Recipe for Disaster

Here is an update on my life lately. My other friends do a great job of posting recipes on their blogs, so I can't even try to compete because they are way more talented than I ever will be. What I can give you though is a recipe for a crazy night, which will lead to stories the next day.

Ingredients:
- 1 weekday night
- 1 early morning flight
- 1 cell phone with dying battery
- 2 friends willing to be partners in crime
- 1 never ending happy hour
- 2 or more male figures who will be a bad influence on your decisions
- bad decisions, use sparingly or for more of a kick use generously
- free alcohol drinks, for taste

Directions:
Mix all together, stir, shake, taste, and use your judgement. Also, make sure that the first three ingredients occur in order listed.


The story:

So I went to Chicago last weekend. It was a faaaaabulous time (once I got over my hangover from the "cooking" I had done the night before). I will have to blog about Chicago tomorrow. The first part to this saga starts with the fact that I overused the last two ingredients in this recipe, I would recommend a more conservative approach the next time. Because of this, I missed my original flight to Chicago and experienced a miserable morning of traveling.

The night before Chicago happened to be my only night to hang out with my good friends who were in town. We decided to go to happy hour and dinner since we do not get to see each other much since none of us live in the same city. I will say one friend in particular and I have had our moments where happy hour turns into a series of bad, yet fun, decisions.....so we are sort of notorious for that. This night was no different. It started with the decision to get the jumbo margarita at Cyclone Anayas instead of the small, then proceeded with the decision to get another jumbo after the first one. You would have thought we would have been done after that, but no. There was another great idea to go back to their hotel at the W and try out the Ghost Bar. Well apparently the Ghost Bar wasn't open yet so to kill time we ordered a bottle of wine at the hotel. Then, in walked the guys who influenced us to make even more bad decisions that kept the night going until 2am. Then I went to sleep and my phone died. The next morning you can only imagine what happened.....but just picture me walking through the airport with crazy hair, no makeup, sunglasses on, a scarf and hat. People kept staring at me. I'm not sure if it was because I looked ridiculous or if it was because they thought I was someone famous. I'm going to go with the latter option. Paparazzi, go to town!

I Saw the Sign (in a fortune cookie)

I saw the sign. It came from an event that was small and insignificant in itself, but it reminded me of the single most profound thing in life: that God loves me. I am sharing this because it excites me when events that seem extraordinary occur, and I think whatever your beliefs, everyone can find some value in an experience like this.

For me personally, I have a solid faith in God. I could talk about it for a long time, but I feel like it deserves a blog of its own. Tonight my roommate mentioned that she had just started going to Bible study and was getting excited about reconnecting with her faith. I thought it was cute that she was bringing this back into her life, but I never for a second thought about myself and how we all must continuously go through this effort no matter where we are in our faith. She mentioned that her Bible study was talking about the Spirit living in you, and it was a concept she was just starting to grasp. She said she finally started getting the concept of remembering that God is always in your life when right after her Bible study, her brother (who has a strong faith) called her. She was touched by this event because her brother rarely reaches out to talk to her due to a large difference in age.

I was listening to her story, but not really trying to understand the significance the event had to her. Quite honestly I was also more captivated by my dinner I was eating, Pei Wei's Dan Dan noodle bowl, because I had just gotten back from a grueling day of work and airport traveling. I heard her words, but didn't really acknowledge the spirituality of her experience. Just as I finished dinner, I reached in for my fortune cookie. I actually throw away my fortune cookies most of the time without opening them because I just don't really care for them. For some reason today, I thought "what the heck," and I dug right in.

I didn't even care about reading the fortune, but I apathetically looked at the catchy saying. Then I was floored. The fortune read something that directly spoke to the one goal that has been burning on my heart for the past several months. Sure fortunes are always generic and say things that you want to hear, but this one even mentioned a timeline of achieving the goal exactly when I wanted to achieve it. The wording of the fortune seemed to personally speak to my specific goal and though it was short I felt like the words used in this fortune hinted at several different meanings relevant to my life personally. I know skeptics out there could point to several different reasons to convince me that this was not a message from God, but because I do have faith in His presence in my life, I cannot separate an event like this from my beliefs. If signs from God were blatant, life wouldn't be so confusing.

Before I tell you the reasons why I think this is a sign of God in my life, I want to preface by telling you that I'm not going to tell you what the fortune said. :) This is partly because I am not ready to talk about this until (and if) any concrete progress towards my goal materializes and partly because I don't think it is completely important in conveying my main point in this story. There is a greater story out there to tell, and the story of my personal goal is much less important than the fact that God does love us and if you open your heart and your eyes you will see it too in the smallest of things because life is made of the smallest of things.

This is what I will say....this particular goal is something that has been building in the back of my mind for several years. I can think of many significant moments in my life during this time period where my desire for this goal was building. I honestly have never wanted anything as much as I have wanted this. In the past few months particularly, it has gotten to a point where I can't ignore it. I have often talked about my difficulty in being able to tell the difference between my selfish desires and God's plan for me. I have looked for explicit signs and never really looked into my heart. It wasn't until a friend pointed out to me that if it has consumed my thoughts for the past several years, that it must be God moving my heart in that direction. Since that conversation I have already started attempting to make my dream a reality. The fortune cookie I feel like was not quite a sign as much as it was a gift from God. It made me smile, gave me confidence in my dreams, and I really feel like it shows how much He loves us and tries to show us in even the smallest of ways. If you look at the Bible, God finds humble ways to show us He loves us, and it is not always the grand gesture you are expecting. Nonetheless, this was perfect for me, evidence that He is all knowing.

I hope this does not turn those of you who do not share my faith away. I think everyone can appreciate that there are those touching moments in life that you can't always explain why it impacted you. These events are always different for everyone, and can range from the tiniest to the biggest of events. I will keep you updated in the future regarding my dream :) I don't know what the future will hold, but I do know pursuing this is the right thing for me, whether or not it works out.

Stay tuned for my next blog posts.....some pretty hilarious stuff has been happening to me!

Monday Night Grocery Shopping Is Like MNF For Single People

So I've been wondering where all the normal, single people exist in Dallas (you know, the ones that hold steady jobs, don't have mental problems, and actually are reasonably attractive), and I think I might have found a place where they congregate. The grocery store on Monday night. Why haven't I thought of this before??? Probably because Monday nights have been previously reserved for some of my girliest rituals: power yoga and Gossip Girl. I have been single for so long that I have been stuck in girl world, missing out on all of these opportunities at the grocery stores! Screw double coupon days, now there are even better deals at the grocery store!

This all happened by accident (or shall we say fate?), but one weekend I went out of town and ran out of time to go to the grocery store that Sunday like I normally would. The next night I went instead; and voila, men in suits, button ups, and gym clothes galore! On top of that they were BY THEMSELVES with no ring! These looked like lonely, responsible men who actually cook every once in a while and take care of themselves! I was floored.

Now, I haven't actually met anyone at the grocery store exactly yet, but I feel like I am already increasing my chances of finding a decent guy out there. You never know who you are going to find in the frozen pizza aisle. ;) Bye bye married people on Sundays, Monday night is the NEW Sunday in grocery land!

Where are some places you think are good for finding single people?

Why do I bike? Because it's the only sport that serves beer

That's not my main motive, but it probably caught your attention. I also can't deny the fact that a cold pint can help ease the memory of the hours of blood, sweat, and tears that come with one of my typical bike races. One time I even biked 100 miles (Shiner Century Ride) just so that I could get my "free" beers at the race finish. I know, it's crazy. I wish I could explain more why I do this to myself. But yes, I bike just like the likes of Lance Armstrong, but much slower and much less gracefully. This past weekend I completed my second Livestrong Challenge- the 45 mile bike ride in the giant hill country of Dripping Springs. And yes, they served beers and bloody marys at the rest stops! I did not partake in the festivities, but it was comforting to know that there were reasonable people participating in this not so reasonable sport- Glad to know these other insane people also like to have fun!

It is very strange to even myself that I bike. Most people know me as a girly "city" chick. If you saw me on the street or out at the bars you would probably think I wasn't tough enough for the sport of cycling. Well guess what, I have the battle wounds to prove that I get as raw as the rest of them on the road! One disclaimer: I really hate biking clothes, and I realize how extremely unflattering they are.

I do really like the races. My favorite part is the very beginning. It's interesting to see how many people from so many different walks of life are dedicated to the same practices that I am. Sometimes I feel like only me and my teammates are training for events, and then it is fun to see the thousands of people from across Texas who have made this a big part of their lives as well.

Before biking, I had all of my heart in running. I loved it and really believed in it. (I still do.) I even loathed all of the bikers who would pass me as I ran or slow traffic on the roads. Now I have a newfound respect and perspective any time I see a biker on the street. It is by far the most challenging thing I have ever done, I have cried during every race because of the difficulty of the roads, and there is so much room to grow in this sport. I am amazed by the many people who are incredibly fast and strong at this. I am doubtful that I will ever be as skilled as these people, but every race for me at this point is about crossing the finish line. For now that is enough for me, and I am glad that I have this experience in my life.

Me crossing the Livestrong finish line after 45 miles, Oct 25, 2009.

My awesome teammates on Team Casas!

Sometimes Dating Feels Like American Idol Auditions

Aaaah the apathies of dating. That's been the story of my life for 2009. I've been single for about exactly 3 years. Scary. I really didn't think I would be single this long, but it has definitely been a learning experience! Here is how I would sum up my dating experience in the past three years:

Year 1- crazy binge of going out many nights and trying to pick up as many guys as I can to distract myself from recent breakup

Year 2- go on continuous dates because of the combination of new perspective of moving to a new city and starting a full time job as well as the novice of meeting guys at bars has not worn off

Year 3- burned out from giving too many guys my phone numbers, same first dates that go no where, and realizing that my time to myself is most often much more fun than with a stranger I'm trying to picture myself with

Now, I'm not saying that I'm an expert on dating or that I have anything figured out because clearly you can see from this summarized history that a lot of mistakes have been made. My point today is that there comes a point where the whole dating game just gets a little boring. It's always the same routine. A guy asks for my number and he either calls or we go through the painstaking process of about 20 text messages to set up the first date. Then you have the same conversations where you tell the same stories and explain the same facts of your life. I obviously have not met "The One" (aka Mr. Fun Bobby) because I have yet to be captivated by this ritual.

So, I propose this (no pun intended...). America, let's get creative with our dating. I'm so bored lately, I'm really going to need someone to do something really interesting to catch my attention. I feel like the city of Dallas is providing me with the same cookie cutter date every time. Let's make this more like a competition! In fact, you can even SING to me like they do in American Idol- that would get my attention. If any of you readers are young, single men out there and interested in this competition, my phone number is 214-6...... nah, just kidding haha!

Ballgowns, Galas, and Cowboy Boots?

I recently was invited by my boss to attend a Gala. You have no idea how excited I was. I have a random list of "life experiences" that I find important. It's very random, but going to my first gala was one of them. Despite having a name like Fun Bobby, I'm very girly. I love dressing up. Elegance, regal, classy, I love it all! Immediately after finding out that I was going to the gala, I started thinking about dresses. Within a few days, I had a beautiful long black BCBG dress hanging in my closet waiting for the occasion. I LOVED the dress!

Well, only in Texas would this happen. After buying the dress, I find out that the attire for the gala is "western chic." I don't even know what western chic is. I spent weeks fretting over what my date and I would wear. How could they do this? I love tradition, and it's traditional to wear formal attire to galas. Why were they making this edgy and "fun" with the cowboy theme?!

I felt as if the whole world understood what western chic meant except for myself. I'm Texan by birth, but I don't think the whole country thing ever really sunk in. I have some Asian in me so I blame it on that.

Upon finding out this wardrobe catastrophe, I knew I had to alter my outfit. I don't own anything remotely country. I mean I live in Uptown in Dallas, why would I? I wasn't willing to give up the dress, if anything purely on principle. My friend Kristin came up with the genius idea to get a turquoise necklace to wear with the dress. I have to thank her for that because it was the one thing that saved me that night. 90% of the women at the gala were wearing turquoise jewelry. Who knew? The majority of the women were also wearing boots and jeans though, so I was slightly overdressed. Such is life, especially for a girl like me who worships the little black dress.

After a few glasses of wine, I stopped caring about the attire. The alcohol was flowing everywhere. Who cares if we had work the next morning, we were going to enjoy the night! The entertainment was phenomenal at the event. I believe the country theme was all centered around the fact that Jack Ingram was performing at the gala. Being a more private event than a concert, we were able to stand right in front of the stage. My date Taylor took some fabulous pictures, just to show you how creepily close we were. At the end of the night, Jack Ingram even touched my forehead (I'm still not sure why). I didn't wash my face for days! (Just kidding....)

These are real photos Taylor took from where we were standing, aren't they amazing?!

It looks like he is playing just for us!

Um yeah, extremely close.....his sweat could have dripped on us!

Public Health Notice: I will NOT be making out with anyone random this flu season

And also, how to survive a party during flu season

The air is getting cooler, the leaves are changing, and it smells like chimney fires outside.....all signs that the holidays are fast approaching! The change in weather also means that some of the most annoying germs will be in the air ready to spread their version of holiday cheer! Every year October initiates my annual three month strict health regimen during which I become quite obsessive about avoiding those pesky cold and flu germs so that they do not get in the way of any of my holiday soiree plans. With Christmas parties and New Years, December is the most critical month to not get sick. It would be devastating to let a silly virus ruin holiday party season! I do not want to look like Rudolph while standing under the mistletoe or counting down to midnight.

This flu season proves to be the most challenging yet. With the new H1N1 scare, I am faced with extra unpredictable risk. Because of this, after much thought and deliberation, I have decided that I must update my health regimen. I have decided that I am not making out with any random guys at bars this year! Sorry guys, I know you will miss out on some good stories. I am a little bummed myself, there could be some keepers out there. But, I feel that this will be a very important precaution for my health. And in the end, the most important thing is that I make it to ALL of my holiday parties!! Boys, aside.

I've also compiled a list of some suggestions to avoid germs while at parties (because let's face it, germs are the last thing on your mind when you are having the bubbly):

- Do not make out with someone you are not dating, especially someone you just met
- Wash your hands as often as you can or use utensils/napkins to eat your food so that you do not touch it (usually holiday parties have food and you are also shaking a lot of people's hands)
- Do not share drinks (unless it's a really good drink ;) )
- No bobbing for apples
-Do not pick up random drinks and drink out of them
- Do not pick up half eaten food (it gets really hard the drunker you are) and eat it
- Shot blocks probably aren't a good idea
- Do not drink straight from the bottle, unless you plan on finishing it yourself
- Do not get so drunk that you find yourself passed out outside in the cold
- In case of emergency, use a little bit of alcohol (no mixers) to sanitize your hands

You might find some of these suggestions comical. But stranger things have happened on a drunken night.