Dear Winter…

Oh Winter, you and I used to have so much fun together.

Dear Winter,

We need to talk.

We’ve been together for a few months now, and at first it was great! You were so cool and, it was really, really refreshing. Those quiet cold nights where we would watch the snow fall and blanket the entire world were so nice. You made me feel so warm and cozy, letting me curl up with a blanket and some hot cocoa for hours, all snuggly and content. I got to wear my favorite boots and all my cutest scarves. It was the best, and I really started to think that I never wanted you to leave.

But lately, Winter, something has changed about you. You’ve become frigidly cold and unforgiving. You are constantly in this stormy mood! Honestly, some days, I’m scared to leave my apartment, because I never know what sort of crazy gusts of rage you’re going to throw my way! You’re so unpredictable now. I wake up each morning, and I have no idea what stormy mood you’re going to be in. You’re just, you’re not letting me go anywhere, and I’m feeling very claustrophobic. Frankly, Winter, it’s scaring me.

If you don’t warm up soon and stop these stormy fits, well, I may just have to call it quits. It’s not me, Winter, it’s definitely, definitely you.

Why family game nights are highly under-rated

This blog post is inspired by the very rare and very raucous Benson family game night that occurred tonight. We played “Masterpiece,” this art auction game from the 1970s, where you bid on art throughout the game, and who ever ends up with the most money and artwork value, wins! My mom used to play the game when she was a kid, and was really excited to show it to us. Now, I know that “family game nights” don’t always sound like the best way to spend a free Saturday night, but, just for kicks, I’ll give you five reasons why they are so highly underrated—

1. Think back on it, when is the last time that you and your family (parents, siblings, etc) all got together under one roof? I bet it’s been a really long time since you’ve all been together just for the sake of being together. And isn’t it great? Spending time with people who are just as weird and odd and fun as you are is really, truly refreshing.

2. It’s an excuse to drink wine and eat pizza. Lots and lots of pizza. We got Hungry Howie’s. I may have ate 8 breadsticks throughout the course of the evening. It may have happened.

3. You often laugh so hard that you start to cry. Whether it’s laughing over bad game choices, horribly executed poker faces, or just the ridiculousness of family rivalries, it’s certain that a family game night will always make you laugh so hard your belly aches and tears flow down your cheeks. I mean, unless you’re playing Monopoly. In that case, nobody’s happy, and someone is probably going to die.

4. For my family at least, it’s an opportunity to bring out old toys and photos between rounds in the game. Playing “Masterpiece” was a huge flashback for my mom, so, of course, she ran up to her closet and showed us some of the other toys she played with during her childhood. Meet “Little Miss No Name.” (See right.) Let’s just say…I may not be sleeping tonight.

5. In mere seconds, your family members become your worst enemies, and also, your best friends. In the end, spending time with family is what it’s all about. You get competitive. You laugh, you cry, you drink wine and you eat pizza. There is nothing more heartwarmingly weird than spending a night playing games with your family.

So you should do it more often.

Looking Local: Ray’s Ice Cream

If you’ve never heard of Ray’s Ice Cream, and you’re from the Metro-Detroit area, then you’ve probably been living under a rock your entire life. Ray’s has been around FOREVER, and I thought that it was about dang time I shared it’s awesomeness with all of you.

Rating: A solid 5 out of 5 stars.

Ray’s is just…classic. Awesome ice cream, great flavors, and great prices. Whether you’re going to get some of that classic soda-fountain vibe, or if you just want to eat some damn good ice cream, go to Ray’s.

To spice it up a bit in this edition of Looking Local, Curtis and I decided to tie it into the Winter Olympics, and test our endurance in a rare “See how long you can last eating your ice cream outside in frigid temperatures” challenge.

I’m not going to give anything away but… I think I won.

My advice: Whether it’s 10 degrees outside or 100 degrees–Ray’s Ice Cream is always a good choice.

I’ve moved to a new place, and I’m looking local. If you have any suggestions for places I should try in the Detroit area, leave a comment, or give me a shout! You stay classy. For more, go to http://everydaybytay.com.

Why Valentines Day just…isn’t that bad.

Hi! My name is Taylor, I’m single, and I don’t hate Valentines day. I know I know I know, you can go ahead and take a minute to let this sink in. Calm down. Get your heart rate down to normal. I’ll wait.

Are you good? Good. I’ll move on.

I bet you wish you were this coordinated on Valentines Day.

I have always loved Valentines Day–whether or not I’ve had a date. Now, don’t get me wrong, of course having someone special and romantic to share V-day with is really awesome. It’s a great feeling! There’s candy and roses and cards with little glitter hearts on them. I mean, when you have someone special to share it with, what’s not to love?!

And I can totally understand the other side of it too. Valentines Day can seem really sucky when you feel alone and like you have no one to spend it with. I have definitely been there. It’s a day where everyone seems to be coupling up, and it can be a total bummer if you’re not one of them. But in life, attitude is important. So just, ya know, hear me out.

In my own personal experience, I know of roughly three different types of opinions towards Valentines Day. There is the “I have a date to share this day with, and isn’t Valentines just grand?” view, there is the “Oh gosh, everybody’s got somebody but me (cue the Hunter Hayes/Jason Mraz duet) and I’m sadly single and I’m just going to mope all day,” view, and then (bum ba da dahhh) there is the view that I have:

Seriously, what’s NOT to love about these guys?

In my opinion, Valentines Day is just about love. It doesn’t matter if it’s romantic love, parent love, friend love, cat love, roommate love, or love for the bag of Dove chocolates sitting on your kitchen counter (and trust me, I have A LOT of love for the bag of Dove chocolates sitting on my counter right now.) When I was a kid, every year I woke up to a Valentines Day card and a giant Reese’s heart from my mom sitting on the staircase ledge outside my bedroom (and one year, she was even my secret admirer…er.) Mailed cards from my Nana and handwritten notes from my friends are some of my most cherished Valentines. In elementary school, I spent hours picking out the perfect perforated V-day cards to give out in class (Spongebob, FTW, duh!)  And I have about 4 pairs of Valentines-themed socks that I unashamedly wear all year round. That last one is not really relevant, but oh well! I just wanted to share.

Valentines Day is just a day to remind everyone who you love in your life, that you love them. That’s all. This year, I gave Valentines to my parents, my roommate, best friends, and yes, even my cat, Oz, got a Valentine. So spread the love! And Happy Valentines Day!

Also, if you’d like a laugh, check out Josh Groban’s take on Valentine’s Day here!

5 Reasons why winter makes you age

Is it bad I’m legitimately excited for Thursday?

1. Staying in is suddenly so much more appealing than going out to the bar. I feel like a bit of a curmudgeon about it, but then again, I don’t really care. Guys, I think the last time I went out to the bar it was 50 degrees out. And even then, I’m pretty sure I was complaining about how chilly I was. But I mean, seriously. LOOK AT THIS FORECAST.

2. Napping. I just had one of those, “Oops I just fell asleep for two hours!” moments. Because, oops! I just fell asleep for two hours.

I bet you want a roommate that matches your decor now, huh?

3. Soup consumption. Eating nothing but soup for three months straight doesn’t sound gross or disgusting at all. It sounds good, appealing, fantastic even. Bring on the veggies! The potatoes! The cheese!

4. You’ll spend so much time inside your house or apartment, you will begin to get excited about the most menial things. Like vacuuming your rug, finishing a new crossword puzzle, mopping the salt out of your entryway, getting a letter in the mail, finding out your roommate matches your apartment decor, discovering that your streets have been plowed, and realizing your love for NPR. Wow. I just, I need to get out more.

5. Knitting. Today I knit two hats. Sorry, I am not sorry.

5 ways I know that I am definitely NOT turning into my mother.

As we age, I’m sure we all start to see similarities between our parents and ourselves. But me? Pshhh. No! Never! I am nothing like my mother. And here’s why:

1. We definitely do not have the same fashion sense, let alone the same wardrobe. I mean, just look at the picture here to the left. Clearly my hair is parted on the opposite side, we are wearing shirts that are two totally different shades of gray, and my scarf is a COMPLETELY different pattern than her scarf. I mean, there is also no way that we are both wearing the exact same white denim vest underneath the scarf. That would and has never ever happened….

2. We do not like the same type of food. My mom and I go to Leo’s Coney Island for lunch about once a week or so. And every time she orders the same thing, and it’s just so gross– a Greek salad, with no chicken, and EXTRA beets. EXTRA beets? I mean, eew! Beets are gross. The Greek salad that I order every time has NO beets on it, and extra chicken. We are SO totally different. 

3. I do not like to dance like she likes to dance. When I was a kid, my mom used to sit me down in the living room, put on our Michael Jackson’s Number 1’s DVD, and make me watch her dance for hours on end. Now don’t get me wrong, it was totally entertaining, but in no way did it ever spur a love for ridiculous dancing in me. I mean, me, dance? Never! I have never ever danced around to Bruno Mars’ “Treasure” in the kitchen with my mom, laughing so hard our sides hurt and we forget why we were in the kitchen in the first place… I mean, no, that’s ridiculous! 

4. We do not have the same sense of humor. I did a “Looking Local” with my mom a few months back, and it was a total bomb. We just didn’t click, because she and I do not find the same things funny. I mean, the proof is HERE. Neither of us laugh at all during the whole video. 

5. COMPARE THESE TWO PICTURES. I mean, I just don’t see the similarities. We don’t even look related!

Well, I mean, in all serious, I guess being like my mom isn’t such a bad thing.

Happy Birthday, Mom! You’re like a great bottle of wine–you’re only getting better as you age. Love you! Also,go ahead, comment on this and wish my mom a Happy Birthday! I know she’d absolutely LOVE it. 

 

For more, go to http://everydaybytay.com

Two girls and a Jet’s Pizza delivery man

‘Twas a night in December, and all through Royal Oak,

not a single street was plowed, the residents’ thought, “this must be a joke!”

Annie was reading in the apartment without a care

hoping that Taylor would soon, too be there.

 

The little cat Oz was snuggled in his bed

while visions of catnip danced round in his head.

And Taylor in her Chevy, was on her way back

from a long day of work, and needed a snack. 

 

When in the middle of the road lay a large pile of snow

Taylor tried to avoid it, but had nowhere else to go.

The wheels spun and they turned, but with no avail. 

She was stuck! She knew it! She let out a wail. 

 

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow. 

And her tiny white Sonic that needed a tow. 

Was all you could see in the middle of the street. 

Wheels turning and sputtering, admitting defeat. 

 

With a quick little movement,  so desperate and scared.

Tay whipped out her phone, she needed someone there. 

More rapid than eagles, her fingers, they dialed.

And she whistled, and shouted, acting anything but mild.

 

“Now Justin! Now Sarah! Now Curtis! Now Annie!

Someone please help me and my poor freezing fanny!”

To the end of the street! To my poor little car!

Now dash away! Dash away! Please don’t be far! 

 

Annie threw on her boots, her mittens, her hat. 

zipped up her coat, said goodbye to the cat. 

So down the stairs and out the door she flew

she was the only one reached, she hoped she’d know what to do. 

 

And then, in a twinkling, Taylor saw from afar

the illuminated topper of a delivery car

As the car approached, the window rolled down

In the drivers seat sat a man with a sad concerned frown.

 

He was dressed in his uniform, the logo said Jet’s

He asked if they needed help, and Taylor cried, “Yes!”

The girls had been pushing, with no such luck

Could this mysterious man get Tay’s Sonic unstuck?

 

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work. 

And pushed Tay’s Chevy from the snow with a jerk. 

And lifting his hand he gave them a wave

And walked away from the girls he did save.

 

He sprang to his car, with more pizzas on call

and away then he flew… well not flew, more like crawled

But they heard him exclaim, “Here have a free slice!”

Well, he didn’t say that, but it would have been nice….

 

Tay Sings Dead Sea by The Lumineers

Every once in awhile you just come across a song that simply makes you happy to play. There’s also a line about cats in this awesome song by the Lumineers, so of course, I just had to share it with you all.

I hope you enjoy! And if there is another song that you’d like me to learn, please leave me a comment or shoot me a tweet!
To see all of my ukulele covers, go here!

A note to all 20-somethings: Whatever you’re doing, it’s okay.

Every time I get on Facebook, it seems that another one of my Facebook friends is getting engaged, posting wedding photos, or announcing that they’re pregnant. I see friends writing statuses about their new lives in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. I see friends making huge strides in their life. And that’s great! I mean, really. 

However, I see all of this stuff, and I automatically begin to size myself up against everything else that I see. Why am I not anywhere close to getting engaged? To moving away to New York or LA? Where’s my happily ever after? Is there something wrong with me? Why am I sitting here on a Saturday night re-watching the Miley Cyrus episode of Saturday Night Live with my cat? And, more importantly, why am I enjoying it?

I graduated from MSU, I landed an awesome job in my field of study, and I moved into an apartment in a cute town in the metro-Detroit area. On paper, everything looks great. On paper, you’d probably want to slap me in the face for being anything short of content with my current life situation. Trust me, I even want to slap me for how whiny I seem. 

I’m smart enough to know that you can’t get anywhere by comparing yourself to others. My dad tells me it’s because you haven’t read every page in their book–how can you even know? And I definitely agree. But it’s so much easier said than done. You take a look at what seems like everyone in the world around you getting on the right track, and you feel forced to look inward and question your own decisions, your current standing in life, and how you stack up. 

But you know, you just can’t do that. You just can’t, because you’re going to drag yourself down, and you’ll take everyone around you with you. 

I just want to send a message out there to everyone who is currently wading through this bog called “post-graduate life.”

I just want to say that it’s okay to be unsure of what you’re doing, to not know what you want. It’s okay to have a less-than-desirable job. It’s okay to still be living at home with your parents, or even mere miles away from where you grew up. It’s okay to be single, or to be in a relationship, to be engaged, or to be married. It’s okay to be pregnant, or celibate, or anything in between. It’s okay to think that you know what you want, or to completely change your mind. It’s okay to get unnaturally excited about buying a new bed for your cat, getting home and cracking open a new bottle of wine, and watching old episodes of Sabrina the Teenage Witch with your roommate. 

All of that stuff is okay, as long as you are okay with it. Guys, there is no pre-determined mold that we have to fit into. There is no pre-determined time table for significant events to occur in our lifetimes. We’re post-graduate 20-somethings, and most of us have no idea what we’re doing. And you know what? That’s fricken okay! 

Last week, I don’t think I could have written this blog. I don’t think I could have told you that I’m scared. And worried. And that I’ve been stress-baking to distract myself from the monotony of not knowing what my endgame is. 

But this week I decided that all of that, is okay. 

 

Looking Local: Lily’s Seafood

This week, Curtis and I stopped by Lily’s Seafood in Royal Oak, Mi–right downtown, on Washington. I had never heard of it before, but it was so good, I want EVERYONE to hear about it now.

Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Seriously, if you want to spent the rest of your life in a glorious seafood-induced coma, go to Lily’s Seafood and never leave. It has a fun, great, upbeat atmosphere, amazing rolls, and they brew their own tasty, smooth, delicious beer. They have specials every day (we landed there on Tuesday’s double entree for 13.99 special! Que delicioso!)

The only problem? The food was so good that I ate too much. I ate so much I think my stomach exploded. I both thought I could live forever and die any moment in the span of 20 minutes.

My advice? Go. Go there. GO THERE RIGHT NOW.

I’ve moved to a new place, and I’m looking local. If you have any suggestions for places I should try in the Detroit area, leave a comment, or give me a shout! You stay classy.