I'll be there for you, cause you're there for me too.

I'm not sure why I totally spaced on writing about this, but a few weeks ago my sweet friend Sider and I had the best dinner and a movie date!

I know some parts of the country has had Five Guys for a while, but they are new to us in Michigan. We got burgers and fries and they were delish! It was week one of gluten free, so I got mine with out a bun, but it was still really good. The fries were good as well but there were SO many! I barely even made a dent in mine haha

After dinner, we went to see Horrible Bosses. Oh my gosh, it was sooooo funny!

I love love love Charlie Day as Charlie on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (if you've never seen it, go watch it now! It's one of my favorite shows!). He was so funny in this too! Jason Bateman and Jason Sudekis were hilarious as well, so was Colin Farrell and Jennifer Aniston, and Jaime Fox... and Kevin Spacey... they were all soo good! I was laughing out loud the entire movie-If you get a chance, go see it. I highly recommend it :-)

But seriously, is there anything better than a night out with a good friend? We had such a good time, laughing and talking and catching up, even though we see each other at work, and it was so nice just to relax and chat. I can't wait to do it again!

Movin' on up, to the east side, to a deluxe apartment in the sky.

I did it. I finally entered the 21st century.

I got a smart phone.

A droid to be exact.
Earlier this week, on whim I went the Verizon store, just to "price things out" and of course, walked out with a phone, which I should have known would happen-when do I ever just "price things out"? Never, that's when.

I ended up being not to happy with it and returned and went to flirt with the cute guy who sold it to me later that week and I'm officially in love with my phone.

It's the perfect size and super easy to use, even though I'm still trying to figure it out haha

But because I spent a bajillion dollars on it, I'm not on a spending freeze for a while because...

I'M MOVING!

I'm actually still going to be in the same town and only about a mile from where I live right now but I'm getting my own place which I'm super stoked about!

It's a studio/efficiency so I'll be buying a loft to put my bed up on and since it's in a historic (ie old) building, I'll be buying an air conditioner to get me through the rest of the summer. My mom and I are going to paint, and the guy who owns it is buffing all the hardwood floors before I move in so it will be nice and clean.

I'm officially moving on the 19th so the next few weeks will be filled with packing, painting, building, DIY-ing, and then there's the actual part of moving lol but I'm super excited and cannot wait to be in my new place!

You keep this love.

Today I'm linking up with Jaime at this kind of love for What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I'm loving Lil Wayne. I was clearing out my parent's DVR and found Lil Wayne Unplugged that I never watched.

I love him.

I'm loving reconnecting with old friends! My best friend from elementary school stopped by my office the other day and when I was buying my new phone, I saw the boy I went to prom with. I love little surprises like that!

I'm loving this music video my friend at work showed me-it's been in my head all week!

I'm loving my wonderful mother who is celebrating her birthday today!

Happy birthday, Mom!

*What are you loving today?*

It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.

Today marks the end of my first week gluten free.

And believe me, when I started it really did feel like the end of the world haha

Let me first say, that karma is a b*tch. When we started making gluten free pastries at the bakery, to say I wasn't on the bandwagon would be an understatement. But now, I'm most definitely eating my words.

For the past six-ish months, I haven't really been feeling like myself-tired, out of it, and oh lord, the stomach pains. It's gotten really bad over the past 4-6 weeks, and after ruling out some other food allergies, and talking with my mom, I decided to try going gluten free.

The second day I decided to try eating out and ended up regretting it big time. The pain woke me from a dead sleep which was no fun and led to a major minor freak out and me going to my parents at 1 in the morning. No fun at all. Plus, I was such a wreck the next morning I totally forgot to bring some food for work and when I realized I was hungry, I realized just how much gluten there is at the bakery haha

So after that lovely experience, I haven't really wanted to even try to eat any, for fear the same thing will happen. SO for now, I'm eating lots of fruits and veggies. Luckily, my favorite greek yogurt is still ok and Chex are gluten free as well. I've found a few gluten free meals and stuff, of which I tried one which was surprisingly not bad.

I will be going to see my doctor soon (she just had a baby, so I have an appointment the week she gets back from maternity leave) but I felt like I had to do something to make myself feel better, and so far, this is working. My stomach feels infinitely better, and even though I'm still a little tired, I'm going to credit that to 5:30am wake ups.

This ole house was home and comfort.

We spontaneously decided to take a trip. Well, not so much we, as I, he just happened to be in the car at the time.

I took the backway and drove for hours. He didn't ask where we were going. He just let me ramble about nothing and tried to pay attention to signs, so he could guide us home in case we got lost. I knew exactly where I was headed, but I didn't want him to know. He wouldn't have told me not to, but I was having hard time admitting it to myself.

My circuitous path turned the two hour drive into four, but eventually, we pulled onto Main Street. My eyes welled with tears and soon, I was breathing in deep, gut wrenching sobs. Muscle memory kicked in and I navigated the streets of the small town, driving by the park, turning left at the cemetery and past the large red brick house at the end of the block.

I took my foot off the gas and slowly rolled toward the house. It's white paneling shone in the dead of night. Did the people inside know that underneath the bright white, was old, dark wood? I wondered. Or that the shudders, now deep red, were once the same shade of brown, blending into the wood, disappearing from view.

I pulled to the front of the house and imagine the layout as it had been the last time I was inside. The china cabinet to the left, right next to the front door that rarely got used, the ancient air conditioner to the right. My favorite Monet print resided above the Victorian couch, next to the beautiful arch of the door way. I could see the door way, but the print and couch were long gone.

I imagined the way the itchy, orange carpet felt when I walked barefoot through the TV room, and the way the textured walls stung my skin with I backed into them on accident. I looked at the street-trying to find the spot stained with my blood where I fell trying to catch the neighborhood boys on my bike. I scanned the lawn, searching for the indentation that was surely left behind when my cousin and I spent all day making snow angels, collapsing in the snow and onto the frozen ground underneath. I stopped myself from charging into the backyard and examine every square inch of grass, until I found the holes left behind from the stakes used to support our camping tent.

"Where are we?" He finally asked.

"My grandparents house," I answered through tears, my throat growing tighter by the second.

"Aren't they..."

"Yes," I interjected before he could finish, "I miss them so much."

This post is in response to The Lightning and The Lightening Bug: Flicker of Inspiration #9- House

Oh, you're so naive, yet so...

He had been one of her customers while she was working as a waitress at a tiny, hole in the wall diner.

"You're beautiful," he said, as she poured his third cup of coffee.

She was trying to be an actress, but it was slow getting started. Growing up in a small town, she was naive and desperate for her big break. It was a bad combination.

"I'm a photographer," he called after her as she walked away. "I bet you could use some pictures for your portfolio."

She turned around. He looked nice enough; his suit was tailored, his teeth were gleaming white. She took a few steps forward and calmly took the business card from his hand.

"Just meet me at the address on the front, tomorrow. Let's say 3:oo?"

"Sure. What should I wear? Should I bring anything?" she asked timidly.

"Whatever you want, sweetie," he cooed, his voice saccharine sweet. "I'll see you tomorrow." He winked and walked out of the restaurant.

She knocked on his door at exactly 3:00 the next day. He answered it quickly and flashed his electric smile, inviting her in without having to say a word.

The apartment was sparsely decorated, just a few books, a couch and a camera on a tripod. As she looked around, he disappeared into the kitchen.

"Would you like something to drink?" he called out.

"Just some water would be fine, thank you."

Moments later he came up behind her. "That's no fun. Here, try this."

The alcohol burned her lips and throat as she took her first sip. She slowly nursed her drink, but soon began feeling light headed.

"Whew, this is strong. I...I think I'm going to go. Would it.... is it be possible to, um, reschedule?"

"Just take a seat. You're just nervous. Let's talk." His voice was calm and comforting. He patted the cushion next to him on the couch and she sat down. "So, where are you from?"

"I...um...Mm...Michigan," she took a deep breath in and tried to regain her composure.

"What brought you out here, all the way from Michigan, sweetheart?"

She began to answer, but closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. She could feel herself speaking, but couldn't hear the words. Her voice sounded far away and her vision began to blur.

Her eyes opened what felt like moments later, but her instinct told her it had been much longer.

She was laying on the floor, a camera next to her head. Alone.

This post in response to a prompt at The Red Dress Club-write a short fiction or non-fiction story based on the following picture:

And life can take a turn right before your eyes, and you know you'll never be the same again.

When you grow up in southeast Michigan, your life is steeped in sports from the very beginning. We have long traditions of winning, with the Red Wings, and losing, with the Lions. There's in-state rivalries, such as Michigan and Michigan State, and rivalries that divide the region, like Michigan and Ohio State.

But my favorite, above all, are the Detroit Tigers. For my family and I, summers were spent at the ball park, and if we weren't there in person, we were watching on TV and listening on the radio. It was just what we did.

Going to the ball park is still my favorite summer activity and now that I'm able, I go as often as possible. I go with friends, with my family, but my favorite games are the ones I go to by myself.

My first game by myself was a little nerve wracking. I had been to the city hundreds of times, but never alone, and even in the middle of the day, I was a little nervous. But as soon as I parked, I felt right at home.

I walked in to the park and followed my normal routine-got my score card and pencil and immediately found my seat. I was upper deck, behind the plate. The city skyline was laid out in front of me. I could see every corner of the stadium-all the fans milling around under me, the players stretching, the grounds crew preparing the field.

I sat in silence for the next four hours, watching the game and marking the players every move in meticulous detail on my score card. The sun beat down on my face, and the cool wind came in from left field.

The Tigers won the game, with Brandon Inge providing the walk off home run against the Rangers. It was exciting-the stadium was electric.

I left the game with the rest of the fans and got into my car. While still celebrating the Tigers win, I was celebrating much more than that-my independence, my new found happiness. In those four hours, I rediscovered a passion and uncovered a feeling of contentment I had yet to experience.

This post was in response to a prompt at Mama Kat's World Famous Writer's Workshop: #3 A Memorable Sporting Event.

Little things made me who I am today

Today I'm linking up with Jessalyn Amber for The Simple Things

♥soft serve Ice cream♥
♥throwback songs on the radio♥
♥talking to long distance friends♥
♥reading a good book♥
♥laughing all day at work♥
♥afternoon naps♥

Go link up and share the simple things in your life!

We'll make great pets, we'll make great pets!

Growing up, I never really had pets. My brother was allergic to dogs and cats, so we never had those, and even though I got some fish my senior year of high school, I went off to college and they ended up dying my first semester in the dorms. Since I've been living on my own, I've been going back and forth about wanting a pet. Some days I really do, but in reality, it's not exactly a feasible option for many reasons.

So when I came home from work the other day and these two guys were just chilling in my yard, it was super hard not to bring them inside and adopt them:

Seriously, how cute are they!

I'm not quite sure who they belong to (one of them had a tag but the only number was to the local Humane Society, so I called them and left a message since it was after hours) but I got them some water and chilled with them for a while. I didn't have any dog treats, though, so I fed them pretzels haha It was like 90+* that day so I made sure they had some water and left it out all night for them in case they came back.

I'm assuming they were someone family dogs who got out since they were so friendly and didn't bark or anything. I haven't seen them since so I'm hoping they made it back home safely.

But, gosh, was it hard to go inside and leave them. I'm just a big softy, I guess lol

We aren't scared of your masks or your cloaks, 'Cause we are wizards and our hearts are filled with hope.

I make no bones about the fact that I'm a Harry Potter nerd. Everyone I work with knows it, all my friends and family do- I have fully embraced that aspect of my nerdiness. But I think even everyone who knows was a little surprised at just how excited I was to see the movie on Thursday.

I was seriously squealing with delight.

I even did my nails for the occasion

I've gone to pretty much all of the midnight shows, and I knew I wanted to go this time to so I bought my tickets a few weeks ago *just to make sure* I was able to get them before the sold out.

After a quick nap and a stop to pick up some snacks my mom and I (because she's the best and comes to midnight releases with me) headed to the theater, where we had to wait for a good 45 minutes before the even let us in, and then another hour before the show starts.

At least there was good people watching. Seriously, I know I'm a nerd, but some people take it just a tad to far haha

I pretty much had tears in my eyes for the entire second half of the movie. Even though I knew what was happening, I was still crying haha

I ended up really liking the movie, a lot more than I have the past few. I thought it was true to the book, which I really liked and the scenery and music were all so beautiful. I'm actually really sad to see it be done, though. I've been reading the books for 10+ years and I have a lot of really good memories attached to Harry Potter. I'm excited to reread all the books though, which I'm sure I'll do more than once, because I'm most definitely a nerd haha

I'm on the grind movin' them cupcakes.

So there's this cupcake shop that I drive by every time I go to the store pretty much, so like 4 or 5 times a week. Even though I work at a bakery, every time I drive by, I'm tempted to go in and buy a cupcake, but I never do.

The other day, I was having a particular aggravating, not bad, just aggravating for a multitude of reasons and decided to go grocery shopping after work. On my way to the store, I decided I was not in to the mood to go grocery shopping, an activity which I loathe, so I decided to get a cupcake instead.

Oreo cupcake-chocolate cake with marshmallows and oreo's on top.

Best. Decision. Ever.

(P.S. I still haven't gone to the grocery store. ha!)

Come to my window, crawl inside, wait by the light of the moon.

Moving out of my parents, yet still living in the same city has some definite advantages for both sides. For me, I get home cooked meals whenever I want, a place to sleep if I'm out late and happen to be closer to their house than mine, and, since they live closer to the gym than I do, a place to shower because public showers are just....ew.

For them, they get to enjoy the perks of me working a bakery (I'm pretty sure they haven't bought a loaf of bread in almost 3 years), they get to hang out with me (which is the best part, I'm sure) and, since my brother often drives my mom's car, I am available to play chauffeur.

My morning routine involves going to the gym, then heading to my parents to use the aforementioned shower and then going to work. And with the role of chauffeur, a few times a week I drop my mom off at work. They let me use their shower and I drive my mom to work-it's a great trade off.

One particular morning, we were leaving for work and as soon as the door closed, I realized I had left my keys, both car and house, inside the (now locked) house.

"Oh, shoot. My keys are in there. Do you have your house key?"

"Um....no.... Your brother has my keys."

We stared at each other in horror for a good 30 seconds. Since it was the middle of summer, we had closed all of the windows and turned on the air conditioner. Neither of us had a garage door opener. Our neighbors that have a copy of our house key were on vacation.

Basically, we were screwed.

We walked around the house, double checking all the windows, when we came to my parents bathroom. There is a small window, farther off the ground than the rest. We noticed that the window was open just a crack, but with the window being 8 or 9 feet off the ground and my mom being the taller of the two of us, coming in at 5'3", we were at a loss for how to use this to our advantage.

After trying a couple different options (think cheerleaders trying to throw the flyer), I finally climbed onto my mother's shoulders and was able to lift the window a little farther. I hoisted myself through the window and lowered myself to the ground. After breathing a sigh of relief, I ran around the house, grabbed my keys and double checked that my house keys were in fact on the ring, locking the door and finally going to work.

After that experience, I can honestly say I never lock, or even just close the door, without being absolutely, positively certain, my keys are on the same side of the door as me.

In response to Mama Kat's World Famous Writer's Workshop: Prompt #1-Write about a time you had to crawl through a window. (inspired by Barb from Half Past Kissin’ Time)

I love you to a point I can no longer take.

It's been a few weeks but I'm back to link up with Jaime for What I'm Loving Wednesday!


I'm loving my Detroit Tigers! In first place at the break, and with 5 players on AL All Star Team, with one starting? Bless you, boys!

I see you, Big Fella.

I'm loving Harry Potter! I'm going to be super sad after the movie when I realize it's all over, but for now, I'm super stoked to go to the midnight show tomorrow!

I'm loving Switched at Birth! I know everyone watched PLL, but does anyone watch Switched at Birth? I'm addicted!

I'm loving a few big changes on the horizon! Change is scary, but sometimes it's really exciting too!

I'm loving the US Women's World Cup team! They've played two great games so far-can't wait to watch the finals!

Hope Solo is a beast.

Hope everyone is having a lovely Wednesday!

Hey, baby, it's the fourth of July.

I know I'm like a week (plus) late, and my holiday wasn't even all that exciting but I figured I'd give a little update anyway :-)

Work has been redonk. Like, $50K-over-plan-every-week redonk. And considering we still &30 coffeecakes and those aren't exactly a necessity, it's been really nice that business is picking back up. Although, now that we've all seen how this summer has gone (which is usually our slow season) we're all a little worried about the holidays. We don't call them the "Holidaze" around here for nothing.

So, back to the Fourth. Like I said, nothing too exciting. My uncle was in town helping my mom and dad redo one of the bathrooms at their house, so while they were busy with that, my brother and I hit up the Tigers game on the 2nd.


They were playing the Giants, and I bought the tickets hoping to get to see Tim Lincecum. Unfortunately, the Tigers missed Lincecum (or, fortunately, considering he's thier ace), but they ended up losing the game anyway. It was definitely exciting though-they loaded the bases in the bottom of the 9th, but Boesch lined out to short :-(

View from our (original) seats. We ended up moving because the people around us were obnoxious.

After the game we stayed to see the fireworks and they were, as per usual, awesome!

I know it's no NYC or anything, but I do love the skyline of the D.

I had to work on the fourth, so after work I went over to my parents for a bbq and to see my uncle before he left. Nothing too exciting, but I had to work all weekend, including Monday so it kinda put the squash on any big plans.


A few days later, it was my grandmother's birthday, so the whole family got together for dinner. It was delicious! We went to a restaurant we used to go to a few times a month, but none of us had been there in a while. I had some time to kill before dinner, so I stopped by Target to pick up some face wash and walked out with these...

Oops haha

New shoes+Tiger baseball? A pretty perfect holiday week :-)

Every night it's fireworks, all I see is fireworks, taking off like fireworks.

They had met the summer before last, but both were seeing other people and what began as simple flirtation stayed that way for two years. From time to time, she considered calling him, just to say hi, a few times she even picked up the phone. She felt like such a cliche putting it back down, but always did anyway. He and the girl he was dating were pretty serious, not to mention that fact that she was gorgeous, and funny, and so sweet it was impossible to dislike her.

Now summer was in full swing again, and she couldn't help but think about him. As her friends and her traveled north to Lake Michigan, she promised herself she wouldn't think about him the entire weekend. She was there with her friends, and they were going to get her undecided attention-no getting distracted by what's obviously not meant to be. Still she allowed her self to day dream, as she rested her forehead against the cool window and let the soft hum of the motor lull fer to sleep.

She awoke with a start as a friend opened the car door so quickly she nearly fell out. But soon enough, a beer was in her hand and she was enjoying catching up with people she saw far too infrequently. The day passed quickly and the bikinis and beach volleyball gave way to burgers on the grill and eating at the picnic tables. The sun stayed for the party as long as possible, as it seems to do during those summer nights, but eventually it hid beyond the horizon and everyone gathered on the shore to watch the fireworks.

She stumbled along the shore line, looking for where her friends had set up camp, as the sun dipped lower and lower. She heard the first blast of fireworks and finally set sights on her friends. But before she could make it to their chairs, someone grabbed her from behind and pulled her into their lap. She figured it was just one of her friends, pulling her down so she didn't block anyone's view of the show. She turned to face her friend but pulled back when she noticed him.

She hadn't seen him all day, maybe she had blocked him out, but here he was. And here she was on his lap. At that point all the liquid courage from the day kicked in, and she leaned to kiss him. He met her halfway and when their lips touched, it took her breath away. She froze, yet melted at the same time. Quickly, she tried to get up and leave but he put his arms around her and they watched the rest of the show together.

They walked back to the cabin hand in hand, and he instinctively followed her inside, laying down next to her just like she had always imagined. He put his arm around her and laced his fingers in hers, and she fell asleep quickly, anticipating waking up next to him.

The sun peaked through the windows and she gingerly opened her eyes, rolling over, expecting him to be there. But her arms met nothing but the sheets. As she woke up a little more, she heard his voice coming from outside the room.

"Hey, baby. I miss you, too. I can't wait for you to get here. I'll be waiting. I love you."

His footsteps led to the door, which creaked open and close again all too quickly. She pulled the sheets over her head and willed herself to go back to sleep, or at the very least, willed the tears to stop rolling down her cheeks.

In response to the prompt at The Lightening and The Lightening Bug-

Flicker of Inspiration #7: Baby, You're a Firework

Those are your shoes. These are my shoes. We've got issues.

Growing up, all I ever wanted to be was a punk rock kid. I thought they were so glamorous with their tattoos, and their piercings, and their dreadlocks. And in my 12 year old mind, being a punk rock kid was synonymous with skateboarding. I gravitated to the boys with the boards, who stood outside my middle school and jumped down flights of stairs.

I immersed myself in everything skateboarding. I read Thrasher cover to cover and dog eared pages in CCS, picking out trucks, decks and barrings. My closet was soon filled with tee-shirts baring logos from element, DC and Independent. As the summer drew to a close and the back to school shopping began, I had my eyes set on one thing-shoes.

But not just any shoes. I wanted my first pair of Vans, in all their color-changing glory.

That's right-my shoes changed colors. Inside they were stark white, but step into the sun and they turned bright yellow. I never felt cooler than walking into the first day of school that fall, as my shoes faded back to white during first period and watching every one stare in amazement at my shoes.

I wore those shoes everyday. No matter how dirty, or worn out they looked, they still retained their color changing magic. I covered the soles with lyrics I deemed fitting to my teenage angst, and continued to wear them as a symbol of rebellion.

Almost two years later, I was on the brink of high school and decided to trade in my well worn, and even more well loved, pair of shoes for a new pair. By this time, Vans was no longer just a skating brand and every one of my friends had at least one pair. I bought a pair of standard pink and black shoes, but every time I put them on, I missed my worn in, eye catching, dream encapsulating shoes.

Today they sit at the bottom of a closest at my parents house, thier fat tongues and think laces, collecting dust. I just can't bear to throw them away and finally give up my dream of living the life of a punk rock kid.

Today's prompt is Flicker of Inspiration #6: These Shoes Were Made For Talking at The Lightening and The Lightening Bug