Crazy Cat Lady Turns 24

I know I fit the whole "Crazy Cat Lady" persona at times since I live alone with my cat and talk to her like she's a real person. It does get me in trouble sometimes - especially when my new neighbor across the way (who is hot, by the way) catches me talking to her as I open my door - TWICE.

Once was a couple weeks ago when I was on my way out the door. I opened my door with my head turned back toward my living room, audibly telling Cammie, "Be good!" like I was leaving my toddler with a babysitter or something. I turned my head back to my front doorway, only to jump and gasp at the sight of a huge black lab.

Attached to the black lab was said hot neighbor, the roommate of another guy I've met that lives there (who is not-so-hot but seems nice). He laughed at my surprise and said, "Oh, sorry to scare you." To be honest, the moment kind of took my breath away because 1) I was not expecting to see a dog right outside my door, and 2) I didn't think I'd be seeing a hottie while I had no makeup on and was wearing my fake Harvard hoodie.

I laughed and said something back shyly, and that was that. It didn't dawn on me until later that the hot neighbor probably heard me tell Cammie to be good. Great - a weird girl who's scared of dogs yet talks to her cat like a person.

Then it happened again this last Monday. I was coming home from work, and as I unlocked my door and opened it, Cammie was right there to greet me. "Hi honey!" I said, only to hear someone behind me say, "Hello again." Hot neighbor.

I turned around (and thanked GOD I was wearing a cute outfit, having a good hair day and wearing makeup) and chatted with him a bit. Apparently his dog is named Bella (I refrained from asking if he was a "Twilight" fan). His name is Robert, and from the Navy sweatshirt he was wearing, I guessed he was ex-military. Hello! He said it was nice to have a "clean, quiet" neighbor such as myself. I didn't have the guts to say how much I hated the noise he and his friends made, not to mention how they leave their trash bags outside their door sometimes.

Then he mentioned that he liked my painting. I didn't realize my door was still open, and he could see my Audrey Hepburn picture on my wall. And being the socially awkward person I am, I responded, "Thanks. I didn't paint it myself unfortunately." WTF.

I don't really have a crush on this neighbor. I think I've seen some bleached blonde girl leaving the place a few times (probably his gf). Not to mention - they sound like partiers over there. But hey, it's nice to have cool neighbors I can say hi to every now and again.

My sister told me that from now on, I need to not talk to Cammie until my door is closed. Good call!

In other news, Tuesday was my 24th birthday! I really felt special all day (well, all week I've been feeling special, actually). My co-worker Sofia decorated my office in Audrey Hepburn pictures, confetti, streamers and balloons. My other co-worker Laura baked chocolate cupcakes. I got so many calls, texts and Facebook shout-outs - it was great! Sooo much more than I was expecting. My Grams invited me over for the evening and made lasagna and fudge - yum! And my birthday is not over - more weekend celebrating with my mom and sister (weather permitting).

I'm truly lucky to have so many great people in my life. I actually don't miss the people that I've cut out of my life in the last few months - a song came on my iTunes last night that I normally would have skipped because of the memories attached to it. Instead, I danced around my kitchen as I did dishes. Yay for progress!

Winter Wonderland

I've been wondering lately what my plan is. I've always had some goal in mind or something to aspire to, and lately I feel like I'm just stuck and not really going anywhere.

Everything at work is going great. I'm busy, motivated (usually) and the days go by pretty quickly. But I just wonder what my purpose is. What am I meant to do in this world? Yes, I'm 23 and have time to think about it. But I've never been one to sit still and just let things happen to me - I'm usually the one making things happen.

My volunteering with WEAVE has kind of slowed down (although I'm presenting at a workshop in a week), so maybe I need to pick up another volunteering endeavor.

In other, more exciting news, Christmas is right around the corner! We celebrated yesterday at work by going to Fat's for our office lunch. Yes, we went to Fat's, the place where I gave that perv an apple dumpling. No spotting of said perv, thankfully!

The lunch was delectable, as usual - I ate almost an entire slice of the banana cream pie all by myself! We were joined by 4 "surprise guests," as my boss put it. This included 2 former employees and 2 people we work with every now and again. It was a blast! Especially the part when my co-worker mentioned buying his spouse a gun for Christmas, and one of our special guests inquired, "Is that for use or for pleasure?" Oh, wow. I laughed uncontrollably at that point.

The only downside was I was so full for the rest of the day. And the worst part - I'm so lazy that I didn't work it off today! But my excuse is that this is the holiday season - you're supposed to indulge and be merry.

I spent my Friday night at my grandma's house with my aunt and cousin. We talked politics and watched "Confessions of a Shopaholic." LOVE that movie! My grandma is just a riot - she has this abhorrence for spearmint gum, and she could smell it in my purse all the way in the other room! Ahhh, my precious Grams is 84 and still quite the whipper-snapper.

I came home and did one of my favorite things - curling up on the couch with my afghan blanket (thanks for that, sis!), snacking and watching girly movies. Last night's choice was "Mean Girls." Ever the classic and one of my faves. It still makes me laugh! It was briefly interrupted by drunk text messages from this guy friend of mine. He's been texting me lately and asked me the other day if we were going to hang out this weekend. I totally would if I knew it would be just a friend thing, but I get the distinct feeling that this fool expects more. Ugh, so annoying! Why does everything have to be a booty call? Doesn't anyone just want to talk anymore? Apparently not.

And the irritating part is this guy wasn't even trying hard to make it a booty call. I mean, if you're trying to woo me, at least put in a little effort, buddy! No sweet talk or niceness. Just him putting on the macho bravado that I LOATHE, expecting me to just run to him and rip my clothes off. Not gonna happen.

The only good thing about this whole scenario is that it shows my improvement over the last couple years. Had this been awhile back, I might take the attention as flattery and worry about hurting this guy's feelings by turning him down. Not the case anymore! I'm so fed up with assholes and absolutely more certain now about the kind of guy I'd like to date, that my standards have been raised and my bullshit tolerance is slowly waning. Finally!

I don't always want to be this nice girl that guys can walk all over. Yes, I have a long way to go considering there are certain people (a certain person, really) who have this way of melting me down, even when I make up my mind to move on. I frustrate myself sometimes, but I feel like I'm more in touch with reality than I ever have been. Even if I still have a long way to go, that minor improvement means a lot to me.

So what do I do to help keep me in line? I concentrate on family (like going to visit my grandma) and friends - I'm headed to my friend Erica's family Christmas party tonight in Auburn. I can't wait! She has a wonderful family, and nothing fills my heart up more than being surrounded by happy people - and food!

I'll end this entry with a quaint little Christmas story - Cammie decided to give me my present early this year.....a nice little poop right outside her litter box and then about 4 little dingleberries dispersed throughout the bathroom. Season's greetings!

Well If Dr. Oz Recommends It

I've been dealing with a stupid cold the past few days, which worsened this weekend. I was all congested and phlegmy, and after lamenting about my situation on Facebook, my aunt recommended I try a neti pot.

I'd heard of them but swore I would never try it - who wants to flush water up their nose on purpose? I've used nasal spray before, which was weird, but I had to admit that I felt better after doing it. My congestion was pretty horrible, so I was willing to go to great lengths to clearing up, even if it meant sticking a tea pot up my nose.

So I bought a neti pot kit at CVS for $10. I examined the directions and was relieved that there was no snorting or forcing the water up my nose. It basically lets gravity do the work - you tilt your head forward over the sink, place the pot in one nostril, and then rotate your head to one side so that the saline solution flushes through your nasal passages and comes out your other nostril.

It was definitely one of the weirdest things I've done! But it wasn't as bad as I'd thought. It's definitely not something you want to do with someone watching. My eyes watered profusely, and I felt like I had one long snot drip coming out of my nose (now there's a visual for you).

I gotta say - it felt great afterward! I could breathe finally. I read on the package that it's good for people with allergies too. And my Internet research beforehand revealed that Dr. Oz recommends it. Apparently it's part of some old yoga practice.

So enough about my gross nose issues.

Despite my cold, I headed over to Marilyn's last night to celebrate her birthday. Our elementary school friends Serena and Erica came, which was awesome! I had a good time, although I stayed longer than I should have - I need as much sleep as possible right now :/ But it was worth it!

Marilyn seemed to have a good time (minus too many jaeger bombs), so that's good. I love the company of good friends and meeting new people. The only downside is that I'm not much of a partier, and when you're around people who want you to drink, you get harrassed. But I stood my ground, which is good because I feel great today! Thankfully Serena is pregnant, so I wasn't the only sober one there :)

Today I'm headed to a memorial service for an old friend of my dad's. He was only in his 50s - very sad. My family is driving down now, and we're going to meet for lunch beforehand. I love seeing my fam, even if it is under sad circumstances.

I read in the Sacramento Bee that it might snow in Sacramento tomorrow! Whoa, that would be outrageous. It is quite frigid outside. Ugh, is springtime here yet?

Something Good About Sarah Palin (Crazy, I Know)

So far, my week has been a pretty good one, with just a couple interesting little tidbits.

For one, I unfortunately missed Sarah Palin on "Oprah" on Monday (damn DVR didn't record for some reason!), but thankfully I read about it online and watched clips.

I know this may sound wild, but I actually kind of like her!

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Now don't go thinking I've switched political parties or that I'm now championing Sarah Palin as my feminist icon. Let me make it clear - I still absolutely in no way support Sarah Palin as a political figure. I would never vote for her for president, and I still disagree with her on numerous accounts.

What I mean by liking her is that she is very charming and personable. I can see why so many Republicans (and women) are drawn to her - she is well spoken and appears smarter than the average person.

Don't get me wrong - I still find her completely inept as a leader (who quits her post as the leader of a state with obvious intentions of later leading the country? Totally bizarre to me). My guess is that million-dollar book deal she got might have had something to do with her resignation.

This also brings me to why I disagree with her ethics - she laments about all of the lawsuits filed against her for breach of ethics, but these claims had to come from somewhere, right? And are you really doing your patriotic duty of helping people by resigning as a governor making maybe $100,000 annually and opting to be a "regular" citizen with a $1 million+ salary? That definitely makes me question where her priorities are.

But I must say, I don't despise her as a person, surprisingly. Now Rush Limbaugh and George Bush - yeah, I can say that I have trouble finding any redeeming qualities with those two.

Now my only hope for Sarah is that 1) she disappears into oblivion so we can all forget about her, or 2) she runs in 2012 - an Obama-Palin debate would be quite the knee-slapper! She wouldn't stand a chance.

In other news, today I got vaccinated for H1N1 at work - woo hoo! I know a lot of people are resisting the shot, but from what I've been reading (and what the doc told us today), the swine flu is no joke. It's survivable, yes, but I'd rather not risk missing a week of work.

I also discovered recently that I was defriended by someone on Facebook. Ahh, yes. The oh-so-challenging world of online friendships. I know I shouldn't be hurt by this because, let's face it, it's just Facebook for crying out loud! But it does kind of come off like a slap in the face. I guess I'm really not sure why I was deleted, although I can attest to doing some deletions of my own lately. I recently went through my friends and deleted numerous people that I never talked to, met once a long time ago or who just always posted really annoying things that I never cared to read.

I'm a sensitive person, so it does sting a little to be deleted, but I guess I just need to accept that some people don't like me. It's better to just focus on the people who do like me - and those who love me! Like my family, for example. I'm so thrilled to visit home next week for Thanksgiving! We're celebrating my mom's birthday by going to Kelly Clarkson (8th row, baby!) and we might even go see "New Moon" if the theater isn't taken over by 'tweens.

Looking forward to the holidays! Only one more week to go!

What a Tangled Web We Weave

Recently I told a blatant lie to someone, and my Catholic roots got the best of me. I felt guilty, wretched, horrible, worthless, you name it.

I don't even know why I lied. I could have told the truth, and it wouldn't have been a big deal. But somehow, I was caught on the spot and chose to flat out lie.

Honesty has always been huge with my family. My dad ingrained it in my sister and me, reminding us, "If you always tell the truth, you never have to remember what you said." Ahh, so wise, Dad.

My sister learned early on the negative effects of lying. When she was around 4 or 5, she lied to our dad and told him she'd eaten her whole dinner, when in fact, she had not. I think my dad was tipped off when he saw Robyn's empty plate and 2 huge chunks of hot dog on mine (well, you never know. I was quite the hefty 2 year old). She was swiftly punished and sent to the dungeon, I'm sure. (FYI - the "dungeon" was not actually a dungeon. It was code for our room. My dad was strict, but he wasn't medieval strict).

Robyn may have learned her lesson at 4, but that didn't stop us both from lying up the wazoo come high school. She lied about going to a party once, and I lied about going to work one time, when I'd actually called in sick and gone to my boyfriend's house. My dad caught us on both accounts. Hey, I worked at Denny's. Who wouldn't call in sick?

My biggest lesson in how destructive lying is came when I was a senior in high school. I basically two-timed my on-again-off-again boyfriend and a co-worker (I know, crazy right? I sound so pimp, but really it was too much work to be worth it). Oh, wow. There was a two-month period there where I became a lying master. I got away with it for awhile, but eventually both guys caught on. The ex came to my work and saw me with the other guy. Then the other guy randomly picked up this envelope of pictures at my house which had prom pictures of me and the ex. Yikes!

It was exhausting, to say the least. Even though I apologized and made it right with both of them later on, it still felt shitty lying all the time. I'd forget what I'd said I was doing. I feared someone contradicting my story. I looked over my shoulder out in public in case the other guy might see me with the other. I juggled both of them (for reasons beyond me), but in the end, it was too tiring for it to be worth all of that effort.

I haven't lied in a long time, so this most recent fib really made me disappointed in myself. Unfortunately I haven't confessed to this person, and I don't think I will. It's something that's going to pass anyway, and I'm making a promise here and now to never do this again. It made me feel so horrible that I actually considered going to my local church and confessing. Ha! Oh, the joys of being raised Catholic and honest.

A Much-Needed and Now Much-Missed Vacation

Isn't it great to be on vacation when the hardest decision you have to make is if you want a margarita before or after you go eat filet mignon and hit up the spa?

I am back from a week-long vacation in Southern California, and I don't think I have yet to adjust back to normal, boring, mundane life back home.

I headed to San Diego first on my travels and had lunch with my cousin Wendy at Seaport Village while we waited for Robyn's plane to get in.

Once we picked up Robyn, we decided to be the crazy partying 20-somethings that we are and hit up....the casino for some Bingo! Yes, my friends, I am a grandma.

Although, now that I've tried Bingo, I have a whole lotta respect for those seniors who are able to keep up with it. It is way more intense than just looking at one card and hoping to get all your dots in one straight line. You have like 10 cards in front of you, and you're looking for a different shape each round, like a crazy diamond or some kite shape.

It gave me a panic attack, I'll tell ya. Oh, and it didn't help that everyone else there had electronic game cards, and we were stuck with paper ones. Oh well...it was a fun experience!

On Sunday, we headed up to Anaheim for our Disneyland extravaganza! First, we hit up Downtown Disney and ESPN Zone for dinner and drinks - had to have our vacay cosmos! Mine might have hit me hard (I don't drink often), because I started scarfing down my green beans in a very messy fashion. We all then went to bed - at about 9:30 p.m.! Ahh yes, Bingo and early bed times. We love to live it up.

The next 2 days were filled with Disneyland fun! And best of all - I exceeded my goal of going on a new ride! For those of you who know me, I am the biggest scaredy cat when it comes to rides. I hate even seeing people go on them and hearing them screaming and having a good time. Weird, I know. Well, I decided that the price of my 2-day pass to Disneyland/California Adventure Land was too expensive for me to pass up the big rides, so I took a leap of courage and went on....Thunder Mountain Railroad! OK, stop laughing. I've been on it before, but the thought of it still gave me rumble in the jungle.

I conquered that and later reached my goal - Matterhorn! I know these don't seem like big deals to most people, but to me, it was like I climbed Mount Everest or something. Then I got even ballsier and went on Space Mountain - twice! It was fab-u-lous! I had a ball. Oh, and it didn't stop there. At California Adventure Land, I rode that stupid Twilight Zone Hollywood Tower thingy that's like an elevator and drops you! I never thought I'd ride that damn thing, but Wendy persuaded us. Robyn and I about wet our knickers, it was so scary. Never again! OK, actually I would do it again. But maybe not anytime soon.


It really was the happiest place on Earth, and I wish I could go back right now :(

But moving on...after Anaheim, we hit the road for Palm Springs! Wendy's friend's aunt has a condo there that she let us stay in (for free!), and it was just gorgeous. I really felt like we were living the high life.


I had another first on the trip - on our spa day, we got massages, and mine was done by a MAN! Oh my, I was a little nervous, but this old man had great hands. He kept asking me periodically, "How are we feeling, m'lady?" Ahhh, it was bliss. Although he did massage a bit too close to the twins at one point, but there was no funny business. You know I would have acted fast on that one if there was!

I had the best time on the night we went out for drinks and karaoke. I sported my awesome Mickey Mouse shirt, my HUGE ass 'fro left over from being so close to the coast in Anaheim, and my hat - oh, and NO makeup! I got up and sang "Shoop" by Salt 'N Pepa and also "Bennie and the Jets." Not to toot my own horn, but I was a hit! All these people kept coming up to me, and somehow I got the nickname Curly Sue. The males were definitely taking notice, which is weird because I looked 12 that night. But of course, I was not there for any bar action. Just some good ol' karaoke with my ladies (notice me and my happy beer-drinking self below). And just a note: I was not drunk when I sang karaoke. Oh, no. I would do it 100% sober, folks. I love it that much.


Continuing our week of living the high life, our family (of about 20 people) rented a HUGE ranch house mansion for our family reunion. It was gorgeous! Apparently Paris Hilton had rented it the weekend before, and it's a big hit during Coachella. That was the word of the street.

It had 7 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, a gorgeous pool and bridge, as well as our own private lake! Just a few examples of its awesomeness:


We played games, rode on a Seadoo, swam, drank and, of course, held our annual Joke-a-thon. I was reigning champ, but I think I disappointed this year. I wasn't on my A-game. But I was sooo happy to see my cuz Laurie win - on her b-day! So I handed the trophy over to her.


There were some odd moments - my mom's cousin Rich (who might have had some alcohol) put his birthday pie in my face. Why? I do not know. It was bizarre...I almost cried, but I didn't want to be a bad sport in front of the whole family. I got him back though and put it back in his face. Here's the series of events:

Ahh, yes. A lovely, placid birthday celebration.

And I got pied like I was on a Nickelodeon show.


Had to put on a happy face like I enjoyed it. Fighting back tears.


Oh, well. Can't beat 'em? Join 'em.

Karma!

I am more than depressed that I'm back to the real world. It's just so nice to not have to think about all this crap like paying bills and when I'm going to get my oil changed. I want to go back! But alas, I have to wait another year until my next vacay. This next one might be a cruise - oooh la la!

Moving Madness

These past couple weeks have made my head spin. Busy, busy, busy. I just haven't felt like there were enough hours in the day to get things accomplished, which makes me feel very anxious. I'm a perfectionist, so when I don't feel like I can cross off everything on my to-do list, I'm like an obese woman trying to ween herself off Phen Phen.

The big news of the week:

1) I'm headed to Washington D.C. tomorrow at the butt crack of dawn to have a fun reunion with my study abroad girls. Oh, how this mini-vacay is so needed, although flying is kind of freaky (at least my flight is non-stop - I'm praying for a good movie and cheap booze!).

2) I'm signing the lease for my new apartment next week! This will be the first official time I'm living alone and paying for everything myself. Well, I have lived alone a couple times - 1 was when my freshman-year college roommate left school early, leaving me with a huge dorm and bathroom all to myself, and the other time I lived in the Bay Area, but with the help of my parents. At least I know how to live alone - it's not hard at all. Kind of nice, actually. Now I get to move into my own place here in Roseville and do it all by myself! Well, financially, that is. My dad and sister are coming next weekend with the truck to help me move stuff. We're going to become the Clampett family again - yeeeehaw!

Let's hope this moving session is better than my last one, which involved almost dropping my queen-sized mattress on I-280 in San Francisco, rain that soaked all my crap on the 2-hour drive to Roseville, and some creepy guy at an SF gas station saying over and over, "Awww hell nawwww....helll nawww," when my mom and I asked him if my mattress was secure enough on top of my dad's truck bed tied to the lumber rack. Needless to say, that day sucked.

Moving days have always been hellish for me, whether it was leaving all my Sacramento friends and moving to BFE in Nevada or bawling my eyes out when my family moved me out of my dorm freshman year of college, only to have my dad ask in the car, "Are you excited to come home?"

Yes, moving is always traumatic for me, so let's pray for good weather next weekend and for my dad to be in a good mood! (Love you, dad).

I'm excited to decorate the new place and have people over. I'm going to keep it spic-and-span, and I won't have to worry about a dog doing its business in my closet, room and bathroom every day! No offense to Maggie - she's adorable, but I just can't live with her. Thankfully my roomies Brian and Kate understand. It's time for a new chapter in my life, and I can't wait!

But first off, visiting my man Obama! Woo hoo! Can't wait ;)

17 Again

I went to Erica's last night, and we (OK, fine....SHE) cooked dinner and we watched "17 Again." The movie stars Zac Efron (a.k.a. the hottie from "Hairspray" who is way too young for me), and the premise involves Zac Efron as an adult getting to go back to being his 17-year-old self and attend high school with his two teenaged kids (kind of like "Big," only not as classic).

This got me thinking about what it would be like if I could go back to being my 17-year-old self (like in the above picture, circa 2003). Granted, that was only 6-1/2 years ago, but it made me realize how far I've come since high school.

For example:

17-year-old Tracy
I was somehow under the illusion that I had an awesome relationship with my boyfriend at the time. We were "in love" and without-a-doubt going to end up together. During our junior year of high school, he revealed to me one fine afternoon that he'd cheated on me with this incredibly awful girl named Jessie.....like 6 months prior! Ahhh, yes. A point for his honesty. And -10,000 points for his punk ass cheating on the one-and-only Tracy T! I cried for days about it, and what do ya know? All it took for that character to get back into my good graces was a poem and a couple "I'm sorrys." We spent the next year of our relationship fighting, with me bringing up the Jessie infidelity in probably 87% of every argument.

23-year-old Tracy
I've had my heart broken in the worst ways, and while this has made me incredibly sad at times, it has also thickened my skin to the point where I feel so much more confident in my relationships. I'm nowhere near where I want to be, but the progress I've made after each gut-wrenching, nausea-inducing break up is invaluable. If I could go back to being 17, I would have kicked that prick to the curb way sooner! Probably even before the cheating confession. We had a myriad of problems from the get-go, which is kind of the drill when it comes to high school trysts. I've learned from my most recent relationship that if you have a deal-breaker of a problem and you break up, there's no going back or making things better the second, third, three-hundredth time around. I was WAY into the last guy I dated (think that lovely four-letter word starting with "L"). He, on the other hand, was NOT feeling me in the same way. I think his exact words were, "I'm not sure if the love I have for you is for a girlfriend or a friend. Oh, and you also remind me of my sister." (Insert another mix of four-letter words here, namely ones that begin with "S" and "F"). I could have continued dating him because we always had a good time together, no fighting, no overt problems. But there was that voice inside my head telling me that if someone is unsure if they are in love with me after 8 months, it's high time to pack my bags and jet like a bat outta Hades.

My high school BF obviously embodied everything wrong in a relationship (cocky, dishonest, unfaithful, guilt-tripping, name-calling, etc.), but I was so naive and a pushover that it took me way too long to stand up for myself (speaking of which, true story: my dad told me he'd pay me $50 to tell my high school boyfriend to "go f*** himself." I did it. Several times. Where's the cash, Dad? Oh yeah....he did pay for my college, so I shouldn't complain).

Overall lesson learned: Dump the zeros so as to make room for the heroes.

17-year-old Tracy
My best friend Christina and I have been tight ever since middle school. She and I are both nerds to the core and adore Harry Potter. Not to mention, we made up some kick ass dance routines to Ace of Base while messing around during school play practice. At 17, I don't think I valued her as much as I do now. I saw every close girlfriend as my competition - competing for male attention, better grades, getting into the best school, the best dress for the homecoming dance...you catch my drift. Everything was a race - I remember even feeling triumphant when I bought the new Britney Spears CD before Christina did. Why all of the competition and jealousy?

Well, it didn't help that Christina and I were both very wrapped up in our boyfriends at 17. We were both interested in joining the debate team, but at the last minute, Christina backed out because she said she was too busy with other commitments. And what do ya know, I happened to stop by a local high school that was holding debate tournaments, and who do I see coming out of the competition? Christina and her new partner, Amie! Ahh yes...that was a nice blow. But I guess I deserved it because I stole Christina's boyfriend Bryan in 8th grade (oh, and how that little fruitcake was so not worth the fighting). All I know is that she and I had issues in high school despite our close friendship.

23-year-old Tracy
There is not a good thing that happens to Christina that doesn't make me 10 times happier. Seeing her succeed and live her dreams is the ultimate, and I can't think of a recent time when I didn't wish anything less than good things for her. She is way ahead of the game (more so than me, I'd say): she's a medical student, she's been with her boyfriend for a number of years in a healthy, stable relationship (what the hell is that like?), she actually knows what it's like to live with a guy successfully, she is well traveled and she was recently crowned Miss Nevada! I cried when she won because I've been attending almost every pageant of hers for the last 6 years (or at least the ones I could attend - she's competed a lot on the east coast as well).

So basically, her happiness is my happiness. I don't begrudge her or feel jealous when good things come her way. Wouldn't I expect the same from my best friend?

Overall lesson learned: There are only a rare number of friends we will carry with us for the rest of our lives, so don't let petty, irrelevant things jeopardize this. (Two of my best friends below, Amie - yes, the "other" woman at the debate tournament - Christina and me at the 2009 Miss Nevada Pageant in Reno).


17-year-old Tracy
OK, so technically I was 18 when this happened, but I thought this was a really good example of self-reliance. During my freshman year of college at the University of Oregon, I thought I'd overdosed on - you guessed it - Vitamin C. While most of my classmates were toking it up in their rooms or popping Aderalls left and right in order to stay up and study, I was tricked into taking too much Vitamin C and Zinc from my BF at the time in order to combat the cold I thought I was catching.

Now, a little background here. I used to have a major case of emetophobia. This is the fear of throwing up, and yes it's real (it's actually one of the Top 10 most common phobias). I'm not as bad as I used to be, but during freshman year, my fear was in high gear (wow, that was a lot of rhyming). So after popping a few too many of each pill, I freaked out and called my parents. Bad idea. My dad called Poison Control and told me I'd be fine. (He later told me out of spite after I snapped at him that P.C. had actually told him I might throw up. Thanks, Pop). I was fine, but it sure gave me a scare.

23-year-old Tracy
While I may have 4 different types of hand sanitizer in my purse, I'm not going to be on an episode of A&E's "Obsessed" anytime soon. I think college taught me how to rely on myself and my own resources before resorting to the panicked parental call. I now stop and think about how I can best solve something, and if I'm in need of further advice or insight, I tend to call my parents in a more relaxed state. A lot less freak outs and panic attacks these days, not to mention I no longer need to use my membership for the online International Emetophobia Society (yes, I was a member at one point). I still call my parents often because they mean the world to me, but it's safe to say I no longer need adult supervision when it comes to my pill intake. I took my multivitamin this morning and feel just fine.

Overall lesson learned: It's a thrilling experience when your mom and dad slowly transition out of the "parenting" stage and you no longer need them to hold your hand when you cross that metaphorical street. But that doesn't mean you don't want them right by your side when you do cross.

In sum, I'm very happy with how I've turned out so far as a young adult. I think the melodrama was fun while it lasted, but being a grown up is so much better! I have more meaningful relationships, my friends are my best allies and there's nothing I love more than feeling proud when I accomplish something all by myself.