Becoming a Non-Smoker

I Am Iron Woman Hear Me Roar!

2012-01-24T10:40:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I attempted to give blood. This is nothing new or out of the ordinary for me. I give blood every 56 days or as close to it as I can depending on my schedule. This particular blood drive was right down the road from me so I was stoked.

Unfortunately, I needed a hemablahblahblah level of 12.5 and mine was only 12.3. Now, I am by no means anemic. In fact 12.3 is a great level. They just need and EXCELLENT level to take my blood because, well mostly because the people who are getting the blood are sick and need the best blood they can get. I was sad. And I was determined.

Eating meat was out. I'm back on my weird Meg Diet where I don't eat any beef, pork or chicken. I have been doing much better with my protein thanks to some fabulous shakes J and I found at Sam's Club. I eat a ton of veggies because that's what I like. I just needed something more.

I saw this on FADKOG's blog so I thought I'd give it a whirl. I had to tweak it a bit mostly because I am a weirdo and only like my peanut butter on a piece of bread. Not so much a fan of pb and chocolate ( I know, the horror!) or pb with anything but on a sandwich. Basically I make a smoothie with fruit (bought a big bag o' frozen fruit at Sam's Club), organic yogurt and milk. Then once all of those ingredients are in the blender I grab a couple of handfuls of my lovely organic spinach and cram them in there. I blend it all up and it looks like this:

Now I know it doesn't look like a tasty and delicious treat, but believe me when I tell you it is awesome! It just tastes like a fruit smoothie. You know spinach doesn't have much flavor so once you get past the green color it's fine. I've been drinking them for breakfast every morning for the last week and a half. And last night I went to give blood, two weeks after my disappointing attempt. And guess who's levels are now at 13.1? Heck yeah. I am Iron Woman!

Need an editor?

2012-01-18T14:55:00.000-05:00

I have a friend who was married the month before J and I. We went about our weddings in two very different fashions. She wanted traditional, got quite angry, almost started a feud between the two of us and pretty much stressed out the entire time she planned. I just had fun, had a few very minor freak outs and enjoyed the ride.

Now this friend ALSO felt she needed to have a relatively even amount of men and women in her bridal parties. Where I could've cared less (even though it worked out that way) she was bit more strict. It didn't help that her husband-to-be was kinda lacking in the tons of male friends department.

So this friend, against her better judgement and against advice given by a very ~~beautiful~~l ~~charming~~ ~~witty~~ wise friend (me), asked her younger sister's boyfriend to stand up in the wedding. Said sister is 21 and her boyfriend, whom she had only been dating for six months, is also 21. We warned this friend of the potentials of ending up with a guy in her pictures who she wouldn't even remember twenty years down the road.

But, alas, this friend was dead set on it. She NEEDED the extra guy. Boyfriend stepped in. And one month later, shortly after my wedding, Boyfriend broke up with Little Sister. Now Little Sister has to look at wedding pictures with the guy who CHEATED ON HER on her sister's Facebook. And she is being a CHAMPION about it (seriously, rockstar girl!). I decided to make her laugh and fixed one of the photos so ex-boyfriend was no longer in it.

The picture looks much better now. Of course I don't see anybody but Bradley Cooper, but really, that's OK.

Need me to Cooperize any of your photos? Just let me know! I'm practically a professional!

Bringing up Baby

2012-01-16T10:22:00.002-05:00

Right now, as I type this, my friend is going in for an emergency C-Section. The baby was already a week late and this friend hasn't exactly had a complicated pregnancy, but it's definitely been tough on her. So any thoughts or prayers for a safe surgery would be greatly appreciated. And as soon as I have obnoxiously precious pictures of the little stinker I will be sure to share them.

For now, this was the Lil Stinker when he was just a baby bump at our wedding. He had to say hello to his Auntie Meg.

UPDATE!

He's here! Born at 10:23am and coming in at a respectable 9lbs, 1oz. He's a good looking Lil Man, that's for sure.

You Have Died From Dysentery...Oregon Ho!

2012-01-10T20:57:00.000-05:00

Oh hey, remember me? I think we may have met once or twice. Hi, my name is Meg and I'm pretty sure I started some wonderful blog posts about my honeymoon and then forgot all about them. Oops, my bad OK, I didn't forget about them, but the holidays came up mighty fast and then I had a week off of work (I LOVE MY JOB) so I didn't do anything more than lay about .But now, I'm back and ready to tell you a whole lot more. Ready to check out some pictures?

First, let me take a brief moment to send a shout out, some healing wishes and maybe a big giant hug to Tammy and AG. One is in poor health and the other is handling drama and stress (which can be just as bad as feeling like crap) so I just wanted them to know Michigan is sending them some love and healing and calming thoughts! p.s (Tammy, it was one of our best Thanksgivings, too so thanks!)

Alright, when we left off, J and I were heading to Oregon. We had stopped for the night in Ocean Shores, WA at a nice hotel where I'm pretty sure there were only about ten other people. Ah the joys of visiting places in the off-season. That night we ate at Bennet's Fish Shack. It was one of the better meals on our trip. And because it was off season we were the only people in the restaurant other than the owner and bartender. Can't beat that! Had a lovely visit with them, had some great food and left feeling full and happy and ready to take on Oregon.

We left early the next morning, but not before I got this sweet shot of the view from our room:

Hey look, it's the ocean!

What's the big deal? Is there something behind me?

I'm not going to lie, I found the George Washington highway signs quite charming.

I know I have mentioned this before but I am an avid "sign reader". No, I don't know sign language, but I do love to read signs giving us any kind of information. It's how we saw our first moose in Colorado. And just in case, I wanted to know where to go to get the hell out of dodge should there be tsunami.

Is that a lake? Nope, it's fog.

Welcome to Oregon...why should Washington get all of the Columbia River?

One of our first stops in Oregon was Cannon Beach. Please tell me you have seen Goonies because I spent the rest of the afternoon alternating between the Truffle Shuffle and hollering "Goonies never say die!". J loved it, I'm sure.

No sign of Chester Copperpot or One-Eyed Willie

Obligatory heart with our initials in it. Hey, it doesn't have to be a warm sandy beach to do this, right?

I would like to note that my jeans are rolled up because I ran into the Pacific Ocean. It was cold!

This is Highway 101. Yes, you should take this trip. It is stunning!

Nothing says love quite like a man who will stop at a cheese factory for his wife. And then pose as a cow!

I got to be the farmer!

Tillamook cheese is fabulous! Their ice cream rocks, as well. You West Coasters are so lucky!

The roses at our first ever B&B. Such a lovely surprise!

Our B&B in the morning light. That room with all the windows up top? That was our room!

We went for a stroll while we waited for breakfast to be ready. Our bodies were still on East Coast time (in fact, I'm pretty sure my brain didn't realize it was on the West Coast until the day we left California) so we were up early. We went for a stroll on the beach with our to-go cups of coffee.

Surfer?!?!

Our first B&B breakfast. The eggs Benedict were delish!

Look closely at those white specks. Those are sea lions!

We headed down 101 and managed to stop at the Sea Lion Caves. Yes, they are for tourists. And guess what, J and I were tourists so it was just right for us. You see, in Michigan we don't have seas or sea lions so to get an up close view of them while in their natural habitat (the caves are a natural cave that wild sea lions use not a zoo or anything like that) was pretty spectacular. I took some video with our digital camera. I'm pretty sure at some point you can hear the awesome sound of sea lion barking.

After the Sea Lion Caves we drove through Oregon at top speed. OK, maybe not top speed, but we drove through it nonetheless. You know what comes after Oregon? California!

Merry Christmas, Darling.

2011-12-23T09:30:00.000-05:00

Reasons Why My Husband Makes Me Smile Like an Idiot

*All of the presents under the tree from him to me are addressed to either Mrs. B. or to My Wife

*He wrapped all of the other presents because he isn't working this week and I am

*He did all of the grocery shopping for Christmas brunch

*He let me register for beautiful but not cheap fancy china. And when we only got six place settings he let me keep them and promised we would eventually collect all twelve place settings (I know what I'm getting for my birthday!)

*He printed off wedding pictures to give to his family at their Christmas Eve party

*I get to call him MY HUSBAND!

*When I got particularly stressed out he made me soup and grilled cheese for dinner. Because tomato soup and grilled cheese make the world a better place.

Merry Christmas to my wonderful husband. I'm so happy you're my husband! Love you.

I mean come on...how could I not love that man?

Vancouver and Beyond!

2011-12-19T21:53:00.000-05:00

After some fun visiting with our new West Coast friends we headed for the border. And by the border I don't mean Taco Bell. Oh no, J and I went international on this honeymoon. We went to Canada!

Our hotel room!

The view from our room. Hello Vancouver!

J pretending to be happy to have a breakfast picture taken of him

Ferry ride to Victoria!

WHALES!

Our first ferry ride. We survived!

The Capitol Building

Fancy Queen Victoria statue

Our ferryboat back to the U.S.

Canadian candy bar

Ferry ride to Port Angeles

Vancouver was fun (note to self: check parade schedules when visiting large cities). We had a very brief amount of time to hang out in Victoria. Apparantly we needed to be in line and ready to go through customs 90 minutes prior to departure. We had enough time to see the Capitol building and eat a quick bite. Ah well.

Then we took ANOTHER ferry to Port Angeles, WA. Port Angeles is a relatively small city and was really just a place for us to sleep before we hit our first National Park. Olympic National Park woo hoo!

The sign welcoming us

That is one big tree!

In front of a waterfall

Big leaves! (Notice I used my left hand...gotta show off the ring)

Olympic National Park covers a good chunk of the Western corner of Washington State. We left the park and drove through other areas in order to get to the rain forest. One of those areas was Forks. Now I'm not a Twihard, I'm sure I've mentioned that once or twice. But, I have friends who LOVE the books and movies so we stopped for them. We had lunch in Forks and really, it's just a normal small town. No vampires in sight.

That's my vampire impression.

After Forks we hit one more part of Olympic National Park. We stopped at the Hoh Rain Forest. It's incredible!

In front of a sitka pine. Pretty big tree, right?

In the rain forest. Moss covers everything!

Hoh Rain Forest

Lots and lots of moss. It was incredibly cool and kinda creepy

If you look in the lower right corner that's me in front of the cedar tree

From Olympic we headed down the coast to spend one last night in Washington before we headed even further south. Oregon here we come!

It's a sickness.

2011-12-15T13:17:00.000-05:00

Meg + Stomach Bug = No honeymoon updates

On a good note the stomach bug has finally left the building. And if you are like my mother and thinking the question my mother thought, no, alas I am not with child.

Hopefully I can update with some pictures tonight.

Let the Travel Posts Begin!

2011-12-07T21:42:00.000-05:00

J and I left for Seattle at 7am on Thanksgiving morning. We figured it would be slow, but apparently so did everyone else because the airport was packed.

We had a layover in Denver where I managed to forget J's book (a library book no less) so during that second leg of our journey tensions may have mounted.

Then we got our rental car and headed into Seattle to our hotel.

Let me tell you something, just in case you don't already know this, Seattle is hilly. Not hilly like "oh look at those rolling hills" but hilly like "hey that road goes STRAIGHT UP!". My goodness. We had a heckuva time finding our hotel as most of the buildings were subtly marked. But, we found it. And they all rejoiced!

I know this is going to come as a shock to everyone but...it was raining in Seattle. Gasp!

The view from our hotel room. Can you see the raindrops?

The amazing tub in our room. It filled from the ceiling. Ah the coolness!

We did a lot of traveling so we had a to take a break and have some Bloody Marys at the fireplace in the lobby

Our room was so swanky it had a doorbell!

We settled into our hotel room and then we got ready to head to Tammy's for Thanksgiving dinner. I didn't get nervous, not one little bit, about meeting her until we pulled up in front of her house. Then I had second thoughts. Of course they weren't thoughts about Tammy, I started to feel like I was in high school again and I really, really wanted Tammy to like me!

J just really, really wanted to eat dinner.

Dinner was fantastic. I had some spiced cider first which was fabulous and then yummy homemade food. Tammy's family was wonderful. It was so funny meeting her kids and husband, I felt like I was meeting celebrities!

We ended up staying there far longer than my tired sleep deprived (gotta love a three hour time difference between MI and Seattle) really wanted to but we were just having too much fun. J and Tammy got to talking about music and it was just so great and so surreal to see these two separate parts of my life meld together so seamlessly.

The next morning Seattle had a wedding present for us. We had sunshine! It was a beautiful day. We hit up The Market (that's what people in the know call it) and watched Roll Call. We didn't see any fish get thrown but we did see some beautiful crafts and eat some great food.

The Olympic Mountains from The Market

Tourist shot!

You all think I was kidding about the hills in Seattle?!?

Look at the stairs! One side doesn't even start until three steps in!

After some driving around we finally found a great place to check out the Seattle skyline.

We're on our honeymoon! In Seattle!

Once we got that out of the way we headed to the pub to meet not only Tammy, but also Asthma Girl. Oh yeah and their husbands.

Can we talk again about how fabulous these women and their husbands are? We were having so much fun (again!) J and I didn't want to leave. We had to make it to Vancouver that evening and ended up spending a couple of hours with some great food and great company instead of on the road. It was well worth it!

Blog buddies and beer!

As we were heading north to Vancouver, Seattle gave us one last present. We had a clear view of Mt. Rainier. Hi Mountains!

It's wearing a hat!

We had to head north before we could head South. Next stop, Vancouver!!

Getting teached.

2011-12-05T12:48:00.000-05:00

There are no cicadas in Washington State. I don't know if they are found on the rest of the West Coast, but there are most definitly not found in Washington. Can you imagine, being a grown adult and hearing a cicada for the first time? (If you've never heard it trust me it will blow your mind) I can't even imagine that.

I learned that from Tammy, by the way.

And just so Tammy can learn a little something today.

This is what a cicada looks like:

photo courtesy of U ofM

J and I got home from our honeymoon last night. We had a blast, had some adventures, drove A LOT and met some fantastic people. I will post obnoxious posts all about it this week.

Mooning the honey.

2011-11-22T11:30:00.001-05:00

J and I leave for our honeymoon early (and I mean EARLY) on Thanksgiving morning. With my new job and work scheduling and all that we switched honeymoon plans around way back when. Sure we won't be home for Thanksgiving dinner (J's aunt uses ~~the wrong kind of~~ different green beans in her green bean casserole so we won't be missing much) but it's ok, we were gonna get all dolled up and go out to a fancy dinner in Seattle.

When J and I first decided we were going to the Pacific Northwest as part of our honeymoon I immediately asked if "hey, while we were there could we maybe meet up with some of my blog friends?". And J being J was all "of course!". So yay we made plans to meet up with AG and Tammy. Woohoo! And Tammy being Tammy was all "hey, we're having a casual turkey day with football and just hanging out at home you should come to our house." And I was all "thanks but we wouldn't want to impose". Also, I wasn't sure how J would feel about spending our first married Thanksgiving together with strangers (strangers for him, not me, I feel like I know Tammy).

Fast forward to yesterday when J looked at the menu for our fancy dinner and sighed. "I'm going to miss a homemade Thanksgiving," he said. And I said, "Do you maybe want to eat at my friend's house? Would that be ok?" And he was all, "Heck yeah!"

So I asked Tammy if we could crash their Thanksgiving. And she said yes. Can we pause here for a second and think about how amazingly kind and fabulous Tammy is? I mean she doesn't REALLY know me or J but she's all "come on over" like it's no big deal. Tammy, if you come to Michigan for a Pearl Jam concert or just to visit plan on coming on Christmas because J and I make a killer brunch! S

And the next day J and I are going to meet Tammy and AG at their local pub for a delicious pubgrub lunch. And then we'll be off on our honeymoon adventure.

Since neither J or I are sit-on-the-beach-sipping-cocktails kinda people this is the PERFECT way to start our honeymoon. I can't wait to meet the two of them and I'll be sure to post lots of pictures.

I have a feeling this is only the START to my adventures of meeting bloggy friends. I think I need to visit TX and see what that state is all about!

Professionals do it so much better.

2011-11-16T13:40:00.000-05:00

Our fabulous photographer, Jennifer, of Red Hot Photography posted some sneak peek pictures of J and I on her facebook page. Her pictures take my breath away, make me feel beatiful and once again wrapped in all that love. I've picked some to share with you. Hopefully when we get ALL of our pictures in I can share some more details.

Jennifer took my shoes and bouquet and took some pretty shots with them. Then she took my sister and my dress and took some more shots of things.

I cannot fly all the way to NYC for a dress and then three dress fittings without taking pictures of the tag. Hello Kleinfeld!

My sister and my sis-in-law figured out how to get me into my dress. Pretty smart ladies!

Although C looks a lil confused in this one.

And I look so darn happy in this one!

My mom walked me down the aisle.

Our whole wedding party hanging out in the church. I love this shot!

A nice church kiss!

After church pictures we piled into the party bus and drove around for a few hours to take some fun pictures. We went to Downtown Detroit and stopped at a couple of the local landmarks. There were a couple of other wedding parties there but we were by far the best looking group!

Doing the "Sex and the City" walk!

Group shot!

Roaring like the Tiger!

Can't have a bunch of hockey guys hanging out without hockey sticks.

Admiring the view.

Our first dance to Ingrid Michaelson "You and I". I was singing to J.

To the chapel and beyond!

2011-11-14T08:51:00.000-05:00

On Thursday night we rehearsed. Which went really well mostly because the volunteers at St. James are fantastic. These to women and one man have clearly been volunteering for years and they knew what they were doing. They made us laugh, they relaxed us and they wrangled everyone up when they needed to be wrangled.

On Friday we relaxed. I went to the nail salon with my mom, my sister and my girlfriends and we got pretty nails. Then we went to dinner with my adorable nephew. And then we hung out into the evening. My sister and my best friend spent the night with me on Friday. J ended up spending the night at my sister's house with her fiance.

I woke up about 8am on Saturday morning ready to face the day. I slept easily the night before simply because I took a Tylenol PM (I ain't no dummy). I got the same advice from bunches of people who all said "SOAK IT UP! Live in the moment because it is going to FLY by!" So I listened to them and I soaked it up. I soaked up the women piled into our tiny house who laughed and did make-up and sprayed hairspray and looked beautiful. I soaked up the trip to the church (it's near our house). I soaked up the time in the Bridal Room where we checked out the bouquets and the bridesmaids put on their dresses and we touched up our make-up. I soaked up the moment when I put on my dress and faced the mirror and realized in that moment that it was happening, that I was a bride and getting married and J was waiting for me up just one short flight of stairs and down an aisle.

It was a spectacular moment. And when I watched the people who love J and I each wait their turn to walk down the aisle, each smile and wave at me as they passed I felt LOVED. And when my mom and I lined up ourselves and the doors opened and I saw J's beautiful face and his smile and yes his tears, I felt the love all the way at my end of the aisle.

I love him so much.

We're married!

Practice makes perfect

2011-11-10T09:29:00.000-05:00

Tonight we have our rehearsal for our wedding. Apparently, we need to practice in order to get things right. I'm OK with it, I like practice.

Things are all set, food's getting picked up at it's designated times, the bridal party all made it to Michigan (OK, there's only one out of towner in the bridal party, but she made it so yay!) and most of my family is here. The rest will arrive tomorrow afternoon.

After we rehearse we'll eat. And then we'll send everyone on their merry way and Jeff and I will spend one more evening together as an unmarried couple. I'm pretty sure we're just going to do what we normally do (watch our DVRed episodes and hang out with the dog) but it's nice to know we'll have these moments together before the craziness of Friday and Saturday hit us full on in the face.

I'm still not nervous, I'm still mostly excited. I haven't lost my mind or yelled at anyone or even started crying for no reason (all things I full expected of myself). Sure, there's time for that but I've got a feeling if I can get through the planning, the crafting and the paying and the family all without losing my $h!t then I think I've got this.

I cannot wait!

A bad case of the Writer's Block

2011-11-04T10:43:00.000-04:00

There are words in my head, so many words I can't even count them but somehow they don't really want to make there way onto this blog. They're all jammed up there with emotions and thoughts and feelings! I've got a logjam of emotions in my brain.

This is what my brain looks like right now:

Why yes, my drawing skills do match those of a six year old. Thank you for noticing.

I am happy and excited and just so darn happy. (Hey, words are coming out of my mouth! Yay!) People ask me if I'm stressed or nervous and as of right now the answer would be "Nope." I'm not stressed, I'm ecstatic. I am "isitchristmasmorningyetican'twaittoopenpresents" excited!

Thank you for being with me during this journey. I know we're not quite there yet, but it means so much to me knowing you all have been here, have listened to me complain about stuff and just showered J and I with love, even though we've never met. There's a row in the church, about the middle of all the pews...I'll picture all of you there when I'm walking down the aisle.

ONE WEEK! Eek!

Because I am just a jumble of thoughts right now.

2011-10-27T13:45:00.000-04:00

-Sometimes I do a Google image search of scary bugs just to freak myself out. Wanna try it? Type in "Cane Spiders". You're welcome.

-I also like to watch videos of surprise engagements and soldiers coming home. Oh the tears!

-Speaking of videos...has anyone else seen the cool video with the talking Halloween house set to the LMFAO song? Yeah, I just saw it today so bear with me I'm new to the Internets.

-Also, there's really a group called LMFAO? Do they know what those initials mean? And do they know it makes me think of LFO and that "Summer Girls" song?

-What are you going to be for Halloween this year?

-Tammy's mom is having some complications from surgery so any thoughts, prayers and well wishes for her would be just fabulous.

-My friend's baby shower is on Sunday. It's going to be oh so much fun because, hello, baby shower= adorable outfits and cute baby stuff! Also, since I'm not the mother-to-be I can still drink ~~lots~~ some wine. It's a win/win!

Things...

2011-10-25T12:49:00.000-04:00

*The people at my work drink bottled water. They drink A LOT of bottled water. So I look like a plastic bottle hoarder when I fish their bottles out of the trash and keep them by my desk to take home and recycle. I wonder if our recycling company is somewhat shocked by the bottles I've added to our recycling bin.

*Had a hair trial yesterday with J's cousin. It came out just the way I wanted it to. Here's a pic:

My Blackberry doesn't do it justice, but let me tell you it is PURTY!

*I just realized Halloween and Halloween festivities will be going strong this weekend. Where have I been? With no costume and one pretty casual party to attend I came up with a costume that should be kinda funny yet a touch sad.

*Can we talk about the 0-6 Colts? And then can we not talk about Sunday Night Football? SIXTY-TWO POINTS?!?!? That's a basketball game score!

*I've offically been hired by my new company. I passed my probationary period woooo-hoooo! The excitement is overwhelming.

*Top Chef starts soon. And it's filmed in Austin! Too bad BD and I didn't figure it out until AFTER the season was filmed 'cause you all know I would be down there with her trying to find a way to ~~kidnap~~ meet Tom Colicchio and/or try some yummy food.

Take 2

2011-10-21T10:22:00.000-04:00

I'm heading off to NYC tonight for my second dress fitting. I'm such a jet-setter. Try not to be jealous of my fabulous Coach accommodations as I fly from MI to NY and back in a little over twenty-four hours. I need to win the lottery and get a private jet 'cause this flying stuff is getting old.

Let's not even talk about the fact that on our honeymoon Jeff and I will be traveling about eight hours by plane (that includes a layover). Although that stuff's fun and I let him sleep on my shoulder (I can't sleep on planes) so it works out for both of us.

In preparation for this trip I discovered my library lets us check out ebooks. Yep, I just got three books for our Kindle to read on my trip. I may not read them but it's nice to have the options. LaGuardia Airport is notorious for it's delays (hello,fog) so I might as well be prepared in case I get stuck there tomorrow, right? The cool thing is you don't even have to return the books they just disappear from your Kindle after two weeks. Technology is neato!

A sneak peek

2011-10-13T11:16:00.001-04:00

I sent this information over to our DJ yesterday. He's not handling the ceremony, that will be done by the organist at the church. All of the ceremony music will be just instrumental, actually just organ.

As for the party, well as you can see we've got some songs that are MUST plays and some that are DO NOT play. I conceded and finally let The Hustle go through. I don't plan on dancing it, but it does get people, lots and lots of people on the dance floor, so why not?

Here's what our wedding music is like so far:

Ceremony

Parents and Siblings: “You Raise Me Up” Josh Groban
Attendants: “Glasgow Love Theme” from Love, Actually
Bride: “Grow Old With You” from The Wedding Singer
Recessional: “I Got Rhythm” by Ira Gershwin from the musical Crazy For You

Reception

Entrance for attendants: Eye of the Tiger
Entrance for Jeff and Meg: “Hockey Night in Canada Theme Song” (Old version)
First Dance: “You and I” by Ingrid Michaelson
Parents Dance (Meg and Dad, Jeff and Mom): “Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” by Iz Kamakawiwo’ole

Don’t Play: Country songs (unless they are crossover songs), Hard core rap, Polkas, Chicken Dance, Hokey Pokey

Do Play:
“The Luckiest” by Ben Folds (Maybe for an anniversary dance or just a special dance)
“Waste” by Phish
“I Gotta Feeling” by the Blackeyed Peas
“Firework” by Katy Perry
“Jai Ho” by Pussycat Dolls and someone else (it’s from Slumdog Millionaire)
“Apple Bottom Jeans”

And just because I love it and want you all to hear it, this is a piano version of "Grow Old With You". I seriously get tears in my eyes thinking of that playing as I look at Jeff while I'm walking towards him.

Love Letters

2011-10-12T13:40:00.000-04:00

Dear J,
In one month, almost exactly to the minute (let's add in that extra minute or two because you know my family runs late), I will be walking down the aisle towards you. I will be rocking my amazing dress (thank you SIL Mags) and my sassy shoes and my pretty veil on the arm of my mom, a woman who has made me the woman I am today. And I will be so excited! Will I be crying? Will I be nervous? Or will all I only see your face? And will you be crying? Will you be nervous? Looks like I'll find out soon enough.
I love you more today than I did yesterday than I did the day before that. I can still remember the catch in your voice when you got down on your knee and asked me "do you want to spend the rest of our lives together?" and I cried and said "Ohmygod!" That was a yes, by the way. I can remember the zing I felt the first time I saw you (sorry about those snaps on your shirt). I still get that zing.
People ask me if I'm nervous. I'm not nervous about the wedding, we've got that in the bag. And if things get messed up, I'm not really that concerned about the details. Because ultimately, I just need you, the priest and two witnesses. After that, it's easy-breezy. I am nervous about the marriage. You know me, I don't handle change that well and this is change and something BIG and NEW and all that, so please bear with me. I'm 100% positive you and I can get through this together.
I love you, J.
Love,
M

The stats.

2011-09-29T12:57:00.000-04:00

As of yesterday we have 62 people coming to our wedding. We invited 269. Every RSVP card has been a Yes. We have no Nos. No offense to all of these people, I am super excited to see them, but man we didn't do a Save The Date on purpose how come these people don't have something else planned?

I am not talking to my people, just J's. His side of the list is waaaay bigger than mine. All of my people better be there or I am showing up at their house in my dress and dragging them there. Maybe.

As of yesterday, I have accomplished four million wedding related tasks. I currently have eight million wedding related tasks left to do.

This weekend I go to New York for my first official dress fitting. I am going alone which makes me sad, but I am tough so I know I can do it. Hey, I wonder if I'll end up on Say Yes to the Dress? That would be awesome! Although, maybe it wouldn't be awesome. I wonder if I can fake a meltdown?

So much to do...

Well, hello straw.

2011-09-27T13:40:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure I should do this, or even bring it up because it just makes me so damn upset, but I am so here it is. I'm sure I've mentioned how one of my close friends, someone I have known since we were missing teeth and had scabby knees, is getting married the month before me. We have had a great time planning things and all that, at least at first. And then all of a sudden my friend, my friend who has known me since I had hair down to my butt and no boobs, turned into Jealous Friend. And Jealous Friend hated how I was getting everything I wanted for my wedding and she wasn't. Jealous Friend was subtle about it and I let it go because JF (sorry it's getting too long to type) is going through a lot of stress and she's my friend and we've known each other forever.

This weekend was her bachelorette party and we had a wonderful time. On the ride up, since it was a ways away, we talked about her wedding day and all the things we could do to make it as stressless as possible. We talked about the other friends, the ones who weren't in the wedding who wanted to help out, who wanted to be there for her. I thought we had accomplished things and made her life a little less stressful.

I was wrong.

And since I am feeling angry and slighted and so mad I could spit I am sharing this with you. Because I want to preserve my friendship and not walk up to her and shove something in her face, I am going to get it all out with you guys. Because you keep me safe.

I got an email from my friend's MOTHER this morning. And this is what it said:

Meg,
I am really disappointed in you. Friend was in tears because she is getting no cooperation from you regarding the Wedding.
While I realize you are also planning your wedding, you need to be sensitive to her. Rehearsal is part of the Wedding and she picked the only time the minister is available. You need to be there , she needs your support. Are you having a rehearsal for your wedding? Would you be upset if Friend could not come? Just think about it.
We will be fixing the tables in the Morning,it would be nice if you could also help. Friendwill not rest until that is done.
You know Friend has not been feeling well and added stress does not help. Please consider her feelings she is feeling deserted.

Friend's Mom

Here are my problems. First, I never told my friend I couldn't make it to her rehearsal I told her I wouldn't be there at five pm as I cannot leave work early and I work about forty minutes away from the rehearsal location. I cannot leave early because I am taking the day off for her wedding which is TWO DAYS after the rehearsal. But, I told her I will be there ASAP.

Second problem, on our ride up to JF's bachelorette party location we (and not just me, mind you) discussed what she was doing the day of her wedding and we all tried to come up with something that did not involve her having to set up her own hall on the day of her wedding. We came up with all sorts of alternatives that involved other friends helping out, friends who WANTED to help out. We came up with a game plan that didn't involve the bride getting a super early start to her day since her ceremony was at five pm. Apparently, that came across as not being understanding.

And third problem, I have never, not even once, missed out on a dress fitting, dress trying on appointment, bridal shower, luncheon, shower planning party, bachelorette party, or any other of the countless things we have done for her wedding yet I am not being supportive?!?!?!? Is this a joke?!?

And now my blood pressure is all out of wack and I'm mad again and I'm using too much punctuation. I need a vacation.

"Let's have a bachelor party with chicks and guns and fire trucks and hookers and drugs and booze!"

2011-09-23T15:15:00.001-04:00

Please tell me someone else has seen that movie? Come on, early Tom Hanks? Who doesn't love early Tom Hanks?

In case you aren't familiar with the movie, it's from Bachelor Party, starring Tom Hanks when he had hair and also when he was funny, before he got all serious actor on us and started winning Oscars. Does anyone else miss that Tom Hanks? I loved that guy.

Now why would I be bringing up Tom Hanks' ~~greatest hits~~ old movies? Because this weekend is J's Bachelor Party. That's right, my friend, J is getting married so his friends are getting together and ~~getting him wasted~~ donating their time at an orphanage and then rocking babies at the hospital and also ~~getting drunk~~ cleaning out animal shelters. Aren't they sweet? That's what's happening, right? 'Cause that's what they're telling me.

I'm not overly concerned. They've got a party bus so I know they won't be drinking and driving and I trust J to the moon and back so let them live it up. It works because this weekend I'll be heading up to Caroline's future in-laws cottage for our friend Connie's Bachelorette Party.

Movie Videos & Movie Scenes at MOVIECLIPS.com

While it won't actually be any of these things it will still be an amazingly good time. We've got wine and junk food and jell-o shots and plans on getting all dolled up and hitting up the dive bar and just having an awesome time. That little town won't know what hit them.

Enjoy your weekend!

Lessons

2011-09-15T12:47:00.000-04:00

Things I Have Learned at My New Job

*Being the only person in an entire office who brings a lunch and/or eats a lunch can make one feel like an outsider. Seriously, how do people get through their day without eating lunch? My stomach would beat someone else up if I was that mean to it!

*The other woman I work with has fabulous taste in shoes

*I only work with one other woman

*The men I work with like to swear. They like to swear a lot.

*Men who work in hot locations and then come into our office after their shift is over stink. I mean, really they stink. The smell bad. I need to buy a bottle of Febreze and stink proof my office after they leave.

*These same men are super nice so I don't hold it against them that they're stanky.

*An hour lunch is amazing!

*I get a whole hour! To eat! And surf the internet! Or go out if I want! A WHOLE HOUR!

*Filing is fun!

*The men who work for my office tend to mumble. I don't know if it's bad hearing or what, but they mumble. I've been here over two months and they still confuse me sometimes. ANNUNCIATE!

*I love my job.

Two Months

2011-09-12T12:48:00.000-04:00

In two months, two months from TODAY, J and I will be married. Actually, we'll be getting ready to be getting married because our ceremony isn't until 1:20pm. Two months. In two months, I will marry the love of my life, the guy who gets me when sometimes I don't even get me. We're a team, we're buddies, we're in love, we're together and we've got this.

In two months all of my DIY stuff, our planning, our petty fights, our laughter and maybe some of our tears (what can I say, I get emotional) will all be put to use or behind us and we'll be all getting married. We're getting married. I'm getting married. I'm going to be a married woman.

And in one month's time I will fly to New York for my first dress fitting. Let's hope all those bicep curls have paid off.

Where has the time gone? Also, why isn't it already our wedding day. We're so ready for this it's not even funny.

Hey

2011-09-01T12:52:00.000-04:00

I've got a lot going in my brain right now and in my life for that matter so I'm going to ramble for a bit. And away I go...

The shower on Sunday was fabulous. It wasn't what I expected at all, other than the whole, "barely knowing anyone" thing, but that was OK. I had a great time, we got lots of swag (which is currently in our garage because J had to work out of town this week and there's no way I am dealing with putting stuff away on my own!) and everyone left with a prize. Yay prizes. I tried to win the centerpiece at our bridesmaids table but alas, it went to someone else. I think I should've taken it with Birthday Closest to the Bride's Birthday (Oooh SAME DAY) but that wasn't even an option. Boo to that.

J's been out of town which means several things, the most important one being I have slept like crap. My brain is fuzzy, my eyes are tired and poor Lona has spent the last two evenings staring longingly out the window. I am not kidding. I would've taken a picture of it but I'm a little bitter since I WAS THE ONE WHO RESCUED HER and yet she pines for him. Dogs...

Hey guess who's getting married in a little over two months? This lady right here! I'm excited about it. Can you tell? I'm going to share some picture here, some random shots but the first one is of our centerpiece mock-up. My friend Kati and I got together on Tuesday, went to Michael's and Jo-Ann's and came up with this. The initials are in pencil but we'll end up using a wood burning pen to carve the initials in.

One of our friends is having her baby shower on Saturday and she's also a Colts fan so we checked out some baby gear. How cute is the Peyton Manning baby jersey? We ended up getting her a Colts Sock Monkey.

Speaking of showers, J and I got a Keurig at ours and I love it. I used it on Monday and the cats were less than impressed because it makes weird noises. That's Pigpen checking it out. (Please excuse the beer cans...the bag that held them broke right before this picture)

And on Tuesday I got this in the mail. As part of our photography package we got a free 8x10 from our engagement sessions. What a cute family!

And I had to share this. I'm in charge of the mail at work and yesterday someone sent in a payment using this envelope. I haven't counted but man, that is A LOT of stamps.

Four is a great number.

2011-08-27T09:45:00.000-04:00

Four years and one week ago I quit smoking. I quit for good and haven't really looked back since. Sure, I get a craving every now and then. Those are almost as much a part of my life as the non-smoking. It's resisting the craving and the urge that really makes me powerful!

I quit smoking and I ran. I ran a half marathon and another half marathon and a full marathon. I started breathing better. I gained weight, I lost weight and I gained weight again. I had my ups and downs. Good things happened and bad things happened and never, not even once, did I light up a cigarette. I'm a non-smoker!

I'm also so much more than that. I'm a fiancee, an aunt, a godmother, a best friend, a maid of honor, a sister, a lover and a fighter. I'm a superstar!

Times change and life changes. I've got a new job that takes away from my Internet time which means I'm not on here as much, not posting or commenting as much. But, this blog will always hold a place in my heart. Because of this blog I met some pretty cool folks and I found a way to distract myself when I so desperately wanted to smoke. I met other ex-smokers, people who have been ex-smokers far longer than I, and I found hope that I would be that strong, that I would make it that long. So I may not be posting everyday but believe me when I tell you I am thinking about you, all of you, everyday. I couldn't have hiked up this mountain without you.

Why I Gave Up On Giving Up Meat

2011-08-25T11:54:00.000-04:00

I have never like red meat. I've never been a steak eater or a hamburger lover or even a person who like hamburger in stuff (I prefer my spaghetti sauce marinara). A few months ago I decided to give up all meat and see where that left me.

I did OK. And then I realized I wasn't feeling very well. And it turns out that when you don't really like beans or tofu then being a vegetarian is pretty darn hard. So I gave up on giving up and decided to become a Megatarian.

What's a Megatarian?

Megatarian's eat the followings:

*Turkey, chicken (in the sausage form not the breast form gross), fish and shrimp
*Low fat cheese, eggs and milk
*Lots and lots of veggies
*Other meat if they crave it...meaning if I'm craving steak chances are my iron's pretty low and I should just eat the stuff

And guess who feels a million times better? This lady right here. If I think about it too much I feel bad about eating animals. So I just don't think about it. I do make it a point to buy Cage Free and organic eggs and also organic meat. 'Cause that's what Megatarians do.

Weekend Update with Norm McDonald

2011-08-22T12:11:00.000-04:00

This is more of a weekly update, or an update in general because life is getting away from me. I don't blog at work like I used to so it's tough to find the time to update this thing.

So, some brief updates:

*The dresses for my bridesmaids came in on Wednesday. Crazy!

*I'm going to be an aunt again! One of my other brothers' girlfriend is pregnant. Woo hoo!

*I still love my job!

*One of my super good friends just got engaged so that's FOUR of us who are all engaged at the same time. We've also got two pregnant ladies. Fun times!

*I'm using Spark People to lose weight and guess what? I'm already down four pounds! There's nothing like having to keep track of what you eat and having a plan for working out to really help me workout. I can do it!

*My first wedding shower is in less than a week. Seriously, where has the time gone? Because it's less than three months until our wedding. Yikes!

What's going on with you all?

A shower a day keeps everyone happy.

2011-08-09T12:16:00.000-04:00

Last night we had a final bridesmaids meeting for my one friend who's getting married the month before us. Her shower is on Sunday and I'm excited about it because a. it's not me up there being the center of attention and opening presents and b. have I mentioned that it's not me up there?

Oh how I loathe being the center of attention. Unless I'm acting. Then I LOVE being the center of attention. I will gladly be all "look at me look at me" onstage any day.

We're getting her her pots and pans. We were going to get her the Kitchen Aid she registered for but HOLY CRAP those things are expensive. Also, Con isn't really into baking or cooking so I think the Kitchen Aid is the equivalent to a Coach purse here for her. No worries, she'll love her pots and pans.

Tonight my sister is having my mom and bridesmaids over to discuss my own shower. I have been banned from the meeting, at least the first part of it. They have promised to save me a slice of pizza which I am holding them to. There best be pizza left when I get there! I'll go all bridezilla on them.

And that is my life right now. I am sad I won't be in Seattle for Blogfest West. Maybe next year.

I'll make something happen.

2011-08-03T21:27:00.000-04:00

I have officially created my first game for my friend's bridal shower. It's the little booklet that will sit on the table and when everyone's seated they'll pass it around until someone ends up with the centerpiece. It's a cute little game that won't embarass anyone or take up a ridiculous amount of time since other stuff can go on while this is happening, like ~~the bridesmaids sneaking a couple of hits from a flask~~ eating. Have I mentioned that I'm not really crafty? This whole shower stuff is giving me hives.

You know what doesn't give me hives? This little pup right here.

I know I told you all how tired she was after camping. This picture kinda sums it up. That's Lo sprawled across the backseat of J's truck.

This other one is from a few weekends ago. J and I went to the Green Fair in our neighborhood. It was kinda warm and Lo decided she was done with the fair.

She crawled under there while the tablecloth was still down. I made J lift it so I could take a picture. It was a Lona Cave.

I've got one more picture to share with you all. About a month ago J and I went to a wedding for one of my friends. It was a good time, which came as a surprise since I haven't seen this friend in awhile and also, the guy who broke my heart was there. Turns out time, distance and new love certainly helped me there. Ugh, what was I thinking wasting all that energy on that guy? Sorry, bit of a digression there. While we were there J got a lesson in how to make the knot of his tie nice and fat. I believe it's a Windsor knot but don't quote me on that. Nothing like watching two guys practice Tie Tying 101 to make a wedding complete. I really love that man.

Does it really need to cooldown?

2011-08-01T12:49:00.000-04:00

Our computer at home ~~blew up~~ ~~gave up the ghost broke down~~ is no longer working so I can't share some of the fun pictures I took from this weekend. They're mostly pictures of Lona sleeping in the back of the truck anyways, but still cute ones. Once it's up and running again I will be sure to share.

The vegetable garden is coming along swimmingly. We finally have an orange tomato. It's not quite ripe but hey it's better than green. Seriously, I thought we were going to be eating fried green tomatoes all summer. There's also one eggplant, plenty of peppers and some cucumbers growing along. Pretty cool stuff.

I can't believe it's already August! This month I have two bridal showers (one of them's mine eek) and a baby shower. Next month there are two more bridal showers and in October the first of THREE weddings I'll be attending this year (one of those is mine eeeek!). Whew, that's a lot going on.

Camping? Why not.

2011-07-29T12:46:00.000-04:00

Immediately after work J and I are off on for a (hopefully) fun-filled camping trip with lots of good friends. Our one friend is in charge of the food but since I'm all "I'm a vegetarian" now I decided to just handle my own meals. Last night I cut up zucchini, peppers and mushrooms for kabobs. I cut up peppers and cucumbers to dip in my hummus. And I bought some veggie Italian sausage (yum) and other snacks. I am ready for some good eating!

On top of that we've got the ingredients for hobo pies (double yum) and s'mores. And also ~~a case of~~ one or two beers. Yep, we're ready to party.

The novelty of not working weekends or handling the after hours phone from my old job has yet to wear off. This going camping stuff wouldn't have happened three weeks ago. And now, here we are, going camping. I'm so excited! And so happy!

Time keeps on ticking into the future.

2011-07-21T12:22:00.000-04:00

Hey remember when I was all "I got engaged" and then I was all "there's plenty of time until the wedding!"? Yeah, I lied. Because the wedding is almost here folks. Less than four months to go!

Luckily we are ON TOP of things. (Does anyone else think of Don't Tell Mom the Babysitters Dead when I say that? "I'm right on top of it, Rose!") Invitations have been officially ordered...ok, almost officially. I'm having bridal doubts and can't remember the actual time of our ceremony so I have to check with the church first and THEN they'll be ordered.

And the new job is still going swimmingly. Yay new job. Of course I'm busy and learning things and the commute is longer and Michigan is trapped in the middle of Heatpocalypse 2011 so that makes the commute seem even longer but it's all good. I love it, it's interesting and my ulcer wannabe stomach is doing just fine.

Is the summer flying by for anyone else? I can't believe July's almost over. Of course I wouldn't mind a break from the heat (did I mention J and I had no power last night? No power = no a/c or fans = tired Meg) but hey, it's summertime, I have a/c at home (most of time) and I have a/c at work so I won't complain too much.

How's your summer?

Well hello there.

2011-07-13T18:52:00.000-04:00

I LOVE my new job. I don't know if that's the whole "Thank God I'm not at the OTHER place" or if it's because it's a great job, but who cares? I LOVE IT!

I don't have the internet time I had at the Other Place but then again I don't need it. Days at the other place would just drag but not here. I'm learning new things, catching on to things and just enjoying work. I mean, sure, it's work and I have to get up early but it's ok because it's work I can handle without losing my mind, work that doesn't involve too much insanity and most importantly work that I can leave at work at the end of the day. It cannot be beat!

The weekend will be here soon and I'll take some time to do my laundry, clean the house and grocery shop. Have I mentioned that I get an hour lunch? I GET AN HOUR FOR LUNCH! So far I haven't been able to actually use up the whole hour. I end up coming back to the office because I don't know what to do with myself. Too funny.

I miss my blogs, but once my evenings get more balanced out I'll catch up then. Until I do, have a great week! I know I will.

A fresh start.

2011-07-10T23:05:00.000-04:00

I start my new job tomorrow. I'm a lil nervous, kinda like a little kid on the night before the first day of school. Eek!

My lunch is packed, my outfit is picked out, my route into work is mapped. I got this.

And in other exciting news, my sister just got engaged. She was on vacation in Maine with her boyfriend and he asked her on the beach, under the stars. Too sweet! I am beyond excited for her and for him. I already have four brothers and when I was younger I was 1000% positive I wanted nothing to do with another one, but he's not too shabby! CONGRATS CAROLINA AND B!

And rain will make the flowers grow.

2011-07-07T17:23:00.000-04:00

I'm suffering from severe garden envy. I think DC is a warmer climate than MI so Dawn's garden is just exploding with vegetables she can pick. I have to admire mine from afar and count the days until I can eat their yumminess. Let's check out some veggie pics:

I would like everyone to know I did not know we planted banana peppers. I thought these were bell peppers. It's OK, we've got bell peppers planted, but I had to share this pic because I was just so surprised to see them.

Yummy tomatoes!

I got this at a craft fair. In case you can't tell it says "Grow Damnit". I love it!

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

2011-07-01T12:25:00.000-04:00

I am light. I am light and happy and oh so light.

I got home from work last night and J was waiting with a bottle of champagne and a new-to-me bike. What a perfect celebration. The bike was purchased on a whim as I have expressed a desire for a cruiser so I can run my errands without feeling guilty about driving my car a half a mile away to pick up milk or eggs or a prescription. It's perfect. And the champagne, of course, was to celebrate my new job.

I can find myself smiling now. I am relieved. I tried not to talk about my job too much because first, it made me angry and upset and second, I didn't really want this blog to be about that. But, it's been hard. It's actually been hard enough that I think I'm right on the border of getting an ulcer...if I don't already have one. Fingers crossed!

The funny thing is J's mom was shocked that I was interviewing for a job this close to the wedding. I didn't want to tell her, mostly because it would come across as mean, but by starting a new job I'm actually looking out for my marriage not just my wedding. Because I was finding it difficult to be happy, I was getting weighed down and stressed out and honestly I was taking it out on J. How could I do that to this man?

I will gladly fore sake a long honeymoon, heck I'll even DELAY the honeymoon for a new job. It's not about the wedding or the honeymoon or the party it's about my health and J and I being together and being happy. And if I had remained where I was I don't know how long my stomach, my blood pressure or even my beleaguered soul would've lasted.

I would like to send a special thank you to J for being there for me through all the upheaval my current job has created. Thank you for the love and the support and the Kleenex and the cooked meals and the hand holding and the back patting. I love you, J.

It worked!

2011-06-30T13:16:00.000-04:00

All that toe crossing worked! It really did!

I have a new job! I start next Monday and it is forty hours a week and no on-call and the stress level will be reduced by half and no weekends and it is glorious and I am so beyond excited for this you just cannot believe it.

FREEDOM!

I have to tell you I felt like the second interview this morning was about as successful as Crystal Pepsi. No joke I actually cried when I called my sister to tell her about it. And then I went on lunch and saw I had a missed call and a voicemail and guess what? It was the new place calling me. And when I called them back I was all "you didn't get it, it's not a big deal, you're OK with it at least someone's looking at your resume" and then she was all "we'd like to offer you the job" and my ears started ringing and I had to put my head between my knees.

I have a new job!

YES!

High fives all around!

This is it.

2011-06-29T10:43:00.000-04:00

THIS IS IT, folks! This is the time when I need the toes crossed, the fingers, the eyes and the legs. Keep them crossed super, super tight because I need this!!!

I'll give you a hint...tomorrow is the second time I'm going through what I'm going through and if it ends up working out this will make my life a gajillion times easier. So please keep me in your thoughts, send me some karma and some good luck and I will let you all know what's going on after 9am tomorrow morning.

FINGERS AND TOES CROSSED FOLKS!

I'm stamping my feet and shouting "No fair!" right now.

2011-06-24T10:38:00.000-04:00

J is going camping without me.

This really isn't THAT big of a deal because a. I like hot showers and b. I don't really like to drink. But, it still sucks because I really want to go camping and hang out with our friends and have fun. And it's supposed to be a lovely weekend, weather-wise, so yeah, I'm bitter.

I can't go camping because of work.

Grrrrr.

And I'm all trying to be a good fiance here so when I found out that I couldn't go I put on a happy face and said, "Honey, you go on without me. I'll be fine."

When really, on the inside I was all "NOOOO! Stay home with MEEEEEEEEE!" (cue stamping of feet and temper tantrums)

So J is camping this weekend...without me. And I am hanging out with Lo and putting on a brave face and trying to have a good time.

While all the while thinking, "Life's not fair."

Pity party for one, please!

Because I am way too excited to wait until tomorrow.

2011-06-21T18:35:00.001-04:00

Aww check out how CUTE we are.

Please note...it took a lot of willpower for me not to focus on the negative aspects of my body like "why would you wear a top that makes you look preggo?" kept popping into my head but I am done with that.

Ahem. YAY engagement photos!

If you click on the picture you can get a better view of it. I just love them!

All photos courtesy of our amazing photographer Jennifer at Red Hot Photograph. If she did this kick ass of a job with engagement pics think how fantabulous our wedding pics are gonna be!

So far so good.

2011-06-21T12:08:00.000-04:00

Alright I am feeling the love and the crossed fingers and toes. Keep it up just a little bit longer (like until next Thursday) and I promise all will be revealed.

Is this secrecy just killing you? Because it would be driving me nuts if I was a reader.

J and I had our engagement photos taken last night. I was afraid it would be stiff and awkward but it ended up being a lot of fun. Our photographer is fabulous, she made us super relaxed and she took some risks and when I get the photos I will be sure to share them with everyone. We aren't really a super formal couple but the photos were part of our package and a way for Photographer Jen to get to know us a little bit better and there was the whole FREE thing so yeah, I'll play super model for a little while.

You better work!

Cover girl!

Work it girl!

RuPaul anyone?

This is big.

2011-06-17T12:29:00.000-04:00

I need help. I need everyone I know and everyone they know to keep their fingers and toes crossed for me for the next couple of days. Because something is in the works and it has the potential to be BIG and HUGE and super imporatant so any good juju you have laying around that you can spare for me would be greatly appreciated.

And now onto a completely unrelated topic. Wanna see the color of my bridesmaids dresses? They're super cool.

I believe the official color is called Burgundy. Fancy, right?

Again, fingers, toes, eyes, ears keep 'em all crossed. I'll let you know WHY you're doing it as soon as I can. Thank you!

If I'm smiling you should be too!

2011-06-14T15:46:00.000-04:00

I went to the dentist today to fix a cracked tooth. It was in my "smile line" (in dentist talk that means it was visible when I smiled) which seriously hampered my smiling, laughing and anything that involved opening my mouth wide enough for people to see my janky tooth. Thank goodness that's all fixed! Now I can smile like a normal person.

If you've been on the receiving end of a crown before you know that it involves impressions and sitting around for a couple of minutes with goop in your mouth. This goop is attached to a paddle that you have to HOLD FIRMLY between your teeth. Holding something between your teeth, something that is covered in goop and then swallowing can be difficult. Add to that a numb mouth and before you know it, drool is sliding down your chin.

Of course I was embarrassed by the drool so I started mopping it up with the bib attached to my neck. Picture it, I really want you to BE in the moment. Picture me with a paddle full of goo sticking out of my mouth, with my jaw clenched and drool dripping out the corners like the bad dog in Cujo. Now picture me frantically trying to wipe up the drool while still keeping my jaws clenched with the tiny blue bib. Not exactly a towel, let me tell you.

You're welcome for that burst of laughter.

Thank goodness the dental assistant came back and took pity on me. She gave me control of the suction thingie which was great except there's just something about sucking drool off my face that made me feel less than fabulous.

At least it's done for now!

What I've been up to.

2011-06-12T13:41:00.000-04:00

In the last few weeks I've been a busy, busy bee. My bridesmaids have officially ordered their bridesmaids dresses, J and I purchased our wedding bands and we took our last class for the Marriage Prep that the Catholic Church requires.

Whew, quite busy!

Work has really been dragging me down. Right now I'm doing the work of two people and trying not to stress about it. I have to keep telling myself that this work is helping to pay for our wedding and future house. It helps keep me sane.

So, yes, I've been busy. So busy I've forgotten to blog or read blogs or generally BE in the bloggy world. And I miss it. So I will do my best to not let that happen again.

Laughter is the best medicine.

2011-06-02T11:33:00.000-04:00

Have you seen Bridesmaids yet? I just saw it last night with a couple of my own bridesmaids (one was sick and the other lives in New York so four out of six was a pretty good turnout) and it was hilarious and awesome and funny and had heart and was charming and there was a super cute and charming Irish guy in it. So, yeah I loved it.

Speaking of super cute Irishmen...this is Chris O'Dowd:

photo credit to this guy

I don't think I've had this kind of celebrity crush on anyone since David Duchovny. And that was in high school. Oh how my heart yearned for David.

And now I'm all goopy and flirty over an Irish guy I saw in a movie one time. Of course, it's not going to be just this one movie. I am so hitting up imdb to get the rest of his credits and check him out in more movies. 'Cause that's how I roll.

I also got hit hard with the realization that with this whole wedding and marriage thing my dreams of one day marrying an Irishman and having my children call me "mum"...well, those dreams are in the pooper. Damn you, J for making me fall in love with you!

I'll just have to content myself with staring at Chris' photo and sighing longingly. I puffy heart that guy.

And oh yeah, go see Bridesmaids! It will make you laugh. There is some raunchiness to it, I'm not going to lie, but it's funny and warm and lovely and hilarious. Trust me on this one, it is so worth it.

If the first stage is denial then which one is anger?

2011-06-01T11:16:00.000-04:00

I still walk around with a burning in my stomach and a somewhat insatiable need to punch people but I'm working on it.

I surround myself with people I love, people who care about me and just the kind of people who will hold me back when I start swinging.

I read a lot. And try to enjoy the sunshine. And I focus on my garden.

And bit by bit I'm starting to let go of the anger and the rage. I'm starting to focus on other stuff. I'm starting to forgive.

And I try to smile whenever I can.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.

2011-05-27T11:30:00.000-04:00

My name is Meg. And my brother is a drug addict.

I wish I was normal. I wish I didn't have that part of my life.I wish my mom didn't have that part of her life. I don't want to be the sister of an addict.

He's clean. He's off the wagon. He's clean. He's off the wagon. It's just so much back and forth and back and forth. And he's happy and in a good place yet he starts using again? What if that means he'll never be sober? Because if someone has everything going for them why would they turn to drugs?

My heart hurts. My heart and soul hurt so much. I think I'm numb to it and then things start going well and I let my guard down and next thing you know I'm getting that call from my mom, you know that call "well, it's happening again". I don't want that call. I hate that call.

I am mad. I am so damn mad I want to punch someone in the face. And by someone I mean my brother. I want to punch my brother in the face.

It's not about me anymore. It's about the fact he's dragging a fiance into this stupid, horrible twisted aspect of his life. It's not just our family anymore, who have been dealing with this for the last fifteen or so years. We're used to it. Now there's J and Caroline's boyfriend and my brother's fiance. Good lord, there's her, too. So I don't just worry about what this is doing to US now I worrying about us and them, too.

I hate it. I hate him. And I hate that I hate him because I love him and just want him to conquer this beast. I just want to be normal.

I will remember you. Will you remember me?

2011-05-20T12:11:00.000-04:00

I had a chance to visit with a friend from high school last night. It was a great time. She's married with a son and super happy and it was just great to see someone I haven't seen in two years (we know this because I saw her at her baby shower and her son turns two today) and have it seem like it hasn't been two years at all. Playing catch up can be fun!

Of course getting together reminded me how quickly time just flies by. In January she celebrated her five year anniversary. Five years?!? It hasn't seemed like five years!!! Can things just slow down for one minute, please?

I had to go through some adjustments at work over the last month. The adjustments really just mean way more work for me, but I'm getting through it bit by bit. I really just have to put my head down and suck it up. J and I have a wedding to pay for and a house to save for and all sorts of stuff like that. So every time I just get so darn frustrated at work I take deep breaths and picture my unusually large paychecks. It helps. It sounds like I'm selling out to The Man, but it's what I have to do to survive so I suck it up and do it.

I work this weekend. It seems like my life has consisted of work, eat, sleep, work, work and wedding. I don't want it to be that way, so spending nights with friends, like last night, recharges my battery. It's nice to be reminded there are things out there other than work, work, work, sleep and wedding.

I will get through this weekend, and through work and I will force myself to see friends even when I am so tired all I want to do is lay around in my yoga pants. Because those friends and my family and the people I love and all of you, you all help me get through my day. I guess The Beatles weren't lying, I really do "get by with a little help from my friends."

Sending all my love to you.

2011-05-18T12:40:00.000-04:00

Somehow we're going to have to get one of these

to turn into our wedding invitation. They are all different ink and paper types. And then we've got to work on the wording and the actual design we want, although that's pretty much narrowed down to two choices. We can do this!

Can you believe J and I are getting married in less than six months? Where has the time gone?

"A love affair should always be a honeymoon. " George Bernard Shaw

2011-05-10T16:59:00.000-04:00

Let me share a couple of the cute details J and I are planning for the J and Meg Wedding Extravaganza! First, we're planning on naming all the tables after National Parks. We're setting them up alphabetically, because we all know how hard it can be to find your table at a wedding if it's not done in number order. Also, guess who's having a photo booth? Heck yeah we are! Don't worry I'll be sure to share all those pictures with you all.

As I'm sure you all know our love for the outdoors knows no bounds. Hiking has been such an important part of our life and we clearly want to celebrate that with our honeymoon.

Of course we're getting married in November so that limits us. Or does it? You see, we have a sense of adventure and we're thick skinned (hello we live in Michigan. It's May and spring is just beginning to sprung) and we aren't really looking to lounge about and work on our tans.

After much debate and discussion and maybe some more discussing and an email or two to some bloggy friends J and I have decided what we're going to do. We are spending almost two weeks in the Pacific Northwest/California. The game plan is to fly into Seattle, hang out there and in that area and then take the Coastal Highway all the way down to San Francisco. We're going to stop whenever we want to stop and see National Parks and the ocean and some seals and explore and have fun and woo hoo I am EXCITED!

Now I know the weather will not be glorious. And we're OK with that. We've got rain gear and waterproof hiking boots and we're not planning on camping (my decision by the way... I refuse to go without a shower on our honeymoon). We're just looking to have Adventures and Good Time and just be together and have a blast.

And of course, if you happen to live out in that area we plan on seeing you. And maybe if you don't live out in that area but you want to be in that area in November that would be awesome too. (BD I am talking to you, Miss California Native) We plan on leaving a week after the wedding and being gone until the week after Thanksgiving (potential robbers, please do not rob our house). We also plan on hitting up some Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives hot spots. The great outdoors and Food Network?!? It's like the perfect combo of J and I!

And maybe if you've been out there and you really want to tell me about this one place J and I simply have to see, then have at it. I can be reached at margaret41180@yahoo.com.

Yay for weddings and doubly yay for honeymoons!

I'm ready for my close-up.

2011-05-04T16:48:00.000-04:00

This post is going to sound a bit snotty, or at least a little bit stuck-up so I'm going to apologize for that ahead of time. I don't really know how to phrase this without it coming across all diva-like.

Last night I auditioned for a community theatre production of The Wizard of Oz. I really, really want to be the Wicked Witch. That's a bit of a side note, but it's true. Keep your fingers crossed for me, people.

It's an open audition which means that everyone gets a part. This audition pretty much separated out the people who can sing or dance from the people who can't. Which again, is not a big deal because it's a big show with lots of parts for Munchkins and Ozians and Talking Trees (I haven't actually seen a script so I'm not so sure about the parts, but you get the picture).

K and I walked into the audition with her brother, Mike. (Another side note: this particular show is pro people with disabilities, again the beauty of an open audition) At first glance K and I were the oldest people there, other than parents of the future Rachel Berrys waiting to audition. Not a big deal, but somewhat intimidating. Our first part of the audition process was the dance part. OK, I picked the dance up pretty easily but somehow didn't get a callback. It could be because the dance part was really just to figure out what kids could dance but come on!

Then we had the singing bit. Now, I've auditioned for other stuff, I had a nice little bit all prepared from Les Mis and after hearing a couple other people (all under the age of 21) I thought, "damn woman, what are you doing?" (Here comes the snotty part). I felt if I sang the prepared piece I would come across as several things, mainly a diva and a show-off. And that was not my plan.

So I didn't do my prepared piece. I sang the bit of the song we were taught. And I maybe flubbed a high note or two. Not on purpose, but mostly because my vocal chords haven't hit a high note since I graduated from high school.

I did get a callback, even without my diva voice. I also pissed off my friend who thought I was a. a big baby and b. a moron. She made me promise that at the callback I would go all out, even if it the choice was between me and some sixteen year old.

Seems a little harsh, right? Because my identity and self esteem can handle some rejection. (Sixteen year old Meg was not as brave or wise) And I have a life (and a wedding to plan) so ending up in the chorus would not be the end of the world, in fact it would be fun!

Although, a little part of me wants to kick everyone else's butts. Callbacks are a week from Sunday. We'll see if my diva tendencies are still sticking around.

I swear, it was an ACCIDENT!

2011-05-02T14:08:00.000-04:00

J ~~has~~ had a cell phone that was approximately 400 years old. OK, I'm being a bit dramatic but in cell phone years this puppy was ancient.

Of course because he's J and he really, really didn't want to replace it, it became one of those things we joked about. You see this cell phone wouldn't hold a charge, dropped calls, had no service and best of all it liked to eat my text messages so when I would send him important texts like "Do I need to pick up garlic bread on my way home?!?" he would fail to respond. I hated that cell phone.

On Saturday, on my day off, I was a laundry washing machine. I did load after load and when J came home from working I even took his work jeans and threw those puppies in the wash. I emptied his pockets, put the change in our vacation/wedding fund bucket and threw them in the washing machine. About fifteen minutes later J calls from upstairs, "Hey, babe, where's my cell phone?"

Uh-oh. I knew I emptied his pockets so I was positive it wasn't in the washing machine. I mean, I was positive!

Unfortunately, his jeans have a super secret special pocket. And of course J had to put his cell phone in the super secret special pocket that doesn't even look like a flippin' pocket! I made a mad dash for the machine but it was already on the agitate cycle. I did pull the phone out and attempt a rescue using rice. It was a failed rescue, but I made a valiant effort.

Now I am the punchline for J's family and friend. "Oh Meg washed J's phone on purpose." And no one believes me that is was an ACCIDENT, I swear.

Luckily J got a new phone. A new and better and awesome phone that can take pictures. How do I know this, you may ask?

About 11am this morning I got this:

With this message:
"I like my new phone."

Thank goodness because the guilt was eating me alive!

An Earth sign.

2011-04-27T10:59:00.000-04:00

You know how you have that friend, that one you can call no matter what, wake her ass up at 3am and be all "you know that movie we watched that one time? What was it called?". That's my Bird. I don't know why I started calling her Bird, but I did, years ago and the nickname stuck.

Today is Bird's 31st birthday. Happy birthday, Bird!

I'm telling you all, Bird is the kinda woman who is super excited when good things happen to other people. No joke, she's probably more excited than she would be if it happened to someone else.

She's that person you want in your court, supporting you and there for you no matter what. That's my girl! We've been through a lot together. My goodness she knew me when I had a perm and those were some dark times.

She's goofy, which works because I'm goofy. We're goofy together!

Happy birthday to you, my friend! Let's go get some margaritas and laugh until our stomachs hurt.

Going to the chapel of love.

2011-04-26T09:54:00.000-04:00

Years ago, when all of us siblings were single and sowing our wild oats my mother made the prediction that once one of us got married, the rest would quickly follow.

She was a little bit off. My second oldest brother, Philip, got married in 2005. He kinda beat us all to the punch. For a couple of years the single ones continued the sowing. Of course, by sowing I really mean spending time alone watching Food Network. Oh wait, that was just me. Then my sister met Brad, I met Jeff and on and on and on.

Last night we were all together celebrating my brother's girlfriend's birthday. Keith took her outside and when they came back in they announced their engagement. I'm getting another sister-in-law!

Congratulations Keith and H!

Here's the funny part, the part where you all go "really?!?". Years ago, before J and I ever met, J dated H. No joke, they were quite serious. They broke up (obviously), weren't really friends with each other for awhile and only recently started seeing each other in social circles. My brother met her through my sister and her boyfriend, again small world. So, yeah, Jeff's future sister-in-law is his ex. It's weird, but she's awesome so we're OK with it.

And now on the next episode of Jerry Springer...

If I win the lotto it's a whole different ballgame!

2011-04-22T22:11:00.000-04:00

Whenever J and I get stressed with wedding plans or just everyday life we start talking honeymoon. Don't ask me why, it just relaxes us. J and I like to travel, as I'm sure you all know from reading about our adventures. Our honeymoon is a chance for us to travel a little more. Can't resist that now can we?

Unfortunately, between paying for the wedding and house hunting it looks like a big extravagant honeymoon is out of the picture. Also, we're getting married in November so that limits us a bit on where we can go.

Here is where we aren't going:

We are not going to Europe. Oh man how I wish we were going to Europe but alas, I just did a "hey maybe we can go" check of flights and it costs $1200 per person to fly to Germany. Holy crap! Uh, not so much.

We are also not going to Hawaii. Yes, I've been to Maui and it was amazing but there are other islands in this state and why not check one of them out? Oh I know why...it's costs $1000 per person to fly to Hawaii. Yikes!

OK, so where can we go?

We've thought about going South, to Charleston and Savannah and the East Coast. It'll be fun and warm but it doesn't sound really exciting does it? Neither J or I were really "YES we're going to Charleston!".

We're getting married in November. There aren't a whole lot of places in the U.S. with rocking weather in November. Neither J or I want to do an all-inclusive resort thing. He's not one for lounging about doing nothing and I'm not one for drinking my weight in booze. All inclusive would be a bit of a waste on us.

It'll be fun to think about our choices and plan and get excited about this trip. Especially when we start tackling in the infamous GUEST LIST. Duh duh duh.

Sheryl Crow told me a change will do me good.

2011-04-20T23:36:00.000-04:00

There have been some changes at work. I still have a job but things are in such an upheaval right now sometimes I find it difficult to climb out of bed. It's also hard not to bite J's head off just because he's there.

One of the biggest changes/problems was going to be the loss of my Zumba class. With the schedule and what not changing my Monday and Wednesday class was at jeopardy. It made me sad. I missed Mondays class. Boo to that.

Today I made it work. Why should I suffer anymore than I have to, right? I wanted to go to Zumba, no I NEEDED to go to Zumba so you know what? I went to Zumba.

And it was glorious.

In the immortal words of some cheesy eighties band (not sure which one or which artist so if you know help a lady out):

"Ain't nothing gonna break-a my stride
Nobody's gonna hold me down
Oh no
I got to keep on movin'"

Putting positive energy out into the world

2011-04-18T22:26:00.000-04:00

When Grandma passed away back in 2003, Grandpa sat my sister and I down and had us each pull a card from a full deck. He had to rings, one was Grandma's engagement ring the other was his mother's 50th Anniversary ring. Whoever had the higher card got Grandma's ring, the other went to the lower card. Caroline pulled the higher card and I was perfectly happy with my great grandmother's ring.

It was an emotional time for Grandpa, I think the idea of parting with the jewelry upset him, so my sister and I told him to keep the rings with him. The unspoken agreement was once he had passed we would inherit our rings. Four years later, we got our rings. I wore the ring occasionally, mostly on holidays. I didn't really have a plan for it, it was just nice having it around.

My engagement ring was J's great-grandmother's engagement ring. It's beautiful and perfect and so me and us and I love it.

My brother is planning on proposing to his girlfriend and when I heard that, I knew what I wanted to happen with my ring. I talked to my mom about it, then talked to him about it. It just seems so right that that ring get used for an engagement. It represents a marriage of over fifty years which says a lot.

My mom picked it up from me today and when she did that she handed me a ring box and told me to put the ring in there. And when I opened up the ring box there was my own Grandma's 50th Anniversary ring, a ring Grandpa had picked out for her himself. It makes me tear up just thinking about.

You see, I didn't mind giving the ring to my brother. A little part of me was sad about it because I wouldn't have that constant reminder of Grandpa every time I opened my jewelry box, but I was OK with that. And now I don't have to be.

I'm so happy and honored and simply touched by what she did.

Mom's know just what to do, don't they?

What's up, Friday?

2011-04-15T21:36:00.000-04:00

I got home from work at five thirty or so and so far I have done the following:

*Put my pjs on
*Had a soft pretzel and tator tots for dinner
*Watched way too many episodes of "Say Yes to the Dress"
*Done two loads of laundry
*Painted my toenails
*Carried a flashlight around with me from room to room

Why the flashlight? It's pretty windy out there and I'm home alone. There are thunderstorms expected, too and man oh man if we lose power I'm going to cry and/or hide under my covers.

I don't want to think about that, instead I'll focus on my weekend plans. I'm meeting mom for lunch tomorrow (a buffet yay!) and then doing some shopping and meeting up with my girlfriends.

Can you tell J's out of town for the weekend?

Now excuse me, I've got to go have dessert. Gummi bears anyone?

Can you tell J's out of town this weekend?

That's my pretty toenails, the mag lite, Say Yes to the Dress and oh yeah, some online poker. Fun times.

Talk me down.

2011-04-12T17:54:00.000-04:00

I had a birthday yesterday. Unfortunately I spent my birthday at work and then at a funeral home, so we're just going to let that day slip away and not think about it. Really, I celebrated my birthday with J, his family, my mom and my family on Sunday so it wasn't that bad.

I got some gift certificates for my birthday. Yay Old Navy, Payless and Zappos! I've never experienced Zappos.com before and my goodness where have I been living, under a rock?!? The friend who gave it to me was all, 'get yourself something nice, just for you' which I took as 'look for wedding shoes'. I have been given advice on wedding shoe shopping the main bit being BUY COMFORTABLE SHOES BECAUSE YOU WILL BE IN THEM FOR 12+ HOURS but that's boring, right?

Of course I had to sorta fall in love with a pretty darn expensive pair of shoes and I've got time to fall in love with a different pair, but check these lovelies out:

photo courtesy of zappos.com

The shoes are too lovely for words and I really want them. I don't really want to spend the almost 300.00 on them, but I can adore them from afar. Also, they have a 3 1/2 inch heel and while I know I can rock me some sassy shoes for hours on end I don't think I'll be able to rock those for that long.

Ah well.

Kate Spade lovelies, I will adore thee from afar.

Now, what should I get instead?

Your pain is my pain.

2011-04-09T16:48:00.000-04:00

Becoming part of a couple, a committed, long-term couple has so many perks and benefits. I mean, J is my partner, he's there for me when I need him. We've got each other's backs no matter what.

I get to hang out with J everyday. On top of that I got adopted by J's friends. His friend family is now my family.

And when we lose one of those family members I hurt just as much as J. You see I hurt not only for me, but for him, as well.

Last night, Doug, one of J's friends, had a heart attack and passed away. There is a hole in our family. Doug was that guy with a ready smile, one of those people that everyone loved. His laughter was infectious and he was always ready if anyone needed him. Doug helped people build their decks, redo their basements and renovate their bathrooms. And he never complained about it. He was that guy that helped out before you knew you needed help and made you laugh while you were working. He was a truly giving friend.

I didn't know him as long as J, but I loved him just the same. He will be missed by all of us.

Doug is survived by his wife, Sandra, whom I'm sure could use any thoughts, prayers and mental hugs you all can spare for her.

Keeping it green.

2011-04-07T19:09:00.000-04:00

I got an email from my future mother-in-law today asking for suggestions for bridal shower games. I had to hide in the bathroom for a moment and work my way through some deep breathing excercises before I could reply to her. People, I don't do games.

I do games, I just don't do bridal shower games. I refuse to allow people to make faux wedding dresses out of toilet paper (what waste!) or anything like that. And please do not embarrass me because I'm already getting hives thinking about opening presents in front of a bunch of near strangers.

J, I love you, but did you have to come from such a large family?!?!

I don't like crowds and strangers and everyone looking at me so I know it's going to be difficult. Add to that, the presents and the smiling and the people, oh lord the people.

I am one of those luck women who is going to end up with an awesome mother-in-law. L loves me and I feel the same way about her. She's amazing and wonderful and just so darn nice. But, you all, J is an only child so I swear to you she may be more excited about this wedding than J and I combined. That woman is HAPPY and EXCITED and REALLY, REALLY HAPPY and my words she has been planning the shower since we pretty much announced our engagement so...there's just a lot of pressure going on there.

Luckily I have bridesmaids AND you awesome friends who let me spend paragraphs and paragraphs complaining because "wah, too many people love me and wanna buy J and I gifts" but you get what I mean, that the nerves and the excitement and all that...it can be a bit much. And sometimes a lady just needs to freak out.

Focus, Meg.

2011-03-31T21:03:00.000-04:00

I'm distracted by my online poker game and an episode of Chopped. Also, just as I was typing that I had a moment where I was all "oh man, I've got to record Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" and then I realized today is Thursday. Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives is on on Monday.

Yes, my friends, it's been THAT kind of week.

Somehow I pulled together enough energy to make stir-fry for dinner. Of course J and I don't have a wok, so it was half-assed but I made it, we enjoyed it and now I can veg out for awhile. Someday I'll make the time to work-out on my non-Zumba days. Someday I'll take Lona for long walks (although the weather in Michigan is not cooperating. Hello, Michigan? It's SPRING! OFFICIALLY SPRING! Please, please let it be warm soon).

Another little note for you all, I just realized the clock on my computer hasn't Sprung Forward. Thank goodness because for a second there I was all, "man, I am awfully tired for 8pm".

Oh yes, definitely that kinda week.

Guess what I'm watching?

2011-03-29T22:11:00.000-04:00

No joke, there's a hockey game on my television right now.

Welcome back, J!

I am convinced Tuesdays are evil. Tuesdays used to be my bar night. I know, kinda random, but it was the night my group of friends all went out for some karaoke and cheap beer. And at the time, many moons ago, I had Wednesdays off so it works out perfectly.

Now Tuesdays just plain old suck.

Tuesday did slightly redeem itself when I came home from work (eleven hours, wahoo) and J had dinner all ready to go. It was S Tuesday Dinner. We had soup, Slurpees and sushi! Now that is my kinda meal.

Come on, Wednesday, kick some Tuesday butt!

Why can't they just be called "Pleasures" instead of "Guilty Pleasures"?

2011-03-28T22:23:00.001-04:00

J has been in Myrtle Beach since last Wednesday. I was gone this weekend so I haven't had that much time to miss him which is good.

I have had complete control of the television and people, the power has gone to my head.

Today I watched Iron Chef, Make It or Break It, Chopped: All Stars, Chuck's Day Off and channel hopped between several other shows. I have watched EVERYTHING! Oh my word, it's been amazing. Sure, I miss cuddling with the guy but you know what I haven't watched in almost a week? HOCKEY!

While watching Make It or Break It I saw a preview for an upcoming cheesetastic ABC Family (really, if it's on ABC Family I think it's guaranteed to be cheesy...my kinda network) made for TV movie called My Future Boyfriend. It looks terribly good. And by terribly good I mean way more terrible than good. It comes out on April 10th (happy early birthday to me) so you know I recording the crap out of that bad boy!

On a side note, a little part of me wants to boycott it because holy crap what happened to Sarah Rue? I know she was all "Jenny Craig Spokeswoman" for awhile and she looks fantastic but you know what...she never looked BAD to me. I always liked her looks! It's like Jennifer Hudson...listen, ladies, just because the rest of Hollywood wants us to believe simple genetics and watching what they eat makes them look that way does not mean you need to fall for it. You weren't ever FAT, Sarah Rue!

Wow, I just got a cramp stepping off my high horse...

Babies and Brides

2011-03-27T13:20:00.000-04:00

This was a weekend, that's for sure! Thursday night my mom, sister and I hopped on a plane and headed to New York City. We had a couple of things to do.

The first thing we did was visit some babies...well, a baby and a toddler. It was so great seeing my niece and nephew. Elle has some colic issues for her first couple of months but they're all cleared up now. Now she just loves to smile, laugh, chew on cell phones and bounce in her Excer-saucer.

We also had some play time with Jonas, who is pretty much a Big Boy. My goodness he's so smart. Of course I am biased, it's my job as his aunt to be biased, but man he's so bright and charming and just AWESOME! How can I resist that?

He just turned three so his big thing is bargaining. You offer ten minutes of play time and he wants fifteen. Eat all your chicken turns into "how about half my chicken?". Wow, he's a handful, but so worth it.

The real purpose of our trip this weekend was to go wedding dress shopping. I'm not a good shopper at the best of times, so I figured wedding dress shopping would be awful. I know, some attitude, right?

After the first two stores I was feeling pretty tense and uncomfortable.The second store pushed me over the edge and I was pretty sure I wouldn't find a dress.

And then we went to Kleinfeld.

I'm not going to lie, I've watched "Say Yes to the Dress" a lot. And I never thought I would actually go to the store. It's great, especially compared to the first two stores we went to. I ended up with a consultant named Allison and she really made me feel comfortable and happy and ultimately, I found my wedding dress.

Of course I'm not going to post a picture of it just yet, but I will post this one.

I said yes to my wedding dress!!

A little fall of rain, can hardly hurt me now.

2011-03-23T20:26:00.000-04:00

Dear J,
    Three years ago (has it really only been that long?!?) I made you a Jell-O mold with a stapler in it and got you a Dunder Mifflin mug for your birthday. It was a funny present and one I hoped portrayed how I felt for you...you know, that I dug ya.
    Sometimes I feel like we've known each other forever. I think about how long we've been together and I think "really, is that it" and sometimes I feel like I'm just getting to know you. Especially when you kick my ass in Jeopardy!. How do you know some of that stuff?!?
    I love you. I love our relationship and how far we have come from where we were three years ago. I'm so excited for US! We're a great team. They say (no, I don't know who "they" are, but I'm gonna use them anyway) that you really get to know a person when the going gets tough. Whew, is that ever true. Life can kick us in the ass, and I'm sure it will continue to do that for the rest of our lives, but knowing you're going to be there by my side makes those ass kickings seem a little less harsh.
     Happy birthday, my handsome fiance. This is the last birthday I can call you that. I can't wipe the giddy smile off my face knowing next year I'll be saying "happy birthday, my husband". I love you to the moon and back.

Love,
Me

I'm not Irish.

2011-03-18T10:14:00.000-04:00

I also don't like to drink so you can only imagine what my St Patrick's Day celebration was like. I made corned beef in the slow cooker, all on my own, which was very exciting.

I forgot to wear green. The leprechauns wanted to pinch me, that's for sure.

J and I had our last pre-marriage counseling appointment last night. It's a major thing we can check off of our list which is awesome. Then we went home and he watched hockey while I watched Make It or Break It on hulu.

To summarize, my St Patrick's Day was celebrated with corned beef, therapy and a teen drama about gymnastics. Yep, that's how we roll.

And this weekend is all about the kiddos. My goddaughter is in a youth production of Beauty and the Beast. We're going to see that show tonight. Tomorrow is one of the hockey guys son's 1st birthday so yay for that. And on Sunday we're celebrating the birth of another pretty awesome man. J's birthday isn't until Wednesday but he's going to Myrtle Beach for ~~some golfing~~ a work conference so we'll celebrate on Sunday instead. Busy weekends are the best!

Look on the bright side of life.

2011-03-16T09:38:00.000-04:00

I don't normally do Wordless Wednesay but I am today because a. I'm tired (I am a firm believer in the whole "the words wil run away if I don't finish this book NOW") and b. because it's rainy and crappy here, almost depressing so why not post a picture instead of acutally giving you anything with substance?

I call this "I'm a Lapdog"

I guess you're just what I needed.

2011-03-14T16:51:00.000-04:00

*The Sunday after the big Spring Forward always throws me for a loop. I woke up and was shocked that it was after ten since I rarely sleep in that late. Well, dur, maybe I had slept in because my brain still thought it was 9am.

*So I was maybe a little distracted and confused and thrown off and I wasn't able to get combulated until much later in the afternoon. Having pizza for dinner (which = no cooking yay) definitely helped get me back on track.

*Know what also helped? J did laundry on Saturday instead of our usual Sunday because I was working and because he is awesome. Clean sheets rock!

*Of course next Sunday we're having J's parents over for J's birthday dinner. I have to cook. J's no help because he doesn't know what he wants and I don't want to mess up the meal. Can't we just order pizza again?!?

*It will be light out when I get home from work in the evenings. And also, it'll be somewhat warm. What that ultimately means is YAY FOR RUNNING OUTSIDE!

*Of course the weather for the next few days looks like this:

Crap.

*If April showers bring May flowers, then what do March showers bring? Also, if March came in like a lion isn't it supposed to go out like a cute little lamby, frolicking in the flowers?

You'll be with me, like a handprint on my heart.

2011-03-11T10:47:00.000-05:00

I'm not going to lie, I love this song. It makes me think of my friends which makes me happy. And who couldn't use a little happy right now?

I tend to be an over-worrier, have been my whole life so sometimes I play ostrich and stick my head in a hole when it comes to world events. I was overwhelmed with information about the earthquake and tsunami in the Pacific on my way into work this morning. Now I can't get it out of my head. Makes all the complaining I've been doing about the snow seem mighty petty right now. My thoughts are with the people who have been affected by this....thoughts and prayers and mental hugs and everything else I can spare.

Pardon me for being rude.

2011-03-09T15:06:00.000-05:00

I have been an absent friend lately. I'm so sorry everyone, really and truly I am. You see, work hours have changed things are hectic and the first thing I ignore is you, my bloggy friends, so I'm sorry for that.

It's rainy here and cloudy and mucky which does not help my mood. Add to that a 50 plus hour work week, Zumba (I love Zumbaing but sometimes it's such a CHORE), and wedding planning (we have a photographer yay) and somehow I end up with not enough hours in the day.

Funny, the only thing I've really kept up with (other than J) is Top Chef All Stars. I may feel like I don't have time to properly bathe but darnit it all to heck I am for sure not missing my Top Chef.

Also, has anyone else started watching Chopped: All Stars? Be still my heart!

Really what I'm trying to say is I'm here and alive and all is well other than the stress oh lordie the stress but I am here. And I promise to K.I.T. my B.B.F.F.'s (that's Keep In Touch my Blog Best Friends Forever in case you didn't get that)

T.T.F.N.!

March Madness

2011-03-01T13:58:00.000-05:00

I survived Margarita Slumber Party! Don't worry, I bought a t-shirt that says those exact words so I can share that news with EVERYONE I know. It was a fun time, that's for sure. I ate waaaaay too much but tried to make up for it by zumbaing two days in a row. Which was a HUGE mistake because my arms, legs, abs and hell, even my tongue muscles do not like to be that sore! Never again, my friends, never again.

And now it's officially March. Which means winter is almost gone. Which means PLEASE LET THERE BE NO MORE SNOW BECAUSE MY HEART MY CAR MY FEET AND MY COLLECTION OF OPEN TOED SHOES JUST CANNOT HANDLE IT! (You hear that, Mother Nature, my sexy shoes want you to back up off me with the flippin' snow!)

It looks so nice out. It's actually sunny here and the snow is melting, slowly but surely. It's sunny and according to my weather app it's also 32 degrees out which for all you southerners who don't understand it, that means it's downright WARM out.

And next week is Daylight Savings Time. I know I am all sorts of excited about this month but you guys don't understand how much I have missed daylight...not just sunlight but DAYLIGHT. Some days I leave for work before the sun comes up and don't get home until after the sun has set. Sigh. Soon enough I'll be able to run outdoors. I long for the days I can run outdoors. It'll happen soon enough.

Anyone else as excited as I am about spring/March/DST?

Margarita Slumber Party

2011-02-25T16:46:00.000-05:00

Margarita Slumber Party

Ingredients:
Three Friends
Three Dogs
Tequila
Margarita Mix
Bean Dip
Tortilla Chips
Pigs in a Blanket

Directions:
Make as many margaritas as the three friends can possibly stand. Repeat as necessary. Laugh. Laugh again again and again.
Drink lots of water to prevent hangover.
Eat way too much food.
Laugh until someone ends up with margarita coming out her nose.
Fall asleep at a ridiculously late hour.
Wake up and get breakfast. May need to eat greasy breakfast on the off chance three friends did no drink enough water.

So, that's my recipe for an awesome Friday night. What's yours?

Balls.

2011-02-24T13:04:00.000-05:00

Issued by The National Weather Service

Detroit, MI

Thu, Feb 24, 2011, 12:00 AM EST
... WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING...
A WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING.
IMPACTS...
* ROADS WILL BECOME SNOW COVERED FOR THE FRIDAY MORNING RUSH HOUR.
* TRAVEL WILL BECOME SLOW AND DIFFICULT

HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
* SNOW DEVELOPING AROUND MIDNIGHT... BECOMING HEAVY AT TIMES BY MORNING. THE SNOW IS EXPECTED TO TAPER OFF DURING THE LATE MORNING HOURS AND END AROUND NOON.
* LOW VISIBILITIES OF A HALF MILE OR LESS IN SNOW.
* TOTAL SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 7 INCHES ARE EXPECTED... WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR UP TO 8 INCHES NEAR THE OHIO BORDER.
* NORTHERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE LATE TONIGHT WITH GUSTS TO 30 MPH CONTINUING INTO FRIDAY MORNING.

Oh man I want to punch a wall right now. It's just a Winter Storm Watch but so was Sunday night's storm and look how that turned out. Remember that picture on the car with the EIGHT INCHES OF SNOW? Yeah, that started out as a Watch not a Warning, too.

Balls.

Just in time for the weekend, right?

Yep, serious case of the Mondays.

2011-02-22T15:44:00.000-05:00

That is a ruler.

It is sitting on top of a car. That car was pulled into the garage where I work. That car wasn't hit with the full extent of the storm, it was actually cleared off once during the stupid, stupid blizzard.

Which means that eight inch mark, that mark isn't really accurate because there was MORE SNOW than that.

Thank goodness February is a short month.

Thank goodness J got me snow boots for Christmas.

Thank goodness we grocery shopped BEFORE the blizzard hit.

And thank goodness today is National Margarita Day. 'Cause Mama needs some tequila.

Moments in time.

2011-02-21T10:07:00.000-05:00

*After Megralphing 2011 I was pretty wiped. My empathetic dog had followed me downstairs and waited patiently next to the couch until I was all settled in. She then climbed up next to me and kept me company for the night. Dogs really are the best thing ever.

*Also the best thing ever? As of Friday I can drink out of a straw which means I can indulge in our family cure-all AKA the Slurpee! Oh sweet delicious frozen coke and cherry come to mama!

*I have plans on gumming my way through some chili cheese fries tonight. Don't judge I just can't slurp another darn thing and I just want to EAT something with some body to it. I want to CHEW for Pete's sake! And chili cheese fries are just the right combo of fatty awesomeness and chewing. Oh BD you may have deep fried avocados but we've got National Coney Island. If it weren't cold here I'd be all "you need to come HERE!"

*Is So You Think You Can Dance back on yet? I miss that show. I was watching You Tube videos from the show just the other day. Now that is some mindless entertainment.

*We got eight inches of snow last night. EIGHT WHOLE INCHES! Three days ago I was wearing just a spring jacket and today I have to dig my car out to get to work. EIGHT INCHES OF SNOW SUCKS! Although, funny thing, my sister the teacher already had today off for President's Day so she didn't even get a snow day out of it. I think she's a little bitter.

*J's going out of town for a few days. I'm already planning ahead and setting the DVR up with a ridiculous amount of Food Network and other random shows. I have a habit of doing this and then not watching any of the shows I DVR. But, I like to be prepared.

*And the best part of this week? Friday is a Margarita Slumber Party Night at my friend's house. I love Margarita Slumber Party nights!

Because we're such good friends.

2011-02-17T13:52:00.000-05:00

I am short three teeth in my mouth. Woo-hoo!

I took pain meds right when I got home, before the Novocaine wore off so I would've all of a sudden be "THE PAIN DEAR GOD THE PAIN". It was a good plan. My mom made me mac and cheese and I took some more pain meds. We watched Food Network. I dozed.

My mom left once J came home from hockey. It was about eight o'clock and I was still relatively pain free. Right before bed I decided to take one more pill just to make sure I would sleep through the night. So I take the pill and head upstairs.

I'm upstairs for about five minutes before I get the cold sweats, all woozy and I know without a doubt that I am going to be sick.

So, I rush downstairs.

And for the first time in my life, or as far back as I can remember, I didn't make it to the toilet.

I'm trying to keep this not very graphic in case you have a sensitive stomach. And if you do have a sensitive stomach please STOP READING NOW.

I didn't make it to the toilet. I got sick on the stairs. And then I got sick again on the bathroom floor and then I finally made it to the toilet for the third round of sickness.

It was horrible and awful and I was crying and getting sick and begging J to tell me that just because I threw up I wasn't going to lose the clots in my mouth and end up with dry socket. No dry socket, please no dry socket.

I cleaned myself up, cleaned up the bathroom and headed out to clean up the stairs. But, I didn't have to because J, bless his heart, was already cleaning them.

After everything was all cleaned up and I was settled on the couch (just in case I had to get sick again) I apologized to J for him having to clean everything up. And he said, "If you didn't think I loved you before that, I guess you know now, huh? Babe, I'm pretty sure this isn't the last time I'm going to be cleaning you or someone else in our family up after they get sick."

T-Day!

2011-02-16T11:49:00.000-05:00

I stopped at the store on my way home from work yesterday. I picked up soup, tapioca pudding, creamed corn, diet Mountain Dew and spaghettios. I figure this way I've got plenty of food to eat, or should I say just pretty much swallow for the next few days.

I'm scared, I'm not gonna lie to you about that. Scared, scared, scared. I'm not so much scared of getting the teeth out I'm afraid of the after. I just want to be able to sleep and not be in pain. Is that too much to ask?

The funny thing is I'm sure if I told the dentist the vicodin didn't really work for me last time he would prescribe something else. It's just that I'm so hyperly sensitive to drug abuse things, I don't want the dentist to think I'm a druggie or anything like that. Which is dumb, I know but I think with my brother and all that I'm just more aware of that.

My mom was all, "Hello, you are getting teeth ripped out of your head you are allowed to ask for strong pain medicine. It's not like you're walking into an er and complaining of back pain."

The lady has a point.

Here's hoping I can be brave and get the good drugs and I'll be able to sleep and maybe not be the most miserable girl in the world.

And before I go and just in case I'm out of it for the next few days please take a second and send some hugs and thoughts and warm wishes to Dawn who is taking care of her mother. Dawn's mom is in hospice and right now Dawn's just being with her and helping her and I'm sure she could use any support you all have to send her over the internets.

V-Day

2011-02-15T12:17:00.000-05:00

I got home from Zumba class last night at a little after seven. The lights were off and there was romantic music playing and candles list and my handsome fiance was in the kitchen cooking dinner. He made me pasta and chocolate covered strawberries. Oh I love that man.

We spent the evening unplugged. We kept the candles lit, moved from the dining room to the living room and chatted while we sipped wine. We talked about the wedding and our future and babies and where we want to live and all the happy bits we haven't really had a chance to discuss lately. It was wonderful and I think we may make it a tradition. Maybe not once a week but once a month or shoot, even once in awhile, we'll cook a nice meal and cuddle on the couch together and just be.

Of course with all the ~~wine drinking~~ wedding talk I ended up having some pretty weird wedding dreams. I read lots and lots and lots of wedding websites so I know lots of brides have wedding nightmares. This was my first experience. And it really sucks dreaming I was so late for the wedding I didn't have time to get my hair done OR put on my veil. It sucked.

Just because it was Valentine's Day yesterday I thought I would let you all check out a very lovey picture.

Oh how these two love each other. It is the cutest thing.

Are you compatible?

2011-02-14T10:26:00.000-05:00

J and I took our Compatibility Test on Friday. I call it that, but really it's a Personality Test that gives the marriage counselor something to use when talking to us for the three sessions (at 75.00 a pop) we are required to attend, so says the Catholic Church.

We took the test separately. J took it Friday afternoon and I logged on Saturday morning to Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree or Strongly Disagree with a variety of questions. Afterwards we kinda chatted about it and realized we each interpreted certain questions differently. Not so differently that we were all "what were you thinking?" but just enough that we said, "Oh wow, I took that THIS way." Oh those sneaky personality tests!

Now we just wait to meet with our counselor and see if he thinks we're compatible. I'm keeping my fingers crossed here!

And to keep it with the couple theme, I worked a bridal show on Sunday. I think J thanks his lucky stars over and over that he doesn't have to go to bridal shows with me. I always feel bad for the grooms schlepping along with their bags and maybe pretending they aren't really there. I hate bridal shows. I really hope we are able to find the last of our vendors without attending a bridal show because people, let me tell you, BRIDES ARE CRAZY!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone. I'm going to my Zumba class and then J and I are having leftovers for dinner. Because that's how romantically we roll!

At least it's a short month.

2011-02-10T11:43:00.000-05:00

First there was the one tooth pulled. And then the appointment for the rest of the teeth. And now I have the flu. Oh man, this month has been kicking my ass.

Top it all off with Snowmageddon 2011 and below zero temperatures and all I can tell myself is, "Woman, March will be here soon enough."

Thank goodness for Slurpees and Gatorade.

Well, at least I know about it in advance.

2011-02-08T15:46:00.000-05:00

Last Monday was Emergency Oral Surgery 2011. Fun was not had be all. What happened is I went into the dentist with some tooth pain. The dentist checked it out and gave me my options. He could pull it right then and there (it was a wisdom tooth) or I could wait, remain in pain and possibly have the dentist be shut down for a few days due to Snowmageddon 2011. (I blame all weather people from my oral pain last week, I just want you all to know that) I went with option A and got a tooth ripped out of my head. Fun times.

Today I went to the dentist to get my Phantom Tooth (aka the Extra Hole in My Head) checked out and to check out some sensitivity in my other wisdom teeth. I have a cleaning all set for March so I could've waited until then you know, the day when they tell you either "holy crap we've got work to do!" or "yay you've been flossing go you!" but I decided to get the sensitivity checked out early. I didn't want it to turn into OUCH pain.

The dentist looked at it and then told me, flat out, those teeth in my head, the ones that made me oh so smart, needed to come out.

At least he didn't do it today. I set the appointment up for next week.

I am lucky for several reasons. First, it's not oral surgery, just extractions which means no IV, no anesthesia and no Arm and A Leg in dental bills. Second, I can actually afford to go to the dentist and I have dental insurance.

I am also scared out of my mind because man, last week sucked. It sucked big time. I was in pain, I barely slept and man, have I mentioned I was in pain.

I get to look forward to DOUBLING that next week.

Oh brother.

I also have a tendency to worry. So I'll also be worrying about next week, too.

Crap.

Weekend Moments

2011-02-07T10:37:00.000-05:00

*I worked on Saturday. And that whole Snowmageddon 2011 that was supposed to hit on Wednesday only half-assed it and instead waited until Saturday to hit us the rest of the way. I am thankful there weren't a lot of cars on the road. I am thankful I was able to stay in for the rest of the day with my snacks and my books and my DVR.

*J cleared the snow on Sunday. He came in the house all smelling like diesel and I maybe made on a comment on how handsome he smelled. I don't normally like the way gas smells, but there was just something about him clearing out our driveway and keeping us safe combined with the smell that melted my heart a little bit.

*Speaking of heart melting, did anyone else watch the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet? Stop with the cuteness!

*Also heart melting? Holding babies at the Super Bowl party. Thank goodness I have friends with babies. Should tide me over until J and I are ready for our own.

*And the most heart melting of all? Last night at a random point in the evening I was sitting on the couch and looking outside the sliding glass door. A bunch of the guys were outside, gathering fire wood and hanging out (it got HOT inside that house last night with all those people). J was walking by the window with his Detroit Tigers winter hat and looking all adorable and my heart just skipped a beat. I couldn't keep the goofy grin of my face. That man, with his goofy hat and his hockey long-sleeved t-shirt, that man is going to be my husband. And really and truly love him more and more everyday.

*And to be non-mushy... THE DETROIT LIONS WERE THE LAST TEAM TO BEAT THE SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS! Woo hoo!

p.s. I'm sad that football is over.

Superbowl Snacks

2011-02-04T11:20:00.000-05:00

I'm sad that the Colts aren't going to be in the Super Bowl. I'm sad that the Ravens aren't going to be in the Super Bowl. I'm sad the Patriots aren't in the Super Bowl (so I can root for whichever team is playing them). Really, I could care less about who wins the Super Bowl. Instead I can focus on the food.

It's the Food Super Bowl for me!

I'm making Buffalo Chicken Dip. I've never made it before so you know I'm feeling all brave and chef-like if I'm bringing a brand new dish to a party. I'll try it first to make sure it tastes OK.

I'd also like to make this dip I saw on Food Network. Remember how I was all drugged up and unable to focus on anything more complicated than Food Network or HGTV?

Side note: last night I was lulled to sleep by a British couple searching for a new home in the south of France and all I could think as I was dozing off was "I have got to open my eyes and see what these houses look like" but I couldn't, just fell right asleep, so thank you Brits! Your accent is quite comforting.

Anywhoodle, I saw Guy ~~Fieti~~ Fieri (it totally sounds like FieTEE though when he says it, right? Or is it just me?) make this pizza dip and I was all "ooh I can make that" and it looks super easy and yummy so I may try that one as well. Of course now that I've looked at the ingredient list and the directions I may change my mind. Dawn knows all about my fear of multiple ingredients.

I've been feeling inspired to cook lately. I'm sure it's my complete Food Network addiction, but I really want to make something like biscuits or my own hush puppies or something fun that I know I would love, not something boring that I have to make for dinner.

I have also really want some tortellini soup. Another Dawn recipe, thank you very much Dawn. In fact, I might make that for dinner tonight. Because it's cold. And I can't really chew anything. And because I want to. And that's all that matters.

Happy Weekend everyone!

Mouth Pain 2011: Update

2011-02-03T13:15:00.000-05:00

I am a worrier. And because I worry and also listen to the random people who tell me things like "your mouth shouldn't hurt that bad" and "you should be worried" I get even worrier.

Vicious cycle.

I worried so much I called the emergency number for my dentist (~~that jerk~~ he had a snow day so the office was closed). He told me to come in first thing in the morning and he would check it out.

He checked it out this morning and he told me everything looked fine. Then he said to me (this is a bit graphic so sorry), "Here's what happened. On Monday I ripped the tooth out of your bone. Ripped it right out. It as aggressive and violent. And it's going to hurt. It's going to hurt a lot and for awhile because your mouth needs time to recover from all of that. It's like a broken bone in there. If you broke your leg would you expect it to feel better two days after you got the cast put on?"

I don't have dry socket. I don't have an infection. What I had was oral surgery and what I need to do is take my darn medicine, deal with the pain and know that eventually, by the weekend or so, everything will start to feel better.

Here's some more medicine. Auntie Meg recommends this at least once a day:

Snowmegeddon 2011

2011-02-02T11:28:00.000-05:00

It snowed. A lot.

I came into work anyway because I am a fool.

And now it's snowing more. And my car that barely made it into work this morning is probably not going to make it home from work this evening. My car isn't exactly a low rider, but it's certainly not an SUV. So, yay I have to look forward to. Woo hoo. At least there aren't a lot of other cars on the road so I can take my time and only worry about me and not everyone else. I know I drive like an old person. I'm ok with that.

Here's hoping everyone else got to stay home from work safe in their beds...or at least in their living rooms.

Update on the mouth front...still in pain. May have to call dentist because pain pills aren't working. And I don't ever take heavy drugs, I mean I NEVER use the stuff this is my first ever prescription for anything like it so you would think it would work like a charm on me. Nope, I take it and still in pain. I don't sleep because the pain is worse when I am laying down and just thinking about it so yeah, I'm going on no sleep and I'm in pain. I am clearly not working at my best brain capacity right now.

I leave you with this. Nothing like baby awesomeness to make the world a better place.

Three little words you really, really want to hear.

2011-02-01T09:46:00.000-05:00

Or, maybe not.

Those three little words, you ask? Emergency. Oral. Surgery.

Add those together and you end up with a chipmunk cheeked Meg who is in quite a bit of pain.

Not so much a fun time.

I did have fun this weekend with Jonas and Eloise. That was fabulous! But, then Monday had to go ahead and ruin that.

I'm recovering.

And if I don't make any sense feel free to blame it on the pain pills.

A brief absence

2011-01-28T12:27:00.001-05:00

Forgive me. I have been insane. And maybe busy. And also slightly depressed. It's funny, I've looked at my posts from around this time last year and I was kinda going through the same thing. I'm pretty sure I suffer from seasonal depression.

But, I will survive.

On a happy note, I bought two pairs of shoes from DSW for six dollars. And I paid for five of those dollars using a gift card. Sure, I can't wear either pair until the snow melts. And one pair is ridiculously slutty but AWESOME (bachelorette party, anyone?) but still I love them both. They make me happy. And that's all that matters.

Also, I'll be visiting the niece and nephew tomorrow. It's a quick 36 hour visit but it'll be great to meet Eloise and see what a little man Jonas is becoming. Can't wait!

What's so terrible about a towel?

2011-01-24T11:09:00.000-05:00

I had a whole plethora of people over at the house yesterday. Sunday is family dinner day and this Sunday happened to be Family and Friend Dinner Day because the play-offs were on and who doesn't want to watch Division championships?

We had a couple of Cheeseheads over so they ended up all happy because the Packers won. I'm just secretly excited about the fact that there will be a team playing in the Superbowl that the Lions beat this year. Yeah, go Green Bay!

Immediately after the Green Bay game (I mean immediately, the next game started fifteen minutes later) we ate dinner. Pork ribs and sauerkraut and potatoes and cherry pie, oh my! It was delicious (why yes, I am patting myself on the back) or so people tell me. I just ate the sauerkraut and potatoes...and cherry pie (don't judge me).

And then some people left and the rest stayed and we watched the second football game which was fun for me because I actually didn't want either team to win so I just routed for the defense and cheered whenever anyone threw an interception or fumbled or sacked the quarterback. Now that is a game worth watching.

The only thing I really cared about the outcome was knowing in two weeks if I'd be stuck watching those stupid Terrible Towels being waved around. Fear the towel. Really? Because I'm not really that afraid of a towel. A towel, people! Who came up with that idea and where can I find them so I can beat them up?

Now I feel kinda bad because I just looked up the origins and proceeds from the sales of the towel go towards a good thing. Read this article on wikipedia (it's true if it's on the Internet) if you want to know the whole story. Still...a towel?!?

It'll be the Packers versus the Steelers come Superbowl Sunday. I don't care about the outcome of the game which means I can enjoy the day, eat some junk food (I'm making buffalo chicken dip yum!) and not stress out like last year. Sometimes my life is a little easier when the Colts don't go to the Superbowl. And then I'll watch and see who has more obnoxious fans. Who will win, the Cheesehead or the Terrible Towel?

And the list keeps going and going and going and going

2011-01-21T14:30:00.001-05:00

Things I Am Currently Not Allowed To Do

*Make a voo-doo doll (J thinks it's bad karma)

*Wish ill onto others even if those others are really, really bad people (definitely bad karma)

*Eat an overload of carbs and/or fried food

*Cry

*Hyperventilate

*Swear at random (or perhaps not so random) people

Things I Am Currently Allowed To Do (That I Actually Want To Do)

*...

* (silence)

*(crickets chirping)

*(picture some tumbleweed rolling by)

TGIF for sure!

Hey, how about one last thing? I'm trying to figure out a wedding dance song for the Father/Daughter dance. Now my dad and I aren't super close so I would prefer that it not be overly mushy. J and I also like kinda cool and maybe a lil hip stuff. How do you feel about the Man In Black signing "You Are My Sunshine". The video I've embedded is kinda long, I think a DJ could shorten it up.

And if you absolutely hate it, can you suggest something like it? Do you get the vibe I'm going for here?

Unclog the blog.

2011-01-20T11:38:00.000-05:00

I feel like I've been unbloggable the last few days. Either the things I want to blog about I've already covered numerous times or I just don't want to whine at all of you so instead I maintain radio silence. Fun times.

There's a wedding website I like to read called weddingbee.com. You can apply to be a blogger for this site. There are a couple of steps and rules and really only a few bloggers and tons of applications so who knows if I'll actually do it. First, it has to be a minimum of eight months our from your wedding. Also, you need to have a blog to submit so they can check out your writing style and see if you're ~~interesting~~ ~~funny smart~~ good enough for their site. You have to blog pretty consistently, too before you apply. Basically what I'm saying here is I'm thinking about applying so I started another blog here on blogger. You can check it out by looking at my profile. It's The Soon to Be Mr. and Mrs. B. Cute title, right? That's going to be all wedding all the time so be prepared for some drama. Ok, maybe not some drama because I am so not dramatic, but at least you can see what our invitations look like.

I caught up on most of my shows while J was out of town. I went to my Zumba class. I negated all the healthy from my Zumba class by eating a Big Mac and french fries for dinner last night. It was delicious and so worth it. Except, so not worth. I find it funny that pretty much everyone except for me is on a wedding diet right now. My mom is, J's mom and dad both are and even J has talked about slimming down. I've been working out more but it hurts my heart and my soul and all sorts of my being to say "I need to lose weight for the wedding." Because really, J asked me to marry him while I looked like this. J fell in love with me looking like this. All of my friends and family know me looking like this. Why do I need to lose weight?

I'm going to admit it is difficult to fight the urge to be all "I need to be skinny for the wedding". Do I need to lose weight? Absolutely, for my health if not for anything else. Am I going to lose weight before the wedding? Probably. Am I actively losing weight FOR the wedding? No way, Jose!

Looks like maybe my brain has recovered a little bit. Not too shabby, right?

Me Night

2011-01-18T11:54:00.000-05:00

J's working out of town for a few days which means, most importantly, I don't have to cook. I know people think it's weird, but really all of my favorite foods are either convenience foods or cold foods so when J's not around and it's Meg's Choice I usually end up eating brie and french bread. Why yes, I do know there are tons of calories in brie. I also know there are tons of empty calories in french bread. But, it's good, people, really good!

I have big plans that include watching Sunday's Worst Cooks In America, Iron Chef and Food Network: Challenge. I also have last week's Grey's Anatomy on the DVR. Oh it's going to be a lovely night.

It's just what I need, too. Last week was a particularly rough week and I need some time for unwinding and brain rest.

And really, what's more restful than some fatty cheese and cheesy t.v.?

Golden Globes

2011-01-17T12:40:00.000-05:00

If you have not watched the Golden Globes and are planning on watching them then please stop reading my blog. Because I would hate to spoil it for you. Although, I'm sure your homepage has already ruined SOMETHING for you, unless you live in a bubble.

J and I are madly in love. And we can stay madly in love, like many other couples, by embracing our differences. Last night J watched The Don Cherry story on one t.v. while I watched the Golden Globes on another. Oh awards shows, how I love you so.

Here are some of my random thoughts and observations. I missed the red carpet so I didn't get to see the dresses until the people came on stage or won an award so dress critiques or happy thoughts are interspersed accordingly.

(I didn't actually take notes, but now I wish I had)

*Chris Colfer won the award for Supporting Actor in a t.v. show. He plays Kurt on Glee, which you all know I L-O-V-E so I was beyond happy for him. And of course I cried at the end of his speech when he said something along the lines of "for all the kids who were bullied and made fun of and people said no to...screw them, kids!"

*Yay Annete Benning. Although, what was going on with her hair?!? I loved her dress, though.

*Jennifer Lopez had illusion netting on her dress. I kept waiting for her to figure skate.

*Glee won best comedy show! Another YAY!

*A really, really hot Australian guy came out with Chris...I can't think of his name now, but Chris the guy who was in the Fantastic Four and is now in Captain America. This Australian was so hot and dreamy I had to check out imdb.com to find out who he was, and what movie he's going to be in because sign me up for that ONE!

*His name is Chris Hemsworth. And he is divine. And Australian, which makes him diviner. I can't steal the picture from IMDB so you'll just have to click on this link to see what he looked like last night. Trust me, it's worth it. He's also in the movie Thor.

* I'm pretty hip to pop culture, I like reading about movies and t.v. shows but man oh man, I didn't recognize some of the actors or some of the movies that were nominated. It used to be that I would be all OVER that. Ah well.

And then I got tired and gave up on the Golden Globes and went to bed. Yep, I'm lame, but hey, a lady needs her beauty rest.

Shred it!

2011-01-13T11:15:00.000-05:00

Hey you know what's not as cool as Zumba, more boring, and way more painful? That would be Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. Oh Jillian Michaels, you are mean and you make my arms hurt. And I'm only doing Level 1. I can't imagine what Level 3 is going to do to me!

Last night I had a work meeting until 6:30p so I missed my Zumba class which made me sad. Feel free to make fun of me, I would to. Who gets sad because they missed an exercise class? Me, baby, me. To make up for missing class I did a little treadmill walking and then 30 day Shred.

Funny story about 30 Day Shred. On Saturday I woke up before J, went downstairs and started working out. It's a twenty minute video so I was sure I would be done before J woke up. I was almost done when he came downstairs in the living room and sat in the Lazy Boy while I finished up my last set.

Please feel free to picture me sweating my butt off while J chillaxed.

As I was finishing up, that man, the love of my life said to me, "Wow, you're shaking the whole house."

Oh yes he did.

And he's still alive, that lucky duck.

Of course he realized his error almost immediately. He didn't mean it to be insulting, he was just commenting on it, he hadn't had his coffee yet so he was just babbling, all sorts of excuses came pouring out of his mouth.

I forgave him.

Now I just do the 30 Day Shred when he's not around to comment on my elephantitis.

Zoom Zoom Zoom Zumba!

2011-01-11T10:26:00.000-05:00

I am a woman on a mission. I just need to find something to do with myself while I wait for the snow to melt. I need to run but I'm not running on the treadmill (it is SO boring) so I need to do something else.

My friend convinced me to join a Zumba class with her. In case you don't know what Zumba is, it's an aerobics class that's more like a dance class with Latin dances and maybe a hip-hop or swing dance thrown in there for good measure.

The class was a blast! I was working out without even thinking I was working out. It was fun! Yes, I did just say working out was fun. I think I may have taken a high kick to the head.

Today I'm sore. Not in a scary "I can't move sore" but in a "holy crap I worked my body out" kinda way. Which is the best kinda sore. I'm looking forward to doing it again. I signed up for a twice a week class. Yep, I was feeling adventurous.

And by the time the class is done I have high hopes the sidewalks will be cleared and I'll be able to run outside without fearing my lungs are going to crystalize like the helicopter pilot in The Day After Tomorrow (who's with me? Yeah? No? You don't know what I'm talking about?) (I'm a dork).

This week's new meal will be tomorrow evening, chicken cacciatore (he worked at Mr. Cacciatore's down on Sullivan Stree, across from the medical center) (Sorry, song lyrics just worked their way in there!) over whole wheat pasta. And Thursday night's meal is mushroom barley stew. That meal is completely vegetarian for me. J can eat leftover chicken from the night before if he needs meat.

What have you got cooking?

And, just because I don't want you all to think I'm insane

AND if you stick it out until the end of the preview you'll know what I was talking about with the helicopter pilot. Fun times.

Look out Betty Crocker!

2011-01-10T15:54:00.000-05:00

I was inspired yesterday. Inspired and happy and for some reason I said "hey self, let's make dinner AND dessert." I thought my options were limited on dessert. We had the turkey meatloaf all read to go int he over and the spuds cleaned, but nothing sweet. I could've made rice krispy treats, my go to dessert, but thought to check my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook first.

Turns out I had the ingredients for bread pudding.

I love bread pudding.

Please pretend like this bread pudding is healthy and really ok for J and I who have decided to start working out and moving our butts. I ran on Sunday, it completely negates the calories from the bread pudding, I swear!

First I dried some bread in the oven. I just cut it up and then threw it on a cookie sheet and into the oven until it was a lil toasty. Then I added the raisins (I picked them out of some trail mix J and I had sitting around, yep went through and pulled out the raisins I am just THAT dedicated!) and set that bowl to the side.

In a separate bowl I lightly beat my eggs and added the rest of the ingredients. Then I added that bowl to the bread and raisins.

I stirred it all up and then put it in the pan.

Hey look a raw bread pudding!

I baked it for an hour. Then I pulled it out and it deflated and I got nervous and was convinced I'd messed up somehow. Of course I realized bread pudding's pretty dense so I calmed down.

Look at the finished product! Oooh!

I even made a sauce with butter, sugar, brown sugar and cream.

I am a baking rock star!

Of course it was delicious. And I had two pieces. Which means I have to go on the treadmill even longer than normal. It was worth it, my friends.

Why yes, I did graduate from college. Why do you ask?

2011-01-07T11:38:00.000-05:00

A few months ago...almost a year actually (where has the time gone)...I won a gift certificate on a blog contest. Yay! I was all excited to get my Land's End gift certificate. I checked out their stuff online and found a pair of sandals I liked. With shipping it came in at just under $25.00 which was great because the gift certificate was for $25.00. Woo hoo!

I entered my card number and PIN (which I had to scratch off, like a lotto ticket to reveal. What is that all about? Like, it's a secret? Because if someone stole it I'm pretty sure THEY could scratch off the silver stuff and get the PIN too so why the waste?) and it popped up as invalid.

I tried again, still invalid. The PIN length was not long enough. Really? Because I'm typing it in correctly! Come on, Land's End!

After several attempts, I gave up. I tucked the card in my wallet and figured I could maybe use it at Sears because they carry Land's End stuff.

The end. Or so I thought.

Yesterday, I was going through my wallet and came across the gift card. Except this time I really looked at the gift card. REALLY looked at the gift card. And I realized my problem. You see, the gift card I had won, well, it wasn't to Land's End. It was for L.L. Bean. Which explains SO MUCH.

You know when I used that card at llbean.com it actually worked. And I have a sweater on the way to my house right now.

I don't feel very smart right now.

Dinner fail.

2011-01-06T11:24:00.000-05:00

Hey cream sauce, guess what? YOU SUCK! How did yuo look so nice and creamy in the pan but then when I combined you with pasta you locked up, clumped up and pretty much tasted like milk (which I like, but not on my pasta). Boo to you, cream sauce with vegetables, boo to you!

I messed that one up. Not sure how, but I did so ok, I'll dust my hands off and try again.

It probably doesn't help that I don't really like cream sauce. But, if J didn't eat a lot of it, then you know it wasn't that good. Because J loves food, all food...except for my cream sauce with vegetables.

I didn't take pictures. I was too worried about the glob of noodles on my plate that I was supposed to be eating for dinner. Thank goodness we had garlic bread.

Tonight, I made chicken and brown rice in the slow cooker. And before you cry out "don't cook rice in the slow cooker!" I want you all to know I followed a Crockpot recipe. It ~~MUST~~ will work. At least that's what I keep telling myself.

The problem with cooking, for me at least, is I don't like a lot of meat. I like meat flavored stuff like stock and broth and jus, but not actually meat. We're pretty limited on what I can cook and what I will eat, so trying new things can be tough. I'm working on it. Making lots of chicken, that's for sure. And there are two pounds of ground turkey in the 'fridge that I'm gonna do SOMETHING with. Suggestions? Anyone?

Cleaning out my closet.

2011-01-05T14:01:00.000-05:00

Have you ever pulled out your cell phone and thought, "Man, I need to take a picture of this to share with _______." Yeah, I've done that. And then never shared. Because something else comes up or because I just didn't feel like going through my phone and uploading the photo. Laziness, it's what's for dinner.

Today all that will change. Here are some random and maybe odd photos from the last few months.

This is Lona and my friend's two dogs, Tucker and Miyko. I'm sure there was food involved. Why else would they all look SO interested in whatever's going up in the kitchen.

Aw, Colorado picture! This was the view from our hotel room on our last night in Colorado. That's the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs.

It looks like she's reading. I know, I'm one of THOSE dog Moms. Yup, I'm ok with that.

This was just taken yesterday. The black blur in the front is Pig Pen. Lona cuddled up on the couch behind J's legs thinking she had the best spot. That is, until Pig Pen snuck up on my lap, between Jeff and I. I don't know if you can tell how jealous Lo is, but she sure wasn't happy.

Ok, that ends this edition of Cleaning Out My Blackberry Camera. Do you have a bunch of random pictures in your phone?