Little Black Dress

So, while I was on my dinner break for work (I was working from 12 to 8, I decide to got window shopping. While doing so, I run across this adorable little black dress that would look great on me. That got me thinking: how do I shop for my little black dresses?

As I looked back, I realized I had a system. And it actually kind of worked. So here goes:

(Optional)Step 1: Pre-shopping
If I'm looking for a dress for a certain occasion, I do my pre-shopping routine. First, I get a budget. How much do I wanna spend? Then I think of color and cut. Because a little black dress doesn't always have to be "little" or "black". To me, the term "little black dress" describes a dress that looks absolutely gorgeous on you and makes you feel beautiful and confident.

Step 2: Scope the Stores
I always look to see whose having a sale and if they have anything worth looking at. This might shave a little off the money for the dress that you can use on a cute pair of shoes or accessories. When you find the stores with sales, find hose dresses that you absolutely LOVE. Make note and maybe try them on.

Step 3: Second Opinions
Take a buddy. I always ask a friend (Or even Bear) along to see how they think I look in the dress. After all, I want people to like what I'm wearing. But if you feel great in the dress, but your buddies are if-y on it, go with your instinct. Sometimes, you know your body better than them.

Step 4: Buy!
If you love it, and just can't wait to have it, buy it! If it is on sale, chances are that it won't be there for long.

There. That's my method to finding the perfect little black dress. I didn't realize I had this method till I thought back on it while I was doing Scope the Stores today during lunch. And I did find a dress I really want to buy and wear when I go see Bear on Memorial Day weekend.

Semper Fi (Always Faithful),
Damia

More Work

So, now that my semester is winding down and I'm getting more free time,I'm working more shifts at work. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that I'm getting more shifts (especially with San Diego coming up), but I'm really starting to get tired of covering this one girl's shifts. I have probably covered all her Friday shifts for the past month. Normally, this wouldn't bother me, but she asks only a couple of days before the shift. After awhile, it just gets annoying.

The other girl I work with is much better. I haven't covered any of her shifts so far, but I am covering for her today because she isn't feeling well. Which I find a perfectly acceptable excuse for asking so late to cover her shift. The only other shift I'm covering for her is Sunday, the 30th, when I'm going to San Diego (just means I have to come back a little early). Now, she asked me this about a couple f weeks ago, so I'm perfectly fine with covering for her.

I really don't want to dump all this on my friends (they have their own problems to worry about right now), so at least on here I can rant and maybe give people a good laugh at my problems. (It really is okay to laugh. I laugh at my problems all the time because they are kinda funny.)

the thing I am probably able to laugh at the most is yesterday. Yesterday was just an Unlucky day for me. I say unlucky becasue it wasn't bad.Nothing horrible or life-threatening really happened, so it wasn't bad. Personally, any day you can come back without a scratch on you is a pretty okay day. I digress.

It started out with a Pre-Cal final. I ended up forgetting a couple of graphs (all of which I knew by heart), so I ended up using my graphing calculator for a little help. As I'm driving home, it starts sprinkling again. I sigh and mumble about the weather and how we're probably not going to be able to take our volleyball final outside.

when I leave my house for my volleyball final, it's raining a little harder, but still a sprinkle. As I'm driving, I take a turn a little too sharp and my truck (which has really old tires, btw)fishtails one way. I get it straitened out only to have it fishtail the other way and then spin half-way around and end by bumping my back tire into the concrete sidewalk. Fun. I'm okay and so is the car, except for a flat. Which means no volleyball final for me!

Good thing my next class isn't till 7:30 that night so I can borrow my mom's car. Well, I get to the campus only to realize that she doesn't have a parking permit on her car. No problem, I'll use the meters. But I only have one quarter. So, I stick the quarter into the meter and pray that a cop doesn't check. Then, as I'm grabbing my backpack from the passenger's seat, it spills a cup of coffee all over the driver's seat cover. And I dumbly try to mop it up with my sweater. The cherry topper on an unlucky day. I got a paper cut from taking my final in that class.

This entire made made me laugh. every time I told someone, I couldn't help but laugh and go "Wow. What a CRAPY day!" But it's over and I'm one day closer to seeing Bear (who probably would have laughed a lot at my unlucky day).

Semper Fi (Always Faithful),
Damia

Going to San Diego!

Yeah, that's right. I'm going to San Diego to see Bear! I'm so excited. I'm actually really happy that I only have four classes and three finals, one of which is for volleyball. Because, right now, I can hardly concentrate on anything else.

So, here's how it's going to go. Memorial Day weekend (the 29th and the 30th), I'm going to fly down there in the early morning and stay with one of his buddies fiance. Frankly, these two are a GOD SEND and I absolutely cannot wait to meet them. Bear says I'll get along great with her and he's pretty good about judging who I can and can't get along with, so I'm excited to meet and greet.

We're going to spend all Saturday together (doing what, I still have no idea. Lol.) and then I leave Sunday in the late morning. I would stay all Sunday, but I have to work and couldn't get my shift covered. =(

Anyway, I have no idea what to do while I'm down there because I haven't been to San Diego since I was... 10? Maybe? I'm hoping Bear has some things planed because I can't think of ANYTHING. Well, if not, we're pretty good about finding something to do. And then there's hanging with his buddy and his fiance. From what Bear's said, that would be so much fun! Since I'm staying with them, chances are, we will be doing something with them. ^^

Absolutely cannot wait. I miss him like crazy.

Semper Fi (Always Faithful),
Damia

Times Flies (Really?)

I found, that while Bear was away at boot camp, it was easier to stay busy than think about when he was coming home. The time just seemed to slip away and days blurred together. Now, while he's away at MOS (that's job training for all of you who don't know military lingo. I still haven't gotten a hold on it yet. =) ) he's allowed to talk to me every weekend. And we chat like crazy. When we're not talking on the phone, I'm texting him. And it seems to make the time go by slow. I guess it's because I'm waiting for the weekend arrive instead of taking each day as it comes. I don't think I'll ever get my old routine back.

Another thing. Something I miss more than everything else about Bear. It's the little things that he does. I realized this when I was texting him last weekend and I asked if his buddies asked what he was doing yet (They were on liberty). His answer? "Yeah and I told them I'm talkin to my girl." Say it with me. Aw. I loved that so much. for those of you who are wrinkling your brow and wondering how i can liked be called "his girl" as if I'm some kind of possession, I'll explain. When Bear says "his girl" or "his baby", he's saying it in such a way that he's implying that it's a part of him. i just loved it when he does that. =)

The funniest thing he does? And doesn't want his buddies to know about? He gives Eskimo kisses! You know the kiss where you rub your nose against the other person's? Yeah, that one. And he does it all on his own. I think that's right up there with kissing your cheek and top of you head along with planning a night out all on their own. It's funny because anytime I'm "mad", I just tell him that I'll tell all his buddies that he likes Eskimo kisses. He makes the cutest sad face! Like a puppy not wanting to get scolded. This, of course, is all in good fun. I'd never tell if he didn't want me to (at least to his buddies). Then he'd probably stop. That right up there with biting the hand that feeds you.

Semper Fi (Always Faithful),
Damia

Where with the road lead?

So, I thought, when I created this blog, that I would only update it once a day, at the most. But much to my surprise, I found myself thinking about what I can put on here all day! My thoughts have become so entangled that I don't know where to start. so, I'm just going to let my fingers walk across the key board and see where it leads.

So I counted back and realized that Bear and I have been dating for 5 months this month on the twenty ninth. How time flies! For those of you who are a little confused because of the time line I presented in my first post. Yes, I am out of high school. Yes, Bear and I had been dating for our entire senior year. In August, we had a bit a falling out. It went a little like this:

Bear has this habit, quite an annoying one really, of deciding that I'm better off with someone else. He sat me down (this was before he left for boot camp) and told me he started our relationship because he wanted to get over another girl. Needless to say, I was shocked. But we were best friends before we started dating and I was determined to remain best friends after. So, I encouraged him to talk to her, to tell her how he felt. Looking back, it probably wasn't the smartest idea. Well, hindsight is always 20/20. They started dating and Bear and I remained best friends, hanging out and such. Except I still loved him with all my heart. Apparently, he felt the same because about a month into their relationship, we're talking and he tells me there was something he wanted to ask me before he walked out the door that day (the day he broke up with me) and he wondered if things would be different if he had been brave enough to ask.

I asked him what it was. It couldn't make much difference now. I was just curious.
"I wanted to turn around and ask you to take me back." That's what he said. Mind blown. I was wrong. It changed EVERYTHING. I asked him how he felt about his current girlfriend (who disliked me and I can understand why) and he told me he saw and liked her just as friend. Long story short, he ended up breaking up with her. I didn't want to push him and didn't. If he wanted to be with me, he would. And he did. He asked me to take him back, saying that he knows he screwed up and doesn't deserve a second chance, but he's asking anyway. I said yes. But we decided to start all over from the beginning.

So, there you have it. That's why we've only been dating for 5 months. Fun, I know. Bear and I decided we have problems with communication. We both believe the other can do better and are constantly waiting for the other to find someone better. We're working on it.

That's probably the most dramatic thing that has happened in my life. For that, I'm thankful. When things start to get dramatic, I start to get angry and illogical. Maybe that's why I try to keep myself out of it.

Semper Fi (Always Faithful),
Damia

Start of a New Day(Well, Blog)

My own personal thoughts I have running around my head, that's what this is. There is just so much going on there that I have to put it somewhere. Keeping a journal seems a waste of an experience. After all, experiences are meant to be shared. It's how we grow. And boy, do I have some growing to do. Facebook just isn't right, either. It seems a shame to share this with people who probably already know almost everything about me. They don't have a fresh perspective. And sometimes, to solve a problem, you need someone from the outside.

To start off, I'm a Marine's girl. My boyfriend, who will now be known from now on as Bear, is in the United States Marines. That's right. A devil dog, a jarhead, a leather neck, and all those nicknames I call him with the utmost adoration. We went to high school together and were best friends all the way through. It wasn't till senior year that we decided "Hey, maybe this could work." And we started dating. It was easy (at least now I perceive it as easy). Then he joined the USMC (Us Marines Corps for those of you who don't know). All the sudden, life hit me (as it seems to hit all young people at a certain point). That's when I knew. It was time to grow up.

At first, I was scared. Bear would be going into one of the most dangerous jobs I could think of. Then I was proud. Not just becasue he was my boyfriend or a Marine, but because he wanted to DO something with his life. I realized he could have decided to be a farmer (Note: Not saying farmer's aren't great. They are. I was just trying to find something at the opposite end of the spectrum.) and I would have still been proud. The pride and faith in him just seem to push all the fear into the background.

Boot camp faster than either of us thought. It was letters exchanged through the mail, each one keeping me going. There was no phone calls or texting; no facebook or myspace. It was, in a word, torture. I went from spending a couple of hours each day with him to never seeing his face or hearing his voice. Boy, did I take quite a few things for granted. Probably still do. It's a curse of being young. I'm working on it.

Now, he's done with boot camp. He's a Marine. And now, I'm a Marine's girl. We're a special kind of breed. Tough and stubborn to the bone. As strong as the Marines we wait for. These are the thoughts that run through my mind as I grow and become strong as one, a girlfriend of a United States Marine.

Semper Fi (Always Faithful),
Damia