Help

With the news about the earthquake that devastated Haiti, there is a onslaught of generosity.

Before you donate money, make sure that it is a reputable organization. Sadly, as with most recent disasters people have been scammed and their contribution does not make it to the country in need. To check if your charity is a legitimate one please check out this website.

Check with the local offices to see if they are collecting food and clothes. The Red Cross in Chicago is requesting financial donations as it costs them time and money to sort and send clothes. Also, they like to stimulate the local economy by purchasing items there.

Check if your company is offering matching donations to maximise your donation.

Some other relief and charities organizations that are collecting are
Doctors without Boarders
Habitat for Humanity
Red Cross
Mercy Corps
Care
Save the Children
World Food Program

Check to see what they are looking for (although most are seeking financial donations)

You can also text "Haiti" to 90999 to donate $10 to the International Response Fund of the Red Cross.

Staying safe

Our neighbors were a victim of a day time home robbery over the weekend. It happened between 1-3 pm, most of the neighbors were out (including us) and did not see anything suspicious until about 3:45. They lost their laptops, a gaming system and some custom jewelry. They crate their dog so she was okay, shaken up but okay/

It got me thinking about some things that we all can do to protect our homes. The first thing it to add layers to make your home less appealing:

Here are some tips to keeping your home safe.

Structure:

-Alarm system

There are so many options available that can be suited to your house/condo (make sure they are reputable, do your homework). Many are offering discounts or free options that help to mitigate the cost. Put the alarm stickers on your doors and windows, it is a major deterrent (Plus, it reduces your homeowner’s insurance)

-Doors:

How strong are your doors, are they reinforced with steel or just a simple hollow wood door? Can you replace them? If not, the simple thing it so add a metal plate, like a book cover, they glide over your door and then you bolt your locks and handle in, it is hard to drill to open the lock. You can also consider some drill proof locks.

-Windows

-Do you keep your shades open to show the world what you own? Invest in blinds, curtains and keep your windows locked when you are not home.

-Assessment

Time yourself give yourself 5-15 minutes, what is in plain eye sight and can easily be taken? Try different entry points. Secure those items to make it harder.

Personal items

Serial numbers

Keep a record of your serial numbers for your computers, gaming systems, TV, DVD players etc. Keep the record on an internet based system such as Google Docs. Print and keep a copy for yourself (perhaps in a book on your bookshelf or taped to the back of some artwork that is hanging in your home)

Jewelry

Do you want your sentimental jewelry taken? Place those special pieces away from your everyday pieces. Keep it somewhere unusual that would take a lot of time and effort to find but not hard for you to remember.

Insurance:

From homeowners to renters insurance make sure you have your items covered. Be honest, look at the value of your bit ticket items and get coverage. It is a small price to pay

Safe

Invest in a strong secure one, one that is too heavy for a person to carry comfortably. Keep your passports and important papers in here but keep a copy of your passport somewhere safe, Scan it to your email. A safe deposit box at a bank is another option.

Buzzar/doorbell:

Make sure you know who you are letting into your building or home. It is okay not to let people in that you do not know even if they say they are friends of your neighbors.

People

Know your neighbors

You need to keep each other informed of any suspicious activity. Don’t be afraid to speak up

Know your local police officers

Invite them to your association meetings; let them know your concerns. They have tips and suggestions to keep you safe and you develop a relationship with them.

Pets

Ensure that your pets have the electronic ID system. Make sure you keep those numbers handy. Call all shelters if they go missing

Be aware,

Know your surroundings, know the people who live in your neighborhood and report anything suspicious.

What are other tips?

Gone to the dogs

Since we added Rosie to our family, we have had our hands full. She is very quick, nimble and has a stubborn streak. But she and Yukon are good friends and entertain each other for a few hours a day. She and Chaplin can share our bed during nap time.

We've been working from home for the past few days due to the snow storm and she has decided that she would rather spend all day on a lap rather then in her warm crate. She is not a fan of the cold weather and loves to wear her jacket. Her dad is looking at doggy boots since she is very sensitive to the salt.

Yukon has been such a good big sister. She tolerates having a playmate and has taken on this matronly aura. I am so proud of her.

We all start obedience school this weekend and I can't wait. We need to work on a few things but, we can't imagine our life without her.

Changes to work for

The past two weeks have been lovely! It was great staying home doing little things to make our house neater and spending time catching up on movies and playing with the pets. I got most of my list done but not all of it. I have been procrastinating on finishing up cleaning the office and my bedroom closet though.

But with 2010 brings some things that I want to start to do. I don't like to call them resolutions because I feel so bad when they fail but, rather call them changes to work for. The top of my list is to get my body in motion. I have not exercised in ages and am feeling the effects so instead of wallowing about it, I need to get moving. Back to the gym for me and perhaps start running (perhaps). I also have to watch what I eat, the holidays wrecked me so now we have to go back to eating good things. Work has a program to help you get started so I signed up to keep me motivated and accountable. I was so good early last year but, stopped. Now, I have to get back on track.

I want to stay organized. I get so freaked out sometimes by not having a neat and tidy house. So I want to work to maintain and do little things that help keep it looking good. I have already started, I organized all the cleaning products by usage, accessibility and if it is dry vs. wet. I also take at least three things that don't belong in a certain room and put them back when I leave the room I am in. Finally, I conditioned our chopping block and it looks so pretty that nothing is allowed on it. I plan to clean for a few minutes each day so that the weekend is not a cleaning marathon.

Simple changes I suppose but I hope these work to make things a bit easier for me in the long run.

what are your "changes to work for"?

Ringing in 2010!

It is hard to believe that another year has gone by so quickly (as it feels sometimes). It was a good year all in all for me. Getting married was the highlight! But there were a lot of little moments that made the year for me. I get to hang out with an amazing person each day, I get kisses on the nose from my cat, cuddles and hugs from my dogs. I got to see a lot of family and friends this year.

I hope that 2010 brings each of you a lot of love and happiness.

Happy New Year!

A Rosie outlook

This is the reason that I am not getting all of my to do items off of my list (I have made a decent amount of progress though)

Her name is Rosie and is one year old. The hubs and I adopted her from a local shelter last Friday with Yukon in attendance.



They are getting along really well and spend their days playing "I want the toy you have" and cuddling on the doggy beds. Yukon is taking with her and has been a good sport. We've all be going on long walks and are working to develop the pack leadership.
Chaplin is a bit confused because she is a dog yet smaller than him. They have been testing each other out and have gotten to the tolerated part. Although he loves her crate!

The hubs and I have our hands full but, in a good way. We did our research and made sure that our priorities were the safety and well being of our first two pets. She is the perfect fit and is a love bug. It is only a matter of time before they are all sharing the same bed.

It has been worth it!

Free of the rest of the year

Today is the last day of work for me. I have the next two weeks off. I have a generous vacation days due to my savvy negotiation skills. But being a project manager does not mean I can ignore my emails, so for each day I will be checking in here and there. I want to conclude two projects before the end of the year so I have to make sure that they are in the wrapping up stages.

But it still means that I can sleep in and spend the day doing things that I want to be done. It is more of a staycation and I can't wait.

The main projects of my days off are to clean the condo from room to room. I created an aggressive list with what needs to be done and starting on Monday I am tacking the kitchen and bathroom. Tuesday will be spent in the office. Wednesday is a cooking day and doing the living room. The following week is the bedroom. I want to start the New Year in a gleaming spotless home.

I am also cutting myself some slack because I want to rest, catch up on some movies and do some beading. I also want to spend some time in a museum and making some yummy goodies.

It is going to be such a fulfilling way to end 2009.

Christmas Calm

So a strange sense of holiday calm has descended over me. I think because for the first time in a long time, I am on top of my game. I have all my Christmas presents done, wrapped and under the tree. Most of the cards are written, they just need to be stamped and sent The presents for the fam are boxed and almost ready to go (I have to get a treat for the dog). Last night the hubs and I made color mix crayons for gifts for our friends and family who have little ones.

I have also been planning our Christmas eve meal, I have decided to make:

Beef Bourguignon
A frisee salad with warm goat cheese
Popovers (from Trader Joe's)

Served with:
Bordeaux wine

For dessert, I am not sure. I was thinking cream brulee but that may be too much. So I am thinking a simple apple tart.

It is just the Hubs and I that night and I wanted to start our own traditions so I figure that re-creating a meal we had on our honeymoon is a lovely start. Since we are spending the next day with his fam, I am going to make a two types of cupcakes for dessert! The hubs requested a banana cupcake with chocolate frosting and I know my niece loves red velvet so we may have to make those two.

Now, I have to plan New Year's eve! But this is my last week of work so I think that I can spend next week planning how to ring in 2010.

What about you, any new intimate holiday traditions this year?

Random happenings

Just some random happenings:

• Got certified in Six Sigma as a Yellow Belt. I am very excited because the process will help me at my job! Not sure if I want to move to green belt but we shall see.
• Found out that our wedding was featured in our Alumni magazine.
  
• We got our Christmas tree, we put it up and it looks lovely.
• I got about 75% of my Christmas shopping done, but I know what I am getting for the 25%
• I experienced history repeating itself-and I am over it
• Spent time in some old haunts this past week, it was weird and seems like it was another life.
• It looks like we will pay off a good chunk of debt this week
• Working with the hubs to get rid of clutter.
  

What are your happenings?

Books

OK so I have not officially been tagged but have been asked (ahem) to participate by my girl CBN:

What was the last book you bought?
Depends on what you mean "bought" ever since I got the Kindle I download. The last book I downloaded was "The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance". It sounded like something different that I may like. I have been keeping my reading fun lately

Name a book you have read MORE than once.
There are a few actually. I re-read "To Kill a Mockingbird", I read it in HS and then in my 20s and it was totally different for me each time. I love Scout. I also re-read, The little Prince and the Alchemist

Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life?
Every book affects me in one way shape or form
These are my top five:
1. To Kill a Mockingbird
2. The Little Prince
3. Gone with the Wind
4. My Life in France : Julia Child
5. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
(6-The Red Tent)

How do you choose a book? (e.g. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews).
Varies, I rend to look at recommendations. Typically, if I like the author I will read more of their books. Most web sites tend to have the if you like this book then you will like XXXX book. My friends have offered great suggestions as well. But, I go through phases where I want to know about a particular subject and I will read as many books as I can about that subject until I am burned out. I went through this a few years ago when I wanted to find out about Buddism, then the Tutors and then the court life of Louis XIV. I am more on a chick lit kick lately.

Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?
I mostly read fiction but I do dabble in Non Fiction if the subject interests me.

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?
Well the books there are to hold my lamp up (seriously) but my Kindle I have been reading
The Reading Group. Next is The Knitting Group or the Blind Assassin.

What was the last book you’ve read, and when was it?
The Lost Symbol-total disappointment

Have you ever given up on a book halfway in?
If I really don't like the book. I tend to give it a shot but if it is really bad I give up and on to the next book.

What are the best books you've read this year?
So many...especially since I read a lot during my honeymoon. Lets see:

1. My life in France-Julia Child
2. Mastering the Art of French Cooking
3. ShopGirl
4. The Unlikely Disciple
5. The Shopaholic (followed by Shopaholic takes Manhattan, and Shopaholic gets married)
6. Best Friends
7. Eat, Pray, Love
8. In Her Shoes
9. Love the one you are with
10. Certain Girls
11. How Japan took the JAP out of me.


So what about you?

Risks Vs Benefits

Yesterday, a report came out regarding mammograms.

In a nut shell, it said that healthy women (who do not have a history of breast cancer in their family) can push mammograms until they are 50. Then they should only have them every other year. The long standing age has been 40 with a recommended mammogram every year (unless you have a history of breast cancer).

Part of the reasoning behind the study is that as you age (specifically 50 and up) your are more likely to get breast cancer than most women in their 40s and many women in their 40s experience false positives that forces them to undergo further testing, biopsies and causes them undo stress. They also say that self breast examination is not necessary as they lead to more mamograms and biopsies for non cancerous bumps.

Obviously, one of the opponents of this new recommendation is the American Cancer Society who encourage women to get yearly mammograms after age 40. Especially since early detection increases the treatment options and life span.

My question to you is would you rather have a false positive and be subjected to further testing after age 40 or would you do what the new recommended guidelines are and start at 50?

For me, I would rather start at age 40 and if there is nothing after the first mamogram, then every other year. But I would rather experience a false positive early than risk a later stage cancer at age 50.

What are your thoughts?

Do you self examine?

Random weekend highlights

We had a lovely non-burb weekend. It was great to stay home, run a few errands (Finally dropped my wedding dress off at the dry cleaners), watched a few movies and did the weekend chores. The Hubs mentioned that he felt bad about being lazy but after the running around we did before the wedding it more than makes up for it.

We have our netflix streamed in so the Hubs is in one room watching Lost and I have been able to watch some interesting movies that I recommend:

Arranged
Brick Lane
Confessions of a Superhero
Kramer vs. Kramer

Yesterday, I made some pulled pork for today and as leftovers for the week. I am so relieved that I don't have to cook tonight.

We also spent about a hour and half researching and discussing our health care options now that we are married. While my plan has the extra pharmacy benefits, it will cost an arm and part of a leg. His has great co-pay and cost sharing options but, my monthly costs on prescriptions alone will cost a lot more. It is more than frustrating.

As the hubs said the other day "I wonder if all this health care options in Congress, will get more steam as people try to figure out how much more they will pay one way or another while open enrollment is active."

What are your thoughts?

Huh?

So I got a comment in Russian, my first ever. Ironically it is anon and it was in Cyrillic so, I translated it and it says:

Let us officially by agreement make on the physical persons and colleagues of the enterprises of passage in the metro into the network of the supermarkets of the metros cache and Kerry: passage in the metro with your photograph (it is done with you in the very store OF THE METROS), with the serial number, by the code, by magnetic strip, by the name of the organization, from which you will be by us registered and designed. You can carry out two people with yourselves. The cards of metro take shape: to the citizens of Russia and foreign [grazhdan].[Oformlenie] is produced without [predoplaty], i.e., at first we record you, you obtain the maps of metro to design the cards of the metro, then you pay. Payment is produced during one workday after formulation through [Sberbank] RF, the supermarkets [M]ETRO Of cash and C[a]rry work [kruglosutochno].[Srok] of the action of the map of the client of metro of 3 years, after this period agreement renews through a mutual agreement of [storon].[Dlya] of the rendering of this service we we find organizations, which have vacant places in these shopping centers, and we conclude with them the appropriate agreements, according to which the organizations [obyazuyutsya] to grant to you the right to use their places in these hyper-fogsalmon with period for three years. Formulation and registration are produced in the different German shopping centers [M]ETRO Of cash of & C[a]rry, on the selection of legal persons in accordance with their territorial location. After obtaining passage into [met]r[o] in one of the German stores of the metros [Kesh] and Kerry you can it use in any other stores of this network of the shopping centers [M]ETRO Of cash and C[a]rry in Russia and abroad. [url= http://www.c-c-metro.ru/20-5.php] AS TO USE THE MAP OF THE STORE OF THE METROS CACHE! mordant! [/url] [url= http://www.c-c-metro.ru/29-2.php] dishes for the restaurant the store of the metro! fresh fish! [/url

Anyone venture a guess to what it means?

The pro shots (

So without futher ado... finally some of our pro shots

All images are from Grey Street Photography. We love Brian and Chrissy so much and they were such an amazing team to work with.

Our rings

The bridesmaid's flowers

My shoes

With my mom

My brooch

The back of my dress and the hands that helped!


The best man prep

Counting the minutes



With my dad

The church






My flowers

With my hubs

Our two centerpieces and cake and cupcakes

Andy my favorite

Holding myself accountable

I can't believe that it is November with winter around the corner. I have been mastering the art of hibernation because there have been some days Lately where I don't want to leave the house. I just want to curl up, read, make a few necklaces or watch a movie. On Saturday I did just that. We did not have any plans for Halloween so we just stayed in drank champagne, made some yummy finger foods and watched The Tutors…for hours. That series is addicting and we finally finished the season last night.

My to do list is growing and I have to get on it, but I really have no motivation to do so. I just have to get up and do it….maybe this weekend.

Actually, I have some plans to take care of a few things this week during the week so that I can actually veg out and relax over the weekend. I plan on getting some accomplished!

so what is on my to do list:
-Take the wedding dress to the cleaners
-Clean out my bookshelves and take them to the half price book store
-Mail a package to my Mom
-Print some wedding photos for mom for said package
-Upload my wedding photos
-Finish Name change
-List our gocco for sale
-List our bookshelves for sale

We'll see how much I get done.

In our world

Things have slowed down for us lately and it Is fine with me. We actually spent the weekend in a very mellow sort of way and had no place to go nor major things to do. So we each cooked for a day. On Saturday, Hubs made chicken stock and then used it for a soup. I made braised short ribs ragu on Sunday. We have tons of leftovers but since our schedule is a bit warped this week, they make perfect dinners.

Last night, the girls ,Diana's mom and I went to a class at the Chopping Block, it was by Dawn Jackson Blatner and it was so good. She made some lovely dishes for the appetizer theme. We got to eat some Indian Samosas with an Indian pesto, goat cheese zucchini rolls, Thai lettuces wraps and chocolate covered grapes! Everything was so good. It will help to know how to make healthy meatless meals since Hubs and I were thinking of adding one meat free meal a week to our diet (one that is not pizza or mac and cheese).

I am quite pleased with how I cut my spending drastically last month. My credit card bill (minus the wedding debt we are still paying off ) was so low. I plan to put some more money in savings. But this month is going to be a killer thanks to my dentist bill that did not meet my deductible. Well you win some and you lose some. I am just glad to know some of our sacrifices are starting to pay off. Next on our list, we are selling some things that we do not need anymore and I am going to clean and sell my wedding dress.

What is on In your world?

Part of the family

This weekend, Hubs and I headed to farm country for his brother's wedding. We spent the weekend with his family and there was a lot of driving. But it was a nice change of pace. The leaves were lovely and the drive was relaxing but, it made me realize how much of a city person I am.

We headed out on Friday afternoon about 45 minutes earlier than our original intention due to the fact that Hubs, forgot to read a portion of the email that mentioned that there was in fact going to be a rehearsal. We did make it to our hotel early but underestimated the distance between the hotel and wedding site, so we ended up being 10 minutes late. It was cold and windy and I had a dress that I bought in Paris and strappy sandals, not my best idea, nor was the cup of tea that I thought was decaf at 9 pm.

Saturday, exhausted and grumpy, I drove the groom and his brothers to the wedding site. It was fun to have them all in the car since they have this history that I get to learn about. Like how two of them picked corn for a summer and that if cows are sitting it meant rain. The ride back to the hotel was not as fun. I headed to the site again with Hubs' aunt and we waited inside for the wedding to start. It was an outside wedding and while I was wearing a cute dress and the same sandals, I was warm….spanx to the rescue. I was holding my soon to be 3 year old niece to prevent her from running up and down the aisle. Hubs told me that I looked like I was holding on to her for dear life but hey she had a down coat and it kept me warm too (that was my real plan)

They had a cute and meaningful ceremony, surrounded by their family and friends in a very pretty outside ceremony. I have never seen Hubs' brother so happy.

The reception was fun, the food was great, the father daughter dance was awesome and the groom and two groomsmen played a song for the bride. We caught up with family and everything was lovely.

Now they are in Paris and I am slightly envious.

It was a lovely time (minus some family drama but, hey what wedding is not void of drama).

***I know I owe you all some wedding photos and I promise they are coming.

on the up side

It has been getting chilly too fast here. But with fall come some lovely fall activities. The Hubs and I have been more relaxed (for the most part) these past few weeks and it has been what we needed. We have got time to spend together doing nothing. We've been able to be homebodies and spend the weekends doing things that we want to do.

A few weeks ago we went to an apple festival and this past weekend we went to his friend's house for chili. I had an awesome time meeting his friend's wife and sweet kids. Their son called me a princess and we were fast buddies when we played with his Batman toys. They had such a simple and clean house that has inspired me to start getting rid of clutter that has plagued us for the past few months. (does anyone need unbleached tote bags, I have about 12 of them)

this weekend we have a wedding, Hub's brother is getting married. We are glad to be guests and that we may actually eat. However, we have been both dragged into some family drama but, Hubs and I have talked about it and we've decided to stay out of it.

I have been making some beaded necklaces ever since I took a beading class. I am hoping to sell a few of them but I first have to build my inventory. So I have been working on that the past few days during my free time.

So things are looking up….

Yes

It was a year ago today and we went for a long walk along the lakeshore. It was in the high 70s and sunny. The lake was the green grey blue colors and the leaves were red, orange amber and yellow.

You got down on your knee and asked me to marry you...and we did.

New fall activities

So there have been a few things that have been happening since the weather changed

-I took a candy making class with CBN and Diana, we made truffles, turtles, toffee and peppermint bark. I have not made candy before so it was a lot of fun and I have some great holiday gifts ideas not too mention tons of candy at home.

-Since getting married, I have acquired 5 nieces and 1 nephew and during the fall come the "our kids are raising money for their school" emails. So the Hubs and I set a cash limit and will be purchasing something from each set of kids.

-The fall catalogs have started to come in making me lust for clothes and shoes. I looked at them, drooled and tossed them in the recycle bin. No new things this year.

-The days are getting shorter and that means I leave and come home at dawn and dusk. Getting up in the morning is harder without the sun.

-We've decided to try one new recipe a week for the next few weeks (to start off with). So far this week I made quiche Lorraine (amazing) and the Hubs made chocolate Carmel donut holes. tonight I am making saffron and potato garlic soup!

-I am in a weird state of mind and I am trying to sort things out. In a way, I feel very alone and isolated, like I don't belong in certain situations and I am sort of giving up in trying to belong (there is no use in forcing my way in parts where it is starting to become obvious that I am not a part of). It is something that I am trying to figure out and it frankly sucks. I can't really talk about because it is so complex and people will think it is stupid and I have been extremely hard on myself. I want to be out of this hole but can't see the light just yet and I have to be careful not to be sucked into my own self pity party. Not going so well....

This has nothing to do with my marriage!!! He has been such a support during this time, he has watched me become more negative and self deprecating and tries to pull me up but, it is me who has to realize a few things rather than take things at face value. But it has been hard.

I am trying, I am trying...

Fighting the bugs

I think I am coming down with something. I get these weird shooting pains in the back of my head and my ears. Then I feel "cold" in my chest and after that...a cold begins.

It means that I will have some soup for lunch, keep hydrated and hopefully fend off this bug with out a trail of tissues.

What are your "getting a cold" symptoms and your "Cures"?

pieces

Just the bits of what has been going on…

-Have been reading voraciously. I currently have two books going at once. Hubs gave me a Kindle for my wedding gift and I have been reading every night. currently reading "My Life in Paris" by Julia Child. She is a remarkable person and has such a classic love story and relationship with her husband Paul. It makes me want to move to Paris.

-For my birthday last week, Hubs gave me the ubiquitous cookbook "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" by Julia Childs. We've been talking nonstop about her since we were in Paris then saw "Julie and Julia". Her recipes are copy written so they are not on line. But I really like the way she writes and I am planning on making a few dishes. Anyone interested in a dinner pot luck at my house (seriously)….Can we say Camembert soufflé?

-I have decided months ago that this fall, I will make beef stock. As God is my witness, I will make it.

-The past few nights, I have been beading. I haven't uploaded any photos because I need to create a light box since the photos are not coming out well. It is on my to do list. I also need to buy more beads but I have to wait a few weeks to do that!

-We are 98% done with our Thank you notes. We errr I have to buy stamps.

Mojo

I feel like I lost my mojo when it comes to writing and blogging. My life is ordinary and there has not been much excitement since the wedding. The Hubs and I are back in our routine work, come home, walk dog, make dinner, eat, watch TV or read, bed….rinse and repeat. Our weekends have pretty much been full of errands and chores.

There has been little chaos, little drama as of late and while that in and of itself is blissful, it is also a wee bit boring. I love hanging out with Hubs and being his wife. Things just slowed up, that is the way that it is.

Other than starting the process of changing my name, nothing glam or exciting has happened in the past few days.

Lazy and energy

I have been falling off the wagons….the gym wagon, the blog wagon, the bead wagon. It just seems that I am tired, my body is tired and sometimes I just want to veg out in front of the tube. I think that it means that I need me time. At the same time, I want to get back into the activities that I enjoy.

Regardless, I do force myself out especially if I have prior commitments. So Sunday the Hubs and I went to see U2. It was utterly amazing, the set, the songs the vibe. It was one concert that I did not want to end. It is one of my top concerts that I have ever seen!

Last night, I went to Shecky's girls night out with CBN and J9. We had a lot of fun and the few drinks were loaded, so it took me just one drink and I was done. During the evening, J9 mentioned acupuncture and the energy she gets from it. So I may look into that. I just am not feeling fully charged (no I am not pregnant) but I think part of that is the lack of sleep. My cat has a bad habit of scratching my closet to illicit a response and it wakes me up every single time. I have bought a spray that seems to be working but, from weeks of interrupted sleep takes its toll!

Does anyone have experience with acupuncture to share?

It was a beautiful day

It was a beautiful day in NYC, blue sky with a few wisps of clouds.

I took the train into the city as per usual, but I was by myself. Dad had to go to a funeral and would be on a later train.

Instead of heading to my office , I went to my doctor's office.
It was there that I heard whispers "Planes….World Trade Center"
It was in my doctor's office when he came in and told me what happened.

I had to head to mid-town, the subways were empty as they passed by, finally one stopped
I headed to Herald Square and walked towards 5th
My cell phone did not work

It was on 34th and 5th that I saw tower 1 fall
It was there that traffic stopped…the world stopped
It was there that I heard silence and screams in a matter of seconds
It was there that the woman standing next to me fell on her knees and the man next to me started to cry
All in front of the Empire State Building…the tallest building on that island.

I ran across the street that was motionless to my office a few doors down

I walked in and all my co-workers were on the phone and watching the TV.
We had only 5 working lines
I had 7 messages on my phone
My friend could not find her husband, an NYPD officer
My co-worker could not get in touch with her friends that worked downtown
My other co-worker remembered that his cousin was in the building

It was there when I called my mom and finally got her
I was in the office when I heard her say "Your father went in to the office after the first plane hit, he has to check on his staff"
A few moments later "Tower two fell
My dad worked in tower two.

My VP walked out and told us that he was leaving the city and we all could go
My boss and I went to Grand Central to find it closed with police all around
"Harlem", I said," we have to make it to Harlem"

We took a bus to Harlem
It was packed, people wanted out of the city
People were crying
People in private cars, pulled over and let pedestrians into their cars
Strangers were crying and hugging each other on the streets
People just stopped to stare

There was the train at Harlem to take me home
It was standing room only
People in the vestibule were listening to the radio
We heard….Pentagon…plane down in Pennsylvania….terror….World Trade Center
I got home at around 2:13 in the afternoon
We had 21 messages on our answering machine.

The phone rang within minutes of me getting home
My aunt began to cry when she heard my voice

I turned on the TV and paced
I was in shock
I called my friends who I knew had family and loved ones in that area
I took messages for my mom
I had no idea where my dad was

A half hour later, he walked through the door, slightly covered in some dust

For 100 days there was dust, smoke and a smell that you can't ever get out of your skin and to this day, the memory burns my nose
Sirens were a constant but when it reached a certain pitch, I began to shake still

It was like a dream, a bad dream
The stories came pouring out with the tears, some of luck others of misfortune
My friend's sister was ok
My friends husband was at fashion week in Bryant Park so he was not patrolling downtown
My other co-worker lost 5 friends and spend days looking for her former fiancée in all the area hospitals… she found him a few days later with short term memory loss
My co-worker's cousin was found alive and was the last one of the survivors to leave the hospital

But there were people who lost their spouse, partner, friend, child, parent
Pets lost their mom and dads

I have not worn the beige blazer that I had on that day ever again.

But that is all I remember.

Note-I have been meaning to write this for many years but this is the first time that I put it all in writing. I still mourn for my city, it was never the same.

How does it feel

Yesterday, I was talking to a colleague who works out in the East coast. He has been in our international office for a few months and now he is back in the US and we are planning a project together. He sent me an email and congratulated me on my marriage and during the course of the conversation, I brought up "my husband" (specifically, "My husband has me drinking peach lambec since I miss cider").

He asked me if being married and referring to Hubs as my "husband" feels different. I did not have to take long to answer.

Hubs and I have been together for over three years and lived together for over two. So, we did not go through the traditional moving in together. when we first moved in together it was a bit of an eye opening experience and it took some time to adjust to the small things but now we are so used to it. We are relatively low maintenance sometimes a good home cooked meal and a DVD is all we need.

One thing that seemed to shift was our priorities. We now are more focused on our future and our family. Our priorities are aligned better and we both are making some sacrifice to reach our goals. We are working hard on reducing our collective debt and trying to find ways to enrich ourselves together as well as individually. We have not lost our independence and we both support it.

I guess it is because he is the missing puzzle piece, the yang to my yin but being with him as his girlfriend, fiancee or wife is uncomplicated and that makes it easy.

What about you, did you feel different when you reached a milestone in your relationship?

Just a homebody

This weekend was wonderful because there was no crazy running around, no places that we had to be and no trips to the burbs. We stayed in town and did some things that we have been meaning to do. We hit Target and did some grocery shopping. We hung up (OK the husband did the actual hanging but I helped) some Pen and Ink monograms that I got the Hubs as his wedding present and cleaned up!

The two highlights were taking a wire and bead class with Diana We spent a few hours learning how to make earrings using different wire techniques. Then we went shopping and bought beads. I have made two earrings so far (not including the four that I made in class) and have to stop myself because otherwise I will be at the craft stores non-stop and we want to get out of debt so we are watching every penny. Diana and I had so much fun though and are going to take a necklace class next month. I think we have found a new creative outlet.

The second highlight was making these short ribs. For the past few weeks, I have been craving short ribs and asked Restaurant Refugee for a recipe so he posted this one. It was so good, the beef melted in your mouth and the bones fell out when I picked them up. We have enough for one more meal and I am saving the bones for my fall project when I attempt beef stock.

I had a great weekend very low key, uneventful and fun. I had a great time with my girl Diana and it was nice to spend some time at home with our NetFlix account.

So what were your two highlights?

A teaser

We are just waiting for the disk of our photos....I hope to have some up next week

Have a good weekend, what are you looking forward to?

The "D" word (nope not THAT "D" word)

One month has flown by, it is hard to believe that a month ago we were getting ready to have our wedding. Now we are settling into our married life together. Hubs and I have lived together for more than two years, so we are used to each other and our habits. But now it seems we are more cognizant of our own habits and more diligent about doing small things to make the other person happy. They are really small things but, they do add up.

We are in debt due to the wedding, not a great deal but still in some debt. It freaks me out the "d" word up until now, I have always paid the balance off on my credit card. This last payment, I could not. It really freaked me out, I had many sleepless nights and have been in a very introspective mood. I also have been looking around the house for assets that I can sell. We have a few things that we want to post on Craigslist so we have decided that anything we make will go towards our debt repayment.

We have also decided to be more vigilant and use a budget when we go grocery shopping or shopping in general. We have been fortunate that we have this grocery store around the corner that is hands down cheaper than most of the major stores and we can go there and get more for less. We also are going to use the entertainment that we already have our gym membership and our Netflix.

Each dollar that we save will be used towards our debt. We are looking at ways where we can cut costs and have some really good ideas to use the craft products we bought for our wedding for the holidays.

We hope to have it paid off by the holidays and we are doing it together!