The Smith Wedding - Part II

...and THEN I continued Part II. I believe we were on dinner. Leena and Smithy got engaged on a trip to Las Vegas, so they used that as inspiration for their tables names - names of casinos in Vegas.

We were at New York, New York.

Dinner, yum.


THEN after dinner there was a surprise...

What's that? Oh, just a casino table delivery truck, no big deal. That's right, they rented casino tables for a little gambling fun (and also continuing with that Vegas inspiration!).

Me, gathering my winnings... really I'm just posting this to show you my hair. You can kiiind of see the yellow fabric flower on the right side of my head by my ear. If you look closely.

Ok here's a closer shot. I was also kind of proud of myself for doing my hair all by myself like a big girl that day! I'm usually terrible at updos, and actually had planned on leaving my hair down and curly, but had a flashback of my Shirley Temple curls from Junior year prom and decided it had to go up instead. It actually did look good. I probably should have had Tim take a picture intended on showing my hair, versus just cropping one.

Another fun cake shot. You don't want to know what some people did with the extra letters. Ok maybe you do, because it was funny, and the bride thought it was as well (most important), but I'm not going to show pictures here.

So while we were gambling away, all of the dinner tables downstairs had been removed and the space had been magically transformed into a dance floor. The venue was classically beautiful for the daytime activities, but when the bright sparkly lights were brought in, was really cool and modern looking.

Not sure what's going on here...

They had a candy bar (sweets table) and a photobooth - I'll take credit for being inspiration for both. :) Fiiiine I guess it also could have been one of the other millions of people who have done those things. Lol.

And another surprise? BURGERS. You bet your a$$ my husband was all over that.

Dance party time!


Oh, and did I mention this wedding went from noon to midnight? (Apparently this is very common in England as well!) Well, it started at noon and we left at midnight - it wasn't over when we left! We were exhausted. I can only imagine what Leena felt like, since she must've been up way earlier than me that day! Although she would have been running on adrenaline, and, um, happiness, or something. :)

Great wedding. Beautiful bride. Lovely venue. Checked my first (of many to come) English wedding off my list!

-C
xxx

Random Ramblings of the Week 8/29

Why do they make toilet paper rolls so hard to start? I always end up just ripping it in the middle. Frustrating.

I really hate the "Let's go eat" phrase the Phillies have adopted. I'm sorry if you like it, but I REALLY hate it. It makes absolutely no sense to me, and honestly I think once the rest of the country gets a whiff of Phillies' fans saying this ridiculous phrase, they're going to mock you, and they're going to mock you hard. Also, now that I have shared my hatred for this with my husband, he has kindly taken to saying it to me aaaall the time. Great.


We finally made plans to go check out one of the free Philly public pools... this past weekend. If you don't live on the East Coast (or in the U.S.), we had a hurricane this weekend. A pretty big one. That = lots and lots of rain. Oh yeah, and I had volleyball on Thursday at the rec center of the pool we were planning to go to... and it had already been drained for the summer. We finally decide to go to the pool and not only is it DRAINED but it RAINED. Yup, that sounds about right.

via Twitter

Also last week, along with the rest of the East Coast, I witnessed my first earthquake. Yes, yes, I know. It's nothing like the ones the West Coast gets like everyday of their lives. But come on, this is big news! No, there was no major damage done, but it's still a freaky feeling to feel the earth shake. I was actually working from home that day and was sitting on my couch when it started shaking like crazy. In the 30 seconds that this quake lasted for I had a lot of thoughts go through my head. OMG there's an animal behind my couch. Ok don’t put your feet on the floor. Wait til the shaking stops. Wait. The walls are shaking, too. I can hear the guinea pig cages rattling. Ok, it's obviously not an animal, what is it? (I get off the couch and walk into the laundry room, where the cages are.) Ok… should I stand in this doorway? Hm, that's what they do on TV shows when there's an earthquake. Not that this is an earthquake, but it still seems like a safe spot. I'll stand here. Must be some pipes in the walls, I should call my landlord and tell him about it. I wonder if this happens every day while I'm at work?? OH, that must be why my curtains fell down randomly the other day. Ok it stopped. Weird… ok, time to put Jem on in the background. Wait… I know that tune - it's the breaking news tune. EARTHQUAKE?! WHAT?! You're joking. Seriously? Omg. In Virginia - and I could feel it all the way in Philly?? Man, I gotta post something on Facebook. Wait, my friend all the way up in Boston posted that she could feel it, too?! That's crazy talk. I need to call people. Not really to make sure they're ok - more just to be like OMG EARTHQUAKE. My bff was not amused. Nor concerned. Nor anything. She was like, "Yeah, whatever, you can't get through to me, I didn't even feel it. No big deal." Did I mention she lives in MD (geography lesson - borders VA)?? My mom and aunt were equally as freaked out about it as I was, so that was assuring. Tim also didn't feel it. I'm glad I wasn't at work that day, though, because our building will randomly shake (Maybe when the wind gets crazy or something? We don't really know.), and we're on the 20th floor, soooo yeah. Glad I was home.

Side note: I think it's interesting that TV networks have totally brainwashed us into recognizing "breaking news" tunes. I could be walking down the hall and I would RUN back to the TV if I heard it. Nice work TV networks. Mission accomplished.

We had an earthquake, a hurricane, and a tornado in less than one week. Mother nature is PISSED. What did you do?! I recycle, so it wasn't me.


I often ponder what makes us choose "our" bathroom stalls at work. Don't tell me you don't do it. If you work in an office with 3 or more stalls in the bathroom, you automatically gravitate towards one. Sure, it may be no big deal to you if you have to go to another, but you definitely gravitate toward one, even if you don't realize it. Now you will. I know it's not just me either because I see other people coming out of the same stalls all the time. For example, I know for a fact that if the handicap stall is full, it's one of two people. So my pondering is what makes us choose that stall? Important life question, I know.

via Google Image Search
eeny, meeny, miny, mo...

-C
xxx

Weekend Post: Hurricane Edition

did you know that internet usage drops a whopping 50 percent on the weekends? that means half of you won't read this.

we're supposed to be getting hit with a "huge" "hurricane" this weekend. i have thoughts on this, so i'm blogging, but my phone + blogger aren't friends at the moment so it won't let me capitalize letters. sorry, but you're just going to have to deal with "text case" (i made that up).

unfortunately, my instinct is to be skeptical and think the weathermen are blowing this out of perportion. in north carolina, the jersey shore, and the bahamas? oh yeah, i'd be out buying provisions and shuttering up all the windows. but in philly? we're not on the coast, and i guess i'm too used to getting "snowmageddon 3" warnings and getting rain instead to really believe the hype. it's like the weatherman who cried wolf.

on the other hand, i can't help but fall victim to the hype and think how underprepared i'd be if it really did hit us as hard as they're saying. we bought no provisions. i hear grocery stores for miles around are out of d batteries and bottled water.

last night i caved a bit and did some preparations around the house. filled our sangria jug, bottles, and a pitcher with water. filled the pigs' water. watered my plants and refilled the watering can. turned my fridge/freezer to a colder setting (so it stays cooler longer if the power goes out). froze extra ice and put more ice packs in the freezer. brought out matches and candles. charged my heavy duty flashlight and its backup battery. moved cardboard boxes off the floor in the basement in case of flooding. brought my plants inside so they don't blow away.

i don't know. i guess i hope i'm right and it's not as big as they think it will be, because that would be bad. but i'm not prepared to go shopping like the world is going to end tomorrow (even though earthquake + hurricane €€€€obviously equals end of the world). besides, tim always says we could live off the items in our pantry for months. so... we're good. but please oh please don't flood our house. kthanks.

-c

xxx

SMBHD - Asks Ridiculous Questions

My BH asks me questions he knows I don't know the answer to. I often feel like we're on a sitcom when he does this. Two examples. 1) "Where's the bathroom?" in a restaurant/bar he knows I've never been to. 2) We'll plan something for 2 weeks from now and he's like "What's the weather going to be like that night?" Do I look like a weather girl? Also, it's not like I always claim to know what the weather is or anything. I typically don't check the weather at all in the summer, I just assume it'll be nice (lol). I pretty much only check the weather in the winter to find out if it's going to snow anytime soon, or the weather of somewhere I'm traveling to, so I know what to pack.

My BH asks me U.S. geography questions. I swear I feel like I get a pop quiz once a week. Shoot - I bet ya'll didn't know this, but I was in the Geography Club when I was younger. And I am PROUD of that. It was FUN. No, seriously, it was. We played "Where in the World is Carmen San Diego" and quiz games and went on cool field trips and - the best part - McDonald's on the way home from said field trips. But I digress... my point is, it's not like I don't know where the states are. I know the general area of where they all are, but he needs to know specifics. Like what states are to the left and right. Sure, some people know this stuff. Maybe people who have been to states like Nebraska or even lived in a state near it. Me? I've lived on the East Coast my whole life and haven't visited all of the states. If you put a map in front of me with state names missing, I could fill it in. I can sing a song by heart that names all 50 states in alphabetical order. Yes, I feel the need to defend my geographical knowledge. It just so happens that most of the time my BH will ask me about a Midwestern state. So when he asks where a state is, my answer is usually "the Midwest", and he's gotten tired of that. What I think he doesn't understand is that the Midwest consists of like 45 states. Ok, 30. Ok, 15. Whatever. And my pop quiz usually doesn't end once I've told him the general area it's in. Bonus questions include: bordering states, cities, and large bodies of water. How many cities can you name in Nebraska or Idaho? Omaha and Boise is all I've got off the top of my head. Ok fine, if you know more than that, good for you... but do you know the capital of Vermont? MONTPELIER. Boom. Betchu didn't know that one, smartypants. I need to get this boy a pocket map so I can stop feeling like I'm back in 3rd grade geography class memorizing state capitals... and so I can stop feeling the need to defend my geographical smarts. I WAS IN GEOGRAPHY CLUB <--- only defense I need.

My BH asks me stupid questions. I'm not calling him stupid, just his questions. I honestly don't know why he asks them. Believe me, I call him out to his face when he does this, but the only response I ever get is a fake pout. I'm starting to think the questions are just a reflex?? Whatever's behind it, there are only so many times I can hear "Are you getting gas?" ...as we're pulling into a gas station or "Are you turning off the air conditioner?" ...as I'm turning off the air conditioner.

My BH asks me where I'm going. Sounds normal, right? Sure, if I was actually leaving the house. I most often hear "Where you going?" when I climb out of bed at 4 in the morning. I bet you all know where I'm going, but apparently he doesn't and he thinks I'm going for an early morning stroll or just getting up early because I feel like getting a jump on the day or leaving him or something. None of which would ever happen at 4am (you all should know that as well). I don't do mornings, and it kills me to even get out of bed to go to the bathroom that early, but I drink a lot of water and you gotta do what you gotta do.

My BH asks me constant questions concerning food. We've already gone over this, but I can't stress enough how often he asks about food. The other night I told him I had volleyball the next night. His first response was, "What am I going to eat for dinner??" not "Congratulations on your playoff win!" or "Good luck!"

I can't even describe the looks I give him when he asks me these questions, but if you know me well enough, you probably know these looks. Usually it's of the "Are you freaking kidding me??" variety.

-C
xxx

The Smith Wedding - Part I

I'd say we clean up pretty nice!

My husband's friend Smithy got married in England a few weeks ago, and we had the great pleasure of attending. (Sorry for taking so long to post pics, Leena!) We had a ball! And it was my first real English wedding (since I was too busy to attend Will and Kate's...)! I actually didn't go in thinking it would be any different than ours, but there were definitely some differences.

While in the UK I met a girl by the name of Chloe who recently started her own wedding planning business (lucky!!). She told me a couple things I hadn't realized before. Apparently the UK tends to get most of their ideas from the US, which is interesting. I guess I hadn't thought about it, but I only follow one UK wedding blogger (now two, including Chloe), and, oh, 8 million from the US. I guess wedding blogs are few and far between over there. And for some reason the US is more creative ;) Ok, she didn't say that, but according to her, the US tends to come up with ideas and they gradually make it across the pond. She also informed me that in the UK you can't get married outside!?! Apparently to be legally wed, you have to be married inside some sort of structure. Crazy! I wonder why that is?? All the places I've seen Americans get married... I can't imagine such a limitation being put on here!

Now that that's settled... Leena and Smithy had both their ceremony and reception in a beautiful hall in the countryside. This hall, to my knowledge, has no other purpose but being a special event venue. It was pretty cool how they transformed it in so many ways throughout the day.

The ceremony was lovely, but I couldn't really get any pictures! I'm too short :( and I guess that's a major disadvantage when you're in a room full of Olympic swimmers.* When we stood up it was even worse! I could peek through heads and shoulders to see, but my camera couldn't do the same. Damn you (lack of) height! So the only pictures I really got during the ceremony were:

1) hats (and fascinators)!

2) pictures of the happy couple while they were "signing their marriage certificate". Basically, I've been told, in England the couple sits down to the sign the certificate after a registrar of sorts signs it, and they sit there for anyone to come up and take pictures. I mean, the preacher actually says, "If anyone wants to come up and take pictures, do it now." I practically jumped out of my chair (since not being able to get my zoom lens to focus between all the tall heads).

After the ceremony everyone went outside for pictures with the couple - that was also something different (and cool). It wasn't just the family, and it wasn't just the photographer taking the pictures. The couple took pictures with everyone. I was included in the all girls picture, which was nice, but it was funny when the photographer said, "Now talk to the person next to you" (for a different, non smiling shot). Um... yeah. I didn't know any of the other girls, except the bride, and even though a woman at the grocery store last week told me I was really friendly, that's not exactly the case. Lol.

Kind of a little bit in love with her dress!!

awws

THEN we went to the upstairs loft area for a little cocktail hour.

Cones filled with confetti we were supposed to throw on the bride and groom but I missed the cue because I was trying to get a good picture (double fail). Cute nonetheless!

Another hat! Yay England!

THEN we came downstairs for dinner.

THEN... you waited a few days for Part II.

-C
xxx

*The groom is a former Olympic swimmer, and therefore so are many of his friends.

Random Ramblings of the Week 8/22

I haven't bowled in for-ev-er. We're going bowling this weekend for a friend's birthday/The Dude Hates Cancer. So excited! Oh, I'm terrible, but that doesn't mean it's not fun. Hopefully my bowling bag (complete with ball and shoes) will intimidate the other team. At least until they see me bowl... My family is a family of bowlers. I'm pretty sure my parents met while bowling. At least that's the story my father used to tell. This means that bowling isn't just from one side of my family - it's from both. We all have our own balls and shoes... even Tim has bowling shoes now! Which, I'm not supposed to tell anyone about. In his defense, it wasn't by choice. We kind of made him take my cousin's that were still brand new in the box. He was probably going to get them for Christmas from my mom at some point anyway. But he still needs his own ball... (although he very much objects to that...)

I'm not sure how I feel about Google+. If it had come out before Facebook, that'd be great. But I feel like I've got too much invested in Facebook to convert now. The features are great and all on +, but I'm not about to convert all of my friends and posts over there... I mean, think about it. There are some people who finally got on Facebook, do you really think they'll hop on over to +? So basically you'd have to keep both until all your friends converted, which I don't see happening. I'm not saying it's a bad invention whatsoever, I just don't see the need for it really. To me, it's duplicative.

I've been using "duplicative" a lot lately. Funny, even spell check doesn't recognize it.

I love Jem (the cartoon). I wish I could be home every day between 1 and 2:30 so that I could watch Days of Our Lives immediately followed by Jem. In case you didn't know, she's truly, truly, truly outrageous. I had all of the barbie-like dolls and car and Keytar stage when I was little. I also had all the NKOTB dolls, and, like, every other doll any little girl would ever want. That's what happens when your Meamaw's a doll collector (but one that lets you take them out of the box). But back to Jem - when I watch the episodes now all I can think is how all they do is get into life-threatening situations every day and don't even seem to blink about it. They're like, "Oh no the misfits again... oh well, now we're safe." Not, "OMG WE SHOULD PROBABLY GO INTO HIDING BECAUSE THE MISFITS ARE PSYCHO KILLERS. Maybe we SHOULDN'T do this photoshoot on top of a cliff because, oh, wait, the Misfits showed up and scared the bats out of caves at us and now the cliff is breaking and we have to get rescued by a helicopter! No biggie, we're safe now. Let's go model somewhere else dangerous." I also think it's weird that Jem and Jericha, who are actually the same person, are both dating Rio. Wouldn't Jem/Jericha be at least a little pissed that her boyfriend is seeing someone else behind her back... even if the other woman is really her? ESPECIALLY if the other woman is her?? Oh 80's cartoons, how I enjoy analyzing you now that I'm old enough to look past the pretty colors and catchy music.

Oh yes, it is a Keytar - it comes with a strap and everything.
via Google Image Searches here and here

I also love Jem (the real live singer), probably just because her name is Jem.

I hate pencils. If I HAVE to use one, it has to be mechanical. I can't stand the feel of normal pencils and I hate the feeling of lead writing on paper. I feel the same about chalk. The feel of it in my hand, the scratchiness on paper/chalkboard. *shivers*

It never fails - if I write "gym" on my calendar, I don't go. Guess I have to be more spontaneous to trick myself into going.

Have I shown you this amazing cup? I love it. I think you know why.

Also, it was on clearance. I use it every day of my life now.

Why can't they make claw clips cooler looking? I love claw clips - what's easier than that to put your hair up?? NOTHING. But feel like I'm stuck in the 90's when I wear one. I wish I didn't care, but I really just wish they'd come back, and stay, in style. Are the 90's retro yet?

via Google Image Search

Ok so that picture's a bit extreme. They don't look THAT bad. Also, Lela, doesn't she look like someone we know??? Hmm...

-C
xxx

SMBHD - Doesn't Get Why I Clean For Guests

via Google Image Search

His rationale: He is not going to notice you didn't vacuum.

Mine: But I will.

It doesn't matter if someone's coming to visit for a day, a weekend, or two weeks. I still want my house to be as presentable as possible. Yes, I'm going to put more of an effort in for my in-laws and any other guests who would be staying for an extended period of time, but I'm still going to put an effort in for my BH's friend Mark who is only staying with us tonight through Sunday. Do I think people are going to think my house always looks like this? No. Do I try to make them think that? Nope. I'll fully admit to them that it's not normally this clean. I don't know, I just can't be laid back about it. BH is like, "No big deal, just make sure everything's off the bed in the guest bedroom, and he has some towels, he's not gonna care." He clearly doesn't get it! But I also can't explain it… I just… can't not put at least some effort into making our house look presentable. So I ended up staying up pretty late last night cleaning and getting things ready.

My BH sent me a very nice email this morning thanking me for all the effort I went to for this weekend. He appreciates it, but he still doesn't get it. Lol.

Ok so some of it may be because we rarely have anyone over our house. Our house isn't really conducive to having large groups over. Our living room can pretty much fit 6 people MAX - and really only 4 comfortably. And our back yard had a disgusting green pool in it up until a few days ago (courtesy of our neighbors, with whom we share the yard), so barbecues are pretty much out. I like to entertain. I like to cook for people. I want to have dinner parties and barbecues. Maybe this is why I want to buy a house so bad (probably). So, in addition to cleaning last night I also put a lasagna together (to be put in the oven for dinner tonight), and made sangria. And went to volleyball (first playoff game - we won!). And made dinner. And picked up my two cases of pumpkin beer!!! (I'm already starting to think I should get another one, because I'll be so sad when it's all gone…)

Am I crazy? Ok, yes is probably the answer in general, but I mean with regards to this post! :)

-C
xxx

Super Yummy Gazpacho

Years ago, I would have gagged at the thought of eating gazpacho. Not the band (apparently there's a band??). The soup. It's a cold soup, and one of the two main ingredients is usually cucumbers. (The other is tomatoes, which is a "pro" for me.) I hate cucumbers. Not as much as I fear pickles (yes, I actually fear pickles, it's not a joke), but I do not like the taste of cucumbers. You will not find me slicing one up and eating it. Ever.

I can't remember the first time I had Gazpacho, but I know I wasn't a fan. I think I've tried it once a year and slowly came to enjoy it. Then about a month ago Tim and I went out for dinner at JG Domestic and I had the gazpacho basically just for the fact that it had goat cheese in it. I'll pretty much order anything with goat cheese in it. To my surprise, I LOVED IT.

And that's when I became obsessed with gazpacho. I wanted to make it, but wanted to make it right. I was too impatient so I went and bought some from Trader Joe's one day. I asked a worker there if it was spicy and she told me absolutely not. FALSE. Ok, yes, I have a very high sensitivity to spice, but still. "Absolutely not" should mean absolutely not. It was a little spicy, which, to me, means a lot spicy. Anyhoo - I then went in search of gazpacho recipes. I checked my fave food blogger websites, printed out their versions. Looked through my cookbooks, marked the pages. I have been pretty much obsessed with making the best damn gazpacho ever (ok, next to Jose Garces') for weeks now. I wanted it sweet - and for REAL "absolutely not" spicy - and tomatoey. I knew I had to succumb to putting cucumbers in there, but was determined to puree them to oblivion so that they would blend with everything else and I wouldn't be able to see them.

When we got back from England my obsession had reached it's peak - the day we got back I broke out all the print outs and cookbooks and went to work. I took a bit from this recipe, a bit from that one, and a bit of "hmm... I have that in my pantry", and here is what I came up with. Oh, I should probably tell you that it was YUMMY. And do you know how easy it is to make gazpacho? It all goes in the blender!!

Sorry for the lack of pictures. Tim makes fun of me when I take pictures of my food... plus my camera was in my room all 3 floors above the kitchen. But this is what it looks like.

via Google Image Search

Super Yummy Gazpacho

Ingredients:
- 2 large tomatoes, chopped
- 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
- 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
- handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 tsp basil, chopped
- 1-1/2 cups tomato juice
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
- 4 tbs. apple cider vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tbs. olive oil
- salt, to taste
- goat cheese crumbles and grated parmesan cheese for serving
- 1/2 avocado, chopped, for serving

Instructions:
You literally just chop everything that needs to be chopped, reserve about a half cup of the tomatoes, and put everything else in the blender. Puree for a minute or two, until at desired consistency. Pour into a large bowl, add reserved tomatoes, and refrigerate for at least an hour. Serve with goat cheese crumbles, grated parmesan cheese, and avocado chunks. DONE.

Notes:
You may prefer to reserve some cucumbers for serving or add in some bell peppers or celery - go to! I love tomatoes and therefore wanted that to be the only "chunky" part of my soup (besides the cheese and avocado). I love bell peppers and celery in soups - but only in cooked soups. Also, when I first made this I used a can of vegetable broth, but didn't have any the second go 'round, so I used the tomato juice. I think it's yummier with the tomato juice, but do what you want!

I succeeded in making my perfect gazpacho, AND found out that I like the taste of cucumbers - but only if pureed and combined with other things. This soup is also perfect for bringing to work for lunch - no heating up required. I just let it sit at room temp for about 20 minutes before eating so it's not too cold.

Perfect.Summer.Soup.

I may make it every week until October.

-C
xxx

Random Ramblings of the Week 8/15

These are just some random thoughts that go through my head that I know you all want to hear:

I'm pretty sure my favorite song of all time is "Tuesday's Gone" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. When I hear it it automatically makes me happy, and kind of makes me want to hippie dance. I don't think I'll EVER skip it when it comes up on my ipod. And I may play it 3 times in a row while I run because, yes, I can even listen to it when I run. It's that good. PS I'm pretty sure no one noticed, but I had the DJ play it at my wedding. He played it during dinner since that's as good a time as there is to play a 7 minute long slow song.




I AM SO EXCITED FOR PUMPKIN BEER.

Yes, I know that summer isn't over yet and it's almost like wishing it away... I can't help it. When we went on the Harpoon Brewery tour in Boston and I tried their Pumpkin Ale and then almost died it was so good, I asked the guy (you know, the guy) if it would make it down to Philadelphia. It was their first year distributing the Pumpkin so he said he wasn't sure, but that I should email them when I got home and suggest it so they know there's interest in the area. I did just that, and I even recommended two beer distributors in my neighborhood that I know have sold pumpkin ale in the past, and sold OUT of it. I got an email the other day saying both places were getting it and that I should call and reserve a case or 5. Reserved. I can't decide if it's sad or awesome that I have this much of an obsession with pumpkin ale. PS Tim won't kiss me or even come near me whatsoever when I've been drinking pumpkin ale. This, coming from the man who "hated" pumpkin pie before he even tried it, but now loves it. Whatever, he's not coming between me and my love for pumpkin ale. We'll just sit on opposite sides of the room until all 48 of my beers are gone. *shrug*
via Google Image Search



I miss 3D doritos. Who's with me??

via Google Image Search







Apparently I'm allergic to Burts Bees chapstick. Apparently I'm also not the only one. There are like 1,000 forums out there of people who are allergic to something that's in the BB chapstick. I have yet to figure it out what it is yet. Ok, I'm also allergic to this one pomegranate flavored Gap chapstick, so it's not just BB. How do I know? My lips sting and get red itchy bumps on them and the only thing I can do is use Vaseline or Blistex medicated chapstick on them. It's not fun. Tim was not sympathetic and told me that maybe I just use too much chapstick. Pssh. Is there such a thing?

PS - You may not know this, but I'm addicted to chapstick. For realz.

When I was at a wedding in England recently I busted out my Vaseline chapstick and this guy (who was drunk, and a little odd...) says to me, "Do you have cold sores?" in front of everyone at the table. I told him "No." with a weird look on my face like why would you, a stranger, ask me such a thing, and in front of so many people? (I think Tim was a little pissed, too.) Then he proceeded to stick his finger out and ask for some of my chapstick. I'm not big on sharing chapstick, especially with strangers, but he insisted and got all weird about it, so I gave him some. At least it was the Vaseline one, so it's not like a stick. If it was a stick I wouldn't have given it to him. Or I would have and then thrown it out. I don't know this guy!

I'm excited for Tim's friend to visit this weekend... but oddly it's because I want to cook for him. Well, for both of them, but I like cooking for people, and it's a chance to cook for more than just us for the first time in a while! Is that weird? Probably. Oh well. As soon as Tim mentioned "he's a student" so maybe I could cook instead of us going out the first night, I was like, YES! Tim has requested my lasagna. Works for me.

I love Jersey Shore an unhealthy amount. I laugh out loud so many times when I watch it. Plus it makes me want to have Sunday dinners. Also, I really related to the first episode this season where the girls were having issues with their hair dryers and straighteners (because of the voltages). I brought my curling iron with me to England and the barrel melted! Yes, melted. I picked it up and the barrel moved separately from the handle. Scary. The smell wasn't great either. I mean, it was pretty old... I stole acquired it from my mom years ago and have had it as long as I can remember (probably age 11). Anyway, I bought a new one last weekend that says it "works worldwide" and "automatically adjusts to different voltages". We'll see!

-C
xxx

SMBHD - Steals My Bookmarks

I got my MIL's blessing for the SMBHD segments when we were in England, so that's good. She actually says she enjoys them. Probably because he tormented her for so many years and she can relate.

via Google Image Search

Have I mentioned I married a 5 year old? My BH has this ridiculous love of removing bookmarks from my books when I'm not looking... and also when I am. Sometimes, he will specifically seek out my book when I'm not in the room and take my bookmark out entirely... and sometimes he will just move it to a completely different section of the book. I never used to keep track of what page I was on, now I have to! I have to at least get a general idea of where I am in the book every time I put it down or else he'll catch me when I least expect it and I'll have no clue where to pick it up. When I pick it up and he's done this, he is SO proud of himself. I wish I could take a picture with my eyes so you could see this joyful/devilish look on his face, and record the he's-so-damn-proud-of-himself laughter that comes afterwards. I feel like typing it just doesn't do it justice.

via IMDB

He also really REALLY enjoys taking my bookmark out when I AM looking. Or, in the most recent case, I set my book down, open to my page (so no bookmark), and he grabbed it. I swear he had the look on his face of "Problem Child" or my family dog Boston who will grab something she knows she's not supposed to have and looks at you with this knowing, devilish look in her eyes... yeah, that's what my husband had the other night. We were both standing on our respective sides of the bed, he grabbed the book and stared me down with this devilish smirk on his face. I think I threatened him with everything I could think of - bodily harm, not cooking for him for a week, making him sleep in the guest bedroom... I swear we had a standoff for like ten minutes before he finally set it down - I won this round, but this has happened before, and will happen again, and I know I won't win them all... man, I've really got to think of some things to do to get him back. But he won't take it well at all. He can certainly dish it out, but can't take it back! I keep telling him it's like the Justin Timberlake song, "What goes around comes around." Oh, hm, I guess I could always get him back by posting things about him on a blog... did I mention he loves JT? True story. He says JT "throws some serious shapes." Which, in American, means "dances well".

In conclusion, I think this is a very good justification for why I need a Kindle for Christmas. :)

-C
xxx

Our Trip Across the Pond

We got back from our trip to England on Monday afternoon, and boy were we "knackered" (as my BH would say). It was a great trip, though! We got to stuff our faces with my mother in-law's delicious meals, see some of the Derbyshire countryside, SHOP, and go to his friend Smithy's wedding! More on the wedding to come, once I get around to taking all of the pictures off my camera - but it was awesome, and beautiful!

Guess what, Americans - it was about 65-70 degrees for our entire trip. Can you even imagine what that feels like?? I couldn't either. And now that I'm back I can't again. I even bought a jacket while I was there! And wore it to the airport, over a few layers of shirts, and jeans. Yeah, when we got into Philly I wasn't wearing the jacket... or the cardigan under it... or the t shirt. Just the tank top under it all (I really needed those pants that zip off to shorts), and was STILL sweating. Welcome home! It was nice to not sweat for a few days, and actually get to blow dry and straighten my hair. And wear foundation without it dripping down my face. Although I'm glad I brought jeans and cardigans, even when Tim scoffed at me and tried to tell me I wouldn't need them! Yes, yes I did need them actually!

So, shopping. Right. Because that's what you want to hear about, I just know it. The first day we were there we went to TK Maxx. Yes, you read that right. TK Maxx. In the UK they change the "J" to a "K". Why? I have no idea. When I first encountered one of those, Tim told me I was crazy to think it should be TJ Maxx. Obviously he underestimated my knowledge of the TJX Corporation that owns all TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Home Goods, and apparently TK Maxx stores. So his argument of "No, "K" is right." kind of went right out the window when I told him my rationale that it's owned by the TJX Corporation and therefore there is no good reason for the K to make an appearance. Mystery still unsolved. I could probably google it, but I don't feel like it. All I know is that it should be a J.

Anyhoo - first stop - TK Maxx. It was HUGE. I was in HEAVEN. I also had completely forgotten what my size was in the UK. I think the sizes are smaller there because all the smalls I picked up were super extra small. I was having a hard time spotting things quickly, especially when looking for skirts because they weren't listed as small or medium, only double digit numbers I'm not used to seeing. So I walked out of there with a pair of running pants... non exciting, I know. But wait! I also walked out of there with a super cute purse AND THIS:


Can you tell how big it is? Tim was like, "You are never going to get that thing home." But my MIL was like, "Use it as your neck pillow on the plane." I like how she thinks. Although I'm the one person who would get in trouble for that and end up having to pay $600 to check it so I ended up squishing it into my suitcase somehow. Also, I should point out that Tim's the one who showed me this pillow, and the ottoman next to it that I really wanted to ship home. So this is his fault, and therefore that's how I justify half of my luggage going into his suitcase for the trip home so that I could fit this pillow in mine. :)

The next day we went for a fish pedicure! (Me and my MIL, the men wouldn't even come in the shop!) I read an article about it a couple years ago, and have always wanted to try it, but it wasn't what I expected really! I don't know why, but I think I didn't expect to actually feel them, and maybe I didn't expect there to be so many! My mom would FREAK OUT. I just know it. I giggled like a little girl most of the time. I couldn't even look down at my feet for the first 5 minutes. It was so weird! But my feet were definitely nice and soft after, so job well done fishies.

After that we got to see Nottingham Castle (Castle Rock, actually, we didn't go up to the castle)

...and the oldest bar in England. No, really, it's been there since 1189AD. See?


We also took a picture with the Robin Hood statue, because we were in Nottingham after all… and apparently very near "Maid Marian Way".


We went for a hike in Derbyshire on Sunday and it was unexpectedly beautiful! Not that I thought it wouldn't be beautiful, I just didn't expect to see this:


As you can see, we were nowhere near the riots.

Also, any idea how I could ship this home??

I'm pretty sure I want need it.

-C
xxx