I want to make these all day long

*for all Library nerds like me*

Where in the World Wednesday

Me: Hello, Wednesday, it's lovely to see you!
WITWW: So, where are we headed to today?
Me: It's so nice of you to ask; today we're off to Massachussetts!
WITWW: Fabulous!

Yep, you read that right, I just had an imaginary conversation with Classy in Philadelphia's Where in the World Wednesday. It's truly a wonder that I have friends...haha!

Anyway, as I'm assuming you picked up on it is once again Wednesday, which means it's time for Where in the World Wednesday! The idea of WITWW is to post a picture of you someplace in the world...it doesn't have to be somewhere foreign or tropical. Just a picture of you somewhere that you consider traveling. It might even be somewhere in your hometown! Feel free to use Feris' button and share your post link with Jess!

Chances are quite good that you'll be seeing quite a few more WITWW posts involving MA, NH, RI and maybe even ME in the following weeks (I am, afterall, going out there in 2 weeks), but I love MA, so I feel like going there today. :-)

*all 3 of these pictures were taken in October 2007*

Wine + Pizza + Good Friends + Coffee

Mondays are always a little rough...the weekend is over, the real world is beckoning you to join it again, work is anxiously waiting for you in the morning and there's the over-arching knowledge that it's only Monday. Yep, Mondays can be a shock to the system.

Well, this Monday my friend Chelsae and I decided we would combat our cases of the Mondays (and her jury summons) by meeting after work for wine and pizza. A local restaurant offers $5 wine flights on Mondays and half-price pizzas before 6 pm. Perfect!!

After enjoying our wine selections, inhaling our shrimp and artichoke thin crust pizza (so good!), chatting about that baffling thing called "how boys think" and laughing like the crazy gals we are, we paid our bill and walked across the street to one of our favorite coffee houses. Neither of us were quite ready to head home in order to tackle homework and/or the gym, so coffee and more gossip seemed like the best choice. I mean, you really can't go wrong with a soy latte to top off the evening, right?

This was one of the best Mondays I've had in a while! I hope everyone else's weeks are off to as lovely a start as mine.

I have a secret...

...I'm a total nerd and am loving the Accounting class that I'm taking this semester.

I've been out of school for nearly 2 years and had forgotten the sick pleasure I get out of learning.

Shhhh...

don't tell.

Two Important Causes

Happy Friday, everyone.

I'm still sick over in my neck of the woods, but am optimistic that I'll be feeling good as gold by the end of the weekend!

I think one of the best things about having a blog is being able to share important information with a large population. And there are two causes/campaigns/things to be aware of that I want to share with you all:

1. LOVE HARDER Campaign

The Plea: Our friend Brandy is a brilliant writer, a wonderful teacher and a generous friend. And she is in love with a man who has just been diagnosed with multiple myeloma. We are raising money for the Multiple Myeloma Research Fund in his name. For the price of a cinnamon dolce latte, half-caf, hold the whip, you can be part of an effort to cure a disease that affects approximately 750,000 people worldwide.

Every dollar brings us a dollar closer to a cure. And every donation brings a sliver of hope to a girl who needs all the hope she can get.

The requests are simple:

• Give. Be part of a worldwide effort to cure a disease that affects approximately 750,000 people. Every dollar helps.
• Pass it on. Forward this story. Share this blog. Follow on Facebook.
• Love harder. Life is short, love is unbending and no one knows what could happen next. Tell someone you love them today.

http://www.loveharder.org/

Please click on the above link to read Brandy's original plea, to donate if you're so inclined and to learn more about where your donations to the Love Harder Campaign go.

And the 2nd cause that is very close to my heart:

2. TEAM JAKOB

As some of you may remember, my best friend's sister lost her newborn son, Jake, in December due to complications from undiagnosed Vasa Previa.

In his honor, Team Jakob has been created. By teaming up with the International Vasa Previa Foundation, Katie, Seth and family hope to spread the word about Vasa Previa, to help with fundraising and to remind us all that life can be short, so we should savor every moment.

http://www.teamjakob.com/

Please check out their website and continue to keep this family in your thoughts and prayers. And thank you from me for sticking with me through the many posts about Baby Jake and for your lovely words of inspiration.

It's amazing what can be accomplished when we work together.

Where in the World Wednesday

Well, folks, I am home sick and I must admit that I'm not having a blast. I feel like crap and am a tad antsy, which often happens when I'm sick and I've watched my quota of movies. So, in order to help combat this, let's travel across the Atlantic for this week's Where in the World Wednesday: We're off to Liechtenstein!

As I mentioned in my very first WITWW post, all of my European travel pics are from the pre-digital camera era, and all of these photos are in albums at my parents' house. So, you're just going to have to settle for a few pictures of Liechtenstein that do not have me in them...use your imagination!

As always, feel free to jump on the WITWW bandwagon, use Feris' fun button and share a link to your post with Jess over at Classy in Philadelphia!

Schloss Vaduz

Triesenberg, Liechtenstein

Not a glamorous shot, but I distinctly remember wandering around here!
Vaduz, Liechtenstein (the capital)

I only spent an hour in this country 10 years ago, but I loved its charm, its castle perched on the side of a mountain and its friendly people. I remember being quite upset that our tour had to move on to Austria without further exploration of this lovely little country. Granted, I had probably seen the majority of the country in my short hour there, but nonetheless, I wasn't quite ready to leave Liechtenstein.

I'd jump at the chance to go back in a heartbeat!

I heart 3 day weekends

I'm loving the fact that it's Sunday night, but I'm treating it like a Saturday because I am off of work tomorrow!!! I love 3 days weekends more than I can describe.

And what a weekend it's been! Friday night was low-key; the perfect end to a busy week. I ran a few errands on my way home from work and then dove into Meg Cabot's Queen of Babble Gets Hitched while doing an awesome cardio work-out. The book was cute and funny with loveable characters and left me wanting even more of this series. After working out, I freshened up a bit and headed to Barnes and Noble. I grabbed an Americano, browsed around a bit, found an open chair and settled in to finish my book. Yep, I nerded it up and it was lovely!

Saturday started off with manicures with my Mom. It had been so long since I'd had a mani, and my nails were in serious need of a little TLC. I went with Spa Ritual's Can You Dig It, and am loving it! Just enough golden sparkle to be interesting, but not enough to blind you in the sun. LOL. Then, we met up with my dad for lunch and a little furniture shopping. I'm on the hunt for a black, wooden dining room table, that I can afford on a budget. I found a few tables that have made it into the running, but I haven't made my final decision yet. I wrapped up Saturday by cooking dinner with my friend Betsy. It was nice to just cook a real meal, lounge in our sweats and chat about roommates, boys, school, work and just life in general.

Today was another easy-going day. Kaity and I met up for a long-awaited coffee and spent some time getting caught up on each other's lives. I've known Kaity since elementary school, but we no longer live in the same town, so it's nice when we're able to find the time in our busy lives to just sit and talk. After coffee, I ran a bunch of errands around town (what else are weekends for?) and then joined my parents for dinner and the Golden Globes. They have an incredible flat screen, so it's far more fun to watch the award shows on their TV than on mine. I made it home in time to throw in the 30 Day Shred dvd and let Jillian Michael's kick my butt! It's been quite awhile since I've done the Shred and I can guarantee that I'll be feeling this tomorrow!

As for tomorrow, I'm going to see Invictus, do some laundry, start my reading for the class I'm taking this semester (reason #27 why I love working in higher ed.) and introduce my mom to the amazingness that is The Tudors.

How have all of your weekends been? Do you all have a 3 day weekend, too?

This and that...

Remember when I said I was going to cut back on my Library usage in order to finish reading some of the books that I've started but never finished? Yea, I do, too. Well, when I took stock of my book situation yesterday this is what I saw:

Yep, you counted right, there are 6 Library books there! And the best part: I actually had 10 checked out at the time, but 2 were in my car ready to make the trek back to their Library home and 2 were sitting on my side table missing out on photo time. So much for starting off the New Year by working on every one of my goals. Haha! Oh well, it's only January...

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On an entirely different note, as per Courtney's request here is a picture of me in my perfect, beloved black cardi from Target (please ignore the fact that I have on black sweats and a bit of a scowl):

This isn't the best pic, but this cardi truly is wonderful! It's warm, flattering and goes with just about everything. I'm obviously smitten!

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And, for my final tangent on this lovely Friday afternoon, I would like to get some feedback on hosting a giveaway. As a few of you know, my mom makes fused glass jewelry (earrings, pendants and the occasional bracelet). Her pieces are gorgeous and I have yet to wear a pair of earrings or a pendant without getting compliments. Well, Mom has graciously offered to let me have a pair of earrings for a giveaway, but before saying yes I wanted to put out some feelers. I don't have a ton of followers (which is fine by me) but for those of you out in Blogland who do read my ramblings, would you all be interested in winning a pair of fused glass earrings? I apologize for not having any pictures of Mom's work, but I'll try to get a few up this weekend. Please let me know your thoughts!

Happy weekend, everyone!!! It's a 3 day weekend for me, so I'm over the moon right now! Do any of you have big weekend plans?

Where In The World Wednesday

I cannot believe another week has already flown by, but nonetheless it certainly has! Seeing as it's Wednesday I think you all know what that means: time for Where in the World Wednesday!!

The idea behind Classy in Philadelphia's weekly installment is to post a picture of you someplace in the world. It doesn't have to be somewhere foreign or tropical; just someplace that you consider traveling.

If you do decide to participate (which I highly recommend you all do), feel free to use the WITWW button designed by Feris.

So, where to this week...

Virginia Beach, VA!
I spent Labor Day weekend 2009 here with Corey, her fiance Matt and our friend Carrie playing on the beach, getting sunburnt, turning Carrie into a sand mermaid and cheering on Corey and Carrie as they ran in a half-marathon.

As per her request, Carrie became a sand mermaid!

And I almost forgot...

...head on over to Classy in Philadelphia's page to check out some gorgeous, unique, awesome jewelry and to enter her awesome giveaway!

Jess, you're one of my favorite bloggers, and this giveaway just adds to that! :-)

Boston, here I come!

I am excited to announce that I will be Boston-bound in February!!!

Thank you to everyone who kept their fingers crossed for me yesterday. I emailed my Uncle as to whether or not a quick visit would be feasible and his response was:
"Get your ass out here, girl! You are welcome anytime."
I love my family...

So, with his seal of approval, a quick check to my work calendar (perfect time to travel!) and a little Annual Leave calculation I was all set to hunt for cheap airfare. And, just as I was hoping I would, I found a great deal through Southwest! After double-checking the dates with my Mom (as any good daughter does) I excitedly hit the "Purchase" button. Woohoo! It's just a quick 5 day trip, but it's exactly what I need right now: a little break from my day-to-day life in Colorado and some East Coast excitement.

Considering how fast January seems to be going, I can only imagine that the next 4.5 weeks will fly by!

I'm really not shocked...

Sarah Palin gets deal as Fox commentator
‘It’s wonderful to be part of a place that so values fair and balanced news'

This is the headline that I saw when I opened up MSN just now...gag me!

I mean no offense to any of my conservative friends (you know I love you all!) or any Palin-lovers...she just really isn't my cup of tea -- nor are her politics -- and I've never been a fan of Fox News. Thank goodness this blog is for my opinions and my ranting...right? LOL.

I'm ready to pack my bag and hop on a plane...maybe?

I'm so very antsy today! Not antsy in a bad way, but just in that I-could-really-go-for-a-quick-out-of-town-trip kind of way. It's times like this that I so appreciate having friends and family scattered all over the Midwest and East Coast who enjoy having visitors. It makes it very easy for me to match up schedules with someone, find reasonable airfare and just get out of town for a long weekend. I'm madly in love with Colorado, but even this creature of habit, no big changes without first consulting me, gal likes to get away!

And, you might ask, where is my current desired destination? Well, it just so happens to be: BOSTON! Ahhh, I'm all smiles just thinking about it. I have an Uncle who lives in the Boston area and is usually quite receptive to hosting me for visits. Plus, he recently bought a new house that I'm dying to see, and he's a wonderful host and tour guide! I love having opportunities to visit my Uncle.

So, I'm off to search for a cheap flight (Southwest is now flying to the Boston Logan Airport and I just bet I can find a smokin' deal!), play around with my work schedule and annual leave, mentally plan out a few things I'd love to do and wait to hear back from my Uncle as to whether or not this trip could become a reality.

Keep your fingers crossed for me!

An Ice Box and A Cardigan

Oh, me oh, my it is frigid today! I know it's only early afternoon, but the temperature hasn't even hit double digits yet, and I am just so not in the mood for this cold weather right now. Don't get me wrong, I actually do like Winter as a season, and normally I enjoy chilly temps because they give me an excuse to get all bundled up and cozy, but my patience is worn thin right now. And, I know the culprit: my freaking, freezing, ice box of an office! Holy cow! Yes, I'm whining and I do apologize, but seriously, if you were sitting at my desk right now you would be whining, too. I'm dressed warmly, have a large space heater as close to me as it can get without catching something on fire or causing me to trip and hurt myself, I have my winter coat on my lap like a blanket and yet my nose is still cold to the touch, my fingers are practically blue and my desk might as well be a block of ice! Brrrr!

Ahhhh, I feel a tad better after that little woe-is-me party. Thanks for sticking with me!

Onto something a tad more cheerful than the state of my under-insulated office: a new cardigan! I have been on the hunt for the perfect cardigan for months! I found one that almost fit the bill at Forever 21 a couple of months ago but just wasn't blown away by it; I found several cute ones at New York & Co. and Old Navy (and did buy 1 that I adore), but they still weren't matching the vision inside my head; and while I'd continually checked Target (it is my mecca afterall, so I'm there more often than I care to admit) even this love of my life couldn't deliver. In fact, I was seriously disappointed with Target's cardigan and sweater selection this year. I mean, come on Target, cardigans are all the rage right now, plus the world is full of nerdy all-the-time-cardigan-lovers like me and all you have are thin worthless ones or basic cardis?! Unacceptable. Well, after last night, Target and I are back on good terms again because I found exactly what I'd been looking for (and for only $20):

And while I have seen similar cardigans at Target and other stores, none of them fit me as perfectly as this one. Success! I am a happy, albeit cold, camper.

Happy Friday, everyone!

My obsession is rekindled

I would like to share with you all one of my obsessions: Showtime's The Tudors. Oh. My. Goodness. I've always been a history nerd with a particular love for Medieval England and the house of Tudor, but hottie Jonathan Rhys Meyers takes it to a whole new level.

Until Santa brought me Season 1 of The Tudors last year, I hadn't heard much about the show. I don't get Showtime, so it never really crossed my mind. I knew that JRM was playing Henry VIII in a new show and was certainly interested, but I couldn't watch it so I didn't give it much thought. Well, a giant thank you to Santa (love you, Mom) for knowing me so well and correctly assuming that I'd fall instantly in love with the series.

I loved Season 1, immediately purchased Season 2, which I savored and have been waiting for Season 3. I must admit that I kind of dropped the ball on obsessively checking the DVD's release date, but that just gave me more time to watch and re-watch my favorite episodes from Season 1 and 2, right? Haha...yep, like I said: nerd.


Anyway, I am currently watching the first disc of Season 3 and my obsession is rekindled! I do kind of miss the young, romantic Henry and cunning Anne Boleyn, but rumor has it that Henry goes through his next 3 wives all in this one season, and I cannot wait to see how it all plays out!


So, excuse me while I sip on my tea and oogle over JRM and Henry Cavill, I mean, further educate myself on Tudor history.

Where in the World Wednesday

Wednesday has rolled around again, so it's time for another edition of Classy in Philadelphia's Where in the World Wednesday!!

The idea behind WITWW is to post a picture of you someplace in the world...it doesn't have to be someplace foreign or tropical. Just a picture of you somewhere that you consider traveling. And, if you do decide to participate, please share your post link with Jess so she can see where you've been!

For today's post, I take you all to Vail, Colorado. This is not terribly far from where I call home (we're talking just a couple of hours), and this particular trip was just a day trip. But, it was a fun day with my best friend and Vail is an absolutely gorgeous mountain town! If you haven't been to Vail and ever get the chance, I highly recommend it.

October 2009

2010 Goals

I am happy to report that 2010 is off to a fabulous start! Granted, I got stupid drunk on New Year's Eve, but even the copious amounts of vodka that I consumed couldn't put a damper on my fresh start in the new year (thank you, genetics, for allowing me to rarely have hangovers). Yes, I was a wee bit tired and legarthic on Friday, but that is to be expected after a night out.

I promise to do a more thorough post about this past weekend once I have a few pics loaded onto my computer. Unfortunately, I do not have any from NYE (Jamie was the picture-taker and, sadly, she lost her memory card with all of the pictures), but I have a bunch from my lovely day spent in Denver on Saturday.

New Year's Resolutions, or Goals as I've apparently decided to call them, aren't usually big on my radar in January. I know a ton of people who set them, and very few who actually keep up with them. Maybe it's this "promise of failure" that I associate with New Year's Resolutions that keeps them off of my radar...or maybe I'm just not a resolution kind of gal! Whatever the reason, what I'm getting at in my long-winded thought here is that I rarely make New Year's Resolutions. Well, this year is going to be different. Due to my negative association with the term "resolutions" I am going to call my list my Goals for 2010. They're pretty basic and should be easy to keep up with, and they're goals that are important to me. So, here they are:

1. Pay all bills on time. Without fail, my Comcast bill is always 1 day late. Every other bill is paid on time, if not early, but Comcast slips my mind until the day after it's due...and I'm not a fan of automatic bill pay, so while it could make my life easier, it's not an option for me.
2. Finish the books I've started. I have a list of several books that I've started but never completed and it's bugging me! So, it's time to sit down, focus and finish those reads! I'm even willing to withhold my own Library privileges if I can't keep myself focused.
3. Continue to work-out 4-5 times per week. This is really becoming habitual for me, which is a good thing, but I want to keep myself focused on it, so it's earned a place on my 2010 Goals list.
4. Call Grammy more. I HATE talking on the phone, which has resulted in my ability to come up with fantastic justifications for not calling my relatives as often as I should. This needs to change and I'm starting with Grammy, whom I love and miss more than just about anyone else.
5. Write to Grandpa and Grandma twice monthly. My dad's dad and stepmom live in a nursing home/assisted care facility and truly love to receive mail and little updates on my life. As with the phone calls, I kind of suck at this, so onto the list it goes! Plus, I actually do love writing them cards, so this shouldn't be too difficult.
6. Keep track of the books I've read. I have a nifty book journal that I used religiously when I first bought it and then I got lazy... I like being able to look back at the books I've read and my thoughts on them. It reminds me why I like the authors that I do, and tips me off on finding new reads. You all may just see me posting my monthly reading list here on my blog as a way to keep up with this goal.

Well, there you have it, my Goals for 2010. I think they're more than doable and I'm looking forward to accomplishing them. Do any of you do the whole New Year's Resolutions thing? And if so, what are yours?

I hope everyone is enjoying 2010 so far!