Carnival: Looking Back

This post is a part of 20SB’s Looking Back Blog Carnival, and Ben & Jerry’s is awarding free ice cream to lucky bloggers and readers!
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Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Wifey Tip: Hug It Out

Vinnie taught me a very valuable lesson a few days ago. Right in the middle of a discussion in which neither Vinnie nor I were going to prevail over the other, Vinnie stopped the conversation and our discussion and asked in a very political voice..... "Want to hug it out?" Stopping me in mid sentence would normally irritate me, but this time and hopefully more times to come, I realized that the discussion was pointless and a hug just might be the answer.

So remember kids, sometimes, agree to disagree and HUG IT OUT.

pictured: Elizabeth Crossan, fishermans hat, fishy face

i just might puke

The last month has been jammed packed with lacrosse games, yard work, family parties, mentoring interns, and dealing with broken dog legs. The later = the reason I MUST blog right this minute.

If I look at Maya's battered leg one more moment,
I just might puke.

If my mind wanders to beautiful, sunny June 7th, playing ball with maya in the backyard turned emergency scene when she jumps too high and lands on what i thought was her back but was really her back left thigh,
I just might puke.

If I hear her bone creek or her staples tear from her skin,
I just might puke.

And if I hear anything that sounds remotely like a stick break to remind me of what I heard on the fateful afternoon,
I just might puke.

If I have to feed maya one more sedative to make her as limp as a rag doll and constantly look to see if she is still breathing,
I just might puke.

If I have to watch her lick at her shaved itchy body one more time,
I just might puke.

If I imagine that underneath all the swelling, there is a metal plate, 13 screws, and 8 wires,
I just might puke.

If I have to look into her sad sad puppy dog eyes when I have to put her in her crate with a cone collar,
I just might puke.

And if I think about having to deal with all of the above for the next two months (because I do),
I just might puke.

two of my favorite things

the devil Maya......

if a dog is anything like a child, i'm getting my tubes tied.



My high school lacrosse coach husband sparsely seen roommate.....

GO LEBO!

wordless power

Grammie



Momma



TT

a dose of a good medicine

Big and I finally made our first trip to the forest over the weekend. It is such a surreal experience traveling to the forest. Just about the time we get off the main roads past the Sigel Sheetz, the car windows come down, the country music begins and the fresh mountain air enters my lungs, the excitement of the trip is replaced by peaceful relaxation. After a week of wrestling to accept that my grandma's life will quickly catch up with her, this time away from reality helped to put my mind at ease, only if it was for two short days.

After my previous post , I am sad to say that the fish didn't show up for the fishing competition. Big and I were prepared to battle it out for hours, but were disappointed when we didn't even get a bite to showcase our skills.

This trip also marked Maya's first time up north. She...loved... it.

2 freakings dasy

Can you tell how excited i am? I can't even spell correctly. Two freaking days until my most favorite season of the year, other than fall.... TROUT SEASON! I'm a competitive girl. Always have been, always will be. I'm not much into bragging or boasting in front of the competition, I am humble most of the time. But give me a fishing pole, worms, a red bull, a radio, the clarion river, and big vin standing close by, and I lose it. Those fish are my competition and I don't care who knows it!




My well being relies on the next 6 months of numerous trips to the forest to bask in the glory of the sun, the rustling of the trees, softness of the shore, sleep i can enjoy out on rocks in the midst of the river, the coolness of the wind, the sweet smell of mountain air, the quiet, the calm , and the serenity that the forest brings. It is a serenity that softly caresses my soul like nothing before.

a day of fun dip and bidets

I woke up this morning not knowing that the day would be full of exciting experiences.
I was recently volunteered to work the registration table at all of the Pittsburgh chapter American Marketing Association events. Today we had a 7 hour workshop on Green Marketing. fun. After shaking hands and handing out name badges, books, and totes to all attending I headed to a the bathroom. I opened to door and suddenly I had to walk a a snails pace to let my nose wrap its nostril hairs abound the scent that was filling the room. Then it hit me.... fun dip. The freaking bathroom smelled like fun dip. A rush of childhood memories flooded my memory. When I was younger I used to get so excited to go watch my sister play basketball, because the concession stand always had fun dip and I always ate all three flavors without eating the white chalky stick. The smile on my face quickly diminished when I sat down to do my business. The automatic toilet could sense every minuet move I made. I've never had the pleasure of using a bidet, and after today I am sure that it has been eliminate from my bucket list. The darn thing must have flushed 6 times during my 30 second sit on the pot. With all of the sloppy excitement I remembered that I didn't have to work on Friday. The thought of not having to sit in an hour of traffic, not being bombarded with co-workers who wait till the last minute to complete projects and when they can't complete them on time they rush in to my sun deprived cubicle 30 minutes before go time with a laundry list of things that have to be done before I leave, and not having to wear 3 layers of clothing to keep warm in our 50 degree office, made me shiver with excitement. No Work Tomorrow! I finished sitting through the workshop, went back to a 1 person office, then was released to begin Easter break early, walked 3 miles with Maya at the dog park, ate dinner with Big, made a Lowe's run, and rented 7 pounds. Good day!

it is almost easter bunny time!

I love holidays now that my nieces are old enough to actually understand what is going on. Every Easter, Christmas, & Halloween I tag along to Trax Farm for the holiday festivities. Thank God this year, Trax invested in an Easter bunny costume that didn't look like a white fury animal topped with a 'Scary Movie' mask head, that would have scared the devil himself if he were present. Either way the girls were still intimidated, hence no pictures with the bunny of the hour.

Although I'm not sure that 200 eggs sitting in the middle of a 20x30 foot grass hill, classifies as hunting, we did have fun watching the girls gather eggs. The girls also took a ride in a family run train ride. 'E' have the good sense to cry uncontrollably until L got in the car with her. (Probably the funniest things I've seen in a long time.) I'm pretty sure she saw that the old man driving the train was not fit to be driving around young children, and I'm definitely sure she saw how he almost rear-ended the caboose twice during the ride prior to hers by driving tight circles in attempt to scare, i mean get a laugh out of the child in the back car.

7 more months till Halloweening at Trax, I CAN'T WAIT!

Arizona!

The Brewer's at Spring Training


Drinking Fat Tire at Grease Wood Flats


Relaxing by Michele's pool


Big and I at the Wedding


Spa on the wedding day

Photo of the Week: Iris Mania

In this photo: The first Iris to grow that Vinnie and I planted

Drum Roll Please

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have been on a mission to lose 7 lbs by tomorrow morning's trip to Arizona for my stuffingfacewithwonderfulfoodanddrinks extravaganza. I stuck to my promise of walking maya everyday, removed all snacks from my desk, ate lots of fruit and high fiber goodies, drank lots of water, and showed up to an ice box office everyday where it's so flipping cold I am in a constant calorie burning, shivering state. But if it wasn't for 6 days of the midgridcycle* virus, that caused me to be so sick after eating that I swore I would never eat again, I probably wouldn't have lost as much weight as i did.
However! Now that the weight is gone, I can't figure out where it came from. I don't look or feel like I lost anything. Isn't that the point of diets and exercise? No wonder it's so hard for people to diet...... I really don't like doing things that don't make me feel good. Good thing I live to feast on Arizona food, because after a two weeks of focusing all my time and energy on something that didn't give me warm fuzzy feelings, I will take great joy in food spending time with my family in my third heaven**.

I am currently fluctuating between 8 and 10lbs, depending on the time of day i weigh myself. Either way, I lost what I wanted to lose. Yippy!


*a virus that makes you feel like you have 10 midgets riding motorcycles around in your stomach
**first heaven:sleeping on the couch, with my head on vinnie's chest during an afternoon steeler game. second heaven:sleeping on a rock in the middle of the clarion river.

I get distracted.....alot

Thank you Julie_Gong for posting a link to this place ruining my work productivity for the day.

Weight loss goal update tomorrow! You should be excited, because I sure am!

Have a great day!

Tip of the week: Give up your mo's

This weeks tip of the week has long been on my brain. Ever since I can remember, my mother has purchased me mo's* for good ole valentine's day.

And since I can remember, the only pair of underwear i have ever had to personally throw away were destroyed during a gambling match that i didn't win, the rest of my underwear either got lost or were thrown away by my mom when she did my laundry. That is until Maya May, "the underwear eater" decided to destroy my life and my underwear.

Anyways, the first couple times she got a hold of my underwear she would sniff it and lick it (typing that makes me want to shower off the dirtiness I just left in everyone's mind). Funny and cute dog behavior right? WRONG, because that simple action sniffing and licking turned in to eating. And she only eats the crotch. SICK.

TipOFTheWeek: IF YOU OWN A DOG - DON'T WEAR UNDERWEAR. You don't need to clean or throw away what isn't dirty or ruined.


*My niece calls underwear mo's because her first pair had nemo's on them. too cute. Of course the underwear she buys me are cute, colorful and NOT thongs. Actually, I'm pretty sure my mom vomits a little every time she thinks about wearing thongs.

it hurts my soul

Some times, about once every three months, I struggle within myself to be nice and polite to people who are not good people. The restraint it takes to hold back from telling people what I really think about them is more than the energy created in my 8 hour a night nap. It makes me want to put on skinny black jeans, spike bracelets, Mohawk and dye my hair black, get my face pierce, put spacers in my ears, and sit in a dark room screaming to emo music.

quite frankly, I think I just need to get my tubes tied and block all hormones from making me feel like a crazy desk lady all the time! now if only I could teach maya to leave me alone during these fragile times, my life wouldn't suck so much, after I leave work (aka my hell on earth...).

Give me the clarion river after sunset, give me a stick and a fire, give me some champagne (by the way, I'm not real sure why we thought champagne was a good idea....), give me some night fishing, give me a hoodie/jeans/hunting boots, and I'll give you a HAPPY AMC.

burn baby burn

I am, as of last Friday, on a quest to lose 7 pounds by 7:30am on March 26th, because 1.) I plan on making Vinnie fall in love with me again while wearing a LBD to my aunts wedding and 2.) plan on gaining at least 7 pounds during my way too short trip to Arizona for three days. I love Arizona. Losing 7 pounds in just days 16 days means I am not permitted to have any open food containers next to my computer, such as goldfish*, Honey Maid Bees, or wheat thins, i must walk miss may at least once a day, i must eat fruit or any other high fiber items for breakfast and lunch, drink plenty of water, and I must pray every night to skinny celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan**, Amy (needs to go to jail forever) Winehouse and Mariah Carry.

In order to gain the 7 pounds back I plan on stuffing my face with:::: hot dogs and nachos while watching Uncle Kenny coach the Brewers during spring training, chicken sandwiches & chips & corona's at Greasewood Flats, sipping on Fat Tires (my favorite western-like beer)while sitting by Michelle's pool, munching on strawberries & peanut m&m's (which have always been snacks Aunt Michelle has around the house), eating the wedding festivity food and cake, and hopefully grubbing on some authentic Mexican food. I CAN'T WAIT!!!





*In college, I used to carry around a bag of goldfish with me during Friday/Saturday night festivities.
** Lohan is not a Google spellcheck approved word.

thank God for Fridays

Don't worry, today is starting out like any other Friday. I drank water outside on my porch in nothing but my robe and I am the only one at the office. Most people would love to have the entire office to themselves, I would love this too if it didn't happen so very often; distance makes the heart grow fonder. When this reoccurring trend first began, I LOVED it, but now I am longing for the day that I receive the "come in late tomorrow...heck, don't come in at all" memo. As I have stated previously, my company is on the line this year, if we don't make a profit, we don't get to have our jobs. Of course this should be motivation to come in to the office and work hard because what is worse than having children and a spouse (which everyone at my company has) and not having any money to provide them with food, shelter, and clothing?

This weekend's temperatures are going to be in the mid 60's. Do you know what that means? Leg shaving, robe only porch standing, Capri wearing, Maya may walking, sun glass wearing, windows down driving, and being bored because Vinnie is out of town, my parents work, i have no friends , and my nieces are being swept away to the aviary. I really need to find some extracurricular activities other than counting the number of landmines May has left in the backyard.

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did not attempt to distract my dog from her constant biting fetish by sticking her in a bath tub full of water in hopes that she would become consumed in digging for the bottom of the water.

I did not entertain thoughts of running away to become a hermit in the Arizona desert, because really... who would want to live in sunny Arizona all year long.

And I am not currently struggling to write this entry, because my life is totally awesome and I am super funny and you should want to be me.

Green weienes and whities

Celebrating the life of Pittsburgh's Myron Cope: The greatest Pittsburgh's sports reporter to ever live.

I'm sorry sir how old are you again?

While browsing the Mt. Lebanon police blotter today I found the following report.

Cedar Blvd. – M/80 arrested for DUI. 01/23/09




THANK YOU FOR KEEPING US SAFE MLPD

Not Me Monday

I did not lose my cell phone at least once every day this week, because I am not getting old and losing my memory.

I did not enviously gaze at children playing during recess at an elementary school while drive back to work from lunch and certinaly did not longing wish for my youthful days back.

I did not sit in my office alone three mornings this week, because my coworkers were in the office where they were supposed to be.

I did not have fun playing Frisbee with my husband with a left over, over-sized pancake in our family room, because that's not funny at all.

I did not curse the scale on Sunday when I weighed myself, because I definitely did not gain the “newly married 15.”

I did not revert back to my high school days and definitely did not dance on the bowling alley with a friend to the Cupid Shuffle.

wait. wait a minute, yes I did, I did do every single one of those things.

LOVE DAY

This past weekend was probably one of the best weekends Vinnie and I have had since our wedding and it probably helped that it was Valentine's Day. We spent our Saturday bowling, shopping and eating. Vinnie cooked a wonderful dinner, his famous steak, steamed crab legs, garlic and hot pepper sauteed mushrooms, and a salad. YUMMY!

Half Empty

I haven't been feeling to creative or interesting this week....My life is pretty boring, really. ummmmmmmmmmmmm My job is, well, not going so well and I'm probably going to be laid off or moved to our sister company really soon (not really, maybe a year) and everyone in our office is in panic mode except our boss, because that is his job, to stay calm in exceptionally terrifying times, like an economic recession. Imagine a disrupted ant hill(my company), all the ants(employees) running back and forth and on top of and underneath each other, but they all stay within a few inches of their dismantled hill, because they don't have anywhere to go. Then there is the biggeest, fattest ant wwwhhhooo jjjuuusssttt wwwaaalllkkksss around reeeeaaalllyyy sssllloooowwww in attempt to get his worker ants to mimic his behavior. That is my boss, not that he walks real slow, but he is really good at being positive and he smiles all the time. all the time. Like Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland. Unfortunately, I've never been one to mimic either of those traits, I think I have an aversion to them.

So on a better note, I did participate in two grown up activities this week. I returned a game to Blockbuster BEFORE the return date. And I got my car inspected BEFORE my stickers expired. And it is times like these that I wish I was still living in Bonaventure Hall at SVC.

Currently on my nerves

Unnecessary work meetings, particularly when they occur more than once a week, and especially when they occur twice a day, multiple times a week. For instance I have been in 6 meetings at the moment this week, and will make it 8 by tomorrow afternoon.

The fact that Nancy Grace is on the same time as Ugly Betty tonight.

87 = the number of times I almost fell flat on my fanny yesterday while walking Miss May, granted a quarter of those are because she he yet to learn "going for a walk" does not mean run. OK I almost just pooped my pants....sorry but i ate high fiber Quaker oatmeal, a fiber bar, triscuits, and black bean soup for lunch... i know, i know, I asked for it....sorry mom. Anyways, the other 65 times I almost fell were caused by the number of houses I pass during our walk that didn't clear the sidewalk in front of their house, let the snow thaw last weekend then freeze into 3 inches of ice. Obviously these people have forgotten what it means to be a citizen of Mt. Lebanon. Almost every house in Mt. Lebanon has a sidewalk and EVERY citizen has to, without excuse clear their sidewalk within 24 hours of a snow fall. Bottom line!
And now that I have used the restroom, all of the other subjects that were ruining my day, simply aren't bothering me any longer. Lucky you.

Wifey Tip of the Week: Just say no to Electric Blankets

I sat down with the intention of giving you the top 10 reasons why you should purchase an electric blanket as soon as your little frozen appendages can roll out of your cold little bed to buy one, however I am going to leave the decision making up to you on this one.

After coming across this article, that claims electric blankets could cause cancer(What DOESN'T cause cancer these days), while searching for a photo for the entry I decided to do a bit more research on my own.

Here are a few of the exhilaration facts I learn during my research efforts:

Sleeping at night without one could cause frost bite, but when sleeping with one could cause Leukemia and miscarriages.

Sleeping with one could cause bloody noses (which may explain why I get them quite frequently), sever dehydration due to over sweating or heat stroke.

You should not use your electric blanket in the bath tub or shower.

Electric blankets could cause you to be electrocuted.

If you are a violent sleeper or toss and turn constantly while you sleep, you may be come tangled in the cords, possibly causing strangulation or the loss of a limb.

Electric blankets may cause your electric bill to sky rocket without warning.

If you wear a medical patch for birth control or pain relief, blankets could cause you to overdose and die by causing your body to absorb more medication than intended.

Urinating on your electric blanket may cause a fire.

Walking around your house while wrapped in an electric blanket may make you invisible to those around you.

May I reflect.....
I'm not quite sure I buy in to the heat stroke warning. HEAT STROKE?? Really? Because I can think of 10 i mean zero people I have ever heard of even getting heat stroke running a marathon on a 100 degree day, let alone while sleeping in bed with an electric blanket. Frost bite while sleeping in your house without an electric blanket, ahhh, no, not really buying that one either, sorry. Using an electric blanket in the bath tub or shower....that is as bad as the warning label on vehicle sun visors "WARNING: Do not operate vehicle with sun visor positioned on dashboard." OK, are there really people out there who need to be warned? Urinating on your electric blanket, Um, I'm not sure I even want to go there. And lastly, If wearing your electric blanket around does in fact make you invisible, you'll never see me again... where's my electric blanket???

Photo of the Week

Super Bowl XLIII

STEELERS WIN, STEELERS WIN!

Why haven't we met?

I'm pretty sure that this is what has been missing in my life

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RACHEL

My oldest niece turns 6 today. I remember, 6 years ago, as i was sitting in a college psychology class, I received an "It's a girl!" text message from my parents. I remember packing my books and beelining out the door while yelling to Dr. Rivardo that I had to go meet my first niece. I drove all the way home to Saint Clair hospital, stopped in the gift shop, picked up a soft fuzzy pink elephant stuffed animal, and hurried to the prenatal unit. She was amazing!

The journey watching Rachel grow up has been so wonderful. Love her!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RACHEL!

What topic are you searching for?

I'm pretty sure I have bronchitis, so I went online to see when the suggested time is to make the dreadful trip to the doctor when someone has bronchitis. Fortunately, I do not at this time need to my favorite family practitioner Dr. John Bobby. By the way, if you live in the south hills I highly suggest Dr. Bobby!! He is by far the best doctor I have ever seen, he speaks to you in terms you will understand, he makes sure to listen to you and he wears Adidas tennis shoes to see patients in. I love that!
I didn't start this blog to discuss my health issues, but to inform you that of the top ten most popular topics on the health website I used, genital warts was ranked number four, right after #3 food poisoning and just before #5 Thyroid problems. I'm pretty surprised that this ranked that high and pretty sure I'm glad I don't have that problem!

Have a great Thursday and try to stay away from #4!

US History

The US made history yesterday. I was so excited to come home to watch the inauguration for the first time in my life... little to my surprise the inauguration occurred during business hours, therefore I missed the entire thing!




Who creates history while people are at work? seriously people!


DID YOU KNOW......
William Henry Harrison was sworn into office despite harsh, cold weather. Harrison refused to wear a coat as he delivered his Inaugural Address. He ended up with pneumonia and died exactly one month later, becoming the first president to expire while in office.

Acai = dry mouth heaven

Have you ever made a wish after seeing a shooting start and wished for dry mouth and constipation? Well, I never have but that is what i got when I took this "energy enhancing drink."
I'm tired 89% of the time I am awake. So when I heard about this product while browsing a Natural food store from a store employee, i was set on trying it out. Two tablespoons every morning was supposed to fill my every cell with wonderful berry concentrate to give me all day long energy. WRONG. The only think I began to encounter after the 25th day was terrible dry mouth and unsatisfactory trips to the bathroom. I felt as if I were a dog riding in a car, head out the window, mouth wide open for 12 hours. I'm pretty sure that if I had gone to a swimming pool and opened my mouth in the deep end, the pool would have been dry as a bone with in seconds. Not to mention how bloated 25 glasses of water a day makes you feel.

Boo Acai.........BOO!