Hanging Out at The Hangout

When I go out for a night on the town in Springfield, I can expect a extremely crowded club with creepy guys and dirty dancing. Tonight I had a chance to experience a different kind of evening out. This evening we decided that we were going to eat supper at The Hangout. We had heard that it was really cool, and they had live music so it was sure to be a blast.

Around eight o'clock we decided we were hungry and left for The Hangout. When we got there, there were quite a few people. We gave them our name and took our buzzer to wait our turn to eat. We explored the gift shop, then we decided to go outside to see the live music and all they had. It was amazing! There was a stage where the band played with a giant television screen above it that was showing the Olympics. There was a dance floor, a beach area for kids to play in, a fire pit, several tables in the sand, and many bars. It was like nothing I had ever seen before.
We were just standing there when the band exited the stage and the DJ started to play music. The first song that came on was the Cha-Cha Slide. We were so excited that we practically ran to the dance floor to do the dance. Doing the Cha-Cha with complete strangers was a blast. Everyone was having fun, both young and old.

After the song was over, we were walking away when the Cupid Shuffle came one. Naturally I insisted we had to participate, so we went back to the dance floor. We had so much fun, not as much fun as the drunk guy dancing on the table was having, but we were having fun.
Afterward, Crank That came on and we watched as many people attempted to "Superman that ho" It was hilarious to watch. When the song ended, we looked at our cell phones and saw it was past nine o'clock. We were starving. We went to the people to ask how much longer it would be, and she told us we had been paged several times. Oops! I guess we were just having too much fun dancing.

Needless to say, we were seated shortly after at a picnic table outside facing the stage. After ordering and waiting about ten minutes, we were able to enjoy our delicious meal and good music. We are looking forward to going back tomorrow. It was so fun there. I am sure tomorrow will be a blast, and who knows, maybe I will dance on a table! : )

Fight the Waves? Or Retreat to the Shore?

Amber, Chelsea, and I arrived in Gulf Shores around three thirty this afternoon. Ever since then I have been taking in all that it has to offer me. I am so happy to be here. Traveling to Gulf Shores has given me a chance to escape the everyday routine of my life, and I can finally get a chance to just breathe and think. The moon reflecting on the ocean is so beautiful right now. I could live like this forever.

Today when we arrived at our condo which is located across the street from the beach, I demanded that we go walk on the beach. After settling in, we crossed the street and surveyed the ocean. Immediately I wanted to jump in the water, but seeing as I was fully clothed, I couldn't just jump in. I asked if we could come back later on around sunset and they agreed.
A couple hours later, we were back on the beach and ready to swim. During those two hours, we visited a surf shop where I bought a boogie board to play with. Upon arriving at the beach, I immediately dove in and started to try to ride the waves. Chelsea also ventured out with me while Amber stayed by the shore. I ran out full speed with my boogie board attached to my wrist, ready to take on any waves.

I haven't been to the beach for nine years, so obviously I couldn't remember everything about it, and one of those things was the fact that the waves are so strong. Paddling out on my boogie board and occassionally jumping waves as I tried to walk, I fought for every bit of ground. It seemed like for every four feet I traveled away from the shore, the waves carried me back five. But I was determined to make it.

As I fought with every ounce of strength I had, I couldn't help but think how similar to life my water situation was. In life we fight so hard to make it, yet every time we feel we are making progress, something happens that throws us back. After that happens, we are left with a choice. Do we just give up and head back to shore, or instead, do we keep fighting for every inch of ground we gain hoping to eventually reach our goal? As for me, I fought my way out. It took a long time to reach my destination, and I got many bumps and bruises along the way, but I reached my goal. I definitely enjoyed my time in the ocean today and I can't wait to do it tomorrow.

The Talk

When reading the title of this post, you might think that I mean the talk about the birds and the bees. But alas, it was not that talk. I actually had that talk a long time ago, and it was very awkward. Maybe I will write about it someday, but for now let me focus on a different type of talk. This evening I went to my friend Amber's house who is going with me to Gulf Shores. While I was there we ate giant bowls of Honey Bunches of Oats and watched American Gladiators on DVR. We were just laughing and having a good time, when Amber's mom walks in. She then tells us to pause the television and that it is time we have a talk.

I frantically tried to think if I had done anything that I could be in trouble for. When I couldn't think of anything, I just sat there puzzled waiting for her mom to begin. She said that we needed to talk about our trip to Gulf Shores and a few rules she had for us. I was relieved to hear that I wasn't in trouble. Relaxing a bit in my chair I listened as she gave us the rules.

-No smelling perfume. (It might be drugged)
-Bring baseball bats to ward off any potential attackers.
- No sex.
-No drinking.
-No drugs. (This includes tobacco products.)
-You are not allowed to go anywhere on your own. (This includes the bathroom)
-Call often to check in. (Preferably every hour)
-No talking to strangers.
-Do not get in cars with strangers.
-Do not swim too far out.
-Use the walkie-talkies she will provide.


After hearing the rules and going back to our show, I reviewed them in my mind. I thought to myself that I should be able to follow all of them while on vacation.....ok, most of them. Smelling perfume can be quiet tempting. ; )

And You Thought Your Car Was Dirty...

This Thursday, two of my friends and I will be heading to Gulf Shores. It will definitely be a road trip to remember. We are taking my car, and I am driving the eleven and a half hours to the beach. Unfortunately, my car was not the cleanest of cars. This morning I spent two and a half hours cleaning it. To prove just how messy it was, here is a list of all the items I found in just the trunk: a plate, a tent, a Relay for Life bronze team sign complete with metal stand, a 48 oz. box of elbow macaroni, a pack of four Tylenol Rapid Release Gels, Dirty Minds game, a sleeping bag, a pooper scooper, an empty maroon binder, an American Eagle polo top, a Relay for Life shirt, an umbrella, my senior project valedictory assignment, four FACS aprons that belong to the school, a pair of heavy duty waterproof gloves, a box of Band-Aids, a fanny pack, a curling iron, a winter hat, a pair of tan panty hose, a pair of red gloves, sixteen comment cards from the Relay for Life play, a Jumping Jacks firework, a pair of scrapbooking scissors, a pair of tye-dyed long socks, a dog harness, cable ties, a pair of Adidas socks, two bottles of clear school glue, a bottle of glitter, three marshmallow lovers hot chocolate mix, a purse with a peace sign on it, my cords from graduation, Febreze Air Effects spray, a pair of black gloves, three socks without matches, a Celtic Wonder cd case, an All American Rejects cd case, a Wow Hits 2008 cd case, The Fray cd case, an empty Skittles package, a pack of Trident gum, two boxed of matches, a bottle of hand sanitizer, a wallet with no money inside : (, a Matchbox 20 cd case with The Fray cd inside, a blank cd case, a tupperware container, a shot glass, Tide to go, two lighters, two pens, two pencils, one little dynamite firework, two smoke bombs, two crackling ball fireworks, a draft of my senior project paper, a diploma cover, the final KWSB episode, a folder containing all the CAT work I ever did, two sets of headphones, deodorant, a parachute firework, a hammer, two wrenches, a pencil bag filled with all sorts of crap, an Adidas beanie, a money bag that belongs to WSHS, my graduation tassel, a bottle of Glade air freshener, a flag from Relay for Life that says "site 3," two foam paintbrushes, a card from my mom, a quarter machine ball with a small cup inside, a card from Melissa, a pink dog toy, a skateboard, a pair of gray gloves, a pair of fuzzy pink gloves, a Guinness hat, a pair of black panty hose, a camo hat, a camera case, a pair of brown work gloves, and a pair of river shoes.

Total Items in Trunk: 118