Friendly Dinner Mishap

One of my favorite things about going to Conroe (about 30 miles away...you know...the "big city") is that my friend Nina and I (usually) get to go out to dinner! Where I live there are only a handful of restaurants...Chili's, a BBQ joint, and a dozen or so Mexican places. It gets pretty boring for the taste buds.


Well, several nights ago I got suckered into craving Olive Garden thanks to a new commercial advertising the stuffed rigatoni and sausage (by the way...yummy!). For that kind of indulgence I have to make a trip down Nina's way. Just my luck...Nina didn't mind eating out. The last time we went to Olive Garden it was a great experience. This time...not so much.


It was one mishap after another. For all the nitty gritty details go here...Nina's Life and check out her version (you might have to scroll...). It is pretty much mishap by mishap what happened! Plus, I'm all about pimpin' a friend's blog. Y'all go show her all the blog love y'all show me...and you'll get to read a funny story in the process.


What are you still doing here....go!

Use Kind Words

At our school we model and encourage everyone to be friends. More importantly we use the term friend instead of classmate. For example, I remind the kids daily that we have to walk quietly in the hall because we don't want to disturb our other friends in another class. It really helps build that sense of community and friendship. Lately, I've been having to remind my students daily to use nice kind words with their friends. And that is a little troubling.

Then I realized that lately I'm having to remember to use kind words with a friend of mine. And that's even more troubling.

Remember when everyone was your friend and your world basically crashed when the hurtful words "I'm not gonna be your friend anymore!" were tossed out? I've been on both sides (though mostly in my younger days) and I think it hurts all the way around. With my kids, I can remind them that it hurts when we hear that (even if we don't really mean it) and that we need to treat people the way we would want to be treated. As grown-ups it's a little more complicated.

What do you do when you treat someone (insert friend's name here) the way you'd like to be treated and his/her response is nothing? I really think it's a fine line between getting one's panties in a wad over nothing and truly having the right to be upset. And right now I'm not sure which side of the line I'm on. That is a frustrating place to be.

This isn't something I'm proud to admit and it's cost me a few friendships through the years but I'm the type that would rather shut down and walk away rather than confront someone about how they feel about a friendship with me. I remember this one friend, Trisha, in middle school. (I know...middle school...we're so mature about things at that age but just go with it.) She was really nice and friendly to me and others in our circle and then suddenly she just stopped talking to me. She'd say hi in the hallway, but that was it. I didn't have the courage to flat out ask if I'd done something or if she didn't want to be my friend anymore. I didn't want to hear the answer if it was yes. So, I stopped talking to her and the friendship simply faded. I still don't know if it was because I'd done something or not...I never did ask.

Unfortunately, I'm still that way in friendships and now that I'm older relationships. I'd rather break ties first than be the one left. And instead of having a huge blow up I simply keep silent and back away. That sounds pretty pathetic huh?

Anyway, I don't know if this post was just a ramble or if I have a point I'm trying to make. I just know that I have a friend (at least that is how I think of our relationship) and I'm kind of tired of trying to reach out to come back with nothing. I don't like not knowing where I stand. I don't like not having control over this situation.

I miss my friend.

It's All About The Blog Roll

My brain is still a little fried today (another 6 hours of boring...) so I'm doing a meme but maybe I should call it a youyou! I can't mention everyone (and if you're not linked please don't feel bad!) but anyone who needs something interesting to read can always find good stuff over there on my sidebar!

Answer the following, and be sure to link to their blogs. This is an efficient, cheap, and shameless way to increase traffic.

1. Blogger who is most like me:
I think this is an easy one...Lori! When I first started reading Lori I'd think "oh yeah...me too!" and we'd comment and discover more and more that we had in common. For instance we're both teachers. We're both into scrapbooking. And there are a ton of other similarities. Oh yeah...we're both totally cool!

2. Blogger I read who is LEAST like me.It's hands down Wordbearer. To start with he's a guy and I'm a girl. He's a law student who is very "in the know" when it comes to current events. As you know I'm not very into news. He's also very opinionated and outspoken. Now, some of you that know me personally are going to think that's not very unlike me, but he does it in a style uniquely WB. Even though we're different, I enjoy reading his blog because I get to find out a little bit about the world around me. We don't always agree but I like that!

3. Name 3 bloggers of the same sex you’d like to have drinks with.
Okay this is one of those times where I'd pick you all but it says only three.
1. Nikky because she seems like she would be the life of a party! I love to hang out with "my" crowd, but in some sets I'm shy until I get to know people. I think Nikky would just jump right in there and liven things up! Plus, any chick that makes me jelly has got to be on this list!
2. Valerie because any girl that would post a picture of herself with milk dribbles on her chin has got to be fun! Plus, I think she'd pass along some great scrapbooking tips and tricks to me.
3. Becky because she's a dear friend that I haven't seen in so long! Becky and I were college roomies who had some rough patches but are back on the road of friendship. I miss all the good times we had and I sure do wish we were close enough to hang out and do fruity pink drinks together!

4. Name 3 bloggers of the opposite sex you’d like to share a hot tub with.This one is equally hard if not harder (and please don't read too much into that!) because I don't draw a lot of male readers. And if you are a male reader and you've been lurking then say something and let these guys know they have some company! Oh and also let me add that hot tub could easily be replaced with a game of bowling and such!
1. Fin because he's so knowledgeable about so many things! Plus he tells the most amazing travel stories (the guy has been everywhere it seems) and the travel bug in me loves to hear about those adventures. He also usually has some pictures to share too. Fin is also my friend Bethany's husband-to-be so I hope he'd bring her along too. It'd be nice to catch up with her!
2. Ed because he's fun! I found Ed blog hopping one day and I discovered that he's a pretty talented writer. I've mentioned before that I enjoy reading romances and he writes about that at it's most elemental level. He also does it in a way that isn't trashy but instead insightful and sensual.
3. This blogger doesn't blog anymore, but I really liked it when he did. I understand the need to take a break from blogging, but I really enjoyed when he was sharing the day to day aspects of his life. Mike is another one of those travel guys. He recently came back from Europe and I'm so jealous!

5. Which blogger would you vote for in a political campaign?Hmm, you know why this one is tough right?! I don't really follow politics that much, but I'd pick Melissa because she's a newspaper editor so she's got to know what is going on! Plus, Melissa seems very down to earth. I'd like that in a candidate...someone I can relate too. If you ever run Melissa...I've got your chad covered!

6. You are thrown into a dimension where you can read one, and only one, blog. Which one is it?Ick...I'd hate to not be able to read all of my blogger friends! But, I'd have to say that I'd really miss reading Trina. She has such a sweet spirit and her love for the Lord shines through every word. I truly admire the love she has for God, her husband and family, and friends! She writes from the heart and touches on the good and sometimes the hard stuff that comes with living a life in God's will. I strive to be that humble and open!

7. Which blogger is living a life you think YOU might like to be living.I've discovered that the grass may be greener on the other side of the fence but they probably have a high water bill and have to mow more! I love my life (even the hard parts) but if I had to pick I think I'd go with Allison. She's a young lady with life spread open before her. That's not exactly that different from me, but she's younger and enjoying college life. I made a lot of choices and decisions in my college years that are far reaching. I think if I were in college again I might do a few things differently. Plus, I really miss 10:00 am classes and sleeping late!

There you go...just a few thoughts about the people that I enjoy reading! It wasn't everyone but just know that if you're on that roll over there I really enjoy reading what you have to say! And if you found yourself linked here...get busy and spread the blog roll love around!

Becky

It is no surprise that I love it when people stop by and read, but I enjoy it so much more when they take the time to leave a comment! I know...you aren't surprised considering the little picture over there in the sidebar. Anyway, I have made some really neat blogger friendships through the leaving of comments. Those friendships bless me in a great way!

I want to just take a minute and encourage you to click through to my real world friend Becky's blog. She's a great read and I love that we can stay in touch this way. Just some back ground information, we were college roommates and really good friends who went through some major pot holes on the road of friendship. After some growing up, honest reflection, and extending forgiveness we've reconnected and I couldn't be happier about it! And I feel pretty safe saying she feels the same way. She's kind of stuck for the moment out in West Texas and I know she's longing to be home again. Some of you dear readers always have such an encouraging way about you and I wanted to send some of that her way!

It's a win-win situation...you'll get introduced to a great new blog and she'll (hopefully) get to enjoy all you wonderful blogger people!