Let That Igloo Cooler Mark Your Piece of Paradise

This summer, oh this summer. It seems my life has been broken up into series of school years and summers. This summer will be classified as, "summer oh-nine," or the, "summer between my sophomore and junior years." Whatever I decide to call it when referring to an event, it's been one of the most interesting of my life. I was tagged on facebook recently by someone who listed things they were going to miss this summer. I'm going to use the same type of format, using the list to describe the steady changes that I have experienced this summer, while re-living what became my consistent normal. Ready? Here I go :)

Things I will learned about this summer:

1. I enjoy working in an environment where summer dresses and flip flops are the perfect attire.

2. My favorite free meal will forever be corn muffins and a pitcher of water from County Grill.

3. Being almost twenty-one is almost as good as being twenty-one.

4. When your best friend (without the title) leaves for ten days, and happens to travel to a different country where cell phones are not an option, everything in your world will go crazy.

5. People consistently surprise me, and it's not always a bad thing.

6. Sleep is secondary to more important things.

7. Iced Mint Mocha Coffee's and Diet Coke will remedy the above.

8. Northern drivers are just as bad as I expected them to be.

9. I live a sheltered life, considering things like paying to go to the beach, service stations on toll roads and not pumping your own gas are entirely new concepts to me.

10. A little boy can steal your heart three months before you meet him, and when you do eventually get to meet him, he touches you more than you could ever imagine.

11. Things turn out the way you never expected, but the way they should.

12. Spending nights curled up on a couch or in a bed with my favorite people watching movies and laughing till I cry will always be my favorite pastime, no matter where I am.

13. Miley Cyrus will eventually grab you and pull you into her music spell, no matter how much you fight it ("...it's the cliiiiimmmbbbb," ahaha).

14. Nights on Beach Road will always bring clarity, no matter how old I get.

15. No matter how many episodes of, "What Not to Wear," come on TLC, people will still continue to wear things like cut off jorts with their socks and reeboks.

16. As much as I try to fight it, reality TV involving children, babies, weddings and people who are just generally off their rocker will peak my interest until tv's die out.

17. People.com may be the only news source I view, and I think I'm okay with that.

18. Blacksburg humidity levels are much more tolerable than the 110 percent levels I face here in the 757.

19.  Big cheap jewelry is my favorite a recessionista fashion statement.

20. Summer ALWAYS goes by too fast.

I'm sure I've learned more than that, but its 11:30 and I'm ready for bed (today was a caffeine day, obviously). 

P.S. Ky, this was for you ;)

45 Days

45 days. That is all that is standing in my way of complete happiness. It's when my warriors in maroon and various accents of orange and white, take up and challenge the Crimson Tide of Alabama, in what is going to be the biggest college football opener this season. To add sprinkles on top of this sundae of a situation, I will be there, in Atlanta (the "neutral" site) with my roommate and a few friends, basking in the glory of beer, burgers, painted faces and Hokie-Hi. I almost tingle with anticipation.

This brings me to a very important conversation that I held last night with one of my very dear friends, a new Hokie, and my boyfriend, a (gah) Wahoo. We were discussing the recent breach in privacy of my idol, Erin Andrews. What I mean by discussing is, I was telling them this story, assuming they knew exactly who Erin is (shes a gorgeous blonde who spends her time on a football field, what guy wouldn't want to watch her every move?). I was both shocked and appauled when they both looked at me, innocence and the lack of testosterone in their eyes, and asked me who she was. If for some terrible reason, you don't know who Erin is, please see above, this is after a Thursday night thrashing of the Terps in Blacksburg last fall.

I suppose I could excuse the wahoo, after all Erin only works big games, and considering UVa's record over the years, there has been no reason for her to be in Charlottesville. But a fellow Hokie? Now that is something that really hurt my heart. In fact, he will now be spending every Saturday, starting at 10 am (excluding Tech game weekends, of course) sitting on my couch and learning all about what predictions Corso, Herbstreet, and even Chris Fowler, make for the upcoming weekend. He will learn what predictions to trust, and what games are to be chosen to watch, rule of thumb being- whatever game has the most impact on Virginia Tech as a whole, to be followed by ACC games, and the occasional game of historic importance, like Georgia-Florida (although in general, I will be encouraging the distaste of all teams SEC, just on principal), or Army-Navy (which usually is a terrible game, but none the less, important to American history).

I am both disappointed and excited at their lack of College Football knowledge. Disappointed because they are two people I hold in high esteem, and I feel they should be much more well rounded in the sporting category, especially when it comes to something so completely embedded in American culture. Excited, because it just proves that I, a female, can be educator instead of the educatee when it comes to one of my greatest passions. Gender stereotyping... maybe? Regardless, I am just one example that goes to show, don't judge a book by it's cover (something we can all learn from Corey Smith... google it ;) ). Despite my outward semi "southern belle" exterior, lies the heart of a tried and true, down home, voice-losin', face paintin', cheer chantin', football enthusiast.

Can I make it through the next 45 days? We will just have to wait and see :)

Abbrevs and other such things

Abbrevs... that would be the abbreviation, for the word abbreviation. As of the past six months or so, the shortening of common words has become a staple in my vocabulary. This is not entirely because of my initiation into a sorority, however, my lovely Tri Delta's have definitely been an influence. The response of the use of such words has been a mixture. Some find certain abbrevs to be appropriate, while others just think that the notion of using shorthand throughout verbal communication to be proposterous. I personally, have several that I enjoy and use on a regular basis...
Negs-Negative
Obvi- Obvious
Reg(s)-Regular
Fo-For
Whatevs-Whatever
Sitch-Situation
Mabes-Maybe
Boyf- Boyfriend (Girlf may also be used in the same connotation)
Rents- Parents (although I must admit, it is common for me to just refer to my rents as Ed and Bev...)
Perf-Perfect
Fab-Fabulous
...I know there are more, but these are all I can think of that I use on the regs that aren't region related (such as Bburg for Blacksburg or Hpt for Hampton). One you will not see me using is the 80's classic... Totes. Terrrrribbbleee abbrev, thanks Valley Girl. I'd like to think of myself as a moderate abbrevs user, just throwing them in when ness (necessary)... but I am sure others will tell you different. Whatevs, mabes I just have so much to say that it's plausable for me to fit in as many words into one breath as possible, and abbrevs are a great way to do that, haha.

Few little things, non-abbrev related. Sarah... this one was for you :). And Happy Birthday Daddy! Mucho love for all things shortened... its entirely ness to use abbrevs in certain sitches, makes them much more perf, obvi ;)

THANK YOU SOLDIERS

I am a holiday girl. Meaning that I absolutely love any reason to get together with friends and family, and holidays are the perfect excuse. The Fourth of July, in particular, puts together several of my favorite things, friends, time out in the sun on the beach (and the boat today :)!), country music, red, white, and blue and most of all... firecracker popsicles. Ah... perfection. 

Ironically, when I turned on my tv this morning, a show called, "Wedding Day," caught my eye. I flipped to the channel and the reason for showing this particular episode was inherently evident. The premise of the show is two people who plan a wedding for a couple with their family and friends within a week. The couple this week just returned from Iraq, and without a doubt, are an absolutely gorgeous couple with hearts of gold. Instead of a wedding favor, they donated a large amount of money to a fund that supports soldiers who are wounded in duty. This couple is absolutely amazing, and I wish them all the best.

Even though none of my family members have military ties, growing up in the largest military area in the US has given me a particular soft spot for the soldiers and their families. Many of my close friends throughout elementary school, middle school and high school were in military families, and one of my good friends from high school is actually heading off to boot camp today (love you Christine, you are awesome!). As a bonus, I get to spend the day with a man I consider an additional father figure to the marvelous dad I have, and a man who donated much of his life to this country, my Big Papa.

While I will be enjoying the sun beams dancing on my skin and the delicious mixture of a red, white and blue popsicle, my thoughts and prayers will be with those soldiers and their families. THANK YOU for my freedom, it wouldn't be possible without your selfless acts.

Where are all the mirrors?

While taking a break from work, my mind wanders to the Kenny Chesney concert I attended last night. The air was the perfect combination of hot and sticky, just enough to make my hair curl at the ends, the breathtaking aroma of beer and toke peppered the atmosphere and Kenny played all my favorites, so much so that my voice is a little scratchy even this afternoon. All in all, I was set up for a perfect evening in Virginia Beach.

While waiting for the performers to hit the stage, I partook in one of life's most precious pastimes, people watching. What I saw frightened me so much that I woke up this morning in a cold sweat, thinking that every mirror on the entire peninsula had been stolen. What else explains the outfits people walked out of the house in last night?

There, of course, were your a-typical underage drunken teenagers, complete with skin tight jorts, with just enough fraying to make them look like Freddie Krugar was their seamstress. This look is complete of course, with the bikini top (if we're lucky) and cut up white tee shirt, manuvered just enough, so that when tied properly every inch of skin beyond the x-rated is visible. This look is not complete without the ever classic flashing plastic lei, or equally as trashed boyfriend, who doesn't seem to own any clothing beyond his tattered boxers and shorts, placed midway down his butt.

These teenagers eventually morph into classier versions of themselves, with slightly longer shorts, Marboro imprinted skin, and the ever flattering halter top, with saggy pointy "accessories," strategically placed just low enough to emphasize the Walmart belly ring, complete with green tinted and stretch mark ridden skin. The boyfriends have matured as well, choosing to display the keg that has conveniently attached itself to the top of the same shorts they were wearing ten years before, the only difference being the placement... about ten inches below the original waistline.

Despite my affection for the above mentioned looks, which could be found widespread throughout the ampetheater, from the bathroom to the stage, and most certainly the Budweiser stand, there were a top three of the evening.
3. The girl to the left of us last night was wearing... brown super short shorts, complete with a black tank top. Yes, Stacy and Clinton say brown and black together are okay... I DO NOT. But this was not my favorite part. In red and black, about halfway down her calf, this girl had... TNT tattooed. Yes, that is correct. TNT. Like the explosive. Sadly for her, unlike the rest of the looks thus mentioned, that tattoo will be much harder to get rid of.
2. The couple (although I must admit, these two were not the only ones) wearing matching UT jerseys, imprinted with Chesney on the back. To complete this lovely outfit, matching "mom" jorts and white tennis shoes, with cuffed white socks. These people did not look like a married couple, they looked like waaayyy oversized twins, dressed by mom and dad for their very first Vols game. Absurd.
1. My favorite look of the night, would have to be the tube top, looking best on women weighing at least 250 pounds, with breasts down to their bellies, and held up only with the excessive roll produced by, "painted on," jeans. This look can be completed with ankle compromising wedges, perfect for treking the grassy knoll.

This leaves me with one plea... whoever stole the mirrors and the taste of these people. Please RETURN asap. Why should I be punished for your greed?

Happy Daddy's Day

I once read, "anyone can be a father, but it takes a man to be a daddy," or something to that effect. It's a pretty true statement, at least in my life. I have never in my life called my daddy, "father," the name just doesn't fit him. In fact, I rarely even call him "dad." He has always been daddy, since I could talk (although I'm sure there was a period when all I could day was "dada"). This subject came to light when I moved in with my roommate last fall. She found it odd that at nineteen years old, I still call my dad the juvenile name that usually sorts itself out before you hit double digits. It really got me thinking, why is it that I use "daddy," when addressing my dad. 

I think there are a couple reasons. My dad, for all his fifty-five years, has always called my grandparents, "mama and daddy." Even when my grandfather was ninety-two, and on his death bed, he was still my daddy's, "daddy." That makes sense, children often mimic their parents in almost every way possible (at least till they realize that it is okay to make their own decisions). But the next couple of reasons are the REAL reason I call my dad, "daddy." He has two girls, and a wife, for a grand total of three women around, influencing his life, at all times. He has never once made qualms about this at all. In fact, he has sat through twenty years of  dance recitals, choral concerts, piano recitals, band concerts, and has even managed to at least pretend to enjoy his time spent. 

Sure, he passed his love for football off along the way, but being able to interject into the ACC or SEC's upcoming season and quote stats along with the boys has always been a blessing in my eyes. My intense passion for orange and maroon and my beloved Hokies would never have formed so deeply without my daddy's insistence of various Tech tees and football parties. I know how to split wood, hammer nails, properly paint a room, and various other things I would never have learned without my daddy. Along with various teachings of household duties, I know how to listen the RIGHT way... however difficult it may be for me to stop talking :P. I also know how to value my time with my family, and respect not only my parents but everyone older than me, with my tone, not just my words. Alas, at twenty, I am finally learning to, "use my head," my daddy's wiser than most mentality about anything and every situation.

His unfaltering faith in his fathers, both heavenly and earthly, has truly shown me the importance of a daddy, and how special mine is. So Happy Daddy's Day to all those daddy's... especially mine. You are loved and cherished :)

Ramblings

Considering I absolutely love to read, write and most of all, talk, it's shocking I hadn't hopped on the blog bandwagon until this point. People have blogs about anything and everything, but most people have actual happenings in their lives that prompt them to start a one (people about to have children in order to share their experiences with family, people facing a serious disease, people embarking on a new life of some sort, ect.). I am none of these people. No big changes are taking place in my life as of right now. I am right smack dab in the middle of my college career and enjoying every moment of it (it helps that I attend the absolute best university on God's green earth, GO HOKIES!), I'm spending my summer splitting my time between working and ice cream adventures with my favorite people, and not much else is on my plate.



Here are just a few subjects I may be tackling within the next few weeks: reality tv children and why they are just so gosh darn interesting (Jon and Kate, anyone?!?), the necessity (or is it?) of abbreviations such as negs (for negative), why i can both be a girl and know more about college football than your average bear (male bear, that is), how driving around with the windows down and radio up may not be economical (especially since gas is on its way back up) but is totally necessary, and other such type events. Heck, I may even include some pictures of happenings in my life if you're lucky enough.



Therefore, it's likely this blog is going to be mostly ramblings, but hey, it's just one of my God given talents... the ablity to continually talk, in essence, about absolutely nothing :).