Friday, January 9, 2009

Nostalgia

I've spent the last year in a reminiscent phase. I called old friends I hadn't talked to since high school, I reconnected with an old boyfriend because I always wondered where he ended up. I also planned a reunion for my graduating class. Recently, one of my favorite bands reunited after 15 years and I attended one of their concerts with a couple of life-long friends of mine.

All of these things have brought me great joy....but at the same time, I feel the changes that have taken place over the last 20 years or so. I was telling Billy Hufsey on his fan page that nostalgia can be a double-edged sword. One side of that blade is so comfortable - it's what you know. It's what's built who you are. The other side of that sword can be a bitter reminder of what you haven't accomplished in life...the goals you set early in life that just haven't come to fruition. It's hard to come to terms with that sometimes.

When I was a few months away from my 30th birthday a few years back, I was fighting depression badly. My sister told me "Mel...you have to look at the older people...determine what they've done in their lives before 30 and what they've done after thirty. I guarantee you your thirties will be great for you - you have so much left to do!!" And so far, she's been right (don't ANYBODY tell her I said that. I'll deny it!!). I've been a wife and mother for the last 13 years, we've bought our home, established stability for our kids and I've even managed to build my own photography business. In my free time, I also write. Someday I hope to combine those two passions into an amazing project (or six...lol). Until then, I'm just enjoying the ride.

I like the scenery. I may sit down and sniff a few roses along the way while I'm at it. :)

Monday, January 5, 2009

My Guilty Pleasures

Got the idea from The Maryland Girls and thought maybe it would give a little insight as to what makes for a good day in Mel's world.

Sweet tea. There is nothing better on the planet that a tall glass of sweet tea..the sweeter the better. I drink probably a quart of it a day in the winter and a half gallon of it in the summertime. I can't get enough of it!! I blame my Southern roots for this little addiction.

Bubble baths. Avon Soft Pink bubble bath is my marinade of choice. I get my favorite book (or prop the TV up just right in the bedroom door) and spend HOURS....yes hours....in the tub. It takes me less than 10 minutes to actually bathe. It's the soaking and escape that I enjoy the most. I light candles...sometimes I listen to music. Love me a bath!!

Hot wings. I could literally eat these things every day for the rest of my life. I don't, for obvious dietary reasons, but it sure is fun to think about. I consider myself a hot wing connoisseur. I like 'em hot, but flavorful. Buffalo Wild Wings is a great place with a variety of flavors, but there are better places out there. A.K. O'Connor's is probably one of the top places around here. Granite City has good wings too. Dominoes is my favorite - good heat, not as fattening since they're baked instead of fried. Unfortunately, they don't deliver all the way out here. I haven't yet found "The" wing place, so if you've got suggestions, lemme know!

TV. This should come as no surprise. I blame my mom, actually. From the time we got out of bed until the time we went back to bed at night, our television was on. Even when we weren't home (the noise may distract a burglar!), the tv was on. I have gotten better, though. I've turned ours off in exchange for music, recently. Some habits can be beaten.

Sleep. Again, I think it's an escape thing. Sleep is the one thing that evades me the most, but something I can do for days, if I am able to seclude myself from reality long enough. I love hunkering down in blankets (the room has to be cold, though) with Kitty and wasting the night (and sometimes, day) away!

Twilight. Fortunately, now that the books are done, this may not be as much of a guilty pleasure as it once was. I do love the story, though...and I know I'll still have random vampirisms and I'm sure there will be a countdown on one of my web pages for the New Moon movie next November. But for the most part, I think I can manage this one without becoming overly obsessed.

NKOTB. This is one guilty pleasure that I'll never give up. It's twenty years old, afterall. Jon and Joe...Donnie and Jordan...Danny. Stick a fork in me, I'm done! Their music, their humor, their cameraderie, their personalities...all of it draws me in and holds me captive. I came *very* close in '08 to meeting them. I won't miss out in '09. I've done my research, I've paid attention on the forums to the facetime stories. I've got my mind right. Let's GET THIS!