no good, very bad blogger.

sorry i have basically been the worst blogger EVER lately. to make it up to you (if there are even any of you left...) i'm going to put up bunches of pictures from the weekend. they include, but are not limited to, easter with the wrights. enjoy!

raking up sticks and acorns from the wrights' yard on saturday.

i really raked. seriously. first time ever. it was everything i dreamed and more.

i got tired so i needed to be carried around.

tom is a nice resting spot for hunter and me.

>>nerd alert<<

favors are here!

amateur photographers extraordinaire...

so we went to church on saturday for the first time together as a couple. so weird and grown up. it's beautiful and it was packed and it was actually really nice to be there. father chuck was um, very excited about mass. but he high-fives the kids and everyone loves him, so i'm psyched about it.
afterwards, we drove around east hampton to look for post-ceremony photo ops, since we have so much time to kill before the reception. we ended up at Salmon River and stumbled upon the Comstock Bridge. HOW CUTE will it be with all the leaves, etc. YAY!

happy winter storm brendan to you!

hi. wtf is up with the weather? yeah, i know the storm was three days ago but i'm not over it yet, ok? how was it in the 60s early in the week and then we get like a foot of snow and ice on friday night? again, i implore... wtf!??!
anyway, happy st. patrick's day to you all. hunter is obsessed with this holiday which is so cool and so incredibly random. he made my sister feed him green milk and green eggs for breakfast on saturday. he also thinks he's a leprachaun. i love it so much. "do you know i'm from ireland and we love potatoes there?" yes, my adorable little crazypants, we do love potatoes. we do.
went to boston on saturday to celebrate in southie style with erin, laura and cronin. it was a blast. especially yesterday, since the parade goes right past erin's apartment. and hi, st. patrick himself was in the parade (um, what?) AND the entire cast of star wars. tom took several thousand pictures. i'll upload and share later.
crazy.

should i be worried...

that my cat's breath smells like windex?


hm.

i mean, it's a huge improvement over the stankonia that usually comes outta his mouth, but still.

we made it!

february is OFFICIALLY OVER. yeah march! woo hoo march! holla back march! ok, i'm settled. february sucked it big time. even though i was trying to be consumed by wedding planning, the suckitude crept in. guess which two days i tried on wedding gowns? the day we found out about my mom... 2/21 and the day of her funeral 2/27. SUCK IT, FEBRUARY. and i've had mom-related nightmares 3 out of the last 4 nights, but i think that's partly the fault of grey's anatomy, so i'll only blame february for 2 of those.
anyway.
tonight we go meet with the church peeps and arrange for pre-cana. that ought to provide me with some really awesome blog materials, so stay tuned.

wedding stuff

well, we have a church now. wheee! we're going to meet with the coordinator next thursday at st. patrick's in east hampton. so that's great news. however, we lost the inn at middletown. for the same reason we lost the chapel at wesleyan... HOMECOMING WEEKEND. wesleyan booked the entire freakin hotel a year ago. i'm really bummed about that because the inn is really pretty. so today i go to look at the crowne plaza and the marriott and whichever is less gross, we book. did i mention they are both walking distance from MY APARTMENT!?!? whatever.

2.20.07

how can it be a whole year???? though i miss her every day, i am so grateful for all of the wonderful things that have happened. i'm sad i can't share them with her. i mean, i know she knows i'm getting married and happy, and i know she knows melanie is in a great, safe, awesome new apartment and she's happy, but i wish we could hug it out in person.
i love you, mom.

happy ice storm day!

this snow storm is the worst. i hate ice. unless it is in a gin and tonic.

happy v day.

yeah yellow belt!

tussin.

seriously, i am keeping the makers of all things "tussin" in biz. i have daytime cvs pharmacy brand tussin cf cough & cold medicine. it is supposed to help coughs, stuffy nose and chest congestion. so far it's doing none of the above. i also have robitussin cough, cold and flu nighttime. there is a whole slew of things it's supposed to help with. it makes me fall asleep, so who knows if it does any of the other jobs. and who cares? i'm asleep.

i'm in valhalla today. can you tell? so weird. everyone was so nice to me today. some of them didn't even seem fake! twilight zone.

how cute is THIS???

i know. i should be working. i'm just messing around. but seriously. so cute!

november 3, 2007!

that's our wedding date! holy cow. exactly 9 months from today. aaaand the countdown begins!

happy birthday, january!

we have so much to celebrate this month, well — december too, because we STILL haven't celebrated becky's birthday, then tyler was born, then lt and i tied on friday for celebrations since he turned 1 and i got engaged (did i mention that i'm getting married yet? no? really? because I AM!), now janny's birthday. we need to celebrate good times. COME ON.

they have survived the car ride back from nh!

aw!

champagne!

don't think i didn't save the bottle, the cork AND the little twisty tie. i bought a scrap book. what is HAPPENING to me? also? i think my ring was built with a special 24-type tracking device and mic so tom will always know where i am and what i'm doing. and if it isn't, we should totally invent it. maybe even a spy cam! ok, see why i can't watch that show???

we're engaged!!!!

this is tom and me in at hampton beach in new hampshire... he asked me to marry him friday night!!!! more to follow!

cute.

mel should get her laundry soon. those are hunter's underpants. clean, but still.

lazy much?

my pervert of a cat.

yeah another snow post!!

it's like FAREEL snowing!! everyone says i'm crazy for wanting snow, but it's winter for cryin out loud. just one big snowstorm is all i'm askin for. BUT, i'm excited we've got snow on the ground. woo hoo! i'm NOT excited that tom's all the way in stamford, but the jeep will get him home safely. :)
so i have a proposal. can we just skip february altogether? it's a short month anyway, would anyone reeeeeally notice?
i'm all for just going from january to march. bam.

good thing i got a picture...

because it's almost melted already. BOO!

meh!

ok, well, maybe it works, maybe not!?

trying it out! (mobile blogging, that is.) a picture should be here, too. tartar sauce. it didn't show.

um, what?

i am expense-retarded. i've been working for tp for four years and i still can't submit expenses on my own. it's ridiculous. and i just checked again and i submitted them for the wrong project code. WHATEVER. JUST REIMBURSE ME.

anyway. in addition to my new money management "skills" (ahahahahahha) i'm also 100% back on track w/ ww. i had been seriously slacking the last few months. also in those last few months, somehow my daily points allowance has gone DOWN! they base it off a bunch of new factors now instead of just height and gender. now they take into account your age, what you do for a living, etc. boo!

we watched hunter last night and he was so funny. he and tom were playing... tom was batman and hunter was blue ranger. so they made me call them for help because my house was on fire and my cat and i were trapped inside. "how do i call for you?" i ask. "911 !!!" is the exasperated response from the other room. oh obviously if you need the batman/blue ranger team, just yell 911 and they'll appear!

he also told me all about martin luther king's birthday. it's amazing how much they learn. it was so sweet to hear him talk about because how martin luther king was such a great man and fighter, he gets to go to school with all of his friends. he got it a little wrong... he said king was in the army to fight for freedom and died there, but the gist is correct. and i'm proud that he knows more about him than a lot of grown ups.

my favorite part of watching him is tucking him into bed and reading stories. when i kissed him good night (after him needing the night light, 85 stuffed animals, an extra blanket, a drink of water, a plea for another "bednight snack") and said, "i love you to smithereens" (that's one of our favorite words) and he replied sleepily, "i love you, too. and NEVER forget it!" :)

happy monday!

to those of you who have a holiday today. like tom. who is in the living room yelling at cablevision because they owe him a big refund and have conveniently lost it. or those of you like keli, who is maxin and relaxin on the chair behind me, watching me slave away at work. brat.

well since winter is skipping new england...

let's have summer back! (i don't know who that guy in the background is, but i bet he'd like some summertime, too!)

sorry!!!

sometimes i just can't sleep because of it and writing helps me just get it out and feel more ok. i already feel a little better. :)

i miss her.

it's one of those nights. where i lay in bed just reliving that last phone call wondering how i didn't know that she was dying while she was telling me that she loved me. how did i not know? she told me she was short of breath, but she was always short of breath. i remember us discussing our next trip to seattle and her saying the doctor told her she wasn't well enough to fly alone. i remember saying that's silly. i really, really didn't think she was THAT sick. i don't know why. denial? i guess. i guess i was unwilling to accept the fact that i might lose my only remaining parent so soon. i remember asking her if she had her oxygen on and she said yes, so i relaxed a bit. i mean, she had just come home from the hospital that morning. certainly, if she was that ill, they wouldn't have released her.
but, of course, as we all know now, she was that ill and they did release her. and she did have a heart attack and she did die.
and she left a hole in my heart so big sometimes i almost drown in it. it's not even windy tonight. i don't know why i'm so sad. i guess because february isn't far. i don't know. it doesn't matter anyway. i'm just sad because i am and that's enough. it'll pass. writing always helps it pass. thanks for reading even though i know it's not fun. i appreciate it. love you all.

the new me.

it's saturday night and i'm home. no, that's not the new me. that's the every weekend me. my sweet hunter is sleeping over tonight and is using the tiny christmas tree (we sadly took down my glorious giant tree today. feel free to take a moment of silence...) as a night light. so sweet. alas, that is the regular me, too. but, instead of watching the uconn/lsu game, i am watching cnbc. that's right, i said cnbc. yes, it's me. stephanie. but wait, it gets better. i am watching the suze orman show. fareel, yo. and? i'm dvr'ing it. why, you ask? because 2007 is.... say it with me now...
THE YEAR OF SAVINGS!!!
and i am taking this seriously. like, stephanie-seriously.

here i am!

rock me like a hurricane.
jeesh, the holidays just mess with your entire schedule, don't they? i'm actually kind of glad to get back to eating regularly scheduled meals, etc. but i do miss Vacation Tom. he had a four day weekend last week, since the exchange was closed for president ford's funeral and he was just so chilled out. we decided that 2007 is the Year of Savings. don't laugh. i am committed to it!!! let's see what else can i catch up on? we're all still sort of sick. oooh, wanna see one of my awesome christmas gifts? tom got us tickets to the sun winefest! food and wine? hi, does he know me or WHAT?!?! jen, i KNOW you are a tiny bit jealous.

happy holidays, one and all!

sorry i didn't write yesterday! we actually had a very low key and wonderful day. but let's back up and recap the entire whirlwind weekend! saturday was our christmas party... who knew we would end up with such a large guest list! i hope everyone who attended had a good time and we apologize we didn't have a bigger space! it was great to catch up with old friends, make some new ones, see how much everyone's little ones have grown and meet the newest additions to families! sunday we slept in, got a little sad news (love you, pete) cleaned up the house, did last minute shopping, wrapping and hunter and i visited the cemetery to deliver christmas flowers and cookies to my parents. he is just a little angel sometimes. then we had dinner and opened gifts at melanie's and prepared for santa!!! yesterday morning, tom and i exchanged gifts at home and then mel, hunter and i met him at his family's for dinner and more gifts. we are so spoiled. aside from all of us having a cold of one sort or another, it was a great, great christmas.

i'm so tired.

i waited too long to get ready for the party. here's the status of the apartment... the spare bedroom is almost ready for kids to play in it. that's about it. i have to vacuum the rest of the apartment, mop the kitchen, and make some food. oh wait, i did wrap most of my presents and clean the laundry room, including the cat box. i'm so tired, but brownies and peppermint bark are beckoning. and maybe a coors light. nighty night!

mr. t

ladies and gentlemen, please meet my new friend tyler andrew giudice:


at first i thought he was a mini-collin, but after taking off his little hat and seeing all his dark brown (with copper highlights. i'm not kidding. i pay big money for those.) hair, i decided he's his own man. can't wait till he wakes up a little more so we can hang out.

the mystery is over!

more to come, because i was dead asleep when i spoke to jan last night, but the wait is over! baby giudice is here!! collin now has a baby brother, tyler andrew ("ty" to all his new peeps, y'all) and i am going over to meet him this afternoon. i will post pictures and all the particulars of his arrival when i get back.

i'm SO excited he's finally here (but probably not as excited as his parents, ha ha)... so congratulations to jim, jan and collin on their newest little boy. jan, the playing field is almost even... you, cody, aja and rilee vs. jim, collin and ty. although, jim might have the advantage since your girls are pets, not people.

oldie but goodie.

these are about two years old...

woo hoo! christmas came early!

dudes, check it out... you can now subscribe to my amazing and hilarious blog!

i know! just what you alllllways wanted!

also, what is UP? it's 8:53a.m. and i have already: made coffee (whatever), posted thrice, started dinner (pot roast), fed the cats, run three miles (treadmill) AND emptied the dishwasher. ok, i'm ready for bed. night.

pilfering.

i had to steal this blog post from my sister. it's just so funny and SO melanie...
so the last couple of weeks poor chauncey has gotten neglected. on top of the fact that i fight with him all the time about going in my bed, which is his favorite thing, hunter and i have been coming right home and going right to bed after work because we were both sick...chauncey didn't like it...then we started christmas shopping so this whole weekend i was in and out, and he got no love....so last night he decided he was hungry for some cat treats, went into my cabinet and ate a hole in the bottom of the bag...cat treats from one end of my little house to the other...chauncey just meandering about eating a treat every couple of steps...oh, life is wonderful =-)
oh mister chaunce.

the countdown is on.

i'm kind of sad. christmas is in a week. then it's over. i love christmas and i don't want to take down the decorations or the tree. ever. tom promised we could keep them up until new year's day, but i fear i may cry. well i cry all the time, so whatever.
ANYWAY!
so, we discovered last night that if you are ever in doubt for gifts, GO TO WALGREENS! we (and by we, i mean tom) got a ton of gift cards for his co-workers and some other VIPs from every imaginable store. they have every dollar amount for places like amex, omaha steaks, pier one, b&n, outback steakhouse, on the border, bass fishing pro shop, -- seriously dudes, like EVERYWHERE. so cool. and it makes wrapping a snap. ahhh! we did get a bunch of actual gifts to be wrapped. and i'm out of ribbon, so back to joann's i go! i think one hunter meigs donohue is going to be a very pleased little boy this christmas morning. he'll have scads of gifts everywhere he goes! it's so easy to shop for him, even when you're "done" because it's just fun to buy stuff. we almost bought him the clapper last night because the other day he said he wanted to make it easier for his mom at bedtime. SO CUTE. and where can one buy the clapper? walgreens, of course!

i know.

the blog is messed up. bear with me. i'm working on it. for now, though, it's christmas shoppin time.

holla!

hahaha ok so...

i know the video below is sucky but cut me some slack. my camera phone is not exactly a camcorder. though now that i know my youtube movies will work, i may post some old classic movies of hunter when he was little "dey was nice and dey was not poopin babays!" heh.

happy holidays!

ok, i'm not sure if this will work, but here goes:

this is hunter strumming on his paper guitar to the tune of jingle bells. enjoy!

ok, help.

what do i get tom for christmas? feel free to email me directly if you have a super cool idea, but he doesn't read this all that often, so comment away!!

what a blur!

let's see. i have like an entire week to recap. i don't think much happened wednesday, but thursday was tom's xmas party for work, so i took the train into westport and we headed over to south norwalk... his party was at the loft! hello memories. so i met a bunch of the people i hear about all the time and it was fun. the food was great and the martinis were free. yay!
friday i didn't do much... i did watch tom's soccer game which was hilarious. hilarious. that's all i'll say.
saturday we loaded up the jeep and headed to long island for kyle's christening. i have a picture of tom (the godfather!) holding him at church, so i'll upload that. church was freeeeezing, but dinner was good. notice a theme here? i'm loving all the free food lately. ha. which leads me to yesterday. joan's annual latke fest.
i have to say, the latkes weren't as good as last year, but the brisket was awesome. on our way home, we drove through ridgefield, etc. and admired all the big houses and their christmas lights. then we got home, finally, to two angry cats and some puke on the kitchen floor. oh yeah, speaking of puke, kyle puked on tom's shoulder at dinner saturday night. ahhh formula puke. so gross.
one last thing, congratulations to brett and emily! new homeowners and just in time for christmas! get to deckin those halls, kid!

rootin' tootin' christmas, y'all!

ok, look at me! two posts in one day. but trust me. TRUST ME. this is worth it. so i just received this email from jen. (reprinted with permission.) i have to share:

so we had our holiday party on sunday. an early dinner at a nice restaurant in Hampton Beach. drinks, apps, dinner buffet...sounds fine, right?
well, then a cowboy named Pebble Hardpiece comes running into the room, screaming "YEEEEEE HAAAWWWWW!"...and so begins the country-western themed, murder mystery dinner theater. i won't go into all the details, but i will tell you that i was briefly held captive by a love-crazed Mexican named Lorenzo. who actually looked a little like Brett but with brown face paint and a sword.

how was your weekend?

i'm so not even kidding you. this is so funny, i almost (ALMOST) don't miss my tree anymore. but i still do. a little. ok, a lot.

i don't even remember

the last thing i wrote here. i didn't go to the site first to check my blog before posting today. i just realized i hadn't written in like days, dudes, so here i am! to save the day! or not. maybe rather to complain about work. work sucks. ok, done with that. i miss my christmas tree. i'm in valhalla today and my tree is in middletown. that makes me sad. anyway.
yesterday tom picked up his new ride. i have serious car envy. my jalopy stinks, man. we are going to buy groceries tonight and utilize the magnificent abyss that is the back of the jeep. it's so big. i mean, it's not a tank, but compared to my civic, the grand cherokee is enormous. and i can already picture my little german shorthair pointer, sammy, wagging her little tail at me from the way back. she's imaginary right now, but someday maybe she'll be real. but she can't be real until i have a real backyard for her to run around in all day. now that i think about it, a lot of my life is imaginary right now. which could either be determined as depressing or terribly exciting. i'm going to opt for exciting. the best is yet to come!
i still miss my tree, though.

annoyed.

today i'm annoyed. and it's december which equals christmas so i do NOT want to be annoyed. thus, i may go to the christmas tree shop to conquer the annoyingness. though, that may only infuriate me further. i'm sure it'll be packed. we'll see. i don't know if i'll have time since i have to see J today at 3pm. i didn't see her last week because of the holiday. maybe i'll just yell at her for an hour. who knows.
i'm pretty angry with abc. they pulled the nine out from under me just like that. no warning, no trying a different time slot or night, just pulled it. i'm so pissed. i really LIKE that show. it's like party of five all over again, when they first started, it got pulled for poor ratings and we, the viewers, had to rally and send a zillion emails (well, i don't think i emailed much in 92 or whatever) so they'd put it back on the air. scott wolf, you are the common thread here... get this show back on. i miss it. this is my grown up christmas wiiiiiish. haha not world peace or anything. my wish is to have a tv show put back on the air. i'm ridiculous.
also, tom, ily.

happy 30th, adam!!

finally. are all of you caught up, now? jeez! adam's bandmates want to wish him a happy birthday, fat one...

merry christmas, charlie brown!

i am obsessed with my christmas tree. obsessed. i'm obsessed with christmas this year. i just watched charlie brown christmas, now i'm watching elf, oooh and there are more specials on after this!!! i think the wine is making me like them even more. anyway. tomorrow, they're putting up the tree in nyc. last year tom and i watched the lighting from way up high in his office in rockefeller center. it was amazing. check it out:

i am so grateful that we also took my mom to see the tree last year. her first time ever seeing the tree. what a wonderful day we had. sigh. makes me smile. i like smiling. smiling's my favorite. :)

what i am grateful for today...

today melanie was awarded sole legal and physical custody of hunter. it's finally over. when the judge was making her ruling, she said "the child has become attached to the state of connecticut..." and i started to cry. i am so proud of melanie for sticking to this and not backing down. fighting for her son. my mother would be beyond words. this just the best day.

get your christmas on, people!

i thought we'd be the only crazy people decorating on thanksgiving night, but several of our neighbors threw the switch this weekend, too, which is awesome. i am in full-on christmas mode. above is our enormous 7.5 foot christmas tree. if we move, we'll have to find a house with either cathedral ceilings or a covered porch to put this up every year. (yeah, it's a fakey. it's just easier.)happy holidays everyone. take a moment, like my good friend jan, to remember all the reasons you have to be thankful and happy this season. i am so grateful for all of the loving people in my life. past and present.

graphic images to follow...

seriously dudes. i live with a licensed killing machine. tom and his dad have been going out at the crack of dawn for the last three days and today, tom murdered bambi. i am, at once, proud and squicked out.

in other news, hunter got a stripe on his belt at karate this morning! melanie and i realized we have an elite killing force between the two of them. BACK OFF, PEOPLE!

um, magellan?

i haven't posted in DAYS. sorry. i am loving life right now. sitting in front of the fireplace with a glass of red wine, watching back-to-back friends thanksgiving episodes. my absolute fave is the one with chandler in a box. "judge all you want but... fell in love with a gay ice dancer, left a guy at the alter, married a lesbian, threw a girl's wooden leg in a fire, LIVIN IN A BOX!" oh there are so many... i was going to say my second favorite was the one w/ brad pitt. oh the i-hate-rachel club. but i think i like the one with the trifle is better. where rachel wasn't SUPPOSED to put beef in the trifle! "it did not taste good." joey and ross wanting to show the hot girls the new world. phoebe wanting to be jack geller's can of condensed milk. ha. there are so many good ones. the one where chandler doesn't like dogs. "you don't like puppies?" "um, YOU are NEW." which reminds me of chandler's dumb states game. can any of you name all 50 states in 3 minutes? have any of you seen one of those round colorful things called a globe? here, i'll give you a hint, new england is not a state and neither is south oregon. enjoy your thanksgivings. break out the fancy china because let's face it, the queen of england is never going to come for dinner, so you may as well. but eat your food carefully, or the crazy plate lady will get you.

ps. i got all but nebraska, mississippi and oklahoma. dang.

mario? is a crybaby.

if i hear one more time about his "other commitments" i'm going to punch him in the dimple. dude, if you are so busy and important YOU WOULDN'T BE ON THIS SHOW IN THE FIRST PLACE.

that said? yay, to my true champions! also, the funniest thing i heard tom's mom say last night during the crowning of my true champions was about karina, mario's hag of a partner... "ew, she's ugly anyway." i love you, mrs. wright.


christine makes a good point in the comments section... mario DID cheat on his wife. which make me like him even less than his fake attitude and headbands did.

whoops

i just realized i haven't written in three days. which means not a lot is going on. the leasing-office-extravaganza project outside my office window update: they are now pouring a lot of cement into a giant hole. what else... jan MAY be pregnant with the world's largest baby. we shall see. i took keli to the vet this morning for her skin rash. i have to give her prednisone pills. she is morphing into my mom! except the vet said for a middle-aged cat, she is in excellent health. yay! i may celebrate by getting a manicure. for me, not keli.

OH YEAH! almost forgot!!! FINALE OF DANCING TONIGHT!!! go emmitt!

welcome tyler thomas nickolenko!

could he BE ANY CUTER!??!?! congratulations, brian, kim and big sister abby. another gorgeous baby. i'll be knocking down your door for a glimpse pretty soon.

i'm a mute.

i officially have no voice. like none. i'm simon. sigh. on the bright side, it's christine's birthday! happy, happy 30th birthday, christine! i can't wait to hear all about the weekend.

ok, i'm off to fall asleep with a little help from a friend i like to call quil. ny-quil.

holla back youngin.

how cute are they??

melly and mr. chaunce chillin' out before bedtime tonight. melly has had a long few weeks. it's tough work being a mom to a crazy five-year-old.

this is how we feel about work today:

happy 5th birthday, huntercakes!!!!

there is a tradition in my family, started by whom, i have no idea. but every year since i can remember, my mom would put butter on our noses first thing in the morning on our birthdays for good luck. i don't know why and i don't care. so.... without further ado....

hunter's birthday butter!!!

happy, happy birthday, sweet boy. i love you beyond smithereens. ;)

yes, i know i'm 31. shut up.

i voted 5 times. i am not ashamed. i realize i should be, but i'm not.

headaches.

so i finally have my "office" and wouldn't ya know it... they've demolished our trash compactor which used to be where that pile of dirt is and have begun work on a new leasing office. yes. this is the view from my desk. feel free to imagine the jackhammers, sledge hammers and various other wrecking machines and how loud they are beginning at 8am. it's so awesome. wanna know what else is awesome? that i think i'm getting strep throat AND that my landline keeps cutting out and now a technician is on the way over. comcast and me? not bff today.

guess what we did today...

today was hunter's birthday party. so cute. thanks everyone who came, brought treats and wonderful gifts and shared his 5th with us. his official birthday is wednesday, which we'll be celebrating by dining at chuck e. cheese. woo hoo!

i'm so excited our birthday tradition is back in full effect. every year, we put frosting on each other's noses...

ALSO!!! Happy 30th Birthday to JEN!!!! i should have written that yesterday, but we were so busy with planning this biz that i didn't get a chance. finally you caught up, girl!

BS

my digital cable is out. i am unhappy about it. so i've taken refuge in my little office with my little tv and my glorious desk. i have a sleeping cat on my lap and a glass of wine on my desk (on a COASTER, of course). oh yes, and a rerun of csi on spike tv. heh. so good.

tom's out shopping for socks or something. i'm not exactly sure. i had the kids over for dinner tonight. they are cutiepants usa.

ok, i'm getting tired. yeah, it's friday at 9:03pm and i'm tired. i should be cleaning for the party on sunday but i don't feel like it. i'll do it tomorrow. i guess. ha!

phew!

what hard work putting this thing together. now tomorrow i have to clean and rearrange the room so i can still watch tv while i'm working, hahahaha!

will wonders never cease???

breaking news.... i finally ordered a desk!!! so excited and i just can't hide it. thank you, thomas. you are the swellest.

captain america to the rescue!!

happy halloween!

can i tell you that tom's never carved a pumpkin before??? he did an excellent job for his first time, though he did annoy my sister to no end since he kept throwing the seeds away.

it's the great pumpkin, charlie brown!

yesterday we made a killing at Rose's Berry Farm. For $5, we (we=hunter) got to jump around on giant bales of hay, go on some slides, play on an old tractor and take a hay ride to the pumpkin patch where they still had tons of great pumpkins and a corn maze! we picked out a few pumpkins (melanie was very indecisive) and waited in the freezing cold for the tractor to come pick us up with all our pumpkins. so, we get back down, and oh yeah, it also included face painting. that's a spider on hunter's cheek. and oh yeah again! they had a 3-pack of cider donuts for a DOLLAR. so good. ok, where was i? oh yeah, paying for the pumpkins. so. tom and i pay for our two and it's like ten bucks. mel had three and noticed a sign that said 39 cents a pound or fill an entire radio flyer wagon for $15!!! so we ran out and picked like 200 more. seriously, we filled that wagon. we're like "ohh one for mrs. wright. oooooh one for hunter's teacher. oh yeah, mel can bring these to kindercare... and here's one for the upstairs crazy neighbor...." so tonight is carving night. i'll add pictures from that, too.

and in OTHER news, jen and i met aj on saturday. way to go mariella and todd. she's definitely a keeper.

steer clear, big tuna.

dude, how is the office a repeat already?!?! i'm so disappointed. but at least it's a funny one. last week wasn't funny except for "i would have also accepted 'snakes'."

chilly willy

my little kitten is loving the fireplace this cold fall morning. as much as i'm not loving the colder weather, i admit, it's much easier to deal with when you have a fireplace.
ooh and cider.

we went to mel & hunter's for dinner tonight. i love stuffing. i love the fall because it's appropriate to have stuffing on several occasions when it's cold outside.

also, mel scolded hunter for saying "whatever" too much and asked who says it (he's learned a lot of fun new phrases in kindergarten) and he was like... "mem" ~ so good.

one week!

hunter's going to be captain america for halloween, but this picture is too cute not to post, too. i'm in stinkin valhalla today, so i'm cranky and busy, but i'll post more later. if you're good.

update:

• still. no. desk.
  
• meeting mariella's little arianna this weekend with jen!!
  
• i'm still in valhalla and not happy about it.
  
• we may be eating pizza for dinner tonight.
  
• i need to go shopping for all my november birthday babies. ooooh!

wtf?!!?!??!

um. i don't even know what else to say about lost last night. ps? i love how there are just new cast members (one of them is the hot brazilian that was in love actually, so i'll take it)that we're supposed to "remember" -- hi, we all know that basically all of the main cast members are either dead, tug boating somewhere with their magic child, in a bear cage, bear CAVE or aquarium or running around like a nekkid fool. i think it's funny how they ran out of regulars, so they had to buy some new ones.

that said, i need to give shout outs to twop. they usually sum it up wayyyy better than anyone else can, so enjoy, if you don't already.

oh yeah, and claire has bangs in the airport with charlie. i don't like them. just sayin.

don't EVEN

funny... i never (in all my two months of blogging) encountered any problems w/ blogger.com until i was FORCED to merge w/ google. now. looky here:

anyway, it's working again and i just want to vent about another thing that annoys me... DELL. i had an ibm thinkpad for three years at work and never ever had a single problem with it. i've had this dell latitude for like 6 months and had to have the keyboard replaced because the backspace key fell off. well lo and behold... mind you, i had it replaced YESTERDAY:

that's right. the "r" key has fallen off. already. ridiculous.

help me help you.

ok, i have a task for all of you. (haha, "all"... jen, christine and jan.) think of some stuff your mom has taught you. things you only know because you learned them from your mom. my earlier examples were how often to clean out your coffee maker, how to fold a fitted sheet and how to make the best thanksgiving stuffing known to meat eaters. it can be a quick list, or a story or whatever. it doesn't have to be moving or sad -- it could be something like how to sew a button or how to tame a cowlick. OR it could be something (like the fitted sheet example) that you didn't learn from her when you had the chance, but wish you did. and now you have to teach yourself and that's just a little thing i like to call bullshit. hear me, mom? BULLSHIT. ahem. where was i? oh yes. it could be something like a bad habit she had that you learned not to copy, as well.

this isn't because i'm a glutton (i am, but this isn't why i ask for your help.) i'm thinking of writing a short story to submit to a magazine and i think this might be a cool topic. "what i learned from my mom." dudes, there are SO many levels to that statement. it's all very awesome. we can appreciate who they are, who they were and how they impacted who we are. for better or worse.

and if you can't bring your lazy selves to jot down a damned list for me (or, if you can't bring yourself to open up this pandora's box "can open. worms everywhere!") maybe you can just tell me what you think of this idea in general. would you read it?

check me out. i'm a creative writer again. where have i been hiding all this time?!?!

OH also? i am a baker, too. check out my suzy homemaker banana bread. tom is like so lucky. he don'even KNOW!

busy and unimportant.

apologies for being MIA lately. i have been so busy with work and other stuff that i've completely forgotten to blog. so you would think i'd have all sorts of exciting news to blog about. not really.

my car is at the shop gettin all gussied up for winter. for the price of a long weekend in vegas. damn it.

i am pissed because they moved the trash compactor to the back of our apt complex and now i have to walk like a quarter of a mile (in the snow, uphill, both ways) to take out the garbage. bullshit, dudes.

and kevin federline on csi? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA — seriously. that's my review.

also? simon keeps making this weird noise. like he's scarfing something in his throat. it's scaring me. it's like a scary movie noise. except instead of a knife wielding psychopath making it, it's my 8lb fluffball mute of a cat.

ice cream alert

i made the mistake of buying ice cream, fudge, whipped cream and nuts. now i can have a sundae EVERY NIGHT. i mean, the ice cream is actually fat free frozen yogurt (2 points) and the whipped cream is ALSO ff (0 points) but the fudge and nuts are not.

but still better (and cheaper) than a friendly's sundae. holla! i really have no exciting news to report today. sorry!!!

what next??

dude, now i have to worry about lettuce poisoning me too??? i read in the paper that lettuce is now being recalled for e. coli. freakin great. piece by piece my salads are falling apart. why can't something gross like celery have e. coli? or beets? why must it be delightful greens?!

oh yeah. what about brian premieres tomorrow night. finally! yay!

oh and also? blogger has updated and i may screw up my blog figuring it out, so i apologize in advance.

indian summer?

it's october, right? am i supposed to be sweating whilst pumpkin hunting?!

today, mel and i took hunter to lyman orchards to go pumpkin picking. it was PACKED. after we waited a half hour for cider donuts, cider and a candy apple, the cashier said it's because it's columbus day weekend. oh. whoops.

so then we stood in line for a half hour to take a hay ride. around the parking lot, basically. but it was fun.

then we picked out pumpkins. it was more of a pile of pumpkins than a patch, but we're going to explore other patches as we get closer to halloween. there were tons of gourds and corn and other awesome fall stuff, just not the pumpkin patch we were really looking for.

anyway. happy long weekend to those of you (like me. ha.) who have one.

i am still deskless.

it's a sad, sad state of affairs. still no desk. i will show tom. i will just go frivolously buy a lovely and expensive desk. HA. that'll show him. um. that i am retarded with money. ok, maybe not.

i am on a popcorn streak. i grated some parmesan cheese on it tonight. delightful. ok ok ok... did i even POST about lost yet??? some people were saying it wasn't so great, but i loved it. i love the whole little universe on the island and i love the aquarium and bear cages (thanks to jen's smart observation that sawyer's little cage may have previously been home to POLAR BEARS!!!). i just love that show. i love tv so much since it takes my mind off my problems. for example, god BLESS american idol. how it saved us this past winter while we were picking up the pieces of our sad little shattered hearts. actually, it's not the first time our hearts had been shattered, so they were more like pointy shards of hearts. anyway.

so i'm now also at the loving point of dancing with the stars. now, what i mean by loving point is that i don't watch the show from the very beginning. i don't care at that point and there are two many damned couples. i started watching this week... there were six left and that's a more reasonable number for me to choose my favorites from. i hate the country singer. she looks like a cadaver. how dare she dance to a phantom song? she is like a monkey stabbing a tiger in the back with a stick. (oh yes, i love the office, too.) i would like ac slater, but his partner looks like a dirty little rat. i like emmitt smith because he's way better than jerry rice was and i LOVE his partner, cheryl. she's the best. i think i'm rooting for (and i can't believe i'm going to say this) joey lawrence. and his sexy bald head.

hm. what else? oh, planning my next peapod order. my life is TOO EXCITING!!!!!!!!

eta: fa-shion show. fa-shion show. fa-shion show at lunch!

wow. depressed much??

jeez, sorry for the downer last night. i was so sad. but i'm better today. it comes and goes. sadly, even when it goes, i know it's coming back at some point. but! things to be happy about:

• it's hunter night tonight! speaking of... he came home from school yesterday with shredded pants. when my sister asked him what happened, he said he fell and ripped them. then a girl from his class totally ratted him out -- "he did NOT fall, he cut them with scissors!!" indeed, he did, as was confirmed by the disappointed note from his teacher. my sister was furious. i said all little kids experiment with scissors. don't all five-year-old girls cut their hair? she said good point, but hair is FREE. true.
• grey's anatomy, baby!!!!
• i got free lunch courtesy of work. holla back youngin!

that's all for now. oh yeah, and i MAY get my desk tonight, but i'm not holding my breath. tom does NOT love me, obviously. ;)

so tired.

i should be sleeping. i have to go to valhalla tomorrow. i have a meeting at 10am.

it's always the hardest for me to sleep when the wind is howling. it happens a lot up here. the morning of my mother's funeral my sister was crying and said to me, "i just wish she could tell us she's ok." and ten seconds later the wind came, as though it was singing to us. and she said that's how she knew my mom was ok. she was singing to us.

everytime i hear it now, i can't help but wonder what she's trying to tell me. tonight i think she's saying, "i miss you too, steph." and it's raining. which makes sense because i'm crying too, mom.

the nights are always the hardest. even seven months later. especially seven months later when i realize that it's been more than half a year since i've seen her or hugged her or heard her voice. dialed her number and not gotten that horrible news. why does it feel like an eternity sometimes and others, like tonight, it feels like i just lost her this morning?

anyway. sorry for the late night rambling. i'm just really missing her tonight. and i guess, from the sounds of it, she's missing me, too.

oh man.

terrorizing our televisions on october 12. (photo from pink is the new blog)

i don't know what's cuter...

my adorable candle art thingy or the sleeping boy beneath. and don't think there wasn't a little gray fluffball of a cat sleeping with him, because there was. the other one is sleeping on my lap. :)

back on track.

so i started counting points again this week and thank god. it's never a good sign when you start digging out the fat pants. i've only been lifetime at ww for 6 months. COME ON!!

that said, tom is on his way home with a 6-pack of sam light. apparently we need to have a little happy hour. his commute sucks.

in other news, i repotted a bunch of plants over the last few days. my mom would be so proud. actually, unless she had the ability to watch me with some secret heaven x-ray vision, she wouldn't believe me that i repotted plants. because i? kill plants and throw them away. another thing she wouldn't believe is that i actually cleaned my coffee maker. i remember fighting with her about how you really don't need to run vinegar through it every once in awhile to clean it. well, yesterday i opened the lid (mind you, i've had this thing for over 7 months) and it says "clean every month. see instructions for details." hm.

so i dig out the instructions (she also wouldn't believe that i actually kept the instructions.) and they specifically state that one should run vinegar through the machine once a month to clean out some sort of deposits. whoops. mom, i am sorry i doubted you. i really am. you are a mom and you know better. i also wish i would have listened to you when you tried to show me how to fold a fitted sheet. because i still can't do it, and i can't call you to ask you how. and that sucks worse than tom's commute. which is saying a lot.

happy birthday, erin!

went to boston saturday for erin's 31st birthday. whee! i don't know why, but both times i've gone and stayed there, i've had the worst hangover of my life the next morning. actually, that's a lie. i know exactly why. because i mixed beer, wine and cocktails. bad move.

but we did get vip treatment at this little club we went to after dinner. skip the line, through the velvet rope. so fancy. except we didn't really like the club so we left. after sleeping till 11:30am yesterday, we had pancakes and watched a little beverly hills cop, then i came home. ahh. nice weekend.

OH. i watched hunter's karate class on saturday morning. it was so freakin cute i can't even explain it. i will take pictures next time. he's the only "high" white belt in his class, so he needs to practice bustin some boards to move up. he basically jumps around like he's a spring the whole time. it's adorable.