Walking With Nora

Unexpected….

… 1. Text message from my brother, who is out of town.

… 2. Lunch with the Boss.

… 3. Twitter conversation with a few gals who were all itching to get out of the office like me.

… 4. Nap after work.

… 5. Energy to complete Day of Twenty Something Biggest Loser challenge.

Love: Driving around in my car, singing loudly to whatever song is on the radio.
Hate: Mini-vans. I don’t ever want to own one.

Love: The Facebook addiction is a little bit easier to kick than I thought it would be.
Hate: I do feel slightly out of touch with the world even if they are faux friends.

Love: Ibuprofen.
Hate: Migraines that make me need the darn medicine in the first place.

Love: Pretzels & Junior Mints.
Hate: How addicting that snack can be.

Love: Twenty Something Biggest Loser Group.
Hate: I kind of want to buy Jillian’s 30-Day Shred DVD… but I also don’t like working out at home.

Love: Organic Milk.
Hate: I drink more of it than I did “Regular,” milk, which isn’t really a problem, but I wind up stopping at the grocery store twice a week just for milk.

Love: Rain (duh, this is nothing new).
Hate: Jack’s stubborn attitude when it’s raining; he refuses to go five feet past the front door.

Love: Receiving mail from bloggy friends.
Hate: That I can’t go to 20SB Meet-up in Chicago.

Love: Weekends with no real plans other than to sleep, read, hit up the gym, and spend some time with Irish and my family.
Hate: That Monday will arrive before I’m ready for it.

Love: One of my cousin’s is getting married in Florida.
Hate: The wedding seems far away… hurry up November! I’m ready for the family reunion now.
(Side Note: All of my out-of-town bloggy friends, email me your address if you want fun, random mail. I love to send cards and etc for no reason!)

1. Rain.

2. Be able to wear awesome blue plaid rain boots because of #1.

3. New Pandora music, thanks to my Twitter friends.

4. Migraine is finally gone after two l-o-n-g days.

5. 67 degrees in February. Makes me hopeful for spring.

I’ll be featuring a few of Irish’s stories here each month.

This one made me laugh out loud when I read it. Enjoy and as always feel free to share your thoughts/comments.

Caught
by Irish

Ian had slowly woken
Five minutes ago when he heard
Something in the kitchen
He had crept with the stealth of
A pajama-clad ninja down to the
Dining room and was now
Staring in utter disbelief through
The crack between the swinging
Doors that connected to the kitchen.
All of his smaller appliances and utensils,
From his blender down to
The silverware he had bought in college,
Were moving about in a determined fashion.
They were all packing tiny suitcases
And saying their goodbyes to the larger built-ins.
Ian was too petrified to move or say sanything,
And it wasn’t until they had all filed out of the
Back door in a very organized, albeit bizarre parade,
That Ian dared go into the kitchen.
He found a very small note on the counter
Indicating that they knew all about
His eating out on Tuesday nights.
It also detailed where he could go and
That he should f$@! himself when got there

1. Solving a work problem, on my own, without help from The Boss.

2. Doing a track workout proving ManMate’s legacy lives on.

3. Dropping off some baked good for Irish’s brother-in-law. (The brother-in-laws wife is traveling abroad for work, is a boy, and doesn’t cook = he needed food.)

4. Making breakfast for dinner with Irish.

5. Cuddling up on the couch, my comfy blanket, and just relaxing.

… why drivers get so annoyed at pedestrian crosswalks and speed off fast and furiuos once the pedestrian has crossed. Were those extra two seconds of waiting really that much of an inconvenience?

… why corporate America insists on working five days a week; I am pretty sure we’d all be more productive and happy if we had four day work weeks.

… why some parents think it’s acceptable to discipline their children in Wal-Mart. When I see parents hitting their children it takes all of my energy to NOT march up to them and give them a piece of my mind.

… why I find the ShamWow! infomercials so hilarious.

… my current book obsession. I am purchasing them faster than I can read them. My stack of books to read has grown to at least 12!

… why Jack feels the need to snatch other dogs “business” on our walks. The vet doesn’t have an answer either.

… why I am so drawn to Mexican food. It’s bordering on an unhealthy obsession.

… the unsettled feeling I get in my stomach at bedtime if the closet doors aren’t closed and the kitchen isn’t clean.

… why somedays it seems a challenge to find “Grace in Small Things,” when I know I’m a very blessed and fortunate person.

… why I can’t ever show up to a party or dinner empty-handed. It just feels so unnatural but sometimes the pressure to come up with something “Dazzling,” is stressful.

… why I can’t seem to fall asleep before 11pm no matter how exhausted I am.

… that no matter how hard I work at the gym I don’t feel nearly as skinny as I want to be. This only makes me work harder!

… why high school classmates “friend” you on Facebook even if they never spoke to you or gave you the time of day in high school. Is the popularity contest still going on?

… why I am addicted to cheese.

What don’t you understand today?

(I’m back on track with posting these the day of! Shocking.)

1. Receiving a sweet note from Rachel in the mail! Unexpected and perfect end to a very long work day.

2. Managing to only spend $23.00 at Target today. I believe that’s a personal record.

3.  Finding a fun new eyeline color to try: Purple Shock.

4. An impromptu meeting with Irish before my Girl Dinner Date.

5.  Yummy fried food and great dinner conversation/girl time with Liz.

6. Determining what I’m giving up for Lent: fried food, fast food (I’m not a frequent fast fooder but Irish and I have been frequenting it more than usual), soda and Facebook. That’s right, Monday-Saturday there will be no facebook checking. I will be checking/responding/answering/friend only on Sunday and only for a max of one hour. I’ve hid my Facebook application my Blackberry and will delete all notifications. I can do this! (Side Note: last year the fried/fast food and soda give-up lasted until August! I’m hoping for similar results.)

(I decide to join a Tuesday Meme that is new and a bit unusual and will have a different theme each week. Carina started it. Check it out!)

The theme for this week is “This is my favorite man/woman.”

First of all this is very difficult to choose just one man or woman, so I’m going to break it down a little bit into categories.

Favorite woman in my family: Darling. Many of you have read numerous times what a great support network my mother has been for me over the years. When we host parties the next day we have the post-party wrap-up. If we go shopping we laugh, share and comment on our possible and actual purchases. We sneak ice cream on occasion. We bond over girlie movies, our love for dogs and of course the love for our men. Darling is my rock in so many ways.

Favorite woman in my age group: my good friend Miss Mel. We see each other every two or three months as of late considering she lives a few hours away. Our phone calls our frequent, our emails are often and we pick up right where we left off each time we talk. On Sunday she informed that she and her awesome husband are coming to visit me and Irish in March. I can’t wait. Mel is one of my good friends who really gets me, no judgment, full disclosure and always has a shoulder, hug and a glass of wine on hand.

My favorite  female celebrity: Natalie Portman. If someone were to ever make a movie about me, I would request she play me.

Favorite man in my family: Obviously that would be Boss (my dad) for many reasons. He’s my employer. He’s my supporter. He’s my bodyguard (literally, anytime I’ve been out with my parents in the past during my single years not one single guy would look at me. Boss scares them away). He’s my savior on more than one occasion. I also think that Bro is obviously one of my favorite men too; he’s constantly teaching me to look at things from a different perspective, explore, analyze and etc.

Favorite man in my age group: Irish, of course. for making me feel alive, for bringing the passion out in me and for helping me to explore my life in a whole new way. And not that I see him anymore, but ManMate. He’s expecting a baby girl with his girlfriend in June so his life has shifted significantly. We talk once every six weeks but after having lived with him for two years, he’s like a brother to me… now an estrange brother.

Favorite male celebrity: Robert DeNiro. I gravitate towards Italian male celebs for some reason.

(Monday, Feb 23 GISTs)

1. A quiet client day at the office allowing me to get my to-do list and thoughts together.

2. A new “Health,” magazine came in the mail. More inspiration, recipes and workouts to try.

3. Mustering the strength to go to the gym and knocking out a 20 minute run and 40 minutes of weights, planks and more.

4. Raisin Bran. It makes a great dinner (believe it or not).

5. Cuddling with Jack on the couch, reading blogs, watching Barefoot in the Park and How to Marry a Millionaire.

6. Celebrating eight months with Irish, even though we aren’t hanging out today.

7. Receiving an award from Habbala!

 I am not sure what the award is called so I’m naming it the I Heart Blog Friends award.
What this blog signifies:

 ”These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award”

Spreading the blog love to people who I have grown to enjoy and haven’t bestowed an award on yet…
Cas at Cardigans Cover Crazy
TB at Caterpillar 85
EP at Stylish Handwriting
Gigi
Scarlett
Sleepy Jane
Amber Alert

Enjoy the blog love, ladies.

In honor of my 8 month “anniversary,” with Irish and since Valentine’s Day just passed, a meme about my relationship:

* How long have you been together? 8 months. Not that long, I know. But it’s long for both of us! Prior to this relationship we had both been single for over four years.

* How long did you know each other before you started dating? Before we were an official couple? I think three weeks.

* Who asked who out? He asked me out. It was a blind date situation. 

*  How old are each of you? I’m 25. He’s 26.

*  Whose siblings do/ did you see the most? His due to family dinners every week or in the absence of family dinners we get together anyway.

* Do you have any children together? Nope.

* What about pets? Well, Jack is mine, but Irish is learning to love him and care for him also.

*  Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple? The fact that we don’t live together. We don’t live far, but it gets to be hard some days to plan everything based upon who lives where.

*  Did you go to the same school? Nope.

* Are you from the same home town? Technically.

*  Who is the smartest? We are both smart in totally different ways. I suppose if I had to admit it, he’s probably smarter overall. Sigh. 

*  Who is the most sensitive? I think we both are, just in different ways, but because I’m girl I’d bet he’d say I’m more sensitive.

* Where do you eat out most as a couple? Chipotle or Jimmy John’s for quick dinners, otherwise any Mexican restaurant.

* Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? Sarnia, Canada

*  Who has the craziest exes? ME.

*  Who has the worst temper? Me? He gets frustrated but he never yells. He’s the silent angry type which makes me crazy. 

* Who does the cooking? Mostly me but he’s been known to pull out all the stops for me.

* Who is more social? Irish most weeks but not because I don’t want to be social! Just can’t seem to meet up with my friends due to all our crazy schedules.

* Who is the neat-freak? Most definitely me.

* Who is the more stubborn? BOTH. Not a good thing.

* Who hogs the bed? He does.

* Who wakes up earlier? Me.During the week, on the weekends. It’s always me.

*  Where was your first date? Blueberry Hill & Ted Drewe’s. Yes, we plan to retrace our steps in June.

*  Who has the bigger family? Oh my Lord, he does. The family members I have to meet never stops and it doesn’t help that all of his friends from high school are considered “family.” 

* Do you get flowers often? I’d say ever six to eight weeks. He’s good about it! 

*  How do you spend the holidays? Well we aren’t married/engaged, so we just split them for now or don’t see each other at all.

*  Who is more jealous? Outwardly I am but I know that there are things that get him jealous, he just won’t admit it. I am girl so jealous comes with the package. I am not, however, the crazy jealous type. I’ve learned that my jealousy is more defensive than anything.

*  How long did it take to get serious? Two or three months.

*  Who eats more? I eat more during meals, he eats more throughout the day.

* Who does/ did the laundry? We do it together ever since the first laundromat trip.

* Who’s better with the computer? Him. It’s his profession.

* Who drives when you are together? We split it as evenly as possible.