It's been over 2 years since I've written anything on here. I considered starting over and starting a new blog altogether, but it didn't make sense. I enjoy looking back and reading my old blog posts and I'm upset that I haven't updated in so long. Therefore, for my sake, my first blog post of 2011 will be my attempt to recap the last 2 years of my life:
The most important change in my life, happened on May 23rd 2009. I became Abbey Marie Brakoniecki. The weather was gorgeous, everything seemed to go off without a hitch and it was wonderful to celebrate such a meaningful day being surrounded by 250 of our closest friends and family.
We went on a Carribean Cruise for our Honeymoon. This was our first cruise and we loved it. The cruise departed from Puerto Rico and we visited the islands of St. Croix, Barbados, St. Marrten, Antiqua, and St. Lucia. We enjoyed laying on the beach, snorkeling and spending 7 days without work or communication with the outside world. After our honeymoon we knew that cruising was something we would definitely enjoy doing again.
In 2010 we went on our first vacation to Las Vegas to see Garth Brooks. Garth Brooks is my all time favorite male artist so it was awesome to be able to see him. We had a wonderful time and since we visited in April the weather was warm and sunny and we were able to enjoy a couple days by the pool as well.
In September of 2009 we got Frank a sister, Sophie. She's a 2-3 year old Puggle (Pug/Beagle mix) with lots of energy. She's house broken but still has accidents from time to time. One on my 2011 New Years resolutions is to try to get out of work earlier so I'm able to take her for more walks and not leave her alone for 10+ hours at a time. She starts obedience classes this month as she has to work on her listening skills. She loves eating trash our of the bathroom garbage and will steal food off the counter. At times she can be a handful but she's been a wonderful addition to our family and we wouldn't trade her for the world.
A little less than a month ago (Dec. 2010) we took our 2nd Royal Carribean cruise. This one was only a 3-day cruise but it was just long enough to give us a much needed vacation right before the Holidays.
In both 2009 and 2010, we drove from NJ to Rochester, NY (where Adam's parents live) and then from Rochester, NY to St. Clair Shores, MI (where my family lives). We spent a number of days in both locations and stopping off at Adam's parents house helps to break up the 10-12 hour trip. The week seems to fly by, despite all the driving, but it's nice to get "home" and since we drove we were able to bring the dogs.
In 2011 I'm looking forward to accomplishing some, if not all the below:
- Spending more time at home relaxing and less time stressing at work.
- Reading and writing more. Hoping to read 10+ books this year and make an effort to update my blog more regularly.
- Rejoin Weight Watchers and begin to restructure my eating habits. I need to start making more healthy choices and drinking less alcohol. We have a destination wedding in Mexico to attend in June so Adam and I both are looking forward to looking and feeling better about ourselves before then.
- Make small renovations/changes in our home. In the Spring I'd like to have the hardwood floors re-done and in the Fall I'd like to tile the basement and make it more of a useful space for us.
Here's to a New Year and a New Me. Cheers!
Sunday, January 02, 2011
Monday, September 29, 2008
My favorite Uncle
When my mom suggested that I write a blog about my Uncle Bennie a couple weeks ago, I immediately began to jot down some of my thoughts but couldn't decide where or how to start. I quickly realized, as the tears began to well up in my eyes, that writing a blog about the sudden death of my favorite uncle wasn't something that would be happening so soon, or while I was PMS-ing. Life in general has been extremely chaotic this past month and I feel relief that October has begun, which will hopefully mark the beginning of less stress and happier days.
My phone had three missed calls the morning of September 7th, when I finally woke up and realized something was wrong. While my mother could be pushy and call twice if she really needed something, a third time was not usual, especially at 7 am. I immediately phoned back and in a low and cracking voice my mother told me that my Uncle Bennie, age 42, had been hit and killed while riding his motorcycle home the night before. I didn't know what to say or how to react. For one of the first times in my life, I was speechless.
My heart began to break.
It broke for my Aunt Michelle, who lost her loving husband of almost 11 years.
For my cousins, Michael- age 6 - and Nathan- age 3. What would they remember of their father? How can children at such a young age even comprehend losing someone who they loved and adored?
For my grandmother, who lost her youngest child at such a young age.
For my father, who spent countless days, nights and weekends "cruising" with my Uncle, his brother, and probably best friend.
For his two other brothers and two sisters, who lost their youngest sibling.
For his co-workers, who looked forward to coming to work just to see what prank Bennie would pull next.
I sat on the edge of my bed crying. I wasn't crying for me, I was crying for him. For all the things he would miss out on. His wedding anniversaries, cowboy camp with his sons, the Steinhauser family ornament exchange at Christmas, his son's first Holy Communion, my wedding.
On Thursday morning I flew back to Detroit. It was the first time in the three years that I had lived in NJ that I was flying back for a funeral. Unfortunately, I realized, that this will likely not be the first time, but that still didn't help.
The visitation was all day on Wednesday, from 1-8 p.m. and my father was eager to get there on time. After awhile I was surrounded by my entire family and it really helped. We were all going through the same thing, and all of us, in our own way, were mourning the loss of someone we loved. Together, we talked about my Uncle and shared our memories. Of course, many tears were shed, but after the tears, laughter. We all had stories of something funny that Bennie did, a prank he pulled, a "loving" nickname (mine was hickey lips) or another hilarious memory. As people poured into the funeral home (we had more than 200 people at the funeral service alone), more stories and memories were shared.
A week after the funeral, I was again in Michigan. This trip, however, was planned. My grandmother joined us for dinner on Sunday evening and our conversation began and ended with my Uncle. I've heard that when people die, often times their family members will avoid talking about the person who died because they worry that it may make other family members sad or upset. I don't think that this would even be an option in our family. We all have so many wonderful memories. I would much rather prefer to talk about my Uncle and cherish and remember the person he was. In this way, he will live on forever.
My Uncle was a hard worker, a great father, a loving husband, a devoted son, a great brother and, above all, a friend. He will be greatly missed by all those who were fortunate enough to have known him and he will never be forgotten.
Uncle Bennie sitting on Adam's lap- Feb. 07'
“Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives, that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every day. Do it! I say. Whatever you want to do, do it now! There are only so many tomorrows."
My phone had three missed calls the morning of September 7th, when I finally woke up and realized something was wrong. While my mother could be pushy and call twice if she really needed something, a third time was not usual, especially at 7 am. I immediately phoned back and in a low and cracking voice my mother told me that my Uncle Bennie, age 42, had been hit and killed while riding his motorcycle home the night before. I didn't know what to say or how to react. For one of the first times in my life, I was speechless.
My heart began to break.
It broke for my Aunt Michelle, who lost her loving husband of almost 11 years.
For my cousins, Michael- age 6 - and Nathan- age 3. What would they remember of their father? How can children at such a young age even comprehend losing someone who they loved and adored?
For my grandmother, who lost her youngest child at such a young age.
For my father, who spent countless days, nights and weekends "cruising" with my Uncle, his brother, and probably best friend.
For his two other brothers and two sisters, who lost their youngest sibling.
For his co-workers, who looked forward to coming to work just to see what prank Bennie would pull next.
I sat on the edge of my bed crying. I wasn't crying for me, I was crying for him. For all the things he would miss out on. His wedding anniversaries, cowboy camp with his sons, the Steinhauser family ornament exchange at Christmas, his son's first Holy Communion, my wedding.
On Thursday morning I flew back to Detroit. It was the first time in the three years that I had lived in NJ that I was flying back for a funeral. Unfortunately, I realized, that this will likely not be the first time, but that still didn't help.
The visitation was all day on Wednesday, from 1-8 p.m. and my father was eager to get there on time. After awhile I was surrounded by my entire family and it really helped. We were all going through the same thing, and all of us, in our own way, were mourning the loss of someone we loved. Together, we talked about my Uncle and shared our memories. Of course, many tears were shed, but after the tears, laughter. We all had stories of something funny that Bennie did, a prank he pulled, a "loving" nickname (mine was hickey lips) or another hilarious memory. As people poured into the funeral home (we had more than 200 people at the funeral service alone), more stories and memories were shared.
A week after the funeral, I was again in Michigan. This trip, however, was planned. My grandmother joined us for dinner on Sunday evening and our conversation began and ended with my Uncle. I've heard that when people die, often times their family members will avoid talking about the person who died because they worry that it may make other family members sad or upset. I don't think that this would even be an option in our family. We all have so many wonderful memories. I would much rather prefer to talk about my Uncle and cherish and remember the person he was. In this way, he will live on forever.
My Uncle was a hard worker, a great father, a loving husband, a devoted son, a great brother and, above all, a friend. He will be greatly missed by all those who were fortunate enough to have known him and he will never be forgotten.
Uncle Bennie sitting on Adam's lap- Feb. 07'
“Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives, that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every day. Do it! I say. Whatever you want to do, do it now! There are only so many tomorrows."
Friday, April 11, 2008
Officially all moved in
So I know I've been terrible about blogging but I have a good excuse. On March 31st Adam and I made the biggest purchase of our lives and closed on our house.
From that day on we've been moving, unpacking, organizing and cleaning to get everything situated. Looking at the amount of stuff we have you would never have known that we only came from a 1 bedroom apartment. We seem to have lots of stuff we don't need and nothing that we need. We have a double bed at Adam's parent house that we'll use in the guest room and then I think the upstairs will be pretty well taken care of. I'm also going to keep my eyes out for another double or queen sized bed for the attic. The attic is finished and has great storage but also potential for another bedroom/reading room- I'm imagining McCulley Culkins attic bedroom in Home Alone. We will also probably want to get some sort of dining room set between now and next year but not before I buy my 56" LCD television for the living room.
In general home ownership has been fun. There's always something to do. Adam already ripped down the wallpaper in the 1st floor bathroom and we're going to make a trip to Home Depot this weekend for a pedestal sink and paint. I think this will be our first "project." I'm also going to pick up some paint for our bedroom, the guest room and the stairway.
Besides new homeowners, Adam and I are also new parents. No, I'm not pregnant (thank god) but we've inherited a almost 3 year old Pug, Frankie.
He's the cutest dog ever and he adds so much joy to our new home. He loves going for walks and barking at squirrels in the backyard. He's fully trained and we couldn't ask for a better pet. Adam and I enjoy going on evening walks together with Frankie and taking him to the doggie park nearby.
Tonight Fink & Sarah are coming over for dinner and then we're going to watch a movie. Tomorrow and Sunday will consist of painting, baby-sitting, more unpacking, cleaning and doing taxes (nothing like procrastinating, huh?). Work has been comfortable lately meaning that I'm not going out of my mind with things to do and I can actually focus and follow-up on my current pojects. Overall, I'm feeling pretty content and balanced which is unusual for me but I'll take it.
From that day on we've been moving, unpacking, organizing and cleaning to get everything situated. Looking at the amount of stuff we have you would never have known that we only came from a 1 bedroom apartment. We seem to have lots of stuff we don't need and nothing that we need. We have a double bed at Adam's parent house that we'll use in the guest room and then I think the upstairs will be pretty well taken care of. I'm also going to keep my eyes out for another double or queen sized bed for the attic. The attic is finished and has great storage but also potential for another bedroom/reading room- I'm imagining McCulley Culkins attic bedroom in Home Alone. We will also probably want to get some sort of dining room set between now and next year but not before I buy my 56" LCD television for the living room.
In general home ownership has been fun. There's always something to do. Adam already ripped down the wallpaper in the 1st floor bathroom and we're going to make a trip to Home Depot this weekend for a pedestal sink and paint. I think this will be our first "project." I'm also going to pick up some paint for our bedroom, the guest room and the stairway.
Besides new homeowners, Adam and I are also new parents. No, I'm not pregnant (thank god) but we've inherited a almost 3 year old Pug, Frankie.
He's the cutest dog ever and he adds so much joy to our new home. He loves going for walks and barking at squirrels in the backyard. He's fully trained and we couldn't ask for a better pet. Adam and I enjoy going on evening walks together with Frankie and taking him to the doggie park nearby.
Tonight Fink & Sarah are coming over for dinner and then we're going to watch a movie. Tomorrow and Sunday will consist of painting, baby-sitting, more unpacking, cleaning and doing taxes (nothing like procrastinating, huh?). Work has been comfortable lately meaning that I'm not going out of my mind with things to do and I can actually focus and follow-up on my current pojects. Overall, I'm feeling pretty content and balanced which is unusual for me but I'll take it.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Home-moaner
So technically we don't even own the house yet, but I can tell you right now that if/when we get this house, I'm never buying another home. It's not the moving part that would deter me as Adam and I did some packing this week and although it's time consuming and annoying to weave through boxes in your living room, it's nowhere near as terrible as the feeling I have right now.
Maybe it would help to have family around or someone else to reassure me, but just the idea of jumping into something that neither Adam or I have any experience in scares the hell out of me. We're the ones putting our entire savings on the table and I feel like we have no control over ANYTHING. Negotiating the selling price was the easy part, but negotiating repairs, money in escrow, etc. makes me want to pull my hair out. Not to mention that every little thing must go through an attorney. For instance, last weekend we had our home inspection. Our attorney reviewed the requested repairs with us and faxed to the sellers attorney almost one week ago and we still haven't heard anything. This past Thursday we had a pool inspection. Again, we have to go through the inspection papers with our attorney, so they can write up a proposal to fax to the other attorney. I feel like we're doing everything we can and we're just waiting. We are dishing out money left and right and getting no feedback. We're researching financing options, New Jersey state pool codes, estimated heating costs, insurance costs and the list goes on and on. We're buying a house, shouldn't we be calling the shots?! It's just so aggrivating to be putting in everything you have and feeling so helpless and out of control.
Can't we just get everyone together in a meeting and negotiate this?
Other than house stuff work is going well. I don't have much time for anything else. I babysat Saturday and I'm going to babysitt again this upcoming Friday night. I'm looking forward to hanging out with Kendra, Sarah and Sara this upcoming weekend in the city. I also would like to go dress shopping with Kendra but I think I'm going to wait until after all the house stuff is done.
Maybe it would help to have family around or someone else to reassure me, but just the idea of jumping into something that neither Adam or I have any experience in scares the hell out of me. We're the ones putting our entire savings on the table and I feel like we have no control over ANYTHING. Negotiating the selling price was the easy part, but negotiating repairs, money in escrow, etc. makes me want to pull my hair out. Not to mention that every little thing must go through an attorney. For instance, last weekend we had our home inspection. Our attorney reviewed the requested repairs with us and faxed to the sellers attorney almost one week ago and we still haven't heard anything. This past Thursday we had a pool inspection. Again, we have to go through the inspection papers with our attorney, so they can write up a proposal to fax to the other attorney. I feel like we're doing everything we can and we're just waiting. We are dishing out money left and right and getting no feedback. We're researching financing options, New Jersey state pool codes, estimated heating costs, insurance costs and the list goes on and on. We're buying a house, shouldn't we be calling the shots?! It's just so aggrivating to be putting in everything you have and feeling so helpless and out of control.
Can't we just get everyone together in a meeting and negotiate this?
Other than house stuff work is going well. I don't have much time for anything else. I babysat Saturday and I'm going to babysitt again this upcoming Friday night. I'm looking forward to hanging out with Kendra, Sarah and Sara this upcoming weekend in the city. I also would like to go dress shopping with Kendra but I think I'm going to wait until after all the house stuff is done.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Photo updates
The House-
We had our home inspection yesterday. Nothing too major but we'll definately have to have the sellers fix some minor things before we move in. Keep your fingers crossed for us. Below is a photo of the front of the house.
Valentine's Day-
This year we kept it fairly simple. I got Adam 2 NY Giants t-shirts (one that I previously posted about) and I was also very excited for these:
For those of you that aren't familiar with Nintendo Wii, the characters above are called "Mii's" and these are the characters you play the Wii Sports games with. They came in a little box that looked like the Wii console and you can see the cute little label that came on it.
Adam suprised me with new perfume which he picked out. It's Versace and it smells really good. He did a good job.
Other stuff-
We went to Blondies last night after our home inspection. Walt, Adam and I took the train and made in just in time to watch the Spartan basketball game. It's too bad we lost...
After Blondies we went to Yogi's for a night cap and made it back to Penn Station for the last train back to our apartment. The boys went into the city last weekend as well and on their walk back to the apartment stopped at Quick Check for some drunken snacks. This weekend was the same deal and Adam couldn't have been happier with his breakfast sandwich at 3:00am.
I must say my toasted Italian sub was quite tasty as well.
After scarfing down some food we attempted to play guitar hero slightly intoxicated. First of all it's much more difficult and secondly it made me kinda nauseous so I passed out after a game or two and didn't wake up until noon today.
So far today I haven't showered, haven't changed out of my pajamas and have been vegging out all day. I couldn't be happier.
We had our home inspection yesterday. Nothing too major but we'll definately have to have the sellers fix some minor things before we move in. Keep your fingers crossed for us. Below is a photo of the front of the house.
Valentine's Day-
This year we kept it fairly simple. I got Adam 2 NY Giants t-shirts (one that I previously posted about) and I was also very excited for these:
For those of you that aren't familiar with Nintendo Wii, the characters above are called "Mii's" and these are the characters you play the Wii Sports games with. They came in a little box that looked like the Wii console and you can see the cute little label that came on it.
Adam suprised me with new perfume which he picked out. It's Versace and it smells really good. He did a good job.
Other stuff-
We went to Blondies last night after our home inspection. Walt, Adam and I took the train and made in just in time to watch the Spartan basketball game. It's too bad we lost...
After Blondies we went to Yogi's for a night cap and made it back to Penn Station for the last train back to our apartment. The boys went into the city last weekend as well and on their walk back to the apartment stopped at Quick Check for some drunken snacks. This weekend was the same deal and Adam couldn't have been happier with his breakfast sandwich at 3:00am.
I must say my toasted Italian sub was quite tasty as well.
After scarfing down some food we attempted to play guitar hero slightly intoxicated. First of all it's much more difficult and secondly it made me kinda nauseous so I passed out after a game or two and didn't wake up until noon today.
So far today I haven't showered, haven't changed out of my pajamas and have been vegging out all day. I couldn't be happier.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Randoms
I'm stealing Kendra's title only because I haven't updated in about a month so this post will be a bunch of random updates from the past few weeks of my life.
-The House
Adam and I found a house we liked. After going back and forth with the sellers negotiating price for a week, we finally made it to attorney review. We've been in attorney review for 2 weeks now which is a little lengthy for a process that normally takes 3 days. The sellers and their attorney have been extremely difficult to deal with, even threatening us by asking their realtor to hold an open house this weekend. Hopefully next week this will all be wrapped up and we can finally proceed with the home and pool inspections that we've been tentatively scheduling for the past two weekends! Right now our closing is scheduled for March 14th, which means that I'll have to postpone my weekend trip back to MI; however, with the way things have been going I wouldn't be suprised if the closing gets pushed back as well.
-Work
2008 Fall/Holiday samples are high priority and I've had to put most of my other responsibilities on the back burner. Luckily, Mason has been doing most of the work during the work day so I've been able to finally catch up on some of my post due work. Last night Mason, myself and a few others from the office went out for drinks which put a nice ending to our insane work week. Next week it's back to Columbus for the 3rd time this year but you won't hear me complain because a day traveling is far better than a day in the office.
-Super Bowl
What a game!!! It was pretty cool to have a "hometown" team to root for in the big game, especially since the Giants play all their home games no more than 10 miles from our apartment. We went to our friend Giancarlo's (GC) house to watch the big game, which marked my 3rd Super Bowl party with GC and out NJ friends. It's crazy to think that I've been here for almost 3 years, and even more bizarre to have the same group of friends since our first summer "down the shore."
In honor of the Giants big win I bought Adam and I matching t-shirts:
Pretty sweet, huh?
-Puerto Rico
As I mentioned in my previous blog, I went to Puerto Rico at the end of January. It was so nice to get out of the cold and visit a place I've never been before. The family I babysitt for was kind enough to ask if I wanted to go with them and help watch the kids, which was a nice break from work and a great 5 day vacation. We stayed at the El Conquistador Hotel and Casino in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. We stayed at the Las Castistas in a 3 bedroom/3 bathroom house on the ocean. The below photo is a picture from our balcony
And the little houses at the top of the hill is where we stayed
Another favorite of mine was the infinity pool. Ryan really liked that as well
They also had a boat that took you to Palomino Island. The water was the bluest I've seen and the views were amazing
Other than that, nothing new here. I haven't spent much time wedding planning but as soon as this house business is done, I'm hoping to spend my summer months by the pool reading Modern Bride and picking out flowers, hair styles, etc. So much to look forward to!
-The House
Adam and I found a house we liked. After going back and forth with the sellers negotiating price for a week, we finally made it to attorney review. We've been in attorney review for 2 weeks now which is a little lengthy for a process that normally takes 3 days. The sellers and their attorney have been extremely difficult to deal with, even threatening us by asking their realtor to hold an open house this weekend. Hopefully next week this will all be wrapped up and we can finally proceed with the home and pool inspections that we've been tentatively scheduling for the past two weekends! Right now our closing is scheduled for March 14th, which means that I'll have to postpone my weekend trip back to MI; however, with the way things have been going I wouldn't be suprised if the closing gets pushed back as well.
-Work
2008 Fall/Holiday samples are high priority and I've had to put most of my other responsibilities on the back burner. Luckily, Mason has been doing most of the work during the work day so I've been able to finally catch up on some of my post due work. Last night Mason, myself and a few others from the office went out for drinks which put a nice ending to our insane work week. Next week it's back to Columbus for the 3rd time this year but you won't hear me complain because a day traveling is far better than a day in the office.
-Super Bowl
What a game!!! It was pretty cool to have a "hometown" team to root for in the big game, especially since the Giants play all their home games no more than 10 miles from our apartment. We went to our friend Giancarlo's (GC) house to watch the big game, which marked my 3rd Super Bowl party with GC and out NJ friends. It's crazy to think that I've been here for almost 3 years, and even more bizarre to have the same group of friends since our first summer "down the shore."
In honor of the Giants big win I bought Adam and I matching t-shirts:
Pretty sweet, huh?
-Puerto Rico
As I mentioned in my previous blog, I went to Puerto Rico at the end of January. It was so nice to get out of the cold and visit a place I've never been before. The family I babysitt for was kind enough to ask if I wanted to go with them and help watch the kids, which was a nice break from work and a great 5 day vacation. We stayed at the El Conquistador Hotel and Casino in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. We stayed at the Las Castistas in a 3 bedroom/3 bathroom house on the ocean. The below photo is a picture from our balcony
And the little houses at the top of the hill is where we stayed
Another favorite of mine was the infinity pool. Ryan really liked that as well
They also had a boat that took you to Palomino Island. The water was the bluest I've seen and the views were amazing
Other than that, nothing new here. I haven't spent much time wedding planning but as soon as this house business is done, I'm hoping to spend my summer months by the pool reading Modern Bride and picking out flowers, hair styles, etc. So much to look forward to!
Friday, January 18, 2008
January chaos
Wow, the past month seems to have gotten away from me. Adam and I went to Vegas to celebrate the Holidays with his family. It was our first New Years in Vegas and I haven't even had time to upload the photos so I don't want to try to recap the vacation in a couple sentences so I'll just skip to the present.
Work has been chaotic. My largest customer has begun planning for Holiday 2008 so I've been entrawled in those details. I'll be taking my 2nd trip to Ohio next week and probably finishing my second 60+ hour work week. Even though I'm working just as much as last year, I'm not nearly as stressed or overwhelmed. I work 12-14 hour days and focus on getting things done.
In other news, Adam and I have been house shopping. Who would have thought that my "starter" home would cost over $400,000? The cost of living is ridiculous out East but I need to get out of our one bedroom apartment. We've outgrown the living space and I'm ready to move on to bigger and better things. I want to be able to do my laundry without leaving my house. I want to have a kitchen that I ca cook elaborate meals in and invite family to stay for the weekend in our guest bedroom. I want to spend the summer on my back deck drinking coronas watching my dog run all over the yard. I want to buy a 50+" television and mount it on my living room wall so I can play my Wii the way it's meant to be played.
Other than working and house shopping I haven't been up to much lately. I'm going to Puerto Rico next week. I'm taking 3 days off work and I'm pretty sure I'm ready for a mini-vacation. I also booked a weekend trip back to Michigan in March. I want to try on wedding dresses and have my sister look at bridesmaid dresses with me. I haven't done ANY wedding planning since Thanksgiving and I think I should at least start looking at photographers and floral arrangements.
That's about it for now. Tomorrow, Kendra, Adam, Sarah, Fink and I are going to Atlantic City. Let's hope I do better than my Vegas losing streak...
Work has been chaotic. My largest customer has begun planning for Holiday 2008 so I've been entrawled in those details. I'll be taking my 2nd trip to Ohio next week and probably finishing my second 60+ hour work week. Even though I'm working just as much as last year, I'm not nearly as stressed or overwhelmed. I work 12-14 hour days and focus on getting things done.
In other news, Adam and I have been house shopping. Who would have thought that my "starter" home would cost over $400,000? The cost of living is ridiculous out East but I need to get out of our one bedroom apartment. We've outgrown the living space and I'm ready to move on to bigger and better things. I want to be able to do my laundry without leaving my house. I want to have a kitchen that I ca cook elaborate meals in and invite family to stay for the weekend in our guest bedroom. I want to spend the summer on my back deck drinking coronas watching my dog run all over the yard. I want to buy a 50+" television and mount it on my living room wall so I can play my Wii the way it's meant to be played.
Other than working and house shopping I haven't been up to much lately. I'm going to Puerto Rico next week. I'm taking 3 days off work and I'm pretty sure I'm ready for a mini-vacation. I also booked a weekend trip back to Michigan in March. I want to try on wedding dresses and have my sister look at bridesmaid dresses with me. I haven't done ANY wedding planning since Thanksgiving and I think I should at least start looking at photographers and floral arrangements.
That's about it for now. Tomorrow, Kendra, Adam, Sarah, Fink and I are going to Atlantic City. Let's hope I do better than my Vegas losing streak...
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