Bye-Bye Bouffant

Why is it that when you want someone to do something so badly, the other person ends up not doing it.....or not doing it as fast as you would like. I have been nagging, yes nagging- ok maybe just down right begging, Drew to get his hair cut. I mean it was getting pretty bad- if you took a "quick" glance you would have thought that he had a bouffant....and I am not exaggerating. Last night we successfully accomplished to meet yet another milestone in our relationship. Drew cut his own hair. Yes, I borrowed my mom's clippers and we got to work. I think "we" did a pretty good job, what do you think?

Before we know it.....we do things to make someone happy....that someone that means the world to us!

I LOVE his-almost-no hair-look a lot better than his-log-shaggy-bouffant-hair look!

Love

As Drew worked all day on Sunday, I laid on the couch all day in my jammies and watched tv. For some reason I always end up watching some "reality" tv show that deals with weddings or kids or family and/or all of the above. I watched the movie 9 months and it really wasn't that good....so I found myself watching "Whose Wedding Is It Anyway" on the Style channel. I love that show! I think its hilarious watching the crazy brides and their mothers spend all this money without the fathers knowing. I mean I think my dad would have dropped dead if I was on that show. Its almost like you have to spend a lot of money to be on the show......

Ok, sorry for the little side tangent but those shows always make me think of my wedding day. I loved my wedding day. It was as perfect as perfect could be. As I laid on the couch I reminisced on our beautiful perfect day and so wished that I could go back that day. The day couldn't of been anymore perfect. Now as I look back on that I day I really don't care that somethings ended up not perfect....because all in all....the whole day was perfect.

Sometimes I think about me walking down the aisle to Drew.... just to have the butterflies flutter again! I loved that day with all of my heart. I love the fact that as we stood on the beach with officiant the only thing I could hear was Drew saying his vows. The only thing that I could look at was Drew, and surprisingly that kept me calm and with no tears.

Before we know it.......6 months has passed and we have been husband & wife for a whole six months. When I'm all alone I tend to think about that day. Holding his hand saying our vows and dancing like crazy for our first dance. I told Drew last night that I wanted to marry him again. I don't every want to forget any part of our day.....

$2.65 Is It, I'm Not Rounding Up.

With this week being a short week and the Inauguration of President Obama our school days has been anything but normal. I've had to think on my feet and gather materials rather quickly. In the midst of the craziness, Lindsay and I were asked (for the millionth time) when we were going to one of her student's restaurants. After being asked everyday since the beginning of the school year and being offered a free dinner we finally decided to take this parent up on her offer. Tonight Lindsay and I went to endulge in the traditional Cuban cuisine.
We ordered plantanos, ropa vija, rice and beans, and ensalata de la casa. It was delicious! We ate and ate and ate.....until we physically couldn't put anymore into our mouth. But the food was still sitting in front of us and I simply couldn't stop! We enjoyed every minute of the fried, greasy, unhealthy food and the time to talk about other things than work and being able to actually talk to an adult rather than children. We boxed up our leftovers into three boxes (yes three boxes......thats how much food we had!) We were getting ready to leave when the waitress asked, "one check or two?" I'm sure you are asking yourself, "what is this waitress thinking or talking about? Isn't it suppose to be free?" Yes, Lindsay and I were asking each other the same questions.......but with our eyes and trying our hardest to answer each other as quiet as possible. We were also under the assumption that the food was FREE. Now let me remind you of the definition of free according to the Webster Dictionary:

"Free (adjective, fre⋅er, fre⋅est, adverb, verb, freed, free⋅ing. –adjective): 11- provided without, or not subject to, a charge or payment: free parking; a free sample.

So when the bill came we were rather taken by surprise.....we had to pay the bill. Its not like we could have argued with the Spanglish speaking waitress.

Now here is the real question....to tip or not to tip? When you go out to dinner, what do you base the tip off of? Service.....attitude.....food......honesty......all of the above. Well I asked Lindsay what was 20% of the bill (remember I am not a mathematician) and she said if I rounded up it would be about $3.00. This is the point that I said, "Oh NO, I am not rounding up....I want the exact amount". So I pulled out my handy-dandy Iphone and calculated the tip....$2.65. That is the tip I left.....which in turn I made Lindsay leave as well.

Before we know it we are contemplating choices of right and wrong, whats the right thing to do and the wrong thing to do, should I or shouldn't I, can I or can't I. Am I wrong for giving the exact tip (down to the penny) or am I wrong for not making a big deal about the situation? Here's to life choices......making the "adult" decisions in a time where I wanted to be a complete child about it. Loved my not so free Cuban dinner tonight......

P.S.- Incase you didn't believe me about getting the check......... Smile Lindsay you are on Candid Camera.......Yeah I wish!

Not Just an Ordinary Lazy Day.....

but a lazy day filled with friendship, laughter, food, and the sharing of memories. Today didn't begin with an alarm clock going off and I incoherently pressing the snooze button.....but rather waking up from a well rested night and knowing that today was all mine. I didn't have to follow a schedule or answer to eighteen first graders or worry about getting any work done. The day was mine and it was nice to start out my week with a slow paced day. Drew played golf and I visited with Wylie and Leah. Today was our "cook" date and we made more than just cookies this time..... but we had to make something sweet for dessert. Today we focused on cooking something for lunch. We made a turkey panini with a walnut mustard mixture, green apples, and lettuce. It was delicious!
As you know I love sweets so we simply could not eat healthy....we had to make dessert too. We made these decadent jam thumbprints. And when I say we made them....we actually made them. We made the batter from scratch (even though we got stuck on the addition of 2/3 + 2/3...and yes we both are teachers BUT not math teachers), rolled the batter into balls, and cooked them! We are turning into little Rachael Rays and I love it!
After cooking, baking, and reminiscing on our childhood memories all day we decided to get some fresh air. Wylie, being the creative/artistic mom, grabbed the sidewalk chalk and we got busy decorating the dirty white concrete walkway that leads to her screened porch. Wylie and I found our self loving the chalk more than Leah did. Well, we loved drawing with it and Leah loved eating it! Sidewalk chalk and girl talk what is better than that........
nothing that I know of!!!! Well maybe watching Wylie being such a fabulous mom to her Leahbug!

Before we know it........we forget how to play.......being with the Leah today helped bring the chaos of life to a halt. Try playing with sidewalk chalk again......I bet it will spark some creativity and joy!!!

With God's Love She Is Completely Pure

Purity is a gift from God. On the day you were born you started with a blank slate........pure, innocent, a wholesome flower waiting to bloom in the wild. And as you grow, you learn by the mistakes that you make. With these mistakes you feel the bitter pressure of the world surrounding you and you try to look back at the time that you were once pure, innocent, and a wholesome flower. Today, Wylie and Vin invited us to Leah's baptism. It was a magical day. Today helped me remember that Jesus died for us. That no matter what we do, we are still loved....someone loves us. As I watched Leah receive blessings from the priest it was comfort to know that this precious child is blessed with God's love. She is protected by God's angels. She is loved by a powerful love. Thank you Wylie, Vin, and Leah for inviting us to share in this precious day!

Not Free Parking

What makes someone a good neighbor? I mean honestly when you think about it how do you know that you are a good neighbor. Maybe you are considerate, respectful, and kind. But does that qualify you to be good enough? Our "neighbor" (and I put neighbor in quotes because she is only here for a couple months out of the year) lacks all of the above. Mind you we only see her when she migrates south for the winter and for the most part she stays locked in her house. But some how she thinks that Drew and I are the most disrespectful people in the world. She actually said that we are a part of this "ME" Generation.

So to fill you in on the episodes of San Remo, which you can catch daily at 4:00pm; please call your local cable company to find the listing, everything has been going really well. Brad and Drew have designated parking spots and they know not to block my car in. Well, Sunday night Brad came home late from playing cards and parked in a "No Parking Zone" aka our "neighbor's" driveway. Well she is back in town and apparently after she called Drew's phone and rang our door bell, that doesn't work, a thousand times she decided to call a towing company. Drew, being quick on his feet, heard the tow truck and saved the day. However, Brad did have to pay $75.00 just because the guy came to the house. That evening I came home and her and I exchanged a few "nice" words which resulted in me saying that she is snooty and her nose is suck in the air.

That night we all laid on the couch, reliving the day and trying to think of creative ways to get a rise out of our friendly "neighbor". Brad began to dose off and saw a lot of logs and Drew and I went upstairs to go to bed. I woke a little bit later and asked Drew where Brad's car was. He went downstairs to wake up Brad to remind him to move his car from out front to back near the garage. Drew came upstairs and went back to bed.

The next morning Drew woke up to Brad banging on the door and saying, "Dude, my car got towed". Yes, his car did get towed. Needless to say, we have now had to deal with the same tow truck company twice in less than 24 hours. What a GREAT way to begin the week!
Before we know it.....we are $200.00 in the hole and laughing hysterically about a not so funny situation. What more can the winter season bring?

If you take Gigi to Petco.....

she will want some treats from the fancy treat bar....

Ater she gets her fancy delectable treats, she will want a new collar. After finding the perfect pink collar and trying it on a thousand times she will want to take a walk around the store. As she walks around the store with Mom and Grandma she will find her favorite section of the store....

THE BIRDS!!!! After looking at the birds and teasing them for a while Gigi will get tired and want to see the mice run on the wheel...

After watching the mice run she will get her energy back and excitedly prance back over to......

THE BIRDS!!!

After Gigi begins to paw at the glass Mom will pull her away from the birds and will head towards the check out line. On our way there Gigi will stop and sniff the ferrets....

After meeting the ferrets, she will see the birds flying around out of the corner of her eye so.......she will prance back over to the birds one more time to.....

ruffle some more feathers!!

After much running, jumping, and teasing Gigi, Mom, and Grandma will go back to grandma's house....there Gigi will take a little nap with her new collar on and Grandpa!

"Its So Good......"

This evening has been a lazy one....stretched out on the couch, in some comfy clothes and flipping through the channels not really caring what was on. Drew let me be lazy tonight as he started cooking dinner......he prepared the chicken as he dipped them in egg and rolled the chicken in breadcrumbs. Now I am trying not to act to surprised but you know Drew as well as I do and he is not the one to begin cooking let alone step foot into the kitchen. He was fabulous tonight, it was amazing to lay on the couch and be lazy as he started dinner and emptied the dishwasher.
Dinner turned out to be delicious. Now the pictures do not do it justice but it was rather tasty if I do say so myself.....
Drew and Brad wished I had defrosted twice as much chicken breast as I did....but then again they do eat a lot. Gigi also loved the way the food smelled and she really wanted some.....but sorry Gigi there was no chicken left over....and if there was Brad and Drew would have inhaled that too!!!
Brad loved his food so much he said (and I quote), "Its so good I want to be friends with it"!!! That made Drew feel real good!
Before we know it........we get a night off to relax.....and I am totally soaking it up!! Cheers to lazy nights!

The Perfect End to a Perfect Day

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west......and as it sets, our busy days take us till we can not think anymore, move anymore, do anymore. Yesterday was a very relaxing day. The last day of my break...the last night to spend with our friends....the last moment to actually take a breath and realize that tomorrow will bring chaos, stress, and not a single moment to relax and enjoy the life that we have. Tonight we made time to watch the sunset as we talked, laughed and smiled on the beach. The setting of the sun was beautiful and magnificent....the colors beaming across the sky and the laughter of friends and family filled the air. Life can't get any better than this....
Before we know it.....the day is gone and everything we worked so hard to accomplish has past. As the sunsets it does not care that we did not get our projects done....meet the deadline for work...get the house cleaned. All it cares about is giving someone the chance to appreciate the day for what it is......LIFE!!!! Take time to enjoy each day.

football under the stars

Tonight is a gorgeous night....the stars shining bright.....the wind blowing slowly through the air......the crackling of the wood in the fire pit.....and the sounds of football on tv. Tonight we watched the playoff games on our back patio. It was a relaxing night and an interesting way to enjoy the second to last night of Donnie and Ali's visit to Florida.


before we know it.........we are enjoying the new atmosphere of our house! Tonight was beautiful!

Goodbye 2008...Hello 2009

Goodbye 2008,
It was a fun ride. I experienced a lot of ups and.....yes, even downs. I learned a lot and experienced more than I ever thought. With you, I was able to marry my best friend and experience the happiness that he gives me everyday! Although I will miss you, I am excited for what 2009 will bring. The unexpected adventures, the twist, the turns, and the loops. Goodbye 2008...Thank you again!

Last night, as the the clock ticked the room filled with excitement.The tv was flipped back and forth between ESPN and the New Years Celebration in Time Square. Sitting on the patio of Lauren's house Drew, Brad, Donnie, Ali, and I laughed about stupid things and enjoyed the reenactment of certain movies as Brad took on the role of many actors! Although we did not know anyone else at the party we sure did bring in the 2009 with a BANG!

Hello 2009,
Welcome to my life......I am sure that you will make it an intense ride. I am ready for the ups and even the downs. I am not sure what to expect but I am happy about that! Although it will be intense please take your time as you go through the twist, the turns, and the loops.....WELCOME!!!