SLW power songs

Every woman needs a song that will make her want to dance/punch things/run a million miles all at the same time. 99% of those songs, for me, are Beyoncé. Um... because Beyoncé. But I wanted to share some of my personal Single Lady Pump Up the Jam's with you. Who can resist a good jam?

Beyoncé - Grown Woman - not yet released but this video gets me through... as I watch it daily.

They like the way I walk

Cuz I walk with a vengance

And they listen to me when I talk

Cuz I ain't pretendin'

I'm a grown woman! 

I can do WHATEVUH I WANT

Avicii - Silhouettes - ULTIMATE POWER SOOOONG. Also it makes me wanna twerk just a bit.

We've come a long way since that day

And we will never look back at the faded silhouettes

Straight ahead on the path we have before us

Day by day we know a change will come

Don't you know we took a big step forward?

30 Seconds to Mars - Kings & Queens - this makes me wanna throw my hands in the air and YELL for a good 20 seconds. It reminds me a lot of MuteMath who I also love.

We were the kings and queens of promise

Estelle - Freak - for the times you just need to let it OUT. And sometimes you do.

I can be a freak, every day of every week. 

Midnight City - M83 - this is just one of those songs that makes me want to run... while simultaneously sobbing. It's just so good... it hasn't gotten old. I think it's the saxophone at the end of it. 

The city is my church

It wraps me in sparkling twilight

Here's this for good measure. And this. 

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

on my birthday

Today is my birthday and for the first time in my life I'm working on it cuz I forgot to ask off. It's been a pretty good day so far! The sun is brilliant and it's 90 degrees out, it decided summer was TODAY and I am accepting that! It's nice getting well wishes at work it's like having a hundred family members tell you happy birthday. I'm really in it for the hugs. Let's be real.

I'm 27. What IS that!? It's so... it's so WEIRD. It's a non-age to me. Not almost 30... DEFINITELY past 25... just... in the middle. bein' floaty and weird. I'm not so much panicking about my age but more about the things I'd like to DO. Actually, I do freak out about  my age every year at about 11:34 the night before and usually impulse buy some things. Last night I applied for a passport. What if I want to have mussels and fries in Monaco or find tickets on Kayak for a deal I just can't pass up and I need to go to Australia to replenish/fuel my Cherry Ripe obsession?! *sigh* These are things I think about.

Every year I think I psych myself up that THIS YEAR is gonna be the YEAR and... I wait for the YEAR to do something awesome to ME not the other way around. I started out today with maybe the best workout ever as a standard for how I want things to be now. No more talking. Much more doing. So I apologize if I don't say as much about things I'm doing it's cuz I want to DO them and not just spout off stuff that sits dormant. I'm pretty annoyed with myself about that. I keep talking about it.

I'm kinda apprehensive about this year, this age. I have no idea what's around the bend for me but I'm ready for it. Ready to carve out a niche for myself in this world, finally. I'm excited for more adventures to share with you all. More Bake Days with good friends. Ready for more Single Lady Wednesdays. And just maybeee I'm ready for a relationship... Doesn't mean it'll happen but I think I'm becoming more ready for that.

BUT. I WILL tell you my birthday gift. A CUISINART ICE CREAM MAKER. ICE CREAM ALL THE THINGS. Here's to many ice cream recipes with bacon. Maybe the next bake day could be a homemade ice cream social in the summer... eh?? Rieeeeeeght?!?

Tomorrow is my annual birthday pilgrimage downtown to get a sundress from Forever 21 (don't judge the downtown one has an awesome section for girls like me), a birthday drink from Argo Tea, and LUSH STUUUUUFF. And maybe a slice of Icebox Cake from Magnolia Bakery. Okay DEFINITELY a slice of Icebox Cake from Magnolia Bakery.

Thank you, again, for all the well wishes today. You guys are kinnnnd of my favorite people on the planet. 

ventures

I downloaded the Air BnB app recently and it was a mistake. I stumbled upon this tiny little tree house in Vermont in the picture above gave me the travel bug. It's a TREE HOUSE. that you can STAY IN. with a BED. and they serve you BREAKFAST. I about died.

That led me to the realization that I need to take a vacation. I never go anywhere... The whole work/life balance is more or less work/work/work/imminent death alone. I'm always baffled when people are like 'yeah I'll see you guys in a week! Headed to Florida/California/TREEHOUSE IN THE WOODS' and I'm like 'WHUT NOW!?' My family has never made time for a work/life balance cuz it made no sense and money wasn't ever there. It's not normal for me to take time off for ME. It took me figuring out I have 2 weeks of vacation time stored up cuz I NEVER TAKE A DAY OFF and it woke me up a little bit.

I just kinda want to get away and do stuff I wanna do. Then come back. Like visit Portland to visit the original Stumptown Coffee and eat lavender ice cream and maybe find Abi Porter so we can be best friends and basically be the MOST hipster I can be for a week without judgement. I want to vacation with friends but that is too hard to orchestrate - by the time it's planned out I'll have 80 more hours of vacation time stored up so I was thinking about doing a solo trip.

But really... is this a good idea? Is vacationing alone a sham? Has anyone ever vacationed alone? Is it a bad idea for a person like me? (me meaning... semi introverted)

THOUGHTS!

p.s. - yes. this post is tagged 'quarter life crisis' real life.
p.p.s. - I'm listening to so much Beyoncé right now. So. Much.

catching up again

It always seems that this blog has a lull and I have to update you on my life for the past few months and I apologize about that. I'm still in the process of unpacking things here at the new place and while my mom is forcing herself to do a box a day I am... not forcing myself to do... much at all. Subsequently there are a lot of boxes in my room staring at me ominously from the corner. They whisper terrible things at night about organization.

Some cool single lady things have happened. I am a lady that gets her nails done on the regular (always referencing Missy Elliot) and I go to the gym! What now?! Remember that one time I was all like DOWN WITH GYMS and then I figured out that was just my early onset terminal laziness taking over my life. I won't really be talking about that all that much since I also happen to be... all talk. If you didn't know that well at least now you know. I'm notorious for saying all the things I'm gonna do, wanna do, need to do, and then sitting on my butt and watch opportunities pass.

What is that?! Oh. That's my early onset terminal laziness. It should really be a clinical disease.

So much is around the corner! My birthday (which I'm really thinking about just NOT having and seeing what happens there...) and a few friends who are with child are delivering THIS MONTH. May really is the best month ever.

With the sunny days should come more posts hopefully. I just haven't felt like writing and/or the writing I do put out was really biting and passive aggressive. No idea where it came from but at least I had enough sense to not publish the stuff.

In the mean time, I overload people's life on Twitter and Instagram so pop on over there, abbyblujay is the name on both (duh).

Happy 80 degree day!

WE HAVE INTERNET

AND THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER

who would have ever thought that a simple thing like getting the wireless back on being a pivotal part in adjusting to a new home but for a girl like me IT IS. IT SO IS. 

CUE THE SOCIAL MEDIA BATHROOM BREAKS

SLW

Hey guys, I'm TOTALLY alive I just moved recently across town. This move super SUCKED and we definitely don't have wifi yet. You don't realize how much you depend on wifi until it's NOT there. Pretty sure I'm over my data limit for the month already. Womp. It makes going to the bathroom so boring when you can't surf the web. Real life.

As soon as I'm back online again SLW will be in full swing again. I have some things in the archive but they're kind of melancholy... There's a time and place for that and it's not now. Not now but soon.

In the meantime you can find me on Instagram and Twitter... but don't find me on Facebook. Never. ever. find me on Facebook. And while you're at it visit a few of my friends too. Kate and Katherine are very welcoming.

Enjoy this grey, rainy day with many cups of tea and chick flicks.

Happy Wednesday! 

SLW: laundry day

Apartment living means laundry is shared with strangers. It's usually the only interaction I have with other tenants in the building and I've been living here for 12 years.

Honestly when I do my laundry I forget to take off the clothes I'm wearing and usually end up doing a hot strip in the public laundry area with my butt up against the door just in case a tenant walks in to do their laundry... clothed. Like normal people are clothed.

While in the process of moving, I ran out of underwear because... of course I have. I ran down to put a load in the washer and found myself filling a washer full of someone else's clothes. Turned on the machine and filled it up... OPENED IT and it was... already filled with already washed clothes. Sooo I took them out and attempted to wring them out before semi-folding them. I try to be nice when moving clothes out of the washer/dryer. It's a sensitive issue. Plus I just rewet them. There's that.

Naturally as I'm moving the clothes and folding them... and wringing them out the DUDE (the GUY!) whose laundry this belongs to walks in mid fold.

How things went down...

Me: AH I WAS JUST HAHAHAHAHA TRYING TO HAHA FOLDHAHAHA YOUR CLOTHES CUZ HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA *as I go away from his clothes I realized a fake nail has come off and is currently residing on top of his shirts*

Dude: mmmm... no it's okay. *wary face*

Me: *hops back to my washer filling to put my clothes in - realizes 90% of the load is UNDERWEAR AND BRAS - I threw away the fake nail discreetly*

Dude: how was your day?

Me: LONG. *cue Debbie Downer trombone* you?

Dude: me too... I work part time as a fireman over in Glenwood and I have a day job - I actually work tonight so... buh.

Me: oh man... *he's a FIREFIGHTER?!?! THAT KNOWS HOW TO SEPARATE DARKS FROM LIGHTS AND WASHES HIS JEANS SEPARATELYYYYYY!!* 

Dude: yeah... *continues to fill*

Me: *continues to fill... as my bras keep getting STUCK on my laundry basket and all the weirdest underwear days float to the top CONTINUALLY - how are there so many underwear? I must own a thousand days of underwear!*

The guy keeps shooting me weird looks and I just go on about my business until I REMEMBER that I'm not wearing a bra as I decided to wash it. I nod... thinking this is good as my boobs are akimbo. This is normal for me. Find out a hot firefighter dude lives in my building. He understands the special, intricate art of laundry washing. He probably even understands the symbols on the tags. He owns maybe the cutest dog on the planet. This makes sense for me to be bra-less, washing every dirty unmentionable in the world.

C'est la vie.

...and happy Wednesday

SLW: a day in my life

There was one time where I had a crush on 1 boy for my entire life. It was kind of like... violent unrequited love but not really. I would just become nauseous to the point of throwing up whenever in his presence, my knees would get weak, my mouth would dry up, I always had the strangest urge to scream-cry, and basic human functions like breathing became super. difficult. I've liked him since we were 8 and I couldn't make it go away if I TRIED. I'd tell myself he was disgusting and a jerk and an idiot and would be JUST FINE when he wasn't in sight but as soon as he did... you just handed a recovering crack addict a GIANT BAG OF CRACK basically...

Well he's married now - like a second ago this happened. Because of course he is. Perfect specimens of dude always find perfect specimens of girl. And dreams always die. I always exaggerate did you know that? Me and the hyperbole are so tight. 

It just so happens that his mom and my mom are good friends and she visited her the other day... and found out about this blessed union in person. My mother was very happy as she should be... I mean our families grew up together basically. Hence my life long crush. If I had bangs I would blow them out of my eyes in frustration. 

My mom then proceeds to TELL him that I've liked him since I was 8 and that I'll be heartbroken and he's crushed my dreams. Oh... this was a great idea. He's married now! There's no reason why he should know! It ALL MAKES SENSE RIGHT?!... according to my mom. 

*sits down on the ground* this is my life. as a 26 year old lady girl. I say I've accepted it but I haven't - things are ridiculous in my single lady life. The LACK of action is what makes it so. 

I wouldn't have it any other way.

HAPPY WEDNESDAY

p.s. how many times have you listened to JT's new album? 5 listenings in a row is my tops at the moment. I'm addicted to "Don't Hold the Wall" and "That Girl" - beats and harmonies get meeee... 
p.p.s. - HAPPY 400TH POST!

HAPPY SLW-VERSARY!

Well guys, you've been with me a year on this crazy journey called Single Lady Wednesday. Some weeks really sucked, and some were prettyyyyy cool. We even had a few guests! Looking at the past year of posts made me laugh and even tear up a bit when I think about all the cool adventures, guest posts and discoveries made. It's been an interesting ride to say the least.

I figured out why I was so kindred to Wednesdays. I know Kate, over at DASJ, loves Wednesdays, too. Significant things seem to happen on Wednesdays. Turns out... my sister was born on a Wednesday and I was born on the EXACT SAME Wednesday 10 years later. It's kinda scary. My niece was also born on a Wednesday too! I think it's just in my blood to love this middle of the road day of the week.

Let's look back shall we?

I figured out being a single lady had a few advantages. Even the married ladies miss single-dom sometimes. You should DEFINITELY know how to put on a successful SLW - it mostly boils down to a lack of pants, really. I tried to lay down some truth for you as well... however unsuccessfully that was but none the leads it was real. (this one is my favorite)

Then there was that time I went to the beach in March in 85 degree weather. That was totally a thing.

...and of course. the post that started it all.

Thanks again for sticking with me through this year of navigating single-hood. Being single is really weird sometimes, but also really awesome. I feel untethered and free floating which can be both exhilarating and scary at the same time. It's really a day by day thing.


p.s. - Also how awesome would it be to get these turned into a book?! I would die. Die!

SLW: Single Lady Thurdsay II

To the Late Bloomers: a letter.

To those who still had teeth falling out in 4th grade, to the ones who could look down at their chest and see straight to the floor & didn't get leg hair til 8th grade, and the very last one in your middle school to get their period? I'm one of you.

For the ones playing with American Girl dolls til 16, the ones without a solidified sense of style til after college, the one who didn't actually understand what a crush was til 24... welcome to my life.

We are the late bloomers. The slow developers. The cautious ones that wait, but had no idea they were doing so. We're comfortable with who we are. Comfortable with wearing hoodies and pajama pants through high school. Comfortable with being really late to the eyebrow waxing train. Comfortable with wearing the same hoodie and scarf day in and day out in college and finding yourself stylish within that boundary.

We're the ones that never pay attention to what dance is coming up or whether or not you're going because... there was a dance last weekend?! The ones who don't realize that boys are cute and you like them until someone points it out to you. And you just finally... FINALLY realized that you ENJOY feeling like a woman and all the spa treatments that are at your very finger tips. What seems to be late in life is normal - maybe discovering you really like to write or bake or design and that one of those might actually be your career finally. It takes a bit to find a niche.

When we do catch on, catch up, arrive, watch out. Nothing can stop a late bloomer. We're wise, having seen the early developers stumble through weird awkward phases, while we carefully side step and walk on. It makes us decisive and confident and comfortable in our own skin. Definitely still movers and shakers - just takes us a bit to warm up to moving mountains.