Movin' On Up

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you all had a lovely weekend. Me, I’m sitting on the deck of my parents’ house, enjoying the peace and quiet that is their house. They basically live in the middle of nowhere and by the end of this past week; I was itching for some time with my parents and a weekend away from it all. Things have been so hectic lately, but that is neither here nor there. Some big career news finally became official on Friday and I couldn’t be happier.

You all know one of my goals for this year was to find a job that I love. Basically since I started working as an assistant at my current job in 2008, I’ve been trying to find something else and haven’t been able to get past a first or second interview. I am reminded once again that everything really does happen for a reason and things always have a way of working out. On Friday, it was announced that my coworker and very dear friend has purchased the company I work for, thus promoting me from an executive assistant of sorts to manager of our agency. This means no more ordering make-up for my (former) boss, no more keeping her calendar, no more checking and answering her e-mails. Now, I get to work with clients…and lots of them. This means more responsibility, more money and more work…I can’t wait!

 

I found this quote by Conan O’Brien last week in the midst of all this: “If you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.”

I’m sure you have all been there at some point too, but it can be so hard to rise above the rejection when you are looking for a new job. After hearing “we have chosen a more qualified candidate” so many times, it’s not easy to believe that it just wasn’t meant to be and that better things are still to come. Now, I’m so glad for those rejections. I’m so glad I kept working hard and doing my best at my job. All of my patience has finally paid off and I am absolutely thrilled! 

This Crazy Ride

More than ever, lately I’ve been amazed at how much of a rollercoaster life can be. I know this is nothing new, but I am constantly in awe of this. One minute you could be on the highest of highs and next thing you know, something comes out of the blue and makes you sad. It can be so difficult to take the good with the bad, go with the flow and not let things get you down. Focusing on the positives rather than negatives is oftentimes easier said than done. Anyway, I wanted to share one of my favorite songs with you guys. It’s a good reminder that life isn’t always perfect, but you just have to keep going and hold on.

Life isn’t perfect all the time. Sometimes it’s so amazing you are afraid to blink. Other times it’s hard to believe something so awful could happen to you. I’m in awe of how quickly things can change and how when you least expect it, somehow things just come together. I try to always remember that life really is crazy, that you have to take the good with the bad and know that good things will always come and take the place of bad things.

Well that's enough cheesy ramblings for tonight. I should probably go to bed...

March Madness

I don’t really follow college basketball, but I do know that there is something going on right now called March Madness. I don’t have a bracket and I have no idea what teams are doing well. I, however, have had my own March Madness going on. This month has been jam packed with all kinds of fun occasions and I’ve been so busy living life, I haven’t had time to write about any of it!

So here goes. I’m going to fill you in on some of the fun stuff I’ve been up to and I’ll just highlight the really funny/exciting parts and post a few pictures to sum it up.

Bachelorette Party

My cousin is getting married in May and I’ve been so excited about the wedding, I wasn’t even thinking about how amazing the bachelorette party would be. My mom, two sistas and I hit the road to Jacksonville for the bridal shower and bachelorette party a few weekends ago. The shower was beautiful, the bacheloretty party was an absolute blast and it was really great to see my cousin!

•  I rode the mechanical bull with the bachelorette at Whiskey River. My dress was way too short for such an activity and I was wasted to say the least, but I was honored that out of all the girls there, my cousin picked me to join her. We stayed on for about two minutes…pretty impressive and so much fun!
• I walked up to a police officer while eating a penis-shaped chocolate chip cookie and said this: “Penis has never tasted so good.” He was pissed. I thought it was funny and was completely embarrassed when my sister reminded me of it the next day.
• I tried Jager for the first time. This wasn’t a smart decision as I am a bit of a lightweight after my four month drinking break. I thought for sure that shot would do me in. Don’t get me wrong…it was disgusting, but I didn’t get sick and if you know me at all you know that is a miracle!

St. Patty’s DayI had no intention of going out for St. Patty’s Day this year but next thing I knew, my friend Sarah had convinced me to go to an Irish Pub by my house. I’m glad I went because it was an absolute blast!

• We had been messing around with the guitar player in the band that was performing all night. On our way out, I walked up to him and booped him on the nose. I think I invaded his personal space but he didn’t seem to mind too much.
• I tried an Irish car bomb for the first time. Again, this is not something I should have done as I really risked getting sick. No puking for me, although it was the most disgusting thing I have had in a long time. Absolutely awful. Cheers to trying new things, though!
• When the band took a break, we convinced them to let us sit at their instruments for a photo opp. I don’t know if we convinced them as much as we just made our way up there and took our places, but either way. I may have then started playing the drums and we got the cutest picture of all of us.

Kenny Chesney Concert

This weekend was the long-awaited Kenny Chesney/Zac Brown Band concert in Tampa. You see, since I met The Red Sox Fan in January, I thought he was taking me to this concert. Come to find out, he had to choose between taking his brother or me. I backed out and told him to take his brother because I didn’t want to get in the middle of that. I don’t know if I unintentionally made him feel really guilty or if he likes me a whole lot, but he ended up buying me two tickets so I could go with Sarah. Needless to say, I had the time of my life. The concert was absolutely amazing. The weather was beautiful. It was an amazing day.

• We hit major traffic heading into Tampa. This was frustrating since we were already behind schedule, not to mention the fact that Sarah gave me the responsibility of doing her homework for her in the car. I get carsick easily when trying to do activities like that. Even though conditions were not ideal, we had such a fun time on the drive there. It really is true that it doesn’t matter if things aren’t perfect when you are with the right people!
• Chugging beers on the way to Raymond James Stadium. Since we were running so late, we didn’t get to the field in time to tailgate. We had a bunch of beers that we weren’t going to let go to waste. After a few beers at the car, with a beer in hand and a back up in my purse, we chugged several beers on our way to the stadium in record time to kick off the day. For a couple of girls, I’d say it was pretty impressive.
• Making friends with two older women outside the stadium. They proceeded to offer Sarah and I sex advice. Disturbing, yet absolutely hysterical. Julie and Leslie, you ladies ROCK.

It’s definitely been a fun couple of weeks. Life can be stressful sometimes and it’s not always perfect, but being able to let loose every now and then and let yourself have a great time is so very important!

Tucker Tale #2

I haven’t posted one of these in a while, but I just have to brag about my wonderful father. I have a great relationship with both of my parents and at this point in my life, think of them as my very good friends. It’s good to know that in the midst of all the fun I have with them and on top of being able to joke around with them, I can always look to them for support and guidance no matter what situation I’m in. I’ve always gone to my dad for career advice, knowing I can count on him to give me real-life, practical advice and help me sort things out when I need to make a decision.

I don’t want to get too much into detail, but last week I had my third interview for a job opportunity I’ve been looking into. I’d already been through a 15-minute phone interview; a two-hour face-to-face interview with two members of the team and this was the final step in the process. I felt pretty confident about my interview skills, but I was meeting two new people that day and taking writing and editing tests to showcase my skills. After prepping for the interview all week, I got into my car to drive there and started panicking about every detail. I called my dad, who managed to say all the right things to calm me down. He reminded me that I wouldn’t be at this stage in the process if I wasn’t qualified, gave me advice on how to respond to some of the questions they might ask and reassured me that I would do great.

I haven’t gotten word whether or not I got the position, but I know that I went in there with confidence, enthusiasm and the support of some amazing people in my life. Lucky me.  

Cheers!

Yesterday, I happily welcomed alcohol back into my life. My last day on the blood thinners was Monday, meaning an “official” end to the nightmare that started back in November. I couldn’t wait to drink again. After all, the last time I drank was Halloween. Four months is a long time to go without drinking when you are 24-years-old. I was mostly excited to celebrate my health, to be with good friends and family and toast to being healthy and the people who got me through the scariest time in my life.

Sure, the day before my celebration, I had gone to the doctor with a bad cough and cold symptoms. The doc told me I have an upper respiratory infection and put me on some meds. Was I going to let that ruin my plans? No way.

So last night, I enjoyed a few glasses of wine and appetizers at one of my favorite places, Urban Flats. My mom, who I will never be able to thank enough for how strong, caring and supportive she has been through the whole ordeal, was in town and I’m so glad she was able to be there. My always fun and always supportive big brother came too, along with my wonderful coworkers and a few of my girlfriends.

We all had so much fun. I got a little tipsy and enjoyed every last drop of wine I drank. I got to introduce The Red Sox Fan to my mom and they hit it off.  The night was full of laughs and great conversation. I giggled a lot and felt happy and giddy. It was perfect.