Life is Random

Gosh, it's been a while

2006-03-22T10:49:00.000-08:00

To my surprise, I still remembered my login and password to my blogspot. So, as everyone can on confirm, I am not much of a writer....I prefer to communicate verbally. Though I am highly impress that Amy, Mike, Joyce and Amanada had the time to update their blog on a weekly, if not daily basis.

Happy Anniversary

2005-09-28T16:57:00.000-07:00

Today is mine and Mike's 4 year anniversary! Can you believe it! In the time that it takes most people to finish an undergraduate degree, we have managed to meet, fall in love, live together and get married without killing each other! Since this is the last time that we will celebrating this date - our Wedding Anniversary will now take precedent - we are spending the weekend at the Fairmont Hotel. We finally are going to take advantage of his free hotel nights! I am super excited.

So hunny, if you are reading this....Happy 4 Years! It's been interesting to say the most....I love you!

I got a new job!

2005-09-27T14:45:00.000-07:00

Ok, we'll I got a new part-time job. It's actually a really funny story. It all began with a trip to Ann Taylor Loft - my most favorite store of all time! I was in the store to return 2 skirts that I purchased. While in the middle of doing this, I asked the sales person a question in regard to a previous purchase I made. I wanted to confirm that the reason I didn't receive A! points (yes, I am an Ann Taylor Rewards Customer) for my previous purchase was because I made the purchase with a Merchandise Credit. The woman behind the counter kept telling me that I should have gotten those points. It didn't make any sense to me why I should of gotten them since Merchandise Credit isn't really your only money - it's money you've all ready spent and for some reason couldn't go back on your credit card. Anyways, I figured that this girl was just going to rig the system so that I can get these points - which of course I would of really appreciated! I didn't have the receipt at that particular moment - it was back at my office. Since she only worked to 3, she told me to ask for Alicia when I came back - she is the manager and she could give me the points. Well, it was about 4pm and my whole team is gone so I was going to leave early and head over to ATL to get my points....but something told me that I should confirm with Alicia that I could in fact get these points....so I call, tell her the situation and of course I was correct in the fact that I could not get the extra points. She stated, "that would make sense to anyone who has worked in retail" ( no clue if Veronica - my sales associate will have a job tomorrow) and I said, "yeah I know, that's why I wanted to make sure so I wouldn't waste my time walking over there and your time when I got there"...I use to work at ATL ...." This sparked an interested on her end, she asked me what store I worked at, I told her. Next thing you know I am explaining to her how I had to quit working at ATL because I spent all the money I made on clothes! We laughed...only a fellow worker at ATL knows how accurate a statement this is. I then went on the tell her that I was in the store a couple of weeks ago and one of the associates told me that you only need to work 2 nights a week to get the 40% discount as an employee. Alicia confirm this...I told her that I was thinking of going back during the holidays and work PT not for the money but to support my habit! We laughed. Next thing I know she is offering me a PT job at her store.....3 blocks from my office working from 5:15 to 8pm 2 nights a week. I don't have to work weekends because they are not open on the weekends and they close at 7pm during the week - even through holiday season! I told here that I be there tomorrow at 2 to fill out an application! Alicia and I are new best friends! Now, for those that know me, you are probably laughing your butts off that I am going to be working here again....but what you need to understand is that the first time that I worked there, I needed the money. This time around - I don't need the extra money - I am just supporting my habit and if working there 6 hours every 2 weeks allows me to buy $185 in merchandise every 2 weeks(after taxes, I would only be making about $75 every 2 weeks but with my 40% discount, I can buy$185 in merchandise) and not have this money taken that out of my own money (money from my full time job) then why wouldn't I do this. So yes, I am going back to working at Ann Taylor Loft....do my time and have a great wardrobe to show for it. I think Mark would really appreciate this story. :)

They say bad things come in 3's.

2005-09-02T08:11:00.000-07:00

I don't know who originated this saying but I would personally like to introduce myself to this guy and smack him over the head! Last night I had an "in 3" experience. Oddly enough, all of this happened with in 3 hours...coincidence, I think not. Last night I left work and went to the gym, up to this point, everything had been going great during the day...I even left work early! But then 6:00pm comes around (6 is divisible by 3) and I leave the gym. I am a bit hungry and have 1/2 hour to make it to my appointment at the salon. So I grab a chicken salad from our gym cafe and eat it on my way to the car. All is going well and next thing I know I am face down into the pavement. Yes, somehow I managed to fall. I don't know how it happened....it really felt like an out of body experience. I wish I could say that I tripped on something or lost my balance and fell...but I can't. One second I was walking fine, eating my chicken salad...the next I am on the ground. Of course I was wearing a white skirt! So both of my knee and shins are scratched up, same thing with my hands. I managed to get 2 bites of my chicken salad before it managed to take a dive onto the pavement. So there I was chicken salad on my shirt, and blood on my skirt trying to hobble to the car because I also twisted my ankle.....Bad thing #1.

Why I didn't just turn around and go home I don't know. I hate to just not show up to an appointment I made, so I did go to the salon. Arrived a tad late due to the fall. I was in and out of the salon...probably not more than 30 minutes. I get to the car and I am pulling out of my parking space and next thing you know. Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump.....yes, I have a flat tire! The tire was completely flat! No clue what happened. I checked the spot where I was parked and there wasn't a piece of glass around. Of course, Mike is at a Bears game so it wasn't like he could come and change the tire for me. At first the only thing that was going through my mind was "if only Mike would of showed me how to change a flat." I have been asking him to show me at least for the past year and I always get the answer, "next time we go home to my folk's house, I'll show you." Needless to say, we have been there plenty of times through the year and still have not been shown...so next time, mark my words, he will show me! (Though after watching the guy do it last night, it look relatively simple and I am quite confident I can do it now) The bright side of this story is that this time, my cell phone was charged so I was able to call 411 and get the number to a local towing company for them to come and change my flat. The guy on the other line said 10 to 15 minutes. At first I was waiting in the car but it hurt my knee to bend it so I decided to stand and wait outside. It was better because I could hold my skirt in one hand and lift it above my knee so no more blood would get on it but this really didn't help my situation because every time the wind blew on the open womb, it burned. So there I am, stranded in a sketchy area of Bucktown, with blood dripping down my leg, blood on my skirt and chicken salad on my shirt with a flat tire! 30 minutes and $40 later, the guy shows up and changes my tire. Of course they only accept cash and I only had $20 on me so I followed the guy to the bank down a couple of blocks and went to the ATM and took money out. Obviously, the flat was bad thing #2.

I am driving home, flat fixed and thinking to my self where I should go to get the flat fixed and when I would find the time to do it before Saturday. I am going down to Oak Lawn on Saturday to see my mom and show her the wedding pictures. Since I will be needing to drive on the highway, I would need to get the tire fixed because you can't drive with a spare over 55 mph. I am almost home, less tha 1/4 mile away and I get to the intersection of Wellington and Sheffield. I am stopped at red light and then it happened - bad thing #3 - I get rear ended! I am thinking to myself, "YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" I look in the rearview mirror to see a 20 something girl on her cell phone - and yes - being on your cell phone while driving in the City of Chicago is illegal as of July 1st of this year - obviously she didn't get that memo. By this time I didn't know if I was going to break into tears or go off. I hobble out of the car, and I can see the look of fright on her face because I am hobbling out of the car and she sees the blood down my leg and probably trying to figure out what the white spread on my shirt is. She immediately asks me if I am ok. I then continue to ramble on the events of the evening to this complete stranger. I know she felt bad and there wasn't any damage to the cars so we exchanged insurance information and didn't even have to go to the police station to fill out a report because there was a parked police car right there who saw the accident. Yes, she got a ticket...2 actually. 1 for rear ending me and the other for driving with a cell phone.

At this point, all I wanted to do was just crawl under the sheets and go to bed....actually that is what I wanted to do for the past 3 hours! I finally get to our neighborhood and spent about 15 minutes trying to find a parking stop. I found one on Wellington. I got out of the car and gathered up my stuff and walked across the street to find solitaire in the form of a LARGE icy from the Ice Box. I usually get the small, to avoid the access calories but after the evening I had, I thought a Large was justified. I Walked in the apartment, clean my cuts, changed into PJs, and watched the remaining hour of the US open while eating my icy. I got home at exactly 9 and was asleep by 10.

Today, I am hoping, will be much better. So far it has started out well. I got into work today on time - early even and we get out early due to the holiday weekend. And I have managed to spend the past hour typing this blog...so in retrospect, all is going well. :) I'll be out of here in about 3 hours.

I hope everyone has a good holiday weekend. Be Safe!

A Life Changing Month

2005-08-04T11:43:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone! So I have decided that I can't be a loyal fellow blogger. I tired and tried but I just don't have anything interesting to share on a daily basis but I do have something to share on a monthly basis! So I have decided to just admit that I can't do this blogg thing every day or even every week.... but I can at least do it once every month. Doing it every month allows me to build up interesting thoughts and stories...I guess it is because a lot more stuff happens to me over the course of the month rather than in the course of a day.

To bring everyone up to speed, I am officially (50%) Mrs.. Sonia M. Patterson! Technically, I have been a Patterson as of July 1st but now I am 50% legal. I went to the DMV yesterday and changed the name on my license. I have to still change my name on my Social Security Card to make myself 100% legal....but I think this change will wait till next week as going to the SS office is never a pleasant thing. I have attempted to go twice this week and I have always been number 75 in line with only 1 window open! On a side note, I had to get a new license photo...I no longer look like I am twelve.

Mike and I have been enjoying married life. We have 3 new additions to the family.We recently purchased an Audio System for our Big screen TV and a Audio Stand for our DVD player and Play station. I wish I could say that it was Mike who initiated this purchase..but no, it was me. It all started with the Audio Stand...I found one on Best Buy.com and went to pick it up. I had Mike with me of course - this was my 1st mistake....while we were there he asked if we can look at Audio Systems, I figured that there was no harm in looking. 20 mins later we left Best Buy with a Audio Stand and Audio System! I guess I was anticipating that the cost of the Audio System would be far more than we paid but I think we got a good deal and now our living room is complete. So the good thing is that there is no longer anything else we can buy as far as electronics are concerned. :) I said we have 3 new additions, the 3rd addition is our new living room set. I think it is a shame that I purchased this set because I really like it but have a table cloth on it because I don't want to scratch it. Of course, the table cloth takes away the beauty of the table. Oh -well. I am sure that once we get our first scratch on it, we'll never use the table cloth again. :)

Besides all of this, both Mike and I celebrated birthdays this month. I turned 27 on the 21st and Mike turned the big 30 on the 28th. For my birthday, we had friends over at our place. By the end of the night, I was surround by a lot of Gay people. :) We ended up at Roscoe's, which is in Boys Town. It was a blast! It was also my first appearance at a gay bar...super fun. For Mike's birthday, we had a surprise birthday dinner at Ditka's restaurant. Mike Ditka himself was there to personally say "Happy Birthday" to Mike. Overall, both birthdays were lots of fun.

Now that July is finally behind us, I am looking forward to what lies ahead of us.

Go Me!

2005-06-15T12:59:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone! I am very excited to say that I am officially a real estate agent! Yes...after a grueling 3 hours and 25 minute test, I some how managed to successfully pass the State Examination. I can honestly say that an hour into the test, I wasn't feeling so confident and at hour 2, I think I just gave up completely and started to think ahead to the next day I had available make my 2nd attempt at the exam. And I can without a doubt tell you that I was not at all confident that I passed when I finally submitted the test. Once again, I was in denial when the woman handed me my sponsor card and said, " Congratulations." The exact words that came out of my mouth were, " seriously?" I am super excited because I can OFFICIALLY not have to worry about anything and enjoy the remaining 15 days coming up to the wedding.

Go Me!

T Minue 13 Days!

2005-06-02T14:08:00.000-07:00

Hello All! As everyone knows by now, I passed my final examination. I just wanted to let everyone know that I FINALLY signed up to take my State Exam on Wednesday June 15th....so less than 2 weeks away. The little break away from real estate was very nice but now it's time to begin the whole studying process once again. I will be so excited when this is all over. In other news, last night I went for a "trial run" with my hairdresser. The way she did my hair last night was adorable. I am sure it will look great the day of the wedding. Tonight we meet with the Pastor and go through the service. This should be fun. I can't believe that the wedding is 28 days away! Only 8 more days till RSVPs are due back....If you haven't replied yet, I suggest you do! :)

In Other News...

2005-05-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share with everyone that I passed my Real Estate Class Final. I got an 89% I couldn't tell you if the test was harder than I expected or if I just over studied to the point when reading the questions, I over analyzed then which made them harder that they really were. I don't care anymore. I am so happy that it is done! By law, I have up to 3 years to take the State Exam but of course I am not waiting and plan on taking the State within the next 3 weeks. I want to be done with it by June 17th. I am so happy that I have some sort of normalcy back in my life.

Today, I am a little sore....ok, I am in pain! Last night we had the Annual Corporate Challenge here in Chicago. It's an annual event were companies/corporations in the loop pay money to allow their employees to run in this 3.5 mile race. All the money raised goes to a particular charity. There were about 16,000 runners last night. I can't remember the last time I ran 1 mile, let alone 3.5 miles. I was exhausted and sore when it was over but it was a lot of fun.

Tonight we are heading to Michigan for the next Shower. The Shower in Chicago was a lot of fun. We had a blast. We got a lot of nice things....any one need a toaster or ice tea maker....we have a couple of extra ones on hand. :)

I'll see everyone shortly!

Helping a Sister Out!

2005-05-19T09:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday ended on a good note. Why you ask? The instructor of my class handed out an "OUTLINE" of our exam. Specifically saying, "if it is not on this sheet, you don't need to know it." With those words, a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders! Now that I know exactly what to studying to the final, I am beginning to feel more confident about this exam. I wanted to throw my arms around this man and plant a huge kiss on him....but he's not my type, so I just took the piece of paper from him, stuffed the piece of paper into my bag and walked out of the room with a huge smile on my face. So my weekend doesn't look as bad any more.

7 Days and Counting!

2005-05-18T10:53:00.000-07:00

Last night I couldn't fall asleep. I have so much on my mind that my thoughts are keeping me up. This weekend kicks off the beginning of the Showers. From now until June 19th, every weekend is filled up with wedding events. I wish that I can be more excited than I am. It's just that I have WAY TOO MUCH going on right now to appreciate and enjoy the excitement of our wedding. For those that really know me, having a booked schedule is something I thrive on. I love planning and having things going on. I am not the person who just likes to relax and stay at home. So it boggles my mind that I can not handle, working, taking a class and planning a wedding. I am certain that I have FINALLY met my match. I know that it has been a while since I have been in college, but I do not recall it ever being so difficult to work class in with my other responsibilities as it is now. Grant it, back in college, going to class was always optional....and god knows that I took advantage of that at every chance possible. Though, even with my lack of attendance, classes/courses always came easy to me. I can't think of one class I ever took where I didn't feel confident that I wouldn't come out of the class with anything lower than a B....and I never did. So why is THIS class so difficult for me? Why am I so STRESSED out? I think it is because for the first time, I am taking a class that there isn't an option to "just know the basics". Knowing EVERYTHING is a must to pass the final! Also, my promotion at my job is solely dependant on me getting my License. In order to get the license, I have to past the final and State Exam. No license - no promotion. It's bad enough that I am putting this stress on myself but worse when my co-workers asked me on a daily basis how the class is coming along and remind me daily that NO ONE on the team has not passed the final on the first try...and that EVERYONE passed the State Exam on the first time. Talk about a lot of pressure!
On a positive note, everyone at work has been understanding of my lack of focus lately. I actually talked to on of my bosses and he has agreed for me to take 2 hour lunches from now until the exam so I can get study time in during my day. And allowed me to do nothing but study in the office on Wednesday, the day of my exam so I don't have to take PTO time. So sweet!

Wish me luck...7 days from today is my final.

It's Updated!

2005-05-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

All right...I am averaging 1 blog per month. I know it's pathetic. I just don't know why I can not commit myself to making entries on a more frequent basis. I had to think about what I have been doing since April 20th. Have I really been that busy where I can't find the time to make an entry here or there? I thought really hard about this and the answer is YES, I really have been that busy. Since April 20th, my life has been pretty hectic. I am in class from 6 pm to 9 pm on Monday & Wednesday. I haven't been getting home till about 9:45 on these nights and I know the last thing I want to go is be on the computer. Tuesday nights I have VB and in the time before or after our VB game, I am studying for my class. Thursday nights, I see a trainer after work and when I am done with her, I go home and study. So that pretty much explains what I have been doing on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday since the last time I blogged. Friday's are my days! I do nothing but come home and relax...oh wait a minute, I haven't done that....I've been studying! So what about on the weekends? Yeah right...I have been busy every weekend since the 20th. Plus I was in Miami in-between there for a couple of days...that has really been the only relaxation that I have had over the past month. I am kicking myself in the butt for thinking that I can work, plan a wedding and take classes all at the same time. This past month has been the most stressful month I have ever experienced. I wish I could say it is almost over, but I would be lying. I still have 2 more weeks of classes left but the fun doesn't end there. After passing the class examination, which who knows if that will happen, I have to take a State Examination. Most people don't pass the class final the first time around. You can take the final 2 times and if you don't pass either, you have to take the class again. If and when I pass the this class examination (175 questions), I have to take the State Examination (300 questions). Like the class examination, most people don't pass the State Exam the first time around. I have 3 chances to pass otherwise, I have to take the class over again. My goal is to get all this done by June 10th. It sounds practical right now but who knows what other things might come up by then.

So to get to the point of my blog, I have been busy - really busy. Hopefully the next couple of weeks will calm down, though I don't seen things getting any better till Mid June. Like always, I will try and update this more often...my goal is to do it THREE TIMES a week...lets see how this goes!

On a side note, my wedding gown is in and I am trying it on this Saturday. Only 50 days to go!

71 DAYS AND COUNTING!

2005-04-20T11:20:00.000-07:00

Ok, ok...I REALLY have to become better at staying on up of this whole blog concept! I've never been good at keeping journals, I was hoping that this time around would be different but apparently it isn't. So I am going to try MUCH HARDER to update this thing on a more frequent basis. Here I go....

According to our wedding count down clock, there are only 71 days till the wedding! How exciting! I feel like we are in a holding room until June. Mike and I have successfully booked & paid for everything that we possible can up to this point. The rest is just a waiting game. Waiting on UPS to deliver the bridesmaids dresses...these should be in TODAY by 3pm. Waiting for my wedding gown to get in...which should be in the next 2 weeks. Waiting for the invitations to be printed and sent out...which should be in the next 3 weeks. Waiting for the invitations to be returned with RSVPs so we can confirm the amount of guests at the reception; which will determine the size cake we will need and how much more $$ we will need to dish out on the reception, if any. RSVPs are suppose to be returned by the 10th of June. Waiting about 1 month to pick out the type of flowers I want for the wedding. Waiting till June to meet with the DJ and set up music. So the point of all this is that though we still have a lot to do, there is nothing we can do at this time. I am not at all stressed out....though this might change come June.
Since there is nothing we can do, I am just sitting back and enjoying being engaged. I have a lot to keep me occupied till June so I am sure the next month and 1 week will fly by.

7 days till MIAMI! I am so looking forward to this. 4 days with my girlfriends can only mean trouble. And of course I still have to wait the 7 days for this too.

Ok, now to the fun stuff....Gift Registry. Mike and I are registered at Target, Marshall Field's and Bed Bath and Beyond. We have done a somewhat decent job of registering for stuff. We thought that it would be difficult since we have a lot of stuff already between the two of us, but we managed to did it. The reality of this wedding hit me like a rock when I looked online and noticed that someone already bought stuff off the registry. WOW...talk about this person being on top of things. (I didn't think that anyone else, besides me, would purchase a gift before the shower invites went out - it's nice to know that I am not the only one)

Ok, I think I have surpassed my expectations with my blog today. Sorry, apparently I did have a lot to say.

It's Been A Good Run

2005-04-05T12:09:00.000-07:00

It official, Illini Basketball has come to an end. Though they didn't win last night, it was a good game and I am very proud of how they played throughout the whole season. There is always next year. Plus, I am so happy that I FINALLY get my life back, I came to the scary realization that my whole life/schedule was revolved around the Illinois Basketball schedule for the past month....that is pretty sad. I am glad that I no longer have to keep on top of their schedule and my schedule at the same time! Now I can focus my energy to other things. :)

Today is beautiful in Chicago. It suppose to get up to 72 degrees. I went out for a walk during my lunch and was tempted to keep on walking towards home. I decided that I am going to go on a bike ride after work instead of going to the gym. I am sure the the bike path will be packed with others who have the same idea that I do...oh-well, the more the merrier I guess.

A work in progress.....GO ILLINI!

2005-04-04T12:01:00.000-07:00

I know that has been A WHILE since my last blog...so sit back and relax this one is going to be a doozie!

As everyone already knows, Florida was a good time. The weather was nice. It rained while we were there but for the most part, it didn't interfere with our daily plans.That Saturday, I saw my 1st Tigers preseason game. I really liked the stadium. I especially liked the strawberry shortcake sundaes that they were serving, though I did not get one. They looked really yummy. Though the best part of that Saturday happened at about 10pm the Illini BEAT Arizona in the most remarkable comeback I have ever seen! For those that were around me when this turn of events occurred, I apologize for my madness. It was a GREAT game...one that I will always remember. On Sunday, we repeated the madness with Michigan State beating Kentucky....this time around it was Joyce who was a wreck. So overall, the trip to Florida was a great time.

Since we have been back, I haven't been up to much. I got sick AGAIN. That would be 3 times in 1 month. I went to the doctor last Wednesday, he told me that I had a cold and if I am still coughing in a week to come back in. I told him that I have been coughing for a month already, why do I have to wait another week. Though, I have to admit, I am feeling much better today. The cough syrup with codeine must be the reason. :) In other news, Mike and I bought a 51 inch TV. I am actually excited about the purchase. We have been talking about buying one for a while now, though I wanted to wait till after our wedding. But we got it at a price that you just couldn't have pass up!

Okay, now to the IMPORTANT stuff.... Today, I might witness history in the making. Yes, that is right, I am talking about the NCAA Championship game. Illinois vs.. North Carolina. My whole academic career, I have waited for the Illini to be good at something. Could this be the year? Only time will tell. But regardless if they win or lose, they have had a heck of a season and I am proud of them regardless. (though it would be awesome if they won). I am just looking forward to having my life back. I am too emotionally involved. I just want this game to be over as I am ready to move on and focus my attention towards something else. Like MIAMI...only 24 more days to go!

Happy Anniversary

2005-03-21T13:53:00.000-08:00

Friday night, Mike and I went to one our all time favorite restaurants, Lawry's. Apparently it was our anniversary. We we arrived and told the host that we had a reservation for 2 under Patterson, he began to carry on how this was a special day. Mike and I were taken back, we had no clue what this guy was talking about....then he said, "It's your anniversary" Now, this would of been a good time to say, " no it is not our anniversary" but instead Mike and I looked at each other confused. I was sure that we wasn't talking about us as there were other couples around us. We were seated and we ordered our food. Everything was wonderful as always. Then just when we thought we were going to be handed the bill, we were handed 2 pieces of cake with candles in each and our waitress served them to us while singing the Happy Anniversary song. Everyone was looking at us and then our waitress asked us how long we have been married. I was about to come clean and say it wasn't our anniversary but then thought about how embarrassed the waitress would be if I had told her that. But just as I was going to say something, Mike jumped in and told her that we have been married for 4 years. So....Needless to say, Friday was mine and Mike's 4 year wedding anniversary and we got free cake. It was a very funny situation, you had to be there. Afterwards we met up with Jennifer, the girl who is designing our wedding invitations. She is so talented. We nailed down the design to out top 3. We'll pick out our favorite on April 9th. The goal is to have the invites out but the 14th of May. Requesting that they be returned by the 10th of June. That was pretty much it for Friday.

Saturday we had rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner for Chris Goeres, Mike's friend. He got married yesterday ( on Palm Sunday). This was probably the most non-traditional wedding I have ever been to. It was very interesting to say the least...but they look very happy together and that is all that matters. Other than the wedding, we didn't do much else over the weekend. I had a tennis match on Sunday morning and I won! I also found out that there is a 3-way tie for first place my tennis league and I am one of those 3 people! Super excited!

On a side note, I just want to say that there are exactly 102 days till the wedding! I am SO EXCITED! I am marrying the most remarkable and handsomest man in the whole wide world............Love You Mike!

A Gift For Me!

2005-03-16T17:21:00.000-08:00

I got back from lunch today to find a gift on my desk! I received my first shower gift. I wanted a pair of shoes that I saw at Fields...thought they would be cute to wear under my wedding gown. Well, my friend Daisy bought them for me today! Click here to see the shoe. She wanted to buy me a shower gift that wasn't on our registry - which is AWESOME because our registry list is pathetic and plus, I love getting gifts just for me! I am so excited about this shoe...I wanted a shoes that was stylish, yet comfortable. I absolutely hate heels, plus I can't walk in them...I wanted a shoe with a low heel. Granted, I won't have any added height with this shoe, but I know I am short and I am OK with it. :) Daisy is letting me have them so I can wear them when I get measured for my dress, but I will have to return them to her so that she can wrap them and give them to me at the shower.

Follow This Link to visit my personal web page and help me in my efforts to support The Breast Cancer 3-Day

Bump, Spike, Set...Peapod?

2005-03-15T14:07:00.000-08:00

I don't know how many people know this but Mike and I play every Monday night on a indoor sand volleyball league. This is the 2nd league we have played in and we are currently signing up for our 3rd league. It's a lot of fun. We had a game last night, we won 2 out of the 3 games. Next week we have playoffs! GO TEAM!
In other news...Mike and I have officially become city folk! We did our grocery shopping online. You go to http://www.peapod.com/ and browse the site for groceries you'd like to purchase. Your items go into a virtual cart and when you are done shopping, you pick a time frame that you'd like your groceries to be delivered the following day. Now, I understand that the idea of doing your grocery shopping online might seem odd, and I had/have my concerns, but it is a huge time saver. Since it is our first time doing this, I can't comment on the quality of the groceries....I will keep you posted.

On the Road to Recovery?

2005-03-14T13:54:00.000-08:00

I woke up yesterday with the FULL intent of not going to work...planned on taking another sick day. I usually am out the door at 7:45 am, but at 8:00 am, my conscience got the best of me and I decided to go into work. Granted, I was/am still sick, though I really couldn't justify staying home. The whole point to staying home is to relax....any knowing me, I would of spent the day doing the huge pile of laundry I've neglected of the past 2 weeks that I've been sick. Basically, it can down to picking the place where I would get more rest, and work won! The day went bye slow, I think I only did 1 productive thing, which is enough for a Monday....especially when you are sick. I firmly believe that I am on the road to recovery.

Vick' sVapoRub - cure for the common cold

2005-03-11T11:52:00.000-08:00

I think I have found the solution to my cold...Vicks VapoRub! I highly recommend it to anyone who is sick and can not breathe out of their nose...It is suppose to be applied to one's chest, but I found if you put a little of it under your nose, you are breathing better immediately. I am beginning to feel a tad better today..... still sneezing and coughing but I can breath out of my left nostril now! I am making progress. Though, I'd like to thank Mike for letting me have the WHOLE bed last night....being able to sprawl out and sleep on a queen size bed when you are sick definitely helps. It's moments like this that I am glad that we have a spare bedroom. Hopefully he will not catch what I have. Love you honey!

Walking for a Cause!

2005-03-10T16:20:00.000-08:00

Some already know this, most don't. Just wanted to share with everyone that I OFFICIALLY signed up to do the Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk! I will be walking 60 miles over the course of 3 days to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund. The event takes place September 16th thru the 18th. As a condition of participation, I must raise at least $2,100. So, yes, this is a plea for your emotional and financial support! (Thanks to those who have already donated!) My stepfather's mom (Eleanor) has been in remission for 10 years! I decided to walk to show my admiration and love for Eleanor. On top of this, I am also walking for the thousands of woman out there who have suffered and died from Breast Cancer. My hope is one day, we never have to worry about losing our loved ones to breast cancer. If you or anyone you know would like to donate money to find a cure for Breast Cancer, please click on the link to my personal donation page and make a contribution. Any contribution you can make will be greatly appreciated

Follow This Link to visit my personal web page and help me in my efforts to support The Breast Cancer 3-Day

IF YOU CAN BEAT THEM - JOIN THEM....GO ILLINI

2005-03-09T16:23:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the beginning of the Big 10 Tournament. Although, the Illini do not play until Friday morning at 11, I will enjoy the benefits of the tournament. Being in an office that consist of mostly men, I have discovered that no work gets done when a major sport event is taking place. My company consist of 2 floors with 4 conference rooms on each floor, with a TV in each conference. My cube is strategically placed about 5 feet from on of those conference rooms....if I angle my chair right and no one sits in the 4 th chair from the left in front of the TV, I don't even have to leave my cube to watch what ever is on the tube. Last year, I interviewed with CB during the Tournament, the end of my interview took place in the conference room so that we all could watch the last 5 minute of the ILLINI game....did I mention that all my team members are Illini grads except 1 - we let her slide, plus she is leaving the team in April, so she doesn't really count. :) Anyway, back to my point...the next 2 days will be useless when it comes to doing work...so instead of trying to complete the work, like I would do on most days, I am putting it to the side and watching Basket Ball all day tomorrow and Friday, while getting paid. LOVE IT!

The Joys of Public Transportation

2005-03-09T09:49:00.000-08:00

I read in the paper this morning that the CTA (the public transportation/rail system in Chicago) currently has a $55 million deficit. I would like to meet the genius who is in charge balancing the CTA's budget and give him a piece of my mind. While this person is probably living pretty comfortably...also, I doubt this person even takes public transportation...we, common folk, are feeling the affects of this deficit. It's bad enough that I had to wait for 3 trains to go by this morning before there was actually enough room on it to get on. But to read that I am going to have to pay an additional $0.25 come July (Yes, another $$ hike - just raised back in Jan 04) just to stand on the platform even longer waiting for a train really makes me upset. I say this because, not only has the CTA decided that another price hike is needed, but it also decided that they need to cut back on trains and bus routes! The trains are packed enough in the mornings and evenings. I never get a seat, I am always standing...usually between a guys that reeks of smoke and a woman who has way too much perfume. And I can't move, because we are packed in there like sardines! Here is my solutions, attach more cars to the train! If you put more cars together, the train will accommodate more people. This way, they can run less trains that will have a comfortable amount of people on them instead of have a train with less cars running all the time with way too many people on them. I hate having to get up so early and going into work as it is, at least the 25 minutes I spend in the morning commuting can be enjoyable.

On the Bandwagon!

2005-03-08T18:56:00.000-08:00

So, here I am...Doing what I swore would never do. Yes, that is right, I have created by own blog! Look out world, here is what I have to say.... In the course of a week I have managed to go from having the common cold, to feeling fine, to having the beginning symptoms of the flu. That is right, it was only a matter of time....I having been sitting in my cube with a sick person behind me, to the right of me and in front of me. So upset that I am coming down with something that I made my feelings known by going to the drug store over lunch and buying a year supply of flu medicine and Kleenex and graciously handing over the receipt to my fellow team members! One might think that $78 is a lot to spend on medicine and Kleenex but the way I see it, it is more cost effective then me being out for another 2 days. So ha! (cough, cough, sniffle, sniffle)

Well, I just realized the time, plus my Chinese food has just arrived so I am calling it a night! I am going to spend the next couple of hours watching the WB (Gilmore Girls and the Starlet) and chowing on egg rolls and wonton soup. Hoping that I will feel better tomorrow.