how did you spend your Christmas Eve?

I'M RELATED TO THESE PEOPLE!!!!!!!

ok this is just cute!

Angel decided to smell the camera

the party!

so my dad's company Christmas party was a blast, the band which consisted of my dad, brothers, and my boyfriend was fantastic! the guitar player above is my youngest brother.

on the far left you have my boyfriend Russ on guitar, next to him is my dad playing bass and behind the two of them is an old high school friend of my parents on percussion. in the middle are two singers, one of which works with my dad, behind them is my other brother on the drums but he is hidden.


the lady in green is my mom enjoying the party, the guy in grey is a close friend, he an i had way too much wine that night. the rest of the crowd are people from my dads office.

this is my other brother that was hidden behind the singers above. yes ladies he is available, but watch out he's only 17!
and here is Russ singing and playing the night away. hands off ladies he's mine!!!!

that is all for now!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Have you ever been experienced?

i don't usually do these but today i felt compelled to.

Things you've already done: bold

Things you want to do: italicize

Things you haven't done and don't want to: leave in plain font

1. Started your own blog. 

2. Slept under the stars. 

3. Played in a band.

4. Visited Hawaii.

5. Watched a meteor shower. 

6. Given more than you can afford to charity. 

 

7. Been to Disneyland/world. 

8. Climbed a mountain.

9. Held a praying mantis.

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped.

12. Visited Paris.

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea. 

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch. 

15. Adopted a child.

16. Had food poisoning. 

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.

18. Grown your own vegetables. 

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.

20. Slept on an overnight train.

21. Had a pillow fight. 

22. Hitch hiked.

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill. 

24. Built a snow fort. 

25. Held a lamb.

26. Gone skinny dipping. 

27. Run a Marathon.

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.

29. Seen a total eclipse. 

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset. 

31. Hit a home run.

32. Been on a cruise.

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person. 

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.

 
35. Seen an Amish community. 

36. Taught yourself a new language. 

 
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.

39. Gone rock climbing.

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David.

41. Sung karaoke. 

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.

43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant.

44. Visited Africa.

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight. 

 
46. Been transported in an ambulance.

47. Had your portrait painted.

48. Gone deep sea fishing.

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling. 

52. Kissed in the rain.

53. Played in the mud.

54. Gone to a drive-in theater. 

 

55. Been in a movie.

56. Visited the Great Wall of China.

57. Started a business.

58. Taken a martial arts class. 

59. Visited Russia. 

60. Served at a soup kitchen.

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies. 

62. Gone whale watching.

63. Gotten flowers for no reason. 

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma. 

65. Gone sky diving.

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.

67. Bounced a check. 

68. Flown in a helicopter.

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.

71. Eaten Caviar. 

72. Pieced a quilt.

73. Stood in Times Square.

74. Toured the Everglades.

75. Been fired from a job.

76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London.

77. Broken a bone. 

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle. 

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person. 

80. Published a book.

81. Visited the Vatican. 

82. Bought a brand new car.

83. Walked in Jerusalem.

84. Had your picture in the newspaper.

85. Read the entire Bible. 

 
86. Visited the White House.

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating. 

 
88. Had chickenpox. 

89. Saved someone’s life. 

90. Sat on a jury. I got called for jury duty when I was in Florida on vacation, maybe one day I will get called again.

91. Met someone famous. 

 
92. Joined a book club.

93. Lost a loved one.

94. Had a baby.

95. Seen the Alamo in person. 

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.

97. Been involved in a law suit. 

98. Owned a cell phone.

99. Been stung by a bee. 

 

 

 

Give Presence!

I’ve been thinking about the Pink Pen’s post about giving presence instead of presents. And I think I partially got this covered.

 For Christmas I asked newly married Shroomy to make dinner for her and her husband and us. So on Sunday I will be driving to Winchester for a highly anticipated meal.

 And yesterday I purchased theater tickets for Russ and I to enjoy on Valentines, although they are expensive it’s not like I bought him an iPod, I basically bought him a day out on the town with me, I figure we will do dinner in the city afterwards. Please don’t tell him if you see or talk to him it’s a surprise!

 And although I love giving presents, I absolutely love spending time with my family and friends who I don’t often get to see.

Take Pity!

Dear Reader,

Take pity on me, I need a new job!

I’m educated: George Mason University. August 2003 – January 2008 BA of Communications with a PR concentration, and a minor in Tourism and Events Management.

I have lots of job experience in: wedding planning, events management, exhibits, customer service, and sales!

I love to travel: Cambridge, England 2002; Italy & Greece 2001; Australia 2000; Western Europe - England, France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands 1998; Hawaii 1997

Other skills include: PC skills include: MS Word, Excel, Power-Point, Outlook, Publisher, Quick Books, Movie Maker, and basic HTML/web-building skills.

And…I SPEAK ENGLISH AND SPANISH!

I am also creative and hard working and some call me a Jane of all trades!

So if you or someone you know is looking for someone with my skills in the Northern Virginia area PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY HIRE ME! you will not be disappointed!

Baby Visit!

so on friday afternoon i got to go see brand new baby Cheryl, she was not ever 24 hours old. she slept while Aaron and I took turns holding her. what a sweet baby.

her mom was doing quite well for just having had a C-section.

without furthur ado...

Finally!

at 2:13am i got a text from Amanda's husband that Cheryl was born at 10:43pm.

she weighed 7 pounds 15 ounces and was 21 inches long.

i will hopfully be visiting today after work, i will post pictures as soon as i can.

Baby Update

Luckily The Pink Pen’s mom is a nurse at the hospital where Amanda is delivering her baby; I just got the following note forwarded to me from The Pink Pen.

I just saw Amanda and she is doing well. Tired of labor and laying around but the baby looks good and so does she. Her husband is with her and her sisters just stepped out for food. She is moving slowly only 3cm now which means it will be late evening probably before the baby comes.

more updates as i get them.

I can bear in no longer!

Me: I can bear it no longer! Goblin King! Goblin King! Wherever you may be take this boss of mine far away from me!

Goblin: That's not it! Where did she get that rubbish? It doesn't even start with "I wish!"

I REALLY WISH THE GOBLIN KING WOULD COME AND TAKE MY BOSS AWAY!

the Baby is coming!

for those of you who do not know a friend of mine is giving birth today!

For those of you who do know Amanda

I just spoke to her husband and they have just given her the epidural and have broken her water!

Baby Cheryl is on her way!

I will post more news as it comes.

Home at Last!

Moving Day!

Living Room (it still needs some work)

Kitchen (view from living room)

YAY KITCHEN!

more pictures soon, i promise!

Hells Yeah!

ok ok house pictures are coming soon, but until then...


we are finally getting out Metro Silver Line! YAY! ok it wont be here till 2013, but it's on it's way and that means my house will appreciate! YAY!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/03/AR2008120302256.html

McSparkly

So yesterday I found this at Cafe Press and sent it to the Pink Pen just because I thought it was funny. If you don’t get it it’s because it’s a Twilight thing and unless you read the books or saw the movie, you wouldn’t understand.

And then this morning the license plate on the car in front of me read…

MCSQBA = McScuba

sorry I did not have enough time to take a picture.

But he had a dive sticker that confirmed my suspicions.

I think it’s funny that Grey’s Anatomy fans have taken the McDreamy, McSteamy, McMansion, idea and run with it.

HOUSE TEASER!

more pictures coming soon...

Underpaid and Underappreciated!

So when a volunteer tells you how much more important he is to the conference several times, you start to think “what the F&%$ am I doing here?”

Not only has that happened several times but because I am in charge of the operations office I have no idea who is doing what and when my boss asked me if I had checked on the breakfast for our councils I told her no, and that I was not sure who did but that I was told not to move from this office so I obviously could not check on breakfast.

So as breakfast way ending and my boss was sitting reading her black berry I asked her if I could go get some food. She said that she will have to find someone else because she is too busy. So one kind soul in the room offered to stay while I got food. By the time I got there, there was nothing left.

So I spent the morning quite hungry. Around lunch time the above volunteer was in the office and I asked if he would mind sitting in the office while I grabbed some food, he said he was too busy.

The kind soul from before left and got me some food. This tied me over until I was able to go get food myself. But seriously people?

Beverly Hills, thats where i want to be...

Actually i want to be at home with my Boyfriend on his birthday and in my house but instead i'm going to LA to work our Global Warfare Symposium.

i'll be at the Beverly Hilton if you need me.

i promise house pics are coming soon. i was in Phoenix last weekend and now i'm leaving for LA and i have been crazy busy!

more posts soon i promise, just not til next week! damn business trip!

It’s the little things in life…

So this morning I was getting dressed and Russ was watching Batman Returns (1992) on TV. I have not seen that movie since I was in elementary school

So anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge fan of Tim Burtons Nightmare before Christmas (1993). Tim Burton also happens to have directed Batman Returns.

Well this morning as I sat in bed in a towel watching batman returns it struck me that during the END of this scene you can hear the music for Making Christmas (without the words mind you) specifically the part “Making Christmas, making Christmas, Is so fine”



No surprise both scores were done by Danny Elfman within a year of each other.

It just made my day!

YAY Pictures!

If any of you wanted to see more pictures of Shroomy’s wedding the photographer has posted a few pictures on her blog.

Jennifer was very easy to work with and I would definitely recommend her!

P.S. i'm the one in green!

http://jennifercolinaphotography.com/blog/2008/10/lauren-and-peter.html

3 days and counting

On Friday October 31st I will be the proud owner of this…

Once the keys are in my hand I will post more pictures but until then, this will have to do.

i think i'm in love...

so i have always loved Williams-Sonoma, but this one really takes the cake!

it's a little pricey at $36.00 but i think i have to have one!

New
Acorn
Cakelet Pan
Our baking pan turns out 18 exquisitely detailed
miniature cakes and quick breads shaped like acorns, a festive touch for
autumn
meals. Use it to bake a basketful of savory nut breads for the
buffet, warm
cornbread muffins to accompany fall soups and stews, or sweet
dessert cakes
dusted with sugar. Made for us by Nordic Ware, the
cast-aluminum pan has a
nonstick finish that ensures easy release of the 2
1/4" long acorn shapes with
all their detail intact. Hand-wash. 15 1/4" x 11
3⁄4" x 1" high. Made in USA. A
Williams-Sonoma exclusive.

Shroomy gets married!

Well it really happened. Shroomy is now married!

Friday I got to Winchester around 2:30. We had enough time to hang out for a little while before having to go to the rehearsal. It was freezing and we ran through it as fast as possible. Then we went to this place called Historic Berkley Springs. It used to be a monastery. This is where we had the rehearsal dinner. The dinner was very nice. The food was good, the company was excellent, and the bride and groom were happy.

After the rehearsal Shroomy and I went back to her mom's house to re-steam the dress, print the programs, and finish her vows.

It was after 3 when we finally got to her house and went to bed. Her eye had gotten puffy and we had to send her future husband out to get her some cream for it. She was up by 7:30 am so neither one of us got much sleep. We showered and got dressed and picked up one of the bridesmaids on the way to the salon. I dropped them off and then went and bought bagels. I took the bagels back to the salon and then went to her mom's house to pick up the veil and her cousin. I took the veil and her cousin to the salon. Then I left again and went in search of 8 matching patina shawls, it had been so cold we decided we needed something. i could not find 8 matching ones so a bought a few different kinds. I looked in 4 stores before deciding on 4 shawls from target and 4 from TJ Max. then I went back to the salon. This time it was time for my hair. I had her straighten it and put some curl in. she pulled my hair back on the side and voila! I had canceled my two nail appointments and I'm glad I did because I ran around doing errands all morning. When my hair was done Shroomy realized that the isle runner was in the trunk of her car so I drove to her house and got the runner and drove back to the salon to pick her and her cousin up and take them to the site to start getting dressed.

We girls got dressed and then we dressed Shroomy. We took some group photos before the wedding and then headed off to the ceremony. Shroomy and I almost cried while we were waiting to go down the isle, but we kept it together. It was so cold that the bridesmaid next to me was shivering. But we got through it and it was lovely.

After the ceremony we took the group shots and then went to the reception.

They introduced all of us and then the happy couple danced their first dance as man and wife. This is when I lost it. I tried to hide behind my masquerade mask but I was biting my tongue to keep from crying so my face was just twitching. I calmed down a little after all the required dances and then I went and got a drink and sat with Russ and my family.

We danced a lot and sadly I did not have time to enjoy all the awesome cheese including but not limited to brie and cranberries, smoked gouda, gorgonzola, aged gouda, goat cheese…the list goes on and on.

It was finally time for my toast and although my hand was shaking like a leaf I got through it without breaking down. We danced until it was time to go. We packed all the gifts into my car, I got her undressed, and then Russ and I drove to there house to unload the gifts and take care of their dog.

At 6:30 the next morning a limo picked them up and drove them to BWI where they boarded a flight to Orlando. On Tuesday they swam with the dolphins at discovery cove. I can’t wait to see pictures!

BTW did i mention i caught the Bouquet? that makes two now!

and i'm off!

in just about an hour i will get in my car and take the beautiful drive to Winchester. the leaves are turning and by tomorrow should be spectacular!

tonight is Shroomy's rehearsal dinner and tomorrow at five she gets married. OMG!

wish me luck with my maid of honor speech and lets hope all goes according to plan. apparently no one told mother nature to wait until after the wedding to bring in the cold front, so tomorrow it's supposed to go down to 37 degrees or so. COLD! all us bridesmaids are in short dresses and i had planned to spend at least part of my night out on the veranda of the reception hall with my glass of wine, contemplating life.

i can't wait to see my new lesbian friends again as well as Aunt L's new baby!

i hope to have a recap on monday and post pictures ASAP!

TTFN-tata for now!

The Dreaded Toast

I started writing my toast for Shroomy’s wedding a few months ago, last night I realized I really need to finish it because the wedding is just a few days away. I can’t believe on Saturday she is getting married. It seems like only yesterday we were in middle school.

I wanted my speech to be unique and different. I thought maybe I could do something like this scene from Love Actually…



But I realized that I don’t think I can say everything I want to with cardboard.

Russ thought that maybe I should use a toaster and make them some toast, I liked the idea and thought maybe I could try to keep my speech under the amount of time it would take to make toast. This is when I really wished that I had a toaster that toasted hearts onto the bread. But the logistics of this I don’t think will work.

Russ also suggested using the card idea, but writing the whole thing like I was sending her a Text. Funny, but again I don’t think it will convey my sentiments correctly.

I wrote something that is very much your typical wedding toast. It still needs a little work but it’s decent. It’s just not the amazing toast I had in mind. I’m not a really funny person so trying to inject humor into my speech I think is maybe a bad idea. I spent most of last night watching wedding speeches on you tube with no real luck.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Update on Monday's post

Monday afternoon I got a text from my brother saying that my files were being extracted from the hard drive. He called the company and they sent him a program to fix it. It did cost $130.00 but that’s definitely not the thousands my dad had predicted.

I have not gotten my files yet; when I went to bed the program was still working. Here’s hoping that all my files are restored.

ANGER!

So a few years ago I got a lap top for school, that way I could use my PC at home and take all my notes right on my laptop at school. I became reliant on the laptop for everything and my brother had been asking for a PC so I told him that he could use my PC. He begged me to let him wipe the entire memory and start fresh and I said fine as long as he moved all my files to his external hard drive and guaranteed he would transfer everything over to my lap top when he had time.

Years went buy and periodically I would ask him for my files. After awhile he started telling me that the hard drive did not work. So I gave the hard drive to my dad to look at.
This morning he tells me it’s dead. He thinks he knows a company that may be able to restore it but he says it may cost thousands. What do I do? I feel like my house burnt down and I lost all my pictures, music, and papers. I am so angry with my brother and angrier at my father for saying nothing can be done. I understand my brother is only 17 years old but I feel like this is a huge violation of my trust and that he needs to fix it. Am I being unreasonable?

oh happy day!

So I might be a home owner soon (knock on wood)!

So Tuesday night Russ and I went to see a townhouse in Herndon. I loved it! It is a 3 level, 2 bed, 2.5 bath townhome, with a one car garage. That night we signed the contract and in the morning I sent it to the realtor. By Wednesday night the contract was countersigned and Thursday morning we ratified. Things are moving so fast this time, the appraisal was ordered today and the inspection is 9am on Monday. I’m hoping we can close early.

Because last time we pulled out of the contract 4 days before closing, due to condo doc problems, I don’t want to jinx it by saying it’s ours.

I’m so very excited! If and when we get it I will most definitely post pictures.

Christmas Dinner

Six years ago my friends and I began a wonderful tradition. Every year at Christmas we have our own Christmas Dinner. This usually takes place about five days before Christmas. It’s always the same dozen people every year, with one or two exceptions. Everyone brings a side dish, one of the guys comes early to make the turkey, we all dress up, I set the table, we do a Secret Santa, and there is usually plenty to drink.

Now normally I don’t send out the invitations until sometime in November but yesterday two different people asked about Christmas Dinner. So this morning I sent out the invitation and so far I have 4 rsvp’s including myself. I’m not sure what it is but everyone is excited for Christmas and it’s not even Halloween yet. What gives?

THE BIG NEWS!

I have been working on a super secret project with The Pink Pen and today I am finally allowed to reveal it to you my readers.

*DRUM ROLL*

We have started a new blog! It’s called Wedding Pride and is a wedding blog for those in the GLBT community. The both of us love weddings and have realized that there are very few sources of information for GBLT weddings. So we have decided to do it ourselves.

We are currently looking for contributors. We want to hear from married or engaged couples, and vendors. We would love for you to share pictures, videos, concerns, and stories with us. To become a contributor please e-mail us at contribute@haveweddingpride.com or visit us at http://www.haveweddingpride.com/

So I’m no Derek Jeter but…

I did a lot better than I thought!

Last night I did something I thought I would never do. I played softball.

A group of my friends play on an adult softball league and their team is the Orange Crush. Last night due to one injury and a concert, 3 of the girls could not play. This is a co-ed league and there must be 4 girls and 6 guys on the field at all times. So I volunteered.

Now if you know me you know that I DON”T DO TEAM SPORTS! I have done every sport imaginable that I could do by myself (gymnastics, ice skating, horseback riding, fencing, tae kwon do, yoga) but never have I played team sports unless forced to during HS gym class.

So I rotated between playing right field and catcher I did not do as bad as I though I would and although I struck out my first time at bat, my next two times I got hits, I just never made it to the base on time.

All in all it was a good time and I was glad that I could help out the team but I think I will do better sitting on the side lines.

i'm in love...with my new purse!

On Sunday i went shoe shopping with The Pink Pen who happened to be in town for a few hours. at DSW i found this purse that i LOVED, but decided to leave it because it was too expensive.

Monday night Russ and i went back and he bought it for me!

behold the awesomness...

Late Again

So Monday was Russ’s first day at the new job. And he was late. It’s not his fault. We left with plenty of time but the traffic was awful!

So yesterday I was determined to get him to work on time. And I did. I was in my cube by 8am.

But today, today as I waited at the light to make a right hand turn I contemplated where on earth I was going to go because in the lane where I wanted to be there was a blue PT cruiser facing the opposite direction. The poor woman had been in an accident and was waiting for an ambulance to come extract her from the car. I ended up having to make a left hand turn from the right hand lane. I could not blame me for make a mess out of my morning, she was most definitely having a worse day.

I dropped Russ off at the nearest metro station and continued on to work, but since I had to take the scenic route I was a bit later than I had hoped. I’m glad my job is flexible about hours.

latest Pandora find

"Not Your Girl" Bree Sharp

I stutter like a broken clutch
When you touch me too much
My tounge gets twisted in your twirl
You say I'm not your kind of girl
A spider underneath my skin
I want you out, I want you in
The venom and the vaccine swirl
You say I'm not your kind of girl
CHORUS:
What kind of girl should I be
The kind of girl who doesn't see
That you're looking at me like you wanna be seeing someone else
Somebody else
You rip the sureness from my stare
And throw the pieces in the air
Your fingers string me like a pearl
You say I'm not your kind of girl
Its not a secret anymore
What you keep me around for
As my excuses all unfurl
I'm not that kind of kind of girl
CHORUS
See somebody else
See somebody else
See somebody else
(I want you to)
See somebody else
(See somebody)
See somebody else
(I want you to)
See somebody else
(See somebody)
I want you to see somebody else

Happy Hour

3195 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, Virginia 22201
703.465.9360 phone
703.465.9363 fax

Last night we went out for happy hour at the Liberty Tavern in Clarendon.

Everyone had beer except for me. I decided to have the Altos Las Hormigas Malbec. Malbec is a red wine from Argentina that I really love. This particular bottle was $34 a bottle at Liberty Tavern. I found it on-line for $10.99.

During my second glass of Malbec I ordered the cheese platter. I asked for 3 cheeses, my only requirement was that one was a blue. The other two were surprises. Unfortunately I have no idea what they were. I asked but it was too loud to understand. All the cheeses were good. The blue one was fantastic in that it tasted like a mix between a smoked Gouda and a blue. YUM!

A tale of BFF’s

I find myself very fortunate to have not one, but several BFF’s. so often during conversations with acquaintances I just use the term “best friend” as in “my best friend and I went to Starbucks” I rarely use names, so I can only imagine that most people think that I have one best friend that I always talk about, when in fact it’s really three people.

Veritablerika and I grew up on the same street. She and I became friend when I was still in catholic school. To the best of my knowledge we were around 7. We used to always watch Disney musicals and sing together. Later we ended up singing in choir together through high school.

The Pink Pen and I grew up in the same neighborhood and met one fateful day at the neighborhood pool. I think we were about 9. We used to play with her American girl dolls and make up stories about ghost in the basement.

The three of us have been very close for a very long time and I count them as family. Veritablerika now lives about 4 hours away give or take depending on traffic, and The Pink Pen has recently moved to NYC. I miss them both but we still talk, IM, and e-mail.

And then there was Shroomy. Shroomy and I met on the last day of the seventh grade and were inseparable until she moved an hour away after the 8th grade. She and I have continued to remain close and still finish our sentences when together. I will be standing up next to her at her wedding next month as her MOH.

I also have some “best” guy friends and a few other girls, but when I talk about these people I use their names “my best friend (insert name here)”

The best part is that almost all of my friends get along and for the most part our significant others have been welcomed into the group with open arms. I feel blessed to have such great friends!

What we ended up doing Saturday night…

We did indeed end up going to the Melting pot. There were 7 girls in all. We decided to get cheese, salad, and chocolate only because one of the girls was a vegetarian and could not stand to cook her vegetables in the same pot as the meats and because it would be easier on the wallet. Dinner was nice. The waiter gave Shroomy a copy of the new Melting Pot cook book and gave me a brand new shaker of garlic and wine seasoning.

After dinner most of the girls bailed and Shroomy, Crystal (Shroomy’s cousin) and I went to the American Tap Room. We had a great time. We took a ton of pictures of Shroomy with a bunch of random guys. And some creepy guy bought us drinks. I had two shots of Tequila and a beer and then I was done because I had to drive the girls back to my house. We were the last ones out of the bar at 2am when it closed.

Because of a mix up about who was driving who home, Pete, the groom to be, had to drive to my house at 2am from Winchester to pick up Shroomy and Crystal, so they finally left at 3ish and I went to bed.

The whole night Shroomy wore a veil (no it did not have penises on it!), a garter on top of her jeans on each leg, and a flashing sash that read Miss Outta Control Bachlorette. Hopefully she will give me some of the pictures so I can post them here.

I Hate Your Wedding!

I admit that I stalk wedding blogs constantly. My one problem with many of the wedding blogs is that they are written by the brides themselves or the planners who are so full of pride of what they have accomplished from DIY invites and flowers, to couture dresses, to the wedding cake design. often they inspire me and I tuck the ideas away in a little corner of my brain, BUT sometimes I HATE their weddings and I want to comment and tell them so and I can’t, because I don’t want to hurt there feelings.

Some times it’s just a little detail that I don’t like and sometimes it’s the entire thing. One blog in particular is about this huge glamorous extravaganza and every single post about this wedding is boring and cliché. The bride is SO freaking happy about how here wedding went and all I can think is BORING!

Don’t be that bride. Don’t go overboard and end up boring!

Bachlorette Woes

so tonight is supposed to be Shroomy's bachlorette party. i have a cold, and my grandfather's brother died this morning.

the plan was to drive to Hanover and go to Medieval Times, Dave and Busters, and spend the night in a hotel. but it's been so hard trying to get the girls organized that now it looks like it just might be 3 of us. Melting pot has an opening at 9:30 just in case we decided to do something a bit more local.

i kinda hope we decide to go to the Melting Pot. the Hanover trip will be a lot more expensive, and I'm not feeling so hot.

I'll keep you posted as to what happens.

94.5 hours worked in 7 days...

good night.

HAHA! (sorry about the quality)

My cell phone camera has been a god send. I don’t use it often but every once in awhile it comes in handy.

The following pictures are of something that occurred this morning. As the busses were preparing to pull out of the parking lot carrying everyone to the Air Force Memorial for the wreath laying ceremony, the Air Force bus carrying the Outstanding Airmen of the Year and some of our Board members (including the chairman) tried to go up the loading dock ramp to be first in line to leave and ended up bottoming out. When I left an hour ago it was still stuck. We ended up having to move everyone off that bus and on to another. And just to top everything off, the usual rout to the Memorial was blocked because of a triathlon.

All that and it’s only 8:40 am, I wonder what other emergencies may pop up today?

In other news Russ got to the hotel around 1am so I am a little tired because I could not fall asleep once I had woken up to let him in, and then I had to be up and ready to go load busses by 6:30am. I am stuck in the ops office until 1pm today, sad.

the calm before the storm...

i moved into the Marriott Wardman Park on thursday for our annual conference.

the hotel was very nice and took us all out for dinner and drinks. most of us were slightly hung over yesterday, but now we are fine.

today mostly consists of sitting around and waiting.

The shit does not really hit the fan until Monday so I find myself manning the operations office with relatively little to do. We have put out some small fires but that’s it for now.

I’ll pretty much be MIA till Thursday night but if I keep working stints in the office you may hear from me.

after having my feet hurt like hell at our Orlando conference in Feb, this time i came prepared! i brought 7 pairs of black shoes and two pairs of brown. i almost never over pack, but this time i decided it was ok because i did not have to fly.

dresses for women with large chests!

I was reading one of my many wedding blogs today and one of the brides gave a few dress options for her bridesmaids. Let me tell you girls, if you are getting married and are picking a dress for your bridesmaids here are a few rules you can follow if you have girls in your wedding party with large breasts.

1. An empire waist is ALMOST always flattering; just make sure that there is enough fabric between the neckline and the waistline. Having the empire waist hit you in the middle of the boob is NEVER flattering.

2. Spaghetti straps make wearing a bra with straps impossible and many dresses with spaghetti straps do not conceal a strapless bra very well, especially one in a size that would accommodate a larger chest.

3. Strapless is fine, as long as the front of the dress comes up high enough to cover a very good strapless bra (these bras often have large cups that come up pretty high in the chest).

4. Just because the dress has a high neckline and straps that are wide enough to cover bra straps, does not mean that the dress is perfect, a high neckline can often mean a low cut back. Low cut backs and bras do not work together!

5. Last, but not least, forget a plunge neckline! Plunge bras do not exist for large breasted women. Any bigger than a DD and your pretty much out of luck, I should know I'm a G = DDDD!

True Bood

For all of you who watched True Blood last night I know there have been mixed reviews and this is just my humble opinion.

For the most part I liked the show. I think that as the first few episodes go by that it will get better. I’m pretty happy with the casting for the most part.

I, like everyone else, had a bit of a problem with the fangs. If you watch carefully during the scene where Bill is chained up, when they “retract” they actually fold back against the roof of his mouth like a snakes teeth might, they are also way too close together.

It also bothered me that in the first scene in the convenient store the customers mention Hurricane Katrina, well if you have read the books you know that Katrina does not hit until a few books into the series. This bothered me because in the books the hurricane plays a large roll.

BTW Did you notice that when Sookie goes home and is talking to her grandmother that the grandmother is reading a Charlaine Harris book? Just thought I would point that out.

Lets talk about sex…

I think the sex was a bit much. I love a good sex scene but sometimes I feel like HBO likes to add a sex scene just because they can. The vampire sex video scene with Maudete was way over the top and unnecessary. They could have shown a glimpse of it and it would have made the same point without being almost offensive.

True Blood V.S. Twilight

Before anyone gets their panties in a knot let me tell you that I have read all the twilight books as well as all of the Sookie Stackhouse novels (SSN’s) to date. And I loved both!

That said there has been a lot of talk about weather the two series are similar or not. From what I have seen most people say not, and I agree there are many differences, and yes I realize that the Sookie Stackhouse novels we begun before twilight ones, but I think there are many similarities and here is why…

Both series have someone who can read minds, and both have someone whose mind cannot be read.

Both have vampire/human romantic relationships

Both delve into the world of supernatural beings besides that of vampires, although the SSN’s go into much more detail

Both contain love interests between humans/ non-vampire supernatural’s

Both are set in small towns

I have more similarities but many of them would spoil a lot of the story so I’m not going to get into it.

That said I really wish that people would get of their “my series of books is better than yours” trip. Don’t even get me started on all the Harry Potter vampire series haters! I love the Harry Potter series as well but the high and mighty crap has got to stop

SPOILER ALERT!!
(Do not continue to read if you do not want the story spoiled for you)






Did anyone else notice that Jason was wearing a baseball hat in the road crew scene and it had a Panther on it?????

Also I think it was a little early to introduce “the dog” any one else agree?

Antje Duvekot - Diana's Song lyrics

When I was a little butterfly, I wasn't off to the best start I flew right into a big wet puddle and would not have gotten far Little wings stuck to the pavement amidst pedestrians and cars But you smiled and picked me up cause that's the way you are That's the way

Well you took me in and dried me off and I wondered what I did To deserve a spot in your loving heart, now you're never getting rid of me And I could search the whole wide world until my feet hurt For a friend like you And I could make it a full time task, I don't think anyone would pass Cause I love you more than I could ever sing More than most anything

Winter, spring, summer, fall, tupperware, and fudge And your little butterfly flew crooked but you loved me just as much And you said, "Take my love with you, this will always be your home You may flutter off in crooked flight, but you will never be alone"

And I know I would have to search the whole wide world until my feet hurt For a friend like you And I could make it a full time task, I don't think anyone would pass Cause I love you more than I could ever sing More than most anything

Well maybe one day I'll be famous and maybe one day I'll be rich And I will buy you a mansion and some German kitchen knives But just in case that doesn't happen, I wrote this song here to remind you Of how very much I love you, so let me tell you one more time I know that I would have to search the whole wide world until my feet hurt For a friend like you And I could make it a full time task, I don't think anyone would pass Cause I love you more than I could ever sing

More than most anything

More than most anything

More than most anything

i found this song on Pandora, and i really love it!

CHEERS!

Well my day just took a weird turn.

My boss came into my cube and told me that my presence was requested in the front office.

“Do I need a pen and paper?”

“Nope, just yourself”

I get to the office; there are 6 of us, our VP, two ladies from the front office, my boss, our director, and myself. Then they close the door to the front office and the VP pulls out a bottle of champagne and pours it out into flutes and hands it to each of us.

We are drinking champagne at 11:00am at the office?

I quickly realize that the champagne is in the running to be served to our attendees at one of our receptions and that not only did we want to taste test it but we wanted to see how many glasses we could fill.

So now my entire dept has a slight buzz from some very potent champagne.

Sometimes I love my job!

UPDATE: at 4pm we got into bottles number 2 and 3. so now i am definately buzzed!!

UPDATE #2: on Friday at 4pm we drank bottle number 4! bottles #1 and #4 were the best!

Mission Accomplished!

So last night I spent another 4 hours or so shopping for a dress for the wedding. And I found something! It’s not great but it the same basic shape as the original dress.

The picture below was take using my cell phone, so please excuse the quality. The blue dress is the dress all the other girls are wearing and the green dress is the dress I decided on. There were other dresses I liked better but they did not match the theme of the wedding.

I was thinking about finding a clutch for Lauren and I on Etsy and I found the PERFECT ones! They are on order from the UK and I’m so excited to get them!!!!! I just don’t know which one I should give Lauren and which one I should keep for myself. What do you think? (please remember it’s a peacock inspired wedding)

thank you to Rowena of RedRubyRose for making these!