Alison in Wonderland

No time

2009-10-24T21:27:00.002-04:00

Wish I could keep up more with the blog. I am exhausted when I get home...and I don't want to blog the things that I want to say because I am sure it would come off as passive aggressive and all that rot.

Still love my students and my husband.

Wish I didn't feel lonely lately.

Last wedding of the year next week across the pond.

Back from hiatus

2009-09-03T21:51:00.002-04:00

So I have so many good memories made since the last time I posted. Vacation was amazing, moving was well, not amazing, but living here is pretty great. My new school is amazing minus one or two knuckleheads.

On the whole, I am more relaxed and happy than I have been in a long time.

There are a few things I would like though:

Having my husband back full-time (Sept 16)
Not being a single parent to an allergic to NC dog
AP essays to magically grade themselves
To be able to sleep and drive (safely) at the same time
More than 1 weekly podcast of Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me
A few extra hours in the day!

I hope to be more regular about the blog...even if no one reads I will at least have it for my memories!

Vacation Starts Tonight!

2009-07-21T08:25:00.002-04:00

So excited for our big West Coast road trip that starts tonight!!

We fly out of JFK around 6:30pm and land in Phoenix about 9pm their time. After a night in one of the airport hotels, we'll pick up our car tomorrow morning and start out for Sedona and the Grand Canyon--yaaaay!

Sedona, AZ

Back in 8 days!

Random Fitness Thoughts

2009-07-10T10:40:00.002-04:00

1. I love my new iPhone app. It is called iTreadmill--it is a pretty amazing pedometer. With all of the walking I am doing to say goodbye to NYC, it is great to have something that is keeping track of it!!

2. I am so done with hearing about the 30 day shred. I own the DVD, I used it, and I boxed it up with all of our stuff that went to NC. Level 1 was hard, but I strongly feel that you should NOT do Level 2 unless you have been to a supervised Pilates class. Doing some of those moves incorrectly could cause injuries. I have lower back issues and have been advised NOT to do Pilates. Level 2 was enough to make me put the DVD away. I like Jillian well enough...just wish I could afford some of her other DVDs out there.

3. I love Women's Health workout DVDs. They have some of the LEAST annoying instructors that I have ever seen.

4. If I was food journaling again I could probably get off my weight plateau.

5. Couch to 5k is going really well! I just finished Week 2 today, and I already feel stronger (in terms of running) than I ever have!

Travel and Preparing..

2009-07-07T08:34:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I went to the library and got several books on Arizona, the Grand Canyon, and San Diego. It has made me so excited for our trip!

Only 2 weeks until we will be here!

I also picked up a fun book to help me explore/enjoy my last few weeks in NYC. I am doing the Upper East Side walk today. The UES has always been one of my least favorite parts of the city, and maybe this walk will show me all the good parts. Or, at least the pretty ones.

Etsy

2009-07-03T12:00:00.002-04:00

I wish we had money for non-essentials right now because I am having some serious Etsy lust.

One of my all-time favorite sellers is Brookish.

I own her Pride and Prejudice bracelet, and now I have my eye on THIS:

I also want to re-buy these earings since I lost one of them sometime in the fall. These were going to be my wedding earings until Saul got me my wedding gift of diamond earings.

These beauties are made by Handmade by Diana.

I don't own a clutch ( I know, I know), and I LOVE this one

Then, of course, Product Body has an awesome mini-shop on Etsy.

Ohhh for an unlimited "fun spending" account...

TV Shows I <3

2009-07-02T12:00:00.001-04:00

It goes without saying that my favorite show on TV is How I Met Your Mother!

I also have been Netflixing the Canadian TV series, Slings and Arrows. If you <3 Shakespeare the way I do (or just like theatre), this show is a MUST!

It features a guest role by Gilbert from the Anne of Green Gables movies :)

From the UK via Paul and Bryn, we have been getting into Season 1 of Spooks, which is all about the inner workings of the MI-5. It is a bit scary for me, but it is pretty addictive!

Wow, we watch a lot of TV...because we are also loving the new season of Top Gear on the BBC.

I am not a huge car person, but damn this show is hillarious.

Couch to 5K

2009-07-01T12:00:00.000-04:00

I have never been a runner. I hate running. Seriously. In school, running the mile was about the worst thing ever.

Despite my hatred of running, I have been working on increasing my endurance running on the treadmill. As I have previously mentioned, I have hit a major plateau when it comes to losing weight. Running is my attempt to change things up enough to finally bust through that plateau...I hope!

Anyway, I have been increasing in minute intervals since late last week and today did a life-record of running for 8 minutes straight without stopping. Granted, I am only running at 5 miles/hour, but STILL. I much prefer the elliptical, but I am determined to at least be able to run 3 miles without stopping.

That is where the Couch to 5K program comes in!

I think I am going to start it up tomorrow--it will be taking a few steps back from where I am on my own right now, but I would rather start from the beginning than try to figure out where I am in the plan.

The reason for my blog failure..

2009-06-30T17:14:00.003-04:00

This month has been a huge failure on the blog front because of our house-buying activities.

Even though it is a "buyer's market" and we were buying a relatively affordably priced house, the process was littered with problems. These included my student loans (my children will be heavily encouraged not to go to private school unless they have a full scholarship), incorrect calculations by the underwriters (multiple times), needing to increase our downpayment hugely to just under 50%, etc etc.

Happily though, the house is all OURS! There are pictures on facebook, and I will hopefully get some more of them soon from Saul's computer.

In the meantime, meet our house :)

Duane Reade has my back

2009-06-03T12:55:00.002-04:00

Phone rings at 12:30 this afternoon.

Me: Hello?
Voice: Alison?
Me: Yes, this is she.
Voice: This is Duane Reade calling.
Me: Ok. (Mentally--Did I forget to pickup a prescription recently??)
Voice: Don't you want to refill your Yasmin?
Me: Oh! I refilled it at the Duane Reade closer to my apartment.
Voice: Ok, have a nice day.

Apparently Duane Reade likes to help people avoid accidental pregnancies! ;)

Year of the wedding

2009-06-01T07:04:00.002-04:00

We have 7 weddings to attend this year. Yesterday, we went to wedding number 3.

The girl who got married is SO sweet--a bit of a flake, but very sweet. The wedding was a Coptic one at her church in Staten Island. The invite said 2:30pm for the ceremony, so we made sure to arrive at 2pm because I didn't want to get stuck in traffic or have to rush in at the last second. When we arrived there was no one at the church. Yes, there were little kids playing out back and downstairs but NO ONE in the sanctuary. It was like the wedding had been called off and no one had told us.

2:30 rolls around and a few other non-Copts were there...but no one else. We went in and sat down, and gradually other people began to arrive. Someone we knew came in at 2:45 saying that the bride had warned her that Egyptians are systematically late. Even with that...the service did not start until 3:40pm. Yes, it started OVER AN HOUR after the stated time on the invite.

Now, I know sometimes that things happen, but this was not the case of all the guests being there and everyone just waiting for the bride. NO...this was us not being told to disregard the time on the invite and just come a bit late. I was already a bit put off by this wedding at this point.

So the ceremony starts...mostly in Arabic with a lot of standing and singing. And the ceremony continued for ONE AND A HALF HOURS. It was interesting to see a different kind of wedding ceremony, but the church was un-airconditioned and it was hot as hell inside. Plus, once the priests busted out the incense, the smell lingered forever. I did something I NEVER thought I would do--I walked out to go to the bathroom. The lobby of the church had AC, and I went to stand in it before I passed out (was wearing a cardigan to cover my shoulders in church). I also drank from the faucet because I was so so thirsty.

Did I mention we didn't really eat lunch because we didn't want to over eat before the reception? This becomes important later.

Finally the ceremony was over (no kissing of the bride and groom), and we went through the receiving line. We got favor boxes with chocolates shoved in them, and the 3 of us INHALED them. We then bolted for the CVS next door for water. I had brought granola bars and we chowed down on those.

We drove over to the reception location, which was 50 minutes away in New Jersey. The banquet hall was very nice, but they must have thought it was mid-July because the AC must have been set on 60 degrees. Couldn't win temperature wise.

Cocktail hour was HUGE because there was no alcohol at the wedding. Not a problem, but we didn't want to eat too much because we knew dinner was still coming. Seriously though, there was sushi, a pasta bar, a meat bar, cheese, all sorts of fruit and veg, and then some other hot bars that we didn't even investigate.

At 7:10, the hall staff started announcing to go to the ballroom so that the wedding party could be announced. Ok, we head over there. Other people start trickling in 15 minutes later. We found our table and sat around staring at our salad and roll for awhile. At 8pm we gave up and ate the salad and roll. at 8:20, the wedding party was FINALLY announced. Then they did the first dances. At 8:30 we had to leave because it was still a 30-45 minute drive and we had to both feed Harry and return the Zipcar. We apologized to the bride, but really, I think we were the ones who deserved an apology. We had ordered our dinner but never got the chance to eat it. We had wasted many hours sitting around waiting for delays that were never explained.

As a Southerner and as someone who has planned a wedding and been to many others, I am horrified at how the guests were treated at this wedding. I am sure some of it was beyond people's control, but it was truly unbelievable. I have no idea what time they ate dinner...we ate Chinese take out at 10:15pm.

I am exhausted this morning and am still trying to get my head around the whole experience.

My first Polo match

2009-05-30T18:12:00.002-04:00

Governor's Island, just off the coast of downtown Manhattan, opened for the summer today. It has a pretty interesting history which you can read about here. The ferry leaves from right next door to the Staten Island Ferry, and like its big sister, the ferry to Governor's Island is free.

Not having anything we needed to do today, Saul and I took ourselves over to the island as neither of us had ever been. We went knowing that the 2nd Annual Veuve Cliquot Manhattan Polo Classic was today, and we were fully prepared to avoid it at all costs. Prince Harry was playing in it, and Saul thought that maybe Pimms would be served. Veuve Cliquot is one of my favorite things in the world, and I was hoping to nab a class. Those two drunken thoughts plus the fact that neither of us had ever seen a live polo match meant that we were in the stands watching the game all afternoon.

No champagne (I'm too cheap to get it when it is $15 a GLASS and $70 for the bottle), but we had a wonderful time! I love horses, so it is a pretty good sport for me to watch right off the bat, AND polo is AMAZING for people watching. I am telling you, we heard some of the craziest conversations and saw some of the WORST clothing I have ever seen...and of course, you know these people thought they looked super hot.

The valley girls sitting behind us were dumb as bricks. Example:

Boy 1: Here, have some of this rose.
Girl 1: Um, well, I don't usually like rose.
Boy 1: This is a really good rose by [winery]--it is light and refreshing but not too sweet.
Girl 1: Ok.
[a few minutes later]
Boy 1: So how do you like it?
Girl 1: [sounding like she is giving her opinion to Wine Spectator magazine] I love it--it is so light and refreshing but isn't too sweet.
Boy 1: [crickets]

Now if she had had an OUNCE of sarcasm in her voice, it would have been one thing. But noooooooo, she was DEAD SERIOUS and had no idea she was parroting his own words back at him.

It was so so special.

Anyway, here are some pictures of HRH Prince Harry....woo :)

HBO On Demand

2009-05-28T17:57:00.005-04:00

I was going to finally blog about the house since we are getting closer to the closing date (June 12).

HOWEVER, a scan of HBO On Demand has given me Emma Thompson's Sense and Sensibility.

HELL to the YES.

Ahhh Col. Brandon.

Stunningly beautiful Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet..my ideal actress!

Ok, off to drool over the above as well as Hugh Grant and Hugh Laurie and Greg Wise.

Vegas, baby

2009-05-27T08:24:00.003-04:00

So we have booked (thank you airmiles) our anniversary trip to the West Coast. It wasn't meant to be an anniversary trip necessarily, but our good friends are getting married on our anniversary so it ended up being that way :)

We will fly into Phoenix on July 21 and make our way to the Grand Canyon via Sedona the next day. I have NEVER been to Arizona and am so so excited about finally seeing it! Not excited about? THE HEAT IN JULY. Yeah. Anyway, after a full day at the Canyon we are going to make our way to Vegas (never been) to see my friend David who works behind the scenes at Cirque. He got us an amazing room deal at the MGM Grand AND we are seeing both O and KA for freeeeeeeeeeeeee! Beyond just seeing Vegas in general, all I wanted to do was hang out with David and see some Cirque, so I think it is going to be awesome!

From Vegas we will fly to LA and make our way to Disneyland for the wedding. Saul has never been to any Disney property, and I have never been to Disneyland so we will probably do some of the rides, etc. The day after the wedding we drive down to San Diego (probably via Torey Pines and La Jolla) and spend two days exploring and going to the Animal Park! Our flight out leaves from San Diego on July 29, so we have a nice little road trip planned :)

Once we are back...well, it will be less than a week until I move to NC and leave NYC for good.

Time to go get a haircut and get off the computer!

Oops

2009-05-22T14:48:00.002-04:00

I have been a terrible blogger.

School wrapped up, and then they told me that they would not be paying me anymore for coming in to work on grades and office stuff, so my summer is really my own now..which means I am doing a lot, but not necessarily a lot worth blogging about. I may temp a bit in June if I need to.

Right now Harry is lying on my foot, which is one of his favorite things to do. It is so so very cute.

I have biked 36 miles this week--20 on Wednesday and 16 today. Downtown Alliance is doing free bike rentals from the South Street Seaport for 2.5 hours per day. It is amazing to be outside and zip up and down Manhattan! Today I did a bit of central park, but I am staying the hell away from the East Side bikepath...wow does that thing suck.

Our house in NC closes on June 12--I cannot wait! Once it is really ours I will be more forthcoming about pictures...I just don't want to jinx it!!

I am not even going to talk about American Idol. But you better believe I will buy anything Adam Lambert puts out on a record. I<3 him.

Going to wedding reception #2 of the year on Saturday night--it is a potluck and I am going to bring Katherine's baked ziti! :)
This afternoon I am giving our ice cream maker its first spin with orange sorbet...hope it is edible!

I feel blue

2009-05-15T11:41:00.002-04:00

I wish I could remember the line from The Drowsy Chaperone about being blue...kind of how I feel right now.

My best friend is hurting, and I think I either don't help or make it worse :(

I miss my friends all the time...but what if they don't miss me? Which is silly, but since I am not physically present..well, I'm not there. I miss all the day to day little things and only get to see everyone for 36 or so hours every few months. On the other hand, if I hadn't stayed in NYC, I might not be married. Obviously having Saul makes up for a lot of things.

I have a weight plateau which I cannot seem to break below. It is frustrating and makes me sad because no matter how hard I work or how many things I don't let myself eat...it doesn't seem to matter.

Pity party over now, for real.

I will be thinking of all my friends who are graduating or celebrating graduations this weekend!

UK Trip: Days 3-5

2009-05-11T15:05:00.008-04:00

Most of Saturday was devoted to the drive down to Dorset. Saul's grandparents live near England's Jurassic Coast which is beautiful and historic. As always with driving in England, it seems to take twice as long as it would in the States. There are reasons for this of course, but still. We did get M&S sandwiches for lunch--yum.

We made it to Highway Farm around 4pm, and we were one of the last groups to arrive! Most of the family was already there, and so we spent time catching up, hugging, and generally being happy to see everyone. Saul spent the first hour we were there holed up in our room listening to a soccer match that would determine whether his team was going to advance or not. They drew, which was good enough, so he then became social and came down to talk to everyone.

Eventually we made our way to the Ilchester Arms, the local pub for dinner. Note to self: do NOT order steak in England unless you are in Scotland. Seriously it just isn't worth it. Go with what should be good by the coast--the fish. Loads of amuseument and catching up at dinner and then a nice walk back to the B&B!

Saul's grandparents dancing in the cottage:

Sunday was the day of the actual Diamond Anniversary Party (a luncheon), but my day started at 7am when I went out to help feed the lambs.

Morning on the farm:

The feeding had been delayed till 9, so I went back to bed while others went on a morning hike to Thorncombe Beacon. At 9am I finally got to help bottle-feed the lambs and it was fabulous!

Post breakfast, Saul and I went on our hike to Thorncombe Beacon and returned to a lot of our favorite spots that we discovered the first time we stayed at Highway Farm. :)

The luncheon was so fun and filled with delicious food and champers. My soon to be sister in law also baked the cake (fruitcake, natch) which was very lovely.

The grandparents got a card from the Queen which they did not expect, and Saul and I gave them their first computer! Several people headed out after the meal, and Saul's best man, Richard, and his girlfriend Jenna came by as they were in the are for the weekend! We had a wonderful time catching up with them and feeding them leftover desserts from the party :)

The rest of the day passed with a mini-hike, lots of family time, and a phone call to my parents. Monday morning I was up at 7am for lamb feeding part 2. This time Saul came to be our photographer :)

We also took a small walk to say goodbye to the beautiful countryside. After a lovely full English breakfast, we all headed to the grandparents' house in town to help them re-settle in and so Saul could set up the computer.

Eventually we were on the road, and the trip back was good up until the end. I got carsickness something fierce (this was never previously a problem) due to the nature of English roads and the increasing traffic as we got closer to London. I made it without incident, but I did get in a good nap once we got home!

UK Trip: Flight Over and Days 1 and 2

2009-05-05T16:29:00.007-04:00

Because I have a Continental credit card they send me perks every now and then. One of them is passes to one of their President's Lounges for one visit. We decided to save them and use them to kill the time waiting at Newark since international flights require being at the airport so early.

Anyway, awesome decision. Can we say free nibbles and booze? PLUS they sold my favorite champagne ever by the glass (which never happens) so I had a small splurge to try to induce sleep once we got on the plane.

It only sort of worked because the flight was VERY bumpy due to weather over the Atlantic. It was fine but it just meant I only slept for around 2 hours. I did watch Bedtime Stories though and thought it was cute!

Once we landed, it took me forever and a day to get through passport control while Saul breezed through. By the time I made it, he had the luggage all set. Next time I will remember that I can go through with him in the EU line.

Saul's mom was waiting and we headed off for their house in Surrey. We stopped at their local farm shop for some tasty snacks for lunch and dinner, but really the day was spent napping a bit and catching up with Saul's parents.

Day 2 was a bit lazy as well because of some rain, but we did get out to Cheam to the shops and then had lunch at the Village Charcoal Grill, which is Saul's favorite restaurant of all time. Post Turkish-food bliss, we headed across the street to Nonsuch Park for a nice walk.

Although it was not terribly sunny, the rain held off and the gardens were beautifully done for the spring!

Since Nonsuch was built by/for Henry VIII, several streets around Cheam pay tribute to that era.

Still to come--the trip to Dorset for the diamond anniversary party plus the rest of the trip!

Halfway to NC

2009-05-04T10:53:00.005-04:00

So most of our stuff is now safely stored in Raleigh, NC. We filled (but not to the gills) a 16 foot Penske truck. Luckily, my wonderful dad flew up Thursday night to help me with the drive on Friday.

After packing the truck from 5am-6:30am, Dad and I hit the road for 9.5 hours in the truck. Did you know it costs trucks $20 to cross the Verrazano Bridge? CRAZY. Also, we discovered the stupidest people in the world at a services in New Jersey and crazy-stupid drivers in Fredericksburg, Virginia. I did get to eat Chick-fil-a which was a plus.

Once we rolled up to the storage place, we unpacked for 3 hours...Dad is a master packer and we got everything into our 10 x 10 space with plenty of room to spare. Saul turned up 1.5 hours in because he had gotten SO LOST in a very very special part of town. However, once he got there he and dad did most of the heavy lifting so he still got to experience the pain of moving.

Both my feet are bruised from having things dropped on them, and I almost did a faceplant down the front stairs of the Brooklyn apartment after losing my balance that morning. I am sure the neighbors appreciated my screaming at 5:45am.

Anyway, Saturday morning we were up and driving down to Sanford, NC, our projected new town. We met with our awesome realtor Teresa and proceeded to look at 10 houses in 5.5 hours. At one point I had to request caffeine or else nothing was going to look good through my withdrawal headache.

We have narrowed it down to 2 houses in the same neighborhood and have a game plan for offering on one first and then going to the other if things don't go our way.

Here is the kitchen in the first one...it is a HUGE square kitchen that I am in love with.

That night we went out to The Pit, an AMAZING BBQ place in Raleigh. Everything was fantastic, especially the scuppernog sangria. I am so excited to be back living in the South in just a few short months!

My hair is not so excited though...I am going to have to really invest in some good anti-frizz products. I mean, it was raining off and on on Friday but yowza...it was not a good thing.

UK recaps today or tomorrow now that we are back and less crazy!

Home again, jiggity jig

2009-04-27T12:25:00.003-04:00

After once of the longest flights back from London that I have ever had, we are back in New York and are both at work today. Somehow I am not feeling too badly jetlagged.

Maybe it is because I don't have time to be groggy--we are trying to get a lot of things sold, finish packing and cleaning and then drive down on this Friday with everything that is going into storage in North Carolina. Crazy? You bet. At least dad is coming up to help with the drive down.

The best part is that we are going to get to look at some houses on Saturday!

A UK recap will happen soon, but until then I am just thankful that the AC in my work's building just came on after I was told this morning it would not get turned on until May 12.

UK trip so far

2009-04-17T13:15:00.002-04:00

We are having a wonderful time so far! our Continental flight was much nicer than our AA flights in the past, plus we were able to relax in the President's Club at Newark before boarding. Flight was a bit turbulent so we didn't get toooo much sleep.

It took me AGES to get through immigration at Heathrow because of the huge queue, and then I was told when I got up there that I should have gone through the UK/EU line since I was married to a UK national! Cheeky! Saul had all the luggage collected and on a cart before I even finished getting my (new) passport stamped.

Saul's mum picked us up and after a quick stop at the local farm shop for some tasty ham, we were back in Surrey at their house for a lovely lunch, short naps, and loads of good conversation. Also, MANY cups of tea :)

Today has been more of the same but we did get out to Cheam to Saul's favorite Turkish restaurant and then on a lovely walk around Nonsuch Park. Thanks, Henry VIII for taking over all that land and making gardens out of it! :)

I will put pics up when I have them...the flowers are gorgeous right now!

Tomorrow we are off to Dorset for the big family party--so looking forward to our bluebell trek!

Moving Stress

2009-04-14T09:30:00.003-04:00

I had a post all ready in my head, but then I read Mrs. Jetplane's post about her husband and the "argggggggggggg" moments we all seem to have with men!

She said it all basically, but substitute things about moving and leaving the apartment in the morning.

Raaaaar.

I know sometimes it is because I am just a grump when tired, but sometimes man...you have to wonder how men survive so long without women.

I think this picture taken by Cathy says it all...

Yes, I think I was threatening to wack him in the head with it if he didn't behave! ;)

Rainy Saturday

2009-04-11T11:47:00.001-04:00

So rainy here today, and we are taking a break from packing.

Doing a lot of housekeeping--finally put the bed set we got from my bridesmaids on the bed--it is beeeeautiful.

Updated my blog list, and I am going to Whole Foods later. I know, what an exciting day....not! ;)

Stuff I Like: Product Body

2009-04-09T22:08:00.002-04:00

I first discovered Product Body when one of the Weddingbee bees (maybe Penguin?) blogged about how much they loved the body scrub. As I have very very dry skin, especially in the winter, I was off to give it a try!

The first thing I bought was Crush on You in Champagne. Sadly, they don't have champagne all the time, but it is one of my favorite scents!

I loved it so much, I bought it for several of my bridesmaids to go in their gifts. One of them in particular seems to be hooked!

I also love the whipped shea butter. I am just about to run out of this!

Basically, I need to re-stock but can't as we are on a super budget this month (paying two rents, remember?) I don't want to turn 27 early or anything, but man I could use a holiday where gifts were encouraged! I don't think there is any way I can pass off buying any of it for my husband's birthday ;)

Pretty dresses

2009-04-09T11:16:00.005-04:00

The bridesmaids dresses for my BFF Kara's September wedding came in to our old place this week. It was very exciting!

Mine is slightly different in that it has a red sash while the others have white sashes, but the dresses are the same other than that, and they are really comfy and fun!

I did a little bit of a fashion show in mine...

I had to get one typical Alison expression in there..

I am so excited to wear my red wedding shoes again!

Crazy weekend!

2009-04-07T09:40:00.002-04:00

Well, we are all moved in to the new place and we love it! I love waking up and walking Harry past the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I love having not one, but TWO dog parks within a 5 minute walk. I also love my commute! It took maybe 20 minutes this morning door to door.

We did a Zipcar move in one of their SUVs. Originally we were going to do it all Saturday, but Saul was so desparate to get out of our old place that we ended up doing one run + Harry Friday night so that we could sleep there! Thank god for queen-sized beds is all I have to say.

We did 2 more runs on Saturday--someone (Saul) had totally underestimated how much stuff we would bring to the new place. Fortunately, I brought old crappy towels that are bleached so that when we move we can just throw them out/donate them. Also, we won't move nearly as much food stuff when we move to NC. Food takes up a lot of room!

Sunday we attempted a Sunburnt Cow brunch with a friend but were told the wait would be "hours" when we showed up at 12:15. Whatever. We went to the East Village Pourhouse instead for their $4 mimosas. Mmmm Sunday morning buzz! Also, Sunday managed to be really nice and sunny so we took Harry on several walks/dog park excursions. AND we did laundry for the first time at the new place...totally loving having laundry 3 doors down the hallway!

This week we are back and forth to the old place a fair amount to pack, receive packages, and try to sell some furniture that we aren't planning on taking. It is a little bittersweet to move out of a place that I have lived for over 2 years...but at the same time, the new place has so many nicer features that the positives beat out any feelings of sadness!

Pics of the new place!

2009-04-03T17:18:00.005-04:00

We are taking one load over tonight and should be getting everything in tomorrow!

View down the hallway..

the bedroom!

View from the living room window

AND the apartment has Time Warner DVR...no more stupid Cablevision!!

Busy busy time

2009-04-02T13:56:00.002-04:00

Blogging time is going to be scarce for a while!

On top of the fabulous new about my job offer, we have decided to move back into Manhattan for a few months! We are leaving Clinton Hill, Brooklyn and are headed to Battery Park City, which is the very southwest part of Manhattan. Saul lived in the area when he first moved to NYC. I have never lived there, but I like the area and am THRILLED about having a dishwasher AND a washer/dryer right across the hall!!!

Other positives about the new place:

Furnished
Pet-friendly
View of the Hudson!
Central AC
Full-sized stove and fridge
Loads of cute shops/restaurants
SO MUCH PARK SPACE right outside the door!
Dog park nearby!
NO MORE shitty upstairs neighbors (who have bedbugs and REFUSE to pay for extermination)
NO MORE landlord's daughter who doesn't know how to play music without turning up the bass to 11
NO MORE food/glass all over the sidewalks
NO MORE G train
NO MORE needing to use the B38 and B52 buses!
NO MORE next-door early morning construction
and best of all...
NO MORE RANDOM GUNSHOTS!!

Obviously it is NYC and people will shoot people in any kind of neighborhood, but crime is much much much much lower in our new 'hood!

I will miss my local nails place and laundromat though :(

Employment!

2009-03-30T20:41:00.000-04:00

I got hired at my DREAM school in NC for next year!

I'm not going to post the name, but it is in a great location, not horribly far from Raleigh, and near loads of golf for Saul.

We are so excited to make our moving dreams a reality!!!

I hate American Airlines

2009-03-29T12:07:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was my day trip to Raleigh, NC for a teaching job fair about an hour away. I booked it on Wednesday for a Saturday trip. The fair was packed, but I spoke to the principals of the high schools and put my resume in, so now I just need to watch for openings on their websites in April.

However, I almost did not make it to the job fair.

AA overbooked the flight and then wanted to kick off 10 PEOPLE for being "late bookers." The problem? The plane they had when booking my flight was a 2 seats, aisle, 2 seats, and the plane that turned up that morning was a 1 seat, aisle, 2 seats. Yeah, so THEY created this problem.

I was one of the names called to go up to be told that I would be denied boarding if they didn't get enough volunteers. I would be booked on the next flight--12 noon. The flight is 1 hour and 15 minutes, and the job fair was ending at 1pm. So basically, if I got bumped, I would arrive in Raleigh (still with an hour's drive) AFTER the fair was over.

I was livid. The customer service reps were utter morons and had no idea what was really going on. I got on the phone and found out that I would be able to cancel my flight and get a refund if I didn't make it, but I was still going to have to appeal my unused car rental, cab fare out to JFK, etc. I was glad I could get money back but I was still PISSED.

This is not the first time AA has screwed us.

1. Miami in April 2007--canceled flight for no reason and almost lost our hotel reservation because we arrived so late
2. 1st UK trip May 2007--ground workers were mad at management so instead of striking were doing a "slow down" with all ground services. It took 2 extra hours to load the cargo and baggage. Needless to say, we were late arriving in Heathrow.
3. Oct 2007 - Minneapolis/St Paul--canceled flight. Did bump us to 1st class, but who really needs 1st class on a 45 min flight to MSP from Chicago? Also, pretty sire we only got bumped because Saul had so many miles with them.
4. Dec 2007 --back to the UK. Flight delayed by 3 hours after we were already at airport. No explanation. Boarded plane near midnight, brought off an hour later because of a mechanical problem. Would not get a different plane. Rebooked us for next morning (ruining some vacation plans) to a completely different London airport. No hotels available--slept on the floor at JFK. Did I mention I had a horrible cold?

After that, we canceled our AA credit cards and quit flying with them. We have routinely received horrible customer service and an attitude that blames us, the customers, for any problems.

I took this flight because of the price, but I won't make that mistake again.

In the end, I made it because the people in front of me in line didn't want to go separately and there was only 1 seat available. We waited at the gate/on the runway for an hour before taking off.

We were of course delayed on the way home, but we were not overbooked for a change.

Don't fly American Airlines. Delta has treated me better. Hell, even US Airways has treated me better. We now try to fly almost always with Continental and haven't had any problems.

Food Happenings

2009-03-27T09:06:00.006-04:00

After missing out last month due to so much family stuff going on, I am back in the game with That Wife's food challenges. This month was to make a lovely green salad. This was one of several salads I made this month, but it was the only one I remembered to take a picture of!

Pretty basic ingredients, nothing too fancy in this salad.
-Baby spinach, stemmed and chopped if necessary
-red pepper diced
-green pepper diced
-baby carrots sliced
-cucumber cut into quarters
-Top with dressing of choice (for us, Ken's Light Italian)

Usually I add some black olives or mushrooms but I didn't have any handy!

Yesterday was also our 8 Monthaversary of being married! To quasi-celebrate I made Hayley's tasty trifle recipe with a few alterations--no walnuts and strawberries rather than raspberries. I also didn't have enough pudding, so it was missing one of those layers. It still tasted awesome though!

I am going to be in Raleigh for the day tomorrow for a job fair...there better still be some trifle when I get back!

Back to reality

2009-03-26T11:41:00.010-04:00

After being in rather severe hip/lower back pain on my left side since last Monday, I caved and went to the chiropractor this morning. She was really great, non-pushy, didn't make me get X-rays and seems like she knows her stuff. Doesn't seem like the type to try to sell me things I don't need, basically. Which is great! Also great? I already feel better--not perfect, but better.

But let us re-wind to last week.

Cathy, my BFF from home, came up for her last visit before we move out of NYC. She got in around 1pm Saturday and we had an amazing time! Saturday was filled with Soho and Village wandering/shopping and then a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge.

Plus, we rewarded ourselves with ice cream from the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. They don't have a huge list of flavors, but it is amazing ice cream. While eating, we saw what appeared to be a young bride having her picture taken with some guys. The more we looked, the younger we realized they were--it must have been a Quinceañera rather than a wedding! After a dinner at Cafe Lafayette, we were done for the day.

During her trip, I forced Cathy to watch Gavin and Stacey, which is pretty much my new favorite show ever.

Sunday we got up and headed north to the Cloisters, the medieval art branch of the Met. I had never been! I think we both enjoyed its size and all the cool architectural details of the place.

We also visited a monument that I had no idea was even in NYC--Grant's Tomb.

Took Cathy to see Deena's new apartment and did a home-cooked dinner that night.

Monday morning I took Cathy to Grand Central because she had somehow never seen it. After enjoying the delights of the food hall, I went to work and she spent the day shopping and sightseeing.

After work on Tuesday we hit up my local place for a mani/pedi (I will miss that place SO MUCH when we move!!), then went to dinner at S'MAC, a gourmet mac and cheese spot. Pasta and cheese? Yes please.

After collecting Saul and Cathy's friend from college, we all went to see Duplicity. Very fun, twisty and had unexpected goings on. Also Clive Owen is looking SO GOOD right now. Yum.

Cathy headed home yesterday which was sad, but I also had loads of things piling up in the real world to deal with...my hip, applying to NC jobs, and other things in daily life.

100th post..

2009-03-16T12:21:00.003-04:00

Wow, 100 posts. This one isn't really about me, but it is something I read today and wanted to share. I am a hardcore liberal, probably verging into a socialist on some issues. I usually ignore/take issue with many Republicans (at least the Ann Coulter types) as a matter of principal.

However, I want to thank Meghan McCain for writing this much needed article with clarity and grace.

From the New York Times: Original Article
A Conservative Pundit’s Plus-Size Remark
Cheryl Senter/Associated Press Meghan McCain.

Criticizing a woman’s weight is one of the “last frontiers of socially-acceptable prejudice,” says Meghan McCain, the daughter of Senator John McCain.

Ms. McCain, who calls herself a progressive Republican, was responding to remarks by conservative radio host Laura Ingraham. It all started when Ms. McCain, 24, criticized Republican pundit Ann Coulter for her extreme views in an online column and an interview with talk show host Rachel Maddow. That enraged Ms. Ingraham, who responded on her radio show by mimicking Ms. McCain, using a caustic “Valley girl” voice. (The blog ThinkProgress has the audio.) Among her remarks:

O.K., I was really hoping that I was going to get that role in “The Real World,” but then I realized that, well, they don’t like plus-sized models.

Ms. McCain, who would be considered normal weight by most standards, responded in The Daily Beast with a highly personal column called “The Politics of Weight.”

I have been teased about my weight and body figure since I was in middle school, and I decided a very long time ago to embrace what God gave me and live my life positively…. I am a size 8 and fluctuated up to a size 10 during the campaign. It’s ridiculous even to have this conversation because I am not overweight in the least and have a natural body weight.

But even if I were overweight, it would be ridiculous. I expected substantive criticism from conservative pundits for my views…. My intent was to generate discussion about the current problems facing the Republican Party. Unfortunately, even though Ingraham is more than 20 years older than I and has been a political pundit for longer, almost, than I have been alive, she responded in a form that was embarrassing to herself and to any woman listening to her radio program who was not a size 0.

In today’s society this is, unfortunately, predictable. Everyone from Jessica Simpson to Tyra Banks, Oprah and Hillary Clinton has fallen victim to this type of image-oriented bullying. Recent pictures of Pierce Brosnan’s wife, Keely Shaye Smith, on the beach in her bikini raised criticism about her weight and choice of bathing suit — as if the woman should be wearing a giant muumuu to swim in the ocean. After Kelly Clarkson’s recent appearance on “American Idol,” the first commentary I read on the Internet was about her weight gain instead of her singing.

My weight was consistently criticized throughout the campaign. Once someone even suggested I go to a plastic surgeon for liposuction. Afterward, I blogged about loving my body and suggested critics focus their insecurities about women’s bodies elsewhere. On the other side, my mother was constantly slammed for being too skinny, so the weight obsession of the media and our culture goes both ways. It also goes to both parties. Hillary Clinton has consistently received criticism for her pantsuits and figure. Whatever someone’s party, these criticisms are quite obviously both wrong and distracting from the larger issues at play.

The question remains: Why, after all this time and all the progress feminists have made, is weight still such an issue? And in Laura’s case, why in the world would a woman raise it? Today, taking shots at a woman’s weight has become one of the last frontiers in socially accepted prejudice.

TGIF

2009-03-13T15:31:00.003-04:00

It has been such a long week it seems, even though we have had a lot to do and get done.

I want to give a shout out to my new favorite iPhone app, Lose It!

It is a really great calorie and exercise tracking program--I have been using 2 weeks, have lost 4-5 lbs and am being SO much better about random snacking. I have not recorded every single meal, but I do record all exercise, and try to record every single thing I eat 3-4 days a week. Being able to enter the calories right when you eat it is so helpful!

This idea of accounting for all calories isn't new of course, and it has a very very passionate promoter in That Wife. I adore her blog :)

On Wednesday, I saw the best musical I have seen in a long time--I got a last minute student rush ticket to see Billy Elliot! That is one thing I will really miss when we leave New York--spontaneous Broadway trips. It was a beautiful show--very moving and filled with the most gorgeous and innovative dance numbers.

I really want the soundtrack, but I am trying to be good and not run right out and buy it! (But I really really really want to.)

More Sadness and a Green Card Interview

2009-03-10T21:31:00.002-04:00

A week after my grandmother passed away, my uncle' wife died of a terminal lung disease. We were never close to Carrol, but I cannot imagine what it has been like for my uncle to lose his mother and his wife in the same week. I couldn't go back down for the memorial (it was tonight), but I know my dad, my other uncle, and my brother were going down this afternoon.

Our green card apartment was this morning at 7am in Garden City, Long Island--35 minute drove from our Brooklyn apartment. Somehow we did not get assigned to the location in DOWNTOWN MANHATTAN around the corner from hubs' office. Yeah, the government works in mysterious ways.

After finally going through security and getting in, we waited in a series of two different waiting rooms before getting called by our government bureaucrat examiner. This woman could have been a linebacker for the Giants...seriously. She also had a HUGE West Point poster on her wall and was super confrontational from when we walked in the door. She was clearly not pleased that we had our attorney with us. Whatever.

Basically, before she even asked us any questions, she announced that there is a problem with one of hubs' I-94 forms (a form he gets to put in his passport every time he re-enters the US). Basically, it looks like that some moron at LAX TYPED ONE INCORRECT DIGIT. That is the reason we didn't walk away with a temporary green card today. Can I just say...ARGH!

The personal part of the interview went just fine, minus the one super inappropriate (according to our lawyer) question she asked Saul. She asked, "Why did you marry your wife?" He said, "Because we are in love." (Good job husband). She THEN asked, "Ok, but why did YOU marry your wife?" She essentially forced him to say "Because I love her and luckily she loves me back."

I'm sorry, but who is going to admit in a spouse-sponsored green card interview that they got married TO GET A GREEN CARD? Seriously? That would have to be about the stupidest person alive. I know there are plenty of stupids out there, but really. What did she think she was going to get him to say?

Anyway, we were done by 8:30 so we got some IHOP. Yum yum yum especially from their "Good Portions" menu.

I didn't have to go to work since I had taken the day off so I hit the gym, watched some TV shows from the DVR, graded papers, and then did the inkblot test for one of my friend's fellow psychology grad students! It was pretty interesting. :)

Dealing with grief

2009-03-09T12:08:00.002-04:00

I don't have much energy for anything but grieving lately. Which is a problem as I have other things going on that do need my attention.

We got to Atlanta Thursday night about an hour ahead of schedule. Delta is moving up in my personal airline ranks. Alamo Rental Cars however..not as much. We drove to Montgomery and got in around 11:30 CST, but it was not a pleasant drive thanks to 30 miles of roadwork in Georgia.

Friday I went to STJ to see some teachers, especially Harry (not the dog and not who the dog was named for). It is always so funny to me that they don't recognize me at first. Looks-wise, I have definately gotten better with age. Middle school and high school were not good years for me. Also got to see Cathy and do a bit of shopping.

Mostly we ate a lot which I don't feel good about, but we didn't have a lot of time to cook especially on Saturday. We went over for the memorial and went to my grandmother's house to get some pictures and things she wanted us to have before the service and a bit more after as well. It was a long day and very exhausting on every level. We went out with my parents and got a bit tipsy at dinner to recover. They busted out some old college stories, including one about one of their friends (who was called "Wild Man") hot-boxing a Pomeranian named Poco. It was hysterical.

I had pretty bad headaches all weekend that would go away with advil and then return as soon as it wore off. Sunday's travel back to NYC was fine, although breakfasts of Krispy Kreme donuts aren't really the food of champions. It is tasty though.

I don't know if I ate something last night or was reacting to the heat in our apartment or it was just another manifestation of grief, but I woke up at 4:30am today for an appointment with the bathroom and had to visit again as soon as I woke up. I didn't sleep well, and I didn't go to the gym as I thought it might make me continue to be sick. My students are just going to have to bear with me today.

Green card interview is tomorrow morning at 7am in Long Island. I booked the day off of work to recover once we get back to the city.

What a week

2009-03-03T22:02:00.005-05:00

My interview on Friday went really well. I loved the school, the students, and really everyone that I met. Now I just have to keep my fingers crossed until the end of the month. I also got to go see their new gym/theater building and wear a hard hat! It reminded me of Brandeis and prowling around the Shapiro building the summer before Sophomore year before the building was really open. Oops for illegal hanging out on the catwalk.

Obviously the weekend was tinged with sadness once I heard about my grandmother. Because the memorial isn't until this Saturday, we stayed in NC and toured around a town we would maybe live in. We didn't get to see tons because of pouring rain, but we did see the inside of the Super Walmart..woo?

We also found the $1.50 per ticket cinema in Raleigh. That was amazing. My icee cost more than 2 adult tickets to see Bolt. It was super cute by the way :) Also got some good TexMex at the Armadillo Grill, and I got to indulge in my favorite domestic beer--Shiner Bock. That beer is almost good enough to make me live in Texas. Almost.

Rain continued alll Sunday. We managed a trip to the Flying Biscuit Cafe (same restaurant I had been to with my parents in Atlanta).

Please note the dish running away with the spoon on the wall behind me. Those creamy dreamy grits are still amaaaazing. And I fueled up on sweet tea. We hit the airport 2.5 hours early, but I got to get a message at the Express Spa so it was all worth it really.

Harry was nuts when we got home, but was even cuter yesterday because man does our little guy LOVE the snow. I wished I could have let him off his leash when I was walking him in the snow yesterday morning. He is a crazy cocker spaniel.

All of Kara's posts/IMs have made me sooo excited to have their wedding later this year. I am psyched to be her MOH and to be as helpful as I can! Also, one of my other Brandeis girls got engaged this weekend--yay Miss Rebecca! So happy for all my best girlies!

My grandmother

2009-03-01T22:44:00.001-05:00

It wasn't a surprise given that she had collapsed twice for seemingly no reason and was able to be restarted in the ER, but it hurts all the same.

My grandmother passed away in her sleep on Thursday evening. I didn't find out until Friday afternoon because my parents wanted to wait until I had done my interview at the school in NC before telling me. I am usually mad when they don't tell me things, but I understand. I want this job so much, and I didn't want to be known as the girl whose grandmother just died.

I miss her. It has only been a few days and I can't believe I am never going to hug her or talk to her again. She was one of my favorite people in the entire world and it has been hard these past few months since she has been in a nursing home. This whole experience has put me off nursing homes.

I talked to her last week when she got out of the hospital that time, and she knew who I was and that I loved her. I guess that is the best thing to have right now since there was no chance to say goodbye--a last phone call that was better than almost any we had had since she went in the home.

We go to Alabama this weekend for her memorial service on Saturday. She didn't have a will, and we have to go afterwards to her house to pick out things we want that are important to us. The idea makes me sad because I know her house is going to be wrong somehow without her in it.

I love you Grandmother and hope you have found peace without the pain of the past few months.

I am so thankful she had the opportunity to come to my wedding and celebrate our marriage with us.

Weekend Visitors

2009-02-22T23:16:00.003-05:00

Wow, I am sure I ate back all that weight I lost last week.

Mark and Ash were in town, and I indulged Friday morning with a bagel and cream cheese...which I NEVER eat. Then we set out for the Lower East Side and stumbled across the awesome Doughnut Plant for a CREME BRULEE FILLED DOUGHNUT.

Then I found and drank a Mexi-Coke at Essex Street Market. It was amaaaaazzzzzing. For more info, go here.

Ate sushi for lunch with Meredith so was vaguely healthy, and then dinner at a vegetarian restaurant featuring LOADS of faux-meats. Tasty but filling...so naturally we went to drink MORE. Yaaaay beer!

Saturday was all about more food, but first I broke my old tooth filling on an everything bagel. Now I get to go back to the dentist...again. Lunch was at Max Brenner's (yum) and was followed by a trip to Crumbs Bake Shop. Yeah, we ate like fatties this weekend. Went to our favorite French bistro for dinner and then on a 5th Ave Brooklyn bar crawl.

Today we had friends over for brunch..which was bagels with eggs and bacon inside. YUM but again with the being fatties. Oh well, I have finally beaten down my cold and she be going back to the gym this week.

In fun news we booked a trip to Raleigh for next weekend, and I heard back from the school I have been waiting from and they want to have me down to visit and interview!!

TGI Thursday

2009-02-19T13:50:00.003-05:00

This time last week I was in Atlanta, sick as a dog. I am still not totally recovered, hence the lack of posting.

In Atlanta I was at a job-interview conference for people looking to work in the independent school system. One of my interviews was VERY promising, and I am now not so patiently waiting to hear back.

My parents came over for the weekend--I had Valentine's with them. In the weekend, we went to Taco Mac for tasty food and beer, the Museum of Coke (super fun), Chick-fil-a at the (way too large) Lennox Mall, and The Flying Biscuit Cafe. Yes, my weekend was pretty much all about food. However, because I was sick I really didn't eat that much and somehow lost 3 pounds last week without visiting Mr. Gym at all. Whatever.

Work has been crazy..they keep piling on stuff for me to do that doesn't get fully explained or gets changed halfway through the project. I like doing interesting work, but I like to know all the facts/requirements BEFORE I get started. That is not how things roll here apparently.

Yummy Ethiopian food at a new place in Ft Greene last night--Bati. Waitress was pretty pushy and lied a bit about the portion size, but the food was very tasty. Plus it is much more convenient that going to Hell's Kitchen or the Village for Ethiopian.

Mark and Ashley are coming in this afternoon for the weekend. Looking forward to hanging out and doing some sightseeing in the city that I am getting ready to leave not too long down the line. I think I have lost the list of stuff I planned to do with them. Crap.

Cathy has also booked for a visit in March--yay!

I like visitors, and I like having Harry have more people around to play with!

Day 198

2009-02-09T20:45:00.002-05:00

Things are just wrong feeling lately.

I am stressed about my grandmother going in and out of the hospital/ER over the past few days. You'd think that hospitals would know not to release people when they still had pneumonia.

I am feeling very...blah other than that. Lonely even though I have great friends. I know I am loved by them, but sometimes I really struggle with the lack of proximity. This is one of those times. I wish I could just turn down my sad knob, but I still haven't figured that out yet.

My tooth is decent, and classes have been good, Harry is still cute, and I very much love my husband.

I baked these delicious bars today although mine aren't this pretty. So no pictures.Sesame Street Oat Bars with M&Ms.

I miss Sesame Street. Especially after I saw this video.Neil Patrick Harris and Elmo.

Back to the ER

2009-02-08T18:57:00.002-05:00

Not me--wisdom tooth is fine.

Grandmother has had trouble breathing and has been taken back to the ER. My dad went over there this afternoon, but I don't know what is going on or what is going to happen.

Whoever said that no news is good news is wrong. Or has never had a loved one be ill.

I spoke to her yesterday on the phone and she seemed even better/more lucid than at Christmas.

Heard from Mom...she wasn't over her pneumonia when she was released from the hospital yesterday. Yay. She is back in a room of her own and on meds...

Enjoying numbness for a change

2009-02-06T21:27:00.003-05:00

I had my upper right wisdom tooth extracted today. Out of my four wisdom teeth, this is the only one that was not fully impacted. I was supposed to get out all four today, but our insurance had other ideas. I think we have the worst dental ever.

Saul has been taking amazing care of me. He booked time off so he could take me home in a taxi while I kept my mouth clamped on the gauze trying to staunch the bleeding. Thank goodness they gave me extra gauze is all I will say. Luckily, the oral surgeon was very good and very fast. Because this one was sticking out a bit, he was able to just pull it out with the scary looking pliers. Even though I was totally numb I kept expecting it to hurt.

Now, the bleeding is pretty much done, I have been able to eat some soup, but mostly I have let myself eat some Neapolitan ice cream.

Ever since working at Marble Slab (think similar to Cold Stone but without the singing), I have not really enjoyed ice cream. I ate SO much of it that summer, and it didn't help that the job was pretty miserable. Since then, ice cream hasn't been too exciting to me...plus I have been losing weight ever since that summer and ice cream wasn't really a part of that plan. Fro yo, on the other hand, is totally part of the plan.

However, today deserved ice cream. I have had this tooth taken out and 3 fillings in the past 1.5 weeks. I am SO DONE with the dentist until I have a cleaning in June. So for this weekend, ice cream. For Monday, back to real life and the gym.

Relief

2009-02-03T21:56:00.001-05:00

24 hours later and we know it wasn't a stroke.

Grandmother has never really been a big eater since I can remember, and since she moved to the nursing home it seems to have gotten worse. Basically, she collapsed because of severe dehydration (which I think the nursing home maybe should have caught) and a mild case of pneumonia. She is staying in hospital on IV for fluids and drugs to kill the infection.

I will certainly sleep easier tonight.

I'll also sleep because I watched both Gordon Ramsey and Simon Cowell make fun of stupid people on TV for several hours tonight. I <3 DVR.

Emotional Turmoil

2009-02-03T09:00:00.003-05:00

Harry got his cone off yesterday and this morning I got a notification that my number one school in NC has scheduled an interview with me during the Atlanta conference that I am going to. Both of these are Good Things.

Time for the Not so Good.

My grandmother is in the hospital as of yesterday afternoon from a possible stroke. We don't know for sure what happened because she was totally unresponsive/coma-esque by the time Dad and Uncle Butch got there. Finally, around 11pm EST, she woke up and recognized Dad. They got her a room at the hospital and now we wait for updates.

I hate that I was too selfish to call her on my birthday because I couldn't take the knowledge that she didn't remember my birthday anymore. :(

I love you Grandmother, and I hope today is a better day.

New layout!

2009-01-29T22:17:00.001-05:00

I am still playing around with it, but I think I like it! :)

6 month anniversary :)

2009-01-26T21:36:00.004-05:00

Until there are little ones running around, I think this will be one of the last times in my life that I celebrate monthly "anniversaries." We haven't done anything special for it other than to marvel that time has gone so quickly. I also spent the day with a headache thanks to the jerks at my office painting the halls on a Monday morning. Grrrrr.

Harry is recovering well from the surgery--we went back to the Doc on Friday and he is all good to go a week from today! I am sure he will be glad to get the cone off--he broke the one he was in by running full speed up the back steps and slamming into things. Thank goodness we had his old one!

This puppy face gets me every time.

Needless to say, Inauguration Day was awesome--I even postponed one of my classes by an hour to watch it! I was never an Obama maniac, but I have to say I was pretty inspired. Of course, he was being compared to the worst President ever...so how could you really look bad?

Friday was a bit of a loss. I took Harry and we got to walk through Central Park, but I spent the rest of the day utterly unable to keep my eyes open. I passed out multiple times on the couch waaaay before my bedtime.

Saturday we ate our way through Long Island, and on Sunday I had an awful viewing experience of Rachel Getting Married. Anne Hathaway was good, but I did not care for the film or for the massively hot cinema Deena and I saw it in. Blegh.

That Wife Challenege Post: Chocolate Cake

2009-01-23T10:59:00.003-05:00

Thanks to Jenna at That Wife, I was doubly inspired to have chocolate cake for my birthday. Not any chocolate cake though, oh no. I wanted to pull out the big guns (aka The Kitchen Aid Mixer) and make a Gingerbread Chocolate Cake.

I can't believe I didn't take more pics of the process. Since it was a birthday cake, I was heavily assisted by the lovely Miss Kara as I think there is some rule against completely making your own birthday cake or something.

Anyway, the cake was fabulous (as long as you like gingerbread)! It was pretty rich, but I didn't think it was as crazy decadent as full out chocolate cake with chocolate icing.

The recipe can be found here at the wonderful site Dinner and Dessert.

Long weekend

2009-01-18T12:56:00.005-05:00

I love the feeling of long weekends..even though this is the coldest one I can remember. We have had off and on snow and a lot of below freezing temperatures. I am grateful to have heat!

Been doing a lot of schoolwork for the new semester that starts on Tuesday..you know, because nothing else important at all is happening that day...I hate that I probably won't be anywhere near a TV to watch the inauguration!

I have been in the baking mood (probably because it was so cold). Last night, I made Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. Sooo tasty--perfect for a winter's night! This morning, I made from scratch blueberry muffins--so easy! I had no idea it would be so easy...I am ashamed to say I have always used the mix in the past. I really want to make biscuits from scratch next!

The recipe and a few pics...

Banana Walnut Chocolate-Chunk Cookies
Original recipe from How to Eat a Cupcake
MAKES 3 DOZEN (I got about 28)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (I used kosher salt)
3/4 cup (l 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 large)
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into 1/4-inch chunks
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (about 2 ounces)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Whisk together both flours, salt, and soda in a bowl.
2. Put butter and both sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer [[I cheated and used my handmixer because Saul was busy and I need help to get the KitchenAid down]] with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale. Reduce speed to low. Add egg and vanilla; mix until combined. Mix in banana. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in oats, chocolate chunks, and walnuts.
3. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop , drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown and just set, 12-13 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days.

After being banished from the kitchen no less than 8 times, my darling Harry dog finally sat outside the kitchen rather than IN it. He was still keeping a hawkeye out for any dropped food though. My poor darling puppy goes back for his redo cherry eye surgery on his right eye tomorrow morning...poor thing will have to wear the cone again :(

5 days in a row below freezing

2009-01-16T21:37:00.002-05:00

Best recent purchase?

Hunter brand Wellington boots. So when I originally picked the color "Iris," I was imagining a nice shade of blue...but I got something in the purple family. I like them though and so far they have been wonderful in our freezing/snowing weather of the past few days!

Also, I am totally afraid to fly again yet amazed that everyone was able to get safely off the plane that landed in the Hudson.

Made taco chicken tonight--something so comforting about salsa on cold nights!

Birthday fun

2009-01-14T18:03:00.003-05:00

Despite a nasty consult with the oral surgeon on Friday (all 4 wisdom teeth are impacted and need to come out...), this weekend was awesome!

The DC ladies came up Friday evening, and after a long afternoon of cleaning/cooking, Saul and I met them at Olive Vine--yum yum yum! Looove the Mediterranean, plus we know the guy who owns it and it is nice to check in with him from time to time.

Saturday, after Hayls left to meet her fam, Kara and I made my birthday cake--a Chocolate Gingerbread Cake! Afterwards, she and Clara and I went to play in the city. I finally ate at Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridian. Super tasty! We also went to Tiffany's and had a run in with the most hilarious store floor guy ever..he totally analyzed Kara and I's personalities based on the way we were standing. He also said that a certain person's ex had limited thinking abilities...too funny. I got in some great girl-shopping time at Ann Taylor and Williams-Sonoma which was excellent!

Loads and loads of food and drink prep and then the party got going! Some snow that was predicted to be worse than it actually was kept it from being a HUGE party, but everyone who was there was super fun. We played a WHOLE lot of RockBand 2.

Because she was staying in town for an interview, Kara S and I watched the Golden Globes on Sunday night. I lurrrve Kate Winslet. I was so happy for her. I don't understand the fascination with Mickey Rourke though...seriously, why do people like him? If you want a redemption story just look at Robert Downey, Jr.

Monday was my actual birthday. I opened presents from Saul, some cards I had saved to open on the day, and generally relaxed. Kara and I want window shopping in the Rockefeller area and had a tasty lunch at Cosi. Spent the afternoon on the phone catching up with people which is always nice. I know I am super lucky to be able to just completely take my birthday off work. Don't know if it will ever happen again, but it was so nice to be relaxed!

Saul took me to Tutta Pasta, the Italian restaurant in park Slope that we went on our first date for dinner. The meal was lovely and we got warm drinks to go at the Tea Lounge before making our way back home.

Last night, we went to see Shrek the Musical as my gift from my parents. It was super cute--don't think it is destined to become my favorite Broadway show, but I really enjoyed the sets, the effects, the costumes, and of course, Sutton Foster.

Am off work again tomorrow because the whole school is moving to midtown--a few blocks from Macy's. Goodbye short commute :(

A day late

2009-01-09T10:39:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was my wonderful daddy's birthday! I will refrain from mentioning his age, as that would make me a bad daughter. ;)

I got him two new books (which I want to steal when he is done with them) before we left Alabama. I didn't realize Sharon Kay Penman had a new book out, but oh does she! It is the last book in her Henry and Eleanor of Aquitaine series..I need to re-read the other two first I think!

I also have been after Mom to make dad to go the doctor for some time now. His dad passed away before I was born from a sudden heart attack, and so you know, I would really like for dad not to do that. So mom made him an appointment with a new doctor (his old one was his best friend who went to work in the VA system...I also think it is not good for your BFF to be your doctor, but whatever..), and the appointment was ON HIS BIRTHDAY. Dad doesn't mind needles, but seriously? Worst birthday present ever. Doc says everything looks good, pending the blood work so it probably wasn't totally awful.

January is a Warren family birthday month. Dad on the 8th, Uncle Lee on the 11th, and me on the 12th! I was supposed to come on the 11th, but when have I ever not been stubborn? ;)

Day 165

2009-01-07T16:26:00.002-05:00

We've been married for over a 3rd of a year! :)

I found out yesterday that Dad got us tickets to see Shrek the Musical for my birthday. We are going next Tuesday, and I can't wait to see Sutton Foster on stage...again! I am pretty sure she is one of my girl crushes. Mostly, I just wish I could sing like that.

I think I want to re-name this blog...any ideas? I plan to write more about food and everyday life than wedding-related stuff. I still do love looking at pictures of pretty weddings though...I think I have a (very) few regrets about ours..I wish people had stayed longer although mostly this was a function of age and the thunderstorm that rolled in. I wish I had been specific with Josh about 2 or 3 more pictures I would have loved to have. I wish we had danced more and I really really wish I had danced with my dad. I have already told Mark that whenever he and Ashley get married, I better get the chance to dance with dad then.

Poor Harry is going to have his right-eye re-surgeried on Monday the 19th. It makes me so sad to see the cherry eye popped out of that eye. He doesn't seem to care..his tail just keeps wagging. Maybe someone should look into harnessing dog tail wagging for a form of energy?

Oooh, got my hair dyed this morning. I went a bit brighter, and I am very happy with the results! I was going to get it cut as well, but the stylist told me that my hair didn't look like it needed it all!

Kara, I know what I want to get done (hopefully) to my hair for your wedding.

There is another pic of a girl I knew from HS on Facebook...basically it depends on how long my hair is, but I like the 50s glamor look at the moment.

Books and Feelings

2009-01-06T13:51:00.002-05:00

I forgot to mention that I read like crazy while we were home.

Leading up to our trip, I re-read the full Harry Potter series. I was feeling in a rut with reading and wanted to do something that I knew would keep me turning the pages. It worked! :) Yes, my favorite character is still Severus Snape.

Ahh moving on.

I got The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao for Christmas, and it had been on my list for awhile. I liked it, but I didn't LOVE it by any stretch of the imagination.

Then I picked up Something Borrowed and Something Blue in Target with Mom. Basically, I read both of them in 24 hrs. I really enjoyed them and didn't feel that they were as mindless as some "chick lit."

Now I am reading the magazines that stacked up while we were away and Thursday Next: First Among Sequels.

If you like books, you will like this series, trust me.

I was also going to write about feelings and feeling a bit lonely since coming home and having no group of people to catch up with. It is sad that my closest friends are all so scattered :(

Looking forward to catching up with some of them this weekend though :)

2009

2009-01-05T16:03:00.004-05:00

We had a vacation for the holidays, even if Alabama is not most peoples' idea of a hot vacation spot.

We flew in to Birmingham on Christmas Eve, and I think it may be the latest I have ever gotten home before Christmas. After an emergency stop at Chick-fil-a (for Saul), we made it home and I wrapped presents for an hour straight. Fortunately, everything had either already been shipped or made it in my suitcase.

This was a break for catching up with old friends. I was able to see my friend Melissa for a coffee that afternoon. I haven't seen her since 1 month after we got engaged. She and her husband are moving South this summer though, so hopefully I will get to see her more often.

[[Side note: I now sort songs on the radio in my office into two categories--Guitar Hero or Not Guitar Hero.]]

Of course I got to see Cathy, and she gave me the most amazing Christmas/birthday present. I am usually not a fan of the combo gift, but she got me a Turbo CHI! Yes, the goddess of hair straighteners now lives at my house. In this case, I fully accept and adore my combo present :)

Christmas day itself was relaxing and fun. We opened presents (yay for mom's first ring from my dad ever and the Smurfs!), drank our mimosas, ate breakfast, felt drunk, and otherwise enjoyed the day. Mark got a WiiFit, so even though we did not bring ours that I got Saul for Christmas, we were able to still play! I have unlocked all the yoga poses on it and really enjoy them.

The day after Christmas, or Boxing Day in the UK, was hard. We went over to Phenix City and saw my uncles and my grandmother. This is the first time I had seen her since she went to the nursing home in mid-October. She has gotten so so so much worse :( She is so disoriented and seems unhappy. On the other hand, I have never seen my mother be nicer to her. Sadly, Grandmother kept asking for Sandi, my ex-aunt who walked out on my Uncle Butch last spring, saying it wasn't Christmas without the entire family. It was so sad.

Afterwards, Dad, Saul and I headed to Callaway Gardens for another year of Fantasy in Lights. We saw the butterflies, the botanical house, and the Christmas Village. Because it was post 25th, I got tons of Christmas ornaments on sale! Also, they had not run out of gingerbread men this year...thank God. It is some of the best gingerbread I have ever put in my mouth. After the lights, our traditional trip to Moe and Joe's rounded out the trip.

Somewhere in here we saw Markley and Me. It was so cute and I cried so hard. We saw the Harrisons twice and Cathy's mom, and Cathy and I saw our old high school friend Kristine. I haven't seen her since...Dec 2001? Maybe 2002. It has been a loooong time. She is Peru right now and I am jealous! Oh and we had a big night out with Matt at a tapas bar and the upscale Montgomery restaurant for dessert...lets just say one of us was hungover and it wasn't the person typing this!

I played with Oliver for hours and was able to walk him when mom finally finally got a harness for him so that he can't pull as hard.

New Year's Eve was almost a bust. My mom completely failed at making dinner despite knowing when Saul and I were leaving for the movies. We had Wendy's in the parking lot of the mall movie theatre. Woo? We did get to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Cathy though, and I really enjoyed it. I have heard that some people have thought it dragged, but I don't think so at all. We went home, tried to find a station counting down on central time, and I proceeded to drink quite a few Malibu Bay Breezes.

Cathy left right after midnight for Paris, which is where she is until Jan 10.

Ah, the Harrisons taught Saul how to play spades, which is a handy skill for him to have really.

Now we are back in the cold, down a Poodle, but plus a Cocker Spaniel who I picked up this morning. I have had serious nightmares lately, but last night's was truely awful. I woke Saul up at 6:15am sobbing into him.

After work, I have to go get grocery basics...our fridge has been broken so we have NO FOOD. And poor Harry doesn't have any food either!

This week is packed--I want to work on my resume, have a haircut/color, work (duh), gym, help Deena pack, meet with the oral surgeon, plan my party, have people in for my birthday, and watch the Golden Globes!

Sadness

2008-12-23T21:39:00.003-05:00

Took Harry to be boarded right down the road from Deena's parents house this morning. Loads of traffic...the GW Bridge gets the big middle finger from me in the morning.

Poor Harry whimpered almost the entire way. He had to be in his kennel (or as our friend Nina calls it, "his jail") because Zipcar won't let them be out in the car. Animal hair does have a tendency to get on everything.

Anyway, it was so sad. When we got there, he wanted to go sniff everything and play with the other dogs...he was not happy with me for leaving him in the box. So I didn't really get to say goodbye at all... I miss him :( No one was here to jump up on me when I got home.

I know we will see Ollie tomorrow in Alabama, but it isn't the same. He isn't our dog even if we make him in to our dog for the time we stay there.

Oops

2008-12-22T08:08:00.006-05:00

I have been crap at updating lately. I blame work and the general Christmas season.

We got a tree! :)

Saul's company's holiday party wasn't as fun this year. It was still lavish, and I had fun dressing up, but it was very...unorganized. We got there at 7:30, which was supposed to be the middle of cocktail hour, yet tons of people had already sat down to dinner! It made it hard to find people/have anyone to sit with at dinner. We had a nice time hanging out with a few of our friends...until some rap group took the stage. I was done at that point. Saw our first snowflakes of the season that night though.

Deena and I did Christmas baking and watched Love Actually.

Somewhere along the way, I feel down the stairs at my work and did a number on my ankle. It is still not particularly happy with me.

I have had a great time exploring the Union Square Holiday Market this year. Some years I think it is just full of junk, but I have made some good finds this year! And, the most awesome cookies in the world.

Found a new and chill bar in Williamsburg, thanks to our attendance at Timmy's birthday party. They were coming after SantaCon, so we were a funny looking group at the bar--a few normal dressed people and a lot of half-drunk Santas. I did get to wear the Santa hat for awhile though :)

We have been playing a lot of Guitar Hero and Rock Band. I think you could say a certain husband of mine is obsessed.

Harry has also been barking his head off late at night. He's not doing it every night anymore, but there were a few times he woke me up at 1am, 3am, 5am, etc... Not nice. Kind of looking forward to having him boarded over Christmas...is that mean? I love him but I really really need to sleep.

Discovered an amazing dumplings place in Chinatown thanks to my friend Karyl. Really lovely soup dumplings. And with not a too bad walk to work after.

Saw my friend Alex who is back from Iraq one afternoon. We had a good lunch and a long chat. Nice to see him.

Saul was under the weather this weekend so we couldn't really play in the snow we got on Friday (I stayed home, I felt like I had been hit by a truck). Harry loves the snow though and sort of bounds through it for no apparent reason. Saturday I surprised him with reservations at one of his favorite brunch places--Garage, home of the upside down Christmas tree. Then, on a whim, we went up and bought tickets for the 2pm show of Avenue Q so that Saul could finally see it! It was a fun day :)

Walking Harry this morning was god awful....how is 14 degrees a real temperature? I am still slowly getting feeling back in my fingers.

Post-Thanksgiving

2008-12-05T09:52:00.002-05:00

Being back to work has seriously compromised my blogging time. Not that I work full time, but once I get off I have to walk Harry and cook and go to the gym and do any errands.

Speaking of work...I hate working downtown sometimes. Sirens ALL THE TIME...worse than even working near the UN. The school is moving to 38th and 7th by January though. Longer commute, but I think I prefer the midtown area for working. Plus that is totally Koreatown which = awesome lunch food.

We had a wonderful trip to Roanoke, VA for Thanksgiving. Driving with Harry is not my favorite past time, but it worked out. Plus we got Chick-fil-a. (And Saul had it twice!) It was great to see the family and eat Southern food. Plus we saw my cousin's new house, and it was huge and awesome. Plus we were introduced to Guitar Hero...which is now on its way to our house. :)

Sadly, Auburn football did not go so well this year. We're not going to talk about it anymore.

I am going to the dentist for the first time in awhile today. It is Saul's dentist and he is their most favorite patient. Seriously. I am worried they are going to tell me that my wisdom teeth need to come out :(

Tomorrow is Christmas tree day in our house!

Adventures in Cooking

2008-11-18T22:47:00.005-05:00

So one of my new favorite things to do is to plan Saul and I's weekly dinner menu. Also, I have started weaning myself off wedding blogs by substituting food blogs instead. Yum :)

I was inspired by a glorious post on Smitten Kitchen to make what were claimed to be the best chocolate chip cookies ever. I am not going to lie, they were pretty awesome. It involved 2 kinds of flower, chocolate DISKS from Whole Foods, and letting the batter sit in the fridge overnight.

Best of all, I got to use my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer for the first time!!!

While I forgot to take a picture of the cookies themselves...oops, I did take a pic of the dough before it went into the fridge.

Fortunately I had willing test subjects since Kara and Andrew stayed with us this weekend since they came to see some of Andrew's sister's theatre shows. While we mostly saw them on Sunday, it was a tasty brunch at Olea. :)

Sunday was also the day of some exciting news from Saul's side of the family! I am sworn to not mention it on the internet even though I cannot imagine anyone accidentally finding out from this blog. Oh well.

My class Monday went much better than the first class. Everyone (including me) was much less confused and was better able to focus on the lesson. Whoo for teaching how to write a persuasive essay. Then, today, I spent my first morning at work, doing working for the Dean. It is hard to go back to spending time at a desk nonstop after not doing it for so long!! 4 hours used to be nothing when I worked in admin, but after going back to school and teaching...wow. I had to take a 2 hour nap just to recover!

Hopefully Harry will get good news about his eyes on Thursday when we go to the vet. am starting to feel the holidays coming--a few snowflakes this morning while walking Harry!!!

Recap

2008-11-12T09:47:00.002-05:00

I hate summary/recap posts...but I am going to have to do one anyway.

On the day after the election, I did a demo lesson at Globe Institute of Technology in downtown Manhattan--it is a community college. I was hired to be an Adjunct Professor of English, and I am going to do a lot of writing consulting for them as well. So I'll get paid for teaching a class--Remedial English Composition as well as extra hours on these writing and editing projects.

Friday I went to see Role Models at the early showing--yay for $6 movies. Also, it was pretty funny although not knock-down hilarious.

We had an awesome night out on Saturday with my friends Bryn and Paul. We went to dinner at Bar 89 and ate tons and tons of buffalo wings. Then we went to an old favorite of mine, The Peculiar Pub, and drank numerous kinds of tasty beer.

Sunday I went to a really fun charity auction for my friend Katie's work--The New York Children's Center. I bought a new coat and the proceeds go to Katie's charity :) Yay for a new coat and for it going to a good cause.

Monday was my first class at Globe. It is hard to teach a 3 hour class successfully especially when the kids were confused as to why they were getting a new professor halfway through. Basically, the class was way too big at 43 people, so they brought me in to split it in two.

That brings us to yesterday's day of awesome. I went with Deena and her mom to dinner in Hell's Kitchen and then we went to see All My Sons. We sat in the 2nd row as Deena's friend who works back stage scored us the house seats. Yeah, we sat 3 rows in front of Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. She is much less scary looking in real life, and he doesn't look that old at all. Anyway, our seats gave us awesome views of John Lithgow and Katie Holmes as well as the other actors. After the play (which, like all Arthur Miller, was emotionally disturbing), Deena's friend put us on the backstage list and we saw the set as well as other things. Then, we met Katie Holmes! She is super nice and TINY in person. Also, there is no way in hell she is pregnant.

After we left, some girl came up to me on the street and asked me if I was a Broadway actress who had been in a show she had seen last year. Hillllllarious.

The Day After

2008-11-05T09:38:00.002-05:00

Up till yesterday, I couldn't get excited about this election. I didn't connect with Obama; I was still bitter about Hillary. Not so bitter not to vote for him, but bitter enough to avoid watching the debates with their empty rhetoric and to avoid becoming a person who could ONLY talk about politics.

Then, yesterday morning, there was a huge line to vote at my precinct in the ghetto of Brooklyn. I knew voter turnout was supposed to be huge, but I couldn't believe it. I started to get excited, but being a good Democrat, I knew we could still fuck it up. We're good like that lately.

Had my interview in the afternoon (it went well and I go back today to do a demo lesson), and went to the Apple store with Saul. On our way home I decided that I didn't want to cook because I didn't want to be away from the TV for too long from 7pm till the end. So we ordered in, and I sat on the couch trying to be productive but failing because my stomach was in knots.

And then at 11pm, it was real. Barack Obama was elected 44th President of the United States. I was in shock, sitting on the floor, holding Harry, trying not to squeeze him to death. As it sunk in, Saul and I broke open the champagne and toasted to 4 hopeful years. We both thought McCain was gracious and were happy that Palin didn't get to talk.

Finally, finally, Obama came on to give his thank you speech. And that is when the tears came. I think I just never thought that the person I voted for for President would ever be elected. I somehow was convinced that liberal people in America were always going to lose out. But for 4 years at least, Democrats have the opportunity to show America and the world how it should be done.

I can't wait.

PS. It is hard not to want to strangle the people on my facebook status update list from Alabama who are afraid that we are suddenly going to be living in a "socialist" state. Have I mentioned that I hate close-minded people?

Owie

2008-11-03T21:05:00.002-05:00

Dear Jillian Michaels,

I heard good things about your DVD, the 30 Day Shred. So I ordered it cheaply off amazon. I started Day 1 Level 1 today. OW OW OW OW. 20 minutes has never put me in so much pain. Also, it would help if I had 3 lb hand weights instead of 5lb.

Seriously. Ow.

Other than that, I went to Henri Bendel and officially made the switch to Laura Mercier makeup. No more Bare Minerals for me...I just felt like it settled into lines way too easily and didn't give me as much coverage as I wanted. Plus I felt like I looked ghostly pale in the pics from Kara and Andrew's engagement party.

NYC Marathon was yesterday, and it is always awesome since they run one street up form our house. Saul especially likes to wave his English flag for Paula Radcliffe.

Harry had another vet checkup today. He is still coned, but they think they know the problem and hopefully he will be out of it by Saturday-ish!

Catching up

2008-10-27T08:09:00.002-04:00

It was a very fun (albeit brief) trip to DC to celebrate at Kara and Andrew's engagement party! So happy we took the train home.

Friday was a bit of a downer. I am sorry if I haven't told people, but it is not a fun thing to tell and I didn't want to bring down the party atmosphere. My wonderful grandmother (who turns 89 tomorrow) moved to a nursing home on Friday :( I know it is the way of things, and there was no big fight about it or anything so it makes it slightly easier. She fell a few weeks ago, spent the night on the floor, and agreed with my dad and my uncles that it was time she couldn't live alone anymore. I am very happy she is going to have constant people to talk to and people to check on her. I am very sad that Christmas is going to be hard. No more going to her house to see her. She has lived in that house for longer than I have been alive, and all of my memories of her are there. It is just going to be a huge change when Saul and I go home for the holidays.

On the other hand, she is healthy (for 89) and seems to be in mostly good spirits about the move, and I know that is something to be very thankful for!

A possible casualty of the economy..

2008-10-21T08:07:00.001-04:00

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081021/NEWS01/810210308/1007/rss02

Gracie's Tea Room, site of the BM Luncheon and countless of my own trips there, might be closing :( They have closed the kitchen but the gift shop is still open...for now :(

Thoughtful Friday night

2008-10-17T23:01:00.002-04:00

After an amazing dinner made with Suzi and James' handstick blender (soups just became SO much easier), Saul and I decided to watch a movie.

We rented Then She Found Me through iTunes. I don't know what it was about it, but it really moved the both of us. So many images made me feel so lucky to have found Saul and to be married to him...images of two people in bed with the kids spooned between them..images of being pregnant.. I was just overwhelmed with love for my husband.

This keeps happening. Before we were married, I would get happy when I looked at him and thought about our life together. Since we got married, that feeling has somehow intensified. It is like I look at him sometimes and I see him not as we are now but as we will be--living in our own house or playing with our children.

I know a wedding is just one day (and god knows I am in some sort of withdrawal from planning...although it would probably be better if I wasn't home most of the time) and all you really get in legal terms is a piece of paper that says you have rights to each other...getting married somehow really magnified my love for my husband. I don't understand it..and I never want it to stop.

Money sucks

2008-10-14T22:07:00.002-04:00

I hate not having a steady job.

I hate feeling like a financial drain on our new family.

I am worried this is going to make me hate the holiday season :(

I also hate being unhappy about something (not money related) but not feeling confident enough to bring it up.

I still love Harry. And Saul.

I need to make some money.

I hate Indian Summer

2008-10-12T19:51:00.003-04:00

Stupid hot weather...it is approaching mid-October and it is supposed to be almost 80 tomorrow! Boo.

In the what am I doing with my life news..

I am going to start interviewing potential Brandeis first years through the Alumni Admissions Council. I have my first interview later this month, and I am very excited!

I am also progressing with the training process for Champion Tutoring, and should start tutoring around Oct 20. Additionally, I had my first substitute day on the UES and it went super well! I really enjoyed the students very very much.

On Wednesday I went to see Bryn and Paul in the Bronx so that I could help out one of Bryn's classmates by taking an IQ test. It was fun in parts, but mostly it was loooong.

I have been cooking lots still, and I was finally successful with the breadmaker! We enjoyed a lovely Parmesan peppercorn loaf with leftover beef and stout pie tonight. It was really fun to watch the process since it actually worked this time.

Most importantly though, we have a new member of our household. On Thursday, we adopted Harry the Cocker Spaniel from the ASPCA in NYC.

He is recovering from eye surgery, but you would never know he has had recent surgery because he is the happiest dog in the world! We are both really loving having him around :)

Semi-employment

2008-10-06T17:20:00.001-04:00

Got hired to be a substitute teacher by a UES Catholic school today! It is super cute, and I am VERY excited! Plus, when I was on the subway home, they totally called to book me for Thursday!

Also, Deena is coming for dinner tonight since Saul has work stuff. yay for semi-dinner parties! :)

Grrr and a yay

2008-10-04T21:50:00.002-04:00

GRRRR I am SO UNHAPPY with Auburn football this season. This spread offense is pants in the SEC. Give me the eye formation any day. Also, it is a sad day when we can't even beat VANDY! Come on.

But for yay--Saul and I went to the ASPCA today and started the adoption process with Harry, a 4 year old adorable American Cocker Spaniel! We couldn't bring him home today because he is having doggie cataract surgery next week, but we will be able to bring him home Thurs or Fri next week after the surgery! Expect many pictures from his proud parents :)

Post-wedding

2008-10-01T09:25:00.002-04:00

I have been trying to decide if I want to keep posting to this or not. Ultimately, I think it would be healthy if I wrote down my thoughts..especially when dealing with the post-wedding/unemployment blues from time to time.

The wedding was amazing. See here if you want a more complete recap.

I am still embroiled in the wedding world thanks to Kara's wedding. It is exciting and hard at the same time.

So, the unemployment thing. Due to racism and physical threats, I quit my job as a NYC public school teacher. Basically, I cannot work in the public schools for a year. So I have been looking into tutoring and private school work, but no one seems to really be jumping for joy at the sight of my resume. I know things take awhile, but it is hard to feel useless.

I am trying to keep finding and doing things that keep me happy. I am reading a lot which is good. And still going to the gym, but my appendectomy scar has been bothering me lately and so I am trying to be careful.

I did get basically all of our wedding stuff unpacked last week. That felt like a very big accomplishment.

2 weeks from today...

2008-07-13T00:44:00.002-04:00

We will be married!

I spent the evening watching "Blackadder the Third" and writing the escort cards (turns out you can't print the ones I bought...oops).

Cathy and I were productive with beginning the printing of the programs and the table numbers this afternoon.

Monday:
Got my staples out--it feels like 8 piece of metal being ripped out of your skin. Beg for the not staples whenever you get surgery. I also visited the Montgomery Tourist Bureau. I picked up LOADS of brochures for the out of town bags and got some ideas for activities with Saul's parents. I also met with my day of coordinator that afternoon and was happy to get some of the details finally rolling in motion!

Tuesday:
I had my bridal portraits! Did my own hair (wow I have big hair when I curl it), and got my makeup done at the Estee Lauder counter at the mall. It looked nice but I felt like I was wearing tons of black eyeliner...which I was. And my florist made me a silk bouquet which will be the one I do the toss with (and Kara, you better believe I am aiming at YOU!!! :))

I met the photographer for the first time and felt really comfortable around him which is great. I can't wait to see the pics this week! :)

Wednesday:
Got my eyebrows done and went to Hobby Lobby to buy some random supplies like flower girl baskets.

Thursday:
Spent the day going to/from Birmingham with mom. We both got our hair cut after getting home. Well, I just got the split ends lopped off. I cannot WAIT to cut it cut it after the wedding. Also dropped off my engagement ring to be re-sized at the same place where we bought our wedding rings. It was SO WEIRD to be without it!

Friday:
I got my ring back. I worked o the seating chart. Mostly Cathy and I had tasty Thai food for dinner and I talked to Deena on the phone. I hate having to schedule phone dates but I have been so busy since I have been home :(

Today:
Ran around ALL DAY. Farmer's Market, target (got a cute bathing suit!), Dillards, William-Sonoma, and COSTCO. Plus I had to pick up a dress from the tailors. Then Cathy and I worked on the printing and I went to dinner with the Harrisons.

Tomorrow:
Shower! :)

Most of all, a HUGE CONGRATS to Kara and Andrew for getting engaged!!!! :)

20 days!!!

2008-07-06T15:32:00.002-04:00

I am sooooo excited!!!!!! :) :)

On tap this week:
Meeting with the day of coordinator to start making a timeline
Bridal portraits
Meeting with the Florist
Taking mom to B'ham for a Dr. appt
Alabama shower/luncheon on Sunday

Whoooooooo!

Home stretch

2008-07-03T23:08:00.004-04:00

I have been busy since getting back home. The first day was tiring with the early flight and the still recovering. But my dress and I made it in one piece.

Tuesday was top secret mission day in Birmingham for Saul's wedding present. Don't say anything about it in the comments!!! if you want to know more, we can chat about it on the phone :)

I also booked an appointment for next week with the florist and stopped at Peach Park in Clanton on the way home. Yummy peaches for homemade peach ice cream for the 4th :)

Today:
Got serious about getting back in quasi shape post surgery--walked 4 miles
I ran a lot of errands in the afternoon and confirmed my hair/makeup appointments for the wedding day. Makeup at 7am. Oh god. As mom pointed out we will have lots of time to do pictures before the ceremony.

Nailed down all the details for the rehearsal dinner--it sounds sooooo yummy. Thank goodness tomorrow is the 4th and I can feed my craving for BBQ.

Mom and I also ran out to Tanglewood Plantation, which is where the RD will be. It was my first time seeing it, and it is very pretty!

It was apparently built in 1819 by a Revolutionary War veteran!

Changes in plans

2008-06-30T09:40:00.003-04:00

Slight changes. Instead of going home today, I go home tomorrow.

Today I pick up my dress.

Thursday night I had an appendectomy. Not a fun experience, but better now than at the wedding or while in Fiji. So....thanks...to my body for its timing?

Best letter from a student ever

2008-06-23T22:23:00.000-04:00

Hello Ms. Warren, its Peter [not real name]. I'm sorry to bother you doing your break, but I was hoping you can write me a recommendation. Just to help you out, I'll make you a little list on why.

-I attended class as best as I can and if I didn't, I made sure you received an absent note.
-I handed in my projects on time, respecting you due date.
-I did all the homework, for except maybe one or two.
-I went up and beyond on my assignments spending countless hours.
-I actually read the assigned readings.
-Participated as best and often as I can.
-My grades were high.
-I have a lot of dedication.

Essays
Midterm - 92 (essay-69/75)
Final - 86
Pride and Prejudice Essay - 88
In class - 93

Quizzes
Notes Quiz - 95
A Closer Look at the Bennet Family -
3/28/08 - 100
Hamlet - 100

Assignments
Hamlet Creative Writing - 97
Poetry Project - 90
( Sorry, I don't have all the grades)

Thank you for taking some time to read my message. I hope I am eligible for a recommendation, and if not, I won't hate you. I have to tell you Ms. Warren, my grade was improved by your help and your style of teaching. Really! You were a excellent teacher, and very very generous may I add. I wish you luck in your career as a teacher, and I wish you happiness in your marriage. My God, you must excited and nervous and anxious about your wedding day, its your next big step. Its going to be wonderful, because all of your family and friends will send you all sorts of pastry! I'm happy for you!
Sincerely
Peter
P.S.
I loved your cookies!

----

This is why I am a teacher :)

Lots to do

2008-06-23T10:51:00.003-04:00

I don't know what it has been this past week, but I have been very bouncy when thinking about the wedding. Maybe the shower/bachelorette made it all seem real, but I just can't stop being happy about it!

Pour Saul. I made him re-try on his wedding ring so I could stare at it some more :) I know I am a dork.

Last week was a flurry of thank you notes. And wrapping things up at LaGuardia. Also an amazing REM concert as well as free opera in Prospect Park. And I picked up some extra cash by selling my iBook.

Sadly, not a lot of wedding stuff I feel like I can still do in NYC. We started to work on the iPod playlist...any requests or do not plays from anyone??

Yesterday was a fun day. Saw Gypsy with Hayley and her mom in the afternoon. Patti LuPone was killing it, and the entire show was amazing. Hayley's mom surprised me with a really nice cookbook wedding gift! She even bookmarked her favorite recipe. :)

That night, Katie and Becca took Saul and I out to Resto, a divine Belgian restaurant with so many good beers and delicious food. It was a wonderful wedding celebration since they can't make it in July. We were all stuffed and happy afterwards!

Today--more errands and the dress goes back to the seamstress to hopefully get taken in!

Best weekend ever

2008-06-18T16:10:00.003-04:00

Friday:

Mom and Cathy flew in that afternoon, and as soon as they landed we went to my local nail place. Mom got a spa pedicure and looked blissed out beyond belief. I experimented with a French manicure for the first time as sort of a dry run for the wedding. I liked the way it looked but it chipped off very easily.

Once Saul got home and Hayls got off of work, we went to Cafe Lafayette. They have some of my favorite burgers in all of NYC.

The DC ladies got in too late for us to hang out (plus Hayls' car has no brake lights...) so Nina made her way over via car service and we pretty much all just went to bed after that. Although I finally got to insist on bring told when I should wake up for the shower the next day.

Saturday:

Woke up at 8am and we all started getting ready to leave around 9:30am shower...which I still didn't know where we were going. After some slight train issues (Have I ever mentioned how much I hate the MTA?), we made it to Alice's Tea Cup for my bridal shower!

So many people came, and it was such a good time! A perfect place for me :) The gifts were so generous and beyond anything I could have imagined! (I have already sent all but 1 thank you note!) The bridesmaids seriously went above and beyond anything I could have possible expected to make the shower wonderful.

After one embarrassing game and a delicious cake, mom, Hayl and I took the presents home to Brooklyn in the car.

We made it back to the UES in time to see a few people off and then spent some time shopping. Everyone seemed to be having a pretty good luck shopping day. Just before we split up to go back home, the skies opened and began to pour. Nothing like getting soaked in a white dress!

AFter some time at home where Saul and Cathy played a lot of Wii Mario Kart, the doorbell rang 30 minutes early. Instead of at 7pm, the girls showed up at 6:30 and shocked the hell out of me by announcing that it was my Bachelorette Party!

I have not been so surprised in a loooong time. I had to wear a sash and a veil. Fortunately they brought champagne to ease the blow. once I was bachelorette suited up, we made our way to Otto. We had an amazing dinner of cheese, olives and pizza with some super tasty wine. After a delightful dinner, Mom headed home while the rest of us headed out to Royal Oak in Williamsburg for some drinks and some dancing.

I was fine up until the last shot of amaretto...I was fine all night and the drinking and the talking was fantastic.

Sunday:

We got home at 2am and by 6am I was not feeling too well at all. I couldn't keep anything down (even water) till after meeting up with the girls at Hayley's apartment to say goodbye and give them their hostess presents (Deena--I still have yours!). I was finally able to keep down Gatorade, and it was fortunate my mom was around to nurse me back to health.

Once I started to feel better, mom and I went to target for some things and for a father's day gift. Sadly on the way home we were caught in a downpour. This time I was not in white.

Mom headed out in the afternoon and Cathy stayed till Tuesday. All in all, it was a fantastic amazing weekend!

Guest count: 90
Days till wedding: 38 days

Well...crap

2008-06-11T21:03:00.002-04:00

Our honeymoon place is closing at the end of this month. :( :(

Fortunately we booked everything through a travel agent. The have re-booked us for the same price at Royal Davui Island Resort. We are going from a 3.5 star to a 5 star. We seem to be getting a good deal out of it all, but it is still sad that the place we researched and picked together is suddenly disappearing :(

Guest count: 80

Sundays can be good

2008-06-09T20:39:00.006-04:00

Weekend Update:

Saturday: Central Park in 96 degree weather with Hayls and Zabars. Nothing accomplished but hanging out and relaxing!

Sunday:
Butter by Nadia Sample Sale in Red Hook. Dress that usually runs $250? Bagged in sage green for $75. Hello rehearsal dinner dress!

Next, Fairway. Not necessary for wedding, but it was necessary for not having a barren kitchen.

Lunch break!

DSW:
Found--HOT green shoes for the shower. And for life.

Target:

Earings that perfectly match the shoes. At a Target price, naturally.

Flash forward to this morning:

SAUL IS COMING HOME TOMORROW NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guest Count: 76
Days Remaining: 47

Cripes!

2008-06-04T23:41:00.001-04:00

51 days to go!

so much to do but so hard to do things from NY.

Also, money sucks.

Fiji dress?

2008-05-26T16:54:00.001-04:00

What do you guys think about this one? Sadly I seem to be inbetween sizes :(

Things I don't like..

2008-05-14T17:35:00.001-04:00

Unexpected "no" RSVPs :(

Rings!

2008-05-13T15:06:00.002-04:00

The rings arrived from the nice FedEx man this afternoon! I spent the next few minutes trying mine on and pretending like I already got to wear it all the time :P

RSVP yes count: 23

First US RSVPs!

2008-05-11T12:37:00.002-04:00

Yay for Kara and Andrew and Miss Clara for having the first RSVPs come back to us :)

Tuesday afternoon our wedding rings will arrive!

We stayed in an amazing B and B this weekend in New Paltz for Saul's birthday. Amazing food, scenery, and it was just wonderful to get out of the city for awhile.

Invite stuffing complete!

2008-05-04T20:55:00.003-04:00

Deena graciously came to Brooklyn this afternoon (bearing Girl Scout cookies!) and helped me stuff and seal envelopes.

All but about 10 are going in the mail tomorrow--ieeeee!

Spent the rest of the afternoon at the gorgeous Cherry Blossom festival.

84 days to go

2008-05-03T11:21:00.001-04:00

Spent some time last night putting stamps on the main envelopes as well as the RSVP envelopes. Pictures to come, especially after Sunday when Deena comes over for an invite stuffing party. Whoo!

I walked over to the PO this morning as I had packages to pick up. One was a CD from Saul's amazingly thoughtful uncle, Alan, and the other was more bridesmaids presents! Yaaay!

Monday Productivity

2008-04-29T07:23:00.000-04:00

Saul booked the flights to LA for our honeymoon--shockingly, the cheapest ones were from Montgomery to LA (via Houston). I don't understand, but I'll take it!

I also ordered stamps for the invites. We did cute personalized stamps from zazzle.com for the invites and then forever stamps for the RSVPs because the USPS can kiss my butt with the upcoming rate hike. I just tried to find a picture of the one we created but no dice. Guess you'll just have to see it on the invites! :)

Deena, we still on for a Sunday stuffing party?

3 months

2008-04-27T21:10:00.001-04:00

Oh god. So much to do.

Using Lunchtime Productively

2008-04-24T22:36:00.000-04:00

Met Saul for an yummy and quick Indian lunch today. After, we headed over to the very busy Men's Warehouse to enter the styles we wanted for the groomsmen and my dad. We picked out vests and ties although I think we might skip them wearing the vest.

The tuxes have a subtle grey pinstripe to reflect Saul's morning suit.

I just looked for pictures and remembered that the reason we had to go to the store was that their website is apparently 5 years out of date. Oh well.

Off to Boston for the weekend!

BM gifts

2008-04-22T22:40:00.000-04:00

Part one of the Bridesmaids gifts is complete! ;)

I hope everyone likes them...or at least pretends to till after the wedding ;)

Oooh, also I bought the flower girl dresses today. It will be this dress in white for the both of them. They have already been practicing their flower petal throwing skills, apparently!

Ugh

2008-04-20T15:20:00.000-04:00

Wedding nightmares. I have had them for two or three nights in a row now. They vary from Saul not showing up, my dress getting ruined to no one RSVPing till the day before the wedding.

I hate stress.

I hate nightmares...It is still over 3 months--this better not keep up till then!

In productive news...I have addressed pretty much all the invitations. Now I need to get one weighed so we can start to order the postage, etc.

More bling

2008-04-10T22:48:00.001-04:00

Well, it is $10 bling. From etsy.com.

I think I have found my earings! They aren't so long that I feel like they clash with the dress.

Thoughts?

Eeeeeeeeeee

2008-04-04T21:20:00.000-04:00

Final dress fitting: DONE! (Unless I try it on in June and it falls off)

Shower: Apparently June 14 :)

Bridal Portraits: Scheduled for July 8!

Le Crueset Cast Iron Casserole Dish: arrived in the mail today! Some people who have known Saul since South Africa sent us this baby:

I am in looooove.

This isn't our first wedding present, but it was the first one for awhile (since Miss Katy's lovely presents!) and it was totally unexpected!

Nothing else major to report.

Details from the Alabama trip

2008-03-26T19:06:00.000-04:00

Thursday was a miserable day to fly. High winds from the storm the day before meant we were delayed an hour. At least I was getting in in the morning rather than super late at night like I do sometimes. Anyway, dad picked me up and we headed straight for Chick fil a. (Please come to NYC already!) I love chicken and sweet tea.

Ok the rest of this day involved driving my mom back to work so I could have a car and getting a call to find out that Mr. Harrison had passed out at the school on Tuesday and had been in the hospital. BAH.

Played with the dog a lot and talked to Mark before the parents and I went to dinner at a yummy restaurant called Dabbos. I think it will be great to take Saul's parents to. Then I headed to Carabba's for some dessert with the Harrisons to that I could yell at him to take better care of himself. I didn't get to see the kids this time, but it was nice to see them without being sat on or begged to come and play.

I also spent a part of the weekend averaging my students' grades. Not a pretty situation.

Friday morning started with some dog walking and workout DVDing. Mom was off for Good Friday so she came with me to Bella for my makeup trial. Cathy met us there as well :) Anyway, the lady is very nice and totally got what I was looking for. I brought in a picture of Reese Witherspoon for inspiration, and I also brought in a picture of what not to do. I thought it turned out very well and except for the lipstick, it lasted all day.

Cathy went to have lunch with her parents and mom and I drove to Prattville. After Chinese Buffet Lunch (I miss good Chinese food--NONE in my neighborhood), we went to the hair salon, which is right across from the Legends. Sadly they only have one lady who does formal hair, but that is ok since she was AMAZING. I brought a few pictures for inspiration and it came out so so so well. I was in love with it, which was fine since it stayed all day and was still mostly intact the next morning.

After, we tried to go find the rehearsal dinner house, but we had not called ahead and couldn't go up a "No Trespassing" driveway. Anyway, it is super close to the Legends. And I confirmed with the caterer that everything is fine.

Stopped briefly by the florist to say hi and confirm the date, and then we went out to Eastchase where we visited the wedding rings at Ware's Jewelers. They are sooooo pretty.

Cathy also managed to find her silver shoes for the wedding that afternoon.

After some miscellaneous shopping, we went home to have a cookout.

Saturday morning Cathy picked me up at 8:30am so that we could sample the breakfast buffet at the Legends. Damn it was tasty. Especially the eggs. Yummy yum yum. And the breakfast buffet didn't even have all the food that apparently comes with the brunch so no one will be going hungry. After some Target action, we drove to the lady who runs the string trio we booked. She plays for the Montgomery Symphony and very kindly busted out the violin to give us some live samples of some of the music from her CD. It was awesome and we started to nail down some of the music selections for the ceremony.

Mom and I went to one MOB dress store and failed, but she found out that she needs to order one by late April. That was helpful. We also went to a super tasty bakery for some Easter cookies :) After going back to target and then to Costco (where I saw stuff for the OOT bags and for the rehearsal dinner), she and I went to Gracie's Tea Room to book the bridesmaid luncheon and pick up some of the AMAZING chicken salad. BM Luncheon is booked for the Thursday before at 11:30am. Bachelorette party is that night so it should be a fun day!

I took Mark to Men's Warehouse to get measured for a tux. He got measured but they couldn't get him in the computer so he will have to take his stuff back at some point.

That evening Cathy and I watched the latest version of Hairspray at her apartment. Soooo fun although I wish John Travolta hadn't been in it.

Sunday morning dad and I ordered the favors and they should get delivered to home later this week.

I also spent some time rummaging through mom's jewelry looking for the something old, new, borrowed, blue. Not much luck but I found one bracelet that I might wear.

Basically, it was a very productive trip.

Random Updates

2008-03-15T10:32:00.000-04:00

Accomplishments:

-Saul has picked his tux
-He is making progress picking the guys' tuxes
-We sent the invites to everyone coming from the UK/Canada as they were driving Saul's mum crazy with asking stuff
-I have a dress fitting today
-I have my FINAL fitting at the end of the month and Mom is coming to NYC for that weekend
-I am going home to do wedding stuff next weekend
-We got a sample favor in the mail yesterday, and we loved it! Now all I have to do is order them :)

In Montgomery I have scheduled:
meeting with florist
calling cake baker
meeting with string trio leader
seeing rehearsal dinner space
makeup trial
hair trial
making a few other calls
helping Cathy find silver shoes
helping mom find a dress

I'd like to share the blog that I adore and get lots of ideas from: Weddingbee. Read it, love it :)

So pretty!

2008-03-01T13:15:00.000-05:00

Invites are here!!

I am so excited about them, even though I was cursing them as I carried them back from the Post Office this morning.

Also exciting was that my Smurfs Volume 1 DVD came from Amazon at the same time! Best Saturday morning :)

Just over 5 months to go...

2008-02-24T15:21:00.000-05:00

And I have a lot to do! And I didn't get much done at all this past week. Thanks TC for still being in session even with NYC Public Schools were off. I can't wait for this program to be OVER.

I did find Thank You cards at Papyrus that will do for now. I hope we can order some after the wedding with one of the photos but I guess we will see. This is what they look like, thanks to Papyrus Online.

I still haven't checked in with the florist or the baker. I am going to try to get my mom to help out with some of the phone calls. God I wish more people in Montgomery actually used e-mail.

Saul has decided that he will wear a morning suit and the other guys will wear some sort of dark silver suit. His brother (who is a very sharp dresser) is going to help consult for the guys. We're hoping he can help Mark learn how to dress, although I think it is probably a lost cause.

This is a morning suit:

Obviously, that dress is nothing like mine.

I booked tickets to go to Montgomery over Easter weekend to do wedding stuff. Saul can't go, so it will be just me :( On the trip I hope to:

meet with florist
check in with baker
meet with the string trio about music
meet with Mr. Steineker re: Rehearsal Dinner
see the house where the dinner will be
have brunch at the Legends
enjoy my makeup trial that mom booked
try to do a hair trial
help mom find a MOB dress
see about something old, borrowed, blue
go to get mark's suit
go to tourism office for out of town bag stuff

That is a lot. But I am getting there Thurs morning and staying till Sunday afternoon.

Had a dress fitting on Friday--it went well and I am sooo happy with the way things are going! :)

Friday update

2008-02-08T18:09:00.000-05:00

I downloaded Skype last night and will be talking to Katy later! :)

Ok, so the hotel is going to be $105/night. I still have to send in the contract with that added, so as soon as they let me know that it has been put in the system, I will let you all know.

Our china from Saul's grandparents arrived. 3 HUGE boxes. We also got an egg poacher and a nice knife. It is nice to finally have a few nice things. Especially the knife.

The invites are ordered, and I am very excited! :)

The brunch was apparently amazing, and the service was out of this world, according to my parents. If I go home Easter weekend, Cathy and I may get to sample this awesomeness for ourselves!

We both put down ring deposits, so that is great. And they are going to fully insure them and send them to us so that we avoid that damn 10% Montgomery sales tax.

Oooh, we also made progress on booking our honeymoon flights from LAX to Fiji!

Things to do:
-Find cute thank you cards
-Check in florist
-Check in with cake
-Make Saul pick a suit
-really honestly finish the registry

I have a pretty good idea of what the favors are going to be, but I may keep them a secret :)

Went back to the nutritionist today, and I am doing really well! I am started to notice it in my trousers and in my arm muscles coming back. Finally.

Hotel rooms

2008-02-02T19:02:00.000-05:00

So I spoke to the lady at the Legends today. Because they have a small hotel, we actually have to contract out rooms, and we would be financially responsible for ones that didn't get taken. SO, if you are reading this and coming to the wedding--do you plan to stay on site? The rate will be $105/night. Even if you plan to just stay one night--it would be super helpful for me to know!

I got the proof of the insert for the invite. I am loving it. This designer makes me soooo happy :) I need to order thank you cards. I think it will cost too much to match them...sooo, anyone know good places to get cute garden-y thank you cards? We already need to write one to Saul's grandparents as they bought us a LOT of our nice china.

I stopped in at Macy's yesterday before I saw Miss Hayley :) I opened at Macy's card because everything I buy on it from now till the wedding we will get 10% back in the form of a check. And 5% of what people buy off the registry goes to that as well. Awesome. Plus I found an amazing Michael Kors trench coat marked down from $220 to $78. I got an extra 15% off for wearing red since it was National Wear Red Day. Whoooooo hoo!

My second dress fitting is going to be Friday Feb 15. Deena, you around? If not, this won't be the one with the bustle, so don't worry.

Appreciate the out of town bags help. Any more ideas about what you like to do in Montgomery or would be interesting in knowing about the area would be awesome.

My parents are tasting the brunch at the hotel tomorrow morning so that is very exciting! Hopefully I will get a chance to taste it before the wedding also...

Is there anything I am missing? Does anyone need some vital info that I haven't been giving you?

Less than 6 months!

2008-01-31T07:20:00.001-05:00

Ack, I can't believe we are under the less than 6 months mark! Soo much left to do!

I am speaking with the hotel coordinator at the Legends on Saturday. So hopefully that will once and for all sort out the special rate issue.

Invitation proofs look beautiful! If you want to see them and I haven't emailed them to you yet, let me know!

We are ordering our rings within the next few days! I am very excited, even if they will just go live in a safe deposit box in Montgomery for awhile..

Seamstress got back to me with some stuff about the dress. Can't say too much because Saul could read this...but I almost cried in happiness when I saw pictures. Those can be made available too if people want. I also need to schedule my 2nd fitting!

Still need to check in with baker and florist. That is probably my biggest priority even though it isn't that hard.

Oh, question. What do you guys want in out of town bags? What would be useful for coming to Montgomery/Prattville? Or, if you live there, what can you think of that guests would like or want to know about?