He's baaaack

You know it's almost Spring when you hear the sound of the local ice cream truck. At first it's delightful, then it may become annoying, until finally it haunts you!

My "Thing"

We each have our own "thing" when it comes to sentimentality...what's yours? Mine is keeping greeting cards, thank you notes or any other handwritten gesture I've received that mean something to me. I have a card from my grandmother that still has a dollar taped on the inside - that was her "thing."

Well Jon and I were at OfficeMax yesterday, and I found the perfect item to organize these little gems of memories:
If you save in this way, too, then I highly recommend this hot number, simply called a Card Keeper. I had been previously keeping all this stuff in a beat-up Victoria's Secret bag, and I realized that wasn't a very good way of taking care of my "thing." So now it's official, and so very organized ;)

Top Ten

Isn't it crazy how much can happen in a very short amount of time? And yet such a short amount of time can feel like forever in the world of blogging. So to catch you up on recent happenings, here's a top ten list of news:

1. Jon got a NEW JOB!! He will be working in an administrative position for Hotwire Communications two weeks from today. I'm thrilled for him :)
   
2. My mother's hip replacement was extremely successful. She's already back to work, and walking wonderfully with the help of physical therapy sessions.
   
3. I am now working FULL time at the bank. I thought this might be hectic with school, but it's been surprisingly manageable.
4. After picking our brains for quite a while, Jon and I found a photographer for our wedding! With the help of one faithful groomsman, we stumbled upon Lisa and her beautiful photos. We feel privileged to have her be apart of our day.
   
5. More wedding stuff! (Bored yet?) We made a site for our big day: sign our guestbook. Thanks go to Megan for giving me this idea!
6. For the first time ever I experienced a fire alarm in a movie theater. Unfortunately I think the alarm was more entertaining than the movie, Semi-Pro.
   
7. I registered for summer classes (just two - one per session, which is about three weeks). By the end of the summer I will be halfway done with my Master's program!
8. Current favorite shows: How I Met Your Mother, Prison Break, and Boston Legal (Shatner + Spader = gold).
9. My dad's birthday is today. Last week was my grandfather's, and the week before that was my uncle's. What's up with March men?
10. In relation to #9, I got my grandfather to watch Project Runway with me, and he was actually getting into the drama. It was priceless.

I'm also currently scanning a bunch of old childhood photos to maybe somehow use in our wedding, and I thought I'd share Jon's favorite. Enjoy:


And in honor of dad's birthday...

way overdue

Hello friends! Well it's almost February and I've realized that I only have one little sad post for the month of January. Sorry it's been so long...this month flew by!

Where to begin? Well my most recent exciting news is that I had the privilege of being a bridesmaid in my good friend Megan's wedding. The special day was last Saturday, and everything about this wedding was beautiful. I was especially teary-eyed as I watched them exchange vows, and saw how overjoyed they both were. I was completely overwhelmed with happiness for my friends.

Speaking of weddings, planning our big day has been crazy. Pure crazy with a side of stress and, nonetheless, excitement. Our original venue became unavailable, so we quickly considered possible solutions and finally settled on having the wedding in my Jersey hometown. Soon after this relocation, other important details like catering fell into place. And, most importantly, I picked out a dress!

My next project is Save-the-Dates, so if you have any ideas please forward them to me! Since our date is October 25, 2008 my theme is all about autumn :)

Welcome to 2008

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Only one year ago I was toying with the idea of going back to school for a Master's and moving to Philly. Shortly after the new year, my mom had called me and encouraged me to pursue these things before time would swiftly fly by. I took her advice and took what felt like a huge leap. I can't believe that was a year ago.

I wholeheartedly believe that good things are in store for 2008. For one, Jon and I are getting married in 10 months! Now that the holidays are over, I get to focus on planning. My mother is also having an important surgery in February - a double hip replacement that will finally allow her to live the active life she had been used to. Oh, and I can't forget all the good movies scheduled to come out this year, like The Dark Knight ;)

So far 2008 has been off to a great start. Jon, Jay and I had an awesome dinner on New Year's Eve in Philadelphia's Old City, and spent New Year's Day with Vaitl watching movies, being silly and eating up homemade spaghetti and meatballs. I've also had the pleasure of getting to know Wassel this holiday season, a steamy holiday drink that is a combination of apple cider, cranberry juice and orange juice. Mm mm mm.

Before I sign off, here are some pictures from Christmas with Jon's family:

the Christmas Spirit

Hello friends! Sorry I've been somewhat slacking on the blog. As I'm sure you can relate, it's been a busy whirlwind of a time. Even though the holidays can be seen as stressful - between Christmas cards, cookies and candies, decorating, gift shopping, and holiday gatherings - I've really enjoyed every second of it this year. I guess you can say the Christmas spirit has taken a hold of me.

Though it's small, I'm very proud of this year's Christmas tree. Here it is, simple yet elegant.
Believe it or not, Delilah and Vic haven't even tried to chew on the tree or play with the ornaments (which are intentionally shatterproof..hehe).

My first semester of grad school has officially ended, and I'm thrilled to say I got A's in both of my classes. I know you're thinking "man, what a nerd" but really they were each a challenge in their own ways. Part of that challenge was even just having a professional part-time (often full-time) job simultaneously. I'm learning more and more about myself, between school and working at the bank, and it's been challenging yet great.

There hasn't been a dull moment at the bank, and I can honestly say I enjoy my job and coworkers. The entire Philly-Bucks area recently had a holiday party at Dave & Buster's - we had a private room with a DJ, cash bar, finger food and lots of dancing :) Here's a picture of me and Trina, a favorite coworker and come January my new supervisor.

Tonight our branch went out for an end-of-the-year/holiday dinner in center city. We had a Pollyanna (Secret Santa) style of exchanging gifts, which turned out to be really thoughtful and personal. My secret santa got me a collection of Earl Grey tea - for those of you who truly know me, you understand what a great gift this is to me :)

In other news, you should treat yourself to Alicia Key's new album As I Am. She's wonderfully soulful and genius.

snowing in the city

Can you see it?! I took this picture from my bedroom window only minutes ago. Yay for snow!

Look who's cozy and snug...















This is my last week of classes and I'm looking forward to the break. I don't know why I'm surprised at how fast the semester went.

Wedding update: Jon and I set a date! October 25, 2008 it is :)

Hope you're enjoying the season!

the (most) wonderful season

There are certain songs that truly put me in the Christmas mood. It's amazing how much the radio influences the spirit of the season. Painfully overplayed year after year, the honor roll is:


"Last Christmas" -George Michael
"All I Want For Christmas Is You" -Mariah Carey
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" -The Pretenders
"Happy Christmas (War is Over)" -John Lennon
"Winter Wonderland" -Eurythmics
"Santa Baby" -Madonna


True, these aren't the classics like Bing Crosby or Nat King Cole. But these are the sentimental tunes of an 80s baby, and I love em.

With December around the corner, things here are steadily busy but thankfully not crazy. I need a small surge of energy to finish two papers before the semester ends next week, and I'll have until the middle of January until the Spring semester starts. Maybe once classes have ended I'll have the brain power to think up some creative Christmas gifts :)

Update on wedding planning: So far I've seen two ceremony/reception sites, both gorgeous. Unless I win a small lottery, the first is most likely not going to work out! The second is much more practical, and has invited us to dinner this Saturday so we can sample the food; it's a French-American cuisine. I'm sure I'll continue to realize this throughout the planning process, but it's very easy to get carried away and go over budget. I think I can stick to my guns though ;)

while eating turkey

Last night Vaitl, Jon and I had our own Thanksgiving feast. With a generous coupon from Butterball, we purchased a ready-made turkey for only $1. After only 1.5 hours in the oven, it was deliciously warm and juicy, with semi-crispy skin. We sat around the small kitchen table exchanging our family holiday traditions, and musing about the fact that we've been in Philadelphia for almost six months. Getting here seemed so hard, but we did it and I know we're each so thankful for that.

i'm in a short film!

A small cameo, but an appearance nonetheless. Check out "Our California Adventure" under my Suggested Reading links to see the video.

In other news, here's a picture from the SAR (Sons of the American Revolution) black tie event that Jon and I attended with his parents:


Just outside of Philly, the event was held to induct new officers for the 2007-2008 year. Jon's dad is the President of the Pennsylvania Chapter so it was an honor to be there for something so meaningful to him.

the 23rd year

"It takes a long time to grow young" - Pablo Picasso

I hope I live to a wrinkly age. I imagine what a 9oth birthday might look like for me. Party hats, "Love Shack" by the B-52s (which by then will be a major oldie), lots of chocolate chip cookies and possibly a pinata. It will be a grand celebration just to be alive.

This past Monday I turned 23, which doesn't feel much different than 22. Jon took me out for the most fabulous birthday dinner in Center City on Saturday. I could never be a vegetarian on the basis of Capital Grille's lamb chops alone. Perfection, with a side of cranberry sauce.

Besides making my parents feel old, turning 23 is kind of surreal. I'm officially older than my parents when they got married and had me. I'm one year away from getting married. I'm ten years older than my teenage birthday...whoa! What did I even do for my 13th birthday?

Unlike most women, I welcome age. I live by the "like fine wine" mentality, and that it only continues to get better. Ask me if I feel the same way when I'm 90 ;)

scary Halloween

"You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty" 

-Mahatma Gandhi

My mom has never been a fan of Halloween. It's her second most hated holiday after Valentine's Day. There's something about delighting in fear and horror that creeps her out. I guess that's why some of my most famous costumes were a French maid, a flapper, a tiger, and, yes, Rhoda from the 70s. (See picture for reference). Fairly innocent, wouldn't you agree?

Unlike my mom, I grew up loving Halloween. Every year my elementary school had a parade, a highly anticipated event for me. I'd go to bed with my costume laid out at the foot of my bed, and hardly slept because of all the anticipation. Don't even get me started on trick-or-treating. Free candy from strangers never seemed so wonderful. There used to be this guy who lived down the street, and would go all out in his costume as the grim reaper. He'd sit motionless on his front step with the bowl of candy just a few feet in front of him and wait for a courageous trick-or-treater to come close enough for a piece. It was both unbelievably frightening and thrilling at the same time. 

Halloween seems to have lost its innocence, if ever it had any. I imagine from a parent's perspective, it's a nervous holiday. For law enforcement, it's probably a full day of pranks and vandalism. According to the UPS guy who dropped a package off for my neighbor, all drivers were not allowed to leave any packages outside on Halloween. Philadelphia certainly puts a new spin on the holiday. 

Sadly, this past Halloween proved to be a tragic day for a Philadelphia family. A police officer was shot and killed when he intercepted a robbery at a Dunkin' Donuts. The incident happened only a few miles from LaSalle, so my class was cancelled as the school and general area were in lock down. The city is up in arms as the manhunt continues, especially since this is the third police shooting in a short amount of time. What the heck is going on with our world. 

Please pray for the Cassidy family and the city of Philadelphia. 

the weekends

Reason #3624 why I love the internet: The great WWW helped me diagnose my cats with ear mites....who knew?!

Being a part-time teller has its perks, like getting paid every Friday and having two days off mid-week. Working Saturdays, however, is not one of them. Last Saturday I was lucky enough to take off on Saturday so that Jon and I could hit up Homecoming in good ole Grantham. Being back on campus was a blast....the weather was beautiful, there were good friends everywhere, and I got to do the whole girly thing and show off my engagement ring (while screaming and hugging of course). It was almost sensory overload, and my face definitely hurt from smiling so much by the end of the day :)

On Sunday a group of us visited Paulus Orchards in Dillsburg to go apple picking, which was not only tons of fun but a great photo opp. Hillary took our unofficial engagement pictures at the orchard and they came out beautifully....girl's got skill:

This past weekend I didn't have the luxury of a free Saturday, so Jon and I spent a short weekend in New Jersey. By the time we got into town it was already time for dinner, so I felt like I hardly had a chance to do all the things I had hoped to. Ever since I was a kid, I've had so many little families and groups of friends everywhere that it's been a challenge to divvy my time. I remember when my parents got divorced, a friend in school said "That's so cool, you'll have two Christmases and birthdays now!" Not so true. It's more like a balancing act that's for the most part political. 

My mom treated us to an off-Broadway show, The Screwtape Letters, a theatrical rendition of C.S. Lewis' haunting book. (Check out this site if you're interested). Max McClean, the main actor, was truly impressive and it's amazing what he was able to do with only one other actor and one set. Being in New York, specifically Manhattan, made me realize how different of a city it is from Philadelphia. To me, NYC is livelier and more robust compared to Philly, which sometimes feels like it's perpetually ticked off. Truth is I'm partial to NYC because it was practically my neighbor growing up :) 

In other news, my cats Vic and Delilah have ear mites. For the past couple of weeks they have been scratching their ears so violently that they've opened up wounds. After doing some research online and checking out their ears with a flashlight, I found out that they have a common case of these pesky critters. Gross. 

WE'RE ENGAGED!!!

That's right friends, I'm trading in my last name for another one! Here are the juicy details:

The Proposal

Last Friday night I came home from work, expecting to have a quick bite and then go see We Own The Night with Jon. When I got in, Jon seemed disinterested in the movie and said he got some groceries for us to make dinner. Cooking together is one of our "things" and was actually our first date, back in September of 2005. Well, it was as if the Food Network exploded in our kitchen. The table was covered with fresh ingredients and produce: chicken, risotto, string beans, apple cider, and scallions....all for a Rachael Ray recipe. Also on the counter was a little chocolate devil cake. None of this tipped me off that something was about to happen, so I said something like "This looks great, let me go change into some jeans." With that Jon grabbed my hand and told me to wait a minute, got down on one knee and popped the question! I immediately started repeating "oh my gosh" and we both began to well up with tears (even though he may not admit it). My answer was "OF COURSE!" :)

The Ring

So this ring is huge. It's literally a rock, and I hope you can understand that I'm not trying to brag. I actually feel a little ridiculous wearing a piece of jewelry so large. The ring is so very special to me though because it belonged to my grandmother, who left it to me when she passed away. My grandmother's original engagement ring was a single pearl, so my grandfather purchased the diamond for her years later when he was more financially secure (obviously!). Jon asked my grandfather for his blessing during the summer, and coordinated ring details with my mother. Because my grandmother wore the ring so often, it needed to be reset in a new band, as well as seriously cleaned. The diamond is a marquis cut, set in white gold with one baguette cut diamond on each side. Altogether, it's 1.8 carat....whoa! 

The Plan

So far there really isn't much of a plan in terms of wedding specifics. We're still soaking it in, spreading the good news, and enjoying Cloud 9 :) What we do know is that the wedding will be sometime next fall, preferably late October or early November. Our ideal ceremony would be outdoors and at dusk, so that we could have an evening reception. If I had to pick a theme, I'd tell you "simple elegance with an intimate audience." Oh, and I'd love to have a live jazz band playing Louis Prima songs at the reception but that's kind of a fantasy! 

I also must say that one of the most exciting things about our engagement is how our friends and family react to the news. Every time I tell someone I get that rush of joy all over again as if it just happened. So thank you to those who have shared our excitement and celebration :) :) 

autumn driving

Great moment in global warming: Seeking a store with air conditioning while window shopping...in early October :P

Three day weekends are wonderful. Thank you, Columbus, for giving me Monday off from work. So one of my favorite things to do is take a road trip. I love driving on open, beautiful roads which are aplenty in Pennsylvania. Add some fall scenery and it's even better. Well this weekend I got the chance to do a lot of fall driving throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, made possible by Google maps (gotta love the challenge of not knowing where you're going).



After work on Saturday, I made my way to Watsontown, PA to meet Jon and his family at their house. I made it just in time for an amazing dinner, and we capped off the evening with a cozy campfire outside. His family always knows how to spend true quality time with each other, just shooting the breeze over cups of coffee or a glass of wine. On Sunday I had the privilege of joining them for the annual event, Heritage Days, held at Jon's high school. The event is a great tribute to how their forefathers lived and worked in the 18th century, as there are several demonstrations of early American skills such as making apple butter. The area is also known as Fort Freeland, where a battle took place during the French & Indian War. Not only was there a history lesson of how the battle happened, but there was also a great reenactment.



Early Monday morning I then made my way to Monmouth Beach, NJ, to meet my mother there. We spent our day off together, baking cupcakes in early celebration of her birthday and window shopping at Pier Village (you can hear the ocean from that site!). The weather was abnormally warm for early October but gorgeous nonetheless. Having a condo there at the beach is a huge blessing...it's a peaceful place you can retreat to anytime you want. Luckily it's only 1 1/2 hours from Philly, so the last leg of this weekend's journey was quick and easy :)

nostalgia

Reality TV's best dressed award: Heather from Rock of Love
Most anticipated season premiere: Dexter on Showtime

Tuesday nights have become the new Friday nights for me. Having every Wednesday and Thursday off is my little mid-week weekend, and I now look forward to the beginning of the week. I'm hanging out in my living room, listening to my iTunes on shuffle (Incubus was just on, and I almost forgot how obsessed I used to be with them), and I'm belly-full of Mexican take-out. Life is good.

The fall is always a nostalgic season for me, and I think it has a lot to do with school; starting another year a little bit older and wiser is refreshing and promising. I'm energized by the unknown. Especially in college, every year was so different from the next, like short stories in an anthology. I recently (and finally) organized ALL of my digital pictures into albums on Picasa, mostly broken up by school years. I can't believe how many hairstyles and colors/shades I've tried, and it's kind of ironic that au naturale works best in the end :P

I love sort of "reliving" memories through pictures, and it's amazing how much detail you can remember from one photo. Songs and scents are the same way. Counting Crows will always remind me of Mexico, and Victoria's Secret Strawberries and Champagne will always remind me of Christmas. Why? Because I'm a freak with a weird brain, just like you probably. But what I realized as I organized my photos was that while some friends have come and gone, and some trips will probably never be taken again, I felt good about it. So a lot has changed...it is what it is, and I'm a firm believer in things happening for a reason. I love those memories, but I'm also creating new ones. More photo albums to come.

Well, it's official! I have off from work the Saturday of Homecoming, so I'll be there :) Jon and I are thinking of going pumpkin/apple picking that Sunday, so if you know of a good place to go let me know please. Or better yet, just come along if you can!

a quick update

Most recent guilty pleasure (no judgment please): Perez Hilton...some of his comments are just hilarious.

This past week was perhaps one of the busiest yet. I guess you can say that life here in Philadelphia is in full-swing, and I've established a good routine. As of today at exactly 4:15 p.m. I am a registered, inspected Pennsylvania driver...and let me tell, what a process the transfer was! For the past two weeks, my Wednesdays and Thursdays off from work have been spent on waiting in a tag agency (for the paperwork), a dealership (to fix my power window) and an inspection station (to take my money). The thought of possibly have to do this again in two years is tiring :P

Graduate classes continue to go very well, and on Thursday as I rushed to finish a short research paper I remembered just how cumbersome citations and MLA/APA formats are. LaSalle also requires all papers to be submitted to TurnItIn.com in order to detect plagiarism, so that whole process was new to me. I literally bit my nails as I waited for my results, and luckily only 2% of my paper was recognizable: a quote and my references! Apparently someone was once asked to leave the program because of plagiarism....crazy cakes, the things people do.

In other news, I find it amazing that Britney Spears and Jena 6 share practically equal spots in the headlines...does that seem strange to anyone else? (If you're a Mac user, I highly recommend the MSNBC gadget for your dashboard...oh, and the Chuck Norris quotes gadget too).

Before I sign off for the evening, I just want to congratulate the one and only Rachel M. on her new endeavor. Rachel, if you're reading this, click here to celebrate properly. You deserve it :)

the people i have found

Two-year old moment of the day: Snipping my finger with scissors while cutting open a bag. I think I need to regress to safety scissors.

Driving home from class the other night, I heard Elton John's "Mona Lisa and Mad Hatters" on the radio. Although I'd heard it many times, that was the first time I ever listened to the words. It's one of those songs that immediately makes you feel sentimental and nostalgic...I thought, "You know what, life is good and I'm blessed by amazing people." Cruising home on a surprisingly calm Roosevelt Boulevard, I had a beautiful little moment.

This evening I had a similar moment when I received a card in the mail from dearly-missed friends. I doubt they knew this, but the timing was perfect. Today I was (finally!) officially certified as a teller. What does this mean? Well friends, it means I can have my own drawer/window to run transactions out of, instead of observing others and working out of their drawer. Now I have to work for realsies.

For a moment there I seriously doubted myself and wondered if I was cut out to be a teller, mainly because I was intimidated by the certification process. I got over it, did the best I could and apparently that was enough. I got high fives all around from my coworkers, and great feedback. Coming home to this Flashdance themed card (pictured above), which says "You've got the will. You've got the skill" and sings "What A Feelin'" when opened, brought quite a smile to my face (and warm fuzzies in general). I'm so lucky to have "just because" thoughtful friends.

whatta shame

Movie I can't wait to see: Beowulf...finally, a classic!

I'm currently watching the MTV video music awards, and so far it's just plain terrible. And I'm pretty sure no one knows what's going on, especially the presenters. What have we done to music? And television? I have a running joke with some of my friends that we should pray for celebrities. It all started with the song "4 in the morning" by Gwen Stefani and my comment that the lyrics painted quite a sad picture of unrequited affection....a trend in many of her songs. The conversation then moved on to the big celebrity disappointments (people who started off strong and sadly trashed themselves): Whitney Houston, R. Kelly, Mariah Carey, and the infamous Britney. Don't they all need prayer? I thought so.

summer's end

great moment in nerdom: "The church needs to be like the Jedi Order" - Jon, in response to a conversation about the book "The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical"

So as I do with most things I don't fully understand, I consult Wikipedia. As Michael from The Office says, "Wikipedia is the best thing ever. Anyone in the world can write anything they want about any subject. So you know you are getting the best possible information.” Well, according to the reliable Wiki, Labor Day is a day of rest for the working man and symbolizes the end of summer. I'm not sure if that first part is true for everyone (especially my dear friends working in higher education) but thankfully it was true for me.

After a very long Friday at the bank, a three-day weekend was certainly welcomed by all. Jon and I made a B line for the Jersey shore to enjoy what was left of our summer since both of our schedules will soon accelerate. We finally saw Superbad (definitely not one for the kids), and hit up Borders for some new books. In the typical English-major fashion, I couldn't resist my affinity for the classics so I purchased an attractive copy of Wuthering Heights. Currently, I'm reading the book mentioned in the above quote, and so far I'm tearing through it. Shane Claiborne is a captivating communicator with a contagious heart for true discipleship; please do yourself a favor and read "The Irresistible Revolution" when you get the chance.

Although lazier days have come to an end, I'm anxious for the full swing of fall. Sometimes I think I'm crazy for signing up for more school and all the work that comes with it, but I secretly love being a student. Ok, not so secretly. Now that I'm a student again, I promise I'll look to more reliable sources than Wikipedia for information ;)