Surprise!!!

On Friday Matt turned 25. It was a weekend of surprises.  It was a lot of work, and very stressful, but we pulled it off and I think that he had a wonderful birthday.

Lets recap.

Thursday: I left work a little early and drove out to Dulles Airport and picked up Matt’s parents and sister. We drove to the apartment, and they waited in the hallway. I went in and told him there was something for him in the hallway but I couldn’t bring it in. He walked out and was pretty shocked to see his family. We went to dinner and then played rockband. I made Matt’s birthday cakes for his party.

Friday: We went to the National Geographic Museum to see the terracotta warriors. It was absolutely amazing to see these life size works of art. To think they were created over 2200 years ago. So cool. I would love to go to China and see the real thing.

Matt’s mom and I left them to go shopping for the party while they took a tour of the Capitol. Now I had been planning Matt’s party for a while, and about 2 weeks ago, he found out about it. So I told a little white lie and told him it was on Saturday so he wouldn’t expect it on Friday. (I promise I didn’t enjoy lying to my boyfriend) We shopped, and made appetizers for the party. My parents helped us with their amazing streamer job.

Totally not showing it in all its amazing glory but you get the idea.

Then we went to dinner. We sent Matt and his dad to get something on the way home from dinner. He came home and was genuinely shocked to see all of our friends here. He got a ps3 from his parents and I gave him tickets to see Jerry Seinfeld.

Matt’s mom telling stories

Saturday: We had a tour of the west wing this am. We were a little bummed when we got to the oval office and were not allowed to see it. The president was working, on a Saturday. Bummer. My boss was who was taking us on a tour, so the twins were with us. Which was a good thing. Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, came out of the office, and walked over to us. We were looking into the cabinet room. He came over and talked to the babies, and then told us to come into the cabinet room. (no one on the tour is allowed in their, and photos are not allowed in the west wing.) He told us to put the babies in  his chair, and then took a picture of all of us in the cabinet room.

This was amazing. Totally once in a life time, and will never happen to anyone else on tour. Totally makes up for not getting to see the oval office. I shook the chief of staffs hand today. Amazing.

When I went on the White House holiday open house, I got super lucky and saw Bo, the first dog.

Who knows what will happen when I go on the tour with my family.

Saturday afternoon consisted of cleaning up the apartment from the party and napping. We had dinner and went off to the Kennedy Center to see Jerry Seinfeld. He was hilarious. I loved it, best birthday present ever. :-D At least I think so.

Tomorrow everyone goes home, :(. It was a whirl wind weekend. with lots of surprises. Very fun. I hope Matt had a wonderful birthday. I love him very much.

Monday: A Review

Here is a cool post my dad wrote on his blog about Monday when Austin swore in.

My Dad's Blog, While My Muse Gently Weeps

Rough Days

I didn't really sleep much Monday night. I dreamed about boot camp, and wondered what was happening to Austin a lot. Maybe watching that movie wasn't the best.

Since I don't live at home, I don't see him very much. So it isn't that I am missing him. But the fact that I can't talk to him. Today something made me laugh that would have made him laugh, and I wrote a whole text before I remembered I couldn't send it.

I do find myself thinking (often out loud) I wonder what Austin is doing. I hope he is ok. According to my math, he should be getting his first bit of sleep tonight since he got there around 2am on Tuesday. He called mom and dad at 4am, I guess to let them know he was there safely. The phone ringer in the bedroom was turned off, so they missed the call. Mom was pretty upset. I hope it didn't get him down that he called an no one answered. :(  I wish I lived at home, I would have heard it. When UPS would call at 4:30 in the am to see where Austin was (when he worked there), SHEW I used to get so ANGRY when they would wake me up!

This weekend is Matt's 25th birthday. I have a surprise party planned, except I blew it. So it isn't really a surprise. But it is planned. He better fake like he is shocked. :-D.

I have been neglecting my baking blog.  :( I have been neglecting my baking actually. I hope to get back to it soon.

Austin Lee

(sung like “chocolate rain” inside joke)

 

Tonight my brother is at a hotel in Baltimore Maryland, probably not sleeping, waiting for tomorrow morning.

He has to wake up early tomorrow morning to take a Physical test and then at 10:15 my parents and his girlfriend go and watch him get sworn in as an active duty marine recruit and then he gets on the bus and off to South Carolina he goes.

Matt and I watched a DVD called The Making of A Marine tonight. I was teary through the whole movie. Watching these drill instructors scream at the recruits makes me sad and worried about him. Then watching them get their pins and put on their uniforms made me so happy. I can’t wait to be there and see the transformation he makes. I can’t wait to say my brother is a Marine. I can’t wait to get letters from him.

Proud to be an American is another one of those songs that makes me sob. I only imagine it is going to get worse.

The next 3 months are going to be hard for Austin. Please keep him in your prayers.  Please also keep my mom and his girlfriend in your prayers. They are pretty sad about him leaving. Pray for my dad tomorrow around 11. He will be driving about an hour with 2 weeping women in the car.

Valentine’s Day

Better late than never right?  I told my self multiple times to get this post written so it could go up Monday, but never got around to it. I was too busy stuffing my face with chocolate covered fruit.

So I was supposed to run a 5K Sunday am, but with all the snow it has been postponed. I had already told Matt I wanted it low key this year because I figured I would be tired, but I don’t need super fancy dinners and what not I just want to hang with my honey. Besides I had already set my mind on what I wanted to do for the evening.

Matt gave me the prettiest tulips, and the best part is that they are potted, so once I find a pretty planter I will repot them. I love pink tulips, a lot.

We spent the afternoon watching tv and relaxing and then went to an early hibachi dinner. This is seriously my favorite. I wish I lived closer to my parent’s because we would be eating at Miyako at least twice a month (or more if I could swing it – I LOVE IT)

Then for dessert I set up a fondue spread and we watched the Olympics and stuffed our faces more.

The best part of the night in my opinion was playing the game I made. I wanted to make something for Matt that would be personal and wouldn’t cost me a ton of money. I made Loveopoly, and created a personalized monopoly game.

I used different places from our relationship. Our first date, college, trips we took together etc. Jail was the doghouse, chance was get lucky (not in the dirty way!), community chest was that’s life and free parking was the lottery. It was cute and fun to spend the evening going back in time and thinking about all the things on the board. I lost (I always do) but this time I didn’t get angry (too angry at least) I HATE LOSING! But I love him, so it makes up for it. (but a good valentine would have let me win ;) )

** I got the idea for the game from Love Actually and changed it a little to make it mine.

 

How was your valentines day?

U.S.A.

I have a lot of posts in mind that need to make it up this week, but I wanted to leave this little thought and then head to bed.

Watching any American receive their gold metal, and hearing the national anthem during the ceremony ALWAYS makes me cry.

So does God Bless America, it always has, and now I am afraid it will make me cry even harder.

Busy week this week: Getting back on track with my working out. Getting this apartment clean for my friends to come over for dinner of Friday. Spending the day at home(in MD) on Saturday because my brother leaves Monday ( for real this time - no snow allowed) and posting some on the blogs. Oh and watching the Olympics non stop. I love it.

Going crazy

I haven’t left my house since Monday when we went to get my ear looked at. I am going a little insane, we had more snow last night and today. I have always hated winter, now I LOATHE it. I wish my stubborn Miami born boyfriend would suddenly have a desire to move back home to his parents. I would move in a heartbeat. I would even pack everything myself and let him sit on the couch and play video games. His parents had a cool day today, a high of 68, sigh. To think I am dreaming for a day in the 40s.
To add to just how crazy I am , my medicine they gave me is amoxicillin. These are HUGE pink pills, that smell EXACTLY like the liquid version of it. I had to take it a couple times as a kid, and I loved it. I know I am weird. It was the one medicine I didn’t fight my parents to take. Every time I have to take my pill I sniff the bottle like it is crack. HA! I guess it takes me back. Next time I am asking for the liquid version. :-D   (Don’t judge me!)

Look at those things!!! GOSH SO BIG!

This blog was given a few awards, and I will post them soon. I have been so busy napping, watching trash on tv, and being lazy I never got around to it. (for some reason I am more productive with life when I get up and go to work and then come home. Being home all day for a week means this place is in shambles, a phenomenon I do not understand. It may or may not have something to do with the fact that I haven’t put on anything but PJs all week)
Bear with me friends, I will get some posts up. I have some in mind. :-D
FYI : My Brother didn’t leave this week. The snow has postponed it. He will officially leave on February 22nd.

CVS Saved My Life

OK- that is an overstatement, however last night I started feeling the pains of an ear infection coming on. Now let me say that growing up I had never had an ear infection. EVER. I woke up on my 24th birthday with a little pain in my ear, and what felt like fluid in it. My boyfriend’s parents were in town visiting us, and we had plans, plus it was my birthday. Matt’s mom wanted me to go to urgent care to get it looked at, but I insisted that we weren’t doing that. We went to Mount Vernon as planned, and I faked like I was fine and having fun. I really just wanted to die. Then we came home, and they were taking me to dinner at my favorite restaurant ever, Houstons.  I almost called it off, and ordered carry out, but I really wanted my birthday dinner. Plus I had to drive home. So off to dinner I went. By the time dinner was over and I was on my way home I was in tears. I cried the whole 45 mins home, called my mom and told her to meet me at the hospital because I was sure my ear drum had burst. She told me to go home first. So I met her at home, she gave me some pain meds and laid in my bed with me all night rubbing my head so I could sleep (I like having my hair played with). The next day the pain was insane, I showered sitting down because I was dizzy from walking to the bathroom. Then my dad drove me to the dr. where I got meds and pain killers, and an order to stay in bed. I spent 4 days in bed with an ear ache and vertigo, all because I was too stubborn to have it looked at earlier.

Fast forward a year, 3 months and some days. After our adventure getting home from my parents' house last night in the leftover mess of 30+inches of snow, I collapsed on the couch to watch the super bowl. I have been fighting a chest cold all weekend but haven’t felt horrible. Last night, my right ear felt like it needed to be popped. Then it started cracking a little( its a weird sound only I hear in my head, I can’t explain it really) and I knew this wasn’t good. I took sinus meds and went to bed hoping to wake up feeling better. Well, not so much. I woke up and my ear was starting to hurt now. But not as bad as before. this time I had a plan. I don’t have a general doctor yet because I have moved, and I just haven’t put it at the top of my list of things to do. I knew that no doctors office would see me today being a new patient. But I read on someone’s blog (I wish I could remember who, I will give you credit if you let me know) about CVS Minute Clinic. Not all CVS pharmacy locations have them, but there were a couple within 15 mins. of us. We walked in, I filled out some info, and waited. I waited about 15 mins, and the DR. finished with a patient, then set up and saw me about 5 mins. later. She was an actual doctor. They take a lot of insurances, but even if they didn’t take your insurance, it was $62 to be seen. Totally worth the money to me. The told me I in fact did have an ear infection and prescribed the meds and sent them to be filled while we were finishing up.

[Image Credit]

While I don’t see this replacing a general practitioner, it was good for a quick fix, and  if in the future I need to be seen by my doctor and they can’t get me in , I will be going to CVS again. It was just so easy.
**CVS didn’t pay me to write this post, but if they want to I won’t turn it down :-D I just know that someone blogged about this and it saved me a lot of money and time than going to the ER for an ear ache. I thought maybe this would help someone else.**

How We Met

Mama M at five crooked halos is hosting a Valentines Extravaganza. I don’t know if I will be able to link up everyday, but at the risk of embarrassing the boy, and having him whine about it, I am tonight.

Today’s theme is How you met your love or best friend.
I think I will share both.
My Love:
Technically we met sometime around the last week of August 2003. I moved into 6120 Ellicott hall at the University of Maryland to start my Freshman year. He lived in 6122. (I was the last girl dorm on the girls side, and he was the first guy dorm) I ended up making a couple girlfriends, but was mostly friends with the guys. Most of the girls on my hall were just not my type, but the couple that were are dear friends. Matt was one of the guys that we always hung out with. We all went to dinner together, to sports games (he gave my roommate the signed football from the football coach – I still won’t let him live that down!) Even when I moved to a different dorm sophomore year I still hung out with them all the time.
Fast forward to Junior year. My roommate and I wanted to go somewhere for spring break this year. Matt is from Miami, and mentioned that we could come down. So we took him up on it. A few of us flew down to Miami for a few days in the sun. He took us to the beach ( I saw models from 8th and Ocean – the MTV show walk right by me on south beach! Made my day) We all had a lot of fun. Matt took us to the tennis tournament that is held there every spring. My first time getting to see the pros. From there he took us to the airport. He wasn’t flying home for a couple more days.
As soon as he got back to UMD he came right to my apartment (I don’t think he even unpacked-which is big for him, he always unpacks as soon as he gets home- I don’t)  Now having him there wasn’t abnormal. But over the next few days he kept coming down. We had a class or two together ad so I was just always seeing him. I didn’t really think too much of it. Then one night he said he wanted to go to The Fe ( one of my favorite bars) and for some reason none of our friends wanted to go. I mean come on guys it is only a random weekday night! We are in college. Oh well, losers. :-D Well, we get a booth, and he pretty much chugs his beer. Then drops it on me. “I like you, as more than a friend.” OH MY GOD. This is Sap( what our friends and me at the time called him- I don’t anymore, I can’t date a guy named sap) I have never though of him like that. He goes to the bathroom and I start texting my roommate. “omg meg, sap likes me – what do i say? Do i like him? omg omg omg”  He was also in the bathroom texting her too. Little did I know he had talked to her about his love for me (ok it wasn’t love then) she told him to tell me. So while I wasn’t 100% sure about this I wasn’t appalled. I needed to think about this. It was a bit of a shock. We hung out a lot, and I finally let him off the hook and decided this could work out.  Now he is my best friend and the love of my life. :-D

I still have a bestest girlfriend. I think they both can be my best friend because they are different. Her story is great. It starts with hate.
My best friend:
One Sunday I walked into church and my mom “Mrs. Social Butterfly” comes running over and tells me I have to ask these two kids who are new to sit with us. (at the time, most of the youth sat together. Me “Miss Quiet and Shy” wanted to murder my mom, and said no. She glared at me, probably threatened to take away the computer or the tv, and off I went.
It was a guy my age (10th grade) named Troy and a girl in middle school named Aubrey. Great mom. So I ask them to sit with us, and they did (because their mom made them) So they became active in the youth group. I started dating that boy. Aubrey hated me, she was so mean to me. I didn’t really like her either but I tried to be nice because she is the sister of my boyfriend who I really liked. 6 months later she must have decided I wasn’t going anywhere because she started tagging along with us (but really she just wanted a ride to the mall and we were going there) The more she hung out with us, the more we started to like each other. Then we became friends. Troy would leave and go to work and I would stay and hang out with her. Sometimes I saw her more than him. We started joking that if Troy and I broke up it would suck for him because I would still be around. Guess what, we broke up, and I drove straight to his house, walked in and laid in her bed and cried. He never did get rid of me until she moved to FL. I miss her very much. We still text and IM almost everyday and we are both training for half marathons, though her race is next week. She better go run today.

So there you have it, how I met my love and my bestest. Hope it wasn’t too sappy. Sorry honey if I embarrassed you – it’s because I love you. :-D and no, I am not taking it down, sorry.

Blizzard 2010

They said it was going to snow a lot. They didn't lie this time. I wanted to spend the weekend at home in Frederick so that I could hang out with my brother before he left for boot camp on Monday. With the news saying that the snow would start mid morning on Friday, I decided that I would try to get off work on Friday and head home Thursday. Friday at about 1 the snow started and by 10:30 we had about a foot. We shoveled twice before bed last night, and then we woke up and had double the snow. We haven't taken official measurements, but I am willing to say we have 2 feet. Dad, Kobi and I went out to shovel this afternoon. SO MUCH SNOW. Kobi didn't know what to do (or how to potty).

I will show you some pictures. It is really pretty, a pain, but really pretty :-D

 

This was at 10:30 last night

 

This is how much snow we got in about 1.5 hours. Mom just went an shoveled, then I went out a little later

 

My Miami Boy in the snow

 

Shoveling the snow looks fun, until you do it. 

 

10:45 this am. Yes, that is  grill, up to the door, because my dad grilled us hamburger for dinner Friday night. Good Daddy.

 

  

The road has not been touched. It went above my knees.

  

Kobi helping daddy

 

Kobi in the Snow tunnels

 

Dad and Kobi dog

 

Somewhere under there is my car.

While I do enjoy living in an apartment where I don't have to shovel, or clean off my car. I have enjoyed being at home with my family during the big blizzard. I just hope the apartment still has power, or we are going to have no food when we get home.

I HATE SNOW

So tonight was the season premier of Lost. I was SO VERY EXCITED. We were having a party. We were going to have

Dharma Beer

 

 [Image credit]

Dharma Crips

[Image credit] 

And Dharam Cake 

  

  

But Mother Nature wanted to have her own party. She is currently dumping 3-6 inches of snow on us. Now I have to admit that all the other times we got a lot of snow it was on a Saturday and I was able to hang out at home and it didn't interfere with anything. But this time, of all times, it ruins my LOST party. We were supposed to go into DC to our friends, but we decided to stay in and not drive in the snow. It is realllly pretty out there, but dang it! Now I have a whole cake to eat on my own. BOOOO

  

  

Those are horrible pics from outside, but it was dark and I couldn't get a good pic (granted I was outside in shorts and a tee shirt and no shoes so I didn't try to long - hmm dumb) 

***UPDATE*** More snow pics - 1ish hour later (this time from inside the apartment) I really wish you could see how beautiful the snow is. I will try to take a pic in the am. It is really prettty

 

 

Ok off to have a piece of my Dharma cake. Friends, tomorrow when the snow melts, please come eat some cake and talk LOST with me. :-D