Out with the Old, In with the New

As the new year vastly approaches, I'm taking the time to re-evaluate my circumstances. My view points. My way of thinking and living. We discussed my New Year's Resolutions in like October, so I won't bore you with a sequel of such. You already know about my mission, so I won't continue to bore you with that either. Over my Christmas holiday, I had a lot of time to spend with both friends and family back home. It was, for the most part, very enjoyable. It gave me time to think and breathe again. It was a very Merry Christmas.

While, today, I'm back at work and yesterday, I was dreading Monday's evil return, I feel like I'm in a zone, if you will. I'm ready to go. I'm ready to jump start the 2009 year full of energy and ready to take on every resolution, goal, and mission. I'll fill you in on why....

One reason, I'm ready to feel good. I'm ready to continue this positive outlook on life. Out with the sad, in with the happy. Christmas day, I went over to my aunt's house with the rest of my 30 member family mourning the first Christmas without my Nana who passed the first of October. Usually, the Christmas tree would have at least 100 presents under it because my Nana was a shopping queen, especially at Christmas time. One year, I believe I counted 181. In any case, this year, there was one for each person. We drew names and traded gifts. I received some generic Bath and Body works gift set. It was nice and I didn't complain, but it was on the more depressing side of the holiday's events thus far. Then my aunt's bright idea for distributing all 300+ pieces of her jewelry came to light. They were all bagged in goodie bags piece by piece, sorted by what they were: necklace, pendent, bracelet, pin, etc. Then numbers were drawn. All 12 of the women/girls in the room chose a number from a basket and that was the order in which we got to choose the jewelry. Is anyone else seeing something wrong here? Because I did.

Of course I was number 12.

Now, one could very wrongly mistake my disgust for this whole process for jealousy or greed in that I was the last grandchild to be able to draw. I'll have you know, however, I was very upset about this operation long before we drew the numbers. Numbers 1-3 and 6 were not even blood members of my family. 1 and 2 were the baby and "baby momma" of my younger cousin and number 6 had been "adopted" into my family a couple of years back in order to escape a bad home herself. Now, while I have no qualms with any of these young girls, I have been the woman's granddaughter for 23 years. 23. years. Number 6 chose a strand of my grandmother's pearls. Also note, it is unknown if they were real or fake. I'm sure that my aunt went through from the beginning and took the real, but in any case, I was not a fan. I was so angry by the time I left. All of my cousins were laying it all out on the ground, bartering for trade with other pieces, laughing at some of it. Granted some of it was atrocious and I laughed later at some that I had gotten. The whole scene just made me really sad. In my opinion, it was too soon. It was too soon to hand it all out and it could've been handled in a much better fashion. But some things you just have to let go of I suppose...

Which brings me to where I am now. Letting go. However difficult it was to keep my mouth shut, I managed. However difficult it was to come back to work today, knowing my brother, still in college, can stay home for another two weeks on vacation, I managed. It's high time I did a little growing up. However painful. I'm counting my blessings and ready to toast to the new year.

New year, new way of thinking, and my new car. Get excited.

"Ode to Little Red"

For the preview to this post see :Roxie.

I'm getting new wheels! SO exciting! At the end of the weekend my name will be signed to a brand new (used) car! And I'm thrilled! It's been such a long time coming! My poor Little Red has been a good car. She really has. She's had her struggles and her flaws, but then again, so have I. She's stuck with me and always pulled through again and again. So many memories..... 

When I learned that she had finally been traded back home, I was a little saddened, I won't lie. As much as I have wanted and pleaded for a new car in the past.... four years or so... When it actually happened, it hurt a bit. I'm just easily attached to things. People more so, but things, material things that I shouldn't be so attached to... I am. I can't help it. That car has been mine all mine since I turned 16. She drove Roxie and I to high school, she graduated with me, took me to college, moved me to my new city life, had many a pair of shoes thrown in and out of her, many a frozen twizzler, many an operation, many angry songs played, many tears cried and many more laughs... I could go on. What a life she's led. And now, she'll lead someone elses...

And so, goodbye sweet Little Red. You were good to me. And I'll always remember you. 

Anyway, enough of that. 

I'm getting a new car, I'm getting a new car, I'm getting a new car!!! Hooray! Oh, Happy Day!

Not Used to This Life Quite Yet..

Yes, I'm a fan. A big fan of music. A big fan of country music. A big fan of local bands who are on the brink of hitting it big. A big fan of members from hit bands of my past conjoining with local bands on the brink of hitting it big. This was my night last night.

Isn't he beautiful? I think so. There were many more pictures like this one taken. Don't you worry. This is the lead singer of a not very well known, but soon to be very well known, KingBilly. I was asked yesterday afternoon to attend their show with one of my city girls who had seen them before and was also excited to see Mr. Richard Marx along with the lead singer of Vertical Horizon perform in the same show. Of course my answer was, sure, live music? Perfect.

Matt Scannell (from Vertical Horizon) took me back to a very special place in my life. The late 90s. Although in the late 90s, the Captain and Cokes that I was inhaling while listening to some old favorites were not a part of my agenda. Richard Marx also performed some of his own and some that he had written and others had made famous such as Keith Urban's "Better Life." I was more than satisfied with this show before KingBilly ever took the stage. So the picture you see above was just icing on the cake. And what a cake it was. It's so exciting to see these shows and these people you never thought you'd be less than ten feet from. Turns out, they're right in my back yard now. And. I. Love. It.

Not too shabby for a Friday night. Good entertainment was needed in order to keep me going. I'm so ready for my Christmas at home. Especially since it's about this time that I'm used to being able to head home for the holidays after exams are over. Oh winter break... Not this year, unfortunately. Although, I am blessed to have a week off at Christmas. It's not quite the month I'm used to in between semesters. Life goes on I suppose. I'm still adapting. Still not used to it just quite yet...

On a Mission

I am on a mission. I wrote a couple of months ago in reference to my new attitude on life. My new goals of fitness and health. And then came Thanksgiving and multiple trips home and that whole fitness thing fell through the cracks. I have yet to join a gym even though I have been more cautious of my eating habits and have lost... not as much as I would like... by doing so. Oh well. Here I am again. 

My last grocery bill was outrageous because everything in my cart consisted of being on the more healthy end of the spectrum. I've been drinking almost three liters of water a day. Portions, much smaller. Starving? Only in my head... Don't worry. As I told Mr. Perfect, you really will never have to worry about Classy not eating enough. I'm always hungry. As of late, I'm just feeding that hunger when I know it's real and not just boredom or stress. I've started yoga. I'm new to this game, but I'm enjoying it so far. It's relaxing. I'm joining the local Y at the first of the year. It's the time of year I always get myself going again... only this time, I won't be moving or going home for the summer, therefore, I have no excuse for my routine to be compromised. I'm on a mission. 

Fuel for my mission. Oh, you'll like this one. I was asked in June to be a bridesmaid in my college roommate's wedding this coming May. Of course I would, that's not a question. The dilemma... her choice of dress was being discontinued in July. Reminder: this is June. Therefore, the solution is, no fitting, just giving her my size and allowing her to order it for me. To me, this isn't an issue. It's a no-brainer. I've been the same size for years. My last semester of school, I dropped a size. Order me this size. Thank you. She comes back with a dress that is a size larger than the size I asked for. She says "I had to order my wedding dress in this size and thought it would be easier, just in case, to take in rather than let out." Excuse me? 

I'm not making this up.

Fuel for my mission. I'm determined to not only not have to quote "let it out." I'm determined to have to take it in about three sizes. I'll show her and the rest of those caddy sorority sisters of mine... (remember them? They'll most definitely be at this wedding... woo)... that this Classy girl can hold her own in this great big world and she doesn't need the likes of them anyway. Okay, so I'm being dramatic. But you get the picture. 

Yes, I'm on a mission. Hold me to it, won't you? I'm looking forward to the attention. You would be too. Ready, set, go!

"I Don't Wanna Grow Up"

...well, you need to. Seriously, get on that.

Quite the entertaining weekend. No, I didn't run into Lindsay Lohan, but I ran into a few girls who would've fit nicely into this particular movie. Don't get me wrong, I can be quite the mean girl... much to my avail. Oh well. Not today's point. So let's get to today's point shall we?

Went home this weekend for yet another wedding. A friend that I grew up with did as most of my friends are doing lately, graduated college and graduated from the single life all within a few months. It was a beautiful wedding. She was a princess as predicted. No mean girls were in attendance of such wedding. Even though we were one big happy group of friends for oh, I don't know, eight years of our lives. I am only referring to said girls as "mean girls" because they have since gathered back together even moreso "clique-esque" since graduating college. Are we regressing back to our high school days, Ladies? Is my life suddenly in rewind when all of this time I was certain it had been in fast forward? My newly married princess friend specifically told me that she invited every last girl that was in our "group" growing up. Can we talk about how I spoke to one of them who decided not to go based on the fact that it was her birthday... (and?!)... and her remark to Princess inviting some of the other girls was "Classy, do you remember what terms they were on in High School? Why would she invite her to her wedding now?" My response... "NO! Of course I don't remember what terms they were on in High School because it was... HIGH SCHOOL?" Buh. I'm getting myself all worked up again. I was honestly ashamed, sitting in that beautiful ceremony and being the only one out of the entire group of approximately seven or so girls. I cannot fathom being offended to receive an invitation to a friend's wedding. Yes, we haven't been so close while in school, but we grew up together. That in itself is enough for me. Whatever. Burn your bridges if you wish, just don't look back after you do.

Anyway, the rest of the weekend consisted of drinking (too much) on Friday night into the wee hours of the morning, entertaining text messages, friendly bar tenders, christmas shopping with my mother, and spending time with a couple of my "nice girls." My SATC girls if you recall. Missed Roxie again. Reunion to come soon. It was a good weekend all in all. Minus the disgust I had for said girls mentioned above. Oh well. Live and Learn... and Grow. Grow up.

Dream On

I had quite a vivid dream last night. When I say vivid, I mean a dream so entirely realistic you feel that you are actually living it... Okay, so perhaps realistic is not the right terminology. But real. It feels real. You know the one I'm referring to... the one you hope is real or pray is not. This one was the former.

I haven't remembered many dreams as of late. I hope that means I'm sleeping well. But last night, in one night... get ready... I was named Sweetheart of a fraternity that does not exist at my alma mater and congratulated by people I have not been in contact with since High School, I was rescued from such a congratulatory mob by quite the handsome college coed of whom I have secretly admired from a distance for four years, I met Kenny Chesney when said coed and I escaped for drinks and then flew out to Key West for a concert in which KC only sang John Mayer songs. Go figure. Island Girl, I'm sorry you couldn't be with me. 

In any case, more excitement than I've seen in some time now. And when I rolled over to my singing alarm this morning, I was more than a little irritated. 

While I've taken a select few Psychology courses, I've yet to discover the meaning of dreams. I'm sure you can find many meanings (good and bad) behind the curious saga that I encountered in one night, but I'm okay with this. I'll take more of the good and less of the bad (of which I have had my fair share this week) and keep dreaming. It's what I do. 

I hope tonight's dream world serves to be as entertaining as last's. In the real world, I'm off to another wedding weekend and another trip back home for said wedding. Exciting, yes. Exhausting, yes. Another witness to the race of life as I've come to see it. Maybe this is why I find such solace in my dreams. There, I can be whoever I want, where ever I want, with whomever I want, with zero responsibility. That's my favorite part. Zero responsibility. 

ha. right. dream on Classy....