Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Melissa's Wedding Part II


**let's just get this out of the way. I asked for my hair to be darker and shorter on Wednesday when I got my hair did. My stylist did exactly what I asked him to do so I cannot fault him for it, but I am well aware that my hair looks fug. Here is a picture of my mom being surprised by my doo...let's all laugh and let's all then move on.




(It actually looks okay right there, but there are other pictures below)


So after the whole AirTran fiasco I really really tried to sleep in on Saturday. But my internal alarm clock was all screwy and it just wasn't happening! I am sure it didn't help matters that I was sleeping on a pull out couch in my parent's time share. Melissa's wedding was at 6:00, and the time to get ready and go came and went very quickly. Because my mother was involved we were almost late (she is always late). Luckily, I know Melissa very well and she is never on time either, so I had a feeling we were going to be okay. Here we are all dressed up and somewhere to go!






In the car we struggled with issue of who to follow? The GPS biotch who I HATE?! Or mapquest, who hasn't steered me wrong yet (once again, pun is intended)? So what did we do? We did the top #1 travel "No No" of all time, which is to listen to mapquest 3/4's of the way, and then get nervous and start listening to GPS. I have a feeling that if we stuck to one or the other we would have shaved 10 minutes off of our time, but since we faltered, we got there at 6:00 p.m., on the dot!!


We got there just in time because we were only seated for about two minutes before the bridal party began to enter. First off, the ceremony was held at the Rollins College chapel. It was GORGEOUS! The kind of church that I would have preferred for my wedding. It had beautiful stained glass windows and awesome lanterns that, if we are being honest, I really wanted to have in my house (you know, the house I don't have with vaulted ceilings?)








True to form, Melissa looked breathtaking! I should say that I was so excited to get awesome photos for my Rebel's first outing (Yes, that is my new camera's name, and no, I didn't make it up. It just works out that it is the name of the model, and just so happens to be a super cool name ;). But for whatever reason, me and Melissa were NOT jiving in the photo department (further evidence to follow below). Since we were the last to arrive we were in the back of the church so I couldn't see well, and the one good shot I got of her coming down the aisle - she had her eyes closed. But whatever, you have to just squint your eyes while looking at her and you won't realize hers are closed.







The ceremony was gloriously short! She was in, married and out in less than 15 minutes! As we left, I got the chance to spot some old friends. Kappa Deltas that were there were: Noelle W., Caroline Abu, and Leighton. They are a bit older than me, but it was wonderful to catch up and see everyone. Also a friend from home, Arwen, and her husband were there. But just as I started to mingle the skies were parting and it was about to rain. We weren't quite sure if the couple was making an exit or not and so my mother said she was NOT sticking around.

So off we went to the reception which took place at the Grand Bohemian in downtown Orlando. I have an unreal sense that I have been there before. I knew where the bathrooms were and I know I had been in the bar area before....I am still trying to figure this one out because so far Kerry can't help me place it and I know I didn't just go gallivanting to events in downtown Orlando by myself (or as my friend, Biddy, likes to call it: Jamlando - I hate when people give stupid names to their cities to make themselves feel cooler for living there ;).


Anyway, we had an hour of cocktailing and then we were escorted into the dining room. WOW! Check out these branchy centerpieces!! They were amazing! Totally awesome and unique and I think they would look fantabulous in a tent wedding!!



Here are the remainder of my photos with some comments here and there :)


Here is the first photo taken of me and Mel...it didn't come out great so I was determined to get a better one. You may remember her from her teeny head and our issue of pictures together because I have a big head. So it was my goal for the evening to make my head look smaller.


The menu and cake. The cake was by Publix further proving that they do a surprisingly fantastic job!


Me and my mom after some wine: 1 for her and 2 for me :) Also, my hair is cooperating here (It is very hit or miss).



Reception decor :)



OK, here we are in the bathroom trying to get a better angle of my head. You will see that my hair is the epitome of fug in this photo.



Then, here we are about to get hit by the bathroom door - we have officially given up! We did not successfully take a photo :( But although the picture stinks, my head does look a bit smaller doesn't it? :)

That is all I have for now. It was a whirlwind of a weekend and I am happy to be back home. Melissa is off in Hawaii on her honeymoon, but I can't wait for her to get back and hopefully see some of her professional photos! I will keep you posted :) Until then....

CONGRATULATIONS MELISSA AND ERIC!

Worst Travel Day EVER!

[NOTE: I had to tell the entire story for you to understand how exacerbating it all was...but if you do not feel like reading the whole thing, please advance to paragraph 12 :)]

Okay -- so as you all know,
I went to Orlando this weekend for my friend Melissa's wedding (I will blog about that separately since I don't want to taint that occasion with my bitching).


I (mistakenly) flew Airtran. I usually like to take Northwest, but since none of their pilots feel like flying, they have decreased their schedule (which has seriously put a damper in my travel plans for the rest of the year and also a huge dent in my LV wallet ;). I was due to fly out at 6:30 p.m., Friday evening and arrive in Orlando (with stop over in the ATL) at approximately 10:55 p.m.


I left work at 4:30 p.m., because it takes about 45 minutes to get to the airport from my house. First, I was driving along and took the wrong exit. Thank God for helpful Chrissy who mapquested my mistake (which was minor) and got me back on the right track. So while she is redirecting me, the tornado sirens go off. Chrissy asks me some silly question like, "Should you be concerned?" I blew it off and said no and that they go off all the time but I never see a tornado. So I get off the cell phone and park my car. The lot was full and I got the last parking space available in the furthest location away from the entrance (which isn't all that far since it is a small airport, but you definitely have to hoof it). So I am organizing myself in the car and notice that the tornado siren is getting louder. I am getting my bags out of the car and opening my umbrella when it dawned on me that I am outside during a blustery rainy day and the tornado siren is going off -- perhaps, I should think about being concerned.


So here is me, with my rolley suitcase and umbrella trotting through the parking lot. I look left, I look right, I look up and back and see no sign of a tornado - but I would be lying if I didn't say that I was slightly nervous.


You see, I have this strange habit of thinking of things in terms of newspaper headlines. If I am in a precarious situation where the news headline is weak, I figure I will be okay. But if it makes for a good story, then I get super nervous. So I picture TORNADO AT FLINT AIRPORT: 1 DEATH AND 13 INJURIES. Clearly I would prefer to be injured over dead, but all in all - I would rather avoid the entire article.


So I start to sprint as fast as I will allow myself to in order to not look stupid. My umbrella was starting to get caught in the wind and was about to do that terribly embarrassing thing where it flips itself inside out (which I simply can't have people seeing that happen to me) so I closed the umbrella. So now I am soaked and make it in to the airport. Great right? WRONG!


I start to go up the stairs to security because I had printed my boarding passes online, but a police officer stops me and directs me to the airport basement!! They evacuated all of the people out of security and back into the basement! First of all, it is sad that the entire occupancy of the airport can even FIT in the basement, much less how sad it was to be there. It was hot and sticky and there were babies crying their heads off. I felt like I was in a concentration camp. There was no seating, it was strictly concrete walls and LOTS of people!


So about 1 hour later we are released from the evil basement's clutches and allowed up to our gates. Smooth sailing from here on out right? WRONG!


I realize that as it stands, I am really going to be cutting it close for my connecting flight. I go up to the counter to see if they have any suggestions: is there another flight? Should I just go home and fly out tomorrow? But their computers were down and they had zero information to give me. So they suggest I call 1-800-AIRTRAN. I do this and luckily learn that there is 1 outgoing flight from Atlanta to Orlando after mine. I asked to be bumped to that flight. Now, I should have known that the girl didn't know what she was doing. I could tell by how many times she put me on hold and how many times she asked the same question over and over again. She just wasn't getting it. But I let it go, and decided to stay at the airport and make a run for it so to speak.


So 4 hours later we start boarding my first flight. They ensure me that Atlanta airport is backed up also and that my chances for making my connection are fairly good. So off I go. Things are looking up right? WRONG! Once on the plane and out on the runway I am grounded for an additional 45 minutes! Good news is (yes there is just a touch of good news) I had a seat to myself - yay!


So now I land in Atlanta and none of the computers are working that show the updated times for flights. I ask a representative what gate I am leaving out of and she informs that I am in the wrong concourse and I better hurry up because it is leaving in 10 minutes. So now I throw caution into the wind, ignore looking stupid and sprint. I sprinted my butt off. I began to sweat and I began to stink to be honest. I finally get to concourse D and then to my gate and they tell me they have no idea what I am talking about, Orlando isn't at this gate it is at D6. So off to D6 I go, that agent says - no, go to D10. D10 says no and I should try D3. D3 is wrong also and finally find my flight out of D4 and it is still here! Great right? WRONG! Still more terribleness to come!


If you are still reading this ridiculousness, I appreciate your commitment :) You either really care about me, really hate me and are delighting in my misfortune, or have lots of time on your hands to read it all :)


So, flight is still here but not leaving until 2 a.m., or 2:45, I can't quite remember. Since the computers were down in Flint, I did not have a printed boarding pass for my new flight (the one I called 1-800-AIRTRAN to get on). So I go up to the desk to get my ticket printed and I got the attitude of the year from Shavaun, the lovely (NOT!) agent at my desk. It should be noted that I am extremely calm for the situation and still am using polite words such as please, thank you, sir and ma'am. This is where it gets sticky. She tells me that she doesn't think I am confirmed on that flight (cursing Airtran). Then I get ignored for a considerable length of time. Then some disgruntled patrons (literally) push me out of the way and start screaming at the agents and pointing fingers in their personal area. I am very surprised security did not intervene. I was a little bit frightened.

In the midst of this hullabaloo a pilot comes up to Shavaun and gives her some papers. Her response to him was SO rude that my jaw literally dropped. I guess I thought she would show him (Captain Neal as I later found out) some respect because he is the mighty one that lands planes safely or maybe just give him some respect because he was. I don't know, a HUMAN BEING?!!!

Either way, Captain Neal got no respect. So he sort of looks at me in a baffled way and I raise an eyebrow at him and tell him she is the friendliest person I have ever met (sarcastically obviously). He asks me what my status is on the flight and I explain the whole situation to him. He says that it is nice to see someone being polite and calm in the middle of all the mayhem. He is smiling the whole time and we are making jokes about friendly Shavaun. Then he takes me old boarding pass and says that he will see what he can do for me and sort of looks me up and down. Suddenly it hits me that we were not joking but flirting (on his end anyway)!!

Obviously I did not mean to flirt with him, I thought we were just joking about the craziness of everyone surrounding us, etc. But once I realized that he was flirting and that he was now taking my old boarding pass to see about getting me on the flight...I couldn't possibly turn back now, could I? So I discretely hide my left wedding ring hand.....OKAY, FINE! I took off my wedding band and hid it in my purse! Are you happy now? Damn me to hell all you want! And truthfully, I do feel awful about it! But it was 2:00 a.m., and I was not in Orlando yet and just wanted to get there!

So Captain Neal comes back and he got me on the plane ahead of all the other people that were screaming bloody murder and on top of that - I was flying first class (singing::::up in the sky, popping champagne, living the life:::G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S::::) or business class whatever they call it now.

So I figured that my innocent smiles and jovial behavior to Captain Neal were worth it because I was on the plane and he was then locked in the pilot control room area where he wouldn't bother me. Woooo Hooo! I was on my way to Orlando! Great right? WRONG...well not wrong...but it was definitely only sort of great because.....

Flash forward to approximately 4:20 a.m.....

We have landed! Yay! I am dead tired at this point and have been in my outfit for 21 hours. I was in no mood for anything else. As I am getting off the plane, I thank Captain Neal for all his help and wish him a good evening. I was thinking that would be the end of it b/c I walked down the flight bridge as fast as I could! Well low and behold Neal was right behind me! He didn't even wait until all the passengers got off the plane! So he walked with me and kept on talking...ugh, I was SO not in the mood for another lost puppy (because I already found a stray earlier in the week). He then asks me out to coffee at 4:30 a.m. I use the excuse of being super tired and my parents were coming, etc. But seriously? Did he think that he was charming enough for me to stick around the airport for coffee at that hour? Delusional! He then tries to exchange numbers and I brushed him off by saying that I hate Orlando and try never to come here. He was not pleased, but oh well.

So that basically concludes my day of traveling. My parents were an additional 30 minutes late picking me up, so I didn't get into a bed until sometime in the 5-6 a.m. area. Not a good start to the weekend but at least it makes for a long blog entry :) Now off to upload wedding photos!!

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

I Found a Pup!!


So we found two stray dogs in our office building parking lot today -- SO SAD! They had been clearly attacked (multiple gashes) and have not eaten for SOME time! You cannot really tell from this picture, but Darcy (yes, I already named her) is very malnurished and is nothing but skin and bones.

We spotted the pups from the window and I flew down 4 flights of stairs so quickly it is amazing that I am alive. They were already headed towards the main road when I got there. Luckily they were friendly and came right away. By this time, my co-worker got down there. We just sat there with the dogs for 20 minutes in the rain not sure what to do. You would be amazed at how many people were just like "Oh you found a dog?" and just kept walking into the building. It really ticked me off.

Well after much discussion, my co-worker told me that she would take one if I would take the other. I didn't know what to do - the thought of the pound made me tear up on the spot. So.....yes, Darcy is in my garage as we speak. I would love to be a foster mom to this pup, but I just cannot. I have 4 dogs already and I am pretty sure I need a kennel license to have a 5th - which is absurd.

My husband is being pretty understanding about this issue which is great! This is not the first time I have picked up a stray and brought it home. Darcy is the second one that has made it back to the house (anyone remember Peaches?). Usually I just find them and deliver them to their homes quickly. But with no tags....she is homeless. My husband informed me that I am not to, under any circumstances, invest money into Darcy. His specific requests were no new collars :( and no toe nail painting (which is very upsetting).

She was so thankful for food and water and is really one of the most gentle and sweet natured dogs I have ever met (being that she is in a strange place, etc.). I am praying I find a home for her quickly!! I am hoping my parents will want her, but it is not looking likely.

If anyone in the Michigan area needs a pup and is reading this right now - let me know! How could you not love Darcy?!?!? She is an itty bitty bundle o' joy! Please everyone send me prayers and vibes that I find Darcy a good home.



Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Ta-Da!

It's finally mine!! I told myself I would save X amount each month until I had all the money up front, but that didn't happen! I had to have it sooner than later.


So here it is in all its glory - the Canon Rebel XTi:






Isn't it pretty? I have (literally) no clue on how to use it, but I cannot wait to learn how! I am already obsessed with it. The camera store SA (sales assistant) let me play with all the different lenses and I already know what my next purchase will be!! Now I must be patient and wait until I can actually afford a bigger and better lens! I can definitely see this as becoming some new addiction of mine.

Off to read my manuals :)

Seriously Co-Worker? Seriously? Part II

OK. This is going to require just a little bit of back story. If you can call this scintillating subject matter a "story". Actually I just decided to add scintillating to the list of words I don't like so we will use the word riveting instead.

Every now and then one of the bosses in our office goes out and asks his secretary to buy a LOT of candy. As much as I enjoy taking part in the candy eating, I always get upset because I see the writing on the wall....this is going to be a production. They go around taking orders of what everyone wants. And surprise, surprise when the candy gets home from the store and everyone has what they ordered except me. Seriously? Where are my York Peppermint Patties? They always have some strange alternate candy that they thought I would prefer but everyone else gets just what they requested. Whatever, I asked for something for a reason - but no biggie. That is the not the main annoyance with this tale.

So after the candy comes back to the office the second part of the ridiculousness always ensues. A conversation is started about the huge conspiracy the cleaning people have to eat us out of house and home. So they (the other people that annoy me, NOT me, I take NO part) empty the candy into a nondescript cardboard box so that no one will know what is in there and hide in on the shelf full of office supplies. Then they put just a sample of the candy into a tin so that if there are any looters, they can't get the entire cache. Seriously? Is it that big of a deal?

So, believe it or not, we are still not up to the most ridiculous part. So they come into work and find :::gasp::: Snickers wrappers in the trash. Let the inquisition begin!!! They interviewed everyone in the office trying to see who ate the Snickers. They are really gunning to blame the cleaning people. Seriously? Then at the end of the day when they decided that it was none of us who ate the snickers, they...I kid you not....took an inventory of the candy!!! They counted out x Hershey Kisses, x imitation York Peppermint Patties, x Snickers, X Milky Ways, and so on and so forth. Seriously Co-Workers?!?!? Is the candy (that you didn't even pay for) that important to you? Is it that upsetting that the cleaning staff (that you do not pay for either since it is part of our rent) had a few Snickers? Seriously?????

It is just appalling the amount of time these people have to talk about this stuff! I am NOT exaggerating when I tell you this whole ordeal took up about 2 hours of my day. Now granted, I am just hiding in my office, but it is a small office and I am forced to listen to all of this. WHO in the world has time to take an inventory of office candy?? I can't wait for when they come in today to tally it all up and see if there is someone infiltrating the office! It's probably a big enough deal to call the police (I swear if they mention this, which is not a stretch for them, I will be forced to quit).

Oh and again today with the coffee pot!! Seriously? I had a small electrical fire and a flood last night and my eyes are puffy. You are going to really mess with me and my coffee? AND my candy? It is just wrong!

Monday, August 20, 2007

Random FYI

This is a segment I like to call Random FYI. Just a random little tidbit about me. They may not make any sense from time to time, but it was just something I was thinking about and had to put it out there. Also I sometimes don't have exact reasons for my feelings on certain subjects. So for today's random FYI -

Words I do NOT like:

  • Moist;
  • Damp (this one bothers me more than moist);
  • Sumptuous;
  • Succulent;
  • Scrumptious;
  • Safety;
  • Sample; and
  • Supple (this one is a deal breaker).

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Happy 3 Month Anniversary to Us!


Today marks our three month anniversary!


It is not like we are officially celebrating it or anything like that, but I have to say that I am pretty impressed that it was my husband that pointed out the date to me! On the 19th of the past three months I have asked my husband the same questions:

  • Are you still happy that we got married?

  • Do you still love me just as much?

  • Do you wish anything were different?

They sound like some pointless questions, but it sort of carves out a space for us to reconnect or address any issues. This month I got the answers: yes, even more, and no. Which I like :) Sometimes he throws in there "I wish you would wash my socks more often" but other than that we are smooth sailing.

I am happy to report that although we fight about some ridiculous things, I am still a happy newlywed! As we ALL know, I hate our location. But other than that, I wouldn't change a thing about my life :)

So here's to The Chaps!








And to my husband.....I love you!

Friday, August 17, 2007

Where are my shoes?

Just a quick vent on a Friday night: I have recently grown attached to a strange pair of shoes. They aren't strange really. They are just very plain nude wedges that my mother bought me a year ago because she thought I would like them. Well, I hated them and ignored them for one full calendar year. Suddenly, without explanation, I like them now. After a few wearings they became as comfy as my flipper floppers.

Anyway, this isn't the point. I am searching high and low around the house and am mysteriously missing a shoe. It doesn't help that I am frantically trying to get out of the house because I was hungry and my husband was bugging me.

Now - I know better and should have known instantly who to blame. I was just about to give up and move on to another pair (although very flustered over the potential loss) when my husband walked in the door and asked my why he tripped on my shoe in the front yard.

That's right, we are the Clampet's with shoes in our yard! What is next? Tires? And who do we have to thank for this? The culprit is none other than this big fella:


Meet Gordon the Beef Cake! He likes to fit as many items into his mouth as possible and carry them around with them. He has some sort of complex we can only assume goes back to his birth (probably abandonment issues) because when you tell him to come with you out any particular room, he frantically scours the floor and picks up as many things as he can find and brings them with him. I have caught him carrying around phones, remotes, a lot of socks, shoes, etc. He can typically fit about 4 things in his monster mouth. Luckily he is a gentle giant and didn't do any harm to the shoe! His new current favorite thing that he refuses to let us have back is our little circle neck pillow thing for the airport. He REFUSES to let it go. Usually I am careful with my shoes, but I obviously slipped up. What a little brat!

A couple of years ago I put the fear of God into one of our other dogs for chewing my Coach wedges. He maimed them. I took them to the cobbler who insisted they were irreparable. I told the cobbler this wasn't acceptable. He "patched" them up and my right shoe literally looks like Frankenstein's shoe. I can only wear them with pants so you don't see the mangled heel. Since all you can see are my toes it works out fine - whatever.
Anyway, I am getting off track again. I sat all 4 of the dogs down in a row and yelled at them for a good hour. I then constructed shoe shelves up high in my closet as opposed to putting my shoes on my floor. Since that day they have never touched another one of my shoes. But today was obviously the day that speech wore off. I will have to plan out my next "little chat" with them.

Melissa's Wedding Part I

I have been a busy bee in the wedding department lately. I guess we are at that age where your wedding dance cards start booking up! Brian and I had our best man's wedding in April in Ft. Myers, Florida; our fantabulous wedding in May (also in Florida); my dear friend Tim's wedding in Houston in July; June we had off; and now I am back to Orldando, Florida next weekend for my bridesmaid, Melissa's wedding. Keeping in mind that we live in Michigan and have to travel to see anyone, I can't really seem to get ahead with the credit card debt, but that is life :) Luckily I am wedding free until THE most exciting wedding ever in November that I will wait to talk about for another time because there is MUCH to discuss (the fab guestlist, the bride that I didn't know a year ago, but now count as one of my closest friends, the wardrobe - and oh yes - the choos...I mean shoes...I don't think I can afford new choos :( So I will hold onto that one for a while).

Melissa and I have been friends since I was 16 years old and got my very first job at the local fake and bake. We worked at 2 different tanning salons together, went to the same college (Go Noles!), joined the same sorority (KD), and then got married just a few months apart. I finally beat her in the marriage department. Since she is a year older than me she got to do all the fun things first. So I finally got to do something in our lives first :) She met Eric roughly one year ago and they are getting married at the beautiful Rollins Chapel in Orlando.


Yes, my head is very large, but in all fairness,
she has the smallest head I have ever seen...so BACK OFF!


At first I wasn't super excited about going away again because I am a homegirl at heart ;) But this trip is really shaping up. First of all, I got a good airfare. About $200.00 plus tax, which is as good as it gets. THEN I maniuplated, I mean convinced my parents that they should go to their Orlando timeshare that weekend (no hotel fee for me!). And then another bridesmaid of mine, Kerry, might come visit me from Tampa which is about an hour or so drive on Sunday! If this happens, the weekend will be perfect! I will get to see 3 sets of loved ones in one weekend! Melissa and some older Kappa Deltas that I haven't seen for some time, my parents, and my best friend, Kerry! I have a feeling Ker isn't going to make it but I hope she does!

OH, I should have mentioned that Brian can't come :( He can't take off work right now and since we have 4 (yes, we are crazy) dogs, he is going to stay home and watch them. So Mom gets to be my date! For us to be out and about without my Dad is quite the treat!! We are going to paint the town RED...well maybe not red, we are not that crazy, but probably a medium shade of ORANGE will work for us :) And since we are talking about that general color scheme/tone...let's move on to my wardrobe. I am SICK of the little black dress. I am a woman of color by nature, so I feel repressed in black dresses (unless I can spice it up with my ruby red choos and a clutch like this).

But I just wore the above ensemble to Tim's wedding so I am thinking of wearing this dress from Banana Republic, which is now on sale for $79.00 (that always ticks me off because I bought it full price, but haven't worn it yet, so I could have just left it in the store until now):





With these shoes, from BCBG Maxazria (Mirna Slingbacks that come in a gold, bone and black color, very comfy):


They are MUCH more muted in person. So...what do you think? Is this wedding appropriate. Let me know if you don't think so because I still have 1 week to shop! O-Town here I come!

(Stay tuned for Mellisa's Wedding - Part Deux.)

Thursday, August 16, 2007

It's Clean!

I have been in such a lazy, no good, sour-puss mood lately and as a result, my kitchen area has been despicable! Everyday I would just blow through it when I came home and go to the living room where it was less dire. It was not "company ready" to say the least. Well God bless my friend Ashley because she called, we talked for at least 30 minutes if not more, and before I knew it - the kitchen was clean [insert the sweet sound of angels singing]!!! As we chatted I would absentmindedly pick up a new item and put it away (what a concept: putting things AWAY - Brian!). I swept, emptied the dishwasher, loaded the dishwasher, comet-ed the sink, cleaned the refrigerator door, dusted a lighting fixture, cleaned fingerprints off the cabinets...and voila!

Ashley if you are reading, it must be something about you that makes me want to be productive. Because if I was on the phone with lazy Kelli I would be lazy too and sit on the couch (no offense Kel, but you know it's true because you used to file your important documents under your pillow at the KD house so that you didn't have to move ;).

So THANK YOU!!! My kitchen thanks you! And probably the health department, section 8, or whoever condemns houses thanks you too! If you could call back tomorrow for the laundry room that would be ideal ;)

Seriously Co-Worker? Seriously?

This is a little segment that will be up from time to time. Hopefully not too often. If you don't see this title, then you know I am having a great day.

So here is today's "Seriously?" moment:

Seriously co-worker? You thought it was okay to pretend you were cleaning out the coffee pot last night and instead just dumped the old coffee out and put the pot back onto the stand thingy?? Seriously? Would it really have put you out to rinse out the pot while you were standing at the sink so that this morning I didn't have to re-wash it? Seriously! I know your job is REALLY tough answering the phone a couple times a day and reading a book, so next time you are really into that last chapter just say, "Hey Stace, can you clean out the coffee pot correctly? Because I don't really intend on doing it." That would be a MUCH better answer.

You see, this morning my husband ticked me off to high heaven because he is usually out the door before I even open my eyes in the morning. But instead he spent the morning with me (yay!) because his car is broken down and so he drove me to work and stranded me at my office until 5:00 (double yay!). He cracked unfunny jokes, teased me and poked me all before I had my morning coffee. Then, when he dropped me off this morning, he thought he was super funny when he laid onto the horn VERY loudly and rudely. Since I didn't have coffee yet and am not really used to having to interact with anyone until about 10:00 a.m. when my boss comes in, I lost it. I told him that you do not lay on the horn and honk at a professional office building and that if he can't learn to act professionally he can walk to work.

OK that wasn't very nice...it was a bit of a morning melt down, but again, I am not used to talking to anyone in person (just email) before coffee time. So....I go up to the office grab the pot to make the coffee I have been yearning for and start to fill it up only to notice that there is still coffee from yesterday in it! She messed up and didn't empty it all....I found myself wondering how many times have I had coffee out of a dirty pot?

Needless to say, this did not cheer me up. I had to clean out the pot myself and start the coffee....I am better now that I have had some (2 Splendas and 2 hazelnut creamers)....but seriously?

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Camera 1 or Camera 2?



So, I went to the eye doctor yesterday. It is the first time I have been in years. If you were to ask my mother she would probably cry when forced to bring back the bitter memories of our eye doctor trips when I was younger. I would try to get out of the visit in EVERY way possible. I was a WRETCHED little girl. It was the one time my mother probably muttered to herself how much she hated me (well hopefully not, but if she did - MOM I UNDERSTAND! I forgive you for this and I am sorry). Then once there, I would typically be very rude to the poor old opthamologist (i.e. smarty pants teenage answers that are not really helpful in assessing my overall optical health). Eventually my parents, in a moment of sheer desperation on how to deal with me, got me Lasik Eye Surgery. I think it was just as much for me as it was for them.

If you are ever curious about it and have the funds to do it for yourself, I seriously cannot promote it enough. It was eye opening (pun IS intended. Keep in mind in future reading that intend all my puns and I love to sprinkle them into my day). I began as someone who, without contacts, wouldn't recognize their mother on the street or be able to find their way out of a burning building, to someone who could see crystal clear! It was AMAZING!

Well, in the last few years, my sight has began to weaken. I think I just have one of those sets of eyeballs that are never going to settle...they are just going to keep on fighting the good fight (good luck little buddies!).

So with the brand new luxury of health insurance (compliments of my brand spanking new husband), I made every doctor appointment imaginable. It is like having a credit card! I haven't had insurance in years so this is truly a novelty for me!! I made a girl doctor appointment (or the vaginacologist as one not-so-smart person I did business with really thought they were called), a regular doctor appointment, and an eye doctor appointment.

I knew that my hatred towards the eye doctor wasn't going to change because it is their job to ask me to read the big E and they, for whatever reason, have to make me look through those lenses and do: "Number 1, or Number 2? Number 2 or Number 3? Number 3 or Number 1?" We have all sat there and listened to this pure nonsense and we have all lied to the eye doctor because who the hell knows which one was better - they ALL look the same!! I am sort of convinced that all the lenses ARE the same and that their day is just sooo boring that they like to frustrate unsuspecting blind people. NOT NICE! I don't see that as going over well with the big guy upstairs when their time comes.

So anyway, this visit was no different. The nurse/assistant lady was super nice and when she told me to cover my left eye she said, "WOW you blinded me with your ring!" (insert evil snicker) Nothing makes me happier than getting some props for my ice (insert my theme song: Ice Ice Baby). Luckily I had a really nice doctor. He was young and when I stalled in answering which one was better (No. 6 or No. 7) he said, "They all kind of look the same don't they?" THANK YOU!! YES, they do!

My only main issue is that they dilated my eyes and assured me that I could drive home with my eyes big like saucers. Um...the residents of Saginaw are quite lucky the trip home went as well as it did. They were ALL at risk!

I purchased a pair of Coach glasses. I wasn't thrilled with anything but I tried on all the big wigs. Dolce, Kate Spade, Fendi, Gucci, Dior, etc. The bottom line is glasses are dorky. I resisted the ones with rhinestones or anything too flashy and I went with the ones that I thought my husband would make the least fun of (Coach). I will get them in 2 weeks! Maybe I will take a picture, but I do have my rep to protect and we all know I take myself too seriously to be a goof, so I doubt it. Here is what they sort of look like since I forgot to get the style name before I left. Luckily I only have to wear them for night driving and TV, so that is some good news!


WHO YOU CALLIN' FOUR EYES?

Well Hello!



So...I tried to resist. Everyone is doing it. I didn't want to follow the herd. I HATE not being the first to do something or come up with a great idea. So in order to do what everyone else was doing but just be a little bit different. I started a wedding related blog. I really want to be an event planner some day and so I thought it would be a good way to keep my head in the game after planning my own wedding (more on that later). But since doing wedding posts require a little bit of research, planning, etc. I finally decided to cave and start a personal blog. For a long time I thought my life wasn't interesting enough to blog about and truth be told, it's not. But I read all of my friend's blogs and it seems to be therapeutic for them and lately, I NEED THERAPY!

So to start off we will do the quickest rundown on my life. Now, please keep in mind that it DOES depress me that I can sum up my life this quickly. I don't need you to point it out, if anyone is even reading this in the first place. So here I go:

My name is Stacy Chaps (not my real name but a derivative and it will work for our purposes here today:). I am 26 years old going on 27. My birthday is on Christmas day which makes me a really special person (more on that around December;). I was born in New York and raised on Long Island with my two much older brothers. Around the age of 14, I moved to Southwest Florida. I HATED it at first, but I warmed up to it. Now I would give anything to live there again. I am a very interesting blend of NY background and southern hospitality. It is actually a bit confusing. I went as far away from my parents as I dared to college. FSU (Go Noles) - a six hour drive from our Florida home. There I began dating my now husband, Brian. We weren't together the whole time - but trust me, just leave that one alone. I graduated with a degree in Sociology (read: a useless degree in nothing) and I lie and say I have a minor in business (I need like 2 more classes for it so I think that is close enough). I graduated in summer 2003, moved to the wee-est town in Michigan to be with Brian (who moved after freshman year) in January 2004, engaged February 2006 and married May 2007. Oh and random fact - I have a mild shopping addiction (hey the first step is admitting it right?).

So there you have it! Sadly short right?

So in short, I am a newlywed that lives very very far from home. I HATE my job. I love my family very much and miss them fiercely. I think about it daily and as a result of feeling displaced from my family and my desired career path, I feel sort of lost. I mean, don't get me wrong. I obviously wasn't tricked into my current situation. I understood that my husband's business meant I couldn't live down the road from my parents...but yet I still feel blindsided. This is where my header quote comes in. I very much wish I could click my heels like Dorothy and just go home. I have a very pretty pair of red Jimmy Choos which I wear on most special occasions. They never get checked in my luggage at the airport, but travel in their dust bag in my carry on. I feel like they are my modern day ruby slippers and I get really pissy when I click my heels and I am still in Michigan.