Money Maker

You have a few hours left to go buy yourself what may be the winning ticket for $540 Million in the Mega Millions Lottery drawing tonight at 11p. The cash option, which I plan on taking should I win, is a whopping $389 Million.

This got me thinking, as it would anyone – what would I do with my money? I live such a simple life now, that honestly I cannot even fathom the amount of the money that is. I would end up giving a lot of it away – a million here, a million there, to friends that have been wonderful to me and I know it would be helpful to (who couldn’t use the $, I know), and a few larger chunks to my family.

I know I would instantly go out and buy a new car, probably a house, property on the beach in the Outer Banks of NC – maybe a few – and I would put in my two weeks to be courteous then start planning trips to visit friends all over the world…and ball out. Big time. Would you like to come with me? because you could.

Then after reality kicks in I’d call Lindsay, my sister who is amazing with money, and say do what you will with the rest and make us more. Plan for my lifetime and those when I’m gone.

I bought 10 tickets myself and through in $1 into a company pool resulting in me getting a percentage of the winnings in correlation to what I through in and the pot, should we win. Do I think I am going to win? Honestly, not a chance in hell. I heard today that you are 50 times for likely to get hit by lightning, twice, than you are to win the jackpot. But…you can’t win, if you don’t play. To be honest, I’d be happy with getting 1 or 2 numbers right and winning a grand or whatever it is. When buying my tickets this morning the man selling them to me asked if I wanted to purchase the multiplier. I thought that was an awfully greedy move, so I passed. I mean, I am excited about just the chance that I may win March Madness, with  payout of a few hundred dollars. I am the kid that smiles when she finds a quarter on the ground. Tales or Heads up, it does not matter to me. I pick it up fo’ sho’.

Crossing my fingers and toes for the BIG money!

DIY

DIY: Do It Yourself.

Thanks to Pinterest, numerous television shows, and blogs, doing projects yourself is the thing to do these days. I guess it really always has been, but with the craze of pinterest everyone is feeling quite crafty. Including myself. I've always painted canvas', coolers, and of course the occasional beer pong table featured on Hennessey In The Home, but I recently bit off way more than I chew. Re-doing furniture. Everything turned out great, but I don't think I had any idea what exactly I was getting myself into. What was supposed to be a Sunday afternoon turned into making best friends through out the week with an older gentlemen in the paint department at Home Depot, figuring out that the original hardware was so old that the holes drilled into the drawers are abnormally wide and rare, and that 2 quarts of red paint just isn't enough. My original plan for the back of the shelves was to get the copper looking back splash most commonly used in kitchens. Once I took measurements and went back to Home Depot I realized that dream was a little far off. At $20 a piece, when I needed 7, it just wasn't in the budget or plan of what I was willing to spend. Especially after the several trips to HD were not foreseen either. I looked into different back splash, I looked at fabric, I wandered Hobby Lobby for ideas and got nothing. Then after all was stripped, sanded, primed, and painted, and I found hardware, a more "creative" way to fill the back of the shelves came to me in the aisles of target. As I was buying the rug that will look amazing with my newly re-done furniture, I saw them. Bamboo/Straw/twig looking place mats..of all things. The perfect thickness, durability, and color I wanted. A nail here and there would do the trick and for $3 a piece I was sold. I had spoken with my sister about ideas and knew this one sounded ridiculous so I kept the idea to myself until I was finished. I was pleased with the turnout, especially once I put the picture frames, books and such that belong on the shelves back in their place. As you can see from the pictures, a few more touch ups are needed but I don't plan to do that until my move. I am sure that going out of my house and up a flight of stairs at the new place is sure to bring a ding or two. Fingers crossed. Take a look at the process...

Before and After's 

and the shelves

 final product....almost

Still needs some touches, but overall I'm happy with it :)

13.1

Scary to think that just 6 months ago I was worried to run a 5k and now I have my sights set on something much, much bigger than that - a half marathon. Catch up quickly by reading "We'll See How This Goes". To follow up from that - -I actually got deathly sick that day and wasn't even able to run so it's been even longer since I took to the competitive streets.

I set out to do my 3rd 5K with little to no prepartion. My first, however was what I thought at the time was the greatest accomplishment I had ever acheieved haha. Here are the cliff notes from my previous posting.

"A little background: a couple months before a friend of mine and I were discussing how in shape I used to be in high school vs. how out of shape I was at the time of this discussion. I told him I used to be able to just get up and run, and for long distances, and that even now I bet I could do 3 miles. Ye having little faith and hearing the humor/sarcasm in my voice, he took that bet and challenged me for dinner somewhere in Greenville. Man was I wrong. I think that may have been my wake up call. A couple laps around the track later, failure set in. My fat ass walked straight to the car with a shit eating grin on my face the whole way- - so yea, I was proud of myself for running 3 miles and in good time."

I'm telling myself I have come along way since those first couple 5k's. I have to. This time, much like the others, I have someone signing up with me, my sister Lindsay. We are the guarunteed underdogs of the 2012 Rock N' Roll race in Virginia Beach, VA. But hey, who doesn't like an underdog? Lindsay has had surgeries on both of her knees (don't worry she's been officially cleared as 'a go'), nor has she ever run any race. She did however prepare for one with our other sister but due to unforseen circumstances they never ran. Lindsay got up to 10 miles which leads to me. I can't fathom running 10 miles at this point just yet, nor can I imagine doing it for FUN! Crazy. But, do-able (I hope).

Lindsay and I decided that if we went pulic with our decision, there is no backing out. So here it is, my announcement that on labor day Sunday, 2012, we will be running as Team Hennessey Hits (for obvious reasons and becasue its a musically themed race)! VA Beach is super close to my Mom's house so we will have some moral support from her and my brother, as well as maybe some cousins, aunts, and uncles. Hell, maybe Marlene, the family manican, will even be there. Who knows, I just hope I can finish! I've got 6 months, plenty of time right?! Like I said, we are keeping this public - airing the good, the bad, and the ugly in hopes to keep us on track with 'training'. More to come.

Oh Baby!

I get it from my Mama......my poem writing skills that is. I guess my work email really got me going, or maybe I did this before and it resulted in the email? Either way, I have a great idea for you! So this weekend I went to a baby shower. 2 of my friends could not be in attendance so the 3 of us went in on gifts together and then I wrote a poem to go along with the delivery of each gift.

Here was the poem (the gifts that correspond with the number are at the bottom of the email):

Sweet baby Emerson is on her way,

June 2^nd will be here without delay.

So Lizzie sit back and enjoy your shower,

While you get gifts galore to provide Mommy Power.

We couldn't decide on just one thing to buy,

So we decided to give you quite a supply,

A supply of gifts, all things that you’ll need,

We’ll start with #1, the one to help you feed.

The pads are for her time, before drinking from a cup,

But open #2, for anytime she throws up!

She’s gonna be adorable, just listen to her name,

Just like her mother, she won’t be very lame.

So when she gets into trouble, or scuffs up her knee,

Use this to clean her up, go on and open 3.

Your first couple weeks, you’ll probably stay at home,

But soon thereafter, you’ll want go out and roam.

You’ll have normal errands, like heading to the store,

Baby Emerson will look so darn cute, cruising in #4.

We’re glad to have you in Greenville Lizzie, now open #5

This is for all your long car rides, and hopefully easy drives

If getting groceries doesn’t make her feel like the queen,

Then blocking the sun will do the trick, cuz man those shades are mean!

After a while and with how quickly the time will go,

Soon she’ll be eating mush that’s one thing I do know.

Flavors of carrots, bananas, and or peas,

#6 is for the above or even Mac n’ cheese.

Open up 7, you’ll use it every day,

Keep it in the kitchen, or wherever it may stay.

As she gets older you’ll start to use #8,

It’s never too late to start planning, for that later date.

That’s why we got her, gift #9

With this fashion statement, girl be lookin’ fine!

There’s one last thing I know you’ll want, besides some extra cash,

And that this tube of buttpaste, for some nasty rash J

Lizzie we’re ecstatic for you, you’ll make an amazing mom,

Just don’t start using old mom lingo, like I’m the bomb.com

You’re beautiful, you’re glowing, you’re all that we’d expect,

You’re everything Emerson will be, and that my friend is per-fect.

Gifts we gave to go with it:
#1 - Breast pads
#2 - Burp Pads
#3 - Bath wash and shampoo
#4 - Shopping cart seat cover
#5 - Car Window Shades
#6 - Soft Spoons
#7 - Drying Mat
#8 - Bowls with lids
#9 - Soft Hat
then I gave her a tube of Buttpaste (yes, its actually called Buttpaste) because my sister and brother-in-law swear by this stuff with my niece, Sawyer.

Feel free to use my poem, or create your own. It went over well and I think its fun to get presents from all areas of a registry for someone! Enjoy!

A Tale of Two....

We all know I think I am can be quite witty and this morning at work was no different. Thus, why I find myself using the beginning of my lunch break to share with you my message. To preface, I cleared this with HR and still have a job.


A co-worker came into my office this morning upset about something she saw in the ladies room. To her dispare she saw not 1, but 2 different applicators for someones womanly time floating in the bowl in the handicap stall. Gentlemen reading, I apologize for discussing this topic. It's nature and your girlfriend may be the culprit. Anyway, my co-worker wanted to send out an email to the women of our workplace but I guess found that I may be better at sharing this news? I, of course, welcomed the opportunity to send a company wide (this time just to the ladies) again. Read Office Theft, and Lean Cuisines for another company send out.


Here was today's....

The Hungover Games

The Hungover Games from Ashley Hinshaw

see you downtown.....

I smell a comeback!

A few days ago I wrote about our bowling team - I Can't Believe It's Not Gutter. If you missed it, click here to read the posting. I made the comment that my teammate Hannah, well that Hannah was having fun. Which to some may insinuate that Hannah isn't the most talented member on our team. I'd like to stem from that and mention that every week for our team is a roller coaster of emotions. I think if we got points for going from a strike one frame to a 2 pin frame the next, we would be in first place....but we aren't, we are in last place. There is a "rule" in our league that if you throw a gutter ball before your ball gets to the big tan thing towards the end of the lane (you know that thing in between the lanes a few feet before the pins? No? Well, look the next time you're at a bowling alley and remember this rule) that you  have to chug a beer. Lets just say that our team rarely buys beer because if we did we may or may not be able to drive home upon finishing. Anyway, our team wants to go drink that beer elsewhere this week..... (we plan on heading to Downtown Alive - - a happy hour/festival event that happens in downtown Greenville every Thursday night from March - August).... thus, resulting in our team needing to pre-bowl.

Hannah and I went last night. I think we found Hannah's weakness. Distraction. I give Hannah credit on a normal week for always being the most consistent in her scores. They are always within 10-15 pins from game to game. Last night, the credit was directed towards her score, she killed it. Having 2 career high games.

There was barely anyone around us and with that, the magic happened. I told Hannah before we started that if she dominated the lanes I would dedicate a posting to her. Who knew Hennessey Hits could provide that much motivation! And here I thought only 5-10 people actually read this thing (thanks Mom, Dad, Linz, Pam, Dez, Mer?, Erin? - - - man, maybe it is only 5 haha). So cheers to you Hannah! Congrats on maybe, just maybe, moving us to second to last place where we still get no prize, no recognition, but hold on to a tad bit of dignity.

Side note, only because I have to.....I bombed my first 2 games, just barely breaking 100, then shined on the third. My first (and probably last) Turkey of the season. Resulting in a score of 167. Boom.

Also, check out Hannah's blog, "Musings of a Newly Employed Twenty Something"



Holy Hunger Games

So a while back I posted about the Hunger Games - - click here.


If you haven't heard about them or been entered into a conversation about the books and/or movie coming out this week, you have been living under a rock. What everyone told me back before I started reading the series was absolutely correct. These books are addicting. Unlike the Twilight series, these books are for everyone, and by everyone I mean my "macho" guy friends who wouldn't watch or read Twilight even if I paid them big dollars have read them......and wait for it.....LOVED them. My brother in law, Dan, and I made a pact that my sister Lindsay was not allowed to see the film without reading the first book. I am not an avid reader and was shocked when I was entranced into the vampire series, so when THG's became a hit, I thought what the hell - I'll give it a try. Saying that I love the Hunger Games and that they are worth the read, if nothing else, should make you curious. It takes a lot for me to put aside hours for a book. I'm on the third/last of the series and this one has taken me longer than the others to finish. Mostly because every time I pick up the books it consumes so much of my time. They are amazing! and like I said, addicting.

(Semi) Spoiler alert: If there were teams, I would be on Team Peeta!


If you haven't read the first book I highly recommend it. It really is for all ages and without a doubt you are punishing yourself by seeing the movie first without having it read. On that note, here is a trailer to get you as pumped as I am... "May the Odds be ever in your favor"

I'm lovin' it

I love this McDonald's commercial. I find these older men so funny. Especially the comment about the beard. I feel like its a conversation I can hear some of my friends having.

I Can't Believe It's Not Gutter

"Sorry, I can't, I have bowling league"
"No, I'm serious"


Not an irregular conversation for Thursday nights this year. A great friend and old roommate of mine, David, has put together a bowling league among friends for the past 3 years in Greenville. This is my second year partaking. My first year in Greenville I moved to town a few weeks too late and missed out, making last year a real treat! Meredith, Kaci, Pam, and I were team - I Can't Believe It's Not Gutter - and with a name like that we had to get matching t-shirts.....and if you get matching t-shirts, you might as well get air brushed ones, right? Right.

Last year there were 12 teams to the league and we played Tuesday nights, starting at 9pm. That would make for a pretty late night, so this year we fought for an earlier league time. Thus, playing now with only 6 teams, on Thursdays, at 7.....the bowling alley is packed with leagues on Thursdays. Lets just say that we are the minority when it comes to age, skill, and well, everything. Last year we could only play 3 at a time each week, where as this year its a full 4 player commitment, no alternates.


Even though I lack what some may call 'talent', I was pretty hardcore about being there each week and wanting to bowl, so Kaci and Meredith were gracious enough to take turns playing. We had what we thought was a pretty decent set-up. We had Pam "the black widow" bowling with what appeared to be a 12 pounder and a throw like a fast pitch softball pitcher. Watching our competitors faces (which were mostly always male and mesmerized by the speed) was priceless. Not to mention the scores she'd throw up. Pam, I hope you are getting in some bowls over is Australia, don't get rusty on me.....you too, Merrick. Us other 3 were always hit or miss when it came to "being on". When you (meaning me) rarely get over 130 (minus the handicap....thank god for handicaps) you want to take a picture of the screen. Yes, we were those people. I didn't realize how 'bad' we were about it until this years league, when someone started making fun of me for it.

I guess we did it just a little too much? Anyway, our scores always seemed to me a massive roller coaster and this year, doesn't appear to be much different. With Pam in Australia, Kaci in Columbia, and Mer working on a great new house, this year has become what some teams call "a rebuilding year". With friends Hannah, Lauren, and Mills we have tightly secured last place going into the 6th week of the 12 week season....and when I say tightly secured I mean we are dominating last place. Killing it. We quite frankly are the most inconsistent group of bowlers I have ever seen. I, for some odd reason, bowled the game of my life the first week.....which happens to be the week you determine your handicap. What...an idiot.

Unfortunately for team "I Can't Believe It's Not Gutter" I haven't bowled anything close since. Mills and Lauren have had their share of 'great games' and Hannah, well Hannah is having a great time :) haha. Hannah is definitely consistent and is slowly improving so we hope for big things to come. If nothing else her fashion statement in shoes have been a real hit. I don't think we have played one team yet that hasn't commented on these gems.

Wish us luck.

Just a taste of our sweet action



7 Moves, 3 years

I'm moving.


"Again?" you may say. The answer is "yes, again" but possibly the last time until I decide to up and move cities or (don't hold your breathe) move in with the man of my dreams. Like I said, lets not hold our breathe :) . Anyway, I got to thinking about it after numerous people commented on the fact that I am always moving, and I realized yes, it's a bit excessive and a tad ridiculous. I'm moving. Again. This will be my 7th move in 3 years! 6 of which have been in Greenville alone, but with good reason. I'm settling down....is that my reason? Maybe. You can decide.


When I first made Greenville my home it was a trial period, an internship while still in college. I split that semester between 2 homes. Being 'saved' by 2 sets of friends letting me live in vacant space in their apartment/homes for an extremely low price. The internship was unpaid and a hostessing job at Liberty Tap Room was keeping me afloat to still hold down a decent social life (big thanks to Randy, Doug, Becca, and Kate). Then still not knowing what I wanted to do quite yet, I headed back to my summer love, the Outer Banks of North Carolina. One more summer at the beach living with 10 other friends in a house too small for all of us, but the perfect fit none the less, and waiting tables at a tourist trap called Mako Mikes (fake sharks EVERYWHERE). It was just what I needed. Once I thought I grew up a little and was ready for a "real job" I decided to head back to Greenville. But where to live? Another set of friends opened their home to me. This time a group of 'gentlemen'. I knew I had to be in Greenville to get a job in Greenville, so I made the plunge. Matt, Ryan, and Alan - - living with you was quite....an experience?  Fun, but an experience :) Soon there after I moved to a 'calmer' sense of living with David. Alan must have missed me, because he moved in with us, too. Until he moved out and Brad moved in. What was supposed to be a few months for me on Swanson Court turned in to over a year, and then I down sized roommates again and moved in with Meredith. Meredith bought a house and Lisa moved in. Lisa had to leave town, and then there was 1.....but a 2 bedroom house. So I'm making the move, maybe for 1 last time (for a while at least).


I'm not going far, just a few miles away and I am extremely excited about it! Over the years and throughout my moves I have managed to pick up a lot of furniture. Some bought, some donated, some I can't even remember where it came from....but basically have managed to collect the necessities to furnish an entire house - and then some! I am so excited to have a place to call my own. I move in the first of May and started thinking/planning on how to get it all over there the other day. Let me just say that if you can't tell already by the amount of people who have taken me under their wing, that I have THE BEST friends you could ask for. In this case, I randomly sent out an email to see if any guys would be willing to help. Within a few hours I not only had a few friends offer to help, but they were offering trailers and equipment to help me do it. Big ups to Bubba, RJ, Alan, Kip, and Gunn.


Living alone will be a first. I have had a taste of it since Lisa left and it's not as lonely or quiet as I imagined. I'm always coming and going, and in my opinion have always lived pretty independently anyway. I think living with boys for 2 years trained me to be that way. It got me thinking though - - with all the moves, and all the places I've lived, I have had a crap ton of roommates (30+). I've lived with quite the plethora of personalities and living habits. See for yourself.... 

I can't help but look at this group of people and laugh at it all. There are some crazy ass memories that go along with them. I can't also look at it without being extremely thankful either. Thankful that I have such great friends who were willing to live with me. Thanks for putting up with me. I hope I can do it alone.