The Way It Is...

2011-05-19T16:39:00.002-04:00

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He's your rock, and he's wrapped around your finger.

2011-02-24T09:01:00.006-05:00

This blog post today is about how to properly wear your wedding ring(s). I've been noticing lately how different people around me wear their rings and it's quite interesting. I took the liberty of doing some research and the history behind wedding rings and wearing them. Here's what I found out.

The wedding ring which is a symbol of love dates back to North Africa with the ancient Egyptian civilization. The men wanted to establish a custom of placing a ring on the finger of their wives as a sign that they had confidence in her ability to care for his house.

Clearly the wearing and giving of weddings rings still exist today but much more elaborate than the ones the ancient Egyptian men gave their wives. The ring is of course a circle and a symbol for the Egyptians of eternity. It had no beginning and no end like time. Always forever!

Lots of different countries wear their wedding bands on their right ring finger because they believe it's bad luck to wear it on your left hand. Here's why. The Latin word for "left" means "sinister". *GASP* I definitely don't want to be sinister but that's the ideology in some countries--not all.

In many other countries the wedding ring is worn on the left ring finger. The left ring finger is said to have a vein that goes straight to the heart. Awww how romantic! That is how it's typically worn in this country. Somehow engagement rings were thrown in the mix and started confusing me once again. Which ring do you wear first or at all on your left hand.

I had to dig a little deeper for some historical information on engagement rings. We all know what an engagement ring is. It's a ring indicating that the person wearing it is engaged to be married. Traditionally the ring is worn only by women and typically feature elaborate showcasing of diamonds and other gemstones. Oh and some showcasing of diamonds are not so elaborate--I'd rather have a plain band than a tiny, nonsparkling diamond. Just saying. AND heck no I wouldn't buy my boyfriend an engagement ring. Why? That's besides the point right now. Anyway, I learned that in some cultures both men and women wear matching rings. Sometimes the engagement ring also acts as the wedding ring. That's fine with me as long as my ring is NOT tiny and nonsparkly. Just saying once again.

Engagement rings, originally called betrothal rings, were used during Roman times, but weren't generally revived in the Western world until the 13th century. The first well-documented use of a diamond ring to signify engagement was by the Archduke Maximilian of Austria in imperial court of Vienna in 1477, upon his betrothal to Mary of Burgundy. I found this quite interesting too. Before the 20th century, other types of betrothal gifts were common. Before the end of the 19th century, the bride-to-be frequently received a sewing thimble rather than an engagement ring. This practice was particularly common among religious groups that shunned jewelry. UH UH!! Oh no he didn't! I wish Carmund would come to me with a thimble. LOL Dang couldn't the woman at least gotten a silk scarf or something. Nope, he found it more worthy to give his woman a thimble! Now that's confidence. Engagement rings didn't become standard in the West until the end of the 19th century, and diamond rings didn't become common until the 1930s. Now 80% of American women are offered a diamond ring to signify engagement. That's what I'm talking about!! Hopefully only 1% of that have ugly diamonds. Once more, I'm just saying.

With all of that being said it's your personal preference as to how you wear both your wedding band and your engagement ring. I've seen people wear the wedding band first (because it's closest to your heart) and then the engagement ring on top of that. There are some people who wear them the opposite way. There are some who wear the engagement ring on their right ring finger and the wedding band on their left ring finger. The latter is impossible if you prefer to have your rings welded together. I would personally wear my wedding band first and then put the engagement ring on top. I also like having the option to wear my wedding band by itself or having my engagement ring on my right hand. Oh the endless possibilities!

Whatever you decide ladies please make sure that your diamond isn't cloudy. To me an engagement ring is a reflection of the guy. If he loves you he'll work hard to get you a decent ring. No, it doesn't have to be this big elaborate diamond that he can't afford but it does have to be sparkly and pretty and worthy of the woman that you are. If he can't do that but would much rather get you something crappy then good luck with your marriage. Hopefully he'll make it up with other things. LOL Hahahaha! That's just the way it is.

Go go gadget wedding planner!

2011-01-27T12:39:00.004-05:00

I am now 129 days away from being Mrs. Carmund T. White, Jr!! Wow! That was weird to say.LOL Anyway, I've been planning our wedding for months. Yes, before I got the ring. Who says you have to wait? I don't have that kind of time, money, and clearly patience for that!

I recently attended the Bloomington Bridal Show just to see what and who is out there in B-town in the bridal industry--quite a bit! It was quite a nice show with LOTS of free food and drinks and giveaways galore. I don't think I won anything but I did get something even better. After attending the show and talking with different vendors while I was there I realized that I had everything planned for my wedding! Talk about a relief! It was very reassuring to walk up to a vendor and they ask me, "Do you have a caterer? A florist? A cake? A location? A gown? A photographer? A coordinator? Invitations? Colors picked out?". My response to ALL those questions is YES, YES, YES, YES, YES, YES, YES, YES, and YES!! Man oh man, it doesn't get any better than that!

I'm a true planner at heart and I knew I needed to jump on a lot of those things early on and the other stuff just kind of fell in my lap and so I took it and ran with it. My hope is that everything I see in my head will come to full fruition on Sunday, June 5, 2011. I think it will. I will be a proud lady that day because not only will I have the man of my dreams but the wedding as well. This wedding will be PAID IN FULL before the wedding date. Carmund and I have worked really hard to make sure that happens and I see it happening right now. We desired to go into our marriage with no wedding debt and that's exactly what's going to happen!

Planning this wedding has been lots of fun. Of course, there have been and probably will be challenges along the way but that's life--the good, bad, and ugly. God has been providing quite well thus far and well, he can't stop now! I've got lots more to do but I'm so happy about knowing what the end result will be. If you ever need a wedding coordinator I'm your girl. Just remember, I don't work for free! LOL That's just the way it is...

"Sweetheart", "Be Mine", "Forever"

2011-01-04T09:50:00.003-05:00

Thursday, December 30, 2010 Carmund and I went to have drinks with friends, The Riddicks, at The Capital Grille Restaurant around 6pm. There was much fun and laughter and great food (if you're ever there get the calamari--DELICIOUS!). Chris and Lauren had to leave because they had dinner reservations elsewhere so that left me and Carmund to go walk to the US Capitol building (as we did around the same time the year before). As we leave the restaurant and head towards the Capitol, Carmund hands me a sweet little heartshaped rock that has "Sweetheart" engraved on it. I gladly accepted it, placed it in my coat pocket, and thanked him without thinking much else about it. He gives me little things all the time so nothing out of the ordinary. We're walking and talking and again he hands me another rock that says "Be Mine". A big kiss for him and into the same pocket it goes. Our conversation continues and we're reminiscing on the same walk we made a year ago to the steps of the Capitol. The weather was so lovely. It was dark out but the moon was shining, the sky was clear, and it was just a nice stroll. We finally made it to the steps of the Capitol. This big beautiful building is right behind us and in front is a big Christmas tree on the lawn, the mall, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial peeking from behind. Carmund and I admired the scenery and talked about the distance between the two monuments. He reached into his pocket...AGAIN...and hands me another rock that says "Forever". I kind of wondered if he was going to propose right then but dismissed the thought rather quickly. Only a few seconds later he reaches back into his pocket (I'm thinking he's about to give me another rock) but instead he places in my hand a ring box. Tears immediately start to roll down my face. I look at Carmund and the first thing out of my mouth is, "Are you serious?" LOL I know, I know! Anyway, I see Carmund smile as he gets down on one knee. He looks up at me and with a smile says, "Well, there isn't much else to say but will you marry me?" I cried and cried and tried to nod my head "yes" but somehow I guess got lost in translation (apparently I didn't move at all). I finally say YES so he stood up and opened the box. I was excited to see such a perfect ring for me. He puts it on my finger and the rest is history!! We then go have an engagement dinner at Eatonville with Carmund's mom, sister, godfather, dad, and stepmom. It was a perfect way to end 2010 and start 2011.

On June 5, 2011 I will marry the man of my dreams. You don't get any better than that! That's just the way it is...

Also, check out our wedding website here.

The Silencer

2010-10-05T18:43:00.003-04:00

Most of you who know me know that I'm silly, sarcastic, and very honest. Lately it seems that my honesty has been getting me in trouble.

Why is it that most people can say some of the dumbest things that don't make sense and not feel as if what they said was unnecessary?! That's amazing to me. One of my colleagues and I was just talking about how we wished some people could record their conversations and then play it back. Maybe, just maybe, they would realize that their not making sense or just asking dumb questions.

That's not what this blog is really about. I'm just extremely annoyed with the fact that some people can't handle the truth--regardless of how it was said to them. The truth really does hurt. For the past couple of days at work there have been a person or two that haven't been a big fan of me for this reason. It bothers me even more that they would rather walk in ignorance versus knowing what's right. I'd like to think that when someone asks me what I think about something that they are wanting the truth.

You can try to silence me but you really can't. Yes, I'm pissed and irritated and annoyed. This blog is one place no one can try to shut me out or up. Maybe I have some things I need to deal with but guess what I'm going to say what I think and KNOW is right and you'll just have to deal with it. You know the motto--that's just the way it is!

Half empty or half full? That is the question.

2010-09-28T17:19:00.003-04:00

It's been quite some time since I've last blogged. What can I say? I've been a busy, busy girl. "What have you been doing?" Well, I'm glad you asked. Here's a brief list of my goings on...weddings, Carmund, work, church, Carmund, weddings, Carmund, family, Carmund, work, paying bills, work, church, Carmund and the list goes on and on and on!

As you can see Carmund is quite prominent on that list. :-) I'm so happy to say that we've been together now for a year and a half...and counting!! The glass is definitely NOT half empty!! It's filling up but as it continues to fill the glass also grows. Yes, I am that glass that just keeps growing as we continue to develop our relationship.

I'm so blessed and so happy to have Carmund Theodore White, Jr. in my life! That's just the way it is...

"When I look into his eyes, it seems all the problems in the world go away and I'm floating in mid-air." -Unknown

C is for Cupcakes

2010-08-11T11:56:00.006-04:00

Maybe some of you don't know but I L-O-V-E cupcakes! Clearly this is what I'm thinking about right now since I'm blogging about it. This blog will be short and sweet--no pun intended or maybe it was. Get it? Short and sweet? Just like cupcakes! LOL I know, I know I should stick to my day job. No worries there!

Anyway, if you ever want to make me happy just bring me yellow cupcakes. I will admit, I don't eat the icing for the most part. It's normally way too much and way too sweet. It's like the icing is trying to mask the goodness underneath. Nope, I scrape that nonsense off and dig right in!

I think I'm gonna have to get some cupcakes today. That'll definitely bring me to another level of happiness. What's your favorite dessert or snack or special sweet tooth, must have, can't live without yummy-ness?

According to cookie monster "C" is for cookie. Yeah, yeah, yeah move over you little blue, furry, scruffy thing. "C" is for cupcake and that's definitely good enough for me! That's just the way it is...

Nothing missing, nothing lacking

2010-07-29T21:29:00.006-04:00

I was just sitting here trying to play a stupid video game (yes, I do play video games) and started thinking about life. I tend to do this a lot--think about life that is. Anyway, I started thanking God that I haven't settled and never settle. I've made TONS of mistakes in my life but I've learned from them and moved on. I'm not just talking about settling in my relationships but also in my walk with God, work, finances, etc. I just realized how I have the best family anyone could possibly have. I have a wonderful boyfriend and his family is equally just as great as mine. So glad I didn't settle or else I wouldn't have Carmund. I have a great job despite some of the not-so-bright people I work with...I'm realizing stupidity is everywhere and spreading like wildfires. I strive daily to give my absolute best at work. I take pride in what I do and it shows--my stuff looks good ALL the time. LOL I could settle and just do the minimum but what fun is that? I definitely wouldn't be considered for a raise or promotion if I only did the minimum. I'm thankful to have a college degree. I could've flunked out of school and did my own thing but then I would have missed out on opportunities I wouldn't have otherwise (i.e. working for Walt Disney World).

About "nothing missing, nothing lacking"--this is a confession I put on the back of my tithe and offering envelope and have been doing so for about 4 or 5 years now. No, I'm not asking God for a million dollars and to never have to work a day in my life again. I'm simply claiming that every aspect of my life is taken care of by God and to His standards. That means my money, my home, my family, my walk with Him, my job, my heart, my mind, my joy, my peace, my EVERYTHING is good to go! Yes, we all go through hard times in one of these areas...some more so than others. I must confess I was struggling this week. I had a feeling of inadequacy for the past few days and especially today. Who knows what I'm talking about? When you feel like you can't seem to do anything right despite doing the right things. When there seems to be no end to your current situation and you just feel stuck. Such an awful feeling! Thank God he's always faithful and gives new mercies every morning!

Side note: My sister ALWAYS greets you with "Good morning!" regardless of what time of day or night it is. She wants people to ask her why she says that. Her response will be "God's mercies are new every morning." It's her way of opening the door to witness to someone. Love it!

Because of God's grace, new mercies, faithfulness, love and kindness I was able to come out of that horrible mood. Granted it didn't happen until just before I started writing this blog (9:50pm). LOL It doesn't matter the time. I feel better! Everybody is somebody to Jesus! I know that I'm a King's Kid and there's nothing too hard for God and in Him I can do all things! Yeah, I definitely feel better now! LOL I encourage you to start confessing "nothing missing, nothing lacking" over your life and you'll see great things happen! That's just the way it is!

Prepare yourself...for what?!?!

2010-07-15T12:57:00.004-04:00

Disclaimer: The following is my opinion and my opinion only. You don't have to agree but just hear me out. :-)

I've grown up hearing lots of advice from people older than me. Duh, of course!! Who hasn't? As I've gotten older the general advice on life had changed to advice on marriage. Hmmmm....

Now, I'm not married but am very much NOT available. Anyway, there's a phrase I ALWAYS here married, Christian people say and I absolutely hate it! Can you guess what that phrase is? I bet the married people can. Come on! Take a guess. Nothing? Okay, I'm more than happy to tell ya. The dreaded phrase iiisssss (drum roll) "Prepare yourself...for your spouse."

What the heck? Am I like some special ingredient of unpreparedness and stupidity? No, I'm just single. Somehow I guess I've never had human interaction before with a man so I know nothing about them. Oh and yes all men are alike. Oh and all marriages must be alike too because most married people say this. What I find more interesting is that when you ask "what does that mean?" there doesn't really seem to be a good answer for it. At least not good enough to me that I would want to take the advice and write a book about it and apply it to my marriage.

I'm not saying all married couples are like that but a LOT of them somehow forget. It makes me wonder what happens when they get to the other side. I'm not trying to be deep or philosophical about any of this stuff. This is what I think and so if you like it great and if you don't...well that's just the way it is. :-)

I'm not ready to sign off just yet! What's wrong with being single? No, I haven't heard anyone actually say that being single is wrong. Man oh man does society tell us that -- over and over and over again. Let's look at Sex and the City. One of my favorite tv shows but it's about 4 single women living in New York having lots of sex and can't seem "to find Mr. Right". I must admit I wanted to move to New York after watching this show but why is it so important for a woman to have someone that much?! Well, first I think God designed all of us, men and women, to desire love and affection from another human. Yes, I want to be married. Is moving to New York the best option? Heck no! I found the best man possible for me right in dear ol' Bloomington, IN. I honestly didn't expect it! What those 4 ladies on the tv show don't own up to is that they are looking in all the wrong places. I could get deep here and a bit spiritual -- nah, I'm cool. LOL

Here I am 27 years old, dating, and have no clue as to what I'm doing. Am I preparing myself for marriage? I've been doing that since the day I was born. My definition of "preparing yourself" is simply you being you. Get to know who you are as an individual. Enjoy everything life has to offer you. You only live once. I was praying a couple of days ago and heard God say, "Don't let life stop you from living." Too often we get so caught up in the things (yes, things) of this world and don't realize what we have and who we are. A couple of years ago I started journaling about different things I'd learned about myself. I would right down what my favorite color, favorite food, favorite vacation spot (duh, Disney World), what I saw myself doing in 5, 10, 15 years and many, many other things.

Now I'm rambling and need to get back to work. Feel free to leave any comments. This blog is in no way bashing marriage (I too will be getting married someday). I think marriage is a wonderful thing and I look forward to my own. I love my married couples but y'all need to watch what y'all say sometimes. As Juanita Bynum said in "No More Sheets" y'all going to bed with biceps and triceps and telling us to "hold on!" LOL Alright, I think I've said enough now. Love you guys and you know I'm gonna be honest...that's just the way it is!

The surprise - revealed!!

2010-06-28T13:34:00.012-04:00

Soooooooo the road trip was a GREAT success!! Carmund and I had an amazing time and like always when we're together we fall more in love with each other. Here's the lowdown for the showdown (okay, I'm little tired typing this so bear with me). Just so you know this is definitely going to be a very long blog but lots of great information and feel free to click on the links throughout!!

On January 16, 2010 I searched the web for information on Carmund's friend, Kevin. First here's a little background...Kevin and Carmund met during their undergrad years at UNC-Chapel Hill. Kevin is also a performer/singer and a great one at that!! After graduating I'm assuming both Kevin and Carmund went their separate ways but still remained friends over the years. It's amazing because they don't see each other often nor talk as often as they would like because Kevin is always away performing across the globe and my little honey is busy doing the same thing. The last time they've been together was 2 years ago! Carmund hadn't seen Kevin perform since they were in undergrad! It was a special trip all the way around!!

Back to the story... Carmund had mentioned Kevin a few times and when we were in DC for Christmas and New Years I believe Kevin called him and told him about the musical he was touring with. During that trip I immediately thought I've gotta get Carmund with Kevin and maybe for his birthday. How? I had no clue. I didn't even know how I would get in contact with Kevin. When Carmund and I returned from our holiday I immediately went online to see how I could get in touch with Kevin without Carmund knowing it. I went online and Googled Little House on the Prairie, The Musical. I found Kevin on the website and thank goodness a link to his personal website was on there. Check him out here. Cute, eh? Well, he's not available!! I'll tell you more about his wonderful girlfriend later. So, sometime in the morning of January 16th I see his website and searched for contact info. There was only an email address and a phone and fax number for his manager. I decided I would try the email first and see if I got a response. Well what do you know?!?! He checks the email because I got an email from him that night!! I told him my thoughts about surprising Carmund for his birthday and Kevin thought it was a great idea. To make a long story short, we settled on seeing him in Kansas City, MO (which was the last leg of the tour).

Over the next 5 months I would check in with Kevin here and there to make sure everything was set. Here's how the trip went down-

Day 1, Thursday, June 24 - We left for Kansas City around 11am (not the 9am I was pushing for but I also mentally prepared myself for that strong possibility). It was pretty much an 8 hour drive and boring if you were doing it by yourself. Driving on 70W is pretty much the same as driving 65N - boring. LOL I drove the first half and Carmund drove the second half. He figured out that we were going to Kansas City which was fine because I knew he didn't know the real reason. Probably about half way there I sent Kevin a text letting him know we were on the road and would be there that evening. We sent texts back and forth a bit but Carmund thought I was talking to someone at work and kind of fussed about it just a little bit. I paid that no attention. We get to the hotel - Hotel Phillips - which is also where the whole cast was staying. Very nice boutique hotel in downtown Kansas City. Kevin hooked us up with a tremendously fantastic rate!!!!! Kudos to Kevin for that. Literally saved me hundreds of dollars. Anyway, we check in and and get the room. Carmund is taking in the sites and then asks me why I chose KC. I told him we had never been there before and it wasn't too far that we could drive there. He was satisfied with that answer. I told him a few of my plans I had for us for the weekend. Kevin had sent me a text saying to not come out of the room because the cast was going to be loading the bus between 6:30 and 6:45. Thank goodness there was a big convention going on that the hotel staff had told me about. I told Carmund we should wait until sometime after 7 to leave the room because the hotel staff said there were a lot of people out. He agreed and we ended up not leaving until 9ish to look for food. He wanted sushi and the hotel staff recommended a very nice trendy restaurant within walking distance from the hotel. I knew that we were going to meet Kevin and his girlfriend, Kara (check her out here), soon after they were back from the show (around 11:15). We headed off to Nara for sushi and drinks. It's a very trendy sushi bar with a fun atmosphere. We hung out and took our time ordering and eating. We watched the sushi chefs make sushi and Carmund asked them questions. It was so cute. Just as we were asking for the bill Kevin sends me a text that they were on the bus on their way back to the hotel and he and Kara could meet up with us at 11:15. Kevin and I agreed meet up at Flying Saucer which is a beer place full of beer!! LOL They had so many I was quite impressed. Carmund and I grab a table close to the bar and he's excited about seeing so many beer and giving me short lessons about where they are from and blah blah blah. FYI, I don't like beer. Yucky! I kind of turned around and could see Kevin and Kara walking up the sidewalk. I kept Carmund talking (his back was to the door...perfect!) and explaining beer to me. Kevin walks in and stands behind Carmund and says something (I really can't remember what he said). Carmund turns around and his jaw just drops!!! This could be the end of the story but no way!! We sit and talk for a while and I get to know Kara and Kevin a bit more and of course they catch up on everything. To this day Carmund is still shocked that I managed to get this all together but couldn't have been done without the help of Kevin. We hung out until about 1:30am and then lights out!

Day 2, Friday, June 25 - We had a late breakfast/brunch/lunch with Kara and Kevin (will also be noted at K+K) at Fran's which is like an upscale/trendy Denny's. The food is better than Denny's but the service wasn't so good. Couldn't tell because I ate there 3 times!! LOL We ate and talked with K+K for while and then we parted ways. Carmund and I went to visit some museums that were recommended to me by a colleague. We drove to the 18th & Vine Jazz District which is an urban black area with museums and restaurants and of course jazz clubs. We first went to The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Excellent museum!! Man oh man there's so much history and it just makes me soooooo proud to be black in America. Love it!! After we walked through there we walked about the lobby to The American Jazz Museum. I love jazz so I thoroughly enjoyed this one!! If you're ever in Kansas City these 2 museums are a must! After that we got back to the hotel and I ended up taking a long nap before we went out for dinner. My colleague recommended a soul food restaurant to me before I left for this trip. The Peachtree Restaurant = D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!!!! Oh my day!! We tore that food up! So here's what we ordered: For starters we had Collard Green Dip (same as spinach dip but with collard greens), dinner rolls, sweet potato cornbread, I ordered smothered pork chops with mashed potatoes and collard greens, and Carmund ordered blackened cajun shrimp with yams and okra w/tomatoes. Of course we topped it all off with sweet tea. YYYUUUMMMMYYYY!!! Let's just say I was no good after we ate. LOL We went back to the hotel and just laid around watching a movie because we were so full and happy. LOL At around 11:15 that night I got a text from Kevin that he and Kara were gonna eat at the hotel's restaurant and wanted us to join. We go downstairs and get to the table with 3 other people sitting there besides K+K. I grab a seat next to Kevin and low and behold Carmund grabs a chair next to Melissa Gilbert!! She played Laura Ingalls on the show of Little House on the Prairie. She's of course done many other made for tv movies for Lifetime and Hallmark and things like that. She was also starring in the musical as "Ma". There's a story for the kids - mom and dad had dinner with Melissa Gilbert. She was so cool and normal. Also sitting at our table was Steve Blanchard (played "Pa") and his wife Meredith Inglesby (played Eliza Wilder and Mrs. Brewster). We got to know the cast more as time went by. It was just a great time and a great way to end the night!!

Day 3, Saturday, June 26 - The first thing I think of when I think back on this day is that the US got beat by Ghana! Congrats to Ghana!! Anyway, I remember this because we met up with the cast at an Irish pub called Raglan Road because there was a big watch party at the Power & Light District in downtown Kansas City. That was lots of fun. After that was over we pretty much did much of nothing and just chilled at the hotel for a bit before we left to see the show. Kevin invited us to ride on the bus with the cast which was cool. I'd never ridden a cast bus before and neither had Carmund. We got to the Starlight Theater which was a great outdoor amphitheater! It was hot out but not too bad. The show started at 8pm and we were engrossed the whole time. I just want to talk a bit about Kevin's girlfriend, Kara. She was the star because she played Laura Ingalls. Kara's very cute and small but when she opens her mouth to sing...WOW!!! Absolutely amazing!! I immediately became an even bigger fan of hers! Kevin who was also in the production played Almanzo. He also has an amazing voice. Carmund and I were thoroughly impressed and engaged throughout the whole show. I wish I could see it again! After the show was over we went backstage and talked to the cast and caught Melissa Gilbert coming out of her dressing room. I asked her to sign my playbill for my mother (who happens to be a big fan of hers). As a surprise to my mommy dearest I will present to her a framed autographed playbill. I think she'll be excited! It was a perfect way to end the night and just about the weekend. Oh yeah, we also got Kevin and Kara to sign our playbill for us. So sweet!!

Day 4, Sunday, June 27 - Carmund and I packed up everything and met some of the cast downstairs for a final brunch with them at Fran's. It was a great meal and we said our good-byes and hugs with Kevin and Kara. As we drove away I felt so proud of myself. The drive back wasn't the best because it rained so hard most of the last half of the day. We made it home Sunday night exhausted and excited from the many adventures we had.

My mission was definitely accomplished and then some. I am so grateful for Carmund and his wonderful friends. Kevin was a complete help with everything and I'm so glad Carmund has him as a friend, as a brother. Much love to Kevin and Kara! They are such a great couple and awesome new friends of mine. We will definitely see them again!!

As for Carmund, I love you more than anything. It was easy for me to plan this weekend for your birthday. It was worth every minute, every dollar, every email, oh just everything!! You're worth it and then some! I love you so much! Happy early birthday and I wish you many, many more!!

Well guys, it took me all day to write this blog. It was an awesome trip but now it's back to the daily grind! You already know, that's just the way it is.

Road TRRIIPPPPP!!!!! Wooooooooooo!!!!

2010-06-22T13:15:00.004-04:00

I'm in the process of planning this fabulous trip for my boyfriend's 30th birthday! Woooo!!! The thing is I can't say where we're going because it's a surprise. I will say this, he's going to love it!! First of all, anywhere with me is going to be absolutely wonderful. Second, anywhere with me is going to be absolutely wonderful. LOL

Here's a little insight as to what we'll be doing over the 4 days we'll be gone.

Day 1: Leave the house around 8am. Make sure we've got some gas and then we're off! We may make some stops along the way - especially for gas but to sight-see is cool with me too. I want this to be a very leisure trip. It's an 8 hour drive so we'll reach our destination sometime Thursday evening. We will then check into our hotel - unfortunately, I can't tell you where we're staying because Carmund may read this and then the surprise is ruined.

Day 2: We'll go eat and maybe visit a museum or something. I've got this long list of things I want us to do...not meaning that we have to do everything on the list but we've got options no doubt! I've got something special planned for that evening. Hmmmm....

Day 3: Same as day 2

Day 4: It'll be time for us to head back to Bloomington. I'm sure by this time we would have had an amazing time and will have an incredible drive back home...we always do.

I know this may seem very generic of an itinerary but I can't give anything away right now. I promise I will blog about it next week...if I have time. LOL It seems that I've traveled more in the past year than I have in a very long time - thanks to Carmund. Here's a short list of our travels since we've started dating...

June 2009 - Columbus, OH - My niece, Jasmine, graduated from high school AND Carmund got to meet my folks. :-)

July 2009 - HOLIDAY WORLD!!! It was Carmund's birthday. Though it may not have been a long travel to the destination it was still a great trip.

August 2009 - My first trip to Washington, DC!! I spent a week with him and his mom and dad and step mom. It was a very good trip with very good food. Aaahhhhh!!! I want some crab legs!!

December 2009 - 2 weeks in DC for Christmas and New Years! Sooooo amazing!

March 2010 - Spring break!!! Though our initial plans of spending a few days in Chicago were put to an end because of the cost of staying there, we still had an amazing trip. We went and stayed overnight in Brown County! Great place to just hang out and enjoy the culture and people of this artist colony. We left and stayed overnight in Louisville, KY. The Muhammad Ali Center is wonderful!! Sooo much fun!!

April 2010 - Chicago!! We went to visit a good friend/line brother of Carmund's for the day. Great time!

May 12-16, 2010 - Boston, MA!! Carmund's best friend's wedding! It was such a great trip with great people and delicious food!! Yummmm!!!

May 28-31, 2010 - Raleigh/Durham, NC!!!! Another great wedding!! It was such a great drive there and back!

June 11-13, 2010 - Columbus/Athens, OH!! My niece, Dionna, graduated from college! Such an awesome young lady with great family and food!!

June 24-27, 2010 - To be continued next week....

Stay tuned!!

27 things I've learned or enjoyed...thus far!

2010-06-21T16:34:00.008-04:00

As some of you may know today is my 27th birthday!! Happy birthday to me!! I've seen so many things in my short time here on earth but my infinite wisdom is well....infinite!! LOL No, but I've learned a lot. This blog is a list of just a few things I've learned or really enjoyed a lot from as far as I can remember until now! They're not in any particular order. Here it goes...

1. Be fair, take turns!

2. Walk! Don't run!

3. Wash your hands before you eat!

Those top 3 are ones I literally learned in preschool. There was like a whole list of rules but those are just a few my preschool teacher, Sis. Bailey (RIP), taught us.

4. Be honest with yourself.

5. Be honest with God. He appreciates it and he already knows how you feel anyway so stop trying to hide it!

6. Do you really know what your favorite color is and why? Favorite food? Favorite game? Really set out to discover these things and make a list or journal about them.

7. Take things one day at a time. I thank Carmund for teaching me this daily!

8. Fall in love! It's so much fun.

9. Take yourself on dates!

10. Go to Disney World at least 3 times in your lifetime.

11. Laugh out loud at least twice a day.

12. Donate money to a cause or your favorite theatre of some sort BUT it has to be of your choice and whatever amount you choose. Even if it's $5, you'll feel like you contributed a million!

13. Talk to your mom at least once a day. After all, she is the only mother you have!

14. Never and I do mean NEVER let anyone tell you you can't do something. The sky is the limit!

15. Don't live for tomorrow but rather for today. For every moment because it's so precious and life is too short to let things get to you.

16. Try to do a good deed at least once a day. It doesn't matter how big or small.

17. Smile!

18. Try things at least once.

19. Be spontaneous. It could be so much fun and rewarding.

20. Don't let life's troubles get you down or stop you from doing what you want to do.

21. Buy at least one pair of expensive jeans, shoes (especially high heels), dress, and purse.

22. Pamper yourself. You deserve it! A nice day at the spa would be nice right about now.

23. Sometimes it's best to just be quiet.

24. Never pay retail!! (Of course that doesn't apply to #21)

25. Pray everyday.

26. No regrets! Learn from your mistakes.

27. BE YOURSELF!!!

Okay, that's it for now! I have lots more to share but we'll keep it at 27 for now. I've made plenty of stupid mistakes but I regret none of them. I've learned and they've helped make the woman I am today. That's real talk. One more thing, this will be #28: Fall in love! I sure did. You already know, that's just the way it is!

I love you WDW!!

2010-05-20T13:03:00.003-04:00

Oh my goodness. I WANT TO GO TO DISNEY WORLD!!! Surprised?! LOL I crave it sometimes and now is one of those times. What's so special about this place you might ask. It's a vacation spot I've been going to since I was a fetus. No, seriously my mother went when she was pregnant with me. It's in my blood!!

Some of my fondest memories growing up are of my trips to WDW with my parents. My mom would always stay in the hotel room while my dad and I would go out to the parks and play. It would be so hot and if you've ever been to central Florida in August you'd know that the humidity is unbelievable. I would have a blast!!

As I got older I enjoyed our annual trips to Disney World even more. Eventually we stopped going- maybe because it's so bloody expensive. :-) I L-O-V-E-D it so much!

Because I don't have children yet I've decided that I would try to take my nieces and nephews (on the parents dime, of course!). A little over 2 years ago I drove 4 of my nieces and nephew to Disney World...ALL THE WAY FROM INDIANA!! To give you a little more perspective...20 hours!!! It was definitely a trip to remember. We were gone for over a week. They enjoyed every minute of it. As a matter of fact they are wanting me to take them again this year...hmmm we will be flying for sure IF I take them. :-)

I'm hoping to make a trip there some time this year. I'd like to go at least once a year. So far I've been able to keep up that tradition. This year...we'll see. Carmund would be a perfect candidate to go with me because he's only been once and he was like 6 years old.

I've got spring fever and now is like the best time to go visit Mickey. Let me tell you just how bad it is. I found this online radio station called Sorcerer Radio and it plays every piece of music and sound you would hear throughout the property of Disney World (from the rides, to the restaurants, parades, hotels, stores, everywhere!!). You should check it out!

I know that one day when I grow up and have children of my own they are going to Disney World every year and they're going to like it. If they don't like it then they can stay home with someone else because I'm still going!! LOL

As you can see I've got Disney on the brain. It will always hold a special place in my heart. That's just the way it is...

Oh and that's a picture of my nephew Ronald. He had a blast!

Hair be gone!

2010-04-12T14:50:00.005-04:00

Soooo...a lot of things have happened since I last blogged. Where do I begin?

Let's see, Carmund and I grow more and more in love as the minutes go by. At least that's how it feels to me. I'm quite sure no one else in the whole entire world has found love like I have. Nope, don't even try to convince me otherwise. (I'm NOT stubborn!) Seriously, we've got something good going on and I can't fully describe it. I do know I love it!

On April 10, 2010 at around 8:15am I did my Big Chop (BC). For those of you who don't know what that is, it means that I cut my hair down to my natural new growth and rocking a little fro. I decided along with my hair falling out to go completely natural. At first I was just thinking I'll do this little natural thing for a while and then go back to relaxers aka creamy crack. It's funny how sooooo many Black girls are going natural in Bloomington. You wonder why that is? I'll tell you what I think. It's because there are no real Black hair stylist in the area. The closest is Indianapolis and who really wants to go that far?!?!?! I can't lie, I am traveling to Indy faithfully to see my stylist and barber and wouldn't have it any other way. Now I am realizing that being natural is more than just a hair change, it's a state of mind/being. I'm very proud of my heritage and how God made me. Natural it is...all the way! Anyway, after I rocked the fro for about 2 weeks I decided I didn't like it anymore and to cut it down even more. Well, what do you know?! I got it cut and hated it!! I've had my hair very short for years but somehow this seemed a bit extreme. I was practically bald in my eyes. Everybody who saw it loved it but I'm thinking it looks ridiculous. Now I love it and want to keep it short at least until the end of the summer. Let's just say I now know how bald people feel especially when it's cold...

Besides the big hair change I really haven't done much. I went to Boston last week (May 12th - 16th) for Carmund's best friend's wedding. It was a great trip! I told Carmund I wanted to go back to last week. The food was great, the drinks were on par, the people were fantastic, and I looked fabulous! LOL I got to hang out with Carmund's mom which is always fun and educating because I'm always learning something new about her. The best part of the trip I got carded once and asked by the nail tech if I was getting ready for prom. LOL I thought this haircut made me look a bit older but instead I've been mistaken for a teenager?! WOW! I had a great time hanging with Carmund's friends and spending more time with Carmund than I normally would. The wedding was absolutely lovely. It was definitely one of the best weddings I've been to and was executed perfectly (at least from my view as a guest and not as the planner as I would love to be). :-)

Oh wait, I just remembered I did accomplish something. On Thursday, May 6th I completed the Event Planning Certificate Program IU's Continuing Studies Dept was offering this past semester. I'm quite proud of myself for doing something I wanted to do and finishing it! Cheers to me!

I'm living and learning and when life throws you lemons I say not only make lemonade but spice it up with a little rum or something. LOL That's just the way it is...

1 year and forever!

2010-03-29T11:28:00.010-04:00

It's been a long, LONG time since I've done this blogging thing. Hey, some of us are busy and work all day! :-) On Sunday, March 28, 2010 Carmund and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary (of dating)!! Yay!!! Time flies when you're having fun. The year went by so fast and so many things have happened in the past year of us being together. I'm not going to blog about everything...just the more recent things we've done.

A couple of weeks we decided to have a mini spring break vacation. I'm not in school but I can still "celebrate" spring break. I'm sooooo glad I did. It was a Friday to Sunday vacation. I had initially wanted to spend the vacay in Chicago. My goodness! I never realized how expensive it could be to spend just a couple of days in Chicago. We scratched that idea and decided we would spend a day and an overnight stay in Brown County. We L-O-V-E visiting Brown County. It's just so cute and calming. We left Bloomington Friday around noon and first stopped for lunch at Hinkle's. Yum! Great local joint for burgers and fries. Off to BC!! Carmund and I very much enjoy walking through the little shops and seeing what they've got to offer (typically the stuff is pretty cheap...to me). I ended buying a card game called Flinch. I've never heard of it and Carmund and I are still trying to figure out how to play it. It's a bit complicated but we'll figure it out...eventually. We had dinner that evening and stayed at The Seasons Lodge. The weather was absolutely beautiful and I knew it was a great start to our vacation.

I was still considering for Carmund and I to go to Chicago on Saturday to hang out with a friend and have fun but when I checked the weather forecast it said SNOW! I said NO! We were off to a great start and no way was it going to get ruined by stupid weather. I said, "Carmund, we're headed south. I want to go to Louisville." We left Brown County Saturday afternoon and headed to Louisville, KY. It's a short little drive (maybe an hour and 20 minutes). Carmund and I both share a love for museums and I knew that there was a center in Louisville about Muhammad Ali. As soon as we got in town we headed straight to the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, KY. If you haven't been there I suggest making a special trip to Louisville just for this. It is a beautiful facility. I was impressed as soon as we sat in the auditorium for the orientation video before you start looking at the exhibits. It's super cheap to get in ($9 for adults or $5 for students). You can't get any better than that and it's worth every dollar. Afterwards we checked into our hotel and then headed to 4th Street Live which is in downtown Louisville. It's just a block or so of shops, restaurants, bars, and a Borders Bookstore! We decided on eating at an Irish pub for dinner and enjoying the basketball game where we watched UNI beat Kansas. Again, the weather was absolutely perfect. It was as if Jesus was smiling on us and wanting us to enjoy our little getaway.

We headed back to Bloomington on Sunday. Pretty much the weather held out until we returned and then it started raining and getting a little nasty outside. We topped it all off by going to church that night and it was amazing! We were so relaxed on our vacation. I feel better whenever I think about it.

For our 1 year we didn't go all out but I felt like a million bucks simply because I was with Carmund all day!!! We went to church, had lunch with our favorite married couple, the Warsaws, we watched a couple of episodes of Family Guy on Hulu (fell asleep watching them), went to dinner (was suppose to go to Sweet Grass but they are closed on Sundays so we went to Outback Steakhouse...yummy!!), and we rented and watched The Hurt Locker (which I need to take back to Blockbuster today). It was a great day!

I now can't imagine my life without Carmund and soooo glad I don't have to! He's so much fun and caring, and sensitive, and loving, and understanding, and genuine, and nice, and thoughtful, and cute, and silly, and okay okay I could keep going but I won't. Did I mention he's sooo cute?! Okay! I'm sorry but you know how it goes...that's just the way it is!

I love you, Carmund!

The Black List

2010-03-02T22:48:00.002-05:00

Now, this is something I came across just now on YouTube. It's called The Black List. I believe it's an HBO documentary type of deal. They interview highly achieved Black people on their life's stories or their views on being Black in today's society. I love the concept here. I came across one with Chris Rock. Check it out!

TOO MANY ABORTED

2010-02-26T12:58:00.000-05:00

TOO MANY ABORTED

I do not like the way they are advertising abortion amongst the black community. Last time I checked the phrase "endangered species" was in reference to animals. Black children are not animals! That's just the way it is.

Sarah

10 months and counting...

2010-01-28T11:32:00.003-05:00

10 months ago I fell in love and it only gets better!

Carmund, I love you and thank God for you. I'm so glad I get to spend forever with you. I enjoyed our date last night. The wine- superb, the chips -crispy, the dip- yummy, the movie- entertaining, the conversation- intriguing, and the company- priceless. I look forward to many more...

"Life is the flower for which love is the honey." -Victor Hugo

That's just the way it is...

OH MY DAY!!!

2010-01-19T09:09:00.017-05:00

It's been a VERY long time since I've blogged. Between work, the holidays, and my super long vacation just didn't quite find the time. Let me tell you I had the most amazing 2 week vacation ever! Here's what went down...

I flew into the Baltimore airport on Christmas Eve. I knew it was going to be a great break because when I arrived at the airport in Indianapolis there was virtually no one there! It was great. I got there super early because I was sure that it would be crowded and everyone trying to get home for Christmas blah blah blah. Was not the case at all. I went straight through security with no problem. I get to my gate and patiently await the arrival of my plane. As we're getting closer to the time for us to board I realize there are not a lot of people in the seating area waiting. Well, the plane arrived and the person on the intercom said there were only like 34 of us boarding this plane so we all could get a row to ourselves. YES!!! Perfect start to a vacation...

I arrive in Baltimore to be greeted by the love of my life, Carmund. We go over to his father's home to have dinner and open presents. It was a great time! We then go to his mom's house where we will be staying for most of the trip. I love his mom! She's like the coolest lady ever!

Christmas day we head over to his god father's house for brunch. That was awesome! The food was great and the company was even better. Carmund and I were the youngest people there. Everyone else was over 60 I'm sure. It was hilarious! It was a total of 7 of us sitting around the table and hearing stories of their pasts. It was like I had stepped into a scene of The Cosby Show when Cliff and Claire would have friends over for dinner or something. I had a blast! Afterwards, we head back home and later open gifts. We all loved our gifts. I got a Nintendo Wii from Carmund!! Yay!!! His mom gave me one of her mother's beautiful gold and jade bracelet. Words can describe how I felt and feel to have received something that belonged to Carmund's incredible grandmother. Below is a pic of it. She also gave me Preston Bailey's new book Celebrations. This man is an incredible event designer. Christmas day was a blast!!

Each day just got better and better. I was treated very well by everyone. I'm happy to inherit such a great family.

Carmund and I did lots of meet and greets with his friends and family. New Year's Eve I met his best friend and family...great people! Carmund and I spent the whole day out and about downtown DC. We met with friends for lunch then off to the Newseum. Great museum to visit if you're in DC. Carmund and then spent some time together viewing great sites of DC - Capitol building and Union Station. Lots of walking and talking and imagining - very special time and appropriate for the end of the year and the start of a beautiful 2010. We just partied the night away into 2010 with friends. It was exhausting but the most fun I've ever had especially on New Years (I had never done anything before). So special...

The rest of the trip needless to say was amazing!! It's a Christmas vacation I will never forget. It is now January 27th, I am more in love with Carmund today than I was just yesterday. I'm excited about what God is doing in my life and what he's going to in 2010.

Done!

2009-12-18T16:39:00.003-05:00

I'm done Christmas shopping!!!! Yay! Okay, that's all I wanted. Make it a great day! Oh and it's Friday and like 7 days until Christmas! Super Yay! Oh and like 6 days until I get to see my wonderful boyfriend again! Super duper yay!

Hehehehe

Tis the season...

2009-12-15T15:24:00.003-05:00

...to be jolly! Fa la la la la la la la la!! I'm sooo excited about Christmas being next week...10 days to be exact. I will be spending Christmas and New Year's with Carmund and his family and friends. 2 whole weeks I'll be there and can't wait! Let's not forget the gift giving...yep, I bought gifts this year. I'm not one to buy gifts but when I do look out cuz they are good ones. Well, at least I think they are. Anyway, this will be the second Christmas I won't be spending with my family.

Year before last - Christmas '07 - I drove myself to Orlando, FL and spent 5 days at Walt Disney World by myself. It was great! I stayed at one of my favorite resorts there, The Rosen Shingle Creek Golf Resort. It was absolutely beautiful and they have the best beds I've ever slept in. The best Christmas gift I received EVER was when during this trip I was at Epcot on Christmas morning and there was a kid (around 6 years old) throwing the tantrum and of tantrums. Now, I'm thinking, "you're at Disney World on Christmas morning! He doesn't know how lucky he is to be there." Anyway, he proceeds to fall out and kick and scream bloody murder. THEN he kicked his mother and hit her!!! I stopped dead in my tracks and crossed my arms. I wanted to see how this mother was going to handle this situation. I could tell she was embarrassed. She first tried to be nice and get him up. He was still having a fit and eventually she started whipping him in the middle of Epcot on Christmas morning! :) YES!!! I surely wasn't going to stop her. After working at WDW for several months and seeing some of the most ungrateful children throw tantrums I always wondered where the good children were...they surely were not at Disney World. Of course, the parents never hit the kids. This mom had enough and resulted in spanking this little boy. I looked up to heaven and smiled and knew that Christmas Day of '07 was going to be one of the best days ever.

Anyway, Christmas 2009 will be a Christmas to remember. That's the way it is...

Reflecting - my longest yet most sentimental blog yet.

2009-12-09T16:00:00.000-05:00

Guys, 2009 has been quite a year for me! There are lots of things that I'm grateful for and a few things I wish never really happened...but did. This blog I'm only reflecting on the good things. You may want a cup of coffee, tea, or hot cocoa while you're reading this.

Let's start at the beginning. After spending a great Christmas and New Year's break with my oldest sister and husband and their 5 children I was glad to be home. They were thanking me for spending over a week with them and I was thanking them for having all of those children and helping me realize that is not what I'm trying to have any time soon. :-) I remember getting home at the beginning of January and just forever grateful to God for allowing me to be single. I was determined to make 2009 a great year. At the time it was just me, God, and my pet cockatiel, Disney (he is no longer in my care...we'll get to that later). Anyway, for the first time I was super content with being absolutely single!!

As the weeks of January started to pass by and was getting close to February I somehow made a decision to make a trip to the most wonderful place on earth. That's right, Disney World!!! I make this trip at least once a year. As I was doing all of the fun planning (not so fun to some people but I LOVE planning vacations) I decided I would take my youngest nephew who at the time was 6 years old (now 7). He had never been and I believe everybody should experience a WDW vacation. This kid pulls at my heartstrings more than anyone would ever know. He doesn't have the best parents in the world and he's being raised by my parents who are doing the best that they can with him. I knew his spring break was coming up in March and that meant my mother would've had to spend all day everyday for a week straight with a 6 year old. I love my mommy dearest so I figured I'd give the old lady a break. I spent all of February and part of March planning the perfect (and cheapest) Walt Disney World vacation a kid could have. While I was doing all of that I was still content with where I was. At least I thought...

March rolls around and I started to realize that I was getting very, VERY tired of Bloomington, IN. I felt like nothing good was coming out of me being in this town and therefore was trying to see what I could do to get the heck out. Little did anyone know I had boxes in my apartment and some packed. My plan was to go away after I returned from my vacation to Orlando. In the meantime, an innocent little conversation between me and a certain someone began to take place on Facebook maybe about a week before I was to go on vacation. It truly was innocent and I had no serious interest in this guy. Little did I know, this guy aka Carmund White was very interested in me. As a matter of fact it was IU's spring break that he and I talked quite a bit on Facebook and once we did a live chat on there. It just gets better...

On Sunday, March 22, 2009 my nephew, Ronald, and I flew out of Indianapolis airport at about 6am to go to Disney World. I must say it was one of my best trips to WDW. He was so cute and excited about going and his first flying experience on an airplane. We had 2 layovers (maybe the worst part of the trip) but we finally made it to Orlando that afternoon. Got the rental car, checked into the hotel, and off we go to explore the wonderful world of Disney. Our first stop was Mickey D's. This kid loves their french fries and ketchup. Anyway, we spent 4 days and 3 nights taking in all the sights of Disney World. Best trip ever!! While at the airport waiting for our flight I decided to pull out the laptop and check my emails and stuff. For whatever reason the hotel we were at didn't have a connection to the internet that week. Anyway, I got on Facebook and saw I had a nice little message Carmund had written on my wall. It said something to the effect of him wishing me a fun and safe trip. Now that I think about it I was getting sick right before I left going on this trip so his message had something to do with me feeling better too. Ahhhh memories...it's all coming back to me now.

I remember getting home from vacation on Wednesday, March 25, 2009. Carmund and I continued to send messages through Facebook into the weekend. Finally, that Saturday, March 28th I realized that this guy continued to make a conversation last for whatever reason and therefore I felt compelled to give him my phone number. I remember that Saturday afternoon telling Carmund to give me a call sometime. He replied with him wanting to give me a call that evening at 8pm. Sure enough he calls right on time. We stayed on the phone for nearly 5 hours talking about any and everything. It truly was the start of a beautiful relationship. And still it gets better...

We had our first date on Thursday, April 2nd at Soma (a coffee shop on Kirkwood). We were there for hours just laughing and talking. As a matter of fact we were the last to leave. He was a complete gentleman and still is. ;-) We talked on the phone every single day and saw each other as much as we could at the time. Then comes Easter Sunday and I was completely honored to hang out with him and a tremendous group of people from South Africa. We all went to Brown County that day after church and had a marvelous time. The South Africans were here to do a production of Shakespeare's The Tempest along with Carmund and other students at IU. I really got to know them quite well. It was a blessing to meet them and to this day call them my friends. The love continues to run deeper for me and Carmund...

My birthday comes around, June 21st. I was to go on a business trip on my birthday (a Sunday), so that Saturday Carmund surprised me with a wonderful gift of a massage at the spa. It was perfect timing because my great friends Sean and Samaria got married that weekend and I had helped plan and coordinate that day. That was a lot of work but soooo much fun!! An hour long massage the next day couldn't have been any better. Afterwards, we head to Indianapolis to go to the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Love that place!! We also had lunch at a pizza place in town but I can't remember the name of it. Anyway, that was great too. All this time from the first conversation it felt like I had known Carmund my whole life.

Carmund's birthday was next, July 3rd and so we spent it at Holiday World. From the beginning I knew he loved roller coasters and swimming. What better place to incorporate both loves?!?! I had never been there and he hadn't either but I figured he needed something where it was nothing but fun. We get there and it was an absolute blast. We rode one of the craziest coasters there maybe like 4 times. Probably could have ridden more times but I ended up getting a headache. Best day and weekend ever because he also got to meet my whole family!! Everybody loved him!

In August I got to spend a week with Carmund and his family in the DC area. That was a lot of fun and according to him everybody loved me! :-) I also ate some of the best crab legs to ever be cooked and served to me. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Lots more good things to talk about that has happened over this past year but I'm going to leave it at that for now. I will say this, everyday has truly gotten better than the day before. God promised that to both Carmund and I at the beginning. I remember I was a little skeptical of that at first because I couldn't figure out how that was remotely possible. Well guys, it gets better...

I am excited about spending 2 weeks with Carmund and his folks for Christmas and New Year's. I am super excited about the good things to happen in 2010. I am excited about all the things God has promised me and how they really will happen. I didn't expect to fall in love in 2009 but it happened. I didn't think that there really was a man perfect for me but he's here. I didn't think a lot of things were true or going to happen but boy was I wrong!! I definitely didn't expect for this blog to be about Carmund when I initially started to write but he really is the best thing to happen to me this year and he was right beside me for every good and bad thing. What can I say? That's just the way it is...

To Carmund, with all my love. "It was not into my ear you whispered but into my heart; it was not my lips you kissed but my soul." -Judy Garland

Obsessed...then overwhelmed.

2009-12-04T12:52:00.000-05:00

Okay, so as most of you know I'm aspiring to be a wedding planner. Now I think I'm a little obsessed...which could be good. I'll get my business started off right...I hope. Anyway, my niece who is like the Jack of all trades wants to help me build my portfolio which is fine with me. I trust her. I have like every book from the library in regards to weddings, honeymoons, dresses, event planning, starting an event planning business, and even a dvd about planning a wedding. Well, with all of this stuff comes overwhelm. I'm dreaming about wedding stuff and sometimes crave to go to the bookstore just to look at bridal magazines. Anyway, I'm still determined to get this thing going. Until then...

Oh here's a little tip I found in one of those many bridal magazines I'm hovering over on a weekly basis. I think I may try this rather I'm getting married or not:

TRY A HOMEMADE MASK

Don't risk a facial before the big day. One safe bet: a mask made with one tsp raw oatmeal and one tsp honey. Let it sit on your face for five minutes then rinse. The minerals in the oatmeal are soothing and honey hydrates and kills bacteria.

Did you eatta someting?!?! Yes, I spelled it like that on purpose.

2009-11-24T22:03:00.000-05:00

My sister reminded me of my trip to a Chinese restaurant in town (Bloomington) after she read my last blog about my dining experience at Cracker Barrel. Soooooooo here it goes...

This took place over a year ago. Me and a friend were having lunch at a local Chinese buffet and we were experiencing quite the horrible service. The waiter took their time about getting our drinks. When I was ready for a refill she had brought over a picture of a drop of flat Sprite to fill my glass. I asked if I could have a fresh glass of Sprite and of course I got attitude. Just not a fun experience. So, we finally get the bill and I go up to pay. The manager was at the register and on her cell phone. She's reaching for my bill and I'm trying to signal to her that I want to talk to her. She had me stand there for a couple of minutes while she finished up her phone conversation. How rude?!?! She finally gets off and I simply try to explain to her what terrible service I've received at her restaurant today. I also had complained to her about being on her phone when I'm trying to converse with her. Of course this made her mad. She yells to me that I didn't have to pay the tip. I told her I already knew that...tips are always optional. I'm still trying to talk to her when she asks me if I ate something. This is how she said it (imagine it in a lady's voice who's native language is Chinese), "Did you eatta someting?! If you eatta someting den you pay bill." All I got to say was "no" and she cuts me off again this time picking up the tray that my bill was in and throwing it at me. I know crazy. I hurried up and moved out of the way before the thing hit me. I felt my eyes get big and my fists starting to clinch tightly. I immediately ran out of the restaurant and got in my car to go home. This lady was nuts! She sent out her little worker people to take my license plate number.

To make this long story shorter...the police showed up at my house a week later and told me I had to pay the bill. I explained to them what had happened. I was ready to pay the bill. I had the cash in my hand when I was standing there talking to her but she got a little to feisty for my liking and therefore I felt it was better for me to leave than to stay. I vowed I would not step back in that restaurant again and I haven't. I did pay the bill. My friend was at my house when the police showed up and they went and paid the bill for me. Man, talk about a crazy experience. The police were really nice about it and understood why I left but legally I still owed for the stupid meal.

That's another one of my experiences with people in this world. That's just the way it is...

Here's a tip!

2009-11-19T14:49:00.000-05:00

So, I decided to go to Cracker Barrel for lunch today. I am not the biggest fan of this restaurant but felt like I needed vegetables and I like what they have to offer. I got to the restaurant at sat down at exactly 1:59pm. Why did I not see my waiter until 2:12pm?! I was just about to pick my purse up and walk out but he came just in time. He was some young kid that more than likely didn't like his job. He came over as if nothing was wrong. He asked me if I wanted something to drink and I told him yes and that I also wanted something to eat! Dumb kid...by the way his name is Jake (just remembered). Anyway, I give him my order and he walks away. Well it took him another 4 minutes to come back with iced tea when I asked for water with lemon. He slightly slammed the cup on my table but I ignored it for that moment and told him I ordered water. He said oh and walked away then came back with my water. Another 3 minutes has passed and he finally comes out with my food. Now, I am 99.9% sure that their vegetables are already cooked and ready to be placed on a plate and served to the customer. Why did it take so long?!?! I wanted to take that bowl of pinto beans and throw it at Jake. I said, "Jake, do you want a tip today?" He says, "that's why I'm here." Didn't like his response so I told him I would give him his tip right then. He looks at me and I look at him and I say, "there's an 80% chance of rain for tonight you may want to carry an umbrella." Every time I tell this to people it cracks me up...now don't judge me!! He was a crappy waiter and if he thought for one minute he was going to get my hard earned money he had another thing coming. Technically, I gave him a tip...and a good one. He just looked at me as I laughed. I told him the food was fine and he walked away slightly confused. Of course after that he became much nicer because he really did want a tip. I ended up leaving him a dollar...the meal was only 7 bucks anyway! That's just the way it is.