Twin 1 Twin 2

i look forward to the little things in life. whether it’s having chile rellanos for dinner, the wonders of my flat iron, or attending my cousin’s baby shower. this weekend my mom and i went shopping. i guess it was “right” to get things off her registry, but when i saw these i knew we had to get them even though they weren’t on the list:

my cousin constantly refers to her twins as twin 1 and twin 2. i figured this would help her keep them straight until she can tell the difference between them. they came with a number 1 foot and a number 2 foot per set, so i rearranged them. with this gift she won’t have to pull an uncle jesse and fingerprint each kid. this is my type of gift, practical and humorous.

Parents, Parents Are Such Fun

living at home means you talk to your parents a lot more.  over the past few days these are some of the conversations i’ve had with mine:

me: is carrie underwood your favorite american idol?
mom: i don’t know, who was that angry girl?
me: kelly clarkson
mom: yeah, what happened to her?  do you think she started writing happy songs and they weren’t good enough?

dad: do you remember when you met the first boy you liked?
me: no
dad: *sarcastically* haven’t met him yet?
me: nope

mom: look at that, anyone from nebraska wouldn’t know what that is
me: yeah they would think it was just a hill. but in massachusetts we know better, that is a landfill.

and on a side note, i babysit last night here’s a clip:

me: can you count to 100?
little girl: yeah… 1, 2, skip a few 99, 100
me: sounds about right

Casino Christmas Eve

last year i was in a football pool, and this year i’m in something even bigger… a twins pool.  my cousin is pregnant with twins, and my family spent christmas eve taking bets as to when the second twin will be born.  you have to pick the date and time (6 hour windows) closest to the actually birth.  i put all my money (all $2) on march 28th from 6pm to midnight.  i have some stiff competition, but i’m all for anything that makes the months after christmas more exciting.

Memories of Yore

i hope everyone’s christmas was filled with wonderful new memories.  mine was filled with memories of yore; my parents made dvds of old family vhs tapes.  it’s funny to watch them and see the same characteristics that we, as adults, embody today. 

for my brother’s 4th birthday a game of pin the tail on the donkey was in order.  even then my brother was a cheater.  he claimed he couldn’t see out the front, but my mom knew better and readjusted the blindfold.  somehow he could still see out the front and claimed he had no idea how he pinned the tail so close. then my mom asked if he was lying, and even though he said no he said it suspiciously.

another christmas my sister and i got magazines like tiger beat.  my sister got really excited, “it has nsync, backstreet boys, 5ive, 98 degrees!”…..then came the disappointment, “oh but it has hanson.”

january 2004, i was right on:

dad: what do you think of the red sox this year?

me: they’re going all the way.  there’s no doubt in my mind; i feel it in my veins.

…and i was right even back then!

Crunch Time

well i’m back on the east coast, and my social calendar is filling up. i love this time of year. this weekend i’m getting together with a friend to build a kickass gingerbread mansion then going to a PC vs BC basketball game as an alumni…geez i’m old.

i’ve also been doing some holiday shopping. so what do you get for the mom who has everything? a savings account for the boat “she’s always wanted.” since my dad’s semi-retired i decided to him some house slippers, just like his mother use to wear. for my sister:
…in purple of course.  with a ring.  when i called to ask what size i should get, this is how she responded: “large diamond”.  yeah me too.  as for dc hero, he’ll have to wait and see.

christmas eve is coming up!! and that means a big yummy meal at my house with my dad’s family.  i would put up the menu next week, but we like to keep it a surprise…because people hate not knowing a good secret; just like i hate not knowing what my christmas presents are.  when i was a kid my mom had to start hiding them at my aunt’s house because i knew all the hiding places at our house.  i’ve gotten better but i still love to give them a good shake.

make fun all you want but i’ve got to get back to listening to josh groban and michael buble christmas music…

Support System

it’s nearly 1 am and i’m wide awake. 

so what do you do when you feel like you’re standing still while the rest of the world is running around you frantically?

sometimes i wonder if i’m being punished for a previous life.  other moments i want to fall asleep and wake up a few years from now when my life is sorted out.  but is there really such a point?  i don’t think so.  i look at my mom.  she had the life: a great family, a good career, and her health…virtually no worries.  then out of no where her mom (my grandmother) passed away.  at that instant her world came crashing down, and nothing else mattered. 

sometimes i wonder what it’s going to be like to live without my parents…and i can’t picture it.  they are my support system; the people i go to when i don’t know what to do or where to go.  i can call them with worries and in the end know it will all be ok.  no matter how old i get, they will never let something bad happen to me.  but after a while, it’s hard to keep accepting their help. 

i feel like i should be able to do things on my own, but there’s always something bigger than what i can handle on my own.  most of the time all i need is advice; when it’s more, i feel guilty calling them.  i think, “i’m 22, i should be able to handle this.”  but when you’re in such a difficult situation, it’s comforting to know i call them without judgement to find the guidance i need. 

everyone deserves parents like mine.  the type that can read your mind and say, “i was just going to call you” when they pick up the phone.  it’s like they know you better than yourself.  the people who can see what’s really going on, even if you aren’t ready to admit it.  the one’s who know you’re lying when you say eveything’s fine.  the people who ask the right questions to make you come to your own conclusion.  sometimes i hate that, and wish they would just tell me what to do…it would be easier.

Cancer

today i am thankful.  my uncle is battling brain cancer and although the tumor will never disappear, it basically shrunk to nothing.  he had been in this fight since february and it has taken a toll on him.  so i’m very happy to hear this news and that he should be feeling better. and this whole experiences makes you reevaluate your life…

he was a healthy young man.  he was very involved with his church and family.  then out of no where…brain tumor.  so like my mom now says, “if i want chocolate for breakfast, i’m gonna have it.”

Huskers Maze

i’m really excited because my mom is coming next weekend.  i haven’t seen her since august 14th….it’s been a little while.  and with her visit coming up it’s giving me an excuse to do things in the city that I haven’t done yet.  first on my list is Vala’s Pumpkin Patch.  vala’s has an amazing corn maze and of course this is what it looks like:

duh…

besides the maze they have a haunted farmhouse, pumpkins (as if you didn’t realize it), pig races (yes i said PIG RACES), a pumpkin cannon (similar to the potato gun, I imagine), and caramel apples…yum.  if anything says “Fall” to me, it’s caramel apples…and apparently my mom too.

she called last week to ask if vala’s had them because she was craving one.  if you knew my mom you would understand how funny this is.  she doesn’t eat many sweets, just on special occasions and the way she asked was just so cute.  Sometime I feel like her my mom and have to cut her off when she has too much, usually when she’s drinking wine. (her friends gave her article how wine prevents alzheimers which is proudly displayed in a frame on our dining room table).  anyway…back to the topic…I LOVE FALL!! i don’t care that i’m 22 and have a craving to carve pumpkins and roast the seeds.  I want to drink my apple cider and eat my apple too!  oh and my roommate got the martha stewart halloween magazine…i can’t wait to make my own creations. haha, i’m such a dork, but i love it too much to give it up.

I Just Got My White Coat And Stethoscope!

i’ve finished my first full week of a full time job.  i have to say the gig is pretty sweet.  i worked 8-3:30.  ideally I would love to be a woman of leisure and have a side job from 1-4.  you know…when no good tv is on.  something to keep me busy and get me out of the house, but this isn’t so bad.  although, i have found myself going to bed at 11, a bit too early for the normal me. the pay’s not great, but that’s what happens when you work for a non-profit company.   in reality, how much do i really need anyway?  i have noted one dramatic change.

once you start working full time, less time is spent shopping, talking to friends, or other routines.  i have spent no money on clothes in the last week, something that is hard to avoid when you have nothing to do.  with a lot of free time there’s never enough malls.  i also talk to my friends when i can, not when i feel like it.  yeah, that’s a shame.  this weekend i could only find time during my walk back from the library.  although, there is the occasional text.  my friend matt sent me this one: “i just got my white coat and stethoscope.  i am pretty much a doctor!”  i also got a call from my friend that i refer to as date, he was on the phone along with two of my old my roommates.  these things make you sad, and make me wish i was there with them to experience the new moments in the their lives.  at this moment you press play on michael buble’s “home,” as a few tears fall down your cheek. 

Let me go home
I’m just too far from where you are
I wanna come home

Secrets

i’ve read many great books in my life (everyone worth knowing, something borrowed, summer sisters), but the greatest book of all is my journal.  i’ve been writing for the past 6 years.  i write every day, whether there is something exciting, depressing, or not.  it contains some of the most personal emotions and thoughts that i will never share with anyone (it will be written in my will for them to be destroyed after i pass).  my journal, not to be confused with a diary which has a lock and key, is my favorite book.  i use it to document my life and the way i feel at those times.  yes, it’s predictable, seeing as i wrote it and all, but it tells some of the best stories.  most of these stories i forget with time, but as i read it they all come back to life.  it’s like being back in that state of mind and circumstances.  although i rarley give my journal to anyone to read i’ve highlighted some lines for your enjoyment (i’ll even use exact text).

“when we were out a random guy leaned in and told me ‘you look a lot like my future ex-wife’ ok creepy much?”

“i feel like he’s always gonna be in my life in one form or another and will always break my heart whether he means to or not…great!”

“my mom called today to make sure i was still breathing…how thoughtful”

“i felt better right away cause he looked me up and down and complimented my top”

“he imed me and said ‘hey princess’…at least he has my name right”

“it was probably a mass text but i couldn’t resist the urge and responded”

“i found ‘wish upon a star’ on youtube…what a day!”

“today i couldn’t think of anything besides dance”

“he told me to dress in a batman uniform to win any guy’s attention”

“since it’s friday we all wore dresses”

“i think i have a dylan”

obviously i can’t give away any of the really good stories.  i wanted to write two other lines, but i had to protect the privacy of one of my friends and i couldn’t boost the ego of another blogger, who’s ego is already pretty big.