How To: Meet the Parents

Welcome! Happy Mishaps Day! I'm glad to report that this week Mishaps is back and running at full capacity. Thank you all for bearing with me while I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off. 

You've probably all read here or seen on Facebook lately that I have exciting news in my life. Everyone meet Chris, my awesome boyfriend.  Hi Chris! ::waves at computer screen:: He's cute, smart, loves dogs that are part mini-horse, takes me to baseball games and to see fireworks, preferably at the same time, and thinks my blog is hysterical. What more could I ask for?

One of the fun (kind of?) parts about having a new relationship is meeting all of the people in both of our lives: roommates, friends, dogs, and even families. We both came to the decision that meeting the parents was going to be as big of a deal as we made out of it. Since both of our families live in the Dallas area (at least part of the time) we were better off getting it out the way than trying to explain why no one had met this mystery person. (Please imagine me making the sound effect of a Band-Aid ripping off, because that is definitely the noise I made while I wrote this paragraph.) (I also apparently love parentheses.)  (At least its not air quotes.) (My eye just twitched.) (I'm done now.)

The plan was set: Chris was going to take me to church, where we would meet his parents, then go eat with them after. Being my typical self, I was confident. I'm funny, relatable, and could talk to a wall. What did I have to worry about?

This attitude stuck with me until we got to the church and Chris and I stood there waiting for his parents to arrive. Suddenly I was ready to put my head between my knees and start hyperventilating. What should I talk about? What should I not talk about? What if they don't like me? What if I don't like them? Why was I not freaking out before RIGHT NOW?!

This was no time to panic... It was too late to fake a sudden illness and try to get out of this. They'd be here at any minute and I'd probably just lost all color in my face as I was trying to remain calm. I might not HAVE to fake an illness if suddenly I hurl on myself. Clearly I was doing a fantastic job at remaining calm...

Turns out everything went just about as smoothly as I could have asked for. I didn't heave, which is always a plus. It did make me feel slightly better about myself that Chris went through the same sudden anxiety attack as we were walking through the parking lot of the restaurant to meet my parents two weeks later. We are just so compatible like that.

Have you had a Meet the Parents Mishaps? Are you ready to meet your significant other's family? Keep these rules in mind.

1. Bring Tums. 
2. Ask your boyfriend/girlfriend about their family so you aren't going in completely blind.
3. Always err on the side of conservative. Watch your language and be polite.
4. Find a balance between quiet as they talk about things you may not know about and talkative when they ask you questions about yourself.
5. It'll only feel like pulling teeth if you go into it with that mentality. Volunteer information rather than sit back for the firing squad of questions. Talk about your family, your job, etc. 
6. Turns out parents get really nervous about these kinds of things, too. My mom knew how important it was to me for it to go smoothly and ended up just as nervous as Chris and I felt.
7. Be yourself! There's a reason you're dating the person you are and more than likely thats the same reason their parents will end up liking you.

Apparently its pretty evident that Chris and I are chocolate-wasted happy together and thats all our parents seemed to notice. There was no need to spray paint a cat or anything outrageous. I even met his siblings this past weekend. So now all we have to do is meet my siblings and ease their FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). (I just learned this acronym today.) (Here we go again with the parentheses.)

How To: Keep On Keepin' On

Okay, so for a quick recap: In the last three months, I've:

• purchased a house
• left a crappy job 
• started a new, better job
• had over 3,000 readers read my little ol' blog
• trained my dog to use a dog door and apparently type
• started a new relationship (!!!)
• became an aunt to the cutest baby in the world
• went on my first all-expenses-paid business trip
• and now just landed myself a promotion-of-sorts.

Whoa. Look at that list. It's kinda long. And thats all over the course of just THREE months. Excuse me for a minute while I smile so big I can hardly breathe, and then end up with my head between my knees. What a difference a few months makes! When did I go from Not-Really-But-Almost Adult to For-Real-Almost Adult?

I don't have anything really side-splitting funny to say this week. If you haven't been catching the same whirlwind of luck that I have, here's what I've learned:

1. Everything doesn't happen for a reason. You may disagree with me, but I really think this is true. That does not mean that every situation isn't a learning experience. How else can you learn if you never have any mishaps?
2. Everything DOES happen when it's supposed to. Be patient! Your good fortune is just around the corner waiting for you.
3. Stay open and positive. Nobody likes a Debbie Downer.
4. Make your own destiny. Don't wait on someone else to make you happy.
5. You're twenty-something. Grab life by the horns! Live big!
6. At the very least, you have my blog to look forward to!
7. Never forget to appreciate all that is great in your life. Write a list of everything good that has happened this year. I bet it will be more than you were expecting. I stole this idea off Pinterest, but you can write them on slips of paper and stick them in a jar like this:

Sorry my posts have all been so short lately. Life is overwhelming in the best possible sense of the word right now. I'm working on some new ideas for you! In the meantime, keep on keepin' on.

How To: Take a Business Trip

I'm finding out this week! I'm in Austin all week for business and unfortunately haven't had much downtime to write a blog. So here are my tips:

1. Even if your company isn't paying for you to stay in a hotel the night before you have to be in a city thats 3.5 hours away, you should probably drive down the night before and just suck up the cost itself. Waking up at 3:30 in the morning so that you can be at an 8:30 meeting is a wee bit brutal. Especially at about 1:00 in the afternoon when you enter a lunch coma. 
2. Get over eating alone quickly. Yep, its just me.
3. Take workout clothes/bathing suit. My hotel has an awesome pool. Haven't gotten there yet. Maybe tomorrow.
4. Bring a book or some form of entertainment for when you end up at dinner by yourself or sitting alone in your hotel room.
5. Make friends with your business contacts. Find out if there are other people in from out of town also and suggest dinner with them. Networking + not eating alone for one meal = WIN.
6. Write blogs about sitting alone at dinner while alone at dinner.
7. Miss the crap out of your dog/boyfriend/bed/friends/house/real life. Probably in that order. Sorry to the BF. At least you were ahead of my bed!

'Til next week!

OH HEY! Did you notice Mishaps passed 9,000 views? I'm so dang proud of myself. I couldn't have done it without you! I mean, I guess I could have if I refreshed my page 9,000 times. But that's outrageous. I'm guessing I've only refreshed it about 1,500 times.

How To: Be the Best Aunt Ever Part II

I just had to post this as a follow-up! I followed my own advice (#2) and got to Denver ASAP to see this little bundle of cuteness in person. HOLY POOP. Reagan, my new niece is TEN TIMES more gorgeous in person than in pictures. But since you can't see her in person, I thought I'd just post more pictures.

I can't help but smile after my dad read me Aunt Aimee's latest post! She's so funny!

I Baby Tebow to thank God for my hilarious Aunt Aimee and her awesome blog.

I'm thinking you should click on the blue JOIN THIS SITE button
and follow Aunt Aimee's blog.

Despite the fact that my Aunt Aimee keeps saying i look like the Inch Worm

 in my multi-color striped hat and green blankie,  

I can't help but just love the poop out of her.

I think she might love me too! 

I'll have to remember to say funny things so she can use me as material.

How To: Be The Best Aunt Ever

I didn't sleep all last night waiting to hear anything about more progress from any of my family members camped out in Denver waiting for a new Miller's arrival. I finally got up, got in the shower, ate breakfast, and switched on my iPod while getting ready to dry my hair and get ready for the day. As i was scrolling through my playlist options, I laughed a little to myself and chose my Best of the 80's playlist. For those of you who don't know this, my brother is OBSESSED with Journey. Like, big time. Its "illegal" in his car, or any car that he happens to be sitting in, to change the radio from a Journey song to a different station. He belts out Don't Stop Believing so off tune you want to Stop Believing, and yet doesn't even care. And this is why I love him so much.

As soon as my iPod shuffled through the Best of the 80's and hit a Journey song, I knew that any child of Eric's would have to answer the call and come out singing. At 6:13 this morning I became an aunt! Reagan Charlotte Miller was born this morning to my brother Eric and his wife Diana. I may be slightly biased but she is the CUTEST DANG BABY I've ever seen. Complete with joint wrinkles - the best part about chubby babies! Who doesn't love a dent in the chub where joints are supposed to be?! I just want to squeeze her!

So how do you go about becoming the best aunt/uncle ever? 

1. You tell everyone you know that you have the cutest new niece ever.
2. You book a plane ticket to wherever she is and GO as soon as possible.
3. You charge your camera so that you can take poop-tons of pictures of her cute little self.
4. You are borderline rude to your mom in demanding more pictures. She'll understand.
5. You get so excited you can barely stand it and tip-toe on the line of annoying to coworkers.
6. You write a blog dedicated to how excited you are to be her aunt. 
7. That pretty much sums it up.

I LOVE YOU ALREADY REAGAN! 

XOXO - The Best Aunt Ever

Since I never got around to posting this week (boo me), I am hereby promising TWO posts next week! Yay me!

Only advice I have for this week:

Check to make sure you have replacement contacts before you throw out the pair you're currently wearing. Two lefts do not make a right. Especially with my vision. I'm off to go bump into walls and things until next week.

HAPPY FRIDAY!