Gimme My Gifts

This year Christmas was better than usual for me. Not just because I worked Christmas Eve, came home and opened gifts before turning in for the morning. There was just something different this year...

Joe and I had to keep it low key because money is tight, as it is for everyone, but that still isn't it. For me it has always been about the holiday spirit, not about who got what at what price. I could care less about that. There just seemed to be an overall sence of peae and calmness that has been lost most other years.

I think this year was such a nice one because I got virtually everything I asked for. My wish list was really honored and that seemed to make a huge impact on the way I felt. I have been cooking up a storm ever since because all I really wanted was kitchen goodies and gadgets. 500 cupcakes aren't going to bake themselves.

With money from my parents & Joe's parents I was able to buy a new cookware set that I've been lusting after for about 2 years. We were also able to purchase a new over the range microwave. It will be nice for Joe to not have to lug out the current microwave because I refuse to loose the counter space over it. Other than that Joe got DVD's, games, ornaments, books and gift cards.

The only snafu this year was the "flannel granny jammies" Joe bought for me~ cute, but wrong size. Based on his decription of me ("big boobed midget"), I'm near impossible to guess a size for. Yes, we all are having a good laugh over that one.

Well, Merry Christmas & we hope that you got everything you wanted this year!

Winter Wollop 2009

Alright, I stole the title of this post from every single news channel out there today. In case you won't remember by the time that you read this today is that day when the "blizzard" hit the Mid-Atlantic & Northeast.

I know last night the south was hit hard. My parents were stuck in traffic for 7 hours in North Carolina before finally stopping for the night. They've arrived in Florida. I look at it this way... Karma got them back for not taking my heinie on vacation. Those bastards.

It only began to snow here about 3 hours ago & there is nothing but a dusting right now. Original plans for Lauren's birthday party tonight got canceled because of the dubious amount of snow that was supposed to be here by now. True to form the weather changed from a "dusting" to 2+ feet possible. I'm still waiting.... It's not stopping Joe from playing his UFC game, while I tend to the fire. Sugar & Eclipse are curled up beside me. To Sugar, the fireplace is just a warm thing. To Eclipse, the possible pyromaniac kitty, it's a source of immense fascination.

Well, I'm not sure what else to say. I hope while we sit here and freeze for a week, one of my parents gets a nasty sunburn. Preferably in such an area or manner that prevents them from having any fun in Florida.

Yes, I'm jealous...
No, I'm not getting over it...

Pondering Points of Life

I recently posted a comment on Facebook along the lines of wondering if there were parts of your life you wish you could do over? I would never change my marriage to Joe or our 6 "kids", that should go without having to be said. I'll say it anyway though.

What I was thinking was more along the lines of life evaluation. I'm not about to jump off a bridge ala It's A Wonderful Life. I was just thinking about how long it has taken me to do certain things in my life. For example, why didn't I just go to pharmacy school right after I finished my AAS in Pharmacy Technology? I don't know... Instead I worked as a nurse, have been going through burnout after being in the medical field for 10 years now. It never seemed so long until I really began thinking about it. Why did I say I would take 6 months off after getting my BS, only to have 2.5 years pass by. Now I'm *cough*, years old searching out a medical school that is top amongst older students. When the heck did I become considered an older/non-traditional student, by the way?

I know there is a lot of things that drive the choices we make; family, friends, money, location, and too many others to list. I just can't help but look back and sometimes wonder if the choices we all the right ones. Would things still have turned out the same? Probably not. Again, don't mistake my pondering for discontent. I am happy and thankful for the life that I have. I just have to trust that everything happens for a reason.

Christmas Lights

Christmas waves a magic wand over
this world, and behold, everything
is softer and more beautiful.
~Norman Vincent Peale

The Christmas decorations have made it up on the front of the house. With the snow still on the ground, visions of a white Christmas are dancing in my head. I love it! Inside our little tree has been dragged all around the house by the cats (Clover) when it gets knocked over. We're getting a much bigger tree from my mom this weekend. Some how she has managed to accumulate a few of them over the past several years. We all know she's not quite right...

Some presents are under our little tree & filling our stockings, which are hung by the chimney with care. It's really getting me in the mood for everything. I still have to plan Christmas breakfast for me & Joe. I'm working the overnight shift on Christmas Eve. I'll get home just in time for Joe to wake up & come running out of the bedroom to see what Santa has left for him (that isn't already under the tree). Jill is right, I married a Peter Pan.

Tonight Joe has trapped me in the living room (and I really need the potty) while he's in the dining room wrapping the gifts he got for me. I'm not sure what he got me. I hear a lot of cursing coming from the other room. Something about, "This wrapping paper sucks! It doesn't fold, the colors are runny and it rips." What does he expect, it's the $.88 wrapping paper from Wally World. It's not meant to be nice. Of course, he's not mentioning that he also sucks at wrapping gifts. It's the reason why I always do the gifts for everyone else.

I think he might finally be done. I don't hear anymore ripping, tearing, or cursing. Or maybe the paper finally won? I should probably go look....

Christmas On The Horizon

Well, the first snow of December has fallen. We were left with 4" of the white stuff over the weekend, which really got me into the holiday spirit. We put the Christmas tree up after Thanksgiving. I know, I'm turning into one of those people. Now the other stuff is getting put up as well. I decorated a wreath yesterday with ornaments so that was able to be mounted above the fireplace, as well as draping the garland around the fireplace.

This year began a new tradition of doing something different every Christmas, at least in terms of decorations. I'm using a darker version of lime green & fuchsia as a twist on the classic red & green. It looks really nice against the bright colored lights of our tree. I have to find silk ribbon in the same colours to use as a tree topper and then cascade the ribbon down the tree.

This upcoming weekend, I believe we will have the exterior decorated. Garland will be draped along the front porch as it was last year, while I will use faux poinsettias to decorate the enclosed porch, along with some more garland. The exterior portions of our home should take on a more classic holiday appearance. No giant inflatables for us! I also want to use decorations that can last through the winter season, not just through Christmas. I mean, all this effort goes into decorating and making everything beautiful, it should be carried through the winter. I see it as a bright spot until the hints of spring poke through the snow.

As for shopping. Well, that's been a slow go. I bought all the deocrations after last Christmas at 75% off. Frugal shopper, I am. This year however, has been a struggle for buying gifts. I know it's not about what I get Joe. He'll be happy no matter what I get him, but it's still the idea of Christmas morning that I have in my head that often defets me. He knows of only 1 of his gifts right now. I had to tell him so he wouldn't buy it for himself. I'm getting him a subscription to Xbox magazine. I know he will enjoy it because he'll get a new "gift" each month.

When it comes to our friends, we only got gifts for 2 couples the we're very close to. We don't hear from anyone else, so we're not worried about it. If the missing friends get cards from us, be happy, you're worth the 44-cent stamp. Sorry, that was a tad mean. My inner grinch came out.

'Tis the story for now...

Thanks For The Giving

This year amidst all the fear & turmoil, there are so many things for us to be thankful for.

We're thankful for:

Each other- without the love we have for one another, we would falter.
Kids- in this case, our pets, but they love us unconditionally none the less (as we do them).
Home- a place for our happiness & to welcome friends.
Family- without them life would not be as interesting... or funny.
Friends- the people in which you find a second version of yourself.

"What the heart gives away is never gone.
It is kept in the hearts of others."
- Robin St. John

Holiday Season Begins

I was in the stores killing some time after class yesterday and the Christmas music was already billowing out of store speakers everywhere. It really annoyed me, especially since Halloween wasn't over for another 10 hours (at that point). I know Christmas is a big holiday, but what about Thanksgiving?

I'm trying to focus my energy on 1 holiday at a time. I sat down this morning and designed the e-vites for the family to come to Thanksgiving dinner. I have to admit, that I really love that it has become "my holiday". It's nice to have the house stuffed with people. Ok, so my mom still cooks the turkey. I'm not giving that a 3rd try! If it were up to me, I'd go to Boston Market to by a pre-cooked bird. Somehow that ruins that holiday (according to mom and Sean). Anyway, while mom slaves over the bird, I take to making all the filling appetizers, tasty side dishes and the devilishly delicious desserts. Yes, Thanksgiving is an event that I savor.

It doesn't have to be a beating to your budget either. Since I know that I will be hosting it, each weekly trip to the grocery store I will add 1 or 2 items to the cart that will be used for Thanksgiving dinner. Adding a few items each week is less of a blow to the wallet. Sure, the stores run some good sales on food, but most of the good stuff is gone the first day of the sale and you miss that price anyway. I would much rather make sure I have the item, instead of running around like a crazy person to save 25 cents. (I also take this approach to Christmas shopping). Another tip is to take a look in your pantry now. You never know, you might have more hidden in ther ethan you think. Or you might have something that will help you create a delicious, but unique addition to the meal. Remember, a "tradional dinner" is whatever tradtion you make.

I'm not telling you what to do, really I'm not. I'm just trying to offer little tips to help us all get through the next 8 weeks.

Seasons

Ok, well it's no secret that I have SAD, or seasonal affective disorder. I have noticed it getting worse each year, as well as having an earlier onset each year. This year, I started to notice hints of it in August. Why so early? Probably because I was starting to think about the Autumn being just around the corner, then the dreaded winter. Forecasts for a bitterly cold winter have not helped ease my mind at all. So, this post is really to just tell you all about SAD. I know I'm not the only one with it, everyone gets some type of "winter blues".

I manage to being to fend it off with the impending festivities of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Our house is usually the center of activity this time of year. I know that after New Years if will probably kick in full strength again. I can only hope that with the impending move, that will keep me busy enough to not focus on it.

Well, for the benefit of everyone, below is some helpful information about seasonal affective disorder. I got the bulk of it from my nursing and psych texts, so it's accurate. I'm not another looney toon out on the net posting misinformation.

Symptoms tend to start from around September and last until April. However, symptoms are at their worst in the darkest months. For some people, these symptoms cause a considerable disruption in their lives.

Symptoms include:

• Sleep problems - oversleeping but not refreshed, cannot get out of bed, needing a nap in the afternoon
• Overeating
  
• Depression, despair, misery, guilt, anxiety - normal tasks become frustratingly difficult
• Family or social problems - avoiding company, irritability, loss of libido, loss of feeling
• Lethargy - too tired to cope, everything an effort
• Physical symptoms - often joint pain or stomach problems, lowered resistance to infection

The problem stems from the lack of bright light in winter. Researchers have proved that bright light makes a difference to the brain chemistry. What's not clear is why some people suffer and others don't.

Lakeside Kitten

Admittedly, we have been bad about updating our blog. I know I have the best of intentions to write down when we do something fun, but by now you all know how easily distracted I am. I will try to be better.

Thursday night, while throwing food out for the wildlife, we found a small kitten under our deck. I estimated to be 8-12 weeks old. She is all black, with a white chest/belly & has 4 white paws. I named her "Sock-o". For those of you that know Joe, you will understand that reference to wrestling. Family & a few friends have been wonderful trying to help us find her a home. Thanks to the glorious internet, we might have found one. A nice couple in a 5,500 sqft house in a very affluent part of the Poconos is meeting with us tomorrow to do a home inspection and their veterinary reference was wonderful. They are big animal rights advocates, so we get along so far. I just hope everything works out.

Since we bought this house we have managed to rescue and place 7 cats. 2 are living with us. I can't believe how many irresponsible pet owners there are. It drive me nuts, but at least there are people with good hearts out there to take them in.

Since I began to write this post, Sock-o was adopted by the aforementioned family and has been doing wonderfully. We spent over and hour getting to know them, while allowing Sock-o to adjust to her new surroundings. They wished us the best of luck with our/my goal of opening an animal rescue sanctuary. I keep in touch with them to ensure that all is going well with Sock-o.

We also enjoyed a fall foliage brunch with Paul, Karen, Mark, & Siohbon at the Boathouse restaurant on Swartswood lake. It was a nice small place. The portions were just right and the food wasn't bad at all. I recommend everyone try the place at least once.

Falling For Fall

It's that time of year again. Leaves are turning, apple picking iis the thing to do, pumpkins are dotting the steps of porches & I get to sit in class.

Did I think I would be back in school after getting my Bachelors Degree? Nope. It's continuing education credits, but even still, it's hard to go back. I have to face the fact that I don't absorb all the information at the pace I used to. Plus, as health care evolves, the information I need to learn & retain just keeps getting increasingly specific. I really don't think anyone can know everything & to expect such is ludicrous.

That all being said, Joe's recent lay-off really got me thinking that I need to do something more in-depth with my career. I know right now Joe is the bread winner in the family, but my sense of preservation has kicked in. I want to make sure that my income generates enough for us to live on comfortably. I'm not trying to lessen his role in our family, but I know that when the economy begins to faulter, construction is usually the first to take a hit. In another 5 or 10 years when we go into the next recession cycle, I don't want it to be like this.

I'm going to wrap this up because it's taken over a week of typing this on my phone to get this far & I forgot the point I was trying to make.
Sent from my BlackBerry

Things You Probably Didn't Know,

But Should....


1. Money isn't made out of paper, it's made out of cotton.

2. The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp (marijuana) paper.

3.. The dot over the letter 'i' is called a 'tittle.'

4. A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.

5. Susan Lucci is the daughter of Phyllis Diller.

6. 40% of McDonald's profits come from the sales of Happy Meals.

7. 315 entries in Webster's 1996 Dictionary were misspelled.

8. The 'spot' on 7UP comes from its inventor, who had red eyes. He was albino.

9. On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents, daily.

10. Warren Beatty and Shirley MacLaine are brother and sister.

11. Chocolate affects a dog's heart and nervous system; a few ounces will kill a small-sized dog.

12. Orcas (killer whales) kill sharks by torpedoing up into the shark's stomach from underneath, causing the shark to explode.

13. Most lipstick contains fish scales (eeww).

14. Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn't wear pants.

15. Ketchup was sold in the 1830's as medicine.

16. Upper- and lower-case letters are named 'upper' and 'lower' because in the time when all original print had to be set in individual letters, the Upper case' letters were stored in the case on top of the case that stored the smaller, 'lower case' letters.

17. Leonardo Da Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other at the same time, hence multi-tasking was invented.

18. Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood.

19. There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos.

20. The name Wendy was made up for the book Peter Pan; there was never a recorded Wendy before!

21. There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with: orange, purple, and silver

22. Leonardo Da Vinci invented scissors. Also, it took him 10 years to paint Mona Lisa's lips.

23. A tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion will make it instantly go mad and sting itself to death

24. The mask used by Michael Myers in the original 'Halloween' was a Captain Kirk's mask painted white.

25. If you have three quarters, four dimes, and four pennies, you have $1.19. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar (good to know.)

26. By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you can't sink in quicksand (and you thought this list was completely useless.)

27. The phrase 'rule of thumb' is derived from an old English law, which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb.

28. The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At that time, the most known player on the market was the Victrola, so they called themselves Motorola.

29. Celery has negative calories! It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with. It's the same with apples.

30. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying!

31. The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified kosher.

32. Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from Public Libraries.

33.I NEED TO REMEMBER THIS.

34. George Carlin said it best about Martha Stewart:

"Boy, I feel a lot safer now that she's behind bars. O. J. Simpson and Kobe Bryant are still walking around; Osama Bin Laden too, but they take the ONE woman in America willing to cook, clean, and work in the yard, and they haul her off to jail."

Garlic Anniversary

Earlier this month there was a bustling of activity in the Rizzo home.

Our 2 year anniversary was on September 8. This year was very low-key for us. That was mainly due to the tightening of some finances. We agreed to get a gift we could both use. We searched, but still haven't found it. We treated ourselves to a sushi dinner. Joe had his usual "mini boat", while I ate a veggie roll. Then we just hung out on the couch & watched a movie. The movie thing is always something we do on our anniversary.

We also went to the Pocono Garlic Festival in Shawnee. It wasn't bad, just a little on the small side. We picked up some pure maple cream, strawberry marinade, & white chocolate raspberry dip. Funny how none of it had to do with garlic, huh? Don't blame me though, if you could've smelled what the garlic kilbasa & Armageddon hot sauce did to Joe you would've avoided all things garlic as well!

Then there was Mark & Siohban's engagement party. Joe was there for the full length of the party, I only made it for a few minutes as cake was being served. I'm going to venture to guess it went well. May 22, 2010 will be here before they know it.

I was a late arrival to the party because of classes I have to take on Saturdays.. I have to do some continuing education credits. I still will go for my MBA, so no one worry!

Unfortunate, Saturdays are lost because of this class. I'll be missing part of Chris & Jenn's wedding, as well as that of TJ & Whitney. TJ's is the one I was looking forward to the most, as was Joe. I feel so bad about it!

Not much else to report on right now. I should go study because I have such a thrilling test coming up next Saturday that I must be prepared for. Until next time~

Sent from my BlackBerry

Philadelphia, Disturbingly Informative

As a birthday present, mom took me (& Joe) to the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia. It's part of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. I've wanted to go there for years to see all sorts of medical oddities. Mom called up one day to ask me if I had ever heard of it & asked if I would like to go. I was really excited about it.

Let me provide a little information about the museum:

In 1858, Thomas Dent Mütter, retired Professor of Surgery at Jefferson Medical College , turned over his personal collection of unique anatomic & pathological materials to The College of Physicians of Philadelphia . Over time it grew to contain more than 20,000 specimens. This includes fluid-preserved, skeletal, dried, plaster, wax, plastic & papier-mâché specimens of anatomical & pathological specimens, medical instruments & equipment through the years, along with the memorabilia of famous scientists & physicians of the past. There are also a variety of medical illustrations, photographs, prints, and portraits.

Cool medical oddities include:

• The plaster cast of the torso of Siamese Twins, Chang & Eng, and their conjoined livers
• Joseph Hyrtl's skull collection
• Preserved body of the "Soap Lady"
• Collection of 2,000 objects extracted from people's throats
• Cancerous growth removed from President Grover Cleveland
• Tallest skeleton on display in North America

It was great. There are some things that actually freaked me out a bit! I was looking at a jar of skin the a woman scratched off of herself as a compulsion. It was in a jar & reminded me of instant mashed potato flakes. Guess what I won't be eating any more of! After years of taking biology classes, I was always fascinated by polycystic kidney disease. Well, I finally got to see one up close... awesomely disturbing to look at. Pictures do not do justice to how freaky one of those things looks in person. The museum rotates objects in & out of view from the public, so each time you go, there are some different things to look at. I can't wait to go back & drag Joe again. I just wish I had been allowed to take some pictures. Y'all know I would've posted those things in a heart beat!

After that, we still had a good portion of the day to do something with. The 3 of us decided it might be fun to go to Valley Forge National Historical Park. We're all big on history, so it was actually a great thing to do because we could all enjoy it. The picturesque, rolling hillsides of 3,600-acre Valley Forge National Historical Park is where General George Washington forged his Continental Army into a fighting force, during the winter encampment of 1777-78. While there were no battles fought there, some 2,000 soldiers died as a result of hunger and disease. Those rolling hills had my mom complaining, "my chest hurts, I can't breathe, my left arm is numb. " All her bitching was a real drag... just kidding, she was fine. I was able to take pictures there, so I already posted those up on flickr.

We out-voted mom when it came to having Italian food for dinner & went to Olive Garden. That was interesting. I can't really get into all the details, but here's a snippet of our dinner conversation:

Mom- "So, all my friends are posting pictures of their grandkids on facebook."
Me- "So, you want me to send you some pictures of the dogs?"
Joe- Laughing
Mom- "I think you'd be a great mom"
Joe- "That's what I tell her."
Me- "I hate kids!"
Mom- "That's why you would be a good mother, your kids would all be in check."


Ahhhh, family.... can't live with them, can't hide the bodies fast enough. HA HA

I Want Casey on TV

In this struggling economy, people do what they can to bring money into supporting their homes and families. This has sparked a major spark in brainstorming by those trying to come up with ways to do this. Such a thing has happened with me. For those of you who know my wife will understand my idea.

For as long as I've known her, I've noticed that she has an uncanny ability for retaining certain aspects of knowledge. She called all thus "useless information." But as the quote has taught me, "There is no knowledge that is not power." Believe it or not I got that from the video game Mortal Kombat 3....see, those games weren't completely hurtful to the youths of my time. But that's besides the point. Anyways, one particular aspect of Casey's "useless information" includes knowing major song lyrics. When we're sitting in the living room watching TV, it could be a music video, TV concert, or even a random commercial with music..........she starts singing immediately. She doesn't slur the words or make them up either, she's sings them EXACT. Before the realization of this talent of hers really hit me, we had seen a show on CMT called "The Singing Bee." If you haven't seen the show, it's basically a glorified karoke scene, but pays the winners for knowing the lyrics for random songs. Pretty interesting........I'll leave it at that. But it does look like fun, especially when you start winning. One time afterward we saw a commercial for a rock ballad compilation CD. From start to finish of that commercial when they play stipets of several of the songs on the CDs, Casey sang every word to every song, even as they immediately changed. She jumped right in. After watching her do this, that light bulb didn't just turn on in my head; it got bright enough to blind me.

Starting tonight, I will regularly be scouring the Internet to see if there's a casting call for the show. So far they're out in Los Angeles........8 months too late for us from when we were out there. But still, as soon as they're within reasonable driving distance, we'll be there. I think Casey's chances good. I know her singing might not be top notch, but neither is anyone elses on that show from what I've see. Better than my singing too. Although I have heard Casey hit some pretty good high notes. Pretty funny story about one particular ocassion. Recently, Casey had taken our dogs Sugar and Cody out to go to the bathroom, and I was inside in the kitchen. I heard a high pitched scream, and ran to the back door. My first thought was that she came across a bear since I figured we were due for a visit from one. When I opened the door and asked what happened, her response was, "There's a skunk out here!" I saw the skunk by the shed, and she was a good twenty to twenty five feet away. I started laughing. You don't scream over a skunk. You scream over something bigger than you. Am I right? I'm sure Casey will want her side of the story heard now.

Anyways, that's my master plan. Don't worry, this won't take away from the reasonable things I should be doing like job hunting, going to interviews, and continueing my little construction projects here at home to get our house sold. But still, a guy can dream, can't he? But don't worry, if Casey happens to get on the show and happens to win big, it'll be her money. She'll decide what to do with it. After we use it for what we really need, she can spend it on fun stuff for herself.........as long as she buys me something cool (saying this with a goofy smile by the way).

Time Flies

Could it really be the end of July already????

Where has the summer gone. I feel as though it was never really warm or sunny or well, anything like summer. Oh wait, it wasn't. So far it was rainy or cold. Not much of a summer. Although, August is right around the corner, so there are 4 salvageable weeks left.

Ok, by the time I got around to finishing this post, it's already 4 days into August. I can't believe how much I've been slacking off about updating the blog. I was so busy with work & house stuff. Now, I seem to have a limitless amount of time to update this, while doing all sorts of other useless crap. So, keep looking to see if I post anything interesting.

Rizzo BBQ

Each year since I began dating Joe, we go to his Uncle Rod & Aunt Melda's house for a BBQ on Father's Day. They're related to Paul, Joe's father. I must say that getting together with that side of the family is nice & low key. It's a drastic change from Joe's mothers' family. It's a shame that we only see this side once a year, but at least they come from all over for this one party. The ever continuous rainy weather was staved off for 1 day. At one point, Joe, Mark, & Chester all went swimming in a chilly pool. They were joined by a 10 month old Chocolate Labrador that thought they were ducks he should be retrieving. It was so funny to watch the dog barking at the boys to keep them in the water. I have to admit, I'm surprised Joe didn't stay in the water longer. You would thing with all his fur, that he & the dog would've been in there for hours.

For the most part, we all sat around in lawn chairs that sank into the heavily saturated ground, watched the dogs play in the stream, & caught up on the lives of everyone while eating some really good food. We look forward to doing it again next year, even if we come up from South Carolina for it.

Saturday was time to catch up with Rob & Lauren. The boys played with the Xbox (big surprise), while Lauren went online house shopping with me. We were checking out things in Montague, which offered some really cute homes. It just stinks that they were so over priced. There were more nice houses on the Milford side of the world too. When Joe & I first went house shopping, there was nothing there, now there is a bit more & at a decent price. Other than that, we ate a dinner of bruchetta pizza (still killing my tummy) & eating some "super spicy puffy thingies" that I made after reading about in a Martha Stewart (satan) magazine. They weren't bad, but I think I really have to modify the amount of ground black pepper that is required for the recipe.

Joe's Page

I just thought I would tell everyone that I updated my entertainment page. Go Look!

Time For A Cool Change

If there's one thing in my life that's missing
It's the time that I spend alone
Sailing on the cool and bright clear water
It's kind of a special feeling
When you're out on the sea alone
Staring at the full moon, like a lover

Time for a cool change
I know that it's time for a cool change
Now that my life is so prearranged
I know that it's hard for a cool
Cool, cool change


As my 29th birthday steadily approaches, I'm searching for all that I want to change by the time that my 30th birthday rolls around next year. I sit here & think about what my mom had accomplished by my age, I'm amazed to think she did it alone. There are times I feel like I haven't made it half as far as I should have by now. But, when I sit & think about it, I'm married to an amazing guy, as well as have a career I enjoy. We're not rolling in the money, but we've still got the roof over our heads & food on the table (& in the pet food bowls). Compared to a lot of people older or younger than us, we're doing just fine.

So, to begin my change I headed out to the salon after work to bravely chop off a foot of hair. I did it. Nervous or not, I did it. It looked amazing & I couldn't get over how different I look. I tossed in some all over highlights for some more umph.

Damnit, I look good! It's not often I say that about myself. I probably should say it more because as I look over pictures of me when I was 17, I was a lot prettier than I thought I was at the time. One thing I resolve to do is not put myself down as much as I do. I'm going to try to fine 1 positive thing to say about myself each day.

I want to start eating better. I'm a vegetarian, but lets face it, crunchberries are not a fruit. This will be a hard task, I lost 40 pounds a few years back, but gained a lot of it back after surgery last January. Time to take it off for good. To do this, Joe is going to be forced to eat a bit better (at least around me). This means I can't deep fry his dinner each night, but maybe I can 3 or 4 nights a week. I should also give up my 48 ounces of soda a day. Really, really bad habit I have when I'm at work. I need to find another coping method when I'm there.

I don't want to look back over my first 29 years and wonder what the Hell I did with all the time. Do I want to spend all my time chasing a buck, but loose out on wonderful memories of my family. Hell no. Memories last forever, money doesn't. As long as you have the basics, have fun with the rest of your free time. Enjoy your friends, enjoy your family no matter how crazy either one may be.

This Memorial Day, Remember...

It is the Soldier, not the President,
who gives us Democracy.
It is the Soldier, not the Congress,
who take care of us.
It is the Soldier, not the Reporter,
who has given us Freedom of Press.
It is the Soldier, not the Poet,
who has given us Freedom of Speech.
It is the Soldier, not the Campus Organizer,
who has given us the Freedom to Demonstrate.
It is the Soldier,
who salutes the flag;
who serves beneath the flag,
and whose coffin is draped by the flag,
that allows the protester to burn the flag.

Father Dennis O'Brien
US Marine Corp Chaplain

Thanks to all those who have served and continue to serve.

Good Things

Saturday morning found Joe & I standing beside our friends at the Altar in a small New Jersey church. Rob & Lauren were finally saying their vows. It was great to see them start this new chapter of their lives, especially after all the time time it took for this to come to fruition. With that said, here's a poem we found for the two of you...

May All Good Things Be Yours

Your happiness begins
With your wonderful wedding day.
You’ll share everything together;
Through it all, your love will stay. Congratulations to you,
As you begin your happy life.
May all good things be yours,
As new husband and new wife.

Party Kitties

There has been so much going on as of late. I know I say that in each post, but it's true. The weekends have been so packed full of stuff. It's more than we're used to. I guess I should back track a bit.

Lauren's bridal shower was a little tea party. It was cute. Most of the work was done by her mother & Nikki, a bridesmaid. They had more time & desire to have the shower. Originally, I never planned one because Lauren said she didn't want one. After being together for so long, the pair has just about everything you would need. But now she has some better stuff.

That same day Mom & Sean rescued some kittens from the walls of the barn. It's a long sad story, so I won't get into it, but she was "paging Dr. Rizzo" most of the afternoon/evening. I went up the next day to have breakfast with the family & see my tiny patient. Ring-Ding (formerly Solo) bonded with the tiny kitten & was nurturing him. I dubbed my tiny patient, Oscar. The first time he popped his little head up to look at me, I was reminded of Oscar the Grouch popping out of his trash can. Little Oscar is well, mom took him to a rescue society. He'll find a loving home very quickly.

Speaking of rescue cats, our 'fugees, Orion & Clover are well. Recently neutered, they're out with the general population of our house. Except at bedtime, then they go back to their room until Sensei & Eclipse get a bit more adjusted to them.

The following weekend had us Partying over at Nicks bar for Rob & Laurens bachelor/bachelorette party. We all walked in & half the bar left. If you as Rob it's because we scared them off. The DJ was playing, but no one was dancing (yet). He played the Zach Brown Band & I made Joe take me out on the floor. I love dancing with him! After that there was a steady stream of dancers for the rest of the night. All I can say when it comes to up tempo music is, they're right, white people ain't got no rhythm! Alcohol just makes us think we do. Look for those pictures to be up on flickr soon.

In the midst of all this we were painting the living room, working on the trim, cleaning up the construction debris. Of course we're still doing that, along with going to the wedding rehearsal tonight, wedding tomorrow, bbq sunday, & working on the house monday. I'm sure Monday we'll have our own 2 person bbq.

Well, I'm going to wrap this up & go to work. Is it 5 o'clock yet?

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Profound

Ya know what, every time I think of something important or special to write about, I start to do it & then spaz out with my train of thought. It's very annoying & has left me a bunch of unfinished blog posts that will eventually get back dated. In the mean time, this silly blurb is all I can leave you with. Sorry!

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So Close

The house is going on the market this weekend, so we're in the midst of some craziness getting some of the little things touched up for "picture time". We weren't going to list the house until all the work was done, but the realtor wanted to get the house on the market before Memorial Day to ensure we're in the beginning of the summer rush & more people will be looking at our house.

The nice thing about Bushkill is the proximity to Route 80 allows for all sorts of vacationing morons will be looking for a cute little house in the "country". Unlike other housing markets in the area, ours is doing well because it is nestled in a vacation area. Plus, most commuters won't look at anything past Stroudsburg because they deem that just too far to drive into NYC or NJ. Don't believe me, just talk to some local realtors.

The living room & dining room have been dry walled & painted. Our house is actually resembling a home! I'm being picky about some things, which I think is making Joe a little nuts. I was talking to Lauren about it & she thinks that I'm looking too much into things with the house. I suppose she is right. You watch all those house shows on TLC or HGTV & they make you think that you're house has to be as perfect as a new construction... but what I need to remember is that Joe & I bought this house when it was ugly inside, now that it's pretty, someone will fall in love with it. There is a buyer out there for any home, especially in our price range.

Well, wish us luck!

Brides, Mothers, Showers & Flowers

It's shaping up to be another busy weekend.

Today is "Love Day", which is the day Joe & I officially began dating. This makes year number 5! Since it's a super special year, I bought Joe a very nice Citizen Eco-Drive watch & he got me a good size diamond ring. Look for pictures of that honkin' rock online this weekend. We'll be having a nice romantic dinner of Dominos by candlelight tonight. :o)

I've got Laurens bridal shower on Saturday. I can't give details about, because I know you're reading this. Everyone will just have to wait until later Saturday evening to see how it went.

Sunday, is Mothers Day. Of course we're going to see our mommies. Breakfast will be with my mom in Pine Bush & then we'll swing by to see Joe's mom.

Well, I'm off to work. I just wanted to update this really quick.

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Un-Pause

Ok, so I've been really bad about updating Rizzo life on this here blog. By now most everyone is aware of the oooooooooodles of work that we're doing to the house. New kitchen in March, new bathroom this month.

Too add to that, is the rapidly approaching wedding of Rob & Lauren. I'll say what we're all thinking, "It's about damn time!" Ha Ha I was out with them last weekend at the Rockaway mall to pick up my bridesmaid dress. Ahhh, the joys of me being so petite have allowed for a cocktail length dress to be full length on me. No alterations needed! It was also 50% off, which totally rocks. Joe will be wearing a tux. He was joking the other day about, "If I knew how many times I was going to have to wear a tux, I would've just bought one."

Back to the bathroom. Beautiful new wainscoting runs from the floor to the ceiling. The same crown & base moulding found in the rest of the house is carried into the bathroom. A new white vanity completes the look. I will have pictures posted soon. The pictures of the kitchen have been posted for a while.

Last weekend I planted 3 small boxwood hedges, 2 large rhodedendrons, & transplanted my creeping phleox. I also noticed my annuals from the shade garden last year are coming back this year. I thought that wasn't supposed to happen. I'm happy they are though. My daffodils, which I transplanted last year, are also beginning to appear. Spring is here & I'm happy.

This weekend we'll be building a closet in the guest room with the help of Sean on Sunday. He'll be doing the Lords work-carpentry. :o)

Today we're finally going to get to see Steve & meet his bunny (Jen). The beautiful weather will lend itself to Joe firing up the grill for some steaks.

Ok, by the time I'm getting back to this blog, the closet has been built, the deer ate my new plants & we've met Jen (aka: bunny). There was so much activity last week I wasn't able to get back to this right away. Heck, I'm typing it in my car before work right now. Here's the details to fill everyone in:

The shed got painted with a second coat of a shade called "trail pony". It's a light khaki color. Joe also hung some hooks on each side for me to hang plants or bird feeders or whatever on it. It turned out nice & I have to admit I like this color a lot more than the maroon I originally painted it last fall.

Saturday Steve & Jen were finally over. The last few times we all planned on catching up, he got stuck at work or she got sick. She was sick this time because of her allergies, but like a trooper, she came along. We grilled up a few steaks that soaked in a mustard marinade for 8 hours with a side dish of pasta, snow peas, carrots & corn in a light garlic sauce. Big Hit! After that we had some strawberry short cake & had the first s'more session of the season.

Well, I suppose I should head up to my office. I'm running a bit late because I'm typing this, but I'm still the first one here.

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Feeding Everyone

Wednesday was a very active day for me. I was up early & off to Manning to visit with Aunt Debbie & Corrinth. The new house is so nice; it backs up right to the canal. When you look at the dock, you can really envision Uncle Ronny spending his days there fishing. The house has a nice fenced in yard, which Sugar had no idea what to do in. I guess she really is not use to being off her leash. Corrinth was at school (a change for her), so I was only able to see her for a brief moment. Next time around I'll chill with her for longer. She thinks it's a great idea that Joe & I would like to head down there.

After spending some time over there, I was headed back to Coward to catch up with TJ & Whitney. I was planning on taking them out to dinner. After all, I have to meet the girl that plans on joining this family tree. We went out to a sports bar themed place known as Indigo Joe's. We don't have them up this way, but I do know where I can find Joe once we head South. I had waaaaay too much food. I was so stuffed from appetizers that dinner just got wrapped up. We hung out there for a bit before going back to thier place. We talked about house hunting, finishing college, real-world jobs, & the like.

It seems so strange to me that my cousins have been having kids & getting married (not always in that order). Perhaps because I'm the oldest, I'm stuck remembering everyone for the children they were, instead of the adults they have become.

Breakfast Dinner

I went out to breakfast with Gramma today. It was nice to see her get an escape from everyone. Plus she ate a whole lot of food that she normally avoids. We spoke about religion, the Catholic church & what views we both have. I believe in something, I just can't define it nor do I want to. This lead Gramma to pose the idea that maybe I should seek out a non-denominaional church. It's given me something to think about.

Once we got back to the house, Lisa's drama kicked in & Gramma had to bring Savannah to the doctor. Lisa went too, after all, she is the baby's mother.

Sugar & I went to the state park, which is no longer a state park. It's a county park, if you want to be technical about it. We did the river walk & Sugar spent some time playing in the water by to boat launch. At one point I slipped in the mud, which scared the puppy. What really got her to flip out was a big fish that jumped out of the water. She began barking as soon as she heard the splash. It was funny.

It was calming to sit by the water & just listen to it flow. I've loved watching the trees become more green each day. Seeing the dogwood blossoms brings such a calming sensation to my soul. Combined with the soothing sounds of that muddy water, I get the feeling of being at home.

Tony, Shanna & I went to dinner around 8pm. I forgot how late people eat dinner in the South. It was a good time though. Shanna is right, Tony is picky when it comes to restaurant food. The only place he really likes is the place he won't eat at because the kitchen is disgusting. Hey, I'm happy because we got him to go to Chilis for the first time.

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Super, Super Sunday

There was a plan change today. Tony got stuck working on his Jeep. Being the good 'ol boy that he is, the Jeep is getting jacked up 6" & getting some big 'ol tires. So, we're all going out to dinner tomorrow.

I know how much Gramma needs a break from Lisa & her kids, so I'm taking her out to breakfast Monday morning. I have no idea where we'll be going. Shoney's is high on the list, though.

I went to the largest Wal-Mart that (probably) exists. I dubbed it "Super-Super Wal-Mart". I bought 2 paintings of Magnolias for the house, along with a car charger for the b-berry & a new collar for Sugar. I envision another trip or two to that place before I leave.

Yeah, I forgot my cell charger... I realized it by the time that I was half way here. I didn't want to buy another wall charger. The car charger would work with my phone & Joe's cell.

Well, I guess I'll go. It's time to watch American Dad.

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Touchdown SC

Sugar & I made it to SC in 1 piece, respectively. From about 4pm until we got to Gramma's house, it rained. There were such strong downpours at times that the road wasn't visible. To top it off, when we were about 30 miles out of Florence, Gramma called to tell me tornado had gone through the Effingham area. Of course, I have to briefly drive through there on my way to Coward.

All was well once we got here. Gramma tried to feed me right away. I guess she thinks I look like I missed a few meals, but then again, all Gramma's are like that. I'm taking her out for breakfast on Wednesday.

I caught up with Shanna, Tony's wife for a few hours. Sugar played with her puppy, Pixie, for a while. Tony & Shanna's son, Dominic has grown so much sine the last visit here. Time flies. I'm taking them out to dinner tonight.

Lisa's daughter, Savahanna, has been fascinated with Sugar all morning. It's a good thing that Sugar has patience with children. That's not something she learned from me. Ha Ha

Sugar has been doing good here. There are so many new people, dogs & cats that she has been over stimulated since we got here. By the tim we leave, she'll have settled in.

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Road Trip

Tomorrow begins a nice little road trip for Sugar & me. Joe was supposed to be able to come with us, but because of his work schedule, he can't. =o(

This little pair is off to South Carolina until Wednesday... or Thursday... or until Saturday at the latest. I think we'll play it by ear. We're going to miss Joe a lot though. Next trip around, he'll come with us.

Couples Weekend

Saturday we had Ryan & Linda over to watch the UFC fights. They came up to the house & we all headed out to dinner at a Bennigan's Bar & Grille that recently opened down the road from us. Before I go any further, let me mention that we all went in my car. Yeah, think about that for a minute. The boys rode in the back seat, Ryan behing my seat because it had extra leg room. Linda, the poor girl, rode up front with me. Even with the passenger seat all the way back, her knees still hit the dashboard! As I drove down Broadhead Road, everyone felt compelled to comment on my driving. The best comment of the night came from Linda, "Wow, this is like a sports car or something. Casey must be a good driver as fast as she goes around these turns."

Anyway, back to Bennigans. It was a pretty cool atmosphere, minus all the teens they had working there. That's about the only good thing we can say for it. It took 45 minutes to get my appetizer! They ran out of the soup that Joe ordered, so he had to pick an new appetizer & wait even longer. Ryan's shrimp couldn't be made because they ran out of what they needed to cook it in. Joe's beers weren't getting refilled quick enough (bad idea for anyone to screw with that), so I think he eventually scared our waiter, because drinks came faster. Just picture my loving husband in his Tap Out gear, buzzed hair, thick silver chain around his neck... oh yeah... mini UFC look. He kept getting crankier & crankier until the food finally came, which wasn't all that bad. It was just not worth the wait, so we probably won't go back there again.

Sunday it was time for Joe to go have a playdate with Rob... I mean for Sugar to have a playdate with Macie & Pumpkin, while Joe & Rob tuned out thier "children" in front of an Xbox. Lauren & I finally got around to "Milfording" for a few minutes. As cute as that little town is, there isn't much in the way of stores. It was more real estate offices than stores. We were disappointed, because it seems so different when you drive down the main street. I sat on the computer for a little while with Lauren while she picked out wedding stuff.

Oh yeah, they finally set a date (YEAH!!). Joe is the Bestman & I get to be the Matron of Honour. I hope Lauren doesn't go all bridezilla, but if she does, I'll be there to slap her around. Just kidding Lauren... or am I? The wedding date is right around the corner & the major response we get from her to all questions about the wedding is "I don't know". I think I'm in for a bumpy ride as the MOH, but I'm looking forward to it. =o) Joe's looking forward to the Bachelor Party & the wedding toast. Why do the guys always get the easy tasks????

Funny Enough

Hey all! I just wanted to let everyone know that we made a new link to our funny pages. This is a collection of all those email forwards that we get that are just good. Rather than fill up your inbox with a ton of forwards, you can just check back here at your leisure to see if anything new has been posted. I'm sure that it will be updated on a regular basis, because there is no shortage of friends & family sending us stuff.

Ranting & Raving At Work

If your unemployed, lazy, good for nothing friends take you car, only to break it... Perhaps you should stop giving it to them. If you chose to take a nap, socialize on the phone, goof off on the internet, or call in late, sick, or with a dead car... Don't expect to still have a job. You were taken out of a brainless low paying job at McDonalds to a brainless higher paying job at this practice. Don't screw it up unless you really miss flipping burgers!

If you have been employed with the company for 2 years & still have no idea how to do the basics of your job, stop following me around. While I have been in the field longer, you have been in this office longer. You should know what your job requirements are & how to do them. Don't rely on the new employee to teach you everything. Basic skill to learn: blood pressures. How did you land this job without knowing how to do that. A more important question would be- How do you expect to get that job in the cardiac unit without mastering that skill?

If you're 50-something years old & bitter because you have no money, tough shit! Don't hate me because I actually have some money to my name. If your husband really makes $200/hour as a trades man, why do you work here? Oh yeah, because you chose to live outside you means. This is better know as "stupidity", sadly, I can't fix that for you. To add to you financial pain, your kid is off to college & you don't know how to pay for it. Maybe that was something you should have thought of before you popped that little bastard out 18 years ago. I don't even have kids & know they cost too damn much! People, you need to think of these thing before you breed! I can't seem to stress that enough.

I understand the drama that comes with being a single mother, but you can't tell me that there's not a sole on this planet that wouldn't be able to watch your kids, so that they're not running rampant through your place of employment for 8 hours. Find a babysitter damn it & stop any further attempts at breeding.

Let's see, you adopted a little Asian baby, took 6 months maternity leave & think that it makes you a leading expert on parenting. Get over yourself! I think there was a good reason you can't biologically breed. You've got no right to judge my parents for having me young. Unlike you, by 37 they were done raising kids, instead of beginning the process. Your kid will be changing your diapers before going to school for the day.

Can't make it to work on time because of your kid, so you get full time status changed from 40 hours to 35 hours. Good job screwing the rest of us so we still can't get overtime until we hit 40+ hours. Even better because your nose is so far up a supervisors butt the rest of us get in trouble for going over 35 hours.

I'm sorry to see that those smart enough to graduate medical school are to stupid too operate a laptop. Stop touching the buttons before I need to add "computer tech" to my title & demand a pay raise. While we're at it, stop asking for things that don't exist. I'm not a magical fairy who can make them exist for you, either. Stop rejecting reality & substituting your own.

Speaking of medical school, I believe they teach you about right sides & left sides. Check up on that before remove something from a patient that wasn't meant to be removed. Malpractice insurance only covers a certain amount.

Let's discuss malpractice. The also comes into play when you refuse to see a patient, who happens to be a emergency that hasn't stopped bleeding from surgery, because they normally don't see you. Now I see why people don't respect those in health care, because I sure don't respect you. I'm sure you feel the Hippocratic Oath was a bunch of suggestions, rather than guidelines. Who really need all those silly ethics? Certainly not you, doctor.

Drug reps. Ok, you're not technically my co-workers, but I see enough of you people. My God, you're the health care equivalent of used car salesmen! You have no clue about anything related to your jobs, including the drugs you're peddling.

Ok, enough of my ranting... for now.

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Renovation Nation

This weekend, in my infinite wisdom, I decided we should demo the kitchen. Great idea. Mom & Sean were going to come down this way, help us, & then we would all have dinner with Joe's parents at the Big A Grillehouse.

Mom & Sean promptly arrived 1 hour after they were supposed to be here. That's pretty normal for them. In their defense, they did bring bagels for breakfast. I guess that took them an extra hour because the had to get through the lines at Wal-Mart. Once they got here Sean & Joe began to rip out the cabinets. Mom asked where the new ones were. Well, I didn't have them because I can't fit them in or on a Mitsubishi Eclipse. So, after much debate about which Home Depot to go to, we got into separate vehicles & road off to East Stroudsburg. I had Joe's truck loaded with the bigger base cabinets, while mom loaded the Santa Fe down with the majority of the upper cabinets. That was a fun ride back to the house. I don't think I've ever swung a truck that wide around a turn in my life. There wasn't a big chance the cabinets would fall out of the back of the truck, but with my luck... Some of the finer details, such as replacing the stolen sink, will get finished this next weekend. Yes, you read that right, stolen sink. Joe & I had planned to save the sink that was here & just clean it up. It wasn't in bad shape, plus it would save us a few bucks. Well I guess Joe forgot & told Sean we were going to get a new sink. Sean now has our sink for his new outdoor kitchen, while I've got to go to the store to buy a new sink.

Dinner was good. I know there was some question about whether or not the Big A was still open, but since Joe & I live in the area, we know what is still in buisness & what is not. I think there was some confusion since the restraunt moved up the road to a larger, nicer building. When the whole mention of dinner had been brought up, it was the first place that I thought of since I know that everyone else loves a good steak. I was right & now Joe wants to go back there anytime we want to have a nice dinner with friends.

I know that there isn't much to fill everyone in on, but next weekend I should have more to write about. Until then, let me go unload the dishwasher onto the dining room table. Ha Ha

Friday the 13th Birthday, But No Jason Vorhees In Sight

Casey felt I should write about my birthday this past Friday, even though she had planned for me to get drunk and not remember it entirely. Luckily, I was one drink short of that position.

Anyways, Casey made a truck load of snacks for the party. Besides the usual chips, dip, and vegetables, she made two especially good appetizers: Hawaiian meatballs and bacon-wrapped breadsticks.......what a hit they were. Before the party, Casey made sure to give me my gift: an XBox 360. I made sure it was hooked up for "all of us to enjoy" (you'll see the irony of that as you read on). About 7pm was when the first of the guests arrived. Rob and Lauren arrived first, followed immediately by our neighbors across the street Gerry and Roseanne. We just hung out for the most part, and eventually got into playing some XBox (Rob and Lauren had gotten me a boxing game that I was playing at that time). Chris and Jenn came over in the midst of that, and unfortunately Gerry and Roseanne had to return home. My brother Mark and cousin Ross came over soon after their departure, so now there was enough people there for me to make the rounds and be a good host.

After the usual catching up and good conversation, Casey wanted the ice cream cake to be served. In the midst of that, our final guests Ryan and Linda made it. In between the cake and general discussions as I made my way around to everyone, Casey started pressuring me to start drinking the hard drinks she had planned. First she gave me a 3 Wise Men (a shot of Jack Daniels, Johnny Walker, and Jim Bean mixed), which thanks to some egging on from a few friends, I chugged down in one gulp. Good stuff, but it didn't take long for me to feel its effects. Eventually I was served my first Danger Bomb (shot of Jagermeister dropped into a glass of root beer and chugged), which my brother was nice enough to share one with me. Then Ross had one with me later on. After going back and forth with friends, bringing some downstairs to show off the cool things I had down there, I was handed my XBox controller, and forced to play with everyone watching. I attempted to pass the controller off several times, but then requests kept coming for me to play different games. I had more Danger Bombs during this time, although the count of how many is disputed. I figure I had 3 total, but Casey recalls 5. Neither of us can be certain because aside from what I was drinking, she was drinking Mike's Hard Cranberry and Arbor Mist thruought the night.....yeah, you can't trust either one of us.

After the games, most of the guests took off. The only ones who stayed were Ryan and Linda, who are usually the late night people. At this point I was pretty out of it, but still somewhat coherent. The four of us relaxed by watching TV. At some point after midnight, I decided that because it was officially Valentine's Day, I was going to give Casey her gift. It was downstairs, but everyone warned me not to try to make it down the steps. They were right. A few steps from the bottom, I slipped and slid to the bottom, putting the tip of my right foot through the wall. I felt the pain, but it didn't bother me. I came back up to everyone's laughter as they knew what had happened. Still, Casey liked the keychain locket I had gotten her from Coach. It wasn't until around 1:30 AM when Ryan and Linda decided to leave as we were all beginning to fall asleep. They departed, and Casey and I immediately went to bed to sleep off the alcohol. We didn't really get up later that morning until close to noon. That should tell you how great this party was.

All in all, a great party with some great family and friends. Everyone had a good time, I got some cool gifts to keep me busy for a while, and now I have a paid holiday tomorrow, so I'm gonna go and enjoy the rest of my 3-day weekend. The party has died down, but it'll start up again on the next special occassion. That I'm sure of.

Hello Shadow

I slacked off writing last month. I apologize to everyone who fills their free time by reading this. Sorry Mom, Rob, & Lauren.

Last month was just crazy. There was so much going on at my office with all the stupid politics that goes on. I know it happens in every office, but it really was the pits last month. For a week I was doing the job of 2 people, without getting any warning. Each day was a crap shoot. Add to that the drive & the extended office hours being covered by myself, I was exhausted by the end. Of course this week appears to be shaping up in a similar way.

Sunday, we went to Gerry & Roseann's house to watch the big game. All I wanted to see was half time. I was "sober" enough to watch & enjoy it. After that is a bit blurry. I was drinking a strawberry daiquiri that magically never seemed to diminish. Yeah, someone should've warned me that when you do battle with Bicardi, the Bicardi always wins. I had a decent hang-over on Monday (my first!). I'd really like to avoid that feeling again.

I was driving in to work on Monday morning & heard that the groundhog saw his shadow. Just what we all want to hear, more friggin' winter. I suppose it will be spring before we know it, but it just seems so far away right now. I just think it was appropriate that it began snowing on Groundhog Day & hasn't let up since. That snow finally began to accumulate on my way home from work this afternoon. I made it right up to the gates of Pine Ridge, only to be stuck for 45 minutes. It seems that some ding-a-ling caused an accident on the bend of the first hill going up Pine Ridge Drive. Sure enough once I was allowed in the gates with the rest of traffic, I heard the security guy say there was an accident on Kittatinny Drive (my road). I looped around & made it home though.

Here I sit now, trying to figure out how the dog has managed to eat through 3 new collars in less than 1 week.

84 Hazards

As I was walking out the door this morning, I got a phone call from a co-worker to let me know that she was calling out sick. It wasn't a big deal, because today was only a half day at work. I think the doctors were all going out to play golf in some sunny destination. Not really, they had some conferences to attend. Anyway, back to the story...

So I was cruising along on I-84 when I looked in my rear view mirror & all I saw was some guy tailgating me so badly that I could only see from his steering wheel up! I was easing off the gas & onto my break when I felt a bump & I lost control of my car. I spun 180 degrees, sliding into the median where I came to rest point up the slope, toward traffic. I tried to drive the car up the embankment to no avail. I was lodged in by the snow. I walked up the slope to the side of the highway, where to my surprise, 2 other people stopped to see if I was ok. No one was able to get a tag number off the car that bumped me. Right after he did it, he hit the gas & took off. Jackass.

It cost a small fortune to get my car winched out, but I got to hang out with a very cool NYSP officer. He was sharing his funnier tales of the highway. There are stupid people out there! He was amazed that there was no damage to the car. The way he figured it, the car was so close when it hit me that the force wasn't as bad.

I went to work for a couple hours, where I was completely out of it. I just came home with a huge desire to crawl back into bed for the rest of the day. Which is what I plan to go do now.

Sunday Downs

NY Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles

This is gonna be PAINFUL to talk about, but I'll try my best to get through this. The first half was close enough to keep me from getting completely concerned, but I wasn't happy with the Giants' performance either. First came head coach Tom Coughlin's decision to take the ball against the wind in the field. This also meant that the Eagles would get the ball to start the second half. Why give them that advantage right from the get-go? The next sign of weakness came from an unexpected source.....QB Eli Manning. His passing looked terrible, and even turned into an interception that gave the Eagles the first touchdown of the game. Following that, we had kicker John Carney, one of the best I've seen, miss an important field goal not once, but twice in the game. The only saving grace was our defense, who managed to hold back the Eagles, and keep it close.

Sadly, the steady decline on the Giants as a whole to a free fall in the second half. The Eagles started a short-passing game that our defense never bothered to counter. The Giants tried sticking to a running game that the Eagles defense saw coming constantly. The Giants only made 2 out of 11 or 12 3rd down conversions the entire game. And when the Eagles pulled way ahead in the 4th quarter 23-11, I knew it would take a miracle to get us the win. We had very little time, and needed at least 2 touchdowns to get the win. Of course, we couldn't pull it together, and suffered defeat for the forth time in the last couple of months. What a shame.

The Giants didn't look like the championship team we became last season throughout the last half of this season, that's for sure. Of course I'll still root for them next season, but I would hope that they start working on their weaknesses instead of just their strengths, and hoping that it pays off. Needless to say, I wasn't in a good mood after this game.................

-Joe

Back To Basics

We arrived back in Newark at 5:30am. It was such a bummer to realize that our vacation was over & tomorrow we have to return to the real world. I must say, right now, I'm not really a fan of the real world. It's so cold & uninviting, which is not what I'm in the mood for. I spent the better portion of the morning doing some unpacking, straightening up around the house & taking down the Christmas decor. I'm sad to take it all down & box it away for another year. The gloominess of that, combined with the fact that our vacation is over, is bothersome.

Last Day

And so today is the last day of our California vacation. We spent some time reading on the porch before the clouds overtook the sun & it began to turn colder. Perhaps it's just preparation for when we get home.

Our flight departs at 9:55pm from LAX. We're taking a red-eye to Newark, where we land at 5:49am. My parents will be picking us up & driving us home to Bushkill.

We spent the morning with Nana, who has developed a bit of a cold over the past few days. Rusty picked us up at 3:00pm. We ate dinner with him & Alice at a great little outdoor Mediterranean place in Glendale. Joe ate lamb kabobs (icky), while I ate mixed berries & rice with grilled vegetables. It was really delicious for our first experiences with that type of food. After a brief visit to see Rusty's "vacation house", we were off to the airport.

Now we sit here, all checked-in on an over booked flight. Once again we're going to have a whole aircraft separating us. I want to ask a flight attendant if we can sit together once everyone is on the plane.

Our terminal is dark & desolate right now, save for a few other passengers waiting to get on the same flight as us. I guess I'll wrap this up for now, drink the last of my Starbucks & snuggle next to Joe for a quick nap.

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Disneyland New Year

Well, we spent the first day of 2009 I the "happiest place on earth". Rusty picked us up to go up there, but only Joe & I went to the park.

Our longest wait was at the Indiana Jones ride. It had been closed for a good chunk of the morning, so when it opened, we all ran to it. It was Joe's favorite ride of the day, followed by Space Mountain & Big Thunder Rolling Railroad. Of course, he lead me on the Star Tours ride, which is related to Star Wars. His inner child definitely came out yesterday.

We went on all the big rides, except for Splash Mountain. We didn't go on that because the sun was starting to set & we didn't want to walking around at night time freezing to death. It was nice to spend the day with just Joe. Oh, about half way through the day I got fired from job describing the rides because Joe thought I was unable to describe the difference between "roller coaster type rides" & "ride rides". I was trying not to tell him too much, so that he could see for himself. Oh well.

So far, I think today we'll relax for a little bit. After that it's off to walk around the beach.

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New Year's Eve

Since we're going to a party tonight, we decided to take it easy today. We're going out to lunch with Nana, Vikki (her HHA), & Rusty later this afternoon. We haven't eaten at any chain restaurants since we got here, but we went to the Macaroni Grille because Nana really likes it there. It's also close to her house, so if she had any distress, we could bring her home right away. Lunch was really good & to add to the ambiance we were seated right next to the fireplace.

Once we got back to the house, Joe took a nap & I just read a book. It was nice to have the down time today, especially since we've been fairly non-stop since getting here.

The party was at Julia's beach front home in Hermosa Beach. I absolutely love her house, the views from it are amazing. For those of you who don't know, she is the girlfriend of my cousin Bogie. We had a great time!

We had intended for Joe to be the one to drink last night, but when I was offered a drink known as "the flirt" (a type of martini) I was the one to be drinking. Many of those & a few champagnes later...the night is fuzzy for me, but oh so fun! I haven't been drinking like that since the day of our wedding! *giggles* Of course, Joe was manly & drank a few beers. He hustled some pool with a drunken partner, Jeff. Jeff decided that we have to come back next year so that Joe can help him win more money. Oh, Jeff also kept refilling my drinks so that Joe would stay to play more pool games.

Well it's off to Disneyland now...

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