The Good and The Not So...

So, our last weekend plans were once again altered... Kevin didn't want to go to Destin or PC, so we spent Saturday morning at the gym, then the rest of the day shopping. I've significantly lost some weight and that just means one thing--wardrobe overhaul! I just had to hit up Ann Taylor--my favorite shop ever, spent a long time there and did some serious damage :-) haha!

Anyways... since Rob and I have been dying to go to the beach, and been trying for weeks now, we're going to our beach house this weekend. I'm going to try my luck at fishing... Since dad (my father-in-law) is such an avid fisherman, I'm hoping he'll teach me the tricks of the trade... LOL Ok, if I ever catch my first fish, I'll be one happy girl!!! Who knows? This might be a start of another interest? We'll see... But then again, I'd rather lay out with mom on the shore and a good book, you know!

Well, before all the fun begins, I have to do a not-so-fun activity first--which I'm totally dreading it! I have an appointment with my OB/Gyn tomorrow afternoon :-( UGH! I hate going in for a pap smear... The breast exam is okay, but PAP SMEAR??? That's one scary thought! I hate how it hurts and how uncomfortable that is, but a woman's gotta do what she oughtta do, know what I mean? Especially now that I'm married.. this is a MUST (at least every few years for women in their 20's or 30's, then it gets more frequent as you get older)! I just hope my OB/Gyn doesn't put me on the pill or something, because I refuse to be on artificial birth controls. We're doing NFP, which I call the "Catholic Way", which is working perfectly well so far... considering we're nearing our first year, don't you think? Dang! Why do we girls have to experience all the pain??? I mean, guys have it SOOOO easy compared to us! They may be macho and all, but can they put up with cramping and periods every month? Can they carry a baby for 9 months, then squeeze it out of a hole the size of a penny (not just once, but in my mom's case--4 TIMES!!!!???) LOL... ok, too much info... But you know the deal, it's just not fair!!! Oh well... It DOES help A LOT to have a sweet and caring husband... so, LUCKY ME!!!

Tonight, Rob's got another Catfish game, but I'm skipping it--for the first time ever since I can recall!!! Well, for one it's at 9 PM, which means, the game ends at 10:30--too late for me! But, really, I just need to relax! I told Rob, I'm going to soak up in the tub with a warm bath and candles (oh and the latest Vogue), then I'm going to meditate! LOL, ok, that's pushing it too far--the meditation, I mean--well, maybe not meditate, but just feel calm, to prepare my body for tomorrow... I heard the calmer you are, the less painful it is, so... I'm going to try this strategy... Hope it works!


This weekend, looking forward to... the romantic sunsets at Alligator Point :-)

Spring has Sprung :-)

It seems like EVERYBODY's on Spring Break... or have just had Spring Break... well, except for me!!! I miss having Spring Break... driving to the beach (jam-packed with crazy kids... mostly drunk, but hey, that's what Spring Breaks are for!!!), sleeping in, watching MTV's Spring Break special, Panama City!!! *Sigh* Those were the days... haha!

Anyways, Spring is definitely here--it officially started last Wednesday (Vernal Equinox in the NorthWestern Hemispehere)! Though, today, feels more like summer, but that's what we get for living in the "Sunshine State" :-) Most of my co-workers took the week off for family Spring Break fun. I'm the only one in the office with no kids (for now), so I was stuck at work, thinking of how much fun the rest of them were having... LOL! Oh well... 1 more month until our next vacation... 2 weeks of no work! Yay! Can't wait...

So, to pick up from where I left off... We went to Madison last Saturday for another shooting camp! My sister Kathryn and her bestfriend Shelley tagged along! Spencer came with us too with his new BB gun! His old one broke so dad bought him another one just so he could take it to Madison. I think the girls really had fun shooting the weapons. I was amazed at their courage!!! I could only go as far as the rifle, but those two went all the way from pistols to shooting AK-47s and Machine Guns!!! Those things could do some serious damage (well, not only can they kill you in one shot, they can ruin your eardrums big time)! I wish I brought my camera because there were some really funny moments, like when Shelley and Kat were posing as insurgents... LOL! Well, I think after the experience, Kat is determined to get her own pistol... Thanks A LOT, Rob!!! See what you've started? Anyways, she wants a gold one like the one Borat was attempting to buy in the movie... LOL!

On Sunday, I finally planted my hydrangeas, packed them with pine straws and watered our lawn. We still have to reseed the grass on the front and back and we're going to install a sprinkler system with an auto-timer sometime soon (yeah, I'm too lazy to water the plants!)... So things are starting to look much better with the yard. It seems like we can do the demo on the deck when we get back from Canada, so we can start building our patio! I already have some great design ideas, so I'm really really looking forward to it!

This week was pretty relaxed. After work, Rob and I usually head to the gym or walk around our neighborhood. We only missed last night because it was mom's birthday yesterday. Rob and I rode his motorcycle for the first time in almost a year!!! We then went to dinner at the Wharf (formerly Manna's on Thomasville Rd). They have some great dishes and the broiled oysters are awesome (I totally recommend this one) and Rob says he likes their Mahi-mahi stuffed with Crab meat! Or was it Grouper??? After dinner, we had TCBY's Peanut Butter fudge ice cream cake... it just melts in your mouth... so good! My diet is ruined, but hey it was mom's birthday so it was really worth-it!

Well, I'm waiting for Rob to get home from work--as I write--to go to Gold's gym. Kat and Kevin are meeting us there! I think Kat wants to play Racquetball tonight, which has been Rob's thing lately besides weight-lifting. Me? I just love the elliptical... I don't think I'll ever get tired of doing it :-) Let's hope not!!! Then, it's off to dinner after that (I'm thinking "One Stir Fry" maybe?)! We'll see what the others say!

Speaking of being on SB... It's Kevin's Spring Break, so we're heading to Panama City or Destin tomorrow... If the water's too cold, there's always lots of outlet malls to go shopping and other things to do... Hope you guys have a great weekend :-) !!!

"Rob" Madness!

Geez... I can't believe it's already Friday! This week has gone by in a flash! Not that I'm complaining... It just seems like I was sitting at Messer Park yesterday with Melissa (which really happened last Monday) and now the weekend's here... again :-)

Speaking of the weekend... Last Saturday was a lot of work--yard work that is! We took out a total of 6 trees in our backyard and a bunch of bushes... thanks to mom and dad... and MOST ESPECIALLY my brother JB--who was on Spring Break, but did yard work in lieu of partying it up with the college crowd in Panama City... LOL!!! They were really such great helpers!!! Rob and I couldn't have done it without them! Thanks again guys! So, I never got to plant my hydrangeas, but I will do that on Sunday afternoon (if it doesn't rain)!!!

Saturday night, we chilled with the sibs--Kat, JB and Kevin! We try to go out as much as we can on rare occasions when we're all not working!!! I was so glad JB had the weekend off and Kat had a break after studying and taking her boards... So, Saturday night was our celebration of her accomplishments (to be continued tomorrow LOL)! Rob and I love hanging out with my siblings because we always laugh so much (mostly about Kevin... haha! Just kidding!). We wanted to go to Maccaroni Grill, but the place was so packed, so we drove around for quite a bit until we decided on Ruby Tuesday. I love that we all fit in one car (for now), but while we were driving, I kept thinking that we needed to do this more and more often because SOON, we won't be able to :-( I know Kat's thinking of becoming a Travel Nurse, but I'm not sure how soon she will be moving out of Tally, JB has 1 more year at FSU to get his Bachelor's and then plans to take his Masters in Physical Therapy at University of Florida (Boo! LOL)... Well, at least he'll only be 2 hours away!!! ...and Kevin will be a senior in High school next year, so if he gets a college football scholarship, he will more than likely be moving away, possibly up North :-( The reality that we're all growing up (too fast) is finally sinking in, but no matter what happens or no matter where we end up living, we'll always make time to hang out and visit each other as often as we can :-)!!! But for now, we're trying to hold on to and enjoy what we have!

Moving on... Sunday was another busy day. Rob cleaned my car while I cleaned the whole house... Have I ever mentioned we're total neat freaks? Having a messy house is such a pet-peeve... I couldn't function well with all that mess!!! And the same goes with my office at work... It would just drive me nuts! Sunday night was dinner night with mom, dad and Spencer. This time, we went to Olive Garden! We love O.G., we've had great memories there through the years. Afterall, that's where Rob and I had our first date almost 6 years ago *sigh* :-)

So, I haven't mentioned how Rob's team--The Mainline Catfish--is doing... We're now moving into the 3rd week and so far, they're 4-0!!! Which means, they've won 14 in a row (10-0 from last season)! Oh, and they have a new website http://www.lp2baseball.com/wiki/index.php/Softball... and I was appointed by Coach JRad (Justin Radigan) to be the official photographer. Actually, he "volunteered" me... how nice!!! So, I took some mug shots last Wednesday... I was unable to take everyone's picture, but here's what I have so far...


Anthony "Ant" Orr


Alex "ARod" Alvarado


Alex... really feeling like ARod... LOL!!!


Dan "The Man" Corum


Freddie "The Prince" Schuknecht


Jimmy "Jimbo" Sauls


Justin "JRad" Radigan


Rob "RDub" Walling :-)


... and another one of my baby


Oh and another one of Jimbo's sexy pose... LOL


The team warming up...

After the game on Wednesday night, we headed to BW3's on Tennessee! It was fun hanging out with the boys--some of Rob's childhood friends--Alex, Robbie, Ryan, Jimmy and Justin. They always crack me up!

Anyways... March Madness is here!!! Actually, I dub it "Rob" Madness... In March of every year, Rob goes NCAA basketball crazy (as I'm sure other ladies could relate with their boyfriends or husbands)!!! Well, he goes even crazier in the Fall (for NCAA football) and well into January for the Bowls, but we're basically EVEN then because I just love college football!!! Anyways, for March Madness, We usually do the bracket thing (per Rob's insistence)! BUt what gets me is that he "insists" on watching almost all the games on TV (which means being glued to it all night)! I mean, I'm surprised he hasn't TiVo'ed all the games yet... or has he?!?! UGH! Well, I planned on beating him with his bracket this year, but I already got screwed last night when Duke lost... Can you believe that?!?!?! We'll see... My final 4 are still going strong! So, let's not jinx it ;-)

So, tomorrow, to continue Kathryn's celebration, we're heading to Madison (again) for "Firing Bootcamp"! And it's "St. Patrick's" Day so it's really perfect... Can you feel the luck??? Well, then, let the celebrations begin...

Really... REALLY GREAT News!

No... I'm NOT pregnant for the Nth time!!! Geez! LOL... How come everytime I tell someone I've got some great news, they quickly assume I'm pregnant?!?!

Anyways... I'm SOOOO HAPPY for my sister!!! Kathryn passed the NCLEX nursing board exams!!! She took it last Tuesday and she felt kinda bummed out about it because she thought she hadn't made it... Well, if there's one thing in common between my sister and I, it would be this... that we both FREAK OUT so easily on exams... and then it turns out that we did really good anyway. I used to do this ALL THE TIME at FSU, then at the end of the semester, Rob would always be like "I TOLD YOU SO..." Oh well... It runs in the family... (at least with me and Kathryn!)

So, now my sister's a Registered Nurse (RN)... I know, some people might be like "No BIG DEAL!"... Well, IT IS a BIG DEAL... because IT IS VERY VERY RARE that someone passes the NCLEX exam with ONLY ONE TRY!!! A lot of nurses keep trying and trying year after year and they still HAVE NOT PASSED the boards... I told you my sister would pass because she's just so smart!!! Now, it's definitely party time! The last time I talked to her, she and Kevin were planning on going to Destin or Panama City for a weekend during Kevin's Spring Break. So, if the weather's good, I'm definitely in...

In other news... One of my bestfriends (since 9th grade) is ENGAGED!!! Whoohooo!!! Annette Diane de Kloet is marrying her college sweetheart--Eric! The funny thing is that Annette and I are totally opposites, but are still alike in so many ways. She's blonde-haired, blue-eyed and has a body trainer's physique. She prefers tanned guys (Latinos and Asians) and that's why she fell for Eric. Eric's half-Filipino, born and raised in the mid-West, but he looks more Filipino than White. Anyways, they met at FSU (Of course... Go NOLES!) and they're both in the same field--Biomedical Engineering. Eric got his Masters in 2005 and Annette graduated a week before our wedding. They then moved to Eric's hometown--Cincinnati, OH, where Annette is in the Prestigious IGERT program for University of Cincinnati while taking her Masters in BioMed Engineering.

I know she's VERY happy right now, but the last time I spoke to her, she told me how much she misses Tallahassee... I really miss hanging out with her and am looking forward to next weekend when she comes for a visit... She was really supportive while I was planning my wedding (I guess she had to... she was one of my bridesmaids... LOL), but it just sucks that I can't do much for her right now... Anyways, the date has not been set, but she did tell me that she wants a beach wedding, somewhere in the Destin area. I'm sure it'll be gorgeous :-) I can't wait...

4-Eyed Monster

After months of having eye-troubles--difficulty seeing while driving at night, sensitivity to bright light--I finally went to see my Optometrist yesterday morning. He's also Rob's optometrist and is Rob's cousin Caroline's uncle (on her father's side)... I first met him at Sarah's wedding a year ago and he remembers me, which was pretty good considering we only made small talk... So, anyways, Rob kept telling me to go see him for months, but I kept pushing it back because I knew he'd prescribe me with some hideous glasses...

Well, he did a series of eye tests and dilated my pupils for a more concise exam and he diagnosed me of Astigmatism! Aparently, my right eye is near-sighted and the other one is perfect. However, he did note that I do have a 20/20 vision, which he was surprised to know after finding out that I program on computers all day! The good news is that Astigmatism (AKA near or far-sightedness) is the most common eye problem... and the even BETTER news is when he mentioned that I don't have to wear my eyeglasses all the time--only when I have trouble, such as reading at night or driving.

And perhaps the Best news is when I got my prescription and went to the eyeglass shop, which was right outside his office and saw that they have these chic eyeglasses such as Armani, Coach, BCBG to name a few. Since my pupils were still dilated, the lady at the shop adviced me to come back that afternoon. I then drove to work (which was a miracle I made it back alive... LOL)...

So, I went back after work and Rob met me there. As soon as I got there, I then saw perhaps the BEST thing that could happen to eyewear... The New Vera Wang collection! I'm glad I went back when my vision was clear... I never thought I would be saying this... but I AM SO EXCITED to be wearing glasses!!! The next time you see me, I'll be sporting these :-)

From Vera Wang's Opthalmic Collection

Nice and Slow

This weekend was pretty uneventful... We really had no major plans--no set schedule, nowhere to go, nothing truly important to do... just the way we wanted it :-)

I previously wrote about going to the beach, but it turned out mom got sick (which is the first time in a REALLY LOOOONG time according to her), but by Saturday afternoon, she was well enough that we spent the afternoon wandering around Tallahassee Nurseries. I was so glad she was able to come with us... she really knows her gardening well! We got a bunch of hydrangeas (for the backyard) and impateins (for the front porch), and afterwards, mom did a walk-through of our backyard with Rob and I. We decided on which trees to cut, what to do with our garden plans and we set next weekend to do all the yard work. Mom seems to be more excited about transforming our backyard into something quite similar to hers--Yeah, I wish!!! She's also ready to get rid of our deck, so we can replace it with a patio... but I'm not sure we'll have enough time to do all that right now... But at least, having the trees cleared and planting more flowery shrubs are a good start for our home improvement projects this year... I guess that will be my workout next weekend then :-)

Last night, we had dinner with mom and dad, then afterwards we watched "Little Miss Sunshine." It was pretty good, but not THAT GREAT, so I really don't see what the fuss is all about???

Oh and Saturday night, my dad and I finally booked our Vancouver trip. We were iffy about the dates, but now it's official. We're leaving Thursday night, April 26th and coming back May 8th! I'm starting to get more excited because now we have our tickets... and Rob and I should be getting our passports this week too! We applied for our passports in January, but since they started requiring passports for travels to Canada and the Bahamas this year, it has been such a busy time for The US Department of State. So it's taking them a lot longer than usual.

I started looking for accommodations in Whistler... We could either rent a condo or get a hotel, but since condos are inconvenient (no maids, no concierge, no room service) and are a lot farther from the ski lifts and gondolas, (plus they require a minimum stay of 1 week)--a hotel would be much better. The thing is, we need a hotel suite for 7 people--my mom and dad, my aunt and uncle, Rob and I, and my grandma--and has a great location, preferably in the Village square so it'll be close to the ski lifts, shops and restaurants.

I found the perfect hotel that covers all our needs... I'm booking it next month, because I'm not sure which days (of our entire trip), will be spent in Whistler yet. The hotel I found is the Sundial Boutique in the middle of Whistler Village. It is right across the Whistler ski lifts and the Blackcomb Gondolas. The street it sits on is lined with various restaurants and shops and they have a 2-bedroom suite with a separate kitchen, dining room and living rooms--big enough to sleep 7 people... Here are pictures from their website...

The Sundial Boutique in Whistler Village Center


The ski lifts are right outside the hotel


The lobby


The concierge desk


The living room


The main bedroom


The other bedroom


The kitchen and dining area


... And the jacuzzi on the balcony

The next thing to do is decide whether or not to rent a van... My aunt drives a Rav-4, while my uncle drives a pickup truck like Kevin's, so neither vehicle can fit 7 people. Either we take 2 cars everytime we go somewhere or we can rent a van... Taking 2 cars to Seattle and Whistler would seem like a crazy idea... anyways, we'll see how that goes... Also, I have to check with my aunt if Rob and I can go skiing at Grouse Mountain in May, since Rob doesn't think Whistler's enough *sigh*... In which case, we need to get ski lift tickets on that mountain too! Well, my dad did mention about floating casinos by the bay in Vancouver, and since Rob and my dad are avid casino lovers, maybe that ought to be enough to keep Rob busy :-)

Well, there are so many activities to do... so many places to see... and so little time. Which means we really have to carefully plan our trip well... so, let the planning begin!!!