The Popular Girls

Today, I'm participating in Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop.  The writing prompt i chose to work with is..."The Popular Girls":

When I first think of "The Popular Girls", I think of the Plastics in the movie "Mean Girls".  You know - the stereotypical popular clique - the prettiest, richest girls with flawless skin and perfect bodies who date the hottest, most muscular male athletes.  The girls who are known by all - but are not usually very well respected.  


My idea of being "The Popular Girl" has changed significantly over time.  Here is a description of my quest to be a popular girl, beginning at the very young age of 
Twelve.  Hormones kicked in, everything became a competition, and jealousy was a part of everyday life.  All of my girl friends were battling the same emotions - the need to be known, the need to impress others, and the search for self-confidence. Some of us had too much self confidence, while some of us had none at all.  Slumber parties usually ended up with someone going home early in tears over a goofy boy or a lost tube of lip gloss or something.
During my early teenage years, things became increasingly complicated.  I tried to be "the best" at everything: school work/grades, athlete,etc.  The only problem with that plan was, I never succeeded at being "THE best".  While being "THE best" would get me recognized, it also created a world of pressure - and I was way more concerned with being "THE best" to impress others, but never for my own benefit.  I just wanted to be known... known for being the best.  I never, ever was.  
I finally realized in high school that being THE best isn't possible, because there is always someone out there with little more talent/brains/beauty/etc.  I settled for always trying my best, and accepted that my personal best may not be "THE best" but it's "the best" for me.  I still cared about what others thought of me, and it hurt to hear when someone made a negative comment about me that I felt was unfair or untrue. By the end of my senior year, I had loads of self-confidence and felt as though I had matured a ton.  Still yet, I struggled with what other people thought of me on a daily basis - so did that mean I didn't have as much self confidence as I thought?


My idea of being "popular" was wiped completely clean on my first day as a college freshman at Marshall University.  Before heading to my first class, I peeked out the window from my 13th floor dorm room - and saw 15,000 other students walking around campus who didn't care about my high school class ranking or my junior prom dress.  My popularity fell 13 stories, straight into the ground.  I never regained that sense of popularity, but discovered what self-confidence really is. Being "The Popular Girl" and having a real sense of self do not go hand in hand, at least in my world.  
During college, I found that it's best to be well respected by those who know the real you, than to be known by tons of people who have little or no respect for you and/or do not know who you really are.  Does that make sense? 


Currently, I consider myself "well-known" in the workplace.  I feel that I'm respected by my co-workers, and I like that.  Do they think I'm the coolest chick on the block?  Probably not.  But they do know they can rely on me to help problem solve and keep things going. That makes living in Athens worthwhile - 10 years ago, I wouldn't have been able to bear walking down Court Street and not know a soul - but now, I don't even pay attention.  Being a "Popular Girl" has been replaced with being a "Needed Girl" - needed by my workplace, needed by my husband, and needed by my house cat. 


Finally, being a "Popular Girl" can be a great thing - just make sure that you are a positive influence on those you know - and who know you :)


To be "popular" can mean many things - what does it mean to you?
How has your own popularity changed over the years?   


I would like to express my appreciation for Mama Kat's Writing Workshop - writing prompts are a blessing for bloggers who, like me, frequently suffer from writer's block.  If you're struggling with post ideas, head over to Mama Kat's blog for some inspiration!

I am now an Etsy Girl... Let's Go Shopping!

It's official... my Etsy shop is now open! Please stop by and let me know what you think - and of course, if you see something you like, purchase away! 


I would like to thank all of those who have encouraged me to do this! I can't wait to share my art with others. I love creating something that makes another person's day~


Thanks for checking out my store!

Glam Nation Tour Recap

It's about time that I fill you in on the concert I attended Monday night!  Adam Lambert's sold out "Glam Nation Tour" rolled into Columbus on 6/14, where lots of American Idol/Adam fans stood in a line that stretched across downtown C-bus for hours, waiting on Season 8's runner-up to "Strut" his stuff - and that's exactly what he did. 
The show was held at the Community Lifestyles Pavilion, which is a standing room only indoor/outdoor facility. All tickets were general admission, so it was "every Adam fan for him/herself".  My friend and I arrived at around 5:30, and hopped in line.  We chatted with a great group of Adam fans - all of which were middle-aged women who would happily leave their husbands and kids behind should Adam begin dating women and ask them to come on the road with him. Yes, seriously - women LOVE him.  I love him - but not like these women!  During the chit chat, I learned that Adam applies his eyeliner, then a layer of eye shadow over the liner, then another layer of eyeliner for staying power (one lady knew all of his makeup secrets - she read them in a British Magazine interview.)

Once inside the Pavilion, we rushed up the stairs to the upper level - I can never see over others' heads when i'm in the floor - it has something to do with that whole 'being short' thing.  We found our places and pretty much stood in the same spot for three hours... lots of fans were fighting for a closer view, but like my friend repeatedly said to every person around her - "Ya Snooze, Ya Lose" (which made me laugh every single time for some reason.) 

Allison Iraheta, the cute red-head from AI Season 8 (who placed 3rd) opened the show.  She is a total firecracker on stage - so much better than she was on American Idol!  Orianthi was also part of the opening act (you may remember her as the blond lead guitarist in Michael Jackson's This is It.)  Both artists rocked it out, but nothing compared to Adam...

Adam's set featured tons of fog and seizure-inducing laser light effects, along with a bunch of other "Glam" stuff (surprise, surprise!).  He ran through his entire album, For Your Entertainment, with the exception of two songs, and even squeezed in that eastern-inspired version of "Ring of Fire" that everyone either REALLY loved - or REALLY hated - when he performed it on American Idol (honestly, he scared me with that AI performance.)  GLAMberts sang along to every single song, but skipped the really high notes - which Adam hit right on every single time.  I especially loved his dramatic, slower performances.  He's really great at entertaining, and by the end of the concert I had a newfound respect for him.  I didn't get great photos - my concert photos always look like a big flaming, glowing ball of crap - but I have some great memories!

The most surprising - and oddly satisfying - thing about the whole concert was the audience.  I assumed that everyone attending the concert would have glittered and glammed it up with black hair, lots of leather, tons of sequins, face paint, you get the idea.  Umm, NO?  There were only a few Adam lookalikes in the crowd, which mostly consisted (and when i say "mostly", i mean like, 95% or more) of your average adult - no funky costumes, just a few thousand people who love American Idol and adore everything about Adam. I am very grateful that I was a part of the Columbus Audience, and I look forward to watching Adam (and Allison, and Orianthi) succeed and fill larger venues in the future.  Glam Nation Tour = Lots of positive energy and GREAT fun!

New Bloggy Design! :)

Ahhh... nothing like a blog makeover! Throughout the past couple of months of being a newbie blogger, I've been inspired in tons of ways by the many blogs I regularly follow or stumble upon.  I've found that my favorites are lighthearted and "breezy" with light color themes and subtle graphics, so I decided to go that route with my own blog design - hope you enjoy!  I certainly enjoyed creating it - I love playing with Photoshop!  I definitely think this is more "Stephanie" - and if you look closely, you will discover that my header is composed entirely of Crate & Barrel patterns (go ahead - visit their website and take a look at the bedding and rugs!)

I will post a short recap and photos from the Adam Lambert/Glam Nation Tour later this week - I didn't get very many terrific photos (I was laser beamed for 3 hours straight - seriously, Adam LOVES his light shows and sparkly special effects), but my friend & I had a terrific time.  He is extremely talented and an exciting entertainer.  I know his style isn't exactly up everyone's alley, but for those who are fans, I would highly suggest trying to catch the Glam Nation tour this summer :)

Final preparations are in order for my Etsy shop!  I took photos of my items tonight, and will weed through them to pick the absolute best tomorrow evening.  I hope to have things up and running within the next week - I can't wait to share my little projects with you! 

My sense of humor is non-existent tonight - I'm still dead from the concert/getting home late, and a day full of work.  Hopefully I'll get back to normal tomorrow!

It's GLAMbert Time!

This will be a quickie post - I am headed out the door to take a little trip to Columbus, where Adam Lambert will be performing tonight at the Lifestyles Community Pavilion!  I was a huge Adam fan throughout his American Idol journey (and still a little bit hurt that he lost to Kris Allen...) so of course I am SUPER STOKED to see his Glam Nation Tour tonight.  I'll be going along with a co-worker and fellow GLAMbert - she has been convulsing with excitement all day long!  I'll be sure to post photos and blog about our terrific time this week, so be on the lookout - it's bound to be interesting!

Also, just giving my readers a little heads up - it's time to brighten up this blog a little!  I'm growing tired of the tan, dark green, etc. - I'm working on a new header that will go well with a white background, and no sidebar patterns. I feel like my blog is too crowded and busy, and dark, too!  I'm ready to lighten up for the summertime :) 

I hope everyone is having a super Monday!!!   

Getting to Know You Sunday

Getting to know you Sunday is brought to you by MannLand5. Here are this week's questions:

1. If you could have one of Superman's powers which one would you want? Superhuman strength..Flight..Superhuman speed..X-Ray vision..etc

Flight - so I could stick my husband on my back and fly all over the world

2. The best thing I ever won is....?

A tie between Dancing with the Stars tour tix, Mariah Carey tickets, and tickets for Reds Opening Day this season - I'm an avid radio listener and LOVE entering those contests! Plus, I think entertainment is ridiculously expensive - so winning my entertainment is a pretty sweet deal :) My motto - you can't win unless you try! (no, I am not addicted to the lottery)

3. Have you ever skyped with a bloggy friend?

nope, no skyping here - i'm sort of skyping stupid.

4. What is your favorite Summer month?

August - it's still hot and super summery, but football season is right around the corner... that makes me happy!

5. Pool, Lake, or Ocean?

I like to swim in the pool, but I love to look at the ocean - can i have both?

6. One of my favorite Summer memories is.....?

Honeymooning in Vegas in June 2006 - one of the very best times of my life! :)

7. What's your favorite secret bargain?

What are these secret bargains, where are they, and please tell me where to find them!

8. Do you plan on or have you been watching the World Cup?

Off and on - it's good background noise, and I'm sure I'll start paying attention when it gets down to the wire :)

Happy Sunday! Check out MannLand5 to do the questions and link up!

Country Grammar

You would think that being married to a grad student who is less than one year away from earning his Ph.D. in English Composition and Rhetoric guarantees me flawless grammar. "Welp", it doesn't (see what I mean.)

While painting inspirational word signs today (gearing up for the big Etsy store opening), I started thinking about how crappy I am at pronouncing words, using correct grammar when speaking, and how I have to refer to dictionary.com and grammar help sites at least a few times per week. I truthfully do not know my "ass from a hole in the ground" when it comes to this stuff. I'm ok with speaking in public, but sometimes I create some really messed up word combinations. I never know how to pronounce "resume" (not the document, but to "continue") and it's written in the "key points" I always have to read while teaching CPR/First Aid classes. I accidentally said "absurB" instead of "absurD" the other day. I'm constantly having to look up whether it's "She and I", "me and him", "me OR him", the usage of "we" vs. "us"... and I have never figured out what is correct when using punctuation with quotation marks and parenthesis at the end of a sentence (where does the period go... inside the quotation mark or out? or are there two? WTF!!?!?!) Sometimes, i use it inside the quotation marks. Sometimes, I use it outside. Sometimes, I don't use punctuation at all. SOMETIMES, i try to avoid those types of sentences altogether.

I struggle at Applebees because my favorite dish is "Three Cheese Chicken Penne". Is it "pen-YAY", "PEN-yay", "pen-AY", "Pennie", or "peeny"? I usually order it like this: "i'll have the uhhh three cheese chicken uhhh" hoping the waiter/waitress will finish it for me. They never do. So i try different pronounciations each time. One day, the waiter said, "it's ok - i had someone call it "Panini" before, which isn't close at ALL". It was probably me.

Is it "Illi-noy" or "illi-noise"? "New Orluns" or "Orleeeans"? "Loo-vul", "Looey-ville", or "Luh-vul"? I suppose it depends on what neck of the woods you are from. Lucky for me, I'm originally from central West Virginia; everytime I travel outside of the area, people automatically peg me as an uneducated hillbilly because of my accent!

I also have a horrible problem with slurring words together when speaking - I create new ones all the time! I should have my own dictionary! Instead of "i am going to make a copy of this document", It sounds like "imgunnamakeaopyathisthingy". I've also began speaking Snoop-Dogg 2005 lingo: "i need a trizz-ash bag!" "Holy Shizzle I have a LOT of voicemails." "My e-mail isn't working for Shizzzz". I say these things at work. And the adminstrative assistant that has been there for 30+ years never understands what i'm saying. (Wonder why? Could it be... that i am a total complete dip-wad?)

So, the real question is, is it "Lot-tay", "Lat-tay", or "lot-ehhh"? "Frappie", "frap-AY", or "Frap-ehhh"? I know for sure how to pronounce "Iced Mocha" (it's "Motch-uh", right?)