bad date hall of fame

I was watching an episode of Parks & Rec, one of my favorite shows, last night. In it, Leslie Knope {the main character} was talking about all the bad dates she has ever been on. This spurred my idea to share with y'all one of my worst first dates. Enjoy!

Let me preface this by saying I don't typically recommend going on a date with someone you know nothing about. It usually does not end well. But I was in college and willing to try anything once. Sorry mom!

It all started at a party {isn't that how it all starts??} one Saturday night. I met this boy who was cute and seemed nice enough. We talked for a while at the party--but didn't really get to know each other that well. We had no mutual friends, and I don't even think he went to my school, but since he seemed like a nice guy, I agreed to go on a date with him anyways--again, willing to try anything once.

We made plans to meet at a diner in Chicago the following weekend. When I arrived for our date, it was clear he had been at the restaurant for a little while, as he already had food in front of him. In fact he was finishing up his meal as I walked in. RED FLAG. Weird, because like most dates, I had assumed we would be eating together since it was dinnertime and we were meeting at a restaurant. But okay, I let it slide. Instead of staying at the restaurant and letting me order food, he said he wanted to go for a walk. Hmm... okay, I went along with it.

So we walked out to the lakefront in Chicago and took in the beautiful scenery. While we were talking and chatting he happened to mention that he had just gotten out of rehab (for a harder drug that I won't mention). BIG RED FLAG. I guess I'm just not that into recovering addicts. And talk about awkward conversation topic! Should you even bring that up on a first date with a girl you barely know? Probably not. Leave that conversation when you're more serious and she's too invested to run for the hills.

After that I was pretty turned off, but not one to be rude, I stuck around a while longer. He mentioned that he lived around the corner and asked if I wanted to see his apartment. RED FLAG. If a guy asks if you want to see his apartment, he wants other things. Just sayin’. And because I clearly wasn’t feeling it, but didn’t know how to get out of it, I agreed to go, but said I wouldn’t be able to stick around much longer--classic line to say I'm not interested. Well we get to his apartment, only to find out he was still living with his parents. RED FLAG. Yes, he was trying to make moves on me in his parents house--not okay. Needless to say, I didn't stick around long enough to meet his parents or make plans for another date. Sadly, that was the last I saw of him.

Definitely one of the weirder dates of my life. Don’t get me wrong, he seemed like a nice enough guy and I hope he’s found someone who makes him very happy—but that just wasn’t going to be me.

On another note, it's my lovely co-blogger Jena's birthday tomorrow. So be sure to wish her a great 24th birthday. We'll be celebrating by floating down a river... can't wait! Hope you have a great weekend friends!

breaking barriers

via pinterest

"Everything you want is just outside your comfort zone."

Interesting words by Robert Allen, some smart millionaire with a book about his money-making secrets. While I know nothing about Robert Allen nor have I read his book, I find his words to be a reminder that it is always the time to try new things and push your limits.

I recently tried my hand at a little runway at a small event for the boutique I work at. Something I normally would never do. Wasn't so bad. It was even a little fun to strut my stuff. Just realizing I can do it, regardless of how good I am, kicked my confidence up a notch.

Way more bold than walking in front of people (seems so simple when you put it that way), my boyfriend is busy coming up with a stand-up routine. I'm nervous for him being that I am the only person on the planet who finds him funny (kidding, dear). But really, just thinking about it makes me nervous. I could never, ever do it. Since I'm the funny one out of the two of us (kidding again. kind of.) I've been giving him some great material, but actually saying it in front of people? Now that is a crazy idea. What if they thought it was awful. What if they didn't laugh?

This is one of those moments where I answer my own perplexing question. Who gives a damn if they don't laugh, Jena. Don't take yourself so seriously.


Well, I most certainly haven't convinced myself to do stand-up at this point, and I may never. But I am ready to take baby steps outside of my comfort zone. Here are a few on my "YOU CAN DO IT!" list.

1. Go to a movie alone.
2. Eat dinner alone.
3. Host a dinner party. And even cook the dinner.
4. Sing karaoke. (This is a BIG fear.)
5. Take a weekend trip alone to a place where I know no one.

What's outside of your comfort zone? Give yourself a pep talk and get to it people.

thinking about ink

(clockwise from top left 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Let’s talk about tats ladies.

There’s a little bit of a tattoo frenzy going on lately, at least in my neck of the woods. People getting them, wanting them, wishing they had them.

My thoughts on tattoos are as follows:

As long as they are not cheesy, from a drunken escapade, a tramp stamp, or just too much—I don’t mind them. I think it’s cool if you get something that means a lot to you, that you know you’ll love forever inked on you.

Men with tattoos, is a case by case basis. Random tribal tattoos I just can’t dig. But sleeves, àla John Mayer, I can definitely get down with. Much more than a sleeve? Probably not for me.

I don’t understand couples getting tattoos. That’s like strapping a ticking time bomb to your chest to me. It just ain’t gonna work out good in the end. And all you’re left with is some other guy's name tattooed on your body as a daily reminder. Not cute.

I was thisclose to getting a tattoo while I was studying abroad in Florence in college. I knew what I wanted, but at the last minute chickened out. Part of me wishes I would have gotten it, because what a great memory! But part of me is glad that I didn’t—which I think is the ultimate sign.

Have you ever craved a little ink? Wanted something penned on yourself to remember it forever? I wanna hear what you think!

friday friday friday

Hey guys, it’s Friday. Tell me that’s not the best news you’ve received all week. I think I will drink a large diet coke from Sonic and take a nap this afternoon in celebration. This week has been weird, with my brain not functioning 90 percent of the time, so you’ll have to forgive me and accept this random post.

**This weekend, we’re celebrating my brother’s birthday. Do you have a brother? They’re pretty great. Mine just happens to have a birthday this Sunday, which is even greater. I think we’ll celebrate by eating steak at some ritzy restaurant that my parents only take us to when we have something to celebrate.

**Other things I plan on doing this weekend include reading more of The Help. Have you read it? I’m five chapters in and hooked. If you haven’t read it, you should. Can’t wait to see the movie with Emma Stone, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite actresses.

**I think I will also make cheesecake filled strawberries. And you should too. They’re delicious, super easy, and everyone loves them. See the directions here.

**Have you heard of Spotify? I got an invite earlier this week and have been hooked. It’s like iTunes and Pandora got together and had a child, which they named Spotify. It’s like you have a gigantic iTunes library of any songs and artists you want right at your fingertip, except unless you have a premium account there are a few commercials like Pandora. I definitely think it will change the way I listen to music.

**One more thing to share… I tried this no heat curling method this week. Consider this my official recommendation. Perfect for those mornings you just want to sleep in an extra 20 minutes instead of curling your hair. Which… I have those a lot—lazy or resourceful, you tell me.

That’s all I got today. I hope your weekends are lovely. I promise we’ll be back better than ever on Monday.

xoxo