The two-hundred-and-seventy-first and two-hundred-and-seventy-second days combined...Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

I cannot wait for 5:30 to come today. Why, you ask? Because that's when my vacation officially starts - and I can finally get some sleep. Well, actually 5:30 is when I'll be catching a quick nap on the train (and then on the bus) because when I get home, I'll have to head right back out to do some last minute shopping with my family. I really hope we get everything done tonight as I don't want to have to be a Christmas Eve shopper, but with our track record - we'll be out all afternoon tomorrow too :)

I actually just got my paycheck and am now certain that I will be out tomorrow as, silly me, I expected the Accounting department to do what they have been doing since I started working at my job and direct deposit my funds. How silly and naive of me! Nope, they chose to F me over and sent me a paper check - so now I have to wait for it to clear. What joyous holiday merriment. Thanks Accounting!

Man it's cold outside. Now, I know its' cold outside in NY, and you know it's cold outside in NY. Apparently, however, this woman was unaware as she chose to romp around the city in leggings and flip-flops. She was actually on line complaining that she was so cold and had no idea it would be so chilly out.

She knew enough to throw on a winter coat

In happy news, the absolutely lovely Kim from J & K, A Journey (a fabulous blog, btw – definitely check it out if you haven’t already :) tagged me and gave me an award recently! It is the…drumroll please…Happy 101 award! I love this award – and not just because the badge has cupcakes on it – but because this one is all about happiness and some of the things that make me happy :)


So, I have to list 10 things that make me happy, and try to do at least one of them today. Then, I am to tag 10 bloggers that brighten my day. Those 10 bloggers should link back to my blog (if they choose to create their own happy lists :)

And now for the fun:

1) Laughing and making others laugh – I can find humor in almost anything, and when I start laughing, I laugh long, loud and hard! It’s awesome – I wholeheartedly subscribe to the ‘a hearty belly laugh a day (or more in my case), keeps the doctor away’ adage :)

2) Movies :) Going to the movies, watching Netflix movies, watching movies on tv/cable...it's all wonderful.

3) The Ginger People Ginger Chews (original and spicy apple flavors :) They are sooooo good. If you are a fan of ginger candies, you have to try them. If you like them, you can actually buy them cheaper on Amazon too;

4) Writing in my journals. I've kept one since my freshman year in high school, and though I don't write things down as often as I did then, I still try to jot something down every now and then;

5) Writing stories and making up nonsense words. I have an over-active imagination (always have);

6) Gadgets. I love reading about and messing around with new gadgets. Ipods, video game systems, computers, watches, clocks, and so on and so on. I find it all fascinating;

7) Piping hot hot chocolate on cold days - with a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg added, and then topped with a handful of marshmallows and some whipped cream. Yum!;

8) Boardgame/Cardgame nights with family and friends. Ludo, Quelf, Uno, Clue - oh my;

9) Sleep. Ahhh, blissful sleep – especially when it’s actually a relaxing and restful night of sleep; and

10) Saving the best for last – my man and my family. They are just awesome - it's self explanatory, really.

All of the blogs that I follow (and those new ones that I discover each day) brighten my days; but here are 10:

1. Jeanette @ Cooler Ranch or Nacho Cheese?;
2. Badass Geek @ The Badass Geek;
3. Optimistic Pessimist @ The Audacity of an Optimistic Pessimist;
4. Sunshinemeg @ Float On…;
5. Moonjava @ Moonjava’s Muse;
6. Lee @ Photographing the Days;
7. Fidgeting Gidget @ Fidgeting Gidget;
8. Haley Dawn @ Cape Cod Love;
9. Novelista Barista @ The Novelista Barista; and
10. Children of the 90s @ Children of the 90s.

Have an amazing Hump Day everyone!

The two-hundred-and-sixty-sixth day to two-hundred-and-seventieth days combined...Hello Winter, Hello Snow!

Hello everyone :) I hope you all had lovely, non-stressful weekends. My weekend was full of planning shopping routes (Friday) , shopping (Saturday), and then staying home and off the snow and slush filled roads (Sunday).

I stuck to my plan, and am only one gift away from being done with my Christmas shopping - I just have to get a treat for my doggie (he loves Christmas too :)

We headed out early on Saturday to try an avoid the snow. It started coming down very lightly when we were leaving Kohls; but it wasn't until we were leaving the mall at about 5:30 or so that things got bad. One would think that people had never seen snow before by the way people were driving. Thank goodness for hot chocolate and Netflix, because that's how I spent the rest of my night.

How did the weekend treat all of you?

Santa at the mall

The beginnings of the blizzard

P's holiday gifts for me (she had quite the Hello Kitty theme going with the ornament, Pez, and socks)

Have a great day everyone!

The two hundred-and-twenty-fifth day...

T.G.I.F. everyone!

This has been one heck of a week, and I am so glad that the weekend is finally here.

And now…drumroll please…here’s the Friday 5:

1) According to the cliche, if you "spare the rod," you "spoil the child." Who in your life was probably spared A Rod while growing up?
No clue really :)

2) In how many directions this week did you feel you were being Yanked?
At least 100. This was a hard workweek.

3) On whom have you depended for relief this week?
My man and my family. I definitely needed to be talked down a few times this week!

4) Who deserves a standing ovation this week (or even a hip-hip Jorge)?
Will everyone who’s feeling a little (or a lot) stressed please raise their hands. All of those people - me included :)

5) When did you last have a taste of Champagne?
Exactly a year ago, at my friend’s wedding. Happy Anniversary A!

So, yesterday was, once again, my turn to bring in lunch for the lunch swap; and, once again, my dad was wonderfully awesome and provided the grub :)

On the menu was chicken scarpariello, haricot verts, garlic and herb fusilli pasta, chicken and pasta soup, salad, apple pie, and cherry pie. It was so good! I really need to learn how to cook like my parents :)

I even went the extra mile and set the scene, complete with mini gourds on the tables and a pin the hat on the turkey game (with a prize of a pack of pens - supplies are getting scarce around there). It was a fun lunch hour before I had to head back to actual work.

I hope everyone is enjoying their Friday, and hope you all have a great weekend. I think I'll start some Christmas gift window shopping tomorrow :)

Enjoy the rest of the night everyone!

The two-hundred-and-fifth and two-hundred-and-sixth days combined...

I love finding great deals and recently bought both these lovely shoes for about $30 each. Thank you DSW and wonderful sales :)


Anyway, on to other things. Winter is coming up just a little to fast for my liking; I don't even have my winter clothes out of storage yet :( Today was so rainy and cold that I didn't even get to go out and take any pictures today as I was stuck writing papers (and shivering - the heat needs to be higher immediately).

I took a short break to try and gather my thoughts for this paper, but it didn't really help. I'm pretty much stuck so I'm going to watch some TV and hope inspiration comes to me. It better come quick - the paper is due my midnight (via e-mail).

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Enjoy the rest of the night!

The hundred-and-forty-second day...(a little belated)

Today was absolutely beautiful. Hazy, hot and way too humid - but absolutely beautiful! My family and I ran a few errands, so most of my day was spent in Kohl's and JcPenney, but it was pretty great. I bought a few shirts, had an amazing mango smoothie, and took some pictures of people enjoying a wonderful day.

My man and I saw G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra last night. I didn't remember much of the Joe back story, but my man filled me in a bit along the way, and I have to say, I really enjoyed the movie. I think all of the actors did a good job, and the action was great. Oh and Ray Park, you are awesome! If only we got to see your face a bit more in your movies :)

I love laid back weekends.

Have a great night everyone!

The seventy-sixth day...

Well, I braved the rain today to head over to Bath and Body Works for their Semi-Annual Sale during my lunch hour. I may have gone a bit overboard...no, I definitely went overboard :) I do love a sale!

Air fresheners, body sprays, and scented anti-bacterial wipes - Oh My!

This was just a weird mannequin that I saw at the mall over the weekend. I understand the need to set a scene in storefront windows, but this pose a bit over the top :)

A mannequin doing 'The Bump' in the Forever 21 window

Anyway, I'm gonna finish watching The Sweetest Gift and then head off to sleep. Enjoy the night everyone!

The seventy-third and seventy-fourth days combined...

This weekend went by way to quickly...but then again they always do. Sorry about the belated post. I spent most of yesterday morning hanging out with my family :) We went to the mall for a bit. A fight broke out there between two guys, and it appeared the fight was over the cost of a cell phone case. Yea...okay. Security came and calmed everyone down and all the drama was over within minutes. I got a large Caramel Chillatta from Cinnabon so it was a happy afternoon for me :)

I also took a walk through the Sock Drawer - I love colorful socks, but the salespeople were too pushy and the prices were ridiculous so my only purchase in the mall ended up being the Chillatta.

I bought more stuff when we went to Target, but it's virtually impossible to not buy something in Target :)

The evening was spent with my man's family. My man and I were supposed to go out and watch a movie. We were trying to decide between seeing Up, The Hangover, or Night at the Museum 2, but we all just got to talking and decided to just order Papa John's and hang out.

Today was hot, and I've spent most of the day alternating between sleeping, playing God of War 2, watching the Tony Awards and trying to stay cool. How is it possible that it's almost Monday again?

Enjoy the rest of the night everyone!

The fifty-third day...

So, P and I went shopping during lunch one day last week. I ended up spending about $20 and bought these three items (a little wristlet, a cute purse, and some nice sunglasses).

Yea, bargain shopping!

So, how was everyone's Sunday? I can't believe the weekend is over. They fly by way too fast for my liking. I'm already looking forward to this Friday. As it is the Friday before Memorial Day, the office will be closing at 1pm - and I am all for half days. Now, I just need to get through the week. I know there are at least three problem projects waiting on my desk - of course, I know this because that's where I left them on Thursday, but still :)

Have a great night everyone!

The twentieth day...

It's always hard to bounce back into work mode after a vacation - no matter how short the break. Today was a long, hard, strange day. Little annoying things kept happening this morning, and by 5:30 I was ready to slam my office door and flee the building for the comfort of my worn-in couch at home. Unfortunately, I am flexing this week, so I couldn't actually leave the office until after 7, but whatcha gonna do?

First, this morning on the train, the lady next to me fell into a deep, deep sleep. I completely understand being tired on the train - I think it has something to do with the rock, rock, rocking of the train car - and I didn't want to nudge her, but it was getting dangerously close to that time. I said excuse me a few times and she eventually popped awake and let me out of the corner seat. She was apologetic, and I just let her know that it was fine. The train hadn't even fully arrived at my stop yet, so no harm, no foul.

Once I got off the train and turned to walk up the steps, a fellow straphanger decided that he would like to try walking on my back, and tried to knock me down. I don't know where the lightning quick reflexes came from this morning, but I managed to keep myself upright.

Once I was topside again, I realized that I had like 5 minutes to sprint to work. I came across a family of tourists that were laughing and walking with linked arms and blocking the entire sidewalk. Cute family time, but they were moving at a pace of about a millimeter a minute. The woman in front of me who was trying to get past them was growing increasingly aggravated with each failed attempt. She finally just ducked under one of the sets of linked arms. It was like one of those old grade school playground games. As I was walking by - I opted for the say excuse me twice and then walk in the street route - my purse lightly and accidentally brushed the arm of one of the women walking. The woman started screaming. She was screaming "Oh my God. Oh man. What was it?!!! What HAPPENED?!!!" Her linked arm party members then also began screaming "What was it?!!! What happened?!!! What was it?!!!" I had already said sorry as I was passing and felt the bag touch her, so I didn't turn around at the overreaction. She then started saying "Hello! Helloooooo!!!" I assumed that she was talking to her group and not to me, so I just kept on going to work.

As I said, it was a crazy morning. It was made even crazier due to the fact that I got almost no sleep last night and was on edge and exhausted for the whole day as a result. Tomorrow has to be better - except that I'm still flexing so it is going to be another loooong day.

Oh well! On a bright note, I did some shopping today :) I got two pairs of adorable flats to help ring in Spring and Summer - if the rain ever leaves. I hate breaking in new shoes only to have them end up soaked and gross.

Dark metallic silver flats with beautiful shocking pink insoles and cute flats with black, gray and white hearts

I also bought a little silver clutch (no pic, sorry), which I didn't need but bought anyway, and hats for each of my sisters. Sis 1 got a cute pinstriped fedora and Sis 2 got a cute green military style bucket hat. Hope they like 'em :)


I didn't even want to buy anything today, but I do love a deal. Now I just need to be good for the rest of the week (or two).

Have a great night everyone!