"You (c/o 2004) Are Going To Hell In A Handbasket"

I was ten minutes late after driving the two hours home, but compared to everyone else, I was half an hour early. I'm pretty sure they didn't want to be awkwardly sitting there like I did, although they didn't realize that it made it easier for people to come to me, which was waaay less awkward. I knew I would recognize those I've stayed close with or have on Facebook, but I was so thankful that we had name tags for the rest. Supposedly seeing how everyone has changed is the fun part...I think not.

The funny thing was that I felt like we fell through a time warp and we were eighteen again. We all looked the same, we are still looking to find ourselves, and there was just something magical about reuniting in our home town. We've all known each other for the better part of our lives, so it's only natural to pick up where we left off.

Before I get too mushy gushy, dinner at The Fish House was amazing, but the real fun was the 'after party'. We were a few complimentary cocktails deep, and then it was party time! I'm pretty sure all reunions should end with a pub crawl around all the old haunts.

I must say, though, there was one big downside of the night. As you might have guessed, I was missing my best asset to show off, and that would be Will. Due to many unforeseen circumstances he had to stay home, but he still managed to be there in spirit...

Ten years ago, our delightful Principal Eaton, aka Nettie, told us that we were going straight to Hell in a handbasket. I can't remember what caused her to bestow her 'wisdom' on us, but it was probably because each generation loses hope in the next at times. I just wish I could look good ol' Nettie in the eye, and say haters gon' hate.

I Used To Think I Was Adopted

Tis true. I knew that I favored my dad, but I NEVER thought I looked like my mom. Plus, she's what you might call a "spitfire" and "hard to handle", which were not the type of qualities I thought highly of for myself. So there I was going through my FB newsfeed, and BAM, this picture showed up and I finally saw it. What do you think?

I guess I am my mother's daughter after all.

Next, I saw this fun little link up, and at first I was like, wow, this seems easy...
But then, I was all like, dang, how do I narrow these down?!



Helene is right, and music really does define our lives with its undeniable hold on us all.
I rocked out in the 90's to Ace of Base and songs like Tears In Heaven or Wonderwall, but I also remember songs from my childhood like dancing in the kitchen with my mom to Time Of My Life from Dirty Dancing and In The Air Tonight was always cranked in the 'Stang with my dad. Ooh, and Bonnie Rait...Oh how I love me some Bonnie.

So here is my attempt at defining myself through song

My go-to Karaoke song:

Journey Don't Stop Believin' {I totally sound like this...}

Favorite Disney Song:

Sarah Mclachlan When Somebody Loved Me {Toy Story 2}

The song that always makes me happy:

Bobby McFerrin Don't Worry Be Happy {one man sick acapella}

The song that never gets old:

Queen Bohemian Rhapsody

The song I dedicate to Will:

Brad Paisley Then {narrating The Notebook}

The songs that got me through last years deployment:

Lennon and Maisy I Won't Give Up {sung by the best child duo}

Christina Perri A Thousand Years

And last but not least, a song that was once long forgotten, but I recently rediscovered:

Eagle Eye Cherry Falling In Love Again

Bonus points if any of you actually remember Eagle Eye Cherry. Although, that song may not count because it doesn't actually define me...I just love singing it with someone playing an acoustic guitar.

After all these, you might wonder about my eclectic taste, but you would never get bored listening to my iPod. Especially if you go to my favorite playlist that is comprised of Mashups like this. They are what I live for in the gym.

Do you relate to any of these? Or do you just think I'm crazy?

I like crazy. Helene brings it out in me.

Did You Know I Was A Sorority Girl?

Most people decide to go Greek at the beginning of their college career, but I was a self proclaimed GDI {Gosh Darn Independent} for the first two years. I hung out with everyone and went to all the parties, but I didn't like the idea of being tied down and having to play by anyone's rules. And yet, by hanging out with everyone, I eventually got sucked in. As a Junior, I sucked it up and took the plunge to pledge! It was either DPhiE or nothing, so I only participated in their bid week. Thank goodness they let me in or else it would have been awkward going through bid week to end up sorority-less.
Reasons why being in a sorority rocks:
+ It's your family away from family.

+ They make your Birthdays special.

No Janna's were harmed during this Birthday kidnapping.

+ You get to hang out with all the cool kids.

+ You can take on different jobs within the sorority that are pretty cool. I was elected Social Chair aka The Party Planner!

My favorite party?

I rented out a boat and we hit the Intracoastal high seas for a Pirate party!

+ You learn that Unicorns are REAL!!

At least to DPhiE's...

+ But most importantly... You create relationships with the gals that will not only be your sisters, they will be your best friends for life. Meet the Wifey's Originales Club:

Thanks for joining me on a trip down memory lane. It's been five years since I graduated, but it feels just like yesterday!

An Old Grudge.

About five years ago, my family had a storage unit.

It held expensive furniture, art pieces, and even my mother's high end couture. One would think that it would be important to protect the treasures within, and yet...

My mother just stopped paying the bill. Maybe she forgot, maybe she didn't care, or perhaps she was having one of her vindictive moments that always ends in something bad. All that I know, is that I had my treasures in there too. Photos from my childhood, furniture that my parents bought me that was supposed to last me forever, family heirlooms, and even knick knacks that my grandfather made me before he passed away.

All gone.

I cried and cried and allowed a grudge to distance myself from my mother about it, a lesson learned. She was human, and makes mistakes just like us all, albeit a pretty darn big one. Now, enough time has passed  that the loss has become less and less prevalent, and I've learned that you can live without every material possession, memories or not. Would it be nice to have those pictures, to have that furniture with me today, and to display the knick knacks? Yes, but that's  just not an option.

Source: parsleypagerosemarythyme.tumblr.com via Janna on Pinterest

We are creating new moments every day, every time we move, and to be honest, all of our "things" are what makes the moves hard and weighs us down. When I think that I can't part with a particular object, I remind myself that I can live without anything. Slowly we are cleaning out our house to make our lives less cluttered, and it feels good. Less is more.

Source: endless--summer.tumblr.com via Janna on Pinterest

I'm thinking that newlyweds always end up going through this. Combining both partners things, gifts from the wedding, over purchasing to decorate the first (or second) home, and random "stuff" that you collect in the beginning are bound to pile up before you know it. At least it's only taking us three years to realize that we don't need that George Foreman grill, enough food for the zombie apocalypse, or three of the same thing- i.e. Magic Bullet, Stick Blender, and food processor. I still don't want to get rid of the food processor.

Who knows when our next move will be, so it's game on in regards to downsizing. I even told Will that he can pocket the money he makes selling ANYTHING that isn't nailed down in this house. Let's just say, he's rollin' in the dough lately. I've also sold furniture that we weren't quite done with yet, and guess what? We are surviving without that one extra dresser. The best part is that we are donating along the way too. I have taken truckloads of stuff to our local God's Pantry and it feels SO good. I like this particular place because they give stuff directly to those in need, and that's where it should go.

I also plan on selling some of my nicer clothes and accessories again soon, so I may share them on here or on that site called Poshmark. I have an entire closet ROOM, and have no business having that many clothes. I love them all dearly, but it's time for a closet cleansing. Less is more, less is more, less is more. Haha
It's either that or another year of no spending. We shall see.

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I almost turned comments off today, but then I wondered, would you rather me post and turn comments off or just not post at all? Sometimes, I have a specific comment about a post that has comments turned off and then I feel let down when I can't share, or other times, I'm annoyed that I wasted my time reading a post when I can't comment. Mostly I understand that a blogger probably needs time to catch up on emails, wants to share something without having a backlash, or simply just needed to clear their mind. I'm not promising I'll never post with the comments off, but I am curious how bloggers feel about it.

Happy Friday, peeps. It's about dayuum time!