Kelly's Corner---Show Us Your Singles 2013

HI! I'm Allison.

This is me. I'm a ripe 34, just turned a few weeks ago, and live in Indianapolis, IN. I am a true midwestern girl with values, morals and a good sense of humor. I am creative and love DOGS! :) You will very soon see after meeting me.

I am a high school Drawing teacher at the biggest high school in our state; I used to coach middle school softball and volleyball but have since realized how much I enjoy taking naps after school. True statement. However, I work part-time at a dog bakery, I'm a dogwalker now for the cutest Frenchie, and I'm also a local artist who specializes in--you guess it--DOG paintings!! I'm not obsessed, just love dogs and painting and making others happy with my work.

I am from Illinois but moved to Indy almost 8 years ago. I feel at home here but also feel I could feel at home in Charleston, SC....Denver, CO.....and other quaint towns. I am looking for a man who is manly...not metro, but still cares about his appearance and puts on a good shirt for the night. I also love a guy in a white or grey t-shirt and jeans. But mostly, I'm looking for a humorous, sarcastic, loyal, hardworking, kind and generous soul. I want that connection that I can't even write about because I haven't had it. I'm a good girl, well--WOMAN, and I want a good man.

So here's to SHOW US YOUR SINGLES 2013!!!! Good luck to all....maybe you've been called here for a reason unknown, and maybe you haven't, but you never know until you try!

Bragging Rights

I've always felt SOOO compelled to brag about the bargains I get instead of the expensive BS I buy because, bottom line, I don't BUY expensive BS. I always hear women saying "I have a Prada like that at home!" or "These wonderful shoes were on sale for $250!" and I cringe. I cringe BADLY when I hear these things because I can't fathom spending that much money on just one sole item. I like having lots and lots of shirts and jeans and bras and socks and coats and shoes....so obviously, being a teacher, if I want these things and lots of them, they won't be expensive.

Anyway, the point is...one year my New Year's Resolution was to just accept compliments on my clothing and to NOT disclose the wonderful bargain I got on it! So, for example, I wear a dress to dinner with friends. One says "Oh! What a cute dress!" I'm only allowed to say "Thank you!" not my typical response "Thank you! I got this for $8 at TJ Maxx!" I just needed to allow a compliment to be given and just accept it...period.

So....this leads me to this video. I saw this just now on a friend's Facebook page and had to watch it because he's a funny guy...figured, if he's posting it must be worthy of watching. HILARIOUS! I love it! Not only do I love the whole concept for the song, but I love the scenery, the cussing casually thrown in and I love the beat! Catchy stuff....peep it out, why don't you!?

Match.com

It's been a while, yes, I'm aware.

So, match.com.....ok, I get it. I'm going to be a believer and really make it worth my while this time. I say "this time" because I have tried it before. I just never really felt that I would meet my man online. I'm not a hater on this type of site or people who live by them, I just didn't have that enthusiasm for it to work out for me.

If you have ever joined one of these dating sites, step one is filtering the guys to get rid of the guys you know, you've dated, etc. I did this when I joined and it was fun and funny. I saw one guy, Zoolander, who I know is friends with my friends. So Zoolander...funny story. A few years ago (yes, YEARS), Zoo dated a girl, we'll call her Judy. At that time, I was dating Dude. Dude and I ended things, Zoo and Judy ended things and Judy and Dude got together...randomly. None of us knew each other like that. My friend, Kris, worked with Zoo and thought we'd make a good couple but Zoo always had Judy. But I wasn't too keen on dating my ex's new g/f's ex...whoa, long connection.

Skip ahead to now, well a few weeks ago. I see Zoolander on match.com. I emailed him and said how I knew him, through Kris and then of course through our weird connection of Dude and Judy. Btw, Dude and Judy are engaged and getting married next month. Zoo replied, blah blah, nothing big...didn't seem chatty. Kris urged me to continue the chatting so I did. Zoo replied and said he thinks we would have a lot in common but he doesn't think he could handle that I dated Dude. He said it took him a long time to get over Judy and he didn't think this would help.

What?! Seriously?! Ok, clearly he isn't "over" Judy...still. I was seriously so flabbergasted. Knowing my good friend, Kris, thought we'd always be a great match, then having read his profile and seeing all the things he is interested in and interested in a female, I didn't see how we couldn't schedule a date...we were a perfect match on paper. Not to mention, we have the great story of our ex's being engaged and how awesomely hilarious would that be if we hit it off and dated for real! Ha...that'd be hilarious. I couldn't believe he seriously dissed me that easily based upon one guy I dated who his ex happens to love. How does that even have a thing to do with me? I couldn't resist..I emailed him and said how unfortunate I thought it was that he wasn't willing to meet me and judge for himself instead of being willing to just judge me based on a guy I dated 3 years ago. Sidenote: Dude is a nice guy...he didn't give a good impression to some of my friends once, but other than that, he truly was a good guy...it's not like he's a woman-beating, drug-addicted criminal.

Anyway, Zoolander never replied. SHOCKER. Then, last week, at my second job, I'm watching a pretty intense hail storm at the front door because I couldn't shut the door til the hail died down. Meantime, a group of guys comes running in for shelter and Zoo was the last one. Little do you know how random this is. He lives a half an hour away from this little job I have, does NOT know I work there, and just picked this random store (a dog bakery, mind you) to run into. He did a double take while I just watched the storm and then went back to my baking. He knew me. He started being VERY nice and then thanked me for the shelter and said goodbye. Weird. How strange this whole story is...if I didn't know any better, I'd think God was saying "HELLO! I'm trying really really hard to get you two together but you 2 are being really uncooperative!" But I'm not doing a thing. If God is doing something, great, if not...great. I'll just sit back and be an innocent pawn in His game. Seriously weird.

Dang Stereotypes

So a student asked if I was watching the new show on Bravo, "Work of Art: The Next Great Artist." I had seen the previews but hadn't watched any episodes. She told me about the first artist to get cut, how he had a very familiar style, like Keith Haring, and how he was let go because his work just didn't indeed work! That's funny, and totally understood because the premise of the show is the NEXT great artist, not the next great artist who can copy another famous artist's style. Got it.

So I tune in today. I see that episode...YES! Very excited. Let me just say the first artist cut (the Keith Haring guy) definitely, without a doubt, had the best piece of art in that group. I hardly recognized Haring's style in there and all they did was rip it apart. Oh, so the "Suck Lord" (another contestant) did a 3D wizard sitting inside a frame, on a purple cushion,very ugly, with (get this) "his style" aka splattering paint on the frame! Hello, Jackson Pollock!? A judge even said a sarcastic comment about that being his style! So those of you reading this and saying "Who in the bleep is Keith Haring OR Jackson Pollock?! SNORE!" I'm sorry....but you'd recognize their stuff..I'll give you a sneak peek below.

Anyway, the reason this is blogworthy is because I was thinking "What a fun competition to be on...I wonder what I'd do?" and I got to thinking but then I thought "Yeah right, I'd never be selected because I'm not the stereotypical, bohemian artist." Every person on this show has some ridiculous trend they are sporting whether it's a dumb scarf sitting atop this guy's head just laying there--DUMB--or thick black rimmed glasses with thick black eyeliner and an all black outfit, or seriously, paintbrushes sticking out of a girl's bun. Dumb! I mean, where are the normal artists or is that an oxymoron? I just don't think I would ever fit in and this is why I didn't go to art school. I wanted to SO BADLY but I really thought "I'll never fit in!!" because the Art Institute of Chicago was a school I regularly spoke with. It's weird I never acted on that dream because of stereotypes I learned and believed which still exist in my life and still hold me back from certain opportunities. I don't know, I'm not going to apply to be on this show but still...those stereotypes are becoming "truths" more than myths.

Finally feelin' it

So, it's been a while since I did ol' Jillian Michaels's 30 Day Shred, and I'm telling you, I must be in shape because I just finished it and thought "oh wow, it's done?!" And I barely broke a sweat. I'm telling you (another thing), this summer, I started running and I haven't ever sweat more in my life. I loathe running and just said "Why do I do this? I don't feel good or enjoy it while I'm doing it and don't feel good after." My friend just replied "Because you are burning calories!" True Dat.

Anyway, I started running to challenge myself. This is THE FIRST summer or time in my life when I haven't been able to lose weight by simply upping my exercise load. And now, with running (which I've NEVER done for an extended period of my life) and working out at the gym a few days a week, I'm still not seeing the results. However, I haven't given up hope! I know in my head that I'll be healthier and WILL see results eventually as long as I continue it. I think when the weather breaks--not that I want it to because summer is my favorite--but when the humidity leaves and we have cooler mornings and evenings, I think I'll actually be able to run a pretty decent distance. I'm excited! I could do a 5K now, but maybe in the fall I'll be able to do more and do it even more easily! I have no goal in mind, just to give my body a challenge and continue to sweat like a pig when it happens.

So, the moral of the story is when you hit age 32, the weight doesn't burn off like it used to! So leave those cupcakes and icecream for someone else! :)

Dawson's Creek

So I've figured out that being a teacher has some great perks, along with some not so great "perks", but one big one is having the summer off to watch Dawson's Creek episodes! Yes, this is my summer ritual. No, they don't always have the season I need ready for check out at the local library, but I've been able to catch up starting this summer with Season 3. This is the season that begins with Eve...the eve-l Eve. I watched a few episodes featuring Eve, and I got really annoyed by the slow jazzy saxophone music they played when ever Eve entered the scene.

It's actually pretty funny to watch this show. It is definitely nostalgic, the reason I watch it, but it's funny to see how far they've come with story lines, production, etc. It's just funny to watch it 10 years later, with very different eyes. I think "oh my gosh, why are they so dramatic?!" then think I must've been the same way at that time...the reason I loved this show originally: I could relate.

A friend was watching it with me Friday night and he had never even HEARD of the show. I about fell out!!! Who HASN'T heard of the show?! And he's around my age. We were blessed with the "Witch Island" episode...possibly the cheesiest of cheesy episodes in the entire series' life. I said "We can watch something else." And he said (already hooked on the Dawson's Creek charm) "No, I like making fun of it." Mmmm hmm, he didn't have to admit it, but I knew he actually was enjoying the show. I think he was watching more intensely than I was! I let it slide but was just happy to see DC still had it after all these years.

Additionally, I was at Big Lots (a personal fave of mine) last Sunday and found the DC Series Finale on DVD for $3! How awesome! I snatched up that puppy and watched it as soon as I got home! How I had forgotten so much from that episode. And I must now share the story of the night when the finale aired. Jodi and I were living together in Devonshire Apartments back home. We invited over Sweet to have a "finale party" because us 3 LOVED DC. Sweet arrived just in time to watch a horrible storm roll in. As DC started, we had tornado sirens ringing all over town, but no tornado, just wind and rain. Then, DC would flicker on and off and we'd all yell in unison "NO!!!!" because this was before DVR existed, not that it would matter since the cable was in and out! Ahhhh, memories....

Thank you Dawson's Creek and all your cast for getting us through our high school and college years!

New Love in my life

His name is Kirby, he's about 14 or 15 inches tall, 20 pounds, black and white and the cutest thing I've ever seen! Kirby is a French Bulldog and Boston Terrier mix and came to me from a Rescue about an hour away. Here is his story...


This is the picture I saw on Petfinder and thought "oh those ears and that chubby little body!" But wait, rewind...here is the situation. It was mid to end of April and I was trying to plan for my summer and getting a puppy to train while I was off of work. I had called on a Friday to the Boston breeder nearby and found out the mama was pregnant with pups so I was excited to hear my potential pup was being made! Then, the next day, I was waiting for a friend to show up to head out on the town, and while I waited, I searched Petfinder. I found Kirby, called "Frenchie" on the site, and immediately sent an email and my application. The next morning I received an email saying she received my app and she'd be in touch with the calls to my landlord, etc. After not hearing for another day or 2, I didn't want this opportunity to slip away so I emailed her and told her all the reasons I should be this puppy's new mom and had to brag on myself--which is always hard and embarrassing--but I knew it had to be done so I was a frontrunner.

That Thursday, Peg called me (but I was teaching) and left a voicemail. I listened to it on my break and almost cried! I got a little teary eyed because I was so excited to hear that she chose ME for Frenchie! It was such great news! A student of mine and my student teacher were in there with me and I was screaming, or just celebrating loudly, and they were so excited to hear what news I got. Peg said when she read my application (out of 60 received!!!), she just knew I was the one.

I kept in touch with Peg and she said he was to be neutered Monday and I would get him Thursday. I immediately puppy-proofed and went out and got the things I thought a puppy would want.
Peg then called to say "He's really doing fine in recovery, I'll just bring him up Tuesday!" So I was even more excited! They showed up Tuesday and the minute he got out of the car I was in love! He immediately flipped to his back and wanted his big belly rubbed! I, of course, obliged and just loved him! We came inside to do paperwork and move him in, and show him his new home.
Do you think he settled right in and knew this was his home?

By the way, he hasn't laid in that bed since the first night when this picture was taken...he is probably thinking "that is for dogs!" and chooses my couch, recliner, or bed to sleep on. For example, this is his new favorite spot he just discovered days ago...
He's just so stinkin' cute I can't get over it! He had a few faux pas to overcome, such as he thoroughly enjoyed having his own feces for a snack, but only if he did it inside. Then, that was all done in secret and I'd only know he had eaten the evidence because it smelled horribly and so did his breath! That was gross but I think he's outgrown it now, PLEASE Lord. He also had one night where I awoke an hour early because of a nightmare, so he was up, then I went back to sleep and when I woke up for the morning cuddling, my feet discovered a cool wetness on the sheets. He had pottied a spot on my beautiful and expensive Anthropologie comforter the size of a car tire, which soaked through both sheets, the mattress pad and into the mattress itself. UGH! But I forgave him and soaked it all with soapy water and it's fine. :) How can you not forgive this face?

In the days following, Kirby received several gifts from his loved ones. Treats and toys galore! And I'm being serious, he LOVES every toy he has! He loves to chew on the chew toys, but then loves to chew a squeaky one and throw it around and chase it. I am so thankful, so blessed, and so happy this little boy came into my life! I've never loved an animal so much because he is just the sweetest, cuddliest, best puppy!! I can't say it enough.



I forgot to mention the most unbelievable part of his story. This little boy, they assume, was born right around Christmas or the first of the year, so he's now about 6 months old. He was in a kill shelter for around 2 weeks in the South, like Mississippi or Alabama, and no one even took him! I mean, a CUTE PUPPY in a kill shelter?!?! FOR 2 WEEKS?!?! And no takers?!?! Now I know it's because he was just waiting to come home to me, his real home. I love Kirby, he's come at the perfect time in my life and I just love him! (Did I mention I love this dog?!)

Ha ha...this cracks me up! My friend and her baby came to visit and Kirby wanted to be as close to her as he could be, but this time, he was just sitting....WAITING to get up there near her! My friend took a pic when he got up there and was laying directly next to her. He's also wearing his fashionable "party" bandana! Why not?!

And to end the story, this is a picture of a box of blank cards my sister bought me for Christmas this past year, right when Kirby was being born, and got it because she knew I loved French Bulldogs, Boston Terriers, and especially a combo of both. How perfect is this? It looks like him!