Success

Today is the last day of December which means this is the last post in my month long challenge to blog everyday! I made it! I did it! Success. I overcame some interesting challenges. I blogged after horrible twelve hour shifts. I blogged through holidays and on birthdays (mine included). I blogged in snow, in wind, in lunar eclipses. I even blogged everyday of a three day trip with no internet access. I am just that good. So, with this one final blog in the month of December and the year of 2010, I would just like to say...I won! Okay, not that there was really anything to win. It was a challenge, not a bet. But I am pretty impressed with myself for sticking with it. I think the intensity of being required to blog everyday got to me a bit earlier in the week. I literally sat at my computer for three days in a row with absolutely noting to say, and those posts suffered. I think the overwhelming end of the month, which seemed to fly by way too quickly, and the overload of events over the holiday weekend didn't allow my brain to process. I had too much info jumbling around and couldn't organize it. Overall, however, it wasn't too shabby of a run. If I do say so myself. So in the spirit of the holiday, my first New Year's Resolution: I will continue to blog frequently and steadily throughout 2011. I may not make it everyday, in fact I know I won't, but I will attempt to blog at least a few times a week to keep you followers well informed. I know your days just wouldn't be complete without me. I'll even try to throw some peppiness in!

Hope everyone had an exciting and memorable year! Looking forward to more fun times in 2011! It's going to be a wild ride. Happy New Year!

National Day of...

...Bicarbonate of Soda!! That's right, folks, it is a National Day of celebrating...baking soda! So grab a box and deodorize your shoes! Throw a couple of teaspoons in some cookie dough! Mix it in water with beans to minimize flatulence! Wait...what!? That's right, in researching National Bicarbonate of Soda Day, in order to update you with the latest up to the minute information on how to celebrate, I came across this little tidbit. Supposedly adding baking soda to water and soaking beans helps minimize, er...shall we say, gassiness, from eating said beans. I wonder who first hypothesized that one. And how do you measure flatulence to test that theory? All I have to say is EWW.

On a different note. Today is also the Festival of Enormous Last Minute Changes. I guess this is appropriate seeing as tomorrow we will all be rethinking the last year and coming up with resolutions for the next one. I find it funny that it is of enormous changes, as if the little ones of eating less chocolate and being nicer to rabbits don't count. For me, I feel my blog has been slacking this past week. I've been in a bit of a lackluster mood and it comes across when I write. So as of right now (read carefully, folks, you are witnessing history here) I am making the enormous, last minute change and carrying out the rest of my 2010 blogging career in an incredibly upbeat and peppy fashion! For those of you who know me, and all of you do, I am not typically described as a peppy person. I am so un-peppy, in fact, that a friend once bet me I couldn't go an entire week keeping my sarcasm at bay and my peppy meter high. It was a bet I won. Much to his annoyance, both because he lost and I am apparently incredibly annoying when forcing peppiness.

So, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Get your resolutions and plans finalized, because tomorrow is New Years Eve and, quite fittingly, if a little boringly, National Champagne Day!

Military Bowl

Today we went to the Military Bowl. University of Maryland played East Carolina and won big time. It was a rough start. MD missed four easy points, but they blew them out of the water with a final score of 51-20. The game was here in DC at RFK stadium. Which is a really crappy stadium. I had been there once before at a Nationals game. But since the Nats moved to their spanking new stadium DC United (DC's soccer team) has taken over. Since they can't fill the entire stadium they closed down the upper level which was temporarily reopened for today's game. As a result, there were ZERO concessions on the upper level. Everything was abandoned. The restrooms had no toilet paper holders there were just random rolls placed every few stalls. And there was no handle on the bathroom door! Which means you had to wait for someone to come out before you could get in. Lame-o. I tired grabbing the lock and pulling, I tried pulling the hinge on top, nothing budged it. Luckily you didn't have to wait long for someone to come out, in fact my fingers were almost pinched during my hinge attempt. What I can't figure out is how anyone got in there on the first place.

Safeway brand cinnamon rolls just aren't as good.

Truth. I am a huge fan of cinnamon rolls. I was majorly bummed when Cinnabon left my hometown mall. I have seen alterations over the last bite of a perfectly gooey Cinnabon Classic. Seriously, someone was almost punched in the face for stealing the last bite. I can't make this up. Growing up the canned cinnamon rolls were a special occasion breakfast. I am not ashamed to admit there have been three such "special occasions" in the last month. Two involved birthday celebrations and one was Christmas. Pillsbury is where it's at. They are plump with cinnamon flakes on the top and include special Cinnabon icing. They are perfection. Especially if they are just ever so sightly undercooked. Grocery store rolls are inferior. With their lackluster swirls, pitiful cinnamon and pasty icing they just can't measure up. We learned this on birthday celebration number two, when Safeway had a sale on their brand. I am always up for a sale. Most of the time I will switch brands to save a buck or two. So, I was super proud of Michael for bargain shopping. Unfortunately, it wasn't as exciting the next morning. Lesson learned: don't bargain with cinnamon rolls.

Tired

The Christmas weekend was crazy! With all the driving and flipping back and forth between families I feel like we were everywhere and saw everyone and yet missed everything as well. It was hard to be in the moment when we were always thinking of the next destination and when we had to leave. That being said I had a ton of fun! I'm glad we got to spend the holidays with all the family. But I am dead tired. I had the last five days off and I set an alarm every night. When I finally made it back to my apartment this afternoon I sat on the couch and promptly fell asleep.

I'm actually staring blankly at the screen and starting to nod off again. So, I'll leave it at that. Maybe my wit will return after a good nights sleep. Hope everyone enjoyed the Christmas weekend!

End of Christmas

The end of Christmas just happened. :( As did the 4th out of 4 birthday celebrations. I have to say the first three were the best. And Christmas was a bit hectic with two hour long commutes. But it rocked! Michael and Andrew were in town and it is the first time in four years we have celebrated with our childhood tradition of stockings and presents on Christmas morning. The extended family just left from the Thoresons after an awesome dinner of prime rib. There were some cool gifts, some matching pajamas and an epic marshmallow fight. Bridget and I purchased these sweet marshmallow guns from a craft fair in North Carolina. We disassembled the boys guns and wrapped the pieces up and stashed ours fully ready under the sofas. While they were trying to figure out what we had bought and how to assemble, we launched our attack. Alex was a little slow on the uptake and and didn't assemble properly which resulted in him pelting himself in the neck. Hilarious. Andrew took a few hits to the face and jugular and the marshmallows left some nasty welts. We had round two earlier, pelting the unsuspecting younger cousins. We are now closing out the festivities and contemplating whether or not we need to make a liquor store run in order to do this.

Merry Christmas!!!

Today is Christmas! The best day of the year! At least every other year, when I don't have to work on it. I am currently sitting in my childhood bed having awoken an hour before the planned start of Christmas morning. My immediate family has not had our traditional Christmas morning in four years due to work and travel schedules. So it is a little like being young again. Super excited for the festivities to start! And wondering whether Santa had time to come! We were all awake pretty late last night and I wasn't the best girl the past year. Either way, there were already a ton of presents under the tree last night and I am really excited to give some of them this year. Plus, it's snowing!!! Not truly a white Christmas snow, but some flurries that are clinging to the trees and covering the lake. So the view out the window is very pretty.

We are spending the rest of the holiday weekend driving back and forth across Maryland. It's going to be a bit crazy, but we want to get as much family time in as possible. And with a few trips we can spend Christmas day with both families and be at both extended family celebrations. In theory. We will see how it works out.

Merry Christmas to everyone! Hope you are enjoying the holiday season, wherever you are. And whoever you are with. Although I'm assuming you are all in Maryland and I'll see you at some point today. ;) Only 31 minutes until I am waking you up!!

Happy Birthday...

...to me! Oh yeah, and to Jesus too. He's kind of an important dude. Today is Christmas Eve! And my birthday! And celebration 3 out of 4. And the start of Christmas celebrations! It is going to be a busy day. To start off Michael took me to brunch and gave me AMAZING presents! Actually he was impatient and gave me the presents last night, but a day is always good when it starts with presents! ;) This afternoon we are heading out to Christmas mass with the family followed by Christmas #1 at Granny MacDonald's. We'll be ending in Frederick for the night so we can be there bright and early tomorrow morning. Can't wait!

Boots

I found boots! After four years the search is finally over! The four pairs that I previously blogged about were boot overload. Having not loved any of them, they were all returned. I had given up. I was done. No more searching. I was resigned to never owning boots. And then I went to Kohls. And even though I have looked there before, even though I have looked there three times already this season, I had to stop when I passed the shoe department. I took a quick spin and saw them. They are a rich brown, with cute buckles and a heel. The heel was a point against them, but when I tried them on they didn't swallow my nonexistent calves! They actually worked fairly well. I was excitedly trying on a second pair to compare sizes, and had just decided to go with the original 8s, when someone took them from me! She walked up as I was trying them on and took the box at my feet....So, I fought her for them. She was puny. She didn't stand a chance. Okay...what really happened, as I stood there with my mouth agape, assessing how scrappy I thought she might be, I managed to have a reasonable discussion with her explaining how I needed the pair in her hands. Turns out she was settling for the wrong size. I told her the display boot was in her size and they surely had the matching boot in the back and would sell them to her (shocking concept, I know) as a pair. She asked, they retrieved, and I walked away with the boots! I wore them out on Saturday night. They were cute! I got compliments! They hurt like hell! I am still calling this one a victory.

Gmail Glitch

I love Gmail. Even though I think Google may one day take over the world and should, perhaps, be limited before this is allowed to happen, I am a huge fan of their email system. Yesterday, however, I made a horrible mistake and found a flaw. I enjoy writing myself emails. Strange, I know. But it is a quick way to jot a list of things to do. Make a note to remember something. Or, as is often the case, jot down a blog idea or entire post. It is easier for me to access my email than my blog page and I can just copy and paste later. The thing is though, I rarely send myself the emails. I save them in the handy little 'Drafts' folder. Then I can reference them quickly without having to search through my inbox (although Gmail does have a handy search box to do just that). I had an ongoing list of blog posts, some mostly written, that I was adding to in one of my drafts. As I was adding another idea I accidently clicked 'discard' instead of 'save'. And Gmail erased it! No, are you sure you want to do this prompt box. No sending it to the trash folder. Completely gone with no way of rescuing it! Trust me, I tried the little search box thingy. It was terminated. Luckily most of the blogs on it I have already posted, but there were two or three I was saving up for a snowy day. Total bummer.

Happy Winter!

Although the weather here in the MD/DC/VA area has been in the 20s and feeling bitter cold, today is the first official day of winter. The winter solstice! The shortest day of the year! The only good thing about today? Now that it has officially started we are one day closer to the end of winter. And, three days from now (my birthday!) will be just the slightest bit longer.

Last night I went to bed at 11pm. At 3:13am my alarm went off, I woke up, threw on sweats and a coat and stumbled outside. I dragged Michael along on the way. At 3:18am I was back, warm and cozy in my bed, wondering why I had bothered. I wanted to see the lunar eclipse. As I said yesterday, I stumbled upon it and felt cheated that I had to go to sleep at a decent hour for work. I didn't want to miss out. The article said 3:17am would be the best "moment" to view the coppery red of the eclipse. Standing in the back alley peering into the sky between two apartment buildings half asleep and freezing, I wasn't overly impressed. The moon was, in fact, red. Which I've since come to understand is due to only indirect sunlight hitting its surface while in the Earth's shadow. Luckily, it was a clear night. I even saw a few stars struggling to shine through the city smog. Today I've researched some more and found the next lunar eclipse will be in June 2011, but not viewable from North America. A lunar eclipse on December 21 (which is significant because the moon in high in the sky and easily viewable--even with building obstructions) won't happen again in my lifetime. So I did have a once in a lifetime experience. Makes me feel a bit better. I tried taking a picture, which was silly as my point and shoot only registered a gray sky. Here are some super cool pics (in case you missed your one and only opportunity, even though I warned you). The moon looked like the first picture when I saw it.

Lunar Eclipse

For those of you who love astronomy, tonight is a lunar eclipse! I found this out quite randomly while I was investigating the chance for snow tomorrow (10%) and Christmas day (50%!). It begins tonight, or really Tuesday morning at 1:33am. The Earth will appear as a red dot against the full moon, and over an hour, will completely envelope it. (Science refresher: lunar eclipse-when the sun, Earth and moon are completely in line, with the Earth in the middle blocking the sun from hitting the moon.) For 72 minutes the moon will be in a coppery red shadow. Sounds super cool. I have to say I didn't understand why it is red well enough to paraphrase so I'll give you this:

"Imagine yourself standing on a dusty lunar plain looking up at the sky. Overhead hangs Earth, nightside down, completely hiding the sun behind it. The eclipse is underway. You might expect Earth seen in this way to be utterly dark, but it's not. The rim of the planet is on fire! As you scan your eye around Earth's circumference, you're seeing every sunrise and every sunset in the world, all of them, all at once." (reference)

Now THAT is something I'd like to see. I'm going to add that to my Life Goals List. Oh, wait...except for the fact that the thought of going into space totally creeps me out. I don't know why. Something about leaving Earth, the only planet I've ever known, and going somewhere where human beings cannot naturally survive. A black void, with holes that suck you up and never spit you out. I'm just not sure I'm down with that. So maybe I'll just have to settle for one sun rise and sun set at a time.

PS-A lunar eclipse on the Winter Solstice is apparently pretty rare. The last time this happened was 1638! So get out of your beds and check it out.

20/20

Today is December 20th. Which means I have successfully blogged every day for the last twenty days! For anyone just tuning in, I was challenged to blog everyday for the month of December. While I basically challenged myself (although there was an instigator), and despite the incredibly busy month, I have been able to post every day thus far. Only eleven days and a few crazy holidays to go...

Bday Celebration #2

Last night we went out in Baltimore for my birthday! This was the second out of four (yes, four!) birthday celebrations. How sweet is that. We started out at Ale Mary's. They had typical bar food that wasn't great but wasn't horrible. It was a fun atmosphere with good prices, so over all good choice. They had priest and nun pictures to designate the bathrooms and mints in Holy Water fonts. Maybe a little sacrilegious, but I was down. From there we traveled to The Horse You Came In On Saloon. It is Baltimore's oldest saloon, the only bar in Maryland to be open before, during and after prohibition and the oldest place in America to continuously be operated as a saloon. It has been a bar, and only a bar, since 1775. Whoa. We recently went on a Haunted History tour of Baltimore where we also learned the Horse is haunted by Edgar Allen Poe. It was one of his favorite places to drink and rumored that he was walking home from this very bar on the night he died. They had some pretty cool, yet dangerous, saddle stools too.

Fun night. Fun people. Stayed awake until 3am! Thanks to everyone who helped it happen. Now it's back to the real world for a few days....

Birthdays

My brother turned twenty-one on December 2nd. He is a college student at Salisbury University, but decided he wanted to come into DC to celebrate on the actual day, and save the college party for the weekend. One of his favorite bands was playing at the 9:30 club so Bridget, Michael and I decided to take Alex (my brother) as his gift. I offered to host and let everyone crash at my place afterward. Being twenty-five and engaged my partying experiences have dropped in recent months. So, I was not quite convinced I would be able to pull off an adequate twenty-first birthday party. Too much pressure. Not enough desire to party hard. I put off making too many arrangements and actually started to dread the night a bit, fearing it would be lacking. We all gathered at my place and asked Alex if he was looking for a chill night or a crazy one. He assured us he was looking for a chill, relaxed evening listening to music with a few drinks. I've put off writing about this because I wasn't quite sure how much to divulge. Let's just say while I started the night as DD we ended on foot. And the chill music turned into a bit more alcohol than anticipated. And my twenty-one year old brother was the only one not affected.

I figured I had to blog about this today because tonight...we are going out for my birthday! I'm told it is going to rock. And there will be a lot of really cool peeps there. Having a birthday on Christmas Eve, going out or having a party is hindered most years. So I am excited about going out for the first time in a few years! Just don't ask me how old I'll be....

007

Today we went to the International SPY Museum. I was really excited. I have wanted to go for years! We started by ascending in a super cool elevator that operated on its own without pushing any buttons and had fun glowing lights that gave the car a green and blue aura. We then assumed new "covers." I became Angelena Falcone. An Italian, 21 year old, travel agent. I was to be visiting Hanoi, Vietnam on business....So cool. After a short debriefing we were released into the museum portion and early on had the opportunity to be questioned on our new identity. I totally passed, remembering every detail of my story. I was then given further instructions to rendezvous with 'something-something-something Than Ha' at my hotel. I was to ask about seasonal promotions and be given a packet containing top secret military information on a microdot. How cool would that be?? After this, the museum was okay. It was bugged and one station let you listen in. There were hidden cameras you could watch people on. There was even a duct you could crawl through to eavesdrop. But while there were some cool (i.e. lipstick pistol) and disturbing (i.e. rectal tool kit) items on display, I found it somewhat lacking. I don't know if I was expecting too much, but I had always heard how awesome it was. I guess I wanted to see super cool spy gadgets and instead it had more of a spies throughout history vibe. Then again, it is a museum. I was very disappointed, however, that they did not quiz us on our identities at the end like they claimed they would. Hours later, I'm still expecting to be interrogated on my cover.

I'm Sick

I'm sick...again. I was just sick for two weeks around Thanksgiving. I have a low grade fever, congestion, and I am achy all over. Like every joint and muscle hurts. My throat was mildly sore yesterday, but that's improved. Thank goodness, I am a baby about sore throats. The rest I can handle. This is just a 24 hour bug. I'll kick it in the butt in bed tonight. I've got to. I've got places to be this weekend. As a result, I had a super witty post planned, but just no energy in my fingers to type it. So, I'll leave you on a good note. Two days ago I was bummed with my Christmas gift ideas; but, some magical inspiration has struck and I've stumbled upon a few really cool things. I am now super excited about almost everyone's gifts! Lets hope this physical feeling turns around just as quick.

I HATE my computer.

I have hated it for years. This is not a new development. I have not liked it from the day I purchased it and I probably should have returned it the minute I turned it on to the horrible Windows Vista operating system. It is slow, and has always been slow. The hard drive crashed a year after I purchased it (luckily one day before the warranty expired) and lost tons of music and pictures. It is incapable of running more than two programs at a time without spazzing out. Its latest trick is if more than two of the niffty Firefox tabs are opened, and the computer is closed or allowed to hibernate, it refuses to start working again without closing out every program or restarting. A process which takes a good five minutes as it slowly reboots itself. My Dad, a long time Mac user, purchased a laptop the same month I purchased mine. Three years later his is in perfect operating condition and boots up in under a minute while mine prevents me from winning ebay auctions with its inopportune temper tantrums. I have threatened it before, but I mean it this time...I am an Apple convert. As soon as the Christmas gifts are paid off. Oh, and the wedding. And I save up enough for the ridiculous price tag. Then its sayonara to the Dell. What finally pushed me over the edge? The hour long process of placing a single Christmas order last night. I made the mistake of having a blog tab, Amazon tab and ebay tab opened all at once. I should know Dell doesn't multi-task like I do. I was blogging and waiting for the ebay auction to close so I could determine my Amazon order. I was outbidded with five seconds to go....I upped the anti....and my computer froze! I lost. It was then an hour long process of force quitting, rebooting, some vital disk check I couldn't escape out of, automatic updates I couldn't stop, restarting the internet and finally placing the Amazon order. My mind was so frazzled and scrambled it kept me awake for hours! And everyone knows you don't keep me from my sleep. Bad things happen.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

...Except when you are Christmas shopping. Michael and I hit the mall today try to knock out the rest of our Christmas shopping. I do this every year. I say I am going to finish early. This year I even bought my first Christmas present in September! But, inevitably, it winds up the week before Christmas (sometimes even the week of) and I have presents yet to buy. The crowds and lines were heavy, but actually not as horrible as I thought they would be. The problem was I didn't know what to buy people. It seems each year I either have tons of ideas, where I have to limit myself, or I have no real good ones. This year I have ideas, but none I am 100% in love with. Especially for my Dad. He is the worst person to shop for. He has everything, never wants anything. Buys himself anything he does want. And, on the rare occasion he has mentioned desiring something that he doesn't go snap right up, you're not completely sure what he was looking for. Does he want stylish, compact, portable? Does brand matter? Will he even remember mentioning it/still want it? Or will (and chances are) he have no idea why you've spent so much time deliberating and wrapping it up for him. I love my Dad. But I can't shop for him. So, it seems, everyone this year is getting a mis-mash of presents. Which reminds me...I should go place that last minute online order. Happy shopping!

Lake Anna

This weekend was so much fun! There was a LOT of good food. And there were a LOT of leftovers. Turns out we don't really know how to shop for four people and we vastly overestimated how hungry we would be. Of course, if we had bothered to wake up before noon we may have been more inclined to squeeze an extra meal a day in. The late starts were on account of my sister deciding to drive to NYC and not get back until 11pm. Which means we did not get to the lake house until 1:30AM. I was done for. (She had her first interview for a grown up job! Holla! I'm so proud of her!!) The guys cooked one night and us gals the other. Which means, we feasted on tuna, shrimp, filet mignon, chocolate peanut butter fondue and some kick a** cupcakes. As it happened, we slept late, lounged a lot, played some really fun games and watched a lot of movies. We kept a tally throughout the weekend on games won, plus awarded each other points for various activities. At the end of the trip we tallied the points and guess who won!?! That's right, yours truly. I did get a little help from Andrew daring me and my good friend Jack Daniels. ;) So I may have snuck a point or two that others didn't have the same opportunity for. But a win's a win!

Tree Lights

After our quest for the perfect tree it sat unadorned for two days. Monday night we finally got around to decorating. If you think I was particular about the tree you won't believe how particular I am about lighting it. Last year Michael began to light the tree from the bottom. This was wrong. And I quickly informed him of this. Let's just say that didn't go so well. Any of you in the school of thought that trees should be lit from the bottom so the lights can say plugged in the entire time? You're wrong too. I learned how to string lights from my mother (and I picked up her particularness along with her technique). Lights should be started from the top to make sure the star (not angel, not spire, not weird bow, but STAR) is lighted to the utmost advantage. Plus the top of the tree has the least room for error and is the hardest to string so should be started first in order to adjust easier for mistakes and restart if necessary. Yes, the lights cannot be plugged in the entire time but those of us who are expert tree lighters do not need this advantage. That being said, I did struggle with the lights this year. Our tree has some oddities that made it difficult to light and I had some technical difficulties that required me to replace a burnt out strand in the middle, after I was finished. Things didn't go well at that point, it was hard to recover, and Michael made me stop fussing so we could start ornaments before midnight. Here's the finished product.

STDs

We sent out our Save the Dates! This actually happened the week of Thanksgiving, but we had a few stragglers who's addresses needed to be rounded up and verified. So the last little batch went out this week. (They did go out this week...right, Michael?) We designed the STDs ourselves. Or, more like my Dad designed them with his super cool publishing programs and we tweaked and altered a bit. (Side note: I am not one to read wedding blogs but I was trying to determine the appropriate time to mail them out and I came across the abbreviation STD. Did this crack anyone else up as much as it did me?...No?...Are you sure? Okay, I guess it's just me than. I'll work on maturing.) Moral of the story: our STDs have been passed out.

Out of Office Posting

Hello from Lake Anna! When I started the blog every day challenge at the beginning of the month, there were a few factors I failed to think through. One important one being I would be spending three days in the middle of the month in Bumpass(hehe), VA. I am most likely currently lazing around a gorgeous, internet-free lake house. Seriously there is no wireless here. There is barely cell reception. Which means, this post is brought to you by Blogger in Draft (assuming it actually posted on Friday December 10th at 10:30am). Such an amazing feat! I can laze around a lake house and still have pre-written blogs post at my specified time. I may conquer this challenge after all! I know by pre-writting and scheduling posts I'm not actually blogging everyday. But I am posting everyday and I say that's close enough. And I will be sure to write lots of fun posts to update you on our weekend adventures. I am sure you can't wait for the details.

Work

Today I went to work for the fifth day in a row! I know most normal people do this weekly. But I have my job for reasons. And working only three days a week is one of them. I will concede that today was only for a three hour class and day three of five was for an hour long meeting, but it is still depressing to have walked into the workplace for so many straight days.

PS-The meeting was for a committee of which I am now co-chair. Hold your congratulations it is really more of a nuisance than an honor. Oh, and the fact that I was only one of two people to show up may have had something to do with it.

On a happier note...Tonight we are leaving for Lake Anna! My birthday is Christmas Eve and I am tired of sharing it with every other Christian person on the planet. So, this year, I decided I need not one, not two, but at least three birthday celebrations! Just kidding...Michael decided I needed the multiple celebrations and who am I to argue? I am really excited about this weekend. Bridget, Andrew (Bridget's super cool boyfriend), Michael and I are headed to the lake for a fun and relaxing weekend. There will be drinks. There will be food. There will be awesome desserts (ours is totally gonna kick the boys butts) and s'mores. And most definitely there will be a Taboo Rematch! Watch out Brandrew this time we will win! And I will be keeping score since Andrew is incapable of tallying correctly. See you next week!

Taste the Rainbow

If this 'Blog-A-Day for the month of December' is going to continue I've got to cut back on some of the meaningless time I spend on blog posts. So, instead, I have spent even more time on a total overhaul. While my blog may be somewhat new for such drastic changes, I have found it is necessary. The Rainbow Brite crap has got to go. For those of you who did not read my blog back in its colorful days...you missed out. Black background with alternating rainbow colored posts, it really was quite cool. But some colors were too bright for a black background, some too dim. I tried not to repeat too frequently, and as a result I spent almost as much time viewing and editing color choices as I did writing the post. I contemplated choosing one color and running with it. But it was suggested that the black background may be a bit dark and dreary. And while that may describe my personality at times, its probably not the first impression I want to give. Switching to only a single color against the black did not seem like the best bet for livening things up. Thus, the new and improved, seasonal Earth Angel blog. Feel free to leave your comments/suggestions/complaints/ideas for improvement. I'll probably read them. I might consider your ideas. For those of you just tuning in you can see remnants of my technicolor days in my earliest posts.

It's Beginning to Look (a lot) Like Winter

There was ice on the ground this morning! I was walking to Starbucks...I know, I know, I said I had quit. I lied. But this was the first slip up this month! Okay, so that's only six days; but seriously it has been weeks since I've been. This may be the first time I've gone since blogging about giving it up and it was due in part to the complete lack of supplies for a caffeinated beverage in my apartment (I have to go grocery shopping like none other, but we all know how much I hate that) and the desire to force myself outside early in the hopes of having a somewhat productive day. But, I digress. I was walking to Starbucks and there was a thick layer of ice on the side of the road where puddles had frozen over! I know it is December, but it feels like winter just completely snuck up on us! It was bitter cold and windy. I could see my breath. My ears tingled when I got back into the heat. I am not prepared. Winter needs to end. Although I guess it has to officially begin first. Drats.

Those Who Can't Teach Do

I am really good at time management. Not to brag or anything. I am a huge procrastinator and when it comes to my personal life I get a little overwhelmed if I am overbooked; but at work I am an organizational queen. I have to be in my career. It just doesn't allow for poor organizational or time management skills. My annual reviews back up this claim. The problem is they want me to teach it. And by 'it' I mean the spot-on ability to alter a plan and re-prioritize at any given moment, without falling behind. It's hard to do. Today was incredibly frustrating. One of the reasons I like my job (and one of the reasons I stay despite the many reasons I don't), is because its very "hands-on." The skills are very basic and repetitive, but in a constant 'assess and react' environment. The problem is you can teach a basic skill. You can teach how to assess. You can even, to a certain extent, teach an appropriate reaction. But teaching how to assess, react and implement basic skills in an organized and efficient way is nearly impossible if basic time management skills are not already in place. You can't teach organization. It is a type A characteristic you either have or you don't. And, being a bit type A myself, it is incredibly irritating watching someone flounder and knowing you really can't help them.

I know this is all very vague, it has to be because of my job, but the point is today was frustrating. I have learned I like my hands on career for a reason. I do not like sitting back and watching. And I am not a teacher.

It's Beginning to Look (a little) Like Christmas

We got a Christmas Tree! We were running a bit late Saturday morning when we headed down the street to the Greek Orthodox Church's Tree stand. Michael walked up to the first tree of the appropriate size and declared he'd found the one. I insisted we had to shop around and scope out every tree on the lot. Even those that were clearly too small and those that would never fit in my incredibly tiny living room. After assessing the lot we wound up back at the first tree. I judged it from all angles and couldn't find any blatant flaws. Michael hoisted it off it's temporary stand and spun it around for further inspection. I wasn't sold. I hesitated a bit before saying anything, then finally admitted I wasn't crazy about spending $60 on a tree that I wasn't 100% sure about, but it would have to do. Michael didn't like my lackluster attitude and even though I claimed it was silly we left and headed to a different tree lot. This one was in the other direction of my apartment and at the local Catholic Church. We hopped out and I immediately liked the looks of the trees better. The price tags, however, were nearing the $100 mark. Ridiculous. We left the second place even quicker, headed back to the first and bought the very first tree Michael suggested. I may be the only person alive who shops around trying to find the best tree for the best price. But, as I explained to Michael, Christmas trees are very important to me. With my birthday being December 24th it is not just a Christmas tree, but a birthday tree as well! In the end I love our tree so much more because I know there's not a better option around the corner. The poor thing got dumped in the stand, splashed with water and left in the corner as we hustled off to the lunch we were late for because of my indecisiveness. We didn't even cut off the netting to let the branches fall out until hours later. But it now looks quite cute, if still a little bare, sitting in the corner. Tree decorating tomorrow!

Music

I love seeing live music. My dad was actually the one who got me into concerts, and I've probably been to the most with him. Lately, however, I've preferred the smaller more intimate venues over the large arenas. I love finding new music to get hooked on. I've been to two such events the past two nights. Thursday, we ventured to the 9:30 club for my brother's 21st birthday to see fun. That's the name of the band. fun. They were pretty good. Quite...fun, I guess you'd say. Last night it was the 8x10 club in Baltimore. They are a tiny, little, bi-level venue that hosts mostly local music. We went to see Michael's friend's brother. Garrett Anderson--check him out. On a side note, this is the second time I've met someone whose music is on itunes! It's sorta cool. New life goal: be on itunes. Two bad things that came from last night. 1). Michael turned to me and said 'You know what would look really good with your outfit?...Boots.' Ouch. Way to rub it in. 2). My tiny calves are killing me after two nights with so much standing.

Today's plan: Clear the apartment of all the birthday party debris. Go buy a Christmas tree! Lunch with friends back up in Baltimore. Babysitting for some young-uns tonight. No rest for the weary.

These Boots Were Made for Walking...

I have major boot envy. As the weather has turned colder the cute boots with skinny jeans have emerged. All different shades of browns, black, some with buckles or other cute adornments. They are everywhere. Mocking me. I have been lusting after a pair of boots for four or five years now. Every season I hit the stores and try on multiple pairs hoping that, one day, I will find a pair that works. You see, I have been cursed with (what my sister likes to call) 'chicken leg calves.' Seriously. She calls them that. In stores. In front of male sales clerks. Who then crack up laughing. At her humor or my chicken legs, I am never quite sure, but it hurts. I do not have the calf muscle of a runner or an athlete. I have a wimpy little calf muscle that barely appears when flexed. I have a calf that measures a good TWO INCHES smaller than most of the smaller circumferenced boots on the market. (Circumferenced is not a real word. I just wanted to point out that I do actually know that.) And, as a result, my leg literally swims in every pair of boots I try on. It is not a cute look. I am not one to follow fashion fads. In fact, I tend to run screaming in the opposite direction every time I come across the latest 'must have' fashion item. Skinny jeans and boots are just this years thing. One year it was knee high boots with skirts. Some years it's heeled, some years flat. The point is I want the boots because I like them and have liked them for some time, not because they are popular. This year I recruited my sister on my mission. She has been religiously scoping out boots on her shopping trips. I have also turned to the internet, scoping out every possible shoe website and reading hundreds of descriptions trying to find a pair with a small enough circumference. As a result, my sister handed me a bag containing two shoe boxes the same week that I purchased two pairs online. So, last Friday when my family got together post Thanksgiving I had four (!) pairs to model and contemplate. Some I originally disliked, but grew on me. Some were a no from the start. But in the end, there are two candidates. Neither perfect, but both doable. My brother (who considers himself a fashionable dude and likes to pass judgment on those of us less fortunate) informed me he doesn't see me as a boot person. This stung. I have lusted for years. I have spent countless hours on my quest. I have made it my life's mission. I have recruited others. I'll have to decide if I want to settle. I just can't accept defeat.

11 am

I may have woken up at 11am this morning. Twelve hours after I went to bed. It may have been because of a phone call. I may have ended the phone call at 11:15am and seriously contemplated rolling over and going back to sleep. I may have done this if it weren't for the fact I'm having a birthday party for my brother tonight and have yet to clean or do any of the tasks that need to be completed by this evening. I may now, over an hour later, still be wasting time on the internet over a cup of coffee. I am not confirming any of this. Just a possibility....I may actually be this lazy.

On another note: It was pointed out to me (in another internet distraction this morning) that I am two for two on blogging in December. Which is a fairly long streak for me. It may have been mentioned that I should attempt to blog every day in December. Challenge accepted.

*Update: Okay. I just realized I may have been mislead a bit. And I may have been a bit hasty in accepting that challenge. I was NOT, in fact, two for two on blogging in December. I just happened to post twice on December 1st. Today is the 2nd and this is my 2/2 post. Not my 3/3 post. Bummer. (I may be a bit hazy still after the only 12 hours of sleep). Anyway, despite the fact that I am not quite as far along as I thought, a challenge is a challenge. This may not have been the best month to choose, what with the 12 hour work shifts and the holidays and the weekend trip to the lake house with no internet access....But, somehow, I will prevail. Or at least I'll try really hard.

My Gimmick

My
Interesting
Chummy
Husband-to-Be
Always
Ends up
Laughing (usually at me)

This may be just the thing my blog needs! A gimmick! A hook! A reason to tune in every week! Do something to make my day and I'll make a mnemonic out of your name (Is that what it's called? I feel like that's not right). I bet you all can't wait to see what I come up with for yours!
PS-Can't say I never blog about ya ;)

Exhaustion

I am exhausted. I just worked 6 out of 8 days. I guess if you think about it taking a Monday to Monday the average Monday to Friday worker works 6 out of 8 days every week. The difference is (assuming a 40 hour work week) this scenario is 48 hours in 8 days. With the 12 hour shifts my career requires, I worked 72 hours in 8 days. Point being: I'm beat. (Disclaimer: numbers may be skewed as my math suffers when I'm tired. Which is not a good thing considering math is a big part of my career. And I spent the majority of the last 8 days at work. Tired.) My legs hurt. My feet are swollen. My mind is not functioning. My butt has been glued to my couch for the last two hours trying to recover. My train of thought has been completely lost at least 12 times during this post. What was I talking about? Too many numbers....

In a Blog

I am in a fellow blogger's blog! Check out our wedding photographer's post http://emilychastain.blogspot.com/2010/10/emily-mike-engagement.html

Bad Blogger

I am the worst blogger ever. When I started this mission (for real) in September, I had visions of blogging every day. I had grand plans of sharing with the world (or okay, maybe the handful of people who have ever read this) insightful comments and funny anecdotes frequently. But every day went to every few days, went to weekly, went to not posting very frequently. My sister, who started her own blog around the same time, has been much more disciplined than me. She has even implemented 'Weekly Shout Outs,' which I know has hooked at least a couple followers. My blog seems sorely lacking in comparison. With the normal 'earn-a-living' job requiring twelve hour shifts there are just some days when blogging isn't going to happen. But I will press on. Sooner or later I may be able to train myself to actually be productive. With that said I should probably get off the couch and clean the apartment. Something I've been putting off for about a month....

Back in DC

I have been out of town and not posting, but I am back! My mom, sister and I went to Charlotte over the weekend for my cousin Megan's bridal shower. Its been almost a year since driving down, the last trip being a 12 hour trek right smack dab in the middle of the December 2009 blizzard. It was fun to see Megan again, play silly bridal shower games (one of which I won!), visit with the grandparents and other family, and just generally have a lazy weekend. While there we went to the Southern Christmas Show, which was Christmas on steroids and sold lots of little crafty and infomercially gizmos. Bridge and I bought gifts for the men in our lives, which I just realized I can't tell you about or I'd ruin the surprise. Someone remind me after Christmas and I'll fill you in. Since I spent today unpacking, doing laundry, baking pies and addressing STDs (save the dates, but this abbreviation cracked me up when I saw it on a wedding blog) I don't have too much of interest to share. So, I thought I'd send out another wedding post that I've had sitting in my 'too post' box for a while now. The theme of the weekend was, after all, weddings. (Well, and Christmas, but we'll get there after Thanksgiving).

Wedding Food

I finally sent the deposit to the caterer! Only a month after we received the contract. (And I finally posted this, only a month after I wrote it!) It probably did not help my procrastination any that during our tasting Palate Pleasers told me about a wedding two days away that they had not yet received a deposit for. Admitting they do not hold hard and fast to their payment policy was not the way to get a quick check from me. However, I do like their family oriented style of business. The fact that they are not quick to screw someone if the legal side of things isn't completely in order. It definitely gives me a feeling of security to know that they are going to stick by us no matter what. Plus, their food was amazing. The dads were our official food testers and all four of us walked out of the tasting thinking they were, by far, the best option. We had to alter our menu slightly in order to fit our budget, but the family that runs the business were incredibly accommodating and helpful, giving us multiple options to cut costs. They definitely understood being on a budget and worked with us to keep ours, rather than trying to coerce us into breaking the bank. It was very appreciated. Looking forward to awesome an awesome meal from some fun people...!

SPHERIFICATION

(a fancy name for balls)
I was surfing the internet this afternoon in an attempt to stay awake when I came across a cooking blog. Searching for new recipes is a favorite pasttime of mine which has recently evolved to reading blogs. Don't ask why I search for recipes. I hardly ever make them. It is in fact a gross waste of my time. But I horde them. Stored up like a stash of acorns for a wintery day. In my head, I am an incredibly resourceful and innovative cook. I like to try new things. And maybe one day I'll overcome my inner need to procrastinate and excert minimal effort and actually break into my vault of stashed receipes. Anyway, I was reading the blog when I saw the above quote. And, if you are anything like me, you gave yourself a little chuckle when you read it. I couldn't help myself. I Googled it. Turns out he was right speherification is the culinary process of forming a liquid into spheres. I even found a recipe for Apple Juice Spheres (thank you, wikipedia), and while I have no idea what you'd do with them I sort of want to make them. They look niffty!

Addendum: Further research has found that it is possible to makes alcholic balls out of Cointreau....Hello, now we're talking!

Apple Pie

I have been wanting to make an apple pie. I made one two years ago for Thanksgiving and it was a big success! I haven't made one since. And this makes me sad. So, since I will be stuck at work this Thanksgiving I volunteered to make one for our staff party. Then I thought: why make just one? If I make the filling in advance I can make three pies! That's three chances for me to enjoy my efforts! And thus I decided to make a work pie, an in-law pie and a pie for my own fam. Which means I spent today peeling, coring, slicing and cooking 9 pounds of apples!! It was crazy. It was intense. It was depressing....All that work and I don't even get to enjoy a pie today. Instead, my freezer is stocked with filling and crusts and come next week I'll be ready for an apple pie marathon. I just hope this recipe turns out as well as I remember....Oh! And because I love the Pioneer Woman, and secretly want to be her, I used her pie crust recipe. I have only ever used my mom's before, but this one was about the same ingredients and specifically calls for freezing. Plus, I saw her recipe for hard sauce. BONUS! I had never heard of hard sauce, had no idea what it was, but it's made for pie and sounds amazing! So I'll be trying it out as well. Check out PW and her recipe here.

I took a vacation day this week. Not for any specific reason. Not because I had plans or wanted to take a long weekend. Just because, although I only work three days a week, I felt I needed a little break. So, I worked on Monday and I work again tomorrow and that's it! Unfortunately, my easy work week coincided with my feeling crappy week. And since tomorrow is a federal holiday and since I used vacation time I can't call out sick. Well, technically I can. But I won't get paid for the holiday or my vacation time. Which means, although I'm still not feeling 100%, and even though others have the luxury of getting tomorrow off, I'll be working a 12 hour shift.

Ice cream

I ate a LOT of ice cream today. It is the only thing that seemed to help my throat. I have been sick for a week now....A WEEK! I just can't see to kick this stupid cold in the butt. I thought I was on the road to recovery over the weekend, but the sore throat has been getting progressively worse again. I hate doctors and don't believe in pharmaceuticals (odd, I know, since I currently work in the medical profession), but I have been pumping myself full of all sorts of cold remedies. I've even broken down and agreed to seek professional help if I'm not feeling better by Friday. That's three days away. I should be better. I need to be well. Paying for someone to tell me there is no cure for the common cold is not going to make me feel better. So I need to kick this thing. Any suggestions? But back to the ice cream....Turkey Hill's Mint Chocolate Chip has been my lunch, mid afternoon and evening snack today. It's minty and soothing, green (a must for this flavor) and has delightful flakes of chocolate rather than full chips that don't get too hard in the freezer and were only mildly scratchy going down. I highly suggest you check it out.

August 2008

I started this blog back in August of 2008. Over two years ago! I wrote one post and that was it. I didn't touch it for another 24 months. Talk about procrastination....My original goal was to start the blog in preparation for documenting and communicating during my travels. At the time, I was preparing to leave Maryland/DC (my home of 21 years) to start travel nursing. The plan was to drive out to the west coast, work my way from southern California to Seattle and then back across country to home. I figured I would be gone and on the move for a year or two and a blog would be great way to stay in touch and share some of the adventure! So, what happened? The economy crashed. And come May of 09 travel assignments, which were once abundant, became slim and far between. So quitting my stable, well paid career in DC did not seem like the best of plans when I'd be competing against nurses with travel experience for a small pool of positions. Do I regret not experiencing travel nursing? Well, it's hard to regret when two months after my postponed leave I met Michael, my future husband. It's hard to regret when I have been able to stay in DC near my family who I am very close to. And it's hard to regret when I have had a stable income while so many others have struggled to find work and make ends meet. So even though the travel nursing experience has been put on hold indefinitely (maybe a semi-retirement plan?) the desire to travel has remained. I had the amazing experience of traveling to Australia (#1 on my all time travel list!) early last year. I have been on a few shorter trips this year and have a few plans in the works. So, the point of all this? If you haven't noticed I have a 'Places to Visit' gadget on the right side of my blog. It started as a few places I planned on working. I will be updating in the coming weeks to places I've visited, places I have actual plans to visit, and places on my wish list. As well as potentially including some posts on travels I have already completed....Mixed in with all the wedding planning craziness and trivial day to day drib-drab.

It's been awhile...

I realized today it has been quite some time since I have posted here. Since I know the whole two people who read this blog have been sorely disappointed in my lack of commentary I decided to post a little tidbit. It's been a busy few weeks and I've had lots of thoughts on topics to blog, but I've dismissed most of them before even sitting in front of the keyboard. I have a tendency to want to write about aggravations. Annoyances. Frustrations. Things that I would have, could have said or done if only I had thought of them in the moment. But someone told me I can't be the ranting blog girl. So every time I start to think of sitting down to write a rant, I remind myself I have to show more than my angsty side. I have some anecdotes saved up, don't fret. But I will attempt to intersperse them with more fun and upbeat posts. So stay tuned...PS-Don't you just love the word 'rant'?? LOVE it!

Down on Starbucks

I am a little bit of a coffee addict. I love the smell of freshly percolated beans. I love the rich, dark brown color. I love how the aroma fills the air. I don't, however, love the taste. At least in it's truest sense. I love coffee that has been doctored until its a warm, sweet concoction that is easy to sip and with no hint of bitterness. I have a weakness for the White Chocolate Mocha at Starbucks. I don't like to admit it. I'm actually a bit ashamed. And I am working vigorously to break the habit. As my Dad recently pointed out, 'those coffee drinks [I] like' have hundreds of calories (he learned this from some health article he read, ironic since he never drinks coffee). They cost way too much and the brand has in recent years become somewhat of a fad. I have tried limiting myself. No more than once a month (okay, once a week). I have tried going cold turkey. But it never fails, I wake up one morning with a craving. I rationalize. I try to fight it. I remember all the times I've had to wait too long, all the customers that arrived after me only to get their drinks first, and all the failed attempts, as only certain baristas can make the WCM just right. And then I drive to the nearest store. This morning I found myself in line at my local chain. I was running late and didn't have time to make a more cost effective drink in my new french press (or so I rationalized). Really, I just haven't perfected the warm, silky, sweet coffee drink I desired. I ordered and anxiously awaited. The drink that arrived, I noticed after leaving the store, was not quite right. In fact it was completely wrong. After waiting in line, paying a ridiculous amount for a cup of coffee, all my anticipation, the incredibly irking experience of the barista not making drinks in the proper customer order, and my drink was almost unpalatable. Starbucks failed to deliver. This isn't the first time this has happened, but it may have been the last straw. Maybe some cold hard facts will help me break the cycle. One WCM a day for one year (at this mornings price and not even accounting for the inevitable inflation) would cost me $1,708.20 (well $1,703.52 because hey, the corporation is nice and gives you a free drink for your birthday). I would consume 146,000 calories. Limiting to once a week would still add up to my total caloric intake for 10.4 days. And that's assuming I don't get whipped cream, which lets face it, I almost always do. Not to mention all the trees and landfill space my paper cups would use as I can never remember to bring a reusable mug with me. So, in an attempt to have less of an impact on the planet, my body and my wallet, and because I am fed up with their inability to make my drink to my liking, I am quitting Starbucks. Again. Stay tuned to see how it goes.

Saying Yes to the Dress

I have my wedding dress! It is currently under lock and key at my parents house having entrusted my mom to keep it clean and secure for the next eight months. Finding the dress was a bit of a process, but actually picking it up was even more of one. I found 'the dress' at a little boutique in downtown Frederick (my home town!) called TLC Bridal. It was the third store I visited. I really had no intention of buying my gown there but thought it might be fun to look while in town. The reviews on line were fantastic and after my other less than exciting experiences I was hoping for the bridal treatment. At a previous store the consultant asked me to describe the style dress I wanted. At the time, I had little idea, but described a dress that I had liked and others I was looking to try. All the gowns she pulled were mermaid (which I absolutely did not describe, mermaid being the one style I knew was a definitive no). Partway through the process, frustrated with the fact that I was not liking any of her picks, she grabbed the dress I was wearing and yanked me into the dressing room as I stumbled over layers of lace and pouf. Needless to say, I did not purchase a dress from this store. TLC, however, was great. Bridget (my sister and maid of honor) found the store and suggested we try it. She was even the one who pulled the dress I ended up choosing. It was different from anything I had tried on and not what I thought I was looking for and I almost said no when she first showed it to me. Turns out it was perfect. Although I did not fully realize this until I walked away, went to a previous store to try on another dress again, and rationalized my way through the decision. Lets just say I did not have the moment most brides talk about when they knew they had found 'the one.' I am much too practical for that. When I ordered the dress I was between two sizes. Because the measurements were so close, and the style of the dress, the owner recommended I go with the smaller size. The dress came in within a month, almost three months early and when I went to pick it up it wouldn't zip! We knew this might be the case, but thought it would be a small, fixable issue. Instead the zipper barely budged. The owner worked some magic and three appointments later the second dress fit almost perfectly!

Engagement Pictures

Check them out here!

I Hate to Write

In theory, I love to write. I have thoughts. I have ideas. And in my head they effortlessly combine to form eloquent sentences in a beautiful and poetic voice. In my head, I am witty. And funny. And every thought can easily be transcribed into interesting anecdotes and blurbs. In reality, I hate writing. The bright white light of a computer screen is an eye sore. The blinking cursor is immovable. An empty page is overwhelming daunting. And confronted with it all, I freeze. It is happening right now. I am intimidated by the thought of writing about hating to write. I can start a sentence. Then, the process of translating it from my mind, through my fingertips to the keyboard and onto the screen, becomes too much of a task and interrupts my thought process until I wind up with a jumble of disjointed words. A rambling sentence such as that last one. Writing is rough. There is the rough draft. The unbelievably rough chore of editing and attempting to make something readable out of random words. And the roughness of wondering, after all that, is anyone even going to read this?

Registering

Despite my incredibly strong desire to hold off on registering (possibly until next year), we made the trek to Bed Bath & Beyond to start our wish list. I LOVE BB&B. I LOVE shopping there. And I LOVE that they allow you to use more than one coupon a transaction and expired coupons too! (I can't help it. It's the cheapskate in me. But, really, I could essentially buy 10 items and use 10 twenty percent off coupons...you can't beat it!) Registering was something much further down on my 'To Do' list. Why register now when stock is changing, I have no idea what our living situation will be like and I'd most likely end up completely re-doing the registry as these questions got answered? For instance I registered for King sheets. We have a queen bed. But if our future bedroom is big enough we'd like to get a king. If it's not...registry altered. And I know we will have at least one bathroom. But what if we have two...add a second set of towels and accessories. And what if we got through the agonizing discussion of dinnerware, pick plates and silverware only to have the style be discontinued and clearanced with 6 months still to go to our wedding? Which brings me back to how I LOVE Bed Bath and Beyond. Except, it seems, when it comes to registering. Registering at BB&B is completely overwhelming! It may have helped if we'd talked about what we wanted before going to the store. Instead we wandered aimlessly around the store scanning few items and mostly deciding to decide later. As a result we walked away with about ten items on our wedding list. Now that a registry is started, however, I can't stop thinking about it. We forgot cookie sheets. How can I continue my quest to perfect the chocolate chip cookie without high class cookie sheets? And what colors do we want in our bedroom? Maybe we should have decided that prior to registering for sheets. So now our incomplete and fledgling registry remains on the active to do list with no cross off date in sight. And I have a new obsession...checking and updating the registry--frequently!

Grocery Shopping

I have recently developed an intense dislike for grocery shopping. While I have never particularly loved the chore, it is pretty bad how much I dread it lately. I have been in DC for about eight years now. While at school the closest grocery store wasn't in the best area of town. When I lived on Connecticut Avenue the store felt safe, but seemed to lack some of the options a larger store would carry. The Giant on Wisconsin, however, is by far the worst. Its teeny tiny. The aisles are about half as long as an average grocery store and very narrow. There is about three feet of space between them and the registers, which means there in zero room if there are lines (and there are ALWAYS lines). The selection is very limited and produce is usually horrible. I avoid it like the plague. Like today. I had all day to head over to shop and I put it off and put it off until I was finally so hungry I absolutely had to go in order to make myself dinner. In hindsight, it may have been better if I hadn't waited quite so long. I could have avoided the 6 o'clock after work crowd. Either way, my new philosophy is to grab the absolute essentials (plus the one or two random items I always seem to add to my basket--today's being cupcake wrappers and vanilla??) and get out in the shortest amount of time possible. Which has me heading to the grocery store two to three times a week. Makes sense, right?

Wedding Website

I can't seem to write the 'Our Story' portion of our website. I have been struggling with it for weeks. I don't know why. It's simple, really. We were set up. Our first date was basically a blind one. We had talked on the phone twice for brief periods of time and looked at outdated pictures on Facebook, but the first time we met was our first date. End of story. Or the beginning...depends on how you look at it.

Wedding Photography

Looking for photographers was a bit of a buzz kill. Photos was one place I wasn't willing to skimp. I was, in fact, willing to go over budget to find exactly what I wanted. Looking at site after site, however, was a headache. Michael and I shared the following email exchange during the search:
ME: OK Fiance, here's a bunch. There's a ton more. I think I have a top 3 out of these, a few I'd probably take off the list and then a bunch of in betweens. [Here followed an obnoxiously long list of local photography websites, only two or three of which I actually liked, but all of which I felt it vital he look at].
MICHAEL: I liked #10 and Emily. I got tired of looking at them after 10. I'm glad you're doing the research for this.
ME: I liked Emily! I think it might be the cool name ;) She was definitely top of my list though. I liked Natalie and Kathy too. The other one you liked I couldn't view very well on my super outdated computer. But I liked the bit I saw so I'll have to look again. Here's the first of many wedding to do lists....Are you ready for this? Not sure you're ready...Not sure you REALLY know what you've gotten yourself into...OK, I'm done. Sorry. TO DOs for tonight: 1. Finish guest list (this would be your friends, I'll help) 2. Talk to you about my catering thoughts 3. Talk to you about the budget stuff I looked at 4. Watch The Bachelorette (This is unrelated, but a potential must. So I hope you're coming over. I might not wait otherwise.) 5. Figure out a way to not bombard you with 50 million emails about wedding stuff to fuel your already bad email habit. Especially when I have work to do. The End. Love you.
His response? He added to my "to do" list....This is why I love him ;)

PS-We had our engagement session yesterday. Stay tuned for new pictures coming soon to a computer near you!

So, you will probably think this is very OCD of me, but when I have cash in my wallet I like it to be organized with all the bills facing the same way and in numerical order. Its weird and stupid and not at all important, but its my thing. I know there is at least one other person out there who feels this need. I learned it from her. I have always had my checking account with the same bank. Recently, they were purchased and just went through the processing of fully switching over to a new name. Since the change I have noticed a difference. The new ATMs dispense bills all haphazardly and unorganized and it drives me a little bit crazy. It did it this morning and irritated me. I won't name names, but when they ask "What's in your wallet?" I'm tempted to say sloppy unorganized cash thanks to your slacker ATMs. I miss crisp, clean, orderly money. Just thought I'd share...

Michael & Emily's Wedding

It seems that with 9 months to our wedding (255 days to be exact) we have all the major contractors booked. I thought I would take time to share some of the planning now that we have reached a bit of a lull. Most of the process has been fairly easy. We have had no major disagreements and, surprisingly, I have been rather decisive about most things. The hardest part was choosing the date. With so many birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, holidays, etc. the months of May and June were pretty tight. Plus, with one weekend out for the venue and another for the church June 4th was really our only option. Luckily we both liked the sound of an even number. We're weird like that. The ceremony was between the two family churches. With St. Peter's (my home church) recently rebuilt after burning down in 2004 I had no real ties to the building or dreams of marrying there. Plus, Our Lady of the Fields (The MacDonald family church) is nearby St. Elizabeth Ann Seton where Michael works and where we got a great deal on the reception site. I was originally opposed to Seton. I have never wanted a reception in a church hall. But, as church halls go, Seton really is very nice. It doesn't have the feel of a church hall and has a nice outdoor patio area and pond. Plus, because Michael works there we have the ability to store some things before and after and can get into the hall early to do our own decorating. I have come to love this idea especially as I have this strong desire to make everything unique and original (or as original as you can get in a centuries old tradition). Stay tuned...

New to the World of Blogging

OK, so I have to say I am a bit skeptical of this whole blogging revolution. I'm not sure I really understand the point of posting random thoughts for the whole world to see, and I'm not yet convinced I'll actually put much effort into this project. It seems, however, it is all the rage to have a blog. Or follow blogs. Or blog on blogs. And while I am deeply committed to keeping 'fads' out of my life, I can also appreciate jumping on the bandwagon when warranted....So, don't judge, this is a work in progress...