They Got Hitched!

I wish my friends could get married every weekend!  I am telling you weddings are my jam and I would hang out at them all the time if I didn't have to buy gifts or anything like that.  Two of my close friends tied the knot this last weekend and I am going to share the day with you even though I am well aware that you probably have no idea who my friends are.  It was a beautiful, fun day so you will just love this post even if you do not know the people in the post.



Adam and Laura are two of my closest friends from college.  Most of my fun college memories involve both them and I am so happy that we stayed friends for so many years.



One of my favorite college memories of these two came every Monday night of junior year.  For some reason Laura and I loved to watch that hit TV show 7th Heaven... and make fun of it.  She would come over to my apartment with different friends and we would watch the Camden family struggle through Jessica Biel being crazy, Ruthie getting chubby, and people killing others with a car and laugh and laugh laugh at them.  Adam had always liked Laura so he would often find ways to come over and hang out too.  It was awkward and awesome all at the same time.  Then 6 years later they started dating.

Most of the toasts and speeches at the wedding were about how Adam never gave up loving Laura and how happy everyone was that they ended up together, which was really sweet.

I was so happy to be one of Laura's bridesmaids for this joyful event. It was probably one of the most fun weddings I have ever been to which is due in large part to the fun friends they have in their lives (I am pretty sure I just gave myself a nice compliment).  I also was a small part of their engagement story which you can read about here.

I have decided to share a few tips and photos with you to help make any wedding you attend even more joyful and amazing.

1. Do not assume you can be a wedding photographer just because you are a pretty Christian girl.

[caption id="attachment_1657" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Isn't that a lovely photo of a champagne bottle? Oh look there is a bride and groom too.[/caption]

2. Surround yourself with tall women. I am telling you Laura's bachelorette party was my happy place.  We went to a dessert champagne bar called Pop in Pasadena.  Almost all the girls were tall and my posture was exquisite for a night.



3. Have BBQ or your rehearsal dinner.  Big plates of meat were on the menu with a lot of mac and cheese.  It was pretty much a dream, except trying to zip my dress up the next day proved a little more difficult than the day before.

[caption id="attachment_1662" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Also making eye contact with the camera is so overrated, make sure you do not do that for all the photos you can.[/caption]

4. Speaking of zippers on dresses, make sure someone is in your home when you try on an important event dress.  There is a wonderful chance I have a "friend" who tried on her bridesmaid dress a week before a wedding and was stuck in it at her house alone.  The zipper malfunctioned and she had to cut the zipper in half in order to get out of the dress.  There is also a wonderful chance my "friend's" puppy has never been more confused in her short little life.

5. If you are going to get your dress altered make sure you do it with less than a week before the wedding.  That will make the Chinese man sewing a new zipper in your dress really happy.

6. If your friend is not ready for a photo booth photo just hold a sign in front of her face and close your eyes.  The moment you will capture will be magical.

[caption id="attachment_1651" align="aligncenter" width="600"] It also helps if you call yourself amazing in said photo.[/caption]

7.  Keep those lyrics to the theme song from The Fresh Prince of BelAir fresh in your mind.  You never know when you and the best man will be rapping this on the dance floor for anyone who is around.  You don't want to look like a fool and forget the lyrics.

8. Find funny people and hang out with them.  You will laugh your face off. Don't be too jealous, I hung out with Joe Machi who is on Last Comic Standing this season (it starts tonight and you should watch it!)  Not every wedding will have a Joe Machi, so just try your best to find someone that will make you laugh so hard you ruin most of your photo booth photos.



 

9. Don't notice any of the little details that brides spend hours, days, and months planning, it will make them feel so good.  Just kidding!  Pay attention to those things!  I was a terrible wedding photographer, see #1, and barely took any pictures.  My friend and fellow Bridesmaid, Meg at Henning Love, did a great job capturing the decor and lovely features of this wedding for any of you looking for inspiration or a wedding recap does not provide all these helpful tips.

[caption id="attachment_1666" align="aligncenter" width="600"] 2 bloggers in one wedding![/caption]

Congrats Adam and Laura!  I am so happy for you two and I cannot wait to see what amazing things you are going to do together!  Love you both!

 

#PennyThePuppyLovesMe

Have you ever just had a week?  You know the kind that needed to end the moment it started?  Well that was my week this week.  I do not want to bore you with the details and I do not want to be that vague complainer person either.  I am just glad to have a few days off of work it has been really stressful and it looks like it will stay that way as the school year draws closer to an end.  #threemoremonths

This week I was struck by how important it is to be kind to others.  I like to think I am a kind person and try hard to make life better for those I am in contact with.  When a few people took a few moments to say something kind or encouraging to me this week it meant a lot to me.  It actually was what kept me going through my days and helped me not get in my car, drive home, and go to bed for the rest of the week.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"] via[/caption]

Penny has also had a rough week.  She has been a cone head for a week now and I can tell it is getting to her breaking point.  Her ears are itchy, she wants to chew on everything, and she is so hyper I am worried she will rip out her staples.

[caption id="attachment_992" align="aligncenter" width="600"] So cute, but I know she is ready for the cone of shame to be no more.[/caption]

Because we can all use some kindness and some happy thoughts on a regular basis, and because Penny is bored at home all day (she could never be a stay at home mom by the way) we want to do some thing kind of kooky and spread some joy to you.

We want to send you a postcard. I will not tell you what the postcard will say or whose picture will be on it.  All I will tell yo is that we think it is fun to get real mail and we want to brighten up some days.  I have also found that when I am not my best doing things for others helps me feel good too.

If you do not want to participate in this totally weird blogging experiment don't.  If you are up for it here is what we want you to do.

- Send an email to us with your address (use a PO Box if you want, I genuinely have no time or money to travel to find out where you really live).
- Email at ericajacquline@gmail.com by Sunday night.
- Wait a week to receive your real mail (it will be our weekend project over here).
- When you receive your mail take a picture of it for instagram, twitter, or your blog #PennyThePuppyLovesMe Just kidding that is a weird hashtag.  Actually I can not think of another one so just use that.


- You can even link up your treats in a post on Monday March 17th.
- Think of something you can do to be kind to others to help spread some love around, I am sure lots of people need a little extra love all the time.

Please email me your address! I promise Penny's poop will in no way be apart of your real mail. Lets see what we can do to show some love!

 

The Eyes Have It

Hey oh! I hope your Wednesday is going well so far. I get to wear jeans and a t-shirt to my professional job so I feel like it is going to be a great day for me and the world.

I wanted to take a quick moment to share with you my latest love, my glasses.

[caption id="attachment_921" align="aligncenter" width="600"] I don't know why my hand is on my head, but it is. Glasses -  Marc Jacobs[/caption]

I know that saying you love your glasses is totally the strangest thing a person could say on a blog, but really I am so happy to have these babies in my life right now!   I went about 2 and a half months without glasses so having them on my face feels great.

You see my darling puppy, Penny, found my old glasses on a table around Thanksgiving.  She likes very expensive things so of course she thought they were a new chew toy just for her.

[caption id="attachment_923" align="aligncenter" width="600"] She may look cute, but she is destroying my whole house and wardrobe.[/caption]

She got a hold of my glasses and did this!

[caption id="attachment_922" align="aligncenter" width="593"] How did she bite a hole in them?[/caption]

I know this might be hard to believe but I couldn't use them to see anymore.  I would get dizzy because the prescription was jacked up and there was a hole in the lens.

Three months later I finally went to the eye doctor.  I actually decided to change doctors because I did not like my old one very much.  If anyone in Orange County area is looking for a great eye doctor Dr. Swearingen at OC Eyecare is both amazing and funny.  A rare combination for an eye doctor.

I have had my new glasses for two weeks and I am so happy I can see again.  Perhaps you have noticed less typos?  This is because I can actually see what I am typing again.

My excitement over my glasses is actually strange to me.  Growing up I actually hated glasses.  I have had to wear them all my life and I would try to rebel against it as often as I could buy not wearing glasses to school.  Who needs to see the white board or your book or your homework?

I was actually born with cataracts in my eyes and had to have my lenses removed when I was just a baby.  Yes folks I was born with the eyes of your 80-year-old grandma, actually most of my family was.  The science name for it is congenital cataracts and you can read the Wikapedia article here.

I can not remember a time without glasses, contacts or really both. I have to wear contacts to correct for the vision I lost when I had my lens removed as a baby.  Then I get to wear glasses over that like one would to correct vision to read or drive. Of course when I was little I hated contacts so I opted for this option for five years.  No one made fun of me ever (yeah right).

[caption id="attachment_920" align="aligncenter" width="584"] This photo was also taken on my neon pink ninja turtle camera. #swag[/caption]

It probably didn't help that I thought showing all your teeth was required for a proper smile.

Anyway after years of hating my glasses, teenage years of refusing to wear them at school, and times people were just mean I have finally come to realize that I do not care.  I am so happy that I can see and grateful for my vision.  Really I could be in a lot worse situation.  I can drive, read, work, do anything I want to. I just have to wear contacts and glasses at the same time and go to the eye doctor more than you do.  In the scheme of life that ain't so bad.

I am in many ways grateful for my eye and the life I have had because I had something a little different about me.  I think it made me a more empathetic person.  I know what it is like to not like something about yourself and want to change it but you can not.  I know what it is like for ignorant hurting people to try to hurt you for something you can not control. I know that it is not fair, but I know that it is what it is and that is OK.

[caption id="attachment_829" align="aligncenter" width="672"] Rocking the glasses at a concert with my mom.[/caption]

So the eyes have it! It being my love, because they are the only eyes I have and I am grateful for what I have.

What is something you have struggled/still struggle with loving about yourself?

What is something that you love about yourself?

Hoppin' On Board The Kind Of Girl Train...

I am the kind of girl who...

- joins a link up two days after the rest of the world did #YOLO

- hates the phrase YOLO

- really thought it was cool that The Flying Tomato, Shaun White, had a trick in the Olympics called a YOLO with some numbers after it.

- was once eating dinner in a park and a gang fight broke out and as she was running to her car looked at her friend and said YOLO

- will stop coming up with YOLO facts

- wears a Great Gatsby t-shirt with pride even though she isn't teaching American Lit this year.

- is going to stop making this list and is going to tell you about about her day yesterday.

Yesterday, I took Penny to Doggie Day Camp at Pet Smart while I was at work. Yes, I know that it is a little silly, but Penny is spoiled and I don't care, she is the happiest little girl ever.  I took her to Day Camp because she was attacked at the dog park the day before and I didn't want her to be traumatized for too long.  She needed good socialization with dogs that don't bite and I knew PetSmart was a good, safe place for her to be.

The day went great and according to the fine people at Day Camp she made lots of friends and now has a best friend named Jasmine, how cute is that.

I came home and she was pretty tired from all the playing so I took her on a short little walk around the neighborhood to get out of the house for a few minutes.

Thus begins the narrative portion of this blog post.  The names of the people have been changed, but the story is 100% true.

We were about halfway through our walk when a little dude passed us on his evening run.  Which is totally normal the street is quiet and lots of people walk their dogs, run, or take evening walks on that street.  He passed by and yelled "HI!" and kept running.

I said hi back to be nice and thought nothing else of it.  Then a minute later he turned around and ran back towards us.

"Hey, I have to ask you, where did you get your sunglasses?  Are they vintage?" - Running Man

"Um... What?  No.  They are just from Target." - A confused Erica

"Oh really?  They look like they are vintage. Are you sure you didn't buy them from like a vintage store?  They look like old cop glasses, like from that show CHiPS." - Running Man who watches shows from the 80s.

"Nope, they are just $12 sunglasses from Target." - Erica who is over this conversation

"OK cool, well I should keep running, but first I have to ask you another question.  What is the difference between being in love and just loving someone?"  -Running Man that suddenly fell in love with Penny, or maybe Erica.

"I don't know." - Erica who is so tired of men falling in love with her all the time.

"Well you see I had a friend who broke up with his girlfriend and he told her that.  Then another friend was dumped by his girlfriend and she told him the same thing and I am trying figure out what they mean. It is really important to me." - Running Man who can not handle the complexities of love.

"I think they just mean they like, or love, the person, but they do not want to commit to them for the rest of their lives." - Erica who "gets love."

"Wow! You are right. I can tell you are perceptive and wise." - Running Man speaking words of truth.

"Hey I can see you are wearing a ring. Do you wear a lot of rings?" - Running Man who is now Walking Man.

"Yes all the time I never stop wearing rings." - Erica who knows her turn is coming up and just wants to make this conversation as ridiculous as possible.

"Cool.  Like on all your fingers. Do you wear rings on all your fingers? Even your middle and index finger?" - Running Man who was going to buy Erica an engagement ring for her thumb.

"If the ring fits." - Erica who has become feisty as her turn is fast approaching.

Walking Man and Erica now come to the point in the road where Erica was to turn left and Walking Man was to continue running straight.  The air was full of sadness.

However, a Jeep pulled up with two guys and a puppy.

"Hey do either of you know who this dog belongs to." - Jeep man with a dog in his car.

Erica checks to make sure Penny is still attached to her leash. "No I have never seen her." - Relieved Erica who still has her dog

"We found her running in the street and we didn't want her to get hit by a car or eaten by a coyote tonight.  Here is my contact information in case you hear of a family missing their dog." - Jeep man gives out business cards.

"OK will do.  Good bye." - Erica who contemplates going another way for her evening walks with Penny from now on.

This concludes the narrative portion of the story.

- I am the kind of girl that wears a Gatsby shirt which causes men to fall in love with her and buy her thumb engagement rings and rescue dogs while walking around her neighborhood.

 

The True Love Expert of The Entire World Is…...

The votes are in!  I can now announce on this epic Valentine's Day who the winner of the first annual True Love Is Valentine's Day Contest is:

Rachel from The Random Writings!

Her winning entry was:"True love is cooking a meal you don't even like that much just because its the other person's favorite, and washing the dishes afterwards."

As a picky eater I have to tell you that I agree.

Congratulations Rachel on your win, you can slap this picture on your blog with pride and buy yourself something fancy!

To all the other contestants good job.  I had no idea that true love involved so many bodily functions!

Happy Valentine's Day to you all and know that you are loved!

I Love Me! A Single Girl's Guide for Valentine's Day

You don't have a valentine be your own valentine.

Hi friends!  I am so happy to be celebrating Valentine's today with my students.  I am even happier that I do not have to teach them on the actual Valentin's Day.  Something about all the sugar highs and coursing hormones just is gross.

One of the things that bums me out about VDay is that too many single ladies let it get to them that they are single.  I am so single that single is  synonym for my name.  JK, but I am not seeing anyone and there is no one interesting around.  Most days that is totally fine, today I had to log off of Facebook because like three friends announced they were pregnant and I just couldn't anymore.

Although it would be cool to have a little, actually tall, manfriend to lavish me with gifts and take me to dinner I have found that I am in control of my own happiness.  If having gifts and nice dinner on February 14th would make me happy then dang it I will be my own Valentine, because I love me!  It is true I really love myself and think I am a real treat.  Because of this I will be kind to myself and treat myself a bit.

I had the epiphany that I could be my own Valentine about 6 years ago.  I wanted to get a new computer and couldn't totally justify getting one.  Then came Valentine's day and I knew I wanted to get it because I love me! So I did.  Every time I used it I thought about why I bought it and it made me happy. Apple MacBook Pro MD101LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop (NEWEST VERSION)

Last year I was on the search for a cute pair of cowboy boots.  Again it was around February and I was having a hard time spending about $200 on a pair of boots to wear for fashion.  I decided it would be my VDay gift for myself and I have never felt guilty about the purchase.  Rather I feel hot and super awesome.

Ariat Women's Heritage Western R Toe Boot

This year I really wanted to get some nice skin care products.  I had heard incredible things about Philosophy and decided that it was time to make an investment for me.  I also really wanted to buy a Clarisonic for some time and decided this Valentine's Day I would buy it to complete my skin care needs.




Philosophy Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser, 8 Ounce - Philosophy Hope in a Jar Daily Moisturizer, All Skin Types, 2 Ounce - Clarisonic Mia Sonic Skin Cleansing System, Pink

I figured this was a great post to link up with Nicole for Treat Yo Self Thursdays!

 

So ladies I really encourage you to find something that will make you happy for days/years to come.  Instead of being sad make yourself happy and buy something nice, go somewhere fun, buy candy for a friend, or just be kind because chances are someone else is having a hard day too.

If you were to buy something for yourself this year what is the item that you would love to have?

If you haven't done so yet do not forget to vote for your choice in the Ultimate Valentine's Day Contest! 

PS - if you refuse to find something to be happy about here is my playlist for terribly realistic break up songs.  You can just listen and soak up the melancholy.

Can I also count this as part of Helene and Sarah's link up?  It is tomorrow so let this serve as a reminder!

A Valentine's Fail

I have a rather unfortunate, yet funny Valentine's story to share with you today.

Welp another Tuesday is upon us and I am three days away from a four day weekend! Thank you Presidents!

With Valentine's Day just three days away I was thinking about what I was going to do and what I have done in the past.

Looking back on my little life I have really had eventful Valentine's, but not in the romantic, soul mate kind of way.  Rather in the "did that really happen to me?" kind of a way.

My first Valentine's fail came when I was just a wee little lass in Arizona.  I looked a little like this:

ust kidding I looked a lot like this excepted I didn't wear the arm puffs to school.  This was my photo when I won LIttle Miss Chili Pepper at the Rodeo so I think I was looking my best!

I was a wee little lass and it was Valentine's Day.  I went to a super small school (there were like 13 kids in K-4th grade).  We gave each other cards, I think… I actually have no memory of this, and we went to lunch. I came back to the classroom to get something and I noticed a heart shaped box on my desk.

I was so excited and ran over to see what it was.  I looked for a card to indicate who it was from.

There was no card.  Clearly, I had a secret admirer who loved me so much they bought me a box of Reese's Peanut Butter cups.  I didn't know it then but Peanut Butter cups are totally the bomb diggity.

I was so happy I went around to all my classmates and offered them my prize candy.  I was bragging about my secret lover and basking in the gold tin foil glow of far too many eaten candy wrappers.

And then tragedy hit.  The scene: precious child Erica, empty box of peanut butter cups, a classroom full of 13 children, my teacher and her husband.

My teacher's husband came into the classroom looking for something.  He then asked if anyone saw his box of chocolates that he bought our teacher.  I was still unaware of what happened and I held my box and started to search the room for my teacher's gift.  While I was searching he saw the box he had bought and tried to give it to his wife.  The only problem was that he thought my gift was his box.  That is a lie.  My box was indeed the box he bought for his wife.

It turns out that when he came in to give it to her he just set it down on any old desk and walked out of the room, no card, no heads up, just left a box of candy on a 7 year old girl's desk.  Causing a life time struggle with binge eating Reese's in fears that someone will take them away from me.

This was probably my most eventful Valentine's Day to date… other than that time my friend Laura and I hung out and her car was towed and we were locked out of her house for two hours.  But that is a story for another day.

-------------------

My first Valentine with a secret admirer was a total bust, but my friend Christina from Route Bliss is not a bust at all.  read about her below and send her a box of candy from a secret admirer for Valentine's Day

Why did you start blogging?

Well, way back in 2001 when I first started blogging, it was a way to keep friends off at college as well as penpals updated on what was going on in my life at the time. Over time, its changed a bit as I now blog less about my personal life and more about the things I love.

Do you have a furry baby? If so tell us about him or her. 

I have one canine companion who answers to Tater and sometimes Bad Dog or Destructo Dog! He's half Beagle and half Blue Heeler and who, despite being a very smart dog who loves when Brown or FedEx come to visit (the drivers give him treats), loves destroying things. Like his house. And a 80+ year old tree I have loved for years that he tunneled under and as a result, is now dying :( I adopted him on March 20, 2010 -- I think he wasn't so sure about this whole 'I have a human of my own now' thing seeing as the next day (the first day of spring), it snowed and I made him pose for photos in that cold white stuff ;-)

If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go and why?

New Zealand and Iceland. I fell in love with both countries the first time I saw photos of them. There's so many places I want to explore ... but those two are the ones I must see before I take my last breath

What is your favorite way to stay active?

Currently strength training although I need to get back into running after a couple months off. Both are great stress relievers, especially with work being chaotic lately!

You are given a free day and $100 what would you do?

Hmm ... seeing as I'm trying to not spend any money on non essentials this month, that's a hard decision! If it were fall, I'd probably drive to Dallas and go to the State Fair. By the time I paid for parking and admission and bought food tickets to hit up all the deep fried food vendor booths, the $100 would probably be gone!

Where are you from and what is your favorite thing to do there?

I'm from a small town in East Texas that's known for three things -- its the home of the hamburger, the Black Eyed Pea Capital, and our local junior college women's' basketball team has won several NJCAA championships over the years. As for my favorite thing to do here, well, its becoming more of a retirement community (its even 'certified'), so there's not a lot for 20 and 30 somethings to do! I do enjoy spending the occasional weekend afternoon at a local deli hogging their WiFi and slowly eating their yummy salads.

Make sure you follow Christina o Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!

True Love is - Time To Vote

It is officially time to vote for the winner of True Love is… A Valentine's Day Contest.

Your task is to read the entries below and vote for your top two favorites.

Voting lasts until Thursday night at 8 pm PST.

If you are nominated feel free to tell your friends to come and vote for you.

Just a reminder of what the winner will receive:

$25 Victoria's Secret gift card

And the title True Love Expert of the Whole World

True Love Is... A Valentine's Day Contest

Wow it is already February 6th!  Where have the first five weeks of the year gone?  In case you couldn't tell by all the blogs dedicated to buying the perfect gift for your spouse, significant other, pet or yourself, Valentine's Day is just a short 8 days away.

I went shopping at the Brea Mall last weekend when I had the most genius thought for a Valentine's Day contest on my blog.

The thought struck me as I was walking through the food court yearning for a Cinnabon, which I resisted thank you very much!  There is a Mongolian BBQ stand and I thought to myself:

I really love Mongolian BBQ

Why don't I eat Mongolian BBQ more often?

Whoever takes me to Mongolian BBQ really will have to love me because my noodle to meat ratio is not normal. Erica loves her carbs and veggies!

True love is when a strapping young man when he takes me to Mongolian BBQ and does not judge my noodle to meat ratio.

And so was born the True Love is.... contest.  The truth is love is different to every person and we all experience love differently. Shout out to the love languages book!

I thought it would be fun to hear what you think True Love is and then make you compete for a prize to determine the best completion of the phrase True Love is...

How it works. 

- For the next three days (Thursday, Friday, Saturday) complete the sentence True Love is...  in the comment section of the post.

- You can write something sassy, something sweet, something quirky, something that will make us cry.  Whatever you think is true love or is true love according to you.

- It can be about romantic love, love for a child, a pet, a friend, a country, a movie the sky's the limit.

- Keep your entry to 1-2 sentences in length.

- One entry per person/blog

- You can tweet your answer to @ericajacquline or leave it in the comments of my instagram post @ericajacquline

- I will compile the whole list and a link to the blog of the person who entered it and you can vote for your favorite on Monday - Thursday next week.

- I will count the votes (actually a Google form will count the votes) and I will announce the winner on Valentine's Day!

What you could win:

- A $25 gift card to Victoria's Secret because true love is buying five pairs of new panties, a new pair of PINK Sweatpants, or I guess the other things they sell there too.

- A button to put on your blog so everyone can know you are the True Love Expert of the world.

And now Pink will sing us off, really I could have just listened to this song and had the same idea.



Comment below for your chance to be entered in the contest to win the $25 Gift Card to Victoria's Secret.

The Things I've Done For Like

It is Monday and the Seahawks are the new champions of the world, or just of football for one year.

The photos above are of the fine folks I watched the game with.  Laura and Adam are some of my dear friends from all the way back in college.  Adam is from Seattle and turned 30 yesterday.  Pretty much the best day of his life, other than getting engaged to Laura.

Well friends this weekend marked some very important things, Lunar New Year, Super Bowl, The Month of Love (ya know cause of Valentine's Day), my momma's birthday.  It is seriously a busy month y'all.

I want to preface this month of love and love related posts by letting you know where I stand on this whole relationship situation.  I am single and I am honestly happy.  My students think otherwise.  Whenever a topic turns to relationships, it happens a lot in Psychology class, they say things like "Don't worry Ms. T.  Someone will love you."  Kids these days!

Last week I was teaching my Psychology class about love and how the brain responds to love.  I said something about how we do stupid things because we are in love.  Then I said "heck I've done stupid things for like!" Which totally intrigued my class and caused about a minute derail as I told them one of the stories that I will share here right now!

 

Drove to Rialto 

Now if you are not from Southern California this means little to you.  If you are from Southern California, I think you know that driving to Rialto for a boy is silly.  His neighborhood was so sketch that I had to call him when I was close to his house so he could meet me on the sidewalk and walk me to his apartment safely.  He was managing an apartment building there which was why he lived there.   He wasn't scary, just unable to come to my house to hang out.  This was during college. I am pretty sure that I would never even consider a relationship if I had to drive 45 minutes to see a guy in the ghetto.

Let a boy wear my UGGS

A few years back a guy I liked and maybe went on a date with asked me if he could borrow my UGG boots for a silly costume party.  I grew up as an only child and I am not used to people wearing my clothes or shoes.  I also do not shop at thrift stores because it just creeps me out.  I let go of my neuroses and gladly handed over my boots.  We quit hanging out shortly after this party and I could never wear the boots again.

Quit being a vegetarian 

For about two years I was a vegetarian.  I have never loved meat and I only eat it like 3 times a week.  I started to date a guy at church and he knew that I was a vegetarian.  He invited me to his parent's house for dinner and I accepted.  I arrived at their home and was given my dinner: Chicken tacos.  My date's mom really did not make anything else.  No beans or rice or anything else I could fill the tortilla with just chicken.  When I explained that I did not eat meat a battle broke out.  I am the least confrontational person and to make some peace I just ate the chicken.

Used a product he was pushing 

No I didn't do drugs!  I liked a boy in college who started to sell some skin care product with his sister.  It was like Avon but not Avon.  Anyway, after class one day he asked me if I could do a favor for him.  Of course I said yes and followed him to his car to retrieve what I would need to do the favor.  It was try out some face wash and then see if I wanted to order it.  I already knew I didn't want it though.  I have really sensitive skin and only a few things do not make me break out.  Long story short I tried it, and had a face full of pimples to prove it.  I am pretty sure that helped him like me more, not!

I know that there are plenty more things I have done that are even more ridiculous or silly, but that is all I can think of right now.  Perhaps a part two will be in order one day.

What are some things you have done for like or love?  I am sure you have some juicy stories to share.

Why You Should Love Hockey

I want to welcome everyone who is here today because of a little giveaway on Sarah's blog!  I know some of you are only here to get that entry on the giveaway, but I really hope you stick around and read a few posts.  Some of my favorites are Miley Trying to Ruin My LIfe, Things This Blogger Has Yet To Say, and You Are Doing OK Dog Mom.

[caption id="attachment_432" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Here is a picture of me at my favorite place, a hockey game![/caption]

When I sat down to write today I thought it would be the perfect day to write about sports.  I can hang with the guys and talk shop about almost any sport, but I don't really care about all the sports.  When it comes to sports I only have one true love… Hockey.  Since my love of hockey began a few years ago I have found that people are either really into hockey or could care less.  For those of you who could care less I get it, I mean that was me too.

I think the only reason you do not like it is because you just have not been told why you should like it.  That is where I come in.  I am going to channel my inner Venus and give you a simple beginners lesson in hockey and hope that it at least inspires you to watch a game or two.

My team is the Anaheim Ducks.  Yes as in the Mighty Ducks from the awesome Disney trilogy of movies.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="700"] I need to go watch these movies again. Look at Emilio, so young, so fresh.[/caption]

Although the real team is no longer the Mighty Ducks, thank God, and they never do the "Flying V" they are amazing!  They won the Cup in 2007 and  will again this year, they have the best record in the league right now.

1. Fast and action packed play

Hockey is an extremely fast paced game.  The total playing time is 60 minutes. Which is divided up into 3 periods.  Between each period there is a 20 minute intermission.  The twenty minutes is just the right amount of time for a HIIT workout, Pilates DVD, cleaning spree, or dinner eating.  Then it is back into the fray for more action than your little heart can handle.

If the game is tied at the end of regulation the teams play a 5 minute sudden death overtime.  If a team scores the game is over.  If no one scores they go to a shoot out.  Whichever team makes the most shots wins.  This is so intense and worth watching.

2. The games are  easy to follow

So there are a lot of rules in hockey, which we can get into later. But you only need to know the basics here.

5 men per team on the ice at a time

1 goalie in the net per team

Power play - When your team has more men on the ice than other team on the ice (because the other team got a penalty)

Goal - what happens when the puck goes in the net.

Stanley Cup - The winning team of the year are the Stanley Cup Champions

Of course there is more to it, but if you get this you get most of it.  If you want to know more look at the photo below.



3. It is a crazy hard sport to play.

In case you do not believe me can you please think back to the last time you went ice skating.  How many times did you fall down just trying to go around the rink once? If you are like me you never actually got off your butt the whole time.  These guys are so athletic and crazy good at their sport.  Really it is something to admire.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="628"] I would have fallen over five seconds before this photo was taken if I was on the ice.[/caption]

4. THE MEN ARE HOT!

I wrote a whole post about it here.

You can play "my new boyfriend" and pick the player you think is hottest and then whenever he gets a goal or a point the game is that much more exciting.

5. Carrie Underwood married a professional hockey player.



In case anyone else wants to be Carrie Underwood this is another way she has you beat.  She married Mike Fisher now on the Nashville Predators. How great is this couple, country music, hockey, Jesus lovin', beautiful: it is my dream come true, but Carrie stole it.

6. You can reenact this scene from Friends



7. Tickets prices are not super crazy

I have never actually sat close enough for #6 to happen to me because those seats are pretty pricey!  Even if you sit at the top you can see the action.  I haven't spent more than $30 on tickets and I have a great time every time I go.

8. There has to be a team near you

If you can not choose a team to like the Anaheim Ducks are so stinking good.  If you decide to like them then you will look like you joined the bandwagon because they are going to win the Stanley Cup this year, but just tell any haters Erica told you it was cool.

It is also an international sport.  You can travel to Canada, watch some hockey and eat some donuts.  What more could a girl want?

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] You can pretty much be Robin Sparkles![/caption]

9. Reasons to wear your cute winter clothes and UGGs

Another plus is the jersey you wear to a game is pretty big so if you gained five holiday pounds no one is the wiser.



10. Fighting is encouraged



Yes Hockey has fighting, and yes, they guys just punch each other.  If you have never seen a full-blown hockey fight you need to, it is dazzling.  I usually watch in awe as they are able to punch each other in the face while on ice skates without falling on their faces.  It is a think of beauty.  In case you are wanting to date a hockey player I thick it is best to stay away from the one known as the "fighter" on the team.  For example Patrick Maroon and Matt Beleskey are the fighters on the Ducks.  While I think they are great at hockey and energizing their team I would run the other way if I saw them on the street.


I hope I have convinced you to at least check out a Hockey game in the future.  Watching from your TV is fun and all but you have to go to a game to really catch the hockey bug.

If you are in Southern California maybe I will see you at Honda center soon!



Oh and below is the information on the giveaway I mentioned hosted by Venus Trapped In Mars!

Princess Burlap   :::   Not Entirely Perfect   :::   Young and Entertaining   :::   Endlessly Beloved
Sweet Magnolia   :::   Living in Another Language   :::   Pink Sunshine   :::   Venus Trapped in Mars
My Cup of Sparkle   :::   Southern Finesse   :::   Kate the Almost Great   :::   A Caffeinated Brunette
Sarah Christine Style   :::   So Much Sunshine

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