"Please be careful, I'm still not over the Cold War" and "Duh cause it's infamous or duh cause..."

Two things to sum up my weekend:
Russians and lesbians.

Interesting to say the least. The first quote is courtesy of R. A. Thibault an esteemed former colleague. I explained to Mr. Thibault that I had a date from my stint on eHarmony with a guy who is from Russia. His response was: "Please be careful, I'm still not over the Cold War." I think I laughed for a good five minutes.

So the date. Eh, maybe the worst date I've gone on but it wasn't horrible by any means don't get me wrong. Knock on wood, I haven't been on any terrible dates, where I've been like, "get me out of here" so that's good, but I have had really good dates, and this one wasn't one of those. So it was my worst, but not the worst. He and I won't be taking this any further. And a follow up from Mr. Thibault after I texted him to say it wasn't the greatest: "Well that's good! I can cancel the U2 overhead flights that Mark [my Dad] and I had dialed up and we can put away the 'nuclear football' the cold war is over once again!!" I died laughing. Glad the free world is safe again.

Now the lesbian topic. Quite the weekend for me. I had seen a coworker at the mall Saturday and she told me that some of our colleagues were going out for drinks tonight and that I should join. I had plans for a friends bday but wanted to meet up with them afterwards. Super. So later on that night I texted her to see what the plan was and this was our text convo:
Me: So where are you guys?
Her: Heading to Providence
Me: Oh boo!! Where in Providence?
Her: Gallery [gay bar in Providence I've been to before, super fun- dance party USA type place]
Me: Woah woah woah, I've had some fun times there!
Her: You've been to Gallery?
Me: Duh!
Then no response.

So I carried on with my evening. Then today I get a text from her that says: "Duh cause it's infamous or duh cause..." aka, are you a lesbian? Hm. How to respond. Without offending, or assuming. So I responded with this: "Yeah in restrospect duh wasn't the best response, I had been drinking. I have been there before with a friend I used to work with, we saw former students, it was awk. Lol is this an awkward conversation? I'm not gay but I love a good dance party as much as the next guy!"And then crickets, no response. I'm thinking crap did I offend her? But then she responded later on with, "I laughed so hard at your entire response" and all is well in the universe.

So all in all an interesting weekend! Other fun details:
*AMAZING dinner with my lovers Friday night. Lots of laughs and drinks, the perfect combo with great friends.
*Fun sleepover Friday night with the friendboy. That's what we'll call him because he's not a boyfriend, but it's a step beyond simple friendship. Maybe more than a step. Whatev.
*Saturday school then the gym where I RAN THREE MILES. Holy crap. Love that.
*Then coffee with the Russian. Again, eh.
*Home to watch more Dawson's Creek and then take a nap (got to bed prob around 3 am Friday and woke up at 7:15)
*Dinner at the Airport Grille Saturday night for a friends bday, then bowling at Wonderbowl- super fun!
*Slept in a little this morning, then got together with the bridal party for a planning sesh for one of my lover's bridal shower.
*Gym where I only ran one mile, eh wasn't feeling the gym.
*Home, more Dawson's, shower and napping. Then my parents for dinner.

I'm tired! Watching the Grammy's, figuring out what I'm doing in World tomorrow and then bedtime!

"Don't mess with the bull young man, you're going to get the horns"

Movie, anyone?

Every Saturday that I wait for the kids who have Saturday school to get dropped off, I picture the conversations that each character in the Breakfast Club had with their parents when they were dropped off for detention in the movie and I wonder what the parents of my Saturday school kids are saying, if it's anything- if they're pissed they have to drop the kids off at 8 am on a Saturday, if they could care less etc.

Random.

One of my favorite movies ever.

deja vu:

Noun, the illusion of having previously experienced something actually being encountered for the first time.


So on my practically daily trip to Target this afternoon to get candy for my students (they've been awesome this week), pick up a prescription and pictures of my previous semester students to put up in my classroom, I went to check out the price of the Pride and Prejudice (the one with Colin Firth, I still have not seen it and I hear it's amazing) dvd- I do this often because it's $30 which is a lot and I always check to see if it's gone on sale, it hadn't- BUT I did find Dawson's Creek seasons 1 and 2 on DVD together for $20!!!! Score!!!!

So why the vocabulary lesson? Simple.


Watching Dawson's Creek from the very beginning, as I started to tonight, has literally brought me back to 1997 when I would watch this show and anxiously anticipate the day when I would get my first kiss, or better yet (!) my first boyfriend. Literally, I feel that same anticipation, longing, desperation, frustration, excitement and sadness I experienced when I was 15 years old. I wanted those things so badly.


Except it's different this time. It's different because I know how amazing it is to have a first kiss. I know how great it is to have a boyfriend. I've had both of those things since watching the show the first time around and it was awesome. Definitely lived up to and even exceeded the hype and expectations I had created in my head from watching seasons of Dawson's Creek and Felicity. 


Problem is, watching the show now, as a 28 year old, may actually make those feelings worse and magnified because I know how great it is to have someone there for you, to want to be with you, and to want you- and that may actually be worse than not knowing what it's like to have any of those things in the first place. 


Knowing what it's like, how incredible it is, and then losing it only to have to wish and hope for it all over again- I'd take the 15 year old version of what I'm feeling as opposed to the 28 year old version any day. 

I wish

Anthropologie would furnish my life. And by my life I mean my house and my wardrobe.

I'm a Craft Machine

Friday night I finished my cross-stitch (picture in previous post), Saturday I took the doors of the really pretty tan/seashell cabinet thing that was in my bathroom (picture in previous post) and began the process of painting it white which I completed Sunday afternoon!

It only took FOUR COATS OF PAINT for those horrid seashells to disappear. I painted a coat Saturday afternoon and then Saturday night because I did nothing Saturday night except watch He's Just Not that into You (how fitting) and went to bed early. Sunday I woke up, made myself bacon and eggs because why not, and put a third coat of paint on the shelves (I really don't know what this thing is technically, it's not a hutch, it's not shelves, I don't know...) and hung around the house not quite sure what to do with myself. I went to Target (fun run-in with the Ex and the girl, he waved as we drove by each other....Happy Sunday!) for some random stuff and back home to finish my crafting projects.

My Dad was equally as bored as I was so we ran to Lowe's and Home Depot to check out potential shelving for the closet in my bathroom (next project) that afternoon and he ended up buying me three new lights for outside my house- Thanks Dad! Love when that happens!!

So here's the finished product for my bathroom, one step closer to organization!
*I had the white paint leftover from moving into my house
*Bought the baskets at pier1 with a giftcard I had from my housewarming party
*The mirrored tray was mine that I fell in love with at Target last year and waited for to go on sale before I bought it but hadn't found the right place for it in my house- until now!
*The "J" mug is from Anthropologie
*My perfumes- well, I clearly have a problem
*Bare necessities for makeup that I use everyday, my other stuff is in a train case stowed away
*Little dish for jewelry before I put it away also from Anthropologie a while ago when I went to visit Lizzie in Charlotte

I just love it now!!!

This is my next project- putting some shelves in here for towels and sheets, and also some storage for winter/summer clothes and my hamper. One thing at a time, don't judge me, it's a mess:

Happy Monday everyone, hope it's a great week!

How soon is too soon?

So as I mentioned in the About Me portion of this blog, over the summer I joined eHarmony. I had emailed back and forth with a few guys, and got to the point of aim conversations with two others. It was poor timing on my part that I joined and got to the convo part at the end of the summer, beginning of the school year when my schedule was just insane. I didn't have time to really spend getting to know new people, I barely had time for the people I already know and know I like, nevermind new people that I wasn't even sure I'd grow to like.

The first guy I was imming with got real annoying, real fast. He told me rather quickly that he wasn't talking to any other girls, from eHarmony or real life, and was curious if I was. Um, guy, I've never met you, we've chatted online a handful of times and I've seen one picture of you. I'm not putting all my eggs in your basket- for all I know it's a hoop with no bottom and with my luck all my eggs will end up splattered on the ground. (Did that analogy work or just sound dumb?) He also wanted to go for a walk along the Cape Cod Canal as our first date. Now, a walk on the Canal sounds amazing, if I know you and know you're not some psycho. I would prefer a well-lit restaurant where we both meet there for my personal safety. Needless to say, that didn't work out.

Guy number two that I was imming with, it wasn't anything in particular, just that I was way too busy to get to know someone, and it kind of stopped.

Well, he immed me again recently asking if things had died down. I said that they had, although we're starting new courses soon which I'm sure will kick up the dust again. I gave him points for persistance though. We talked some more, and he asked if I was interested in getting coffee. I said sure (I figured why the heck not) and we made plans for next Saturday to meet.

Two things. One, he uses emoticons WAY too often. The winking ones. I can see for emphasis every once in a while, but we're not 14 years old anymore, I think we're a little beyond them? Maybe I'm being too judgey. Two, he's been calling me "lovely" as of late. Tonights im read, "hey lovely." Now I only have one relationship to gauge when the nickname portion of the program began, and come to think of the the Ex and I weren't huge nickname people. I don't think I called him "babe" or "hon" or anything at all. He I think called me "babe". If memory serves me correctly, which really isn't anything to go by. I just feel like it's weird and too soon to be referring to me any other way besides my name. Am I just being a bitch? I don't know, it turns me off. Again, you don't know me yet. What if I'm not lovely to you at all? What if you hate me? I also feel like Guy #1 did this too. And I felt the same way.

Updates on this front to follow for sure.

Finished product and work-in-progress

I finished my cross-stitch last night, on another eventful Saturday night. I'm not happy with the "you" and the spacing of words but live and learn and hopefully my next one will improve on those things. Here's a picture of the finished product:

I'm also painting a cabinet thing I had in my bathroom that came with my house. It had a pretty sea shell motif on it, and for some unknown reason it's only taken me a year to paint it white. Right now I'm waiting for the third coat of white paint to dry. Here's what it looked like before:

I took the two doors off and am going to put baskets on the open shelves. I think I'm going to need a fourth coat, so once I'm done with that and have painted the *hopefully* last coat of paint, a picture of the finished product will be posted as well.

Happy Sunday!

Umbrella beats cross-stitch.

Like paper beats rock.

So last weekend my big event was working on my cross-stitch project.

Tonight was shaping up a little bit better than that. I was waiting for a guy to come over and take out my old boiler and water heater when my friend Jen called asking if I wanted to meet for drinks!! Of course I told her yes, and once the guy was done and my old boiler and water heater were whisked away, I met Jen downtown.

Had two French Kiss martinis- yum! And was going to meet up with my friend Ross for a drink and food after that. Except he flaked. So I went home. And put on sweat pants (still have my cute shirt from Ann Taylor Loft from my Auntand Uncle for my bday on top though, jic something comes along out of the blue) and slippers.

Then I made some nachos. And decided to whip up a drink because my slight buzz was feeling nice and I wanted to continue that. I was limited though in terms of my liquor cabinet. This is what I settled on:

And this is what I created:

And then adjusted because the picture would look better with the umbrella at this angle instead.

Except I can't figure out how to rotate it. Super.

This is my Friday night.

Don't judge.

My crazy Sunday night....

Tonight is essentially a Saturday night since it's a holiday tomorrow and no work.

This is what I'm doing:

Yes, I am cross-stitching and no, I did not age 40+ years overnight.

My life is really that exciting.

If you're curious I am cross-stitching: "all I really want is you" on navy fabric with turquoise thread. I was inspired by these. I love the monograms, actually I heart them all. I felt like I could make them though and save some money. I initially thought they were a bit pricey but I now know why she charges what she does- the plotting out of the writing is very overwhelming and super time consuming. My hands are cramping and my neck hurts. But I have a feeling I'm going to love it when I'm done. Pictures to follow.

SOCLOSE

Only two issues short of having all published issues of Domino magazine.

I feel accomplished.

What am I going to obsess about once I have them all?

Also, I want a creative way to display all my issues of Domino once I have them. Yes, guilty as charged- I want to gloat.

Right now they're in magazine holders from Ikea on my love, aka my West Elm Parson's desk. I feel like I can get more creative than that.

I may rearrange my living room when I get out of school. I need something productive to do. I have been down in the dumps too often lately.

Oh first I have to stop by my parents house to see my Mom, I still haven't talked to her since I found out about her friend Pam. Yuck.

Back in the dumps.

Another reason

or should I say bonus or plus of having a significant other is you have a default person to talk to when things are shitty.

When you don't have anyone you feel like you're bothering people to talk about things that are wrong. Even though those people would never feel like they were being bothered, sometimes it's nice to just have someone there automatically.

A close friend of my Mom's passed away today, I haven't talked to my Mom, I don't really know what to say, but I do know it would be great to have someone to just talk about it with without having to be the one to reach out.

HELP!!!

So I am in need of a new rug for my living room. I want something neutral and simple. I checked my usual sites for house stuff, west elm, pottery barn, cb2, crate and barrel, anthropologie (not that I can afford a rug from there) and the like. Eh, nothing really struck me. I then went to overstock.com and I have a few options/ideas I'd like run past you, feel free to comment or email me which you prefer as I enjoy help and suggestions.

Here we go:

Option 1, cheapest and I really love the pattern, I'd go with the one on the bottom, the "chocolate" option. And did I mention it's cheap? $65.99 for an almost 5x8.

Option 2, again, price not that bad and I like the color too. I'm just not sure gray

will look right with my living room, which is why I also enjoy this rug in the brown option:

I still think I like the houndstooth print better. Color-wise too I think I like it better.

Option 3, I really like the print of this rug and also enjoy the price- $169.99. Not bad.

Ok, thoughts? Please!

Renee to the rescue!!!!

A very good friend has offered to grab lunch with my at Joe's so I won't have to suffer the shame and humiliation of using my birthday certificate alone- love her!!!

Yay, Saturday school is almost over, heading to my parents to start some laundry, then the gym and lunch with Renee!!

Happy weekend to you all!

Oh and one other thing!

If you subscribe to the email list from Not Your Average Joe's every year on your bday you get a coupon for a free meal and dessert. So mine expires tomorrow.

I have no one to go with for dinner tonight. I'm deciding between eating dinner at the bar alone and taking my dessert to go, or getting the whole thing to go.

Cue depression.

One is the loneliest number.

Well, one and a half I guess if you count LaLa.

All I've been watching lately is Sex and the City because my tv shows are all on vacation, or something, and nothing is on really. I just saw the episode before Carrie meets Jack Burger (who after re-watching is so needy and annoying it's ridiculous, he has no self-confidence it's laughable) and she admits at her book launch party that she is really lonely to Miranda. That's me, minus the book launch party.

It's a combination of a lot of things. In no particular order: having to rely on my Dad when my heat doesn't work and feeling like the daughter who won't ever grow up and be independent, having nothing to do last Thursday night and waiting for it to be 8:00 so I could go to bed at a semi-normal bedtime without feeling like a total loser, being single for five years, friends who all have significant others, going from a job where I had a great group of colleagues who became really good friends to a job where I have colleagues who are great, but not really my friends....and did I mention being single for five years? Yeah.

I think it's really been the change in jobs which has brought this to the surface. Lunch time used to be the highlight of the day, probably just like for the kids. We would laugh, yell at each other, make fun of each other, get mad at each other and everything in between, including a chair or two being thrown, but it was awesome. Now I eat lunch alone in my classroom because the teacher's room is just too serious for my liking. They talk about school policy, students violating the plagiarism rule, town politics- all great topics every once in a while, but not something I really want to talk about on my 20 minute break from the kids. So after a few attempts at eating in the teacher's room, I just stay in my room. I actually never really leave my classroom except to make copies or occasionally visit. I know I'm not making enough of an effort here.

So when you take away those friend interactions that I had on a regular basis both inside and out of school, I've been relying on my core group of old friends more than I have in the past. Which isn't their fault. They're awesome. I don't get to see them as much as I'd like though. It's a bunch of factors, me being available more than before, us all being super busy, and I don't want to use this as a factor but it is, they all have significant others which takes up a huge chunk of their time- as they should! It most certainly should! I totally get that. I feel like the balance is off-kilter because I don't have someone to spend that "other" time with, which would take a lot of pressure of my friends. Does that make sense?

Take for instance, my birthday last weekend. A lot of friends couldn't make it for a variety of reasons. Relatively understandable. The hard part for me when stuff like that happens is that sometimes I feel like I put in more effort than I feel like people are investing in me. My friends are all I have. I don't have anyone else as a "default" to celebrate things with, be sad about things with, run errands with, go shopping with- they're it. Which is an unfair amount of pressure on them. I definitely see and know that. It's not fair to them at all. But to use the phrase I hate more than anything else in the world- it is what it is- I have more time for them than they have for me.

I feel like this sounds super selfish and childish. Like a spoiled little girl. But it doesn't change that it's how I feel.

That's also why I think I've been relying on a guy friend of mine probably more than I should. We used to joke that we were each other's "interim" boyfriend/girlfriend. Someone to hang out with, go out to eat with etc. in between significant others. Problem is that has gotten a bit more complicated as of late, and again, because I seem to have more "down time" than I did before, it's on my mind more than it probably would have been before. But also in my defense, the context of our friendship has changed since summer, so that's also playing a factor.

Or maybe I'm just too much in my own head and it's because it's December, way too snowy for my liking and freezing that I'm stuck inside over analyzing shit? Winter blues?

Does anyone else find this time of year extra trying? Am I overreacting? In desperate need of sun and warmth? Thoughts? Feel free to put on your honestpants and give me your two cents!

Domino Update

Since posting that I wished to acquire the entire collection of Domino magazines published from 2005--2009 I have come very close to meeting my goal. Only six issues are evading my capture! August 2007, October 2006, May 2006, March 2006, Jan/Feb 2006 and October 2005. I am *so*close* to having them all.

Which, let's discuss. Is this weird? That I have a strong desire to own all the published issues of a home magazine?

Hmmm....I find it a bit odd, but I'm really excited to have them all one day.

Weirdo. But I embrace it.

Happy! Happy! Joy! Joy!

I hated Ren and Stimpy as a sidenote.

But I am in such a great mood because it's finally Friday!!!!

This week has just dragged on and on. Let's recap because my kids are taking a quest (quiz/test) and I'm bored.

Monday- school, detention, stuff at home, gym, chat. The chat was productive. Not conclusive per say, but productive. We'll see what happens from here on out. I'm glad it was brought up and semi-productive. I went to the gym again Tuesday for kickboxing but was sadly disappointed when it wasn't my favorite instructor Jimmy but my arch-nemesis!!! The Lady who throughout class yells out "OUI OUI" I don't know how you spell what she was yelling, it was not "yes yes" in French, but in any case, super annoying. She was teaching the class for the night. Ugh. So I left halfway through. Annoying. Because of that I returned to the gym Wednesday night and did Zumbaa and yoga then the treadmill for a half an hour. Go me.

I was planning on going to the gym last night but didn't because I was exhausted and it was one of the most boring nights of my life. I was counting down to 8:00 so it was a semi-acceptable time to go to bed. Not only did I fall asleep probably by 8:30 but I pressed sleep on my alarm until almost 6 am this morning. I usually get out of bed by 5:30. I must have been tired and in need of sleep.

I am sooo excited for tonight- after school I'm going to my parents to do some more laundry, then the end of the freshman girls basketball game, the beginning of the girls varsity game and then to Durfee for the boys varsity game with Sasha who I haven't seen in FOREVER. I'm looking forward to seeing her very much!!

I'm also hoping and praying that both NSTAR and the Portland Group (people who manufacture my hotwater heater/boiler) figure out why the eff my boiler shuts off when the temp is in the teens and below because they're both meeting at my house with my Dad this morning. Actually they have been there for approximately 51 minutes. This weekend is supposed to be cold at night and I'd love it to not have to wake up to a frozen house if possible. Thanks.

Welcome to 2010.

Sadly, vacation is over. Tear. It was a good one though. Let's recap, shall we?

Ok. So first day of vacation (Tuesday 12/22) technically was the last day of school and I picked up my sister at the train station in Providence and we then hightailed it to Boston for the Celtics game:

Sadly my "husband" as I like to refer to him as, did not play (Kevin Garnett for those

of you not in the know) and not only did he not play, he wasn't even freaking there!!! I was not happy, but it turned out to be a really good game. We had a good time.

I worked Wed and Thurs at be jeweled and then got a little tipsy Christmas eve. Started with a glass of champagne after we closed be jeweled, continued with two more glasses at my house and then at my Aunt's house that turned into a glass of wine and some V&T's....whoops.

Christmas day woke up bright and early at 6:45 am and went to my parents to open presents. I got some really great gifts- New Kids on the Block dvd, For Like Ever poster, gloves from Aldo I wanted, tshirt from etsy that I LOVE, can't tell you how much I love it, umm and the freaking Parson's desk from West Elm- um, hi. It's beautiful. I heart it with all my heart. You can see it and the rest of the mess that was/is my living room in this pic:

And once I get a mat for my For Like Ever poster, that's going on the wall right above the desk! Love it!!

Ok, so after Christmas died down things were still busy. Saturday after Christmas I don't remember what I did, probably slept in, I also believe I went to the gym. Lightbulb- oh and I also went to a friend's house for an "Uglier Sweater than Mike's" party. Sunday went to see Wicked with my fam in Providence (was supposed to go to the Pats game with Josh and Renee and her husband but because Mom bought the Wicked tickets without double-checking, I was double-booked) and I feel like I had something Sunday night but that's eluding me as well.

Monday went to Providence Place with my Mom and four little cousins and brother so they could play games at Dave and Buster's which was fun, but really tiring. Don't think I did anything Monday night. Tuesday I went to the Ashland Public Library to pick up some copies of Domino magazine they were holding for me (and as the librarian ever so nicely said [sarcasm], they had been holding them for a while) and then the Natick Collection. I was looking for a dress for my birthday and also I really wanted to go to Anthropologie. There needs to be one of those way closer to me. I really love that place. So I got a dress there for my birthday which of course I can't find a picture of online to post here, but it's really cute. Navy, white and teal striped, belted waist, super cute. I also go the most amazing bra ever at Aerie, comfortable and quite the push-up! I've found my new favorite place to buy bras now, fyi.

Then on the way home from the mall I got a call from my Dad that my heat had gone off, and would not go back on. Super. I was supposed to go to Tokyo with the Bunco girls for dinner but did not make it because I was running around buying electric heaters so my pipes wouldn't freeze and you know, explode. Ugh. Slept at my parents house Tuesday night, and finally restarted the heat around noon on Wednesday. Went to the gym and then back home to like reorganize my life. Josh came by for dinner and we hung out until he had to go to work and I went to bed.

Wednesday night I got invited by Mike (ugly sweater Mike) to go to the Venus de Milo for New Years Eve. I've NEVER done anything dressy and fun for New Years so I was really excited to go. I had my work cut out for my looking for a dress for New Years eve on New Years eve. Especially when that morning I was going to Ikea with my Mom. Bright and early we went to Ikea, I got a plant for my dining room, a frame for my For Like Ever poster, another set of silverwear, more wine glasses, shower curtains and they didn't have the shelf I wanted for my bedroom. Oh and I got a bedside light for my room and some storage boxes. We stopped at the Galleria on the way home for me to check out Forever 21 and H&M but no luck there for a dress. When I got home my sister and I ran to the Dartmouth Mall- nada, then Target- nada. I was thisclose to going to the Target in Wareham to see if they had a dress in my

size but the time stopped me. It was like 4:00 and I needed to be ready by 6:30 so by the time I went to Wareham and back, that wouldn't have worked out well for me. So I decided to search for navy tights and wear the dress I was planning on wearing for my bday.

Apparently navy tights are the most difficult thing in the world to find. Back to Target- nothing, Macy's- nothing, CVS- nothing, FINALLY at Walgreen's they had some. Rush home, stop quickly at a liquor store because I am in need of a drink (cheap champagne- perfect) and start to get ready. Shower all that fun stuff, and finally put the tights on. So not the same navy as in the dress. Perfect. I decide eff it, no tights for me I'm wearing the dress with my J.Simp brown heels and I'm good to go. Here's a picture of the dress, and if you make note of my face in the picture, you will have an indication of a. how fun New Years eve is at Venus and b. how I may have drank a tad bit too much on New Years eve at the Venus (Sorry for the sideways pic, I can't figure out how to rotate it):

Here's a better view of the dress, and me looking more sober-ish:

Ok, so New Years Eve was fun, pretty much like prom for adults. With alcohol.

So needless to say I had quite the hangover headache New Years day. I woke up early, but stayed in bed until like 11:00 regrouping. Didn't do much during the day, cleaned, organized my house and don't remember what I did that evening.

Saturday the 2nd was my birthday night out. Technically my birthday was yesterday but because who wants to celebrate on a Sunday night, Sat night it was! I had a dilemma though, because I had worn the dress I was originally planning on wearing already- nothing to wear! Enter my like fourth trip to Providence Place with my sister of the vacation. I ended up getting this shirt from J.Crew and LOVING it (a lot of visuals today):

Sadly a few people who I really was looking forward to celebrating with couldn't make it out for my birthday but I still managed to have an AMAZING night! Here's my favorite picture of the evening. I believe Mrs. Mare Studios herself was taking the picture (friend Renee, self-proclaimed nickname) and the instant she took the pic a poor girl fell down the stairs behind my sister, cousin and myself and this was our reaction:

Fun night. Then later that night I made my first official screw-up of 2010 (I'm pretending it happened while I was still 27, so it's not part of my year 28) which I don't want to get into the details of, but let's just say it's a doozie. Onwards and upwards right? Learn from mistakes.

So when I finally dragged myself out of bed on my actual birthday I discovered my heat had shut off and would not turn back on. Again. I turned the space heaters back on and went back to bed. It turned on at 10:30 only to shut off a few minutes later and not turn back on for a while. I was pleasantly surprised by a visit from Meaghan who couldn't make it out the night before, which was awesome to see her pull into my driveway. We disected the evening, the screw-up, I gave her her Christmas/birthday gifts and she gave my mine. Oh. My. God. I LOVE IT. Small background: high school was awesome, I had amazing friends, we had a high school lip sync contest, my friends and I kicked ass in it, highlight of high school. For me anyway. Well, in cleaning and moving Meaghan discovered that her future-husband (who was one of the emcee's of the lip sync) had saved our score card from the judges. So she framed it for me. Ohmygosh, words can explain how neat it was to see that! I didn't even know it existed! (We got a perfect score btw.)

We then talked about wedding details (they're getting married in August) and she was off to run errands. I stayed home periodically attempting to restart my heat- fail. I couldn't shower I couldn't go anywhere. I was also snowed in. I could've shoveled to go to my parents house to shower but I was feeling annoyed by the whole sitch and refused to do that. I sat on my couch pouting, watching Sex and the City, facebooking and regretting the screw up. So FINALLY at like 2:00 in the afternoon I was able to get the heat going, finally showered and headed to my parents house. Watched the end of the Pats game there, listened to my brother and mother work on his research paper on Al Cappone, sat on the couch and ate onion dip with chips and veggies. I was in a foul mood. I felt guilty and selfish for feeling that way, but I felt like what a boring birthday, waiting for heat to come on on not only my bday but the last day of vacation.

For dinner my Mom made baked stuffed shrimp which was AMAZING and she even got me green beans which I love. So we then had cake and ice cream and I opened presents. My Mom paid for the stuff I got at Ikea so that was my gift from her, and from my brother and sister I got earrings from be jeweled that I really wanted, can't find a pic online, but I love them and a garage door opener from my Dad!!! Sooo excited about that! I love having a garage and don't really complain about having to get out of the car, open the door, get back in the car, drive into the garage, lock the car and then shut the garage door. Reverse for leaving the house. I mean hey, I could have no garage. But ohmygosh this is going to be amazing! Hopefully it gets installed soon, can't wait!!

So on the way home from my parents (I was tired and not feeling so hot after too much onion dip and just kind of down in the dumps mentally) I started thinking about a situation I have going on, which involved a guy, but it's not where I want it to be. It's just ok the way it is, but it's not really making me super happy. In the card from my parents my Mom wrote she and Dad really want me to be happy (not that I think they don't think I am, but that that's what they want for me in this new year) and I think a change in this situation would make me happier. So I'm going to have a conversation this evening that I think will change that. That is if I have the balls to actually have the conversation. Fingers crossed.

And that brings us to today. Last night I went home and went to bed pretty early in preparation for waking up bright and early for work today. Knock on wood the heat was working when I got up, and today was an ok day at work. Glad it's over. I have some prep work for tomorrow, but then I'm heading home to do some laundry (I have like two giant piles of dirty clothes), have dinner, and head to the gym to run and *hopefully* have the conversation I need to have. I have a knot in my stomach thinking about it. I just need to put my honestpants on an lay it all on the table. And take it from there. Good luck to me.

Thanks for bearing with my on this post if you made it to reading all the way to the end! Happy 2010 to you all!!