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I have seriously been slacking on my Thankfulness!

I guess that means I should be thankful for being busy. I am not a person that enjoys staying in, sleeping late or lazying around (for the most part). We all have our days when we want to be lazy and spend time on the couch, I just prefer to be doing something while being lazy. And if you do this I totally don't judge, I wish I had the patience to sit and relax for an entire day. The truth is, I tend to get a little sad and down when I spend too much time alone, just hanging out. This also doesn't mean I am always productive. I would much rather be out with people, socializing or hosting. I would certainly save a lot of money if I wasn't such a natural "social butterfly" as my mom would call it. But since I've been so busy I've got to do some fun things!

Which brings to me my next thankfulness item (I do have a few days to catch up on)-Sales! I love a good coupon or sale...or a combo of both. I spent the last weekend using a 20% off coupon at a bunch of Christmas Tree Shoppes in Cape Cod. We travel up to the Cape, which is great on the off season because you get the same charm but less tourists. We visit some Cape spots and way too many Christmas Tree Shoppes where we get a jump on Holiday shopping and buy ourselves some good things.

I've spent the rest of my long weekend with friends out and about and since I've already proclaimed by thankfulness for them...I'll be thankful for a lovely Bellini I had in East Greenwich after a long work day filled with traffic....

Now if only I can turn my social energy into getting back to the gym daily and continue to "fall" clean this house!

After a stressful work day and staying up later than usual to finish a paper for school, I am finding it hard to write about something I am thankful for. But I guess that's why I am doing this, to be positive! So today, I am thankful for friends-old, new and in-between. There are some people that have been in my life since 4th grade. Some since high school, college or work. Some I've lost touch with and wish I didn't. As time goes on, friendships aren't as easy to keep up but its important to do. This post doesn't need pictures or an explanation. Thanks to those who let me drive you crazy, take me out, confide in, make me laugh and tell my endless stories to :).

Thankful November Continues..

I haven't written about this lovely addition to our life that much. But I am very thankful for her. This is Loralee...

We adopted her from Coventry Crittery Cavalry, but she did not come from Coventry. She came from Tennessee, which I like to say like the joke pick-up line "you're the only ten I see." I feel like we took a risk by basically adopting a dog we looked at online. But it must've been love at first sight because she turned out to be a great dog!

I never wanted a small dog, but she beats my stereotype to a pulp. She loves to cuddle, follow us around and chase leaves falling from trees. She may not be the smartest dog on the block, but it seems like her main goal is to be loved and show love. She gives kisses and keeps our feet warm. I never thought I'd love a dog again after Snowy passed, and she certainly doesn't replace her, but we love her in her own way.

Lorraallleeee! (said in my interpretation of what a true, down-home Tennessee native would!)

Continuing on my Thankfulness rant (or rave), I know some Sunday morning when I want to stay in watching tv in my pajamas and drink coffee, I am going to seriously regret this post. Because Justin is going to want to get bundled up and out of the house nice and early to head to Raynam, Seekonk or if he's desperate-Cumberland. He's going to remind me that on this day, I was thankful for...flea markets and yard sales.

I roll my eyes each time he wants to go, but looking around our house we have really filled it up with other people's "junk," or our treasures!

My very first find was this fondue pot! How awesome and retro!? And it came with the tray table...sold for a whopping $8!!

We recently found this great piece for behind the couch in our living room. We bought it for $10! It was in the original box, brand new.

The same person also sold us a great picture frame for only $3, also brand new!

I also love flea markets because they are fun to find on vacation. They always have great signs, or in a great location or just plain scary looking.

Now let's just hope Justin doesn't remember this post on a Sunday morning after a long Saturday night out.

Today I am thankful for pajama pants! Seriously, what's better than coming home after a long day of work and taking off those stiff pants to slip on some worn out flannel pants?! I have always loved pajama pants, but let me be clear...I am thankful for pj pants in my home, a sleep over or a ski lodge. Walmart, DMV, movies, Ihop and so on should at least require a solid pattern sweat or yoga pant. I will be sure to add a picture of my sheep pajamas from around 2002. A Christmas gift I still wear whenever I get the chance!

Thanful-giving

I've been seeing some Facebook statuses that have been listing what people are thankful for in the month of November. Although this should be done all year, its a great idea! Bad things happen all the time, its hard to remember the sometimes small but positive things that help us through. So since I can't participate in that no-shave November business, I'll jump on this bandwagon. So for each day of the month of November I'll be writing about random things I am thankful for, in no particular order.

Today I am thankful for a new addition to our home. Its hot, steamy and black. No its not coffee or Usher...its a woodstove!

This gem arrived from two of my favorite people ever. They did not want it anymore and gave it to a home that could really use it. I not only love it because it keeps us warm and lowers our heat bill but it has a little family history. My aunt and Denise are two very important people and I get to think of them every time we warm up the house. It will remind me of the Saturday sleepovers we had for years with makeup, movies and take out. I'll think of the shopping excursions we've been on or the trips to the Cape. I'll think of how they have been begging me for years not to become a social worker, yet I somehow have thrown myself into the world of home visits. They are two people I know I can always count on. And now I have a woodstove I can count on.

PS-this totally reminds me of one of my favorite blogs...1000awesome things, google it!

When my Grandma mentioned the Norman Rockwell Exhibit I remembered those Gorham figurines my family had all over the house. I remember looking at them and imagining the stories behind them. My favorite was a girl in a pink dress, sitting in an oversized chair with a smile, writing in her diary. My imagination alwasy led me to different stories she might be writing in her diary.

I also imagined the exhibit as a stuffy, plain walls with paintings. Luckily I was wrong. It was in a beautiful old mansion with marble pillars, marble stairs and amazing architecture. There was a movie to start about the art of illustration which I loved because I love all books, especially ones with pictures.

The Normal Rockwell paintings were very "Americana" and a sign of the times they were painted. They represented a fight for equal rights, the importance of a family dinner and childhood love and squabbles. They sparked great conversations between my Grandma and Aunt Anne, which reminded me of the history they've witnessed in over 70 years. It was nice to hear their own memories of growing up and raising my mom and aunts.

Of course it wasn't all art history. We put some time and money in the slots. I watched a woman win $500 right next to me while I lost and lost. We ended the day with a nice dinner. At dinner we talked about all the people out, and how the idea of a "Sunday family dinner" doesn't exist anymore.

The day reminded me of this blog. Although this wasn't a huge day that I'd "always" remember, I knew it would be in the mush of happy memories with my grandparents. But it was nice to see my fiance drive my Grandparents in his dad's Lincoln and make them feel like "queens." His dad would be proud to have the two ladies in the back of his car, enjoying a nice Sunday afternoon.

Poppa G. G-Money. Driver. Dad. Husband. Almost-father-in-law. He holds many titles, but most called him a friend.

We were wondering what he might be doing last night and then we saw a rainbow. It lasted only two minutes, but it was two minutes we will never forget.

I love sarcasm...

This is totally stolen. But is is too good not to re-post. I have a lot to say about it, but the best thing to do is to just post the list, it speaks for itself.

10 Reasons Why Gay Marriage is Wrong

01) Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning.

02) Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.

03) Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.

04) Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn’t changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can’t marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.

05) Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed; the sanctity of Britany Spears’ 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed.

06) Straight marriages are valid because they produce children. Gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn’t be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren’t full yet, and the world needs more children.

07) Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.

08) Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That’s why we have only one religion in America.

09) Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That’s why we as a society expressly forbid single parents to raise children.

10) Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms. Just like we haven’t adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans.

"turns out not where, but who you're with that really matters."

When did this happen?!

Jenny you are married, and heading back home. You are starting a great life, but without us. So we met tonight to say good bye and reminisced.

Of course it started with this...

and this...

And the "famous" people we know...

and the many nights spent here...

But most of all I think it was an overall reflection on how far we've come. All friends have "gone through it all," but we can say more. We've been through countless team building and bonding activities, forced or not. Our group has fought during events, cried when overtired and swore we were done "planning" events many times. Programming forced us all to be friends, but we worked to make sure we stayed friends. And by worked, I mean we made sure we had fun no matter what we did.

I may NEVER understand what's in Iowa (I'll blame that on the RI attitude), but I know your heart is there and I can't wait to visit to see what is there.

A Family's Best Friend

We said good bye to our loved Snowy today.

It got me thinking about pets and their impact on a family. We saved Snowy from a shelter, she had been there for weeks and the staff said she would soon be put down if my dad didn't take her the same day. He picked us up in our 90's wagon and we drove to the shelter to pick up our Christmas gift. I got to name her-it was either Muffs or Snowy. I'm glad my parents picked Snowy, Muffs is just not a good dog name. We picked Gino's birthday, April 13, as her unofficial birthday.

There are so many stories and memories I could list. But in my sadness I think that my sadness isn't just about her, its also about the passing of time and memories. Of course her personality and love are a big part of the mourning. But what other creature in my family's life has seen us through it all? She was there for every holiday, since that 7th grade! When my mom wrapped our hundreds of presents, she'd prance around the yards of wrapping paper instead of stepping on it. She was there for me and Gino's dances. Every crazy backyard party. She slept in bed with the sickest person in the house. She tore apart my furbie when my Aunt and Denise were sitting her, most of us swear it was out of spite for leaving her for the week.

So even if I wasn't a huge snowy fan, in her memory are these snapshots that we can never get back. That's why I am a fan of blogging. I can look back to remember these things, that Snowy is lucky enough to know. Things I forget that I know. I'll never want to forget how my dad was once again our hero and had to be the one to take care of the vet arrangements. How my mom had to make the phone calls to my brother and I. How one day I look forward to being the "brave" one of the family.

If you're a bird, be an early early bird - But if you're a worm, sleep late. --Shel Silverstein

Starting 198 projects at once is what we expected when buying a house. We got a deal, so with a deal, usually comes a great deal of work. Work we were expecting and excited for, but "work" being the operative word. Work one of us needs the skill, muscle and knowledge for. I'll tell you the "one of us," was not me!

There will be many posts about the changes in the house since last summer, I can't believe the changes in just 8 months. However, the biggest and most challenging project was the bedroom. When we moved in, the house didn't seem to have a bedroom. The room the previous owner slept in what I call the dining room. It is the only path to the single bathroom and it is directly off the kitchen.

The upstairs, which would become our bedroom, was more like an unfinished attic. I don't have any real "before" pictures because my dad ripped the particle board wall downs so fast I never got my camera up there, and by camera I mean iPhone. (New goal-take more real pictures). So once my dad ripped the walls down in a record 12 minutes, I snapped some phone pictures.

This was taken around September. My goal was Thanksgiving. Although we did not reach the goal, I am excited to say it is finally done and lived in for a few weeks now! We had some help from a few talented family members (thankyouthankyouthankyou), a lot of late nights and countless trips to Lowes.

While this was being done. We pulled out a mattress and each night and slept first on the dining room floor, sometimes on the living room floor. We lived out of bins of clothing. Packed every closet in the house with clothes and normal bedroom clutter. Not the worst things ever, but I was happy when I walked upstairs to see this...

Add some furniture-and viola! Feels like magic now, but would like have this post to be reminded to appreciate the hard work and everyone that helped!

So I have an old car. Its the biggest love-hate relationship I've ever known. I love my 96 Nissan Sentra with peeling maroon paint, no gas tank cover, full of dirt and junk, because it was seriously only $300. That's what my dad told me anyway. You see, my dad is the biggest "Let's Make a Deal" type out there. I (along with all of my family) have heard him on the phone offering to do this job, add $200, and throw in a used tool for something that was once listed at $1500. His most famous quote is "I'll give you $2,000 and a boat!" Dad-what if they don't want a broken down old boat that's been in our yard for three years? His usual response is a shrug and an eye brow lift. So somehow he managed to find me this great car and only asked me to give him $300. Instantly in love with this car.

So I love it for its true deal. I hate it because it is an eye sore, the paint is peeling, the wheel shakes when I drive it, the bumper is falling off and it recently broke. Or I broke it. Or the snow (who I am one of its only fans) that was not plowed in all the cities I drove in scraped the bottom of my car and broke it. Either way it broke and it was embarrassing. I left this group I JUST joined, a Biggest Loser Group to be exact. I'm sure I'll be writing about that soon. I leave this group where I Just met some great people, and did a really hard work out. Feeling great about myself I thank everyone for their support, get in my car and start it and it sounds like a tractor pull. You know-you go to the local county fair, you can't hear yourself think because a tractor is pulling a bagilliion pound something or other. My little, tiny Nissan Sentra sounds like a tractor pull and the lovely people in front of the building can't continue their conversation because my car is violating their ear drums.

Just pull away, don't make eye contact and get the heck out of here.

Oh sh*** it gets way louder when I hit the gas, everyone is staring just drive.

So on the way home I convince myself I am going to drop this car off, get changed and go buy myself a new car. I balance numbers, checkbooks, square roots, budgets, wedding money, bills, dollar signs, taxes, insurance all on my 8 minute drive home. So much thinking I suddenly can't hear my car. Until I see my supportive fiance's face when he hears it. Then I remember it still sounds like a tractor pull. And I made up a bunch of numbers that are really not realistic.

Fast forward-my dad who can always bring me back to earth reminds me I still have many miles and not enough money for a car.

Fast forward again-At the third parts store my tears soaked eyes are screaming at that supportive fiance of mine to just order the stupid part and I will find a way to work and life until the part comes in SEVEN DAYS. SEVEN DAYS!? Forget it I'll buy a new car.

It is now two days later. Just not only finished installing his power steering pump (did my selfish rambling forget to mention his truck was broken too?). But he then took the entire morning to MAKE A PART for my car. Not just install a part, but he made the entire pipe. How does he manage this?!

I cleaned and organized in pure frustration, he MADE A CAR PART. All in all, I'd say that's a damn good team!

"Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be." ~ Robert Browning

So far we know I love photos and memories, and he proposed. That leads me to the next story...the proposal.

Our "anniversary" is on New Years Eve because that is when I met his family and we went out together as a couple. We totally made it up. We had been dating before that, but we just never realized we were actually dating. Makes sense right? Each New Years Eve we celebrate the New Year, not our anniversary. It is so close to holidays and other celebrations that gifts and dinners and all are just too overwhelming.

So when he came upstairs (after not sleeping the entire night before) that morning with a gift bag, of course I asked him what it was for. We don't celebrate our anniversary, but I'm not giving this gift back.

This is a photo album that has been sitting under our coffee table in the "to be completed" section of our mind. Ok, interesting "gift."

But then I opened the first page...

wow! pictures of the first day we met!? I can't believe you found these.

I either said or thought that, its all a blur.

aw some new years eve pictures and a card, impressive.

ahhh you matched tickets and pictures?! tears, tears, tears.

(I still have no idea he is proposing at this point)

Ok here come the waterworks, and smile, and laughter and tears.

What, are you serious? Where did you get that ring?! What made you think to do all this?! Do you know how perfect of an idea this is?!

oh marry you....yes of course!

"blogging is pure vanity" -unkown

Last year at college. President of Programming. Thursdays at McFaddens. Brewed Awakenings shifts at 4am. Saturdays at McFaddens. Weekends serving at Chelo's. Staying at New Hall. Montreal trips. Parties in Gansett. I was loving life, and it only got better.

I wish I had a blog back then to remember that old guy that everyone wants to dance with at McFaddens. To be able to look back on the hours put into college work to remember how hard I've worked to ensure a somewhat happy future. To laugh at a ridiculous post of me and Keri pulling furniture into her small dorm room only for me to sleep on the floor after dropping my toothbrush in the toilet. To remember those late night, after the bar, taxi drive and taco bell chats. To remember the emotion put into the 6 months of trying to buy my house. Then again, no one could ever write everything down.

I know everyone does not feel this way. I have a strange need to want to remember every little detail of life. I seem to give a lot of "memory" gifts of photo albums, picture frames or video slide shows. That's why he proposed the perfect way (that will be its own post). And that's why I've always wanted a blog....for myself.

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