It is Tuesday which means a couple of things:

1. The Boyfriend and I have a 70 minute run on our training schedule planned for today! BLAH!

2. It is the night before we leave for Vegas. We have a lot of packing & cleaning to do before then. It is going to be a very long evening.



Believe it or not I have been craving sushi since I had it in New York after the Broadway show. I can't get it off of my mind. Now don't get too excited--I will only eat vegetable sushi but it still counts, right? I am dreaming of it and my mouth is salivating as I type this. I turn another year older and my tastebuds change the next day. Funny how that works!:)







I have been super busy at work so haven't had a chance to catch up on the celebrity gossip but I did hear that Reggie Bush (24) and Kim Kardashian (28) called it quits. So weird because Kevin and I were talking about them last night because we thought they were engaged but I saw on people.com where she was talking about buying her own house and not moving in with Reggie until they were engaged, etc. Now we find out they were neither engaged nor going out anymore. wow!

It's the bugs or me....

So while I was trying to pick out an outfit for work this morning, I found a BIG spider web across my shirts in my closet. I looked a little closer and saw this guy looking back at me with all of its eyeballs. Needless to say I freaked out. It is a well known fact that I am terrified of spiders. The boyfriend was courageous and smashed it with a rolled up magazine and squished it on a shirt. Ick! Yes, that is a brown recluse (very poisonous). He better spray down the house or else there are going to be big problems.

Now on to details of the birthday weekend...
It was the best birthday yet! I had a great time with sister doing girls night out on Thursday and sister's date night on Friday. We also met up with friends and the boyfriends and spent some time at an irish pub drinking beer and listening to music. The NYC trip was AH-MAZING! Here is the opening shot of the stage to "Wicked." This show was amazing!!!! Yes-It brought tears to my eyes more than once and gave me and the boyfriend chill bumps. The talent is unbelievable.

Here is a sign i found in NYC. Look closely! It is a 2 in 1 cup with chicken nuggets on top and your drink on bottom. Quite hilarious. is this a good idea? I must say that I cracked up when I saw this combination.

The day we got there, we spent some time sight seeing around the Financial District and a little shop had a furry friend they called Poncho. He was adorable. If you look closely behind me, you can see a row of pictures pasted to the window. Believe it or not, they are all pictures of him wearing different outfits. He was the sweetest dog and he just chilled in the window. So adorable!!!

So I have a confession to make...i let you all down. I didn't use my camera this weekend!!! I know, I know. I was dreading breaking this news to you. The truth is that casey had her nice camera out and was taking a ton of pictures (see Facebook) and then in New York when I busted it out, the battery had died. wow! I was really upset about it. Thank goodness for the boyfriend's IPhone or else we wouldn't have any pictures to document the amazing birthday weekend in New York.

The Golden Birthday

THE GOLDEN BIRTHDAY

Happy Birthday to me and Sister! it is THE GOLDEN BIRTHDAY!!! I can't believe it is here already. wow!!!

Last night we went to a few bars with some girlfriends and had a low key, fun night. We went to 51st state for the music, James Hoban's for the $5 martinis, and Front Page for the dancing.
*Note: James Hoban's wouldn't serve my girlfriend Jordan because her ID was messed up (plastic was peeling off) so we left to go to our old standby--Front Page.

Tonight is sister's date night. I have a very special evening planned for us that may or may not involve a BYOB place where we can be artistic and let her creative sides shine through. We will follow up the date night by meeting the boyfriends out for a few drinks and laughs. I will be sure to have my camera ready to snap some photos. I have been very negelecful of my little camera by putting it on the back burner but today that is going to change. Get ready camera!!!

HUMP DAY 7.22.09

2 more days until the Golden Birthday! Yes, the countdown has begun.

Today has been a very fast work day, which is wonderful because this week has been going at a snail's pace. I am trying to get as much done as possible today and tomorrow because I am sure I won't be feeling so hot after the late night birthday celebration that will be happening with my girlfriends on Friday night. $5 martinis never ends with a happy morning.

In case you were having a bad day...

at least it is a better day than the armless man is having!

Here is a picture my girlfriend sent me today from our hometown. If pictures speak a thousand words, this one pretty much sums up my hometown. Enjoy!:)

Life of Pi is finally finished. If you have not picked it up and started reading it, I highly recommend that you do AND SOON.

The end of the book really ties all the events together and as soon as I finished, I HATED the ending. Once I sat around and thought about it a little bit, I came to appreciate and accept the ending. I welcome comments and feedback when you finish reading it.

No I am not Dead...Just Busy

Hello Hello Hello! I am sorry I fell off the face of the blog world but work has been non-stop and life has once again got in the way. To fill you in on the past two weeks would be a lot of work because it is such a blur. hmmm...

I have been on a sobriety kick lately and it has been surprisingly fun and easy. If you ever want to feel really good about yourself, go to a bar after happy hour has ended and the girls can't stand up or keep their eyes open. You will be the prettiest, most articulate broad around and will no doubt be showered with attention. Why must you ask did I give up the drinking. Well there are three reasons: 1) I am working so hard to get in shape 2) I am gaining unexplainable weight and didn't want the "empty" calories 3) I am saving myself for what will end up being a binge drinking extended weekend to celebrate my golden birthday (turning 24 on the 24th).

On Thursday, my girlfriends and I (including sissy) are going (weather permitting) to a free outdoor concert where a cover band plays music such as kings of leon and lady gaga. Should be a great time. Following the concert, we are going out for $5 martinis and dancing. Sounds like it could be a wild night. Friday (the actual golden birthday), Sister and I have plans (that are a secret to her) that will be followed by more drinkies, dancing, and laughter. I can't wait. I can't get too wild because i have to catch a bus with the boyfriend early Saturday morning headed for NYC to see the Broadway show "Wicked" which I have been patiently waiting for. We will be in town for their restaurant week so hopefully we will get to try some really great restaurants for a fraction of the price and get to spend some "quality time" together.

We get back to DC on Sunday night only to pack up and leave early Wednesday morning for my work trip to Vegas, which the boyfriend is coming along so we can play while we are out there. Here is a picture of our hotel in Lake Las Vegas--The Ritz Carlton.

Then, when we get back from Vegas, we will turn around and re pack for our 12 hour drive to Indiana on the following Wednesday for our 6 mile road run, mother reunion, 5 year h.s. reunion, and S Fest 2009. Wowzers!!!

Needless to say I have a lot on my plate and am a little busy bee the next couple of weeks. In saying this, do not be surprised if I am a little slow on the blog updates.

It is Tuesday and I am FINALLY getting my dang hair done. For one, it is brown because I haven't had the time or the money to get highlights and for two, there are so many split ends that I have seriously considered shaving it and starting over. 4:30 could not come soon enough! Hurry up clock! One hour and twenty minutes to go.

So mom has been asking me what i want for my birthday and i haven't really given it much thought because I CAN'T BELIEVE it is July already. Not only that, but the second week of July. Where has 2009 gone? Wow. I can't think of anything I want besides loads and loads of money, which is a BIG stresser for me right now. Between rent, school loans, bills, and the cost to just survive in a city, I am pretty much scraping by without a penny to spare. Since July is an expensive month with Meg's engagement gift, Anessia's wedding gift, Casey's Birthday Gift, Lukie's shots, extending work a night in Vegas to enjoy the city, and New York for my birthday, I am not quite sure how I am going to make this month's income stretch for all of those things. If I could be granted anything for my birthday, it would be for a larger salary and no debt. Wouldn't that be nice! sheesh.

The beach with the Lanik's was amazing---so relaxing. I got a little bit of a tan and had the opportunity to sleep in and rest. That was very much needed, indeed. Kevin and I made sure to get physical activities in, as we ran and rode bikes. On the 4th, we rode about 10 or 12 miles and the traffic was so bad that I was terrified because vehicles were driving in the bike lane and didn't even pay attention to me happening to be pedaling by. Yikes! But I made it and am here to tell all about it.

We had some great meals and even found the time and energy to grill out one night, which in my opinion, was the best meal of the trip. Kevin's dad, George is an amazing grill master and his mom, Joan is a fabulous little cook so if you put them together, you have one heck of a meal.

I took my book club book-midnight's children by salman rushdie-to the beach with all intentions of finishing it but everytime I picked it up, I got bored, which put me in a bad mood. I am not even half way through the big boring book and book club is next Tuesday, the 14th. Eeek! Kev's mom could sense my agitation so she lent me a book she just finished called, "Shoot the Moon" by Eddie Letts. She is the author of "Where the Heart Is." The book was AMAZING! seriously, I could not put it down and by the next evening, I had finished the book and was wanting more--a lot more. Between wanting to discuss this book and Kevin working hard on his fantasy football website, I made the decision to create a book website where I can blog and people can comment about books and have discussions. I just started it today and will make it my summer/fall project so hopefully it will be up and running by October/November. That is my goal.

If you get curious, you can feel free to check it out. The website is www.bookworms.yolasite.com.

I have a lot of cool ideas for it--I just have to figure out how to implement them!

I hope you all had an amazing 4th of July and had the opportunity to watch some fireworks.

Until next time...

Beach Week

Hello Hello-

It is Hump Day and I am counting down the hours (2 left) until my work day is complete and I am off to the beach to meet Kevin and his parents. His sister, Liz, and I are riding there together with her boyfriend Neil for a little beach party. I can't wait. My only request was to get a lot of tanning time and to drink coronas on the beach for the 4th of July. Hooray! I am so excited.

The babies are up there with the Lanik family so expect for some pictures to be sent of Penny & Lukie's first time at the beach.

There are a couple of things that have happened since my last post.

1.) Michael Jackson--The King of Pop--has passed. RIP MICHAEL JACKSON! I am still at a loss of words. She passed on the same day as Miss Farrah Fawcett (6.25.09)

2.) A 12 or 14 year old girl (age is disputed) was a lone survivor of a plane crash in Yemen. This is a truly miraculous story and one that brought tears to my eyeballs.

Google this story and read all about it---it is very touching.

Chicago Fun

Please enjoy these snapshots from my trip to Chicago in early June 09.

Believe it or not, the next two photos of what one can do with Legos should they have a lot of time on their hands...