Engaged!!!

Yup! as of 12/24! and, as it so happens, so is my BFF Carol. Dan and i are planning to get married on May 23rd, memorial day weekend. well that is until we change our minds again. we will keep everyone informed, promise.

We couldn't get the camera to focus on my finger! hence the "box" pictures

When it rains- it pours.....

Well you gotta take the good with the bad, that's what i keep telling myself. The wonderful old woman who has occupied my condo in FL has been, well, wonderful for the past 2 years, and its been pretty much incident free, until recently. She fell and has been going through physical therapy for the last 2 months. Which is horrible first, because she is a sweet woman, and it breaks my heart to think of her getting hurt, second, while she was in the hospital they found other health concerns.  I really hope for a speedy recovery for her. 

on top of that, my water heater has gone out, which i suppose i can not complain, it was 14 years old, and as most of you know, 14 years for a FL water heater isn't too bad. So i did my business will a local company "duke's plumbing" I'd much rather have business with the little guys. so they came and replaced it, and I've had to have it serviced 3 times in the last week because it wasn't working right. they replace it AGAIN and tonight, i receive a phone call from the tenants son-in-law, the new heater is leaking water as well. i really hope this gets resolved soon, the poor woman has nurses in and out of the house, and now, repair men. it is really a lot for her, and i would REALLY be upset if i lost her due to a water heater issue.    

wooooooo sssaaaaaaahhhhh.  woooooooo  saaaaaaahhhhhhhhh.

WOOOOO HOOOOO!!!!!

Today i recived a phone call from Johns Hopkins and my start date is January 5th!! YAY!! We had such a great thanksgiving. Kansas was a lot of fun, and  i really enjoyed meeting all of dan's family. i also got to meet some of his friends, and see his home town of Hutchinson. we headed up to Kansas City to meet his sister Sara and her family, and they made me feel a part of their family. it was really great.

Here are Will, Maggie and Ainsley

And here is Dan with his friends Jeremy and Jordan.

Then for the actual Thanksgiving, we went up to Baltimore to Stan and Carries house. it was wonderful! and i made pie! (of course). 

Marine Corps Ball

Us with Stan and Carrie

Doogie & Isabelle, us and Eric and Michelle.

The Whole Gang.

Johns Hopkins, round 1

SO, on Friday i head to Baltimore and actually find Johns Hopkins and the building i needed to find on the first try, i was quite impressed with myself. The first interview was for the secretary position in facilities and campus construction. right up my alley, so i was pretty excited. everyone was really nice, and the position seems cool. its entry level, and I'd be the secretary for a bunch of different people. and there is a lot of room for advancement which was exciting as well. However, parking at the hospital is 120$ a month! its that or get on the Marc train in Odenton, to Penn station, hit up the light rail (like a street car in San Diego), that would take me to the subway, which the last stop is Johns Hopkins. i think I'll stick with driving, but i don't know. 

Then i went to the second interview. i have to be honest, i wasn't really all tat interested in this one, and i just scanned over the job description when i applied. i guess ill pay more attention next time. turns out this is a senior international financial coordinator position. It's not that it intimidates me, it's just, I'm curious as to why they even wanted to interview me.  i mean, i know I'm awesome, but they cant see that via the internet. but seriously, it sounds like the job needs someone with experience. But we'll see, maybe they'll go out on a limb for me because they saw how awesome i was in the interview! hopefully. i find out on Friday. I'm really excited and thanks for everyones positive thoughts!!!

All or nothing...

well, all my life it's been this way. As you all know, i haven't had any "bites" for a job since moving here July 27th. well Friday i got a phone call for an interview at Johns Hopkins, then Monday, my current job offered me full time at the office closer to my house (i took it of course). then on Tuesday i receive an e-mail for another interview for a separate job at Johns Hopkins. good grief! that's how it always happens for me. I should have known, but with the economy as it is, i thought it would be different. not so much. however, i have yet to receive a call from the EPA or the US green building council. oh well, guess i shouldn't push my luck right?

at any rate, i LOVE working at the new office, my DR is AWESOME (but she leaves in a month, and will be replaced with someone else, which is a total bummer) the hours are better, 7:30-4:30, each day, with NO late day, and I'm CLOSER to home, it only took me 20 minutes to get home today, as opposed to 1 hour from the other office last week. this job will work well for now, and now with it being full time, i can be really picky with what job i ultimately end up with.

and yes, I'm still at Pier 1. LOVE that place.

I know- i'm a slacker

and I'm sorry. so here's the scoop. i started at hearing professionals, and the job makes me want to pull my hair out. its pretty boring, but it works for now.  i received a phone call on Friday from Johns Hopkins, and i have in interview on Friday- very excited. Dan and i went to see Judy and Tony this weekend and also had a chance to stop by ans see aunt Kay. I was SO happy to see them all and glad Dan got to meet some more of the Fam.  I'm really excited to have Family so close, there only about 2 hours away. so its kinda like being in FL again, with the distance between Naples and Miami!!! I asked Tony to jump in the picture, and i guess this was his idea of participating. thanks Tony. 

Speaking of Fam, i will finally get a chance to meet some of Dan's family, we are heading to KS November 20-23 (we got a great deal for the weekend before thanksgiving). 

Dan and i went to the National Museum of the Marine Corps on Friday. It was really a good time, and if you ever get the chance to go, i highly recommend it. 

If you have ever headed to DC via I-95 (from the south) that is what the giant metal thingy is protruding over the trees.

Here is one of my favorite Quotes:

Dan and I, and Stan and his girlfriend Carry went to a Moroccan restaurant called Marrakesh last week. let me tell you, it was another experience, and anyone who comes to DC MUST go. There is no silverware, no plates, and you sit on cushions, just like you would in Morocco. they love taking pictures at Marrakesh and they snapped on of all of us. Click here, then click "our 

visitors" then click "national scene". Scott has informed me that my old instructions were inaccurate. So go to the little search box, and search "stephanie". "Chicago" is printed in Blue on the bottom of the picture. and Just so you know, Stan is from Chicago, hence the caption. 

Friday night we headed to Eric and Michelle's house to carve pumpkins.  I have to say, I've never had so much fun with a gourd. 

now its sitting in our window, greeting all of our neighbors. We even gave him ears! Like Dracula, or Spock (for mom).

 i love going to there house because i always learn something new, this time, i learned how to make a graham cracker pie crust. and today i utilized my new skill and made my first pie! (apple, of course, for Dan) and it turned out GREAT! yummy!

and to round out this entry, here is a cute picture of Rocky:

The good, The bad and the Ugly....

the good news: crazy hearing aid place offered me a job. the bad news, it's part time. whatever.  I'm in. I'm also waiting to hear back from Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. that might be promising. at any rate. on Monday, I'll call "hearing professionals" ( as i will now refer to them as) and tell them that i have accepted the position (they told me to think about it over the weekend). the cool thing about this place is that its all run by women, and they all seem to be really cool. kind of weird for medical, but I'm down.

now for the ugly- i hate HATE slate flooring (used as an indoor flooring that is). what a pain! its porous and always feels dirty, no matter how many times you mop it. speaking of mopping it's nearly impossible, today, our wonderful slate flooring shredded my mop sponge, then it ripped it right off! agh! slate is good for outdoors, but NOT indoors (in my opinion).

oh well, wish me luck in this new position! yay for work!

keepin on....

As we begin our 3rd month here in Maryland, i am still with out a job, but I constantly apply at new places. hopefully something will come along. really nothing much else has been happening. were pretty boring. 

Good juju needed please....

ok- so today was the job fair. i was a bit intimidated when i saw how far traffic was backed up- in 3 directions- to get on base this morning (the job fair was on Ft Meade). But i kept a positive frame of mind. i got inside and the place was packed. TONS of people, and TONS still on there way in. i must say, i was impressed with myself though, i was one of the better dressed- ehm. my nice dress pants, black business coat, and a fun red top underneath with just a bit of sparklies (i had to throw in the outfit description for moms- i know your curious momma) this job fair was better than the one at FGCU, i spoke to a bunch of people, and used nearly all of the resumes i printed up yesterday. im going to go online and apply to some of the places as well.

after the job fair, dan and his platoon had a barbque and family was allowed to come as well. it was fun, grilling, football, tug of war, water ballons and cake fights. good old fashioned fun. i met some of the wives, one of which lives in the same comlpex as dan and i. we might get together next week, which should be fun.

tomarrow i have a 2nd interview with "crazy hearing aid place" i wonder how that one will go. wish me luck.

Buildings, Buildings everywhere, but not a place to work...

This is a 2 part blog:

Part 1: Last wednesday was a typical work day at peir 1, helping customers etc... well as i was helping a woman i got to talking with her, as i usually do, i was telling her i was new to the area and looking for a job. right then- she pauses and says ::gasp:: "well i.... (here im thinking - shes gonna tell me shes the CEO for some really important high flying company and they are looking for fresh new employees with wonderfull attitudes and personalities just like me! and that i need to call her ASAP to set up an interview, which is really only a formailty becuase she knows she wants to hire me already, and give me a corner office with a veiw of the capitol building, a company blackberry and company car--yes all that went thru my head in 1.85 seconds)... work for Avon, why don't you become a rep?" oh for pete's sake. are you friggin kidding me? that woman went on for an hour about how i should sell make up and all the while, i just wanted to punch her! i already have a sales job, i DON'T want another! agh! now i understand a lot of people sell make-up and other things, but i don't and can't- i hate sales. and im horrible at it. ugh- i wanted to cry.

part 2: todays interview. 2 words can some it up- freakin' weird. okthis is how it went. first, a lady in Pennsylvainia called me and did a phone interview, she sounded like she was reading from a book, literally, and she must have been, then she asked for refrences, (of course i used some of my old co-worker friends) so i followed up with them, and they said she sounded the same, like reading from a textbook, and she was really rude. ok-whatever, no biggy. then yesterday, i get a call from a lady for an interview today. VICTORY! there IS a light at the end of the tunnel, maybe i'll get a job now! so as i always do, last night after work i did a "dry run" and mapped out where the office was. thank God i did that. i was ALL turned around. it's a solid 30 min away from our place, again, no big deal. so this morning, i went to the interview, got there early, was the PERFECT applicant- as always (toot toot- there goes my horn). now it started out pretty normal. then Jenn, my interviewer said something along the lines of "our business platform is based off of "some dudes name here" (i dont remember it) the scientologist. " umm ok. i dont know what someones religon has to do with his business strategy, but i have a feeling im going to find out. when she explained it to me, it sounded like any other well organised business plan. i think the guy that made it up just wanted everyone to know he was a scientologist for the attention. and to be honest, i dont think he came up with it, i think he took the ideas from a bunch of other plans, stuck them to gether, and put his name on it. whatever that is neither here nor there. so she takes me in the back for testing, which is ok, im used to that, and the first test was your basic math and english skills assesment test. but the last one i did, that was the one that threw me. i apologise, because i can't put it into words, but that test was SO weird. i have taken more assesment tests in my life than anyone on this planet im sure, and i have NEVER seen one like this. the wording of the questions was so off. like i said, theres no way to explain it but- weird. 1/2 way thru that test i found myself wondering, yet again, whatever happened to passing out your resume, and having the job offers pour in? i dont get it. well whatever happens i wont know anything about it until next week or so.
on the 24th, dan and i are going to a job fair on base, hopefully something will come from that. this is really taking a lot out of me.
i apologise for any typos i missed. i cut my finger pretty bad yesterday at work, and i am now typing with a really awkward bandaid on my finger. oops.

Silly me

i meant to post these pictures of our final ride to MD from NC with the last load of stuff. of course Rocky had to come with us because we haven't found anyone up here for puppy-sitting. well, the car was pretty well packed, and here is where Rocky had to sit the whole way home.....

he was not amused.

Updateage...

alrighty! well, last week Dan and I, along with Eric (Dan's co-worker) and his wife Michelle (my MD bff), and Stan (another co-worker), went to an Orioles vs Red Sox game. it was SO cool! and i was uber impressed with Camden yards and the city of Baltimore. AND i had my first Maryland blue crab cake! yum! and the "O"'s won the game. 

Later that week, Michelle invited Rocky and i out to the doggy park in Annapolis. i had herd GREAT things about this doggy park, so i was excited, but hesitant because Rocky's social skills have not been great in the past few years. well, rocky did wonderful, yes Michelle, you were right. Now rocky has a MD bff, and he can't wait to have another day to play with Chico.  i must give a shout out to my aunt Donna, her tips helped me stay calm while i was out with rocky. thanks again aunt Donna.

We had Eric and Michelle over for dinner and i snapped a few pictures of the dining table for mom. everyone will appreciate i am taking after mom, by taking pictures of my table before it's "dirtied up with food and dishes" (sound familiar?... yes, I'm picking on you mother).

 

;

If you can't see my dishes from the pictures, they are very colorful and have hearts on them. ::Side Note:: i LOVE LOVE LOVE my dishes, Mike and Dori gave them to me, and yes- i LOVE them. however, they are not exactly "man-friendly". Eric was hesitant when he saw the plates, and i assured him that the boys were allowed to sit with the black dishes, while the girls got the pretty dishes. we all had a laugh at that. 

This ones for you Bertie! (and Paul, and Sara.... and everyone else really). Dan did a retirement ceremony this week, so he was all dolled up in his "Delta"s. and here he is =)

Mom i PROMISE i will get up a picture of our new couch. Dan has been on a gun cleaning frenzy lately- no big deal, but I'd like to get a picture of the living room nice and neat for everyone. but here are a few other pictures-

Rocky LOVES to sit in the guest room and watch the neighbors. i even moved the pillows to lean up against the wall, so he can have optimum use of the window sill, as he prefers.

Rocky totally digs the porch, especially since i put my coffee bags on the ground as mini outside area rugs- Martha Stewart, eat your heart out!!

Whose feet are those???

I realise how much of a dork i can be at times, but Dan is such a good sport. here is a picture of our first cake we baked (fun-fetti of course). Yes, a picture was necessary.

My Apologies

i MUST apologise for the huge time span between posts here. i also need to apologise for my bad spelling, here lately, im not writing this out on word (since i dont have it on my or dans computer) then pasteing my finished product in here as i usually do. we'll see how long that lasts. the DC expereince was horrible. but i must say the public transportation is really good, once you understand it. and yes mom, i felt very safe on it. and the people were really nice, i even had someone on the street ask me if i was lost, and helped me with directions! i mean, yes, there were some looneys, but i just didnt make eye contact.
but as far as dropping off my resumes; 2 of the place had moved offices 4 of the places said they would take my resume, but there wasn't anything they could do with it, and that i had to go online... gee thanks, cause i haven't done THAT yet.. yeah thanks. and the one i actually WANTED to go to, the US green building council, i couldn't even get past the lobby. no joke, i couldn't get in at ALL. PLUS, they wouldn't take my resume to give to someone up there. i nearly cried right then and there. why is this so hard? THEN i ended up on the WRONG side of Pennsylviania Ave, which NO ONE should have to experencie that (still, even in the ghetto, people were nice- but i think it's because looked like a social worker, whatever). oh man, what a day. then i got on the train back to odenton, and i sat next to a guy who said that getting a job should be easy for me. i wanted to punch him.

but thanks everyone for the good wishes, i really appreciate it, and they made me feel so much better after realiseing how truly hard this is gonna be.

i did go on a job interview on friday, it was for an HR position not far from the apartment. but there are a lot of applicants. so i'll be calling them to check in on friday. until then, i have a pplied to a bunch of other places as well. ill keep everyone posted.

Dan and i ordered our couch and our house is coming together nicely. picture will be up soon.

my nephew is crawling now! im so proud of him!

rocky and i spent the day with our friend michelle and her pit bull chico yesterday and rocky made me SO proud! he did really well with chico and all the other dogs. we went to the doggy park in annapolis, it was so nice, there was even a beach. well, kinda. it was on the chesapeke, and the water is brown. but rocky didn't mind, he was just happy to run in the water. then on the way out, there was a really nice "spray down your dog area" so they can ride home clean! it was great! we had such a good day.

lastly, i wanted to add for nanna, when janet scott and mom came up, i recived some of nannas brownies. well, dan took them into work a couple weeks ago and the were gone in a matter of minutes! thank goodness i saved some for myself.

Good Grief Charlie Brown!

Sometimes, the only person you can count on is yourself. I knew, knew, knew i should have gotten the refrence letter from nick before I left my office at QCI for the last time, but did I? No. I thought- "Hey, give Nick (my boss) a break, he'll get it done. Besides, your leaving on good terms, you've been a hard worker, and have stuck by the company through some really rough spots this year, he'll have it to you in 2 days, max." yeah right. Well, I'm done waiting. Today I am mapping out DC, getting the resume packets (with my OLD refrence letters) ready, picking out the perfect outfit, and paking up my breifcase on wheels so tommarrow morning, i can get on the metro, and head to DC. HOPEFULLY by going to these places (that i have already applied to, like a million times each) in person, i might get some real results. I'll wait until I can hand off my nifty brag-about-Stephanie packet off to someone in HR, maybe even have a little sit down with someone. oh please, oh please, oh please, wish me luck. lord knows im gonna need it.

lastly, I would like everyone to say a little prayer tonight for Paul, Bertie, Dan and Sarah, and all of the millers. Pauls brother Joe died yesterday. From what Dan tells me he was an awesome person, and i am sorry i never got the chance to meet him. you are all in my thoughts.

Holy Moly

What a weekend! Janet, Scott and mom arrived on Friday, you should have seen this trailer, it was STUFFED! We had it unloaded on Saturday in less than an hour, thanks to the help of a couple of Dans friends from base. Mom and Janet got to work unloading my tubs, and basically had the whole kitchen done in no time at all. i know i wouldn't have been able to do that on my own. Thanks to my uncle John, everything was packed on the trailer well, and there was only one casualty, a wine glass. He should do this for a living! just kidding uncle John. my Nana sent up some of her yummy brownies, what a treat, they are my favorite! and Greg and Pam's furniture is just awesome! we both love it all. The desk that was sent up was going to be to big to fit in the tiny spare bedroom, but as it turns out, one of the guys helping us move needed one so he took it. we went to his house the other night and i thought it was part of there already existing furniture it matched so well, i forgot we had given it to him! and mom couldn't wait to make up the guest bed with the wonderful comforter set my aunt Donna gave to us. After the "hard labor" was done, Dan took Scott to the gun range, and mom, Janet and i worked on the house. when the boys got back, we headed to DC and saw EVERYTHING. it was really a great night, and we were SO tired when we got back to the apartment. the next morning, we worked a little more on the house, and Janet, Scott and Mom got on the road back home. thanks again for all your help guys! we love you!

today was my first day at Pier 1. i was SO happy to be back to work. all the people are really cool, and its a "concept store" which basically means it's laid out differently than other stores. its really busy, and there always moving around the sales floor, so theres always something to do. i also managed to stab myself in the hand with a box cutter today, guess it wouldn't be a "first day" without a real injury right?


PS- this picture just makes me happy--


Back off ladies, this ones taken....

and so it begins....again

ahhh yes, the ever-present job-hunt. i find myself in a familiar setting. needless to say I'm getting a little down, i haven't found anything, and i am constantly receiving e-mail/ mailings saying something along the lines of "thank you for your interest in "blahblahblah" we regret to inform you that this position has already been filled/ you do not meet the requirements, blahblahblah. GAH! and yet while these negative thoughts are racing through my head, i can't help but hear my sisters voice, "Stephanie, you have to give it time, something will come along" and right as I'm hearing those words, Dan jumps in with basically the same words, telling me to relax and focus. on the bright side, i pick up my first shift at pier 1 on wednesday. so thankfully i have that. i feel like i've been without a job for months now! and its only been 4.5 business days. patience young grasshopper, patience. 

Maryland

can i say how much i love this place? it's great!  ok- so lets start at the beggining. Dan came down to get me, and beth and i had our moving sale. the sale didnt go as good as i'd hoped, but oh well. dan and i got to packing our cars and as we started running out of room, we realized, we would have to make another trip. ha! thank goodness i technically have another month to store my stuff in wilmington (my lease doesn't end until august 31st). so we will be going back in 2 weeks.  We made the trip just fine. Rocky was not happy that he had to be in the car for so long, but we are back on speaking terms now.  We get to the leasing office, sign our papers and then head to our place. its so nice!!! it still smells new! it's a great place in a great town. I went and got myself lost (not really, but i went exploring) yesterday, i found a seafood market! yay! but i guess that makes sense up here. i also found the train station, not a bad drive from our place at all, i went into the station, picked up a map, and a schedule booklet. ill be studying that later. i went to the pier 1 at arundel mills mall, and talked to the manager, i should be on the schedule next week! that was SO easy! im really happy that i have some sort of income. now- today im going to find the US Green Building Councils office, The department of Energy, and the EPA, so i can HASSEL them into hiring me. i dont know if this will work, but i dont think it could hurt.... hopefully. if anything, i would just like to know where they are located. and you guessed it, that means that i'll be driving into DC! all by myself! i know it's a scary thought, but i got to do it sometime right? well- might as well give it a shot, and (in my head at least) it shouldn't be too bad, it is mid-day on a wednesday... right? whatever- im doin it! i'll let you know how it goes! wish me luck!

and say a prayer for my mother, sister and brother-in-law, as they head out to bring me my stuff. and a special thank you to all of them, my uncle john, aunt carol and cousin john, and pam and greg, everyone has been such a big help and Dan and i can not thank you all enough.  

Hiatus

So Dan should be arriving back in North Carolina tonight.... yaaaayyy!!! Good lord, I’m such a baby. And the internet my roommate and I have been "pirating" for the past year has mysteriously disappeared. The only connection I have to the outside world is through my work computer, which, will now be occupied by my replacement, Kelly. Therefore, I must announce my temporary hiatus from blogging for a bit. The next time you'll hear from me will be post-move, so hopefully, I will have some interesting (but good) stories to tell. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

6 Months!

MY NEPHEW IS 6 MONTHS OLD TODAY!

2 WEEKS!!!

.....and I'm outta here! yay! Dan found a place on Saturday and I'm planning to leave NC on the 27th. The apartment complex is really nice, it's called the Lodge at Seven Oaks (our floorplan is the "Evergreen"). Beth is getting ready to leave as well. If you don't already know, my adventurous roommate is leaving for China in mid-August (to teach). We both are selling off most of our stuff, and the house looks pretty desolate. It’s kinda funny actually. And for those of you wondering, I haven't sold anything of Rockys, so as of right now, he's pretty unfazed. As one of our "customers" pointed out this weekend "your dog has a lot of beds, for such a small place" yes, yes I know.

oh and- if you could say a little prayer; that my car could make the trip. I think im gonna take it to a church to get a little helping of Holy Water for it....

4th of July in Florida

WHAT an eventful week! As I have already stated, Dan left on Monday (have I beaten that dead horse enough yet?) and the rest of the week was filled with sheer anticipation to get to Florida and see my family and my nephew! The flight in was nice. I have come to realize that the Charlotte airport and me are bff. I swear, I’ve had more connecting flights in that airport than anywhere else, I practically have it memorized!
I was SO happy to fly into my beautiful state, see my family and hold my massive nephew (15 lbs!). from the airport we headed to my condo, to empty my stuff out of the attic and out of the storage shed, to give my tenants full usage of the unit. I was really happy to get all my stuff out of there, and to have all of my stuff in one place (at moms house- my stuff has taken over!) it was a great 4th of July.
The next day the family came to moms house and we celebrated the 4th. It was so nice because I got to see Pam and Greg (Janets in-laws) and I also got to meet moms friend Laurie (who is in town fixing up her rental unit- I understand what she is going through) who is SO cool, AND by the way, made me my birthday cake! It was here that I opened my gift from Dan (the one he had shipped to FL so I could open it on my birthday). Once again, Dan hit the nail on the head. He gave me, not only a beautiful ring, but one I have never seen anything like. Everyone was taken aback by it. Here is a similar ring, mine has a much prettier stone in it though. Yup- hes amazing- I know :).
That night I went to see my good friend Joel and his boyfriend Jason at the Southwest Florida Gay Supper Club. Let me tell you, I had such a good time; I ended up meeting up with my friend Kandis and her friend Kelly as well. There was a slight mis-communication when the “organizer” thought Kelly and Kandis were “together”, but that ended up being the joke of the night, and all 3 of us girls were from then on referred to as “the non-lesbians”. It was pretty hysterical. I was SO happy to spend time with Joel, Jason and Kandis. We all had a great time.

Then on Sunday I joined my cousins Samantha and Patricia for breakfast and first watch. We mainly caught up with each other and really had a nice time. I think we’ll make a habit out of that. I spent the rest of the Day with Janet, Scott and Noah. We hit up one of my favorite sushi restaurants and headed home. Sunday night Janet made a lamb dish that was TO-DIE-FOR! Just thinking about it makes me want more.
Monday- My birthday- started out with packing, and organizing. See the original plan was for me to come down, pack up all my stuff that was left at moms house, and when I was ready to move to Maryland, then I would rent a POD, mom, Janet, Scott and whoever else would pack it up and send it to MD. So I wanted to get everything in order, so that when the POD came, mom wouldn’t have any problems with packing it. Now, my wonderful sister, brother-in-law and mother have volunteered to drive my stuff up to MD if I pay for gas, which will cost less than half of what a POD would cost. I HAVE THE BEST FAMILY!!!! I truly do. Then I met up with Mike and Dori for lunch at Red Lobster (our old stomping grounds). It was so nice to see them and catch up on everything, there’s no one else I would like to spend my birthday lunch with! Thanks again for lunch guys! Then I was off to see my Aunt Donna at the Gomez’s (her place of employment). It was so cool to see all the renovations. I also got a chance to play with (my neice-puppy?) Lexi, she loves to go swimming. Then at night, , I got together with a bunch of friends at Momma Mias Pizza. It was SO great, some of the people that came, I hadn’t seen in years! We all laughed, and caught up with each other and was really a GREAT birthday. We dominated Momma Mias that night! And the pizza Nazi ACTUALLY smiled at me! Ha! Go figure. Janet and Noah dropped me off at the airport on Tuesday, it was really hard to say goodbye to Noah, but everyone tells me it’ll get easier, I certainly hope so. I was shocked to find out that; when you fly, if you check baggage, it costs $15 a piece! To off set the price of gas. Either I’m only packing carry on items from now on- or I’m getting one really big suitcase. Oh man.
Once again, I found myself with 10 minutes to make my connecting flight, but it’s ok, I really enjoy running through the Charlotte airport with my heavy computer bag. At least this time it wasn’t an irate Chihuahua.

Looks like somebody has a case of "the Mondays"

So Dan left today. ::insert big, pouty, sad face here:: I guess I can’t be too upset; a. because sooner or later, I will end up in that region as well. And b. I got one of my birthday presents yesterday! Dan did SO good, it was amazing actually.

I had told him that my friend Daniela had this starfish necklace and I always wanted one like it. He said the first store he went into it was right in front of him! Ha! Exactly what I wanted! It is so pretty, I love it. :) And word is- he has sent me something to mother’s house, so I will have something to open on my birthday- yeah, I know, I have an awesome boyfriend, be jealous.

Downtown Shenanigans

The other day, Dan and I decided it would be nice to take Rocky for a walk downtown after dinner. It was- again- an unusually cool evening and it was very nice. We wanted to get a few pictures of the Battleship and a lady even offered to take our picture. So I decide (I don’t know why I did this, but nevertheless) to hook Rocky’s leash to a pole so we can get our picture. As the lady is about to snap a picture, an innocent jogger (with headphones) passes by, well Rocky didn’t approve, so hear I am, screaming, apologizing to the runner, as the picture is being taken. And Dan, keeping perfect form; thanks for the concern honey :).


I’m just happy the guy didn’t kick my dog, lord I wonder about myself sometimes. I can’t help but laugh at this picture every time I see it. Its just SO funny. But here is a good picture from that night, along with a few of the Battleship.

This is the Cape fear Bridge (it's a draw bridge, which totaly freaks me out), I use this every time I go up to see Dan. I have never seen it open though. On the left side of the picture would be water street, part of downtown.
And heres the Battleship, as seen from across the River. Sunset in the background.