I feel blah today

Ever feel that way?
I even physically feel blah. It's weird.

I don't know why either.
-Could be all the stuff I have to do in a very short time this week.
-Could be the class I have to take which I'm pretty sure I'm not going to do well on the test on friday (Accounting and Finance for HR) :P
-Could be I'm bummed about the sucky classes for CKU.
-Could be because I have to clean out my desk today b/c I'm going on a new project starting monday for 6 months and they want to give my desk to someone else.
-Could be that I went clothes shopping yesterday
-Could be the heat
-Could be the weird bug bite I got this weekend
-Could be allergies and I'm actually sick not just blah
-Could be that my lawnmower is broken so you can't see all the flowers I spent a lot of time and money on this weekend.
-Could be the fact that my house is a mess and doesn't feel like a sanctuary.

I'm off to clean out almost 10 years of crap from my desk. Should be interesting.

Ciao!

St Jerome's

I went to the 10am mass today to see what it looks like during this weekend in May. I couldn't believe all the flowers! The only thing is, I saw them moving them around after mass. I will have to ask them about that. But if all of the flowers stay (at least somewhere on the altar) it's going to save us A LOT of money on floral arrangements. They even had flowers on the pews in the middle aisle. They had more pews decorated than we were even planning to do. I took a few pictures once most people were gone.

Ciao!

Exacty one year from today,,,,,

I will be a MRS.!!! Finally!!!


Most of me says...UGH! A whole year?!?! That's so long! Then there is a part of me that says...OMG! ONLY a year! I have so much to do.
Shawn and I were talking this afternoon and he was like, "At this exact time next year we will be married. We will probably be dancing right now." it was very cute.

Mom and I went to see Lakeview today to see what it looked like in the spring. We've only ever seen it in the summer. Luckily, we still love it. Whew! ;) Here is a new picture of Lakeview.

Tomorrow I'm going to mass at St Jerome's to see what it looks like during this time of year.

Ciao!

I'm a crier

Anyone who knows me knows this. So why does it surprise ME when I cry at stupid things? Mostly I cry at TV shows. It started with Party of Five. Lately it's 7th Heaven and the real killer......Extreme Makeover Home Edition. When those ginormous tough men start blubbering b/c of their beautiful new house....I lose it.
My family that doesn't know me well learned I was a crier at my surprise engagement party. When Shawn and I showed up I still thought it was a birthday party for my cousin. When I saw my dad there and then Shawn's parents, everything clicked and the waterworks started. I cried through the whole party and in the days following when I thought about the party. ;)
So back to why I brought this up.....
Last night Shawn came home from being over his parents with a present for me. He said it was an Easter present from Travis (his nephew). I thought that was cute and I went to take it out of the grocery bag it was in and this is what I saw.....

I know you are thinking....ooooookay, so what Michelle? It says "Auntie Michelle"!!! And it's real! First of all, I've never been called Auntie before and if I was, it would have been a cute thing from one of my friend's kids not a real Auntie. It made me think of how much I love my Aunts and Uncles and the fact I am one too (or will be in a short time).

I stared at that for a few minutes and cried before I even opened up the gift. Shawn didn't get it and just placated me but that's ok. Inside was a little resin frog statue that says "welcome". But what I'm going to remember most is the packaging.

And to leave you with something funny. My mom came over on saturday to give Bazzill birthday presents. One was a scratching post. One was a stone that I can make the imprint of his paw on. And one was this...

Sponge Bob Kitty Pants!

Poor kitty. We are so sorry! LOL!!!!

Ciao!

Happy Birthday Bazzill!!!

My sweet baby is 2 years old today. He is such a love bug. Here is a picture of him the day we got him. He was just a ball of fuzz.

Here are some other cute ones from his first few days with us.

Happy Birthday Poopie!

Ciao!

My House Guest

So last week I told you I had a house guest but I never showed you who it was. Her name is Brandy and she is the cutest, sweetest thing inthe world. (sorry about the bad picture)

She is my cousin's cocker spaniel. We take care of her when they go away. She's so loveable and loves to give kisses. We spoil her rotten! She sleeps on our bed and gets all the treats she wants. at home she has to compete for attention with a 3 year old and a cat. At our house she gets most of the attention. She just has to share it with Bazzill - who isn't 100% fond of having her invade his space.

Here are the 2 of them on a rare moment of being close and Bazzill not tormenting Brandy. (sorry about the evil pet eyes again)

As much as Shawn says he's happy when Brandy goes home I think he really enjoys having her at the house. I can't wait to get our own dog some day.

Ciao!!

I'm a Lemming

It's ok, I've come to terms with that. I don't care b/c after being on my feet all day, running here and there, helping out the photographers, my body may be exhausted but my feet don't hurt. And these are the reason why.

They are called Crocs. They haven't become too big in MA yet but they are HUGE in other parts of the country. The girls on my message boards RAVE about them. Ok, yes, I do reason they are butt ugly but I don't care. My feet love me and that's all that matters. I went to 4 stores looking for the exact ones I wanted. Some stores had charms you can put in the holes - thinking about it by I'm not sure. Another store had different colored straps so that you could change out the heel strap - I'm more likely to go that route. Either a black strap or a green one.

If anyone else cares to be a Lemming like me here is the website... http://www.crocs.com/home.jsp

Many Podiatrists are recommending them now. There is a big section in the website regarding it.

Aren't these ones adorable? ;)

Ciao!

Looooooong weekend

I started back at work at New England Sports Photo this weekend. How is it that I can work 8 or 9 hours at Harvard or go shopping with my mom for 8 0r 9 hours and be fine, but, I work 5 hours at NESP and I'm drained and need a nap? I was exhausted. I'll feel better when the check comes.
I picked Brandy up on friday. She's such a cutie. She'll be staying with us until next sunday. I'll have pictures of her soon.
I took today off. My house needs some serious TLC.

Ciao!

Motivation

mo·ti·va·tion
Pronunciation: "mOt-&-'vA-sh&n
Function: noun
n 1: the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior;

Something Michelle has none of.


My wedding is EXACTLY a year and a month away. Why is that not motivating me? I have a lot of "intentions" but no real motivation. I started off good but then I got lazy again. I have to start shopping for my wedding dress in about a month. There is no way I want to look like this. B/c even if I lose more weight in the year I have left I won't know what kind of dress looks good if I'm fat when I go looking initially.
I think I need to wire my jaw shut. But I like the taste of food too much. UGH!!!!

And I wanted to take engagement pictures in May. THAT is out of the question right now.

Any sage advice? (besides get your lazy ass off the couch and stop eating so much)

Ciao!

Easter

We had a really nice Easter. My Easter Bunnies spoiled me rotten. (Video games, jewelry, candy, etc) And we had WAY too much food. Seriously, more food than 3 people should eat in a week never mind a day! We spend the day at my mom's and relaxed. We even played triva games from On Demand. Bazzill game with us and spent the whole day hiding. ;)
One of the Easter presents I got was a book from Shawn. The name of the book was "What no one tells the Bride" Wedding planning book, right? Nooooooooooo! It was recommended by one of his friends at work who just got married. He figured that she knew what she was talking about so he bought it and didn't read anything about it. Well, it's a relationship book. It's all about how I'm feeling anxious, nervous, even bad about getting married and not to worry b/c alot of Brides feel that way. Um, I WASN'T feeling those things until NOW. Thanks! At first I thought Shawn got it b/c I was acting neurotic and this was to shut me up and tell me that everyone goes through it. I feel better knowing that he was just being a guy and bought it w/o looking at it. ;)



Ciao!

Dane Cook is Yummy!!!

Tonight/last night we (Shawn, Steve, and I) went to see Dane Cook at the Garden. It was being taped for HBO. The tickets were my birthday present. We were SO excited. Shawn and I had to leaev my cousin Andrea's wedding early just to make it into Boston on time. Thankfully we had the later show so we could make it to both.
He started a little late but it was ok b/c he didn't have an opening comedian. His girlfriend sand the National Anthem to start the show. thought it was a little weird for a comedy shoe but WHATEVER. I bet it was just a way for him to have her be a part of the show.
it started off great. New material - funny stuff. then it started to drag. he took some of his old stuff and made it longer. It wasn't too bad. We were still laughing but sitting in the tiny Garden seats for 2 hours was wearing thin. All of a sudden we realized it was 1am. Thank god we drove in and didn't take the T. That would have been an expensive cab ride home. So the show is over and Dane leaves the stage. So sad! Bye Dane! But wait! He comes back!!! An encore?!?!? At a comedy show? I think he really wants to be a rocker. ;) So he comes back and plays the guitar and sings a song and then leaves again. The show is really over.
The three of us know enough that we can't go right to our cars b/c the traffic in the garage will be unbareable...it's a saturday night, the concert just got out and the bars are closing soon. So we wait about a half an hour and then go to our cars. Well, apparently, that wasn't long enough. Shawn and I waited in our car until 3:15am. Talk about tired!!! We got home about 3:30 and crashed b/c we had to be up around 8 for Easter. UGH!! I'm not 18 any more.

Ciao!

Last night was SO fun!!!

So last night Shawn and I went to the California Pizza Kitchen with some people I met on the message board I post on. They were the nicest people!!! I have known Amanda IRL for years. I met her DH last Saturday at her Stampin' Up party. We were all meeting JJ (who's real name is Barb - LONG story) who was visiting Boston with her family (DH- Bob, DS's Jack and Mitch) from PA. I swear they have seen more of the city than I have. I learned a few things at dinner.
I think everyone had a good time. Even the guys, which I was surprised at. I think they were glad to find out that they were not the only men with women like us (scrapbooking FEINDS!) LOL!!!

Here are some pictures from last night. I wish someone would have told me that I was sitting in a weird position in the first one. Sigh!

JJ, Me, Amanda

(left side, front to back) Shawn, Me, Amanda, John
(right side, front to back) Jack, JJ, Bob, Mitch

Ciao!

The Randomness of Rt 18

Last Sunday I was driving down Rt 18 on my way to Scrapbook Cupboard and I decided to take some pictures of the things that always struck me as odd/random when I drive down that street.

Bear with no arms - This bear is the mascot for the Sharpening store. Do you think they tested out their newly sharpened tools on his arms??

Big Cow - From the road, this just looks like a big statue of a cow in front of a propane store. But when you get out of your car you see it's actually a Petting Zoo (???) in front of a propane store. The only animals that are there are goats but they are super cute and talk to you when you get close to them.

Ferris Wheel - It first this looks like a ferris wheel in the middle of a junk yard. When I got closer I learned it's a used car dealership. Still not sure why they have a ferris wheel. The pond in front is home to a lot of Koi. Koi aren't easy to take care of but they seem to be doing fine in the junk yard.

Toll House sign - This is the sign for the original Toll House Cookie Co. that was started in MA. It now sits in the middle of a Wendy's parkinglot.....no cookies in site. :(

Saint in the window - This is my favorite random thing on Rt 18. It's an abandoned antique shop but it still has a statue of St Joseph in it. It is very eerie to look at. I can't figure out if I think he is watching over us or if I get the feeling of him being trapped in there. It's very intriquing.

Tonight I am going out to dinner with a couple of ladies I know from the message board I go to every day. I'm sure to have fun stories after that. We are bringing our husband's/FI's. Shawn is very excited.

Ciao!

RED SOX!!!!!

Monday-

Got into work early b/c Outings and Innings was releasing Red Sox tickets. You only had to pay face value so it was like a $10 discount per ticket. (no Ticketmaster raping charge) I figured it would be a great father's Day gift for my Dad, Shawn's Dad, and Shawn. We could only get 3 tickets each so I was out of the picture. I sat at my desk and hit refresh for almost an hour. Then at 9:30 I got in!!! There must have been a problem with the system b/c the tickets should have been gone by then. I don't care. I got 3 wonderful tickets in section 37 June 21 against the Washington Nationals. I later found out that my Dad probably won't be able to make it so I have to think of another plan. Haven't told Shawn about the tickets yet until I think of another plan. Hmmmmmmm.
The rest of the day paled in comparison. ;)

Ciao!

Not a bad weekend

Friday - Shawn and I went to Texas Roadhouse with a gift certificate we got at Christmas. It was so yummy. By the time we got home we were beat. We crashed and didn't even watch a movie.

Saturday - Up early and off to the car dealership for my mom. She's looking for a Rav4 like mine. it makes me really happy about my decision in a car. I look up to her so the fact that she wants the same car a me is really cool.
No luck at the dealership. The salesmen (actually, just one of them) was a real ASS. I wish they let you evaluate them even if you didn't buy something.
Then it was off to Dracut to my friend Amanda's house for a Stampin; Up party. I had SO MUCH FUN!! I met a few Peas and it was nice to put faces with names. And I got to meet Belle! She is a cutie! I spent too much and I could have spent a ton more. I like this company WAY too much! Can't wait to get my goodies.

From there, I met Shawn at his parents where we had to "babysit" Becky. His parents had gone down the Cape for the night (Hubba Hubba!) and Shawn was going to stay over night at their house. DRAMA!! The night started off fine. Shawn made us all dinner. Then we went to Border's books to look around. Becky told us her friend Brian was coming over to hang out. Fine! Then it changed to she was going out with Brian for a while. Shawn said it was ok as long as their parents said it was ok. So then the phone calls started. They couldn't reach the parents so then the yelling and crying started. Shawn was calm the whole time and it was a nice glimpse into the future. I was glad to see that he didn't allow her to manipulate him. He also never raised his voice no matter what mean things came out of her mouth. These are things he definitely didn't learn from his own Dad.
They finally got a hold of the parents and Becky was allowed to go out as long as it was to get something to eat. (she had just had dinner) So of course she lied and said that's what they were going to do. She was to be home no later than 11pm. Shawn went so far as to make Brian come to the door and told him that if Becky was home later than 11pm (even 11:01pm) then there would be harsh consequences. I don't think their Dad has ever done anything like that. And wouldn't you know......Becky was home at 10:58pm. And the first thing she did was get something to eat. My ass they went out for food! LOL!!

Sunday - Mostly errands. I went to scrapbook cupboard today b/c Mike's had a 50% coupon. I was looking for AMM totes. NONE! Booooo! Then I decided to go to Framingham....because I was so close. NOT! Went to Target first. NOTHING! So I went to ACM. Hadn't been there in a while. THEY HAD THE AMM TOTES!!!! All the colors!!!! There were like 12 of them!! I ended up getting the black and green one. I will decorate it with pink ribbons. I didn't love the brown and pink. I stood at the end cap saying "Oh My God! Oh My God!" over and over. LOL!! I'm really sad.








More to come about the random pictures I took on Rt 18 on Sunday.

Ciao!!

It's FRIDAY!!!!

And it's a nice day out. The only way it could be better is if it was a payday or a 3 day weekend. But I'll take it anyway.
I walked to the T Station today. It's about a mile and it took me 20-25 minutes. It will be the same on the way back. Nice and easy way to get some exercise in and makes me feel less guilty when I miss the gym. I should be able to do this on nice days and days I don't have to get home right away. Those days seem few and far between but we'll see. I have learned that I need new sneakers....good ones. My hip started to hurt while I was walking. It's also a sign that I have to get to the podiatrist. <>

Last night I was watching TV and felt like a big bum. So I got off the couch and grabbed my exercise ball. I did squats (ouch, my thighs!) and twists, and crunches the whole time I was watching CSI. I figured that even if it wasn't high impact, it was better to be moving.

Hopefully it's a good weekend. We are supposed to get some rain. :( I have a Stampin Up party at Amanda's that I can't wait for. I get to drool all over the pretty stamps. YAY!!

Just a little picture for the day.



Ciao!

Babies!!!!

So many of my family and friends are pregnant. I'm so happy for them.

Come September - this little cutie will have a baby brother or sister. This is Arianna, my cousin Joanna's little girl.


Come September/October - this little cutie terror will have a baby brother or sister. This is Nicholas, my cousin Joey's little boy (Joanna and Joey are brother and sister).

This fall - this little cutie will have a little brother or sister. This is Sarah, our friends Keith and Pam's little girl. She is very concerned that she will have to share her room.

My friend Lisa will be adding to her gorgeous family this fall also. She already has a 13 year old girl and a 9 year old boy.

Another person due in the fall is my friend Danielle who will be having her first little peanut. I saw ultrasound pictures today and I already know that she is carrying a little cutie.

I can't wait to see them all!!!!

Ciao!

Getting older sucks!

Second post for today b/c I've been thinking about this a lot.
I've had 2 good friends lose their Dad's w/i the past month or so. Is that who we are now? Are we at that age when we have to worry about this? Both of these men were ill but neither family thought that THAT was the last day for them. It's all very sad. Sorry to be a bummer.

Tomorrow I promise we will discuss happier things. Like all my friends and family who are currently pregnant. :)


Ciao!

The S - word

It's April 5th, right? Then why is it SNOWING?!?!?!?

I looked outside and there are a lot of flakes falling. There were a lot of flakes on the train too but that's a different story. But while we are here....

Ok, I thought the point of headphones were so that you could listen to your music and I didn't have to hear it. I think there is something very wrong when I can name the EXACT song you are listening to on your headphones when I also have my headphones on! Imagine what the other train passengers can hear who aren't wearing headphones. UGH!! It makes me so mad.

Ok, back to the other kind of flakes. It really doesn't bode well for it to be snowing on April 5th. We will probably go from 30 degrees to 90 degrees with no stopping in between. So looking forward to that! < eyeroll >

ok, that's all for now. I have some other things in my head but they deserve their own posts.

Ciao!

New home

Ok, so I have a new home. Not one to live in but one to write in. The blog on MySpace was too out in the open. Too many eyes could see it. I don't mind my girlfriends seeing my rants and raves here but I had an issue with my FI, SIL, and sister being able to see my thoughts on MySpace. It feels cozier here. I hope it stays that way.

Ok, so here are some important things we are going to talk about on here.

1. Wedding Planning
The big day is May 20, 2007. We have a lot accomplished - Church St Jerome's, Reception - Lakeview Pavilion, Photographer - Brian Hull from Hull Grenier, and we are 99% sure on a DJ - our friend Dennis. Next on my list is Videographers. I have some emails out to a few right now and some are sending me samples. Hopefully more progress on that soon.

2. Weight Loss
Ok, lets make a deal. You won't ask me how much I weigh but when I get down to my goal weight I'll tell you and then tell you how much I've lost. Deal? Good. Right now I'm still only down 11 pounds from when I restarted this goal. I had a few bad weeks where a gained but I'm back on tract. I'm following Weight Watchers but not actually going to the meetings. So far so good. Lets hope I keep it it. Actually, I HAVE to! There are no "ifs" about it. I CAN'T be this weight or look this way for my wedding. I will not allow it. Ok? ok.

3. Photography
It's a passion of mine. I really have to get out there and do more of it. It frustrates me (finding just the right angle and composure) to no end but it relaxes me and makes me happy at the same time.
This first picture is one of my favorite recent pictures. It's not all that recent..Hence the reason why I have to get out there. ;)
The second picture of one of my favorites of my Kitty, Bazzill. I'm sure you are going to be hearing a lot about him.














4 . Crafts/Scrapbooking
This is also a big part of my life. it's the common hobby I share with my girlfriends. So there will be a lot of talk about this also.

ok, I have to get back to work. But I'll update as soon as I can.


Ciao!