One whole week

I know, I know. It's been a whole week since I got on here chatting about my life and all other kinds of boringness. I don't think much is going to change for today. I do want to bitch (shocker) about how I am the last woman left standing. Literally. Every single F***ing one of my single girlfriends have begun dating someone. (I'm not really sure if it's has or have; both sounded odd). Let me say that I do love my friends and I love that they are finding men who make them happy, but can't a girl get a break and share in the available men. The funny thing is that some of my friends have such reverse dating styles from me. For example a couple have already fallen off the face of the earth or will soon. One of those is 2 months in and already has plans to spend Christmas with her new beaus family. Really? No matter how happy I am for a friend I still throw up in my mouth when I hear them making plans for an event that takes place months longer than the actual relationship. Another one of my friends has found her true "love", but before true "love" was found she went on a date with every one of the hundred guys who contacted her through Match, the online dating web site. Every day for multiple months she had one to two dates scheduled. Again I love said friend, but I don't have the time nor want to put in the effort that it takes to pen pal it up with loads of different men, go out on loads of dates, and keep all of their stories straight.

Anyhoo.. I know me bitching about my dating life can get old so I pre-apologize, but jeez already. This leads me into WTF is wrong with me? I feel like I'm a nice lady. I'm a bit chubby, but strong under the layer of potatoes and fried chicken, which in reality I eat very little of. I know I'm not super model gorgeous, but at the same time I'm not fugly.. or at least no one has ever said that to my face. I feel like I'm semi-smart, tell semi-funny jokes, and am semi-humble. I don't have that many issues. I don't bitch needlessly at men unlike a lot of women I know. I don't tell men what to do, again like lots of women I know. So why can't I find a nice guy who is fairly attractive, semi-smart, semi-funny, and isn't a total tool?

Do y'all have any of these issues? Do y'all get annoyed at friends when they pull the disappearing act? Oh I especially love the friend that tells me while she's single about how miserable it is to be single and how sad she is when she loses touch with new friends who start dating new guys. "It's just so sad that they don't think of their single friends eating home alone because they have company at their house". Funny that she is one of the people who gets a boyfriend and immediately doesn't have time to catch a bite to eat. Makes me sad.

Anyhoo I want to end this bitchfest on a positive note. I am not one of those people that has to be in a relationship. I function perfectly fine on my own and I enjoy not having to compromise on weekend plans and such. So while you think my life is sad and lonely, please know that it's not. I just sometimes get sad when friends go missing and I get left behind so I feel the need to vent:)

And finally check out the map below... maybe that explains why I can't find a decent guy?

My first REAL pro photog job

I am veering away from my typical bitchy posts about my weight, other people, and how lazy I can be to tell you some exciting news. Well let's just say semi-exciting since I don't want to lose my negative edge that some say I carry around like Linus and his blanket. Anyhoo.. I shot my first paid photography gig this weekend. What what!!! Granted I have done 3 different pregnancy photo shoots and one wedding. but all were done for friend pay which equals nothing of monetary value. This one was done for real money, of which I am rolling in nekkid as we, or better yet I, type. I shot the 50th wedding anniversary of Larry and Olivia; an ultra-sweet couple who were married while Olivia was still attending high school. They were married by the Justice of the Peace with no family present. At the party their kids threw them a surprise renew-your-vows ceremony including a veil, bouquet, and wedding cake. Olivia's mother was also at the ceremony. It was a perfect party for a perfect couple and I enjoyed every minute of it. I will try and post some pictures once I finish editing them.

Other than my one paid gig I am just hanging tough. I have a great project I want to share with y'all soon, but I have to get the item back and take pictures of it. Just wait until you see what I sort-of, kind-of did.

Lady, my former foster dog, is back on the market. She lived with a nice couple for a few months, but it didn't work out so now she needs a new home without small children. If you know anyone who is interested please have them contact Smoky Mountain Great Dane Rescue. She is no longer living with me due to my own dog issues, but they do adopt in the greater Atlanta area.

30 x 30 is done.. for now

Perhaps you don't remember my 30 x 30 list, AKA 30 things I want to accomplish by my 30th birthday, or perhaps you do since I have been chattering about it on this damn blog for the last month. Well if you have no clue what I am talking about you are about to be schooled since I'm posting it below so that you can see how I fared on my list. The ones I didn't do are in Bold RED and I also posted my finished descriptions of each. Also there are a shit ton of hyperlinks so anything that is italized is linked to something, mainly another blog post that's related, but some are to other websites.

30 by 30

Health and Fitness:

1. Lose 20 lbs. I would prefer to lose 30, but we shall see
**I've lost 15. Does that count?

2. Hike a piece of the Appalachian Trail
**Backpacked a piece of this biotch with friends;)

3. Work out on a regular basis
**Back to daily 6 am boot camp. Good for the body, bad for the sleep.

4. Run two 10Ks
**Nothing chased me this year therefore I had no reason to run this far. Actually I'm not going to make excuses; really I just didn't feel like running this far at any one time.

5. Run the ING half again
**This is out- missed the race:( **...not like I would have run it anyway

6. Spend a day biking
**I could have done this, yet I couldn't find any jeans skinny enough that would allow me to look cool on a bike.

Travel and Home:

7. Take a road trip with no destination in mind
**Drove up to a friend’s wedding in Virginia and took random routes and back roads stopping where ever I wanted.

8. Go camping
**Got this done with hiking the AT

9. Go to South Africa
**I decided to replace this with shooting a gun since this shit was never going to happen despite all the WANT in the world.

10. Have a “just the girls” weekend
**I semi did this. It was supposed to happen on my 30th birthday weekend, but that weekend was "rained" out so instead I had a mini staycation with some friends.

11. Spend a day taking pictures of Atlanta
**Did this and did it goooood.

12. Go to the Cotton Picking Festival; it’s been a couple of years
**Went with the moms and a couple of friends. The only thing that I decided I like about this festival now is the amazing homemade fried pies that we sampled to and from the festival.

Relationships with Family, Friends, and Others:

13. Visit a nursing home
**Sadly I didn't do this nor did I even attempt it.

14. Volunteer at the food kitchen
**I tried to do this, but the food kitchen that I have volunteered at before is closed in the spring and summer, then I tried to contact meals on wheels, but they have yet to get back to me.

15. Have a “theme” party at my house
**Oscar party theme what what!

16. Babysit Ben
**I did this a couple of times including one fun filled visit to the 'gogue

17. Pay for someone behind me in the drive through line
**Checked off somewhere near Calhoun, GA at a delightful McDonalds drive thru

18. Don’t say anything negative all day
**I think I did this, but knowing me there is no telling.

Be Selfish/ Finish Things That Need to be Done:

19. Buy all new underwear, just 'cuz
**Done it and in the process I learned that I love me some hanky panky.. it's underwear peepsies, get your nasty little minds out of the gutter.. though I do love what your thinkin' of too.
20. Get fitted at Saks and buy new bras
**Checked this bad boy off the list and I got a sneaky deal too, but I can't tell you what that is or I'd have to kill you.

21. Write a will
**Did it in blood. The judge will take that right?

22. Paint my kitchen
**Painted the cabinets and stuck on new hardware

23. Redo my front yard
**Pops helped me do this project. It was sorta kinda fun.

24. Finish putting my house in order; there is still no art on the walls of the bedrooms
**All is done, but the bedroom and I didn't finish it because of lack of funds. I am counting this as unfinished though.

25. Stain the back deck
**Sadly enough no. I meant to pound it out the weekend before my birthday, but laziness took a hold of me and hasn't let go.

Other:

26. Give away something I own
**Did this with some books and other various assorted items.

27. Take a cooking class
**Checked off thanks to Buford Highway Farmers Market and some bitchy English chef claiming to be a blonde thai. Whatevs.

28. Try baking something complicated
**Does Cauliflower and Parmesan Cake count?

29. Try making a pizza from scratch
**Oh yeah and it was glorious!

30. Learn how to can
**I thought about it, but somehow never got around to it.

EEeeekkkk 19 out of 30 isn't so good is it. That's a 63% success rate. I would have failed if this were college algebra.