Dave and Fred

 

2 Erin's. lol

 

Meg, Howell and Ilyndove

 

Megs and Fred

 

Saturday, December 18, 2010

 

What a party last night. I will post pictures later when I get the strength to get up and load them (lol).

I know I say this often, but I can't seem to say it enough...
I love the girls I work with. My beautiful Meg and Ilyndove - what a great time I had with them last night. Meg and Ryan hosted the nicest party. The crowd was so diverse. So many different types of people, personalities, ages, etc... wow. Nice people to hang out with!

One of my favorite conversations was with a guy name Chris who just came back from working on the NCL Dawn. He was very happy to have experienced the Dawn. Funny, I knew the entertainment he did the sets and lighting for. Fun. I got excited all over again about cruising, just sharing stories with him.

Toasted... I got toasted. That red Pino wine gets me every single time. But, I am happy to say that I did not get sick. Okay, I'm still in bed right now (9:00) but that's because we got home at 2 a.m..... and...

I've been up since 6:00 a.m. I woke up due to my heart racing so fast it wouldn't let me rest. My head, well.. it's fairly aching. Not worried about my head right now, worried a little about my racing heart. Hubby's been checking it for the past hour, and it's still a bit faster than it should be. Time to get myself checked out. I can't mess with my heart. I was scared enough this morning about it that I thought maybe I should go to the hospital. I think I was just nervous, and over reacting. I just need to really take care of business and get checked out.

Christmas is almost here. WOW - I can't believe it. And, I think I might be prepared by Thursday. :)

Today Freddy V turns 3. Going to see him at his new apartment sometime today. He's a cutie pie.

I need grocery's and I have to do laundry today. I also have presents to wrap, and a little cleaning to do. Wow, I don't feel like doing any of it. Ugh.

Coldplay ~ "Fix You"

When you try your best, but you don't succeed
When you get what you want, but not what you need
When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone, but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Tears stream down on your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down on your face
And on your face I...

Tears stream down on your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down on your face
And on your face I...

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Yep... I lost it. I was screaming at the kids, throwing the "F" bomb around like a sailor. I feel kind of bad now, although they seem to be completely happy, content and over the whole thing. I still feel badly. I don't like to lose my temper.. especially in front of their friends. Ugh.... So of course I apologized to Caitlin, and she just laughed... and said it was fine. I think she may have thought it was funny.. who knows. Or, maybe she was just happy that I gave her a flat Iron. She told me she loved me, that was cute....

In any event, Fred and I got a lot of Christmas shopping done today. Holy Stressful! I think we would have done better earlier if we didn't waste our time going through the city to that weird place that was nothing like we expected! What a strange place!

And, I will admit... Franklin Mills Mall is very overwhelming, but it served us well today. Everyone was SO nice! I mean that completely! People were kind and helpful. I enjoyed my shopping experience there a lot. And, much was accomplished! Now I'm feeling a little bit more like Christmas!

Right now I'm sitting in the Living room close to the Christmas tree. Brooke and Tyler did a beautiful job decorating it with all gold decorations, lights, garland, etc... A beautiful tree. I am thinking that a hot cup of coffee might be good right now...

Hubby got called in to work. But, he's on his way home. I bet he's exhausted. Shopping with me is no easy task. I know I drive him crazy. I know I pushed his buttons today.... he was so patient. I appreciate that a lot. I was stressed and full of anxiety.. and, my head was pounding. I know it's not easy being married to me. BUT, I try to be kind and gentle and the best I can be, all of the time. Well, not all of the time. Not today with the F bomb flying all over.... lol

Party tonight. I'm am looking forward to it.

SATURDAY!

Time to go shopping!

It's freezing cold but I am SO ready to tackle Christmas shopping!!!! Hope it goes well!

Coffee.. check.
money.... check.
the will to face the crowds.... um, check....
the strength to ignore ignorant people... well, um.. check. :)

And off we go!

Happiness is being with my girls!

 

Today at Ed and Debbies. Megs and me.

 

So, today I went to Ed and Debbie's for their annual Advancement Christmas Party. It was as wonderful as ever, and I enjoyed the company of some of my best friends. I honestly consider some of my co-workers to be some of my closest friends. We all sat and enjoyed wine, fine food, and great conversation. A lot of laughs, and a lot of special bonding time.

One of my favorite parts of the party is when we all gather in Ed's living room by the Christmas tree. His house is from the 1800's and it's so beautiful and full of history. We talked about the house a lot... Ed and Debbie are so passionate about their home. I love to see that. Taking pride in your home is so refreshing. They've done so much with it, and they are always so proud to share with us. Such fantastic hosts.

Tomorrow we'll be getting up really early and hitting the road for some Christmas shopping. We'll be going into Philadelphia, which is not our usual. There's a cool place to check out about 40 minutes from here. I hope it has lots of gifts for the kids. I have nothing accomplished, so my plan is to get a bulk of my shopping done tomorrow. Of course I'll be watching out for some great stocking stuffers, my favorite thing to shop for. I try to be as creative as I can be! Let's see what I can come up with!

Tomorrow night we have Meaghan and Ryans party. I plan on letting loose and really enjoying the evening. I spend about half of my life with Meg at work.. she's like a sister to me. I absolutely adore her. She's really excited about hosting this party, so I know it will be a good time. Plus, it's been awhile since we've been out, so we sure could use a nice party night. I think I should drink a lot of water tomorrow... hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

Tonight we're taking it easy. The kids each have friends spending the night, so as always, the house is full of energy and noise! I am happy they have some great friends that love to be at the house. I am especially happy they are here so I don't have to worry about where they are and what they're doing. I worry a lot about them when they aren't home. Having teenagers is not an easy job! And I thought having small children was a little tough! That was nothing baby!

Probably not going to watch a movie tonight. I think we're going to get some rest so getting up at 6:00 a.m. isn't so painful! Maybe I'll sleep in on Sunday. Funny.. sleeping in for me is like 7:00 or 8:00 a.m. I'm getting better and better at doing early mornings on weekends. I have decided I don't want to sleep my life away...

However, when I'm off for that whole week between Christmas and New Years, I am having one day that I am going to declare Pajama day! Maybe a day when it's just me here. I'll sit and drink tea and watch girly movies with my snuggie and a few cats. LOL

That's about it for now. I am relaxing, watching American Pickers (History Channel). I am pretty beat, and I know Fred is too. He laid a little heavy on the beer last night and didn't get a great night's sleep. Tonight he's chilling pretty heavily.
:)

I got my new coat today. I love the way it fits but I'm not crazy about the weight and the quality. I hope it keeps me nice and warm. If not, I'll return it and back to the drawing board I go in search of the perfect long wool coat!

Today! Me and My Girls From Work!

Not the best night....

Tomorrow is a new day.

Love This

42 years later and the day has finally arrived.

I have been kissed under the mistletoe......

Thanks to my husband.

:o) xxxx (o:

Seems my bucket list is getting smaller each day.

It's cold.

Freezing cold.

Fred's out getting a beer and dropping off the couch to Freddy, Mara and the kids. I think we're going to watch a movie tonight. Clerks 2. I don't know if I ever saw all of Clerks 1, but since it was one of Fred's favorites, I ordered the second one for him on Netflix. I hope it's good. :)

Today was a busy, long day at work. I had a really tough time focusing on my work. I think I truly need the break that's coming soon. I want to be able to focus, but I am struggling. I guess it's time for a break.

I can't find my favorite sunglasses. I don't really need them much these days since by the time I come out of the office at 5:00 it's dark out, but I hope I can find them soon. lol. I'm writing about missing sunglasses. Pathetic.

The kids are excited about Christmas. I wish I could buy them everything they want, but, I can't. As they get older their lists become, well... insane. I can't imagine that they would really expect that we'd be able to buy them everything they want. I do believe they have not gotten a total grip on reality, and the concept of money. Now that Brandon is 16, he wants to get a part time job. It sounds like a good idea to me. He's expensive. :)
Speaking of Brandon, I'm supposed to take him for his learners permit this Saturday. Wow, seems like yesterday that I was getting mine. Time passes in the blink
of an eye.

Not a whole lot to say about today. I am definitely looking forward to the Holiday party at my bosses house this Friday. He hosts one for us every year and it's the nicest party ever. He and his wife work really hard to make it just like a family party, and one of my favorite things is when we all sit around the tree and play the gift exchange game. This will be the 3rd year he's having this party. I am excited. I am beginning to feel the Christmas spirit, ever so slightly.

This weekend is Meg and Ryan's party. It should be a great time. Somewhere in between these parties, and drivers permits, and recovery, I need to get my shopping done. I have only placed 2 orders.. one gift for Brooke, and one winter coat for me. I seriously need to get on the ball.

My favorite part of Christmas is stocking stuffers. I think I am the QUEEN of stocking stuffing. I wrap every single thing I put in the stockings. That is no easy task. Brandon and Brooke's stocking's are almost as tall as me. Last year it took several hours to wrap them. This year I'm going to wrap them as I buy them. They'll have to just hand over their stockings and deal with it. Leaving them under the tree isn't as important these days since they've already met Santa :)

Okay, so I just met a neighbor. From one crazy cat woman to another.. she was stopping over to ask if I had a bunch of Cats. (lol)... why yes, I have 4! I told her with a smile. She has 6! She was worried because my cats get out and I think she was scared that I don't care for them. Once she realized who she was talking to (I love my cats) she felt a lot better. I explained to her that I can't keep them in the house! She feeds them sometimes, which I'm fine with...no wonder they're getting so chubby... we're all feeding them! :) She was nice though.

oops... gotta go.

4 Happy Cats

Tonight we will have 4 happy cats. The poor babies have fleas! What a mess. So, yesterday they got a flea bath. They definitely didn't like that! I was upset, they were upset... and Fred was being tortured...
Tonight we got them Advantage. It starts to work in less than 5 minutes. YAY for happy cats. I hate to see them all itchy and scratchy. Damn fleas. I hate bugs. I hate ants too... YUCK! I hate spiders and bees... BUT, I bet the cats hate fleas the most!

Busy day at work. A few successful meetings though, so it was okay. Monday's are tough. I'm happy to have gotten through the day though. All is good.

Uggs make my beautiful tootsies warm. My feet were freezing all day in my work shoes. Coming home and putting my Uggs on makes it all better. For my feet.... Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh

I'm old. I get excited about happy cats and warm, toasty feet....

I need to do something about this. lol

Monday's Thought Provoking Question

Best Concert I ever attended! Aaron Lewis - Staind

Cancun Mexican Restaurant is now open.....
We had lunch there and it was really good.

Brooke came home yesterday from what was supposed to be her weekend with her Dad. He is an asshole and has no clue what it's like to live with a 14 and 16 year old. He promised her that he'd take her to her Cheer party, and at the last minute he changed his mind and told her he was going to get his haircut instead. What a total and complete a-hole. So, of course she called me up and texted me telling me she does not want to go see him every other weekend anymore.... it's not easy.
Brandon is still there at his cousins, so I will grab him at 7 p.m. I know he spent no time with his Dad, which is fine with me but later in life, that dumb ass is going to regret it. No, not Brandon... (lol) his Dad.

I love Big Lots. I always enjoy going, and I always find something good when I'm there. Today we ran into Maryfaith and Frank. Adore them! It was nice to chat with them for a few minutes. Maryfaith and I don't see each other as often now that she's not working within my division. I really need to get together with her more often. We love spending time visiting and sharing fun stories....

I am trying to figure out when I can run to Long Island to see my Granny. I am trying to do a round trip in a day. I look forward to the ride. As long as I don't listen to my GPS, and I go the better way, it's a decent ride. I can still almost make the ride without the GPS.... I forget sometimes where to go, that sort of freaks me out. I hate losing my way to things that used to be so familiar to me. I used to be able to do that trip with my eye closed practically...... ***Sigh

I am taking a break from laundry. I always do laundry on Sunday..

That about sums it up for me today.

:(

Is it the weather or am I suddenly depressed?

I wish I had all the answers.

Rain Rain Go Away..... please.

A Sunday morning with lots of rain. I suppose I should be thankful. It's almost 60 degrees out and it's December 12th! It could be much worse. It could be snow. I hate snow. I don't even think it's pretty anymore. I hope and pray it doesn't snow this winter....

I don't need to visit Postsecret today.. I looked at it last night past midnight. I'm used to looking at it on Sunday morning. I feel like I should go re-read them this morning just because that's what I do.

My husband is making me breakfast. He's so good to me. He told me when we first met (a long long time ago) that he was for real because I questioned his sincerity. He would make me breakfast in bed, bring me coffee in bed....
I told him I knew that soon all of that would stop. People just don't behave that way long term. He assured me I was mistaken... and, I was. 12 years later and he still brings me coffee in bed, makes me beautiful breakfasts, and so on.....
I'm so grateful. I was one messed up cookie when he and I met. It's a miracle he hung in there and stuck with me through the first couple of years....

I just ran off track on my thoughts.. but hey, isn't this what journaling is about? Random splats of what's inside my head, my heart.. spilling out in text.


Ups and downs.... I wants to scrape the rust off, and get back to the me I adore.

Where do I start?

Today I remembered something about my childhood......

I don't think I would have ever remembered this, but I saw a photo, and it jolted a memory that was lost and buried...

I was a little girl. A very little girl...
I went to an Amusement park for small people and I drove an old Antique Car. I was with my Aunt and Uncle, and my brother was with me. I think it was a place called Story Book Land, in New Jersey. I can't wait to ask Rich tomorrow if he remembers it. I have lost so many of my memories from the past. I can see it very clearly right now.. that moment. I'm really excited! He remembers so much. I hope we can talk about it tomorrow!

Sentencing Day - Feb 4th, 2011

Okay... So I was having some mixed feelings about sentencing day coming up... and then I came across a few email exchanges and I stopped feeling bad about it.
Here's the thing. When someone goes out of their way to intentionally hurt you or your family, without a second thought...that's bad..

So, he's facing 190 years in prison, over 3 million in fines, AND all the nasty, dirty assets will be seized. Good. He deserve it. And, I hope he can read this one day from your prison cell.

For you....

Just read this portion of your email that I'd like to share with whomever views my blog:
"As for the threat of violence you made to me and my property I am not taking this lightly and have turned this e-mail over to the local authorities in case something happens to me or my family or property they will know where it is coming from as well as filing a restraint order."

Right... very good.
So, you know what I have to say to you.. sucker....
Enjoy those days and nights ahead of you. You made life hell for us, and I know you hurt other people in ways that are unforgivable. You deserve what ever sentence you get. And to think I was beginning to feel sorry for you. You never felt badly about what you did to us. You joked about it to people. You joked to us about the things you'd done... but we never knew just how fucking bad it was.

The stripper you humiliated at your big Birthday Bash.. I hope she remembers your name and looks you up on google someday. At least she would feel a little less humiliated, knowing you are paying for some of the crap you put people through...

And your partner in crime... his ways with women, his fabulous rape tactic, and leaving poor, innocent women out on the side of the road like they are nothing but garbage... I hope he gets his full 100 years that he's facing. I'll be sure to follow up on that one too. How funny will it be for him when he's being used up like a bitch in prison? Not so funny I'll bet. I wonder if he'll think of the women he did that to, when it's happening to him.

I hope it was worth it......

A-hole.

Maryfaith and Me. LOVE you Maryfaith!

Triumph Brewery

Christmas Shopping...

It's time.....

I have not done a bit of shopping yet, so today I am going to get out there with my hubby and try to get something accomplished!