every few years i'm randomly reminded that i "technically have a blog" -- and after a handful of failed attempts to remember the link -- i find my way back to this old gem.

i see the pictures of me on here and think... the last time i painted my nails was probably around the time i started this blog (like 10 years ago...) and, do i really have a lip tattoo? so trashy!

but then, i skim over a few of the posts and think... yup, i'm still as random as ever! 

let's track the past decade...

similarities: 

- i still love bean and cheese burritos

- i still can't bring myself to spend $12 to go to a movie!

- i still find it acceptable to use my hands to eat...

- i still get irritated climbing into the back of a two door car

- i still average 9-14 months between haircuts

- i still ask to hear my dad's cop stories

- i still have no desire to snowboard or ski

- i still love the smell of abercrombie and fitch stores

changes: 

- i somehow manage to keep my socks paired 

- i finally have a computer after eight years without one

- i have successfully filed my taxes on time!

- i like beer after 29 years of gagging at the smell

- i can name a lot more princess/action figures thanks to aunt life

- i no longer own a pair of basketball shorts that go past my knees

great catching up. my next post is scheduled for six years from now... and i doubt much will have changed by then!

in honor of november being deemed the "month of thankfulness" according to everyone's facebook statuses, i have decided to participate. now, hear me out when i say that i love my family & i'm thankful for my health & i'm blessed to be literate (or at least literate enough to get by), but today i will sing the praises of another tune -- the little things,

i am thankful for:

-free refills at prince street cafe
-teammates who let me do laundry at their house
-half off donuts at central market after 2pm
-regeneration weeks
-friends who own every power tool imaginable
-trees that change color
-lower gas prices & less traffic
-countless red brick buildings & the way they lend themselves for beautiful photo backdrops
-free meals at the nook
-being introduced to gin & bitter lemons
-brisk weather
-two stamp tuesday at lancaster coffee co.
-an iphone case that has prevented countless cracked screens
-utilities being included in my rent
-the rediscovery of roasted beets
-amish made desserts
-roadside produce stands
-philly fans understanding & sharing a similar pain that san diego sports fans endure
-high ceilings & hardwood floors in my apartment
-employees at home depot recognizing me and inquiring about my latest projects
-turkey hill special edition pumpkin swirl ice cream 
-training getting moved back to 9:30am
-quickly adapting to & being able to sleep through loud street noise
-lancaster's arts & culinary scene 
-an abundance of free wood pallets 
-my friendly landlord
-pennsylvania's reasonably priced antique stores
-my ability to find free parking around downtown (which has meant i haven't had to rent a parking spot)
-living within walking distance to nearly everything
-friends who love beer battered fished tacos as much as i do

in my typical fashion, these are the unconventional things i am thankful for. i believe we should pay thanks to even that which is little & often not considered worthy of the effort. 

Today is Worthy of Brutal Honesty

i can only enter the post office on days when i feel extremely patient -- because the speed of the employees and the thickness of their accents drive me insane 

i don't have road rage, however, i do often look at the driver when i pass and i can't help but make a mental comment when they're foreign, old, and often times females -- i'm a horrible person

i feel guilty when someone is out of town and i drive their car and leave it on E -- but i do it anyways

i've been known to use someone else's toothbrush in a pinch -- and it doesn't phase me

i have every intention of wearing sunscreen -- but i have an even greater intention of being tan, so i usually don't put it on

i think macs are sexy -- even if i'm not smart enough to know how to use one

i am typing this while on the toilet -- and like the toothbrush situation -- it doesn't phase me

You Know You're an Athlete When...

While on a run I started thinking... 

What are some obvious signs that I'm an athlete?

- I'm mad when someone tosses me the keys and I don't catch them

- All of my t-shirts either have a team name on the front or a number on the back

- I catch myself referring to a judge as the umpire

- I compare nail polish colors to different bruises

- I go to the gas station more for sunflower seeds than gas

- I feel like a quitter if I don't finish all that's on my plate

- I have deodorants stashed everywhere

- I can't walk past a low ceiling, sign, branch, etc and not see if I can touch it

- My parents never bought my school pictures, but they always bought my sports pictures

- I drink out of a water bottle around the house

- I exert any sort of energy and I think I need chocolate milk

umm, coach...

like many weekends, i spent this past one coaching. 16 hours in total. my athletes' comments make the sometimes long sessions entertaining...

"you have swag today, coach"

(after inquiring about what gave me swag, i came to the conclusion that high school girls think sunglasses, oversized sweats and backwards trucker hats equals swag)

"coach, i was wondering if you would write a workout plan for me. i really want a six pack"

(how do you gently say that you can give suggestions, but you can't change genetics?)

"umm, coach, you need to come here... a girl hit herself in the mouth with her own stick... she's probably gonna need stitches..."

(sounds like a personal problem...)

"coach, if field hockey doesn't work out for you, you can always become an artist"

(apparently my coaching pad OCD hasn't gone unnoticed)

"coach, i babysat the other day and the kids wouldn't listen... i now have an appreciation for what you deal with"

(coming from the girl who is always talking while i am talking)

"coach, did you see me out there? like three girls came at me and i didn't let them past. i stopped them all at the same time... did you see me tell them they didn't know the password to enter..."

(i'm sure my face said it all...)

and these are the everyday adventures that make my job just a little more enjoyable.

Wrapping Up Just Another Trip Around the Sun

i love to reflect. i love to make lists. i love to make lists on that which i reflect.

fond highlights of 2012:

12) switching from blackberry to the iPhone -- and that unknown app -- instagram

11) downgrading from a lexus, but upgrading to a civic's gas mileage

10) stumbling upon joshua radin's smooth, soothing, sexy voice

9) wearing a regular bra on a more regular basis

8) attempting and semi completing the youtube cinnamon challenge

7) grooming my pandora to perfection

6) bathing in an oregon lake (among other natural bodies of water) while on a three week roadtrip of the pacific northwest

5) being of illegal immigrant status in northern ireland with my mother

4) throwing (my first) baby shower that was (successfully) deemed "hipster"

3) keeping track of both my check book and passport (credit card and drivers license not included)

2) making it another year without owning a computer

1) becoming aunt towwie to two more nuggets

fashion finds of 2012:

5) lululemon headbands

4) long hair don't care

3) essie's deep plum shade -- "luxedo"

2) infinity scarves

1) clark's boots

food obsessions of 2012:

5) spanish wine

4) sugar in the raw

3) ginger beer

2) irish breakfast

1) french press

favorite places of 2012:

5) new york city, new york / las vegas, nevada / iowa city, iowa

4) dublin, ireland -- and the live music

3) seattle, washington -- and the bloody mary selection

2) barcelona, spain -- and the sexy euro hairstyles

1) portland, oregon -- and the overwhelming amounts of bike lanes and hipster coffee shops

Imma Start Swingin'

I hold a special place in my heart for individuals who are as spontaneous as me.

Meghan Grace. Booked a flight the night of the 29th and was in San Diego by the next afternoon. Of course, her layover was in Vegas, and between the short walk from deboarding at one gate and reboarding her connecting flight at another, she had inadvertantly made her NYE plans -- the sin city.

I thought her idea to drive five hours from So. Cal to the sparkling strip of Nevada made perfect sense.

Vegas or Bust.

The next 24 hours went somthing like this:

The skinny:
Pulled into a hotel > Pregamed > Partied on the strip > Passed out > (a P that will go unmentioned) > Perused the Blvd. with a Pounding headache > Parted ways with Vegas

Well, Mo, cheers to: "Cliff, hopping fences athletically, the Bellagio fountain, finally finding Fat Tuesday's, not granting the foreigner his request, pastrami sandwiches, PONCHO, 'secret fireworks', taking pictures for a girl with a bra malfunction, Denny's being closed, not getting swung at, it NOT being my hand, cutting the cab line, an address not being enough, your four hours spent in the lobby, finding your way to In-N-Out, a homeless woman drinking a beer from the dumpster, finding the unlock button in my car just in time, feeling better, almost seeing Alan from the Hangover, Wynn. having a period, the pregnant lady with the skull shoes, poetry that draws you closer to Jesus, a failed attempt at 'would you rather', experiencing REI, no response automatically meaning yes, stories about spilled salsa and sporks, not swearing unless singing along to Lil Kim -- "because then it's just necessary", liking your first Taylor Swift song(s), hiking in shorts in January, dogs smelling your butt, palm trees growing like other trees, inexpensive froyo, bean and cheese burritos, dogs wanting to be good, the neighbor not being Asian, songs being about you because your first car was a cabrillo and you have green eyes, poles in the middle of sunsets, amaretto and diet, and of course your hotel selection never being good enough!"

This trip has taught me to not judge guys based on their wedding bands having diamonds, that runs set for 8am will never happen, and stirfry is your favorite!

Thanks for a memorable New Year and my dad says "be careful" :)

TA