52. My favorite season is fall. I love it when the leaves change color and it gets cold outside. I think it’s the prettiest time of the year, and the most comfortable weather and clothes wise.

53. I hate it when people I don’t know very well call me “Little Tess”. It bugs me a lot, and makes me feel like I’m a little kid. From my friends that I know and love I find it endearing but when my secretary does it I want to punch her in the face.

54. I’m a lil bit fiesty.

55. I used to have a really hard time falling asleep. I’d lay in bed and my mind would race, and then I’d toss and turn and get up ten times a night. Now I sleep like a log-I think it’s because I let go of a lot of stress in my life.

56. I lost a lot of friends when I stopped drinking for a year. It really showed me who my true friends were.

57. I can’t stand it when people say “What can I do you for?” It sounds dirty and it’s a dumb phrase.

58. I hate fake phone voices-like when people act super sugary sweet on the phone and it’s not their normal speaking voice. What is that?

59. I love Christmas. I decorate like crazy for it and I love everything from the songs, to the family time, to the food, to the specialty drinks (peppermint schnapps you are so good). Every year it looks like Christmas exploded in my house.

60. When I was a little kid I used to insist that we cut down our own Christmas tree instead of buying it. This would already result in super ugly Charlie Brown looking Christmas trees that I thought were beautiful.

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I stole this from my good friend, The Queen, first because I love these kind of things, and second because this is my 102nd post! I can’t believe that I’ve written over 100 posts-for those of you who do read my blog, thanks for tuning in!

So here are 102 random things about me, starting with the first 51

1. I waited to be born till after my dad came home from work, and I was apparently a very quick and easy labor. My mom said I’ve been trying to please people ever since.

2. My older brother was my best friend till he went into 1st grade and some kid told him it’s not cool to be friends with your sister. To this day I wish we had a closer relationship.

3. I grew up on a quasi farm-we had goats, pigs, chickens, dogs, cats, a hamster, at one point a ferret, and one sheep. Not a herd, just one.

4. My stepdad killed and ate the lamb-her name was Precious. He actually said, “Mhmm, Precious sure tastes good.” Mean. He was just playing around though.

5. My stepdad has been the best father to me I could have ever asked for.

6. My stepdad was my track coach in high school, and I couldn’t run a race without hugging him first and getting a pep talk.

7. I have a really strong connection with my mom. Sometimes I think we can read each other’s minds.

8. My mom is manic depressive, but she doesn’t let it rule her life. She is the strongest woman I know.

9. When I was a little girl I loved the color pink. I wanted a pink house, pink car, pink everything. When I got a little older I was a huge tomboy and hated pink. In college, I dyed my hair pink.

10. In 6th grade, I was part of the junior pep squad. We performed at half time for a high school football game and I thought I was really cool. I watched a video of it when I got older and it turns out I’m really uncoordinated.

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Technorati Tags: lists, things about me, tomboy, treadmills

So my dear friend, The Queen as she’s linked on my page, told me that she sent me a birthday present. She told me way ahead of time that she was having something made, and that she was getting all of these things together, so of course my anticipation was mounting.

Well yesterday when I got home, guess what was waiting for me? I couldn’t grab my box cutter fast enough! I ripped the package open, and there was a postcard, with my “guide” to everything she’d sent me.

1. Bag-to help you carry your burdens

2. Hoodie-to keep you warm on cold days

3. Book- to escape reality if need be

4. Candy-to thank you for all the times you’ve saved my life.

5. Slippers-to remind you I’m here for you if you ever “slip” or fall.

I seriously had tears in my eyes when I read it. She is for sure one of my best friends, even though we don’t see each other that often. She’s always been there for me, with a card, with a silly text message, or an amazing book that changed my life (TWILIGHT!!!). I told Dill Pickle that we HAVE to go visit my fellow Coast Sister and her hubby in North Carolina. Now I can rock my sweatshirt and feel like a local. Hahah!

So what do you think of all my cool gear? I should explain we call each other Coast Sisters because we both live on opposite coasts. How great is my bag? The only drawback of the slippers is that my dog thinks they are furry playthings. He keeps chasing my feet around the house.

Technorati Tags: birthday, coast, north carolina, present, sister, slippers

Hip hip hooray for a three day weekend! I am so excited to have some time to relax. Monday Dill Pickle and I will get a full day off together because of the holiday. I’ve got a surprise date planned for Sunday night which will hopefully go over well.
It’s Friday and I’m having trouble focusing at work. I can’t wait to go to Dyl’s parent’s house where we’re going to bbq and swim. With this heat that’s all I want to do is cool off. It’s been in the high 90s, low 100’s every day this week I think. I just wish I had some sexy swimwear to wear for the backyard pool party. The one I have now is about 3 years old. Right now I’m still not feeling too confident in a bikini, but that’s why I have my workout goals. Swimming is an excellent workout, and it will help ease my guilt over eating hamburgers and sausages. I hope everyone enjoys the holiday weekend!

Yesterday I couldn’t leave work fast enough. Researching dell memory and doing other such tedious tasks felt like it was taking forever. You know when you have something to look forward to the time goes that much slower? Funny how that is. I was so excited because after work it was Ladies Night! I went out with my favorite ladies, EB and KJ to happy hour filled with margaritas and laughs, followed by the much anticipated watching of the Sex and the City movie! It was just as good as I had hoped it would be, and perfect for Ladies Night. We laughed, we cried, we awwwed, we sighed with wistfulness. It was nice to spend an evening out with my girls. We definitely need more of those!

I have a dear friend JB who told me that maintaining a friendship is almost like maintaining a relationship. It can be really hard, and you have to put in a lot of time and effort. Since I’ve been single, I’ve really started focusing on my friendships and developing strong ties to those close to me. It can be exhausting sometimes. From the minute I got off work yesterday I was on my Bluetooth headset talking to various friends about plans for that evening and the next few days. I would hang up the phone and it would start ringing again. I love it though, being so busy and social. I love that almost every night of the week I have plans with friends. So what if part of it is because my new apartment has a kick ass pool and summer is in full swing?
I think one of the hardest things for a friendship is when someone goes through a breakup. My best friend EB is going through a rough one and I’m doing my best to be there for her. It’s hard because part of me just wants to celebrate because this guy was toxic. He was a horrible match for her, and they fought daily. I am excited that we’re both single together, and I can’t wait for the part where she’s happy to be rid of him. I just hope she can stay strong in the next few days and realize she deserves better. In the meantime, I’m just trying to figure out how to be the best friend I can be while she’s going through this. Any suggestions?

My best friend EB and I love to talk about weddings. Sometimes we’ll both be watching the WE channel, and we love to watch that show, Rich Bride, Poor Bride, and we text each other about the dresses and get all girly. Neither of us is all that girly, but when it comes to weddings, we turn into giggly women. I can’t wait for the day when EB and I are picking out bridal shower invitations, and planning each other’s bachelorette parties! It’s nice to know I have a close enough girlfriend that will definitely be my maid of honor, and I’ll be hers. I never had a close girlfriend like that growing up, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve grown to really appreciate my girlfriends. One day we sat at EB’s house and just looked at wedding dresses. Just because we haven’t found our future husbands doesn’t mean we can’t indulge in a little wedding planning right?

So blogging has become a real passion of mine as of late. I finally roped my friend into it and I wanted to give everyone a chance to read it. Queen of the Fine Arts has a gift for gab, and it shows in her writing. I’m just excited she finally got on board with the rest of us bloggers. Go Queenie!

I had this feeling that 2008 was going to be a great year for me, or at least an exciting one. Although we’re only 3 months into the new year, already so many changes have occurred. One of the most prominent changes would be my living situation. The new roommate was hard to get used to at first, but the more time I spent at the new place, the more I’ve grown to really love it. I have a roommate who isn’t home much, and when she is, we talk, or we watch tv and movies together, sometimes do dinner. I also have a nice two bedroom place to myself the majority of the time, which has a lot of perks. The hot tub is a  huge plus, and I cannot wait until it’s warm enough to test out the pool.

Another huge change is my romantic life. I’m single once again, but for the first time in a long time, I’m happy about it. I do love DG, I probably always will. But I have realized that I fall in love with a person’s potential, and no amount of love I give, or encouragement or support is ever going to make that person change. They have to have the drive and ambition to do it on their own. I’m learning to be a bit more picky, and a bit more reserved. I’m a heart on my sleeve type of girl, and I tend to just give my heart away without a second thought. I always want to skip the dating stage and head straight to comfy sweatpants, when shouldn’t I be enjoying the beginning? Isn’t the first three months when you’re just learning about someone? Why commit to that person completely before you even know how they like their eggs?

Professionally, 2008 has been amazing. I am learning more and more about the technical world and the longer I’m at my job, the more I love it. I love coming to work in the morning, and I love what I do. They treat me so well, and I couldn’t ask for a better situation.

I’ve been spending a lot of time with friends, both old and new. I’m developing my friendships, and having a lot of fun in the process. I’ve starting going to a regular potluck Thursday, and EB and I are training for a 10K. I love going on our runs, where we probably talk more than actually work out. It’s the thought that counts right?

So here’s to 2008. It has and will continue to have its ups and downs. But I have a feeling that this is my year, and big things are happening. Here’s to riding the wave.

Ok, so I know I have vented in the past about my roommate situation. But it’s not that I think she has ever been malicious, I just think that we’re very different. We have some really fun times, and as we get used to each other, I think we’re starting to get in the swing of things. I’ve been having a rough week, and I didn’t even think she noticed. To my surprise though, last night she gave me a very much needed hug. I was shocked that she cared, and it made me feel so much better. And to top it off, today she had flowers delivered to my work!

I am floored by her compassion for me even though I’ve been fairly tight lipped about what’s going on. It’s funny, when I’m sad I actually don’t open up a ton, especially not with a roommate. I guess I think there are people you have to be strong around, and I just don’t want to fall apart in front of this person who already sees enough of me. I don’t like feeling so vulnerable, and it is nice that she’s respecting my space. I’m beginning to think that this roommate stuff is more than just a way to save money. It just might be a little bit fun.