I sure do miss them!

This week has been kinda hard on me. March 27th my grandmother passed away 10 years ago and a year ago today a very close friend of mine passed away. I have been thinking about them A LOT this past month. I'm going to tell you a little about both of them...

My Nanny:

Nanny was AWESOME!!! She and my Paw Paw helped raise me. When my sperm-donor (father) left, my Paw Paw built a house behind theirs for my mom, my sister and I. So, from the time I was 3 years old until I was 21 I lived behind my grandparents. So, I guess you could say I was just a little spoiled. Since my mom had to work, my Nanny would watch my sister and I during the day. I remember when I was 3 years old (I do remember this, I have a very abnormal memory.) Nanny and I were grocery shopping at Weingarten's in Channelview and there was muzac playing and I was dancing around the shopping cart, when we got home she asked me if I wanted to take dance lessons. Of course I said yes, and that is how I started dancing. She sewed the majority of my dance costumes, she never missed a dance recital, football game, spring show, etc... My friends would come over and we would go sit in Nanny's room and take turns playing Tetris with her. (Yes, Nanny had a Nintendo hooked up in her room and played Tetris the majority of the time.) She always called me punkin and sugie (pronounced like sugar only replace the ar with a long e sound.) Because she helped raise my sister and I, we did not have the normal grandparent/grandchild relationship. Usually, grandparents won't discipline their grandchild...Well, Nanny had no problem telling us what we had done wrong. I will say this, she had the fastest hand in all of Texas. She did not mind giving us a good slap on the cheek. Please don't think she was a mean grandmother, usually we deserved it. She taught me to be a lady...Always sit with your legs crossed at the ankle not at the knee, things like that. Her favorite phrase was..."Nice young ladies don't________." Apparently when she was growing up in the 30's, nice young ladies didn't do much of anything. Some of my favorite memories are from the summer after I graduated high school. She and I would sit in her bedroom and talk while we listened to talk radio. I would get up early to go to her house so I could listen to John Matthews, Rush Limbaugh and Mike Richards. (Her urn has probably fallen off the shelf after finding out that John Matthews is now in jail and Rush Limbaugh was addicted to pain medication.) The first election I was able to vote, she was the one that took me to the polls and when we got back to the house she called Mike Richards and talked to him on the air and told him this..."Mike, I just wanted to call and tell you how proud I am of my granddaughter. She voted in her first election and voted a straight Republican ticket." She passed away right after my 21st birthday, I really wish she could have lived long enough to see the woman I have become. I miss you Nanny!

Mike:

I know that I never name names on this blog, but the friend of mine that passed away a year ago's name was Mike. Mike was like the father I never had. He was the executive vice-president of the company I worked for. He taught me so much. There were so many nights that he, a co-worker, and I would go to Pappacito's and drink and talk for HOURS. He always had the best advice, and his advice would usually start with "Hear me now, believe me later." or end wth "It is what it is." I would often joke with him that he should adopt me. Everyone loved Mike, he was one of those bosses that you could go sit in his office and tell him about all your personal problems and he would just sit and listen. When I was promoted at the company we worked at together, he took me under his wing. He was the first "mentor" I have ever had. Because of Mike, I became the control freak that I am now. He taught me about cost analysis, margins, etc. He gave me tools in business that could never be taught in a classroom. I miss him bumming cigarettes off me, I miss hours long conversations about life, and I miss our daily meetings going over fuel margins. Going over margins was the time of day I looked forward to the most. It was our time, and once the business talk was over we would discuss whatever was going on in our lives at that time. I hope all of you have a boss like Mike at one point in your career.

Until next time...

Single Girl

Four things

I received this in an email, thought I would share with y'all...

The Four things you didn't know about me

In no particular order...

Four jobs I have had in my life:

1. Dance Teacher
I taught ballet, tap, and jazz to ages 3 years to high school age. This could be why I don't want children.
2. Front desk agent
I LOVED this job! I worked at a 4 star hotel near IAH for 2 years.
3. Waitress at a pool hall
Probably my least favorite job. I think I was the only waitress who worked there that was not constantly stoned out of my mind.
4. Fuel Specialist
MY FAVORITE JOB, I love working in the oil and gas industry!!!

Four Movies I could watch over and over:
1. Pretty Woman
How could you not love the story of a prostitute working Hollywood Blvd, and she falls in love with Richard Gere. It's the American Dream!
2. Center Stage
Probably stems from all the years of dance I took. The acting sucks, but the dancing is really good!
3. The Great Muppet Caper
Miss Piggy is a Super Model, ENOUGH SAID!!!
4. Orgazmo
I don't know anyone who wouldn't enjoy a movie about a Mormon missionary who ends up being coerced into starring in porn. If you haven't seen it, you must. Go now and get it, you won't be disappointed!

Four places I lived:
1. Channelview
2. Seabrook
3. League City
4. Nassau Bay

Four places I have been on vacation

1. Florida - I performed in the Citrus Bowl
2 New York - I performed in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
3. New Orleans - First road trip I went on with the ex.
4. Arizona - First trip I went on after the "break-up"

My favorite foods:
1. Chicken Fried Steak - But only if it is prepared by my mommy dearest.
2. Spring Rolls - I like the ones from Kim Son and Nam's the best!
3. Sushi - The sea eel is my favorite, but I'm not real sure what the actual name is.
4. Steak - Filet Mignon

Four places I would rather be right now:

1. At a bar
2. At home in bed
3. on a beach, but I would have to be slathered in SPF 50 sunblock.
4. with friends at a bar!

So, there you have it. A little glimpse into the mind of Single Girl. I'm sure this post was very entertaining. Sorry, I don't have anything else.

Until next time...

Single Girl

Out of the mouths of babes.

Doodlebug called me today to tell me something her children were discussing with her. I have to let you in on the backstory...

I am a member of my high school drill team alumni association. Every year we dance in the drill team's Spring Show. Since I am on the board, I have to choreograph and teach the dance. Sunday is our first practice. After practice I am going to the home of Big Daddy and Mrs. Big Daddy for a crawfish boil. I invited Doodlebug to go with me, since she's 100% cajun, I figured she would REALLY enjoy the crawfish! I also have to mention that I was at the home of Doodlebug and Movie Buff last week and Movie Buff was cleaning their carpets. Once the carpets were clean, I told him I would help him move the sofa and love seat back in the living room because I was..."Man Strong."

Now for those of you who know me, you know that I pretty much see my self as a VERY girly girl. I honestly believe that I am a princess. I try to be lady-like and as long as I'm sober I usually succeed at this. Well, apparently I'm not fooling anybody!

As I said, Doodlebug called me and told me that Movie Buff asked her what time we were going to go eat crawfish, she told him after I got out of practice. Then the conversation started...

Doodle #1: What does Ms. Single Girl have to practice for?
Doodlebug: Dance.
Doodle #2: I thought she played football.
Doodle # 1: Well, she did say she was "Man Strong"

Apparently, I look like a defensive lineman to small children.

My whole girly-girl, princess bubble has officially been busted. :(


Until next time...


Single Girl

Mrs. Single Girl Ohno

That is right boys and girls, I have decided that I am going to marry Apolo Anton Ohno!

I remember seeing him in the Olympics and thinking, "Wow, he is really cute!" Well, Monday night I was watching Dancing with the Stars, (It's a guilty pleasure, leave me alone!) and when I saw him come out and start his cha cha cha, that was it...I fell in LOVE!!! Apolo is PERFECT!!! He does not have one ugly feature. How is that possible. He has perfect teeth, perfect hair, perfect skin, he's an athlete so you know he has perfect endurance. :) I very rarely develop celebrity crushes, so it has to be love...Right??? When the show was over, I decided to do something that was so stalkeresque I'm almost embarassed to admit to it...I GOOGLED HIM! I found out we have a lot in common.

1. He's 5'8"
I'M 5'8"!
2. He's on Dancing with the Stars, so he has to like to dance.
I LIKE TO DANCE!!
3. He likes to speed skate.
I LIKE TO WATCH HIM SPEED SKATE!!!

I think it sounds like a match made in Heaven!!! Now, all I have to do is devise a plan to meet him. I think I've thought of a good one...tell me what you think!

I am going to start training in speed skating! (Is 31 to old to take up speed skating?) Then, once I'm good enough I will start competing to qualify for the upcoming Olympics. Then, once I qualify for the Olympics I will travel to Beijing. (That is where they are holding the next Winter Olympics, right?) Then, when I see him practicing on the ice I will skate past him and all he will see is a blur of Single Girl ponytail. Then I will stop by doing that thing that ice skaters do where they shift their feet sideways and ice sprays all over everything. THEN, I will turn around and say, "Hi, I'm Single Girl! Who are you?" (Because I can't admit to him that the only reason I'm competing in the Olympics is because of him, DUH!) Then we will lock eyes, and skate toward each other (knocking other skaters down, because we only see each other!) and we will have one of those movie moments where all of the lights go out, the only light will be a spotlight on the two of us!!! What do you think???? I think it will work!

And if not, maybe I'll get to meet him and he'll be into tall, chunky chicks that smoke!

You never know, it could happen...DON'T RUIN MY DREAM!!!

Until next time...

Single Girl

I have fallen back in love...

With my tattoo! Let me explain.

When I was 19 years old, I was dating a guy that was getting tattoos. And, being 19 I was all, "Oh my God, I want a tattoo too!!!" So for my 19th birthday, I went and got a tattoo. IT'S HORRIBLE. The process of me getting the tattoo takes a minute to explain, so bear with me. :)

Six days before my 18th birthday I was in a very bad car accident and had to have surgery. As a result, I have a scar that runs down the middle of my stomach, it starts right about where the middle of my bra is (right between my boobs) and goes all the way down to the top of my belly button. I also have a scar, from a surgery when I was 6 months old, that runs from the bottom of my belly button down right about to where the "hair line" would start. So, it doesn't really look like I have a belly button...it's being pulled between two scars. Needless to say, I don't have the most attractive stomach! Anyway, as I said I wanted a tattoo at 19, and what better place to put it but around my belly button. (My thinking was, "Maybe it prove that I have a belly button.") So, like an idiot, I went to a very BAD tattoo shop. Since the top scar was only a year old, they shouldn't have tattooed on it in the first place. (I found this out later.) One thing you should know, I was a VERY naive 19 year old. My first clue that this would not be good should have been when I walked in the shop and all of the "artists" were smoking weed. I know, I know...Single Girl, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!!! That's the problem, I wasn't thinking. My loser boyfriend at the time was out of town and I wanted to surprise him when he got back. So, I decided that I wanted a star around my belly button, I sat down and told the artist what I wanted. He drew a star and transposed the stencil on my stomach. Then he did the outline. Well, with the top scar being only a year old, the ink ran up my scar about half an inch. I guess somehow in his stoned stuper, he realized this and made the suggestion that I let the outline set for a week and then come back and he would fill it in. I paid him the $30.00 he charged me and left, and I was happy as a lark. Little did I know, that when I had pants on, the star that i wanted, looked like a POT LEAF. This is ironic, because at that time I had never even tried weed. When the boyfriend at the time got back in town, we got in a huge fight because he wasn't with me when I got this tattoo. Then, when I went back to get the damn thing filled in, THE SHOP HAD CLOSED DOWN!!! Fast forward 3 years to 21. I was still walking around with just an outline, a friend of mine and I went to a production of Hair and I decided, "It's time to get this thing finished." With the help of my Discover card I went to a reputable tattoo shop on Westheimer and an artist by the name of Jody looked at my outline and did what he could with my tattoo. He charged me $120.00 to try to fix this thing that looks like some child drew a pot leaf on a lake with the reflection in the lake. You know what I mean? It is BLACK!!! And, it is HUGE!!! This tattoo is approx. 5" x 5". I don't blame Jody, he was very good and did what he could with what I had. I will say, it has been 12 years and the color still looks good. It hasn't faded to that weird greenish color that some old black tattoos tend to have. As I have gotten older, I have grown to LOATHE this thing on my stomach. So, Friday morning I was listening to The Buzz on the radio and I heard one of the DJ's talking about Sona Med Spa and she was saying how affordable they were. So, when I got to work I looked them up on the internet and saw they did laser tattoo removal. A light bulb went off in my head...I COULD HAVE THIS THING REMOVED!!! So, I called Sona and set up a consultation for Saturday morning. So, Saturday morning I am sitting at this Med Spa and I am called in. I show the lady my tattoo and she says that they can remove it. Apparently, having laser tattoo removal hurts as bad if not worse than getting the actual tattoo. I'm like, "OK, I can handle pain!" She told me that it would take 8 -15 sessions. "OK." Then she tells me it is $325.00 per session. And I was like OK, that doesn't sound to bad, then I started doing a little math in my head...

15 sessions x $325.00 per session =

$4875.00

Almost $5000.00 to have a mistake removed that cost roughly $150.00. I DON'T THINK SO! When I left Sona with my little quote sheet in my hand, I looked down at my stomach and said, "Well star/potleaf thingy, looks like you and me are going to be stuck together until I die! I will no longer call you horrible, disgusting, or ugly. I will embrace your existence." And, it does give me just a hint of "bad girl."

So, to Rice Spice...Be glad you do not have any permanent ink...and if you decide to get the ink, make sure it's something you want and it doesn't look like some sort of illegal substance!!!

Until next time...

Single Girl

Good evening everyone.

Well, I guess it's about time that I posted about the birthday gathering on Friday night. But first I will add some new names to my ever expanding list of code names...

Katy Dweller - My very first boyfriend from the 8th grade.
PR Girl - Katy Dweller's girlfriend
Mother of Three - We have been friends since the third grade, this is the longest friendship I have.
Mr. Mother of Three - Mother of Three's husband

So, after work on Friday (my office is near the med center) I made the trek to I-10 and Barker Cypress. Believe me when I tell you, the drive from the med center to the west side of Houston SUCKS at 5pm on a Friday. But, I did finally make it there! Hook-Up came to Katy Dweller's apartment and he had a gift bag. Now, let me explain something to you...My bedroom is decorated in pale pink, black and white and I have pictures of dresses and corsets hanging on the walls. That being said, Hook-Up has been in my bedroom one time. Inside the gift bag was a pale pink martine glass with hand painted black dresses and corsets on it. So, not only is he romantic, he also pays attention to his surroundings. Isn't that GREAT! I wasn't even expecting anything else, I mean he had already sent flowers.

We left the apartment and went to the bar. I didn't really know that many people there until Dallas got there with the girl he had been seeing. Then Mother of Three and Mr. Mother of Three showed up. I was so happy to see Mother of Three! Hook-Up hit it off with all of my friends that were there that night. He actually told Dallas that I was amazing and a "breath of fresh air." This was the first time I had ever taken a man around Katy Dweller and Dallas. Dallas made the comment that I brought the right one around. So, the rest of the night consisted of drinking heavily and dancing. That was probably the first time since my 8th grade banquet that I had danced with Katy Dweller. We had so much fun, and I will never forget my 31st birthday! Although, I do need to send a big I'M SORRY out to Mother of Three, I bought her a pina colada without thinking that she is still nursing her youngest child. (Oops!) But, it was so good to see all these people that have known me for over half of my life. Even though we don't talk every day, we all know that if any one of us needs someone we will always be there for each other. So, to Katy Dweller, PR Girl, Dallas, Mother of Three, Mr. Mother of Three and Hook-Up...thanks for making 31 memorable!

Until next time...

Single Girl

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

Well, at midnight I will officially be 31 years old. It's really quite strange...I look back over the past year and can't believe all the changes that I've been through. I mean, I turned 30, broke up with my boyfriend of 6 years, got arrested, got laid off, started a new job, made some new friends, and got back in contact with friends I had not been in contact with for years. Yep, it's been a pretty eventful year. When I started this blog, I had said that I wanted to accomplish three goals...

1. Lose Weight
2. Get more organized
3. Casual date

Well, as you know, I was well on my way to my 20lb goal by my birthday. Unfortunately, I fell off the wagon. I fully intend to go back to WW and continue on my journey of weight loss. I don't think I've put all the weight back on that I took off, but some of it did come back, but I am not going to beat myself up over this. Right now, I'm running after the wagon and I believe I will jump back on it at the beginning of next week.

As for getting organized, that has not worked out as well as I had planned. I think I need help! If anyone can help me, please let me know. It's like I'll start and can't complete the task, and that really pisses me off. Do you ever want something and you get half-way through and can't figure out how to make it to the end. Well, that's how I feel about organiziing my life.

I will say the dating is going quite well. I have gone out with 4 different guys in a 3 months time. I think that is quite impressive. As you can probably guess, my favorite so far has been Hook-Up. He is probably the nicest guy I have ever been out with. Yesterday, when I came back from lunch, I had a dozen roses waiting for me at work with 4 balloons and the card attached to the flowers said...

"Birthdays are always better when there is a surprise. Well, I hope you were surprised!

Happy Early Brithday Single Girl

Can't wait to see you,
Hook-Up"

And if that wasn't enough, there was another envelope with the flowers, when I opened it up he had actually written a poem for me. Now I know you are probably thinking, "That sounds PRETTY cheesey!" But it's not. I've never had anyone do something like that for me. I'll even let you read the poem...

Time With You

Time with you feels like the excitement of opening a gift on Christmas

It's the feeling you get in your heart after watching a good love story

Time with you, brings a warm smile to my face

And a sense of calmness that has been lacking

Though I know not what the future holds,

And I know our moments have been few,

Still I look forward to more time with you.

If you find this cheesey in any way, please don't tell me. I would like to bask in the glow of someone thinking enough of me to write something like this.

So, Friday night I am going to Katy to celebrate my birthday with my first boyfriend from the 8th grade. Both of our birthdays are on the 8th and when we were younger we always celebrated together, so we decided to do it again this year! I'm really looking forward to it. Hook-Up is going to meet me out there! YAY!!!

Last year when I was all upset about turning 30, Driver looked at me and said, "You know Single Girl, 30 is the new 20." Since I have embarked on my third decade on Earth, I have realized I am much happier than I was in my 20's. It has made me realize that I should be happy with all that I have accomplished and not dwell on the goals I set for myself at 18. I have figured out that even though I don't look like I did at 20 or 21, I have more confidence in myself now than I ever did back then. Why do we cherish our 20's so much??? I make more money now, I drive a better vehicle now, I live in a better home now, people tell me I still look 27, and my boobs are still as perky as they were back then. My life is not so bad, it's actually pretty AWESOME!!!

Until next time...

Single Girl

My weekend started Thursday!!!

As you all know, I had a date with Hook-Up Thursday night. We went to the Rodeo and saw Reba McEntire. THE WHOLE NIGHT WAS AWESOME!!! We met at Bennigan's over by Reliant and had a couple of drinks, then we drove over to the stadium. Our seats were in the Action Section, we were 6 rows from the floor. At one point, I thought one of those bucking horses was going to fly over the railing onto us. We saw one little girl harness a calf right in front of us! (I love the calf scramble!) Anyway; before Reba went on, we went outside so I could smoke and he looked at me and told me that he was having a great time. Then he put his face really close to mine and said "You're amazing." Now, me personally, I don't think there is anything special about me...I'm pretty average. It's not every day that I am told that I am amazing, so as you can imagine...it made me feel pretty good! So, we went back in and watched the concert portion of the evening. It was the first time that either one of us had seen Reba McEntire. She was GREAT! So, after the show we walked (hand in hand) back to the car and attempted to get back over to Bennigan's. I love going to the Rodeo, but I hate trying to get home from the Rodeo. Why do they have to block off all the streets going the direction I need to go??? We were sitting in traffic so long that I was having flashbacks to the Hell Drive 2005 when all of Houston evacuated. We finally got to Bennigan's about 45 minutes to an hour after we left the stadium. We kissed goodnight. :) and said goodbye. When he first asked me to go out with him, I told him I would go as long as he wasn't going to kill me. (Dating these days is scary and you can't be to careful!) He asked me the other night if I was convinced yet that he wasn't going to kill me. I told him I was almost to the point of knowing that he's not going to kill me. Now it is our running joke. I think I like Hook-Up, he seems to be a genuinely nice guy. And, for those of you who know me...it's about time I met a guy that is nice.

Friday was a pretty cool day! Doodlebug works at a disadvantaged elementary school and Friday they celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday. Some of the students dressed up as Dr. Seuss characters and they had a parade through the halls. Part of the festivities include guest readers going into classrooms and reading Dr. Seuss books. I felt privileged to be one of the guest readers. I read The Butter Battle Book to a fourth grade class. The only problem with reading to a fourth grade class, is they are right at the "tween" age. You know, "I'm to cool to like anything." But, the rest of the time I got to hang out in Doodle's classroom. I forgot how much fun second grade was. Why can't there be recess at work? The coolest part of the day was when we went to an assembly in the cafeteria and the guest reader was...BARBARA BUSH!!! She sat on the stage with her dog Sadie and read If I Ran the Zoo. She was AWESOME!!! After she got done reading, she asked if any of the kids had any questions. One little boy stood up and said, "I think your son is AWESOME!" Another little boy stood up and asked, "How does it feel to be the President's mother?" She told him that it wasn't any different than when his parents watched him score a touchdown, homerun, etc... She said that she was very proud of his accomplishments and even though he is the President, he will always be her son. She didn't talk down to the students, she talked to them like they were little adults. I do have to say, her Secret Service agents were HOT!!! I know that Friday is a day that I will happily file away in the VERY COOL file in my memory bank.

Saturday night I went out with Slut Puppy and got very drunk. We went to this bar in Humble called Stetsons, and as you have probably guessed it is a country bar. When I was younger, I loved going to country bars, I loved to two-step, jitterbug, polka and waltz. I really liked looking at all the cowboys in their tight jeans and freshly starched shirts with the black stetsons. But apparently, my taste in men has changed dramatically. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy the dancing part of it, there is nothing better than a man coming up to you and saying, "Would you like to dance?" But, last night there were maybe two guys that made me do a double take. I don't find the tight jeans all that appealing anymore. Maybe I've purged the majority of the Channelview I had in me out! Even though there wasn't much flirting going on, Slut Puppy and I still had fun! We drank our faces off! I'm not usually a shot girl, but last night we were doing blow job shots. (I'm not sure how many we did, but they sure were tasty.) We also got out on the dance floor and did a jitterbug and a polka together! It felt a lot like our days at Wilson Road Dance Hall, just with alcohol! I have been avoiding going to Slut Puppy's house, because she lives in the same area as my Ex. I will no longer let that deter me from visiting my friend. Here's a warning for you Slut Puppy...I will be back out there, and a lot more often!!! When we left the bar, we went to Waffle House, because what night at a country bar doesn't end with breakfast at the local Waffle House. There were these young guys at the other end of the restaurant and we started talking to them. They were pretty funny. Two of them were from Georgia and the other two were from Canada. We were exchanging quips across the restaurant and one of them asked us if it was true that everything in Texas was bigger, and without missing a beat I said, "That is true, have you seen my ass!" Before we left, I walked over there and took pictures with these four very nice looking young men and kissed each one on the cheek and said goodbye.

So, as you can see...My weekend was pretty stellar!

Until next time...

Single Girl

Thanks...

I would like to send a big THANK YOU to Rice Spice!!! You totally got me hooked on www.dlisted.com. I have to go and check it 5 times a day to see if anything has been added. I have even caught myself referring to things and people as "fug". I love celebrity gossip!!!

I'm about to start getting ready to go out with Hook-Up. I will post tomorrow and let you know how everything went.

Until next time...

Single Girl