I always wonder when it was in life that things got so complicated. Or when did such little things, unimportant things, start creating such stress.

I was in a nail salon this past weekend, and there was a child that ws being picked up to go to a birthday party - the kids were probably around 4 or 5. Just minutes after the two left, a third child entered the salon looking to play. When the little girl was told that the other two just left for a birthday party, and she found out that she wasn't invited, the tears started to flow. I felt so bad for her - she was so disappointed. And I thought to myself, in 30 minutes this little girl would completely forget about the event she was missing out on, but right now, this is the worst thing that could ever happen! End of the world! Nothing will ever be right again!

Amazing that I still feel like that about things in life. The magnitude is slightly different. BUT IS IT?!?!? Are the things that upset me really going to end the world? Or my world as I know it? In the moment, it sucks, but is it really as big of a disappointment as I am making it out to be?

Good news though....the little girl that was going to miss the party because her mother thought she wasn't invited found the invitation in the girl's backpack 5 minutes later and had enough time to get to the event.

Moral of the story - look in your backpack!

My mom and I were standing in line before the NCSU v MD game this past weekend to use the bathroom. We were just minding our own business, when a father and two young girls (6 years old) decided he was going to put his children in the middle of the line and let my mom and I (random people he didn't know) to take care of them. Clearly a 6 year old can go to the bathroom themselves, but my mom and I (and the lady behind us) couldn't believe that he would just drop his kids in the middle of the line with these random women.

Of course the nice lady behind us simply said "men, they just don't think" and was not at all shocked.

As my mom and I introduced ourselves to these girls (laughing hysterically the whole way), one decided to inform us after we are into the bathroom, "I have a problem going to the bathroom". My mom and I looked at each other and were completely speachless....crap, now what. She proceeded to tell us that when she "goes poop, it looks like mud". WHAT?!??!?! My mom and I were trying to respect her, and explained that generally poop looks like mud.

Being the good responsible adults that my mom and I are, we decided we wouldn't just let them go into the bathroom but we would wait while they went. My mom took the one with the muddy poop and I took the other one.

I finished before my mom and took the girls to wash their hands and out to find their fathers. As my mom and I were walking back to meet the rest of our group (still rolling from the shock) mom says "she wasn't kidding, she really does have muddy poop."

Just thought I would share this funny story. Clearly much funnier if you were there and after a few beers! But still, would you leave your two 6 year old girls with strangers at a football game in today's world? Yikes!!!

I realize that Raleigh is in a terrible drought and desperately needs the rain. So this isn't a complaint about the rain - I love it. But what is with the drivers in Raleigh when it is raining. It took nearly 3x as long to get to work today because drivers don't remember how to drive when there is water hitting their windshield. In fact, if it was snow, I would be willing to forgive the stupidity (and I would have stayed off the roads altogether to avoid it). But rain? Are you kidding me?

Fender-benders everywhere. And a fender bender shouldn't be sitting in the middle lane on the beltline. Get your car off the road and let the rest of us get on our way. But that is another blog at another time.

And what about the headlights. Now, in NC it is the law to turn on  your lights when your windshield wipers are on. But aside from the law, what about common sense? Does the rain wash that away too? It is dark, and raining. TURN ON YOUR LIGHTS.

But my favorite of all is the flashers while driving down the interstate when it is raining. I swear this must be a southeast thing...I have never seen in MI. But do you think you are special and that you are the only one that is in the rain? I would say that when it is raining 10% of people put on their hazard lights. I don't get it. So I can see you better? So you can go slow without people giving you a hard time? Why?

Now combine all three of these issues - getting stupid and forgetting how to drive when it rains, leaving your lights off AND putting on your hazards. I say it is this comedy that made me late for work today!!!

Why is it so hard to let go of things hurtful comments or interactions? I think it is more challenging to diregard when it is something said that is a direct blow to your character or said by someone you really respect and love. It is easier to ignore things that simply make you angry or upset. However, it is so much harder to let go when your feelings are hurt or your character is disrespected. What's worse is that the most common reaction is to hold a grudge, which is the easy way out...and a path that is easiest to take.

Over time, it is easy to forget why you were so angry. And over time, it gets so much harder to recover the relationship you once had and respected. But where is the line between protecting yourself and forgiving and overlooking? What I can tell you from my experiences, much like smiling uses less muscles than frowning, is harboring these negative feelings and thoughts is so much more impacting than simply letting go.

Do I regret the grudges I am currently holding? Hell, I don't want to even admit that I have any grudges. And any of you that know me, know that I do not regret anything in life. However, I can say that I wish I were able to alleviate some of the negative feelings and potentially rebuild some of those relationships. Sometimes those relationships are family, sometimes they are close friends, and sometimes they are people that I don't even know that well and don't know me. However, life is definitely too short to hold grudges. I doubt that those relationships will ever be as strong as they were or could have been, however, it is still more appealing to have that relationship at all.

How is it that the most bustling and high stress city in the entire US provides me the most relaxation and peacefulness of a week long vacation in the bahamas for most other people? I was in New York city this weekend visiting my sister and have come back more refreshed than I ever thought I could. I figured I was going on a vacation that was going to provide me zero sleep, lots of exercise, and additional high-strung stress to pile on top of my already overwhelming world. Although there was a ton of walking, I would say that my expectations were met with completely the opposite - a little R&R.

We spent the weekend walking to Central Park, grabbing lunch at the local cafe's, shopping in soho (and everywhere else), catching a broadway show (Avenue Q - HIGHLY recommended, "sesame street meets Rent"), visiting the very local, non-tourist rooftop bar (Overlook on 44th between 2nd and 3rd) and more. But for those 3 days I didn't have a blackberry and the only thing that reminded me of what time of day it was was my growling stomach. We didn't really use a watch, we just did what we wanted all day long - and into the night. This somehow provided me some sort of peaceful, calming feeling of contentment. Watching people lounge in central park and then walking through the city where people can't get to their next destination fast enough just feet from each other is completely surreal, but amazingly satisfying. The people in NYC have a different er of confidence - one that I had just after 2 days! You can get lost in "the city" or you can make it as small as a mid-town apartment! And anything you could ever want - to eat, buy, read, etc - is generaly as close as the next corner.

Some may call NYC inconvenient and loud. I call it serene! Thanks AA and SA for a great weekend!

So, many of you have asked how the trip was and how was the city - so here is my feedback. The trip was great, and I will save you all the gory details of our debachery! We will just say, alcohol, walking, boys, bachelorette, naked women, shopping, eating, and hangovers! Who could ask for more - really!?!?

I didn't know what to expect from New Orleans just 18 months after Katrina. I had been to New Orleans 3 times before and had a blast down in the French Quarter each time. So I know what it was like before Katrina. And I can say that in the French Quarter, you are hard pressed to find remnants of that deadly storm. The noises, smells (good and bad), bars, restaurants and people - all the same. It was as alive as ever. Don't get me wrong, there were a few high rise buildings that had all windows blown out still, and much of the transportation was limited (oops, wrong trolley line). But all in all, the city was much better than I had expected.

Sunday we walked down to the Garden District, which by my count was about a 2 mile walk. Between the two districts is where we saw some of the storied impacts of Katrina. The volume of people was definitely less, and there were plenty of unlivable housing quarters. Keep in mind, we didn't visit the most damaged area, and we were off the beaten track, but it was a bold reminder of what had happened just a few short months ago to a city that just couldn't handle the hit. As we arrived at the Garden district we were returned to signs of life - grocery stores open, beautiful houses with green lawns and huge, ancient trees with some renovations here and there.

To me, it looks like New Orleans is on the mends, and that makes me more than thrilled because I abosultely love that city and the experiences you have while you are there. If you haven't been and ever get a chance - GO!

There were 3 alumni out on the town one night and they came up on a nude body of a woman who was half way out of the bushes. They called the cops,but until they came they thought that they should try and cover her up in some way.The first guy put his Big blue hat over one of her breast,the second guy put his Spartan hat over the other breast...in seeing this the Ohio State fan put his hat over her groin area.The Michigan fan looked a little confused so  picked up the hat and looked under it ,and set it back down...he picked it up again and did the same thing...finally the Ohio State fan said, what in the hell are you doing!! are you some kind of pervert or something?!!...The Michigan fan said ,uh no I'm just a little confused, because every other time I've looked under an Ohio state fans hat I usually see an Asshole!!!