Let Wedding Season Begin

In the next month and a half I will be in:

Columbus

New York

Virginia 

Detroit

Colorado

Columbus again

and...

Cleveland

For:

Bachelorette Party

Work

Wedding

Wedding

Vacation (thank god)

Wedding

and...

Wedding

So, it's the best time in Chicago, Summertime, and I'll be missing the last month or so. Am I mad? No. Do I love my friends and family and would I travel to wherever to celebrate their wedded bliss? Yes. But, am I a bit frantic about how I'll fit how busy I am at work into the equation and how much $$$ I'll be out by the end of this all? Yes. 

We're at that age, everyone's beginning to take that leap and I'm so happy yet, ugh, are my summers for the next 3 years going to revolve around weddings? My sister, two years older, has/had 6 weddings this year. Puts a lot in perspective considering my bitching about 4. So, I guess I'm just going to have to man up and realize how lucky I am to have so many great friends that want me to share their big day with them. Happy, happy, joy, joy.

One thought though...can someone have a destination wedding sometime soon? Wouldn't so much mine the bridesmaids dress, hotel cost, etc. if it were in the Bahamas. 

Also, I'd like to think of this post as a warning: with my upcoming schedule this blog will have to take even more of a backseat than it's taken this month, which is bad, I know, but think of all the great stories I'll come back with.

"You are your Father's daughter"

Growing up I never really understood this statement. But now, as I get older, I'm starting to realize why my mom said this to me so many times. There are so many similarities between my Dad and I, in the way we think, the way we react to things, the way we handle certain situations, the way we deal with people, and...the list goes on. Although at times, I think our similar psyches may have led us to arguments and misunderstandings, I see now that I am so fortunate to have been born my "Father's daughter." 

So today, like I did when Mother's Day came around, I'm going to celebrate Dad. Because, like he always told me, it is necessary to give back to the things (or people) you love so dearly.  

Without further adieu, I present you the top 20 reasons why I have the WORLD'S GREATEST:

20.  He survived an all female household. Thank you dad for dealing with the bobby pins, the razors on the shower floor, the piles and piles of clothes and overwhelming amount of tears and emotion.

19. He taught me how to ride a bike, throw a softball, ice skate, swim, and play every sport imaginable.

18. He sat through hundreds of gymnastics meets for my sister and I (and thousands of versions of the level 5 floor music).

17. He taught me what it means "to be aggressive," which led me to win "best defensive player" on the high school soccer team and eventually led to a full division one scholarship.

16. He took me to places all around the country -- Disney World, California, the Carolinas, Vegas (multiple times) and worked hard so that we could have wonderful vacations.

15. He allowed me to explore the world of fashion and never lets me forget to this day that he's partially responsible (at least financially) for me being voted the "best dressed female" at Westlake High

14. He introduced me to the world of philosophy and allowed me to impress onlookers with my memorization of Tolstoy quotes: "The meaningless absurdity of life is the only incontestable knowledge acceptable to man."

13. He joined Indian Princesses with my sister and I and showed us the importance of being outdoorsy and never being too afraid to get a little dirty.

12. The summer before I entered college he trained with me, timing me on the SEBCO test on hot 90 degree days and introduced me to weight lifting (ugh).

11. He treated my boyfriends with kindness (except for answering the phone "speak") and trusted me to always make the best decisions when it came to who I let into my heart.

10. In tough times, he taught me that "life goes on"

9. He set a high example for the man whom I marry, with the overwhelming amount of love and respect he gives my mom.

8. He taught me the importance of education and hard work and always let us know that if it weren't for the hard work my mom and him put in day in and day out my sister and I wouldn't have everything that they've been able to give to us.

7. He takes interest in the things that I love and will read US Weekly, Perez and RHOC just to keep up with me and the ongoing celebrity gossip world.

6. He's open and honest and has always made me feel comfortable enough to tell him anything, even when my hearts been broken and in my hardest times.

5. He drove and flew miles to make as many college soccer games as he could. And, at the games where he knew I needed him most, he never failed to be there at Chattanooga and Davidson.

4. My whole life he has made time for "Dad daughter time." I couldn't imagine a life without my long talks with dad and pondering life and the "meaningless absurdity of it."

3. He is the single most intelligent person I know. Not because he's never missed a Jeopardy question, but because he has a deep and knowledgeable understanding of life, love, religion, philosophy and all the things that really do matter.

2. I know that he's had a hard life or at least growing up was hard for him and he is who he is as a result of that. For someone who had the unfortunate situation of not having a Father himself for most of his life, he sure made up for it by being who he is to my sister and I. 

1. He always puts us first. He's selfless, kind, caring, hard working, ethical and is the "WORLD'S BEST."

So, here's to you Dad, Happy Father's Day. I wish I could be there with you, but I know you had a great day yesterday with Christa. I love you and am so blessed to be my "Father's Daughter."

Please Excuse My Laziness

Apologies, blogosphere. I've been MIA and I hate to say it, but it was rather nice. Since my last post I've:

• Worked on my tan


• Bummed around Chicago street festivals


• Spent sunny days drinking and playing soccer in the park with friends


• Cleaned out my closet (yes, you read that right)


• Traveled to Cleveland


• Hugged my mom, dad and sister tight


• Survived my sister's bridal shower (wayyyyy too many women in one location)


• Visited with my favorites from high school


• Slept, read and ran...a lot


• Contemplated life with Scoot and...


• Last but not least, TURNED 25
  

As my dad would say, "A QUARTER OF A CENTURY." And....I feel no different. However, I did get a nice bday treat: a vacation back home to attend my sister's bridal shower (which was on my birthday...I will get her back someday) and celebrate with my family, whom I don't see enough.

The 5-day weekend was filled with long, delicious dinners, runs with my mom and sister and workouts with my dad, shopping and showering (bridal that is) while the boys golfed, pool time at the country club, manis/pedis, haircuts and lots (of much needed) R&R. It's always SO NICE to go home.

Here are some pics from my fabulous flee to the cleve:

If you can't have a real Rebecca Minkoff, why not get the "cake" version...

The beautiful bride to be at her shower...

Sticking My Nose in Other People's Business

It's recently been brought to my attention (thank you Scoot and others) that I have a tendency to stick my nose in other people's business. Who, me?

So I thought, where better to address my problem, then on my blog. Let me start out by saying that this only happens with people I care about. If I don't care about you (you being the entire human race, except for a select group of people), I could care less about what you do. To each his own as my good friend, Gil, would say.

But, if you are a good friend, and someone's either hurting you or about to (history repeats itself) I just can't help but add my two cents. But, for doing this, I get the "stay out of it...it's not your place" all too often.

And, the recent circumstances have all had to deal with friends' romantic relationships. When do you step in and when do you say "OK, throw yourself back in the fire and of course, yes, I'll be here when it all goes awry AGAIN."

Now, I know that people can change. I've seen it in my own relationship. I know people make mistakes. I know when you're young, both people in the spoken relationship can do stupid, stupid things to hurt one another very badly and regret it. Then eventually forgive and move on. It's happened in my life and I've seen it with friends. But, when it's not your heart on the line, it's the heart of a good friend's, why is it harder to just sit back and see what happens?

And, in another circumstance, what if it's someone whom you don't know that well, and you know that what they're not seeing (what they don't know) is what's hurting them? What do you do then? It's not your best friend, it's not even a "good," friend, it's just someone, being hurt (who doesn't know) and you just have to sit there and act like nothing's going on.

Has anyone else struggled with this before? When is it your place to say something? And, if you do say something, will it just end up hurting you and your relationship with the inset couple? I'm trying really hard to live by "not my pig, not my farm" motto, but it's just not that easy. At least, for me it's not. 

Peace and Quiet

Last weekend we took our annual BD reunion trip to the Lakehouse. We've been going every year now for awhile. For some reason we always go around Cynco de Mayo. I don't know why. I guess it's a good excuse for bottomless margaritas, all you can eat tacos and usually too much sun (I'm still peeling). 

Aside from the beautiful house situated right on the lake in a gated South Carolina community, I love going there because of the memories it brings. My senior year pre-season our entire soccer team went down to the lakehouse for some "bonding" in between 3-a-days and our first game. We actually split the underclassman into groups, made them pick a song out of a hat and perform a dance it while we seniors judged. I'll NEVER FORGET Jess Hartman as B. Spears or Tina doing Baby Got Back. 

Now that we're "adults"(I use that term loosely), we go to the lake to relax, get some sun, act a little ridiculous and bask in one another's company. We hadn't seen one another (except for Red and I) since Emmy's wedding in August. But from the minute we all landed in ATL, it was if time had never passed and everything stood still. That's the thing about our "family"....we always pick up right where we left off.

Night one was filled with lots of wine and lots of laughter. Emmy, Lacey and I stayed up to almost 6am...outside on the rocking chairs, talking about things we did, things we're doing, things we hope to to do someday. It's so interesting that we're all in such different places (figuratively speaking) as we head into our quarter life crisis'.

We spent the entire next day diving, flipping and twisting off the dock. We had a quart of vodka, a boom box blaring country music, a lake that was all ours. 

Every night was filled with cocktails, more talk of life and love and lots of laughter as we circled around the table to tell stories, and play games (I'm officially obsessed with Cranium and Loaded Questions...if you don't own them, GO BUY THEM NOW). 

We watched the sunset, hugged one another tight, talked about things we don't talk about with anyone else but one another and listened. Listened to how quiet it is there at night. For one weekend there's no one else in the world but us. No cell reception, no blackberry checking, nothing. Just us. 

So, to a wonderful year at the lake and to the girls who are my insides, my soulmates -- may there be many more to come. 

Oh and Bohr, SUCK ITTTTTTTTTTTTTT!

Here’s to you, Mom

My sister and I used to ask my mom which one of us she loved more. She would say you’ll never understand the love a parent has for their children until you have your own. My sister and I thought it was a cop out.

As I get older, I’m realizing that it’d be impossible for my mom to love one of us more than the other. Hate me if you want, but I had (and have) the type of parents who put all of my sister and my needs before their own. I won’t go into detail on the woes of how they ate spaghetti and tuna every night to put my dad through law school, but it’s true they’re the most selfless people I know.

I remember going through my “dark stage” in middle school (you know the Jenko, Airwalk phase) and my mom wasn’t thrilled about it, but she never judged me. She’d let me wear my big, baggy, black Jenkos if I wanted, but she would make me wear a Limited shirt with them. Compromise she’d say.

I remember how fuming mad she’d be after soccer games when I was little and the coach wouldn’t play me. BUT, she was never one of those moms to walk up and embarrass me by screaming at the coach – she wouldn’t put me through it.

I remember my mom working 12-14 hour days and then driving miles just to take me to gymnastics practice or soccer an hour and a half away. We didn’t have very many dinners at home, but she always made sure that we were doing everything we wanted to do -- ballet, soccer, softball, swimming, you get the drift.

But the thing that sticks out most from when I was young is that my mom always trusted me. She never read my notes that she found in my pockets when doing the laundry. She never read my diary. She never listened in on my phone conversations or checked on me in the basement when I had a boy over. She trusted me and because of that, I trusted her. I told her things and confided in her.

In college my best friend Emmy used to make fun of me for missing my mom so much. I actually used to drunk dial my mom. Some call their high school friends, or a crush, I drunk dial my mom. But, regardless of how many natty lights I’d downed, my mom loved to hear from me and listened to my gibberish for as long as I went on.

I remember going through a very, very hard time in my life and I remember my mom being there in the middle of the night, early in the morning, whenever I needed her. I remember her crying with me on the phone because she truly felt every little inch of pain that I felt. I remember her telling me that it would get better, and it did. But most of all I remember that I would have never gotten through it all if it weren’t for her.

My senior year my mom came to North Carolina from Ohio for 8 home games. Whether she flew in for just the night or drove 8 hours, she was there, for as many games as she could be. My mom loved watching me play soccer and even though she’d frustrate me at times by saying things like “couldn’t you have kicked the ball just a little harder,” or something along those lines, I knew she was my biggest fan.

And even now, in my professional life, there’s no one I depend on more than my mom (and dad). She’s the businesswoman who can do it all – she’d work all day, but never miss an important meet, game or race. She instilled in my sister and me the importance of hard work, but always let us have fun. She’s responsible for the successes I’ve experienced in school and in my professional life. She is and always will be my mentor.

So, here’s to you mom. For loving me, accepting me, guiding me and for being the best mom a daughter could ever ask for. I love you and Happy (late) Mother's Day.

Thank GOD for Channing Tatum

Finally, Channing Tatum has a new movie out.

“Fighting” is the story of a homeless Manhattan boy (Tatum) who becomes an underground street fighter under the management of a scam artist (Terrence Howard). I don’t care if he’s a dancer (Step Up), soldier (Stop Loss) or street fighter (Fighting), I’M THERE.

Now let me get one thing straight. I’m not that celeb-crazed when it comes to guys. I could go on and on about Britney, Jessica, Lindsey, etc., but celeb guys don’t really do much for me – where’s the drama?! I could care less about Brad, George, Matt, etc.

But my good friend Jill and I will be catching the Channing movie sometime in the next few weeks – she’s equally obsessed and went to see both Step Up and Stop Loss with me.

My obsession with Channing got me thinking though, who are the hottest men in Hollywood? Here are my top three:

1. Channing Tatum (obv) - I can watch Step Up over and over and over and over and over again. And, I'm biased -- his fiance's name is Jenna.

2. Mark Wahlberg - Normally not my type, but I'm totally into him. I don't know if it's the bad boy persona or that fact that he produces Entourage and it's based on his life, but I love him.

3. Clive Owen - Some say he looks like Scoot so maybe that's why, but for some reason I find him incredibly attractive.

Wow, I had no idea this post would be so fun -- looking up these gorgeous men on Google was a blast. I'll get back to everyone with my review on the movie, but in the meantime, let me know who your top three are.