5 On Friday and Back That Azz Up

Booked Weekend in Boston:

RJ's friend is getting married in Boston on Valentine's Day Weekend. Is it bad that I'm kinda pissed she's taking over my first Valentine's Day with him??! Oh well, at least we'll have a fun weekend in MA!

Found an Awesome VDay Present:

C'mon, what could be better for a guy that hates ties (and doesn't own more than one) than one with a flask in it?! Perfect for the wedding!

Don't worry, he doesn't read this!

Made My First *Real* Chicken Parmesan:

The last time I made it, I used Tyson's breaded chicken... last night I made it using regular chicken breasts, and it was pretty damn good! 

Dress Down Day at Work:

Today we are allowed to where jeans and any sportswear we want- which is definitely a treat! I'm rocking my Eagles shirt! I also made brownies because we're having an afternoon break at 3!

*FREE* Gavin Degraw Concert!:

I scored free tickets to see Gavin in concert tomorrow night! So excited!

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Throwing it back old school this week...

What are your Superbowl plans? Who are you rooting for?

Confessions: Weekend Edition

 I confess:

I was an emotional wreck on Friday. My work BFF got a better job, and Friday was her last day. We went out for probably the last happy hour in awhile, since her new job is in NYC. We got free drinks, and even did a shot or two, but it was bitter sweet.

On Saturday morning I had brunch with my girls and it was really freakin awesome.  It was so great to just see everyone and eat, and it felt so normal, even though we hadn't seen each other in so long.

I hurt my ankle on Saturday and I have no idea how. Possibly speed walking in the snow, and I stepped on it wrong? Worst part is, I didn't even realize it until Monday. And when I finally decided to look at it, at work, because I was limping, it was 3x its normal size.

This freaked me out so much I immediately made an appointment with a podiatrist.

...Yes, I'm a wuss.

I watched WWE Royal Rumble instead of the Grammys on Sunday night. Yes, apparently I watch wrestling now. To the point where I actually know the wrestlers and have a favorite (John Cena). 

muscle+...a baby goat

I just spent about 20 minutes looking at pics of him. 

Apparently I really like doing weekend updates on Wednesdays.

Fess up with Vodka and Soda!

5 On Friday and Back That Azz Up

SNOW DAYS!:

snow days are for cuddling and staying inside! Hot chocolate and/or wine, movies, and just getting to relax!

Short work weeks:

We had off on Monday, early dismissal on Tuesday, and snow day on Wednesday- not too shabby!

Finding things you lost:

Last week I lost RJ's wallet, and it took me 15 1/2 hours to find it. And then on Monday his winter coat was stolen taken by accident, but returned by Wednesday night. I was so stressed about both, but luckily, all is ok now!

Making plans with friends you haven't seen in FO-EV-ER:

Last night I went to dinner with two ladies, one whom I haven't seen since MAY! And tomorrow I will be seeing 4 lovely ladies whom I haven't seen since... um... sometime in Fall? So excited to catch up with some of my favorite people!

Hearing that this jam reminds someone of you: 

"own me, you own
you rattle my bones
you turn me over and over
'till I can't control myself
make me a liar
one big disaster
you make my heart beat faster"

Happy weekend loves! Any fun plans?

Five on Friday and Back That Azz Up

Friends coming in from California:

My guy friend from college (who I was supposed to see when I went to San Diego but our schedules didn't match up) is coming in tonight! So excited to just hang out!

Crockpot + Pinterest:

This was a lifesaver last weekend when I wanted some hearty food, but was too lazy to deal with lots of pots and pans and ingredients! Throw the shit in, wait 6-8 hours and BOOM! Dinner!

Columbia boots:

Keeping my feet warm and dry since last year! They may be a little clunky and some people may have referred to them as my moon shoes, but man are they comfy! And I don't slip and slide all over the place!

Three day weekend!!:

Does this really need an explanation?! Best part? Not having plans, except for tonight- YAY! 

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And On repeat:

We Need a Resolution

I didn't complete a single goal in December. Except Have a Happy New Years Eve/Day (which was kinda of a gimme, but whatever). I ain't even mad about it. However, I do have some lofty goals/resolutions for this year. I am printing this out and putting it up somewhere as a constant reminder of what I want to accomplish this year!

Money:

Pay off one debt: This is my #1 goal for this year. 

Save mad money/budget: I have a number in mind, but not sharing it here (for now)

52 Week Challenge: This is in addition to the other savings goal

Sign up for that TIA-CREFF thingy: I haven't done this because I didn't know how- time to learn!

Home:

Get renter's insurance: I moved in August, I really need to get on this!

Call the landlord and have the little things fixed before they turn into big things: duh

Make the apartment feel like home: As in, freakin decorate already!

Make 24 new dishes... and find a favorite/go-to: 12 months, 2 dishes a month- should be doable

Learn to grill: I got an indoor grill for my bday; I need to learn how to use it!

Personal/Random Other:

Make friendships a priority: I haven't been very good at this lately. My friends are super 
important to me, and I need to spend more time with them

Read 20 books: I was close to finishing the Goodreads challenge last year- this year I want to make it happen!

Go somewhere/do something new: I love traveling, but even if I don't get away (somewhere warm and exotic...mmmm...) I always want to try to do new things

Comment more/connect more: I am so bad at commenting. If I see that a certian post has more than like 10 comments, I won't say anything because I feel like everything that can be said, has been. I'm also terrible at responding to comments- it should not take me 3 days to answer a comment! Something to work on!

Appearance/dress up more often: I was doing really well with this in fall and summer, but with the cold came my laziness- I need to step up my game again. Look good, feel good!

Continue monthly goals to reach these yearly goals!

What are your monthly goals or yearly resolutions?

Weekend Updates

Obviously I'm still not on schedule quite yet. Not sure what's taking me so long, I just feel kind of out of it. Maybe it's the January Blues? Anywho, here's what's been up over here:

Thursday:
I made dinner for RJ! I was pretty nervous, because I'm still learning how to cook, to the point where I don't let other people eat my food (unless it's desserts- I can actually bake!). I surprised him with Philly cheesesteak sloppy Joe's and he loved them!! Unfortunately I was so consumed with trying to get it right that I didn't take pics- gah! Oh well, I'm sure I'll be making it in the future since it was such a hit and super easy!

Friday: 
Headed straight to our favorite bar for a few beers. Then we ordered some pizza and had a quiet night in.

Saturday:
We were supposed to go ice skating, but the freezing rain made the roads too dangerous to venture out. Not gonna lie, I was a bit disappointed. Instead, we went grocery shopping and made an amazing pork tenderloin with yellow rice. Have I mentioned how much I love my crockpot?? Seriously, it's fantastic!

After we ate we headed back to the bar and hung out with RJ's sis (K) and her bf. It was supposed to be a chill night, but by the time we got there K was already drunk and ordering more shots. And then this happened...

Shot wheel! Shots Shots...Shots shots shots shots!

Sunday:
Another lazy day. We woke up super late, but thankfully NOT hungover! We watched The World's End and spent half the day trying to figure out dinner. I was craving Cuban food, but the nearest places all closed at 5... so we went for Thai instead. It was delicious!

How was your weekend?

A December to Remember (pic heavy)

While I may be a Grinch about the holiday season, a lot of fun stuff happened in December. 

For example, I turned 30! I know a lot of people worry about turning the big 3-0, but I was pretty excited about it. 

My actual birthday fell on a Thursday, so it was pretty quiet. I took off work (duh) and chilled all day. The at night, I convinced a few fools to come out to a local bar and drink and play Cards Against Humanity (my absolute favorite game) with me.

I forgot to take a pic, but luckily my girl K did! 

Friday was my birthday party at Lucky Cheng's. It's a drag cabaret dinner and show in NYC. I was super excited because I'd never been, and heard great reviews from friends who went for birthday or bachelorette parties. Let's just say you have to go in with a very open mind!

Drags in action

Not shown: the part where I was called on stage! All, um, 16 people in my party were pointing and screaming at me when the drag queens asked for volunteers. I tried to crawl under my seat, but to no avail. I was selected with 7 others. What were we asked to do? Well, we were paired off (4 girls, 4 guys) by the drag queen, Miss Japanese F*ckin Bitch, and had to give our "partner" a lap dance for a minute... in front of everyone!!! I was SO embarassed. And RJ was none too thrilled, to say the very least. But I did win 2nd place! (I lost to a lesbian and gay guy...who can beat the gays, especially in a place like that?!

See that guy with a skirt in his face? That's my friend who got called on stage and was victim to a lap dance!

Also not shown: The part where my friend almost got into a fight! I actually missed it because I was at the bar taking shots, but apparently someone was yelling at the coat check girl over her, and bumped into her or touched her, and she went OFF... like to the point where a drag had to take her downstairs to "calm down". By the time I was notified and got there, she was back upstairs and the girl who knocked into her was gone. Talk about drama! But at least everyone was ok, and had a good time!

Medieval Times, a pic with our waitress, and a group shot!

Oh yeah, I also went to Medieval Times a few nights later since it was free admission for me and it's literally 2 minutes away from where I live. Not gonna lie, I freaking love that place! 

Other than birthday celebrations, I did some shopping...

Bath and Body Works candles- by far the best.candles.ever.

 (Re-) Met RJ's parents (I already met them; I was friends with his sister since high school and they totally remembered me)... I was an accomplice. RJ got them out of the house to "meet" me for dinner, while his sis and her bf got and set up a Christmas tree, and we surprised them with it! Their expressions were truly priceless!

("And the Grinch's heart grew three sizes that day")

family photo

 I got Christmas presents... this one was by FAR the best one! RJ got me a flat screen TV with a DVD player! I was in *shock*. Like literally. My current TV was a hand me down and was bulky and smaller and fuzzy. 

He also got me a Phillies hat (not pictured)- which is a huge deal since he hates them- he's a die-hard Mets fan.

setting up my new TV!

 I didn't want a tree. But my mom said it wasn't Christmas without one, so she bought me a small pre-lit one the day before Christmas. We didn't bother decorating it, but it's still up. I kinda love it actually. 

tree on my toy chest that I've had since I was 5

 I ate a lot of sushi...

yeah, I ate it before the pic- my bad

 And drank a lot of these two... 

Lil whiskey girl, all the way

Oh, we had an office party, where I did this...

And a work after party where we sang carols and drank ridiculous amounts of red wine at the open bar...

RJ and I went to NYC...

 This is Bryant Park

 And of course we had to see the tree at Rockefeller Center!!

In between Christmas and New Years there was more day drinking, sushi, and basically being lazy bums, and then it was time for New Years, which is one of my favorite holidays! Unfortunately I didn't take too many pics, but basically we went to two house parties near me, and a bar (RJ's sis lives above a bar- very convenient!). And it was perfect!!

New Years kiss, Zombie RJ after a mind eraser, and group shot

And just because I found them, two links regarding the new year:
20 Things to Let Go Of Before the New Year
25 New Years Resolutions Everyone Should Actually Make for 2014

Sometimes Shit Gets Real...

One of my "resolutions" (ugh, hate that word) for this year is to get more real on here. Because let's face facts: life isn't always rainbows and butterflies and glitter shooting out of your ass- sometimes life kinda sucks. And I like reading when others get real, so why am I so worried about doing the same? (confession #1)  This may be a bit heavy, but here we go...

- RJ is moving and I'm super upset about it. But I won't say anything to him about it because I know he  doesn't want to move further away from me, but it makes sense to because his commute is so long and expensive.  And I don't want to upset him about it by telling him how I feel. It's not that far (1 1/2 hrs), but being that I don't have a car, I feel like I'm going to be a "weekend girlfriend" and I really, really don't like it. 

- I haven't told him about this lil space of mine yet. I will, just not yet. 

- I found out on Monday that my great-aunt may have cancer. She's getting some more tests done, but it doesn't looks good. If prayer is your thing, please send some this way. 

- I haven't spoken to my mom since the day after Christmas. I called for New Years, but she was sleeping (so she says). We have always butt(-ed?) heads, but it hasn't been this bad in awhile. I know I need to just let go of my anger towards her, but every time I try, she does something even more infuriating, leading to more unanswered texts and phone calls. But I'm trying. 

- I have been super lazy lately. Being off from work for the holiday break when I'm not a "holiday" person was good in a way, but also kind of depressing, and I didn't want to participate in anything holiday related- I didn't even want a tree but my mom forced it into my apartment (a little fake one, the day before Christmas). I thought I wanted to send out Christmas cards, I even bought them, but then I just didn't. And now I feel really guilty about it. So, if you sent me a card, THANK YOU! I really did appreciate it, and I'm sorry for not reciprocating! Hopefully I'll be more jolly next year. 

What are you confessing today? Share it here!

Annnnd We're Back! Currently: 2014

Oh well hello there! 
I have returned from my completely unintentional hiatus! 
And as it's always hard to think when you come back from such a long break, I'm just gonna do a Currently: January Edition. 
I'll have some actual updates up soon! 

Reading
Nothing. So bad. But I did get Allegiant so I'm hoping to get into that soon!
Have you read it? I've heard mixed reviews...

Writing
2013 recap, 2014 goals, to-do lists, grocery list, and to-buy list (mostly more presents for others)

Listening
Tyler Ward ft. Lindsey Stirling- Some Kind of Beautiful... I love the violins and the lyrics

Thinking
What's a good side dish for sloppy joe sandwiches? I want to make them tonight.
  
Smelling
Lunch 

Wishing
That I could find some ankle boots that actually fit and don't make me look like I have skinny little chicken legs.


Hoping
For warmer weather! I really really don't like the cold, or winter. 

Wearing
Layers upon layers upon layers. Because it's -14 degrees here. I have on fleece leggings under work pants, a tank top, a thermal long sleeve, a white button down, and a thick sweater. I also wore two scarves today when I was outside. And my winter boots, even though it's not snowing, because they're extra warm. Hmph. 

Loving
the corniest answer everrrr... 
Also, the fact that the holidays are over! (I'm a Grinch, #sorryimnotsorry)

Wanting
A couch! Currently I have a chair or an air mattress in front of my TV in my living room. I moved in August- I need a freakin couch! Mom promised to get me one as a bday/Christmas present, but no word on it since, so I might just get it on my own. Also, I want there to be a DSW closer to where I live or work- I have a gift card that burning my wallet and I really need new shoes!

Needing
To get back on track. I have been super lazy about everything and really need to get back in the swing of things!

Feeling

A little behind on life, but Happy!