Lots of Big Stuff Going On

I’m yet again embarrassed to say how long it has been since I last blogged. Like many people say, I’ve sat down to write a couple lines and then scratched the whole thing because I thought it was boring. There are so many awesome things going on that it feels wrong to take up space with boring posts. However no matter how boring they may be here are a few of my thoughts.

* I have a tendency to go on food kicks. I’ll try something and that’s all I want for weeks and then it fizzles out. At the moment I’m stuck on Mexican, mainly chips and salsa. Tracy and I tried a new place for lunch the other day, Cantina 76, and it had some really fun twists to Mexican tacos. I had a roasted chicken and chicken pesto taco and they were really good. Definitely check this place out if you are in Columbia. Also friend and I also had only chips and salsa (and wine) for dinner while we watched the new episode of Glee on Tuesday. By the way if you haven’t seen Glee I don’t know what you are waiting for. It’s song, it’s dance, it’s high school drama at its best, what else could you want? (P.S. The boys may say they have no interest in it but most of them will really appreciate some of the song choices. Shh…don’t tell them I told you.)

*My beautiful roommate of almost FOUR years got married last weekend. It was a lovely day and I think she and the groom really enjoyed themselves. I learned a whole lot from helping out and I’m glad a have some time before it’s my turn to put one of those shindigs together. Also, I know I’ve said this a million times but when did we hit the age of everyone we know is getting married? I swear weddings are now the universal topic to talk about since everyone knows some who is going to a wedding, has been in a wedding, or is getting married themselves. However I’m not complaining in the least. I can’t get enough of the pictures. I’ve looked through my roomie's about a million times and I’m going to kill her photographer if he doesn’t post the rest of them soon.

*Speaking of pictures I’m getting the itch, no not that kind, to buy a fancy dancy camera. I’ve had a couple friends and co-workers get the really nice ones and it’s amazing how much better their pictures are compared to my point and shoot camera. The prices for some of them are on the scary side so it might be a little while but a nice camera is definitely high on the wish list. Also if you have any suggestions on what to get please let me know. Any help is appreciated.

* The major work thing in my life at the moment is that next weekend we have a country women concert weekend. We have Taylor Swift on Friday, Carrie Underwood on Saturday, and Martina McBride on Sunday. There are tickets still available for all of them so let me know if you need some. Also we are doing preshow parties for both Taylor and Carrie, which I have to organize and decorate. If anyone has a good, and cheap, centerpiece idea please let me know.

*Lastly, my brother went to his junior prom on Saturday. I can’t believe he is old enough to be going to prom. My mom kept saying how she wished my dad was here to see Neal all dressed up but I’m not sure how sweet it would be considered my dad was the man who couldn’t understand why I needed a different dress for my junior and senior prom since I only wore the first one once. He also told me that my senior prom dress would make a great reverse Scarlett O’Hara number. (Meaning my dress would make pretty curtains, gee thanks Dad. LOL) But it would have been nice to hear whatever comically remarks my dad could have come up with. Anyway Mom and I went and took pictures of the big group of kids before they left. We didn’t know anyone else other than my brother and his date was just a friend of the date a one of Neal’s buddies. My mom and I were kind of appalled by how ditzy and high maintenance the girls were and it made me happy not to be in high school anymore.

Ok now that I’ve rambled on for a while I’m going to go find paper lanterns for the preshow parties. Leave some love. XOXO

Currently I’m reading: The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs. I love this book. I’m only about a third of the way through but it’s awesome. The author spends a year of his life living by every single rule in the Bible. He doesn’t mock the Bible in any way but writes about his journey in a funny way. He has a board of advisors made up of many different religious figures to help guide him along as well. It’s a book that really makes you think which I enjoy.

March Madness

For the first time ever I am participating in March Madness. Even though I have watched the games and picked random favorites to win the tournament I’ve never played in the all the pools and brackets. But this year I was convinced to do some picking by a couple people in the office. I’m totally excited even though I don’t know anything about the teams. I like sports in general, duh proud Sport and Entertainment Management major sitting right here, but most people are surprised that I’ve never done a bracket. I’m not a super competitive person and unless it the Gamecocks I don’t know much about other teams or their players. I think if this proves to be a fun as I think it will be maybe I’ll do a fantasy team in the fall too. Who knows?

I also have a decorating fever at the moment, but sadly I have nothing to decorate. For the first time in literally months I have free time on my hands. Since November we have been nonstop at the arena and I haven’t had time to do laundry no less wonder around random stores. But now I’ve had a chance to catch my breath and I’ve taken a liking to places like Ross, Marshalls, and Bed Bath and Beyond. They have random home décor like vases and picture frames and end tables, none of which I need right now because I don’t know what my living situation is going to be in the future. I badly want a place of my own that I can decorate and manage exact how I want to. I’ve never lived on my own and it’s definitely a life goal of mine. I think it’s very important to learn how to be by yourself and not be lonely all the time. I’m totally excited and I think I have a color scheme picked out and some other ideas decided on. If you have already decorated on your own or want to as well I’d love any ideas, tips, comments you have. Here are a couple things I liked from Pier 1. I love anything colbalt, polka dots, paisely, sunflowers, and pairing black and white with a bright color.

Currently I’m still reading: Three for Cocktails by: Madeleine Wickham. It’s pretty good but it’s a little depressing in the sense that it shows how being a grown up definitely has its disadvantages. It shows the lives of three ladies; one becoming a mother, one having an affair, and one who is being taken advantage of by a friend. I did really enjoy the Southern wedding book that I just finished. It was very funny and has some fabulous recipes that I can’t wait to try.

Getting to "That Age"

Well we have definitely hit “the age” where everyone we know is getting married. My mom said this would happen and here it is, or at least it’s starting. The parade of showers, bachelorette parties, and weddings has begun; and you are expected to wear a different dress to each one by the way. While the groom and his buddies more or less just show up when and where we ladies tell them too it is a little more complicated for us. The planning, the prepping, the present buying, blah, blah, blah and we do it all with a smile because, generally speaking, the bride and/or groom means the world to us and we want them to feel special and loved on their big day.
I for one am enjoying this time though. Deep down I am a true romantic but more than that, to quote the always lovely Taylor Swift from the movie Valentine’s Day, “I love the hype”. You want to know one my favorite wedding details? I know you do. ;) The registry. I love seeing what people’s personal tastes are. What better way to learn about your friends than to see what kind of plates, flatware, sheets, towels, electronics, etc they pick for their life together. I personally have a little problem with getting presents that I think the couple will need or like that aren’t on the registry. Like pizza stones, which are amazing, ironing board covers, because who wants a boring ironing board, and hand painted platters by yours truly. My favorite new things that people are adding to their registries are games. How great is that idea?!?! You can bet that if I am invited to your wedding and you have games on your list I’m going to be the one buying them for you. All the other stuff is great but I like getting something that both the girl and the boy will enjoy and something that gives them as reason to invite people to visit their newly-wed home. Any way that’s my two cents for the day.

In honor of all the upcoming weddings I am currently reading Somebody is Going to Die if Lilly Beth Doesn’t Catch That Bouquet: The Official Southern Ladies’ Guide to Hosting the Perfect Wedding by Gayden Metcalfe and Charlotte Hays. I’ve read their other books and they are hysterical and they have fabulous recipes. I’m also reading Cocktails for Three by Madeleine Wickham. I haven’t gotten very far yet but it’s about three women in the magazine business who meet once a month at a cocktail bar to catch up.

I'm a Whole Year Old, Almost!!!!!!!

Hello blog world! I think I say this every time but I can’t believe it’s already a new month. I remember being a kid and everyone saying how fast time goes but I never believe them. I now understand. Actually in three days it will be my one year anniversary of starting my little blog. I’m a little disappointed in myself that I haven’t written more and I think that will be a goal of mine for this next year.

So one reason time has been flying by is because I’ve been working crazy amounts lately but I will finely have a break after this weekend. However in honor of the chill month ahead I have all kinds of craziness this weekend. We have the South Carolina high school basketball championships at the Arena which will take up all night Friday and all day and night on Saturday. Andy has some of his best friends from Maryland coming down for a couple days, which means his house needs an overall cleaning which will take forever, and I have a good friend coming up from Charleston. Also, along with a couple bridesmaids, I will be hosting a couple’s shower for my lovely roomie Megan who is getting married next month. It should be really cute so I’ll have to post some pictures later. We are having it here at the Arena in order to go along with our Gamecocks theme and make it more couple-y. Any last minute easy decorating ideas would be much appreciated. I was kind of proud of the invitation, althought is said something different. What do you think?

What is everyone doing this summer? For the first time ever I have more plans than I do time. Andy’s family wants to do a couple after trips and then my family is planning a trip to….wait for it…..GREECE!!!!! The Olsgaard clan has been bit by the international travelling bug. We all had so much fun in Germany, big thanks to my cousin Amber and her husband Joe, that we, and maybe Andy, want to go on another adventure. Nothing is set in stone yet, just preliminary ideas but we are all crazy excited. Bring on the history, architecture, food, and hot men (no offense to Andy ;).
Well wish me luck with my crazy weekend and let’s see if I can make my posts a little more frequent.

Currently I’m reading: Matchbook: The Diary of a Modern-Day Matchmaker by Samantha Daniels. It’s just like the show on Bravo Millionaire Matchmakers. It goes to show that no matter how weird someone’s quirks are, everyone just wants a little lovin’.

Emily Post never mentioned blog etiquette did she?

I have a question that maybe some of you other bloggers can answer. What is the etiquette for reading, on a regular basis, someone’s blog that you don’t know? Do you become a “follower”, make random comments, or read it in silence and don’t creep them out by sounding like a stalker? Generally speaking I am a habitual commenter; photos, Facebook comments, blogs, doesn’t matter I’ll comment on it if I can. I don’t do it to put in my two cents, which I do like to do, but I comment because I figure if someone took the time to post something the least I can do is say that I appreciate their time and thoughts. But maybe that’s only cool if you know the person. I was just wondering.

There is a chance of snow today in Columbia, South Carolina and I’m not going to hold my breath until I see flakes. We usually get a couple “snow scares” a year but we rarely see anything. I think we’ve only had more than a dusting of snow two or three times in my whole life. Of course we have a show tonight, which means the phones are ringing constantly to see if we will cancel the show, which we won’t. So I’ll just wait and see, and maybe cross my fingers because I would really like to take care of my snow fix. (I was going to see a ton of snow in Maryland over Christmas but it rained the day before I got there and melted all of it. I was not amused.) I'll keep you updated.

On a fun note and in the spirit of Valentine’s Day and all the kids who are getting married you may want to pass this video on to your prince charming so he will know better. I’ve never heard of this guy but he’s got some funny stuff. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iK2OakMoW_c&feature=related. (Also the Chick-Fil-A song is pretty good http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsJHqstPuNo&feature=related.)

I’m still finishing up The Undomestic Goddess, which is crazy cute by the way, so nothing new there. I do want to say that I miss the show Glee very much and I don’t particularly want to wait until April for the new season to start. I might have to buy the first season just to keep myself distracted.

P.S. My new food obsession is Newton’s Fruit Crisps. They are not too sweet like a cookie and only 100 calories so they are the perfect afternoon snack.

Running Off To Join The Circus

The Circus is back at the Colonial Life Arena this week. Something that is kind of cool is I first started this blog because I was bored out of my mind during last year’s Circus. While not a full calendar year, it has been a full event year. I’ve watched most of the show this year already and it’s pretty good. The animals are my favorite. They have 11 elephants, which are so cute, tons of tigers, included a couple white ones, and the cutest dogs you have ever seen. I’m still trying to figure out how to convince someone to let me ride one of the elephants. And to anyone who sides with PETA when it comes to the Circus, no offense but you are crazy. I went to the back of the building where they keep the animals and saw the really neat, and heated, barns that they set up for all the animals. Trust me, those animals have the good life.

On a separate note has anyone else noticed that everyone is getting engaged? My mom just keeps saying that we are getting to that age; however I’m not sure I feel old enough to know lots of married people yet. But then again I still think of myself as a freshman in college so that might add to the problem. Don’t get me wrong, I’m super excited for everyone who has recently decided to tie the knot and I’m even more excited about going to a bunch of weddings. I just can’t believe we are actually becoming grownups. Eww no, not grownups because that’s boring. Let’s go with young adults. I am thoroughly enjoying hearing about everyone planning though. With all the cool wedding blogs, websites, and registries we can all build up our excitement about all the weddings with the brides to be. P.S I just finished a book called Diary of a Mad Bride by Laura Wolf which was very cute. It follows a woman who can’t understand why women get so crazy while planning a wedding but then starts to plan one herself. You slowly see her because bridezilla and how she makes it to the big day. I’m hoping that I can take some tips from this book and not drive my family, friends, and fiancé crazy whenever that time comes for me.

So Valentine’s Day is next week and I have absolutely no plans for it. The only thing I have in mind is to go see the movie Valentine’s Day because it looks super cute and has a ton of cool people in it. I’ve got to work a women’s basketball game that day, of course, so that cuts out most of the day. If you have any suggestions of what two very poor kids, like Andy and I, should do just let me know. I hope everyone has a lovely day though, and if you don’t have a significant other just know that I’ll be your valentine. ;)

Currently I’m reading: The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella. I’ve heard that it is crazy cute so I’m excited. I also just saw the movie Invictus a couple weeks ago, which was wonderful by the way, and it was based on the book Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Changed a Nation. I’m on the search for this book and I can’t wait to start it.

It's My Birthday and I Can Ramble If I Want To

Ahh I need to stop ignoring my blog. I’m going to try and be better about it this year. I have a feeling that some big stuff is going to happen this year, or at least I hope something happens, so I better keep track.

Yesterday was my 24th birthday. Twenty four is kind of a boring age to become. The excitement of turning 18 or 21 is long gone and all we have to look forward to is turn 25 so we can rent a car on our own and have lower insurance rates. Lots of people talk about how they aren’t where they thought they would be when they turn another year older. I guess I don’t have that problem because I had no plans for where I should be at 24. I’m very happy where I am, for the moment. I have a good job that is close to my family and friends. I have a boyfriend who exceeds every thought I even had of what a significant other should be. And more importantly makes me laugh every day. I have plans for the future and a general idea of how to get there. Over all I’m happy to report I’m happy.

Now I don’t mean this in a bragging way by any means. I’m confused and scared and worry that I won’t amount to anything as much as the next person. I think the few years right after college are the most confusing. Up until now we have had our lives mapped out for us. We went to school so we could get into college. We went to college so we could get a job. After you graduate though you are on your own to pick and choose what comes next and hope that it works out for the best. I figure it’s normal to be unsure of how to proceed in life at this age so I’m not going to worry about it too much.

On a much lighter note, I find that it’s the small things in life that can really make your day. They don’t have to be any significant, but something that makes you happy. Today my small thing was getting a cupcake from Cupcake with my mom after lunch. I’m not a fan of cake really, I’m more of a cheesecake kind of girl myself, but these cupcakes are out of this world. If you haven’t tried them do it NOW! Andy and I would get them as a treat every so often in Charleston but now they have opened a store in Columbia and my indifference to cake is going straight out the window. We had a Chocolate Peanut Butter and a Chocolate Tuxedo cupcake and they were fabulous. I little cup of heaven. Go do something that makes you smile.

Currently I’m reading: Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. It is the sequel to the Nanny Diaries and it’s pretty cute so far. I just finished Hissy Fit by Mary Kay Andrews which was wonderful. I didn’t want it to end. It was completely frivolous and Southern and is the definition of a perfect beach book. I highly recommend it.