I don't think there are many people out there that don't feel completely rejuvinated the moment spring arrives and the sunshine is out in full force.
I hate it that I have to spend so many hours inside of an office building when there is a gorgeous world waiting outside for me. Today I got to leave work a half hour early. I'm not totally jumping for joy because the reason for my early dismissal is an eye doctor Appointment. (damn iPhone capitalizing the a in appointment back there... And I can't fix it)
anyways...eye doctor appointment aside I am super stoked to be getting out of my cubical and out into the world. Too bad I'm on the metro right now.
Lately my most fave part of riding home on the metro is when we bust loose from the underground portion and the sun reveals itself. Wahoooo!!! Is typically the word that is screaming inside my head.
Thank you daylight savings time!
Other things that are floating my boat merrily down the stream of life:
1. Awesome weather = awesome outdoor activities.
2. The final season of Lost... Say what you want haters! Lost is la bamba! I think I also have a total DILF crush on Richard Alpert. Who'd have thunk I would go for a dude that looks like he wears more bottom eyeliner than me??
(ps - we just busted loose! I am one with the sunshine! Cue the Wahoo!!)
3. Planning vacations.
4. Living in sin with my boo starting *officially* in April.
5. A freshly painted bedroom.
6. When boys roll up their dress shirt sleeves to just above the elbow. (there is a cutie fella on my train now sporting this style. I dig it. Aaron - take note!)
7. Margaritas and beers and glasses full of white wine at fun happy hours.
8. Using my holga to take purdy photos of my grandparents house once spring has fully sprung!
9. Busting out all my spring and summer dresses! Adios closed toe shoes!
Nine is my gave number so I'll stop my list there.
T G I T friends !!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Because this is what I am doing right now!
Drinking this:
While Brad cooks this:
That would be homemade fish & chips, shepherds pie & irish bread pudding.
I'm ready to celebrate St. Patrick's Day at home with pals AND THE ICING ON THE SHAMROCK is that we also get to watch last night's episode of LOST!
MMmmmm. Food. Friends. Beer. and a confusing - yet FABULOUS - television show.
While Brad cooks this:
That would be homemade fish & chips, shepherds pie & irish bread pudding.
I'm ready to celebrate St. Patrick's Day at home with pals AND THE ICING ON THE SHAMROCK is that we also get to watch last night's episode of LOST!
MMmmmm. Food. Friends. Beer. and a confusing - yet FABULOUS - television show.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Because it happens to everyone...
Anyone that has ever been in a relationship before knows that at some point you and your “other half” are going to come to a crossroads. At that point you two have to make a unanimous decision to either stay together and keep on keepin’ on OR to say to one another, “well…this has been somethin’ else…see ya” and you take off down your own separate path. Anytime in the past that I have parted ways with a fella my separate path usually led to friends, family, fun and booze. Once the path even led to Fort Lauderdale. That was pretty nice.
Point is that relationships are hard. They are confusing. They can make you laugh or make you cry. The good, the bad, the ugly and all that lies in between…that is what a relationship is.
So naturally people are going to question, “What the fudge am I doing?” I feel like if you were to ever say to me, “Nope, nuh uh, I never, ever have felt that way” I will scream at you that you are a big fat liar. I am a worrier by nature and I know that causes my brain to switch to “thought overload” mode quite frequently but I also know that I am not the only chick in the hen house that does this. Worries, insecurities, made up scenarios that you create yourself, sometimes just peck at your brain and drive you freakin’ crazy.
Girls typically need their guys to tell them, "I love you" or "You're beautiful" blah blah blah...And even if a guy says that to a gal ten trillion times...sometimes us ladies need those fellas to say it to us ten trillion AND ONE times.
I don't believe in "the one" but I do believe in making someone else your best friend. The best of the best friends.
Ive been learning lately that as life goes on the more of us seem to want to cling onto what is familiar. Friends, our home, our jobs. But it's not always that easy.
I'm not entirely sure how I started this post talking about relationships and now I am talking about friendships. Maybe I still have some alcohol floating around in me from this past weekend and it's making my brain all mushy.
I am getting all mushy. ew.
On that note...I'm leaving this post open ended. Perhaps I'll visit this thought train later for some additional choo-chooin' as it comes to me.
(ps -- in other non-related news...if you have an iphone... please play words with friends with me!! username: J_B_J)
thank you and goodnight!
Point is that relationships are hard. They are confusing. They can make you laugh or make you cry. The good, the bad, the ugly and all that lies in between…that is what a relationship is.
So naturally people are going to question, “What the fudge am I doing?” I feel like if you were to ever say to me, “Nope, nuh uh, I never, ever have felt that way” I will scream at you that you are a big fat liar. I am a worrier by nature and I know that causes my brain to switch to “thought overload” mode quite frequently but I also know that I am not the only chick in the hen house that does this. Worries, insecurities, made up scenarios that you create yourself, sometimes just peck at your brain and drive you freakin’ crazy.
Girls typically need their guys to tell them, "I love you" or "You're beautiful" blah blah blah...And even if a guy says that to a gal ten trillion times...sometimes us ladies need those fellas to say it to us ten trillion AND ONE times.
I don't believe in "the one" but I do believe in making someone else your best friend. The best of the best friends.
Ive been learning lately that as life goes on the more of us seem to want to cling onto what is familiar. Friends, our home, our jobs. But it's not always that easy.
I'm not entirely sure how I started this post talking about relationships and now I am talking about friendships. Maybe I still have some alcohol floating around in me from this past weekend and it's making my brain all mushy.
I am getting all mushy. ew.
On that note...I'm leaving this post open ended. Perhaps I'll visit this thought train later for some additional choo-chooin' as it comes to me.
(ps -- in other non-related news...if you have an iphone... please play words with friends with me!! username: J_B_J)
thank you and goodnight!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Because my step-brother is married!
Since I was in the wedding I obviously was unable to take any photos of the ceremony. Aaron was given the task of "take my camera, take some pictures" but I guess my Step-mom decided to force him to take photos for HER with HER camera instead. Boo to that. I SUPPOSE I CAN LET THAT SLIDE THIS TIME....she probably couldn't really see past her tears.
All in all the day went really smooth. The rain was a big pain in my ass and my hair didn't turn out QUITE the way I wanted...BUT...all the guests were in a great mood and beers were only a buck. Plus the DJ played a bunch of songs I liked - cupid shuffle (don't hate!), the booty call (DON'T HATE!), SHOUT! (I felt just like Vince Vaughn), random 80's jams. There were hardly any slow songs which was lucky for Aaron because lord knows that boy does NOT like to dance.
After the reception we all headed back to the hotel bar for some more adult beverages because after we killed a keg that is exactly what we needed. My dad became BFFs with the bartender Bill and he even allowed the bar to stay open past 11pm (WTF is up with a hotel bar closing at 11pm????? LUDA-CRIS!)
Despite the fact that I ate 10 pounds worth of bar snacks - aka cheez-it's snack mix - when the Domino's pizza arrived courtesy of a groomsman, Aaron and I made a mad dash for slices. The after party became the after, AFTER party - in the Honeymoon Suite. Kind of odd/gross because you know you are in the soon to be location of fornication. But, whatevs...my Dad had a cooler full of beer so we all just sort of drank that uneasy feeling away.
At some point during the after after party the same groomsman that provided the pizza also provided entertainment in the form of a speedo. Then I remember seeing him being tackled to the floor to receive what I am going to assume was the biggest wedgie he's ever experienced.
About five minutes after seeing butt cheeks Aaron and I went back to our room to pass out for the evening.
I had a fabulous time being a part of this wedding but i AM SO DANG GLAD IT IS OVER. No more 1.5 hour drives up to Hagerstown (google it if you don't know) and no more planning or emailing etc...
More photos will hopefully come soon. I am off to recover from the insanity and try to get some sleep despite the fact that I lost 1 hour of my life today! Grrrr
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Because the wedding weekend is upon us!
Alrighty roo! It's Thursday night and that only means one thing! WEDDING WEEKEND IS UPON US!
Ok so, I'd do a really in depth recap on the Bach Party but lord only knows who might stumble upon this. It's probably safer if I just say, "What happens in Hagerstown, stays in Hagerstown."
And if some of you have never been to Hagerstown, MD well...consider yourself lucky. There is nothing there that is all that exciting except for the Target, Olive Garden and THE BON TON.
I'll probably be updating via twitter & facebook all the wedding shenanigans. I feel kinda bad for Aaron because he is going to be forced to become BFF/drinking buddies with my dad. This happened once before and Jager in the form of a bomb was forced down his throat. No bueno. As long as my pops sticks to shoving BUDWEISER down his throat - I think we'll be okay.
I promise that this time I really will update with photos and pictures!! No one really needs to see pictures of a stuffed penis and a girl doing various "sexy acts" to a mini blow up doll.
Until then!
Ok so, I'd do a really in depth recap on the Bach Party but lord only knows who might stumble upon this. It's probably safer if I just say, "What happens in Hagerstown, stays in Hagerstown."
And if some of you have never been to Hagerstown, MD well...consider yourself lucky. There is nothing there that is all that exciting except for the Target, Olive Garden and THE BON TON.
I'll probably be updating via twitter & facebook all the wedding shenanigans. I feel kinda bad for Aaron because he is going to be forced to become BFF/drinking buddies with my dad. This happened once before and Jager in the form of a bomb was forced down his throat. No bueno. As long as my pops sticks to shoving BUDWEISER down his throat - I think we'll be okay.
I promise that this time I really will update with photos and pictures!! No one really needs to see pictures of a stuffed penis and a girl doing various "sexy acts" to a mini blow up doll.
Until then!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Because I'm lazy..
I know there was talk of updates on the Bach Party. But since I am currently a resident of sofa city AND watching the Academy Awards an update just cannot occur.
FYI -- I freakin' love Miley's dress. I freakin' HATE her attitude.
Anyways....What I can say briefly about last night is this:
1. It was a long night.
2. I don't remember getting out of the limo and climbing into bed at the end of the long night.
3. I want to get engaged now just so I can have a bachelorette party of my own.
4. My meals yesterday consisted of the following:
Breakfast - Atkins bar
Lunch - 6 inch subway sub
"Dinner" - Atkins bar
This resulted in me consuming late night McDonalds. My online bank statement says I spent $11.37 there. How is this possible?? I DO REMEMBER handing out cheeseburgers to the other girls in the limo in the same manner that perfumer spritzer ladies give out spritzes. ONE FOR EVERYONE!
5. I had a massive headache when I woke up at 7:15am.
6. I drove home still pretty drunk.
7. I have felt the need to massively eat today.
WAY TO GO DIET
8. I need ice cream.
Ok now I'm just rambling.
I'm off to recoop and watch movie stars win shiny gold statues.
FYI -- I freakin' love Miley's dress. I freakin' HATE her attitude.
Anyways....What I can say briefly about last night is this:
1. It was a long night.
2. I don't remember getting out of the limo and climbing into bed at the end of the long night.
3. I want to get engaged now just so I can have a bachelorette party of my own.
4. My meals yesterday consisted of the following:
Breakfast - Atkins bar
Lunch - 6 inch subway sub
"Dinner" - Atkins bar
This resulted in me consuming late night McDonalds. My online bank statement says I spent $11.37 there. How is this possible?? I DO REMEMBER handing out cheeseburgers to the other girls in the limo in the same manner that perfumer spritzer ladies give out spritzes. ONE FOR EVERYONE!
5. I had a massive headache when I woke up at 7:15am.
6. I drove home still pretty drunk.
7. I have felt the need to massively eat today.
WAY TO GO DIET
8. I need ice cream.
Ok now I'm just rambling.
I'm off to recoop and watch movie stars win shiny gold statues.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
BECAUSE IT'S LAAAAADIES NIGHT!
Okay Ladies & no Gents!
The day has arrived! BACHELORETTE PARTY TIME!
You may be happy to hear that I am currently sitting in a bed, with my fave cat while some L'oreal sunless tanner soaks into my bod. I will be decked out in PINK clothing and sipping on PINK champagne! Oh yes and a 12 pack of Miller Lite.
And also maybe a Sparks. Yikes.
I know I said I was going to post pictures of the Bridal Shower but looks like I lied to you all.
I more than likely will NOT be posting photos from that day.
BUT WHAT I WILL DO...is post photos of 13 girls in a limo, drinking various beverages and bar hopping the night away.
Please stay tuned for the insanity that is sure to come.
And maybe if I am coherent enough.. photos and updates will be posted HERE as well.
The day has arrived! BACHELORETTE PARTY TIME!
You may be happy to hear that I am currently sitting in a bed, with my fave cat while some L'oreal sunless tanner soaks into my bod. I will be decked out in PINK clothing and sipping on PINK champagne! Oh yes and a 12 pack of Miller Lite.
And also maybe a Sparks. Yikes.
I know I said I was going to post pictures of the Bridal Shower but looks like I lied to you all.
I more than likely will NOT be posting photos from that day.
BUT WHAT I WILL DO...is post photos of 13 girls in a limo, drinking various beverages and bar hopping the night away.
Please stay tuned for the insanity that is sure to come.
And maybe if I am coherent enough.. photos and updates will be posted HERE as well.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Because I am a pop princess!
Hay hay hay!
I haven't blogged in a bit. I've been spending the majority of my free time after work at THE GYM! Remember how I told you that during the snow storm I ate my weight in carbs, frozen food and cheese and then washed it all down with wine & mimosas?? Yes, ok, well in case you were not aware....doing that will result in loss of muscle definition and a gain of FAT.
I am happy to announce that i lost two pounds this week! Heck yes!
While at the gym I listen to Pandora now.
My radio stations for the gym consist of the following:
Lady Gaga.
Beyonce.
Teen Pop.
I can't help it. I am so freakin' obsessed with Lady Gaga's song TELEPHONE. And who the hell doesn't love to kick the elliptical's ass while listening to ALL THE SINGLE LADIES! ??
As for the Teen Pop station...well I love me some MIley Cyrus almost as much as I love me some Lauren "LC" Conrad. Which reminds me...I need to rent that Hannah Montana movie ASAP!
AND SPEAKING OF MOVIES.... who is going to see Alice in Wonderland this weekend??!
I am going with a bunch o' pals on Sunday evening. I will probably be hungover because on Saturday I am going to a bachelorette party. I plan to go off my diet and allow myself to indulge in some movie theater popcorn.
mmm droool just thinking about that.
ok most random update ever!
ps --- i have started TWEETING again! So much damn easier with the iphone.
T G I F !!
I haven't blogged in a bit. I've been spending the majority of my free time after work at THE GYM! Remember how I told you that during the snow storm I ate my weight in carbs, frozen food and cheese and then washed it all down with wine & mimosas?? Yes, ok, well in case you were not aware....doing that will result in loss of muscle definition and a gain of FAT.
I am happy to announce that i lost two pounds this week! Heck yes!
While at the gym I listen to Pandora now.
My radio stations for the gym consist of the following:
Lady Gaga.
Beyonce.
Teen Pop.
I can't help it. I am so freakin' obsessed with Lady Gaga's song TELEPHONE. And who the hell doesn't love to kick the elliptical's ass while listening to ALL THE SINGLE LADIES! ??
As for the Teen Pop station...well I love me some MIley Cyrus almost as much as I love me some Lauren "LC" Conrad. Which reminds me...I need to rent that Hannah Montana movie ASAP!
AND SPEAKING OF MOVIES.... who is going to see Alice in Wonderland this weekend??!
I am going with a bunch o' pals on Sunday evening. I will probably be hungover because on Saturday I am going to a bachelorette party. I plan to go off my diet and allow myself to indulge in some movie theater popcorn.
mmm droool just thinking about that.
ok most random update ever!
ps --- i have started TWEETING again! So much damn easier with the iphone.
T G I F !!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Because babies are SO CUTE !
I am a 26 year old, unmarried girl. That means that people are going to soon start referring to my biological clock as "ticking".
I don't know when that will occur but what I DO KNOW is that Brooke & Joey's little baby "G.A.L"
(stands for Gabrielle Addison Lauffer...but isn't GAL just so much more fun to say??) is a teeny, tiny, little bundle of pink adorableness.
This morning Brooke won trooper of the year award and brought GAL along to meet Caitlin and I for a ladies brunch at Harry's Tap Room in Arlington. We enjoyed girl talk, mimosas, and good food but mostly, we sat and ooo'ed and aahh'ed at the cuteness.
We gave GAL her first initiation test into our group and she passed with flying colors: Surviving and enjoying a massive photo shoot.
We always seem to take massive pictures whenever we do ANYTHING whether it be going out to dinner, the bars, the beach, so why would this be any different?
Caitlin & Baby GAL: Ladies who brunch!
Myself & the pink bundle.
I don't know when that will occur but what I DO KNOW is that Brooke & Joey's little baby "G.A.L"
(stands for Gabrielle Addison Lauffer...but isn't GAL just so much more fun to say??) is a teeny, tiny, little bundle of pink adorableness.
This morning Brooke won trooper of the year award and brought GAL along to meet Caitlin and I for a ladies brunch at Harry's Tap Room in Arlington. We enjoyed girl talk, mimosas, and good food but mostly, we sat and ooo'ed and aahh'ed at the cuteness.
We gave GAL her first initiation test into our group and she passed with flying colors: Surviving and enjoying a massive photo shoot.
We always seem to take massive pictures whenever we do ANYTHING whether it be going out to dinner, the bars, the beach, so why would this be any different?
Caitlin & Baby GAL: Ladies who brunch!
Myself & the pink bundle.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Because I need wedding hair !
SOOOOO the BIG DAY! is oh so soon.
all images via here.
March 13th my (little) step brother is getting hitched. And, again, I am a bridesmaid.
I have been searching high and low all over the internetz to find a hairstyle(s) that I can take to the stylist the morning of the wedding.
You see, how do I put this nicely? I do not trust the skills of the person I will be getting my hair done by.
I don't know them buuuttt the town is nothing but country-bumpkinville and I've seen my fair share of Split Ends on Bravo to know that if your salon is located in a town with population: 42...then chances are your hair is gonna look a lot more DOLLY PARTON and little less LAUREN CONRAD at the wedding.
I have a TON of hair.
A TON of naturally wavy hair.
I think that the majority of the MAIDS will have "high & tight" up-do's sooo that kinda makes me wanna go with low and loose.
I have an idea in my head of what this looks like I am just nerrrrrvous it will look way crappy or fall out or get frizzy.
Anyways....
Pictures of pretty girls with pretty hair:
all images via here.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Because this will be a quick one!
Haayyy folks!
In approximately 2 hours I will be headed up North for a bridal shower. I spent all day yesterday running around like a crazy women, going to a zillion stores in order to find everything that I needed for the shower.
Gifts, gag gifts (candy penis pouch for the honeymoon basket? don't mind if i do!), food, wrapping paper etc....
In the process I also happened to spend a pretty penny on myself. Oops.
BUT I JUST COULD NOT RESIST!
Target cast it's magic spell on me and it was all over after that.
I got dresses. I got work clothes. I got YET ANOTHER Jantzen bathing suit from Marshalls on sale for ONLY $25.00!!
(looks just a tad bit better on the model HAH!)
Oh and did I mention that I also purchased two bathing suits from Target?
(looks just a tad bit better on the model HAH!)Oh and did I mention that I also purchased two bathing suits from Target?
Looks like someone is ready for summer.
Anyyywayssss...just a quick little update on nothing really important.
Shower photos will come shortly. My friend Brad spent the entire day (and probably most of the night) baking the shower cake! Photos of THAT will most definitely be posted.
In the meantime....have a happy Sunday!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Because today started out much better than yesterday….
So we all have them. “Those mornings”. Those types of mornings that start off so bad you contemplate going right back home and climbing in bed, watching hulu all day, eating food that falls under the “moment on the lips, lifetime on the hips” category and NOT going to the gym to work it off.
That is exactly the type of morning I had yesterday.
Today was fine. This morning I woke up on time, did not feel all that tired, got a cup o’ joe from OH THANK HEAVEN 7-11, got to work on time and had an easy breezy morning. I worked out during lunch for 45 minutes and drooled the entire time just thinking about the belated Valentine’s Day dinner that I will be inhaling tonight.
But yesterday…yesterday morning was the devil.
Tuesday, February 16th started out just like any other morning. The alarm clock went off at 5:30am. I hit snooze twice and at 5:50am I climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom. This is when the problems started. You see, while I was washing my face I somehow INHALED my face wash soap. Have any of you ever done this before? Soap in eyes…yeah, yeah, yeah we all do that. But soap in the lungs? I would be willing to bet a large sum of money that this is not a common occurrence.
Ok so, into my lungs went the Biore’ face wash. Massive hacking and gasping for air started. Ugh.
Now let’s fast forward to the Metro parking lot shall we?
Remember how I mentioned that DC got like a few inches of snow? Well, Bill Nye the Science Guy once told me that when snow melts it turns to water and then when water freezes again it turns into ice and when water melts on pavement and then refreezes into ice it ACTUALLY turns into what Bill would call “BLACK ICE”. This means blonde girls wearing shoes with no traction will slip and fall when they fail to see black ice.
My ass and elbow took a brutal beating thanks to black ice. No big deal. I picked myself up and kept on truckin’. I did notice that there was a guy about 50 feet behind me who did not ask or offer if I needed help. Whatevs…Beyonce said it best with this.
So I walk the million miles up to the Metro platform when I realize that one of my heels fell out of my bag. “Where the hell did that damn shoe fall out?????!!!” So I had to retrace all my steps. Low and behold my shoe was lying right where my ass had been about five minutes earlier. I bent down to pick it up and realized that a car or two did me the nice favor of running it over. Fabulous.
When I was finally snug in a seat on the Metro I decided to check my work emails via my almost dead iPhone. I kept it off the night before because I had the tiniest bit of power left and no charger! That is when I saw it. The email from someone in Human Resources.
“The office will be opening two hours late today due to weather conditions”.
Awesome.
If I ever find myself in that type of situation again my day will definitely not include WORK.
It will include: Home. Bed. Hulu. Fatty Foods.
The end!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Because of my boyfriend...
...I learned how to snowboard. (i am not saying i am GOOD at it, but, I can stand up without falling!)
...I have visited Georgia, South Carolina, Maine, Rhode Island and California.
...I have learned to eat (and LOVE) crabs.
...I have begun to love cats. (well...maybe just ONE cat.)
...My car is never without freshy fresh oil.
...I go to Lowes more than anyone else on the planet. (Except for maybe Bob Villa or this guy.)
...I hardly ever wear heels. HAH!
...I will never be without tasty chili.
...My friends & I will always have a place to throw glitter around and "get ready" for various events, dinners, outings & parties.
...My clothing is never at one house.
...I will always have someone to scrape the ice off my car and drive me to work when it snows.
...I know what it is like to be treated well by someone else.
...I have become (what I hope is) a better version of me.
Hope everyone had a fabulous Valentine's Day. Hopefully it involved lots of love to/from friends & family.
**despite the fact that one person in this photo probably hates it...i still love it so up it goes! HAH!**
...I have visited Georgia, South Carolina, Maine, Rhode Island and California.
...I have learned to eat (and LOVE) crabs.
...I have begun to love cats. (well...maybe just ONE cat.)
...My car is never without freshy fresh oil.
...I go to Lowes more than anyone else on the planet. (Except for maybe Bob Villa or this guy.)
...I hardly ever wear heels. HAH!
...I will never be without tasty chili.
...My friends & I will always have a place to throw glitter around and "get ready" for various events, dinners, outings & parties.
...My clothing is never at one house.
...I will always have someone to scrape the ice off my car and drive me to work when it snows.
...I know what it is like to be treated well by someone else.
...I have become (what I hope is) a better version of me.
Hope everyone had a fabulous Valentine's Day. Hopefully it involved lots of love to/from friends & family.
**despite the fact that one person in this photo probably hates it...i still love it so up it goes! HAH!**
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Because I am back!
Sooo on Tuesday despite the fact that it was still purrrrrdy snowy outside I had to haul my rump into DC for work! Aaron drove me to the (not so) nearest metro station and away my luggage and I went.
You see, my work was supposed to be having a Conference in DC this week. I was scheduled to work at the Conference Tuesday - Friday.
Welllll Mother Nature was busy making other plans while we were stuffing bags with promotional and informational materials.
Blizzard part dos 2K10 came rollllllin' in with a vengeance and our Conference was pretty much forced to cancel.
I'll spare you all the details but I just got back home this morning. I spent two nights in a king sized bed all by myself so that was pretty fabulous. But...walking around in the blizzard with no "snow gear" on was not so fabulous.
I am going to take the day to be as lazy as possible and maybe take some time to pray REEEEEEEEEEEEEAL hard for no work tomorrow either.
You see, my work was supposed to be having a Conference in DC this week. I was scheduled to work at the Conference Tuesday - Friday.
Welllll Mother Nature was busy making other plans while we were stuffing bags with promotional and informational materials.
Blizzard part dos 2K10 came rollllllin' in with a vengeance and our Conference was pretty much forced to cancel.
I'll spare you all the details but I just got back home this morning. I spent two nights in a king sized bed all by myself so that was pretty fabulous. But...walking around in the blizzard with no "snow gear" on was not so fabulous.
I am going to take the day to be as lazy as possible and maybe take some time to pray REEEEEEEEEEEEEAL hard for no work tomorrow either.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Because I have nothing better to do!
Since it looks like this outside...
...and it is going to be doing this for mannnyyy more hours...
...I have decided to do this all morning (ok, and afternoon too)...
...and it is going to be doing this for mannnyyy more hours...
...I have decided to do this all morning (ok, and afternoon too)...
Friday, February 5, 2010
Because it's the end of the world!
Ok not really.
But in Maryland it sure as heck seems like it!
For those of you that don't live on the east coast you may or may not be aware that we are in for a taaaaad bit of snow this weekend.
I for one am EXTREMELY excited. I really don't care all that much that I get to sit around, eat some good food, drink a bunch of wine, watch some good movies and take pretty walks outside on the snow covered streets.
In preparation for "the end of the world" Aaron and I hit up Trader Joe's.
I have one word for you...WOWSAH'S!
That place was wiped out worse than the Tsunami of 2004. There was nothing left!
Frozen pizza? Nope.
Milk? Nope.
Butta'? No way.
Bread? Not really.
When I go to the grocery store before a storm I'm not much of a "milk, bread, toilet paper & eggs" type of gal. I mostly want to get things I can munch on, stuff to make a good pot of soup and maybe some sweet treats.
This time around, I wanted to make spinach dip.
However, there was...no.frozen.spinach. The words "what the hell??" were running through my mind. I can understand no pizza. I can understand no milk, no butter, no bread. But no frozen spinach? Who the hell STOCKS UP ON SPINACH? Those in the world that are afraid of having an iron deficiency? Need some additional fiber because lord knows all that bread & milk ain't gonna do the trick.
So we ended up leaving Trader Joe's with chips, chips and more chips. Various salsas. Random frozen food items such as lemongrass and coconut chicken curry egg rolls. Dark chocolate chunk & almond cookies. Cheeses, prosciutto and tomatoes. The essentials really.
After a supermarket sweep we headed to da' liquor sto'! liquor sto'!
I purchased approximately 47 dollars worth of booze:
1 bottle of *good* red wine
1 BIG BOTTLE (say that in your best Anne Burrell voice) of pinot noir.
2 bottles of Andre (don't hate! I just need some champagne for mimosa's in the morning! Hair o' the dog!)
1 bottle of Sauv Blanc.
Aaron purchased 2 six packs. He is so lame. His tolerance is wayyyy low.
So yes! I am ready for world destruction! Otherwise known as a snow storm.
I'm sure there will be photos to follow because...why the heck not?
Happy snow day to those of you that are on the east coast too!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Because the snow can't stop us!
Mmmmk so I was like, really, really sick last week. I called out of work after having a semi panic attack about it. I needed sleep and to try to breathe out of my nose while sleeping. The first part of that happened. I got lots of sleep.
Anyways...by Friday I was feelin' mucho better so naturally I went out for wine with friends. It wasn't a late night but I still consumed a boat load of wine. (I did this all the time in college when I was sick and somehow I don't think that was a very wise choice then, so it probably isn't a wise choice now either.)
By Saturday I was feeling much better. Of course, not well enough to go to the gym! HAH!
So while Aaron pumped some iron I made hot chocolate and sat on my ass with my computer on my lap and watched the snow fall AND looked at countless wedding blogs for something like...three freakin' hours.
Laziest person of the day award goes to ME!
I attempted to fast that entire day in preparation for a hugeeemongo Italiano feast that was going to be consumed at Maggiano's that evening.
I failed. I had a piece of pizza and some nasty hot pocket thingy along with many, many slices of pineapple upside down cake. Brad made a big cake for Celeste's birthday and he also made a BABY PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE ... what girl on a "low carb" diet could resist?
So the feast at Maggiano's in DC did NOT happen due to snow but Italiano food was still consumed in honor of Markus being 90% Italian and 100% GUIDO! (don't worry, it's ok if you don't understand.) He is the only Mulatto that I know that can say he is 90% Italian and only 10% black.
Even though it took us all a good hour to drive 10 miles to the nearest CARRABBAS! We decided that after dinner it would still be smart to venture downtown for some cheap beer & rock N' roll.
Before we left I decided that I wanted to bust the plastic lenses out of some 3-d glasses and have a photoshoot (thanks to Brad) and act all sorts of silly.
But the fun would not stop there. The glasses went into my ridiculously oversized TOTE BAG that I use Monday - Friday to carry a bunch of crap to work like: heels, my lunch, an umbrella, an iPod, my phone, 2 pairs of sunglasses, a hello kitty change purse, my wallet (aaaandd frog! name that joke and you win 16 cool points).
So yeah big ass purse. Lots of room for 3-d glasses. (thankyouverymuchjamescameronandyourphenommovieavatar).
I really don't have much else to say in this post and so I'll show you photos!
Bradz camera rulez the werld. I wish it was mine.
OH but my purple holga came today along with NOT ONE but TWO copies of "In Her Shoes" starring Toni Collette, Cami Diaz & Shirley Maclaine. Apparently when you are taking codiene cough syrup you should not be allowed to order anything off Amazon because chances are you will double order something and not even realize it despite the fact that Amazon.com asks you about 57008 million times "DOES YOUR ORDER LOOK OKAY? PLEASE REVIEW! REVIEW AGAIN! THANKS! HERE IS YOUR ORDER ONE LAST TIME!" and then they even EMAIL it to you and you probably STILL won't realize you placed a double order for a chick flick until you open the box and go "oMG! THEY GAVE ME TWO COPIES BY MISTAKE" but then you see "oh no...I just suck at ordering stuff online".
This is not the first time this happened seeing as how I also ordered a Wii game for Aaron for Christmas from the UK. The UK deceives us Amuuuurricans. They will ship a Wii game to you but they won't tell you "this game will not work with your system".
Instead...they just charge you a lot more money and then sit back and laugh just thinking of how pissed you are gonna be once the game arrives 4 weeks later and doesn't work.
I think I mentioned something about pictures from my weekend?
HERE GOES!
a-Ron in zee snow in a safari hat. fun!
The Birthday Boy (guido!) please note the *new* guido apparel!
kath fixin' up her hurr.
kath & cath lookin' all sorts of kewl!
lovies.
caitlin came home from vegas/utah/nyc!
Anyways...by Friday I was feelin' mucho better so naturally I went out for wine with friends. It wasn't a late night but I still consumed a boat load of wine. (I did this all the time in college when I was sick and somehow I don't think that was a very wise choice then, so it probably isn't a wise choice now either.)
By Saturday I was feeling much better. Of course, not well enough to go to the gym! HAH!
So while Aaron pumped some iron I made hot chocolate and sat on my ass with my computer on my lap and watched the snow fall AND looked at countless wedding blogs for something like...three freakin' hours.
Laziest person of the day award goes to ME!
I attempted to fast that entire day in preparation for a hugeeemongo Italiano feast that was going to be consumed at Maggiano's that evening.
I failed. I had a piece of pizza and some nasty hot pocket thingy along with many, many slices of pineapple upside down cake. Brad made a big cake for Celeste's birthday and he also made a BABY PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE ... what girl on a "low carb" diet could resist?
So the feast at Maggiano's in DC did NOT happen due to snow but Italiano food was still consumed in honor of Markus being 90% Italian and 100% GUIDO! (don't worry, it's ok if you don't understand.) He is the only Mulatto that I know that can say he is 90% Italian and only 10% black.
Even though it took us all a good hour to drive 10 miles to the nearest CARRABBAS! We decided that after dinner it would still be smart to venture downtown for some cheap beer & rock N' roll.
Before we left I decided that I wanted to bust the plastic lenses out of some 3-d glasses and have a photoshoot (thanks to Brad) and act all sorts of silly.
But the fun would not stop there. The glasses went into my ridiculously oversized TOTE BAG that I use Monday - Friday to carry a bunch of crap to work like: heels, my lunch, an umbrella, an iPod, my phone, 2 pairs of sunglasses, a hello kitty change purse, my wallet (aaaandd frog! name that joke and you win 16 cool points).
So yeah big ass purse. Lots of room for 3-d glasses. (thankyouverymuchjamescameronandyourphenommovieavatar).
I really don't have much else to say in this post and so I'll show you photos!
Bradz camera rulez the werld. I wish it was mine.
OH but my purple holga came today along with NOT ONE but TWO copies of "In Her Shoes" starring Toni Collette, Cami Diaz & Shirley Maclaine. Apparently when you are taking codiene cough syrup you should not be allowed to order anything off Amazon because chances are you will double order something and not even realize it despite the fact that Amazon.com asks you about 57008 million times "DOES YOUR ORDER LOOK OKAY? PLEASE REVIEW! REVIEW AGAIN! THANKS! HERE IS YOUR ORDER ONE LAST TIME!" and then they even EMAIL it to you and you probably STILL won't realize you placed a double order for a chick flick until you open the box and go "oMG! THEY GAVE ME TWO COPIES BY MISTAKE" but then you see "oh no...I just suck at ordering stuff online".
This is not the first time this happened seeing as how I also ordered a Wii game for Aaron for Christmas from the UK. The UK deceives us Amuuuurricans. They will ship a Wii game to you but they won't tell you "this game will not work with your system".
Instead...they just charge you a lot more money and then sit back and laugh just thinking of how pissed you are gonna be once the game arrives 4 weeks later and doesn't work.
I think I mentioned something about pictures from my weekend?
HERE GOES!
a-Ron in zee snow in a safari hat. fun!
The Birthday Boy (guido!) please note the *new* guido apparel! 
kath fixin' up her hurr. 
kath & cath lookin' all sorts of kewl! 
lovies. 
caitlin came home from vegas/utah/nyc! the end.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Because I bought this...
Aaron & friends are all really into photography. Almost every one of those boys has a nice camera and lenses to go with it. Each of them has an eye for it too. I feel like Aaron is really great at seeing things differently - he seems to be able to capture scenery really well. Whereas Brad seems to have a good eye for capturing emotions and people. That's my take on it at least! And Sander has really pretty photos too. He can make a bike or car part look interesting. (I think that is a compliment since I'm a chick that is pretty clueless when it comes to anything mechanical)
So I shelled out 25 bucks for that purple toy camera. It was cheap. It is old school. It is probably a little too "hipster" for me but I'll make it work regardless. I'm excited for real film again! Taking it to get developed and waiting for it to get processed.
I'll let the fellas stick to taking the amazing digital photos and I'll try my hand at making a piece of plastic work!
Monday, January 25, 2010
Because I'm clueless!
Mmmmmmk GIRLS I need some big time H E L P !
I already asked caitlin about this buuuttt I feel like I want some extra opinions. I am in a wedding in March. My bridesmaid dress looks like this:
Only it isn't pink it is this color:
The color is called POOL specifically. Now...I think it is a really pretty color - especially since I'm blonde and have that naturally super PALE skin thing going on.
But for a MARCH wedding?? ehhh...that color would not have been MY first choice. That's all I'm gonna say about that!
SO! This now puts me in an odd spot because I need SHOES. The bride has informed me that most of the other bridesmaids are wearing WHITE........SHOES.
White shoes? In MARCH? Really? Andddd get this...one of them is wearing "a kitten heel, almost thong type sandal."
Uhhh....ooohhkay.
I don't know if I can even FIND white shoes in March unless I get lucky on some sort of SPRING fashion overload in the stores and yeeaaah let's face it, stores put out Christmas decorations in like July so I probably COULD find white shoes but then my thing is.. open or closed toe? In March...I would say closed. But WTH do you find closed toed white shoes? PAYLESS during a BOGO in the wedding section where those white shoes are meant to be dyed?? Bleh.
Caitlin said metallic. And I like that idea. However, since Aaron is all of BARELY ONE INCH taller than me I really don't want to invest in some SILVERY HEELS and be towering over his short ass all night. And, I don't go to too many homecoming dances anymore so I don't see why I really need SILVER HEELS in my closet anymore either
Ahhh...life is so rough.
Ok so yeah opinions would be appreciated it.
I already asked caitlin about this buuuttt I feel like I want some extra opinions. I am in a wedding in March. My bridesmaid dress looks like this:
Only it isn't pink it is this color:
The color is called POOL specifically. Now...I think it is a really pretty color - especially since I'm blonde and have that naturally super PALE skin thing going on.
But for a MARCH wedding?? ehhh...that color would not have been MY first choice. That's all I'm gonna say about that!
SO! This now puts me in an odd spot because I need SHOES. The bride has informed me that most of the other bridesmaids are wearing WHITE........SHOES.
White shoes? In MARCH? Really? Andddd get this...one of them is wearing "a kitten heel, almost thong type sandal."
Uhhh....ooohhkay.
I don't know if I can even FIND white shoes in March unless I get lucky on some sort of SPRING fashion overload in the stores and yeeaaah let's face it, stores put out Christmas decorations in like July so I probably COULD find white shoes but then my thing is.. open or closed toe? In March...I would say closed. But WTH do you find closed toed white shoes? PAYLESS during a BOGO in the wedding section where those white shoes are meant to be dyed?? Bleh.
Caitlin said metallic. And I like that idea. However, since Aaron is all of BARELY ONE INCH taller than me I really don't want to invest in some SILVERY HEELS and be towering over his short ass all night. And, I don't go to too many homecoming dances anymore so I don't see why I really need SILVER HEELS in my closet anymore either
Ahhh...life is so rough.
Ok so yeah opinions would be appreciated it.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Because cardio is not limited...
If people were asked what types of activities qualify as a cardiovascular workout I bet the top five things you'd see on the board of Family Feud would be running, walking, aerobics, swimming, hiking. Or something along those lines.
Well at the gym on the first floor of my office building people seem to have different ideas of what cardio is.
So far I have seen biking while furiously shaking ones head, jumping up and down in a zig zag line and one person pointing their toes in random directions.
Now I guess I can't really judge these forms of cardio. Jumping around in a zig zag pattern may keep people in shape. I don't see too many fat four year olds running around and I assume that zig zag jumping is probably a big part of recess.
Shortly after jumping around in a zig zag formation I saw someone set out mini cones and proceed to jump over them - sideways - back and forth until it looked like they were going to die. This is the same person that was in the locker room with me and as she pulled her shirt over her head while changing let a big fart rip. No "excuse me". No nothing. It was like my Grandmother. She just freely farts and if you laugh or call her out she gets mad and yells something like, "JESSIE! I CAN'T HELP IT!"
I guess this woman couldn't help it either.
But moving on...so yeah...the gym at work is just CHOCK FULL of entertaining folks.
Next time I will try to capture these gym creatures in their natural (odd) habitat and upload it so you can all see just exactly what it is I am talking about.
Until then...if you find yourself struggling with weight loss might I suggest jumping around like a four year old, or pointing your toes in various directions or hopping over mini cones.
Well at the gym on the first floor of my office building people seem to have different ideas of what cardio is.
So far I have seen biking while furiously shaking ones head, jumping up and down in a zig zag line and one person pointing their toes in random directions.
Now I guess I can't really judge these forms of cardio. Jumping around in a zig zag pattern may keep people in shape. I don't see too many fat four year olds running around and I assume that zig zag jumping is probably a big part of recess.
Shortly after jumping around in a zig zag formation I saw someone set out mini cones and proceed to jump over them - sideways - back and forth until it looked like they were going to die. This is the same person that was in the locker room with me and as she pulled her shirt over her head while changing let a big fart rip. No "excuse me". No nothing. It was like my Grandmother. She just freely farts and if you laugh or call her out she gets mad and yells something like, "JESSIE! I CAN'T HELP IT!"
I guess this woman couldn't help it either.
But moving on...so yeah...the gym at work is just CHOCK FULL of entertaining folks.
Next time I will try to capture these gym creatures in their natural (odd) habitat and upload it so you can all see just exactly what it is I am talking about.
Until then...if you find yourself struggling with weight loss might I suggest jumping around like a four year old, or pointing your toes in various directions or hopping over mini cones.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Because taking the metro ain't all that bad!
When I took my job in DC I knew that I was going to LOATHE taking the metro to and from work.
I hate the fact that I have to park all farrr away in a lot OR drive up ten trillion levels in a parking garage and then hike to the elevator and then wait for it only to say "screw this" and walk down seven flights of stairs instead because the elevator takes TOO DAMN LONG.
Then there is the weather. It is freezing in Maryland lately. I mean, shit, it is even freezing in Florida. So you can imagine that a walk to the train PLUS standing outside to wait for a train to arrive = UGH. Then once I get onto the metro I pray that no one sits next to me for at least ten minutes. I just want to sit there and not get all scrunched again the window. And lets talk about the windows shall we? WELL...people like to take naps on the metro. Taking naps means resting ones head against the window OR letting it hang down LOOSELY and that is just kind of painful. SO...people typically rest their heads against the windows. This always leaves behind OIL AND GREASE. I am not kidding you. Smudges of oil and grease are pretty much ALWAYS on the windows.
Ok so, back track here. I want to sit alone for a good ten minutes before my face is within centimeters of the Soul-Glow .
I am also afraid of terrorists. I knowww, I knowwww, "Once we are afraid the terrorists have won!!!" Well looks like they win because I ride the metro and I AM SCARED PEOPLE.
I sent Aaron a text one day that said something along the lines of: "There is a bagged newspaper sitting on a seat and no one is next to it. I think it is a bomb!!!" When he told me to go check it out I responded with a very calm, very logical response. "NO WAY BECAUSE I WILL DETONATE IT!"
Terrorists aside the metro also STINKS. And I hate to touch the poles without gloves on because I feel like they are full of germs. Once I saw a man put lotion on his hands and then grab the pole. EEWWWWWW. No one wants your jergens residue. Also, the last thing any metro rider would want when going to grip a germy silvery pole for stability is to get some of that JERGENS RESIDUE AND GO SLIP SLIDIN' AWAY INTO THE LAP OF THE PERSON IN FRONT OF THEM. I have fallen on top of some random dude due to a jerky stop before and THERE WASN'T ANY JERGENS on the pole.
Word to the wise people....HAND LOTION + POLE FOR GRIP = SLIP SLIDIN' AWAY.
Aside from the far walk, the freezing temps, the soul-glow, the terrorists, the germs and the jergens the metro does have it perks.
One being the people watching.
Another being the fact that I have 60 total minutes daily to read, listen to music or catch up on news.
Lastly, and the best part of it in my opinion is being able to see the sunrises and sunsets.
And so friends...I leave you on this Monday night with a few of those images (taken from a shitty blackberry camera...don't even get me started on blackberrys)
I hate the fact that I have to park all farrr away in a lot OR drive up ten trillion levels in a parking garage and then hike to the elevator and then wait for it only to say "screw this" and walk down seven flights of stairs instead because the elevator takes TOO DAMN LONG.
Then there is the weather. It is freezing in Maryland lately. I mean, shit, it is even freezing in Florida. So you can imagine that a walk to the train PLUS standing outside to wait for a train to arrive = UGH. Then once I get onto the metro I pray that no one sits next to me for at least ten minutes. I just want to sit there and not get all scrunched again the window. And lets talk about the windows shall we? WELL...people like to take naps on the metro. Taking naps means resting ones head against the window OR letting it hang down LOOSELY and that is just kind of painful. SO...people typically rest their heads against the windows. This always leaves behind OIL AND GREASE. I am not kidding you. Smudges of oil and grease are pretty much ALWAYS on the windows.
Ok so, back track here. I want to sit alone for a good ten minutes before my face is within centimeters of the Soul-Glow .
I am also afraid of terrorists. I knowww, I knowwww, "Once we are afraid the terrorists have won!!!" Well looks like they win because I ride the metro and I AM SCARED PEOPLE.
I sent Aaron a text one day that said something along the lines of: "There is a bagged newspaper sitting on a seat and no one is next to it. I think it is a bomb!!!" When he told me to go check it out I responded with a very calm, very logical response. "NO WAY BECAUSE I WILL DETONATE IT!"
Terrorists aside the metro also STINKS. And I hate to touch the poles without gloves on because I feel like they are full of germs. Once I saw a man put lotion on his hands and then grab the pole. EEWWWWWW. No one wants your jergens residue. Also, the last thing any metro rider would want when going to grip a germy silvery pole for stability is to get some of that JERGENS RESIDUE AND GO SLIP SLIDIN' AWAY INTO THE LAP OF THE PERSON IN FRONT OF THEM. I have fallen on top of some random dude due to a jerky stop before and THERE WASN'T ANY JERGENS on the pole.
Word to the wise people....HAND LOTION + POLE FOR GRIP = SLIP SLIDIN' AWAY.
Aside from the far walk, the freezing temps, the soul-glow, the terrorists, the germs and the jergens the metro does have it perks.
One being the people watching.
Another being the fact that I have 60 total minutes daily to read, listen to music or catch up on news.
Lastly, and the best part of it in my opinion is being able to see the sunrises and sunsets.
And so friends...I leave you on this Monday night with a few of those images (taken from a shitty blackberry camera...don't even get me started on blackberrys)
Sunday, January 17, 2010
J A M M I N !
Ok so I've been saying that I was gonna do one of these posts for the longest time. Then a few of the blogs that I read started doing 2009 music recaps and THEN Aaron taught me how to FINALLY use bittorrent sites to get music (shut up, I know) and now I have a bunnnnch of new music which means I am listening to my ipod again which means that I am also listening to some of my old faithful tunes again!
And so without further ado!
1. I am still totally obsessed with Camera Obscura. I can't pick one song that I am loving the most but if you pushed me down and tickled me until I HAD TO PICK, then I'd go with the one I just heard "Honey in the Sun"
2. Blind Pilot - also still TOTALLY obsessed. I am currently loving "The Story I Heard"
3. Angus & Julia Stone - Stranger.
4. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - I am actually pretty much digging this ENTIRE album now. You can decide for yourself which song sounds the sweetest to you!
5. Athlete - (ain't nothin' new here). I just find myself listening to them... a lot. Tokyo is still one my top faves though.
6. Minus the Bear - I really only LOVE their acoustics album. It's a bit more my speed.
7. Nouvelle Vague - Thank you to Ashley for sending these fine peeps my way. Listening to them makes for a much nicer metro ride to and from work.
8. Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johannson - Relator is the single off of their album "Break Up". Annndddd I pretty much love it. It puts some spunk in my step. And....interestingly enough, Miss. Scarlett's voice actually DOESN'T annoy the crap out of me. I really thought it would. Hm, go figure!
9. The Wooden Birds - False Alarm is without a doubt the song I love the most on their album. The rest of their tracks I am semi 'ehhhhh' about but ya know, you can't win em all.
I don't think I am going to list ten songs. I'll keep you on your toes and stop at nine.
As you can see -- I have been diving into a sea of more uhhh shall we say low-key, mellowed out music. This is probably why when I visit the gym I find it almost impossible to find any good workout songs on my ipod.
But don't you all worry -- I downloaded some N'Sync ANDDDDDDDDD Janet Jackson - GREATEST HITZ CD's this weekend!!! Can't wait to hit the elliptical while enjoying the sweet sounds of "Tearin' up my Heart" or "Rhythm Nation"!!!
And so without further ado!
1. I am still totally obsessed with Camera Obscura. I can't pick one song that I am loving the most but if you pushed me down and tickled me until I HAD TO PICK, then I'd go with the one I just heard "Honey in the Sun"
2. Blind Pilot - also still TOTALLY obsessed. I am currently loving "The Story I Heard"
3. Angus & Julia Stone - Stranger.
4. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - I am actually pretty much digging this ENTIRE album now. You can decide for yourself which song sounds the sweetest to you!
5. Athlete - (ain't nothin' new here). I just find myself listening to them... a lot. Tokyo is still one my top faves though.
6. Minus the Bear - I really only LOVE their acoustics album. It's a bit more my speed.
7. Nouvelle Vague - Thank you to Ashley for sending these fine peeps my way. Listening to them makes for a much nicer metro ride to and from work.
8. Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johannson - Relator is the single off of their album "Break Up". Annndddd I pretty much love it. It puts some spunk in my step. And....interestingly enough, Miss. Scarlett's voice actually DOESN'T annoy the crap out of me. I really thought it would. Hm, go figure!
9. The Wooden Birds - False Alarm is without a doubt the song I love the most on their album. The rest of their tracks I am semi 'ehhhhh' about but ya know, you can't win em all.
I don't think I am going to list ten songs. I'll keep you on your toes and stop at nine.
As you can see -- I have been diving into a sea of more uhhh shall we say low-key, mellowed out music. This is probably why when I visit the gym I find it almost impossible to find any good workout songs on my ipod.
But don't you all worry -- I downloaded some N'Sync ANDDDDDDDDD Janet Jackson - GREATEST HITZ CD's this weekend!!! Can't wait to hit the elliptical while enjoying the sweet sounds of "Tearin' up my Heart" or "Rhythm Nation"!!!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Because my Mom is *special*
My Mom & Stepdad are out of town right now. I guess this afternoon my Mom was feeling bored so she decided to text me.
With this:
My response you ask?
"Why did you just send me a photo of a space heater with the text 'luv u'?"
I mean I was seriously a little worried about her.
All weekend I have been getting picture messages of the dog. Not like I was even asking, "OH MOM! Please send me a picture of the dog so I can be sure she is still insane and barking at any and every moving, breathing, living thing (aka squirrels & humans)!!!"
But then...no dog photo....space heater.
Nice Mom...very nice.
(follow up: my mom isn't really crazy. just my stepdad. he is apparently the space heater, picturing taking bandit)
In other news...
My weekend was spent doing THIS !
I am STILL sore from it. I am STILL tired from it.
2.5 days of moving furniture & painting wears a guy & gal out.
But...I love my fab boyfriend mucho for helping me with such a crappy (but thoughtful!) project.
I can't wait to see my parents reaction when they get home.
Perhaps I should purchase them a new space heater to go with the new paint? Seeing as how they seem to like them so much.
With this:
My response you ask?
"Why did you just send me a photo of a space heater with the text 'luv u'?"
I mean I was seriously a little worried about her.
All weekend I have been getting picture messages of the dog. Not like I was even asking, "OH MOM! Please send me a picture of the dog so I can be sure she is still insane and barking at any and every moving, breathing, living thing (aka squirrels & humans)!!!"
But then...no dog photo....space heater.
Nice Mom...very nice.
(follow up: my mom isn't really crazy. just my stepdad. he is apparently the space heater, picturing taking bandit)
In other news...
My weekend was spent doing THIS !
I am STILL sore from it. I am STILL tired from it.
2.5 days of moving furniture & painting wears a guy & gal out.
But...I love my fab boyfriend mucho for helping me with such a crappy (but thoughtful!) project.
I can't wait to see my parents reaction when they get home.
Perhaps I should purchase them a new space heater to go with the new paint? Seeing as how they seem to like them so much.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Because boys blog too!
http://justacoupleofdudes.blogspot.com
Pardon the fact that I can't directly link you...I'm writing this on my blackberry. (edit to add that I EDITED the link... please read away!!)
My boyfriend and some of his best dudes have started a boys blog! Check it out and be sure to go back for updates as I'm sure it will be highly entertaining AND informative! Where else can you learn how to bake, cook, fix your car/bike/motorcycle and how to take care of a baby all in one place!??
Happy reading!
Pardon the fact that I can't directly link you...I'm writing this on my blackberry. (edit to add that I EDITED the link... please read away!!)
My boyfriend and some of his best dudes have started a boys blog! Check it out and be sure to go back for updates as I'm sure it will be highly entertaining AND informative! Where else can you learn how to bake, cook, fix your car/bike/motorcycle and how to take care of a baby all in one place!??
Happy reading!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Because I'm just wondering...
Am I weird?
I get on Facebook (aka - the devil sometimes) and stalk the crap out of people only to see massive photos of them out drinking during the week. And not just like, "HAY HAY HAY! HOW'S MY BEST GIRLFRIENDS!" let's get a drink type of weeknight drinking. I mean balls to the wall, up & at em' type of drinking during the week.
I am already well aware that I can be a TOTAL lame-o but am I THE ULTIMATE lame-o because I pretty much NEVER go out boozing with the best of them on a random Tuesday???
Is that what "BEIN' YOUNG! AND HAVIN' FUN!" is all about?? Rackin' up a bar tab five hours before you have to report to work in the morning?
Sometimes I can hardly stand my intoxicated self on the weekend so I really don't see how I would function during the week.
I don't know...maybe I am missing something. A lot of empty calories and hours of sleep I guess. But also fun? yes? no? maybe so?
I get on Facebook (aka - the devil sometimes) and stalk the crap out of people only to see massive photos of them out drinking during the week. And not just like, "HAY HAY HAY! HOW'S MY BEST GIRLFRIENDS!" let's get a drink type of weeknight drinking. I mean balls to the wall, up & at em' type of drinking during the week.
I am already well aware that I can be a TOTAL lame-o but am I THE ULTIMATE lame-o because I pretty much NEVER go out boozing with the best of them on a random Tuesday???
Is that what "BEIN' YOUNG! AND HAVIN' FUN!" is all about?? Rackin' up a bar tab five hours before you have to report to work in the morning?
Sometimes I can hardly stand my intoxicated self on the weekend so I really don't see how I would function during the week.
I don't know...maybe I am missing something. A lot of empty calories and hours of sleep I guess. But also fun? yes? no? maybe so?
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Because I am a M E S S !
So the other day at work I was wearing a new dress that I purchased over the weekend. It's just your typical plaid dress, buttons up the front, i synched it with a belt so it wouldn't be too loose. I had a scarf around my neck.
While I was in the bathroom someone else walked in. As I went to wash my hands she walked out of her stall. Then she started talking about something...a leak or...i don't know. Anyways... we are just chatting away for a good minute or two about this random topic and I leave. When I get back to my desk I notice that my bust area is BUSTIN LOOSE!
One of the top buttons had come undone completely exposing not only my bra but complete cleavage.
Score one for the dress.
I felt like a total jackass. I hoped that mayyybe the scarf I was wearing had hidden my tots from the office and my co-worker buuuttt I am pretty sure that was not the case. Such is life.
THEN....I weighed myself on Monday at the gym and I gained a whopping five pounds over Christmas break.
Ugh! I'll spare you the rant buttttttttt today at work I was checking on something online....on some website....one of those sites where in order to proceed forward it makes you "type in the word below" and the font is all CRAZY like.
Guess what the word was.
F A T T E N E D !
I really couldn't help but laugh but at the same time a few choice words that I wouldn't say in front of my grandmother went running through my head.
Again...such is life!
Other wonderful occurrences from this week (and mind you, it's only Tuesday) ... while RUNNNNNING to catch the metro this afternoon I bumped into a man and my work key card, badge and smart trip card went FLYING all over the platform.
I made the train though... don't you worry. I still felt like a jackass.
THEN while getting OFF the metro I was carrying a trader joes brown bag full of Tupperware, my heels from the day and my water bottle for the gym. As soon as the doors opened the bag just RIPPED and fell. WTF.
SO! I had to bend down.. scoop up ALLLLLLLLLLLLL my crap while mad peeps are just RUSHING to get out (I don't blame them) and my five pounds heavier, fattened, bustin' loose self is just sprawled all over the floor trying to collect my crap... again.
I pray that this week only gets better!
T B I T !
While I was in the bathroom someone else walked in. As I went to wash my hands she walked out of her stall. Then she started talking about something...a leak or...i don't know. Anyways... we are just chatting away for a good minute or two about this random topic and I leave. When I get back to my desk I notice that my bust area is BUSTIN LOOSE!
One of the top buttons had come undone completely exposing not only my bra but complete cleavage.
Score one for the dress.
I felt like a total jackass. I hoped that mayyybe the scarf I was wearing had hidden my tots from the office and my co-worker buuuttt I am pretty sure that was not the case. Such is life.
THEN....I weighed myself on Monday at the gym and I gained a whopping five pounds over Christmas break.
Ugh! I'll spare you the rant buttttttttt today at work I was checking on something online....on some website....one of those sites where in order to proceed forward it makes you "type in the word below" and the font is all CRAZY like.
Guess what the word was.
F A T T E N E D !
I really couldn't help but laugh but at the same time a few choice words that I wouldn't say in front of my grandmother went running through my head.
Again...such is life!
Other wonderful occurrences from this week (and mind you, it's only Tuesday) ... while RUNNNNNING to catch the metro this afternoon I bumped into a man and my work key card, badge and smart trip card went FLYING all over the platform.
I made the train though... don't you worry. I still felt like a jackass.
THEN while getting OFF the metro I was carrying a trader joes brown bag full of Tupperware, my heels from the day and my water bottle for the gym. As soon as the doors opened the bag just RIPPED and fell. WTF.
SO! I had to bend down.. scoop up ALLLLLLLLLLLLL my crap while mad peeps are just RUSHING to get out (I don't blame them) and my five pounds heavier, fattened, bustin' loose self is just sprawled all over the floor trying to collect my crap... again.
I pray that this week only gets better!
T B I T !
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Because I am going to Europe...
Call it "Field of Dreams" syndrome...you know the whole "if you build it, they will come" thingy?
If I say it....it will happen. Right? RIGHT!
Ireland in the spring is a no go. Ugh.
While I'm thankful to have a new job I am bummed that I won't have enough vacation time to go galavanting, sightseeing and drinking my way all around Ireland in March.
So the focus has now been shifted to the Fall. And that focus will stay focused on the fall and won't stray from there until I am standing in some long ridiculous line at the airport. Then the focus will shift to alcohol because that is the only way that I will be able to cope with flying over the ocean for that many hours.
I've said it before and I'll say it again...I've never been anywhere.
I mean, I guess I have already been more places than my mother and father but not enough places for me.
To me...days sort of become mundane if I am not able to focus on something. Focusing on the gym only gets me so far until I want to scream. I typically need to focus on some sort of event or upcoming adventure.
Life is what you make it...I could sit here and post countless photos of semi-exciting things that I do and make it look like the most fun thing in the world but I'd be lying to you all..and myself.
So instead of doing THAT I would RATHER go out and have a REALLY exciting adventure and then come back around these parts and brag about it endlessly.
Bet you all can't wait until the fall now!
Sure, I know it's the little, pointless things in life that make it worth living but sometimes a gal just needs a big HOOPLA to jump start her engine and make her remember that there is a whole big world out there....
I am pretty excited to see it....
all images via we heart it.
If I say it....it will happen. Right? RIGHT!
Ireland in the spring is a no go. Ugh.
While I'm thankful to have a new job I am bummed that I won't have enough vacation time to go galavanting, sightseeing and drinking my way all around Ireland in March.
So the focus has now been shifted to the Fall. And that focus will stay focused on the fall and won't stray from there until I am standing in some long ridiculous line at the airport. Then the focus will shift to alcohol because that is the only way that I will be able to cope with flying over the ocean for that many hours.
I've said it before and I'll say it again...I've never been anywhere.
I mean, I guess I have already been more places than my mother and father but not enough places for me.
To me...days sort of become mundane if I am not able to focus on something. Focusing on the gym only gets me so far until I want to scream. I typically need to focus on some sort of event or upcoming adventure.
Life is what you make it...I could sit here and post countless photos of semi-exciting things that I do and make it look like the most fun thing in the world but I'd be lying to you all..and myself.
So instead of doing THAT I would RATHER go out and have a REALLY exciting adventure and then come back around these parts and brag about it endlessly.
Bet you all can't wait until the fall now!
Sure, I know it's the little, pointless things in life that make it worth living but sometimes a gal just needs a big HOOPLA to jump start her engine and make her remember that there is a whole big world out there....
I am pretty excited to see it....
all images via we heart it.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Because Gina did...
Gina posted her year in review.
I think I did this last year?
I think??
I'm pretty tired and probably should NOT do this right now.. so perhaps I'll just my first six months of 2009 and go from there?
Shall we begin??
oKAY WE SHALL!!!
**JANUARY**
I rang in the new year with Aaron, Brad, Caitlin, Celeste, Chris, Lisa & Markus. To name a few. Brad got us a free hotel room thanks to his sweet Holiday Inn points. We went to a local watering hole in Annapolis. I got drunk and acted way inappropriate (what else is new?) Caitlin and I got free feather HAPPY NEW YEAR headbands. I spent many weekends in Federal Hill playing with Ashley, Jenny and the rest of the party people that live up there. We took photos in the boys' bathroom and found this to be hilarious. There was also a snowboarding trip at Ski LIberty. Brad fell and hurt his wrist and now I don't know who the hell will snowboard with me besides Ashley. I need a counterpart that semi-sucks just as much as I do.
**FEBRUARY**
This month was when Aaron and I celebrated the fact that we have now been loving, fighting, bunnie making, cooking, getting fat, losing weight and putting up with each other for a grand total of two years. This marks my longest relationship ever. That is crazy to say. We didn't do anything too mushy. Went to dinner and dined on massive amounts of meat (mmm heaven) and then had a Valentine's Day Party/M-Bash 2K9 (if you don't know.. don't ask). February is also when Caitlin and I took our trip to Vail. It was so amazingly gorgeous I wish I could go back out west again this winter. Other than that...February was a slow month....but hey...it was a shortie so it's all good!
**MARCH**
The biggest & best thing about March was my trip to California. I popped my West Coast cherry and got to see Cali for the first time ever! I don't think I need to spend any time recapping that trip. I did enough of that here, here, and here. I remember I sat in the airport with aaron and cried the entire two hours before my flight. I was tired, scared to fly alone and feeling left out because I wanted to drive across the US of A with the boys too. (well...maybe not so much in that car).
**APRIL**
After traveling during February & March I spent April doing some more low key activities. Chrissi's birthday, Mike's birthday, seeing the Cherry Blossoms in DC <-- I don't know if I will EVER do that again! Enjoying a Mexican dinner and parade in Fells with friends, going to the Fells Point Brew Fest with smash & company. I also attempted to "LOSE WEIGHT! FEEL GREAT!" before my girls beach trip that would take place Memorial Day weekend. We all (finally) attended Brian's One Down movie premiere in Baltimore and had a shindig to celebrate afterwards!
**MAY**
I finally got below 150lbs <<--this really was an accomplishment for me that I fully intend to do again (starting tomorrow). I went to Ocean City with a group of fun girls and had an awesome time despite my health and the weather. Aaron's friend Geoff came to visit from England (always a treat).
**JUNE**
My Birthday. Duhh. I get to be a little selfish and talk about that. (again) I went to Rehoboth for the day with Aaron. We ate so much food only to come home to an amazing mexi feast + coconut cake! Some of us went to see The Cheaters CD premiere show or whatever you call it... in baltimore. But not before visiting Pub Dog for brews & pizza. mmm. We went to an O's game and got ourselves amped up for............
**JULY**
Our 4th of July tubing trip. The water was so effin' cold. I peed standing up..a lot. We floated and drank and had a really good time. And uhhhhh that looks like that is all I can remember from July.
**AUGUST**
Aaron got old and turned 28. To celebrate the fact that he is now only 2 years away from becoming thirty, flirty and thriving...a bunch of us went kayaking. I bitched because it got really hard to paddle when you are a widdle girl doing it all by yourself. But then I told myself that "it's okay! I take body pump!" and turned my frown upside down. We came home and enjoyed a homemade PBR cake courtesy of Bradley! The following weekend I went to OC and experienced *drama city* and also made a fool of myself by dancing on the bar and Mackey's. After this weekend I decided I was far too old to show my panties while dancing in front of strangers and therefore went into semi-hermit mode. I babysat two of the cutest girls ever and went to see the legwarmers in a pink tutu with Cait. Chels & Sarah. I spent Labor Day Weekend in the Outer Banks where it rained pretty much the entire time. I drank away my blues with Sauv Blanc, Pinot Noir & Bud Light Lime!
**SEPTEMBER**
We visited Cancun Cantina for the first time ever and had an eeeeee-mazing time! Went to the Irish Fest in Annapolis & watched a crabcake eating contest and made friends. We also went to the Renn fest...TWICE! And stuffed ourselves with fried pickles and other various foods-- baked potato wha whaaat?!
**OCTOBER**
HALLOWEEN IN TUTU'S AND VIKING COSTUMES! Renn Fest for the last time. Marley & Lily's baptism and three weeks working in DC. fuuunn
**NOVEMBER**
nyc with the girls! Thanksgiving. Visiting my Dad in Ocean City. <--this resulted in my father forcing, yes FORCING, aaron to take a jaeger bomb. Lots of foozeball was also played and aaron & i totally dominated this activity.
**DECEMBER**
Miracle on 34th St in Hampden, lots of food & wine and parties and nights spent sitting on the couch. Aaron, Brad and I got a lot fatter but we were still happy. I spent Christmas visiting alllllllllllllllll family members and last but not least I started a new job in DC!!!!
All in all it was a really good year...I could (should) have eaten less, worked out more, shopped less, traveled more but then again.. there is always 2010 (and no... i didnt mean to rhyme there)
Today is the last day of Holiday vacation. I am going to spend it on my ass (as usual) drinking mimosas and wine ... eating bad food & watching football (as usual).
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!
I think I did this last year?
I think??
I'm pretty tired and probably should NOT do this right now.. so perhaps I'll just my first six months of 2009 and go from there?
Shall we begin??
oKAY WE SHALL!!!
**JANUARY**
I rang in the new year with Aaron, Brad, Caitlin, Celeste, Chris, Lisa & Markus. To name a few. Brad got us a free hotel room thanks to his sweet Holiday Inn points. We went to a local watering hole in Annapolis. I got drunk and acted way inappropriate (what else is new?) Caitlin and I got free feather HAPPY NEW YEAR headbands. I spent many weekends in Federal Hill playing with Ashley, Jenny and the rest of the party people that live up there. We took photos in the boys' bathroom and found this to be hilarious. There was also a snowboarding trip at Ski LIberty. Brad fell and hurt his wrist and now I don't know who the hell will snowboard with me besides Ashley. I need a counterpart that semi-sucks just as much as I do.
**FEBRUARY**
This month was when Aaron and I celebrated the fact that we have now been loving, fighting, bunnie making, cooking, getting fat, losing weight and putting up with each other for a grand total of two years. This marks my longest relationship ever. That is crazy to say. We didn't do anything too mushy. Went to dinner and dined on massive amounts of meat (mmm heaven) and then had a Valentine's Day Party/M-Bash 2K9 (if you don't know.. don't ask). February is also when Caitlin and I took our trip to Vail. It was so amazingly gorgeous I wish I could go back out west again this winter. Other than that...February was a slow month....but hey...it was a shortie so it's all good!
**MARCH**
The biggest & best thing about March was my trip to California. I popped my West Coast cherry and got to see Cali for the first time ever! I don't think I need to spend any time recapping that trip. I did enough of that here, here, and here. I remember I sat in the airport with aaron and cried the entire two hours before my flight. I was tired, scared to fly alone and feeling left out because I wanted to drive across the US of A with the boys too. (well...maybe not so much in that car).
**APRIL**
After traveling during February & March I spent April doing some more low key activities. Chrissi's birthday, Mike's birthday, seeing the Cherry Blossoms in DC <-- I don't know if I will EVER do that again! Enjoying a Mexican dinner and parade in Fells with friends, going to the Fells Point Brew Fest with smash & company. I also attempted to "LOSE WEIGHT! FEEL GREAT!" before my girls beach trip that would take place Memorial Day weekend. We all (finally) attended Brian's One Down movie premiere in Baltimore and had a shindig to celebrate afterwards!
**MAY**
I finally got below 150lbs <<--this really was an accomplishment for me that I fully intend to do again (starting tomorrow). I went to Ocean City with a group of fun girls and had an awesome time despite my health and the weather. Aaron's friend Geoff came to visit from England (always a treat).
**JUNE**
My Birthday. Duhh. I get to be a little selfish and talk about that. (again) I went to Rehoboth for the day with Aaron. We ate so much food only to come home to an amazing mexi feast + coconut cake! Some of us went to see The Cheaters CD premiere show or whatever you call it... in baltimore. But not before visiting Pub Dog for brews & pizza. mmm. We went to an O's game and got ourselves amped up for............
**JULY**
Our 4th of July tubing trip. The water was so effin' cold. I peed standing up..a lot. We floated and drank and had a really good time. And uhhhhh that looks like that is all I can remember from July.
**AUGUST**
Aaron got old and turned 28. To celebrate the fact that he is now only 2 years away from becoming thirty, flirty and thriving...a bunch of us went kayaking. I bitched because it got really hard to paddle when you are a widdle girl doing it all by yourself. But then I told myself that "it's okay! I take body pump!" and turned my frown upside down. We came home and enjoyed a homemade PBR cake courtesy of Bradley! The following weekend I went to OC and experienced *drama city* and also made a fool of myself by dancing on the bar and Mackey's. After this weekend I decided I was far too old to show my panties while dancing in front of strangers and therefore went into semi-hermit mode. I babysat two of the cutest girls ever and went to see the legwarmers in a pink tutu with Cait. Chels & Sarah. I spent Labor Day Weekend in the Outer Banks where it rained pretty much the entire time. I drank away my blues with Sauv Blanc, Pinot Noir & Bud Light Lime!
**SEPTEMBER**
We visited Cancun Cantina for the first time ever and had an eeeeee-mazing time! Went to the Irish Fest in Annapolis & watched a crabcake eating contest and made friends. We also went to the Renn fest...TWICE! And stuffed ourselves with fried pickles and other various foods-- baked potato wha whaaat?!
**OCTOBER**
HALLOWEEN IN TUTU'S AND VIKING COSTUMES! Renn Fest for the last time. Marley & Lily's baptism and three weeks working in DC. fuuunn
**NOVEMBER**
nyc with the girls! Thanksgiving. Visiting my Dad in Ocean City. <--this resulted in my father forcing, yes FORCING, aaron to take a jaeger bomb. Lots of foozeball was also played and aaron & i totally dominated this activity.
**DECEMBER**
Miracle on 34th St in Hampden, lots of food & wine and parties and nights spent sitting on the couch. Aaron, Brad and I got a lot fatter but we were still happy. I spent Christmas visiting alllllllllllllllll family members and last but not least I started a new job in DC!!!!
All in all it was a really good year...I could (should) have eaten less, worked out more, shopped less, traveled more but then again.. there is always 2010 (and no... i didnt mean to rhyme there)
Today is the last day of Holiday vacation. I am going to spend it on my ass (as usual) drinking mimosas and wine ... eating bad food & watching football (as usual).
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!
Because Ive gained EIGHT pounds since the summer...
Kids...when you are only five foot four eight pounds looks and feels like two million pounds. Brace yourselves for countless posts aka pity parties about losing weight and blah blah blahhh! Feel free to leave me many QUITCHERBITCHIN comments...
Anyways...going along with this whole "my body looks and feels like a tub of crisco" I give you...
Dear Pumpkin Pie in the kitchen at work,
I hate you. You are huge! There are mayyyybe six people here today so why oh why did you feel like TODAY was the day to appear and camp out on that table by the coffee pot? God you seriously effing suck.
Dear baggie of baby carrots on my desk,
I hate you. Why can't you taste more like that a-hole Pumpkin Pie?? I know I should eat you because you have vitamins that will benefit my eyes (but HAH!joke is on YOU because my vision is already ruined and carrots can't fix it only expensive, scary lasers can). I am tired of looking at you and tired of pairing you up with salads. Just work your magic soon and we may be friends for real.
Thanks in advance!
On that note I'm off to kill two more hours at work while I eat carrots, resist pie and endlessly Facebook!
Christmas post coming soon!!
Anyways...going along with this whole "my body looks and feels like a tub of crisco" I give you...
Dear Pumpkin Pie in the kitchen at work,
I hate you. You are huge! There are mayyyybe six people here today so why oh why did you feel like TODAY was the day to appear and camp out on that table by the coffee pot? God you seriously effing suck.
Dear baggie of baby carrots on my desk,
I hate you. Why can't you taste more like that a-hole Pumpkin Pie?? I know I should eat you because you have vitamins that will benefit my eyes (but HAH!joke is on YOU because my vision is already ruined and carrots can't fix it only expensive, scary lasers can). I am tired of looking at you and tired of pairing you up with salads. Just work your magic soon and we may be friends for real.
Thanks in advance!
On that note I'm off to kill two more hours at work while I eat carrots, resist pie and endlessly Facebook!
Christmas post coming soon!!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Because it has been one year today...
You died on a Tuesday. I was at your house making four quiches for Christmas breakfast for the family. I spent the afternoon baking oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Before I said goodbye to you for the last time I gave you a kiss and told you that that is what I was going to go home to do. It’s funny how there were countless times before, when I said goodbye to you, the same way, a kiss on the forehead or cheek…I would always walk out of your room and get into my car and think to myself, “this may be the last time I do this. The last time I see him.”. I didn’t think that when it really was the last time. Instead I left feeling happy and a bit overwhelmed. There were so many people piled into your house. And yes, I know that the reason there were so many people piled into your house was because they were all there to say their goodbyes to you. I can’t say that I wasn’t aware of that at the time because I was. I guess I just didn’t expect that day to really be the LAST day. Maybe I was just too focused on my task at hand. Maybe I expected to be able to go back up to see you that evening and sit with you like I always did. Instead I was the one that picked up the phone when whoever it was called. Of course, I can’t remember who that was now but I remember their struggle for words. I remember that barely any words were able to be spoken. And I knew. I knew you were gone and I knew that even though I was only a fifteen minute drive away from you, that fifteen minutes was fifteen minutes too late. And besides that, fifteen minutes is really a countless measure where you are now. But I still got into my car and drove. I took Jacqueline with me because I know she wanted to be there too. I was wearing pink pajama pants and cheap slippers from Target. We took the elevator up to the 4th floor and as we walked out the rest of the family was ready to walk in and head downstairs and out the door. They were tired and ready to grieve in their own way, in a comfortable, familiar place. Your house. Your home. And so we walked into your room and we sat. We sat with you for what I wish was a longer period of time. I held your hand and cried. My Mom, Jacqueline and I cleaned up your room. Took down your pictures and walked away from what used to be you for the last time. And I said goodbye the same way I did every other time before that. I kissed you on the forehead or cheek and told you that I loved you.
But today should no longer be a day of sadness. It should be turned into a day of gladness and remembrance. I have memories that I will never forget. Of days better than the one described above. I have photographs of birthdays, holidays, random visits and your life before I was in it. Happier days when there was no sickness, no doctors, no hospital bed, no pain, no tears. Days full of sunshine, the beach, our family, the Navy, fishing, crabs, the birds outside, the neighborhood dogs, friends, laughter… Those are the things to hold on to. Those are the things I want to hold onto. I try to take time to talk to you every day or think about you every day. Sometimes in the morning on the way to work, when all the people on the train are quiet and there is nothing to do but stare out the window, I’ll remember you. That is what I will always try to do. And so Grandad…one year ago today your left our world but not our hearts. I’ll think of you today and talk to you and tell you that I miss you and love you and somehow hope that you feel my kiss on your forehead or cheek.
…one more for the road…
But today should no longer be a day of sadness. It should be turned into a day of gladness and remembrance. I have memories that I will never forget. Of days better than the one described above. I have photographs of birthdays, holidays, random visits and your life before I was in it. Happier days when there was no sickness, no doctors, no hospital bed, no pain, no tears. Days full of sunshine, the beach, our family, the Navy, fishing, crabs, the birds outside, the neighborhood dogs, friends, laughter… Those are the things to hold on to. Those are the things I want to hold onto. I try to take time to talk to you every day or think about you every day. Sometimes in the morning on the way to work, when all the people on the train are quiet and there is nothing to do but stare out the window, I’ll remember you. That is what I will always try to do. And so Grandad…one year ago today your left our world but not our hearts. I’ll think of you today and talk to you and tell you that I miss you and love you and somehow hope that you feel my kiss on your forehead or cheek.
…one more for the road…
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