Archive for March, 2009
March 31, 2009
I’m totally overdue and late on sharing these with my blog friends and for that I apologize.
Darling gave me the I Heart your Blog award a few weeks ago, which both surprised me and made me smile since I have secretly been coveting this award since I started my WordPress blog over a year ago.
And Mandy gave me the Blog Friends Award.
The rules say I’m supposed to tag people and I certainly want too but today instead of singling you each out, I’m awarding both of them to anyone who is on my blogroll. I mean it! If you are on my blogroll it means I love your blog for more than one reason.
Huge thanks to Mandy & Darling for the blog love!
Posted in Grace in Small Things, Nora Randomness, blogging, family, friends | Tagged awards, blog awards, bloggy friends, Blogroll, sharing | 4 Comments »
March 31, 2009
I have a lot of new readers (hello, friends!) so I thought I’d be lazy do a fairly in-depth meme:
LAYER ONE:
- Name: Nora
- Birthdate: September 29th, 1983
- Birthplace: Ridegewood, New Jersey
- Current location: StL, MidWest
- Eye color: Brown
- Hair color: Black or dark brown, depending on the month
- Height: 5′9
- Righty or lefty: right
- Zodiac sign: Libra
LAYER TWO:
- Your heritage: Italian/English
- The shoes you wore today: Chinese Laundry leopard print heels
- Your weakness: Irish’s cologne, Jack when he’s cuddly, anything chocolate or cheese (not together) and rainy days
- Your fears: Loneliness
- Your perfect pizza: New York style with black & green olives, extra cheese
- Goal you’d like to achieve: running a half-marathon in 2010
LAYER THREE:
- Your most overused phrase on AIM: haven’t used it since college but probably “brb” or “lol.”
- Your first waking thoughts: Must. Hit. Snooze.Button.
- Your best physical feature: arms/abs
- Your most missed memory: Poppy, my grandfather
LAYER FOUR:
- Pepsi or Coke: Dr. Pepper
- McDonald’s or Burger King: No thank you.
- Single or group dates: Love double dates or group dates, but sometimes all you need and want is a single date
- Adidas or Nike: Aasics but currently Adidas since I couldn’t find a good pair of Aasics
- Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Peppermint Tea from Celestial Seasonings, warm, not cold
- Chocolate or vanilla: Both
- Cappuccino or coffee: water
LAYER FIVE:
- Smoke: Once, after high school graduation
- Cuss: Like a sailor when it fits
- Sing: in the car preferably alone
- Take a shower everyday: six days a week (after workouts)
- Do you think you’ve been in love: I am IN love
- Want to go to college: Did my undergrad and working on my Masters. After this, I think I’m done.
- Liked high school: Enough
- Want to get married: Yup
- Believe in yourself: 90% of the time
- Get motion sickness: Only in the backseat of cars
- Think you’re attractive: I struggle with this one
- Think you’re a health freak: I can be. Need to get back to it.
- Get along with your parent(s): Most definitely. They are awesome!
- Like thunderstorms: YES. I’m a rain freak.
- Play an instrument: Used to play the piano, flute and piccolo. Not so much now. Would like to relearn the piano again before I’m 30.
LAYER SIX: In the past month…
- Drank alcohol: Yup, enjoyed some wine at Trivia Night on Saturday
- Smoked: Not a chance
- Done a drug: Allergy meds, advil
- Made out: Yes, of course
- Gone on a date: Yup, Irish treats to me a good date every other week
- Gone to the mall: On Saturday!
- Eaten an entire box of Oreos: No, but I could if I wanted to
- Eaten sushi: Nope, allergic. But I’ve watched people eat it
- Been on stage: No
- Been dumped: Thank goodness, no
- Gone skating: No but watched people skate
- Made homemade cookies: Yup. Love ‘em.
- Gone skinny dipping: Way too cold in StL for that.
- Dyed your hair: No but I need to. Roots are showing.
- Stolen Anything: No.
LAYER SEVEN: Ever…
- Played a game that required removal of clothing: Yes.
- Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: Back in the college days.
- Been caught “doing something”: I have no idea what this means, so I’m going with NO.
- Been called a tease: Never.
- Gotten beaten up: No.
- Shoplifted: Nope.
- Changed who you were to fit in: I will admit it- yes.
LAYER EIGHT:
- Age you hope to be married: Before 28.
- Numbers and names of children: yet to be determined.
- Describe your dream wedding: Really? I have a few versions. So the first one: “Elope,” to NYC City Hall with the man I wish to marry, his family, my family and a best friend on both sides. A weekend celebration with the families before we ship off for a honeymoon. Upon our return a huge ceremony in the StL for all our friends and family who wasn’t at the “eloping.”
- How do you want to die: In my sleep.
- Where you want to go to college: Already did. Mizzou & Webster University
- What do you want to be when you grow up: Happy and to look like Sophia Loren.
- What country would you most like to visit: Italy
LAYER NINE:
- Number of drugs taken illegally: never touched one.
- Number of people I could trust with my life: I can count them on one hand
- Number of CDs that I own: At least 120.
- Number of piercings: Seven
- Number of tattoos: None
- Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper: Four or five? As captions when I did pseduo-modeling.
- Number of scars on my body: Three little ones from my appendix surgery
- Number of things in my past that I regret: Giving up ballet dancing.
What is one thing I don’t know about you?
Posted in Dating, Jack, Nora Randomness, Nora's Archives, Sicilian Nora, The Boyfriend, blogging, dreams, family, friends, grad school, memories, my dog, weddings | Tagged all about Nora, college, cuddling with dogs, dreams, family, friends, in case you cared, past, relationships | 16 Comments »
March 30, 2009
1. Receiving last minute kisses from Harper, the Morkie, before I left her house for good. (I won’t lie, it made me a bit sad to leave her.)
2. Jack greeting me with fanfare, wags and kisses when I picked him up from my parents house.
3. Darling made us awesome roast beef/cheedar/lettuce sandwiches on toasted whole wheat bread for dinner on Friday night.
4. Lots of girl talk with Darling.
5. Present #1 from Irish: Twlight soundtrack.
6. Having lunch with Little Man’s mom on Saturday for more girl talk and catching up.
7. Little Man, who is 5 1/2 years old and much, much taller than when I last saw him, informing me that I should now call him “Big Man.”
8. Hugs from “Big Man.”
9. Wandering around the mall with J, one of my “newer,” friends, trying on fun fashions and finding a few good deals at Arden B (shocking!)
10. Present #2 from Irish: A Mexican cookbook. We are going to create our own Mexican delights at home! I’m really excited.
11. Present #3 from Irish: A Wii! (It lives at his house so he gets to play it more, but I’m still totally pumped. I love me some Wii boxing!)
12. Fat free taco/seven layer dip that I took to trivia night.
13. Spending Saturday night in a room full of 520 people for a Charity Trivia Night. My table was great: Irish and one of his fun co-workers, J & her fiance, Liz & her man, Darling, my brother & one of his friends. We didn’t win but we sure did have a lot of fun. (Special shoutout to Liz and her man for coming on such short notice and being valuable players. Liz knows her celebrity gossip and her man is a great sports know-it-all.)
14. Breakfast in bed on Sunday.
15. Not getting out of bed until 2pm. You read that right. I fell back asleep after breakfast and it was divine.
16. Playing with the Wii all day on Sunday.
17. Lots of laughs with Irish and my family during dinner at my parent’s house.
18. Returning to my apartment after living like a gypsy for weeks. It is nice to be home.
Posted in Dating, Grace in Small Things, Jack, Nanny Nights, The Boyfriend, apartment living, blogging, family, friends, my dog | Tagged dogs, family, Grace in Small Things, house-sitting, in case you cared, Nintendo, sleeping, this is my life, trivia nights, Wii | 9 Comments »
March 27, 2009
I Am **
I am passionate and outgoing
I wonder what life in Italy is like
I hear my life soundtrack
I see a glass that is half-full
I want eternal love
I am passionate and outgoing
I pretend that I don’t care
I feel alive
I touch on my inner baking goddess
I worry what others think of me
I cry when animals are harmed
I am passionate and caring
I understand that we can’t control everything
I say hugs and kisses are better than guns and war
I dream that I can fly
I try not to let the little things get me down
I hope that change really will happen
I am passionate and outgoing
**Borrowed this idea from SheShe. If you want to make your own, check this out.
Posted in Nora Randomness, blogging, friends, travel | Tagged all about Nora, blog ideas, check this out, in case you cared, poem created by a meme | 10 Comments »
March 26, 2009
…when:
* your boyfriend knows what you want from your favorite Mexican restaurant without asking you
* when the most random song reminds you of a specific moment in time that you spent with your boyfriend (W.A.R’s Low Rider song. Takes me back to our road trip to Canada last year)
* not seeing each other for two whole days and nights is the ultimate torture
* you stock each other’s favorite foods at your house for the fauxhabitation periods
* you gladly go to “bat” for each other in work and social situations
* sitting together and reading is just as awesome as sitting together and talking
* the kisses send shivers down your spine
* you are both willing to go to family functions with each other, no fights involved
* you make it through a DIY project without any problems but instead lots of laughter, jokes and random dancing to hip-hop music to make the time pass
* he grows to love your dog (and you’ve caught them cuddling a time or two)
* he doesn’t make fun of your love for all things “Twilight,”… too much
* your open and willing to learn about new things: music (ahem, The Decemberists), books (ahem, Vampire books), and even put yourself WAY out of your comfort zone around some of his friends
* you are loyal to each other in all aspects of your lives
* you easily, yet cautiously (as in you want to keep things a surprise) talk about the future such as the “e-word,” and living together
* you’re aware of the fact that even though your boyfriend recently washed his sheets, he hasn’t taken the time to put them back on his bed yet, and he’s likely sleeping on the couch
* taking care of each other when sick, after a bad day or just because is a given
* you have the silliest nicknames for each other (Example: my latest nickname is “Spices”)
* you do things for each other that you don’t always want to do but do so with a smile because it makes them happy
* the only thing that can fix your day and make your world right sometimes is hearing their voice, smelling their cologne and getting a big hug
Posted in Dating, Jack, The Boyfriend, my dog | Tagged i'm in love and don't care who knows it, in case you cared, this is love, this is my life, warning, you may gag when you read this | 18 Comments »
March 25, 2009
(Warning: Boys, you may not like this post)
… you’re an emotional trainwreck thanks to the lovely, ever un-popular PMS (meaning you feel like crying for no good reason, the thought of leaving the puppy you’ve been house-sitting for the last five days makes you sad,you crave sleep, chocolate and junk food, in no particular order and the last thing you want to do is be perky) :
* Choose a kick-ass outfit for the day so at least you don’t look as emotional as you feel
* Kick your heels off under your desk, just because you can
* Choose the “Chill Time,” playlist you have created on Pandora. Fast forward through the songs that make you feel like crying, even though you don’t know why you want to cry
* Give yourself permission to eat a few pieces of chocolate, totally ignoring your diet
* Drink loads and loads of water
* Keep your head down at your desk, working fast and furious
* Don’t take crap from co-workers at office
* Try not to worry about what’s bothering you (for example: need to buy new black dress for upcoming wedding, how is Jack doing? How are my parents dogs? How will I be able to pull off the bachelorette party to the Smokey Mountains this fall? Why are so many people asking when Irish and I are going to tie the knot? Why does my hair look like crap? To tan or not to tan?)
* Mentally plan your workout for the night, hoping the emotions work their way out of your system this way
* Tell yourself that after the workout you can put on sweats and watch any girlie movie you want, bonus if it helps you cry to rid yourself of that “I just need to cry,” feeling
* Cuddle with dog, boyfriend, pillow, whatever is close to you
* Remind yourself that the week is almost over and the weekend is full of fun
* Feel good for having all monthly bills paid in plenty of time and bonus: Tax Refund is on its way!
* Think of all the love that surrounds you in your life
* Choose not to write a mopey, woe-is-me-blog-post, even though it is what you really want to do
* Smile, because even if you don’t mean it at the beginning of the day, by the end of the day the smile(s) will be geunine
Posted in Dating, Jack, Love/Hate, Nora Randomness, The Boyfriend, WTF?, blogging, exercise, my dog, work | 14 Comments »
March 24, 2009
Andhari chose the theme for this week’s “This Is…” and it’s definitely a good one: What would your reality show look like if you could design and star in your own show?
My ideas are:
* Information Technology Reality TV show. I know, I know, it sounds boring, but really it would be a lot like “The Office.” I work in a small place, less than 20 of us total and some of the things that go on and are said are positively ridiculous. I figure we could either angle it as a family business type show, working to take over the market slowly but surely or we could just be a comedy about how silly working in an office everyday can be, depending on how the end-all-be-all editors decide it should go.
* I’ve always wanted to start my own bakery. Mandy and I have joked about starting our own bakery together. How fun would that be? Perhaps a show chronicling friendship, business trials and tribulations and above all, baking. Think Ace of Cakes meets any sort of cooking show combined with Gilmore Girls type banter. (I assume Mandy and I would talk non-stop if we were in the same place.)
* Random Dating Show. If I were single and still in college I’d suggest something more like Real World meets Bachelorette, though my life was never quite that dramatic. I was voted most likely to be on a dating show in college thanks to my peers, and knowing how the dates and etc turned out, I bet the ratings would have been spectacular and the fans would have gotten a laugh out of it knowing they weren’t alone.
* The Normal Nanny Show. I’m a former nanny. If I had video cameras with me then, it would have been like a much nicer Jon & Kate Plus Eight kind of show. I used to nanny for a doctor and his wife: FOUR KIDS. 35 to 40 hours a week. They gave me a car, I stayed over some nights and basically I was a second mom. I had a blast, learned a lot and would love to do it again if I had the opportunity. Maybe America is ready for a nanny-reality show where the nanny doesn’t have to tell the parents how to treat their children, the mom and dad aren’t constantly crazed and running in circles but instead, about the nanny. What she learns with the kids, about herself, her future life and etc.
* Nora Travels. Let’s say I won the lottery. Then let’s also say that I decided to quit work for one year and travel the world with Irish. Mostly Europe, but I’d like to check out Russia, South America, New Zealand/Australia and more of Canada. In my head I’m combining some sort of “where to eat/what to see off the beaten path,” with National Geographic pictures and culture, plus the romance and etc that the Today Show travels seem to show.
* And lastly, I’d like to have a workout reality show. I love the idea of The Biggest Loser but what about those of us who just want to lose a few pounds, have a limited diet thanks to allergies and try to maintain a normal balanced life? We still struggle too! There has to be a reality show in that somewhere, right??
I don’t think I could handle cameras in my face all the time, and I certainly wouldn’t want them interfering with my sleep, alone time nor family/friend/Irish relationships which is why I’m leaving them out of all of the above ideas.
I think my three favorites would have to be the Bakery Start-Up, Nanny show or Nora Travels.
What would you want your reality TV show to be?
Posted in Dating, Nanny Nights, Nora Randomness, blogging, cooking, dreams, exercise, friends | Tagged baking, blog friends, blogging, boyfriends, in case you cared, Nanny Nights, reality show if I could make my own, relationships, This is meme, this is Nora, workout | 12 Comments »
March 23, 2009
1. Mexican & Margaritas with Irish on Friday night.
2. Watching Irish and Harper fall asleep together. Too adorable.
3. Irish, the Superman of IT, fixed my computer on Saturday removing some infected files and making it run faster.
4. Being a total geek and buying Twilight on DVD.
5. Pajama pants on sale for $3.50 at Target.
6. Working on a Blog Love project.
7. Clean House marathons on TV, Harper sleeping in my lap.
8. Meeting the parents at Barnes & Noble for a drink, magazine perusing and wishful thinking (as in, I wish I had lots of time off work to read).
9. Receiving cute messages from Irish all night on Saturday who was at a Bachelor (aka video game/BBQ/beer) Party about how much he loves me.
10. Sunday evening movie date. (Really enjoyed “I Love You Man.”)
11. Five Dollar Foot longs from Subway. Healthy and enough for two meals.
12. Stretching out in a big, king sized bed the last few nights and for the next four. I really love house-sitting.
13. Mizzou Basketball is going to the Sweet 16. I’ve only watched two of the games so far, but I’m proud and excited of “my,” team.
14. Discussing and planning the trips Irish and I plan to take. For sure: Memphis, TN. Possibly: New Orleans, LA; Sarnia, Ontario; California.
15. My parents for watching Jack while I house-sit AND buying him a new stuffed toy to play with. He may not want to come home with me after that.
16. The promise of a new and better week.
Posted in Dating, Grace in Small Things, Jack, Nora Randomness, The Boyfriend, family, friends, my dog, travel | Tagged all about Nora, Barnes & Noble, books, boyfriends, dogs, GiSt, Grace in Small Things, house-sitting, I'm in love with Twilight and I don't know why, in case you cared, my life, relationships, vacations | 17 Comments »
March 21, 2009
As I may have mentioned several times last week, I’m house sitting for the next week.
Harper is a four-pound, four-month old, Morkie (Maltese and Yorkie mix). She’s got the face of a teddy bear, tiny little teeth, a prancy walk and a surprisingly low bark and growl for a small little gal pup. She sleeps on people’s heads when she’s tired, she prefers to eat out of your hand rather than her bowl and she sleeps through the night with no accidents. For the most part I’m not a huge fan of little/small dogs, but she’s changing my mind at an alarmingly fast rate. I wonder if Jack (a 50-pound adorable Black Lab/American Bulldog/mutt) would be okay with a small dog? Probably not.
That’s Harper hanging out on Irish. She’s pretty in love with him.
A few things I’ve forgotten about having a puppy:
* If they are wandering around aimlessly in the house, sniffing, they probably need to go out.
* Little teeth hurt just as much as big ones do.
* They make cute little noises when they are going to sleep.
* A sleeping puppy on your lap is one of the greatest feelings (I’m sure until people have babies, anyway).
* Cleaning up pee is not fun. Thank goodness for puppy pads.
* The “baby voice,” syndrome is inevitable.
And a few pictures taken from my Blackberry, so pardon the size/quality, but still totally adorable! (Picture One: Harper being super cute. Picture Two: Harper cuddling on my head)
Posted in Jack, Nora Randomness, friends | Tagged house-sitting, i want another puppy, in case you cared, morkies, who doesn't love a cute dog? | 15 Comments »
March 20, 2009
The Twenty Something Writers Prompt today is to write something to someone that you’ve never said but want to say/wish you could say and etc.
Here’s my attempt, and please keep in mind that I’m only writing some of the mean things because I know that “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
***************************************************
Dear Last Guy I dated before Irish,
I’ll admit I was infuriated by the way you broke up with me and cursed your name for several weeks after the fact. You left me feeling broken, confused and angrier than I had ever been before. But now I need to thank you. When you broke up with me I realized that I had been looking for the wrong things in what I ideally wanted in a man. I also realized that I needed to learn to live more for me and what I wanted rather than what my friends did, what society suggested I try and I put myself first. It felt awkward at first, ignoring other people’s needs and focusing on myself but the end result was amazing. I felt confident, strong, in-touch with my sense of self, emotions and desires and finally discovered what I wanted in a man and wouldn’t you know it has nothing to do with you, even in the smallest way? So thank you for being a complete assclown- it was just what I needed to meet the real man of my dreams.
************************************
Dear Mean Girl,
It would really help all of us out if you stopped being a bitch. Your gruff personality, snide comments and rude behavior do not make me want to hang out with you and furthermore, I’m done trying to be nice. I think you’re the only person in this world who makes me feel tense, frustrated, angry and annoyed. You are the only person I know who has broken my kind spirit. I kind of hate you for that. You’re alienating people from your life at an alarmingly fast rate. I hope that you can sort out your issues so you stop hurting people and perhaps be a bright, sunny person that I think you want to be. Until that time, leave me the hell alone.
*************************************
Dear Poppy,
I’m sorry I didn’t say a final goodbye at your funeral all those years ago. I couldn’t summon the courage to look at your face one last time. I still regret it. Darling and I get tears in our eyes when we think and talk about you. You are missed more than you could possibly imagine. We’re taking good care of Gram for you; know that she misses you more than all of us combined. She’s never been the same since you left us which to me is a sign of true love, a great man and a strong connection. Hope to see you in my dreams again soon.
Love,
Half-Pint
*******************************
Dear Irish,
I don’t know where to begin with you. It seems anything I’ll say will sound too corny, cheesy or gushy. But it would all be true. You are my light, my love and my newest best friend. I can’t express how excited I am for any and all of the adventures we have before us. Thrilled you came into my life and even more thrilled that we have brought out the best in each other.
Love,
Spices
*****************************
Dear Blogosphere and blog friends,
I don’t think you could get any better unless of course blogs could involve teleportation so that the blog friends and I could get together and share drinks, baked goods, and fun? You’ve been here for me in many ways that some of my “real” friends haven’t. You don’t judge. You’re compassionate, supportive, genius and never cease to amaze. I hope I do half as much for you as you have done for me.
Eternally grateful,
Nora
*************************
What do you wish you could tell someone?
Posted in Dating, Sicilian Nora, The Boyfriend, blogging, dreams, family, friends, memories | Tagged blogging, fears, hopes, regrets, twenty something writers, unspoken | 17 Comments »
