Clicking My Choos

The Last Hurrah!

2008-08-24T19:07:00.005-04:00

Hello faithful friends! Sorry I have been a slacker, but I have not taken any pictures lately, and we all know a blog without pictures is worthless. Also, I've just been trying to be off the computer more in order to enjoy real life a bit more. You know, get out of the house, see the family, and other miscellaneous reasons to take my rear off the couch!!

My husband has finally completed his portion of the move and we are officially, although temporarily, a single income family!! I am petrified for this next "stage" of our marriage.

With that, I have curbed my spending quite a bit to say the least. Over the last month or two, I tapered off considerably. But before I did, I had to have one last fling.

Originally, I had BIG plans for my last purchase. I figured it would have to be big in order to "hold me over." But in the end, I decided to err on the side of frugality and cut back my big dreams.

I decided on two criteria for my last purchase:

1. A leather good, because I truly felt like I would implode if I didn't spend money on a leather good. Sick, but true; and

2. Something that sparkles! A bauble, if you will.

The leather good was a bone colored Coach wallet that is really not exciting enough to share. It is functional, it smelled like leather which quelled my need a bit (sick, sick puppy), and it fits my blackberry inside it for the times I don't want to take my purse.

The sparkle was this David Yurman ring I found in Off Fifth on Supa Sale! You'd be shocked at how easy I got off with this one!

This photo is so poor, but I can't find another shot online. Basically we have this ring:

With this stone, prasiolite:

So my friends, for now it will come to an end. I have decided to TRY very hard to shift my priorities to travel, or just all around fun with my husband instead of "things." When we buy our new home, I'm sure that will keep me busy buying furnishings and things of that nature, but besides that, I want to go to concerts and sit in the front row (Kid Rock is at the top of my list if that interests you at all), and sporting events -- especially when the Red Wings roll through town, and I want to travel. Traveling will still be a challenge with the dogs, but even weekend getaways will make me happy.

So everyone else out there....have fun shopping without me! Next up, if I keep my promise to blog more, some of you will get to see the pups at the beach! I have been asked for updated pictures and I am a bad fur-mama for not uploading some sooner!

I hope all of you are well, in good health, and are enjoying life to the fullest! Now that I am back in the land that I love, home, I plan on it!

Jumping Ship

2008-06-05T21:37:00.004-04:00

Well, I have only been on the job for two months, and it is already "that time." Me and Florida boss #1 were not working out.

Let me start from the beginning......a new friend of mine knew that I was not pleased with my current work situation and heard of an opening at another office. So I call, set up an interview for the following day. Get this, his current employee went to grade school with my Michigan boss!! Small world!!

Now I will cut to the chase and tell you I got the job, but we need to back track to make this story good.

If any of you readers know my mother, you will know how much funnier this really is than it will seem in writing.

So I am driving to my interview and I am pretending to be on my cell phone so I can talk out loud without looking strange to other drivers. Really I am practicing my speech where I point out how wonderful I am. The phone rings in my ear and I answer it.

"Hi Mom."

She is giggling to the point that she is incoherent and crying. She tells me how she went by the place I am interviewing with today (she works within walking distance). "Oh really? Did you drive by?"

"No, we walked by." The "we" she is referring to is her and her boss, Betty.

"Oh, did you walk by slow so you could peek inside?"

"Mmm hmmm."

"And...."

"And we walked so slow he invited us in!"

"WHAT?!?!"

She then proceeds to tell me how he invited them in for a tour! Only me!! How embarrassing! He never asked who she was, or why she was lurking, he just showed them around.

Now I am going to switch to my boss, Joe's, side of the story because it is better.

First I will give you a layout of the office. The front is all glass. The conference room is in the front, so if you are having a meeting, there is nothing separating you from the street but glass. Behind the conference room is his office which has a small window with blinds that looks into the conference room which looks onto the street.

So Joe tells me he sees two women walk by once, twice, a third time!!! He says one (Betty) cups her hands onto the glass and peers inside. As they walk away he pops his head onto the street and says, "Well, ladies, do you like the office or what?" He had figured they had stared long enough. My mom and Betty stammered out some sort of response. He then asks if they would like to have a tour of the office so they can see better! OMG!! My mom tries to weasel away in embarrassment and Betty says, "We sure would."

OMG!!

At no point did he ask who they were, why they where there, under what premise was he giving them this tour other than they were peering in the window and so he showed them around.

Now tell me what situation could top that in embarrassment?! It is like first day of school type mother embarrassment type of craziness!!

I didn't know what to do, so after some schmoozing, I just said, "Well you've already met my mettlesome mother!" He got quite the kick out of her not so spy-like abilities. Here's my mom, the embarrassing snoop who can't mind her beeswax.

But, I am super excited about this new opportunity, humiliated or not. I hope I can meet his expectations of me!

Most Useful Purchase Ever!

2008-06-01T09:38:00.004-04:00

So, if you've ever sent me a poll with the question, "Best Purchase Ever," you would know that my Numero Uno pick is my laser eye surgery. My contact script was a -7.5, and if you wear contacts, you know that is really really terrible. I couldn't pick my parents out of a lineup without my contacts on! To fall asleep and wake up and see was truly the most precious gift anyone could ever give me.

Number 2, best purchase ever was my TiVo. While one would think it turns you more into a couch potato, it really has freed me up and I cannot ever miss an episode of Days of Our Lives, so enough said there.

My Number 3 best purchase ever has become my new Manolo Blahnik gold sandals. Sorry for the blurry picture, I was in a hurry :)

I used to be of the mindset that if I was going to drop a ton of money on shoes, they'd be the highest most pizzaziest shoes ever! My prior big ticket shoe purchases have fit that bill. But when I stumbled upon these on SALE (love it) and the NM Outlet, I knew I'd get a lot of use out of them. You may remember that I have been on a gold dress flip flop shoe hunt for two years. I had bought a pair of Kate Spade's in December, but after realizing that I truly didn't love them and that I was just trying to make myself love them, I returned them

I was still a little hesitant to spend the money on a flat shoe, but I have worn them twice a week at least for the past month, so I consider them well worth their money. They truly go with almost everything I own!!

I am about to slip them on now to go to a Graduation party for my twin nieces....pictures to come!

I'm Sawee!

2008-05-29T20:41:00.002-04:00

Get it?

It's an olive branch!! I am sorry that well over two months have gone by and I haven't said a peep.

In all honesty, I am not even sure where I left off and I am too lazy to open a new window and see. So........for those of you not in know:

The first week of April, I got a job offer......in FLORIDA!!! WOOO to the friggin HOOOO!! Right?!?! After much discussion with the hubs, he decided we should go for it! So I went to work the next day and gave my notice!!! It was so extremely liberating!

I packed all my crap into boxes and mailed them home. Brian and decided to move me down first because it was kind of sudden and we weren't really prepared. So two weeks later, off I went...to live with my parents :(

Brian got me all settled in with my folks, and he went back to Michigan to get the house ready for sale.

Fast forward to now.

Brian is STILL in Michigan, which kills me. I miss him terribly!! And the living with my parents thing is getting old.

But tomorrow, he is giving his notice!! We hope he will be here by July 1st!! And then we will sooooo officially be Floridians!

In the meantime, I have laid out every weekend and done some fantastic shopping that I hope to tell you all about!

I do NOT love my job, and am actively seeking a way to be happier in the work place (I might have something exciting to say about that in a few months). But really, everything is happier in Florida, so that's okay!

I can't WAIT to go shopping for our new house and to do all that comes with that exciting process.

Oh and FYI, Brian and I split custody of the dogs: I got Roo and Daisy and he's got Bay and Gordon.

So, sorry this was a really quick run down, but I want to really try to get back in the swing!! I promise I am going to try!!!!!! Miss you all!

Quote of the Day

2008-03-16T14:28:00.003-04:00

This isn't exactly a quote of the day, but more like a fact of the day. It is still coming from my daily calendar and since this is the favorite city of my friend BBW, I thought I would throw this gem of information in there.

This is coming from the Top 10 Shopping Havens from travel.discovery.com:

In the French Quarter of New Orleans is Royal Street, an old street steeped in history. Mules still draw carriages past carefully preserved French and Spanish style buildings from the 1700s through the eight continuous blocks on antique stores. La Rue Royale is one of he premier destinations for antique hunters from around the world. It got its start in 1816 with the opening of Francois Seignoret's furniture and wine store. By the turn of the twentieth century, New Orleans was the fifth largest city in the United States. Wealthy people from all over the wold traded with local shop owners and left behind artifacts of a bygone era that, in many cases, can't be found anywhere else, such as antique weapons, Civil War items, and rare, foreign and American coins.

Stores that have stayed in the same family for generations can offer everything from a $45,000 Edwardian diamond necklace and Rolex watches from the 1920s to nineteenth-century furniture and an $80,000.00 centerpiece once owned by Charles Dickens.

I would just LOVE to see these pieces of history!! Especially the Edwardian diamond necklace...but on second thought, it might just depress me. :)

Happy Sunday to everyone!

Quote of the Day

2008-03-10T17:50:00.003-04:00

Today we are deviating from my precious daily calendar and turning to none other than Posh Spice for our dose daily fashion wisdom.

"Obviously, working out is important. Well, I don't. I have joined a gym, but I can't bring myself to start. What do you wear on the running machine? I can't bring myself to wear flat shoes."

-- Victoria Beckham

What a coincidence! That is the same reason I don't work out ;)

Quote of the Day

2008-03-09T12:43:00.002-04:00

Since I am still slacking in the personal news department and the only thing new I have bought is some hanky panky's (which I will spare you pictures of), I bring you the quote of my day, which since I am still behind is actually the quote of January 4th :)

"Whoever said money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping."

-- Bo Derek

Quote of the Day

2008-03-06T18:49:00.003-05:00

"I was street smart, but unfortunately the street was Rodeo Drive."

-- Carrie Fisher

Shopping Quote of the Day

2008-03-05T20:07:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone! I have been in a funk lately. Well, not really. I am just so busy that something HAS to fall by the wayside, and Choos it is! I have a lot of "life updates," but until these mini updates actually come to a solid conclusion as opposed to me just yapping, I will keep them to myself.

So on to the fashion....

In my Christmas stocking, my mom gave me "The Shopoholic's Daily Calendar." I haven't opened it until now and it is great! I can't believe I am 2 months behind, but we are going to try to post the good ones on here.

So without further ado:

"I should explain. For years now I've kind of operated under an informal shopping cycle. A bit like a farmer's crop rotation system. Except, incstead of wheat-maize-barley-fallow, mine pretty much goes clothes-makeup-shoes-handbags (I don't bother with the fallow). Shopping is actually very similar to farming in a field. You can't keep buying the same thing -- you have to have a bit of variety. Otherwise, you get bored and stop enjoying yourself."

-- Confessions of a Shopoholic

Hey, Hey, Hockeytown!

2008-02-19T20:50:00.002-05:00

For Valentine's Day this year I wanted to give my husband something really special. While no moving plans are final or even realistic right now, I thought about IF there was anything about Michigan that we would miss and suddenly....

I realized that quite possible the one and only thing we would ever miss about living here is our beloved Red Wings. So why not experience them as much as we can and the best that we can until we are fortunate enough to move?

For those of you who know me, when I think of something, I need immediate results. So within 20 minutes of hatching the plan I had picked out the most perfect (and painfully expensive) pair of tickets on center ice 7th row! I had my doubts but as soon as we settled in our seats, I knew that it was well worth the money!

Since the game was the Sunday before Valentine's day and since my husband isn't what one would deem "easy going" (read: hates surprises that require travel plans), I gave him his present one week early. I think every night one of us would say, "I'm so excited for Sunday." It was so great to have something to look forward to. The Joe is a 2 hour drive, but I wish we did it so much more often! Here we are decked out in red ready to go (Ash, see how I am looking elderly around the eyes and those smile lines?!)!!

One of the reasons we were so excited was to see our favorite player, Cat Soup. What? Don't recognize that name? Well that is because it is really spelled Datsyuk. For whatever reason I had him pegged as my "fav" even though 13 has never been my favorite number. After making such an informed and important decision, I asked my husband what what his name was to which he replied, "Datsyuk," as I was walking out of the room. "Cat soup? What a ridiculous name!" I replied. Needless to say it was a "you had to be there" sort of thing, but we were rolling on the ground and ever since that time, Pavel has fondly been referred to as Cat Soup in our household. Here he is in action:

Doing some pregame lunges, very important....

Okay, enough of those. Time to play hockey.....

Rounding the rink telling the Ducks to "get the puck otta here."

We seriously could not have been more thrilled. Here is Zeterburg looking quite wolverine like.

And the bench....

The best moment of the game was when Downey got into a fight with a member of the Ducks, Parros. I have seen many a hockey fights and they are always just a random punch out of nowhere and then they go at it. Fine. But I have never seen two men literally put their dukes up and circle each other for what seemed like the longest time like this! See if you can see this extremely tall man's stache!

Some of the funnier comments I heard amongst the crowd were:

"Come on, Downey. Punch his mustache off."

and, my personal fav:

"Why is Downey fighting a 1970s porn star?"

By this point, we were having such a good time I had to snap one last pic of the happy couple.

Sadly the Wings didn't pull out a W, but that is okay. We had a great time and they still need to lose something like 12 more games to lose hold of first place.

As for the actual Valentine's Day, I ordered this heart-shaped pizza from Papa J's and picked up this cake along with some wine and heineken. Mmmm.

I hope you all had a nice day with your someone special too!

Happy Valeninte's Day to My Honey Bun!

2008-02-14T09:25:00.000-05:00

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Happy Valentine's Day! A Litte Early.

2008-02-12T21:30:00.000-05:00

Bless my husband's heart, he doesn't have a romantic bone in his lovable body!! Typically, we don't do gifts for Valentine's Day, but this year we did things a bit differently. I got him the best tickets we have ever had to go to Detroit Red Wings game this past weekend and he got me this fabulous laptop.

I really love it! I do, it is a tiny step in the romantic direction from the eliptical machine he got me last Valentine's Day. My husband is a very practical person. At first I wasn't super excited about a laptop, but it is soooo pretty and shiny and yet fashionable! The color is called champagne and you know that I love me the bubbly!

So I am now happily blogging from my couch watching American Idol! Who knew life could be so great. I thought for sure I was an unwaivering PC fan!! Also this bad girl makes shopping online so much more convenient :)

So it is with optimism that I say I shall be blogging more often and hope to change the looks of my blog soon. Stay tuned.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day filled with love and canoodling with your special someone!

Got My New Shoes On!

2008-02-07T15:33:00.000-05:00

I got my new shoes today!!
They are NOT too high.
The hardware on the shoe is more than I anticipated, but I think I still like them.
The price on them went down because NM is having a 50% off sale!! Hello price adjustment!
For your entertainment, please listen to the song in this post, because that is what I am singing as I am dancing around my office in my new shoes despite the fact that it is the dead of winter and we got 16" of snow last night.

Ashley's Wedding (AKA The longest and most over due post EVER)

2008-02-04T15:48:00.000-05:00

So as you know, I had the priviledge of attending my friend, Ashley's wedding, which was in November!! Time really does fly by when you neglect your blog! But I can't move on to Christmas until I do this, so hopefully I can stop being 3 months behind.

FRIDAY

On the Friday after Thanksgiving, 51 guests boarded the Carnival Fascination cruise and were immediately greeted by dozens of fruity drinks with umbrellas in it. It was so much fun to see everyone and meet Ashley's family! The energy was so charged with excitement of the impending wedding that it was impossible to not be having a good time!

As mentioned, we were greeted with drinks so we all got a prompt start to our weekend. Our waiter was kind enough to provide me with my fav, strawberry margaritas, and he made sure that by the time I had a 1/4 left of my drink, he brought over a new one! Gotta love excellent service!

Isn't this just classy with a k?? Red tongue and my magic blue drink card that allows me to get said unlimited margaritas and pay for them later is tucked into my bathingsuit....nice! We are only on Friday, folks, so keep up!

Friday night dinner was great, but I was fairly tame since I had an early morning wakeup call. All of the guests were seated in one area, so it was easy to mingle and enjoy everyone's company. This was the night we discoverd the melting chocolate cake desert that all of us ordered, without fail, each evening! Oh how I miss it, I wish I would have taken a picture to capture it in all its gooey glory! Here I am on the way to dinner, apparently thinking I look hot to trot judging by my pose:

Again, klassy right?

(Marcie, Ashley, Kemely, Chrissy, Me, Rachel and Emily)

SATURDAY

Saturday morning was an early one. I woke up and had breakfast with Chrissy and Jess before meeting the bride and her wedding party so the limo could pick us up at port and bring us to Compass Point, the ceremony location.

I knew that I would like Compass Point just fine, but I was not prepared to fall in love with it! It is so colorful and festive that you are automatically placed into a good mood! The views were beatiful and I could not stop gawking. If I had the magic ability to freeze time, I probably would have done it, but more importantly, there was a wedding to get ready for!

The ceremony site

The fabulous view from the bridal suite

Here is Ashley's gorgeous gown after an hour of ironing ;) Hopefully somewhere I will find a picture of the back so you can see the beutiful, mermaid-like train in the back!

For you wedding buffs, some of the accessories and little something extras for her big day. The lace is actually a part of the sleeve from her mother's wedding gown. The brooch is her grandmother's, if I remember correctly, and was placed onto her bouquet. And most touching, was the pink cancer awareness pin that she had to remember the spirit of her husband's mother who couldn't be with them on their wedding day.

My role throughout the day was to do Ashley's makeup. Unfortunately, her hair lady was a wee bit late so I only had 15 minutes to do a girl's makeup on the most important day of her life!! My hands were shaking up a storm! I was so incredibly nervous. I would have preferred to take my time and perfect as I went along, but I had to move quickly. It was hard to mess her up though since she is beautiful without a stitch of makeup on the first place! Once she had her hair and makeup done, it was time to get in the dress and, of course, the waterworks began all around the room! One of the most emotional things to see is a girl transformed into a bride and then, a wife! I felt so lucky to be a part of the process!

Courtesy of Art of Light Photography

The ceremony was held out on the pier overlooking the ocean. It was one of the most emotional ceremonies I have attended and I loved every second of it. Unfortunately, all my pictures from the ceremony came out really dark, so I refer you to Rachel's blog entry on this because it has better pictures. I doubt she would mind if I stole hers, but either way, she has many a funn entries, so go over there anyway.

Here is "THE KISS" that I have about 10 pictures of because it was the longest kiss ever! The happy couple are finally a Mr. and Mrs.

After the ceremony was the cocktail hour by the water. In my white dress, I steered clear of the incredibly red rum punch. Besides, I knew what was going to happen later.....

We then all convened back at the boat for dinner before going to the after party at Señor Frogs. THIS is why I didn't drink during the cocktail hour nor at dinner......
It all started out with a little Bud Light....

But I switched to Tequila and started dancing....Keep your shirt on Marcie, I am almost done! (PS, while I am getting down, I think Em is getting "jiggy" with it as best as I can tell).

Thankfully, I had the foresight to switch to water.

What, you thought my day was over? No, no, no, my friends! That is simply not how I roll.

This is us at the after party's after party at "Club Diamond" -- yep, you heard me correctly. This was the only "club" open and I think it was for the tweens on the ship. It was great fun and provided us with an Epcot-esque laser light show (who doesn't adore a laser light show when you are feeling tipsy). Rachel is in her PJs and I love it! We were soooo past "caring" at that point, we just didn't want the night to end.

SUNDAY

So finally Saturday has ended, Mr. and Mrs. W are Mr. and Mrs. and it is now Sunday morning.

Needless to say I am hungover. Not only am I hungover, but I am hungover in rocking box!!! The cheapskate that I am opted to save a whopping $50 and take an inside cabin with no window. So there is no window and my box is going back and forth, back and forth, BACK AND FRIGGIN' FORTH.

Clearly, I was dying, so I threw on the suit and ran to the highest level of the ship to get a bloody mary and some air. I think we all pull off "the morning after" quite well.

By dinner, I was feeling fancy free again. Here are some of the girls in the wee hours of the evening after all the men had ditched us for their beds.

It was such a great weekend!! Thanks girls for keeping an eye on me and obeying by the "10 feet" rule at all times (special thanks to Chrissy, Rachel and Jack for that one).

I had so much fun and here's a belated CHEERS to the newlyweds! Congratulations!!

Sale at Neimans

2008-02-04T14:52:00.001-05:00

There is a sale at Neiman Marcus!! Holla! (Just kidding - I just felt like being a "baller" for a minute).

So there has been a sale at NM for a while now and I have just been clicking through each and every page for days upon days. I know the merchandise by heart. I was just itching to buy something, you know? Once I get in one of those moods, it is best to quench the thirst before I make a hasty decision and do something drastic. I just need to work on having these moods less often.

Enter my new purchase. I had been eyeing these shoes for a while and even though I am typically against logo items, these appealed to me. The only issue is that they are over 4" heels and typically, I like to keep it under 4".

They get here Wednsday, so as of right now, they are on loan from NM. I have a feeling they will be too tall for me and make me look like an Amazon. So there is a 50/50 chance of going back. But then again, I need a Valentine's Day Gift so I think my husband would make a contribution to the Gucci too high heel fund!

My friend Jay, alerted me to a 2 day free shipping code from NM: NMLOVE.

Now GO! SHOP.

My Spring Obsession

2008-02-01T15:20:00.000-05:00

Since I bought a fall/winter bag, I told myself in no uncertain terms that I would NOT be participating in the purchase of a spring bag this year. But that was before I set my eyes on this!

This is from the notorious Mr. Jacobs' Mercer collection. The color is called Marshmellow, which makes me love it even more. I stare at this bag for at least 30 minutes a day (very conservative number) and the only thing that is competing with it for Spring in my mind is a few of Prada's new totes. Prada has some beautiful and impractical teal colored tote and also a beautiful ivory color also. The main one competing is this tote because they are similar in color:

But then there is this little hottie throwing me off my game! Try and tell me she doesn't turn your head too!

Needless to say, I am frantically paying down my Neiman Marcus card so that one of these pretty girls can be mine. It is snowing buckets right now, so it is hard for me to focus on these bags, but the second I see some sunshine, hopefully the finances will be going strong so that I can take one of these pretty ladies home!

"Mini" Vent

2008-01-30T10:51:00.000-05:00

Dear Ms. Malandrino, Mr. Jacobs, BCBG, Ms. Lepore, Milly, Ms. von Furstenberg, Mr, Meister, Ms. Miller, Shoshanna, and any other fashion house designer out there:

I understand that the "mini dress" is in.

I further understand that the hemline seemingly rises and falls with the state of the economy, hence the mini (However if we keep heading in this direction, I fear for next season).

But YOU need to understand that the mini is not appropriate for all situations. There are many exceptions to this where one cannot take the liberty of being "in."

For example, one cannot wear your "oh so chic" mini into a church for a wedding. So should you just cast aside all church/wedding goers? I don't think you should as I assume that such events contribute greatly to your sales. You cannot cast aside this sect of your faithful followers.

What is one in this situation to do? Unfortunately I am not willing rank fashion above religion and I assume I am not the only one. I do not want to pull a Britney and have anyone see my "bits and pieces," nor am I interested in looking like a 17 year old.

In short, please address this problem in a timely manner or else by the time I am ready to make my purchases for the Spring/Summer wedding season, I will be forced to head over to Nordstrom and give my hard earned pennies to Ms. Maggie London. Trust me, I do NOT want this to happen even more than you do, but alas, you leave me little choice.

Your Friend,

Stacy

Happy Birthday Kelli with an "I" Dawn!!

2008-01-17T10:35:00.001-05:00

Today is my Maid of Honor's birthday!! She came to me from Kentucky a confused little girl with a tongue ring on a big college campus. I couldn't understand her for quite a few months since I had never encountered a southern accent quite like hers. After a while, I got used to it a little bit more and actually was able to translate for others. She would come into a room and utter a few sentences and leave and the other girls would be like, "What the hell did she just say?" And I would tell them that she was just looking for some fried food -- or whatever she was saying at the time. After some more time, she lost her accent just enough to still sound Tucky-ish, but all the world could finally "get her."

When I look back through my pictures of college memories, there are an unreasonable amount of pictures of Kel and I. Which makes me think that once upon a time, we were quite full of ourselves ;). I am not going to share them all, b/c it would take too long, but I will share a few.

Happy Birthday Kel! I miss you to pieces!

For a long period of time, Kel and I would go to Outback for the large amounts of free wine we could consume. Here are two pictures from those nights:

During a tragic rollerskating accident, Kelli broke her tibial plateau and had to wear pants and a boot to our sorority formal. Here I am keeping her gimp @$$ company:

Sometimes we like to play dress up :) These are my old dance costumes! Look mom they still fit!

Here are some photos from my bachelorette party in NYC:

At Hotel Gansevoort Kelli allegedly unknowingly stole some coats from the coat check girl. In her defense, the girl did not look at our tickets and in Kelli's defense, she was 2-3 bottles of Cristal to the wind. If anyone left the Gansevoort on or about March 3, 2007, sans white furry jacket -- she apologizes. She is aware that it was very cold out and she can't be more sorry. But we believe she did you a favor as the jacket was FUG and if you can afford drinks at Gansevoort, you should pack it in for a few evenings and afford a nicer coat. Anyway here is the thief in the cab ride home once she realized she was holding coats that did not belong to her:

And lastly, here she is by my side on the most important day of my life!

HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY KEL! THANKS FOR ALL THE GOOD TIMES!

Ready for Summer?

2008-01-11T09:17:00.001-05:00

One would think that it is very strange that I recently purchased myself a new pair of sandals for summer, but in this mess of a season they call Winter here in Michigan, it is what gets me through. That little light at the end of this grey and gloomy tunnel.

I have a pair of gold banana republic flat thong sandals that have lasted me years. For whatever reason, they are some of the only open flats that I will wear. Actually, scratch that. I know the reason. It is because they have the most subtle rise in the back (wedge-like, but not that high to actually be considered a heel). I can't stand to be perfectly flat.

This past season, they were finally to the point of embarassment. There are teensy rips in the "leather" and the gold has definitely lost its luster.

I haven't thrown them out. Can't do it and will probably still wear them, but I was on the look outr for a suitable replacement for some time and after at least 2 summers of looking, I finally found these:

Kalista from Kate Spade

Mine are actually a lighter tan, and not this dark brown color which lends itself to things I would typically wear with gold a bit better than the ones shown do and then there is the gold ring detail in the center.

I don't think I love them as much as the old faithful BR floppers, but I think they will do almost as nicely!

I can't wait to get a pedicure and be out and about in shorts and a cute top soaking up what Michigan also amusingly calls Summer sun.

My Massive Birthday Surprise

2008-01-06T19:42:00.000-05:00

Well, it was kind of a surprise, but I don't feel like getting all into that. My husband knew that I wanted one, but who in the world would suspect he would get one for me!

Here is what my wonderfully fabulous husband got me for my birthday!! To say that this is the most amazing thing I have ever owned (next to my wedding rings) is an understatement and I do not deserve it.

I was trying to get a glorious picture of all its dazzle, but it just isn't working right now so these will have to do and you will just have to know that these photos don't do it justice.

THANKS SWEETIE!

Birthday Goods!

2008-01-03T10:08:00.000-05:00

Since my birthday is on Christmas, it is easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of it all and just sweep my birthday aside. My wonderful family, however, really makes an effort to not do this. The main way they do this is open all Christmas presents in the morning. After Christmas dinner, it is officially "my birthday" and that is when the party switches. It is really sweet that they try to change the atmosphere a bit with birthday cake as opposed to holiday cake, etc.

I also especially love my birthday because all the practical gifts are given to me for Christmas, but the fun gifts in small boxes usually come to me for my birthday!! This year was a bit different since my parents didn't get me jewelry, but I agree that I probably don't need anything else. Instead, they graciously ripped up a check for a lump of money I owed them (thank you, thank you!), and gave me money in addition to that! It was seriously such a big help for the month of December when the holiday bills are breathing down your neck!

I thought for sure that was going to be it, and I was completely satisfied with that, but then they gave me these 2 hot little numbers ;)

A new straightener:

And these wonderful Gucci shades!! (These actually were given to me on an IOU, and we picked them out the following day at Saks! My parents were extra thrilled that they were on a super sale!) I vow to treat these sunglasses better than the loyal glasses that have gone before them! After leaving my face, they will go directly back into their case. It is part of my New Years resolution to treat sunglasses better and guard them against scratches ;)

It was a wonderfully fabulous birthday!!

*** You are still dying to know what the hubster got me aren't you? It had a photo shoot last night, but it apparently prefers not to have it's picture taken as they all did not do it justice. So I will just have to send you the web image and not the photo taken of it on my arm. Stand by!!

Christmas Goods!

2008-01-02T10:28:00.000-05:00

Whatdya get??

I had a wonderful Christmas this year! As I get older, Christmases should get more dull, but this year, whether it was the mood I am in or the amount of shopping I did, everything just seems more fabulous than ever!!

For whatever reason, Christmas in my household was a lot less stressed this year, which was key to my overall wonderful mood.

My parents got me my wonderful new BlackBerry Curve which is quickly changing my life! No longer am I chained to my computer desk wondering if my friends wrote me back yet. I can check my 2 email accounts from this puppy and it brings up the Neiman Marcus website beautifully!! It also does great with downloading and sending photo attachments.

Also, the game Brick Breaker on here is absolutely addicting and may cause the demise of my marriage!! I have gotten in trouble countless times already for not paying attention to what my husband is saying because I am too busy trying to beat my high score on this game!

Even though we are all adults now, my mother makes us all open Christmas Eve presents which always have our Christmas pajamas in there. That way when we wake up, we don't have to change for opening presents and if any pictures are taken, we are all looking somewhat put together. I think this is the smartest idea ever by my mother! That way when we were young, she had 3 cute kids in her Christmas morning pictures as opposed to 3 disheveled messes! In with my Christmas Eve gift this year were these furry friends!

They are so unbelievably cozy! This is my second pair of Ugg slippers ever and both get 4 stars from me! During the winter months, these help keep me warm especially since we switched to hard wood floors in our frigid house!!

My brother got me a wonderful gift basket from Bath and Body Works all scented in Eucalyptus Spearmint. It doesn't sound that great, but it smells fantastic! This isn't the exact basket, but it is very similar and includes a pillow mist to de-stress you! Can't wait to test that out!

Unfortunately all our loot is being shipped to us by my mother since we couldn't fit it all in our bags, so I will have to wait a bit to get to sample this, but I think this will be my new favorite scent!

I got a slew of other items, but I don't have pictures of everything. A few other items given to me by my parents are:

This top from Banana Republic in both black and red.

These cami's from BR in red, green, black and cream. They are really wonderful to layer under those work INappropriate shirts that dip down too low. Just throw this on underneath and you are doubling your wardrobe into work AND evening wear (depending on the top). It is hard to see the lace detail in this photo because of the black color, but it is really nice and dresses things up just a bit.

This top, but it comes in a vibrant peacock blue that is not to be found on their website for some reason.

This BCBC in this super fun color.

A BCBG item that is very similar to this shirt, only with a few more interesting details, like a tie around the back and then the collar is a bit different.

A refill on my wedding day scent by Bill Blass which, if you remember, was included on my "All I Want for Christmas" list.

And some always appreciated make up from my favorite counter, Laura Mercier, including some other goodies/refills on my current makeup choices that are not pictured. I have to say that this color palette is VERY practical with all the neutral colors and I have already gotten a ton of use out of it.

As far as what my husband got me, that will be a secret for now because it is too fabulous to lump together with all of this stuff! It was a Birthday AND Christmas present combined and you know that whenever that happens, it means that it is good!

As far as how the others made out.....

My husband got lots and lots of clothes and lots and lots of FSU paraphernalia, a PSP which now needs to be surgically removed from his hands, new UGG work boots, a fancy Brookstone alarm clock and "stuff" (because I don't actually know what it is) for his aquarium, and Maui Jim sunglasses which I am pretty proud of myself for picking out ones that he actually likes. I am definitely forgetting some stuff here.

My parents got lots of "parent" type items that they really seemed to enjoy but that isn't interesting enough to tell you about here. One of the items I was particularly happy to give them and even happier to see how happy it made them to receive it was a copy of our wedding photo album which I did through My Publisher. They had been asking for one for months and I didn't want to ruin the surprise so I had been blowing them off about it forever.

My 18 year old nieces got clothes from Abercrombie which is their favorite. My 2 year old nephew got toys, upon toys, upon toys. I learned this Christmas that there is really no point in spoiling a child that young. He had so many toys that he lost interest in opening presents!! But I have some great pictures that I will share with you in another post. I wanted to keep this one more shopping oriented. And for my brother, I put together a My Publisher album for him of his children. He is not organized whatsoever so they don't have albums and stuff like that, more like pictures shoved into boxes, so this was a wonderful surprise for them and they really seemed to appreciate it! For people that have never seen MP albums before, they really WOW people! It was touching to watch them looking at the pictures as if they had never seen them before, etc.

That is all I have for now!! I think I semi-made up for my shoddy efforts as of late with this one. Let's see how long it lasts ;)

Happy 2008!

2008-01-02T09:48:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year, everyone!!

It has been pointed out by many that I have not been updating my blog as often as I should and I whole-heartedly agree! I bet there are thousands of bloggers out there that have vowed to update their blogs more often in 2008 and I suppose I should throw my hat into that ring!

To update you on my where abouts, my husband and I went to Florida to visit my parents for Christmas and MY BIRTHDAY on the 21st of December. We spent one full week in Florida (and with painfully limited internet access) and came back on the 29th. We got to spend one night in our own beds before driving three hours north to my husband's grandparent's home. They were watching our 4 beloved dogs and we needed to collect them (it is amazing how much their annoying little mugs were missed). We spent two days there, including New Years and got back home yesterday.

Today I am back in the office with a cold :( I am not thrilled to be back at work, but I am thrilled to be back in the normal swing of things.

I have a TON of things to do to get completely back to normal including a load of work on my desk, a ton of bills to get paid and a house to organize.

Keep your eyes out for the following blog entries:

1) Happy Birthday to me post (might take some time on this one);

2) Christmas presents;

3) Birthday presents;

4) Ashley's Wedding (embarrassingly overdue. I have it all written. I just need to choose which out of all the wonderful pictures there are to include to give you the best little peek into the trip); and last, but not least,

5) Choo of the Week is coming back!

As far as resolutions, I don't really have any. I know myself too well and I just will not stick to them. The one thing I will say is just overall organization. That seems to be at the root of all my issues, so if I work on that as a whole (you would be surprised how many things that go wrong bring you back to the fact that you just don't have your crap together), I think the rest of my life will follow accordingly.

What are yours?

Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

2007-12-06T21:00:00.000-05:00

Oh my goodness! I have been SUCH a bad blogger. As you know, I have been working two jobs and along with that and the rush of holiday card orders off of my website, I have been beyond busy! Luckily the holiday hustle and bustle is coming to a close, so I thought I would stop by and say hello.

This is just a quick entry to show you all my pathetic little tree :). My husband and I do not spend Christmas at home, so we don't buy a tree. I cannot tell you how excited I am though, for the day that we purchase our first tree as a couple.

Oh, YES! It rotates! Don't you worry! This is no ordinary wire tree!

Since this was our first Christmas together in wedded bliss, I felt we needed something to put the Christmas cheer in our house and allow us to start collecting ornaments, like this "Our 1st Christmas" ornament below.

This photo below is my attempt at showing you the lovely surprise we got from the yet to be blogged about Mr. and Mrs., whose wedding I recently attended in the Bahamas! When I got home from a long day of flying, a package was waiting for me from the happy couple. Inside was an ornament filled with sand and shells with a cute little poem attached! It was so thoughtful and I was thrilled to have another ornamenet on our "tree."

So, I'm sorry that I have been a bad blogger! I still have Thansgiving photos to share, Seriously Co-Worker posts, along with Ashley's wedding photos! I have a few entries started in that regard, I just need to take the time to finish them! Hopefully I can do it all before Christmas so I will be back on track for the New Year and all the blogger resolutions that come along with it!

MERRY ALMOST CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Happy Birthday to ME!

2007-12-03T15:12:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to Meeee, Happy Birthday to Meeeee.....

Okay, I know my birthday is not until the 25th, but typically, I am celebrate my birthday SEASON since it coincides with the Holiday season.

Also, today SHOULD HAVE BEEN my birthday!! I was due on December 7th! So my name might have been Pearl! Every year around the 7th, Pearl comes out to play. So if you are doing your math, I was 18 days late! Poor Mom! I was a 9 pound baby because as far as I was concerned, I should have been 2 weeks old already and growing up!

I know it sounds silly, but my mom still does a mini celebration on my "birthday" (the 7th) since I have to share my actual birthday with everyone that celebrates Christmas. Oh, and Jesus!

In his old age, my dad is getting cheaper and cheaper by the year which has resulted in me getting a "secret gift" from my mother. Shhhhh!

So anyway, this year I received the following Cole Haan beauties for my secret December 7th birthday gift:

The shoes are adorable! They are patent and suede! Just what I need to cheer me up with the bleh weather we are having!

Christmas is almost here - so check in often as I will attempt to post some gift ideas for this holiday season!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOOOOOOOO MEEEEEEEEE!

Choo of the Week: 12-03-07

2007-12-03T09:36:00.001-05:00

I have been such a bad shoe blogger! So to get back in the swing of things, I picked some ultra zexy shoes!

These pretty satin gems are exactly what I need as the winter is creeping in. Every day here in the north it gets more and more grey and this splash of color would keep me in high spirits!

They can be found at Jimmy Choo for $585.00.

Happy Birthday Kerry and Chrissy!

2007-11-29T16:35:00.000-05:00

I am a touch late on Kerry's Happy Birthday post since I was on a cruise, but I wanted to say a belated Happy Birthday to Kerry! And today is Chrissy's Birthday!

Kerry,

I miss you more than you know and am so happy we have more time for reindeer games lately! You will always be near and dear to me and this year, you deserve the best birthday ever! I hope you got it! I really hope we can get together over Christmas and if not, count me in for some sort of travel adventure with you and Kel! Whenever I think of dancing at my wedding, I think of you for some reason. This sounds a tad lezzie, but you gave me a look and said I love you at my wedding and it took everything in me not to cry. One day you will know the overwhelming feeling I had having my BEST friends my side during the most important step in my life to date! Thank you for ALWAYS making me laugh!

Chrissy,

I know I missed your actual day, but I am so happy we got to spend time together this weekend! You were so kind to follow the 5 feet rule non-stop! 5 FEET, I SAID!!! In an attempt to make you cry (hard job, I know), I want you to know that you are one of the sweetest and most kind hearted people I know. I say this, knowing you have strong opinions that make me laugh and snicker, but your heart is made out of gold and I am so happy to have you around to cheer me up on my worst days! Hope dinner at your mom's is great and that Jess puts his happy pants on!

Meet My Friends

2007-11-29T15:44:00.000-05:00

I am not even sure how to sum up the wedding I had the priviledge of attending this Thanksgiving Day weekend. Accompanied by Chrissy, Rachel, Marcie, Kemely and Emily, we attended the waterside nuptials of our dear friend, Ashley, in the Bahamas. But before I try to post about what an amazing time we had, I will post seperately about this first, because this is a sort of serious tribute to these ladies and Ashley deserves a post all about herself and all about her beautiful wedding.

Some of my hometown and college friends wonder where these names came from? And rightfully so since I don't talk about them in real life too often. However, more and more their names come up naturally in my everday discussions and so it is about time I shed some light on our friendships.

Admittedly, we all met under odd and even dorky circumstances. We were all engaged around the same time in late 2005/early 2006 and subsequently were all planning late 2006 or 2007 destination weddings. As you know, my wedding was not destination, but logistically, it was out of town for me and so that is where these women came in handy. I started chatting with these girls through the wonder that is The Knot about favors, dresses, and how to get your dress on a plane. With all of us bouncing ideas back and forth daily, it was only natural that conversations took a turn to include personal information about ourselves. How many siblings did we have, what did our fiance's/husbands do, is anyone else's mother-in-law driving each other crazy? Et cetera. So yes, I have Internet friends. There! I said it!

I have grown to know these women over the past year and while some will say, "How can you form real friendships that way?" or "They are not your friend, I am your friend." I say to you that these women have checked in on me non-stop. They have followed up when I had a bad day or personal problems, and they have shared their entire lives with me throughout this time. So yes, prior to meeting them in person, I did/do count them as real life friends. They are just as important to me as any friend could be and the more I get to talk to them the more that friendship grows.

If you are my sorority sister, or have ever been in a sorority or fraternity of your own, you can understand how bonds are formed in a blink of an eye and how you are sort of taken aback at how one common thread can hold a group together. It is the same exact sort of thing that I experienced being a part of Kappa Delta.

So from now on, I will no longer be saying the words, "Ashley, she's my friend from The Knot, said that...." [insert appropriate name]. So learn their names and adjust people! ;)

To Ashley, Chrissy, Rachel, Marcie, Kemely and Emily, I am so happy to have been able to get to know you over the past year plus, and I am thrilled to have been able to share this past weekend with you. I "get" the MSP thing now and why you all felt so bonded. So I guess I am late on all of the warm and fuzzies and that you all are ahead of my game, but I just adore you all and had the most fun I have had this weekend since my wedding!! So thank you for that! I am so lucky to have you all to lean on!

As we know, there are others like the above mentioned girls that hopefully one day I will get to see too and after seeing how wonderful it was to spend time with the others, I am that much more eager to see you all again or for the first time.

So before I blog about the most amazing wedding I have ever attended -- Come! Meet my friends!

Marcie, Ashley, Kemely, Chrissy, STACY, Rachel and Emily!

8 DAYS!!!!

2007-11-15T20:03:00.000-05:00

Just 8 short days until I will be setting sail on a big old boat with an umbrella drink in my hands and with friends by my side!!! I am SO very excited!

And a mere 7 days until I get to see my mom, dad, brothers, neices and nephew, and of course, Tom the Turkey.

GET EXCITED GIRLIES!

All I Want For Christmas 3

2007-11-14T08:54:00.000-05:00

Let it be known that I am not of the practical minded sect of people who want practical and useful gifts for Christmas! No sir, I want highly impractical gifts that one would never buy for themselves!

That is where this darling little Lieber coin purse comes in!! It is a real steal of a deal (considering standard Lieber prices) at $195.00 at BG. And if you wanted to get me the matching compact, I wouldn't put up a fuss.

Seriously, Co-Worker? Seriously?

2007-11-13T10:00:00.001-05:00

Do you seriously think that your deceased Uncle Joe talks to you on the 11th minute of every hour from "the other side?" Seriously? Do you seriously hear him talk to you?

I really think this office will turn me into a crazy before long.

All I Want for Christmas 2

2007-11-09T11:02:00.000-05:00

The perfume by Bill Blass that I wore on my wedding day.

After spending 2 hours in SFA trying on different scents, this one won my heart and I was thrilled when my husband actually noticed it and for once liked the perfume I was wearing! It is a staple in my life now and I need a refill.

P.S., we are almost to our 6 monthiversary!! On the 19th!

Life Update

2007-11-08T10:58:00.000-05:00

It has been a while since I updated my readers on my life. As you can probably tell from my less than active posting, I have been pretty busy!

First, I accepted a 2nd job doing some typing work from home!! I literally do not have a moment to myself, but oddly, I am enjoying working so much!

Secondly, and possibly more exciting, I finally got my Carlson Craft website going!! Just in time for all the holiday card purchases!

Visit me at: http://www.wedcraft.cceasy.com/

Holiday cards are already 20% off (price reflected at check out), but if you use the promo code CHOOS, you can receive an additional 10% off. Just put "CHOOS" in the special instructions section. You can actually receive that discount on anything on the site, not just Holiday cards.

Here are just some examples of the pages upon pages of options!

Holiday Cards:

Wedding Invitations:

Baby Announcements:

And Personal Stationery:

Just as a heads up, you make your order without giving any payment information (so it will seem odd to you). I will then send you a Paypal payment request. Once payment is received, the order is processed for shipping.

If you received one of my pretty Christmas cards last year, you know that they are great quality and super fun and festive!!

I am really excited about this new venture and I hope it takes off for me. Please forward my link on to any budget conscious brides you may know, or any families or companies needing to order their Christmas cards! Production time is really prompt!

Thanks for taking a look!

All I Want for Christmas...

2007-11-08T09:38:00.000-05:00

Okay. I mentioned that we were going to start with our Fantasy Shopping requesting things that are most likely not in the cards and what better time to start this than the days leading to Christmas.

SO! In my first edition of All I Want for Christmas, I am hung up between these 2 Marc Jacobs bags:

(Click on bags for links)

Although not everyone's fav, MJ is one of my favorite bag designers. I always go back to him. Red is very unlike me but I was feeling a bit saucy today. I already have a black soft classic bag, but I could certainly use a second dontcha think?

Ugh, I can already see that this segment is going to make me a Bitter Betty!!!

To Make You Smile

2007-11-06T14:59:00.001-05:00

On a day that was just ho-hum at best, this really made me laugh.
To clarify, I am not laughing just because she is about to fall, but because I saw this outfit earlier today and detested it. So the fact that the fashion gods are trying to send her a message...THAT is what makes me smile!!

Choo of the Week 11-05-07

2007-11-05T09:17:00.001-05:00

I skipped a week! I am so sorry! Things have been a little bit hectic for me (which I will try to find time to post about later).

This week I am loving these pretty ladies for BG!

They are kind of my loophole to being chic and fabulous in a boring office setting.

They are especially appealing to me because they remind me of my first ever premium shoe purchase. They were the same pattern only strappy sandals from Vera Wang circa 1999 or 2000??(back when she just made high end items and wasn't a complete sell out stocking her crap at Kohls and selling mattresses).

Ashley's Wedding Day Countdown!

2007-10-30T09:28:00.000-04:00

26 days from now my dear friend Ashley will be marrying her fiancee, Joey, in the Bahamas! This days seems like it has been so long coming as Ashley is the last of a string of weddings we have had lately, including my own in May. I am really looking forward to the vacation along with some very much needed girl time since my husband can't make it. I cannot wait to tell you all about it in just 26 days!

Ashley will be a vision in white as will all of her guests! Yep, you heard me right! It is a white out wedding! All of the guests have been asked to wear shades of white and khaki. I think this is a great idea to sort of unify all of the guests and make everyone there a part of their ceremony in essence. Equally as important, imagine the pictures! They are going to be to die for!

When I started out planning my suitcase for this wedding weekend I thought, piece of cake right? Just throw on a white dress and be done with it. NO! WRONG! First of all, finding a white dress in Michigan at the end of summer beginning of fall was downright impossible. I thought it would be all the more reason for me to find a "steal of a deal" but alas, I was sadly mistaken.

As of today, I bought 5 dresses!! Living in the sticks is annoying because I had to ship back 4 of them :) and we know how much I hate paying for shipping, it is a pet peev of mine! But I am happy to announce that I finally have the jewels, the stems, the bag (almost) all nailed down! And since there will be many girls wearing white dresses and the risk of wearing the same thing is high, I shall put it all out there so we can all compare :)

Here are some pictures of my outfit. My shoes photograph a bit gold, but I think they are a bit silvery in person so just keep that in mind.

I am not sure which bag I am going with yet, that is the only thing to be determined. Sorry for the shoddy photo quality, blogger is acting up a bit.

Choo of the Week 10-29-07

2007-10-30T09:14:00.000-04:00

This week I am loving.

Thes metallic gold and black stems! $580 at Net-A-Porter . Specifically, in a new segment I will introduce later this week called Fantasy Shopping, I would like to see them with this dress from Michael Kors ($1,295.00):

Seriously, Co-Worker....Seriously?

2007-10-29T16:02:00.000-04:00

In honor of Halloween:

So it has been a while since I last complained about my co-workers. For the most part, they have been well behaved and have done nothing that I could legitimately complain about without sounding like a bitter wench. But Friday afternoon they seriously had me scratching my head.

For the sake of the story, a la Dr. Christina Yang (Grey's Anatomy), we will label the parties as co-worker One and Two.

Three of us were in the very back of the office complaining about one of the bosses' wives when One says, "Shhhh! I hear something. " My ears perk up and I strain to listen but alas, I hear nothing. She runs to the front of the office to make sure no one walked in to hear our tiraid. One comes back and reports to me and Two that there was no one there. She says she swears she heard a man's voice. Whatever, we all think we hear things sometimes -- people are walking by the office door, we have thin walls, etc. So, fine. But then Two gets all excited and says, "Really? A man's voice? Like a really old man's voice?" One nods excitedly in agreement. I am slowly backing out of the conversation because A) It was no longer interesting me anymore and B) My boss wasn't in so I wanted to get back to my online distractions.

Two goes on to mention that she thinks our office has a ghost in the form of an old man....Seriously? I am listening at my desk and waiting for her to say, "just kidding" or "just joshing ya" but instead I hear One enthusiastically agreeing with her....Seriously?

To say that the ghost talk goes on for an unacceptable length of time is an understatement. I am just floored. Then they go on to compare just how old the voice each of them heard in fact was. So to compare, they start throwing out client's names. Not as old as Joe Schmo, but older than John Doe...that sort of thing. Then they both agree that is sounds just like Mr. X, and that they should go home straight after work and pray for said Mr. X because he is obviously trying to send them a message that he needs their prayers and vibes....SERIOUSLY?!

At this point I am just shaking my head. WHERE do we find these people? At 5:00 I still hear them chatting about "the ghost." I jokingly tell them that their homework assignment for the weekend is to name our ghost. By Monday they had (seriously) agreed on Edgar. SERIOUSLY? I was joking!

Today, Monday, One is now telling Two that many people can't have cats like she does because they are not comfortable with the presence of the undead and how cats can sense these things unlike dogs. Instead of politely ignoring this nonsense, Two is in FULL agreement. Then they continue to compare stories about ghosts in the office and ghosts in their home.

I just want to point out that they are 10000% serious and are in no way joking or making fun or talking just for the fun of speculation. SERIOUSLY!

I NEED TO GO TRICK OR TREATING FOR A NEW JOB!

Good News

2007-10-29T14:11:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone who has been keeping my family in their thoughts! If you didn't know, we had a bit of a cancer scar with regard to Gordon the beefcake. It was a long 5 days of waiting, but the test results came back today and our big man is in the clear!! Needless to say, we are beyond thrilled and shed some joyful tears at the news.

I just wanted to thank everyone for their support :) So in honor of our cancer free wiggle worm, here are some Gordo pics:

Choo of the Week 10-22-07

2007-10-22T09:41:00.000-04:00

I thought we could use some color this week and these hot shoes would keep you warm during the winter months ;) They are muy caliente!!

They are a "steal" at $585 from Saks.

Hello Gorgeous!

2007-10-21T11:33:00.000-04:00

The reason was very simple: RETAIL THERAPY.

I had a bad bad couple of very bad days and there was a presale going on and therefore it was necessary, therapeutic, and I feel a just a bit better now ;)

To get the full effect, listen to this song while you look at my "new shoes"...Because in case you are wondering what I am doing as I type this (all night long really), I am dancing in my new shoes to this song, MY NEW FAV (and if you know me at all, you know I am telling the truth, I truly am tippety tapping and twirling on the floor):

[Seriously, if you can't use your speakers as you read this, come back later when you can! You won't get the full effect].

So without further ado, here are the new shoes I bought for my friend Ashley's wedding which is in just one short month!

You Bluffin'?

2007-10-15T21:03:00.000-04:00

So last night was interesting in our household to say the least. My husband got home from work late so I was a bit annoyed with him (understatement) when he waltzed in.

Each of us were trying to prove our points without actually fighting - which is quite the challenge for us! So there was a lot of heavy banter borderlining on smart assism (new word, like it?). Now, let's not get into the details. All you need to know is that I was feeling neglected.....and then, in streak of unluckiness, I fell down the stairs. I didn't fall full out, I really just missed the last step, but it made quite the commotion you would have thought there were broken bones. I rolled my ankle and screamed out. My husband didn't care! I hobbled up the stairs in the most pathetic manner imaginable and still received zero sympathy. So since I was already annoyed (again to say the least - truthfully I was downright ticked), I decided to scream "ouch" again to see if he would pay attention this time.

Still nada.

Now, by this point, my ankle pain had subsided, I'll admit it. It still did hurt, but I could have moved on with my life if I wanted to. Then my husband said, well let me see what we can do since I promised to take care of you "in fakeness and in health." Clearly I couldn't let him get away with calling me a faker! I had to soldier on and stick to my guns that I was injured. So I teetered over to him and he, in an exaggerated faker voice, pretended to care that I fell. He offered to take me to the ER (attempting to call my bluff) but I respectfully declined.

Keep in mind we both know the other is full of it. He is very much aware that my ankle doesn't hurt and I am very much aware that he knows this and wouldn't care if it did hurt. But we both had a point to prove.

So he ushers me to the chair, elevates my foot in the most dramatic fashion imaginable and then runs to the freezer (crap!).

Me: Hon, what are you doing?

H: Getting you ice!

Me: Oh, okay.

H: Well don't you think that is a good idea? You are so injured we don't want it to swell.

Me: Um....yeah, that is a great idea. I should have thought of that!

I couldn't possibly back down now. We are both trying not to laugh our rear ends off - it was soooo hard. It was a stand off. Eyes squinted, corner of our mouths turned up sort of stand off!

So I think in my head, I can wear an ice pack to prove my point...but my husband had other plans in store. He gets one bag of ice, fine. Then he gets another bag of ice!! Then he gets gauze!! He then proceeds to put a pack of ice on each side of my ankle and encase the entire foot in gauze so I couldn't escape the ice. I had no choice but to keep the charade up!

[Chrissy if you are reading, I think you get this whole story line and why it had to go down the way it did. You have no idea how annoyed I was that he wasn't "saying uncle."]

Ever so kindly he escorts me down the stairs. Every 30 seconds he asks me if the ice is too cold and I assure him that ice can never be too cold if it will cure my pain :) Oh yes, I am good. He is getting irked by now. He grabs my ankle and squeezes it with all his might telling me compression is good when he is really just trying to get me to cave because of the freezing ice. I didn't budge an inch (because at this point, I am just flat out numb)!

Then comes the Healthy Choice steam bowl commercial debate over whether I made my dinner correctly based on the procedure performed during the commercial (we were watching Dancing with the Stars. My choice since I was in so much pain :). Confusing, I know, but stick with me. Luckily for TiVo I tell him I would be willing to rewind to see who is right if he wants to place a friendly wager. He says that I can take my ice pack off if I am right.

bleep bleep ::TiVo rewind sound:: and guess who is right! ME!

So the ice comes off and by this time we are laughing hysterically. He decides he should test my range of motion to which I decide to give it one last shot and wince at the insurmountable pain caused by flexing my foot. At that point, I think he might have started to have doubts about my faking! I will never verbally confirm with him that it didn't hurt that bad - that would make me a loser.

I realize how juvenile this all sounds...I get it. But trust me it made sense to us based on our previous arguments, etc. And it was all in good fun. I wouldn't have even bored you with the story, but I had some cute pictures to go along with it. Our dog, Bailey, is very intuitive when something is wrong and he was very concerned for me. He clearly wanted to take my pain away:

OK I know that was both confusing and stupid, but I have one heck of a cute pup don't I?

OUCH!

2007-10-15T10:00:00.001-04:00

Saturday I went to the outlet mall (the only source of shopping in a 2 hour radius from me) and hit up Banana for some triple point action.

Well, I injured my left arm. I was talking on my cell with Kelli on my right arm, and throwing over all my try on stuff over the left arm. All was good. I tried on and left with 4 sweaters, a dress and 2 pairs of jeans. I don't have pictures because it was outlet stuff so they aren't on the site any longer.

But fast forward to Saturday night...my left arm hurt SO badly that I took 2 muscle relaxers to go to bed. Sunday my arm hurt so badly that if I tried to pick anything up, my arm started shaking! and Monday the pain is the same! It hasn't healed in the least bit! I tell ya, the things one does for a shopping trip!

I think the moral of this story is twofold:

1. Beauty is pain; and
2. I am out of shape.

So today is day 1 of what I like to call -- Lean Cuisine Stacy! Hey, it's a feeble start, but a start nonetheless.

Choo of the Week 10-14-07

2007-10-15T10:00:00.000-04:00

I think these are going to be my next purchase :) I am going to wait a while and see if anything else strikes my fance though since I change my mind often!

Click here for more info.

Eric/Ethan Comment Watch

2007-10-08T11:28:00.000-04:00

Sadly, it is not happening. He (or his assistant) has logged on since my comment and a bunch of crazies have pushed my comment way down the page...I am probably not even on the first page anymore. Seriously, one girl told him that she named her son after him.....Seriously? I am NOT one of them crazy soap fans -- so to prove my point, I hereby give up. Farewell my dear!

Mackinaw Island

2007-10-07T15:02:00.000-04:00

I am about two and a half weeks behind on my life overall. Bills I was supposed to pay 2 weeks ago, gifts I was supposed to send, Emails I was supposed to return, and blogs I was supposed to write are just now getting taken care of.

So as I may have mentioned, my parents came to visit us in Michigan for the first time! It was pretty exciting having them come and visit. It was almost like after 3 years of living here, they were finally putting their stamp of approval on my life.

After a week of in-depth cleaning, something I never ever do, the house was as ready for company as it could be without selling our dogs and moving.

They flew in on Friday and courtesy of Airtran (the same carrier that granted me my worst travel day ever, as you may remember), their flight was late forcing them to take a later connecting flight out of Atlanta. So the day at the cider mill was cancelled much to my dismay. We figured if we can't bring the folks to the cider mill, then we would bring the cider mill to the folks. So they finally got in from their flight with fresh apple pie, cider and cider donuts awaiting them.

After settling in we went to Genji's -- a great Japanese restaurant in town. It is the kind that cooks in front of you; although, we really could have done without that because the food is good on it's own. By the time we got home it was fairly late (around 10:30) so we had some coffee (I guess that is what parents do at all hours) and then hit the hay because we had an early morning planned.

Saturday morning we drove up to Mackinaw Island. It is an island in between the upper and lower penninsulas of Michigan. They allow no motors on the island so the only mode of transportation is by horse, horse carriage, bike or by foot. It is really quaint and pretty. They have one of the largest population (? is that the right word) of lilacs and have a big festival there in the springtime. Our purpose for going was to see all the leaves change color and to travel a bit further up north so my parents could experience the fall air. Sounds silly, but if you live in Florida, you would appreciate it.

[side note: do NOT stay at the Chippewa! It was a nightmare! $150.00 a night and our bathroom smelled like mold and our external AC flooded all over our suitcase. They were kind enough (NOT) to give us a $30 discount.]

Here are some pictures from our trip:

My favorite church that was shipped over from France...or England...somewhere, I forget.

I just adore this little pig!

Our horses: Molly and Cody.

The only horse my husband tells me I ever might own - It's wooden. But hey, I kind of like it.

Little Stone Church and LOOK! There is a bride getting ready to walk down the aisle!! Naturally I wanted to stop the horses but I tried my best not to look crazy. They say that it is a two year waiting list to get married at this church and that people often put their name down even if they don't have a fiance! Not sure about security deposits, that is the firs thing I thought of too.

Sunday we traveled home along I-19 which runs along Lake Michigan and has been dubbed, "The Tunnel of Trees." It is a small, barely two lane road with no center line (which is incredibly scary) and all of the trees form together over the roadway to make a holloway. It was beautiful! There are ginourmous houses tucked back in the woods if you look closely also. We thought it would be a cute 20 minute drive to get to our destination, Petoskey, but it was more like an hour drive. I am glad we went that way, but after the 1st 20 minutes, we had seen our fill of trees.

Forgive the not-so-creative photos here. Picture me in the back seat wiggling my way out the sunroof with my camera and my dad getting very angry at me. It was a snap and go situation.

Our next stop was Petoskey, a small town with lots of shops and boutiques. My mother and I went shopping and the men headed off to the casino. We spent about 3 hours walking around from shop to shop and figured it was about time to make sure our husbands weren't spending more money than we did. Well we got there and they were not pleased, which meant that we were heading no where fast.

To get us to go away, they gave us money to gamble with. Typically when this happens, my mother and I disappear and pretend to be playing slot machines and then just tell them that we lost our money. But this time we were stupid and bored and actually gambled our money away. Needless to say, the house always wins and the odds were not in our favor. Like ol' Kenny says, "You've gotta know when to fold 'em." Clearly, we did not listen to ol' Kenny.

So around 7 we decided to start our 4 hour drive home!! Kill me now! It was such a long day!! We had a great time though.

Monday came and went quickly. We went to Bronner's Christmas Store and bought a bunch of Christmas supplies and then went to the antique store and did some shopping. Tuesday we bid farewell. It was just the perfect length of time to see your parents.

This is the first time I ever had "company" in my house though and let me tell you...it is exhausting! Hubs and I went to bed every night so mentally exhausted you would have thought we spent our days curing cancer -- we felt like we were using our minds that much.

So that catches you up on "me." Thank goodness for blogs or else I would be lost in terms of what everyone else has been up to. After this post, I am officially caught up on my emails and everything else that has been sliding by :) Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Eric/Ethan Friend Watch

2007-10-05T09:50:00.001-04:00

Ok Eric/Ethan added me as a friend on MySpace. Granted he adds everyone, but it is a step in the right direction. I commented to him, so let's see if he comments back (wishful thinking). So we are officially OFF Operation Friend Watch and ON Operation Comment Back Watch.

Stay Tuned.

Choo of the Week (10-04-07)

2007-10-04T20:44:00.000-04:00

OK I am going to start posting my choos so that I can archive them. Many of my favorites have already been up and now they are gone :( So they will be featured on the side and then a quick post about them so they can be referenced in the archive tool bar for people who need to go back.

Following with my grey obsession (I just bought a graphite colored gel Bobbi Brown eyeliner) here are some pretty hotsy totsy shoes!

http://www.net-a-porter.com/product/22936

Eye Candy and a Thank You!

2007-10-03T13:21:00.000-04:00

Let me preface this post by making it clear that I am not a psycho fan. I have never had the crazy Brad Pitt crush and the like. However, there are two people that I find pretty darn exquisite in this world and I do get "little girl like" over. They are:

Days of Our Lives soap star James Scott (AKA "EJ Wells").

AND

Passions soap star Eric Martsolf (AKA "Ethan" of the Ethan and Teresa phenomenon referred to as "ET").

[Note that the backgrounds in both pictures are the same so that means there was a whole lotta hottness on set that day!]

Anyway, this post is more about the amazingness of people and womankind!

I was chatting with Sarah, who I have never met but have been lucky enough to get to know through the wonder that is The Knot and through our wedding planning adventures, quite awhile back and somehow we got on the topic of Passions. I think it all stemmed from our mutual affection for Days of Our Lives if I am not mistaken, and it snowballed from there.

Sarah's husband is in the Broadway show, Jersey Boys, and she is one lucky duck of a wife who gets to travel around the U.S.A., with her hubby supporting him and watching his shows. Doesn't that sound like the life? Anyway, she mentioned that she has seen Eric Martsolf backstage at the show! Seriously? If only you could have seen me! I was ready to book a flight out to California to see her (and Eric :::sigh:::) that instant! I was pretty sure Sarah would let me ride her coattails back stage and gawk :) And seriously? Who wouldn't gawk at this?

[Note: He Eric/Ethan is married, and no I don't have any fatal attraction like tendencies or unrealistic expectations. I really just wanted to meet him in a non-psycho manner. period.]

Getting back to my desire to head to west...you can only imagine my husband's face when I told him I wanted to go to California to visit a girl that I really like even though I have never met...but in addition to her coolness, I really want to meet a soap star that spends most of his days shirtless. It did NOT go well. He told me I can get together with Sarah when/if she ever moves back to Michigan and until then, no hunks for me. BOO! I think it always shocked my husband when we play "who is your celebrity freebie" that mine wasn't some blockbuster name. It almost has the same effect as saying "so and so from my office."

Fast forward I would guess two months? Whatever the time frame was, enough time had passed for me to forget the association between Sarah, her husband, Jersey Boys and Eric/Ethan and the conversation alltogether. Sarah and her husband had even moved onto another tour location so it was far out of my mind.

So, last week I get a mysterious package in the mail with no return address (drats!). Imagine my surprise when I open it up and find a personalized and signed 8x10 of Eric/Ethan?! I was like, "Where in the world did this come from?" My husband's interest was quite piqued and he was fairly worried that I was teeny bopper enough to join his fan club.

Suddenly it hit me that it was probably Sarah! I emailed her and sure enough she went out of her way to get me an autograph! Apparently she covertly got my address from a friend (sneaky sneaky), and then she or her husband emailed him (to his personal email - gasp!) and gave him my address asking for the favor. How nice is that - coming from someone that doesn't even know me in real life?! It was completely unexpected and even more appreciated! THANK YOU SARAH! I would love to return the favor to you one day, but I don't roll with high falooting celebs like you do ;)

I love out of the blue surprises and this was definitely one of them! I have never had an autograph from any celebrity before so this is my first official one and even better yet, it is actually to me and not just a generic one that is pre-signed.

Now back to the pseudo psycho in me....I was DISCUSSED with Eric/Ethan! For the 2 minutes it took him to autograph that photo, lick the envelope shut, and address said envelope (the writing was the same - I checked), Stacy MyLastName (how specific!) was on Eric/Ethan's mind!! Is that not the craziest thing you have ever heard of?

I just requested to be his friend on MySpace where I plan on thanking him for the mailing...what *IF* he comments back? We are officially on comment watch people! Get ready!

Here is a picture of my autographed picture:

And a close up of the writing :)

I haven't decided where this picture should go as it definitely needs to hold a place of honor! I thought I was going to put in my office at work, but then if I ever want to go to lunch one day and never come back (a girl can dream) then I can't. So I think it is going to get framed and go above my computer at home where I spend way too much time.

So as you can see, that was a whole lotta excitement in my mailbox for one day! ;)

Also, it might bring up a topic for another time: Soap stars....in all their beauty, why are they wasted on the small screen? I just don't get it.

THANK YOU SARAH!!

Grey with Envy

2007-09-27T14:46:00.000-04:00

Water Water Everywhere and Not a Drop to Drink :(

I am on a shoe fast...well really a fast on all things that cost money. I am not sure how long it wll last but at the moment it seems indefinite.

Since I am loving all things grey at the moment, we can add these pretty little ladies from Christian Louboutin to my list. It is starting to get depressing.

I also need a grey purse:

My friend just got this Botkier bag as a birthday gift and I am grey with envy! I get ideas in my head and don't rest until I am satisfied...sadly killer grey pumps and a grey bag are the prize I have my eyes on. This "fast" is really putting a damper on my fall style :(

Donations?

Neiman Marcus Sale Extended

2007-09-25T09:21:00.000-04:00

The NM sale has been extended 1 day and here is a code for free shipping in September:

NMSEPT

Happy Shopping :)

Chanel Price Increase

2007-09-25T09:02:00.000-04:00

It is just sad....

Beginning on 11/1, it has been reported that Chanel is increasing their prices an astounding 22-23%!! This means you may end up paying an additional $1,000.00 for some bags.

On Nov. 1st I will probably be wearing black because it will be the official day that my hopes and dreams of ever owning a Chanel GST will die.

So IF you roll like that...GO. BUY. Before it's too late.

On a positive note - I understand their desire to remain exclusive so on that point, I applaud them I guess...

Book Review: My Sister's Keeper

2007-09-24T20:12:00.000-04:00

OK I am interjecting a book review. Which I would normally deem too boring, but trust me - I wouldn't write this up if I didn't LOVE this book!

I read a LOT. If I am really into it, a book a week....if it just okay, a book every other week. Sometimes I have more than one book going at once which I try not to do - but it happens often because the mood will strike me and if my book isn't there I just buy another one and go to town.

I really like chick lit that doesn't mean very much or add to my substance in any way. To balance this out, I sort of try to read one semi-intelligent book per 2 chick lit books. Normally that consists of biographies of Henry VIII's wives, or Marie Antoinette (not sure why this stuff facsinates me, but it does), but this time I read My Sister's Keeper by Jody Picoult.

Here is a short synopsis from Jody Picoult's website:

Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate - a life and a role that she has never questioned… until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister - and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable… a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves. My Sister's Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child's life… even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less?

It is really a thought provoking and emotional book. I was in tears througout the novel and it really left me feeling unsettled in a good book sort of way. I have heard many people talk about this book in the past (at my hairdresser's most often) but it wasn't until I was up north this weekend at Brian's grandparent's house and Grandma just got done with this book that I finally went for it. I typically try to steer clear of books that I know will make me sad since I like to be happy. But I don't regret reading it and can't wait to read more from Jody Picoult. I can't recommend it enough!

ENJOY!

For the Record...

2007-09-23T13:16:00.000-04:00

The trial I was attending is finally over! Since I am not an attorney you wouldn't think that my last two weeks was very tough, but it is! My input is really utilized and put to use. When the attorney is giving his opening statement, it is his voice, but they are MY words. Everything is time sensitive. If you don't object in time you are out of luck. If you remember something after you close your proofs, you are out of luck. I never realized that the seemingly simple task of being alert was so tiresome until my first civil trial. This is my third since we are lucky enough to not have to go to trial often and every time we go, I learn more about the system and figure out more and better ways to be prepared. So it was a busy and stressful two weeks.

Most judges' motto is to "hurry up and wait." Meaning they want you there at 9 a.m., and they want you back from lunch at 1 p.m., knowing that they have other matters to take up and you will have to sit there for a good 45+ minutes. So a good portion of my day is listening to arraignments and sentencings. It is depressing and I am happy that I don't work for a criminal attorney. But while I was watching other matters being handled I began to think that while I don't always agree with the legal system...there are 2 things in the legal/court world that would benefit us in real life: "discovery" and the wonderful "record."

When you file a lawsuit the court gives a set amount of time for discovery. It is a time for you to....come on, work with me.....discover what the other party's stance is on certain topics and then decide if you want to get into that topic on the record when you are in court. Most of the time this is in the form of written interrogatories or even better, depositions.

Think of how helpful discovery would be in your life. For instance - IF I had the liberty of discovery I could find out how ticked off my husband would be if I opted NOT to go to his mother's birthday party tonight. If I discovered that this would not make him happy, I simply wouldn't bring it up on the record. Even better is when the answer on the record in court is different than what is discovered during a deposition. If this happens, you can then use the discovery deposition to impeach the other person making them look like a liar. Think of how many arguments this would prevent!! People would never surprise you with their answers in an effort to not be impeached.

Which brings me to "the record." All day long in court we are "back on the record" or "off the record." Oh how I wish I had a record of my day to day conversations. My own little court reporter typing away a million words a minute. That way when my husband was surprised (read: angry) that I got a shipment from Nordies the other day, and when I reminded him that I already told him I purchased something and he conveniently didn't remember just so he could stay mad....I could say, "Well, honey let's consult the record. Ah, here it is....On 09-10-07, at 1:13 p.m. I told you that 'I am ordering a dress for Ashley's wedding from Nordstroms today' and you said 'oh really? that's nice.'" I would remind him that there were no objections made on the record at that time so I proceeded with the dress purchasing.

My husband forgets a lot of the things I say - which means he just doesn't listen, doesn't care, or doesn't want to retain the info so he can argue it at a later date when he officially forms his opinion. My opinion is that it is the latter. He often claims to never have specific conversations with me and it drives me MAD! Because I can't prove the conversation took place even though I know full well that it did. If it was all on the record, this would never happen and I think life would have a few less bumps in the road because of this. Makes sense right?

Oh and by the way, the dress does NOT hold in my bust, so the Nordies dress is going back. It is a shame, because if not for that, the dress is super cute (for those of you who remember it - it came in lime green also and would look really cute on someone for the wedding, just not me - BUY it!) but I looked and there is no way to alter it any differently. The search continues and I shall soldier on!

Yoo Hoo!!

2007-09-18T20:08:00.000-04:00

Well hello! I think this has been the longest I have gone without blogging since I started this blog. I have been a busy bee! Here is my bulleted list of what I have been up to:

I have been in Trial for my job for 2 weeks, which leaves me away from my beloved computer and therefore, friends. Being turned "on" for that many hours in a day really exhausts me and so the computer has not been on my list of things to do and sleeping in my bed HAS.
Due to being in the germy courthouse, I have gotten a nasty cold which hasn't helped things.
I had a Kappa Delta Alumnae meeting where we went to see The Nanny Diaries. It was super cute.
I went out of town this past weekend up north to my husband's grandparent's house. We had a relaxing time and the dogs of course had a ball in the lake.
The Noles won against Colorado and we actually had that game televised which is a double bonus!
My parents are coming to visit NEXT weekend, so I have a TON of cleaning and preparing to do! They have never been to my house up in Michigan before so this is huge for me!

So moving on, this is a little segment I like to call "Stacy learned a brand new trick." Yes, my tricks are tired and old and everyone on earth apparently knows how to do it but me, but I just got a hold of it in Photoshop and so here are my fun photos in ALL of their glory! Roll with me on this one!

As you know, I bought a bad ass new camera recently and going out of town this past weekend was the first opportunity I had to really play with it. I didn't really get the concept down and there are far too many photos of apples, but you have to crawl before you walk right?

[Disclaimer: I do NOT pretend to be a photographer...I would like to one day be good enough to call it a hobby though. I also have very limited knowledge of photoshop and so taking pictures helps me learn a bit more and more.]

Here are some more of my favorites from the weekend:

Oh yes, I did! Horrible I know....

So anyway, that is that. We had a good weekend - as you can see there were a lot of "nature walks" and apple picking which is SO not me, but since I had the pups along and my camera, I didn't mind much. Also at the end of the day there was a nice apple pie involved :) It is nice to be alone out there in the woods as long as there is a dirt path to keep me clean. Even Daisy got to come in her pink T-shirt. She looked just a little bit out of place.

Hopefully I will start to have some more interesting stuff for you soon. I have been a boring girl lately - haven't even been shopping to show off any new purchases :(

I hope everyone has been good and I can't wait to get back to my desk.

A "W" for the Noles!

2007-09-11T20:50:00.000-04:00

So one of the huge downfalls to living in Michigan when you went to college in Florida is missing some of the games which aren't televised in the north. Last year my husband sprung for the "sports package" with our cable company so I wouldn't miss out on any of the games, but that was a big old waste of $$ because there still were quite a few games missing.

So since I missed this week's game against UAB, I can proudly inform you that the Noles won this week! They beat UAB 34-24.

Since I can't report on the details, if you are interested, click HERE to read about them.

Antone Smith got knocked out during the third quarter - hang in there buddy! We need you back!

Sorry about the dull subject matter today people! But honestly, what is going to top the Britney debate below (you know, the one where people are purposely avoiding addressing the GREAT argument I made on BLS's behalf just so they can be uber jeally and Brit-Bash? Yep, that one.)?

Britney: 2007 VMAs, The Theory

2007-09-10T13:11:00.000-04:00

OK let's talk about it people. If you know anything at all about me, it is that I am one heck of a Britney fan.

It all started back in 2000 when my best friend, Kelli, and I came out of the closet with our Brit Brit loving. We were first in line on any release day of her albums. And we didn't buy one copy and burn it either...we each wanted our very own copy complete with pictures and shout outs.

In 2002, Kelli and I traveled from Tallahassee to Miami for Britney's concert. We paid a whopping $350.00 EACH to sit in the 3 rd row. The single best concert we have EVER been to! Seriously! People can whine and complain about how Britney can't sing. But in all fairness, I am not sure she ever claimed she could? She is a performer! And a damn good one too!

I submit to you that this is not the end of Britney Spears! No! She will have her comeback, last night was just simply not it. In all her years of performing this is the one and only single time I have not seen her "kill it." So I will give her a pass. A lot of you are probably thinking 'no' but I bet you are taking her personal life into account here....don't do that, that is not our problem or our business...just look at her performances and videos. She has ALWAYS delivered! (Hit Me Baby One More Time, Oops I Did it Again, Slave, Boys, Toxic, Me Against the Music....I could be here all day people!)

So, let's get into the meat of today's discussion. How badly Britney bombed at the VMAs.....

Let's first outline the complaints:

She looked fat.
She lipsynched.
She didn't lipsynch.
She almost tripped.
She looked like she didn't know what she was doing.
She didn't look like she wanted to be there.
She didn't know the routine or really have much of a routine.

Now let's talk about a few of them.

1. She looked fat.

Seriously? Do you look better in a bra and panties? Did you just have 2 kids? Was your last one under a year ago? If your answers are yes and yes, then I applaud you, but I will be the judge of that! I bet a lot of people who claim yes - are not so much. I have yet to have A child, let alone 2 and I will kill to look like her!

I will admit that I feel there were certain times where it almost looked like she was pushing her tummy out causing unflattering angles (similar to the photo below), but I think those could easily be fixed by just improving her posture. I further admit that while she is NOT fat, there is a more flattering outfit out there for her somewhere and she should have opted to wear something different.

But please people....do NOT call her fat! It is an absurd statement and I just won't tolerate that at all!

2. She lipsynched.

I won't tolerate this business either. MOST people lipsynch. Especially if you are a performer who incorporates dancing. It is virtually impossible to dance at the (usual) level that Britney does without becoming winded and unable to sing. So either you get a non-dancer who sings, or a dancer who gives you the whole package. What does it matter? It is still her voice. So while you can argue that she is not a good lipsyncher, you need to throw out the complaint that she participates in the act.

4. She almost tripped.

Is this the best you got? Get over it! People trip - do we remember Miss USA? Carrie Bradshaw on the runway anyone? I find this argument weak also. Also, there is supposed evidence that the heel to her shoe was breaking, but we will wait to hear more on that one.

Now you will notice I skipped some numbers....they come into play in a moment.

There are 2 stories circulating. I am a subscriber to one theory and I plan to keep my ears open for more information confirming this theory.

Theory #1: Britney knew that Sarah Silverman was planning on making fun of her children and so she sort of copped out.

I do not believe this as a viable excuse for the pop star's poor performance.

Theory #2: Due to the secrecy Britney and Chriss Angel were trying to maintain about the details of the opening, the VMAs were unaware of the routine. The VMAs demanded to be made aware of what the songstress had planned and upon hearing the details, told her due to insurance/liability reasons, they could not allow it. This left Britney without the bulk of her planned routine.

This report was brought to us from Kelli from Atlanta, who heard it on her local radio station and quite frankly, I am buying what she is selling!

Let's look at the clues:

- We knew that Chriss Angel had been working with Britney for WEEKS and yet, we saw zero magic performed in the opening.

- Britney didn't know her routine and looked like she didn't know what she was doing. Maybe, just maybe that is because she had to come up with a new one a few mere hours before she was due to go on. In light of this, I commend Britney for going through with it. She could have pulled diva behaviour and backed out, but she soldiered on!

- She looked like she didn't want to be there - well no crap! If the VMAs put a monkey wrench in what was being called my "come back" then I would be pissy too!

- If you look back, you will notice that Britney, almost humbly, mouthed 'thank you' to the crowd after the routine was over. I think this thank you was more of an "I'm sorry" as speculated by Perez Hilton. While I agree with Perez that she was saying sorry and that she knew she sucked, I disagree with Perez about the reasoning behind it. I don't think it was because she was out all week partying. Brit had to have known that too much was riding on this performance. I think she was saying, "I'm sorry, this was the best I could do under these circumstances...I just got screwed over by the VMAs and now I am going to suffer for it." Go back to the TiVo and watch the "thank you" with that thought in mind and it will make absolute sense!

So that is my story and I am sticking to it!

Also I would like to point out that Britney has never:

A. Been arrested unlike many a young celebs; or

B. Released a sex video.

I would also like to point out that everyone is super hard on her! A few weeks ago, Brit was photographed with her children on a yacht and the children did not have life preservers on. People made their judgmental comments (biotches). Later that week, Courtney Cox and David Arquette had their daughter Coco on a friggin kayak without a life preserver and they got praised for having such a close knit family. That annoyed me!

Despite all that I have said, I will not forgive Brit for opting just not to lipsynch the majority of the song. It's HER song, she should know it. So on that point, I will agree :)

I believe she needs to hire a stylist, a personal assistant and a better publicist (I am available for any or ALL of those jobs Brit!!), but I also believe she has a come back in her. I have the utmost confidence in our girl Brit.

And yes, I am aware that I had to carve out time in my evening to do this post, and that may potentially mean that I am a loser, but I am tired of people giving her a hard time! Remember, every time you point a finger there are 3 pointing back at YOU! (try it)

So let's sign off remembering all the OTHER VMA performances that she did a great job at:

FSU v Clemson

2007-09-04T09:14:00.000-04:00

Last night was The Bowden Bowl. Where father/son coaches Bobby and Tommy Bowden face off for the first game of the season!! It is one of the most exciting games of the year for me and I was so very much excited!

This weekend while everyone else was BBQing and relaxing, Brian and I were installing new flooring in our bedroom (pictures are to come). We ripped up our carpet and began the tedious task of nailing down hardwood floors. We are so tired and so sore we can barely walk! BUT this whole project was centered around being done by 8:00 p.m., Monday evening to watch Bowden Bowl 2007. We collapsed onto the couch from sheer exhaustion and watched with hopeful hearts...

So.....we lost. Clemson 24, FSU, 18. It was pretty painful, I am not going to lie. FSU always seems to get into gear in the second half. I have seen it time and time again - but at that point it is too little, too late. I really felt like the winds were changing for the Seminoles this year. But the wind went directly out of my sails when I saw Drew Weatherford starting again. I think he is the worst QB I have seen at FSU in my lifetime. I am no expert by any means, but he is a wimp and half the time I am wondering what he was thinking or what imaginary Seminole did he see on that section of the football field? I also believe that we were slighted on the last call of the game. Should they have called it a catch, we would have had 2 more seconds to put the ball into the end zone and we would have been victorious!!

My husband and I watched the entire game and cheered whole-heartedly. Let's just put it out there, I believe in the power of the chop.

I even did the Double Chop (2 handed) and convinced my husband to participate in a new version of the chop I like to call the Matrimonial Chop. I figured if God joined us as husband and wife, surely us holding hands and then chopping together would bring the 'Noles better luck!

Alas, our efforts did not travel through the television airways and into Death Valley (what a silly name for a Stadium in North Carolina?). We have been defeated again....and if we are being honest, this is the 4th Bowden Bowl we have lost in a row. It was a sad day in Tallahassee and for FSU alumnae everywhere.

Stay tuned for next week when we play University of Alabama....I have the faith that the Tallahassee swagger will return once we are on our home turf!

Darcy has a home!

2007-09-02T12:46:00.000-04:00

I know a lot of you were interested in hearing some follow up on Darcy the stray dog. She finally has a home!

After a lot of tears over what to do with her to ensure that she didn't end without a home or worse, euthanized, the couple that watches our dogs when we go out of town for the weekends decided to keep her. They watched her for us the weekend that I went to Orlando and obviously fell in love with her.

I guess I am okay with this decision. There was a girl that I really was hoping would get her, but since this couple watched her - we felt they should have first choice. Since they watch our dogs, I obviously know that they are nice people and dog lovers.

I am a *little* sad that she isn't staying with us because she was more well behaved than my own dogs, but my husband is 100% right that we cannot have 5 dogs! So all in all I am relieved that she is settled and will hopefully have a happy life!! So please everyone send 'happy new family vibes' to Darcy - Bye Darcy!!

Shopping for the Fall

2007-09-02T12:10:00.000-04:00

So, when you see me all stressed out over what to wear in the fall - you should really be seeing a frantic Floridian freaking out about the impending winter. I have lived in the tundra for three years now and should be well prepared for all of this, but my blood hasn't changed and the heated seats go on in my car at 60 degrees. Therefore when I feel the brisk autumn air start to come into town, I immediately start running around like a squirrel getting ready to hibernate. I NEED supplies!! I need sweaters and thick socks, a new scarf - maybe this is the year I will be a hat girl....every department store website begins to get 100 hits a day from my IP address. It is madness!!

I really just need to shut up and calm down, but I get really hyped up and upset. I really do like the fall because you feel "cozy" all the time and you can build fires. But when I think about the bitter cold months to follow, I just want to crawl into bed and wake up in May (yes I said MAY because it can still snow here in April which is absurd!!).

So last weekend when I was in Florida I was thrilled when one of my best friends, Kerry, drove over to Orlando from Tampa to take me out shopping. As you know, there are NO good stores where I live which is why most of my purchases are of the online variety. So I was super excited to go to Neimans, Saks, Nordies, Anthropologie, all my favs!!

Here is a picture of Kerry and I just for fun:

Anyway, we went out and about and I found NOTHING. I did not make a single purchase and I was really in the mood for a present! I wanted a fall handbag only to learn that the one I was lusting after online is too big and ugly in person. I wanted to purchase my first real pair of boots only to find that I am simply NOT a boot girl. I really tried, but I just think they are all ugly. I am not trendy enough to wear tall boots and a dress because I think it looks ridiculous. So no boots and no fall handbag :(

Also in rare supply were cute sweaters. I really need sweaters. Typically I wear normal clothes throughout the winter and just wear a scarf and jacket (both Burberry in case you were wondering) and just SCURRY as fast as I can from the car to whatever building and back again. But I really want to be prepared this winter. So I wanted to invest in NICE sweaters that would last me more than one season and look good on me. I always feel sweaters look so bulky and I decided it is because they are cheap....but the expensive or moderately priced sweaters are fug also. On top of everything, you would like to remain stylish but the bottom line is that it is 20 below outside and a girl needs to survive!

So my Orlando shopping spree was a bust :( But at least I got some great QT with Kerry. I loved that I haven't seen her since May and she just swung by the hotel and picked me up. We went to the mall just like we had seen each other yesterday and then she dropped me back off and we said goodbye like we would see each other in a week. It was very refreshing!

So when I got back to my crappy home town, I hit the internet and searched every site imaginable!! Macy's, Dillards, Neimans, Nordies, Saks, Banana, Ann Taylor, Anthropologie....am I missing anything?? And found NOTHING that I liked. There is 1 sweater that I am luke warm about and will probably purchase next week, but it has short sleeves!

Only I just looked and they no longer have it in my size. I cannot friggin win here! If any of you see any Vince cashmere sweaters on sale or anything with an ounce of style and that is actually tailored to flatter a person's body, PLEASE give me a shout!

So, my final thought for the day is: I am less than thrilled with 2007's fall fashion lineup.

Signing off as: About to freeze my buns off in Michigan.

Melissa's Wedding Part II

2007-08-28T20:44:00.001-04:00

**let's just get this out of the way. I asked for my hair to be darker and shorter on Wednesday when I got my hair did. My stylist did exactly what I asked him to do so I cannot fault him for it, but I am well aware that my hair looks fug. Here is a picture of my mom being surprised by my doo...let's all laugh and let's all then move on.

(It actually looks okay right there, but there are other pictures below)

So after the whole AirTran fiasco I really really tried to sleep in on Saturday. But my internal alarm clock was all screwy and it just wasn't happening! I am sure it didn't help matters that I was sleeping on a pull out couch in my parent's time share. Melissa's wedding was at 6:00, and the time to get ready and go came and went very quickly. Because my mother was involved we were almost late (she is always late). Luckily, I know Melissa very well and she is never on time either, so I had a feeling we were going to be okay. Here we are all dressed up and somewhere to go!

In the car we struggled with issue of who to follow? The GPS biotch who I HATE?! Or mapquest, who hasn't steered me wrong yet (once again, pun is intended)? So what did we do? We did the top #1 travel "No No" of all time, which is to listen to mapquest 3/4's of the way, and then get nervous and start listening to GPS. I have a feeling that if we stuck to one or the other we would have shaved 10 minutes off of our time, but since we faltered, we got there at 6:00 p.m., on the dot!!

We got there just in time because we were only seated for about two minutes before the bridal party began to enter. First off, the ceremony was held at the Rollins College chapel. It was GORGEOUS! The kind of church that I would have preferred for my wedding. It had beautiful stained glass windows and awesome lanterns that, if we are being honest, I really wanted to have in my house (you know, the house I don't have with vaulted ceilings?)

True to form, Melissa looked breathtaking! I should say that I was so excited to get awesome photos for my Rebel's first outing (Yes, that is my new camera's name, and no, I didn't make it up. It just works out that it is the name of the model, and just so happens to be a super cool name ;). But for whatever reason, me and Melissa were NOT jiving in the photo department (further evidence to follow below). Since we were the last to arrive we were in the back of the church so I couldn't see well, and the one good shot I got of her coming down the aisle - she had her eyes closed. But whatever, you have to just squint your eyes while looking at her and you won't realize hers are closed.

The ceremony was gloriously short! She was in, married and out in less than 15 minutes! As we left, I got the chance to spot some old friends. Kappa Deltas that were there were: Noelle W., Caroline Abu, and Leighton. They are a bit older than me, but it was wonderful to catch up and see everyone. Also a friend from home, Arwen, and her husband were there. But just as I started to mingle the skies were parting and it was about to rain. We weren't quite sure if the couple was making an exit or not and so my mother said she was NOT sticking around.

So off we went to the reception which took place at the Grand Bohemian in downtown Orlando. I have an unreal sense that I have been there before. I knew where the bathrooms were and I know I had been in the bar area before....I am still trying to figure this one out because so far Kerry can't help me place it and I know I didn't just go gallivanting to events in downtown Orlando by myself (or as my friend, Biddy, likes to call it: Jamlando - I hate when people give stupid names to their cities to make themselves feel cooler for living there ;).

Anyway, we had an hour of cocktailing and then we were escorted into the dining room. WOW! Check out these branchy centerpieces!! They were amazing! Totally awesome and unique and I think they would look fantabulous in a tent wedding!!

Here are the remainder of my photos with some comments here and there :)

Here is the first photo taken of me and Mel...it didn't come out great so I was determined to get a better one. You may remember her from her teeny head and our issue of pictures together because I have a big head. So it was my goal for the evening to make my head look smaller.

The menu and cake. The cake was by Publix further proving that they do a surprisingly fantastic job!

Me and my mom after some wine: 1 for her and 2 for me :) Also, my hair is cooperating here (It is very hit or miss).

Reception decor :)

OK, here we are in the bathroom trying to get a better angle of my head. You will see that my hair is the epitome of fug in this photo.

Then, here we are about to get hit by the bathroom door - we have officially given up! We did not successfully take a photo :( But although the picture stinks, my head does look a bit smaller doesn't it? :)

That is all I have for now. It was a whirlwind of a weekend and I am happy to be back home. Melissa is off in Hawaii on her honeymoon, but I can't wait for her to get back and hopefully see some of her professional photos! I will keep you posted :) Until then....

CONGRATULATIONS MELISSA AND ERIC!

Worst Travel Day EVER!

2007-08-28T11:06:00.000-04:00

[NOTE: I had to tell the entire story for you to understand how exacerbating it all was...but if you do not feel like reading the whole thing, please advance to paragraph 12 :)]

Okay -- so as you all know, I went to Orlando this weekend for my friend Melissa's wedding (I will blog about that separately since I don't want to taint that occasion with my bitching).

I (mistakenly) flew Airtran. I usually like to take Northwest, but since none of their pilots feel like flying, they have decreased their schedule (which has seriously put a damper in my travel plans for the rest of the year and also a huge dent in my LV wallet ;). I was due to fly out at 6:30 p.m., Friday evening and arrive in Orlando (with stop over in the ATL) at approximately 10:55 p.m.

I left work at 4:30 p.m., because it takes about 45 minutes to get to the airport from my house. First, I was driving along and took the wrong exit. Thank God for helpful Chrissy who mapquested my mistake (which was minor) and got me back on the right track. So while she is redirecting me, the tornado sirens go off. Chrissy asks me some silly question like, "Should you be concerned?" I blew it off and said no and that they go off all the time but I never see a tornado. So I get off the cell phone and park my car. The lot was full and I got the last parking space available in the furthest location away from the entrance (which isn't all that far since it is a small airport, but you definitely have to hoof it). So I am organizing myself in the car and notice that the tornado siren is getting louder. I am getting my bags out of the car and opening my umbrella when it dawned on me that I am outside during a blustery rainy day and the tornado siren is going off -- perhaps, I should think about being concerned.

So here is me, with my rolley suitcase and umbrella trotting through the parking lot. I look left, I look right, I look up and back and see no sign of a tornado - but I would be lying if I didn't say that I was slightly nervous.

You see, I have this strange habit of thinking of things in terms of newspaper headlines. If I am in a precarious situation where the news headline is weak, I figure I will be okay. But if it makes for a good story, then I get super nervous. So I picture TORNADO AT FLINT AIRPORT: 1 DEATH AND 13 INJURIES. Clearly I would prefer to be injured over dead, but all in all - I would rather avoid the entire article.

So I start to sprint as fast as I will allow myself to in order to not look stupid. My umbrella was starting to get caught in the wind and was about to do that terribly embarrassing thing where it flips itself inside out (which I simply can't have people seeing that happen to me) so I closed the umbrella. So now I am soaked and make it in to the airport. Great right? WRONG!

I start to go up the stairs to security because I had printed my boarding passes online, but a police officer stops me and directs me to the airport basement!! They evacuated all of the people out of security and back into the basement! First of all, it is sad that the entire occupancy of the airport can even FIT in the basement, much less how sad it was to be there. It was hot and sticky and there were babies crying their heads off. I felt like I was in a concentration camp. There was no seating, it was strictly concrete walls and LOTS of people!

So about 1 hour later we are released from the evil basement's clutches and allowed up to our gates. Smooth sailing from here on out right? WRONG!

I realize that as it stands, I am really going to be cutting it close for my connecting flight. I go up to the counter to see if they have any suggestions: is there another flight? Should I just go home and fly out tomorrow? But their computers were down and they had zero information to give me. So they suggest I call 1-800-AIRTRAN. I do this and luckily learn that there is 1 outgoing flight from Atlanta to Orlando after mine. I asked to be bumped to that flight. Now, I should have known that the girl didn't know what she was doing. I could tell by how many times she put me on hold and how many times she asked the same question over and over again. She just wasn't getting it. But I let it go, and decided to stay at the airport and make a run for it so to speak.

So 4 hours later we start boarding my first flight. They ensure me that Atlanta airport is backed up also and that my chances for making my connection are fairly good. So off I go. Things are looking up right? WRONG! Once on the plane and out on the runway I am grounded for an additional 45 minutes! Good news is (yes there is just a touch of good news) I had a seat to myself - yay!

So now I land in Atlanta and none of the computers are working that show the updated times for flights. I ask a representative what gate I am leaving out of and she informs that I am in the wrong concourse and I better hurry up because it is leaving in 10 minutes. So now I throw caution into the wind, ignore looking stupid and sprint. I sprinted my butt off. I began to sweat and I began to stink to be honest. I finally get to concourse D and then to my gate and they tell me they have no idea what I am talking about, Orlando isn't at this gate it is at D6. So off to D6 I go, that agent says - no, go to D10. D10 says no and I should try D3. D3 is wrong also and finally find my flight out of D4 and it is still here! Great right? WRONG! Still more terribleness to come!

If you are still reading this ridiculousness, I appreciate your commitment :) You either really care about me, really hate me and are delighting in my misfortune, or have lots of time on your hands to read it all :)

So, flight is still here but not leaving until 2 a.m., or 2:45, I can't quite remember. Since the computers were down in Flint, I did not have a printed boarding pass for my new flight (the one I called 1-800-AIRTRAN to get on). So I go up to the desk to get my ticket printed and I got the attitude of the year from Shavaun, the lovely (NOT!) agent at my desk. It should be noted that I am extremely calm for the situation and still am using polite words such as please, thank you, sir and ma'am. This is where it gets sticky. She tells me that she doesn't think I am confirmed on that flight (cursing Airtran). Then I get ignored for a considerable length of time. Then some disgruntled patrons (literally) push me out of the way and start screaming at the agents and pointing fingers in their personal area. I am very surprised security did not intervene. I was a little bit frightened.

In the midst of this hullabaloo a pilot comes up to Shavaun and gives her some papers. Her response to him was SO rude that my jaw literally dropped. I guess I thought she would show him (Captain Neal as I later found out) some respect because he is the mighty one that lands planes safely or maybe just give him some respect because he was. I don't know, a HUMAN BEING?!!!

Either way, Captain Neal got no respect. So he sort of looks at me in a baffled way and I raise an eyebrow at him and tell him she is the friendliest person I have ever met (sarcastically obviously). He asks me what my status is on the flight and I explain the whole situation to him. He says that it is nice to see someone being polite and calm in the middle of all the mayhem. He is smiling the whole time and we are making jokes about friendly Shavaun. Then he takes me old boarding pass and says that he will see what he can do for me and sort of looks me up and down. Suddenly it hits me that we were not joking but flirting (on his end anyway)!!

Obviously I did not mean to flirt with him, I thought we were just joking about the craziness of everyone surrounding us, etc. But once I realized that he was flirting and that he was now taking my old boarding pass to see about getting me on the flight...I couldn't possibly turn back now, could I? So I discretely hide my left wedding ring hand.....OKAY, FINE! I took off my wedding band and hid it in my purse! Are you happy now? Damn me to hell all you want! And truthfully, I do feel awful about it! But it was 2:00 a.m., and I was not in Orlando yet and just wanted to get there!

So Captain Neal comes back and he got me on the plane ahead of all the other people that were screaming bloody murder and on top of that - I was flying first class (singing::::up in the sky, popping champagne, living the life:::G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S::::) or business class whatever they call it now.

So I figured that my innocent smiles and jovial behavior to Captain Neal were worth it because I was on the plane and he was then locked in the pilot control room area where he wouldn't bother me. Woooo Hooo! I was on my way to Orlando! Great right? WRONG...well not wrong...but it was definitely only sort of great because.....

Flash forward to approximately 4:20 a.m.....

We have landed! Yay! I am dead tired at this point and have been in my outfit for 21 hours. I was in no mood for anything else. As I am getting off the plane, I thank Captain Neal for all his help and wish him a good evening. I was thinking that would be the end of it b/c I walked down the flight bridge as fast as I could! Well low and behold Neal was right behind me! He didn't even wait until all the passengers got off the plane! So he walked with me and kept on talking...ugh, I was SO not in the mood for another lost puppy (because I already found a stray earlier in the week). He then asks me out to coffee at 4:30 a.m. I use the excuse of being super tired and my parents were coming, etc. But seriously? Did he think that he was charming enough for me to stick around the airport for coffee at that hour? Delusional! He then tries to exchange numbers and I brushed him off by saying that I hate Orlando and try never to come here. He was not pleased, but oh well.

So that basically concludes my day of traveling. My parents were an additional 30 minutes late picking me up, so I didn't get into a bed until sometime in the 5-6 a.m. area. Not a good start to the weekend but at least it makes for a long blog entry :) Now off to upload wedding photos!!

I Found a Pup!!

2007-08-22T14:26:00.000-04:00

So we found two stray dogs in our office building parking lot today -- SO SAD! They had been clearly attacked (multiple gashes) and have not eaten for SOME time! You cannot really tell from this picture, but Darcy (yes, I already named her) is very malnurished and is nothing but skin and bones.

We spotted the pups from the window and I flew down 4 flights of stairs so quickly it is amazing that I am alive. They were already headed towards the main road when I got there. Luckily they were friendly and came right away. By this time, my co-worker got down there. We just sat there with the dogs for 20 minutes in the rain not sure what to do. You would be amazed at how many people were just like "Oh you found a dog?" and just kept walking into the building. It really ticked me off.

Well after much discussion, my co-worker told me that she would take one if I would take the other. I didn't know what to do - the thought of the pound made me tear up on the spot. So.....yes, Darcy is in my garage as we speak. I would love to be a foster mom to this pup, but I just cannot. I have 4 dogs already and I am pretty sure I need a kennel license to have a 5th - which is absurd.

My husband is being pretty understanding about this issue which is great! This is not the first time I have picked up a stray and brought it home. Darcy is the second one that has made it back to the house (anyone remember Peaches?). Usually I just find them and deliver them to their homes quickly. But with no tags....she is homeless. My husband informed me that I am not to, under any circumstances, invest money into Darcy. His specific requests were no new collars :( and no toe nail painting (which is very upsetting).

She was so thankful for food and water and is really one of the most gentle and sweet natured dogs I have ever met (being that she is in a strange place, etc.). I am praying I find a home for her quickly!! I am hoping my parents will want her, but it is not looking likely.

If anyone in the Michigan area needs a pup and is reading this right now - let me know! How could you not love Darcy?!?!? She is an itty bitty bundle o' joy! Please everyone send me prayers and vibes that I find Darcy a good home.

Ta-Da!

2007-08-21T18:49:00.000-04:00

It's finally mine!! I told myself I would save X amount each month until I had all the money up front, but that didn't happen! I had to have it sooner than later.

So here it is in all its glory - the Canon Rebel XTi:

Isn't it pretty? I have (literally) no clue on how to use it, but I cannot wait to learn how! I am already obsessed with it. The camera store SA (sales assistant) let me play with all the different lenses and I already know what my next purchase will be!! Now I must be patient and wait until I can actually afford a bigger and better lens! I can definitely see this as becoming some new addiction of mine.

Off to read my manuals :)

Seriously Co-Worker? Seriously? Part II

2007-08-21T09:11:00.000-04:00

OK. This is going to require just a little bit of back story. If you can call this scintillating subject matter a "story". Actually I just decided to add scintillating to the list of words I don't like so we will use the word riveting instead.

Every now and then one of the bosses in our office goes out and asks his secretary to buy a LOT of candy. As much as I enjoy taking part in the candy eating, I always get upset because I see the writing on the wall....this is going to be a production. They go around taking orders of what everyone wants. And surprise, surprise when the candy gets home from the store and everyone has what they ordered except me. Seriously? Where are my York Peppermint Patties? They always have some strange alternate candy that they thought I would prefer but everyone else gets just what they requested. Whatever, I asked for something for a reason - but no biggie. That is the not the main annoyance with this tale.

So after the candy comes back to the office the second part of the ridiculousness always ensues. A conversation is started about the huge conspiracy the cleaning people have to eat us out of house and home. So they (the other people that annoy me, NOT me, I take NO part) empty the candy into a nondescript cardboard box so that no one will know what is in there and hide in on the shelf full of office supplies. Then they put just a sample of the candy into a tin so that if there are any looters, they can't get the entire cache. Seriously? Is it that big of a deal?

So, believe it or not, we are still not up to the most ridiculous part. So they come into work and find :::gasp::: Snickers wrappers in the trash. Let the inquisition begin!!! They interviewed everyone in the office trying to see who ate the Snickers. They are really gunning to blame the cleaning people. Seriously? Then at the end of the day when they decided that it was none of us who ate the snickers, they...I kid you not....took an inventory of the candy!!! They counted out x Hershey Kisses, x imitation York Peppermint Patties, x Snickers, X Milky Ways, and so on and so forth. Seriously Co-Workers?!?!? Is the candy (that you didn't even pay for) that important to you? Is it that upsetting that the cleaning staff (that you do not pay for either since it is part of our rent) had a few Snickers? Seriously?????

It is just appalling the amount of time these people have to talk about this stuff! I am NOT exaggerating when I tell you this whole ordeal took up about 2 hours of my day. Now granted, I am just hiding in my office, but it is a small office and I am forced to listen to all of this. WHO in the world has time to take an inventory of office candy?? I can't wait for when they come in today to tally it all up and see if there is someone infiltrating the office! It's probably a big enough deal to call the police (I swear if they mention this, which is not a stretch for them, I will be forced to quit).

Oh and again today with the coffee pot!! Seriously? I had a small electrical fire and a flood last night and my eyes are puffy. You are going to really mess with me and my coffee? AND my candy? It is just wrong!

Random FYI

2007-08-20T14:06:00.001-04:00

This is a segment I like to call Random FYI. Just a random little tidbit about me. They may not make any sense from time to time, but it was just something I was thinking about and had to put it out there. Also I sometimes don't have exact reasons for my feelings on certain subjects. So for today's random FYI -

Words I do NOT like:

Moist;
Damp (this one bothers me more than moist);
Sumptuous;
Succulent;
Scrumptious;
Safety;
Sample; and
Supple (this one is a deal breaker).

Happy 3 Month Anniversary to Us!

2007-08-19T16:52:00.000-04:00

Today marks our three month anniversary!

It is not like we are officially celebrating it or anything like that, but I have to say that I am pretty impressed that it was my husband that pointed out the date to me! On the 19th of the past three months I have asked my husband the same questions:

Are you still happy that we got married?

Do you still love me just as much?

Do you wish anything were different?

They sound like some pointless questions, but it sort of carves out a space for us to reconnect or address any issues. This month I got the answers: yes, even more, and no. Which I like :) Sometimes he throws in there "I wish you would wash my socks more often" but other than that we are smooth sailing.

I am happy to report that although we fight about some ridiculous things, I am still a happy newlywed! As we ALL know, I hate our location. But other than that, I wouldn't change a thing about my life :)

So here's to The Chaps!

And to my husband.....I love you!

Where are my shoes?

2007-08-17T22:29:00.001-04:00

Just a quick vent on a Friday night: I have recently grown attached to a strange pair of shoes. They aren't strange really. They are just very plain nude wedges that my mother bought me a year ago because she thought I would like them. Well, I hated them and ignored them for one full calendar year. Suddenly, without explanation, I like them now. After a few wearings they became as comfy as my flipper floppers.

Anyway, this isn't the point. I am searching high and low around the house and am mysteriously missing a shoe. It doesn't help that I am frantically trying to get out of the house because I was hungry and my husband was bugging me.

Now - I know better and should have known instantly who to blame. I was just about to give up and move on to another pair (although very flustered over the potential loss) when my husband walked in the door and asked my why he tripped on my shoe in the front yard.

That's right, we are the Clampet's with shoes in our yard! What is next? Tires? And who do we have to thank for this? The culprit is none other than this big fella:

Meet Gordon the Beef Cake! He likes to fit as many items into his mouth as possible and carry them around with them. He has some sort of complex we can only assume goes back to his birth (probably abandonment issues) because when you tell him to come with you out any particular room, he frantically scours the floor and picks up as many things as he can find and brings them with him. I have caught him carrying around phones, remotes, a lot of socks, shoes, etc. He can typically fit about 4 things in his monster mouth. Luckily he is a gentle giant and didn't do any harm to the shoe! His new current favorite thing that he refuses to let us have back is our little circle neck pillow thing for the airport. He REFUSES to let it go. Usually I am careful with my shoes, but I obviously slipped up. What a little brat!

A couple of years ago I put the fear of God into one of our other dogs for chewing my Coach wedges. He maimed them. I took them to the cobbler who insisted they were irreparable. I told the cobbler this wasn't acceptable. He "patched" them up and my right shoe literally looks like Frankenstein's shoe. I can only wear them with pants so you don't see the mangled heel. Since all you can see are my toes it works out fine - whatever.

Anyway, I am getting off track again. I sat all 4 of the dogs down in a row and yelled at them for a good hour. I then constructed shoe shelves up high in my closet as opposed to putting my shoes on my floor. Since that day they have never touched another one of my shoes. But today was obviously the day that speech wore off. I will have to plan out my next "little chat" with them.

Melissa's Wedding Part I

2007-08-17T11:51:00.000-04:00

I have been a busy bee in the wedding department lately. I guess we are at that age where your wedding dance cards start booking up! Brian and I had our best man's wedding in April in Ft. Myers, Florida; our fantabulous wedding in May (also in Florida); my dear friend Tim's wedding in Houston in July; June we had off; and now I am back to Orldando, Florida next weekend for my bridesmaid, Melissa's wedding. Keeping in mind that we live in Michigan and have to travel to see anyone, I can't really seem to get ahead with the credit card debt, but that is life :) Luckily I am wedding free until THE most exciting wedding ever in November that I will wait to talk about for another time because there is MUCH to discuss (the fab guestlist, the bride that I didn't know a year ago, but now count as one of my closest friends, the wardrobe - and oh yes - the choos...I mean shoes...I don't think I can afford new choos :( So I will hold onto that one for a while).

Melissa and I have been friends since I was 16 years old and got my very first job at the local fake and bake. We worked at 2 different tanning salons together, went to the same college (Go Noles!), joined the same sorority (KD), and then got married just a few months apart. I finally beat her in the marriage department. Since she is a year older than me she got to do all the fun things first. So I finally got to do something in our lives first :) She met Eric roughly one year ago and they are getting married at the beautiful Rollins Chapel in Orlando.

Yes, my head is very large, but in all fairness,
she has the smallest head I have ever seen...so BACK OFF!

At first I wasn't super excited about going away again because I am a homegirl at heart ;) But this trip is really shaping up. First of all, I got a good airfare. About $200.00 plus tax, which is as good as it gets. THEN I maniuplated, I mean convinced my parents that they should go to their Orlando timeshare that weekend (no hotel fee for me!). And then another bridesmaid of mine, Kerry, might come visit me from Tampa which is about an hour or so drive on Sunday! If this happens, the weekend will be perfect! I will get to see 3 sets of loved ones in one weekend! Melissa and some older Kappa Deltas that I haven't seen for some time, my parents, and my best friend, Kerry! I have a feeling Ker isn't going to make it but I hope she does!

OH, I should have mentioned that Brian can't come :( He can't take off work right now and since we have 4 (yes, we are crazy) dogs, he is going to stay home and watch them. So Mom gets to be my date! For us to be out and about without my Dad is quite the treat!! We are going to paint the town RED...well maybe not red, we are not that crazy, but probably a medium shade of ORANGE will work for us :) And since we are talking about that general color scheme/tone...let's move on to my wardrobe. I am SICK of the little black dress. I am a woman of color by nature, so I feel repressed in black dresses (unless I can spice it up with my ruby red choos and a clutch like this).

But I just wore the above ensemble to Tim's wedding so I am thinking of wearing this dress from Banana Republic, which is now on sale for $79.00 (that always ticks me off because I bought it full price, but haven't worn it yet, so I could have just left it in the store until now):

With these shoes, from BCBG Maxazria (Mirna Slingbacks that come in a gold, bone and black color, very comfy):

They are MUCH more muted in person. So...what do you think? Is this wedding appropriate. Let me know if you don't think so because I still have 1 week to shop! O-Town here I come!

(Stay tuned for Mellisa's Wedding - Part Deux.)

It's Clean!

2007-08-16T19:50:00.000-04:00

I have been in such a lazy, no good, sour-puss mood lately and as a result, my kitchen area has been despicable! Everyday I would just blow through it when I came home and go to the living room where it was less dire. It was not "company ready" to say the least. Well God bless my friend Ashley because she called, we talked for at least 30 minutes if not more, and before I knew it - the kitchen was clean [insert the sweet sound of angels singing]!!! As we chatted I would absentmindedly pick up a new item and put it away (what a concept: putting things AWAY - Brian!). I swept, emptied the dishwasher, loaded the dishwasher, comet-ed the sink, cleaned the refrigerator door, dusted a lighting fixture, cleaned fingerprints off the cabinets...and voila!

Ashley if you are reading, it must be something about you that makes me want to be productive. Because if I was on the phone with lazy Kelli I would be lazy too and sit on the couch (no offense Kel, but you know it's true because you used to file your important documents under your pillow at the KD house so that you didn't have to move ;).

So THANK YOU!!! My kitchen thanks you! And probably the health department, section 8, or whoever condemns houses thanks you too! If you could call back tomorrow for the laundry room that would be ideal ;)

Seriously Co-Worker? Seriously?

2007-08-16T10:47:00.000-04:00

This is a little segment that will be up from time to time. Hopefully not too often. If you don't see this title, then you know I am having a great day.

So here is today's "Seriously?" moment:

Seriously co-worker? You thought it was okay to pretend you were cleaning out the coffee pot last night and instead just dumped the old coffee out and put the pot back onto the stand thingy?? Seriously? Would it really have put you out to rinse out the pot while you were standing at the sink so that this morning I didn't have to re-wash it? Seriously! I know your job is REALLY tough answering the phone a couple times a day and reading a book, so next time you are really into that last chapter just say, "Hey Stace, can you clean out the coffee pot correctly? Because I don't really intend on doing it." That would be a MUCH better answer.

You see, this morning my husband ticked me off to high heaven because he is usually out the door before I even open my eyes in the morning. But instead he spent the morning with me (yay!) because his car is broken down and so he drove me to work and stranded me at my office until 5:00 (double yay!). He cracked unfunny jokes, teased me and poked me all before I had my morning coffee. Then, when he dropped me off this morning, he thought he was super funny when he laid onto the horn VERY loudly and rudely. Since I didn't have coffee yet and am not really used to having to interact with anyone until about 10:00 a.m. when my boss comes in, I lost it. I told him that you do not lay on the horn and honk at a professional office building and that if he can't learn to act professionally he can walk to work.

OK that wasn't very nice...it was a bit of a morning melt down, but again, I am not used to talking to anyone in person (just email) before coffee time. So....I go up to the office grab the pot to make the coffee I have been yearning for and start to fill it up only to notice that there is still coffee from yesterday in it! She messed up and didn't empty it all....I found myself wondering how many times have I had coffee out of a dirty pot?

Needless to say, this did not cheer me up. I had to clean out the pot myself and start the coffee....I am better now that I have had some (2 Splendas and 2 hazelnut creamers)....but seriously?

Camera 1 or Camera 2?

2007-08-15T14:25:00.000-04:00

So, I went to the eye doctor yesterday. It is the first time I have been in years. If you were to ask my mother she would probably cry when forced to bring back the bitter memories of our eye doctor trips when I was younger. I would try to get out of the visit in EVERY way possible. I was a WRETCHED little girl. It was the one time my mother probably muttered to herself how much she hated me (well hopefully not, but if she did - MOM I UNDERSTAND! I forgive you for this and I am sorry). Then once there, I would typically be very rude to the poor old opthamologist (i.e. smarty pants teenage answers that are not really helpful in assessing my overall optical health). Eventually my parents, in a moment of sheer desperation on how to deal with me, got me Lasik Eye Surgery. I think it was just as much for me as it was for them.

If you are ever curious about it and have the funds to do it for yourself, I seriously cannot promote it enough. It was eye opening (pun IS intended. Keep in mind in future reading that intend all my puns and I love to sprinkle them into my day). I began as someone who, without contacts, wouldn't recognize their mother on the street or be able to find their way out of a burning building, to someone who could see crystal clear! It was AMAZING!

Well, in the last few years, my sight has began to weaken. I think I just have one of those sets of eyeballs that are never going to settle...they are just going to keep on fighting the good fight (good luck little buddies!).

So with the brand new luxury of health insurance (compliments of my brand spanking new husband), I made every doctor appointment imaginable. It is like having a credit card! I haven't had insurance in years so this is truly a novelty for me!! I made a girl doctor appointment (or the vaginacologist as one not-so-smart person I did business with really thought they were called), a regular doctor appointment, and an eye doctor appointment.

I knew that my hatred towards the eye doctor wasn't going to change because it is their job to ask me to read the big E and they, for whatever reason, have to make me look through those lenses and do: "Number 1, or Number 2? Number 2 or Number 3? Number 3 or Number 1?" We have all sat there and listened to this pure nonsense and we have all lied to the eye doctor because who the hell knows which one was better - they ALL look the same!! I am sort of convinced that all the lenses ARE the same and that their day is just sooo boring that they like to frustrate unsuspecting blind people. NOT NICE! I don't see that as going over well with the big guy upstairs when their time comes.

So anyway, this visit was no different. The nurse/assistant lady was super nice and when she told me to cover my left eye she said, "WOW you blinded me with your ring!" (insert evil snicker) Nothing makes me happier than getting some props for my ice (insert my theme song: Ice Ice Baby). Luckily I had a really nice doctor. He was young and when I stalled in answering which one was better (No. 6 or No. 7) he said, "They all kind of look the same don't they?" THANK YOU!! YES, they do!

My only main issue is that they dilated my eyes and assured me that I could drive home with my eyes big like saucers. Um...the residents of Saginaw are quite lucky the trip home went as well as it did. They were ALL at risk!

I purchased a pair of Coach glasses. I wasn't thrilled with anything but I tried on all the big wigs. Dolce, Kate Spade, Fendi, Gucci, Dior, etc. The bottom line is glasses are dorky. I resisted the ones with rhinestones or anything too flashy and I went with the ones that I thought my husband would make the least fun of (Coach). I will get them in 2 weeks! Maybe I will take a picture, but I do have my rep to protect and we all know I take myself too seriously to be a goof, so I doubt it. Here is what they sort of look like since I forgot to get the style name before I left. Luckily I only have to wear them for night driving and TV, so that is some good news!

WHO YOU CALLIN' FOUR EYES?

Well Hello!

2007-08-15T11:08:00.000-04:00

So...I tried to resist. Everyone is doing it. I didn't want to follow the herd. I HATE not being the first to do something or come up with a great idea. So in order to do what everyone else was doing but just be a little bit different. I started a wedding related blog. I really want to be an event planner some day and so I thought it would be a good way to keep my head in the game after planning my own wedding (more on that later). But since doing wedding posts require a little bit of research, planning, etc. I finally decided to cave and start a personal blog. For a long time I thought my life wasn't interesting enough to blog about and truth be told, it's not. But I read all of my friend's blogs and it seems to be therapeutic for them and lately, I NEED THERAPY!

So to start off we will do the quickest rundown on my life. Now, please keep in mind that it DOES depress me that I can sum up my life this quickly. I don't need you to point it out, if anyone is even reading this in the first place. So here I go:

My name is Stacy Chaps (not my real name but a derivative and it will work for our purposes here today:). I am 26 years old going on 27. My birthday is on Christmas day which makes me a really special person (more on that around December;). I was born in New York and raised on Long Island with my two much older brothers. Around the age of 14, I moved to Southwest Florida. I HATED it at first, but I warmed up to it. Now I would give anything to live there again. I am a very interesting blend of NY background and southern hospitality. It is actually a bit confusing. I went as far away from my parents as I dared to college. FSU (Go Noles) - a six hour drive from our Florida home. There I began dating my now husband, Brian. We weren't together the whole time - but trust me, just leave that one alone. I graduated with a degree in Sociology (read: a useless degree in nothing) and I lie and say I have a minor in business (I need like 2 more classes for it so I think that is close enough). I graduated in summer 2003, moved to the wee-est town in Michigan to be with Brian (who moved after freshman year) in January 2004, engaged February 2006 and married May 2007. Oh and random fact - I have a mild shopping addiction (hey the first step is admitting it right?).

So there you have it! Sadly short right?

So in short, I am a newlywed that lives very very far from home. I HATE my job. I love my family very much and miss them fiercely. I think about it daily and as a result of feeling displaced from my family and my desired career path, I feel sort of lost. I mean, don't get me wrong. I obviously wasn't tricked into my current situation. I understood that my husband's business meant I couldn't live down the road from my parents...but yet I still feel blindsided. This is where my header quote comes in. I very much wish I could click my heels like Dorothy and just go home. I have a very pretty pair of red Jimmy Choos which I wear on most special occasions. They never get checked in my luggage at the airport, but travel in their dust bag in my carry on. I feel like they are my modern day ruby slippers and I get really pissy when I click my heels and I am still in Michigan.