Welcome to Kieran's World

Hoop Drills

2011-09-08T16:07:00.000-04:00

Has Spring sprung?

2011-03-03T01:29:00.000-05:00

Quincy and I went for our first Rail Trail walk of the year. I was afraid there would be mud. There wasn't- because it was still under like 6 inches of snow! And tomorrow it's going to feel like the single digits with the wind chill. Bleak!
But, I do see signs that this long winter may be winding down. The days are getting longer. And we change the clocks in 10 days. And look what we saw in the woods today!! Rosebuds!!!

Er, um, at least they WILL be rosebuds. Come on- I need Spring to come. Let's call them rosebuds.

Family Reunion

2011-02-24T01:05:00.002-05:00

We had a family reunion this past weekend. There were a lot of people and there was a lot of fun to be had. One of the many cherished moments was the surprise barber shop quartet for my grandfather's 91st birthday.

Oh, and it was also silly when Bre put on some beer goggles. :-)

Andrew and I had a wonderful time!

Twin Egg

2011-02-06T11:05:00.000-05:00

While cooking breakfast this morning (bacon and cheese omelets with home fries), I found a surprise. After cracking open an egg, I found 2 yolks inside! Twin Egg!!

I think that Twin Egg is a sign of good luck!

Keeping Warm...

2011-02-05T22:26:00.000-05:00

Since it's been so chilly outside, we've been trying to keep ourselves entertained indoors.
She-Ra has taken to curling up with a good book or two.

The rest of us have taken up birdwatching. And I have some fat, happy birds.

Is it spring yet?

Staying Balanced

2011-02-03T11:29:00.002-05:00

School started up again last week. Last semester got to be a bit overwhelming. The stress not only affected my mental well-being, but it also affected my physical help. I'm trying to be mindful of my time. And most importantly, making time for me to relax.
For example, before I go into work this afternoon, I'm taking my morning to hang out in pjs, drink coffee and watch reruns of '90's sitcoms. And I'm thinking grilled cheese with bacon for lunch. Great morning!

Happy 90th Brithday, Pop!

2011-02-01T16:47:00.000-05:00

Today, my grandfather would have been 90. We celebrated. He is dearly missed, and is remembered every day.
Lunch at the office consisted of Jameson and chocolate kisses.

Dinner will include red wine and pizza! Love ya, Pop!

Ice Storm

2011-01-18T20:09:00.005-05:00

We are mid ice storm, and it is slippery out there! The snowman is still hanging on, but he looks a bit chilly!

There is ice on everything!

Stay warm out there!

What a weekend!

2011-01-17T00:57:00.000-05:00

On Friday, Andrew had the first part of his State exam (he's about to become a paramedic!). To celebrate, we went Night Skiing! I hadn't been skiing since like March 2006, but it's muscle memory- like riding a bike, right?? Right? Actually, it was! I was a little nervous at first, but my the end of the night, it felt like I was a good as ever!
On Saturday, we went to the City with my father-in-law. We saw the King Tut exhibit at the Discovery Center. AWESOME! We couldn't take pictures inside-bummer. But take my word for it- it was incredible.

After a yummy lunch of Ethiopian food, we adventured through Greenwich Village and Chinatown.

What a well deserved, fun, relaxing weekend!

Pay it Forward

2011-01-14T10:05:00.000-05:00

I was able to pass on the good will I received last week (Relying on the kindness of others, Jan. 8). My friend from work was telling me about her life situation the other day. She and her husband have recently split up, and she finds herself (and her kids) homeless. She is thinking about an apartment a few towns away, but it's far away from her family. I mention that my landlord is renting a neighboring house, and it's only about 10 minutes away from her family.
So she called my landlord, looked at the house, and loved it! Last I heard she was going to talk details and dollar signs.
I hope it works out. It's nice to feel that I'm passing on that positive energy I received from others last week. Keeping good karma out there. Imagine what the world would be like if everyone just helped out each other...

Snow day!

2011-01-12T15:30:00.000-05:00

Andrew and I are both off from work today, so we're having a lazy day. Andrew shoveled us out while I made chocolate chip french toast (yum!). Then we went out to play in the snow.

I made a hula hooping snow man!

Now, we're trying to warm up. Brrrr.

Mountain Jam 2011 Lineup!

2011-01-11T13:04:00.000-05:00

My favorite way to kick off the summer is Mountain Jam! Mountain Jam is a weekend music festival that takes place at Hunter Mountain, about 45 minutes away from my house. It's always a lot of fun exploring, camping with friends, and amazing music.
This year's line up includes: Michael Franti & Spearhead, The Avett Brothers, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, My Morning Jacket, Bella Fleck & The Flecktones, North Mississipps Allstars, and many more. This is just the initial lineup. More bands will be added. Get your tickets now. I suggest to go for the camping pass...
Make sure to check out http://mountainjam.com/ for more information...

Winter Weather

2011-01-10T06:58:00.001-05:00

We've been hit by some storms so far this winter. We had a blizzard the day after Christmas, and we got maybe 8 inches last Friday. And the weather men are predicting another storm tomorrow night and continuing into Wednesday day. I'm hoping that we're just getting all of the snow out of the way early this year so that we can quickly resume warmer temperatures. And the worst part is driving in it. I don't live in a city anymore, so public transportation is out. And my commute is a 15 minute drive, so walking isn't an option either. Sigh. It's just extra stress. But if you don't have to go anywhere, it sure is pretty. And I'm off from work Wednesday, so let it snow- let it snow- let it snow.

Cat in a box

2011-01-09T19:15:00.000-05:00

Whenever we have a box in the house, it's like a cat magnet. I don't get it. Roxy was thrilled when we set this one by the recycling to go out. She pushed it into the middle of the kitchen and enjoyed her now toy.

I think her favorite game is hide and seek. She would wait for She-Ra or Quincy (or Andrew or myself if none of the animals were near by) to walk by and... SURPRISE!

Relying on the kindness of others

2011-01-08T00:26:00.000-05:00

We got hit with some snow today (6-8 inches). And I freak out driving in the snow. But I was scheduled for an evening shift. So I put on my big girl pants (metaphorically), put on my boots, packed a snow shovel and kitty litter in the car and grabbed some tissues for my relief cry when I got to work (all literally), and set out, about an hour earlier than I usually would.
My usual 12 minute commute took about 35, but (whew) I made it! However, since I left the house so early, I subsequently got to work about a half an hour before I could swipe in. Not to worry- I brought my book.
I was sitting in the parking lot with the radio on, and I decided that while I was killing time, I'd dry my gloves using the defroster. Genius, right? WRONG! All of the sudden, 2 beeps and my car turned off.
Double eff! The battery! Good thing I still had some tissues left over from my relief cry, because I needed them now!
Security at the hospital said that Engineering could jump start my car after my shift, I would just have to find the one lonely guy on at that hour. So I trudged up to the unit, still sniffling and fighting back tears. I should have just called out.
But, lucky duck me, one of my co-workers had jumper cables in her car!
So after report, we went outside in the snow and tried to jump my car. Easier said than done. First, my hood popper is broken, and it's just a wire now, and it took quite a bit of pulling to get that latch to open. Then, my battery only has the positive terminal showing. But that's ok, just hook the negative one to a metal part of the car. Well, we're charging and I'm trying to start my car. We see some progress, the interior lights flash, the dashboard lights flash, but nothing when I try to turn the engine over. :-(
Just as I'm about to call it quits and ask Andrew to pick me up at midnight, this group of people happen to be walking through the parking lot (strange, because the hospital is on a hill and not close to anything in town). "Do you need help? I know cars," said one stranger. I figured I'd try anything. Well, this guy might as well have been an angel! He got it up and running in like 5 seconds! After a few laps around the snow covered parking lot (where I did more sliding and skidding then I did on the way to work), I decided that the battery was charged and I could get back to work (like 40 minutes later!!).
My eyes still felt puffy from the stress (and crying) related to this awful start to the afternoon. I spent the next few hours hoping that all of the overnight staff would make it in, otherwise I would be camping out at work for the night.
Amazingly, all of the night shift made it in. Unfortunately, they were all reporting horrific road conditions. The senior nurse on my unit noted that because the census was so low, and because the other nurse on the unit had decided to spend the night in an empty bed rather than risking a drive home (only to return in 8 hours for a day shift), that 2 nurses would be more than adequate staffing and let me leave after bedtime meds. This meant that I could leave work an hour and a half early! I was so glad to be able to make the trek home and put an end to this stressful day!
I just wanted to post this story to express how appreciated a little gesture can be. On a crappy day, it can change someone's whole perspective! Thanks, everyone!

Hoopy New Year...

2011-01-04T00:26:00.000-05:00

The holidays are over. School is on break. My schedule has slowed down to just a full time job. What to do with all this free time?

Well, I've got myself a new hobby. Hula hooping! It's fun and it's good exercise. And (in theory) it looks cool. I don't have it quite mastered yet, but it sure is fun to learn!

What is it with me and falling trees?

2010-12-01T16:58:00.000-05:00

So we're having a rainy, windy day in the Hudson Valley today. I woke up and thought, "Well, if it's not snow, I'll take it." Then, I was making lunch. Andrew was in the living room. While talking to him, I saw something white flash past the window. When I investigated further, I saw that a large portion of our birch tree had fallen into the yard!

Luckily, it didn't hit anything in the yard.

The skyline of our yard does look like it's missing something now, though.

But everyone is safe and sound, so that's what counts. I think the real question is why do Andrew and I cause trees to fall? It's like a lame super power or something.

Paid off my surgery!!!

2010-08-02T16:36:00.001-04:00

My surgery is all paid off as of this morning!! It took $460 days, and it's all done now. Yay! :-)

Rain, finally!

2010-07-15T05:14:00.003-04:00

We're had warm, dry, muggy weather for several weeks. This past week, we finally had a spot of rain. My plants were so happy they were practically smiling!

My lilies look beautiful.

And I can't wait for my tomatoes to ripen.

Dog Days of Summer

2010-07-06T17:16:00.005-04:00

It's currently 100.6 degrees outside, and it's 94 degrees inside! Whew, it's rough without air conditioning. Even though it's so hot, we've managed to have some pretty cool adventures so far this summer (how cheese-y could I be?).

Waterfall hikes in PA

Fireworks at the Accord Speedway

and discovering new swimming holes!

Stay cool!

Vive Le Difference

2010-03-28T00:31:00.001-04:00

Or not.

Last week, it was beyond beautiful. Spring had sprung. It was in the 60s and sunny and wonderful and life was grand. We were going for hikes on a daily basis and I was happy as a clam. In fact, it was so warm, we bumped into this little guy on a walk.

Then, we woke up this morning to go for a walk with some friends. It was 29 degrees. And windy. Kind of like the opposite of last week. Today, we saw things like this.

It's supposed to warm up again next week. And there are signs that spring may actually be on its way.

Let's hope spring will be here to stay soon!

Quincy has a sleepover

2010-03-26T09:26:00.006-04:00

A few weeks back, Quincy's friend Shaq spent the night!

They chased each other and played for hours.

The girls didn't have as much fun...

They spent the evening wrestling.

He wasn't too much trouble at all, though. Shaq is a good dog.

Happy Birthday, Andrew!!!

2010-03-19T16:51:00.002-04:00

It's Andrew's 26th birthday! We started the day with a hike and picnic on this beautiful day. We're going to the Culinary Institute of America for a delicious dinner tonight. Can't wait! Happy Birthday, honey!

Walk on the Rail Trail

2010-03-18T23:58:00.000-04:00

Going for a walk on the rail trail is one of my favorite things to do. And with this string of beautiful weather, I have been going for a walk or hike somewhere pretty much every day. Yesterday, we went for a walk and had quite the time.

The moss is so vibrant.

Quincy went for a quick dip- Quicy because the water was soooo cold.

We got up close and personal with a snake enjoying the spring sunshine.

New Year, New Post.

2010-01-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

Ok, ok, I've been busy the past few months. Working and school and life has kept me busy But I still manage to have my fair share of adventures. So I am going to really try to document my shenanigans on my good old blog. It's not a New Years Resolution or anything-I believe that they just set you up for failure and disappointment. Like if you're going to do something, the only reason should be yourself. Not a date, not another person. You. I'm off.

Lucky to be alive

2009-06-24T20:17:00.003-04:00

I was driving.

I walked away from this with only minor injuries. All I can say is that I witnessed a miracle first hand.

Before and current

2009-05-05T17:18:00.000-04:00

Before- taken the morning of surgery

Recovery- taken yesterday

And yes it hurt. Yes it still hurts. But love makes everything feel better. Thanks, Quincy!

And the after pictures will be posted once all the swelling goes down.

Recovery

2009-05-01T10:25:00.000-04:00

I have a bunch of pictures that I can post once I feel better. I expected the recovery to suck, but I was hoping that it wouldn't be too bad. Yeah, it's the exact oposite of "not too bad". It sucks so much. Anyone who was worried that I would become addicted to plastic surgery can just realx. In fact, this hurts so much that I don't think I ever want to give birth, because the recovery from that will make this look like a day at the beach.
And to add insult to injury (literally), I have an allergy to Vicodin. When I take it, I get so itchy, itchy, itchy that I am crawling out of my skin. So now it's just me and Tylenol. And it sucks.
I still have all this tape around my chin, so I don't exactly know what I look like yet. I have more of an idea now that the huge bandage is off. When they were removing the bandage Wednesday, it kind of reminded me of a Twilight Zone episode. As then unwrapped my face, everyone else saw me before I knew what I looked like. They were like, "Look at how good she looks." and "There's much less bruising than expected." I was just hoping that I looked human. It's really a bizzare feeling when you don't know what you look like. I can't wait for this tape to fall off.
I think I feel better today than yesterday, but I have bouts where I feel pretty good, then a few minutes later I can hardly keep my eyes open because I hurt so much all there is to do is sleep.
Well, my big adenda today consists of going to Dunkin Donuts with Bre and SR to enjoy some coffee, then back to my house for a tv and movie marathon (actually getting kind of sick of tv and movie marathons since I've been doing them for like 4 days), and maybe I'll order some Chinese food for dinner tonight. Yum. Steamed dumplings should be easy enough to eat...

Going Under the Knife

2009-04-25T11:37:00.000-04:00

Tuesday is the day! I'm having my surgery. I'm getting a chin implant and liposuction. I go in Tuesday at 9am. The surgery will take approx. 2 hours, then I'll have a few days off to recover. I'm excited, but also nervous. And both the excitement and nervousness are growing as the day gets closer. I woke up at 6 this morning and for some reason, this thought popped into my head: "This is the last Saturday that I'm going to wake up with my original face." Try falling back to sleep after that idea. Wish me luck!

Cultural Ignorance

2009-04-08T21:51:00.003-04:00

One of my best friends, SarahRose, is Jewish. Or as she would day, "Jew-ish." Anyway, she asked me Monday night if I would join her family for Passover dinner. She said that it would involve a small ceremony, and drinking lots of wine and eating food. Drinking wine and eating food are 2 things that I can really support. But I was unsure of what the ceremony involved. Wondering out loud, using the little bit of knowledge I did have related to the holiday, I asked her if the ceremony involved putting lambs blood on the door. She started to laugh and asked me if my family planned on crucifying anyone this weekend.
So I went there for dinner tonight, and I brought a bottle of wine. The ceremony did not involve lamb blood (thank goodness), but whenever the lamb blood was mentioned, SR would nudge me with her elbow. Then, at one point during the ceremony, we opened the door for Elijah and Miriam. SarahRose's mom said to me, "This is the door that we put the lamb blood on earlier." I turned bright red. Totally embarrassed. Or maybe it was from all the wine we'd been drinking?
But it was a fun night. And the food...delicious! Yum! Thanks for inviting me, SarahRose!

Go Yankees!

2009-04-06T07:16:00.001-04:00

Yay! Yay! It's Opening Day! Go Yankees!

Bye, Pop.

2009-04-04T08:10:00.003-04:00

Last Sunday, the world lost one of its more unique people. My grandfather passed away. Anyone who ever experienced him knows how special he was. Bye Pop! Keep an eye on me from up there! But can you do it quietly?

Why I do what I do

2009-03-18T21:39:00.001-04:00

I have been super frustrated at work lately. It's like I walk into the house and instantly by blood pressure jumps like 40mmHg and I'm about the angriest person you'd ever meet. I'm not the angry person in front of the kids- I pretty much take whatever they throw at me- but once the kids are at school it's like Mr. Hyde comes out.
Anyway, the kids are getting ready for school this morning and I go into the living room to see what's going on and how the kids look before school (I get upset if the kids go out of the house looking messy). This one little guy, we'll call him Sam, is just sitting in his wheelchair listening to music. Just sitting. That is very unusual for Sam because he loves music- especially music with a beat. He usually listens for a second then starts clapping and dancing along. So it was funny to see him sitting there with his hands on his tray- not even tapping along with the NSYNC song blaring behind him.
I walk up to him and say, "What's going on, Sam?" as I put my hands on top of his hands. He looks at me, smiles, grabs my hands and starts making me dance along with the music- laughing and singing.
As the song ends, I say, "So what did you think of that song?" And Sam takes both of my hands, puts them to his cheeks and squeezes- like he was making my hands hug his face- and says, "I like that song."
I melted. And it hit me. That's why I love my job. That's why I LOVE working with this population. I love those kids.

1600 Calorie diet

2009-03-08T20:07:00.000-04:00

I have lost 50 pounds! I'm trying to watch what I eat and stay active. Here's that I ate today:
This morning, I had a very healthy breakfast. I had one scrambled egg (cooked with olive oil in stead of butter). One medium egg has approx 65 calories, and the one Tbsp of olive oil has 120 calories. The egg was seasoned with 1 Tbsp black pepper at 16 calories and 1 Tbsp salt at 0 calories. Then, I also had one breakfast chicken sausage that has 60 calories. Then I had one cup of coffee with skim milk at 25 calories. Breakfast had a grand total of 286 calories.
Then I went on a moderate hike with a friend at a state park and had a lovely time. Then, we came back and made lunch. We had a salad which consisted of 3/4 cup of lettuce (5 calories), 2 Tbsp Goddess Dressing (130 calories), 1/8 cup fresh sliced almonds (70 calories), and 1/8 cup dried cranberries (50 calories) The salad had a total of 255 calories. Then we also cooked some roasted garlic chicken sausage which has 140 calories. We dipped the sausage in 1 Tbsp Dill Mustard at 0 calories. We drank Coke Zero which also has 0 calories. The total calories in lunch were 395!
Total calories thus far: 681. Then, we had a Pop Tart for a snack at 200 calories. We also had a seltzer at 0 calories. Up to 881.
For dinner, we had a 4oz ground chicken burger at 180 calories with various seasonings added to increase the caloric total to approximately 209. Burgers were cooked with 1 Tbsp olive oil at 120 calories. We also had 3/4 cup of baked curly fries at 160 calories. We had more Coke Zero with dinner. Now total daily calories are at 1370.
In a little while, I plan to have a glass of Ovaltine with skim milk at 170 calories and a chocolate chip rice cake at 60 calories. That will put my total calories for the day at 1600.
Especially if I go to the gym 4 or 5 times a week and still work out at home on the other days. Here's to my continued weight loss.

Food for Thought

2009-03-05T21:30:00.000-05:00

I met with a doctor yesterday. What I found out from him is that my chin is so small that even with an XL implant, I still won't have the results I want. What he recommends is to also have liposuction and tissue removed. The total cost for the procedure would be $6612.50.
I have another consultation scheduled with a different doctor next week. Not to say that I didn't like the first doctor. I liked him a lot. He seems really knowledgeable. He specializes in facial plastic surgery and he teaches part time at a med school in the city. But, I feel like it would be silly and risky if I don't meet with more than one doctor. So I should be closer to making a decision in 7 days.
In other news, my weight loss has hit 49 pounds! I hope to drop another pound by the weekend. I feel like I have to treat myself to something special when I hit 50 pounds, and I want to treat (or spoil) myself soon.
Also, I was just in a grumpy mood this afternoon. I knew that I wanted to change my outlook, but I didn't know what to do. I decided to go to the gym in hope of freeing some endorphins. It was a success! I do feel much better now! I don't know if it's because I feel better after exercising, or if it was more because I dropped another 24 seconds off of my mile time! It's down to 7:50! Not bad- especially considering that when I started at the gym, it was 17 minutes! Yay for me!
Hope Friday flies by... can't wait for the weekend!

Get Involved!

2009-02-25T19:52:00.002-05:00

There may not be a 2009 Rosendale Street Festival. We need your help if we're going to pull this off. And it will be fun! On Saturday, March 14th, join us for: Rosendale Street Festival: Winter Benefit. Come listen to 9 great local bands, enjoy some yummy food, and find out what you (yes, YOU) can do to save the Rosendale Street Festival. So, March 14 from 12pm-10pm. See you there!

Progress

2009-02-22T09:04:00.002-05:00

I have 2 consultations scheduled with 2 different doctors in early March. I'm not sure if you can really understand what I want unless you see it, so here's a link to a medical group in Albany. I have a consultation with this group, but not this doctor. Regardless, you can click on the link to see what I want done.

Changes

2009-02-18T19:54:00.002-05:00

**Note- I've been toying with the idea of this post for a few days and I've decided to post it. I'll explain my decision later.**

When I was 14, I started going to the orthodontist. My parents did spend quite a bit of money on my teeth, but we did choose to forgo some of the recommended treatments. One issue is that we chose not to address is that my mandible is underdeveloped (in plain English- I have a very small chin). This has been a constant source of insecurity for me the past 10 years.

I have been working hard to improve many other things about myself that I wasn't satisfied with. I've lost over 40 pounds and I'm going back to school. But I still wasn't happy about my profile. So, to make a long story longer, I have decided that I want to seriously look into plastic surgery to get my chin fixed.
I am excited about the opportunity of being comfortable with how I look. But I am also kind of embarrassed that I am so insecure over something so silly. But that doesn't change the fact that I am so insecure over it. Why should I spend the rest of my life unhappy about something that could easily been fixed?
As I indicated in the beginning of the post, I have chosen to make this very private choice public. I may be opening myself up to all sorts of negative comments. I know that is a real possibility.
So why am I planning to share this experience with the world? Well, I have spent about 10 years researching my options, weighing the different options and risks. I am putting myself out there so that my experience might help someone else make a decision.

Excellent Movie

2009-02-12T22:02:00.001-05:00

I haven't been to a lot of movies lately. In fact, there are more Oscar movies that I haven't seen than ones that I have. But I was able to cross one off the list. I
saw Slumdog Millionaire tonight. It was incredible. There were several moments where I wanted to laugh and cry simultaneously. I strongly affected me. It was one of both the happiest and saddest movies that I've ever seen. And the dance sequence at the end has you leaving with a smile on your face (and if you're anything like the gang I was with, you leave with a good workout as we joined in on the dancing).
Some scenes are very hard to watch. But go see it. And hang in there through the rough scenes. I would list that movie in the potentially life changing section.
I have been toying with the idea of a foreign adoption well before Angelina Joile made it cool, and this movie has seriously strengthened my reasons.
Because really, no matter how crappy you think your life is sometimes, there are tons of people who would trade anything to have our lives. As tight as money has been from time to time, I don't know what poor means. Most people don't know what poor means. There are so many people everywhere who need help. Something simple, something that wouldn't really even cramp your style could positively change another person's life forever.
Well, now I'm rambling and tired. So I'll end with this. Go see Slumdog Millionaire and also do something nice for someone.
Have a good weekend!
PS- Happy Half Birthday to Me!!!!!

Quick Update...

2009-02-11T18:16:00.000-05:00

I don't have a lot of time, but a lot has happened recently. I also can't get my stupid wireless internet to work. *Frustrated Noise* So here a quick update...
Work has been totally crazy. Last week, I worked 43.75 hours- and only 35 count. I miss overtime. I love my job, but I NEVER want another "Salaried" position. Ever.
I found out yesterday that I got accepted to New Paltz! So I will in fact be furthering my education in the fall. Yay!
My weight loss hit kind of a mile stone. I have lost over 40 pounds. 41 to be specific. Yeah- it's exciting. Yeah- it will be more exciting when I hit 50.
We recently found out that my paternal grandfather has stomach cancer. But it is early stages and fully contained. Surgery is planned for mid-February. Get well soon Pop!
My maternal grandfather turned 89 today!!!! Happy Birthday Grampy!!
Now I have to run out to his birthday dinner.

Help Save the Rosendale Street Fest

2009-02-01T12:02:00.000-05:00

This is the "Pre Post" if you will. We are currently working on a press release regarding the plan for the next street fest. But here's a heads up. The Street Fest in in jeopardy. We're not sure if we will be able to pull off the Fest this year. We will know for sure after our "Help Save the Rosendale Street Fest" mixer on March 14th. It will be at the Rec Center from noon to 10pm. There will be like 10 bands, contests, food, and lots of fun! From 12-2, we will be having entertainment geared towards children and families. Then, from like 2-4, the music will be high school type music. Then, the fun continues into the night. We will also have information available for those who want to get involved with the Street Fest! We need volunteers. Whatever your talent or special skill is, we could use your help. As I'm learning this year, the Street Festival is OUR Street Festival. It won't happen if we don't make it happen. So get involved! The next meeting is 2-10 at 7pm at the Rec Center if you want to help. Otherwise, we'll see you at the mixer. Help Save the Rosendale Street Festival!!!!!

Girls Night

2009-01-25T12:01:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, a group of us got together and had a girls night. We had only one intention: to have an awesome time! I think we were more than adequately prepared.

There was dancing

and card games

and time for girls to be girls

and of course there was drinking.

And the drinking lead to some other interesting situations, like a surprise bear hug for Bre

Isis joining the party

and whatever this is

and we didn't forget what an important political time we're living in.

We ended the night by frolicking in the snow! And Tobogganing. Totally legendary.

Barack Obama

2009-01-21T21:50:00.000-05:00

I just want to take a few minutes to reflect on how incredible it is that Barack Obama is the President of the United States. He is pretty much the opposite of a legacy. He is living proof that you can achieve whatever you set your mind to. His opportunities weren't handed to him. He worked so hard for everything in the face of adversity- people just waiting for him to stumble. And now, he is the most important person in the entire world! He is truly inspirational. Congratulations, President Obama!

Vacation

2009-01-18T18:15:00.003-05:00

My family just got back from an awesome vacation. We went on a cruise and visited several tropical locations.
The ship itself was pretty spectacular. I had a lot of fun in the dining room.

It was easy to find ways to be entertained while on the ship.

As you know, I always like to try new and exotic foods. In Grand Cayman, I had some turtle soup. Just so you know, turtle has the texture of chicken, but tastes like fish.

In Cozumel, Bre and I went climbing and zip lining on the beach.

We did get a little homesick (and a phone call to SarahRose seemed to help).

Bre and I did a lot of sisterly bonding.

And I was able to spend a lot of quality time with my mom.

In Roatan, Honduras, I pet a shark!!!

The whole family had an amazing time!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T22:04:00.000-05:00

My introduction to 2009 has been good so far! Bre and I had a bunch of friends over to say good-bye to 2008, and it was a lovely evening. And so far, 2009 has been pretty good. I've got a good feeling about this year!

Christmas was good for the girls

2008-12-28T22:34:00.000-05:00

Santa was good to everyone this year. I got a new jacket. And a bunch of new clothes for my upcoming vacation. But he brought the fanciest present for the girls this year.

That's right. A pretty elaborate cat condo! I was hoping that they would love it, but I've heard of people having their cats ignore the condos.
My question was answered as the cats quickly picked their favorite spots. Roxy likes the tippy top...

...while She-Ra would rather chill on the bottom.

And after a long day of play, they have a new nap spot.

Thanks, Santa! They do love it!

My Future

2008-12-24T18:53:00.002-05:00

I've made a pretty big decision. I'm going to go back to school. I guess it's a career change. Or maybe just a career advancement.
I plan to start school in the fall (it was too late to start in spring by the time I decided) to get a Bachelors in Psychology. If I enjoy that, then I would have the option of getting a MSN and working is a psychiatric nurse practitioner.
I have seen first hand the effects that mental illness can have on a family (and one's self), and I like the idea of being able to help others in similar situations.
Let's see what happens...

It's Snowing!!!

2008-12-16T22:30:00.000-05:00

The first real snow and I have officially completed all of my Christmas/Christmahanukkah :-) (you're welcome, SR) shopping for the year! Ands don't worry... I didn't forget myself. But I deserve some new clothes. I've lost 31 pounds so far, so my old clothes look a little silly sometimes.
But this isn't going to be a long post. I have to bring in a bunch of stuff from the car and get to bed. I have a fun-filled day in the City to look forward to. For Christmas, I got my parents, Bre, and of course me tickets to go see "All My Sons" on Broadway starring John Lithgow and Katie Holmes! I'm super duper psyched! If only it was going to be a beautiful, warm, sunny day...
Oh well! I'm not going to let it rain on my parade- or snow as the case may be.

I just don't get it.

2008-12-15T19:06:00.000-05:00

I just don't get what's wrong with people. Almost a year and a half ago, I made a fun video of me singing Bruce Springsteen. That's all it is. Just me singing. It's totally silly. But, within the past hour, 4 people have made mean comments to me on youtube. And it really hurt my feelings. Why do people do that? And why so many so quickly. And the things were really mean and really hurtful. I may have gone overboard. I responded to each negative comment saying, "Wow! I guess there are a bunch of dicks in the world with no sense of humor. Chill the freak out over a youtube video. With all the problems in the world, you pick this to make a big deal about? Plus, it's personally insulting. It's pretty sad that you get your kicks by being a huge jerk. I hope it was worth it." I'll probably instigate more negative comments with that, but whatever. I needed to stand up for myself. Assholes.

Santa Success!

2008-12-14T10:52:00.000-05:00

The Christmas Party went so well! Thee was plenty of food. My Swedish Meatballs were a hit- none left over! And a special someone made a surprise stop! That's right, the big guy himself stopped by the house and he handed out the letters to the kids. One girl was so overwhelmed that she started to cry. It was just a good day.
I'd better get a move on today, though. I have big plans. I have to run to town to finish up my Christmas shopping- 2 people left! And I want to help my grand parents put up Christmas lights outside. And I want to find my digital camera (vacation is quickly approaching, and I'm not going to Belize without a camera!!!). And I also would like to get a Christmas Tree today. And it's almost 11 and I'm not even dressed yet. Switching into high gear!!

Santa Project

2008-12-13T08:02:00.000-05:00

A few days ago, I mentioned this Santa Project I have been working on. There are 13 kids at the house I work at. I had each of them write a letter to Santa. Some of the kids can write, while most of the kids needed help. Between staff and other kids, everyone completed a letter and we sent them off to Santa.
Well, I happen to have an in with the big guy. I have it under pretty good authority that Santa wrote them letters back and have a good feeling that they should check the mailbox today. That's right. Santa will make sure their letters are in the mailbox before the Christmas Party starts.
Two days ago, I wrapped all the gifts for the kids. Then last night I made pigs in a blanket and chocolate chip cookies. Today, I need to make guacamole before the party. I'm going in early this morning to help set up. I also am going to make Swedish meatballs and lasagna.
I'm really tired and would have loved to sleep in this morning, but I am actually really excited about this party. And I can sleep in tomorrow.
Off to get up to my elbows in avocado...
PS- Here's a fun thing for adults to do. My dad e-mailed me this Santa Hotline: (973)409-3486. Kids- this is not Santa's real number. It's just a joke for grown-ups. Enjoy! Ho Ho Ho!

Madame Secretary

2008-12-10T21:19:00.001-05:00

As if my plate wasn't full enough, I just added another heaping of responsibility. I'm hoping that the responsibility will be marinated in fun. Have I confused you yet? I'll clarify.
I have just agreed to become the Secretary for the Rosendale Street Festival.
I was a little concerned with how much extra work it would be, and after much explaination, I totally think it will be doable.
So please note that I have added to my "Favorite Websites" (look to the left side of your screen if you're confused) http://rosendalestreetfestival.com/

Here's no me not regretting this decision in 7 months... I'll keep you posted.

The best laid plans

2008-12-09T22:56:00.003-05:00

I was still very sleepy when I woke up this morning. I spent the day thinking long and hard about my plans for the evening. They were as follows: leave work, go to the gym, go home, vacuum, eat dinner, wash dishes, go to bed around 8:30.
Then reality set in. I got stuck at work a half hour late because extreme craziness tends to set in pretty regularly at work. In fact, sometimes I wonder if extreme craziness is actually the status quo, but I digress. So at 5pm, I leave work ready to head for the gym.
However, my toe is throbbing from an incident I had the day before. See, I'm going on vacation in a few weeks and to get ready, I have a suitcase on my bedroom floor that I'm throwing clothes in that I may want to bring. Yesterday, I was rushing (late as usual) and I ran into the bedroom to grab my phone off the headboard. OUCH!!! I stubbed my pinky toe in the suitcase. Of course I wasn't wearing any shoes. I figured it would be fine and threw on shoes- having practically forgotten about the whole incident- and off to work I went. I wasn't at work 20 minutes before I started limping around. I decided that something didn't feel right and merited further investigation. I unzip my heeled boot and pull my sock off. My little toe was swollen and bruised. And still throbbing. So I went wee, wee, wee all the way to the ibuprofen. Then changed into my sneakers. As an update, it is less swollen today, more bruised and still throbbing. But it's my pinky toe, so if I was to seek further medical attention, I would be told that there's nothing else to be done.
So back to this evening. I decided to give my toe another days rest before I start to stress it again. I figured that I would go to my parent's office to hand out Christmas cards.
Upon arriving to the office, there were 3 kids, who looked vaguely familiar, sitting behind a desk. There was no insureds in the office. I passed out the cards, not really acknowledging the kids, until my mom said, "Kier, haven't they gotten big?" Immediately recognizing them as my dad's friend's kids, I felt like an idiot for not saying anything before. I chatted with them for a few minutes, but kept it very light. The kids are probably about 14, 12, and 10. I knew that their mother had recently passed away and there were issues about placement. Philosophically, I don't see how there could be issues since their biological father was there, willing and wanting to be their primary caregiver, but again, I digress. Talking to my parents quietly in the back office, I find out that their father had been awarded full custody, and the kids were less than thrilled about this prospect. The kids have drifted away from their father the past few months, and honestly I don't know why.
I also find out that my dad is keeping an eye on the kids until later that evening when their dad gets off of work. I suggest that we get some pizza to give them for dinner. I mean, who doesn't get excited about pizza for dinner, really?
My mom gives me money and I go pick up the pizza. Delicious. Then, my dad has to go to a meeting so my mom and I offer to bring the kids to meet up with their father.
We get to the house that their dad has recently moved in to (in anticipation of having full custody). The apartment is beautiful!! But the kitchen doesn't have a lot of food in it. There was some, but it was by no means a fully stocked kitchen. And the furnishings are a bit sparse. The kids all have beds and blankets, but I can't help but notice that their dad's room is empty. I neglected to mention that he's not the most well off. But knowing him, he wouldn't care where he had to sleep as long as his kids were comfortable. My mom and I left as they were getting ready to head out to get some things for the kids.
My mom and I weren't in the car 30 seconds before we were discussing our plan. See, my mom is a bit of a pack rat. And as much as I try to fight it, I inherited that gene. My issue is that I feel empathetic for inanimate objects, so I can't throw them out. However, when I'm giving them to someone, especially someone who will be happy to have them, I could get rid of tons and tons of stuff.
Our first stop was my house. I have a comforter for my bed and an extra one for guests, but I knew I had another one just sitting in my closet. I grabbed that and a bunch of food from my cabinets. Then we went to the convenient store where we got milk, bred and a few other things (like cookies and chocolate milk). Then we went to my parent's where we grabbed some ziti and sauce, a pillow and an old mattress.
We loaded up the car and went back to their house. They weren't home. We didn't expect them to be. So we placed everything on the front porch and took off.
I used to worry about animals- homeless pets especially. I wanted to adopt every last one. I kind of still have those feelings when I see pets in shelters. Or that I click on theanimalrescuesite.com at least once a day. But my problem has expanded. Now it includes people, too. I mean, firstly, look at the kind of place I work in. And that I brought one of the kids to my house for thanksgiving. And this whole "Santa" project that I started at work (more about that later) and that I'm volunteering to go in on my day off to cook food and help decorate for the Christmas party. Look at the fact that I really hope to adopt a baby when I grow up. So I'm sure that it's not surprising that I couldn't sleep knowing that this man, who I've known for years, who loves his kids more than anything, would be sleeping on the floor without a blanket. Or being afraid that the kids would ever have to go to sleep without full bellies.
So there it was. My evening. I really wanted to be in bed by 8:30, and I didn't even walk in the door and sit down until 10. I was thinking on my drive home. I had figured that with all the recent changes I'd been through, I would be able to focus on myself. Not worry about anyone else. Just get to know who I am. But I've realized in the past 6 months that it's not me to just worry about myself. My whole life, I've been looking out for other people. Just ask my poor sister. I'm sure it felt like she had 2 mom's growing up sometimes because I was such a mother hen. I'm a nurse, so right there I get paid to worry about other people. That's just who I am. And I also realized that that's the way I like it. I like to make sure that other people are taken care of. I'm not set for life or anything, but I am not struggling as much as many people are now. So why shouldn't I have done what I could to help that family out.
I think that I am definitely becoming the person I've always wanted to be. I am becoming a "do-er." In stead of saying, "Someone should really..." I am starting to be that someone. And, even though I don't like to worry about myself (of maybe it's just that I worry about myself last), I'm starting to become an active person for myself. A self-advocate if you will. I plan to start college again in the fall to work towards my bachelors. A bachelors in what, I'm not sure. But I have plenty of time to figure out what I want to do with my life.
I hope things will go smoothly. And it should, because for the first time in my life, I am happy being me. Not me in relation to anyone else; not happy to be this one's friend, or that one's wife, of this one's daughter. Just happy to be me in the world. I can actually say that I am a cool person. And if you know me at all, you know it's a big deal for me to feel that way about myself.
PS- I'll fill you in on that "Santa" project later. Bed time (though slightly later than planned).

Finally There?

2008-12-08T21:54:00.003-05:00

I think that we're all in agreement that the turn of events in my life was, let's say, unfortunate. But I'm slowly realizing that this is not necessarily negative in the long term.
I have grown a lot as a person. And learned a lot. I believe that I am a different person than I was 6 months ago. And it is scary sometimes. But other times, it's really fun.
I know this may sound flaky, but I feel like I am not the person I used to be. Everything has changed. But on the other hand, I am also the person I was. It's actually hard to explain now that I'm trying to put it into words. Like I feel carefree and fun, like when I was younger, but I am also not as naive. Not at all to say that I'm never going to make any mistakes again, but I feel, I don't know, young and wise? That's not really how I want to put it. But I can't articulate what I want to say.
Maybe a picture can help. This is an example of what I was talking about. Here is my friend, SR, and I on an adventure this past weekend.

I talked before about going through stages of grief. And I couldn't wait to get to acceptance. I'm finally there. It took a while, and I needed some closure. It was hard, but I got through it. Now, sometimes I feel myself being happy. And it's ok. I know that it's ok for me to be happy, and it's a great place to be.

Working it out

2008-12-02T21:09:00.000-05:00

So, I've had an unusual amount of stress in my life the past few months. There was a while when I was using seriously maladaptive stress relief techniques, but I think I'm finally on the right track. As I mentioned earlier, I've been going to the gym. A lot. But I've retrained myself. When I get stressed out, I want to work out, not get drunk. Not to say that there aren't times when drinking alcohol is a good idea, but those times don't exist every night- as they had been for a while there. So I think it's fair for me to congratulate myself. A little pat on the back here and there is totally fine.
Since I worked out pretty hard yesterday, I wanted to take it a little easy today. I worked at about 60-75% most of the workout. But my body has gotten used to working out. My workout today would have been super hard even 2 weeks ago. I burned 425 calories in 45 minutes. I did 154 on the elliptical, 158 on the stair climber, and 113 on the bike. I did each machine for 15 minutes. Well, technically I did the bike for 15 minutes 40 seconds, but I was so close to 425, I figured that a few extra seconds to get a nice round number was ok.
But I completely worked off my breakfast and lunch calories. And I probably had about 350 calories for dinner. I believe in the calories in vs calories out method for weight loss, and here I am less 29 pounds, so it has to be a good method, right?
Let's hope I keep this up for at least another few weeks so that I can look awesome on vacation!

Killing Time...

2008-12-01T21:30:00.001-05:00

I don't really have anything exciting to post. I have some friends over, but they are outside having a cigarette. So what has been going on?
I worked really hard at the gym today. I got my mile time down even lower, 11:28. Not bad. Especially considering that a few weeks ago when I started at the gym, I did a mile in like 16 minutes. But I would like to get it down to about 10.
That's something that I don't think I've mentioned- I've been working really hard to lose weight. I have lost 28 pounds since July. And it has been hard work. I have been going to the gym about 4 times per week and do an hour of cardio. It's kind of weird, becasue when I come home, my body feels exhausted and energized at the same time. I want to get in a little better cardio shape first, but soon I think I'm going to add some light weight lifting to get better defined. But then, I'll have to switch back to more cardio because I want to do some races in the spring time.
I booked a vacation for January. I'm going on a cruise! One of the stops in Belize!!! I've always wanted to go to Belize! I can't wait! I'm so psyched!
And- just so you know- the cruise is more motivation to keep up the heavy workout regime!
Ok- they're back inside. More later.

Holiday Season

2008-11-30T17:27:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving went off better than expected! The food was delicious (which isn't totally shocking as I'm a pretty good cook) and even more impressive... everything was ready at the same time!! Yay! And I have a ton of leftovers for awesome Thanksgiving Sandwiches! I have been eating them all weekend.
But now it's the official start of the holiday season. I decorated my house for the holidays. I have planned out where I'm going to put my tree.
And now I need to get started on gifts. I plan on knitting and crocheting a lot of gifts this year.
I also got my big gift from my parents... a sewing machine! I've never sewed anything before. I also bought a kit to knit an apron. I'm a little nervous about jumping into that project. But I figured out how to knit and crochet pretty easily, so learning to sew shouldn't be too hard... right?

Preparations

2008-11-26T22:55:00.000-05:00

I'm cooking Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow for a number of people. My parents, sister, grandmother and grandfather are coming for dinner. I've also invited one of the kids from the group home I work at. He couldn't go home with his family this year, and I thought he should spend it with a family- even if it isn't his own. Plus, he would have been the only verbal person at the house for Thanksgiving. That wouldn't be any fun. So I baked a raspberry pie yesterday. It looks delicious- we'll see tomorrow how it tastes. I have to get up at 9am and immediately start cooking butternut squash. I have to put the turkey in around 11 so that we can eat at 3. I made cornbread tonight for cornbread stuffing which I need to make tomorrow. I also need to make a green bean casserole, but that should be quick. I need to make mashed potatoes and candied sweet potatoes. But I should be able to fit the turkey and another dish in the oven, so I can cook everything throughout the day and when I take the turkey out, I can throw everything else in to warm up. I have lots of pickles (from the picklefest) to put out as appetizers. And olive tapenade. Yum. And my grandmother is making guacamole (just like the pilgrims!) Let's hope everything goes off without a hitch!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

My Life... The Horror Movie

2008-11-12T17:50:00.000-05:00

I came home from work today. Not an extraordinary day. Not super good or super bad, just regular. When I was leaving work, I thought about going pee there, but I just wanted to get home. So as soon as I come home, I make a B-Line for the bathroom.
I sit down and I see a little black spider in front of my face. I really don't like spiders, but I do have them in my house occasionally. I've learned to man up, smunch them with a tissue and flush them down the toilet. So I do exactly that, proud of myself for being such a grown-up. Then, another one drops down in front of me. I smunch that one in a similar fashion.
Then I looked up. And started to scream. Hundreds!! Hundreds of little spiders all over my bathroom ceiling! And walls! And window! And mirror! Luckily, I have a can of bug spray by the basement door (as I thought that most of the spiders lived down there). I grabbed it and ran back to the bathroom where I proceeded to use most of the can on the hundreds of spiders. I kept spraying and spraying until I was sure that none of them would survive. Then I realized that I should shut the bathroom door as the bug spray could not be good for me or the pets.
So now I'm waiting to work up the courage to go back in there and vacuum up all the dead bodies. But I really don't want to go back in.
And my plan for tomorrow is to buy another can of bug spray in case there are more where they came from.
I HATE spiders!!!

(note: not my spiders- I wouldn't waste time to grab a camera- these are just spiders that I found on the internet)

Knit One, Save One

2008-11-05T19:34:00.001-05:00

I was wasting time on the internet the other day when I stumbled upon the "Knit One, Save One" campaign. It's sponsored by Save The Children. This point is to make hats for babies in developing countries. I couldn't even imagine what it would be like to lose a child because he or she didn't have something as simple as a hat. A hat that would take me an hour to knit. It seems simple enough. They have patterns to either knit or crochet. Then you send it to Save The Children by Dec. 31, and they distribute the hats to families all over the world. I have a bunch of friends who are going to do this with me. I'll send all the hats in together. It will be really nice to give to people who desperately need it this holiday season. For more information, go to http://www.savethechildren.org/programs/health/child-survival/survive-to-5/knit-one-save-one.html

It would be totally awesome if everyone made a hat and sent it in. Think of the incredible difference we could make!

Election 2008

2008-11-04T19:50:00.000-05:00

I can't say much because I'm glued to the tv, but I hope everyone voted today. And I think you all know who has my vote. I can hardly stand the anticipation. Go Barack!!

HALLOWEEN

2008-11-03T21:22:00.000-05:00

Job #2- Tina (Midnight Fairy), Steph (Halloween Spirit), Sierra (Witch), Dad(He said that he was going to be an "Ass Hole" for Halloween), Mom (Bumble Bee), Me (Peacock), Sara (Sarah Palin), and Quincy (Pig).

I will post pictures from Job #1 when available. I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!!!

Just a reminder...

2008-10-29T21:19:00.002-04:00

I can't wait for Halloween! It's totally my favorite day. I love wearing costumes. In fact, I'm wearing my costume now for a trial run. And just so you know, I have to go through doors sideways because my tail is so big. :-) Yay for Halloween!

Duck Boats

2008-10-21T19:02:00.002-04:00

In Boston this weekend, I was able to do something that I always wanted to do. Go on a Duck Boat! It was awesome!
I was excited!

I was really excited!

Ok, I was really really excited!

It was so much fun! And funny! My only piece of advice, if you kind of have to pee before you board the duck, do it! Do NOT think that it will be ok to hold it. Big mistake. I wasn't so excited by the end of the tour. I was the first one to exit the duck and literally run to the bathroom.
But now that I am able to relax and look back on the tour, I totally recommend it.

Approaching Burn Out

2008-10-15T18:26:00.000-04:00

With my personal life falling apart, I've thrown myself 110% into work. However, now that's starting to get to me. I agreed to go in an hour early tomorrow (planning on leaving an hour early), but then got suckered into agreeing to stay until my regular time. I also need to pick up scripts from a doctor's office which doesn't open until after I get to work and closes before I leave. So I have to go out during the day (putting miles on my car) to pick up the scripts. I get paid for 7 hours a day. That's it. I'm salaried for 35 hours per week. No overtime. I have to work 8 hour days, but they take an hour out for lunch. My hour lunch break today consisted of eating an apple I had in my bag for a few days while I sat at my desk and did paperwork. The other nurse I work with has pneumonia, so my 9 hour day tomorrow will not likely include an hour lunch break. Maybe I can go pick up those scripts on my "lunch break" then get back to my desk.
But when I'm not super crazy at work, I feel like I'm actually going crazy thinking about my personal life. I put off dealing with anything by allowing work to consume all of my energy.
But no energy left over is starting to drive me crazy. There were a few weeks when I could only relax with a drink and or a smoke, but I have realized that self destructive behaviors will actually not help my situation.
But I am completely fatigued, constantly have a headache and I have a number of unexplained bruises.
The fatigue is really strange, though. I am so tired all the time. I feel like I could fall asleep driving or standing up or on the phone. But when I lay down at night, my head is going 100 miles a minute.
I'm going to Boston this weekend. It's Family Weekend at Bre's school. And I'm hoping to hang out with my friends Saturday night. Maybe a little vacation is exactly what I need...

Bad Drinks

2008-10-02T10:18:00.000-04:00

I went to see Ben Folds in NYC last night. It was the 5th or 6th time I've seen him in concert. Just like every other time, it was life changing. The opening act was Missy Higgins. I strongly recommend listening to her music- she's going to be huge. And Ben's new stuff = awesome. Ben is going to be on Conan O'Brien tonight with Regina Specktor. You can bet that I'm going to DVR it.
So anyway, I go to the bar to get some drinks. I order my new favorite- Absolut Ruby Red with Cranberry. At $9 it should be fantastic. I bring it back to where I was standing, take a sip and almost puke. It tasted minty at first. Strange. Being someone who believes that you shouldn't waste alcohol- especially Absolut- I try to choke it down. But after a few sips, I really can't take any more. It was actually hurting my stomach. It was like drinking toothpaste. But I don't want to go to the bar tender and complain. I take one more sip and decide that I really can't drink that, so I summon my courage and go back to the bar.
"I ordered an Absolut Ruby Red with Cranberry, and this tastes minty or something." I say. The bartender says (kind of smugly), "I don't know what you're taking about. I'm make you a little cup of exactly what I made and you can taste it." She sniffs the Absolut and pours a little into a glass. Then squirts some Cranberry in and takes a sip herself. Then she makes an awful face and spits it out. "Oh God," she said. "I know!" I replied. "I'm really not one to waste alcohol. That is intolerable." After making the other bar tenders drink it, she decides that the Cranberry from her quick shoot is not right. So I had another drink from another quick shoot. The first drink tasted so bad that I was unable to get that taste out of my mouth for a few hours.
But Ben totally rocked my socks, so it was totally awesome!

Busy, and no camera

2008-09-06T12:13:00.000-04:00

Sorry. I've been super busy and (from the title of the post) I can't find my camera. It's somewhere in the maze of boxes that I'm not ready to go through.
So you've missed a lot. There was my Birthday Extravaganza- a 10 day long celebration that kicked me ass (I've never been that exhausted- apparently I can't party like a rock star while working a regular job), the Yankee Party bus, and yes, I have already ordered my Halloween Costume.
A fairly expensive costume. $80! But I. Will. Look. Fabulous! Here's a hint.. I'm as proud as a _________. Can you guess what it is?
Soon I promise that I will steal my Mom and my sister's pictures so that I can photo-document my summer. So check back soon.
Maybe I'll even borrow my mom's camera and capture the memories of a Saturday night with some friends...

Strange

2008-08-07T21:31:00.000-04:00

Last night, my sister invited me over for a girls party. Being in the midst of a very stressful week at work, I welcomed the distraction and chance to let loose and relax for a few hours. I got there early and helped Bre set up the tent where she and her friends were planning to sleep. I, on the other hand, was sleeping inside because I need a blaring alarm clock to rouse by bottom out of bed at the crack of dawn. I had a lovely time hanging with Bre and some friends. We enjoyed some fruit punch and roasted marshmallows. Okay, okay, maybe there was some vodka in the fruit punch.
Long story short, I went to sleep much later than planned. I had brought my pillow and alarm clock. Around 12:45, I checked that the alarm was set for 5:30 (barf), pulled back the blankets and nestled into bed, looking forward to a few hours of sleep.
Next thing I know, I wake up and have NO idea where I am. Then I realize that I was at my parents. Confusion quickly rushed back as I remembered my bed time routine from a few hours before; I was not in my parent's guest room. I sat up with a start! Looking around, I quickly recognized my surroundings. I was in my sister's room. And it was 5:04am.
I haven't the foggiest idea as to how I wound up in there. At all. Not to mention how long I was in there or why I ventured in there. I've asked my entire family, and no one can help shed any light on this mystery.
I can't help but wonder, has the significantly increased stress in my life caused me to take up sleepwalking? Here's hoping to a restful night of sleep tonight.

Surprise!

2008-08-05T22:48:00.001-04:00

On Sunday, my Uncle Charles threw a surprise party for my Aunt Marsha. And the party happened to be on the same day as her brother's actual birthday! To Marsha and Peter...

And I was able to see a lot of family. I met my cousin's baby for the first time...

and visited with other family that I haven't seen in a while... (can you tell that the baby in the last picture and the girl in this picture are sisters? Can you say family resemblance?)

I met my aund and uncle's new cat, Mr. Carver (cute as a button...)

And got to practically eat my weight in lobsters.

All in all, not a bad way to spend a Sunday! And I want to wish a Happy Birthday to my Aunt Marsha who turns the big 65 on Thursday! Happy Birthday to you!!

Back to nature

2008-07-27T19:38:00.003-04:00

I really need to find where I packed my camera becasue my hummingbird feeder is finally working! I have a bunch of hummingbirds! I saw at least 3 yesterday.
I also plan on getting a bird feeder so that I can feed the other birds, because I have flocks of them, too. My friend noticed an orange Oriole here!
And I always have my good old woodchuck who keeps eating my tomato plants as if I planted them just for him.
All in all, this is much nicer to see out my window than my view in Boston of my neighbor's tv set.
I love fresh air!
I hope I find my camera soon...

Work Stress

2008-07-23T21:28:00.002-04:00

I recently switched houses within the agency I work for. I switched from an adult home to a children's home. I was a little afraid that I made the wrong decision when I agreed to switch. I completely fell in love with the consumers at the original house I was at. I miss them every day. I also became very good friends with the LPN that I worked with. It was strange, because she trained me how to do my job, then I became her supervisor. But somewhere in that transition, we became friends. And she is a VERY good nurse. I personally think she should go back to school for her RN. She is smart, dedicated and capable. She could easily excel as an RN and make an additional $9/hour.
But I do love the children I work with now. I was surprised how quickly I became attached to them. And the other staff I work with are amazing. I've been there a week and a half, and I already feel like they would bend over backwards to help me out with anything.
Today, I realized that I made the correct decision. A supervisory staff member at the house I used to work at snapped at the LPN when I was with her today. This person was not my boss, but she is one of the LPN's bosses (the LPN's have an interesting set up where they work under both the RN and the house manager). I was able to hear EVERYTHING that was said to the LPN, and none of it was nice, professional, or appropriate. There is NO need to talk to someone the was the house manager spoke to the LPN. She was obviously upset and is now uncomfortable to go to work tomorrow and be alone with this person.
I can't say that I blame her. I'd feel the same way if I was in her place. I will be there to help her as much as I can. And I will stand up for her, because the issue was something that occurred when I was still at that house.
However, I am very happy that I am personally removed from that negative situation.
Don't get me wrong, I really do love my job. I just prefer to work in a positive environment. Check out this commercial that used to be on tv in Boston and you'll know what I mean.

(Not that I'm advocating Comcast, but I think we've all been in situations similar to that).
I mean it's never actually been quite that bad, but I don't want that to be my workplace. Here's to the weekend!

RSF

2008-07-21T21:15:00.006-04:00

This past weekend was the annual Street Fest. It was just about the worst weekend they could have planned it for. Nothing like standing on a street selling hot dogs when it's 95 degrees with 99% humidity.
But none the less, it's a tradition.
And it is a beautiful place to live.

Some new friends enjoyed their very first Eat Me Weiner (delicious, isn't it SarahRose)

Some people got extra silly
(That's my Mom!!)

(and my sister!!)

I got dehydrated (not so much fun) on Saturday. But I did relax and keep hydrated on Sunday.

But it was a fun weekend. I was able to talk to a lot of people who I haven't spoken to in a while, ant it was fun to catch up with everyone.

In other news, I had to get a new car. I was not excited to spend a bunch of money and go into debt, but I do like my car. I think we'll call her Bertha.

And Bertha likes to have fun...

I have to give Bre props for risking her life on that last shot and pulling an Alanis Morissette with that last picture and climbing through the window to get a picture of me through the moon roof. Very dangerous and I would appreciate it if she never tried anything like that again. But she was safe (whew!).
Hope everyone else is making the best of the summer!

Starting Over

2008-07-04T12:34:00.005-04:00

My life has completely changed in the last 6 weeks. The plan of buying a house with my husband is totally gone. Those of you who know the story know it. If you don't, I don't want to talk about it here. (7/5/08- Let me clarify... I will talk about MY feelings here, but I'm not going to get in to all the personal details and reasons and events)
So the short version is that I'm starting my whole life over. Well, not completely over, I guess. I have a good nursing job that I really like. But I was living with my parents for about a month. Now I am renting a house. It's pretty nice. And it is really good to have a home. But it is still really hard. I went from being in a happy marriage (at least I was happily married) and buying a house, to being dumped, confused and renting a house on my own. Just like that. Everything I felt secure about is gone.
Last weekend, my family and some friends helped me move OUR stuff out of OUR apartment (my husband didn't go help- and that made me a little angry), and move MY stuff into MY house. Much of OUR stuff has become MY stuff. I guess that's the price he paid for not helping.
I have been through several of the stages of grief. I've experienced Denial and Bargaining. I am done with them for the most part, but sometimes they creep back in. Usually I am stuck somewhere between Anger and Depression. I can't wait for the day that I finally get to acceptance.
What sucks the most is that my husband was my best friend for LITERALLY half of my life. So I had always gone to him whenever I had any sort of problem. And now I can't. And I have completely lost my best friend. All of my other friends have been über-supportive and I couldn't have made it this far without them. But they're not Andrew.
I am not good at being alone. I need someone. Do you know how much it sucks to go to sleep by yourself when you really believed that you would never have to do that again?
But I am really trying to continue living my life. I am reconnecting with friends that I have kind of lost touch with. Today, I'm going to spend the afternoon with a friend floating around her parent's beautiful in-ground pool drinking pina coladas and eating burgers.
Once I find where I packed my camera, I can post pictures of my new life. I can show my newest tattoo (I've learned that when I'm faced with a major stressor, I tend to choose a risky behavior to alleviate stress, for example a tattoo after my grandmother passed away last year, pierced my nose after an especially rough semester at nursing school, and I'm seriously considering a sky diving adventure now...). I can show my new hummingbird feeder! Well, maybe I'll wait a few days on that one until the hummingbirds actually start to come...
I wish it was a warm, beautiful, sunny day to lounge around the pool. Well, it's slightly less cloudy than an hour ago. And the temperature has gone up 5 degrees.
Maybe things really will be getting better...

On Hold

2008-06-07T06:56:00.003-04:00

I'm going to take some time away from my blog for a while. My entire world has fallen apart and it's hard enough to get out of bed every day. I have nothing to say. So I'm going to be away from my blog for a while until I can put myself back together.

Quasi-home

2008-05-25T15:40:00.001-04:00

My last day at Franciscan was on Friday. It was the day from hell. Anything that could have gone wrong did (with the exception of death). Happily, the day finally ended and I met Andrew, my Mom (who came to Boston to bring my back to NY), my aunt and uncle, and my cousin and his wife for dinner at the best Sangria place EVER! Two of my friends from work joined us as well. That meant a lot for them to come for one last hurrah!
Saturday we packed a bunch of stuff into the car and were NY bound. I think the trip was most stressful on Daisy (the fish). However, the repercussions of the move are stressful on me (in NY) and Andrew (still in Boston). I've been here for less than 24 hours and have called him 6 times (that's an average of less than every 4 hours).
Now that I'm at my parents, things are starting to normalize. Quincy is happy to have his Mama with him (he's been staying with my parents for about a month so that he wouldn't have to truck back and forth every week like we have been). Daisy is settled in, her tank is in a warm sunny spot in "my room" (aka the computer room- luckily my parents have recently bought a laptop so that they can use the computer without invading my little space). My plants are enjoying the fresh air and sunshine in their temporary home on the back deck.
Tomorrow, Quincy and I are going to be in the Memorial Day parade in our little town. My dad has a float in it (A Carousel of Festivals for all the different festivals that the town hosts), and Quince and I will be in the back of the truck waiving to everyone! However, I expect everyone to be like twelve people, but it will be fun regardless.
My nerves are running high when I think about starting my new job on Tuesday. Right now, my biggest concerns are silly things like:
1. Can I find the correct building?
2. Where should I park
3. What should I wear? I'd rather be overdressed than under dressed, but ideally I'd like to be dressed just right.
4. What will Tuesday consist of? They say it's orientation for moving patients and such, but I've worked in a hospital for a year and a half... I think I know how to move a patient. I have done it once or twice.
5. What should I plan to do for lunch?
6. Once I start my position, the people who will show me how to do my job are the people who I'm supposed to be supervising. How will that work?
7. Will they like me?
It's hard to start a new job. Especially when my biggest supporter is living 3 and a half hours away.
I hope everyone enjoys the beautiful holiday weekend!!!

I can't take it anymore!

2008-05-21T08:28:00.000-04:00

We have been to cheap and/or lazy to get She-Ra fixed. We kept thinking, "Oh, we'll get to it sooner or later." She's an indoor cat so we were not worried about her getting pregnant or anything.
Well, the past few nights, sleeping has not been very easy. She-Ra's in heat...AGAIN! She spends her time wandering around our apartment yowling and howling. Non Stop.
Then she spends her days asleep. I want to go around and poke her all day when she's sleeping so that she'll stay up tonight.
It's one thing when I have the day off, but I'm working tomorrow and Friday (my last 2 days at the Fran), and if I don't get enough sleep, I'll be really grumpy (and perhaps unsafe). I'm hoping that she's finishing up, but I think that's just happy thoughts.

Getting Ready

2008-05-13T13:11:00.000-04:00

I'm going to start my new job on May 27. I seriously doubt that we're going to close by then (especially because the sellers have not signed the contract yet). In fact, I'm going to get fingerprinted on Friday and switch my drivers license to NY.
So where am I going to live, you might be asking yourself. Good question. I'm going to move in with my parents Memorial Day weekend.
Yup. Moving in with Mom and Dad. But it's ok. I'm not a loser. Really. Do losers buy a house when they're 23? No. I am convinced that it will be for like 2 weeks. CONVINCED!
So as my time in Beantown is winding down, I have a few things that I still want to do. We're going to have dinner with my cousin and his wife tonight in Hull. It will be nice to be down by the ocean. And I want to have a night out with friends. And go out for breakfast to that AWESOME place that we go after working an overnight.
Not a lot. Hopefully I can get that short list done.

It's the little things

2008-05-08T08:35:00.000-04:00

There was a patient at the hospital who went home this week. She had been there a few months and I really fell in love with her. Her family is great. Very involved. Over her hospital stay, I became very close to both the patient and her mom. Her mom moved in to the hospital and was almost always there. She would go home for one day every week or two to spend time with her husband and other kids, but she always made sure that someone else from her family was there to stay with her daughter. She very quickly learned all aspects of her daughter's care. Her strength amazed me. I was sad that I wasn't working the day she was leaving, so I wasn't able to say good-bye.
When I got to work the other night, there was a blue envelope in my mailbox. Curiously, I opened it immediately.

It was a thank you note from the family. They wanted to thank me for the care that I provided and say that they were going to miss me. There is a picture of the little girl in the card.
I don't know if they understand how much that meant- being thanked. Some people say that my job must be so rewarding. Other people say that they don't know how I can work with sick kids. Really, it's hard. Hard to bust your ass every day and have doctors, administration and families act like if you weren't doing it, someone else would be.
This little thank you note really made my day. It means more than the tote bag the hospital gave us last year for nurses week. It means more than the 3% raise that I got after a year. It's probably the most important thing that I will get from my time at the hospital.

Clean What?

2008-05-05T08:30:00.000-04:00

Friday afternoon, Andrew and I found out that our apartment was going to be shown to prospective renters. Now, keep in mind that with all the stress, we had fallen behind on out housekeeping. You know that show "How Clean Is Your House"? Well, I had nightmares about them coming here. So Saturday morning, we woke up on a mission. We worked from 8am until about noon (with a breakfast break/catch up on tv break that lasted a little over an hour). And I'd say that we had a positive result.

I know that some people might not be satisfied with this, but we are. Now I'm just enjoying every second in our clean home. And we're going to try to keep it like this until we move.
I guess I'll go wash the dishes now. Think we can keep this up for 3 or 4 weeks?

And it's done.

2008-04-30T15:26:00.000-04:00

Finally! This weekend I was able to finish the blanket for Allison's baby! It was done in time for her shower, however I couldn't attend the shower because I had moving stuff to do. So do you want to see it? There are a bunch of mistakes, but that's how you tell that it's hand made. I hope she likes it, because I am really proud of myself.

Good job, me!
In other news, I saw a job listing on Sunday for a job that I think I would really like, so I called and spoke with the HR woman today and I am heading to NY tomorrow afternoon so that I can meet with her Saturday morning. I'm excited and nervous. Wish me luck!

R.E.L.A.X.

2008-04-25T11:49:00.000-04:00

As you can probably assume, the whole buying a house, moving and getting ready to start a new job thing has me super stressed. Not to mention that Quincy almost choked to death on a piece of a bone earlier this week and Roxy just lost another one of her lives by eating some of my yarn.
Luckily, we're going home this weekend to measure the house and sign stuff with the lawyer- which ok that is still in the stress category. But I am going to get together with some of my high school friends for a few hours of fun. If it's still beautiful, I'm thinking mini golf. If not, maybe a movie. And we might go out to eat. It will be nice to spend time with people that knew me when I was younger. I will have a chance to forget some of my problems and relax.
I also want to bring my camera because there has been a large forest fire in a state park. My sister-in-law is taking the fire very hard. I don't blame her since the fire is around her house.
Check back next week for photos. And wish me luck on my quest for relaxation.

Good Day

2008-04-22T09:14:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was Patriots Day in Massachusetts, so lots of people had the day off. I just happened to be off. Andrew took the day off to work on his thesis. He worked very hard for a few hours, then the beautiful day go th the better of us. We went to Saugus to go mini-golfing by the famous Orange Dinosaur.

The place is right on Rt 1, and whenever you drive past you see a giant Orange Dinosaur. I've always wanted to go there. It looks like so much fun! And when Andrew suggested it.
It wasn't a close game at all, mini golf isn't my strong point. But I did get a hole-in-one!!
Hooray for the orange dinosaur!

Pull a what out of a what?

2008-04-17T08:51:00.000-04:00

I woke up this morning and went over to the computer as usual. I walked past a box that was up-side-down. I figured that it was knocked over from the cats wrestling. That was until the box started to follow me.

Roxy seemed very interested in the box and I suddenly realized that I hadn't seen She-Ra in a while...

I closely investigated and let out a little, "Pst, pst, pst, pst, pst..." and saw this peek out.

Once she realized it was me calling her, she showed interest in coming out from under the box. I assumed that the box somehow flipped on top of her and that's how she got stuck.

Being the loving, nurturing mother that I am, I decided to leave her for a few minutes before I freed her. All of the sudden, she couldn't take it anymore and burst out.

And there was a loving reunion.

Then, much to my surprise, about 10 minutes later, she climbed back under the box! Who knew it's her special spot!

Then, I heard a commotion a few minutes later and Roxy came climbing out from under the box.

I think they've source of entertainment for the day.

Meet Daisy

2008-04-15T08:22:00.000-04:00

As you know, yesterday was Roxy's birthday. Quincy and I went to the (pet) store to get her a gift. We decided that the best idea for a gift would be Daisy.

Daisy is a female Betta fish. I'd never seen a female Betta fish before. So Quincy and I thought it best to buy her for Roxy's gift. Daisy's bowl has a lid so that the girls can't pester her.
I was afraid that Andrew was going to be mad when he got home. I felt like I got myself into some Lucille Ball type of situation, but to my surprise, he was mostly ok with it. I think he was just shocked that I bought a fish for a cat's birthday.
Welcome Daisy. Now I'm off to finish knitting the baby blanket for my friend.

Happy Birthday!

2008-04-14T10:30:00.000-04:00

Today is Roxy's 2nd birthday! I feel like she's been part of our family for much longer. She's a good cat. Or she has become a good cat. We had to get her claws taken out. It was a matter of life and death. She would attack me for my food! And she left scars! Now she's just a love bug. And she is totally a daddy's girl. She will follow Andrew around and wait for him to sit down so that she can jump into his lap. Here's to you, Roxy. Have a happy birthday!
(Imagine an instrumental version of a sappy pop song while you look at the photos...)

Quality time at home

2008-04-07T09:13:00.000-04:00

We had a busy weekend in NY. I had a job interview. They told me that I have a job, they just don't know which floor or which shift. I would prefer days, but she told me that most people start on nights, then once they show that they do not call in sick and they are good at their jobs, then they can put in to switch to days. Then, they have to wait until a position opens up. I'll make about the same, the biggest drawback is that the nurses work every other weekend, and I'm used to working every third. :-(
We did also have the home inspection done on our house. It was nice to be able to spend so much time at the house. Anything that I forgot I was able to check out again. The inspection looked ok. There are a few things that we will need to plan on fixing, but nothing major. We met the neighbors- they seem nice.
We got a big package of mortgage paperwork from the bank which we completed and sent back.
We're on our way, but right now, I kind of feel like we're just killing time.

Adventures in knitting

2008-04-02T09:10:00.000-04:00

Long time no knitting post. I have been distracted lately what with the house and the cold from hell, but I've still been knitting a bit. Remember how a while ago I said that I was going to start on a blanket? I have completed 2 stripes.

Pretty impressive, huh? They are long enough that the blanket will cover both Andrew and I.
My sister was pretty impressed with the purple scarf I made this winter, so I offered to make her a scarf. She likes red, so this is what I started...

Look closely- see the checkerboard pattern? It's simple to make, you just need to remember where you are and what you're doing. It's not mindless knitting, but I think it looks pretty cool.

And for my newest project...my friend, Allison is having a baby (she's due in June) and I'm making a baby blanket for her. She doesn't know what she's having (Which, by the way, is how I want it to be when I have a baby- after all that work, you deserve a nice surprise!), so here are the colors that I picked.

I wish that you could feel this yarn. It's soooo soft. In fact, the yarnis called "Simply Soft." Here's my start.

Her shower is at the end of the month. Think I'll have it finished in time? If not, I should have it done by June when she has the baby.
Just as a side note- Congratulations to the Yankees who won their Home Opener last night! Yay! Here's to a great season, boys!!

Stress has gotten the better of me

2008-04-01T13:31:00.003-04:00

All this house buying business has been very exciting, but also very stressful. The stress had apparently knocked out my immune system, so now I am dealing with the repercussions. I have had a low grade fever the past 2 days, I have been sneezing nonstop (I literally sneezed for a minute straight...ACHOO...ACHOO...ACHOO...ACHOO for a full minute- and believe me, that's physically exhausting!), and my sinuses are berzerk! It's like my nose is a faucet, my head only feels good when I press my hands on it, and I can't hear out of my right ear. But when I blow my nose, my right ear makes a really loud squeak that only I can hear. How come this was not mentioned with all the other joys of home ownership?
But we are moving forward in the moving/house buying process. We are hoping to have a home inspection this weekend, and I have a job interview at a local hospital. I hope I'm over this cold by then. Could you imagine... "I would (sniff) really love (ACHOO) to work (Cough, cough, cough) here."
I'm going to get back to my plan of relaxing, knitting, watching tv and reading so that I can feel better sooner. Hey, maybe I'll make some chicken soup...

We got it!!

2008-03-29T20:02:00.000-04:00

We heard from our realtor this morning and WE GOT IT!! She said that there were 2 offers very close, but the old man selling the house liked Andrew and I so much that he wanted us to have it! I always knew I was so charming!! I'd love to tell you more, but we just busted open a bottle of Champagne to celebrate! YAY!! Thanks for all your good thoughts!

The suspense builds

2008-03-28T08:20:00.000-04:00

We heard back from our realtor yesterday. Wednesday night, there was another offer put in on the house. So the current owners are calling for best and highest offer. Whoever has the best and highest offer by 5pm tonight gets it. Our realtor said that at this point, we should offer whatever was going to be our final offer. We thought and talked and talked and thought. We can afford the payments if we got the house for asking price of $175,000. Our payments would be $200 more than our rent, but we've also been saving about 1/3 of our overall income for a down payment, so paying an additional $200 per month isn't going to break the bank.
So that's what we've decided to do. Offer the asking price of $175,000. The suspense is driving me crazy. I was supposed to work today, but it was overtime and the census is low at the hospital, so they told me not to come in. I may need to bring one of the kids on an appointment. At this point, work would be a welcome distraction.
Today is going to be a real nail biter!

Roller Coaster

2008-03-26T18:13:00.000-04:00

I know I haven't posted in a while. You wouldn't understand how busy I've been. Andrew and I are moving back home this spring/summer, and that has been more work then I anticipated.
We were there last weekend looking at houses. That was a lot of fun. We saw some that were diamonds in the rough and some that were all rough and no diamond. There was one in particular that we really liked. It needs work, but it's only $149,000. That's not bad considering it's a 3 bedroom, 3 bath 1700 square foot house with a basement on an acre. We felt it was home. We decided to make a marathon trip back last night to meet with our realtor today to take one last look before we make an offer. My Dad and Andrew's Dad were nice enough to come with us for some extra opinions. Maybe it was because we took off our happiness blinders, or maybe it was because we were looking at it with our "Critical Glasses" on since it was our last look before we put down a large sum of money. It didn't look as promising as it had just a few days before. We knew that there was some water damage, but it seemed to be more extensive. We thought that it would be easy to finish the basement, but the layout wouldn't really work, plus the ceiling is like 6 and a half or 7 feet, so finishing it off would shrink the height noticeably.
Luckily, there was one house that we were not able to look at over the weekend, but we were able to see today. It was cute. The living room had high, cathedral ceilings that were done in wood with exposed beams. There was a crescent cut area in the wall between the living room and dining room. Very cool. It's on .3 of an acre and they are asking $174,900. The down side- I think I remember hearing that the area is known for flooding. And flooding is why we don't want to build on the land that my mother-in-law was going to give us.
We figured that with our dad's in tow, we'd go look at this other house that we liked. It's about 5 minutes away from the flooding house, but this one is not in a flood area. They're asking $175,000. We really liked this house over the weekend, but we thought that there was already an offer on it. Our realtor checked, and NO OFFERS YET!! The house is a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom with a large living room, eat-in kitchen, sun room, garage and a finished basement! It's on .62 of an acre on a corner lot, but it is in a neighborhood. We can see neighbors everywhere. The house is pristine. When we were there on Saturday, the previous owner was there- this little old Ukrainian man. He was cute. He showed us all sorts of things- the door to the septic tank, the drainage from the gutters, lots of stuff. It's a nice solid house that is totally in move in condition... Hard wood floors in the living room and bedrooms.
So... we put in an offer. $160,000. Now we're just waiting, and waiting, and waiting... I don't know how much more waiting I can take. Wish us luck. And wish that the next few days go by quickly. I don't like this waiting game.

When did I become a Grown-Up?

2008-03-20T10:04:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, we got together with some of my family who lives in the area to celebrate Andrew's 24th birthday. We went to The Sunset, our favorite bar/restaurant. The have 112 beers on tap, yet I always go for my "old faithful," Sea Dog Blueberry (with fresh blueberries in it- YUM!!). Andrew enjoyed a Mead- a honey drink fermented with yeast. It pretty much tastes like honey but gives you a good buzz. Plus, the food isn't bad either. I had a BBQ Pulled Pork Quesadilla- and for the record, it was awesome.
But 24, WOW! That means that I'll be 24 in August. When, how did we grow up? I remember my 14th birthday like it was yesterday. I had long, blond hair, we went to Williams Lake, I wore a blue bathing suit and overalls, my Aunt Wendy was visiting from California, we went back to my parent's house for cake and we ate it in a screen tent, then Sasha, Debbie and I went to see My Best Friend's Wedding at the Rosendale Theater. In fact, Andrew was barely on my radar until a month later. But I knew, at that birthday party...I had a gut feeling that something was going to change. I could sense that things were different. Who knew that I was about to start dating the person who I would be spending the rest of my life with.
And tomorrow we're going to meet with a realtor to start looking at houses. HOUSES! We're getting ready to buy a house! I am not worried that we're getting in over our heads, actually. We're pretty responsible. We can handle our finances and we've been saving a TON of money. It's just such a big step. Once we own a home, there's no going back. That's a real sign that we're adults.
There are some things that, no matter how grown-up, you should still find time to do from time to time.
1. Come down with a serious case of the giggles
2. Look for shapes of animals in the clouds
3. Spin in circles until you're so dizzy that you fall down
4. Make funny faces at yourself in the mirror
5. Keep trying new things- who knows where you;ll find your hidden talents
6. Set seemingly unreachable goals and wholeheartedly try to reach them
7. Be the person who you really want to be
8. Make sure that you always tell yourself the truth
9. Let yourself enjoy the things that you used to (hence my DVD collections of the Muppet Show and Dawson's Creek)
10. Tell the people who you can't live without that you can't live without them

So here's to forging ahead but still keeping true to yourself! And Happy Spring!!

Crunch Time

2008-03-14T23:37:00.000-04:00

I've been busy working up a storm. I've been picking up extra shifts at work. Maybe because we're trying to save all the money we can. It's getting to be crunch time on our home buying plan. We're going to meet with a realtor the end of next week to (hopefully) look at some houses. We would ideally like to close in late May/early June. It's kind of scary to feel like this much of a grown up.
As for my plan between now and the end of next week, my days will be filled with work. I'm off tomorrow, but I'm working Sunday through Wednesday. Wednesday is also Andrew's birthday, and we will be celebrating over a nice dinner with my aunt, uncle, cousin and my cousin's wife.
I have some cute things planned for Andrew's birthday. What you may ask? I'm not going to tell...it's a surprise! Ok, fine, I'll show you on Thursday.
Maybe we'll go see a movie tomorrow. Hmmmm, maybe Vantage Point?
Enjoy your weekend!!!

As American as...

2008-03-06T15:39:00.000-05:00

I can't WAIT for baseball season to start. I don't understand why I get so excited about it. I have so many good memories associated with baseball.
Maybe it's because baseball means summer- and summer is always happy. Warm weather, swimming, ice cream and baseball!
The first game I remember was actually a Mets game that I went to with my dad, my uncle and my cousin. it was free hat day, but they weren't giving out Mets hats, they were giving away Brooklyn Dodgers hats.
When I was in high school, my sister played softball, and Andrew lived right next to the softball field. He would meet me at all of her games. It was a really fun time- though I didn't pay a lot of attention to the softball games.
I have been to Yankee Stadium many times. Two years ago, my mom and I organized a Party Bus to Yankee Stadium, and we are doing that again this year. I just got the tickets today and we're waiting for a firm price quote from the bus company.
In the mean time, my parents are thinking of coming out to Boston so that they can see a game at Fenway. I've been there for a game once, and I 'd like to go again while we still live so close.
I can't wait. Just 25 days until the Yanks season opener. Nineteen days until the Sox season starts (because they play the A's in Japan on 3/25).
Let's Go Yankees (Clap- Clap- ClapClapClap!) Think my boys are going to make it all the way this year? Any early predictions for the post season?

I Just Don't Get It

2008-03-05T14:49:00.000-05:00

I don't understand Hillary Clinton. I don't get how people can support her. Does any one else listen when she opens her mouth?
I saw a lady from Rhode Island on tv and the woman said that she voted for Clinton in yesterday's primary because Hillary "promised" to care about Rhode Island. Honey- what Hillary promises doesn't mean bupkis.
She also said that she was going to run a positive campaign... until she saw that Obama was a viable candidate.
I haven't liked her since she randomly picked New York out of a hat and ran for senate in a state that she had no connection to.
She's been grasping at straws to keep her campaign moving (Denounce vs reject).
Hillary also mentioned on her now infamous "telephone" commercial that she knows the military and foreign heads of state, but she knew them in the capacity as first lady- which is NOT an elected position nor does she have any actual decision making responsibilities in that role.
She mocks Obama's idea of being open to talking with foreign heads of state who we are not BFF's with. I mean, our embargo on Cuba really brought Castro to his knees. Oh wait, no it didn't. Hmm. Who knew that ignoring a problem won't make it go away? If we talk, then not only will we understand more of where they're coming from, but they will also understand where we're coming from.
As a woman, I would be ecstatic to have a woman for president, but I do not feel compelled to vote for Hillary JUST because she's a woman. I am sure that I will see a female president in my life time, I just hope it's the right woman.
I am disappointed with Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island for the choices that they made and I hope that the voters in Wyoming and Mississippi validate my opinions next week.
And Remember...

Adventures in Charlestown

2008-03-04T18:15:00.001-05:00

My friend Marc

came to visit this past weekend. We went to Charlestown on Sunday for some sight seeing along the Freedom Trail. We started at the Bunker Hill Monument

where I had some fun with Colonel William Prescott.

Then we climbed to the top of the Monument (which was quite a workout!) and had an awesome view of the city- including Andrew's favorite bridge!

Also at the top, there was a cannon which was featured on the program "History Detectives." This cannon was the reason for the march on Lexington and Concord. Little known fact. It's a really good show (on PBS), but I digress.

On the climb down, I had to go really slow. I had a bit of vertigo. I've never had height issues before, and I didn't like it one bit.

After Bunker Hill, we went to my favorite ship, the USS Constitution. I've been on that tour probably 6 or 7 times, but it never gets old. This time, we had a really good tour guide and he shared a lot of information that had not been given on other tours.

Then we got home and found this...

What is it with my cats and the bathroom?

This and that

2008-02-28T11:25:00.000-05:00

So back in May, I went to the UMass spring concert in Amherst to see Ben Folds. I found out that the concert was a few hours long and featured many different acts including OK Go and this girl, Sara... Something. She wouldn't tell us her last name because she said that we wouldn't remember it. It was her, a piano and a guy to play percussion. Her voice was beautiful. I loved her songs. When we got home, we looked at the schedule for the concert and found out that her name was Sara Bareilles. I found her cd on Amazon and bought it immediately and loved it. Fast forward a few months later and she has EXPLODED! Her songs are all over the radio and tv! We just bought tickets to see her when she comes to Boston in April. Here's her single that I'm sure you've heard, Love Song.

I made this music player at MyFlashFetish.com. More colors.

I'm also pretty happy with my job right now. There's this one kid who has been there for pretty much his whole life. He's going home next week. I am so happy for him! But I am also a little sad, too. I'm going to miss him. He's one of my best friends at work. But hopefully his family will being him back to visit. He will have so much fun living at home! The hospital is making him a going away present of a scrapbook. It's filled with pictures of him and staff members. I was given a copy of our picture together.

When my friend, Sarah, came for a visit last weekend we had such a good time! We met her at the bus station Saturday afternoon and went to the ICA. It's a relatively new building, and Sarah (an architecture student) has heard all about the building and wanted to see it. The building was really cool (arguably cooler then the exhibits inside). We followed that up with a tasting at the Harpoon Brewery. I'm so happy that they now have Raspberry Harpoon UFO on draft! That is hands down my all time favorite beer and I've never had it on draft before. That was a big highlight of the weekend for me. Then on Sunday, we planned to walk around Boston for a while before Sarah went back to Albany. Against Andrew's wishes, we ended up at the Aquarium. I had been there twice in January, and both times, this turtle was laying on a rock underwater in the big tank, not moving at all. He was in the same place both trips. I even saw a fist eating something off of his eye and he didn't blink. I wondered why they left a dead turtle there. When we went there on Sunday, I checked and that turtle was in the same place. I was so sad that his dead body was left there. As I was looking at him, feeling sorry, all of the sudden, he started to move! He swam up for a breath and continued to swim around the tank! The turtle was ALIVE!!!
This weekend, out friend, Marc, is coming to visit. We're going to meet him at the airport Saturday morning, then the rest of the weekend is still kind of up in the air. But I remembered to charge my camera, so I'll be able to post pictures.
Have a good weekend!

Catching up...

2008-02-27T13:28:00.000-05:00

Long time no post, huh? I've been busy. We had a friend come out to visit last weekend, then I had to work for a few days in a row (and that takes everything out of me...) and now I have today and tomorrow to do laundry and get the house ready for another house guest this weekend.
So that's all I've been up to...
Except, as promised, my fish came out really well.

I started with 2 boneless fillets of flounder. I made rice, added cheese and steamed broccoli. I put that inside the flounder and rolled the fillet on to itself. I sprinkled some paprika on top, served it with more rice and ta da!

It was really good. Tonight's gourmet meal? Meatloaf. Not quite as exciting, but I do make an awesome meatloaf.

More Cooking...

2008-02-20T08:37:00.000-05:00

I've been feeling fancy in the kitchen lately. I haven't been as keen on our usual hot dogs with beans or pizzas. I was so happy with how my Chicken a la Paul Newman came out, so I decided to keep up with the fancier meals.
Knowing that I had some Alfredo sauce at home that I wanted to use, I went to the grocery store looking for foods to go with that. I saw that they were having a sale on shrimp. I got 1/4 pound for $1.24. Not too bad. I also bought some fresh broccoli and some organic whole wheat rotini pasta. The shrimp were already cooked, so I just needed to peal their tales off. And I steamed the broccoli as I cooked the pasta. The alfredo sauce (which I didn't make- it was from a jar) was a little salty, but not intolerable. I was going to take a picture of it to post here, but I was too hungry. Sorry.
Tonight I also have something up my sleeve. I'm going to make flounder stuffed with rice, cheese and broccoli. I'll let you know how it turns out...

Chicken a la Paul Newman

2008-02-19T08:19:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, I made this recipe that I found on a bottle of Paul Newman salad dressing. You need chicken breast, Italian dressing, 2 tomatoes, chopped olives. It turned out really well. I did tweak it a little (of course). Here's what I did:

I took 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts and put them in a zip lock bag with 2/3 cup of Paul Newman Italian dressing (the recipe called for a full cup of dressing, but I couldn't fit any more in my zip lock bag). Then I let it marinate in the refrigerator for like 5 hours (the recipe says to let it marinate for 1 hour, but I figure the more the better).
When you're ready to start to cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 350.
Put each breast in a section of aluminum foil big enough that you will be able to fully wrap around the chicken.
Chop the tomatoes as small as you would like and divide them between the chicken breasts.
Then take the chopped olives (I used a jar of salad olives) and add them to the chicken breasts, too.
(Now this part is tricky. Make sure that the aluminum foil is folded up around the bottom of the chicken so that you don't make a mess and lose all of your marinade) Carefully take the Italian dressing that the chicken was marinating in and add that to the chicken breasts as well.
Then fold the rest of the aluminum foil around the chicken. You want the foil tightly around the chicken, but make sure to leave space between the chicken and the foil.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.
I served mine with rice. Yummy!