Archive for September, 2009

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Nora’s Top Ten

September 30, 2009

Thanks again to everyone who helped make my 26th Birthday a special one. All the facebook notes, tweets, texts and comments brought many smiles to my face!

Nora’s Top Ten Signs Fall is officially here:

1. I want to go garage saling. There is something about waking up at the pre-crack of dawn, putting on my favorite worn-in jeans and sweatshirt and wandering around other people’s yards and garages for a few hours. The hot chocolate in my hands doesn’t hurt either.

2. I make sure my Netflix queue is in good order. I know, it sounds silly but sometimes the rainy days of fall aren’t good for much else than watching all the movies I seem to have missed lately.

3. I love being outside. Yes, I love summer days by the pool but fall evenings are even better. It has something to do with the crisp chill of the air and the sounds of leaves crunching underneath my feet.

4. I have my car windows down and the heater on… at the same time. Inefficient? Maybe but it’s the only way to thoroughly enjoy the ride home.

5. I’m ready for my comfort foods: Taco Soup. Candy Corn. Homemade baked goods. Italian dishes with a fresh spin on them.

6. My brainwaves often drift over to thoughts about Thanksgiving and Christmas which suddenly seem right around the corner.

7. I want to hibernate. When my alarm goes off at 6:25 each morning, well, I’m not a happy camper. The last few days I’ve been hitting snooze at least twice.

8. I can’t wear flip-flops anymore without my feet freezing which also means that slippers and fuzzy socks are my choice evening footwear.

9. Nights snuggling on the couch are preferable to many of the other evening options that may be available to me.

10. I make a stack of books I want to read and quietly challenge myself to finish as many of them as possible. The stack is currently out of control but if I can fit in three to four books between now and Christmas, I’ll be pleased.

I know many of you have posted about what you LOVE about fall, but what is a definite sign for you that fall (or a change in seasons, depending on where you live) has occurred?

Posted in Nora Randomness | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments »

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The 26th Year

September 29, 2009

I admit I wasn’t organized enough to find a photo of myself as a young girl for today’s post so a photo of me from my 21st birthday will have to do:

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I’m 26 today (and the end to the birthday-blogging theme)! The last year has been one of the best years in my twenties and I’ve enjoyed every moment, new opportunity, my new and old friendships, my fantastic family, my amazing dog (who I’m convinced is a Border Collie mix after much discussion this past weekend), Irish, this blog, my readers, and the many new experiences I enjoyed.

A quick, down n’ dirty list of things I’ve learned over the years:

* You can’t go wrong with hugs.
* Baking is therapeutic.
* Sex & The City relates to my life more than I would have thought (or cared to admit).
* Sleeping in until noon is rejuvenating.
* Love is worth the fall.
* Getting a Blackberry will change your life, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.
* After a long day there’s nothing like a hug from your man and smooch from your dog.
* It’s true: if you pluck one white hair, at least three more grow in its place.
* Sweatpants are fabulous.

Birthday request time! If you’re a reader but rarely comment, please, let me know who you are. If you’re a regular reader/commenter please share your words to live by or favorite life advice for me to add to my arsenal.

Posted in Jack, Nora Randomness, Nora's Archives, Pictures, The Boyfriend, blogging, cooking, family, friends, my dog | Tagged , , | 37 Comments »

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Monday Memo

September 28, 2009

It’s Monday already? I really don’t know how the weekends fly by so quickly.

* One of our co-workers had emergency surgery late last night so the whole office is in a tizzy trying to figure out how to cover his work the next week or two. Which means I’ll be working a few more hours this week. Which means blogging may be light. Which means I may be like the Tazmanian Devil, running around in a cloud of my own dust.

* Many of you know that we (meaning me, Irish, and Jack) went to visit Nilsa, Sweets & SoMi this weekend. In a word: INCREDIBLE. In many words: please go read Nilsa’s blog for now until I have more time to write about what an amazing trip it was because seriously it was the perfect little getaway. I can’t wait to return to Chicago for more visits with Nilsa and the other fabulous Chicago bloggers I didn’t get to catch-up with.

* I’m struggling to wrap my brain around the fact that tomorrow I’m turning 26, which I know is no big deal, but I can’t believe it’s really tomorrow. I’ll be celebrating in a low-key fashion with my family and Irish around me for a Mexican dinner. That’s about as celebratory as I get these days and I’m more than okay with it.

* All you need is LOVE. Congratulations to EP on her engagement! And Mel on her upcoming nuptials. And two of my near and dear friends on their one-year wedding anniversary (Miss Kyla and my BFF MelO). All the excitement has me singing the “Love Is all Around Us…” song from Love Actually in my head non-stop.

Posted in Dating, Nora Randomness, The Boyfriend, blogging, friends, work | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments »

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The Evolution of Birthdays

September 25, 2009

When you’re little birthdays are all about toys, streamers, balloons, party favors, junk food and really amazing cake with fabulous icing; staying up past your bedtime; having your name read over the loudspeaker at school; your favorite dinner cooked by your mom; the thrill of presents from your friends, and themed birthday parties.

When you’re a teenager  (13-17) birthdays are all about wondering if your outfit looks ok at school; how many balloons will your friends buy you and stuff into your locker?; will today be the day the high school football start finally tells you he loves you?; your friends and parents trying to surprise you and surprise you they did with limo rides (13th birthday) and a DJ (16th) birthday; hoping against hope that some boy you liked liked you back; and that you have a decent showing  with no drama at your birthday party which will be supplied with tunes from Cake and the Empire Records lots of junk food and copious amounts of soda.

When you’re a young adult (18-23) your birthdays are about freedom; the ability to vote and drink (legally); celebrating a birthday away from home; planning your own party which often doesn’t sound so fun so you don’t do it; taking so many shots that the entire night is a blur; waking up to find out that you danced on a bar, kissed a stranger and proclaimed your love to every single one of your friends; it’s about going through your digital camera to see what pictures were taken and then daring to check facebook to see what embarassing shots of you may have surfaced; it’s about relishing in the here and now because you’re in your early twenties and this is how you do it!

When you’re in your mid-twenties (24-26) *birthdays are about quiet celebrations; not letting your friends buy you shot after shot because you know too well that hangover feeling; being thankful for everything that you have in your life; not asking for presents because you do have everything; being pleasantly surprised by the presents your friends and family do give you because you really didn’t need/want anything; reflecting on where you are and where you want to be; thankful for the lack of wrinkles on your face; recalling the days of yesteryear and smiling on all memories fondly; resolving to be a better person; reminding yourself to live in the now; ignoring your dad’s comments about how your more than halfway to fifty even if he says it with a smile on his face; indulging in birthday cake; going to sleep at a decent hour because you’re working the next day; hugging all your friends and family at least twice- not because your drunk- but because you love them.

What are your birthdays about?

** I consider mid-twenties to be through 27 or 28 but I’m not there yet, so I’ll let you know how it goes in the next two years! **

Posted in Holidays, Nora Randomness, Nora's Archives, The Boyfriend, dreams, family, friends, memories | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments »

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*Those* Moments

September 23, 2009

You know the moments I’m talking about. They reaffirm that you are doing just what you should be doing with your life. Or remind you that yes, this person really loves you. Or that your family really is kick-ass, hands-down the best family out there. I’ve been noticing these moments more and more as I reflect on my last 25 years and prepare for the 26th one that’s right around the corner. Here are a few of *those* moments that have really stood out to me over the last few weeks…

* Small Mexican restaurant. Me. Irish. The couple that set us up. Beer, salsa, tortilla chips. Laughter. Looking over at Irish and he winks. And then he kisses me on the cheek and he held my hand under the table. It was one of those moments where everything just felt right. Sometimes the craziness of the world can really interrupt the flow of a relationship so these moments where it’s just natural, normal and great? Well, they are really special to me.

* It’s not often that I get a day out of the office to attend client meetings but when the client has just renewed three contracts with us, I get to go to the meetings. This particular meeting took us to a town only 30 minutes away from where my brother is attending school so my boss (my dad!) and I met up with him for a late lunch at a very local, very Greek, very awesome restaurant. We were sitting on the patio chatting about politics, healthcare, college girls, bumble bees and who knows what else (all the while sending picture texts to Darling so she could see photos of “her boys” together) and I had that ah-ha moment. I felt blessed. I felt loved. I felt honored that my 21 year-old brother thinks it is cool (or at least humors us) and wants to spend time with us. This is my family and the older I get, the cooler they get. Funny how that works.

* I’ve been living at home for almost three (!) months now. There have been a few adjustments here and there but surpsingly no rough patches. It’s amazing to me how quickly I’ve adjusted to living with my parents again. I don’t feel like a 25 (almost 26!) year-old loser. In fact, I feel more responsible because I’m saving money, paying off (and not using) my credit cards, contributing to some of the daily chores around the house, and feel stable. I loved living in apartments but it always seemed semi-permanent. I love staying with Irish but due to some reservations on his family’s side that can’t be permanent (at least not yet), for awhile. I was really quite nervous about the move but on Sunday night, I had one of *those* moments where I realized I had done the right thing. I spent most of the day with Irish wandering in and out of bookstores, enjoy lunch and just having fun and when I got home my parents and I had a pizza party complete with a girlie movie. (My dad consented to watching Sweet Home Alabama with us.) We were all feeling the Sunday Evening Blahs and so I offered to make us a pot of tea. Hanging with my parents, the dogs, getting play-by-play updates on the Cards game from Irish and sharing a pot of tea brought tears to my eyes.

*This here blog started out over four years ago as a place for me to sob via the internet. No, seriously. I went through a horrible break-up and I boohooed my feelings and thoughts all over my blog for a good six months. After that I started making “blog friends.” In the last year I’ve opened myself up to meeting ”blog friends,” calling them and sending them real mail. I remember when sharing your address or phone number with people you’ve met online was totally batshit crazy but now not so much. I went from calling people “blog friends,” to “my real life friends.” In the last few months several of those bonds have grown even stronger thanks to GChats, texts, phone calls, emails  and girls’ nights for those that live close to me. Not to mention the just knowing that there is a huge support group of women (and  men) out there if I ever need them. It doesn’t feel funny to me that some of my best friends are people I met on the internet. It actually feels pretty damn awesome.

So, tell me, what are some of *those* moments for you recently? What kind of things do you notice more as a birthday appears?

Posted in Dating, Grace in Small Things, Jack, Nora Randomness, The Boyfriend, blogging, books, family, memories, my dog, work | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments »

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Goodbye to the Normals

September 22, 2009

It’s funny… just writing a post about not feeling in a writing mood usually makes my fingers itch to write! And it did. Which means normal posts are coming again soon and they’ll even have a common theme running through them. I know, I know, you can’t wait.

A few more tidbits to share before the regularly scheduled programming:

* There are also several new stories up at My Roommate Sucks, one of which is from yours truly. Care to guess which one is mine? If you want to submit your own story, email myroomysucks(at)gmail(dot)com. All submissions are anonymous!

* Irish’s younger sister showed me this youtube video last week and while it’s rather inappropriate, it’s also rather funny, so enjoy:

* If you’re looking for a moment of happy inspiration, don’t forget to check out the Tumblr that Mandy and I have created!

* And one more funny video that I couldn’t resist sharing, again courtesy of Irish’s younger sister:

Posted in Nora Randomness, blogging | 8 Comments »

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Quote & Tidbits

September 21, 2009

I’m without words this week for some odd reason because Lord knows I’ve got a lot swirling around in my head about all different kinds of topics, recent events and just life in general (nothing bad, I promise!) but I’m afraid the “cat’s got my tongue.”

So instead of forcing myself to write which inevitably reads to crappy writing, I’ll be out and about, trying to pinpoint some new things that make me feel more alive.

While I’m livin’ large (ahhahaha), I encourage you to check out the following giveaways and new blogs:

* SoMi Speaks is hosting a super fantastic giveaway. Check it out and enter to win!

* My fabulous younger brother has started a new website as a result of some his already unfabulous roomie experiences at college called My Roommate Sucks. Read the blog. Submit any stories you might have. Pass the word along. The stories that have been posted so far are pretty darn hilarious.

* LaceyBean’s two-year blogoversary giveaway. This girl has gone above and beyond in compiling an awesome bunch of gifts for one lucky winner!

* The TolaGirls blog. Oregon City Girl & TBrooke are back, this time on a joint venture!

Posted in Blog Giveaway, Nora Randomness, blogging, friends | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments »

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-aholic

September 15, 2009

I’m a…

….bookaholic. Shopaholic. Cheeseholic. Sleepaholic. Pictureholic. Animalaholic. VictoriaSecretaholic. Struggling to be a runningaholic.

Normally these “addictions,” don’t cause me a lot of problems since I’m pretty good at keeping them in check. (Unless there are amazing sales, coupons for Barnes & Noble in my email, my favorite cheese in the fridge, or a rainy day.)

Well, that was until this past weekend when I was browsing dogs from various rescue shelters online with Darling since they are ready to begin the search for a new addition to our family. There were big dogs, little dogs, puppies, middle-age, old-age, short, fat, tall, skinny dogs. All for ADOPTION!

Some were for free (oh, how I want to go rescue that 12 year old dog who has limited time left, just so she can be loved for the remainder of her days. Oh, the heartbreak), others were on special since they are black and have a stupid societal stigma associated with them, and others yet were close to $200 to take home.

Darling and I diligently got up early on Saturday morning to visit a PetSmart adoption event to view some of the dogs we’d been keeping tabs on.  And I fell in fast, insane, puppy love.

I made the mistake of holidng a three month-old terrier mix pup who was white, with black spots on his back, floppy ears, blue eyes and a brown/black face. He licked me. He put his head in my hand. He followed me to the other side of his cage after I put him down.

I fumbled for my phone to get Irish’s opinion of the pup but forgot he was at a bachelor party and couldn’t talk so I had to deal with sporadic texting and realized I can’t make a decision like this without his input. I walked away, mopey, but told myself that if he was there on Sunday morning, he was meant to be mine. (He wasn’t. A family with kids adopted him, or so they tell me.)  Unfortunately the puppy bug has been planted firmly in my brain and despite the obvious obstacles and challenges to being a Dog Momma again, I can’t quite turn off the thoughts of adopting another one soon.

For the time being Darling and I are turning our backs on our animalaholic tendencies and instead attending the volunteer orientation that will hopefully allow us to be Ranch Hands, once a month, at a nearby animal rescue farm where there are thankfully no dogs. We’ll be surrounded by horses, donkeys, pigs, goats, geese, ducks, chickens, roosters and any other possible farm animal that needs to be rescued. We’ll be cleaning stalls, feeding and watering animals and leaving covered in mud, poop and straw I’m sure. We could have opted for a position at the various dog and cat shelters in the area but we would surely wind up with more dogs than we could handle, so farm animals it is! I’m excited to see and work with goats & pigs; Darling loves horses and donkeys. I have no idea what this adventure will hold for us, but I’m excited to support an organization I believe in.

Oh, and it helps that we receive some perks like discounted adoptions which we had no idea where were eligible for.

Confession time: What’s your biggest addiction and what sets it off?

Posted in Jack, Volunteer Work, family, my dog | Tagged , , , , , , | 29 Comments »

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GIST 42/365

September 14, 2009

1. Nailing a work presentation on Friday night thus freeing me to ignore work all weekend.

2. A blessing in disguise when my Blackberry stopped receiving work emails meaning I could really ignore work all weekend.

3. Going to a bar to see my dad’s band play with my mom & Gram. Bonus: my mom got on stage and sang an Irish ballad with the band. Double Bonus: my dad introduced the “three generations of women,” that he’s proud to have support him & his music career.

4. Puppy shopping with Darling. She’s looking for a new dog to add to the family, preferably a Border Collie Mix. We didn’t find the right one this weekend, but we are on the right track. I may or may not have fallen head over heels in love with a Terrier Mix puppy but wound up not adopting him because he was spoken for come Sunday morning. (I really wanted him but trying to be a responsible adult wanted to discuss it over with Irish who was at an all-day bachelor party.)

5. Enjoying the huge Art Fair StL puts on each September. Four or five streets are filled with Art vendors, music (live & DJ), food and of course, amazing people watching. Best person watching: Adult male, mid 50s, long white curly hair, non-descript hat. Ladies short shorts and black high heels with a white tank top. The reason I noticed him? He has better legs than me and walks in heels better than most girls I know.

6. Finding a birthday present for Irish and a unique wedding present for our friends who are tying the k not in less than a month. Irish is nearly impossible to buy for so I always go out on a limb with some of the presents I get him; I think he’ll like this one.

7. Taking an afternoon nap with Jack while listening to Felicity (almost done with the show!) in the background followed by a brisk 2-mile walk.

8. An hour long chat with Kyla. Eye-opening, inspiring, heart-warming and lovely. (Those words describe both Kyla & our phone call.)

9. The quiet of my parents’ house which I find rejuvenating.

10. Seeing Irish after being apart for five days.

What’s your Grace in Small Thing from this past weekend?

Posted in Dating, Grace in Small Things, Jack, The Boyfriend, family, my dog | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments »

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Zombie Chickens

September 11, 2009

Yes, that’s right, I said zombie chickens. What is a zombie chicken? Well, currently it’s an award making it’s way through the blogosphere which I received from the lovely, fabulous, best mother ever Darling!

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What is the Zombie Chicken Award?

The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken– excellence, grace, and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all.

Well, I certainly hope that I’m able to keep my witts and grace about me if/when there is a zombie apocalypse.

Five bloggers I’m passing this award onto and just for fun, explaining why I’d want them by my side during a Zombie War/Attack/Apocalypse.

Mandy from Knowing the Difference because I’m sure she’s got some mad survival skills or at the very least help us to bake our way out of the situation

Fab Brunette, because not only is she fab but she has a lot of high heels and maybe we could use the shoes as weapons against zombies?

E.P. at Stylish Handwriting. Her camera flash would frighten the zombies and she’d be able to chronicle everything for us which is important for posterity.

Nicole because she’s deliciously vulgar.

and AshleyD because she’s got a psych degree and Masters so she could help us all make sense of the zombie situation. And because she’s a pretty great friend, too.

And now for a more serious question: are you afraid of zombie movies/books/discussions? I have several friends who are legitimately afraid of zombies. Refuse to watch movies involving zombies, read the books and take precautions against them (no, I’m not joking).

Posted in Blog Award, blogging, family, friends | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments »

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