Guest Post: An 18 day Cruise

Hey, hey friends!

I'm Janna, and you can find me at Perception Is Everything.

As you all know, our lovely CeCe is off gallivanting in Europe, so I thought I would share about my trip to that beautiful part of the world. I'm hiding in CeCe's luggage, but sssshhh don't tell her.

A few years ago, my grandparents surprised my siblings and I by taking us to Europe for a WHOLE month! I must say, it was one of the best experiences of our lives....

It all began with a NEVER-ENDING flight from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to Amsterdam, in The Netherlands in August of 2007, along with loss of sleep from our first major time zone change.

Next stop: NORWAY! 

Probably THE most breathtaking country I have ever been to.

We hopped on a 700 passenger cruise ship in Amsterdam, and it became our home for the next 18 days and three countries ;)

The waterfalls along the way were incredible...

And it just got better from there...

via

After Norway and a jaunt into the Arctic Circle, we headed down to The Shetland Islands.  Where they really have those little Shetland ponies, by the way.

And then Scotland!

At the end of the 18 days, we were sad that our seaward journey had come to a close, but at least we still had a few more days to explore Amsterdam!

Our Hotel for the last week:

Die Port Van Cleve Hotel, Dam Square-Amsterdam

How gorgeous, RIGHT?  It was the old Heineken Brewery, until the brewery needed to expand.  It is definitely not a Holiday Inn or anything "Americans" are used to, but that's the charm of it...Over stuffed with furniture and no AC, it might dissuade some from staying here, but for the history, location and charm-we LOVED it!

How cool is this outdoor potty?  These were all over Amsterdam, and I was only sad that they didn't have anything for females.  In case you don't know- you have to pay to use public restrooms over there, so you need to have options like this!

As I mentioned, it was the time of our lives, which is what I'm sure CeCe is having right now!

Most importantly, she gets to be reunited with her MJ!!
We are both Military spouses, so I know just how amazing it is to reunite with our soldiers.
I know that I can't WAIT to hear the romantical stories and fabulous pictures that she will have.

Hurry home girl! Well, I know that you won't and shouldn't, but we MISS you!!

Cece's 2 cents:   Thank you Janna for this great post  I love it!  Those pictures are so beautiful.  What an amazing unforgettable vacation.  That is so cool that you got to do this with your family.  I'll be very interested to see those outdoor potties when we get to Amsterdam.  How random is that?  And yes, I do miss you all too!  Logging into Blogger every morning is such an enjoyable part of my routine but clearly it's nice to be unplugged for a while seeing the world...instead of a computer monitor. 

Guest Post: Places I want to Visit

Hello, Friends! I’m Lauren and I blog over at Choosing Joy! I’m here today to talk to you about some of the places that I most want to travel to, while CeCe is away vacationing in beautiful Europe!  My fiance, Brian, has traveled so much during his life. I, on the other hand, have not. At least, not before we met. After meeting Brian, I have definitely expanded my horizons a bit, and traveled to places I probably never would have otherwise, and it's been an amazing experience. I would love to travel more, and we have plans to visit quite a few more places within the next few years. Here is a list of some of the top places I would most like to visit...

1. Maine

Maine is probably the place I would like to visit the most. Brian's family has gone many times, and I've heard so many good things about this place - including the cuisine. I've never had lobster in my life, but am definitely planning on trying it when Brian and I make a stop here on our honeymoon! Besides this, I'd love to see some of the surrounding states, and Canada, since they are so easy to get to from Maine.

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2. Shenandoah National Park

Earlier this year (during late winter), my fiance and I took a trip to Virginia to spend the weekend at Shenandoah National Park. It was absolutely beautiful, and is the best vacation I've ever been on thus far. I would love to return again during the spring when the trees are in full bloom, and there is more green than brown, and when we can go hiking without freezing. I can only imagine how breathtaking the views would be during the warmer months. Next time we go here, I'd love to see Monticello, since it's fairly close to Skyline Drive, and I've never been there before.

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3. Hawaii

I'm not sure this one really needs any explanation. Hawaii is beautiful. Simple as that. For years, I have wanted to visit Hawaii and travel The Road to Hana. There is so much I want to do in Hawaii, I'm hoping this will be a long vacation! The beaches look so beautiful and peaceful - have you ever seen waters so clear?

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Cece's 2 Cents:  Thanks for the Post Lauren!  I haven't been to Maine or Shenandoah but I have been to Hawaii.  We went to Oahu for our honeymoon and I can honestly say it is as beautiful as that picture.  Actually, pictures really don't do it justice.  What, Europe didn't make the list?  Maybe I can convince you to add it after I get back and post a million recaps and pics about my trip.

Meet you in Barcelona

Things were a little different around here with the husband gone. For starters, there was no cooking so the kitchen did not see much use. If I had to make a stop after work it didn't bother me much because it didn't feel like there was anything to rush home to. There's nobody home but me so what difference does it make? The AC was off way more then it was on and there was nothing out of place. As much as I  loved our clutter free house I would rather trip over 5 pairs of shoes a day and wear sweaters and blankets so I don't freeze to death then to have him be so far away for too long. I miss him. I miss us watching movies and cuddling. I miss seeing his cute face when I get home from work and acting silly together. It was only 6 weeks this time.  I can say only because a couple of years ago it was 11. Months.  When he was in Germany we still got to talk and Skype but for the last three weeks he was in Croatia.  I've been feeling totally cut off and it's kind of frustrating.  There are things I want to tell him but can't get across via text.  I have really important things to ask him like whether we should go to Marseilles or Aix En Provence and why or if he could tell me just one more time how to start his new car with the block for a key.  Should I be offended that he reminded me to open the garage door before I ran the engine or just find it sweet that he doesn't want me to die?

Months of research and anticipation have come down to this.  I have a folder full of boarding passes, train tickets, hotel confirmations, self written tour guides and itineraries.  I am nothing if not organized and prepared.  It's funny because Mj has almost no idea of what we're doing on this trip because I planned it all and haven't been able to discuss any of the final details with him.  It'll be a nice surprise for him.  I still cannot believe that I am going to Europe.  Like a wedding, an awesome honeymoon and buying a house it's one more thing that I just figured I would never get to do but like all those others it has become reality.  Mj has been by my side for all of it.  I don't know what I would do without him in my life.

Dropping him off at the airport not only began the six week countdown until I'd get to see him again but also to our vacation. Saying good bye at the airport that morning sucked but it was so cool to be able to say "Meet you in Barcelona" and actually mean it. I felt like I was in a movie.  A really cool romantic comedy; until I drove home, went to back to sleep and nothing all that exciting happened when I woke up. The only good thing about being separated are the heart swooning reunions and I think this might be our best one yet. The only thing that would make it more romantic is if we were reuniting in the romantic city of Paris instead of Barcelona but that's okay because we'll be there just a week later.  I can totally picture it my head.  We'll be hand in hand staring up at the Eiffel Tower.  Together.

Pre Vacation Confessions

I confess that I have never used this much vacation time all at once in my life.  96 hours!!!  I'm such a vacation day hoarder that I was notified that I HAD to use up so many vacation hours by the end of this year.  Being the obedient employee that I am, I immediately booked a trip to Europe.  Even after,  I'll still have over 100 hours left.

I confess that I have spent hours and hours on research for our vacation.  Hours.  Like it's my job.  I could practically write a guide book on the 8 European cities we are traveling to.  I don't want to get there and have to waste time trying to figure out what to do and how to do it.  A European vacation doesn't come around that often and we need to make the most of every single day and do it as cheaply as possible.

I confess that I've been obsessively checking the weather for the cities that we are going to visit.  I added Barcelona, Nice, Rome, Naples, Paris AND Amsterdam to my i phone weather app. 

My pretty passport

I confess that when I thought about not working out for two weeks I got a little nervous.  The ship has a great gym so my goal is to get in two workouts while we're on the cruise but other then that I'm just gonna try not to worry about it too much.  We'll be too busy exploring and having fun.  That alone is going to be enough to wear me out.  Walking will be my main source of exercise and that's gonna have to be okay.

I confess that I have tracked my calories in Lose it every day since I got my i phone almost two years ago.  I'm still trying to decide if I should break my streak and not bother to track calories at all while I'm gone.  I'm going to be eating as much Pizza in Italy as I can so what's the point? 

I confess that I haven't read my Glamour or Marie Claire Magazines for the past two months just so I could save them for my trip.  It's a looong plane ride.  I'm also taking a book called Ice Cream Girls.

I confess that I'm going to pack this weekend and pretend that I'm leaving on Monday.  That way I still have time to obsess over my luggage which hopefully means less anxiety when I actually walk out the door for good.  Packing is stressful.  Speaking of which...

I confess that I still have no idea how I'm going to fit 14 days of clothing into ONE suitcase.

I confess that I still can't believe I'm going to Europe.  It probably won't sink in until I land at the airport in Spain.

I confess that I get butterflies when I think about seeing Mj again.  After six weeks we'll be seeing each other for the first time again at the airport in Spain.  It's just so romantic. 

I confess that this blog is going to be on pause while I'm away.  If anyone is interested in guest posting let me know.  I'd need it by Wednesday.

I confess that in all my years of blogging I've never had a guest poster so if anyone agrees to do it they'll be the first.


Can you tell I'm super excited about my trip?

I'm Not the Hostess Type

Fancy Cheese Platter

Anybody who knows me personally knows that I am not a cook.  Heck, if you read this blog you know that.   I want to WANT to cook and bake but I just don't.  I think life is simpler without it.  No grocery shopping, no kitchen clean up, no dishes, no dishwasher loading and unloading and no worry about letting ingredients or left overs go bad.  I have simple tastes so I don't have to eat out to compensate for not cooking.  I don't need much.  I've saved a ton of money on groceries since Mj has been gone.

When he goes out of town I get this bright idea to invite the girls over for a little get together which kind of makes sense but doesn't.  On the one hand it's the perfect time to take over the house with the girls but on the other hand he's the one who would know exactly what food to serve at a party.  He told me that if I ever wanted to have a party he'd plan the menu and prepare it as long as I help but I always do it when he's gone so my poor guests are left with me.  Whenever I try to come up with things to serve I draw a complete blank.  I can't deal with anything too complicated.  For me that means anything with more then five ingredients.  I saw a $19.99 family meal deal from Pat & Oscars and it was tempting, but I couldn't go out like that so I came up with something.

It's not like it was a big deal or anything.  I only had four friends over.  But still, I made a stress run to the store that morning.  You know the one that happens when you get paranoid and go buy stuff  for 'just in case' that you end up not even using.  I worried about what to make, if there would be enough and if my guests would like it like every hostess does, but I think I did pretty good.  I had a fancy looking cheese and fruit platter, tortilla chips and salsa, green salad, pasta salad with Italian dressing and Turkey Meatballs.  I did not make the meatballs myself; they were frozen but really tasty.  I am most proud of my Pillsbury Crescent snacks because they were a little different and I actually had to put them together and bake them.  They didn't look quite like the picture, but close enough and they tasted great.  Everyone had a good time and I got to see some friends; one of which I hadn't seen in a year!!!  It's crazy how that happens.

Source: pillsbury.com via CeCe on Pinterest

Two weeks ago I spent the night at my parent's house, then my parents spent the night at my sisters house, then last week my sister spent the night at my parents house so this time my mom and sister spent the night at my house.  Did you get all that?  Ha!  Apparently we just really love taking turns spending the night at each others houses.  So my mom, sister and nephew came down for the party on Saturday, spent the night at my house and stayed all day on Sunday.  We had a lot of fun hanging out together.

The only thing about my weekend that sucked was having to cough up $480 bucks on my car for brakes.  That really hurts and there is a chance I got ripped off because I don't know any better but it had to be done.  I did not let it spoil my weekend.

Confessional Fun

I confess that I got to page 132 of Fifty Shades of Grey and wanted to call it quits.  It dawned on me that the book was going to be about her life as a willing sex slave and I found that  I just wasn't all that interested. I stopped reading it for a week but I'm thinking I might as well finish it.

Budget Buster $130, marked down from $400
[Photo Source]

Budget Friendly $12, marked down from $49.99
[Photo Source]

I confess that last month I actually considered buying a pair of Jimmy Choo Sandals.   I was looking for snake print flat sandals for my trip, they came up in google images and I fell in shoe love. They were on sale for $130 down from $400.  I have only ever spent over $100 on boots so even though the price was low for Jimmy Choo it's still too high for sandals and my budget.  I found a cute pair of Alfani flats on clearance at Macy's for $12 bucks instead. My heart still yearns for the Jimmy Choo's.  It could have been my one chance to every own a pair but I'm glad I didn't spend that much.  I guess.  If anybody tells me that I should have bought them I'm going to cry.

I confess that even though I'm on shopping lockdown I bought a cute little Victoria's Secret I Love Pink hoodie.  Hey, it's for my trip.  That makes it okay.

I confess that I seem to have replaced my pretzel addiction with Ritz and Peanut Butter Crackers.  It used to be one of my favorite after school snacks and now I've been eating it after work.  For dinner.  Between that and PBJ's I've almost gone through a whole jar of peanut butter in a month.

I confess that when Chloe beat Maddie at Nationals on Dance Moms I screamed and did a happy dance.  Maddie is an amazing dancer and I think she's adorable but Chloe is the underdog, I love her long beautiful lines and I think it was her turn to shine.  I also screamed when they won 1st for the team.   They won everything!!

Leslie at Blonde Ambition is bringing confessional Friday back next week, Yeah!!  So, I will be linking up with her next week for more of the same.  Have a great weekend!

Hot New Camera

'aint she a beauty?
[Photo source & reviews]

Mj finally decided to buy another camera.  Do you know what this means?  It means that when we go places together and look back on our pictures you will actually be able to tell that I was there too.  Normally, I can barely even get him to take a picture of me but I have a feeling he'll want to use this one.  Anyone ever hear of a Canon Rebel T3i?  I hadn't.  This sucker is big and it 'aint cheap.  He bought an extra lens to go with it too that zooms in really close. 

So what suddenly made him decide to spend hundreds on a camera after four years of not owning a one at all or barely taking any pictures?  Europe that's what.  He wants us to have a really good camera while we're on vacation which is pretty cool but then I got sort of sad.  I'm the picture taker not him.  I'm the unofficial historian in this marriage and I'm the blogger.  I take pictures of EVERYTHING yet he has a really nice camera and I don't?  Since I was looking all pathetic and sad he said it'll be ours, which is sweet, but then he jetted off to Germany with it and I haven't seen it since.  As soon as that camera and I are in the same country again and I figure out how to use it you might see some better pictures around these parts.  Our vacation pictures should be awesome and maybe I can finally get my food pics to look as good as they taste. 

A Novel Idea

Sept 2009:  6,800 words, 27 pages

Jan  2012:  10,131 words, 42 pages

Feb 2012:  0

Mar 2012:  0

Apr 2012:  13,513 words, 53 pages

May 2012: 19,282 words, 80 pages

June 2012:  23,056 words, 95 pages

July 2012:  29,517 words, 123 pages

Aug 2012:  35,058 words, 146 pages

I started this in 2009, put it down and didn't look at it again for three whole years.  I never even said it out loud to anyone that writing a book was something I wanted to do until this year even though it's been floating around in the back of my mind for a really long time. I mean, you can't just casually say, "Oh, yeah I want to write a book."  It seems so impossible.

Who am I to think I am actually capable of such a thing?

I love to read and to write. I used to sign up for Summer reading programs at the library when I was a kid. I've been writing in journals since I was 9.  I used to write stories and enter writing contests in elementary school. I've always loved writing, but I have no clue if I'm any good at it. If I'd been true to my heart in college I probably would have majored in creative writing or journalism or anything to do with writing.  In retrospect I wish I had. Sociology may have seemed more practical at the time but I've never even come close to working in that field so I could have gotten a degree in anything based on where I'm at now.

Writing a book has always been a dream of mine, but I put it off for so long because I was afraid. I didn't know where to begin and I was afraid of finding out that I wasn't capable of it. Eventually, I put some words on paper in 2009 and got a nice start. Then I got stumped. Then life happened. I was too busy with house hunting, wedding planning and post wedded bliss. There was always some excuse.

Sneak Peak

Every  now and then I'd get this burning desire to write a book and instead of ignoring it this year I dusted off the old manuscript and got to working on it again. It's going to be Fiction.  I had to re read everything and figure out where I was and then where I wanted to go, but once I got started again I wrote 20 pages in one day making me think....okay maybe I can do this. I need to get to about 60,000-80,000 words which is about 225 pages for it to be novel length, so I made it one of my new year's resolutions to write 15 pages per month. I'm a little bit behind. I skipped Feb and March altogether because I was taking a few college classes, and I'll be gone for half of next month so I'm not sure how I'll do then. I'm okay with that as long as I do my best to write every month.

Sometimes I hit a wall.  I don't know what I want my characters to do, or it feels boring and don't know what to do to liven things up. When that happens I get a little discouraged, and put it aside but at some point I force myself to pull it out and keep writing. Write something. Anything. I keep telling myself that if I just make myself keep going, eventually the story will unfold. I keep notes about the characters and a timeline of events as I go so I can keep track of what's going on. With every page I write, I gain more confidence in myself that I might actually be able to finish it. 

Even now that I've decided I'm doing this the words "my book" still feel very strange coming out of my mouth.  It's something that a lot of people say they want to do, but only a handful ever actually do it. I really want to be one of the ones that do. I'm not even worried about whether or not I would get it published or not.  I just want to be able to say that it was something big I wanted to do and that I did it.

Too Short Long Weekend

I spent most of the long weekend with my mom.  I got to her house Saturday afternoon and we went to Moonlight Amphitheater to watch the musical Anything Goes.  It's an outdoor theater with lawn seating so we were sitting in lawn chairs outside while watching the show.  We brought Subway, chips, cookies and candy to eat.   It's been years since the last time we went and we liked it so much we decided we're going to try to go every summer. 

Mom on the grill

Outside in the sun, w/frizzy air dried hair

Sunday morning my mom and I went to the gym together.  When we got back she fired up the grill.  My parents were planning to spend Labor Day at my sister's house where it's 105 degrees which is way too hot for grilling so she did it at home instead and this way I got to take some food home with me.  We sat outside in the back yard and drank wine and talked.  The weather was perfect.  It's been in the 80's for the last couple of weeks.  Over the course of the weekend we watched three movies and talked and talked and talked some more.  I wasn't even planning to spend two nights.  There is really nothing to rush home to since the husband is gone and I was enjoying myself so I stayed.  I always have a great time with my mom and I love it that we are so close.

I came home Monday morning, went straight to the gym and then had the rest of the day to myself.  I got to see and talk to Mj on face time.  I watched TV and took a nap and just relaxed.  Wow, is it really 10 o'clock already?  Time for bed.  The weekend went way too fast as always. 

More Confessions

Link up with Leslie @A Blonde Ambition

I confess that I spent the majority of  last weekend laying on the couch watching movies and catching up on DVR.  Oh, I did laundry and ran some errands too but that was probably only about 20% actual productivity.

I confess that I am annoyed that I felt guilty for taking a nap in the middle of the day and lazing about the house all last weekend.  Why should I feel guilty for relaxing?  I spend 5 days 50 hours a week including lunch hour dedicated to work.  Why can't the other 2 days and 48 hours be all mine for whatever I want even if whatever I want is NOTHING?

I confess that I got a little depressed when I read above confession.  My 5 day work week equals the same amount of hours as my 2 day weekend but it sure doesn't feel like it.  That 5 days feels like forever and those 2 days are gone within the blink of an eye.

I confess that I hate Captcha.  It's one thing to make us type letters into a box to ward off auto bot spammers but why do they have to try to confuse us too?  Do they WANT us to fail?  Why not just make the damn letters legible so I can read them and don't have to try five times just to get two words I can actually read.

I confess that there have been times when I went to comment on a post and just gave up when I saw the lovely Captcha box pop up.  Sometimes I'm just not in the mood for deciphering code.

I confess that I just added Gallery Girls to my TV watching line up.  If they were all rich NYC trust fund babies that I could never in a million years relate to then forget it!  But only 3 of the 7 are living off of mommy and daddy so I decided to give it a chance.  I did get rid of Locked up Abroad to compensate.

I confess that I spent way too much money this month.  One pair of shoes, two pairs of Capri pants, four sweaters (yes 4!!) an area rug and a new pair of Rx glasses really did me in.  I am on total spending lock down for the month of September so I can spend money on my vacation.

I confess that at 5:01pm happy hour is ON and I'm gonna go have a drinky drink or two with some girlfriends.  Pay day, happy hour and a three day weekend!  Can't wait. 

You Call This a Tote?

The Gold one is tote size; tiny two on the right-not so much

Glamour is running this promotion where if you subscribe to Glamour Magazine for 1 year you get a free tote set.  I have been subscribing to Glamour off and on for years.  After I grew out of Seventeen I found it to be a perfect mix of fashion, healthy and beauty tips and some good reading.  The fact that I would receive a tote set didn't motivate me to order it any more or less.  I've got plenty of bags at home.  I don't need anymore but if it's free,  I'll gladly take it.  

Don't they look nice and full in the pic?

So imagine my surprise when I get this package in the mail about the size of a magazine.  I hadn't ordered anything.  What could it be?  I open it to find my free totes but they are not quite what I expected.  No where on the free tote add did it mention size or material.  I looked.  But I did not expect them to be this tiny!!  If you are getting a tote you kind of imagine that it will be sizable enough to actually tote things around.  Especially when the post card says it will carry "all of your essentials."  A tote is big right?  Guess not.  It's either a classic case of product misrepresentation or just my fault for assuming but I can't be the only one who assumed they would be bigger.  I'm okay with it because they have come in handy for other things.  I just found it hilarious that I thought they were going to be the size of an actual tote and they weren't.  Maybe it's the word tote.  A better word would be mini tote, purse, or make up bag considering that's what size they are.   They were free so hey; can't complain too much. 

Well, if anyone else want's a free MINI tote set, you can get it at here at Glamour.   And when you see how small they are you can't say I didn't warn you!

More Money? Area Rugs Edition

When you buy a house and/or try to decorate a home you learn about all kinds of  things that you didn't realize were expensive but are.   I guess that is true of everything; because when I was planning our wedding there were all kinds of things along the way that I was shocked to find out the price of.  Some things I knew were going to be expensive like a closet organization system, hardwoods and granite but other things surprised me.  When we did our back yard I was surprised to learn that a pile of rocks could cost hundreds of dollars.  When we had our blinds and curtains put in I couldn't believe how much those were.  Mirrors are shockingly expensive too.  And lamps.  The price tags on decorative pillows is outrageous.  I mean, pillows?  Then  I couldn't believe how expensive a King size comforter set could be, then I was shocked that an average household kitchen sink could be $400 dollars and the faucet runs $200.

Damask Trellis Navy Blue Rug @RugsUSA

Am I just cheap?  Maybe, but now I'm shocked again and this time it's by how much area rugs cost.  If you want a really big one it can cost thousands of dollars which seems to be as expensive as having actual carpet installed in which case it's like paying for flooring twice.  So as with everything else I have to walk the fine line between not wanting to get the cheapest thing out there and not wanting to spend more then I can afford yet still ending up with a quality product that I will love.  It makes no sense to spend a dime on something you don't even like.  I love saving money but I'm not the thrifter, craigslist shopper type.  I wish I was.  The selections are random and limited so it could take forever to find what you want.  I just don't have the patience or the eye to find that diamond in the rough, bring it home, clean it up and make it look all shiny and new.  I will run all over town looking for the best deal though.  I comparison shop and look for coupons and research the hell out of everything.  I don't stop until I find the best deal around.  I probably wouldn't feel comfortable buying something like a couch or rugs pre-owned but I know that if I had been willing to hunt down things like our dining room set at on craigslist I could have spent a lot less money.  So, what did my latest bargain hunt yield?

Hand Tufted Alexa Pino Floral Red Rug @Overstock.com

Right after we got our hardwoods put in I saw a Groupon for Rugs USA.  I'll say it again.  I love Groupon!  For $95 I got $235 in merchandise so I spent $149 with free shipping on a 5 X 8 area rug for our living room.  The original price was $289.  It was on sale for 35% off and they wouldn't let me double dip on the sale price which is lame if you asked me but I still saved $39 more using the Groupon so whatever.  They had the red one too but I found a better price on Overstock.com.  It was 15% off which brought it from $284 to $242.  I found a $15.00 off promo code on their site for a total of $227 for a 7'6" X 9'6" rug and only $2.95 for shipping because Overstock is cool like that.  That one will go in the dining area.  I am shocked by how much we spend on things.  Things that we don't even REALLY need.  $376 for rugs on top of what we paid for flooring.  Really?  Oh well.  Maybe I could have done better but I feel pretty good about how much we spent considering how much these rugs can cost.  It's so hard to tell colors online but hopefully we like them.  We'd better.  Chances are we're stuck with them because I am not returning them and starting all over again.

He's 2

*Happy Birthday... what?*

It was my nephew's 2nd birthday on Saturday so we made the 2 1/2 hour drive to my sister's new home in the middle of the desert.  It's at the foot of a mountain and it's HOT.  I don't know how people who live there can stand it.  You feel like you are walking around in an oven when you are outside which is why they made sure to get a house with a pool.  I never understood why parents go all out on Christmas and birthdays for babies.  At that age, if you make a big production out of it then it's for yourself and not the kid because they don't know the difference and they certainly won't remember it.  When you are two you have no idea it's your birthday.  You don't even know what a birthday is.  My sister saved herself the time and the expense and kept it simple again this year.  It was just our family.  We gave him presents; which he didn't have a clue as to why he's getting.  Not that he would care anyways.  She bought a bunch of cold cuts and toppings so we could make sandwiches and we had macaroni salad, three bean salad and chips.  Instead of cake she made brownies because the birthday boy really isn't all that crazy about cake.  We sang happy birthday and then ate brownies and ice cream for dessert.  He spent most of the time we were in the pool crying even though he usually loves the water.  It's normally just him and mom in the pool so birthday or not he didn't appreciate his pool routine being disrupted by us.  Kids are so funny.

I think next year he'll have a better understanding of what's going on but for now it was just another fun day with the family for DJ.  He's getting so big and is such a cutie.  Now that he's older maybe my sister will stop using months to describe his age.  Instead of saying 24 or 27 months, she can just say he's 2. 

Friday Confessional

I confess that after Direct TV dropped MTV then added it back we DVR'd all the Teen Mom episodes we'd missed and had a Teen Mom marathon extravaganza over the weekend.  The show is as terribly addicting as it is terrible and I'm not naming names but some of them; Amber, are complete train wrecks.  Sadly, I can't stop watching.

I confess that when I turned on my radio in the morning on the way to work last week I was crushed to find that AJ and AJ in the Morning was no longer.  He's gone with no explanation.  They've replaced him with someone else and it's just not the same anymore.  I may even stop listening.  AJ MADE that radio show.  He was so funny and what will happen with AJ's Annual Kids Crane Toy Drive?  So sad.

I confess that I think my 10% off Proctor & Gamble E store link is a total bust.  It's no surprise.  I've never been a good salesman.

I confess that sometimes I strip down naked in the laundry room so I can wash EVERYTHING including what I'm wearing.

I confess that I sit at work with a space heater on all day even when it's 80 degrees outside.  Did I mention that space heaters are banned?  Shhhh...don't tell anyone.

I confess that I'm still a little bitter that Mary blew up the toaster at work four months ago.  I love Mary but I also loved eating Fiber 1 toast with reduced sugar jelly on top every morning.  In her defense the toaster was like 20 years old so it wasn't really her fault.  Toasters got banned so I had to find a new breakfast.  Boo.

I confess that I have a pretzel addiction.  They give me my "chip fix" because they are munchy and salty yet don't have all the fat and calories of actual chips but what they do have is tons of sodium.  It's been about two weeks since we ran out and I haven't bought any since.  Let's see how long I can last! 

Cinnaminy Goodness

I confess that I ate five cinnamon rolls this week including the one I'm going to eat tonight.  The husband baked AGAIN!  He made brownies last week and this is his 3rd time making cinnamon rolls this year.  I'll be lucky if I still fit into my skinny jeans by Fall.

Have a great weekend!!

Link up with Leslie @A Blonde Ambition

 

Hardwood Floors

Home renovations can be a pain in the butt.  After our kitchen I was not looking forward to doing anything else so this was one 'honey do' I did not bug Mj about.  When he told me he scheduled the installation I can't say I was thrilled.  It's so much work.  I hate the dirt.  I hate having to move everything and how anxious I feel when my house is a total disaster.  I know I'm totally whining and I hate myself for it but I got over it and we got our hardwoods put in last week.  If you looked at our upstairs you'd think we were hoarders because we had to put most of our furniture up there. Poor Mj had to listen to my incessant whining while we moved everything upstairs and out to the garage but we both survived.  It took them two days and then on Thursday we cleaned and put everything in order.  It was so good to have our house back!! 

We did the entire downstairs with a hand scraped engineered hardwood from the Reward Grenada Collection in Birch Retreat.  It's already distressed so when the inevitable nicks and dings start to turn up they won't be as noticeable.  We went with engineered because it's cheaper and we have a concrete sub floor.  It's a good option because they can still be refinished.  Our cheapo baseboards were replaced with really pretty five inch crown molding.  I didn't even know we were getting those.  Since they had to pull up the toilet anyways we bought a new one for the 1/2 bath.  Without the sound absorbing carpet it sounds really hollow like we we're in a cave or a bathroom but I don't notice it as much any more.  

It's not that I don't like hardwoods but I can't say I was 100% enthusiastic about getting them.  Mj definitely wanted this more then me.  I love the look but to me carpets are more practical and easier to maintain.  I've grown very attached to our carpet.  We upgraded on it when we bought the house.  It looks nice and I like the color.  I like the feel of soft carpet under my feet and sometimes I like to sprawl out on the floor.  We don't have pets or kids and we don't wear shoes in the house so it wasn't that hard for us to keep them clean.  After two years it's still in good condition so it was weird to watch them tear up perfectly good carpet.  We like dark wood so that's what we got even though we knew that every speck of dust and dirt would show up.  I kind of feel like I just made more work for myself.  We still have my precious carpet upstairs so I can get my carpet fix sitting my butt on the floor up there.  We're searching for an area rug too so that should help. 

So we finally have those coveted hardwood floors.  Mj just loooves it.  As hard as it is he did lay on it "'just to see what it felt like."  I know technically, hardwoods are cleaner because unlike carpet you truly can clean them whereas carpet absorbs.  And it does look really good.  I mean, it's kinda hard not to like.  They're beautiful.  The more I see it and get used to feeling it under my feet the more it's starting to grow on me.

Our first house project:  Painting

I Love Weddings

Thank goodness for that shade.  It was HOT!

I love weddings.  The last one I went to was ours...two years ago.  It's been way too long but I finally got to go to another one.  My co worker got married on Saturday in Balboa Park where we took our pre-wedding pictures.  Being back there always brings back wedding day memories and so does being at a wedding.  This poor bride had it a lot rougher then I did.  Wedding planning was stressful at times but for the most part I really did love every minute.  It actually took me a while to get over no longer being a wedding planning bride to be anymore after it was all over.  I was so sad.  Her, not so much.  I'm sure she's glad to have it over with so she can get her life back.  On more then one occasion she said that she now understands why people elope.  I mean, I could kind of understand it too as I went through the process myself.  It's so hard not to get lost in all the details and it's hard not to think of all the money you are spending on what is essentially a big party.  She spent triple what she anticipated on her dress and shoes.  She had to fire her caterer two weeks before the wedding and some of her vendors including her wedding coordinator were nuts but she made it and the wedding was absolutely beautiful.  Hopefully she'll find that it was all worth it.  My day had some hiccups and it went way too fast but it was one of the happiest days of my life and worth all the anxiety and every painstakingly budgeted penny.

The cocktail hour, the open bar, the great 80's music and the random cross section of people on the dance floor aged 6-60.  What's not to love about weddings?  Oh yeah, and true love.  They say 50% will get divorced but I still believe in marriage and think it's so special when two people for no other reason then that they love each other want to commit to spending their lives together.  I teared up a little when she walked down the aisle with her dad and then linked hands with her groom.  It kind of made me wish I could do it all over again. 

How was wedding planning for you? Worth it, wish you could do it all over again, hated it or did you just call it a day and elope?

My First Confessional

I confess that I've wanted to do a confessions post for a really long time but when I'd start to write it I'd draw a blank.

I confess that I've been blogging for 3 years now and this is my first link up ever.  At first I kept seeing other bloggers saying "lets link up" and I couldn't figure out what they were talking about.  

I confess that we went to the movies to see Batman Dark Knight Rising  and it was really good but I have almost no idea what was going on.

I confess that I shed a tear while watching Ted.  What can I say, that crass cute little trash talking bear grew on me.  I actually wish I had one for myself.

I confess that I really wish just one person would buy something from the Proctor & Gamble E store with my 10% off link.  Even if I only made $2 bucks it would make me feel very accomplished.

I confess that I did a group exercise torture class called Hard Core on a Tuesday, could barely stand up straight without wincing the next day and was still sore four days later.  Think P90X Ab ripper for 50 minutes.  If that kicked my butt how am I going to make it to the next Olympics?  Oh yeah.  I'm not.

The Fierce Five made the Corn Flakes Box

I confess that even though I don't eat corn flakes I would still love to be on the box.  How cool is that?  

I confess that I woke up at 6:30 am to watch Olympic Gymnastics live online two Sundays in a row and because that wasn't enough for me I watched the Prime time coverage of the same thing on NBC too.

I confess that I still don't understand why everyone else doesn't LOOOVE Gymnastics as much as I do.  Maybe for the same reason I don't LOOOVE Archery or Triathlon .  I just don't.

I confess that I had a dream that I saw Gabby Douglas get on a train headed for Russia.  I had to explain to her family that she was really happy after I showed her the replays of her Olympic performance and that I had no idea why she left.  I know.  Weird.

I confess that I've been drooling over the amazing bodies of these Olympic Athletes.  Men and Women both!

I confess that I'm really sad that the Olympics are almost over and not just because of Gymnastics.  Coming home to find out who smashed a world record or came back from a loss has become part of my routine.  It's been awesome to watch these people compete their hearts out and hear their incredible stories.  They captured our hearts.  They had dreams, they achieved them and we were fortunate enough to get to watch.

I confess that after work my husband and I are meeting his co workers at a cool Pizza place for happy hour where I'll be indulging in Mashed Potato Pizza.  And maybe some beer too.  5:00pm can't come fast enough.

Link up with Leslie @Blonde Ambition

Last Chance: Event Finals

 Did anybody notice that no other sport had it's very own theme song and special intro for it's TV coverage?  The husband didn't notice it either but I made sure to point it out.  I realize that I am totally biased but clearly gymnastics is awesome and I'm not just saying that.  The song is Home by Phillip Phillips and hearing it will always remind me of Fierce Five Olympic Gold.

Mckayla Maroney Vaults to win Silver [Photo Source:  NBCOlympics.com]

 Disappointed [Photo Source: NBCOlympics.com]

Vault
Everyone knows that Mckayla Maroney is the best vaulter in the world-maybe even of all time and that she was guaranteed a gold medal as long as she landed on her feet.  Her Vault got her on the Olympic team and is the only event she competed in London.  She soars above the vault higher then anyone else man or woman and her form is perfect.  She's just gifted with some natural talent when it comes to vaulting.   She got the gold medal at worlds last year but at the 2012 Olympic Vault finals...no dice.  You have to hit on the right day at the right time and shockingly she didn't.   She did her Amanar well enough with just one big step out of bounds then landed on her butt on her Mustafina vault.  It was good enough for Silver but not the Gold everyone including her knew she could get.  She couldn't hide the disappointment.  It was written all over her face.  She accepted a hug from Romanian winner Sandra Izbasa but did not accept one from Russian Maria Paseka who got the Bronze; it looked kind of awkward.  She seemed to be in a daze.  It's very sad that the best vaulter in the world doesn't have an Olympic gold medal.

GOLD- Sandra Izbasa-ROU- 15.191 (15.383, 15.000)
SILVER- McKayla Maroney-USA- 15.083(16.066, 14.300)
BRONZE-Maria Paseka-RUS-15.050(15.400, 14.700)
4.Janine Berger-GER- 15.016 (15.133, 14.900)
5.Oksana Chusovitina-GER- 14.783 (15.100, 14.466)
6.Yamilet Pena-DOM- 14.516 (14.566, 14.466)
7.Brittany Rogers-CAN- 14.483 (14.766, 14.200)
8.Elsabeth Black-CAN- 0.000 (0.000, 0.000)

Aliya Mustafina- Gorgeous bar routine [Photo Source:  NBCOlympics.com] 

Uneven Bars
This was a very deep field including two Chinese gymnasts who are very difficult to beat.  Aliya Mustafina was not intimidated and she did a beautiful bar routine with no mistakes.  Gabby Douglas was the only American to make finals.  There are so many amazing bar workers that I didn't expect that she would medal.  She probably would have needed someone to have a major break AND the best performance of her life in order to end up in the top three.  She had one error that most people wouldn't even notice when she had to add an extra 1/2 pirouette in to cover for falling the wrong way on a handstand and finished 8th.  Aliya flashed a sneaky smile when Gabby messed up and she knew for sure she'd get Gold and her teammate Russian Victoria Komova cried again when she clipped her legs on the low bar.  At age 27 Beth Tweddle from Great Britain got the home team it's only gymnastics medal on her best event.  And she finally earned herself the Olympic medal she was holding out for before retirement.

GOLD-Aliya Mustafina- RUS- 16.133
SILVER-He Kexin- CHN- 15.933
BRONZE-Beth Tweddle- GBR- 15.916
4.Yao Jinnan- CHN- 15.766
5.Viktoria Komova- RUS- 15.666
6.Elisabeth Seitz- GER- 15.266
7.Koko Tsurumi- JPN- 14.966
8.Gabby Douglas- USA- 14.800

Deng Linlin from China wins Gold [Photo Source:  NBCOlympics.com]

Balance Beam
I don't think I have ever wanted a gymnast to win a medal more then I wanted Aly Raisman to get one on beam.  There is something about her work ethic, fierce competitiveness and sweet personality that just makes me want to root for her.  She missed out on the All Around Bronze in a tie breaker.  Give the girl a medal!!  There were two Chinese gymnasts in the lead.  They own beam when they hit so after that it was basically a battle for 3rd.  Gabby Douglas fell off.  Russian Victoria Komova had a melt down falling off and then falling on her dismount.  She seemed to give up, but this time there were no tears.  I think she'd just had it.  Romanian Catalina Ponor did a decent routine but had some pretty big wobbles and a big step back on the dismount.  It was good enough for 3rd.  Then it was Aly's turn.  She had one slight wobble that seems to have lost her a connection but aside from a tiny hop on the landing it was a great routine.  The judges come back with a 14.966 placing her 4th which was ridiculous.  She hasn't scored that low since she's been in London and now they are going to low  ball her in event finals?  Her coach Mihai groaned.  You could see Bela and Marta gesturing in the stands that he should put in an inquiry.  Meanwhile, Aly being the good sport that she is offers Catalina a hug.  Her coach gets the paperwork and runs it to the head judge, there is a viewing of the replay and the passing of a paper to another table.  Nobody knows what's going to happen.  The arena is filled with tension, her parents look like they are about to pass out and everyone is staring at the scoreboard in confusion.  The judges increased her difficulty score so it went up to 15.066 but now it's a tie between Catalina and Aly for the Bronze!  Tie breaker math lost Aly the Bronze in the All Around but this time she won the tie Breaker with a higher execution score and got 3rd.  Whew!!  I was so happy for her her!! 

GOLD-Deng Linlin- CHN-15.600
SILVER-Sui Li- CHN- 15.500
BRONZE-Aly Raisman- USA-15.066
4.Catalina Ponor- ROU- 15.066
5.Kseniia Afanaseva- RUS- 14.583
6.Larisa Iordache- ROU- 14.200
7.Gabby Douglas- USA- 13.633
8.Viktoria Komova- RUS- 13.166

Aly Raisman nails Floor [Photo Source:  Getty Images @NBCOlympics.com]

Her 3rd Olympic Medal  [Photo Source:  Getty Images @NBCOlympics.com]

Floor Exercise
Aly had one more chance for an individual Gold Medal and with the highest difficulty of anyone in the finals it really was hers to take.  She nailed it with a 15.6; the highest score awarded so far on floor.  Nobody could even come close to touching her.  She may not be the most artistic gymnast but she wears you down with her consistency, she works with what she's got and she does it well.  After her All Around disappointment she ends up with the most medals out of all the Americans.  She put that Gold medal around her coaches neck as a show of appreciation.  How sweet is that? There was another tie breaker for the bronze.  This time tie breaker rules put Vanessa Ferrari of Italy in 4th and Aliya wins the bronze even though they had the same score.  Tie breakers are heart breakers for whoever loses out and I still don't understand why both can't get a medal if they are equal.  Why give out less medals when you can give out more?  Floor was Jordan Wieber's only chance for an individual medal.  She went out of bounds and sort of stumbled through her dance elements.  I've never seen her have a worse floor routine.  I felt so bad for her.  It hasn't been officially evaluated but she might have a stress fracture in her right leg.  It's been bothering her enough for her to not be at her best but not enough to keep her from competing.

GOLD-Aly Raisman- USA- 15.600
SILVER-Catalina Ponor- ROU- 15.200
BRONZE-Aliya Mustafina- RUS- 14.900
4.Vanessa Ferrari- ITA- 14.900
5.Lauren Mitchell- AUS- 14.833
6.Kseniia Afanaseva- RUS- 14.566
7.Jordyn Wieber- USA- 14.500
8.Sandra Izbasa- ROU- 13.333

I'd say it was a very successful Olympics for Team USA.  Maybe now that all this competition business is over the girls can relax and have some fun exploring London.  I'm not gonna lie.  I'm pretty sad that Olympic gymnastics is over.  It's been so awesome getting to watch the best gymnasts compete on TV night after night and I've really enjoyed watching their stories unfold.  There were tears, drama and so much controversy.  There is all kinds of hating and bashing going on around the interwebs.  Everything up to and including Gabby's hair, Team USA leotard selection, Russian divas, fake injuries, favoritism, score fixing and terrible NBC TV coverage is up for debate.  There are disagreements about unfair stupid rules and who "really" should have won.  When all is said and done the gymnasts competed their heart out, the judges made their decisions and medals were awarded.  They are all talented and deserving athletes and it's just too bad that everyone can't win.

Back to the Beginning: Team Qualifications

Precious Medal

They're so pretty!!  [Photo Source]  

I heard on the radio that Olympic Athletes owe $9,000 if they win a gold medal.  It didn't make sense to me that you could work your whole life to win a medal and then when you finally earn said medal you have to pay for it.  Is the gold medal really worth that much? 

The 2012 Olympic medals are 3.3 inches wide, 0.2 inches thick and weigh between 14-15 ounces.  According to CBSNews.com the gold medal is just over 1% real gold, 92.5% silver and 6.16 % copper and is worth about $644.  In the silver medal the gold part is replaced with more copper and is worth about $330.  The bronze medal is 97% copper, 2.5% zinc and 0.5% tin and is only worth about $4.70.  Obviously, the sentimental value and what they represent far outweighs their actual monetary value.  The taxes on the $5-$600 medal itself can't be all that much so where did a number like $9,000 come from?

Olympic athletes are compensated for winning medals.  The United States Olympic Committee pays $25,000 for a Gold medal, $15,000 for a Silver medal and $10,000 for a Bronze. This money can be even be accepted by amateur athletes without compromising their College eligibility.  And that's what they owe major taxes on.  Is there nothing sacred?  The government gets a cut of everything!  The IOC doesn't have have to pay them to make them want to win medals, but it's gotta be a nice bonus.  Especially for those athletes that don't do money maker sports like Basketball or Tennis.  This is their big chance to finally earn some money after years and years of sacrifice and expensive training costs.

If you are already rich like Michael Phelps or going to be rich like Gabby Douglas then you can probably afford to come up with the tax money that's owed.  If not, I say don't spend it all in one place.  The $25K might only be $16K after taxes which is kind of sad, but at least you'd have the money to pay up without the IRS coming after you.

Gabby Got Gold

Cha Ching!  This is what happens when you win the AA Olympic Gold [Photo Source-USAGymnastics.com]

What can I say?  The girl is good.  She took the lead after vault and never looked back.  She is a totally changed gymnast from last year.  She was consistent from start to finish.  Even the Russian ballerina gymnast Victoria Komova couldn't stop her.  There was another staring contest with the scoreboard.   All eyes were on it awaiting the results.  Victoria had her hands crossed tightly in front of her chest and with her eyes you could just see her silently begging for first.  She narrowly missed out on a Gold medal to Jordan Wieber at last years Worlds and when it happened again she burst into tears.  Gabby's wins her first AA title at the Olympics.  Not too shabby.

Standing full twisting back tuck on beam [Photo Source:  NBCOlympics.com]

I felt so bad for Aly.  She hit every single routine for her team but when it was time to do it for herself she put her hands on the beam and almost fell off which was her first real mistake of the Olympics.  Aliya Mustafina actually did fall off beam.  She's a beautiful gymnast. Having come back from an ACL tear just last year she has to be happy with 3rd even though those Russians want nothing less then Gold.  I would have loved to see two Americans on the podium and Aly was totally capable of it but as we've seen it only matters what you do on that one specific day in that one specific moment.  The worse thing about it is that as you can see from the results below Aliya and Aly actually tied in the AA.  Nastia Liukin lost out on a Gold Medal on bars in 2008 with FIG tie breaker math and now it's Aly on the wrong side of the mathematical equation.  They did some funny formula where whoever had the highest execution and difficulty total on 3 events with their lowest event score dropped got the medal.  Why can't they both just get the bronze?  I'm not sure why it makes sense that this formula is the best way to determine who gets to stand on the podium but as we saw when Jordan didn't qualify for All Around finals due to the 2 per country technicality, rules are rules.  No matter how unfair they might seem.

Golden Girls:  Mary Lou, Gabby, Carly and Nastia [Photo Source:  USAGymastics.com]

Mary Lou Retton won it in 1984, Carly Patterson won it in 2004 and Nastia Liukin won it in 2008.  With that win Gabby Douglas becomes the 4th ever and the 3rd American Olympic All Around Gold Medalist in a row.  She's also the first ever African American to win it.  If she didn't know that moving away from home to train and dedicating her life to gymnastics was the right choice she certainly knows it now.  Her sacrifice has paid off big time and her life is forever changed.  Seriously, how did they get that Corn Flakes box made so fast?  Maybe the whole team will get the Wheaties box!  Not only is she going to be able to cash in on some major endorsements but she has the satisfaction of working hard for a dream and achieving it.  I can't take credit for noticing this on my own but all the letters in Gabby's last name Douglas actually spell out USA Gold when you re arrange them.  Guess it was meant to be.

Based on NBC's coverage you'd never know it but there were actually 24 and not just 5 gymnasts in the competition.  Here are the results.

WOMEN'S ALL AROUND
1. Gabby Douglas (USA)- 62.232 (GOLD)
2. Viktoria Komova (RUS)- 61.973 (SILVER)
3. Aliya Mustafina (RUS)- 59.566 (BRONZE)
4. Aly Raisman (USA)- 59.566
5. Sandra Izbasa (ROM)- 58.833
6. Deng Linlin (CHN)- 58.399
7. Huang Qiushuang (CHN)- 58.115
8. Vanessa Ferrari (ITA)- 57.999
9. Larisa Iordache (ROM)- 57.965
10. Elisabeth Seitz (GER)- 57.365

11. Asuka Teramoto (JPN)- 57.332

12. Celine van Gerner (NED)- 57.232

13. Rebecca Tunney (GBR)- 56.932

14. Giulia Steingruber (SUI)- 56.148

15. Emily Little (AUS)- 55.765

16. Rie Tanaka (JPN)- 55.632

17. Dominique Pegg (CAN)- 55.565

18. Jessica Lopez (VEN)- 55.5

19. Marta Pihan Kulesza (POL)- 55.465

20. Ashleigh Brennan (AUS)- 55.332

21. Carlotta Ferlito (ITA)- 55.098

22. Ana Sofia Gomez Porras (GUA)- 54.899

23. Aurelie Malaussena (FRA)- 50.166

24. Hannah Whelan (GBR)- 41.999

Next Up: Event Finals