Let's take a ride on my emotional roller coaster, shall we?

We closed on our house on Friday, May 6th. Getting the keys and stepping foot in our house was very exciting. We spent the weekend completing projects and made a lot of progress on the house. I cannot WAIT to move in for good.


I attended Mother's Day brunch last Sunday, and I am really glad that I did. It was difficult at the time, but the few pangs I felt were totally worth it. I was able to spend time with my grandmother, which ended up being very important, because she passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday at the age of 77. After brunch she (and the rest of my family) came over to our new house and we gave her the grand tour. She was so happy for us and called all seven of her sisters afterward. They all told me about her calls at her wake on Friday. Her death was very shocking and I miss her so much already. She was the most wonderful, caring lady and a joy to everyone that knew her. We did not take any pictures at Mother's Day brunch and I am so upset about that. I can't remember the last time our picture was taken. Here she is with my grandfather, father, and brother on my wedding day and one of AJ and me with all of my grandparents:


After attending my grandmother's funeral on Saturday, AJ and I drove back to DC so that we could attend his law school graduation on Sunday. It was very difficult to leave NY and switch emotional gears, but we did, and we enjoyed the day as best we could. I am so proud of my husband and all that he has accomplished in the last three years.

While we were in NY, I received phone calls for two interviews in two different school districts in NY. I am flying back to NY tomorrow night for my first interview on Wednesday morning. I am really hoping to land this job. It is in the town next to where we will be living and in the same town as AJ's law firm. The other interview is next Friday, also known as moving day in this household. We haven't quite figured out how we are going to fanangle that, but somehow we will make it work. Best case scenario...I land the first job and don't even need to interview in the other district. Fingers and toes crossed!

So that is my life in a nutshell. You understand why I haven't posted in a while now, right?

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday, friends! There is nothing like a day off to make a Monday more enjoyable.

Spring break ended up being pretty busy, so I am very happy that I have an extra day off today. I had to work Monday through Thursday to get a few non-instructional days in, so it really has been more of a spring break long weekend than a true spring break. Better than nothing though! My mom came down last Monday to help us start packing and then my dad flew down on Friday, so we have had a full house for what seems like forever. I love my parents, but it is tough hosting people for an extended period of time. I can't wait until we live in the same town so that we can see them more frequently for shorter periods of time.

This weekend we celebrated AJ finishing law school. He had his last final on Friday afternoon! I can't believe law school is over...it hasn't really sunken in yet. These three years were stressful for both of us, but we survived. I am so proud of him for not only doing well in school, but also for finding a great home/school/work balance. I never really felt like a law school widow and I am so grateful for that! Now the countdown to the bar begins. Ahhhhhh!

House Hunting

I'm still sick. I am so sick of being sick that I don't even want to talk about it. So instead, let's talk about some exciting news!

While we were in Grand Cayman we had to turn off email and internet on our phones so that we didn't incur a million dollars in roaming fees (or whatever they are called these days). When we landed back in the states, we turned everything back on. One of the emails AJ recieved was from our landlord asking us if we could move out at the end of May. Our initial reaction was to freak out, but we talked about our options and adjusted our time line. I think it is all going to work out.

The most exciting part? We are heading back to NY this weekend to look at houses! We have been browsing online, sending my parents to open houses, and have my mom and our real estate agent looking at houses today so that we only have to look at the best on Saturday. So far there are two that we are really interested in seeing. Hopefully we will find something we love!

Any house hunting or house buying tips?

Alive

Wow. Thanks for all the love and support! I've got a reader full of great blogs again thanks to all your comments.

This weekend we headed out to western Maryland for a ski trip with a bunch of our friends. We had a great time. Make that an amazing time. I even went skiing and have a nasty bruise on my leg to prove it. I cooked all the meals for our "family dinners", we played lots of games, watched lots of football, and spent many hours in the hot tub. We also killed more cases of beer than I care to admit, but everyone needs to let loose now and then, right?? Don't worry, I'm detoxing this week.

The best part is that I didn't think about my miscarriage almost the entire trip. I was lying in bed Sunday afternoon after we returned from skiing and realized that I had not thought about miscarrying once. And in that moment when I did start thinking about it, I didn't cry. I just reflected on the fact that it happened, but I wasn't overwhelmed with sadness. As I continued thinking, I actually felt like I was on a trip to have fun, not that I was on a trip to help me forget about everything that has happened. That's an additional crappy thing about going through something traumatic...you are in a daze for a while. You do things and go through life because you have to, instead of actually living your life. I felt alive this weekend. That's progress.

Where do we go from here?

We are now in the stage of "where do we go from here?". I am not sure I can definitively answer that question, but we do have a few things planned that are helping us look to the future instead of dwell on the past. That doesn't mean we will ever forget what happened or the baby that we lost, just that we need to move forward and go on with our lives.

So what do we have to look forward to in the coming months?

Attending the Penn State vs. Indiana game at Fed Ex Field. We didn't attend Penn State, but I have a few friends that did and I went to a bunch of games back when I was in college. We are going with one of my friends that we haven't seen since our wedding! It will definitely be a fun time.

Hosting our parents for Thanksgiving in DC. This whole experience has really opened my eyes to the importance of family. I really miss my parents and can't wait to see them in a couple of weeks. We are lucky that our parents get along with each other pretty well despite their differences. We have spent two previous Thanksgivings together, and we always have a nice time.

Seeing Elf on Broadway at Christmas time. AJ surprised me with tickets the other night. I cried (tears of joy). Elf is my favorite Christmas movie of all time and I have wanted to see the show since the day I heard it was coming to Broadway. We are just going up for one night, but it will be a great holiday getaway.

Renting a house for a ski weekend with friends. My work friends and I just booked an awesome house in Western Maryland for a ski vacation over MLK weekend. And it is an amazing deal to boot! The house has a hot tub and a pool table and is only a few minutes away from the ski resort. It should be an epic weekend.

Vacationing in Grand Cayman with my parents. Instead of getting us a bunch of stuff we don't need for Christmas, my parents are paying for us to go with them to Grand Cayman over President's Day weekend. We haven't been on a "real" vacation since our honeymoon, so this will be a perfect escape before a stressful spring and summer (what with buying a house, moving, the bar, and all).

So where do we go from here? Apparently we go on a lot of trips and spend a lot of time with family and friends. But seriously though, being around those that love, support, and distract you really does help. And being in fun places doesn't hurt either. We will also be spending a lot of time enjoying our last few months in DC. After all of that maybe we will be ready to start trying for another baby. Until then, we are just a normal couple soaking up all the fun that we can!

A Plan

By now you have probably forgotten that I had some exciting news I wanted to share. Yesterday we finally received the documentation we were waiting for....so I can officially share the good news with all of you!

AJ was offered a job at the law firm where he worked this summer! He worked very hard and put in a lot of hours, so I wasn't too surprised when he called me the morning of his last day at work and told me the good news. We made a lot of sacrifices this summer (long distance marriage, living with my parents, etc.), so we were very happy when he received the offer.

Unfortunately, this means we will be leaving DC next summer. This is a bummer for a few reasons. I have met some wonderful people here and I will be so sad to leave them. I have a pretty great job and am just getting into a groove where I feel comfortable and appreciated. I love city life and am a tad scared of moving back to a suburban area. Ahhh! Those three things are enough to induce a small anxiety attack.

On the other hand, I am so excited to be moving closer to my family (and even more excited to not be in the same quarters!). I grew up with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins by my side and am grateful that my children will have a similar close-knit family experience. I am also thrilled that we can afford to buy a house. And yes, I have already been looking. Also, I am so happy that my husband has a job. Period. In this economy, we just didn't know if he would find one. Even better, he will be working at a firm that doesn't require 80+ hours a week. That just wouldn't work for our family. Plus, he genuinely liked the firm atmosphere and the people that work there, so it really is a win-win situation for him!

As for me....hopefully I will make new friends (but, keep the old!) and find a new job back in Upstate NY. I know it will all work out in the end. For now, I am just happy that we have a plan and am so proud of my husband!

Summer Blurbs

While writing this post, I realized that I had lot of things I want to share. I tried to keep each event short and limited myself to one picture per blurb so that I (hopefully) don't bore everyone to death.

Here are the highlights of my summer!

We celebrated our second anniversary on July 5th. We attended the wedding of one of AJ's college roommates that weekend, so we couldn't do a big anniversary getaway. However, it all worked out in the sense that the wedding was an excuse to get a hotel room and get out of my parent's house for a couple days. Here we are at the reception, which was held at a beautiful country club in Rochester:

Instead of a vacation, we went wine trailing down Cayuga Lake on our way back from the wedding. It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun tasting wines at a bunch of different wineries. I think we came home with 12 bottles. Oops!


AJ and I ran in a 5k the second weekend of July. I finished in 31:15. It was so humid and I wanted to die during the last mile, but I ran the whole time so I guess that isn't too bad. I was hoping to be under 30 minutes, but in the end I was just happy I didn't come in last place!


I successfully hosted a bridal shower and attended the wedding of one of my best friends. Her wedding was very unique and the trip to Charlotte was another mini-vacation for AJ and I. Here we are at the reception:

Image via Kristin Vining Photography

We also spent a few days here and there at my grandparent's cottage, which is on a small lake in Northern Pennsylvania. I love going to the lake because I feel like I have gone back in time when I am there. We play games, read, chat, swim, drink, and eat....and that is pretty much it. There is no TV, cell phones don't get service, and you are forced to relax. And honestly, how can you not relax with this view??


While at the lake, AJ also had his first experience holding and feeding a baby. My youngest cousin just turned one and we thought he should get some practice since we are hoping to have a baby sometime in the next year. I love this picture because he looks clueless and so scared. Hahaha, poor thing.


The first weekend of August my girlfriends and I road tripped down to Wrightsville Beach for a bachelorette weekend. It stormed on Friday, but we had beautiful beach weather on Saturday and had lots of fun both nights. This was my first girl's only trip and I really enjoyed myself!


I then spent a week staying with a friend in DC because I had to get in a few summer days at work and our renovation project was not (and still is not) completed. We had a nice time cooking together and I watched more trashy reality TV that week than I did all summer. It is so much more fun to watch while drinking wine with a girlfriend.

Last weekend I headed back to NY to pick up AJ and Kona. What happened that weekend deserves a post of its own! Don't you just love a cliffhanger?? (Unless we are Facebook friends...then you already know our news!)

Smiling

I had a rough couple of days last week. It was most notably awful because I received notice that our department might need to make cuts (dun dun dun) and I am one of the people that could be layed off since I have only worked in the district for one year (my internship year doesn't count because I wasn't part of the union last year). It makes me so angry that the cuts are NOT based on performance and instead are based on date of hire. Alas, that is the case and they aren't going to be changing the procedure anytime soon. I am trying to stay positive and not let future lay offs rule my thoughts, so what better way to avoid those thoughts than by listing out a few things that have me smiling lately!

Last weekend the weather was beautiful and spending time outside with my little family and our neighbors really helped lift my spirits. We spent a ton of time gardening, weeding, walking, and barbecuing and look forward to doing these things a lot more in the coming weeks. This weekend will be a little cooler, but it is supposed to stay dry so that is good enough for me. We might venture down to the Tidal Basin to see the Cherry Blossoms or we might just enjoy the weather in our own backyard. We'll see.

Spring break begins tomorrow. The kids were itching for a vacation so I am hoping they enjoy the time off and come back refreshed and ready to finish out the school year strong! I am still working through Wednesday, but no kids means I can catch up on reports and paperwork. I hate doing desk work during the school day when there are other things that I can be doing with the kids. Needless to say, the paperwork piles up quick! With this break, I'll be all caught up in no time.

Today I won this super cute lunch bag from the Preppy Princess! I'm taking this as a sign that I will still have a job to which I will need to bring my lunch.

And of course my loving husband, snuggly puppy, supportive parents, and amazing friends keep me smiling. Without them I wouldn't have made it through this week! Thank you all so much.

What is making you smile lately? Anything you share will be greatly appreciated!

PB&J

This morning I had to test a kindergartener, the first one I have tested all year. I thought his lunch started at 10:30, but it actually started at 10, so he missed it. I had him get his lunch and brought him back to my room so he could eat in there. For lunch he had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich I have never had peanut butter and jelly sandwich in my life, but today I wanted one.

Weird, right?

Or is it more weird that I have never had a PB&J sandwich?

When I was in school I was the kid that never brought a sandwich for lunch. And I mean any kind of sandwich, not just PB&J. My mom would pack me soup, Chef Boyardee, cheese and crackers, tuna fish and crackers, salads, cut up vegetables, fruit salad, etc. Pretty much anything other than a sandwich. I still am picky about my sandwiches, but will now at least eat them. Still though, I don't like plain old bread, unless it is a salami and provolone cheese sandwich. That can be eaten on sliced, white bread. All the other sandwiches I eat, however, need to be on some kind of textured bread. I don't like sandwiches that just melt in my mouth. Ugh, just thinking about it grosses me out.

Obviously my issue is with texture. But still, the smell of the PB&J today made me want to try it. Maybe my tastes are changing. My palete has changed a lot in the last 5 years and I eat many more foods than I did when I was younger. I used to equate never having with not liking, but I have finally realized that this is not the case. A part of me is thinking that I have made it this far in life without it, why should I try it now. It makes me unique. But is not having a PB&J sandwich really note worthy? No.

So if I try it, do I go traditional? White bread, creamy peanut butter, and grape jelly? How do you like it?

Don't Make Me Dance

We've been snowed in for a week. (Spring? Are you there?)

Our time has been filled with eating, drinking (I ran out of wine last night!), sleeping, cleaning, extreme snuggling (ahem), TV, board games, and video games. Luckily we've gone out a few times...for a half day of work on Friday, lunch last Saturday and Sunday, brunch on Monday, and to GameStop on Tuesday.

But yesterday we were stuck inside all day because of the 50 mph winds and 4-8 foot snow drifts. We REALLY had a lot of time to kill. In addition to deep cleaning our living room and attempting to rearrange the furniture (it's not possible), we played all these:

And because we had nothing better to do....we videotaped ourselves playing DDR. AJ has forbidden me from posting video of him "dancing", so that means I have to upload video of myself. I'm not sure what it is about that game, but it makes me lose my rhythm. I swear, in real life I am actually a pretty good dancer!

Please excuse my appearance....glasses, jingle jammies, naturally curly hair, and no make-up. Now you know what I reeeeally look like. And how awesome my DDR skills are.

ETA: I'm not sure why the video is so small, but I've learned not to mess with Blogger when something is wrong because I usually just eff it up even more. I am just happy it uploaded!

Look What I Found!

Today I had the brilliant idea that I should clean out all of my bags. I have a laundry basket full of bags, many that I do not use regularly. I was looking for an Alice gift card (click for a referral link) that I knew had twenty something dollars left on it, but instead of finding that gift card, I found all of this stuff:


1 bottle of nail polish, 6 cotton swabs, 2 nail files, 1 wood cuticle pusher, 4 elastic bands, 1 barrette, 11 bobby pins, 1 tube of mascara, 4 lip glosses, 1 hand sanitizer, 2 chapsticks, 2 band-aids, 2 cough drops, 1 face cream, 5 tampons


1 packet of Splenda, 2 pieces of candy, 1 bookmark made at camp, 50 cents in change, 1 stack of napkins, 1 Tide to go, 1 moist towelette, 2 matchbooks, 2 pairs of ipod headphones, 4 gift cards/certificates with balances, 1 CD (New Moon soundtrack)


4 pads of Post-It notes, 19 pens, 7 pencils, 4 batteries, 11 paperclips

I also found countless receipts and 12 pay stubs. Clearly I need to clean out my bags before I put them in my basket. I can't get over the number of writing utensils. Hilarious!

Outfit Planning

While planning my menu yesterday, I got thinking about how productive I would be if I planned everything out in advance. Obviously that isn't entirely possible, but surely there are some things I could plan....

One of the first things that came to mind was planning my outfits for the week. My alarm goes off at 6 AM and I usually leave my house by 7 AM (with my curlers still in my hair) so that does not leave me a lot of time to plan my outfit in the morning.

I pretty much always lay out an outfit for Monday on Sunday night, but that is the extent of my planning. The rest of the week I pick out my outfit in the morning, and some days I do well, but there are many days when I am too tired to find something fab. Instead I usually just throw on a cable knit sweater and khakis. I blogged about "my uniform" once before and since I still get stuck in that rut every now and then, outfit planning just might help me wear all those clothes I never wear and to be more creative with my wardrobe.

I didn't plan a week's worth of outfits yesterday because this idea was still coming to fruition in my head, but next week I am definitely going to try it. It will be a good week to begin outfit planning because I have Monday off....yay for a short week.

Does anyone already do this? Anyone want to join me in this new venture?

Here is what I put together last night for today:

Black sweater dress: 2008 Christmas gift (not sure where it is from)
Pink tights: Target
Ruffle flats: Piperlime
Bow Headband: Forever 21 (which was a gift from Ms. Mindless!)

Here's hoping I can look this fun everyday!

Christmas is Almost Here!

Well what a week it has been. I have been so busy with Christmas parties and various Christmas related activities that I didn't get a chance to post about the many things that have been happening around here. Of course now I can't remember everything I wanted to post about, and since I am off today thanks to the two million inches of snow that fell over the weekend, I don't really feel like racking my brain right now. So I'll just fill you in on a few highlights....

On Wednesday I got together with my favorite blog friends turned real life friends, Landlocked Mermaid, Ms. Mindless, and Pink Pearls and Muddy Sneakers. We had a small gift exchange and among other awesome things, Ms. Mindless gave me this totally over the top bow headband. What do you think?


I wanted to wear it to work, but was too chicken. I may try and wear it on New Year's. I could pull it off then, right?

On Friday I met up with one of my BFF's from high school. She is currently a grad student at Temple, but will be in the DC area for a few months while she is on internship. I am so excited! We had dinner at a hole in the wall Italian restaurant around the corner and then came home and drank wine by the fire since it began snowing while we were at dinner. It was so nice to catch up and chat about how much we have changed over the years. There is just something about being with a friend that has known you forever that is comforting.

Because of the storm she ended up spending the night, but luckily was able to make it back to Maryland Saturday morning before the storm really kicked in. Here is what it looked like when we first woke up:

And here is what it looked like a few hours later:

Insane! We haven't seen a snowstorm like this since we moved from New York, so it was quite fun to experience it again. We spent most of the day cuddled up inside, but went on a couple walks to curb our cabin fever. In the afternoon we walked down to E. Capitol St. and down to the Capitol, which was quite a scene. There were tons of people in the middle of the street, pulling kids in sleds, cross country skiing, and walking in snowshoes. Something about seeing everyone out there was so amazing. I took a bunch of videos, but most of them are quite shaky since we were walking too. Note to self: when taking video....stand still.

Yesterday I went around the corner to Landlocked Mermaid's house where we baked 3 batches of chocolate chip cookies. We were baking machines. LM packaged her cookies in monogrammed baking boxes and even sent a pretty box home with me. This is what they looked like:

Aren't they so pretty!? I came home and put my box on the dining room table. BIG MISTAKE. We went to dinner later last night with another couple and when we returned home this is what we saw:


I about had a heart attack. There were probably 6-8 chocolate chip cookies in there! Kona looked more guilty than sick so we jumped online to see if we needed to take her to the emergency vet. The websites we found said semisweet chocolate is toxic to a 50 pound dog when they ingest 15 ounces. Kona is 22 pounds so we figured about 7 ounces would be toxic for her. A full bag of semisweet chocolate is 12 ounces and that makes about 60 cookies so I don't think she had a toxic dose. We are just waiting for her to get it all out of her system so I can stop freaking out! If you are the praying kind, please pray for her to get well soon!

If they clean up the roads I will be back at work tomorrow and Wednesday and then we are heading back to NY on Christmas Eve. I hope to post a couple more times before Christmas, but I never know how life is going to pan out so if I don't make it back...Merry Christmas!

Busiest Week Ever!

I can probably count on one hand the hours I spent home and awake this past week. Okay, maybe not one hand, but definitely two. Monday was the only night I didn't have something! It was the busiest week I have had in a long, long time....but it was totally worth it.

On Tuesday I worked my normal 7.5 hours, had cheer practice for 2 hours, came home to take Kona out, and then headed to a restaurant to meet with some girls to discuss Olive Kitteridge. Have you read the book? If so, I would love to hear your thoughts. I loved the book, but didn't like the story. Does that make sense? I don't want to give it away if you haven't read the book, but a bunch of the things about the story didn't sit right with me. However, the book is very well written and is presented as short stories, which I liked.

Wednesday felt like the longest day of my life. We hosted our first home basketball game, so after I work I had to supervise my girls in study hall and then prepare them for the game. The were so giddy and nervous; it was adorable. They did a great job considering it was the first game. The game was supposed to start at 5, but didn't actually start until 5:30, so I didn't get home until 7. That is a 12 hour workday! I don't know how those of you that regularly work 12 hour days do it! I was so tempted to stop and pick something up, but knew that we had food waiting to be cooked in the refrigerator. When I arrived home I cooked a couple steaks, some mushrooms, and broccoli, quickly ate, then patted myself on the back and promptly headed to bed.

On Thursday I left work a few minutes early so that we could get in line for the National Christmas Tree Lighting. Last month AJ and I both entered the lottery for tickets to the event and we luckily scored two seated tickets!

The event was hosted by Randy Jackson (who was broadcasting about 20 feet ahead of us) and included performances by Jordin Sparks, Sheryl Crow, Common and the PS 22 chorus, Celtic Woman, and a few other people. President Obama gave a Christmas message, Mrs. Obama read The Night Before Christmas, and Santa and Mrs. Claus made a quick cameo too. Here is video of the tree lighting!




By Friday I was pretty much spent, but a teacher at my school gave me tickets for the opening night of Zoolights at the National Zoo.

I wanted to go last year so I was actually really excited when she offered me the tickets. It was a lot of fun and good exercise so I am really glad we went. Ever punctual, we were able to see the opening ceremony which included "dancing lights". We of course videoed the dancing lights, but that video is 3 and a half minutes long and I am not about to try and upload that to blogger. If we are facebook friends you can see it on my page there. It is really neat....the lights flash with the music (obviously I am easily amused).


Yesterday morning I headed back to school at 7 am. I wanted to cry when the alarm went off. The three other coaches and I took the cheer girls to see a cheer competition out in Maryland and it started at 8 am. It was a great experience for the girls though and I think it motivated them to get their booties in gear. On the way home from the competition it started snowing! I came home, put on my sweatpants and did not move off the couch for the rest of the day. It was glorious.

Today we went to church, hit up the grocery store, and got our Christmas tree. Of course, getting our tree wasn't without a mishap. I refused to put the tree in my car (it probably wouldn't have fit anyway), so we decided to tie it to the roof. Everyone in the parking lot was doing it! I asked AJ if he knew how to go about this, and he assured me that he did. I followed his directions, put all the windows down and started tying that sucker down. However, we ran into a little problem. Let's look at this picture.....


Can you tell what's wrong here? No? Us either. Until we tried to get into the car. Yes, we tied the doors shut! I wanted to untie everything and start over, but AJ refused....so we CLIMBED THROUGH THE WINDOWS in the middle of The Home Depot parking lot on a busy Sunday morning. Obviously I took video of this!



Ignore my hyena laugh, please. Yes, this is my life.

A Mouse Interrupts the Weekend Recap

Woo hoo! It's the best Monday of the year! Only one more day of work this week and it's the weekend again! Our weekend flew by so I am looking forward to some more relaxation time over the long weekend.

A few highlights.....

I went to a New Moon party hosted by Miss Mindless. She and her friend went all out and it was such a blast! I made AJ come with me too. Don't worry, he and Mr. Mindless (haha, I bet he won't like that nickname) had fun together. They even participated in the games. Later that night we all went to see New Moon. Obviously I loved it!

I went to a Wii Fit Plus party hosted by La Petite Chic on Sunday morning. It was so much fun! I love the new features of Wii Fit Plus and as always, Brand About Town put on an awesome party.

I was going to post more details, but there is a mouse running around our living room and I just can't focus!! Gross! We have had mouse traps set up for weeks and we can't catch this stupid mouse. Grrrr. Anyone have any secret mouse trapping tricks?

Back to screaming and standing on the back of the couch!

Weekend Recap

Happy Sunday! I am in a great mood today and I think it is because I have had a really amazing weekend. This is a pretty long recap, so bear with me!

Friday night we met up for margaritas with Miss Mindless before heading down to Barracks Row. We ate at Jordan's 8 and I finally tried sushi! We ordered Shrimp Tempura and Lava Rolls and I liked them both. I am already looking forward to my next sushi experience. We came home after dinner and watched Monsters vs. Aliens in front of a fire. I fell asleep shortly after the movie started, but AJ tells me it was pretty funny.

I'm not sure where all our energy and enthusiasm came from, but we were up and at 'em bright and early yesterday morning.

I had seen and heard about the $1 scarf sale at Old Navy and really wanted to stock up on some Christmas gifts. We showed up right at 9 am and hit the jackpot.

I bought 10 scarves total...6 women's and 4 men's. I also bought AJ a sweater and plaid flannel shirt. There was another promotion going on where you received an extra 30% off when you used your ON/Gap/BR card, so I ended up spending only $40 total!

We then headed over to Barnes & Noble to get some coffee and I finally tried a decaf pumpkin spice latte. It tasted just as good as the real thing. I had a $15 B&N gift card left over from Christmas 2007 so I gave it to AJ so he could buy the latest book in his favorite series (The Wheel of Time). There are a few books I wanted to buy, but I hate buying books unless I know I am going to love them. Anyone else with me on this one?

Next on our list was Pet Smart. We bought training treats and a clicker in hopes that Kona can learn some manners. She knows how to sit, but other than that is pretty much a lost cause. Has anyone used clicker training? Any tips?

Then we hit up AT&T. I was eligible for an upgrade back in July, but my BlackBerry was still working and I wanted to get a few real paychecks under my belt before I splurged on a new phone. Well the day finally came....I bought an iPhone! It is just as amazing as everyone said it would be and I'm in love! What apps should I download? So far I have Nike + iPod, Facebook, UrbanSpoon, Shazam, Pandra, To Do's, Twitterrific (Yes, I'm baaaack), ESPN ScoreCenter, NYTimes, and Google.

Our early morning shopping made us super hungry so we stopped for a quick breakfast at a diner in Virginia. The food was pretty good, but still pales in comparison to may favorite diner at home. I think I've mentioned this before, but the two things I miss most about NY are diners and Italian restaurants. Sigh.

Once we made it back into DC it was almost noon and by this time people were out in swarms. Our final stop was the hardware store where we could barely maneuver the aisles....partly because the aisles are SO NARROW, but mostly because there were 30 people in a teeny tiny store. This is exactly why I like shopping early on Saturday mornings.

The rest of the day was spent finishing up cleaning the house (I helped this time) and drinking tea, eating cinnamon crumb cake, and chatting with PP&MS. It was a really fun and relaxing afternoon.

Last night we went to 5 o'clock mass followed by a wine and cheese party in the church rectory. We then went to Sonoma, a wine bar on the hill. The food was less than stellar, but the atmosphere was nice. We lounged on a couch and drank some red wine. Senator Al Franken was also dining at Sonoma last night. I wanted to get a picture, but it would have been so obvious and I didn't want to disturb his meal. I was definitely star struck though. I mean c'mon, he used to be Stuart Smalley!

Because our food wasn't that great and we weren't full, we decided to head over to Good Stuff Eatery, the burger restaurant owned by Spike from Top Chef. We split a burger, but we probably could have each eaten the whole thing because it was so yummy! I saw Spike walking through the restaurant as we were eating and wanted to say hey and/or take a picture, but I was too chicken. Lucky for me, after we left the restaurant we were standing at the corner waiting to cross the street when he suddenly ran right in front of us while trying to hail a cab. AJ said "Spike" and he turned around and said hey guys and to have a good night. Squeal! I immediately called my mom to brag. Haha.

Today we went grocery shopping and are now watching football. It is another beautiful fall day here in DC so we are planning to take Kona on a nice long walk later. I might sit outside for a while and read too. We've got to enjoy the nice weather while it is still here!

So that is our weekend in a pretty big nutshell. I hope everyone else had a great weekend too!

Random Tidbits

Life. Is. Crazy.

Luckily it is mostly in a good way! I seriously feel like I haven't sat down and relaxed all week though. I am looking forward to this weekend so I can veg. So since the last time I posted, here is what's been going on...

• AJ had a moot court competition all day Saturday. He did really well and advanced to the next round and made the moot court board! He will be competing again this coming Saturday. This means I have the afternoon to myself to do girly things like paint my nails and watch chick flicks. Score!
• I was asked to help coach the cheer and dance teams at my school. We are planning on having 3 teams.... 3rd - 5th cheer, 3rd - 5th dance, and 6th - 7th cheer/dance. It is a lot of fun working with the girls, but is also quite the experience (as it always is working in this district!). We have had an after school clinic every day this week and today are the official tryouts. During the clinic I worked some muscles that I haven't since college, and needless to say I was SUPER sore.
• I officially work from dark to dark now. It is pitch black when I leave the house at 6:53 AM and now that I am staying late to help with cheer & dance, it is dark by the time I get home. I am pretty sure DST ending (Thanks MS) isn't going to help much in the mornings either because it will still be dark when I get up. Boo.
• I had a book club meeting Tuesday night and only had wine for dinner. Oops.
• Two of my friends that I worked with for 3 summers at autism camp (they met at camp and got married in 2006) revealed that they are pregnant. I am SO happy for them, but I still can't stop thinking about how I wish I were pregnant too.
• I started Christmas shopping this week. I have picked up a few gifts here and there over the past year (if I see something for someone I will order it and put it away for Christmas), but the official shopping has just begun. I even started a spreadsheet! The UPS man is going to be my new best friend.
• I decided to take a Twitter break last Tuesday. It has been over a week since I last posted or visited the website and I do not miss it as much as I thought I would. Sure, I still have moments when I think oh, that thought is a good tweet, but really....it is just a distraction I don't need or want right now. I may decide to come back and post things sporadically, but for now...I am still on a break.
• I have been using the phone a lot more lately. I am usally not a phone talker, but I have been doing a lot of catching up with family and friends and it is really nice getting back in touch with people.
• I am not a big Halloween person and do not plan on dressing up or going to any parties. I know AJ will be drained after his competition, so we will likely just open a bottle of wine, answer the door for trick or treaters, and watch the Yankees game. Lame? Maybe. But this is my life now and I love it.
• As you may have noticed by the time stamp on this post, I am posting during my lunch break at school. My blog is blocked by our network (as P*rn!) because of my BC post, but I figured out a way to go through blogger and publish posts. Yay!

Caffeine

More body purification news! I know, I know...what is happening to me?

Last week I decided to give up caffeine.

I was never a big coffee drinker, but this school year has really messed with my energy levels (waking at 6 and being at work at 7:15 is hard!!) and I picked up a coffee habit pretty quickly. I was getting headaches like clockwork when the caffeine wore off, and I was not about to start drinking coffee during the day too.

Instead I decided to just cut it out.

I rarely drink soda, so it shouldn't be an issue giving that up as well. The one thing I do drink on a pretty regular basis is iced tea. Unsweetened, of course. I haven't had any since my anti-caffeine moment, but I am pretty sure I will start drinking it again once I am completely headache free. So I guess the more accurate description of this new lifestyle is limited caffeine intake.

I will get my warm drink fix in the morning with hot chocolate and herbal tea and perhaps a decaf Pumpkin Spice Latte every now and then. They make them decaf, right?

Speaking of Starbucks....

Jenn at Jeans Friday is giving away five Starbucks prize packs! Head over to her blog to enter. Tell her I sent you!

http://jeansfriday.blogspot.com/2009/10/starbucks-giveaway.html

You can enter the giveaway by answering Jenn's super easy question (or follow, blog, tweet, etc.). This not only gives you an entry, but also helps her to win her own prize pack, including Bose headphones. If you read Jenn's blog you know that she travels all the time for work and the headphones would be a welcome addition to her carry-on bag. So go help her win and maybe get a prize pack too!

Good Times & Bad

Wow. I can't believe my post about going off the pill got so much attention! I think it received more comments than any other post I have written in the year and a half I've had this blog. Crazy!

I want to thank everyone for all the supportive and informative comments and emails. I was so nervous to post about my decision, but I am glad I did. I love that blogging opens up communication about various topics. Many people were not familiar with NFP and/or FAM, but are now interested in learning more. A lot of people also mentioned that they would like to know how my experience goes. I will definitely keep you all updated when I have more to report! I imagine I will have a lot to say in a month or so. If in the meantime anyone has any questions, feel free to email me.

Moving on....

Today was not good. The morning started out fine, but around 9 o'clock I got a message from AJ alerting me that his locker at school had been broken into and every single one of his law books was stolen. He was so upset. I hated that I was at work and couldn't be there for him. So far there is no word from the school or the police, but the bookstores in the area are on the lookout for anyone that tries to sell them back. The police will also be checking the surveillance cameras they have throughout the law school, so perhaps they will get a lead from there. I can't believe someone would steal his books, but they are so expensive that someone probably wants to make a quick buck. SO UPSETTING. Not only is there an obvious monetary loss, but AJ took a ton of notes in the book margins and those are all gone too.

In an effort to make him feel better (because the walk/run/walk we took wasn't cutting it), I whipped up some pumpkin cheesecake while dinner (chicken and biscuits...perfect for this fall weather) was baking in the oven. I posted about this super easy recipe last year, but it is so short and simple that I will post it again.

Mix one tub Philadelphia Ready to Eat Cheesecake filling with a 12oz. can of 100% pure pumpkin, two teaspoons of ground cinnamon, and a half teaspoon of ground nutmeg. Pour into graham cracker crust and top with cinnamon sugar. Refrigerate for an hour. Viola!

I'm also letting him control the remote tonight. I know, I'm the best wife ever ;)

Here's hoping tomorrow is a better day!

Bye Bye Birth Control

I have always been weird about taking medicine. I don't know why I'm like this...but I am. I take my birth control pill every day, but I don't like to. So, this Sunday, I am going to stop.

Now don't freak (I'm looking at you, Sweet Bea). This does not mean I am going to have a baby right away. I just want to see what my body is like when it is not full of hormones. I have been on the pill for such a long time that I am kind of freaked out that everything is not working properly. I am hoping this will help me to become more aware of my body and how it works, and also to understand more about myself in general.

I put out a Natural Family Planning information request on Twitter and I immediately got a lot of responses. I did some research based on the info people sent me and am planning to start Natural Family Planning/Fertility Awareness Method tomorrow. I say both because I am not 100% on board with the religious part of NFP, but I'm trying to work towards it. So we'll see. I just like the idea of not being on the pill, so they both are applicable at this point.

For now, we are planning to use NFP/FAM to avoid pregnancy. I am hoping that I can spend the next year or two getting in shape so that when we are ready to start trying I am healthy.

So that is where I am right now. And I like it.