Well, it's been almost a year. This time last year, I was actually pretty relaxed. Everything was pretty much done and I was just waiting!I was 2 days away from the rehearsal dinner and 3 days from the wedding. I soooo wish I could do it again. I loved it so much more this time around. I did things exactly how I wanted, regardless of what anyone else thought or what I "should" have done.
Also this time last year, we were getting ready for a trip to Jamaica. We were going to go to Jamaica again this year, but the economy kept us from going, and the 3-4 other couples cancelled as well. I'm ok with that. I LOVED Jamaica, but if I'm going to travel out of the country, I'd like to go somewhere I haven't been. Instead, we took the money we had put down as a deposit and got the entire trip to Vegas instead. Tony's never been, so I'm excited to share that with him. We paid for it awhile back, thankfully, because otherwise, we probably wouldn't be going. We are hoping to rent a car while we are there and just ride around- I want to show him Red Rock Canyon and Hoover Dam and a few things to see other than the casinos.
It's been a year of ups and downs, but I'd marry that man all over again. He makes me very happy and I love the family we've made together. I'm sure we have many adventures ahead.
My Happy Lil Family
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
A few notes on a few Richmond sites...
So, the other night, my friend and I decide to have a girls night out. It was quite eventful, and speaks volumes to some of the reasons why Shockoe Bottom is nosediving. At the end of the night, i was chatting with one of the bartenders, and telling him my comments, and at his suggestion, I'm putting it out there in blog form!
We started our night right here by our houses. Except for the good ol Riverbound Cafe, there really isn't anywhere to go. And as great as RBC is, they aren't known for their happy hours. It's really a more family kind of place. So, we decided to venture downtown.
We started at The Hard Shell. Great place to start because they validate parking and parking is a major issue down there. We had a glass of wine and a few appetizers. Everything was amazing, except for the service was a little.....hmmmm..... unpersonable? The guy was there to take our order, write it down, turn it in, and deliver it. That was it. No small talk. No witty comments.
We left and headed up to Tobacco Company. YUCK. Cheesy music playing (live) and smoke so thick you can't breathe. And it's still early. I can only imagine what it would have been like later. Seriously, I know it's the "tobacco" company, but that doesn't mean the place has to smell like an ashtray. We were in, and out, and never sat down.
Walk back down the cobblestones to Cha Cha's Cantina. I've been here many times and always had fun, but I haven't been there in a year or so. We go in and instantly feel like we are in Mexico, but not in a good way. Either the AC was broken, or they were seriously going for the Mexican feel. It was soooo hot. We decided to sit at the bar and have a drink, just to cool down from the walk from Tobacco. Granted, I know we were at a Mexican place, so we probably should have had tequila/margaritas, or a Corona, but we wanted wine. They had it on the menu, so figured we should be safe. We both order a Pinot Grigio, and as I take my 2nd sip, I see that there is some nasty dried brown stuff all over the stem and base of the glass. I'm guessing it was refried beans??? vomit. I point it out to the bartender chick, and she says "Oh it's just from hitting the sdfih asdf (don't know what that word was)... and it's fine". Fine for you maybe. I'm not drinking out of that. So, I tell her I don't want it, and she says ok, and hands us the check. The check?! Are you kidding me? Despite feeling like I definitely shouldn't pay for that, we do, and we leave.
We go next to Stool Pigeons. Another place I really used to like. We walk in, lots of AC going, and have a seat at the bar under their really cool fans. We even tell the bartender what just happened. We order Pinot again, and ask him if we can just get a bottle. He pours one glass, and goes off to ask if he can sell us a bottle. Apparently this is not a place where people order bottles as opposed to glasses. While he's gone, I go to take a sip of wine, and smell cheeseburgers. I pause and look around to see if the people around me ordered cheeseburgers, but there is no one around! I put the glass back up to my lips and again smell cheeseburgers. I quickly realized it is the wine, but for some reason, took a sip anyway. If my manners were not what they are, I would have spit it back in the glass. It was sooo disgusting. I swallowed it, just as my friend was taking her glass to her lips. I didn't stop her in time, and she just about got sick. Who knows how long this wine had been open, but lets just say it had taken in just about every food smell possible. About this time, the bartender comes back to tell us he can sell us the bottle, to which he ends up saying to our backs as we walk out. It was so disgusting, and I am not sure I can ever step foot in there. What kind of bar manager doesn't keep an eye on things like that?
We decide that we are going back to Hard Shell, but before we do, decide to try one last place, The Lucky Buddha. I'm so glad we did. Not only was the food great, but the wine was freshly opened for us to sample. The bartender (Jimmy) was full of personality and took care of us all night, even as the restaurant turned into a club, complete with an awesome dj. We spent the evening chatting and having a great time. I highly recommend this place if you are into that type of food. (Sushi, asian, etc)
It will be awhile before another girls night, but we'll likely end up there again!
We started our night right here by our houses. Except for the good ol Riverbound Cafe, there really isn't anywhere to go. And as great as RBC is, they aren't known for their happy hours. It's really a more family kind of place. So, we decided to venture downtown.
We started at The Hard Shell. Great place to start because they validate parking and parking is a major issue down there. We had a glass of wine and a few appetizers. Everything was amazing, except for the service was a little.....hmmmm..... unpersonable? The guy was there to take our order, write it down, turn it in, and deliver it. That was it. No small talk. No witty comments.
We left and headed up to Tobacco Company. YUCK. Cheesy music playing (live) and smoke so thick you can't breathe. And it's still early. I can only imagine what it would have been like later. Seriously, I know it's the "tobacco" company, but that doesn't mean the place has to smell like an ashtray. We were in, and out, and never sat down.
Walk back down the cobblestones to Cha Cha's Cantina. I've been here many times and always had fun, but I haven't been there in a year or so. We go in and instantly feel like we are in Mexico, but not in a good way. Either the AC was broken, or they were seriously going for the Mexican feel. It was soooo hot. We decided to sit at the bar and have a drink, just to cool down from the walk from Tobacco. Granted, I know we were at a Mexican place, so we probably should have had tequila/margaritas, or a Corona, but we wanted wine. They had it on the menu, so figured we should be safe. We both order a Pinot Grigio, and as I take my 2nd sip, I see that there is some nasty dried brown stuff all over the stem and base of the glass. I'm guessing it was refried beans??? vomit. I point it out to the bartender chick, and she says "Oh it's just from hitting the sdfih asdf (don't know what that word was)... and it's fine". Fine for you maybe. I'm not drinking out of that. So, I tell her I don't want it, and she says ok, and hands us the check. The check?! Are you kidding me? Despite feeling like I definitely shouldn't pay for that, we do, and we leave.
We go next to Stool Pigeons. Another place I really used to like. We walk in, lots of AC going, and have a seat at the bar under their really cool fans. We even tell the bartender what just happened. We order Pinot again, and ask him if we can just get a bottle. He pours one glass, and goes off to ask if he can sell us a bottle. Apparently this is not a place where people order bottles as opposed to glasses. While he's gone, I go to take a sip of wine, and smell cheeseburgers. I pause and look around to see if the people around me ordered cheeseburgers, but there is no one around! I put the glass back up to my lips and again smell cheeseburgers. I quickly realized it is the wine, but for some reason, took a sip anyway. If my manners were not what they are, I would have spit it back in the glass. It was sooo disgusting. I swallowed it, just as my friend was taking her glass to her lips. I didn't stop her in time, and she just about got sick. Who knows how long this wine had been open, but lets just say it had taken in just about every food smell possible. About this time, the bartender comes back to tell us he can sell us the bottle, to which he ends up saying to our backs as we walk out. It was so disgusting, and I am not sure I can ever step foot in there. What kind of bar manager doesn't keep an eye on things like that?
We decide that we are going back to Hard Shell, but before we do, decide to try one last place, The Lucky Buddha. I'm so glad we did. Not only was the food great, but the wine was freshly opened for us to sample. The bartender (Jimmy) was full of personality and took care of us all night, even as the restaurant turned into a club, complete with an awesome dj. We spent the evening chatting and having a great time. I highly recommend this place if you are into that type of food. (Sushi, asian, etc)
It will be awhile before another girls night, but we'll likely end up there again!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
I'm so not ready....
My son asked a girl to go to Busch Gardens with us tomorrow. I'm so not ready!!!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
My Orlando Trip
So, I'm home. I'm soooo glad to be home. I feel like Dorothy..."There's no place like home".
When I travel, I always try to picture myself living in that place. Look at some neighborhoods. Check out teacher salaries. That kind of thing. When we went to Chicago, I decided I could live there, but it's way too cold. I may be able to get over that though. Savannah? Could definitely live there. Valencia, CA? Loved it. Waikiki? We both seriously loved it and were ready to move. But Orlando? No offense to anyone that lives there, but there is NO WAY I could live there. It was tooooo hot, too humid, too rainy. The people outside of Disney were not that nice. Traffic was horrible. I kept trying, really hard, to find something awesome about it, and I just couldn't! And the huge monopoly Disney seems to have on everything really started to bug me. I couldn't even find a Starbucks in the immediate area.
Anyway, the conference was AWESOME and I learned so much. I can't wait to put it to practice. I am soooo thankful for the award that I won that let me go!
I met a very interesting girl while there named Stephanie, and got to see first hand, how foolish some people look when they are toasted. She tried to pay her bar tab 3 times and the cute bartender (Marco) was super sweet when explaining that she had already paid it, and tried to pay it again multiple times. She was totally sloshed and it was so hilarious. It's not nearly as funny typing it as it was experiencing it.
My family joined me on Thursday and I was sooooo ready for them to come. I had been there since Sunday night by myself. As much as I enjoyed the book I read at night and the "me" time, it was kinda boring after a few days. I watched a lot of "judge" shows (People's court, Judy Judy, etc) which I LOVE. LOL I spent my evenings having dinner at the bar with my book in hand, and I did a lot of shopping for Kagan stuff, which I'm anxiously awaiting the delivery of. (My award also paid for all of this- even better- shopping with someone else's money!) Sadly, i was ready again for some "me" time by the time we got home. I know this doesn't make me mother of the year, but I lost that title 11 years ago, so I'm good! :-)
When I travel, I always try to picture myself living in that place. Look at some neighborhoods. Check out teacher salaries. That kind of thing. When we went to Chicago, I decided I could live there, but it's way too cold. I may be able to get over that though. Savannah? Could definitely live there. Valencia, CA? Loved it. Waikiki? We both seriously loved it and were ready to move. But Orlando? No offense to anyone that lives there, but there is NO WAY I could live there. It was tooooo hot, too humid, too rainy. The people outside of Disney were not that nice. Traffic was horrible. I kept trying, really hard, to find something awesome about it, and I just couldn't! And the huge monopoly Disney seems to have on everything really started to bug me. I couldn't even find a Starbucks in the immediate area.
Anyway, the conference was AWESOME and I learned so much. I can't wait to put it to practice. I am soooo thankful for the award that I won that let me go!
I met a very interesting girl while there named Stephanie, and got to see first hand, how foolish some people look when they are toasted. She tried to pay her bar tab 3 times and the cute bartender (Marco) was super sweet when explaining that she had already paid it, and tried to pay it again multiple times. She was totally sloshed and it was so hilarious. It's not nearly as funny typing it as it was experiencing it.
My family joined me on Thursday and I was sooooo ready for them to come. I had been there since Sunday night by myself. As much as I enjoyed the book I read at night and the "me" time, it was kinda boring after a few days. I watched a lot of "judge" shows (People's court, Judy Judy, etc) which I LOVE. LOL I spent my evenings having dinner at the bar with my book in hand, and I did a lot of shopping for Kagan stuff, which I'm anxiously awaiting the delivery of. (My award also paid for all of this- even better- shopping with someone else's money!) Sadly, i was ready again for some "me" time by the time we got home. I know this doesn't make me mother of the year, but I lost that title 11 years ago, so I'm good! :-)
Friday, July 3, 2009
Shopping
I thought I'd write about something MUCH lighter today. :-)
I've been gearing up for this trip to Orlando for awhile now, and realized early on that I have NO shorts. Since I gained this extra 20 lbs or so over the last few years, I just stopped wearing them. I'll wear capris or skirts but shorts just look hideous on me. They are either too short or too expensive or just don't look good on me. Well, I realized I can't go to Orlando with no shorts. Thankfully, my friend Jenny brought over a bag of clothes she didn't want anymore and there were two pairs of shorts in there that actually fit me, and I didn't hate them! (Thanks Jenny!!!) So, this led me to go out and try to find some.
I went to Williamsburg the other day and looked at the outlets and didn't find a single pair. Tried Target. Nothing. I saw a sign in Old Navy's window, so went in there, and found 3 pairs for $10 each! SCORE! I NEVER shop there because the last time I did, nothing fit me right, but this time, they worked out! Must be that extra 20 pounds. So, at least I have 4-5 pairs to take with me.
I'm so ready to go! I feel bad, but I'm excited to be alone! I love my kids and husband SOOOOOOO much, but I have to admit that the thought of sitting by the pool with a book and drink, all by myself, for as long as I want, sounds heavenly. Granted, I have to get through a day of class before I can get outside, but I'm just so excited. Pangs of guilt enter my mind now and then, but I have managed to brush them away. The kids will be at my dad's having a blast, and I know my husband is looking forward to being a bachelor for a week- xbox, takeout, and sitting around in his underwear. :-)
I've been gearing up for this trip to Orlando for awhile now, and realized early on that I have NO shorts. Since I gained this extra 20 lbs or so over the last few years, I just stopped wearing them. I'll wear capris or skirts but shorts just look hideous on me. They are either too short or too expensive or just don't look good on me. Well, I realized I can't go to Orlando with no shorts. Thankfully, my friend Jenny brought over a bag of clothes she didn't want anymore and there were two pairs of shorts in there that actually fit me, and I didn't hate them! (Thanks Jenny!!!) So, this led me to go out and try to find some.
I went to Williamsburg the other day and looked at the outlets and didn't find a single pair. Tried Target. Nothing. I saw a sign in Old Navy's window, so went in there, and found 3 pairs for $10 each! SCORE! I NEVER shop there because the last time I did, nothing fit me right, but this time, they worked out! Must be that extra 20 pounds. So, at least I have 4-5 pairs to take with me.
I'm so ready to go! I feel bad, but I'm excited to be alone! I love my kids and husband SOOOOOOO much, but I have to admit that the thought of sitting by the pool with a book and drink, all by myself, for as long as I want, sounds heavenly. Granted, I have to get through a day of class before I can get outside, but I'm just so excited. Pangs of guilt enter my mind now and then, but I have managed to brush them away. The kids will be at my dad's having a blast, and I know my husband is looking forward to being a bachelor for a week- xbox, takeout, and sitting around in his underwear. :-)
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Judging
I rarely (if ever) toot my own horn. It's just not something I do. I love nice things, probably to a fault, and love being a woman, but seriously put my family and friends before myself. But, in the last few days, I have realized something about myself that I am very proud of. I have realized that I am not judgemental of people that I don't know or know anything about. I don't criticize people for their life choices, etc.
This Michael Jackson stuff has really thrown me for a loop. I had NO idea that there were so many people out there that think they are really "in the know" about his life. I mean, I was a fan of him my entire life, and I would NEVER go on the record to say "he was innocent" or "he was guilty". Never. Why? Because the media is not a reliable source of information, and money makes people do some very strange things. It boggles my mind that people are so convinced to the point of judging the man. Wishing a dead person to "rot in hell" for something that he may or may not have done. He may very well have abused some children. Maybe he didn't. I don't know, and will never know, so why spend time being negative and spewing hate? I'd rather focus on his music, and how it makes me feel happy, and the laughter that ensues when my husband imitates his dancing, and my kids newfound excitement over the music that I enjoyed at their age. It makes me much happier than the alternative.
Anyway, it makes me happy that despite some of the things that my parents did wrong with me, they managed to raise a person that is an independent thinker and open-minded, and non-judgemental. Maybe it's because I'm so imperfect myself. I just can't bring myself to assume I know all the facts about a person's private life. I guess I can cast those stones when I get myself sin-free.
This Michael Jackson stuff has really thrown me for a loop. I had NO idea that there were so many people out there that think they are really "in the know" about his life. I mean, I was a fan of him my entire life, and I would NEVER go on the record to say "he was innocent" or "he was guilty". Never. Why? Because the media is not a reliable source of information, and money makes people do some very strange things. It boggles my mind that people are so convinced to the point of judging the man. Wishing a dead person to "rot in hell" for something that he may or may not have done. He may very well have abused some children. Maybe he didn't. I don't know, and will never know, so why spend time being negative and spewing hate? I'd rather focus on his music, and how it makes me feel happy, and the laughter that ensues when my husband imitates his dancing, and my kids newfound excitement over the music that I enjoyed at their age. It makes me much happier than the alternative.
Anyway, it makes me happy that despite some of the things that my parents did wrong with me, they managed to raise a person that is an independent thinker and open-minded, and non-judgemental. Maybe it's because I'm so imperfect myself. I just can't bring myself to assume I know all the facts about a person's private life. I guess I can cast those stones when I get myself sin-free.
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