Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Pain, 2.0

I had every intention of doing a recap of tennessee. I had every intention of posting pictures from Pete's visit. That was until, my body decided to go awol on me.

Long story short, my stomach is in pain. A Lot of pain. a.g.a.i.n. hence the 2.0 name. It's like I'm repeating the same gallbladder thing from last year. Only problem, I dont have a freaking gallbladder anymore.

Endoscopy, blood work, samples, test, are all in my near future. I'm hoping it is nothing.

We'll see.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Banger Sisters

When I spilled my news, I felt really nervous. Now that Amber is here, I'm settling in more. Granted she has only been here since 4:30 yesterday evening, I'm positive we will have a blast.

I know this is going to be hard, but for the first time in a really long time, I'm giving it to God. It's not that I'm being foolish I'm showing faith. I really do believe that without God there is no way I would have been able to accomplish all that I have been in the last 5 years. On paper, it seems impossible. I am so happy, grateful, enthusiastic for the future and to do my best to give God the credit!

I know that times will be hard. I know everything won't be unicorns and rainbows everyday, but isn't that what LIFE is about. I want to live. I want to soar. I want to teach my sister all the things I have learned and learn from her. I am so proud to say she is my sister and best bud. I know I can tell her anything and have her full support.


New York Double Rainbow. Gives me hope and proves God is good!



Banger sisters back together! Maybe we should do more face masks!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Breaking News.

In light of breaking news, I am slacking on describing the Tennessee trip.
Amber is moving to Jersey. Yes, that’s right. I am about to become the ‘mom’ to a 15 year old girl. I love this kid with all my body (even the parts that have been removed). I love her with my non-existent gallbladder, with the tonsils and appendix that are long gone. That’s how much she means to me.
I am proud of her for realizing that she needed to make a change. She needed to find a way to better her life. A way to avoid following in others footsteps, especially the wrong ones.
She is so mature. I sometimes forget that she is not the little 3 year old that cut her hair under the dining room table and blamed it on the cat. She is a beautiful young woman who is standing up for herself and demanding better.
I just hope that I meet her expectations. This will be my biggest challenge so far. I have one thing to say: BRING IT!

Monday, August 1, 2011

I'm Home (randoms)

I'm home from the week in Memphis. It was a great vacation. I took my camera with me yet have very few pictures to share. I spent a lot of time hanging out with my sister and painting.

We painted paneling. I'll have pictures soon. It was super easy.

Mark, Amber, and I went to go see the X-Men: First Class. We liked it.

I finally caved and bought the iPhone 4. Well, technically, Mark bought it for me as a 3 year anniversary gift. I couldn't text on my old phone. Words on the right side were off limits because the letters: I, J, K, L, M, N, O and P were a task to click. I also couldn't dial and use the right numbers. If I hit 5, 2 would come up, and forget about the Zero. I've had the phone for 3 days and I love it.

I'm back at work and not too happy about it, but I'll get through it.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Memphis or Bust

As I mentioned here, I am going to Tennessee with Nonna and Mark.

Well the day is here...sorta. We leave tomorrow morning around 6-ish.

We will be relaxing and goofing off for the next week.

See you then!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

A new level of crazy

I have taken crazy to a whole new level. I have said before, I know that I’m crazy. I was so naïve then. COUGH.3weeksago.COUGH
Last night I was having a crazy feeling like I was too tired to stay awake but not tired enough to lie down and go to sleep. So do you want to know what I did? I got up and did a 1 mile exercise walk! Let that sink in. I’m insane. It was 12:40 AM and because I couldn’t sleep, I exercised.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that I did it. I felt great afterwards. Except for the fact that I had so much extra energy I didn’t fall asleep till a little past 3 AM. And oddly enough, I’m not too sleepy so far today.
I think I may add this to my routine. I really don’t have an exercise regimen and since I’m not doing the Medifast 100% according to plan like I said here, I am allowed to exercise sooner. However, I’m scared. And I’m ok with admitting it. I know I have a problem. My problem is that I will psych myself out and set myself up for failure. I will do really well for a week and then crash and burn. I don’t count the Medifast issue. I have medical issues that need to be tended to and as long as I’m not eating a cheeseburger and fries for lunch everyday I’m doing well.
Not going to lie, I did have a cheeseburger and fries yesterday. I was stupid. I really wanted the salad which was some parmesan chicken caeser thing but the line was insanely long so I went for a burger. I felt like death afterwards. Like I felt worse than I did before surgery.  Maybe that was a good thing. I know that I’m going to want to have a bag of chips, I am totally going to want ice cream, but the question becomes, ‘How horrific will this make me feel after?’ and ‘Is it worth it?’ has become my new phrase.
I find it odd that on the day I eat a burger I also exercise after midnight. Maybe I felt guilty, but I don’t think that was it. I have been thinking about doing some sort of exercise for a while now. Who knows what my subconscious was thinking. I'm just happy I felt great after a 20 minute workout.
Now, for a really cool FYI. I have Comcast cable which I love because of the on demand. What’s really cool is that they have exercise videos On Demand! I have used Leslie Sansone’s videos in the past and still have a few dvd’s around. So to see that she is On Demand was really cool and I knew I could do it. I also saw Jillian Michaels 30 day shred but that is beyond my grasp right now which translates to that chick is nuts and I would end up throwing something at the tv so maybe I’ll wait and give her a try later.

(image found via google)

I’m not saying that the 1 mile midnight walk will be the solution to all my problems, but it’s a start. I am going to take this one day at a time. I will not feel guilty for not doing something. I am here to know that there will be days where I will not want to do anything but lay in bed and watch tv. I’m here to remind myself that it is ok to take days off, but not lose focus.
My goal is to do the 1 mile walk at least 3 times this week. Then I would like to move to the 2 mile walk the week after and do at least 3 times. I go on vacation the next week so we’ll see. I think setting a two week goal will be the best way to get back into the swing of things.
 I know that if I do the videos more than 5-6 times I get bored hearing the same thing over and over so I may just have to plug in my ipod while I do it. I wanted to add a funny picture with a caption expressing that very fact, but blogger is being crazy and won't let me upload another picture. Maybe later.
Leslie here I come!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Medifast and Work Life Update

I took a break from Medifast. Not because it was hard (which it was), but because it made me sick. It was a shock to my already fragile digestive system (doctors words not mine). I have cut back on doing it as strictly as would be suggested and am following my doctors orders. A typical day now looks something like:

9:30 Medifast Shake
11:30 Medifast Shake/Bar/Puffs
1:30 Lunch (Salad, Sandwich, Soup) basically no fats
4:00 Medifast Shake/Bar/Puffs
7:00 Dinner (Salad, Sandwich, Soup) basically no fats

It's working so far. I haven't even bothered weighing myself. I know that it's working because I don't have to deal with the awkward fealing of my food digesting.

For now, this is enough. I may move towards going back to the 5&1 with a strict Lean and Green, but for now, I'm content.

In other news, I am very proud to say that I stood up for myself. I will keep it generic, but for a little over 3 years, I have been dealing with a difficult person at work. I won't say who, I will only say that I work closely with the person and she is female.

I am a very strong willed, independent, stubborn person. I have never been the one to take "abuse" lightly. And what I have had to deal with the past few years can be characterized as verbal and emotional abuse. NO MORE. I stood up for myself. I said NO. It is not ok for someone to think because they are in a position of authority they get to treat people this way.

I stood up for myself. That statement makes me really proud. I'm even more proud that I handled it professionally, and with restraint.

I'll keep you updated on what happens with everything.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Medifast, Week 1

Week 1 Down!!!
I officially need to buy a scale because the scale I was using is broke. But based upon when I weighed myself yesterday, I am down 12 pounds! 12 POUNDS IN 7 DAYS!
Let that sink in, I’ll wait.
.
..
Ok. Back? Great.
The main reason I started this diet was to do something about my digestion problems brought on by surgery. I have to tell you, it works. I have slightly cheated, popcorn and breadcrumbs on chicken, but I haven’t felt that gross digestiony feeling that people who have had their gallbladder removed know all to well. I know that 12 pounds in 7 days is a lot and maybe that's why I got sick. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I hope the weight loss slows down a bit.
The only time I felt a bit gross was after popcorn, but I was home and sick and that was the only thing I had that wouldn’t be straight grease. I also need to find a new "green" because salad is getting a bit old. Quickly.

About the food
I have tried the following:
 **Caution, the food rarely comes out looking like it did online**

My theory is if you add a bunch of ice to the shakes, they’re not too shabby. I still haven’t nailed down the consistency of the pudding, but it makes a really thick shake if you screw up (which I totally did) so I threw it in the freezer and it was really good. The cappucino was really good too.
I’ll do a review of all the food later, but I think I may keep this up. I am feeling really tired and headachey, but that’s to be expected. I never really found myself super starving. I have realized that I need to do my Lean & Green for dinner instead of lunch and this may help with some of the hunger issues.
My new goal is to do this for 1 week with no cheating. Starting Tuesday that is. The 4th is Monday and I may have a cookie or something. Like I said before, my goal is to feel better and help my digestion. Losing weight is a fringe benefit.

I’ll get there. And I’ll buy a new scale.

*Disclaimer: I paid for Medifast myself and am in no way compensated for my review. My thoughts are my own, believe me. Although, if they want to sponsor me, I'm game.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Medifast, Day 1

I am doing Medifast. I will be doing Medifast for at least a week. This is my mantra. I will worry about next week then.

Yesterday first official day, and I'm not gonna lie, I was petrified. I was slightly excited too. I want to feel better. With the surgery and everything that has happened since, I have let myself get to an unhealthy place. I did have a slight headache, but it went away.

I'm not sure if I will reveal my starting weight right now. I think if I decide to do this long term I will. I will definitely update on Monday and see if I can link up to some lovely ladies and their McFatty Monday posts.

I will say, that so far I have a slight headache, but I'm not hungry. It's weird. Maybe this will only take a few days.

The shakes and food will take a little getting used to. I am doing the 5 & 1 plan. Which means I am eating 5 Medifast meals and 1 Lean and Green. Yesterday I had:

9:30 Dutch Chocolate Shake (in their shaker)
11:40 Parmesan Cheese Puffs
1:15 Salad with an egg as protein (oops, should have been chicken, but they were out)
*I should have had another shake, but I wasn't hungry and that was a mistake. Lesson learned: force yourself.
7:15 Dutch Chocolate Shake
7:40 Dutch Chocolate Shake
8:00 Dutch Chocolate Shake

I blended the last 3 shakes with Ice and I prefer them that way. Doritos were sitting on my fridge and although I really wanted to say "Screw it" I didn't and that in itself is progress!

The Medifast 5 & 1 Plan is designed to provide approximately:
- 800-1000 calories/day
- 75 to less than 100 grams total carbohydrates/day
- At least 72 grams of protein/day
- 10-34 grams total fat/day (to meet the recommendation for <30% calories from fat)
- Less than 2300 milligrams sodium/day (as recommended by the American Heart Association)

I will stick with this and be happy. Pictures soon...maybe.

*Disclaimer: I paid for Medifast myself and am in no way compensated for my review. My thoughts are my own, believe me. Although, if they want to sponsor me, I'm game.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Laugh Out Loud

It wouldn't shock anyone that knows me if I said I was crazy. I am totally the person who does stuff for a laugh. I wouldn't say I'm a clown, but I have my moments. Like I said before, I really love inside jokes. What I also love is youtube.

I am lucky enough to have some parts of my job that are mundane (obviously, sarcasm is welcome). I love that youtube lets you create playlists. I get to be entertained by some of the greats. Comedians like George Carlin to Chris Titus, John Pinnette to Ralphie May, Ellen Degeneres to Carlos Mencia.

I know that I have been blessed with the people in my life. I know this because not only do most of them share my crazy sense of humor, but some of them are crazier than I am. Some will watch/recommend that I watch something and then drop lines around me just to make me laugh. Like 'Left Leg: BROKEN' or 'Sacleblue Nue.'

I am happy that I understand that Challenges Come, but I can Laugh Out Loud anyway.




Enjoy: The first guy ignores them, and the one at the end makes me die every time.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Pin It

I have joined the legions of people pinning. I am so addicted and I love it. Pinterest. Super simple, super cute.

 Seriously, I admire the creators. It save so much time. You don't have to save links or favorites to your inspiration or ideas.

If you want to follow me, you can find me here.

It is so cool, check out some of my boards:









Happy Pinning!

Monday, June 13, 2011

Koosh Balls

Ok, I'm a kid. I'm almost 25, but I'm basically a child trapped in a body old enough to legally drink.

Enter something I wish I possessed:


Yes, that is the Infamous Koosh Ball.

It goes without saying that I love the "old school" koosh balls. Not the new ones that are, in my opionion, far less superior. I know, getting all high and mighty over a ball made out of rubber bands seems petty, but I don't care. I like the old ones, the ones that were made from thin cuts of rubber not the new ones that are made from devil material. The new ones are too rubbery, I can't explain it. Simply put, if it doesn't look like the picture above (color not dependant) it's not a real koosh ball in my book.

I would very much like one. All this to say, I may be turning 25 on August 19th, but I still wouldn't mind if someone bought me a toy for my birthday!

PS.
I can't believe I wrote a post about my preference for koosh balls. I also can't believe I used the word ball(s) a total of SIX times!

Friday, June 10, 2011

Leaving, on a jet plane...soon

Delta has been contacted. They have been commissioned to carry passangers. These passangers will fly from LaGuardia to Memphis. Among said passangers will be 3 very eager people.

Pia. Mark. Amanda.

Nonna, my Boyfriend, me.

At the end of the flight will be also be very eager people. This time it is only two.

Anna. Amber.

Mom and baby sister.

I am super excited. We will be going in July. 23rd - 30th. (I can say this since no one knows where I live.)

Nonna and I will be staying for a full week *Saturday - Saturday* while Mark is leaving on Wednesday.


Memphis-Arkansas bridge!

I am pretty excited! Have a great weekend!

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Bloomin' Onion Bread





I haven't tried this yet, but I will be. Very soon. I'm thinking about making it into individual portions using smaller loafs of bread. This would be so cool! Every person could pick what kind of cheese they want and even change ingredients. So delish!

Totally going on my Pinterest board!

 Bloomin' Onion Bread:

1 unsliced loaf sourdough bread
12-16 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, thinly sliced
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup finely diced green onion
2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the bread lengthwise and widthwise without cutting through the bottom crust. This can be a little tricky going the second way but the bread is very forgiving.

Place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Insert cheese slices between cuts. Combine butter, onion, and poppy seeds. Drizzle over bread. Wrap in foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
Unwrap the bread and bake 10 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Mets! Mets! Mets!

I feel like I have a confession. I should be standing up in front of a sea of orange and blue confessing my loyalty. I grew up a Mets fan and I'm proud of it.





I have been to my fair share of games. This was from the game on Friday:


M is really a happy guy, he just doesn't smile in pictures.

S, J, C, Me, L, M, G, & N

Just the girls!

This is from last year's company game. It's a tradition that we go to the Mets! and sometimes stop for Lemon Ice from the best place in the world:



yup, the Lemon Ice King of Corona!!


yes you will!




I think this may work, but HERE is a video my friend S took at the game!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Link Love

So my soon to be real life friend Bethany is hosting a giveaway. $50 for Anthropologie. Seriously love that store. To go to her blog click HERE and enter!

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Grateful For

Friends. I am really lucky to have a great bunch of people in my life. Here are a few.

Scott's Birthday was Saturday and he invited a bunch of friends, family and co-workers to play in his annual Softball game in Central Park.

I went to do some overtime from 8-2 and Mark picked me up in time to get to the Great Lawn (102nd & 5th) Field 7. It was an absolutely beautiful day.  I sat the game out since I was semi afraid to get hit and hurt my stomach. I definitely had a great time watching everyone.

Not everyone in the pic below played, some were just cheerleaders!



Scott (the bday boy) and his girlfriend:




Me and Mark after he made the GREAT CATCH OF THE DAY as Scott likes to say:


















These are pics I stole from Scott.  I have a few on my camera to add later.

All in all it was a perfect day. Even though we got soaked as we were leaving and I totally walked without my flip flops on. I went home and disinfected myself.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Who I am List

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

WHO I AM
christian
God-follower
girlfriend
daughter
older sister
friend
adventurer
traveler
list-maker
organizer
New Yorker
former Tennessee inhabitant
former Florida inhabitant
goal-maker
blog author
dreamer
procrastinator
sunshine-lover
cook
gardener
brown haired
italian
water-drinker
swimmer
crafter
reader
doer
church-goer
beach lover
tea-drinker
foodie
designer-lover
photo-taker
summer girl

WHAT I LOVE
my Savior
my boyfriend
my mom
my sister
family
good food
design
sleeping in
sunshine
summer
swimming
the ocean
lakes
water features
snail mail
cleaning
cities
country life - sometimes
tea
hot baths
tan skin
flip-flops
mom’s cooking
sitting by a fire
traveling
blogs
photography
traditions
new music
new shoes
ponytails
water

MY DESIGN STYLE
simple
uncluttered
light
airy
natural
organized
clean
textured
layered
open
beachy
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
STRENGTHS :: task-oriented, visionary, big-picture thinker, hard worker, goal-setter, fast, intelligent, sensitive, logical, organized, personable, passionate, multitasker, writer, project organization, problem solving, DIY, creative, inventive, determined

WEAKNESSES :: bored easy, confidence, follow-through, print, details, negotiating, impatient, finances, can be overwhelmed easily, people pleaser, picky


Looking at these lists makes me realize that, in general, I really need to stop focusing on things that are out of my control. I don’t always follow through on things because I get stressed out too easily.  I love being able to create, but I need to focus on my follow through.

I know Challenges Come, but I WILL learn to stop thinking they are brick walls. I know that with God I can do anything.

Monday, April 11, 2011

The Mountain of God

Even though the journey's long
And I know the road is hard
Well, the One who's gone before me
He will help me carry on
After all that I've been through
Now I realize the truth
That I must go through the valley
To stand upon the mountain of God



~The Mountain of God, Third Day

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Letter to Amber before HS

 Being an older sister is something I take very seriously. It doesn't hurt that I have the coolest little sister.


I wrote this to Amber right before she started High School in August:
  


High School. Two little words that invoke many different feelings.  It may sound fun and scary, exciting and make you shake with fear, but you can tackle anything.
Life is about to begin flying by at an increasing speed. As you begin your High School years I have a few things that I want to share with you.
First off, I am so proud to be your sister. I wouldn’t give that up for anything in the world. I will always be here for you.
Now down to business:
You are a fun loving, beautiful, crazy, artistic, creative, incredible, TWERD, blondie (love you), woman that I wouldn’t trade for the world.  I am amazed at how confident you are in yourself. I wish I had that, even now.
You are going to be successful at whatever you decide to do; I have no doubt about that. Remember, it will cost you something. Work hard to be everything you were created to be. This will require sacrifice, self discipline, and determination. Don’t look back with regret and wish you could have done things differently. You have the opportunity to start from scratch.
You may face fear, doubts, discouragement….you may even be ridiculed along the way. I know you will fight your fears. I have faith that no one can talk you out of painting only your left hand while leaving the right one empty.
Here’s a little advice: Ask Questions. People may not always have the right answer, but not knowing is okay. Stand up and speak your mind, challenge the group, act on your instincts. Act on all the “why’s” and bring change to the things you don’t like.
Embrace change and be open to learning what the world and the people in it have to offer you. You will stumble. You will cry, scream, but most of all you will LAUGH. It’s the memories you make now that will last you a lifetime. You’ll be 80 years old in a rocking chair laughing about things that will happen in the next four years. Make every day count.
This is a milestone that you should cherish. You may make new friends that will last a lifetime. These are the people you will talk to 10 years later and say things like, “Remember when…” Have fun making those memories. Go Crazy….
Just have fun. You might make mistakes, that’s what gives you character.


 

Face Masks! Thanks for acting stupid with me kiddo. I <3 you!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Corporate Consideration Law

I work in a cubicle. I'm ok with it. Really I am. I have cute little decorations so I don't go on a killing spree so it looks nice.

Check out my rubber duckies:




Dude, the far right is a Mets ducky that a co-worker made for me. It's totally bad ass.

To the right of my monitors, I have some cute pictures, a happy face mug to hold my paperclips (because my paper clips need to be happy, DUH), I even have a living bamboo plant. I say living, because I'm not sure if it will survive much longer.




I can deal with a lot. I'm an older sister for goodness. Smelly food in the office, is something I can't deal with. Hot Sauce to be exact. I'm even allergic to oranges and if someone eats one near me, my skin turns pink-ish red and really itchy. I would prefer to be called a color -ish and itchy, then smell hot sauce.

Which prompts me to come up with this: Corporate Consideration Law. If the food smells, eat it somewhere else. According to M, this means that they would have to ban all food from the office. I think he's right. Never gonna happen though. They want me to have my occasional gummy bear, otherwise, I would go postal. But Gummy Bears DO NOT emit any type of odor.

Just think people, think. If it smells, just say no.

(end rant)

Monday, March 7, 2011

Kobie Blue

This weekend I bought a 2007 Chevy Cobalt with 59,000 miles! He is a beautiful White color which might make it odd that his name is Kobie Blue. My mom and I are weird, but here he is in all his glory:










He's adorable & I love him.

I bought him on my nonna's 81st birthday. To celebrate his 2nd day in our family, my mom and I drove 43 miles to go to the nearest Cracker Barrrel.....mmmmmm delish.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Goodbye

It's a very hard thing to say aloud, much less type. My grandfather died. My nonna. Mr. Federico Vezza.

I borrowed this from Kim:

God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
 Unfailing sympathy, undying love.

I know that he's in a better place. Suffering from Parkinson's was hard on his family, but so much harder on him. He was born on January 12, 1930 and passed February 15, 2011. He was 81 years old and loved by everyone he touched during that time.

He passed peacefully, which is a wonderful relief to us. Grief is a Challenge that Came and I will have to learn to cope. I really can't get into much more of it right now.

But I will say, that Nonno, the snow the day of your funeral - really not funny.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

DIY Art

Lets change the mood and throw in some DIY:

I love this flower:

I drew this on the back of a legal note pad. I've been drawing various versions of this flower for years. I would get it as a tattoo, but I don't see the need to pay someone to make me cry. Just my opinion, that and I don't do well with needles.

So, I decided that I needed to fill the space above my couch. I thought about buying a canvas and painting the flower, buying an art piece from etsy, but I couldn't find anything large enough that wouldn't break the bank.

Enter Vinyl art. I needed something that would be easily removed since I rent. So, I convinced the boyfriend that I NEEDED vinyl. I would DIE without it. Needless to say, he looked at me like I was crazy, but he drove me anyway.

I went to Home Depot and bought black vinyl shelf liner for $3.50. I bought 2 rolls thinking I would need it, but I only ended up using half a roll. I happily brought my supplies home and got to work cutting and tracing. Here's the beginning:


(camera phone, sorry)

 I started buy making the large circle by using a large Tupperware bowl lid as a template. The circle is about 12 inches wide. Then I free handed the "leaves" and cut them out. The little black squares were vinyl "tape" to make sure everything stayed where I wanted.


I added more "leaves" to fill out the flower and added some random cut lines to fill in the center. What was really fun about this was knowing it didn't have to be perfect. It was ok if the lines in the center weren't exactly straight, or the leaves were a little crooked.





This is what it looks like today. I'm thinking about re-doing a few of the smaller leaves, the bottom 2 and top 2 seem a little off somehow. Who knows. But for a project that ended up costing less than $3.50 I'm extremely pleased with the outcome. I'm even thinking of shading it with some chalk! 

Friday, February 11, 2011

My Life (Part Three) No Cows this time

My Life (Part Three)
Thankfully this part of my life has nothing to do with being chased by any type of farm animal. I was spared the constant torture of livestock, too bad I couldn’t say the same for the Rednecks.

I got relatively lucky. I moved in December of third grade. I was the new kid. I talked funny because I didn’t say things like y’all, yander or y’ant to? (translation: you want to?) I don’t know how Sha and I became friends as easily as we did, but I’m thankful to have had her. Jenica was also a good friend, but Sha was my best. We made it thorugh together. She understood how much I truly wasn’t happy. I just felt out of place and she was someone I could confide in. Sha and I went through a lot together.

After I finally started to get the hang of country life, my mom had Amber on October 27, 1995. Here’s a disclaimer: I love that girl with all my heart and would run in front of a bus or cut off my leg if it would save her. Hell I’d do both, in the same day. With that being said, I did not adjust to her in the beginning very well.
I was 9, I was used to being the only one. I was just starting to get used to directions like: Drive over the 3rd bridge and make a left at the 5th Oak Tree. To which, I replied something like, ‘How have we lived here for MONTHS and I haven’t seen a bridge? And what the hell does an Oak Tree Look like?’ FYI, they meant the little overpass to the river. And I can proudly say that now I retain the skill to tell you what an Oak Tree is.
I rebelled at school, got in trouble, and my grades suddenly started to drop. I think I may have even had a D or F, but I try to block that out. It took some getting used to, but eventually I really began to settle in again. I got used to the routine. I liked Amber for the most part, and was slowly moving towards being able to go out of my way to interact with her more.
I had my appendix taken out when I was 10. That’s a story for another time, but it ruptured 5 minutes after they removed it, so I’m lucky to be alive.
When I was 11, and Amber was 2, we moved to THE HILL. Basically, we moved to Lockwood way which is THE HILL that David’s family has lived on for easily 30 years. Times were tough on my mom and I. No matter how hard we tried to fit in, we were always going to be different. We knew what it was like to live in a large city with what seemed like the world at your finger tips.
Hornsby Tennessee is like having a mud hole at your beck and call.
More to come…Moving to Florida, back to Tennessee, and then New York again….ahh my nomad ways.

My Life (Part Two....the Cows)

My Life Story (Part Two)

I left off by describing the divorce between my mom & biological father. This all happened around the time I was 8 years old. After the divorce was finalized, my mom and I moved back in with my grandparents in Corona, Queens.
My mom had a friend, J, that used to live across the street from us when we lived in Long Island. J had married a house painter from Tennessee and moved to be near his family. She thought it would be a good idea for us to come visit her the summer of ‘94 to get away. She wanted us to be able to go to a quiet, calm, slow-moving place and just be able to breathe. Well, obviously, we went.
Long story short, J was friends with T. T is D’s older sister. D and my mom started to date. After the summer was over, they had a long distance relationship until Elvis came to my mom in a dream. I won’t get into the specific, but it’s due to the King of Graceland that I ended up in Tennessee. There was some serious drama over whether or not my mom should have let me stay with my grandparents. My dad wasn’t in the picture at all anymore, but my aunt and godfather, thought it was wrong for me to go. There was a huge fight, hurt feelings, and an 8 year old caught in the middle.
We moved December 2, 1994. I was 8 and in Third Grade. Talk about a culture shock. You move a girl from Queens to Hornsby and there’s going to be an adjustment period. Even though the 2 cities are in the same country, doesn’t mean a thing. We moved into a house David rented from his boss.
THERE WERE COWS IN THE BACK YARD!
I wish I was joking. Real, living, breathing, steak and hamburger producing FREAKING COWS!
They moved me from the Lemon Ice King of Corona to Pooping COWS?!?
Being a crazy city kid, I decided to ask if it would be ok if I went to go see the cows. I don’t know if I pictured these cows like they were in some petting zoo and I could feed them from my hand. I have no idea what the hell I was thinking. Imagine if you will, an 8 year old Italian girl from New York prancing up a hill to go pet COWS!
It would have been no big deal. Turns out the COWS were hungry and I looked as appetizing as a filet mignon. As soon as the first cow spots me, 50 cows start moving towards me. Not too quickly, just a slow, ‘hey, I think she might feed us.’ The next 50 cows that joined in were not as polite as the first, and now I have about 100 cows chasing me looking for food.
I FELL DOWN A HILL WHILE BEING CHASED BY FUCKING COWS.
If you have never had to say those word, congratu-freaking-lations for you. I was lucky I didn’t fall in shit. Needless to say, I didn’t eat steak or hamburgers for about a year after the chasing incident.
Now, please excuse me while I go try to find a hamburger. I’m getting my revenge boys!

Part Three soon…I have to mentally recover from the thought of the COWS…and enjoy a hamburger.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

It's been awhile

Ok,

It's been awhile. I'm back. I'm back with one less organ than when I left.

You see, I no longer have a gallbladder. Who needs one anyway? Well, personally, I was in love with my gallbladder. I've loved it since the day the doctor cut the umbilical cord. That's 24 1/2 years people. I was quite attached to my gallbladder. (or rather, my gallbladder was attached to me..hehe) But it seems like all the things I love leave... my appendix was the first to go, then my tonsils, now the gallbladder. At this rate, I'll have nothing left in a few years!

FYI, I'm totally kidding. As horrible as the experience was, it could have been worse. I'm happy to finally be feeling better again.

I recently found my old livejournal.com account that I had in high school and it further inspired me to start journaling again. Maybe that's what I would like this blog to be about. Just my ramblings. I would love it even though no one else might. At least I know that I tried.

Till later!