29 Things To Do Before I Turn 30

Sex & The City Quote:
“When you're young, your whole life is about the pursuit of fun. Then, you grow up and learn to be cautious. You could break a bone or a heart. You look before you leap and sometimes you don't leap at all because there's not always someone there to catch you. And in life, there's no safety net. When did it stop being fun and start being scary?”

My birthday is quickly approaching, September 9th...what a special day as I will turn the last year in my 20's....29! I am excited and a little freaked out at the same time. I've heard so many people in their 30's and beyond say that your 30's are WAY better than your 20's. You've finally found yourself, you're wiser, sexier, and you've got a pretty nice bank account too! That all sounds spectacular but what about the YOUTH and FUN of my 20's? Yes, I admit my 20's were a LOOONNNNG and BUMPY road. There was a struggle in finding myself in my early 20's with a lot of rebellion and foolish, risky behavior, but I think I am finally figuring myself out and who I want to be in this life. But DAYUM, I have had some GOOD TIMES! I have met and have become closer to some AMAZING friends that I will never let go. However, looking ahead in my 30's I foresee a stable relationship with the man I love, security, more money in the bank, increased sex drive, professional growth and accomplishment, improved relationships with friends and family, etc.... It's exciting! It's so true, your 20's are to make your mistakes, your 30's are to learn from your mistakes - that's the key difference.

What sparked up this blog, is my friend Lala gave me an idea to complete a "29 Things I Want To Do Before I Turn 30" list. So here is my list!

Note - Things I have already done are in RED. :)

29 Things I Want to Do Before I am 30

1. Make at least $60K annually
2. Own a house
3. Travel to Europe, specifically Germany
4. GET ENGAGED
5. Own a Luxury Sports Car
6. Become a size 4 again – LAST CHANCE!!!!
7. Don’t get Pregnant!
8. BECOME STRONGER than the years before (mentally and physically)
9. Go to an Alabama Football Game and Tailgate at Home
10. Go-Go Dance!
11. Bartend
12. Go to a Topless Pool (VEGAS)
13. Improve my Golf game
14. Finally get to do the “Sip & Stroke” and make a painting
15. Visit my Family MORE!
16. Get my passport!
17. LOVE deeper and stronger for the people I care about – let down walls.
18. Visit the Grand Canyon
19. See a UFO!
20. Win First Prize in a Costume Contest
21. Don't have plastic surgery
22. Snorkeled in the Caribbean
23. Get new floors for my house
24. Own a dining room table again
25. Pay off my Car
26. PUT MORE MONEY IN SAVINGS
27. Win more proposals at work so I can ask for a color printer and a wide screen monitor for my office
28. Drink more wine, less vodka
29. Have more GIRL’S NIGHTS with my besties

Restless Leg Syndrome aka RLS

See this picture below? This is ME, most nights that I am spending with Josh.

Bless his heart. I believe his diagnosis to be Restless Leg Syndrome or RLS.

Typically, this is an issue on the days he works out which usually goes hand in hand with the frequent leg cramps that he gets. The leg cramps occur when he is wide awake and he has to get up, walk around, or massage his legs to alleviate the pain. The spasms that he has in his legs or RLS, occurs when he is SOUND ASLEEP. It's like his body is still awake, though his mind is resting. On the worst nights, it's a constant jerking of the legs about every 20 seconds...on a mild night maybe every 5 to 10 minutes. I hate waking him up but sometimes I just can't sleep and will HAVE to wake him up to either stop or go sleep on the couch.

Most of the material that I have been reading on the internet, his symptoms coincide with RLS and in an effort to confirm this syndrome, he will have to spend the night at a sleep clinic. He's not really thrilled about that idea. However, I think after a year of dealing with this and it being a constant issue, I think I am going to have to PUSH him to go. AND...it will help him not be SOOOO tired in the mornings cause his BODY is getting full rest...and so is MINE!

I'll keep everyone posted on what comes of it! Wish him luck!

SUMMA SUMMA SUMMA TIME...Time to Sit Back and Unwind...

Hello Friends!


Ahhhh what a quick and HOT summer it has been so far. It's hard to believe that it's ALMOST July...that means summer will be half-way over. :(

During summertime, there is a laid back way of living. You wear sandals/flip flops and tanks to work, run around town with your hair wet, drink beer all day (and all night), everyone has the sunkissed glow....AND AS Fresh Prince would say, "it's like summer is a natural afradesiac".




So a recap of what I have been up to this glorious summer of 2011:


In May, Josh and I took a quick weekend gettaway to my Dad's condo in Gulf Shores, AL. If you haven't been to Gulf Shores (at all or lately) it's such a nice beach community. Pretty quiet and chill...they have a few beach bars but nothing overrated...well, except The Hangout. I'm positive this is the very reason why my Dad likes it there. The rest of the month, I worked and tried to visit the pool when possible. At the end of the month, Lala came and we had a good time celebrating Memorial Weekend at the lake in Guntersville.


June has been a busy month so far! We had our Annual Girl's Beach Trip - see the bathing beauties below... MEOW!

The trip went by WAYYY too quickly, but have some great memories to always remember. I cannot wait till next year! The rest of the month (till this point) I am just working my buns off trying to support my two kitties, lol. BTW turn 1 years old next month!!! :)

No BIG events planned for July as of now....trying to get 4th of July plans squared away. Saving moolah for a cruise at the end of this year and getting some minor things done at the house.

Wow - I just realized how BORING my life has gotten! I must get to work on this asap. ;)

To be continued...

Mariah's ABC's...

I love this Lala! :)

A. Age: I am 28 and often think I am doing pretty good for myself and want the "grown up" things, but not quite ready to "grow up" at the same time.

B. Bed size: It's a Queenie, but need a KING! Two kitties and a 6'3" man in it on most days, it's getting quite cramped.

C. Chore you hate: I think I am hating the Laundry Chore (much like my dear friend Lala) more and more...

D. Dogs: I have two wonderful neices, Lexi and Holly and three nephews, Bo, Brodie, and Kipton. I also have a brother, Harry (mama's Golden) and a sister, Taffy (daddy's English Setter).

E. Essential start to your day: Two diet pills, water, and coffee

F. Favorite color: Red

G. Gold or silver: Gold

H. Height: 69 inches...5'9 3/4"...we'll just say 5'10"

I. Instruments you play: I used to play the piano pretty well. I haven't played in a LONG time...

J. Job title: Business Development Associate

K. Kids: PERHAPS one day.

L. Live: Huntsville, Alabama

M. Mom’s name: Virginia Faye

N. Nicknames: Fiah, Swister, Cutie Wutie, sometimes I get the occasional Samantha (off S&TC)

O. Overnight hospital stays: Not since birth

P. Pet peeve: Indecisiveness, and my all time fav, love handles.

Q. Quote from a movie: You should go for him. You look hot tonight. Don't take less than $100. Call me when you're through. Take care of you.

R. Right or left handed: Right

S. Siblings: One sister, Emily

T. Time you wake up: UGH...it depends... Usually around 7am but I lay there for about 30 minutes before I get up.

U. Underwear: I'm not a fan of underwear, but it is sometimes essential, so therefore usually all thongs, unless I wear a dress, a very short dress.

V. Vegetables you dislike: I love veggies! That is why I am so tall! I can't think of a veggie I do not like.

W. What makes you run late: Laying with my kitties...when they are sleeping so good in the morning, it's hard to wake them up. Either that, or trying to find something to wear...it's difficult when all your pants are too small!

X. X-Rays you’ve had: My teeth, elbow, and tail bone.

Y. Yummy food you make: Yikes! I'm not the cook, but I can make some really good mac n cheese and I make really good fresh salads.

Z. Zoo- favorite animal: Hmmmm...I think it would have to be the animals in the Cat Family...I love the Lions, Tigers, Leopards/Cheetahs, etc....

Spring Is Here!

Happy Spring Everyone! It was a beautiful weekend here in Huntsville...yes...I busted out the bikini! With Spring come new beginnings and "rebirths". I have many projects and to-do lists... One major project is my fitness and getting skinny - it's a project that I work hard at each year but this year seems particularly difficult for me. After about 6 months of struggling with my increasing weight, I have discovered that I have a Vitamin B12 deficiency and I am anemic. With this condition I have to have weekly B12 shots in the booty... I am looking forward to starting my first round TODAY. The Vitamin B12 attributes to the slow metabolism that has plagued me this year...here's to hoping! A bunch of us girls are taking MMA - Chickboxing classes which are so much fun and I look forward to them every session. I am definitely telling a shift in my weight, like it's moving around and I have lost 6lbs so far with it! YAY! Also the girls and I are going to pick up running routinely - or in my case, jogging! My home - I am getting the redecorate and spring clean feva! My big focus is to do NEW things to my house and declutter. I have inherited my mother's genes with knick knack collecting...I have so much junk! I got a house two years ago and at the time didn't have enough furniture to fill it up. Now I have so much stuff I can't even fit it into my house! I also want to put laminate wood flooring in it. Just in the common areas - the kitchen, living room, and hallway. When my mom gets back from Georgia and everything settles down there, I am going to get with her on how to do it. I also want a privacy fence for the yard. Josh has expressed interest in building one for me, just gotta come up with the cash money to buy the wood. We'll have to revisit that one! Also I need to landscape the bushes and put new mulch down - home ownership is a b*tch... My new purchases so far this year are a new riding lawnmower, fire pit, and adult party pool! I'm almost ready for entertaining! Spending Time With Friends and Family - I have spent a lot of time with friends lately and have made new friendships this year. I still quite often enjoy the clubs and dancing, however, getting more attracted to simply cooking out or hanging out by the pool (always a favorite past time of mine). I think with this nice weather it's a good change to be outside and fire up the grill and/or funnel! I am looking forward to spending more time with family but there have been some bumps in the road. My mom has spent A LOT of time in Georgia taking care of ill family members and she is still there...I don't hardly ever get a chance to talk to her but quick little notes here and there on email. My dad is leaving for Iraq for 6 months next week. So I will not see him all summer, plus worrying about him while he is deployed. My sister and nephew are in Georgia as well and it is very difficult for me to find the time to make the trek to Columbus. I did get to have a great weekend with my Grandmother in Auburn, AL who turned 90 this year and almost everyone was able to get together on my Dad's side. I will just have to MAKE sure to make that time but it is hard when there is SOOO much to do in my own life. That has to be a priority though and I am going to work on that. Josh and I are doing well! I am so happy I have him and appreciate him so much. I am looking forward to spending this summer with him. His birthday is the end of April and we are planning a "Tweek Party" when Matt Play comes to spin at Bar 109. We'll have a bunch of "appropriate" party favors to pass out. Then we may our beach trip to Gulf Shores in May and we are really excited. I think that about wraps up the latest news for me. I hope you all are having a HAPPY SPRING so far! Love you!

Happiness is the Icing on the Cake

A posting from The Secret:

Every human being on the planet wants to be happy. Anything that anyone desires is because they think their desire will make them happy. Whether it is health, money, a loving relationship, material things, accomplishments, a job, or anything at all, the desire for happiness is the bottom line of all of them. But remember that happiness is a state inside of us, and something on the outside can only bring fleeting happiness, because material things are impermanent.

Permanent happiness comes from you choosing to be permanently happy. When you choose happiness, then you attract all the happy things as well. The happy things are the icing on the cake, but the cake is happiness.

Valentine's Day

"Find a guy who calls you beautiful instead of hot, who calls you back when you hang up on him, who will lie under the stars and listen to your heartbeat, or will stay awake just to watch you sleep... wait for the boy who kisses your forehead, who wants to show you off to the world when you are in sweats, who holds your hand in front of his friends, who thinks you're just as pretty without makeup on. One who is constantly reminding you of how much he cares and how lucky his is to have you.... The one who turns to his friends and says, 'that's her.'”

I hope everyone had a special Valentine's! This was a neat Valentine's for me cause I actually was with someone who I care about very deeply and also, of course, my kitties!

The weekend started off on Friday with Laila getting her uterus and ovaries removed (R.I.P.) - not a good start for her.... :( And when she came home, Sasha HATED her - apparently Sasha thought she was a stranger because she had a whole new smell on her. It took a few days but Sasha finally got back to her old self and LOVES Laila again. The girls got new gold heart charms with their names engraved on them from Things Remembered for Valentines. They love them!

Will (my best guy friend) came over on Friday night to have our "low-key" date night for Valentine's - we drank wine, funnelled beer, smoked french cigarettes, listen to some 80's pop music and ended the night watching "Going the Distance" with Drew Berrymore and a hot hot Justin Long (he has a secret hot body). It was fun. I love spending time with my Will!

Saturday I got up and went to Chickboxing - this session was quite challenging for me...not sure if it was the wine and beer I drank the night before or some of the new moves, but I made it through! I missed all my girls though! :( Alicia's dryer broke and the other ladies headed off to ATL - you girls were missed!

Anyways, I cleaned my house and started to get ready for a date night with Josh. We planned on going to movie and THEN dinner - an oh this movie was good. I laughed for two straight hours...best Adam Sandler movie I have seen in a while - possibly ever!

We finished the evening with a dinner for two at Tony's Little Italy - yum!

Sunday, Josh cooked me a big breakfast and we lounged till time for our Hot Stone Massage at the Blue Med Spa at the Westin, it was pretty good! Josh loved his -After the massage, we had a quick snack with Amy and Lee (and that WHOLE crew) at Scene and came home and just relaxed. It was nice just to RELAX and not do too much and just spend time together.

Monday, February 14th came nice and early and my work day was pretty busy with meetings but I made a lunch date with Will at Subway and caught up on his V-day weekend shenanigans! Oh how I LOVE our weekly lunch dates. Anywhoo...as the day progressed, I got a delivery of roses and a box of chocolates (damnit) at work... Here's a photo of my surprise:

After work I made it to the gym for some Body Pump action and was unpleasantly surprised to find the gym PACKED even on Valentine's Day...when will the gym new year newbies leave????? I met Josh home, we made a healthy salad for dinner and watched this oldie but goodie, "Splash" - which Josh fell asleep in the recliner watching. :) Mermaids are sexy right?????? Okay so that was my complete 4-day synopsis of Valentine's Day! Okay now, I'm ready for some Saint Patty's!

It's been a Brutal Winter...sprinkled with some gentle moments...

Hello again blog! Sorry I have been MIA but things have been pretty crazy since the holidays...

There have been a lot of things I need to catch you up on since November...

November was a good month as I stuffed my face with Thanksgiving goodies and layed around spoiled with Netflix...At this time, work was very busy and the Christmas season and the hustle and bustle was looming upon us.

Oh December flew by in a blink!
Kelsie and Manny has the most beautiful wedding in Laguna, California - the day couldn't have been better and Kelsie looked amazing! Plus I was with all of my Fabulous Five girls and my wonderful boyfriend. We shared some amazing memories (our song - "Just the Way You Are" will always be cherished).

The following weekend, Josh's childhood friend got married in a very quaint ceremony in a beautiful formal church downtown - the "Ava Maria" was sang (beautiful) and it really spoke to me. I mentioned it to my mother and she said when she was pregnant with me in Germany, she first heard the song and it made her cry...hmmmmmm...makes you wonder? It was so nice meeting Josh's friends he's known almost his whole life- they were a pleasure to get to know.

Oh and mid December was filled with last minute Christmas shopping and parties with friends....ahhhhh, the busi-ness!!! Christmas soon came and with that was an actual "White Christmas" - my neighborhood was just blanketed with snow - looking very picturesque. I took the kitties outside for their first snow experience - not very happy about it though! We spent the holiday snowed in, opening presents and stuffing our faces, and we even busted out a game of Uno! It was a good holiday but I looked forward to the snow and ice melting away soon!

Then the unfortunate, I got news that my Paw Paw fell on the ice (back home in Georgia) when he was taking my Great-Aunt Julia to the doctor (my Grandmother's sister). He broke his foot (completely turned around) and had to be rushed by ambulance to the hospital where he had immediate surgery. There were complications with the pain medicine and he spent a day vomiting and soon after he acquired pnemonia. At his age, 80 years old, pnemonia is almost like a death sentence and he was very weak and unable to talk when I visited him New Years Eve. It was very sad seeing my strong Paw Paw so weak like that, so unlike himself. To this day, he is still struggling with his health. It has been an emotional rollercoaster for my family and I as he has taken two steps forward to recovering, however, soon after taking three steps back. It's very hard to explain to people what a magnificant person that he is and what an example he has set for my family. I cannot explain how much of a GOOD, GENUINE, LOYAL, STRONG, HONEST (the list goes on and on) MAN he is. He has been an exceptional SON, HUSBAND, FATHER, GRANDFATHER, and GREAT-GRANDFATHER to his family...he is a BELOVED FRIEND and BROTHER. I am so honored and proud that he is my PawPaw. At this time, he is making steps toward recovery... Thanks and please continue your prayers! Below is a old picture of my sister, Emily, our Paw Paw and I...I love you!!!!

For mine and Josh's first NEW YEAR, we spent it in Atlanta with his childhood bestfriend, Ashley. Her husband and her are both lawyers and her husband's firm has sky box seats at the Georgia Dome where Florida State University and South Carolina played in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl - so we rang in the New Year watching FSU win over the Cocks! It was good! I also met Chris and Tracy (who were also visiting Ashley and her husband) - great times with good people!

Ohhhh and the month of January was a bitterly cold one with a few ARTIC BLASTS us Southerners were just not prepared for. It has been a brutal winter for us down here and I think we are all ready for Spring Time! Ugh....but with Spring comes fewer clothes and my 7lbs have since then turned into 12lbs! With all the busi-ness of the holidays, work, and family issues - may lack in exercise and good eating, once again, crept upon me. But I must say, I have been doing well in the gym for the most part and eating right and I'm seeing the scale SLOWLY drop...

I have a beach trip to ring in a 30th birthday for my girl, Erin, in Orlando at the end of April and then we have an Annual Girls Beach Trip planned for June 9th - these two things are really keeping my motivation up!

Oh and before I close, I have to add that I have recently started some ChickBoxing with a MMA trainer - it's a group exercise/training class that I am taking with some of my girls. Last night was MY first night and it was a short and sweet workout! I'm feeling it my "cheeks"...yay!

Until next time...remember to....