Bad Bad Blogger

Ok, I know I know I've been a terrible blogger lately. But seriously, did you SEE my last post!? I am the busiest person on the face of the earth! Of course I totally over committed myself and have been stressed to the MAX. I  cannot wait for this week to be over and am finally celebrating Labor Day in Ocean City with some of my favorite VA people and my long lost other half, Eric. 

He's one of my closest friends since freshmen year of college. We have been through more than is even IMAGINABLE together and we definitely have some stories. Eventually we are getting married and having a totally platonic relationship complete with a cowboys and dolphins game room. I'm kind of nervous to see what happens when both of us are together at the infamous all day Ocean City beach bar/nightclub, Seacrets....

This is going to be mayhem.

In other exciting life news...

The Boomerang work has been great. The boat launch is on the horizon, which I am so excited about! Last Friday my roommates filled an entire bus so hosting was more play than work. 

Hostess with the MOSTEST? ahhaha sike

And this was my project the other day at the office....such a little carpenter...

So proud of myself! This was in like...5 whole pieces before I assembled it. Take that corona promoters! 

The restaurant training is...well with no other word to describe it, INTENSE. Naturally, it didn't open on time so I'm on week two of daily training instead. I figured since I've worked at about 8,000 restaurants that it would be a piece of cake. Wrongo. I've never felt more out of my element and stressed about a serving job. I was a HOSPITALITY major for gosh sakes! I'm qualified for a management position, why can't I get this down? However, I really appreciate the overall mentality of the Thompson Hospitality Group that oversees the restaurant operation and training. There is something about a company made up of other people who understand that paying guests should be treated like family or guests in your home that is just refreshing. I really did pick the best major in the world, I just wish I understood or cared where the Bok Choy was grown that garnishes our sea bass or what our finest pale ale is, ugh it's a constant struggle. 

I also taught my first fall spin class today. My riders were VERY interested in if we were going to do cadence counts and if we were climbing up or downhill. How can you climb downhill may I ask?! Not the best time of my life. But they all thanked me, said they had a great workout, and said they would see me next week. We'll see. Bossy spin students is the last thing I need to worry about at this point in time. 

There are those times when you feel like everything is crumbling down and then miraculously someone reads your mind and turns your day right around. With all of this stress and job hopping going on, on top of our AC being out, I haven't have the best nights sleep lately. These two-job a day weeks have started taking their toll and today was probably my low point. When I got home from the Boomerang office I was greeted with these:

So sweet right?! 

It's little things like this that bring me back down to reality and make me realize in the big scheme of things I'm pretty darn lucky. (He's actually a pretty good guy too.. :)) 

So as I drink a glass of wine, slightly sweat from the lack of AC, and decompress from this whirlwind of work that's taken over my life, I'm just looking forward to this weekend. I know it will all be worth it and work out as everything always does! 

Hope you all have a fabulous holiday! Hopefully I'll post if I have a life when I get back next week!

XO, T

Bada-Bing Bada-Boom

Well summer is finally coming to a close. It feels like it has flown by and lasted forever at the same time. So much has happened. I feel like college was years ago rather than a mere 3 months. However, the jet setting and emotional breakdowns have made September creep around the corner all too quickly at the same time. I am definitely not where I envisioned myself at this point in my life, but am finally going to have a SCHEDULE this fall. You know how I feel about planning and organization...so THANK GOD! I may be working ten thousand odd jobs but at least I will have a routine for Pete's sake! So since everyone is on the edge of their seats wondering WHAT I WILL DO NEXT...here it is:


M: American Tap Room
T: Boomerang office 
W: Boomerang office & night spin class
T: American Tap Room
F: Boomerang nightlife tours
S: Boomerang wine/concert tours
S: American Tap Room


Goodbye social life.


As much as I thought I was above waiting tables I decided to get a serving job at the new American Tap Room opening in Clarendon to make some extra money before the boat takes off at Boomerang. It shouldn't be too bad, and the restaurant looks super nice! 

I'm doing marketing/internship work for the Boomerang Bus and soon-to-be boat company in Georgetown during the week and hosting tours on the weekend! Check out the blog I'm doing for the company! It's super duper exciting and it would be fabulous if you followed it!

Finally, I got my VERY OWN SPIN CLASS!! All you Wednesday night spinners at the Y better watch out! :)

I know I'm going to have no life, but hopefully I will actually be making some money and doing a lot of things I enjoy rather than being stuck in one thing I don't. Also, everything is pretty flexible so I can make it down to tally in September for the Oklahoma game. GO NOLES! 

I can also quit with the crazy random jobs like the one Danitte and I did this weekend at the Gaylord. Two words: Flash Mob. This is not a joke. We totally got paid well over $200 to do it and made it to the podium center stage in front of a conference of over 3,300 people, fireworks and all. It was quite an experience to say the least. 

The whole flash mob crew

Danitte and I pre-mob...a littttttle nervous

Also, the reason I'm blogging on a Saturday night is because I'm recovering from a FUN IN THE SUN day at work on the vineyard tour!

My riders love me!!!!! HAhaha she was hysterical!

Sorry for this hodgepodge of randomness in this post that is my LIFE. 

Hope you all are out making bad decisions this Saturday night while I lounge on my futon in my snuggie. ADIOS MUCHACHOS. 

Going coconuts for breakfast pizza!

Bad things always happen when my roommate Robin and I both have the afternoon off together. (She's a nurse so she gets to have fun on the weekdays with me sometimes :)) Last night we were looking through some magazines and found a COCONUT SHAPED CAKE RECIPE. Clearly this had my name all over it. Then we stumbled upon an interesting looking breakfast pizza recipe. By stumbled, I mean found after liking pillsbury on facebook because I have a food problem. ANYWHO we decided coconut cake and breakfast pizza was the perfect combo for dinner tonight and spent out afternoon getting the ingredients and pretending to be domestic. 


First came the cake:


I'll preface with the fact that the cake was SUPPOSED to look like this:

I don't know what kind of drugs these people are on...but it was NOT a piece of cake!

So you make a box of chocolate cake mix normally and put it in a 6 inch cake dish (who has one of those?!) and two small round dishes...you were actually supposed to mix buttermilk as well but I forgot..WOOPS!

Toast the sweetened shredded coconut...easy enough- 15 minutes on 350 degrees

You know it's done 3 minutes BEFORE it looks like this....

Then you cut the top off the 3 baked cakes once they're cooled

Cut a hole in the smallest cake that will go on the top

Then put the larger of the two bowl molds and place it flat side up and ice it with chocolate icing

Add the 6 inch cake pan layer and ice again...

Here's where the problems started...the top was too small...great idea using the stupid wal-mart glass cereal bowl Taylor....

So I attempted to trim it down and ice it...and it got a little bit of a "lean with it rock with it" thing going on

Now put the vanilla icing in a plastic bag and microwave for 10 seconds

Cut a hole in the bottom corner and fill the hole with the melted icing so it looks like coconut milk! (you ice the rim before with normal temperature icing)

Now just coat the sides with the toasted coconut

And it's done! That's a straw for decoration if you can't tell. I was upset I didn't have a flower or something snazzy to dress it up. But unfortunately, I think the cake was a little uneven and top heavy with the vanilla icing filling..so this image was short lived...

Cue coconut volano explosion..... :(!!!!!

Definitely didn't show my finest hospitality skills on this one...but it still tasted DELISH! 

And now for our actual dinner....Savory Breakfast Pizza

This one was more Robin's job, but of course I photo documented. 

Pizza dough on the flip side of the pan for extra crispiness...Chef Robin's rule

She had the bright idea to get turkey bacon aka facon...which was interesting lol but it worked

Spread the pesto over the dough

Spread the chopped crispy facon across the pesto

Top with sliced provolone cheese (we got low fat since we're such a health conscious household..)

Make 6 squares of diced tomatoes

Now for the crazy part..crack 6 eggs in the squares

Bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes

This one was actually much more successful than my leaning tower of coconut! The eggs baked on the pizza is a little off-putting but actually really good and super sophisticated ;) GOOD JOB ROBIN! See we didn't have to get takeout after all!  

Well now we are very full and laying on the couch watching SVU...shocking. But I believe the day was a culinary success! Good luck trying to recipes. I'm sure you all can pull off a better coconut cake than I can!

My take on public transportation

Those who know me tease me about my love for the metro. I'm sorry but when you live a block and a half from it and can avoid the AWFUL NOVA/DC traffic by hopping on the train I'll take it!

Now the metro is one thing...the metro BUS is entirely another. I do NOT ride the bus. I don't know why but I just have this mental block against it. All the crazies always hang out in and around the bus stops and it just isn't the same as the train! I didn't even ride it at school (minus the occasional drunk night nole ride). 

My new marketing gig is in Georgetown three times a week. While I love being in Georgetown I hate the fact that the town thought they were too "high class" for the metro crowd. So I have no choice but to pay the ridiculous $20 a day in city parking or ride...THE BUS.

I looked up the route and it seemed simple but was NOT a happy camper.

It seemed relatively easier than I thought until I went to ride home...and ended up getting on the at the stop where I got off instead of crossing the street. I didn't really know where the bus stop was for the other direction and figured it wouldn't take long to ride the loop around. WRONG.

When we reached the turn around point at Foggy Bottom I guess we were ahead of schedule, so you know we just parked and hung out for ten minutes. I'm really patient and all so you can imagine my state at this point. I was cursing the bus' existence and the crazy lady with a suitcase and no teeth sitting in front of me when we finally got back on the road. 

Irrelevant but made me lol...

I thought I was home free, and took note of where the RIGHT bus stop was for tomorrow to avoid this mess again. Just when I thought I was going to make it home before my 92nd birthday this man got on the bus...

Everyone has had an experience with someone like this guy, who instantly makes your blood boil because he is a moron and failure to society. The process is easy. You have a metro card. You swipe it. Ding noise, sit down. Well this fool must not have reloaded his card and got a big deep buzz when he swiped his card, RUINING THE RHYTHM OF THE BUS. The driver had to put the bus in park and help him aimlessly keep scanning the card. BUZZ. BUZZ. BUZZ. There's no money on there DUDE! He had cash but the driver didn't have change. At the next stop the driver pulled over, parked, got OUT OF THE BUS, and had to call his supervisor. In this guy's defense, I'm sure he was mortified, but if looks could kill he'd be dead for sure. I was running on a very THIN line of patience before this whole situation and I was so done with the bus. An hour after I got on I got off on my stop. The ride generally takes 15 minutes. 

I am proud to say I am now queen of the bus and have got it down to a science. My office in Georgetown is BEAUTIFUL and there's even a really great view of the city every morning crossing the key bridge. Hopefully the bus system and I can be friends now, but I still think I'm a little bit too cool for it.

Well off to go see Tim McGraw tonight! The concert streak lives on! Happy weekend!

My Modern American Family

I always envied those who had the cardboard cutout "perfect" family. So many of my friends are fortunate enough to have parents who are still together and a semi-normal upbringing. I on the other hand, have quite an interesting situation. Actually, I shouldn't probably be sane, oh wait I'm not. Many of my close friends would claim that I have a BIT of a princess only-child persona (which I completely own up to most of the time :)). The reason for that is because I am somewhat of an only-child. Does that even make sense? 

My parents split up when I was in fifth grade and I am their only child together. I grew up as the only child in my home with my mom and step-dad so I guess that makes a predetermined implication that I am a spoiled brat. 

But then, what do you know, my dad gets remarried and had 4..count them 4...little ones! Three half brothers and one half sister entered my life when I was about fifteen. They lived in Dallas at the time and Atlanta now so I never lived with them, but I still consider them my brothers and sister and absolutely ADORE THEM. I don't even like kids and they are the most precious, well-mannered, angelic beings on the face of the earth. I'm totally unbiased I know. 

My mom wasn't far behind marrying someone with two boys older than me. Now I went from being in a small family of 3 to step siblings AND half siblings! So crazy! My step dad and my mom aren't together anymore so I guess they are now step brothers once removed? The whole thing is pretty hard to wrap my head around, but they're pretty great guys and have always treated me like a sister.

By the time I started college I was hoping that this whole family madness was over. I should have known better. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think the seemingly lame concept of a sorority "family" would even compare to the real thing. Boy was I wrong. Starting at Tiffany, Brittany, Leah, my big Anna, and then my littles Megan and Kristen down to Tori I am obsessed with all of you. We are all there through each of our ups and downs and I know that we will keep in touch forever because of our family ties. Brittany and Anna are getting married next year and I can't wait for us ALL to be together again!

My 21st birthday AKA best night of my LIFE!!!!
Yeah, sometimes it is nice to think about how nice a traditional family would be. But when I sit back and really think about it, with my crazy unique situation I have so much more to be thankful for! The best thing is I can still blame my princess tendencies on OCS and yet have huge family at the same time. Talk about the best of both worlds... ;)

Until next time!
XO,
T