We're Sleeping in the Streets....

I Wear My Sunglasses At Night

Even though I currently have the summer off- I just love counting down to the weekend! Especially when friends come in from out of town to play with us Charleston Ladies! My friend Allison and I went to Charlotte, NC for the Fourth of July and so it was only fair to host the Charlotte Boys! What were we thinking? I'm still wearing my sunglasses around inside. Well that and because I look wicked cool. Just saying...

The boys started infiltrating Charleston on Friday afternoon and the town was destroyed by Sunday morning. It all started off with a calm dinner at Poe's Tavern on Sullivan's Island with Phil since Allison decided to ditch us for Sean Brock's (of McCrady's Downtown) crab something something at a social event she went to. She later begged us to join her and Erica- and to bring alcohol. She made the right request because we arrived at the Battery with Tequila and Chips with Salsa. Yum. So we sat on the front porch indulging in some margaritas while making fun of Phil and Banks for their accents. Which transformed into Banks freaking out because he thought we voted for Bush. Does he remember we're from Massachusetts? After being entertained by the way they say the letter "W", we rallied the troops and headed downtown! We survived Banks' crazy road skills and hopped around a few places on King Street before landing at Trio for some dancing. I am thankful that I was super sober that night because I wouldn't have been able to recall all the crazy events if I wasn't! 

Hunter and Kate

Gilroy's is the place to go on King Street if you want super greasy pizza at ungodly hours of the night. So we reassembled over some pepperoni pizza and got our head counts before we left downtown. Thank God for girls with Drama because we had PLENTY to watch thanks to Banks supplying us with some girls who claimed they gave a friend of ours their car keys. Which meant they couldn't get home until they found him. So...we took them home with us to get their keys! As my friend Suzanne would say- Oiy. Got there, handed over their stuff (purses/towels etc) and we snuggled on Allison's bed for a few before the K House (My House) group headed back to Mount Perfect. Cue loud banging on the front door. Door is answered. Girls are back demanding their keys, again. Long story short- the keys fell out of a purse down at Folly Beach (approx 20 mins away)  and some bartender at some hotel apparently has them. Awesome. After some problem solving, AAA is called to pop the trunk because there are apparently keys in there. Which means they've just got to play the waiting game for a bit. As the K House group leaves we notice that they are sleeping in the street. Literally. Towels spread out. Snuggled in the street. I don't know what happened after that, but I do know they got back home safely. 

Banks, Myself, Phil

Saturday Morning. Well- we were all supposed to go to the Farmer's Market in Marion Square for Crepes but since we all got to bed at like 4am we vetoed that plan and caught a few more minutes of sleep. We had a beach party planned for the afternoon and so we spent the morning finding ways to bring alcohol to the beach. Mission accomplished. In true beach clique fashion- some ladies lounged in chairs gossiping, some beachy people played bocce ball, and the men did manly things. Like practiced Kiteboarding. I have to admit- it was pretty cool watching the Charlotte boys maneuver their kite around in figure 8's. But we all know what happens when boys play- someone gets hurt. Phil narrowly missed getting his face, legs, neck whatever else, taken off by the kite thanks to the crazy wind we were having. He escaped with a mark across his face that makes him look like the Joker from Batman. I can talk about this because A) he told people I did it, and B) because it is going to go away and I won't feel guilty about putting it in my blog. Well that and when we went swimming I almost drowned- until I stood up. Whose fault was this?! Ahem, exactly. 

Allison, Me, Phil, Erica, Morgan

Anyways- Cue black skies. Party disperses. And guess what? We can't find Hunter or Banks- who have what? Someones keys. Again. So Phil, Sarah, and myself retreat back to Poe's Tavern for some dinner and plan our night while we wait for the boys to answer one of our 50 phone calls. Who gets the first returned phone call? That's right- Sweet Karen. They showed up at Poe's, inhaled some burgers with us, and planned the night to come.

Sarah, Phil, Me, Banks at Poe's Tavern

Saturday Night. I should just call it Tequila Night. I made Margarita's and chili cheese dip at my house and had everyone over. The men played Wii for a while, the girls funneled margaritas, and then we sat around chatting for a bit. Biggest topic of conversation? What was the worst lie you've ever told? Somehow I don't think scratching your name into someone else's Gameboy counts as the worst lie you've told, Banks, but who am I to judge. So I posed the question- what is the nicest thing you've ever done for anyone? Apparently no one in the group does nice things, aside from me of course. The crew headed out to Shem Creek and landed at Infuzions to see the Atlanta Falcons. I didn't see one Falcon but there were a few people that saw my panties after I had tucked my dress into them. Super! Thankfully the hostess open field tackled me and saved me from even more embarrassment. I was more thankful when I arrived at the table to find a tequila martini that was freaking amazing. I did later confess to unknowingly shaking my booty for the waiting room. Moving on, to Red's Ice House! Not typically a late night establishment but they were happy to see us. They were even more happy to serve us tequila shots and Corona's. I blame Phil for telepathically telling me to pour a tequila shot into my Corona. I may or may not have shoved some contraband into Banks' pocket that spawned some heavy confusion. I know for sure we laughed for like 20 minutes before relocating and making friends at the bar. Or enemies since the boys were mad the band was closing up and Red's closes earlier than downtown (since it's not a late night establishment!). I don't remember who- but someone was talking about building a house out of recycled goods I think. Fast Forward. Our DD dropped the K House crew off and when we eventually went to bed- I'm pretty sure I snored myself to sleep. Which never happens. For the record. 

Sunday Morning. I woke up feeling sick. Ate some crackers and drank some Coke. Played with Nova and Murphy for a while. And then went back to bed. We celebrated our survival at the Charleston Cafe which was formally the Bookstore when it was downtown. The Charleston Cafe is amazing. Everyone we take there LOVES it. Can you blame them? Negative. AND there was No Line! That's right! When you sleep until noon you don't have to fight with the church crowd at 9am! We may have needed to have taken up space at our favorite pew but we failed to do so. Oh well. 

I once again failed to take my camera out of my purse. I really need to get better at that! So I've taken it upon myself to steal everyone else's pictures! Compliments to those who are on top of saving memories in picture form. I preserve them in blog form. Oh- You're Welcome! 

Morgan, Kate, Allison, Sarah, and Moi at Trio

Yay for Professional Kudos!

All of the Speech and Language Pathologists I've worked with, studied with, done research with, or collaborated ideas with have been fabulous. I work for a very cool company that prides itself on being better than the best. Perfect fit for me, Right?! This past semester/quarter of work was quite stressful. I've had crazy cases all year long but one case in particular brought out several big guns with lots of ammo. I entered and left each meeting thinking "don't screw up, don't screw up." As a first year therapist I was still learning the ins and outs of the system as well as transferring what I learned in school to my practices. I'm from Massachusetts and worked in the system for 2 years, relocated to Georgia for graduate school and learned their laws, and started my first year of employment in South Carolina. I had a lot of standards, rules, regulations, and criteria to re-learn and I was always worried I was thinking I had the wrong states regulations on my brain. With a lot of help I managed to make it through my first year. This doesn't mean I won't land in court but at least I still have my license for now right!! 

My Moment of Fame on the front page of my companies website!: (Um- I'm Wicked excited about this incase you didn't pick up on it!)

Kudos to Karen Astin and a team of therapists from a school Director in SC:  "I don't think I have ever been prouder of a team than I was today.  You guys did an awesome job on the evaluation.  It was a comprehensive report.  Your presentation "oozed" with knowledge and confidence! Our children are lucky to have all of you.  Keep up the good work."

Paint Yo Feelingz

A few posts ago I stated that I was going to buy a painting for over my bed. I've had a particular painting in mind, that I absolutely love, but felt it was too sentimental for right now. A friend of mine suggested that perhaps I paint something myself to match the colors and decor of my room. Brilliant! So instead of watching soap operas and eating Rainbow Chip Frosting out of the container, which is completely HEAVENLY I might add, I got busy on my art project! It was requested that I use this art project to reflect on some mixed feelings I might be having. I can't be sure, but this could be a painting of my feelings if you're following those guidelines.

First- Make sure you have help. You can't go through life without a little help now and then.

Second- Build your easel. Any good artist is going to need an easel to paint on. And since we all know I'm a fabulous artist- I damn well needed an easel!

Third- Blank Canvas meets Paint. I kind of like this actually. Quite artsy. 

Forth- Paint it Red. Two coats please!

Fifth- Fire your help if they aren't helping. Take note to Miss Thang passed out in the background. Brat.

Sixth- Apply feelings with a fluid motion. And by fluid motion I mean whip the paint at the canvas as hard as you can. You can scream if you need to. 

Seventh- Hang your Masterpieces! Shut up- that's as even as they're going to get. 

Eighth- Find something else to do with your life for next week. Suggestions Welcome. Am I supposed to sign my artwork? Hmm...

4th of July in Charlotte, NC

The Adventures of Karen and Allison.

After packing the car with the bare essentials: Tequila, Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka, Pillows, Panties, Sunblock, Hats, Diet Coke, Chips, Goldfish and Cute dresses- We took off in search of Charlotte, NC. 

Along the way we smelled bacon, told funny stories, planned events, heard engagement news (yay Kelsey and Stephan!), and said "I love this song" a million times. Yes, we smelled bacon. 

We found ourselves at a vacant CVS, searched for a Publix that didn't exist, and ate at Five Guys Burgers (drool). When we finally arrived at the Lake House we were relieved! We were specifically instructed to "Call Phil" for directions. Did we call Phil? No way. I did text Phil as we were walking down the driveway to say we had gotten there safely and that there was some red car in the driveway. As Allison opened the back door that was "left unlocked for us" and we walked inside the house, Phil responded with "Um, there's no red car there." YIIIIKES. 

Thankfully, like most boys, he was wrong because we quickly found a picture of him in a bikini on the mantel as well as other fun moments the boys had found themselves in. Sorry for the "Bus," Phil! Anyways- back to my story! After some relaxing and unpacking/snacking we headed to downtown Charlotte. 

After wondering around "Alive After Five" looking for Phil and Friends we finally teamed up and went bar hopping. Round One was at The Fox and Hound where a Michael Jackson Karaoke night was in full swing! Round Two was at the Brick and Barrel where this Homeless Vet was getting his groove on (dude he was way better than I am!). And all of the final rounds were at Alley Cat where Tim got us a hook up to get in! Lots of fun, lots of dancing. I may or may not have seen some dudes livelihood- I can't be sure since NO ONE ELSE SAW. Ugh- You people are hopeless!

The next day was a pool party and boat day! We went and hung out by a friends pool, ate some hot dogs, played some pool, and went home to recuperate! Tim and Phil then steered the boat while we went for a ride and watched the sunset. We docked at Tbonez and had supper and some drinks while we watched wasted boaters zoom around. This guy, that I named Mike Smith, was tanked and trying to dock his boat. For what? A beer. After Mike Smith was long gone we headed home to play a few rounds of "Guess that Song." I clearly won.

Happy Fourth of July!! We started off the day getting into our swim suits, packing the boat, mixing drinks, and making mixed cds! Cruised out to the Sandbar, blew up the float, threw it in the water- and JUMPED ON! Aside from having to pee in the water- Lots of fun! Even mooning people everytime I jumped back on the float was entertaining. I should have gotten a tattoo on my tail end because I swear no one has seen my rear that much- EVER. There was a creeper who pulled up to the sandbar with his video camera. He was all alone in his boat. Allison spotted him with his hand down his pants. I try not to think about it. The rest of the 4th was great too. Lots of fireworks, and cooking out while meeting new people. 

The last day of the trip Allison and I got up and went searching for some surprises for our Hosts! We met up with Phil downtown to have lunch and scope out his place. Landed back at the Lake House to catch up with Hunter and Banks. We of course filled them in on all the fun. People getting arrested, mooned, wasted, rotting potatoes, and the people we had met. 

I figured I should post some fun pictures of our trip! Allison and I both had a BLAST and are looking forward to our next trip up! I am SURE everyone is looking forward to our return because they practically cried when we left. I saw tears. Seriously.

The Torture of Time

Time heals all.

Time moves slowly.

Time is on my side.

Time keeps on ticking.

This is the time to remember.

Remember the time.

Time changes things.

Just give it Time.

Killing time.

Time of My Life.

Time After Time.

Wasting Time.

The first Time.

It's not my Time.

Only Time Will Tell.

Do you mark time? I do. It's not something I do on purpose, but it is something I frequently torture myself with. Six years ago on April 1st I stopped running. A month ago I was home in Massachusetts. 6 months ago last week I went on vacation. Three years ago I got accepted into graduate school. Time time time. Always haunting me. Lately, I've been drowning in my old memories. Both insignificant and life altering. It must be a popular month because I feel like I'm always thinking "a year ago today I...." I don't know what makes me think of the date that I went parasailing, the first time I went to Magnolia's, the first time I ran the bridge, or the first time I did CPR on a patient- but these things just keep floating around my head. 

A best friend of mine also seems to be suffering from this "Time Torture," especially today. Which got me thinking- Why should we struggle with a certain day just because a year ago our heart was broken, or our life changed because of something that happened? It's not like it's someones damn birthday. My dad's birthday (whom I call Ernie) was last week. On his birthday I did not sit there and think "Hmm 53 years ago Ernie was born." No way- that'd be lame-o and creepy. Especially since I swear he has to only be 45.  And yet I still sit here thinking about these moments of my life that have passed me. For some of them I laugh, others I ache. Maybe it's just like a self checking system- you know- to keep my life on the right path. Who knows. I can't say it's unhealthy to reflect upon these moments, but I also can't state with certainty that it has any positive affects on the soul either. Who am I to decide?

Someone recently advised me to live in the present- not the future, nor the past. I've been actively trying to do this with every ounce of me and you know what? It's not easy. But I do agree that it's the right way to live. I went for a drive tonight to think about his advice because I was having a difficult time grasping it. I don't think we should "forget" our past- but we can't live in it. We can't live that life because it's in the past for a reason. Our past events have already molded us- whether we like it or not. We also can't live in the future because we have no way to grab ahold of it. I can timeline the Hell out of my "future" and the life I want but just because I think I should be married with kids when I'm XYZ doesn't mean life will unravel that way. I know huh? Rats! 

Is it time to let Time move along on it's own? I think so.

There are days it feels like yesterday, and days it feels like it was a million years ago... Always in my heart... xoxo

"When I look to the sky, something tells me you're here with me. And you make everything alright. I can always find my way when you are near."- Train

Because I think it says exactly how I'm feeling: When I Look to the Sky- Music/Video  Lyrics

                                            

                                                        Sunset over the Cooper River