Childhood Reminder #3: Wendy's Frosty

Today on the way home from the beach, Jed and I were driving through the small town of Eufala, AL and stopped at Wendy's for lunch. I don't eat much fast food anymore. If I do, it's usually Chic-fil-A. But it's hard to avoid fast food on a road trip, and being that there wasn't much to choose from in Eufala, Wendy's it was!

I cannot go to Wendy's without getting a Frosty. This softserve ice cream is the perfect blend of chocolaty sweetness. I love when it starts melting around the edges. But most importantly, it reminds me of childhood. My best friend's mom used to always take Lara and me through the Wendy's drive-thru to get Frostys.

Nowadays when you order a Frosty, you have to specify which flavor...Chocolate or Vanilla? I always forget this, because when I was a child, these options didn't exist. It was chocolate..that was it; plain, simple and delicious. Wendy's has even ventured into making the "Frosty-cino", which is their version of a Frappacino. They continue to try and remorph the Frosty with Frosty shakes, Frosty floats and then the Twisted Frosty, which is basically a rip-off of the Dairy Queen blizzard (another childhood reminder).

But no matter how enticing the marketing team at Wendy's tries to make those imposter Frostys look, nothing can replace the original chocolate Frosty. The Frosty of the Frostys. Because it takes me back to those days as a child going through the drive thru with Lara after one of our tennis clinics or just riding through town running errands on a hot summer day. Yummy.

Guest Blogger: Guy's perspective on the "Good Things" about Dating

Ok, ladies and gentleman. I recently had a very enlightening conversation with a guy friend on what else, but DATING! It all began when I was telling him about another Nashville friend, Andy Merrick's brilliant blog series entitled, "Why guys aren't asking you out". Take my word for it that it's worth carving out time to read...both witty and insightful. Check it out.

This friend and I have had several insightful conversations on this topic. This particular conversation extended over into email, and it was so insightful that I asked him if I could share it with my very small blog community. He gave me permission, so long as I kept his identity undisclosed. You can try to guess who it is, but I will not crack. My promise of anonymity is too important to break.

So again, backstory is that I asked for his thoughts on Andy's blog series, and this was his feedback (take notes):

I think one of the overarching issues is the maturity level of how we view dating, especially as it relates to the initial stages of getting to know someone. We've loaded so much weight, emphasis and assumptions on the first date or two that we've removed the fun, mystery and natural process of just going on a date to get to know someone. Sure there needs to be intention and wisdom with whom we choose to go on a date, but isn't the purpose of the first few dates to simply say "I'm initially attracted to you and would like to learn more about who you are"? We aren't as free as we should be to just relax, have fun, go out and see if there may be more there. Instead, we've created a dating culture that puts too much pressure on a first date so a guy sometimes feels like he needs to "know" before he even asks her out. Perspective is a good thing

Another factor that wears guys out is the game of not immediately asking a girl out because we should "play it cool" for the girl's sake. I can think of several girls that I was interested in asking out but friends close to them said, "With this girl you can't just straight up ask her out. She's the kind of girl you have to be cool, play your cards right and then ask her out." Guys often don't know what this practically looks like and ultimately feel like it's too complicated a process so we just say "she's high-maintenance" or "this girl doesn't know what she wants" or "forget it" and move on. Granted we need a balance here. A girl can't come on strong and needs to be pursued (not the other way around) and a guy can't be too preemptively aggressive either, but I don't see why calling a girl for a healthy, laidback first date needs to be so scrutinized and strategic. Simplicity is a good thing.

I heard someone say recently that asking a girl out is like throwing your fishing line in the water. First you have to throw your hook and bait near the fish just so the fish can get "comfortable" with the bait being near it. Then you have to leave it in the water and move the worm around long enough for the fish to become "interested" in the bait. Then once it "bites" the bait you hook it (ask her out). If a girl is wondering why someone isn't asking her out, there may just be a few guys that are in the process of trying to figure out if she is comfortable, interested and going to bite. And there's a chance that one of her girl friends has given the guy that advice. Consistency is a good thing.

A final thought is to not be the close "friend girl" to a bunch of guys. Guys usually think this kind of girl is cool and just one of the boys. It's a fine status to have as long as you don't want to be asked out. It's good to have a few "just friends" of the opposite sex but don't be the girl that is often the lone female hanging with a bunch of dudes. Guys like to know that a girl has stable, close friendships with other girls. Balance is a good thing.

I hope you've enjoyed this little nugget. Comments and feedback welcome and encouraged.

Childhood Reminder #2: The Movie Purse

I recently went to the movies with a friend and brought the ultimate movie purse. I was like a freakin' Mary Poppins with my movie purse-you never knew what I was going to pull out! Here's the list (don't be jealous, just take mental notes):

-Twizzlers. I've been taking Twizzlers to the movies since I was able to walk and my mom let me ingest sugar. However, I was only able to partake in consuming Twizzlers on special occasions, like going to the movies. So Twizzlers are always a must have. Hey, they "make mouths happy".:)

-Chocolate Candy Bars. My all time favorite is Reese Cups. I've loved them since I was young and discovered that the best taste to hit my tongue was chocolate and peanut butter.

-Bubble gum. This is for when I'm want to take a break from consuming large amounts of sugar and calories, but I don't have the will power to quit, so to satisfy my oral fetish, I chew gum. And not just chewing gum, but bubble gum to keep my mouth even more entertained.

-Bottle of Wine. This is a new edition to the movie purse that I never got to enjoy from Mom's movie purse. Now as an adult, I get to pack a bottle of wine, along with 2 solo cups for me and my lucky movie date to enjoy.

-Hummus and wheat thins. This is my favorite appetizer and a must have with a good bottle of red wine. Popcorn? No way! Give me hummus any day over a bag of greasy popcorn!

Whenever my mom or any friend's moms took us kids to the movies, they always had movie purse in tow. I'm really surprised that after all these years, the movie theaters have not come up with a system to prevent the movie purse. When a mom comes to the ticket window with a purse resembling carry on luggage, they all know that she's sneaking in snacks. Being that technically it's against their policy to bring outside food into the theater, I'm surprised they haven't installed a security check that your movie purse must go through to inspect for outside food and beverages.

Just wait, I wouldn't be surprised if movie patrons will one day have to go through a security line before entering the theater. Until that day comes, I will continue to go to the movies with movie purse in tow.