The thought of Texas makes me all giddy and happy inside

I have been looking at the route Madic and I are going to take to get from Vermont to Texas and I am GIDDY. I can't stop smiling and emailing Madic about all the places I'm excited to see. Because once we get out of Massachusetts, I have never been to any of the states we are going to go through. It's like a dream come true. I get to move to Texas AND get to see so many new states.
My one goal is to get Madic to agree to stop in Nashville.
I am so giddy I can't wait. There are so many possibilities. Where will we stay? What will we see? THINK OF THE ADVENTURES!
It's funny, Madic and I had always planned on going on a road trip together. Since we met in sixth grade we have been planning the most epic of adventures. And then last year he went on a road trip with our friend Turtle while I was visiting home. He kept trying to convince me to go with him but I was only home for a little bit and had so many people to see and things to do before I returned to Denmark. He feigned being upset and said we would never have another chance to go on a road trip together.
AND LOOK AT US NOW! We're moving to Austin, and we're driving the whole way.
But. my God, it feels like the time is never going to come. Damn our prior obligations.

Drinking with Jesus and please don't hate me for this.

I've fallen in love with a new singer. Some blog led me to her a few weeks ago, and then I heard her again yesterday and then I finally looked her up and realized she is Christian singer and all of her songs are about Jesus. And I love her music so much that I keep thinking, maybe she will change my relationship with Jesus and I will become the Catholic that my mother wishes I was. And then I will start singing too, and telling everyone about the love of Jesus (which is great). And maybe this nun lifestyle I've started will really pan out into a real nun lifestyle and my grandmother will die happy and my mother will cry and peace will come to my family. Because I said yes to Jesus. All because of this singer.
Yeah, I love her that much.

Except that probably isn't how it will happen at all. Because I love her songs. And I love Jesus of course. But I also love to drink... a lot. So I feel like my relationship with Jesus will always be like Miranda Lambert's.
I'm pretty sure when Jesus and I meet up there will be a lot of wine drinking. And then I'll be like, "Hey Jesus, this is tequila!" and he'll be like "I know it's tequila Annie, I invented it. I also invented limes so please cut them up while I get the salt." And I'll be like "Our God is an awesome God." and he'll be like "I know right? But don't tell Mary." Which works both ways because both of our mothers' names are Mary. But he wouldn't really say that because we both know both Marys know all. Plus we love both Marys very much. And if I told my mother I was drinking tequila with Jesus she would just respond "Of course you are." Because she doesn't like confrontation. And everything is ok if Jesus is involved. And I am getting way too into this.
I love you Jesus. Now I'm going to have a glass of wine and sing about it.


I'm sorry if this offends you. I know it would offend my mother. But this is my relationship with Jesus, and so far things have been good between us, so I am going to keep it up.

Quarter life crisis - mine involves flowers and gluten free cookies - this post may not make any sense

I have decided I want to become a florist. So maybe I can cross "figure out what I want to do with my life" off my before 30 list. Maybe.

But yesterday I had a moment of terror and a little bit of a freak out.. complete with hyperventilating and a little bit of oh my hell what am I doing with my life??? When I realized that I may never again work at a place where people make me gluten free cookies and I eat like five or more a day and I drink tea and read books and blog and "research" random things on the internet and sometimes do real research for gluten free things and sometimes I answer the phone and make reservations. But the point of this story is I eat a lot of gluten free chocolate chip cookies all day long. And it is heaven. And I have decided to leave this job. What am I thinking?? Really. My life is so cush. Isn't it?

And then I realized that this is what the quarter life crisis is all about. We are just at that moment when you actually have to start acting like an "adult." Where we start paying our student loans, where we have to get real jobs with real people that maybe provides health insurance? And you have to take what you learned from college and apply it to some sort of job that maybe has a little something to do with what you studied but probably doesn't because there are no real jobs available. And then you are me and you never actually graduated from college so instead you keep thinking - what do I actually want to be when I grow up?

That brings me to where I am. Working a comfy little job where I have an endless supply of gluten free yummies, for breakfast, for snack, for dinner, for whenevertheheckIwantandI'mgo ingtohavefivecookiesrightnowdamnit. So yeah - the quarter life crisis. When we realize life is no longer as comfy as it used to be. Where we realize we have responsibilities. Where we know we need to grow up but we remember too vividly the life we lived when our parents took care of everything. Where I realize I need to move out of my parents' house already and stop relying on them for a job whenever I run out of money whilst drinking tequila gallivanting around the world. Where I realize that I may not have gluten free food galore at my finger tips.
But I don't want to realize that! Yes I will move out of my parents' house. Yes I will start paying my own bills. Yes I will get a real job - even if it has to be a 9 to 5 (but I would much prefer to be a florist and make my own hours...). But no, no I do not want to give up the gluten free goodies. Is it asking too much to be able to drink tea and eat gluten free cookies at work? All the time? I don't think so. I don't to think so! What kind of life would that be??
Alright I am being a little dramatic.

Then Madic says, I will bake you gluten free cookies if you will just shut up already.
And this is why we are best friends.

Also, absolutely calling my grandmother this afternoon to see if she will apprentice me in her flower shop. You can eat cookies in flower shops all day right?

Wine and other things of importance. Wait, what other things are as important as wine?

What the hell is this? here's the description "If you talk with your hands a lot, you will never have to worry about soaking your date or fellow party guest again. This silicone sling leaves your hands free for all kinds of gestures and activities."

Yeah, and you're going to look like an asshat and your date will leave you anyway. 

I really want this.

Also SIL is a genius, she turned a really weird wedding present of a giant bag of rice into a way to get wine. Except maybe she isn't a complete genius because she ordered three pounds of green peppers from peapod, and that is like 20 or more green peppers. For two people. So she made stuffed peppers with the giant bag of rice and invited people for a "dinner party" provided they bring the wine.

And now I absolutely want a bag of rice for a wedding present. Actually, a housewarming present, because I know I'm going to have to go to the soup kitchen when I move to Texas.

Do you think they'll accommodate my gluten allergy?

Also, do they serve wine at soup kitchens?

Generation gap - And my Gram is pretty awesome - Also I'm probably never going to settle down

It is horrendously cold. I just looked up the temperature in Austin and it is 70 degrees. Also there will be thunderstorms there tomorrow. Which makes me incredibly jealous. Although it will be a balmy 40 degrees here tomorrow it is going to rain cold, terrible, deathly rain drops. And right now the wind is so bad and going right through my window and I just put another blanket on my bed, so now I have four. And flannel pajama pants and a long sleeve shirt, and my smartwool socks. And I am freezing.
Also I hate snow.
Also I hate slipping and the ice.
It is 70 degrees in Austin right now.

I spent the evening with my grandparents. They are the absolute best people in the world. Except that they are old, and my grandfather is going senile, and my poor grandmother can barely walk yet my grandfather is always barking at her to do everything for him. She just smiles and hobbles along. Then she sits down and falls asleep. It's amazing how good she is at that. Doesn't even teeter, just sits, closes her eyes and is out. I'm a bit jealous.
Anyway we had dinner together because it has been awhile since I've sat down and chatted with them, and Bear and I were the only ones home tonight and we were going to order take out anyway (from our own restaurant because this lady is on a spending freeze!) so I figured, hey, let's hang out with the grandparents.
First thing Bear said when we got into the car was, "Does it smell like chlorine in here?" And I'm just about to blurt out "Actually, it smells like old people" because it really did, it was a real old person smell. But then I realized that of course it's an old person smell, my grandparents are old. But they've never smelled old before so this was a new thing. They have officially become old.
At dinner they asked me what I was up to these days and what my plans were. I was dreading this question. Before we left I told Bear we should take bets on how Papa would react to me moving to Texas. So I decided not to beat around the bush. "I'm moving to Texas!"
"Oh dear God" says Papa
"You can't move to Texas! It's too far away!" says Gram
"Texas is really great, you're going to love it" says Papa. Whoa, was not expecting that.
"Yeah, I am really excited to move to Austin, it seems to really fit with who I am, there are a lot of people there who are a lot like me."
"Oooh no," says Gram, cracking up and shaking her head vigorously "No one is like you!"
"Where the hell is Austin? I've never heard of it." says Papa
"Um, it's the state capital." And I try to make the shape of Texas out of my hands to point out where exactly in Texas Austin is, but that's impossible, what was I thinking.
"So what? It's not a city. Houston is a city. Dallas. What the hell is Austin? What are you going to do there? Are you going to finish school?"

At this point I pinch Bear because in preparation for this dinner she has been informed that it is her duty to keep the conversation away from getting my bachelor's. The last conversation we had he literally yelled at me to make me finish. "Go back to Rhode Island and beg them to take you back!"
"No Papa, I left Rhode Island because I was completely unhappy there. It was a terrible experience for me and I never want to return there."
"Who the hell cares about happiness??"
You should know my grandfather never got his bachelor's degree. Also when I was in high school looking at colleges he kept trying to convince me not to go to college. "I can teach you anything you need to know!" Which could be true. Because he never went to college and went from a traveling shoe salesman to a millionaire. But get your opinions straight buster, should I go to college or should I not?
Every year this man has a new opinion. He went from freaking out on me for trying vegetarianism one summer to the next summer telling me that MEAT IS DEATH! I can't handle this.

So Bear tries to cut in and start a new conversation about the shrimp he is eating - weak attempt there - but he cuts her off. "How old are you?"
"Twenty-three"
"Uh huh, so this is your last little fling before you settle down and start a real life?"
"I don't know. Maybe not. There's still a lot of things I want to do."
"You know we had four kids by the time we were your age."
To which I try to reply that was crazy because they were married when they were 21, and that was just too quick to have babies (they had one set of twins) and even if I wanted to get married at this point my brothers would strongly object because I am way too young. Also I don't know where I want to settle down and have kids because it's definitely not here, and definitely not anywhere else I've lived. And I can't settle down and have kids until I find a man who wants to join me in this endeavor and I haven't found him yet and I know I won't find him here. Also we live longer now and I want to live in Texas but I also want to live in Kenya and I also want to live in London and I also want to travel all over the world and I wonder what it would be like to live in Asia... But while I am saying all of this he is going "Huh? What? What's that? Joanie, can you hear her?" Joanie's my gram. Papa pulls the "I'm deaf" card whenever he thinks we're talking crazy. Which is almost all the time with me.
Gram just giggles when I'm crazy. She thinks I'm awesome. "If I was your age I would totally go to Austin. Sounds rad." Gram also tries to be gangster. She once put one of those magnetic earrings in her nose and walked around with it for a whole day "I'm a cool Gram!" she kept saying.

Getting excited...

I have just booked a plane ticket to return to Copenhagen! I am beside myself with excitement, a little over a month from now I will be back in Europe (god I miss you) snuggling with my two favorite people in the world. Well, my favorite person in the world, and meeting Bitty Baby who I am sure will quickly become my second favorite person in the world. I'm talking about my nieces. And if you have been reading me, you know how important Clara is to me, and how Bitty Baby is about four weeks old. I've said "Hello" to her via facetime and skype, and I am positive she is beginning to recognize me and has already decided I'm her favorite Auntie ever.
I called B1 to let him know the tickets were purchased and he had to pick me up at the airport at 12:45 on Saturday the 9th. He told Clara and I could hear her yelling "yayy!" and asking if they could go to the airport right this instant to pick me up. Gosh that girl melts my heart!

The only drawback to my excitement is I need to return to the land of Facebook because I'm an idiot and didn't get any email addresses for my friends in Copenhagen and all of their numbers were on my Copenhagen phone which has been wiped clean for E's use. Silly. So I must return and request their contact information, and then I'm sure I'll get hooked reading up on everything I missed in the three weeks since I made my goodbyes and I'll never get off again. So I am putting off signing back on until I absolutely have to let them know when I am coming.

With that small drawback I am so completely absolutely ridiculously giddy about my future, which looks like this:
March: continue living the life of a nun, stop getting Thai food, go to the yoga studio I have already payed for rather than the one that I like, and pretend I'm a student so I can go to the climbing wall for free. Translation: SPENDING FREEZE!
April: Polishing off my halo and heading to church to be the best confirmation sponsor for my 16 year old sister (from here on referred to as Bear) there ever was, and a day later... COPENHAGEN! complete with baby snuggling, grabbing coffiee with Gerda (my favorite Latvian), spending two days with my favorite Parisian Nee, and of course going to Tivoli with Clara! Gaahh the excitement!
May: Celebrating Sie's graduation (you go girl!) and then moving to TEXAS!

Life = amazing

Classy Birthdays...?

I have always wanted a classy birthday party. One where a few of my friends and I get together, dress up, and have dinner at a classy restaurant. We have lots of wine, eat good food, and laugh - but not too loud, because we are being classy. But alas, this has never happened.

This year was amazing, but everything short of classy.
My actual birthday was spent at work. I was spoiled with my dinner and was allowed to have a glass of wine on the clock. When I got home I had more wine, and a chocolate torte, it was lovely.
The next day I headed to the city for my real celebration. The first night was spent with SIL (B3 was on a business trip). We went out for sushi, drank copious amounts of wine, and watched Jersey Shore. I guess it could have been classy if I left that last part out...

My parents had booked a couple of rooms for me and some friends for Saturday (the perks of being in the hospitality business - we got them for free!). So all of my beautiful Londonites - except for Penn, he had school or something... - traveled to the city to help celebrate my birthday.
When the Londonites get together more alcohol is consumed than you would think is humanly possible. Especially tequila.
We all arrived at the hotel, seven boys, three girls. The boys went out to buy alcohol, but Panda and Sie were prepared - a whole bottle of patron - so we started to get dressed. Outfits were thrown back and forth "This one looked amazing on you when we went to Ministry of Sound, wear this one tonight." "I just found this top at Urban, you will love it!" "Hey, do you have that black belt that goes with this dress?"
And then the best exclamation, "I'm pouring the shots!"
The boys return and we are semi-dressed, semi-makeuped, and semi-drunk.
We drank a little more, giggled a lot, and finally I slumped onto the bed. "I think we should eat?" We bundled up and headed for Dick's Last Resort, the only place that would allow us in in our state.
When we arrived there was an hour wait, "but it's my birthday!" they took my phone number to call us when a table was ready. What do we do? We head for the pub, of course!
When we walked in, every one of the boys offered to buy my drink, because it's my birthday! But I was already sufficiently fuddled, so settled on just one for the moment... that quickly turned to two, maybe three? The bar was empty, as it was only eight pm, so we took over and started a dance party, what else?
On the way back to the restaurant we sang and danced and pretended like we werethe only people in the whole city. Sie spotted a perfectly untouched area of snow in the middle of a courtyard. All I remember is her saying something along the lines of "snow angel" and I was down on the ground, arms and legs sprawled out, making the best snow angel you ever did see. I arrived back at the restaurant completely covered in snow.
From there it's a blur. We got hats with horrendous statements written on them - mine said, ahem "I got Dick for my birthday!" ...because we were at Dick's, you know?
I drank a few too many margaritas, tipped the waitress far too much, sang with Elvis, and then headed back into the night. Somehow we found an Irish pub with live music - our favorite type of place to drink - and I decided I was an amazing Irish Step dancer. My cousin is an Irish Step Dancer, and she taught me a couple steps. So of course I am a professional.
I knocked over two beers, my friend started a fight with the bouncers, and we were kicked out. From there? I remember nothing. From cameras and random memories we figured we went to two other bars at least, and made a pit stop at a McDonald's where I made friends with everyone in the restaurant as well as a few unsuspecting passer-bys. Hellllooo! Who are you? What are you doing tonight?? It's my birthday! I'm 21! (lies) Meet me at the next bar and we'll daaannnce!  I'm so friendly.
Panda hooked up with the Greek. I called Penn with a drunken "I hate you because you're not celebrating my birthday... but I misshhh you sooo musshh." - that's me trying to type drunk? And Sie called Stien to give him the play by play. We could have been back in London again.
We somehow made it back to our hotel safe and sound, though I will never know how. I did hear one of my friends got stuck in the revolving doors for about five minutes...
Classy.