Third

The third thing was (refer to the last post for the first two): I got upgraded to a suite in the last hotel I stayed in - kitchen, living room, double-glass french doors into the bedroom, however, I only got to stay there for 5 hours.

Good Things

If bad things come in sets of three - as I was raised believing and blogged about once upon a time - does that mean good things do as well?
If so, I've got one coming...
1. I found $10 on the floor of Walmart - I'm rich!
2. My rental car is BRAND NEW! There were only 20 miles on it when I started driving.
3. ???? Any guesses/thoughts/ideas on what good thing number 3 will be?

Birthday!

I turned 28 this year on September 20 and had the most amazing birthday I can remember.

The celebration began Friday September 19 on my way home from a work meeting in Birmingham, Alabama. I had a layover in Denver for six hours, so my old roommates Heather (Piggy) and Jenn came to get me and take me to Jenn’s new home to spend time with them and their five (!) children for a few hours. I love these girls and it has been years since I’ve seen Piggy (only one since I last saw my redhead).

I returned home thinking I needed to run to the gym, then home to go out with a dear friend. I immediately knew someone had been in my house – things in the trash that I hadn’t put there, vacuum lines gone, empty milk jug, more toilet paper gone, cat toys moved, comforter fluffed – it was all odd. My friend then told me he had gotten a key from my sis in Ohio and hid something in the apartment on her behalf. He’s a good pal, so I thought he’d just made himself at home while there.

When he came over to take me out, he had me looking for whatever it was he had hidden when my doorbell rang. As he ran to get the door, I was hot on his heels and yelled, “Is it my sister?” I was totally joking, but when we opened the door, there was a HUGE box on the porch. A little tug, and out popped my sister from Ohio!

She, I, and B2 all had a girls night eating "The Pie" pizza, wearing face masks, eating Leatherby’s ice cream cake (not recommended – blagh), watching “Baby Mama,” and chatting. We dragged my queen sized, 24-inch tall air mattress into the living room and all three crashed. Conor even joined in on the slumber party madness. When we woke up Saturday morning, we just sat there and talked until about noon or so, when I went to the gym for my traditional 5-mile birthday run (under 49 minutes, thank you thank you)and their traditional salad buffet run.

Later in the day Michelle and Em came up, Kelly was over, Brit was there, and we just baked treats for the night-time party while chatting and having a grande ole time.

I had a combined birthday party with Julie-Ann and Jake in my ward – two very loved people –hosted by another very loved friend, Megan, and her roommates – shout out to Julie, Melissa, and Erin. I had lots of friends new and old come have fun with us.

The celebration will continue when I go to Chicago for work and my parents meet me there – they bought us all tickets to see “Wicked!” I’ve seen it twice before in NYC (original cast!), however, it is a cute show. They also bought me an amazing shiatsu massage chair (*singing* heaven, I’m in heaven…), which I have been forbidden to let anyone but myself use b/c I have had two get broken.

Perhaps all of these things don’t sound like a “best ever,” but the “best” part comes into play in that I felt so much love. All walks of my life collided on that weekend in a way they never have before. So many of my friends and family went, and are going, greatly out of their ways to let me know how much they care for me.

There is nothing like the feeling of being genuinely loved!!!

Attractive

I've decided that Confidence is just about the sexiest and most attractive trait a man can have.
Strength - roar. That's all:-)

Black Cat - One, Paws - Six

I made a new friend in my complex today - a black cat with...abnormalities.

On the two front paws there were like...extra paws. I thought originally it was just a 6-toed cat, but it honestly appeared to have the beginnings of an extra paw on each side where the "thumb" would be. The back paws each had 6 toes.
Ironically, we met as Mutant was chilling on the power generator. If we meet again, I will definitely take a photo, but this time around the decrepit man in his eerily squawking walker scared little Mutant away.

If a black cat is supposed to be bad luck, then is a paranormal black cat even worse?
I have since learned from my dearest vet tech Andrea that Mutant is simply polydactyl. The 6 paws thing was way cooler.

Temper

If you have a bad temper, is it like being an alcoholic?
Once you are an alcoholic, you are always one, even if you haven't had a drink in ten years.
So, if you used to have a temper, but haven't had a tantrum in ten years, does that mean you still have a bad temper, you are just ten years sober?

I think about you in the Summertime

For those of you who are totally not hip with the times - that subject is my homage to NKOTB! Is it just me, or has your former love for them turned into a little creeped-out-edness?
I thought I'd just post some photos for those of you who don't have Facebook and want to see what I've been up to. Some are old friends, some new...but all of it has been fun!

Bad things come in sets of three

My family has a superstition from way back in the day that bad things come in three's. At least this means my latest round of bad things is over.

1. I had to tell "Zuko" on Sunday that things are over forever and ever and I need him out of my life. I knew he wasn't the best for me, yet I felt this unexplainable magnetism towards him, I still do. He and I just connected, we felt that "click" if that makes any sense...I've only felt that twice in my life before. He kept emotionally holding me just close enough to keep me from progressing. He knew it, yet kept doing it unconsciously. How can you say goodbye to someone forever when they live across the street, go to your ward, go to all the same grocery stores, and go to all the same activities? I unfriended him on Facebook, which is, like huge. This is going to be a challenge.
How do I keep falling for guys who don't want me, yet can't let me go? I just want someone to really love me. Yes, you heard it here first, Larissa is done being single.

2. I also have a friend who is, hmm...larger than the average bear. He has done a very nice job of wearing in my new couch cushions so they are no longer stiff, but mushy and somewhat flattened. I sit on my 4-month old couch last night where he always sits and I hear a strange noise. I look under the couch to see that the couch is indeed broken. I know it is rude, but I had been fearing this. What do I do now? I will call the store and see if they'll repair it because it is under the normal wear and tear category, but it is white, so if they take it out of my place it'll come back all smudged up. That still, also, doesn't get me out of the awkwardness that will exist when I have to tell big bear to not sit on my furniture. Any suggestions? And what if they won't fix my couch?

3. I have to have at least $1,000 of repairs done to my car. They aren't things that will make the little '93 Honda Civic stop running now, but in a couple of years they would. I have a great friend who is willing to do all he can and I'll just pay him extra for labor, so I still come out at about half the price of the shop (blessing alert!). Why not get a new car? Eh, I'd rather just pay this amount once per year and have low insurance, than have to pay $250/month for a new car plus double the insurance. I'd also like to keep the car as a back-up when I finally get a new one, so I'd want to make these repairs anyway.

The View

I realized I never posted photos of my bachelorette pad. I love my place, although it is nothing elaborate - I'm surrounded by calmness and relaxation. Everything looks about half the size it really is in these photos, but you get the idea...

Seriously?

Don't you all worry your pretty little heads off about my seriousness of that last post - it was a joke! Kind of...

On another note, "Zuko" from a previous post left flowers at my doorstep Saturday night. Purple flowers. Crazy enough, I had been holding purple flowers earlier that evening and saying, "I never want flowers, but I just really really want flowers tonight." I put them down and went home and lamented about wanting flowers again....then I found the purple flowers from "Zuko." Weird, much? He also blew kisses and stuff at me all of church on Sunday, but I told him later he needs to knock it off unless he knows he wants to be with me. He apologized and has since knocked it off.

I passed an entire truck bed topper/roof thing sitting in the middle of the highway yesterday. Miraculously, no one hit it or got hit by it.

I found some more exciting pictures of my rafting adventure I thought I'd share with ya'all.