PS

I haven’t checked my blog stats in about a week, and I had over one hundred visitors on July 1 and over two hundred on July 2.

Two words:  WHOA, NELLY.

Two more:  Thank you!

Hooray Tuesday!

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the last edition of Fun Fact Tuesday from Jackson.  Yes, I’m breathing into a brown paper bag.  No, I’m not happy that I just typed that sentence.

1.  I’m going to be a whiny, miserable, crying mess on Friday afternoon when I leave Jackson.  I’m sure there will be many a blog post brewing about this coming weekend:  leaving home, moving in, and starting over.  None of these things is remotely appealing, and that is just something I am probably going to have to file in the “suck it up and deal with it” category.

2.  I am thrilled, really and truly and overwhelmingly, about my new job.  I think, speaking solely about my professional life, a fresh start is exactly what I need after last year.  I just wish my social life didn’t have to be a victim of my new job.

3.  There’s a singer-songwriter from Memphis named Lauren McCuistion.  One of my first good friends in college, Rachel, who will get a blog post of her very own one day, introduced me to her music our freshman year.  I was checking out her MySpace page the other day and read one of her blog entries.  There’s a line or two in that blog on her MySpace page that jumped out at me:

I have wondered often in the past few months what I have to show for being twenty-four years old.  I am unmarried, unsettled, still wandering around in so many ways …

Reading that helped me put things in perspective.  Whether I realize it or not, I think that’s what goes through my head quite a bit these days and something that will, without any doubt whatsoever, go through my head the entire six and a half hours from Jackson to my new apartment in Virginia.

No One Said Life Is Fair

I know.  Life is unfair.  There are no rules.  Bad things happen to good people; good things happen to bad people, yada, yada, yada.

That’s why someone from a company here in town just called me and wanted to talk about a job.  In Jackson.  Too little, too late, Jackson.  Where were you in May?

I hate everything about moving and cannot believe that this past weekend in Memphis was the last time I’ll see Memphis for months.  I can’t believe I won’t see some of my friends for months.  I can’t believe I’m moving.  And more than anything, I can’t believe that any of this is happening.  I looked so hard for a reason to stay here in Tennessee, and now that I’m moving, opportunities pop up everywhere.  Why now?  Why not months ago?

I’m moving this weekend, and I feel like in addition to boxes, I should pick up some brown bags.  The anxiety is definitely starting to kick in, and I’m getting incredibly anxious.  There’s so much to do, and so much is out of my hands now.  I know everything is going to be fine, but I can’t help but be anxious and stressed and ughhh.  As much as I hate the idea of moving, I just want it to be done.  I don’t want to leave, but God almighty, I want the moving done.  In fact, if someone could give me superpowers for the next week, that would be great.  I just want to be able to snap my fingers and make everything appear in Virginia.

I’m sure I’ll be updating again soon, but if I don’t, keep your fingers crossed for a safe move!

Happy Birthday, America!

Does anyone else think America looks pretty darn good for 233?

In honor of America’s birthday, I’m heading to the Bluff City.  I may be moving closer to George Washington’s home than Elvis’s, but darn it, I’m going to fit in all the Memphis I can before Tennessee and I are temporarily separated.

And speaking of George Washington’s home, would it be weird if people were as fanatical about visiting Mount Vernon as they were Graceland?  Can you imagine?  Am I the only person who would love that?

Happy Fourth of July, everyone!  Have fun and be safe!

I Hope I’m Not the Only One to Feel This Way

I just logged onto Facebook to check my messages and such, and one of my notifications said, “[Friend] has made a profile for [her daughter] on Circle of Moms!”  This announcement was complete with a link to write on her baby’s wall.

Is that weird to anyone else?

PS:  I also think it’s weird when people make profiles for their pets.  That’s crossing the line into Crazy Town.

Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday.

Is anyone else impressed that I remembered?  I am.

1.  I’m officially unemployed.  I’m no longer laid off but still working.  I don’t know how people stand to be at home all day.  As ridiculous as my former employer was (and continues to be), I loved being at work and being with my coworkers and having something to do all day.

2.  I’m going to try to enjoy the days off as much as I can because I start my new job two weeks from tomorrow.

3.  Do you like how I tried to mention my new job casually?  It’s not that I’m not excited about the job — I am.  Very much so, actually. — but it involves moving six hours away from my life here in Jackson.  That’s a different post for a different day, but suffice it say that it’s a pretty bittersweet thing to be happening in my life.  Fortunately, I tend to adapt well to scary situations, so living in a new place and adjusting to life in southwest Virginia should be a piece of cake!

And speaking of cake, it’s time to eat some.

Best Text Ever? Maybe.

My little sister in my sorority, Ashley, is doing an internship in Washington, DC this summer.  She and I text and call each other frequently to share stories and weird things that have happened to us.  A couple of hours ago, I received this text message from my wonderful little, who, like her big, has a strong love and appreciation for the city of Memphis:

“This guy from Indianapolis was dissing Memphis.  I said, ‘From what I hear, Indiana sucks.’”

I’ve taught her so well.

I love you, Little!

As Promised, Something for Mama

I promised on Father’s Day that I’d write a little something for my mama, so let’s talk about my mama.

As much as I am like my daddy, who is a wonderful, hilarious, supportive father, I’m also a lot like my mama.  Her family is all Italian-American, and, like so many of our relatives, she is feisty and sassy and honest.  I can be pretty insecure at times — a lot of “Does this make me look fat?” and “I’m never going to get a job again.” going on — and she always tells me what she thinks, and she’s always right.  And no, she’s not just saying it.  Trust me, if you know my mama, you know one thing:  She clearly adores her children but is not afraid to tell them the truth.

My mama is also hilarious, so she and Daddy have blessed all three of their children with senses of humor.  All of us have our funny moments, and I’m so glad.  There are few things I like better than laughing, and when my family gets together, there’s a lot of laughing.  (In fact, one of the few things I like better than laughing is being with my family, so it’s only appropriate that the two are often combined.)

I cannot imagine having a better mama than mine.  She is truly my best friend, and I can always call her when I need to tell someone something.  I can call her and freak out and have a meltdown, and my mama won’t bat an eye.  More importantly, though, she makes me feel better.  I could have slammed my hand in the car door, and I could call my mama to tell her, and it would be all better by the end of the conversation.  She’s that good.  She and Daddy are the first people I call when I have news to share, and she and Daddy are always the first people to be proud of me.

I think the most important quality about my mama is that she is one of the most giving, caring people in the world.  I’ve inherited her inability to say no to people and her propensity to taking on more than she probably should.  I hope I’ve inherited her capacity to love, too; she loves everyone with such a ferocity and would do anything to help out the people she loves.  That’s why she’s my hero.

One day, I’m going to get married and have kids.  That day is probably sneaking up on me faster than I realize.  I know everyone says you’re never fully prepared for either of those things, and I agree.  However, I know I’ve had the best examples in the world, and there’s no one I’d rather go to for advice than my parents.  And in all honesty, if I’m half the wife and mama my mama is, I’m set.

It’s That Time Again.

1.  I may or may not have a big decision to make soon.  The reason I say “may or may not” is because there may not be a decision to make; it may just be something that happens.  I’ve been stressing out about it for a few days, and even though nothing has happened yet, I’m freaked out and anxious and trying to remember that nothing is forever; no matter what, the entirety of the rest of my life does not hinge on this decision, but it’s a big, huge, enormous, scary step.  (And yes, my dear friends, I sure will keep y’all updated.)

2.  I don’t like making big decisions.  I live in constant fear of disappointing someone or making the wrong choice, even though I know everything works out the way it’s meant to work out.  It’s just a matter of trusting my instinct and that God’s plan for me is good and solid.  Is it hard to believe that God’s plan involved me being laid off?  Uh, duh.  But it did happen, and the world didn’t end, and there’s light at the end of the unemployment tunnel, and everything is gonna be okay.  Right?  Right.

3.  On an unrelated note, I want to have Pete Yorn’s babies.  I think it’s what the universe wants, too.  I heard him on the radio on my way home from my crazy road trip last week (I love you, Lightning 100 in Nashville!) and just so happened to catch him on Conan last night, and I think it’s a sign that Pete and I are supposed to get married and have babies.  And no, that’s not the big decision.

Daddy’s Little Girl

First off, I completely forgot to write something for my mama on Mother’s Day, but never fear:  It’ll be done this week.  I’ve got plenty of time and ideas to give my wonderful mama a big ol’ blog shout out.

Moving on, I’m sure y’all are aware that today is Father’s Day.  I’m sure y’all are also aware that I love my family and talk about them frequently.  They’re my biggest support system (and often a source of entertainment), and it’s not an exaggeration at all to say I would be completely lost without them.  This is particularly true of my parents.

I’ve mentioned it before, I’m sure, but I’ve learned so much from my parents.  It’s such a blessing to be older and to realize things or to gain perspective on things that have happened in your childhood.  Growing up, my daddy had jobs with less than ideal schedules.  We didn’t have a typical nine-to-five family environment.  Daddy worked, Mama stayed home with us.  When we were older, Daddy worked, and Mama did, too.

The thing is, my daddy took these jobs and worked these schedules to provide for us.  He and my mama did everything they could to give us a good, normal, happy childhood and made enormous sacrifices to make that happen.  Did any of us particularly want to move to Indiana from California?  Probably not, but it was the best decision for our family.  It’s taken me quite a few years to quit begrudging my dad’s job and being bitter.  (I’m still not overwhelmed with love for Indiana, though.)

When I was little, I was really close with my mama and wanted to be just like her.  I thought that was the normal thing:  My sister and I would be just like my mama, and my brother would be just like my daddy.  Once my brother left for college, my dad and I butted heads a few times, particularly while learning how to drive (PS:  My brother so got the good deal:  Mama taught him!), and I couldn’t imagine anything I wanted to do less than be like my dad.

Okay, I know that sounds like a horrible thing to say on Father’s Day, but I was sixteen, and it gets better.  The older I get, the more similarities I realize I have with both of my parents.  And the older I get, the more I appreciate and love my parents and their personality traits and their blatant weirdness.  And then I realize that no matter how hard I try, I still end up being like my dad:  We’re both pretty stubborn and have pretty short tempers from time to time, I wouldn’t consider either of us exceptionally patient, and we both like a little something sweet after dinner.  We both travel a lot for work and like to get up early on the weekends to work on stuff around the house.  We both have obvious interest in what we do (okay, did) and strong work ethics and are good at what we do.  And, of course, I look a lot like his side of the family, so there’s no getting around that.

I think the best part about being older is being friends with my parents.  I love calling them and asking for advice or telling them about what’s happening in my life.  I love that, no matter what, my daddy will always be the one to tell me he’s proud of me and that I can always move back if I need to.  And, most importantly, I love that the older I get, the more I realize that if I turn out just like my daddy, I’m going to be set.  (Don’t worry, Mama.  I feel the same way about you.)

Happy Father’s Day, Daddy.

PS:  To the general public, if you have a problem with my driving, take it up with Dad.
PPS:  You shouldn’t.  I was taught very well and always use my turn signal.