Leaving on a Jet Plane! :)

We are leaving for the Dominican Republic tomorrow morning! Kevin and I are so excited for our much needed vacation! We are staying at the Paradisus Palma Real which is a beautiful all - inclusive resort in Punta Cana.

Traveling out of the country makes me a nervous wreck! Aside from a trip to the Bahamas and Mexico, I have never been outside of the country. With the looming fear of malaria and bot flys, I am keeping my little shrimp fingers crossed that I don't have a run in with anything or anyone that would make me have a less than pleasurable experience.

Kevin and I have tanning, reading, and relaxing to look forward to! We are armed with about 9 library books and our IPODs so we should be good to go on the beach scene. Wine tasting and salsa lessons are all included in our package so we plan on taking full advantage of that, as well!! I am hoping to throw in some snorkeling and couples massages to the mix.

Killer Fungus? What is Next?

(Health.com) -- A rare but life-threatening tropical fungus that causes lung infections in both people and animals has been seen in the Pacific Northwest and could spread, researchers are reporting.

The fungus, known as Cryptococcus gattii (or C. gattii), has infected dozens of humans and animals--including cats, dogs, and dolphins--in Washington and Oregon in the past five years. While rare, the fungus has been lethal in about 25 percent of the people in the U.S. who have developed infections, according to Edmond Byrnes III, a doctoral student in molecular genetics and microbiology at Duke University and one of the lead authors of a new study about the fungus.

Shred Update

I have a Shred update...

I will not be posting before and after pictures of my shred workout because it has been a month and a half and I only completed about 12 of its workouts. I did run some days instead of shredding but I feel like if I posted pictures today, I would look larger than when I started because I have been a very happy eater and a lazy bones lately.



Sister informed me that she got the Shred workout and has been doing it religiously! good for her! We will see if she has better luck than I did staying on the wagon:)

My Feelings Exactly...

Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Adam Younger

This is my beautiful friend megan. Ms. megan got hitched to a dream guy named adam on april 17, 2010 in tell city, indiana. Here you can see how beautiful she is!

Here is a picture of me and the bride at the reception. We had the times of our lives. This is a great picture to show off our classy Purple Bridesmaid dresses. We were the talk of the town - I can't count on two hands how many people complimented the dresses!

Here is a picture of our crew at the head table. This was a quick pic of us loosening up with the help of Mr. Goldschlager!

My handsome date, Mr Beetlelegs!

Happy Tuesday!

Thinking & Hoping & Wishing

Tomorrow me, sis, chad, and kev, fly back to Indiana for Miss Meg Newton's nuptials. My excitement is overshadowed by my nervousness.

I would be lying if I said that I am not a nervous wreck!

Why? J. Pierrard and the monster are showing up to meg's wedding.

Why? I have no idea! Funny though considering they said they wouldn't attend their sister's wedding because me and mother would be there. Can you say childish? He knows me, sis, and mom will be at Meg's wedding so I have no idea why the change of heart - I am thinking he will definitely do his best to make a scene and shed us in the worst light possible.

There are two words to describe him - mentally unstable!

All The Pretty Horses

The book discussion last night for All the Pretty Horses was POWERFUL! I gave the book a 4 out of 10 because the topic of cowboys does not interest me whatsoever and the book was very slow and hard to get into, not to mention the conversations in Spanish! Yikes! BUT...the conversation from the group was amazing. Points were brought up about the underlying themes in the book - regrets, the meaning of life, existentialism, and fate. wow. those are some pretty heavy topics.

A person could drive themselves crazy thinking about the What If's in life but it is interesting to think, "do we control our own destiny or is it predetermined?" If you ever pick up the book or watch the movie with matt damon, think of this question as it will help you understand the theme.

My Biggest Fear...

Woman, 31, With Rare Form of Alzheimer's Doesn't Know Own Baby

By Catherine Donaldson-Evans Apr 12th 2010 12:33PM


A 31-year-old woman with a rare form of Alzheimer's disease doesn't recognize her own newborn daughter and has been unable to even hold the baby, according to the U.K.'s Daily Mail.

Rebecca Doig, who lives in Sydney, Australia, with her husband Scott, gave birth to baby Emily last week. But during her pregnancy, her Alzheimer's worsened so quickly that she now doesn't know who the baby is and needs 24-hour care herself, the newspaper reported.

"She has gone from being an independent, outgoing and bright young woman to someone who doesn't recognize her own newborn daughter," Scott Doig told the Mail. "The road ahead is going to be extremely difficult, there's no two ways about it. We just take every day as it comes."

The couple first realized something was wrong when Rebecca Doig started to forget where she put her purse and other belongings and isolated herself from her family and friends. She underwent tests to determine what was causing her memory loss.

During her medical examinations, the Doigs found out she was pregnant. Sadly, days later, she was diagnosed with a type of early-onset dementia called Familial Alzheimer's, the Mail reported.

The incurable condition resembles the disease that usually afflicts the elderly, but advances much more rapidly so that patients who have it suffer from severe loss of memory in a matter of months.

Caused by a gene mutation, Familial Alzheimer's usually develops in people in their 30s and 40s and accounts for only 5 percent of all instances of Alzheimer's.

Rebecca Doig now shows indifference to her baby girl, doesn't remember Emily's birth and isn't able to hold her in her arms. Her husband says the woman he married, who used to be the "life of the party," is a shell of her former self. Luckily, she didn't pass on the gene for the disease to her daughter.

"She is like an 80-year-old going on 5 years old," he told the Mail. "She's lost her recent memory and emotions – inspiration, joy, happiness ... But she is my life and I am not giving up on her."

Source: AOlHealth.com

Weekend Woes

I had such a relaxing weekend, I miss it already! The rest of the month is going to be crazy & busy!!

Sneak Peak:

• Book Club for "all the pretty horses" on 04.14.10
• Megan Newton marries Adam Younger on 04.17.10
• Brian Callery's 29th Birthday Party on 04.23.10
• Engagement Party for Sherm in Philly on 04.24.10
• Vacation in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic starting 04.27.10

Video Chat

Kev and I set up gmail video chat today and it is SO COOL! Lucky for us, we both have cameras built in to our work computers.

I guess the Golf Master's started today and I am already SO TIRED of hearing about Tiger! My goodness. Yes, we all know he is amazing at golf. And yes, we heard he is a lying, cheating, nasty jerk! Got it! now news outlets, please discuss something else!

I can not believe it is Thursday! This week has been SO SUPER FAST! Happy tomorrow is Friday and the weekend is almost here. I am ready to have a fun, relaxing weekend at home for once.

Kevin and I watched 2012 last night and it is really cheesy, but good! It kept us on the edge of our seats for the majority of the 2.5 hours it was on! The movie brought up a good conversation topic - Do you believe the Mayans that the world will come to an end in 2012? Two short years left. The movie did a good job of showing the natural disasters leading up to the year 2012 and if you think about all the earthquakes, tsunamis, and tornadoes, it seems like it could make sense. Not to mention that the world ended once before when it killed all the dinosaurs. Not sure what I think - I think it is possible but I don't want to devote too much time to the topic because it could be really depressing and destructive. If 2012 is the end of the world, i find comfort in knowing it is the end for everyone and everything so no one is left to grieve for lost love ones.

Hump Day & Sushi!

Thank goodness the work day is winding down. I know this is sad, but i have BOOKS on my mind. I really want to be finished with my book club book "All the pretty horses." I still have 200 pages left - and in small print!!! I get so overwhelmed when i look at my book list to read on goodreads.com. I need to also finish "The Girl Who Played with Fire" as I am only a few pages into it. Seeing as book club is next week, I really need to make Cormac McCarthy my main priority.

Having said that, Kev and I are taking time away from the house to eat Sushi! thank goodness. I have been craving sushi and wanted to recommend it to him but didn't because we are trying to stay in to conserve our funds. When he mentioned it tonight for dinner, it was a done deal.

I got wrapped up in "Millionaire Matchmaker" last night on the tube. The show is terrible but it pulls you in - once you sit down and watch a minute of it, you have to finish the episode. I also rearranged our closets and folded laundry. I was one productive woman. The best thing I did was boil eggs! I know that sounds crazy but I made hard boiled eggs and Kevin and I couldn't get enough. Don't laugh but I had to look the "recipe" up online because I had no idea how to boil an egg. I know that is pathetic but hey, what can I say?

Mr. & Mrs. Rapsky

Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Chad Rapsky! The two eloped in an intimate ceremony in Chicago, Illinois on Saturday, April 3, 2010! It was emotional! It was beautiful! It was the time of our lives! From the intimate ceremony, to the photo session around the city, to the great food at Wildfire, to the dancing at Howl at the Moon - we had a blast!

We got some amazing videos of the ceremony and some hilarious pictures of the celebration. I can't wait to post a few on here!

I am not ready to get back to reality today. Another work day and more house work to do, such as laundry! Yuck!

Tonight is the Championship Game - Duke vs. Baylor! GO BAYLOR!