Puppies

Puppies. They bring joy to almost everyone just by looking at them in a picture. Everybody wants a puppy but when you look for one nobody bothers to tell you all the work that's involved. All the stress that's involved. Potty training, vet bills, food cost, toys, treats, medicine, if they destroy your property, making sure they don't run away, keeping them safe off the road and from other animals and people. Nobody tells you these things.

I got my puppy Sage from the humane society at the end of August 2012. She was two months old (in less than a week she will be 8 months). She is a pretty good dog; a black lab and pointer mix. She's hyper, eats way too much, and won't stop chasing our mini schanuzer Sadie but you know what? I still love her. She chewed up some of my favorite clothing, some pictures, and a cord or two. But I still love her. She's sweet (when she wants to be) and I know she loves me as much as anybody could love anyone. 

The most stressful thing about this journey is that my mom absolutely hates her (because she chases Sadie). I hear, "Get your f***ing dog!" and variations of that sentence at least 20 times a day. I only see my mom for about 6 hours. Do you know how stressful that is? I work at a fast food place where I get yelled at and am constantly stressed and go home to the same exact thing. A person can only take so much stress before they freak out and, in my case, sometimes become a raging bitch. She wonders why I get angry and yell back. Being mean to my dog is like being mean to my child. She doesn't understand that Sage is my baby. Not being in a relationship at the age of 24 when most of your friends are either in serious relationships or getting married leaves a void in your heart. 

Hearing:

       When are you going to get married?

       When are you going to get a boyfriend?

       Have you found a job yet?

       Why did you go to college for art. There's not much money in that. 

       Why did you get a dog? You know..they're a lot of responsibility. What if you get a job? You           

       probably can't have her in an apartment.

It drives me nuts! Let me live my life. If I make a mistake then guess what? Life goes on! I'm 24. I don't know the answers to any of those questions. But I do know that my heart has been filled with love when I had a cloud of sadness hanging over my head. I have a purpose and it's to be the best "mom" I can be to my puppy.

Friends and How I Met Your Mother

Two of my favorite shows of ALL TIME are Friends and How I Met Your Mother. They're so similar but they both taught me different things about life, friendship, and love. It's hard for me to pick one of these shows as my favorite or one single character because I love them all for so many different reasons. I've taken different things away from each mainly because of the different places I've been in my life. Watching old episodes of Friends (being in my 20s now) gives me a new perspective on the show I watched as a young teenager.

Let's start with my two favorite men. Marshall and Chandler:
The comedians.

      

Both of these two have such big hearts and just want the best for the loves of their lives. Marshall and Lily have the type of relationship every girl wants and are the perfect couple for each other and are adorbs in every way possible, but both couples have the best friend turned lovers story. Both of them have an office job that they don't really care for and all they want to do is make a difference somehow. They're the ones that get at my funny bone and they ALWAYS make me laugh. Their love stories make you believe in love and know that true love exists..and that people can be faithful to one person for the rest of their life. If either of these men were real and not fictional characters and I met them I would marry either. A guy that can make me laugh is a guy that will win my heart. If I could mix these two..perfect man. With a little bit of Ted Mosby: architect thrown in of course.

Up next...Ted Mosby and Ross Geller:
The hopeless romantics.

    

Good ole Ted..the hopeless romantic. You can't help but fall in love with Ted, and he never gives up on love no matter how many relationships have failed (I can relate to that). The poor man was left at the altar and was still going strong! He always brings up cute things from past dates (the blue horn) and doesn't always have perfect timing, but he always knows what to say. Besides the fact that these two both have perfect hair and are insanely handsome, they are the geeks of the group. Both can't help but correct others when they're wrong. Ross is different in that he said the wrong woman's name at his wedding...but he means well. Right?

Ted: "No, I LITERALLY want to rip your face off!"
Ross: "Y-O-U-'R-E means you are. Y-O-U-R means your!"

Ted is always making architectural jokes that no one understands (don't worry Ted...I got your back) and Ross loves dinos. We know most people think that dinosaurs are pretty awesome but kind of a bad choice in career. Regardless, I think I would be ok with marrying either of these two gents.

Barney Stinson and Joey Tribbiani:
The womanizers.

 


The ladies men. I think Barney could learn a little something about simplicity from Joey. All Joey needed to say was, "How you doin'?" and BAM. Barney's schemes are pretty entertaining but it makes me a little sad that so many women fall for his antics. Something that bothered me about Friends was that they never found a girl for Joey. He was the only single one at the shows end. Even Barney found Robin and he was more of a womanizer than Joe. Both of these two are hilarious too no doubt but their biggest difference is probably their smarts. Barney does something that we still don't know to this day and Joey...well he's Dr. Drake Ramoray. No further explanation needed to prove these men are awesome.  


Lily Aldrin and Phoebe Buffay:
The quirky ones.

 

I know this one may be a stretch but hear me out. The obvious is that these are the two artists of the group...sort of. Phoebe tries anyway. Lily reminds me of myself the most. We're both artists and I like her fashion sense, I would wear most of the things she wears. We're both quite sassy and have red hair (mine is strawberry blonde)...but close enough. I just want to be Lily so I can be married to Marshall and have her life. I also want to be the Slap Bet Commissioner. Phoebe reminds me of myself a little bit because I can have some dumb blonde moments and I can't really play the guitar and sing silly songs all the time. No joke. I was baking once and I just started singing what I was doing. Side note..I already know I'm weird you don't need to tell me. These two both marry a man that is perfect for them. Both of them questioned their relationships and broke up with their men only to realize they made the WORST mistake ever. How could you let go of Marshall a.k.a Marshmallow or Mike a.k.a. Crap Bag?! They aren't scared to call people out on their crap in their marriages and their friendships. I'm the same way and I have picked up the phrase, "You son of a beech!" and use it in my daily vocabulary. Phoebe and Lily are also loyal to their friends and they would fight to the death for them. They also have a very sweet side and would make great best friends for this girl.

Robin Scherbatsky and Monica Geller:
The take no nonsense brunettes.

 






Both of these two have some killer dance moves and are the sassiest of them all and I love them for it. They are competitive about everything they do and they always have to be right and if they aren't right...they're still right. I see these two as the most butch out of the girls. Robin obviously because her dad not-so-secretly wanted her to be a boy and Monica because the girl can kick some ass (as can Robin). Robin is scarily similar to one of my best friends from high school, but that's another story. Monica is super OCD and I don't see that quality in Robin but not all of these characters match up perfectly :)

Last but not least...Rachel Green:
Rich girl turned self-sufficient woman.

Let's face it. Everyone wants to be Rachel Green. She's gorgeous, has a rockin' body and had some pretty hot boyfriends. I'm lookin' at you Tag. For reference see Eddie Cahill.  I think Rachel is a mixture of all the women. She is fashion forward like Lily, she is spunky like Monica and Robin, and she is lacking a little in common sense like Phoebe. She has the on again off again relationship with Ross but that's because they're perfect for each other and can't realize it until the end of the series. Talk about a drag! I also think Rachel grew the most throughout the series. She started off as a rich girl who didn't know her way around the city or life for that matter and she turned into a girl who could kick some ass if need be. Especially when telling people off at laundromats. 

 






Friends has been over for awhile and How I Met Your Mother just started it's final season. I cried when Friends ended and I know I will bawl like a baby when HIMYM is over. All good things must come to an end but I wish these didn't. I grew up with these shows and they have taught me so much over the years...

Namesake

I've always liked my name. I wanted to change the spelling here and there when I was a kid (to be more "unique") but I've never actually wanted to change it. It was always interesting to me that other people choose our names and we're supposed to accept and love them. Some people have...interesting name choices to say the least. My two older sisters and I have normal names; which is fine with me. I learned a few years back that my mom wanted to name me Allison but (obvi) they chose Stacey instead and through further discussion I was told I was named after someone. I thought ok awesome! I was named after somebody that was important in my parents lives. Who was I named after? Stacey McGill. If the name isn't familiar that's because well...it's not. My namesake is one of the main characters from the Baby-sitters Club book series. I was a little more than disappointed when I found out I was named after a fictional character. Now, don't get me wrong, I loved these books. I was an avid reader and this was one of the series that I couldn't get enough of. After I got a little older I thought ya know...that's kind of cool and I liked the idea of being named after someone even though that person doesn't really exist.

I guess for this story to make sense and you don't keep thinking my parents read little kids books I should tell you how they chose my name. I have two older sisters and my eldest is 6 years older than me. She was (from what I've been told) OBSESSED with these books and her favorite character was *drum roll* non other than Stacey McGill. I think it's because they were both into academics but that's beside the point. So, my due date comes closer and my mom still has her heart set on Allison. When I was born my sister says, "Mom, let's name her Stacey!" My mom just happened to like the name and it stuck. I'm really glad my sister got my mom to change her mind...my initials are SLR and I'm a photographer so it's perfect. SLR= Single Lens Reflex.

What would ALR stand for anyway? American Law Reports. Nothing fun and creative that's for sure.

So who knows...maybe when I have kids choosing their name will come down to choosing their career. Or maybe not.

North Carolina: Panera Bread

Hey y'all! I went to North Carolina to visit my best friend since pre-school (we are now 23) and here's some things I've noticed from being in the south:

1. Everything is fried 

1a. I'm ok with that 

2. No one uses turn signals and no matter what the speed limit is, it's always 80

3. Gas is cheaper here than in Ohio

4. Most people are really friendly

5. The boys are cuter...that may be from the accent 

Thursday night I drove down to Columbus to visit a friend for the night (and take time off of my 9.5 hour trip). Then I drove straight down to North Carolina. It was a long drive but luckily it didn't feel like it. I kind of wish I didn't have to drive because I wanted to look at the gorgeous views...not the safest or smartest to do while driving. Got here Friday and went to my friends play practice with her and then just relaxed the rest of the night. Saturday went to an audition for her and we sat around, ate pizza, and watched Disney movies. It's ok to admit you want my life right now ;) 

Before we dropped her off at her audition we went to Panera to get some breakfast. I'm just looking around the place people watching and lo and behold there's a cute boy working behind the counter. He was wearing straight leg grey jeans and had a curl peaking out from the front of his hat. Prettiest eyes I've ever seen too. When I saw him I think something like this happened: Woah! Cute guy alert!

People are being helped in front of us and of course he is the one that looks at us and says enthusiastically, "hey guys! What can I get for you today?" Is it sad that my heart skipped a beat a little? My friend went first (I'm shy and get even more so around cute boys). All I wanted was a hot chocolate. So, I order a small hot chocolate and he says we only have one size but it's a medium is that ok? He acted scared like I was gonna flip a shit. I must have looked like I hated the world but it was early and this girl isn't a morning person. I said, "Yeah, that's fine" and flashed my best smile. And let me tell you, his smile was as pretty as his eyes. He took the rest of our order and started getting it ready. He asked, "Do you want whip cream, hun?"  Normally I think it's creepy and unacceptable for anyone to call me hun but since he's my age and was very attractive I decided to let it slide. He handed me the hot chocolate and politely smiled again and then told my friend, "You're bagels ready right there." And pointed..slightly less polite maybe? Maybe I just had the look of damn you're hot on my face. I highly doubt I hid it well. They were fairly busy so we sat in a spot that conveniently let us be able to watch Mr. Hottie from afar. I swear he kept looking over at us but that is probably my wishful thinking ha. Lane from Panera you may see a missed connections ad on Craigslist coming your way ;)

 We dropped my friend off at her audition and while we were waiting for her to finish, her dad and I went back to sit at Panera. I know what you're thinking. Stacey, this is your second chance to try and talk to this guy. But for anyone that knows me knows I'm not going to go up and talk to a boy on my own...especially one that's extremely attractive. I was with my friends dad in an unfamiliar place and I thought it may be weird to try and get my flirt on while I was with her dad. So, I sat and read my book wishing he would come up and talk to me.

Really though who needs a handsome boy from Panera when I could have someone like this?

But, those things only happen in movies and my life is definitely not a movie. 

Selflessness

Ever since the iPad came out I thought, "I want that, I need it for my photograph business...and it's awesome." I saved my money and bought one a few weeks ago. I use it constantly and I absolutely love it. In fact, I'm typing this post on it right now. I watch The Ellen Degeneris Show almost every day other my mom and I always wish I could be more like her. She's so giving and loves to help and surprise people. She had a couple on the show a few days ago who had to have a surrogate for their coming baby because the mom was unable to have children. She gave them a lot of different supplies for the baby (their basement was also ruined in a recent flood). The joy they had was a great thing to see and it made me feel a little upset with myself.

I also watch Katie Couric's show, with my mother, and she had Kenny Chesney on there the same day Ellen had that couple. He said something that I completely agree with and that was that music can change lives. It changes your mood and can heal. Being a musician (sort of) I know this to be true. I am an artist though, and I have always had this philosophy towards art too. I can't help but feel like I can do something to help people. I wish I had the means. 

There's so many people who don't have a hot meal, who don't have running or clean water, no homes, no job, etc and here I am worrying about whether or not I could get an iPad. I have never felt more selfish. 

I need to do something meaningful with my life because right now I feel like time is ticking and I'm letting it waste away. 

The Big Apple

My senior year of high school my band (not the cool kind) took a trip to the Big Apple. We did some sightseeing but we were there to do some work. We had a session with the director of Phantom of the Opera! I was awestruck even though I had never heard of him before. Being from a small town in Ohio, this was a big deal. The only other major city I had traveled to before (for more than a day) was Chicago and it was alright. I didn't feel like I was at home or belonged there. But with New York..it was love at first sight. I didn't even mind the smell.

This is where dreams come true. 

We only spent a few days in the city but it was enough of a taste for me to want to go back. I've haven't stopped thinking about it since. The shopping, the tourism, the food. It's one of the art capitals in the United States and it's where I really want to be.

The last few years I've come to realize that I need to do this. If only my family would actually realize how important it is to me. They just judge and say, "You know it's expensive, right Stacey?" "It's hard to make it in New York." They're right. It is expensive and it is going to be hard. But I don't want to look back when I'm old and wrinkly and think what if? What if I had gone for my dream? Would I be happier..rich..poor? I have always lived on the safe side and not taken risks. Well this is my risk! If there's one thing I need it's to try and make it in NYC. I have teachers and (some) friends on my side.

However...
The one thing I don't have and want  need desperately is the support of my mom.

I will prove her wrong. 

"Tis the season for cranky customers"

At work a few days back it seemed as though every customer was cranky about something. No matter what it was they had something to whine about. A friend/co-worker of mine put it in the best way possible, "Tis the season for cranky customers." You would think everyone would be spreading holiday cheer and would be courteous towards others. Wrong. They are more rude than any other time of year. You must be thinking, "Why Stacey, you're crazy! Everyone is so happy around the holidays." Well dear readers, this used to be the case but all of the Black Friday deals and counting down the shopping days until Christmas has just made everyone thrifty and in a "go go go" attitude. It takes all the fun out of Christmas when you are fighting others for a TV that's 50% off. Is it really worth getting minimal amounts of sleep and standing in the cold for hours? Christmas is supposed to be about giving, yes, but not when all people care about are the material possessions. It's devastating to me that all anyone cares about is what  the next cool thing is going to be that they can get their hands on. I will say on Black Friday none of the customers I came into contact with yelled at me.  I was shocked...this was different from a few years ago. However, I worked when many people were going to wait in line so they hadn't reached their breaking points yet. Either that or they got the goods they wanted. I received many "Merry Christmas!" and, "Happy holidays!" wishes. So I will say thank you to those who didn't bite my head off when I brought out the hot Caramel Mochas and Peppermint Hot Chocolates. Black Friday is a stressful day for retail workers and people in the food industry.

What customers don't realize is that the earlier stores open (yes, you get good deals) the earlier everyone else opens. I would have much rather spent the night with my family but I had to get ready to work.

So..maybe this year isn't the season for angry customers and it's finally the season to be jolly.