I Pretty Much Love Mondays...

I have to say, even though most people hate Mondays, I'm pretty much in love with them.  I'm sure everyone else is in love with this Monday too since most people are off from work. 

Monday means that my work week is over and that for the first time in a few days I can actually see my real family more than I see my work family.  I love the crew that I have at work, they're great people, and my customers are great too, but sometimes it's just time to have a break and spend some time doing the things you really love to do in life.  

Today I spent about two hours at the gym (we've booked our Aruba trip for March so I need to get these abs to make their first appearance ever!), had my guitar lesson (which went swimmingly), shopped at Ulta for some new makeup and found my BED HEAD shampoo on sale for $12.99, spent some time with my parents, and then watched the Betty White special while snuggled into my warm blankets.  It was a pretty fabulous day.

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I need to buy this dishtowel, it pretty much sums up those days spent in the house, and it takes me back to a few weeks ago when we went with some friends down to NYC to see Mary Poppins on Broadway.  

It was a really cute show and the hubby was even impressed by the second half of the show with the "Step in Time" number, even though he's never seen the movie (how crazy is that!).  Of course, it was raining (when we go to Manhattan it ALWAYS rains!) so we spent a few hours at Madame Tussauds to escape the downpour.

He pretty much indulges my dorky side and I'm thankful for that.  

Later that week one of my customers started calling me Mary Poppins, I was pretty confused and asked why—his answer, "Well, you're practically perfect in every way."  I'm pretty sure I blushed and he gets the award for the best line ever!  So, ever since then I've been pretty much living it up and every time he calls me Mary at work, I ask him why so everyone can hear, "You're practically perfect in every way!"  Just like Mary Poppins, I'm so humble too! 

So, just like Mary Poppins, this day, was practically perfect in every way.  I was getting there eventually, tying it all together, I tried, did it work?  Ah, who cares.

Do You Ever Have Those Moments...

Those moments when you realize that you're no longer a kid?  I mean, I know I'm not a kid anymore, but I also don't feel like a grown-up all the time either.  Yes, I'm married, I've graduated from college, and I own a house that comes with a ton of bills, but I still haven't had one of those moments where I really feel like an adult adult.  

... Our fridge is poorly stocked at all times, I still sleep in till noon when I want to, and my bed time is pretty much an hour past whatever time I roll in from work.  My only real responsibilities are to myself, my hubby, and my puppy (as long as they're both taken care of, it's pretty much going to be a good day).  Then you have those moments where reality hits you and you are reminded that at this age your mother already had two kids, and that right now people are just waiting for you to tell them that you're going to have a child.  Does that mean that my clock is ticking?  Am I really that old?  

No, I'm not pregnant, but my best friend is and having her baby shower this weekend was such a surreal moment in my life.  We've been friends since first grade—it's just different!  I've have friends with children, but this is someone I've known for 21 years!  It's just crazy to think that we're that adult where children are a possibility and binkies and onsies are the new it thing, instead of a new dress from Modcloth.  

I can't wait to meet the little man— I'm pretty much totally head over heels in love with him already (even though he won't kick for me!)  I just can't wait for the reality of his birth to hit me—what would I do with one of those precious bundles?  Could I handle not going on vacation every year?  Or would Grama just have to take her grandpuppy and grandbaby for a week?  

Until we're ready and God is willing to let us have our own, I'm just going to enjoy every moment of my bestie's little bundle of joy.  I can't wait to meet you little man!

Adventures in Straightening...

I've got a lot of hair.  Like a ton.  It's really long and really thick.  When I was a kid I always tried to straighten it.  I was always so upset that I had curly hair.  I always tried to get the little kinky out of it that the old straighteners always left and I always tried to get it from frizzing out like crazy.  One of my friends at work was talking about straightening her hair and I thought to myself, "What the hey, I'll give it a try again."  The young me just jumped up and down thinking of how cool it would be to have straight hair!  So, I asked to borrow a friend's straightener and I was off on my adventure.

Oh my Lord!  It took me two hours people.  Two hours.  I was so worried I was going to burn her straightener out! I burned my fingers on my hair!  Not on the straightener people, but the hair itself!  My poor thumb lost a ton of skin!  It's still kinda numb.  I'm pretty sure I'm sticking with my curly hair—So not worth it!

Whatcha think?  Do you torture yourself with these beauty regimes?  I'm pretty sure it so wasn't worth the two hours of my time!

It's Almost a New Year...

I say this every year, but damn, time really does fly by.  I remember us just being in Nashville like it was a few weeks ago and sadly it was in June.  I remember sweating our butts off and now I'm freezing my butt off in NY.  I wish I had something poignant to say, but I really don't.  Time is flying and I'm just along for the ride.  I say all the time to my customers and to my friends that I hate growing older and growing up, yet what other option do we have?  I mean I want to grow old!  I don't want to be dead yet!  

So this year I want to stop wasting time.  No more mindless hours in front of the television, I really want to be productive.  Well, more productive.  I'm tired of always saying that I wish there were more hours in the day to get things done.  Well, honestly, if I didn't get in my couch potato moods and my I'm addicted to words with friends mode, I'd be completely fine trying to shove everything in to one day.  I need to take advantage of the time I do have to get things done and stop bitching and complaining that I have no me time.  It's really not that I have NO me time, it's what I do with the me time I do have.  I have to start being productive with the time I'm given.

On my list

1. Pick up the guitar for at least 15 minutes a day.

2. Do Rosetta Stone for at least one lesson a day.

3. Write more.

4. Search for jobs within my degree.

5. Give the house a good cleaning at least once a week.

6. Fresh sheets once a week.

7. Eat out of necessity not out of desire.

8. Push myself with my workouts and aim for a minimum of four days a week.

9. Swim (I really love swimming and I miss it).

10. Go to church every week.

I'm hoping I'm not the only one with grand ideas for the new year.  I don't want to say (as always) that I'm making any resolutions.  I just want to better myself as I get older.  It's a good time to start fresh right?  And most of these are already in motion, I'm just trying to make myself accountable and keep them going.  What are your plans for the new year?

A Very Merry Christmas...

I have to say that this was the first Christmas that I've had in awhile without tears.  No sadness from being alone at the end of the night or from missing my family entirely too much.  Granted, I still missed my loved ones, but I was lucky enough to get to at least see my one brother (have I mentioned just how much I love FaceTime?).

I felt so much love and support during Midnight Mass this year.  For some reason the homily that my priest gives every year (and pretty much every week at mass) just speaks to me; he has this amazing ability to just make a connection with everyone.  The candles, the incense, the songs, and my family just made mass just a tad perfect this year.  It reminded me of Christmas mass when we were younger because of the random bought of laughter over my hiccuping during a song and my mom's horrible choice in what I think could be considered dress crocs (her poor feet deserve better).

It was nice to wake up today and open presents.  It was nice to feel some sense of normality.

 We traveled from house to house on little sleep and my hubby was actually wishing for work (it's exhausting!)  I can't even imagine what we would do if we had a child because our poor little Luna pup was so tired by the time we reached my moms house that she could barely keep her eyes open anymore! She definitely was a trooper.  

 

I loved seeing my mom's face as I FaceTimed my brother and she got to see him for the first time in months.  She cried like a baby and I loved every minute of it.  The best presents really are free (or at least the cost of an Apple product).  I loved seeing the smile on her face.

After all the hustle and bustle of the day, it was nice to come home and settle in under blankets and watch some Christmas movies.  Nothing is ever perfect, even on Christmas, but doesn't it make you just believe that all your wishes could come true?

From My Family to Yours, 

Merry Christmas!  

I hope it was a great one!

A Really Good Gift Giver...

Do you have someone in your life that is just an amazing gift giver?  Like the kind of gift giver who listened throughout the entire year to everything you ever wanted (and then forgot about) but they remembered?  Then at Christmas you're completely giddy when you open your presents because you realize that all those little things you mentioned, you now have.  Yea, that's my hubby.

Now you may think to yourself, "wow, she's so lucky!" but NO— not really!  Well, ok it is kinda fabulous, but what do you get the person who is the most amazing gift giver ever?  And who doesn't really talk about what he wants (unless it's an 85 inch flat screen tv!).

Every year we set a limit.  He never keeps it.  I always feel like the worst wife ever for it!  But then I have the other half of me that's just so excited to have fabulous presents!  We all know about the fabulous guitar he bought me (I'm almost playing Ode to Joy like a champ!).  

Well one day at the restaurant my bar-back was mentioning how he was going to buy an American Girl doll for his daughter.  Oh gee, I was so jealous!  Every girl should own an American Girl doll, but they were a tad too expensive when I was growing up.  But I took every opportunity I could to play with my friends'.  I'm not gonna lie, I googled them when I got home and sat and reminisced over the fun times playing with Molly and Kirsten.

After coming back from vacation I was going through the mail and saw an American Girl magazine on the table and all I could think to myself was, wow Google is kinda creepy, how did I get sent a magazine?! Then I looked at the back of the magazine and saw my hubby's name.  Interesting.  

I always wanted Molly and to my shock she's the only original American Girl doll left.  Now, I thought he must have searched my history, but nope, apparently my bar-back and him were in cahoots while playing Words with Friends.  The hubby was a little sad that I put two and two together and figured it out.  I can't even tell you how cute it was to open the present.  

I felt like a little kid.  I cried a little.  Ok, I bawled like a baby, but it was like the best feeling having a childhood gift that you couldn't get and seeing it wrapped up.  

I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do with her, but she's just too precious.  I just think of how much I wanted her when I was a kid and I hope that one day I can play with her with my kid, so I don't look like too much of a weirdo.  Maybe if I have a daughter I'll buy her Molly's best friend Emily.  Oh gee, I am a dork.  

Do you ever have those moments where you want to buy your kids the things that you couldn't have as a kid just so you can be a kid again? I don't even have a baby, but I'm sure I could come up with a list of toys I'd love to get him or her.  One day.

Now I'm still trying to figure out what to buy the hubby, I mean how do you top Molly and a guitar?  I have my work cut out for me for the next few years.

I Really Need to Start Keeping Track of These Things...

Sometimes it's really easy to forget how lucky you are in life.  Sometimes it's really easy to fall knee deep into the shit and forget all the blessings that God has put before you. 

I love the Holiday season because for some reason we convince ourselves that everything is better with a Christmas tree up and decorations.  That somehow everyone is nicer and that everyone respects everyone else.  Lord, knows we're wrong, but maybe it's a good thing that we convince ourselves that there is a time when everyone has the best of intentions and that only good comes out during this season.  Maybe with baby Jesus watching our lives unfold in our homes from his manger, we think that only good will come from our mouths and from our hearts.

I'm a sucker for Christmas and I'm a sucker for being a trustworthy person.  And this season just brings it out in me full- force.  I see lights on houses and happy children and I think that all is good in the world.

I saw snowflakes falling from the sky today as I locked the door to my house and I couldn't help but smile, even though I was going into work early on a Saturday and I had a horrible night of sleep.  It's hard to smile through the shit, but at Christmas I can only hope to have just a little bit more time with my family and a little bit more time with my friends that I do have, and say Thank You God for blessing my life with the people you have blessed me with and for giving me free will.

I have a good life—a family I can count on, a hubby that loves me, a beautiful home, and a puppy that makes me smile like she's the child you haven't yet given me; everything else is just icing on the cake.

Thank you God for caring for my heart and making me a good person—I hope I never disappoint.