WEverb Catch Up

With our vacation, Christmas and other things going on, I've slacked in the WEverb11 posts, so I'm gonna play a little catch up today.  Ready for a marathon of reflection?  Let's go!

WEverb #9: Appreciate
In which moment did you find yourself flooded with gratitude? How will you rally around gratitude in 2012?

Ted was in a car accident in October.  He was fine, but his car was not.  For a few days, we didn't know if his car would actually work again, and we are in no position to buy another new car this year.  I really had no idea what the hell we were going to do.  I was pouring my heart out to my dear friend Jessica, and she says, "Mer, you can have my mom's car.  I'm never going to drive it, and she would have wanted it to be used to help someone.  If Ted's car is officially scrap metal, let me know and we'll get it to you."  Yall, I cried.  That offer meant the world to me, and I love that I have a friend who would do that for me, especially when 9 times out of 10 I don't feel like I deserve such beautiful friendship.  Jess, you are amazing and I love you!!  The gratitude I felt in that moment was truly monumental.  Hopefully I can remember that feeling and bring it to someone in 2012.

WEverb #10: Create
Share a creative project you undertook this year (art, writing, DIY, cooking, home decoration, crafts, photography … whatever comes to mind). How do you use your creativity to express yourself?

For Christmas this year, Blair and I decided to make a calendar for Mom.  It wasn't just any old calendar: it was a calendar full of pictures from our childhood that we then reenacted as adults.  It is the funniest thing ever!  We had so much fun putting it together and coming up with ways to redo the photos as adults.  I love that Mom may love it more than any other present she got this year.

WEver #11: Try
What 12 things do you want to do/accomplish in 2012?

1. Finish my thesis.
2. Celebrate my friends and their new additions
3. Create a built in desk in the breakfast nook
4. Buy the bookcases for our living room
5. Accomplish at least 10 items on my 101 in 1,001 list
6. Lose weight
7. Redo our front landscaping
8. Go on another trip (Europe perhaps?)
9. Be a better employee
10. Make a new friend
11. Go to more cultural events
12. Spend more time with my Grandma

WEverb #19: Laugh
Tell us about your biggest belly laugh in 2011.

I had a few belly laughs in 2011, but the most recent that sticks out in my mind is from last week.  I took my Grandma and Mom over to my Great Aunt's house to pick up a strudel for my Dad.  Well, after we left I wasn't sure where we were going: Mom's house or Grandma's house.  So I ask, "Where are we going ladies?"  And my Grandma, without missing a beat, replies, "Straight" in the most smart-ass tone I've ever heard her use.  I started to laugh and told her to stop being such a smart ass and to tell me the location she wanted to go, not the direction.  Mom started to laugh, and then Grandma started to laugh.  I think we laughed until we pulled into Mom's driveway.  It was a beautiful moment.

WEver #20: Plug In / Unplug
How has technology affected your life (positively or negatively) in 2011?  Do you want this to continue for 2012?

Ted and I are constantly on our computers or our phones.  I love that we have something to entertain us, but I always worry it is going to eventually negatively impact our relationship because there are some nights we are in the same room but we don't actually talk to each other because we are too engrossed in our laptops.  I'd like for us to tone it down in 2012.

WEverb11 #7: Travel

Where did you travel this year? What was your favorite part? If you didn’t get to travel, where do you want to go next year?

We had a pretty good travel year.  In June, we celebrated Blair's graduation from Baylor by taking a family trip to Las Vegas.  I love going to Vegas  and I wish we could afford to go more often!

In a few days we are taking a trip to Orlando to go to Disney World and Universal with Jess and Terry.  I am so excited to see the parks all decked out in Christmas decor.  I am just as excited to go on a vacation with two of my dearest friends and celebrate not only our anniversaries, but their upcoming addition to their family!

I'm not sure if I can talk Ted into it, but if we can pay off the Florida trip in a timely manner, I would love to go to Hawaii or maybe even London next year. 

WEverb11 # 3 - Learn

What lesson did you learn in 2011 from “The School of Life” rather than a classroom?

You can't always get what you want.  You have to have patience and trust that what you want will eventually happen. 

WEverb11 #2: Listen

What song did you listen to in 2011 to completely change your mood?  Think about ways you can you add more music to your life in 2012.

This is a tough question!  I don't think I can pick one song, so I think I'm gonna pick a few:

When I wanted to rock out and get silly I loved LMFAO's new one "Sexy and I Know It"  I dare you to listen to it and not get the giggles.  It is fantastic to dance to in the car!

When I wanted to reflect, I loved to hear Christina Perri's "Jar of Hearts".  It isn't a new song, but one of our radio stations decided to play it at the beginning of the year.  It reminds of me of a few people in my past and sometimes it is a good thing to reflect on why they are exactly that - in my past.

When I wanted to pretend to be ghetto-fabulous, there was nothing better than Chris Brown's "Look at Me Now" (Even though I feel dirty about it.  He is gross, no doubt about it, but damn can that boy put together a good collaboration and throw down an awesome beat)

When I wanted to think about my dear Ted, I was happy to hear the new Christina Perri song from the Twilight album "Thousand Years".  Can we say cheesetastic?

For 2012 I want to get back to classical music.  I'm listening to KUHA more, and I really want to make an effort to study the pieces the orchestra is performing.  I really miss learning about music history and the interesting stories behind composers and their masterpieces.

WEverb11 #1: Choose One Word

So I stumbled upon this idea through several of the blogs I have in my blogger dashboard, and I really like it.  It is called WEverb11 and they give you prompt for every day in December to reflect on the year that is 2011 and you can utilize all the prompts or pick what you want.  Here's more info on WEverb11 if you want to know more:

Choose one word. Choose one word. Encapsulate the year 2011 in one word. Explain why. Imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2012 for you? I must say my word is Stagnate. I hate that it is a negative word, I really, I really do.  I began the year with such hopeful intention.  There are certain things that I had hoped to achieve by now - in my personal life and in my professional life.  I can't help but wonder where (and why) I stalled.  Sure, some things I obviously have no control over and despite my best efforts have just not happened for me. For us.  And that lack of development has been devastating in a way that really surprises me.  Some things I had partial control of and I just didn't follow through.  I thought I'd have mustered the willpower to finally finish my thesis, and here I am, basically in the same exact place I stopped in the last two thesis efforts.  I did make some stride with my career, but after the past few weeks I wonder if there will honestly be more momentum to come.  Again - I'm stagnate. One year from today I want my word to be Satisfied.  Not happy...satisfied.  I think I have many moments of happiness, but I really want 2012 to be about satisfying things that I put off for so long that I think about constantly.

Survey Time Excellent!

Let's take a survey so I don't say things I shouldn't, shall we?

If you woke up as the opposite sex, whats the first thing you would do?
Scratch my balls and pee standing up
Are you addicted to anything?
TV...I luuurrrvveee my TV
What do you see in a guy/girl?
I love a sense of humor and a guy who can be a bit of a nerd - basically all of Ted's qualities
Has an animal ever attacked you?
Yes!  When I was a kid my neighbor's dog knocked me down and tried to bite me :(
When was the last time someone made you laugh really hard?
Jess this morning when she dubbed herself the hungry grinch.  I may have snorted a little :)
Do you find piercings/tattoos attractive?
I don't like piercings.  I could be ok with a tattoo or two
What's the weirdest thing you've ever licked?
hmmm I can't think of anything weird :(
When you wake up, what's the first thought that runs through your head?
"shit...already?"
Do you actually believe Alaska is covered in snow?
Parts of it probably
Are you ever purposely irritating?
No...maybe I need to be sometimes...
Would you ever play strip poker?
With Ted I would
If you could make someone disappear, who would it be?
So many options!!
Look behind you, what do you see?
My gorgeous curtains from Anthropologie.
What's your fav thing about the opposite sex?
Ted's smile :)
What's the most important thing to you?
1. Ted  2. Family (mostly immediate) 3. Friends 4. Career
What would you be doing right now if you were kicked off your computer?
Laundry and watching Revenge
How do you spend your weekends?
With Ted, Blair or my S'port girls.  Or at work.
Who do you want to be with right now?
I want to continue to hang out with Ted and Sly.  Or hang out with the S'port girls
Are you fun to hang with?
Yes I am fun to hang out with.  At least certain people still think so.
What country would you love to visit?
Japan
What's on your mind right now?
avoiding the drama llamas
When was the last time you went to a good party?
Blair's birthday outing was kinda like a good party
Fav song?
Spiderwebs - No Doubt
Can you lick your elbow?
Nope...isn't that impossible?
If you jumped out your bedroom window right now, how injured would you be?
not very...my bedroom is downstairs
What would you do if your bf/gf cheated on you with your best friend?
I'd cut off his balls.  J/k...or am I?
Do you like anyone you can't have?
no...I guess this is a survey for high school kids?
Do you dance even without music?
sometimes
Does anyone tease you cause of your name?
Kids made fun of my last name...which was a bit of a stretch...
What song is stuck in your head right now?
None
What's your darkest secret?
I don't really have one
What do you think is at the end of the rainbow?
Your mom
If a blind guy/girl started hitting on you, what would you do?
Somehow mention the wedding ring he obviously can't see on my finger
What was the last concert you want to?
I worked a Houston Symphony concert last weekend and then last month went to see Maroon 5
Do you speak your mind?
I do but apparently that's a bad thing for some people
Can you handle the truth?
Yep.  Can you?
What would you do if someone random on the street came up to you and started hitting on you?
Yep...High School kid quiz
Ever been caught naked?
Nope
Ever been in a fight?
Like a physical one?  Not that I remember
If so did you win?
n/a
Have you ever cheated on your bf/gf?
Nope
Done anything illegal lately?
Not really
Name the most stupidest thing you've ever done?
Oh so many choices.  Trust people I shouldn't
Would you talk to someone you don't know on the internet?
not anymore
Ever been in trouble for something you didn't do?
Oh I'm sure
Ever done anything stupid towards a cop?
Hell No
Have you lied to your parents about where you've been or going?
Oh who hasn't once upon a time
Ever had a prank turn out wrong?
Nah
Would you send money to a starving family in another country?
Sure
Are you hungry?
For ice cream!
If you could speak another language, what would it be?
Spanish would be useful
One word to describe yourself?
Fantastic
To describe your friends?
Amazing
What's the last present you've received?
Blair brought me some prints from Ikea yesterday
What would you rather have as a name?
I like my name
Any siblings?
Blair - the best person in the world
Are you a sporty kind of person or do you like to lay around and do nothing but watch tv or sit at the computer?
Totally lazy, but I'm starting to run
Could you outrun a bus?
Nope
You and your friends are bored. What do you do?
Chat or play a board game
What's your middle name?
Frances
What's your fav website?
I love Tom and Lorenzo's blog
Single or Taken?
Very Taken
Good or Bad kisser?
I guess I'm a good kisser?
What would you do if the world were coming to an end?
Eat an amazing meal and snuggle with Ted and Sly
Biggest regret ever?
Too many to list

The Theme of the Week: Anger

So I'm angry this week.  Yes...I know things could be worse. No...I don't want you to tell me that.  I'm venting.  If you feel the need to tell me not to dwell on it or to be positive, keep it to yourself, ok?

So in less than a week's time, Ted and I got in 3 different car accidents.  Yep, you read that right, 3.  The first was Tuesday morning.  Ted left for work, and about ten minutes later my cell phone rings.  His car had hydroplaned off the road and into the worst possible ditch - one with a concrete side walk/bridge thing.  Basically, his car ran off the road and got hung up on this piece of concrete.  Luckily, he's ok.  His car is not, and it looks like we are going to be out a few grand in order to fix it.  A part of me feels stupid because we bumped his car down to liability only a few months ago, but after talking to a few people I think we would have been screwed even if we had full coverage cause we think they would have totaled the car after looking at its past accident history.  So either way, we would be out thousands of dollars.

After Ted called me I was really distraught and distracted.  I think that's the normal reaction to news like this.  As I'm backing out of the driveway, I don't realize just how close I am to our neighbor's truck and back into it.  A part of me wants to blame them - don't park your big ass truck in the street...I knew this was going to happen eventually.  But alas I guess I shouldn't have driven while upset...oh wait I had to go get my husband out of a ditch.  Luckily, I didn't do any damage to their truck but my car (you know, that new one we bought 4 months ago?) has a dent in the back.  Our neighbor didn't seem to care, so no reporting to insurance was done.

Things were looking up Friday and Saturday.  I spent most of the time with Blair for her birthday.  It was a nice distraction that didn't last long enough.  Ted broke the news to me this morning that while he was out getting lunch in my car Saturday afternoon, a woman decided to slam on her brakes and stop in the middle of road without warning and he rear-ended her.  So I have a nice big dent in the front to match the back...again, in the car we bought 4 freaking months ago.  Ted said the woman completely knew it was her fault and didn't want to trade information; Ted was fine with that because he knew it didn't matter that she was in the wrong - the insurance would have blamed him.

So Ted has been working nights while we have one vehicle; this means we see each other for maybe 4 and a half hours each day.  You don't realize how difficult it is to work in a town that has no public transportation whatsoever and only have one car.  Makes me not want to work and be a lazy welfare recipient or person who just cheats the system and doesn't contribute.  I'm finding I'm becoming more and more jaded with each passing day.  I work damn hard and I did everything right on paper - I worked hard in school and I graduated and got a job and contribute to society and pay my bills on time. Yet times like this make me feel like I did it all wrong.  I just want to breathe, you know?  Like, why do we keep experiencing these freaking hurdles?  Seriously, we want to experience life and we can't do that if we continue to run into these random problems.

But, I guess that's life?  I know, we have our health and it could be way worse.  Believe me, the fact does not escape my mind that Ted could have been seriously injured on Tuesday.  If you think for a second I take that for granted you are mistaken.  I think I'm even more upset because I'm someone who cannot take her mind away from the scary things that can happen to people in life and I have played out a million horrible scenarios in my head over the past week.  I can't stop thinking about it and it has compounded the negative aspects of this week.

There are several other things in my life right now that I'm really angry about, but I'm not ready to put those things out here in the blogosphere yet.  I just know I'm tired of being angry and I'm working on changing my emotional state as best I can.  Again, I don't want anyone to tell me to be positive.  Telling me to do it honestly just pisses me off more.  I'm tired of people discounting what I feel every single day.  Do you think I enjoy being this angry and frustrated?  I don't wake up in the morning and say, hey I think I'm gonna be angry today....it is really the opposite - I wake up trying to feel happy with every ounce of my being; instead I just wake up and the emotion hits me like a tidal wave.  It is just there.

So, if you have words of encouragement, I'd really rather not hear them right now.  Instead, I'd love to hear what good things you have going right now.  I'd like to celebrate others now if I can. 

     

Another 101 in 1,001 Progress Report

Hi Everyone!  I decided to do a 101 in 1,001 progress report today.

I crossed something else off my list:
45. Get a promotion
I *finally* got my title change this summer.  I'm officially the Operations Assistant on paper.  I'm glad to be recognized for the work I've done for the past two and a half years.  It feels good to be very appreciated by your boss and other people in your department.

I haven't completed any other tasks, but I'm making progress.  I helped to throw Sarah a baby shower last month.  I'm going to a play with Blair on Wednesday.  I'm literally trimming the fat - I started the Couch to 5k program (C25K) a few weeks ago.  I'll admit, it wasn't on the original list, but I replaced the Jillian Michaels goal with C25K because I think I would have injured myself doing her 30 Day Shred DVD without someone who knows what the hell they are doing watching me.

The biggest progress development is my thesis.  That's right, it has taken me 3 years to find the motivation to write that damn paper.  I have been so satisfied with my job and busy with life that I just have not wanted to focus on it.  Fine...I *may* have created some of the distractions...buying a house...getting a dog...to avoid it.  But I finally have a topic that I enjoy and actually know a thing or two about.  My past two topics were things that made sense on paper but I really didn't enjoy researching at all.  My goal is to really hit it hard over the next two months and defend no later than January.  Realistic?  Probably not, but I'm going to convince myself it is.  I'd enjoy Disney so much more if that stupid thing was either done or 95% done.  In fact, I just wrote my first draft of a thesis statement, and one of my colleagues (who does not sugarcoat anything) told me it was a good start and that everything made sense to her.  Success!

I want to dress up for Halloween this year, but we don't have a party to go to.  Should I wait til next year to fulfill this goal?

Looking Ahead

I just had a near panic attack about some random stuff, so to focus myself I decided to write up a quick list of things in my immediate future I am excited about:

1) I get to see Jamie, Jess & Terry this weekend! I haven't seen them since August and I need some friend time. We're going to some big craft/trade fair thing where I hear they sell puppies. This means that if I stumble upon Sly's little brother or sister and bring them home Ted can't be mad at me. That's our rule. (Ok I just made up that rule but whatevs)

2) I think I'm gonna get an awesome opportunity at work. I can't go into detail but I'm quite excited at the idea.

3) I'm going to see Sarah in October! I can't wait to see her and spend some quality time before she pops out my (honorary) niece.

4) I'm so glad the new television season has started. I love catching up with The Office, Gossip Girl, Parks & Recreation, Modern Family, Grey's Anatomy and so many more. Plus, I've added a few new shows to the line up and I hope they don't get cancelled: The New Girl, Revenge and The Playboy Club (yes, the last one is so cheesetastic and I lurrrve it).

5) We're going back to Disney World in December. I've always wanted to see Disney decorated for Christmas! This time, we're going with Jess and Terry and I'm really, really excited!! We're also going to Universal Studios so we can go to the Harry Potter theme park. I so want some butter beer!!

Ok. I feel a little better. What are you most excited about in your life right now?

Stop the Procreation Merry Go Round...I Want to Get Off!!

It is official: I'm in the phase of life that revolves around procreating. Lately it feels like everyone I know or blogs I read or tv shows I watch or songs on the radio are all about the babies. (ok, that may be taking it a bit far...but you get the idea).

I just can't get my mind wrapped around it. One minute, I'm all about it. (Example here and here). But the more my exterior life revolves around baby talk, the more squeamish I'm becoming. One of my dear friends is halfway through her pregnancy and I'm over the moon for her. But two more of my friends have had some difficulties and I'm terrified I'll experience the same things.

There are days I get too obsessed with the idea of kids. When Ted's grandmother passed away a few weeks ago, the minister spoke alot about her important role as a mother and grandmother and how that's her legacy. Later that afternoon it hit me: Oh shit, if I don't have kids I won't have a legacy. I'll have a funeral when I'm 90 and no one will be there because I didn't procreate. I spent the next few weeks rearranging my life to make sure we could have a legacy and won't die alone. Sad, right?

I woke up last week and was irritated again by the idea of never experiencing getting to drop my kid off at school or watching their first cello recital or cheering them on at a soccer game. I cried. Over something I'm not even ready to admit I desperately want soon or hell even tried to have yet. I spent the rest of the day in a miserable mood and yelling at Ted for no good reason. The next morning I woke up and made a decision: I was going to stop planning my life around the idea that we might have kids one day. Because guess what? It isn't a guarantee in life.

I can't do it anymore even though I've only been obsessing for a few months now. I have to stop thinking to myself, well, if we decide to try now I could be giving birth by this date...how would that effect everything...work, travel, holidays? In the words of Rachel Zoe - That's bananas. Instead, I'm going to just focus on my relationships and having a freedom that I know I will gladly one day trade in. I just don't know when that will happen yet.

So in honor of this "live for myself not an imaginary baby" idea we're going to go on vacation with BFFs Jess and Terry in December and it will be amazing. And it will save my sanity. Then, the next thing will be to find a way to convince my boss that I need to go on the May Carnegie tour and I'm going to take my sister with me. And then, who knows what the next focus will be. I just need the pressure to go away, and I think this is a great way to do that for myself. Until the time comes for me to welcome my own Chicken Little, I'll bask in the happiness I have for my lucky friends who are pregnant or who will be soon.

Clean Sweep

So I've decided to sell my childhood Archie comic collection. I'm not gonna lie, the hoarder in me is having a hard time with the concept. These books were my entertainment for years; plus I have a lot of sentimental attachment to the books. My Aunt introduced me to the world of Archie, and when she passed away when I was in fourth grade, it was my way of keeping her close to my heart. I plan on keeping a few for sentimental reasons, but overall I know it is time to pass the collection along. I have counted up about 1,900 so far; obviously I do not have a lot of room to store the massive number of books and magazines.

While I was logging comic books, I decided it was time to clean and organize the remaining boxes in our third bedroom. I'm down to only two boxes that don't fit in the closet that I need to find a place for and I was able to throw a lot of stuff away. It felt good to purge. Of course, while sorting through stuff I found many old things (pictures, trinkets, etc.) that reminded me of old times. I am never sure if I really want to keep these things or if I just do it out of guilt because let's face it, I don't really see those items as reminders of happier times. Honestly I see them more as reminders of what my life felt like then and why I'm so much better off now. I don't know if that makes sense. I guess seeing those items every now and again gives me some perspective.

Another good reason for cleaning out the third bedroom is because my girls are coming to Houston on Friday! We are celebrating Jessica's birthday by playing bingo and just spending some quality time together. I love these girls (and their guys!) more than anything, and I just want to say again I am so thankful they are in my life. I wish they lived next door to me (which, there is a house for sale next door to us...it would be awesome...just putting it out there ;-p).

101 in 1,001 Update

Long time, no blog. Sorry guys. June and July have been crazy stressful months at work. Our Operations Director was out of the country for our Planets project, so that left my boss and I to cover some pretty major tech concerts. It was rough, but I learned a whole lot about stuff that I kinda only knew a little about. Overall, I think it made me a stronger ops person.

So I've made a small dent in my 101 in 1,001 list so I thought I'd give you guys an update one what I've accomplished so far.

4. Go on a vacation with Blair (6/10/11)
Obviously, we went to Vegas together. We had tons of fun gambling, people watching, and seeing great shows. Here are a few pics:
This is from our scavenger hunt:


We played some bingo...Blair won...I did not:


I convinced her to do a shot with me at Coyote Ugly:


We had a lot of fun at the Minus 5 ice bar:


Also, I accomplished something else on my list during this trip:
9. Take a picture in front of the Las Vegas sign (6/10/11)


48. Attend my 10 year High School reunion (6/11/11)
I've already talked about this a bit. Again, it was interesting to see everyone after 10 years.

58. A new car (7/15/11)
We bit the bullet and bought a new car. I'm still in shock about it because I never thought we would do it any time soon. I was a hot mess when we signed the papers:

I'm still worried about money, but I'm always worried about money. We needed to help my parents out and besides, I was tired of smelling like crayon all the time. So, everyone, meet Stingray AKA Ray Ray, my new Mazda CX-7:


66. Turn one of the upstairs bedrooms into a complete guestroom
I finally made one of the upstairs bedrooms into a guest room. Thanks to Blair, it looks pretty good and we didn't spend a huge ton of money on it. Now that I have a car note, I don't foresee us doing a lot more renovations on the house in the near future. Here's a pic:


68. Buy another chair for the living room. (5/2011)
Technically, Mom and Dad bought us a new chair for the living room for our anniversary. I don't have a picture, but it is pretty perfect. I <3 it.

I think I need to pick up the pace on my list. I need to do more if I want to come close to finishing. Hopefully I'll have more time in August to do some of my list.

10 Year Evolution

Well, I just got back from my 10 year high school class reunion. It was nice to see old classmates and catch up with people who I typically only 'see' through facebook. One of my friends asked an interesting question while there - Did you end up where you thought you would ten years ago? I honestly couldn't answer the question at the time because I couldn't remember what my 18 year old self wanted in life. But after spending some time thinking it over, I'm going to attempt to answer the question.

Just to give you all some background, here's a rundown of 18 year old Meredith:

• Complete band nerd. So focused on getting into a music school so she can get a flute performance degree she took 3 periods of band/music her senior year.
  
• Had a boyfriend of 3 years who she adored, yet thought about cheating on a few times. Never cheated, but really that should have clued her in as to the state of the relationship.
• Had a good number of friends who she thought she'd be close to forever.
• Wanted out of Crosby desperately but figured she would marry the previously mentioned boyfriend and would have kids and all that here; she would just teach private lessons and be a stay at home mom.
• Was a normal teenager full of angst and drama and self importance...could sometimes easily be called a bitch.

Get the picture? So let's compare that to what 22 year old Meredith was like:

• Finished her degree in four years, but had no idea what to do with it. About two months after graduating, she had a meltdown in her parent's kitchen because she just didn't want to play her flute anymore.
  
• Worked at Sears, which she felt was beneath her. Ultimately depressed because she had a college degree and couldn't get hired anywhere other than retail.
• Desperate to get out of Crosby and 'live her life'
  
• Single but completely in love with someone who didn't love her back.
• Still angsty and full of drama. Easily a bitch when she wanted to be.
• Had a small group of friends who she loved; missed her college friends; not really close to some of the people she thought she would still be friends with in high school.

Hmm. Not quite the direction 18 year old Meredith had predicted. Does it get better? Let's check in with 25 year old Meredith.

• Back on track with her career. Living in Ohio to get her master's degree. Proud that she didn't stay in the retail rut. Really living a life that a woman in her early 20's should. Marriage and kids are far away things for her.
  
• Still in love with someone who didn't love her back, but tried to break out of that by partying too much and making out with a few guys in bars and parking lots. Luckily she at least respected herself enough to not cross that fine line into slutville.
• Misses home every now and again, but happy to not live in Crosby.
  
• College friends solidified as the ones who were going to be there for the big events.
  
• Overall still trying to find her fit. She could feel she was heading in the right direction, but at times she felt like she had stalled out.

Well, obviously I still had to do some growing to end up where I have today. Here's how I sum up present day Meredith:

• Married to an amazing guy who had been under her nose for a few years. Luckily she pulled her head out of her ass and saw him standing there. Never ever thought she could feel so secure in a relationship.
• College friends are still around. She is blessed to have them.
• Really wants kids.
• Loves her job and can't wait to see if it will continue to grow.
• Lives in Crosby, where she swore she wouldn't end up and she's happy about it. She's close to her family, which she has come to realize matters most in life.
• Occasionally misses her party days and has a few pangs of yearning for that life. Then, she has a chance to live that way again for a few hours and instantly hates it. Who knew she could be so happy being so utterly boring?

So, if you look at all of those lists, and compare what 18 year old Meredith expected to what happened, I'd say I have far exceeded her expectations. 18 year old Meredith had such a limited viewpoint of the world and had no idea what it could actually be like. Thank goodness I was able to move beyond that point and grow into who I am today.

So let's throw out the question to all of you. Would your 18 year old self be satisfied with where you are today? How did you feel after your high school reunion, or, if you haven't gotten there yet, what do you expect to feel?

A Blog About Nothing

I've been falling behind in my pledge to blog at least once a week. Sorry about that again. I have two excuses: 1) work has been insane. 2) I have nothing exciting going on to write about. So this post will be about random nothings I've encountered the past few weeks.

1) I'm almost caught up on Desperate Housewives. I know it is a cheesy dramedy, but it is entertaining. What show should I watch next?

2) Ted worked nights all last week and I felt like I never saw him. It was really frustrating. Luckily he's back to working during the day so we will get back into a normal routine. Not-so-luckily he has to do it again next month :(

3) I love having Blair at home. I think we've seen each other almost every day. Hopefully she doesn't get sick of me.

4) In other Blair news, she loves her job, and that makes me happy. I'm glad she was able to find something fulfilling right off the bat. I hope it continues for her.

5) I want to see Something Borrowed, Bridesmaids, and The Hangover Part 2. I think I should just make next Sunday a movie marathon day.

6) Sly stayed at the kennel last weekend while we were in Waco. He came home with a green bandana, and I now believe that green is the best complimentary color for his fur.

7) We leave for Vegas in two weeks. Beyond excited.

That's really all I can think to write. Back later peeps.

All Grown Up

Hi everyone! Sorry I have lapsed a bit on writing. Life has been crazy busy lately between work and other stuff that I haven't really had a chance to sit down and talk about.

Friday my sister Blair graduated from Baylor. I can't believe that she's officially a grown up and is already going to start working in her field. We all drove up to Waco to see her graduation ceremony and to help move all of her stuff back home to Crosby. It took about 4 hours of sweat and irritation to get everything packed up in the U-haul and the two vehicles. I love my Dad, but man he can get cranky during a move!

Mom and Dad left with the U-haul, and Ted and I stayed back with Blair so she could take some pictures with her roommates one last time. On the way to campus, Blair was very emotional, which is definitely not the norm. She's always been a bit of a stoic, so it was really touching to see this response from her. I think it really showed how much her roommates mean to her and the impact that her college experience had on her.

Thinking back, I don't remember having that kind of response to leaving Centenary. I haven't seen some of the people that I considered really good friends while there since our graduation ceremony (my S'port girls are the exception to this rule). The only time I really cried was when I saw my mom cry. Centenary was a great experience, but at the same time I was beyond ready to get out of there. I wish I had developed such a strong tie to Centenary the way that Blair did with Baylor.

So, when you graduated from college did you have a big emotional response? Or were you like me and were more good riddance than good bye?

Big News Weekend

Geez Louise this was a big news weekend! Let's review, shall we?

Of course I woke up at 4:30 AM to watch the Royal Wedding. I'm a pop culture junkie, and do you honestly think I would miss the biggest event of the decade?? Psh I think not. Kate looked flawless. That dress was the perfect compromise of modern flair and classic, traditional elegance required for a royal wedding in Westminster Abbey.

For the people who say she wasn't edgy enough, I say that you people are cray-cray. She couldn't stomp down that aisle as if she were on the runway she was on when William finally realized her hotness and wear something like this:



The Queen would have passed out after screaming "To the Tower with that harlet". Prince Harry probably would have high-fived Wills and told him good job. Pippa wouldn't see the problem with that dress though...she seems like she knows how to have a good time.

Anyone else think that the Maid of Honor and Best Man totally hooked up after the reception? Especially after seeing what a hot mess Chelsy Davy was...honey, if you are trying to convince the official Spare to the thrown to marry you and make you a princess, TRY HARDER. Why you decided to wear something that looks like a Stein Mart power suit is beyond me.


I can't forget to give a shout out to Fergie's girls, Eugenie and Beatrice. I literally laughed every single time the camera panned over to the Queen and I saw these two perched behind her. I couldn't help but see this image:

instead of:


At the end of it I really hope that Kate and Wills make it work. You could tell they really love each other by the way they kept sneaking glances at each other and smiling during the ceremony. It would be a shame if the royal way of life messes it up for them.

The other big news of the weekend came in late last night. Osama bin Laden is dead. We finally caught up with the rat. A part of me is so glad that he finally paid for his many, many crimes against not only the US but humanity in general. The other part of me doesn't want to celebrate as hard as many Americans have been celebrating. I guess it just makes me anxious that retaliation is a definitive and is just a matter of when as opposed to if. Hopefully my anxious feelings are just paranoia and won't actually happen.

Early Mother's Day Gift

Last night I took my mom to see Tony Bennett live in concert at Jones Hall. We were presenting him, so I was able to get last minute nose-bleed seats. I honestly had no desire to see Mr. Bennett perform. I can appreciate his music and style, but for the most part he does not make me swoon.

Mom is a different story.


(How cute is she?!?)

I could tell she was getting really excited as we made our way to the hall. I took her downstairs to see my cube (cause Mom loves to see those random things about my life...she's cute like that) and we ran into my coworker Rebecca, who does artist service type things. She was making a pot of coffee, and she mentioned in passing that she had to take Mr. Bennett his coffee. My mom's mouth dropped and she was in complete awe. I can't help but chuckle because after working in this industry for a few years now, you sometimes forget that some artists can still make people star struck. I loved looking over at Mom during the concert and seeing her big grin as she watched this performer who she had grown up listening to. Finally at 10:15 (about 25 minutes beyond the published concert end time) she told me we could sneak out because she knew it was getting late. I still don't know how late the 84 year old legend went on.

Overall it was nice to give my mom an experience she didn't think she would ever get. She gushed the entire way home about how wonderful it was. I love that I am in a position to give my mom such things every now and again. She has been a wonderful parent and an amazing mother, so I'm glad I can make her happy sometimes.

*On a side note / rant. I want to state again that blogs in general are a place for people to go to write and talk about their personal opinions and viewpoints. Typically, bloggers are using the medium as an outlet for their feelings. Are we publishing them for everyone to see? Yes, and often times the reason that is the case is because many of us are trying to find and connect with others who share our interests and maybe not feel so isolated and alone in this world. If you are offended or don't like what you read, then you can do two things: 1) Leave a comment stating your opinion and leave your real name. Spur a conversation, but don't attack the individual. It is really, really easy to hide behind an anonymous name and act tough. If you decide to confront the blogger in person, make sure you have your facts straight and you have actually read the content. If you are going on hearsay, then you aren't doing your due diligence. Most of the time the content that you assume is offensive has been taken out of context. Hell, sometimes even after you read it you may be taking it out of context and reading what you want it to say instead of what it actually says. Often times a sarcastic or joking tone that would come across to some does not translate the same way to others. The second thing you could do - 2) Stop reading the blog. If you don't like what you are reading, then why continue to follow the blog? If I don't like someone, I generally avoid interacting with that person...so if I come across a blog I don't like or agree with or find offensive, then guess what - I'm going to stop reading the blog. Duh. In conclusion, I prefer when people ask me about something they don't agree with or get upset over. It gives me an opportunity to straighten it out and let them know what I was intending instead of what they may have misinterpreted. So that's my stance on blogs. I hope this clears stuff up for everyone. Thanks for letting me get on my soap box.*

Look at...

my super cute dog.



Oh, that's not enough Sly for you? Here, look again:



What can I say? I have the cutest pups in the whole wide world. Now leave comments saying how you agree.

Sick of Being Sick

So I have a sinus infection. It started on Monday night and it is so not fun. I sound like a guy, I'm hacking up a lung every other minute and my nose has become a leaky faucet. I decided to go to a quick care clinic on Wednesday (Sidenote: Those things are kinda great when you don't really get sick very often and don't have a primary care physician yet. This is the second time I've used one when plagued with a cold/flu/sinus-crud-ailment and it is really great to just go in, have the nurse practitioner person confirm that you just need some antibiotics and she sends you on your merry way. Very convenient, and they will use your insurance so it is very affordable too) and she confirmed that it is my sinuses being stupid and gave me some antibiotics. She also confirmed that I'll be fighting it off for another week or so. Not so wonderful to hear.

I find it amusing that every time I get sick I have a moment in the middle of the illness where I forget what it feels like to feel normal and good. And then I bemoan how I'll never feel good again to Ted, who then rolls his eyes at me but hugs me despite my baby-whiny tendencies and tells me that yes, I will in fact feel good again soon. Then he gives me some medicine and lets me lay on the couch watching whatever I want without complaining. I love my husband :)

Ultimate Birth Control: Children's Birthday Parties

Today was our niece Audrey's 3rd birthday party. Today was also the day I discovered that kids scare me, which doesn't bode well for the whole "let's eventually have babies!" plan I got going on. Allow me to elaborate...

I love my nieces. Audrey and Anna are really great girls and I think my judgment of the kids subject gets clouded when they are around. Audrey sings along in her cute little voice to Wonder Pets and I swoon. Anna coos and smiles and I melt. Then we come home and I tell Ted all about how great it will be when we have a kid someday.

Today I saw what other kids are like...honey, it ain't pretty. Two little boys ran around the whole. damn. time. Not just running, but playing with balloons and hitting them all over the house. I wanted to have a heart attack just watching the balloons come dangerously close to hitting Megan's stuff and breaking it. Other kids were running around and screaming. I decided to sit in the corner and play Angry Birds Rio until it was time to cut the cake and open presents.

I guess I just don't know what to believe about kids. On one side of things, I have people tell me "Oh, you want to wait as long as possible until you even think about it. Save your freedom and sanity" and then they laugh as if they have just departed some amazing wisdom my way. As if I needed them to tell me that kids are hard. Duh. I see how difficult Megan's days can be when Audrey isn't so cute and Anna is fussy. But then I see how Anna will sometimes only smile when Megan is nearby and I can't help but wonder why these parents keep telling me not to join that club known as parenthood. Surely they experience that same love and affection that I see with Megan and Anthony and the girls, so why would they send warnings instead of speaking of those wonderful aspects of being able to be a parent? Any time I see wild kids or have a parent try to convince me to 'save' my sanity, I just start questioning whether or not it is something I really want.

Let's face it, I'm a pretty selfish individual. I don't like to clean, I like to sleep a lot, I'm sorta lazy and I have a taste for expensive things. I'm pretty sure that a good mother is none of those things. So, my conundrum is: once you have a baby, do you change into a motherly type person?? What happens if I don't develop the mom gene?

At the end of the day, I know I want to have a family with Ted. Am I terrified at the idea I won't be a good mom? Hell yes. Do I worry that I will have triplets and they'll be boys and I won't be able to handle them? Hell yes. Am I tired of people assuming that I need to be told that parenting is hard work and that I should just run the opposite direction? Yeah, a little. I get it. Stop trying to scare me. It isn't very nice.

Not a Sweet Dream or a Beautiful Nightmare

I'm not really a fan of that song, but I couldn't think of a better title, so it won.

Anyway...

I had a crazy weird dream last night. I'm getting ready for work, and the door bell rings. I find Ted has beaten me to the door...apparently he was not going to work that day because usually he is gone before I'm even awake. He has the door opened and he's chatting with someone. I walk over and who is at the door? Daniel. Of course, I'm rude because how else are you supposed to respond when your ex drops by unexpectedly on a weekday morning. Conversation:

Me: "Oh shit what the hell do you want?"
Daniel: "Wow rude much?"
Me: "Oh excuse me. Hello Daniel how can I help you this fine morning? Better?"
Daniel: "Yes thank you. I was just chatting with Ted here to see if you wanted to look through the furniture Joey is giving us in case you wanted something."
Me: "Fine. I need book cases."
Ted: "Well I guess that's a yes."

We then walk over to Joey's yard, which is covered in random pieces of old furniture. Standing with said furniture is Daniel's wife Lauren, who I have never met. Conversation:

Me: "Hi there. How's it going" (Really, as if I'm friends with her or something)
Lauren: "Hi! We're really good! Joey's being so nice to give us all his old furniture since he is buying new!" (Um, they don't know Joey in reality)
Me: "Oh how wonderful!"

*Awkward pause between the four of us*

Me: "So, which book cases do you not want?"
Daniel: "Those over there" and he points to some crappy small book cases that are coated in a bad white paint.
Me: "What happened to those?"
Lauren: "Oh I wanted to see what they would look like white so I threw a quick coat on them. I don't like them."
Me: "Yeah I'm not a fan."

*Another awkward silence as it is hitting me I've made out with two of the three people I'm speaking to.*

Daniel: "Well, if you don't want them I guess we'll go."
Ted: "Ok thanks for the offer"

Then I wake up. It is official: I've been obsessing over home renovations and improvements for too long, and I've been watching far too much Desperate Housewives episodes. They are all friendly with their exes when they randomly drop into their lives, so that has to be the reason that Daniel suddenly popped up. Yuck.

Safe and Secure

So I'm currently watching the ADT guy install our new security system. It is something I've wanted to get since we moved into the house, but Ted resisted for ten months before giving in on Thursday night. He ultimately wants me to have a peace of mind, but I think deep down he'd prefer not to have the expense. I feel bad for being a Nervous Nelly, but with my childhood, you'd understand why.

My mom is a very nervous person. I love her to death, but I hate driving with her as my passenger because it is a constant "Look out!" "Watch it!" or the sudden sharp intake of air followed by the gripping of the 'oh shit' handle above my car door. The slightest hint of bad weather has her preparing for a category 5 hurricane. When I lived in Ohio if she saw something on the news about a murderer in Cleveland she called to make sure I always remembered to lock my doors. Like she needed to check. She raised me to be just as nervous as she is.

When Blair and I were kids, Dad did a lot of shift work. There were several weeks throughout the year where he worked nights. This would throw my mom into panic mode and she would turn our house into Fort Knox, if we slept at home at all. Sometimes we would sleep at my grandma's cause mom was so worried something would happen. I'm pretty sure Mom would have made a space like this if it had been possible:



Want to know our routine for those weeks? First, Mom made sure the three porch lights were working, and they were left on all night. Then, she made sure the screen door was locked, as well as the three locks on the main door. Then, two of our dining room chairs were placed against the door. Of course, we had two more chairs against the back door as well as the side door. Blair and I made sure we had all the necessary pillows, stuffed animals and blankets, and then Mom would barricade us in her room. Sometimes I'd sleep in a big pallet of blankets on the floor; other times all three of us would snuggle up in my parent's water bed. The thing I remember most is Mom not sleeping, constantly worrying that someone would try to break in while Dad wasn't home.

So, of course this had a huge effect on me. I hate sleeping somewhere alone. In college when a roommate would go away for the weekend, doors were blocked with chairs and lights were left on all night. The TV was also left on because the noise was a comfort. These habits have not changed at all. I've gotten to the point that I have to have the TV on no matter what. Luckily I have an understanding husband. The idea of a home invasion scares the hell out of me, and I fear that my paranoia over it will only increase once we have kiddos.



So, that's why we're getting a security system: I'm a scaredy cat. But can you blame me? Today's world can be a scary place.

Dude, Stop Stealing My Water

So Castlerock has decided to build a two-story 'stock' home next door to us. I knew the day would come where we would have to deal with the whole construction process, but so far it has been 100x worse than I anticipated.

So the first day they were working they started building a frame for the foundation at 5:30 PM and didn't stop banging hammers and crap until 7:45 PM. I had a headache by the end of it.

Yesterday at 6 AM I was jarred awake by the sound of a very loud truck. After looking out the window I see that it is a concrete truck. They chose to pour the foundation at 6 in the morning on a weekday. I normally get up around 6:15, but I was still miffed that I spent the entire morning getting ready listening to the sounds of construction.

Today is the icing on the cake. I was in our laundry room when I heard the high pitched squeal our outside faucets make. I thought that was strange, so I looked out the kitchen window and what do I see? One of the construction workers with a hose connected to our faucet using our water. I ran out the door in my pjs to confront him. Here's the conversation:

Me: Excuse me, but were you just using my water faucet?
Construction Guy: No.
Me: Um, but I heard our faucet running and I saw you standing next to it with a hose, so I think you did use my water.
Construction Guy: Oh, well yeah I used a little.
Me: Yeah, you need to not do that. I pay for that water and I really don't want you to use anything attached to my house.
Construction Guy: Well, it was only a little.
Me: I don't care. You shouldn't steal my water. It's very rude and weird for you to just think you can use my stuff for free. Please don't do it again.
Construction Guy: Yeah ok.

REALLY?!? First you lie to my face, then you just don't seem to care that you STOLE from me and were caught?? What's next, are you going to plug into my outside electrical outlet to blare your music and use your power tools to build a house that ISN'T MINE? Hell no. Ted is calling the head construction guy, but I swear I will call the cops if I catch them doing it again. Surely that is considered theft, right? My water main is not a public watering hole.

Idiots.

Oh, and to pour salt in the wound, the house they are building (a new Castlerock floor plan) is bigger than mine and the base cost is $40k less than what I paid for mine.

Random Things

I couldn't come up with a witty title for this post. Sorry. Also, instead of a narrative update, I'm going to stick with bullet points.

• I finally found a dress to wear to the ball. It came down to 2 dresses that I bought and then mulled over for a few days. At the end of the day, I wanted to have a ballgown in the truest sense of the word. I lurrrve it. Oh, and it was on clearance. Original price: $375. My price: $112.50. Yay for being thrifty!
  
• We went to Ikea the other day and continued to dream about finishing our living room and getting the bookshelves / tables / chair that are required to do that. I tried lingonberry preserves for the first time ever and I'm now a fan.
  
  
  • Speaking of home related things, I've been bitten by the home renovation bug. I am currently making plans to finally set up a guest bedroom, redo our master bedroom, and possibly paint our kitchen cabinets. I want to be a busy bee for the next few months. I found a home blog that is beyond inspirational, and I'll share that in an upcoming post.
    
  • Our Vegas plans are coming along nicely. Thanks to my mom I was able to call a VIP number at MGM and we got a better room rate, which means we saved $220. Now I don't feel so guilty about going to see Viva Elvis because that more than covers our ticket price.
    
    
  • Blair is graduating in less than two months. This makes me feel old, but I'm really hopefully she gets an amazing job in Houston and I'll get to see her more. If she gets a job somewhere else, I'll just kidnap her and make her stay. Just kidding...a little.
  • I turned 28. I still don't know how I feel about that.
  • There has been some extended family drama lately. It has made me appreciate how normal my parents really are. I am extremely grateful that they raised Blair and I the way they did. I hope and pray that when I have kids I am capable of treating them as well as my parents treated us.
  I guess that's all for now. I'll be back soon with my Obsession of the Week.
  

1 Goal Down, 100 More To Go!

I completed my first goal!! I actually thought that this one would take some time, but I guess my little dog is smarter than I give him credit for.

49. Teach Sly a trick

He will consistently shake! (his paw, not uncontrollably in fear) I kept picking his paw up and saying shake. Finally I would just say shake and he would lift his paw. I'm super proud of him! Last night he did it like, five times in a row. I tried to reward him with a treat but he got so excited when he saw the treat he stopped paying attention.

I <3 this pups!!

Mer and Ted's Excellent Adventure Part 4: A Magical Trip to the Kingdom

So Friday we spent the entire day at the Magic Kingdom. I was giddy. I love that even though we are in our late 20s we can still go somewhere that encourages acting like a complete kid in public. We took the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom transportation spot and then decided to take the boat the rest of the way.




Once we got inside, we made a mad dash to get our Fast Passes for Space Mountain. Surprisingly, we got one that was only an hour and a half away, so we tried to stay close by. We hopped in line for the Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger ride. It was pretty neat. It is like going into a video game - you have to shoot a laser at various things to score points. I totally beat Ted's score, but I couldn't get a picture as proof :(





After we finished up being a Space Ranger, it was time for Space Mountain! But it was down for some repairs so we had to wait a few more hours :( We decided to grab some lunch. This is another time we had taken some time to research food options and reservations somewhere. I just was not impressed with the fast food. After lunch we headed over to the Jungle Cruise and Pirates. Both are so cheesy but I love it!





We decided to go to Splash Mountain / Thunder Mountain next. We grabbed a fast pass for Splash Mountain and got in line for Thunder Mountain. The line was way longer than we had anticipated. It took forever, but I loved it. Ted thought it was a wussy excuse for a roller coaster. Splash Mountain was fine. I was glad that I didn't get wet because I did not feel like walking around in wet jeans all day.



Of course we had to do the Haunted Mansion - I promised Mom because it is her favorite.



As it was getting dark we headed over to Fantasy Land. I really, really wanted to ride "It's a Small World" - I love it. However, Fantasy Land is going through a major renovation right now, so most of the rides were closed and under construction. So, no Small World for me :(. We rode the Winnie the Pooh ride, but it sucked in comparison. We also watched Mickey's Philharmagic. It was really cute and since I'm a symphony music junkie I really enjoyed it.




The last thing we rode was Dumbo. I was totally fine with waiting in the 30 minute line with the screaming kids and tired parents. I was going to make up for not getting to go on Small World. There were two women behind us in line with 3 very young children. One of the kids did not understand personal boundaries yet - he was pretty much standing under Ted's butt the whole time we were in line. When we were about 10 minutes away from getting on the ride, one of the little boys broke free of his mother and ran ahead. The poor mom had to chase after him, maneuvering around all the people in line. She caught him, and dragged him back to their spot. Suddenly, she screamed; the kid's head was gushing blood; we think he fell when she finally caught him. Ted and I were like, holy crap we have to help. All the people around her in line scramble for napkins as well as an attendant. I was shocked with how "calm" the attendants were when they finally walked over to find out why this woman was screaming. It was a huge gash - I'm sure the kid needed stitches. The attendants finally helped her out of the line and (sorta) rushed to the first aid place. It was crazy. As we load up in our flying Dumbo, one of the attendant hands us free "Let's Celebrate!" buttons. He didn't hand any to anyone else...we think they tried to buy our silence with buttons! Who knew that riding Dumbo would be so dramatic!!



Overall we loved our day at the Magic Kingdom. I think we mostly did what we had hoped to do, with the exception of everything that was being renovated in Fantasy Land. I'm ready to go back and take our future kids!!



Up next: Our Last Day :(

101 in 1,001

So you may notice I have a new page called 101 in 1,001. It is my new project. Please take a look at my list and hopefully you will be inspired to do it too! I've decided to officially start the 1,001 days on Friday - my 28th birthday. In a way this lets me work on doing some of this stuff before I hit 30, which I consider a huge milestone. What do you guys think - am I crazy?

Diets and Exercise Suck

So I've been at this Weight Watchers thing now for going on two months, and initially I was doing really good. Then we had a really stressful week with some family stuff and I completely jumped off the WW bandwagon in favor of some comfort foods. I've maintained my 6 pound weight loss, but I've stalled. I really want to lose about 19 pounds more before our Vegas trip in June. I think that is completely reasonable, because it averages out to about 1.35 lbs to lose per week. I'm starting up Jillian Michaels's 30 Day Shred again, but this time I will not be doing it everyday. I hurt myself trying to do that last time and it completely ruined my efforts. This time, it will be every other day and I will not feel bad if I need to rest for a few seconds while she continues to jump around like a crazy person. I'm sore today, but I think it is a good kind of sore. Overall, I still wish there were a magic pill that you could eat that would just suck the fat out of you naturally.

Mer & Ted's Excellent Adventure Part 3: Food and Wine and Fireworks, Oh My!

To begin on a side note I'm dropping the 'anonymous' letter thing cause let's face it you all know my husband's name, and more than likely you know my sister's name too. So I said screw it, and from now on I'll be using people's names.

Anyway...

So we left Disney Studios or whatever it is called and went back to the hotel to rest up for what I had been looking forward to the most: Epcot and the International Food and Wine Festival. 30+ booths of amazing foods, booze and other goodies. It was one of the main reasons why we settled on going to Disney. We skipped dinner and decided to get ready to stuff our faces.

We got to the park a little later than I wanted to, so I was rushing to get from the main entrance back to the World Pavilion where all the food booths were located. I was worried it was going to be very crowded, but since we were there on a Thursday it wasn't too bad. We received a great tip that I will now pass on to you: Don't use cash or a debit card when buying all your food and wine samples. You will lose control and spend way more than you had originally intended. You can buy very handy gift cards that come with a wrist strap that you can spend at the booths. Here's a picture:



We each got $75 to spend at the festival. I had to plan carefully, cause you could easily spend that without going to every booth. I also wanted a poster, so I had to budget for that too.

The first booth we encountered was New Zealand. They had this amazing lamb slider with a tomato chutney. I think it was my favorite food from the festival.



The next booth was Canada, where we got some Ice Wine (wonderful, except it is expensive so I didn't get a bottle like I wanted to) and a cheddar cheese beer soup. We stuffed our faces and declared that we liked Canada and decided to explore the Canada pavilion a bit more than we had originally intended.



We then headed over to the England pavilion, which had the Ireland booth. We got an amazing chocolate lava cake so good that Ted literally licked his plate clean.



I also had to take a moment to take a photo in the phone booth. I was still feeling jealous of all my colleagues who where in England for the UK tour so this was my way of feeling close to the tour at that moment I guess.



The next pavilion was France. The French booth was really fun - we got to try escargot!! It was really buttery and we both enjoyed it. I'd probably eat it again. The French booth also got the award for tastiest drink. I would have had more if I had an unlimited food budget.





It was starting to get dark and I was starting to get a little cranky from being tired, but we kept moving on. The Spain booth was a bit of a let down, but Ted liked the spicy nature of their food far better than I did. The Japan booth was ok, but the store that was in the Japan Pavilion was amazing! They had a whole section dedicated to Hello Kitty, so I was in heaven. They had some great items in the store. I wish I could have gotten a kimono, but it was a bit out of our price range.

By the time we left the store (I'm pretty sure we spent around 45 minutes looking around) it was completely dark. We stopped at a few more booths for food, but the only one that sticks out in my mind was the champagne and dessert booth. Really good stuff right there. We decided to find a spot to watch the fireworks and just sit for a bit. The Epcot fireworks show is always a good one, and it was romantic to experience it with my husband. Last time I saw that show I was 16 and surrounded by my high school friends, so it was a very different experience.

Overall, the World Showcase part of Epcot is one of my absolute favorite parts of Disney. I kinda wish we had spent more time there and less time at MGM, but I will make sure we do that next time.

Up next: A Magical Trip to the Kingdom