the girl that dreams...

i think...

2012-01-10T21:53:00.003-05:00

no.

i know.

i cannot stand the phrase...

'i'll talk to you later'.

my definition of 'talk to you later' seems to be way different than that of others.

to me, it means. i will talk to you later. as in later today. not tomorrow. not next week. but later in the same day.

is this a girl thing? or just a me thing?

thoughts?

final chapter.

2012-01-09T18:25:00.003-05:00

so i've entered the final chapter of my graduate career.

internship.

upaid.

but. there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

week 2.

it seems to be a success so far. i'm enjoying it. even though i know i'm only going to get busier as the times progresses.

the wee ones are just too cute.

2nd first chance?

2012-01-07T17:00:00.000-05:00

is there a such thing as a 2nd first chance?

dream

2011-12-24T23:01:00.001-05:00

do you ever have a dream and then wonder. why did i dream that? or why was that person in my dream?

oh yeah. and merry christmas folks.

horrible. horrible.

2011-12-08T14:50:00.002-05:00

i'm a horrible. horrible. horrible. blogger.

the time. well it has just flown on by.

i mean i sit here and think about everything that i want to share and then poof. the day is over. the next day it happens all over again!

seriously. it's already the 2nd week in december. where did that come from?

what can i give a quick fill in about...

in 3 weeks, i start my internship. and going to a part time status here (a girl's gotta pay the mortgage somehow, right?) i have a feeling that for just over 4 months, i'm going to be a busy bee with no life outside of school and work... at least there will be a light at the end of the tunnel, eh? end of may. graduation! holla!

in october the boy and i completed the avon walk for breast cancer (again!). we raised more money this year than last, which was a bonus! woo. reese witherspoon was our guest speaker this year. love her. she seemed so down to earth at closing ceremony.

i'm also now an iphone owner. i figured it was time to upgrade into the land of smart phones. plus i think it will help next semester with work and such. uh yeah, and i'm also addicted to words with friends.

what else?

and now i'm drawing a blank. murphy's law, right?

the weight that shakes.

2011-10-04T12:29:00.012-04:00

i did it.

i swore i never would.

but then on the front page

(well... the top corner where it told me to go to page 4)...

i read this.

and then...

i ran out and bought

this.

using a 20% of coupon from bed bath and beyond, of course.

it's been used every day for the past 6 days for 2-6 minutes.

i'll be sure to report back on my findings :-)

life in a nutshell.

2011-09-08T15:37:00.003-04:00

here is what has been going on with me in a nutshell.

the boy and lil man were here for 10 weeks. the fastest 10 weeks i've ever experienced.

the boy worked at a camp. the lil man was a camper at the camp.

we got along famously (big sigh!).

we went on our annual north carolina with a side of virginia beach trip.

took a few day trips (turkey hill experience. julius sturgis pretzel company).

was in twinny's wedding (best wedding i've been to in a long time).

grew my hair for a nice updo--- ended up hating the way the hair lady did it (you'll have that).

took the plunge---cut all of my hair off last week (think jennifer nettles in 'stuck like glue' video--cute style for curly hair)!

survived my first ever earthquake (5.9 on the scale).

yeah. it scared the bajeeeeezus out of me. nothing like being on the 6th floor of a shaking building in a city.

survived hurricane irene.

am dealing with torrential flooding locally. (hello--who on the east coast pissed off mother nature?!)

started my last class!

must talk to bossman on monday about what will happen next semester when i have to intern (yeah that's unpaid).

have been training for my avon 2 day walk for breast cancer (39.9 miles---hollla!)

i exceeded my goal of $1800.

have been stressing over whether or not the boy will meet his goal. ugh.

i totally wish his fb friends were a bit more giving. i mean really. all it takes is $5 or $10. skip the 'bucks for one day.

my grown up bedroom is finally coming together. new bedframe. new dresser. new nightstand.

yeah, i love craigslist. sold a slew of stuff this summer!

the guest room is finally painted (sparkle lake!). next up. hanging pictures in there to clear out the office, which is next on the 'to be painted' list.

finally gave up on some people that i was tired of hunting down. their loss

(this is tough to come up with a list of what's been going on)

well. i'm sure there is more that i'm missing, but this seems to be the gist of it all. i hope you all are doing well out there in bloggerland!!

it's been a while.

2011-07-14T11:56:00.003-04:00

i know. i know. it's been a while.

i just feel like there isn't any time to do anything much less blog.

so here. in a nutshell is what has been going on.

the boy and little man have been here for a month and will be here throughout the rest of the summer. (that would be the biggie)

i'm in a wedding next week, the first where i actually live in the same state as the bride!

the dress is actually cute (final fitting tonight--hopefully!)

the bach party was in philly. low key, but lots of fun.

our summer program, as always was a hit. that kept me busy for a good solid 3 weeks.

summer is already half over--sad face :-(

received a donation (for the walk) from a celebrity... holla!

will write more in detail later... just wanted to let you all know that i am still alive. sorry for being so mia!!

weekend 2.

2011-06-02T13:48:00.002-04:00

weekend 2. the annual trip to atlantic city.

i look forward to this girls trip each year. it's always me, my mom, my aunt, and then one of her girlfriends.

the first two years we were stationed at harrahs and then we decided to switch it up a bit and now our home field is the borgata. love love love that place. i always hope to see a celebrity. i mean. really. no sooner do i come home from the ac trip, but i see in people that person xyz spent the weekend at the borgata.

the trip that once started out as a friday afternoon-sunday morning has now been stretched out to thursday morning to sunday afternoon. it's wonderful.

my mom and i normally get there first. we check in, scope out the room, and grab some lunch. my auntie and her galpal normally get there around 5ish. just in time to sit for a moment, freshen up and gamble... i mean grab some dinner. we had buffet dinner that night. i love having a little bit of everything. it sort of satisfies all of the cravings :-)

as for the whole gambling thing... we pool our money and have a system to keep track of our winnings. it works out nicely. we always go home with money. not necessarily our whole pot of money, but most of it. i think over the course of 4 days, we each lost about $20. not too shabby, eh?

friday we got up and had ourselves a delightful buffet breakfast. yummmmmy. then we drove over to the outlets and spent the day wandering around. the weather could not have been any more perfect. we walked in and out of shops, sat outside of starbucks for over an hour, and believe it or not... didn't really buy much. i don't think i bought anything. but it was still fun.

that night we ate at carmines. family style italian food. delish. and so much food. each time we go we learn how much food we really need to get. it just seems to keep expanding!

saturday was our veg day. we grabbed some breakfast, gambled a little bit, and went back to our room. my mom and i then went to the gym while my auntie and her galpal went to the pool (which the gym over looks!). after our workout, we went down to the pool to continue our relaxation. loved it! for dinner we opted to head over to the boardwalk. there was a hard rock that looked like fun, so we all figured, why not!? and you know what. it was actually quite good. after we took a walk down the boardwalk. i love the sound and smell of the ocean. it's just so soothing and relaxing.

sunday. our last day. we had breakfast at the restaurant at the hotel and then went back to our room to pack up and check out :-(

it's always so sad when a vacation, even a short one, comes to an end. it's like, back to the real world... sigh. oh well. there's always next year!!

do you ever wonder...

2011-05-25T12:26:00.003-04:00

... who you're real friends are?

... who you can tell your inner most secrets to and it'll stay that way?

... who you can turn to in need of help?

... who will be there for you regardless the situation?

... who you can call and cry your eyes out to?

i do. and i feel like the list keeps getting shorter and shorter.

le' sigh.

weekend 1.

2011-05-25T10:59:00.004-04:00

in the past few weeks, i have been here, there, and everywhere. so much has gone on that i have to share with you.

first being s&r's wedding. it was the first real weekend in may (the same as my pal e!) i took my first trip out west (or is it considered the south?) to arkansas. talk about culture shock. little rock wasn't so much of a culture shock, but the little town that she is from was.

the boy went with me. coincidentally, to fly from ohio to arkansas, the plane stops here, so we were actually on the same flight to and from. i didn't sit with him going there (long story short--a mean man would not switch seats with me--i'm talking across the aisle-- because he said he paid extra for his seat. i'm sorry but on southwest, the only extra charge you really pay is early bird or 'business class' which means you are on the plane first--whatevs)

so. we arrive in little rock. we get our rental and head out to the hotel. check in then find somewhere fun to eat. we were in the river market district, which seems to be the place to be. right on the river. nice walkway. little shops.

the next day we checked out the clinton museum. it looks like an elevated trailer home. google it. you'll see. a full on glass elevated trailer home. after, we went back to river market, grabbed some lunch and then headed out to small town america. thank goodness i went to the bathroom before our 1.5 hour jaunt because there was nothing between points a and b aside from trailer homes.

that night was rehearsal dinner at her parents camp house. talk about beautiful. a humongo log cabin-esque home at the end of a dirt and gravel road, where they stay when her dad goes hunting. it was so great to see s&r and they seemed to really appreciate us being there.

wedding day we woke up, had breakfast, courtesy of the hotel, and then went out exploring. on our hotel goodie bags was a list of stuff to do. needless to say the list was short and we accomplished most items and then hung out at the pool.

the wedding was held at an estate out in the boondocks. beautiful home. beautiful property. think 'sweet home alabama'. that's what popped into my head when arriving. the ceremony was held on the front lawn and the reception in the back yard. one major difference between a 'southern' wedding and a wedding that i'm used to is that they didn't serve a real dinner. it was like cocktail hour the entire time. a handful of finger food and that was it. that kind of surprised me, but i guess that's how it's done there.

the next day was a small brunch at the hotel. it was nice to be included and of course chit chat more with my pals. after, we made our trek back out to little rock. we had dinner that night with the rest of the crew from our area and then walked some more along the river.

our flight back was monday morning bright and early. tuesday was back to work. at least for a few days before trip number 2...

fun concept!

2011-05-04T12:10:00.001-04:00

the boy brought this video to my attention... not only is it a fun and catchy song, but the video is great!

hmmm.

2011-04-26T13:55:00.002-04:00

do you ever see something and think....

wow. that should have been me?

'we need to talk' lets the imagine run wild.

2011-04-18T15:43:00.004-04:00

yesterday my father calls me. he tells me that he'll be with my brother during the day at some fundraiser but would like to come by afterwards because he needs to talk to us about something.

'something?'

'yes, but not something i want to get into over the phone.'

my mind is racing. someone is dying. someone is sick. someone is getting married. someone is going to jail. someone is bankrupt, someone is knocked up. someone came into money and wants to share it with his two kids.

yep. i told you i was all over the place.

i was then getting a little upset saying, well why can't you just tell me what's going on.

then he was getting frustrated because he wanted to just tell us whatever it was in person. he did say, 'no one is dying'.

ok. check that one off the list.

of course all day i couldn't do anything. my mind kept wondering.

so then later on in the day, my brother calls me and tells me they are on their way.

they arrive. hugs. kisses. hello. let's play with the dog.

blah blah blah. idle chit chat. blah blah blah. let's cut to the chase. blah blah blah.

and then we get to it.

finally.

'well-- you know d and i have been together for over 10 years....'

i chime in with... you're either getting married or she's knocked up. (which yes, creates some laughter because evidently she is past her expiration date, if you will).

he then says that yes, they will be getting married sometime next year.

ok. so.

what will change-- aside from her last name? not much. they already own a house together. they've already been together for just over 10 years. my love and affection for her will certainly not change (sarcasm--lots of it)

yes, we're not exactly.... best friends. pals. compadres, confidants--yeah you get the point.

i can see why he wanted to tell us in person. i mean we are his kids and as of right now, the only 2 that know it's in the works. but my god. give a girl a good heart attack and upset stomach thinking of all of the possibilities, ha.

he needs to be taught that wording is everything. when you say, 'we need to talk', it lends itself wide open.

3-2.

2011-04-14T15:37:00.003-04:00

today is my 32nd birthday.

crazy. right?

where does the time go?

i feel like i was just celebrating my 30th birthday with my closest friends and family.

hard to believe that this is my 2nd birthday without my grandfather. weird.

so tonight i am going to dinner with my mother. cheesecake factory. looking forward to it. i'm so glad i decided to put on my 'new' jeans. haha. jeans that i bought some time last year, wore once and then they didn't fit. hopefully after tonight, they'll still fit (fingers crossed!).

so far today, i've received a ton of facebook birthday hellos. a ton of birthday texts. and even flowers sent to my office from my mom, her manfriend, and his daughter.

differences

2011-04-04T13:18:00.003-04:00

here is an example of the differences between a boy and a girl.

text to girl pal this morning...'minus 1.4 lbs this week'

response back from friend... 'that's awesome! way to go'.

text to the boy this morning...'minus 1.4 lbs this week'

his response... 'oh well. at least you lost something'

i questioned him on his response. and he said, 'i was trying to be supportive because i thought you were disappointed'. i said, no and then told him about my text conversation with girl pal and i said, 'now that's supportive'. and he laughed when i compared the two conversations. i said, learn it for next week. hahaha.

oye. boys! whatever will we do with them?

a whirlwind week and half!

2011-04-04T12:25:00.004-04:00

last weekend (not this past weekend) the boy was here. it was the first time that we'd seen each other since january 2nd. it was nice to see him, even if for a short time. i picked him up at the airport and we grabbed some dinner. we went to cheeburger cheeburger. i hadn't been to one in eons and it was delish. by far one of the best chicken sandwiches i've had in a long time. they also have oh so yummy fries and onion rings.

saturday i made him to go ikea with me. i saw a bed frame i liked in a catalog and wanted to see it up close and personal. i was so ready to buy it right then and there. then we went to see the boxes... yeah the boxes were bigger than my car. no way was i going to be able to drive it home. i was so bummed. i either have to bite the bullet and pay the $99 shipping fee or find another bed :-( saturday night we saw elton john in concert. it was actually a really good show. long. he played for 3 hours straight! and not just 3 minute long songs, but dude went to town on 10 minute long piano solos. amazing. he still has it in him!

sunday we vegged. read the paper. then went grocery shopping. fun stuff, right? that evening we went out to a hibachi dinner with my brother and his ladylove. it was good. each place we go to does a slightly different variation on the 'show'. the food was really good. after we went to this place called tutti frutti... it's a frozen yogurt shmorgesbord. you pick up your cup (any size) and get whatever self serve frozen yogurt you want. flavors out the wazoo. then they have a toppings bar. toppings out the wazoo. you end up paying by the weight, so if you're not careful, it can get pricey. but it was fun.

monday morning. bright and early. i took the boy to the airport. the next time i see him will be the beginning of may for the wedding in arkansa. the lovely part about flying there... i get to actually fly with the boy. in order to fly from ohio to arkansas, the plane stops here!

so then i worked monday, tuesday, and wednesday. thursday earrrrrrrly morning my mom and i took the megabus to new york city. she (along with my aunt and crew) got free tickets via facebook to see a taping of 'america's got talent' auditions. when my mom and i arrived, we walked to our hotel (the new yorker) and were able to check in. the room was ginormous. very atypical for a new york city hotel. we grabbed some lunch and then came back to the hotel and got ready (ie: prettified ourselves) for the taping. my other family members who live in ny met us in the city and we started our wait in line, which wasn't so bad.

we then were seated in like the best seats ever. right on the floor about 10 feet from where the judges sit! why hello there howie, sharon, and piers! the taping started around 630 and didn't end until about 1030. it was long. my hands hurt from clapping. my throat hurt from cheering, booing, and chanting 'vegas'. but it was fun. the mc guy who occupied us in between acts told us that this would air in june sometime... i have never seen the show before. but you can bet that in june i'll be watching for the nyc auditions... in your mind, think 'idol auditions'. there were the good. the bad. and the really bad.

after the taping, we grabbed a (very) late dinner at the diner. who doesn't love an omelette and pancakes for dinner? my mom and i got two things and we shared. yummy! diner food late at night = the best thing since sliced bread.

we left nyc around 1130 friday. got home just in time to shower and get ready for our friday night activity. shrek the musical! it was the last show of our series tickets. it was amazing. it far exceeded any expectation i had for the show. the music was awesome. the singing was awesome. the costumes were to die for! i loved every single moment of it. if it ever makes its way to where you live. go see it.

i'm still recovering from the past week. it was all so much fun. so i'm not complaining. but man. am i one tired chicky.

morning laughter.

2011-03-23T12:17:00.002-04:00

wednesdays i drive to work because i have to leave early to drive 50 minutes (yes you read that correctly) to class. a long day. very long day. i leave my house around 7ish, get to work anywhere from 730 to 8ish depending on traffic. then. i leave work around 215ish. drive to school and then don't get home until around 10ish.

so in my cd player in my car i still (it's only been like 4 months, haha) have the rock of ages soundtrack in there. i just love love love the music to it. i was seriously rocking out in my car. a one woman concert.

the boy called while i was in transit. he could hear i was listening to roa and of course made fun of me, which in turn made me sing my heart out (quite loudly and probably definitely off key). i then told him i was a one woman concert. his come back. 'so you're taking the show on the road?'

i don't know why but i found that to be absolutely hysterical. i was laughing so hard i had tears welling up. don't you just love a good laugh like that?

rainy day.

2011-03-10T11:50:00.003-05:00

today is a yucky rainy day. what better way to cheer yourself up than with argyle boots and striped socks!

** please ignore my messy desk :-)

something borrowed.

2011-02-18T12:48:00.002-05:00

this was a fantastic book. i hope the movie is just as good!

'Something Borrowed' Theatrical Trailer @ Yahoo! Video

great minds?

2011-02-17T16:09:00.003-05:00

yesterday i'm on the phone with the boy when he retrieved the mail. oh goody! fun mail for him and the lil man from me. exciting stuff.

one of the cards i got him had a penguin on the front with it's arms (wings?) spread out and says something about loving him this much. he has a thing for penguins (the animal and the hockey team) so i thought it was apropos. he opens it and laughs. i think 'score'! he likes the card.

so. last night i'm on the phone with him as i'm walking in my door from class, mail in hand.

oh goody. fun mail from him and the lil man. exciting stuff.

i open the one envelope. the card had a penguin on the front with it's arms (wings?) spread out and says something about loving him this much.

now...

it's my turn. i burst out laughing.

so yeah. we bought each other the same exact valentine's day card.

funny?

scary?

your thoughts kind friends.

2011-02-16T22:13:00.002-05:00

a friend of mine posted this on facebook.

'a nail salon charges $5 extra for overweight patrons due to costly repairs on their chairs---fair or discrimination?'

what are your thoughts kind blogger friends?

update on said flowers.

2011-02-16T13:16:00.003-05:00

i finally got through to ftd today.

well. that's somewhat putting it mildly.

who knew ftd was located in india?!

my conversation with the 'ftd operator' was not a fun one.

a. i could hardly hear her

b. i could hardly understand her

c. she was clearly reading from a script.

what i had asked her to do was to refund the boy's money and also make sure the flowers were delivered. this was inexcusable on ftd's part. she told me that she could not do both and that if i wanted, she would discount the flowers 10%, upgrade them and have them delivered today.

i thought about it and said, ok. make sure they are here by noon.

(i can be a hardass when i want to be, ha)

she put me on hold to call the florist, who did not answer according to 'ftd operator'. i then made the executive decision to say fuck it. screw them. and i told her to refund the boy's money. she said she would and that a confirmation email would be sent to him.

the boy has indeed confirmed that he received said email. now i suppose we wait until the money is deposited back into his account. i tell ya. these places sure are quick to take the money and super slow to return it.

so much for sweet.

2011-02-15T15:46:00.004-05:00

so. yesterday the boy tried to be a good boy and surprise me with flowers at work.

for like the first time.

ever.

if they arrived at your office. please forward. they were not received here.

the one time the boy does something super sweet and outside his box, it backfires.

needless to say. i've been trying to get through to ftd for the past hour. they put me on hold. i listen to that god awful snooze music. and then i get disconnected. i redial. repeat cycle.

i'm bummed. and i'm more than slightly pissed at ftd. this is reeeeeeee-diculous.

i leave work in about 45 minutes. i'll place money i'm still on hold by then or i'll have redialed another 10 times.

happy valentine's day!

2011-02-14T09:45:00.005-05:00

happy valentine's day blogger friends!

valentine's day.

2011-01-31T15:31:00.003-05:00

do you feel that valentine's day is a day of love. joy. happiness. a day to give presents. cards. flowers. candy.

or.

just another day of the week?

pocket full o' sunshine.

2011-01-27T20:18:00.004-05:00

today (like yesterday) was a snow day.

yay!

we received over a foot of snow. thank goodness for comfy pj's, junk food and netflix movies. yesterday i watched 'going the distance'. cute movie. really funny.

today's adventure was 'easy a'. another cute and funny movie. gotta love these types of no think movies during a snow day. wooo!

for your viewing pleasure (and well. quite frankly it's been in my head since i watched the movie)

where does the time go?

2011-01-19T12:04:00.003-05:00

who knew it had been this long since i've written a full post. each time i go to write something, i get distracted or something comes up. so again. i apologize. the time just gets out from under me.

i mean. even now. i started this post over an hour ago and here i am. 2 lines in.

so let's see. over the holidays i was in ohio visiting the boy. i was there for about 5 days. it was great to see him and the lil man like always. however. just a tad awkward with his parents. don't get me wrong. they are nice people. but they tend to be a little cold (this year a little more so than last), which i was told not to take personally. so who knows. all i know is that by the time tuesday rolled around and it was time to leave, i was ready.

like last year, i flew to ohio for xmas. from there, instead of just flying back, we drove to pittsburgh and caught a hockey game. as always, it was a fun time. then the next day before we left, we walked around town (the winter classic was held there, so lots to look at). we walked around 'the strip' and ate at primanti brothers (another staple--also had been featured on 'man vs. food'!). we also bought popcorn from 'pittsburgh popcorn'. i'm not a popcorn person but holy hell. my fave flavor. chocolate caramel. delish. i've since ordered it online as well. i'm bad. i know. so after our early dinner, we drove to my house, where we spent the remainder of the holiday break, including new years.

what we have done the past 2 years has worked out nicely. we do our big dinner the night before new years eve. our 'eve of new years eve' dinner if you will. like last year, we went to the melting pot... only this year we had a $25 restaurant.com certificate to accompany it. for those of you who know the melting pot, you know that came in very handy!

new years eve we didn't do too much. we took a drive out to hershey during the day. walked around the outlets a little bit and then went to the casino. we pool our money and we were up. we were slightly down. back up. slightly down. i think at the end of the evening we were down maybe $15 each. not bad. right.

so we're getting ready to leave, and i'm like. ok. part of me wants to play just one more $20 but part of me doesn't. but i'm like ok. i am. so we head back to the non smoking machines, where we were lucky in the beginning. i put my $20 in. about 10 minutes later i walked away with $67 ($47 in winnings!--which i know... isn't much--but to me it felt like a million dollars). it was nice to walk out of there ahead!

by the time we got home, we just vegged, watched the ball drop and went to bed. exciting. i know. we are exciting people. can't you tell?! the boy left that sunday and the next day was back to reality--the very exciting place i've been since. joy.

i have however made some great mini cupcakes with my new mini cupcake maker. have you seen them before? i totally love. a pressie from the boy :-)

another 5k

2011-01-17T11:43:00.003-05:00

my brother suckered me.

i'm now signed up for my 2nd 5k. eek. it's in march, so that gives me time to 'practice'.

it's a st. patty's day 5k so one of their incentives? free beer at the finish line for all runners. haha. i might need more than just a free beer!

needless to say i'm back at the gym trying to get into fighter shape, so i don't completely humiliate myself come march. it's so hard to go back after having not gone since...........october.

ok. let me rephrase. i started going back about 2 weeks ago, but man. it's hard to motivate ones self after coming home from work. i know you know what i'm talking about.

4.0!

2010-12-20T10:06:00.002-05:00

i am still a 4.0 grad student! woooooooooo :-)

the boys bday.

2010-12-15T09:43:00.002-05:00

the boy turned 30 on the 8th. for his milestone we went to nyc overnight. it was a fun (cold) time.

so. the boy and little man flew in on the 7th. i picked them up at the airport and then we went and picked his mom up at his uncle's house. from there we went to dinner at this local place (which was way better the 2nd time than the first).

the 8th we got up early to catch the megabus to nyc. gotta love the megabus. where else can you get round trip bus fare to nyc for $20. you can't! ok. so we took the bus to the city. caught a cab to our hotel and checked in. as a general rule in nyc, hotel rooms are a tiny box. this room was huge! plenty of room and space for the 4 of us. i loved it and would so stay there again! we were right in the middle of times square. would could be worse?

after we checked in, we took a stroll to a local diner for lunch. then we headed over to steinway hall. the boy had been taking piano lessons at school and his teacher knew someone who worked there and she was able to give us a tour of the place. it was actually quite neato to see. who would have thought that a piano would cost $80k. certainly not i, but they do!

then we walked on over to rockefeller center. soooooo pretty this time of year. we took pictures of the rink, the tree, the people... took pictures of everything. we then took a tour of radio city music hall. i had never done that before. very interesting. i'm sure the highlight of the boy's and little man's tour was getting their picture taken with a rockette, haha.

after touring radio city, we went to 'top of the rock' and took in the view. beautiful. simply beautiful. a panoramic view of the city at night is such a sight. lights lights everywhere. we took a lot of pictures, but of course they are on my home computer. will upload shortly. i promise.

next up. times square. it's such a happening place. colorful lights. lots of people. we walked around. found some irish pub to have dinner in. we then hit up the m&m store (totally cool!--the lil man loved it!) and then went back to our hotel room to warm up a smidge.

we then caught a cab over to central park (strawberry fields). december 8th was the 30 year anniversary of john lennon's death and we wanted to go. so many people were there. with candles. with cards. with flowers. with guitars singing. the news crews were there as well as the police. it was definitely a sight to have seen. we then walked over to the dakota (where lennon was shot from). it was more of the same. candles. cards. flowers. people.

by the time we left there it was late and we had done a ton throughout the day. we got back to the hotel and i pretty much crashed. after all. i had to catch a bus home in the morning.

the boy (like he should have) cabbed with me to the bus stop and waited until i got on and left. of course with my luck on the bus, none of the outlets worked and my laptop died. oh well. i read my book and listened to my ipod. it was one of the fastest rides home!

all in all. it was a fun time. i just love love love walking around nyc. parts of me totally wish i lived there. it's such an amazing vibe.

roa.

2010-12-07T11:07:00.010-05:00

i love musicals. love. love. love.

whenever a good one comes to town, i'm first in line to get tickets. i've seen rent, oooooooh maybe 5 or 6 times... i've seen hairspray i think 3 times... wicked, fame, grease, joseph. love them all.

my new favorite.

omg.

greatest.

show.

ever.

ever!

it's all 80's hairband music. what could be better than making it into a musical? not too much! i've been listening to the cd pretty much on repeat for the past 3 weeks. and now when i listen. i can visualize the show and what's going on.

the traveling cast has constantine as one of the leads. you know. the guy with the long hair, from idol. he actually originated the part in ny when the show first opened. he was fantastic. as was the rest of the cast.

if you have the chance to see it, i highly recommend it. well worth the money! i just found this review of the show performed in chicago for your reading pleasure.

next up on the list. jersey boys!

no judging!

2010-12-03T16:20:00.004-05:00

so i love to read. i love reading chick lit no think books.

well. the series i'm reading now is...

la candy....

by----

lauren conrad.

yes. that lauren conrad. the same one from leguna beach and the hills.

what? you didn't know she was an author too? haha.

the books are super fast reads and quite entertaining... you are constantly trying to figure out who each character is 'supposed' to be.

the first book 'la candy' pulled you in... the 2nd book 'sweet little lies' kept you in, and now in 'sugar and spice' it's pulling it all together.

i have actually managed to read 3 books in 3 weeks, just in time to go back to the library!

ps. i put 'elixir' by hilary duff on hold at the library--no judging! :-)

no. time. to. breathe.

2010-12-01T21:04:00.001-05:00

i suck at blogging lately.

i'm so sorry. i have lots to write about. just no time. this semester is really taking it's toll on me.

i'll be back shortly with lots of posts... please don't forget about me!!!

thanksgiving.

2010-11-29T18:33:00.002-05:00

boy oh boy. this thanksgiving break flewwww on by.

the boy and lil man drove on down tuesday evening. they arrived close to 11 i think. just in time to get a good nights sleep for a fun filled day of.... baking!!

wednesday was dedicated to baking all of my fabulous desserts for thanksgiving. let me preface this by saying. there were only going to be 7 guests at thanksgiving dinner. i *maybe* went a little nutso with the baking but all of the recipes seemed so delish!

i made (and mind you--these were all new recipes---never made by me)....

pumpkin pie with a graham cracker crust
caramel apple pie
chocolate cake balls
pumpkin turtle cheesecake in a chocolate cookie crust

omg. i think i had gone to heaven. they were all so good and well worth the time and effort (and even the messy kitchen!)

thursday was thanksgiving at my mom's house. it was nice having a small gathering. i think i like those better. we must have been there until almost 11pm!

friday we opted out of waking up at the crack of dawn. last year we ventured out at 3am for a new tv, but this year neither of us really needed anything, so sleep it was! horray for sleeping in and lounging on the sofa, while watching some tv. i never get to do that so it was a real treat for me.

i can't even tell you what we did saturday because i can't remember. haha. the time just sort of blended together. the only thing i really remember is that i made my first lasagna. it turned out really good too. just the right amount of cheese, sauce, and time in the oven. score one for phoebe!

sunday we relaxed, went out to lunch and then the boys left for their jaunt home. it was nice having them around for an extended time. i definitely slept better knowing that people were in the house. it's a comfort thing for sure.

rest assure though... they'll be back next week! yay!!

thoughts please.

2010-11-10T12:34:00.002-05:00

ok. so for the boy's birthday. we (me, him, his mother, and lil man) are going to nyc overnight. first. what was originally just the two of us has suddenly expanded. but i'm over that (one more person to help pay for the hotel!)

so. the next day. i have to take the bus home earlier in the day because i have class that night (well 430pm).

do you think.....

a) the boy and crew should ride home with me (an 11:30am-ish bus)

or

b) stay in the city longer and take a later bus home?

what would you do? and what would your want your signifiant other to do?

gripes via the notes.

2010-11-10T10:15:00.009-05:00

free money?

2010-11-08T13:47:00.003-05:00

so i discovered (well... a friend told me about them) a fantastic, wonderful, super website. ebates! you get paid to shop.

holla!

what happens is ebates offers a percentage back for different stores. for instance. old navy, when i bought my stuff, was 8% back. so. i received 8% of my total purchase. each day there are specials and double back days, or something like that.

i received my first check the other day. $8.13! yes i know. it's not much, but at this point. it's like free money. you know?

i've been trying to do all of my holiday shopping via ebates. they have something like 1200 stores, hotels, and airlines they are affiliated with

no. they aren't paying me to write all of this wonderful stuff. i am, on my own, sharing this fantastic website so that my blogger friends can also reep these fun benefits.

39.3 miles. picture version.

2010-10-25T14:14:00.009-04:00

39.3 miles.

2010-10-18T12:56:00.001-04:00

*i've been writing this for just about a week--sorry for the delay! oh and it's length*

the only way i can describe this past weekend is with the word 'amazing'. simply amazing.

so the boy. he flew in wednesday evening. as always, it was great to see him. we grabbed a quick (yummy qdoba dinner) and then headed home.

thursday morning we woke up early and brought my car in for an oil change. mind you. my free oil change. holla! i 'like' my dealership online and won a free oil change. yay! so then after that we ran errands. the boy needed to buy a few more things for the big walk weekend. target was our friend. sadly. i still had class that night.

friday morning we were up again, bright and early. our megabus was leaving at 655 and we needed to pick my brother up. we were out the door at like 530. had to stop at dunkin donuts for breakfast, of course! i had never ridden the megabus before. i have to say. i'm somewhat of a fan. it was a very smooth ride. and let me tell you. i am not a fan of busses or 18 wheelers. they give me the heebie jeebies and i fear they will tip over. but i felt pretty ok on the (double decker) bus. so we arrived in nyc around 11ish (the bus was a smidge late and there was some city traffic). we hopped in a nyc cab (the boys first time!--the movies don't lie--those people drive like crazy folk) and headed to our hotel. my friend, k girl (now k preggers girl) met us in the city. it was so great to see her and her little belly! she was who i walked with last year. she was sitting this one out. after we stored our luggage with the hotel people (our room wasn't ready just yet) we went out to lunch. we walked over to serendipity. i had never been there, just have seen the movie. the food was good, but the frozen hot chocolate. omg. that was to die for! it was worth every single calorie. my brother got the frozen pb hot chocolate and he was in heaven. delish!

so after lunch we walked around a little bit. walked in fao schwartz, dylans candy bar, and of course tiffany! how could you go to the city and not walk around the infamous tiffany?! we then headed back to our hotel and vegged for a little bit before heading out for a drink and then dinner. one of the boy's friends from hs lives in brooklyn and was able to meet up with us. we met at some dive bar where beers were $2. a sight unseen in nyc. then dinner. omg. delish. once we got our table.

i made reservations online for 4 people. we walked in and k preggers checks us in. about a 10 or so minute wait. way better than the 1-1.5 hr wait for everyone else. about 15 minutes go by and she tells the boy to ask about our reservation. he goes up to the podium. he says, just checking on phoebe party of 4. the girl looks at him and is like, uh we sat you!? and he looks at us and is like, mm nope. someone jacked our reservation! so then we had to wait another 15 or so minutes. not too bad. better table actually (so said manager man, who apologized profusely). food was so yum. it was family style italian so we got 2 dishes for the table. right before the check came, the waiter puts a piece of cheesecake (and i don't like cheesecake but this was to die for) on our table and says it's from the manager. we're like wow. that's really sweet of him. we call the manager over to thank him. he looks at the cheesecake and says to the waiter. 'that's it? go get them something else too'. mind you. we were thrilled with the cheesecake. haha. so the waiter brought over a piece of tiramasu. wowza. again. not normally a fan, but this was heaven. how sweet of manager man to do that for us! i would so go back!

after dinner k preggers walked to the train station while we walked back to the hotel. we had an early morning coming our way... and let me tell you... 430 comes fast!

and boy did it come fast! we got up. had our bagels (courtesy of k preggers) and waiting in line for the shuttle that would take us to opening ceremony at chelsea piers. the walking course opened at 7am, however the opening ceremony was at 630 i think.

for the next 11-12 hours and 26.2 miles, we walked, talked, and took pictures. we also stretched and ate our way through the west and east side of nyc. needless to say. i was slightly bummed i didn't see any celebrity sightings. where were they all hiding?!

day 1 ended at randall's island. they had huge tents pitched with different stuff for us. foot and back massagers, reebok, and most importantly. food. we then took a shuttle back to our hotel and crashed hard. i don't think i saw 9pm.

day 2 started a smidge later. 515 am instead of 430. we got up. got ready. and then gathered our stuff up. we had to check out prior to walking but were able to stash our luggage there. we hopped on the shuttle back to randall's island and had breakfast (they keep you well fed, that's for sure!). at 730 the route opened and for next 7 or so hours we walked.

what a sense of accomplishment when we saw the 'finish' sign. it was an overwhelming sensation to know that we had just walked roughly 40 miles over the course of 2 days. i cannot tell you how many people we were talking to who were survivors who thanked us. they thanked us for walking, raising the money, and for caring for such an important cause. overall. all 4,000 walkers raised 9.4 million dollars.

at closing ceremony they gave out the money to various groups and hospitals. one being the 'under 40' group. i saw a slew of women hovering my age (and i'm only 31) with their pink survivor shirts.

after we hopped on the shuttle back to our hotel, we had a much deserved beer to celebrate our accompishments.

by monday. i felt as if i had never walked 40 miles. i guess it pays to train :-) i'll remember that for next year. yep, i'm already signed up for next years walk :-)

(pictures to follow)

it's a comin...

2010-10-13T13:35:00.006-04:00

i am happy to announce that all 3 of us have reached our goals and all 3 of us will be walking this weekend in new york city!

the boy arrives this evening. it will be nice to see him. it's been since labor day weekend! tomorrow we'll run last minute errands to make sure he has everything. then bright and early friday morning, the 3 of us will take the megabus to new york city to start this 39.3 mile adventure.

i'm excited and nervous but i know i'm doing a great thing. of course i'll post pictures after the walk. please think about us and the 3,000 others that are walking this weekend in support of, in memory of and in honor of all of those who have been touched by breast cancer.

happy breast cancer awareness month!

2010-10-03T22:02:00.006-04:00

i did it. i completed my first 5k run... well more like jog, but i did it.

i'll be honest. i did have to stop a few times and walk a little but all in all, i did it! yay.

my final time was 41 minutes and 42 seconds. my goal was to do it under 45 minutes and i did. next year my goal will be under 40 minutes! running outside is way (way) different than running on a treadmill and now i know that i need to do more outside practice for next year.

next up. 2 day walk is in just 13 days!

13 miles, what?

2010-09-29T20:55:00.004-04:00

i now know for a fact... i can indeed walk 13 miles and feel fine afterwards. yay.

this past weekend while away there was a training walk for which me, my brother, and cousin participated in. the boys. in their cocky mannerisms thought... 13 miles. no problem.

can i please be the first person to say that they were hurting afterwards and i was not?! go me.

my brother actually mentioned that it was a little bit of a wake up call for what he has in store in just 17 more days. well really 18 more days. the first day of the walk is actually 26.2 miles. 13.1 miles is day 2.

update on fundraising... i am at goal. my brother is at goal. the boy is just $137 away from goal. there is hope he will make it, haha.

omg omg omg.

2010-09-27T13:50:00.016-04:00

i met bethenny...

...and jason

they couldn't have been any nicer and genuine! if they weren't famous, we'd totally be friends.

and ps. i totally heart jason. bethenny is one lucky gal!

crazy person.

2010-09-23T13:44:00.002-04:00

sirens. and lots of them. helicopters flying above. pretty much a normal days worth of sounds that i generally block out. i mean i do work in the city. but they seemed slightly louder than normal and perhaps a little more frequent than normal.

so i decided to take a look. well hello. the activity was outside my window.

i take a walk down the hall to my pals office. they then inform me of what was going to become not just a local news story.

there was a shooter across the street. a crazy person who shot someone after he didn't like what he had to say.

swat. police. firetrucks. you name. it was outside my window. we were put on lockdown for ~5 hours. it was the scariest 5 hours of my life. a little. no, scratch that. a lot too close for comfort.

in the end. the guy killed himself and someone else in a murder-suicide.

scary. right?

kitty cat

2010-09-14T21:45:00.002-04:00

i think my cat has gone swimming in my tub more times than i have! this is her new fave pastime...

let it be known...

2010-09-13T19:39:00.000-04:00

i've reached my goal! now if only the boys could.... then all would be happy!!

still here!

2010-09-12T20:42:00.000-04:00

sorry i've been so mia lately... i just got so swamped with everything else in the world that this sorta fell to the back burner. i promise i will catch everyone up soon!! hopefully tomorrow i'll get a few minutes to jot it all down.

post it note... wednesday?

2010-08-25T13:04:00.007-04:00

august 24th.

2010-08-24T09:05:00.003-04:00

ok. so it has been one year since my gpa has been gone. i hate to say what a fast year it's been, but it really did fly on by.

there isn't one day that i don't think about him or wish he were here. he passed away the day i had my grad school orientation. what was supposed to be the first day of the next chapter of my life, ended up being not so wonderful. i remember how happy he was when i told him i was going back to be a teacher. he was one of my biggest supporters. i only wish i could talk to him about my classes now and how it's been going.

i also bought my first home. he would have been so happy. He always wanted me to get out of the apartment and buy something. i wish he could see it. my gpa would be thrilled with what i chose. my grandma has even been up the stairs to see it. twice! and she thinks it's pretty great.

the way luck would have it. today. august 24th. i have orientation for grad school. again. i wanted to skip it, but was told that they will be discussing some new things. lucky me. now let's hope i come home from class to only good news.

i miss him every day. all the time. xoxo.

can't a girl get a break?

2010-08-21T21:25:00.002-04:00

i guess i should have known how today was going to pan out when at 830am i locked myself out of my house wearing bright yellow dr. seuss boxers and a tshirt sans bra, glasses, and curly hair that had a mind of it's own. nice image, eh?

so. every saturday after work for as long as i can remember i've called my grandparents, and now just my grandma. it's our routine and it works for us. today at 430 i called my grandma. no answer. i left a message. i really didn't think twice about her not being home, but instead thought maybe she was with my aunt, as she sometimes is on saturdays.

this evening my mom calls me.

'did you call grandma today?'

'yes, of course. i always do. she wasn't home.'

'right. let me preface this by saying she is ok, but she's in the hospital.'

***instant tears***

my grandmother fell out of bed this morning and couldn't get up. she then tried to shimmy herself to a phone to call my aunt and in doing so, fell down a few stairs. the ambulance came and took her to the hospital. they did every test under the moon. the good news is that nothing is broken. her heart is good. her brain is good. no clots. she is seeming 'perfect', just very weak in her legs.

my aunt told me that she is going to push for my grandma to go to an inpatient rehab facility to help build her legs up, especially since she lives alone.

mind you. tuesday is the 1 year anniversary of my grandfather's death and this coming weekend we're all supposed to go to new york for his unveiling. so to start off an already emotionally driven week, now i have to worry about my grandma.

and.

i haven't talked to the boy on the phone in just about a week and right now is when i seem to need him the most and he's not here. really. can't a girl get a break. i'm kinda tired of crying.

and this too. makes me smile.

2010-08-19T13:10:00.001-04:00

this makes me smile.

2010-08-18T13:57:00.002-04:00

training.

2010-08-18T13:31:00.002-04:00

last week i started my training for the 5k. i was actually better than i thought. go figure.

i'm trying to train for two different activities--the 5k run and then the 2 day breast cancer walk. so one day i'm running more than walking... the next i'm walking more than running.

last night after class i went to the gym. i figured. may as well. class let out early and the gym was open until 10. i ran a straight mile without stopping. it may not seem like much to you, but that was a milestone to me. last week i started with half mile intervals. so last night i moved it up a notch. and really. it wasn't that bad. yay for me!

we'll see what tonight brings me :-)

oye ya yoy.

2010-08-17T17:40:00.002-04:00

the boy and i.

i have no idea what is going on. i don't know if we broke up. i don't know if we're together.

we had an awful fight the other night and things were said to allude that we're not together. how i wish that wasn't true. my heart is so broken at the thought of it being true.

it sucks that he's there and i'm here. if i could make one wish right now, it would be for him to come here this weekend. for me to come home from work on friday and find him here, waiting for me. a weekend for the two of us to sit and talk and figure this out. face to face.

airplanes.

2010-08-16T17:04:00.002-04:00

how i feel right about now, courtesy of hayley and b.o.b.

can we pretend that airplanes.
in the night sky
are like shooting stars.
i could really use a wish right now
wish right now. wish right now.

email no more.

2010-08-12T15:17:00.002-04:00

today i get an email from my department administrator. evidently some people (or person) complained about the emails i've sent around regarding my avon breast cancer walk.

mind you. i work in an environment where all people do is medical research. one would think that by me sending around emails saying, 'hey we're having a fundraiser for breast cancer'. or. 'hey can you please donate for breast cancer' would be acceptable and actually praised upon. but nope. it was found to be a bad thing. bad. bad. thing. (as i sit here and roll my eyes).

so now. i'm sitting here at my desk thinking. ok. who was it? who felt the need to tell the department administrator that my emails were somehow bothering their day. making it utterly impossible for them to work. seeing to it that i cannot advertise my fundraiser and awareness for breast cancer.

please note. emails were not sent out all the time. perhaps a little more religiously now that we're in the home stretch, but not every day all the time.

i feel mad at whomever did this. i feel embarrassed. and i feel sad. sad that i'm doing a great thing and someone felt the need to stomp on it.

i can't say this enough. the nice ones always get shat upon.

love good news.

2010-08-06T15:40:00.003-04:00

the other day i received the one of the best texts.

one of my oldest and dearest friends kgirl (she was my walking buddy for last years avon walk) sent me a text. the message said "guess what?". then i opened the picture and it was a sonogram! she is going to be a mommy.

i met kgirl my freshman year of college. she lived 2 doors down from me in the dorms. she was there for exactly 2 semesters. spring of freshman year and fall of sophmore year. after she left, we continued our friendship with many visits (me to ny and her to md), emails, chats, and phone calls.

6 years ago i was a bridesmaid in her wedding to kboy. she then decided she wanted to go back to school to become a nurse. she accomplished that goal. got a great job. and after years of saying she didn't want kids, then to maybe wanting to kids to finally wanting kids, she is preggers.

i really couldn't be happier for ksquared. they are such wonderful people and will provide their child with a fantastic, nurturing, loving life.

last year when i registered for the avon walk again. she declined. her reason. i hope to be fat and preggers in october. she was true to her word. i can't wait to see her with her belly and then with her baby.

make-over.

2010-07-30T14:27:00.002-04:00

today, when i took a look at my blog, the background was missing!

so. i took that opportunity to do a small make-over (like my pals e and dg). i hope you all like the somewhat new look.

it's real now.

2010-07-28T13:58:00.001-04:00

i'm so totally registered to run my first 5k.

eeek!

i always walk the komen race for the cure (yes, in addition to the avon 2 day walk), but this year... i'm going to run it. it's something that i've always wanted to do...

let the training begin!

if you have any suggestions, please send them on over!!

here comes the bride.

2010-07-27T09:43:00.001-04:00

all this talk of weddings and wedding planning from my fellow blogger friends has trickled down to me... well sort of.

no. i am not getting married. well not any time soon.

but.

the other night twinny and i went to dinner and she asked me to be one of her bridesmaids. the hand written note that she gave me would bring tears to anyone's eyes. it was so thoughtful and personal. of course i said yes.

this will be the first wedding that i am in, that i'm actually in the same state as the bride. plus the maid of honor (her sister) thrives in planning events. so. i predict (well, hope) that this will go a helluva lot more smoothly than the last wedding i was in. yay!

bored? facestalk.

2010-07-23T15:21:00.002-04:00

so. i'm at work. i'd been doing the few things that had to be done. but i felt. you know. i needed a well deserved break.

what did i opt to you?

facestalk of course. (you know you do it too).

oh the things one learns while stalking the facebook.

today i learned that jolly green is going to be a dad. yep. he and his wifey (the 'other woman') are going to bring a lil (or maybe big) green bean into this world.

they evidently just went on vacation so she posted pictures. close ups. not very flattering. she has a very old face (lots of wrinkles, especially around the eyes). he has gotten unattractive too. he was a much better looking chap many moons ago.

that makes me feel better. haha. caddy. i know.

but even after all this time. i'm still allowed.

:-)

happy birthday.

2010-07-19T09:40:00.004-04:00

happy birthday grandpa!

today would have been your 88th birthday. it seems like just yesterday we were celebrating your 87th birthday with you. you always did like a good celebration.

this weekend grandma, auntie m, uncle p, and jdog came to visit. i still can't get used to you not being there with the rest of them. you are missed each and every single day.

xoxo---p

north cacalacky

2010-07-13T15:42:00.003-04:00

this past weekend was road trip weekend! it was sooooo much fun.

so. the boy and lil man flew in on thursday... that night we had a fundraiser at a bar in the city (the lil man stayed with friends of ours). so when we got home, i still had to pack.

yes i do wait until the last minute to do those things (i actually think i finished packing fully friday morning while the boy was in the shower).

we left friday morning on our adventure south to see my friends, the g family! it was baby g's first birthday so that was the excuse to head down there. we went last year when he was born. (i see a theme).

the ride down was one of the best car rides ever. no traffic whatsoever. it took about 5.5 hours (including a lunch/potty break). and the weather. well it wasn't much hotter, if at all, than home.

when we arrived, we relaxed for a smidge and then i went with mama g to pick up girly g from her first day of kindergarten (year round school). after, we had a scrumptious dinner a local place. omg. the food was to die for. it was primarily a seafood place and oh so good. and when you live on the coast, it takes a lot to be super delish seafood. after dinner, i went with mama g to walmart to buy some last minute stuff for the bday party. let me tell you. i had my first true southern encounter with 'real walmart people', if you catch my drift. oh. and they sell beer there! talk about one stop shop :-)

saturday, we vegged around (which was decadent!). one by one we started to get dressed and ready. the boys left to run some errands and get the food (was catered by a bbq joint nearby). while the boys were out, mama g and i were getting things together. we made sangria (holy hell it was delish--and that would be what i drank during the party, including sucking down a cup of the fruit that had been sitting in it--yum). we set the dip and chips out, set up the table, counter where the food would be, beverages, etc.

then the party started. it was nice to meet some of their friends that i had heard so much about. some were certainly nicer than others and some were more chatty than others.

well. the real party started when everyone left. mama g started drinking sangria and papa g started drinking beer (which i'm not sure he does on a regular basis--unlike the boy, ha). so we were laughing. hanging out. drinking. the kids were playing with the nintendo ds' and the wii. while playing around on the wii, we discovered that you could download games, such as original mario! can you guess what we did?

papa g bought old school mario brothers ($5!!) and we played that for the remainder of the night. imagine. 4 adults. beverages in hand (well, in some of our hands). 32 bit game on 42 inch high def tv. the more we drank. the more we played. the more we laughed. mama and papa were hysterical. i had never seen him drink more than 1 beer, much less 6 or 7 and mama was just as giggly as she was when we used to have basement gatherings (yeah, you know what i'm talking about).

we did that for a few hours before we called it a night... the next morning mama g told me that papa had been up since about 330 hugging the porcelain gods. poor guy. he can't hang with us young folks (he is 9 years older and we never let him forget it). i told him that the next time we plan a trip there, he will have to 'train' (not that i'm a big drinker and really i didn't drink much that night--was much more fun watching them, haha).

sunday mid morning i ran out with the boy to get mcdonalds. grease cures hangovers. that was the number 1 lesson learned in college.

when i pulled my car out of the driveway, there were oil marks. i thought. surely this isnt' from me. my car was just serviced and they told me it was in excellent condition. the boy got under the car and thought well maybe it was just the residue dripping off... so we drive the car back home not thinking much about it. the next day we see that it was infact dripping. so i'm thinking greaaaaat. just what i need.

needless to say, i called the dealership and something was just loose and so they fixed it. all better. the dude told me again how my car is in such wonderful condition. from your mouth to the car heavens ears. i am not ready for a new one!

so yeah. that was our trip in a nutshell. i know it was a bit run on. sorry about that... but i'm a detaily gal and want you all to be fully informed. :-)

better.

2010-07-01T10:00:00.002-04:00

so things are a little better over here.

we had a speed mountain in the road but things seem to be looking up. let's hope. as long as the boy does his part, then i suppose things will indeed be better.

*knock on wood*

happy friday to all. bah humbug.

2010-06-25T13:49:00.003-04:00

things are not going well for me at the moment. the boy and are about <-> this close to not being the boy and me.

3 weeks ago we had a talk and it was (him) "i'm not happy, but when i'm with you i am..." blah blah blah. it was not a fun time. he was in town at the time which i'm not sure made it easier or harder. needless to say. we had a great week after that conversation.

today we had the same conversation. and it's not going well. he doesn't know what to do. again with the 'when we're together, it's great, but then when we're not i'm not happy'.

so here i am. sitting at my desk. on the verge of tears. because quite frankly i'm not sure what is coming my way. i'm angry. upset. ready to vomit.

i just wonder. why me? if he's going to break my heart, then just freaking do it. i'm too old for this shit.

a clusterfuck of emotion... beware.

2010-06-18T21:39:00.003-04:00

i warn... auntie flo is here and i'm feeling a little (read: a lot) emotional. you know how that goes...

so. twinny got engaged today. i couldn't be happier for her. i have known her for the past 9 years and have seen her go from a 15 year old learning to drive to a beautiful 24 year old professional. she is a sister that i never had. we think alike. we talk alike and even once in a while people actually mistake us for sisters.

it's funny how it effects you when someone you know gets engaged, married, or has a baby. i feel like everyone around me has one of the three going on. first it was old neighbor s, now my brother seems to have found 'the one'. they haven't been dating long, but i guess when you know, you know. they've even discussed rings and an engagement (not happening tomorrow, but i would imagine sometime within the year if things keep going the way they are).

it would be ironic that when i unpacked another box (yes, 3.5 months later, i still have boxes to unpack) i found the 'jolly green box'. of course i had to go through it. it's amazing how things change. the letters that were in the box were written a million years ago by a boy who at the time loved me and could not fathom ever not being with me. the words on those pieces of paper (letters, notes, cards, etc) made me feel sad. not for him by any means--good riddens, see ya later-- but just that i was someones 'the one'. and then i was left for so he could be with his 'the the one'. does that make any sense? probably not... and please... this is not about jolly green at all.

i love the boy. we have a great time together (most of the time, ha). it's just during times like this, when there is love and happiness, rings and babies. it's extremely hard being here and him being there. *sigh*

walk for the boobs.

2010-06-15T15:44:00.004-04:00

so i'm back at it... i'm participating in the avon 2 day boob walk in october. it's 2 days of walking around new york city. mind you, it's almost 40 miles of walking around new york city.

the gals i walked with last year are not walking this year. so i had to come up with my own team. i mean really. who wants to walk alone. i managed to weasle my brother and the boy into walking with me. i'm not sure if they really know what's coming their way. (as i sit here and chuckle).

each person has to raise $1800. that makes our team goal $5400. yeah that's a lot of money. can you guess who is worried about reaching our goal? yes. that would be me.

we've had a bunch of fundraisers thus far, however they don't make a ton of money in the grand scheme of things. not that i'm complaining about an extra $150-$200 being thrown into the pot. but it's still not bringing us that much closer to the $5400. I also feel like people aren't donating like they did last year... and i'm not sure if it's because they don't want to... or if they see the walk is in october and think they have all the time in the world. our goals need to be fulfilled by mid september in order to finish the final registration online. otherwise we'll have to wait in obscene lines when we check into the hotel.

uch. wish us luck in reaching our goal!!! (i have a feeling we're going to need it!)

for the gleek in all of us...

2010-06-10T13:17:00.003-04:00

have i ever mentioned how much i love love love glee? do any of you watch it? if so, then you'll find this link quite funny! if you don't watch it. start.

better late than never, eh?

2010-05-26T12:59:00.008-04:00

i took these about a month or so ago...

this is a view of my kitchen (which is "L" shaped), the guest bathroom, dining room, partial living room... the guest room is behind the dining room wall.

this is the living room... yes the walls are still bare! haha. the room next to the fireplace is my 'office'.

more living room. next to office is master bedroom.

these 'havana creme' walls were dark dark dark dark blue when i moved in.

welcome to homeownership.

2010-05-25T13:00:00.002-04:00

my dryer has been on the fritz pretty much since i moved in. i mean it would heat up and make the clothes hot, but that was just about it.

at first we thought the reason my clothes weren't drying was because there was a tear in the vent hose (i mean... they are only made of foil). so we pulled the dryer out. vacuumed out the vent area. you should have seen how much lint stuff was in there. my guess is that it had never been cleaned out in the 8 years the condo has been there. we then put in a compact type vent nonhose thing.

here's a good laugh for you. because my dryer is essentially in a closet, it's tight quarters and hardly any space between the washer and dryer. so when we were putting the dryer back, i had to climb on the washer and dangle behind it to make sure the compact hose was connected. my mom and her manfriend were holding me by the legs. i don't think i ever laughed so hard. especially when my mom said to me, please don't fart.

the new compact thingy was false hope. the dryer was stillllll taking 3 or more cycles to dry dark clothes and towels. ridiculous.

so. i decided that the next step. buy a new dryer. and guess what? it works! woo.

i bought a middle of the road dryer. crap. those things are not cheap. but at least now i know it works.

oh yeah, and i also bought a new thermostat... exciting, right? i guess this is alllll part of what homeownership is!

yay. (said very sarcastically)

ac trip

2010-05-24T16:29:00.004-04:00

last weekend (yes I do realize i'm slightly behind) i was in atlantic city for my 3rd annual girls weekend. for the past few years i've gone away with my mom, aunt, and one of her girlfriends...

normally we leave a donation at the casinos.... this year... they paid us! wooooo!

so let me backtrack for a second...

we all arrived there thursday (both my mom and aunt had free rooms thurs night at one hotel/casino)... then friday and saturday night we stayed a little nicer hotel/casino. my mom and i arrived late afternoon and my aunt and her friend arrived after dinner....

friday we spent the day at the outlets. so much fun. the weather was beautful and made it enjoyable to be outside. my mom bought me a cute little coach bag (thanks mom!). we then made our way over to the reebok outlet. we were pretty gungho about getting a pair of those easy tone shoes.... so we got our little lesson on them... and me, my mom, and aunt bought a pair of the run tone shoes... it seems that you can only walk in the easy tones but can walk and run in the run tone shoes (not that i run, but you never know--i like options). they are the best. so comfy. now.... we'll see if they work.

saturday was our veg day. we had a yummy breakfast buffet... we relaxed... we worked out... we went to the pool... and we laid outside for a little bit. now that my friends is what a vacation is all about! saturday evening we changed and went to one of the restaurants in our hotel for dinner. so yummy. after dinner we then gambled a little bit... and we won!!

the four of us pool our money... one of us sits at the machine and plays a $20 and we keep track of our winnings. the next person does the same thing... so in essence, we take turns and it makes the money last longer.

so. i sit at this machine... put in my $20 and i start playing... i'm hitting small stuff. 6 quarters here, another 6 there... and my 2nd to last pull, i hit a "jackpot"... well not really, but it was for us! it ended up being a $572 jackpot! woooooo. yay. we were so unbelievably excited. our girls weekends are never in the positive. always in the negative.

when it was all said and done, the 4 of us spent $800 ($200 each) and we turned that into just over $1400 (a surplus of $154 each).

not only was it a fun weekend... but a profitable weekend... i can't wait until next years trip!

midnight cleaning...

2010-05-22T00:13:00.003-04:00

so. i was sitting here in my "office" (term used very lightly and perhaps one day it will indeed be that) and i decided to go through my desk.

(no i did not realize that it was like 1130 at night when i started).

this is a desk that has obviously not been gone through in quite some time. i mean. when i moved (several times over the past 10 years). i pulled the drawers out. moved them. put them back in. why would i go through them? i mean, really what a kind of idea is that? (ha, ha)

so. prime example of how long it's been since i went through some of these drawers... a college tuition bill was found...

from the year 2000!

an eye exam receipt...

from the year 2001!

there are also floppies in there (the little square ones). i don't want to throw them out because i don't know what's on them. but. i can't find out what's on them because my laptop doesn't have a floppy drive. haha. (i think i just dated myself!). go figure.

i also found this random email (dated july 22, 2000) from a boy that had been in one of my classes. i think he was in one of my groups or something. he must have been cute because we were arranging a date of some sort. the date never happened (as i would have remembered that, as well as what he looked like--yeah, drawing a total blank). the email is pretty much one big apology for having not contacted me or something followed by an attempt to woo me. it was very sweet (the wooing part, of course) and must have made me swoon at the time because clearly i kept it for a reason.

it's amazing what you find when you get the urge to clean. now. if only i had the urge to finish putting this house together (ie: dressing up my walls so they aren't so naked).

and another one bites the dust...

2010-05-17T10:09:00.002-04:00

old neighbor s got engaged this past weekend...

they started dating just over a year ago... she moved to indy to be with him 11 months ago... and now they are engaged... he is such a great guy and very lucky to have a girl like her.

i really couldn't be happier for her. she certainly deserves it.

new harness

2010-05-11T12:55:00.003-04:00

so i bought my pupper a new harness at a local festival... how cute is this??

you never know....

2010-04-19T20:07:00.003-04:00

you never know who your true friends are until you have a birthday or something special go on in your life...

it's amazing who i thought was a good friend that has turned into being someone not so good to me.

*sigh*

such is life, eh?

pet peeve #496

2010-04-16T14:52:00.003-04:00

cracking and snapping of gum.

i hate it. i cannot stand the sound and i find it so highly obnoxious.

yesterday, this lady was sitting in her seat on the train, snapping and cracking her gum. even with my ipod turned up, it's all i could hear.

don't people know how annoying and rude that is?

birthday.

2010-04-12T12:29:00.003-04:00

wednesday is my birthday. my 31st birthday. i have to admit. i'm not really into it this year. this will be my first birthday without my grandfather. my mom, aunt, grandmother, cousin, and uncle have already had grandpa-less birthdays. now it's my turn.

the last time i saw my grandfather was at my 30th birthday party, almost 1 year ago. i'm glad that it was for a happy occasion. i have proof of that. a wonderful 'self portrait' of the two of us. up close and big smiles. i have a copy framed here in my office and a copy framed, sitting at home on top of the fireplace.

*sigh*

this past weekend.

2010-04-06T14:47:00.006-04:00

so this past weekend the boy and the lil man were in town. it was, for the most part, a fun time.

they drove in late thursday night. friday we spent the day at hershey park. they had a special easter weekend deal. it was called spring fever and admission was very inexpensive! like 1/2 price inexpensive. so much fun. my arms got color (and by color i mean red, although now they are a glorious shade of tan). the only thing. and it's my stupidity. i have a farmers tan. dark arms. white tops. ha.

most of the rides were open. it was so much fun. the lil man got the best deal (and def worth the $15 paid for him). he went on all of the spinny rides with me and all of the coasters with his father. it was super crowded. i honestly was not expecting that. after the park, we walked over to chocolate world and took that little tour. by the time we left the area it was almost 9. luckily, hershey is only an hour and half away.

i have to tell ya. i was sort of fearing the drive to hershey.

and this was why. (circa 2006)

we were driving.... crossed over the md/pa border. dfo and her then hub make a comment to the extent of "pa roads are horrible".

not too much later, i hear thump. thump. thump. and then lost control of my car. luckily the road was clear. a piece of metal shredded my tire. the first part of our first day (thankfully we were getting 2 day passes and staying over) was spent buying and having tires installed. luckily there was a mall in walking distance and i ended up purchasing a pair of shoes. i call them my $550 pair of shoes bc i would not have bought them had i not needed tires. haha.

so anyway. we made it to and from hershey in one piece and without having to spend a lot of money on tires, haha.

saturday we didn't do much. slept in. ran some errands. sunday was much of the same. we walked to the park. the guys played. ran around with the pupper. then we put my office together, well most of it. it still needs work.

monday they left. i'm not sure when we're going to see each other next. perhaps some time in may. def the end of may/beginning of june but unsure if it will be in between also.

happy 101

2010-03-18T11:31:00.004-04:00

yay for awards...

award rules:

1. thank the nominator.
thank you so much to my fellow blogger pal e over at life of an engaged girl. adventures in starting over (which might i add, is a great read). who knew that you could form such nice blogships with people you've never met? certainly not i! like e has said, we know a lot about each other, except for of course our names!

2. list things that make you happy.
my new home.
my dog.
my cat.
the boy and the little man.
diet coke with lots of lemon.
polka dots and stripes.
blue moon with extra orange.
sunshine.
the beach (i can just smell the ocean air now... *sigh*)
baking.
snowstorms during the week (so that work will be closed, dur!)

3. tag some people who are amazing and happy, or should be happy, and contact them.
i would... but they've already been tagged!

the new digs.

2010-03-10T11:58:00.004-05:00

so i moved. i'm in my new digs, but of course... not without any issues. that would be too easy, right?

the boy and little man arrived on the 17th to help with painting and such. so nice, right?

i settled on february 18th. it was one of the most exciting things i had ever done. i bought a home all by myself. it's mine. all mine. by that afternoon the boy was already starting to paint my bedroom. it was unlivable until it was painted. the walls were a puke green and the tray ceiling was a maroon with puke green sponge painting and a puke green border. it was god awful. (as soon as i take an after picture, i'll post the before and after). so anyway. the painting began. per the nice man at home depot, i was told to buy the 'behr ultra' paint, which has primer in it... well i think maybe for walls that are not so dark, that would be fine... however it took 3 coats of paint for the walls and ceiling. after some debacles, my walls are now a wonderful shade of havana creme and my ceiling is powdered snow. i. love. it.

ok. so the 19th my cousin and his gf come to town to help paint as well. this was all great in theory, but when they actually were here, it was sort of like too many hands. the gf and i were sorta standing there like, ok now what? it was suggested that we start priming the living room walls (which were a dark ugly blue--i was going to deal until i could hire a painter--ceilings are vaulted and the space is huge)

my biggest fear was that everyone would leave sunday afternoon and i'd be left with 2 unfinished projects. shocking. that's what happened. my bedroom was incomplete due to the amount of coats needed. and the blue walls were half primed, half blue. and it was just me left. i put on my big girl pants and finished my bedroom but the living/dining room was another story. i had to call my brother's painter for an emergency. luckily he was able to come over and finish the job... for a fee... that i wasn't yet prepared to pay. hence why i wanted to wait. oh well. in the end. my bedroom looks great. my living/dining area looks great.

next. i was scheduled to move the 25th. the movers were due at like 830ish (luckily we ducked out of a major snowstorm!). the night before i was called by the store where i bought my fridge. it was in and ready to be delivered. yay. so i scheduled for the next day. needless to say. i must have been at the top of the list because they called when the movers were still at my apartment, telling me they would be at the condo in about 20 minutes...

45 minutes later my fridge was delivered. the guy hooked up the water line. uh oh. no water (it had never been used, hence one of the reasons why i bought a new fridge). so he looks and sees that the hose is kinked. great. just great. now what. he said, no problem. and ran to his truck and installed a different hose. a plastic one. (can you all see where this is going?) i asked. is that ok? will it leak? no. no. no. it's fine. so i trusted him. afterall. it's what he does right? the fridge was pushed back. i raced on out to the apartment (the movers called--they were done and now resting--luckily it's only 1.5 miles apart). we double check. they grabbed all they could and we peaced out.

friday, the 26th. cable, phone, and internet was supposed to be installed. the dude arrives and says he can't find the main box or something. i'm like um. ok. well what now? 45 minutes later and no cable, no phone, and no internet he leaves and tells me his supervisor will call me the next day to come by. well did he call you? he surely did not call me. this was the beginning of a horrible week dealing with the cable company. back and forth. rude person after rude person. finally i called and was like this is ridiculous. when can someone be here to finish this job that an incompetent person could not? sunday. yes this past sunday. march 7th. my cable, phone, and internet were installed. it's amazing how much of the outside world you miss when you don't have tv or internet.

saturday, february 27th at 830am. my doorbell rings. the boy and i (he flew back the night before to help close up shop at the apartment and help open shop at the condo) answer. luckily i was showered and dressed (had to go to part time job for just a little bit). neighbor d comes in. we reintroduce ourselves. he then tells me... his ceiling in his kitchen is leaking. i'm sorry. what?

we come to the conclusion that perhaps its the fridge? the water line? the pipe? so the boy turns it off. long story short. the plastic hose cracked when the fridge was pushed back. it was spraying water that leaked into the condo below me. after many phone calls, the delivery group (which has been wonderful) is taking responsibility and paying for everything (the contractor to fix neighbor d's condo--which i do believe is already fixed) and is reimbursing me for my expenses (i had a plumber come out to diagnose and then again to fix... ie: install the hose correctly). thank goodness! knock on wood. all is well.

my brother and the boy were great. saturday we cleaned and took the remainder of my stuff to the condo (well they took it and carried down 4 flights of stairs and then back up 3--what can i say? i like the penthouse). needless to say. by close of buisness saturday my apartment was clean, empty, and had already been inspected. woo for getting back 100% of my deposits!

by sunday the 28th i was a one home resident. it felt great. so now comes the fun stuff. unpacking and finish cleaning! haha. my room is pretty much done. still need to have the closet shelves redone (they were done in the most idiotic way) but at least clothes are in there. my kitchen is done. the guest room and office still need work. oh well. it will come in time. eventually those rooms will also be repainted. but for now. they are my not newly painted rooms :-)

round 2.

2010-02-09T14:16:00.002-05:00

and it has just started to snow.

another 2 or so feet on its way to the mid atlantic. i haven't been to work since thursday!

at least my house is mostly packed! yay for productive snow days.

the only thing about being snowed in... i haven't been able to hit up lowes to order my fridge, front door, and look at paint!

i really need to figure out what color to paint my bedroom, seeing as that's the first room to be painted. the boy says i should go neutral. now i just have to figure out what shade of neutral. decisions. decisions. decisions. suggestions?

snowed in...

2010-02-06T14:05:00.005-05:00

so.

it's snowing outside. it's been snowing since yesterday at 11am. we have roughly 25-30 inches of snow sitting outside. and. the snow is supposed to continue well into this evening.

the weather people say that this will be a record breaking snow storm. mind you. this is also the first time in maryland history that we're getting two 24 inch snow storms in one season.

at least i've been somewhat productive being snowed in... seeing as i settle on the new place in less than 2 weeks!!

my car. buried.

let the countdown begin...

2010-02-01T15:01:00.003-05:00

so many things are whirling around my head.

first of. school started last week. i don't think the teachers believe in weening in. i already have 2 assignments due this week and a ton of reading. would you like to guess how i spent my snowy weekend?

second. settlement is the 18th. yes as in 17 more days. i have so much to do around my current house before i move. i've started to pack a few boxes. but then the problem of where do i store said boxes once they are packed occurs. my house seriously looks like a bomb went off.

i also have to pick paint colors, especially for my bedroom. that is going to be the first room painted. the current colors of the room are beyond disgusting. the walls are like a breast milk diarrhea color and the wonderful tray ceiling is a maroon color with the breast milk diarrhea color sponge painted. it's bad.

the boy will be here the 17th and help me paint and clean. soooo i really need to buckle down and pick a paint color for the bedroom. i will also need to buy a new front door, have that installed, and paint it the required color (the joys of a homeowners association). a new fridge will also be on order... the one in there now is small, looks out of place, and is pretty gross.

head.

is.

spinning.

i mean. i know it will all work out... but in the meantime, i'm on edge about everything. i can't wait to be settled in my new home and then not move for a very, very, very long time :-)

and i'm walking on sunshine....

2010-01-13T11:39:00.002-05:00

the offer has been accepted!!!!!!!!!! woo.

next up.

home inspection. let's hope it passes!

it's been a while. i know.

2010-01-05T14:43:00.002-05:00

so. it's been a while. i know. i'm sorry. i feel like there is just so much to tell you. like e, i have attempted so many various posts, just to have them sit there and then end up in the delete pile.

let's see what i can tell you...

1. thanksgiving the boy and lil man came to town. it was fun. i always enjoy having them around. makes the house more lively.

2. black friday. yes. i was one of those crazy people that i make fun of. i woke up at 330am to be at the walmart supercenter by 4. luckily that particular walmart was open 24 hrs so i didn't have to wait outside with the rest of the crazies who flood the store at one time. so. i get there. head to where the line is for my tv. chit chat it up with the dude behind me. the store isn't too busy. 455am (the sales started at 5) the noise in the store starts to get louder. 459am. they started to give out the tvs (i now own a 32" hd sony bravia--it was only $376!!). i got mine. attempted to look around... a no go. people were mean! pushing. shoving. i was like no thanks. i got what i wanted. and headed to check out. i was home and in bed by 615.

3. we had a blizzard here about 2 weeks ago. like some 22-24 inches of snow. and we don't get that much snow. ever. it was great. except that it was on the weekend. would have been better had it been during the week. no work! oh well. here's to the next snow storm being during the week.

4. i went to see the boy (and his fam) for xmas. it was a good time. i am now officially a card carrying member of the snuggie club. his parents bought everyone a snuggie. mine is pink (woo!) and let me tell you. it is hella comfy. why didn't i come up with a blanket with sleeves. the idea is so remedial that it baffles me why no one else came up with it before. haha

5. we went to pittsburgh for a hockey game. coincidentally, the ravens were playing the steelers in pitt, so we hunkered down at a bar to watch the game. i was of course the only ravens fan there. it was a good time. a great game. the ravens lost... but... they are still in the playoffs. yeah! the steelers, not so much. sorry boy!

6. after our pitt trip, we drove home and spent the rest of the break at my house, sans little man. we didn't do much at all really. we went out to dinner a few times. but really. we just vegged and relaxed. i loved it.

7. nye. nothing exciting to report. we went to dinner at a bar and grille. then we came home. put on the comfy clothes. opened the wine. vegged and wii'd. oh yeah. and we got suckered into that stupid train wreck of a show, jersey shore. omg. it's awful but a train wreck. you can't help but watch.

8. wii resort. hi my name is phoebe and i'm a wii resort addict (although. not as much as the boy!) the games are so much fun. i've had my wii since last thanksgiving and i think i've played it more in the past week and a half than i did all year!

9. still on winter break from school. i got an a in my first grad class (a 6 credit doozy of a class). yay! i start 2 more 3 credit classes at the end of the month... my books are ordered and should be here tomorrow. i still have to run to target or walmart and buy my school supplies. yes, i'm a super dork and love school/office supplies. don't hate! haha.

10. house hunting. i'm still hunting and have found a great condo (a foreclosure). i put an offer in over a month ago. the bank countered. i countered back. they said no. the other day. the bank reduces the price. i throw my offer back in. now i wait. waiting sucks. the condo is so perfect and pretty much move in ready. it's actually quite big too. almost 1400 sq feet. 2 bedrooms plus a den (so kinda 3 bedrooms). 2 bathrooms. open concept floor plan. eat in kitchen. dining room. gas fireplace in corner of living room. top floor (always a requirement!). "luxury" master bath. i totally love it and really hope that this go around the bank will be more cooperative and help me start off 2010 as a homeowner. wish me luck!

over the top.

2009-10-27T11:59:00.007-04:00

a few weeks ago e passed on a blog award to me. my first mind you. how exciting to have won an award on a blog that really started out as an area for me to let it all out. who would have thunk that i'd have 'readers' and 'friends' come out of this...

1. where is your cell phone: right in front of me.

2. your hair: curly and in need of a hair cut. in a bad way.

3. your mother: i heart my mommy.

4. your father: we're not too close.

5. your favorite food: in no particular order and not necessarily together. french fries. chocolate. chicken tenders. bagels.

6. your dream from last night: i couldn't tell ya even if i wanted to.

7. your favorite drink: tazo passion tea. water. diet coke with lots of lemon. tazo green tea lemonade.

8. your dream/goal: to win the lottery. haha. to finish school in a timely manner so i can start the next chapter of my life. to have a family. own a house.

9. what room are you in: my office.

10. what is your hobby: pretending i'm crafty. sometimes succeeding in being crafty. wandering around target (seriously. i could be there for hours). reading.

11. what is your fear: i won't achieve my goals.

12. where do you want to be in 6 years: 36 yrs old. teaching. have a family.

13. where were you last night: home. being crafty. procrastinating.

14. something you are not: selfish. cold hearted.

15. muffins: chocolate chip. apple and cinn.

16. wish list items: money. a house. not to worry about bills. a summer vacation somewhere beachy.

17. where did you grow up: bmore.

18. last thing you did: i just heat up my oh so exciting lunch.

19. what are you wearing: jeans. shirt. brown shoes.

20. your tv: decided to work yesterday in its full capacity. would love a new one for the holidays.

21. your pets: 1 dog. 1 cat. 1 boyfriend.

22. your friends: the few that i have i know i can count on for anything and everything.

23. your life: in a stand still. however. working towards a goal. there will be a light at the end of the tunnel.

24. your mood: tired. the rainy weather doesn't help.

25. missing someone: my grandfather. each and every day. the boy.

26. vehicle: rsx.

27. something you’re not wearing: all of my earrings.

28. your favorite store: target.

29. your favorite color: various shades of pink.

30. when’s the last time you laughed: a good hearty laugh? good question.

31. when’s the last time you cried: teared up this morning. a good cry... the other day.

32. your best friend: i don't really have one best friend, but a few really great friends, for which i can go to all/any of them at any time.

33. one place you go over and over: my living room. it's where i can veg and relax.

34. one person who emails me regularly: a few friends.

35. favorite place to eat: edo. nino. nacho. there are a few more i'm sure.

glee.

2009-10-22T20:58:00.003-04:00

anyone watch glee?

what's not to love. music. dancing. good looking people.

um hello.

totally love.

a co-worker let me in on a little secret...

glee songs!!!

love. love. love.

avon walk for tatas.

2009-10-20T10:41:00.004-04:00

6am. the various avon walks. walkers could leave their mark.
riverside. new jersey is across the water.

just over 1/3 done!

tata van!

the west village.

brooklyn bridge.

brooklyn

headed towards the manhattan bridge.

manhattan bridge.

6.2 miles left!

one of the many wonderful cheering sections.

the end. 26.2 miles completed.

tell me if this is weird.

2009-10-14T11:14:00.002-04:00

so. do you all remember that wedding i was a b'maid in back in april?

well. i saw that the groom is on facebook. so i was like, cool. let me friend him. denied. um. what? denied? really? let's give this another go. denied. i'm sorry, what? 3rd times a charm. nope. denied. really? are you kidding me? and i even wrote a little message to him.

i can't see his profile. but i can see his friends. best man and his girlfriend are (which is how i saw he was on f'book). bride is not. weird? me being denied. weird? he goes 'camping' all the time. weird? bride isn't returning my phone calls or emailing back. weird?

my mom seems to think that there are 'problems' and that would be why bride isn't returning any messages/emails/texts. and i suspect groom is up to no good.

what do you all think?

walk for tatas.

2009-10-07T14:00:00.007-04:00

this weekend i will be taking on a big (huge) challenge. i will be participating in the nyc avon breast cancer walk.

almost 40 miles in just 2 days. the biggest challenge was to raise the minimum $1800, but with the help of many (many, many) friends and family, not only did i meet that goal, but i exceeded it (yay!).

i have never participated in any of the 2 day walks before (just the komen race for the cures) and i'm highly excited (and a little nervous).

however...

not only am i walking for a good cause... but i'm also getting one of the best walking tours of nyc and brooklyn :-)

i will take lots of pictures of course and will post some here. wish me luck!!

negligent.

2009-10-02T15:22:00.002-04:00

i have been so negligent with this thing... i feel like so much has happened, yet nothing at all. let's see if i can think of the highlights from the past few weeks.

i was in new york for about a week when my grandfather passed away. it's still surreal that he isn't here.

i then came home for about 2 days (had to go to class after all, haha) and then went on a road trip (over labor day weekend). I drove to ohio to see the boy and the lil man. it was my first time driving there and i did it! of course my first resort is to fly there--i mean really... fly for 59 minutes or drive for over 6 hours... but... airfare was ridic so i went the cheaper, but longer way. it really wasn't so bad. i had munchies in the car. my ipod hooked up to the radio. my australian hottie notlee telling me where to go (gps--his name is lee, but i don't like that name, so he is not lee--notlee). a fully charged cell phone. what more could a girl ask for? i'm trying to think of what we did... i know that we went to the beach one day. i love the beach. so relaxing. we bbq'd outside. relaxed. went for a bike ride on a trail. went for a walk to the lake. it was really nice and exactly what the dr. had ordered after my week in ny.

i was then home for about 2 or weeks and then went back to new york. i went with my mom for an extended weekend. it was such a bittersweet weekend. my grandmother's birthday and my grandfather wasn't there. we tried to make the most of it. i even went to my first mets game. might i add... my very first very boring mets game (however... the new stadium... beautiful!) they played the nationals and went through almost 7 innings in just over an hour. b-o-r-i-n-g.

what else. school. it's going nicely. i like the teacher. he is really nice. really fair. knows his shit. the only thing, and i guess it was to be expected... it's a 4 hour class. but then again, it is 6 credits. around november 1 i can register for my spring classes. woo! exciting stuff i tell ya!

i think that's it for now... if something pops up, i'll post it. i hope everyone is doing well :-)

facebook status messages

2009-09-23T14:41:00.003-04:00

seriously people.

get your status messages under control. i don't need to know that betty boob is waiting at home for her hunka hunka burning love man. or that chatty cathy is so in love with her man and can't wait to see him, prrr (yes that really was a status message).

i'm sorry. but some stuff is left better unsaid.

and that ladies and gentlemen is my rant of the day.

heartbroken.

2009-08-24T22:40:00.002-04:00

today was supposed to be great day. i had my orientation for grad school. had my picture taken for my school id. met with a few classmates. my advisor. class is supposed to start wednesday. i come home happy that i'm on the next chapter of my life.

instead. i come home to find my mom waiting for me. she had bad news. my grandfather, her father, passed away about an hour prior. my grandfather. my beloved grandfather. he wasn't sick. it was so sudden. he turned 87 last month and was on top of his game. we would im during the day. email. you would never have known that my grandfather was an 87 year old man.

we are leaving tomorrow morning for new york to be with the rest of my family. i cannot stop crying. i'm so heartbroken. so utterly heartbroken.

a must see.

2009-08-17T12:56:00.002-04:00

yesterday was my last final and so my mom decided to take me out to celebrate. dinner and a movie.

we opted for 'the ugly truth'. hilarious! absolutely hilarious. i don't remember laughing so much during a movie. it's one of those movies that i'll be able to watch again. again. and perhaps again.

so. i give this movie an a+. go and see it.

ask me.

2009-08-09T21:28:00.002-04:00

what does spending an entire weekend with married couples, with babies, living in beautiful houses do to a girl like me?

go ahead.

ask me.

20 questions.

2009-08-04T19:18:00.003-04:00

ok. so i was tagged by blogger buddy e to partake in this... so here it goes!

1. what is your favorite item of clothing?
oversized sweats or pj pants. oh how i love to veg in them. thats how the boy first met me. in my oversized pj's. he probably thought i didn't own any 'real' clothing. haha.

2. what are your biggest obsessions?
well i'm going to agree with e and date girl on this one. books. i'm a book whore. i love buying books. i'm such a chic lit gal. when i would order books from amazon, the boy would joke that i could get them from the library. for free.

3. who inspires you?
my mother. she has taught me how to be the independent individual that i am. i have learned from her what to do and what not to do in life.

4. who is your favorite designer and why?
is it awful if i say old navy? they are the clothes that a) i can afford b) fit me well.

5. what is your favorite song ever?
fave song ever. hm. i could go cheesy here and say 'i've had the time of my life' from dirty dancing.

6. what is your favorite song right now?
hm. i'm a huge sugarland and taylor swift fan. i also love 'alright' by darius rucker (aka hootie).

7. if you were a sweetie what would you be?
(these are toughies). i certainly do not have a witty answer for this, but let's go with something chocolate, because i am a sweet girl. sometimes too sweet.

8. red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet – what words would you use to describe your rainbow?
pinks. purples. blues. greens. fun, happy, sociable colors. they would describe my personality. most of the time.

9. what are your favorite films?
so. so. many. dirty dancing. the notebook. beaches. hairspray. mama mia. rent. i could watch those movies over and over and over again.

10. who is your favorite actor?
i have absolutely no idea.

11. if you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
on a beach. a white beach with crystal clear water. relaxing and not worrying about a thing.

12. what are your 3 favorite smells?
my furkids. mens cologne. fresh clean laundry.

13. what are your 3 favorite tastes?
chocolate. bagels (w. cream cheese and lox). spinach/feta combo. yum. those sound so good right about now.

14. what is your most treasured possession?
geesh. i have no idea. lame. sorry.

15. what did you always want to be/do when you grew up?
a teacher. then magazine publishing (what i have my degree in). now back to teaching.

16. if you were an ice-cream what flavour would you be?
oreo ice cream. sweet and soft on the outside. (sweet) hard and tough on the inside.

17. if someone made a short film about your life, who would play you?
i don't know. perhaps sandra bullock?

18. what would your perfect afternoon consist of?
depends on the day. spending it with the boy and the lil man. whether we are relaxing or out and about. or. vegging on my sofa with the furkids watching cheesy tv. or. relaxing by the pool with a good book.

19. if you were a flower what would you be?
a very pretty (perhaps a pink one) one that makes the house smell delich.

20. tell me one random thing… be it your favorite line from a song, scene from a movie or quote from a book…..or tell me about something that you love.
friends. the prom episode where ross and rachel are each other's lobsters. (love. love. love)
friends. the 'they know that we know that they know' episode. 'chandler and monica. chandler and monica. my eyes. my eyes!'

dating in the dark.

2009-08-04T13:30:00.003-04:00

last night. i accidently got suckered into dating in the dark. anyone ever catch it on abc? i didn't mean to watch it. i was watching the sugarland special. it was over. i didn't change the channel. boom. suckered in. for 2 hours.

the funniest part. i text the boy. 'stupid dating in the dark show'. he texts me 'watching that silly dating in the dark show'. we texted each other at the same time!

dorks. i know.

so yeah. we then 'watched' it together. predicting what would happen.

the shows that people come up with. and the shows that people watch. oye. i guess they did their job. i got sucked in. for two hours!

reunion weekend.

2009-07-30T12:35:00.002-04:00

this past weekend was the boy's reunion. it was such a great weekend. lots of fun.

friday. july 24. i flew into cleveland and the boy picked me up and we headed on out to erie, pennsylvania. we checked into our (slightly old) hotel and then got ready for part one of the reunion weekend festivities. the boy went to an all boys private school and so they held a multi-class reunion. it was actually kind of wild. the class of 1964 was, i think, the most represented class. part one was a bbq held at the school. picnic tables were designated to the various classes. the school's cook bbq'd hamburgers and hotdogs, there were chips/pretzels, beer, soda, water, and by far the most delich cookies one has ever tried. (they were a highlight, seeing as i don't eat the hamburgers or hotdogs). so yeah. the boy reconnected with a slew of fellow classmates. we chatted. we then toured the school. class of 1999 style. the stories that these boys were telling cracked me up. too funny what really goes on at an all boys private school. haha.

so yeah. we toured the school. we chatted. then we headed out to bar number 1. (it was actually at the hotel where the reunion was going to be held) right on the water. outdoor table. beautiful night. lots of chit chatting. catching up. we then moved on to bar number 2. again. fun. but by then, i was exhausted. plus. the boy had to get up early for golf the next morning. so we bailed after a little bit.

saturday. july 25. the boy woke up early and played golf with his fellow classmates. me, on the other hand, slept. yeah i slept in. the weather was not pool weather, so i figured why the hell not. ha. i watched some tv and did some school work. ordered pizza. the boy came home. he napped. i continued to watch tv. when he woke up we went out for a little bit. target. borders. ice cream. yum. we went to a local favorite. romolos. freaking delich. the hot fudge they use is the same chocolate that they use for their candy. so yeah. then we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the evenings festivities. we were first meeting the boys (and their women) at a local bar for a pre-reunion drink. the reunion was held at the sheraton hotel and convention center. beautiful. i had a great time chatting with people. ironically enough. a good chunk of the guys live in the dc area. who knew? so we said that the next time the boy is in town, we'd try to get together. why not if they are so close.

sunday. july 26. woke up. checked out. went to the casino! woo. our hotel gave us free money for the casino and then the casino gave us free money. so we played the $20. we walked out with a little but not too much. enough to pay for some of dinner later that night. we then drove through presque isle state park. walked by the channel where the bay meets the lake. loved it. i love the water. we then went to the zoo. after 4, it's free! wooo. boy we did a lot. we then had dinner at quaker steak and lube. delich. and so much yummy food! yeah. then we drove back to cleveland.

the lil man forgot i was coming and so when i walked upstairs to see him, his excitement just melted my heart. he dropped what he was doing and ran over to me and gave me the bestest hug and kiss ever. love.

monday. july 27. fartsing around the house is like key when on vacation. ha. we clearly were not in a motivated mood to do much of anything. after lunch though, we did drive out to downtown cleveland. we walked around the waterfront. took pictures. relaxed. it was beautiful weather. then it was see you later time. i had to be at the airport to fly home. sad.

it was another great weekend with the boy.

(although secretly. i was hoping we'd run into some of the trash he used to "date". haha--i'm horrible i know)

we're unsure of our next visit, but hopefully soon. i'd like labor day weekend, but who knows if he can make that work. guess we'll see.

4th weekend.

2009-07-15T13:35:00.013-04:00

i suck at blogging lately. i'm sorry. i've just been soooo busy with schoolwork that i just haven't had time, or the desire really to be on the computer.

so the weekend of july 4th. busy. fun. long but short.

july 1st. the boy and the lil man drove down to my neck of the woods.

july 2nd. we headed to virginia beach/norfolk. i had the brilliant idea (after looking at google maps) to take a detour, more scenic way. we went via the eastern shore, over the chesapeake bay bridge, and then under/over the chesapeake bay bridge tunnel. i loved it. loved all 17 miles of it. the concept is just so amazing. you're driving on a bridge. then on a manmade island you go into a tunnel. then back on a bridge. back to a tunnel. back to a bridge. it was so much fun. can you tell i'm easily amused?! the bridge actually dumps you out in virginia beach. convenient, right? so we check into the hotel. freshen up. head to dinner, which was good. after, we headed over to the boy's friend's house. one reason we stopped over in virginia. so the boy could see his friends. it was nice.

july 3rd. buuuusy day. after breakfast, the boy took me on a tour of his old neck of the woods. i saw the base in which he had worked at. the houses he lived in. the bars he drank in. we then went to the beach. walked on the boardwalk. then walked along the shoreline, with the waves crashing at our feet. i loved it. i was in such heaven. i'm a sucker for the water. we then hit up lunch and drove the 10 minutes to norfolk, which really, looked just like baltimore. it had a central harbor area with boats and lots of people. their harborfest was going on too, so that was enjoyable for the 3 of us. they also have an old battleship there in which you can tour, so we did. after our outtings, we went back to the hotel. showered and then headed over to the boy's friends house again for a cookout and shrimp boil, which was completely delish. so much fun. i got along great with everyone. i really look forward to another time in which we can all meet up.

july 4th. breakfast (it's so great that most hotels nowadays have a hot breakfast as part of their rate) and then we checked out and started our adventure to north carolina to see my friends. it was a long-ish trip, even more so when you miss an exit and the gps has to 'recalculate'. so anyway. we checked into our hotel. freshened up and then headed over to my friend's house. she had a baby the week before and so everyone was in town. her family. other baltimore friends. they bbq'd, we gaggled over the baby, with whom i was completely in love with and didn't want to give up. the little man was also very intrigued by the baby. it was adorable. so we all chatted. we ate. the kids played. fun times. when we left my friend's house, about a mile or 2 away people were gathering for the fireworks... so we pulled into the parking lot, pulled out my 'beer chair' (for which luckily was still in my trunk) and watched a great showing of fireworks. i had fun, but more importantly, the little man had a great time. and that made me have a great time.

july 5th. bright and early. the little baby was having his bris at the house. i stood in the back, in the kitchen, with most everyone else. haha. after the cermony we all ate (seems to a common theme among friends) and chatted. since the bris was early (9am), we were done by like 1030. we were told that a great place to check out was marbles. a great kid's museum. and it was. so we went there. then went back to my friends house for dinner. a great compilation of leftovers varing from bagels and creamcheese to hamburgers and hot dogs. since most of the other friends had arrived friday, they all left after the bris so i was able to have some more one on one time with my friend and the baby. i loved it. uch, he was just so freaking adorable.

july 6th. the adventure home. long. we hit traffic outside of dc. the highlight. sushi dinner at my fave sushi place. it was so yum and totally hit the spot. but then it dawned on me. oh crap, we have to unload the car. up 4 flights of stairs. oh well. it was all worth it. i had so much fun with the boy. the little man. the boys friends. my friends. the baby.