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.