The Party Girls Guide...: A week of firsts

I have been described as a party girl by everyone I meet since I was about 2 years old, so as you may imagine I have lived a pretty wild life these past 28 years. There are not too many things I have not tried.

This week however, much like Madonna, I made it through the wilderness and can cross several items off my never have I ever list.

I will start by telling you about the most shocking first. I am actually still not sure if this one actually happened or I dreamed it. Today, for the first time in my entire life I woke up early and went to the gym before work. This may not sound like much to some, but I have been setting my alarm an hour early to work out almost every day for the past 4 years. Never once have I gotten out of bed to do anything other than hit snooze. Not today though, today I got up at 5:50am, and went to yoga! When I got into the class I saw this girl I work with who is actually a former model. She has zero percent body fat and more muscles than you can imagine, so I am not sure what the hell she was doing in a gym at 6am. If I were her I would be in bed eating pancakes....but I guess that is why I am not a former model.

Next up is the first time buying and wearing skinny jeans. The reason I got up an hour before I prefer to and have been eating way too many salads lately, is because I am trying to shed an Olsen twin or two before the summer. That being said I never, ever try on skinny jeans when I go shopping. Last Thursday however, I decided I needed new clothes before flying to Michigan. I decide I need new clothes anytime I go on a trip, even if it is only for one night. Where I live there are approximately six stores: Walmart, Target, Old Navy, Kohl's, JcPenny, and Marshalls. That is it...and let me tell you pickings are slim in all of them. I miss malls. I went to every single store (except Walmart, I won't set foot in there unless I just want to laugh at people) and found nothing. Then at the store I expected to have the least luck at, Old Navy, I found a pair of jeans called the Rock Star that claimed to look great on every body type. Bullshit, I thought. Any time something says one size fits all or looks good on everyone, I am leery. But it was try them on or go home empty handed, and naturally that was not an option. So I tried them on and to my shock and delight I love them. They are stretchy and I typically hate stretchy jeans because they fit for about ten minutes then look like you are wearing a diaper when they stretch out. These little gems are the exception to that rule. I don't want to take them off....ever.

I guess the new skinny jeans turned me into a whole new woman, because I also decided while I was shopping with a friend in Michigan over the weekend that I need to start wearing make up. I hate to admit it, but I am 28 years old and with the exception of an awkward orange faced year in middle school thanks to Walgreen's cosmetics, I have never ever put any foundation on my face. I will occasionally dab on a bit of bronzer, and I do wear mascara; sometimes even a little eyeliner if I am feeling frisky, but never any gunk on my face. I guess the fact that I am pretty broke right now, and the new Rock Star mentality made me decide to get myself made over. I walked in to Bare Minerals told the girl I don't wear makeup and want to start, and she knew she had found the idiot client of her dreams. I want something that doesn't feel like make up I said. She spent a few minutes putting some powder on my face. When she was done, I looked exactly the same as when I walked in. Obviously I bought over a hundred dollars worth of shit. She even made me a worksheet of how to apply the make up myself at home. I am not that good at it. Apparently when you spend an arm and a leg at Bare Minerals, they really like you. I gave them my email address when I paid because they told me to, this was Sunday mind you, and I have already received about 5 emails. It's getting a little annoying, because when my phone says I have an email I get real excited and think it is going to be something good and now it is just make up news.

Now that I wear make up and skinny jeans, my boyfriend wants to take me on dates to show me off, so last night he scooped me up from work and we went to see the DC cherry blossoms for the first time. Since we moved here people have been talking these little trees up. Everyone says how beautiful they are and that it is a sight to be seen, yada yada yada. The cherry blossoms only bloom for a short window of time, so we decided to check them out yesterday and I have to say they were not overrated like so many things in life. They surround the tidal basin, and at some points you look up and all you see are flowers. It is pretty impressive. The weather was also absolutely perfect and it once again made me realize how shitty where we live is. Maybe the Smithsonian will hire me soon and I can just get a row house in DC already.

The last first, I don't think I can handle any more for a few days, is flip flops. Rumor has it the temps will reach 80 today! You heard me eight zero. So today marks the first day of the year I am wearing flip flops to work. It is not the first day I have worn flip flops, hell no...I am from Michigan I will wear them in January, but not to work. One good thing about living in the boondocks is I get to wear whatever I want to work. I am pretty sure I could arrive in sweatpants and no one would look twice. Luckily I don't own any. I don't think they will let me wear skinny jeans, a white tee shirt, and flip flops when I get a fancy job in DC.

I will leave you with a few photos of our cherry blossom adventures last night.