she came over too with her two Russian children in tow to watch me get my hair done.

While the hair dye was processing we threw a pizza in the oven for the kids and Staci decided show us her domestic skills, which if you know me or either of my sisters you would know and accept that we have none. Fortunately you can’t really go wrong with Cheesy Egg Burritos which is what she made, complete with Cholula Hot Sauce on top. She told us,”This is so perfect because I have one carton of eggs that is going to expire in a few days so I am glad you are here to help me eat them.”

I have to say the burritos were excellent.

When I got home I started thinking about the eggs in my fridge and how I haven’t so much as looked at them since I bought them.

They expired in May.

Truthfully I didn’t even know eggs had an expiration date. I mean I guess it makes since that they do, but I never really thought about it. Milk sure, but eggs? Who knew? Obviously not me because I NEVER BUY THEM! But for some odd reason, when I went to the grocery store 2 months ago, I thought, what the hell? Maybe I’ll make breakfast one of these weekends when I am home.

I’ve tried to tell ED that I actually do know how to cook and that once I move into a place with a bigger kitchen I’ll actually use it. This story is not doing me any favors to convince him.

Meh.

Suzy Homemaker I am not. Honestly that’s just not me. But ask me to make you my signature Grape Russian, Peppermint Martini, or a Screwdriver and you will see that I more than make up for my lack of “traditional” domestic skills.

Blogfully yours,

Summer

Just me, Uncategorized