Tales from the 'Single Living' Section

I'm thinking about writing a book called I Make Fun of the Books in the Single Living Section.

I'll admit, I read Lady in Waiting in 1999 and enjoyed it (and was glad to see yesterday that they have redesigned the cover). I may even own a copy of a little book called Marriable (don't tell anyone).

Until yesterday, it had probably been well over a year since I'd set foot in a Christian bookstore. As I was perusing the aisles, a bright pink book grabbed my attention. Upon further examination, I saw that this book was called No Sex in the City. (I promptly took a photo with my phone and sent it to a friend.) I looked up and, you guessed it, I had found my way to the "Single Living" section.

Then I checked out some of the other titles:

• God Is My Matchmaker
• Sacred Singleness: The Set-Apart Girl's Guide to Purpose and Fulfillment
• Living Whole without a Better Half
• Sassy, Single and Satisfied

I like to think of myself as pretty experienced in being a single person. I could probably write a few books on the subject as well. Here are some of my title ideas:

• I'm Not Splitting the Cost in Half with You Because There Are Two of You and One of Me
• Living Without a Kitchen-Aid Mixer
• Don't Complain to Me About Your Husband Being Out of Town
• I Make Stupid, Impulsive Decisions Because No One Is Here to Tell Me 'No'

What would you call your book?

Life Lessons from TV Movies

I recently spent eight days on my couch. Eight. I guess that's what you get when you complain about being busy. Very funny. My days included - in no particular order - lots of music videos, parts of the Today Show when I woke up in time, reruns of Friends, Ellen (except for the day I slept until 12:30), and lots of movies.

Since I'm a glass-half-full kind of girl, I guess I was lucky that I was stricken during Christmas TV-movie season. Because I learned so many important, valuable lessons, like:

• If there's a man in town who does random good deeds, but you can never seem to find him, he is probably an angel.
• If it's your first Christmas together as a blended family, it would be wise to forgo your individual family traditions and begin a new one.
• If you are reluctant to move from the big city to a small town, give it a try and you'll most likely fall in love and end up staying in said small town.
• If you bring your girlfriend home and your friends and family hate her and try to get you back together with your high school sweetheart, chances are, that high school sweetheart is really your soulmate.
• If you meet a guy/girl you can't stand, you'll probably fall in love with him/her in less than two hours.

Thanks, Hallmark channel. Three cheers for you, Lifetime (and Lifetime Movie Network). You helped me though when times were rough.

I [finally] have a voice, though I am still unsure it is mine. Coughing fits are becoming fewer and further between. Today is my last day of antibiotics. Life is good.

Fall Trip #8: New York City

(Yes, NYC was both fall trip #5 and #8.)

For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to go to the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. So in my spirit of "why not?" I decided this was the year. I'm going to stray from my "top three things" lists because this trip had many more than three.

Jess and I flew out very early the day before Thanksgiving. (Props to Mark for being our chauffeur.) Before 11 am, we had already been on the Today Show (Kathie Lee and Hoda hour!), gotten cupcakes from Magnolia and done some shopping at the NBC store. A productive morning, indeed.

We met up with the Higgins family for lunch as Dos Caminos. It was fun seeing them and we had some fantastic food.

Holly and me

Then we decided we'd head uptown, where they were inflating the balloons for the parade. If you ever go, this is a must-see! Balloons line two streets as they are inflated, and we saw them all, from Santa to Dora to Mickey. The inflation is an official parade event, and there were lots of staff available to answer questions about the balloons, and in some cases, tell us what the flat ones would soon be. Along the way, we received free Tollhouse cookies from the Nestle people, who were everywhere, as well as free Pringles.

Inflating the Smurf

After the balloon fun, we walked back (in the rain) to our hotel. After a short rest, it was time for Rock of Ages. Upon seeing the list of songs on the soundtrack, I knew I would love this show, but I had no idea how much. It may just be my favorite show ever. Basically, they make a story using lots of 80s songs from artists like Night Ranger, Journey, Bon Jovi and Foreigner. Constantine, of American Idol fame, stars. They even gave us little lighter flashlights to use for the ballads.

Thursday was another early morning. We left the hotel at 6am, took a taxi uptown, then walked across Central Park to get to our parade viewing location. I'd heard that people start getting there at 6:30, but that's not true. They get there way earlier! By the time we arrived, there were no spots directly behind the barricades, so we staked out a spot as close as we could get. Looking at the other people around us, it was obvious that we were amateurs. We had no blankets, coolers, chairs, or portable DVD players. We sat on the sidewalk at 70th and Central Park West. And sat. And sat. Until someone yelled, "watch out! coffee!" Someone had spilled coffee so we had to stand up to avoid wet jeans. By this time, it was about 8:30 anyway, so it was fine. We really lucked out in two ways: the weather and the folding chairs in front of us. Had it been really cold like it has been some years, we would've been miserable. The people behind us were angry with the people in front of us because they wouldn't fold up their chairs. But that worked out well for us because it gave us a little extra breathing room and we didn't get pushed as much as we would've otherwise.

Finally... it was 9am and the parade began. It was one of the coolest things ever. And I've done quite a few cool things. The atmosphere is fun, and seeing the ginormous balloons coming down the streets of NYC is indescribable. I can't say the celebrities were exactly 'A List,' but we saw Cyndi Lauper, Carly Simon, and Andrea Bocelli, among others. Because we were near the beginning of the parade route, it finished about 10:30. So we went back to our hotel and watched the end of the tv broadcast.

We were pretty exhausted the rest of the day, but we had some excellent Thanksgiving breakfast food at Norma's - not exactly your traditional Thanksgiving fare, but I thoroughly enjoyed my omelette. Most of the shows were dark that night, but there were a few with tix available from TKTS, so we got a good deal for a play called Perfect Crime. It had a cast of four, and one lady has been playing the same role in it for over 20 years. Crazy. Anyhow, it was a fun way to end our evening.

We slept in a bit on Friday, got breakfast, and then our adventure came to an end. I thought the parade might be one of those things where you do it once and then never need to do it again. But that wasn't the case. I don't plan to go back next year or anything, but I definitely see a return trip in my future!

And that, my friends, concludes my fall trip series. What have we learned? Eight trips + three classes + work + life = serious overcommitment and a crazy few months.

Very Clever, AirTran

It's like they know I drive by this everyday and will likely go home, get online, and book a trip. Doesn't take much to convince me!

(I know it's not a good photo. I was driving and it was raining. In case you can't tell, it says, "Rationalize your shopping spree. Low fares to New York.")

Crossing her fingers.

Earlier this week, I thought to myself, "Stephanie is crossing her fingers." Maybe grad school really is making me think more critically, because that thought led to these:

1. I think in [third person] Facebook statuses. I've done this for a long time now, but every once in awhile, the ridiculousness of it hits me. Really? Facebook has changed the way I think? That's a little scary to me.

Stephanie is really tired but she is watching Annie on ABC Family instead of going to sleep.

Stephanie thinks singing angry girl songs on Wii karaoke can right many wrongs.

Stephanie hopes her group won't wait until 11:48 pm Sunday night to complete and submit their project.

Stephanie made a big mistake by seriously overcommitting herself this fall.

2. What does it mean to cross your fingers? Where did that expression come from? When you think about it, it's kind of silly. How is crossing my fingers going to make something happen - or not happen? To further investigate this phenomenon, I turned to Wikipedia. [I know, I know. Wikipedia is NOT an acceptable source for scholarly work. But this blog is far from scholarly.] Here's what I learned:

To cross one's fingers is a hand gesture used to superstitiously wish for good luck or to nullify a promise. The supposed loophole of crossing one's fingers whilst making a promise is usually exploited by school-aged children. So you're saying I think like a school-aged child? Thanks, Wikipedia.

Crossing one's fingers, by curling the middle finger over the index, is thought to bring good luck. Sure glad you clarified how one crosses her fingers. This dates back to when crossed fingers were used as a gesture to ward off witches and others considered to be or possess evil spirits. It is also seen as bad luck to cross your fingers on both hands.

Some believe that the gesture originates from pre-Christian times and, in many early European cultures, two people were required to use their index fingers to form the sign, one to make a wish and the other to support it. It was believed that the cross was a symbol of unity and that benign spirits dwelt at its intersecting point—to wish on a cross was a figurative way of securing the wish at the intersection until it came true. Over the years, the custom was modified so one person could make a wish on his/her own. I found this interesting. It used to be a two-person activity, and now it's just one. Yeah, I'm an independent woman.

So much for living in the present.

16... Days till New York City

32... Days till the semester ends (!)

95... Days till the Olympics Opening Ceremony

102... Days till Bon Jovi concert #1

188... Days till graduation

215... Days till my birthday/U2 concert

263... Days till Bon Jovi concert #2

[Really? You think I did the math? No way. Definitely cheated.]

Fall Trip #7: Baltimore, Maryland

The day after we got back from the spa, I hopped a plane to Baltimore, where I was having some planning meetings for the June convention we have there.

Here are my three favorite things:

1. The descent into Baltimore - This one's weird, I know. I usually go for the aisle seat, but since this was a short flight I didn't mind my second row window (second row = not bad for being A44). There was a breathtaking view as I stared out my little window. Lots of trees. Lots of colors. I love fall. I had the pleasure of seeing fall in lots of different states this month - and I think this may have been my favorite.

2. The view from my hotel room - We stayed at the new Hilton, across the street from Camden Yards, and here's what I saw:

3. La Scala - We asked a few different people for restaurant recommendations in Little Italy, and this one got the most enthusiastic review. It had indoor bocce! I had a grilled caesar salad and spaghetti carbonara. Double yum!

Now I am home for a bit - and pretty excited about it. I declare the month of crazy: OVER. Next trip - Thanksgiving!

Fall Trip #6: French Lick, Indiana

While French Lick may seem like an odd destination, it was where we chose to do our 2009 spa weekend. Lori and Jenny got into town on Friday, Oct. 23, and we headed down to the spa on Saturday.

Here are my three favorite things about spa weekend:

1. Lori, Jenny and Liz - These are three of my favorite girls from college, and we don't get to see each other too often. Liz is in Louisville, Lori's in Baltimore, and Jenny is in Gallup, New Mexico. When the four of us get together, fun times [and libations] are sure to be had!

I failed. I did not get a photo of all four of us before Liz left.

2. The hot tub - We decided to go swimming on Saturday night, but the [indoor] pool was quite chilly. But then we discovered the [outdoor] hot tub. There was a chill in the air, and the water was all steamy. Perfect hot tub weather, and we could even see some stars.

3. Spa treatments! - While this was admittedly not my favorite spa we've visited, my spa treatments were still very enjoyable. I started with a bath in the special healing water of the Pluto Spring (aka, water that smells like sulphur), then I had a pomegranate scrub and a massage. I'm pretty sure I escaped into some alternate state of awareness during the massage. Bliss.

We're thinking about Vegas for spa weekend 2010!

Fall Trip #5: New York City

Shortly after returning from Rhode Island, I unpacked, repacked, and took a short trip to New York City, Oct. 20-21. This one was for school - as part of one of my classes, I had to attend a conference for professional development this semester. I chose the BizBash show because 1) it was one day and 2) it had very cheap registration.

Here are my three favorite things about NYC:

1. BizBash - This was a really fun meeting/trade show for me to attend. I generally am working with a very small budget on educational meetings, and this show allowed me a glimpse into how the other half does it- the people who get to spend lots of money on things like strolling tables. I met up with two GW friends to spend the day attending educational sessions and perusing some pretty cool products and services on the trade show floor. Alanna and I had our photo taken with the Screaming Queens:

2. Christopher! - It's always a NY fave when I get to catch up with him. While we didn't have a ton of time together, we made the most of it, reminiscing about our high school days and beginning way too many sentences with, "I saw on Facebook that..."

3. Serendipity - I've been trying to make it to this place for a couple years and it's just never worked out. So I was excited when Christopher and I got to go there for dessert. And not just any dessert... the Forbidden Broadway Sundae:

All in all - a quick, but fun and worthwhile trip.

Fall Trip #4: Connecticut and Rhode Island

Then... I went to Connecticut and Rhode Island, October 14-17. Some work with the boxing docs, and some fun, too! Faves:

1. New states! This was my first trip to New England. We flew into Providence, then drove to the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut for the meeting. I must say, I'm a fan of the northeast, especially during fall. It's definitely a gorgeous place to be. And as a bonus, I accidentally went to Massachusetts. I'd never been there, either, so I am coloring a total of three states in on my map!

My house after I get my fancy Master's degree? haha

I think I could sit in that chair for days.

2. Mystic Pizza. We all know I am a big fan of pop culture, so I was excited to stop at the famed Mystic Pizza. The food there is actually really good. Mystic, CT, is a neat place, in general. Plenty of - you guessed it - cute little shops.

3. People I don't see too often. Mom came along with me on this trip, so it was fun to spend some time together. I also got to see Arleen, a school friend who usually lives inside the computer.

This is on the Cliff Walk in Newport, RI. Ahh... ocean.

Next: NYC!

Fall Trip #3: Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Next up was Gatlinburg, October 8-11. Strictly a fun trip!

Favorites:

1. Super awesome traveling companions. There were nine of us this year, on what I've deemed our "Second Annual" Gatlinburg trip. I have some pretty darn fun friends. From just sitting on our porch chatting to outlet shopping to sharing disappointment that the salt and pepper shaker museum was closed, we pretty much have a good time no matter what we're doing.

2. Fannie Farkle's. You know, this may be my passion in life. Perhaps I should move to Gatlinburg and work there? Ok, not really. But I do enjoy visiting. Sauerkraut and skee ball. What a fantastic combination. With this year's winnings, I got a deck of cards AND a yo-yo.

3. Ashley! Just like last year, I got to meet up with Ashley and we went to the yummy Mexican place. She was a good sport and wandered around with us despite her back injury.

Fall Trip #2: Austin, Texas

[Wow, I am seriously behind. I shall try to catch up! First I have to remember where I've been...]

September 28 - October 2 I visited Austin, Texas. It was a combined work/fun trip. Hey, if I'm already there, why not have a little fun, right?

These were my three favorite things:

1. The Jordans! I had some time to visit this fantastic family of Texans who fled Indiana for their homeland nearly two years ago. During my time with them, we went to IKEA, I learned all the crazy ins and outs of the school carpool, and there were some crazy shenanigans involving Elias's tooth:

2. Some pretty darn good food. Not only does Austin know how to barbeque, but they can also make a mean cupcake. My favorite spots were The Iron Cactus, County Line Barbeque, Rudy's, and Hey Cupcake. Yum!

3. The people I'll be working with in April. We have a big meeting in Austin coming up in the spring. I met with several hotel staff and vendors we'll be working with, and they were all pretty fantastic. These are the people who can make or break the meeting. And I'm sure they're going to make it.

Festivalpalooza '09

There are some haters out there who think Indy is a boring place with nothing to do. Apparently they have never been around on the second weekend of September. Ever the resident to wants to experience all my fine city has to offer, not to mention celebrating my last weekend of freedom from school, I decided to challenge myself to visit all six festivals going on in the city last weekend. Luckily I have a faithful friend who is always willing to take on such difficult challenges with me.

We hit two festivals on Friday night - accompanied by some other friends - then four more on Saturday.

Festival #1: Greek Fest

Best thing: By far, the food.

Worst thing: The crowd. Greek Fest moved to Carmel this year, and I'm pretty sure that all of Carmel was in front of us as we waited in line for our fabulous dinner.

Here's my pastry-

Festival #2: Oktoberfest

Best thing: The pretzel pictured below was really the only good thing about Oktoberfest.

Worst thing: Where to begin... well, I think everyone was at Greek Fest. And I don't know about you, but I don't go to Oktoberfest to purchase things like windows and Tupperware.

One pretzel; six people-

The gang at Oktoberfest: Jeff, Meg, me, Jess, Jenni, Rich, Kelly

(Kelly has mad self portrait skillz!)

Festival #3: Penrod Arts Fair

Best thing: Touted as "Indiana's Nicest Day," this is probably the best art fair around. Artists from all over the country bring their photography, paintings, jewelry, sculptures, and random instruments they use to play "Tears in Heaven" to this one-day event on the grounds of the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

Worst thing: While fun to look at, the vast majority of the art is way too expensive to actually purchase.

Beautiful weather = big crowds-

Festival #4: French Market

Best thing: I was a first-timer at the French Market, and I must say, it was probably my weekend favorite. It was crowded, but not too crowded. There were crafts, food and entertainment. But the real highlight for me was the pizza. It was ah-mazing.

Worst thing: I can't really think of a worst thing about this one. Hm. I really liked it that much.

Incredible pizza-

Festival #5: Chinese Festival

Best thing: This was just the second year for the Chinese Festival, and it has some definite potential. It had a lot of cultural and educational information. (The other best thing was Jessica's comment on the way there, "Steph, we're going to get you a baby here!")

Worst thing: Nothing bad about this one either. It was a little smaller than the others, but props to the Indy Chinese community for celebrating their culture.

People doing Tai Chi-

Us-

Festival#6: Zionsville Fall Festival

Best thing: This festival was actually pretty impressive, though we probably didn't fully appreciate it since it was at the end of our journey. Unlike the others, which were all international, this one was much more representative of Indiana- corn, pork tenderloin, and all.

Worst thing: This isn't the festival's fault, but one can only see so many necklaces made of bottle caps.

Before heading home; after six festivals in 22 hours-

Couldn't Help Myself...

(Get your own here!)

Sunday Afternoon Project

I am a little bit in love with the wall art project I just completed. It was not only easy, but also inexpensive. I picked up these Mighty Magnet Photo Cables at a cute little store in Holland last weekend.

... and I found a lamp today, too! A productive day, indeed.

Fall Trip #1: Holland, Michigan

[I have several trips coming up this fall, so I decided I'd write about my three favorite things from each trip.]

For Labor Day weekend, Jess and I decided to go to Holland, Michigan. And here are my three favorite things:

1. Crimson Cottage Inn - This is pretty much the reason we decided to go to Holland. We found this place in a google search, and it was love at first sight. For days leading up to our trip, we would both look at the web site and daydream about this place. I can't say enough about how amazing it was. There were chocolate chip cookies just outside our room at all times. There was a great little picnic table in the backyard, where we sat well into the night, eating cookies, drinking wine and using a battery operated candle for light. (It was the perfect kind of camping.) The breakfast was fantastic, including things like baked French toast, sausage casserole, blueberry coffee cake, and white chocolate cranberry scones. The owners were warm and kind, and it felt like we were at a friend's parents' house. (You know, the friend with the parents you really like.)

2. Fenn Valley Winery/Crane's Pie Pantry Excursion - On Sunday, after a trip to the beach, we drove down to Fennville for a wine tasting. Unfortunately, the tours were full, but a nice old lady helped us navigate the many varieties of vino as we each tried five different ones. In the end, the two of us ended up with seven bottles between us (resisting the urge to make it to twelve, when we would have gotten a 15% discount). On our way to the winery, we'd seen several signs for pie at Crane's. And really, what goes better with wine than pie? Crane's was an interesting place. It's kind of like a primitive Cracker Barrel. First we went inside to the bakery, only to discover they only sell whole pies. Then we tried the outdoor walk-up window, to find that they only accepted cash (which we did not have). Finally we went inside, down a long hallway, then waited ten minutes for a table in the restaurant. Jess had blueberry pie and I had apple crisp. Well worth the confusion.

3. Not having a plan - A planner by nature (and not to mention it's what I do for a living), it was a nice change to not really have a plan. We visited galleries, sat outside to read, ate ice cream and discovered great restaurants- not to mention our time from about 5-7 pm each day when we sat on the bed and read People magazines or watched television.

All in all- a great little weekend getaway. I certainly see a return trip to the Crimson Cottage in my future!

Steph's Starbucks Challenge

[Disclaimer: I'm not writing this so you think I am awesome. I am writing to hopefully encourage you to make someone's day. Plus, chances are that if you read this, you already know how awesome I am! haha. ]

I'll admit it - I go through the Starbucks drive thru a few too many times a week. But when there are employees as awesome as Meredith and Ronnie, you just can't help yourself! Lately, my drink of choice has been a grande iced coffee with skim milk and one pump of vanilla.

A few months ago, I got to the window and was told the person in front of me paid for my drink. I've always heard of people doing things like that, but never thought I would be the recipient of such kindness. Fast forward to last week: a co-worker was two cars behind me in the drive thru and I bought her coffee. She was super-appreciative, and even wrote about it on her Facebook status. :)

I started thinking how a simple thing can bring such joy, and I decided that once a week I will buy coffee for the person behind me in the drive thru. Am I saving orphans in China or ending poverty or getting clean water to Africa? Certainly not. But I am making someone's day a little brighter.

I challenge you to do the same. (Ooh, I don't think I've ever issued a challenge on my blog!) Maybe you don't frequent Starbucks (gasp!), but I encourage you to find something you can do - regularly - to show a little lovin' to a stranger. What are your ideas?

Mildly obsessed.

I like these. A lot. And they are on sale at Target this week.

I'll meet you at the deep fried pizza...

Today I took the afternoon off and - you guessed it - went to the State Fair. This was trip number four. I must say, going on an afternoon during the week when school has already started is pretty amazing. I met up with Abby and Ryker to take advantage of the $2 food specials.

Deep fried pizza. I have to admit, this let me down. It was basically an elephant ear with some tomato sauce and parmesan cheese on it.

This was my favorite food of the day- a chicken parfait. Weird, I know, but yummy. It's barbeque sauce, pulled chicken and mashed potatoes.

The top of the parfait... a nice little smiley face with chicken nose.

Strawberry shortcake. Yum.

Deep fried cookie dough. I would give it a B+.

Non-food fair photos:

Love these two!

Ryker chilled in the stroller and took in all the sights and sounds of the fair. And old ladies LOVE him!

Yes, friends, this is a "Christian" pumpkin...

Ryker was not impressed with the animals.

I wonder if he has a complex...

Ok, well I think today was my last trip to the fair, but I'm not making any promises. It's still open for five more days, so we'll see.

Have Room; Need Guests

Well, my summer guest room project is all but finished. I need to get the wrinkles out of the comforter, and get a lamp, but I'm open for business!

Yep, those are Barbies on the wall.

I heart my bedside table.

Comfy tweed chair!