Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

Off the Beaten Vine: Part 1

I’ve now been at my new job for a little over 6 months and I can happily say I am still learning something new every day.  As I mentioned in my last column regarding wine, it can be quite an overwhelming subject to tackle. Luckily, it’s also a very fun one.   C’mon people, at the […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

Simple Pleasures

Simple Pleasures I read somewhere once that people are basically just plants with more complex emotions and that all we need is food, water and sunlight to thrive. That may only be partially true, but I do believe the things that afford us our best lives are simple, easy and mostly free. That’s right. Despite […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

Alone or just lonely?

One of the lessons I’ve had to learn as an adult woman is the difference between being alone and being lonely.  At a time in my life where I am hundreds of miles away from family and friends and starting my life over from scratch, it’s sometimes hard to differentiate between the two.  I feel […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

Be careful- you get what you give

I am not what most would call a particularly spiritual or religious person.  I tend to stick to more practical explanations to life’s great wonders and believe only in things that are tangible and measurable.  I do not think I am right in this line of thinking, or that anyone who is religious is wrong, […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

The Dark Side of the New Normal

I have to get a little serious this week.   Every morning I get up and turn on the Today Show while I’m getting ready and making breakfast.  It’s mostly background noise, but certain things will pique my interest and I will tune in for a moment to catch up on what is happening in the […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

The Root of Insecurity

In my efforts to connect with more people during my time spent in Nashville, I reached out to an acquaintance from college who has lived here for several years and asked her for some recommendations that might be accommodating for a single 30-something new to the city.  The girl was gracious enough to not only […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

Mind Control

Following what has been probably the most hectic and exhaustive few weeks of my life, I was excited for my monthly meeting with Therapist last weekend.  I hadn’t spoken with him since I started my new job and with a couple of other personal matters exploding in my life, an unbiased and well-trained ear to […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

Home Sweet Home

Being away from home so much as of late has really inspired a new love of my home here in Tri-Cities.  It’s funny how most of the time to truly appreciate something, you have to lose it in some capacity. I never acknowledge how wonderful it is to taste food until I get sick and […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

Strong is the New Black

Apparently I am a strong person.  At least that is what people keep trying to tell me, however, I am not inclined to agree. This isn’t going to be some article where I “humble brag” about amazing things I do that few others can master.  No, I want this to be an article where I […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

Dating Rules

In the wild world of dating in 2019, a single person can encounter any number of oddities and atrocities.  Online dating sites and apps have thrown a whole new monkey wrench into an already sometimes complicated and lengthy process.  Add that to the fact that people are overall more career-focused and busier than ever, and […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

Growing Pains

Picture this:  I am sitting at a table, surrounded by people I don’t know in an upscale restaurant full of food I can’t pronounce in a huge city where I am completely lost.  Everyone at the table is in heated discussion on a topic I should at least know SOMETHING about, but they may as […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

Advice for myself at 20

Last Friday I was at the bar at Label chatting with a couple of recent college grad girls I know.  I was regaling them with stories from my “Train Wreck 20s” and as we were all laughing at the near-death experiences and hijinks that me 40lbs heavier got into, one of the girls said “I […]