I'm Getting Old

I used to be “cool.”

I was around when LOL was first popular. I know what ROTFL stands for. And who wouldn’t know what WTF? stands for?

I can tell you who: Grandparents or anyone else who didn’t grow up when instant messaging and texting became overly popular. They may know what these terms mean now, but they didn’t know when I was growing up (when most of the people on social media and instant messenger were in their teens -- & grandparents/parents were thinking how lame it all is).

When older people would ask me what LOL stands for, I would roll my eyes and think ‘how could they not know what that means?!’

Via

The other day I was browsing Facebook and ran across a Buzzfeed article about parents saying “Netflix and chill.”

I didn’t understand why these kids were grossed out about it. Who cares if your dad tells you that him & your mom are going to Netflix and chill after work?

I didn’t get why it was so gross.

So I had to do what I assume many older people did when they were trying to figure out what WTF? means: I had to google it.

And then I realized that I’m not longer “cool.” I no longer am on top of the new slang terms that come out. I’m no longer a teen.

I’m getting old.

But, in regards to that Buzzfeed article, I’m sure those parents weren’t aware what Netflix & chill really means either. 

October

October is my favorite month of the year. And no, it’s not because pumpkin spiced everything fills every shelf in the grocery store. October has always been a month for new things.

October 12, 2005 – I started dating Josh (who I continued to date for three years in high school).

October 10, 2008 – I started dating Dylan (who I continued to date for three years in college).

October 10, 2013 – The day I met Kevin (who then asked me to be his girlfriend on November 2, 2013).

Guess what Kevin & I are doing October 10, 2015? Going to the Texas State Fair! I am beyond thrilled to finally go see what this huge fair is all about. People keep telling me to try every fried food I can, but I don’t want to walk out $1,000 in debt and feeling sick from eating fried butter all day. I think I’m going to pick two fried things to order. Any suggestions?

I don’t know whether to be scared or excited – but I found out that the weekend I chose is also the TX vs. OU game. The stadium is right in the middle of the fair grounds and about 100,000 people come out to watch it. Talk about a packed park!

I’m not really concerned about how crowded the fair is… but I really don’t want to sit in hours & hours worth of traffic on Saturday to get there and on Sunday to get home.  I guess I’m being a party pooper, huh?

What are some new things you’re doing in October?

Hello, World!

Add caption

I promised I would be back – and here I am. I absolutely love my new job!  I’m no longer stuck doing proposals all day every day.  I never get burnt out because I’m doing the same stuff over and over again.

My old company never had events – and now I’m planning/attending so many events at my new job! I will be in Kansas City next week to represent Texas in a BBQ cookoff challenge. I can’t promise that I’ll represent Texas well (I’ve never BBQ’d before), but I will have on a “Texas” outfit. Of course we are going as cowgirls and cowboys. I just need to find boots…

This weekend I’m going to the company picnic... and guess what. It has a petting zoo! & a lazy river & fishing & a magic show. But I’m obviously more excited for the petting zoo.

In two weeks I’ll be down at the beach (but that isn’t as lovely as it sounds since Galveston is so gross) for a tradeshow. And then a couple weeks after that, I’m going to another BBQ cookoff down the street from my office. I won’t have to cook this time. I just have to set it up and then enjoy the night.

This Saturday I am also going to my first ever cage fight. This lady gave me free tickets yesterday, so I figured I might as well go and experience it. After watching the videos, I’m not sure I will enjoy it. So much violence and blood! I’m not sure why people want to fight each other. I know it’s a sport – but wow, it looks so painful. I’m going to an amateur night so a lot of the fighters are brand new. This will be their first time fighting in front of an audience!

What are your weekend plans?

First Weekend of September

Bear & Zoey say happy Labor Day!

Shocked to see me blogging on a Saturday? I know. That never happens. But to be honest, this is a scheduled post that I wrote on Tuesday - because I don't blog on the weekends.

If things are silent here for the next few days it's because:

1: it's a holiday weekend
2: I'm outside enjoying BBQs and the last days of summer sun
3: I start my new job on Tuesday!

I'll try to keep up with blogging during the next week, but I'm transitioning to a new job and a new schedule. Traffic is about to get a lot worse for me, so that means waking up earlier and getting home later -- but overall I'm excited for this new adventure.

I will be back soon, so please stick around! Have a safe & fun Labor Day!

Port-A-Potty

No one likes using port-a-potties. They're incredibly dirty (unless you are one of the first five people to use it) and they usually don't have toilet paper.  Even if they do have toilet paper you have to really think if you want to touch it because a million other people probably touched it and their hands are probably covered in urine or worse. Especially if you're at a music or beer festival and everyone is too drunk to even stand up straight.

When I use port-a-potties, which has been pretty frequent this summer, I refuse to look down. I touch the lock with the tips of my fingers and don’t touch anything else. I squat and then run the hell out of there to hopefully a portable sink where I can wash my hands.

I remember watching a Jackass movie where someone was flipped over in a port-a-potty.  It makes me cringe thinking about that and the idiot who agreed to do that stunt.

Yes, I’d love to be covered in someone else’s pee & poop, please. I think the audience will find that hilarious!

No freakin' thanks.

I don't know if you've heard about this, but there is something else to be afraid of besides the germs.

A poor lady at a UK seafood festival was minding her own business when a forklift carried her & the portable toilet to the other side of the festival.

When interviewed, the manager of the port-a-potty company said "it does happen quite a bit" because the movers pick the port-a-potties up from the back and can't see if they're occupied.

How about this -- stop moving port-a-potties while the festival is open.

When I Grow Up

I try to push myself to grow, but I’m terrible at keeping goals. I’m the type of person who says I’m going to work out and then weeks – or months—pass before I find myself in the gym. I’m the type of person who makes bucket lists and then gets bored with them or just forgets that they exist. I’m not a quitter; I am just lazy perhaps? Or I find other things that motivate me besides going to the gym or crossing an item off a list.

I’m the type of person who likes to take advantage of every day. I like making plans, meeting people, going on adventures, traveling. I love trying new things and making memories that last a lifetime. I like parties and social gatherings and people watching.

Me. 1990 something.

I always wanted to be a mom at a young age because my parents were young when they had me and my sister. I loved growing up with young parents. For the longest time, my goal was to be married at 21 and a mom at 22 or 23. Crazy, right? I guess you could say I was on that path until I broke up with my college sweetheart and found myself single for two years.

I’m now 25. Not married. And I don’t have any kids. I don’t want any kids.

The thing with coming up with goals for when you’re gown up? They always change because you always change.

I don’t know where my life will take me over the next 5 years even. Will I be living in a different state? Will I be a mom? Will I be married? I hope so.

I can’t come up with what I want to be when I’m grown up because I change all the time as I grow and learn and evolve. I change as the circumstances in my life change.

So, I will say what I hope for my future:

I hope that I am confident and carefree. I hope that I stay motivated and honest. I hope that I’m growing old with Kevin and my friends & family. I hope that I am having fun going on adventures and seeing the world. I hope that we still spend the holidays with our families.

I hope that I’m a mom. I hope that I still enjoy grocery shopping on Sunday mornings.

I hope that I love and that I am loved. 

I hope that I don’t take being alive for granted.

Bringing Me Joy

There are probably hundreds of small things I can add, but here’s a start:

++ reading a book that I can’t put down

++ BBQs at the pool

++ trying new restaurants

++ winning some extra cash on a scratch off ticket

++ remembering there are cookies in the pantry

++ playing my favorite song on repeat

++ bowling a strike

++ weddings

++ planning parties

++ holidays

++ driving through neighborhoods to see all the holiday decorations

++ baking

++ road trips

++ playing Cards Against Humanity

++ going on adventures

++ ice skating

++ watching animal videos

++ finding a new show to binge watch on Netflix

As for big things:

++ family

++ friends

++ waking up next to Kevin each morning

++ waking up to Zoey on my pillow and Bear sleeping with his head on my legs (okay, so sometimes that makes me grumpy)

++ having the opportunity to start a new job next week

++ knowing Kevin also has the opportunity to start a new job today!

++ health (myself, my family’s’, Kevin’s, my friends’)

++ being alive

++ having the opportunity to go on adventures

What are some things that make you happy?

Abusing Restaurants & Their Staff

I just quit my job and am finishing my two weeks’ notice this week. My last day is Thursday! I have one big proposal on my to do list, but other people are taking charge of it – leaving me with almost nothing to do.

In my boredom, I stumbled across the Behind Closed Ovens series on Jezebel. It features reader submissions about the worst customers they’ve ever had at their restaurants. I have never worked in the food industry, so I can’t connect with their stories on that level. But, wow. Some of these stories are absolutely terrible!

One girl that worked at a Subway shared a story about this older man who’d come in and flash her (!!!) if she didn’t give him free food. She would call the cops, but they wouldn’t do anything since he was already gone by the time they got there. When she’d call them right when he got in the store, they wouldn’t come out because he didn’t do anything wrong yet. (Hello, what the hell kind of cops are these?! Flashing someone is illegal, right?) Anyway, how did she get back at him? One night he came in and she just pulled cookies out of the oven. He demanded free cookies, and already had his zipper down and ready to flash if she said no. She told him, “Of course you can have cookies” and she took the hot pan and threw it at him. He was covered in cookies and melted chocolate. He never came back to her store.

Another waitress told a story about a group of youngish guys she waited on at an upscale steak house. They all ordered the most expensive item on the menu and each drank numerous drinks. Throughout their meal, they’d go out for a smoke break, but they made sure to leave a cell phone or wallet as collateral to show they’d be back. Once they were done with their food, she asked if they’d want dessert. Of course, they all ordered dessert and another drink or two to end their night.  They also requested she split their check since they were paying separately. She divided the checks and handed them to the guys. A couple of them went out for another cigarette while some stayed around to finish their dessert. Then those guys went outside for a cigarette, leaving behind a cell phone and wallet. The waitress was closing up the restaurant and getting ready to go home. She kept checking on the table and after ten minutes decided to look outside to see if they were ok. They were GONE! Her first thought was about the cell phone and wallet that they left on the table, so she went back to the table and discovered… fake. The cell phone was plastic and the wallet was empty.

Kevin took me out for burgers the other night at one of our go to places, a neighborhood bar/restaurant down the street from our apartment. We were sitting by the waitresses’ cashier and bar area and overheard one of the waitresses complaining about a table. She said that these people come in all the time (Friday is karaoke night), and that they claim it’s one of their birthdays every time. I actually heard when the guy came up to the waitress to tell her secretly that it was so & so’s birthday, so it would be great if they could get a piece of cake. The waitress responded with, “Wasn’t it her birthday like last month?” When the guy walked away, the waitress went on to say that every single time they come in, the lady eats half of her food and then complains that it was terrible – so that she can get it for free. Who do you think you are? The waitress is working for tips. It’s really rude of you to take up her time and a table and then refuse to pay for something after you obviously enjoyed half of the meal.

I’ve had some pretty terrible waiters and waitresses (who hasn’t?). I once had a waiter tell me he was just in a car crash and had a concussion, but he was okay to work. He asked us about a billion times what we wanted to eat and drink. And then he kept forgetting to put the food order in. Finally, we got our food. Of course it wasn’t anything like we ordered, but at that point – after waiting for over an hour – we were just happy to get anything. Did I mention it took like 30 minutes just to get some water from this guy when we first sat down? I would maybe, probably understand if the place was packed and he was understaffed for the night. But this was a random weekday evening and there were about 5 full tables in the whole restaurant. He was only serving two, including ours.

Even with that terrible waiter I couldn’t imagine acting like these people in these stories.  In fact, we just laughed to ourselves, wondered if he really had a concussion or was just the worst waiter in the world, paid our check with a tip, and left with full stomachs.