Hello 2012

Man oh man...has this year started off with a bang or what!?! My holiday was very eventful and I enjoyed it to the fullest. Christmas was a lot of fun with the family. The egg nog on xmas eve did a few of us in ;-) I received some very special gifts this year. I got a very cool pair of ray-bans to add to my collection, a very rad army green jacket, a great stash of art supplies and a killer headboard that Aaron made me. Santa was good to us all. We spent a few days relaxing and sitting around in our pjs out at my Mom's then we headed back up to Chattanooga for the new year. In between xmas and NYE, Lindsay came up to visit and we celebrated her 30th bday by taking a jaunt up to Nashville to see ZBB play (man was that a blast from my past(life)). It was great to see everyone and catch up...you forget just how many people a divorce can distance you from. The show has gotten so big and the stage so "big time" that my mouth just fell open when Clay was showing me around. I had no idea how much of a production a tour like this was. It's a lot different from when I was hanging out backstage. I'm so very happy for all those guys...and hope that they are actually happy with their lives. It's not an easy one from what you might think. After the show LC and I went back to Chatt to prepare for the next nights Avett Bros show. The peace de la resistance!!! Aaron and I took her around Chatt, had a great lunch at Blue Plate, gorged on cupcakes, napped and then went over to Track 29 to see the show. It was killer and more than I had expected. It was a real bonded experience for me and LC...we had a moment ;-) The next day was NYE and Aaron and I spent a lovely romantic evening eating the most amazing meal EVA!!!!! I've included some pics :-) After our amazing dinner we met up with the gang at The Honest Pint and rung in the new year. I love the gang in Chatt. They are some really great people. NYE always ends with drinks at Lamar's so this year was no different. We were in bed by 4am and woke up feeling great at 10am!
So currently I am preparing for spring semester which starts on the 9th. I had to drop my 8am class because it was causing me too much anxiety. I know that sounds crazy but I am creature of habit, thus are my dogs, and that 8am class was just throwing the whole thing off. Everything feels much better now that it's gone :-) I am also ramping up for The Weezer Cruise...which I get to go on with part of the Chattanooga gang. Cannot wait for this epic event. On a heavier note, Mom is having her gamma knife surgery right before I leave for the cruise. She has an acoustic neuroma, that's just fancy for brain tumor. I am totally bummed at the timing of everything as I really wanted to be able to spend a few days with her after the surgery. Evidently she should be fine within 24 hours but IT'S MY MOM and I would like to be there and not going on an effing cruise the next day!! I will get to be with her the day of the surgery, which is comforting to us both. So please keep her in your thoughts as she does have some anxiety about it. It's way less invasive than the alternative but scary non the less.
That last thing to mention, and then you're completely up to date, is my flirtation with veganism. I've already caught a lot of flack and I'm just testing the waters. I am conducting an experiment, if you will, to see just how much stuff I consume that contains animal products/dairy and to also see how my body might react to less of these things. Most of you know I am a deep seeded lover of cheese so this might not go so well but I at least want to give it a try and see if I could ever successfully live this way. And most of you should know that I have been a vegetarian, although lazy at times, for the past 4 years and that I am not an activist or pushy with my convictions so please support me in this. BAM!! And...I'm out.

Whoops

It's been a long while since my last blog post. School is over and in the bag. Grades should be posted in minute now and I am expecting two As and one B. Maybe next semester I will pull off a full string of As. One can only dream!
Christmas is in full swing around this house. The tree has been up since the day after Thanksgiving and gifts have been slowly piling up...as the bank account drains. Why do I do it every year?!?! I insist on spending a small fortune. I really truly believe that I could do gift giving for much cheaper and in a much more creative way. Next year...next year. Again with the dreaming!
Classes have been over for two weeks and today was my first real day of being home. I've been full force and I'm getting burned out. I wish I was the type of person who could lay in bed and veg out but instead I wake up like my ass is on fire. For instance, today was a relaxing day for me...woke up nice and rested at 8:15am, went for a walk/jog (training for a 5K), paid bills and worked on my budget, baked a pecan pie, made buckeyes, fudge and pralines. Then I walked the dogs, worked on a painting and then did an hour on the elliptical while watching the first episode of Breaking Bad. Now I'm blogging...sounds so very relaxing doesn't it!?! I think my bottled water is laced with something. I cannot sit still but I SOOOOOO very want too. Well it's only 7pm...what can I do next!?

Things you don't see from a car

I walked to class today. It was great!! It felt really good to use my body to get me somewhere. I know that sounds strange. We use our cars so much that we forget that we can use our legs to actual take us someplace that a car usually does. The morning was mild and there was a great breeze but I still got pretty sweaty. I am hoping as the weeks go on I will not get some yucky. I am going to try a messenger bag on the next walk and hope that my shirt does not look like that when I get home!! I saw some really cool stuff. I'll take more pictures next time but the one I took today was is super cool!

Killer Weekend

Aaron and I had such an awesome weekend and I thought I'd share it with you ;-) Friday started off with me cleaning a clients house then heading to Athens for a tattoo. I've been thinking about this one for a while and when Lindsay found David Hale on Facebook I knew he had to be the artist to do it. His approach it so different and he comes from a more artist background. I've included a picture so you can see how it's coming along. It was so incredibly painful that I punked out when it came time to do the color. He barely got started and I felt like I was going into shock and about to pass out. I go back in November to have it finished. That evening Aaron and I went to the Righteous Room and enjoyed a few drinks and had some great conversation. On Saturday we walked up to Grant Park for the Summer Shade Festival and took in the festivities. We ate at the WoodFired Pizza stand...Aaron's authentic pizza is way better. He's thinking of starting a mobile pizza business in Chattanooga so it was "priceless market research" he said ;-) On the way out of the festival I got a YumYum cupcake. Texture was killer but I was wanting a more rich flavor...I've gotten so picky with my gourmet treats!! Saturday afternoon we ran errands for a while then hit up the Little Azio's for pasta then took in a movie at Midtown Art Cinema. We say "Our Idiot Brother" with Paul Rudd. More of a chick flick than we thought but still enjoyable. After a solid nights sleep we got up Sunday and took a walk to the GSU campus. I was wanting Aaron to walk with me so I could scope it out and see if I felt safe about walking to my morning class twice a week. It was a great walk with the cool breeze and we hit up the Grant Park Farmers Market on the walk back. Aaron scored a fresh BLT with pimento cheese and I have some yummy peach fried pie. Both were very yummy. We are really excited about how cool the farmers market is. We will be going back next Sunday!! After we got back and showered we went to Phillips Arena to see Cirque du Soleil's Dralion. It was just okay. It was a smaller production. I wished that since it was Aaron's first show that it had been more dramatic and larger. There were of course still some cool parts. We came home and Aron fixed the hot water heater while I cleaned the house. Had to get a few chores done ;-) Sunday evening we went and tried Delia's Chicken Sausage on Moreland then went over to 97 Estoria and enjoyed the patio. The weather was amazing this weekend! SO that was our weekend!! It was killer right!?!

Today is my first day of Fall Semester. So far I don't care for my art history teacher but it's just the first day. We will see how that one goes. I am home right now because I have a three hour break between classes. It gives me a chance to come home and walk the dogs, eat lunch and get some extra stuff done. I got up at 6:45am this morning and had a nice walk/jog. It was so nice out. There was a killer summer breeze and no humidity. I can feel fall coming!!! This is my favorite time of year starting with my birthday. Whoot whoot!
Coming home from the beach kind of sucked but it does feel good to get back into the swing of things. My next mini vacation will be at the end of October. Aaron and I have rented a cabin for a long weekend. It's part of my birthday gift from him. We spent a weekend at a cabin last fall and it was so much fun we decided it was something that we needed to make into a yearly tradition.
So I am embarking on a journey to let go of the past. I had a great frozen yogurt date with Autumn yesterday and she brought it to my attention that I keep holding on to too much stuff from my past and that's affecting my present. Keeping your mind in the present is kind of hard...think about how many times you think about the past or tell stories about past things that have happened. I'm talking about things that need to be let go of and not talked about anymore, not thing that are positive. It's hard to try and let those things go but it's important for moving on and creating a positive mindset. So per Autumns advice, I started the day telling myself that I will be thinking about today and only today. On my walk/jog this morning I went through all the things that I am thankful for today and that put me in a pretty darn good mood. It might not work everyday but it sure worked today!!

End of Days

Today is our last day at the beach. It's been a very wonderful and long two week vacation. I highly recommend two weeks for vacation, it feels like a month. The past two days were great. We took and little trip over to St. Augustine. What a beautiful little town. Aaron and I found this great gourmet popsicle place called Hyppo on TripAdvisor. I dare say I liked it better than King of Pops! Better texture. They flash freeze the pops. Yesterday was spent in the sun. Aaron and Kile went on an early morning fishing trip and Mom and I laid by the pool. Then we met up for lunch and after that Aaron and I spent the afternoon on the beach. The waves were huge and rough so playing in the ocean was exercise. I was taken out a few times. Last night we all went to the movies and saw The Change-Up. Better than I expected. Lot of laughs. Be careful taking anyone too young or too old as it's pretty vulgar in language and context most of the time.

Adventure!!!!

Yesterday was awesome!!!! Aaron and I drove the hour over to Orlando and went to Universal Island of Adventure. The ticket price is steep but it's totally worth it. We had a blast. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is worth the trip alone. Thankfully I had read several reviews on TripAdvisor and got some good inside scoop info. We got to the park early and headed straight for The Three Broomsticks over at Harry Potter World and ate an early lunch, 10am! Fish and Chips brunch! We did not have to wait and we got a great table right in the middle of the Three Broom Sticks and I got my first butter beer ;-) After "brunch" we hit up all the rides. As the day went on the lines and wait times got longer and longer but it all ended up being pretty easy and not too bad. Splitting up into the single riders line made things go faster but you did not always end up together on the ride. I highly recommend that you save The Hulk and Dr. Doom for last as these were terrifing rides and take a toll on the body too. Super scary. Check out these videos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBGdqa7GIlE and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsjdYQJc748 I was happy to be alive after these two. All in all it was a great great great day of fun!!