Blue October on a hot Saturday night in August

So this weekend was A-mazing! Friday I got home from work and was anticipating my boyfriend moving into the house with me. My brother had finally decided he was ready for him to be out. Not that he was a problem or anything they just needed their space back with everyone going back to school. I understood. We STILL haven't gotten into our place yet so we have to stay with Mom and Dad. The only problem with that is that they are SOOO FAR AWAY from EVERYTHING! Well, Mom and Dad decided they were going to go shopping so I stayed home to wait for my honey. I also wanted to formulate the plans for one of my oldest and bestest friends, Jacintha, Saturday night. She called me on Thursday and asked if I wanted to go see the band, Blue October. She had won two tickets and told me she hadn't thought of anyone else but me to go with her. Back in the day we were eachothers concert buddy. The last one we went to together was Pepper, back in college. So we talked on the phone for about an hour. Its been almost a year since I had seen her. We keep in touch but its not an every day or every week for that matter, type of friendship. She is more like family and you know how you can go a while without talking or seeing them and then when you do its like nothing has changed. We are alike but so different. She told me about her job and her life. She has always been that girl who remains busy, but if you need her she is there. We decided that since Downtown St. Pete was such a far drive we should look into staying at a hotel. That way if we got a little too tipsy, we could just walk home. I told her I'd call her after my audition for Howl-O-Scream the next day and we'd iron out the plans. First, I needed to O.K. it with the boyfriend. I went to the audition and it was a long process. Over 1000 people showed up. It took four hours to audition and 2 minutes to tell me I wasn't what they were looking for. Apparently I look too alive and have to angelic of a face, whatever. At least I tried. Judd even came with me and sat for hours in the parking lot. He is such a supportive boyfriend. When we got home Judd and I started to look for hotels. The plan was that Judd and I would drive to the hotel and check in, I'd get ready and me and Jacintha would have dinner, drinks, go to the concert and Judd would find a bar to watch Jacksonville vs. Buffalo. Afterwards, we would meet up with Judd and go out with some of Jacintha's co-workers that were at a nearby bar. We found a reasonable priced hotel within walking distance of everything. It was the Ponce De Leon boutique hotel. It was very quaint and very old. The room was small but it had character. It wasn't fancy, but there was plenty of space for Jacintha to fit her air mattress and we all were pretty comfortable. When we got there I freshened up and made sure our things were in order. Then Jacintha called to tell me she was there and to come outside because she wasn't sure where the hotel was. She was hauling a crazy heavy bag and looked adorable in her heals, over sized shirt, skinny jeans, and accessorized perfectly. She is about 5'6" with blonde hair and blue eyes and has a smile that lets you know you are going to have lots of fun with whatever you do. We had that slow moment of running towards each other with arms stretched out and the people from the restaurant balcony I'm sure thought we were overly dramatic, but she is my best friend. After getting everything upstairs we decided to go and check out the concert line. It was wrapped all the way around the block and there was no paying for VIP, lame. So I had the brilliant idea to just get something to eat have a few drinks and then we could wander back and see if we could get in. They informed us that they had given out 5,000 while the capacity of the venue was 2,500 that was stupid! Jacintha, who frequents downtown St. Petersburg suggested this restaurant, Ceviche. She said they had Tapa (small plates) and the best white Sangria EVER! So off we went. OMG! Everything was perfect, right down to the gentleman at another table purchasing a fabulous, expensive ceviche with lobster and scallops and sending it to our table. How sweet! But I am taken :) So then we walked to the concert. We got in!! But then we realized as our jeans stuck to our legs from sweat, that we should have worn shorts. "No re-entry" said the security guard. But with a little begging, pleading, and flirting he told us we had "15 minutes and don't do the girl thing or he'd change his mind," WooHoo! So off we ran like 14 year olds! Jacintha wasn't paying attention and almost got hit by a trolley! It was scary at first, but then we laughed hysterically. We changed and sprayed ourselves down with body splash and Judd did the "be careful girls, love you, call me if you need me" speech and off we went. The concert was awesome! We heard several acts before and the main act, Blue October was so good at one point I grabbed Jacintha's hand while hanging on to my $11.00 Jack and Diet Coke and spun her around. Everyone backed off of us in a circle and the two best friends who have been through middle school, high school, and college together danced like no one was watching. It's moments like that that make me realize that sometimes you really are where you should be at that exact moment. Of course there were drunkards and fools but we managed to meet a great couple who enjoyed the concert with us and took a few pictures. Celesta and Sean had been married for four years and they owned a vintage store downtown. They were so laid back and a blast. They invited us to check out their shop sometime and told us we should all hang out again another time. They didn't stay for the whole set and left early, but not before giving each of us a hug and wishing us a wonderful evening. After the concert we walked back to the hotel to get Judd. We left to meet Jacintha's friends at Bishop. We didn't realize how dressy of a place it was and even Judd got a harsh telling that he shouldn't be wearing shorts, oh well whatever. We are used to Tallahassee's lame bar scene where you can practically wear pajamas and still get in. We walked up the stairs and there were several guys wearing shorts the dude just wanted to be a tool. This made Judd furious and he said "we are leaving to change." So we walked back and I changed, Judd decided he didn't feel like going out. I understood and went without him. He was fine with it. I met Jacintha back up at Bishop and ran into an old friend from middle school. "Erica...Erica Cartee?" Joe asked. I couldn't believe it I hadn't seen this guy since I moved the middle of my freshman year in high school. We all danced and then decided to check out another club called Push. It was alright, the energy was good and there was an awesome rooftop with a bar and a DJ spinning some awesome House music. We decided to leave, it was getting late and the place was closing. But then Jacintha screamed "Im hungry lets get pizza!" So off we went to Fortunatos Pizza. I ordered some for Judd, being the sweet girlfriend I am, to take back to him and I didn't get any because I'm on my diet. I was pretty proud of myself. We passed out back at the hotel and I woke up before anyone Sunday morning to shower and start packing up. Jacintha, who admitted she had had a little too much to drink the night before, packed up her stuff, said goodbye, and groggily walked to her car. Judd and I wanted to get some breakfast, but couldn't find a place so we decided on Cracker Barrel since I know they have a low carb menu :) It was fantastic and Judd ordered enough for three people. We drove home and relaxed the rest of the day, watching t.v., doing laundry, and I ironed Judd's work shirts. We ended the evening with a nice dinner with my parents and watched a DVD we had picked up at Red Box called Sourcecode. It was good. Then off to bed by 10:00 we went so we could get up at 6:00a.m. and carpool to work. Getting up before the sun and being on the road before the sun is up is not easy. We didn't have any problems and we both got to work on time. I have been craving something sweet so my mission today is to find and make a low carb dessert. I'll let you know how it turns out. All in all it was another amazing weekend with two of my favorite people. Live and Love ~ E

Hotel

Sangria from Ceviche

Jannus Landing (the venue where we saw the concert)

Trolley from Downtown St. Petersburg :) hahaha

Rockin it to get a Rockin Bod!

Ok, so I don't know if I have touched on this yet or not but I am back on an intense diet. I am staying low carb and have cut a lot of calories, like 20 carbs a day and 900 calories. It's a difficult task to say the least. I eat 6 small meals a day so I feel like I am always eating, but as of Wednesday I have lost 10 pounds since being home. It definitely helps to get the medication to suppress your appetite but it definitely isn't cheap. I also get the B12 shots once a week. It helps with my energy and actually stabilizes my mood. I've learned to get creative in the kitchen when it comes to foods that I can eat. I make what I call a Scrambled Omelet. Its eggs, laughing cow cheese, bacon or sausage and whatever veggies I feel like. I made it for my mom one night and she loved it. I also have converted Judd who loves the laughing cow cheese, hehe. Its so cute when we go to the grocery store and he goes "I wonder what kind of Laughing Cheese they have." He has been so supportive of my new, crazy hard diet. I went through withdrawals the first couple weeks and passing a fast food restaurant was miserable but he just kept telling me that I was doing such a good job and he was so proud of my hard work. The only thing that really is hard is when we decide we want to go out to dinner. Last night we decided to use the Groupon we had purchased and went to Spoto's Grill 131. It was a very upscale Steak and Lobster kind of place. I mean they served complimentary pate and bread. It so hard to order because I can't have anything with butter, crusts, basically it has to be plain. My salad even had to be picked through because their were dried cranberries and pistachios in it. I can't have either of those. I ordered the Steak Au Poivre. It was prepared table side and I didn't realize it had cream in it, but I ate a little of it and decided I would take the rest home for work the next day. OMG!! The BEST steak I have had in a while. Judd ordered the roasted duck with a cherry demi glace. It was perfectly cooked, but the cherry demi glace was a bit too sweet. I don't think he will be ordering it again even though he sort of liked it. Our waiter was phenomenal. Nick, who actually understood my low carb predicament, helped me with my ordering. He told me what I could have and what I should stay away from. He even asked if he should even bring the complimentary bread to the table. I didn't want to be rude to Judd though so I told him it would be alright. The service was incredible and the chef that prepared my steak came back and asked if it was cooked the way I wanted it. The check wasn't too bad after the Groupon and they added the 15% gratuity automatically to the bill. We thought that was a bit low considering the great service so we tipped Nick even more. I am sure he appreciated it. It's hard when you go into a restaurant with particular dietary requests. They a) think you are snobby, b) think you are going to take up a ton more of their time, c) are clueless and ignore what you say or d) actually respect your dietary needs and try to accommodate you. This place definitely did that and for that we will be returning customers, when we can afford it. Judd and I had a great conversation too. We've been talking a lot about the next step in our relationship, engagement. I have wanted this Tacori engagement ring for as long as I can remember.

I truly feel like me and this ring were meant to be. It is definitely not cheap though and I told Judd that I was willing to wait to get my perfect ring. We also discussed marriage. I have been having a lot of anxiety about my future wedding. Lately, it seems like all my friends from high school or people that I knew are getting married and starting families. I just saw one of my old best friends from high schools wedding pictures and she wore a couture dress, Manolo Blahnik shoes, an amazing wedding and her receptions was at The Breakers. Getting married is every girls dream, but the wedding is every little girls fairytale. My sister-in-law's parents made sure she had a fabulous wedding at the Don Cesar and it was elaborate. I should know, I was in the wedding. But seeing all these weddings makes me sad. Traditionally, the girls father is supposed to pay for the wedding. Unfortunately, my dad probably won't be able to afford much of anything for mine. You see ever since I can remember my dad hasn't had a consistent paying job. He is more of free spirit and doesn't believe in sitting in an office all day, so he has started companies and they have failed. He swears up and down that one day he will be a millionaire, and I hope with all my might that that would come true for him but I fear its not going to happen. My mom and step-dad said they'd be willing to help a little, but I don't think what they would be willing to do would go very far in my dream wedding. Some days I feel like me and Judd should just run off and get married, but I want my family there. I want my friends there. I want what is left of his family there. Judd's parents have both passed away. I wish with all my might that his mother was here still. I would have loved to meet her, get to know her, and learn from her. After her husband, Judd's dad, she never dated again. She could never love another man the way she loved Judd's father. I wish she could tell me the secrets to that type of marriage. I don't want to get divorced like my parents. But anyways, that also means we wouldn't have any help from his side. He told me last night that he realizes that we are pretty much going to be on our own when it comes to having a wedding. I told him my only request is that I want to be 120 pounds haha. I want to look my best and be as beautiful on the outside as I feel in the inside. I also told him that if I had to wait 5 years until we could save enough to have the wedding of our dreams I would. That's when he dropped the well we don't have to wait to have children, we could get married after. Whoa! But then I remembered that Judd is going to be 29 in September. He wants children, at least two. We'd also like to adopt one if finances allow. We want them to be from the United States and older. There are so many well deserving older children that need good homes and families to love them, but everyone always wants a baby. We feel like if we are blessed we should bless a child. They are the greatest gifts in the world and everyone of them deserve to be loved. We ended our conversation by telling each other that we love each other and that everything will work out. For us, nothing has been easy, but we have always made it through with our relationship in tact. In fact, I feel like we can make it through just about anything. We've made it through car accidents, selling our belongings to pay bills, college partying, family issues, moving away from each other, etc. and we are still very much in love and best friends. He is my rock. He places friendly bets with me about losing 3 pounds in week, if I do he'll pay for a mani-pedi hehe. He keeps me focused and he has shown me my truths and weaknesses. So I guess I don't really care if I have the wedding of my dreams as long as I am marrying the man of my dreams and I am pretty sure that is going to happen in the future :) Live and Love ~ E

Growing Up

So I haven't posted since last week and several interesting things have happened and some have not. First, my weekend was great. It was very relaxing and well deserved. Judd and I went to the beach on Sunday and hung out in the pool with my niece and then everyone came over for a cook out to "end the summer".

The kids started school Monday. It was chaotic that morning to say the least. 6 people in one house with 2 bathrooms trying to get out the door is crazy. If it were my house we'd have a bathroom schedule and it would be way more organized, but I can't complain since my brother lets me stay there whenever for free. Yesterday I got the sweetest message on Facebook from a girl I used to babysit in high school. She is now 18 and starting her first semester at FSU! GO NOLES! I can't believe it! She said that ever since the 5th grade she has wanted to go to FSU because of me and she always tried to do her best in school to be like me. I cried. I never realized how much I had influenced her. I guess sometimes you leave people and you don't think you've made much of any impact, but when you realize you had its incredible. She is going into her third day of Rush. I never rushed a sorority. I was a legacy for several and my parents met at a fraternity party (my dad was Vice President of Lambda Chi at FSU and mom was a sister of Alpha Chi Omega), but financial issues in my family didn't allow me to participate. I wish that they would make it affordable to anyone, especially if they are a legacy. Back then I just said I didn't want to pay for my friends, but I knew there was more to the Greek life then that. Looking back, I regret not being a part of it. I also got a friend invite from her sister who is going into her Senior year in high school. She is super involved with school and has even gotten her toes into some international modeling. Pretty exciting for a young 17 year old girl I am sure. See some of her pics below.

On another note, I am still waiting to move into my condo. It is frustrating because I am spending so much in gas and I feel like a nomad. I am constantly going back and forth from my parents in New Port Richey to my brothers in St. Petersburg. But, that is all about to end because the BF is having to move out on Friday because my brother said he needs his room back. It looks like the BF will be moving in with me to my parents temporarily. For someone who wanted to sell this condo it is taking a really long time. I know my parents are doing everything they can and I am not angry with them, I am just frustrated with the whole situation. The BF and I are trying to save as much as we can so that we can afford all the set up fees associated with our new place, new furniture, paint and other supplies...its expensive. So I have decided to try and pick up a seasonal job at Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream. I have an audition for an Entertainment II position so I think I may be a zombie or something. Whatever, at least it will be fun, last for only a month, and allow me to make some money while scaring some people haha.

Last night I went over to my brothers and helped my sister-in-law with the kids. I helped Haylee with her homework and we read for 15 minutes. She read to me Judy Moody. Sounded like a cute book. I am worried about Haylee though. She is having some trouble reading. I think she should be much further along then she is. I feel like she doesn't get as much attention as she should so she doesn't care. I've noticed that my nephew gets a lot more attention and gets away with a lot while she desperately wants attention and will do anything to please you. I would never tell my brother or sister-in-law how to parent, mostly because I am not even one so who am I to say, but I do think there are some areas that they need to work on with their kids. All I know is that my parenting style will be very different, very involved, and very educational. I want my children to know culture like my parents taught me. I want them to be respectful, kind, and thoughtful to their elders. I want them to have manners and know how to speak to people regardless of the situation. I want them to be exposed to only what they should be exposed to for their age range. No child should have a television or a computer in their room until they are older is how I feel. You cannot possibly tell me you monitor everything they are looking at, looking up, or seeing. Kids should be kids. Like how it was when I was a child. We were told to go and play and not come home until supper. We'd climb trees, build forts, play in the creek, get dirty, whatever as long as we weren't wasting the day playing video games and watching t.v. my parents encouraged it.What happened to that? Where did this generations parents go wrong? Are they too busy trying to be their friend rather then their parent? Are they too busy in general so they buy things to occupy their kids time so they don't have to spend as much time with them? I'm not sure, but call me old fashioned I'll be damned if my child grows up that way. Anyways, live and love.
                                                                                         Erica

Joining in on the Hoop-la!

So I started hearing that hula hoops are making a comeback and to my surprise when we went out to a night club one night a girl was hula hooping! I started doing some research and it turns out that hula hooping for an hour can burn up to 600 calories. I have been doing it for 30 minutes a day and its so much fun I forget its a work out. Click on this link My new hobby to see another sister of the hoop and all her awesome tricks. Maybe one day you'll get to see my moves!

Some things I've learned so far...

Sunpass in Tampa Bay is like macaroni is to cheese, you just can't have one without the other. My tolls everyday add up to $5.00 so quick math $5.00 times 5 days a week, I am spending $25.00 in tolls to get just to my job.

Ay ay ay. Spanish here is almost the first language, at least in some areas. D'Lites Ice Cream is now my favorite and its low carb, low sure, low fat, and they have four locations in Tampa Bay!

 I am looking into getting a haircut and I heard that a great place to get a edgy, trendy, punk rockish hair cut is at get this...Star Booty Salon in St. Petersburg! Just the name makes me giggle.

I both love and despise 5:30p.m. traffic as it means I don't have to work anymore that day, but I have to deal with crazy drivers itching to get home. The best way to find things to do on the weekend is to go to the downtown areas on Friday evenings and figure out what will be going on in the weekend. Local spots are the best during the summer, because all the tourists are getting suckered at the other places and only the locals truly know where to go. Like Mahuffers for example. Small bar in Indian Rocks Beach, where I grew up mostly in my pre-teens and early teens, great drinks, bitchy bartenders, surf bums, bras and dollar bills allover the walls, no AC, but you can't beat the atmosphere...it really feels like your just chillen in the garage of a friends beach house.

Better to go there then places like whats below and spend $60 on a meal for two plus a side of terrible service. Make sure they know you are a local too, because they are nicer to you if they know you might come back.

Well those are things I have learned lately, but I am sure I will be learning more and more. I definitely plan on experiencing something new every week so make sure you keep up :)

I know they say ya can't go home again...

So I am sure you all have heard that song by Miranda Lambert - The House That Built Me...To me it has special meaning. Tampa is where I grew up. Where I was born. Where I completed my adolescent years. Where I was molded before college...and then where I moved away from. I never thought I would move back. I wasn't exactly in a hurry to. But, after college my life didn't go exactly as expected. I found a job in a tough economy, but it was in the town I graduated from. Don't get me wrong Tallahassee will always have a special place in my heart, but seeing your friends graduate and move on to bigger and better or just move for that matter can be hard on a girl. You see I am very emotional. I get attached. I rely on my friends for support and when they were gone, I lost myself. Sure you could make more and I did and they are amazing, but relearning someones quirks, habits, oddities can be tiring. My boyfriend of off and on four years was living in Jacksonville while I lived in Tallahassee and the travelling back and forth was exhausting and expensive. Then we started to talk about the future. That day we made a pact. If either of us got a great job somewhere else, anywhere else, then the other would look for a job there. So you can imagine my surprise when that somewhere else became the area I grew up in. "Honey I got the job!" From that day on, it was decided.
After months of loading my resume into countless job sites, search engines, you name it I started to get discouraged. I didn't make much as it was and planning for a move nearly 5 hours away wasn't going to be easy or inexpensive. Especially if I didn't have a job lined up. You see my lease was up July 31 and I certainly wasn't going to sign a new one and hope to find a job. So I decided hell or high water I was moving before my cut off date. I started working extra jobs on the side to save whatever I could for a U-Haul, gas money, money for food, and a little savings for just in case. I sold my furniture, my clothes, you name it; if I didn't need it, name me a price and it was yours. I told family I was moving back and my parents and brother offered me a place to stay to 'get on my feet'. But its hard to swallow your pride and accept it, especially when you have taken care of yourself for so long. So July came around and the packing started to become panic. What if...I am doing this too fast, my boyfriend and I don't work out, I don't find a job, my parents or brother get tired of me crashing and I have no where else to go...and then it hit me...an old saying from my favorite Bravo television character once said "Honey, if ifs and buts were candy and nuts it would be Christmas everyday." Okay, so maybe that doesn't make sense to you, but to me it meant stop making excuses for why you shouldn't go and start thinking of all the benefits WHEN you get there! From that point on things started to happen. A position opened up in the Tampa branch of the company I had currently worked for, I applied, and was accepted. I booked the U-Haul, scratch that, Budget Moving Van for cheaper then the UHAUL. I had saved about $1,000 and my boyfriend and parents agreed to drive to Tallahassee and help me move. I even had friends offering to help me pack and buy my last items I was selling. It started to feel like this really was the right decision for me.

The last day at work was hard. Saying goodbye to these wonderful people wasn't easy, but they let me know they were rooting for me. One of my co-workers hugged me and told me that she always knew that something bigger was out there for me, that I was meant for something better and that I was special. Whoa! I didn't even know that about me. But it made my heart smile! Everything happens for a reason I kept telling myself. The move wasn't easy. It was a HOT summer day in the armpit of Florida (AKA Tallahassee) but we managed to load everything up, clean the apartment, drive to my parents, and unload my stuff in one day. The next day mom, the bf, and I shopped til we dropped for new clothes for my new job which I started the very next day! Talk about exhausting. I love my new job and the people are so fantastic and accepting. They all welcomed me with open arms. I even had my own office!
The next weekend we decided to celebrate by going to see a DJ in Ybor City at the Amp, a nightclub with a 30 ft. rotating dancefloor. Me, my sister-in-law, brother, bf, and our family friends got dressed up for a night on the town. We danced, had some drinks, and even ran into an old ex-boyfriend from college. We ended up at another club and didn't get home til 4 in the morning. But, we had so much fun and it had been so long since we all had blown off some steam.

So, so far my weeks have consisted of working at my new job and getting used to commuting, spending time with my boyfriend and family, enjoying my weekends doing new things instead of old, committing to losing some college weight, and enjoying being back to the city of where its good to be seen. I can't wait to share more adventures with you all, so enjoy the ride!