Friday's Playlist

It's going to be the longest Friday whether you are running errands or wasting away behind an office desk unless you have a solid playlist to get you until its 5:00 somewhere...

Here is my Friday playlist. Please excuse the randomness of my selection - i like it...take it or leave it!


1. Soul Sister - Train
2. All These Things That I've Done - The Killers
3. Mary May & Bobby - Joe Purdy
4. Luckiest Man - The Wood Brothers
5. Life Less Ordinary - Carbon Leaf
6. Trouble - Ray LaMontagne
7. Shout Out Loud - Amos Lee
8. Brothers and Sisters - SOJA
9. Tell Her To Come Back Home - Crooked Still
10. Forever Young - Jay Z
11. Livin' Our Love Song - Jason Michael Carol
12. Who Says - John Mayer
13. Carolina - Corey Smith
14. American Honey - Lady Antebellum
15. Girl In The Water - Josh Ritter
16. Say Hey (I Love You) - Michael Franti & Spearhead
17. Believe - Acoustic Syndicate
18. Saved By A Woman - Ray Lamontagne
19. Do You Remember - Jay Sean
20. Would You Go With Me - Josh Turner
21. Fall To Pieces - Matt Nathanson
22. Supply & Demand - Amos Lee
23. Constantly - Cross Canadian Ragweed


This should keep you occupied for awhile!
Happy Friday Friends!

All Things Maternity

So here is how our (me and Blair) blackberry messenger convo went yesterday….

Blain: Hey. Saturday, can we meet you at your house and ride with you to Matt and Katie’s for the shower?
(We have a couple’s baby shower this weekend in Kernersville)

Blair: Sure. Meet us there at 11 or 12.

Blain: Okie Dokie! Thanks sister!

Blair: Yeap

Blain: How’s my niece?

(My twin sister is pregnant with a little girl!)

Blair: She is good, just hanging in there!

Blain: Swimming around….
Still like your hair??
(Sister got her hair butchered last week; I am talking CHOPPED OFF short)

Blair: Uhhhhh kinda. I just am too lazy to fix it
Hey, if you get time today search the Internet for maternity clothes for spring..On sale.

Blain: Ok, I’ll send ya an email with some links……

So, I go online and start shopping:
#1. Maternity clothes are not cute
#2. Maternity clothes are not cheap
#3. Maternity clothes are not cute
and
#4. Maternity clothes are not cheap

I found several really cute things (hey, I might borrow them on Thanksgiving or something :))

Later in the afternoon I get this BBM message:

Blair: Sister, those clothes are cute but I should have been more specific. I am so over grey, black and white!

Blain: Well pregnant people can’t be choosers. And some of these come in more than the color that the pic is showing. That was just the cheapest stuff I could find.

Blair: an ahhh ha ha ha the day I get my ass in a bathing suit! You won’t see that!
(I sent her a link to the cutest little maternity bathing suit)

Blain: I thought it was cute! And…there might be a reason they don’t put you pregnant people in anything but black :)

Let’s be serious….bold prints, crazy patterns and bright colors can’t make you feel slimming when you become 30lbs over weight in a record 7 months.

In summary, majority of maternity clothes are so not cute and majority of maternity clothes are so not cheap. Heidi Klum is getting the hint and came out with her own line of maternity clothes that are absolutely adorable but… you have to be stinkin’ rich to buy them. Pickles & Ice Cream Maternity Apparel also have really cute stuff but $80 bucks for a top is insane.

My suggestion:
Wear the gray and black.

You’re having a kid.

You will be fat.

Enjoy this time where it is acceptable to be fat.

You will be uncomfortable.

You will spend tons of money on clothes and the spending does not stop there – you are having a kid.

You might not look “cute” all the time.

You will wear boring colors in the spring…and there is nothing you can do about it.

Just be thankful God has allowed you to have a kid and so far both kid and mommy are healthy.
Now go get you a bowl of ice cream and a pickle and lounge around in your black sweat pants and grey tank top.

PS – I can’t wait to meet my niece!!!! And my future twin "nephews" Sarah is having for me!!!
Babies Babies everywhere!

(and will someone remind me of this post when I am pregnant and complaining about cute maternity clothes!)

Flying Limbs

Saturday was gorgeous. Lately it has been so cold in Charlotte that it has been almost unbearable to step outside. With the weather on our side, “Charleston” and I decided to go for a run.
We started at my apartment on N. Graham Street uptown and ran to “Charleston’s” parent’s home on Sherwood Ave in Myers Park. It was a nice little four mile run but honestly, I have never felt so out of shape in my entire life!

My legs were SO tight and tired that I did not feel like I was going anywhere. I felt like my arms, feet, legs, toes, fingers, etc. were flying all over the place and totally out of control. Running felt like a totally new movement I had never experienced before. I felt bad when “Charleston” would have to get closer to me when passing people. I felt that if he got too close I would take him out with a flying limb!

Seriously, I felt like Phoebe in this episode of friends:

Needless to say, it wasn’t the funest activity I participated in on Saturday. When we got to “Charleston’s” parents house, we got his sister and mom to drive us back to my apartment; there was no running home for me. :)

I gotta get back into it....

BBM Conversations That Make Me Smile

Do you ever have those text message (or Blackberry messenger) conversations that just make you immediately smile ? “Charleston” does it to me all the time. Whether it is simply sending me a picture of smushy green grapes on the sidewalk outside his house that I threw out last week for the bunnies with a caption that says “Rabbits don’t eat grapes.” ... Or a picture of him at 9am still snuggled in his bed, all the while knowing that I have been up since 4am- straight up MEAN… but it still makes me smile!

Today we had this conversation……

“Charleston”: I stole a hose and spray nozzle so I can wash my car.

Blain: Baybee, from where?!!

“Charleston”: A vacant house down the street. I’ll give it back.

Blain: That’s kind of hot. You’re a little bad ass.
(hey, you have to pump your man up every now and then don't you?!)

“Charleston”: For stealing a hose??!

Blain: Yes

“Charleston”: Good to know.

Blain: Let’s just keep it to minor things though.

“Charleston”: Like your heart?

Blain: Ah love face! That’s the only BIG thing and I think you have already taken that! Are you ever going to give it back?

“Charleston”: Nope

Blain: Never??

“Charleston”: By the way, it’s mine now.

Blain: My heart or the hose?

“Charleston”: Your heart. I’ll give the hose back.
(he is stealing from me now but at least I know he is a good citizen for returning the hose :))


……And again, it made me smile.

Come on Oprah.....Seriously??

I ran across this article and it was a little irritating and embarasing. I like Oprah, I do...but stuff like this is ridiculous. I like how excited she is that the Saints won the superbowl but seriously, did she even know they won until after they booked Drew Brees on the show? Maybe, Maybe not. My guess....probably not. Come on Oprah....Seriously?

Oprah's Oops Moment with Drew Brees

by Allison Waldman

Oh, my. This is embarrassing... for Oprah. Apparently, she didn't see New Orleans Saints quarterback and Super Bowl MVP ever before in her life. How else can you explain what happened when Drew Brees was a guest on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show'? Before we go to the tape, a few thoughts.

First, what does it say about the staff research on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' that something as big as Drew Brees' birthmark, clearly visible on his right cheek didn't make it into the notes?

Nobody ran a little tape on the guy? There were no football cards or an 8x10 glossy? It makes you think that somebody simply handed Oprah a set of cards and said, "Here you go. His team won the Super Bowl. He throws the ball. Go get him, O."

Clearly, Ms. O had no idea what Drew Brees looked like. She must not have watched the Super Bowl or she would have seen the birthmark on his face. She must not have seen any of the post-game appearances with Drew Brees or she would have asked someone about that mark on his face. She must not have cared very much about the interview to do the proper preparation.

Fortunately for Oprah, Drew is a good-natured guy and he laughed off her attempt to clean his face. Watch:

It's not exactly the same, but have you ever experienced this: you walk into the doctor's office. You meet with the nurse and explain what's wrong with you. The nurse writes it all down in your file and you sit and wait 30 minutes in a paper gown. The doctor walks in with your file. While you continue to wait, the doctor opens the file and just then starts to read. When they're done, they look up at you and say, "Now, what's wrong?" It's like they have not read or understood one iota of the material in the file. It's like they have no idea who you are.

Maybe it's not very much like that after all, but Oprah should be ashamed of herself for not reading the Drew Brees file before he walked out onto her stage. After all, she is Oprah. She's supposed to be better than that.

Celly-Telly Background

I think the backgrounds of cell phones say a lot about a person. Do they have a plain color, a sunset beach, a picture of their spouse, or the original home screen that came with the phone which screams you are technologically uneducated.What is the background for your cell phone?

This is the picture of my cell phone background. "Charleston" and I were in my car on the way to Raleigh!

(click picture to view larger)

Just Call Me Bonnie Blair

Every year I think I am going to pick a new sport but since the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, I have wanted to be Bonnie Blair. Speed Skating would be my sport if I were to compete in the Winter Olympics. Something about it intrigues me. I am not sure if it’s the movement, the fact that it’s simply a race against the clock, or even that it looks almost effortless…. But….. I would be all over that event like mice on cheese.

For those of you that just watch and don’t really know the rules, here is a “rule summary” of Speed Skating:

Collisions
To avoid collisions, right-of-way is given to the skater switching from the outer to the inner lane during crossovers. If there is a collision, the skater leaving the inner lane is
held responsible, unless the skater in the outer lane obstructs the other competitor.

Cutting the lines
Skaters are not allowed to cross the inner line of the curve at either end of the oval -- as defined by movable blocks placed on the ice -- to shorten the distance of the race. A violation of this rule may result in disqualification.

Disqualifications
Skaters may be disqualified from a race for the following violations:
• Making two false starts
• Crossing lines that divide the lanes
• Not changing lanes at the crossover point
• Interfering with other skaters during the lane change

In the team pursuit competition, if an individual skater is disqualified for a violation of the rules, his or her entire team is disqualified.

Falls
Skaters that fall during the race can get up and continue the event. If a skater falls just before the finish line, the time is recorded at the moment the competitor's skate crosses the line.

Fresh starts
Skaters can re-skate a race when they are victim to a serious interference, including the fall of an opponent or an obstacle on the track. If this happens, skaters are allowed 30 minutes to rest before repeating the event. The best time in the two heats will be used for the athlete's final score.

Interference
If a skater cannot stay in the inner lane within a curve because he or she is traveling at such a high speed, the athlete may cross into the other lane as long as he or she does not interfere with the competitor in the outer lane. The skater must then return to the inner lane or he or she will be disqualified.

And check out a clip from the 2009 World Cup:

Friday's Fabulous Five.... Things I LOVE

Staying with the theme of LOVE this week, here are 5 things I LOVE!

1. Bert's Bees Radiance Eye Creme. I have really dry eye lids. (I know, it sounds weird but a trait handed to me from Mother dearest. Thanks Mom.) But the area around my eyes stays dry ALL THE TIME and this is the ONLY thing I can get to work. Find it here: Bert's Bees Radiance Eye Creme

2. Honey Nut Cheerios. Honestly, there are days I have cheerios for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Seriously.

3. Peonies....Ah, Bee-u-t-full!

4. My Michael Kors Watch "Charleston" gave me for Christmas. I never leave home without it.

5. Josh Turner & His Voice...this is him on Letterman the other night. ENJOY!

LOOOOOOVE Is In The Air

So far I don’t know how we have done it. Even though there is an hour and a half between us and we both have very busy schedules, “Charleston” and I have managed to see each other EVERY weekend since September 19th. It takes some gas money and a little extra time commitment but I count my blessings that he lives in Greensboro and not somewhere like Tijuana. Whew, that wouldn’t be fun, but even then…he still would be worth it.

Tomorrow I am headed to Greensboro to spend the night with “Charleston” and then we are off to Raleigh to help Jackie and Michael celebrate their engagement on Saturday! Therefore on Fridays, I usually get to Greensboro around 4 if I get off work in time and I LOVE to already be at “Charleston’s” house before he gets off work and I LOOOOOVE to have dinner already in progress for him and his roomies. If you haven’t noticed I would LOVE to be a chef; a chef that cooks others recipes!

So long story long, this is what I am making tomorrow night!!! I hope “Charleston” will LOVE it!

Coq au Vin

Ingredients
1 whole Fryer Chicken
4 slices Bacon, Cut Into Small Pieces
½ whole Medium Onion, Diced
½ cups Carrots, Washed, Peeled, And Roughly Chopped
5 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 pound White Mushrooms, Sliced
2 cups Burgundy Wine
2 Tablespoons Butter
Parsley, Fresh, Minced
Salt And Pepper, to taste

Preparation Instructions
Sauté bacon pieces in a large skillet over medium low heat until fat is rendered. Remove bacon from the skillet and set aside. Increase heat to medium.

Salt fat site of chicken pieces, then place chicken, fat side down, in skillet and cook in bacon grease until both sides are nice and golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside in a 2-quart baking dish, skin side up.

Sauté onions, carrots and garlic in bacon grease until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Remove from grease with slotted spoon and set aside.

In a separate skillet, sauté mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter until golden, about 3 minutes. Set aside.

Layer half of the bacon pieces, carrot/onion mixture, and mushrooms in pan with chicken.

Drain grease from the large skillet, then place over medium heat. Pour in 2 cups Burgundy wine, using a wire whisk to scrape loose all the burned/brown bits. Lightly salt liquid and allow to cook for 3 minutes. Pour over chicken and vegetables. Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 1/2 hours.

Sprinkling minced parsley over the top. Spoon juice from baking dish over the top of everything.

Crash Hot Potatoes

Ingredients
12 whole New Potatoes (or Other Small Round Potatoes)
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Kosher Salt To Taste
Black Pepper To Taste
Rosemary (or Other Herbs Of Choice) To Taste

Preparation Instructions
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.

On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.

With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.

Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.)

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

It Is Almost That Day...

It is almost Valentine’s Day.

I have never been a HUGE Valentine’s Day person and it never really bothered me not to have a Valentine. I have actually had some pretty funny Valentines Days in college that were kind of comical…throwing up on my Valentine as he was trying to feed me chicken noodle soup while I was sick --- going to Applebee's with a good friend on Valentines Day only to find the restaurant totally empty, out of food, and the chef quit that afternoon---but anyway....
My personal opinion (and call me spoiled, call me selfish, call me whatever) but….I like “Valentines” day to occur randomly throughout the year; not just on one day.

Save your money on the jacked-up prices of roses during this weekend.

Don’t by me Chocolate; it’s almost bathing suit season.

DO NOT waste your time on anything fluffy and stuffed. What am I going to do with it seriously?

We can go to dinner because at some point we have to eat, but don’t break the bank.
(As “Charleston” told me today as he was making us plans: “Baby, I had no idea McDonald's even took reservations. We are good for 6:30.” And then I made sure he got us a cozy booth beside a window. I prefer booths over tables :) )

Just have fun with me on Valentine’s Day.

Be with me.

Hold me.

Kiss me.

Enjoy me and let me enjoy you.

If you want to get me flowers, surprise me sometime in May.

If you want to get my Chocolates….give them to me when puffy jackets are back in style.

I am all about the concept of Valentines Day: LOVE. I will celebrate this all day long, but…love to me does not mean flowers, stuffed animals, chocolates or fancy dinners.

Love is being 91.1 miles away from each other but still seeing each other every weekend for the past 20 weeks.

Love is playing multiple rounds of hangman on Blackberry Messenger throughout the day.

Love is driving 91.1 miles on a weeknight just to spend the night together and driving back at 4am the next day.

Love is offering up the idea to go see the others parents, not just to make the other happy but because you are just as excited to get to know them.

Love is making sacrifices.

Love is lying in bed at night and not saying a word but knowing exactly what the other is thinking by the way they are looking into your eyes.

Love is opening up and giving yourself to the other.

Love is wonderful and for that I will celebrate on Valentine’s Day, not the commercial stuff that goes along with it.

It's Lunch Time In America

When it’s cold, rainy and wet, for lunch, I want a hot sandwich…the cold turkey is just not going to cut it this time of year. Therefore it is so tempting to walk down to Quiznos’ and drop a whopping $8 on a hot sub. It’s easy to do as long as you don’t care you are breaking the bank and the button on your jeans.
Therefore I have come up with my own version of a hot sandwich and let me tell you, it does the trick and sooner or later, my pants might fit a little better and my bank account might be overflowing! (Ok ok, can’t a girl dream?)

Blain's Lunch Turkey Burger

Start with this:

Jennie-O 95/5 All Natural White Turkey Burgers
Serving Size: 1 burger
Calories: 180
Total Fat: 7g

Add this:

Pepperidge Farm Deli Flats
Serving Size: 1 roll
Calories: 100
Total Fat: 1g

Plus this:

Sargento Deli Style Sliced Mozzarella Cheese
Serving Size: 1 slice
Calories: 60
Total Fat: 4g

Plus this:

Lettuce
Service Size: 1 piece
Calories: 10
Total Fat: 0g

And this:

Tomato
Serving Size: 1 slice
Calories: 4
Total Fat: 0g

And this:

French’s Yellow Mustard
Serving Size: 3 tsp
Calories: 2
Total Fat: 0g

And last but not least, totally optional if you like your co-workers…I could really care less so…

The final touch:

Onion
Serving Size: 1 ounce (a couple slices)
Calories: 11
Total Fat: 0g

All of this for a grand total of:
Total Calories: 367
Total Fat: 12g

That compared to this:

Quiznos' Mesquite Chicken
Serving Size: Regular Sub
Calories: 824
Total Fat: 15g

AND YES, BLAIN'S TURKEY BURGER PLEASE!

If you really wanted your turkey burger to be slightly healthier, you can leave off the cheese and add some more veggies. I propose maybe some sprouts? Avocado? Cucumbers?!

But…I figure if I already saved myself 457 calories and 3 grams of fat…I am having cheese.

Fair enough?

I think so.

It's Been A Fabulous January!

A little re-cap of some activities over the last month:

(click on any picture to view larger)

Blair and I at home in Kernerville for Christmas. And yes, there is snow on the ground and I have a short sleeve shirt on but it seriously was not that cold outside...Sister was just overdoing it with the scarf to look cute!

I sucked it up and was a good girlfriend and attended the UNC vs. PITT bowl game in Charlotte with "Charleston" and his friends.
Honestly, it was one of the most boring football games I have ever set through and I am not saying that to just be a UNC hater. I was frozen and we were sitting in row ZZZZZ.

At least we were in good company!

Remember the "mini-vacay" I blogged about here in Vilas, NC with "Charleston" and his roomies? Well...here we are!

L to R: Tyler, "Charleston", Matt

We seriously did NOTHING all weekend long. I LOVE not having to put real clothes on or make-up. I also rocked Sister's App State hoodie every night!

We brought back old school style with Pop Rocks. Remember those?!!!

Group Shot in the kitchen!

Me and Erin

Ooops, uploaded the wrong picture, but...why not include it anyways!

This is (from L to R): Lauren, Amy, Michelle, Me

at Second String Santa

might as well add more of Second String while we are at it!

And a ladies shot! I love these girls!

From L to R: Mealine, Lauren, Me, Jenna, Michelle, Amy

(and yes, we are cheap, we stole this from the Internet, hence the white writing on the front!) And we are back to the mountain trip....

a little "moment" in front of the fireplace. Tyler, seriously, what is wrong? You are with three fabulous girls...can't we smile a little!

L to R: Stacia, Me, Lacy, Tyler

The girls....what would those boys do without us?!

I just love me some "Charleston."

and please don't make fun of my hair! i look like one of those babies that has been laying in the crib on their back for way to long!

It was a fabulous weekend.

L to R: Stacia, Carl, Erin, Me

The Case For SETTLING for MR. GOOD ENOUGH

Being a single girl can be very confusing…

Being a married girl can be very confusing…

Crap, for that matter, being a girl can be more confusing no matter what your status…

I have single friends. I have engaged friends. I have married friends. And, as much as I don’t want to say it I am sure one day I will have divorced friends. Ugh, I hate how that sounds.

It’s so hard, in your 20s to figure out the next direction in life….do I date this guy? Do I see myself marrying this guy? Do I break up with this guy? Do we have kids now? Do we enjoy married life a little longer? So many questions with no one giving you straight forward answers.

Last year I read the book "Better Single Than Sorry" and blogged about it here.
Great book and great message! I thought I had found pretty good advice.

Then today I see another book that looks interesting: “Marry Him. The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough.”
Geeze, way to confuse the heck out of a girl.

(FYI: I am not one of these girls that take these books to heart. I do pull bits of information from them but I think any girl would be screwed if she lived by them like the Bible)

I then found a very interesting article on the book that I just have to share. This book sounds like it will definitely get a girl thinking.

Marry Him -- A Look At The Divisive New Book That Urges You To 'Settle'

by: Carrie Sloan

Just in time for Valentine's Day, the world has found its anti-Cupid. Her name is Lori Gottlieb, and she's a pretty, 42-year-old single mom who will be on the Today Show tomorrow. So why is the blogosphere calling for her head!?

She just wrote a book called "Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough," advising you to, among other things, give the online date with bad breath a second chance, and not ix-nay a guy over his unfortunate taste in denim.

In a word, she's urging you to settle, so as not to wind up alone like she did. And when I finished the book, I turned to my brand-new husband (I got married in September) and said: This is the smartest relationship book I've read in years.

I know, I know -- I can hear you going, "But, but, BUT!" I can hear my friend, who went on so many online dates she actually created a spreadsheet to keep track of them all, telling me at brunch on Sunday, "I don't like the word settle. I couldn't will myself to go out with someone again if there was no chemistry."

And she's right. The thing is, the most unsettling part of the book for me was the word "settle," because, despite the title, that's not exactly what Gottlieb's espousing. She's simply suggesting you not walk in the shoes of her younger self: A very particular girl who wrote guys off indiscriminately, for all the wrong reasons, for too long. And, when you are ready to settle down, look for someone who's going to be a good partner, rather than, say, a master sexter with bedroom eyes.

Though those are nice qualities in a guy too, and you needn't trade him in tomorrow.

That's the thing about this book: I think it's got a lot of truth to impart if you're nearing 30, and know that you want the whole enchilada -- marriage, kids, dirty diapers -- but consistently don't date the type of guy who's likely to change them with you.

I also think the message is timely: We're a generation that's been weaned on six seasons of "Sex and the City" and too many romantic comedies. I mean, I'm all for cute sundresses and brunch, but along with that dose of girl power, we've been fed some seriously messed up relationship messages. How long has Big been stringing Carrie along now? And breathless fans take this as proof that it's true love.

Truth is, it's far more acceptable to waltz around town swilling Cosmos in your tu-tu at 22 than 42, and if they're going to, the "Sex and the City" characters should have come with warning labels:

"In real life, Carrie is married with three kids."

Which brings us back to Gottlieb, who's been skewered on blog after blog for the book's following passage:

"It's kind of like the graphic anti-drunk driving public service announcements that show people crashing into poles and getting killed. If they just told you, 'Don't drink and drive,' you might think, 'Yeah, I know, but I can have a couple martinis, right?' It's not until you see people ending up brain-dead, lying in a coma in the hospital and surrounded by beeping monitors, that the message has an impact.

"In the same way, if you don't see how easily people can end up alone by making the dating mistakes I did, you won't be dissuaded from making the same mistakes yourself. I had to show the reality of being single at my age because I used to be like a teenager who thinks he's invulnerable to drunk driving accidents -- it's all in the abstract, something that happens to other people, but would never happen to me. It never occurred to me that I would become another dating casualty. I had to show, in grim detail, the accident that my dating life became so that you could make choices you wouldn't look back on later and regret."

How could she, bloggers spluttered. As one wrote, acidly: "Yes, she just compared being single to being brain-dead after a drunk-driving accident." No. The comparison Gottlieb made -- using as much hyperbole as possible, so people would (ahem) get the message -- is this: If you're not careful, you could wind up like me.

She isn't saying there's anything wrong with being single for the rest of your days, unless that's not how you want to spend them. What she is saying is that she wanted to get married, and have biological kids with a husband, but that's not how her life -- which is still okay, thank you very much -- panned out. And she's writing her book in the hopes that that won't happen to you.

In her twenties, Gottlieb was -- though she doesn't say this outright -- a catch, sure her Mr. Right was around the next corner. She spent the next two decades trying to find him, while, like the rest of us, juggling a career. Then, at 37, she decided to take a break, and instead of signing up for another online dating site, registered to find a sperm donor and have a baby while she still could. Now she has a young son she loves "ecstatically," she writes, but still no man she feels that way about.

What she realizes, too late, is that dating doesn't get easier as you get older. Think speed-dating is the devil now? Try it at 41, when, even if they try to police the age groups by decade, the only dudes who show up to date you are fresh off registering at the AARP. It's not a pretty picture. And that part of the book can be bleak. But I applaud her for telling the truth, and throwing herself under the bus for the rest of us.

Fact: It sounds like Gottlieb was pretty picky in her youth. Nobody's saying you can't blackball a guy for a lot of perfectly good reasons. Though those women with checklists are out there, too: I personally plan to loan my copy of "Marry Him" to my friend who refuses to date anyone with "recessive genes" -- by that she means blonds, redheads and any guy under 6'0.

Mind you, she's 35, and 5' 3."

But if you're 22 or 26, get back on the bar and keep dancing. I, too, dated in a big city for a decade, and there's a time when a guy should be judged by nothing more than his potential to make an excellent post-mortem brunch story.

Maybe, like eye cream, this book will be lost on you until the day you actually need it. And here's hoping you never will.

Until then, just keep this in mind. My friend from brunch, the one with the spreadsheet? She, like me, finally got engaged. At the time, we were both 33.

In my case, I'd finally kicked my twentysomething habit of falling hard for foreign accents and took up with a good guy who only speaks one tongue: English. But he also boasts a wicked sense of humor and the sort of devotion that doesn't need conjugating.

My friend, a film buff with a taste for subtitles and charismatic gay pseudo-boyfriends fell head-over-heels for an Arby's-loving sports nut who happens to think she's the best thing since powdered roast beef. Huh?

"I wouldn't have looked at him in my twenties," she laughed when we were out last Sunday. "I thought I wanted someone who was into foreign films."

I don't think either one of us thinks we've settled. It's more that we grew up. And I think all Gottlieb's urging you to do is use your perch on the bar to scan the room for nice guys you might otherwise overlook -- because you might find they grow on you when the time comes not to settle, but to settle down.

Agree? Disagree? Hate me and Lori Gottlieb, too? That's fine. Tell us why you would or wouldn't "settle."

Happy Birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

Today Dad turns 50!

It is crazy because somewhere in my mind my parents will always be 38. Ha ha..funny and scary because if he were only 38 that would have made him 13 when he and mom had me and Sister..ugh. Gross.

Anyway, Happy Birthday to the most amazing Father!

I LOVE YOU!

oh yeah...and dad shares his birthday with Facebook! Facebook turns 6 today!

"Who Do You Think You Are?"

Last night I saw a preview of an upcoming show on NBC, “Who Do You Think You Are” and I will say, I am intrigued and will definitely add it to my weekly round-up!

The show takes a personal look inside the family history of Matthew Broderick, Lisa Kudrow, Spike Lee, Sarah Jessica Parker, Susan Sarandon, Brooke Shields and Emmitt Smith. (I LOVE these people!!!!)

The seven-episode program will lead celebrities on a journey of a self-discovery as they unearth their family trees that reveal surprising, inspiring and even tragic stories that are often linked to crucial events in American History. Each week a celebrity will venture through their past traveling all over the world. The show will lead us through the California Gold Rush, Salem witch trials, beaches of Africa to European aristocracy and from the Civil War to the Holocaust and many other adventures times in history!

I can’t wait to watch and honestly, this might be an adventure I am going to add to my “bucket list.” I would love to dig deeper into my ancestry seeing as how, as sad as it is, I don’t know that much about my family past my grandparents. (I am almost embarrassed to say that!)

Anyway, watch it with me...season premier is on March 5th at 8:00pm on NBC!

Take That Attacker

It’s February 1st and my first day of walking to work – the biggest advantage of my new apartment!

From office chair to apartment door it takes me 10 minutes. MOOONEY!!!!

Yes, at 5:20am it is dark and the city is quiet but the walk is actually nice. It gives me a little “Blain -time” in the morning instead of waking up, rushing to get ready, a 2 minute car ride from my old apartment and at my desk pounding away. Plus, it feels good to actually “move.” Before I was walking to work, I parked right in front of my apartment and parked in the parking deck right behind my office building. I bet I took less than 500 steps a day if I didn’t go to the gym! That’s awful. So….long story short, the walk is kind of refreshing.

But, at 5:20 the quietness can also be a little too quiet for a 25 year old female walking by herself through uptown Charlotte so…Dad bought me this:

2.8p Million Volt Mini Stun Gun

It’s the strongest Stun Gun Sold on EBay. Its only 4” long and 2” wide but strong enough to take you down!

And I got the best advice from Sister: “Once you take them down with your stun gun and they are on the ground, you rob them and run off!” I like where her heads at…I can always use a little extra lunch money ;)

Just Kiddin'

Happy Monday Friends!

Looks Like Wheat

I remember my dreams almost every night and I honestly have no clue where the heck they come from.

Most people say you dream about stuff you thought about before bed . . .or watched on TV . . . or talked about with a friend.

Well last night I watched The Girls Next Door and talked To “Charleston.” Nothing special and nothing out of the ordinary. But I had the STUPIDEST, DUMBEST, IDIOTIC dream I could have imagined.

Therefore, I have to share because I have thought about it and had mental pictures about it all day.

To set the scene:

Me, Sister, Ryan, Sarah, Lauren, Sharon, Leslie and KT Weeg are all at the beach, I guess reliving spring break all over again.

The beach was really narrow and it was very overcast that day. There were people everywhere including old and young.

All of a sudden, this slightly overweight girl comes stumbling up and falls in the sand. She is wasted! This old couple jumps up to help her and she tells them she will be fine if she can just get a Hi-C Drink (I mean WTF? Ha-ha).

Her friend starts pulling her by the ponytail through the sand telling her they are going to Toys’ R Us (again, I don’t know! ha-ha).

The drunken girl ends up in front of us and starts throwing up…but throwing up cookies (maybe she had the munchies! I don’t know!).

It was gross one way or the other. So, I reach over and started helping her while all the rest of the girls are calling for help.

Long story short, the hot lifeguard comes.
The hot lifeguard starts doing CPR (yes, on top of the cookie mess still in her mouth! Ugh) but he keeps wiping something out of his face.
I can’t figure out what he keeps wiping out of his eyes so I pull my legs out from under her head and slide back into my chair and notice that the hair on my legs is so long and looks like wheat!!!!

Kind of like this:
Or like this:

Or even like this:

It was my leg hair that was tickling hot lifeguard's face while he was giving CPR!

The lifeguard was still sitting beside me and I did not want to embarrass myself so I started to pull off the little balls of wheat on the end so he can’t see how really long my leg hair was! UGH Gross!
I don’t know where all this came from and I promise I shave! I swear! Come rub my legs!