Helpful Travel Tips

I'm travelling to Europe in April and I have experienced many unsolicited travel tips from my clients. I do appreciate that they're trying to help, but now I'm freaked out a little bit.

#1: "Make sure you wear your money belt. Almost everyone gets mugged." Really? Wow, I know several of my friends have been to Europe and have yet to encounter a mugger. I understand that tourists are pick-pocket targets, but I think "almost everyone" is a bit of an exaggeration.

#2: "Don't stay in hostels. Have you seen the movie Hostel?" There are many reasons I have not seen the movie Hostel. I choose not to see "R" movies and I tend to stay away from movies that show people getting tortured beyond our imaginations. I do, however, love that my clients go into graphic detail about what Hostel has to offer.

#3: "I hope you have enough money. Did you know that the dollar isn't worth as much as the Euro?" I can't believe I haven't thought of that. You mean I can't live in Europe for three weeks on $300.

Since this is my first trip overseas, let's try to make it positive advice. I'd like to know favorite places to visit, best way to travel between countries, activities I shouldn't miss, etc. I don't want to waste my trip peering over my shoulder assuming everyone's just waiting for the right moment to mug me, sleeping with one-eye-open, and begging for bread scraps to eat because I can't afford anything else.

Do dreams really come true? I hope not.

I wish I could be one of those lucky souls who get a peaceful night's sleep. I hate to report that I am not. From a very young age, I have had countless nights of restless tossing and turning only to drift asleep long enough to awake frightened or just completely confused from a dream. I had no idea that our subconcious minds could create such vivid and down-right crazy situations. Between the ages of 4-5, I awoke almost every night from a recurring nightmare and had to sleep with mommy and daddy. In this nightmare, the ghosts from Pac-Man were on a murderous rampage killing everyone. Once they had gotten to a family, the house turned gray. Once the entire town lost color I knew I had to get to my G-ma's house which was in the next town over. Sometimes I made it to her house to find safety and other times it'd already be gray. Morbid I know. Don't ask me how I was even aware of Pac-Man ghosts at that age or that murder was a concern for me.

Fortunately, I didn't have many nightmares besides this one, but I've had my fair share of dreams that are just completely insane. My recent dreams are no exception and I've decided that I need a dream interpreter or something. Many of you have delighted in my detailed illusions, but I'll skim over the highlights for the rest of y'all. 1) I was a new member of NKOTB. We were about to go on stage and I realized I hadn't learned the routine for our concert. I also had to learn how to shave my face since I never had before. Apparently, they wanted us to be that clean-cut boy-next-door. **I'm pretty sure I was still female though???** 2) My 3-year old daughter was addicted to crack/cocaine. She acted and spoke like a rebellious teenager so I slapped her for talking back to me and for being high. **I knew it was wrong because she was only 3 yet she behaved like an adolescent.** 3) I had a baby who I delivered myself only she came out in plastic doll parts and I had to assemble her myself. Then she turned into a real baby. **No I haven't watched Pinocchio lately.**

So I'm not really sure where to go from here. These are only a few examples of the multitude of dreams I've had, but if anyone knows where I can go to make sense of this craziness, let me know. I seriously need help.

Hangin' Tough After All These Years...

T squared has been on my case to post these photos and I'm finally getting around to it. I loved New Kids on the Block (NKOTB) since I was 9 and I really wanted to go to the concert. Yes, I had the pillowcase, T-shirts, and don't forget my very own lunchbox. Their darling faces also graced many, many posters I had in my room. Fast-forward 15 years later and I still love them only not so obsessively. I did not initially buy tickets because 1) no one would spend the money to go with me and 2) a friend was getting married the very same day. About 4 days before the concert, my friend D won tickets on the radio. I just about fainted. I was too young to see them in concert the first time around, so my excitement was through the roof. Don't worry I still made it to the wedding reception since the concert started late.

The E center was pretty packed with rabid NKOTB fans who were all decked out in their ripped, acid-wash jeans and neon accessories. I'm going to guess that 90% of these women were mothers mid-20s to early 30s who left their young children at home with their hubbies. I've got to say that the boys still had it though. They performed all the classic dance moves. Their voices were pristene and I actually prefer the lower tones than that of their teen voices. It was kinda creepy and awkward when Jordan changed into his falsetto. Not pleasing to the ears. The concert was very nostalgic for me and a lot of fun. My only complaint was that my fav, Jonathan, didn't get enough face time. Although I haven't listened to my NKOTB 'tapes' in years, my memory didn't fail me and I sang every word by heart. I think D even had a great time even if she wasn't a fan then. I'm sure she is now:)

I'm Thankful...

So today being Thanksgiving and all, I thought it would be a great time to mention things I'm grateful for. 1) Family...I've spent every Thanksgiving since I was born with them and I never want to spend it with anyone else. Whether it's different sides of the family, I always have an awesome time. They are the people who I love and make me laugh until I cry. They'll even clean up the kitchen when we're done destroying it. 2) Friends...I wouldn't get by in life without them. We've shared both good and bad life experiences together and have had fun along the way. We've had the opportunity to teach and learn from one another. And I love the fact that they will bring me gatorade when I'm sick (Thanks Dee). 3) Kindness of strangers...in this time of need, I love the fact that people are willing to go out of their way to lend a helping hand. I encourage everyone to donate what they can to make this holiday season bright for a fellow neighbor. Be gracious with your time, monetary gains, food and even a...gulp...blood donation is always welcomed. 4) The stomach flu...you never know how much you take your health for granted until you're down and out with an illness. 5) Holiday movies...getting from summer blockbuster season to the holiday movies is long and frustrating. After wasting so much time and money on idiotic movies, I look forward to another wave of competent and entertaining movies. Well, I hope everyone had an fantastic Thanksgiving. I know I did.

Carrie Underwood

Wednesday night marked the 8th and final concert for the year. I'm so glad it was Carrie to finish out the year for us. I'm just so amazed every time I hear her extraordinary voice. Not only is she incredibly beautiful, but she can certainly entertain a crowd. This is why I love American Idol so much. Who knows where she would be today without that launching pad. She is a remarkable talent and I'm so happy that she can share that with us. Whoa, that's pretty sentimental for me. Anyway, D and I had and awesome time. And I'm sad now that since we bought our tickets to Europe, we have to hold off on buying anymore concert tickets. **Note** Although we saw NKOTB a few days before Carrie, I will be posting those pics at a later time. Sorry Etta:(

Quirky Tag

Thanks to Marlyce for the tag. I gave this some deep thought and I was having trouble deciding if I was being quirky or just plain OCD. I finally narrowed it down to 6. Although I probably could've filled it up to 20. Enjoy-

Quirk #1: I have to fold my towels in a certain way. This is not a problem at my house as I tend to do my own laundry. At work, on the other hand, it drives me crazy when they are folded differently. We have many towels coming through the spa and an entire group folding haphazardly as they please. I usually go back into the locker room and refold to my liking. Fold towel in half, and again in half, then into thirds. This looks so neat especially when they are stacked...trust me.

Quirk #2: I never sleep on my pillowcase more than once before I change it. Okay, let me clarify. I'll sleep on one side then the next night I'll flip it over to the unused side. After that it goes into the laundry. I have dozens of pillowcases since I change them so frequently. Since I'm a stomach sleeper, the thoughts of my freshly cleansed facial skin rubbing against dirt, oil, and hair product residue makes me cringe. And I can't sleep on couch pillows either knowing that other bodies have soiled them. Ew...I just made myself sick.

Quirk #3: I buy fruits in groups of 3. I really have no explanation for this one. Bananas, apples, oranges, etc. I must buy 3.

Quirk #4: I refuse to cook or bake with a timer. I think because my mom never used one it just was not instilled in me. I like to do things on my own time and not be ruled or controlled by the clicking of the timer. It gives me anxiety. I have burned countless meals and baked goods because of my stubbornness.

Quirk #5: I love pens. I can spend hours in Office Depot looking for a great pen. I was so excited at my last job because I was in charge of ordering office supplies. Luckily, I could get away with buying a ridiculous amount of assorted pens. My favorite is a 1.4mm bold ballpoint pen preferably in blue. My good pens are labeled with my name so I know whether you stole my pen.

Quirk#6: Every time I use milk I have to smell it to make sure it's not sour. Even if I open a fresh carton, I still must use the odor test. Sometimes I psych myself out and have to debate whether it smells a little off or not. Clearly, when milk is sour there is no question. Knowing this, I still am a slave to use this method instead of using the expiration date as a guide. I'm guess this stems back to elementary when I was at lunch and took a big swig of milk...it was rotten....and curdled. From that point on I would never taste it blindly again.

After all this, I hope that this will not deem me as a crazy person. I tag Etta, Sha, Logan, Aaron/Angel, FOF, Melissa.

Tag Rules: Link the person who tagged you
Mention the rules on your blog
Tell about six quirks of yours
Tag six fellow bloggers to do the same
Leave a comment to let them know

Hello...Happy Halloween...Boo.

First of all, I would like to congratulate everyone on a Halloween well done. I've looked at all the blog and facebook pics of you and your costumes and I'm really impressed with your creativity. I'm going to give a shout out to the Shepherds for their costumes. Of course, I love the Three Amigos, but since they were also hand-made, I'll give them a well-deserved round of applause too.

I had the unfortunate task of closing at work this year. I was sad that I had to miss KB and Cody's cabin party. I borrowed my costume from Fists of Fury and she helped me with my makeup. At her work, she could only paint her face instead of dressing in a costume. She was a half-dead...widow. That wasn't the look she was going for, but needless to say, that's what it turned out to be. Work was pretty slow as everyone was out partying with their friends and family. We had a potluck and chilled while taking about a million pics of each other. All in all, Halloween was Spooktacular! ha ha

Since Etta had such confusion, I'll clarify that she is Pippy Longstocking, not the Wendy's girl.

I Heart Jason Mraz

Here is yet another of many concert posts to come. I went to the Jason Mraz concert and was blown away by his amazing talent. Now I've been to my fair share of concerts and I'd have to say that this was top 5 material. Vocally, Mr. A-Z was incredible. He was right on the money and I feel his cd's don't do him justice. If you've never listened to any of his live material, I would definitely recommend it. Musically, the dude can play his heart out and is a remarkable songwriter. He has an awesome band to back him that elevated his sound to the next level. I love his witty, carefree, laid back, and kind personality. You can definitely sense his genuine appeal. Wow, I sound kinda stalkerish now. So in a nutshell, if you ever get a chance to see him live, go for it. Here are a few pics and a video. I wanted to include everyone's recent favorite "I'm Yours" but I'm too impatient to load the 5 mins worth of video. I hope you'll enjoy "A Beautiful Mess" instead.

Hoodies are so last year...here comes the Slanket

Wow...can you believe we lived all these years without the Slanket? In case you haven't seen the informercial yet, this product is a blanket with sleeves. This is such an ingenious invention. It's for those who like to lounge around, but need the freedom to do other things with their arms. How could I let such an idea surpass me? All these years, my arms have suffered the cold when I needed to pull out my crotcheting needles. Many, many times, I too have found blankets restricting. Of course I could just turn up the temperature in my house or even use a hoodie, but no that would be too difficult. The world is definitely a better place since the introduction of the Slanket. So go out an get yourself one today. Your arms will thank you. (or check out the poor man's Slanket...the Snuggie.)

Locks of Love - Month 1

This may sound like a long shot, but I've decided that I would love to grow my hair out and donate it to Locks of Love. I know, I know...I haven't had long hair since I was around 6. It was always just a dream of mine to grow out my hair...someday. I've never really had enough willpower to struggle through that ugly growing-out phase. Most of the people I have mentioned this to have laughed in my face. I definitely don't blame them. I figure if I'm contributing to a good cause and the fact that I love a good challenge, I would give my all to grow out this mop of mine. The chances of me making it to the 10 inches (in a ponytail) needed to donate are slim. I have a few friends who believe in me, but many, many who are placing bets to when I will just chop it off again. I regularly get my hair cut every 4 weeks and I'm about 6 weeks into it. This will definitely be a HUGE commitment for me. If you have any comments or dates of when I'll "fall off the wagon" so to speak, I'd love to hear them. I'm including a pic for the end of month 1 and wish me luck.

Ooh wee oooh I look just like Buddy Holly...

Tuesday night was a great night for music. I went to the Weezer concert with Angels and Airwaves. I was pleasantly surprised at how well Angels and Airwaves played. Speaking as a Blink 182 fan, sometimes Tom can be a little off. Not only were the vocals good, but I was really impressed with the lights. It made for an entertaining show. Unfortunately the cool lighting was not camera-friendly, but I did manage to get a couple of good pics anyway.

I really didn't know what to expect from Weezer. They came out and I could hear singing but I couldn't make out who it was. Rivers had this weird sock thing on his head and eventually I found out it was Scott who was opening the show. For those of you that don't know already, he has a couple of tracks on Weezer's Red album. Although I appreciate that other band members took turns singing lead vocals, I was really there to see hear Rivers who is really the voice of Weezer. They were very quirky and entertaining. Rivers jumped on a trampoline, slid around on his knees, played the drums, and shuffled around the stage like a pro. They also brought Tom back on stage to sing "The Sweater Song" which was an awesome take from a classic song. It was definitely one of the top shows I've seen.

Who does that?!

People who wear socks with sandals.

People who wait 10 mins for an elevator to go up 1 floor.

People who don't cut their toenails for 5 months because eventually they'll get a pedicure.

People who talk on their phone while doing their business in a public restroom.

People who bring babies to the movie theatre.

People who vote for the 82-year-old on Dancing with the Stars.

People who talk to me in spanish assuming I will understand.

People who leave msgs for others on my cellphone when it clearly states, "This is Trista's phone."

Wal-Mart vs. Target

As many of you already know, I despise Wal-Mart. I live only 2 minutes from Wal-Mart, but I go out of my way to shop anywhere else. I usually end up at Target. Although it is a bit pricer than Wal-Mart, I would rather pay more for a better experience. For example, I went shopping at my beloved store the other day and within 5 mins of entering I had 3 happy, smiling employees greet me and ask me if there was anything I needed. Had this been at Wal-Mart I would have had to chase someone down only to be told, "Sorry. I don't work in this department." Come on Wal-Mart, your little blue vest states on the back that you are there to help me. Another example, Target is cleaner. They wait until closing to stock shelves so that I don't have to weave in, out, and around boxes and pallets while I'm shopping. I do understand that Wal-Mart never closes, but let's at least wait until 3 am when there is not a huge crowd. Example #3, I can get in and out of Target in 4 mins. If there are more than 3 people in line, they will open up another check line. After walking a mile from my car to Wal-Mart, I can get what I need within minutes, but even though there are 30 check-out lines, only 5 are open and 3 are self-check-outs. I like self-check-outs, but not all of us are equipped to deal with them especially when you have enough groceries to feed an army. I could go on about this is greater detail, but I'll just wrap it up for now. What more can I say? I love Target.

Blog Virgin

It seems that I'm always one step behind the times and blogging is no exception. Some have requested or should I say demanded that I start a blog. I love keeping in touch with my friends and family so I'm glad that everyone's keeping their lives up-to-date online. I would love to have real conversations with you all, but I'm just to lazy to pick up my phone and dial. Since I don't have a hubby, kids, or pets, I will just have to rely on my hilarious sense of humor to fill my blog. Hope you're all doing well and happy blogging!