Just wanted to say Hi!

I didn't want a whole week to go by without sending a quick shout out to my peeps.
What's up?
I've been super duper busy this week so not much to report without complaining... and I don't want to waste your time with a lot of complaining so I won't.
Here are the good things:
- Friends gathered to drink in my honor. Chocolate martinis and dessert, what more could a gal ask for. The headache the next morning was not the more I was asking for, but the party was lots of fun. Dance party and laughs are the words that spring to mind!

- Family brunch on Sunday to celebrate my birthday and my moms'. My sister put out quite a spread and we feasted. Afterward the ladies took a quick trip to the mall. We NEVER get to spend time just the three of us, so it was quite special.

- Last Friday I spent most of the day with one of my closest friends. We shopped and ate and talked and walked and spending time with her is like getting a massage and seeing a therapist all at once!
- I'm back at the gym. I am so excited to get that time back again. I am so glad, you don't know how much I needed that.
- The days are getting longer! Whoo hoo!!! Yippee!
- Although it has been rainy and gloomy this whole week, at least it hasn't been snow!
- This year may have started out a bit rocky but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. All things happen for a reason and I'm going to make this reason a good one.
Ciao peeps.
S

Birthday

Today is my birthday. Hubster and I have had an amazing day.
Started out with my hubby making me breakfast. Very super deliciuous. We had one appointment to get our taxes done and the rest of the day was all ours.
We got in the car and headed out to the northwest corner of Massachusetts. We were going to North Adams to visit Mass MoCA. We are always good road trip partners so the trip was fun. Driving up the mountain in Mass was amazing. We really enjoyed the scenery.
We arrived at MM by noon and enjoyed some light lunch in their eatery, Lickety Split. Can't believe we passed up the ice cream. Next of course was the gift shop. A girl could go broke in there. Great assortment of stuff from kids stuff to kitschy rock stuff. I got a gorgeous blue bag... my book bag ceremoniously broke in the middle of the snow storm last night. Not a good idea to hit the gift shop first as we had to lug the stuff around, oh well.
The exhibits were really great. I love contemporary art. Hubby, not so much, but he appreciated it nonetheless. InVisible: Art at the edge of perception was super great. The Sol LeWitt installation was really cool too. To see his early work in the same space as his contemporary work was very interesting. We headed out at about 2:45.
I could feel my 3pm coffee fix getting the best of me so hubby tried his best to remember where that coffee place was. The first place we pulled into was closed. Oh well. We kept on driving... hairpin turn is very scary. Then in the distance COFFEE. So glad we found this place. Coffee was DE-LISH. Shelburne Falls Coffee Roasters, you can smell the coffee roasting next door. We even bought some to bring home.
We got home at about 5pm. We were both hankering for sushi, but not really wanting to drive to far to get it. I searched a little online and found Sapporro Japanese Restaurant in Wethersfield. The reviews were really good, so hard not to try it out. There weren't a lot of people when we got there (never sure if that is a good sign or not). We got three rolls and a soup to share. Everything was good and we had a great time. Best part is that they give you complimentary bread pudding with ice cream for dessert. Yum.
Now we are home and I'm a year older. Yay.

We talked a lot about this coming year and what it will bring. 2010 has already proved to be a doozy so we are ready to see what the rest of the year will bring.

Ciao
S

Valentine's day!

Whoa, this week really turned out to be a doozy. So glad that it is over and we are all in one piece. Some things will be drastically different around here, but we will be better for it. I won't explain but know that we are on the mend.
So on this last day of the week of love, I remind you to choose love. It is a choice... just like happiness and fulfillment... you can choose love. It isn't always the easiest choice but it is your choice.
I love therefore I am. :)

Ciao
S

Random Love

* my job- this has been a tough one for me. Lately I have notice that it isn't just growing on me, I love it. Being in higher ed is really great and I am excited that it has given me the opportunity to further my own education. Lucky me. The people here are amazing and the work itself is interesting.
* cooking- I love love love to cook. Everyday if I could. It is one of the things that I miss most about being home. When I was home I could have a meal ready for hubby every night of the week. I love that. Not because of the wifely duty of it but because it meant that I got to cook every day; plan menus, taste and try new stuff.
* I really truly love dark chocolate, almost to the point where I don't want milk or white anymore.
* The children in my life. My friends kids, my sisters kids, random kids that I see in stores. I really love children. Their innocence, unbiased emotions makes me so happy.
* This blog and reading blogs in general. Bloggie friends... love ya!
* Snow days... when you're finally home in your comfy sweats and you can watch the snow swirling. love it.
* The cape. For a couple of years we went every summer... then had to take a couple years off for various reasons. This year we go back and I am ecstatic.

Love ya,
S

Bookclubs

I am so super lucky to belong to 2 great bokclubs right now. One is made up of all amazing women. We are all about the same age, same stage in life and generally like to read the same things and drink the same kind of wine. I have been a part of this group since last January. They started 5 years ago from a Craig's list posting. I know, can you believe it! They are a very loyal and caring group. I am thrilled to have them in my life.
The second book club is much smaller and more intense. We incorporate an adventure with every meeting. I probably shouldn't have joined this club because I started graduate school at the same time, but how could I resist. Adventure book club! It's awesome. On top of the adventures, these people are amazing! We never run out of things to talk about and I love having an excuse to hang out with them. Of course the other best most loveliest thing about book clubs is the reading. I love to read and always have. Growing up I lived two blocks from a library and went there as often as possible. I was starting to get into a rut with the books I was reading and love that the book clubs force me to read things that I may not have otherwise picked up. Yay.

Love
S
(I think I'm up to date on the postings. It's been a rough week people but thanks for hanging in!)
And in the pictures above, we are not full groups.

Friends

I am the luckiest when it comes to friends. I have found some of the most amazing friends in the world, and some in the most unlikeliest of places. The other day hubby and I were driving home from a birthday party and we both felt so lucky to know the people that we know. We are collectors of people and we love it most when our friends make friends. Friends are the family that you wish you had.

Love
S

Sister

Again, I know that you hear more about my sister and her family than any one else, but they are awesome. My sister is the most hard working, loving, loyal, caring person that you and I both know. She can cook, she is crafty and creative. We always have fun. Her kids are also loving, creative and caring. I try to spend as much time with them as possible because they mean the world to me. We may not be a large family but we love each other so much.
We talk almost every morning. It is my favorite part of the day. I get to hear the meltdowns and what the kids are eating and wearing. I wish we lived closer so that I could "just drop by" but we still get to see each other pretty often. I wish everybody had a sister like mine, and they had a family like hers... you would feel so lucky... like me. I'm also lucky that I have gotten to be such a large part of the kids lives.

Ciao
S
(oh and another thing I love.. that has only entered my life today... SNOW DAY! Yippee. Hubby is a teacher and has always held snow days over my head, until today. My first official snow day! Whoop whoop!)

Mom

I know I know, I say this more than you want to hear it. But really, I love love love my Mom. She is amazing. I have always (and will always) aspire to be as strong, smart, loyal and loving as her. We could sit here all day talking about my mom and what she has accomplished in her life, and it still wouldn't give you any idea of how amazing she is. Today I can tell you that we are best friends and talk almost every day. We weren't always best friends, and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. She was a strict mother that demanded respect and it is why we are so close today.
She supports me in my every endeavor and is there for me through every "bump" in the road.
Love you Mom.

S

Love

This is the week of love. I can't help it... I am in love.
Every day I will tell you about my loves.

Hubby,
truly truly truly love him.
Every time I think, "this is it, this is gonna be the thing that tests us, that tells us if we are gonna make it as a couple." He totally blows my mind and makes it look so easy. He may not love V-day and want to buy cards and flowers and take me to dinner, but that doesn't matter one iota cuz he has SO much love for me. He gives it to me all day every day in the ways that count the most.
In our little personal jokes that no one would understand and I'm not about to explain. In the pot of coffee that he insists (and I do too, cuz he makes a mean brew) on making every morning. In our daily texts that are about nothing but that I can't live without. Love you babe!
I love love!

Ciao
S

Suzanne Vega

This is a long and twisted love affair.
I have ALWAYS been a fan of SV... as you can see by the title of this blog, I love her lyrics and own almost all her albums.
A few years ago... gosh it must be almost 6 by now, she had a concert at the casino near here. I really wanted to go but couldn't find a soul to go with. Sadly I had to miss it. I promised myself that that would never happen again.
Lo and behold she had a concert at a not so near here venue a few years ago and I asked my BF to go. We made all sorts of plans... take the day off to drive there, spend the night so we wouldn't have to drive back so late at night. I lost my job and still, the up and coming concert was a beacon in the dark. A few days before the concert I got an email from the ticket company saying that the concert had been canceled. My cry of despair rang out in the night. I was SO peeved.
This past Summer there was some talk of a trip to Europe... my mother wanted me to go with her, my nephew was making a voyage and needed some "guardianship" AND there was a concert in Europe. Really was this going to be chance? Nope... those plans sizzled fast.
A few months ago an email arrived in my inbox... A Suzanne Vega concert has been posted near you... I was nervously excited. Would this opportunity come my way again? So soon... I asked around... no takers. Really ... no one? One taker, but life got in the way and we never made plans.
Again this week an email graced my inbox. I'm so bitter by now... this is ridiculous... of course the only concerts in my 100mile radius are on nights that I go to school. Ugh. Seriously! My only consolation prize is that she has some new albums coming out and there are some available on her website, signed. Could I even... would I even...

Ciao
S