Just a Few Random Thoughts...

~Today is 4/20. Never been one to prefer smoking weed over booze and, let's be serious, if you're over the age of, say, 21, is there really a need to dedicate a day to the "holiday"? I shouldn't throw stones tho, being that I do enjoy a few (dozen) couple of beers here and there, but still.

~I'm wearing leggings as pants today. Some people have an issue with that: they don't consider leggings as "pants". I don't give a crap, especially if I wear a long shirt to cover my ass.

~Beer bottles make me all warm and fuzzy inside. No explanation needed. ;)

~Tonight I'm choosing to go to the wake of a former preschool student of mine's father who passed away unexpectedly. She is only in kindergarten and has a toddler-aged brother as well. Their mother is one of the sweetest mothers I came in contact with in the 6 years I worked at that school. All the support she gave me while I was going to school while working there as well as encouragement to leave and begin a new career was incomparable. Although I didn't see the father as much as I did my student's mother, the times I was in contact with him were some of the sweetest, most loving interactions between him and his daughter. The way she led him around the classroom, showing him her projects hanging on the wall, was enough to make you stop and appreciate the closeness the two of them shared. Being so close to my dad, and having him deal with some serious health issues a few years back, this entire situation has had me, yet again, put life in perspective. And I'll leave you with this: live your life like today is your last. You don't know when it will be taken from you.

Cali, AC, and Me

I don't have too much to report on. Things in my life are quite calm at the moment. I'm back from my trip to California and simply had an amazing time with the other half to my "Pea in a Pod". She was a great hostest, shopping buddy, tattoo/piercing partner, and the best tour guide I could ask for. We traveled as far north as Cambria to see hundreds of elephant seals lounging on the beach, all the way down to Santa Barbara where we shopped on State Street, had lunch on Stearns Wharf, and walked a farmers market.

I mean, let's be serious. I went across the country to see one of my best girlfriends. It wasn't all PG-rated sight-seeing. We partied HARD. Tried some new shots (cactus cooler, ninja turtle), drank a shit ton of beers, had a happy hour with margaritas on the cliffs above the ocean in Shell Beach, and drank on the day of my flight back home til I had to leave to go to the airport. Between being up early for my flight the morning I left, the time change, and the late night out at the bar, I was up for over 24 hours my first day on the West Coast. Oh, and within four hours of landing, I got a new tattoo... followed by the "you went 3,000 miles to get a tattoo of the state of New Jersey?" comments. Yep! I sure did. And I'm absolutely in love with it.

After the worst red-eye flight experience ever (middle seat, 32nd row, and a minor cold), I had two days to lay low, and then hit the road Friday night to head down to Margate, just south of Atlantic City, with my longest friend, who owns a beach house, and best friend. We like to call this our "escape from reality" weekend where we sleep, watch QVC, and have a low-key night in AC, going out to dinner and playing some penny slots.

Not much exciting is going on in the boy department, but this is quite the relief. I parted ways with the boy I had met through my friend, as he was a bit too clingy while I was on vacation and just wanted too much, too soon. He's a great guy, but not the guy for me. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the time I have for myself, my friends, and my family. Between working out, wedding planning with my sister, and just the normal day-to-day activities, I'm loving my slow-paced life. Generally, I'm a very giving and selfLESS person, but I must say that I'm REALLY enjoying not having to be concerned with someone else's schedule, issues, and shuffling my life around to be with him. Call me self-centered, but that's exactly what life is about: ME! Although, sometimes, my friends beg to differ ;)

C U Next Thursday

Teehee ;)

Quick (and i mean, QUICK) recap of life before I head off to California for a much needed and deserved vacation.

-Officially off all the dating sites. I've been on and off a couple of them since the summer and need a break. Had some great experiences, some horrible experiences, and some definite great conversation-starter experiences. Now it's time do just let things happen the natural way.

-... and speaking of... a friend of mine set me up with a long-time friend of hers. We've been out on two dates and he seems like a genuinely nice guy (although, we've seen where that leads me a few times in the past). We have plans to hang out when I get back from vacation and he's eager to make plans for things in the next couple of months. I'm working on going slow, getting to know each other, and enjoying this part of our friendship. Time will tell what he has to offer, but at least he comes with a respectable recommendation. That can be the best and worst of being hooked up with a friend of a friend: great if it works out, but someone can be hurt or pissed if it doesn't. Hope for the best, expect the worst.

-My sister's wedding plans are going so well. We chose a makeup artist and need to choose the hairdresser. The part I'm looking forward to most is having our ENTIRE family back in Jersey at the same time. This hasn't happened in over 20 years? It's a big deal and family always makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside :)

That's really about it. Work is good, the family I'm watching are on vacation this week too, so I have a paid week off and I'm less than 24 hours from hopping on the plane and heading across the country for the first time. My homegirl from Rowan University is out there, impatiently awaiting my arrival.

Plans for the week include, but not limited to:
-celebrating a buddy of hers' birthday Saturday night
-recooping Sunday
-beach, tanning (my fave!), sunsets, lounging
-bike rides up the coast
-Santa Barbara day (and possibly over-night) trip
-nose piercings (for her - mine is already pierced. she's waiting for me to get there to do it!) and tattoos (I'm thinking getting a Jersey-esque piece of art somewhere on my foot...)

Deuces, East Coast!