Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Update

Thank you so much for your comments and advice. I don't really have a ton of girlfriends, because the girl:guy ratio in Blacksburg is like 1:15...which is normally great but not when I have any kind of drama going on.

Since getting your comments, I have been officially invited (via facebook) to the housewarming party. However, I am moving on Sunday, and it was up in the air as to whether my boyfriend could come down for the weekend to help or not. He has since decided to come, and he's getting here Friday. So, the decision was really made for me. Phew.

However, facebookw has intimated that there will be a large reunion around Christmas, when all of us will, in theory, be around. So now I have a couple of months to consider what I plan to do.

In honor of my sister, I will probably do what she always does, and take the high road. Whether that means going to this reunion and making nice, or just politely stepping away from the situation, I don't know.

But I'm not as worried about it now, mostly because you all said the same things, and they really made me feel better. Thank you so much (c:

Thursday, July 16, 2009

I wish that I could start this post off with, "well, if you've been reading for awhile you know all about the drama with my high school friends", but I don't believe I've ever mentioned them. So here goes nothing:

6 best girlfriends, 4 best guy friends. I started dating someone outside of our group, and the group began to avoid me. Um, clique much? But, I continued to date the guy, to the continued deterioration of my friendships. I was so upset, but I'm confident I made the right decision- I am still in the same relationship.

In the midst of all of this, my parents decided to move 45 minutes away from my town so my mother could take care of her ailing father. So, we sold our house and left. I figured it would be more or less the same. Get together sometimes while we're on breaks, etc. It wasn't. They get together frequently. I am not called. On the other hand, not a break has gone by without me trying to get in touch.

The last 3 years have been tumultuous, to say the least. And I could have used the help. Not one of them offered support when I was in the midst of my school's biggest crisis, or said anything at all when my grandfather, with whom I have always been close, passed away.

At this point, you're likely thinking, "wow, they must have hated you" (which is what my insecurities say), or "why are you worried about this? Screw them, they suck, move on."

And normally, I pretty much have moved on. Except for one of them recently found a movie we made in HS that I had forgotten about. So he sent a facebook message to everyone involved in it saying, "the next time we're all home, we should get together and watch this." One of my girlfriends responded, "we're having a housewarming party, and you are all invited, we can watch it then."

This feels like two things: A) when you have an ex-boyfriend and all of a sudden he tries to get back into your life, or, B) when you happen to be included, you feel like you were only invited because you were privy to the message. Or maybe both.

I've decided that having 9 ex-friends do this is way worse than if 9 ex-boyfriends did it.

So, what do you think I should do? Forget about them and move on? Go to the housewarming party and mention how I feel? Go and pretend everything is perfect?

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Wow, Wow, Wow

Harry Potter? In.Cre.Di.Ble. The magic, as they say, is back. That's all I'll say right now because I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it. But here is a little eye candy, if, like me, you find yourself swooning over such a good-looking actor (or two):

Monday, July 13, 2009

Smith Mountain Lake!

I had a great weekend with my (now graduated) boyfriend and 2 of his roommates. Also one of our friends who (thank goodness!!) hasn't graduated yet came along. I must say, it was a bittersweet event. We had a great time boating, canoeing, fishing, and tubing (though it was also painful), but it is very sad to see their time at Virginia Tech coming to a close.

Because my digi died in March and my only camera is a big one that I use mostly for professional and school work, I didn't take it with me...so sadly there are no pictures of me flying 15 feet into the air after hitting a larger wave than I bargained for on a tube. Nor are there pictures of the bruising from said adventure. I'll just let you imagine that!

But we did have a great time, especially because it was supposed to rain all weekend and didn't! We grilled out, made tacos, drank beer, and just had a great time. There was no TV there, no internet access, and barely a cell phone signal. So we just got to enjoy our time together.

I am in the process of picking out a new camera, does anyone have any ideas? I need one for my upcoming trips to Jacksonville, Boston, Charleston, and Nashville!!

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Tis the season for giveaways!

Kristen @ Kristen's Palace is celebrating her 100th post with a really great giveaway, to go along with her really great blog!! Go on over there and check it out (c:

Thanks, Kristen!!

Crest White Strips

Hey guys, I've been using these Crest White Strips for about a week, and my teeth are starting to get really sensitive- I had read that that is common, so I expected it. My question is, do you know if it gets worse than this or if it stays pretty constant? Also, have Crest White Strips (or any other form of at-home whitening) worked for any of you?

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

new diet

My mother and I recently decided to start a diet we've been talking about for awhile now. We figured that the start date could be this week, and then the end is when my sister gets married. This is because we figure that's a good timeframe in which to get into shape.

So that gives us until October 2010- 15 months. That's long enough to healthily lose a lot of weight. I've always been concerned with my ever-expanding waistline, because in high school I was pretty thin. Then, in college, factor in the booze, the food, the stress, etc., and I gained a lot.

When I went to Europe, I was eating whatever I wanted (and we ate a LOT), but walking a ton every day, so I ended up losing about 6 pounds-- a little more than a pound a week, without even trying. I would like to lose a pound a week until my sister's wedding. 60 pounds, you may shriek-- but 60 pounds would do me a world of good.

It's really awkward to talk about dieting in a blog and not giving a number! Maybe once I start to lose I'll be more willing to dish... probably really excited, actually. Just know that I'm not at risk, health-wise, or anything...Just really unhappy that I've let this happen.

I am 21- If it's not easy now, then what on earth makes me think it will be easy when I'm 40 and weigh 300 pounds? Enough is enough.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Again, I am behind!!

Miss Sweet Tea, I'm sorry that it's been so long but as I was on sabbatical, I didn't get a chance to thank you for my blog award (c:





And now.... Rules: 1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted it to you, 2) pass the award onto 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered. This award is passed on to:

California Born and Virginia Raised
Beaufort Belle
Preppy Paper Girl
Pink Martinis and Pearls
Wonderfully Random
Living Life in the Lowcountry
Preppy 101
This Minneapolis Life
Preppy Gator


I love your blogs!! and you're all in my google reader now (c:

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Happy 4th of July!!

Image from myspace.com./shekhark
Happy Independence day, everyone!! I hope that you all have a great day, lighting off fireworks eating hot dogs and potato salad, and enjoying being an American!!

I hope that you also take a minute to remember what it cost this nation to have an Independence and how much of a fight it took to be able to call ourselves an independent nation. Please also keep in mind those who are still fighting to keep us free today. To all of the men and women of our military, thank you!

Thank you thank you thank you!!!

So, I'm a terrible blogger and giveaway winner because Molly Lou Gifts and Erin gave me a GREAT giveaway prize like, a month ago, and because I was gone, I didn't get it until last week, and since then I've been all up and down the east coast...and so now I am seeking forgiveness!

It was a great homecoming present, though!! Here's what I saw when I arrived home:
With the red background it looks like Christmas! Which, I kinda felt like it was (c:
The stationary is on beautiful, cream-colored paper with my embossed monogram:
I. Love. This. Stationary. Thank you so much, MLG and Erin!!

The first of many

Hey everyone! So, I have come out of my blog coma, and will commence updates now!!

First, I promised I would give an updated review on my Kindle, as well as my LUSH solid shampoo and conditioners. Well, there's good and bad news.

The good news is that the Kindle is a joy to travel with. The wireless doesn't work internationally, however, if you bring along your USB cord, uploading new books from amazon.com is a cinch, and the battery lasts for. ev. er. I literally read almost 10 books during the 5 weeks I was gone; I charged the Kindle 3 times. And that was when I was listening to MP3's on it sometimes, too!! Literally, the best gift ever.
The only problem is the twitching that I get when it's out of my sight on trains, planes, and busses. However, I have to look at the Kindle like it's an iPod. Yeah, someone might want to steal it- but they probably won't. And, once I got over my fears, I fully enjoyed it.
The other slight issue was connectivity to the computers in Europe. I have to assume it was something to do with the interface of the Kindle, but the danged thing would not connect to:
1) the computer @ a bed and breakfast we stayed at in Rome,
2) the computer @ a hostel we stayed at in Florence.
However, I attached the Kindle to computers at internet cafes, the airport, and all of our other hotels, with literally no issue. Maybe it was due to slow internet and or obsolete equipment (the computers @ the hostel were overused and kind of old).

Anyway, all in all, I would say a solid 95% for the Kindle.

And now, for the bad news. Let me preface this by saying that I hate to give bad reviews. However, if something is deserving of a bad review, then I feel honor-bound to tell you guys about it.
The LUSH products? Suck. I truly want to apologize if you purchased them and they are as bad on your hair as they were on mine. These products worked alright with my city water here in Blacksburg, however, once I got to Ireland, something about the water there and the way it interacted with these products caused my hair to do massively horrible things that it has never done before. My sister, who has the same hair type as me, said that nothing was the matter with her hair, and she was using her normal product. So I know it wasn't just the water. I threw the shampoo and conditioner away. I went to a convenience store once I hit Switzerland, got my normal Pantene, and all was well with the world after a few days- I have to assume that the shampoo and conditioner were working overtime to compensate for the atrocious mess atop my head due to this product.

The grade? A 40%. Something that is made for traveling but then only works when you're not traveling doesn't really get a passing grade in my book. Extra points off for giving me dry, unruly hair during the biggest photo op of my life!