End of the Line...

I had an awesome Christmas and am very much looking forward to my New Years cruise next week. But, I figured I needed to squeeze in one last blog before the end of the year, so here it is.

2010 has been a very rewarding year for me, and I am so grateful and blessed to have had such wonderful experiences. A short recap of this past year: Rob and I celebrated the new year weekend by going skiing at Winterplace in West Virginia. With the wind chill, the temps were in the negatives making the trip ridiculous and memorable. In February, Jamie and Jessica (our favorite double date couple) accompanied us to Las Vegas, where we lodged at Paris Hotel & Casino, toured the Hoover Dam, attended the Ka Cirque du Soleil show, and rolled in our gambling winnings (or lack thereof). In March, Rob and I traveled to Orlando for a last minute trip to enjoy Walt Disney World and Universal Studios. It rained the entire time during our stay, and we wore ponchos to all the theme parks. In April, Rob and I officially commemorated our one year anniversary at our favorite restaurant, the Melting Pot. In May, we attended the country wedding of Lauren and TJ (our favorite triple date couple) in the beautiful setting of the Tennessee mountains. In June, I went on a Carnival cruise with my entire extended family to the Western Caribbean. It was the best reunion we've ever had, even if we all melted at the Tulum ruins in Cozumel. In July, Rob and I stayed at an oceanfront condo in Hilton Head for the Fourth of July holiday. It was the best, most memorable, most awesome and relaxing weeklong vacation we've ever had. We slept in every morning, watched Maury (HAHA!), lounged at the beach all day, ate seafood, went on a shark fishing expedition one evening, and summed it up with a fireworks extravaganza. In August, I sat for my ASCP exam and earned my Cytogenetic Certification and State Licensure. All my hard work studying and taking additional college courses paid off in the end. In September, I attended Jessica’s bachelorette party in a Gatlinburg cabin with ten other girls. In early October, Rob and I attended her wedding to Jamie, and they are now expecting a baby boy next year. In November, I went with a girlfriend to Asheville and Hot Springs for shopping and spa treatments. For Thanksgiving, all the family members who went on the reunion cruise earlier this year traveled to Knoxville to celebrate. The best part was getting all the cousins together to play Rock Band. December was summed up with my unforgettable 26th birthday (actually it was forgettable because I partied too hard), starting this blog, and a fantastic Christmas. Again, I've had quite an eventful and mind-blowing 2010 and can only hope next year is half as impressive. See ya’ll in 2011.

Queen of Random

I wanted to dedicate this short blog post to a coworker of mine. She’s beautiful, intelligent, comical, savvy, and above all, the Queen of Random. Her name is Pam. When someone is debating the war in Afghanistan or the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Pam intercedes with a one-liner like, “Oh yeah, that reminds me, I need to take the cat to the vet.” WHAT?! Where on Earth did such a random comment come from? Its times like these that I wish I could hear Pam’s thoughts, because if her thoughts are half as erratic as her actions then her mind is in utter turmoil. It isn’t even like this happens once every so often, no, it happens several times a day. And the funniest part about the situation is that she tries to correct herself when she sees the look on my face. For example:

Myself: “I need a back massage. My muscles are so sore from skiing this weekend.”

Pam: “I know. I was decorating the Christmas tree this weekend and it took forever too!”

Myself: “What?! What does decorating a tree have anything to do with a back massage??”

Pam: “Um, well, putting up a Christmas tree is hard work too.”

YEEEEAAAAHHH. Good Ole’ Pam. Always keeps me on my toes J Anyway, not to make my story completely random (HAHA!), I saw this online and thought of her. Thanks Pam for all you do and for keeping my abs toned from laughing so hard at you, or with you, or all of the above. I love you! Merry Christmas! And I’m very excited to see what randomness you can bring to our “Office of Sparkly Goodness” in the coming year.

I need a vacation...

I know I say this too much, but I need a vacation. Yes, Rob and I take a vacation at least once a quarter, sometimes twice, but I really need a vacation. My last real vacation was in early July. Rob and I headed over to Hilton Head to celebrate Independence Day in an oceanfront condo. The best part was there wasn't a ton of stuff to do besides lounge at the beach, which is contrary to many of the vacations that Rob and I have taken together. With Rob it's usually "Go! Go! Go!", whereas I prefer to catch up on my sleep, sunbathe, and drink several bottles of wine. Not all at once of course, because that behavior would probably designate me as an alcoholic, but I like to relax. Several times I've come home from one of Rob and my vacations and needed another vacation from the vacation. It's fun, but exhausting. Anyways, our next real vacation is to get away from the hustle and bustle of Knoxville and travel to the Eastern Caribbean for New Years. In sixteen days, I can finally board our Royal Caribbean ship, walk out on our private balcony with a rum runner, and say "Bon Voyage! See you in a week!" This particular cruise only has three stops, so I'm probably going to be topside or beach bound with a fruity drink most of the time. Or perhaps I will be at the spa getting a full-body massage (*Michele begins drooling profusely*). I might even get lucky at the casino again (last year I won $250 on a slot machine)! Either way, nothing is getting between me and my impending trip. By the way, I've included some photos for your viewing pleasure, so feel free to leave comments about how jealous you are ;-)

The gorgeous beaches

Our Freedom of the Seas boat

The beautiful island of St. Thomas

Rob and I love to snorkle

I can't wait for the massage ;-)

The Month of December

As I’m sure it’s not very surprising, December is my favorite month of the year. My thoughts of December are synonymous with togetherness, snow, skiing, my birthday, Christmas parties, decorating the tree, shopping, gift-giving, and egg nog. If you know me well, you’d also know that I didn’t always enjoy all of the things that came with December. For instance, I hate to decorate the tree. I know what you’re thinking; Decorating the tree puts you in the Christmas spirit. Eh, driving around listening to Christmas music while it’s snowing puts me in the Christmas spirit. Rob says I’m like Scrooge. But, really, what’s fun about tediously decorating a tree that you will just take down in a month?? Sure, I love to look at a finished Christmas tree; I can watch its mesmerizing lights for hours. I don’t think setting up a Christmas tree is “fun” nor does it “put me in the Christmas spirit.” Anyways, I also don’t like to shop all that much (WOAH. I know you’re thinking, yeah right! Michele loves to shop). Well, I don’t like to shop during the holidays, and it’s not because I now have to shop for other people. I hate traffic. I know everyone does, but I really don’t like large amounts of people around me. I start to feel claustrophobic, annoyed, frustrated, and basically want to just punch everyone that gets within my 1 foot bubble of personal space. So, walking around the mall or other areas visited by mobs of shoppers is a debilitating task for me.

Is there any hope for me? Well, YES! I have found ways to cope with these issues. First, I require egg nog on hand when decorating the tree. With spiked egg nog, I can conquer most anything! Second, I have now become an avid online shopper. This year, I bought the majority of my items online and had them delivered straight to my door at no extra cost. Can I get a hell yeah?! Ah, December is now the month I look forward to all year...

Blogging

Welcome to my blog! Why did Michele start a blog might you ask? Well, it's a combination of reasons. First, it’s free. I can post pictures and tell my friends and family what’s going on in my life without paying out the rump for it. Second, weirdo’s are attracted to me, which makes for a pretty entertaining and amusing lifestyle to write about. Finally, well…I’m bored. My favorite hobby, photography, is tentatively on hold till I purchase a new camera. It’s also absolutely freezing outside, which puts a damper on wanting to go out and even find something worthwhile to photograph anyway. Basically, subscribe to my blog and see what kinds of trouble I can get into or out of  ;-)