The flames got low

It's been a fairly amazing week. My friend from Liverpool is still in town and I was able to meet her for lunch. We met up at one our favorite places. We fought the lunch crowd and I barely ate any of my food because we were so busy talking. I guess that's when you know you've had a good lunch.

Last night, I met up with another friend and we nearly closed down the restaurant (It is worth mentioning that the meal was uh-mazing). We started out with the usual conversations: work, design, apartment woes. The conversation went from one topic to another until three hours had passed and we were talking about some pretty deep concepts. If you've ever seen My Dinner With Andre, it was a little like that.

While texting, email, and online social networks (even this blog) are great, they can't come close to the real thing. I got to see my pregnant friend's belly under a familiar shirt. Candles melted, fireplaces cooled, glasses clinked. There was actual laughter, over Frank Sinatra and under dim lights. There were things outside of our control. There were puddles of rain, layers of fog, and pasts to discuss. I don't remember a lot of the conversations I have online, but I do remember simple moments that happened years ago. I'm not one to make resolutions, but cheers to actually making memories instead of just typing about them.

*On a completely unrelated note: working out at midnight guarantees that every mill is your mill, and that you will most definitely not have to watch Lifetime or ESPN.

New faces

At this point in life, it's not that uncommon for several of my friends to be pregnant. Some are even on their second or third child. When you go to a private Christian University, that's how things go. On the other side of the spectrum, I have tons of single friends that are experiencing equally normal lives without spouses or children anywhere on the radar for now.

It's an amazing thing to see my best friends experience pregnancy, birth and the tiny little humans that they have no clue what to do with at first. These new little lives are especially exciting when they come against the odds. Two of my friends were told that they wouldn't be able to have kids, and yet, they both did. Short of my own children, I don't think I could be more excited.

Six months is an amazingly long time to not see a pregnant best friend. My friends found out they were pregnant right after they moved overseas and I've been limited to photos and emails. I finally got to see her and her tiny little baby bump today and you would think I had never seen a pregnant lady before.

We sat around her mom's house surrounded by her family. They were from Lebanon, L.A., Vegas, and little country towns in Ohio. They were an amazing group of women and I had some really good conversations. It reminded just how big and simultaneously small the world is, how many people there are to meet, and how many places there are to see (and how many languages I do not know how to speak).

It's a giant world out there. Here's to a year of new faces.

Not proud, still laughing

You know how sometimes, the most unexpected things are actually really funny? The past few weeks have presented a few unexpected (and embarrassing) gems:

1: PeeWee's Breakfast
I haven't watched anything PeeWee related in years, but this was revived recently. I may or may not want his house (kudos again, Mr. Burton) Mr. T cereal?! And check out the butter knife. Awesome. (1:15 to 4:45)



2: Method Commercial
I awkwardly get the phrase "use the loofah" stuck in my head at least once a week. After this, you will, too. It's worth it.



3: Hot Rod
I am so not proud of this one. I put off watching this movie for over a year because I accurately imagined it as a couple hours of brain draining dumb comedy. It was, but I definitely laughed. A lot.



In other news, I laugh at really inappropriate moments. I seriously can't help it, no matter how hard I try. This week was an excellent example. Falling is funny, people. When it happens, I am genuinely concerned about whether you are ok or not, despite my reaction. And I am a bad person.

It's Time

"Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it’s all over."

Gloria Naylor (via brokenmachine)

Impeccable

So, snow. And snow and snow and snow.

I spent my first day of the new year traveling to see four of my absolute favorite people on this planet. I had a fun drive through back roads and enjoyed some new music on the way there (Fun Fact: I downloaded music while I was driving. Technology, you are beautiful.). The two hour trip was filled with lightly drifting snow, crumbling snowmen, small towns, and rambling farmhouses. Interestingly, Say Hi To Your Mom's Impeccable Blahs fit the drive perfectly.

My friends have the cutest and most adorable little girls. I know a lot of people feel that way about a lot of kids, so these are my two token "I fall apart" kids. I mean, check her out:

So, we hung out and I got to experience life with two little girls. We went to the mall (indoor play area!) and by the time we left, the cars in the parking lot were more than covered. It snowed so much that I ended up spending the night. When I was little, that was the best thing ever, and it was still pretty awesome as an adult. We played cards around the kitchen table until almost 1am, then we all dragged ourselves off to various couches and beds.

When I woke up early the next morning, it looked like the roads had been cleared. So wrong. I ended up following the road via the mailboxes. One white-out and four hours later, I finally made it home. Still, that time with my friends was worth every single white minute and mile.

Now half-way into the week, the Impeccable Blahs is still impeccably fitting. Sometimes, you just need to feel blah and get it out of your system. I'm going to start the Great Gym Search tomorrow evening and hopefully pin down a place to move around a little. The rest of this night, however, will be spent buried under covers and layers and, hopefully, sleep.

Balanced

For the record, I had an amazing Christmas. I love going home for Christmas, curling up with the collection of pets and family members, and watching movies for the 100th time. Any event that involves multiple naps before noon has my immediate approval.

This is going to be a random post, because a lot of random thoughts have occurred and because quite frankly, I like random posts.

:: It was nice to have new faces both around and under the tree this year (photo taken pre-attack):

:: The smell of Aveda's Blue Malva conditioner will always take me right back to this summer, in my friends' apartment, showering post-Lollapalooza and Chicago. Victoria's Secret's (no longer available) Secret Crush lotion will be the awesome vintage hotel room in Venice in the winter, with the towel warmer and windows overlooking the tiny elementary school.

:: I'm going to geek out for a second and let it be known that the style from Pushing Daisies has been extremely helpful in redoing both my room and wardrobe. For the record, I don't like things because they remind me of the show, I like the show because I feel like they (the creators and and stylists) get it. Of course everything should have a honeycomb pattern! Or any pattern! Of course we should still be able to wear awesome retro dresses! In this spirit, I have redone my bedroom in a modern gothic style, incorporating honeycomb patterns. I have also added two new dresses to my wardrobe. Now I need an excuse to wear them...

:: Despite some resentment over the three "i"'s, the Miike Snow station on Pandora will make you happy. Aaaand go!

:: Every year, when I come home from Christmas, I go through my apartment and get rid of a ton of stuff. Basically, if I haven't used it/worn it/seen it since last Christmas, I really don't need it. I probably get more joy out of getting rid of stuff than I should, but it's such a great feeling. It's always amazing to me to see how easily the unnecessary stuff piles up.

:: Some of my best friends have kids or are in the process of creating kids. I received pictures from both this weekend and it was absolutely fantastic. I'm sure at some point it will get old, but right now, every baby bump and every family Christmas photo is exciting to me.

:: Time with family and friends is important, but so alone time. So, on that note, I'm going to snuggle down int front my crackling fireplace (is it actually supposed to crackle that much?!), watch a new DVD, and enjoy a quiet evening alone. Hope everyone is having a great holiday out there!

Hey Crazy

My brother is on my case about updating. It's a little weird to me that my brother reads my blog, but such is life.

Life has been busy. Busier than busy. I worked 28 hours between two days this week. That's three days in two. Or most of a full-time week in two days. After that, the week only slowed down a little.

I'm about to leave for my third Christmas party this week. Tomorrow, I'll be driving three hours south to my second family Christmas get-together this year, then driving three hours back. And then, it's Monday. You get the idea.

Things have been good, though. The Christmas parties have been stellar and I've had some amazing food this week (making up for all the missed meals!). All of the long hours paid off and my company landed a huge (and fun) client this week. After a year of saving, I went on a (way too successful) shopping spree this week. Tonight, I will possibly be on air for a charity drive on the same radio station that I guest DJ'd for earlier in the year. While I'm insanely tired, it's all paying off. I have every intention of going to bed early on Sunday. That will make up for the rest of the week, right?

Did I mention that my apartment is freezing? Or that I am about to freak out on my neighbors? Or that it's snowing and beautiful outside? Or that I love my fireplace? All of those things are going on right now, too. Hope everyone is doing well and surviving the holiday season!