The Uniswiveler

About a week ago, Carrie at Family, Fitness, Food nominated me for the Versatile Blogger Award.

The rules:

Nominate 15 other bloggers
Inform the bloggers of their nomination
Share 7 random things about yourself
Thank the blogger who nominated you
Share the Versatile blogger award picture.

Thanks, Carrie!

Since it's been so long since I posted, I'm doing a two-for-one and telling you seven things about myself while describing my weekend.  Efficiency and value:  what more could you ask for in a blog?

MomJovi headed up the efforts to get several of us out to celebrate our respective birthdays (mine was a couple of weeks ago).  When was the last time I "went out" in Orlando?  Hmmm...so long ago, I think Paris Hilton was still considered a celebrity.

Thanks to Paula and her extra long arms for the photo

Paula, Katy, Michelle, Andrea, J, MomJovi and I all met up for dinner at Ceviche, a tapas-style restaurant in downtown Orlando.

Source

The host (by the way, if you're reading this, your dress was waaay too short and tight - hello VPL!) greeted us by informing us that we would be kicked out if we tried to stay any later than 9:00.  Our table had other, more important guests to host.  It was 7:00.   Then, our waiter came by and took approximately 23.5 minutes describing every single item on the menu and knocking Paula's choice in beverages.

Thankfully, I had my friend champagne sangria to drown him out.

Photo from Michelle

Random Fact #1:  The first time I had sangria was on a school trip to Spain at age 15.  We were on a "party boat"  and they gave out tiny cups of sangria to everyone as they boarded.   I had four sips and declared myself trashed.

We all ordered several small plates (hence, the tapas part of the restaurant).  Michelle ordered a portobello mushroom dish that was particularly good.  Why is it that everyone else's orders are always better than mine?

Random Fact #2:  My mom fed me so many mushrooms as a kid that it took until last year for me to be able to eat them again.  My brother still won't touch a mushroom.

After dinner, we headed to Ember, a restaurant/bar that is more familiar to me as a lunch spot during work hours.  Turns out, the scenery is totally different at night.  Think an updated version of "Night at the Roxberry."

No, not making fun of the couple posing across the bar from us.  Not at all.

Shots were in order.  (Thanks again, Michelle, for letting me rob you of your photos).



I am the wimpiest shot taker ever.  Just look at the disgust on my face!  Ugh, the ex-sorority girl in me would be so ashamed.

Pretty soon, it was just Paula, Michelle, MomJovi, and me.


The music was all very Dance Trance-ish, so MomJovi and I were pretty much dancing in our seat by this point.  Which lead to a confession, and random fact #3.

I am a uniswiveler.  My hips will only swivel in one direction.  This bugs the hell out of me.


We stayed at Ember for awhile and then decided to meet up with Paula's husband, Fabian.  We walked approximately 3.5 miles to the Abbey, another bar on the other side of downtown.  I led everyone to the bar, which will shock some of my good friends because...

Random Fact #4:  I have absolutely no sense of direction.  At all.  Just ask my friend Brittany.  ;-)

At this point, it was getting well past midnight.   I was turning into a pumpkin.   MomJovi and I hailed a cab and decided to call it a night.  I got home and crashed into bed.  Beer really helps my insomnia!

Random Fact #5:  My friends call me the sleep nazi, and it's not without good reason.  I am a total nightmare (pun intended) on group trips.  For example, I went to the BCS game in 2007 with several friends.  We were taking the bar and all super poor, so we crammed three guys and two girls into one very small hotel room.  Everyone in the room was snoring.  I couldn't sleep (and hadn't slept since I started studying for the bar), and I'd had enough.   I went downstairs, slammed down my credit card, and got another room.  For myself.  And I slept there without telling anyone.  I was back in the room before anyone woke up.  Yes, I know this is horrible.

Anyway, I woke up with a wicked cold on Sunday morning.  I skipped church and decided to try and rest a little longer.   I finally got up and headed to Costco to restock our meat supplies.

Random Fact #6:  I love Costco and intentionally go hungry so I can eat my way through the samples.  And I always go back for seconds "for my husband."  Pretty sure I got the Costco obsession from my Dad.

I spent the rest of the afternoon crashed on the couch and half-watching the Australian Open.   Which leads me to my last and final point:

My husband may be the tennis expert, but I am destroying him with my AO bracket.  As of right now, I'm only 18 points away from the overall lead of ALL of the boards on Tennis Channel.   BOOM.

Instead of specifying 15 specific blogs, I'm inviting all of you to share seven things about yourself!  I'm versatile like that.  Since I have approximately 15 readers, this should work out nicely!