You Mean Shad is a Fish??

Thursday:
Yes, my weekend started on Thursday, even though I had work on Friday. I went out with 2 of my coworkers to one of the new restaurants in town, The Cuban. (We went with a Living Social deal- huzzah!) The food was AMAZING. Seriously. I like Cuban food to begin with, and have sampled a lot of it,  and this was definitely some of the best I've had. I especially liked that my ropa vieja (shredded beef dish) came in a mini cast iron serving pot, and they took the lid off as serving. And it came with white rice, black beans (on the side, also steaming hot), and maduros (sweet plantain). Fresh, hot, and delish!

Afterwards, we went to see The Lucky Ones. Oh, Zac Efron. You are no longer a kid, but you still do nothing for me. Neither did the acting. Super predictable. But it was nice to get out for a girls night!

Friday/ Saturday:
Friday was super chill. We hung out and watched stuff. I don't really remember what so apparently it was enthralling. I think I also did some laundry.
Saturday we went to the diner for breakfast, and I helped C get started on his resume. I'm not sure if I mentioned it here, but C is a teacher, and his school will be closing in June because the acting commissioner is a douche. Anyway, C got onion rings, and I helped him eat them, while wearing clothes:

olive jacket, black jeggings, flats: Old Navy

scarf: blog swap!

cream sweater: Kasper outlet

sunglasses: Anthropologie {clearance}

Sunday:
One of the towns nearby held a "Shad Fest." Don't know what shad is? Good, I didn't either! Apparently it is a fish. Anyway, I didn't see or eat any shad at this festival, but it was a good time. We got some homemade pasta and soap, and had some yummy crab cake sandwiches. I wish I had taken a pic, but I ate it too fast. Sorry! Trust though, it was thebomb.com. And it had some sort of zesty sauce on it which made it even better.

Afterwards we took a stroll across the bridge into New Hope, PA. It is one of my most favorite places. I love how quaint it is. While there, we checked out a vintage shop where C scored this awesome leather motorcycle jacket for just  $29.00!! 

Major score!

How was your weekend?

Sunday Night Chit Chat!

Ok, I think everyone knows the drill, but if not, here's the lowdown:

1. Start your post with a photo or a quote (begged, borrowed, or stolen)
2. Copy & paste my "chit-chat" at the bottom of the post and create your own blog post from it.
3. Come back and paste your info into Carla's "linky party"HERE so she can come visit you & read what you've been up to! 

This is the Enterprise space shuttle. I took this pic from outside my workplace- it flew right over our heads!

Reading? Just started Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Not sure how I feel about it yet.

Watching? Something Borrowed on TV... I LOVE this part. Definitely done similar with my bffs!

Listening to? TV and laundry dryer

Cooking/Baking? nothing, though C just made some pancakes for dinner!

Happy you accomplished this week? 2 awesome nights with the girls! And figuring some stuff out with C. Oh and seeing the Enterprise space shuttle and have it fly over my head!

Looking forward to next week? New goals, mani/pedi and dinner with my mom tomorrow night, and a Cinco de Mayo party!

Thankful for today? Sunshine! We've had rain and cold for a week already, and it was so nice to enjoy some time in the sun today!

It's OK !

Yay it's Thursday! Which means one more day til weekend! This week I'm saying "It's Ok" to...
be a little nervous about sending food back when you get the wrong order...what if they spit in it?!
be over Facebook because you're tired of 1. the engagement announcements 2. the new baby announcements (they're cute, but pic overload) and 3. the drama
hate American Idol but love The Voice
love the Voice, but be really mad that they let Cheesa go! She was phenoms. And Mathai. She was so cute!

DEFINITELY ok that Xtina finally put her ta-ta's away!

toomuch.
that I really don't like the new Gmail layout, and I can't figure out how to revert back to the old look
want to read Fifty Shades of Grey (I think) but need a "fluff" book between that and what I just finished, The Millennium Trilogy
to be a little annoyed that my book has been "en route" from Georgia to NJ for 5 days. It does not take that long!
that I'm going to see "The Lucky One" tonight even though I really want to see "5 Year Engagement." It's still going to be a fun girls night!

What are you saying "It's OK" to?

Musical Cowboy Weekend

Friday:
C and I played hooky and went to Philly to see the Bob Marley documentary. It was a little long, but so detailed. I definitely learned a lot about this great musician. It was also awesome getting to hear stories from his mom, past girlfriends/wife, kids, friends, and others "in the biz" that knew him and/or worked with him.

We also went here. The Bourse.  " The Philadelphia Bourse was the first in the world to house simultaneously a stock exchange, maritime exchange, and grain-trading center." via

Unfortunately we were too full afterwards to get Pat's, but we took a ride down South Street. (For the record, yes, I have tried Pat's AND Gino's, and Pat's IS the King of cheeseteaks.)


Then we had a little date night (with the help of restaurants.com) at On The Bone.

my petit filet mignon, mashed potatoes, and onion rings, with 3 different sauces. This is when I realized I like "medium" as opposed to "medium rare"...eep.

C's DELISH bbq spare ribs. So. Good.

Saturday:
Rodeo fun at Cs goddaughter (and her brother)'s 4 and 6 (respectively) birthday party. Their parents always do it up for their birthdays. This year they had a farm out front- seriously, pony rides, sheep/goat/chickens to feed, a moon bounce, face painting... and a mechanical bull. Oh yes. C rode it... I was a bit nervous.

steadying...

ride 'em cowboy!

annnnnd floor!

in our cowboy hats!

Sunday:
Bum time. It rained allll day. I cleaned, painted my nails, read some mags, and watched some movies. I enlarged my butt-print in the couch.  [No evidence of the bum-ery... sorry I'm not sorry!].

How was your weekend?

Snacks, Sloths, and a Song Oh My

It's that time again... Sunday night Chit-Chat! :) 

For anyone new joining in, here are the (very loose) rules:

1. Start your post with a favourite photo (your own, "borrowed", etc...)
2. Copy my 'text' after "your turn", paste on your blog to start a new post.
3. Come back and link up here! 

my usual commuting necessities (for the ride home)- snacks, Ipod, and my Nook!

Reading? Finally finished The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.

Watching? This hilarious video courtesy of Kristen Bell and Ellen!


Listening to? Wade in Your Water- Common Kings



Cooking/Baking? Nothing at the moment

Happy you accomplished this week? did some work, and painted my nails for the first time in years (doesn't sound great but I'm happy!)

Looking forward to next week? Hunger Games trivia night, and a girls movie night to see The Lucky One

Thankful for today? My couch. I've been bonding with it allllll day. 

Book Club Friday: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

This week I'm sharing...

I did it! I Did It! I DID IT!

I *finally* finished The Girl... trilogy! YAAAAY!

I really enjoyed it. But I am so happy that it's over! It took me forever to get through them all.

This is from GoodReads: Lisbeth Salander—the heart of Larsson’s two previous novels—lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She’s fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she’ll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge—against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life.

Once upon a time, she was a victim. Now Salander is fighting back.

That's odd... I've hardly ever seen Lisbeth NOT fight back. I've hardly seen her as a victim. But anyway, the rest of this post may contain
*SPOILER ALERTS!*

Likes:

1. I like that she got an ending with Miriam and Blomkvist. 

2. And her crazy half brother (who in the end, didn't seem as crazy as Zalachennko had made him out to be.)

Dislikes:

1. I am not happy that we never find out what was up with Camilla, or even where she was. I thought there was gonna be some crazy twist it was Lisbeth's alter-ego or something. 

2. I also didn't like that there was no ending with Dragan Armansky or Paolo Robert. I know Paolo was a small part, but he came and went without a trace- it felt unfinished. I guess the ending with Dragan was that she continued to work for him.

3. I didn't like that there was no more Blomkvist- Harriet. 

4. Or that the guy she was seeing in the Caribbean never appeared again. I thought for sure when she got out she would go find him. 

5. I also do not like that though her brain seems to be fully functional, she never goes back to figuring out those complex math problems.

So basically, I thought there were a bunch of ends that were not tied up properly. But overall, I was very happy with the ending, and the fact that I finished it! Have you read it? What did you think?

Do You Share?

On Friday, I left work early to go to a wedding. C picked me up from work (always a treat!) and we headed for PA for his friend/coworker's reception. It was one of the first times I went to a wedding where I didn't know either one of the people getting married (I think I've seen the groom maaaaybe twice) but we had a blast. It was pretty much a "no-frills" type of wedding, which was also refreshing. No slide shows, no overly fancy centerpieces... they didn't even have a guestbook! They did have some karaoke, line dancing, and a decent beer selection- which was all pretty awesome! Unfortunately, my camera died right before we got there, so I have no evidence (awesome timing right?). 


The reception was so good, in fact, that we couldn't make it to the after party! We are getting old :(


The next morning, I'm getting out of the shower, and C asks me a question.
[sidenote: We stayed at a hotel.]




"Can I borrow your toothbrush?"


..................


C and I have been together for almost 3 1/2 years. We have been living together for about 2 1/2 years. Just last month, right before bed, he was like "OH no! I just used your toothbrush!!" I was a little grossed out, but not enough to do anything about it.


But I didn't know what to tell him. On the one hand, I was like... EW. But then I was like... Is it totally rude and terrible that I don't want him using my toothbrush? Or that I don't want to willingly let him use it? I mean, I've shared just about everything else with him...why is this grossing me out so much?


In the end, I said ok, but he knew I didn't want to, and went downstairs where the front desk gave him one. I was relieved. 

So I have to ask.... would you be OK sharing your toothbrush??

And to steer your mind away from sharing toothbrushes, here are some pics I got on my phone pre-wedding...

I love these shoes!

over-patterned hotel decor

my chain purse...old school but still cute!

my fave pic from the wedding! 

grumpy face waiting for the taxi

Menu Planning and Spending Report

I love OrgJunkie's new banner- so springy and happy!

Monday: Beef tacos and yellow rice

Tuesday: Honey Mustard Pretzel-Coated Chicken Fingers and french fries

Wednesday: Meatloaf + buttered noodles

Thursday: Sushi Business Meeting

Friday: Pesto Chicken Pasta

Saturday: Friend's Kids' Birthday Party

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

April Spending Report

Remember HERE when I did my March budget and said I needed to make a few adjustments? Well, I didn't. And I've never done a "Spending Report" before. But I think it may be useful to see exactly where my money is going. I will be able to hold myself accountable AND be able to easily see where I need to make changes. So here goes...

April 1 $40 groceries, $857 rent, $17 credit report, $5 Netflix

April 2 $60 All Father's Eggs

April 3 No Spend Day!

April 4 $6.41 cloves,$2.25 burr

April 5  $25 bar, $1 path

April 6 $4 path, $30 copay, $9 ice cream, $15 Indian Food at Harini

April 7 No Spend Day!

April 8 $15 cards for Easter

April 9 $40 student loan 1, $6.41 cloves, $12 Capuano's 

April 10 No Spend Day!

April 11 No Spend Day!

April 12 $6.50 cloves , $20 bracelet, $100.04 cell phone

April 13 $100 wedding gift

April 14 $10 cloves, $10 Wendy's

April 15 $80 groceries, $238 hotel for Florida (payback from last month), $25 prescription, $238 Comcast, $125 student loan 2

Total Out: -$2,082.97

That's about $572 a week. But it's mostly bills right? I don't like the way this looks. So instead I'm going to break it down by category instead of by day. 

Grocery Budget: $200

Actually Spent (so far): $120

For next 2 weeks: +$80

Spent a little extra this week buying a bunch of meat, but we're pretty well stocked now. Should be able to come out under budget!

Bills (rent, cable, cell, loan repayments, etc) Budget: $1,372

Actually Spent:  -$1,382.04

For next two weeks: $0 - All bills paid for month

My cable budget was off by $10. Oops. 

Eating out/Entertainment: $300

Actually Spent: $103.57

For next two weeks: +$196.43

I think I need to reallocate some of this money to other categories...

Shopping Budget: $0

Actually Spent: -$20 

For next two weeks: at least $20... I really want some sandals from Loft. 

Gifts Budget: $0

Actually Spent: -$160

For next two weeks: umm... there's a 4/6 yr old bday coming up next weekend. Oops.

Medical Budget: $0

Actually Spent: -$55

For next two weeks: $0 (hopefully)

I was not anticipating going to the doctor, but she said she wouldn't renew my prescription if I didn't. So I went (on my day off no less!).

Travel: $0

Actually Spent: $238 (from Florida trip last month)

For next two weeks: -$70 (hotel from 4/13 wedding)

Dear Self: WHY U NO BUDGET FOR THESE THINGS??!

Hmph.