Spring Cleaning

Just saying this out loud makes me roll my eyes at myself - "I'm doing a juice cleanse." Seriously? Who am I? But really, I'm doing a juice cleanse.


Apparently the BluePrint Cleanse (BPC) is all the rage with healthy-type people. Or at least with those who like to banish solid foods for several days in a row on purpose. I've always been curious about what it would be like to drink freshly juiced veggies all day. Totally not kidding. The thought of someone doing this on purpose has always fascinated me. It seemed like a challenge that I would ultimately fail in the first, oh let's say, hour. 


Back in the day, like in 2008, some crazy urge took over and I attempted the Lemon Detox Diet. Why? I don't know. I spent a particularly nice Saturday traipsing around the state of Rhode Island looking for all the right organic ingredients for the drink. Once I found everything I mixed the drink and took a sip. And promptly threw it down the sink. There was no way I'd be drinking that swill for a week. A WEEK! That was end of that. Back to actual food for me.


But you know when you keep reading about something, or hearing about people who fasted  and drank nothing but water for a month, some insane part of your brain starts to take over the rational side of your brain. 


I kept hearing how great it was to 'cleanse out your body.' How people felt rejuvenated, energetic and all the other adjectives that make you want to drop everything you're doing and join in on the fun. But, I kept ignoring the insane part of my brain. That is, until this week. 


If you were to ask me how I even found out about the BPC, I'd be fumbling to give you an answer. I just happened upon it a few months ago and sort of filed it away under 'crazy ideas.' For whatever reason, the insane part of my brain was obnoxiously active earlier this week and felt the need to convince my rational side that I needed to do the BluePrint Cleanse. 

I mean, look at the logo. It's so serene and pretty. Why wouldn't I want to? 


The website is very informative. I always enjoy a good marketing strategy and the group behind this does it very well. There are 3 different levels for cleansing. Seeing how successful I was with the lemon disaster, I opted to choose Level 1, Renovator. See? I'm renovating myself. You know, like an old house or something. 


Renovator Type:

"I know what whole foods are, and I've seen people buying them. I would too, but I'm too busy to be choosy – my vegetable intake comes in the form of: Ketchup – "tomatoes" and French Fries – "potatoes." Salad is found in EVERY cheeseburger I eat: it's that green-ish color in the middle of the burger. Fruit? Easy, it's the garnish on my cocktail, (usually an orange). I have cut back on red meat... and know I should only buy organic, free range, hand massaged meats and vegetables raised by people who smell like patchouli oil, but where do they even sell that stuff?"

Now, I don't rely on ketchup & potatoes to be my only source of vegetable intake. I do love a good salad, steamed broccoli, etc. But since this is the first time I'm actually going to commit to a cleanse, I figured beginner was the way to go. The two other levels are Foundation and Excavation. 

The nice FedEx man dropped off my freshly pressed 3-day supply of juices this morning at 10:30. Mind you, I'd been up since 7:30, with no coffee, no breakfast, no anything. I tore into that box like it was filled with red velvet cupcakes. 

The bottles are all numbered, so you don't have to wonder which one to drink when. If it were any easier, a rock could do it. 

The drinks are 2 green juices (kale, romaine, cucumber), a pineapple, apple & mint drink, a spicy lemonade, an apple, carrot & beet drink and finally a cashew milk with vanilla & cinnamon. So far, I've had the first green juice (not bad, honestly) and am currently nursing the pineapple one. That one is REALLY good. Very refreshing. All it needs is a splash of Bacardi.......

My adventure has begun. If I make it through to Sunday I'll give an honest review of what it's been like. Drink up!

Put Down That Pink Hat And Go Away

Sometimes, a girl just has to blog about sports. Sports?!? It's true. Minutes after fawning all over my fabulous new beauty purchases from Sephora, I'm going to delve into the magical world of football. I can hear you all sighing and clicking another link. That's OK. I still heart you.

This is my final purge to get over the Patriots' loss in the Superbowl last Sunday. It will serve as nothing more than a naval-gazing retrospective on my path to fandom, which started when I was 11, clutching a Tony Eason Topps card.

Yep. That's the guy who sucked me into football. Him, and the catchy t-shirts proclaiming "Squish the Fish!" and "Berry the Bears!" My brother still has those shirts. Hilarious. But I digress.

It was a big deal when the 1985 Patriots made it to the Superbowl. They were going up against the Chicago Bears, who had the biggest man in the universe playing on their side. His nickname was "Refrigerator." Huge. Makes Vince Wilfork look like a hobbit. 

My parents let my brother & I stay up to watch the game. My dad, true to form, watched the game wearing his Minnesota Vikings hat. (Side story: My dad was stationed in Minnesota when he was in the Air Force. He became a Vikings fan then, and has been one since. But he always roots for the Pats too).

I don't remember much from the game. The only clear memory I have is sitting on the floor, clutching my Tony Eason card and willing the team to win. Then, I remember that 'man' nicknamed Refrigerator barreling through about 7 Patriots and scoring a touchdown. Ladies & gentlemen, a Patriots fan was born. And experienced her first crushing defeat. 

So what does that little walk down memory lane have to do with the events of Superbowl XLVI? When I was 11, it wasn't cool to be a Patriots fan. Unless you lived in New England, and even then it was a bit touch and go. The team wasn't really known for being good. Granted, I cheered for guys named Eason, Grogan, Tippett, Tatupu, Fryar, etc. But the rest of the country pretty much saw the teams in the 80's and 90's as 'patsies.' The Cowboys & 49ers were the teams whose bandwagons grew. Being a girl, my method for choosing a team to root for hinged on whether or not I liked their logo. For example, I like horses, so the Denver Broncos were in. Very scientific. But I never became a bandwagon fan just because a team was winning. It seemed like the easy way out. Jump on and enjoy the ride when they win, hop off and ridicule them when they lose. 

My dad would take us to Bryant College in the summer to watch the Patriots at training camp. For those of you still playing along, Bryant College (now University) is in Smithfield, RI. Nice campus, not a whole lot of people watching the team practice. I kept going to the training camps during high school and after I graduated from college. I have a really nice snapshot of Drew Bledsoe walking off the field. I kept it on my desk at work, and someone asked me, in all seriousness, if that was my boyfriend. I lived in Florida at the time, so I suppose I'll excuse them for not knowing who he was.

Oh, right. Florida. I moved to Orlando in 2000. It wasn't my first time living far away from home. I did a brief stint in Los Angeles after college. But Orlando was the first place I moved to where I didn't know anyone, and was starting completely alone at a new job and life. It was a little scary, but fun at the same time. 

I would call home every Sunday to see how the Patriots did. My dad, more often than not, had the same answer: "They lost." Regardless of the outcomes of the games, it was more of an excuse to call home & talk to my family. Living in Orlando offered only Miami Dolphins or Tampa Bay Buccaneers games. So getting the weekly Pats report from home made me feel closer to Rhode Island than I actually was.

I was still living in Orlando on 9/11. Being so far away from home, on a day like that, was a feeling I hope I never experience again. And as trivial as this sounds, knowing that I could lose myself in a football game on a Sunday afternoon helped. Obviously, being the social butterfly that I am, I made some fabulous friends in Orlando. We'd go to various sports bars on Sundays to watch all the games. But I was only interested in one. The great thing I discovered about living in a city like Orlando was that nobody was actually FROM there. I was surrounded by people from New York, New Jersey, Texas, etc. We had our own little Sunday football village, rooting for our various favorite teams (Jets, Chiefs, Raiders, Giants, Dolphins, Saints). Even though there are natural rivals to any sports organization, I took it upon myself to respect my friends and their chosen teams. There was good-natured ribbing, but no nastiness. It was a good time had by all. Of course, I took most of the ribbing, because the Patriots were just "so bad." 

Then it happened. My favorite QB was knocked out of a game with a pretty serious injury. Some kid named Brady filled in for him. I'll spare you all the rehashing of what happens next. I'm sure you've heard it a million times. But I will say this. From the eyes of a Patriots fan who stuck by her team when they were at the bottom, watching them succeed was a feeling like no other. I was working an event in Orlando on the eve of Superbowl 36. I was wearing my Patriots hat, and one of the security guys at the event stopped me and said he thought the Pats had a real shot at beating the Rams. I grinned from ear to ear because it was the first time I ever heard somebody impartial say something positive about my home team. 

The Patriots won a couple more Superbowls while I lived in Orlando. I even have a nice snapshot of Tom Brady from the MVP parade at Disney World hanging on my refrigerator. When I first started dating my now husband, he looked at the picture and wanted to know who the hell that guy was. I excused him at the time, because he's from Denmark, and had no idea what American football was. But the picture, dated 2/2/04, is still hanging proudly on my fridge. 

So, when people ask me when, or how, or why I became such a big football fan, I hope this helps explain a little. And maybe it'll shed a little light on why the past couple of Superbowl losses have stung so much, and left me in a funk for many days. The Patriots aren't just a team that I root for on a Sunday. They are  woven into the fabric of my childhood, reaching into my adulthood and beyond. They are an extension of my family when I've lived thousands of miles from home, and they are the bond that keeps my friendships strong and exciting.

There you go. My football blog. Hope you enjoyed it! And hey, if I can blog about the NKOTB cruise, I can blog about sports, right? GO PATS!

When Boredom Strikes

I was going through some old posts from my early days on Facebook, and found one of those silly 'notes' where you have to write down 25 facts, goals or habits about yourself. This was back in the day when I thought people were so totally interested in what goes on in my head. Clearly, I still think pretty highly of myself because I'm pasting that very list of 25 random facts here. It all still rings very true:

1. I went to pre-school with Grant Wilson from Ghost Hunters (we carpooled together).
2. I performed on-stage at the Warwick Musical Theater (known as "The Tent").
3. I wanted to be an astronaut.
4. I once used an entire bottle of Sun-In on my hair, and it turned bright orange.
5. I'm fascinated by criminal psychology.
6. I strung my Bay View uniform skirt up a flag pole when I graduated.
7. I walked in through the exit door to see the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia because I didn't want to wait in line.
8. I'm mildly obsessed with Scottish accents.
9. I secretly want to be the Press Secretary at the White House.
10. My first job after college was as a Studio Guide at Universal Studios Hollywood.
11. I've been to Iceland in the winter.
12. I learned to swim in the ocean when I was 2.
13. I play with my hair when I get really nervous.
14. I've always wanted to write a book.
15. I have a fantastic memory, so watch out what you say in front of me. =)
16. I was painfully shy when I was younger.
17. I've had grey hair since I was 11.
18. I like to challenge myself to attain what people say I can't have.
19. I still haven't watched any highlights from Super Bowl XLII (and I *never* will).
20. I love driving long distances. It relaxes me.
21. Any noise involving chewing irritates me.
22. I can juggle.
23. I'd like to spend one year living in the United Kingdom
24. Failure is my biggest fear
25. I love the cold & snow.

Do you remember....or should I rewind

If my 36 year old self could go back in time & tell my 14 year old self that she'd get to spend 5 days on the open seas with her favorite boy band, she'd probably laugh at me. Or screech in delight. Probably both. For the second time in as many years I had the good fortune to cruise to the Bahamas with Jonathan, Joe, Danny, Jordan & Donnie. You may know them collectively as the New Kids on the Block.

(Before the snickering begins, I realize they are no longer new, nor are they kids.)

I had an absolute BLAST on this cruise last year, so I was looking forward to going again. My husband dropped me off at the airport & I was immediately visually assaulted by a group of loud, for lack of a better word, women. They were also going on the cruise. The lovely gentleman at curbside check-in asked me if I was with them, to which I replied "Not technically, but we're all going to the same place." (I'll try not comment on other fans' behaviors/outfits, but I make no promises).

I arrived in Miami around noon, and went to the hotel to meet up with my 2 friends. They arrived earlier than me, so they were already poolside. By the way, it was HOT in Miami. I'm not a fan of the heat, so yeah....

When our room was ready, we dropped off our luggage & went back down by the pool. I'd changed into something a bit more heat appropriate, and felt a zillion times better. Summer clearly still hasn't arrived in Boston, but was in full swing in Miami.

As we were relaxing, I happened to glance to my left. I saw a handsome man walking to a lounge chair, and did a slight double-take for a closer look. I turned to my friends & said "Um, is that Jordan Knight?"

They looked. "Where?"

"Over there, in the black & white cow print looking shorts, blue t-shirt."

It was indeed Mr Knight. My mind started racing, because where there's a Jordan, there's usually a Jonathan. And HE has been my favorite since I was 14. I think I even said I'd lose my shit if Jonathan walked out to the pool. Less than 10 minutes later, he did. I froze. Christ on a cracker, I'm a grown woman & the minute I see him I turn into a 14 year old again. Luckily, I had a book that I was pretending to read, so I managed to keep crazy on the inside.

My friend had the brilliant idea to buy them drinks. We figured one of them (or both) would come over to thank us. We waited, wondering when or if they'd saunter over. Finally, Jordan did. It wasn't the first time I, or my friends, had met him. He was sweet, funny & even a bit shy. Plus, he used one of my favorite British terms (knackered) because he'd taken the red eye in from LA. For those of you not well versed in British terminology, knackered means exhausted.

Jordan sat with us for a good half hour, just chatting. It was very pleasant. He was even gracious enough to take pictures with us, and give us all hugs. He may not be my favorite Knight, but he was a sweetheart. Speaking of my favorite Knight, he maintained his position by the pool & never came over. But I'll forgive him for that.....

My friends & I eventually left the pool area to continue our evening with drinks & dinner. Then, it was off to bed to rest up for Destiny.

We arrived at the Port of Miami the next morning to stand in a massive line. Most of my NKOTB fandom has been spent standing in lines (Rocky Point, Tower Records on Newbury, the cruise, the Backrub....), but if you're a true fan it's all part of the experience. We boarded the Carnival Destiny, dropped off our bags & got some lunch. It's a cruise. Food is a big part of the experience as well.

After a light lunch, we went up to the Lido Deck to claim our spots for the Sail Away party. It was at this point everything hit me. We were on the boat again. I started getting all sorts of happy. Of course, the Mr Rum beverage helped a bit in that department, but he really wasn't needed.

The DJ started playing music & before I knew it, there they were. Let the madness begin!

Our first theme night was 80's Night. We looked ridiculously awesome. We watched the guys participate in NKOTB Double Dare. And not all of them were sober. For the record, Drunk Jon is the best, followed closely by Drunk Joe. This year, it seems, we all got to experience a Drunk Donnie for the first time. Priceless. A few gems from the game show: Jon knowing what a 'pleasure pit' was; Donnie, Danny & Jon sucking up M&M's through a straw for a physical challenge; Jordan commenting that Jon could "suck a watermelon through a hose"; Jon asking "do you get extra points if you suck one with a nut."

When the game show ended, we ran out to the Lido Deck for the 80's party. The guys were all dressed in their outfits from the Hangin' Tough Tour. Amazing. And then they bodysurfed through the crowd. I had a hand in helping Jon & Donnie across. I promise I only touched their arms.....seriously. By 3am it was time to call it a night. The next day was sure to be interesting......

.....because it was concert day. On the island. Not in an air conditioned theater. In the hot sun, at 1pm. Not a fan. But we three boarded the tender to head to Half Moon Cay, with our foam fingers declaring how much we hearted Donnie, Jonathan, and in the case of my other friend, Jordan & Joe. I was also armed with my SPF 100. We watched the concert from the crystal blue water, on floaties. It was enjoyable, save for the minor sunburn on my back. SPF 100, not so much. But I suppose it would have helped if I kept reapplying.

When the concert ended we headed back to the ship to cool off & get ready for the Pajamajam & Toga party. Plus, there was the season finale of Blue Bloods to watch on the Lido Deck, with Mr Wahlberg. Did I mention that the foam fingers would come in handy (no pun intended) at some point? During the show, Donnie announced he wanted someone to go sit with him on the couch in the VIP area. My Donnie loving friend shot up her foam finger and within seconds I hear him say "You. With the hand." Thank goodness she had a couple of Bahama Mamas, because the alcohol enabled her to be very chatty with him. =)

The show ended & it was time to see what the boys would look like in their togas. They all had special, Greek god inspired names. I'd rather not print them here, but just know they were inappropriate & fabulous all rolled into one. We danced, waved our foam fingers & had a most excellent time until the wee hours.

Saturday was a 'free' day. There were no scheduled events during the day, or at night, except for the Pink Night party. The ship had docked in Nassau, so we had the option of getting off the boat, but decided instead to sleep a bit later & lounge by the pool. A pretty low key day, but very welcoming.

The theme for that night's festivities was, as I mentioned, Pink Night. It was to support Susan G. Komen for the Cure. For those of you who don't know, Danny's mother passed away from breast cancer, so he does a lot for the charity. A group of cruisers even set up a donation page as a surprise for him, to raise money in his mom's memory. I donated a few weeks before the cruise. In the end, we raised more than $11,000. It was a really special night, because it was also Danny's birthday. He was immensely touched by the generosity.

Another long night of dancing ensued. The DJ sort of sucked, and the guys were pissed at him, but once the music situation was fixed, it was quite possibly the best party night on the cruise. As a matter of fact, it was so much fun that we didn't realize it was nearly 4am. And we had to be up early for our meet & greet, with photos, in the morning. Eeeek.

Picture day is always fun. We're tired. The guys are tired. Some are hungover. But we all do our best to look lovely for the one guaranteed photo op you'll get on the ship. And it goes by quick! You need to have a group of 10 people ready to go when you hit the line. Again with the lines.....but more on that later. Luckily, our group of 10 was awesome. We all knew each other & mapped out a plan of how we'd position ourselves next to our favorites. Last year, the guys were sitting on couches, which wasn't that great. This year, they were all standing, so it was much easier to snuggle up to the New Kid of your choice. I walked up and said good morning to the first four, but saved my attention for one Jonathan Knight. That man gives the best hugs. The 14 year old in me was glowing. With the picture finished we got ready to wait in line (!) for Donnie's highly anticipated Backrub. It was scheduled for 3:30pm. I planned to immediately go to the Lido Deck when it ended to see Jon host bingo at 4:30. Yes, I know. But whatever. He never hosts anything, so this was a big deal, OK?

Photo ops were running late, so the Backrub was pushed back to 4:30, and bingo was moved to 5:30. I was still planning to go to bingo, so all was right in the world. Then the disorganization began. There was no rhyme or reason to how girls were 'lining up' for Donnie's event. We were all milling about. No staff members knew what was going on, or where the line was going to form. All of a sudden, a massive wall of girls appears, wearing wristbands. My Donnie loving friend took off to find out where those wristbands came from. We were lucky enough to get them, but we were standing on the wrong side of the line. I'm not messing around when I say that some NKOTB fans are brutal. Another group of girls was escorted to the front of the line & people starting booing and yelling. Girls who didn't get a wristband were bitching and swearing. It was a CLUSTER. By 5pm, we were all still waiting and the theater hadn't even opened yet. I resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't going to see Jon host bingo. I couldn't stand in that line all afternoon and just walk away at the last second. That would be pointless. I was in it for the long haul.

We finally got seated close to 6pm. Mind you, I hadn't eaten since early that morning, so I was good & cranky. A lovely rum beverage called Miami Vice helped a little. The show finally started.

How do I describe it? Cinemax After Dark.

It ended at 7 & we rushed to get to dinner before it closed, but we were too late. So we opted for the buffet before the Acoustic Wood and Joe Show. It was Red Carpet night so we were all prettied up in dresses & sparkly shoes. After the show, we went to watch the poker tournament hosted by Donnie. It was fun. Joe came down & did some clever commentary. But how exciting can it really be watching people play cards, honestly? By midnight it was time for the last party on the Lido Deck. And I had a mission.

Remember the foam finger? Well, I decided that it was my goal to get Jonathan to sign it. It could happen. They came down to smaller stages in the crowd & signed all sorts of crap the girls held up. My foam finger was by far more fun than an old sheet or lunchbox.

So, armed with my foam finger & Jon-girl partner in crime, I made my way through the massive crowd towards the small stage he was standing on. I was almost close enough......almost.

Unfortunately I missed my chance at that point, but was determined.

We kept our eyes peeled to see where he was going next. Usually when Jon retreated to the higher deck, he was there for good. But then I heard Joe call out that Jon was walking down the stairs, on the opposite side of the deck from where I was standing. So my partner in crime & I danced our way over to the other small stage. No Jon. We looked & looked. He disappeared! We must have stood there for about 20 minutes before my friend spotted him at the base of the stairs, a bit further to our left. This was it. I made my move.

As I stealthily walked over to the stairs, I could see Jon was getting ready to leave. Oh poo. But some chick threw a t-shirt at him to sign & he stopped. So I got up close and very cutely waved my foam finger so he could see. Next thing I knew, it was lifted off my hand & he was signing it. Success!

By that time, it was nearly 3am and I was very content with leaving the party & going to grab some water & a slice of pizza. We did, and then went back to the cabin for our last bit of sleep before heading home.

But it doesn't end there......

My friends & I said our goodbyes at the Port of Miami. They were off to catch their flight in Fort Lauderdale, and I was heading to Miami International Airport. My flight to Boston wasn't scheduled to leave until 3:30, so I had a few hours to kill.

When I made my way over the gate, I settled down with the book I'd been pretending to read at the hotel when we saw Jordan. I looked up and glanced to my left. I saw a handsome man walking to a row of seats at the same gate I was sitting at. I did a slight double-take for a closer look. It was Jordan Knight.

Was it possible that my cruise adventure would end the way it began, with an unexpected Knight brothers sighting? Because as I mentioned previously, where there's a Jordan, there's a Jonathan. And 10 minutes later, there he was. Several girls around me jumped up & ran over to them. The guys politely declined their requests for photos & autographs. I don't blame them. Poor guys have been surrounded by us for days!

I assumed they'd be in first class, to fly home in comfort. But no. When I got on the plane there they were in coach. Just 6 rows in front of me.

I napped most of the way back to Logan. When I woke up, I marveled at the gorgeous descent we had through puffy clouds. There was even a rainbow. Once the plane reached the gate, I figured I'd seen the last of those two.

My husband greeted me at baggage claim & I was buzzing about the cruise. We walked over to the luggage carousel to wait for my suitcase. And there sitting in front of me was Jordan. This time he was chatting up two very nice girls from Germany who I'd met at the gate. I was trying my best to listen to my husband tell me all about what happened while I was away, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jonathan. He walked over to a small group of girls from the cruise & started talking to them. This was my last chance. I looked at my husband & said "I really want to go over there & give him a hug and thank him for the weekend."

So I did.

I walked over & very politely apologized for intruding on his conversation with the other girls. He gave me a bear hug as I explained that my husband was waiting for me & was slightly annoyed that I'd come over. (He really wasn't, but I needed a good opening line dammit!) Jonathan laughed & asked where he was standing. So I pointed him out & then we chatted for a bit. I thanked him again for the weekend & said my goodbyes. I walked back over to my handsome husband, who was patiently waiting for his wife to re-enter the real world.

He's still waiting....=)

Bridal Bootcamp and Sneaky Saturdays

In exactly 3 months and 3 days from today, I'll be walking down the aisle in my gorgeous wedding dress, ready to become a Mrs.

3 months and 3 days.

That may as well say tomorrow. It's going to FLY by. And I refuse to look like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man when I put on said dress and walk down said aisle. So, one month ago I got myself a personal trainer and dubbed my 3-day a week sessions 'bridal bootcamp.'

Holy sore muscles Batman. At least that's how I felt the first week. I'm now in the middle of my 4th week, and feel amazing. I'm shocked, and slightly disappointed, I didn't sign up for this months ago. But as a wise person once told me, timing is everything. Apparently I wasn't ready to wake up at 5:15, crawl out of bed & cart my butt to the gym in April. But I digress.

This past Saturday was my 'surprise' bridal luncheon. I say 'surprise' because a couple of people slipped and let on when it was. I was convinced it was going to be on Sunday. But, it wasn't. It was Saturday. The funniest part of the whole thing was I'd had my hair colored on Friday, and it's my ritual not to wash it for 24 hours so the color sets. Due to my strict adherence to that rule, when I got ready to meet my maid of honor and a friend for lunch on Saturday, I only conditioned my hair & put it up in a ponytail. Imagine my horror when I walked into the restaurant and saw a table piled with gifts, friends and family, and my mother laughing like a 15 year old as she snapped my picture. All I could say out loud was: "I DIDN'T WASH MY HAIR."

Hilarious.

The luncheon was beautiful. The food was delish. And I'm so pleased that a fabulous group of ladies were able to come. Did I mention the cake?

How pretty is that? And it was sooooooooo tasty. Obviously, I got my butt kicked in bootcamp on Monday, but that frosting was totally worth it.

So yeah, I was surprised. Between the boy, the maid of honor, the friend and the mom....they could start their own covert operations company. And I'm a pain in the ass when it comes to wanting to know things, so what they managed to pull off was no small task. Well done guys. =)

And.......scene!

In short, it's been one hell of a summer. Not in a totally bad way. Just a lot of big life changes. Some were expected, some came out of left field.

The Good:

My little family of just me & the 2 cats has a new addition. The boy. We all moved to Burlington last month. Yay! The new place is coming along quite nicely. We're both dorking out about the small stuff, like picking out shower curtains and stainless steel trash bins. For true. Once everything is a bit more in order, I'll post pictures.

Wedding planning is marching on smoothly. All the big pieces are in place. We even set up a cute website (www.LynnandDavid.net). Yep, we're THAT couple. I need to update it with more fun facts. But that will come at a later date.

Oh, and then there was THE CRUISE. I still have to write a complete blog about that. And by THE CRUISE, I of course mean, the NKOTB cruise. Yep, I'm that girl and I'm not ashamed. =)

The Not So Good:

My family had quite the wrench thrown into the mix in late May. I'm not going to get into it here, but it pretty much sent everyone into a tailspin. I've done my best to stay out of it, unless approached. It would be nice if things could get back to semi-normal at some point......

And it looks like I'm officially down a friend. Part of me is extremely pissed off, part of me doesn't care and part of me wants to save it. I don't know how it ended, or why really. Maybe the friendship just ran its course. It's been rocky for the past couple of years. People do grow & travel down different paths. But this doesn't feel right, for whatever reason. I suppose that's something I have to figure out on my own. It sucks though.

Even with the bumps in the road, this year has been quite fabulous. And it promises to end on a very high note. =)

Paper Cuts

I've been searching for the perfect invitation design to use for wedding invitations. I keep getting inspired by old world, travel photos & really want to incorporate them somehow. Of course, since my brain is at capacity with wedding planning, I can't seem to figure out how to find what I'm looking for.

I bought this paper pad the other night:

It has the exact designs I'm looking for, but the pages are HUGE and I'm not crafty enough to figure out how to turn them into invitations. One of these days, my wedding fairy godmother will finally visit, wave her little wand, and the invitations will just appear.