Now I Remember

Why we haven't renovated the bathroom before now.  Because renovations suck.  Our bathroom is completely ripped apart...no sink, huge holes in the wall, no shower curtain (made for a really fun shower this morning), plastic completely covering the newly tiled shower walls. 

 

But, I really shouldn't complain.  This was my idea after all, and poor J is getting stuck with the brunt of the work.  He demoed and tiled his tail off yesterday and managed to finish all of the tiling (of course, grouting still remains to be done, but that's the easy part...at least easier than putting the tile up).  The tile looks fabulous and I can just tell that our bathroom is going to look A-W-E-S-O-M-E when it is done (which feels like a million years away right now, especially considering that we've opted to renovate right in the thick of holiday season and right before our trip to Sarasota/Key West).  But, I digress.  I begged and pleaded with J to get the shower curtain rod put back up today so that showering does not equal (1) total exposure to the bathroom, and (2) a small flood.  J hopes to do that and get the grouting done today, but I think that might be a bit on the optimistic side, especially considering that these things always take longer than anticipated (case in point, he thought tiling would take a few hours at most and we weren't in bed until almost 1:00 this morning).  Slowly but surely we'll get there.  I just need to be patient.

 

One other totally awesome thing about this...when I got home last night (after taking my life into my own hands by going to Walmart 3 days before Christmas) our friend and electrician, Salty (anyone that went to our Jack and Jill will fondly remember him as the belligerent raffle announcer), was roughing in an outlet for our gorgeous bathroom-to-be.  That's right, folks, we have not had a bathroom outlet in nearly 4 years.  Truly an inconvenience...one we've learned to live with, but an inconvenience nonetheless.  SO. TOTALLY. COMPLETELY. EXCITED!!!

Dreams Really Do Come True

Last night after getting home from a long day (OK, OK...so I was getting a pedicure), enjoying dinner with my hubby and catching up on our day, I went about my normal evening routine.  See, every night before I settle in to watch TV or read a book, I always wash my face, moisturize (got to prevent those wrinkles!) and brush my teeth.  Last night was no different than any other until I went it to wash my face.  That's when I discovered that there was a clog in the bathroom sink and it wasn't draining properly.  Naturally, I called in my handyman hubby to fix the situation.  Well, that didn't go exactly as planned.  Instead of fixing the clog (or rather in an effort to fix the clog), my hubby completely removed the sink from the wall.  And half of the ugly yellow tile is down.  You may be asking yourself "how do you go from a clogged sink to a complete bathroom remodel?"  Let me explain...

 

I've been longing for a bathroom remodel since the day we moved into our house.  I despise our bathroom, specifically the heinous yellow tile that covers half the walls and the entire shower surround.  Just awful.  We've tried to work with it, and the bathroom did look better thanks to our efforts, but there is just only so much one can do with ugly yellow tile.  For the past 3.5 years, I've been begging my hubby to take the tile down and his excuse for not doing it was that he didn't want to disconnect the sink (something about old plumbing and hard to hook it up).  Last night's escapades threw that excuse right out the window.  In a moment of weakness, I convinced him that this is the perfect time to reno the bathroom.  Before he could say no, we were ripping down the tile thus committing ourselves to a beautiful new bathroom.  And, the renovation is in full swing!  We were at the Home Depot at 7 AM this morning to pick out new tile for the shower surround (yay!), a new sink and vanity (goodbye pedestal sink!) and wainscoting for the walls (love!).  I still haven't decided on a color scheme, but I am so excited about the fact that I can actually have any color scheme I want versus having it dictated to us by the gawd awful yellow that was the bathroom.  I am sure there will be lots of browsing the internet today to get inspired and the sky is the limit!  The only color I KNOW it won't be?  Yellow.

 

My dreams of a non-ugly bathroom is finally coming true!

No More Trouble Zones

Equals no more walking without excruciating pain.  Holy moly! 

 

I have a love/hate relationship with Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred...I found it to be a very challenging yet quick workout (love) but I also thought that each individual exercise went on too long and that 20 minutes a day just wasn't enough time to get real results on a long-term basis (hate).  So, while browsing my newest obsession on Saturday morning, Exercise TV On Demand, I noticed that Jillian had some other workouts available besides 30DS.  My interest was peaked. 

 

So, into my workout clothes I got and settled on trying her No More Trouble Zones "Express" workout.  It's a 40 minute workout similar in nature to 30DS, but it fixes all of the elements about 30DS that I did not like.  First off, it's 40 minutes.  I think this is a great length for a workout...not so short that you don't get benefits/results, but not so long that it takes up half your day.  Second, while you repeat moves in NMTZ like you do in 30DS, the length of each set is shorter, which makes this workout much more bearable.  Instead of repeating 2 exercises twice in each circuit (30DS), you repeat 5 exercises twice in each circuit, with each of the 5 exercises lasting just long enough that you really feel the burn, but not so long that you want to die or rip your limbs off so you don't have to do anymore reps.

 

The results?  I am 2 days post-NMTZ and moving is a four letter word.  Plain and simple, I hurt.  I am thrilled, however, that I found such a great workout and as soon as I can move better than an 85 year-old, I will be doing it again.  Hey, I may even try the real NMTZ workout (i.e., not "Express"), but, I think I'd better save that adventure for a time when movement won't be require for, oh I don't know...a week? afterward :-) 

Friday Ramblings

This week has seriously gone by so slowly.  I am ready for the weekend, people!!!  So, in my effort to avoid doing anymore work and make the weekend come quicker, I thought I'd blog about whatever comes to mind.

• Remember my rant about 2009 being the worst year ever?  Well, I have even more proof that this is a true statement.  Including my boss, there are 7 people on my team at work.  3 of my teammates had a death in the family this week.  Yes, 3 of them.  Tonight I am going to a wake for one of them :-(  In addition, I've heard of 3 other people in my department at work that have experienced the death of an immediate family member within the past 2 weeks.  Is this seriously not the worst thing you've heard in a long time?  2009 needs to get it's behind out of here!
• On a much lighter note, our trip south is going to be quite an extravaganza!  In addition to spending quality time in our beloved city-away-from-home, Sarasota, we have booked our tickets to spend 2 days in Key West.  In case my constant talking about my trip didn't give it away, I just want y'all to know that I absolutely cannot wait to go!
• I totally snagged the deal of the century on the last Christmas gift I had to buy.  I've been stalking the Internet since the day after Thanksgiving for a good deal on a pair of Chippewa Boots for my little brother.  Leave it up to him to pick a pair of $180 boots as his one and only item on his Christmas gift list.  Anyway, after weeks of coming up empty (best deal I found was $145 before taxes), I found a coupon yesterday that got me those babies for $79!!!  In case you aren't good at math, that's a $100 savings!  So, in addition to getting an awesome deal, I can now say that absolutely all of my Christmas shopping is done!
• Christmas is in full swing this weekend...a party tonight and a party tomorrow night.  In addition, we have to pay a visit to my father this weekend for a slightly belated birthday celebration.  BTW, Happy Birthday Daddy-O!
• I had a slight freak out the other week because I found a small lump on Bailey's side.  Naturally, as any devoted dog mom would do, I rushed her to the vet to have it checked out.  We found out that she has a Lypoma, a harmless fat deposit that Labs are known for.  Thank goodness nothing is wrong with my chocolate baby!
• There is nothing better in this world than heated seats in the winter.  Every day when I drive to and from work I wonder how I ever lived without them.

Well, I think that's enough rambling for one afternoon.  Have a great weekend!

Product Rave!

Normally I don't get sucked into buying products that are pushed on TV shows that I watch, but I recently made an exception that I just had to share.  The makeup artist Carmindy on the show "What Not To Wear" came out with her own makeup line a year or two ago.  I saw it in CVS but never thought twice about it.  That was until recently when I was in the market for a new foundation. 

 

Over the past year or so, I've started to wear foundation on a regular basis but haven't really been able to find one that I love.  My experiments in foundation wearing have ranged from the pricey stuff at Sephora to the cheapie stuff at the drugstore, but I just couldn't find one that I really liked.  Well, the combination of some CVS extra bucks and a recent viewing of WNTW gave me the push to go ahead and give the Carmindy line a try.  And boy am I glad I did!

 

In addition to her awesome foundation, which is light, glides on so smoothly, covers evenly, looks natural and feels fantastic, I am also the proud owner/user of her luminizing primer (which feels greasy at first application, but within seconds dries to a silky, skin-glowing finish), eyeshadow primer (keeps my eyeshadow put all day long), translucent loose powder (keeps my skin looking fresh and oil at bay), bronzer (I got the "Spring" shade and it works perfect on my fair skin) and lipstick (so creamy and not drying)!  And I am itching to go back and purchase her concealer, eyeshadow, mascara and blush (which just might happen tonight!).  I honestly love every product I've used.  And, as if all this isn't enough, in addition to being super affordable, they are also super good for your skin.  They are filled with all sort of skin enhancing goodies and all her products are paraben free! 

 

I've never used a line of makeup where I've loved every product I've tried...until now!  I'm sure the products wouldn't work on every one's skin tone, type or texture, but they've done wonders for me and I'm a total and complete convert.  If my CVS stops selling them, I would most certainly cry :-)  Carmindy -- Girl, you rock!

Keeps Getting Better

I am happy to report that my mood/general outlook on life is on the upswing!  I guess we all get down and out sometimes and feel like life is "handing us lemons".  Although I am generally a very positive and upbeat person, I get frustrated with the universe sometimes -- just like every other person out there.  But, in true yin and yang fashion, just when I am feeling bummed out, I am reminded of all of the awesome things in my life I have to be thankful for.  Right now I am totally pumped about:

• Our trip to Sarasota is ON!  Our tickets are booked and in just a few short weeks, I will be back in paradise with my wonderful husband soaking up all the good things life has to offer (like sun and non-freezing temperatures).
• We spent the weekend getting in the Christmas spirit and I am happy to report that our house is beautifully decorated (J describes it as "extra festive"), our Christmas shopping is DONE, and after laboring for nearly 4 hours on Sunday, all of our Christmas gifts are wrapped and under the tree (that we actually cut down ourselves!).
• We've also designed and ordered our Christmas cards...and got 50 of them for free!  We only had to pay for 25, so it ended up costing us a whopping $13!  We've also prepared address labels for everyone we are sending them to, so once the cards arrive, all we have to do is stick the labes and stamps on and they're out the door.  Another Bailey picture is gracing the G family card this year because, let's face it, who wants to see a pic of J and I when they can see Ms. B?!?
• On a whim, we called Comcast this weekend to inquire about activating Showtime and wouldn't you know it...there was a special running!  Needless to say, it has been activated and my Dexter addiction is in high gear.  I loves me some Dex, baby!
• My new camera rocks my photo-loving world.  I still don't have any clue how to use it but the pictures that I have already taken with it put my point and shoot pictures to shame.  I can't wait to use that baby in Sarasota...it's gonna be awesome!

See...sometimes focusing on the little joys of life makes all the difference. 

A Little Better

2009 just got a little better. I got this beauty in the mail yesterday.

Ladies and gentlemen...let me present the Cannon EOS Rebel XS. My beyond generous mother-in-law offered to get me this beauty as a Christmas gift. Of course I could not pass up the opportunity. I have been talking about taking up photography as a hobby for as long as I can remember, but I just couldn't justify spending that much money on a new DSLR camera when I own not one, but two awesome point and shoots. Now I have no excuses. I have the photographic magic in my hands. Poor Bailey has already been subjected to the wrath of my new hobby and I'm sure that there are a few thousand more pictures in her future. I've already ordered a book on DSLR photography and I am signing up for a class at a local community college.

So, if you are looking for a photographer and have the patience to deal with a novice, call me up peeps!

Will this year ever end?

I entered into 2009 with such hope and optimism for a great year and, now entering the 12th month, I can officially say that this year sucked the big one. For lots of reasons that I don't want to get into. And just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, I'm sick :-( And I flooded our basement last night. Thank goodness I have my dear husband and sweet pup to keep me semi-sane.

So, get lost 2009. I am so done with you. 2010 has to be better, right?

A November to Remember

As you can probably figure out by my bad blogging habits, life for the G's has been rather hectic lately. Since I'm sure you're dying to know (yeah right!), here's the highlights:

• J and I took our first trip to Sarasota and we loved it. In fact, to say that we loved it is probably an understatement. It is such a cool, unique, not your typical Florida area. The downtown is filled with unique shops and a variety of fabulous restaurants. My personal fav was a place called "Sarasota Vineyards" -- a wine bar at which you can sample 80 different kinds of wine! A wine lover's dream come true! But, I digress. There truly is no shortage of things to do...from the happening downtown, to the fun and funky St. Armands Circle, to the various keys off the coast of Sarasota that each have such unique and fascinating characteristics (one has the whitest, softest sand in the U.S., one is filled with thousands of seashells, one has shark teeth wash up onto it, and so on). In summary, Sarasota = Ahhhhhmazing.
• Since we loved it so much, we are going back to Sarasota next month. Woot, Woot! And, we've actually been having some pretty serious conversations about thinking about moving there. Not sure we're quite ready to commit to a move like that, but J and I are seriously considering it.
• My most beloved darling husband turned the big 2-9er! We were in Sarasota for the big day and enjoyed a fabulous day and a fabulous dinner out to celebrate. Love you baby!
• My oh-so-traditional husband nixed my idea of going out to dinner on Thanksgiving because he wants to have a traditional, at home Thanksgiving. So, we will be hosting turkey day festivities a la casa de G. He's already been warned that he better help out with the cooking, or else.
• It's official -- we're old. J and I both have our 10 year high school reunions this coming weekend. They could either be really fun or really lame. We'll see. At least I'll have by bestest girlfriends, Crystal and Sarah, by my side for the excitement.
• I am proud to say that in between all of my travels, social events and responsibilities, I have managed to finish nearly all of my Christmas shopping. There is nothing like a stress-free December.

Well, that's all I've got time for this lovely evening. I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving!

10 Years Later

It has been 10 years...a whole decade...since I graduated from high school. Whoa...where did the time go?!?

In late November, I will be attending not one, but two high school reunions. Mine and my hubby's. And they just so happen to fall back to back, with mine on a Friday night and his the very next night. I have mixed feelings about them (well, mostly mine. I am happy to accompany my hubby to his.). One minute I think it will be a lot of fun, and then the next minute I picture an evening filled with awkward conversations with people that I wasn't really friends with in high school (and let's be honest, don't even remember).

Who knows how it will turn out, but I am committed to living a life without regrets, so I'm going to embrace the cheesiness of the high school reunion and go with bells on. It may suck, but you only graduate from high school 10 years ago once, right?

The Heat Is On

As the weather turns cold and the sound of the furnace pumping out heat is a regular sound in our home, I can't help but to longingly think of warmer days. And then I remember that I am leaving for Florida in a few short weeks! Woo Hoo!

Oh No! The Big 5-0!

That's right, folks! My beautiful, wonderful mother turned a half century young on October 4th.

I threw her a surprise party (the first I've ever thrown) and had such a fun time planning it! I totally got into it and I think I've caught the party planning bug! Mom was totally surprised and everyone had an awesome time celebrating her special day. I only had one disappointment in the day...I completely forgot to take pictures. Can you believe that? I got the camera out, took pics of the set up before the guests arrived, and then got so caught up in being the hostest with the mostest that I did not snap one single shot of the party in action. So, here is all I have to share :-(

Pathetic documentation of such an important day, I know. But, the most important thing was that we celebrate my mom and show her how much she's loved, and I'm pretty sure that was accomplished. Love you mumma! Happy 50 to you!

Like my new look?

I can't help but be a little festive this time of year...I love it! I love all things fall...foliage, cider, pumpkins, football, the smell of fire, trick-or-treaters, sweaters, boots...I could go on and on and on. So, in honor of my love of all things fall, the bloggy got a new look. You like?

And speaking of the bloggy, I have something to say.

Dear Bloggy,

I am so sorry that I have been neglecting you. You are always faithful and willing to accept whatever I put in you. You listen to my antics and don't care whether I am writing a happy post or a complainey post. You always proudly wear whatever background I put on you (are you digging the Halloween motif as much as I am?). Yet, I have not shown you the same respect. I only use you when it's convenient for me. And lately that hasn't been much. But, I am going to try harder and even though I can't make any promises, I do hope to be a better partner in this fun, yet semi-narcissistic, journey that we have been on for almost 2 years!

Your semi-faithful partner in blogging,

Melissa

And speaking of new looks, guess who got bangs? That's right...me! I haven't had bangs since junior high and I'm totally freaking out about them. When I got my haircut, we were all but finished up when I made a spur of the moment decision to have them cut. I am still not sure about them, but I am trying to give them a chance. I promise to post a pic as soon as I take one.

Happy fall, peeps!

This is what I woke up to this morning

KIDDING! This was actually taken last winter, but I did wake up to snow this morning. Yes, you heard me right. SNOW. On October 16th. It's not sticking (thankfully) but it is a big time wake up call. Fall is here and winter is not far behind. Eek!

Wedded Bliss!

In the past month, we've had the honor attending two beautiful weddings and witnessing the most wonderful moments of our friends lives. Prepare for picture overload.

First up, Sergio and Maura...

John was in this one, so we got to take part in all of the wedding festivities.

Here we are at the rehersal dinner. One of us perhaps had one too many cocktails...can you tell which one?

Our friend Dave making a fool of himself at the rehersal dinner

Three of the groomsmen (the most handsome of which is on the left!) getting ready for the big day

The groom and best man walking in

The bride making her grand entrance
Becoming husband and wife

Lindsay on the left, Amy (the next bride to be...see below) on the right, and moi in the middle at cocktail hour. It was WINDY!

My love and I being silly...what's new?

From left to right, the groom's sister and bridesmaid Mary, the groom's brother and best man Nick and Nick's fiancee and bridesmaid Shannon. Did you get all that?!?

Officially married!

Congrats Serg and Maura! Now on to wedding number 2...

The grand affair (and I say grand because it truly was!) took place this past weekend. I am happy to report that Ryan and Amy are now officially husband and wife and are honeymooning in Hawaii!

At the ceremony...it's blurry because we were sitting in the way back of the church. Guess that's what happens when you don't show up early to a 300 guest wedding!

The obligatory pic of us
Serg and Maura fresh off their own wedding

From left to right, Dave (recently graduated Green Beret!), John (not mine, obviously), Leah and Sean

The bridal party taking photos with the awesome view in the background. This, too, was an exceptionally windy day. Good luck, maybe?
The groom being violated by Dan, with Dave and Matty by his sides

Phew! That's enough wedding talk if you ask me! We are now officially on wedding hiatus until next year, and only have one on the calendar so far (Nick and Shannon from the pic above). Hope you enjoyed! We sure did!

FINALLY!

We have FINALLY booked a trip to our condo in Sarasota, Florida!  I could not possibly be more excited to (1) finally see our vacation home that we purchased several months ago, and (2) take a long overdue vacation that we both desperately need.  It's been a crazy and tough year for many reasons, and I can think of no better way to de-stress and forget about past ills than laying on one of the most beautiful beaches in the U.S. with my wonderful hubby, just the 2 of us!  Can you believe that we have not been on a vacation by ourselves since college?!?  Bliss!!!

 

In other news, life at the G household has been very busy these past few weeks.  I will be updating y'all very soon on:

• Sergio and Maura's Labor Day Weekend Wedding
• Bed collapse disaster turned fabulous DIY bedroom makeover
• J & M's work out mania
• Planning my mother's surprise 50th birthday party
• Other miscellany in our lives

Merry Monday!

Forever in our hearts

I want to take this opportunity to honor John's great aunt Jo-Anne, who passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on September 2nd at the age of 72.  Jo-Anne was one of the sweetest, warmest, most friendly people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting.  She will be missed very much.

Adventures in Probate Court

I had something out of a dream happen to me last week. I got a phone call telling me that I inherited money! Ok, Ok, don't get too excited yet. I'm not retiring or moving to an exotic island with the proceeds. Let me give you the full story...


My brother and I have different fathers. During the time that my mother was married to Ron (my brother's father), Ron's father (let's call him Grandpa W) passed away. It was 1992 and I was 11 and my brother was 2. Grandpa W left my bro (who is his biological grandchild) some money, but he could not collect until he turned 18. Are you still with me?


Now, fast forward 17 years to last week. My brother and mother took a trip to the Hampshire County probate court to figure out how to finally collect my bro's inheritance now that he's of age (he's using it to pay for college!). They pulled the docket and, while looking through, discovered that I was left money as well! Not a ton of money, but that is completely irrelevant. I was completely shocked and so humbled by the fact that Grandpa W, who had absolutely no obligation to me, was so kind and generous to think of me. Such an amazing gesture.


So, I took a day off from work to investigate on my own. And, after only an hour spent at probate court, I left with my old school passbook to the savings account holding my inheritance (plus 17 years of interest!). Of course, I went straight to the bank to collect and then straight to the outlets to buy designer handbags :-) Don't worry -- I wasn't COMPLETELY reckless with all of the money...I put half of it into savings (earning brownie points with the savings-minded hubby!).


So, I'd like to take a moment to remember Grandpa W. His kindness and generosity live on.

Closets and Cocktails

As you may recall, I completed a closet organization project back in January. In this organization effort, I put each pair of shoes I own into a plastic container and affixed a photo of the shoes on the outside of the container for easy identification. The closet looked fantastic afterward! To refresh your memory...








I was so happy with the result...until I had to live with it. Through this project, I learned a very valuable organization lesson -- stacking doesn't work. It seemed like such a great idea in theory, but in reality it did not function well. Having to pull out the 5th or 6th container down in a stack was becoming such a pain that the shoes stopped being put back into their containers and started collecting in a pile at the bottom of my closet, totally defeating the purpose of the containers.


So, back to the drawing board I went. I had to figure out something that was organized AND functional. After much consideration and scouring of the Internet, I figured out the perfect (and most obvious) solution! Shelves! Originally I was going to put shelves in on my side of the closet only but then I had my second brilliant revelation. Kick my husband out (of the closet that is)! He gladly obliged, as that closet was just not big enough for the two of us. So, with all my new found closet space, I had my handy hubby install shelving in each side of the closet. One side has shelving for shoes...
My beautiful shoe containers in all of their glory! And, I added a shallow basket on the bottom to hold flip flops and flats...


Look at all the floor space I gained by getting the shoes off the floor!




This photo is a tad dark, but the shelves on this side are for tank tops, t-shirts, hats, boots, my work bag and the purse I am currently using. This give me easy access to my most commonly used items. And, I even have a shelf with nothing on it! I figured it was probably a good idea to give myself a little extra space to grow into.


Sweaters are still up top and still organized by color. But, they've been shifted to the middle for easy access. My other favorite purses and bags are stored on each side of the top shelf so I can rotate whenever I feel like it.




And, just because I love it so much and am so proud -- my shoes again!



So, that's it! My beautifully organized, and fully functional, closet! Organization really does make life so much more simple!


Best part of the project: It cost us zero dollars and zero cents! We found the wood for the shelving at John's grandmother's house and cut each shelf to size with John's father's various man-saws. We also pre-drilled the holes for the shelf supports with John's father's man-drill. And, labor was free :-)


Worst part of the project: See, installing shelves in a closet isn't exactly the most exciting of projects, so we decided it would be a lot more fun with cocktails. And, it was :-) But, sadly, I am feeling the effects of my indulgence today :-( Oh well, small price to pay for such an awesome closet!!!

Good Melis Versus Bad Melis

Lately, my mornings begin with the alarm going off at 5:45 am, followed by hitting the snooze button at least 3 times once, and then the follow exchange usually occurs:

Good Melis: Melissa, get up and work out. It's so important for your health and you will be so happy you did.

Bad Melis: You are so comfortable in bed snuggling up with your hubby. The gym is cold and working out is hard. Stay here.

Good Melis: You know you will regret it if you don't work out. I know it's tough to get up, but you will thank me if you do.

Bad Melis: Just stay in bed a little while longer. You can just work out after work (which, btw, rarely ever happens, yet somehow Bad Melis convinces me that it will).

Good Melis: This is getting really old. Either get up or don't...just make a decision.

Bad Melis: She's right...well, at least half right. Don't get up. Sleep a little longer.

Good Melis: You're hopeless.

I used to get up without any trouble to work out in the mornings...okay, some trouble, but at least I got up and did it. Why is it so hard these days? I KNOW that getting in a good workout in the morning makes me feel amazing (like today!), so why can't I do it everyday? This is just one of the eternal mysteries of my life that I don't think will ever be solved.

Drunk Blogging

Why? Because I can, bitches! Johnny's away at a bachelor party and I am having a grand old time on my own.

After dropping the hubby off this morning, I hit the outlets in Lee, MA to find a dress to wear to this god-forsaken wedding in 3 weeks. Well, I found the perfect dress. And get ready for this...it was marked down from $188 to...$22!!! Bargain of the century. And, then I spent an unmentionable amount of money on clothes. Oops! At least I'll look fabulous!

After my shopping spree, I met up with my dad and sister to go to the grand opening (or, sort of re-opening) of Mountain Park. This former amusement park has been transformed into a Tanglewood-esque music venue and today was it's christening. Normally, it will cost $$$ to go, but today was FRRREEEEEE! There were 6 bands playing today, but we only stayed for 1 because it was so dang hot. Holy moly!

Dad and I then went back to NoHo to hit up one of our favorite spots for dinner...Paradisio! After a killer pizza and a few glasses of sangria, I headed home, which is where I am now. I'm just sitting on the patio, drinking a bottle of champagne to the head, listening to some tunes and blogging away the time until my hubby gets back.

Ahhh, summertime is fund, isn't it?

How does your garden grow?

We picked the spot...

We poured the soil...



Bailey was clearly very excited by this process...


We watered the fragile plants...

All planted and ready to go...

One month later...

It's completely out of control!

And growing like crazy...

Lots and lots of veggies...

Nothing like fresh veggies from your own garden!

And, of course, a little more Bailey!

Twenty Eight is GREAT!

OK, OK, so technically I'm only a few hours in, and I am at work today (although obviously not working that hard, hence the blogging), but this birthday has rocked! 

 

The celebrations all started on Friday night when I came home to dinner and wine courtesy of my one and only.  There was also a little teaser set out on my plate…a note that told me we would be enjoying relaxation, Mexican drinks and entertainment on Sunday in Hartford.  No other clues were given.  He is just so great at planning these little surprises for me, and he never disappoints!

 

Saturday began with bike shopping with my mom.  I have wanted a new bike FOREVER but have delayed getting one for various reasons.  After testing a few out, I fell in love with one and the rest is history!  I took it out for its inaugural ride that afternoon with John and my Dad, but only after having ice cream cake at my Mom's house to celebrate both my and my brother's birthdays!  Our birthday's are only 3 days apart (his July 31^st and mine August 3^rd)…well, technically 8 years and 362 days, but who's counting!  So, if you've been able to follow this…bike shopping, cake at Mom's, bike riding with Dad.  Then, Dad, Johnny and I walked to downtown Northampton from my Dad's and had lunch at "Teapot", a place that none of us had ever been.  I have vegetarian sushi and peach green tea.  Super delish!  We finally headed back to Westfield and went to hang poolside at our friend Sean's house.  All in all, a great day, but nothing compared to my Sunday!

 

I woke up super excited for my surprise Sunday morning and was eager to see what my hubby had in store for me.  We began our day with an hour-long couples massage, followed by brunch and drinks at Agave in downtown Hartford, followed by tickets to a very funny, creative and entertaining play called "Speech and Debate."  So, how did hubby do?

 

Do I love massages?  Heck Yeah. 

Do I love going out to brunch?  You bet. 

Do I love Mexican Drinks? Si Senor. 

Do I love going to the theater and seeing new and interesting shows?  Give my regards to Broadway!

 

Not only did he hit it out of the park, he hit a grand slam!  My God, I love that man!

 

Today it is back to reality (work and the usual chores), but I am still on cloud 9 after such a great weekend of celebration and I am reminded of just how thankful I am to have such wonderful, thoughtful, generous, loving people in my life.  It's truly amazing and I am continually blown away by how lucky I am. 

Ouch!

Shame on me...I am sunburned :-( I am usually RELIGIOUS about my sunscreen, but my lack of any sun exposure this year clouded my judgement. John and I went to the beach for the first time this year yesterday (Ocean Beach in New London, CT, if anyone cares) and I thought "maybe I'll go sans sunscreen for just a few minutes to get a little color." Well, 1 hour and 45 minutes later (which seriously felt like 20 minutes) I could feel the burning. I immediately slathered myself in sunscreen, but it was too little too late. I'm buuurrrnnned. The worst part - my eyelids. They are so red, swollen and sore. What an idiot I am to not wear sunglasses (because I didn't want sunglass marks). I definitely re-learned my lesson and am reminded why I am usually so good about protecting my skin. Poor hubby...I think he got it even worst than me. Since he laid face up the entire time (vs. me flipping over a few times), he is lobster red all on his chest and stomach. He, too, learned his lesson.

Besides the misery of the burns, it's actually been a pretty fun weekend. Friday after work, I went golfing for the first time ever! My hubby loves to golf and I think he was desperate to have someone to go with, so he convinced this golf virgin to go. We did 9 holes at Southwick Country Club, and I have to say that I wasn't that bad! I hit a few really good shots and a lot a few bad ones. But hubby said that besides my constant talking in his back swing (oops!), I have some serious potential! I am already wondering when I can hit the course again...I think I may have caught the bug :-) We followed up golf with some Chinese takeout and made it an early night.

After getting in an early workout on Saturday morning, hubby and I hit the beach (obviously) and then hung out at our friend Sean's house when we got back. I even took my first dip in a pool this summer. I made it a relatively early night once again on account of the sting of the burns :-(

This morning we rolled our burned selves out of bed to go to our friend's Steph and Andy's house for a party to celebrate their son Jack's baptism. We hung around chatting and eating for a while, but decided to head home early to do some relaxing (and healing). So, that's where I am right now...relaxing and willing my skin to heal itself. I am trying to motivate myself to get a workout in this evening (I usually always work out both Saturday and Sunday), but I think I may just have to blow it off in favor of surfing the net and watching trashy TV. We'll see :-)

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Only 5 more days to go until the next one!

Happy Hoochie Birthday!

This past Thursday was my best friend Crystal's birthday and her husband Marty decided to throw a little BBQ for her that evening. After rushing home from work to bake my famous cookies for the party (that everyone keeps raving about!), we headed over to their house to celebrate Crystal's 28th. We enjoyed some yummy food and drink and good company and were having a good ole' time when our friend Sarah surprised us all by showing up! She lives a very busy life in Boston, so us Western Mass gals don't get to see her nearly as much as we would like to. It was sooooo wonderful to see her, as it always is when us 3 old high school friends get together. Of course, I forgot my camera so I didn't get any pictures to commemorate the occasion :-( But, regardless, it really was wonderful to be with my girls. I love them so much!

My lovely ladies (from left to right): Sarah, Crystal, me (duh!) and my sister Ashley

P.S.

Wondering about the hoochie birthday reference? Our silly nickname for Crystal since we were in high school has been "Hooch". Sometime "Hoodrat" as well. Long story...

Spontaneous G's

We were sitting at home on the afternoon of July 4th trying to decide what to do for the evening when we got the brilliant idea to go to Lake George, NY. At 5 o'clock in the evening. So, what did we do? We hit the road (with Bailey in tow) of course!

We found a shady little place right near downtown Lake George to stay (totally nasty, actually, but at least they were cheap and allowed dogs).

The beautiful view of Lake George as we waited for the fireworks to start

Us waiting for the fireworks to start

Us filling the time by being silly, as usual

Finally fireworks over the Lake!

Cruisin' around the lake the next day

Walking around downtown Lake George with Ms. Bailey

Enjoying the view yet again

And, driving home :-(

It was such a fun trip! Way too short, and a little limited due to the dog, but very fun nonetheless. I love being spontaneous and adventurous, so this little getaway was just the ticket. And the fact that Lake George is so great made it even sweeter. We'll definitely be going back!