Where Were You When?

Where were you when John Lennon died (1962)?

Where were you when JFK was assassinated (1963)? 

Where were you when Elvis died (1977)?

Three questions that most in the generation before me can answer. 

In my short 22 years, I have had several similar experiences.

Where were you when the O.J. Simpson verdict was delivered (1995)?

Where were you when the first plane hit on September 11 (2001)?

Where were you when President Ronald Reagan died (2004)?

I can answer all of these questions. However, for me, my most memorable "where were you when" moment came the moment I found out that Princess Diana had died.

To be specific, I was in the car with my dad on Hicks Road in Sevierville, Tennessee. Pretty good for an eight year old, huh?

I had known previously who Princess Diana was, but it was at this moment that I became quite captivated by Diana, Princess of Wales. I remember thinking, "a real life princess has died?" 

That next year, I completed by first "big girl" book report. To be honest, it was probably the first "real" book I had read, unless you count The Baby Sitters Club.

The book I chose was a biography of Princess Diana. And, I thought I was captivated before? I fell in love with everything Princess Diana. Her life, her children, everything. I even decided then that I will wear a blue dress in my engagement pictures, whenever those may happen...

One of the best things about the book report was that we got to dress up as the historical figure we were doing our report on. So, of course, I wore my Pre-Teen Fairest of the Fair crown to school. Did you expect any less? Just like every other little girl, I can honestly say that I seriously thought that someday I would be a princess. It couldn't be that hard, right? 



My glamour shot after I was named Sevier County Pre-Teen Fairest of the Fair!
 I really did become a princess! 

Part of My Project on Princess Diana

 So, now that you understand my long time obsession with Princess Diana, you can probably only imagine how excited I am about the Royal Wedding. Like most girls/women, I've spent the last week watching every second of pre-wedding hype. Here are a few things I'll be looking for:

• The Dress: Will Kate's dress have a train? If so, will it be long like Diana's? To be as long or longer than Diana's, it will have to be over 26 feet long! HOLY COW! MY BET: Kate might have a train, but she will not try to out-do Diana's. Kate doesn't want to (and shouldn't try to) compete with anything Diana did. There will already be enough comparisons, she needs to stay as far away from that as she can.
• The Hair: Traditionally, Royal Brides wear their hair up (however, Fergie did wear hers half up, half down). MY BET: Kate will wear not wear her hair up. One of her most envious features (besides having perfect skin, a perfect figure, oh yea, and becoming a princess) is her hair. She might pull some of it back away from her face, but I would be seriously surprised if she goes for an up-do.
• The Mood: Will Kate and William look happy? I don't know about you, but watching replays of Diana and Charles' wedding, they just didn't look happy. MY BET: Wills and Kate will be beaming. Diana was 20 when she married Charles. Kate is much older, 29, and much more mature. Her and William have been dating for at least seven years. They are the real deal. We will be able to feel the love even through our TV sets across the pond.
• The Departure: Traditionally, the mother of the groom and the father of the bride depart the ceremony together, with their carriage directly following the bride and groom. (With the father of the groom and mother of the bride following in the next carriage) How will this work? MY BET: I honestly have no idea how this is going to work out. Will Mr. Middleton ride alone to the palace? Will the Queen ride with Mr. Middleton in Diana's place? Who knows. All I know is that Camilla Parker Bowles best not step foot in that carriage. She better know not to try to replace Diana. 

There are many, many more things I will be looking for tomorrow, but I'll leave you with these.

My hopes for tomorrow:

• Good Weather
• Calm Nerves for Wills and Kate
• The Beginning of a Rare Successful Life of a Royal Couple
• And for little girls all over the world to become captivated by Princess Kate, just as I was by Princess Diana. Every little girl should be able witness a real life fairy tale.

"Here is the stuff of which Fairy Tales are made... the Prince and Princess on their wedding day, but Fairy Tales usually end at this point with the simple phrase, 'they lived happily ever after'... this may be because Fairy Tales regard marriage as a anti-climax after the romance of courtship... this is not the Christian view, our faith sees the wedding day, not as the place of arrival, but the place where the adventure really begins..."

The Women of Be Collection

Up to this point, I've strictly used my blog as an "About Me" blog to give those back in Tennessee an easy way to keep up with my life after college. Now, I'm currently trying to decide where I should take my blog. While I will definitely keep the "About Me" feel, I would also like to add some dimensions. 

Today, I would like to share with you The Women of BE Collection. While I was online ordering my bareMinerals Foundation, I came across this collection of twenty different bareMinerals eyecolors for $89.00. Think about that, a $220.00 value for $89.00. Talk about a deal!

I ordered mine today... I'll consider it my Easter gift to myself. Reviews to come!

Dont Play With Gods Punctuation

As I approach 3,000 views on my blog, I somehow feel that this post should have some kind of great wisdom and should in some how touch my 2 or 3 adoring fans. So, I would like to share a quote from church this morning that spoke to me. I'm hopeful it will do the same for some of you.

Never place a period where God placed a comma, and never place a comma where God has placed a period.

I'll let each of you find your own special meaning, just as I did this morning. May you all have a blessed Easter Sunday!

Have You Met Anyone

Since I moved to D.C. there has been one question that EVERYONE seems to ask. From best friends, to acquaintances, to family members, everyone seems to want to know....

"HAVE YOU MET ANYONE?"

 Well, for all of those inquiring minds... the answer is... no. I have not met anyone. While I am flattered that many of you seem to think that within the first two months of moving to such a huge city I would have already met and tied down my future husband, I've had no such luck. And to be honest, I am thoroughly enjoying the Miss that sits perfectly in front of my name.

Moving to D.C., I've arrived at a conclusion about relationships. Regardless of the intense pressure of growing up a "southern belle," I have no plans to settle down anytime soon. Outside of the bubble of southern college campuses and towns, there is no pressure to settle down by 23. In fact, it is quite the opposite. (Yes dad, you can take a huge sigh of relief - this just gives you more time to save up).

Since I've received so many questions (many from my blog followers - my favorite question "Have you met your Emmett?" in reference to Legally Blonde) about my relationship status, I figure it is only fair that I share a little about my "love life" with you to give a little insight about why I have been pumping the brakes a little in the relationship department.

I have two significant ex-boyfriends. Lets call them ExA and ExB (I will keep their names anonymous out of respect to them, and because I know at least one of them will actually read this - well, however respectful I can be while sharing details about our relationships - don't worry, most of the people reading this blog won't know who each of you are).

I can honestly say that now, I have a cordial relationship with both ExA and ExB. However, before reaching this status of cordiality with both ExA and ExB, things were tumultuous to say the least. The shaky path to cordiality with both of them seems to stem from females who came after me. With ExA, it was his next girlfriend (now ex) who was scarily insecure when it came to me. With ExB, it was, in his words "the biggest mistake of his life" rebound (also one of my "best friends") who for the longest time mistakenly thought they were on the path to marriage much to the humor of both of us. Out of respect to ExA and ExB, I'll spare the gory details. (If you are dying to know, just ask, I just won't share on my blog).

Needless to say, the whirlwind that followed both of these relationships in part helped to shape my current need to not rush down the aisle anytime soon. Although, it didn't hurt to get the last laugh in both cases.

In addition to my past relationships affect on my current view on relationships, I have so many things I want to do and accomplish and so many places I want to see before I settle down. Heck, I'm only 22 years old!

So here I am now, a young single in a huge city out on my own with no rush to settle down anytime soon. For now, I'm excited to focus on living my life and continuing to follow my dreams.

Have I met anyone yet? No. But, don't worry... I'll let you know  if  when I do.

A Mind Full of Thoughts

Well, it has now been almost a month since I blogged. (Sorry to all 2 or 3 of my adoring fans out there) To be honest, it isn't because I haven't had anything to blog about...trust me, there is a LOT going on in my life...it is simply because I have TOO MUCH to say and I don't know where to begin.

Do I blog about (1) my new apartment (2) the amazing new neighborhood I now call home, Capitol Hill (3) changes at work (4) my trip home to Tennessee (5) spending my first holiday away from family (6) etc. etc. etc.?

So, I've decided to share just a few things today, and hopefully I can expand on them a little later.

(1) I am still obsessed with my apartment. I sincerely feel like a DC version of Carrie Bradshaw when I come home to my tiny studio apartment every afternoon. (Minus the whole famous artist/fashionista/promiscuity part - and my apartment might not be as cute, although its perfect for me). Although I still have some work to do (some that won't happen until my daddy is able to come back to help me)...I promise pictures are coming.

(2) I still love living on Capitol Hill. I literally walk a block to work every day. It is so convenient. Also, some of my closest friends in DC live on Capitol Hill, which is very nice. Not to mention walking past Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) house everyday or passing and sharing a "Goodmorning" with up and coming Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) on the way to work at least twice a week. Capitol Hill is such a powerful place, and although I'm not so powerful, there is something about the atmosphere of living here that is definitely addicting.

(3) Yes, some things have changed at work. Our Constituent Services Manager, Whitney, took a new position in the office, leaving both jobs for me until we hire someone else. A month and a half in nonetheless. To be honest, it hasn't been too overwhelming...if you know me at all, you know that I thrive on challenges. So, I'm loving it! Although, it will be nice to have someone new in the office soon!

(4) I made my first trip home to Tennessee. It was wonderful (despite the horrid travel day on the way back, which led to my Kindle purchase). It was so great to see my family and the few friends I had time to see. It was such a humbling trip. However, going back to campus for the first time since being out in the "real world" did bring some major realizations...but, that story is for another day and time.

(5) This weekend I am spending my first holiday away from my family in 22 years. Needless to say, it sucks...big time. It doesn't help that my momma just had a knee replacement and that I couldn't be there for her. But, even with how bad this weekend sucks and how bad it sucks not to have been there for momma, I still know I made the right decision in coming to DC and that I am exactly where I need to be right now in my life.

I could go on and on, but for now, I'm going to go be try to productive on this rainy, cloudy Saturday.