♥ Cutting back to fit the page requirement is hard. Hopefully it makes sense. At least I finished my paper, with more than an hour to spare. Woo!

♥ Policy paper deadline EXTENDED to Thanksgiving week. I'm still going to try to finish it for next week. =)

♥ Bought tickets to the Chocolate Show for Saturday. The Hubby's going with me. CHOCOLATE! Squee! =D

♥ Going to a friend's birthday party Saturday night. Burgers and FRIES! Yummyummyummy. =P

♥ It's sunny outside.

♥ It's time for breakfast. Mmm. Rice with eggs and dilis.

Can you tell I'm hungry? *L*

I spent the evening with a friend last night, who's visiting from South Korea. He's only been there for the past year or so, but I haven't seen him in about 3 or 4. Unfortunately, our schedules and prioritized group of friends were completely different to make it happen.

We met up after I had work, and ate at one of our favorite food haunts in my area. Mmm. Malaysian cuisine. He told me what it was like to live in South Korea, where he is currently teaching English. He said that one word pretty much summed up what the community felt like over there: "collegial". One huge community where everyone shares and where they are really generous and courteous to foreigners. He said he'll eventually move back here, but not for a couple of years because South Korea "suits" him right now.

We talked about his current interests, which seemed to diverge somewhat from his friends' interests, which brought up the topic of tv and movies. He told me that the popular American tv show in Seoul was Prison Break. I was not surprised when he told me that Michael Scoffield is the most popular character because, for obvious reasons, he is GORGEOUS; however, I was amused when he told me that the other reason for Scoffield's popularity was his eloquent speech, in comparison to the other characters in the show. My friend said that he tells his class to learn English from Scoffield, not from the other characters. *L*

I caught him up on stuff going on in my life, and we reminisced about our old days of youth group and high school. We didn't feel like ending the night just yet after dinner, so we continued our conversation at the Billiards place next door. We played a couple of rounds, he thought I was hustling him, we joked about getting old, and then we wrapped it up.

It was a great evening to end a weird-feeling kind of day where class was for grade-schoolers and there was almost a 1:1 ratio of staff to kids at work instead of 1:5.

After getting all worked up that my barbecue might not happen, the clouds broke and God blessed me with sunlight for a good part of the day.

The Hubby and I awoke early to prep everything for the split-second decision we would make about going forward with or cancelling the event. We were tired and we easily got on each others' nerves. However, our moodiness subsided when headed out to scope the picnic area. We pushed our thoughts to *BBQ-happening MOJO*, while the sunlight danced between the clouds. We talked about what we would still need to get, and who said was coming. A few times during the drive, I'd say out loud that I hoped the weather would keep, especially with the forecast calling for 30% chances of thunderstorms/showers all day. Just the worrier in me. =T

We arrived to the site, happy to see that the area wasn't as mucky as we thought it might be after lots of rain, and decided to have the barbecue. Yay! We quickly headed over to ShopRite to get some last minute barbecue items, and went home to pack and get ready. We had to be at the site at 10:30am, so we needed to hustle. We took turns getting ready and standing watch at the picnic site before our guests arrived.

( I had so much fun at the barbecue that I'm exhausted now. )

I'm happy and grateful. The Hubby was just as happy as I was that we were able to have it. I know he recognized that I needed this decompression. I think he needed it too.

I feel really good today. Tired, but content.

An early birthday present for me. It made me laugh and cry, but in a good way. Kind of a kick in the pants, putting things back into perspective sooner than if left to my own devices right now:

Incase I don't get a chance to write in time, I'll write it early. Happy Birthday Anne.

I haven't been in the best of spirits as of late, but if life has taught me anything. It's been this. You can always bounce back from whatever. It's only a matter of time and how much confidence you and others have in you. I think perhaps that was one thing you always embodied. Know that you've come a long way and that this is not the end of your story. You've got a whole lot of writing left to do.

School in it's final stages, information providin', turn the pages
Hatred and rage consume, you'll end up in cages
Paying wages, not just in the sense of dollars and cents
Humans try to make it work, confusion becomes sense
This piece is not too dense, but I'm glad it's not Lavigne
Complicated? No, the plan is to make it seem
Takes more bones to frown, so open up the smile
Call up Wendy Williams, hit the digits and then dial
Or just go on a run like Forrest, and no, I can't count the miles
Clean-up on 7, I've made a mess on this aisle

Freestyle brought to you by the late hours and the makers of itunes. I don't know. I got nothing. It's been a while since I wrote.

Have a grand celebration. Party like it's 2007. And if you drink, throw one down for me.
Battery is running low.. peace out

Today was even more beautiful than yesterday! It was so warm outside that I was able to wear my orange and cream sundress to the shower. I've been dying to wear something light and "dainty" (as my mom put it), all week. =) The sun made me very happy, even though I had to spend much of it indoors for Carissa's shower.

The shower went well. Many people said they had a good time and commended us, bridesmaids, for our efforts in making the shower entertaining and beautiful. I was able to see Liza and some old HS classmates, too. Carissa said she loved everything. The most entertaining part of the shower to me was that Carissa's first 10 or so gifts were all bath towels! *L* It was to the point that the guests began to lose interest in playing Shower Bingo. =P It was busy, busy all the way to the end, but it was worth it. This was the worst of it. The shower was a success, and people seemed happy.

I stopped by my parents' house for another few hours after the shower, chatting with my parents about my cousins and our visit to Canada at the end of May, and talking to my sister about recent happenings and friendships.

I'm now at home, geting ready to eat more pizza with The Hubby. I feel so tired, but not really sleepy. It's been a long day, and I'm ready to unwind now.

Dinner with The Hubby's old classmates was nice. I had a big dish of pasta, which of course, I took home in a doggie bag when I couldn't finish. It was a little strange, just because these are people with whom The Hubby even felt weird about sharing good news (i.e. our marriage, him owning the condo). It's interesting to me how some people hold on to relationships, that others might see as not working past their initial usefulness. In this case, their relationship's based on working on class projects together, but it didn't really go beyond that. Strange. Heh.

Sunday started out really early at 7am. The Hubby and I went to mass, then attempted to donate blood in the school cafeteria. The Hubby was able to, but my iron count was too low. =? So, while I waited for The Hubby, I was flirted up by the blood drive snack man and munched on homemade baked goods from the Church's bake sale. The man was sweet, but it made me feel very shy about how often he would compliment me, especially since I was there for quite a while. It wasn't creepy, just weird; so, to offset my discomfort, I watched a bunch of people register for a Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament on the other side of the caf.

I was intrigued as to the number of people there, and how official it looked. The ages ranged from middle school to late high school. Once The Hubby finished donating, we took a look at some of the wares presented. On the way home, we discussed our interest in learning how to play, and then The Hubby surprised me with a starter deck for the game! Though there aren't enough cards for both of us, he figured we could share it, and figure out how to play, and slowly build it up. It was sweet that he was waiting for a special occasion to give it to me, and even sweeter that it became a random surprise. =) We're such geeks. =P

Shortly after getting home, I got ready and spent the afternoon with lizabug and Carissa, having lunch at Red Robin's and dessert at Cafe Eclectic. We talked for hours on end, and I even forgot how frustrated I'd been with some of my relationships. It was just nice to get out and do something. Some of the wedding stuff came up during conversation, which I'll probably post about later. Needless to say, quite a bit was cleared up. We talked for so long that it got really dark and snowy by the time I headed for home, though not before spending a little qt with my parents. My mommy gave me a gorgeous top, which I wouldn't normally buy myself. She's so cute, and has really good taste. Before heading for home, my papa helped me clean the snow off of my car with a broom, and stayed outside until he was sure I was driving carefully. I love my parents. =D

Driving 40mph on the Turnpike, I got home around 9:30. The Hubby and I ate a late dinner, and watched a few shows before heading off to bed.

So, that's the rest of my weekend. It was full and nice. How was yours?

My weekend's packed, so I've had little time to catch up on my f-list in the last couple of days. What I've been up to lately involves a lot of food and cleaning. I've also been very happy and motivated, so I ended up doing stuff not on the comp. I'm proud to say that I cleaned 3 different rooms in the condo, from top to bottom, and cooked a huge meal with my sister, to serve The Hubby, sister's boy, my bro, sis, and me. We had lots of leftovers ^.^

The sibs and my sister's boy came over last night, and we had a huge Japanese and Mexican themed meal. My bro's girl couldn't make it, so we made sure she had a sampler dish. What my sis cooked on the menu: Mexican-seasoned steak, and lime-infused shark steak. She also brought some homeade truffles she made, with the most popular one being the chipotle-coconut truffle. Yum. I prepared kani sushi (I also tried to do a crispy kani, but it wasn't too crispy), tempura broccoli, sauteed mushrooms, and Grilled Salmon Kyoto. At the end, everyone was pleasantly full. While fighting Teh Itis, we watched Las Vegas and 1 Vs. 100. My sis helped me clean up, and then headed home.

Today was work, which wasn't too exciting. Instead of our scheduled trip to the Y's Open Gym, we brought our kids to a Chinese buffet place for the activity. I'm still feeling full. =P I'm hoping I'll be hungry in an hour because The Hubby and I are meeting up with a few of his grad school classmates for dinner. We're heading to Carabba's, which is an Italian food place. I'm in the mood for Italian. =)

Tomorrow will be QT with lizabug and Carissa. I haven't gotten in touch with Carissa, so I guess we'll see what happens tomorrow. I'm also planning to donate blood after Church. Yeah. Busy, food-filled weekend.

I planned to put up some pics, but I haven't painted the bedroom samples yet. I also haven't figured out which PI pics to post, so that's still pending.

I hope you all are having a nice weekend.
 

There were a lot of them this weekend and today. This Quiet One is very happy. =D



Happy days are here again!

Okay. So, here's the run down of my weekend:

Friday

Went to the university gym and swam in the pool for about 20 minutes in less than an hour of being in the pool. Woo! New record! Go me!

I got home, had some breakfast, and headed off to work. I felt so tired from the first full work/internship/class week, I was looking forward to crazy-hyper kids. Luckily, they were. I had so much fun at work, even the kids thought I was silly and nuts. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. =P There was one kid (normally a good behavior kid), who completely shut down towards the end of the day, and hid under the table during Points and Feedback. My coworker and I felt so frustrated! He did so well  with his client-specific goals that he earned a stamp; but, because of his non-goal behaviors (hiding under the table and refusing to come out), he lost his privilege for a stamp (gets a sticker, and would be one step closer to earning a bigger prize). He stuck his ground for a while, then did a complete 180 and was back to being happy-go-lucky. Like a mini-Jekyll and Hyde trick. o.0

After work, I was too tired to watch a movie, so The Hubby and I ordered a bento box from our favorite Japanese fast food place, and watched tv. We turned in early because we had a full day of eating ahead of us.

Saturday

Woke up early (all The Hubby's fault--darn internal clock!), had a small breakfast, and then got ready for my dad's company picnic.

The ride was short to the park, where we met my sister, Cris, and my parents. My bro wasn't able to make it because he was working. That's all right. More food for the rest of us. It was BBQ heaven: hot dogs, cheese/hamburgers, italian hot dogs, ribs, shish kabobs (shrimp and beef), raw clams on a half shell (The Hubby liked these), french fries, cole slaw, and an ice cream truck just for us! I think I had one of everything. Except the clams. We got on the long, 20-min line for ice cream, and stuffed ourselves silly with chocolate dipped waffle cones and milkshakes. Mmm.

There were some games, but they weren't fun to watch unless my siblings participated. Cris decided to dub The Hubby "S4" because he is now considered one of the siblings (by my dad for pics). What was a strange sight at the picnic was a fold-up beer pong table. o.0 My dad mentioned that a lot of recent grads were hired when the company expanded. Oh. Okay. I guess that explains the college student games. Heh. Another interesting sight was watching a guy, who reminded Cris and me of Milton in the movie Office Space. My dad pointed him out to Cris, telling her that he's still a bachelor and that it was a "shame". Probably because the guy came by himself, and wandered around by himself much of the time. He definitely took on the Milton-persona, while we watched him watch a beer pong game. =( We felt so sad for him, but, maybe he likes his life that way? *shrugs*

The Hubby and Cris left early because they were meeting people, so my parents and I stayed until almost the very end. We were able to snag some of the leftover food (there was soooo much!) for doggie bags. As if we didn't have enough food, we went to the International Food Mart for more food. I scored 8 packages of Ramen for $1! Woo!

I took my parents home, and stayed over because I had a few events going on in the area the next day. I got to see my bro, Marco, for a couple of hours, before he had to go back to school. Somehow, I ended up sleeping at 1am. Only at my parents' house do I do this. Weird.

Sunday

My dad woke me up early, and we went to church together. I saw the in-laws there, and chatted with them a bit, after mass. My dad drove me to the wedding shower I had that morning, and I told him I'd be home later in the day, after the shower, the play, and the friend visit I had planned.

The shower was fun. It was in a little tea house, where I got my own mug with my name painted on it, and a little white tea box favor. The bride was tricked by being told that a university tv network was going to be filming that day, and that she should come down, nicely dressed. She was shocked to see me (I haven't seen her in years), but glad as well. We had delish paninis, and honey/chocolate waffle cookies with our tea. There was a Dare Jar, where "nothing is too riske." I dared the bride to put the groom over her lap, and spank him. She did it, and was so into spanking him. *L*

I left early to make it to the one act play festival Liza stage managed. She didn't like any of the plays at all, but I liked a few. The first was boring, the second was strange, the third was funny (everyone was stripped down to their underpants), and the fourth nudged at the social worker in me. I was even happier for getting a comp ticket. Gotta love the connections. =) I met Liza afterwards, and we got some food at Panera's, before heading over to our friend's place (she recently had surgery).

I mentioned my frustration to Liza about trying to contact Carissa prior about visiting her, and not getting a hold of her. Liza understood. At least we were able to get in touch with her. We stopped by, ate, talked for close to 5 hours about our men, vacations, her surgery, and updates about us. We left when my parents called and said I should get back because I still have to drive home.

I chatted with my parents a little bit before heading out. I got home around midnight, waking up The Hubby. He was a little cranky, but didn't say anything.

Overall, a pretty good weekend. The lowlight: driving and not finishing my class reading. The highlight: yummy food and good company.

Wheeeee! You could definitely smell the fall weather now. I constantly find myself closing my eyes and breathing it all in. I even wore my denim jacket today! =D

I spent my morning and part of my afternoon at my internship today. I'm working with the elderly population in a day treatment setting. I have to say that I was initially apprehensive about it because I wasn't sure what to expect. I've volunteered at nursing homes and worked with the chronically, mentally ill elderly, but have found myself wanting to shy away because it breaks my heart to see them in such a limited state, time turned against them. However, I found that the group with whom I worked were robust, charming, and very entertaining. We talked about current events and played word games. It was truly an enjoyable experience. I'm actually looking forward to working with them for the next 3 months. A big plus is that I got to leave early--2:30! Yay! =D

After my internship, I finished up my grocery shopping, and talked to my sister for a bit. She might be stopping by, so I need to make sure I have a little extra dinner for her. I also chatted with a bunch of my HS friends, all of whom I'll be seeing this weekend at a surprise wedding shower for one of them. I'm excited. Yesterday, I talked with my friend/classmate/former coworker, and she told me she's pregnant! Looks like I'll be working on a new baby blanket again. =)

In a bit, I'll be making some flat bread vegetarian pizza. Oh crap. I forgot to take out the broccoli from the freezer to thaw out. Broccoli and red peppers. Mmm. The Hubby and I are trying to incorporate a vegetarian night into our lives, to get him ourselves used to eating vegetables on a regular basis, before kids come further down the road. =P

My sis just called. She'll definitely be dropping by for dinner, and then we'll be off to Pearl for some art supplies. Yay! I need to buy some scrapbooking supplies. Man. I'm a cheap date. Just give me craft stuff, and I'm happy. =D

I need to go cook now. Maybe I'll check up on my f-list, while cooking.

The moment you've all been waiting for: W-Day.



A great end to a fun weekend.

I had so much fun! And now, without further ado:

 

I had a pretty good weekend. I felt more relaxed than I've been for the past few weekends. Definitely a good thing.



Excellent food and friends always seem to make the weekend better.

"Have a nice trip...a great time!"

My friend was sweet enough to send me a "bon voyage"-type ecard, since I'll be leaving in a couple of days for Calgary, Canada to visit relatives with The Hubby and my family. I thankfully replied with an ecard depicting a turtle thanking a ladybug (fitting, for her chosen email name).

( Details of the trip and ramblings )