Lucky...

I love the fact that I can go home during my lunch break, change into comfy clothes and cuddle with Mia for 50 minutes. It's like a little siesta in the middle of my day - and it makes the work day tolerable!

Ready for Love - Kelly Sweet

When love calls your name
And whispers you're the one
When all you've ever dreamed
Dances like stars around your heart

And finally I hold the chance
To give you all my love
So whats keeping me

Away from holding you
I'm ready to believe
Be strong enough
Give everything I am
And trust in love
My arms long to reach for you
The way I feel I wish you knew
I'm ready now, I'm ready to believe
Ooh, I'm ready for love

Only once, you will find
A love that is so true
And the way I think of you
You can't imagine how beautiful it feels

I must find a way to speak
This secret I hold near
Its these words

You need to hear
I'm ready to believe
Be strong enough
Give everything I am
And trust in love
My arms long to reach for you
The way I feel I wish you knew
I'm ready now, Im ready to believe
Ooh

I know with you I could stay forever
Sailing into grace
Here all things are possible
There's no time or space
When I feel you near

I'm ready to believe
Be strong enough
Give everything I am
And trust in love
My arms long to reach for you
The way I feel I wish you knew
I'm ready now, I'm ready to believe


Betsy Bloggin' Y'all!

I'd like to dedicate this blog to my dear friend Betsy. She's taught me so much about life that without her, who knows what kind of mess I'd be. Let's look at the many examples of ways she's added to my life.

Kittehs
I'd been around a few cats in my life as a child and always found them okay. I was bitten by one as a kid (for good reason I'm sure) and ever since I just stayed away from them. My grandmother Ziggy had one while I was a teen and she hid every time I came over, so I never really even saw her! I'm told she was beautiful and quite a snuggler though. Anyway it wasn't until college when I finally reached my true appreciation for felines. Betsy and her roomate Amanda purchased a set of kittens from the same litter and named them Cho Chang, and Charles.

Cho is the darker baby, Char is the golden baby. The closer I got to Betsy the closer I got to the boys, and soon enough I was obsessed. I would sleep over at Betsy and Amanda's and wake up with one of them snuggled up to me in the middle of the night purring away. I had always been a dog person, but thanks to Cho-Cho and Chuck, I had made room in my heart for kittehs as well. I also thank Betsy for the line I've used (literally) hundreds of times about cats. Without fail, whenever I tell a group of people I like cats, someone will say "Oh I hate cats". That's when I quickly add, "You don't hate cats. You just don't prefer them". So true! People expect them to act like dogs, but they're not dogs.  As a matter of fact they're an entirely different species! Whaddya know?!
A few years later when I moved home, I asked my parents for a dog (we have a family dog at my parents' house named Matti who I love very much, but she is really their dog. I wanted something to love me unconditionaly the way Matti loved my parents). The day of my birthday came around and there was a box with the words "Not A Dog" on it - a sure sign that this in fact was a dog. I grabbed the box, and it was a solid 10 lbs if not heavier, so I had to assume it wasn't the Cairn Terrier puppy I had been asking for. I set the box on my lap and opened the lid, and this what was inside...

This handed me not only a huge shock, but a great laugh as well. Her name was Angel, and she was rescued from The Open Door Animal Sanctuary in central Missouri (a great place to donate to if you're ever interested! http://www.odas.com/). I renamed her Mia, and we quickly became inseperable. This has been the greatest gift anyone has ever given me! If it weren't for Betsy, Amanda and their two "broders", I wouldn't have my gorgeous burrito Mia. She may pee all over my new condo and she might get hair balls every now and again, but nobody said love was easy!

Lactaid
Though I hate to admit it, I always need it. She's always got it and ain't afraid to use it.

  

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My fickle lactose intolerance and severe addiction to dairy thank you...

Google Reader
Betsy had been suggesting to me for months that I look into this mysterious gizmo that will show you the updates from all of your favorite websites in one place. "Too good to be true" I thought to myself. And then one magical Saturday morning, I gave it a whirl. She suggested some of her favorite sites for me to subscribe to, and I've been hooked ever since. My favorites range from Hyperbole and a Half to Smart Pretty and Awkward and my most recent favorite, fetch dixon which has given me these gems that I like to share with you all:

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Without Google Reader, I wouldn't have several of the ideas that I've used for my condo! I wouldn't have known about special promotions from some of my favorite stores! And (most importantly) I wouldn't have any other blogs to steal anything from (and give credit to) to put on Life's Circles!

Perspective

Those of you who know me know that I can be, at times, somewhat sensitive. One of the most important lessons that Betsy has taught me is to understand that I can't control what other people are going to do or think. Many people have tried, but I think she's the only person who has succeeded in this monumental task. In college I would get myself into situations that I couldn't get of still smelling like roses. I had always wanted everyone to love me, and everyone to take my side on things. But over time (with Betsy's help) I was able to come to terms with the fact that not everyone is going to be my best friend. Not everyone is going to agree with everything I do.



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But if I have a solid group of friends and a supportive family who backs me no matter what, that's really all that's important. She also has a very intuitive way of giving me her honest to God opinion without being harsh or too critical. She shares this quality with my sister and I am so lucky to have two people like this in my life. Sometimes it catches me off guard, but at the end of the day, I realize they're only doing me a favor, and usually saving me from myself!

There's tons more, like white wine, Twitter how-tos, and some seriously sweet dance moves... but I fear further Betsy blogging would lead her to believe that I'm in love with her (and further convince my father that I'm a "hamasexual")

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So for now, Betsy, please just look at this as a giant THANK YOU for being such an amazing friend, and for being so full of knowledge and for having kittehs.



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How about you? Have you taken time to tell your best friend how much they mean to you? You don't even have to do it via blog! Just pick up the phone, email, text them to tell them how much you appreciate them. You'll be glad you did!

Airing of Buckingham Grievances...

My homeowner's association had their annual meeting this past weekend. I've been living there less than a year, so this was the first one I've ever been to. I wasn't sure what to expect but for some reason I had it built up in my head that it was going to be like one of my sorority's chapter meetings. In those meetings we would (respectfully... sometimes....) tell each other how we were feeling about the things were going on in the house. Laura was being too loud during quiet hours? Tell her at chapter. Randi's boyfriend and his fat ass frat friends ate all the ramen noodles from the kitchen? Tell her at chapter. You get the picture. So I was hoping that at this HOA meeting we would get a chance to air out our grievances with one another. Surely after we voted on whether or not to keep our current trash company and before voting on new officers there would be an "open forum" of sorts... but I waited and waited, and that forum never opened.

So I would like to take this chance to get some things off my chest.

To the elderly gentleman who lives across the hall:
I realize you only have one eye, but I don't believe that constitutes how loud your television needs to be. And isn't it common knowledge that if one of your senses is hindered, one or more of your senses is heightened? Turn down your Law and Order re-runs please. Oh, and help a sister out and close your blinds. I'm tired of looking out my window or coming through the front door to the building and seeing you standing in your tank top and boxers whilst smoking a cigar. No more.

                                     

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To the guy who lives above me:
Please stop cooking delicious smelling foods around 10:30 pm. The smells come down through the vents in my room and at that point I'm already in bed. No more cooking pancakes and bacon - no more pizza deliveries, and absolutely positively NO more making cupcakes. Your cooking habits not only make me feel bad about not knowing how to (or wanting to) cook, but it makes me get out of my warm, cozy bed and eat things I don't need to be eating. So either cook at normal hours, or do like the normal folk do and get your meals from the drive thru.



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Next up, the guy who lives above me's girlfriend:

TAKE OFF YOUR HEELS! There's no reason for you to have those things on all night. Hard wood floors make for a noisy environment as it is but your stilettos are destroying my life. Get your Uggs on and kick up your feet doll... or just shutup.



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And last but not least, this one goes out to you next door neighbor:

Please stop flaunting the fact that you work out. Every time I see you you're in workout gear with sweaty hair and sneakers on, and all you can talk about is what a "great workout you just had". I get it. You're physically fit. You drink water and you probably subscribe to Self magazine and read it while in the downward dog position. Can't we politely chat about the weather or how weird the one-eyed creep is across the hall? Let me fill you in on the latest episode of Tosh.0... Anything besides your intense Zumba sesh. P.s. you usually stink.

 

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Okay great. Now that I got all that out I feel much better. I'm not claiming to be the perfect neighbor. I'm sure my cat stinks and that my drunk friends are super obnoxious at 2 am. But I'm writing this blog, and you're not. So piss off.

It's Almost Christmas...

                          

Alright y'all. Grab your drink of choice and get to chuggin'.

A lot of you (there are around 4 people who read this, so I'd say 3 of you) might be thinking "Whaaa? Christmas is the most magical time of the year!" to which I would reply, "True. But it is also the most stressful time of the year."

Have you purchased all of the presents? Have you wrapped all of these presents? Have you figured out whether or not you really need to get presents for your second cousin's new fiance and his family? Have you decided how much wine is too much wine at Christmas dinner? There are tons of things to consider before any hall decking or bell jingling can begin!

I love waking up on Christmas morning and being with my family. I love the feeling I get when one of them opens a present I bought them and they genuinely love it. And in the interest of full disclosure, I love opening presents. But there's a lot of stuff about Christmas that gives me anxiety. What size shoes does dad wear? How many seasons of West Wing does mom already own? Would grandma really want this light-up magnifying glass? Should I buy something for my co-worker? Shit, she bought something for me so I guess I have to go out and buy something for her. What do I say to the friend who gave me this God awful peppermint scented air-freshener that gives me a migraine? "Thanks" just doesn't seem appropriate. And it's the same anxiety every... single... year...

I need to learn to relax and really focus on the reason of the season. Church would be a relaxing place for me right now. If only I weren't so lazy...

                                                             
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This Christmas, I'm going to put an end to my Grinchy ways and just relax! I'm so lucky to have such a great family - so I'm going to bask in their glorious company, and not let the stresses of the season get me down.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a mild hangover.

Let it Snow...

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I was out with Kristen last night and when we left the bar... it was snowing...! There's something about the first real snow of the season that uplifts you and makes you feel like everything is possible.


Then, after a day of it, it makes you feel like everything except leaving your house is possible and staying in bed and ordering Chinese food while watching House Hunters with kitty is inevitable.


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Hope everyone is staying warm and toasty, and that all of our loved ones are happy and healthy tonight.

Karma at its Finest