To the Girls that got Dumped

 I'm sure I'm not the only one that has noticed that this past holiday season has been an explosion of engagements all over Facebook accompanied by rings that look like the location for the next Winter Olympics. The problem with being good southern girls is that it's drilled into our heads since we were in diapers that the key to happiness is finding our own Prince Charming, that the next step after graduation is marriage, and that only the really awesome girls get to celebrate candlelight ceremonies with their sorority sisters. For the girls who have found "the one" in their early twenties, good for you. You got a head start. But for those who haven't...RELAX. It takes a whole lot of frogs to find a prince and whether he is short, tall, black, or white....he will come. And if you're really lucky, he'll bring Taco Bell and wine with him.

Many girls, myself included, spend so much time blaming the past for their single life. There's always going to be that one boy that seems to have caused all your misfortune in the dating world and that feeling sucks. If you would have just been a little less crazy, a couple sizes smaller, or didn't creep through his phone that one time...maybe it would have been you with a two karat rock on your finger, right? WRONG. The fact that you aren't together has absolutely nothing to do with what you or he could have done better, maybe it just simply wasn't meant to be. My favorite saying in the world is "It's only a mistake if you didn't learn from it." We are guilty of becoming SO obsessed with the idea of the guy we're dating that sometimes we look past the flaws in the relationship or the fact that you really don't even love that guy.

Coming from a girl who didn't realize how great being over someone could be once you put in the effort, take some advice. Find your own happiness. Be the best you that you can be for YOURSELF, not in the hopes that some chump from your favorite frat will come and sweep you off your feet.

A few Do's and Dont's for the single ladies

Don't: Obsess over your ex. I know it's tempting to creep on his Facebook but most guys move on really quick after a break up, it's just a fact. Try to do the same.
Do: Go out with your friends! It sounds obvious but wallowing in your own self misery is just dumb. Get your ass out of bed girl.
Don't: Call and text him a million times. I know to your temporarily depressed head it seems like the only option to end your desperation, but it's not. Put the phone down.
Do: Completely eliminate him from your life. The best way to get over someone is to kind of pretend they never existed, at least for now. Get rid of pictures, texts, presents, etc. Seems harsh but I swear it works.
Don't: Feel jaded by your ex. You are young, hot, and wonderful. It wasn't a waste of time and don't feel like you would have met someone else if you weren't with him. God has some crazy plans for who we spend the rest of our lives with and that man will show up whenever he damn well pleases.
Do: BE HAPPY. No matter what you have to do to figure that out, be happy. Life is way too short to waste time being sad.

In summary: Put your heels on, go out with your friends, find a kick ass job, drink some wine with your mom, and STOP WORRYING.

YOU SURVIVED BEFORE HIM, AND YOU WILL SURVIVE AFTER HIM. 

xoxo

Lyd 

The Visit

I was basically terrified that when I got off the plane in Seattle that I would immediately want to fly back home, have a huge bowl of Lucky Charms, and go to bed...but I didn't. I was picked up at the airport, went straight to a restaurant I was terribly under-dressed for, ordered some wine, and ate fried calamari. So I'd say within the first hour of being there I felt about ten times cooler. My favorite part about my visit to Seattle was definitely the FOOD. It was all so authentic and fresh. Expensive....but totally worth it. My biggest concern was the weather which affects the most stressful part of my life....my hair. It was raining the majority of the time I was there, BUT my hair wasn't frizzing because of the low humidity so.....crisis averted. I met with Target execs over some Jimmy John's (they're my kind of people) and they couldn't have been more welcoming. I can't wait to get back to the Pacific Northwest and I can't believe I get to live there full time in just a few months. I still strongly encourage those who don't have post-grad plans to look into areas you never thought you'd be. You may hate it or you may love...but you'll never know unless you try! Being open to relocation is a great way to get a company's attention. It's always hard making a decision to leave friends and family, but no move ever has to be permanent.

Below are a few pics from the highlights of my trip!

I hate flying but this view was worth it. Possibly part of Yellowstone? I couldn't hear the pilot over the sound of my ears exploding at 32,000 feet.

Downtown Seattle.

On top of the world at Kerry Park. Eiffel Tower in the background.

.......jk.

Pike Place Market. The oldest public farmers' market in the US. The seafood, fruit, and vegetables looked so amazing, but the jewelry and clothes were even better.

From the Beginning...

As someone who has never had a firm grasp on what they wanted to do in life, I came to college with the idea that a degree in engineering was the obvious choice. I mean what 17 year old girl doesn't want to be an engineer, right? After two years of meltdowns, I finally broke off my messy relationship with the College of Engineering. I transferred into Auburn's Supply Chain program and found my niche. As my junior year of college came to an end, I frantically began searching for an internship. I was lucky enough to accept a position with Target, working in their Distribution Center in my hometown of Madison, AL. It was the most intense 10 weeks of my life and made me realize that once again, I may be in the wrong field. After some finagling with HR, I began pursuing a store management position with Tar-zhay (that is the official spelling of the nickname, fyi). With a company as large as Target, location possibilities are endless. So...after my three-year long relationship with my high school sweetheart ended, I realized I had no reason to limit myself to the Southeast. With two great childhood friends on their way to Seattle, I made my decision. After graduation, I'd move 2500 miles away to a city I've never been to. I always looked at my friends who did really cool stuff after college and thought it was totally unattainable for me but I've stopped settling for what I think I "should" be doing. Everything that's worth while is scary as hell too, right?

I've started this blog mainly to keep my friends and family updated on West Coast life and to have somewhere to freak out when I have those "What the hell am I doing?" moments. Hopefully I'll inspire a few people to do something crazy. We can be clueless together!

Enjoy!!