The first anniversary of my blog!

A year ago, I started this little blog of mine.  It's been fun for me to just ramble and write about my life and memories.  Some months, I've been really good about updating it, but other months, not so much.  I do enjoy it, though.  :)

One thing that I told myself was that I wasn't going to come on here and say anything that would embarrass my family or friends and hopefully I haven't.  I try not to get too personal.  (I think the only person I embarrass sometimes is myself, but that's ok.)  ;)

Here is my first blog post from January 31, 2010.  It's my life in Cliff's Notes. 

Happy Anniversary to Dishin' with Dawndi!  Woot!

Apparently, Whining Works....

Have I mentioned lately how much I love reality television?  NO?  Well, I do.  I especially love HGTV's House Hunters.  LOVE.  I recently found out, however, that it's FAKE!  I read it on someone else's blog and then had to research it myself.  I went to Google and typed in "is house hunters staged?" and found many links that talked about the show.  Evidently, they are real people looking for a real house, but they have already signed a contract on one of the houses that they look at.  I still watch, though.  I like to look for clues as to which one is already theirs.

Last night, I was watching House Hunters International and I found myself yelling at the woman on the tv.  See, this woman was American and she was married to a Norwegian.  He worked in Norway and she lived near her parents in Missouri.  They finally decided to move to Norway as a family (without her parents...as she said over and over and over again while crying...please, grow up!) and were looking for a house.  She wanted an "American house" in Norway.  ????  I think if I ever got to live in another country, I'd want to immerse myself in that culture, but what do I know?

So, they are looking and she keeps asking the poor real estate agent if the house has a garbage disposal, because evidently, she can't live without one.  (I wonder how I've made it all over these years without one?)  She whines the entire time and is even rubbing off on her poor children.  They show them sitting at a sidewalk cafe drinking yummy looking hot cocoa.  The husband asks the children in his sweet Norwegian accent how it tastes and the boy says, "Um, not as good as American hot cocoa!"  WHAT?  That's how we wins friends and influence people, kiddo.  Keep it up!  I'm sure you'll make a ton of friends in school over there in Norway.

So, their budget is $500,000 and each house they look at is climbing higher and higher over budget until finally they look at a piece of rocky land for a cool $100k and find out they can build a house that will suit the wife for an additional $500k.  She reminds her husband that if things don't go perfectly, it will be all his fault.  Poor man.

They show the house after it's built.  They spent $700k on that house!  And she had the audacity to say that it really wasn't as big as she would like, but after all, they are in Norway.  Ay yi yi.

Dynasty

I was born and raised a Pittsburgh Steelers fan.  I remember 'back in the day' when Bradshaw, Stalworth, Swann, Harris, etc. dominated football.  Mimi called them all 'her boys.'

We raised our boy to be a Steelers fan.  Yes, he grew up in Bears' country, but you can take the boy out of the 'burgh, but you can't take the 'burgh out of the boy.  ;)

We are sooo excited that the Steelers are in yet another Super Bowl.  They already have 6 rings, so why not go for 7, right? 

Sit back and enjoy our fight song...we've been singing it since I was a kid.

I LOVE MY STEELERS!  HERE WE GO!

Party in the USA

I got sucked into American Idol last night.  I will admit that the only reason I am watching this season is because my pretend boyfriend is one of the judges.  And did he look hot last night or what?  Also, this part of American Idol, the choosing the people to go to Hollywood, is the most entertaining....and could likely be the only part of the season that I watch.  The reason being is I can only name about a handful of people that actually made it big after the show.  Also, after Simon told Jennifer Hudson that she would never 'go anywhere' (Hello? Simon...did you see that Oscar she won after you told her that?  Do you like the taste of crow?) I was pretty much 'over it.'  After they choose the final 20 or 12 or however many finalists there are, I may start watching again...you know that time when they have to sing in groups and work together, yet try to stand out without taking the spot light off of others?  That is my least favorite part of the series.

But now...I have some eye candy to look at even though I get to listen to Scott, who is sitting next to me, saying, "Is he going to sing 'yes' for everyone?"  Or, "is he going to be that annoying every week?  because if he is, I'm taking your cds and throwing them away."  Um, listen, cowboy, you as much as touch my Aerosmith cds, we will have a problem.  ;)  So, just sit next to me and enjoy looking at Jenny from the Block...you know you love her.

Here is my favorite part from last night's show...enjoy!  :)

Crazy Train

One of my guilty pleasures is watching mindless tv.  Anyone else out there watch The Bachelor?   Come on, you know you love it!  Anyway, in case those of you who read this don't know, there is a certain someone on this season's Bachelor (named Michelle) who is definitely making things interesting for us.  She is certifiable.  It's fun to watch, almost.  Every time I see her, I get a song plant.  Thanks, Michelle for entertaining us!

Our Boy

On Sunday, The Boy called home twice.  The first time he called, the first thing he said was, "I flippin' love my job!"  In addition to going to college, he is also in a fraternity, does research in the chemistry department, and works in a family owned Italian restaurant in his small college town.  He's a busy guy.  He was brimming with excitement as he was telling me how he got to work the ovens making pizza on Saturday and how fun it was.  (and how now his hands are covered in burns...ACK!)  Of course, the first thing I said was, "I'm so happy for you!" and then I said, "Please go get some aloe for your burns!"  Because that's what a mom does, right?  Anyway, we talked about his job, his classes, and all of the other things he had been doing since he was home for Christmas break.

The second time he called, we didn't hear the phone because we were downstairs watching the Jets beat the Patriots (crucial game because the winners will play our Steelers on Sunday).  Anyway, he left a message singing a song about the Jets winning and how the Steelers would beat them and go on to the Superbowl.  He makes me smile.

I love how he loves life.

Our trip to the Big City

I had the bright idea of a 'family' Christmas gift this past year. Something amazing that would require time spent together with no distractions. I talked to Scott about it and he said that as long as The Boy was up for it, he'd go along with it. I called The Boy and asked him if he'd like to see Blue Man Group or Wicked. Surprisingly, he chose Wicked. I was secretly pleased!

I got online and purchased 3 tickets to the 2pm showing the day after Christmas. We got very good seats...right side of stage, floor seats, row Q. I looked at the tickets and got a bit alarmed because they were seats 24, 26, and 28. Would we be separated? ACK!

Scott was scheduled to fly out of Chicago on the 27th at 7am, so he was going to have to leave the house at 3am, so we decided that driving to the city (instead of taking the train and having to heed to its schedule) would save us time and frustration. Scott told me that I was in charge of getting driving directions and parking information. Not a problem, says I! I'm your girl! I have been the 'navigator' our entire marriage, so this shouldn't be a problem, I thought.

So, I log on to the Cadillac Palace's website for driving directions and parking information. I got the directions telling me which exit to get off of the interstate and then it said, "Our self-park will be on the right, one half block from such and such avenue." Not a problem, I thought!

So, we got up on the morning of the 26th and got ready to go to the big city. I was so excited! Scott double checked that I had the directions and the parking information. Check and check. So, off we went.

It was a bright, sunny day when we left Farm Country, but the closer we got to the city, it started to snow. What a fun, Christmas-y day this is going to be, I thought! Scott was driving since I tend to get a bit of road rage (or so he says) and I sat back and directed him on where to turn, etc. We got to our exit and made the appropriate turns and there she was....SELF PARK...on the right-hand side of the road! Woot! I said, "Scott, there's the self park. Pull on in there and we'll park and walk to the theater!" I was feeling so proud of myself.

So, we got our ticket, parked the car and started walking...and walking...and walking. I kept looking at the guys and smiling and saying, "I'm sure it's just up ahead! Isn't this fun?" After awhile, it wasn't so fun. There is a reason they call Chicago "The Windy City." It was cold. And windy. And snowy. Finally, I started apologizing. Ok...I should have looked more into the parking situation. I said, "Hey! There is a 7-11. I'll just go on in and ask for directions! You just wait here and I'll be right back!" I go in and asked the kind man inside where the Cadillac Palace was. He said, "just go out, turn right and it's right there." Um, yeah...I go outside and see the signs for "Wicked Parking". I sheepishly smiled at my guys and said, "Look! We're so close! It's right over there!" I think by this time they were thinking, "No $h!t, Shirlock!"

We made it to the theater and went inside. It was so warm in there! Finally! So, our tickets said to go to the doors labeled "Aisle One", so we did. I said, "ugh, our tickets are evenly numbered. I hope we're not separated." The Boy said, "Mom, don't say anything to the usher. I don't want to look like a noob! We'll just make sure we're sitting next to one another, ok?" Lucky for us, the seats didn't have any odd numbers in our row, so we were sitting next to each other. Glad I didn't have to embarrass The Boy and make him feel like a 'noob.' WHATEVER

We settled in and the show began. I cried because I get emotional at Broadway musicals, the guys were restless cause it was a musical, you know, and they couldn't stand the fact that the actors kept breaking out into song every two seconds. Hello? That's what musicals are, thankyouverymuch.

After the show, we found our way back to that self -park and paid THIRTY DOLLARS for like 2 and 1/2 hours of parking (I found out from a friend that if we would have parked closer to the theater, it would have been about 1/2 that cost...but we wouldn't have had our adventure, right?) We got a bit lost leaving the city because Sassy Manassy got confused every time we went through construction, so I almost started laughing and saying, "Look everyone! Big Ben! Parliament" (like in European Vacation?) except that by now it was dark and the area we were lost in was scary and it just wasn't very funny.

We finally made it to the interstate and got home around 7:30pm. Scott logged in to Southwest and found out that all of the flights East were canceled due to the snow storm they were having, so we could have taken the train after all. But then, it wouldn't have been such an adventure and we wouldn't have had anything to look back on and laugh about later.

Why am I the only one laughing about this? hmmmmmmm

Homesick

I read a lot of blogs. I just finished reading Liz's blog This Full House where she was lamenting on the size of her house versus the number of people in her family. She has a small house in comparison to the number of people who live in her house. It brought back a lot of memories of my growing up years....thanks, Liz!

When I was growing up, we had a similar situation. We had a very small house. There were 5 of us under one roof with only one bathroom. Very small indeed when you're talking about 2 teenagers, 2 adults and one small child. My sister and I shared a room, so there was no escaping her. We didn't have a family room...just one living room, so we were all in the same place at the same time, much of the time. We were pretty jammed in that house.

The wonderful part about it? We were happy (well, most of the time). We liked spending time together (most of the time!) My parents enjoyed taking us places and because of our tiny house, we weren't 'house poor', which meant we got to go on vacations every summer to the ocean or to Disney World. Sometimes, they would even call us inside when we were out playing and say, "Get ready to go!" and we would take off for the mall, out to dinner, or even on an impromptu trip to Niagra Falls. Good times.

When I went away to college, I met many interesting new friends who came from different backgrounds. I went home with a friend one weekend. Her house was huge. To me, it was like an estate. HUGE. I invited her home to my house to reciprocate. I was a bit nervous because my house didn't even come close to being like hers. We got to my house and my mom met us at the door. My friend took a deep breath, hugged my mom, and said, "Now THIS is home!" That just made me feel all warm inside...yes...that WAS home!

As a grown-up, I realize it isn't the house that makes it a home, it's the people inside. We always felt safe and warm and we were well taken care of and loved. There are times when I feel 'homesick', but I know it isn't for an actual place (because that place is long gone), but it's for a time when things were easier and worries didn't seem to exist.

Happy Birthday to my "Other Mother"

Twenty four years ago, I was not only blessed by marrying my best friend, but I was also blessed by inheriting his family.

My dear mother-in-law, who I refer to as my 'other mother' and I became fast friends. I know that I can pick up the phone and chat with her about anything. Whenever we're visiting, we spend hours talking about every day life, books, or whatever comes to mind. She taught me to cook Scott's favorite foods.

She even taught me how to fix my hair the time I mistakenly decided to get it frosted when I turned 30. I must have gone through a mid-life crisis, because believe me, I am not meant to be a blonde! I came home from the salon, Scott looked at me in disbelief and asked me to please call his mother to find out how to fix it, pronto! She just chuckled, said, "Oh honey...I've been there, done that!" and proceeded to tell me which hair color to go buy.

She's Grammy to The Boy. She's the type of Grammy who used to buy him messy toys and would get great pleasure whenever he was covered in paint, egg dye, or whatever else they got into at the time. She even bought him a pot-bellied pig one year for Easter, but Scott made her take it back before The Boy saw it because we weren't raising a pig in our house, thankyouverymuch.

A few years ago, she and her husband were looking for a vacation destination. Ed loves to fish and she loves the beach, so they settled on an island in VA. The next year, they stayed a few weeks longer...the next year, they stayed a few weeks longer than that. Then, last year, they decided to rent a place for a year and at the end of this past year, they renewed their lease because they love it so much. We visited twice this past summer and enjoyed the time we spent with them. She has made their vacation home extremely comfortable and 'homey.' She has that knack wherever they live, though.

She is very much the definition of a lady....and is one of the most beautiful people I've ever met. Ever.

Happy Birthday, Patty! Enjoy your day and live it up! May you have many, many more! (and I'm so happy you're living your adventure!)
xoxo

Back to 'Normal'

Or whatever 'normal' is, right? After enjoying 2 weeks of holiday commotion, it's back to reality and every day life. I can honestly say, we had one of the best Christmas seasons ever.

On the 19th, Scott, his sister, her husband, and I went to see White Christmas (the play). We had a wonderful time, even though the guys pretended to hate the fact that it was a musical. ;)

On the 21st, we celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary by heading to the suburbs to Texas de Brazil. The Boy was on his way home from school and his girlfriend was also on her way down from her mom's (she had been finished for a few days.) When we got home, The Boy was in bed with a fever (poor kid drove for over 5 hours with the fever) and he was throwing up. I had visions of the stomach bug flying around our home for the holidays. Unfortunately for him, it took until Christmas Eve for him to be able to eat normal food; but fortunately for the rest of us, no one else got sick.

On Christmas Eve, I made a big ham dinner for the four of us. Then we continued our Christmas Eve tradition of watching our many Christmas movies until bed time.

Scott and I were so excited on Christmas morning that we both woke up at 2:30 am. ACK! I made sure Santa came and had some coffee, then I finally hit the wall again at 5am and went back to sleep until 7. The kids got up at 7:30. We really enjoyed watching them open their Santa gifts. It was really fun to have an extra 'kid' at our house this year!

The girlfriend went to her dad's around 1:30. Scott's sister and family came over at 2:30. The boys exchanged gifts and we ate and ate and ate some more.

On the 26th, the three of us headed to Chicago to see Wicked. The guys were great sports about it. They enjoyed the fact that we were together and the theater (Cadillac Palace) was gorgeous and the effects were AMAZING, but didn't enjoy the fact that the actors broke out into song every few seconds (hello? it's called a musical?) I, on the other hand, cried a couple of times. I loved loved loved every single second of it!

The Boy and I went shopping for clothes on the 27th. I have lost a bunch of weight since last Christmas and didn't have anything that fit properly. I was starting to look like a refugee. It was time to remedy the situation. The Boy got a huge Old Navy gift card from his Grammy and he got some awesome deals.

On the 28th, The Boy headed to his girlfriend's mom's house, then met up with us again on NYE at Jim and Melisa's. He is now safe and sound back at school. Time went way too fast!

So now, after work, I'm going to throw out all of the leftover Christmas sugary treats and fatty NYE appetizers. I haven't a clue what's for dinner tonight, but I do know it's going to be filled with veggies and possibly some clementines. This girl is officially sick of food!

I love the holiday season! Our family made some wonderful memories this year! I hope yours did too!

Our New Year's Eve Celebration

Every year, we spend New Year's Eve with our oldest friends (when I say 'oldest', I don't mean by age, I mean that we've known them our entire married life), Jim and Melisa. Last year, our brother-in-law turned 40 on NYE, so we went to his birthday celebration, so Jim and Melisa came to our house the day after Christmas instead. This year, we went to Jim and Melisa's house. We got to their house around 5pm. They were in the kitchen making pizza. YUM.




Luckily, our boys are great friends and enjoy hanging out together. from left: Melisa and Jim's younger boy, older boy, and our boy.

Every year, our boys play video games while we play Spades. It's always Girls vs. Boys. And most times, we girls let the boys win. It's good for their egos. ;) However, Melisa pulled out an old notebook that showed that we won, proving that we DO have a strategy and we are as good as we say we are!


The old notebook...notice the score...527 vs. 95...were they even playing the game that night? We decided to use the old notebook to bring us luck.



We figured, if all else failed, we could dazzle them with our beauty.



Let the game begin!



Scott* thought that using his light-up hat would bring him luck...he was sorely mistaken.



Oh yeah! Our first trump of the night! Stomping on some ace action! Go Melisa!

Apparently, beauty + brains overpowered the boys.....Victory was ours! Score....Girls 1; Boys 0


Woot Woot! Go girls! We turned on our cheerleading skills. The guys were just jealous they didn't have a great clap like we did. Go! :clap: Girls! :clap: Go! :clap clap:

True to form, we 'let' the boys win the second game. Scott was trying to justify their loss. It fell on deaf ears.



It's a balancing act, dontcha know? It's our secret to being married 24 years (Melisa and Jim got married 8 days after we did.)





After eating some great food, including these delicious cupcakes:


...and playing a couple of games of cards....
we toasted the new year....



Then, around 1:30am, we decided to call it a night. (we spent the night to keep off of the roads, esp since we live 90 min away.) Roxie even was exhausted from cheering on Team Girls!



The next morning, we were treated to a delicious breakfast of cheese and spinach quiche, breakfast pizza, blueberry muffins, and cinnamon rolls. After sitting and chatting for awhile over many cups of coffee, Scott and I headed home.

Happy New Year to everyone! May your 2011 be filled with many blessings. :cheers:

*I decided to stop calling Scott "The Man" in my blog. It's my resolution for 2011...it's one I know I won't break. ;)

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all of my friends and family! I'm hoping 2011 is full of good health and blessings for everyone.

I promise to blog really soon about the great fun we had on New Year's Eve with our wonderful friends. :)