You take the good, you take the bad

So today was my first day at work. Let me start by saying everything/one is fine. Everything did not start out great though. I settled in pretty early with my clothes all picked out and my to do list made for the morning. I went to sleep only to be woken up at 1:30 by the phone ringing. I saw on the caller id that it was our friend Moira, who happens to be on a business trip with my mom in New Orleans right now. My first thought: "Oh my god, s**t". It turns out that somehow, while at dinner with their colleagues, my mom lost her footing and fell, breaking her ankle severely. She has a compound fracture of 3 bones all of which made their way to the outside of her leg, severing a main vein in the process. She was sent into emergency surgery at 2 am to repair the tissue and fix the bones as much as possible. They couldn't set the bones much because of the risk of infection from the surgery. So needless to say, I spent the whole night getting zero sleep just physically sick to my stomach. I felt so terrible for her being in a strange city with none of her family there to help her. Thank God for Moira, she was there by her side all night long. My family is so grateful for her. So anyway, she made it out of surgery fine, my dad flew in this morning to take care of her and they'll be headed home first class tomorrow. She'll have to see an orthopedic surgeon when she gets home and I'm praying she won't need more surgery. I'm hoping that she'll be able to heal relatively pain free (thanks meds!) and have no further troubles walking etc. I just can't wait to give her a hug after work tomorrow.

Speaking of work, I managed to get through the day by attaching my cell phone to myself. My boss is awesome and told me to do whatever I needed to do, be it talk on the phone all day or go home. I ended up having a good first day. I learned a lot and was able to help some of our clients work out their registrations. Everyone I work with is great and I'm looking forward to learning more. I'll update more when I learn more! Until then, I'll just be thinkin about my Mama and doin the best job I can!

Contest Alert!

Janice from 5 Minutes for Mom has an awesome contest going on! It's for an Insignia 37" Flat Panel LCD HDTV! The contest is sponsored by Best Buy, so go check them out too!

New Job Starts Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the first day of my new job! I will be a customer care representative/ meeting assistant for a company that does training, consulting, and publications for Native American groups. I am so excited to be starting my career and also to be working for a cause that I care so much about! Everyone is so nice and I can't wait to get to know everyone even better. I'll post tomorrow to update about how the first day went!

A Tribute to the Monkey Princess

As the reality of this tragic situation sets in, I find myself to be cried out (for now) and more able to focus on the sweet little lady who has rightfully warranted all this attention. The very first time I spent time with sweet Hannah, she looked up at me with her big blue eyes and sweet little smile, and in her darling but oh so mature 2 year old voice said "Look Allie, I have clickety-clack-clack shoes!". She then proceeded to demonstrate how her shoes did indeed "clickety-clack-clack". At that moment I thought "Well surely any 2 year old with an affinity for shoes is a very cool and special little girl!"

That was the first but certainly not the last time that the little Monkey captured a piece of my heart. I am always excited to get "Fancy Hannah" stories from Jess when she would come to stay and would always laugh at the fun stories that Rach would share on her blog. I've been responsible for arming little Hannah with "big girl makeup" (for play purposes only) as I know the face is one of the most beautiful canvases, and hence responsible for her losing said makeup as she tried to wear it to school! :) (Hey, every girl needs to make a statement right?) My life has certainly had more smiles thanks to Hannah.

The Earth has lost a bit of its sparkle, but the stars are surely shining brighter now. I will always have nothing but happy memories of this sweet little angel with whom I share my favorite animal and a passion for fashion. Fly happily sweet Hannah, you finally have your beautiful wings.

Prayer Request

Today is a very sad day. My friend Rachael (who is also my dear friend Jess's sister) has lost her beautiful little girl today. There are no words that can explain the grief that accompanies such tragedies. Whatever your faith or beliefs, please send your prayers and good thoughts to Jess, Rachael, Brien, Lily and the rest of their family. Rest in peace sweet "Fancy Hannah".

Fab Find!

Thanks to Jessy, my favorite shopping guru, I found this awesome bag at CVS for $4.99! What a steal! It's great for lugging your junk to work, packing books or magazines for a trip or to/from the library, to tote toiletries for an overnight, to use as a fun purse or as a shopping bag (way prettier than plastic or paper!). Go grab one before they're gone!

Front and back have different designs! They also have a couple other colors. :)

Happy Shopping!

Bangs, Versatile Bangs

It's no surprise to anyone that knows me when I show up with a new hair do. After working in a salon for years you just run out of things to do! So on a whim, I decided to make the chop and get bangs. Not swoopy side bangs, but real, "all the rage", "very now" bangs. I can't have a celebrity lifestyle but darn it, I can have celebrity hair! So here they are in their many forms! Steph- hope this helps with your decision! Jessy- here ya go since you can't see the live version this weekend! :)

Here they are normal style:

In a ponytail:

With bangs to the side for a more common look:

In my favorite "poof":

And the obligatory "I refuse to do a thing with my hair today" style:

A Green Thumb

Following the theme of my previous post, this one is for my friend (and Rach's sister) Jess. This is mostly because I'm always amazed at how she can plant anything in the smallest space. Seriously, you could walk out of her townhouse door and onto her little pathway and eat herbs right out of her containers scattered along the walkway. I've hemmed and hawed over wanting to plant something so I finally decided to take a page from Nike and "just do it". So to Jess' amazement I'm sure: I planted my very own herb garden! It was pretty fun at first but I don't like dirt it turns out so about halfway through, I was done. But I stuck with it and even made cute little name signs. So here is my beautiful garden! Are you proud Jess?? I do have to say that cooking will be much more fun now that I don't have to run to the store everytime I decide to make a recipe with an herb I don't have!

Green is the new black

Well the world has seemed to come full circle and it is increasingly popular to "go green". I'm a conservative girl but I can't resist a chance to do something good, especially if it means you get to buy cute bags* :). I decided that this post would be a shout out to my favorite aspiring locavore: Rach. Go check her out! So the reason this post is for her is because I started up my yearly tradition of getting my goods from our local farmers' market. I have always loved going to the farmers' market for fruits and veggies and I can't believe I waited this long this year to start! Well in my defense, I did go the very first day but there were only breads and stuff because the produce wasn't ready yet. But boy did I hit the jackpot today! I couldn't resist its beauty so here's a picture I took.

My finds were: tomatoes, green peppers, red onions, radishes, cucumbers, green beans, watermelon, canteloupe, peaches, sweet cherries, living lettuce (stays fresh so long!), jalepeno cheddar bread, tomato-garlic-chive bread, fresh feta and fresh applewood smoked mozzarella. Whew! And that's just what I bought. There was much much more to offer. So, just because it's fun, and really, you do not find food like this at the grocery store, here are a few pics I took up close of the prettiest produce. :)

*bags shown in picure are long handled EcoBags.

A bit of self discovery

So it occurred me today that I'm fairly certain that I suffer from a disease that doesn't clinically exist... I think that I have Shopping Bulimia. How on earth did I acquire this, and how do you treat something that doesn't exist? Sure enough, I go through spurts of binging and purging. I'll shop because I feel like it and stock up on stuff that I don't need or even remember weeks later. I will sometimes bask in the glory of a bag full of stuff and I feel prepared for anything. Then other times, I will feel cluttered and overwhelmed by my things and I will go on a major purge, often unloading up to a dozen garbage bags of donations onto those less fortunate, or my friends who don't suffer from my affliction. I think I even love this crazy transfer of things. I get just as excited when my friends comment on how they love when I clean because they get stuff as I do from walking in the door with my arms loaded with bags. This begs the further question: If I'm not on my way to debtors' prison, is this such a problem at all? Does it really matter if I like to shop and then to minimize? Probably. I think I'll try to eliminate some of the chaos and search for a happy medium. On a supremely healthy note, I am fully aware that if I was not blessed with people in my life who make me happy and whole just by being there, my things would not have the whimsical effect that they do now. I do know that the stuff doesn't make the girl. :) Now, off to purge (just a little).

Beach Bum

Well we're back from our fabulous week in the Outer Banks. I'll post later with the details and pictures but first for those who know me I thought I'd amaze you. I was a total beach bum! I lived in my bathing suit and lounge clothes with no makeup except mascara if I went out! Below is my beach bag with my beach essentials. In it you will find: Beach towel, book (of course), Coppertone Sport spf 15 spray, Alba Botanica spf 20 facial sunscreen, big floppy hat (just say no to wrinkles!) bottle of water and flip flops. That was basically my whole trip in a bag! Back later with more tales including our trouble on the high seas!

The Job Hunt

Well not too much is new. I have been enjoying some time off while I'm working part time and have tried to catch up with what seems to be 2 years worth of sorting, cleaning, trashing and organizing! I'll post pics of the bedroom once I get it in order. Those who know me will understand what a difference it is. I was seriously thinking of applying for disaster relief for a while ;) I've been reading for fun and cooking almost every night which I think Justin has enjoyed the product as much as I've enjoyed the process. I actually made chocolate chip cookies from scratch yesterday!

The biggest thing (and PAIN) right now is my full time job search. I've been looking everywhere (or so it seems) and it is getting frustrating. My degree is in history, which is difficult to find a job in so I've broadened my net. Even still, I haven't had much luck with my searches. I'll keep at it, I'm sure something will surface. The sooner the better though because I'm trying to move by the end of summer. We're actually thinking about moving to Charles Town, WV. AACK!! I know I know. But we could save some SERIOUS money by commuting the extra 45 minutes. So that's that. I'll try to come up with some more interesting things to blog about but for now, it's off to cook dinner. Jess- I'm making the chicken, rice, mushroom, brocolli casserole you taught me! And some banana pudding with the 'Nilla wafers: yuck, but that part is for Justin.

Britney may not be crazy after all...

Okay, well she probably is. But they say you don't know about someone until you walk a mile in their shoes. Well in my case it was more like hair. I recently had hair extensions as a fun experiment as a guinea pig for my stylist friend. They were long and fun and I enjoyed my month with them. Then, removal time came. We spent more time getting them out than in (4 hours!!) It was PAINFUL and sooo tedious. I asked numerous times if she would shave my head just to get it over with. That's when the lightbulb went off in my head that Britney wasn't crazy to shave her head, she just had hair extensions!

In other news, Steph at Adventures in Babywearing is holding a contest for a CD that my friend Scott's band made. It's a children's CD called Soundzania and it's super fun! Anyone with kids or shopping for a unique and fabulous kids present should go check them out!

Despicable!

Okay, I am not a Survivor fan, I don't follow the seasons despite my sad love of reality tv. BUT, I happened to catch one episode in which Yau Man won a truck and upon winning, gave his prize to Dreamz, who did not own a car of his own. He did this on the condition that if they were both in the final four and Dreamz had immunity, he would give his immunity to Yau Man. Dreamz accepted and said he "swears to God" that he would keep his word, as if his word meant anything at all. He went on in a private interview saying that he would want his son to be a person who keeps his word so he would of course keep his own. So as you might have assumed, this exact event took place and Dreamz, being the scum that he is, did not give his immunity to Yau Man. This to me crosses a whole new line of strategical play. Can you really "survive" with no regards to your integrity? A person's integrity is one thing that you can never get back. Everyone makes good and bad choices but when you sell yourself out, on national tv no less, you show zero regard for yourself and certainly no regard for others. I wonder how Dreamz can sleep at night knowing that he has lost his most basic instrument of humanity. So congratulations Dreamz, on your truck, I hope you and your empty soul enjoy it.

The traitor himself.

Goodbyes Stink :(

My good friend Jess is moving to Kansas on Saturday and I spent the afternoon with her today for the last time! I think I've taken for granted all of our times together as it has always been so easy to hang out. We met 7 years ago on our first day of college when I had just graduated and she had just gotten married. We've been through so many big times together including the birth of my favorite munchkin Ella. I'm gonna really miss them! Hopefully I'll be out to visit in the fall so I can see the new place! I'll also be blogging more regularly so that we can keep each other easily informed of our lives. So check back for frequent postings! Good Luck Jess, Bob and Ella!

Me giving Ella an airplane ride!

Giving Thanks

I have recently started a Gratitude Journal. Every night before bed, I write down what it is that I am most grateful for that day. I think it's really easy to take all that we have for granted, so I felt it was important to remind myself each day. I hope all of you are having a wonderful holiday today with your loved ones, enjoying good food and good memories. In the spirit of the holidays, I decided I am going to post a list of the silly things I'm thankful for, as we all know the really important things. So this is just for fun. What are some of your favorite things?

These are a few of my favorite things:
the crackle of a real fire in the fireplace, the smell of cookies baking, my sweatshirt blanket, flannel pjs, red gummy bears, when my bird presses his wing to his cage for a pet, dinner and movie with the whole family, hearing my friends' ringtones on my phone, e-cards, an overloaded bookshelf, louis legs on furniture, shimmery eyeshadow, kit kats, old photographs, cheesy American song/photo compilations that make me cry, really cold diet coke, Christmas music by the "greats", southern charm, crisp white wine, high thread count sheets, board games, chicken burritos, pink nailpolish, high heels, opening stockings last on Christmas, the fact that Disney World is still magical to me, shiny lipgloss, lunch breaks, making others smile, tv shows on dvd, fun movies where no thinking is required..only enjoying, seeing the bright side of anything, girls nights out, lists, cool pens, funky earrings, and most of all... knowing that I have a fabulous life full of fabulous people and appreciating that everyday. :)

Right and Wrong

I try to make it a conscious point to always do the right thing. I know that I have very strict rules that I live by but thinking about them got me wondering... How do we know what the "right" thing is? What do you think is the difference between right and wrong? And is there a clear right and wrong for everything? I know that when you get nit-picky, some things are right for some people and wrong for others but I'm talking about the very basic code of morals and ethics. If there's a line, what is it, and where does it start to branch out?

VOTE VOTE VOTE

Well I really hope everyone voted! I was at the polls at 6am sharp to cast my vote! Here is a copy of a myspace bulletin I sent out this morning around 7:

Don't forget it's election day which means everyone should be hitting the polls! It doesn't matter which way you vote, only that you do. I know a lot of people will say "I don't have time to vote", or "I don't feel like going to vote". Instead, I ask you to think of it this way: Would you ever say "I don't have time to be an American today" or "I don't feel like appreciating everyone who has died to protect my rights"? If you're abstaining for a legitimate reason, than ignore this post, but please don't let laziness or lack of interest keep you from taking 30 minutes out of your day once a year to do your duty as a citizen of the best country in the world. I know that last part was biased, but so am I. But seriously, GO VOTE!!

“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.”-- John Quincy Adams

The fun thing is that one of my friends copied my bulletin and reposted it so all his friends would read it too! So hopefully everyone got out there. If I got my butt out of bed at 5:45 after staying up late to study and then went to class all day then everyone else should have too. We all know I love my sleep! So SHAME on anyone who was just lazy and had no good reason not to go.

On a lighter note:
I thought I'd share a fun election related tidbit. Ever wonder how the political parties got their symbols? Well thanks to Wikipedia now you will know!

"The mascot symbol, historically, is the elephant. A political cartoon by Thomas Nast, published in Harper's Weekly on 7 November 1874, is considered the first important use of the symbol. (1874 Nast cartoon depicted GOP as an elephant demolishing the flimsy planks of the Democrats)" *cartoon is on Wikipedia if anyone is interested in seeing it.

"The jackass was born in the intense mudslinging that occurred during the presidential race of 1828 as a play on the name of Andrew Jackson, the Democratic candidate. Jackson had been called "Andrew Jackass," and the defiant Jackson adopted the nickname."

He really was a jackass, he's by far my least favorite President, mostly because of the Trail of Tears. But that's another blog.

A Random Silly Thought

So this is a really silly topic but one that I bet a few of you (ahem Jess and Rach) may relate to. I've noticed on many an occasion that the women in all of our girly books have TERRIBLE fashion sense! I don't know if any of you watch Sex and the City but this reminds me of when Berger (I think it was Berger) put his main character in a scrunchie (Carrie: "a SCRUNCHIE?!?!). What is up with this? I am reading a Rachel Gibson book right now in which her leading "hot stuff" lady was wearing a navy blue turtleneck, navy blue blazer, black jeans, and black ankle boots!!!!!! Come on! How is any part of that outfit okay, much less as an ensamble? This offender was just the one that pushed me over the edge, I have read many a book with a banana clip, or other dorky mismatched outfits. Why you may ask do I care what the leading lady in my current read is wearing? Well I really shouldn't. But I like to relate to my character, I like to get lost in the book and feel like the character could be me. And just as I'm easing into the story, I'm halted abruptly by some heinous crime of fashion. I'm not trying to make this seem any less silly than it is, but it is a recurring instance. Has anyone else thought this or am I a lone nit-picker on this one? :)

By the way, I saw Marie Antoinette and really liked it, what did everyone else think? It reminded me a little of my favorite movie "Elizabeth". And I saw Poseidon tonight on dvd. Hated it. I have my reasons but it would ruin the movie to tell them. Not that there's much to ruin. Any contrary thoughts?

What?? Could it be a....POST??

Okay I haven't posted in a month, I'm a slacker. I don't have tons of readers though so I'm sure it's no big deal. Anyway, not much is new. Just school and work, school and work. I'm sure some of you heard about the shooting that happened earlier in October outside of Safeway in Sterling. The guy that was killed was my friend from high school, Chris. It was so sad to read that news. He was such a great guy and I know he's in a better place but I feel just awful for his family. Things like that make you really appreciate the all the good things about life. Speaking of a great life, I had the most fabulous girl's night though last night with Jessy in Old Town Alexandria. After work, we ran to her house, got changed and hopped on the metro to King Street. Not knowing about the free "Dash" bus that takes you down to near the waterfront, we hiked the probably mile and a half in the COLD down to Ramsay House and went on the Graveyard Ghost Tour. Soooo much fun!! We were frozen and numb by this point so we were fine with the one hour outdoor walking tour. I highly recommend going on it. My goal is to be one of the tour guides so if I do, be sure to come on my tour! We then walked to Pat Troy's, a charming Irish Pub with live Irish music every night! Jess- you know I was thinking about the Gallaghers! We sat up in "President Reagan's Corner" which any who know me understands just how fabulous that was to find. We ate the best chicken pot pie ever and drank a big glass of Harp's. We clapped and sang along with the Irish songs and took our pictures which I'll post as soon as Jessy emails them to me. What a blast it was! We jumped on the Dash bus and got on the Metro back to Jessy's house. Well it wasn't that smooth going, we did pick the wrong line in our excitement to catch a warm train right away, but we quickly amended the situation and were on our way! We then got into some comfy pj's watched 2 episodes of King of Queens and finally when I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer, I crawled into the freezing guest room and got all cozy under the best down comforter ever. At least it was last night. Thanks for having the best guest room bed Jessy! So that about sums it up. I will try to post more loyally. I know Graham, you lose readership if you don't post!! Hope everyone is well and lovin life! -A