Tis the season..

for me to be slacking on my blog! Seriously.. its been over a month. I suck.

Oh well, anyways, on to the random updates! Derek's kicking ass in school. He aced both classes last term and has been doing just as well in this current one. Work has been surprisingly busy lately. I have a 2 day tax seminar in Louisville this week.. not really looking forward to that!

We are doing Secret Santas at work and we reveal tomorrow. Never really sure who reads this so I'm not saying who I have until after tomorrow! haha

Christmas is right around the corner.. it doesn't even feel like it should be the end of this year yet. It has gone by sooo fast! I've gotten the majority of my shopping done; I just need to grab a couple more things for Derek and girl-Charlie. We are going to the Transiberian Orchestra concert this Friday with Jim and Charlie.. should be fun! We also have to take Josie to the vet for her vaccines and a teeth cleaning which will NOT be fun!

Lets see.. what else? We're having a New Year's Eve party for those who have nothing planned yet. Nothing extravagent; just us sitting around the house playing random board/card games and "feeling merry" (code word for ingesting undetermined amounts of alcohol). We have couches and plenty of floor space for crashing.

Um, I think that's about it for me. Nothing really exciting, I know. Maybe the new year will bring better stories for blogging?!?

Until next time.. Ciao!

BlahBlahBlah

so.. not much has really been going on. Sarah & Smiley got married. Halloween has come and gone. Got a root canal last friday. Getting my wisdom teeth out this Friday. Guess I'm just a glutton for punishment this month!

Have been really lazy with my reading and pretty much everything else. Our house is a complete mess, but I did go through about 4-5000 pictures and sorted them by year and put them in picture boxes. That took practically a whole day lol. But I am hoping to eventually make scrapbooks so we'll see. I need money to order supplies and money isn't a hot commodity these days especially when you have shitty medical insurance that doesn't cover crap! I need to get some storage tubs too. We have boxes and boxes under our stairs and in closets and I want to go through them and start pitching things or storing them properly.

The only real exciting thing that has happened recently is we booked the Eurotrip. We will be gone Sept 10-25, 2010 and we'll be going to London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague & Rome. And it works out that we will be in Rome on my birthday and I am beyond thrilled :)

Me and Derek have been talking about taking a weekend trip for our anniversary and are thinking about Memphis. If any of you have any other ideas, please share. We are looking to stay in driving distance (6 hrs or less) with plenty of stuff to do but that isnt too touristy.

Oh well. That's it. My tooth is hurting like a mother right now.

Ciao.

Such a Masochistic Couple..

me and Derek are. We are on Day 5 of quitting smoking. Have been taking the Chantix for 12 days now.. I can't even begin to explain how I've been feeling. I know its really hard for non-smokers to understand but quitting smoking really sucks. It is such a damn rollercoaster of emotions and just like any other addiction it takes almost everything in you to truly succeed.

One minute I am all gung-ho and happy we have made this decision. 5 minutes later I am cursing myself for being so stupid because I love to smoke. I enjoy smoking. Don't ask me why really but I just do; it has been a part of me for 10 years now. So its almost like I feel like I'm losing part of myself. All of the little habits that I'm having to break is torture: no more smoke breaks with Sarah, no more smoke breaks with Derek to discuss our day, no more smoking in the cars, at restaurants, when inibriated.. etc. Its those times that really make you question whether it is worth it. I know the money and better health itself is way more than worth it but that little part of me almost doesn't care just so I am happy. We almost threw in the towel last night. We were so frustrated for the reasons I've just listed above and just lit up. After about 3 nasty draws I just shook my head and said "we are so f'in rediculous" so after a weak moment we are back on track but I am just really doubting our ability to quit for good which is both frustrating and completely sad. As a smoker, it is also that feeling of failure that I fear. I hated telling people that I was quitting because if I were to start smoking again they all give you that look of disappointment that I can't stand.

On top of all that, most people will tell you to keep yourself busy but fellow Chantix users will know what I mean when I say that you don't feel like doing much of anything! All I want to do is sleep.. partly because the meds make you a little depressed/crazy but mostly because it takes my mind off of not trying to smoke. And with my husband and best friend going through the same thing, our house has been a little crazy. One minute we're laughing together and the next we're crying. Like I said, it is pure torture. I keep praying that it will all pass and that we will be thankful and appreciate these weeks of hell but I'm just having some serious doubts right now..

Ciao.

Sisters (Ladies please read!)

so I've been doing a lot of reading, esp chick lit and I've realized that many of the authors are just your normal people who decided to write as a hobby or just as a fluke and it turned into something more. When I was younger, I always enjoyed writing stories, esp murder mysteries and about different family relationships (usually mother/daughter). Somehow I got out of the habit but find myself really wanting to write again.

So ladies.. I really need your help. I want to write a book (possibly 2) about sisters. If you have a sister, you will know what I mean when I say you can't easily describe the relationship with your sister. I am extremely fascinated by this love/hate dynamic that binds 2 women together for life. No matter how mad I get at my sister, I love her so dearly and could not imagine life without her. I am sooo curious to know how sisters relate to each other and what they really think of each other day to day.

So how can you help? Well, I think that older sisters look at younger sisters in a certain light and vice versa. I want to see if there are patterns. I have created a survey of 10 questions about you and your sister.. I promise on my life that I will not share anything with anybody. This is strictly for research purposes and I am dead serious about this. I feel a little embarassed but I have this sudden momentum to do something I've always enjoyed and would really appreciate the help. I would love love love to have some middle sisters' opinions about both their sisters as well!!! Please contact me (either email or shoot me a message on FB of Myspace) to get the survey (I want to make this as private as possible)

Sidenote: This weekend should be a blast. Girls Night tonight. Derek's parents tomorrow and party at the house tomorrow night. Trey's football game and my parents Sun night. Full of birthday cake and presents. Life doesn't get much better :)

Until next time.. Ciao!

Looking Forward

Well, as some of you know, I've been going through a lot at work. I won't go into the issues on here but things started getting strained and tense when I started studying for the CPA exam. Once I passed, it just seemed like things were continually going downhill. Now, I'm the kind of person to let the little things go.. but they don't go competely, they get stored in this memory bank. So when 10-20 of these little things get added up in that same memory bank, I can't take it anymore and I tend to "explode". Which usually means I cry a lot and then feel bad for even bringing it up.. well, this happened a few weeks ago with my grandfather. So, needless to say the office has been this giant eggshell ever since. Well, I finally decided to talk to my doctor about things to see if I needed to go on any kind of anxiety or depression medication since I find myself getting so agitated and upset over all of this stuff. So, he actually sat there and talked to me for a good half hour about what's been going on and how I've reacted to everything. I've never had a doctor take the time to actual sit and listen to me. It was a pleasant experience. As a professional working in a similar partnership, he gave me some very useful advice. He did not put me on any meds, but suggested that I talk to a counselor or therapist just to have an outlet for when I do get upset with someone from work. Long story short, I am going to try my best to just look forward and not worry about this petty shit at work. I didn't study my ass off to just throw it all away on stupid drama! (He also gave me Chantix to help me quit smoking.. mine and Derek's goal date is after my birthday)

Anyways, besides all that crap, me and Derek had a pretty fantastic weekend. We finally cleaned our computer room, which has been put off for months; we saw some movies, ate some good food, enjoyed having our friends over at the house and caught up on some tv and laundry. It was wonderful! I love my husband and I love my family and friends dearly. Now, I just need to focus on making my job a pleasant experience as well. Wish me luck on that! haha

Until next time.. Ciao!

Eurotrip and Random Thoughts

so over the weekend, we decided that it would be a blast to take a Eurotrip with Gweed and Nikki. After a few texts and phone calls, we are officially going to Europe next September. Where? Pfph! Definitely Rome and Amsterdam but among the maybes are London, Paris, Berlin, and Prague. I would personally love to visit Prague but we'll see. I've looked up several tours and how much it would cost to go on our own.. yep more than I expected. We went to Italy in August of 08 which is their slow season so everything was cheap whereas September is one of the peak months, go figure.

I have really come to despise Tuesdays, mainly because of work. Derek scheduled classes last night; he is taking 2 on mon and wed nights. Still working on changing my name on things, which sucks big ones.

The weather has been all over the place; I have a feeling Fall is going to come early this year. Fall is always a bittersweet season for me. My birthday is the 2nd day of Fall and I love Halloween and all of the leaves changing; being able to wear hoodies with shorts. Its awesome. But I always find myself questioning my life and the who's and what's involved (basically I become this weird introvert). I find that one of my biggest personality flaws is that I spend too much time evaluating friendships and situations, instead of just enjoying them while they last. While the realization has helped; every Fall I still find myself doing it. Why Fall? I have no f'in clue except that maybe I have these unrealistic expectations about birthdays and holidays. Or maybe its because its the biggest fashion season of the year and I can't afford to buy any of the goods! (joke!) But seriously, all of my mags this month have been HUGE and filled with some gorgeous shit. I vow to myself and God that one day I will own a de la Renta! (not a joke ;)

Anyways, two month anniversary is tomorrow. Woohoo! Married life is still fantastic and my husband is beyond wonderful. How did I get so lucky?

Until next time.. Ciao!

News

Hmm.. lets see. Derek got accepted to Cinci State for Diagnostic Medical Sonography: Cardiovascular. He goes next week to meet with his advisor and classes start Sep 8. That will take awhile to get used to!

Been reading again. Have finished the Sookie Stackhouse series up to date. Love them! Can't wait til the next one. Been watching True Blood. Not as good as the books, but very entertaining. Eric is scrumptious in both ;)

Just finished Stephenie Meyer's The Host. It took awhile to get into it but she succeeded again. It was a very interesting story, to say the least.

Goal is to send out the thank you's by Friday. I'm sick of looking at them. Pictures are fantastic. No word on the video yet. Work has been a little stressful lately.. just some issues that have been going unresolved for awhile now and I can't deal with that anymore. So we'll see what happens there. Married life is great. And no we are not planning on having kids. Anytime soon. So stop asking!

Uhhh.. yep thats all for now. Ciao!

Wedding Vendors

I would HIGHLY recommend all of these except the alterations. We were not very pleased with the results and I will explain below.

Church: All Saints in Walton, KY
Priest: Father Mike Comer from IHM in Burlington-- was very understanding w us
Reception: Receptions South-- such a great deal.. seriously!
Flowers: The Secret Garden--extremely reasonable!
Musicians: Pro-Art Music
Vocalist: Nancy James
My dress, MOB dress, MOG dress: Fabulous Bridal
Bridesmaid Dresses, my veil and tiara: Wendy's Bridal
My shoes, girls' shoes, and my purse: David's Bridal
My jewelry: VintageBridalJewelry.com
Hair: Cloud 9 Salon
Makeup: Brideface (Nancy)-- this lady is amazing and makes you feel so beautiful!
Tuxes: Skeffingtons
Photographer: Steph Keller-- love this girl! Very reasonable and takes amazing pics!
Videographer: Jeff Harper Films
Invitations: Frills & Forever-- is very flexible and gave us exactly what we wanted.
Day-of Coordinator: Your Wedding by Jen-- awesome gal! she put up w me at my worst!
Cake: Patricia's-- very very yummy!
DJ: Entertain Cincy (Chris Frodge)--he was very good but didn't play many of the songs we requested.
Limo: Motortoys-- great price and the ladies are so nice to work with!
Alterations: Debbie Palazzo-- ok here's the deal. She is a VERY nice lady and is pretty reasonable with her prices. But she is not very flexible and we felt that she rushed on all of our dresses when she had over 2 mos with all of them! And there were weight issues with a couple of us but she refused to take my dress in after I had lost 10 lbs, so my dress was a little big on me even when it was tied as tight as it could go. She refused to hem my slip so I had pulled it up to breasts (like Erkel!) and would still find myself tripping on it during pictures. The back of my mom's dress was not done right at all. She messed up the girls' straps (Nikki and Jessica's, Morgan's were fine) but overall it was just very sloppy work. I am going to talk to Wendy's about this since they highly recommended her. As I said above, it was nothing personal. Debbie is very friendly, but we were not happy with the results of her work.



If you guys need contact info or anything please let me know!

Married Life

is awesome! I didn't really think they would be much of a difference but something really "clicked" inside. I feel like all of the little things don't even matter anymore and while family and friends are hella important, my top priority is that me and my husband are happy. I haven't really blogged since before the wedding so I should say that our day was all I could ask for. I can't say it was perfect (because nothing ever is) but nothing major went wrong and the day was gorgeous. Everyone keeps saying how much fun they had which makes me happy. I am (im)patiently waiting for the pics and video since its hard to remember all that happened.

Jamaica was fine. Not great but not horrible. In hindsight, I wish we would have just gone back to Italy or maybe Hawaii or Florida. The beaches in Jamaica are nice, the resort was nice, the food and drinks were good. But I think the mood was just ruined when we got off the plane for this romantic honeymoon and the first thing we see is an overcast sky and impoverished living conditions. And I know every place has its bad areas but we felt like we were in a 3rd world country or something. Half of the buildings were incomplete or if they were they were in very bad condition. The people were overall very friendly but we had a bad experience at a craft market that sealed the deal. We will never go back to Jamaica. We've already discussed next year's vacation lol and have two real feasible options. We are major nerds and would love to go to Comi-Con next year which is San Diego so we might do that or.. my parents are talking about going to Florida. Which we haven't had a real family vacation in a few years so that would be nice as well. Who knows.. maybe we'll do both! I do know our goal is to go back to Europe the following year and try to make it to Japan before we have kids.

Derek applied to Cinci State last night. I am very excited for him! It is kinda weird to imagine Derek with a backpack and homework lol but I am very supportive and hope that this will help him find a promising job which will of course help us financially. Not that we're hurting now; we are extremely lucky with my job but I think in order to get the things we really want (traveling, Derek a new car, eventually a new house) that a career for Derek will help us to achieve those things.

Anyways, a lot of peeps have been asking what vendors I used for the wedding so I'm going to do a separate blog for that. Until next time.. Ciao!

3 more days

The clock is ticking. I just can't believe it is almost here. Everything is pretty much ready. I'm just waiting on the programs, table cards and seating board which I should be getting tomorrow. I meet with Steph Keller tomorrow for lunch and I should (fingers crossed!) have my timeline by then as well. I'm really hoping the rain reports for Thurs are bogus. Derek's parents are planning on having the rehearsal dinner outside with a tent and everything.

Anyways, my bachelorette party was FABULOUS! Everyone was wonderful, really. I had so much fun and I appreciate all of the fun gifts I got. Best of all I won some $$$ at the boat so that came in handy for the limo.

Um.. I started to pack for Jamaica. I think I need to do a load of laundry before I finish. My uncle is flying in from France today!!! Can't wait to see him :)

Until next time.. when I'm a Mrs!

10 More Days!

Its getting a little surreal at this point. In 10 days, I will be freaking married! Craziness!
So.. yea.. I have way too much on my mind to think or type anything coherent!

Seating Charts will be the death of me!

Seriously! I was up until almost 1 last night working on the stupid damn seating chart. Everyone trying to tell me who to sit with who and still being afraid that someone is going to get upset. But I'm to the point where I really don't give a shit. Its just for dinner and then you can move around and mingle all the fuck you want. GRRR.. my Bridezilla moment is just brewing under the surface I can feel it lol!

I mean for the most part I have been pretty passive during this whole planning process, but now, it just seems like there are certain people that are just really getting under my skin now and making me want to scream with everything they say. 16 more days.. Breathe.. 16 more days.. Wuussssaaaa!

Head Like a Hole

wow.. I didn't make a single post in the month of May! Things have been a little busy lately..
There are only 23 more days til the wedding! I can't believe it is so close. About everything is finalized. I go for my final fitting tomorrow and I meet with the DOC (Day-of Coordinator) Friday. I just want it to be here already!

We got our groomsmen gifts in yesterday as well as our toasting flutes and cake cutting set. Everything is looking good. Had a little bit of trauma with my hair trial but I switched salons and its all peachy keen. I finished the Night Watch series. The series as a whole I would say was pretty good, but I struggled with each book. I also just finished Angels and Demons. The first 100 pages were boring as hell but once you got past that, I liked it better than the Davinci Code. More action, more violence, and well I think it had a better mix of the science vs religion. I think we are going to go see the movie this weekend, but by the look of the trailers, I have a feeling I'm going to be disappointed.

Speaking of trailers.. the New Moon trailer was f'in AMAZING! I cannot wait until Nov 20th!
Jake's lookin good.. hehe!

Well, thats it in a nutshell.

Ciao!

Invitations are Mailed!

And there are only 59 days until the big day! Ahhh! I can't even believe it..

So its been awhile since I've updated so I'll give you the lowdown:
We joined Urban Active and have been working with a trainer who is totally kicking our asses!
I got my CPA license last Friday in Louisville. We spent the night at the Galt House. It was nice to get away even for just one night.
I've been doing a lot with the wedding lately. Invitations were mailed out today; I had my makeup trial Sunday. We meet with Receptions Friday. Honeymoon is all paid for. The shower is this Sunday! Its getting more exciting and scary with each day that passes!

I haven't been reading as much. I'm on the 3rd book of the NightWatch series: Twilight Watch. I've just had too much going on. But my grandpa just gave me Angels & Demons so after Twilight Watch and Last Watch, I can move on to that and then finally Twilight again! haha

Anywho, I don't really have much else to type so I'm gonna keep it short. Hopefully it won't be another month before I post again!

Until then.. Ciao!

The Last Saturday

of tax season! You have no idea how good it feels to say that. The big boss is letting us off for Holy Saturday lol (I have to laugh bc although I'm a partner, my grandpa still likes to feel that he is the one in control hehe)

Lets see.. whats been going on.. I started reading Day Watch. We're up to date on Nip/Tuck. I should be getting the invitations any day now. We got our wedding bands. Kitties are awesome. and my baby sister has her first boyfriend. Weird.. it makes me feel so old. Me and derek are going on a double date with them today at the movies (more like chaperoning if you ask me!) so that should be interesting. We have our last NFP class tomorrow, thank God. We get Jim's (Derek's dad) famous pizza tomorrow so yum!

On the 24th, I go to Louisville for a KY CPA banquet. I sent in my application for my license almost 2 months ago, so hopefully I will get my license that night! But its being held at the Galt House so me and Derek decided to get a room and chill in Louie for the night. Should be a nice little break from the routine. I have my makeup trial on the 26th.

That's really about it. We're pretty boring. Hope you all have been well!
Until next time.. Ciao!

One more month..

of tax season! It doesn't seem like much.. but boy this next month is going to feel like 3!

I finished Night Watch last week. Its an interesting book. It was written by a Russian psychologist and the story is about the age-old tale of good vs evil; light vs darkness. Its very interesting to see that they are not so different.. There are 3 more books in the series that I will get to at some point. I just feel a little burnt out right now and I'm really enjoying our Nip/Tuck craziness.

We've gotten a lot done regarding the wedding this past week. I had my first fitting which wasn't all that bad. She only has to take 3 inches off of the length. The only thing I really need to get still is jewelry. We picked up a proof of our invitations Saturday.. They look amazing! My cousin did such an amazing job.. They're at the Wedding Mall now in Covington. www.frillsandforever.com
so we're probably going to be ordering those in the next week..

The boys got fitted for tuxes yesterday.. that was fun! hahaha. But everything seems to be slowly coming together. Its only a little over 100 days away now.. SCARY! lol

My great aunt is having my shower for me on May 3rd and my bachelorette party is going to be June 20th. It should be a lot of fun! We're going to start out at my house and Jess is getting a pscyhic to come and do readings and we can just drink eat and chill for a bit and then later we are going to Belterra and gambling all of our money away! haha.. me and Jess are going to stay because I plan on getting tanked but any of you reading this if you would like to join, just let us know so we can get rooms for you too! I just can't wait for this all to be over with. Its so stressful and people offer to help but you feel like a bitch for asking for it (or you know they weren't really sincere) so you end up doing everything yourself anyway. And I just have that very bad feeling that we are going to end up paying for EVERYTHING. But lets not go there today..

this is a long one.. so I'm shutting the hell up!

Healing

Hey all,
Its been awhile.. just been busy with work. Derek and I have been watching a lot of Nip/Tuck lately. We bought the first 4 seasons.. we are almost done with the 2nd season. That show is completely f****ed up!
I'm about halfway through Night Watch. Its interesting but I think I'm a little burnt out on reading. Derek is already on the 4th Twilight book.. He's really enjoying them.

So anyways.. All Saints had a healing mass Tuesday night. I went per my grandparent's request. I'm not the biggest fan of church but I can't even begin to explain what happened when the priest came up to me. One look and I lost it! I had no idea why I was crying but I just had this strong feeling that something was wrong with me that I needed to fix. Well, Derek had a dream that night that there was something wrong too. And it finally hit me. Something had happened almost 4 years ago that I never told ANYONE. (And no don't expect me to tell you!) but it is something that Derek needed to know before marrying me. You can't imagine how terrified I was.. and I can't really say things are hunky dory but Derek is a wonderful man and we are working through it. So all in all, I think something or someone was trying to tell me that I needed to heal myself of this burden. Kinda weird.. but I feel relieved.

Anyways, we meet with Father Saturday and have our 2nd NFP class Sunday (woo hoo! lol)
That's all for now.
Until next time.. Ciao!

Another One Bites the Dust

so.. I have finally finished His Dark Materials Trilogy (Golden Compass). It was very interesting but I struggled to read them. It has a lot of religious undertones and many which I've already discussed either in my internal monologue or with friends and family. But still, to see it in print was quite interesting. I'm still wondering what my daemon would be.. I would like to think a cat ;)

So Derek is starting to read Twilight and I am going to read a series of books called Nightwatch, Daywatch and Twilightwatch. Derek really enjoyed them and swears that I will too so we'll see.

Work has been extremely busy.. some days I feel extremely accomplished; others I feel I'm lucky to have my sanity by the end of the day. You would be amazed at some of the people we deal with on a daily basis.

We're going to the Renaissance Auction at St. Henry tomorrow with Amanda and Zach. Should be fun.. I'm going shopping today after work. That is really about it.

Until next time.. Ciao!

Happy Valentine's Day!

So I haven't posted in awhile. Been extremely busy as you can imagine. I'm now on the 3rd book of the Golden Compass trilogy. Derek wants me to read the Nightwatch trilogy afterwards. No real change in the wedding plans beside the fact that its getting frighteningly closer! I feel like I have so much left to do! Oh wait, I lied, my bridal shower has a date now. So that's good.

Well I'm at work til noon then we have to take Mishka to the vet for more booster shots and then our plans for the day are to go see Push, eat some dinner, and go look and hopefully pick out our wedding bands. Hope you all have a good V-Day!

Books, Books, Books

so yea.. not much has really been going on. Tax season has started so longer hours have ensued. Still trying to adjust..

We've been kinda hermits lately.. I think the cold weather has had a hibernation effect on us. I have read all 4 of the Twilight books now. I cannot even begin to explain how wonderful these books are. I have a weird obsession of all things Twilight now and I honestly hope it stays for awhile.

So I've been trying to read The Golden Compass. I really liked the movie so I figured the book would be even better. It is good, but I think coming from Twilight, I'm just having a hard time getting into it. I bought Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles once I've completed the Dark Materials trilogy so I can get my vampire fix. I've heard of another vampire book called "Ashes". If anyone has read that, let me know how it is.

Anyways, the cats are getting along splendidly. Mishka had to get some vaccines this weekend but the vet says she is a very healthy kitten so that's good. Josie has embraced her role as big sis. Besides all that, the only thing we really did this weekend was watch all of the Harry Potter movies. I'm surprised I made it. I really enjoyed the 4th one and the 6th one looks really good. Its a shame we have to wait until the summer.

Well, I'm off for now. Ciao!

Meet Mishka

our new kitty! This picture does not do her eyes any justice.. they are the most beautiful blue you have ever seen! Her orignial name was Ebony but we wanted something a little more exotic since she is a Siamese/Ragdoll mix. She is soooo cute! She purrs like crazy. We introduced to Josie for only an hour last night. No blood was drawn so that's good. Just the expected growling and hissing. I think Josie is a bit jealous too which is to be expected but we are keeping Mishka in a separate room for now until they are comfortable around each other.

I've been reading the hell out of the Twilight series. I finished the second book in about 18 hours.. no kidding! I only took bathroom and food breaks, and went and saw the movie in between. I'm borrowing the last 2 from my mom today.. can't wait to read them! Its so sad.. but everyone else that I know that has read them feels the same way, but I still feel pathetic. I am so in love with Edward lol!

Well, that's all I feel like typing for now. Ciao!