Adios 2012

Officially halfway through the longest flight of my life – somewhere between Boston and San Fran, my mind is thinking three things. One – I can’t believe 2012 is just about over. Thinking about where we were a year ago today blows my mind. I was at my grandmother’s house with my cousins, completely heartbroken that my dear sweet mister had just left for boot camp. I wasn’t adjusting well to being by myself. The second thing I’m thinking is what in the world 2013 will bring. This year, I moved across the country, thousands of miles from everyone and everything I’ve ever known. The mister and I moved into a new house, and shortly made it a home, although I will always consider the good ol’ 207 our “home.” And the third thing I’m thinking – I’m freaking tired. I can’t wait to get back to our hotel and sleep, and sleep, and sleep some more. Being on vacation is exhausting.

This will be the first New Year’s Eve we’ve ever actually spent together, and what better way to spend it than… fireworks? Sure, sounds fun. How about fireworks over the Golden Gate Bridge? What, like that’s a big deal or something? Hahaha, sorry, just rubbing it in. Although I hate being in California, and so far away from everyone I love, without my mister and his amazingly smart little self, I would never get this opportunity. Who else gets to say they have watched fireworks at the stroke of midnight under the Golden Gate Bridge with the love of their life? Counting my blessings today, for sure.

Yesterday, I had to say goodbye to my family (including my mom, which was the hardest part, by the way). I’ve now “said goodbye” 4 times this year. I’ve also traveled East Coast to West, West Coast to East, 5 times since New Year’s Eve last year. I am so lucky, I know. Saying goodbye to my family really sucks, and there isn’t any way to sugar coat that. It just sucks. I always end up crying, and tearing up hours later thinking about it, but that’s life. Being an adult is no fun most of the time, but the few times it is fun include – right now. Living in California (although I hate California), driving up the Pacific Coast Highway 1 (to our house), watching fireworks in San Fran at midnight on New Year’s Eve (almost as good as being in Times Square for the ball drop – another life goal of mine), and taking a five hour nap in a comfy hotel bed (that’s what I’m hoping for, at least).

So although I already miss you all in Maine – mommy, sister #2, and 3, littlest sister, my nana, my new baby cousin and the rest of my fam, my second family, my best friend, and you know… whoever else I missed, it won’t be long ‘til we’re in our next stage of this growing up thing. I’m just praying the next stage happens on the East Coast (if I say that enough, I feel like the universe will just give it to me… do things like that happen?... East Coast East Coast East Coast East Coast…).

Happy New Year’s to you all. I could be all responsible and such, and say “Don’t drink and drive, be safe, don’t alcohol-poison yourself, don’t get date-rape drugged” or anything of the sort, but instead I’ll just say, see ya next year ;)

PS – We made it to the hotel. We are taking the BART into town tonight… hoping we don’t miss our exit or we’ll end up in Oakland after dark. How scary would that be? Then again, it’d make for a great blog… you know, if I made it out alive. I am in my pajamas, not napping (sad face) because I’m waiting for $25 worth of Domino’s pizza (happy/fat girl face). I’ll let you know how it all turns out.

PS #2 – My New Year’s Resolution is to keep up with my blog more than I have been lately. And also to lose weight. I think that’s everyone’s NYR at some point (or every year, if you’re me).

PS #3 – I'm glad the world didn't end this year. I don't know where that random thought came from. Don't mind me... I'm a little overtired...

I sincerely SUCK at taking pictures of fireworks, so I'll just leave you with this and promise you that I'll never capture something so awesome on camera.

Mourning on the Inside

I feel as if I should address the heartbreaking events of poor Newtown, CT on Friday. Except… I have nothing to say. No words in the entire English language, or any language, can make sense of what happened, can make excuses for the events that unfolded, and can make a grieving family forgive and forget. There’s nothing.

Mourning on the inside – that’s what I’m doing. I cannot even fathom. But “BREAKING NEWS” updates every five minutes, about his mother and his outfit of choice and the heroes and the interviews – that’s not doing it for me. All that does is bring more attention, more crushing reminder, that this is the world we live in. I’m proud of the incredible amount of support people are already providing – and knowing that there are so many great people left in the world – but I’m still crushed, afraid, frightened for everyone – that there are other people who are not that great. I just can’t think about it anymore.

Late Friday night, I watched the Dateline update where they were interviewing children, whose voices were so shaky that you could barely understand their words. I changed it to a stupid Howie Mandell game show within ten minutes, because I’d rather drown out the sounds of people being greedy on national television than be sucked into the craziness of real life. It’s sad, and I felt guilty for changing the channel, but I just couldn’t do it.

I skyped with my four year old sister a few times this past week. And when I see the innocent faces, the ages, the victims, all through the media – she’s all I can think of. She’s so innocent and sweet and has so much more life to live. As did they. And it breaks my heart, because when I hear “20 children,” I see her face. And I just can’t imagine.

I did steal this from Google Images. Please don't prosecute me.

Happy Birthday to You

Today is a special day. Today is the anniversary of the first date I ever went on with my mister… a triple date to a ghetto bowling alley with some great friends where I already knew I was in love. When they dropped us girls off, it was snowing for the first time that year – something so romantic about the first snow of the season. A kiss I’ll never forget marked the day I knew I’d met my soul mate.

That was a huge tangent for the fact that TODAY is the birthday of one of my favorite people in the entire world. And her name is mom.

At my wedding, I did a speech about how my mom was my “superwoman,” and there has never been a truer statement. She is the bomb. Do people still say that? Anyway, I think this is the first year I’ve been away from my mom on a birthday (well, except for a few years back when I was out bowling with the mister on our first date – see above – but I bet she forgives me for that one). I wish I could be home to buy her a nice strong drink or two (or three, or four) and dance our butts off, because I know that’s what we’d be doing.

Lately, being in California has been a little more soul-crushing than normal. A phone call from my princess of a 4 year-old sister begging me to come see her broke my heart a few days ago, and I’ve since been missing my family more than normal. I’m already counting down the days until I get to squeeze all of their cute little faces.

But enough about me. On a serious note, my mom is the best. A few days ago, we Skyped at 1am (my time… so 4am East Coast time in case you suck at math). We may or may not have been under the influence of a few alcoholic beverages and also eating a ton of pizza… like mother, like daughter. I'm pretty sure we "cheers"ed each other with pizza slices. I couldn’t stop looking at myself on the camera, so she got a close up of my eyeball a few times. And all she could say to her friend was, “Look how cute she is!”

Earlier this week, she found out that she got a dream job, and I am just too excited for her. There is no one more deserving. She is the hardest working person I have ever met (and the best nurse, for sure). She’s not afraid to whip you into shape, and I’m so thankful I had that growing up. When I went through some rough years in high school, where the people I thought I loved most were bailing on me left and right, my mom was there. I was a complete b@#$% to her and she loved me anyway. That’s rough, because sometimes people are b@#$%!s to me and I hate them for it. She’s been through hell and back in her life, and she still rocks it every single day. That’s impressive… when I stub my toe, I’m pissed for a week.

So happy birthday to the most kick-ass woman I’ve ever met – my superwoman. What are you, like 29 today?

PS – She also makes some awesome kids. Just sayin’…

This is my 21st birthday... she's so damn cool.

Just some more partying and dancing... kinda what we do best.

The birthday card I sent her... so much better than something cheesy and lovey-dovey, don't you agree? :)

A Quick Turkey Day Update

Things I am thankful for:

The usual – my mister. My mom. My whole family, actually. My friends – all 5 of them, or something sad like that. My pretty awesome life.

The unusual – my comfy yoga pants and fuzzy Christmas sock combination. My new found ability to make gingerbread cookies (even though it looks like the icing monster threw up all over them). Not having to cook dinner tonight. Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner tonight. The fact that I don’t have to cook turkey tomorrow. The fact that I get to eat turkey tomorrow. A long weekend with my mister. Seeing my cousin this weekend. My kitties. Having no school work due this week. The fact that my diet is OVER today. The fact that I lost 7.8 pounds and 5 inches in 30 days. The fact that I don’t have to calorie-count anymore (what a pain in the…). The fact that we leave for Maine in a month from tomorrow! Knowing that all my closest family is together for the holiday (except me – sad face). Having California friends to spend Thanksgiving with. Having a roof over my head. Having food, including cookies and chocolate cream pie, in my fridge. The fact that listening to Christmas music will be socially acceptable once turkey day is over.

…and so on.

P.S. It’s pitiful that half of what I’m thankful for revolves around food. I promise I'm not that shallow.

The first day after a 30 day diet? You betcha.

The Post Office Extravaganza

You’ll probably laugh at this, but let me tell you, I cried. I literally cried.

My Tuesday started out pretty solid – a sunny day and a 2 mile walk, then planning Thanksgiving dinner with a few friends. Later in the afternoon, I had a bunch of errands to run (which really only included going to the post office and then the craft store to spend too much money on crafts I really can’t handle). I headed out, and “Wow it’s a little chilly. I should have grabbed my jacket.” (Foreshadowing?)

I went to the post office in the town north of me, not in my town, because I was going to the craft store on the way home. I’m always a little afraid to go to this post office because a few months ago, someone got shot in the parking lot right across the street. Ghetto. So I go to the post office, and I have to send out two big packages. Of course I can’t balance my purse, my phone, my keys, my wallet, and the two packages, so I wrap my wallet handle around my wrist and head inside. After a ten minute wait, I pay and head to the car. Before I get outside, I reach for my keys. I always (ALWAYS) hang my keys from my right belt loop when I don’t have my purse. No keys. You know that instant feeling where something’s wrong?  Yeah, me too.

I (practically) run to the car and there are my keys. And my phone. And my purse. Sitting on the front seat. !@#$%^&* (That’s me saving your virgin little ears from the all the curse words that came out of my sailor’s mouth). So a slight panic sets in, but I remember, “I have roadside assistance!” Except… the phone number, and my account number, and my PHONE, are all in the car. No worries – there’s a payphone, and I do have my wallet. Except no change. Not even a damn quarter.

So as my eyes start welling up with tears (I’m a big baby), I start panicking. What the hell am I going to do? I go inside and it takes everything in my power to hold back my tears as I ask the post office lady to use the phone. She hands me her own cell phone, and it’s one of those old-school flip phones. I almost can’t remember how to use one. I call the mister. Seven times. No answer. I finally leave him a message and I’m half crying, half sniffling on my voicemail. I walk outside like a lost puppy, and in my most uncomfortable shoes and no jacket, I walk. I ended up walking to Goodwill… don’t ask why. I ask to use their phone, and FINALLY, my mister answers his cell phone. 

I lucked out, BIG TIME, because it just happened to be the day he was out of work way early (which never happens). He assures me that he will come rescue me soon. Thank god for the fact that I have friends, even if it’s just two, in California. They finally showed up, without a spare key, because of course, we aren’t smart enough to have a spare key. Spare keys are for losers. Thankfully, again, the mister has a phone with the internet. And thankfully again (I was just full of thanks), our insurance company rocks. They tracked my location and sent a guy. It took the guy almost an hour, of course, so the mister and I hung out in the post office parking lot (how creepy are we). Once the tow guy finally showed up, it takes all of one minute to open the door. The worst, and yet, the best.

Okay, I realize now when I put it into words – it doesn’t seem nearly as traumatic. But all I could think was, “What if the mister hadn’t answered his phone? What in the world would I have done? I could have been kidnapped. Or shot. Or I could have frozen to death.” I’m lucky I even remembered his cell phone number. The only other person I could think to call was my mom (3,500 miles away on the East Coast) and cry to her. I’m secretly a big fat baby at heart.

And also, I didn’t get to go to the craft store. So that sucked.

I do feel like I complain a lot. But that's what blogs are for, right?

Rice Cakes at the BK Lounge

Wondering where I’ve been for the last two weeks? No worries, I’ll fill ya in.

Since my last post (I think I was making shadow puppets?), I’ve been super busy. I’m actually not sure what I’ve been doing, but I feel like I’ve been super busy. Midterms and dieting and (trying to) exercise more and cooking and buying cats and following the election and visiting with family. A few Mondays ago, my cousin drove three hours (one way) to visit with me for about 24 hours. We ended up exploring a richy-rich town south of me and found a beautiful beach overlooking the greens of Pebble Beach golf course. A ton of surfers in the water, cousin says, “I want to see a shark attack.” And… I kid you not, within ten seconds, I see a circle of fins within a hundred from the surfers. “NO @#!$%^& WAY!”… Good thing there were no children around. I have the worst potty mouth ever. Relax, all. I didn’t witness a bloody surfer massacre. They were dolphins, and I am still way too excited about seeing said dolphins. I think I bring it up in conversation once a day.

I also got a kitten. Again. You may be asking yourself, “Didn’t she just get a kitten a few months ago?” The answer is yes. I am becoming a crazy cat lady. Around Halloween, the SPCA was having an “Happy Meow-loween” event and cats/kittens were on sale. I love sales, and cats/kittens, and the adorableness of the word “Meow-loween.” Anyway, my new kitten’s name is finally decided, and it’s Toby (Tobes for an annoying but cute nickname). My other cat is Fiona (Feeny for short). Feeny & Tobes are finally starting to accept each other. I wouldn’t go as far as “love” each other… but they’re becoming accepting of the fact that they’re roommates. Following all this blah blah blah will be an amazing video about a crazy cat lady. My best friend sent me this via FB about two weeks ago, and I almost died of laughter. I know that’s what people always say, but I’m not kidding. I almost died. Okay, I didn’t almost die. I almost peed though. I almost peed right in my pants.

Also, as I’m sure you all know from annoying commercials and lawn signs and crude FB posts, the election was this week. I won’t discuss politics. JK… I’ll say a few things. This week, specifically on Tuesday night, I was damn proud to be an American. And a Mainer (always a Mainer at heart, even if I live in California. Don’t ask questions). I was a strong Obama supporter because I love my body and I respect women and their rights, and it was evident to me that some people thought differently. And on another note, my home state voted yes on 1 – which was the topic of gay marriage. I can’t imagine NOT being allowed to marry my mister. Although he is of the opposite sex , IF he were a woman… I would probably love him the same. Probably.

And on another note, I’ve been on this “diet” of sorts for the past three weeks. Someone told me that I needed to get the “diet” idea out of my head and just learn that it’s a way of life, but I don’t really know how to explain that to people when I explain why I can’t eat a hundred pounds of stuff-crust Pizza Hut pizza like I’m dying for. So the diet/lifestyle/whatever you want to call it is a shake meal replacement program (called Visalus, in case you were wondering), and it really is great. It takes a TON of self-control for me to behave (food-wise), but my mister is super-supportive, so I’ve been doing alright. Last night at Burger King… I even ate a rice cake while my sister ate BK dinner. And on to my next point…

My youngest sister, a junior in high school, is currently in California visiting two different colleges with a group of people from her school/church. They flew into LAX, which is about 6 hours south of me, but then drove up to San Jose, which is an hour north of me. What are the chances? I drove up there yesterday afternoon to grab her and drive her all the way back to Monterey to show her my house, my mall, my Coldstone and my pizza place, my ocean, and my sea lions. We spent two hours in Monterey before we had to drive back. 302 miles of driving… lucky I drive a 4 cylinder. When we got back to San Jose, she needed dinner, so we headed to the BK lounge. And what are the chances… I’m sitting and eating my stupid dry rice cake and she comes over to me… and says, “Chicken sandwiches are buy one, get one free today!” and hands me a damn sandwich. And boy was she persistent on forcing me to eat it. And guess what? I DIDN’T! (Well, I had a nibble). But overall, I DIDN’T EAT THE SANDWICH. And that’s a big deal to me. #selfcontrolforthewin #yesijusthashtaggedinmyblog #donthateme

And speaking of annoying hash tags, I am newly addicted to Instagram. So stalk me please. @kbmasters24

Rice cake at the BK. No joke.

Feeny being lazy and Tobes photo-bombing.

My sis! <3

This is the link to the cat video. Please watch it. It'll change your life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTTwcCVajAc&feature=youtu.be

Slackin'

Dear world,

I'm super-slacking on my blog lately. I'd love to say that my life's been super crazy busy and I've had no blog time. However, that may not be true...

This is a short blog entry about what I promise to do sometime in the next few weeks. I promise to write a blog about my new kitty friend and include a hilarious video that my best friend sent me. I'm slowly turning into a crazy cat lady.

I will also write a blog, someday, about my upcoming (like, tomorrow) visit with sister numero two. She's traveling all the way from Maine to California to visit a few colleges, and ends up an hour north of me. YAY for sister time.

So for now, that's all I got. My battery is dying and this is a race against the clock to even post this. Wish me luck. Also, I can't stand the internet for one more minute. Too many people reminding me to vote, and bitching about the election. I think I'll just go shopping instead. Don't worry, I voted three weeks ago. Not so slacker-ish, after all.

Peace, friends. 

Yep, I just said that.

HAH - a little election humor for your Tuesday afternoon.