so much to do...so little time

There are so many little things that have been added to my to-do lists. Consolidating my to-do lists should be on my to-do list. The picture shows a few of my lists I have lying around at work. Sometimes I trick myself into thinking I'm actually accomplishing something by making a to-do list. See all of those empty check boxes? I need to check them! Well first, I need to accomplish the task, then check them. Of course that involves having free time...you know like the time it has taken me to write this blog post? I guess what I really need is some MOTIVATION! I need some motivation to complete the little things that have gotten past me. I always wonder where people find the time and motivation to reorganize their closets, create scrapbooks, blog daily, clean, do laundry, go out with friends, and cook. I seriously want to know because I need help! I wish I could say our home is always spotless and dinner is always prepared and my clothes are always hung up, folded, or put in hampers. I feel like my nights are spent cleaning up the mess made in the mornings and my weekends spent cleaning the messes made at night. Did that confuse you? Because I'm confused. Just to give you an idea, my mornings go something like this: Wake up by 7am, shower, find something to wear from the piles of clean and sometimes dirty clothes on the floor, kiss Brian goodbye as he leaves for work, frantically pack Lily's breakfast and lunch, pack my own breakfast (instant oatmeal and a banana) and lunch if I'm lucky to see a Lean Cuisine in the freezer, warm up Lily's bottle, give to Lily as she wakes up and watches cartoons, finish my make-up and hair, make coffee, pour into thermos, pack up my purse and Lily's bag, change her diaper, get her dressed and somehow try to make it out the door by 8:15am. Truthfully, I'm lucky if I make it out that early and if along the way I haven't spilled my coffee all over the place or can actually find something to wear! Then after work and after I pick up Lily, I'm at home around 6 trying to figure out something to cook for dinner. And if it's anything like last night's dinner which took FOREVER...we eat around 8:30pm. Who knew brown rice took about an hour and a half to cook in the rice cooker? So, the last thing I want to do after dinner is anything productive. Unless it's making brownies. Which I did last night...and after I finished my brownie sundae, I found myself going back to the brownie pan with a spoon then to the freezer for a spoonful of ice cream, then back for a spoonful of brownie and so on. Which is not the point of my story at all...I just wanted to highlight how my mind tries to trick me into thinking I'm eating less than I really am.

See what I mean? Even my thoughts are cluttered! So, the point I'm trying to make is that I need to make a change in my life before I go crazy! I need to prioritize and organize my life. I need a schedule. I need, I need, I need...I sound so greedy! 

Maybe, I should just make a new to-do list:

• Prioritize
• Organize 
• Schedulize 

Now I feel better. I have a to-do list. I've accomplished that much at least.

when did i become so domesticated?

....oh right. when i got married and had a baby. I'm actually loving this new lifestyle of mine. Not that I didn't expect to, but I thought at the very least that I would miss all of the partying and spontaneity. I really don't though. If anything, I value my time spent with my friends more. Since its not an everyday or every weekend occurrence, anytime I am able to get together with my close friends, I really take advantage of those moments. As for the late night drinking...we'll have our nights here and there, but I'd much rather spend a full day hiking, shopping, cleaning, cooking...anything but dealing with a hangover. A few weeks ago I woke up at 7am and met a couple friends at Great Falls for a 6 mile hike. 

I was back home by 10:30am and still made it to church. By noon I felt so accomplished! Back in the day I would have still been sleeping and coping with all of the shots I took the night before. So last week, I went hiking again and this time Brian and Lily came along with some of my fam. Even though this hike was intense and had me questioning why we brought Lily to such a steep hike, I felt so refreshed and happy to spend that time with my family. 

I know Lily has changed me. I just hope it's been for the better! Sometimes I'm scared that I'm losing myself and becoming this different person. One who actually enjoys making and freezing big batches of soup. One who has been watching Martha Stewart make the perfect turkey so I can learn for this year's Thanksgiving. One who sings Mickey Mouse Clubhouse tunes because it's Lily's favorite show. One who's idea of a night out includes going to Target then picking up Pei Wei to go. So, yes, maybe I am slightly different than before, but I don't care. I love learning to cook and I love watching Lily dance when I sing her favorite songs. I love nights out with our little family even if its just to Target. I truly love everything that has come out of being married and having a child. Maybe I have lost a part of my old self, but from what I've lost, I've gained so much more and I'd never trade that for anything. 

a great reminder

Today I came across this post from a blog I follow. This was a great reminder for me today that I need to stop worrying about life's uncertainties. I need to live life to its fullest as God intended me to!

thankful

I wish I were brave enough to post pictures of how messy our apartment is right now, but I don't want to embarrass myself. Things have really slipped through the cracks lately. Dishes are spilling over the sink, laundry is stacked in piles, and trash bags are crowding the kitchen. Then there are the thank you cards that I still haven't written from Lilyan's Baptism and her 6, 7, now 8 month pages that remain blank in her baby book. Time is passing by so fast and Lilyan is growing so quickly. I feel as if I will wake up tomorrow and she will already be 1 year old. Plus, it doesn't help that for the rest of the year, the project I am on will keep me at work from 8am-8pm and during "shut-down" where every other employee gets the week off over the holidays, my team will be working hard to meet our go-live date. What's the point of making a living if you can't fully live?

...and just like that, as quickly as that thought enters my mind, it leaves. Because while I'm complaining that my apartment is messy, I know that my relatives in the Philippines are all crammed into one living space where the dirt ground is their floor. My laundry is piled by the washing machine, theirs hung out on clotheslines. Our trash bags crowding the kitchen, their neighborhood crowded with trash. Baby books, thank you cards, the many things that I have on my to-do list, they will never own or see. And my job, a stable job that could support all of them. Meanwhile, here I am complaining of long hours! My sister Tracy was fortunate enough to make the trip out there with my Mom, Llew, my grandparents, and my Aunt a few weeks ago. Although I couldn't experience it firsthand, the pictures and stories made me appreciate my life so much more. Our cousins both male & female used to wear our clothes we had passed off to them and still use our baby blanket that we had when we were little...and I used to complain about getting hand me downs from my older sister!

[tracy found our baby blanket!]

[my sister, mom, and relatives]

[my mom and relatives]

[laundry, hanging out to dry!]

[my grandma passing out gifts]

I am so thankful for everything I had as a child growing up. I only wish I could appreciate it while I was younger. I remember my mom would always say, "You don't know how good you have it!"...and all I could think was how I wanted that thing...whatever insignificant thing it was...because all of my friends had it.

So, while its hard not to get wrapped up in the everyday stresses of life, I've learned that it helps to take a step back and appreciate every little thing I have. Not just the great material things (like my new Nikon D5000!) but also the job that drives me crazy, the small apartment we live in, and the old car that I drive.

august august august

My sister Tracy and her fiance Matt came over tonight for dinner and they came with gifts in hand as always. I'm Lily is starting to get spoiled with all of the pajamas, dresses, and toys! 

My sister painted her portrait based on one of her photos:

and then she put this together for her:

I LOVE Love LOVE the gifts! and of course Lily does too.

It seems like these days if anyone wants to see us, they have to come to our place! We've both been so busy with work and now throw in a sick baby and all of our time is consumed. I feel like the sun is rising before it even begins to set. Plus there's a lot coming up within the next few weeks. 

• Tracy's birthday - Aug 7th
• LLS Light the Night Campaign kick-off party - Nationals Park - Aug. 7th
  
• Matt's birthday - Aug 12th
• Lilyan's Baptism - Aug 15th
• Poconos trip - Aug 20-24th

I can't believe Tracy is going to be 2-3! Every time a birthday comes up for Tracy, I try to remember what I was doing at that age. Let's see at 23, I was pretty much living in LA for work. Traveling back and forth every week up until Christmas where I flew home Christmas Eve and returned to LA the day after Christmas. Those days were some of the best days of my life. I met Brian and had the best time with all of my co-workers. I stayed at the Portofino Inn at Redondo Beach, had the master suite with an ocean sound view and woke up to barking seals and breakfast on the marina. We worked hard and partied hard back then! ohh memoriesss....if it weren't for our family all being in the area, I really think I would want to live out in Cali...maybe one day!

[this was the view from my balcony i mentioned...horrible i know]

I'm excited for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society kick-off. I started volunteering for the LLS and this will be a great event for a great cause. Plus it doesn't hurt that my friends and I get tickets to the game afterwards! The Light the Night walk is coming to Reston in October and I'm heading up a team to walk. We walked as a team at Valon Salon when I worked there for a million years, so I asked them to walk again. I'm really hoping that enough people sign up so we can raise a significant amount of money! So, don't be surprised if you see something on facebook asking for your donations! 

[yes, that is me up in front with the hair up to my ears]

After my soon-to-be-brother-in-law Matt's 2-?th bday is Lilyan's baptism! Usually this consists of being baptized at church during service and going to brunch afterwards as a family to celebrate. Welllll thanks to Brian's HUGE family (did I mention that they all live within 30 miles of us?) this will be another big party. Let's just say I invited about 75 people. I feel like I'm prepping for another wedding! Lily's Christening outfit that I'm purchasing this weekend (supposedly the same one Jessica Alba's daughter wore) is beautiful.....! My friend Sera Cho of Project Cupcakes is making the cupcakes for the reception (a mix of red velvet and carrot cake) and decorating them to match the theme of the invitations:

[cherry blossoms!]

...and our friend Matty is catering the reception with his award winning barbeque. I can't wait to see everyone! It will be such a special day and I'm so thankful that we are making a big celebration out of it. 

Last, but not least, we head to the Poconos for a long weekend Aug 20-24th to celebrate my sister-in-law Jessica's birthday. This will be my first time up to her in-law's mountain house, but hopefully not the last! I'm already looking forward to the winters we will get to spend there. I have to make up for all the snowboarding I missed out on last year! 

ughhh...it just hit me that I might be catching what Lily and Brian have so I am off to bed [with some nyquil]! Besides, this post is long enough as it is! 

busy bee

My lack of blog posts have not only been a result of pure laziness, but also because I've been way too busy with vacation, work, work, and work. So I am taking advantage of a canceled meeting and quickly typing away.

June 28th - July 4th:

We drove to Seneca, SC to visit my relatives at their house on Lake Keowee. This is how we spent the majority of the week:

Aunt & Uncle's House

Baby Pool

Swimming

Playing in WaterfallsBoatingRelaxing on Islands

We returned home on July 4th where we watched the fireworks in Ashburn. Surprisingly, Lily enjoyed the fireworks and barely even flinched while they were going off.

And now I am back at work. The vacation flew by and it's only a matter of weeks before I'm back in Dallas. These next few days, weeks & months will be extremely busy at work with our upcoming realignment, but I'm up for the challenge. I'd much rather be busy at work than the other way around. One thing I have noticed is how hard it is to keep up with things at home when I'm busy at work. There are not enough hours in the day to get everything accomplished.

On my to-do list:

1. Send out invitations to Lily's upcoming Baptism in August
2. Plan reception afterward, order cupcakes
3. Get car inspected
   
4. Change my last name to my legal name on all things (so I'm a year behind...)
   
5. Update Lily's baby books and send out recent pictures to family
   
6. Organize nursery and clothes
   
7. Help Tracy with wedding planning
8. Help plan Sarah's bachelorette party, get bridesmaid dress
9. Look for bigger place to live
10. Plan a getaway for our 1 year anniversary (8.31.09)

I'm sure there's a bunch more I have to do, but 10 is enough for now! I'll try to blog more later, but for now it's back to work. Also, I'm frustrated with how Blogger sucks at formatting posts and pictures and don't have the patience in me today.

separation anxiety

I googled the term "separation anxiety" and among the returned search results: "...help your child overcome this common phase," "...many kids develop separation anxiety," "...a fairly common anxiety disorder that affects children."

Apparently, I'm too old to be suffering from this disorder. This Sunday I'm flying to Dallas for a business trip for a week...a whole week...without Lily. Ever since I booked the trip, I've been having anxiety over the whole thing. Mainly over the fear of flying itself. Which is silly, since at one point I was racking up so many frequent flier miles with United Airlines that I reached Premier status and earned free first class upgrades and enough miles to pay for round trip tickets to Mexico & Utah. Now all of a sudden, I'm afraid of flying. Then to further attribute to my fears, I had a dream about a plane crash, followed by the crash of Air France, followed by *2 birds repeatedly flying into our apartment windows. In the past week I've done everything I can to justify my anxiety, which has led nowhere. Maybe my dream about the plane crash was foreshadowing the Air France incident...does this mean I have psychic abilities? Great, so each time I have a bad dream, is it going to come true? I even called the office at the apartment complex to reassure myself that its common for birds to fly into windows on our side of the building. That didn't help..."Oh, no we never receive ANY complaints about birds...there must be something about YOUR apartment! How funny!" ...Funny? Not quite the word I was thinking.

So, just as I was thinking I'm doomed...the maintenance guy came by to repair the toilet and I asked him about the bird issue. Thankfully, he said he sees it all the time on our side of the building since it faces the woods, especially this time of year. Another thing I found out online (I swear the internet is a double-edged sword) is that it's common to develop anxieties after having a baby since now you are responsible for the safety and upbringing of another person. I even found a couple other people who blogged about the same fears. So, I'm not alone, which is always comforting. After all of this I've finally concluded that it's normal to be scared about leaving Lily for a week and also to just trust in God's plan for me. Nobody can promise that I'll be okay on my trip, but knowing that what is meant to be is meant to be offers some relief. I'm just wishing this trip was over already...the verge of a full blown panic attack is really stressing me out.

By the way, I should start a list of all the things that have happened to me postpartum, so I'm better prepared next time.

• hair loss
• stretch marks
  
• anxiety
• anxiety
• anxiety
  

I'm starting to think these symptoms are a result of weaning Lily off breastfeeding. I should ask the internet a therapist.

Anyways, I thought I'd feel better after posting this, but it has basically re-opened the can of anxieties I was having. So, to end on a good note, I am going to re-read this post I came across from Danielle Steel's blog (yes, the author). Like I said, knowing that other people are going through what I am, gives me comfort in the fact that I'm not completely crazy!


*If you haven't heard the superstition, please don't bother, it will only freak you out if a bird ever flies into one of your windows or into your house.

memorial day weekend

...was filled with a lot of this:
...and this:


Lilyan hates the sun and heat! So of course I thought maybe she'd love the pool...nope! She hates that too. Of course, the water was freezing, so I couldn't blame her. So, I spent Saturday afternoon under the umbrella trying to calm her down. I was definitely the mom that everyone looked at with a "shut that kid up" face or a "thank god that's not me" face. Hopefully next time we'll have better luck!

Saturday night - a true testament to how old my friends and I have become. All dressed up for a night in Georgetown, my girl friends and I went to dinner to celebrate Leena's birthday (and partially mine) at Neyla's restaurant. The food was awesome and the sangria was meh. Overall though it was a great time. So of course after dinner, we had the option of going out to one of the bars in the neighborhood. We spent about 10 mins debating where to go, if we should go, how long to go, etc, etc. Then after a couple of the girls decided to take off, the rest of us finally ventured all the way to Paolo's.. across the street. for a drink. one drink. then bounced. This is coming from a group of 4 friends who used to go out to D.C. when we were 16 and sneak into clubs using our older sister's IDs (or if your sister wasn't nice enough to ever give you her ID, you'd scratch out the date of your own ID and pen it in.....). So, I have come to the realization that our nights out of hours of heavy drinking and puking on the side of 66 have been replaced by nice dinners and reminiscing about the old days. I'm completely OK with that. I'm just thankful that we're all still as close as we are after all these years. Plus...it is sooo worth it not waking up the next morning with a hangover.

Sunday - my birthday! - I'm officially in my late 20's. After dinner at the in-laws, we dropped off Lily at my mom's house and headed to Bungalow Billiards in Chantilly. My options were limited, since not many places are open late on a Sunday night. Even so, it was a great night out, there was a live reggae band and a bunch of my friends came out to celebrate. I couldn't have asked for a better night!

Monday - birthday bbq - We all got together at my mom's for some bbq & crab legs. Yum! The family that eats together, stays together! Plus, I got a ton of gift cards to Best Buy so that I could buy the Nikon that I've wanted. I should have it in just a few weeks, can't wait!

P.S. - I'm thinking about buying the Nikon D5000 instead of the Nikon D90. After extensive research, the image quality is about the same, the video capability slightly better, and I'm no professional, so I think it'll do just fine. Oh...major selling point - it costs 1/3 less than the D90.

embracing these moments

My first Mother's Day was amazing! It started off by Brian surprising me with Lily's new outfit that he got her. Of course you can't see her cute pink shorts that she's wearing. (It melts my heart picturing him going to the store with her and picking her out a new outfit). Then he made me a wonderful breakfast with mimosas and gave me my presents, which included a Starbucks gift basket, roses, and a picture frame with a bunch of pictures of Lily and I. Not to mention the cards that he made from Lily and him. I have the greatest husband (and daughter)! Then we made a visit to my mom and headed to Brian's mom's house for a little cookout. It was such a beautiful day! 

I'm so thankful to have these moments as a new family. It's amazing how life changes after having a child. You feel like you're in a completely different world than you were in before. You learn to be grateful for every breath, smile, and laugh from your baby. You learn to never take any moment for granted for each is a blessing. Your life is consumed by dirty diapers, spit-up, washing bottles and baby laundry, but you wouldn't trade it for a thing. It's your life now and you can't imagine what life was like before your baby. It's cliche, I know, but if you're a parent, you get it. I didn't get it until now. A year ago I would have never imagined that this would be my life today. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would be married and have a baby at the age of 25! It wasn't part of my plan. I imagined getting engaged, spending a year or so on wedding plans, getting married, taking a honeymoon, traveling, buying a house, then planning for a baby. 

Yet instead I fell in love, became pregnant, moved in with the in-laws, got engaged, planned a wedding in 3 months, got married*, rented an apartment, then had Lily. No honeymoon, no traveling, no house. Needless to say, life isn't what I planned it to be. Of course we still hope to buy a house in the future and take the well deserved honeymoon that we missed out on, but I honestly believe that God blessed us with this plan for a reason. I may never know the reason, but I can take each day as it comes and be thankful for every moment that I have to spend with our own little family. I don't know where this new road will take us but I would hate to look back at life with regret and wish that I didn't take things for granted. So for now, I embrace the moments of rocking Lily to sleep while she grips my thumb and twirls her hair because before I know it, she'll be a big girl and I'll wonder where the time passed us by. 

*It was only fitting that our first dance at our wedding was to "Danny's Song":

People smile and tell me I'm the lucky one, and we've just begun,

Think I'm gonna have a son daughter.

He She will be like she and me, as free as a dove, conceived in love,

Sun is gonna shine above.

And even though we ain't got money, I'm so in love with ya honey,

And everything will bring a chain of love.

And in the morning when I rise, you bring a tear of joy to my eyes,

And tell me everything is gonna be alright. 

....

Pisces, Virgo rising is a very good sign, strong and kind,

And the little boy girl is mine.

Now I see a family where there once was none, now we've just begun,

Yeah we're gonna fly to the sun.

things i'm excited about...

• Caps are leading the series 2-0! A win tonight in Pittsburgh would be huge! I'm so jealous of my Mom and Llew's seats. They have season tickets 4 rows behind the glass...this picture was from ESPN.com. And look, there's Llew!!
  
  
• My first Mother's Day is coming up! I'm looking forward to spending the day with Brian and Lily and celebrating this blessing.
  
  
• Nikon D90 on sale!! This week I've found it online including the additional zoom lens for a great price. I reallyyy want this camera, even though I should be saving for more important things. Although, my birthday is around the corner! Happy early birthday to me?
  
  
• May 24th, my birthday. After 25 it's not really exciting.
  
  
• June 1st, Brian's 25th birthday! I'm technically going to be 2 years older than him for one week. You can call me Cougar!! yippee.
  
  
• June 28th-July 4th. Vacation...finally! Heading down to Seneca, SC for the week at Lake Keowee.

going green...slowly.

I happened to catch a recent Oprah show on Earth Day and realized that I need to start being more environmentally friendly. Shamefully, I'm the one who uses a paper towel each time to dry my hands, does not recycle (out of laziness), and leaves the lights & TV on at night. To make myself feel a bit better, at least I don't litter and I do recycle at work. Anyways, it'll be a slow transition, but at least I am now consciously aware of what I'm doing.

Step 1: Recycle.

I now recycle everything at home..(cardboard, glass, plastic, paper). I had to call up the apartment complex office to find out where their recycle bins are, because apparently they are misused and people dump their trash in them...tsk tsk. See? That's why I never recycled, they don't even have a clear designated place for my recyclables.

Step 2: Reusable Lunch Bags & Water Bottle

I thought I was being environmentally friendly by reusing my plastic bags from Target and Wegmans for lunch bags...but I guess that doesn't count when I turn around and toss them. So, I plan on buying one of those dorky lunch bags (although these are cute). Also, I suppose I could cut back on the multiple plastic water bottles I consume by filling up a reusable water bottle with filtered water.

Step 3: Cut back on water and energy at home

This is pretty challenging. Especially, when it comes to washing Lily's bottles. So, the water consumption will take a bit to get used to, but turning off the lights and unplugging appliances when I'm not using them is easier. I guess I can get used to using the TV timer also, besides, the only thing on after 3am is Paid Programming.

Yes, I know, these 3 steps are simple and I'm sure everyone everywhere is already following these steps, but I like to set immediate goals so I can continue on to greater things, like buying eco-friendly products and using reusable grocery bags.

easter weekend

April 9-10th: Atlantic City was so much fun! It was great to get away with Brian for the night. We arrived at 10pm and gambled at the casinos of the Borgata and Tropicana until 4am. The next morning Brian and I went to the boardwalk and gambled away our winnings. Luckily, I have some self control and was able to convince Brian that it was time to go home. We broke even and walked away with a video poker addiction. 

On the way home we stopped by Babies R Us and picked up a new playmat for Lily. I think she suffered from sensory overload because after 5 mins of playing with all the rattling, vibrating, crinkly, light flashing, mozart musical toys, she passed out. Oh and let's not forget the big mirror that's attached to it, so she can stare at her cute, yet, terrified reflection. 

April 11th - Brian's Dad and my Dad's Bday. How cute that our dads share the same birthday. We went to breakfast to celebrate Brian's dad's bday and then went home to enjoy the rainy day indoors.....Then about after 10 mins of being stuck indoors, I dragged my nephew with me to Target, Wegman's & Best Buy to battle the herds of people getting ready for Easter Sunday. He didn't mind though because he made out with a Wii Fit (an early bday gift) and I decided it would also be the perfect gift for my Dad. So we headed home with 2 Wii Fit's, a trunkful of groceries and the usual random purchases from Target. As we start to unload my car (my bright red VW Golf) I accidentally swung my door open...and it slams into the bright flawless white car next to me. DAMMIT! Keep in mind that we live in an apartment complex. So my options are 1) pretend it didn't happen, move my car and go inside. 2) Sit there and try to buff out the red mark that was left on the side of their car. 3) Write a note like a responsible and courteous person. I went with option 3, realizing that the owner of the car could be watching me through his windows as I contemplate what to do and also because it's the right thing to do...I suppose. Anyways, it's not like it won't buff out and up until now they haven't called me...yet.

April 12th - Easter Sunday! Brian and I went to church and left Lily in the hands of my 14 year old nephew. All of his experience with his 2 younger brothers paid off and Lily was well taken care of. Then we headed to Brian's Aunt's for Easter lunch and an Easter egg-hunt. Lily made out well with 12 eggs....hmm I wonder how she managed that?

Afterwards, we went to my Dad's to celebrate his birthday and to have Easter dinner. Thanks to Cody & I's culinary skills, we made an awesome carrot cake for his birthday. It was probably the best carrot cake I've ever had. Don't worry, I'm not trying to brag about it, anyone can make this cake using this recipe! So after a long weekend of birthdays and Easter celebrations we headed home where we all passed out on the couch for the night.

 

30 - part 1

So I know I have a few years before I turn 30, but recently I started thinking about how quickly the years are passing and how much there is in life that I still want to accomplish. Plus, given the fact that nobody is guaranteed tomorrow, who knows how long I'll have to accomplish my life goals (besides God)? All my life I have lived in Northern Virginia. Granted, I don't think I could ever move away from my family, but it really puts things in perspective if you compare Nova to the rest of the world. There's so much out there that I have yet to see and I'm not getting any younger! Even though I've traveled my fair share for the occasional vacation getaway, I have never been to Paris, Italy, Japan, or Ireland...all the places I dream of going. So until Lily gets a little older and my paycheck gets a lot bigger, I'm going to have to settle for achieving the smaller goals in life that are within reach. My first goal is to actually list out my personal goals, since I can't say I have one. To get me started on my own list I've browsed some books & websites on What to do before you're 30, What you should know before you're 30, Where to go before you're 30...etc etc. I'm horrible at making long term goals or even considering the fact that I'll live past 30 since I'm terribly superstitious and think the moment I plan for the future, something terrible will happen to me (I know, it's stupid). So, I'll start with 30. A reasonably safe age I hope to reach.

Anyways here is the first list I found after surfing the web all while being semi-productive at work:

30 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do Before Turning 30 (by Siobhan Adcock)

1. wrap a present
2. start a successful fire in a fireplace(does a gas fireplace count?), at a campsite, and in a barbecue
3. finish a piece of furniture
4. get a raise (something i'm horrible at...negotiating)
5. order wine at a restaurant without getting stiffed
6. parallel park in three breathtakingly beautiful movements (i can do it in 10 beautiful movements)
7. dance a “slow dance” without looking like an idiot
8. use a full place setting properly, including chopsticks and Asian soup spoons(duh, i live for the asian soup spoons)
9. clean your place in under 45 minutes, when friends, relatives, or prospective lovers are coming by unexpectedly, and soon
10. hold your liquor
11. cure a hangover
12. do the Heimlich Maneuver
13. use a compass ta da!
14. change a flat
15. jump start a car
16. open a champagne bottle(even though it scares me)
17. send a drink to someone’s table
18. cook one “signature meal”
19. whistle with your fingers
20. take good pictures(at least I think they're good)
21. fold a fitted sheet(thanks to my mom!)
22. remove common stains(Dreft baby stain remover spray works wonders)
23. sew a button
24. carve turkey, lasagna, and birthday cake
25. hold a baby (i better know how!)
26. change a diaper
27. keep a plant alive for more than a year
28. make dogs and cats love you
29. help someone out of a car
30. write superior thank you notes(superior? maybe not, but good enough)

Well, not too bad, I seem to know most of these. Although, I'm not positive that "making a cat love me" will make it to my own list, there are a few things from this one that I'll definitely consider...Heimlich Maneuver, Get a Raise..

To be continued..

back to reality.

Work sucks. Today is officially my first day back at work. Luckily not too many people know I'm back yet, so I haven't been bombarded with phone calls or emails. I like this..I can just sit here inconspicuously and get paid. Although we are going through a re-org, so I may want to get some work done or else they might phase me out like Milton from Office Space.

Now for a little weekend update:

• Lily smiles now! and I'm not talkin about the gassy smiles..
• Friday night - I drank too much. We had a few friends...wait just one friend over..and played Scene It Seinfeld - love that game! I actually don't miss drinking that much and definitely don't miss the hangovers.
  
• Saturday - got some news that one of my bff's is gettin married! Congrats Sarah & Sam!! I'm thinking they might have a Harry Potter themed wedding around Christmas time. haha jk Sarah!
• Sunday - finished "New Moon". Only 2 away from getting VIP access at the Twilight Party later this month...haha don't ask. This is the one guilty pleasure that I'm letting myself get away with.
  
• Monday - Snow day!
  

So come to think of it, my weekends have been pretty lame lately. Hopefully this weekend will be more promising. I need to start planning a ladies night...any ideas ladies? I think Brian owes me one or two considering the circumstances over the past 10 months :)