Rant, Rant, Rant

I have a few things on my mind this morning that I just want to rant about-

1. girls who stay with boys who treat them like shit
2. friends who are hard to make plans with
3. people who are one-uppers

#1 - My parents raised me not to take any shit...from anyone. It doesn't matter if it's your boyfriend, your best friend or your boss. Of course there are ways to be professional and mature about handling issues, but basically it boils down to not letting people walk all over you. When I was in high school, my first "real" boyfriend treated me like shit. He lied to me, cheated on me, called me fat and bitch, and yet I chose to forgive him and stay with him for 3 years. Once I realized that he had made me look like a complete fool for all this time, and I had just been making excuses for him along the way, I ditched him. I was 17 and my standards were obviously pretty low at that time. I knew about a couple times that he had cheated on me while we were together, but it wasn't until after we broke up that I found out allllll the times this had happened, and the drugs he had done and the disgusting things that happened behind my back. I have someone now, who I've been with for almost 7 years, who treats me pretty damn good. Now, I do understand that some girls have never had the luxury of having an amazing boyfriend so they don't know what it feels like to be treated right. HOWEVER, I have little tolerance or respect for girls that stick around with guys who cheat on them, treat them like crap and don't respect them, or do drugs (huge pet peeve of mine). If someone hurts you, they don't deserve to have you. I know that sounds very cliche, but it's very true. So listen up ladies - EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US deserves someone who will treat us at the very least with respect. Don't settle on your standards because you feel the pressure to settle down.

Next, #2 - I am guilty of this one myself sometimes, but usually if I say I miss you and I want to make plans with you then I try to follow through on that. I hate it when I have invited someone several times to make plans, and we can never make it happen. I realize that people have busy schedules, myself included often times, but how hard is it really to make plans with an old girlfriend for a couple of hours? That's really all I have to say about that one...

#3- This one just literally drives me nucking futz! :) When I am telling you a story, please do not sit there and constantly think of ways to one-up me. I'm sure there have been times when someone could have felt like I was doing this to them, as well. But I know that it was not intentional. You all know those people that I'm talking about, the ones who are constantly trying to beat us with their stories. They always have something bigger, better, nicer, faster, etc. than you. I have a girlfriend in particular, who always put me down (in her way of doing it) because I've had a long-term boyfriend and the fact that we haven't gotten married yet. When she was single she always wanted to hang out with us and talk about how lucky I was to have him, even if he didn't want to marry me - aka, back handed compliment. Not too long ago she met a guy and started dating him, they got engaged and have since gotten married - now that she has the perfect life she barely talks to me and I'm sure feels sorry for me because she still managed to get married before me. (Words that came out of her mouth at one point and time). Sometimes people who are one-uppers can just piss you off and sometimes they can hurt your feelings.

There, whew I feel better now that I've spoken my peace today!

Puppy Love

I am a true animal lover. I currently have 2 dogs, a Pomeranian (Tilly) and a Husky mix (Sadie). Sadie is almost 4 years old and Tilly will be 1 in October. I absolutely LOVE dogs. I am coming up also in October, on the 1 year anniversary of losing my first Pomeranian, Roxy. She was my first puppy that was all mine after I moved out of my parent's house. My boyfriend got her for me on my 22nd birthday, and I was instantly in love. I had wanted a Pomeranian ever since I could remember. He found her in the paper, picked her out and arranged for a surprise trip to go pick her up. It was in August, a couple weeks before my actual birthday, because she was at the ready to go home age. She was so tiny when we got her that I used to put her in my purse and carry her with me every where I went. She would nap in my purse at restaurants and just sit in my purse while I was grocery shopping. I was smitten with this dog! Since we don't have any kids, I treated her like my child. Unfortunately, last October she got hit by a car in our neighborhood. She would have been 5 years old this year. I was absolutely devastated and I literally didn't know what to do with myself. I still have a little bit of a hard time talking about it, and it's been a whole year. Part of the reason it was so particularly devastating is because just 2 weeks before precious Roxy got killed, I was dealing with another tragedy that had happened to me (will explain more later). Of course, I would have been a mess regardless, but having 2 extremely traumatic events piled on top of each other just 2 weeks apart was about enough to send this girl over the edge of sanity. It's crazy how attached we can get to those little fluffy pets that wag their tails at us. Every now and again I will find pictures of Roxy on my phone, or around the house and I will give myself a moment to miss her. Tilly has a toy of hers that she plays with and there are times that I wish I wouldn't have passed it down so that it would still smell like her. I realize that makes me sound like a lunatic, but it's true. That dog and I had such a special bond. I cried for weeks after she died, and even when I could make it through the days without missing her, the nights would absolutely tear me apart. I decided about a month after Roxy died that I wanted to entertain the idea of getting a new Pomeranian again. We still had our big girl, Sadie, but I just had a fondness for the little ones. I like a lap dog. We picked out Tilly and got her a week before Christmas last year. At first, I liked her of course but I found myself always comparing her to Roxy and that just left me disappointed and frustrated. Tilly and Roxy are COMPLETE opposites. Roxy was a princess, spoiled, lazy, prissy girl with a territorial attitude - she loved her mama though! Tilly is a hyper active, loving little terror that never meets a stranger. I honestly doubted if I would be able to love Tilly the way I had just jumped into loving Roxy. I never thought that I would lose her at such an early age so I never had a guard up about loving her too much. I think with Tilly I was a little afraid to let myself open all the way up to her, kind of like entering a new relationship, I was very cautious not to let myself get hurt.

Almost a year after we got Tilly, and Lord knows we've been through so much with her already, she's developed into quite the little sidekick for me. I think it took us almost losing her, about a month ago when my neighbor's dog attacked her, for me to realize my ultimate love for her. I know that sounds horrible to say because God knows she's an adorable and definitely lovable little thing. Let's just say that I'm here to warn everyone that I am officially "all in" with Ms. Tilly, for better or for worse. (And I hope for better since her most recent escapade with the neighbor's dog has cost me about $1700 in vet bills).

Reality TV

I can remember being in early high school watching the Real World on MTV. You know the one with the "7 strangers, picked to live in a house, and have their lives taped"? I absolutely loved that show! The kids on there were probably 20-23 and at the time I was around 14, and I just loved watching them go out, drink, fight, hook up, etc. Not sure why it seemed to entertain me so much because I was definitely NOT doing those things at that point in my life. I was 14! My parents still monitored what I watched on TV, and somehow that managed to slip through the cracks. I didn't have boobs, let alone enough boobs to show off, like the girls on the shows. I had barely kissed a boy, let alone hook up, like the girls on the show.
Jump to a year or two later, Laguna Beach premieres on MTV. Again, obsessed. I loved seeing kids my age this time, and I guess just seeing how different their lives were than mine. Me = very middle class girl from TN, good grades, borderline goody-goody at age 16. LC & Kristin (from the show for those of you who are not part of the LC generation) = rich spoiled girls whose parents let them drink at their house parties and have serious older boyfriends.

Fast forward to now, at least 10 years later and I am officially obsessed with Reality TV. WHY????? That's the million dollar question...why. My gran gran always makes fun of me for one certain show, my ultimate fav the Bravo Real Housewives franchise, for which I am down right freakishly obsessed with. Again, nothing I can relate to what-so-ever on this show - I am NOT rich, I am NOT a house wife, I have NOT had plastic surgery and (unfortunately) I do NOT have a sugar daddy. I just love watching people live their lives on TV. Some people claim these shows are scripted, I disagree. I believe the shows are "based" on true events that happen in real life. I say "based  on true events" because I'm sure for the element of drama they do instigate with cast members, and encourage them to talk behind each other's backs, etc. But honestly, you can't make this shit up. The Real Housewives is good shit, and I love 'em all! Orange County, New York, New Jersey, Atlanta, DC, Beverly Hills, hell I even watched Miami - BRING IT! I am rarely embarrassed to admit my obsession because really, I can't help it! I DVR them all.

Real Housewives is not the only reality TV show I watch though. Basically every show out there now is reality TV based so it's quite easy to feed my fix. I am also a fan of the following guilty pleasures: Teen Mom (MTV), Most Eligible Dallas (Bravo), American Pickers (History), Wife Swap (ABC), Undercover Boss (CBS)...you see the trend. If that damn Bravo network hadn't come along, I just don't know what I would do with all my free time!

Skele-Tilly

This is my sweet girl, Tilly. We call her the million dollar dog because she has cost me quite the fortune and she isn't even a year old yet. (I will tell you her story later). Right now, she is called Skele-Tilly for obvious reasons :)

Skele-Tilly!

Happy Birthday to ME!

This Sunday is my birthday! yay me! I am officially in my late (gag!) 20's and edging dangerously close to the big 3-0! That is such a scary thought for me! I can't believe that I am legitimately getting old. I'm in my mid-late 20's....not an executive...didn't go to law school...not married...no kids....I'm starting to feel as if my life has gone astray. Next year will be my 10 year high school reunion for goodness sakes. If you would have asked me the year I gratuated high school what I thought I would be doing at 26, I don't believe my answers would reflect where I currently am. I definitely would have answered law school, married and maybe even a baby on the way. Interesting how life works out, even if it's not quite the way we had planned for it to work out.

Here's to a blessed and happy year for me!

Where Were You?

My hot topic of the week is the 10th anniversary of 9/11 is on Sunday. I always am intrigued to hear people's stories about where they were on that fateful morning that 9/11 forever changed our world. I'm not sure why that interests me so, but it does for whatever reason. Here my September 11, 2001-2011 story.

First a little background...I come from a line of the most honorable civil serants. My papaw (dad's dad) was in the military in Korea when he was just a boy of 18 years old. He came home and joined the local police department. They had him start the same day he inquired about a job. From there, a family tradition was born. Papaw dedicated his life to his job and even met (and eventually got re-married to) my Gran Gran because she was a cop too. He retired 10 years ago from the police department with the ranking of Assistant Police Chief. My dad joined the police department when he was 23 years old ( I was 2 at the time), and has been a loyal ranking official for 24 years now. My baby brother, who is 21, has been a firefighter for over a year now. And now, my wonderful boyfriend of almost 7 years is currently in the police academy. Needless to say, I swell with pride when I get the chance to brag on these men in my life. They are brave and honorable and they lay their lives on the line every day. Even better, they are my family.

My 9/11 story is like many others, I'm sure. I was in the fall semester of my senior year in high school in 2001 (man, that makes me feel old!). We were in 1st block when the normal morning ammouncement came over the loud speaker. My teacher was not done talking for the day, so he silenced the announcements. The bell rings and class is dismissed. I walk out into a furious buzz of rumors in the high school hallway - usually a typical scene, but today the buzz is somber and scary. "There was an attack in New York at the World Trade Center? A plane crashed into a building by terrorists?" Confusion strangled me. I rushed to my next class where the TV was on CNN, and I began to soak in the story of what was happening. Here I am, a 16 year old girl in Clinton, TN watching the world unfold before my eyes. I remember rapid thoughts firing through my mind. My 17th birthday was less than a week away, and yet I wasn't sure if I would live to see that day. A mountain of uncertainty, a world of fear, and a stream of tears followed. Sitting in my 2nd block class, I was astonished to see (before my very eyes) yet another plane crash into the 2nd twin tower. I couldn't believe they were showing it on TV! I felt like I was watching a movie that was well beyond my years and should have been censored for my young eyes. I would consider myself a very patriotic person. Although I do not have any immediate family in the military; I STRONGLY support our troops and even had the brief notion to join the military myself before this debacle. I was terrified, overwhelmed, confused...the list goes on. I just kept wondering what was going to happen next? Lunch rolls around and by now I've seen the first twin tower crumble to ground like a Jenga game. My 3rd block class was showchoir with Mrs. Ingle. Of course, the TV in the classroom was on the news  so we could watch our worlds unfold minute by minute. She took a moment to mute the drama on the TV and encouraged us to sing our National Anthem. We sang this song for every football and basketball game at our school, so we knew our parts well. Most of us couldn't even make it through the song without crying. It was, and will always be to me, the most beatiful version of our National Anthem that I've ever heard. It felt so lathargic to sing those words, and feel a sense of national pride.

Fast forward to today, 3 days before the 10th anniversary of that ill fated day in American history. I am older (gag), wiser, but not stronger when it comes to this topic. Actually, I probably get more emotional these days when I tell my 9/11 story. I live in a town that is within mere miles of Oak Ridge, TN. For decades, Oak Ridge has thought to have been/still be a target for terrotist attacks due to the nuclear weapons facility and national lab that are housed there. What if the attack had been in Tennessee? In East TN? In Oak Ridge? What if my dad would have responded to an attack? Gosh, my tears are flowing now because that's a scary thought. God Bless NYFD and NYPD for their heroic efforts that day! God Bless all the firefighters and police officers around the country who fight each day to keep their towns safe! God Bless the troops that put themselves in the line of duty for me to have a free country! And God Bless my free country and all that it stands for!

I will now step down off my soapbox....until next week :)

I'm a loser

Did you hear that I was a loser?? Yep, a big fat one! I started this blog with every intention of maintaining it, but somewhere along the way my life interfered. Well, there you have it straight from the horse's mouth. That's exactly what happened.

I love, love, LOVE reading blogs. I am a big reader anyhow, always have been. My mom has always preferred reading to watching TV, so I guess I picked up on that. About 3 years ago a friend of mine sent me a link to look at some pictures she had posted on her blog. I pulled up her blog and I was instantly attracted to the format for airing her dirty laundry. I loved it! I spent all day reading her past posts about family, husband, work - just anything that she was feeling (of course keeping names private). Then on one of her sidebars, I found a could pull up other blogs that she enjoyed reading. Again, I was instantly attracted to several of the those blogs, and I still read them today. I feel like I have grown to know those people. Sort of like how you get attached to characters on a TV show, I got attached to these "characters" or real life people from these blogs. From there, the Pink Growl was born! I've tried several times over the past couple of years to get this thing up and running. Again, I got lazy and forgot or just lost interest. I am determined this time to keep it up and going.

So keep checking back for most posts! :) Please encourage me to post!