Morning Commute Reflection

Okay, forewarning, I wrote this entire post in my head while driving to work this morning, so I'll go ahead and ask you to excuse my slight awe-shocked humble brag post. Its also about to get more spiritual than I usually am. So just bear with me. Or don't, your choice.

I was listening to my husband's Pandora One account (cuz I'm cheap and just stole his login information), driving along my normal morning commute, looking at all of the cars in my rear view mirror. I'm not exactly sure what triggered it, but there I sat, looking at the highway realizing that I've been in this routine for what will be two years at the end of this month. Part of me feels like it was yesterday, most of me feels like it was surely a decade ago.

See, two years ago, I gave up. I was fed up with my life in general. I was burnt out on dating one dead-end after another, I was exhausted with the early 20s almost-adult-but-kind-of-college-kid weekends, I was physically and emotionally done with my crap-tastic job. I was just over my entire life and wasn't sure what to do next. (PS. I have come to learn since then, this is apparently a semi-common thing amongst almost adults, so hey, if this sounds familiar, you're not alone.)

I needed a change in a big way. After Christmas that year, my best friend Catherine and I decided to set out on a path-seeking journey, mostly lead by determining if our faith that we grew up with was really ours or if it was just passed down to us. We began by doing a Bible study on the Psalms. I remember laying awake at night reading David's pleas with God thinking, "Well he understands." Which is really funny to me, because his problems were a wee bit bigger than my "woe is me, what do I do with my little insignificant life?" The only giant I was facing was a big ol' case of situational depression. Life sucked. That's all there was to it. 

Each night I read a psalm and would pray, thanking God for everything He'd given me and asking for His continued blessings in my life. I'd ask Him to help me find my path in life, to lead me in His direction. And holy moly, He did.

I remember sitting at my retarded cubicle in the middle of a sea of insignificance and just deciding I'd had enough. I didn't need to wait for something, or someone, to come along for me to change. I had all of the capacity I needed to spur my own change. So I decided to start by moving out of my hip and trendy apartment and finding a house that was more laid back and much more me. I was fine living alone, I loved decorating, this was a great plan. So I bought a house. 

Then about two weeks later, I decided that I was done with my job. I went online and began searching for something that was actually in the field I have a degree in (whoa guys. Earth-shattering here) and decided no matter what the position, I was going to take a step forward into what I wanted to do, even if it meant taking a position as an assistant in a PR firm and taking up my spot as the literal bottom of the totem pole. And I did. 

I went about learning to love myself and my new life a little more each day, and the morning after my house-warming Cinco de Derby party, I decided it was time to let someone else love me, too. So I joined eHarmony. 

I wish I was kidding you, because its still surreal to me even now, but within 24 hours, this kid named Christopher messaged me, with a profile that seemed like maybe we might match up. He talked a lot about sports and didn't once mention bars - sounded about my speed, right? So I went out with him.

The morning of our first date, I was headed to a baby shower for a family friend and remember being ready to breathe into a paper bag to catch my breath, sitting there going "Well surely this is going to be the worst date ever because there's just too much good happening right now. The other shoe is going to surely drop."But it didn't.

Except that he tripped walking me to my car. And I remind him of this on definitely a weekly basis. Always there to humble my now loving husband. 

Point of this whole message? Baby steps. 

If any of this sounds like its hitting home, first off, there's nothing wrong with you. Just because we log into Facebook every day and see everyone getting married and having babies doesn't mean that YOU have to, or should be. I realize that I'm a bit of a hypocrite as I'm sitting here telling you about all of the growing I did in such a short period of time, but hang on with me for a bit.

Not until you decide to take the reigns of your life into your own hands and find YOUR path will all of the pieces fall into place. Look at your life as a whole and figure out what needs to go. Push yourself outside your comfort zone and just freakin' go for it. What do you have to lose? Maybe its time to move, maybe its time to try something new, maybe its time for a career change. Who knows, its whatever you need. But just do it. 

I can't believe its been two years. I would say I'm the luckiest girl in the world, but honestly, I'm not sure how much "luck" really had to do with it. More like determination and faith. They're a killer combo, for sure. 

Thanks to everyone who stuck with me two years ago. I know I did a whole lot of anxious-babbling in my attempt to avoid breathing into a brown paper bag every five minutes. I couldn't have done it without you all. 

This is Too Adult: Health Insurance

So if we're going to start over, first off, I need to get rid of the How To-type posts, because lately I'm finding myself in extremely unfamiliar territory that even I don't know how to help anyone else navigate through, except maybe provide a little humor to those of you who have either:

1. Been there
2. Done that,
3. Need a good laugh at someone else's expense

Like choosing health insurance. What the heck. First off, let me clarify this is 100% not any sort of political post, but just how it relates to me. We've heard everyone talking about Obamacare and the Affordable Care Act, which, FYI, are the same thing. But in all honestly, not only am I confused about healthcare changes, but just IN GENERAL. At least I'm not this confused.

After getting married a few months ago, all of the sudden I was presented with way too many options.  And not just the options I was prepared for, like do I want to keep my last name or change it to his? Or maybe come up with some hybrid: Vanler? Milance? Should I change Brodie's name? Does he care? 

Now I also have to choose things like how to file our taxes, creating joint bank accounts, choosing healthcare options, cosigning loans, and a whole long list of things that baffle me. I have learned quickly that my husband really looks to me to do the research and present him with our options, as apparently he knows me well enough to know that even if he does the research, the enthusiastic Googler in me will come up with 50 of the most hair-brained questions he never would have thought of in the first place and I'll end up looking it up myself anyway. (I'm annoying. I know it. I'm glad he chose to deal with it.) 

But health insurance is where I really lost it. We are both lucky enough to have jobs that offer benefits plans that include healthcare coverage and help pay for it. But for the first time in my Almost Adult life, cost wasn't the main driving factor. All of the sudden, we have two incomes that equal a lot more than what I'm used to after living alone for so long before getting married. Now I'm presented with the choice of comparing options and looking at things like deductibles and coverage rates and stop/loss amounts. Have I lost you? Good.

Because this is where I lost myself. I learned a whole lot about my company's coverage this last year after my ACL surgery. Mostly that I didn't have enough physical therapy allowed for such a major surgery, which sucked a big one. If you're lucky, you've never had to put your health insurance coverage to the test and don't know that much about it. 

Well, here's what I've learned are the three most important financial questions when looking at health insurance plans that change the amounts of your monthly premium rates: 

1. Deductible: The amount you are required to pay before insurance kicks in to cover the majority of major medical expenses, like surgeries or associated costs. My MRIs, X-rays and stuff like that went towards the deductible, but not regular visits that you pay a co-pay for. 
2. Coinsurance Rates: This is a percentage that your insurance pays for medical expenses AFTER you've met your deductible. For instance, if your deductible is $1,000 and your coinsurance rate is listed as 80%, then after you pay your initial $1,000 in expenses, your insurance will kick in and cover 80% of your remaining expenses, leaving you with the responsibility of paying for 20% of the excess costs. I'd give you examples, but whatever, hopefully you get the gist.
3. Coinsurance Stop/Loss Amounts: This is the real kicker. The stop/loss amount is listed as the MAX that you can pay after your deductible. So, lets say your stop/loss amount is $3,000, that means AFTER you've met your deductible ($1,000), your portion of the excess expenses (20%) CANNOT exceed $3,000. That means your max out of pocket expense would be $4,000. The quicker you get to that Stop/Loss amount, the faster you pay nothin'.

This is where the real differences started to show. Our plans had big differences in deductibles and stop/loss amounts, and would definitely make a difference financially if we had an incident come up, like another torn ACL (please, no), that would put our insurance to the test.

So what do you do? Pay the higher monthly premium rate for the lower deductible? Choose the plan with the lowest stop/loss amount? Does the coverage rate make a difference? I DON'T KNOW. 

Wanna know how I chose our plan? The super-adult-ish way. I put my hand over my eyes and pointed to where the plan information was sitting on the table and yelled, "This one!" 

DISCLAIMER: Please don't yell at me if I got any of this wrong. I'm still confused. Health insurance is too adult. 

How To: Relocate Dust Bunnies

I think its time for the Mishaps dust bunnies to find a new home, because I'M BACK! 

I am at a total blank as to what to write about, so as I'm waiting for my creative juices to start flowing, I figure I'll just keep writing and see where it takes me. Please excuse the babbling for a minute or two. Even if I end up saying nothing of any importance in this entire post, it feels so good to be back! I have missed all of my readers. 

I have done so much growing up over the last six months, I feel like I should have tons of mishaps coming to mind to entertain you with. Being a homeowner definitely presents an entire set of issues I don't think I'd ever fully considered. Like water bills. What on earth? Why is it so dang expensive?! All I do is shower, wash dishes, and laundry. And then I remembered my valiant effort to save my grass this summer. That could be why.

Now that its finally getting out of the 80's in Dallas and decided to drop 20 degrees in two days, I'm presented with a whole other issue. Do I really need to turn the heater on? NO, I say! I can just wear a sweatshirt, pants, and slippers. This is Texas, its not THAT cold, I'll be fiiiiiine. Plus, I really was budgeting on a pedicure this month and I want some new books, so I can sacrifice some heat so my bills would be low. 

And then I woke up to a house that was 52 degrees. My stupid trees that provided my house with stupid shade in the stupid summer are now making my house STUPID cold. On went the heater and up went my complaining. I think I'm suddenly going from recent college graduate to senile old lady. "Back in MY day..."

The fun part about being a homeowner though has been working with Chris on the weekends. We have really gotten into our improvement projects, and my lack of confidence in our skills decreases a little with each project. See, we both have this habit of not being so good at easing into things. 

For example, since "ye ol' budget crunch" started ( I don't know why I'm saying "started." It's not like it ever ended), I've been bummed about my lack of adequate furniture for my house and lack of adequate funds to change this. This, of course, didn't stop my planning as to how to change the situation. My living room was just not doing it for me and patience when it comes to decorating is NOT one of my fortes.

So I went over to my trusty Pinterest account, started scrolling through all of the home decor ideas, and happened upon Anna White's blog with TONS of DIY furniture plans! How fun! I could just BUILD something instead of having to fork out the money to buy any of the furniture pieces I wanted. Look at me being so budget-savvy and a little Susie Homemaker.

What did Chris and I decide on for our first project? A five-foot long table/shelf/entertainment center type thing. We started planning for this table build and bought all of our supplies. It wasn't until we had several of Chris's dad's power tools lying around my garage that I started questioning our ability to actually do this. Maybe we should have started with a birdhouse or something. 

I am so happy to say that neither Chris nor I lost any appendages while building it. It may have taken us three weekends to finally get it built, stained, (then sanded back down when I didn't like the stain), and finally painted and moved into the house, but now I have the freaking heaviest, sturdiest, almost according-to-the-plans table under my TV. And I love it. 

Look at that. My first post back practically wrote itself. Consider the Mishaps dust bunnies evicted. See you again soon, fellow Almost Adults!

How To: Be Popular

First off, WHOA. Mishaps didn't just break 10,000 this week, it saw its bet and raised it another 250. I am in total and utter shock how many of you check back each week to read what I have to say. I'm not sure what my expectations were coming into writing this blog less than a year ago, but I don't think I ever expected this. As long as you keep reading, I'll gladly keep writing. So pass the word on - send it to your friends, repost it on your Facebook walls. Pin it on pinterest. JOIN THIS SITE! Keep doing what you're doing because SOMETHING seems to be working and I'm ecstatic. 

Unfortunately this week I haven't had much time to brainstorm some insightful advice to give everyone, seeing as I have been promoted at work and am now training the new girl who is the new me! As part of my big move to a new cube with a window, I am now sitting next to one of my friends and loyal Mishaps followers at work, who has inspired me to write this post.

I firmly believe that the usage of "lol" has gotten out of control. As someone who takes laughing matters very seriously, I would really prefer if use this acronym sparingly and only when directly appropriate. Stop crying wolf, you aren't really laughing.

I know you're guilty. You've all used lol when you aren't, in fact, laughing out loud. So what do you do when you're not really laughing out loud? Or you would laugh if it wasn't extremely inappropriate at the exact moment? Or it was only kind of funny but not funny enough to really laugh out loud? Or to emphasize when you really are laughing out loud but overuse lol so much that no one really believes that you are in fact laughing out loud?

Do what I do. Make up ridiculously long acronyms to portray whats really happening.

1. IWLOLBTWBI* = I Would Laugh Out Loud But That Would Be Inappropriate
2. IWLBIWRTFFMTLOL* = I Would Laugh But It Wasn't Really That Funny For Me To Laugh Out Loud
3. IMSTLOL = I'm More Smiling Than Laughing Out Loud
4. IWPLOLBIKYYAMBIDRLOL = I Would Put Laugh Out Loud But I Know You'll Yell At Me Because I Didn't Really Laugh Out Loud
5. WTLOLBIAM* = Want To Laugh Out Loud But In A Meeting
6. JSSICLOL* = Just Smiled Since I Can't Laugh Out Loud
7. FRIALOL* =  For Real I Am Laughing Out Loud

The use of any of these acronyms is a guaranteed way to make sure that you get a OINLOLSHIC in response. Okay I'm Now Laughing Out Loud So Hard I'm Crying. 

*These acronyms are actually used in my every day conversation. So much so that now my phone autocorrects to them. I count that as a win.


 Real text conversations between myself (in the white) and my coworker (blue):

How To: Get Through a Monday-Thursday

I LOVE Independence Day; it was a huge deal in my family growing up. Eric and I were in a parade in my grandparents neighborhood every year and we looked forward to decorating our bikes with crepe paper, ribbons and flags all year. We'd wear an obnoxious amount of red, white, and blue and listened to a guy dressed as Abraham Lincoln on the front steps of a penny candy store. It's one of my favorite holidays. Look at how excited I was. And my mom's triangle 'do. I am really thinking that this style should come back... No? I guess not.

You know what's not my favorite? Coming back to work after a day off right smack in the middle of the week. In an effort to make myself and some co-workers and friends laugh our way through this awkward Monday-Thursday, I made up a new list of moods, originally stemmed from creating a combo-shot of how I feel today. Then the idea kind of took off and we all started laughing. Here's what I've come up with:

• Hungry + Angry = Hangry
• "I know we haven't eaten yet, but there's no need to be so hangry."
• Sleepy + Grumpy = Slumpy
• "Its two hours past when she normally goes to sleep; I apologize for her slumpiness."
• Hot + Moody = Hoody
• "It's 102 outside. Don't touch me. I'm super hoody."
• Sick + Needy = Sneedy
• "Mom? Can you come over? I think i'm getting sneedy."
• Bored + Lazy = Blazy
• "My work ethic is zero today; i'm being super blazy."
• Sad + Mopey = Sopey
• "Don't be such a downer, i'm tired of your sopey attitude."
• Stressed + Psycho = Strycho
• "You probably want to steer clear of her today: she's acting a little strycho."

May I introduce you to Hangry, Slumpy, Hoody, Sneedy, Blazy, Sopey and Strycho; the newest, grouchiest bunch of Seven Dwarves. 

Its time to go back to my slumpy mood. Although thats slightly more difficult with the amount that I just made myself laugh.

How To: Change Bachelor Bad to Bachelor Pad

Today's lesson is mostly for the male audience. Girls, feel free to laugh along and pass this on to every guy you know who is guilty of one, or all, of these following examples.

Who here at some point in time had a movie poster on their wall? I sure did. In my freshman dorm room. Seven years ago. Who here at one point in time had furniture that slightly resembled Tupperware? I did. Seven years ago. Who thought that it was not only cool but also a good idea to have a beer pong table instead of a real table? Saved space, and was way more fun. Seven years ago. Who has ever seen a room that looked something like this?

Don't lie. We both know you at least thought about it. These people had much better taste/more money to spend on beer than the walls I've seen though. I'm sorry, but nothing is impressive about a family room "wallpapered" with Keystone boxes. Zero. Zilch. Congratulations. You drink a whole crap-ton of cheap beer that tastes like urine. Not that I would know, but you catch my drift. 

Are we sensing a pattern here? The things that were acceptable, and possibly even cool, seven years ago as college kids now make us look like we're suffering from Van Wilder Syndrome (the older brother to Peter Pan Syndrome).

Now don't worry boys, we are expecting to be underwhelmed by your place. The bar is set extremely low. If you have pictures hanging on your wall and a single throw pillow, we're automatically going to assume your mom helped you move in. If you have curtains, she probably did the moving in while you weren't even home. How nice of her.

Never fear, Mishaps is here! I am providing you with secret knowledge. Want to know how to seal the deal with girls and not make them run in the opposite direction when they see the inside of your Bachelor Pad?

1. CLEAN YOUR BATHROOM. I can't stress this enough. It doesn't have to be spotless, but if you have a clean toilet and I can't see evidence of the last time you brushed your teeth, I will forgive just about anything else in your place. If I can tell that you shaved this morning, or this week, just ew. You can forget it.
2. Tidy is the new clean. It makes no difference to me whether you dust or vacuum, but pick your crap up off the floor. Make your bed. At least attempt to push your clothes into a pile in the corner. Even better, buy a hamper!
3. Buy new bedding. Want any lady friend to plop down next to you in it? Buy bedding that actually matches. And sleeping bags unzipped do not count as a comforter, no matter how economical you might think it is.
4. No movie posters, please. Unless your walls are made of cinder block, there are Greek letters on the front of your building, or you have home theater room, resist the urge. Don't do it. I'm glad you love Gladiator and Tombstone. Me too! Take them down.
5. Don't even get me started on half-naked women anywhere in your place. Congratulations. That's the only one you'll be seeing.
6. Mattresses weren't meant to be on the floor. Did you know that you can but a plain metal mattress frame for under $50? They have them anywhere they sell mattresses. Having your mattress on the floor doesn't help your feng shui, it's not the same as a platform bed, and its not okay. 
7. If you can say the words "And its even collapsible!" about anything in your apartment, it means its not real furniture. Why, yes, I'd love to go to a bonfire or a tailgate with you, but my female bum is not touching a lawn chair while inside.

If you follow my advice, I guarantee* satisfaction. Trust me, it will improve your life AND your game.

*I can't actually guarantee this. If you are not satisfied, I'd be happy to return the $0.002 I earned for your page view. Except if you laughed. If you laughed, I'm keeping it. I earned my $0.002, thank you very much.

How To: Throw a House (Warming) Party

Why, yes I'm 25 and still love house parties. Especially themed house parties. That are also house warming parties. For myself. 

This past Saturday I decided it was time to break in my new house with its very first house party. Since I happened to pick May 5, which was both Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby, guests had three theme options: Mexican, Kentucky Derby, or Mexican Derby. I was excited about the possibilities this presented. Sombrero as a Derby hat? Yes please. 

I spent Saturday prepping my house, cleaning and hanging pictures to make it look like I really do live here. Good thing I had my mom in town to tell me to move everything slightly to the right and that I'm incapable of hanging a picture level. If its her opinion over what the little level bubble says, its generally best to go with her opinion. Love you, Mom. My dad was slaving away making his my garage all pimped out and organized and cleaning up the backyard in preparation for all of my guests to arrive. Good thing we got around to hanging my flag! I didn't even need to tell people that my house was the third on the left - they all just somehow knew which house was mine.

So you might be wondering what makes a 20-Something house party different than a college house party?

I mean, really. Cursive.  This qualifies me as an over-achiever.

1. It starts at 7:30 because I'm lame and now hate staying up late.
2. It has actual food. Well, kind of. There was a crock-pot in use. That has to count for something.
3. No one goes thru the dog door to see if it really is human-sized. Just kidding. Of course this happened. You can't just go around saying its human-sized without having someone test it.
4. It doesn't have just one theme but two because we're sophisticated now. Cinco de Derby? And yes, I wrote "derby" with STREAMERS in cursive. I believe this qualifies me as just plain talented.
5. Costumes could consist of a mustache on a popsicle stick. Or possibly a sombrero on a stick. Or anything seersucker. Even dogs wore costumes. We had a Bandito and a Prize Winning Horse. I'm sure you can guess which one was Brodie (its all in the legs).
6. Flip cup games don't break out on center islands. Just kidding, yes they do.
7. It requires two naps on Sunday to recover. Probably because I still woke up at 8:30 due to my inability to sleep in.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by!

Oh and by the way, THANKS FOR READING! Did you notice that in the last week Mishaps has had 900 readers?! HOLY COW! So go ahead and tell your friends! Like Mishaps on Facebook, repost it on your page, click the JOIN THIS SITE button, share the love!

How To: Get Rid of Growing Pains

And no, I'm not talking about Kirk Cameron and Leonardo DiCaprio... Who would ever want to get rid of these cuties and their super 90's haircuts?

Seriously. Check out that 'fro. I'm a little envious of 

Ben's side swoop bangs... why won't mine do that?!

I'm talking about the ones that are involved with putting on those wedgie-inducing Big Kid pants. One of the most important parts of being an Almost Adult is learning how to navigate stressful and tricky situations all by your lonesome. Its terrible, nerve-racking and just plain overwhelming.

Right now, amongst my closest group of friends, we're dealing with issues about becoming independent from our parents, getting engaged, buying houses, ending jobs, starting careers, becoming entrepreneurs, going back to school, breaking up, dating, you name it. Its like you see in movies where the character is just standing there as everyone around them starts talking all at once and it just keeps getting louder and louder as the person just stands there and panics until they end up screaming bloody murder. How are we supposed to know how to handle all of this with a pleasant smile on our faces and get from one day to the next?

Some days its hard to even see the humor in situations that you're going through. For instance, a not-so-advertised Mishap from this past year, on Thanksgiving, I had an "incident" with a creme brulee torch that ended up in me losing most of my eyelashes on my right eye, a seriously scorched eyebrow, and a significant portion of my bangs. Yes. Please laugh. It was exactly as you're imagining. One big ol' mushroom cloud coming out of the torch and me standing there while LITERALLY getting my eyebrows burnt off. 

As I stood there mourning the loss of my precious super-long-and-everybody-is-jealous-of-them eyelashes and couldn't get rid of the just plain awful smell of singed hair (probably burnt my nose hairs too... that would explain a lot), I just wanted to cry at the situation. In fact, I did. I stood in the laundry room of our house and sobbed. My poor bangs. My poor hair. How awful. It was one of the more traumatizing things thats ever happened to me, and months later, probably one of the funniest. 

Last night I spent talking on the phone to a friend of mine about how terrible my day had been. The whole conversation quickly turned into laughing about his St. Patrick's Day adventures, then trying to convince me that his seemingly odd bite he had was either from the world's tiniest vampire or possibly the alleged leprechaun from Mobile, Alabama (if you haven't seen this - brace yourself.), and finally reliving horrible college stories. 

The whole time I sat there, my problems from the day seemed further from what was really important and less horrible. Although I'm not ready to laugh at them like I do about my poor eyebrows (they're almost fully grown back in), I know it will come in time.

So how do we get rid of these growing pains in the meantime?

1. Put one foot in front of the other. Keep moving forward. Just keep swimming.
2. Find the silver lining. Even if its potential humor-value later in life when its not so fresh, there has to be something good about it.
3. Ask advice. Although we're learning how to be independent adults, you're never too old to ask advice from people like your parents or mentors who have literally been there, done that.
4. Pout, vent, scream, sigh, get it out. Do whatever you need to do to let off some steam and then pull on those Big Kid pants.
5. Deal with problems head-on. Find your own solutions rather than just waiting it out.
6. Count on your friends. Sometimes a little support is all you need,
7. Stay positive. You're not supposed to have it all figured out yet.

I am so incredibly lucky to have the wonderful friends and support system that I do. 

And the ability to laugh at myself.

And still have my eyelashes. 

How To: Adult Spring Break

I have been extremely busy this week and was debating putting off posting, until this morning while I was sitting here eating my Gluten Free Chex cereal (its amazing) thinking about how much I don't want to go to work right now when it hit me.

I miss Spring Break. Or just any break in general. Why don't we adults ever get that? Boo adult life. Here is my short but brief advice on how to celebrate an Adult Spring Break.

1. Pout. Be jealous of your friends that chose to go to Grad School.
2. Go to work. Doesn't that just seem unfair?
3. Contemplate becoming a teacher. They have breaks still.
4. Decide thats probably not the best reason to become a teacher. Maybe you should just keep your job.
5. Use a day or two of PTO. Everybody loves Paid Time Off.
6. Do something fun for yourself even if its out of the norm of your typical week. And most definitely put an umbrella in any drink you happen to have, even if its just a Diet Coke.
7. Brace yourself. Its International Drinking Day on Saturday. You can be completely normal when you act like you're still in college.

Happy Spring Break to all of my undergrad and grad student readers. 

I secretly hate you all a little right now. 

Just kidding. 

Kind of.

How To: Start the New Year

First off, let me apologize. I was so carried away on my vacation that I completely lost track of what day it was. At about 4 yesterday afternoon, my best friend Catherine texted me and said, "No post today?" I just stared at my phone with a "Huh?" face until I realized IT WAS WEDNESDAY! I hadn't even written anything!! What to do?!

So thank you, dear readers, for not hating me and still reading my post even though it happens to be a day late.

DISCLAIMER: I am by no means an expert on any topic I choose to write about from here on out, but maybe the things that I've gone through or are going through currently relate to you and can help you in some way. At the very least, you can laugh at/with me, remembering that one time that maybe you too felt like a complete moron, as I go through the many Mishaps of an Almost Adult.

One of my favorite things about New Years Eve is that you get to say goodbye to the last year, celebrate the great things that happened and forget all of the bad. Wipe that slate clean.  Its a time to let bygones be bygones and appreciate all of the wonderful people in your life. 

2011 has been quite the year for me. Early last year I started a new job working at a law office in downtown Dallas writing legal documents. I was lucky enough to be introduced to several new friends of all ages and start earning a salary that didn't make me want to cry. I put on my wedgie-inducing big kid pants, got up at 6:30 every morning like a real adult and made myself a living. 

Later that year, I started online dating again (read all about it on How To; Find 50 First Dates) and ended up meeting a very interesting new boy/man/guy that carried me through the summer and into the fall. He reminded me of how much I love football and caring for other people. He constantly was urging me to follow my true passions in life, and that carried me into September.

September rolled around, I turned 25 and I made one of the best decisions of my life. I started writing Mishaps of an Almost Adult! Not only do I get to make you laugh each week but I get to show myself that although my life may seem disastrous and out of control, I actually give okay advice and am maybe not that far off from where I'm supposed to be at this point in my life. All of your wonderful feedback only makes me realize that WE ARE NOT ALONE! If I help you even remotely, or just make you laugh at your own crazy life, or mine, well, then I feel like I've done something good.

In October, I started working on restarting my business doing graphic and web design and doing what I really love. With the help of my friends and my new business partner, Creative Aim Studios is up and running again and better than ever. I also found out that I'm going to be an AUNT! I'm too excited to spoil the freaking crap out of my little niece or nephew.

November and December rolled around and made me look over the past year and my life in general. I constantly realize how unbelievably lucky I am to be where I am. I'm 25, a blogger (with readers at that, wooooo!), a business owner, a budgeter, a Person to one awesome dog, a best friend, a budget traveler,  a sports fanatic, a break-up bouncer-backer, a good adult daughter, a penny pincher, and a proper office party attendee. What more could I want for my life?

The only advice I can give you for this next year ahead is to make it count. Make big plans! The sky is the limit. Set your goals and work your bum off to achieve them, no matter what they might be. 

See you in 2012!

How To: Have an Adult Relationship with Your Parents

Are you ready for some hilarious Aimee baby photos? They're good ones.

DISCLAIMER: I am by no means an expert on any topic I choose to write about from here on out, but maybe the things that I've gone through or are going through currently relate to you and can help you in some way. At the very least, you can laugh at/with me, remembering that one time that maybe you too felt like a complete moron, as I go through the many Mishaps of an Almost Adult.

One of the most important parts of being an Almost Adult and then eventually a Full-Blown Adult is figuring out how to allow your relationship with your parents to change. For those fortunate enough to come from a loving and supportive family like my own, figuring out how to be independent can be a real adjustment.

Let me start this by telling you how awesome my parents are. My mom is amazing. She is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met in my life. She’s always loving, is ready to help in any way she can at the drop of a hat, and is one of my best friends.

My dad is pretty great, too. His laugh is kind of like a sonic boom and is sure to make everyone else laugh, especially because he’s usually laughing at something he just said. Or maybe something I said. He thinks I’m pretty funny. I was extremely lucky to have been born into their family.

Father - Daughter relationships are an interesting breed. My dad's and my conversations usually are focused on one of three things: the weather, my dog, or my car. As much as my dad was ready to have me off his payroll, our relationship has had the most growing pains. I think in his mind I still look like the picture below and he can take care of me always.



I had to include a picture with the infamous 'stache.

I am also digging my sweet knee socks.

My favorite place to hang out when I was little was in my dad's workshop with him. He was always building or fixing something around the house. He even helped my brother and I make our very own Go Kart.

This picture makes me question his parenting skills. Our homemade Go Kart was equipped with foot brakes, meaning I put my feet out and hopefully I would stop. I'm also sporting a bathing suit - excellent road gear. Who needs a helmet when you've got knee pads?  No one likes a skinned knee. Go ahead and push me down that hill, Dad. I'll be fiiiiiiiiiine. (I actually have no recollection of getting hurt, so either I was so traumatized that I suppressed the memory or in fact, I really was fine.)

Other than activities that I joined in on with my brother and dad though, we always struggled a little at finding things in common. Apparently, when I was 5, I missed the biggest clue as to what we would later have in common.

That's right. Fishing. Nice hat dad. You look cool. So do my bangs.

 It took me 17 more years to figure out how to work on my relationship with my dad. I had graduated college and decided that our conversations about the weather were as bleak as a rainy day and needed to be spiced up a little. I didn't really expect my dad to take much of an interest in graphic design, photography or fashion, so what could I do to have more of a relationship with my dad?

We bought TCU season tickets. My dad loves football and I love TCU. It was a perfect fit. I started learning to shoot a shotgun and took up shooting sporting clays with him on the weekend. He loved teaching me and I loved blowing stuff up.

We worked on bird drills with my dog. He loved throwing dummies for Brodie, Brodie loved getting lost on the way back. (He's not the world's best retriever.) We traded in my Minnie Mouse fishing pole for a fresh water fly rod and started wading through the Eagle River near my parents house in Colorado. Somewhere about hip-deep in freezing cold water I realized I had an adult relationship with my dad outside of him washing my car and paying my bills. (Okay so I still let him wash my car. Every parent wants to still feel needed, right?)

Ready for independence and a grown-up relationship with your parents?

1. Its time to start making big decisions on your own.
2. Still feel like you need advice? Do some research on whatever you're trying to decide on beforehand and go in with an idea seeking their opinion rather than asking your parents to fix it for you.
3. If you act like a child, you'll still be treated like one.
4. The easiest way to get rid of "helecopter parents" is to volunteer the information you are willing to share about your life. As long as they feel in the loop, they'll stop hovering.
5. Figure out ways to adapt your relationship with your parents. Focus on common interests rather than being in a dependent relationship.
6. Throw them a bone. Let them take care of you now and then. They are your parents, after all.
7. Be grateful. Thank them for all of the things they've done for you throughout your life and for letting you grow up and figure things out on your own.

I know you read my blog, so thanks for following me!

Happy early Birthday, Dad. I'll always be a Daddy's Girl.

How To: Turn 25

I went home Wednesday evening still riding a high from the number of wonderful readers who tuned into my newest blog entry. Before I go any further, thank you all for reading! I am loving all of the positive feedback I'm getting. When you quote me back to me it makes my day. (Haven't read it yet? Click Here)

My excitement level helped me decide that this needed to be a celebration evening, not just a typical evening in my apartment. I went home, opened my fridge and pulled out a selection of top-notch meats and cheeses. By this I mean the deli's finest prepackaged honey ham and a mozzarella string cheese, to be washed down with a nice glass of Cran-Raspberry. What can I say, I'm classy. My Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous days are apparently not here yet. What a buzz-kill.

I thought about writing a post for last Friday, but didn't really have enough time to promise quality writing, so I thought I'd postpone in order to give you something better. I pondered over what to write about all weekend and decided that there is something unavoidable for today's post. No reader votes necessary.

I have a birthday this week. Actually, its tomorrow. I'm turning 25! Check back tomorrow, three of my hilarious life-long besties are working on some guest posts about Yours Truly.

The big 2-5. To all of my older readers, please hold all of your comments about how young I am while I start to hyperventilate and put my head between my knees. I give you one free eye roll on me. Yes, I know. I'm still a baby. I will be closer to 30 than 20, as my so-called "best friend" Colby pointed out to me. Half-way to 50. A quarter of a century. I can remember things clearly from two decades ago. This is getting scary.

Shouldn't I have figured some stuff out by now? I mean, I've had 25 years. 25 just sounds like a full-blown adult to us Almost Adults. Rather than dwell on all of the things I haven't gotten to yet in life or any advice for getting older, today's list is different.

I am one heck of a lucky girl because:

1. I have spent 25 years with my awesome family. My mom's and my relationship has provided me with plenty of ammo for writing material, my brother is my ultimate "funny or not funny" critic, and my dad laughs no matter what. I even have a pretty awesome sister-in-law.
2. I have three extraordinary best friends that have known me for a combined 29 years. You'll all get to meet Brad, Colby and Catherine tomorrow right here on Mishaps where I'm letting them all tell stories about me. They're good.
3. I have the world's best sidekick in my dog, Brodie. He wakes me up every morning just DYING to say hi to me. It's cute.
4. I went to a great college that allows me to obnoxiously deck myself out in purple. I love getting to see my wonderful friends at tailgates on home game weekends.
5. I'm only 25. I've got a whole lot of living left to do.
6. I have a good job, but more importantly I'm doing what I love... writing, telling stories, and making you laugh.
7. I have you! My fabulous readers! Keep tuning in. Today's post wasn't as laugh out loud funny, I know, but tomorrow's is. I grant you one heck of a laugh at my expense tomorrow.

How To: Walk Uphill Both Ways

DISCLAIMER: I am by no means an expert on any topic I choose to write about from here on out, but maybe the things that I've gone through or are going through currently relate to you and can help you in some way. At the very least, you can laugh at/with me, remembering that one time that maybe you too felt like a complete moron, as I go through the many Mishaps of an Almost Adult.

I just spent my Labor Day weekend at a family reunion in Indiana and celebrating the grueling (ha) labor I've put in over the last two years. This was the first time since graduating college that when I was asked 40 times by 40 different relatives the dreaded question, "So what are you doing these days?" that I'm not fumbling for an answer. The uncomfortable "Weeeeeeell..." is still all too familiar with me, trying to avoid the fact that the answer is rather underwhelming and definitely not where I had thought I'd be after college. As I was flying back to Dallas, I came to the decision that the only way to start this blog off correctly would be to start at the beginning; the first, most important lesson about being an almost adult. How to edit your original plan to fit reality.

The day after college graduation I found myself headed to Paris with my mom to avoid the reality that the economy was terrible, I'd picked a major that was laying employees off rather than hiring, my internship couldn't hire me and I had no plan. A week in France didn't seem to change any of that either. I had until June when my lease was up to figure out a plan or else I needed to pack up, move to Nevada and back in with my parents. Sacre bleu, zut, et merde, as the French would say.

I found out quickly that job hunting is exhausting, depressing and I'd rather perform a root canal on myself. It was time to ditch the public relations route, switch gears, and shoot for the least degrading job I thought I could manage to find. Luckily, I found a job working as an assistant for a photographer and she hired me to do the graphic designing for her company. Not what I particularly wanted to do, but it was better than nothing.

At this point, my flirtation with Completely Broke turned into a long-term steady relationship and I needed a plan C since Plans A and B weren't working out so well. These are some of the lessons I learned along the way.

1. Big kid pants are uncomfortable. And prone to wedgies.
2. Although I prefer the motto, "If at first you don't succeed, destroy any evidence you ever tried," the original saying fits better for job hunting. You really do need to just keep trying again.
3. Find something you're good at, even if you didn't major in it, and figure out a way to use it as a Plan B. Sometimes Plan B turns out better than Plan A.
4. Never stop looking. Even if you have to take a job that isn't ideal in order to pay the bills, keep your eyes and ears open for new opportunities to better yourself and your career
5. Think outside the box when it comes to things to add to your resume. Is there something you can volunteer for that would count as experience in the field you'd prefer to be in?
6. Find out if your community has networking meetings for professionals. I attended a few promoting the photography studio I worked for, and then again later representing my own company I started. Its a great way to meet people who run small businesses that might need some contract labor in whatever field you might be in.
7. Maintain a good sense of humor about it all. This is our opportunity to write our "Oh yeah, well when I was your age..." stories. My mom still claims to have walked to school uphill both ways. In the snow. All year. Cleveland is so hilly.