6 Santa Clauses

I think we're doing even days for Santas, if not, you're getting it anyways. I missed Friday and Saturday, but it's getting late and I have work, and didn't get much sleep this weekend, so I'm just going to do today's and forget about the other two days.

My Santas are the girls that you don't know but welcome you right in. This weekend, I didn't know two of the girls that I went to Charleston with, they were friends of one of my friends and I'd never met them, but they were both just so kind and welcoming and and I always appreciate girls like that. So today's Santa shout out goes to the non-mean girls of the world!

Charleston Get-a-Way

I'm back, and have I got a lot to share!

I just got back from the best weekend in Charleston, SC. I went with a few other girls, all except me were married with children, but good gracious, that did not stop them from letting loose, and we had a blast!

When we arrived Friday afternoon, we did a tour of the city, then came back to the hotel to get ready and opened up the first of many bottles of wine. That night we had the most amazing dinner at Coast, very good stuff and you must get the sangria if you go! That night we went out to a bar down at the market place, they had a great live band, so we danced, talked with cute boys, and in general got totally bombed.

The next morning, the old married hags were hurting, but after a brunch at a local dive, some shopping and some sightseeing, we rally up to go grab dinner. I wasn't impressed with the meal the second night, maybe I give it a C, but afterwards, me and two other girls head back out to the downtown scene where we ran into the cutest Aussies! I could barely understand them, but they were cute, and I did have a mini-smoochfest with one of them!

So, here's my opinion. Basically, Charleston is so freaking adorable, I can't even stand it. It was odd though seeing this bright blue sky with palmetto trees, you'd expect it to be warm, but it wasn't. Of course, we were there in December, I know that in August it's quite a different story. The architecture is so amazing, the city is so cute and so quaint and so gorgeous on the water. But I will tell you, I was not pleased with the social scene. Yes, I had a great time, but because I was with a group of girls. The guys there were not that great. I'd barely even classify them as "cute enough." Although, on that other hand, the girls were not great either! They just weren't! A lot were chunky (which, I loved, I felt so thin and gorgeous!), and just weren't all in all very attractive. It was odd, I was expecting the city to be full of attractive people. I'm not sure what it was that made them all so very plain. I can definitely see the draw why Charleston's one of those cities that everyone raves about and loves. It definitely had tons of charm, and nice, warm weather most of the time, but between the humidity and heat in the summer and lack of attractive social scene, I'm not going to put it on my list of potential places I'd like to move to when/if I can get my butt in gear and move.

Other than the city aspect, I had such fun with the girls I went with. Even though they were a few years older and in a totally different life stage, I had a blast. They were fun, they were dancing, talking with boys, having a blast. It always makes me laugh though to hear them say "oh, girls weekend, so fun! Woooooo!" when I'm over here like "yea, every weekend is girls weekend!" But it wasn't so much about the girls weekend for me so much as it was nice to get out of Richmond, get a change of scenery and just enjoy the company of girls I don't really hang out with that often.

Ok, here's some photos from this weekend:

Rainbow Row, a famous series of colorful houses. Everywhere I went in Charleston, there were photos and paintings of this street. 

There were so many amazing gardens and beautifully manicured yards. And the houses were all so cute and unique, and totally "Charleston."

Sort of the "quintessential Charleston home"

King Street decorated for Christmas.

Charleston!

Leaving for a mini vacay to Charleston tomorrow and I am BEYOND excited! I've never been and I have heard nothing but the most amazing things about that place, so I know I am going to have the best time! I will be sure to take lots of pictures to post!

See you on Monday!

3 days of Grinches

You know, yesterday I wrote the nicest blog about my Santas being the girls in my book club and how excited I was to have everyone over, and how smart and beautiful we are all, and you know what happened? They all skipped out on me! Well, all except Charlotte, who was super nice to still come and drink the sangria I made and watch Gossip Girl after a brief book club discussion! Anyways, they have now become the Grinches of the 3rd, because I was excited, and then they burst my bubble big time!

Dakota Fanning's new do

Why am I coveting a 15-year old's look? This photo from Teen Vogue of Dakota Fanning looks great! America's little sweetheart is growing up!

Seriously, this is the best long bob I've seen in awhile. I like it because it's a "long" long bob. And I am a fan of the long bob! Usually my long bob of choice belongs to Gwyneth Paltrow. I'm normally known to rock the long bob, but due to a really bad haircut, I had to chop off a few more inches (hence the Katie Holmes).

Me thinks me needs to grow my hair!

The Grinch that Stole Christmas and the Santa Claus that Brought it Back

Read here for this month’s blogging topic.

As yesterday was the first, I’m going to start off with my Grinch. Yesterday, it was the Sexual Deviant from the gym. You can read the background information here. Yesterday, he had a new move! And it was the grossest I’ve ever seen! He started off in sort of a downward dog yoga move and proceeded to gyrate towards the ground, thrusting his pelvic into the ground, then tilting it forward, arching his back and coming back to starting position.

I will let this sink in for a little bit.

Yes, it was disgusting! DISGUSTING! And of course, everything he does is now magnified 100 x because he’s such a sick mother effer. I just don’t get why he insists on doing this in the middle of the gym room. Please, for the love of social normalcy, please go into a side room, or in the back corner, or somewhere where you aren’t in direct vision of every person in the gym, no matter what they are doing. The worst part was, his shorts started to rise up showing his thin upper thighs, which of course were ten shades whiter than his lower legs. Ugh, I’m throwing up a bit in my mouth thinking about him.

I wish I had some sort of clever transition, but I don’t.

Today’s Santa is my book club group as we have a meeting today. Even though we're pretty small and have failed to actively recruit any new members, we have a great time, and I am always impressed by our intellectual conversation. Last month, we solved the mystery of "The Turn of the Screw." Yes! We are that smart! Anyways, anytime I'm with these girls, I get in a good mood and have a great time, so today they are dubbed as the first Santas!

"I generally avoid temptation, unless I can't resist it"

- Mae West

This morning, I did not feel so hot. I wasn’t able to wake up early to get to the gym this morning, which only set the day off on the wrong foot. So, what did I do last night that made me unable to get up this morning? If you guessed I had a wild, drunken debacle, you’d be….WRONG! Unfortunately it’s nowhere near that glamorous or face saving.

Last night for dinner, I had a huge blue burger with fries and three glasses of wine. Ok, already, my stomach is turning, is yours? When I got home, I needed to make the sangria and chop up some veggies for book club. While I’m doing this, I remember I have a brie wheel in my fridgerator – for book club tomorrow. As I’m chopping up veggies and fruit, I hear the cheese wheel calling me. At first, it was just a tempting whisper, but those whispers got louder and louder and eventually the fridge was all but opening up the door and throwing the cheese in my direction! So, did I do the smart thing and resist temptation? Go to bed? No! I ate the cheese! And then I ate some more! And more, just a nibble here, and another nibble there, and next thing I know, I ate the entire brie wheel! Yes! I ate an entire brie wheel in one sitting, after I had already gorged on a cheeseburger, fries and alcohol. I wish I could blame it on being drunk, but the truth of the matter was I was only buzzing (I guess all the food soaked it up pretty well).

This morning around 1 am, I woke up feeling miserable and really hot. I had an honest to goodness tummyache. Like an 8 year old after Halloween. I lay there in my bed moaning and rubbing my tummy. I decided there was no way I’d be able to make it to the gym, although, honestly, it would have been the best thing to work off the brick of cheese in my stomach, so I changed the alarm from 5 am to 7 am. It seems as though I was rewarding my bad behavior by allowing myself to sleep an extra two hours. But then again, wasn’t the stomach ache punishment enough? Or was it just what I deserved?

I still feel a little bloated and narsty this morning, but I’m on a mission to turn the day around. I have book club, and I’ll just have to have the veggies, no cheese. Besides I already ate enough for a month’s worth of book clubs, this will be my punishment.

And I sit here wondering why I can’t lose those last 20 lbs! Hope I enjoy the brie as much when I’m dying alone because no one wanted to marry my fat ass!