This week was slow in real life, but pretty active on the blog, I went to the beach, which I talked about a lot. I showed you everything that was in my purse (and hoped you wouldn't judge me). Last week, Adriana nominated me for a Liebster Award, so I answered some hilarious questions and nominated some more beautiful ladies yesterday. Kristin nominated me for an Irvester award, which I had never heard of until yesterday but I think it's PRETTY FREAKIN AWESOME. My favorite post from this week was when I spilled some dirt on Garrett and myself this week, and learned that all of you guys are just as gross as we are. So that's a relief.

I meant to include this last week, but Kate rewrote "These are a few of my favorite things" to be about HER favorite things and it was amazing. Megan Amram tells you exactly how to be hilarious on Twitter. Cynthia Nixon is concerned about Carrie Bradshaw's closet. Here's a A Tweet of a Vine of an Instagram of a Tumblr Post of a Facebook Post of a Tweet.

The judge for the Travyon Martin case ruled this week that Trayvon's history, which allegedly includes fighting and marijuana use, could not be used during the trial. This is good news because, duh, Trayvon Martin isn't the one on trial here. If you're as enthralled with this whole Amanda Bynes situation as Ady and I are, here's a timeline of all of her arrests and other dramas. Here are 100 never-before-seen pictures of New York City, and they're kind of amazing. This week, Lucy Flores opened up about her abortion when she was sixteen, and it sparked a massive wave of support on Twitter. A Japanese barista makes some pretty dope 3D latte art.

We're going to a wedding tomorrow, and I brought some bright pink lipstick to wear. I'm equally excited about both. I'm going to see Garrett in about an hour. It's been TWENTY FIVE DAYS since we've seen each other. Twenty five days. I can't. I cannot.

Also, it's the last day of the Blog Every Day in May Challenge and I DID IT!!!! I learned a lot, full recap of that to come next week.

Love you guys! Hope you have a GREAT weekend!!!

Liebster Award

Well. That cute Adriana nominated me for a Liebster Award!
When I found out, this was my reaction:

No really, that was my EXACT reaction. You can see the tweet here if you don't believe me!

Anyhoo.

Here's how this sweet little award works.

This award is to be presented to blogs who have less than 200 followers.

Awesome? Right? I thought so too!

Such a great way to spread the word and love for us newer and smaller blogs.

Here are the deets. After being acknowledged, you should...

-Acknowledge the blog that nominated you in a post.

-Tell 11 facts about yourself.

-Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger created.

-List 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers that you believe deserve some recognition.

-Post 11 questions for them to answer.

-Notify all the bloggers selected that they have been nominated.

-And finally, you can't nominate the blog who nominated you.

So! Let's do this:

11 Facts About Me

1. I am the slowest coffee drinker in the entire history of the universe. Seriously. It's ridiculous because I lurve drinking coffee. And I drink a lot of it. But it takes for-freakin-ever.

2. I don't like to have the volume on my radio or TV on a prime number. I don't know exactly when I started doing it, but it was sometime in college. It's ridiculous, I know.

3. My favorite color is purple, but I don't wear it that often.

4. I mostly wear navy. Specifically, navy stripes.

5. I also wear a lot of scarves. When I get dressed in the morning, I have a way harder time picking out a scarf than I do picking out an outfit.

6. I am the worlds worst email/text returner. I'm sorry in advance. I promise it's something I'm working on.

7. I've been using the same chapstick -Softlips Vanilla- since I was 16. That EOS stuff can go DIAF.

8. People always thought my brother and I were twins because he's so tall. We were always the same height, until he was about 13 and shot up to six feet tall. (He's 6'5 now)

9. I've never been stung by a bee before, so I have a teensy fear of getting stung now.
10. I tend to hoard office supplies. Especially cute ones.
11. I used to play the flute, and not to toot my own horn (LOL GET IT?) but I was pretty freakin' good. 

Adriana's Questions:
1. Who's been your biggest bloggy help? 
Stevie, definitely. She answers all my questions and doesn't judge me (that I know of, anyway.)
2. What "Most Likely To..." superlative would you get now? (doesn't have to be traditional)
I would get "most likely to love EVERYTHING." I'm kind of ridiculously enthusiastic about everything. People make fun of me sometimes.
3. What's your favorite movie to quote?
Uh, can I just name an actor? Cause I quote any and all Will Ferrell movies, all the time.
4. What's one thing that surprised you about blogging?
People talk about the community all the time, and I definitely love it too. But more specifically, I love the support of the blogging community. I knew I would meet people and have fun, but I never expected to meet people that I could lean on in times of struggle. It's a really amazing thing.
5. What's the first thing you do when you get home from work?
Take off my pants, always.
6. What's your favorite social media outlet?
Right now, I'm honestly not sure. For a REALLY long time, I would have said Tumblr, without a doubt. Then I would have said Pinterest, and then I went back to Tumblr, but now I'm honestly not sure. 
7. What's your go to/signature drink at the bar?
Whiskey Sour!
8. What's your dream career?
Eventually, I want to work at a University in a Service-Learning/Volunteering office, because my two loves are college students + service-learning.
9. How many times do you snooze your alarm in the morning?
Uh, at least ten. You would think that I would wise up and just set my alarm for 20 minutes later so I would get REAL sleep instead of weird, disjointed sleep, but I don't. YOLO or whatever.
10. What's your favorite summer activity?
Uh, poolside drinking.
11. Flats or heels?

I don't get to wear heels that often, but I do love wearing them.

My Nominees:
1. Stevie
2. Ashley

3. Stephanie
4. Dani
5. Lauren
6. Kara

7. Leslie
8. Madeline
9. Candice
10. Sarah
11. Becky

If anyone has been nominated already, I apologize. Finding 11 people was hard, you guys!

My Questions For These Beautiful Ladies:
1. Has anyone ever used a pick-up line on you in a bar that actually worked? What was it? 
2. If you had to choose an actress to play you in a movie about your life, who would you choose? And more importantly, who would you choose to play your man?
3. If someone gave you $1000, and you only had 48 hours to spend it, and you couldn't spend it on bills or utilities or practical stuff, what would you buy? (It can be more than one thing, of course.)
4. When you were in kindergarten, what did you want to be when you grew up?
5. What is a fashion trend that you just don't "get?"
6. If you could only paint your nails with one color for the rest of your life, what would it be?
7. What is your favorite meal to cook?
8. What was your favorite childhood tradition?
9. Apple or Android?
10. What is something your blog friends would be surprised to learn about you?
11. If you could bring back one TV show that no longer airs, what would it be?

Behind Closed Doors: A Link Up!

So some really cute girls decided to put together a link up where you get down and dirty, and spill the beans about what you do when no one else is looking.

And since I love talking about things that you're really not supposed to be talking about, I think this is basically the best thing ever.

So let's rock and roll.


People ask me if I'm nervous to live with him in August, and I usually respond with "no, it's cool. I already know all the things he does that get on my nerves." We've been together for about a year and a half, but we only get to spend one or two weeks together a month, so it's a weird dichotomy of "duh we're comfortable" and "we still try to stay on our best behavior cause we don't see each other that often."

At this point, though, I have to say we've gotten pretty comfortable. Not poop-in-front-of-each-other comfortable yet. But definitely pop-zits and tweeze-your-eyebrows comfortable. We text each other while we're in the bathroom sometimes, just to check in and make sure everything's coming out okay.

Also, if we're just peeing, we usually don't flush the toilet. I mean, who cares, right? Save water and stuff. I never thought much about it, but one night we were hanging out with some of Garrett's family, and we both needed to pee. Before I went in, I asked if he was going in next. He said he was, so I said "cool, I won't flush, then" and everyone around us was just going onnnn and onnnn about how weird it was. I mean, really? Of all the things couples do around each other, peeing on their pee is the weirdest? Get out of here.

And he totally farts in front of me. Like it's no big deal. He's courteous enough to go to a different room so it doesn't stink, but I hear them all the time. One night, we were lying in bed and he kept tossing and turning like a crazyperson. Finally I asked him what was wrong, and he says "I gotta fart and I can't cause I don't want to fart in bed with you but I can't sleep if I gotta fart, OKAY?"

I shot him a look that said ".....seriously? seriously." But really, who am I to get in between a man and his bodily functions, ESPECIALLY when they affect his sleep pattern. So now Garrett gets to fart in the bed, as long as I'm already sleeping and he knows I won't smell it, and all bets are off if it stinks so bad it wakes me up.

Are you guys judging us yet? We're charming and hilarious, I swear.

(Don't worry, he told me I could tell this story.)

The moral of this story is: if you ever come visit, I can promise that there will be lots of fun, lots of drinks and lots of laughs. 

Just don't be alarmed if there's pee in the toilet.

The Kitchen Sink, and stuff.

So last night when I got home and dramatically dropped all of my luggage into my floor, I realized my shoulder kinda hurt. It was weird, because it felt sore like I had been working out, but... I mean... I was on vacation. There was no working out.

I was wracking my brain to try and figure out what it was when my phone started buzzing. I dug... and dug...... and dug for it in my purse, when I realized: hellooooooo! I have approximately 1829823942 things in my purse. And who has been suffering? My poor shoulder.

You know that phrase "she packed everything but the kitchen sink"? I'm pretty sure that saying was invented expressly to describe me and how much of a purse-hoarder I am. I'm not a hoarder in other aspects of my life (I promise), but I definitely am when it comes to my bag. I've always been solidly in the "I like big purses and I cannot lie" camp, so ever since I can remember, I've been the one with the huge purse and all the crap. Always. But my friends love it because when they need the most random thing in the entire world, who's probably going to have it?

Yep, that would be me.

Meg posted what was in her bag last week, so I thought I'd hop on the bandwagon and share alllllll the things that are in mine!

So let's break it down, shall we? 

First, we have the essentials, the things that everyone has in their purse. Wallet, keys, chapstick, sunglasses. So far, so good. I'm still coming off as a normal person at this point, right?

Then, we have the things that are kinda weird, but still what I consider my personal essentials. My iPod shuffle, a mirror, five thousand writing utensils and at least that many lip glosses, an umbrella, my blog notebook, my iPad + charger, Tide-To-Go, my Madewell nail file, birth control, UD moisturizing face spray, and my Sephora mirror.
Note: I don't always carry around my iPad with me, but it's nice that I have a purse big enough that I can if I want to.
Note x2: I got a new iPad case! Isn't it the best?

Then, there are the things that are just... strange. My Naked2 palette, a neon pink tank top, some KnockKnock stickies, a bathing suit, Zoya Sachi, sunscreen from my latest Birchbox, and the wide-tooth comb that I use after I wash my hair.
Not pictured: two pairs of underwear and a bra. This blog is family friendly, ya dig?

I mean... what? Who put all this crap in my purse? And when did they do it? Why are my bikini and that tank in my purse and not, oh, I don't know, in my suitcase? And my Naked palette. I didn't do any on-the-go primping (for once), so what the heck is that doing in there? The fact that one of my favorite makeup items was just jumbling around in my purse all day is.. unsettling to me. What if one of the colors cracked?! I would be so sad. And my nail polish! What if it spilled somehow onto all my things?  And my comb! Pretty sure I wasn't washing my hair in the car this afternoon. So why did I think I needed that for a three hour drive home? (Note to self: buy travel-sized hairbrush for purse.)

I can't even deal with myself sometimes, you guys. For real. Was I having an out-of-body experience when I packed today? I must have been.

Does this happen to anyone else? Do you ever just keep throwing more and more into your purse until all of a sudden you realize it weighs 15 pounds and you've given yourself scoliosis?

Do you ever feel like sometimes it would be easier if you could just bring the stinkin' kitchen sink with you?

Me too, man. Me too.

Quick Weekend Check-In

So I know I already did one quick beach post, but on Friday at the last minute, I decided to head to the beach with my parents. It was a relaxing weekend full of lounging + reading

Son of a Peach-ing

Lowcountry boil-ing

and selfie-ing

If you follow me on Twitter, you already saw this, but there was a group of guys who watched me take about twenty pictures of myself. It's HARD seeing your screen in such bright light, OKAY?

Today we're gonna do a little shopping and a little more relaxing, and I'm pretty excited about it!

How's your long weekend going? Tell me everything!

(Linking up for Monday Mingling.)

A reminder

I'm not sure if anyone else needs to hear this right now, but I definitely do.

Hope your long weekend is going exceptionally great!

(via)

Beach!

Happy weekend, everybody!!

I've decided to start incorporating the good things I read in other people's blogs in these recaps too. You guys are just too stinkin' funny!

Honestly, this week was pretty low-key. I posted a few of my favorite photos on Monday. I linked up with Kristen yesterday to talk about my favorite summer beer in the whole wide world. I wrote myself a letter. Also, I shared on Tuesday that I had a lot on my mind, and I just have to say thank you to all for being so amazing. I love the blogging community so much. 

In case you didn't know, I watch(ed) The Office. If you do too, you definitely need to watch this blooper reel. Amaze. Nadine wrote about how watching TV really is good for you, and nothing has ever spoken to me more. The creator of the gif told us how to pronounce the word "gif" and people have been arguing about it LITERALLY all week. Seriously. All week. Amanda Bynes might have finally gone off the deep end.

Here are some affordable summer wines. This sixteen year old may have made something that charges your iPhone in 30 seconds. What have you done with your life lately? Yahoo! bought Tumblr this week, and while a lot of its users were angry little bears about it, but here's why it's actually a good thing. (For the record, I don't think it's the worst idea.) The Boy Scouts lifted the ban on gay members, but still has one in place to keep out gay leaders. It's a good start, but they still have a long way to go.

Do I even need to say it? LOOOONG WEEKEND. I actually don't have any plans. I'm sure something will fall together... but if it doesn't, I have a lot of things on my DVR to catch up on, and a lot of wine do drink in solidarity with Stevie because it's her bachelorette weekend!!

And finally, my favorite gif from this week:

Sooooooo funny. I don't even know.

Thirsty Thursday!

So, Kristin had the CUTEST idea a few weeks ago to start a Thirsty Thursday Link-Up, where you share your favorite drinks! And let's be real - is there anything in this world we love more than blogging + drinking?

Yes, duh: it's BLOGGING about what you're DRINKING. Wins all around, yes?

So let's talk about this beer. This beer is my favorite beer in the whole world. And just like my love of Pumpkin Spice Lattes, it's freakin' seasonal. I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm forever cursed to fall in love with things that are only available three months out of the year.

Anyway. My love affair with Son of a Peach started last summer during a trip to Sticky Fingers at North Myrtle Beach with my family. I was eyeing the taps to see what beer I wanted, and the Son of a Peach tap jumped out at me immediately - I mean, helloooo, it has a huge, angry peach on it. Clearly, I was intrigued.

I immediately fell in love. Son of a Peach is a wheat beer with a peachy (duh) taste. The peach flavor is definitely there, but it's not overpowering in any way. Now, let me say: if you don't like beers with a fruity taste to them, you won't like this. Purple Haze (a raspberry beer) has always been one of my favorites, though, so this fits riiiiight in. 

I usually end up drinking it on it's own (preferably poolside) rather than with food. The peach flavor is noticeable, but not overwhelming, but with some food, I feel like the tastes are just too conflicting. Last week, though, I fixed some salmon and broccoli and edamame, and it was AMAZE with all that. Salmon has enough of a neutral flavor that neither overpowered the other. 

I've been waiting for this stuff to come out for months. No lie, I was checking Total Wine once a week. Finally, about a month ago, there it was... on aisle nine, in all its angry, peachy glory. And I was stooooooooked. I've only bought one six pack so far, but I'll have to buy a few more so I can hoard them into the fall.

Or at least until PSLs come back.

This isn't sponsored in any way, but if any of the Son of a Peach people see this and want to sponsor my life and throw a few six packs my way, I would not object. I'm just sayin'.

A Letter.

When I was doing the 'your favorite picture of yourself' post for the May challenge and going some old pictures, I stumbled across this one. My roommate (and still-BFF) Kelsey took it one night while we were just sitting in our dorm room.

I know I briefly talked about the good old days a few days ago, but I just have to say... I was really struck by this picture for some reason. Maybe because I don't have that many candid pictures of myself... I'm usually the one taking the pictures. Or maybe it's because I look so young in that picture. I mean, I'm only 25, so it's not like being 18 was THAT long ago. But it seems like a lifetime ago. So many things have happened between then and now. So many things I would tell her if I could.

Dear Alyssa,

Those feelings you feel about not wanting to teach? They're real, and they're okay. People are going to give you crap about not wanting to teach; just ignore them.

Kelsey's right about that guy you're dating. You won't admit it until you're 24 and planning a wedding to a really amazing guy, and you'll tell her over a cheesy chicken sandwich at Ham's. Don't worry, she doesn't gloat... that much.

Speaking of that, it might seem like Kelsey doesn't like anyone you date, but don't worry: she likes your fiancé. 

I know you feel guilty about not seeing Meredith that much even though you were best friends in high school and you go to the same college. She still loves you, and your relationship will pick right up post-graduation.

I know you're not excited about your Resident Advisor job for next year, but you're going to LOVE it. It'll introduce you to your best friend Jenna, help you realize what you REALLY want to do with your life, and eventually, will be the reason you meet the man who will become your husband. So quit complaining about it, okay?

Oh yeah, you DO find someone that wants to marry you. Crazy, right? He's awesome. He's really good at snuggles and he brings you surprise milkshakes from Cookout sometimes. Seriously, he's the best.

Next year, your dad will lose his job that he's had for 23 years. It's going to feel like the end of the world, but it's not. I promise. That's nothing compared to some things that come at you later on.

Everyone talks about how crappy the economy is, and how they feel sorry for you as a college student, but don't worry, you'll find a job after graduation. And the best part about your job? You love it.

Next year when you get a car, you should go visit Mama Lou. Just do it, okay? You think she's going to be around forever. But she isn't. So go. Go.

Enjoy all that free coffee from Tate Street Coffee... after you graduate you won't go nearly as much, because it feels weird to be in there without Kyle.

You'll still sleep in that shirt you have on - seven years later. It just gets more and more comfy.

And finally - you're stronger than you think. No, really. You'll surprise yourself.

Love, 
me

ps - No, the lame jokes don't get old. Even when you're 25. And yes, you DO finally find a man who appreciates them. 

(via)

I'll be honest - I have a lot on my mind today.

And I'll be more honest - tiny kitties help a lot.

Edit: Anything I'm dealing with is nothing compared to what the people in Oklahoma are dealing with this morning. Keep sending lots of hugs and good vibes to everyone there.

A Favorite Photo of Yourself

I've successfully blogged every day so far, but I think I stopped following the prompts arounddddd May sixth or so. So anyway, Friday's prompt was to post a favorite photo of yourself and why. And I'm posting two, just to stick with the whole 'break the rules' thing.

Both of these pictures depict a time in my life where I really felt together. 

They were taken about two years apart. The one on the left was my junior year of college, when I had gone downtown with a bunch of on a picture-taking adventure. We played around downtown for hours. It's one of my favorite college memories.

The one on the right was taken about halfway through my first year of work in the "real world." I had just started to really hit my stride and feel comfortable with who I was and what I was doing. It's a great feeling, right?

All of this isn't to say that my life sucks now, because it definitely doesn't. But you know:

The good old days. They'll get you every time.

Sunday Currently

Sooooo obviously this isn't my dog. It's my neighbor's dog. But my neighbor doesn't WANT the dog, and I DO want the dog, so I'm trying to convince him that he should let me (us) adopt the dog. I'm mostly doing this by taking it on walks every day and bringing it over for Sunday morning snuggles. So keep your fingers crossed for that.

Reading lots and lots and LOTS of blogs. I'm so behind... My Bloglovin' has three hundred or so unread posts. Yeesh.

Writing some posts to get queued up for this week!

Listening to the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast from Friday.

Drinking iced coffee, duh.

Calculating dog stuff. The cost of food, vet stuff etc. It's a good thing they're so cute, cause dogs are EXPENSIVE. Especially when you consider all the ridiculous stuff I'm gonna want to buy, like bow ties and halloween costumes. Sorry (not sorry) in advance, puppyface. 

Smelling the Lavender & Peach Blossom candle I bought on Friday. yummmmmm

Wishing the rain would stop. Also that Garrett was here. We still have like.. ten days before we see each other again.

Hoping the wind slows down a little bit for his drive. I worry!!!

Wearing yoga pants and a hoodie right now, but almost ready to change into the new jeans that I got for dinner tonight.

Wondering what the heck Garrett is doing that he can't respond to my eighteen text messages. I'm kidding, he's working. The nerve of that man.

Feeling full. Mostly from the french toast I devoured at lunch. Also full of love and all that mumbo jumbo.

Also, it's my friend Laura's birthday today!!!

These pictures were taken a year apart, to the day. 

We drink a lot of whiskey sours. 

Happy Birthday, Laura! I love you!

Just some laughs for your Saturday evening. =)

(via)

We all need this reminder sometimes, right?

(via)

 Do you guys remember the time I got emotional about The Office? And then the other time I got emotional about The Office? I'm not sure anything else even happened this week. Okay, I might have a problem. I talked about ten things that make me happy. I posted one of my favorite recipes, and we had a good Mother's Day.

 George Tekai responds to teenagers who think they understand "traditional marriage," and it's hilarious. Here are 13 reasons we hate going to the gym. Here's a toothbrush that brushes your teeth with caffeine. That might be too much, even for me.

A dating website that connects older women with younger men put up a billboard in LA depicting a woman breastfeeding with a thought bubble over the baby that says "jealous?" under the guise of "normalizing breastfeeding." Obviously, they're taking it down because are you freakin' kidding me? Yale is being fined $165,000 for not reporting sex crimes. Hopefully, this is the first step to solving the problem of rape and sexual abuse being underreported and under-prosecuted on college campuses. 

I get to have coffee with my friend Jenna in a few hours. I have a great new nail polish color on. The weather is gorgeous today. I get to watch my nieces in their dance recital tomorrow. My brother will be here on Saturday. Overall, I'm just super glad it's the weekend! I bet you guys are too.

The Office.

"There's a lot of beauty in everyday things. Isn't that kind of the point?"

I thought that the Office finale was absolutely perfect. I literally couldn't have asked for more.
(This post has spoilers.)

I loved every single minute of that episode. I already mentioned how much I love Jim and Dwight together. I love love love how their relationship has developed. I loved watching Jim as his Best Man, and seeing Jim, Pam, Angela and Dwight sitting and laughing together at the end was the perfect way to tie everything up. Also, I'm pretty sure I want to walk down the aisle to Sweet Child of Mine now. Because that was amaze.

The way they handled Michael's return was absolutely flawless. I'm absolutely shocked it stayed a secret until now, and I'm so glad it did. We got to see that life has given him everything he wanted, and he got to do one last That's What She Said. It was poignant and wonderful, but it didn't overshadow the wedding or the finale. So well done. Perfect.

People have made fun of me and joked that it isn't real. And I mean, yeah, of course it's not real. But the emotions, the relationships, the laughs... those are all real. It's always been optimistic and honest and relatable and wonderful. No matter how much things change, the way we experience emotion doesn't. Ever. That will always be the same. I'm glad I've had The Office in my life for nine years, and I'm glad that we'll still have it for many years to come.

A Farewell To The Office

My favorite (and least favorite) episodes, a few predictions, and a thank you.

It's no secret that I'm a huge Office fan. If this is news to you, then this must be the first time you're reading my blog. Hi! I'm glad you're here! I promise I'm not as crazy as this post makes me sound. That's a lie. Sorry, that was our first lie. I promise that even though I'm crazy, I'm super fun and I'll try to always make you laugh.

I want to take some time to talk about a few of my favorite episodes, my favorite cold opens, my least favorites (ugh), and a few other things. Let's get started, shall we?

I don't have one favorite episode, but I do have several that I love. Spoiler alert: most of them involve Jim and/or Pam and/or Dwight. #sorrynotsorry

Niagara, parts 1 & 2 (season 6): Jim and Pam's romance was one of the first TV romances that I really felt invested in. I'm not one of those people that sits around and wishes for their own Jim, because helloooo, he's a fictional character. But I would be lying if I said I didn't cry at the end of the episode when he said "plan A was marrying her a long time ago." And I'd be SUPER lying if I said I didn't still cry every time I watched it. Definitely one of the best TV weddings I've ever seen. 

Conflict Resolution (season 2): This episodes starts with Oscar and Angela fighting over one of those creepy baby posters. Michael (in true Michael style) goes to his handy Office Conflict binder and smartly decides that they should shoot for a win-win-win outcome, instead of a lose-lose or win-lose scenario. I love this one because eventually Michael reads through all of Dwight's complaints against Jim, and since Jim/Dwight pranks are one of the main reasons I love this show, seeing a bunch in one episode was kiiiiiiind of amazing.

Fun Run (Season 4): I love this episode because we get to really see how clueless, narcissistic and endearing Michael Scott really is. He runs Meredith over with his car in the beginning, and while she's in the hospital, they discover that she has rabies. This inspires Michael to put together the Michael Scott Dunder Mifflin Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run Race for the Cure. Because of course it did. At the end of the episode, Michael says into the camera, "Guess what, I have flaws. What are they? Oh, I don't know. I sing in the shower. Sometimes I spend too much time volunteering. Occasionally I'll hit somebody with my car. So sue me... No, don't sue me. That is the opposite of the point that I'm trying to make." which I've always loved and thought was one of my favorite Office quotes. This is also one of the first times we see Jim and Pam hold hands!!!

A.A.R.M (Season 9): Okay, this was only from last week. But I thought it was SO GOOD. It had a lot going on: Jim and Dwight's relationship has evolved into a pretty adorable one, first of all. Watching Oscar and Angela try to co-parent was hilarious. "Saddle shoes with jeans? I will call CPS myself." Darryl's final dance with everyone was adorable. Being able to see the DVD that Jim had the crew put together for Pam was great, and I was THRILLED to see Jim finally give the letter to Pam he's had since season TWO. (I cried.) But as much as I love Jim and Pam, my favorite part of the episode was at the very end when Dwight pulls Angela over and tells (yells at) her that he really does love her. I'm so excited for the wedding tonight, and that Dwight and Angela get their happy ending. In some ways, it feels like more of a payoff than Jim and Pam's did. I mean, there was so much suspense before they got together, but we all knew they'd get together eventually. With Dwight and Angela, it's been nine seasons of will they? won't they? we love them! we hate them! we love them again! I'm so excited they're going to end up together.

I only have three least favorite episodes, but I really, really hate those episodes. Ugh. What were they thinking? I have no idea. I don't even know how I made it through Scott's Tots. So awkward. I was physically uncomfortable the whole time. Same with The Dinner Party at Jan and Michael's. I still cringe when I think about Hunter's awful, awful song. And Business School... I can't pinpoint exactly why I hate that episode, but I find myself quickly changing the channel every time I see it on TV. Ugh.

A few predictions, or what I would like to see tonight on the Finale:
I hope we get to see Michael Scott. I'm not sure if he'll be an attendant at the wedding, because I'm not sure Steve Carell wants that for Michael's story. He said upon his departure that he was incredibly pleased with how they wrapped up his story, so I'm not sure if a return to Scranton is in the cards. However, I would like to see at least a quick shot of his life with Holly. I'm hoping they have a kid or two (maybe adoption?) because ultimately, that's what Michael always wanted. And I hope they show him viewing the documentary, because his last words to the camera when he left were "call me if this ever airs." I hope they do a little something with that.
I hope they wrap up Jim and Pam with the Athlead situation fully resolved. I kiiiinda wish they would go for it, and move to Philadelphia. I could see them living there, and I think Pam ultimately would like it.
Since the episode is set a few months into the future, I hope that Dwight and Angela have another baby (or that she's pregnant with a second). I want them to be able to experience the baby process together.
I kinda hope Andy gets some kind of theater break, but then again I kinda hope he doesn't. I love Ed Helms, but I kinda have a hate-boner for Andy Bernard. I'm just sick of him a little. But seeing him achieve some fame would be nice. I guess.

Dear The Office:
Thank you. Thank you for nine years of hilarious Thursday nights. Thank you for providing the world with That's What She Said jokes. Thank you for introducing us to some of the best characters television has see in my lifetime. Thanks for giving us all the jokes and laughs and quotable quotes. (PSA: I'll be quoting The Office for a long, long time.) Thanks for being that show that I have to explain to people because they just didn't "get it." Thanks for being consistent in my life for nine years. Nine years. What else has been this consistent? Not that many things. But The Office has always been there. I'm really going to miss you, you ridiculous TV show. Thanks for everything. We'll miss you.
much love, alyssa


I know I usually try to keep language off my blog, but this is the only gif I can find that appropriately demonstrates how I feel: