Everything I say is fascinating.

American Pastime

Bowl Games. This truly is an tradition I like to take part in, unfortunately for me my alma mater hasn't been bowling in 12 years, therefor I have take what I can get.   I come from a longhorn family where all my cousins have gone there and if they have it their way their kids will go there as well. I have to admit that I can't stand Texas A&M. When I graduated high school many of my friends went to A&M and some of my good friends have even gone on to marry fellow Aggies... much to my dismay.

It was last night when we were tailgating for the Alamo Bowl and I noticed I was surrounded by Aggies all decked out in maroon, that I thought to myself I wish my university had these traditions. It was also at this moment that I turned to my friend Matt and said I guess this isn't the time to tell you that I hate A&M. He looked at me like I had just killed his dog. I merely smiled and took a drink.

Merry Christmas

I truly hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas this year!

Classic Melissa... ADD Edition

During the Christmas holiday season people often get frazzled and I am no exception to the rule. I had to buy something at Best Buy and I found a killer parking spot which was great since I wanted to run in and run out. In my haste of getting out of the car I was halfway into the store when I started questioning myself if I had locked the car or not. I started searching in my purse (aka the black hole) looking for my keys. I couldn't find them and then I really started panicking. It got so far as to me stopping in the middle of the sidewalk and I started pulling things out of my purse and laying them on the ground as I searched for my keys. They weren't there and dread came into my stomach as I ran to my car to see if I had locked them in there. No, no I did not. Instead I left the car unlocked and the keys in the ignition. Not only that but I also hadn't turned the car all the way off! I might as well have made a sign that said please steal me my owner is an idiot.

Now if the above wasn't proof enough that I might be lacking some brain cells, two days later I was driving and I started hearing this strange beeping noise coming from my purse. I knew it wasn't my cell phone because it was in the cup holder beside me. I again started to get worried and visions of some bomb somehow being dumped into my purse started clouding my reasoning. I mean who am I Sydney Bristow from Alias? I opened up my purse and there inside was the cordless phone from my house. I am seriously losing it. I think it might be time to up my medication.

Negative Connotation

This past Saturday I was at a Christmas party that my parents, as well as some of my other family members, attended. It was over a glass of wine that I heard my mother's cousin ask, "So is Melissa seeing anyone?" Without missing a beat my mom answers "No she is too high maintenance and picky." I quickly replied "I heard that!"

Later that night I was laying in bed thinking am I high maintenance ? Then I began thinking exactly what does that term mean?  Yes I like to dress up and do my hair and look pretty. Sometimes I can spend a lot of time doing those things and that is my right as a girl. On the other hand sometimes I throw my hair in a ponytail and head out the door.  Yes, even without makeup... okay maybe some lip gloss. When I hear the term high maintenance I think of a girl who spends hours getting ready every day, and needs designer EVERYTHING. Heck if I find something cute at Target I will wear it, and that's not to say that I don't appreciate quality craftsmanship, but again I shop at target. I also think of a girl who needs a big rock on her finger and needs to live a lavish lifestyle. Do I need to live in a mansion? No, not by any means, but nor do I want to live off of food stamps either. 

I love to go camping and when I say love I mean LOVE! I like sleeping on the ground or under the stars sometimes when I go camping I don't even shower for days. Gross I know but part of the experience nonetheless. When I tell people I am going camping I always get the same reaction. YOU! NO WAY! This infuriates me to no end. Can there not be a healthy balance between liking to wear dresses and cute shoes on the weekdays and wanting to go hiking on a Saturday afternoon?  I think a real girl who is high maintenance wouldn't be caught dead in nature.

I will admit that my mother was right in one area and that is I am picky. I don't have a list that I have to check mark each thing in order for me to like someone because I don't think it works that way. I do have several things that I am looking for in a man. My faith is very important to me, and while some people don't understand it, I want him to be a spiritual leader. I'm not talking he needs to be a pastor or anything but I do want Christianity to be important to him too. I want someone to travel with, to go on adventures with because that is what life is an adventure. (Just talk to anyone who has kids and they will tell you that.)  I want someone to laugh at life with and someone who I can cry on his shoulder when things get hard.  I want to be happy and if that makes me high maintenance and picky in some peoples eyes well then I will gladly wear that title.   

SERIOUSLY!

What is wrong with this family? And the best part is her mom was about to come out with a PARENTING BOOK!

To Whom It May Concern:

Situation A:

If you want to date me  don't send your friend to tell me that you want to date me... are we in 5th grade?  Don't tell me you want to date me and then make out with my friend in front of me at a Christmas party. Just a suggestion.

Situation B:

If you are trying to set me with a friend of yours the conversation should not go like this:

Friend: So I really want you to meet this guy.

Me: Oh yeah? (already skeptical)

Friend: Yes! He's funny, nice, cute and I think you guys would really hit it off.

Me: BUT...

Friend: Well he's recently divorced.

Me: And why did that happen?

Friend: Well he drinks.

Me: Absolutely not.

To Do:

1. Unpack. Yes, it has been more then a week since I have gotten back but it's all still there in my big backpack.

2. Clean.

3. Return stuff to Target. (yes I said return! Who knew such a thing was possible)

4. Finish Start Christmas shopping

5. One of my best friends is coming to town from wed-sat  so that pretty much leaves me out of commission for those days.

6. Get pictures printed

7. Move offices at work

8. Mail package to Emily Ann

9. Create some kind of device so Tux won't want to eat my Christmas tree.

10. Mail Christmas cards

11. finish my application for a 10 day mission trip to Cambodia (more on that later)

12. figure out how to make eggnog

13. make gingerbread houses with my little cousins (they are the closest thing I have to nieces and nephews)

14. Have a baking day with my mom

15.  get my hair cut

16. find an outfit for a multitude of Christmas parties. Since they are all going to be different people at these events I plan on recycling said outfit.

17. Find time to see Juno, Atonement, I am Legend,  P.S. I love you, Charlie Wilson's War and  National Treasure

Hopefully typing this out will help me get everything done so I can do number 17

More Highlights

Emily would like to welcome you to the Grand Palace.

Nobody likes it when you get a flat tire on the side of the freeway.

At the beach

Relaxing at dinner on Koh Phi Phi

Darin is smiling because there are no road laws in Thailand

My favorite part of the trip was this day.

This is my favorite picture of the whole trip.

Darin with the ladies.

You have to love a monk on a cell phone.

If you look closely on this guys jaw line you will see blood from where this snake BIT HIM IN THE FACE!

Now keep in mind that I took over 850 photos but these where some of my favorites.

Highlights

I'll post the fun pictures tomorrow.

Back to Life, Back to Reality*

When I first started planning this trip about 6 months ago I thought it would never get here and now that it's over I don't know what to do with myself. Every night before I went to bed I would break out my Lonely Planet, Frommer's and Fodor's guides and compare and contrast on activities and hotels.If I was on the computer I was on tripadvisor.com making sure I would make the most of this country. I would check to make sure I was saving enough money and made lists on exactly what I needed to take. I would pepper my friend Darin, who is fortunate enough to live there, with so many questions that I'm sure he thought I was crazy.  I often stayed awake at night thinking about the flight and how I was going to get through it since I have a horrible fear of flying. If Thailand was a class I was studying like it was finals time and this class determined if I would graduated with honors.  For the last six months this trip has consumed me and now that I'm back I feel empty. I feel like I need to be doing something, planning something. ANYTHING.

I look around and everybody is doing their day to day routine and I just want to shout I was in Thailand last week! I rode an elephant! I saw things I have only dreamed about for so long! I was on a jungle kayak tour and fed monkeys! I saw water that was so clear it made me never want to leave! I was among one of the nicest cultures on earth! Doesn't anybody understand I was halfway around the world? Sigh.

I also feel like I didn't spend enough time there, and I want to go back to really explore everything. I want to visit Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia. I feel like I only got a taste of this amazing continent. When am I going to find the time to do this and who is going to go with me? I don't know yet but it's on my list.

*Yes this title is from the group En Vogue and please don't blame me for getting this song stuck in your head because rest assured it's in mine too.