November 28, 2013

what time is it?

This time last year we were entering the holiday season as the death of my grandmother was still very fresh. Very new. Very painful. I think all of my family was dreading the change that her absence was going to bring (what a way to start a Thanksgiving post, right? Stick with me here).

Fast forward to twenty thirteen, hello present, and holy moly whaddya know a lot has happened in these past 365 days. Between a few moves, new jobs, a proposal, and a wedding you'd think the year was full enough. We're talking big-bellied full enough. 

But this holiday season I can't help but feel the exact same "dread" (so to speak) of what changes will come. A month before my wedding my Dad's father passed away very unexpectedly. It was like no time had passed since my grandmother's death. It felt like the days/the months in between their two deaths almost didn't happen. All of the sadness, the not-so-good emotions, came rushing back like they had never left. I was watching my father go through the exact same pain I had watched my mother go through a mere 11 months before. I was watching my family try to mend another hole that a death had caused. 

I feel like I can see my parents completely differently after these events--my mom losing her mom and my dad losing his dad. I see them as more than just my mom and dad. I see them as people. As children who still, no matter what age, have a certain need for their parents. I see me in them. I see my need for them, my parents. 

I see the need for family. 
For the love of family.

I've sat down to start a post on this Thanksgiving many, many times, but somehow my mind always drifts back to this post from last Thanksgiving. I can't say it any better now even after 365 days of new life lessons (and boy, there have been a lot of lessons this year. Oh hey, marriage!). 

I am most thankful for time and the ability to choose how I want to spend my time. 

So for the outpouring of love and support as Freds and I got married, for the endless amount of laughs from catching up with friends in town, for the crazy number of times I got to see family this summer, for the ability to have group text messages, for ballet students who keep me on my toes (high five for puns), for eating dark chocolate sea salted caramels, for the happiness weirdness of calling Frederick my husband, for living a hop/jump/skip away from the beach, for getting to spend T-giving with my brother for the first time in 7 years, for family that drives for visits...

For all of things, I am very, very thankful. 
I'd say that's all time well spent.

Happy Thanksgiving! 
Now go eat some turkey and bask in a food coma. Life is good. 

November 25, 2013

on being old and at the movies

I still remember the first time I heard about the Hunger Games book. Almost 3 years ago a mom for whom I nannied was trying to convince me to read this new book. 
Hmm...how can I explain this. It's about this country, Panem, that's run by the Capitol. There are districts instead of states and each district has its own...well, its own way of benefitting the Capitol. The Capitol hosts these games each year, the Hunger Games, and they pick children from the districts and they have to fight to the death. It's so good!

Oh, okay. Ya sold me. 
Except, not at all. I thought it sounded crazy. The bad kind of crazy (there's a good kind of crazy, right?) After many I just can't explain it. You have to read it and see's I caved.

I caved hard. That book sucked me in like a vacuum and I was totally okay with it. I even got my new boyfriend Freddiefriend to read them and he eventually married me. Let's give all the credit for that to these books just for the sake of this post. I soon realized what that mom meant when she said she couldn't explain the book. Every time I tried my luck at convincing people to read this book I realized I was word vomming the most ridiculous sounding plot. I realized this because I mostly got this look in return...
Suuuuure, sounds like a real winner of a book. Says Britney. 

The first movie was...eh. Eh=annoying in my dictionary. My very important dictionary. It felt like they (you know, those people) were making Hunger Games out to be the next star-crossed lovers version of Twilight. Where was the fighting? The blood? The scheming?! The crazy arena action. Because all I could see was some kissing then some crazy handheld camera work that appeared to be filmed as the man holding the camera was running from a bear. Seriously, did anyone else get a headache from trying to focus in on the crazy camera work in first movie? Yes, all of you, just say yes. 

Freddie and I, the old married couple, headed out for a hot Catching Fire date night on Friday night.
Holy Every Cliche About Teenage Girls Batman. 

I have never ever ever felt more my age (read: old) in my entire life. The squealing. The selfsies. The texting. The candy flying over the seats. The gossip. The more squealing. More selfsies. The OMG's. All I wanted was to relocate to my living room with just Freddie and just silence and just my Buncha Crunch and watch this movie in peace. I might as well have had a Depends on I was feeling so old. 

Wait, did I have a Depends on? 
No, no. Jay kay and all that. Except, hello, movies getting longer and longer. Let me introduce you to my bladder. My bladder who sometimes needs a little break. Kapeesh?

Where was I? Oh yes, being old and wearing Depends minus the actual wearing a Depends part. 
I guess my point is were we ever those squealing, giggly, phone obsessed teenagers? 
I asked my best friend if we were like that growing up and we both decided that while we were giggly and loud, we were usually laughing over a fart and not over how "cool" it is to throw candy at each other. Plus we didn't even get phones until mid high school. And while my Nokia phone was awesome and had snake, it definitely had no means of taking theater selfsies. Lamesies. 

Oh, and the movie? Totally worth us old folks braving the young hooligans in order to see it. I just might take a picture of myself eating candy in the theater next time. Who knows. Hashtag YOLO

Sami's Shenanigans

November 19, 2013

does dexter run like a ballerina?

I meant to write yesterday. I really did, but then sleeping took precedence and well the real culprit of this no-blog streak is Dexter. 

It's hard to believe that this show came out when I was 17. That's a long time ago (she says in her best grandma voice as she gets ready for bed at 8pm) (psst...<<that she over there refers to moi). I was graduating high school and Dexter was just introducing himself as the world's most loved serial killer.
 While Dexter was busy starting to chop up the bad guys, I was busy chopping my legs through the air. A.k.a. leaping. 

All that matters is that here we are 6-7ish years later, Me 'n Dex, and we are getting along just fine. Freddie and I decided we have to be in between seasons when our families get here next week for Thanksgiving. Because no one wants to shove turkey in his or her face faster than candy goes in it on Halloween and tell their families to shush up because Dexter is waiting. 
This year I am grateful for Dexter. Now stop talking.
Our plan means A) we need to finish season 2 by next week, or B) go ahead and speed through seasons 2 and 3. I'm going with plan C) go through seasons 2, 3, 4, and 5 before next Wednesday. Call me an overachiever, but whatever. 

In other just as exciting news...
Our fairly new next door neighbors have started walking around rather loudly. We're talking like Jack and the Beanstalk giant FEE-FI-FO-FUM kind of loud. It's strange hearing the pounding of feet sound coming from next door rather than from up above us (we live on the top floor so that might be a little creepy if the noise was coming from above us. Or maybe South Carolina squirrels are really just that fat). Regardless, the brothers of Jack's giant's footsteps caused me to have a fun addition in my ballet class lesson plans this week: How Not to Walk or Run Like a Ballerina. Lesson #1: Ballerinas need to land as close to, if not exactly, as quiet as a mouse might land in a petit jete. There are no playground runs in my class. 

Playground runs, that's what the girls called it when I demonstrated. I was going for running like a giant, but playground running is kind of samesies when you think about it so we'll run with it. Wink wink. That joke is so punny I didn't even have to italicize, bold, or underline it for you to laugh hysterically, right?!
Right.

Now here we are at the end of a post and all you've learned is that Dexter trumps blogging and mouse running trumps playground running. 

I'd call that one heck of a successful blog post. 

November 15, 2013

bloggings biggest WOW moments

I've had a lot of thoughts lately. Thoughts about this topic. Thoughts whirring around in my brain. Thoughts oozing outta my pen and onto paper. (Read: thoughts oozing out of my fingers and into my notes app on my phone). 

We spend so much time perusing blogs, commenting, creating friendships, perusing new blogs, sharing blogs, tweeting about posts, etc., etc. that it almost feels like it is completely normal to do so. That we were put on Earth to be the best bloggers, dagnabbit! 

But what happens when our blogging minds get blown? What happens when the very thing we spend 70% of our time (are you laughing that I only said 70%?) thinking/talking/looking/writing/doing still manages to surprise the you know what out of us? 

I've compiled a list of 3 Holy-What-Holy-Wow-Did-Not-See-That-Coming Blog Moments.


one. 
Our letter of the day this point is the letter "V."
Vlogs and Voices.
How many of you create a voice for a particular blogger? When you read their blog, you hear their speaking voice. I mean, you already know most things about them like where they are from, where they live now, what they do for a living, who they married/are dating/are not dating/dumped, so it is only fitting that you created a voice that, in your mind, goes along with their "character."

Go ahead. Raise that hand up. Don't lie. I do it too. In fact, most of you are probably thinking about my voice while reading this very sentence. (I'm sick so I hope you've added the right amount of man pitch to my voice).

But then one day said blogger posts a vlog. Or a video of them playing with their dog. Or a video of them talking to a child and you hear what their for reals speaking voice sounds like and WHOA. Blogger say wha?! Das your voice?!

Sometimes it might be more of a oh... moment.

And sometimes it's more of an of course, that's what it sounds like! moment.

But it is always a WOW moment. 


two.
Real Grown-Up Jobs
A handful of bloggers will tell you what they do for a living or name the field in which they work.
It's a trick.
We readers think Wow! They do such and such! I know what their job is. Cool. We must be on our way to a best blogfriendship. In reality, that tells us nothing. It's kind of like me knowing that my husband is an engineer. I sound all knowing about this man with whom I agreed to spend forever until the real questions come out.
Where does he work?
What does he do?
What parts does he work with?

Uhh...um...big parts? He does quality...
Then my voice trails off like a real life ellipsis in hopes that the questioner gets the point.

I'm actually clueless. 
So while I can tell you that Sally over at Such and Such Sally's blog works in marketing, in actuality I have no idea what I even mean when I say that.
And while you probably have caught on that I teach dance and choreograph, what does that really mean? Because I will go ahead and answer your first question. No, it does not mean I go on my "tippy toes" and play with 3 year old ballerinas all day.
It does mean I end up dancing most places I go though.

WOW moment. Mind blown. I don't know as much about my blog best friends as I thought...


three.
As a reader, you know a lot more about me than any 'ole stranger would know. You also sit on that awkward fence between complete stranger, friendly acquaintance, and good friend. You know what foods I like (chocolate), what alcoholic beverages I reach for in the evenings (give me all of your white wine and no one gets hurt), how I decorate my house (like a dorm room, moving on), what trips I take (always and only Disney), what trips I want to take (Disney again), what I think about doing on the weekends vs. what I actually do on the weekends (sit on my backside and sit on my backside). And on and on and on. 
But do you really know me
Did you know have nasty double jointed arms. Look! Learn something new every day post!

Do you know my every day routine? Do you know what makes me tick? Am I closer to my brother or sister? Mom or Dad? What are my best friends names?
Do I really know every day you?

Let's not even get started on whenever a blogger writes about a big life event or states there is "a big announcement" coming everyone always assumes it's a baby. Scratch that, whenever anyone on this sweet Earth tells me they have a big announcement I assume it's a baby. Oh hello, random stranger man, you have an announcement? Your wife is obviously having a baby. Oh, you date men? Then you're adopting. Think about it. There are so many big life moments that we never will know about each other. It's crazy to think about everything I don't share on this here blog because it's crazy how much I do share. 
WOW.

So then, end of post deep thought starts now: how much should we share?

November 13, 2013

i'm all 'bout it

Have you ever googled chocolate chip cookie recipe and gotten one of those links to an allrecipes.com recipe of BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES? (Have you ever read a really long sentence on my blog?...) 

The answer has to be a big fat, yes, if you've ever googled any recipe in your life. Allrecipes.com must have the best of the best of the best of all the recipes. Every time one of those pops up I really want to pull an Elf. 


But in a sarcastic I'm not wearing a pointy hat and tights and your cookies are mediocre way. 

Freddie made some of those cookies this past weekend. When I say made some I mean made enough for our entire apartment complex to come over and leave in a cookie coma. Except instead of everyone in our complex eating them we decided to save them for us to enjoy all week a few days until they are gone. 

Insert foot and cookie in mouth. 
PSA: THEY ARE REALLY THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES. 

I don't know if Freddie added any secret Chef Freddie ingredients (like crack because I'm hooked), or if it's because we got dark chocolate morsels instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Morsels here means more which means LARGE which makes the cookies better than the best. When I go to eat one, I eat three, but these are the kind of cookies where you have no regrets. 

After writing all of this I realize I don't even have a recipe here for you.
Sorry, but I hear you can find the BEST of the best cookie recipes on Google...


Let's see. What else. Hmm...
Last night we drove around listening to Christmas music and looking for Christmas lights. Spoiler alert: we even found some! On November 12. Isn't that something?

You know, isn't that what life is about? Spontaneously driving around with your spouse jamming to Christmas tunes on a Tuesday night in November to see Christmas lights? Or something. 

Good news is we ate some cookies when we got home. Now that is what life is about.
Over and out.

November 10, 2013

a people party

I'm in full wedding nostalgia mode. Is that normal? I mean it has been a whopping 2.5 months since the big weekend. That means it was a lifetime ago, after all.

But the thing is, I don't want to go back to the ceremony or the vows or the actual nuptials. Those events were, well, they were perfect (I know, I know. I would normally say gag me instead of using the word "perfect"..but they were.) and I very accurately remember every single little emotion that was welling up inside and outside of me there and then.

I'm nostalgic about the people. The most amazing group of people from all over the country who were together for a few short hours. Several weeks after the wedding someone said to me, It's so sad and crazy, isn't it? You have the best combination of your friends and family together and they'll never all be together like that again. And it goes by so fast that you can't even spend time with most of them. 

That's the part I want back. The people! The talks! The catching up. The hanging out. The hugs. The feeling of having everyone you could ever want together actually together in one place (minus a few people who couldn't make it. They were there in my mind!) Freddie and I didn't even realize the crazy number of people we didn't even realize were there until we were reading over the guest book. How did we not even see some people?!

While you riddle me that I will leave you with a short story...

Remember here when I said I would never ever in a million years get married outside? In my mind, that weather, all temperamental and like, was not worth the stress. Well, guess what? Big old liar face got married outside. For the 10 days out from the wedding the forecast had rain. And not a few sprinkles or a mist, but rain, rain, rain, baby. 

I, being the complete opposite of melodramatic, was saying things and bargaining with Mother Nature like,
Of course, it would rain on Saturday! That's what I get for getting married outside!
Oh my gosh, but really, is it going to rain?
Ugh. Why didn't we choose a church?
Whatever. It will be fine. My dress will totally last if it gets wet all on the bottom.
Maybe it will sprinkle a tad and then after our short ceremony the pouring can start. 
Double-you. Tee. Eff. Please don't rain.

You get the picture. The picture being that I was not a crazy bride-to-be at all. 

So there we were Friday evening at the rehearsal dinner. All of my family, all of Freddie's family and all of our world's best bridal party having a blast. Stuffing our faces with food, stuffing our wine glasses with more wine, and celebrating being together

That was when Russ Moore stood up to make a speech, no doubt. My dad is a sensitive soul. We teased him to no end that he would be a ball of hysterics on my wedding day. Funny: I don't think he shed one tear...

Anyways, I had no idea what on earth that man was going to say, or how he would make a speech without getting choked up, or how long or short it would be. 

And then he did something that I will never ever forget. He thanked everyone for coming (normal), he cheered to me and Freddie and our life together (normal), and he explained that the weather for Saturday was looking grim and the only way he could think to fix that would be to do a group anti-rain dance (Russ Moore say what?)

With lots of laughter everyone stood up and waited for his cue to start. 
Then this beautiful, hilarious, slightly weird, and most wonderful thing happened.
For 10 seconds, all of our family and friends boogied the rain away.



With that, Russ Moore officially had made the best Father of the Bride "speech" in the history of speeches. 

And guess what? Saturday was rain free and gorgeous.
See?

Now when is the wedding reunion?

November 8, 2013

mom, mommy, mama

My husband is a twin. Fraternal twin. In fact, fraternal to the extent that they don't really even look like brothers, much less twin brothers. Didn't you know that fraternal meant fake meaning not really twins?! Oh, it doesn't mean that? Weird. My dictionary must be outdated. 

But lawhammercy, whoever invented the word "twinsies" (obviously a very well-educated person decided to add the -sies to the end of twin and make it a brand new word! wink.) created it to describe those two guys. They are so in sync. They have their own language and laugh right at the same moment when something funny happens. They mumble talk for hours on end and still get so excited to tell each other every thing. They are twinsies and it is precious. Really. 

I am not a twin. My sister and I probably look more alike than Freddie and Jimmie do, but that is besides the point.

The point is that while I don't have a twin, I am twinsies with somebody. That somebody would be my mom. My motha'. My mommy. My mater. 

I mean twinsies in the in sync/think exactly the same things and exactly the same moments/be awesome kind of way, kapeesh? I know, we kinda sorta look alike too.  We don't call it twinsies, per say. We say things like same brain! Or great minds! Because let's face it, when great minds really do think alike you don't even have to say that whole expression. Just shoot me a great minds! text and I can catch your drift (okay, so maybe everyone would get what that is supposed to mean...).
In-same. Should the rest of this post be about how great Arrested Development is? Yes.


Growing up is strange, isn't it? We spend our entire lives connected to our families (if we're lucky) and then all of a sudden one day you're supposed to grow up and move on. Start a new family. Live somewhere new. Detach yourself, to an extent, from the family with whom you've spent 18+ years.

Slow your roll, Emo Emily.

I love living in Charleston. ATL will forever and always be special and be home in a sense, but my bum was tired of sitting in traffic day in and day out in order to get anywhere. Literally, my butt was tired of going numb from sitting in the car for so long. 285 ain't no traffic joke.

I love love getting to spend every day with Freds. That's probably the best part of this situation. I mean, sure the beach is a pretty cool perk, but I'm coming home every night to be with Frederick, people! This is the life.

I was ready for this. I was ready to experience a new place. I was ready to make Freddie my family.

I was not ready to miss my twinsie of a mom so dang much.
I've gotten the small ping of Holy-shitake-mushrooms, why-is-MC-in-a-different-state several times within the past few months.

Like when I want to go shopping and realize Freddie, bless his heart, doesn't notice (or care) if a shirt hits my hips at the completely wrong spot. (Ugh, birthing hips, amiright? Another thing for which I can thank my twinsie Mommy-O). Like how about when I got my first Stitchfix box this week and was like...who is supposed to help me pick these clothes?! Where's the StitchFix elf in the box?
Or when someone posts something ridiculous-with a capital R-on social media. What can I say? MC and I judge what you put on Facebook. You do it too. Super creepy story though, bro. I picked up my phone to text my mom about something cray I read when I got a text from her TALKING ABOUT THE SAME THING. It really is so in-same to think so alike at the same time. Mind blown.
Or when I find a GroopDealz for a 45 piece set of Thanksgiving photo booth props. Holla! Heeey, fam-a-dam! Guess what we're doing on Thanksgiving?!

Kind of like that one year mom made us all wear pilgrim and indian hats. Only one way to get the Thanksgiving party started. And this is it.
4 years ago and we're still rockin' the party look.

Oh mother of mine, I am quite looking forward to seeing you in 3 short weeks for some T-giving fun. And shopping with you. And pointing to each other and going saying SAME! with you. And you moving closer to Charleston.

I mean, what?
Love, your mini-me.
Even sleep at the same time...well, at least 24 years ago we did.
Everyone all together now, awww.

November 6, 2013

Toto, I've a feeling we're not at the beach anymore.

Every year (read: for the past 2 years) Freddie and I have taken a fall time let's-go-to-the-mountains-and-pick-apples-look at the leaves-and-stay-and-go-star-gazing trip. I realize that this time of year everyone and his or her mom takes this kind of fall trip. For the sake of this blog and this post we'll just pretend that it is only a Freddie and Emily thing. Aww, so cute. I know, I know. It's precious, really. 

In years past a mountain trip was more of a day trip. 1.5ish hours from the ATL and yer in for some hills are alive action, Maria von Trapp style. This year was a tad different. Mountains aren't so close when you live 1 mile from the beach. Whine whine, complain complain, insert life is hard gripe here. But the Weiss folk were bound and determined to make this trip happen for the third year in a row (read: I'm a sucker for traditions), so Friday night was spent driving the 4.5 hours to Asheville, NC. 

Lemme just say, worth it. I don't have a lot I want to say other than that. Shocking. Instead I will let you enjoy 1/8 of the 800 pictures Young Frederick took during our 2 days in the mountains/Biltmore Estate/Chimney Rock. We kind of hopped around the hot spots like mountain goats. How appropriate. 


^^^first person to take these hilarious kind of pictures! (not.)^^^


 ^^^why yes, we would like to taste every wine on the list and empty our glasses every time.^^^


^^^a selfie so good we didn't even need the mansion showing. oh wait, I think we did need that.^^^


^^^wouldn't you just die and go straight to happy heaven if this was your view all day every day?!^^^


^^^Freddie pointed out that it would be pretty easy to turn the V's into W's when we move in here.^^^


Day Two was spent apple picking, stair rock climbing, eating, and hiking. In boots and flip flops. We really are the best last minute trip planners.


^^^the real reason we make the trip every fall: apple cider doughnuts.^^^


^^^from the very bottom to the very top. 101 bajillion stairs and ear pops later, we made it.^^^


^^^Freddie hiked even higher to get the winning shot you see here. I sat. The end.^^^

Then it was time to descend and replenish all the calories we burned while hiking. But wait! I have made a groundbreaking discovery! Going down the staircases was way faster, more fun, and easier on the leg muscles than going up all of them. My legs were screaming obscurities to me as I taught dance all Monday. Shut it, quads.

But for the breathtaking views, the crisp/cool fall air, the new traditions with my husband, the free wine tasting, and the freaking apple cider doughnuts, it was well worth it

November 1, 2013

procrastinating. wasting time. and such things.

As I sat down last night to write this here blog post I quickly opened up at least 3 other tabs. From Wells Fargo online to Facebook to Gmail (why do I obsessively check my email at 10 o'clock at night? Oh, that's right. Because everyone sits down to write Miss Thang an email before they go to bed. Not). to some online boutique wish listing to...well, you get it. Distractions: I am good with them.

By the time I came back to this tab with the cursor just a' blink blink blinking at me, I completely forgot any genius blog post idea I had earlier that night. Seriously, the cursor. It's like Eeeeemily, looook at meeee. Every time I bliiiiink it just means another second you are losing your blogging braaaaain cells. Mwhahaha. 

Read that out loud in a creepy ghost voice, obvs. 

Then I decided, Voila! Let's write about all those things with which I waste my precious (not-so press  time. By write about them I mean put them down in list format. 

Online "window" shopping. 
I'm not really sure what it's called when it's online and you're not just "looking" in "windows." Whatever it is called, I do it all the time. Hey man, I totally will spend $98 on an Anthro shirt one day. Or Yes, I definitely need that tunic to wear with leggings! Leggings! Where are my leggings? I need new leggings, too. My cousin recently started working for a boutique as their creative writer and like any good cousin would and should do I liked them on Facebook. To show my support, obviously. Somehow I have managed to convince myself I need every single item of clothing they post on Facebook. And somehow I end up on their website on a daily basis. But this sweater! Look! And these pants! Somebody go get something now so I can just creepily stalk you instead of their website. 

Oh, then a mom of one of my students came in wearing these shoes the other morning and I had an epiphany and realized they are what's missing in my wardrobe. 


Looking at wedding pictures.
In case you're just catching up, we got the link to our official wedding pictures this past weekend. Our 800+ wedding pictures. I do this thing where I gorge myself in wedding pictures and run through all the emotions of the day all over again. I get to a point where I decide I've looked at every single one and picked my favs and we're good to go and they are beautiful and wonderful. Then (usually within 12 hours) I start to miss them and get clammy and convince myself there's so many I haven't seen! Or noticed! And oh my gosh what about that one where we were kind of smiling in a candid way, should that be a new favorite? So I have to go back and look through a bunch again. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Don't you wish you were living with me here? And by here I mean in my crazy brain. 


Checking my bank account.
I like to think this is so I can be on top of it (whatever "it" may be), but really I think it's just because it's another website I can randomly open and eat up time using. Random money has never magically appeared in or disappeared from my account so that's cool. I guess. I'd be pretty okay with the magically appearing money part. 


Checking my email.
This one is very similar to the process of checking my bank account. I do sit with my email page open long enough to think about organizing through my inbox. I never leave it open long enough to actually follow through with said organization. 


Facebook stalking.
I am too embarrassed with my knowledge of random people and their lives to comment any further on this topic.


I also frequent such websites as Twitter.com, Pinterest.com, Netflix.com, Hulu.com, and Yahoo.com. You've probably heard of some of those. Not to brag, but some of them are kind of big deals. 

What do YOU do when wasting time having fun?
Oh, P.Freaking.S.- I only ate 3 pieces of candy last night and Freds was in bed by 9. What is this adult life?