'Tis the Season to be Blogging!

Happy holidays to all!!

Hope everyone had a very merry Christmas this year. I know mine was full of merriment and joy! To those that are interested here's my synopsis:

Christmas Eve we went to Rob's grandmother's house and had a delicious seafood dinner with Rob's dad, his dad's fiancé and her son, 2 brothers, uncle, uncle's annoying girlfriend, and grandmother. It was a relaxing night. Every time I'm around his dad's fiancé, all she talks about is me and Rob getting married. Her sister is a jeweler, so she was asking me what kind of rings I like, so she can pick one out for me. :-) Rob just rolls his eyes and runs away.

Then Christmas morning Rob and I woke up at 7am to open gifts. We had a $100 limit, which was great, but also really limiting. I got him hiking and Red Sox stuff, which he was thrilled about. I only fueled the fire because he spent the whole weekend talking about the Red Sox and the woods! He got me some cute stuff. An ornament, a funky scarf, a cute hippie bag with an embroidered elephant, a pug calendar (because I love pugs!), a little plush lion, and three picture frames that had like jungle animals on them. Then when I thought I was done, he said there was a hidden compartment in the frames. So I opened them up and there were tickets to see the Lion King on Broadway! Hence, the jungle themed gifts. I was so surprised! We're going on Jan 22nd, and I can't wait! That's very uncharacteristic of him because I know he thinks musicals are cheesy, so he was really unselfish with that gift!

Then we got ready and headed up to my folks house. Ate some yummy Korean dumplings and went to the tree! I got the Bose SoundDock from my parents, which is what I was really hoping for. I tried it out at their house and it's so awesome! The sound is unbelievable! Then I got a few books and things. Normal relative-type stuff. Oh, also, as a gift to myself and Rob, I used some of my Christmas bonus money and bought a digital video camera! Rob has been wanting one forever because he used to have a video camera and used it to torture his brother and friends. He has the funniest videos. He used to lock his younger brother out of the house in the snow and wouldn't let him in until he did the robot in the street. And a few years ago we had big wheel races and taped it all, it was hilarious! Now I'm sure I'll be the one getting tortured, but he has so much fun doing it that it'll be worth it!

Then we went to my uncle's house and had a dinner with my uncle's family and my grandfather. Food was delicious. Didn't stay too late, went back to my parents' home and left late afternoon the next day. All in all it was a lovely holiday!

Stealing from my homegirl, Devon, I made a little photo collage of some pics we took during the celebrations! :-) You can see me in all my nasty glory, just out of bed, no shower, and a santa hat hiding my bed head! Oh, and my parents are there in the middle.

Who needs Paxil when you have white wine???

Hello all in blogsville! I am finally recuperated from my weekend!

Today is freakin’ freezing in Philly. It was –10˚ during my commute this morning. I actually drove in for the first time in over two years since I had many bags of ornaments to bring in to my boss, as well as the fact that tonight is our little holiday dinner event and I don’t feel comfortable riding the train alone at 11pm. Thanks to my boss, 20 of us are going to Jones Restaurant for dinner and to see Cats afterwards at the Walnut Street Theatre. Looking forward to it!

My job isn’t as bad as I make it out to be. Sure, sometimes it’s a pain in the rear, but overall, it’s a great place to work. This was confirmed on Friday when I received my holiday card (that I designed) filled with a big fat holiday bonus check! Woohoo! Last year all we got was a pen! This is so great! And thanks to the fact that Rob and I have a $100 limit on each other, my bonus easily covered all my holiday shopping as well as leaving me with some money to buy myself a little something and put some away for next month’s mortgage! (Mortgage is still a scary word to me!)

Saturday night Rob and I went to his family friends’ annual holiday party. Even though I really didn’t want to go at all, I had such a great time! And I think I figured out the answer to my social anxiety disorder……alcohol! When we first got there I barely talked to anyone. It was so packed, like a college party for grown ups. Rob introduced me around and I just kind of shook hands and stood by as Rob talked to people. After a few glasses of wine though, I was talking to strangers left and right! I even played pool with some kid I didn’t know! It was great! By the end of the night I was giving everyone hugs and taking down phone numbers! Since Rob rarely drinks anymore (he’s that friendly without alcohol), I usually never drink either. But now, the next time I’m in that sort of situation, I’ll be sure to knock back a few before going! :-)

Of course, we didn’t get home until after 5am, and thanks to that and the wine, I could barely get off of the sofa on Sunday. Oh well, it was worth it!

Christmas projects galore!!!

Hola chicos y chicas! Have a nice weekend?

I haven't posted anything in a little while because nothing has really been going on. Been busy with some side projects. I handmade 65 invitations for a coworker's Christmas party. Since I don't really charge them, I made sure I came up with a simple design. I was actually pretty happy with the way they came out! And I got a $100 gift certificate to a fancy Philly restaurant as a "thank you" so I'm happy! I know, I know, I should be charging these people. But it's kind of nice to get in good with the company. Especially since she's one of the CEO's daughters. :-)

Last Christmas I gave my head boss a glass Christmas ball that I painted with red flowers. I suppose she liked it because she called me this weekend and asked if I would make 20 ornaments by next Monday. Ugh, it's going to be a busy week! But I think with a stencil and some spray glitter, I can make magic happen! You see, she's taking me and 19 others out to dinner and to see Cats next Monday for Christmas, so she thought it'd be nice if she could give everyone a gift. I'd actually love it if she let me wrap them all because I just love wrapping gifts!! I ordered up some fancy wrapping paper from Kate's Paperie ($2.50 a sheet, I know I'm crazy) and I love making all my gifts coordinate! I'm hoping that I'll get a special little Christmas bonus for doing this project!

Our company holiday cards came in on Friday and I just love them! Here's what they look like:



They were printed on a shimmery paper and it really came out nice. They look much better in person. I hope everyone likes them! I'm sure they'd like them more if there was a big fat check inside. I still have my fingers crossed for that one. They don't let me in on those secrets. I'll be checking my mail religiously though!

Alrighty people, I'm done here. Hope you're all in the holiday spirit! Fa la la la laaaa, la laaaa laaaa laaaa!!!!

P.S. Just a note, I did not create that swoosh logo used in the holiday card!!! It's not my fault!!!

How lovely are thy plastic branches!

I have the day off today....YIPPEE!!! Sorry, just had to get that out. Anyway, I decorated this weekend and it was so great! I wish I could do it every weekend! But this year was even more meaningful because I got to put up my grandmother's tree, and if I do say so myself, I think I did just as good of a job as she would have! Sometimes I stare at it and it looks exactly as it has in years past, which is exactly what I had wanted to do.

Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure!

Full shot of the tree:


Close up shot:


Closer up shot. See the ornament of the little girl holding a doll? This one has the most sentimental value to me because my grandmother bought it when I was little because she said when she saw it, it reminded her of me. When you pull the string on the bottom, she raises her arms. Every year I used to pull it off the tree and play with it. I'm so glad to have it.


Here's a shot of the pointsettia I bought on Saturday and one of my grandmother's Santas:


And finally, I decorated the stairs with lights, although you can't really tell from this pictures just how sparkly it makes the whole house look:


I also decorated our balcony, but I haven't taken a photo yet. And I might go out today to pick up a wreath for the door and a few more decorations, but I think this is a good start. The pictures of the tree really don't do it justice, but maybe that's because I see something more than a tree when I look at it.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Ahoy maties! Hope ya'll had a pleasant weekend. Mine was delightful, thank you for asking! On Friday and Saturday I went to two art/craft stores and stocked up, spending a little more than I probably should have. But I was determined to be crafty this weekend! Of course, there were many distrations. Number one being Rob, of course. Then there were the duct cleaning guys. Oh yeah, and that nap I took on Sunday. Anyway, I was able to play around a little and make a few holiday cards. Here are some photos.

Here is Santa with a glittery beard and jiggly eyes:


And here's a glittery snowman, also with jiggly eyes. You should see how many different kinds of jiggly eyes I bought! This card also has snowflakes that I punched out and glued on there with a little clear bead in the center.


And this one is kinda plain, but I like it.


I also started making my own personal Christmas cards, but those will be kept a secret until Christmas! :-)

The moral of this post: Jiggly eyes are da bomb!

"Excuse me while I put my face on."

There’s this woman I’ve seen on the train. She’s probably in her late fifties, but looks pretty worn. I can’t stop watching her as she applies her makeup during the ride to Philly! First of all, it’s all like ancient Cover Girl makeup that looks like it was leftover from 1987. Secondly, they are the most vibrant colors that have ever been made for makeup. She covers the whole side of her face, not just her cheekbone, with hot pink blush….three or four coats of it. Then the whole area above her eye gets caked with this silver eye shadow. After that she takes this very dark brown eye shadow and spreads a line just above the crease of her eye. It basically looks like she has two sets of eyebrows, especially since she draws her real eyebrows on too. All followed by the hot pink lipstick, to match the blush I guess.

Is that mean? I can’t help it. I admit it, I’m a makeup queen. Clinique all the way. I’m sure it goes back to that whole self esteem thing, but I don’t go anywhere without at least a little makeup. And it’s strange because the other day this woman at work was talking to me about how this girl doesn’t normally wear makeup and she said. “Well, you don’t wear makeup or anything…” and I was thinking, are you blind? I mean, I guess that’s a good thing, right? I have mastered the art of making 20 minutes of makeup application look natural. Well, if you ever see me with loads of bright pink blush all over the sides of my face, where it looks like I smooshed my head between two hot irons, please do me the justice of telling me.

By the way, I just have to share this. I was driving around with my gas light on this Saturday morning, so I pulled into the first gas station I could find, which was on a major highway. There were people there, and I saw cars leaving, so I assumed everything was alright. I roll down my window (remember all you non Jersey people, we aren’t allowed to pump our own gas) and ask for a fill and the guy tells me that they are out of gas! Out of gas? What gas station runs out of gas? And it’s not like he said they were out of regular but they had super….they were out of gas. Maybe that happens a lot and I just don’t know, but I thought it was strange.

Anywho, that’s a long entry for today, so I’d better give my fingers a rest. But don't think I don't have lots more to talk about 'cause I do.

Me and the Mister

Well hello to the, like, three people reading this! Since Rob is so into photography and takes his camera everywhere, we always end up with picture of me an no pictures of him. Well, I got a digital camera a few months ago and finally put it to use last weekend. Rob and I went for a stroll along the main streets of Collingswood and Haddonfield in good ole Joisey. They were really cute little towns, but unfortunately, we didn't realize that everything would be closed on a Sunday! Needless to say, they were quick visits.

But I was able to snap a few shots before we left.

Here we are along the street. Can you tell it's windy! Bad hair day! I feel like this picture makes my head look huge! I also feel like I actually look Asian in this picture.



And here's one of Rob. I really like this shot, but I hate it when he wears his hat backwards. I tell him he looks like a frat guy, and yet that still doesn't work.



Well, I'm up early on a Saturday because I only have a couple hours to get my mom a birthday present before we leave to go visit. Better get myself into Power Shopper mode! Later gators!

Did someone say chocolate?

I have half an hour to kill before my boss and I go out to lunch with our printer, Tara. I love lunch dates with Tara. It's the only time I ever get to eat food that good! Today we're going to Jones Restaurant. Mmm, they have spectacular calamari! And for dessert, a big slice of chocolate cake with a frosty glass of milk. Yummy!

So this weekend is going to be a busy one. Rob and I are going to my grandfather's house tomorrow. He's giving us my grandmother's christmas tree and ornaments. I'm really excited about that, but it's also kind of depressing. He's trying to rid the house of everything because he plans on moving in with my uncle's family soon. So I know when I'm there he's going to ask me to take all my grandmother's stuff. He already gave me this whole dish set she had. And the best thing he could give me was her strand of pearls. He had gotten them in 1954 from Mikimoto's Pearl Farm in Japan when he was stationed over there. It was the first "nice" present he had ever gotten for my grandmother. And now I have them. That means a lot to me. I sure do miss her. It's going to be an unfamiliar holiday season without her chocolate chip brownies.

See, how it always comes back to desserts with me??

Is My Music Taste "On the Way Down?"

I admit it, I'm a music snob! Okay, there, I said it! I scoff at popular music! I don't listen to anything that I'd be embarassed to say that I listen to. Other than like Radiohead or U2, I'll never see my favorite bands on the cover of Rollingstone maganize. When I tell most people my favorite bands are Belle and Sebastian or Soul Coughing or Yo La Tengo, they are like, "Who?" And I like it that way!!!

But something bad happened. I haven't been bringing cds in my car lately, so I've been forced to listen to the radio. Every once in a while I'll be blessed with a good song, but I usually find myself spending the whole car ride channel surfing. But I have crossed over to the dark side. I think that crappy song by Ryan Cabrera is so dang catchy! It comes on and I cannot help myself from singing along! What is wrong with me??? I feel like I'm dying inside! HELP! What could be next? Avril Lavigne?? Justin Timberlake?? The Goo Goo Dolls???? NOOO!!!!!

Okay, I really need some Elliott Smith to knock the bad taste right out of me!

Unpacking Spells Relief

Ahhh, I feel relief, and it's not from Rolaids. My home is finally unpacked! We spent this whole weekend running home errands and now we can enjoy our new place! We replaced all 19 lights in the house with fluorescent lightbulbs (.99 at Home Depot!) and got new aerators for the faucets to cut back on water use. Today we are picking up a new water saving showerhead.

I absolutely love my new home! I sat and ate breakfast on the balcony yesterday. It was great! And Friday we watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind on our new sofa! All I need is an end table and lamp and I think the house will be furnished!

Here are a few photos of the place:



Like the stripe that took me forever to paint on the wall??

I hate these cabinets, but they are the least of my worries!


This is my office and probably the most disorganized room of the whole place.


These were taken before we got our new furniture and before we finished unpacking, so I'll have to take some new ones soon! That's why there's no photo of my living room in there!

My first time

So I bit the bullet and voted like a regular American today. I had never voted before. Hmm, I don't feel so patriotic. It was weird though because I went into this little metal box with a curtain, flicked some switches and opened the curtain back up. Seemed a little primitive. What happened when those switches were flicked? I wonder.

I guess I'm supposed to stay up tonight at watch who wins. I didn't even stay up to watch the Red Sox win the world series, there's no way I'll make it through tonight. But I do think it's totally neato that cnn has all these cool statistics online. Web development amazes me sometimes!

I am bored. Rob made me mute the tv so he could do some work. Boohoo. Eh, doesn't matter. All this presidential coverage crap-ola is being shown instead of good shows anyhow. Well, back to refreshing my cnn webpage!

Later gators!

I can be such an idiot!!!

Yesterday morning when I parked at the train station in Jersey (to take the train into Philly), I noticed hundreds of people on the platform when usually there are only about 30. I thought something might have been wrong, so as I got out of the car, I called my boyfriend, Rob. Turns out it was nothing.

After work, I’m on the train and I go to get my keys out of my bag when I realize I don’t have my keys. Okay, I figure, I must have left them in the car during the commotion in the morning. Not a problem, I have a spare key.

I walk to my usual spot in the parking lot and my car is gone! Oh no! My car has been stolen!! I call Rob but he doesn’t answer! I’m freaking out! I go in the station and call the train police who tell me that my car wasn’t stolen, it was towed. Turns out I must have really been distracted because I not only left my keys in the car, I left my car running!!!! The cop on the phone tells me they towed it so it won’t get stolen and I have to go to Camden to get it released.

Rob picks me up (after half an hour of trying to get a hold of him) and we go to downtown Camden. I sign the papers and they tell me my car is at an impound lot in West Philly!!! And of course the lot closed at 5pm. Oh yeah, and I have to pay 100 bucks to the towing company and the cops also gave me a ticket for leaving my car running! So now I have to leave work early and go to some towing company. They towed it like 40 minutes away from the train station where I was parked! I don’t get it!!

I seriously can’t believe I did this. And I can’t believe it’s this big of a hassle to get my car. I feel so stupid. Ugh, I’m just venting. This is probably one of the stupidest things I’ve ever done.