boo!

we are almost at the finish line!

missing mom

a few weeks ago, my sister sent me a cell phone pic of hunter at the beach and i couldn't stop thinking about it. it's so similar to another picture that we have framed in his room of my mother with him at the beach in 2004, except in this new one, he's alone. as though he's aware that she's not next to him.

but, maybe it's that she IS there, but only he knows, so he's quiet and still, just taking it in.

i got that boom boom pow!

BAM! look at that. i've been very busy cooking this baby. and crying over kris' dramatic win over the over-dramatic adam.

and while we're talking about idol, can i just defend my danny gokey love one time? HE SANG WITH LIONEL RICHIE, PEOPLE. i adore lionel richie. and i also adore almost EVERY. SINGLE. SONG. danny sang this season.

NOT TO MENTION...

he has amazing taste in glasses.

AND

he looks like a mini robert downey jr.

i wish he would take me glasses shopping and sing dancing on the ceiling to me while we look. my glasses are boring.

SERIOUSLY, MOM???

so yesterday my sister calls and says, "hey, i need a baby picture of you." and i'm like, oh, ok, this must be for some schtick for my baby shower. cute!!

then i think, hm... i'm not sure i HAVE any baby pictures of myself. you know, because those are things your PARENTS GENERALLY HAVE (and we all know my sob story of being an orphan ALL TOO WELL).

ANYWAY. that's not the point of THIS post.

but i of course mention this to my sister and she's like, well, i don't know where your baby book is, but it should have pictures in it. then i remember that i HAVE both of our baby books so SCORE! i ask what age range she needs and she says toddler. ok, fine.

so, i'm going through the baby book last night and it's a trifect of emotions (keep in mind that i'm 8 months pregnant and i have no mother)... i'm over-the-top excited that i'm going to be a mom in a few short weeks. i'm devastated that my own mother won't be here to celebrate this with me and i'm DYING over the RIDICULOUSNESS that is my baby book.

do you want to know what my GRANDPARENTS gave as a gift when i was born?? my grandfather gave: the baby book and TEN DOLLARS. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

my grandmother gave a stuffed mouse. a STUFFED MOUSE? WAY TO BREAK THE BANK, MEMERE!!

anyway... so i'm off looking for pictures and there is a little spot for each birthday to write about the day and to add a picture. i shit you not, next to FIVE of the seven picture spots is written: "mommy forgot to buy film for the camera!"

INCLUDING MY FIRST BIRTHDAY!!! i mean, that shit is acceptable after a few kids, even the SECOND kid, but the FIRST CHILD???????? it's not like she didn't know the birthday was COMING.

damn!

so, my sister is getting a picture of me opening a present on christmas of 1977. at age 2 years, 7 months. nevermind that my mother in law has 40 million pictures of my husband from probably every HOUR of his life. you know what? christmas 1977 IS ALL I HAVE, PEOPLE.

at least i got that $10.

Current temp in CT. Insane!

spring!!

LOOK WHAT'S IN MY YARD!!!!!!

i know! flowers!!!! i didn't even know those were there. we moved in mid-july and these were already gone by then. HEE! so cute. and of COURSE they are purple, since the lady who lived here before was OBSESSED with purple flowers. but, at least these are fareel purple and not freakin LAVENDAR. gag.

ALSO... i bought a wall quote for above the baby's crib. my camera is circa 2003 and has fewer megapixels than MY CELL PHONE so the quality sucks, but whateva. the first one gives a truer picture of the room color and the phrase is easier to read in the second...

"little angel from above" is the beginning of a lullaby my grandmother used to sing to my mom and that my mom sang to us and then to my nephew when he was tiny. i'm really heartbroken to say that i don't remember all the words and i CANNOT find the lyrics online and that sucks.

i mean, it doesn't suck more than the fact that my mom won't be able to actually rock this grandchild and sing to him or her in real life, but it is what it is. and this little quote is a small shout out to her. this bean will know and love you, mom. i promise.

and bonus! shot of my VERY ENTHUSIASTIC husband. he's moving a rock pile that the last lazy owner left on the side of our patio. he's been at it for three hours already and it doesn't even look like he's touched it. poor bastard.

adventures in I'M A TOTAL SHMUCK.

i could throw up. SRSLY throw up.

i got a nice letter in the mail about two weeks ago from my state saying, "hey jackass, you failed to file state taxes in 2004 and guess what? YOU OWE US A LOT OF MONEY."

i was like, whaaaaa? with interest and penalties it comes to like five grand.

so, i threw up. then i filed a continuance so i could check and see if their assessment was correct. IT WAS, OF COURSE.

i realized that i didn't file state taxes for the state i worked in, either, that year (worked in one state, lived in another). so i did all the stuff and it turns out THEY owed ME about FOUR thousand dollars!

which is proof that i am not a delinquent tax evader. i clearly somehow just lost my freakin mind and forgot to file state. i mean, i filed federal. HOW did i forget state? but, i was really excited because i could use that 4k to offset the disgusting 5k i owed my state.

i called this afternoon to verify how i should file and guess what? i missed the FUCKING STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS FOR THIS STATE BY A YEAR. so those assholes get to keep MY money, yet i still have to pay the other state.

i CRIED AT WORK. i'm so incredibly pissed at myself. this affects not only me, but my husband, who didn't even KNOW ME THEN.

i hate this. i pretty much hate me today.

swell.

this is the reason i can officially no longer wear my wedding rings:

latest additions to the ipod

just thought i'd share my completely SCHIZO taste in music...

• heartless ~ kanye west
• circus ~ brit brit
• lucky ~ jason mraz & colbie caillat
• love lockdown ~ kanye west
• don't stop believing ~ journey
• lovers in japan ~ coldplay
• dead and gone ~ t.i. featuring justin timberlake (aka my secret lovah)
• you're not sorry (csi remix) ~ TAYLOR FUCKING SWIFT
• how do you sleep ~ jesse mccartney (also: shutee)
• thinking of you ~ katy perry
• untouched ~ the veronicas
• come on get higher ~ matt nathanson
• i will be ~ leona lewis (WHICH MAKES ME CRY THINKING OF MY HUSBAND)

seriously, is this list cause for medical intervention????

omg. ps, if you watched the game, this isn't really a good recap.

i cannot believe i stayed up last night. for those of you who don't know, i attended the university of connecticut (14 thousand years ago). i am OBSESSED (like many, SMART people) with uconn basketball.

you may have heard from time to time that my huskies are GOOD. they were ranked number one in the country twice this season, even though our best defender has been OUT with a torn miniscus for about two months.

well, last night was the quarter finals in the big east tournament. and they played syracuse. WHO IS MY EVEREST.

i love these match ups. i love the rivalry. i do. but what i don't love is that tip off was at 9:35 IN THE NIGHT TIME. come on, people. i am growing a human. i need SLEEP.

but no, i stayed up. i figure, eh, late night. i'll get to bed around 11:30. around 11:45 the game ends up going into overtime.

and double overtime.

and TRIPLE overtime.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!!

IT GOES INTO A TOTAL OF SIX OVERTIMES. everyone's fouling out on both sides. people i've never HEARD of are coming in. my guys poop out and LOSE TO FUCKING SYRACUSE AT 1:15 (approximately) IN THE MORNING.

i am delirious today. i'm too fucking exhausted to even be very sad about it. but, SIDE NOTE (this is for you, swistle!!): i had NO IDEA how active the baby is in the middle of the night. does this mimic what will be in store for me in a few months? do the sleep/active cycles follow the pattern they have in utero? I AM IN TROUBLE, IF SO. because it was SOLID FUCKING GOLD in there last night.

here i am! a month later!

so i'm trying to find stuff that's not baby-related to post about, but there isn't anything, so whatever. here goes.

yesterday i took one of our cats to the vet (simon) because he HAS A DRINKING PROBLEM. he needs cat aa. HAAHHAHAHA. nobody else thinks that's funny? just me? hormones.

anyway, he's been downing an entire bowl of water HIMSELF per day for about 10 days so finally i decided that's PROBABLY a problem. so, i brought him in and $217 later, i have no answers. yet.

they took blood (and BONUS: clipped his talons!) and we should know more friday. apparently the front runners are: diabetes, kidney failure and thyroid issues. the vet didn't think it was his thyroid (i don't remember why) but his left kidney felt large and in charge, so maybe that's it.

i almost CRIED at the thought of him dying. he's 11 and he was my mom's cat, but CRYING??? yeah again? hormones.

OK, so yeah, that ended quickly because when we got home, he tried to MURDER ME in revenge for the vet visit. HELLO, I'M TRYING TO SAVE YOUR LIFE, FUCKER.

i got up from the couch and he darted out from under the coffee table (PERFECTLY TIMED AND SO ON PURPOSE) and i instinctively tried to dodge him and forgot that i weigh 247 times my normal weight and lost my balance. and fell into our sharp, SLATE fireplace.

luckily, i remembered mid-fall that hello, I AM PREGNANT, and turned enough that instead of falling stomach first into the edge of the fireplace, i landed right hip first and caught the rest of myself with my right hand. i'm telling you, EVERY OUNCE OF LOVE FOR THAT CAT DIED IN THAT MOMENT.

it's back now, but holy shit did that hurt.

anyway, see? everything revolves around the baby. no wonder the cat hates me.

i'm so mean

but this picture is HILARIOUS. my sister just sent me this picture of hunter at the dentist. HAHAHAHAHA

DENIED!!

OMG. one of my favorite blogs is suddenly FORBIDDEN AT WORK!!!!!



wtf.

warning: i'm pregnant and this is SAPPY

i keep a baby blog separately from this blog -- which i update ALLTHETIME because i'm obsessed and i don't want to bog down this blog with every little thing. hence this blog being a bit neglected.

well, i'm feeling VERY EMOTIONAL today (shut it). so much so that i want to post this here, too. and once you read it, i'm sure you'll be glad i don't bombard you with this kind of baby stuff all the time. ;)

21 weeks and that's all that matters
i'm having a shit time at work lately. and i've gotten so upset about it... like ridiculously upset. and then, with one little kick from within, i realized what a waste of time and energy that was.

how in the WORLD can i be upset over work? i am insanely grateful and BEYOND blessed to be kicked day and night by my little bean, who is now almost a pound and almost a foot long. my bean, with a strong, beating heart. proving to me every day that miracles do exist and i can't believe my good luck that i get to experience one.

those kicks humble me because somewhere, someone thinks i am WORTHY of carrying this living miracle. that i am capable of bringing that life into this world.

i don't care how awful my job is, i am lucky to have one. i have an amazing husband who will be an even more amazing father. i have a safe, (somewhat drafty) home, incredible friends and family and i'm 19 short weeks away (god willing) from being a mother. A MOTHER. i intend to savor every single kick and be grateful for every moment i am lucky enough to have.

that is what counts. i love you, bean. thank you for your constant reminders. i can't wait to kiss the toes on those kicky little feet. i promise, with everything that i have, that i will be the best mother i can be to you.

AND, per president obama, i promise i won't let you drop out of high school. ;)

guess whoooooo

we got to see on friday???

friday was our BIG ultrasound... and nope, we did NOT find out the sex. does anyone have a guess based on this delightful, chubby cheeked picture of my AWESOME CHILD????

little bean is a peanut. 27th percentile for growth, but the dr said that's totally normal at this point (i was 18w2d on friday). i have to go back in 5 weeks because due to the baby's position (basically back to my belly) they couldn't get a very good look at the heart (though it was whooshing away at 157 bpm, if THAT influences your guesses at all!) or the umbilical cord.

i am ADDICTED to ultrasounds. they asked me all "we'd reaaaally like it if you could come back..." like i'd say NO?!?!?! hi, i'll come back every week if you want! tom cruise, i am TOTALLY with you on this one!

new etsy store!!

here is a shameless plug for my AWESOME friend jen's AWESOME new etsy store!!

she makes the cutest jewelry. she is also wikkid crafty and it sort of makes me a tiny bit sick from jealousy because i am the total opposite.

for example, SHE MADE A HEADBOARD FOR ME. FROM SCRATCH. as in, loaded up her suv with sawhorses, electric sander, saw, electric drill and shit and DROVE from NH to CT, took me to home depot to buy all the other crap, then to a fabric store to buy OTHER crap, then BUILT A HEADBOARD IN MY LIVING ROOM.

seriously. check out her shop. she kicks ass.

octuplets

obviously you all have heard about the woman who gave birth to octuplets at 30 weeks. it's insane the misinformation and judgement (read: BULLSHIT) out there regarding fertility treatments.

i could launch into a diatribe about this, but after reading a fellow infertility sufferer cover this SO RIGHT ON in her blog, i will just link to her take on this.

if you aren't very familiar w/ treatments for infertility, i encourage you to read this (read: DO IT AND PASS IT ON).

that way, the octuplet parents and john & kates of this world will stop being what we're compared to. because they are the EXCEPTION to the rule. and we (and consequently, our children) won't be the punchline of insensitive and ignorant jokes. ok, i'm starting to get going about this and i said i'd leave it to busted, so i will.

::deep breaths::

what was important to you?

ok, i KNOW there are SOME moms who read this. probably not many because i'm the shittiest blogger alive, but help a sista out, if you will.

tom and i are visiting a daycare on thursday and i wanna know... EVERYTHING.

as in, what stood out for YOU in the daycare you decided to go with? what did you hate? what did you ask? did you have to LOVE the teachers? what was the teacher to infant ratio (if your kid went as an infant. mine will be 3 months when it (hahaah it) goes.)?

anything that you thought you wouldn't give a tiny rat's ass about but did? vice versa? any sort of help would be appreciated.

though i must admit, this place would have to be ON FIRE for us not to use it, since it's on-site at my work and we get a huge discount.

cute overload

so i got a teeny box in the mail yesterday from babygap. AHHHHHH!! i have NOT ordered anything from babygap. (tom, i swear!!)

i opened it up and there was a teeny ADORABLY gift-wrapped box with an ADORABLE grosgrain ribbon around it. hi, i LOVE BABY STUFF!!!!!

inside was this delightful gift from my delightful friend, christine, wishing the bean and i happy 2nd trimester:

HOW CUTE IS THIS? thanks, christine. i love it! ps? holla back at me... 16 weeks today!

so hungry

i keep snacking today and NOTHING is satiating the hunger. i had mac n cheese for lunch. SHUT UP, THAT IS WHAT THE BABY WANTED. i've since had 2 soups at hand and a cheese stick and i'm still hungry.

i don't want to even think about dinner because i want to just EAT EVERYTHING. and i don't want to cook. i just want to EAT.

sigh.

edited to add to the list: hint of lime tostitos. still hungry.

only this shit happens to me

OK, so we go to bed last night... I wake up 839457893845 times to pee. As usual. We have been sleeping with our door open lately to help circulate the heat better.

So I hear a noise that sounds like something hitting glass. Not breaking it, but hitting it. So I ask Tom if he heard it. He tells me I'm not allowed to watch CSI anymore and go back to sleep. I get up and shut the bedroom door, because obviously every little noise is waking me. He gets up five minutes later to investigate and is out of the room for a second and our ADT alarm goes off.

I yell, "Was that you?" He runs back in the room..."NO." He shuts and locks our door, grabs the wooden baseball bat and tells me to go into the master bathroom. I FREAK. The alarm is still going off. I'm WAITING for ADT to call, they're supposed to call within a minute of it going off. I pick up our house phone and it's dead. CUE: EVERY EPISODE OF CRIMINAL MINDS/CSI I HAVE EVER WATCHED. there are NO good possible outcomes here.

Tom grabs my cell phone and calls 911. While he's on the phone with them our house phone rings. I pick it up and it's ADT. They ask if we're ok and I say I DON'T KNOW.

Did you set off your alarm?
AT ONE FIFTEEN IN THE MORNING? NO. (It's still going off btw).

They say we'll send the police. I tell them my husband is on the cell with them since they didn't call right away (asshole!). They say they've been very busy because several alarms have gone off due to the extreme cold. I ask what alarm was triggered and they say the upstairs slider. I say thanks, they reset it and I hang up.

Tom tells the police that he was upstairs when the alarm went off and didn't see anything at that door, but they say stay put anyway and we're coming. Luckily, they were here in like THREE minutes. They do a walk around and come to the door. Tom is in his Coors Light pajama pants, holding the baseball bat.

The cop says the house looks secure and looks at the bat, "Is that your weapon??" NICE, DUDE. WAY TO MAKE FUN OF OUR TERROR.

So, it seems it was just a malfunction due to the weather, but we realized if there had been an emergency (it would go off if the fire alarm detected smoke or if the carbon monoxide dectector sensed anything either) that we have no way to exit the house from there. We need to get a rope ladder for the bedroom window. We could probably jump to our front walk, but if I did that now, well, I'm pregnant and they probably FROWN ON THAT, and I certainly couldn't THROW a baby out the freaking window if it happened in six months.

ANYWAY, GET THIS. the police left us a scolding note in our mailbox about false alarms. And how next time it could LENGTHEN THEIR RESPONSE TIME.

Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME?

didn't we just move in?

i feel like we did, since the house is still SO unfinished. how am i just noticing this now? we've owned it since june. so what, seven months? we JUST got an area rug for the upstairs living room. WHAT A DIFFERENCE. it's like grown ups live there now! and also? god DAMN those things are expensive!

we still need curtains for the sliders up there. yeah, seven months of NO COVERAGE there. i watch pretty much every crime show known to man and even though this room is on the second floor (with a deck outside that doesn't have stairs. annoying when you are out there? YES. but when you are inside worried about murderers? EXCELLENT.), i'm constantly wondering who's in the woods in the back documenting our every move and just waiting to break in and stab us with screwdrivers (criminal minds? anyone?).

so that's NEXT on the list. i'm exhausted just thinking about it.

so pissed.

tom got me these DELIGHTFULLY warm and cozy l.l. bean slippers for christmas. i mean, they are RIDICULOUS looking, but i don't care. they are heaven.

only problem is, they fit HIM, they are waaay too big for me.

so, we trek over there last night to exchange them and i saw two pairs labeled small. one was in a package and one was out (obvs. a return), so i tried on the open ones and yahoo! they fit! so, i BOUGHT the packaged ones. (incidentally, tom ended up KEEPING THE OTHERS FOR HIMSELF!)

i get home, jump into pjs, SO excited to put on my new slippers. take them out of the package and have to JAM my feet into them. WTF? i turn them over? They are XXS!!!! in a S package. fuckers.

i'm going back today, but they're on clearance now and there was only that ONE other open pair. if they are gone, i will WEEP especially now that i have to watch mr. i-buy-you-gifts-that-i-keep-for-myself waltz around in the same ones taunting me!!!

also? i apparently HATE shopping now. i have so much shit to return or exchange for (sigh) BIGGER sizes (sidenote: size MEDIUM maternity LOUNGE pants don't fit me. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE???) and i have only been motivated to rest on my couch for months. damn it!

the bean's first glamour shot

this is a crappy cell pic, but we had our nt scan (to measure for chromosomal abnormalities) this morning (and so far, everything looks GOOD!) and here is our little bean's first profile pic.

I AM IN LOVE!!! LOOK AT THE BUTTON NOSE!!!!!

i have GOT to get away from the tv

i want these. as in, i almost just ordered them from tv!!

that's ridiculous (and how i ended up w/ sounds of the 70s in college. i don't even LIKE 70s MUSIC).

also, i could totally save shipping charges and just buy them at walgreens, the land of "as seen on tv" -- i know this because tom got me SHAMWOW! from walgreens for christmas.

oh yes he did. and i love him for it.

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

dvr is FINALLY FIXED!!!


oh yeah, baby.

memory? NEGATIVE

i have the WORST short-term memory. like EVER. for example, i couldn't tell you if i remembered to feed the cats this morning. really. i'd have to walk upstairs and check their bowls. NO CLUE.

this type of thing is especially annoying today because today cox cable (aka my NEMESIS) is coming to replace our cable box because our dvr has been broken for MONTHS. (side note: watch the service person forget to bring a new box, or better yet, bring one, but not hd.)

I CAN'T REMEMBER WHEN THEY'RE COMING. i have shit to do before the snow gets any worse. i could call, of course, but then i'll be waiting on hold for 45 minutes before anyone even answers. SO ANNOYING.

damn it.

lookit the cutiepants!!!

hunter lost both of his front teeth in the last week and a half. SO FREAKIN CUTE!!!!

stuffy

so now that the baby is out of the bag, so to speak, i can FINALLY post because srsly? it's pretty much all consuming for me. it has been since ooooooh a year ago. while attempting to keep some privacy with regard to this, i will say that getting here has not been easy and we are lucky (except NOT) enough to be the 1 out of 1 in 6 that are afflicted w/ infertility.

long, agonizing story short, with the help of a wonderful (and PATIENT) team of doctors and the miracle of ivf, we are super excited to be here.

in OTHER news, i have a terrible head cold and hi, NO NYQUIL ON THE SAFE LIST! (obvs.) but i am a mess. the doctor suggested saline nose spray (which i sprayed in my EYE because it's like some super aerosal can???), gargling w/ salt water and a humidifier. two days later, i still can't breathe.

oh well. i also have no voice, which is my husband's favorite christmas gift so far. bastard.

confession time

i have been holding out on you. it's been ridiculously difficult for me, which is why i haven't posted much for the last loooong while.

i honestly didn't think i'd ever get to the point where i'd be able to post this, but here we are, so here it is: i'm pregnant! today i am 12 weeks, 3 days and the bean is due on july 8, 2009.



and we are so grateful. much more to come, but for now, i have to finish wrapping the last of my gifts and meet some friends for lunch!

merry christmas eve!!

circa 2005

for my super husband

who loves this song...

Watch Video:

12 Days of Christmas (Straight No Chaser)

Video Code provided by MusicRemedy.Com

hey pansy "anonymous" commenter

don't read my blog if you don't care about my life.


also, you're SOOOOO brave to leave an anonymous comment.


loser.

awwww

today is my one-year anniversary! WOOT! one year down, forever to go!

tom sent me FLOWERS AT WORK!!! i have never gotten flowers at work before. so sweet.

i hope he realizes i'll be expecting these every year now.

heh.

a few of my fave things

like oprah, except i don't have any to give you and plus, you might not even LIKE my fave things.

1. holiday flavors: gingerbread, peppermint, pumpkin spice.... YES!
2. strawberry cream cheese. holy hell, i love this.
3. my down comforter because my scrooge mcduck husband keeps the heat on 12 degrees F
4. cinnamon life cereal.
5. almost every crime show known to MAN: csi, svu, cold case and my new MUST SEE TV: criminal minds. i know it's not new, but DAMN i can't get enough lately.
6. my fugly uggs. heaven on my feet.
7. the voicemails my nephew leaves me. this one in particular:
   hunter: hi, auntie? it's me hunter. i'm with tom and i just wanted to say OH MY GOD we just saw a deer in the road. like in REAL LIFE. and we almost hit it!!! i love you, i miss you. hasta la vista!!
8. my velour track suit from old navy. OH MY GOD i could wear it 24/7. HAYYY!
9. when i remember to set the coffeepot at night and wake up to fresh coffee. it's almost like having a maid!
10. barack obama.

listen

i'm SORRY. i've been preoccupied. you know, with LIFE and shit!??!

no excuse. right now i should be getting ready for work. it's 7:30am. HELLO?!?! i should be leaving in a half hour. i am still in my awesome velour track suit (hello, old navy, i love you.) cat on lap, blogging with a cup of coffee and the rain beating down on our skylight, so ARE YOU HAPPY NOW, BECKY????

;)

i am!

ok, the biggest pain in my ass right now is tree-related. tom HAD to buy a house with a giant (1 acre is giant to me, OK?!) yard, that backs up onto the woods with a LOOOOOT of trees.

well that bastard now claims he needs all manner of lawn equipment to care for said lawn and can i just say that takes money away from SPA TREATMENTS. many, many leaves are on our lawn. we have one measly rake and a tiny leaf blower. they are NO MATCH for our lawn.

everyone else in our neighborhood has raked, so the pressure is on. the neighbor across the street has this ginormous leaf blower that looks like a lawn mower and could straight up blow me to maine. i threw down my rake (i totally raked for like four minutes) and said fuck it. buy one of those bitches. pedicures be damned.

and that's your lame update for today.

it's here!

in fact, BECKY, i just picked it up tonight!!! along with some cute ghosts for my dining room table.

i know, i have been the suckiest of all sucky bloggers lately, but i got some stuff going on that's preoccupying my time. i'll be back soon. PROMISE!!

IMPATIENT!!

we ordered this delightful media console over a WEEK ago and it's still not in! wtf, pier one!?

do you NOT want me to buy all my holiday decor at your store?

NO?

FINE. I'LL GLADLY GO TO TARGET!

(maybe on sunday. with jen. my target cohort.)

about the bangs...

guys, i know you are all waiting for the bangs pix and BELIEVE ME, i want to give you the pix, but the weather here SINCE THURSDAY (when i got them) has been a rainy, humid MESS.

my hair + wet = YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW.

i have worn a little barrette holding them back since i got them because the frizz is TOO MUCH. i think the weather is supposed to be better tomorrow, so i PROMISE i'll get a picture uploaded.

you all will be disappointed. i think they're too long and need them a bit shorter.

NEVER HAPPY!

hello, free bag...

i totally stole this idea from erica, but I HAD TO!!!

free

purse

people.


GO ENTER TO WIN, now!!! :)

just a typical day at the office...

storm troopers just randomly patrolling the building. YES, this is a PERSON. NOT a statue. there are three of them just wandering around. i noticed them first in the parking lot but couldn't get a good pic, so when i went down to the lobby for coffee, i snapped some.

they are sort of intimidating!!!!

listen

i know i owe you pics. i'll post them when i get some, but don't get too excited. they aren't that awesome.

i am watching hope floats. do NOT hate. i freaking LOVE this movie in an insane way. i loved it even before my mother died. it makes me cry every. single. time. i love how it shows the strength of family. of hope.

beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad... it's the middle that counts.

god, i know i sound like a loser and NO, i am not drinking.

i might even love it as much as i love love actually. well... maybe not, but it's CLOSE.

and shut up about my stupid chick flick infatuation.

it is LOVE.

my cup runneth over.

perfect weather

to work at the big e! i'm co-running the booth for work from 3:30-9:30pm and I *hope* the biggest effort will be to make sure children don't eat or steal the product.

can i tell you i have lived in new england almost my ENTIRE LIFE and have never been to the big e? SRSLY! apparently there is a LOT (oh tessie i hope you're reading this because you will FLY HERE just for this list) of food to be consumed.


ETA: the stupid table listing all the food vendors f'ed up my margins so i'll just have to REPORT BACK with all that i ate whilst working today.

in other news, i got BANGS! (no, not BANGED, pervs.) i'll post a pic of me in my super cute big e work shirt and my NEW HAIR before i leave. in this glorious monsoon.

hard to get back to it

i'm OUT of the blog habit so it's difficult to get back to it. i'm shameful. sigh. so here's my Latest Lame Update!!

this morning we had the electrician FINALLY come to install a socket and circuit (or some such nonsense) for the radon mitigation system that was PAINSTAKINGLY installed like two months ago. i'd link to the post about it, but i don't want to bore you to death before you finish THIS boring post.

apparently there is water in the basement. um. there was no such water when we moved in or for the month and a half afterwards and believe you me, we had SEVERAL rainstorms during that time period. i have deduced it is from the installation of the mitigation system. um, mr. installation guy? yeah, you better get yo ass back and fix that!

what else? i started pilates. hi, i am SO OUT OF SHAPE. it's embarrassing. also? humiliating.

oooh and i'm getting my hair cut tonight. i'm thinking of making A Change. tune in tomorrow for pics!!!

world's best blogger wasn't available...

so yeah, i suck, BUT i have a michael scott mouse pad, so SUCK IT! i also bought tom a WORLD'S BEST BOSS mug for work since all of his employees pretty much hate him.

hahahahahahahahahahahaha

let's see, well... not too much else has been going on here in the last few weeks. it's finally fall so i got to put mums out on my front step! whee! um. what else?

cottage weekend 2008 was saturday and jeff brought an OFFICIAL beerpong table. like seriously. and also? he's 33.

i'll post more about that when cronin's lazy ass sends me some pics.

more random photos

here is one of the hanging flower plants i've been trying not to kill for the last two months:

so far, so good. there are even yellow flowers on this bitch now too!

here's one of my latest painting projects... the "accent wall" in my living room:

don't mind the random walmart light in the middle of the floor. I COULDN'T SEE, OK?!

post-painting photoshoot with simon:

we look worn out, don't we?

hunter's FIRST SOCCER PRACTICE!!! (you have NO IDEA what this means to my husband. NO IDEA!!!)

he even KICKED THE BALL, PEOPLE!!!

ok, i have more of our trip to fenway on sunday, but i'm too damn tired now and shut up, i know these aren't formatted right, but i'm TIRED!

aw cutiepants

i FINALLY found the cord to my camera. all you get for now is a pic of us at my friend andy's wedding on the fourth of july in winter park, co.

CHECK OUT THE SCENERY! it was amazing!

tough day at the office...

hunter came to work w/ me today. so far i've built a car and a bulldozer. workin hard, peeps.

what we do with the prospect of monday morning off...

he falls asleep at 8:45pm and i have wine. GLORIOUS WINE!

follow up to big perm freakout

i have purchased SEVERAL antidotes to the total woof head i have been cursed with for the better part of a year.

including, but not limited to:

• sedu xti wikkid awesome hairdryer to the STAHS! [i love you for this one, danse!]
• bed head control freak shampoo and conditioner
• bed head spoil me spray which is supposed to accomplish the following: Smoothes hair instantly. Anti-static defrizzer. A second day restyler with hydrating conditioning results. Gives hair a light, moveable hold. [mostly i bought these because after smelling 49 anti-frizz shampoos, hunter and i thought these smelled the best]
• paul mitchell slick works which has SO MANY alleged benefits, i have to link to them all [my hair diva, bryan, suggested this. he said my hair "LOVES THIS PRODUCT!"]

i will carefully launder, dry and style my hair tomorrow and post a picture. you guys tell me if all this shit is working or not. HAPPY SUNDAY. I HAVE TOMORROW OFF, SUCKERS!!!

HOW COULD I FORGET

HAAHHAHAHAHA five bad brothahs from the beantown land!


i puffy heart youtube, you suckaaaaaa PEACE!

oh hot damn

this is my jam!

ok, let's talk about random, ridiculous pop songs that i cannot. get. ENOUGH. of.

ummmmm jesse mccartney much? wtf? HOW do i like this kid? i don't know, but i LOVE this song. sigh. it's embarrassing. even for a new kids fan.

AND my friend (won ton, you know who you are, you bastard) is SERIOUSLY hating on this chris brown jam that i could fold 10 loads of laundry to! it's me and chris foreva!

anyway. tgif,
right kids?!

update:

• garage door opener is shiny and new, complete with a new remote! WOOT!
• the couch cannot be repaired so they are exchanging it for a new one! WOOT!
• the radon water guys are STILL HERE. since 8:30am! no end in sight. but at least my water won't be poisonous anymore. woot?

come one, come all!

i am working from home today because i'm watching hunter. camp ended last week and he still has two weeks until school starts, so my sister has expertly set up a world tour of babysitters for the next two weeks. i was tagged in today. so, it was the perfect day for ALL of the house work we needed to have done...

• the radon mitigation system is being installed today. they have to vent it out 12 inches ABOVE my roof!! wtf!?
• the garage door repair guy is here. GREAT NEWS! the opener is FRIED! he thinks it was HIT BY LIGHTNING. um. WHAT!? anyway... that's an unexpected three hundred bucks to replace it. WHEE! there goes my leather coffee table/ottoman set. SIGH.
• raymour & i deliver RIPPED LOVESEATs er, i mean flanigan is coming to repair my loveseat.

they are the only ones not clogging up my driveway currently. thank god for extra lego sets to keep hunter busy while i deal with all these people. oh yeah... AND TRY TO GET WORK DONE!

oh.. doorbell. couch repair?

UCONN AWESOMENESS

ooooh she is on her way!!

oh i cannot WAIT to meet you, sedu xti!!!!

woot!

hi, could i be ANY MORE self promotional? shauna over at pickles&dimes got her PiF gift from me and SHE LIKES IT, SHE REALLY LIKES IT!

aw, what a nice thing to read on a sucky monday! now go and enter her contest! win treats!!!!

do my ears deceive me???

ok, is this actually JONATHAN KNIGHT with a lead vocal??? nkotb-ers... listen to this clip and tell me if you hear him. i think it's him! i think i'm in the VAST majority that favored jon.

ugh. i am so pissed i didn't get tickets. stupid home buying getting in the way of IMPORTANT LIFE EVENTS.

this just in: i accidentally put that link into a WORK WEB PAGE!! whoops. i don't think my work's target audience is really concerned with nkotb's new SONG! (i mean, they SHOULD be, but...)

what up, big perm?

look, i need help. in a SERIOUS way. my hair? NIGHTMARE. TOTAL NIGHTMARE.

once upon a time i had a fabulous hair dryer. i'm talkin' the Be All and End All. but... two weeks before my wedding, i DROPPED it and it busted.

i went to bbb and bought some two-bit $40 hair dryer and i've looked like a singed gerbil ever since.

let me break it down for yous... i have frizzy hair. WICKED frizzy. it's curly, but i straighten it every day and don't even start with the whole "oh it's frizzy because you color and straighten it and why can't you just be footloose and fancy free and natural" because THAT IS NOT HAPPENING. so get it out of your head. on occasion, i let it airdry. it doesn't help. it dries all wonky and looks like bed head (and not sexy bedhead) and dready and whilst i love me some dreadlocks, they just aren't MY best look. so i straighten. NOT WITH A IRON. i straighten with a lovely, giant round brush.

and i color. and that won't stop, either. i am thirty-three, people, and it's just necessary.

i've never had trouble with gross frizz nastiness POST hair dry until my beloved dryer broke, so i must assume that the new crap one is at least 85% at fault. the other 15% could be product-related. so i ask you this... what kind of hair dryer is THE BEST? i mean, THE ABSOLUTE BEST. i am willing to part with cash over this if it promises to work. also, what hair products do you use for STRAIGHTENING and DEFRIZZIFYING?

lay it on me. i'm a straight up MESS these days. every day with the pony tail/knot. every. single. day. and it's STILL frizzing out. ugh, i have to stop talking about it.

yeah vermont!

one of like 8 fish tom caught this week. i *think* this is a large mouth bass. i actually caught a small mouth. FAREEL! I CAUGHT A FISH!! we don't keep them. strictly catch and release. aaaaaaaaand, most of our vacay was a washout, but it was still pretty great. alas, we are home now so i will FINALLY and BELATEDLY (read: extra guilt gifts!!) send out the gifts to the VERY patient pickles&dimes! don't worry, shauna, it's not a mounted bass.

...OR IS IT!?!?

we have a winnah!!!

drumroll, pleeeeease! the winner of my very first contest in LIFE issssss: PICKLES & DIMES!!!! thanks to tessie, i used the super high-tech method of random.org and got: #9. yay for shauna!!

shauna, you will be receiving an email from me ANY MOMENT to get your deets so i can send you your fabulous (and as of yet, UNKNOWN) treats!!

and with that? VACATION!

contest ends today!

at four o'clock, i think? then i will scour swistle's site (UNLESS SOMEONE WANTS TO TELL ME IN A COMMENT?!?!) to figure out how to use the random number generator to choose a winner and that is, quite frankly, a LOT of work for the friday before vacation.

INDIGNANT!

also, do you see what not eating DOES TO ME?? what a BITCH i am. my co-workers are warning me not to get into a "slimfast rage" -- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

ps, you don't NEED to blog to enter the contest. i don't give a tiny rat's ass, becky. you are still entered, LIKE IT OR NOT. DAMN!

pif amendment

i'm ending the contest on friday at 4pm. because i want to send out the present on saturday before i leave for vacation. YEAH VACATION!!!!!! we're going to vermont w/ tom's parents. ok, not WITH them, but we're meeting them there. ahhhhh no cell service and long days at the lake. (w/ wine, OBVS!)

noooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!

no, no, no, NO!

DAMN IT!

ok fine, i'm in!

i could always use a little extra good ju ju, so i'm participating in swistle's pay it forward contest. i'm honestly not EXACTLY sure (hi, skimmer here) what the rules are supposed to be, but whatever.

here's the set-up:

• i have a new front door.
• i do not like the color it is currently painted.
• for your reference: said door.

here's what you do:

• decide what color YOU think we should paint the door.
• let me know in the comments.
• i'll randomly choose a comment (HOWEVER I WANT TO) and send you a prize!!!!
• ETA: deadline for submitting guesses (comment so becky doesn't win by DEFAULT!) is friday, july 18 at 4pm eastern, suckers).

easy peasy, right?! ok, then, COMMENT AWAY!!

side note: happy birthday, tom!!! xoxo

flip mode

i'm flippin it on ya. i'm going to pull a fun fact MONDAY edition, since i have a lot of RANDOM stuff.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand GO!

• after all the cat madness, the vet didn't end up giving them softpaws. he said it's a lot of maintainence and that i should try feliway first. FINE. i had to order it, since they didn't have it in stock there. also? they want me to BRUSH the cats' TEETH. yeah, i'll get right on that, you loon.
• we brought the cats over to the house friday night, thinking it would be less traumatic to move them before the movers came. we initially decided to keep them in the basement (it's semi-finished, RELAX!) but when simon jumped up INTO the ceiling due to exposed insulation down there, we had to re-think this option. so, they ended up in the office for the night. they have since taken full ownership of the entire house (minus the basement).
• the move went well on saturday. the movers were like MAGICIANS or something because they were NOT big guys, yet one of them moved my loveseat BY HIMSELF. down TWO FLIGHTS of stairs. WTF!?
• i can't figure out how to hook up my fucking cable. so listen, we "upgraded" to an lcd hang-on-the-wall thing, which is OBVS HD and OBVS nothing i've ever had before. so instead of hooking up my regularly scheduled dvr/digital cable/surround sound, i have this new fangled hdtv with an hdmi or whateverthehellit'scalled cable, and another red/blue/green cable and ANOTHER red/white/yellow cable, though the DIRECTIONS call for red/silver and WHAT THE HELL, i don't HAVE one of those, and also the actual cable. or COAXIAL as the geeks call it. whatever. it doesn't work. AND while i was able to hook up my cable modem, MY WIRELESS WON'T WORK. i'm so over technology.
• i bought two hanging flowers for the deck and my husband ACTUALLY threatened me if i don't take care of them because they were expensive. YOU HAVE PROOF now if i end up missing. show the police this, please.
• we got our new front loading lg washer/dryer and they are so space-age, i'm afraid to use them. i just turn them on and off and listen to the little song they play. again with the techno-phobia. (did i mention that i work on the WORLD WIDE WEB for a living? i really should be better at the tech shit. whatever.)
• speaking of the internets, in a show of solidarity for one of my fave bloggers, erica, i'm going to join her fast. JOIN! JOIN!
• what else? oh yeah, VACATION IN FIVE DAYS. hello, vermont wilderness.

how crazy am i?

FUN NEW GAME!

• painting three bedrooms in two days
• flying to denver for 5 days a week before moving
• working two jobs the entire week before the move
• packing an entire apartment at night in four days

aaaaand the kicker? bringing BOTH cats to the vet two nights before moving day. those bastards claw the shit out of everything INCLUDING my WALLS, so we're having nail caps put on their front claws tonight. you TECHNICALLY can do this yourself, but i value my life so i'm having the vet do it. relax, peta freaks, it's NOT GOING TO HURT THEM.

i just hope it doesn't take 40 hours to get them done tonight because hi, i have SHIT TO DO (see above).

also, what color caps should we get? simon is a boy and keli is a girl. if it helps, he is an annoying, clingy, lovable mush and she is a straight up bitch. CHOOSE!

ETA: they are NOT to make the cats LOOK better, because i clearly don't care about that. it's so they don't rip my new house to shreds.

i'm baaaack

well, i have been back since monday morning at two AM! i am taking a quick break from packing to say KILL ME NOW.

denver was great. it's really as beautiful as on tv. well, technically i was in winter park. get off my ass, i'll post pics as soon as i dig out of the boxes.

...which won't be until next CHRISTMAS.

hot, sweaty mess

ugh, you guys. i have my very own tuesday rant and rave:

rave: i just found two AWESOME accent chairs for my living room at MARSHALL'S of all places for $40 APIECE!

rant: ok, i drive a honda civic, so you can imagine it took some houdini-ing to get those bastids in there. it's also upwards of 90 degrees outside. my a/c is also, coincidentally, BROKEN.


i had to come back to work. i SWEAT THROUGH MY SHIRT.

luckily, i stopped at old navy and picked up a cutie-pie navy sleeveless button-down to change into, but still. gross. what does it look like? oh i'd show you, but there ISN'T A PICTURE ON THE DAMN WEBSITE.

AND ANOTHER THING! i took a picture of the super-terrific chairs and my phone WON'T LET ME SEND IT. fucker.


ETA: HERE IT IS! (i bought two.)

farewell, remaining money

...and so it begins. not only did we buy four gallons of paint: terra cotta for the office, snow drop for our room and some green i can't remember the name of. it's sage-y, for the guest room, but we also bought a washer and dryer! FRONT LOADER!!! yay! and lights for the walkway outside.

tom also bought the world's smallest lawn mower. i imagine it will take him 19 hours to cut the grass on sunday. but he is VERY excited. poor bastard.

idiot

i went to the new house (my house, MY NEW HOUSE, did i mention we BOUGHT A HOUSE?!?!) last night to show my sister and nephew around. well, as i'm waiting for them to get there, i hear this beeping noise in the house. three quick beeps.... 2 minute pause.... three quick beeps. wtf? i heard it in the kitchen, but i thought maybe the alarm was on, so i DISARMED it (it YELLS "DISARMED!!!" when you hit the button) and it didn't stop.

so then i thought it was a smoke detector (are any of you remembering the episode of friends where phoebe is haunted by the smoke detector?) and i couldn't find ANYTHING blinking ANYWHERE.

by this time, my sister and nephew were there and we were going crazy over this freaking NOISE. all of a sudden, hunter casually mentions that the fridge isn't closed all the way. my PRECIOUS FRIDGE.

IT WAS THE FRIDGE TELLING ME IT WAS AJAR!! i have never had a talking fridge before! so not only did we feel completely stupid, but i wasted energy for 20 minutes. sigh.

in other news, i picked out paint colors!!!! swatches to come this weekend. I KNOW!

SO EXCITING!

stankonia

in our total psychotic excitement on closing day, we ACCIDENTALLY left a bag of garbage in the trunk of my civic. (i meant to throw it out on our way to the walk through.)

we didn't remember it was in there until the next morning.

it had fruit in it.

it was DISGUSTING. and the worst part? we stayed over at the house and there isn't a garbage can there yet (there isn't anything there yet, duh.) so i had to DRIVE TO WORK with the garbage in my trunk. my entire car smelled SO BAD. did i mention it was like 98 degrees (holla nick lachey!) so it just cooked all morning in my trunk. i went out at lunch in hopes of making an illegal dumpster run, but i CHICKENED OUT.

eventually i threw it out at a gas station garbage can. but the smell? she lingered. apparently it LEAKED and my car was so fucking stank.

did i mention that my PILLOW was in the car all day? it PERMEATED MY PILLOW. i may have to throw it away.

did i also mention that the a/c is broken in the civic? oh it was so nice and ripe to drive home. i finally dumped some carpet fresh in the trunk and vaccumed it out and it's ALMOST gone, but dudes, that smell will haunt me for life.

thirteen years

i got this text message from my sister today:

he has been gone half my life. weird.

our dad was killed in a motorcycle accident thirteen years ago today. june 24, 1995. it's INSANE for me to think that after today, he'll have been gone from my sister's life longer than he was in it. he's been dead HALF A LIFETIME.

as a person who's lost both parents at a relatively young age (mine and theirs), i sometimes have trouble finding any sort of silver lining in the thunderclouds that surround both their deaths. i know, no more suffering. [my father was an alcoholic -- accident was his fault. side note: it still makes my face hot with shame to admit that. my mom was very ill with COPD.] but more often than not, i get lost in the whole "but i was JUST A KID" stuff.

today, though, i can say that even though it's been so long, i still remember his laugh. i still remember the lines on his face when he would laugh. i still feel a small contentment when i hear a harley davidson roar by as if to let me know he's watching and he knows what we've done with our lives. that is nice. it gives me peace and that's really the most you can hope for.

we are homeowners, people!!!

SERIOUSLY!!!!

holy shit. it's REALLY HAPPENING!!! we just got our final number for the closing check and we meet at the house for our final walk-through at 4pm.

TODAY!!!!

i am just overwhelmed. it almost feels FOREIGN to be this freakin happy.

carry on with your regularly scheduled mondays whilst i prance around like rainbow fucking BRITE all day!!!!!

oh yeah, ps? i'm back from denmark. praise every god imaginable.

screw you, airlines

i have been in an airport since 3pm yesterday afternoon. my flight from newark was SUPPOSED to leave at 5:4o pm. it didn't leave until AFTER MIDNIGHT.

eight hour flight.

obviously missed my connection at 11am since i didn't land in copenhagen until 2pm. am now waiting for the next flight at 5:30pm to billund.

hello fork? meet my EYEBALL.

time to jet

i'm leaving tomorrow afternoon for a week in denmark for work. i realize how TOTALLY AWESOME (read: terrifying eight-hour flight and boring two-day meeting complete with salmon "meat" balls. GAG!) this may seem, but it really sucks ass since we close in a week and i've packed... about... NOTHING.

quick example of how prepared i am: i'm not even packed FOR THE TRIP YET. it's TOMORROW. and i'm BLOGGING.

i think i'm in denial or something. whatever. ps? what the fuck do i pack? the weather is supposed to be in the high 50s. yeah, you are totally jealous of this trip, aren't you? oh yeah, and RAINY.

at least my hair won't be a disgusting frizzy mess. oh wait.

shoes and dna

last night as i was "tidying" up before my sister and nephew came over for a swim, i realized i had 9 --- NINE --- pairs of shoes lying around. granted, many are of the flip flop variety, but still! i picked up six pairs and threw them in the closet. i think tom would have a coronary (did i tell you that once he said, "steph! you're going to give me a cornea!" true story.) if i actually picked up all my crap.

so we're sitting around eating dinner (chicken skewers with onions and red/yellow peppers, potato salad and corn on the cob. YUM!) and my nephew complains about not being able to eat the corn on the cob because he has two loose teeth -- the top front ones. my sister responds that if he would just PULL THEM, this wouldn't be a problem. (well, it would, because he'd have NO teeth, but that's not the point of this story.) he pulls out some crap about not wanting to get his DNA on the corn or something. DNA. HE IS SIX. how the hell does he even know what that is??? oh i asked him.

"auntie. ever hear of a movie i like to call SPIDERMAN!??!"

well EXCUSE ME.

less than two weeks to go!

we found out our mortgage commitment letter is in, so now, hopefully, all we have to do is PACK and WAIT.

ew. packing.

eta... fuck that. i'm going to get a pedicure.

how ya like me NOW?

oooh fancy new template!!! do you think it's too busy? i love orange, but i'm thinking it may induce seizures. wtf do you guys care anyway? most of you are viewing through your reader ANYWAY.

let me know. i'll look for something less obnoxious (maybe) tonight.

internets? meet my new...

shed.

i don't want to discuss it.

END THIS!

gah! i am never buying another house ever. EVER. this shit is so fucking ANNOYING. i can't take the nit picky back and forth.

here is my last week and a half:

• inspection last wednesday. house looks great! everything found is small potatoes. yay! but we find out that they want us to put an offer on the shed. the shed that was specifically excluded from the contract. our guess is they thought they could take it and when they realized what a pain in the ass it would be, they wanted to sell it. we said no thanks but if they ripped up the lawn trying to get it out, they'd need to reseed it.
• friday: oh shit, we have radon in the well water.
• monday: we ask for every repair noted on inspection AND an aeration radon mitigation system, at the suggestion of our realtor.
• tuesday: sellers respond with a big fuck you in the form of $1000 credit and you can have the shed. we get pissed, want to tell them to shove the shed up their collective asses. have argument for the ages. decide to respond with three things: mitigation system OR credit in the amount it will cost for us to install it, water pump gauge fix and water heater valve fix. also? fuck your shed. but more nicely.
• wednesday: they let us stew. all day.
• thursday afternoon: they respond: pump fixed, valve fixed and credit at closing in the amount it will cost to have the system installed. also? would we like to buy the shed for $2000? SERIOUSLY WITH THE FUCKING SHED!??!?! (apparently it's a $5000+ shed). our immediate response is: SERIOUSLY WITH THE FUCKING SHED!?!?!? but we think we probably will need one at some point ANYWAY. if we say no, will they just leave it for free? should we counter with half that amount? i seriously don't ever want to hear the word "shed" again.
• and now? we wait.

i am SO TIRED OF THIS. i thought i was going to cry because of the pride of finally owning my very first home. i am going to cry just out of emotional exhaustion and delight when this is finally OVER. i feel like yelling for tom to SWEEP THE LEG, JOHNNY!!

tick tock tick tock

wait, did i already use this subject title? i am too lazy to check, so i apologize if i did. and i apologize that it's lame either way.

we are still waiting on the asshole seller. apparently there is a plumber at the house THIS VERY MOMENT completing some of the tasks we requested (but were told to f off about, basically) AND his agent said they are going to credit us in the amount it will cost to install the mitigation system. it's not in writing yet, so i'm not getting excited. yesterday was TERRIBLE.

seriously. seller? you better HOPE you don't run into me in whole foods after this is all said and done.

in somewhat better news, i got a new chair at work today! it's SO FANCY. i felt like i DID win the lottery when they brought it over.

paging all good luck vibes...

shock. sellers are being a total thorn in my EYE.

JUST PAY FOR THE SYSTEM. please. PLEASE don't make me have to convince my husband that we shouldn't walk away from the house because of this.

this, among other unsavory happenings over the last few days really have my insides in knots. i think i may be feeling entitled which ALSO has my stomach in knots (because i HATE entitlement. HATE IT.), but i'm just going to bitch it out and maybe get over myself??

we, as individuals and as a couple, have been through the fucking RINGER in ways i've discussed on here and in ways that are just too private to mention and i think we are DUE for a change in the weather. i don't want to win the fucking lottery. i don't want more than anyone else. i don't want to have things at someone else's expense or that i didn't earn.

PSA: i know that we are incredibly fortunate people. believe me, i do. so PLEASE don't tell me it could be worse. i know it could. i watch extreme makeover home edition. I GET IT.

sellers, please. this house isn't just the pot of gold at the end of the stupid rainbow for me, it is the WHOLE RAINBOW.

note: could i have more analogies here? i sound like a total idiot. i know. i'm just in such a sad, sad state today. if any of you have any good luck vibes to spare, i'd appreciate them. not just for this.

update to inspection

well it seems as though we have radon. fuck. but we are going for a mitigation system and we are happy about that so i don't want to hear any radon death horror comments. seriously.

here's some a-z for ya's:

A - Attached or Single: attached
B - Best Friend(s): tom, hunter and my girls. they know who they are.
C - Cake or Pie: i like pie
D - Day of Choice: saturday morning
E - Essential Item: chapstick
F - Favorite Color(s): pink
G - Gummy Bears or Worms: bears
H - Hometown: norwich, ct REPRESENT!
I - Indulgence(s): wine
J - January or July: july, though we did get engaged in january and it was pretty freakin fantastic
K - Kids: not yet
L - Life is incomplete without: love
M - Marriage Date: november 3, 2007
N - Number of Siblings: 1 younger sister
O - Oranges or Apples: both
P- Phobias or Fears: the dark, and small spaces
Q - Quote: "when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."
R- Ring size: 5
S - Season: fall
T- Tag 3 Friends: eh, anyone!
U - Unknown fact about me: i'm sarcastic. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA that's unknown, right?
V - Very favorite stores: target
W - Worst Habit: procrastination
X-ray or Ultrasound: this is random. ultrasound, i guess?
Y - Your Favorite Food(s): french fries
Z - Zodiac: gemini

well

the inspection went very well! woot! only found a few small things that are easily fixable. even by ME, if necessary. ha!

i think tom wants to change careers to work as a septic guy (or whatever the heck they are called). he was more interested in this portion of the inspection extravaganza than ANY other. i'm like learning about insulation and ventilation and water pressure and here's tom:

hello, dream fridge. i cannot wait to spend the rest of our lives together.

nerves

today is our home and septic/well inspection. i am VERY excited, but also so nervous. why do i read all these message boards with inspection horror stories? UGH.

the seller's agent is going to be there and has been pretty vocal about not wanting us to use a certain septic inspector -- and we are using that one. 1) she can't dictate who we use and 2) it's who tom's parents use, so it's not like we chose them to be spiteful.

my question is WHY? WHY does she not want us to use this place? is there something WRONG with the septic that only THEY would catch? is there a DEAD BODY in there? (oooh maybe we could get some csi up in there. paging nick stokes!) is my new back yard FULL of sewage? AHHHHHH! i'm so afraid of what will happen. the house is only 23 years old.

please ease my fears with tales of your amazing and happily-ever-after inspections.

i might puke.

shameless

did everyone have a nice memorial day? i hope you all spent it sending a silent shout out to me on my 33rd birthday. woot!

freaky freaky fresh!

my nephew is the next justin timberlake. HOLLA BACK, YOUNGIN! (and no, i didn't teach him this!!!)

bears, beets, battlestar galactica

i need something write about so i am stealing fun fact friday from tessie.

• FACT: i have never mowed a lawn. in my LIFE. it seems intriguing, but i know the novelty will wear off about three seconds into my first venture.
  
• FACT: my dad was an only child who lost both parents by age 11. i have NO idea about that side of my family. like, at ALL.
  
• SAD FACT: my dad's mother died when she was 44 (OF WALKING PNEUMONIA, PEOPLE!)and my dad died in a motorcycle accident at 44 also. creepy, right? side fact: i am NOT looking forward to that age.
  
• FACT: i can change a flat tire in under five minutes. i think i've had more flat tires than anyone. ever. in life.
  
• FACT: my mom took my sister and i to an NKOTB concert in another state when i was 15 (shut up, i know i was too old to like them.) in her beat up OMNI (side note: do they even MAKE THOSE anymore??) and we had to leave early because she was afraid it might break down and didn't want to be stuck on the side of the road at night with children. i CRIED and PITCHED A FIT because i didn't want to leave. FIFTEEN YEARS OLD.
  
• FACT: my husband speaks spanish.
  
• FACT: i have never seen any of the godfather movies OR the scarface movies OR dances with wolves OR gladiator OR ::insert epic movie here:: because violence makes me throw up.
  
• FACT: i won a dr. suess book from smokey the bear in second grade for my fire prevention poster.i was OUT SICK the day he came to my SCHOOL TO GIVE IT TO ME. fucker.
  
• FACT: i used to wonder what i would do in the event that my house caught fire in the middle of the night and i could only choose ONE thing to save. my hypothetical choices were: tom (of tom & jerry fame) stuffed animal, jerry (of tom & jerry fame) stuffed animal, or my sister (who is 5 years younger than me). i always chose tom. incidentally that is also my husband's name. i never chose my sister. sorry, mel.
  
• FACT: BEARS EAT BEETS. edited to correct my wording from "like" to "eat" and provide the PROOF below!
  
• FACT: i was born on memorial day!

four dollars and seven cents

PER GALLON.

that is what i paid for gas last night. that is just ridiculous. i see a vespa in my future. ok, probably not, but COME ON. i am now very glad that tom drives the jeep (grand cherokee) and i drive the beat up old civic. heh. though i remember when i could fill that tank for eleven bucks! (i know, nice story, grandma!) it's like FORTY now.

damn it.

in other news, my bank also "compromised" my name, social security number AND bank account. awesome!

whatever. it's almost the weekend and almost my birthday (GUESS HOW OLD I'LL BE!), AND it's a long weekend which is OBVIOUSLY in honor of my birthday, so i'm still happy.

oh and we had a bake sale at work and i stole half a piece of unbelievable chocolate cake from my co-worker. yum.

death star canteen

guess where i work.

oh hi, do i know you?

::dusting off the blog::

so, change is afoot. we are buying a house!! our FIRST HOUSE. i was not lying when i told tom that i will cry the moment we have the keys in our hands -- and not just because of the agony of the bidding, inspection, closing and Giant Check.

i haven't lived in a house since i was three years old. that's when my parents got divorced. owning a home! i'm going to be a HOMEOWNER! i seriously cannot imagine how proud my dad would be of me. seriously, i think this would be a bigger deal to him than my getting married.

and right about now, tom and i ALSO think that. hahaha. holy shit this is a huge commitment.

anyway, here is a sneak peek at our new digs:

and here is the backyard of CHAMPIONS:

so, yeah. we are so fucking PSYCHED and scared. ha. we are going to be the hoodlums of the neighborhood. did you see how green this LAWN IS?? not only are we NOT getting lawn service, we are going to use a PUSH MOWER. FOR AN ACRE. hahahahaha -- THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD!!

my car is depressed now

why do i always have a thousand posts in my HEAD, but laze around until ohhhh saaaayy TWO WEEKS go by before i post? don't answer.

anyway. so we live in a fairly nice/average apartment complex. it's surrounded by about 30 million OTHER apartment complexes, however, and that just invites crime. apparently.

for example, our apartment comes STANDARD with a security system. we live on the second floor so that bitch is totally disabled (thanks to SOMEONE'S toddler who pushed 80 buttons and randomly set it off even though we never even programmed it to begin with. that kid is some sort of evil genius. except he's not really evil.). sorry. TANGENT.

there has been a note on our outside door for a few months warning us that a few cars have been broken into lately and had their GPS stolen, so please make sure nothing of value is in your cars and the complex is sorry, but TOUGH SHIT, basically.

speaking of shit, would you like to know what a piece my car is? this is so pathetic, i actually feel bad for my little 98 honda civic...

i keep a spare set of keys in the car because in the winter i'd go and start it to let it warm up before i went to work -- use spare keys to start it and normal keys to lock it so no one would drive off in it. HAHAHAHAHAH WHAT A WASTE OF TIME.

BECAUSE

i came downstairs the other morning to go to work and noticed i had FORGOTTEN to lock the car the night before. not only was nothing stolen OUT of the car, but my spare keys were RIGHT IN PLAIN SIGHT in the console.

so, people actually go to the trouble of breaking into other cars to steal stuff, but won't just open my door, grab the keys, start and DRIVE OFF WITH IT. like, thanks, but no thanks.

sigh. pathetic.

you made all... my dreams come true

ok, look. i know a lot of people SAY they were the biggest nkotb fan around. but i seriously WAS. i saw them in concert a million times, MET them at the magic summer tour (oh yes) in 1990 and had all the crap. most hardcore new kids fans had the whole room-covered-in-posters thing so i wasn't really over the top there. i did also have the DOLLS and sheets and TOWELS and tapestries... i won contests and wrote letters. i even co-founded a group of new kids fans who protested a DJ at a local radio station for dissing the new kids (obviously i realize how pathetic i am). i loved them even WHEN I WAS IN COLLEGE. which, for the record, was in 1993. i know. so sad.

i *thought* when i heard of their upcoming reunion that i would be SO OVER it. i mean, i'm almost 33, people. i saw a publicity photo today.

IT IS NOW MY SCREENSAVER.

oh hell YES

i made this. I REPEAT: I MADE THIS!! i've been madly in love with lomo saltado since i first discovered brasitas, which is a fabulous little restaurant. lomo saltado, sangria and plantain chips and salsa. ohhhh sweet jesus.

well, two things... 1) i don't live nearby anymore and 2) they don't serve it for dinner anymore anyway. so i never ate it again. except, my former roommate, anna, is peruvian and MADE IT FOR ME ONCE. it was so good. i mean come on, people. it is a dish that includes french fries AND rice. (i hadn't poured it over the rice yet in the above picture, but still! how GOOD does it look???)

so i've been missing it for like two years now and i finally got up the courage to google some recipes and made it the other night. it was actually GOOD! can you tell i'm amazed by this? i'm not a very good cook. except. MAYBE I AM!

anyway. hooray for lomo saltado! even though i made so much, tom is eating for dinner for the third night this week.