Full Circle

This Sunday I had the honor of seeing my lifelong friend, Erin, have her daughter baptized. 

Sweet baby Nora was baptized in the church where I was baptized, where Erin and I made our First Communion, where Erin and Nick were married...life truly has come full circle.

After the baptism, we went back to Erin & Nick's house for brunch and I got some quality time with the little star herself. Could she be any cuter?

It was also great to be with Jenny & Gord, and to catch up with Kara & Wade. It had literally been since Derby that we were all last together! That means events like this are even more special since they are so few and far between.

I'm so happy for Erin and Nick, and so thankful to have been able to share this special day with them! God Bless sweet baby Nora.

Give Thanks

This weekend as I was putting away the Halloween decor, I came across this beauty. I had totally forgotten that I bought it at the end of the season last year! Pure blingin' bliss. 

It's the little things for me, people. 'Cause seriously, the little things really do become the big things.

Take this past week, for example. The check engine light came on in my car (4 days after I had taken it for an oil change, mind you). I took it back to the dealer thinking it'd be a couple hours & a couple hundred dollars. So you can imagine my dismay when they called to say it would be days until they could fix my engine at 9 times the cost I originally thought it would be (do the math, then gulp). 

Goodbye new couch. Farewell new mirrored dressers.

So after I did the ugly cry for a few hours (I'm talking gasping for air, tears & snot streaming), I received a text with this precious picture. Magically, the tears stopped. Alright, well they didn't stop so to speak, but at least they were flowing for a happy reason. Love this little girl so much! 

I told Kate that she couldn't have texted me at a better time. I went on to explain the car sitch and the next thing I knew, she and Micah were on their way over with dinner and my sweet niece. 

And the support didn't stop there. 

My friend Ruthie  drove out of her way to give me a ride to work on Monday morning. My mom let me drive her car to work on Tuesday so I could hold parent conferences. My sister and her boyfriend agreed to carpool to work on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday so that I could use her car. Not to mention the thoughtful ride offers from my dad, friends, and coworkers. 

They may not have realized it, but those little gestures meant a whole lot to me and reminded me of how truly blessed I am to have such wonderful family and friends. 

So yeah, the bank account took a huge hit, but my car is finally back, I have a fresh purple pedicure, and a mug of hot chocolate & Bailey's. Not to mention some awesome people who always have my back. 

So. Thankful.

Halloween: A Life Lesson

"The biggest deficit that we have in our society and in the world right now is an empathy deficit. We are in great need of people being able to stand in somebody else's shoes and see the world through their eyes" -Barack Obama

President Obama is right, you guys. I learned that lesson the hard way on Saturday night at a Halloween party.

I'll admit it: I have been known to watch Jersey Shore a time or twenty. No shame. Say what you want, but it is entertaining. I know there are a lot of folks out there who wanna hate on the GTLers, who roll their eyes and say, "Anyone can get drunk and act stupid, so why are they so famous?" Now obviously I'm not a hater, but I will say that I have never been moved to have empathy for any of the cast members (except for when that guy punched Snooki in the face--not okay).

But you guys, I walked in Snooki's shoes on Saturday. And for the record, it was anything but easy.

I mean, sure, it was hilarious and fun and we won Best Costume. But being baby Lorenzo's mom wasn't as easy as it may look on MTV. The boots, the mini skirt, the body glitter, the hair--my god, the hair--let's just say I couldn't wait to get home and into my PJs. And those of you who know me well know that I love to dance. But even the fist-pumping took its toll, y'all. 

So while we got a lot of laughs, a sweet trophy, and some awesome movie passes, I ended up gaining much more this Halloween: respect & empathy for Miss Snooki of the famed Jersey Shore. 

The next time someone really gets on your nerves, before you do or say anything you may regret, I want you to think of this blog post. Try walking in his/her shoes (or wig) and see if you can gain a new perspective.

Have a safe & happy Halloween, peeps!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

No, really. If someone wants to take me to San Francisco to cheer on my Cardinals tomorrow, I will love you forever. Promise.

I am still riding the wave of excitement from last night's incredible comeback. I'm not going to lie--when the Cards found themselves down 6-0 in the 3rd inning, I didn't feel good about it. My dad was saying "There's plenty of game left," but inside I was thinking, "Well, they made it a lot further than anyone thought they would."

Little by little, the Cards closed the gap and in the top of the 8th, found themselves only 1 away after a solo homer by Daniel Descalso. 
But of course, the Nationals scored an insurance run (or so they thought) in the bottom of the 8th to make their lead 2 going into the 9th. 
At this point, my grandma, uncle, dad, and sister were in the living room looking calm, cool, and collected. On the other hand, the rest of us were in the back room with my mom (who is recovering from surgery), looking anything but collected: Mom, laid up with her left leg twitching, my aunt half-standing/half-laying down, and too nervous to sit, I was doing what some might call a jig (that Irish heritage can't be denied).
In dramatic fashion (also known as Cardinal postseason play), Beltran, Molina, and Freese got themselves on base. Heart palpitations. Descalso steps up to bat and I'm saying, "Wish he could have saved that homer for this inning." And almost as if he heard me and wanted to say, "Don't worry, Jackie," Descalso produced another huge hit that scored 2 and tied the game.
Insanity ensued throughout the house, and by that I mean I was galloping in Happy Gilmore fashion from the back room to the living room and back.
But that wasn't all, folks. No. Kozma stepped up and said, "Let's just win this thing once and for all," and the next thing I knew, we were up by 2.
More insanity.
After Motte did his thing in the bottom of the 9th and the game was truly over, I felt just like I did in Game 6 of last year's World Series. I love my college football & basketball,  but there is nothing like MLB in October.

I have many dear friends who could care less about baseball, some who would say they even hate it. And that's fine--we all have our opinions. Lord knows you'll never see me watching any NASCAR. But to those of you who find baseball isn't worth watching, I simply say, "You are missing out."

My love for the game has been instilled since birth, for which I am truly grateful. But even if you're not a lifer like me, you have to appreciate what's happened so far in this postseason:
-The crazy Wildcards
-Verlander pitches 9 solid innings to clinch Game 5 for the Tigers and The Giants come back from being 2 games down to defeat the Reds in three straight to head to the NLCS 
-The walk-offs
-And of course, this...just to name a few

I'm not saying I'm happy about all of it. Ideally, I'd be watching a Tigers-Orioles ALCS & a Reds-Cardinals NLCS, but that's not the reality. What I am saying is, if you haven't tuned in or taken yourself out to a ballgame yet this month, it's time to get on board. There are at least 8 games left and I have no doubt they'll be dramatic.

Here's hoping my Cardinals are apart of all of 'em. 

Upgrade

I've got Beyonce's song "Upgrade U" in my head as I write this. Feel free to listen to it here while you read on.

What does a single chick do to furnish her home at the age of 24? She accepts hand-me-downs, scopes out garage sales, and carries on with her college-bought K-mart pieces. Well, she does if she's me anyway.
Fast forward 6 years and this chick is ready for some serious upgrades. Last summer, I had saved enough of my lil' teacher salary and upgraded my dining room table (with the help of Ikea and Value City Furniture).

This summer's focus was the living room. I bought my TV stand for $25 a few years ago from a coworker. I refinished it and painted it black. I decided to upgrade my TV and bought a new stand from Ikea. I simultaneously changed cable providers and had to switch my TV to the opposite wall, which turned out to be a happy accident because all of my black & white furniture looks fabulous on the red wall.

Plus now I always get to look at my favorite feature of the house: my grandparents' and parents' black & white wedding photos!

I decided to keep the old TV stand and upgrade it with a new shelf so I could use it for my books. Here's the before pic:

Shout out to my dad and uncle Mike for helping me make the shelf! I painted it up and Dad helped me install it. After much trial and error, I found an arrangement of books that I liked and voila! Bookshelf upgrade complete:

And yes, that is my niece's pic nestled next to the Twilight series.

So I showed y'all the desk that I ordered via Overstock in a previous post, along with the chair I ordered for it from Ikea (can you tell I like Ikea?). My poor printer has been resting on an antique vanity table in my bedroom for years (and by 'resting' I mean hanging off the front of the table). I'm happy to say that now the printer has an actual desk on which to sit, cozied in the corner of my living room.

I'm in love with the lamp I got from Target! I also like how the desk highlights my pics from Ireland. I'm in the market for a new pot (maybe yellow?) for my plant. Any ideas where I should look?

On the horizon for my living room is a couch upgrade, and after that, it's time to get the pretty Pottery Barn mirrored dressers for my bedroom. 

Can't. Wait.

Happy "F"ing Birthday

As hard as it is for me to believe, on Sunday I turned 31. Which also means that my lil' blog turned 1! I mean seriously, where did those 365 days go?

I have thoroughly enjoyed my tiny writing hobby this past year, and I want to thank all of my followers for taking the time to read my words! Whether you've been around since the first post, or this is your first visit, I hope that my blog has been helpful, maybe even inspirational, and above all, entertaining.

In the past year, I've crossed 2 items off my "Thirty Things in Thirty Years" bucket list (see numbers 19 and 20 here). So it looks like I've got 29 years to accomplish the remaining 28 things - no sweat.

Now, it hasn't been a perfect year by any means. I didn't get a job I interviewed for, I didn't get in shape, and I didn't meet Justin Timberlake. But I'd rather focus on the GOOD stuff that happened this year...

Suffice it to say, it may not have been a perfect year, but it sure was wonderful. If I get to experience half the things I did this year by the time I'm 32, I will be happy. The "F" in 'Happy "F"ing Birthday' isn't meant to be negative; it stands for Family, Friends, and Fun - all the things this birthday, blog, and past year have been about. 

So. Blessed.

Here's to the next year, y'all!

Summer Part 3: The Final Installment

Ain't that the truth? Even though we had the longest summer due to no snow days for the first time in my 9 years of teaching, I still feel like it flew by! It was a productive, busy, and fun summer for sure. But in these last few weeks, I tried to slow down and savor my days ...doing absolutely nothing.

Okay well, not nothing. I would add one thing to that list: visit with my niece!

I swear if Micah and Kate would let me, I would move in! I am so so grateful to have had these past three weeks off work to spend with her.

I did manage to squeeze in some pool time as well as some dinners with  friends.

Angie & Eli keepin' it cool

Joey having some fun at Lynn's Paradise Cafe

Showing off the romance novels that held our checks at The Village Anchor

And in the spirit of the Olympics, my main man Anderson came over and showed off his couch-climbing skills.

I've spent the last two weeks back in my classroom. While I'd be lying if I said that I haven't felt the rush from newly laminated name tags and rainbow-licious packs of pens, as well as the excitement from being with my work peeps again, I am sad to see Summer go.

I'm already looking forward to next Summer when we can take Emerson to the zoo, the pool, baseball games, and the lake! In the meantime, I have 23 students to meet, a birthday party to plan, UofL football games to soon watch, and many McNugget firsts to witness.

Thank you, Summer. You were blazin' hot, but you were good to me!