The man for me

Brian from EHarm - listing 5 things he can't live without (in his own words):

my blackberry
flip flops
baseball hat
laptop
sweet tea, southern food

Yep, that's the man for me! Bonus: He's a Gamecock fan. (that's always a bonus)

haha JK. We are only in the "communication" phase right now. We'll see if he asks for my number.

PS My running blog is all wonked out and until I fix it I'm just going to post those updates here for now. This C to 5 K is going to take forever for me to complete because now I am mostly running outside. Tonight I finished 1.5 miles outside, which seems pretty craptastic. But seriously, the uneven terrain and the humidity are really slowing me down. So just gonna keep plugging along til I hit that 3 mile mark. I know I can do it!

Date recap

I arrived at the restaurant we agreed to meet at, but because I was nervous and worried about parking, I got there about 20 minutes early! I sat in the car for about 10 minutes, but because it was looking like rain, I went ahead inside. We agreed to meet at 5:30, and around 5:40 I was still waiting for him and getting more and more antsy (and annoyed). I looked down and saw that I had missed a call and had a voice message. It was him calling to say sorry but he was running a "few" minutes behind. Unfortunately, he didn't show up until 6:00. Ok, 30 minutes late is not cool, on any planet. I almost left. I seriously did. But he came walking in right as I was about to walk off. But, I blew it off and thought whatever...I might as well make the best of it. And he did apologize. Said something at work came up at the last second. I understand that, it does happen to me too sometimes. Still...

We sat at a booth and ordered drinks and just talked. He was sweet and kind've cute but I knew right off the bat I wasn't interested.

The biggest problem was unfortunately the age gap. He spent most of the time telling me funny college drinking stories about him and his buddies. He mentioned on more than one occasion about this girl or that girl that he dated. He even told me about a "no pants" party that he and his friends had one night after a wedding. I'm sure it was funny and I'm sure ya'll had a blast. But I'm not looking for a frat boy.

He kept ordering beer after beer, and telling story after story. He never once asked me a thing about me. Finally I ordered a water and said I had to call it a night. He looked crushed, but at that point I was in torture. I couldn't take another drunken frat party story another second.

He walked me to my car, the whole time trying to get me to stay a little longer. I felt bad but a lie rolled off my tongue. I told him I had to pick up my mom and dad from the airport really early. He said oh yea, where are they flying from? Me: Ummm..."Alabama?" I guess he bought it. I gave him a hug (this timem on purpose to avoid anything else, lol) and quickly jumped in my car.

He's already texted me twice today telling me how much fun he had and what am I doing tonight. Should I email him and just tell him politely that as sweet as he is, that I don't think we are compatible? But hey...even though I'm not interested, apparently the Cougar thing works for me! hahaha At least it was an interesting experiment. Ha! Next up Clemson Tiger maybe? We'll see.

Oh today, I stopped by Publix and picked these up to cheer myself up! (don't look at the unfinished paint job in the background though! That will be fixed by Monday)














And one more note. Remember my Remington Emi Hair Dryer I bought to curl my hair? Well I'm still loving it. And here's why: This is a picture of my hair after being slept on AND after going for a run at the park this morning! (I know, gross.) But seriously, it holds the curl amazingly well.




















Hope ya'll are all having a great weekend!

Dating is like going on job interviews

Job interviews aren't fun. Am I wearing the right outfit? Do I have food in my teeth? Does my breath smell ok? What questions will they ask? What questions should I ask?

I have been told over and over again to have fun dating, but I don't really enjoy it. At least not yet. But I am trying, I really am. I just dread this nervousness. I dread the awkward chit chat. I dread the not knowing the entire time what they are thinking. And it never gets easier. It's stressful. I know I speak for most single women (and many single men too) when I say, we don't want to date. We want to find The One. But how do you find The One? By dating. Sigh.

I'll update later tonight (unless it goes REALLY well ...hahaha I kid!)

Remember the 28 yr old?

We are meeting for drinks tomorrow after work. Nervous! But hopefully it'll go fine. Not expecting anything out of it, to be honest. But my mindset these days is to just go out with anyone I deem semi normal nice and bonus! He's pretty cute, at least in his pictures.

Plus, even though I'm 35, I have quite a few friends that are in their 20's. I get along with them well. So, not too worried about the age gap. Really, when it comes down to it, I just want to have a nice time. And it beats sitting at home.

I talked to the Clemson Tiger last night. Boy is he country! I mean...some serious twang. I definitely have southern accent, but wow. His was off the charts! He said he would love to get together sometime soon. Will keep ya'll posted.

Today would have been mine and Mr. P's one year from our first date. Thought maybe I would make it through today without any tears, but alas it started from the time I got in the shower. After lunch, I started reading a friend's blog about how she found happiness after going through a rough period in her life. I started welling up because I was happy for her. But then it started me back up again and I really thought I was gonna lose it. I just know something better is around the corner. I just wish it would hurry, but everything happens on God's time doesn't it?

Going to a Premiere Jewelry party tonight. Hope I don't break the bank!

Will post after tomorrow and fill you in on the details of the date/drinks.

PS Running update posted.

xoxo,

Uh oh

So I've been talking to this guy that I met off of Eharmony. We are also facebook friends now as well.

Two problems:

a) he lives an hour and a half away and

(Brace yourself)

b) He's a Clemson Tiger. *gasp*

However, he's so nice. And sweet. And cute.

And then he said one of his favorite songs was by Eric Church "because it reminds him of himself..." (as he chuckled)

Oh boy, I might be in trouble. I loooove a country boy.

<

Sighhhh. ;)

Girlfriends

"No matter who broke your heart, or how long it takes to heal, you'll never get through it without your friends." Carrie, SATC

"The best way to mend a broken heart is time and girlfriends." ~Gwyneth Paltrow














"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson














"I count myselt in nothing else so happy, As in a soul rememb'ring my good friends."- William Shakespeare














"I'll lean on you and you lean on me and we'll be okay."- Dave Matthews Band

"I get by with a little help from my friends."- John Lennon

(Here's to hoping these same friends won't kill me when they see themselves on my blog! ha ha Love you girls!)

Running

is my priority this week. Not happy hour. Not going home to do housework (house is clean). Nada. It's all about the running.

I have NOT been as faithful to my running the last 2 weeks, only fitting in one or two a week.

The result? I have gotten weaker, and 2 miles is still killing me.

Before, I was almost up to 2.5 miles easily. My 1st 5K is looming around the corner, and if I don't get serious I will not be able to finish.

Arrgh.

SO. This week friends: RUNNING is my priority. That's it. Nothing else.

Not much else to report. This week will be a hard one, as this would have been mine and Mr. P's one year anniversary of our first date. Hopefully it'll blow over without much hoopla.

Wishing you all the best to survive another Monday!

Foto Friday

New countertops installed today! They aren't finished - have a good bit of cleanup, touchups to do. But overall I'm really pleased :)

My bar stools - as you can see, they haven't finished installing the counters on this part yet.

Sign that I picked up at Steinmart - I love it!

A few pics of my back porch

The river is down there somewhere. The view in the winter is really nice!







































Last tomato of the season *sniffle*

My most favorite thing out there: My milk can / flower pot holder! This milk can sat on our front porch 30+ years ago.




















Hope ya'll enjoyed this little peek into my home. More pictures to come when the kitchen is finished and put back together.

Happy Friday!

Green Monster last night

I made the BEST Green Monster last night. I'm writing this down so I don't forget. I make these literally 2-3 times a week (sometimes more) so needless to say I'm constantly adding different fruit and other items.

Last night's version:

3/4 cup skim milk (i usually use almond milk but they were out)
1/2 cup lite vanilla yogurt
1/2 tablespooon natural peanut butter
1 banana
1/2 cup blueberries
Couple handfuls of spinach
6-7 ice cubes

YUMMO.

The reason I haven't blogged

is because I've been busy, ya'll!!!

No seriously. Remember all those weeks of me and my sad, lonely blogs and tweets? Well, during that time all I did was go to work, go run, come home and lay on the couch and cry. And blog. And tweet. And cry some more. And tweet. And cry. And, well you get the drift.

My point is....I neglected a lot of things during that time. Such as housework. Let me tell ya'll...my house was getting awful. Sure, I did the basic stuff - loaded the dishwaher, did laundry occasionally (when I ran out of underwear, let's be honest), and yea, that might be it. So needless to say the past week or so, I've been cleaning. Non-stop. I have cleaned so much that you could eat off my floors. Yesterday, I turned my couches inside out and cleaned them. There wasn't a SPECK of dirt on them. My closet has been cleaned out (actually did that last weekend) and I have thrown away so much CRAP that my cats were looking worried thinking I might throw them out. I didn't...but lately cat hair has been bugging me SO much that I was tempted. Ha! (jk guys)

The other thing I neglected was work. There were days when I would sit in my office with the door closed and just stare at the monitor. And cry. Even knowing that I had a conference coming up to plan...I still let my work slide. Thank God the people I work with are so understanding, and they are like my 2nd family. But last week the 2 day conference arrived, and I went into full panic / conference mode. Nametags, ribbons, agendas, programs, speakers, exhibitors, caterers, ahhhhhhhhhhh! It was overwhelming. The good thing is that it kept me so busy that I didn't have time to think about the breakup at all. AND ... check this out. Because our conference dealt with EMS personnel, one of our exhibitors flew in a medic helicopter right beside the hotel. I went outside to take some photos, and turns out one of the paramedics was one of my good friends that I haven't seen in years!!!! I was so excited and happy to see him again. He and my brother were good friends growing up. He told me he still remembers my mom making peach cobblers and giving him some whenever he came over to the house. I told him to come on over, she'd love to make him another one! haha

Another thing I'm excited about is the fact that I'm getting new kitchen countertops this week! Also, a new sink and faucet as well. I'm uber excited about that. After it's all said and done, I'll post pictures.

Oh did ya'll want me to recap the date for ya'll? Sorry! Well, it started out rough, as we agreed to meet at a certain restaurant. Well, silly us - we both thought there was only ONE of that restaurant in town. I showed up at the one I knew about, and he showed up at the, yep. OTHER one - 20 minutes across town. Sighhh. When we realized this, we agreed to meet downtown at another sushi restaurant called Tsunami (you Columbia folks should know this spot well). He was fairly cute, and sweet but painfully quiet. I had to keep asking him questions to keep the conversation going. Towards the end he loosened up some and became more talkative. Overall, it was a nice dinnner - and when the check came he didn't even flinch and told the waitress that would be one check. Loved that. I emailed him to thank him for the dinner again the next day, and to tell him I enjoyed meeting him. He said he did as well, and that maybe we could go kayaking sometime together soon. He said this week was busy for him because of his kid's starting school, etc. I didn't feel an instant connection, but I'd be willing to go out with him again to see. If he asks. Sooo, we'll see.

Another interesting turn of events - a cute 28 year old "winked" at me. No date yet, but ... what are ya'lls thoughts on dating someone 7 years younger? I know I'm jumping the gun here. But, it is a little scary. However, Mr. P. was 6 years older than me and well, ya'll know how that turned out.

Regardless, it won't stop me from going out with him if he asks! He's super cute....did I mention he's cute?? AND a big gameock fan as well...BONUS. Loves to tailgate. My kind of guy for sure.

That's all I got for today...I have some running updates, but I'll save those for my other blog from now on.

Smooches.

1st Outdoor Run!

Don't forget to follow me at my new blog! Thanks to my one follower so far: Jules!! haha You rock sister. Thanks for the encouragement too!!

http://runningincarolina.blogspot.com/2009/08/first-outdoor-run.html

Update coming soon...I promise

I haven't fallen in a hole, just had an insanely busy work week....update coming soon! :)

Date Tonight

I have a spur of the moment date tonight...wish me luck! We are going for sushi after work. Normally I would freak out about spur of the moment dates...but I'm just gonna throw caution to the wind and just go for it. That's all I can tell you for now. Details tomorrow!

My New Blog

Hey all,

Just wanted to let ya'lll know that I have created a new blog. As most of you know, I started the Couch to 5K plan awhile back and I have really enjoyed it. So much that I want to keep running after I finish the plan, and hopefully run some races. I am nervous about it, and know I have a long way to go and a lot to learn! But I'm excited and I want to write and share everything I learn as a newbie runner with ya'll.

Follow me if you like! It's pretty plain right now. Hopefully I'll come up with something more exciting later on.

http://runningincarolina.blogspot.com/

I will keep this blog updated with the other goings-on in my daily life like usual.

More Babies...

My friend's are spitting out babies left and right lately. Here is one of my dearest friend's new baby born last month. Just a month and a few days old.

Isn't he sweet?














Oh and I couldn't resist taking a picture of the t-shirt I was sportin'...




















"SC - Standing Alone Against Northern Aggression Since 1861."

No hatin! It's just a joke) :) haha

Date Recap

Those of you who follow me on Twitter know that I got a little impatient yesterday because the boy waited until 6:00 PM to call me and let me know where we are meeting, time, etc. But I finally simmered down.

We agreed to meet around 8:45 PM at a local bar. That was probably our biggest mistake, but more on that later.

I arrived right on time and I called him to see if he was there. I hate walking into places blindly. He said he was running a few minutes behind (grr) and would meet me out front. Um, it was 90 something degrees and humid as hell! My face melted a little more every second I waited. :( He showed up about 5 minutes later and I waited for him to approach me. He called my name and we said hello. He was cute, and had a nice smile. Then I got nervous and gave him an awkward hug. I mean awkward. That's just what I do when I get nervous though. I hug. I'm a weirdo. I think it took him off guard, haha.

Anyway, we walked inside and let me tell you - this place was standing room only. So we inched our way over to the bar and ordered a few drinks. He asked me what I wanted and started a tab. I thought that was nice - I like a man to pay on the first date. I guess I'm just old fashioned that way. But more on that later also....haha.

So we nervously chatted it up for a while in between "huh" and "what did you say" and "oh really??" and half the time not being able to hear a single thing. Not a great place for a first date. But as the beers went down my nerves settled a little. We were able to make decent conversation and overall I had a pretty good time.

After a few beers, I decided it was time to call it a night. Although we were having a good time, I couldn't really tell if he was really all that into me or not. He went to pay, and I said "By the way, I've got some cash, I dont mind paying for mine." And he said "well it's up to you." Umm. Another awkward pause. And then he said "well how about you pay the tip." Ok, don't get me wrong. I totally don't mind paying my part. But the tab was 20 bucks. Seriously, you can't handle another 3 bucks? Ya'll can yell at me if you want, but that kind've annoyed me. So I gave him 6 bucks to cover my beers (for the most part) and he put the whole thing on his credit card (tip and all) and pocketed my 6 bucks. Tacky.

Anyways, when we got outside, he walked me to my car. Again, I got nervous and didn't know what to think. So I, yes, went in for the "awkward hug" again. What's my deal???? I guess at this point, I really didn't know A)If he wanted to kiss me B)If I wanted HIM to kiss me C) who knows what else I was thinking.

He was very nice and funny. And cute. Wasn't sure there was a spark? I sent him a nice email and said that I enjoyed meeting him and I hoped he had a nice weekend, etc. I probably would go out with him again if he asked, but who knows if he will.

But hey, at least I went on my first "first date" in a year and I survived. And didn't fall apart.

Big sigh of relief.

PS I forgot to take a picture of my outfit but I went casual since it was just drinks at a bar. I wore some cute jeans, a blue v-neck t-shirt and some brown heels. And some super cute silver jewelry. Next time I'll take a picture, my bad!

I just noticed something...

Tonight I decided to take a picture of me in this new dress that I bought because I couldn't decide whether I liked it or not. And taking a picture sometimes helps you tell a little bit better how something looks on you. So I was looking at them a little closer and I noticed this...

NOT trying to be bragalicious, but my legs are starting to look fierce!! Me thinks this running is working afterall! :) Granted, the heels DO help. But STILL. I've always felt like I had big legs, calves, thighs, etc. So to feel good about them for once is a GREAT feeling. Especially since I know I've been kicking butt lately.

The 15 lb. furball in the corner says hello...and here he is all swaddled up in my laundry that needs folding. Which is exactly why I buy lint rollers in bulk. Sighhhhh.

Once again, ya'll were right

Please feel free to smack me upside the head if you choose! Ya'll were right. Two of those boys (ok, they are men in their 30's but I still call them boys, ha) called last night. I am going out with one Thursday night and one Saturday night. Phew. I hope I can handle this pressure!

I am sorry if I have sounded whiney in my posts lately. I realize that there are much more difficult things/tragedies that people are dealing with right now. Like a girl's blog I read yesterday - her mom was walking and got struck by a car and died. I can't begin to imagine her pain. Or another blog I read - her husband of barely 30 years old dropped dead last year, AND she lost their baby soon after. How do people get through these things?? I guess with a lot of prayer and support. And I do pray for all of these people. Life is so hard sometimes. So I need to remember this when I get down.

I do think things are getting better each day and I am improving. And will continue to do so. And hopefully dating will help!

Wish me luck. You KNOW I'll keep my blog updated. Oh and I tweet alot about this stuff, so once again - follow me if you haven't already! I have a lot of ya'll on there. It's so addictive.

Thanks for all the wonderful advice!

My dating life - FAIL

Random eye contact guy - I mentioned that we have a date Sat. night. Think it's just dinner or something. We shall see, but the phone conversations are not thrilling me. They are a tad...don't hate me...boring. Last night I was really happy when we finally hung up. Is that bad? He's sweet...but I like a man who's a tad flirtier, mysterious (but not overly so), etc. I don't know. Can't put my finger on it. I'll admit, I think when you first start dating someone there is a touch of game playing that you have to do. It piques my interest when you act interested....but not too much so. Sigh. Is this why I'm single girls?? It'll be interesting to see if we have chemistry in person. Fail status TBD...

Super Cute Match guy - We had some fun, flirty emails back and forth with each other and he asked for my number. I told him I would be in Florida for a few days. He called me when I was in Florida and left a message. I stupidly waited until Sunday to call him back because I was never in a good place to call. People around, just busy, etc. And now he's never called me back. Sigh. I knew I should have called him back sooner. Fail.

Ohio Transplant - Super sweet guy that was given my number by a mutual friend. We chatted on the phone last week, and he said he'd call me when I got back from Florida and we'd go out one night. Hasn't called since. Fail.

The Fisherman - Cute fisherman that I met on Match and is a big Gamecock fan. We corresponded back and forth quite a bit. He asked if I had a facebook - I said, sure. (Most of the pics on my facebook look just like my match profile so why not) So we friended each other. He's never corresponded with me since. Fail.

Next...

(I'm gonna keep trying though!)

Not much to report

Tonight, I am starting over with Week 8, Couch to 5K. I only got in one 25 minute run last week, and one 28 minute run. So this week I have to do 3 28 minute runs to finish.

Next week...is my LAST week on Couch to 5K! Wow. That is going to feel amazing.

Not much else to report...Florida was fun. It was a good distraction for me. I still have a few moments where I thought I would break down. But overall I'm glad I went. I may post a picture or two later.

I have a date Saturday night with the guy who remembers me from my date with Mr. P. Not really going to expect too much from it, but I AM going to try to enjoy myself. Our phone conversations have been a little slow, I guess. But you never know, sometimes in person things are way different. So we'll see.

The other 2 guys have not officially asked me out yet, so will keep ya'll posted.

Other than that, it's a Monday and that's all I've got for right now...meh.

I like this picture of me...I'm laughing (and slightly buzzed...) :)