Neon white underneath

Okay, I know this is totally vain and frivolous, but what's a girl to do with the blinding white ass and tits we have in the summertime after getting a bit of a tan?

Have you ever seen this vintage Coppertone ad? Single girls worry about these things because we have to think about making good first and second and third impressions. One guy already told me recently how fashionable I would be - in the 1970s. And he wasn't talking about clothes because I wasn't wearing any.

I don't want to mess with the all-over tanning bed thing, and it's more dangerous than sunscreen under natural sunlight. And those parts are super sensitive, so it wouldn't take much to burn to a crisp. Ouch! Those awkward white body parts are what we get.

For some reason I've never been very concerned about white body parts until this until this summer. Since I'm pretty fair, a tan hides the tiniest of flaws. I thought about the at-home spray- or wipe-on tan but it will require major coloring within the lines, a little tough on the back side. Plus it wears off.  Can the guys just wear shades to even out the color with the lack of color?

I know I'll have to solve this before my next trip later this month, but I'm not sure how to solve it. If this is my biggest problem, I guess I'm doing well.

Love to the single girls,
Addison

Feeling the love

How often do you hear "I love you"? These days I do almost daily. At first it made me uncomfortable, but now it means lots.

These aren't romantic I love yous but rather friend ones. And they mean more to me at this point in my life. They're words to never use unless you mean them.

My family doesn't say those three words often. In fact, I can't remember ever hearing I love you from them. So, I don't say it either. 

Nothing brought the importance of love closer to home than what happened to a good friend early this morning. She was sitting on my sofa a little after midnight upset over the argument she just had with her boyfriend. She didn't trust him to stay away from his ex and confronted him with a smack in the face the night before - according to him at least. She had had too much to drink and doesn't remember doing it. They left last night's discussion with him deciding if they could even be friends anymore. She was desperate.

Then her parents' number popped up on her phone. That can never be good in the middle of the night. Her dad was gone. She was distraught. I texted her boyfriend to come over quick and he did. While she cried on the phone with her sister, he whispered that he felt like a jerk. I told him it didn't matter. Together we got her a plane ticket halfway across the country and helped her pack a bag. He got her to the airport for her pre-dawn flight so she could be with the family she loves.

And we love her too.

Some day I may be brave enough to say I love you to a lover and maybe even my family. I'll never say those words unless I mean them. Until then, I feel more comfortable saying I love you to my dear friends. And I mean them.

Love to the single girls,
Addison  

Holiday families

Last time I was single, I remember how the little summer holidays like Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day were sometimes lonely. My friends would spend the day with their families or with their significant other on the lake or a weekend away. I remember spending a few of those holidays doing my own thing.

Being alone was okay, but lonely. This time around, I've learned a valuable lesson. I've realized how important it is to know yourself. If you thrive on being social, live in an area or get involved with groups with people like yourself where you can be with others. If the social thing isn't that important, then no worries.

This year, I had an entire neighborhood family to enjoy the holiday weekend with. And we did. My older sister's young adult-aged daughters spent Independence Day eve afternoon and evening with us too. It was a rare and rewarding day together. They said they had fun. And the older of the two, who's about to venture out on her own, said she wanted to live in an area that was so close knit and fun. We had lunch then hung out at the pool for the afternoon. By evening, we moved to a different pool to the BBQ my friends were hosting - the one some of the girls and me made more than 700 jello shots for. Wow. Is one ever too old for jello shots? Then we moved again to my parking garage roof to watch an amazing fireworks show. Then we capped off the evening at the pub. My nieces were knackered and called it a night before I did.

We did a partial repeat of the evening on the 4th at a different location on a rooftop where we could see about 30 fireworks shows going on in all directions. Explosions in 3D with my neighborhood family.

I've learned I thrive on social interaction. It energizes me. But sometimes I have to retreat into my little loft to recharge (and work too). That's what I did yesterday and much of today.

Now it's time to play again.

Love to the single girls,
Addison

A good near miss

Yesterday's Independence Day eve festivities were amazing. Back-to-back events with friends started with lunch then an afternoon by the pool and straight into a BBQ at a different pool then an incredible fireworks show from a rooftop. But after all of that, it was only about 10:30 so we moved to the pub where it was packed. Luckily the usual hot July night was mild so I spent most of the evening on the patio with a little distance from the drunk crowd.

But the evening ended on an odd note. The group walked toward our places and the last block I walked alone until I heard someone yell my name. I turned around and it was a guy I know running up the street toward me. We had talked a bit at the pub since his girlfriend was with her family last night. Since he's such a big guy, he also helped break up a fight between two guys who were throwing patio furniture at each other.

I don't know him well but he seems nice enough. He's decent looking, has a good job and doesn't cause trouble that I've seen. And he's always nice. But the longest conversation we've ever had was the evening he cried about his ex while we sat at the bar. He told me how much he gave and gave and she didn't appreciate it. That conversation was pretty revealing and made me pretty certain I'd never be interested in him as more than a friend.

We sat on the park's rock wall and talked last night and he told me we were almost together. Almost.

"Really?" I answered. "Did I have any say in it?" And how did he know I was interested?

His answer threw me off. "I didn't out of respect."

Oh. Interesting. "What do you mean?"

"You are so sexy and I wanted to," he said. "but I respect you."

"You have a girlfriend," I said. "So it doesn't really matter."

"I know, and I love her" he said. "I still want to be with you but I won't."

He said he knows about at least one guy I've been with. It was his friend, and it was a huge mistake. The entire conversation was a little offensive, but I'm pretty sure he didn't mean it that way. So I didn't say much more.

What was there to say? It might be a fun night. He's a big guy and would probably know just the right balance of rough and gentle since I'm so small next to him. But as I told him, it doesn't matter. I already know I'm not interested.

Love to the single girls, and happy Independence Day,
Addison

Jiggles

Last weekend I made jello shots with the girls for the Independence Day eve party tonight. We kept pouring them until we ran out of Jello so now there are more than 600 of them. And some of are really strong. I hope we didn't put so much alcohol in them that they don't get jiggly. That's the whole fun of Jello.

And one never really grows out of the yellow, orange, green, red and blue fruity jiggly stuff - especially for a summertime holiday party. People enjoyed them, but the people I knew best I told to avoid the green ones. They had Everclear. Yikes!

The warm summer nights bring up another jiggly topic. Girls enjoy dressing up in their pretty summer dresses - the sundress or strapless ones that show just enough of everything and are easy to put on - with or without underwear. Some are short, and others are long. And some girls wear underwear and some don't.

What made me think of this was the conversation a couple of guys had at the pub the other night. It was a weeknight and not too crowded. The guys had spotted a couple of girls we kinda know talking and dancing with their guys. They both had sexy summer dresses on with thong underwear. And both girls carry full behinds. They guys commented on them. They didn't say anything derogatory, but instead were neutral. They certainly noticed.

But what girls need to see is what they look like from the back. And I don't mean just standing still and sneaking a look through a mirror. They need to walk. What does that show-everything fabric share with everyone behind about you and your behind.

Face it. Some girls butts are jiggly. It's not a bad thing - in fact some guys like a little jiggle. It's just a fact. And girls need to know so they're comfortable with how they look.

Both the jello shots and the cute summer dresses were hits for my first real 4 July party.

Love to the single girls,
Addison