Thursday, April 24, 2014

Has Wings, Likes French Fries


On Monday, I woke up with a super hurty back.  Basically, on Sunday, I got a crazy headache, tried get out of bed to throw a toy around for the pups, and when I reached down I received a searing pain.  Now, I could blame the dog toy, or I could blame carrying bags of sheet rock up stairs.  But it’s prob the dog toy thing.  :P  I’m not going to lie to  you, I was super whiney on Sunday.  We loaded a bunch of truckloads of trash and brought it over to the dump.  At one point, I started whining, “It’s a good thing I love you Dawne…” to which she said, “You know, Jose has to carry this stuff every day.” Maybe replying, “And that’s why I got a college education!!” Wasn’t the nicest, least sarcastic thing I’ve ever said, but the bags were really heavy. 







Later, Sandy and Dawne picked me up from work (mostly b/c even walking a couple of blocks was agony.)  When we parked the car, and I took Percy out of his crate, he was ecstatic about the impromptu birthday lunch date.   Plus, Percy adores playing with Sandy’s pup Riley, and they got to go to the park for a couple of hours after that.  Who’s livin’ the life? Oh yeah, our dogs.  J  You’ll be pleased to know that Nala is feeling much better after getting on the new diet and is even back to full court playing with her boy.   

I have been loving technology lately… especially because I got to converse with my niece Morgan all week while they were in Cabo.



On Tuesday, Percy was groomed and got a haircut.  Basically his body was shaved which makes him look like he’s got bellbottoms on.  Paco keeps laughing every time he sees him, but I think he’s adorable. 



I flew home on Wednesday, and Percy was an angel on the plane.  When I got home, my mom had decorated the house for Easter – so fun!



On Thursday, I woke up to see Maureen, Kevin and Bella outside.

Kevin: So, what was going on in Seattle when you left?
Me: Well, we’re moving to the brown house.
Kevin: Oh no! You’ll be losing the theater!!

Later we went to a new Dog Park in Yorktown, picked up some bagels and JV Hot Bagels, played Canasta outside, took a ride to Verizon and got my parents and sister iPhones, and then went to the Westchester Dinner Theatre to see Rag Time. 

Maureen: I’m going to go pick up that pinwheel on stage.
Me: Maureen! It’s probably a part of the show!
Maureen: Naw… is that a part of the show?
Waiter: Yes.
I could tell he wanted to say, “Don’t touch it.”

Maureen and the boys ended up talking about divorce after seeing a divorced family at a game. 
Kyle: If that happens mom, I'm with you.



Maureen was also telling me about one of her students who consistently calls Stacey “Ms. Blonde Long Hair.” In case anyone needed a new, very long, nick name for Stacey.

On Friday, we took a trip to see Mo’s cabin on the lake (I don’t remember which one, sorry).  Then I got some work done and set up my parent’s phones before it was time head up and visit Briana and her newborn Austin.  Then I met Mo over in Brewster to watch her play some soccer. 

Briana: I hope no one makes fun of me that I didn't want to bring my three week old to a party. 
Me: I'm sure no one would do that. 
Mo: Yeah, Only crazy people like me bring their two year old to a Christmas Party. 



Saturday morning I made Mac and cheese, and my mom made her super yummy ham with a side of baked beans.  All this was for the annual egg decorating gathering at Mo’s house.  Eva’s baby Freddy was in attendance.  I haven’t seen such an adorably chubby baby like him since Jackie O.  Love it!  I am guessing Eva is getting some sweet guns just like Stacey!  Debina was looking happily and beautifully preggers while Mark chased after Matthew for the afternoon.  His specialty seems to be reorganizing beer cans. 

Later that evening, I went over to Sean & Stacey’s for more egg decorating fun.  I really can’t get enough.  Sean brought home a bunny cake tin and frosting.  As they were decorating, the girls needed something for the whiskers.  Sean immediately ran to the fridge saying, “STRING CHEESE!”  His idea was not greeted with enthusiasm.



We also played some taboo that Bails had gotten for her birthday.  Hasbro, you are a disappoint.  I can’t believe you replaced the buzzer with a squeaky toy and no longer include a card holder.  The game was still awesome though.  Especially when Morgan described a pigeon as “it has wings and likes french fries.”  Bails also started one clue with, “You know that card I had a hard time with?” And Jackie and rambled off at least 8 different choices.  J  She got a lot better once she got into the groove though.  I do love me some taboo.   Oh, and Sean picked up some things at his in-laws and in turn ended up carrying this bag around for a while, which amused me.



On Easter,  morning, Maureen came over and told us that the annual tradition of Patrick finding his basket first and torturing Kevin about how yummy his candy is followed by the tears of my Godson as he becomes more and more convinced that the Easter bunny has forgotten about him had continued.  Later, we went to church in Ossining and then went to Sean and Stacey’s.  They made lamb and filet mignon with gorgonzola sauce, creamed spinach, grilled asparagus, bacon and cheese mashed potatoes, and so much more.   It was D-LISH.  My mom was giving out Easter gifts and hula hoops for everyone!
Maureen: Oh nice. I was hoping there would be hula hoops



Bailey was very excited that Stacey’s mom had made brownies, which she absolutely loves.
Bails: Aunt Carla, can you do me a favor?
Carla: It depends.
Bails: Will you have a baby sometime between April and July?
Carla: Whoa.  I need to get a boyfriend before I tell him that I need a baby in a specific time frame.  Maybe I should just update my online profile immediately.
Me: You know, you could just ask your grandmother to make you brownies.  It might be a slightly less “labor” intensive favor.
Bails: Oh yeah.  I was just thinking of working in a yearly holiday during the non-brownie months, but that does seem easier. 
Carla: At least for me, anyway.


Okay, I hope I didn’t forget anything in my rush to get this out before the weekend.  J If I did, you know I love you and think you are amusing in my heart, even if I forgot to write it down.  I hope you all had a lovely holiday weekend!


Belated Birthday Message


Update 4/7 – 4/13



In case you missed it, Monday was my birthday. J  But I kinda celebrated all week.  I got some beautiful flowers from my aunt, boss and my brother’s fam, which made my desk at work looked very girly, which is just how I like it.





 I got to work, and there was a very urgent meeting request from my boss for a team meeting.


Co-Worker:  That looks like a scary meeting, I’m super worried.
Me: Really? Because I’m hoping it’s just an excuse for you all to wish me a happy birthday. 




And it was… plus cupcakes, which confirms that they are awesome, and I’m a jerk.  J

Then, I went for a birthday lunch, followed by a birthday dinner at MOD pizza with guest appearance from Diana & Harper!

Me: My sister called to tell me that she and the boys went camping on Saturday.  Apparently, it got down to 20 degrees, and even though they were freezing they couldn’t leave because it was a boy scout trip.  She had Kevin and Patrick huddled close, and she was hoping that Kyle wasn’t cold b/c he didn’t wake up and complain.  It turned out he just held in the complaints until 5am. She ended the story saying, “Basically, it was the worse weekend of my life.”
Zach: So far…

Cheerful. 

Dawne: We were at Disney the other day and a dad was “watching” his kid while his wife was in the restroom.  I watched this kid sit there licking rocks.  I didn’t want to say anything and question his parenting abilities.
Me: This is like that time we went to the Bronx Zoo for Mother’s day.  Mo, Pat and I watched a kid pull something out of the trash and start to eat it.  His mother turned around and yelled, “Spit it out, you filthy animal!”

Zach was talking about a girl he met.
Zach: I think she’s a hipster.
Lucas: I thought she was New Age.
Zach: Same thing.  They are both ridiculous.
Lucas: I know what do.  You go in and order a Moroccan mint tea and then compliment her bracelet as an excuse to show her your amethyst crystal.

Zach: There’s also a really cute girl that works at the French Bakery so I should make some excuses to go to Crossroads more.
Me: Didn’t you just stop working at crossroads?  That was a pretty solid excuse…


Kristy posted this picture of the three of us from a birthday party a couple of years back at McD’s. Mo responded: Was this the one that Kevin was going to and forgot where we were going on the 5 minute drive there? Kevin asked Patrick where we were going - Patrick screams to him - Your Birthday Party!



On Tuesday, we celebrated Dawne’s birthday at IHOP.  I would later find out that I left my wallet at IHOP after searching everywhere.  Sooo grateful that I found it!



This week, allergies and pollen were high in the PNW.  Like I washed my car and got the oil changed, and then the next day there was a thick layer of yellow pollen covering it.  Poor Stella.  Good thing she’s more resilient than the rest of us. 






In an effort to actually get this email out, I’m going to speed it up a bit.  The kitchen in the brown house is finally done… doesn’t it look pretty (similar to the one in the yellow house. J )



On Thursday, I got to spend 7 hours interviewing.  I was told to stay in one room and not leave.  When the second interviewer left, he asked, “Do you want me to leave you some water and stale bread outside the door?”  The third interviewer said, “I heard you aren’t allowed to leave this room.  Wanna go to Starbucks?”  I really can’t imagine going through this whole process without having all the information about the team and position.  Super intimidating, even WITH the knowledge.  Which is why I just kept repeating to myself, “Don’t. Mess. This. Up.”




We tried out a new place this week, the Tipsy Cow.  On the menu, they had fried bacon with a side of maple syrup.  I thought it sounded yucks, but it WASN’T.  Two days later, I would take Dr. Rach back to the Tipsy Cow because when I find a new place, I like to share it with EVERYONE.



I went to the Pro Club for some Spa Treatments and a quick work out for our birthday’s.  Dawne was headed to the Hot Tub with Theresa. 
Me: Did you want to go in the Hot Tub?
Kelly: Do you go naked?
Me: No…
Kelly: Oh, okay.  Then no.  I didn’t bring a swim suit.




Friday evening, Kelly came over with Piper, who was super well behaved around the pups.  Nala was not a fan, but I don’t think she likes other females in her territory, to be honest.   It was very cute to see Piper be a part of a mini pack.  Then… we watched the first two episodes of Veronica Mars.  (I thought we had season 1 & 2, but actually we just had two copies of season 2.  Naturally.)  Based on the fact that Kelly fell asleep during episode two, and I proceeded to watch many many more episodes over the course of the weekend, I think it’s safe to say that I liked it more. 

On Saturday, Dr. Rach came over bright and early and we got to go to Marymoor with the pups.  I love any excuse to see Dr. Rach, but combining it with a sunshine filled walk in the park made it absolutely perfect. 

Sunday morning, after we ALL slept down in the brown house, Jordan made us blueberry pancakes.  A pretty great way to christen the kitchen! 





Tuesday, April 15, 2014

How Much for the Sweet Guns?


I don’t know how I got so behind, but here I am with an update from 3/31 – 4/6.




I called my niece Jackie and asked her some questions to figure out what she might like for her birthday.  She has a bunch of very typical 13 year old like ideas.

Jackie: I would also like a iPhone 5s case.  I mean I don’t know for sure that I am going to get one, but if I do, I’m going to need a case.  I’d like the Magenta one, but that’s usually out of stock, so if you have to, I’ll take the green one. 

O rly.

Jackie: Just get me something that SCREAMS Jackie. 




That’s an invitation if I’ve ever heard one.  I got her some make up (teen gift, check), Hair ties (to show her I still know what’s cool), Bacon Band-Aids (b/c of the b-day list she made for me) and what really spoke to me was a make your own ukulele kit (naturally.) 

Tuesday was Erika Jane’s birthday.  I sent her flowers, which caused her to ask me what kind a particular flower was.  I tried to do some internet sleuthing until I finally gave up.
Me: This is already the longest convo I’ve had about flowers…
And then later
Me: What color is the center? Actually, I don’t really care. 
Erika: I can’t see the center.  Oh. Thanks for pretending.




In other news, I found a Starbucks card as I was cleaning the other day and tried it out and got mega java and had $17 left.
Me: SHUT UP! That’s awesome!
Barista: I will NOT shut up, it’s true!




On Friday, I got a chance to meet up with Kelly for a green smoothie.  Okay, I did meet Kelly, but only she had the green smoothie.  I was just there for the company.  J



Over the weekend, the tiling got done in the brown house and new carpeting was installed into the yellow house.  The tricky bit was keeping the pups and strangers separated.  At one point I put them all in the car to get lunch/groceries.  Jordan had come home early to help clean the garage, which also meant that I had to go through a couple of boxes I hadn’t looked into since WK.  I found some serious gems, including everything that was on my desk.  I had one BSG tin, with marshmallow gun ammo, a lil bit of shredded naughty paper from when I wrapped Rollie’s desk and then he shredded said wrapping and hid it all over my desk, and this note from a convention. 




Totally worth storing.  No seriously though, this is when I decided I needed a storage unit.  I packed up a couple of boxes, and Zach and I drove over to get a unit.  This might have been the most freeing thing I did all week.  Yay for getting to keep my things!  On our way back, I was trying to be super nice and cool b/c I really did appreciate Zach driving me. Lord knows I couldn’t fit the stuff in my Fiat.  But when we were 5 min from the house I broke down to say, “I understand you might take your hands off the wheel sometimes (AKA: at least 5 times on 15 min drive home) and you might look away from the road (AKA: once a minute), but could you not do these things at the same time?”  I know, I’m an ungrateful brat.





On Sunday, I finished moving into my room and clearing out the master bedroom of the brown house.  And just when I totally wanted to stop, Becky stopped by.  She kept me company while I cooked the food for the dogs for the week.  Um, did I mention that Percy feels like he’s gained weight on his non-fat diet?  He can’t get enough. I can still feel his ribs, so he’s clearly not over weight, but he is definitely bulking up – maybe it’s all muscle? J

Maureen (mom of three boys for 12 years): My son, Kyle, brings home a deer skull and leaves it in the yard for our dog. He says, "I think she likes it!" I say, "get that thing out of here!" Always feeling unprepared for this parenting job. I'm positive my brother is not coming home to this type of stuff.

When I told Dawne (mom of three boys for 25 years) this she said: Oh! That reminds me, your boy, Percy brought me a piece of a jaw that he found.  When I pulled it out of his mouth, I decided my boys would think it would cool, so I left it on the table outside for them.





Maureen: What is it a skull of? Btw I noticed Kyle’s deer skull made its way to the front of Mom and Dad’s house :)
Dawne: It was a gift! Do you ask where your gifts come from?

And lastly, from the grateful files, I was super grateful that Percy didn’t jump down this hole when the grate was off of it for painting purposes.  J





Friday, April 4, 2014

Sweet Sixteen

Update 3/24 – 3/30




I started out last week asking pinging Briana.
Me: Aren’t you having a baby soon?
Briana: Wednesday is the due date.
Me: So are your bags packed? Are your ankles as big as your thighs now?

I know, I’m so helpful.  Banana had Austin Cole on Thursday, 3/27!  And, to make it official, here’s a pic of the perfect little man:



I was chatting with some co-workers when the subject of Portland came up, by a person who looked like they stepped out of Portlandia. My other co-worker proceeded to inform him, “I don’t like Portland.  There are no old people. It’s a bunch of Hipsters. Ugly Hipsters that make me feel old.” I don’t think he’ll be working for the Oregon travel bureau anytime soon.  For the record, I think Portland is just fine.  J  Oh and then I got back to my desk and this happened:




I got to chat with my college roommate Sarah, who I haven’t spoken to in forever, like she has two kid now kind of forever.  That was pretty cool.  Ooh and Bails turned 16! I got to Facetime with her as she opened presents.  Gotta love technology.  I missed the party, but it looks like they had a blast!




Speaking of former roommates, I spoke to Erika ever so briefly last week.  I’m a big fan of the chat when you have 5 minutes.  I figure I would rather talk to someone for 5 minutes than not at all, and Mommy’s tend to limited free time.  Anyway, I spoke to her and then we took Zach out to Buffalo Wild Wings, and on our way back from South Center, I got a call from a giggling Erika.
Erika: I just pulled a prank and I need to know how bad it is.
Me: Okay…
Erika: I just left to get some ice cream and instead of telling Kenny, I left a note that said, “I can’t do this anymore. I love you. Bye.”
Me: Where were the kids?
Erika: Kenny was holding Daphne and was upstairs saying good-night to the boys.
Me: Okay, so the kids are safe.
Erika: I know we have the iPhone tracker, so I could take this to the next level.  I could go to the next county! Or take a road trip to Seattle!
Me: Okay, there is a point where this is hilarious, and there is a point where it’s mean.  I’ll let you decide where that line is. 
Erika: Good point.  I’ll call you and let you know how it plays out. 

Erika: He laughed. After checking every room in the house and tracking my phone.  Minor panic, mostly funny. 

Speaking of panics, one day last week, when we came home from the park, Nala started throwing up blood.  Dawne rushed her to the doctor, and apparently she has pancreatitis.  This means that, even though Dawne never cooked for her kids, she has started cooking chicken and turkey for her canine babies.  So far, they are loving it (at least more than the baby food we had to feed them!)  Don’t worry, we still aren’t cooking for ourselves. 

On Thursday, I came into work, and was surprised to find that my co-worker was baby-sitting a baby yorkie for the day, and had to sneak her into work.  I held her as much as possible, but I am ashamed to say that I never found out what her name was!




Dawne and I searched for these plastic thingy’s for the bathrooms that needed to be white instead of off-white now that the ceilings have been painted.  We searched all over, then online and found out that they were going to be $18 X 16.  Dawne decided she would just spray paint them instead.  Which is awesome.  But then the following day, she ordered these super cool, but pricey door knobs, completely negating the saving.  But in Dawne-math, totally made the door knobs “affordable.”  In case the last ten updates weren’t clear, this is our world now. 

Gabo sent a formal request to Kelly, AKA the dictator of the Try New Things Club, for a meeting.  I think he might have created a precedent that no one wants to follow, except of course, the dictator.  J Anyway, we all headed over for some Japanese BBQ, where I totally tried a bite of cows tongue.  I agree, it did kinda taste like a hamburger, but I also didn’t have more than a bite of it.  Unfortunately, it’s a busy place, and we got kicked out after an hour… which also was the exact time that Gabo finally got out of work.  L  Lame.  This is the only funny thing I remember from the evening:

Dawne: It’s okay.  I’ve had a cleaning lady for 7 years who still doesn’t know my name. 
Me: What does she call you?
Dawne: Donna. 
Me: That’s pretty too.




On Saturday, we met up with Zach for breakfast in Redmond.  We gave ourselves 2.5 hours, but I still ended up running from breakfast to Ballard to see Jen’s daughter Lily perform in “Alice in Wonderland.”  The kids were adorable.  I especially loved the Tweedles who paused half way through their scene to whisper about what their lines were.  And the point where a little girl forgot that she had her mic on, and over the courtroom scene we all heard, “I Like tennis.  Not as much as golf, but Tennis is fun. I guess it depends on where you go…”  and after the play resumed, we also heard, slightly quieter, “They skipped my line…”  Seriously cute, though I’m sure not as cute as when I was the Queen of Hearts in elementary school.  Maybe one day I’ll share that video with you. 




Later, Diana stopped by with her majesty, Harper.  We grabbed some dinner, did a little shopping at crossroads.  It was simple, and lovely.  Sunday, Jordan was home for about 9 hours between trips.  I made bacon and pancakes for breakfast, and Zach came by.  Jordan did a quick walk through the progress on the house, and then it was about time for him to catch a flight to China.  I did a little more unpacking, including starting this new thing where I hang up my clothes in outfits, which has been fantastic!  More work on the house, followed by dinner in Factoria, a stop at Target and watching Delivery Man in the theater.   Not a bad way to finish up the week! 




I hope you’re having a blast – I’ll try not to take ALL week to write the next update – but no promises.