Thoughts on Tuesday

Happy Tuesday!

I've fallen behind on my running in the last week or so. We went to Boston and I hadn't been to the gym in a few days. And I decided I'd get back to it OUTSIDE. I haven't ran outside since HS (for cheer). Is that strange? Well I need to get into the habit of running outside vs. the treadmill since I'll be running in September.

So I laced up and took my parents dog Molly with me. I'd never run with her before but she's getting fat (kidding...kind of) and I felt safer taking her with me. So we ran around two miles (a little less) as a trial run. She did so great. My parents did a great job with training her. She stayed on my left and pushed me to run faster. She's worn out now.



I've also been chatting with my brother Adam a lot more lately. I think Adam and I had a few ups and downs. Mostly when Mom and Dad moved to Madison and I was feeling abandoned. But now that I'm here we've gotten closer, closer than we probably would have been if I hadn't come here. Adam is a cool dude and we always laugh when we chat and hang out. So... yay for having awesome brother(s).




After reactivating my Facebook I still haven't gotten too involved or active. The first few days I looked at quite a few friends pages to catch up on their lives. I've deleted over 50 people and am thinking about deleting a few more. I haven't been on daily and it's honestly because I'm still struggling with being positive/caring/friendly. When I find myself saying negative things to myself while I'm looking, I've just gotten offline. I'm working at it still! How do you stay positive about your Facebook friends?



Today I was driving home from work and then I remembered... I'm dating Mr. Scottie B. Sometimes it hits me how crazy that is. For those who don't know the story, Mr. Scottie B. and I first met when we were 12 and 13. We both lived in California and did musical theater together. I had a crush on him and I was living an hour and a half away from him. When the musical we were doing ended, we continued to talk and write letters to each other. His letters included poems and sweet loving 8th grade words (I still have the letters). We drifted apart and I thought of him on occasion. I found him on Facebook a while ago (like over a year ago) and then saw his posts about Chicago. We got in touch and I found out he was living there. That was only a few hours away. So one Saturday we met up in the city and had what we are calling our 'first' date. Many weekends later, here we are. Mr. Scottie B. is handsome, kind, hilarious, and extremely sweet. I feel pretty lucky. I can't wait to see his face on Saturday (it's been two weeks)!



Thanks for letting me share a few thoughts from today! I feel so blessed today! I've got a new running partner, feeling close to my brother, and I've got an awesome boyfriend. AWESOME!

She said I think I'll go to Boston

Well folks I fell in love with another American city, Boston. On Friday, I tagged alone with Dad and Mom to Boston. We drove to New Hampshire so Dad could pick up the stuff for his work and stayed the night there. We stayed in Concord and it was an adorable little town. On Saturday morning we all got up and ate at Dunkin Donuts (mom's fave). Then Dad drove to his work. Mom and I walked around downtown Concord. There was a small farmer's market, a few thrift stores, and a few little stores. It was awesome.
















After our morning in Concord we drove to Boston. On Saturday we worked. Dad's company at a booth set up and we gave out samples. It was really hot but was in this great park. I'm kind of tired tonight so I'll give you the short version of the rest of the trip. On Sunday we went downtown and we... got coffee, went to the Cheer's bar, walked through the Commons, rode the T, shopped (including visiting Johnny Cupcakes), put our feet in the Atlantic ocean, walked through a very old graveyard, drove through tons of different neighborhoods, got cupcakes, and drank beer at an Irish pub in Cambridge.

The trip was so amazing. We didn't want to try to fit too much into one day and we didn't. We went with the flow with not much of a plan in mind, but did a ton of exploring. It was so much fun! I'm terribly in love with the city of Boston and would love to live there. The city is clean and so historic. I say all this but get me back in Chicago and I'll say the same thing. Mr. Scottie B. told me I'm ridiculous for wanting to live in all these different cities :)

Here are a ton of photos from our trip. Sorry I didn't link any of the stores, shops, or info. I'm tired and sick of being on the computer (edited photos for a while).



















How was everyone else's weekend? What did you do?

Momma's Birthday

Today is my mom's birthday. She's my best friend and my biggest supporter of everything I do. She's an amazing lady and such a great example of what a strong women looks like. Happy Birthday to her!

Last night The Wilcox's and Ben & Courtney came over as a surprise. Mom was so confused when Rachel pulled up with the boys and then Adam followed with a birthday cake. She went to lunch with her friend yesterday and my aunt today. We all went to dinner (that's a whole other story, you can see my review via Yelp).

Tomorrow mom, dad, and I are off to Boston for a short visit. I'm SO excited! Will keep you all updated through Twitter and will take tons of photos!

Warped Tour 2011

A while back I had talked via Twitter to an old high school friend John about possibly getting me into Vans Warped Tour. John is now part of the band Shut Up And Deal. I hadn't talked with him since and then the day before I had tweeted at him again and he totally came through. SO Ben and I drove down to Milwaukee to the Summerfest grounds and met up with John.

It was quite hot outside and muggy. But totally worth the heat for all the awesomeness. The first band we saw was Set Your Goals. They were great and such an energetic way to start our day. We quickly found the refill station for water and that saved us tons of money. I'm so glad I brought a reusable water bottle!

A few of the other bands we saw perform were August Burns Red, 3OH!3, The Wonder Years, Relient K, Bad Rabbits, and Shut Up And Deal.

All the bands we saw were SO AWESOME. John told us to check out Bad Rabbits and I'm so glad he told us to. They were awesome performers and everyone needs to check them out. And of course check out Shut Up And Deal. John and his band mates are so talented. I'm stoked to have been able to meet them all and watch them do their thing.

Here are quite a few photos from our day:

The Truth

I'm going to be honest with you, I deactivated my Facebook because I was being a creep. I was looking through ex friends, current "friends", and ex-bfs thinking one of two things. Either, 'woah, I'm doing a lot better than this person' or 'this person is doing awesome and it's making me feel crappy about myself'. In the very short 80 days that I haven't had Facebook I've realized a few things.

First of all, I've really come to love that my path is different than everyone elses' and I've come to realize I can't compare my life path to theirs. I have to remind myself that I am living for God and living up to my own expectations. Now with saying that, I will say that I am still open to advice and guidance. But ultimately I live with my choices and decisions. But so are all those people on Facebook. They are living the way that is best for them (in their eyes) and who am I to tell them that's wrong...

And on that note, holy cow can I be judgmental. Recently I was talking with Mr. Scottie B. about a friend and he pointed out that I had said nothing but negative things to say about this person. And I was like, shit he's right. And it got me thinking about a lot of things, including why I disliked Facebook. A lot of my friends on Facebook were posting negative or depressing things and instead of being a concerned friend and asking how I can help or support them...I was hiding their posts and thinking "Their life isn't that bad, man up." (yes I really did think man up). And friends would post about their babies and I'd feel like 'I don't really care'. Man, what a terrible attitude to have. These are people I've known for years. People who helped me through hard times or maybe friends from HS who at least helped me through a few homework assignments. These are people who I share such awesome memories with and we've gone seperate ways but....

This is what Facebook is all about. It's about reconnecting with those old friends. It's about still caring about them and the lives they've created. It's about supporting each other and still having a place in your heart for these people.

When I first deleted my Facebook I remember saying "If any of them really care about what's going on in my life, they'll text or call". haha, what a b word I am. I still care about a lot of the people I had as friends on FB. And once in a while I will send them a text to say hi. But we're all busy and FB is an awesome place to catch up on each others lives it just takes less effort (which makes us all kind of lazy, meh. oh well).

This post is probably a hot mess of my thoughts but I think what I'm getting at is...
Maybe I'll get a facebook again. But hopefully this post will remind me to do the following.

*Be a positive light on Facebook. Lift friends up in times of need
*Remember that most of these people are true friends and do care about me
*If I don't have anything nice to say then don't say anything at all
*Babies are adorable and it's not their fault that their parents post things about them pooping (note: do not overshare, sometimes it's gross)
*Stop looking at certains peoples FBs. If you aren't their friend it's either because you don't know them in real life or they left your life for a good reason.
*If you look at a picture or see a post and have something nice to say, say it


So, don't judge me for caving and getting a FB again. And if you see me on twitter saying mean things about FB...remind me of this post!

FDF! Friday night we went to dinner at Quivey's Grove. The food was SO good and the interior is awesome. Their website even has the history of the buildings/restaurant and it's really neat (check it out).





Although Mr. Scottie B. had not planned to see me this weekend, I pretty much invited myself to see him (sometimes a girls gotta see her bf). So I drove to the base Friday night and we went to a hookah bar with some Navy buds. It was a interesting time (haha). The next day before we headed to Evanston, Mr. Scottie B. sang me a few songs. Then off to Evanston and it is the cutest little town. As soon we get off the train there is a Urban Outfitters, American Apparel, a movie theater, a yogurt place, and a World Market...sigh. So we walked through World Market and bought some wine and treats. Then headed to That Little Mexican Cafe for food, to the movies to see "Horrible Bosses", and a quick stop after for some yogurt. The food was good, the movie was SO funny, and the yogurt might have been the best idea I'd had all day.

After Mr. Scottie B. reminded me that I wouldn't be back in Chicago for at least three weeks I decided we had to head downtown. So a quick ride on CTA and we were at Oak Street Beach. We finished our wine and watched the moon rise (aw, I know). I drove home late (again). But it wasn't too bad, I was pretty awake.

Mr. Scottie B. carrying my overnight bag for me (hehe) and getting ready to sing :)

So he kind of looks like Jake Gyllenhaal

This morning I went to church (great service). And my plan for the rest of the day is to just relax. I'm thinking a movie and a nap. Maybe some baking finally.

How is everyone else's weekend going?