It's My Birthday-- well it was my Birthday...

My sister and her boyfriend are going to be H1N1 for Halloween.  One is going to wear H1 on a shirt and the other is going to wear N1 on a shirt.  Both will wear pig noses and possibly wings (get it? Swine Flu-- Swine Flew!)  Each year, Greenville-- home of the ECU Pirates, puts on a huge Halloween bash and since my sister's boyfriend's brother is at ECU and it is his 20th birthday they are going to celebrate in style.

Speaking of birthdays-- mine was yesterday.  I'm offically 27 and glad to be rid of 26.  Have I done anything special for my birthday?  Well-- sort of.

At work I get to plan Red Ribbon Week, which was this week-- the week in which communities and schools band together to educate our school children about the dangers of drugs.  Each day during the week we have a theme or "Spirit" day.  For example, Monday was "School Spirit" Day where students wore the school's colors and yesterday, Thursday, was "Put a Cap on Drugs" Day where students and staff could wear their favorite hat or ball cap.  Being a hat lover, I purposely planned hat day to fall on my birthday. 

A few years ago, after I discovered how much I love expensive jeans, the Hubster started taking me shopping for my birthday to buy me a pair of said expensive jeans.  Just another example of how I know that he loves me, because he thinks paying more than 50 bucks for a pair of jeans is highway robbery-- but for me, he will do it-- he bitches and moans about it--but he does it.  This has now became a tradition.  But this year instead of heading to the nearest mall, we ordered, on line, a pair of Joe's Jeans.  I'm hoping I love them as much as I think I will.

And since my birthday fell on a weekday, which most of the time it does, my family will manage to drag out the celebration to a weekend day that will allow everyone to celebrate.  I think Sunday my Daddy is cooking me ribs.  Yum!

But most excitingly (is that even a word?) today I took off work and the Hubster and I headed to Wilmington to look at house plans-- specifically the one we love-- which I consider another birthday celebration in itself.  And even though we've not purchased the plans yet, I think we are closer than ever.  We just have to talk to our builder to get an estimate and to see how many plans we will have to buy!  I'm excited!

So that wraps up my birthday news...  Hello 27, goodbye 26.  Here's hoping that 27 is good to me!

Pop-tarts and Parasites or My Excuse for Not Writing...

So where have I been lately?  With the sudden erratic weather-- hot one day, cold the next-- I've been out and about a little more than ususal, trying to take advantage of the last few warm days of the year.  I generally write this blog in the afternoons, after watching a little bit of the Y&R and/or after walking with my mama down the road a ways, however I've been a little less talkative lately and there's been plenty going on. 

Let me fill you in:

Exactly a week ago I got a text message from my newly married friend, Olivia who just happened to be fresh from her honeymoon to the Dominican Republic, asking me to call her.  And of course I did.  I was excited to hear from her because the Husbter and I went there on our honeymoon and I couldn't wait to get an update.  Of course, her and her new Hubby are much more adventurous than the Hubster and I and they actually ventured out into the cities of DR and had a delightful time sampling local faire and meeting people.  I recall on my honeymoon never speaking to a single soul except the Hubster and the wait staff of the resort.  We are good resort people--snobby, lay-around-by-the-pool-with-umbrellas-in-your-drink-kind.  Olivia and her man-- they are camp counselor type people-- hikers.  But it takes all kind.  Now it is possible they have some sort of Third World Country Parasite.  For real, I'm serious.  Maybe next time they'll stick to eating resort pizza and drinking fun drinks from the comfort of the king-sized bed in the hotel room!

So that was why I got side tracked on Monday.

Tuesday was a beautiful and warm day. So I decorated for Halloween and planted a few mums after work-- I threw out a few "Funkins" and hung a cool looking Spider Web-- it is beautiful.  I'll be sure to post some pictures once I get everything like I like it... still got a couple mum's to plant.

My other good friend is getting married in December and I've decided to throw a Lingerie Shower at my home in a few weeks.  So Wednesday afternoon I went to my favorite invitation/stationary store and ordered the prettiest hot pink and black invites I could find.  That took all afternoon.

Thursday was miserable-- cold and rainy-- the only thing that could have made it worse was snow.  Luckily, we are months away from the threat of snow-- I hope.  Someone told me today that El Nino was going to cause it to be a tough Winter with lots of snow (for us)-- and I hate the cold.  Anyway-- I had a 6 o'clock hair/highlight appointment and that took up the whole afternoon and into the night... but don't worry-- I didn't miss a single minute of Grey's.

Friday was crisp and sunny, so mama and I decided to walk.  And Friday would have been a great day to write because I had plenty to complain about-- for starters-- why does my face keep breaking out?  Even with the Retin A cream that the doctor prescribed?  Since then I've discontinued use and made an appointment with a new dermatologist that also has a cosmetic side to the practice.  My last dermatologist was only interested in removing moles and treating scalp diseases of elderly folks... they could have cared less about my zit farm.  But luckily for y'all-- walking was a better way to burn off my steam.

The weekend was nice-- busy.  The Hubster and I took the weekend off-- no parties, no social events.  Just went out to eat with my folks one night and hung out with my sister and her boyfriend at our favorite Mexican place the other night.  I didn't feel like writing... I felt like cleaning and Saturday I did just that.

We did decide to go car shopping on Sunday-- or car looking.  I love going to town with the Hubster-- he always stops at Starbucks and Krispy Kreme.  He loves a good White Chocolate Mocha almost as much as I do.  We've decided to wait on the car thing and focus on the house building.  I'm torn though-- I'd love a black and white leather interior VW CC but not quite as much as a nice granite countertop on my personal kitchen island.  Being an adult is sort of sucking-- you just can't have it all!

Tonight I decided to get my butt in gear.  I cooked dinner-- which was a complete and total disaster... the first complete disaster ever in my short cooking history.  Word of advice-- never, not ever, go to the grocery store hungry!  Not only will you buy junk and spend way too much money, but you (I say you and mean I) will end up buying some cheesy-potato-hamburger helper box that looks so yummy but actually tastes like plastic and something I can't quite place.  As God as my witness, I'll never buy that crap again!

Really, it was so bad that when the Hubster carried out the remainder of the dish (like all of it except what the Hubster ate-- proof that he must really love me) to the dog--Buddy sniffed it, took a bite and then peed on it and continued to eat it.

As my wonderful husband put it, "It just needed something extra!"  I'll be eating a Strawberry Pop-tart for my dinner tonight.  Good thing I ate a bunch of cookies when I got home from work!

It's Wedding Time...

As soon as work was offically over, I quickly packed up my bags, and briskly walked to my old reliable red Honda.  I quickly cranked the car and the radio popped on to Ryan Seacrest.  Apparently the biggest Hollywood Headline out at the time was that Jon Gosselin, formerly of Jon & Kate, Plus 8 fame, had stolen $200,000 from a joint checking account he had with estranged wife, Kate, virtually wiping out the entire fund. 

The first thought that ran through my head was, "Wow!  I wish I had $200,000 in checking."  And the very next thought was, "So much for a friendly, quiet divorce."  Those poor kids.  I'm offering now, if they'd like to farm out a couple, I'll be glad to take Leah and Aaden.  Well, what the hell, I'll take Collin and Alexis too.

To be honest, I broke up with the show soon after the offical split.  I can't take the drama and, honestly, I felt guilty, because I truly believe that the show did damage the marriage and if I hadn't been so Gosselin crazy, maybe they'd still be together, in their average sized house, worried about finances-- but happy.

And speaking of happy... This weekend was one of the happiest.  (How is that for a transition?) 

My dear friend, Olivia, married her long time boyfriend, Byrne in beautiful Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina.  To be honest, I had worried all week long about this wedding.  After going through my own wedding, I've grown to appreciate how much planning and praying goes into even the simpliest of events and earlier in the week when our local weatherman was calling for rain, I began to worry for my friend and all her plans.  On top of that, and being the type that loves to worry, I found myself convinced that I was going to be stricken with Swine Flu and be unable to attend the wedding, rain or shine.

Luckily, I made it a full week Swine Flu-free and the rain the weatherman was calling for held off until today.  It was a beautiful weekend for an outdoor affair-- a nice balmy 82 degrees.

The ceremony and reception took place at the home a of local Lake Waccamaw resident that happened to be a personal friend of the bride and groom.  Olivia had explained to me that this was an awesome location, but not being from the area, I was having a hard time understanding why this was such a special place for them.

But then I saw it with my own eyes...

They married on a pier that was completely covered in the prettiest Impatients and other flora that I don't know the name of, that I've ever laid eyes on.

Of course, we got there late because my hair was a hot mess and we had to sit in over-flow seating (we live a good 2 hours away from Lake Waccamaw and its hard to figure out when you need to leave-- and then my hair looked like pooh-- an oh, well!)-- which turned out to be a blessing.  We had the best seats in the house and we got some awesome pictures that we wouldn't have been able to get otherwise.  I just wish my sister had carried in her heavy duty Cannon instead of my little point and shoot number.  (It's a Cannon too, but it's no where as nice)

Olivia's daddy presenting her in marriage.

   The other side of the pier, leading to the house and reception area.  By the way, I'm in love with Spanish Moss-- even if its parasitic...

Chowing down on some BBQ and BBQ chicken at the reception...

Sunset at the Lake...

Cherish and Christopher are getting married next!  And don't worry, he normally doesn't look like that-- My sister, Jenny, had him laughing about her trip to the Mountains with her boyfriend's family....  and it was really funny.

My sister, Jenny and her boyfriend, "Purple Rain" Porter...

Jenny on the Tour de Franzia...

Cherish, Lyndsey, Olivia, and me...

The Couple's first dance...

Let them eat cake...

I've had it with the humidity...

Wearing shades because our future is so bright...

And I'm the only one that hadn't been drinking!

All in all, it was a beautiful weekend for a beautiful couple who deserve all the happiness that a lifetime can bring.  Let's just hope that they don't get their own reality series that America falls in love with and eventually turns them against each other.

Jon and Kate-- my offer still stands. 

The Dream House...

Happy news y'all! The Hubster and I have finally decided and agreed upon a house plan. Can you believe it? I'm a little shocked myself, but I'm very happy with our final decision.


Soon after we got married in 2007 we started pulling house plan books at Lowes' and my mother-in-law, that works in a library, checked us out 1 or 2 or 5 different books with all sorts of plans. We'd go through them apart and flag the pages with the plans we'd like the best and then swap. And after reviewing each other’s choices, we'd weed out the ones that were deal-breakers until we decided on a common idea, size, and style.

Unfortunately for us, we never could really find a style, idea, or size in common and sense we were not looking to build any time soon, it wasn't such a big deal. Hubster likes brick, and I like siding-- or painted brick which the Hubster thinks is a terrible idea-- he likes pediments, and I like dormer windows. Truth be told, I like brick and I like pediments. In fact, I'm just nuts over pediments and brick and if you slap some columns up front down a long, deep porch-- I'm dying with satisfaction. Really!

Last year for UDC (United Daughters of the Confederacy) I did a presentation on the Historic Architecture of Eastern North Carolina and re-discovered my love of Greek Revival Style Architecture or Neoclassical Design and ever since, the Hubster and I have been focusing on one architect-- William Poole.

William Poole is a genius. His work drips in Southern ideals of the old and modernizes them. His open floor plans behind Classical architectural facades send shivers down my spine. Literally-- I sit and type and shake like a toy-teacup poodle just thinking about his smart and well-planned designs.

It also doesn't hurt that Mr. Poole lives and works in Wilmington, NC-- probably the greatest little city on the Eastern Seaboard that constantly gets over shadowed by Charleston and Savannah. But I digress-- after a year and half of talking and months of comparing online plans at www.williampooledesigns.com we have picked "Belle Grove" (which I cannot post on this blog due to copyright restrictions).

But if you would like to see our Dream Home-- the plan we just can't live without-- feel free to visit the website and search "Belle Grove."

Now readers, please note, this house is not brick-- but we're thinking that it will look good bricked. Also it is a little bigger than what we would like-- but we think we might be able to scale it down just a tad. And please be aware, we are not ready to start building just yet, but when we do decide-- we'll have a fabulous plan.

Hopefully a little trip down I-40 will be planned soon so we can make the first purchase towards our new dream home.

There's a Wedding this Weekend...

So, as I've mentioned several times in the course of this blog, my dear friend is getting married. The happy day happens to be this Saturday and I'm very excited.

When my dear friend met her intended I knew right away that this was a different kind of boyfriend. You see, this friend of mine had dated a lot of people. A lot of men with very different personalities and styles-- just about everything imaginable. This friend didn't have a type so it was hard to tell when she was serious about someone or not.

I knew when she liked someone though, because she would talk about him all the time. But soon, once the "newness" wore off, she would start talking to convince herself that he was the "right" guy for her and he never was.

But then one day she stopped talking about the guy she was dating. If I wanted details or to know the general status of her romantic relationship, I actually had to ask. And that was when I knew it was serious.

Several years and a joint mortgage later, my dear friend and her intended will be wed on October 3rd, 2009 at Lake Waccamaw, NC; where they live their life.

The ceremony will be sweet and simple. The whole fete will be by the lake that is so special to this couple and I can't wait to be a witness to it all. 

Skinny-fat...

Has it really been a week since I last posted? I wish I could say that I was on vacation or something rather fabulous, like that. But the truth is I've just been busy with regular old-life-stuff.


Last week the Hubster was sick with a cold, a cold that I may or may not have passed along to him. But he's all better now, basically, so our marriage is safe, yet again. But with Hubster being sick I was busy tending to him-- okay, so that is a lie too. But I did go get him some cold medicine after work last week and I did get him a glass of water and a tissue one time.

Anyway, last week I just got distracted. I've started walking a little bit with my mom. Since she is retired now and I live on a very non-busy road, a couple afternoons a week, we take off walking. All the walking and the shower and nap afterward ate into my posting time.

Did I mention that I've developed an uncharacteristic fondness for napping? I can't seem to get enough sleep anymore. I'm trying hard not to think about what that could mean.

Fall officially happened last week-- I felt its cold hand, this morning. And, of course, the sudden weather change has got me all out of sorts. My sinuses are acting up, which had me convinced I had the Swine Flu. It turns out a headache was just a headache. To make matters more depressing than the Swine Flu, I have to start dressing for the cold mornings and hot afternoons. But either way, after watching the new episode of the Rachel Zoe Project on Bravo last night, I went to my closet to find the latest greatest chilly-morning-warm-afternoon appropriate work outfit that I could muster-- I was motivated.

And then I discovered that I'm the fattest skinny person you're ever going to meet. Is it possible to be skinny fat? Yes. The only problem with being skinny fat—regular sized people think you are a whinier with an eating disorder.

My whole life I've been the shortest and the tiniest of all my friends and family members-- even my cousin's that were still in elementary school when I was in college were giants compared to me. My whole life I've been "little Emily" which is fine, although it should be said, I hate being short. But that aside, I’ve been little my whole life—fine— I'm little!

I've listened for years as friends and family members complained about having to lose weight for prom or their wedding or for swimsuit season. I even feel that I drove one former friend crazy, literally crazy, because I could eat whatever I wanted and never gained an ounce while she just barely looked at a grain of rice and her ass would explode. I've listened for years to people talking about diets-- crazy diets where they only ate egg whites and grapefruit or cut out carbs and everything that makes food good. I've always listened and never participated.

And now, that I'm experiencing an uncharacteristic metabolic slow-down and subsequent weight gain, as minor as it might be, I have no one to complain to because regular sized people think I'm crazy-whining-skinny girl. I can't even talk to my mom or sister about this new issue, because they just laugh at me and start worrying I’ve became an anorexic.

Here’s what I know. I’m a five foot tall person that wishes I was five foot seven inches tall. I weigh a healthy 103.5 pounds… which I’m proud of considering that when I graduated from high school I was barely 93 pounds. And last night when I went to try on a couple pairs of my Fall/Winter dress pants, they fit—but more snuggly than I would have liked. I’m hoping it was bloat… or gas, which is likely considering I ate a FiberOne bar at lunch.

But either way I deserve to bitch and moan just like all the rest of the American women I know.

Mircale Product Monday-- NeilMed Sinus Rinse...

Two weeks ago, I was sick with an allergy/cold that I was afraid was going to turn into a sinus infection or worse--maybe the Swine Flu. And even though, Swine Flu or H1N1 really isn't all that bad, unless you happen to be pregnant or diabetic and in that case, it could kill you, I still don’t want it. However, missing a couple days work wouldn’t bother me either.

Turns out, my allergy cold never got the chance to turn into anything major because of a little miracle product called, “NeilMed Sinus Rinse.” I purchased this little gem at my local Target after my mom’s doctor had recommended that she get a box. And being the type that loves to buy things—anything, even contraptions that push water through one nostril to the other, I just couldn’t say no.

So I quickly put a box in my cart and continued shopping, excited and a little nervous as to what this “NeilMed Sinus Rinse” might bring. The box claims that it is the “#1 Physician Prescribed OTC Nasal Rinse” out there. It also had a little bulleted list saying that it is drug free, safe, and would not cause any “burning or stinging” which sounded just wonderful.

What’s in the box? I know you sinus sufferers are just dying to know as you sniffle and wipe your running nose with the back of your hand. Yuck—but we all do it, especially this time of year when the seasons start to change.

In your kit you get a 240mL or 8oz bottle with a “custom designed cap” which really looks like a giant Afrin Nasal Spray top—but it’s big enough that you can’t jam the “custom designed cap” inside your nose.

You also get 50 packets of “USP Grade Sodium Chloride & Sodium Bicardonate Mixture” and an educational brochure about how to use the product.

First of all, you have to use warm to room temperature sterilized or bottled water. I like my water a little warm so I’ve taken to boiling water a few hours before I decide to use the rinse. If it’s too cold for me, then I warm it up in the microwave.

Once you’ve gotten your water ready, you fill the bottle to the 240mL line, dump in a packet of the salt mixture, and shake it up. The salt, I guess, dissolves into the water.

Now for the fun part: The kit brochure instructs you to stand over the sink with your mouth open to breath out of and just in case some of the solution decides to come out the back of your throat (and in my experience it can), and place the black cap up to one nostril of your nose. Squeeze the bottle. Water will go up one nostril and out the other, which is just as freaky as freaky can be. When you squeeze to the half-way point (120mL) then you switch to the other nostril and repeat.

Two weeks ago when I was just sure I was tittering on the edge of something serious that would result in going to the doctor’s office with all of the sick-sad-sacks out there, I had remembered I had “NeilMed” and I should give it a try.

Right after I bought the “NeilMed” kit I had used it and then got out of practice. At the time, I was suffering with severe (for me) seasonal allergies and it seemed to help at the time. But once my seasonal allergies had subsided, I put away the kit, because I didn’t need it. Silly me.

Honestly, I didn’t really enjoy putting water up my nose and I was terrified I would drown doing it. In other words, I wasn’t motivated and by the time I started using the product my new allergy med’s were doing the trick. So all summer long “NeilMed” stayed on a shelf in the bathroom between the cotton balls and tampons.

But two weeks ago as I was stuffing tissue up my nose and as my husband was making fun of me for stuffing tissue up my nose, he asked, “what happened to that nose washing thing you were doing, while back?”

I had completely forgotten about it. So after suffering the whole rest of the night, the next morning, I pulled out the kit, dusted it off, and tried it out. I felt better. Mucus was removed and my nasal passages were moisturized. If that was all it did, that was a great improvement.

When I got home from work, I did it again. I felt even better. And I’m one of those people, even if the box says only do it twice a day, I felt so good, I did it once more before I went to bed.

That morning I could breathe. The whole rest of the day I wasn’t constantly blowing my nose. By the end of the week I was so much better that my red nose was starting to look like a normal human-non-reindeer kind of nose. Small children stopped asking me how Santa was doing. People at work quit politely asking, “Are you sick?” only to follow it up with, “I thought so. You look sick,” after I confirmed that I was, indeed, sick.

The "NeilMed" healed me and that was a miracle.  I've been using the kit almost twice a day since (some days just once because I may or may not get up in time.)

If you too, are a seasonal allergy sufferer or someone that gets easily sick-- I highly recommend going down to your local drugstore/Target and picking up a kit.