I'm a Chandler

I normally watch re-runs of Friends and Seinfeld when I get home from work to unwind. I've seen them all a million times but they make me laugh and I can still do other stuff and know what's going on.

The other day, while watching Friends, I realized that I am a "Chandler". That character is me in almost every way. Well except for the male/female factor. Chandler is the sarcastc funny guy of the group. He has a hard time getting a date. He has issues with his Dad. He usually hangs with Joey who is hotter and gets the girl instead. He frequently goes back to the girl that they all hate. Does this mean I'm going to marry a friend that I have known for a long time? Hmmm...

Do you ever wonder what character you resemble in a sitcom? Sex and the City, as much as I hate to admit, I'm a Miranda. The Office, I think I'm the Oscar. Golden Girls, I want to be Blanche, but I think I'm a Dorothy.

Transformation

I didn't realize how much I have lost until I looked at old and recent photos of myself.

Before




After

Patting my own back

As I'm sure all of you know by now, my mood has been less than perfect lately. Hitting the breaking point and having to wait 6 months to fix it, is so not easy. BUT as I wrote before, I promised myself that I would put my energy into exercising each time I felt like having a panic attack and that's just what I did. Instead of crying, or buying a bottle of wine to down, I instead put on the gym clothes, drove my ass to 24 hour fitness and did a few miles on the treadmill. As much as I hate exercising, it really does help change my mood. I'm proud of myself for going. The old Rosie would have sat depressed on the couch and ate her feelings. I am also proud to announce that after having a retinal scan, they were able to look at the veins inside my eyes which can determine diabetes. Last time I went to the doc, when I was at my heaviest, he had told me I was pre-diabetic. So this time when I had the scan, he checked and there was no warning sign of diabetes. Good job, Rosie. Good job.

Evolution of a Social Butterfly

With my ten year high school reunion coming up, I found myself looking back at my childhood and it's truly shocking that I became I recruiter. I was so quiet and shy as a kid. I always had friends, but doing things like talking to boys, speaking in front of the class, and meeting new people were always a little frightening. I was never the leader. Never the loud one. I didn't belong to any clubs or sports teams in high school. I don't even know what type of high school kid you would classify me as. I wasn't popular, but wasn't a geek. I just kind of blended into the background I guess. I only have one friend from my childhood and teenage years that I still keep in touch with. Every one else quickly fell by the wayside as I grew older.

Now, I have to be social for a living. I have random people contact me all day long, hoping that I will reply. My Linked In connections is up to 1700+ people, and that's after I deleted all the people I didn't actually know! My facebook has blown up with new friends. I attend conferences to meet random strangers. I give presentations in front of large crowds. My mom always laughs at me, because we can literally be in the middle of no where and somebody I know will walk up to us and say hi. Who knew that shy girl would turn into a social butterfly.

It's strange how our lives change.

On the wagon

One of my struggles I have been going through lately, is out-growing this "party girl" image I have. Most of my friends I have now, met me when I was 21 and out of control. Instead of broke in college, I was getting paid to work in the entertainment industry at a studio on the beach. I mean honestly, how many 21 years old get to do that? The majority of the crew was away from their families and friends, so we would literally go out every night. Being the young girl in the group, I didn't have a hard time getting others to buy me drinks. I truely did some crazy ass things and killed many brain cells along the way. I could write a 10 year series with the stories I have from those days.

Now, as I am about to turn 27, I am no longer in that stage. My body doesn't handle hang overs as well. I don't have as many people buying me drinks and I don't have the money most times to buy my own. My issue, is that most people expect me to still be that party girl and are disappointed when I'm not. While most people were crazy in college, I was crazy during my first years in the industry. Unfortunately, that set a standard for my image. Can I still drink most people under table? Probably. Do I want to? No.

My number one focus right now is getting healthy, and let's face it, alcohol is not healthy. I still have my occasional glass or two of wine, but compared to what I used to be, I'm a party pooper. Call it being lame, being cheap, what have you...I call it growing up.

Scandinavian Cruise

That's right! Summer 2012 I will be headed on a Scandinavian Cruise with the fam. Our destinations will include: Copenhagen,Denmark, Berlin,Germany, Stockholm,Sweden, Helsinki,Finland, St.Petersburg,Russia, Tallinn,Estonia (that's right Nicki!), Aarhus, Denmark, and Oslo, Norway. If anyone has been to any of these places and has recommendations on what not to miss, please let me know!

The Bucket List...WIP

1.Great Pyramids – Egypt
2.Dolly wood/Graceland
3.Mt. Rushmore
4.Kentucky Derby
5.New Year’s in NYC Time Square
6.Mardi Gras – NOLA
7.Australia
8.Carnival in Buenos Aires
9.Buy a pair of manolo blahniks
10.Own a beach house
11.Look good in a bikini
12.Italy
13.Go on a yacht in Miami
14.Own a house
15.Tour the White House
16.Niagara Falls
17.Hot Air Balloon Ride
18.San Antonio River Walk
19.Waikiki Beach , Oahu
20.Atlantic City
21.Cape Town, South Africa
22.Spain
23.Portugal
24.Northern Lights in Alaska
25.Visit all 50 States, states left to visit: OR, TX, NM, UT, MT, WY, CO, ND, SD, KS, TN, KT, AK, AL, MI, MS, WI, IO, IN, IL, RI, MA, SC, NC, VR, NB, MN, VE, CT, MO, WV, DE, MY, ID, DC, OH,NH

America..Fuck Yeah!

Happy Independence Day Kids! Did you know that this is my favorite holiday behind Christmas? Yep, it is. What's not to like about it? BBQs, warm weather, fireworks, parades. It's like the ultimate summer time day. This year I don't have any plans, but I'm ok with that. Being independent today. Get it, see what I did there? I may go shopping, may go to the farmer's market, might even call a friend and try to find fireworks and cookout. Who knows, all I know is I have tomorrow off of work as well and that makes me happy.

Thank you for being a friend

I know it's sad, but I am on a Golden Girls kick. I think I have watched about 8 episodes already tonight. Yes, its Friday, so! GG reminds me a lot of my childhood. I used to watch this show with my Grandma on my dad's side. I don't have a lot of fond memories with her, but watching Golden Girls was always a good time. My mom would drop me off at her place and we would sit in the den, watch GG, and eat bugles. Remember those cone looking chips? Freaken loved those! I haven't seen these episodes in 20 years, so it's like they are brand new. That Rose is freaken hysterical and my favorite! I love that Dorothy looks like a man in drag. Blanch is basically what I will be like in 30 years. Sophia doesn't take any shit from any one.

I'm ok with staying home on a Friday night and have a GG marathon by myself. I love my girls. I hope when I'm that age, I have good friends to buy me the largest gift that says: "Thank you for being a friend!"