Gulf Shores Day 1

For B's 29th birthday, we went down to Gulf Shores.  We hadn't been to the gulf in about three years, and it was just time.

B just looks like a little kid while he is in the water.  I will be the first to admit that sometimes big waves scare me, and jelly fish, but B never seems to mind it.  I'm pretty sure the only way to keep him out of the water is the dreaded double red flags.  

And even then I'm not so sure.  

So our first day down at the gulf, we spent the afternoon drinking rum and watching the waves.  We then went to a place that we went to the last time we were down there; the people who owned it were so afraid that they wouldn't survive.  They had just opened up right after the BP oil spill, and were afraid that they weren't going to do any business.

We weren't even sure that the place was still going to be open. 

But it was!  We went there and it was packed!  We were like proud little parents!  Like for some reason we were responsible for their success.

But we weren't.  Their amazing sushi and oysters are what made them awesome.  

Some pictures from our first day..

                                       

              

 I put these pictures in here even though I look like absolute crap, it was our time at the beach.  I'm really feeling that it's time to get rid of the red hair and go back to blonde again.  Or something.  The more I look at them, the more I feel like they need to go away.

I know I'm my hardest critic, but oh well.  I need a change.  Maybe the hair is the right place to start.

Quiet - Susan Cain

Once upon a time, there was this person that I just happened to meet.  She was friends with one of my friends.  We hung out for a good portion of the night, and then B and I ended up staying the night at her house.  Because we couldn't drive.

Because we're responsible people.

Anyway, I had only known this girl for a few hours, and she gets up, walks to her bedroom and hands me this book.

Quiet:  The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain.

I was really surprised that someone who knew me for a very small amount of time could peg me for the introvert I believe myself to be, and while reading the book, proved to be true even further.

I took psychology in college; I tested on the introversion side in the 5 Big Personality Traits, but never really knew what that meant until this book, and how to handle situations that are normally incredibly stressful to an introvert.

The book explains that an introvert doesn't necessarily not like people, it doesn't mean that they're necessarily quiet, unlikeable, or any of the other negative connotations that normally come with the word "introvert."  Being an introvert solely means that maybe you like to hang out with a group of one or two people instead of ten, or that maybe you would prefer to stay at home and read one night instead of jumping out of your comfort zone and going to party all night long. 

It goes into talking about how introverts will sometimes practice extroversion, even while it is uncomfortable, because that is the social norm.  It talks about students at Harvard Business School, and how students are expected to participate endlessly in class, join every social group known to man, and then go out at nights with their fellow classmates.  It goes into the differences between Western and Eastern cultures.  It talks about successful introverts, and why the world would not be the same without them.  It speaks about how to raise children that are on the opposite side of the introversion-extroversion scale than you, and even how to disintegrate arguments in couples that are on opposite sides.

Mainly it talks about how being an introvert doesn't make you weird or unwanted or any other negative term, but that in fact, being an introvert can put you in a very highly desired position above others.

It was an incredibly good book, and I highly recommend it to anyone; especially if you are an introvert, or an extrovert trying to understand one.

Three Great Things

Last week at work was kind of a whirl wind.

I lost my work husband theFriday before, and last week was my first real week without him.  I honestly didn't know how hard it was going to be without him there.  And I know that sounds weird, like, hey Laura, he was just a co-worker.  But it was more than that.  We'd spent every weekday together, and some weekend days together; talking about our families, learning about each other, bitching about our jobs.  And then that abruptly ends, so yeah a girl is going to cry at work.  Maybe more than once.  Maybe like three times.

Don't judge.

I'm an emotional human being.  I've accepted it.  

So there were a few things last week I needed to make sure I survived last week.

One was dinner with my girlfriend, Caitlin, at Cocina Superior where we gorged on El Chango's, guac, and enchiladas.

Last week, I also won an award at work:  The Extra Mile Award.  Which was pretty nice, especially when they handed me $100 cash in my hand!

It's a little blurry ---sorry, I was trying not to be too obvious when I was snapping the picture.  Hey, I'm allowed to be a little proud of my award.

Or bribe...either way, I still got $100.

Then, since the blog hasn't seen enough of my sweet sweet Stell-dog, I mean just look at this face!!!  How can you hate?!

This is pretty much the look I get when I take too many pictures of her.  It's like, "Mom, please leave me alone and let me lay on Daddy in peace, please!!"

She never gets it though.

I don't give in to dog demands.  

Well, sometimes.