Well, 2012, this will be our last chat. This year was full of the good, the bad and the ugly. I'm currently sitting on the couch in my sweat pants, as I do most New Year's Eves (because Danny has to work. Like he does every year. Because some jackwagon wants to get married on New Year's Eve. Sigh...If your anniversary is New Year's Eve, huzzah for you, but it sucks for the rest of us who(se loved ones) are making your day special. So tip well punks...). I swear 2013 is the year that I'm gonna get my shit together and party it up right at all appropriate times, like my birthday, Halloween and New Year's Eve. I know that everyone has all their things that they want to talk about from the past year and all the resolutions they're gonna make for next year and blabbity blabbity blah. Clearly, I'm in a bit of a melancholy mood.
I also wanna drop some knowledge about my 2012, but for the sake of my own sanity and so that I don't end up a weepy, quivering mess on the floor, each highlight gets 4 words or less. Aaaaaaaaaand here we go!
New York City!
Built (unused) dog bed
Girls weekend in Wisconsin
Quit job
New job
New tattoo for mom
Parents' 25th anniversary
First scrapbooking attempt
Indians game dugout suite
Inaugural ziplining trip
Got engaged
Mom's surprise 50th party
Finished (ish) the theater
Sand volleyball champions!
Fam visits from Cali
San Diego wedding trip
Moderately successful gardening
Gary died. Shit. Fuck.
New tattoo for Gary
Gary's funeral was AMAZING.
Lost 15 pounds
Found my wedding dress
First pro soccer game
Got new couch! Finally!!
Turned 30
Taco truck tour!
Prison haunted house
Adult footies
Bestie had a kid!
New niece!
Graphic design classes
Wedding plan plan plan
Selected as Date2Remember couple
Didn't win the powerball :-(
Ate great food
Made new friends
Sunday Dinner and Movie
Now, I'm sure there are things that I have forgotten. I have a terrible memory, so that's pretty much guaranteed. In order to remember some of these things, I took a trip down Adventures in Domesticating memory lane and I realized a few things: I REALLY like to be warm. And eat. And say the phrase "Eat/drink them shits up." And that I love fiercely, laugh often and keep on chuggin' along.
2012 has taught me much. I've lost a lot. I've gained a lot. There are things that I would do over again in a heartbeat and things that I wish never happened, but all I can do now accept my life as it has been, be excited about what it will be and say "See ya never 2012!"
Have a happy New Year! Danny and I will be here in front of the fire, watching the ball drop with our pups on the couch. Stay safe out there butterbeans :-)
Monday, December 31, 2012
Friday, December 21, 2012
Om Nom Nom...Cooper's Hawk Winery + Some Christmas (Self) Shopping Deals
Hey Friendsicles! Huzzah for not being apocalypsed!
So, this snow, right? Old Man Winter has been absent for the past 2 years and he's back with a vengeance today! Danny and I both got off work early today, so we decided to go out for dinner at a new place! This joint, Cooper's Hawk Winery, (which is a much bigger chain restaurant than I thought until just now, when I looked on their website) just opened at Easton last month. I'd been curious about it and Danny and I stopped in a few weeks ago, just to poke around the retail area. Huge pro: They give free samples as you walk in the door. The first time we went, the sample was a glorious sparkling almond wine (which was our wine of choice for dinner tonight). The sample today was a warm spiced winter white. I've never warm mulled white wine before, but I will damn sure be doing it again!
It's a HUUUUUUUUGE space! Ginormous downstairs dining room and a big upstairs balcony that overlooks part of the dining room and kitchen. It was great to be able to see all the action from upstairs. Lots of wood and warm browns, and a very relaxed, yet sophisticated vibe. Danny was happy that they had a good variety of music and even got a few old Stevie Wonder songs in there.
We had potstickers and crab cakes for appetizers. Both were pretty solid, and the sauces were outstanding! The crab cakes had a crunchy Asian slaw and a lemon mustard sauce...muah! The potstickers had the traditional ginger soy dipping sauce, but also some other yellow mustardy business. I liked it, but I was definitely more into the crab cakes. For the entrees, I had a braised short rib risotto. It was alright. I think it would have been better had I not had a bite of Danny's trio of medallions. There were three slices of filet mignon and each slice had a potato butter topping. I only tasted the horseradish one, but there were also bleu cheese and cheddar. So. Freaking. Good.
Dessert was cheesecake with strawberries. Nothing too special there. The service was great and I really just loved the ambiance. This would be a great Girl's Night Out location, and they have a private barrel dining room, which I LOVE! In all, Cooper's Hawk warms the cockles of my {girl who used to live in the Central Coast of California with 50 wineries and vineyards within 20 miles} heart.
Part 2: A few days ago, I got a coupon email from New York & Co., as I get most days. This one said EVERYTHING IS ON SALE! AND TAKE SOME EXTRA $$ OFF! AND ALL JEWELRY IS $5.99!
Whaaaaa? So of course I had to check it out. I braved Morse Road traffic. During rush hour. The week before Christmas. **I was initially trying to get to FedEx to pick up a package, and Easton was on the way(ish). That's a good reason, right?** If you've ever met me and had any sort of fashion conversation, you know that I have a love/hate relationship with my lower body and clothing. I love my curves, I hate that I can never find damn pants to fit.
Before I even made it to the jewelry, I had about a dozen items to try on (What can I say? It was a REALLY good sale!) and I actually found some stuff that fit! Even pants! In a size 8! Say whaaaaaaaaaat? $230 later, I walked out with 3 button down shirts, 2 sweaters, a puffer vest, a pair of work pants, a pair of skinny jeans, a keyhole turtleneck (I LOVE clothes with fun details, like unexpected cutouts), a sparkly shirt, 2 rings, 2 necklaces and a pair of earrings.
Hey, holiday shopping is stressful. I needed a little reprieve for myself to make it through!
So, this snow, right? Old Man Winter has been absent for the past 2 years and he's back with a vengeance today! Danny and I both got off work early today, so we decided to go out for dinner at a new place! This joint, Cooper's Hawk Winery, (which is a much bigger chain restaurant than I thought until just now, when I looked on their website) just opened at Easton last month. I'd been curious about it and Danny and I stopped in a few weeks ago, just to poke around the retail area. Huge pro: They give free samples as you walk in the door. The first time we went, the sample was a glorious sparkling almond wine (which was our wine of choice for dinner tonight). The sample today was a warm spiced winter white. I've never warm mulled white wine before, but I will damn sure be doing it again!
It's a HUUUUUUUUGE space! Ginormous downstairs dining room and a big upstairs balcony that overlooks part of the dining room and kitchen. It was great to be able to see all the action from upstairs. Lots of wood and warm browns, and a very relaxed, yet sophisticated vibe. Danny was happy that they had a good variety of music and even got a few old Stevie Wonder songs in there.
We had potstickers and crab cakes for appetizers. Both were pretty solid, and the sauces were outstanding! The crab cakes had a crunchy Asian slaw and a lemon mustard sauce...muah! The potstickers had the traditional ginger soy dipping sauce, but also some other yellow mustardy business. I liked it, but I was definitely more into the crab cakes. For the entrees, I had a braised short rib risotto. It was alright. I think it would have been better had I not had a bite of Danny's trio of medallions. There were three slices of filet mignon and each slice had a potato butter topping. I only tasted the horseradish one, but there were also bleu cheese and cheddar. So. Freaking. Good.
Dessert was cheesecake with strawberries. Nothing too special there. The service was great and I really just loved the ambiance. This would be a great Girl's Night Out location, and they have a private barrel dining room, which I LOVE! In all, Cooper's Hawk warms the cockles of my {girl who used to live in the Central Coast of California with 50 wineries and vineyards within 20 miles} heart.
Part 2: A few days ago, I got a coupon email from New York & Co., as I get most days. This one said EVERYTHING IS ON SALE! AND TAKE SOME EXTRA $$ OFF! AND ALL JEWELRY IS $5.99!
Whaaaaa? So of course I had to check it out. I braved Morse Road traffic. During rush hour. The week before Christmas. **I was initially trying to get to FedEx to pick up a package, and Easton was on the way(ish). That's a good reason, right?** If you've ever met me and had any sort of fashion conversation, you know that I have a love/hate relationship with my lower body and clothing. I love my curves, I hate that I can never find damn pants to fit.
Before I even made it to the jewelry, I had about a dozen items to try on (What can I say? It was a REALLY good sale!) and I actually found some stuff that fit! Even pants! In a size 8! Say whaaaaaaaaaat? $230 later, I walked out with 3 button down shirts, 2 sweaters, a puffer vest, a pair of work pants, a pair of skinny jeans, a keyhole turtleneck (I LOVE clothes with fun details, like unexpected cutouts), a sparkly shirt, 2 rings, 2 necklaces and a pair of earrings.
Hey, holiday shopping is stressful. I needed a little reprieve for myself to make it through!
 |
| Ooooh, shiny pretty! |
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Four Weddings? Nope, One is Enough for Me!
Today was a sick day for me. Took the day off work because I had some terrible things happening in my stomach all night, and as a consequence, I spent almost all day on the couch. A) Food poisoning (me) and/or the flu (Danny) is a dirty pirate hooker. We're both pretty much useless. I am so freaking sore all over, to the point that I can hardly move. It hurts to lay down, sit, stand, walk, pretty much anything is miserable. I've eaten half a cup of rice and 5 Frosted Mini Wheats and I am just cranky and exhausted.
To make things worse, I have gotten stuck on the show Four Weddings. I watched 3 episodes, interspersed with other stuff (namely Love Actually, which I love Love LOVE! It made me cry, as usual, and just put me in a better mood). But Four Weddings is an absolute shitshow. If you're not familiar with the concept of the show, it's 4 women who go to each other's weddings and judge/score them, in the hopes of winning a honeymoon.
All I have to say is that the women on these shows are, for the most part, big ass jerks. "The music was too loud, the chicken was dry, you didn't have enough flowers, I don't like her dress", and so on and so forth. I just wanted to shake them and hiss menacingly at them "How dare you!?" Since I'm planning our wedding, I'm really sensitive to how people react to weddings. I know that these women put their hearts, souls and a shitload of money into their big days and to have a stranger pick it apart like that just makes me CRAZY!
But hey, I wouldn't be mad to win a honeymoon to Bora Bora...just throwing that out there.
Well, Danny's home from work and it's time for us to both be lumps on the couch in our own respective clouds of ick.
To make things worse, I have gotten stuck on the show Four Weddings. I watched 3 episodes, interspersed with other stuff (namely Love Actually, which I love Love LOVE! It made me cry, as usual, and just put me in a better mood). But Four Weddings is an absolute shitshow. If you're not familiar with the concept of the show, it's 4 women who go to each other's weddings and judge/score them, in the hopes of winning a honeymoon.
All I have to say is that the women on these shows are, for the most part, big ass jerks. "The music was too loud, the chicken was dry, you didn't have enough flowers, I don't like her dress", and so on and so forth. I just wanted to shake them and hiss menacingly at them "How dare you!?" Since I'm planning our wedding, I'm really sensitive to how people react to weddings. I know that these women put their hearts, souls and a shitload of money into their big days and to have a stranger pick it apart like that just makes me CRAZY!
But hey, I wouldn't be mad to win a honeymoon to Bora Bora...just throwing that out there.
Well, Danny's home from work and it's time for us to both be lumps on the couch in our own respective clouds of ick.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Don't Tell Him I Said This...
Danny asked me a couple weeks ago if I had written a blog about him. My response was that I hadn't because I wanted it to be special and that I would probably cry about it, so I needed to be in the correct mind set for it. His response (after getting a very concerned look on his face)? "Don't cry over me!" Oh, sir, if you only knew...
But the funny thing is, he does know. He's seen be at my best and at my worst, gasping for breath from laughing too much, curled up in a ball sobbing on the couch, sneezy and miserable, excited about learning something new, singing and dancing to the Spice Girls at the Olympics (he may or may not have secretly filmed me doing that and put it on Facebook.) and everything in between. He doesn't read my blog, so I can say whatever I want and get as sappy as a maple tree in February (I remember that little tidbit of information from reading Little House on the Prairie books when I was a kid). But since he asked that I not cry over him, I guess I'll keep it short and sweet...
So, today I'm thankful for this guy:
We've certainly had our ups and downs over the past 12
years, like any couple. But no matter what, being friends was always the most
important thing in our relationship, even during the times that we
weren't together. Beyond being friends, though, Danny has supported me when through funemployment. He's been my shoulder to cry on and when I've needed to be strong for everyone else, he was the one who was strong for me. Every day we make each other laugh, even when one or both of us is in a pissy mood. And we always say "I love you" when we leave, because we are acutely aware that at some point, it'll be the last time you get to say it.
Last thing I am going to say...a few months ago, I asked Danny if he was happy, if he missed the butterflies and excitement of being in a new relationship. He said that he was happy and that he didn't miss being in a new relationship, because he likes having someone to come home to, someone he's comfortable with and who knows him. I like that too. Butterflies are cool and all, but they only last for so long. So, fee-yawn-say, you're pretty radical and I want to shout it from the rooftops! (Boop, boop, boop...).
The series of photos below just about sums us up. We're making weird faces and then I dissolve into laughter. Such is the life ;-)
Hooray! I made it through 30 days of thankfulness! To everyone who has read along, thank you for making this journey with me. I've realized that I have a lot to be thankful for, and while it's so easy to get caught up in the day to day junk, it's important to take a minute to recognize that. Happy December, lovebugs!
But the funny thing is, he does know. He's seen be at my best and at my worst, gasping for breath from laughing too much, curled up in a ball sobbing on the couch, sneezy and miserable, excited about learning something new, singing and dancing to the Spice Girls at the Olympics (he may or may not have secretly filmed me doing that and put it on Facebook.) and everything in between. He doesn't read my blog, so I can say whatever I want and get as sappy as a maple tree in February (I remember that little tidbit of information from reading Little House on the Prairie books when I was a kid). But since he asked that I not cry over him, I guess I'll keep it short and sweet...
So, today I'm thankful for this guy:
We've certainly had our ups and downs over the past 12
years, like any couple. But no matter what, being friends was always the most
important thing in our relationship, even during the times that we
weren't together. Beyond being friends, though, Danny has supported me when through funemployment. He's been my shoulder to cry on and when I've needed to be strong for everyone else, he was the one who was strong for me. Every day we make each other laugh, even when one or both of us is in a pissy mood. And we always say "I love you" when we leave, because we are acutely aware that at some point, it'll be the last time you get to say it.
Last thing I am going to say...a few months ago, I asked Danny if he was happy, if he missed the butterflies and excitement of being in a new relationship. He said that he was happy and that he didn't miss being in a new relationship, because he likes having someone to come home to, someone he's comfortable with and who knows him. I like that too. Butterflies are cool and all, but they only last for so long. So, fee-yawn-say, you're pretty radical and I want to shout it from the rooftops! (Boop, boop, boop...).The series of photos below just about sums us up. We're making weird faces and then I dissolve into laughter. Such is the life ;-)
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