A little advice from LC..

Tonight, as it rained outside and I enjoyed my dinner of pizza and beer, I found a great surprise on the TV: The Hills re-runs on the TV Guide channel! Jackpot! Besides the annoyance of the TV listings scrolling on the bottom of the screen... I was quite excited to see Heidi, Audrina, Lauren, Whitney, and Brody (sigh). During this spat of guilty pleasure I heard a quote from Lauren that I thought was perfect to share with yall:
“Nobody has had the best relationships in the past, that’s why they end. If you really want to be with someone, it should be someone you really like, someone you are really proud to be with, and you should want to call them your boyfriend or girlfriend.”
I LOVE that, never settle for anything less than everything!

This is what life is all about...

Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending the day with 4 of my best friends and our "Neice"! I couldn't be more thankful for my friends and am truly blessed to be surrounded by such amazing women! We love spending time with our favorite 6 month old, Grier, who already has the most precious personality! My parents also got to babysit Grier while we went to dinner and they loved having their "adopted grandbaby" around! One day Mom and Dad I promise you'll have legit grandbabies.. one day :)

Can't wait to see my girls again and to have our missing 2 college girls Linday and Allison come for visits!! XO

Going to the Chapel..

2011 weddings have begun! This weekend I had the pleasure of seeing one of my sorority sisters tie the knot! Miss Erica Poole officially became Mrs Erica Priddy! It was a beautiful ceremony and a very fun reception with many good friends! Erica and Jeremy make a beautiful couple and I am so happy for them & wish them all the happiness in the world!
P.S. No luck with the bouquet catch this time around... good thing I have at least 4 more weddings this year :)

"If they passed up your diamond for cubic zirconia, don't follow 'em to the dollar store. You're worth MORE!"

It seemed like a good idea at the time...

Male #1: "HEY! I just found the tallest girl in the bar! I don't know why I didn't come talk to you earlier" = Bad Idea. Now that you just made me feel like a freak and every one is staring at me I am DEFINITELY not going to talk to you.

Male #2: After introducing himself briefly as I receive my food order at a bar "It's nice to meet you, I'm leaving and I can see your busy... Here's my card."= Bad Idea. I am not a potential employer, I am a lady.

Holiday Hangover

Well the holidays are finally over and everyone can take a sigh of relief.  We have been back into the swing of things for a month now and have recovered from the exhaustion of the end of the year Holiday Marathon.  The question I have is who gets more stressed out during the holidays- singles or those in a relationship?  Well I’ve been on both sides of the field in the past 2 years and would say they both have their ups and downs.  For singles the stress comes from things like not having dates to your holiday parties, no exchange of gifts, not having anyone to take home for family functions and the constant family questions when you show up date-less.  For couples the stress comes more from finding the perfect gifts, figuring out how to split time between two families, and for dating couples, the inevitable family question “When are yall going to get married??”. Being single during the holidays definitely wasn’t that bad for me this year, but I think next time around I’ll just find a handsome tall gentleman to escort me to my parties so I am not the only single in the crowd, maybe take me to go see some Christmas lights, and then I’ll just buy myself something pretty and call it a success!

After the holidays, right when we get back into the swing of our everyday lives what happens.. we get smacked in the face with Valentine’s Day- the day all singles dread.   So what do we do now? Dress in all black, spit at couples holding hands on the streets, and feel bad for ourselves?  Well I guess that’s one way to go about it… but I say embrace it! Get together with all your single girl friends, talk shit about every guy that’s ever done you wrong, bake cookies until you run out of sugar, and watch a good love story- the Notebook is perfect.  Instead of feeling bad for yourself think of it as an opportunity to be the best you you can be, have hope for the future, and know that we all have a Noah, just like Allie in the Notebook.  Mine just happens to be lost on an ark somewhere… but when he finds me at least I will be ready- with plenty of cookies J

"Don't Hate the Player, Hate the Game"

"The game ain't always fair, and that's the thing though...you can play your heart out, everyone don't get a ring though" - Drake


Oh the game.  You know the game I'm talking about.  The "should I call first or wait for him to call me" or the "should I go talk to him or wait and see if he comes to talk to me".  Basically over analyzing every move you make when it comes to meeting a member of the opposite sex.  We are constantly battling in our heads every step we take so we don't "screw it up" early on.  You can't be too available, but you can't be unavailable.  You don't want to be too forward, but you don't want to be too stand-off-ish.  We are constantly calling our girlfriends and asking for advice and asking "what would you do if you were me?" 
Why do we do this? If I want to call or text someone why can't I just do it?  If I think you are hot why can't I just walk over and tell you?  I don't know the answer to this question, but I must say (like most of my close friends) I am a sucker for a guy that plays a good game.  If a guy that I am in to calls and texts me every day I will like it, but if they ignore me for a day or two you can guarantee I will be more in to them when they finally do call.  Playing hard to get is the ultimate game- it totally works, but can be SO annoying at the same time!

Askmen.com has compiled a list of top ten dating rules.. Rule #8 is an accurate example of the way a man should play the game:
Rule #8- Thou Shalt Not Seem Too Enthusiastic
No one likes a stalker. You may be falling hard for her, but give her room to breathe: no bombarding her with phone calls, so “surprise” visits and no requests for dates every day of the week. This, too, is one of the most important timeless dating rules. Like the old showbiz cliché says: Always leave them wanting more. Try to follow the 3-for-1 Rule: Don't initiate contact more than three times in a row; let her come to you once in a while.

Perfect. And I think this goes both ways for men and women.. give a little, but never too much :)

How do you play the game? Have you met someone that plays a good game? Comment and tell us about it!

"Hi- I'm Awkward, are you Uncomfortable?"

I believe there are good single men out there.. but where do you find them?  In the year 2010 it seems being in the "right place" at the "right time" to find your perfect match is something of the past.  With things like Match.com, EHarmony, and social networks more and more people are meeting the opposite sex over the computer.  While I think this is great for some people, I have decided that I will not hand over my destiny to an internet website (buuuut all bets are off when I turn 30).
So the first place that comes to mind to meet men would be a social setting, like a bar or a club.  I am pretty social, but am not afraid to admit that I can be very awkward when talking to people I don't know, so alcohol and loud music can be a great buffer for my awkwarness! This obviously isn't working out too well for me or my single friends, considering we are all still single after going to out at least once a week for the past 4 months.  I don't think this is necessarily our fault though.  I have come to the conclusion that men these days just don't know how to approach women at a bar.  What happened to just walking up, introducing yourself, and maybe buying a girl a drink? If she walks away- she doesn't like you.  If she stays around- ask for her number, she'll give you a chance.  Why is that so hard?! The most interesting first conversation I've ever had with a guy was last weekend... "You want to go to Lady Gaga? I'll take you to Lady Gaga! I make a lot of money- I'm talking six figures!"  "Ok, I can see this isn't going well.. I'm going to go somewhere else and come back later after you have had a few drinks and maybe you will like me a little more then."  Seriously. That happened. Needless to say after more drinks and four more visits from this guy he didn't get anywhere.  I worry for his future.
Where else can you meet guys? I've heard stories about the grocery store.. but really?! I have to look good when I go to the grocery store?! You have got to be kidding me- not gonna happen.  Church maybe?  I love me a good Christian guy, but how many 25-30 year old men go to church on a regular basis? From my observation the ones at Church are either there with their Wives/Girlfriends or it is a holiday and they are there with their Mom's.. bummer.  Public transportation?  I ride the train every day and there has been no luck there either- they are all married (I've become a pro-hand checker!). 
So I guess I'll just have to wait for a friend to set me up with some fabulous strapping young man they just happen to know from work or college.. or maybe some day I'll be in the "right place" at the "right time"!

Let's start from the very beginning...

“She loves to laugh,
She loves to sing,
She does everything…
She loves to move,
She loves to groove,
She loves the lovin' things.”
-Journey

When you were 15 and were asked "Where do you see yourself in ten years?" what did you say?  I'm sure I said the typical "Out of college, married, and starting a family!"  Fast forward to ten years later and how would I describe my life now?  I graduated from college, travelled the world, live single in the city, am self sufficient, and am surrounded by amazing friends and family.  A little different than where I saw myself ten years ago, but I'd say I'm doing pretty well for myself!  I have realized recently that everyone measures personal success differently.  You may view success as making lots of money, having a marriage and a family, having your dream job, travelling around the world, or just being happy.  I think my own views of success have greatly changed as of recent.  I think success at 25 for me is being able to make a living for myself, surrounding myself with positive people, and never backing down from what I believe in.  I'm not married or having babies or making millions of dollars, but I am happier now than I have been since I graduated and feel better about myself than I ever have and that to me is something to celebrate. 

I give all the props in the world to my family for teaching me how to live and live thankfully.  I have the most amazing parents in the world who have always showered my sister and I with love and support.  Even when I thought I could be athletic and play softball (epic fail), was the last one without a prom date, or had $1 left in my bank account, they have always been there with a smile, hug, and encouraging words to let me know that life goes on.  Someday (I promise!) I will give my parents the grandchildren they have dreamed of and my sister the neices and nephews that she can spoil with her new doctor salary :)  But for now I know they will be there for me, and only me, until my table fills. Someday I do hope to have a Table for Two, Three, Four, maybe Five.. but I am thankful for today and my blissful Table for One!