Fall is Here

I can't believe how gorgeous it is outside today, and I feel yucky!

I'm wondering if most of it has to do with the fact that I slept with my bedroom window open for the past 2 nights, letting the amazing cool air flow in. . . right into my sinuses. Probably didn't help that I did yard work yesterday for a few hours too. Although the allergist says I don't have "fall allergies" I'm def feeling something!!


Anyway - I put up my fall decor over the weekend. Didn't do much outside yet, but got the inside looking very fall-like. Now all I can think about is watching Halloween movies and making chili! Anyone remember Hocus Pocus? It's one of my all time favorite Halloween movies! The possibility of me watching this in the next week is VERY high.

A few pictures of my fall decor:

My mantle. As I was looking through pictures on my phone I realized I had last year's picture of my mantle, and stunningly they are almost identical. What can I say - I know what I like!

Owl bag that I always use to pass out candy to the kids. And my front door - def something lacking there. I've got to find something better, but at least I have something up for now.

And that's all I have for today - like I said, allergies are kicking my butt today. Are you ready for fall? What is your favorite part of fall??

Writing Again . . .

Well if any followers are left (not that I think I had any to begin with), I'm going to start writing and posting again!

As always, things have been a little crazy, and unfortunately some not-so-good things happened within my family. Everyone is OK, but it was a rough few weeks. And, as those days were never ending and miserably unhappy, I've come to realize that I really do enjoy writing. I don't know if I'm good at it or really what to write, but I'm going to make a dedicated effort to this little blog. 


So, I'm going to recap my last work trip - a trip to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio to recruit!!

It's not Ohio State, but it's still fun to get out of the office and be back on campus! Plus, I get to see some co-workers that I don't see very often. And more than anything, I enjoy talking to all of the young energetic kids ready to enter the workforce (boy I feel OLD). 

(Yes, this is what we did for 4 hours Wednesday afternoon)

Not going to lie, the highlight of the trip is ALWAYS Bagel and Deli

                                 

And I got to eat there twice! And most importantly, I tried something new. 

I'm not only one of the pickiest eaters, but I'm always SUPER nervous to try new things when I'm traveling for fear they will upset my stomach. But I made a great choice because it was delicious and I had no tummy troubles. 

Back to the grind today, but very much enjoyed the 2 day break to be "at college" again.

If you are a follower, stay tuned, because I WILL stay committed this time and blog on a regular basis. Enjoy the weekend!! 

30 Years Old

I don't know why 30 is bothering me so much, but it is.

As I write this, it's only 9:59PM on August 4th, and I'm not 30 yet. . . . I wasn't born until 11:04 at night. So I've still got an hour, and for whatever reason, it means a lot to me. 

I feel like at 30 years old I should be a lot further than where I am right now. Don't get me wrong - I have a fantastic life, and I'm doing very well. It's just not where I thought I would be.

I never wanted children, and I still don't, so I'm not sitting here thinking my child bearing years are passing me by. But I am sitting here thinking I'm missing out on something because I don't have anyone to spend my life with. I don't have that person who means everything to me. That person who understands, and experiences everything with me. 

And honestly, I'm not where I thought I would be with my career. Where did I think I would be? I have absolutely no idea. But I do know I never thought I would be where I am. And again, where I am isn't a bad place, it's just not where I thought I would be. 

I guess the real issue is that I don't know what I want to do with my life. And maybe (most definitely)  I'm disappointed in myself for not knowing the answers. And I'm disappointed in myself for not going for what I WANT and instead taking the safe way out.

And since this is in NO way the safe way out, I'm spilling my guts and getting it out there. Maybe tomorrow when I wake up and I'm 30 I will have more answers. 

Who Am I??

I can not believe it's been over 2 weeks since my last post. I knew it had been awhile, but I had no idea it was that long! Life has been crazy. My family has too many birthdays between July and August. . . . 

So, since I really haven't blogged much at all yet, I figured I might as well link up and tell the wonderful Internet about me. Because - why not?

So today is Part one of the linkup with Kimmyyyyy.




Lots of questions, but only 5 today. Keep coming back to find out more - I hope you are ready to find out a little bit about me!
1. List 20 random facts about yourself. 1. I am a Superman freak. HUGE fan since I've been about 10. 2. I was in a dog attack when I was 6. I couldn't even be around a dog on a leash without freaking out. Thankfully my parents decided to get us a puppy to help me with my fear, and now I am a dog lover. 3. I had a baby tooth until I was 24. And then I had to get braces to pull down my permanent tooth. 4. My childhood home was on a golf course. I have been golfing since I've been 6 and I'm not too bad. I just really don't enjoy it. 5. I don't like chocolate - I'll eat a few things covered in chocolate, but ask me to eat a bar of solid chocolate and I'm out. 6. I'm left handed. So are my brother and sister. Both of my parents are right handed. 7. I played water polo in college for Ohio State. 8. I would always rather go to a local hole in the wall bar. 9. I refuse to shop at Wal-Mart. Absolutely refuse. 10. Once I go to a restaurant and find something I like, I will order the same thing every. single. time. from there on out. 11. I will not eat bananas or mashed potatoes because of the consistency. 12. I would give my right arm to have a nice in ground pool in my backyard.

13. I have generalized panic disorder. Basically, I get anxiety attacks a lot :[ 14. I could eat pizza every meal of every day. 15. I have never put a cigarette in my mouth. 16. Although you may think my favorite moves are Superman, they are actually the Back to the Future Trilogy.  17. My brother is 12 years older than me. And he along with my sister-in-law gave me the coolest nephew and niece ever. 18. I HATE mowing the lawn, or doing any kind of yard work for that matter. But I'm also OCD and insist it look perfect. 19. My dream job is to write children's books. 20. I can't for the life of me go to bed if I have dirty feet. If I walk around barefoot for 2 mins, I have to wash my feet before crawling into bed. 

2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears. 1. Throwing up. I don't know why but I have a serious fear of throwing up in a public place. I didn't have an unfortunate childhood experience, but for some reason I act like I did. 2. Flying in an airplane. Well, not really. I fear being locked in an airplane with lots of gross germy people. Give me and empty plane and I'm good to go.  3. Waking up to find my dog dead next to me. Unfortunately I discovered my childhood dog laying dead on the floor one morning. Since my current dog sleeps in my bed, I have an extreme fear of waking up in the morning and touching him only to discover him cold and lifeless :( Yes, when I wake up in the middle of the night I make sure he is breathing. 

3. Describe your relationship with your spouse.  I don't have a spouse, so I can't answer this one. Don't even have a boyfriend right now! I can only hope my relationship is loving and caring and open.

4. List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could.  1. You will finally get kissed. Don't worry about being the only one who hasn't been kissed yet - it's worth the wait. 2. You are SUPER skinny - please wear a bikini and stop wearing you swim team one piece! 3. Grow out your bangs. 4. Don't be so mean to your mom - she is an amazing person and an even better friend. 5. Become closer with your sister - you don't need to push her away now that you are in high school. She will ALWAYS be there for you. 6. DON'T STOP SWIMMING. Yeah you still have 2 years of high school left, and you will swim a little in college as you play water polo, but don't EVER stop. Swimming is your perfect therapy.  7. Cherish your nephew's young years - he grows up way to quick! 8. NEVER stop being your own person. 9. Enjoy being 100% taken care of.   10. Wear more sunblock! At almost 30 years old you will fear skin cancer because of all the time you spent in the sun unprotected. 

5. What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?  1. My mules (Stephanie speak for my pets - Cooper the Cocker, Kal-El the short hair cat, and Luthor the long hair cat).

2. My family. 3. Cool evenings that make sitting on the patio perfect. 4. My amazing co-workers. 5. An ice cold Bud Select.
Thanks for reading - make sure to link up with Kimmyyyyy and come back later for more about me!! (And I will try to have more pics next time)

Another Finish the Sentence Linkup

I can't seem to pass these up, even though I really don't have great answers this time . . . 

If I had one extra hour in the day . . . I would love to say I would workout, or make myself look good in the morning, but let's be honest, I would use it to sleep!

I wish my name . . . was a household name. Not in a celebrity way, but more in a "she invented peanut butter" kind of way. Why not? 

I think anything chevron is . . . associated with SkinnyMeg. 

My last nightmare . . . was nutso! The medicine I'm on for my anxiety makes me dream some insane stuff. Lately all of the dreams have been revolving around my sister's wedding. Last night was a scary bachlorette party. Nuf said.

Sometimes . . . I wish I were closer (geographically) to my family. Don't get me wrong - 150 miles isn't far, but sometimes it would be nice to be right around the corner.

My last meal on earth would be . . . deep fried with extra bacon, an ice cold beer and jumbo ice cream cone. Pretty much anything that's going to taste delicious and make me feel like crap 20 mins later.

I would much rather . . . do anything crafty than sit behind a computer all day. Sometimes the computer can be used for craftiness, but I'm a hands on artsy person. 

Mayonnaise . . . is the shit. MUST have to make a sandwich. 

10 years ago, I didn't think . . . I wouldn't be married to Pat. At that point we had been in a relationship for 4 years and were livin the live at OSU. 

Selfishly . . . I will always ask my dad to mow my lawn when he's in town. I really do hate mowing the lawn that much. 

My favorite show on TV right now . . . isn't anything. Not a reality TV fan, and I'm still obsessed with movie channels, having never had them before in my life. So if I have time, I'm watching something without commercials! 

And, George Zimmerman . . . . should stop being talked about. Is that seriously all the media can focus on these days? It's over for now - move on! 

I know - not super interesting this time. But maybe you have some good answers - if so go linkup!!

24 Hours???

I can not believe there are still 24 hours in a day. It feels more like 10 these days. . . . 

I seriously can't find time to do ANYTHING all of a sudden. Work isn't crazy busy (yet) but somehow the days just go faster and faster. 

In true Stephanie fashion, I will blame this on anyone other than myself. . . . 

1. The lawn is growing too quickly. WAY too many days of super soaking rain, then several days of scorching sun made the lawn grow like a 15 year old boy. This means every third day I get to spend a few hours after work mowing my lawn and then scrubbing the allergies off in the shower. By the time I'm done with all of this I'm almost too tired to eat dinner. Almost.

2. My sister's wedding is 92 days away. Suddenly shit is getting real. And of course, I have volunteered to "create" about 26 things for this wedding. Guess I better get started.

3. My sister's wedding is 92 days away. I guess I should start caring about what I'm going to look like in my dress. At least she picked a dress that flatters me (I think) and is dark colored. Still, I should try and not look like a marshmallow (although honestly, at this point it's too late).

(Mine is floor length, color is "cranberry" and I totally 86ed the rose thing)

4. My car decided to hate me. Bad noises are coming from it. After talking to several guys, including my father, it was determined I needed new tires. I can buy that - I just turned 51,000 miles. $600 and 4 tires later, it's still making a bad noise. (Don't worry - I have asked several people to drive with me and the noise is totally real and not in my head!) A car is kind of important in my world, so I've got to devote some time to solving this problem. 

5. My 30th birthday is nearing and I want to do something epic. Problem is, I have to determine exactly what I would like to do. Is sleeping through the night without obsessively thinking of stuff I have to do an option? Oh that's called getting wasted - OK - I'll take one of those.


So there you have it. Several excuses why I can't blog in a timely fashion (because let's be honest, if you want excuses I can go on for days). Maybe once I get a good night's sleep I will be able to something other than my chores after work.  

If I Won The Lotto . . .

Today I am linking up with Holly and Kristie to dream of winning the jackpot.

Let's be honest - if you live in America, you have dreamed of winning the lottery. Even if you are from a family like me that NEVER purchased a lottery ticket. Let me tell you how exhilarating it was when I turned 18 and bought my first ticket (another story for another day).

So, in no particular order, I would . . . 


Build my dream house. In the center of 100+ acres of land. Said dream house has been being designed by moi since I was in high school. I even remember asking for one of those architecture designing CD-ROMS back in the day so I could "professionally" get my ideas down.

Have a LARGE in ground swimming pool in the back yard of this dream house. It would have to be at least 25 yards long in a section that was about 2 lanes wide so I could get my swim on every morning. But it would have an insane spa and some "fun" pool space too.

Have a workout swimming pool in the basement of the dream house. Because yes, I will always live somewhere that has 4 seasons, and there will be days months when it's too cold to swim outside.

Have a chef, cleaning team, lawn crew, pool crew, groomer for my pups, and whatever other crew I decide I need because I don't want to do the chores.

Start my own company. Although I hope to do this one day without winning the lotto, once I have enough funds to support myself, I will dive right into my dream job. I still haven't decided what that is though . . . Open a bagel and deli? Children's book store? Write a novel? Own a farm? 

On the farm note, I would open a large shelter for all kinds of animals that need rescued. And I would have 4 or 5 of my own doggies/kitties to keep me company. Although no one will ever be like this one . . .

Buy only humanely raised, all naturally fed meat. And have a private organic garden/greenhouse so I always had fresh veggies that I KNEW were clean and chemical free.

Buy my niece and nephew something insane that my brother would want to kill me for, just because I can. 

Oh, and make sure my parents are taken care of VERY well for the rest of their life. Kind of like they have made sure I have been taken care of my whole life. 


Yeah so that 452 Million Dollar Jackpot probably won't go very far in my world. I need to opt for the 89593 Billion one!! 

What would you do with your winnings? Link up!