It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...Except for the Part Where Bill Clinton Tried to Make Out with Me

Longest title ever! But I really do think it's the most wonderful time of the year - I LOVE Christmas. I'm the person that quivers with joy as I walk through the Christmas aisles looking at everything sparkle and shine and glisten. Christmas music fills me with magical wonder and the thought of snow on Christmas day makes giddy with unrealistic hope (because it's still 50 freaking degrees - typical fickle Kansas. It was 6 degrees last Monday, and today's high is 52!).

Yesterday was my Christmas party, and there is now glitter all over my kitchen floor, but that's okay... I needed something to cheer the place up. I made this dress - well, I bought the dress (totally on sale) and then sewed the the tinsel onto it, which was no easy feat as the room was still spinning from Saturday night. There were ugly sweaters, reindeer antlers, and many bottles of wine. A great success. And then I fell asleep on the couch for the third night in a row (sometimes I really just don't want to get up and go to my bed) and that's when it happened - Bill Clinton tried to make out with me!! Rough night. I have the stupidest dreams. Who even has dreams about Bill Clinton anymore anyway? I wouldn't have felt weird about it if it were Obama, but noooo.

So I'd like to take a moment in this festive spirit and share with you all:

Georgia's Top Five Favorite Christmas Songs

5. Baby, It's Cold Outside - Johnny Mercer and Margaret Whiting (here)

     So this one isn't technically a Christmas song but it is. It's just cheeky and classy and delightful.

4. The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole (here)

     It's a classic. The man is great. And it is a simple phrase that has been complicated by our modern society. It might not be PC anymore, but a simple Merry Christmas is heartwarming. 

3. Fairytale of New York - The Pogues ft Kirsty MacColl (here)

     This song is very different from all the others on this list, but it's still a geat song. It makes me feel like I need to be sitting in a bar drowning my sorrows in Guiness but it's a reminder that Christmas isn't magical for everyone.

2. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day - Wizzard (here)

    Now is a good time to state that no one does Christmas like the Brits, and I've never truly felt Christmas since we moved to the States and every single Christmas I miss England more than anything. I had actually forgotten that this song existsed until I came across it yesterday on a Christmas compilation and it lit up my whole afternoon. And now I will wallow in the memories of my childhood - Cadbury's advent calendars and selection boxes, tins of Quality Street, Mr. Blobby and Noel's House Party Christmas Specials (we have the BEST Christmas TV specials), Top of the Pops Christmas, Wallace and Gromit, Christmas crackers, mince pies, Christingle services, watching the Queen, Boxing Day, nut roast. The list is endless. 

1. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Frank Sinatra (here)

     Something about Frank's voice and this song and everything just makes me so happy when I hear it. It's the ultimate classic, and I never really noticed how much I enjoyed it until I was decorating my tree after Thanksgiving dinner at Andrea and Dave's and it just became one of those perfect moments. I was standing precariously on the arm of the sofa putting the star on the tree top and thinking about what a pleasant afternoon it had been for all of us who couldn't be with our own families, and due to some form of cosmic alignment just at the perfect moment, I hear the lyrics "through the years we all will be together if the fates allow/hang a shining star upon the highest bow/and have yourself a merry little Christmas now". How perfect?! 

There you have it, I hope you enjoyed those songs. I'm off to get crafty - it's crunch time! So much to do.

Toodles, Miss Georgia.

Maroon is More Red Than Anything Else... Right?

Seriously... I only posted twice in November! I'm sorry that I fail at keeping you all up to date with the goings on in my life. You can bury me up to my head and then stone me to death after this post.

Laverne and Shirley, on the
prowl! She's Shirley, I'm
totally Laverne.

Well they're maroon... but that's
kind of red. 

So let's see... what is going on? What has been happening? Well... Last night was ladies night, whoa! We got dressed to the 9's and went out to paint the town red. Like my shoes! And we looked sassy and classy and there were free drinks to be had and men breaking their necks, duh. And fun was had all round. Also, whoever said 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' never tried to Wobble in those shoes.


And last weekend the Wildcats won the Big 12 title, so in some twisted turn of fate to further tear my soul in two, we are facing off against the Ducks in the Fiesta Bowl. Because I haven't been tortured enough all season, now my two teams are pitted against each other. It should be an awesome game though, and I figured I would take the next day off work so I can watch this game the way it's meant to be watched - in a bar, with everyone else who is too poor to go to Arizona, drinking beer and screaming at the TV in unison. Either way, I win anyway. I'll just wear am Oregon shirt under my K-State shirt. I'm probably going to get lynched.

Today I drank waaaaay too much coffee, approximately 50 ounces to be precise, and let me tell you - I'm definitely paying for it right now. I have the worst caffeine-crashing headache. It's my own fault, I suppose. So I cooked myself a romantic dinner for one and chilled out in my relatively clean apartment. I guess that means I'll have to be twice as festively productive since I still have many many things to do before I'm ready for Christmas. And next weekend is my Christmas SpecTACKular. Get it? I know, I'm clever. More on that after it's happened - it's likely to be a hit, like all of my gatherings.

I have a really bad habit of leaving things unfinished - it's something I'm trying to change. But I suppose now is as good a time as ever to touch on revelation #3 "If you throw a pirate party, don't be surprised when you wake up the next day and your house has been literally pillaged and plundered (and all the rum is gone)." What a strange revelation that doesn't really have anything to do with your ones, is what you might be thinking. Well... those of you who remember my very first post, it was right after my 24th birthday, which I celebrated by throwing a pirate party. Costumes, rum, pirate music, the works. And the revelation is pretty self-explanatory... I think we went through about 6 bottles of rum, on top of all the other liquor. There were swords and hats and eye patches and mustaches strewn about the next day. There was cake and frosting EVERYWHERE - seriously... on the bathroom wall and all over my kitchen cabinets, floor, and oven. I'd say if we were going for a realistic pirate theme, it was successful.

Okay, I'm sorry I don't have anything as exciting or as ridiculous as normal, but I'll work on that, I promise!

I'll leave you with this song for now, because it's perfect in every way.
From Finner - Of Monsters and Men

Toodles, Miss Georgia

It's All Fun and Games Until Someone Blows Up

Oh, Christmas tree!

So I had a great Thanksgiving and all... a little weird, but it turned out to be really great. I went to a friends place for dinner with a bunch of other people who couldn't be with their families, so who else happens to be there? Only G.I. Joe's roommate. Awkward...ish.

Go State!

So anyway, you guys know my opinion about being a single lady right now - it's what I need and I'm enjoying it, but it's this time of year that makes me miss having someone around. For example, it's really hard to trim a tree when there's no one standing on the other stand to hand strings of lights or tinsel around. Then when you get your lights plugged in and you have your space heater on and you decide that you want to heat up some leftovers so you toss some in the microwave and turn it on and you flip a breaker and you have no idea which breaker goes to where and your arms are too short to reach the switches behind the fridge. SUCKS! And I wish I had someone to help me out or to rush in and the save the day, but what's more important, I think, is that I figured all that shit out by myself and saved my own day. Boom. Go me. And now my tree is up and I am cuddled with my wine watching Just Friends and feeling comfort in the fact that at least my holiday won't be that screwed up, because let's face it - relationships just complicate everything anyway.

I'm Sorry I'm So Neglectful, I Feel Like A Terrible Person

You all should have known that my hiatus was coming... it's inevitable. From the get-go, I said that I would try hard to post consistently and most likely fail...I'm just proving myself right. So much has happened! And yet, nothing really that exciting has happened.

First of all, let me just get something off my chest:
                                        WILDCATS ARE NUMBER ONE! #emaw
And I'm pretty pumped that Oregon is number two, but since I do not yet live there, and haven't attended Oregon yet, I still bleed purple for the time being. And when I finally do move, I'll bleed this weird color that happens when you mix purple and green together, which is probably a nasty brown color.

Today, I bought my first ever turkey... I have no idea how to cook it, so I'll just pawn that task off to the roommate. I've organized a day at the challenge course for all my work friends and then we'll be stuffing our faces and drinking too much after some team building and bonding activities. I do not get to go home for Thanksgiving, but since I grew up in England where said holiday does not exist...it's not that big a deal. Plus, I have military friends who are stuck here too so we'll all get together and be a fitting family of misfits. Wait, what?

New hair!

I start school in January! I have to take math :( and English...and philosophy and anthropology. Two fun classes, one indifferent, and one MISERABLE. I hate math. But I'm ready to repair my GPA and do what it takes to get to Oregon (quack).

I got really sick last week, so I have yet to make a video explaining the strangeness of Halloween. But soon, I promise. I PROMISE. I'm also trying to compile a list of messy situations I've ever been involved in, inspired by this morning when I was steaming milk and knocked the pitcher over and sprayed steam and milk EVERYWHERE. There's a reason I chose the title "It Went Everywhere" and that's because it really did go everywhere. I did get my hurr did though. I had it trimmed up and dyed a plum color with red highlights, of course.

Tonight is Old Chicago night, one of my many new traditions that have me loving life.

ADDENDUM: Tonight WAS Old Chicago night, but I just got home from that.... 5 beers later and here I am. Maybe I'm about to do things I won't agree with in the morning, but you know what? YOLO! Yeah,  I went there...

Back soon, promise!
Video soon, promise!

Miss Georgia!!

A Brief Overview to Halloween Part One

We definitely look like we're up to no
good, but that's nothing new. 

This weekend was Halloween Part One since next weekend will be Halloween Part Two, get it? That's the cool thing about Halloween being on a Wednesday... twice the parties, twice the costumes, twice the fun! And Halloween Part One was ridiculous! I had so much fun with my friends and so much happened that I'm not even going to try and type all about, but I promise I will explain in a video soon, so check back, like tomorrow night! I'll go ahead and say it involves: monster mashing, water balloons, rum, bearing witness to a car wreck, sushi, losing my roommate, and the mysterious case of someones underpants. Riveting, right? I seriously couldn't make this shit up if I tried.

Yeah, I'm a nerd. So what?

I shall briefly say, "Good news, everyone!" I was granted enough financial aid to cover my tuition so I should be starting classes and working on that associates degree in January. Unfortunately, I have to take a math placement test tomorrow. Eww. But it'll be worth it. Hopefully I'll have my classes scheduled by tomorrow too. And then I'll be one step closer to being a Duck! I'll miss being a Wildcat though, we kicked ass this weekend!!!





I'll leave it at that for now, and I'll fill you in with all the juicy bits later. Promise.
Toodles,
Miss Georgia

Lessons Learned, Douchebags Past.

We're still working on revelation #4, aren't we? Well, like I said... even though we only dated for a couple of months (and I'm sure the feeling isn't mutual), I took so much out of my relationship with G.I. Joe. If you recall, revelation #4 states that "It's okay if people were only meant to be in your life for a brief period of time and a very specific reason." Now, I'm a firm believer that he was put into my life just to give me a poke and make me realize that I needed to make some changes, take some action, and start doing things for myself instead of for everyone else. He reminded me of who I really am. Because of the things he re-awakened within me; I started going to the gym again, I asked for more bartending hours, I stopped stressing out so much about stupid things, I stopped twiddling my thumbs and went back to being proactive about getting back in school, and I started making a plan for getting myself to Oregon. The simple fact that I had all this in motion again made me so happy. And then our relationship ended, relatively suddenly, but the weird thing was that I wasn't really that upset. Even though this boy had told me he loved me, that he wanted to marry me, that we could make a relationship last for a whole year while he was deployed, and even though I wanted to believe him, I think that deep down inside there was a part of me that knew none of that would ever happen, that he was just in my life to teach me something. And while in retrospect, he mostly turned out to be a douche, I don't have any regrets about the situation because I'm so much happier with myself now than I was three months ago. That's the short version anyway. 

In a round-about way, this also leads us to revelation #1. "Just because you say you're okay alone, doesn't mean you really are. But one day you'll wake up and realize it's the best thing ever." Seriously, being on my own right now is just what I really need. I have time to focus and do things for myself and get my life together again. It's cliche that everyone says you can't be truly happy with someone else until you're happy with yourself, but it's very true. And while I've always been pretty happy with myself, I never really wanted to be alone...until now. So I think that when I do eventually meet someone I might be interested in, I'll be better prepared for whatever might come out of it and unafraid of being let down again. 

Protein Tastes Like Ass and Whitney Houston Dashed My Dreams

So I'm switching gears today, mostly because I've been slightly more neurotic than normal for the past couple of days and I have to share it with someone. I think my roommate is immune to it anymore... he usually just smirks at my ramblings and keeps fixed on the TV. What a disappointing audience.

First of all, I'm going to share a conversation that I had with my mother yesterday, via Facebook. Maybe this will help shed some light on why I am the way I am. Or maybe it will just make you really glad you're not in my family, I'm not sure; though I happen to like my family.

My Facebook status: I have to get ready for work but all I really want to do is listen to Whitney Houston singing "I wanna dance with somebody" over and over and over. You know you're jealous that you didn't think of occupying your day that way.

My Momma: I thought I taught you to have better taste in music than that...

Me: Mother! Shame on you. This is a majestic song. I screamed it full blast in my car yesterday when it came on the radio, so there. Gonna disown me? Didn't think so.

My Momma: Daughter, shame on you. I taught you to have taste in music than that. Don't let dad hear you say this. It will break his heart.

Me: Your argument is invalid because you just repeated yourself. And added the part about dad. Dad, who like shitty movies and I pass no judgement there. My leg is now bleeding profusely.

My Momma: Your argument is invalid because your leg is bleeding profusely. Listening to Whitney Houston over and over can actually cause bodily harm and needs to come with a government health warning. 

Me: My leg is bleeding profusely because I acquired your nasty habit of wanting to pick every scab that forms on my body.

My Momma: If Whitney Houston makes you pick scabs, you definitely need to switch over to something else. 

Me: I was absent-mindedly picking a scab while reading something that made me want to listen to Whitney Houston. I wish I could dress up as her for Halloween...something tells me I couldn't exactly pull that off. 

My Momma: You're dressing up as a monster. It's close enough.

Me: GASP! Mother. Look at that hair. LOOK AT HER HAIR! It's beautiful.

My Momma: *facepalm** I have failed you as a mother. I'm so sorry, my child. 

*Yes, my mother does say 'facepalm', she also uses the term 'douchebag' though I generally advise her not to... not that that stops her anyway.

And let me just say, that yes, I really would like to dress up as Whitney Houston for Halloween... unfortunately, I'm so awkwardly white that it's something that shall only remain as a dream. Speaking of being awkwardly white, I love dancing at work - badly. But that Cuban music just gets me deep down inside and I can't control myself. It's made more entertaining by the fact that it drives our kitchen staff insane. Especially our kitchen manager; the same guy who made a deal with me that we'll get married if we're both single at 40. You always need a plan, guys.


Another thing that I've been noticing recently is how many straight up bros are always at the gym. The only girls I see there are mostly just all about the elliptical but I like to lift and these bros and their massive muscles are always up making me feel all tiny. Also, you'd think in this day and age that they would make protein drinks that don't feel like you're drinking that weird watery wet sand. And only in like 4 different flavors.

Anyway, that's all I have for today. I'll leave you with this, as it only seems fitting.
Happy Hump Day!!

Miss Georgia

Introducing the Pups Before They Kill Me in My Sleep

These dogs, I swear to you, are the hardest things to capture successfully on camera. They could give Sasquatch a run for his money. Above is the lady of the house, Miss Rosalyn. She's my favorite and she knows it... I know, I know. You're not supposed to pick favorites, but since they're technically my roommate's dogs, it's okay for me to have a favorite, right? Rosie always has to sit on me when it's most inconvenient. Any other time she couldn't give a rat's ass what I was doing, but as soon as I decide to get busy, there she is all up in my business. You can't get mad at her though - she's just too cute. And that's saying something because I'm a fan of massive dogs and think that Chihuahuas are only good for football practice. But these guys have grown on me. When they first came to live with us a couple of months ago, they hated me. I couldn't scratch my nose without them barking the place down. In their defense, I was staying at G.I. Joe's all the time so they had very few chances to get used to me. But we're buddies now - we even go on runs together around the park. They're the perfect size to pace me... yeah, I don't run that fast.

Now, I'm one of those people who will prepare a bake or casserole and call that good for a week's worth of dinner. Tonight was one such night that I was making such preparation and I kid you not, the pups had it in for me. Loki is bigger than Rosie, he's just freakishly gangly like an awkward teenager and the perfect height to trip you. So here I am at the kitchen sink rinsing off vegetables, washing dishes, etc, and what are the pups doing? Standing right behind me plotting my downfall - no joke. They were just waiting there quietly, patiently, perfectly still, until I step back and trip over them. Evil. After successfully catching myself the first time though, I had my eye on them. Gotta try harder than that to get rid of me! I swear they just want me out of the way so they can have my bedroom.

So today I drove over to Wamego and met with my theoretically-soon-to-be-adviser. This whole thing is becoming quite an ordeal and it's exhausting. Because I went to ISU for three years and have so many credit hours, I had to fill out this form about why I want to attend this community college when I've already got so much toward another degree under my belt. I had to explain (in a tiny little box) that I decided to change my major and wasn't sure what I wanted to do so I took time off and moved around and now that I know what I want to do, I wanted to get my associates degree there so that the transfer process to Oregon would be a much easier transition. And do you know why I had to do this? Because the government is now taking extra precautions to thwart people who just hang out and take their sweet time finishing school so that they can just live off financial aid. URGH! I need this. For my sanity, for my future, I need to get into this school and get my associates degree but all these lazy assholes are being a pain in my ass and making me jump through hoops! I don't want to rant too much, but seriously? Get a job. I have two... you can have one of mine. Then I have to go back next week and take a math placement test, which will suck. I hate math and it hates me. We're not friends. I get about half way through a class, realize I have no idea what's going on and start drawing pictures of Godzilla in my notes, but then it's time to study and Godzilla has no idea what's on the test and we get into a fight about how he never pays attention and that's when he starts smashing buildings and then I get angry phone calls from the Japanese government. Seriously, I should get him in some anger management classes. But hopefully, after I get this test out of the way, they will have finished processing all of my paperwork, decide that I'm worthy enough for financial aid, and I can finally enroll in some classes!

Anyway, that's plenty for tonight. I'll leave you with this song and this song for now, as well as this video to keep you going until next time.

Goodnight!
Miss Georgia

So Much I Don't Even Know Where to Start

It's been a pretty typical Monday, I think, though I did have the day off so that was really nice. It was a day of attempting to get some things done. I say attempting because I don't think I even got half the stuff marked off my to-do list. Oh well... some is better than none, right?

Best and myself at the airport
upon our most recent reuniting
after three years of not seeing
each other.

It started off as a pretty rough morning - I had some insane dreams last night! And when I say insane, I mean bat-shit crazy, though they won't sound that bad when I describe them...but they were! First I dream that there are some crazy evil demons coming to get me and I wake up trying not to fall back into that shit hole but then I start dreaming that I'm still awake and that the demons are in my room so then I don't know if I'm awake or asleep and it's just confusing and terrifying. Urgh. So then I finally fall back to sleep and I start dreaming that G.I. Joe knocks up this new girl he's doing whatever with, so he has her move into his parents with him and then comes to my house and is all like "I don't want this, I still love you" blah blah. And I'm all like "ha, screw you, too late now" and it was just an irritating dream. And then I'm standing in the middle of D.C. arguing with someone about taking the red line into Chinatown because I didn't want to drive around looking for parking. Weird. I have no idea what prompted any of these things. If anyone reading this knows anything about dream interpretation, please tell me wtf is going on here. I also have to recount my story about why I'm beginning to wonder if my house is haunted, which I was reminded of earlier this afternoon while I was talking to my best friend. (Enter shout out to my Best, who will probably read this in the near future - Hi Best!) The story goes something like this: I was home completely alone. My roommate and the dogs were all gone for the weekend and I was having my friends Andrea and Dave over for dinner. I just washed up some dishes and had gone into my bedroom to change before they arrived and I heard this weird crash so I go back into the kitchen to check it out and I see one of the wine glasses rolling around in the middle of the floor. Let me just say that this wine glass was in the dish rack in the middle of the counter. It's not like it was perched precariously on the edge of the counter or anything ballsy like that. It was in the rack in the middle of the counter. I have no explanation except that some invisible person shimmied up my balcony, came in the back door, threw it on the ground, and then ran away. The weird thing is that this glass didn't even break, and we all know that they're the easiest things in the world to smash. Unexplained mystery, I know.

Also, for some strange reason, I felt like the worst human being in the world because I smashed a spider with my windshield wipers today. It was a complete accident. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I always take the little guys outside and set them free. I thought this one was big enough to just be pushed off my windshield and be sent on his way, but no. I smashed his little body and smeared it all over my window. And I was sad and I felt like a jerk.

I don't think I'm ready to go to sleep yet, so... I'll probably post something else before I go to bed. I could just keep writing this post, but then we have another ridiculously long thing on our hands again and I don't want to do that to you.

Toodles!
Miss Georgia

Staging Yourself an Intervention

Yeah, I need to stop making bad life choices. I need to get my shit together and gain a little more self control.   I know these things take time and it's a due process, blah blah... but seriously, this weekend was too much. It wasn't a bad weekend at all, don't get me wrong... I had fun, but recently fun has been accompanied by shame and a hangover. I'm definitely at that awkward stage in life where I'm caught in between my slightly younger single friends that party all weekend, every weekend and my slightly older friends who are engaged or married and have people over for dinner on the weekends. And I'm here confused because I don't think I can keep partying the way I do, but I can't hang out by my single self all the time and be boring. This weekend was definitely a brilliant example of revelation #5 though... I have found some truly fantastic friends, whether they're younger or older, single or married.

Anyway, I'm going to paint a picture for you...
     It's a beautiful October night, a little before midnight and it's still warm outside (about 72 outside to be precise). A girl sits on a balcony reflecting on her weekend as a perfect half-moon hangs overhead an the smell of rain teases her nose, though the only moisture in the air is a very thin fog.
....Alright enough of that. It's not that fancy. My balcony has trash bags stashed on it because neither my roommate nor myself have had time to take them over to the dumpster. But the moon (though probably not exactly half) is quite perfect and orange and large and I keep looking at it like it's going to whisper some words of wisdom to me as I'm writing. In short, it's a delightful evening and probably the only fitting end to a day that didn't really go as planned, but no complaints. We'll start at the beginning of the weekend though.

Friday was a good day filled with work, work, work, and laundry. But by the time the evening rolled around, it was time to meet the girls for sushi...yum. So we went out, ate dinner, and then I made bad life choices and drank a little too much, slipped on a wet floor, and a few other things. But the highlight of my evening was gaining Duck-Duck. Duck-Duck came into my life as part of a seemingly random chain of events but the moment I saw him I just had to take him as a sign of where my future will be going. Now as a young single woman, I know that you probably aren't going to have a meaningful relationship with a guy you meet in bar (I should have reminded myself of that when G.I. Joe came along, huh?), but Duck-Duck I know is different. I don't much about him, just that some guy pulled him out of the claw machine thingy along with a multitude of other small stuffed animals and there he was before me. And I knew it was fate. Now, most of this is probably a little confusing to those of you who aren't aware of the internal battle I've been trying to dissolve recently so let me explain....

It all started about two and half years ago. I was a little bit depressed and I wasn't really sure what I was doing with my life. Mr. President and I had just broken up for the first time and I was completely devastated. I was having a lot of trouble sleeping and when I could sleep, I would have nightmares constantly... it sucked. And let me just say here that at the time, I wasn't a particularly "spiritual" person, and I've never exactly been a religious person, but I was completely lost. A young girl far away from home, with no clue what to do next. This one particular night I decided that I was fed up with the nightmares and the lack of sleep and I had no idea what to do to make it stop so I did the only thing I could think of - I prayed. Hard. I prayed for peace of mind and a good sleep and a direction. And call me crazy but I got just that. As soon as I had put it out there, this warm sensation filled my heart, my mind was quiet, and there was this little voice inside of me that told me I would be okay. I drifted off into a dreamless sleep. only to find myself awakened by who-knows-what a few hours later. It was still the middle of the night but it just hit me - the direction I asked for. I don't know where it came from, but I had a conversation with that voice inside my head:

Voice: We're going to move to Oregon.
Me: What?
Voice: Yeah, Oregon.
Me: What the hell? I've never been to Oregon, I don't even know anyone there!
Voice: So? Didn't stop you from moving to Kansas... You want a fresh start, don't you?
Me: Well, yeah...
Voice: So we're moving to Oregon.
Me: Well...okay then, sounds like a plan.

Like I said, call me crazy but ever since then, I've been determined that I will be living in Oregon. For some reason, I went ahead and moved up to Manhattan anyway, there was still a part of me that really wanted to finish school at K-State but recently I've decided that that's not meant to be. One of the good things I took out of my relationship with G.I. Joe was the fact that he's from Oregon and would talk about it all the time, which I guess rekindled my lust to just get out there. I feel like the past couple of year I've just been waiting around for things to work themselves out and that whatever happens will happen, which is very uncharacteristic of me. I've always had a plan, and a backup plan, and an emergency plan just in case but Kansas brought out the "wing-it" way of life in me and I'm apparently not very good at it. Don't get me wrong, I don't have any regrets, but it's time to move on and G.I. Joe reminded me that if you really want something you have to work for it and that's when I started looking at schools in Oregon. I narrowed it down Portland State, University of Oregon, and Oregon State. Then I started making a pro/con list which just made me more confused because it just showed me that UO is my best bet academically, but I wanted to live in Portland and I couldn't have it both ways. I hope it's starting to make sense why meeting Duck-Duck is such a big deal. If not, well... Oregon's mascot is a duck and their colors are green and yellow. Duck-Duck happens to be a yellow duck wearing a green shirt, right? So I picked him up and said, okay world... I get it. I'm going to UO. You win. I let this stuffed animal I somehow acquired in a bar be the deciding factor in one of the most important decisions of my young life (lol).

The rest of the weekend was full of my friend's recounts of my dumbass in action and lots more work. And let me tell you, when you're in a bar and grille that has no liquor license, business is slooooooow. I can't wait to be back in action next week. The bright side of being slow though, is that I had plenty of time to watch the game (way to go Wildcats!) and I had plenty of time to connect with my tables. Table of obnoxious and slightly douchey guys who tried pretending they weren't in the army - I had a lot of fun with you and I think you're all pretty alright, but try harder, and don't refer to yourself as a civilian, that just gives it away right there (besides, everyone knows I dig a military man). But seriously, come back next weekend when I'm bartending. Also, to my new friend Cory (I hope that's how you spell your name, but since we only exchanged verbally I'm not sure), if you are reading this like you said you would, let's be friends. You come back next weekend too! We'll party, but I shall do so in a more responsible manner as I have stop making bad life choices...ha.

And on that note, this post has gone on for way too long! I'll leave you with a little something that's keeping me going right now... I can't get enough of this song, even though it's a little bittersweet for me to listen to.
Dead Sea - The Lumineers


"Domestic life had never suited you like a suitcase."

It didn't suit me either.
Hearts! Miss Georgia

Getting Back Into the Swing of Things

See! I told you I was bad at this blog thing... it's been forever since I posted! Well I did post a video the a couple of days ago, like I said I would. You can check it out on my vlog page here: http://everywhere-vlog.blogspot.com/ (if you like it, don't forget to subscribe to my channel on YouTube; there'll be more coming soon!).

Things have been pretty crazy lately, really. What with trying to back into school to get this business associates out of the way while I'm working on moving to Oregon and figuring out which school I want to go to out there. Not to mention working non-stop for two weeks straight, and the fact that we're in middle of changing ownership at the restaurant so I'm currently a bartender at a bar & grille which happens to be sans liquor license. Doesn't work too well, right? But it's just temporary and everything should settle down and go back to normal soon, except for the part where I finally get more bartending shifts and get to be the admin of our company Facebook and Twitter page. Yeah, buddy.

I'm also beginning to train for the Warrior Dash (http://www.warriordash.com/), in which I won't be participating until next year, but I want to make sure I'm ready for it! I'll be doing to Colorado event with my lovely friend, Elle, and whoever else decides they're man enough to do it with us. Let me know if you're going to be there too and we can become friends! The more the merrier, right?!

So anyway... Where did I leave you hanging? Oh yeah. G.I. Joe. So we exchanged friend requests on Facebook (and I later sang quite frequently Hey, I just met you and this is crazy but here's my Facebook - friend me maybe. I know, I'm great) and he disappeared off into the crowd with his friends while I went back home with mine. We started messaging the very next day, a little to my surprise, and while I wasn't exactly interested it was nice to have someone to talk to so I entertained the possibility. Life is more fun when you have options and take risks, right? After a few days, I noticed I would check my phone constantly when I was away from my computer, always eager for his next response. I was actually giddy, for the first time in forever. Finally, by Wednesday evening, he'd planted the seed. A date - to take me flying. Like that wasn't a crazy enough first date, he timed it so we would fly as the sun was setting. How am I ever supposed to top that in my life?! (Boys - you've got your work cut out for you now.) By Friday evening, we'd exchanged phone numbers and by Saturday, we met up at the bars, ditched our friends to chat the night away over a few beers, and then he walked me all the way home (completely out of his way), kissed me goodnight (fireworks), and left me ecstatically awaiting our avian date the next day. It really was a first date straight out of a movie, completely perfect in every way. But like I implied with the title of my previous blog - if something is too good to be true, it probably is. Though we only dated for two months, it was the most eye-opening two months of my young adult life. But more on that later.

So, Halloween is right around the corner. I just got the greatest Halloween costume I've ever had ever ever and I'm so excited about it. It's a monster. A magical monster and I want to wear this costume for the next three weeks straight - not even joking. For those of you who don't know, Halloween is tied with Christmas for my favorite holiday. I LOVE Halloween. My other friend, Jenna, bought a similar costume so we will be a bit matchy, which is cool because we'll be partying together. I'll definitely make sure to show you all some pictures because it's simply too good to be missed. What are you going to be for Halloween?! Send me pictures of your costumes too!

Alas, I should now venture off to bed. I don't want to screw my sleep schedule up too much. I'm going to post a new video soon too, so make sure to check out that out.

Goodnight, friends!
Miss Georgia

Hump Day Hasn't Been So Hump-tastic

     Well guys, I did tell you I would introduce you to Pooh Bear pretty soon. There he is, the perfect size for cuddling and he never talks back!

     While I was driving home from the gym earlier this evening, I had an idea that every once in a while, I would post a video instead of text. Of course I wanted to do it right away but it was so dark in my car that my phone didn't pick up much, unless we were at a stop light. I will post a video story (or something) eventually, I promise. My computer is making a really weird noise right now.... Oh dear.

     Anyway, I don't know if you guys are familiar with Mat Kearney but he has this song called "Count On Me". I wasn't familiar with Mat Kearney or that song until about two months ago when it heard it for the first and only time. G.I. Joe came to pick me up and he was playing that album, skipped to that song and said "I dedicate this song to you." Sweet, right? Like I said, I never heard it again... until today. I cried. We broke up about three weeks ago, and let me tell you I didn't cry that much - not because I wasn't sad or anything - I was just learning to accept everything with grace so I cried for a couple minutes in my car after we went our separate way after ways and that was it. Until today. I heard that song, and it just clicked. He dedicated that song to me. I was supposed to be able to count on him and I couldn't. Mind explosion. And that's when the tears came. Of course I was fine again after five minutes, but I decided I needed to go to the store and get some Chinese food and ice cream for dinner and as I'm heading over to the West side of town, who do I pass?! My stomach sank - there aren't many cars like that in this town with drivers who think they're always racing. So maybe I ate twice as much as ice cream, and had to work twice as hard at the gym but we all have those days, right? The weird thing is that I almost took the long way to the store to avoid traffic and decided that it was late enough traffic wouldn't be so bad... don't you hate it when that happens?! So there you have the story of my off day.

     On the bright side, I haven't been thoroughly excited to listen to a new album probably since I was 17 and emo. But Mumford has instilled in me that excitement once more, so I tip my hat to them.

Toodles, friends
Miss Georgia

If Something Seems Too Good to be True, It Probably Is.

     Oh, what a long evening behind the bar, but a reasonably pleasant anyway. When you have the right patrons at a bar, a work day never seems so bad. I'm so excited to have tomorrow afternoon to myself though! I have a massive to-do list with tasks ranging from laundry to organizing a new financial plan, painting my nails to reorganizing the kitchen - my to-do lists are always very ambitious.

     Where did I leave off, now? Meeting G.I. Joe and revelation #4, right? "It's okay if people were only meant to be in your life for a brief period of time for a very specific reason." It really is okay. The hard part is coming to terms with the fact that that's all it was meant to be. The hard part is knowing whether you're supposed to keep fighting or just gracefully let go. And I won't lie - I fought a little bit, enough to have won something that was meant to be fought for, but when I didn't win it I let go and accepted that I received the lesson I was supposed to learn and that it was time to move on.
     The story begins on a Saturday night. I was behind the bar and my friend, Andrea, and her husband, Dave, came in for dinner and a couple of drinks. At this point I'd been single for about a month and a half, and I really wasn't looking for anything in particular, but Dave always joked about me going out and meeting up with his "single army friends". I'm always down to meet new people and have some fun, and I'd been out with them before and had a blast so I said I would meet them in Aggieville after I got off work. Fast forward a few hours and I'm at one of my least favorite bars in the Ville with my roommate, Andrea, Dave, and two of Dave's coworkers - one of whom strikes up a conversation with me. This guy is wearing aviators in a bar at night - "what a douche," I'm thinking, "what a complete douche." But I'm not a bitch and there wasn't much else going on so I tell myself "why not" and give the guy a shot at entertaining me. Apparently he thought I was just another bimbo looking to be someone's trophy, because he wasn't expecting to have full on intelligent conversation with me. Let me just say, that's how I rope 'em in - charm, wits, honesty, and a few flutters of the lashes - works every time. I've never been the kind of girl who pretends to be someone else to impress people, I'm very much so "what you see is what you get;" it's always best to keep it real. So, after talking with this guy for a little while, I started to become internally conflicted. "Is this guy a total tool or does he just like to be stupid when he's had a few drinks?" By the end of the night we exchanged Facebooks (yeah, not phone numbers, Facebooks), and he and his roommate drifted off onto a dance floor while I sat at the bar enjoying my beer. I honestly thought nothing of the exchange at the time, but little did I know, this aviator-wearing douchebag would become the guy that made me realize how much I'm into those military uniforms...

     I don't want to get too carried away in one post, so you'll just have to wait. In the meantime, you guys should tell me what your to-do lists are looking like!

Sweet dream, friends! Until tomorrow,
Miss Georgia

Life in a Movie... I Almost Forgot

I feel like I left you guys hanging a little bit with the last post. If life were a movie, you'd probably figure out that the random guy I made friends with would turn out to be the love of my life and we lived happily ever after, but if you recall I said my life was like a sitcom, not a movie. We parted ways at the end of the night with a hug and "thanks for letting me hang with you" and to be completely honest, I can't even remember his name but I feel like it Wes. Really nice guy, Wes. I'd guess he was hoping for a phone number or something but I disappeared into the night completely content with myself. Then a couple of weeks later, like I said, Mr. President and I got back together. He bought flowers, apologized profusely, swore he was different, the works, but after a couple of days something felt uneasy in my stomach. I remember this particular weekend I was out to the zoo for it's annual Wine in the Wild event, which was a complete blast with some girlfriends and as we were walking around, I noticed myself checking out other guys which is something I never do when I'm in a relationship. I knew right there that it had be over. The next morning while watching the Queen's Jubilee and feeling particularly homesick (my children will be first generation American, though I'm certainly "well" acclimated), things were quite awkward between Mr. President and I, mostly on his end, so I ended it. Of all the times we broke up, that was the only time it was me and it felt good, I did the right thing. I felt strong for the first time in long while. Which brings me back to revelation #2: "What you need and what you want are usually two different things and it takes a lot of courage to pick what you need over what you want, but in the end, you'll be all the better for it." I certainly was all the better for it. However, it was only about a month later that I met G.I. Joe. I know what you're thinking..."rebound", but it really wasn't like that. Once again, though, this is yet another piece of the story I must save for later as it is almost time for me to put my bartending pants back on. When I come back we can get down to revelation #4 and the story of G.I. Joe.

Peace, love, and a couple shots of tequila to get you there
Miss Georgia

I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts But How Do I Get a Lovely Bunch of Pina Coladas?

     I'll be the first to admit that I'm a rookie at bartending, but I do my best. Considering I didn't get any formal training and have no experience whatsoever, I think I'm doing alright. And I only do it about once a week anyway, unless I bar-back on the weekends too. And it's not like I'm in a bar or club, I'm in a restaurant. Anyway, tonight was probably the most fun I've had behind the bar so far. It's Monday - let's get real, not the most popular night for dinner and drinks so we were pretty dead but the last table to come in was a 7-top of guys after a baseball game. I get the beer flowing and after about an hour they ask me what was up with the music. I'll be honest - we have one of the most eclectic playlists you've ever come across and it never changes. I am so tired of hearing the same 200 songs every day, so I decide to have a little fun with these guys. I pull out the restaurant i-Pod and go to a different playlist and we play "guess the artist". It wasn't anything crazy, but these are the customers that make me love my job, that brighten up an otherwise dull evening. I watched grown men try to walk like an Egyptian while they make fun of me for knowing music that been out twice as long as I've been alive. Some day I hope to have some pretty crazy bar stories; I suppose I already one or two, but I'll keep them to myself for the sake of those involved. For now, I will enjoy the little not-so-crazy moments as I work up my martini-making confidence.

     So where did I leave story-time? I suppose let's form a plan here: before I get back to story-time, I'm going to outline a few things I've taken from said stories so maybe you'll have an idea of where this will eventually go. Here we go:

     1. Just because you say you're okay alone, doesn't mean you really are. But one day, you'll wake up and realize it's the best thing ever.
     2. What you need and what you want are usually two different things and it takes a lot of courage to pick what you need over what you want, but in the end, you'll be all the better for it.
     3. If you throw a pirate party, don't be surprised when you wake up the next day and house has been literally pillaged and plundered (and all the rum is gone).
     4. It's okay if people were only meant to be in your life for a brief period of time for a very specific reason, only to disappear over the horizon in a flash.
     5. Bros before hos. Always.
     6. Sometimes it's the smallest thing that makes you take a step back in a big way.
     7. If you did your best, you can't say you didn't try and you'll never have regrets or wonder "what if".


     Now, I'm not going to address these in order. I'll go back a few months to the beginning of my growth spurt, the beginning of my truly becoming an adult. So for tonight I'm going to start with #6.

"Sometimes it's the smallest thing that makes you step back in a big way." 

This will explain the ending of my last post:

If you need something to keep you going, check out this song:

"Alone" - Trampled by Turtles

It literally changed my life, but again, that's another story.

And change my life it did. It was mid-May of this year and Mr. President had just broken up with me for the millionth time. If we want to be technical, I'd say it was actually the 12th time in two years. Yeah, really - I'm that dumb sometimes. Anyway, I knew Trampled by Turtles were going to be in Lawrence and I just had to go see them. I was a little apprehensive about it because as many concerts as I've been to in my life, I've never been to one alone. But I told myself it was about time I just did something for myself, by myself. Lawrence is about an hour a half's drive from Manhattan and I ended up getting to the venue a little early, which meant there were plenty of spots for me to stand awkwardly. After a little while, I decided that it sucked so I scanned the crowd to see who I could try to make friends with. I honed in on my unsuspecting victim, a relatively cute guy just hanging out, also alone. I turned to him and asked if he came alone. He said he had so I asked him if he wanted to my friend for the evening. He said sure and sounded really sincere and appreciative. We went over to the bar, ordered a beer, found a good place to watch the show, and made small talk until the band came out. The opening band was Brown Bird. I'd never heard them before and they blew me away, I loved them (if you like folk, bluegrass, or blues, I encourage you to check them out!). They gave the crowd such a great energy for the evening and when TBT finally came out on the stage, I was buzzing with excitement. They opened their set with a newer song that I hadn't heard before (that song happened to be "Alone" of course) and I remember when Dave Simonett started singing those first lyrics "you come into the world alone, and you go out of the world alone, but in between there's you and me...the summer breezes blow so tall, and the winter nights are cold and so long, and in between - the falling leaves." my spine tingled, tears welled in my eyes and I just remember thinking how beautiful that moment was in my life. I was alone, I could do whatever I wanted to do. I was so content with my life in that moment that the rest of the show became euphoric for me and everything has been different since then. And yes, in case you were wondering - Mr President and I got back together again, but once more, that's another story. I'll keep you hanging until tomorrow...

For now, sleep tight. I'm going to eat cookies, watch Disney's Robin Hood, and cuddle with my Pooh Bear - I'll introduce you to him later. 

Toodles,

Miss Georgia

A New Start is Always a Good Feeling... I Think

Let's get real with each other right off the bat - I'm terrible at blogging. I always think it's the coolest thing ever the first couple days and then I never do it again. But I'm turning over a new leaf, becoming a different person, trying new things so I want you to help me stick with this one. Let's see how it goes!

     Why a new beginning? Well it was recently my twenty-fourth birthday and I found it quite life changing. I woke up and everything made sense. Everything. The recent break-up (G.I. Joe), the not-so-recent break-up (Mr. President), the non-stop working (two jobs), the stupid people - I felt calm about all of it for the first time ever. I'm not a calm person, I blame my mother. This dawning serenity that I just happened to wake up with on the birthday morning, I found it a little odd, but I'm not questioning it and I'm trying not to take it for granted. It was especially strange because I hate birthdays. A lot. I completely dread them every year and don't even get me started on people singing "Happy Birthday". I seem to remember when I was about six and my mom threw a party and all my classmates started singing and I locked myself in the bathroom and cried. I know, I know... I'm probably a freak but that's just how I feel about birthdays. However, this enlightenment made this particular birthday somewhat bearable even though I have no idea what mystic being swept into my room overnight and graced me with such a gift but whatever World, I'll take whatever you want to give me right now. I need all the help I can get.  

     Now I know I've left a lot of things skimmed over, didn't give you much to sink your teeth into, and maybe even left you with a few questions, but have no worries. Hold tight. I have to run along to job number two - the Cuban place, where I have the delightful pleasure of serving and occasionally bartending (today being one of those occasions). So stop by for a drink if you're in town, and if not, I'll get back to the story-telling soon. My life is too much like a sitcom to keep it all to myself anymore.

If you need something to keep you going, check out this song:

"Alone" - Trampled by Turtles
It literally changed my life, but again, that's another story.

Let me know which story you want to hear first or any questions you have so far! :)

Toodles for now, 

Miss Georgia