We Are Family. I Got All My Sisters With Me!

After all the drama that had been furiously swirling around my life for the past few months, I knew there was only one thing that could pick me up better than anything else ever could.

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So, Little Sister Chicken Wing and I made the two-hour trek to our state's capital city to visit two of my sorority sisters from college.  For the sake of protecting the innocent, we'll call them Al and Little Bit! 

Al is a gorgeous, super fun lady who was kind enough to house the Sisters Chicken Wing for the evening, and she is always a blast to hang out with!  In college, she was one of the only girls who wasn't afraid to get out there and shake it with me!  She is amazing at her job, and literally touches people's lives every day.  I absolutely adore her and always will! 

Little Bit is my darling Little Sister in our sorority and is one of the most amazing ladies this world has to offer.  She has always been there for me, no matter what. We've shared so many good times together, including when I stood beside her in her absolutely beautiful wedding (where she married another of my good friends, whom we'll call The Law).  I would do anything in the world for this lady.

So, on this very special (and very much-needed) Ladies Night Out, we went to dinner at the same place we went to for Little Bit and The Law's rehearsal dinner, Maggiano's!  Oh my amazing Italian food!  After stuffing ourselves to the brim with salad, calamari, fried zucchini (YUM!), lasagna, gnocchi with tomato vodka sauce, eggplant parmesan, chicken parmesan, apple crostada, and New York cheesecake, we hit up the same establishment that we went to for Little Bit's Bachelorette Party with our food babies proudly on display.

Naturally, that meant we had to DANCE OFF DINNER.  That we did, my friends.  That we did for hours.  It had to have been 110 degrees in there, but we brought it!  Here are some photos from the night!  I would show you more, but we were hot messes when we left, and by hot messes, I mean severely sweaty.  Not a good look for the blog recaps!

Miss CW sitting in The Law's HOT car!  It's a Hyundai Genesis, and it was sweet action!

Cheers!  From left:  Al, Little Bit, Miss CW, Little Sister CW

At the end of the night, The Law (L) and our other friend Copper (R) showed up!  College reunion!

Showstoppin' Sisters

So, all in all, it was a top night!  We had fun, we kicked back, we laughed and recalled good times gone by.  I love these ladies so much, and sometimes, all you really need are your girlfriends to make it all better!

Until next time,
Miss Chicken Wing

I've Got A Fever, And The Only Prescription Is...

 

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Just kidding!  The real answer is "a new project!"  Even though I work in an office Monday - Friday, I moved my home office downstairs into a corner of the living room awhile back in order to create a general information hub for my home.  I wanted easy access to my social networks, to on-the-fly recipes, and for those times when you-can't-think-of-a-movie/TV show/actor or actress/etc.-and-you-have-to-look-it-up-straight-away-or-you'll-go-crazy.  You know, stuff like that.

Anyways, it's in the perfect place in the house, but the space itself leaves much to be desired in the way of becoming and staying organized.  Granted, this is definitely NOT one of my strong points anyways, but I've been making an effort.  I was gazing at the home office area last night and it just sort of hit me that I need to make some changes and I could unlock a world of potential in the style and organization categories.

First off, I was looking at the desk.  I love the desk.  It's streamlined and has a graphic design feel to it and actually offers ample workspace on the desktop.  The only additional feature it has is the pull-out keyboard tray.

Here's the problem with the desk, though.  There is absolutely no storage possibilities, which are pretty necessary in the home office department. 

So now I'm left craving something with more storage capacity.  Enter the mecca of design, and the place that causes thrifty folks like me to dream of having a million extra dollars laying around to go crazy with - Pottery Barn.  I love their Bedford Collection because it seems to be pretty close to what I will actually need, storage wise.

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I like the fact that it's not a huge desk, because regardless of my storage needs, my space for the home office isn't getting any larger.  I also like the drawers, and the amount of workspace (the hutch on top is optional).  I'm going to keep my eyes peeled to see if I can find something similar that costs WAY less than the PB original.

The next obstacle that I'm pondering overcoming is the desk chair.  At present, I have a cumbersome model fairly similar to this:

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Now, I wouldn't actually mind this, as the chair is pretty comfortable, but the problems I have with it are these:  1) The width of the chair, plus the arms, takes up so much room in that small corner.  2)  In order to have the height of the chair adjusted for comfort, you cannot push the chair up under the desk; thus, it sticks out or you have to adjust it every time you sit down.  3) The wheels are a nice touch, but really don't do anything since the office is on a carpeted floor.  They really just succeed in making indentures in said carpet. 

I might have to update this too.  It's something I'm considering.

So, this is the project I'm thinking of taking on.  I am determined to get everything organized and hopefully will be able to stretch my legs a little more in the design process (like adding damask, anyone???).  There is only so much you can do while renting, but I'm still hell bent on creating a home.  I don't have to own it, but I do have to be able to work it!

Are any of you taking on minor or major home projects?  If so, what are they?  Comment below!

Until next time,
Miss Chicken Wing

Something's Gotta Give

Okay, Peeps.  Here's the deal.

Something's gotta give.  I don't know about you, but the East Coast is hot as heck and sweating is just not a good look for everyone.  Something is wrong when people cheer for temperatures in the high 90's. Just sayin'.

Since this is my blog, and I am in charge here, I say that one of two things needs to happen:

1.  I need to ship myself to somewhere that actually has four distinct seasons (spring and fall, I miss you) with a milder climate.

Alaska Bound!

-or-

2.  We need to call in some reinforcements to hose off the entire area.  My vote is for these guys:

Um, yes please!  Where have these guys been hiding?
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Okay, Peeps, who is with me?  :)  I am happy to report that it's actually RAINING right now.  For those of you who need a refresher course, rain is salty water that is supposed to fall from the sky fairly regularly.  I'm hoping that not only will this break the heat wave that we've been experiencing for the past several weeks, but it would also be nice if it could nourish the grass a smidge.  I'm honestly tired of feeling like I'm walking on steak knives every time I take the dogs outside.  Mmkay, thanks.

Until next time,
Miss Chicken Wing

Thought For The Day!

Courtesy of Real Simple Daily Thoughts:

"The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea." - Isak Dinesen

I hope you all have a great Monday!

Until next time,

Miss Chicken Wing

Chicken Wing Family Vacation 2010 Part I

There are certain things that you just look forward to every year - favorite holidays, your birthday, a friend or family member's wedding, etc.  For me, one of the things that tops my list of highly anticipated events is my family vacation.  As I've mentioned before, I have been blessed with the best family on the planet (I know you can tell I'm not biased at all).

We have been so fortunate to have been able to take a family vacation every year for as long as I can remember, and I don't take that for granted.  There are many people who only dream of being able to do that, so I thank God for that opportunity in my prayers.  Every year, we go to the beach, and every year it's an absolute blast!

Some girls like to party at the beach and get wild.  Call me old school but, for me, it's a time to recharge my batteries.  I rarely have the time to sit down and read a good book, or catch up on my Real Simple magazine subscription.  I'm not located in close proximity to a beach, so I don't get to take 2 mile walks in the sand and surf daily.  I do get to do those things at the beach.  I also get to turn in my normal shade of "vampire white" for "brown-as-a-biscuit."  I can stay up late and sleep in, and I feel so at peace when I'm at the beach.

This year, the Familia de Chicken Wing got to spend our week at the beach with my Aunt J, Uncle R, and Cousin C.  We had such a great time!  Here are some photos from our week at the amazingly beautiful Sunset Beach, North Carolina - home of the annual Chicken Wing Family Vacation.

*Part I Photos by Little Sister Chicken Wing

Little Sister CW, Momma CW, Miss CW

The beach is a great place for activities, like cartwheels,

heel stretches, 

scorpions,

and random, celebratory jumps. 

The people understand these random activities because they're happy to be there too.

There are wind-induced canopy attacks. 

Exhibit A:  Aunt J and Uncle R

Exhibit B:  Yours truly with the aftermath.

There are trips to world-famous donut shops!

 REMIX:  "I'll take you to the Donut Shop."

"Once you eat a donut, you will not stop."

You get to spend quality time with your little sister.

Seriously, we need our own show.  I feel like we could make ratings spikes happen.

So, as you can see by looking at a few of Little Sister Chicken Wing's photos, we had a great and relaxing time.  I promise Little Brother CW and Cousin CW were there, too, but you'll have to wait for my photos for physical evidence of that.  Stay tuned for Part II, Peeps!

Until next time,
Miss Chicken Wing

Music and Lyrics

I know more than a handful of people who can relate to this song and thought they might need a pick-me-up of the musical variety! And of course, since you know yours truly looks out for you, I've even found the video that has lyrics so you can learn to sing along and then happily jam out wherever you feel the need to! :)

So check out this video of "Impossible" by Shontelle. It's a great song, with great lyrics, and the lady has a cute voice, too!


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I will be back to posting regularly soon. I had to get my personal internet back up and running after some changes in my life, and I need to update you all on the 2010 Chicken Wing Family Vacation, which just commenced on Saturday! We had a great time, and I can't wait to share some new experiences with you that we'd never done before! Stay tuned, Peeps!

Until next time,
Miss Chicken Wing

Chicken Wing Summer Anthem

Enjoy, Peeps!


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Until next time,
Miss Chicken Wing

Love Was Made For Me And You

Well, Peeps, you know how I love to share things with you. That is the point of this blog, after all. Some things are funny, some things are awesome, some things are painful, and some things are deep. My experiences over the past month have made me really stop and ponder about love. I thought it would be helpful to me to chronicle snippets about this most-feared, most sought after, and most coveted emotion that struck me - and stuck with me. I think it will be quite fun to look at this post again in a few years to see what's changed and what I still get moved by.

So here goes. Here are some of the ramblings about love that have struck a chord with yours truly. Hopefully something here will inspire you! Feel free to leave me any thoughts that you've found that mean a lot to you, as I'm always pondering about different facets of life. As much as I love to share my own, I would also love to hear your theories.

"No one falls in love by choice, it is by chance. No one stays in love by chance, it is by work. And no one falls out of love by chance, it is by choice." - Author Unknown

"When you are in any context, you should work as if there were - to the very last minute - a chance to lose it." - Dwight D. Eisenhower

"There are three great things in life. The first thing is for you to love someone. The second is for someone to love you back. The third is when the first two happen at the same time." Author Unknown

"Love is giving someone the power to destroy you and trusting them not to." - Author Unknown

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength while loving someone deeply gives you courage." - Lao Tzu

"The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary." - Donald Kendall

"I'm looking for baggage that goes with mine." - RENT

"In the end, it's the extra effort that separates the winner from second place. But winning takes a lot more than that, too. It starts with the complete command of the fundamentals. Then it takes desire, determination, discipline, and self-sacrifice. And finally, it takes a great deal of love, fairness, and respect for your fellow man. Put all these together and even if you don't win, how can you lose?" - Jesse Owens

"Anything worth having is worth fighting for." - Thomas Jefferson

And finally, here is what singer Seal told Oprah in a sit-down interview with her (featuring wife, and probably the hottest woman on the planet, Heidi Klum):

"The most important thing is that we put each other first. I always say that it goes in order of priority—it's my wife first, then the family, then my career," Seal says. "The most common hiccup is when couples get married … and then they have kids, and it [becomes] all about the kids, which is understandable because they're miraculous. But you've got to put each other first…she will always be number one for me." Source

So basically, if you are a man out there that believes in what Seal just stated so eloquently above, then see me for a boyfriend-role application ASAP! ;)

Until next time,

Miss Chicken Wing

Playlist Need Updating???

Here is some completely random musical goodness, Peeps! Hopefully you can update your playlists and jam out all summer! I hope you all had a fantastic 4th of July holiday weekend!

Jewel - Stay Here Forever

Jewel More CMT Music More CMT Music Videos

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The Ready Set - Love Like Woe

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Christina Perri - Jar of Hearts

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The Dream - Love King

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Jewel - Satisfied

Jewel More CMT Music More CMT Music Videos

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Lil Jon ft. LMFAO - Outta Your Mind (Clean Version - let's keep it PG on the blog!)

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Florence and the Machine - Addicted to Love

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Prepare for some hip-shaking!
Sergio Mendes - Magalenha

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Lady Antebellum - Perfect Day

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Until next time,
Miss Chicken Wing